texts: removing electrical sockets from bathroom

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I'm in the process of planning a conversion of a room, from kitchen to bathroom.

I live in the UK and there are regulations prohibiting electrical sockets to be within 3m of a bath or shower, essentially meaning I need to have them all removed - there are 2 single sockets, 4 double sockets, and a fused outlet for the cooker.

My question is, how should I go about making these outlets safe so I can ideally fill & skim over the top of where they were - should the wires be removed from the walls, or is it safe to have them disconnected from the fuse box and terminate the other ends, then plaster over the top?
They are part of the top floor ring circuit, so I may need to connect them together if those wires also power other sockets.

I would hire an electritian to do anything required with the fuse box, and am competent enough to wire connector blocks, sockets etc myself. What is the correct approach?


texts: Adding rebar to deck footings and piers?

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I've heard a few people mention adding rebar to deck footings and piers to make them stronger, but I haven't been able to find any details on how exactly to do this.

Is it sufficient to just hammer 3 or 4 pieces of rebar into the bottom of my hole so they stick straight up and then pour the concrete over them? If not - what is the proper way to do this?


texts: Can I install a row of bricks on a slab to support a shed?

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I am designing a shed for my garden and I would like to build the shed inset from the concrete base by about 20cm on each side. The concrete base already exists (built before I brought my house). It has to be inset as there are fences either side and I will need a bit of a gap for construction.

My concern is that it will not be waterproof enough. As water can fall on the concrete and travel to the wooden framing.

My current idea is to lay a single course of bricks and cover then in some sort of waterproofing layer (not sure what to use for that). I am unsure if that is a good idea though.

What are your thoughts?


texts: Is there a proper way to vent a garage into an attic?

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So, I'm looking to install a set of vents in my garage door for the summer months. I insulated it last winter without realizing how hit it would get with two hot cars in it! Not to mention it really keeps the heat!

The problem is, the garage has a high (~~12 ft) ceiling. The attic is another 2-5 ft of ceiling on top of that. Due to HOA rules, I can't install a gable vent low enough to provide a hot air escape from the garage. Additionally, I can only add the vents to the lowest section of the garage door. Since heat rises I get the feeling I'd only be cooling about 3ft above the floor without some form of hot air escape.

I've considered adding ceiling registers to the garage and ducting them directly to a rear gable vent fan, but if possible I'd like to kill two birds with one stone. I'd like to add the rear gable vent fan, and add vents between the garage an attic to supply cooler air. In this way, I'd pull air from the attic, which would pull air from the garage, which would pull air from the garage door vents.

So, all that being said, is there a proper way to add a vent between the attic and the garage? The attic already has soffit vents, so I'm not sure if I would have to close (some) of those off to keep the airflow rate the same.


texts: Dehumidifier Does not work and reports incorrect humidity

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I've looked through a bunch of other DIY sites and the questions on here but couldn't find the exact issue I'm facing. I have a dehumidifier in my basement that is set to run continuously and drain through the hose attachment into our sump pit. The humidity meter on it reports 40 or so once it's been going, but it is humid as an August afternoon down there. Has to be at least 80% or more. It used to work great when it was first plugged in but now not so much.  Something is really odd because occasionally it will shut off because the tank is full (even though the aforementioned hose is connected). This takes a while though - under normal use without the hose it would full up every day - now it takes weeks for that to happen. None of the symptoms I was told to look for, condenser coils aren't frosted or anything, air filter is clean.  I'm wondering if it's something that could be fixed. Thanks for your help.

-Jayce


texts: Two ducts Blowing hot air, 4 ducts blowing cold air

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I have a 4 ton unit on a simple 3 BR 1 bath one story house.

On the plenum I have a 12" metal duct supplying the living room, 10" metal supplying dining room and kitchen (2 vents off the same line), 10" metal ducts (2 vents off the same line) supplying 2 bedrooms, 9" flex duct for the 3rd bedroom, and 7" flex duct for the bathroom.

When the heat is on, the air coming out of the 12" metal in the living room and the 10" in the dining room and kitchen is extremely warm >90 deg.

However, the air out of the 10" metal for the 2 bedrooms and the 2 flex ducts is cold <65 deg.

All of the heating elements are good.

Connections at the plenum are snug (even had the plenum rebuilt).  No discernible difference in air pressure from the vents in any room.

I've had several A/C repair specialists out and everyone seems stumped.

It's difficult for me to get my head around b/c all of the air entering the plenum is roughly equally warm having passed over the heating coils right?

There's no leak in the ducts and even if there was it'd be quite a coincidence since the vents blowing cold air are on 3 separate lines (7" flex, 9" flex, 10" metal).

The house is basically rectangular and the plenum sits in the middle of the attic.  The hot air vents are north, the 2 flex ducts (cold air) are east and west of the plenum and the 10" metal cold air blowing duct runs south off the plenum.

Any ideas?


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I had a contractor install sliding patio doors in 2 different areas in my house. The first area the patio doors fit perfectly; however, in the second area there is a gap that leaks air. There is an overlap between the moving door and the fixed door where the two doors should meet up and this is where the leak is occurring.

Does anyone have any tips to close this gap? I have attempted to adjust the tilt screws on the door and it helped close part of the gap but not completely and have pulled out the fixed and sliding door to make sure there are no obstructions behind it causing it to stop short.


texts: How can I hold a nut underneath a deck with no clearance while screwing a bolt into it?

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I have an existing deck with composite wood planks.  My kids bought me a gazebo for my grill that I would like to bolt to the deck.  Is there a tool I can use to hold the nut and washer in place under the deck while I screw the bolt into them from above?  There is no clearance under the deck, so I have to go between the boards.

Any suggestions?


texts: Furnace struggles to ignite after new inducer motor

texts: I recently replaced the inducer motor and wheel on my 15 yr old Payne furnace due to very loud and annoying operation.  The new motor made a huge difference... runs much smoother and quieter.  But the other morning I awoke to a cold house and realized the furnace was locked out.  The code read that there was a lack of flame being sensed.  After resetting, cleaning the flame rod, and watching it operate, the burners will light for an instant, but go out immediately.  Almost like there is too much air flow to allow ignition. (reminds me of trying to light a torch on a windy day) After the third try, it did finally ignite and appear to run normally.  Any ideas?


texts: Testing with non contact voltage detector I get intermitent positve where flexible conduit enters garbage disposal even with breaker off.  Is it a false positve or is th switch bad? Reset triped while in use


texts: Question re: Installing New Power Strip in Kitchen

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In my apartment's kitchen, I have a wall outlet on the wall on one side of the sink, but I'd like to add several more outlets on the other wall, on the other side of the sink.

I don't own this apartment, so it's not like I can start adding more wall outlets, but I'm wondering if there's some way I can add a nice looking GFCI power strip and run the cord along the wall, plugged into the existing wall outlet.

Anyone know the details of how and if this could be done? The only GFCI power strips that I've seen are big, ugly, and industrial. I'm looking for something a little nicer and cleaner (similar to what a normal power strip looks like- but I can't use that since it's near the sink).


texts: Do I need to plan my framing depending on the position of the wall to glass clamps for a frameless shower?

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My design includes a frameless shower glass enclosure
This is for a corner and it will have two fixed glass panels
I am now building the framing and I am trying to understand if I should provide support in the framing for the clamps that will support panels
These will not be floor to ceiling pannels and no support rods are planned as they will be ~40" and ~30" wide
I would have two clamps on the wall and one on the shower base for each panel
My plan is to run 2 horizontals made of a 2x4 segment that will be screwed to the studs as seen in the below picture.
My problem is that I do not know yet what shower panels I am going to get and what would be the best position for the clamps


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I would like to repair a  wooden fence, in Florida, similar to the one in the photo below:
Is there a rule of thumb (ratio) for the amount of post exposed to the amount buried underground?
Home Depot  has the  option for 8,10 & 12 foot posts.


texts: Can someone help me identify this texture and how it was created. This is not a ceiling it is on my walls.


texts: What does the low pressure light on my Rinnai tankless water heater mean?

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We have a Rinnai tankless water heater in the basement. Our housemate has a bathroom in the basement. About once a week, the water turns cold during her showers or when she uses the sink. We have no problems at all upstairs, not even filling the bathtub. She recently told us the low water pressure light comes on on the water heater whenever this happens. I don't understand- if the flow is too slow then it should just not come on at all.

I just changed her shower head from 2.5gpm to 1.5gpm and tightened the valve for hot water to the sink a bit. I'm hoping this takes care of it but I'm also hoping to understand better.


texts: I am building a basement stud wall out of 2x4s. I’m concerned that when I go to nail in the bottom plate to the concrete, I’ll hit the interior drain tile made of PVC pipe installed around the perimeter of the basement. Is there a way to avoid the pipe and would the drain tile get damaged if it’s hit with the nails?


texts: Baseboard/skirting board before or after carpet tiles?

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I ask this question here as all results from my searches relate to installation of regular carpet, not carpet tiles

I'm tidying up a small laundry room under a stairway. I will be installing carpet tiles (50cm x 50cm vinyl-backed carpet tiles) and some skirting/baseboard. Should I install the carpet tiles first, then the skirting board on top? The arguments for doing it the other way around with regular carpet don't seem to make as much sense for carpet tile, which can easily be removed by lifting it from the centre and it does not have a tack strip.


texts: Why does the funnel on my boiler clog and leak?

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I apologize if I don't use the right terminology, please correct me.
I have this boiler system called Grohe Red. Here is the manual.
The problem I have is that every now and then the "funnel" (that's how the manual calls that black thing) gets clogged with junk from the sink. The boiler system releases some water droplets at each use and they overflow from the funnel when it's clogged, resulting in water on the floor of the kitchen.
As a temporary solution I just clean the s**t out of the funnel every time it's clogged.
I believe this is not the correct way of installing such a system, as junk from the sink can easily get into the funnel and clog it.
Can somebody advise me on how to fix this?
Also, is it a problem that the brass junction is corroded, or is it fine?


texts: Diagnosing a suspected multi wire branch circuit

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Last week I lost power to my new garbage disposal. I opened the box to find this:

There are three cables coming in from the bottom. Two of these are somewhere downstream from the Panel, not too sure. The other goes to the garbage disposal.
There is a cable coming from the top, There previously was a switch that controlled the sink lamp. I wired its hot wire through a new switch, now it turns on my kitchen lights instead (The kitchen light already has two other switches that control them). It could have been my mistake.
I'm suspecting this is a MWBC but I'm not very experienced so I don't know how to identify and how to fix. It seems like there are two circuits from the breaker box involved. At the breaker box, the two circuits are not handle connected. How can I trace and diagnose each of the cables in this box?


texts: How can I redirect the discharge of my forced air vent?

