texts: How to fix toilet jets clogged with chlorine tablet chunks

texts: The flush on my toilet is weak.  It went from strong to weak overnight.  It flushes fine if I dump in extra water.  I watched and the flapper does stay open until the reservoir is adequately empty.  I researched and determined the jets must be clogged.  This model toilet does not have a large jet at the bottom, but it does have large jets under the lip at the front of the bowl.  I used a mirror and I can see the blockage.  It's a crumbled chlorine tablet that made it past the flapper.  I used a hanger, but can't pin the pieces well enough to crush them.  I assume it will continue to dissolve and someday eventually come out in a flush.  Any ideas on how to make it dissolve faster?


texts:
After closing a gap in my kitchen using expansion foam I got residue left on my cupboard.

I have tried rinsing it off with water and mineral turpentine but no luck!

I'm hesitant scraping it off with a blade since it will damage with cupboard.

What substance / chemical can get rid of it?

Product in question:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/sika-850ml-sika-boom-expanding-foam_p1210302


texts:
we got this house recently. i was working on paint and finishing our basement bathroom.. trying to remove the baseboard trim surrounding the the bathroom shower, i noticed that it came out suspiciously easily. poking around i found the drywall around the shower wall to be of a wet/damp cardboard consistency, and was punctured by your basic nail removal tool.

in anycase i was able to rip apart around 1 feet high "drywall" from the floor with my bare hands. what i discovered was even more "scandalous" (?).

the entire "bulb" portion of the tub is hovering on a crater. the drain pipes and the vent pipes resting on soil are naked and clearly visible from the 1 feet high hole, above the bathroom floor in the drywall i created. infact 2 of the four rounded edges of the tub are floating in air.

is this normal/correct. if not, how do i fix this?

Edit:
Added images showing the full views, and the view of the left-hand side of the tub.

The tub part of the tub is hovering in air. And it looks like they dug the basement concrete floor to do the plumbing and never filled it back up.


texts:
Our house is full of termite infected. We drilled and put holes on each wall and put the termite solution which the seller guarantee for 5 years. Later constructed a modular kitchen in wood which was totally eaten by termite.

what actions should be taken to stop termite on old buildings ?
is destroying and constructing a new building is the only option?

currently we are changing the doors and others to plastic and pvc doors

any good and workable solution is helpful

Thanks.


texts: I live in an 100 year old house in Michigan.  I have suspicions that the flashing around my chimney is leaking as the plaster in the ceiling directly below the chimney & roof point is getting soft and the paint is peeling.  I intend on doing it the right way and replacing the flashing and/or ensure the seal is in good shape.  The problem is that its winter and I cannot safely get up onto the roof to do that.  Are there products that I could apply from the attic to help block the water from coming in until I can fix this the proper way?


texts: Small alcoves in exterior walls for utilities access?

texts: I am in Oaxaca, Mexico at the moment and almost every building seems to have these – photos from Google Street View. Am I correct that they are to give the fire department access to gas and electricity lines without going into the building? How would one correctly refer to them in English?


texts: Replacing Ceiling Fan/Light with light only wiring mystery

texts:
My daughter in law called because she had tried to replace an ugly ceiling fan and light fixture with a light only fixture and whenever she threw the wall switch it tripped the breaker. I thought it would be easy to figure out but not so.

The old fixture (which she had already removed) was controlled by two light switches and a variable speed fan control. The light switches are at each end of the room - so a three way circuit is in place and the fan control is boxed in a two gang with one of the toggle light switches.

The ceiling fixture has a black, red, white and ground. The red is always hot regardless of how the switches or fan control are set. I even removed the fan rheostat completely and capped off the wires in the wall. Red was still hot regardless of the toggle switch positions. The black wire is hot when the wall switches are on. The white is never hot. When I wire a simple light load across the black and white wires, turn on the wall switch, the black is no longer hot and the light doesn't work.

I can't understand how this could ever have worked. There seems to be no connection between the fan control on the wall and the ceiling fixture. Why does hooking up the light between black and white kill the power entirely. Nothing seems to switch off the red!! Arrggh. Any ideas anyone? Any other tests I can run on the setup which may throw light on what is happening?


texts: Light fixture is out is identical to the above photo, a hanging halogen light fixture.  The previous owner told us to rotate the fixture by about 20 degrees and it should lower.  I rotated the fixture but it didn't work - I'm worried that I damaged the fixture as it's now sitting slightly lower than before.


texts:
A few weeks ago a small branch became stuck in the telephone and cable wires leading to our house. I hoped it would blow out, but the latest snow storm has put it in it's current position.

Is this a concern? Could it mess up our electricity or anything? If so should the power company take care of it since it's before the meter? This is in Ohio if that matters.


texts: How can I save my gunite pool that is in danger of cracking with freeze guard disabled by power outage?

texts: We're in Texas and have 5 degree temps this week with rolling blackouts. Our swimming pool is full year round to keep it from being burped out of the ground. We have a freeze guard installed but with the blackouts, the power is off for hours and ice is forming. I've read that if you float wood in the pool, it will act like an expansion joint & the ice will burp it out if it freezes. I don't have any logs but I do have 2x4's. Will putting these in the pool work?


texts: Water base , oil baed or shellac primer on old plaster wall

texts: I would like to use latex paint to on old plaster walls in a 1800's house. Some of the walls had to be patched with new plaster where the old plaster was removed down to the lathe. There appears they have been coated with calcimine before being wallpapered I searched the internet on which primer to use before latex and now I'm totally confused. Should I use oil, water based, shellac or Zinser Guardz?


texts: How do I set up a battery backup for an outdoor sump pump

texts:
I saw a post from 2016 asking this question with two options
A water tight container for the battery backup
Or an internal ups for it
It’s 2020 and I’m curious if there’s anything better now.
My pump is ~80’ from our house so the backup would need to be outside.
I have a generator that I’ve successfully used but if we’re not home or on vacation.


texts: building a home from ground up. money is not an issue. electrical wiring

texts: I am installing all new electrical wiring in an all new home. I would like to know whether it is better to run my lighting circuits with 14/2 wire from the panel to the switch then 14/2 wire to the lighting fixture or should I run 14/2 wire from the panel to the lighting fixture then use 14/3 wire from the fixture to the switch?


texts:
I am looking to frame in a room in our unfinished basement.  In the picture, I'm standing in the area that I want to finish, and I want to put a door in that approximate location to allow egress to the unfinished part.  The stairs in the background go to outside.
Trouble is, the bottom of that beam is 79.5 inches above the floor. I really want to be able to put an 80" door in there, for code reasons and for convenience.
I am thinking that I may need to frame against the ceiling right beside that beam instead of under it.  Are there any issues with this?  I don't want to cut down a door myself, but are there any other options?


texts: What side mounting screws for old electrical box

texts: I'm trying to mount a ceiling fan on an older electrical box... I need to buy some longer screws so it will fit, does anyone know what the standard size screw would be for the ones in the corner ? Please se image .


texts: Why does my new floodlight trip the circuit breaker?

texts:
I am swapping out an existing floodlight for this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07873SR5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The existing light works fine. The new light works as long as it is NOT screwed into the electrical box. If it is touching the electrical box when the light comes on, the circuit breaker will trip (accompanied by a complementary popping noise and some sparks).

Some background information: My house was built in the 50s. I'm not aware of any outlets that are truly grounded. The power to the floodlight is controlled by a switch in my kitchen. Conduit runs from the wall just outside the switch to a carport fluorescent light and then out to the floodlight.

At the electrical box for the floodlight, there is a red wire (hot) and a white wire (neutral). The floodlight has three wires: black (hot), white (neutral), green (ground). I connect the two hot wires (red to black), the two neutral wires (white to white), and leave the green ground wire unconnected and capped. Again, it works perfectly when the wires are connected but the light is not screwed into the electrical box.

Any testing I have done with an analog voltmeter seems to be correct. When the power is on: red(hot) to white (neutral) reads ~110V. Red(hot) to the electrical box reads ~110V. White(neutral) to the electrical box doesn't register a reading. With the power off, there is no reading.

I originally assumed something was wrong upstream. I have verified everything is I would expect behind the kitchen switch (same testing procedure as above). I haven't pulled the fluorescent light fixture yet to check its electrical box, but the wiring at the fixture looks okay (nothing exposed).

I'm left wondering if something is wrong inside the new light, lol. That seems unlikely, but I guess it is possible. Hopefully, I've explained this well enough. I'm sure it's obvious I am no expert with electricity.


texts: Mold in grout or just stained by mold...is retiling needed?

texts:
At my parent's place there's a small bathroom with a shower but the bathroom doesn't have windows (there is a ventilation fan).

I've noticed that in the grout, and some of the caulking around the fixtures, there's basically black mold. I tried to use cleaners and a sponge to scrub it of but there is only so much I can remove. The grout is never white and there are traces of black in most of the grout.

So, is the grout just stained or is there still live mold in the grout? How do I remove it? Do I need to remove everything and retile?


texts:
I have several 4-ft x 4"x4" pieces of wood, and I need to shave off a few millimeters of wood.

Can I use an angle grinder for this? It doesn't have to be perfect, and I would only be shaving the millimeters from a 8-inch section of the 4-ft post.


texts: How much weight can I hang from a drywall ceiling?

texts:
I have a potted plant (approx 5kg/10lbs) that I wish to hang from a drywall ceiling of a window aisle.

Unfortunately, I have no idea about what specific kind of drywall plate it is or how it was attached; at any rate there is only a fixed place that I can hang the plant from so that it doesn't prevent me from opening window.

I have previously attached shelves and all kinds of things to drywall WALLS, no problem, and also reading here I mostly found about attaching/hanging things to/from walls, too, but I am a bit concerned about how much would a drywall plate be able to hold something hanging straight down from it.

My current idea is to use a metallic threaded anchor like this:

but maybe I need several anchors just to make sure weight is distributed, or maybe I should use a different kind of screw/attachment?

