texts: Possibly excessive noise from Grundfos circulator

texts:
I've just moved into a house with a radiant heating system, with a non-functional circulator pump (I knew this when buying the house, thinking that I would replace the pump after moving in).

The old pump was a Grundfos UP 26-99F, and I was able to order the exact same model online. After draining the system, replacing the pump, refilling it, and turning on the heat, it seems like the pump is causing an abnormal amount of noise.

I don't really have a basis for comparison, since I haven't lived with this kind of system in the past, but it's definitely not the "whisper-quiet operation" that the Grundfos manual promises. It seems like the pump is creating a slight amount of vibration that reverberates through the pipes and becomes an audible hum on both floors of the house. It's actually more loud on the first floor than it is directly at the pump (in the basement)!

My question is:  is this normal?  If so, are there ways of dampening the noise a bit?  And if not, what can be causing it?  I'm fairly certain that the pump is indeed moving water as intended, and everything else in the system (temperature, pressure) is fine.


texts: Can I do anything to make my gas oven better?

texts: I am trying to bake bread, and the recipe calls for heating the oven at 500 degrees, but my oven can only reached 450- 460, can i do anything to make it reach higher temperatures ?


texts: Should I be concerned by a musty smell after cleaning the shower with bleach?

texts:
I was advised to use diluted bleach to clean my shower from time to time.  A few minutes after doing so, a (musty?) smell comes from the bathroom.  I believe its coming from the shower drain.  The smell goes away after about a half hour.

This house is new to me, so I'm not certain what was poured down the drain in the past, but I worry about a possible chemistry experiment happening in the drain that I shouldn't be breathing in.

Should I stop the bleaching?  Should I be cleaning out the drain?


texts: White lithium safe to lubricate a dryer?

texts:
My dryer is squeaking something fierce. It is a GE gas dryer, approximately 10 years old (model DBB3300GA2WW, U.S.). The noise is so bad that with it being in the corner of the basement, and me being on the first floor with multiple closed doors between us, it is still loud and annoying. The noise repeats itself approximately every 1.25 seconds, which is the rotational period of the drum as opposed to the motor or impeller which are the other two parts that frequently are at fault for noise issues.

Today I replaced the drum bearing after googling indicated that it is the first part to wear out and cause excessive noise. While I had the drum removed I also lubricated the motor pulley and the tension pulley with silicone. I turned it on, and the loud squeaking immediately came back. The noise will stop every once in a while for a few seconds, then come back again.

I have had good success with white lithium grease in automotive applications, not surprising given it is designed for metal-on-metal lubrication. However, I am unsure if this would be a good idea to use in the dryer.

Is white lithium grease safe to use in a dryer? My two concerns:

The dryer gets hot, captain obvious. The spray can states to keep it away from heat, however, it reads that the can should be kept away from heat, not the grease after application. Will the heat in a dryer ignite or otherwise cause problems with the grease?
The metal parts in the bearing assembly are right behind the diffuser, meaning that hot air is being pushed past them and into the drum. If I spray white lithium grease on those parts, is it feasible that the hot air blowing past them will dislodge some of the grease and cook it into my clothing as it dries?
Does it even make sense to use white lithium on the bearing assembly since it is plastic on metal?

NB: I am not asking for general advice on how to stop dryer squeaking, that is too broad. My concerns are specific to applying white lithium grease to dryers to stop the squeaking, specifically the safety as it relates to heat and getting it in clothing. Also, links are to the specific products I own/used.


texts:
I've got a failed LED driver that I need to replace.  It's a 25W constant-current model (260mA, 28-87V), and finding an exact replacement for this part appears to be nearly impossible.

What are the key considerations to keep in mind when choosing a suitable alternative driver?

For instance, is it more important to match on wattage, or current, or both (or neither), and how does changing each one affect the performance of the light (if at all)?  If the only local part I can source is a 20W (650mA, 20-36V) driver, would that be workable or completely useless?  Or would it be better to import a part from overseas that does 25W (300mA, 54-80V)?  Or must I stay exactly on spec with the original driver?

And do I need to stick with a single ~25W driver, or could a pair of 12W drivers be expected to do the trick?  Because for whatever reason, the LED panel itself has two inputs (and the driver that came with it has two outputs; see the photos below if this sounds confusing) while most LED drivers you can buy only have a single output.

For reference, the driver looks like this:

Note that there are two output connectors, with the blue wire on one connector going to the driver's 'LED -' output and the brown wire on the other connector going to the driver's 'LED +' output.  The alternate wire on each connector is just spliced directly to the other connector.  I'm unsure if this has implications for whether or not it would be possible to use two 12W drivers in parallel

The LED assembly itself looks like this:

What's the best approach for getting this thing illuminating again?


texts: Why is this ceiling joist cut off on both ends?

texts: Why would this ceiling joist be cut short on both ends, and a flat board be put in the place of the part of the joist that was cut off and removed? Is this a problem I need to fix? If so, how?


texts: Prevent wood color bleeding through paint

texts:
I am making some trim board. We had some ash wood milled and kiln dried for this. I primed it with a trim primer (it is very thick and white) and already put on 3 coats of trim enamel paint (water based).
On some of the board, where there was a variety of colors in the grain, the lighter areas are bleeding through the paint and show up as yellow.
My question is two-fold:

What can I do now to fix this?
What can I do better for the next pieces to prevent this from happening? Since we have to paint this in the house, it would be great if anything oil/solvent-based can be avoided

It is a little hard to see in the picture, but the right side of the board has a yellow hue to it.


texts:
I have purchased some pre hung doors at 30" by 80"
the jambs are 4 5/8 wide.
The house is 50 years old and the existing door frame is 5 1/4 wide.
Any solution as to how to fit these doors into the old frame.


texts: Will this be okay for a 40 amp range? The box was set a little too low. I wasn't sure if they bend what cause any issues.


texts: Is 12 AWG ground wire adequate for a 60 Amp water heater circuit?

texts:
A tankless water heater I bought arrived with a pig tail with 3 6 AWG wires.  Black, Red, and Yellow with Green stripe ground.  The black and red go to a 2 pole 60 amp breaker with the yellow/green going to ground/common on a very old Cutler-Hammer breaker box.
I went to the local box store and they didn't have the 3 6 AWG wire but did have a two 6 AWG with a 12 AWG ground.  I was told that it would work just fine with the Black 6 AWG, White 6 AWG and 12 AWG ground.
I connected everything and the heater works great.  However, I'm concerned that the 12 AWG wire is a huge mistake and it might actually be a fire hazard and I should remove that wire and replace with a 3 6AWG wire.
Should I be concerned or not?
Thanks in advance.


texts: How can I test whether my furnace issue is the limit switch or the thermostat?

texts:
I suspected this issue during the winter and confirmed it now in the summer. Regardless of the temp in my home, the blower motor runs non-stop.
In the winter this must have been causing my home to got through a permanent heat/cool cycle as the blower would bring cool air in after the home was at the right temp. Then the temp would get low, the furnace would kick in to heat the home and on and on.

In the summer now it seems to be doing the same thing but with the A/C. Once the home is cool enough, the blower keeps bringing in outside air with the A/C off now. This causes the home to heat up and on and on. The adverse effect at night is it's making my home too cold since the outside air is already quite cool.

I check this question.
Why won't my furnace turn off?

I can manually turn off the limit switch and the blower stops.

How can I test whether the problem is the limit switch or the thermostat?


texts: How can I have one circuit always utility powered while all other circuits are either generator or utility powered?

texts:
I'm trying to determine if there is a cost effective way to do this when I do my panel replacement as part of an upcoming project.
At my last house I did a panel replacement and installed a backfeed breaker into the panel with a mechanical interlock. This is my preferred way of providing backup power as it allows a lot of flexibility about what I power during an outage, including the ability to rotate between circuits as needed to run freezers, water pumps, etc.
The one thing that I would like is an easy way to tell the utility power has been restored while my panel is being generator fed. I'm trying to determine if there is a cost effective way to do that. My first thought was to install as second main panel (just a tiny little little 30A/2 space one) which is fed from the meter along with the primary 200A main panel which includes the backfeed and mechanical interlock. This would seem to be allowed by code as long as both panels were grouped together and would be a neat and tidy solution allowing me to monitor for utility power on one circuit on the small panel with a radio, buzzer, etc.
My concerns are:

A 200A meter base is probably only approved for a 200A panel, and there would be another 30A panel.
Finding a 200A meter base with double lugs on the load side which is approved by my utility (lever bypass, etc) I think this is possible but possibly quite expensive.
Possibly that the main conductors from the meter to the 30A panel would only be 30A rated though the meter could supply 200A+ (though main conductors really always have this issue and the panels would be located just on the other side of a wall from the meter so it's probably not such a big deal).

Alternatives/Solutions I've considered:

320A meter base which are also more readily available with double lugs. -- Seems like overkill for really a 200A service though
If a 200A base would be allowed to feed both panels could do a tap off the main conductors in a gutter to feed the small panel
Install a 200A disconnect/breaker after the meter and use double lugs on it's output to feed both panels
Install a meter base with an integrated outdoor panel which can feed the utility direct circuit and also feed the regular 200A panel

My concerns are that most of these (with the possible exception of using a 200A base to feed both panels and tapping the conductors on their way to feed the 200A panel to feed the 30A panel) are more expensive than this is worth to me. Meaning it could easily be $500+ in additional supplies versus like $50 if I could do it with just a 30A panel and some taps or double lugs.
Any thoughts on how to accomplish something like this in the most cost effective way?


texts: How can I remedy moisture intrusion from my concrete slab?

texts:
We bought a house a little over a year ago. The old carport had been converted into a den. It had musty, dirty carpet, so we ripped it out. A big problem we ran into is that we live in west Tennessee with high humidity. The room became unbearable to go into, and mildew began forming on the walls.

