texts:
I have a gas fireplace which worked when we bought the house, but after turning off the fireplace for just over 4 years, it does not want to turn back on (the igniter does not glow).
From what research I have done, it appears that we have a fireplace that does not contain a pilot switch but instead it has a intermittent pilot ignition system. The fireplace has a wall on/off switch and a on/off switch on the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve.
When I turn everything on, which is basically

turn the wall switch in a on position,
turn the switch on Honeywell smart valve controller in on position, and * turn the gas valve on

All I hear is a little buzzing noise coming out of the transformer.
The way the wiring is done on this fireplace is that, the power coming out of the wall with around 120V goes into 2 of the "LINE" ports on the transformer and then the power coming out of the transformer with 24V goes from the "LOAD" ports on the transformer to the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve.
I have taken a few pictures to show how this system is setup currently. I am wondering if anyone has any pointers on what I can try to DIY fix this.
Below are the things i have done so far:

replaced the igniter - model Honeywell Q3400A1024
used millimeter to measure voltage going through the system. I am getting around 124V going into the transformer (one thing I am not sure if its expected to be this way is, even though there are 2 cables from power line from wall plugged into the "LINE" ports on the transformer, only 1 of them is registering 124V the other one is not showing any voltage at all), and then the 2 ports from the igniter plug on the Honeywell sv9501m2528 smart valve are registering 29V coming out going to the igniter, which basically tells me that the power is flowing correctly?

Please let me know if there are any additional details I can provide.


texts:
I have an unused wire that used to be hooked up to the dryer breaker that is "hanging" in the breaker box. What is the correct way to terminate this wire? I don't want to cut it in case we want to use it in the future and I cant pull it out of the box because its ground wire is wrapped around all the other ground wires making it a pain to extract.

Thanks!


texts: How long does it take for polycarbonate to yellow?

texts: I recently replaced a broken small window with Lexan polycarbonate.  Lexan is reported to yellow after 10 years. How bad is this likely to become, how quickly -- will I have to change the window again in 10 years to be able to see clearly through it?


texts: I have a Nordyne AC/Gas Furnace single stage unit. The model number is c7bam03036c-b. The AC works very well in summer time. Now it's getting cold. I turned to heat. There is no air blowing out. So I checked the unit the gas is not ignited. The fan is not running. I checked the wiring at the thermostat and in the unit it seems correct. I get 27V at R wire. All other wires has no reading. The status indicator in the unit is normal, green and red lights are on and not blinking. What else can I check?


texts: Reliability of a compression barb fitting for a water hose

texts:
I just installed water lines to a Brondell's bidet attachment. Cold water is supplied by the regular braided hose with compression 3/8 fittings. For hot water, however, they use a single barb fitting with a compression nut over a 1/4 thread over the barb, with no ferrule. The hose is, according to the company, thermoplastic polyurethane and is rated for boiling temperatures (100 degrees Celcius) and water pressures up to 150 PSI. I cannot tell the hardness of the material, but it is softer that the nylon tubing you'd normally find in ice maker lines that also use a compression mount (w/o barb with a ferrule tho), but harder that flexible Tyvec I use in my 50 PSI air applications at work. The hose is noticeably hard to cut with my lab hose cutter, which I use to cut 95A 5/32 polyurethane tubing for 150PSI pneumatics, so, given the larger diameter of the Bidell's line, I think it's no less than 85A. The Brondell's hose is a bit more flexible even with it's larger, 1/4 OD.

The proprietary tee can be seen in this video, if you do not mind watching a few seconds of it, where this exact connection is assembled: https://youtu.be/DyVE2R4DGAw?t=2m8s

My question is, how reliable this connection is for exposed plumbing? Every time I open/close the faucet or the bidet, the line shudders a little, so there is a bit of movement everywhere, including connection points. I am worrying one day the connector will decide to just spit out the tube and cause a flood (my lab air has no such concern). I just had a flood from an unrelated leak in in-wall plumbing, so I am nervous about leaks; sorry if I am overzealous. I tested my assembly by pulling on the mounted line not quite gently while pressurized, but it still stayed.

Another concern, I used silicone oil on all gaskets (Buna-N, I believe, some non-silicone rubber 100% certainly) while mounting the brass hardware, which is a common assembly practice in the lab. Thus the tee had some oil on surface when I installed the plastic line. Should I better disassemble and degrease this hose mounting part of it?


texts: What's the next step in troubleshooting my electric water heater?

texts:
We have a SpaceSaver (Model number: SS012SEB15), single-element 120v/1500w hot water heater which worked great until one day it went completely cold.

First thing was I tested the voltage to the unit. It tested fine (120v).
Next - did continuity test on the element and that tested good.
Did voltage test going into, and, coming out of, the thermostat, and that tested good.
Replaced element and thermostat anyway, still didn't work. (yes, I made sure to allow the tank to fill up, and the air to drain before turning on the power again)
Double checked the thermostat's reset button, still no go.

What do I check next?  I am totally frustrated and lost at this point, but I don't want to shell out for a new tank since ours is not leaking or anything.


texts:
I have building with 16 showers , 6 toilets, 8 sinks and 6 urinals
what size of water pipe should be for the supply?


texts: I need to hang a mirror above a vanity, with plumbing running down alongside the stud. How do I make sure I hit the stud, and not the pipe?

texts: The mirror hangs from a single strap, and is heavy enough that whatever I use needs to go into the stud.I know that the water pipe is there, running along the side of the stud. I have tried using a stud finder, and there appears to be a gap in the stud - I assume the break between the stud and the pipe. But I still can't tell which side is pipe and which is stud.  Because the strap hangs well above the mirror, I don't want to go poking around in the drywall if I can avoid it as this will leave an unsightly mess. Help, please!


texts: Should I be concerned about power leakage through a Z-wave switch?

texts:
I have wired my LED Christmas lights on my front porch through a light fixture adapter.  Also, I just replaced the light switch with a remote z-wave switch.  When the light switch is off, the lights still glow a bit.  According to the answer to a previous question this is likely because of slight power leakage from the switch--that was what I suspected before I investigated.

So here is my question:  Does this cause or indicate any safety concerns?


texts: How should I connect an electric cook top to an existing dededicated 3 wire armored cable?

texts: I am replacing old electric cook top and the old unit had three wire red balck and white which were connected to corresponing red black white in BX cable. The new unit has red black and a bare copper wire. Should the bare copper wire be connected to the white wire?


texts: How to seal small leak in buried irrigation system

texts: I have 800 feet of buried 1 1/2 inch black poly irrigation line. It is fed from a well and feeds 8 frost free spigots. The well has a variable speed pump and I recently noticed that it was running ever so slightly when all of the spigots were shut off. I have a leak....somewhere. I have one suspect as there is a wettish spot in the field, but I'm hoping I don't have to dig it up. Is there any way to seal it without finding and digging it up? Something I can put in the water? Fix a flat for water pipes? This is solely used to water plants.


texts:
I measured my window width: 19.5"
I measured my old A/C (5,000 BTU): 18"

I used that A/C for a few years and it was great. But I figured I'll get a new one. Maybe more powerful.

But suddenly, every A/C I look at... I can't tell if it would fit or not because of phrasing possibly.

Look at this Haier Esa406n-T 6000 Btu Window Air Conditioner

Dimensions: 18.5" W x 14" D x 12.4375" H.
Depth Including Front: 15.34375"
Window Width: Min. - 24.5" ; Max. - 36"
Window Height Min.: 13.375"

Based on that, I can't tell whether it will fit in my window, because the unit width is 18.5" (And the box visually looks like it should fit. And there is probably Styrofoam padding inside too.
Or will it not fit? What does it mean by minimum window width being 24.5" ??

Any help is appreciated!


texts: How do I attach both my washer and dryer to the same NEMA 14-30 receptacle?

texts:
Currently, I have a single NEMA 14-30 plug in the laundry room. I also have an ASKO W6022 dryer (manual available here: https://www.manualowl.com/p/Asko/W6022/Manual/161455)
and an LG DLEC855W dryer (manual available here: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/507130/Lg-Dlec855w.html).

The dryer is currently fitted with one of these: http colon //www.amazon.com/Choice-30-Amp-4-Prong-Eyelet-Terminals/dp/B00BDJU2L4

As a result, it is functional because the other end is plugged into the NEMA 14-30 plug in the room. However, the washer is currently fitted with a NEMA 6-20 and is not functional. My question is: what kind of adjustments should I make in order to have both the washer and the dryer function at the same time off of this one circuit?

I am thinking about building a custom 2 gang box that receives the HotHotNeutralGround from the dryer and the HotHotGround from the washer and then outputs a NEMA 14-30 male plug. If I go down this path, how do I connect the two Hot's together within the gang box?

BTW -- I know that running these two appliances on the same circuit sounds like a bad idea. However, our home came with it preinstalled alongside the Asko washer and a corresponding Asko dryer. It was working fine for years prior to the kids breaking the dryer recently. We upgraded the dryer to the LG one and now have this cord problem and would really love to avoid having to install a new circuit.


texts:
I have a "modern" UK house (approx. 15 years old, built as cheaply as possible, a wooden house with a brick shell). If it is cold outside and I heat the ground floor to the minimum I would like, then the first floor is warmer than I would like and the 2nd floor in particular is too warm.

I have installed a door to the stairwell on the ground floor and do not heat it much, so on the 1st floor it is markedly cooler than the rooms and on the second floor it is certainly no hotter.

The heating system is wet radiators with individual thermostats. When the problem is there, it is there with thermostats turned off on the second floor and set low or off on the 1st floor. Much of the problem is likely caused by the level of "insulation" being unbalanced between the ground floor with large conservatory style skylights and the other floors (see picture on related question).

Before starting on a new roof and windows for part of the house, I would like to see if insulation between the ground floor and 1st floor could help, either bonded to the ground floor ceiling or something blown with little or no adhesive into in the spaces between the load bearing joists.

