texts: How to Mate Old Subfloor with New Plywood?

texts:
I'm replacing the floor in a ground floor bathroom. How do I mate the old plywood subfloor with the new one? I plan on leaving a gap between the subfloor and the sole plate around the perimeter of the room to allow for the plywood's expansion and contraction but, what do I do where it meets the doorway. Do I need a tight fit with the plywood in the doorway or do I leave a gap?

I'll install blocking and sister the last joist.

Do I need to cut the old subfloor back so that half a joist width is exposed in the doorway, so that the old and new plywood are fastened to the same joist? I plan to sister the last joist. There will be travertine on cement board over the subflooring.


texts:
My contractor removed multiple ceiling fans and I am replacing them with new fans.   There is a red, black (hot) and white (neutral) wire.   Is it normal for only the red wire to have 120V AC?  An AC meter reads 18V across the black and white wires: 120V AC across the red.

Updates

Good questions are appreciated. Updates will be edited here to respond to good diagnostic questions:

This non-standard wiring was observed in 3+ fixtures
Each fixture is controlled with a single switch
All fans for this discussion are ceiling fans
Black to white AC potential is 18V
I believe that I have not mistaken green for black

Current configuration: Wired and powered new fans with Red wire and is controlled by a switch in the wall

It is puzzling that the Black-White potential is anything other than 120V


texts: How should I prepare a wooden mould for casting plaster of paris?

texts:
I'm referring to a flat sided mould, not intricate detail. It is the reverse (wall) side of a piece of coving.
I'm using "Formula" Fine Casting Plaster. The wood is planed softwood scraps I had lying around.
Wood grain and other imperfections are acceptable on the cast plaster surface as it faces the wall. My main goal is to ensure I can release the plaster easily and re-use the mould.
I've read that plaster doesn't adhere well to wood, but I'd rather be sure. Will it be sufficient to fill any holes and sand it smooth, or would you suggest varnishing or priming the wood? What about a release agent?


texts:
I am a newbie with anything electrical so please forgive my ignorance. All of a sudden, my front porch light fixture stopped working. Changing the light bulb didn’t work so I’m trying to figure out if it’s the fixture, the switch or the wiring. I tried installing a new fixture but got a pop and flash and it didn’t work (it’s possible I connected it wrong since I was having trouble getting the wires connected with the wire nuts). So I just put the old fixture back in for now (nothing looks corroded on the fixture).

The box that contains the switch for the exterior light also contains a 3 way switch for my foyer light. The only thing i noticed on the switch is that the ground wasn’t connected- is that an issue? I just replaced the switch (hot, neutral and ground) and bought a multimeter. When I test between the hot and the ground on the new switch, I’m getting 120V. When I test between what I believe to be the neutral and the ground when switch is off I get 0...when switch is on, it reads 120V. When I test between the neutral and the hot, I’m always seeing 0V. I thought this was odd- isn’t there supposed to be voltage when touching the probes to the neutral and hot? Can someone clarify this for me? Thanks in advance. Should I turn off the breaker, pull off the fixture outside and flip the breaker back on and test the wires outside to see if it’s making it outside?


texts: Why doesn't my pressure relief valve work as expected?

texts:
My water heater is 4 years old.  I noticed very hot water coming out of all faucets, no cold water and a whistling noise.  Added a regulator to stop back flow on cold water. Replaced pressure relief valve, all faucets start to leak. NEW Pressure relief valve started to leak- replaced it again, now that one leaks too!
Have a pressure reducer to reduce water pressure coming into the house on main line- set at 60 PSI.

There is an exchanger that sits on top of the water heater for in floor heat.
Can someone PLEASE tell my why my pressure releif valve will not work?  I am on the third one in three week.  I have also been through 3 water heaters in ten years.  HELP!


texts: My bathroom sink drain is clogged. I tried to use a hanger to remove whatever was blocking it up, and I got a nice chunk. But, I saw it was still clogged. There is a semi clear piece under the sink that is bendable. I removed that, but it seemed clear. It seems to me that the clog is in the bend in the pipe below that. I was not able to get anything out with my hanger, and I don't see a way to remove that piece. Any idea about how to fix it?


texts: Does the Long Leg of the Grounding Clip go Inside or Outside of the Electrical Box?

texts:
I have a model #GEE-B10-10 Grounding Clip that I'm not sure how to install. Does the long leg go on the outside or on the inside of the electrical box?

Long side:

Short side:


texts: Can I install a switch between two GFCI outlets so that only one can be used at a time?

texts:
I have a GFCI receptacle installed on the side of my house in a weatherproof box. It is on a dedicated circuit. I need another receptacle on the other side of the wall in the car port so my wife can charge her Prius. I don't want to run another circuit but I also don't want both receptacles on the same circuit because at some point they will both get used and trip the breaker (or become a fire hazard). So I'd like to install the new one and add a three-way switch on the hot side to switch between the hot feeds on the receptacles. Then only one can be in use at a time. See illustration below. The top is two receptacles in parallel and the bottom is two receptacles switched. The switch and 1st receptacle would be in a double gang weatherproof in the carport and the 2nd would be outside on the side of the house.

Does anyone see a problem with doing this? Is there anything in the code which prohibits it? Any advice is appreciated.


texts: Why are some of the outlets and light circuits out in my home?

texts:
So I'm in the dark...literally. All the switches/overhead fixtures are out and most of the outlets in the house as well. So, I do have a few outlets working in different parts of the house.
I have checked the breaker, starting visually, nothing looks tripped. So, starting with the sub breakers, I turned them all off from left to right and back on from right (main) to left. Nothing changed. And I did really push hard off and push hard on. No change. This happened in the middle.of the night Easter Saturday, so no services available until today.

Could this be the Electric company's issue, or should I just call an electrician? I did call Edison and I am waiting for them to show up....


texts: Can I replace a toilet tank, only? what do I need to know regarding tank size to match to existing bowl?

texts: I have to replace a toilet tank that has cracked down the entire side.  What dimensions, and capacities to I need to know when finding a tank to fit the existing bowl?


texts: Help locating GFCI reset for exterior outlets

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I have lost power to my exterior outlets.  I have gone through the house resetting GFCI outlets in the kitchen, garage and bathrooms with no luck.  I also looked and found no GFCI outlets outside.  I reset all GFCI breakers on panel with no success.  Inspection of the crawl space and found no outlets.
The house was built in 2014 so there should be a reset somewhere.  Any suggestions on what to try next?


texts: How can I correct the slope of a marble shower sill?

texts:
Our master shower is tiled in marble; it's almost perfect except... the sill has a slight slope running out of the shower instead of into it.  As a result, every time we take a shower, a small amount of water runs out and down the front face of the sill, and (if not wiped up promptly) soaks into the floor.

The glass door (which swings in and out) is centered on the sill, and has a plastic deflector at the bottom, so the amount of water is not huge; it's on the order of a teaspoon to a tablespoon each shower.  Still, it's enough to have destroyed the molding and required the replacement of a few floorboards, and the replacements are already showing damage.

I'd like to reverse that slope so that water drains into the shower rather than out of it; I suspect that the best method would involve removing the tiles from the sill and re-seating them.  I'm not really up for that, though, so I was thinking more along the lines of polishing the inner edge (very slightly) and building up the outside (very slightly) with some sort of polish or wax.  Another idea was to make a small dam of transparent/"invisible" silicone caulk in a line just under where the door hangs when it's closed; my concern with that approach is that 1) invisible caulk really isn't; 2) we would feel it underfoot; 3) it would tend to peel up and need replacing relatively quickly, and until it was replaced it might be worse than the current situation.

Does anyone have experience with a similar situation, and/or suggestions?  Thanks!

Edit:
It's a bit embarrassing (it's the sort of thing you'd think I should have noticed long ago), but when I really took a look I realized that the plastic bit at the bottom had disappeared some time back.  I'd simply got used to it being gone, and didn't make the connection between its disappearance and the wet-floor problem.

So I went online and found this for $9.00: CRL Co-Extruded Clear Bottom Wipe with Drip Rail for 1/2" Glass - 32-5/8 in long and popped it into place (it's tight enough to not even need glue) - et voilá! the floor, she is wet no more.  Didn't need to correct the negative slope at all, although I do want to touch up the corner.


texts: How to loosen glass bulb cover from metal base?

texts: I need to replace one of the lightbulbs in my bathroom's lightbulb fixture. The bulb itself  is a halopin bulb that inserts with a metal hook, but its covered by a glass cage/receptacle that should just screw unto the metal base in the fixture. That glass cage is stuck. Based on other bulbs in the fixture it is supposed to screw off easily but the one that needs to be replaced is jammed. It's hard to put my full force into it because there is a sconce around it limiting my range of motion (I actually broke the sconce on an identical fixture downstairs trying to replace another stuck part). Any ideas on how I can get the glass off the metal more easily?


texts: How to extract and then add new refrigerant oil to a home hvac system after existing oil was contaminated with humidity?

texts: Condenser copper refrigerant lines were cut by vandals. They stayed open for several days. Before recharching with r-22, i know the repairmen will have to braze  the copper lines and remove all the old oil because it was exposed to the ambient and oil absorbs water from the humidity of the air. Im gonna be watching the repairmen closely and want to know about the right way so i will have an educated opinion and be able to question the procedures. How should they purge the old oil? How to add new oil, as i understand the r-22 refrigerant (freon) does not come with oil mixed in?


texts: Bathroom exhaust fan and light wiring question

texts: I have one wire run into my bathroom ceiling and I want to replace an existing fan with a light/fan combo. I only have 2 weeks wires, one black and one white. My new light/fan combo requires 3 but it would be very difficult to run another wire. Can I splice my current hot wire into 2 and use one for the fan and one for the light?


texts:
I seem to have a problem with my thermostat. I have tested the wiring of my HVAC system by wire nutting the the power (R, red wire) to the AC (Y, black wire), heat (W, white wire), and fan (G, green wire) to test their respective functions. They all turned on when connected and off shortly after being disconnected. However, when wiring up my new thermostat per the installation instructions, my furnace turns ON when the thermostat mode is set to off. Even if I plug the unit in with the mode set to off, the furnace immediately kicks on. The description of the wiring terminal designations for the thermostat match the description of my 5-wire HVAC unit, so I'm at a loss as to what I could have done wrong.
Because my thermostat has batteries, it is my understanding that the 24v common wire is not needed, but it is currently attached.
The model of thermostat is a Honeywell TH6210U2001.  The furnace control board is a Tempstar CEBD431004-23A.
Here is the wiring on the thermostat end:
Here is the wiring on the furnace end. The thermostat comes in from the left, while the bottom wires go out to the evaporator:
Here is the description of the terminals from the thermostat installation instructions:
Is there a way that I can test the pins on the thermostat with a multimeter?  Is it possible that this thermostat is not compatible with my HVAC unit?


texts: Is this light switch installation safe and legal?

texts:
I did this wiring in my bonus room years ago, and now I'm wondering if it is in fact legal and safe.  This is a built-in book case that I built and installed myself.  The bookshelf went in over a light switch box, so I moved the light switches with the boxes and cables you see here.  I've removed the plastic blank faceplate for the picture.  When the faceplate is installed, the two cables come out over the top of the faceplate.  The two cables enter the top rear of the box through a cable clamp which you can't see in this picture.

