Is using a non-GFCI circuit more risky now than before GFCI entered the electrical code? When using a non-GFCI grounded receptacle with a modern device (e.g. manufactured date 21st century) are the risks the same as they were in pre-GFCI era?

I can imagine some situations in which risk is higher, for example if manufacturers have learned to skimp on their devices because of the added safety of GFCI-code (not that this would make sense from a liability standpoint).

If I am content with the level of safety during my childhood, what benefits does a GFCI circuit offer? (Assume neither my local code nor insurance require the circuit to be updated to GFCI.  Neglect risks/burdens to others, such as emergency responders, or such as another user of the circuit.)

EDIT Sept 19 2017: This question is about to be closed for being too broad. Despite that possibility, and despite the cruft below, it has been answered as far as I am concerned. Still, I thought I'd add a follow up to help clarify my question so as to meet forum guidelines, then bug out. While one person noted more devices are including built in GFIs nowadays, no one noted manufactures were skimping based on the uptick in GFCIs.  Devices may be more 'cheaply made', whatever that means, but they are still listed and labeled.  As far as I know, no ordinary devices have manufacturer requirements stipulating plugging into a GFCI receptacle or a GFCI adapter.  Also, as far as I know, there are no regulations that require plugging a device into a GFCI when using the device around water.  I assume that to mean that the powers-that-be are content with the level of safety when using listed and labeled devices in non-GFCI receptacles.

Yes, because products are much more cheaply made today than before.

Also they are no longer grounded.

You should see some of the dreck on the market. Follow any of the Youtube videos where EE's do teardowns of consumer products.  It's appalling.

The reason not to rely on "past safety standards you were happy with" is the winner's bias: you're only happy with them because you got lucky.  The dice don't care. Dice have no memory.  Every day they roll again, and every day it's a new risk.  If Russian Roulette works twice, stop doing it!   Now if a $20 gadget increases your odds by like 95%, statistically that's a good play.

People's resistance to GFCI is often based on wild misestimates of cost.  For instance believing you need one per receptacle, at $20 each that adds up fast.   Incorrect, if you apply a little education, you can use them as intended and use one per circuit.


Toilet bowl overfills before flushing, then stays drained Toilet bowl is filling almost all the way up when flushed, then flushes fast and stays almost empty. I put dawn in it and poured hot water into it. I read to fill it up with hot water to the rim and then flush. Before pouring all the water in, it flushed on its own. I poured more hot water in and it did it again. All are fast flushes. The refill stage still leaves the bowl almost empty.

The flushing action appears to be working normally. A toilet flushes because the water level reaches the vertical level inside the covered portion of the bowl.

The refill portion is possibly because the tube that is inside the tank has become dislodged. Remove the cover and look for a small diameter tube, perhaps pencil diameter that now has a loose end. There will also be a larger diameter vertical tube to which this smaller tube attaches. The clip will be on either tube and they should be joined to allow the flow from the smaller tube to reach the bowl, completing the refill.

From https://www.handymanhowto.com/how-to-replace-a-toilet-fill-valve-part-4/


How should I investigate an electric feeling from an oven? Apologies if this is off topic. I couldn't quite work it out from the asking help.

I have an oven with a metal door. When the oven is switched on at the wall, I can feel an electric 'feeling' like vibration if I trail my finger across the door. When it's turned off, I can't feel anything.

I am not 100% sure that it's actually there, and not my imagination. How exactly would I find out if some current is leaking to the oven door? The oven is fully working and has no problems that I can see.

as electricity can kill or cause fires, you would be wisest to get an electrician or appliance service guy to have a look.


Why does washing machine not empty tub when finished, but instead start any program by emptying it? After any program, including if I just soak some clothes and run an 8 minute centrifuging at full speed 1400rpm, somehow the washing cycle does not empty the tub. I know this, because, the next time I start a program, whether a full wash or just centrifuging, within the first few seconds, it let's out quite some water, I would guess 0.2 - 0.5 liters.

Is this an error, or is this normal behavior?

I believe this machine is of high quality amongst consumer washing machines, though around 8 years old. It's a Miele Novotronic W 1513.

As an experiment, I tried putting the drain hose into the shower, so that it sloped down all the way. The hose leaves the machine at the very top of the machine. This did not make a difference.