Is that feasible? Would there be any pitfalls, could it be done with minimal intrusion?


texts: Failed tape on inside corner of shower ceiling

texts:
I have a shower where the wall is completely tiled. They installed tape on the wall/ceiling prior to installing the tile. The tape is now starting to separate from the ceiling and shows a crack. On a normal inside corner I would normally cut out the tape and redo it, but I'm not about to start ripping out tile to do that. The visible tape extends approximately 5/8" on the ceiling. Too small to tape over the crack? Looking for suggestions.

Added info/context - I think I have four options that I've outlined below.
1. treat the crack as a butt joint. widen the crack, fill with joint compound and sand and paint. Problem is back of tape is still not secured to anything and would fail over time.
2. same as above, but use narrow paper tape (cut tape in half) over the crack after filling and add a coat or two of joint compound. Problem is back of tape is still not secured to anything and would fail over time.
3. I could cut the visible tape away and just use joint compound to fill the gap where the tape was. Sand and paint. Don't believe I need to worry about settling I would just be filling the ceiling.
4. same as above, but use narrow paper tape (cut tape in half) over the crack after filling and add a coat or two of joint compound.

Thanks, Paul


texts: How many wattage is your bathroom electric heater actually?

texts:
The omni wattmeter can't show power factor. The US KillAWatt meter can? But it doesn't have 240v version so I'm stuck with the only wattmeter in my country.

YouTube video of the wattage measurement

https://youtu.be/mPzP-6Nqt9E

I need to determine maximum wattage that can be drawn because i'm migrating it to subpanel with total whole house GFCI breakers.

Added pictures:

This is the heating elements:

Notice the last 2 were wired shorted. So are these one or two heating elements pair? How is it wired?

This is thermal scan of the heating elements a few seconds after turning on the faucet.

It shows all are energized.

This is the reading in the plug-in wattmeter showing 1278 Watts while the faucet is turned on and thermal scanner on.

This is top left side of heating elements showing the thermal cutoff fuse (once it tripped and the technician taught me how to push it to turn it back on):

This left side of it showing the wires from elements to the circuit:

This is front of it:

Zoomed out view:

What kind of usage that you can enable the entire 6000watts of heater element? I can't seem to get the wattage in my WattAMeter. Is it an overated heater? Based on the internal parts. Which one is the heating elements? I want to know how many there are. Also if it's really 6000watts/240v= 25A, the plug is only rated for 15A and could melt.

It's a Multipoint electric heater in bathroom. Since it has no EGC, it's connected to a GFCI breaker. I'm trying to estimate the wattage actually used. I plugged a KillAWatt meter to measure wattage consumption. It has at most only 1800 Watts maximum at all temperature which is about 1800/240v= 7A. Although it averages 1200 Watts most of the time. I have two of these exact units so it can't be both are defective. They heat well. But the specs of the heater says it is 6kW. Why is the meter showing smaller value of the wattage?  Also the temperature setting is supposed to just control water flow, right? I used medium and maximum setting, the wattage didn't change. What wattage did you actually measure and what is the theoretical one that should come out?

This is its specs:

http://zetaorion.com/alpha-electric/product/vizz-98-e-ep/

click 98EM (M for Multipoint which I have)


texts: Why is it said that a typical 120V household circuit "reverses" polarity?

texts:
Responders have been very helpful with a recent post of mine. But I'm sorry to say this part still perplexes me:  In a 120VAC circuit, current flows from Line 1 through the load, and returns via Neutral.  If it had been a 240V circuit, the return path would have been through Line 2.

When the current reverses, the flow now originates at Line 2, not Line 1, so how does the 120V circuit reverse? Is there a "push" back from Neutral to Line 1, similar to the "push" from Line 2? If so, what is the source of the reversed current flow?

I have always felt that the Neutral leg was not energized. Please, would someone tell me what I'm missing?


texts: What is the best way to deal with wall tie failure?

texts: My wife and I are considering purchasing a new house, but the surveyor says that it has wall tie failure. What is the best solution for repairing this? Is it really necessary to get the old ties out again?


texts: Good looking drywall, without mud and tape?

texts:
There are many things I like about drywall. It's easy to cut, moderately easy to hang (practice certainly helps), easy to paint, is relatively cheap, and a fire barrier to boot. I've probably missed a few positive attributes too.

Drywall mud and tape though... well, that sucks, or at least I suck at it, even with practice. It takes a long time, creates a heck of a mess, and is easy to do a bad job and hard to do a good one.

Mudding and taping sucks enough that I don't mind paying for someone else to do it for me. I may even pay a premium. Except, contractors who I know are good at it are already booked to next year and beyond. There are other contractors available, but they are aren't very good (says painful experience), or at least not good enough for the money they want. There are, I assume, some out there who are both good and available, but invisible to me.

Sooo, what if we just skip the painful part, and just use drywall without mud and tape? What are some creative solutions? that still look good?


texts: Will a shade sail have too much pull on 4x4x12' posts?

texts:
I have a 22'x16' shade sail like the one found here.

I have 4x4x12' (pressure treated) posts that I wanted to use for each corner. I will be pouring cement and using simpson post base brackets and bolting the post to the bracket (I am not sinking the post in cement).

My question is, will the tension on the sail pull the 4x4s inward too much or should I go with 6x6? To get the sail to not sag, you use turn buckles to tighten the distance between the sail and post. I know this heavily depends on how tight I make the sail. Any insight on this?


texts:
I am interested in fixing the sink below, which has at least two problems:

(1) the hot water handle leaks when the tap is turned on, from somewhere in the circled region,

(2) no water flows when the cold water tap is turned on - somewhere the supply is completely blocked.

The supply lines underneath the sink are made of a clear plastic material.  I noticed that the cold water supply line is severely discolored, and wonder if this is related to problem (2).  See the second image, right supply line.  These lines originate at saddle valves in an adjacent room, and there are no other valves in between.

In an effort to investigate, I took out the screws from both of the handles, but was unsure of how to remove the handles from there.  There is not enough room (because of the sink and the drain stopper control) to turn the handles 360 degrees, so perhaps they lift off?

Following the solution to airlock problem described here, I tried running the hot water while sealing the faucet with my thumb.  This only caused the hot water handle to leak more vigorously.

How can I go about fixing this sink?  My highest priority is to get the cold tap working.


texts: How can i add a common "C" Wire to this old system?

texts:
I have an oil HVAC that was put in back in 1996. I sadly do not know the model of the furnace and cannot dig out any paperwork on it.  Anyways, i want to go with some of the bells and whistles for a thermostat which needs the wire. I took off the cover and i did not see anything like the pictures i have found online nor could i find a transformer people spoke of. Maybe it is just that old?  Anyways, here are the pictures from the inside.

Bottom Panel http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4057/CZfxrA.jpg
Tstat wires http://imageshack.com/a/img661/1037/6qklHB.jpg
Wiring Diagram http://imageshack.com/a/img912/9646/DoAYY7.jpg


texts: Should I install an air conditioner pad on existing unit?

texts:
In budgeting time and money for a house I just purchased, the inspector noted that the central air conditioner is mounted outside without a pad underneath.  The unit is a Carrier 38CKC024330, manufactured in 1999.  The product data I found online lists using a unit riser (a.k.a. pad) as 'Recommended.'

I live in the Midwestern United States, which enjoys high humidity and harsh winters.  I'm not sure how good the drainage is in the area of the unit, but it is mostly sheltered by the eave of the roof.

Given the age of the unit -- both how it may be nearing end of life, and how it has survived this long like this -- is it worth installing a pad underneath?  Are there alternative techniques, say digging out a perimeter around the unit and filling it with gravel?


texts:
I have a baby gate on the top of the stair. The dry wall anchors used held up for a couple of months, but now it came out loose.
What type of anchor do I need to use for this?


texts: Connecting the four terminals of a 14-50P to a homebrew 240v system with three wires

texts:
I bought a new 240v homebrew system. The system requires a 30 amp circuit and comes with 10 gauge wires (black, white, green) but no plug (so you can connect the plug needed for your situation).

I also recently bought an electric vehicle so I had a 14-50R installed in my garage with a 50 amp GFCI breaker.

I want to connect my system to the 14-50R, so I bought a 14-50P to connect to the bare wires from the system. The issue I have is that the 14-50P has 4 terminals (2 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground), but there are only three 10 gauge wires coming out of my 240v system (1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground). The terminals in my 14-50P are removable, so should I connect the 1 hot, ground and neutral and remove the unused hot terminal? Or should I do something totally different? And am I okay using the 10 gauge wire since the system will only draw less than 30 amps?


texts:
Opened new water heater box and noticed that the t and p valve is in the wrong place...on top. It used to be connected on the side with a copper flexline, then 3/4 copper pipe through a kitchen party wall, discharging to the outside. This is in a condo, i.r. open system.
It would be easy to add nipples and another copper flexline to reconnect all at the top. Seeing as how I'm in earthquake country (WA), the flexline makes sense. However, I need to know if this entire discharge line must be ridgid pipe...or can it include two flexlines and the ridgid copper pipe?
I envision the extension -- if all rigid--to contain only two 90 degree angles of 3/4 inch pipe. Otherwise, I'd prefer to use the two flexlines.
Anyone know if a second flexline is okay, whether one is okay or whether it must all be rigid pipe?
Since drafting this I decided to just move the t and p valve but still interested in answers to my questions!


texts:
We just had our floors tiled.
The installer laid the tile, installed the baseboards and will grout tomorrow.
Shouldn't the grout be applied before you put the baseboards back on?


texts: Woodflooring protection needed near fireplace?

texts:
Any ideas or concerns about solid 3/4" hardwood flooring near a fireplace?  Currently I plan to have a nice piece of wood trim covering the gap between the fireplace and the floor.  Underneath the trim there is a .25 inch gap... so the floor is not directly touching the slate.  The roofing felt is also .25 inches away and not directly touching the surrounding slate.

Should I use some sort of fire proof barrier?  If so... what are some options?

Previously (before hardwood)... it was floor joist, .5 inch plywood, red rosin paper, .75 inch particle board, then a .5 inch piece of rock slate.