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An AC/heating register on our kitchen ceiling blows air directly toward a gas cooktop causing the flames to flicker. Adjusting the register doesn't seem to make a difference. I've looked into air deflectors but the ones I've found seem cheap or have bad reviews.

Is there a high quality air deflector out there or, even better, an alternative solution (e.g., a highly adjustable register)?

Here's a photo of a similar register.


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I have a half bath that is 5' 2" x 7' 3" (measured from drywall to drywall) that I'm hoping to add a shower to. I know that it will be tight, and I'm ok with that, but I'm trying to figure out if I can do it to code. Below is a diagram of the installation I'm contemplating. I'm planning on tiling the shower, and I've allowed 3/4" for the thickness of the waterproofing membrane, thinset, and tile on the left wall, which is why the full length is only 86.25" rather than 87".

My municipality recognizes the 2015 International Residential Code, which I believe is the proper code governing clearances here. My questions are as follows:

For the shower, I am planning on installing a glass wall in the middle of the shower curb. Does the width of the shower curb that is on the shower side of the glass count towards the minimum dimension specified in P2708.1 of the code?

  Shower compartments shall be not less than 30 inches (762 mm) in minimum dimension measured from the finished interior dimension of the shower compartment, exclusive of fixture valves, shower heads, soap dishes, and safety grab bars or rails. The minimum required area and dimension shall be measured from the finished interior dimension at a height equal to the top of the threshold and at a point tangent to its centerline and shall be continued to a height of not less than 70 inches (1778 mm) above the shower drain outlet.

It seems to me that since the minimum dimension is measured "from the top of the threshold," I could theoretically reduce the shower width to 27.75" and still hit the 30" minimum when the 2.25" width of the enclosed shower curb is included (I'm not including the thickness of the glass for simplicity). I'm just not clear on where the point "tangent to its centerline" is, as curves have tangents, not centerlines.
Do I need to account for the 6" high shower curb when measuring the clearance for the toilet, or will this clearance be measured from the glass shower wall that is centered on the shower curb? The relevant code is as follows (section P2705):

  A water closet, lavatory or bidet shal not be set closer than 15 inches (381 mm) from its center to any side wall, partition or vanity or closer than 30 inches (762 mm) center-to-center between adjacent fixtures.

I could see this being at the discretion of the inspector, and if I am correct regarding question 1 above, then I can eliminate the shower curb's overlap with the toilet clearance by reducing the size of the shower floor and moving the glass partition from the middle of the curb to the edge. I would prefer not to do this if I don't have to, however.
Based on the section P2705 quoted above, it would seem that my vanity placement will not work, as the center of the sink will only be 27" from the center of the toilet, and 12" from the adjacent wall. That said, I believe that 24" vanities in corners are fairly commonplace, so am I missing something here? I can find a lot online about toilet clearance, but few discussions on sink clearance. I am able to find corner mount sinks, and these would allow me to achieve 30"+ of clearance between the center of the sink and the center of the toilet, but I can't fathom how these would be to code if you need 15" of clearance from the wall.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide on any of these questions.

Edit: I also realize that showers with an area greater than 1,300 square inches can actually have a minimum dimension as small as 25", so I can reduce the width if I have to. 30" is already really tight though, so I don't want to go much smaller than that unless I absolutely have to.


texts: Why sometimes the hinge is offset from the door/jamb?

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This is how I understand hinges should be installed, fully seated with the pin as close as possible to the door.

But I've seem the following many times, where the hinge is installed offset and the pin stands proud of the door (more than usual).

Why is that? The benefit might be not hitting the casing when the door can fully swing, but the screw in most hinges would be very close to the edge of the door/jamb because of that.


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I have a frontloader washing machine Whirlpool AWO 6445, about four years old, that runs about twice a week. It is sandwiched into a kitchen with not a single millimeter to spare left and right, but a few centimeters between the lid of the washing machine and the worktop. The floor is uneven, made from old wood, the center of the room being three centimeters or so lower than the corners; but I think the machine is more or less leveled out against the floor.

A month ago, the machine made really loud noises for a few seconds, and jumped around thirty centimeters forward (some five jumps, towards the middle of the room). I stopped the program, pushed the machine back into place and restarted the program - ready to switch it off should it happen again. It didn't.

Today, it did happen again: for the second time the machine jumped. So, what could be the issue? Could this be dangerous or can I safely ignore it?

I asked two friends, one told me this would be a shock absorber issue, I should order a new pair and change it, another one told me I should check the shock sensor. To me as a layman, both answers seem like good guesses, but are there other possible reasons?

(Since I have constricted space in my kitchen, I am just now collecting possible causes, without opening the machine - hoping to be able to order the right parts before I open the machine, and possibly get it repaired on a single weekend afternoon.)


texts: How can I temporarily fix a cracked bathroom sink?

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Last night I managed to drop something onto my bathroom sink, which now has a large crack in it and is obviously leaking when I turn the tap on. I know I will have to replace the sink, but I cant really afford that at the minute.

Is there something I can maybe put into the sink that will hook over the sides so the water drains into that and down the plughole instead of directly in the sink basin?


texts: How do I properly bring in coax from the pole to the interior of my house?

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As it is now, the coax comes off the pole and is anchored under the eave with a coax grounding block. From there, the local cable company stapled the coax down the siding, then horizontally around a corner for 30 or 40ft, and finally just drilled a hole through the side of the house and into a room.

This looks trashy and annoys me to no end.

I have a wall chosen for a structured media panel, and the house has a crawlspace that should allow me to bring RG-6 to the panel from the exterior wall to that point.

However, I have just realized that I have no clue how to connect the eave to some low point on the wall at all. It occurs to me that I might want or need a network interface device (NID) box (and it looks as if these are cheap enough on ebay), but still... do I just leave the grounding block screwed to the underside of the eave? Do I just have cable stapled to the siding all the way down to where I can get it into the crawl space?

Not the best picture in the world, but you can see it as the line that comes in low and attaches to the eave. There are no gutters yet (something I intend to fix this year, we just purchased the house). I've only just now realized that this will get in the way too, so there's even more to change. It can't just be bolted to the side of the eave.

We'll also remove the parabolic once I can figure out how to do that without causing the roof to leak.

Here it enters the side of the house. It seems that this is the only live coax in our home, though there are at least a half dozen ones coming up at the edge of the carpet in various rooms.


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my name is Mike. I have installed L.E.D. Lights in my customers garden room. She called me to say she was having a problem with the lights not going all the way off. When I asked her what she meant, she said you could see very dim light coming from 2 or 3 diodes?

I went over the next day to see if the outlet was grounded and it was. Now having said all this,I am the tile man, but agreed to install the lights to get the job. It would appear that there is trace voltage coming threw the line.i am not and electrician, but I would like to get this job done. Can someone please help me to understand what I need


texts: I noticed a crack on our basement wall or foundation wall (not sure what to call it). Our house is fairly new, built on mid 2017. We have a finished basement so there's no way to check the crack from inside unless I remove the basement interior wall. Is this something we should be worried about? Should we get a professional to check this or at least patch it if it's not a serious damage? Thanks in advance for any inputs!


texts: Craftsman 917 Riding Lawnmower Not Starting

texts: I have a Craftsman 917 series riding mower that I purchased last year.  It ran fine for the first month or so but after that it was intermittently having issues starting.  I noticed the connections on the ignition switch were loose and rusty so I replaced the connectors.  Now I am not able to get the starter to engage via the ignition switch but I can get it to crank (but not start) when I apply power directly to the starter.  I am not sure if the issue is in the switch/wiring or if its somewhere else in the line of startup processes.  I was able to get it started a few weeks ago and it died out after about a minute of running.  I verified that fuel was making it past the filter so I do not think that is an issue.  I used the wiring schematic from the manual as a guide when replacing the connectors.  Any thoughts on how I can determine what the issue is?  I would like to temporarily disable all the safety switches to see if there is an issue there but I am not sure how to do so.  Can I just remove the connections from the ignition switch?  ( I think it would be A1 & A2)


texts: Why does a light switch that is switched off show 50 volts between hot and neutral?

texts: It's a two-wire light fixture without ground. When the switch is on I measure 120 volts between the hot and neutral in the ceiling fixture. If I switch it off I measure 50 volts. Why?


texts: How to deal with Carpenter Bees boring into my front porch?

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I noticed a single "bumblebee" hovering in front of my front door for days.  When my handyman was out doing some repairs, he told me that it isn't a bumblebee, but a carpenter bee.  Then he showed me where carpenter bees had bored a hole into the wood above my porch.

I called a couple of pest control companies.  They said that sealing the hole now is risky because if I seal the hole and don't get every bee and egg inside, I run the risk of them boring new holes to get out.  They recommended sealing the hole in the fall.

I like bees, but I draw the line at letting them eat my house.

What recommendations do you have for dealing with the carpenter bees?
When do the lady bees lay their eggs? Based on the time of year, should I wait until the fall to seal the hole?
Is Diatomaceous Earth effective against them? Should I put some in the hole?
Are traps effective?


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we had a leak awhile back inside the wall, from a shower valve leaking. That has been corrected and everything is dried out.

Today while tearing out the sheet rock on the wall that backs up to the shower, I found black mold on the paper of the sheet rock that is attached to the shower faux marble wall. My contractor is telling me kilz will contain it.

Is spraying with Kilz going to keep anything from spreading?


texts: Does Sewage Ejector system need a dedicated circuit?

