texts: How to extend brass pipe/conduit that is buried?

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I need to relocate the above-ground junction box that is used by my pool light, and the conduit that feeds into the junction box is 1/2 inch brass pipe. I need to move it several feet further out, and need to know what my options are while maintaining code.
I think one option is to buy several more feet of brass pipe with some kind of coupling, only issue is the closest place that sells brass pipe is 40+ min away.
I believe the brass is threaded at the end going into the junction box. Can I use a threaded coupling that will connect to metal conduit?
Pics are below


texts:
I consider myself pretty handy, but when it comes to roofing I have very little experience.  I have re-shingled a couple of roof's but that's it.

My home is a 1915 victorian home built with a roof sufficiently sloped to not require gutters.  At some point someone put a flat roof sun room on the back of the house.  The rain pours off the main house on the the flat roof and pools.  It is leaking in multiple places including against structural components of the original house.  I know I should probably add gutters, but right now I'm more concerned with stopping the pooling water.  It seems that the overall pitch will need to be changed.  Does anyone have any experience with something like this?  I'm not exactly sure where to start.  I tried half a dozen contractors and nobody even wants to look at it.  I'm sure it's less than fun work, but I think I need to do it.  I don't mind doing it myself I just need to know how to get started.


texts: Which underlayment, if any, between 5" pine boards, and subfloor with radiant heat?

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Seems to be a lot of differing opinions on this. I get that having something between the two can offer less squeaking, some noise abatement and depending on material - a vapor barrier which I may or may not need.

Waxed paper? Paper with tar-infused? Some Tyvek-like material? Nothing?

Help would be greatly appreciated. Some professionals I've talked to seem like they're just trying to upsell me on the latest/greatest Microban-infused super layer stuff. Which leaves me with a wide variety of answers.


texts: Any suggestions how I avoid an S-Trap when installing my bathroom sink when the drain rough-in is installed coming up through the floor (foundation)? See image below - sink hookup is on the right.


texts: Why do our baseboard heating pipes make a loud banging noise after a new furnace was installed?

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We had a new furnace installed about a month ago.  The heating in our house is hot water baseboards.  Ever since the new furnace was installed, when the heat comes on or turns off, there is a loud bang in the pipes.  It's not 100% consistent, but it happens quite often.

We had the furnace company come back to look at the problem.  They said it was likely water hammer because the new Honeywell valves flow twice as much water as the valves that were on the previous furnace.  They only suggestions they had were adding padding around the pipes where they leave the furnace room and closing the ball valves on each zone a bit to limit the water flow.  Neither suggestion helped.

Would it make sense to try and fasten the heating pipes coming out of the furnace to the walls in the furnace room in an attempt to limit pipe movement and hopefully reduce the sound?  Does anyone have any other suggestions?

It sounds way too loud to be air in the pipes and it didn't happen with the old furnace, so something about the new furnace or piping in the furnace room must different enough to be causing this problem.


texts: Does anyone know what kind of rod to use with these brackets?

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We have an old home (circa 1920).  Our front door has windows on the side and above those windows are these curtain brackets.  Unfortunately the remodelers didn't leave the curtain rods, and they are unfamiliar to me.

Can anyone tell me what the name is or what kind of rod goes with them?

Sorry for the poor-quality image.


texts: Is the outlet type indicative of problematic wiring

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I'm fairly competent as a DIYer, but I don't have the ability to dig in to this problem directly yet.

I'm considering buying a very historic house (more than 180 years old). The wiring coming out of the breaker box (and it is breakers) appears to be relatively modern. That is, it has plastic sheathing rather than a paper-like stuff that I have seen in some older houses.

However, all of the outlets I saw during the tour were un-grounded three-plug outlets. That is, you could plug three lamps in with out needing a splitter. However, nothing had a ground pole. (I'll post a picture if I ever find one).

Does this indicate some complication (beyond lack of ground) that I should be aware of with the wiring in the wall?


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My wife and I recently bought a house, and we discovered there were buried hoses near all of our hose nozzles. We turned them on and to our surprise they were tied to sprinkler heads throughout the yard.

Anyway, one hose was broken (as shown in the pictures below) and because of how the hoses are used and they're buried, it'd be nice to be able to fix it without having to dig the entire hose up. How can we fix a hose like this?


texts:
The fly/moths have been increasing in my apartment. All my windows are closed. All summer there would occasionally be a few in my bathroom, and in the past week I sometimes come home to find tens of them in my kitchen and bathroom.

Picture is below, they don't appear to be drain flies from photos I've seen online. Any help appreciated.


texts: How could a power drill trigger switch be damaged when used continuously in variable speed range?

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I just acquired a DeWalt DCD790 cordless brushless drill/driver, and going through the manual, on page 10 under Speed Trigger Switch, I find the following:

  NOTE: Continuous use in variable speed range is not recommended. It may damage the switch and should be avoided.

Why and how would this lead to damage to the trigger switch?


texts:
Recently purchased a house and I am hoping to swap out the old cabinets for IKEA. I discovered this inconvenience (see photos). Any idea as to how to work around this? Ideally I want to remove it and have a flush wall to work with.
My idea was simply remove it, but then I risk having a head bonker for the basement stairs.
Any ideas at all would be so helpful.


texts: Can I use sliding barn door hardware on a hollow panel door?

texts: I purchased standard 6 panel hollow interior doors and one door way is much smaller.  Can I use sliding barn door hardware to hang this other wise standard hinge door?


texts: Paint adherence on fiberglass door. Does it need time to 'cure'? Can I top-coat it?

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We bought this door:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feather-River-Doors-6-Lite-Clear-Craftsman-Unfinished-Smooth-Fiberglass-Prehung-Front-Door-GK3191/204487447?N=5yc1vZas82Z7cm

I've primed it using Zinsser and then gave it 2 coats of Behr Marquee Exterior.

Looks great. Alas, 24 hours later, I can take my fingernail and scrape of the paint.

It's been a bit humid/rainy. Do I just need to give it more time for the paint to fully harden? Or did I do something wrong with this fiberglass door?

UPDATE:

Another day and the problem remains. I can confirm it's the paint. The paint can be scraped off with a fingernail, but the primer stays.

I'll give it another day or so (it's been humid) and hopefully it fully 'cures'. But if not, do I have options short of stripping the entire door? Is there any sort of top-coat I could apply to give it a stronger surface?


texts: Braided stainless steel water supply hoses versus rubber hoses

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I've noticed some apartments that use both for water supply to faucets and toilet cisterns.

I understand that the braided hoses are rated for higher pressures, but how do they compare in terms of durability at typical static and dynamic pressures?

Is it correct to consider the EPDM layer in braided hoses, by itself (minus the support of the stainless steel braiding), to be equivalent to a rubber hose in terms of pressure resistance?


texts: How is this pipe removed? Seems to have 2 points to be released

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I am looking into how I can unclog my bathroom sink.
I am looking at the pipe underneath and it seems that it has 2 points that can be used to be released. Why is this? Does it matter which to use?
This is the v shaped pipe underneath the bathroom sink we usually remove when the sink is clogged.


texts: What type of mortar should I use to repair masonry joints on a building exterior?

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I need recommendation for type of mortar offering good grip to repair old deteriorated mortar between masonry squares with a hole in the middle used for the balcony wall. This is a 20th story balcony in a Houston high rise building built in the 70s. The gaps  are about 3/4 inch. Owner is responsible to fix the inside of balcony. The outside seems OK.
In addition to the mortar, I was thinking to use a stainless wire to wrap around the masonry square to add additional strength wherever mortar is replaced. Thank you.


texts:
I have a light that has a switch on the fixture and then plugs into the wall. I want to wire this directly into a circuit in my camper.

Overall, I'm just looking for a quick explanation of how to do this.

Also, looking at the wiring from the lamp, I only see 2 wire which I assume are the hot and neutral. This leads me to believe it is grounded inside of the fixture. When connecting this light to the circuit, do I also connect the ground wire from my circuit?

Thanks


texts: Uninstalled Smart Thermostat wiring now AC won’t turn on. Please help!

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I disconnected my previously working ecobee to go back to traditional non WiFi Honeywell thermostat that was installed before the ecobee3.

The Heat works good but when I try to turn on AC it just won’t kick on. Thinking I connected the, back incorrectly, can’t seem to figure it out. I attached an image of my thermostat wiring and furnace wiring.

The AC common wire (white) is going to T terminal since I don’t have a C.
The AC Y (Red) wire is going to the Y terminal.

Any advice it tips would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How do I install a GFCI receptacle with two hot wires and common neutral?

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In my kitchen, I want to replace a regular 120V receptacle with a GFCI-protected receptacle. The instructions describe what to do with a regular 2-wire + ground feed, with and without daisy chaining to other receptacles, but not how to do it with a 3-wire + ground feed. Please describe how I should connect the new receptacle.

Here's a diagram of how the non-GFCI receptacle is currently wired, in my best 6-year-old artistry:

I think it's connected this way so that each receptacle in the kitchen has their two sockets supplied by different breakers. At the service panel the circuit is controlled by a joined pair of 15A breakers. I assume the white and black are separate 15A lines and the red is a common neutral (?).

Here are the instructions for connecting in a 2-wire scenario.

How do I connect this? Or should I consult an electrician?