The program probably empties the tub both before AND after a cycle. That way, if you terminate a cycle in the middle (e.g. power loss), and then start a new cycle, it will empty out any remaining water before it continues.

The few hundred ml of water that comes out at the beginning is probably because at the end all the water ran back down the pipe and pooled around the outlet, priming the pump and getting it ready for another blurp of pumping (technically speaking).


How do I restore this deck? I have a deck that faces south and gets hit by the sun pretty hard, pictures here:

Aside from replacing the whole thing, which I don't want to do, I'm wondering what would be a good way to repair it. I have lumber to replace out the railings and some of the really bad boards but would I be able to use an orbital sander on the other boards to get them smooth, then apply one of those thick deck restore paints that would fill the cracks and pits in the boards?

There are also a few spots where the boards have swelled up, leaving little to no gap between them. Someone suggested taking a circular saw, setting it to a depth that would not cut joists below, then run that between the boards to get a gap back in there for water to drain through. I'd have to take the railings off to complete the cuts but is that even advisable?

Before you start with a sander, I would try a power washer.  These can be rented from a big box store for a day or two. If you have several projects, consider purchase. You do need to be careful since the force of the water is strong enough to cause injury if mishandled. Also, do not try to powerwash very soft woods such as redwood or cedar.

It is amazing how much embedded grime and algae the washer can remove. If you still need sanding before refinishing, the amount of sanding will be greatly reduced. You also may find you can use a penetrating opaque or semi-opaque stain rather than the heavy coating type finish. Small chips or divots can be filled with exterior wood filler.

As to the swelled boards that eliminated drip joints, if this is only in a few places and there is no pooling water, this should not be a problem.  You do need to sand down any spots that have raised enough to be a trip hazard.


3 white wires and 1 black wire in ceiling fixture I recently moved into a home that had one of the light fixtures missing in the bedroom, I'm going to assume that it was a ceiling fan due to the bracket that was left behind. I'm trying to put up light fixture that has 1 white,1black and a ground wire. The wires in the ceiling have 3 white wires bundled together with a wire nut black wire with wire nut and the ground wire. How do I know which white wire to use and when I separate the white wires do they need to be wire nut  separately or can two white wires go together

The black wire is the hot wire, the white wires are neutral and ground is ground. You need to connect the black wire of your light fixture to the black ceiling wire, the white wire fixture to the 3 white wires, and the ground wire to the ground wire. You have to maintain the connection of the 3 existing white wires. You may need a larger wire nut to connect your fixture white wire to the existing 3 white wires. It may be better to use a jumper wire and 2 wire nuts to connect the 4 white wires together.


60V Hot to onward neutral I have an outlet with three sets of wires coming into it. One set is carrying the power (from an upstream outlet) and two others are connected to downstream outlets. I first disconnected all of the neutral wires. I then tested the voltage drop between the incoming hot and neutral (wires A and B in the image below) and got 120V. I tested the voltage drop between the incoming hot and the first downstream neutral (A and C in the image below) and got a voltage drop of 0 since there was no completed circuit. But when I tested the voltage drop between the incoming hot and the second outgoing neutral (A and D in the image below) I got a voltage drop of 60V. I tested the downstream outlets at the plug and found the voltage drop between neutral and hot and ground and hot to be 120V but I havent opened up any of the outlets. Any idea what may be going on here?

When you

  disconnected all of the neutral wires.

You changed the configuration of the circuit. Basically all circuits in the US are wired in parallel. When you disconnected the neutrals you change that circuit into a series or combination series/parallel circuit. The only thing you are reading by testing the hot circuit against the two disconnected neutrals you show in you drawing, is whether or not it is an open circuit or there is still a connected load on the circuit. So if you are reading 60V it could be a phantom voltage or it could be the the series reading of the drop across you meter. That means if you touch it you will find out why we call it a series neutral since it will shock you.

You question isn't clear about what you were testing the circuit for other than you stated you were testing for voltage drop. If you are trying to test for voltage drop then you are doing it all wrong. Voltage drop is directly proportional to the load of a circuit. That means you have to have a load in the  circuit to determine your voltage drop.

Let's say you have a motor at the end of your circuit. In order to find the true voltage drop for the motor, it should be running at full load. Then you would take the measure the voltage at the breaker to the neutral (let's say it's 126V) then take another reading at the motor connection point (say it's at 122V). Then you know you have a drop of 4V between the breaker and the load.