We've tried cleaning the walls with bleach, but the only thing that has worked is a dehumidifier. So progress on the room has been at a standstill, and we have no clue as to how to proceed. How can I seal this concrete so we can put flooring down and actually use this huge room?


texts: I just removed the vinyl laminate from my kitchen cabinets. I've been trying to scrape off all the glue but it's been a project. Is there anything else I can remove the glue with? Sanding only melts the glue so I've been scraping it off with a small spatula. I have the primer and paint already, Sherwin Williams helped me pick out the best paint to cover them with. Does all the glue have to be off before I prime?


texts: What are my options for handling kitchen floor/dining room floor height differences?

texts:
I'm reflooring both my kitchen and the adjoining rooms. The kitchen will be tile and the Living Room/Dining Room will be engineered hardwood. I'm going down to the joists in the kitchen because the existing subfloor is damaged (and I may need to reinforce the supports to put floor tile and granite countertops), but I'm assuming I'll need a 5/8" plywood subfloor laid over the joists. I assume the kitchen will then have 1/2" wonderboard, 1/4" of radiant heat, and 1/2" of tile totalling about a 1 1/4" height off the subfloor for the kitchen. The DR/LR will have 1/16" of radiant heat plus 1/2" of engineered hardwood. So that's at least a 11/16" difference in floor height.

I know that there are transitions available to go from one floor height to another, but that seems like a lot of height difference (and I'm a klutz) so here's the question: Can I lay down another 3/4" layer of plywood over my existing LR/DR subfloor before putting in the radiant heat/engineered hardwood and thus minimize the floor height differences? Is there something I'm missing or some better solution?


texts:
My homes backyard goes into a ravine, right now there is a 4 foot fence surrounding the backyard (see picture).

I would like to replace the fence with a 3 foot fence or shorter (to better see the ravine, and kinda make a cool open yard that flows into the ravine). I couldn't find anything in my cities regulations about a MIN fence height, only a max.

Questions:
(1) Do most cities have a min fence height?
(2) Any down side to making such a short fence? Animals coming in? etc?


texts: GFCI outlet - Why no green LED indicator?

texts: Just installed new GFCI.  When I plug in a device it has power, then press test button and power drops out, then press reset button and power is back on.  Everything appears to work EXCEPT no green led indicator - why??


texts: Oil furnace cmf280-pg convertible problems

texts: Cmf2 80-po convertible with a auto limit switch and a manual aux limit switch. Furnace will run a heat cycle to desired temp but then blower fan runs to cool furnace in 4 very short 3 second spurts. Then I believe it lockouts out to run another cycle ..have to turn thermostat way down or shut off for hours until it resets itself. Then will run this same cycle again and same problem


texts: Trading out Crestron dimmers for standard (non Crestron) 3 way switches

texts: I would like to trade out my current stairway lighting which is Crestron master dimmer/2 slave dimmers and replace them with 3 standard 3 way switches. Once the Crestron units are removed, is the wiring for all the 3 new 3 way switches as usual with hot to common and travelers on the remaining screws?


texts: Wiring a 220v pump with 2 hots to a controller

texts:
I have a 220v pump that has two terminals. They are connected to the circuit breaker with both hots, the neutral isn't connected to anything on the pump.

I'm trying to hook up a controller (relay) for a thermostat. I thought I knew how to hook it up, but it didn't work out so well (I fried the transformer in the relay box, which I don't really understand since it's rated for 220v).

I think the pump controller needs to be connected to the neutral with one hot connected directly to the pump, and the other side being switched by the relay.

Is that right? I'm hoping to avoid more smoke!


texts: Install a single handle with latch on closet door

texts:
I have a pantry door that has a dummy handle (a handle that looks like a normal door handle but is not connected to a latch).  The door stays closed using a fairly shoddy catch like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042YFBBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_l81HwbGC94ZJ9

I'd like the door to open and close like a normal door, but I don't want a handle on both sides of the door.  Besides cutting a spot for the latch on the door, and the strike plate on the frame, do I need to buy a special door handle system for this?  Or can I pull this off with a standard handle system somehow?


texts: My fridge just made a noise like a tin lid hitting the floor.  Now there is no power to it at all. Circuit breaker is fine.  I can't pull it out by myself so I don't know if the outlet is ok.  Is it possible the fridge is dead.  It's only 4 years old.


texts: Can I run electrical cable in old unused heating ducts?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Does the NEC allow electrical wiring to run next to a ventilation duct?

My house has recently been converted to 200-amp electrical service, and I would love to run some new wire to take advantage of that fact.  My house was converted from forced air to hot-water baseboard heating.  My question is:  can I run electrical wire through the old heating ducts to save myself quite a bit of hassle?  What if there are hot water pipes in them?  Is it advisable to/must I use conduit, or would Romex suffice?


texts: Is it safe to unclog the kitchen sink while letting the dishwasher run?

texts: I am unclogging my kitchen sink with a chemical liquid while having my dishwasher running. Is it safe to do so? I'm afraid the chemical liquid may enter the dishwasher while it is running.


texts: No ground wire, no box (old or new) trying to install light fixture

texts:
I just removed an INCREDIBLY old and ugly Hollywood light fixture from my bathroom. The wall now looks like the picture below. I bought a box and a Snap Tite connector. I even got a hold of some grounding screws but then quickly realized (DUH) how am I supposed to ground the actual box? I live in an older home and just wanted to update my lighting fixture. Am I really going to have to call an electrician just to do that?

Please help. I am unsure if I am worrying for nothing or if this is a serious issue.

Thank you all in advance!


texts: How do you deal with the cut edges of window trim?

texts:
I have put up more than my share of trim.   But I was wondering if there was an easier way (so I will leave mine out to not influence answers) to do the but edges.   Basically in the example below what is the best/quickest way to paint or flatten the sawed/cut edges of the exposed trim?

Note, I completely understand that you can cut the trim at 45s so there are no exposed cut edges, however this has not been in style for years in my area so not an answer or option.


texts:
The electric distribution board of our apartment looks approximately like
this.

It has one main switch and 5 sub-switches. Every several hours, the main switch randomly 'jumps' and our entire apartment is disconnected.

We thought one of our devices might be the cause, so we disconnected almost all devices except the refrigerator and the freezer, but it still jumps randomly. We don't want to disconnect the refrigerator and freezer, because  since the 'jump' occurs randomly, we do not know how much time we will have to keep them powered off.

We still don't know if it's one of the devices, or maybe there is another problem. How can we find out?


texts: Thru Wall Exhaust Fan in bathroom on window header

texts: I am trying to add a thru-wall fan in my 1st floor bathroom. The bathroom is 59 inches wall to wall. There is a window of 41 inches. I want to add the fan above the window, but i found a window header on the top. Either side of the header cannot be used as the maximum radius that can be drilled is less than 6 inches. My fan needs a 6 3/8th of hole and further the upper cover is 8 inches. Can i drill a hole on the window load bearing header? Ceiling to window start is 13 inches. Further I cannot add a ceiling exhaust fan as I have a 2nd floor above and no attic access. I have attached the image with details.


texts: Water supply tube elimination in the refrigerator icemaker

texts: Is it possible to eliminate water line, supplying the ice maker in the refrigerator, with a refill system similar to the coffee makers? It would be a lot safer not to use leaking faucets and free moving to any spot in the room, not stuck with the water line.


texts:
I have a detached workshop (30'L x 25'W) with two levels.  The second level is mainly (only?) for storage (floor is 3/4" plywood and can be seen in the picture).  The floor joists of the second floor are 2x8's separated by 24" and are made of 3 pieces: 4' section at each end with a 16' section in the middle.  Each end comes off the wall as shown in the picture.
I want to run 1/2" EMT down the middle of the shop to power my lights.  Can I put a 1" hole in the center of every 16' 2x8?


texts: Will reducing the size of a pipe running to my bathroom reduce pressure at the fixtures in the bathroom?

texts: I bought an older house and there are 1 inch pipes running from my hot water heater, across the basement then up to the bathroom on the second floor. The pipe also goes a round-about way and there is a lot of excess pipe that can be removed. Needless to say, it takes a LONG time to get hot water in the bathroom and obviously wastes a lot of water. I want to reduce the 1 inch pipe to half inch, take out all the excess, and reconnect to the 1 inch pipe going up the wall to the bathroom. My concern is that I will lose pressure particularly in the shower. Thoughts?


texts: How to replace an anti-siphon spigot without access to the back end?

texts:
I left a hose attached to my spigot during the first freeze.  Nothing happened at the time, but just a few days ago someone went to use the spigot and the water didn't come out - well it did, but it came out inside my basement rather than from the spigot.  Closing the valved stopped the flooding.

From what I can tell, I'm guessing that I have either an anti-siphon valve or an anti-freeze valve and a break occurred somewhere along the foot or so of pipe between the spigot and the actual valve since the valve being closed was able to stop the water that was coming into my basement through the basement ceiling.

I've looked at a number of how to's for these types of spigots, and they all seem to indicate that you should replace the whole unit by going into the house to access the attachment point a foot or so back from the actual spigot.  The problem in my case is that there is absolutely no access.  I think that whoever finished the basement didn't provide access and covered it with drywall.

So, my question is: is there any way to replace this without having access to the actual connection point a foot behind the outdoor wall, or am I looking at cutting out the drywall to gain access (and replacing with an access panel unlike the other person that walled it off)?


texts:
What wire size for 100 Amp sub panel 100ft in length form 200 Amp main panel?

Do I have to buy all 3 wires (2 hot and 1 neutral) the same size? Or can neutral wire be smaller size?


texts: Threaded hollow wall anchors spin out partway in

texts:
Today I tried to install one of those Ikea kids storage units on my daughter's wall. It's a stud partition wall in a newly-constructed house.

Before attempting it I spoke to one of the builders who called round to check the house etc, read various guides, spoke to the guy at Wickes, and bought self tapping metal plasterboard fixings that come with metal screws.

Fixings go in fine then the 1st screw fine, then the 2nd screw...not fine: halfway in, the fixing stops gripping the plasterboard and starts turning with the screw. Started again, same thing again!! Meaning 2 fat useless holes in the plasterboard about 10mm diameter each, which I then filled and quit in rage.