EDIT

From The complete guide to home wiring


texts: Drain pump on dishwasher running backwards

texts: I have a GE GDT665SFN0DS dishwasher and the other day it stopped pumping out the drain. I checked for debris and clogs, nothing. I did notice that when I ran it without the filter and screen installed for testing, the little backflow valve would be popped out when I opened the door back up to check. I also noticed that when full of water and you cycle the power it will run the drain pump with the door open. It is at this moment that I noticed that the pump is pushing the water back into the dishwasher and not out the drain hose. I do believe that this pump motor is AC and is not reversible as far as direction is concerned, but the water is bubbling out of the drain hole, you can put your finger on it and it has pressure! What is the issue? Is the pump bad? Is the drain line clogged and the water has no place to exit? Are there gnomes living inside and making my life fun! Thanks for any help you might be able to provide. The pumps are cheap enough so I'm just going to order 2 anyways for stock.


texts: How do I build a scratch-resistant computer desk for filming?

texts: I currently have a desk that takes quite a bit of room and scratches very easily since its painted wood. As it is, my room isn't that big to begin with. I want to build a floating desk (Wall mounted) where I can build my electrical projects and looks beautiful on video since ill be recording my projects to make tutorials. I've never build a desk so I am not very sure where to start. I will probably be building it in a corner so the desk curves. I want to avoid a wooden tabletop because many of the things i will be working with tend to scratch the surface. I have my desktop screen mounted on the wall to save room already. Ill probably put the tower in the middle under the desk. What materials should I buy to mount the desk? Also what can I use to help prevent the top of the desk from being scratched?


texts: Bleeding a Cast Iron Radiator with No Bleeder Valve

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I am having an issue with a single cast iron radiator where it is not heating up at all. All other radiators are working fine in the apartment. A lot of people suggest bleeding the radiator, however, I can't seem to find any bleeder valve on this kind of cast iron radiator. I have attached a few pictures. Is there any other way I can bleed this radiator of the air that is inside it? I have already replaced the air vent valve but that didn't seem to help with anything. Thank you!

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NfI7FtvAEQY/WkJg3CxVrvI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/nOsuT1hfrzQceuvjgOK51ZBVbCEGjDS2QCLcBGAs/s1600/20171217_1629441.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Mw-OPVvGTk/WkJg3SlDglI/AAAAAAAAA2g/iG4usuAwFeoW9THBssLzQq1ylnns-nW5ACLcBGAs/s1600/20171217_1630041.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5LE1kPsoLY/WkJg3Powp6I/AAAAAAAAA2c/J_tOn8oxyDAKQvkTGkn39khAYYyQ5fnNgCLcBGAs/s320/20171217_1654431.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AELLpXEKI38/WkJg3jzqo8I/AAAAAAAAA2k/xOcrUjKNj-IqGe3sccYILdEWy3Bx90qjACLcBGAs/s320/20171217_1706331.jpg


texts:
I plan to set commercial flooring tile in a closet (so the aesthetics are secondary) and have 1/2" plywood over 3/4" OSB for substrate. Now, as you can see in the picture, the plywood wasn't perfectly cut to retrofit the somewhat irregular shape of the closet and has gaps about as wide as a carpenter pencil at the widest.

[[ Picture pending ]]

Should I try to fill the gaps with something like a square dowel + wood glue + wood filler or will it be fine to leave it like this. I don't expect anyone to be walking around these edges in the closet so I don't anticipate heavy load exposure.


texts:
I'm in the process of buying a property, I've just received the land registry plan from the solicitors and I'm confused as to what the grey line through the property is. Also why the bounds of the property extend over the road.

Anyone have any ideas? (Couldn't find a more appropriate stack to post this to - sorry if its not as relevant as most questions!)


texts:
I wanted to build a hoop house, but I need to be able to drive stakes or 1 5/8" pipe into the ground to hold the hoops (pvc or 1 3/8" top rail.)  From all I have read, these ground pipes or stakes need to be 2' in the ground.  The problem is I am on a septic system, and I don't know if there are lines I could be driving the stakes/pipes into and breaking my septic system field lines.
Is there a way to secure a hoop house other then driving posts into the ground?  I considered a greenhouse on piers, but I don't think it will be secure either.  Foots are probably too permanent and require permits.
The problem is the wind on any of these structures, as I see it.
Edit:  The ground is clay.  I could probe it by slowly putting a stake of some sort  in the ground.  I am guessing if I hit gravel, stop, move over, try again?
Edit:  The hoops will be top rail fencing and will be bent at the time.  They are then put in the post in the ground and have a bolt through both pieces and a wood frame along the bottom.
Edit:  It is at the bottom or near bottom of the leach field, and I don't know if I could hold the structure down with sandbags.  I can look at it.  I have a lot of cinder blocks sitting around.


texts: What might cause the heating to get "stuck" off regardless of room thermostat?

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What could cause my heating system to get "stuck" in a state where the boiler will no longer come on in response to the room thermostat, and I can only seem to "fix" it by turning the property power on and off again?

I have the following home heating components:

Worcester Bosch Greenstar RI boiler.
Siemens RWB2E controller.
Honeywell T6360 room thermostat.
Honeywell V4073A Motorised Midposition Diverter Valve.
Hot water tank with thermostat.

How I get the system "stuck"

My start position is as follows:

Set room stat to max (so switch is on).
Set controller heating AND hot water to "Twice" but not in active time period.
Turn house power on and off (to "reset" the system).

The I do this:

Wind controller clock to first period of day.
Boiler fires.
Wind to end of first period.
Boiler stops.
Turn heating to OFF on controller (from Twice)
Wind controller clock to second period of day.
Boiler does not come on, but should for heating!
Playing with the room stat does not cause boiler get "unstuck" and fire.
Heating will not work again until power reset.

Summary:  If the controller clicks off when Heating and Hot Water are ON, Heating will never come back on.

Does heating work on its own?  Yes.  If I reset the system and have Hot Water OFF, turning the clock will bring the boiler on correctly for the Heating.  I can turn the clock through many cycles and the boiler will come on AND respond to the room stat.

I've recently had the boiler replaced.  The room stat is also new, as is the motorised valve.


texts: What are the drawbacks of putting down pavers for an alley without a sub-surface?

texts:
I have a 5' x 20' alleyway whose only real purpose is to hold the trash bins and maybe a deckbox, so it sees little traffic. The problem is that in order to do it "right" I'll be spending around $600 on materials alone (4" of leveling sand, 2" of the compacting sand, and the pavers). I've thought about just making a 3' x 10' area, just for the trash bins, but if I could do the whole alley, I would.

Any tips on bringing down the cost on an area that's not going to be used as an everyday patio?


texts:
I am in the middle of a bathroom remodel and discovered an assortment of drain and vent pipes behind the old shower. As I get ready to reframe the wall and make the plumbing ready for a tub, I find myself wondering if I should replace / optimize this mess of plumbing.

It may even be possible to reclaim a good bit of this wall space which would allow me to install a longer tub (right now my plan is a 4 ft tub for kid baths).

I'm by no means an expert on plumbing so I'm wondering what the collective mind has to say.

Thoughts?


texts: What could go wrong if you made a circuit-breaker-tripper with its own circuit breaker?

texts:
In this question, many commenters and answerers pointed out that a device that would trip the circuit breaker corresponding to an outlet by shorting the outlet would be extremely dangerous. It would indeed trip the relevant circuit breaker if that circuit breaker was working, but if not, it could start a fire.

My question is the following: suppose your wiring is connected to a 10 A circuit breaker. Would it be dangerous to have a device that tripped that circuit breaker by shorting the circuit using an 11 A circuit breaker? That way, the current could go above 10 A, tripping the original circuit breaker, but guaranteeing that no more than 11 A of current could go through the circuit, thus precluding a fire.

I am not proposing to actually implement this -- I am just curious about any possible dangers that could arise from such a scheme, since in my understanding the dangers suggested in the original answer would be mitigated by the use of an additional circuit breaker.


texts: What is the best way to repair and prevent cracking grout in a shower stall?

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The grout in my main shower has developed cracks. They started small but over time they have grown and there are actual crevices in the grout. I've been using my guest shower so as to not cause mold from water penetration, though it's possible there could be some underneath since I was using it for quite a while.

So basically, I want to know the proper way to fix the cracks and why they begun in the first place. Was the wrong type of grout used by the person who remodeled the shower? I can describe the grout as a very rough grit and brittle. Should I re-grout right over the old grout with the proper grout? What exactly is the proper grout for a tiled shower? Would it be easier to just touch it up with caulk of a similar color?

This is all assuming a complete re-do of the tile is not something I'd like to do at this moment in time, maybe in the next few years though. If you do feel that the possibility of mold underneath justifies a complete re-do right now, please elaborate on that if you can so I may consider it. There is no visible mold anywhere and I wouldn't suspect any other than the fact I know there are cracks and water must have penetrated for some length of time. Thanks for any advice.


texts: How can I wire this three-way circuit between two buildings with only 3 conductors?

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I am rewiring my entire house after a major malfunction of two antique knob and tube circuits.  I'm up against a challenge with some outdoor lights.  Here's the situation:
I have a detached garage. It has a porch light over the service door, and it works on a pair of three way switches located in the garage and in my kitchen.  The porch light over the kitchen door also works with this garage light - they are both controlled by the same 3 way switches. I'm a really big fan of this setup, and I hope to save it.

The garage is powered by an underground 10-3 romex cable connected to a 2 pole 30 amp breaker in my brand new 200 amp main service panel in my basement.  It goes to an old QO service panel in the garage that has no main breaker and no ground bar.  There is also a 12-3 romex cable going to the garage to make the three way switches between the two buildings function.  Neither cable has a ground wire.  Both cables are buried under my blacktop driveway and not in conduit, so they are so hard to replace that let's just assume it's impossible.

I know I need to replace the load center in my garage with a new, grounded unit.  Remember, I'm rewiring a whole, enormous old house built in 1878, so getting the lights back on is first priority - I'll get to the garage when the house is done.

My question concerns the 3 way circuit controlling those two porch lights.  It seems like it shouldn't work with only 3 conductors travelling between the switches and lights on both ends, but somebody did all kinds of janky stuff with the old knob and tube wiring to make it work (It wasn't me!).  I'm thinking about doing something that maybe isn't quite as janky as that, but I need to know whether it's safe.  There is no building inspector where I live, so just go by National Codes and personal experience I guess.

Here is a diagram of what I'm thinking about doing.  Basically I would run a fairly normal 3 way circuit, except that when it gets to the switch in the garage I would wire nut the black wire from a piece of romex to the wire coming off the common and run it to my porch light.  Then I would take another piece of romex and use the white wire in it to get a neutral connection in the garage's load center for the garage light.  Ground wires in the garage would just run to the neutral bar until I get a new load center out there.  Grounds in the basement would be wired properly to my new load center in there.  Between the switches there would be no ground since I can't add one to the underground cable.