THe aisle in question:


texts: Opportunity to relocated HVAC system from attic to basement

texts:
Our >10-year old HVAC system (heat pump and 3-ton air handler) need to be replaced. The heat pump is need of new parts, but we were advised given the age of the entire system that it would be more sensible to replace rather than try to fix the heat pump (cost comparison we were quoted was $3500 for replacement parts and $8500 for system replacement). I'm cautiously looking at this as an opportunity to relocate the HVAC system into a roomier more conditioned part of the home.
Our current system is somewhat typical, we have an exterior heat pump located in front of the garage (which is connected to the unfinished basement), and the air handler located in the unvented attic which is under-insulated with about 4-inches of blown insulation on the floor. Ductwork is in good condition although will most likely need to be replaced in ~10 years. The attic has a low ceiling, I'm under 6'0" and have to bow 90-degrees to move at all, and I would prefer to use the attic for storage space (OR allow the opportunity to cathedral-ize the ceiling if we or another homeowner had an opportunity and want to do that), right now it is only useful as an incubator in the winter and oven in the summer.
The basement, although unfinished and not sealed on the exterior, is a larger space and kept at a reasonable temperature throughout most of the year. The only problem is that it requires a dehumidifier to keep it dry constantly because our home sits on a negative slope and the basement wasn't sealed on the exterior when it was built in 1962 (an interior perimeter drain and sump pump have been added on since construction).
I understand that relocating the HVAC system from the attic to the basement is an expensive project and will not likely be done for this current replacement project. I'm thinking it would be more feasible when the system is replaced again along with the ductwork but I want to know if this is one of those things I need to let go.
EDIT: The house is a single-story in Zone 3 (just touching Zone 4). We plan on either moving the outlets from the ceiling to either the floor (horizontal) or vertically to lower side of the walls


texts: How to attach short bottom plate for door frame to concrete floor?

texts:
I'm framing out my basement, which I've done once before in an old house. I use the treated wood (green board?) for the bottom plate, raise up the frames, get everything level, and use cut nails to attach into the concrete.

But for framing out doors, where I want to have the door close to the beginning of the wall, I need to somehow put multiple nails through a 5 or 6 inch piece of green board, and I don't have any room with the king studs and jack studs, to do it after I build the frame, but I don't want to toenail, either, makes keeping it plumb difficult.

More importantly, when I tried this once already, I split the green board. Should I just attach the frame real well to the perpendicular wall and not worry about it? Should I liquid nails the bottom plate to the concrete? Both?


texts: What's this thing (air gap?) in my hotel's bathroom?

texts:
I found this thing in my hotel bathroom, above the sink; looks like an air gap of some sort, but for what purpose?

Also, if I were to make an air gap with "discrete" components at least I'd make the top pipe go a bit lower into the "cone", to avoid risking throwing too much water around. Why is it made like this?


texts: I am trying to replace a single switch lamp socket to a 3 way switch but I am having trouble getting to the wires on the original socket. The terminals where the wires are attached are not visible and there are no visible screws. Is there a way to get to the wires on the socket in the attached pictures?


texts: How can I tell hot from neutral on the power cord of an evaporative cooler?

texts:
I have an Essick 4700 CFM cooler, where the power cord was cut and had a custom 3-prong attached, to trim the cable length. I detached the prong when winterizing, not realizing that this cable doesn't use the standard white/black color-coding for hot/neutral (they're both wrapped in beige, though the ground wire is colored green underneath). How can I ensure I don't wire this backwards when re-connecting the 3-prong plug?
Inside the control box, the live wires appear to connect to "COM", and "A", and the latter appears to be part of the "FAN" grouping. (The "COM" also has a second wire protruding from the same port, which travels to the fan motor.)


texts: Can I use a 60A circuit for both a cooktop and oven?

texts: I removed an  electric slide-in range. The box was wired with 8-3 stranded copper on a 60a circuit breaker.  I am installing a cooktop with a built-in oven. All I have is the one 8-3 wire in the wall. What are my chances of  using that wire for both the cooktop and oven? Cooktop is a 40 amp unit.  Not sure of the oven. Edit.. oven is a 30amp appliance.  Neither will be used even close to their full potential.


texts:
A little while ago I had a contractor doing building and decoration work.  As part of the decoration, they managed to apply the wrong colour wood stain to door frames, doors and skirting boards.  There are 4 doors and about 20 meters (66 feet) of skirting board. They messed up a few things beyond that as well - and the contractor was fired without getting paid for the work.
I can't afford (money nor time/effort) to replace all the frames, doors and skirting boards, so have to get them to the right colour in some other way.   The wood was stained with very "transparent natural pine wood stain" (as written on the can) instead of using a more opaque version of natural oak.  I would be happy with a darker oak as well.
All of the material is pine. Obviously, I can't simply stain over the existing stain. The very first option is to sand the existing stain down to the natural wood.  This would be quite a bit of work, considering all uneven shaped panels on the doors and curves on skirting boards.
I have considered using a solvent-based paint and then applying wood grain effect (that is something like this product, but it's discontinued).  There are some third-party "wood grain effect rollers or rubbers", but reviews aren't very positive.
The other options is Woodsheen - but I can't find any information on what "suitable preparation" of the surface means.  Do I need to sand the existing stain?
Any other ideas how to re-colour the doors/frames/skirting?


texts: Unable to remove push-pull stopper from tub drain

texts:
I need to remove our push pull style drain stopper in our bathtub so I can get the snake the drain. I've looked at several videos of all seemingly different style lift and turn stoppers, and none have helped.

Here are the best pictures I managed to get: https://imgur.com/a/xSqYB8g

Some info about the stopper:

There is no screw under the cap/knob.
There is a ball bearing on the post/rod that depresses when pushed shut (spring-loaded?).
The cylinder holding the rod has a flat side, but is inside the drain itself. The ball bearing doesn't act differently when turned to this part of the cylinder.
The cap looks like it's screwed onto the rod, but the opening is barely large enough to get needle nose pliers in. I have some small vice grips, but the nose is too get a good grip on the center rod.
The cap + stem rotates when turned, whether popped up or down
I think the drain/tub assembly are from Danze, but a lot of the other drains in this house are Kholer, but I couldn't find any useful information regarding this style stopper from them.

Any suggestions? Short of dissembling the pipes or ripping it out with a crowbar, I'm kind of out of ideas.

For what it's worth, the stopper in this question is likely the same, but the accepted solution was to use a plastic drain stick, which I've already tried: How do I remove a push-pull tub drain stopper?
. Also, it doesn't actually answer the question: how do you remove this stopper?

Top of the stopper

Inside of the stopper (note: ball bearing, no set screw)

EDIT: I never managed to get the stopper out. I think to remove it, I would have to take @Programmer66's suggestion to go in from the access panel in the hallway and open up the drain pipe to remove it from there.

Since my plastic drain stick was coming up clean, but was long enough to reach the end of the drain itself, I figured the clog was further down than that. I removed the cap on the overflow drain and used a 15-foot drain snake to remove a hair clog deeper in the pipes.


texts: Why are LED bulbs in a cooker hood flashing when I put in the fourth bulb?

texts: I replaced 4 bulbs on a cooker hood with LED bulbs. Three will work ok till I put in the fourth; then they flicker once when turned on but will not stay on.


texts:
Out of no where, starting today, my Siemens AFCI breaker tripped. It trips immediately every time I attempt to reset it. Nothing has changed in my house. I turned off all light switches and unplugged everything on the circuit yet it still trips. The breaker is probably about 8 years old (when the house was completely rewired by the previous homeowner). Are these breakers known to fail or become overly sensitive as they age? What's the life expectancy of these breakers? Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks in advance.

**Update

I'm at a lost...I bought a new AFCI breaker (expensive) but before swapping it out, I confirmed that the issue still exists. Also, before swapping it out, I swapped the two circuits since the bedrooms are split between two 15amp AFCI breakers (1 that keeps tripping and the other remains closed; no issue). When I powered back up the house, the breaker stays closed (unlike the other breaker). When I went back up stair to turn a light on to test, the breaker would trip immediately (this happened two more times/resets). This is where it gets weird, after the third time, the breaker stopped tripping. Any thoughts?


texts: Welding (MMA): what wire and wall socket should be used?

texts:
Right now I am planning an electrical conduits and wall socket that is going to be used with a welding inverter, and encountered the following problem:

Let's assume inverter maximum consumption is 5 kVA, which is 21.7A at best (assuming cos(phi)==1) at 230V (which we have here in Russia).
Inverters of such power uses a standard Schuko plug.
Wall socket for this is designed for 16A maximum.

These three points taken together sounds like a contradiction for me. Here is my thoughts on that: ok, let's assume a quality wall socket is more or less safe to use at 20-25A (actually I am not sure on how valid this assumption is, please let me know). Then, if I use 4 mm^2 copper wires, that should solve my problem. But, it seems that wall sockets designed for 16A current takes only 2.5mm^2 wires :(

Also I cannot cut a manufacturer's plug off inverter and use something designed for 32A, as this voids my warranty.


texts: Tankless water heater dims lights, interrupts the internet and caused static on the radio

texts: I recently replaced my Rheem RTE13kw tankless water heater with the newer version of the same heater(RTEX13KW).  The new water heater causes a group of wall lights that are all on the same switch to dim...no other lights in the house are affected.  While the water heater is running the internet will not work at all, and the radio will have a lot of static.  The old water heater never had these issues.  The lights dim the worst when the water is on low and when only the #1 heating element is on. With the water on high the lights seem fine, but the internet still doesn't work.  I have run all the diagnostics on the heater that Rheem provides in the troubleshooting guide and I have found no issues with the water heater.  If there is anybody that can give me some ideas it would be very helpful.


texts: Heater fan causes fluorescent light to dim/flicker

texts:
While we were cleaning out a friend's garage I turned on a heater fan. I didn't take a good look at it but it has a digital display, thermostat, and I'm pretty sure it's a wire element type. It started getting dark while we were cleaning and my friend was moving something around and told me to turn off the heater so that the light would get brighter. I turned it off and the fluorescent light in the ceiling got way brighter and stopped flickering.

I haven't had a chance to look at the breaker box yet, but from what she describes to me, it sounds pretty bad. She says that if you turn too much stuff on in the house, the breaker trips. I'm assuming that the whole house is only on a few circuit breakers.