I replaced the .75 particle board with plywood, roofing paper, and hardwood on top (with a hearth extension).


texts: When finishing a basement should the ceiling or floor be completed first?

texts: I am finishing my basement of a new built home. The builder has already insulated and dry walled the walls. I am ready to move forward on the project, but should the basement bathroom framing and ceiling be done before the floor is completed or should the flooring come first?


texts: How do we frost-proof an outdoor faucet in a home with no crawl space or basement?

texts: How do we frost-proof an outdoor faucet in our brick home that's on a slab?


texts: Render internal wall after doorway brickup

texts:
As per the picture, I have a room with a bricked up wall.
All the walls are concrete. The doorway has been bricked and covered with what I believe to be cement.
So far I have sanded the doorway with an electric sander, but still the texture differs quite a bit from the surrounding wall. Not sure any amount of primer and top coats will hide the seam completely.
When I lived in Denmark I remember this amazing product making rough or different textured walls perfectly smooth; A thin and very fine sheet made from fiberglass. I comes pre-primed in rolls and is attached to the wall with wallpaper paste and you apply paint directly to it. Perfect result every time. However I have no idea what the English name would be. Here's the link to a Danish product:
http://www.dyrup.dk/produkter/vaev-filt-og-tapet/dyrup-glasfilt-fin-grundet
I live in Australia now. Any idea what the equivalent name for this product would be in Australia?
Also any tips on rendering this wall?


texts: What kind of brush should I use for some detailed staining? I currently have a 1" Purdy wedge but I need smaller than that. Is regular hair brush okay or sponge, flat or angled etc.?


texts: Can a standard PVC electrical box be used as a junction box?

texts: I have one line coming from an outlet and need to branch it to two lines.  Can i use a standard electrical box (blue PVC) as a junction box to branch an electrical line?


texts: How can I connect additional wires to a receptacle?

texts:
I have one receptacle/outlet with a hot, neutral and ground coming in from the electrical panel and a hot, neutral and ground going out (to where I don't know - there aren't any other outlets in the room). I want to add 2 receptacles/outlets to this existing one. I can't string one after another due to their position (one will be on one side of the existing and one will be on the other side).

The existing outlet is a GFI with no holes in the back for additional wires. So, there are 4 screws on the outlet and they are all taken up. How should I add my 2 new outlets to this existing one?


texts:
We have a section of our garage that sticks out about 12" from the rest of the house and is flat on top- you can see it in the orange section in this photo.

The green and blue sections are a boral profit modera stone siding which is varying thickness from .75"-2" thick. In the areas with the red border, we can use a standard metal z flashing, but as you can see the orange areas are too thick to use standard flashing.

We are trying to figure out how to waterproof this area. Our GC has suggested a piece of custom metal flashing which would cover it and have a built-in slope to let the water run off. That piece of metal will cost approximately $2K just for that area.

Can you help suggest other less expensive options? Is there anything off the shelf we can use? This area of the house is not visible from eye level and we really don't want to spend a lot of money on it. I am in the middle of calling wrought iron shops and welding shops in my area but haven't yet found someone willing to take the job.


texts: How can I magnify, intensify, and redirect the light from a skylight so that it is most effective?

texts: My condo has a skylight about 6 feet above the interior ceiling. How can I magnify, intensify, and redirect the light so that it is most effective?


texts: With mechanical room ventilation is it necessary to have air supply in addition to extraction?

texts:
We are building three sound insulated classrooms which will be fairly well sealed. There will be no open windows so we're to use mechanical ventilation. I live in a warm country so heating isn't a consideration.

My understanding was that we would have air extracted through ceiling vents by a motor outside the building. Air would be supplied from vents on the ceiling on the opposite side of each room drawing through ducts from an indoor patio using suction created by the same motor.

We contacted two hvac companies who both tell us we should have a second motor to pump air into the rooms which is pretty expensive.

Is this really necessary or do we just need a slightly more powerful single motor?


texts:
I am trying to replace a single pole power switch of bathroom fan with timer switch. I tried to connect the wires as per the user manual but the fan works only when it’s connected to the power switch and dose not work with the timer switch. It seems like the fan is wired in a strange way the hot wire go to the fan direct and both wires going to the switch black and red get current when the switch is turned on when the switch is off there is no current in both wires going to the switch

The one to left is fan the right is vanity light


texts: How to run cable from attic to breaker panel in a finished room

texts: I want to install a new circuit breaker and run 10/3 NM cable from attic and into the breaker panel. The panel is in a finished bedroom.  How would I fish the cable to the panel considering potential insulation and running into other wires? Ideally, I don't want to remove the drywall above the panel.


texts: Rewiring 3 way switched receptacle to control the ceiling light

texts:
Have a 3 way switch which controls a receptacle. Have an existing ceiling light/fan controlled by pull chains.

I want the 3 way switches to control the ceiling light.

Difficult?  i find the attic difficult to work in. Deep insulation and low height.

Are wireless (non wifi) switches an option?


texts: I have a 2 switch switch, it controls 2 different lights. When one is turned on it sparks and trips the circuit breaker. I disconnected the lite and wire nutted the wires and closed off the outside lite box. I replaced the switch but it still sparks and trips the breaker. I cut the wire going to that lite flush and wire nutted it and used electrical tape. I then put it back in the plastic wall box, reclosed everything the 2nd lite works. Is this safe since the wire I wire nutted is a hot wire?


texts: Patches of drywall mud on subfloor. Do I need to remove before installing flooring?

texts:
We put down a 1/2" ply subfloor on top of our floor diagonals.

When the drywall guys were done there is basically dried splatter if drywall mud everywhere.

Do I need to scrape this off before installing tile floor. Our floor guy says that he will put a layer of hardiback board on top.

Is scraping enough or do I need to sand the floor smooth?


texts: Can I vent my bathroom exhaust fan into a plumbing drain vent?

texts: I installed a bathroom fan in the ceiling.  My bathroom is in the room right next to the laundry room.  The washing machine has the standard drain pipe vent of a pvc pipe venting to the outside through the roof.  To avoid cutting another hole in the roof I connected the bathroom fan vent to the washing machine drain vent in the attic so it can vent outside.  The only problem I can foresee with this is maybe some rain could possibly get down into the bathroom fan, but that is very unlikely the way I have it set up.  Any other issues or problems I can't see?


texts:
Can I have an electric dryer, a washer, furnace, and gas water heater all in one laundry room?

Basically, my electric dryer is on the far outside wall. Almost literally against it, the dryer vent thing on the back goes to a vent on the wall that's literally right there where the dryer is. Pretty close.

Next to the dryer is my washing machine. Then next to the washing machine is my gas water heater. After that, is my furnace.

Is there any issue with this sort of set up? They're all basically side by side, none of them touching each other or anything like that. There's a decent amount of space between them. They're just all in a row down the same wall.


texts: Sealing and insulating drywall within a range hood

texts:
Our range hood looks like this:

I discovered a ton of freezing cold air coming from the top of the hood recently. I took a ladder, and it looked like this:

Cold air just pours through the opening.

Any suggestions for how to seal up the holes in the wall? Keep in mind this is not visible unless you are on a ladder, so something that is quicker/easier will win over something that looks pretty. Also, I'm not interested in pulling out the piping to wrap something around it, if at all possible, as that dramatically increases the level of complexity for me.

Additionally, is there any risk to sealing up the top of the range hood, or does it need to be left opened?


texts: GE Spacemaker XL1400 Microwave - Very loud pop

texts:
GE Spacemaker XL1400 (JVM1451BA) Microwave manufactured Dec. 1998

In the span of a month, there were two times that while cooking (popcorn and just re-heating), there was an extremely loud crack or pop. The microwave continued to function normally... nothing seemed wrong. It definitely was not the food or containers inside that made the noise.

Any ideas what is happening?


texts: How do I troubleshoot a washing machine that uses hot water on cold settings?

texts:
We recently moved a 5 year old washer to a new home, connecting hot to hot and cold to cold. After a wash cycle completes, the clothes are hot.  I verified teh hose connections. By opening/closing the shutoff valves, I found that the washer pulls from both hot and cold regardless of the temperature settings.

How do I troubleshoot this?  I'm worried about shrinking clothes and bleeding reds with unwanted hot water.


texts: What brand is a kitchen sink with this logo?

texts:
I'm trying to identify a kitchen sink. We try to replace it, but want to keep the granite counters, so we need to find the same brand with the same line so that the dimension matches
It has a logo on the inside (see image), the only other mark is a date stamped in ink on the bottom from 2005.


texts: TV mount on wooden studs - what screws to use

texts:
so i want to mount my tv on the wall, with a flexible arm tv mount. its a drywall with studs behind it.

i think the wall is drywall anyway - it was built in 2005.

the wall screws supplied come with wall plugs - which, as far as i know, are only supposed to be used with brick walls.

this is the hardware supplied with the holder:

the long screw on top is a wall-screw. the instructions are meant for wall bricks, so they say to put in the plugs first and then the screw - for stud-installation it says to do the exact same thing, just use a different drill-bit.

am i really supposed to put the plugs in the wooden stud? or can i just drive the screws directly in the stud without the plugs? the plug is 10mm wide, while the screw is probably like 8mm incl. threading or so.

plus, the stud is around 8cm (slightly more than 3in) wide according to my stud meter - the holes for the holder are around 1.5cm (approx. 0.6in) from either edge of the stud. could this be an issue?

a friend said it might be a good idea to put one side of the holder more towards the center of the stud and use rawlplugs/umbrella plugs or something for the other side screws.


texts: How do I understand this description of lumber?

texts:
The instructions to a DIY project asks me to purchase something described as:

8-foot ¾-inch clear pine 1 x 8

What exactly does this mean. Here's my guess

8-foot: the length of the board
¾-inch: the actual height?
clear: no knots?
1 x 8: in inches the common or rough height and width.