Because you are exposing yourself to live electricity, it is difficult to measure equipment while it is running. In order to determine voltage drop in most cases we perform a voltage drop calculation.

Point being when you disconnect all of the neutrals, you will get all kinds of strange readings that really don't mean anything relevant to the complete, operating electrical circuit.

Hope this helps.


How to wire this fan? How do you wire this fan?

This is the fan, D2E146-HT65-14 / 455w
The spec sheet of the fan,

And this is the cord for it.

As the spec sheet states, the 1 to 4 wires are the speeds, so do I need to have a controller wired into it? Or can I just wire wire number 4 and disregard the rest, as I want the maximum speed?

The research I've just completed indicate that the motor may be called a split phase motor, although there's enough ambiguity in the search results to be uncertain. The indication I've found is that each of the four leads is an independent power lead. A four-position switch, typically rotary, with the common to power and each of the four leads attached to the switch will give you speed control. Prior to purchasing the switch, you can test this by connecting your ground and neutral and making contact with each lead with your 110v source line.

There's no indication of the need for an external controller appropriate to a stepper motor.


How do I remove these escutcheons from my door? I have a G-U multi-point door lock. The inside escutcheon with handle and thumb turn are pictured below. I am trying to figure out what type of lock cylinder I have inside of the door, but I can't see how I can easily remove the escutcheon / back plate on either side of the door.

Removing the handle from each side is easy. I do not see how to remove either the key turn (other side, outside) or the thumb turn (inside). The escutcheon has a small hole at the top (see below) where a flathead screwdriver will fit for prying, but the piece feels strongly attached to the door and I am afraid I will break it.

What am I missing?

All GU hardware I have installed, the plate is a pressure fit in place, the notches you see are for removal. The thumbturn in many cases, but maybe not this one, has been in the past, a one piece unit with the cylinder. The torx head screw on the edge is about 3" long and is threaded into the cylinder, usually.

The picture with its angle does not show the bottom half of what may be the cylinder that the thumbturn is a part of. A picture of the outside of the door may reveal the key slot, so I would assume.  Never the less, if it is put together like all the others I have worked on, removing the torx (star)screw will allow the cylinder to be removed from the thumbturn side and after the handles are removed the escutcheon can be gently pried off by working the top a little, then the bottom, and so on until it comes free.

If you have a putty knife to hold at the top edge while the screwdriver is rotating to start prying the cover plate off, it will prevent any damage to the nice finish you have on the door. o the same with the bottom slot too.


Moisture from under the floor - is this bad? I had a prefab shed installed, which I'm finishing as a detached office.  Since the floor got covered in drywall dust, it often looks like there's moisture seeping up between the floorboards.  I'm planning to lay down a vapor barrier and laminate flooring.  Should I be worried about this moisture?

The floor is built on metal joists set on a concrete slab.  I'm concerned that rain is flowing onto the slab.  Is there a product I can use to seal around the bottom of the joists?  I assume I shouldn't completely plug those rectangular holes, but I was thinking of covering them with wire mesh or something to keep critters out.

I don't believe that's rain, just condensation. An uninsulated concrete pad whicks up moisture. Can't be stopped without alot of work.

Your best bet is to surround the outside perimeter with styrofoam insulation board, the thicker the better, up to 2". Then you can try sealing it as you stated. Make sure to leave a couple of those holes open for ventilation, or it'll get sweaty under there.

Back to the pad condensation, a good "college try" could be to dig down a foot or two vertically around the pad and insert 2" foam vertically, flush to ground level, the backfill. That won't stop condensation, but it will reduce it by breaking the frostline, which causes extreme temperature variations between the pad and the ground, and thus condensates.

Like I said, alot of work.


Is a high electric bill for a pump house caused by a well pump running constantly? I recently had to turn on the electric for a shared well in my name. I got a bill and it's as high as what my house bill is. The well is the only thing connected to the electric in the well house. We rewired it and replaced the pressure switch hoping to fix it.

Any suggestions what to do next?

Please keep in mind I know nothing about these, just want to relay info to my husband.