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The sewage ejector system in our basement is on a GFCI outlet that is on the same circuit as the adjacent bathroom (fan, light and switch).

Someone told me it needs a dedicated circuit.  Does the NEC require this? I think it makes sense to share the bathroom circuit. If the pump's breaker trips then how would I know? If the lights are off I'm not going to flush the toilet.


texts: Is the advice "don't operate light switches barefoot" outdated?

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I was taught in my young age (1980s-1990s) not to operate light switches (or anything electrical) barefoot. Is this advice still relevant in 2021 (in a modern house in Western Europe with grounding, just to have a reference)?
Or does it no longer apply to modern wiring and light switches?


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My 1956 house had rainwater downspouts routed into below-surface drains. I assume these drains once lead to the house plumbing drain system. The drains are no longer used and the downspouts now empty to the ground surface.

How should I fill or cover the old drain pipe openings? Can they filled with gravel to stop vermin and garbage but allow water to still flow?

Second to this, sometimes mice and toads enter the sump pit in the basement. Are they getting in through the old downspout drains?


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I had a contractor come in and finish my basement.  He done a decent job for the price but now a couple months later my doors wont shut.  They worked perfectly fine before but now it seems the top part it getting caught on the trim.  My first thought was to sand the top portion so it will close but not sure if that would be a long term fix.  It seems to be about 1/8 inch off at the top.  There are two doors like this.

I tried to take the door off and put it back on thinking it may not have been set correctly.


texts: Why are 3-way center-off wall switched so rare / expensive?

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I'm looking for a switch to mount in an upstairs hallway that will control an attic/roof ventilation fan.  The switch will select whether I want the attic thermostat to control the fan, vs manual-on, vs off (fan will not come on).  The price for something like this (center-off, constant-contact (not momentary), single-pole double-throw aka "3-way") whether toggle-style or flat (Decora or similar) is upwards of $50 - $70.  Or I can get a plate-mounted SPDT center-off paddle-style switch (something you'd expect to see in an airplane cockpit) for under $10.

I could swear I've seen these 3-way center-off switches in the past.  Why so rare and expensive now?


texts: My breaker keeps tripping because of this wiring and/or faulty switches and now with a new switch, my ceiling fan won’t turn but the light still works and it still trips. I’m trying to figure out how to make this safe, because there is no way the current set up from the builders is correct.  I have attached pictures for reference. Any help on how to fix this will be greatly appreciated. Currently, the left switch controls the bathroom lights and the right switch controls the vent fan. I’m assuming the ceiling fan in the bedroom is connected in somewhere as it stopped working when one switch was simply replaced.


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So I am about to embark on an install of a 6 zone ductless system and I have 2 questions around installing the air handlers in each bedroom.  I am using a branch distribution box which needs to be located indoors.  I plan to run my line sets to 3 bedrooms on the second floor through an a vacated vent  up to the second floor and onward.

First Question: At the air handler install point I was assuming I can run the line sets along the ceiling, but the manuals for the air handlers do not show an upward piping orientation. It only shows left, right and downward.  I assume I can persuade it to slope upwards about a foot to meet the BD line sets from the ceiling run.  Is that correct?

Second Question: I realize the condensate always needs to be downward pitched, but could I also run that along the ceiling - tie all three together and down the chute to a condensate pump in the basement? Not looking to cut along a wall to run pitched condensate piping.

My house is a city row house that is over 120 years old and the space between the second floor ceiling and the flat roof is less that crawling height.

Thanks in advance!


texts: How can I repair a loose T joint connecting pipes under my kitchen sink?

texts: I found a puddle under my kitchen sink and was disappointed to find that the T joint connecting the drain from the garbage disposal and and the second sink was completely loose.  As shown in the picture. I am able to completely slide the joint off by hand from all of the three connections.  Is there any way I can seal these pipes myself or will I need a plumber?


texts: The previous lights in my bathroom were "Hollywood" style. I'd like to replace it with a more traditional/modern vanity light.  Question is, there doesn't appear to be an outlet/gang box like I'm used to. If I take this plate off, how would I mount the new fixture?


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I have a little utility room with bare cement walls. So I want to install a little surface switch. As far as i understand normally switches are installed on a hot wire, but this switch has no grounding, so i wonder if it's better to install it on a neutral wire?

The switch looks like this:

EDIT:
here is a picture of it when it's open. As you can see there is a metal plate that i would think should be grounded. But it is covered under normal circumstances:


texts: Is it necessary to fill all the joints before install drywall tape on them?

texts: Is it true that fill up the joints before taping can prevent cracking?


texts:
Continuing to install some new light fixtures and I pulled these wires out of an old switch box. There are 3 wires sheathed in a cloth-like material. The three wires are then wrapped altogether in another cloth-like-material, and finally that is all in a ribbed metal conduit. I looked around online but couldn't definitively figure out what these are.

Are these safe to use? What time period are these from?


texts: How to affix a stud to the floor/wall when tanking a basement without 'breaking the seal?'

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I'm looking into tanking a cellar/basement. It is not prone to flooding, only damp coming through the walls and floor, so the basic idea is of tanking to form a waterproof layer and then probably building a timber stud as a nice clean wall.
But how can you screw/bolt/nail your stud to the floor and external walls, since the central premise of tanking is there must be no holes, and this will breach the membrane or whatever?
Is there a special fixing type/technique I need to know the name of?


texts:
Looking to install an ecobee thermostat and decided to measure my common wire before unhooking anything. I tested the R, C wires and see they are only reading 14v, whereas R,Y, and R,W are reading 28v.

I traced the wires from the HVAC board and do see a blue and red wire coming from the C terminal. I then traced the red wire and it looks to be going to the condensing unit, the blue wire does lead towards the thermostat, however, each end is coiled around itself at the splice.

Would it be okay to splice the two blue wires together to make connectivity? Or, is there a specific reason that it would be configured this way.


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I have new house and one shower is either all hot or all cold. The shower head in the off position is down and when I turn it to the left its all hot. center is off and right is is all cold. I tried adjusting the plastic adjustment ring and that worked a little but is there a way to make is so it goes off to all cold mix then all hot like my other shower is?
Also if this fix can be made by changing the cartage can someone help me identify the brand based on the picture attached.


texts: What should I do about this fixture brace?

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I'm preparing to hang a ceiling fan fixture in a bedroom. I need to remove an old ceiling light's electrical box and brace first, however I don't see how I can remove them. The brace has limbs which sit underneath the joists and above the ceiling plaster and it feels like they might be screwed into the joists. There is a bit of lateral wobble to it so I don't want to reuse it for the fan fixture. (also because it'd be attached on the underside of the joists)

Here are some pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/Vamlh

How do I remove it? Or should I secure it somehow and reuse it for the fan? The fan fixture is 26 lbs. My house was built in 1946 and I suspect the brace is original.

[update] I was able to use the RozoZip, though I wasn't able to get as close to the joists as I would have liked. But after widening the hole with a file I installed the new box and brace.


texts:
THis is a valve where a pipe comes from below and goes to two pipes on top. How do I close the valve? I have tried moving to different positions but it just doesn’t work!

What’s the name of the valve if I need to google


texts:
We're starting renovating our flat and are kinda lost in terms of lighting.  The flat is well a flat... made of hard concrete on all sides. Nothing in straight especially the ceiling so we need to cover the whole ceiling with drywall. The size of an example room is 5.3m x 3.5m with 2.6m height. The problem is that the top of the window opening is just 18cm from the ceiling so we can't make deeper ceilings. I could make lighting like below
but it feels too much and I'm not sure if lighting would be sufficient in the middle 2m*3.5m part of the room. My spouse really like LED lighting with the LED strips like:

However I can't find any reliable information whether rooms of this size could be illuminated using only led strips?  Sure enough that would look a lot cleaner since all the ceiling would be flat, with the LED strips sunk into the drywall with an opal cover that would make the strip look uniform. My problem with this is that I can't find any information or guidance how to place LED strips to achieve an acceptable lighting across the room.

Any tips?


texts: Is spinning a new paint can the same as mixing?

texts:
So I recently painted a section of my basement wall with a couple coats of Kilz oil-based stain-blocker primer (Product Page here).  The walls are a bright, clean white now.

However, there was a section of wall that I could not access at the time and I had to paint it later.  I bought another can of the same Kilz paint, and I had the person at the paint counter spin the can in the spinner to mix it up.

I went straight home and started painting immediately.  I figured that since I had just had the can spun at the store, I didn't need to mix it.  However, after I finished two coats, I saw that the color was not the same bright white as the rest of the wall - it's more of a cream color.

I doubt that this is simple product variation, because the color difference is pretty obvious even to someone like me who can only name 10 colors or so.  Also, the rest of the wall area was painted using several cans of the same Kilz product, but I see no variation there.  Also, the underlying wall color is not any different in the new section than the rest of the wall (it was a light blue color).

So my question is - why would this can of paint have different color?  Is it because I didn't stir the paint with a stick, even though the paint can had just been put in the spinner at the store not 30 minutes prior?

UPDATE:

ok, so this is a case of "user error:  replace user".  I didn't actually buy the same product.  I had used the low-odor oil-based killz primer (green label on the can) initially, and this time I bought the regular oil-based (red label).  although the variation is still more than I would have thought, I repainted with the same product and the match is much better.

sorry for wasting everyone's time.  I nonetheless learned something from all of the answers.


texts: What size wire and panel should I use for a garage subpanel?

texts: I have a 100 amp service run from my main 200 amp service at house run to pool building. I want to run electric from pool building underground to a detached garage. I'm wondering what size wire to run and what amp panel in garage. Garage would use some lights,door opener and run 120 v equipment such as air compressor,flux welder, small propane reznor heater and table saw, typically not all at the same time


texts:
Can a microwave malfunction and start leaking radiation? And is there any way to tell?

What happens if you're in the same room or standing next to it?


texts: How to apply spray-on polyurethane to a textured paint?

texts:
I am wanting to spray on coats of water-based polyurethane to a painted wood surface using a HVLP Spray Gun. The painted surface already has textured particles added into it to improve slip-resistance. I'm wanting to add polyurethane because I'm afraid that the texture will slowly chip away without a sealing coat on top.