I'm also asked to get

4-foot 5/4-inch clear pine 1 x 8

Same idea? Is the "5/4-inch" a typo that should be "3/4-inch"?


texts: Gas logs / how open does flue need to be opened

texts: Either vented or non vetoed gas longs. How open does the flue have to be open. I lose a lot of heat the way it is set now Flue is set to wide open. Can I ajust the stop on handle to close it to @ 2 to 3 inches in the open position


texts: How can I fix my window frame so that the window doesn't drop down?

texts:
I'm working on a fixer-upper, and I needed to repair the screens. In order to remove the screens, I of course needed to lift the window all the way up. However, there was a bracket blocking the window's travel:

"No problem" I thought. But when I unscrewed that phillips screw, the rod just shot out of the frame. It sounded like a gunshot and took a chunk out of my hand. Same was true for the other side of the frame (though I was smart enough to wear gloves).
After the brackets came off, the rods moved freely back and forth. The window still opened and closed just fine, but it wouldn't stay up. It seems that the rods are under a lot of tension and hold the window in place when it's opened.
It seems that the rods can be screwed in. If I turn them counter-clockwise, the resistance builds up, and if I let go, they quickly spin back to their starting point. But after mucking around with them for a bit, it's not clear how to properly restore their function.
Here's what the right side of the top of the bottom window looks like where it meets the rod:

I'm definitely willing to read a manual if I can be pointed to it; I just haven't had any luck finding information about this type of window.


texts: Code regarding exterior disconnects, outlets and fixtures

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What are the code requirements for wiring to outdoor disconnects, outlets and outdoor lighting fixtures?  I've usually just ran the type NM cable directly to the box. It seems difficult to transition from type NM to UF or individual wires (THHN/THWN) and have the connections be permanently accessible.
There's been quite a bit a chatter about this recently so I thought I'd post a direct question on this subject.
Including this question for context:   How should transitions from inside to outside be handled when running a circuit?


texts:
Yesterday I tried to get my bathroom sink to drain   better and I used a plunger. Unfortunately water got into the overflow and now   water  is coming out through the hole.
What can I do?

...


texts: Changing toggle switch (4 wires) to Caseta dimmer switch (3 wires)

texts: I am changing a toggle switch 4 wires (including ground) to Caseta Dimmer 3 wires (Including ground).  How do I attach the wires, please?


texts: What size equipment grounding conductor is needed for this gate lights circuit?

texts: We live in a rural area and I am running a circuit to to our gate for a couple of post lights and maybe a receptacle. The run is 485 feet from the closest panel.  I am installing THHN wire in a 1" diameter PVC conduit.  Due to the low amperage draw of the lights (<5 amps) I can calculated I can get by with #6 THHN. I will install a 15 amp breaker on this dedicated circuit.  My question is can I get by with a #8 ground or should I run a #6 THHN ground as well?


texts: Interested in home will mold problem . Can mold be in carpeting? Howe do i remove

texts: Interested in purchasing a home that has been empty for several years. Has a little mold on upstairs walls able to take care of that. One room has ceiling repairs with mold. Can the  mold go up into installation and will I have to remove all and resinsulate ceiling. One room has paneling how can I check for mold? Will I also have to replace carpeting because of mold. How can you tell if carpeting had mold.


texts: What can I do to prevent injuries from the corners of a wooden deck?

texts:
We recently had the floor of our wooden deck replaced and in the process, the contractor changed it from having cut-off corners to having real corners.

I am concerned with how the new corner sticks into the backyard so kids playing there might run into it.  This was previously not a problem because the deck did not have sharp corners.

What can I put on the corner to protect people in the yard that will be durable and easy to install and maintain (looking good is ideal too)?

Update

Here is a picture of the issue:

The old deck is the black outline and the new deck adds to it the red areas as well.

I currently do not have exact measurements but here is an approximation:

The deck is approx. 20' x 10'.  There are 4 steps down to the yard on the right-hand side (not shown).
The yard's total size is around 60' x 30' in the same orientation as the deck.  There is a swing set and a 12' octagonal trampoline as well as several trees.


texts: What problems might a single ground rod above 25 ohms resistance cause?

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The Electrical Code (USA) requires that a single ground rod have a maximum resistance to ground of 25 ohms (NEC 250.53(A.2)). If this isn't met, an additional ground rod is required, but no resistance test is required. Where does the value of 25 ohms come from?

From my reading of various sources on the internet, the test for ground resistance is infrequently done for residential installs. What kind of issues might I experience if my resistance to ground is above this value with a single ground rod?

This article has a seemingly informative title, but lacks actual details: Who Cares About 25 Ohms or less?

The basis for this question is that my ~30 year old house only has a single ground rod. I am willing to install a second one in lieu of an official test if there is a reasonable possibility that it will help in any way. At this point, I can't find any information that would point me to specific issues that might be solved.


texts:
I need to upgrade my garage, because there's been a break in and there sure as duck be another one soon (typo intended, no profanities here, even though I'm entitled to it as a victim of my bike being stolen twice this summer).

So, I'm thinking like this. The thieves will break the lock and manged to force the door and there's nothing I can do about that. What I can do, though, is a combination of two things.

Slowing the stupid #¤%&s down.
Making noise and/or signaling the attempt silently to my phone.

I need suggestions on the setup of such thing so I can present it to my super. They've promised to fix it but I fear that it will be even better if I help them along.

We can't have just the alarm go off as the door opens, because I'd set it off myself too. And it's probably a good idea not to have external panels for blipping in because that might be vandalized.

The garage is a small, room for a single vehicle with walls and roof, so the only possible entry point is the door. If I can slow the thieves down by a few minutes, I'll hear the sound and/or be alarmed and can call the cops.


texts: Garage catch basin and basement washroom drain pipe connection

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I am trying to get a good understanding of the plumbing setup I have in the garage (see attached picture).
This catch-basin is located in the middle of the garage. There is a basement washroom on the other side of the garage wall and the drain connection seems to be routed and connected to the ABS "municipal pipe" in the garage catch basin.
I would like to know the following:

Is this an acceptable or common setup? Or does something need to be changed?
What kind of work can I do to I improve this catch basin setup? For example, I would like to at least make it a square shape so I can put a proper metal square grate as a lid for it. Would I be able to add some concrete mix to "square out" the basin? (as long as I keep the pipe entrance clear)

Thanks,
Vlad


texts:
I turned on heat at the thermostat for the first time in several months. Things worked at first with hot air coming from the vents, until a few moments later when I noticed that the thermostat panel lost power. I went down to the furnace and noticed LED blinking 1-4 code (Ignition Lockout).
I then turned off the power to reset the furnace, but it started blinking 2-4 (Open Fuse) as soon as turned it back on. Replaced the blown 3A fuse and turned on the furnace. Steady LED, thermostat gets power and calls for heat. Inducer starts, igniter glows red, flame did not come on immediately (perhaps on the second try, i.e. saw igniter restarting once), flame and blower now both on and things seemed back to normal until I went upstairs and noticed that furnace stopped and thermostat is dark again.
Went back to the furnace to see 1-4 code again, and 2-4 after recycling the power. Replaced fuse again, but this time fuse is blown only a few minuets after turning power back on; The igniter didn't even start.
Now, I suspect that there might be something wrong with the thermostat, the gas valve, or something else. So I pulled off the thermostat, replace the furnace fuse a 3rd time, and turned on the furnace power. So far LED is steady with no blown fuse. I'm guessing that if I put the thermostat back on it'll either blow the fuse either within minutes or after it calls for heat. Is there anything I can try at this point to diagnose the problem before calling the furnace guys? Maybe I should get a plain old mechanical thermostat to see if it's indeed an issue with the thermostat (Honeywell RTH8580WF)?
Here are some pics:

Wiring schematics

Update: Just two days ago, I took out, cleaned, and replaced the flame sensor just to eliminate a potential source of problem. With the fuse in place, I tested the system and everything worked just fine: Thermostat calls for heat, Inducer on, HSI glows red hot, Gas valve open, Flame on, Blower on. It remained on and all seemed good. I repeated the cycle two more times without problem. I left the thermostat to a comfortable temp overnight, then yesterday morning - nothing. Got 1-4 Ignition Lockout and 2-4 Open Fuse again. Repeated steps above, and this time no flame after HSI on even though I heard a click. Discussed this with a friend and he suggested that it could be a bad gas valve. The theory is that the bad valve is blowing the fuse, cutting the gas/flame and causing both 1-4 and 2-4 codes. Weird thing is it's not blowing every time; it clicks but no flame after ignition. Seems like previous observation (now in bold) supports this theory.
How likely would a faulty gas valve blow the fuse due to a bad solenoid or something? How could I eliminate the possibility of a bad control board? The gas valve is White Rodgers EF32CW197A


texts:
I installed a new 20-amp GFCI in the kitchen which has two aditional download receptacles running off of it.  When I test it with a separate “Commercial Electric” tester the GFCI trips immediately. All appliances plugged into the circuit work.  Thinking it might be a defective GFCI, I swapped it out with another and it does the same thing.  I checked and rechecked all wiring and connections and everything is wired as it should be.  Bottom line is, only the tester trips that one particular GFCI despite it not tripping any of the others in the house.  Any suggestions?

Edit: Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly. The GFCI is wired correctly, incoming feed wires are connected to the LINE terminals and the outgoing wires feeding two sockets downstream are connected to the LOAD terminals. The test button on the GFCI trips the unit as it should. It's the tester itself that is tripping the GFCI.


texts: I am setting up a 70 amp sub panel in my detached garage, about 800 sq ft, from a 100 amp main panel, would a 2-3 copper wire be strong enough to support this? the run from main to sub is about 110 ft. I just plan on running 4 lights, 4 outlets and if I can maybe a 220v outlet for an air compressor....


texts: How do I seal around a door to make the opening more sound-proof?

texts:
I live in an apartment condo.  The noise from the very loud neighbour comes through the door spaces. I wish to seal off all of her noise.  My walls are brick and are good. But the door going out to the common area has a varying gap around it.  At the top of the door, the gap is from 1/32" to 1/4" over a 32" length.  From the top of the door to the bottom of the door (not the floor), the gap is from 1/32" to 1/4 " over a 80" length.  The open space from the bottom of the door to the floor is from 3/4" to 1/2" extending 32" across the door.