If this is a submersible pump in a fairly shallow well and it is running continuously and only putting out 20psi, you have several possible problems:

The impeller assembly is coming apart and there is excessive internal leakage in the pump.
There is a leak in the pipe leading from the pump to the well-head, either the pipe has split, or the barb fitting nipple in the top of the pump has a hole corroded in it. The pump basically is recirculating the water back into the well.
Submersible pumps with iron pipe to the wellhead that use a below frostline casing fitting have an o-ring in the slider coupling assembly that can rot and cause a leak back into the well.
Not sure where the main water shutoff valves are. Are they in the pump house or at the residences? Any unexplained water bubbling out of the ground with quicksand like mud?

Note: A leaking foot valve will have one of two effects. On an above ground pump, you will lose prime, on a submersible, if there's air leakage, you get a slug of air into the system every time the pump starts (chugging faucets, etc).


Should I protect a freshly sanded, untreated deck from the weather? I just Sanded my Deck. Unfortunately weather forecast has changed and it looks like it's going to rain for a week, so I don't have time to weather-proof it.

Should I cover my freshly-sanded deck with Tarp to prevent it from getting wet in the meantime?

Thanks!

Water will raise the grain of your nice, smooth decking, requiring a re-sand. Also, rain will soak into the wood, requiring a significant dry-time delay before sealing.

Yes, you should tarp it.


Can I install porcelain tile without grout joints on a fireplace? I understand the need of grout lines and I did have grout lines for bathroom and kitchen project. But as a DIY with request from the spouse (who hates seeing the grout lines), we plan to cover the raised concrete fireplace hearth with porcelain tiles and no grout.

Something like this (picture shown tiles fitting closed to each other - Not fireplace specific):

Obviously I have never done tile without grout before. I did some research and people said two things about grout:

Tiles can move --> But it's a fireplace hearth only 70x10x10 and we won't even turn on the fire. So it's less likely the concrete expanding itself from inside out to cause cracking.
Dirt getting inside, hard to clean --> But it's way closed, the gap is not visible to see. Plus I can put non-sanded grout and run through after things done.

Will I regret doing this without grout? Please advise

This is more or less a matter of opinion, but many floors of many types have been installed over the years without grout. If you don't want grout, don't use grout.

Regarding your point #1, grout isn't structural in the sense that it prevents movement. Your mortar and a sound substructure do that. It's not a valid concern.

I don't know what you're saying in point 2. You can't grout tiles that are tight together, even if it's non-sanded. You need at least a minimal void to accept the material and ensure a good bond.


How best to add sockets to a fused spur? I have an existing spur running to a double socket in my study. It was added before I moved in and I have a mess of extension leads to power all the office appliances.

My plan is to replace the current socket with a fused spur connector and then add three surface mounted sockets in convenient locations around my desk. This should never exceed 13 amps. Appliances are laptop, monitor, small amplifier, printer, and some low power LEDs.

My builder tells me firstly that the fused connector is not necessary, but secondarily that to do it properly I have to make a ring back to the main circuit.

Is he right on those points? Is there anything wrong with my original plan?

UK wiring standards.

Your builder is half right and half wrong.

(a) Is the circuit a ring circuit or a radial circuit? Standard circuits are:

ring circuit, wired in 2.5mm cable with a 30A fuse or 32A circuit
breaker
radial circuit, wired in 2.5mm cable with a 20A fuse or circuit breaker
radial circuit, wired in 4mm cable with a 30A fuse or 32A circuit breaker

If the circuit is a ring circuit then an unfused spur can supply a maximum of one single or one double socket. A fused spur, as you propose, can supply an unlimited number of sockets with a maximum load of 13A.

Your building is proposing extending the ring. To do this correctly a second cable would have to be run back to the point where the spur is taken from the ring, and the ring broken with each side connecting to one side of the new wiring. Connecting to another part of the ring randomly to form a 'figure 8' circuit is not permitted.

If the circuit is a radial circuit then it can be extended with an unfused spur-off-a-spur as the cable is sized to carry the whole load of the circuit at any point. The radial must be extended in the same size cable as the existing circuit.


Why should I use advanced nails instead of wood screws for strength? Recently I found that there're some superior nails for constructing hurricane-resistant houses - with very clever design for preventing pulling the nails out and tearing the boards off when the structure is under harsh wind load. I saw similar nails before - those were designed for flooring, but that's the first time I see nails with such advanced design.