I'm happy to go back and do it right if this doesn't pass muster.  I guess my main question is whether the exposed cables are okay.

This is all in North Carolina, US.

Update:  here's a pic of the wiring in the wiremold tracks, before snapping on the elbow covers.  I had to do quite a bit of hacksawing and grinding to shorten the elbows so they would fit.

And here's the almost completed job.

Thanks to all for the help!


texts: How much volume is lost after compacting 3/4" crushed stone?

texts:
I'm putting in a stepping stone path.  The stones will be on top of 4" of packed, 3/4"- (three quarter minus) stone - which packs to a nice, solid base.

My question is, if I know that the volume of the stone in the path is going to be (for example) one cubic yard (3'x3'x3'), what amount of stone should I order?

In other words, if I ordered one cubic yard, spread it out, and tamped it down, how close would the resulting volume be to one cubic yard?  Is it close enough to not worry?  Or would it compact down to only be 75% of the cubic yard?

Edited to add:
For the sake of this question, assume that I've already added a buffer in my order for voids I've not accounted for, that I've already adjusted for loss while wheel-barrowing the stone to the area I'm going to put it, that I've accounted for deviations in how much the gravel company delivers, and that I've already accounted for extra slough off the shoulder of the base layer.

The question is NOT about "how to build a path?" or "it's just a path, why do you care?" - the question is simply, how much volume is lost when compacting 3/4"-?  It's obviously non-zero because it actually does compact (as opposed to river rock which does not compact).


texts:
We live in the high desert of Southern California and our home is positioned facing South and the prevailing winds blow from the West.  Our gable vent faces West and over time the sand has blown into the attic.
I assume I'll just shop vac it up, but how do I prevent this from continuing to happen while keeping the much needed ventilation??
Thanks in advance!


texts:
I have a one floor house with semi finished basement. On the main floor the Living room, Bath, 2 Bedrooms, garage and Microwave outlets are on 1 circuit. If I go to skinny breakers I have room to run a couple of lines from the breaker box and could get them to a couple of outlets on the main floor without poking too many holes. The breaker box will accept the skinny breakers. My question is can I pick 2 random outlets to run the new lines to and split the circuit, if effect turning it into 3 circuits? If I can, how do I go about it? Steps.

I am handy but have not done much electric work. I have switched pull-chain lights, installed outlets, installed some outside light fixtures. But that is about it. I have not screwed with the breaker box before.

I'm in MN. The breaker box is a standard 24 slot GE 100 Amp box. While I'm sure there is a way to upload photos, I don't see any link on this page to do so. – Pat


texts: Will I have any issues installing an in-floor heating mat with premix mortar?

texts:
I installed a radiant floor heating mat under ceramic tiles using a premix mortar. I now understand this was not the right thing to do. After further research the only reason I can find that suggests this is not recommended is that the pre-mix is not as heat resistant and doesn't seem to conduct heat well. Too late...

Before I turn this on, are there any other dangers of using the pre-mix with the mat? I used an expensive premix that is extremely hard. Are there dangers of fires or risks of the premix expanding and causing cracks, etc? Any other risks?

If it means that I will spend more to get the heat up on the floors because the heat does not conduct well enough, then I will have to live with that. I just need to know if there are any dangers or risks.


texts: Why does my heating work poorly in moderately cold temperatures?

texts:
My house has a gas-fired boiler and hot-water radiators. I've noticed a strange problem since moving in a few months ago.

If the weather is moderately cold (in the 30F - 40F range), my house feels chilly.

But if the temperature gets very, very low (say between 10F - 20F), bizarrely, the furnace seems to do a better job. My whole house feels toasty; so much so that I'll often be caught off guard when I leave the house.

What could cause this?


texts:
I have a portable air compressor (Master Airbrush MAS TC-40T) I use frequently, usually for airbrush painting. Normally the compressor sits on a counter, and I do not touch it while it's running because I have no need to. However, yesterday when I touched the compressor while it was running, it shocked me several times.
When I got shocked, I was using the compressor to blow dust out of a ventilation fan in the bathroom ceiling. The compressor (which has a three-prong grounded power cord) was plugged into the bathroom's GFCI grounded outlet. I had the compressor balanced on top of a ladder and was leaning past it to point the spray nozzle at the ventilation fan.
Every few seconds I'd accidentally brush against the compressor's casing and get a shock. The first few shocks were very brief and I chalked them up to static electricity. However, one time when my finger touched the casing, I received a sustained shock that lasted a half-second or so until I pulled my finger away. At this point I disconnected the compressor and stopped using it.
Now I've done everything I know of to try to diagnose the problem and haven't found anything wrong:

The Test/Reset buttons on the GFCI outlet are working correctly
When I put the multimeter into AC Volts mode, insert the black probe into the outlet's ground slot and the red probe into the outlet's hot slot, the multimeter shows a reading of ~118V, which I think means the outlet is grounded correctly (I'm in the US with 120V power).
When I put the multimeter into Resistance mode and touch one probe to the casing and the other to the ground prong on the power cable, the multimeter shows a very low resistance reading, which I think means that the compressor is internally grounded correctly. I've tried this with the compressor in several orientations in case the internal grounding wire is loose, but the readings are always about the same.

I can't think of anything else that could be wrong that I should be testing for. Have I tested everything that I should test correctly? Should I chalk the shocks up to static electricity?


texts: Help on identifying light socket? (Japanese apartment)

texts: Bear with me if I did something wrong. Long story short, I rented a rather cheap old apartment in Japan and the main rooms didn't come equipped with light bulbs. Can anyone help me identify what type of light bulb should I attach on this?


texts: How would I connect several speakers to an amplifier for multi room sound?

texts:
I would be happy if anyone can help me with the following project I wish to build :

I have an old amplifier 4ohm impedance with A and B zones, support for mono and stereo and playing A and\or B. I would like to connect the followings to that amplifier :

2 speakers for stereo in room A
2 speakers for stereo in room B
1 speaker in room C (mono)
1 speaker in room D (mono)

I would like these speakers to allow me to :

play an input from the amplifier and listen to it in all rooms simultaneously
when playing simultaneously , I would like to have stereo in rooms A and B
when simultaneously, I would like to have full sound in room C and D (mono), and not just left or right sound.

Inputs :

Phono (turntable)
mobile phone \ ipod
tv

How may I accomplish it ? how can I wire the speakers and the amplifier ?
what kind of speakers would I need and would they all have to be the exact same model for this to work ?


texts:
Apparently my original toilet valves were cheap because they both had problems and I replaced both with fluidmaster valves some years ago.

Two problems were apparent immediately which I solved:

The chain had enough length to tangle around the flush arm when flushed quickly.
The anti-leak grabby thing needs slack in the chain so that the weight of the chain will make it hold and the tank won't top-off.

Making the chain shorter left no slack to weight the grabby hook thing so it disabled the anti-leak. To address both of these issues I added a metal washer to the chain to give it a little weight. This seemed to solve these two issues.

Here is the issue

After the switch I noticed that if it has been more than a few hours since the last flush the tank fills instead of flushing. So the anti-leak feature has probably saved me a ton in water cost over time. Once the tank fills the flush works normally.

It was a manageable annoyance, but now as my 19 mo old son is going to be potty training I want to teach him the proper one-flush way of doing things.

Is this going to be a flapper issue? I can't afford a plumber.


texts: Connecting Wood/Electric Furnace to Smart Thermostat

texts:
UPDATE:

I spoke with an ecobee tech and they pointed me to an alternative solution.
If I get an adapter called a "Fast-Stat Common Maker", all I need to do is figure out where to connect the C-Wire at the furnace board and it should do the trick.

So question now is: Where can I tap into this wiring setup to get my 24V C-Wire feed?

Original question:

We'd like to install a smart thermostat in our home which is heated by a central Wood/Electric furnace (Wood being the primary heat source).

Currently, there is a group of 4 wires running from the furnace's command block to 2 thermostats on the main floor.

2 of the wires go to a simple mercury-tube thermostat which controls the dampers for the wood heat. (We keep this one at 26C so that it's always open if the fire is burning).

The other 2 wires had an identical setup (with a mercury thermostat) for the electric heat source, but a few years ago we replaced it with a programmable Honeywell thermostat so that we could program the electric heat when we were away for a few days (when we obviously couldn't make fires to heat the house).
I've got this one wired very basically: 1 wire to 'R' and 1 wire to 'W'.

What we're hoping to setup now is a smart thermostat so we can see/control the electric heat from our phones when we're away. (We don't need the Alexa/Siri functionality)

Only problem is every smart thermostat I've found requires a "C-wire" which isn't present in the current configuration.
The Ecobee3 Lite comes with a Power Extender Kit, but the instructions still reference control board wiring letters that aren't present at the furnace.

The wiring diagrams for my furnace can be found in the manual here: Page 18 or Page 23 (I'm just not sure what blower motor I have, but it's the PSG-4000 Wood/Electric Combo).

Is it even possible to hook up one of these thermostats?

Are there alternative thermostats that have the Wi-Fi functionality but don't require the C-Wire ?

Bonus question: For the thermostat that controls the wood furnace dampers, is it ill-advised to convert that to just a simple on/off switch?