As well, there is a wall air conditioner I'd like to seal.  I'm thinking about putting some acoustic caulking around the outside of the air conditioner (inside the house), but thought I'd mention that as well.  My main concern is soundproofing the space around the door right now.

I would like to sound proof these open areas effectively.  What can you suggest?   Obviously, I would like to witness the effectiveness of any materiel you suggest before purchasing it if possible.


texts: How to Run an Electrical Wire from a Breaker inside the house to the Deck

texts:
I just got a deck made at the back of a house in Alberta, Canada. House is wooden with PVC siding on the outside. I do have access in the basement to drill a hole and run a cable outside, but, not sure about couple of things.

What is the best way to waterproof the whole that I make on the side of the house to pull a cable from a new breaker. Do I need to run the conduit from inside the house all the way to the outside or is there a better way. I am planning to get 3 receptacles on the deck. Should I use flexible conduit or hard conduit.

My main concern is how to waterproof the hole made at the back of the house where the cable will come out. What kind of weatherproof joint box should I use.


texts: What are good ways to deal with an area that needs temporary floor covering?

texts:
I recently posted a question about using peel and stick tiles on chipboard substrate as a temp fix.  I started to write this as an answer to that questions, but realized that my answer was becoming far more general than my question.

Situation:  Toilet tank cracks, dropping about 10 gallons of water on the floor before discovery.  Most of the water went into the joist space, but some made the hall carpet and foam underlay soggy.

I immediately ripped up the carpet and underlay, vacuumed the loose water, and set a fan to dry the area.  I have minimal swelling of the porridge board.

This hallway area is in a loft with balcony overlooking the great room, and two bedrooms.  We want to redo all of the flooring on this level.  My work is seasonal, so doing it now isn't practical.

So I need a temporary floor covering until the time comes to do the great reno.

A similar situation arises if you buy a 'handyman special' house to fix up.  Often a workable temporary solution can help turn a barn into a house.


texts:
I recently bought a house with a gas fireplace. The house was built in 1997 in Texas. The fireplace damper is stuck open and I can't figure out how to fix it - I had a look and it doesn't appear to be rusted, which I've heard is the most common cause.

I have attached 2 photos - one where you can see the pole/pull attached (which I believe is the bottom of the damper) and the other which I think is the top of the damper. As far as I can tell there is a plate attached to the top of the damper which is getting stuck against a ridge/lip in the chimney. What surprised me is that it looks like maybe 1/4 of an inch worth of a lip that is blocking it - almost as if that plate was added to block it in the open position? There is also a strange clamp attached to that side, which I have no idea why it's there or if it should be there.

I haven't tried anything other than yanking down really hard on the pole/pull and also sticking my hands in there to try and push that plate past the lip. I don't want to try too much brute force since I don't have experience with this.

Any advice greatly appreciated.


texts: Wiring smart switch, confused about mishmash of wires in wall box

texts: I'm trying to install a smart switch to control my 3 outdoor lights. 2 wall lights and a lamp in the yard. The house was built in 53, so I assumed there wouldn't be a neutral in the box, so I picked up a GE switch that doesn't require one. The switch shares a box with another that controls the hall light. Upon opening it up I found something more complicated than expected. The left switch, which controls the outdoor lights has 3 black wires coming in and bundled down to one black wire into the switch. There is then a second black wire coming from the outdoor switch that attaches to the right hand switch that controls the hall light, and then that switch has a red wire AND a black wire coming in. To top it all off, there are 4 white wires taped off in the back of the box. Are those neutral? I'd like to replace the hall light switch as well, but I think I'll need to get a different kind of switch as I only bought a single pole paddle switch. I'll attach a diagram below of the setup. Can anyone help me make sense of what I need to do to wire the smart switch and a new right switch?


texts:
We (my daughter and I) are building some time capsules in a bottle, i.e., putting photos, letters, small memories and so inside some glass bottles.

We plan to have a good lifespan of some: 10 years, 25 years and 50 years. They will be buried about 3 foot deep in places that won't have any load, so we're confident that they will not break.

But I'm afraid about humidity and mold. Using common tools and materials, how can I prevent mold from building in? And how can I seal the bottle, so that there is no humidity to damage our paper?


texts:
I'm based in NJ and want to convert my attached garage in to a home gym.  I just started insulating the exterior walls and will plan on hanging drywall over them when I am done.  The shared living wall is already insulated and covered with fire rated drywall from the builder.
My question is about the ceiling of the garage.  There is a small attic space on top of the garage but I  want to begin to insulate the ceiling above it  however I am not sure what type of insulation to use.  I am not planning on drywalling the ceiling so can I use paper faced insulation?  If the paper facing if not covered is it a fire hazard? so do I just use unfaced?  If I used unfaced do I need to add a vapor barrier?
Many Thanks


texts: Which is better/safer for cutting concrete slab, hammer drill or angle grinder?

texts:
I have to cut a 100x500 mm hole in a concrete slab that is about 80-100 mm thick. I think that I have two options to do that:

1) 9" angle grinder with segmented diamond disc: cut the long sides, then chip away the short sides with chisel.

2) Hammer drill with with a large bit making holes close to each other and the just breaking it out with a chisel.

Option 1 is faster, but is more expensive (I also have to buy the disc besides the tool rent) and it looks kind of scary after I saw some kick back results.

Option 2 is cheaper (bits come with the tool rent), but seems to be more time consuming.

Both options will leave a rough finish that will demand for stucco or something.

PS: I can access the slab from the top and the bottom if it matters anything.


texts: What could cause a clicking noise in an electric water heater?

texts:
I get clicking sound from our electric water heater as well. it lasts for a while, then
stops...then starts again, etc. we recently had technician out who said it needed to be
cut back on the setting for temperature, it was set at about 132 degress...he turned it
back, I believe to 120 degrees.  We bought it in 1996. Only name I see is on the control box, amf paragon? says 50 gal capacity. Is the clicking sound something normal for the process of keeping water supply heated up as it cools down or something? Or could this
be a problem due to age. I saw in one reply to someone else that sediment could be built up and needs flushing? I am afraid to mess with it, so wonder how critical something like this is?


texts: 1" inch pipe connected to 3/4" pipe at meter outlet

texts:
The meter outlet at the street has a 3/4 check valve.

If i am connecting 1 inch pipe to the check or back flow valve, what are the effects on flow and pressure ?


texts: What material should I use to seal door moldings, small holes between walls and floors to prevent roaches?

texts:
To clear it up, I am mostly using sealing/caulking interchangeably in this text.

Some days ago I started seeing cockroaches in one room that is also connected to another bathroom. I caught 4 over an inch ones, but I saw a few small and very small ones too. I think they are Oriental and pretty sure not German, but anyways I need to take action right now, doesn't matter whether they are coming from outside or some spacings in the walls, I want to seal all holes.

Now I noticed patterns where they go and I noticed two holes. Both on the floor, one going into the wall the other into the floor (at the edge of the wall), I also noticed that my door moldings are not properly glued, they can be removed with a hand and nothing will hold them back, so there are spacings made naturally between door moldings and wall just because there is nothing to hold them to the wall, so I will need to close these too. My plan is to set up gel baits, and close them off (tell me if this is not the smartest idea, I know I can pour in boric acid too there, but I think gel baits will be better) - however the question is not about this but the following:

I have no idea what caulk/sealant should I use, acrylic, silicone or even plaster for such application? Yes, some of them is wall, other is probably some kind of plastic door moldings, so I might need to buy different types too, I want something that will hold up good. I do not think there will be any contact with water, however some water resistance would be good as one of these walls got pretty bad mold so I am guessing that that place is more suspicable to water (as it is closer to some pipes - which is probably a problem on its own, so I might need to take that into consideration when choosing what type of sealant? Also, how important would be the gun for it, how much should I invest in it?


texts: How do I safely remove a drywall anchor from a stud?

texts:
I didn't realize that these were intended for use with drywall (I only found out the name of these things after the fact) and just put them in where we had a stud.  Now, it turns out that my holes are not level and I need to adjust one of them slightly.  I am planning to fill in the hole with a wooden dowel/carpenter's glue after I get it out, but wasn't sure how to remove the anchor safely to begin with.

How can I remove this without causing damage that can't be repaired easily with the dowel/glue? Should I remove both of them and just redo it without the anchors?

Edit: picture (anchors bottom right)


texts: We have termites problem in our house. And its getting worse day by day. We keep cleaning the wall everyday but still the problem of this sand termite exist. Please if anyone know how to keep them away please help me. And tell me what should we do to fill those holes


texts:
I noticed the other day while replacing some shingles that the aluminum covering my fascia board was bent a bit.  I think part of the problem was I sparingly used the soffit nails to attach it, and kept them high to avoid any possible drips.  It looks to me if I just added a nail lower where it bent out everything should be fine.  This led me to a few minute details on fascia nailing which I thought I'd ask.

1) Should the nails be kind of loose to let the fascia float a bit?  My understanding on siding was that you don't want to nail it down too tight, is fascia done the same?  I'm wondering if a bit of the bend was from nailing it too tight

2) Should I keep the nails high when nailing it?  If they are lower, should I be going back over with a good exterior caulk it?


texts: How to determine which kind of plastic anchor to use on which kind of wall?

texts:
I have a holder for a handheld shower head that I would need to install on a bathroom wall. This holder came with two screws and two different kinds of plastic anchors.

The anchors look as shown here:

What I wanted to ask is, how can I determine which anchor type to use on my bathroom wall?


texts: Is there any reason I can't install a 200 amp main breaker panel on a 100 amp service if I remove the main breaker and install a 100 amp breaker on the bus? I need to replace my old panel but I'm not upgrading to 200 amp at this time. Nothing else will be changed, just installing a new panel.  Upgrade comes later.


texts: My bathroom fan brings air into the bathroom; should it?

texts:
My apartment's bathroom fan appears to have been installed to bring a (small) amount of air into the washroom. I've confirmed this with a sheet of paper; pushing it against the grill I can feel a small amount of air being brought into the room.