What I don't get is why not just use wood screws? I mean wood screws are specifically designed for heavy loads - for example, for attaching door hinges - and they can be driven very fast with power drivers.

Why go to such lengths and invent those extremely advanced nails instead of using screws?

It is all about time. In this case, the time required to drive a screw, instead of the time to drive a nail with a loaded nail gun. Drive 10 screws, and who cares if it takes a few seconds longer to drive each screw. Drive 10,000 screws, and it starts to matter.


Anchoring shelves on hollow wall backed by brick I'm working on hanging an Ikea Lisabo shelf. Earlier, I put one on a wall without much trouble using snap toggles, which are great. However, this second shelf, on a different wall, is giving me trouble.

The wall seems to be drywall, or possibly plaster, over plywood, followed by a small air gap, and then brick. The picture below shows a hole I drilled, illuminated by a flashlight. Unfortunately, the air gap between the plywood and then brick is insufficient to snap snap toggles into place; they require 1⅞" inch clearance in which to rotate flat after being inserted into the hole. I bought 3/16" standard spring-loaded toggle bolts, hoping they would require less clearance. I was able to get one of the two required toggles to open in the air gap, but the other won't — it appears that the distance between the plywood and the brick wall isn't uniform, and there's not enough clearance on the left hole.

Now I'm wondering what to do next. Two ideas I've considered:

Put some type of mounts into the brick behind the hollow wall. I've never mounted anything to brick or cement, so I'm not really sure whether this would work. I'm also worried that the approximately 2" of distance between the brick wall and the shelf could severely reduce the shelf's capacity, because the screw or bolt will be unsupported for that length.
Drive large-ish wood screws through the drywall/plaster and into the wood behind, making sure they're short enough that they don't strike the bricks. My two concerns here are whether two wood screws would be strong enough, and also whether the wood backing is thick enough to provide adequate support. I don't think it's simply plaster laths, as it seems too thick for that, but I'm not certain.

How should I proceed in mounting the shelves?

Regarding duplicates

I made an attempt to find duplicate questions before asking this one, but none seem quite to match my situation. Here are a few close ones, though:

Fixing TV on concrete behind drywall
This is perhaps closest. It doesn't offer a conclusive answer about how big a gap between the brick and the drywall is too big, though.
How can I fix a cabinet to plasterboard with brick wall behind?
What is up with this wall, and what is the right way to hang something on it?

I ended up buying a half-inch masonry bit and drilling into the brick behind the holes far enough so that I had sufficient clearance to deploy the snap toggles.


Why are my clothes hot after washing them? My new LG frontload washer leaves my clothes HOT after each cycle. The hot water valve has been turned off and it is still leaving them hot. Any suggestions?

If you're not selecting a hot water cycle, then you probably have the hot and cold water lines hooked up backwards. Or the hot and cold taps are labeled incorrectly. Next time you run a load, touch the water lines or the fittings to feel their temperature. If the cold water line is hotter than the hot water line, then you should be able to find the problem.


My electric lawn mower won't start after getting grass blocking the blade I haven't mowed for many months due to special circumstances so my yard's grass was pretty dense. Several time the motor stopped after grass formed a compact bulk completely blocking the blade. After the third time this happened, my Flymo Easimo Electric Wheeled Lawn Mower(Amazon link) doesn't start any more.
What is the likely cause and can I do something about it? I really don't feel like buying another one right now.
EDIT:
There was no smell when opening the bonnet, and no disconnected wire or anything like that. Also I used the lowest setting (meaning the one to cut the grass as short as possible)
EDIT #2:
I just tried again and the mower now works! Yet for 5 minutes trying an hour ago, nothing.

I've cut through meter-high grasses and other stuff with a plain lawnmower.  The trick is, you need to go very, very, very slowly.  And listen closely to the machine, it will make detectable noises when it is starting to overload and you must detect and respond swiftly to stop that.
Also, this is a time you'll want those blades super sharp.  So if you have the means, keep em bright!
It's gonna take an age, compared to what you're used to.  You won't like that.  But don't think about how miserable the job is today, think of the dozen times this year you didn't have to do it.  It's a huge net savings, so you should be happy.


How much water should I expect to be left in a dishwasher? After every load there is always some water left in the bottom of the drain basket/filter.  It's not up into the dishwasher itself, but when I reach into the filter to clean it, there's always water in it.  I have a GE QuietPower 3.