What on earth did I do wrong?? Should I choose nylon instead? Please help!


texts: What are wrenches called that are just cut out of steel flats?

texts:
There are wrenches that are used to get into tight spaces that are just flat pieces of metal with a hexagonal hole cut out of them. Often they come with things like table saws and are used to move the arbor nut and change the blade.
Is there are a name for this type of wrench?


texts: We were having a frequent drip show up on our stairs from the master shower above.  The tiled floor of the shower (over concrete pan) had mildew in the corner, so I cleaned out the corner and found water between the tile and shower pan membrane.  So, I pulled out the lower rows of tile and water came out.  I also took up the showers tile floor.  We've been just ignoring the shower fix for awhile, but today, I realize that if I hold a bucket under the shower and run it, a dark damp patch appears and grows on the concrete.  I also opened a hole in the wall of the bedroom and the vertical pipes are not leaking.  Did I mention that I poured water down the drain to see if that caused a leak.  It didn't.  SO what is happening?  It's obviously with a pipe, but what pipe?  Do I have to take out this concrete shower pan?  Thanks.


texts: Freezer keeps icing all over everything!

texts:
I have a bottom load freezer and no matter what setting I put it at (within reason, usually 4-7 out of 8), the whole dag'gum freezer has ice particles and stuff all over all the food, drawers, sides, etc.

What is causing this? I'm assuming it's because there is a hole somewhere where air is getting into the freezer and it's freezing all the free air to everything... is this correct?


texts: I have a stand up freezer with 21 start up amps and 2 running amps.  Would a 20 amp breaker be sufficient?


texts: What type of wood for moist exterior location that is also paintable

texts:
My rear screened porch has some has 2x2s that hold the screens in place and many of them are rotted from moisture.

It looks like they are plain old 2x4s that were ripped down (though I'm not sure) and then painted (poorly) with exterior paint.

What type of wood and should I use to replace them? I do wish to paint them to match the rest of the house.  Or can I use any good quality wood and prime and paint with a good paint?


texts:
Our tub drain was clogged. We have used Drano (liquid and granular) unsuccessfully. We have used a snake-didn't work. Noticed there is a hardened substance that you can scrape. ?? Accumulation of chemicals we used? Not sure.
What do we do now? Trying to avoid a plumber which will cost $$$
Thanks,
Denise


texts: When I run my CFL bulbs off the generator they use reduced watts. But when I switch them over to my dc-ac solar converter they use many times the watts they're suppose to according to my inline watt meter. Will getting a modified or pure sine wave converter reduce the watts to what they should use?


texts: How can I attach wood to concrete in this bench?


texts: How do I calculate the length of a ladder I need to reach a certain height?

texts:
My roof-line is 24' from the ground. What length ladder should I purchase to ensure I can reach the this height safely?

I'm guessing there is a "safe" angle (a) for a ladder, regardless of the height (h). So more generally what is an easy way to calculate the length of a ladder (l) to safely reach a particular height?


texts:
BACKGROUND INFO:
We have an upstairs laundry room with the dryer vented directly into the attic space! House was built in '84, maybe had three previous owners before us. Not sure what the code was back then, but what you see in the picture was probably NEVER up to code to begin with!

QUESTIONS:

Is there anything I should keep in mind when running my new solid metal vent pipe to the outside exterior wall through this attic space?
Since I'm dealing with insulation, does it have to be protected?
Is there a certain clearance from the insulation required?

PLAN:
Our current dryer actually vents very close to the floor, so I would like the piping to run as low as possible to avoid lots/any flex tube for a straight shot outside. As you can probably tell from the picture, right now in the laundry room there is about 4' of flex hose connecting the bottom of the dryer to this higher up "vent" hole in the wall right into the attic.


texts: How much current should I expect this motor to draw when it's running steadily?

texts:
This fan lists its "Max. Amperage" as 3.2. I assume the motor draws that much when it's first turning on, then settles down to some lower current.  How much current should I expect it to draw when it's running steadily?

I ask because I want to know how a) how much this will cost me to run for a month continuously, and b) how much it will heat the space. I'm figuring that all the energy the motor draws gets swiftly converted into heat. Please correct me if I am thinking about this incorrectly.


texts: What is the cause for low voltage when the breaker is off?

texts:
I wanted to find the breaker for directly wired (i.e. no plug + outlet) dishwasher by using a 'non-contact voltage tester' and it showed +ve for three different breakers. Then I hooked up a multimeter (V/AC setting) and tested. The reading for three breakers were 120V, 13.7V and 1.7V.

What could be the cause for the last two? Induction when wires run parallel? Insulation deterioration over time? Neutral is not at 0v? I suspected induction because when the last two breakers both on the voltage drops to 1.3V. However 13.7V seems too high, not that I know anything about what it should be.

The house is 37 years old, but probably it was rewired sometime later.


texts: Adapter to use a Doulton water filter on a Pfister faucet

texts:
I live in the USA. The water in my unit is very bad, so I bought a Countertop Filter from Doulton, one of the highest-reviewed ceramic filters out there that uses a standard 22mm female thread.
Unfortunately for me, the faucet in the kitchen is a Pfister Portland, a model whose aerator thread is the non-standard 19mm male thread.

After reaching out to Doulton, they told me they sell an adapter for "overseas faucets" and non-standard sizes (the "ACC-FAU" accessory listed here). It is a rubber adapter for faucets without a thread, that looks like this. I'm not happy with this solution since it might damage or leak and doesn't look very good (see here, better picture).
I reached out to Pfister who simply said they do not make any accessories or parts for their faucets.
Not being extremely comfortable with the imperial system and with plumbing in general, I am at loss for solutions.
What adapter do I need to connect the male 19mm to the female 22mm/Standard elements?
Ideally something made of non-rust material, that I can screw on between the two elements and easily remove when I move.


texts: I'm considering making a well insulated interior door and need to understand the door thickness implications for the getting a door knob.  The door could be upto 3" thick - less if getting a door knob becomes a problem.  I'd like to use a cheap off the shelf knob - possibly adding extensions.


texts:
I have a ceiling system under my deck so that no water gets to anything under there.  I'd like to store my riding lawnmower under there.  The surface of the ground isn't wet, but I wanted to put something down over the dirt, to park it on.

I can't afford to put concrete in, but I was thinking of putting in gravel.

If I understand correctly, some types of gravel drain water and some don't.  Should I make sure to get a type that drains well?

What kind should I choose and why?

edit: I should probably ask about stone dust.  Should I consider using it instead of gravel?


texts: Why did my plaster walls stop half inch above floor and expose room to wall cavity?

texts:
My home was built in the 1930s.

I recently pulled up my carpet to get it replaced. When I did this, I noticed that the plaster walls stopped half an inch above the hardwood floor. It looked very deliberate: there was no lath, just a big gaping hole. It opened the room up to the wall cavity. It seems that the gap was only present on exterior walls. Also, the walls are uninsulated.

Is there a reason why this would have been done?

Also, was I wrong to fill the gap with gap filler foam?


texts: Transfer switch connected to neutral and ground in sub-panel instead of main panel

texts: I am planning to add a Reliance 31406 CRK transfer switch using a bonded neutral generator. I can undo the generator bonding if needed. I have a main panel and a sub panel. One of the switches I want to transfer is on the sub panel and one of the switches is on the main panel. I am stuck on where to connect the neutral and ground wires coming out of the transfer switch. I have easy access to the sub panel and can connect there (as shown in the attacked drawing) but don't know if that is appropriate.


texts: What is a good option for raising my kitchen sink?

texts: We just moved in to a new-to-us house (build in 1986), and I feel like the kitchen sink is "too" low. I've just learned that "standard" counter height is 36 inches; I measure 35 1/4" from the floor to the top of the counter/sink. I'd like to replace the sink and faucet, but I don't need to replace all of the cabinets (so no need to raise the rest of the counter height). What is a good option for creating a slightly higher sink?


texts: How to wire a ceiling rose that has 7 wires

texts:
I'm trying to rewire a ceiling rose, and I made the very silly mistake of not photographing or checking the initial wiring before I took the previous fitting down.

I seem to have 7 wires coming in through 2 cables. I can't seem to find any information about what to do in this situation - every diagram I find is for more or less wires!

The light point is on its own circuit, though I think the original installer may have thought there were multiple lights on the circuit. What should I be wiring to the Live & Neutral of the light (I know where Earth goes!)? Should any of the wires be looping (I think so?)?

Photos attached of ceiling wires and switch wires (it's the switch with the grey & brown pair of wires I believe - second one down).


texts: How to attach wall on top of french drain in basement?

texts:
I am in the process of finishing my basement and had an interior french drain system installed. I now want to start putting walls up but am unsure how to attach them on top of the french drain. I believe the cement is only around 1.5" to 2" inches thick on top of the french drain and I fear cracking the cement or damaging something.
How should I attach the studs / wall frame on top of my french drain? Can I really just shoot nails into the cement over the french drain or is there something else I should do to prevent damaging it? Is there perhaps a better way to secure the wall?


texts: Can I use the fridge still without plumbing in water,model Electrolux ERES31800W

texts: Can I still use the fridge on model Electrolux ERES31800W,without having to plumb in the water?


texts: Tarpaulin vs PVC Roofing Sheet for Budged Project

texts:
So I have this gazebo/cover in the garden, which served me proudly for almost 2 years and then some female named storm came and f****d it for me.
The top sheet was torn away, but the gazebo under it is still standing strong apart from one broken support beam, which I can easily fix.

Now I want to up my game and build something better on a tight budget.
The frame will be timber, looking something like this: https://skfb.ly/6vJPC
Btw this is an exact replica of my back garden.

My questions are:
Do I go with PVC Roofing Sheets or Heavy Duty 650gsm Tarpaulin? Which will hold its ground better in strong winds?
I am thinking of using a stapler gun to attach the tarpaulin, but if I go with the PVC sheets what kind of screws or nails are suitable?
What is the best way to waterproof the ends touching the brick walls, so that no water drips down the walls?
What size timber should I use? 50x50mm is enough/weak/overkill? Longest single piece will be 2600mm.
Do you see any flaws with my frame design?
Any other suggestions/comments?

Thank you.


texts: How might I attach pieces of lumber between two garage ceiling joists for the larger goal of mounting a punching bag to the lumber?

texts:
I'm extremely new to home improvement and am seeking some input from people far more experienced than myself on the following project. In short, I want to install a punching bag in my garage. The bag (see here) itself will be attached to a Spider Mount (see here). And the mount will be attached to three or so pieces of lumber (that I'll need to purchase) that will be nailed between two ceiling joists/ties (not sure of the terminology) in the garage.
How do you suggest I go about installing the lumber between the two joists?
Here's a picture of the two ceiling joists in the garage where I'll hang the bag. The joists measure 1 1/2" thick and are 5 1/2" wide. The span from one joist to the other is 49". Please note the the covering over the joists is not the garage ceiling—it’s just plywood the previous occupant used for storage. I won’t be drilling into this plywood or the garage ceiling. I’ll only be adding to the two joists pictured.