I've read that you need to sand down the surface between each layer of polyurethane to allow for better adhesion, but I'm afraid that sanding the textured paint will ruin it. Any tips on how to resolve this?


texts: What's the difference between "Wood Filler" and "Floor patch & Smoothing Compound"?

texts:
I'm getting ready to repair a small dry rot spot in my bathroom floor and am conflicted on which product to use.

When I visited my local big box store, they had a couple options:

1) High Performance Wood Filler:

2) Premixed Patch n'Level:

What's the difference between these two types of products? When is it appropriate/recommended to use one over the other?


texts: Do all dimmers reduce max brightness of LED lamps?

texts:
TL;DR - do all dimmers reduce maximum brightness of LED lamps?

So I had a recently bought a dimmer switch (Lutron Diva DVCL-153P) for an LED light, and I immediately noticed that the light was dimmer than before, even at full brightness. I grabbed a multimeter and tested the live wires (121v), and then the load end of the dimmer against common, with the light on (106v). I know that these new dimmers do fancy AC signal chopping (phase cut?), so my multimeter may just be confused..

Anyway, so I grabbed some other dimmers at Costco (FIET 72309) and tried one out. It was noticeably brighter than the Lutron, and the Fiet read 115v on live load with the light.

I emailed Lutron about it, and they told me that I can always expect 5-10% brightness cut whenever I put a dimmer in. This seems crazy to me - I spend good money to get brighter lights, and lose some because there's a dimmer? Why don't dimmers have full bypass at the top end? Or can I find a switch where I can toggle between dimmer and bypass?

Or am I missing something?

thoughts?


texts: Does the UFER Ground require to be visible?

texts: Is there something on the NEC code that states the UFER ground needs to be permanently visible? I had my rough in electrical inspection the other day. He stated that per NEC 250.64(E) (1), I have to put an access panel in the drywall so that he is able to visibly see the UFER. I would rather not have an extra hole in my finished ceiling if not needed.  Nothing I find is saying this is needed.


texts: Adapter: 1/8" Dremel shank to 1/4" chuck

texts:
Situation: I have a Dremel rotary tool with normal 1/8" shank and a Dremel Multi-Vice.
Need: I wish to attach this Dremel tool (with standard 1/8" shank held stead with my  Dremel Multi-Vice) for cleaning with a larger-diameter wire-brush that is normally available with 1/4" shank.
Question: Is there an adapter that has a 1/8" shank with a 1/4" chuck?


texts: For painting these walls, should I just paint over it the new color?

texts:
The wall color and texture look faded and old, but i dont see  many cracks in the walls. I think its probably oil-based paint and concrete walls not drywalls. I at first wanted to strip it all off and start from scratch but was told by others that these walls had many coats of even older paint under it and that means its strong and I should just paint over it. There are parts of the walls that need to be done over again though because there are big holes in the walls.

I also dont know if i should continue by using oil-based paint or something else.


texts: How to find LED Christmas lights that look more like traditional incandescent bulbs?

texts:
We just bought some LED Christmas lights that are labeled 'warm white', but when we hook them up they look ugly in the light they emit and seem very blue in their color to me. The specific kind I got are "Holiday Time LED Mini Light Set 50 count" UPC 7-64878-78510-9.

I'd like to find some LED lights that look much more like traditional incandescent bulbs in the spectrum they emit.  I do not mind paying a premium, does such a product exist today?


texts: is there such a thing as a 120V XENON G6.35 bulb

texts: We have a light fixture in the bathroom which takes 120V G6.35 halogen pin-style bulbs. Is there a XENON bulb in 120V in this size, and would it be compatible?


texts: What damage may a bad condensor on a well-pump do?

texts:
Yet another follow-up to How does one determine whether a waterlogged High HP pump is electrically OK to use?

The pump is out now. The screws on the housing being jammed/rusted tight, I've applied some rust-remover. Hopefully that shall do the trick. Whilst I wait for the rust-remover to do it's job, I'm wondering about the OEM condenser attached. It doesn't look like it was submerged, and seems OK electrically on the multimeter ...

EDIT: In this simulacrum, the condenser/capacitor is the  mounted atop the centre of the device body. To test it with the multimeter I set it in applied the probes to the terminals. This had the result of showing the resistance increase gradually as the capacitor charged up.

My thoughts

If this condenser is indeed bad/soon-to-be bad, what damage could it do to the pump?
Out of curiosity - what happens if the replacement condenser is not of identical rating but rather is rated higher/lower?


texts: 100 A GFCI breaker feeding a sub panel main lug

texts: I have an outdoor sub panel that is a 100 A main lug. It is fed from the main panel by a regular 100A 2 pole breaker. I have several things that will be fed off the sub panel for a swimming pool that will need to be GFCI protected for obvious reasons. Can I just switch out the 100 A breaker for a 100A GFCI breaker at the main panel so that all of the circuits that would run off of the regular breakers in the sub panel will be GFCI protected or is this too much discrepancy for a GFCI to trip when it should?


texts: Can a water heater be installed overhead?

texts:
Sorry for the long preamble:

I'm doing a remodel which involves building a new attached garage.   At the same time, I'm replacing the water heater because it is ancient.   I have considered a tankless heater, but I'm having trouble justifying it because it seems a lot of people have a lot of trouble, particularly in light of the fact that the water in my area (Willow Glen, San Jose, California) is extreme hard.   So in the end, the only pro to me would be that it could be mounted on the exterior of the house to save room in the garage.

Now, part of the design of the new garage is that it is vaulted so that the ceiling is much higher on one side than the other (like 9ft vs 14 ft) and on the high side we have a massive paralam beam running the length of the garage overhead to create a huge loft space for additional storage.   This is all on the structural plans.   So it occurs to me that if the water heater is in the loft, then there are no pros left to getting a tankless water heater.   So finally the question:

Assuming the extra 500lb load for a 50gal water heater is okay according to the structural engineer, is there anything else that would prevent it being up to code to install  a water heater in this loft space in the garage?


texts: When splitting a 240v circuit, what happens to neutral's amperage?

texts:
My garage has very limited power with only one outlet that I share with 3 bathrooms and every outdoor outlet, 4 total, on a 20 amp breaker. (House hastily thrown together in 97' for your reference) I trip the GFCI outlet (only one on the circuit) constantly while trying to work. Since I have to replace multiple sections of sheetrock along what coincidentally happens to be the most direct route from my only breaker box clear across the house, now would be a phenomenal time to add an additional circuit or two.
I had an idea to run a single 4 wire (hot, hot, neutral, ground) 240v circuit with 40(+) amps and feed a subpanel where I would split it into 2 circuits of 110v at 20 amperes each. Now before I go and do something dumb, I have a few questions. I'm no stranger to electricity, in fact it happens to be my favorite skilled labor, but I am not an electrician and have no plans to stop learning especially about something so dangerous. So here it goes:

If I have two hot legs running to two individual outlets, do they share the single neutral wire?
If each leg is using all 20 amps, would a single neutral wire be forced to carry 40 amps?
Whats the best way to add a subpanel containing 2 or more circuits in addition to a 240v circuit for future tools?


texts: How do I cut 1968 cast iron rough sewage pipe?

texts: I have a rough in bathroom that was done in 1968 for the homeowners to finish. Cast iron pipes for shower and toilet are about 4 in. out of floor. How do I go about cutting them to install a toilet and a shower? To be flush with the concrete floor.


texts: Looking for a splashback pattern in kitchen using 3 or 4 different square tile colours

texts:
I'm adding some ceramic tiles to a splashback in my kitchen, I'm using square ceramic tiles. I don't want to use just one colour, and using two only really offers me a chequerboard pattern so I was thinking of adding a third or even fourth colour (the tiles are quite muted earthy colours).

I'm looking for existing templates for a 3 or 4 colour design so I can calculate how many tiles of each colour I need, but I can't find any resources to help me with this. I expect to repeat the pattern but to give you an idea I have about 8m in length of splashback and expect it to be either 3 or 4 tiles high


texts: dealing with the difference in height between 2 adjoining tiled floors

texts: I am having my kichen floor retiled. The kitchen adjoins the hall which is also tiled.  How do I deal with the difference in floor heights.  Not sure if usual threshold strips e.g. between tiles and carpet will be ok.


texts:
New homeowner here starting his diy life,

I have a gross basement shower I'd like to make into a more normal bathroom experience for guests (the rest of the basement is nicely finished). I'd like to drop in an alcove tub and tile the surrounding walls. But I'm worried about the drain, which is in the concrete. From what I can tell, the thing to do is get a drain above floor rough tub, but I don't understand why this is different than just raising a normal tub a few inches off the ground. I would be very grateful if someone could give me some help and pointers! Thanks


texts: What are switches activated by a closet door called?

texts:
My father-in-law set up all of his closet lights to turn on and off when the door opens. He used a switch that was apparently designed for that purpose, with a largish contact switch that turned on when pressed.

I'd buy some of these for my house, but I don't know what to call this item, so I can't find it.


texts: Is insulation or damp proof barrier a requirement for walls in wood sheds?

texts:
I want to cover the interior walls of a shiplap wooden shed with plywood to hang tools and put up shelves on a flat wall. Do I need to insulate the gap between the plywood and the wooden planks of the exterior of the shed? The floor of the shed has plenty of gaps and the door isn't tight. Moisture will get in regardless. It is going to remain a toolshed.
I have read that it is needed only if you plan on heating or cooling the shed to keep the temperature consistent. I do not plan on this.
I feel like any moisture that got into the cavity would dry up as the shiplap planks on the outside are not airtight so a moisture build up shouldn't happen but maybe I am wrong. Would a cheap win win, be to put a water-resistant barrier in the cavity so the moisture will never hit the plywood if it does get through the shiplap?


texts: Unusual wiring in ceiling box for installing light

texts:
In each room of my new apartment, there are ceiling boxes under circular white plates where presumably you can install ceiling lights since there are none. When I take off the plate and pull out the wires, they don’t have the typical white, black, and ground wires. They have one “free”/one-ended wire and two wires that loop back up and are attached on both ends deeper inside the ceiling. In the picture, you can see one free wire and one loop.