My question is, why would the heater fan cause the fluorescent light to flicker and dim, and can I expect this same behavior from incandescent or LED bulbs (non-dimmable)? Is this indicative of improper wiring in the house, or just too much going through a single breaker, or is it maybe something with the (probably) shaded-pole fan inside the heater causing noise in the grid?


texts: Wire a 30A/15A/30A fuse box to a 4 wire 120V/240V oven

texts:
This is for a Canadian Oven being installed in Canada.

Used oven came with this box.

The manual is not available.

The incoming line from both oven and junction are Red/White/Black/Ground.

I understand that the 120V needs the neutral to balance it for the clock/timer but am unsure how.

Control board.
To the left of the white connector it reads 120V

Light switch.
asr 2178-179
203863-1020
10A1/2HP 120VAC

Broil/Bake selector.

Tempature dial.

Interior back.

I am not against using a volt meter but not sure what I would be testing with it.


texts: Where should I install the water softener?

texts:
We are planning on installing  a water softener.  The main water source is located outside, about 20 feet from the backyard.  The water heater is located in the garage.  We are wondering if we have to install the water softener next to the water heater in the garage or if we can install it outside by the main source.  The reason we are asking is because it would take significant work to install it next to the water heater.  What would be wise to do in terms of installation and preservation of the water softener?

Jessica


texts: How do you wire a 250 volt plug when you need 240 volt power for a hot water heater

texts: I have a 50 breaker/ plug in a temporary RV power source. The hot water heater I have needs 240 volt. How do I connect the wires on the 50 amp plug so that it runs the 240 volt needed for the hot water heater


texts: What kind of metal is safe for DIY BBQ repair?

texts: The flame deflectors in the propane BBQ are rusted to bits. They sit an inch or two above the flames. For making new ones, I know to not use any galvanized or painted sheet metal.  What kind of sheet metal would not be a potential health issue?


texts: Old mobile home wiring, outlets stopped working

texts:
Yesterday 3 of my outlets stopped working.

Earlier this winter 2 got burnt and I haven't replaced them yet, but they're on the other side of the house.

The 3 that stopped working are all around each other.

One showed hot/ground reverse and had nothing plugged into it (near the kitchen).

One showed open neutral but has 1 extension cord and a surge protector to my saltwater tank, but nothing got wet or anything and it didn't do anything open neutral (by the front door).

The other had my computer and printer plugged into it and also showed open neutral (in-between the other two).

Nothing is plugged into them and I know digital plug in meters suck. I'm not sure what do and I'm kind of panicing because I don't have the money to call an electrician.

please help, my mobile home was done in 94 its a double wide.


texts:
I have a 4-wire 240VAC 50amp outlet in my garage. I want to create an 50+' extension cord to my welding cart that has a 220-240vac Welder, 220-240vac plasma, and I'd also like to have a 120VAC service outlet to run a grinder or chop saw. Only one device of any type would be used at one time. I was thinking of putting a row of metal boxes on the back of my cart with the one plug 'in' and then the three 'outs' to short cords on the cart.
Can this be done and what is the wiring look like? Thx


texts: Tool to help precision drill 4 holes in a wall?

texts:
I need to hang up a mirror and two hangers for cloth. All of them have 4 holes each, so I fear I can't mark and drill the holes exactly in the correct places...
So I was wondering if there exist a tool to help with this? I have found a post where someone mentions a "leveler with a slider in the middle", but no mention of what it was called. Searching for "drill guide" also comes up empty in regards to walls.
The mirror is particular tricky as it is 0.5 meter x 1.5 meter, so it is quite heavy.
Question
Does anyone know of a tool that can help one make 4 holes in a brick wall exactly in their correct places?
And if such tool exist, can it support different drill sizes?


texts: Is replacing a natural gas cap with a quick-connect valve a task exclusively for a professional?

texts:
Is there a specialized wrench that I should use on this cap to the natural gas line? I'd like to install a quick connect valve for a barbecue hose

More importantly, at the local big box store, the attendant (even though selling the parts) frowned when I suggested I'd be doing the install myself. Is this task really so tricky and/or so risky that an amateur should not attempt it?


texts: Water barely comes out of my kitchen tap, then stops

texts: When I turn on the water faucet in the kitchen sink, the water barely comes out then stops. If I wait about an hour, it does same thing again. If I turn the faucet on in the upstairs bathroom, no water comes out. I have city water. It does sound like there is air in the lines. You can hear it like when the water is turned off then comes back on.


texts: How can I prevent interior French Drain from further eroding soil under garage slab?

texts:
I have a home with a block wall foundation and adjacent garage (built on a slab) on the left side facing the house. The house sits on a grade with right side to left side drop of  3/4" to 1" per foot. In November of 2015, we had our crawl space encapsulated and installed an interior french drain (perforated corrugated pipe laid on gravel wrapped in landscape fabric with a sump pump).

The drain works great in bringing water down the front and back walls due to the natural slope, but we are having issues bringing it from the back of the house to the front on the garage side where the sump pump is located.  Four months after it was installed, we discovered water was standing against the block wall foundation in the middle of the wall adjacent to the slab.

The encapsulation company surmised the original trench running along that wall did not have enough drop so they re-dug it. Both times they "eye balled" the slope rather than using any type of measuring device.

In the past year, the garage slab has cracked, dry wall cracks have appeared in multiple places in the garage, and the garage entry to house (which is built on the slab) noticeably dropped. All this seems to suggest the drain is affecting the garage slab (the home is 34 years old and the soil is not expansive).

Since 90% of the water entering the crawl space travels down the back wall,  I suggested replacing the corrugated pipe running from the back wall to the front (sump location) with a solid PVC pipe, which will prevent water loss and facilitate achieving a consistent drop. My theory is that water is flowing out of the corrugated drain wherever there are low spots (since trench was "eye balled") and that water is compromising either the block or slab foundation.  The encapsulation company agreed, but wants to put a 20 mil barrier between the drain and foundation which will extend to the bottom of the drain. They also want to leave the corrugated drainage pipe in place to assist in absorbing water and directing it to the sump pump (the solid pipe would be installed over the corrugated pipe). I am going to pay them to do this, but they are doing it for their cost. Does this sound like a reasonable solution?  If not, what would you suggest? Any insight you can provide will be appreciated.  Thanks!


texts: Would putting a sprinkler on my roof help cool my home?

texts: Anyone ever put a sprinkler on your roof to help out your A/C on unusually hot days? Just wondering if it helps.


texts: Weird wiring configuration, neutral is live

texts:
I'm trying to install a wemo dimmable smart switch to replace a regular switch. The original wiring pictured below is unlike the other 8 switches I replaced in my home. It looks like it's hooked up to two switches next to each other. One of the switches does nothing. The other controls the lights and dimms them.

When I remove the extra switch from the equation and just have the white wire and the red wire hooked up to a regular switch with the black wire unattached the switch still works like it should. This tells me that the white wire is live? I tested it with an mtool and it does buzz. When I insert the smart switch white to white, red to red, black to black and green to metal frame does nothing. However, I can rearrange the wires where regardless of if the switch thinks it's on or off the lights remain on.
So the questions are:

Is the black wire neutral? If not, what is it?
Could the switch be defective or is this wiring conducive with an always on possibility?
Is there a wiring configuration that would actually work?


texts: How long does paint have to dry before I can tape over it?

texts: I have painted the trim with semi-gloss latex paint. How long does it need to dry before I can mask it with blue painter's tape?


texts: I have a 3-bulb fixture on a 3yo dimmer.  It seems -- and this is really impossible to prove -- that the buzzing/singing of the dimmed bulbs has gotten worse over time.  It doesn't really make sense to me that the circuitry would get worse over time though I suppose the heat dissipated by the power components could make them operate more poorly.  Before I replace the dimmer just to see if a new one makes the bulbs sing less, I thought I'd ask if any one could support or refute the idea that old dimmers make bulbs noisier.


texts: Keeping a shed warm in winter and cool in summer

texts:
I live in the UK, with damp cold winters and modestly hot summers. I have a 2.4Mx2.4M (8ftx8ft) shed that I use as a woodworking workshop. I'd like to make it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. I think there are some challenges in achieving this while avoiding condensation in the winter, unless I put permanent heating in there like I have in my home. Is this correct?

For cooling in summer I was thinking of fitting an extractor fan on one of the gable ends and a filtered intake on the opposite gable, to allow fresh air to flow in and hot air to flow out. Will this totally ruin my ability to keep the shed warm and dry in winter? I guess I could fit a shutter onto each and seal them up when it's colder.

For heating in the winter I was thinking of fitting a moisture barrier on the inside and then a layer of mineral wool insulation, maybe with a sheet of plywood over the top. I'm no expert though, and I worry this might just result in the mositure being trapped between the barrier and the wood and subsequent damp/rot will come creeping in.

In summary I don't really know what I'm doing and would appreciate any advice.


texts: I need to change the slope of my gutters. What do I need to know for this?

texts:
My questions are at the bottom of the post

Here is the picture that shows what I am trying to do

The gutters are attached to the

My questions:
-in order to correct the slope would it be enough just to reposition the same screws into new holes just above or belot the existing ones?
-the corners are made like in the picture below. I am affraid that while moving the joint gutters I might crack the sealing, what do I need to do to fix it properly ?
Here is a related post that might also help you what I am trying to do How can I close and seal an abandoned downspout opening?


texts: Drilling a hole from both sides of the wall

texts:
I need to drill a through hole in a brick wall. Is there a method to start from both sides of the wall and meet in the wall?

I wish to do this because:

The wall is slightly thicker than the length of my drill bit. (Of course I could just go and by a longer bit.)
I want to avoid the "exit wound" effect.


texts: I recently moved into a new apartment and I have a dog that roams the space freely, I was wondering if it was at all dangerous if he were to touch this grounding conductor from the electricity meters?


texts: Why isn't the water on my second story getting as hot as I'd like?

texts:
I purchased a new whirlpool water heater about 2 months ago. I have a
two story house, their seems to be a good hot water to the first floor faucets
but it seems like it takes a long time for the hot water to get to the second
floor, then it doesn't get hot enough. What could be my problem?


texts: Alternative to tongue and groove adhesive for hardwood floor

texts:
I'm installing an engineered hardwood product in my office, 5" Shaw Epic hardwood. It is tongue and groove, but not a click-lock type. For a floating installation, the tongues and grooves need to be glued together. There's a 20-second video of the installation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkn_qtL8snw.