Will this work?
Is it safe?
If the "power source" is the "load" side of a GFCI outlet, will it constantly trip since the current on the neutral from that garage light isn't returning through it?  All help is appreciated.


texts: how to replace leaking tub/shower faucet stem

texts:
I have 20+ old tub/shower faucet. Can't recognize brand.
Please advise how to remove leaking valve so I can replace it. I tried to Google but didn't find anything similar with what I have.


texts: Need Bath sink Oval overflow trim ring -Large Oval

texts:
I have a 1960's American Standard vintage bath wall shelf sink that I'm refurbishing.   My Oval overflow hole is rusted chipped and poor condition and I want to add a trim ring to help hide the rust / porcelain chip out.   I CAN find an oval trim ring online - but they are all too small.   My hole measures 2 7/16" wide by 1/2" high.  (Items I've found are not wide enough).
Suggestions ??    Source for trim ring of larger size?    Other comments ??
Otherwise the sink looks good - but the overflow hole looks like crap.     Thanks All !!


texts: Structural integrity of new fence on concrete slab

texts:
I recently bought a condo with a 11'x13' patio with a wooden privacy fence. The fence is in pretty bad shape so I want redo it with new wood in a more modern design by doing horizontal planks. I posted another question about materials (Rebuilding fence - lumber questions) and from that discussion now have questions about the structural integrity of my design. I sketched out the existing framing and proposed framing with an sky view and front view.

The main difference is that I will be increasing the size of the corner posts to 6x6 so that I can screw the horizontal planks to the framing and the post will still stick out of it. Something like (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8c/e8/d4/8ce8d43018c740fb1c6b47f8a6a369d8.jpg). I also want to add a 4x6 post in the middle of each side to break up the long stretch of horizontal planks.

Is this plan sound? I am open to all suggestions, thanks in advance!


texts: Hole in concrete floor from floor anchor

texts:
I have a small hole in my basement floor from a leftover floor anchor similar to http://www.lowes.com/pd_79553-2191-50098___?productId=3044000. The anchor is now gone, and apparently over the years the hole has had some small amount of dirt and moisture pushing up through it.

I believe it is the source of a water leak during heavy rain. At the very least, it will be a point of concern for anyone buying the house. (I'm planning on selling in the next year).

I need to get this hole sealed properly. Preferably in a way that won't make it obvious that a hole was there (though this concern is very much secondary). What would be the right way to do this?


texts: Is it possible to convert a sliding drawer into a rolling drawer?

texts:
I have a beautiful, reclaimed-wood fitted wardrobe made for my house by some folks in my social circle. I love it.

Except. The drawers are huge and heavy, and simply slide out wood-on-wood, 19th-century style. This isn't ideal. Here's what they look like:

And for reference, here's where it slots in:

I'd love to convert these to modern, rolling drawers. Is this possible? Possible without completely rebuilding the drawers, even?


texts: 3 Lights, One Switch, Power at 1st Light - HELP!

texts: Can someone please tell me if/how I could add an additional light (or two) the the wiring arrangement in this diagram using 12/2 wiring. Also, could I us this "to the next unswitched fixture" to go to a receptacle. Thanks


texts: Proper installation when replacing particle board underlayment with 3/4 advantec over 1/2" plywood subfloor?

texts:
My home's flooring was originally 1/2 plywood subfloor with 3/4 particle board underlayment. I have since removed the particle board and plan to replace it with 3/4 Advantec. My current plan is:

Secure the 1/2 plywood to the joists via 1-1/8 decking screws.
Cover subfloor with 15 lbs roofing paper to prevent squeaking.
Install 3/4 Advantec underlayment perpendicular to the subfloor and secure
with 1-1/2 staples (Not stapling into joists).

Are there any issues with the steps I've listed above?  I asked a gentleman at Lowes and he said, "The roofing paper is not necessary and be sure to nail the Advantec to the joists. Another person said, "Glue and nail the Advantec to the subfloor but do not nail into the joists." I cannot seem to find information that clearly explains best process given my situation.


texts: How to fix dry wall side of newly fitted tiles shower wall?

texts:
I have had a brand new shower put in, the tiling is shown, however after about 1 month we noticed a small amount of water passing though to the dry wall. The below is now 9 months later.

The contractor does not know what is causing the problem.

The tiles and grouting used I assume are waterproof.

I would really appreciate your thoughts!


texts: Do I need an HVAC vent in this bathroom?

texts:
The finished portion of my basement was completed after the original construction. I've found a few questionable practices, including the lack of an HVAC vent in the basement bathroom (shown in green below). I don't know the first thing about the air portion of HVAC systems, but I'm assuming a good design would have incorporated one. Do I need to install a vent?

Furthermore, do I need to add more vents/ducts to the main finished area of the basement (shown in red below)? The red dots below are where the current vents are installed in the room.

The current system that serves this portion of the house also serves another ~1,350 sq ft on the main level. There is an air return on both levels. The unit is a 3 Ton / 90,000 BTU split gas.

I am about to remove all the exterior-wall drywall to insulate (they kindly left all exterior walls uninsulated, even those above grade), and ceiling drywall to run various wires and cables. This would be an excellent time to run additional HVAC ducts if needed.

The lack of insulation really throws out the "does it feel comfortable as is?" test.

"Den" => ~402 sq ft
"Bath" => ~60 sq ft (modified for discrepancies in floor plan below)


texts: How can I secure NM cable to a metal stud?

texts:
I use NM staples to secure NM cable to wood studs but I am unfamiliar with the options to secure NM cable directly to metal studs despite trying a number of different search terms. Would it be okay to substitute metal screws in place of the nails using plastic NM staples which come with nails or would that void the UL listing of the staples? Or, is there another recommended method? I know for horizontal runs I can go through the center of the stud (also, I believe that counts as supporting, but not securing as per NEC:2011 section 334.30). Also, for this case I need to secure and support a vertical run down from the ceiling to an electrical box.
The Preferred Solution will:

secure the wire to the edge of the metal stud. The back edge of the stud faces the cinderblock foundation of my house and there is an air gap between the stud and the foundation wall.

not involve wood or other organic materials since the wall is in a basement and I am trying to avoid materials that could potentially breed mold (moisture is currently well under control, but you never know what the future holds). E.g. Attach wood to the stud and then use NM staples to secure to the wood.

Code Reference:

334.30 Securing and Supporting.
Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or
similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable,
at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (41⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.)
of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or fitting. Flat cables
shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from
physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within
the raceway.


texts: AFCI Breaker Randomly Tripping - No New Devices

texts:
We did a lot of investigating and found several clarifications that I didn't have correct in my previous post. New summary of the problem:

It's a Siemens Type QAF 20 amp breaker, 2006-built home - the circuit has been labeled "beth plugs." We isolated the outlets that this controls, and they are several 2nd-Floor outlets as well as our TV/Cable box outlet on Floor 1.

There have been no trip incidents for the 3 years we've been here, and we have not added any new draws to that circuit.

The first time it tripped was Monday. We were watching TV while installers were putting radiant barrier up in the attic. They said they hadn't plugged anything in.

When this breaker tripped, I found that the GFCI outlet on the counter in the kitchen had also tripped. It is on its own separate "kitchen plugs" circuit, however, I was unable to reset the tripped "beth plugs" breaker until I reset the GFCI outlet in the kitchen.

This kitchen GFCI outlet and its associates are on the other side of the wall from the downstairs TV outlet controlled by the tripped AFCI breaker. It appears that both are served by wires dropped down inside that wall from 2nd floor crawl space.

Yesterday, my wife was at home watching TV (installers/equipment gone as job was finished Monday) and it happened again. Same outlet tripped in kitchen, same breaker tripped in garage.

What could be going on here? With no new equipment adding draw and the GFCI tripping as well? Some have suggested faulty GFCI receptacle tripping the nearby AFCI breaker, even though they aren't same circuit. Others have suggested faulty breaker. And others have said installers probably messed up a connection somewhere. Any clues?

I can't make the breaker trip for experimentation, which makes it very difficult to investigate. We went through the house using one of those wiring testers and all showed as good.

Thanks for any help at all.


texts: I have a new Whirlpool cooktop that has the warm surface light on dim when the cooktop has not been used. It turns on brightly when being used but returns to dim when the surface cools. The service tech could not find anything wrong with it and said it is okay. I'm guessing there is a problem with circuit board that the warm light is mounted on has an issue since the tech ruled out surface switches. Whirlpool is at a loss and do not have their own techs to get this right. Any one see this before?


texts: Howto convert old basement slab into finished concrete floor?

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Doing a complete remodel, after Boulder flooding, of my basement.  After demoing and floodcutting, all that's left is framing and concrete slab.  I'd like to turn this into a nice concrete finished floor; see links below for sample of what I'd like.

What I'm looking for is advice on how to proceed in the general sense.  Browsing the internet for pics of floors, I think I'm looking for a stained or polished floor.  Probably nothing fancy.  Don't need inlays or multiple colors.  Something subdued, light in color, low maintenance.

What I'm concerned about in particular are things like:

1) Can my existing slab be used?

2) Can I do it myself and expect decent results?

I'm looking to achieve results similar to this...

Click for larger view


texts: I took down wallpaper in my dining room and it revealed an old paint layer that started to peel off as I scraped off the backing and glue.  I'd like to repaint but how to I go about getting rid of the old paint layer?  I'm afraid if I just sand it it will divit in spots on the wall and won't be an even finish.  Is there something I can paint on after I sand it?  I'm not really sure what to do next.


texts: how to stop seeping ground lake water coming into our cottage basement at times of extrem runoff pressure from river

texts: We have a lovely walk out house at Wasa Lake, B.C. We are retiring there this year and would like to use the walk out for addition living space. Had the house since 2005 and had no issues with flooding. However the last three years we have had flooding. The ground under the house is very porous and the pressure from high run off pushes the water up through the ground and then seeps into the lower level. Is there someway we can stop the water coming in with out worrying about flooding or the pressure cracking the basement cement floor? We do have a sump pump. Neighbors took out all the water and cracked their basement floor due to pressure buildup. We left 2 feet of water in to prevent this and were successful. Looking at every avenue to solve this problem. Thanks for any input. Penny


texts: How to integrate beams and venting with drywall?

texts: I have air vents and an I-beam right when you walk into my basement.  My family is tall so I am not looking to box it like I normally would.  I am going to hit everything with white paint.  Problem is on the outer walls how do you "connect" the drywall to the I-beam and vent that run across?


texts: Mystery wooden boards on the ground by my new, old house

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We recently bought an old Victorian house in Berkeley, California, and after we moved in I noticed a couple of laminated wooden boards aligned on the floor by the side of the house. I have no idea why they are there, but it seems like someone very deliberately placed them. They're next to the water/gas line, but they are not covering any pipes that I can spot with minimal digging. Any idea what purpose this might be serving?