There is also a smaller loop up inside the box.  Any thoughts? Not sure how to install the ceiling lights with the two loops and only one exposed end wire.


texts:
We have a lamp post in front of our house, that uses a 50-watts HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamp, and opens by itself at night using a photo-cell.

For a while now, it's been acting out: when it opens at night, it brightens gradually for about 50 seconds, then goes out, "sleeps" for about 80 seconds, and that cycle repeats all night.

Here's a video of this in action: https://video.nest.com/clip/a3cf509f134546acad14117a4fcb58dd.mp4

And a 4x time-lapse that shows the change in brightness during that same period:
https://video.nest.com/clip/436e5f3e215748268b8d9582ebef8c46.mp4

Last time we had an electrician look at it, he thought it might have been the photo-cell that was acting out, and he replaced it. It was OK for a while (many months) but now it started doing exactly the same thing as before!

What could be the problem?
Can I swap that HPS lamp with something else, maybe a LED lamp..? Not sure what the connector is...


texts: Is there a minimum for spacing between take-offs from an HVAC trunk line?

texts:
I have to add 3 take offs from my main HVAC supply/trunk. Is there a minimum amount of distance I should maintain between each of the take offs?
What should I do if I don't have the minimum distance available? Is it OK if they are right next to each other?


texts: I have an older Whirlpool oven that has recently started to make noise when I turn it on. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the oven fan. In addition, the door does not seal too well so if I can fix that at the same time I'd be really happy. Is this the sort of thing that can be fixed by myself or a repair person, or am I looking at a new oven? I'd like to think that most ovens are very serviceable, but I am not sure where to start figuring it out.


texts: Projector ceiling mounting using 2 screws instead of 4: risky?

texts:
I want to ceiling mount my projector using this projector ceiling mount. However I realize my ceiling beams are too thin to receive the 4 screws necessary to attach it.

The only way would be, not to install it so that the square of the mount basis be parallel to the projection screen, but rather diagonally with an angle of 45 degrees (so that one of the 4 square corners directly faces the projection screen). In that scenario the mount would be attached to the ceiling with only 2 screws.

Note that the mount + the projector together weight about 4 kilos. The screws are 1cm in diameter, 5cm deep.

What do you think? Risky? Acceptable?


texts: Half Hot Outlet Tripping when Light is connected

texts:
I am hoping someone might be able to share some insight as to what I can next do to troubleshoot this problem.
In my room I have 3 outlets, the last one in the in circuit is a half-hot outlet connected to a switch by the door (there are no ceiling lights in the room). Everything has been working fine so far.
I decided to replace the 1st outlet in the circuit with a GFCI outlet as I plan on putting a small fish tank in the room.
After I added the GFCI outlet I noticed that it would trip whenever I flipped the "light switch" to the on position. I inspected the light switch and found the ground wire was not connected to the switch and therefore connected it. Now however, the GFCI only trips if I turn the switch on AND there is something connected to the switched part of the outlet. The always powered side of that outlet has worked without issue.
I removed the half-hot outlet to inspect the wiring and it is what I guess I would expect, tab between outlets on hot side removed, no bare or expose wires.
Does anyone have an idea as to what I can look at next?


texts: NEC Compliance: Removing a wall switch in favor of a remote for a ceiling fan

texts:
In my bedroom, there is a wall switch that controls a ceiling fan. I recently installed a wireless remote controller in the canopy of that ceiling fan so I could turn it on and off from the comfort of my bed with a remote dongle. Because I primarily use the remote to turn on and off the fan, I have no need for the wall switch anymore.

I could completely remove the need for a wall switch by splicing the line and load wires together and putting a plastic plate over the switch box. However, I conducted some research and found that the NEC prohibits lights from being controlled primarily by a "pull chain" type of mechanism. While a remote and pull chain are not exactly the same, if I were to remove the wall switch, I would no longer necessarily have the ability to turn the ceiling fan on and off from the entry of the room (if I left the remote in my drawer, for example).

Strangely, the remote control comes with a holder that can be installed over the switch itself by screwing it into the face plate cover. By installing the holder over the switch, I would effectively be rendering the switch inoperable, constantly keeping it in the "on" position. Surely, The Home Depot wouldn't sell a device that violates NEC code by its intended use.

That being said, would my removal of the wall switch in favor of a remote controller in the canopy of my fan be considered a violation of this prohibition of the NEC?


texts: I'm looking for a small air compressor for a small air compressor that I can use instead of a compressed air can for dusting my home electronics. From looking at websites like Amazon or Home Depot, most air compressors either fall into the 12V ones used for inflating car tires, or big, 10+ litre air compressors used for air-powered tools. I wonder if there are any small-form air compressors on the market that can store about a litre of air, deliver 100+ psi and work with some normal blowgun attachments?


texts: Any Suggestions for how to remove a stuck faucet handle? I have removed the setscrew and pulled hard upwards and the handle, but it won’t come off. I sprayed WD-40, but no luck. I’m just not sure how hard to force this off or if there something I’m missing?


texts: Has anyone installed pavers using a mat?

texts:
I have seen these "paver mat" products in a few places. They claim it replaces most or all of  the crushed stone underneath the pavers. Has anyone installed pavers with one of these? They do claim they are only for walking traffic, not driveways.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Brock-36-in-L-x-24-in-W-Interlocking-Paver-Base-Panel/3609858

Any thoughts by someone who has experience with pavers?


texts: Why am I seeing voltage on the neutral wire from my 3 phase power supply?

texts: I am not an electric engineer so I can only explain\understand in layman language. I am facing a persisting problem in my house. I have 3 phase and one neutral till my main electric board through which each phase is distributed to different part of my house, if I divide my house in three parts, distinct phase is going to each part. Sometimes my neutral wire shows full voltage as of the phase, due to which I lost a number of electric appliances. I have an earth(ground) connection as well. Called a number of electric guys, no one was able to rectify it. I need help. Appreciate any help or suggestion.


texts:
I picked up one of those cheap canvas garages from Costco, to keep a few things out of the weather. It's 10' wide, 20' long, and maybe 11' high at the peak.

Our area is a bit prone to windstorms. I'm in the woods, so it's largely protected from the wind, but I still want to make sure it stays put.

It comes with tent stakes, but the ground is too soft for that to be reliable.

I thought about trying to attach it to concrete pier blocks, since they are heavy, cheap, and aren't permanent if we want to move the garage later. I'd put one under each leg, and fasten the leg to the block.

The blocks are formed with a hole in the top, about 5/8" diameter. The garage comes with some concrete anchors, presumably for use if you put it on a concrete driveway - you'd drill holes and secure it there. The anchors are way too small for these holes, though. Even the biggest anchors at the local hardware store seem too small.

I could try to buy larger anchors online.

I could epoxy in some inverted screws.

I could try to find some old railroad ties and screw in to those, instead. I'm not sure where to find those around here, however.

I could pour small concrete footings, although then I'm locked in to an exact setup.

What should I do?


texts: How to drill plastic without the bit "grabbing" it?

texts:
I am attempting to use a drill press to drill a 13mm hole in the ends of a small electronics enclosures (a Hammond case).  The wall of the case is about 2mm thick and made of ABS plastic.

Started off by drilling a 5mm pilot hole and followed it up carefully and slowly with the 13mm bit.  Immediately the box was grabbed by the bit and the workpiece was ruined (split down the side).  After massaging my bruised thumb I realised that I need a better way to do this.

Reckon I'd have no better luck with a hand-cranked drill or a cordless drill.

My available tools are severely limited and there's no hope of getting any budget to buy new tools (not for a small project like this).  I've got a decent selection of drill bits and a small, fixed-speed drill press and not much else.

I did consider just drilling a 5mm hole and simply reaming it up to the 15mm hole we actually need but this is a real pain in the neck.

What can I do to prevent this grabbing problem?


texts: Possible of override 2 zones with one thermostat

texts:
I have a vacation home with 2 zone heating.  In the winter, it would be nice to be able to have remote access to the thermostat and 'turn on the heat'.  Normally when vacant the 2 zones will be set to 52 degrees and it is 2 wire.  I was thinking of installing a 3rd thermostat wire (with C wire) and one of the new thermostat ecobee/nest/etc that I could access remotely.

However, is there a way to wire this to essentially 'override' the 2 existing (manual) thermostats so that when we get there we can manually use the 2 zones separately.  I'm just trying to avoid an additional $250 and the next to impossible addition of a C wire to the existing thermostats.

thanks


texts: Can I drywall over a skylight without removing it?

texts: Is it possible to put a ceiling over an existing skylight without removing the skylight? It's not leaking. We just want to divide the room in the middle of the skylight. Would it pose problems with heat building up inside the shaft?


texts: Mixing or blending diverse tile thinsets together

texts:
I would like to know if it is ever an acceptable practice to mix or blend two diverse thinsets together, and under what circumstances one may resort to this practice (outside of desperation to finish a job in a shorter timeframe)?

Specifically, I'm interested in Laticrete 125 with Mapei Ultralite Mortar Pro, in any ratio, as this is what was done.

I commissioned my 1100 sq ft floor (on a post-tensioned concrete slab on the second floor of a condo) to be tiled with 18"x18" porcelain tiles using Laticrete 125. So far, all of the floor has been installed with 125, except it seems that in my ~70 sq ft master bathroom, the installer has diluted the Laticrete 125 with Mapei Ultralite Mortar Pro, in a ratio that appears to be 1/3 Laticrete to 2/3 Mapei, although I would say it was likely mixed a lot less scientifically than that. I believe this was done to save time, since he was unfamiliar with 125 and did not know how much coverage he would get up front, had not ordered enough 125 at the start of the job, and so he resorted to doing this without consulting his boss or me about it.

Also, it appears the trowel used in the bathroom has 1/4" notches, while the rest of the apartment was installed using a 1/2" notched trowel. My understanding is that 1/2" is recommended for use with these larger format tiles.