Is this expected?  If not, what can I do about it?

I had exactly the same issue with my dishwasher.  Standing water at the bottom after the wash cycle almost every time, yet the dishwasher appeared to be draining correctly.

Nevertheless, the first thing to verify is that the dishwasher is indeed draining properly.  Start a cycle to partially fill the washer, then manually engage the drain cycle.  Does the water drain quickly and completely?   If you're so inclined, you can (carefully) leave the door open while the dishwasher is draining and hold down the door lock mechanism with a small screw driver so that you can watch the process.  Another option is to disconnect the drain from your disposal and place the end into a bucket to observe how the water is draining.  It's also a good opportunity to clean out any sludge that may have formed in drain hose.

If the draining appears to be functioning normally (as it was in my case) the next step is to verify the filter, food chopper blade and mesh grate that is in front of the sump pump/pump inlet housing is not clogged - this is slightly more involved, but still fairly easy to do.  Here's a video to give you the general idea of the process:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRDbTgBOtIE.  This is not for your model specifically, but it should be fairly close.

In my case, the mesh grate was almost 100% clogged with debris and hard water deposits, and the food chopper blade had a piece of string wrapped around it that kept it from spinning freely (no idea how that got there).  After soaking the grate in a vinegar solution, cleaning the it with a toothpick and unwrapping the string from the blade, I haven't had any more issues with water remaining in the dishwasher.

This may not fix your problem, but it's fairly easy to do yourself and may just save you a service call.  Good luck.


What is a propane burner with multiple torches called? If you watch Mythbusters, you'll notice they have a propane burner with a bunch of nozzles at different angles.  What is this called?  I would like to make or purchase one for melting metal (in a crucible of course), such as Aluminum.

I think this is what you're looking for:
http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Group-Inc-IRBR003CL-Propane/dp/B0042QJNM4/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1304967864&sr=8-29


Can I add Suntouch floor thermostat to 20 amp breaker circuit with in-line GFCI outlets I have a dedicated 20 amp breaker that feeds a dedicated circuit for all the GFCI outlets in the bathroom (5). I also have a SunTouch floor thermostat attached to a warming pad under the floor that says it can go on a 15 amp or 20 amp circuit depending on the size of the floor.  I was planning to attach the thermostat in line (series) with this 20 amp circuit. Does anyone foresee any issues?

Go ahead

You can attach the mat and thermostat to this circuit -- a branch circuit feeding receptacles in a single bathroom can feed any other outlet in that bathroom as per the Exception to 210.11(C)(3):

  (3) Bathroom Branch Circuits. In addition to the number
  of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at
  least one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply a bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets.

  Exception: Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single
  bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same
  bathroom shall be permitted to be supplied in accordance
  with 210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2).

and 210.23(A)(2):

  (2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total
  rating of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than
  luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place, or
  both, are also supplied.

If it provides its own GFCI, you can connect it to the circuit coming in.  Otherwise, you'll need to provide GFCI protection pursuant to 424.22(G):

  (G) Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be
  provided for cables installed in electrically heated floors
  of bathrooms, kitchens, and in hydromassage bathtub
  locations.

Last but not least, the thermostat should control the heating mat and only the heating mat.  Not only is it probably not rated for the entire load of the branch circuit, it'd be downright daft to thermostatically control the receptacles in the bathroom.  (Good luck with your hairdryer in that case!)


"Power off" motion detector Is there an exterior motion detector that turns power off instead of on when someone enters a space? All internet inquiries have only found power on detectors. I've also found "light curtains" but they are overkill and too pricey.

This is pretty easy with a relay:

Just be sure to size the relay appropriately for your load (I used a light but it could be anything).


Oven tripping circuit breaker The oven tripped the circuit breaker after replacing a heating element in the oven. Turned the circuit breaker back on and it worked for about a minute and then tripped again.