EDIT:
Here is the wiring diagram:


texts: How do I extend an Ethernet cable at a wall socket?

texts: I have a wall socket in my kitchen but there isn't enough cable leaving the wall to attach a new RJ45 jack to (There's about an inch left to play with). There's no slack in the cable so I cannot pull more through. is there a way to extend the cable within the wall socket?


texts: How do I effectively fill gaps with between window mesh and window frame?

texts:
I'm attempting to reasonably insect-proof my house as I sleep with the windows open at night (no AC).  The windows in our house has a retractable mesh screen attached to the frame that has a slight gap at the bottom, which I'd like to fill.
I've been able to close some of the windows with a foam weatherstrip.  However, some gaps are large enough (> 1 inch) that the foam doesn't cover it fully.  Layering two foam strips on top of each other doesn't seem effective as the adhesive doesn't stick to foam properly.  My guess is that it won't stand the test of time.
My questions are two fold:

Is there foam > 1 inch thick, that'd suit my needs?  I've been unsuccessful in finding them in retail stores like HD.

Is there any other material that'd suit my needs?  Bonus if it's paint-able to match my window frame color.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so:


texts: What can I use to glue acrylic sheet together?

texts:
What can I use to glue acrylic sheet (Plexiglas) together?
Also is it easier to cut and shape Plexiglass or real glass?
Thanks


texts: how to remove tap valve? Any suggestions?


texts: Can condensing furnace experience too much condensate and cause repeated short cycles?

texts:
I have a Carrier 59SC2B. I think it is single stage.

I have had the unit for 3 winters now and this is the first winter that I am experiencing alot of problems. What is happening is: (the LED light is continuous throughout the whole process and never lights any error code. Flame sensor has been cleaned)

Furnace gets a call for heat from thermostat
The Inducer blower motor then starts
The igniter lights up bright orange
the igniter shuts off without any flame
inducer continues to run
igniter lights up again and then dims without any flames
heavy water gurgling, or bubbling sounds from condensate trap
after some time (~1 hour), if without any intervention, the flames start and indoor blower fan starts.

a. If I go into the unit and pull out the interior condensate drain pipe, wiggle/jiggle the water out, plug it back in, the flames start on the next igniter light. (Is this pipe supposed to be pitched downward toward the PVC drain? It looks 100% flat/horizontal)

Is it the condensate drain? I took the condensate trap out to clean it already, its fairly good. Is it because somehow this winter I am experiencing abnormal levels of condensate and the furnace is simply doing what its supposed to?

Thanks

EDIT (1/26): It is taking 1 hour again and I have called a HVAC tech to come in but I am worried he probably won't find anything because given enough time, the furnace starts to work. I've made a video of what is happening, perhaps someone has seen this before. It is recorded as soon as I restart the furnace and the induction motor kicks in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH7Dtx3Ht5U


texts: My ceiling fan has this for a wiring diagram. I have black, white, red and a ground wire in my ceiling. Should I be attaching the green/yellow to the red or the ground?


texts: How to knock a hole through wall in crawl space

texts:
I need to gett access to the crawl space under the floors in every room in my house so that I can fit underfloor insulation.

I'd like to fit insulation board as it seems to be the easiest to work with. At the moment I have a single access hatch - 400 x 500mm  which is big enough to get me and materials through.

There are then 3 walls that extende below the floor which I need access through and currently don't have it:

A sleeper wall (no wall continues above floor level) which is a single layer of bricks, has lots of ventilation holes (missing half bricks) but no access hole.
A single-layer brick wall which extends above the floor and currently has a small hole in it (350 x 300mm) - just big enough for me, but not ideal for getting insulation panels through
A double-layer brick wall which also ectends above the floor, and also has a small access hole in it (350 x 300mm).

My options for gaining access to below the floor in each space seem to be either to make more access hatches/holes through the floor boards (one in each room), or to knock larger access holes through the sub-floor walls. I'd prefer not to cut more holes in my floors, so my questions are relating to how to best knock bigger holes through the walls:

What tool would I need to cut through a double brick wall - I have a 125mm angle grinder with diamond cutting disk which might just get me through 1 layer of brick, but not sure even a 230mm grinder would get me through 2 layers?

How do I go about sizing a Lintel? - I've seen advice on length which is easy (free span + 150mm end bearing each end) - but not sure how to know what load-rating of lintel is required.
Do I need to support the walls whilst the space for the lintel is cut and lintel is installed (e.g. jacks under the joists either side of the wall)?
Any other advice?


texts: Yellow droplets from ceilling after water heater leak

texts:
I live in condominium, I got water pouring from upstairs in my store room. When I asked my upstairs neighbor he said that their water heater leaked.
For 20 minutes or so I saw clear water coming through from my ceilling , but after sometime I noticed yellow droplets on my ceilling, almost looked like oil droplets. Can anyone tell me why it got yellow color ? I am just concerned about some sort of chemical leak, I don't trust my neighbor.
I did some google search and found that water heater can have rusty water with leak, but I don't understand why most of the water was clear for almost 20 to 30 minutes , I saw yellow water only after sometime. Any explanation ?


texts: NEMA 6-50 plug to attach to electrical conduit

texts: I bought a EVSE with pigtail leads because it had strong conduit around the supply cables to protect them from damage. However now I go to get ready to install the EVSE and I can't seem to find a NEMA 6-50 plug that accepts the below threaded conduit end into the plug's rear end. I understand conduit has many options to terminate it into a box, but surely there is some need to have the cable protected by conduit up to plugs, no?


texts: Can a 208-230/460 blower motor be wired for 220 plug

texts:
This is my motor

I have this blower fan squirrel cage thing and is belt driven by this 3 phase motor and I just want to know if it is possible to wire to plug in my shop wall outlet? If so I probably won’t do it myself but will at least keep until I can find someone to do it.


texts: Is it normal for MY lights to briefly dim when my NEIGHBOR is using a power saw?

texts: I think that when my neighbor uses a contractor-grade miter saw, my overhead light in my office dims slightly for a brief amount of time (half a second) and then returns to normal brightness.  Is this normal? Shouldn't power to my house be relatively isolated from other usage in the neighborhood?  It's not a huge deal - just a little annoying.


texts: Do I need to replace my copper gas line before installing a new dryer? Why?

texts:
Just purchased a new dryer, and when it was delivered the installer said he could not connect it to our soft copper gas line -- he said it needs to be replaced with another type before he is allowed to touch it.  He also said that any appliance installer would have the same policy.  He did say, though, that we can connect it ourselves to the current line if we want to.

Can someone explain to me what the issues are here?  Is it really necessary for me to swap out my current gas line with something different in order to install a new dryer?


texts: What is the cost of one percent efficiency on an oil heater?

texts:
We've now had about 7 contractors come to our house and give us estimates for replacing a) our oil heater (system from the early 1980's, estimated at around 65% effeciency), and b) our central air unit (system from the late 1980's, but no heat pump). There is no option for gas here.

The contractor we liked the most offered a price of around 7800 for the new furnace at 87.2% effeciency. However our current oil company offered us a price of about 4800 for a new furnace at 86.1% effeciency.

With the heat pump the oil should only really kick on 3-4 months out of the year (we live in PA, and based on temperature averages for the past 50 years that's what it comes out to, assuming the pump keeps us warm in our 1100 sqfoot house to about 30 degrees). So, assuming a 30 year lifespan of the heater, do you think the extra 1.1% effeciency would pay for the 3000$ difference between the two contractors? Which system would you choose?

I have no idea how to approach the math on this one.


texts: Solar panels and batteries as primary, grid as backup with auto transfer switch

texts:
I've been toying around with this idea and I'm not sure if it's feasible.  I live in an area where the power company has recently adjusted rates to make grid-tied net metering rooftop solar uneconomical (SRP in central Arizona)

Rather than go traditional grid tied with net metering, I have been thinking about, for example, running my electric water heaters (yes I have 2, and not by choice, we don't have natural gas service, and I've looked at solar thermal.  PV makes more sense.) from solar directly from a sub panel, and storing the excess power in a battery instead of sending it back to the grid. The long term plan would be to migrate additional circuits to the solar/battery sub panel over time, and monitor the system adding panels and batteries to get to an optimum system.

I'd like to be able to use the grid as a backup in case with an auto transfer switch if the batteries run low.  Ideally this transfer would be limited to some pre-defined spread, so that the power transfers to grid once the battery is below 20% but won't transfer back to battery until the battery reached 30% (example numbers, actual levels TBD).

To further complicate things I would want to have load shedding to prevent both water heaters from coming on at the same time, prioritizing the bathrooms over the kitchen/utility, potentially adding the heat pump (8kw) to that at some point.

Ideally this setup would use panels with micro inverters to allow for easier expansion.  Otherwise I'd need to get a significantly oversized inverter for traditional DC strings to allow for expansion.

WiFi / Ethernet monitoring of all the major components is desired.

I'm having a hard time figuring out if there is off the shelf equipment that could be used for this or if it's even feasible. I would install the panels myself but have an electrician wire everything up.

I doubt the power company would like this, but since I'm not going to be sending power to their grid I don't think they have any say so.

Assumptions:

I have an old 200 amp panel that will be replaced.
It's assumed that I would need to move loads to a sub panel.
The power company isn't going to try to intervene.
Since the water heaters are 3,500 watts, I'd want to size the initial system to maybe 2kw, since the duty cycle on them is maybe 15%, and they are on timers (off from 9PM to 7AM)

So my specific questions are:

is this even possible or is it completely daft?
has anyone done this or heard of someone that has?
if it's doable, is there off the shelf equipment that would support it?
I'm not familiar with transfer switches, how is sensitive equipment affected?  All my computer equipment is on decent sine wave UPS' but what about the TV, refrigerator, etc (I've had to replace the logic board in my fridge after a power surge.)?
I've no idea how to size the battery.

I'm sure there are lots of details that I'm overlooking.


texts: What is the easiest way to cut a 2 inch groove in concrete?

texts:
I have a 5 foot wide concrete side-walk running next to my house. I want to cut a 2 inch groove from the wall to the yard in order to run a PVC irrigation pipe from the faucet on the wall to the trees. The primary question is:

What is the easiest way to cut that groove into the side-walk? (i.e. what tool will I need and how do I use it?)