As an engineer, I realize that it is impossible to know for sure what any blend of products would do without proper testing, but I'm hoping there may either be someone who has experienced this before, or may know why it is either acceptable or never a good idea to do something like this, as I am not an expert, or even experienced in this area.

Thanks!


texts: What can I use for 25 watt bulb replacement

texts: Can I use a 60 watt led bulb that uses only 7 watts to replace my current incandescent 25 watt bulb?  Never mind the lumens, it can be dimmer.....thanks.


texts: Is there a way to add a sub panel to my detached garage?

texts:
My main panel is full and I am trying to get electric in my detached garage with a sub panel but am unsure of any ways to do. My current main panel is an old Pushmatic and I’ve seen tandems for it but not sure if that’s safe.
What are my options to get a feed from this main panel to a new sub panel in the garage?


texts:
Double-pole, 240-Volt, 15 Amp GFCI circuit breaker to create two 15amp 120 circuits for switched split receptacles.
Im trying to figure if i can share a neutral after GFCI dual pole breaker so i can create switched legs for split receptacles down the line.  I have red black, green and white in a conduit to an outside box.  Can i use a gfci 240 breaker?  Will it trip when one leg is switched on or off?


texts: How to cover a gap between doors and hardwood floor?

texts: Removing old carpet resulted in about 1 inch gap between doors and the floor. What are common solutions to cover such gap? Any "easy to handle" materials (other than wood planks) to extend doors?


texts: Trying to rehab tired plaster ceiling need help please

texts:
I'm trying to rehab and old plaster ceiling from a 1940s apartment in Manhattan. I have scraped off most of the plaster and much of the old patch work but a lot of the patches and more recent work is impossible to get off the ceiling. There are no more flaking pieces of the ceiling so I am ready to move on to the next step.

I don't need to remake the ceiling in a perfect  manner as the walls are not in great shape either. I am looking to do a decent job and one that will cover up most of the problems and the ceiling. I was hoping that someone could start to describe different products and how to go about starting off. I understand that I have to fill the gaps and gouges, maybe an intermediate coat then possibly some real plaster to finish it off but I don't know the actual product names or order in which I should start these repairs due to conflicting opinions.


texts: New toilet handle – not flushing all the way

texts: Replaced the toilet handle only – for appearance purposes (a fluidmaster one). Now you have to hold the handle down till the toilet does a proper flush. Otherwise it just does a half flush basically. I even have the chain all the way right. If I go down even one more link, the flapper won't seal properly. So the chain isn't the problem. I bought another cheap handle and it does the same... sort of confused, The toilet is only a couple years old. Maybe this is normal for new, universal handles. Any advice is welcome. It's not a big deal, just a little annoying.


texts:
I have been in our new house less than 1 year. Yesterday we had a a prolong power outage so I decided to test the generator I got for hurricane season to the house existing generator inlet. I turned off main line breaker engaged interlock to isolate back feed breaker.
I turned generator while generator breaker and all other breakers are off I connected the 240/120 50 AMP cord to the outside inlet all good. I turn on AC breaker on generator all good. When I get the to house main panel and attempt to turn on the panels back feed 50 AMP breaker the AC breaker on the generator trips off.
House has the following:

Duromax XP10000EH with floating neutral system connected with Generator Power Cord to 240/120 (I don't know what prior owner had)

Reliance PB50 Inlet box wired through 4 wires (Red, White, Green, Black) Green connects to Inlet bolt.
Reliance MB125 Indoor 50-Amp Meter Box into (4 wires from inlet red, black, white and copper). White and copper connect to neutral bus on panel, red and black connect to Q-Line Breaker.
Main panel with Interlock with GE 50 AMP - Q-Line 50 Amp 1 in. Double-Pole Circuit Breaker (thin).

Any ideas? At first I thought it was the generator but this generator has a floating neutral. I am not sure if there is a fault somewhere or the breaker may not be appropriate for the generator.
Panel:

Inlet:

Inlet wiring:

Generator Cord:

MB125:

Generator cord:

Panel with back feed breaker removed:


texts:
I am trying to remove the kitchen sink to replace it. Its drain pipes are showed in the following photo:

Anyone know how to remove these pipes from the sink? It doesn't look like I can turn the part that connects the pipes and the sink.


texts:
I'm a new home owner. I need to do some fence work. I want to build some shelves. Do some outdoor landscaping. Fix stuff that needs fixing (the house is more than 25 years old, previous owner jerry rigged a bunch of stuff). I'll hire a specialist for the blow up/flood/burn down your house if you get it wrong kind of stuff.

Currently I have a generic toolbox with screw drivers/hammer/pliers/wrench bits and a power drill. This allows me to get most assembly and some minor fixing done.

I'm considering buying a cordless power tool kit which includes

Circular Saw
Drill Driver
Impact Driver
Multi-Tool
Reciprocating Saw
Worklight

The kit comes with a battery, I already have one, and I plan on picking a couple spares, so theoretically I should never run out of juice.

There is a series of nailers(finish/brad/staple) with a built in air compressor which work with the 18v battery, so I considered picking up the finisher (pop, pop, pop, pop, new pickets and a few shelves, done).

For generic fix your home kind of stuff, what would get me the most bang for my buck? The finisher would join together most stuff, but my research indicates that stuff built/repaired that way tends to fall apart quick. Of the stuff in the combo kit, the Impact Driver would probably keep stuff together better, but there is a time penalty (I guess?). So long as I do a counter sink first and putty the hole, there should be much structural(cracking) or cosmetic issues?

I'm leaning towards the kit, since I think I would be able to get more use out of it after I take an intro to woodworking class, and it only cost 50 bucks more than the finisher.

EDIT:
I wasn't sure if it was okay to post tool brands but it looks like its okay from the answer and comments. The combo kit is from home depot, same with the finishing nailer


texts: What should I use to hang a coat hook on a brick wall?

texts:
I have purchased several of these iron coat hooks:

However, they do not come with any kind of screws.

I will be hanging them on a (brick + plaster) party wall of my terraced property (UK).

I believe my options are to use either of the following:

Rawl plugs
Masonry self-tapping screws

However I am only aware of the latter due to googling for a solution, and I am unsure if either come in sizes suitable for my needs (The screw holes are 4mm in diameter, I am not sure how deep I should drill)

So my question is what should I use to attach these to the wall?


texts: I'm looking to mount an outlet to this rubble stone wall. The wiring would come down from the ceiling. I was thinking of trying to screw a conduit to the stone wall to house the wiring but the wall is a bit uneven. Is there another way?


texts: How to measure change in efficiency of AC condenser unit

texts:
I will be building from scratch an enclosure for the outdoor condenser unit of our 12+ year old central AC system.  For looks and canine pee pee.  I'm sure I can address the later, but not certain about the former since a google image search turns up nothing but uglies.  Nonetheless.  Anyway, nebulously speaking, it should be as small as possible without restricting the air flow too much.

I'm concerned about reduced service life of the system.  I'm not concerned about an utility bill increase, or lengthened time to cool down the house.  We aren't willing to pay the several hundred dollars it would fear it would cost to have it moved to a new location where looks wouldn't matter.

After building a quick mock up of an initial design, I'd like to measure the reduction in efficiency, or how much extra work it is causing.

Two approaches come to mind.  Measure electrical usage for 15 minute runs with and without the enclosure, using the house electric meter. Measure the temperatures of the refrigerant lines using a hardware store thermometer.

What's the best way to go about this?


texts:
I have an outlet that is controlled by a light switch. I hate these and wanted to make the outlet always hot to avoid turning it off by accident when turning off the light switch
However, when I pulled out the light switch it looked weird to me. I have a single black, single white, and ground wire going to the switch only.
I suspect that whoever installed the outlet used a white wire as hot but didn't label it, but I wanted to ask if anyone else thought this was weird or if this is done special way to wire an outlet I couldn't find online.
The first image is the light switch. The second is the outlet. The wire I'm touching is actually black, but it looks white at the end because of some historical painting by my guess.


texts: How can I repair broken off screws in tub overflow pipe?

texts:
Water has started leaking from my tubs overflow drain, down into a garage below.
My tub's overflow pipe is brass, and the two broken off screws in it are steel. Their stubs are about 1/4", weak, very rusted, and they ain't coming out backwards; (in my lifetime). The tub drain can have access through the wall, if its cut out. There may also be cut out access from the garage below.

I'm seeking to postpone paying hundreds to replace the overflow pipe through those ways. What's your opinion that the screws protrude through the back of the brass overflow elbow? But if they can't be screwed out through the back, does anyone know of a quickie repair "bar", that could be inserted in the overflow elbow? That way the overflow cover could be screwed on through that bar. The bar would need to have screw(s) holes threaded into it, that mate to a new overflow cover.

My internet searches have shown me a quickie fix that uses a plastic overflow tube inserted from the tub, down the overflow drain. Its glued on the overflow opening. I'm considering it. But I'd prefer a stronger, screw on "insert bar" device.


texts: How high should I make my yurt platform?

texts:
I am building the floor/platform for a 30' yurt. It's basically a deck.

30' diameter circle
pre-cast concrete pier blocks
4" x 6" pressure treated joists, 4' o.c.
1 1/8" tongue-and-groove plywood floor
2" rigid foam insulation panels between the joists

I can build it close to the ground by laying the joists directly in the pier blocks, like this:

Or I could raise it up on 4" x 4" pressure treated posts, perhaps 4' off the ground.

My site is pretty flat, but not perfectly level, so I would use short posts to compensate anyway, but my question is should I make it as low as possible, or raise it up?

A tall platform creates dry storage underneath, is easier to get in to to work (like a crawlspace). It also keeps the decking out of the foliage, so it doesn't stay moist & rot.

A short platform is less conspicuous (I want to blend in to the woods), requires fewer steps to enter, is more stable, and requires a little less material. It's also easier to assemble the yurt, since you can reach the high fasteners with a tall ladder.

I plan to wire for electricity, but no plumbing. I can fish appropriately durable wire under a low platform, but I'd need a little room if I wanted to staple the wires in place.

I could probably get as low as 18" off the ground, or as high as 48" up.