I removed the board to take this picture, showing that it doesn't seem to cover anything:


texts: What is this thing that looks like a light socket but isn't

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I recently moved into a new (to me) house and there's a thing in the crawl space that looks like a light socket, but it's not. It might be some sort of fuse? There's a chain I can pull but I'm not sure what it does.

What is this? Please see pictures.

https://imgur.com/a/B6kFC


texts: Remote main water shut off & drain valves in crawl space winterizing

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Want to be able to shut off main water line in crawl space off via a switch inside and also want to install another valve right above to drain the lines for winter protection while gone and possibly another valve to pump in rv antifreeze into system, 3 story house with 4 bathrooms. Have been doing this manually in a walk in basement on another house for years but it's a difficult crawl at this house and I'm getting too old to do so!

So thoughts? Thinking will add 3 110v SPST switches located in house, but can use relays to motorized valves if necessary.

My ideal scenario:

Flip 1st switch 1st valve shuts off main water supply in crawlspace via motorized valve.
Flip 2nd switch & 2nd motorized valve just above it opens to drain out lines in house, then flip it back to close.
Flip 3rd switch & 3rd motorized valve above 2nd opens to pump in rv antifreeze then flip back to close when filled. I'll run a line from portable antifreeze pump inside house to a T there.

Trying to do as cost effective as possible and prefer to stay away from wifi type dependent valves. I see lots of NO or NC 3/4'' motorized valves but they require continuous power to stay open or closed so not a option. unless using a step down transformer. So is this where relays and transformers come into play? I'm a plumber and electrician so prefer to stay with what I am familiar with being no transformers or relays if possible. Someone recommended to possibly use irrigation valves? Been searching for hours and can't find much. Thanks in advance for advice.


texts: Sudden drop in water pressure at sink furthest from entry of main water line

texts: I've had a sudden drop in water pressure in my kitchen sink, which happens to be roughly 40 or 50 feet from where the main water line enters the house.  My bathroom sink/shower seem to be fine, but they are much closer to the entry point.  The water company came out and "turned up" the water pressure, but to no avail.  Sometimes it's hardly more than a dribble out of our kitchen sink.  My basement is fully opened up, so I can trace the water lines throughout the house and have verified no leaks.  What should my next steps be?


texts: dark brown stains in the bottom of a toilet

texts: a rental toilet has a dark clay looking stain in the bottom of a toilet that the renter was unable to remove.  At first I thought it was very hard water, however, there was no evidence of stains in a second bathroom or any other fixture.  There is evidence of cat litter in the area and I was wondering if cat litter could form a tough clay layer in the bowl?  Also, if cat litter is in the toilet, could it be in the drain piping and be a problem waiting in thwings. Can anyone suggest a way of removing from the bowl?


texts: How Can I Fill Screw Holes In Beam So I Can Move Screws Slightly?

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I had a contractor replace a 4x10 beam and two 4x4 posts that supports my deck. He also replaced and enlarged the concrete patio below the deck.

I am in the process of replacing the deck floor so it is not currently present. Before he started, I replace the joists and added hurricane ties into the old beam. That's when I found rot in the beam and hired him to do the work described. A week after he completed his work I discovered that the joists where no longer resting on the new beam but being suspended above it with the hurricane clips. The gap between the joists and the beam varies by joist from 1/8" to 1/4". I now need to remove the hurricane clips and reinstall them with the joists resting on the beam. The challenge is that the existing screw holes are so close that the screws will want to go into them.

Is there a way I can fill these screw holes so I can have new screw holes very near to them? The hurricane clips are on the outside of the beam, should I move them to the inside? Does it matter?


texts: How can I remove wax spilled on a painted wall?

texts: There was an accident where a non-extinguished candle spilled wax on a drywall. I removed most of it gently with a blunt knife, but there is a big stain left from the candlewax. Since this is an apartment on rent, is there a solution to my problem where I won't have to pay an insane amount of money to my landlord for a repaint?


texts:
New leach pit was put in 4 months ago. The system hasn’t been used at all since then due to renovation. Yesterday however, one of the faucets was accidentally left on for about 16 hours at full blast.

Given the system hadn’t been used at all for 4 months I wonder has this caused permanent damage to the system? BTW, we’re not planning to use it again for the next 10 days or so.


texts: The vinyl plank click flooring I installed in two rooms develops gaps at the ends between the two rooms. Can I glue the ends together in this area?

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I installed this click plank flooring product in two rooms, as a continuous run. It is a floating floor. Between the two rooms is a short narrow corridor about 4 feet wide by 3 feet long. The subfloor was properly prepped and perfectly flat.

Whenever the temperature gets low, end gaps appear in this area. I think the planks are shrinking from the temp. Gaps do not appear in the rest of the installation - I'm not sure why they only appear in this corridor.

Twice now I've pulled up the flooring in this area to re-click the ends. I was wondering if I could glue the ends together in this area only to keep them from popping. Just the ends of the adjacent planks.

If so, what type of glue should I use?

here is a pic of what is happening.  Note the planks aren't actually popped up, even though it looks like it in the pic.  They are still flat - just the ends have separated.


texts: One specific light fixture seems to be killing my LED bulbs

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I have all LED bulbs in my house, the nice CREE models that look like this. They've all been great, except for the ones I put in my bathroom's four-bulb fixture. One by one, all the bulbs in this fixture--and only this fixture--have been dying. They were purchased at different times so it's probably not a package of lemons that's to blame. What happens is that while the lights are on, every once in a while there is a very brief intermittent flicker. The flicker gradually gets longer until a bulb dies and its LEDs will only produce very, very dim light, even when put in another fixture whose bulb works fine.

I suspect that something it wrong with the fixture itself or its wiring. What could it be?

Here is a picture of the fixture. Only one bulb remains, and I suspect that it will burn out soon, too.

And here's a photo of the base of the dead bulbs:


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I have a 3-wire source power wire (red/hot, black/hot, white/neutral and bare copper/ground) leading into an outbuilding to a light switch and GFCI outlet 4x4 metal box. This 3 wire provides power to multiple lights, multiple outlets and a security light in an outbuilding.

So I just want to make sure I hooked it up correctly.

Incoming or source wires:

Black wire- I connected the source black wire to the line in on the GFCI
Red wire - I connected to the source red wire to the line in on the light switch
Neutral wire- I connected to the line in on the GFCI opposite side of the black wire.
Ground wire- I connected to a pig tail wire connected to the screw in the back of the box and also to the ground screw on the light switch and the ground screw on the GFCI.

I have 3 romex wires coming into the top of the box leading to other lights, outlets and a security light.

Out going Lights romex wire:
Going to my other lights wire I connected the black wire to the load side on the light switch and connected the ground wire to the pigtail with all the other out going ground wires and connected it to the ground screw on the back of the box. I wasn't sure if I needed to pigtail all the outgoing neutral wires and connect them to the load side of the GFCI? I believe I pigtailed the two neutrals from the outgoing lights and outgoing outlets wires and connected them to the screw on the load side of the GFCI. For the security light wire I used the push in on the load side of the GFCI. Everything is working but I'm not sure if I should have connected the white neutral going to my other lights to the load side on the light switch. Anyway they are all working with it connected to the GFCI load side for the white wires.

Outgoing outlet romex wire:
I connected the black outgoing wire to the load side of the GFCI. I connected the ground to the other outgoing grounds on a pigtail and connected to the ground screw on the box. I connected the white wire to a pigtail with the other white wire going to my lights and then connected them to the load side opposite my black hot wire on the GFCI.

Outgoing security light:
I connected the black wire for the security wire to the push in on the load on the GFCI and the white wire is also connected to the push in on the load side of the GFCI. The ground is connected to all the other outgoing grounds in a pigtail attached to the ground screw.

As stated everything is working and I have constant power to my outlets and all my lights turn on at this switch. Everything is working so I must have done something right but my only real question is should I have attached the white neutral wire going to my lights to the neutral on the light switch as well as the neutral load on the GFCI? I didn't connect the neutral back to the light switch I just put it back on the GFCI because that's where the line in neutral was. Maybe I should have pigtailed the incoming neutral and connected it to both the line in on the GFCI and the light switch? Now that I'm typing this that sounds like it may have been a better idea. Any help would be appreciated.


texts: How Do I Make Metal Post Attachable for Neighbor

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I'm in the process of building our backyard fence. We agreed with the neighbor to use metal posts. One problem I haven't solved is where our back corners meet. There will be 3 panels attached here. One that makes up part of the fence between our yards, one that starts the backside of my yard, and one that starts the backside of his yard.
We've been joining panels with wooden beams and pipe grip ties so far. We figured we would be able to find a tie that terminates/ends the fence for the neighbor to build from, but I can't find any such product. All the ties I see have 2 wings. There are no 1- or 3- winged ties to be found.
What do people normally use?


texts:
Does UPC 2015 allow hose connections below grade (e.g. in an underground valve box)? Is a regular vacuum breaker sufficient in this situation or is a double check valve needed (typical for sprinklers)?

  603.5.17 Potable Water Outlets And Valves. Potable water outlets, freeze-proof yard hydrants, combination stop-and-waste valves, or
  other fixtures that incorporate a stop and waste feature that drains
  into the ground shall not be installed underground.
  A vacuum breaker is not considered a "stop and waste feature" correct?

Related question regarding yard hydrants, which would be an alternative if I can't put a hose connection under ground. Per Table 603.2 "Freeze resistant sanitary yard hydrants" "Such devices are not for use under continuous pressure conditions."