Other questions:

Can you think of a better way to run irrigation from the faucet (that you see further down the wall) into the garden?

What other problems am I going to run into and how can they be avoided?


texts:
Our toilet flush button is stuck down, and the mechanism on the back doesn't appear to be attached properly.
It's a cable pull system.
Any ideas how it's supposed to be attached?


texts: Does anyone find any problems with this method of running speaker wire under the carpet?

texts:
I am putting new carpet down and want to run my rear 5.1 speaker wire under the carpet.  I know that I will want to replace it once a year (I am weird like that), so I thought I'd get a few of these:

Corduct 15 ft Cord Protector

The idea is that I could keep the wire as short as possible.  It should be easy to replace the wire, too.  My idea is to take some very long string, tie something metalic to it that will fit through the channel in the cord protector, then take a magnet to the metal object and drag the string through to the other side.  I would then tie my speaker wire to the end of the string and pull it through.

Does this sound like a workable approach?  The above-linked cord protector looks reasonably thin, so I don't think it'd be too noticeable if stepped on through the new thick padding and thick carpet I will soon be getting.


texts:
We are often asked to do full scale mock-ups of proposed projects - whether a pergola, shed, or stone layout.  Clients want to see how a project will look in the space and experience the sense of an enclosed space.

Typically we use cheap lumber or plywood. What can I use for full scale mock-ups other than less expensive lumber?


texts: DeWalt circular saw stopped working, probably need to repair motor, can anyone confirm?

texts:
Okay, so I got a a circular saw from the family for Christmas for my burgeoning woodworking hobby, and I've been using it a light amount. It went out the other day while cutting some 1x4. I had a little kicking while sawing through, but not too bad. Suddenly, the saw whirs down and dies. I think the battery is dead, so I switch. No good. I test with my drill, the batteries are both fine.

I've disassembled it fully and put it back together, verifying that there's no blockages, I can manually turn the spindle. Additionally, I've tested the circuit, and there's the ~18v getting from the battery to the spade connectors on the motor, but when I pull the trigger nothing happens. No sound, no motion, nothing.

The only thing in the saw I couldn't identify is some kind of square plate that rests abutting the motor housing. My suspicion is that it's a temperature sensor?

Anyone got suggestions to figure out what I need to do?
It's a DCS391 model circular saw.


texts:
I have a currently unfinished basement in a rather new home.  There are a few places that have bay windows, or cantilevers that currently have only a bit of pink insulation thrown in fro the basement.  From what I can tell, the wall up there, plus the floor (sill box) are the part that is outside the house exposed to the elements.

At first, I was thinking of putting some XPS foam along the top, bottom, and the inside wall and stuffing it with some insulation and sealing it.  But then I read this article: What material should I use to insulate floor over a bumpout?
 which seems to indicate that I don't want to completely seal it, but instead just insulate the bottom and wall area.

What do you think?

Also, I plan on eventually finishing the basement and using spray foam as insulation.  So anything I do now, I'd want to be able to know that I could remove if needed.


texts:
Is there a way to remove a key that is stuck in a SmartKey lock?

I inserted the key as usual, but it wouldn't turn and then couldn't even be removed.  (It had worked okay a few minutes before, and no one had tampered with it in the meantime.)

Note that I already know how to remove a SmartKey cylinder and rekey it without having the original key.  That isn't what I'm asking about.


texts: What type and size of wire to run to my garage

texts: I have a garage that is about 150 feet from my house I am going to run a sub-panel to. I will have several plug in outlets, lights, air compressor and welder. What type and size of wire and service andbreaker size do you recomend?


texts: What does it mean if my Watchdog backup sump is flashing "Add Distilled Water" even with brand new battery?

texts: I just went through the laborious process of setting up a replacement backup battery for the Basement Watchdog backup sump pump system.  I had to pour the battery acid in myself.  Now in addition to the expected "the charger is charging the battery," the "add distilled water to the battery" light is also on.  I had understand that the distilled water is only needed from time to time to "top off" the battery.  What does this mean?  What should I do?


texts: Can a sanitary vent take a jog around an obstacle?

texts: I have a sanitary stack running through a bathroom but enclosed by drywall.  The enclosure takes up quite a bit of space in the bathroom but without it the stack would be visibly running through the room.   The toilet in this bathroom is the highest fixture on the stack, so above the bathroom floor it is just a vent.  When I renovate this bathroom can I jog the vent, just above the level where this toilet drains into it, so it runs through the adjacent wall instead of through the room, and then jog it back at ceiling level so it rejoins the existing stack to go through the roof?  I do not want to mess around with the roof or to open up walls in the room below this.  I'd just like to regain the space wasted by this pipe running through the bathroom by rerouting it and rejoining the existing pipe below and above.   Any issues with that?


texts: How to fix a leaking bath tub overflow drain?

texts:
My bath tub is over the kitchen on the second floor.  It appears the bath tub overflow drain leaks a sizeable amount.  At times the kids aren't paying attention and the water goes in.  The water leaks into the kithcen cabinet below.

How best to access the overflow drain to fix this leak?  Can I wait for the kitchen remodel and try to access it from below?

Thanks in advance for any advice suggestions!


texts: What can I do with vinyl tile where the floor edge is open, like at a descending staircase?

texts: I'm thinking of installing vinyl tile in one floor of my house, but I have two places where the floor does not meet a wall, for example, where a staircase begins to descend.  What sort of elegant options are there in cases like this?


texts: PVC pipe transition from 1 1/4" to 3/4", in lawn application - will joints hold?

texts:
My main run is 1 1/4" PVC.

If I reduce straight to a 3/4", will that blow out the joints?

Should I transition to 1", then to 3/4"?

The water source is well, with good pressure.


texts: Why does humidity change suddenly when my fridge's compressor turns on/off?

texts:
I'm building a curing chamber in an old fridge, and I've started by capturing some data on the fridge's performance:

I'm really unclear on what's happening when the compressor changes state. When the compressor turns on, immediately the relative humidity drops by 20%, before beginning a slow climb. When the compressor turns off, the immediately the relative humidity rises by 20%, before beginning a slow fall.

The slow climb and slow fall make sense to me: I believe this is consistent with the fact that air at higher temperatures can accommodate a higher quantity of water per unit volume -- so assuming we have a fixed total amount of water in the air is constant, relative humidity will fall slowly as temperature rises, and rise slowly as temperature falls.

What I don't understand are the dramatic 20% jumps that occur right when the compressor changes state. Can someone help me understand what's going on? (The behavior is consistent with a substantial quantity of water being immediately sequestered from the air when the compressor turns on, and released back into the air when the compressor turns off, but I'm unclear on whether this is what's happening, or why.)


texts:
I am trying to create a very simplistic bed, with four legs and a top. I want its height to be adjustable up to 8 inches, which would then also serve as a table.

How do I make the legs adjustable up to 8 inches?


texts: Is off gassing from open cell spray foam causing my mini splits coils to corrode and how do i fix it

texts: We built a log home in 2017 in south Fl. We used open cell SF in the roof, and we have a metal roof on it. Almost within 6 months my 3 mini splits did not cool our area. It’s a 800sq ft log home with a 21ft cathedral area.Now all 3 mini split coils leak terrible. The maker of the mini split says our house is too tight and the gas from the spray foam is causing the coils to corrode. By making a vent will it help to prevent coils from leaking if new mini splits are installed


texts: How can I install a smart thermostat with my HVAC system?

texts:
I have a Ruud furnace / air handler with a non-programmable thermostat installed.  It looks to be a model RGPE-07EBRQR (Rheem?). I want to put in an Ecobee and am a bit confused about the wiring.

The wiring diagram for the furnace:

The existing wiring looks like:

The wiring at the t-stat is:

Some more description about the pictures - the thermostat only has 5 wires available, so I think I need to run new cable to provide at least 1 more. At the furnace, there are 2 cables coming in - 1 from the t-stat and 1 out to the AC compressor (I assume). The wire from the t-stat into the furnace is spliced right before it goes into the furnace with an 8-conductor cable. That 8-conductor cable is visible in the overall picture of the furnace wiring on the top-left side (all but 5 of the wires are cut short). There is a wire under the C terminal at the furnace but that doesn't go up to the t-stat.

My thought is to run a new 7-conductor cable (I have some already) from the t-stat to the furnace, splicing in with the existing 8-conductor cable at the furnace. Then take one of the wires that is cut short in the existing 8-conductor cable and add it to the C terminal on the left side of the board (with the existing blue wire). Then connect the Ecobee using the 5 current wires in the same terminals plus the new wire routed to the C terminal.

Will that work or am I off base?


texts:
I am looking for an easy way to pump water uphill out of a barrel. Feel free to suggest other methods, but in particular I am wondering about the following:
Can I use a siphon like this as a manual water pump?
The product description at this link says I can use it or air; would it be practical to use for water?


texts:
The other day, I accidentally cut the power cable on my lawnmower (you can guess how).

I later repaired the cable by stripping off the cable coating and wrapping the relevant wires around one another. I then "bandaged" it back up using electrical tape.

Problem is: If you put strain on the cable by extending it to its full length, the electrical tape loosens and the wires unwrap, causing it to break.

What can I do to strengthen the cable? Is there something I can do to make sure that the two cable parts stay together?


texts: Can I use screws for attaching a ladder to a bunk bed?

texts:
My wife and I have built bunk beds and the final step is attaching the ladder. The ladder is constructed out of 2x4s will be attached to the 2x6 rails of the bed. (The ladder rails are oriented "perpendicular" to the rail, i.e., the shorter dimension of the 2x4 is contacting the rail like so).

I was researching what size lag bolts to purchase when I came across this article suggesting that structural/construction screws could be used instead. Obviously this is appealing to me as I can avoid having to countersink the lag bolt.

Can I safely use "structural screws" instead of lag bolts, and if so, what size is best?


texts: Running 240v power to detached garage for electric vehicle

texts:
We have a detached garage approx 95ft away from the main house and we are looking to run a 240v circuit there.