It is really hard to tell just what may have happened from the very brief description but clearly some short or over current situation has happened. Here are some possibilities to consider:

The replacement heating element may be the wrong one. An element that is designed for operation at a voltage of say 120 VAC would draw around twice as much current if it were connected to 240 VAC and as you can see that could trip the breaker.
In the replacement process the wires that feed power to the element connection point may have been flexed in a way that the insulation has cracked and the wires shorted together. A direct short will lead to a breaker trip too.
And finally this case, which is actually most likely, that during replacement of the element a wire that feeds power to one end of the element has had its insulation compromised or a bare part of the electrical connection has been allowed to touch the metal frame structure of the oven. Thus creates a short between the hot lead of the element and the GND of the oven structure and would cause the breaker to trip.

In any case this is a pretty dangerous situation and you should not try repeated activation of the circuit breaker to see if the problem still persists. The oven should be fully unplugged from its outlet and appropriate inspection and trouble shooting needs to be done to see where the short circuit or overload is coming from. If you do not have the tools and/or experience to proceed then it may be advisable to call a professional appliance repair technician in to help.


How deep should I sink a  gatepost for a 7' wide gate in my fence? I am a first time fence builder, which will be 6ft cedar. I need a gate that is 7 to 8 ft wide. I live in Oregon and the frost line is only a foot deep. I was planning on a 7ft gate with a 6x6 post. Would that hold the gate? How deep should I sink it?

I also thought of 2 4ft gates on 4x4 posts but have the same questions.

The gate won't be opened a lot, just provide access to a barely used trailer and a dog run. I am concerned with the weight and that it might sag.

Rule of thumb is that 1/3 of the post should be in the ground. A 6' fence should be sunk into the ground 3', so you'd need 9' posts.

As Shirlock states, even that won't likely support an 8' wide gate. Two 4' gates would definitely be a better option.

Perhaps the easiest solution, however, is to not even make a gate. Instead, build your fence and then make this an 8' panel that is attached with temporary fasteners...such as bolts. On the rare occasions that you need access, unbolt the fence panel and remove it completely--thereby negating the need for the two posts to cary the load of a cantilevered gate.

On the plus side, it's less gate hardware you need to buy and deal with.


Can I have a junction box AFTER a GFCI outlet and retain the GFCI protection on each branch? I'm just finishing up adding outlets to the front and back of my house.  I have it arranged such that a new line runs from the panel to a junction box, where it T's off to feed the new outlets.  I understand that I need GFCI protection on this circuit, but I'm not really familiar with the ground fault application.  If I were to add a GFCI outlet at some point between the panel and the junction box, would the two branches coming out of the junction box both be GFCI protected?

Yes, you can. Electrically that's no different than having a series of outlets on a single run after a GFCI. Everything is wired in parallel regardless.


What size breaker and wire do I need for a 220 volt circuit to an electric fireplace and an electric heater? I want to run a 220 volt circuit from panel to an electric fireplace (12 amps)  and an electric heater (15 amps).  What size breaker should I use and what size wire?

10 gauge wire is the largest I like to use in home use. Depending on who you talk to and what code book you are looking at, the amount of current a 10 gauge wire can handle changes. I tend to think it can safely handle about a 30 amp breaker (and I think most code books fall in line with this).

You can add up the amps (12+15=27 amps) to get the total amps possible. This would mean that a 30 amp breaker with 10 gauge wire should work fine. However, check your currents to make sure that is the max that will be pulled. Many items have a large start up current that can cause a breaker to trip if you aren't careful.

For things that pull this much current by themselves, it is generally better to split them into 2 different breakers. So for you I would go with a 15 amp and a 20 amp. Technically you can use #14 on the 15 amp breaker, but if it were me I would go ahead and run #12 in case you some day want to swap out your fireplace with something that pulls more power.


What is the best way to clean a 300 gallon Water tank that was storing Canola Oil? i'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this question, if not please let me know a better place. I just purchased a very cheap 300 gallon water tank. It was cheap due to the fact that they stored Canola oil in it, and didn't clean it. They recommended a de-greaser along with a high powered water sprayer. Before I try it, I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on cleaning it, if a de-greaser is the best route, how much I need to use, or any other advice.

Also, my mom said if I don't get all the Canola oil out, it never spoils and it wouldn't kill us to drink if there was a disaster and we HAD to drink it to survive. Is this true? Thanks in advance.

Edit: We will be storing water in it as emergency water, and it is plastic, i'll attach a picture.

Hot water (how hot would depend on the type of plastic - at least warm, to start with) and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda.) Let stand (or agitate, if you want) for 24-48 hours, repeat as needed.