What else should I take in to account when deciding?


texts: I’m trying to install a nest video doorbell, however I’m unsure how to wire it up as I cannot find a relevant wiring diagram. I have a Friedland 106 doorbell with one doorbell button at the front door. However there are 6 white wires? Can anyone shine some light on how to wire up the new doorbell, looking online 6 wires is normally for two doorbell buttons which I’m confused about as I only have one. Also the two terminals on the doorbell are not identified. Any help welcome. Thanks


texts: How to find a replacement globe for this style of lamp?

texts:
My oldest boy accidentally broke a lamp on the wall, and I'm stumped in googling for a replacement.

Is there a name for this style of lamp base, in which the globe simply rests in the base, not fixed in any way?

The base is three inches wide. This particular lamp was probably purchased in the early 70s.


texts: I have two pipes going into sump. One is Radon and another is Pen drain. Can any one please explain what is Pen drain pipe. I couldn't get any info about this in internet.


texts: Should I build a deck over my existing concrete patio or other?

texts:
I have a very challenging, small, north facing, graded back yard. The lowest portion of the yard is totally unusable. Attached to the house is a small concrete patio slab that at the highest point is around 3-4 feet, at the lowest is around 1 foot.

Here are some shots of the back yard.

Standing at the top of the yard

Middle of the yardlooking down

Standing on the manhole looking up

Looking at the door

So my questions are as follows:

What kind of deck would best suit this type of back yard? Woodframe cedar/composite? A raised stamped concrete? Reminder that not a lot of light gets back here (north facing).
If a Woodframe is the best, should I remove the existing concrete slab or build a deck over top of this? My neighbor built over top of his and I'm suspect to the wood rotting.

Please if you have any suggestions on improving this area, please advise. thanks so much!

Eric


texts: Proper repair of a burnt conductor in a main panel

texts: What are compliant methods of repairing conductors with damaged insulation? Screw to conductor contact discovered when turning power back on after remodel. An irrigation company punched a screw through the panel and directly into a conductor. The conductor is exposed with blacking.


texts: Replacing stack W/D with 4 PRONG/WIRE- my new dryer has 3 wire terminals--where do I connect the fourth wire?


texts: Just had new kitchen faucet installed.  When water is turned on I get an annoying banging noise and sprayer jumps around.  Seems there is too much pressure in the sprayer - the pressure in the main sink nozzle is fine.  How can I turn down air pressure in the sprayer hose?  Even when water is off and I turn on sprayer there is a 'burst' of air.  Can this be adjusted?


texts: Can I secure a new non load-bearing interior wall to the existing ceiling and strapping?

texts:
I am adding a new interior wall that will run parallel to the ceiling joists, and perpendicular to the drywall strapping for the ceiling. The ceiling is already finished with drywall. The position of the wall puts it between the ceiling joists, so only the drywall strapping would be available to anchor it.

Can I secure it directly to the drywall strapping, or do I have to cut away the drywall and strapping, and put new blocks between the joists?


texts: Should I use oil or polyurethane to protect new cane chairs?

texts:
My wife and I have just bought 6 cane (wicker) dining chairs. I would like to protect them from the inevitable staining from spilt food and drink, grubby hands etc.

What is the best way to protect them? So far, I have read a little about Tung Oil and polyurethane. Is Scotchguard suitable, or only for fabrics?

I like the natural cane look and would like to preserve the colour if possible.


texts: Tiling over old 2x6 tongue and groove subfloor. Underlayment? Levelling?

texts:
So my house has 2x6 car decking/tongue and groove/whatever-you-want-to-call-it subfloor that I am going to tile over, both in the kitchen and the bathroom. The rest of the floors are 3/4" oak as you can see in the pictures.

Underneath the subfloor is post and beam construction--4x8 beams about anywhere from 3-5' apart from one another (3' from the outside wall, then 5' thereafter). So the 2x6s span from 3-5 feet at a time.

There are two spots that I replaced some old rotted sections of the T&G which you'll notice in the pictures below. The older sections of subfloor were a bit springy in spots so I nailed some 2x4s flat from below, putting a nail into each piece of 2x6 along the way. This stiffened them up considerably and there's hardly any give to them anymore.

My question is how should I go about laying tile over this? I have the 3/4" wood floor to tie into so I don't want to go too crazy with additional underlayment.

From some initial research, it seems my best option might be to go with a layer of 1/2" plywood screwed to subfloor, then thinset/screw some 1/4" concrete backer, then thinset/tile. If I start with ply on the subfloor, do I need to use tar paper underneath that or should I use some self-leveler before laying down the ply (or do you do this on top of the plywood?).


texts: What is the correct way to connect two adjacent panels?

texts:
I am going to be installing three panels next to each other.  Two of them will by side-by-side, and a third one will be vertically above the one on the left.  (To clarify, it will be a load center on the right, an AC disconnect on the left, and a meter socket above the disconnect).  This will be outside my house.  I have confused myself looking at the different ways I can connect these panels together.
For the two horizontal panels, I seem to have these options:

A rigid nipple and two locknuts.  Doesn't seem to be watertight since there's nothing pressing against the panel on the outside to form a seal.
A close rigid nipple and two watertight conduit hubs.
A rigid coupling and two chase nipples on the inside.  Seems to be a nice watertight option, but unclear if the chase nipples have the "teeth" that bite into the panels to form the ground connection.
Two PVC male adapters, a short PVC conduit section, locknuts and bushing.  Will probably require a ground wire to be run to keep the ground connection.
Rigid Offset nipple with locknuts and bushings.  These seem to have a flange that presses against the panels on the outside.

As for the two vertical panels, I have a threaded hub on top of the disconnect.  I was going to use a rigid nipple between the two, but it seems the same problem as above -- the nipple doesn't have anything to press against the bottom of the meter base on the outside to form a watertight seal.  Is the right thing to use here a rigid nipple and then a water-tight conduit hub into the meter base?
A similar question -- for the side-by-side case, what's the normal way to make this connection when indoors? I have previously used a conduit between both panels and just a locknut on the inside of either panel.  The tightness of the locknuts on either side press the nuts against the inside of both panels. Is that a code violation or is it OK?


texts: How to fix window that won't stay open/what is this part called?

texts:
I've got single hung windows that don't stay open.  They are the balance bar type not the weights in the jam kind.  I took one sash off and found the following part  is broken on both sides.

This is what my balance bar looks like, it doesn't seem to have any problems with the string or spring.  I just include it to help people identify what I've got.

One more clue is that on a good window I can see the top of the part that is broken on the window that doesn't stay open.  Here it is.

I'm searching but can't find a good replacement for that piece.  I think a big contributor to my failed search is I don't know what that piece is called.  Does anyone know what that piece is called and better yet where to get them?


texts: How can I remove or cover a screw stuck in my drywall?

texts:
The Phillips head screw was used to hold a floating shelf on bedroom wall. The head of the screw became stripped, so my child decided to try to fix the problem themselves by digging out the drywall around the screw and trying to twist it with vice grip pliers. Didn't work and now we are stuck with a screw that is stuck in what seems to be wood or another hard material behind the drywall- basically they hit something hard and decided to ask for help when there was no more drywall to dig.
We tried to remove the stripped screw by adding a rubber band for friction, that didn't work. And there is absolutely no give or rotation with vice grip pliers- the pliers keep spinning around the edge of the screw head and nothing is working.
And will it be okay to patch up the damage to the drywall with spackle and repaint? the damage is about nickel-quarter sized.


texts: Is it acceptable to remove some of the metal box enclosure for the electrical breakers?

texts:
A contractor removed the FRONT of the metal box encasing the circuit breakers. He started building a floor to ceiling wood enclosure (plywood in front), with a cut-out to reach the breakers.  I don't know what he intended to cover the opening with. Surely the front of the metal box cannot fit there - ?

What I originally asked:  Isn't this against code?  From what I can find (not the actual code), I understand the metal enclosure is for safety (to contain sparking) and because the door must be fire rated. And I don't know where the grounding wire would otherwise go.

Now I'm understanding from the answer received that the front of the box must be put back on to meet NEC code. I also found NFPA codes - beginning at 408.30 for electrical panels.

So this enclosure thing is not going to work, right?


texts: Tried opening the light covers but it's not opening in the conventional way, even two of the electricians were not able to open it. Please need help. The globe is held by three tension clips and turning it counterclockwise or other way nothing is working. Need to change the bulb because the lights are out. Hampton bay sidewinders model AC4054-5.


texts:
I own a row home in an urban area in which on street parking is a nightmare. We have a small (20' wide x 25' long) backyard that abuts an alley. Both sides are hemmed in by tall fences. I am thinking about converting some/all of it to a driveway/parking pad. Ideally, we would have enough parking for 2 cars (tandem would be okay), but I do not think it is big enough.

How big does a driveway need to be if you are pulling straight in/out of it?

What about if we did some sort of parallel parking spot for a single car?


texts: Ran into a weird setup at home, trying to replace switches with smartswitches

texts:
So I've been replacing most of the switches at home to smart switches and ran into one I can't figure out.

It's wired like this:

Here's a pic of the switch (Circled in drawing)

Can I even put a smartswitch here? There is a ground wire, but it's grounded to the box the switch is in. When I disconnect the switch, I have no power to either outlet and obviously the light and ceiling fan. TIA!


texts: We just paid a contractor to improve our Dutch barn shed. The old nails did not show thru to the inside. However, after replacing the 3 walls and the door and the roof ALL of the nails are protruding and dangerous on the inside of the shed. Because of the particular shape of this structure same nails are eye level. What should be done?  Thank you.


texts: New GFCI outlet on ungrounded circuit won't trip when tested

texts:
Added a GFCI in a bathroom that had no previous outlet. For supply I ran new cable from a nearby ungrounded ceiling box. Even though there was no ground in ceiling box I hooked bare ground wire to GFCI green ground screw.

There is power to GFCI but it will not trip when tested. My GFCI tester shows open ground. Should I remove the bare ground from the ground screw? Or could new GFCI be bad?  I would have tried while there but had to let tenant back in and won't get back till next week. Just want to get a jump on it. Thank you


texts: How to repair a giant hole in plaster over drywall (maybe ?)

texts:
I just purchased a home in the US built in 1965 and when we removed a piece of plywood we were told covered up the access to the pipes we actually found a huge (32 in x 48 in) hole in the wall.