I have a bit of a time crunch (I want the floor in before the carpet guys come in a few days) and I'm not sure I can get ahold of any proper tongue and groove adhesive in time. The folks at local hardware stores I've asked look at me funny and say they haven't seen non-click-lock hardwood in 5 or 10 years.

Can I use regular wood glue for this, instead of tongue and groove adhesive? If not, is there another easy-to-obtain alternative?

It will be installed on foam underlay over OSB over dimpled foundation membrane over concrete in my basement, if that matters.


texts: Old AC and Gas Boiler wiring for new thermostat

texts:
I need help connecting a new 'C' wire for a Honeywell RTH6500WF thermostat.

As you can see the heating is an old boilder with a simple pump to circulate the hot water to the baseboard radiators.

The A/C has 3 connectors to it.

This is the circuit board in the Blower

This is the current thermostat

I know I need to run a new wire for the additional wire but WHERE do I terminate the 'C' wire to on the thermostat?  on the C terminal inside the A/C blower?

That wire runs to the compressor outside and then to the Y terminal of my current thermostat.  Do I just need a new transformer? and how would I create the circuit on that.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.


texts: How can I repair severly water-damaged interior wall plaster or sheetrock?

texts:
A water issue with a rain gutter has caused damage to my interior wall:

How should I repair the damage in the process of preparing the wall for new wallpaper?


texts: Adding additional outlet - max wires and box size?

texts:
I am attempting to add an additional outlet higher up in a wall for a wall mounted TV. There is an outlet below where I've mounted that I planned to run power from up to the location by the TV.

When I opened the existing outlet, I found there are already 3 sets of wires running into the box (so 3 white, 3 black, + grounds). All the tutorials/questions I've found have one, maybe two sets coming into the box

I don't know why there are so many wires in this box, or where they all go - The outlet is on the same circuit as a bathroom on the other side of the wall, which has a GFI outlet in it, then there is another outlet down the wall from this one that I think is connected.

There is an additional space on the existing outlet to attach an additional set of wires (it has two push in and two screw spots on each side)

I've got a couple of questions

1 - Is it ok to just attach my new black/white to the existing outlet on the open spots and pigtail the grounds?

2 - If not, how should I connect the new line? If I'm supposed to pigtail everything, I'm not sure how best to do that unless I need to connect 5 blacks and 5 whites (three existing coming into the box, plus 1 additional into box, plus 1 from pigtail to the outlet

3 - I read somewhere else here about box size, from what I'd seen it looks like with the new line in the box it'll be too full, so I'd need to replace the box... It's a new work attached to the stud box, just a single outlet. I don't want to double up the outlets, are there bigger old work boxes for a single outlet?

4 - I can live without the outlet at the bottom, so if it's too much hassle can I just pig tail all the blacks/whites/grounds inside this box and put a plate on it?

Pic of existing outlet:

existing box: (three in the back were existing, yellow is the one I added)


texts: Is there a easy way to procure muriatic acid to "faux antique" a mirror?

texts: I've read that the best way to "antique" a mirror is to use hydrochloric/muriatic acid to burn away some of the metallic backing. According to different sources it can be found easily at hardware stores, but I've had no luck near me and employees look at me like I'm crazy. What products use this strong an acid? I tried CLR, but it wasn't really strong enough. Any ideas?


texts: Why do two of three bulbs burn out in my light fixtures?

texts: I have two inexpensive 3 bulb light fixtures in my bathroom. The same bulb (on the end) kept burning out in each fixture. When we finally quit replacing it, the middle bulbs in each fixture eventually burned out. Now one end bulb in each fixture is, and had been working fine. Is it due to internal wiring of the fixture? Seems logical to me but I'm having a problem finding anyone to agree lol


texts: How many amps can this breakers box provide?

texts:
I bought a house from the early 80s and I'm trying to figure out how much amps I can use safely, if it is possible to add air conditioning on the current electric system, and in general if the current situation is safe.

There is one main panel (first picture) and a "kind of panel" in the garage (second picture).

From what I understand, the left thing is the main switch and is rated 80 Amps.

Does that means that this is the maximum that can be used at the same time?

I assume the two residual current device on the right are protecting the light and power point breakers with the green labels, but since all the green label breakers adds to 80 Amps, where does the extra 80 amps of the 3 red label breakers (garage 32A, stove 32A, solar HWS 16A) come from?

Does it means I'm pulling 160 Amps from a 80 Amps main switch? (if that's the case, is it safe?).

Here I think there is a residual current device for 40A and 3 fuses. I assume those are connected to the Garage breaker in the main panel (which is 32A, not 40. Is this safe too?)

What I'd like to know is:

First, is this setup safe?
How much amps can I pull from each power point (this is an issue since there are only 2 of them in most rooms, and I suspect they are both wired together since they are always next to each other)
On the garage "panel", the marking says 8A for lights and 16A for each power point, but the installed fuses lists the opposite; should I switch them?
We are looking into adding Air Conditioning, and the installer recommends installing 7 split systems, each of them requiring its own breaker (5 need 10A, 2 need 20A). That's 90 extra amps. Can this be added into this installation? and if it cannot what would be the best option?

Not sure if it helps, but we are in Australia (240V, 50Hz).


texts: What is the recommended way of attaching ledgers to Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)?

texts:
It appears that our house's exterior walls were built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Some of the plans for our new house involve adding ledgers to these walls in some various ways:

exterior for a front porch
exterior for a roof for said porch
interior for a loft in the bedroom

I'm not clear as to how one needs to attach a ledger to such a structure. Are there clear methods for this? Particular fasteners? I'm not having much luck with googling this (perhaps because "SIP" isn't a term that's always used for this type of construction?)


texts:
So our building has 3, 3 Phase 200A 120/208 I-T-E Indoor Load Centers, each on their own meter.  Originally the building was built for 3 suites, 3 tenants.  We have the entire building, so we have all 3 interior panels.

One of those panels (Panel B) has a 50A double-pole circuit leading to a 60A switch which has two 50A fuses.  That circuit powers a 19" Rack Mount Leviton DS-8 Lighting dimmer with 2400W per channel and 8 channels running on 208V as required.

The project at hand is to move this setup to one of the other panels (Panel A), relocating the entire lighting dimmer pack altogether, and capping off the previous setup.

PROBLEM: Panel A is full, but I found that one of the 30A double pole breakers is switched off, and in fact disconnected from anything.  So, we have open real estate in Panel A.

But, we need more, so I'm thinking sub-panel, approximately 36 feet from main panel A.

Question 1:  Is this a viable plan?

Remove the 30A breakers and replace them with 100A breakers.  If I'm not mistaken, and I haven't tested it yet, we would be sending 208V to the sub-panel, not 240V.
Feed two hot leads, one ground, and one neutral through 1 1/4" conduit to a surface mount 125A sub-panel from the 100A breakers in panel A.
Ensure ground and neutral are isolated from each other in sub-panel.
Install two 50A breakers to feed the 60A fused switch with 50A Fuses.
Mount the 60A switch next to the sub-panel and connect it to the lighting dimmer.
Install one or more 120V 20A breakers for server / sound equipment needs in sub-panel, etc.

Question2:  There will be 4 wires feeding the sub-panel.  What are the minimum gauges that would need to be run for a 36' distance at 100A, 208V?

Thanks for your insight.


texts: Does a thermocouple need to be screwed in to work?

texts:
I'm recently having trouble with a water heater. The pilot light with ignite just fine, but will go out after releasing the reset button, even after holding it for over a minute. That makes me think the thermocouple is bad.

In addition to that, the hole where the brass nut that holds the thermocouple in place is stripped out. I cannot get the nut into the hole. I tried holding the thermocouple in place with my hands and also with strands of duct tape and the pilot would still not stay lit.

But would the pilot stay lit if the bolt were not in place, or does the bolt serve a purpose other than securing the thermocouple that allows it to function?


texts: Do I need to be legally qualified to install a Hive smart thermostat?

texts:
As a competent DIY'er, am I legally allowed to install Hive myself?

The reason for the question is I have been asked to provide a cert as I'm selling the house.

If not, can someone point me in the direction of where it legally states I can.


texts: Septic tank treatments ok for dry wells?

texts:
We have a property where as best we can tell they ran the kitchen sink drain into a dry well buried in the ground. We have plans to re do this into the septic system but in the mean time, can I use septic tank treatment like ridx in this think to help break down some solids?

I'm certain it's just greywater with probably food scraps.


texts:
The lead boot around the waste vent has worn away. I have no idea how it happened, but I need to fix it. I was thinking of just buying another boot, cutting the bottom off, cutting the top of the existing boot off, and sliding the new boot over the old one.

I that a good way to fix it? If so, should I affix the new bolt to the old one somehow? If not, what is a better way to fix it?


texts:
We had new windows fitted in June 2019 and have since had to have a small side window repaired due to it cracking.

It has happened for a second time now and we are worrying that its a bigger problem, maybe with the house itself.

Has anyone any experience with windows that keep cracking or know what could be the reason for it?


texts: Why did my ceiling light fixture stop working after adding an outlet on the same circuit?

texts:
I recently added a receptacle for hanging my TV on the wall. To do it I fished a wire through the wall and attached wires to an existing receptacle that's at a lower level on the same wall.

This is a wall that separated two rooms so there is another receptacle on the opposite end. All white wires and a black wire were joined together, and there was a wire between the two receptacles.

After I added the new wires, the ceiling light fixture in both rooms is not working anymore. I can confirm the bulbs are good, and I also tested it with a line tester and made sure current is reaching the fixture (in the bulb receptor), but no light.