My inclination is to install three pieces of lumber in between the two joists. I’d then attach the Spider Mount in the center of the three pieces of lumber. I’m thinking that each of the lumber pieces would be 3” thick x 5” W x 49” L. I could get these cut for me at my local Ace’s lumber yard. The Spider Mount measures 13 1/2” W x 17 1/4” L. The unit comes with four 3/8” x 2.5” lag bolts for mounting, so I’m assuming the pieces of lumber need to be thick enough (such as 3”) to suit the lag bolts.
Here's a sketch of how this would look:

Once the lumber and Spider Mount are in place, I’d hook the 80-lb. bag to the mount.
So that's the general idea. My primary question to the forum is, "How should I install the pieces of lumber to the joists?"
Which wood should I use, and of which dimensions?
How to go about the drilling? Which size for the drill bits and screws?
Should I incorporate joist hangers to reinforce the lumber to the joist joists?
Clearly, I’m very new to this type of work so the more description people can offer the better. I appreciate it!


texts:
I have a sliding door that I cannot remove. There's a roller that need to be cleaned or replaced. I believe I'm supposed to lower the rollers so it will tilt in or out. However, there isn't enough clearance at the top or the bottom to have enough room to tilt it out.

Is there something I'm missing?

Top:

Bottom:


texts: I replaced a 50W halogen gu10 bulb in a ceiling fixture on an AFCI-protected circuit with a 5W dimmable LED bulb, and it trips the breaker after a few seconds (even after reseating the bulb). Another brand of non-dimmable LED bulb worked fine. (light is not on a dimmer.) Do people think the problem is a defective bulb, or nuisance tripping?


texts: I am digging a well with a hand-powered auger. I am 20 feet down and I am hitting a rock. How can I break up this rock so I can continue digging?


texts: How to determine if hardwoods are under cabinets?

texts:
I'm house shopping and some homes have built-ins or kitchen cabinets that I'd like to remove.  I was wondering, first, is it possible to determine without taking the cabinets apart whether there are hardwood floors underneath?

Also, if there are not hardwoods underneath, how feasible/costly is it to patch a section of hardwood flooring to get a decent match to the existing?  Would the whole floor need refinishing?


texts: How do I seal overlapping sections of flashing around the perimeter of my house?

texts:
I have a wall profile that looks similar to this:

but where the flashing is shown, the horizontal distance is much larger. The structural engineer I contacted said that my house should have been given a brick facade, so the horizontal section there is wide enough for the sheathing and a course of brick.

Long story short, I've got some pretty dramatic water damage from some incorrectly installed siding/flashing, and I'd like to not make the same mistakes the previous owners made.

I found a video on getting the flashing bent to the correct profile for very long pieces, but I still wouldn't be able to get the flashing to surround the house in one continuous piece of metal. Somewhere, it has to overlap. How do you seal a basically horizontally-mounted piece of flashing? Should I look at brazing or welding (drawings call for aluminum flashing), or is there something else?

I think I would prefer to not rely on caulk, but of course if that's the only answer then I guess it's the only answer.


texts: Did I do a shoddy wiring job on a ceiling fan?

texts:
I just installed a ceiling fan at my mother's house, and in hindsight, I think I might need to go back and re-do the wiring.

The ceiling fan came with a bracket that screws into the outlet box in the ceiling, then the instructions say to attach the fan motor itself to that bracket -- BEFORE doing the wiring.  So, I did that, then attempted to do the wiring, attaching the white to white, blue to black, and ground to ground using the supplied wire nuts, however I ran into challenges getting what I felt was a good connection, since one wire was solid (and VERY stiff) and the other was stranded.  The instructions then state to "gently" (ha) stuff the connected wires up into the outlet box.

The opening in the bracket that the wires are to pass through is no bigger than a quarter, and with the wiring already coming through that hole, inserting the wiring up into the ceiling was literally, impossible.  So I left the wiring as close to the ceiling as possible but it's currently inside the fan housing, instead of in the ceiling outlet box.

So here are my two concerns:

1) I now realize, after researching, that code usually requires that the spliced wiring be inside the outlet box

2) I should have used more bare stranded wire than was stripped by the factory.  I simply trusted the out of the box stripping of the wire, but there was less length of stranded wire exposed than there was solid supply wire.

The fan works fine, no dimming of the lights, or arcing sounds, or anything.  But, to add to my concern about this, my mom's house uses fuses... to say nothing about AFCI or anything like that.

Should I just go back and re-do it?  Or stop messing with it?


texts: How would I go about fitting a window AC into a really wide window?

texts:
I live in an apartment and have a central air system but my main bedroom always stays about 10-15 degrees hotter than the rest of the apartment. I reached out to my landlord about this problem and she just brushed me off, so I called out an AC company & they said that the duct work was too small for the bedroom (they can't do anything without landlord approval) so here I am looking for a window AC.
I have a pretty large & odd shaped vertical opening window measuring in at about 50" wide and 12 1/2" tall. I've searched high and low for a window AC unit to fit those measurements, but continue coming up short. Any ideas on how I could get a standard window unit to fit in & stay?
I should also mention that I obviously rent & the frame is metal, so I can't screw or nail anything in.
!


texts: Relocate central air conditioners to roof

texts:
We recently moved into a house, and we've noticed that the central air conditioners take up valuable space, not only with their footprint, but also they will likely blow hot air during use, making anything nearby uncomfortable to use.

My question: Is it feasible to relocate the air conditioners to the roof (near satellite dish)? If so, is this a bad idea for any reason, cost aside? I'm thinking there are probably four main concerns:

air conditioners being more exposed to elements (I would think not a big deal, since they are already pretty exposed)
ensuring the structure can hold the weight (not sure if it's possible to roughly estimate without a contractor)
reroute electrical (I would think doable)
reroute coolant lines (no idea, I know nothing about HVAC stuff)

To be clear: I am not going to do this myself; I will hire a professional. I just wanted to get unbiased opinions from the esteemed Stack Exchange community before talking to contractors. Thanks in advance!


texts: How do I renforce a cardboard antenna for outside use?

texts:
I bought Mohu Releaf cardboard antenna. It works much better outside than inside. Mohu explicitly advises against outdoor use of its indoor models, yet I wrapped it in a plastic bag and hung it out of window.  It looks a bit shabby so I am looking for ways to improve both the look and protection against elements.
I tried placing antenna between window glasses yet it gets less channels than outside. I have a big outside antenna, again it gets less channels.

Dimensions: 9″ x 11.5″
Effect of elements on Leaf antennas
http://mohu.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/4000026474-can-i-use-my-leaf-curve-antenna-outside-or-in-an-attic-
Releaf model
https://releaf.gomohu.com/#specs
Update. I used it in a plastic bag to reduce deterioration yet eventually bought Winegard Elite on a sale, now have a few channels more. May be will use the leaf  with bedroom television.


texts: Which water heater types do you recommend?

texts:
I would like to upgrade my current water heater with one that

Is able to produce/store more heated water so I won't run out
Energy efficient
Inexpensive

What are the advantages/disadvantages to each different kind? What would you recommend and why?


texts: Confusion about main disconnect ampacity

texts:
I am currently reviewing and redesigning the electrical installation of my property which came with a 100A SquareD QOD6S MLO load center very badly abused and about 130' away from the service drop which is a single phase 120V.
There are plenty of problems in this circuit and one is this center being the only (malfunctioning) station between appliances and the incoming feed. I need to rewire this as a sub panel and install a main disconnect at my properties entrance.
I am a layman in electrical installations, I've had my share, but rewiring the whole circuit is a step up in my history.
I am aware that this is dangerous and will therefore call the provider to have them cut the service before pulling/installing anything.

My confusion is about the fact that most articles written today call for 100A or 200A main panels/disconnects to provide the necessary load, which I understand, but applies mostly to directly connected main panels. I hardly read anything about spread out configurations where the service drop is way separated (like my 130') from the living space. There are some but not enough.

My power company (Mexican national power) has its specifications for the basic installation (totally ignored on my property, probably due to dating) which is the following (translated and redrawn original illustration with comments in italic font):

So here's my doubt:

I redesigned the existing panel to become a sub panel of 100A (we don't have a lot of continuous draw). Its breakers will add up this much (4x15A & 2x20A).
The underground wire run from the panel to the property entrance is #8 or #6, cannot figure anything out because it has no marking at all, so that would be rated somewhere between 40A and 75A depending on the insulation.
Now the power company recommends a main disconnect of 30A connected to the meter with THW#8 which is rated 50A.

How do these numbers add up in reality?
Or in other words if my continuous load was greater than 30A how would a main disconnect of that size not trip that?

I read this answer to another question where it's said that

  Don't bother trying to coordinate the trip rating of this "shutoff switch" breaker with the actual supply breaker in the main panel. That must be sized to protect the wire to the subpanel.

Can I be fine with a 30A breaker as a main disconnect for a 100A sub panel 130' feet away?
If yes then why so?


texts: How to excavate 3ft deep around perimeter of building

texts:
I have a building that I'm converting into living space for rental units. The building is on a cement slab foundation and to bring it up to code, I need to install foam board insulation around the entire exterior perimeter of the slab 3 feet deep.
My issue is I'm not sure what is the best/safest way to dig around the entire perimeter of the building.

Is it feasible to dig it by hand?
Is it dangerous for me to excavate
the entire perimeter at once?
Are there any tools than could help
with the job?

I considered an excavator, however, one entire wall of the building is covered by an awning, which wouldn't allow for the excavator. There is also some cement I will have to bust away to get to the dirt.
Any advice would be helpful.


texts: Low water pressure in shower after turning off main

texts:
Had a bad drip in shower. Two handle shower replaced little rubber rings. Turned water back on and the shower barely comes out but all other sinks in the house seem to have plenty of pressure. Is there anything I can check to fix this? Pressure was fine before this.