Does this mean a valve is required a before a yard hydrant? i.e. when you close the valve on a hose bib "hose connection vacuum breaker" is no longer subject to operating pressure, however the "freeze resistant sanitary yard hydrant" assembly as a whole technically remains under pressure when you shut off the yard hydrant.


texts: How should I insulate garage ductwork when no gap exists between ductwork and ceiling?

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I currently have uninsulated HVAC ductwork running the width of my garage.  There's no gap between the ducts and the plaster ceiling above it. There's also very little clearance between the ducts and vehicles.

Based on some recent plumbing work I've done, I doubt there is any insulation between the garage plaster ceiling and the living space above the garage.

Most guides I've reviewed start with the assumption there is a gap where insulation can be wrapped entirely around the duct. Since that really isn't an option here, how can I successfully insulate them ?


texts:
I have a dual energy electric/oil furnace that is wired to a thermostat with 2 wires R and W. I don't have any AC. Inside the furnace there is a switch relay to control the fan but it is not connected to the G terminal inside the furnace. I would like to run a 5 wire cable from my thermostat and the furnace and connect the W R and G wires to use the Auto / On fan switch on the thermostat instead of the switch relay inside the furnace, and eventually the C wire as well.

Since the G terminal inside the furnace is not connected to anything, how can I connect it to achieve what I want?

Should I bypass the manual switch or  an I wire the thermostat in parallel ?

The fan relay


texts: Do non-refillable gas cartridges have an expiration date?

texts: Does anyone know if non-refillable cartriges of butane or propane have an expiration date? If so, what part from them goes bad?


texts: how is a blank wallplate attached to drywall

texts: Are blank wall plates normally attached directly to a drywall with screws, or it has to be fixed to electrical box?


texts: Placement of transformer for indoor/outdoor LED light string

texts: The LED light string is labeled for Indoor/Outdoor use but there is a warning on the box that the transformer must be indoors. That seems as though the light string is NOT suitable for outdoor use. I want to use this string on an outdoor holiday star with the power source connection an outdoor receptacle. Do I need to return these lights for Outdoor rated use lights? Is there a fire or electrical shortage shock risk with using these with the transformer outside?


texts: Does a GFI outlet need it's own wall box, or can I have a GFI and a light switch, both with separate incoming lines and outgoing loads, in the same wall box?  Thanks.


texts: Oil or latex for Grade 5 metal parts, in use case not requiring hard wear

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I have a possible need to coat hardware parts in a rigging application to reduce visibility. This installation is indoors, in a semi-climate-controlled enclosed space (a church; no worries about rain, but the temperature will fluctuate between 60 and 85*F as the HVAC is told to maintain more or less strict temperature ranges for Sunday services and other functions versus "downtime" during the week). It's overhead rigging; once it's in place and painted/coated, it won't be touched for years, so I'm not worried about physical durability of the coating against abrasion. There are a couple different alloys involved, but it's pretty much all steel; the cable is galvanized 7x7 aircraft cable (yes I can buy it pre-coated but I would prefer not to), the clips and thimbles are zinc alloy stainless, and most other pieces (eyebolts, turnbuckles) are Grade 5 medium carbon steel.

So, do I go eco-friendly with a zero-VOC satin latex just to camouflage the parts, or do I still need an oil paint to ensure that the coating won't fail due to the temperature swings?

Thanks.


texts: Does my home's gas pressure need to be checked?

texts:
Alright, my main question revolves around not understanding natural gas. Before we shell out a high dollar amount to replace our furnace and pipes and upgrade to Central heating & air, we want to double check that this isn't an issue of something that can be fixed for much cheaper.
We live in an older house, probably built around the 60s.
Here's what I know:

When temperature outside drops below 35 degrees, the house can no longer maintain temperature at 69. The longer the outside temperature stays 35 or below, the lower the inside will drop until it hits the 50s. Once outside temperature goes above 35, the house begins to climb back up to where the thermostat is set. This is a major issue in winter. In KY, there are a couple of months of the year where this means the house will be uncomfortably cold.
-New roof and new insulation have been installed since moving in.
-Two story house, the upstairs is warmer, but we don't really use the upstairs for daily living.
-I can time it for more accurate measures but if a rough estimate helps, the furnace for heating the water that heats the house comes on once every 35-45 minutes and stays on for about 10 minutes. Let me know if an exact time needs to be figured out.

Other signs/issues:

Gas stove top requires that I turn the gas on high for about 8 seconds before switching to the ignition which will light the flame immediately at that point. To my knowledge, what should be required is going straight to flame ignition. If I actually do this, it will click for about 20 seconds before any flame ignites. Making me think there could be an issue with needing more gas. This is true for all 4 burners, and has always been true. The stove was new when we installed it and has always been this way. (The flames are blue, but very small.)

It could have been a coincidence, but while boiling water a few days ago, I turned on the hot water in the sink. It ran for about 3 minutes, probably causing the water heater to kick on. I noticed a couple of minutes later that the burner for the water had actually cut off. The knob still showed it was on, however. So I had to cut it off and reignite to get it to work again. I've never seen this happen, and when I tried to repeat it, it didn't happen.
I wonder if the gas pressure isn't high enough to the house being the reason that I have gas related issues. But if this sounds more like the stove has its own internal issue, and the heating is it's own issue that has to be fixed another way, please let me know your advice.


texts: Molten wire nuts on recessed MR16 halogen lights

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In one room of the apartment we rent, there's recessed 12v MR16 halogen lighting. There are 3 different circuits with dimmers.

I noticed that two of the bulbs were humming loudly even when dimmed all the way up. One light was constantly going off and on and flickering.

I took a closer look and I saw that the connections between the incoming 12v wires and the short wires going to the socket were in bad shape. Those connections were apparently made using wire nuts, and the plastic from the nuts had melted away completely. On one lamp, there was no plastic left at all, the naked wires enclosed by the wire nuts' metal spirals were sticking out. On the other lamp, one wire looked the same, and on the other one half a plastic cover was left. See the photos.

What's the proper, heat-safe way to connect the wires in this case? There's not much room in there, see the fourth photo below. I usually use WAGO lever connectors instead of wire nuts when I connect something and I was going to do the same here when I re-do the connections, but I'm not sure they'll perform any better in heat.

I'm also investigating replacing the halogen bulbs with LED ones anyway, so there might be a bit less heat in the future (BTW, any tips for MR12 LED bulbs?).

How is this usually done? I imagine there is often a need to connect the incoming wires in close proximity to the (hot) bulb in ceiling installations like this?


texts: feeding 30 amps to detatched shed with 10/3 armored cable?

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Can I use the existing 10/3 steel armored cable as feeder for a 240v 30 amp subpanel in my garage (detatched)?

That's 3 wires and a grounded metal jacket.  2 hots (red and black) which connect to a double 30a breaker at the main panel, along with a neutral wire(white) which is bonded to the main panel.

I've seen similar things discussed here so I know I'm missing a wire somewhere. The Does not the metal jacket substitute for the lack of a bare ground wire? Suppose I use a ground rod at the subpanel. Any reason not to ground cable at both ends? Does a 30 amp GFI at the main panel mitigate concerns about the missing wire (?) be it green or bare copper?  That's a lot of questions so I'll summarize. How can I di this without replacing the 10/3 armored feeder?


texts: Can I stick ceiling acoustic panels to my wall with intent to reduce room echo?

texts: I know it's far from ideal, but I have a few excess cartons of ceiling tiles. If I stick some to my walls, will it help to noticeably reduce my room's echo or reverberation? Or will the difference be so minimal, that I will be wasting my time?


texts: I am using a 15 amp rated switch that only has 14 gauge stab in connections.  The house is wired with #12 with 20 amp breakers for the lighting circuits.  If I made #14 THHN whips that would stab into my switches and then connect to the #12 in the house would that meet code?


texts: Is it possible to resurface a kitchen tile floor where most of the tiles are cracked?

texts: I have a kitchen floor that is made of ceramic tile. Most of the tiles are cracked. We are selling the home and having someone come and rip out the floor and install a new one will be very disruptive. Is it possible to just resurface the floor instead? Are there professionals that perform this service?


texts:
We are currently building an addition to our house. It was a duplex before (one part stick built, other part mobile home, they were connected by a common entryway). We moved the mobile home away and are building a stick built addition that will also have a 'mother-in-law suite'. Before, we had two separate meters for each duplex half. We would like to keep this setup with the new addition.

I have been told by an electrician that this was against code. He said he talked to the electrical inspector as well and he stated we could only do that if we had a fire wall between the two units.

I have been doing some reading and my understanding of the code does not reflect this. We have one service to the building (transformer from the electrical utility) that just happens to be connected to 2 meters. So while we can have only one 'service', we can have multiple 'service entrances', no?

So the question is can we have 2 meters for one structure that had 2 units in it? We have to follow 2017 NEC. This is in Minnesota, Blue Earth County. The utility is a local cooperative. The County does not impose or inspect anything here, the only aspect they consider for building permits is zoning and setback compliance, so they do not have a building code. Electrical is inspected by the State of Minnesota.

This is what we currently have (third meter is for an outbuilding on the property)


texts: no hot water or cold water after installing faucts

texts: Ok all i did was i added to the end of the hot and cold water lines about 3 feet of copper line on each hot and cold water to install a washer .I turned off the main but didnt drain the hot water heater just turned off the breaker . added the plumbing and then turned on main and turned on breaker . The washing machine works fine hot and cold water the sink near by works fine also hot and cold water . The problem is there is another bathroom near by and the sink doesnt work now no hot or cold comes out nothing . There is a toilet in that bathroom and it works fine . Why would the bathroom sink no longer get any water ( cold or hot water) .I tryed  a couple of times turning main off and on again and nothing . like i said the other sink and washing machine work fine and so does toilet in that bathroom but no water at all comes out of sink hot or cold . And i never shut off angle stops below that sink i never touched it . Any help u can offer will be great thanks for ur time


texts: Is there a pulley configuration that can both reduce distance and weight?

texts:
I'm trying to find some kind of clever workaround to engineer a solution to the fact that a typical pulley can't reduce both distance and weight.
I am designing a counterweight system for a hangar door (folds straight up to open, unlike typical residential garage doors). It needs to have a pulley system with counterweights that exactly equal the weight of the door so it can be opened to any height and stay there. Due to constraints in my wall between the studs, the counterweights (buckets full of sand or water) only have half the vertical distance as the door, and I don't have enough physical space to put twice the weight of the door.
I'm trying to come up with a configuration that will allow me to overcome one or the other of my two problems: e.g., either find some way to get more distance out of the distance I have available or get more weight into the space than I have available. I don't mean in a breaks-the-laws-of-physics sort of way. I'm looking for some clever engineering solution.