Any other ideas on things I could check?


texts: Wire and Conduit for line between house and outbuilding

texts: I need to run a line from my home to an outbuilding about 100 feet away, but 175 feet from panel to panel.  I have a deck and walkway between the home and outbuilding that I thought I would just run the line under in conduit rather than burying.  I am thinking of a 6-3 line with ground for a 50 amp service, perhaps a couple 1500 watt heaters, some lights and a few outlets.  Should I use cable or 4 single wires (all identical??) and do I need to run what I use in conduit in the garage attic and down an outside wall before going under the deck and walkway?  Also, what size conduit will I need to use?


texts: How can I make a sunken electrical outlet line up with an outlet cover?

texts:
I recently replaced drywall in my bathroom but made the mistake of not checking to see if the existing electrical outlet boxes lined up properly.  The result is that the electrical outlet box (and more importantly the receptacle itself) are sunken in about 1/4 inch and don't line up correctly with the outlet cover wall plate. At this point the drywall is already set so I can't (or more accurately, don't want to) tear down the drywall.

Is there some sort of product that I can safely use as a spacer to have the outlet stick out an extra amount of space from the electrical box?

I'll try to get a picture or two up soon...


texts:
This question is around the rules, regulations and safety of removing an asbestos pipe in the UK.  I'm trying to get a contractor to remove, what I believe to be (and has been confirmed) an asbestos pipe from the side of the house.  The pipe is a flue pipe for an old boiler (long since disconnected).
My question is around the regulations surrounding this: what should I expect the contractor to do as a precaution, will the house need to be vacated while the job is in progress; and, given that this pipe has been there for many years, would it actually be safer to leave it as is?


texts: If an AC guy checks a system and finds it 100% out of refrigerant, what is the correct next step?

texts:
I'm doing a sort of feasibility follow up regarding a visit from our neighborhood AC repair person. He checked our system and found it was completely out of refrigerant. He added 7.5 lbs.

I'll add more to this after I see some answers, but I wanted to know if he did the right thing or if he should have done more. I was out of refrigerant, so he filled it back up. Seems open and shut but...

I would love your thoughts.

Edit 1

Wow! I wasn't expecting this to get so much traffic. In any case, you guys did a great job answering my question. The full story is that, as I said, my AC stopped cooling, but the unit was running fine as far as I knew. I called our neighborhood guy that does a lot of jobs for our area and has good word of mouth feedback on NextDoor. He saw my freon was out and filled it back up. 7.5 lbs of freon. A month later, it stops cooling again. I have him come out and look and he says the freon is down to half. The unit itself is a 1999 unit so it really is about time to replace the thing. Over the past several years I had spend at least $600 annually on maintenance so this should pay for itself in a few years. I had 3 people in total review the unit and 2 of them identified an issue with the indoor unit (condenser coil or something...I don't know the exact terminology). It was only after all of this that I felt like the first guy should have done more investigating the prior month, especially with the freon being slap dry.

In the end I replaced an 8 SEER unit for a 14.5 SEER unit. I'm hoping that will save me a good bit on my electric bill. I'm looking into other ways I can save on that, but that's a question for another thread.

Thanks!


texts: How many studs do I need for ~60 lbs TV + soundbar

texts: With the TV mount bracket I have, I can get it in 3 studs. If I need 4 studs I will need a bigger TV mount. My TV is 56 pounds and my sound bar (attached to TV) is 5 pounds. So I'm wondering if 3 studs is enough or if I need 4.


texts:
Short version: I ran a new 2-strand wire from my thermostat to the furnace/air handler unit to provide spare wires since the existing 5 wires are used up and I need a C. Is hooking up the C wire as simple as just grabbing (and labeling, of course) one of the 2 new strands I ran, and hooking it to C at both ends?
Longer version:
My thermostat currently has 5 wires from one cable, none of which are attached to C. The tstat runs on batteries, but this is not great since they run out at odd times, maybe while we're gone. (That happened once even though the batteries were pretty fresh, and the house was awful -- and now the blower in the only 5-year-old Trane is burned out, so I wonder if the thing wasn't being ill treated by the thermo while the batteries were depleting.)

So, I've got R and Rc jumpered, White, Green, Yellow, and Y2 is using the blue. At the furnace, I've got all this below, but it's 6 strand, hooked to a bunch of other strands and runs up the lines:

The gray housed 5 wire comes in from the linkage of a water shutoff / floor flood switch and a condensate pump. (It must also be hooked into the AC unit outside because doesn't that need to run to common?)
I could not easily pull out and replace the existing 5 strand because it hooks a 90 degree angle somewhere inside the wall, so I ran an extra 18-2 from the thermostat to the furnace.
I'd like to hook up the current, battery powered tstat (which the specs say runs on power via common) so it doesn't need batteries. Eventually a fancier wifi one will go in so I can keep tabs on the place while we're gone.
Is hooking up the C wire as simple as just grabbing (and labeling, of course) one of the 2 new strands I ran, and hooking it to C at both ends?


texts: Buried hose through PVC to outdoor hose bibb

texts:
The big picture.
I'm looking to install an outdoor hose bibb in my driveway. At present, the way I get water to this location is by running a 50 ft length of hose from an outdoor hose bibb in the corner of my backyard down to my driveway. To reach the driveway the hose runs along the surface of my yard, then downhill next to a run of concrete steps, and finally across a perpendicular run of concrete steps where the remaining length of hose sits coiled in a corner of the asphalt. What I'm looking to do is to bury a water line under the yard and through the concrete steps. I will then install a second hose bibb in the driveway for connecting to this line.

Obstacle 1: backyard patio.
At present there is a grass lawn in my back yard but I intend to replace it with a dry-laid flagstone patio. The will involve replacing several inches of sod and topsoil with packed crushed stone and my intent is to install the water line in or below the gravel bed.

Buried pipe or buried hose? The simplest option I've seen is to direct bury a 25 ft length of garden hose. This article claims that I can bury a somewhat expensive Lifetime Hose and not even bother winterizing it. Has anyone had experience with this approach? (I live in Northern Virginia. The ground freezes. Not too deep but deeper than I care to bury a water line for this project.) Assuming this hose can withstand freezing water will it put up with burial in crushed stone? Or should I plan to bury it in a dirt channel just below the level I excavate to put in the gravel?

A more conventional approach is to install copper pipe above ground and PEX or PVC under ground. I would install a tee to facilitate blowing out the line in the fall. Any comment on the best materials and connectors to use?

Obstacle 2: concrete steps.
Drilling through the concrete steps sounds like a real PITA. But I have a hack that might work. On the backyard side of the steps there is a gutter downspout connected to a 4" PVC sewer pipe. This pipe has been embedded in the concrete steps and emerges on the other side (and a few feet lower) so that rainwater collected by this gutter flows out onto the driveway (and leaves a nice ice patch certain winter mornings). My idea is to fish a 3/4" garden hose (or PEX tubing) along the existing PVC pipe. The hose needs to go through the pipe near the downspout to connect up to the buried line.

How best to connect through the 4" PVC pipe? I think what I need here is a right angle bulkhead union fitting so I can connect a flexible hose/tube inside the PVC pipe to another hose/tube outside the pipe. Is this easy to find with PEX or garden hose connectors? Would you recommend an alternative approach?

Plan view showing path from the existing hose bibb to new hose bibb

Elevation view showing the embedded PVC drain pipe

Mockup of transition through embedded PVC drain pipe


texts: AC - frozen tubes, no air flowing when fan on and system off

texts:
Last night I realized my AC stopped working. I turned the thermostat to 74 degrees and by the time I woke up the house temperature was 80 degrees. My home has a single Carrier compressor (obviously outside). The air handler, evaporator coil and blower are upstairs in the attic.

I spent the day troubleshooting and figured out a few things:

The refrigerant-filled tubes that come out of the compressor unit and into the house had ice around them, but right outside the compressor case and right before entering the house (see 2 pictures below).
The condenser seems to be working OK as I can see some water on it (see picture).
On the thermostat, when the system is off and the fan is on no air comes out of the registers (is my blower broken?). Every 5 minutes the attic makes a loud noise for about 10 seconds, a motor noise. I could smell burnt in my bedroom for a few minutes as well.
Return vent filters were replaced 3 weeks ago.
I cannot open the evaporator coils as the casing seems to be "glued" somehow with sparkling (??) or some sort of tape (see picture with red arrows).
There is a tube coming out of the furnace in the attic with some green liquid spill around it. I'm assuming it's the refrigerant liquid. Is this normal or is there a leak going on?
After speaking to an AC repair guy over the phone, he thinks the blower is broken. That makes sense and would explain the loud noise (blower trying to work) + the "burnt" smell + the fact that there is no air coming out of the registers even when the fan is set to "On" on the thermostat.

Any thoughts will be much appreciated.


texts: The house I currently stay in has sunlight shining through from below at this point. I would like to know the flashing detail that a professional roofer might employ.


texts: I want to replace the trim kit in my shower without replacing the valve

texts: We have very outdated hardware in our shower that we want to change out.  The name stamped on the handle is Signature, which I believe is a Kohler product.  I want to change out the trim without changing any of the plumbing.  Do I need to buy a Kohler product or is there another brand that will work with the current pluming? The previous homeowner saved the installation guide which says the valve is Rite-Temp pressure balancing valve.


texts: How can I mount a one gang box to a pipe?

texts:
I would like to mount a single gang box to a pipe and stay code compliant. I have a 1-1/2" pipe (but that can be changed), and I would like to have an outlet on the side of the pipe for mounting a projector on the pipe and plugging it in right at the pipe instead of at the wall.

Or, even better, is there a product that I can mount to a pipe that has a box integrated into it?


texts:
this is my current dimmer setup

My understand is;  from the dimmer side to wall side, there is one black wire connected to black wire, there is one red wire connected to black wire, there is one red wire with cap and not connected, and there is a green wire connected to thick copper wire
The new dimmer has black, yellow, and green screws, with a second yellow screw covered for “3 way wiring” and can be setup as single pole or 3 way wiring
I have watched some videos and I am assuming the following:
The red wires are controlled by the switch.  There is one unused because there is only one switch.  This red wire should connect to one of my yellow screws on the new unit.
The black wire is the active electrical power.  This should connect to the black screw.
The green wire is the ground and should connect to green screw.
Is this correct?


texts: Why is the red ground light on, on my AVBar10 surge suppressor?

texts:
I have a Tripp Lite AVBar10 that shows two green LED on the outside ("protected" and "line OK") and a red LED in the middle ("ground").