Currently we have Romex wire running straight into the ground. (This is how it was when we moved into the house. I have attached a picture below.) This feeds basic outlets and the garage door. We would like to run either straight to a circuit, or a small sub-panel to provide for the 110v (outlets and garage door, and 240v - EV)

My plan is the following:

Trench down 18" and run 1" PVC 40 Conduit to the garage
Insert a 70amp Breaker to feed the 60amp sub panel in the garage
Run 6/3 gauge wire from main panel in the PVC to the sub-panel in the garage
From the subpanel - just run the 12/2 wiring into the main circuit that is fitted up now (From the wiring that comes through the ground), Also run off the 50amp breaker from SP, the 6/3 wirirng to the Nema 14-50 outlet to plug in the EV.

The other option could be to avoid the subpanel and just run wiring to a an outlet.

Run a 50amp breaker & 6/3 wire + new 12/2 wiring through the garage
Connect the 6/3 to a 14-50 outlet and the 12/2 to the existing 110v setup.

Any tips, corrections or redirection would be appreciated.


texts:
Our recessed lights are way too harsh. I was thinking that some sort of a lens or a filter would be the cheapest way to fix that, but I have no clue about what kind of recessed lighting we have (or even the diameter). A picture is attached. The outer ring is roughly 5" in diameter, the inside ring is a bit more than 3 1/2", and the light itself is 1 1/2".

Is it possible to fit a filter to these lights? Is that our cheapest option to reduce the harsh glare?


texts: Can I safely use a straight (Type 1) metal cutoff wheel in angle grinder?

texts:
I have a Ridgid angle grinder and a metal cutoff wheel.

On page 7 of the manual it states:

  Use ONLY Type 27 depressed center grinding wheels (such as the one provided  with this product). NEVER attach a Type 1 straight or cut-off wheel to this angle grinder. Use for any other purpose is not recommended and creates a hazard, which will result in serious injury.

After reading some online forums, asking some contractor friends, and watching YouTube videos it seems that everyone simply uses a Type 1 wheel to cut metal and move on with their life.

PS: I won't acknowledge the countless people that use an angle grinder without the guard. I will absolutely be putting the guard in the correct position.

As far as I can tell I just have to reverse the clamp nut and it securely holds the Type 1 cutoff wheel in place.

Am I using the wrong tool or wrong cutoff wheel or are there simply so many more Type 1 wheel accidents that companies just try to distance themselves from Type 1?

Even the cutoff wheel packaging says "for use with angle grinders" and has a picture of an angle grinder.

Important: I am trying to solicit authoritative answers which can properly explain why one should not use a Type 1 disc. I do not wish for polling answers such as "I've done it so you're fine".


texts: Connecting 3 wire cooktop to home 3 wire 240v

texts: My house's 240v circuit for the cooktop is a /2 cable. (black, white and bare copper). The new whirlpool cooktop has a 3 wire connection (black,red and bare copper). Whirlpool's instructions do not cover this wiring example. Their 3 wire to 3 wire example assumes you have a red wire from the house. Is there an easy path to wiring up the cooktop?


texts: What are the different types of drywall anchors, and what are the advantages of each?

texts: I recently put up wire shelving in my pantry, and spent forever figuring out what type of drywall anchor I should use. I even found several types that I didn't even know existed. It might be good to have a reference page for drywall anchors. So, what type of anchors have you used, and for what projects?


texts:
My brother-in-law (need I say more?) installed a new toilet over a ceramic floor. After a year, perhaps, the toilet wobbles a bit when you sit on it and, occasionally, you can hear porcerlain on ceramic grinding. I looked along the edge and noticed he used some nylon tile spacers, used for laying out the tile, underneath the toilet around the bottom edge.

I tried at first to tighten down the bolt on one side but it took more turns than I was comfortable making and it's still wobbling. I found some more of the tile spacers and put a couple under the same side but it's not a snug fit. So I'm not really sure how to proceed with this.

I could tighten the bolt some more but I'm worried I'll crack the toilet or, perhaps, the bolt actually came loose from the floor. I could also get some more spacers but I just don't feel that's the right thing to do. I'm not sure spacers under the toilet is the proper way to go about this in the first place.


texts:
I am thinking on taking advantage of the black friday and replace my old electric range with a gas range. Now, there is this pipe next to the electric stove and I was wondering if it is a gas pipe. .

Thanks!


texts: What's the term for a hole with a screw thread?

texts:
I'm replicating a drawer handle that fits on an M4 screw. If you'd look inside the plastic hole, you can see a gold-colored metal tube that has screw threads. That's what the screw screws into.

My question is: What is the technical term for this metal tube? I want to order some of those.


texts: I recently had a concrete drive poured and it was poured up against the wood siding. Should this be caulked where the wood meets the concrete? If so what type of caulk should be used and should I caulk before or after I paint? Below is the photo.


texts: Are the gray wires in my switch boxes neutrals?

texts: I’m trying to install new smart switches (box and switch oics included) where some old timer switches are currently installed. The new switches require a neutral wire and ground. Is the bundle of gray wires in the box the neutral wires and the bare (albeit with paint or drywall on them) wire the ground? If so, since my current switches don’t use a neutral or ground, can I just unravel any of the neutral and ground strands and use them in the new switches? Thank you for any help.


texts: installing LVP over existing engineered hardwood

texts: Can I install LVP over existing engineered hardwood floor that are glued to a concrete slab?


texts: How can I get a stain to match on two different species of wood?

texts:
I have a plank of hardwood poplar, and I want to have a piece of decorative trim along the edge made of a different wood (probably just pine, or maybe balsam).  Is there anything I can do to get a stain that will give the same shade on both woods?  A specific brand, style, coloring, or way of applying?  Or should I purposefully get two different stains (one light, one dark) to aesthetically set the pieces apart?

Update: Final Result


texts:
I have a steel pole holding up part of my house. It is bolted to concrete footings. I am about to build a deck around but would like to rust-proof the bottom before I do this to prevent any future issues.

Given that the bottom 30cm will not be visible, what is the best way I can ensure it will not rust? I was thinking some Kill-Rust primer and possibly some bitumen paint to keep the water away.


texts: Why is there water in my washing machine barrel some time after a load?

texts:
I have a frigidaire front load washing machine, and we are finding a few inches of water in the barrel after running a load, but not right away -- it takes at least 1/2 an hour before the water appears in the barrel.

I can empty it quickly by running a spin cycle, and notice that the water is foul smelling, which leads me to think that it is drain water, rather than fresh water.

Also, the drain pipe runs into a utility sink, rather than a standpipe, so I'm pretty sure that there isn't water backing up into the drain.

Any thoughts what could be causing this?


texts: Can I connect an electronic air cleaner to the 24v terminals of my furnace?

texts:
I have a Goodman GKS90904CX furnace and looking to install an Electro Breeze Air Cleaner.  The air cleaner needs an R and C 24v terminal for power or a power outlet with the supplied transformer.  I would prefer to power it from the Furnace directly so I don't have to run an extension cord from the power outlet which is being used by the Sump Pump.

Can I connect the R and C wires from the Electronic Air Cleaner to the same R & C terminals on the Furnace (picture below) that is being used by the Thermostat and AC unit?  I'm not sure if fancier furnaces have dedicated 24v terminals for Electronic air cleaners or if the same terminals can be used.


texts: I bought a piece of rectangular duct from my local home supply store but it is slightly larger than what I need.  The ducts they sell are cross-broken instead of beaded.  Is it ok to cut down a duct that is already cross-broken?  If so should I try to cut an equal amount of each end so the cross-break is still in the middle of the duct?


texts: Are these aluminium crimps? Are they safe?


texts:
6 months ago, I moved to apartment with quartz countertops. Today I realized that at the bottom of the all kitchen shelves beneath the countertops is a fine white powdery dust. It seems dust is falling and accumulating inside the cabinetry below the shelves; my pots, food, plates, cutlery, kitchen towels.
Is this normal? Did the renovating company not wipe dust from the install or there a defect in the countertops? Should I try to complain? And is this dust harmful for inhalation or ingestion? Is silica dust safely cleaned by wiping with damp cloth or washing in washing machines?


texts: How can I build a wood fence to block sound?

texts:
I live on a busy street that is separated from a highway by a restaurant parking lot, and I would like to replace my wrought iron fence with a wooden fence for both privacy and to block sound. I am able to build up to an 8 foot fence, but I'm concerned that it may not be enough to block the ambient sound coming from the street and highway.

Of course perfect silence is unobtainable (and I actually do like some city sounds) but it would be nice to have a little more solitude than I have now.

I'm wondering if there are any tips for making the fence better at blocking sound. For example, would a double-walled fence provide better sound blocking, or would the difference be negligible compared to the sound coming over the fence?


texts: How to separate the outlets in garage from other outlets in the house

texts:
The wiring for one of the 15A circuits for my house includes 7 outlets in the family room, several recessed lights, a 3-speed hanging fan, a chandelier in dining room and 3 outlets in the garage.

Since there are outlets in the garage that are servicing a full sized refrigerator and a water heater (including recirculation pump), I am considering putting these outlets on a new dedicated 15A circuit.

Since the subpanel breaker is located in the garage on the same wall as the GFCI outlet (see photo), I'm wondering if I could run new 14-2 wire from the subpanel down into the crawlspace and come back up to this GFCI outlet. I would still need to remove the wires from this outlet that are servicing those other runs within the house.

Would I need to install a new junction box next to the GFCI outlet to accomplish this?

I would prefer not to run exterior conduit along the garage wall, if possible.


texts: What to do about a rat living in drain line

texts:
We have what I think is a rat, or family of rats, that are coming out of an outdoor drain. The outdoor drain is connected into our interior drain system. They chewed through the drain cover, I replaced it and they came through again.

I am in DC so the city sewer system is connected to the surface rain water system and rats are a known problem.

I am worried that sealing the drain in a more aggressive fashion will result in the rats coming out someplace else and would prefer that not to be in my house. The basement drains and plumbing are all buried in the foundation slab and connect to the main drain stack below the main clean out.

What is the proper solution to handling this?


texts: Wiring outlet with a switch for garbage disposal

texts:
I took out my kitchen and took some photos of the "old" kitchen's garbage disposal wiring:

As you can see, it has 2 black lines connected but only one white line connected, while one is capped off.

I know the main purpose is to use the switch to control one of the outlets BUT isn't this is the right way to wire it?