For the sake of thinking about this, imagine the door weighs 100lbs and each bucket of water weighs 10lbs. The door must raise 10' but there is only room for the bucket to go 5'. There is enough room in the wall for 10 buckets but since they have to stack, every bucket you add reduces the distance available to travel: 10 buckets wouldn't have room to move at all.
Edit: for those who think I'm just trying to cheat on homework, here's a photo of me actually building this (prototype):


texts: I live in Vancouver, and my condo is about 25 years old.  A couple of the tiles in the tub/shower surround are cracked, and I know that when I take them off I'm going to find soggy drywall.  I'm committed to taking the surround down to the studs, but I'm not sure about putting it all back together.  The bathroom has no outside walls, and the only fixtures are the tub/shower and the toilet.  The tile is only on the tub/shower surround.  Do I need a vapour barrier, or do I "just" replace the drywall in the surround with cement board and then tile over the cement board?  Thanks for your help!


texts: How to drain water from a plastic sandbox?

texts:
I have a Step2 plastic sandbox as shown here (Step2 stock image, not my kid!):

I live at a place where my options for outdoor play structures is extremely limited, plus I'm renting, so this is the best solution I can do for an outdoor sandbox. I also live in an area where we get a lot of rain. So right now, this sandbox is actually a sandy wading pool. I've been contemplating how to allow the sandbox to drain water that enters it, possibly by drilling some holes somewhere along the bottom, but I'm uncertain exactly what to do. Obviously, I'd like to avoid draining out the sand as well or otherwise ruining the sandbox.

What is a good way to modify a plastic sandbox to allow the sandbox to drain water?


texts: No water coming from water supply line to icemaker

texts: I have a cold water shutoff valve going to icemaker. It is connected by vinyl tubing. That end had a a brass insert, sleeve, and nut on it. If I tighten it enough to stop water from dripping, I don't get any water coming from hose. What is causing this?


texts:
We've got an Ideal Standard Space corner toilet with a dual flush system. The flush button broke – it turns out as a result of the flush plate not being aligned with the button housing. In other words, the plastic screw had originally been forced into position and the bent rods eventually broke.

So, we're replacing the dual flush button.

We had to straighten up the cistern tank first as it wasn't level and the valve canister was just too out of whack. Now it's sitting much better.

We've also adjusted the valve canister height in order to properly fit the securing plastic screw. But the cistern now won't refill. The water is running but it seems to run straight out again. What is causing this?

However, when the flush button isn't screwed in place, all the mechanisms seem to be working fine (pushing down on the flush plate with a pencil – but we don't want to do that forever).

We are baffled as to why screwing in the flush button is messing up the whole system. Any ideas? We're a bit stuck and don't know what to do next. Thanks.


texts: connecting a 2-wire (red, blue) ceiling light to a 3-wire (red, black, green) ceiling power source

texts: In Sydney Australia, how do I connect a 2-wire (red, blue) ceiling light to a 3-wire (red, black, green) ceiling power source?


texts:
What are the techniques to get a tub into the alcove during a remodel.
The alcove is 60", but with the drywall, (ahead of the alcove), the width is only 59"
Thank you


texts: Moen Single-Handle (Monticello 7730) Cartridge replacement FAIL..what did I do wrong?

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UPDATE, MAY HAVE FIXED IT! Going to go get some plumber's grease and grease it up good before I do a full reassemble, but right now the water is no longer pouring out as it does in video above.

Fix: I pulled the cartridge out to try to really examine how it works and see if I could verify that it was pushed in all the way and I noticed that the o-ring on the bottom of the cartridge (stock pic, ) had a little chunk taken out of it. Thankfully, my old cartridge's bottom o-ring was intact (it was torn higher up on the big black section that has the hole in it) so I swapped the o-rings and then re-sat the cartridge in the hole, making sure it was seated completely.

(Original post)
I had a minor leak from base of kitchen sink faucet (the part that turns the faucet on and off, not the actual long-neck spout itself). Read up on it and it seemed that a faulty cartridge was the likely culprit. Bought new cartridge that matched the cartridge I pulled out of it. Did the replacement following directions I found online, which matched the directions that came in the new cartridge package (Moen 1225) I bought, and matched this video.

You can see that at about 4 min in the video, he turns the water back on and pulls up the cartridge to verify that he has his hot/cold settings correct.

Well, when I do that, water pours out of the top of the cartridge and goes EVERYWHERE...

Here's a video of what I mean.

Where did I screw this up? And how do I fix it?

I should mention that when this happened initially I tried putting the old cartridge back in to see if it would go back to the minor leak instead of pouring out water---but the old cartridge now behaves the same way as the new one does... so I'm inclined to think this is user error and not a bad cartridge..


texts: working on a paint job in utility room. I was showing my wife how a voltage tester works. While the dead front cover was off, the breakers at the top of each row were showing hot w tester. When I re-installed the dead front, they were showing safe again. What am I not getting here?


texts: Plumbing: Dual volume control valve WITHOUT mixing

texts:
This is probably a total newbie question, I apologize in advance.

I have two pipes, hot and cold; I'd like to set up a single control point that turns the flow on both of them on or off, at the same time. I've been scouring the internet but I just can't find it.

Requirements:

I don't want a thermostatic mixing valve - I need the output to still be two pipes, hot and cold.
I don't want two knobs. Two knobs would be an easy solution but not the one I need cosmetically.


texts: Pouring slab but second story sags in old home

texts:
I bought a two story home built in early 1900s.
It was completely gutted. It had a crawl space so my husband decided we are going to put a slab pouring the concrete 4" higher than the original floor. The home has 9-10ft ceilings allowing for this.

However, we would be covering the original framework left holding second level of the home up. Here is where the problem comes in.  The second story is sagging a lot. How do we jack the second story up leveling it out if we are pouring concrete encasing the wood? What would be the best most cost efficient way to proceed here, ensuring this is done correctly?


texts: Adding 60 to 80 amp subpanel with #4 Aluminum SER service entrance wire from 150 amp main panel

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I have a 150 amp 120/240 and a three phase panel that are connected by 4 wires. two of the 120/240 is shared between two separate meters/panels. The 3 phase panel is also connected to an extra wire that I believe is High leg delta.

A neutral/ground bare wire enters the 120/240 meter/panel. In resume total of 4 wires come from the pole, two insulated black and one bare goes to 150 amp single phase. The same two black are also shared with the 3 phase plus another wire that I believe is a high leg delta. I want to wire a 60 amp subpanel in an attached guest house of 500 square feet, about 70 feet from these panels by feeding a 60, 70 or 80 amp breaker.

Does it make a difference in which panel I should install the feeder breaker?  The guest house is wired for 24" electric stove.   An electric Ac already is connected to the main 150 amp panel.  The main house has a 24" electric stove and electric dryer. The wire that brings service to the guest house is #4 ALU SER service entrance.


texts: Two Tube light fixtures (with a single switch) flickering

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We had 2 light fixtures changed in our basement two years ago. Both the fixtures worked with a single switch. In place of each single bulb fixture, a new tube light fixture was put in (each fixture had 1 pair of tubelights). Since then, we have had to replace all the tubelights twice. The fixtures were new and from a standard manufacturer (Philips) and so were the tubelights, the ballast that was replaced was also the same manufacturer. The tubes flickered and stopped working. We changed the ballast on one of the fixtures where the flickering problem occurred first, but even after changing the ballast, the new tubelights in that fixture lasted for 6 months and then flickered and stopped working.
Today we called an electrician and he said that the single switch that turns on these two fixtures was "hot" (showed live current) even after the switch was turned off. He made a change in the junction box to fix this. He took the two pairs of white wires, and put all four together in a single connector. He ensured us that the switch was not "hot" anymore. He asked us to try a single tubelight into each of the two fixtures and see for a couple of months whether the lights lasted or not.
I have the following questions and will appreciate your insights:

Did the "hot" switch cause of the tubelights to burn out?
Would the fix that has has put in work for us? Should we try out with new tubelights?
Is there a solution to fix this problem, something that has been overlooked?

Thank you for any suggestions you have.


texts: Why would my boiler expel steam when it's set at 180F

texts:
So, I have recently had some issues with my boiler (hot water - not steam) system.  After hiring some guys to stop by and take a look at it, they told me that the boiler pressure reducing valve, pressure relief valve (stuck partly open) and my pressure gauge are bad (all of which I believe and suspected for some while now).  So, effectively I can't leave my auto-feed from the road on because it will over-pressurize the system, and I get water/steam out the pressure relief valve every time it warms up.  I did empty the expansion tank after refilling the system the last time (~2 days ago) so I know that it's got somewhere to go if it needs (and it does take on water when the system warms up, but it also comes out the pressure relief valve at the same time).

Additionally, the system was set to ~220F, which they indicated was over water's boiling point and should be brought back to 180, which makes sense and we did so.

However, the system is set to 180F and it's still producing steam and I'm not sure why.  We verified that the water is circulating properly and the aquastat is correct as well.  The HVAC guy who was here gave me an explanation of why it could still be producing steam even though it's set at 180F but I didn't understand it and after asking him to reiterate it for the third time I gave up.  He mentioned something about the backfill of water getting heated but it still didn't make sense to me unless the water wasn't circulating (which we know that it is).

I'd be interested in any explanations - I'm mostly trying to make sure I understand this system.  I'm sure I left out some critical details so feel free to comment and I'll add whatever you'd like.  This is an old Burnham boiler.  Thanks,

Jon


texts: GFCI Wiring Question - I am confused how it worked before

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I have a situation which I cannot figure out.  I have a GFCI outlet near some pool equipment which feeds another set of outlets near the pool, the line hot also fed a switch for the pool light.  As follows:

From Panel - Pink (hot) and white >>>> Line Side of GFCI
To other outlet - Pink (hot) and white.  >>> Load side of GFCI

To light switch - Pink (hot) from the Load side.