I went to Lowes and got an outlet tester, and all the circuits checked out okay.
When testing the AVBAR10, it reads okay in all circuits on the strip.
I spoke with Tripp Lite and they sent me a replacement, but it reads the same.


texts: How to connect thermostat C wire to Weil-McLain CGa boiler?

texts:
I have Weil-McLain gas boiler for hot water heat and going to install WiFi thermostat that requires common 24V 'C' wire. I do have a free wire in the cable but cannot figure out where should I connect it on the boiler, there's no any terminal, marked as 'C', 'common' or similar.
The system includes hot water boiler and central AC. Currently I use thermostat with battaries that has 5 wires going in.


texts: What to use to funnel floor air vent in cabinent for proper air flow

texts: I ripped the "floor" of the kitchen cabinet out to reveal that all along, my vent was funneling air like this, an open hole.  The circular opening is about 6 inches across both ways. I need to funnel it into the air vent but don't know where to start. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm thinking something like this but it just seems like there has to be better angled things I could use?


texts: Sprayed foam sealant into window blind's headrail, immobilizing it. Blinds are also screwed directly into frame. How to remove (has picture)

texts:
Trying to seal window crevices, I accidentally sprayed into window blinds headrail whose top is exposed. The crevice is so narrow I couldn't see into the top of the headrail, so I forgot it was open.

It's already dried and I can't use my window blinds any more (pull cord is stuck). I can't easily cut out the sealant because there's no room to look inside the blind's head-rail.
Important Note The guys Home Depot sent to install these blinds (decade ago) installed it incorrectly I just discovered. They did not install any brackets to push the blind's headrail into. Instead, they screwed the headrail directly into the window frame. I was young and didn't think anything of it until this problem arisen. In order to unscrew it, I have to access the top of the headrail, covered in foam sealant. I can't get to all the foam sealant because the crevice is too narrow to reach.
The metallic blind head-rail needs to be cut right, to access the screw?


texts: Curious "open ground" when using testers in series

texts:
I added 2 new wall sockets starting from an existing wall socket. After wiring them up and connecting the power I plugged a GRT-500 into the two sockets - I happened to have two so I plugged one into the socket closest to the starter and the other at the end of the line.

The socket closest to the starter socket read "correct" but the last one read "open ground". I shut off the power, inspected the box and receptacle but found no problem. I checked all the boxes I had opened or worked with, again finding no problem.

After failing my last attempt, I removed the socket testers, and just happened to remove the socket tester closest to the starter socket first -- when I did this, the socket tester in the other wall socket switched to "correct"!

I then verified that each socket "individually" reads correct, but only when there is no other tester ahead of it... Is this normal?


texts: How can I install a vanity over this unfortunate plumbing?

texts:
I have recently removed a vanity from my bathroom and am facing an unfortunate plumbing footprint when trying to put a new vanity in place.

The cold water line runs right against a built in cabinet which I would like to keep in place and the drain for the sink is also the drain for the bathtub in the upstairs bathroom.  So the drain pipe actually comes out of the wall and then into the floor.

My question is will I be able to remove enough material from a new vanity to fit it in this space or will I compromise the structural integrity of the vanity I am trying to install.

The previous vanity that I removed was custom built to fit in the space, ie extra pieces of wood were attached to an old piece of furniture and a piece of marble was cut for the counter top.  Believe me it sounds nicer than it looked.

Here is an image of what I am dealing with.


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We live in a pretty old house that is brick and plaster all over the first floor where our AT&T Uverse wireless router is set up. Although we have fiber internet, we get very poor wifi speeds in our basement. I purchased these powerline adapter to overcome this issue.

However, our router is also on the floor that doesn't have any three-prong outlets, so I am using cheater plugs. (Note, I have tested the outlets with the cheaters on and I am getting a good ground.) My question is will I have issues if I plug my powerline adapter into a cheater plug? I have read that using power strips/surge protectors can result in adverse signal effects but I haven't found anything conclusive about cheater plugs.

Thank you.


texts: Sparks out out of my electrical metal flex conduit

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I recently moved a switch from the wall to the side of cabinet and running the wires with some flex conduit (12/3).

After everything was connected, I moved the cabinets in to place and in the act of doing so, I think the metal conduit flexed a bit and I saw sparks from the wall box with the utility plate and the 1/2 inch knock out.

At the time, the conduit fitting / lock thing into the box was like the one on the box on the side of the cabinet, the kind with 2 screws and plate that presses on the flex conduit.

My thinking was that I over tightened it and it caused the sparks.
When the sparks occurred, the breaker didn't flip, so I went and manually turned it off. I removed the plate and inspected the wires and saw burn marks.
I removed the damaged length of wire and re-installed, this time with a different fitting. (Which I think is now too big and can't be replaced)

Everything else looked good, all wire nuts, box contexts etc.

Did I do anything wrong, should I be OK if I don't over tightened the connector?
Is there currently any risk?


texts: Hot Water recirculation pump stuck when operating under water pressure

texts: The shaft of a hot water circulating pump (Wilo Star Z25/2) rotates freely when the pump is not under water pressure (i.e. when the isolation valves on the suction and discharge sides are closed). As soon as water pressure is applied, the pump's motor will not rotate any more.  Rotating the shaft through the plug with a screwdriver also become more difficult.  Why can this happen?  Can this problem be fixed?


texts: Brand new 3-way lamps not working correctly

texts:
Ok so I'm at my wits end on this...I've bought two different 3-way lamps this week. Both are not cycling correctly through the three brightness settings.

The first lamp was 'Better Homes' brand from Walmart. I bought the recommended bulbs. 'GE Reveal' 3 way A21 - 150watt max bulbs. Both had major issues. The first flickered very badly on the low setting. The second one seemed to work fine, but 10 minutes later I smelt a burning smell. I called GE and complained. I returned those bulbs, then bought a 'Sunbeam' brand bulb, same correct specifications. Worked correctly for 3 days, then started malfunctioning. The low setting didnt work, and medium and high settings were both on medium brightness. At this point, thinking it was the lamp, I returned it to Walmart.

So today I bought an 'Allen Roth' lamp from Lowes. Along with the recommended A23 - 100watt max, 'UtiliTech Pro' LED. They were out of the CFL version so I went with that choice. Guess what? Same problem, low setting doesn't work. Medium and high setting is medium brightness only. I tried the lamp out in multiple places in my home, both through the wall outlets and a surge protector.

Could it be the wiring in my house? I have no problems with flickering lights, nothing ever trips, etc. So I'm at a loss here..Thank you for any help.


texts: What should I do about putty that fell in the toilet opening?

texts:
When I was lifting off the old toilet a large chunk of plumbers putty/clay fell in the opening. (There was a huge amount under the toilet, and no wax that I could see.)

I tried using a vacuum to get it out and that just pushed it in deeper. I tried a "claw" extension grabber thingy, but it couldn't hold it.

Now it's deep enough I can barely see it.

What should I do?


texts: Can I cut a hole in the brick to install a through the wall air conditioner in a basement?

texts:
I am looking to install a through the wall air conditioner in the basement. I don't want to block the one window. There is already a window in the brick. I don't know if there is any kind of structural issue with cutting and framing in the air conditioner.

Here is the air conditioner sleeve. LG AXSVA1

Approximate location in red dashes.


texts: Correct piping for summer water supply outdoors?

texts:
I have a summer cottage, which is not used in winter, when the temperatures can drop to -20C (-4F) and lower.

Currently for water supply there is some existing  ~7-9m (29ft) driven well (I hope that's the correct term. I mean that there is some pipe driven into the ground, with a filter at the end of it), and some hoses which run to the pump inside kitchen and from pump to the kitchen sink.

The pump is a Calpeda CTM61 peripheral pump with turbine impeller, with a Hmin 5m thoroughput Qmax of 2,3m3/h

In autumn everything is disconnected end pump emptied so that frozen water in pipes doesn't break them.

I would like to move pump to a shed that's ~10m(30ft) away and make at least some of the piping permanent, so that I don't have to deal with hoses all the time.

To understand how I need to do it, so that it works OK, I have several questions:

1) Is diameter of pipes relevant for the pump when it sucks water from the well? I have a 1,5" diameter connectors at the well and at the pump, but I have a number of spare zinc-plated pipes that I could try use for connecting well to pump that are 1" in diameter only -- will it work with 1,5->1" adapters or must I get another pipe?

2) The same question related to the output of the pump. I would like to use piping, instead of existing flexible hose, and hope to have that piping remaining attached during winter, if I can set up pump so that the water can be drained from somewhere in the pipes.

3) What is essential for and how best to avoid air pockets for the pump intake?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can I utilize unused 30amp circuit for 20amp welder?

texts:
I have an unused 30amp circuit from an old dryer with 2x30amp breaker at panel and 10 gauge wire.
I read a similar question asked by someone here and very good explanation why not to use 15 or 20 amp outlets in 30amp circuit.
Can I remove the old dryer outlet and bring wires to a box to install a 20amp outlet, removing one 30amp breaker at the panel? I would use an extension cord for my 20amp welder or compressor, just one at a time. (With leaving safety note on how to use that outlet, while I own the property and if I’m selling then just remove outlet and close as jumper box!!)


texts: Remove broken drain in manufactured home

texts:
I have a drain for a bathtub that is stuck and broken. I was able to get it to turn, which seemed like a good thing, but looking in the drain, the fitting is turning as well. I tried using the flange to turn it, but it broke off.

I was going to try a chisel to pry the drain inward, but it moves enough that I'm afraid I will destroy the plumbing the drain is connected to. When I try to use pliers to pry the drain inward, the whole thing turns. If I can get it to bend, a piece breaks off.