Ref: https://dengarden.com/home-improvement/home-wiring-guide-how-to-wire-a-switched-half-hot-outlet

I am a bit confused about the two setups and differences.

The thing is I tried to follow the diagram above and couldn't get the switch to control the outlet and it was ALWAYS ON.

Help?


texts: For some reason I don’t have any pressure in my bathtub cold water side but the hot water runs wide open any idea why I’m not getting hardly any pressure to my cold water side? It’s separate handle not one handle


texts:
Ok, so. I just built a small home for myself. I did all the wiring with the help of a friend. I just now got a solar setup, 8 months later, and am hooking it all together. I have 2 breakers one of them buzzes pretty loud when I turn it on. So I thought the breaker may be bad, even though it is brand new. So I switched the breakers thinking I would get the same breaker buzzing. But nope. So I think my problem is somewhere beyond the breaker boxes, in the walls. Just not sure where to start.
I am getting power to the not buzzing breaker/wire. That wire goes to just one outlet in the home. The other breaker/wire goes to 2 outlets and 2 led lights (this is the problem one) There was no load attached when I flipped the breaker.
Thanks for any help you can provide.


texts: Power surge upstairs, all power out, 1 outlet sizzling

texts:
Basically my upstairs room surged while I was in it and the entire upstairs power went out, 1 outlet in my room was literally sizzling or arcing but never burst into flames. Unplugging everything from the wall eventually made it stop. Now the power is back on upstairs, the outlet smells. And the maintenance guy is replacing that particular outlet and saying it should fix it.

I'm afraid to sleep in there or use any power. How can that 1 outlet make the whole upstairs turn off. Should it be okay?


texts: I bought an Anderson Storm door that should fit a 36"x80" opening. However, the width of my opening is 35 1/4" which is less than the required 35 7/8".  The height seems to be ok.  What should I do?  Take a router to one side of the jamb and cut it down about 1/2" so it fits into the opening?


texts:
I got some fence pickets for a small, outdoor project (a garden box, something like this).

They are super wet (I literally get sprayed when cutting on a tablesaw!) and SUPER soft - with a little wiggling I can pull a #8 screw right out of the board. The boards are only 5/8" thick, so when screwing two of these together a 1 1/4" countersunk screw pokes out the other side, so I'm only using 1" screws.

Is there some trick to fastening these so they won't pull apart? I'm planning to put a few bags of soil into this box and I'm afraid the weight will just rip all of the screws out.


texts: Why is my neutral (white) wire sparking in the panel?  It's part of a circuit with five light boxes, one light connected to a switch box, one junction box.  Lights one and two, the switch and outlet are joined to lights three, four and five by the junction box.  The power source runs from panel to lights 3,4, &5.  The breaker is 15 amps.


texts: How can I vent a bath fan with no access to exterior?

texts: We are redoing our bathroom and just discovered when we were replacing the fan that is wasn't vented out anywhere. How can we vent now? It's between floors with no windows and a brick wall. The only option we can see would be downdraft. Any solutions>?


texts: How to avoid drilling wires when boxing in

texts:
(UK) We have an ugly fuse box and electricity meter in our hall we want to box in. It's on the wall as you enter, the wall that separates mine and my neighbour's terraced houses. They're 1950 ex council, if that makes any odds!
We've built a wooden frame and want to attach it to the wall to cover the boxes (it'll have a hinged access door). But how do we avoid drilling through wires? We have a stud finder with wire locator but I tested it on a wooden door yesterday and it detected electricity (ha!) so I don't trust it!
There's so many wires running out and on and I'm terrified of hitting one. Any thoughts?


texts: Which glue/grab adhesive type to use with OSB 3 boards and joists for shed + spacing

texts:
I will be laying 18mm OSB/3 boards on 2 x 4 joists for a garden shed.  I was planning to screw and nail them down using a mix of 50mm decking screws and galvanised nails.  However, quite a few sites/videos recommend gluing the boards down too using a grab adhesive.  However the choice is overwhelming.

What key label/ingredient should I look for when purchasing?  I am in the UK so main consideration is atmospheric damp( the frame will be on blocks with airflow beneath the frame ).  Being a shed( for storage only ), would it be problematic to skip the glue altogether?

The boards are not tongue and groove.  I have read I should leave a gap between the boards for expansion and contract.  Is there a recommended gap?


texts: Is there an easy way to replicate this ceiling texture?

texts:
I have the swirly-tiny(stress the tiny)-bump texture on my ceiling on the first floor.  I will be doing some major drywall repairs on the ceiling and would like tips on how to replicate the pattern.  Doesn't have to be exact but would like it to be pretty consistent.

It is not a popcorn ceiling at all.  It feels like sand was mixed with paint and it has a random swirl with the pattern where you end up seeing "rainbows" of about 6 inches.

The swirl pattern whatever... I will just do what I can with that.  However how do I get the sandy pattern so even?

Also mudding between new drywall and texture.  Should I scrape the existing drywall down a bit before mudding?


texts: Garage shelf supports splitting and need to be supported. What is best?

texts: The shelves in my garage have some cracks in the wood on two fo the horizontal supports. They haven't grown much, but the cracks are growing slowly. I would like to fix the issue without taking all of the shelves down and actually replacing the 2x4s. Are there any suggestions on how to make this happen?


texts: The jamb bracket was always loose, so I had to keep using longer and longer screws to make it stronger. Over time the wood completely got eroded, left with a gaping hole and no place to insert a screw. How do fix this? I have a young handyman who is painting my house and I was going to have him fix this, but I don't think he knows how. If someone can explain clearly I'm sure he can do it.


texts: Is there a way to reduce the moisture content in wood in a short period of time?

texts:
I've purchased some timber from a local builders merchant in which I'm going to built a desk with. I've already done this once, and experienced wood shrinkage due to the moisture content being too high during construction.

I am aware I need to alter my construction methods to allow the wood to expand and contract.

However, is there a way to reduce the moisture content in the wood in a short period of time. I'm thinking to improve the situation, instead of dry it out completely. I'm aware drying it quickly may lead to splitting.

If I had unlimited time I'd chop the wood down to the rough size and store it for a year or so... but that's not feasible with my timeframes.


texts: Where to find glass 'support' requirements?

texts:
Where could I go about finding the maximum safe span of a pane of glass for a specific width?

I.e. say you had two rafters, X meters apart, with glazing bars, supporting a pane of toughened glass (arbitrary height) 4mm thick along two edges; how would I go about finding, or finding the information to help me calculate, an appropriate maximum value of X?

(In order to determine whether a given design provides sufficient support.)


texts: I had a circuit fail and trip breakers with no load, what could cause that?

texts: This is going to be a question and answer it myself, just to share. What would cause a freezer in my garage to suddenly start tripping it's breaker?  It's a regular breaker not AFCI or GFCI. House built about 1970.


texts: How should I repair mounting holes drilled into pvc window frames?

texts:
A previous owner had drilled holes into the pvc frames to fit blinds, which have since been removed leaving small holes.

I'm not expecting pvc can be filled flawlessly, but what would be the best thing to do?  White silicone?


texts: Fiberglass reinforced vinyl windows -- better/worse/same as being reinforced with aluminum/steel?

texts:
My wife and I are looking at Sunrise replacement windows. They seem to be very sturdy windows with a nice lifetime warranty. I've heard that I definitely want to get some kind of structurally reinforced vinyl window as vinyl by itself is not very strong. In looking at how these windows are reinforced, the best I've come up with is this statement:

  FiberCore Plus, a pultruded fiberglass
  I-beam reinforcement that is coupled
  with urethane insulation comes with
  every door to add to the strength of
  the design.

(from here)

How does Fiberglass compare to aluminum/steel reinforcement structurally? Is fiberglass reinforcement sufficient/superior/worse? Should I be concerned with fiberglass reinforcement in any way? How will the reinforcement material impact the window's lifespan?

Note, I'm in the Mid Atlantic (Maryland).


texts:
I live in area without sewers, so we depend on swales and drainage ditches when it rains.  My basement sump pump outlet is in the ditch in front of the house, but it's a couple of inches below grass level.  Often the ditch fills over the outlet during heavy rain, which can make the sump pump fall behind and bam, water in the basement.

I'm thinking of putting an upside-down J pipe on the outlet so the water actually comes out of it at above ditch level.  I'm pretty sure I'm not even close to maxing out either the rise or run specs on the sump pump even if I do this.

Is this plan stupid?  Am I better off just installing a stronger pump?  If I go that route, how do I know how powerful a pump the buried outlet pipe can withstand?  Is there even a risk of bursting it since it's buried and so supported on all sides by earth?


texts: Can I build a separate trap to drain my reverse osmosis system

texts:
I have a single sink with disposal on an island counter.
The plumbing has two vent plugs and two drain connections.
Can I use the second drain connection and build a second trap to install the reverse osmosis system drain?
There is not enough room to install the drain saddle before the trap that comes after the garbage disposal.

Why are there two drain connections?
Drain connections are the two on the right, vents are the two on the left coming from the wall.

I want to build the second trap on the lower drain connection and attach the saddle to this.

Thank you


texts: How should I terminate water heater drain pan?

texts:
I have a water heater drain pan installed and I'd like to terminate it as close to code as is possible. The pan/water heater is currently in a closet that barely fits the pan. So unfortunately, there is no way I can fit an indirect waste receptor. The water heater is also at ground level, so I don't know how I can get it to terminate outside above 6 inches.

Currently, it goes into the crawlspace. I could either tap it into the bathtub drain before the p-trap or terminate it outside but it'd basically be at ground level. Which of these is best to implement and why/why not? I'm also open to other ideas if anyone has any.


texts: For deck stairs adjacent & parallel to the house wall do I need handrails on both sides?

texts: For deck stairs adjacent and parallel to the house wall, do I need handrails on both sides?


texts: Is it safe and legal to make this gas plumbing connection?

texts:
I have learned that, contrary to what they tell you, the big box stores will not connect your gas dryer when they deliver it.  So I was left to do it myself.

The guy told me to remove the incorrect sized inlet flange fitting on the wall pipe and replace it with a coupler.  The one I bought did not fit on one side.

But the flange that came with dryer fit the bare pipe threads so I installed it, used some goop, leaked tested with soapy water and ran the dryer and it works.  I circled my work in purple.