Thank you


texts: Can I put crushed stone on top of sand base for brick patio?

texts:
I have a brick patio that is not level and filled with weeds. There are areas where it slopes down and the back up. I live in Maryland so it can get really hot and cold but I have not seen other areas of the lawn buckle like this.
I have pulled up the bricks on my old patio and found a 5-6 inch layer of sand (no stones) on top of the soil. (brick , then sand, then soil)
Do I need to remove it, and then put down (crushed) stone before I do the rest of the work? It will be a lot of sand to remove!
Most of what I have read suggests small/crushed stone (4 inch layer) on the soil followed by a weed barrier, then a layer of sand (1 inch). I am not sure what to do about the sand.


texts: Is there a way to use timer switchers and dimmers that were designed for incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs?

texts:
I have an older light timer that controls my porch light. It draws a small amount of current to keep running by feeding a small amount of current through the bulb all the time. In the days of incandescent bulbs, the current the switch used would flow through the filament, not being enough to heat the filament to make light.

The problem is that this doesn't work with LED bulbs. The small amount of current is enough to power the bulb up, but not enough for it to power up fully. This in-between state causes the bulbs to die fairly quickly.

This is the second dimmer/timer I've dealt with that does this.

I measured that the switch draws about 0.1A. I'm wondering if there is something like this socket extender that has a ~1000Ω resistor between the hot and neutral which would allow current to power the switch without killing my LED bulbs?

This is not something I am going to DIY directly, but I am curious if there is any solution for my situation.

(Note the bulb which is off is partly unscrewed and not connected)


texts: New washing machine inlet valve (the one in the machine, not one on the wall pipe) sounds like it periodically leaks water inside, does it need a fix?

texts: So I have bought a front loading LG washing machine and I sometimes notice a hum noise starts and it seems like water flows through the hose into the washing machine, but not always just from time to time, and I am talking about a washing machine that is even plugged off the wall (not sure if this matters). Note that the the water that leaks into is not seen in the washing machine drum, so I am not sure what happens. However it seems like this might cause mold to grow up inside the washing machine, so I am interested in fixing this, maybe it is smart to call warranty service but does anyone know how to fix this, is it a tedious process and also can this really cause mold to grow up if it never reaches the drum, from my understandings if a decent amount of water is leaked it will catch up into the drum, but let me know if I miss something from a technical aspect of how the water valve inside the washer or how the whole process of water reaching the drum works.


texts: How do electric hot water heaters explode and what can be done to prevent that from happening?

texts:
My neighbor and good friend is a union steamfitter, and general handyman. He had to replace his electric hot water heater last year and he did it himself.

My wife and I have to replace ours now, and he says its a super simple job and he has offered to help me do it. I came across this article and many others that warn that these heaters can actually explode if installed improperly, and it has us a little concerned (to say the least!).

I understand that the knee jerk, default response in these situations is: if you feel uncomfortable doing this yourself, have a professional do it. And I get that, I really do. I'm just trying to weigh all our options here.

So I ask: under what conditions can electric hot water heaters explode? It sounds like (if I'm reading these articles correctly) that they explode when both the temperature is set too high and the expansion tank is malfunctioning. So if that's the case, then my followup question might be: OK, well, how hot is "too hot" and how can I test my expansion tank to confirm its functioning properly?!

However, if there are other instances where these types of heaters can explode, I'd like to know about them, and what the diagnostic/operating procedure is to prevent those situations from happening.

At the end of the day, if I don't feel 100% confident in the process, we'll have a pro do the install. But if its as simple as checking a few things or taking care to avoid certain specific pitfalls, I'd rather save the ~$2500 and just do the install with the help of my handy friend.


texts: Where in the breaker box should I terminate the neutral wire from my dryer circuit?

texts:
I am looking for an answer to something I am lost about, hopefully I can fins some help. I recently moved into a new home. The previous owners had a gas dryer and no outlets for an electric dryer. I had the gas line removed as it was faulty, and am now trying to install an electrical line for my electric dryer. I purchased the correct 3 wire outlet, a new 220v breaker since there was not an extra one in the breaker box, and a 15ft indoor copper building wire (which is 4 wires). I wired the cable to the outlet using the 2 hot wires (red and black) and the white wire (neutral). I left the bare copper wire (ground) out as from my understanding the dryer is already grounded and this wire is not needed. then ew breaker is installed and now i need to wire the outlet to the breaker. Here is my issue. I can run the red and black wires to the breaker, no problem, but there does not appear to be an open spot on the neutral bar, where all the other white wires are running to. There is another bar directly below it, which i assume is the ground bar that has open slots. the top bar has a large black wire running from it to the outside along with the 2 main wires coming into the house. the bottom bar has a black wire that runs to a screw a few inches away on the breaker box itself. With there being no open slots for my neutral wire to go, where should i put it?

Can I put it on the bottom bar?

Can I tie it in with another neutral wire?

Perhaps one of the other neutral wires can be moved to the other bar?

Edit: I just noticed that behind the two bars at the bottom, there is a copper piece of metal right in the center that appears to connect the 2 bars, at least I assume so.

Edit 2: Just thought I would update everyone on the situation. I added a 220V 30Amp breaker to the breaker box. I ran the red and black wires to this breaker. i then moved the green wire running to the neutral bus down to the ground bus. This green wire was labeled as upstairs kitchen with its associated breaker. I checked the kitchen equipment, it is all running normally. I then hooked the white neutral wire coming from the dryer outlet into the now open spot on the neutral bar. i then turned on the breaker and my dryer appears to be working normally as well. Thank you all for the help. I will of course be updating my dryer hookups to the 4 wire standard as soon as possible, and i will probably be adding an additional neutral bar to my breaker box as well. I will update this post if i run into any problems.


texts: Can I use a spray sealer and primer over a patched drywall followed by painting over it?

texts: I have patched one of my wall from a few holes(5) where each is about a finger big.  Since it is not a big surface area, can I use a spray stain sealer and primer, and then apply paint over the entire wall as usual?  I'm not sure if it's worth getting a 1L primer that I will probably not use again.


texts: Replacing a Challenger breaker with an after-market breaker

texts: I have a Challenger panel board and one of my breakers is no good. When I went to buy a new one they don't carry them anymore. They said they only carry the after-market ones. So I got that one, but it looks different than the original one. Will it fit in even though it's a different looking one?


texts: How do I troubleshoot a Kenmore HE washer with an f-21 error?

texts:
We have a kenmore elite smartwash quiet pak 2 (723 wt-wt).

It starts the normal wash cycle and about 35 mins in, it will not go to a rinse cycle and it stops.Error F21 or Sud comes up. I can not proceed from there. since yesterday we have been having problems with it unlocking, it appears like it not fully draining. We cant drain wont open door tried following the operation instructions on the front tried resetting power still gets stuck at f21 / SUD wont drain


texts: How do I properly size the ground wire for a subpanel?

texts:
What is the general rule for sizing ground wire relative to the conductors?  I know I saw this somewhere on here, but I cannot find it.
I'm running aluminum (#1 AWG aluminum) to my subpanel and I'd rather not try to tie a #1 wire into my ground bar.  Can I use #4 Al for ground?


texts: Can someone unlock a locked door and lock it back again without the key?

texts: Is it possible for someone to unlock your front door get into your house and then lock the door again without being supplied with a key?


texts: Mounting a shelf into concrete, with two non-identical anchors (brackets)

texts:
I have a wall shelf that I'd like to mount into a concrete wall. Unfortunately, due to a mistake I ended up with two different anchors (not sure what the term is - I think it's anchor, bracket, or chevron) - see picture below.

The shelf is going to only hold light items (less than 2kg load), and will not be easily seen. Slightly-unsightly-aspect aside, is this likely to be a (structural) problem? Should I get two identical anchors/brackets/chevrons, or is it OK to proceed with these two different ones?


texts: Can I connect my EU 230V 2.8kW appliance to a US 240V 20A receptacle?

texts:
The appliance is a pizza oven with Schuko plug [Picture 1], running at 240V 50-60Hz 2.8Kw. The receptacle is a US 240V 20A [Picture 2] to which is currently connected the PTAC [Picture 3]. Sharing the picture of the circuit panel [Picture 4] and the back of the appliance [Picture 5]
I’ll use the pizza oven once a week and I can not replace receptacle because I live in an apartment. Would this appliance work if plugged in the receptacle shown?
If yes, is it better to replace the cord or use an adapter? I couldn’t find any to buy online.
If not, what other options do I have?
Thank you!

![


texts: Why would the electricity intermittently trip out when turning on a light switch?

texts:
I live in the UK and recently had some building work done (replastering, new light fixtures, new switches, laminate flooring, etc).  During the work the builders discovered a lot of dodgy electrical stuff and fixed things as they went.  However, after the builders left we discovered a strange electrical problem.

Sometimes (but not every time) when we switch on the light in the kitchen it causes the power for the whole house to trip out. It doesn't happen every time but it does occur fairly often - I would say there is 50/50 chance.

The switch that causes the problem was not changed during the building work so I don't understand how it can affect it.

The builders have been back out and double checked the light switches and fixtures and say all looks ok.  They say they cannot do anything about it because it doesn't happen every time.  The only solution, they say, would be to re-wire everything all over again.

Here's a photo of my breaker:


texts: Why is turning on the heat tripping the air handler breaker in my new central air system?

texts:
I got a complete new air system last year and for some reason when I turned the heat on it was making the breaker associated with the air handler trip. The contractor was nice enough to come back and put in a new breaker for free but the problem continues.
The breaker gets very hot after turning the heat on. I never had this problem before with my old system and I am wondering if a lack of a heat pump could be the problem.
I don't know if I had a heat pump in my old system. I live in Florida and that's why I did not get the heat pump.


texts:
I'm looking at purchasing a few pre-hung interior doors for my basement. The doors say that their "skin type" is Silicone Finish. What is the "skin type" on a door? Is a door with Silicone Finish "skin type" easily paintable?

See what I'm talking about in the Specifications.


texts: How thoroughly should HVAC evaporator be sealed?

texts: I noticed that cold air was rushing out of the seam near my AC evaporator, so I added foil tape around the seam (see photo). Is that appropriate, or does that minor leakage serve a purpose? The rest of the unit's seams are taped, so I don't know if this was an oversight or intentional.


texts: How do I bend a wooden edging for a tile counter top?

texts:
I'm about to build a tile counter top (or bench top as we call it here) for a new kitchen.  I'm going to be using large porcelain floor tiles on top and thought I'd finish the edges with a nice native timber.