It's broken to the point where I can't get more little pieces to break off, so I don't know where to go from here to remove it.


texts: With registers fully open I have unbalanced air flow upstairs vs downstairs

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Upstairs the airflow is OK
Downstairs I have 4 registers.
Three out of four have very weak air flow while the fourth one is blowing like hell

Is the problem in the furnace or in the air ducts?


texts: Issue with powering off an MK brand 32A MCB

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I have an MK consumer unit with the house ring main wired into a MK 5932s MCB ( https://www.mkelectric.com/en-gb/Products/CP/sentry/MCBsinglepole/MCBsinglepoletypeb/Pages/5932s.aspx )

Occasionally when switching the MCB into the off position the switch will move toward the off position but it seems to stop half way between the two. While in this state power is still flowing to the sockets.

If I give the MCB switch a hard push down and then push it fully up again I find that it does not always reset to the on position rather moves back inbetween the on and off positions.
This whole time the power remains on.

After some attempts it will reset correctly.

Initially I assumed it was a defect with the MCB but have confirmed that this isn't the case by switching the MCB over for a new one.

Any suggestions?


texts: Pros and Cons of opening wall between kitchen and dining room

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we have a wall between kitchen and dining room. We plan on making an opening about 5' x 3' in the wall.
Below the wall will be kitchen sink.
What are the pros and cons of making such opening ?


texts: How do I feed an ethernet cable through a doorway without damaging the door or wall?

texts:
My wife and I recently moved into a new apartment.  We've had it for just a few days.

When our internet company came to hook up our landline, I had them hook it into one of our bedrooms and set up my home office.

Now my wife wants to set up her home office.  She'd like an Ethernet cable connection off our internet router, but there isn't enough space for both of us in the one bedroom - so I'd like to feed the Ethernet cable into the adjoining bedroom.

Since we don't own the place, I want to feed this cable into the other room without causing permanent damage to the wall or door - if I need to keep my door open a small crack, that's fine, but if possible I'd like to keep it mostly shut sometimes.

How can I feed a connecting internet cable from the router in my office to the adjoining room so that my wife can have an Ethernet cable connection, while causing minimal permanent damage to the two doors and wall between the two rooms?

I'll try to upload a picture of the walls/doors later, but they essentially form a "Y" shape so that the two doors open out into the hallway of our apartment, with the bottom of the "Y" being the wall between them.  The walls themselves are wood, but it's fairly thick wall, and the doors are old wooden doors.  The flooring is hardwood.  I'll try and get a better picture of the framework for the door later today.


texts: What's involved in moving a support post?

texts:
We found this house that we really like, but it needs substantial renovation for our taste.  The thing that killed it for us was the crazy kitchen countertop that has been narrowed to make way for a walkway.  It seemed like there was no feasible way to work around this because of the placement of the support post.  (See below photo)

So, I'm wondering:  Is it feasible to relocate a support post? The ideal location functionally would be to push the  post to the right of the photo (towards the painting of the bear), so that it's instead along the half wall of the silly narrowed counter.

Would it be possible to move this post to the right and still support the beam it's presently holding up?  If so, what would be involved in moving the post and presumably adding some kind of additional (steel?) beam work along the ceiling as needed?

Here's the view from the other side:


texts:
I've installed a couple of transparent Palruf PVC sheets for a treehouse roof. I've gotten some small (several inch) holes in it that I'd like to patch up. I have some small pieces of Palruf left over that I was contemplating using to patch up the existing roof.

Any thoughts on adhesives or techniques for this, or better approaches? This is a treehouse, but I'd like to keep the rain from pouring in.


texts:
I'm trying to display 3 antique wooden doors that I've acquired but not sure the best way to display them. I definitely do not want to drill into the doors.
Optimally I'd just rest them on the floor if I could but each door has a 1" posts that sticks out on one corner which makes them lop-sided. Each door is maybe 20lb and I don't have enough studs in the area to mount all to studs.
I could maybe build a wood base to even out the bottom but then I'm worried the bottom would slide out on my hardwood floors.
Thoughts?
EDIT: Not functional as doors. I want them mounted/laying flat on drywall.

https://imgur.com/a/mboasdL


texts: Can a loadcenter main breaker be greater than the busbar ampacity?

texts:
Related to this question (Can a sub-panel have a larger main breaker than the feeder breaker in the main panel?) on having a larger "main" breaker in a subpanel than in the panel feeding it, my question is similar, but has to do with a subpanel "main" breaker larger than the busbar ampacity/panel rating.

In this case, I have a subpanel (no ground/neutral bond) with a 200A panel rating and a 200A breaker in the panel feeding it. Can I install a 225A "main" breaker in the subpanel to act as a shutoff switch for that subpanel or is that prohibited by code since its rating exceeds the rating for the downstream busbar?


texts: Why is there a live and a neutral in a wall connector?

texts: I get the ground. Since you can plug the plug in either way there is no way for the appliance to know what's in what wire, right?


texts: Is there any easy way to clear up paint 'dribbles'?

texts:
This weekend I finished painting the wall tiles in our kitchen - white undercoat then a satin Bordeaux top coat. The next day, I noticed that in one or two places I'd overloaded the roller, and there were unsightly paint runs/drips down a few tiles.

Is there any easy way (other than the obvious 'sand it down and start again') to get rid of them?

It's oil-based paint, if that makes a difference, so it's not completely set hard yet.


texts: when there isn't a ground wire , is it ok to ground to the neutral on a outlet?

texts:
When there isn't a ground wire, is it okay to ground to the neutral on a outlet
?  There is no ground wires to my outlets.


texts:
Where can I buy this plastic piece?

Here is another pic:

I need it to place it between these two metal rods so that the curtain will slide easier:

Now I don't need this exact same piece but something like it will do. Maybe someone can tell me what it's called or maybe what to look for to buy something that can serve the same purpose?
Thanks


texts: Can concrete screws or the holes be reused?

texts:
So we drilled into concrete to bolt down steel bases with several Titen 3/8" x 3" Titen heavy duty Screw Anchor.

I'll be replacing the base, so I will need to remove the screw, remove the base, and then re-bolt the new base to the concrete. I will probably use new screws, but can I reuse the hole? I would be using the same exact screw.


texts: Solar powered routers and security cameras

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I would like to put a web cam at the end of my driveway, but don't want to run any new wire (plus it is at least a hundred yards). I know that there are solar powered security cameras, but I don't have any experience with them and my wifi doesn't reliably reach that far.

I was thinking of getting a solar powered wifi router/repeater and connecting through that.

Does anybody have any experience doing this and if so what should I look out for?

Edit: I live in NC, and I can put the wifi router in a space that won't be in the shade until shortly before sundown.


texts: How to frame the side cantilever joist for deck?

texts:
As the below picture, is the rough blue print of the 12'6" x 12" deck for my new house.

Following the code, all joists(blank rectangular) are 2 x 8 16" OC, the blue rectangular is the beam, and gray rectangular is ledger board which already attached to house by builder. The yellow rectangular is the post for aluminum railing(only draw right side), the railing post size is 4 x 4 inch at the bottom(mount by bolt and blocking board, see figure 2).

Because I want to give more space for the deck and make the railing parallel with the house side wall, I need to make the right joist 2.5" (total 4" gap, 1.5" for board thickness) away the ledger board due to the ledger board is short, the other side of the joist can sit on the beam.

How to frame the right joist to make it strong enough for the railings?

railing post mount (figure 2)


texts:
I'm planning to buy a corded drill but after shopping I have some questions about features.  I'm not a contractor, just a DIY'er.  I'll be drilling holes from the smallest size to several inches in diameter and installing/removing fasteners - mostly in wood but would like the ability to drill concrete and thin metal.

What size chuck? I have no idea about this one
Keyless or keyed?  I've had problems with keyless - I can't seem to tighten the chuck enough by hand so was thinking keyed might be better.  Or would a chuck designed for hex-shaped bits be better?
Do I need to be concerned about power or any other features?  (I don't kneed an impact drill).


texts:
I just moved to China about a month ago to live with my relatives in an apartment complex on the 16th floor. Now, there has been a sulfur problem near their washing machine, and sometimes their bathroom too.

What happens is that randomly, the smell of sulfur starts spreading around the washing machine and eventually stinks up the whole apartment. The solution to getting rid of the sulfur has been doing laundry. Once we do a load of laundry, the smell of sulfur goes away.

This leads us to believe that there is some pre existing chemicals in the water pipes. And that everytime the upstairs apartment (17th floor) uses the water pipes, it somehow pushes the sulfur into the pipes near our laundry machine. (The people on the 17th floor moved in last month as well. Before they moved in, there was never a sulfur problem). Currently, the only way to rid of this smell is push the smell further down by washing clothes.

How can we fix this sulfur problem? Washing clothes is only a temporary solution, but sometimes the sulfur comes back immediately after the load of laundry is finished.

Any information about the causes or solution to this problem would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Our clothes are not washed with sulfur contaminated water. Honestly I have no idea what exactly is going on with this sulfur, because using the washing machine makes the smell go away, but the sulfur isn't actually in the water the machine uses.

EDIT 2 :
Keep in mind this is in China. This stuff looks bootleg. Here is a brief description followed by pictures. The laundry machine is in the corner of the bedroom. The washing machine has a small dark gray hose that outputs the water. Then there is a white tube sticking out of the ground that is the building sewage. All that we do right now is stick the gray hose into the white tube. We tried stuffing the tube with towels when we weren't washing anything, but the sulfur smell still got through.


texts: Open ground on all outlets, voltage meter beeping on metal boxes and MC cable

texts:
I'm installing a new switch and outlet in a previously renovated garage, and I noticed the following:

My Klein non-contact voltage tester beeps continuously on all of the metal boxes and surface-mounted MC cable.
The voltage tester beeps continuously when I touch it to parts of the wood framing (rafters) and even the door hinges.
All of the outlets are showing open ground using a three-light plug-in tester
When I use a pin-type voltage tester to check the wiring, HOT to GROUND shows nothing, HOT to BOX/MC CABLE shows nothing.  HOT to NEUTRAL shows 120V. Finally, BOX/MC CABLE to NEUTRAL shows nothing.

I've checked all of the boxes, outlets and switches in the garage, and the wiring is fine.

Any ideas for next steps?


texts: 240v/200v between hot and neutral,24-41v between hot and hot

texts:
yesterday our power went off. No break in the circuit board. One of the lights still works.