Is there ever a good reason for it to be installed like this? It's noisy and is almost entirely ineffective at dispelling odours/humidity.


texts: How can I make a metal privacy screen more private?

texts:
I had a metal gate put in on the side of my house.

I put some metal privacy screen behind it but it doesn't seem to be too private.

It just seems to add a little opacity but otherwise you can see through.

Is there any way to make this more private?

I tried painting it black but that didn't help. I thought of some random color spots but I don't think that would look good.

My last thought is to keep putting paint on it till the holes close more (or paint a nicer backyard on it).


texts: Repacked packing nut but sink is still leaking!

texts:
I have a leaky cold water valve in my laundry room. It is a gate valve with a similar set up to This post (although older and with a lot of scaling). I did some research and decided to buy some 5/32 inch valve packing to re-pack the valve. I cleaned the old packing out, scraped the scaling off of the nut, wrapped the packing around the stem 2 times and tightened the nut down until it stopped leaking. I then decided to test it with a load of laundry. Of course, at this point it started leaking slowly again.

This has led me to a question which I haven't been able to find the answer to online:

The valve leaked whether it was open, closed or somewhere in between. Does this suggest that the issue is related to the washer or o-ring located at the bottom of the stem rather than the packing nut itself?

I'd hate to call a plumber, only to learn that I hadn't packed the nut properly but replacing the stem is above my pay grade. Any input is greatly appreciated!


texts:
There’s been a horizontal crack in my house’s foundation going all the way around the house since we purchased the house 12 years ago.  The foundation walls look like ordinary cinder-block, with a ¼” layer of ‘cement-facade’. The other day I noticed some of the cement was loose, and pulled a few chunks out. Underneath the cement facade and between the cinder-blocks was a very rusted steel bar. It looks like the rust’s expansion is what’s causing the crack - pushing out the cement facade all around the foundation.

Here's a couple facts about the house:

The house was built back in 1942, we believe it was a kit-home, and
was renovated in 1970’s. To my knowledge, there’s no renovations done
on the foundation.
The house is built on a small hill - the basement floor is a little bit above-grade for the nearby road, but the crack itself is a few
feet from the local ground-level.
As far as I know there’s never been any water seepage problems in the basement.
The house is near Minneapolis, Minnesota - the basement is heated, but it certainly does get some temperature-swings in winter.
This crack was repaired before - looks like mortar of some sort was slapped into the gap after the cement-facade crumbled away the first
time
The house was professionally inspected prior to us buying the place, and the inspector did make an incidental mention of the crack,
but didn’t say we should be alarmed or anything.

Questions:

What the heck is this metal thing?  Some sort of rebar?
Does this need to be fixed?
Any way I can fix it myself?
If not, what sort of professional do I need to call to have it evaluated/fixed?

Photos:


texts: How safe is it to mount a TV tight to the wall with steel studs?

texts:
I have a 55" TV that weighs about 37 lbs and I want to hang it on the wall. But I discovered that instead of wood studs, I have metal studs and can't drill into them. Is it safe to mount the TV to the drywall alone, using 1/4" toggle bolts (specifically the Hillman 1/4" Strap Toggle bolts as I am familiar with them)?
I know that usually, the installation manual dictates to use 4 bolts on wooden studs. 2 on each side. But the TV mount comes with a total of 8 or 10 slits (4 or 5 on the top and bottom). Is there any difference, safety wise, to use 8 or 10 toggle bolts versus 5he default 4?
Here is an image from Google Street view history. Hopefully someone maybe has an eye for it, and can tell me if these are actually 3.5" studs.

This is a rental property and I cannot do extensive sheetrock work.


texts:
I just bought a 3-way dimmer switch for the kitchen.  There are only two switches that switch the overhead lights.  I went to take off one of them to install the dimmer and the switch had 5 wires (2 red, 2 black and a ground) hooked up to it.  That would imply to me that it's a 4-way switch, but there's only two switches.  What gives?

EDIT

I solved the mystery.  There was a 3rd switch that was hidden behind a wine rack.  The electrician that installed stuff in my house must haven been on crack when he put stuff in (My brother-in-law who is an electrician said "He must have been a real @#%#% because there's no reason your wiring should be laid out like this").  The electrician put in 3 separate gang boxes (not a 3-gang box, 3 separate boxes) for switches - one above, one below and one two studs over.  Honestly I'm surprised that it passes code because it controls the over head lights to the room.


texts: How do I install concrete blocks to support deck stairs?

texts:
I just had a deck constructed and it failed inspection, partly because of  missing concrete blocks where the steps meet the ground (see also my related question Deck handrail bracket).  How would I go about installing that without removing the steps themselves?

Edits Here is a picture:

This might be just a false alarm.  We have scraped the dirt underneath the corners of the stairs and we feel something hard and smooth like a concrete block.  So it could be OK after all.


texts:
I visited a multiple dwelling house today that had two service panels and two meters connected on the same mains entrance. Each dwelling is wired as such:

Bus (common) → Meter → Fused switch → Conduit to dwelling → Breaker panel

The fused switch is connected to the meter via a short length of EMT conduit, providing ground to the switch box. The circuit that leads to the breaker panel is just armored cable (BX) without dedicated ground.

The breaker panel is your typical Square D QO Loadcentre with a 100A main breaker. The fused switch, however, is rated 60A with two 60A fuses in it and a neutral lug. The meter box has markings for 120V/240V 60A. I understand that the purpose of the 60A fuse is to protect the meter and possibly the circuit that feeds the breaker panel.

Is it normal to have a 100A main breaker installed in a panel
that is fed from a circuit with a 60A fuse? If not, should the
main breaker be replaced with a 60A breaker?
If the breaker panel had a 60A main breaker, would having the fuse be a requirement? i.e. could the switch be replaced with a non-fused, 60A switch?
Is it possible that the circuit leading to the breaker panel is rated for 100A (plus safety margin), but the 60A fuses have been installed only to protect the power meter rated at 60A?


texts: How can I estimate the load capacity of a set of shelves?

texts:
I'm pricing and researching supplies for built-ins in my living room.  The plan is cabinets on the bottom, a cubby for a TV and staggered shelves for several hundred HEAVY books above that.  My instinct is to build the whole thing out of 3/4" birch ply, but I'm also looking at pre-built wall cabinets for the base to possibly save myself some hassle.

This leads to a number of questions about material choice and structural design.  For instance, could a couple IKEA wall cabinets be the base for a structure that will hold a thousand pounds?  Two thousand pounds?  (I'm aware the floor has to support this as well - I'm on a slab.)

So, based on materials, joints, and structure, how can I estimate how much a piece of furniture can hold?  How much weight can a box-frame support?  At what span will a shelf of material X fail?  Are there tables or online resources available for this sort of thing?


texts: Why portable split air conditioners not common? What's the catch?

texts: Allegedly, you could put the outdoor unit on your balcony, the indoor unit on the floor inside and -- without any problematic install you have a much better (or one would think so at least!) than your usual portable AC unit. I added a picture, why are these units so rare, especially in North America? I have much better success finding them in the UK.


texts: Cost effective way to finish this shower?

texts:
I have an unfinished stand-up shower seen in the picture. I got estimates for frameless glass (a look that I like) and all of them were in excess of $3000. If I give up the idea of it looking super nice, but refuse to have a shower bar with a curtain, are there good economic options for finishing it off? Anything pre-fab that can be adjusted in the field?

Thanks!


texts: Using Well Pump 240 v Circuit For 110 v Light With Plug

texts: I built a shelter around my pump down here in central Fl. For a pump business I was suprised they ran 12-2 romex in the conduit from the breaker box on the power pole. The pump has red, black and green going into the well. They both ground on the pressure switch case. I bugged a receptacle on the black and ground and ran my miter saw and compressor to build the shelter with no issues. I would like to have a light in there and a gfi for power to work in there if needed. Is there any safe way to use a gfi or a light in there short of removing the romex and pulling re-pulling individual thnn wires with a neutral. I'm not sure the outdoor panel for the m/h bonds the neutral and ground, I have to recheck.  Thanks. GBY


texts:
I am looking to add a new light and the best access I have is from an adjacent room's light fitting. This ceiling rose has 3 supply lines, which I assume is a supply in, supply out and a spur.
Is it OK to add another spur from this fitting?
I am also unsure where this spur goes as the other light fittings also have 2-3 supply cables. How would I find out which of these 3 supply lines are the in & out? Is it a matter of disconnecting 1 and seeing which lights are not switching on?


texts: What kind of filler was used for this patio?

texts:
I need to reset the pavers for this patio and I have the feeling that, by its look I have to redo the entire patio since the filler that is visible in this picture seems to have reached the end of its life cycle.

Here is a still intact area

ANd here is one of the many areas where the filler is gone


texts: Is this ceiling box wiring correct and how can I reconnect an abandoned 3-way switch to it?

texts:
I have a house (Georgia, USA) and some kitchen renovations have revealed some prior electrical work and I am trying to figure it out.  Originally, there was a ceiling box in the kitchen with a fan/light fixture controlled by a pair of 3-way switches.  One 3-way switch was located at the kitchen entrance to the garage and the other switch was located in a 2-gang box that it shared with a 2-way switch for a ceiling light in the dining area.  The fan and light did not have separate switches.

At some point in the past, an exterior flood light was added to the house and the 3-way switch in the 2-gang box was replaced with a duplex switch.  One switch controls the light fixture and the other controls the exterior flood light.  The 3-way switch at the garage entrance was abandoned and covered with a cover plate.  And by abandoned, I mean the 'electrician' bent back the tabs on the switch and shoved the entire switch into the box).  The overall layout looks like this:

While renovating the kitchen, I found that the fan was mounted to a shallow fan-rated box with wiring from it to a second non-fan-rated box that was just laying on the insulation in the attic.  I removed the ceiling fan and the boxes (mentally noting how it was all wired) intending to rewire it (using a properly sized single box) the following day.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, the work was delayed several weeks and I cannot remember the exact wiring.  I spent a couple of hours with my multimeter checking continuity to determine which wire was connected to what and I think that the kitchen ceiling box and 2-gang switch box looked something like this:

The 2-gang switch box on the right is exactly as I found it.  The wires from the 3-way switch were sitting at the back of the box, unterminated with bare conductors exposed.  The neutral was connected to the black unterminated pigtail with a wire nut as shown.