But is this the correct way to install a gas fitting???

EDIT2:
The inside of the steel fitting and the outside of the cast iron pipe are both threaded.

EDIT:


texts: How to troubleshoot HVAC for room that is uncomfortably warm in both hot *and* cold weather?

texts:
I have a room in my house that I spend a lot of time in.  It is consistently uncomfortably hot in the summertime.  A thermometer on my desk will read 80 degrees or more in the summertime.  I was told that the HVAC likely isn't pushing enough air into the room.  I was told that I could pay thousands of dollars for a "mini-split" that would push more cold air into the room.  As an alternative, I purchased an evap cooler which works well enough, but at the price of frequently refilling it and keeping the door and window open, which compromises my privacy and comfort.
Now that the mercury is dropping, the evap cooler is in the closet, and it is still uncomfortably warm in this room.  The other day, I was on the phone and I noticed my forehead was sweating and the reading on the thermometer was 82.  This seems to mean that the same HVAC that was pushing "not enough cool air" into this room is now pushing "too much warm air" into this room.  I'm paying money for my HVAC and alternating between sweating my brains out and leaving the window hanging open so that I have to listen to every barking dog in the neighborhood.
All adjoining rooms in the house are a comfortable temperature all year round.
I suspect that if I had purchased that "mini-split" to get more cool air in here, I'd still be unhappy that this room is so hot in the winter time.
What kind of problem am I likely having that a room in my house is uncomfortably warm in both hot and cold weather while the adjoining rooms are all comfortable?
Here is some more information requested:
In answer to some questions that have been brought up, the room only has a single south-east facing window.  It is an ordinary room surrounded by ordinary drywall, like all the rooms with south-east facing windows that are comfortable all year long.  The room is directly above a kitchen that I have never had an HVAC problem with.  The ducts run between the two floors, so it is impossible to take a look at it without tearing holes in the ceiling below.
There is a single compressor that cooler the whole house in summer.  There is a single furnace that cools the wholse house in winter.
There is a single vent blowing air into the room.  We had an HVAC duct cleaning company in the house a while back.  The guy who recommended the mini-split said that duct cleaning companies can be good at finding if there may be a break in the system that causes air to escape.
I want to emphasize that I am not an HVAC expert.  I am handy enough to tackle something from time to time when I have the time and motivation for it, such as when I replaced the blower motor several years ago to avoid paying an inflated price to have a contractor do it.  I don't know all the lingo, but I will do my best to answer questions to help solve my problem.


texts: How can I cut and glue brittle foam panels onto my van without breaking it?

texts:
I brought some very thin (1mm) wood panel strips to glue into my van (over the insulation to make it look nicer).  However the wood is very brittle and thin, I have to attach it to some curved surfaces and I'm worried it's going to split or break.

Does anyone know the best way to work with wood like this, for example, would it make sense to pre-soak it in some water to make it more flexible before attaching?


texts: No power in outlets after changing light switches

texts:
This is a room with a two switch board and some power outlets. One Switch was controlling the fan and other it's light. Outlets, switches and fan+light were all working fine until I wanted to change the switches to smart ones. All connections appear snug tight and when I turn on power, one of the switches get power (its little indicator light glows), the other switch gets no power (indicator not glowing), fan AND light won't turn on irrespective of the switch status, most curious part is, outlets are all dead. It didn't trip as the first switch is getting power. Outlets aren't controlled by switches. What could be going wrong?

Note:
The only thing I changed from existing wiring is the neutrals(white wires). neutrals weren't connected with the existing switches but 4 of them twisted together. I took 2 of them out and connected to each new switch (manual specifically asked me to do so). Otherwise, i was just recreating what was already there but with new switches.

This is how it looks:

And this one is just a view from below to see that one of the switches receives power, whereas the other doesnt.


texts: Quick question regarding venting of my attic.  I have two gable vents and a ridge vent, but home inspection recommends soffit vents be installed. I've calculated how many soffit vents needed, without gable vents.  However, I wanted to know if having gable vents will affect the number of soffit vents needed?  Thanks for your help!


texts:
I recently bought a new light kit to attach to my ceiling fan. The connections sounded pretty simple. I attached blue wire from the ceiling fan wires to the black wire in the light kit and the white wire to the white wire in the light kit as shown in the picture.

This sounds pretty simple but I have no clue why the lights are not working. Any help in figuring out why this is not working would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How can I remove these windows for cleaning?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out how to take these windows out of the frame for cleaning. I asked the landlord and he also doesn't know how that's done.

The windows consist of two panes that slide up and down in tracks. When closed the panes can be locked against each other in the middle.

I searched online but couldn't find anything, and I tried pretty much everything that didn't require excessive force to get them out.

Is this a standard window type with a well-known way to take them out?


texts: What is this bug and should I be concerned?

texts: I see these guys crawling around. What are they and are they here to destroy my house and cost me money and waste my time?


texts:
I have a receptacle that seems to have been around since the house was built (all others were upgraded). It’s a simple two prong receptacle with two wires attached. I’m not sure if the wires are copper or not.. could I perhaps use a multimeter to measure their resistance to get a better idea of this?

To give a better idea of the wiring in the house here is some of the metal conduit used to carry the wiring through the older part of the house (the part I’m dealing with):

Okay so that’s the background and now the question is - it seems most conduits these days (at least at my local hardware store) expect 2 black wires and two white wires. Do I need to get a conduit that expects only one of each or can I still use the ones that expect 4 wires? Also, what’s the best way to determine what materials these wires are made of (resistance method?) and if not copper are there GFCI options out there that work with non-copper wires (I realize I would have to label this "no equipment ground")?

Thank you in advance for any assistance!


texts: Is it safe for plumbing to use rainwater to flush toilets?

texts:
A couple of articles encourage the use of rainwater to flush toilets. (article 1, article 2)
However, would it be safe to do so if the rainwater in your particular area has a pH that is considered as acidic or akaline?
(The risks of which are outlined on this page and reproduced below)


texts: Seeking advice on how to rearrange existing breakers and add 2 circuits, including a 20A GFCI/AFCI breaker in a split-buss GE panel

texts:
My panel is a GE TX1612RH split-bus 125A panel (photo below).  It is an outdoor panel, vintage 1980 when home was built.  I want to run two 20A circuits to a shed 60-ft away and would like to know if the following changes are advisable and in accordance with Code:  1) Move the 2-pole 30A (thin) breaker for A/C to the slot immediately above the 50A "Sub-Main" breaker, thereby consolidating all 240V loads in upper portion (I think the A/C contractor goofed on the electrical portion); 2) Install a 20A "thin" breaker in lower-left slot for a dedicated circuit for an in-wall 120V shed heater (blank-face GFCI will be upstream of in-wall heater); and 3) Install a "full-width" 20A GFCI/AFCI breaker for everything else in the shed, using the slots formerly used by the 2-pole 30A breaker.  Regarding #1: Is it OK to use "thin" breakers in the upper bus, or should I replace the 30A thin breakers with the full-width variety.  Many thanks!
Update #1:  Photo of panel interior has been added.  Unfortunately, there are no placards or labels on inside of panel door or on back side of cover, so I'm driving "blind."  Googling the "K849 *" reference (top of back of panel), I found nothing.
Update #2:  The A/C contractor (in 2008) used very MINIMAL wire to reach the 2-pole compact 30A breaker -- not enough wire to extend to the new and proper position of a full-width 2-pole 30A breaker above the existing 2-pole 50A breaker.  Any suggestions for a remedying this dilemma?  Rules for using red-head connectors wrapped in rubber and vinyl electrical tape?  Or must I pull a new run of #10 copper conductors?


texts: Can I convert an old dual fuel Electric/Propane range into a cooktop only that uses 120V instead of 240V?

texts:
We have an old dual fuel range - electric oven / propane cooktop - that we'd like to transform into a propane cooktop only. The range is old and outdated and we want something new for the kitchen, but I'd like to keep the old thing as a propane cooktop only and use it in the garage/outdoor for canning garden goodies in the fall.
Now the range obviously uses a 240V outlet cause of the electric oven, but I'm wondering if it's possible to convert/rewire to be able to plug it into 120V (in the garage outdoor) as we'd only need electricity to light the cooktop. Who has a 240V outlet in the garage?!? :)
It's not really a big deal cause we still can use a lighter to light them up, but if we could plug it in 120V it would be nice to be able to use the clock/timer on the cooktop. We still have the electric wiring plan, but we're not sure where and how to wire it into 110 V for the lighter and clock/timer front plate.
Would that be doable?
Edit: Added electrical wiring schema


texts:
I have a fan, a light and two sonoff basic devices to control them. As sonoff can only work with internet, I thought it would be a good idea to be able to fully override the controls with separate switch just in case.

Basically, I want to use three separate switch.

if only S2 is on, the state of the devices will depend on sonoff
if S1 is on the light is always on
if S3 is on the fan is always on
if all three switches are off the devices are always off

I am aware that the button on sonoff can be used to override. However, I will be concealing the devices as they look a bit ugly while exposed.

I want to know if this setup is safe and will work without burning anything up.


texts: Shut off valves to tankless hot water heater won't turn

texts: I'm trying to descale my tankless hot water heater but have run into an issue. When I go to turn the water off, both valves will not turn at all. They have two yellow handles (looks like Apollo brand) and I can't get them to budge. Is there some trick to these valves? Or is this just a sign that the previous owners haven't done this in a while and it's possible both valves are stuck (sigh...)...


texts: AC in the attic affects downstairs but not upstairs

texts:
We have one AC unit (roughly 1 year old) connected to two zones: Zone 1 is upstairs and Zone 2 is downstairs.

Yesterday, our AC seemed to completely stop working for the upstairs but continue to work well for the downstairs. Not being very familiar with this topic my wife and I began some common-sense troubleshooting to see if we couldn't gather up some helpful information for relaying to a technician before they make a trip out. Perhaps we could get some further information here as well.

The upstairs is Zone 1, and when it's on it registers as being on in the panel in the Attic. No flashing lights for any zones at any time suggesting a short-circuit. When we turn on the air from the thermostat upstairs, it registers at the panel and kicks on the AC unit. The same is said for the downstairs, which works fine.