First..dont ask me why the installers used pink wire....

Second...as you can see they were feeding the hot to a lightswitch for the pool light.  Well after 10 years the gfci has gone bad and I bought a replacement 20amp one (Legrand) which I wire the same way....but it keeps tripping.

Thank you for any advice in advance.


texts: How do I safely install a pole/mast on our roof?

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We are installing a pole/mast for wireless communication equipment on the roof of our commercial building.

The pole will need to rise 2m above the roofline. Obviously we want the pole to be as securely attached as possible.

This is our current plan of attack:

Buy a 3m length of galvanised pipe and have it extend 1m below the roofline, parallel with a reinforced concrete column (part of the building structure).

Pass the pipe through two attachments, which I'm not familiar with the name of. They are like a pipe clamp with a plate welded to it. One near the top of the 1m overlap with the column and one near the bottom.

Fix each plate to the concrete column in four places.

Attach three guy ropes to the top of the pole, one away from the concrete column and one in each direction perpendicular to that. The guy ropes will be fixed to parts of the building structure and a turnbuckle will be used to tighten them hand-tight.

Does this sound like a secure way to mount the pole and the guy rope ends?

I have heard that epoxy glue-in bolts are more secure than Dynabolts (expansion bolts) and reduce the risk of the concrete cracking. Is this true? Are there any resources I should read to use epoxy glue-in bolts correctly?


texts: How would I, or how much would it cost, to remove this stone pond?

texts:
New homeowner here.  This is in my backyard.  It is overgrown and non-functional in any way.  I'm honestly not 100% sure what it was, but I assume it was a pond.

The back of the pond is joined with mortar or cement or something.  I was wondering how someone would remove it.  Would a sledgehammer break through it, or would a jackhammer be required?

There are stones all around the area from it.  I've just been throwing them in the pond for the time being, so that the mess is confined to one place.  An image of it is below (sorry for not mowing before taking the photo, lol).


texts: Trying to change a faucet, there's a piece of metal that prevent me to use a basin wrench... What to do?

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There is this kind of tube that prevent me to use any kind of wrench to unscrew the nut in it. But without unscrewing it, I cannot get the faucet out of its place at all.

Is there a simple trick, or tool, that would allow me to go up there unscrew it. That tube is ~ 5 to 6 inch long.


texts: Do radiator covers harm heating efficiency?

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I am considering radiator covers, maybe wood slats with a foil back that will prevent towards-wall radiation.

How much will this harm the heating efficiency of the radiators?


texts: How can I fasten baseboard over concrete?

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I have a concrete curb of about 6" from subfloor to the plate in the room that I plan to finish with 5/8 drywall.  I am figuring the best way to attach drywall and baseboard over it. One option would be to waterproof concrete with RedGard and then glue drywall to it and then follow with gluing baseboard.
Other approach, that I favor, is to attach 5/8 pressure treated plywood to concrete with tapcons and have 5/8 drywall above it. Then I can use 1" nails to attach baseboard to the plywood.
Will something like this work? Any other options?


texts: Should polyurethane sheet seams be taped?

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I am going to place PUR insulation plates, the dealer recommends that each joint should be sealed off with aluminum tape, but could not say what the advantages are of doing this?

Can someone please explain? I don't like to do something just because someone said so, but cannot explain why..

Image of the insulation type
PUR = PolyUrethane


texts: Guidelines for poured concrete over corrugated metal

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It seems common in some commercial construction to use corrugated steel plates to form a 'deck' surface which concrete is later poured onto. The combined steel/concrete then forms a very strong floor surface.

I am interested if there are any guidelines for doing a similar process on a residential or DIY level. For example, an elevated shed floor could conceivably be constructed out of metal roofing over wooden joists, with concrete poured on top. Perhaps even a freestanding deck.

Ideally I'd like to find out if there are standards or guidelines for the wooden deck framing, metal gauge and other dimensions, if rebar or mesh is to be used, concrete thickness, etc. And/or what building codes might have to say about this.

Here's a commercial example just to make the general idea clear:

I don't know if such a guide is published  but if this is ever something done by contractors on a small scale then... maybe.

Also though I'm in the US where wood framing is common in many countries masonry seems to be more typical, so any global examples/information would be welcome also.

Thanks!


texts:
Was taking a shower and smelled some melting plastic. Turns out that the switch to the heat function of my bathroom fan was the cause of the melting smell. That one switch is part of a box that has 3 other switches and that particular switch has it's own circuit due to the heater. The other 3 switches are all grounded together using one copper wire connected to each switch but the melted switch was not grounded.

Is this what caused the switch to melt?

Will a 20A switch suffice or do I need one rated higher?


texts: Is there a problem in adjusting the radiator setting too often?

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I just brought two small Ethernet-type cards, so I could start a project to control the single radiator in my student accommodation over the internet. (#EngineeringStudent)

Now, the when I came back from my holidays, the valve jammed and it was freezing with 18 degrees (I turned it down manually while I was gone). So....

Are there any obvious problems of getting a motor (servo) to change the radiator setting say, every 6 or 12 hours, automatically according to the temprature? With this previous history, do I run the risk jamming the valve again? It's just a standard thermostat control which I intended to attach the motor to.

Thanks,
Manfred :)


texts:
We have a pocket door where it appears that the suspension hardware needs service or replacement.  I can't see a way to access it without a lot of deconstruction.  I'm hoping there's another way.

The symptom is that the door is suddenly hard to move.  Pushing it feels like one of the suspension rollers is binding, and sometimes the door rebounds when you stop pushing (like perhaps pushing causes the door to tilt rather than moving, and gravity pulls it back when you stop pushing, or the bolts that the door hangs from are pivoting in their brackets and then the door pulls it straight when you stop pushing; that's just a guess).

The track does not appear to be bent, and the door doesn't appear to be warped.  I'm guessing that at least one of the roller assemblies is binding, or at least not rolling.  The rollers are captured in a channel with insufficient clearance to allow a roller to jump the track.

I'm able to see that on one roller assembly, the roller on one side rotates when the door moves, but the other side doesn't.  However, this could just be that the non-rotating roller is no longer in contact with the bottom of the channel.

The problem is that none of the suspension hardware is really accessible to inspect it, or to service or replace it.  A few photos:

I got this with a bore scope.  There is another roller assembly at the other end of the door, but I couldn't manipulate the scope to get close enough to be in focus.

The roller assemblies ride in a channel that is formed into two deep "J" tracks.  The rollers almost fill the height of the track, so they cannot come out other than at an end.

This pocket door isn't just a track and roller hardware, it has a metal framework, with the track supported by a number of metal uprights on both sides.  The wall framing must be basically open space below a header, at least on one side of the wall.  The door framework must have been fastened in place to the header, then framing added below for the drywall.

The door itself is also 1 1/4" wider than the finished opening, and there is no stop trim on the close side of the doorway (just the jamb that the door closes against). To get the door out of the opening (assuming it can be disconnected from the rollers), would require at least removal of all of the woodwork around the opening.  In the picture below, it's clear that the door is captured by wooden framing at the top and right side of the doorway, not just thin stop trim.

The roller assemblies are screwed to the top of the door.  Research online shows that there is typically a slot to get the hanger bolt in and out of the door bracket.  However, inspecting the three visible sides of the door bracket, it appears to be solid, with no slot.

So it seems like the only way to remove the door to work on or replace the roller assemblies would involve significant deconstruction.

Please tell me there's another way to either remedy the symptom or service the hardware.


texts:
I have a Whirlpool electric dryer (120/240 volt 60 hertz) that is about 5 feet away from the breaker box currently, but I'm remodeling and moving it to another room which is only about 30 or 40 feet away.

I was wondering if I could make a wire, keep it solid but make a wire out of my 10 2 wiring for this 240 dryer?


texts: Ceiling Fan Won't Turn On Unless I Turn On The Recessed Lights Switch

texts: I had a light fixture in the room. I took out the light fixture, and added four canned lights in the room, connected to where the light fixture was, and turning on and off using what was the light fixture on/off switch. Then, I decided to make use of the hole where the light fixture was and hang a  no-light ceiling fan. I ran a separate wire to the door and connected it to switch that came with the ceiling fan. And, (since the power from the breaker comes in at the hole where the light fixture was, not the switch), I connected the power for the ceiling fan through that before coming to the fan. However, the fan only works if I turn the can lights on. (The can lights work just fine, without the fan switch needing to be on though.) And, the fan turns on at High when I have the switch on Low, and when I put the switch up to High the fan slows down to Low. Does anybody have any ideas? Do I need to pull the fan further away on to its own series/circuit somehow? Maybe I shouldn't have given the fan its power by going THROUGH the main "bunny" hub where everything is connect. Maybe I should just go straight back to the fan, and then just do one additional wire that connects the fan to the "bunny" hub at the ceiling, but then the fan still has its own circuit/series?


texts:
I have force air (propane furnace).  I would like to upgrade to a new "smart" thermostat, but they didn't run a C (common) wire which is required for most of these units to run properly.

I do however, notice that there is a Y wire, which from my understanding is used to switch on an air conditioning compressor (which I don't have).

Since I don't have one (nor do I plan on getting one anytime in the foreseeable future), is there any reason why I couldn't just move Y over to C?  Seems like I should be able too, but I just wanted to make sure that it won't somehow screw with the furnace control to not have it hooked in.