The top I'm working on is the breakfast bar where one end sticks out a little way.  I thought perhaps I could lightly curve it to give it a more natural feel and take away the harsh lines.

However, the timber I have in mind for the edging is some old and dry wood I have lying around called Rimu.  Is it even possible to curve this timber or would I need a new timber that is perhaps softer?

I've heard that people can use steam or a series of cuts.  I don't have access to a steam box and cutting it the traditional way with lots of fine cuts only leaves one edge nice not the top and the side.  Is there perhaps another method I could use in my home workshop?


texts: Is it okay to put a heat pump water heater in a crawl space?

texts:
I have a pretty large crawl space. It is 80 inches wide and around 7 feet high. I am looking to replace the 50 gallon electric water heater with the new Geo Spring Water heater by GE This unit is wide = 7 feet  height = 5'5'' feet

As I understand, this Hybrid Water heater works by having a "reverse" A/C unit on top of it.

My Questions are:

Is it advisable to put this water heater in the crawl space? Will it create moisture in the crawl space?
Has any one used this water heater in their crawl space?


texts:
I am trying to fit a new outside floodlight. I bought one online as you do these days hoping the wiring would be the same as my previous one.
The new one has, in addition to the standard 240V mains ac cables, a separate black and white cable.
I am attaching pictures.
I can only assume that the black/white cable is to fit a motion sensor to it. In the leaflet within the box there is no mention of this additional cable.
I am not wanting to attach a motion sensor to this, but merely to use it through a conventional switch.
Can anyone help with explaining what these cables are and if I can still connect and use this floodlight ?
 thanks
Panos


texts:
I bought a foreclosure and we are trying to figure out if we have a log burning fireplace or not.
On the right hand side of the fireplace we a turn valve with the key.  If you turn key, you get gas out of the pipe as pictured.  There's no pilot light or ignition switch, so you just light by hand.
In the fireplace, there is a pull lever which you can use to open the damper.
Does anyone have any ideas if this is a wood burning fireplace with a gas starter or is this a gas fireplace and/or with gas logs?
My plumber (who is not an expert on fireplace hardware, but who I trust), thinks it's a gas starter and the fireplace can burn logs.
My couple of neighbors all have gas insert fireplaces with glass fronts, but this is the "big" builder model in the subdivision so I'm wondering if we got the deluxe fireplace option that can burn real logs.


texts: 4 Way Switching Wiring Diagram Nightmare

texts:
I am having trouble making my 4 way switch working in the home I just bought (quite an old one). As of now, I don't want to remove the light fixture as it quite big and it will be a big trouble... but using a tracer, it looks like the "red" wire emphasized in the picture goes to the light fixture. I don't understand that part: I tested and in order for the light to open, I simply have to make the Power touch the Red Wire. I have never seen that before... a Red wire that seems to go to the lamp fixture itself.
Can someone help me understand what is going?
Thanks!


texts: Are there any risks in removing these steel basement window frames?

texts:
I am planning to replacement my basement windows (see this related question) and was planning to remove both the glass and frame.  A window vendor advised me not do this claiming that the steel frame is supporting the concrete and removing it could cause the foundation to crack.  They recommended that I re-use the frame (which is in bad condition on the outside).  I would prefer to remove the steel frame since in its current condition, I don't think it is able to keep the water out. I suppose I could try and repair the frame (bang it back into place, use an abrasive brush to remove rust, re-paint and caulk all seams) instead.

Is foundation cracking a realistic risk and are there any other risks in removing it to warrant keeping it instead?


texts: How can I connect a 120V compressor to a 3 phase WYE 208 electrical system?

texts:
I have 4 cables from a power supply which are 3 phase WYE 208 volt. so if I measure between neutral and hot I get 120V.

The problem is that I need to hook up a compressor for 110V single phase (just normal wall socket) to this particular combination.

Question 1: Is this just a bad idea to begin with since the phases are 120deg apart instead of 180?    If it is is there some gadget I can buy to convert correctly?

Part 2: My attempt:
so I tried to hook it up and I soldered the neural to the ground of a cut 3 prong extension cord, the I soldered a hot wire to the small and large hole of the plug.
This was a bad choice because after I ran the compressor I triggered the circuit breaker. Then i realized that i was feeding it 240V instead of 110V.

Question 2:   Do you think I should try to leave the ground on the prong open and instead solder the neutral to the small hole and one of the hot wire (does it matter which) to the big hole. This way I would supply the compressor with 110V?

As far as I understand, it doesn't matter now that the phase is 120 between the hot wires, because I am using neutral to hot, right?


texts: We have air vents in all our rooms. We haven't had the heating on yet (it is 20 degrees C in here). We are in a flat of 4; the other units don't have this problem. The window sills run with water if you touch the windows. We tried leaving top window open a bit in each room, had our check for winter done, but still no luck.


texts: How would the filament tube of a typical incandescent lightbulb shatter without the filament burning out?

texts: Several lightbulbs in my friend's old, brownstone NYC apartment have been going out in a strange way. The filament looks perfectly fine, not burnt out, but the tube around it is shattered. Power surges / failing circuit breakers would have to burn out the filament, right? What could be causing this?


texts: How do I stop water from building up in toilets and bathtubs?

texts:
Today, I awoke to water on my bathroom floor. What caused it?

My house has a septic tank and two bathrooms, a master bedroom and guest bathroom.

The guest bathroom had water on the floor, and the bathtub was
partially filled with water. The water seemed to be clean. Water was spraying from somewhere under the tank. I shut off the water to the toilet. The tank was very low on water, but it filled more later.
The master bedroom did not have water on the floor, but the bathtub
was partially filled with water. I flushed the
toilet, and the bowl started filling with water and spilling onto the
floor. Again, all water seemed to be clean. I shut off the water to this toilet, too.

Another observation: during the night, I heard occasional sounds, possibly from a flapper, or gurgling, but I did not get up and check the source.


texts:
In my cottage, I have valves that are used to drain the water lines.  These valves are in the well pit and are hard to reach.  I have to do some other repairs and while I'm doing those, I'm wondering if there is a way to extend the valve handle making it easier to open/close the valves without climbing over the other valves and filter, which I broke last time I drained the cottage.  ;)

Is this possible?...or is my best bet, just to move things around and make it easier to access the valves?


texts: Two black wires connected into a single black wire in light switch box

texts: I pulled out a one-way dimmer light switch in a bedroom in order to replace with another dimmer switch.  Within the switch box, there were two black wires connected together, with another single black wire exiting out of the connector (see the red connector and the yellow arrow).  The single black wire exiting the connector was then connected to the switch.  Can someone explain why these two wires were connected within the box?  Was it to convert a three-pole into a single-pole switch, or for some other reason?  Is this something I should be worried about?


texts: how common are "burned outlets" that are old?

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We just bought a house that was built in 1941.

There are a few exterior outlets near the base of the house (for outdoor tools) that do not work. I have tested them with a multimeter and there is no power, and the circuit breaker appears fine.

I think the outlets are extremely old because they are not GFCI outlets and they are exterior, and I am told that GFCIs are code for all exterior (Water facing) outlets. So, likely they predate code.

When researching this problem I found the link: http://removeandreplace.com/2015/02/10/no-power-to-outlets-in-one-room-or-wall-how-to-troubleshoot/

This link mentions a concept of "burned outlets". I do notice that there is a brownish hue on the outlet (it is not obvious) and I attributed this to being old or rust as it is exterior.

So, is the best path forward to kill the mains and try to replace this with a new GFCI outlet? Do outlets really just stop working with no other circuit or wiring problems?


texts:
I have an open trench and I might as well fill it with expensive plastic.
I went by the local irrigation supply to get 1 inch HDPE water line and was told gophers eat that around here (south-central WA) and I should stick with PVC. I want to avoid joints under the future patio.
I then realized I had ordered HDPE gas pipe for said trench. Will this get gnawed on by gophers too? I have a lot of gophers here although none of my surface PE irrigation lines have been damaged.
Is there any truth to this old wives tale or is it just rumors on the old-timey internet forums? Should I use copper gas lines to be safe? Local AHJ just shrugged at the question.


texts: Can I place a cap on my furnace exhaust to keep rainwater out?

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I have a Lennox high efficiency furnace the vents out the roof with plastic piping,  both fresh air and exhaust. The fresh air pipe terminates above the roof with a U-shaped pipe at the end of it, I presume to keep out moisture.
The exhaust pipe on the other hand just terminates with an open pipe facing skyward.

The problem we have is moisture and insects hit the open end , runs down inside the pipe until it collects in the exhaust blower in the furnace .
We have to have a serviceman out approx. every 4 months to unclog the drains , and remove water from the blower.

Can we put a raincap or u-shaped piping on the end of the exhaust pipe? The serviceman says its just a problem with these furnaces that vent thru the roof.


texts:
I made a syringe (used for a pressure system) myself, it seems to have a tight fit around the cylinder.
I used non-waterproof clay coated by hot glue (to make it waterproof), and the problem is that the layer of hot glue has too much friction.
So I guess I'll have to use a lubricant to reduce the friction, but not sure what to use.
Some of my teachers recommended some type of oil, like olive oil or butter.
Which one will work better - liquid oil or butter?
The syringe will have water in it so the butter would probably be in the solid state.
Would oil contaminate into the water? I'm really not sure what to use, please help!


texts: What should I look for when diagnosing electrical circuit gremlins where load is much less than capacity?

texts:
We have an electrical circuit with these loads (all on different outlets): 15W aquarium pump, 250W LCD television, 35W cable box, 13W GoogleTV box, and a 100W ceiling fan (plus an integrated 50W halogen bulb). I believe this is a standard 20A circuit. this is in Minnesota in North America, and at 110 VAC, we should easily be able to run up to 1600 watts (calculating for an inductive load, which is not the case).

All of these things have been running at the same time without any problems, for over 4 years - new construction.

However, for the past couple of weeks, the television's screen flickers off and on whenever I blip the ceiling fan's rotary dial - turn the fan's dial on and then off, and the screen goes dark for a second or two.

It doesn't appear to be a problem with the television itself (at least, none that the internet can help identify). All of these loads (but for the fan) are active for several hours a day.