The ceiling box on the left is how I think it should be wired, with one exception.  Note that there is black tape shown on the neutral going to the sink light switch.  This switch is not a 3-way switch so I think that the black tape is a mistake.  The hot from the ceiling box goes to the switch which then sends it to the light fixture.  The neutral from the light fixture should connect with the neutral from the ceiling box in the switch box and all the neutrals are connected together in the ceiling box as shown.

Having said all that, there are three parts to my question:

Does the ceiling box wiring look correct (taped neutral notwithstanding)?
Should I remove the tape from the neutral?
Can I replace the 2-way duplex switch with a 2-way/3-way duplex switch and reconnect the 3-way circuit?  If so, how is the 3-way switch wired at each end?  If not, how do I properly abandon the 3-way cable at each end?

My current plan is to implement the answer provided by A. I. Breveleri with the minor change recommended by RedGrittyBrick to make the constant hots black and the switched hots red. So the final result, if I'm not mistaken, will look like this:

If there are no objections, I'll wire it up this way and mark A. I. Breveleri's answer correct after the lights are on.

Also, in working on this problem I visited many sites that attempted to explain 3-way switches, but the only explanation that made the light bulb go on in my head was here:

"What is common in the diagrams above and with any 3-way switch circuit is that the power hot wire coming into the circuit will always go to the common terminal of the first switch. The hot wire from light always goes to the common terminal of the second switch. The traveler wires go from switch to switch connected to the traveler terminals, it doesn't matter which. As long as you keep this in mind, a 3-way circuit becomes really simplified. And of course the neutral will always go directly to the load."


texts: More than one circuit in a fluorescent fixture, OK?

texts:
I'm adding some more circuits to a finished garage. Most of the wiring is going in the joist cavities (or in EMT otherwise). Perpendicular to the joists, in the middle of the garage, is a steel I-beam. I can't (don't want to) drill  through that. To get across the I-beam, I span it with a fluorescent  fixture (non-hanging with built-in J-box). The lighting circuit goes in one side of the fixture and out the other.

Is it OK to also run another circuit through the fluorescent fixture in this manner? I'm basically using the fixture as conduit between two locations.


texts: Why does my tester not indicate voltage when a light switch is on?

texts:
I am not understanding this behavior, and I'm hoping that someone with a lot more experience with wiring than I have will know immediately what's going on.

I have two 1940s-era fabric-clad wires attached to a simple two-pole on/off toggle switch in the wall. There's no ground wire. The switch controls a light on the wall.

I know which breaker in the basement controls it. I can flip the breaker off and then test the wires for power with a voltage tester, and see that it's dead.

So, with the power enabled:

When the light switch is in the OFF position, if I touch the tester prongs to the wires, the tester lights up.

When the switch is in the ON position, if I touch the tester prongs to the wires, the tester does not light up.

That is counterintuitive to me, so I flipped the breaker off,  reversed the wires on the switch, and turned power back on.

But the behavior remains the same.

Why does turning the switch ON cut the circuit?


texts: rust-proof solution for attaching 2x4 to 4x4?

texts:
What screws can I use to securely attach a 2"x4" to a 4"x4" treated lumber? The solution would need to be rust-proof.

I recently used a structure similar to the image below for a small fence, but some of the screws are completely full of rust, due to treated wood humidity and the environment. I have to change that.

I was thinking of screws but any other solution is appreciated.


texts:
I have 5 light sockets in the kitchen. Two of them are A19 style sockets and three of them are the following sockets:

They fit a CFL type bulb in them. I would like to replace it with an A19 socket style. Can this be easily adapted or does it need to be rewired?


texts: Should I hire a mason to repair wall damage with incorrect brick?

texts:
A month or so ago I had an electrician in who accidentally put a hole through the brick wall of our house that now needs to be repaired.

From what I can gather, because I live in an older house the size of brick I need (11 1/4) along with the style is hard to track down. The job is also small so the first few masons I contacted weren't interested in making the repair.

Finally today I managed to find someone who offered to do the repair, but who also said:

  The new bricks are a couple inches shorter but will look better than this mess

So in my position, would it be the right course of action to just go ahead with the repair, or is it likely that I'll be able to make the repair with some semblance of invisibility?


texts:
We recently parged our basement walls using quikwall parge mix. The concrete is now 50 days old and we are planning on painting it with drylok. However, there is one splotch that still looks wet. This area was a particularly moist section of the foundation before we parged.

Outside of the house there is nothing that should make this corner any wetter than anywhere else. We had the yard re-graded when we moved in last summer. That said, the height of the splotch is below grade.

Here are two photos:

My questions are:

What is causing this splotch?
Will painting it fix it or just cover up the problem?
If painting isn't the solution, what is?


texts: How do I relocate a generator inlet box?

texts:
From the images above, I have a 30 amp generator inlet that connects to a transfer switch. I’d like to relocate that inlet box to the outside of the house so that I don’t have to run my L14-30 cable from the generator through an open door or cracked window. I’d like to just plug my generator outdoor safely. I don’t know if I need a different inlet box that’s weather proof and/or different cable to withstand outdoor weather when not in use. This is Florida weather so no harsh winter months but lots of rain and heat in the summer.

What do I need to purchase to make the move? Or can I use the existing inlet box outdoor and just drill a hole for the cable/wire to pass through my exterior wall and then seal it after hooking it up to the inlet box once I place it outdoor?

The inlet box, when placed outdoors, would be right on the opposite side of the wall it’s currently on in the same spot. So it’s a matter of passing its wire through the wall and moving the inlet box right outside of where it currently sits


texts: How to describe this brick in order to identify and buy matching ones?

texts:
This is my first post here so apologies if this isn't the type of question that should be asked.

I am undertaking some work on my house in Liverpool UK which was built (we think) in 1994. We (and our building contractor) are finding it very difficult to find matching bricks. One of the difficulties I am having is the terminology used.

In terms of colour I'm not sure if my bricks are considered red, buff, orange etc.

In terms of texture I'm not sure if my bricks are dragfaced, sandfaced, creased, distressed etc.

I have uploaded a picture here:

What words would I use to describe this brick to a tradesman/dealer in order to find the best match?
(A small part of me hopes that some genius on the internet would be able to tell me the exact name/brand for this brick!)


texts: Outside of the USA, most people have never heard of the term “pocket door”. Can you explain what this is?


texts: Is it worth using non-VOC or low-VOC interior paint?

texts: I’m remodeling a condo and painting the walls and ceiling. For context, I've heard that Valspar paint has no VOCs and may be preferable to Sherwin-Williams for health reasons. However, my general contractor wants to use Sherwin-Williams paint (with VOCs) because he “has an account” with them.


texts: If I drill holes in a door, would I then at a later time be able to conceal them reasonably well?

texts:
I have an over-the-door organizer in my pantry. It's about 5 feet tall and composed of three joined sections.

Problem is—since it has breaks on the vertical supports—it is wobbly.  When I open the door it moves just a little bit more slowly; when I close the door it wants to keep going after latching the door. Whenever it moves, half of its contents fall off, which is undesirable.

I want to put moly bolts in the door (hollow core) and affix the rack to the door to tighten it up a bit. I've been given the go ahead only if I can be sure that I can semi-convincingly patch the holes if we remove the rack. So is this something that it's possible to do? My first instinct if it were drywall would be to just use spackle and paint it, but obviously that won't work on a woodgrain door.

Edit: Based on the implied difficulty of doing what I wanted to do I opted for command strips. Originally that wouldn't have worked as the door rack is composed of modular shelf rails like the one pictured below, ergo a very small surface area for the command straps to stick to. I wound up JB-welding a metal plate to the back of the rails to increase the applicable surface area while still allowing for the locking mechanism of the shelving space.


texts: Why does my nat gas furnace pilot light stay lit at normat temp setting, but goes out when I bump the temp up a couple degrees?

texts: Recently the gas company replaced our meter and thermocouple.  After they left, the pilot light kept going out randomly.  4 techs came over a 3 day period and could not diagnose except to reassure that the meter and thermocouple were working fine.  Then HVAC man came and found lose wires on the gas control valve, apparently knocked lose by the gas co tech.  Furnace will cycle perfectly and pilot stays on as long as the thermostat temp is maintained at the same temp, but whenever I bump the temp up a couple of degrees, the pilot goes out either during the cycle or upon shut off.


texts: Help me understand this sub panel wiring

texts: Im looking to add a circuit to this sub panel box but when I opened it up I noticed that the neutral (black) connection bar is connected to the ground bar, as circled in red in the photo. Is this normal? Also what is the orange wire?


texts: Need mfgr of double hung casements w/"PG" engraved on lock

texts:
I purchased a mobile home that has had its windows redone since DOM. I would like to have additional windows put in, and would prefer them to match existing. Only problem, I can't find any identifying numbers, letters or anything on the windows except an outline of PG is engraved on the metal bracket/rise of the lock (pic attached). I've googled endlessly and can not figure out who manufactures these windows?

They are double-glazed, double-hung casements, non-tilt, 44.5"x51" @ 4 "panels" across (panels created by vinyl dividers between panes).

Thanks in advance!


texts: Putting a window air conditioner into an awning window

texts:
I bought a window air conditioner thinking that I could alter my awning window to accommodate it. I have since discovered that I can't remove the part of the window that swings out or alter it so that it swings out farther. Has anyone found a solution to this, besides using a portable air conditioner, which I don't want to do?