In the attic we did find that the last part of our unit, a giant silver box where the air leaves the unit (sorry for the highly-technical terminology, hehe) had some foil tape that was coming loose due to condensation - this created a rather large gap that allowed a lot of cold air to escape into the attic. We pressed this tightly, but found no improvement in the airflow upstairs.

So the facts are simple, the unit works. It blows air to the downstairs with appropriate force and at the expected temperature. It does not blow air upstairs although there is one vent in particular that you feel as though you might have some cold air dropping out of...it's one of those things where you wave your hand next to it for about a minute saying, "Wait, I think I feel something...".

The Panel works upstairs, no shorted circuits. There was a visible gap in the taping but pressing this closed doesn't appear to fix the problem. No other noticeable gaps or sounds of air escaping.

All I can wonder now is if there is a fan that pushes air to the upstairs vents and a fan that pushes air to the downstairs vents. If so, the fan to the upstairs may have lost power or been prevented in some other way.

Given this information, and the fact that AC units are apparently very popular with home-owners, is there anything I'm not considering or something I should double-check before I pay a technician to come into my home?

Here's a rough-sketch of what our unit in the attic looks like:

Summary:

Our air-intake works just fine upstairs. The filter isn't old and prevents no air-flow. The panel is working just fine, and the box prior to the Air Out is full of cold air that was being back-blown through a gap in the foil tape onto the box left of that area. Fixing the gap doesn't seem to have remedied out problem.


texts: Best tool for cutting a 2" horizonal sloped canal cut through a 11' plaster/lath internal wall

texts:
In one room I need to cut groove into a wall to accommodate a condensate drain from a minisplit air handler/evaporator in an adjacent room.  I know I could use a pump but I rather rely on old fashion gravity to transport the condensate to a drain, but in order to do so pass through one room's interior wall on a downward slope.  What would be the best way and/or tool do so ?  Any advice on how to also protect the drain from getting pierced in the future from a nail/screw.  Probably shouldn't worry too much about it but rather avoid it if it is worthwhile.  For the tool, I was thinking of a 4" grinder.

Thanks in advance!


texts: 5 section bow window with one pane cloudy

texts:
My front 5-section bow window has one section where the seal is broken between the panes.  It is now cloudy.  Can the one pane be removed and a new window put in?

The window should be covered by a warranty, except the company is out of business.   I would hire a glass specialist if the one section can be replaced.


texts: Electrical wiring question - interconnect question

texts:
i have three ventilation fans on three different circuits that are connected to a switch in each bathroom.  (One fan/bathroom)

The fans are all connected to exhaust ducts that terminates into a shared duct for my building.

I would like to put an electronic damper at the end of my duct that is opened when any one (or two or three) of the three ventilation fans are on.

Is there an electronic device that I can connect all three circuits to and it will then only pass 120v ac or 12v doc out when one or more switches are on?


texts:
A friend has a microwave on the same circuit as electric stove. Independently they work fine but if an element on the stove is on and the microwave is turned on the breaker goes off. An electrician was called and he said that the microwave should be on it's own circuit, best just to not use both at the same time.
From my reading this does not seem to be a wrong way to wire a kitchen though perhaps not common. So why does the breaker shut off?


texts: How to tie treehouse cross beam to tree branch notch without harming tree

texts: I am building a tower style tree house and have a perfect tree with a notch to act as one of the 4 support posts. The other three posts will be 4x4s with cement  footers.  I was thinking of resting a cross beam on the notch of the tree where two limbs branch off.  I saw something online about saving the tree by using rope instead of nails and envisioned figure eighting the rope around the beam and branches of the v.  I'm concerned this will strangle the tree as it grows.   What is the best way to use the tree for a beam support without causing damage?


texts: New home grading in backyard soil stays muddy for days

texts:
I have a new construction home and the backyard grade needed adjustment late in fall. There is an area that meets in the middle that doesn't really hold static water above, but the ground stays soft and muddy in this area for a few days or more longer than the rest.

It originally had seed laid in the back over the summer and then late in the fall after adjusting the grade.. front was sodded so due to size of yard, and time of year everything was done I only had time to focus on the sod in the front while it took in 90 deg weather with no rain, so backyard went to hell.  I am adding sod this spring, will the sod depth raise this area enough, or the fact of grass actually being there to absorb the moisture help? Or do I need to add some more dirt?

Pic below:

Troubled area circled. Well, the whole thing should be circled but the area with possible drainage issue :)


texts: Will there always be studs in the corner of two walls?

texts:
My stud finder seems to have trouble when I'm in the corner of two sheets of plaster/drywall. Can I just assume there will be studs behind each wall in the corner?

And what about where the wall meets the roof, is it safe to assume there will be a top plate behind the highest part of the wall plaster/drywall?


texts: What are the ways that I can use to soundproof my door so as whenever it closes it gives the maximum possible sound reduction (depending on the door, I know walls etc play a big part as-well but currently I cannot do anything about those). What I want is sound not getting instead of not getting out but I suppose you cannot have one without the other.


texts: What thickness drywall do I need for 24" OC wall studs in a detached garage?

texts:
I am currently finishing an older 3-car detached garage.  Both the wall studs and the ceiling trusses have 24" OC spacing.

I know that for the ceiling, I'll need to use 5/8" thick drywall, due to the 24" spacing, and sagging that would occur over time as moisture hits the drywall (which will happen in a detached garage).  However, for the walls, our local code allows for 1/2" wallboard for 24" OC studs.  But wouldn't I have the same issues as with the ceiling?  Thoughts?  (I am not opposed to the price- it is only about $30 difference to use all 5/8".  However it is easier to hang 1/2")


texts: Remodeling a pre-1920's home with planks on the interior walls

texts:
I own an older home in central PA; my guess it is pre-1920's and I was going to remodel the living room and insulate the walls and run new wiring. The walls are horse hair plaster; when I removed the plaster and lath there are planks that run horizontally on all the walls.

If I remove them to insulate do I need to put them back on? Are they part of the structural framing?


texts:
The last plumber suggested glue-ing (caulking) the toilet to the floor without any bolts. Is that the best solution for this ? Attaching the photo. The old flange does not gap to fit in the screws / bolts.
My experience level is 1/10 :)

Thank you for reading !


texts: Did I fry my fridge water valve by plugging it in wrong?

texts:
My whirlpool fridge stopped making ice and dispensing water so after a lot of research and diagnosing (not that I really know what I'm doing!) I replaced the water valve, put it all back together, etc.  However, once I plugged it into power I got asked to do something else.  When I came back to the fridge project a couple hours later, I double checked the Part Select video I was watching to guide me, and I realized I had the plugs reversed.  I had them on the correct sides, but I had them upside down.  So here is a screenshot from the video showing how it should be:

But I had the B where A should be and vice verse, and the D where the C should be and vice verse.

So I immediately unplugged the fridge, flipped the plugs to the correct way, and then put it all back together and plugged it in again.  But the water and ice are not working.  So I am wondering -- did I ruin the water valve by plugging it in wrong and running it that way for about 3 hours?!


texts: Is there any significant difference between 5-56 and WD-40?

texts:
In Sweden, we mainly use 5-56 for "everything", but in the U.S. WD-40 seems to be the thing.

Both seem to penetrate deeply, dissolve rust and do some slight lubrication.

Just curious to the differences, if any any.


texts:
How do I remove the face plate on my shower faucet?  There is a lip I cannot get over without damaging it.

Thanks


texts: Is a water plumbing shut-off valve needed for every room?

texts:
Can I have a just a single set of shut-off valves (one for hot and one for cold) for two bathrooms upstairs and another for the kitchen/laundry area?

Should each bathroom have its own set?

This is a two story house.  Can those shut-offs be on the first floor, directly below the bathrooms, or should they be inside the bathrooms?


texts: Does my new bathroom plumbing need a cleanout?

texts:
I am working on new plumbing for an addition we just built. Does anyone see any issues? Do I need a clean-out at the end of the run?
I plan on using a 3" elbow in lieu of a combo to keep everything within the joists below.  Haven't found anywhere stating that is an issue.


texts: Why does my toilet intermittently run continually?

texts:
I've pretty much fixed up my bathroom since moving in. The last bit of annoyance now is this:

Not every time, but every 10 or so flushes, my toilet will run continually. It'll sound like it's water is filling up for about two minutes, then stop for five minutes, then sound like it's filling up again... on repeat. To stop it, I have to go back in and jiggle the handle.

One time I took the lid off the top of the toilet and it looked like it was slowly losing water from the top (or whatever it's called).

Any idea on how to fix this?


texts: Deck stairs pulling apart and railing wobbly

texts:
My deck stairs which are supported by ledger strips keep pulling away the stringer.  Last year I used a clamp to squeeze them back together but they pulled away again.  The railing also is wobbly.  What would be the best way to fix the stairs so they are more stable?

Thank you


texts: Cast iron pipe is too low to a use gasketed toilet flange replacement

texts: While removing the toilet the The previous flange came off with it. We suspect that is what was causing a leaking issue on the ceiling below. So we went to replace it with an extender flange but the 4 inch extender flange is not getting a tight seal on the cast iron pipe. What are my options?


texts: I am getting a new shingle roof to replace a slate roof. Would a new shingle roof need a different underlayment that the slate roof does not have?


texts: How do I secure the bottom of vinyl siding before work is complete?

texts:
I've got some repair work to do that involves removing the bottom 4 or 5 feet of vinyl siding. I think, typically, work would start from the bottom and work up, and if I was done for the day all the pieces would be interlocked and the top edge would be nailed, so no problems walking away overnight.

In my case, I've got to split the siding and strip down, and this means the bottom edge of the siding is now free to flap about when the (strong) winds come in tonight.

How do I prevent the siding from getting damaged? I was thinking I could install a starter strip and re-fasten the siding to that, but it seems like an awful lot of work for a relatively short period of time. If that's the answer though that's fine; I'm just looking to see how this scenario would normally be handled.


texts:
My bathroom fan leaks water during very heavy rains.  It is on the first floor.  The exhaust is also on the first floor on the side of the building, not the roof.

The fan is on the ceiling and there are no leaks during light rains.

What could be causing this?  Any ideas on how to go about fixing this?

Thanks for your time! :)