I've tried disconnecting each of these devices in attempts to figure out what's causing this behavior. The only thing that seems to set this off is the 13W GoogleTV box. when this box is unplugged, the television won't flicker when the dial is blipped.

This doesn't make any sense at all. We should easily be able to run a peak load of 1600W, and with everything plugged in, we have somewhere in the region of 500W.

Is there anything else I should look for, or is it time to throw in the towel and call in an electrician? I can take care of reasonably DIY-able circuitry, wiring changes, etc.


texts: What type of hose should be used when flushing a water heater?

texts:
I know that a hot water heater should be flushed yearly to mitigate sediment buildup.

What kind of hose should be used? Is a simple garden hose sufficient, or will the hot water melt or damage the rubber? Are there heavy-duty or heat-resistant hoses for hot water?


texts:
I am about to install these valves (is this the right word?) to resume having water in the garden.

Once installed, these will be brass on brass. I'm concerned that I will not obtain a watertight seal.

Does brass, in this particular setting, provide water tightness, or is there some kind of sealing material I need to use?

I think the bleeder part (is this the right word?) is only needed when winterizing. There is nothing I need to do with it at springtime—other than ensuring it itself does not leak.


texts: Tightening wood posts in simpson ez bases?

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I bought several of these Simpzon ez bases for our roof. Due to the climate here, I need to check and maintain the bases and the wood periodically.

For this reason, I shaved of some of the wood so that the wood posts can be easily removed from the base. Some I removed too much wood and move around a bit, but not too much.

Since I'll be using wood screws to secure the post to the base, what screws can I use to secure the base and stop the wood post from moving inside the base?


texts: How to best reconfigure this plumbing for cabinet replacement

texts:
My wife and I are fixing up our current house so we can put it on the market.  We are replacing all the kitchen cabinets and the plumbing under the sink is right out of a Dr. Seuss book:

So, there are two 1/2 supply lines coming out of the floor.  The first tees go back in to the floor to supply a wet bar in the adjacent room.  I believe that the drain lines both take a left turn inside the wall and tie in with a larger pipe that goes through the slab and under the house.  The upper drain was for the dishwasher, the lower for a double sink with garbage disposal.

What is the most efficient plan that will undo this mess and allow easy installation of the new cabinet.  One thought I had was to simply cut the 1/2" and 3/8" lines as high above the slab as possible and then install shutoffs on the 1/2" lines. Or would it be better to simply cap them, install the cabinet and then do all the supply plumbing after?

For the drains, would it be best to abandon the separate dishwasher drain and just run it into the garbage disposal?  If we go with a single basin sink, and  the wye is practically inside the wall would it be better to cut it off add a straight coupling and a straight stub piece?  I will most likely need to remove/replace the drywall around the drains so I will have access to the drain piping in the wall.


texts: TV wall mount problem. (Studs too far apart)

texts: I bought a full motion wall mount to fix 49" tv to wall. Instructions for mount specify must be fixed to studs. Studs are too far apart where I want it to go. Is there a safe way to fix or should I start looking for another place to hang tv?


texts: Gas water heater burner flame goes orange as I turn temperature dial up

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I am a new homeowner and am attempting to light a gas-powered water heater. I am following the directions step by step and have been able to get the pilot light lit with the temperature on the lowest setting. On the lowest temperature setting the pilot light is a blue flame as expected.

However, as I turn the temperature up the flame gets bigger and turns bright orange. After a few seconds, I decided to turn off the flame as I had read an orange flame that could indicate problem. I am wondering if it is expected that the flame will turn orange as the temperature dial is increased or if there is a problem with my heater.

Thanks


texts: A bathroom occupancy sensor stopped working and I'm having trouble replacing it. Referring to the photo, the sensor is on the left and controls the same light as the switch on the right. Wiring is the same on both: two black wires and a ground. I tried a 3-pole sensor, capping the blue wire from the sensor, and it didn't work. I tried a single-pole sensor and it senses the motion (can hear the click) but doesn't turn the light on. Not sure what I'm missing but obviously have no idea what I'm doing wrong. What do I need to do to get a functioning occupancy sensor with this light switch configuration? (The middle switch is a separate bathroom fan that isn't meant to be connected to the sensor.)


texts: How to repair pierced refrigerant line in chest freezer?

texts:
My idiot friend was screwing brackets inside an ice cream freezer with self-tapping screws, and one of the screws pierced a copper line containing refrigerant. Apparently it made a crazy hissing sound and super cold gas came out of the hole. It happened outside and nobody was injured or anything, just shocked.

I figured since I know how to sweat a copper joint, I could fix the tiny hole in the copper line, and then get an HVAC tech to refill the lost refrigerant.

The plan is to cut the section of pipe with the hole in it, slip on a coupler, and solder the joint.

I know I have to be extra careful to not get anything inside the copper line, but aside from that, does this seem doable?

Also, which kind of solder should I use (60/40?), or should this be brazed?


texts: Securing furniture to prevent tipping due to earthquakes and babies

texts:
I'm a new resident in the Bay Area, and with small children in the house, I'm looking at our furniture with some unease.

What's the best and easiest way to secure and fasten tall bookshelves in case of natural disasters or baby-related mischief, in order to prevent tipping?

We rent, so we'd prefer non-screw based fasteners, but safety is first and most important. And are these 3M™ Dual Lock™ fasteners strong enough anyway to do the job?


texts: Replacement of plywood on open deck above garage

texts:
Water leak through vinyl and plywood on open deck, some locations already sunken due to rotten plywood underneath.

I would like to replace by MDO plywood (Crezon plywood) and then paint on top of the new plywood.

Can you suggest a type of sealant for the joints of each piece of 4' x 8' plywood?

Do you think this is the most economical way of replacing the deck material?

Our ambient temperature is between 30 degree to minus 10 degree Celsius.


texts: Have a three prong outlet schematic that shows two hots and ground. The appliance has a three prong 40 plug. The appliance case has a separate ground terminal. Can I replace the outlet ground with a neutral wire and use that ground to ground the appliance at it's ground terminal?


texts: How can I modify this load bearing wall to allow for a French drain?

texts:
I have a basement wall made of block/poured concrete, but it's leaking. My plan is to install a French drain to take care of the leaks and prevent flooding.
To complicate matters, this wall isn't vertical, so I had to shore it up with a load bearing 2x6 stud wall when I rebuilt the floor system above. This new 2x6 wall was engineer approved as part of the floor renovation.
I'd like to replace this stud wall with some other sort of support so I can get rid of it permanently, then dig the drain system to take care of the leaks.
Here is a picture showing an overview of the room. This is a closeup of the the wall, top plate and joists:

Note: question updated to include information buried in the comments, so some comments may not make sense anymore.


texts: Why does faucet work one day and not the next?

texts:
This American Standard faucet worked yesterday. But today, water barely trickles from it.
I can rotate it just fine and when I rotate it shut, the trickle stops. My gut feeling is that it catches in one rotation direction but not the other. Water from the adjacent sink flows fine.

Questions

Why would what seems to be a perfectly good faucet no longer work?
I've removed the bolt from the center but nothing comes loose. How do I disassemble it?
Any suggestion on how to get water flowing again?


texts: Easy way to remove tile concrete from bathroom wall?

texts:
Are there an easy to to remove tile concrete from the wall?

Are there e.g. some way to get it off in whole pieces so cleaning up afterwards will be easier?

Here is a picture of the wall in question. The tile concrete is about 2cm thick.


texts: Paint left on electrical wires in switches and outlets?

texts: I recently replaced all my outlets in my apartment. Several of them have what looks like splotches of spray paint on the wires. Is this hazardous? And if so, what can be done about it?


texts: Water pressure calculation from overhead tank

texts: My overhead tank is at 12m height. From there a 50mm diameter pipe is running down and up to 50m horizontally and then raising from there to 6m to 3 bathrooms (no shower) and 3 wash basins. Is this height sufficient to supply water and how would I calculate the water pressure?


texts:
I have a house that has a loft. The loft has a flap at the highest point that has a turbine cut in the roof deck. On hot days the turbine will spin sometimes very fast as hot air escapes.

My question is two fold:

should I leave that flap open during the day, even if I am going to use A/C part of the time?
or should I leave it open only until the first time the house has filled with cool air then close it?

The logic of #1 is that the A/C will push cold air in and the hot air will be forced up and out, lessening the work the condenser will have to do. But 2 makes me think that once the structure has cool air in it, leaving the flap open might just invite the condenser to suck hot air in through the turbine.

So looking for optimal strategy: close, leave open until cool then close, always open.


texts: My whirlpool side by side is not cold or making ice I have tried to reset the filer and it didn't fix the problem?


texts: Attic ladder for tight space, little clearance

texts:
Overview

Cozy (small!) wartime house ca. 1942. The cover to the attic is showing signs of wear, replacing the cover with a maple hatch would be easy. Who wants easy, though?

Problem

There isn't a lot of clearance for stairs. The following image illustrates the dimensions in context:

The red lines show that a space-limiting beam extends down to the same height as the top of the door frames. The beam restricts the amount of space available for a ladder. The short blue line shows the distance between the beam and the edge of the attic entrance--this is a straight measurement flush with the ceiling.

The long blue line shows the distance between the bottom of the beam and the hinge-side edge of the attic hatch. Pythagoras suggests that the beam's height is 15.5" and the angle (from the would-be hatch's hinge-side to beam bottom) is 28.7 degrees.

Hot Water Tank

Speaking of degrees... There's a stainless steel hot water tank in the attic that, presumably, will need to come down some year. This implies that the installation must be reasonably easy to remove or not significantly reduce the miserly 26" of clearance.

Question

What types of attic ladders--or other built-in solutions--would accommodate such a cramped space (e.g., scissor attic ladders)?


texts:
How quickly should a PRV return to set pressure after water use?

Background: I have a new PRV set to 55 psi.  When I open a faucet the pressure drops to 40ish while the faucet is open, then when the faucet is closed it takes several minutes for the pressure to build back up to 55.  Is this normal?