I'm not 100% sure what we are looking at but the thickness of one side of the hole is a little more than 3/4in and the thickness on the other side of the hole is an inch.  It look like there is a backing material that looks like drywall and then something over top of this.  As far as I can learn from my google searches this might be plaster over drywall but I'm not 100% sure and I haven't been able to find any information on repairing this.  Any suggestions.

Side view (sorry for the quality):

Back view:

Update
Here is a zoomed out picture of the whole hole.  The first picture is of the right side edge of the hole.


texts:
I'm I home owner and hope someone can help me because I've read so much conflicting information and don't know who else to turn to.  I've called General Contractors who can't seem to fit me into a schedule, a local ASHI certified home inspector who has not returned my call and a Structural Engineer Inspector who didn't seem to care about my problem but did say running the water from an interior drain system to daylight was better than using a sump pump.

I have a walk out basement with an attached garage.

I have vertical and stair stepping cracks on my cement blocks which are narrow, about hairline size or slightly wider..  I also have cracks in my basement and garage floors.

I had used a sealer on half of the block walls in 2007 as they had some efflorescence on them (company applied this for me).  The others I didn't use the sealant on because they had drywall on them.

I had a lot of water come into the basement and garage at the end of Feb 2015 due to all of the rain, ice and snow we had that was referred to as an ice damn (I live in Tennesee). I have lived here for 24 years and this is the first time it ever happened. I did not have a roof leak.  I had my driveway regraded.  I ended up having mold due to the flood and when the drywall was removed for Mold remediarion, a section of the wall not sealed with sealant showed signs there had been water intrusion.  I did not have a dehumidifier at that time but have a large capacity one now.

A structural repair company came out and said the cracks were due to hydrostatic pressure from the water in my soil.

They feel it is not necessary to fill the cracks since they can put in an interior drainage system that should take care of the water coming up through the floor and the narrow cracks in my concrete block to not worsen (but no guarantee on the wall) and their warranty states it covers water on my entire basement floor (and not just at the foundation wall and cove joint where they perform their work).  The drainage tile pipe would sit next to the footer. I was told the interior drainage system should help both my concrete block cracks and basement cracks from getting worse.

I was also told as part of their system they would install heavy duty plastic type drains on the inside of my garage doors just across the garage door section and just across the basement door section and this would allow water that may come back into my house to drain into the system.

As to the wall with evidence of water intrusion. they will put up a
Poly board - Plastex panels across the entire perimeter of my basement going up the entire block walls and down into the drainage system.  It is made of plastic.

In addition, due to the slope of my side and back yard, they will drain the system outside with 4" pvc pipe extending over 40 ft draining into a catch basin instead of using a sump pump.

My questions:
Should the floor cracks be sealed and if so with what product?  The widths vary and right now only one in the garage can be felt uneven when rubbing a shoe across it.  It is a small length but the running crack itself is longer.

The company's warranty does NOT cover coverings such as drywall or items that can be a food source for mold.

With that being a concern, should I ask them not to install those grates on the inside of the garage and basement doors in the event the drains cannot keep up with the amount of water coming in and possibly causing an over flow which would damage and possibly cause mold due to the new drywall I need to put up to enclose my garage?  I would like to drywall the rest of the area that was taken down from the mold remediation as well.

Do you think having the poly board properly installed on the concrete block (glued and plastic fasteners installed except at the area that goes into the system as it would curve right above the drain tile to allow water to run down into it to keep any water intrusion out (with the drainage and mold not being caused since the poly board is plastic)?  Is this sufficient?

Any professional help will be greatly appreciated.
Kim


texts: How to I cut glass and marble tiles when they are on a mesh backing?

texts: How do you cut combination marble and glass tiles when they are both on the same mesh backing?  When I tried this, the tiles move and the glass shatters.


texts:
I bought a house that had an above ground pool built into the back deck.  The deck is a rectangle, with a quarter oval cut out of the corner so the pool could fit in there.  I removed the pool last weekend, and now have a semicircular drop from my deck to the ground, maybe 4 feet high.

I would like to put a firepit in where my pool was.  My current vision is to build deep "steps" that would basically be a bench seat following the curve of the deck around the fire pit.  Kind of like a bleacher.

Are there any code requirements for seating like this?  Is it possible?  There is already a separate stairway off the deck (which is to code as far as I know).

In Southern New Hampshire, but curious if there's anything international building code related.

https://www.dezeen.com/2013/10/20/special-feature-stairs-you-can-sit-on/

Example of what I'm talking about in above link.


texts: How can I stop the hose from the pump to the filter from leaking?

texts: Replaced broken hose from above ground pool pump to filter.  Slip on hose.  Have clamped both ends as tight as possible but both ends still leak.  Not a lot but enough to be annoying.  What else can I do?


texts: New electrical service to detached ADU/garage

texts:
I'm planning to bring dedicated 240V 1Ø power to a meter box attached to an outdoor face of a detached ADU/garage building, then on inside to a 225A main breaker in the ADU (apartment) portion of the structure, and then continue the main service wiring on to feed another 125A breaker sub-panel located in the attached RV bay.

I'd rather use a main breaker box as my sub-panel, as opposed to using a main lug box.

Does anyone foresee a problem with the AHJ (WA State) for this arrangement?

Thanks to all for your questions and comments.  New 240V 1Ø service will be installed underground from the street transformer by IP&L to a new meter box w/ disconnect on side of the structure, then directly through the wall to a 200A main breaker box in the RV bay (serving an anticipated instantaneous max load of ~50A, primarily 120/240V lights and outlets in the unheated RV Bay), and then approx. 25' feeder through 3"Ø PVC conduit buried under the RV Bay concrete floor to a 200A subpanel breaker box in the garage, serving the 800sf ADU (gas heat) and unheated 775sf garage.

I have yet to finalize the wiring map, but am confident that the 200A service and 60 combined breaker spaces between the two boxes will be entirely adequate to handle all my initially desired circuits, as well as those possibly needed in the foreseeable future -- at least mine!

If anyone cares to comment on wire size/type needed for the 25' buried feeder run, I'd be pleased to hear them.  Otherwise, the branch circuit wire sizing will be IAW standard practice, with no individual branch runs anticipated to be longer than 75-85'.

Thanks again to all who responded -- you've been a huge help!

Best regards, Russ

Thank you TPE, your responses are much appreciated.  However, your 2nd assumption regarding the ADU/garage ". . . that it's the only garage on the property", is incorrect:

This detached ADU/Garage addition is built on a single residential lot, and co-located behind my home/garage (currently served by 200A metered service, with the service panel located inside the attached garage).  As such, according to Spokane County Building and Planning, land accommodating the ADU structure will never be allowed to be sub-divided into a separate residential plat.  I.e., any future sale of my current residence must also include the ADU/Garage unit.  Installing the second metered service line to the new ADU/Garage is a matter of convenience only to avoid having to upgrade my home's existing 200A service line/panel to 400A, and subsequently running a 200A feeder from there.
My home, as well as numerous others that I'm aware from the 1990 build era, has it's main service panel located inside the attached garage: does the IRC specifically prohibit this practice currently?  In my reading of NEC Art. 240.24, “readily accessible” means being located so a person can reach the OCPD quickly without having to climb over or remove obstacles; I don't find specific distance or location limitations, such as having to descend a stairway, or opening man-door(s) to access the panel.  If such a limitation exists, is there any requirement preventing the new ADU feeder sub-panel from being located in the wall adjacent to a mid-flight stair landing (not on a step), but still nine steps below the ADU floor level?

Once again TPE, I certainly appreciate all your input, and will definitely get explicit approval from the AHJ for the final component configuration prior to electrical rough-in.

(P.S.  I haven't figured out how to get all of my verbose thoughts into a "Comment", so have once again resorted to opening another "Answer".)


texts: Would two 1x10 placed together be as strong/load bearing as one 2x10

texts: I have a rotted joist in my floor that I can access through my basement, but is above several pipes. I could squeeze a 1x10 through the gaps but can't get a 2x10 to fit. So wondering if I got two 1x10 to fit, then affixed them together, would that have the same strength that a single 2x10 would have?


texts: Where can I find a garage door (slot) mail basket?

texts:
I'm looking for a place I can buy a garage door mail slot basket. I had one in my old (rented) house and I'm looking to install one.
It should look something like the image below, and keep upright when the garage door is opening.
This site was selling them, but as you can see on the top of their page, not anymore :(
If you have a suggestion where I can buy the basket itself (need to have round edge to act as a hinge when the door opens) and assemble it myself, that would be a good start too.


texts: Safe to mix wire gauges when installing dimmer switch?

texts:
I've purchased a Lutron dimmer switch (DVWCL-153PH-WH) to install for ceiling mounted LED lighting. The wires for the current switch are 12 gauge with a 20A circuit breaker while the dimmer switch wires are 16-18 gauge (didn't measure precisely, but significantly thinner).

Is it safe to join these different gauge wires together with wire nuts? Haven't installed a dimmer switch before so not sure if this is standard.


texts: Underground downspout pipe may be leaking

texts:
I have been getting more and more water in my basement in the last few years. Every time it snows and melts, water trickles in around one spot in the basement floor.

I had someone come out to take a look and when they ran a camera through my yard drainage system, we saw that the buried pvc pipe has holes in the sides of the pipe. The technician thinks that this is the cause of the leaking as the spot where it leaks is right by a downspout with a buried discharge pipe. The start of the system has water running through it, further down near where this issue the water slows to a trickle, and then after another downspout is connected to the drainage system the water really moves through the pipe again. The drain pipe goes out into the storm sewer.

This guy was originally coming out to estimate for an interior drain tile to be installed, so it seems like he is actually doing things in my best interest since this will be much cheaper and i could even do it myself.

My question is this: Does this sound like a good reason to replace the pipe with solid pvc with no holes? Would having holes on the sides of the buried pvc pipe really cause enough water to escape that it would eventually leak into my basement?