I have thought of building a wooden enclosure for the air conditioner connected to and sealed with the window opening. In other words, a window extension. I would be concerned about a possible fire hazard because of the air (hot?) exhaust and if the exhaust would affect the material that the window is made of.


texts: I wish I could figure out how to load a picture that’s a small enough file to explain but hoping someone can understand what I’m saying here. I have a ring of water around the entire perimeter of the waste seat at the bottom of the sink bowl with new faucet/drain combo I have installed. I would think tightening it more (to bend the waste seat toward the center of the hole) may work but don’t its fairly tight and I’m a bit worried I could over tighten and have an instant regret.


texts:
https://youtu.be/sI0OCBpdwXk

For the last little while my toilet has been constantly been making a noise as you can hear in the video. I looked it up and it seems like there are two common causes of noise. It seems like the float and fill valve are working as intended. And I thought the flapper was okay since I applied pressure on top of it and it didn't affect the noise at all.

But I tried closing the intake valve for my toilet tank and the tank has been slowly draining. What is likely causing the leak? The water in the bowl seems still, not like there is a steady source of leaking into it? Any advice would be appreciated!

Edit: Thanks for the help everyone. The food colouring test helped show me that the water was leaking into the bowl. I wrongly assumed that since I applied pressure to the flapper to make sure it sealed that it was not the problem. But the flapper was the problem. Upon taking it out and inspecting it the whole thing was disintegrating and there were cracks allowing water through it.


texts: I was trying to install a smart light switch, I don't have a neutral, so I can't do that. However, when I looked in the box, I noticed this other group of wires pushed to the back. They aren't capped off and they read hot. It is three wires; black, white, and copper. The wires sticking out of the box were the ones connected to the existing light switch. Any ideas? Can I use these extra wires to power the smart switch?


texts:
The duplex I live in was built around the 1920s and still has the original wood floor but its very creeky and the neighbors downstairs are always complaining so I'd like to fix it.

I'm wondering if there is a way I could pull up some of the wood planks without damaging them so I can fix the problem underneath and put the wood back in place afterwards.  Or if there is a better solution.

Ive tried drilling screw but it hasnt helped.  And i mop the floor with polish every couple of weeks and for about a day the lubrication maxs the creeking lessen but only works for about a day.

My friend told me to try using sand.  He said that if I sweep sand all over the floor it will get into the cracks and act as padding to stop the creeking, but there isn't really much space between each plank so I'm doubtful that much sand will be able to work its way underneath the boards.  I'm going to try it later today though.


texts: Two Black wires and 2 red wires behind outlet

texts:
We recently redid a bathroom and have an outlet on the wall it is not a switched outlet we wanted to put a GFI there and when we pulled the Outlet noticed no White Neutral wire just 2 reds and two blacks in disconnecting the outlet it and turning power off the majority of my home stays not powered  this is and older home and no electrical work in my knowledge has been done since the home was built  is it possible to hook a GFI to this type of wiring?  The bigger problem is also showing its horns i dont think the whole home should run through this one outlet.

Side note the home has a main panel and a sub panel with the sub panel running the majority of things


texts: What is purpose of end hinge on garage door?

texts: What is purpose of end hinges that is mounted on 4 section garage doors? This one is from a Pella garage door and mounts on side above where the rollers are mounted. The door uses 6 of these. -3 on each side of the door.


texts: Cleaning an IGLOO Freestanding Ice Maker water box

texts:
An IGLOO Freestanding Ice Maker (Model # ICE102C-SILVER)  has water box  which the instruction state should be cleaned. The inside of the box is not accessible in either the empty nor the fill position.

How does one get at it or remove it for cleaning?


texts: Black stains in wood, identifying the cause

texts:
I found a used bedroom furniture set which includes a bed frame and box spring. I've put together the bed frame but upon looking at the box springs more closely, I see there are some dark stains around the edges.

How can I determine whether this is mold or a wood destroying organism, or something else?
I also noticed that looks similar to signs of dry rot, but I'm not sure.


texts:
With a storm bearing down on the mid-Atlantic US and robocalls from the local power utility warning of the possibility of extended power outages, I figured tonight would be a good time to check the status of my 5700W portable generator. After turning the fuel valve to 'on' and engaging the choke, I pulled the pulled the starting cord, and pulled, and pulled. No luck.

The generator is fairly new -- I bought it at the end of June '12. I last started it a few months ago -- around November I think -- and since then it's been sitting in a dry shed with half a tank of treated gas and the gas cap closed tightly. The gas appears to be okay -- it's not cloudy, doesn't look separated. I get a whiff of gasoline after a few pulls, so I think there's some fuel flowing. The spark plug wire seemed firmly seated, but I pulled it and reseated it just to make sure.

What else should I be looking at to get this small engine started?


texts: Whirlpool refrigerator (6 year old) stops cooling

texts:
My refrigerator stops cooling and I heard clicking and buzzing from the back of it. I then bought new start relay and capacitor and replaced the old ones. But the problem remains (clicking, buzzing, no cooling). I checked other parts like condenser and evaporator fans. All of them are good and running well. Does it mean my compressor dead? But I checked the resistance of the compressor, the values look normal. What should I do? Any hints an helps are greatly appreciated!

Doug


texts:
I have a basement with a partially finished bedroom (currently used as storage) on one side, a gas furnace and tankless water heater at the foot of the staircase in the middle, and a newly finished family room and art studio on the other side. I need an egress window to complete the project and am trying to figure out the best place for it.

Local code here in Portland, Oregon says an egress window should be installed in the bedroom if the basement has a bedroom, and otherwise in a room you spend significant time in. I might complete the finishing of the basement bedroom in the future (say 2-3 years), so it would be nice to locate the egress window there to meet that requirement. But currently, we spend more time in the other rooms.

Another factor is that the best place structurally to put the egress window is in the bedroom. That has an existing window that could be enlarged, while placing it in the other rooms would require creating a new opening and modifying a load-bearing wall. So current practicality and future planning would point toward locating it in the bedroom, while the utmost consideration of current safety would point toward locating it in the family room.

One factor I don't understand is what kinds of situations an egress window would help in. Is a fire likely to occur near the furnace or the staircase, blocking a path from the family room on one side of the basement to the bedroom on the other side? Or would an egress window anywhere in the basement be accessible in most emergencies? I have a contractor to do the installation, but he wasn't sure about the relative safety benefits of the two locations.

In short, I think one option is to locate the egress window in the bedroom, even though that isn't used as a bedroom now, so that it will be ready if we ever want to use it as a bedroom in the future. And the other option is to locate the egress window in the family room, knowing that if we ever want to use the bedroom as a bedroom, we would then need a second egress window there. What would you do, and why?


texts:
Having recently had to struggle with the wiring on my home heating (y plan) to get it working with a nest, I would like to know why central heating systems are not more modern:

Why isn't there a central controller that receives information from all sensors (tank temp, boiler temp etc) and outputs commands to valves/pump/boiler rather than the series style wiring (programmer commands stat commands valve commands boiler).

Is it just a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it? , getting a single standard would be a pain , reliability and ease of maintenance or is there something more to why heating systems are relatively low tech to 'smart' tech?

I ask purely out of interest (not to criticise the existing wiring systems), I am interested to know if with having more localised generation (pv cells etc) if heating systems could become smarter and more efficient; use the pv cells if there is excess generation or if a home battery has charge, switch on an immersion heater instead of gas boiler for one example.

I am happy to admit the simplicity of it does allow for modification (shove an arduino in there with some relays etc).


texts: Have you used a core drill on a foundation wall?

texts: I'm looking to use a 4" core drill on a poured concrete foundation wall. The hole will be about 2" or so down from the top of the wall. The rental place has a handheld core drill with a water attachment. Does anyone have experience with this? Also any tips or best practices that you could share?


texts: How should I extend a concrete patio under an existing deck?

texts:
I have a 18x20 second floor deck with three 6x6 support posts. Under the deck is a 40-year-old, well-settled, 12x20x6" concrete patio. The deck posts are set outside of the patio, set on footings underground - so the posts are buried. I'd like to extend the concrete patio so it matches the dimensions of the deck.  That makes for a 6x20 extension.

One of my concerns with the concrete extension is that the new pour would surround the posts and I want to take the necessary precautions so I don't cause any future problems.

As for the extension, my plan is to implant short lengths of rebar into the side of the patio to help keep it and the new pour even.  I will make sure the new pour is deep enough keeping the frost line in mind and using compacted aggregate underneath.  Any thoughts or concerns with this approach?

I've read where I should use a 1/2" rubber wrap around the posts to accommodate post and/or concrete expansion.  Is this advisable?  Can I (or should I) seal the area with silicone to prevent water from seeping down?

Just to make it more interesting, and another of my concerns, is that the old patio drops about 5-6" over 12'.  I'd like to reduce that slope.  I was thinking of pouring the extension higher than the old patio and having it feather up the slope.  Probably using an aggregate-less mix for the area on top of the old patio.

To finish it off, I'll either paint it or cover it with pavers - with the preference being the pavers.

I'd rather not demo the old patio, as some may suggest, but I'm open to all advice.  The desired end result is that I want a more level, larger patio, under my deck, that will sit several inches above ground at the far end.

I have considered decking over the concrete but I have concerns with airflow, critters, and maintenance that I believe to outweigh the concerns of a concrete extension.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and for responding.


texts: Metering gas used for heating water in a multi-dwell building with one boiler

texts:
I rent in a multi-dwell building. We are not directly charged for hot water but trying to figure out if we are indirectly charged via the Con-Ed gas bill.

Is it possible to meter gas usage for the heating of water in a building with one gas-powered boiler? If so, how? I have access to the boiler room. What should I look for to confirm?


texts:
I need to cut a few bits of 6” plastic duct, is there an easy way to do this?

(Trying to get the ends squared using a freehand hacksaw does not look easy.)


texts: I have an AC which has 3 ducts coming out of it.  Only one duct gets flow - I'm guessing the AC fan blows right into it.  What can I do to improve the flow?


texts:
I'm a new condo owner and I have realized my hot water baseboard heaters won't turn off. It's getting hotter where I'm living and when I put my thermostat (old mercury Honeywell) to the lowest setting, my heat still comes on.
I'm hoping my thermostat just needs to be replaced. I don't think any of the breakers in my unit control the thermostat power and am not sure how to disconnect it to have it replaced.
Any help would be truly appreciated.