But let me explain the house. It's very small, probably 12x4m. Our bedroom is closest to the circuit board. The light works there. No Plugs in this room. Next room is the kitchen, one plug, one light, not coming on. Next room one plug one light, not coming on.

Testing one of the plugs in the rooms I get the following:

240v from black to ground ???
200v from red to ground ???
red to black alternates between 25 and 42v???

Very weird!

What could be the cause of this? Really need help, it's a public holiday, we stay in the middle of nowhere and everything is going to unfreeze soon.

Everything is unplugged at the moment.


texts: Ductless Mini Split System for Cooling, Heating, and Dehumidification

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I have a 22x24 foot building that I'd like to heat, cool, and dehumidify in East Texas.

I'm specifically interested in purchasing a ductless mini split system to achieve this, but I have the following requirements:

The system must have a dehumidification mode, where it focus less on
temperature and more on keeping the humidity to 40% or less.
The system should have a good energy efficiency rating for cooling
and heating.
The system must be able to remember its settings after a power
outage, so that it resumes those setting after power is regained.

I'm not looking load-calculation advise. Mainly, I'd appreciate any advise that could lead to meeting requirements 1 and 3 above.

I realize that brand and model recommendations are considered off-topic by the moderators here, but a 2017 example (meeting these requirements), would  be a great lead.


texts: What glue & screw/bolt/nut to use to fix the bathtub drain overflow?

texts:
I was cleaning the bath tub and I had unscrew a cap from the side of bath tub (where the hole is located) below:

The cap consists of 2 parts:Part A & B as below

When I removed part B, there was a screw at the part A to hold the part B.
Here are the layout diagrams:

Here is the top view of part A with screw

Lastly, based on my best guess & screw type/size here is the back of the part A with screw. Take note that the white part of the part A would be glued to the bath tub wall

However, by accident, I had pushed the screw into the inner part of bath tub.

Would there be any problem if I left the screw inside the bath tub?
The part A is held on the bath tub wall by a glue. What glue should I use to stick the part A on the hole? This is how I stick part A on the bath tub:

What screw, nut, bolt or other tool to hold part B to part A?

Any suggestion is welcomed! Let me know if you need more photos! Thank you.
EDITED
Further investigation reveals that there is a bath tub drain system installed in this bath tub, as seen in the image below:

This is the best I could do to get bath tub drain system out to the wall of bath tub, while waiting for a solution from you all on which glue to buy.

So only question remains now:
How to join part A, part B to the bath tub drain system behind of the bath tub?
What glue should I use to hold the bath tub drain system to the bath tub wall?
Thank you.


texts: will teak oil protect outdoor furniture from cracking?

texts:
I have some old adirondack chairs that I got at yard sales. I oiled them all with teak oil last summer. Now I'm reading that I didn't need to save that teak oil just preserves color, not integrity.
I would love to keep the chairs from spitting and cracking and generally ensure longevity, but I'm not particularly attached to the color. Anyway, these are all old chairs at this point.
can I stop using teak oil on my lawn chairs?
What should I use?


texts: I wonder what names are for all these tools in the picture? How are they used and what are they used for?


texts: Is this electrical junction in my attic up to code or reasonable?

texts:
I found this junction in my attic when doing some unrelated work. It was entirely wrapped in electrical tape before I took the photos. My assumption is that it’s not code since it’s not in a box, but how dangerous is this? They split the wire and spliced the hot and neutral, potentially soldered to then new line, but left the ground intact. I took it apart and put it in a box. Is it worth looking for other DIY electrical?

EDIT:  Found another one! It seems even worse. Unfortunately I can’t even tell what this powers. It runs to an area that is difficult to access. Should I just disconnect it and see what loses power? It strikes me as a poor choice of wire to power outlets, to say the least, but I don’t know what else it could be. It seems to be a cheap extension cord which was spliced.


texts: Where should I install a Pellet Stove to supplement my boiler?

texts:
We are purchasing a pellet stove insert for our single floor 1200 sq. ft. home.  We are doing this to reduce our dependency on oil (hot water boiler), which we use to heat the house with baseboard hot water rads.  The home has a basement with a fireplace and a fireplace upstairs in the living room.  Both fireplaces are at the one end of the house and the bedrooms at the opposite end.  My concern is that if we put the insert upstairs we might get to hot in the living room and the bedroom/bathroom will be very cool.

My wife's concern is if we put the insert into the basement that we would not get the heat upstairs even if we put vents in the floor for the heat to escape into the living room.

If we put the insert upstairs I would like to put insulated duct work in the attic and move the heat from the living room to the back bedrooms/bathroom.  Is this an effective option for moving warm air from one end of the house to the other?

What are the best options here?  Any HVAC engineers out there that can answer this?


texts: Changing out receptacle that is controlled by a light switch

texts:
Help Please! This is the first time I am attempting any electrical project. I changed out old receptacles with new ones in our master bedroom. I used Leviton standard outlets 15A-125V.

Question #1: How come some of the receptacles have 2 white, 2 black and one ground wire, while others have only 1 white and one black wire?

Question #2: The switch to the bedroom controls the ceiling light and the bottom plug of the outlet next to the bed. Now that the new outlet is installed, the switch no longer controls the bottom plug, Why? I wired it exactly like the old one. I did not do any work on the switch. Please help me understand!


texts:
There is one cable with exposed wires. A voltage tester does not detect anything. Another cable goes into a junction box for the doorbell transformer. The cable in the junction box also has no power.

How can I troubleshoot the two cables with no power? All the breakers in the circuit box are on. Do I need a remote continuity tester? Is that safe to use at the circuit box?

Edit: this is the cable running into the junction box. The other cable with exposed wire is not pictured.


texts: Electrician connected new water well to house panel, but confused about wire size in generator transfer switch?

texts:
Is my new, 278 ft water well, wired in safely? Electrician ran 100 ft of #6 wire from ( transfer switch out to well house control box ) & then ( 278 ft of 3 wire #12 going down csg to 1 1/2 hp pump ) 378 ft combined wire.

I checked the “Franklin Electric AIM” manual pages ( 14 & 15 ) and the calculations are shown to be acceptable @ .96 maximum allowable voltage drop to meet NEC recommendation of less than 1.0

My issue is that my “Reliance Transfer Switch )has #10 wire running from the 230 volt double pole breaker to the house panel box. So wire starts out at breaker as 4 ft of #10 wire, connected to 100 ft of #6 wire out to well house controll box, then 278 ft of # 12 ( 3 wire ) running down to pump.

The number 10 wire at transfer switch seems too small, but it comes factory wired this way, what do you guys think ?


texts: OK to forego vapor barrier under concrete slab if pressure-treated sill plate is used along with sill gasket?

texts:
Is it OK to forego installing a vapor barrier beneath a concrete slab (garden shed foundation) under the following set of circumstances?

there will never be any flooring material placed on the slab and  the only concern is the possibility of moisture damage to the sill  over time because the soil is frequently sodden and very slow to dry after a heavy rain

an EPDM sill gasket will be installed under "MCA" pressure-treated sill plate lumber


texts: Wiring for shop: 240V with light switch on same circuit?

texts:
See below for (attempt at) solution
I'm wiring up a shop I'm putting together and came up with a plan with my electrician but I'm a bit confused on how to execute it. Namely, I'm trying to put a 240V outlet with no neutral pathway on the same circuit as a lightswitch, if possible. I've drafted up the following incomplete wiring diagram for reference:
Some specific questions:

I'm using 2-wire flexible metal conduit. So when I wire up the two hots to the dual-pole breaker to power up the 240V socket, which has no neutral pathway, these wires are left floating in the wind. What am I supposed to do with them?

Ideally, I would like to power the shop lights on the same circuit as the 240V outlet. Can I use one of the hots coming off of the dual-pole breaker to power the lights? Maybe I can use those two neutrals here as well?

For obvious reasons, I'm under the assumption that I'm supposed to be getting 240V across the two poles of the 240V outlet. However, my application of Kirchhoff's laws to the circuit gives me 0V across the poles. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing?

I'm happy to clarify anything I've said.Thanks for the help!
Complete schematic based on Harper's answer:
Hope I'm interpreting correctly.


texts: How should I encapsulate a basement wall with chipping paint on a porous surface?

texts:
I have a basement wall with several layers of chipping paint.  I can't say officially, but I'm pretty certain the bottom layer (dark green in the photos) is lead-based, while the upper layers are not.

The other issues:

the wall is not uniform (concrete block on top of fieldstone)
we need to optimize for horizontal clearance -- we had to remove the old paneling in order to move anything large in and out of the basement

I recognize the dangers of paint removal, and with the porous concrete block, chemical stripping isn't a viable option.  At the end of the day, while I'm experienced at home renovation, I'm not a pro and I have a young child in the house.

Here was my plan for encapsulation:

Carefully wet-clean the surface
Use tack cloth / duct tape to pick up loose chips
Cover everything with Sherwin-Williams Loxon XP (masonry conditioner)
Paint over that with ChildGuard (encapsulant)

However, I found that the surface was in rougher shape than I hoped.  Paint hasn't been flaking off, but duct tape can pretty easily remove bits, even after several applications to the same patch.  And the fieldstone masonry basically turns into dust when you touch it.

So what do I do?  Is there any sort of skim coat that can bind to chipping paint?  Should I go the route of thin furring strips and paneling?  Honestly, I could care less how the wall looks, so long as I can put a coat of paint on it, I can get down into the basement, and I'm not putting my family at risk.

Photos:

The wall (upper):

The wall (lower):

Chipping paint:

Uneven wall:


texts: I have a few doorknobs in an old 1960s house we just moved into that have a loose/wiggling collar (rose?). I can remove the knob on the inside by pushing in the silver tab on the side and pulling the knob out, but I can't figure out how to tighten or even remove the collar. I'm assuming it has something to do with the small circular hole in the collar, but I can't figure out what to do with that. I've tried a hex screwdriver and just pushing a pin into that (with and without turning or pulling on the knob at the same time), but no luck. Help!


texts: How to remove block of concrete under old toilet

texts:
After removing a toilet, I have discovered that there is a block of concrete underneath, which needs to be removed before installing the new toilet.

What is the best way to get rid of it?
Would some sort of sculpting chisel and heavy hammer work?