Here's a picture of the furnace board:

(on a side note, does anyone have any idea why there are also stranded wires going into R & W?!)


texts: A wall oven with a regular power cord, is it normal?

texts:
Just got a new NV51K6650SS Samsung wall oven on eBay. The oven looks new but I'm puzzled with its power connection. So far every single oven I seen had either a 4-wire conduit or a 4-prong plug, and was supposed to connect to 240V. This one seem to have just a regular 120V plug:

The label inside the oven says "120/240V 60Hz 3.8kW"

The original installation instructions don't make it clear at all as they talk about 3-wire and 4-wire connections. Is it normal, and if yes, how is it supposed to be connected? Just into a regular US plug?


texts: Wiring under cabinet range hood to a power cord

texts: I’m trying to install an under the cabinet range hood to a power cord. Our old hood had a power cord attached so there is no electric wiring to attach it to. The instructions don’t have much to go by it’s a Broan model BCS330WWC hood (Canadian model) and I’ve purchased an appliance replacement cord 15amp and 125 volts. I’m going to connect the wiring from the hood to the power cord.  From what I can tell from the website it has been rated for 15 amp and 120 VAC. Are these compatible or am I going to have too much power coming from the power cord and start a fire? Thanks for your help


texts: We currently have a gravel and tar flat roof, and it's near the end of its lifespan. We're looking to replace it, and would like to know what's the best material to use. We live in Southern California.


texts: Washing machine overflow tube spills water - cheap solution

texts: When my washing machine empties into the drain pipe it overflows initially, I tried running a snake thru the drain pipe - no luck.  Finally leaned a piece of plexglass against the wall into a mud tray to catch the water.  Not the best solution.  I saw in a boating magazine a gizmo (cleanwayfuelfill.com) that catches fuel overflow when fueling up.  It looked like something that might work in my situation.  I got the gizmo with the included adapters, it worked, no more water spills, no leaks.


texts: Will a mixture of acrylic and oil stains dry?

texts: I mistakenly mixed acrylic and oil stains.  While difficult to apply, it does look nice.  Will it dry?


texts: How to install invisible pet fence in frozen ground?

texts:
I recently adopted a dog on short notice, and can't afford traditional fencing. I looked into wireless invisible fences, but the layout of my property does not work well for a circular radius. So, my solution has been to go with traditional underground invisible fencing. However, it is winter here and the ground is frozen, though probably not more than 3-4 inches deep. I don't want to wait until spring, so I came here for help.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to DIY projects, so I have no idea where to start.

I tried just using a shovel to dig a small trench in the ground, but it was too difficult to get any depth and I don't favor the idea of doing that manually around the perimeter of my 75 x 50' yard.
I have a reciprocating saw; Can I use that to cut into the frozen ground?

How can I best install the underground wire for the invisible fence in frozen ground?


texts: When to use a spline vrs a biscuit joiner?

texts:
I know how to do either, but want to know if one is better than the other for particular joints (if so, what cases).

Or is it just a trade off between time / labor (spline) and ease / cost (biscuit joiner)?

In my current case I'm attaching a 3/4 inch lip/edge to a glued up table top (for the top I used leftover unfinished flooring, so that was spline-like).


texts: Coordinating a bathroom/bedroom update project...what's the order?

texts:
I am trying to plan my bathroom/bedroom update. I will be doing the following:
New luxury vinyl plank for both rooms (they are connecting).
Painting in both rooms.
New trim and doors both rooms.
Shiplap on one bedroom wall.
New granite counter top in the bathroom.
New tile on the outside/step in of shower.
New faucets.
Paint pocket door, vanity, and floor to ceiling cabinet.
New ceiling fan in bedroom.


texts: Window security pins to pull hinge tight

texts:
Do there exist such pins or bolts that are cone or mushroom in shape that, when a window or door is shut, the cones push on the side of the receiving hole and cause a slight pushing force to cause the window or door to close tighter?

Perhaps similar to these, but I'm aware these are anti-jemmy devices.

enter link description here

We have an issue with our upstairs double glazing where, although the seals are OK, the windows can't easily be adjusted and need a tiny amount of movement on the hinge side to pull the window in and make the seal even better.


texts: Can someone name this part of the roof please?

texts:
I haven't been able to find a diagram of a roof with the exact configuration ours has. I think the board on which our joists rest is called the wall plate but what is the name of the board that sits on the joists and on which the rafters rest?
This is in a garage and I think the plan was to make the roof space bigger for a future conversion because windows are already in place and wiring. The reason I'm asking stems from the fact that I want to sister a couple of joists so I can remove part of one for an opening.


texts: Wiring low voltage doorbell wire through exterior wall and studs

texts:
I currently have a battery powered doorbell that I would like to replace with a hardwired doorbell. Problem is, my house is not wired for a doorbell.
My solution is to replace the outlet in the picture, with one of these doorbell transformers: Broan-NuTone C915 Doorbell Transformer
Now, the only issue I have is running some doorbell wire a few feet through an exterior wall to this outlet that will be replaced by the transformer.
My idea is to use a long bit, like this: 5/16" x 36" Snakebit wiring drill bit and drill straight through the exterior trim where I want the wire to come out, through a couple studs in the exterior wall and to the stud bay where the outlet box is, then pull the wire down to the box. All while just drilling once, hopefully eliminating opening up the drywall in each stud bay. I am hoping to only have a hole in the stud bay where I need to pull the wire down.
Is this the best way to do this? Are there any issues that I might not be seeing? Is there a better way?


texts: Breaker box one 120 slot left but need one for a second 220 or 240 breaker.

texts: My breaker box has only one breaker slot left for a 120 v breaker. I want to ad a 2nd 220 or 240 breaker to a new outlet to plug a heater into for my basement workshop. Is there any way I can do this without having an electrician install a new box or panel?


texts: What is the meaning of the term "trade size"

texts: While shopping for electrical parts for the next project, I keep seeing the term Trade Size.  What exactly is this a measure of?


texts:
My Ariens snowblower engine manual has this to say about using an extension cord for electric start:

  Use appropriately
  sized extension cord (a minimum of 16 gage, 3-wire, 13 amp, no longer that 25 feet, and suitable for outdoor use) to prevent damage to electric starter.

I would have thought that, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters (apart from the "outdoors qualified") is the amp capacity of the cord.

I have a 3-wire cord rated for 15 amps, but it's a lot longer than 25 feet.  Can I use it in this instance?


texts: Is there an NEC-compliant method of repairing minor damage to electrical wire insulation without a junction box?

texts:
While trying to pry loose a stubborn cable staple that fastens a 14-gauge electrical cable to a stud, I accidentally tore a very small hole through both the outer jacket and the insulation around the neutral wire, exposing the bare conductor inside.  The damage is located halfway between the electrical box and the 5/8" hole in the frame's bottom plate where the wire disappears to beneath the floor somewhere.  The hole is but a mere dot measuring at about 1/32" in diameter.

Is it okay to repair this tear with electrical tape?  The copper wire itself was not damaged.  I am hoping someone isn't going to tell me that NEC requires me to repair the damaged section by replacing it with a new wire and installing a junction box or something.

Update: Right now, it's between shirlock homes and SteveR for the answer.  SteveR brought an excellent option to my attention, and that is to expose the junction box on the other side of the wall since, in my case, it happens to be a closet.  shirlock homes recommends wrapping the damaged neutral wire with insulating tape then taping up the jacket.  I like this idea, but if it's not NEC compliant then I think SteveR will get the answer.


texts:
The UK building regulations require 100mm of loft insulation between joists and 170mm over, ie 270mm of insulation in total.

If it were to be bordered out for use as office, with sistering the joists I would have to use 2"x12"s leaving around 30mm of air gap to stop condensation issues.

This eats a lot into the available headroom, under UK building regulations can I change from 270mm of Rockwool to a thinner amount of Kingspan or alternative?


texts:
Attached is an image with constraints labeled. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to connect all this together. My best thinking so far is to run the shower with a center drain to the toilet with 2". Run the toilet out the double LVL (engineer says OK) with a 3" basically perpendicular to the West Wall into the attic space. Vent it with a new vent out the roof immediately upon exiting the double LVL (this is very close to about 5'4" from the P trap on the shower which I think is max distance... although maybe the conversion from 2" to 3" at the toilet gives me a few more inches of space to work with?). Then turn it with a long sweep 90 horizontally to go down the North side wall near the West wall of the laundry on floor 2 down to tie it into the main waste line under floor 2.
As for the vanity run a 2" waste pipe through the South wall into the attic space on the west and bring it back around and tie it into the 3" I sent down the laundry wall. I'd probably vent this immediately out of the south wall through the roof, or if code allows maybe just do an air admittance valve for the sink.
Any suggestions? How would you plumb this with all these constraints?
Here is the option I'm thinking.


texts:
I'm looking for recommendations.

I live in an older house that still has a steam radiator heating system. I'm currently using oil but I also have a gas line coming in the house which the stove uses.

I plan on replacing the current heating system but I'm not sure what my options are. I'd like to switch over to gas, but then what type of system do I used? Forced hot water, forced hot air?

I don't have thick walls for duct work, so I'm not sure if those are even options.

Thoughts?

Also, I live in Massachusetts which has a rebate program for upgrades to more energy efficient heating systems.


texts: Why is my bathroom fan completely ineffective?

texts:
I just moved into my first home, and the bathroom fan is 100% ineffective. I can hear the motor run when I turn it on, and I remember going into the attic with the home inspector and tracing a flexible duct from the fan fixture out to a port on the side of the house. The fan was installed when the previous owners renovated the bathroom three years ago, so it's unlikely it's worn out from age.

But when I turn it on, it has absolutely no effect on the moisture in the bathroom. Water collects on the ceiling and fogs up the mirror and window. The only way to dry the bathroom out after the shower has been used is to open the window or open the hall door - both of which are very slow.

If I hold up a piece of tissue to the fan fixture, it doesn't blow around at all.

What can I do to fix this? Do I simply need a new fan fixture?


texts: How do I remove this fastener under my bathroom faucet

texts:
What the heck is this brass fastener and how do I remove it?  It seems to be holding down my bathroom faucet which I'm trying to replace.

All I can think is that center "hinge" maybe unscrews somehow?  But I don't see any way to grip it, it doesn't have a shape I'm familiar with or that I know how to use with any of my tools (phillips, flathead, hex nut, wrench).


texts: What should I use to seal cracks between stone foundation and sill beam?

texts: I'm in the process of replacing subfloor and joist sistering and noticed some pretty serious gaps between the foundation and sill beam after clearing away the loose debris between joists. Would it be advisable to pack hydraulic cement into the gaps? Thanks