According to irrigation district, the input runs between 100-200 psi.  I have verified that there are no leaks in the system.  PRV is a Watts LF 25AUB Z3


texts:
I'm remodeling a kitchen.  I need to junction 14 guage wires for a lighting circuit that are near impossible to get to or re-route.  Is it permissible to junction 14 guage wires in the same box with a 12 guage dining room receptacle? Just to be clear, i wont be co-mingling 12 and 14 wires on the same circuit, im only junctioning them in the same box.
Also, I know the rules about how many wires can be in a certain box. I was thinking about using 4S metal box with a mud-ring to ensure I have plenty of space.


texts:
I have a wooden stair tread glued down to a ply wood stair frame. The miter cut on the step was just not done right, it would take too much caulk and  I've decided to replace it.

I thought the poor miter cut would be OK before gluing, but now that I'm at it, I'd rather just redo the cut, it's the only step I messed up so I'm OK with it.

Fortunately, there is no riser above the step yet.

How would would go about removing this glued down tread ?


texts: Does the listed gauge on a crimp cap take into account that two wires would go in the same end?

texts: What size of crimp cap be used for 16 AWG wire? I could use butt splice of size 22-18 AWG but prefer crimp cap connector where both wires go in the same end (so double the diameter). Should I buy Crimp Cap 16/14 Gauge or Crimp Cap 12/10 Gauge. Does the listed gauge take into account that two wires would go in the same end?


texts: How damaging can a 3 meter (10 feet) long drain hose be for the washing machine pump and microorganism growth?

texts:
I have two washing machines and they are placed one next to each other (this is the only way I can position them due to the space).

The first one is connected to the drain pipe under the sink normally with it's default hose and it's length (which I think is 1.5 meters or 5 feet), but the other one is placed a bit further so I needed an extension besides the default integrated hose (which like I mentioned is I think 1.5 meters), the smallest drain hose I found was yet another 1.5 meter one, so when connected it totals a bit more than 3 meters long hose (including the connecting adapter) and I was wondering how bad can this be for the washing machine, or more specifically for its pump or microorganism growth inside.

Is there anything I need to take care for or any other tips besides just finding a less lengthy hose? For a shorter hose, I think it can be found in a 1 meter variant (3.3 feet), but for that I will need to order that and maybe wait for a month to come.

Edit:

Forgot to mention that due to the length, the hose curves and this is how it all looks:


texts: How to calculate length of roof sides when distance across is known? a2 +b2 = c2?

texts:
I am building an A-frame PVC greenhouse. I plan to make the pitch 45 degrees for each side. I have a 10 foot gap across from each side of the wall.

How do I calculator the exact length of each half of the roof? I know there's Pythagoras Theorem (a2 +b2 = c2) but I am unsure how to apply it because I only know "A" and the 45 degree Angle, but not "B" or "C".

Thanks for any help!!


texts:
I need to make good round 3 inches hole in the wooden cabinet (see blue circle) to pass feed and load wires to a subpanel I'll put outside the cabinet.

What's the best way to make that hole? My carpenter planned to just hammer it with nail to create rough hole but it is not pure hard wood and I'm afraid the impact may make the cabinet misaligned. Is there a better way? Can I drill around the circle circumference with a small metal or concrete drill bit? What do you do?


texts: How long should a heat pump last before needing repairs?

texts:
We have a Goodman heatpump Model: SSZ140601 Model Desc.: 14 SEER HP, 5 TON Mfg Date: 6/3/2010

First of all, we did not register the unit so that cut our warranty in half.  Two weeks ago, our compressor motor went out and we had it replaced.  Now, our air handler motor (not sure if I am saying that right) went out.

I thought heat pumps were suppose to last 12 to 15 years.  I am very disappointed in this system.

Is this normal?


texts:
^^^ UPDATED PHOTO ^^^

I recently purchased a mobile home and have changed out the vanities in the bathrooms.

In the master the drain line was to low and had to extending the sink drain to hit that line, which was easy.  But now the second bath the drain line is HIGHER than the P-trap.

Hopefully not busting into the wall to drop that line.

How do I fix this ?

Thanks in advance for any help.


texts:
I have a two-gang outlet box in an upstairs bathroom. I am thinking of replacing it with a three-gang box so I can add an extra switch.
I am trying to avoid wire nuts and thought it would be much cleaner to have three bars in the back: hot, neutral, and ground.
Alas, I do not live in the UK where such connectors appear to exist. The only thing I have in Oregon seems to be a grounding bar.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-1-in-Ground-Bar-Kit/3364860

This seems like it would work for my needs.
I am concerned about using this for the hot wires, as the grounding-bar is not insulated.
Also, I am not sure how safe these are for a plastic box. Metal three-gangs seem to be rare.

Questions:

Can I use a grounding bar in place of a wire nut for the hot wires provided I do not put any neutrals or grounds on it?
Is there a connector that connects a lot of wires in a secure and orderly fashion.
Can busses be affixed to a plastic box?
I would like to avoid wire nuts.

Thanks,
Johnpaul


texts: New circuit and towel warmers for two bathrooms

texts:
I am planning to add a new dedicated circuit (15A) for two hard wired towel warmers in two bathrooms, each towel warmer is 150w.
See image for my thoughts.
For the first bathroom:

run the new circuit to the 1st bathroom to a blank face GFCI.
from the blank face GFCI load side to a timer switch.
from the timer switch to the hard wired towel warmer.

For the second bathroom, can I use the same circuit ?

Run the circuit from the load side of blank face GFCI to the second bathroom.
connect to switch and hard wired towel warmer.

Please confirm code compliance and how the wiring should run to the second bathroom.
House build year is 1994.
I am in Ontario, Canada.
Thanks.

I added a second plan here based on feedback from Ed in the comments.


texts: Subfloor or partition walls first in a cottage attic?

texts:
Its time for me to think about the internals of an attic in a traditional British one and a half storey cottage.
Picture of 1st floor inside cottage

Note this is just spare bits of timber sarking as a temporary floor. The floor will be 22mm T&G chipboard.
Looking at various videos online I am not sure what is the best / correct way to go about it.
So, do I put my chipboard flooring on first, then the studwork frames?
Is it ok for the studwork partitions to be screwed onto the chipboard flooring, or do they need to be directly fixed to the joists?
Here is a diagram of my thinking, two ways

Any other suggestions or advice welcome!


texts: Could someone please tell me what kind of support is needed to hang a 500 pound porch bed swing?  The 500 pounds also includes the weight of people on the swing.


texts: How do I replace a non-standard sized AC closet door?

texts:
We inherited this AC closet setup from the previous owner of the house we bought.
The HVAC unit is framed in so that it's pulling the return air from the vent below. Combustible air for the furnace is supplied from a duct coming from the attic - which means (I guess) that the slats venting this door are no longer necessary.

On the inside, they tried to seal off the door by installing a thin sheet of plywood across all these vents (didn't have room for a picture).
The closing mechanism is just a magnetic catch by the knob, like a cabinet.

The inside of the door frame measures ~30x66.5. I can't seem to find any doors this size on the websites of home improvement stores, which leads me to believe this is not a standard size and would have to be a custom job.

So - how do I replace this with a door that doesn't have these ugly, dust-collecting slats?

Has anyone done this before?


texts:
How do I use the green wire as a C wire as suggested in most installation instructions for the newer wi-fi thermostats?
 They all reference terminal strips at the furnace, all I have is the 3 wire nuts on a older Lennox ES5 series.
 Thank you.


texts: Why can I not adjust the cutting depth on this router?

texts:
I just bought a new router (DeWalt 618, changeable fixed/plunge base). It comes with the motor mounted on the fixed base, which is what I planned to use anyway. I opened the locking lever and tried to turn the dial to adjust the depth, but nothing budged. The instructions were no help: in fact, they just added to the puzzle. In this diagram from the manual, the depth adjustment ring is part of the fixed base:

However, in this photo, you can see that the depth adjustment ring on the actual router is part of the motor assembly:

Moreover, the depth adjustment ring is allegedly removable (e.g., if you're planning to attach the plunge base), but I cannot budge it.

Obviously, I don't really care whether the diagram is accurate; I just want to be able to use the router. Is there something I'm missing? Did I buy defective merchandise? What is going on here?


texts: Is there an easy way to strip twin and earth cable?

texts:
It seems whatever method I use I sometimes damage the wire and have to hope I have enough cable to have a 2nd try.

Is there a method that works 100% of the time for someone that is not doing it every day?

A possible duplicate has been pointed out, however it talks about 12/10 guage "Romex" rather then the normal 2.5mm twin and earth we have in the UK.


texts: Is it okay to use brass inserts in a plastic reverse osmosis pipe?

texts:
I've learned that letting metal contact reverse osmosis filtered water is generally a bad idea as it corrodes the metals and leaches them into the clean water supply.

However, I'm having a hard time finding a fully plastic 1/4-in compression fitting (1/4-in female to 1/4-in male) to connect my RO line to my refrigerator.  Should I be concerned about the copper insert that will be in contact with the RO-filtered water?  Will it affect the integrity of the connection and/or the water quality?


texts: Can 2 10/2 be combined to use as a 10/3?

texts: I'm trying to run wire to my shed 30 feet from house. I thought it would be nice to have two circuits, one for lights and one for heavier current applications.  So I ran two 10/2 18inches deep in PVC... and now I read I can't run two cables to the shed. ugh! It's buried. Is it possible to leave it and electrician can configure the two 10/2 into the equivalent of a 10/3? Or do I have to dig this trench again and put in a single 10/3?


texts:
I reviewed this question and answer and there's probably similarities to this question,  but wasn't sure what kind of setup I have.  So I'm hoping I don't get flagged as duplicate.

We've got two gas heaters in the garage, but I don't really understand which one it is - parallel or series (from the first linked question).  We have a 3 people in a single-story 4/3 house and I'd like to shut off one of them to conserve energy - if it actually would and if it is recommended.

Given this configuration, can/should I shut down one (which one) of the water heaters which probably isn't needed?
Thanks.


texts: Downstream GFCI protection vs NEC code requirements

texts: If I have an outlet, which by code needs to be "GFCI protected", and that outlet is downstream from a GCFI outlet, is it in lines with the code requirements, or does the outlet itself need to be a GFCI outlet?


texts: What is suitable method for controlling lighting based on pause/play?

texts: I am in the process of turning my basement into a Home Theater. I have seen some people with home theaters where when they pause a movie it dims the lights up and I would love to use this feature. What is a suitable method to achieve this effect?