If you can source food-grade lye and are aware of and able to take appropriate precautions for handling it, it would work a bit faster, but in both cases you are using an alkali (mild or strong) and that will saponify (turn to soap) the residual oil. Baking soda is cheap, safe to handle, and easy to get as a food-grade item.


I have Direct tv plugged into a gfci protected receptacle. All of the receptacles on same circuit will go dead, but not trip the gfci. Why? Ok the GFCI is located in the 5th wheel upstairs bedroom/sink. It is protecting 4 of the receptacles in lower level next to sink and tv/stero area.
I have a direct tv (tailgater) plugged into the protected receptacle.  This receptacle along with the other 3 keep dropping power. I have a lamp plugged into one of the 3 receptacles just to monitor this.
The light will blink, it will also go out and stay out for longer periods of time, 30 mins or so and then come back on. Usually GFCI does NOT trip.
I have taken each receptacle apart and checked for loose connections but unable to find the cause. Anybody got an idea what I am missing?
Have checked all GFCI receptacles and they all seem to be working according to the GFCI tester.

If you have bypassed the GFCI receptacle and still have problems, then there must be a loose connection between the GFCI and the breaker. Here are the places to look:

At the GFCI, are the wires connected by a screw, or by push-in? The push-in connections are unreliable - I have had a receptacle "fry" because of poor connections, and it was installed by an electrician. Installers like them because they are fast, but I always go with the screw connection.
At the breaker, is the breaker making good contact with the power bus? If the bus is corroded, even a new breaker might not make good contact. Try plugging the breaker into a different slot, if there is one to spare.
Also in the panel, is the neutral (white) wire screwed down tightly?
Are there any other outlets between the panel and the GFCI receptacle? If so, make sure the twist-on connectors are tight, and that the splice is not made through the receptacle.

Note that loose connections will not trip a GFCI. Neither will short-circuits between hot and neutral - they will trip the breaker in the panel. Also, nothing "upstream" will trip a GFCI. And once a GFCI is tripped, it won't reset itself.


Installed smart switch on switch controlling multiple lights, now they invert? I wonder how this could have happened. We have three lights in front of our front door, one hanging above the front door, and two on the sides. I replace the light switch with a Kasa smart switch, and now something weird is happening. When I turn the switch on, the light above the door turns ON and the two lights on the sides don't. However, when I turn the switch off the light above the door turns OFF and the two lights on the side turn ON.
What could be happening here? How would this be "inverting"?

Figured it out! So the two wires I had in traveller - one actually controls the single light above the front door and the other controlled the two side lights. Hence when I hit the switch it alternated.
So what I did is combined both wires under one of the traveller terminals (the Kasa switch has two "holes" I guess for this reason). Now it works!


What is this subfloor, and do I need a wood underlayment for hardwood First off, I have 3/4 inch of this subfloor:

It is on the first floor, and the area covers 700 sqft.

Question 1: What type of subfloor is this? I think it's OSB but I want to make sure because when I google particle board subfloor it looks like this in some pictures.

I got a measure from home depot. They said that I need 3/8 inch wood underlayment before I can install 1/2 inch solid bamboo flooring and that it would have to be glue-down.

The glue-down installation is 2.99/sqft plus $1.20 / sqft for the glue. The 3/8 inch wood underlayment is $1.56/sqft. Thats $5.75/sqft just for installation

It seems to me I should rather invest in real 3/4 inch solid hardwood and go with the nail down install $1.99/sqft, or go with engineered click bamboo and have it floated. (stranded bamboo cant be easily refinished so having solid vs engineered isnt a big deal)

Question 2: will I need a wood underlayment no matter what hardwood I choose and no matter what installation is used (float, glue, nail)? ( I know it depends on what manufacture recommends but in general)

Yes, that's OSB. It's the only product that's made with large wood "strands". I wouldn't have guessed that it was 3/4" though due to the apparent lack of tongue and groove along the longitudinal edge, but maybe the photo is misleading.  Particle board looks like compacted pine sawdust. Fiberboard (MDF) looks like pressed pulverized wheat chaff. Neither of those are used as subfloor.
No, not all wood flooring requires underlayment. Modern t&g subfloor in the 3/4" class is adequate for some products. However, a second layer can result in a stouter, quieter finished floor which feels higher quality. Read the label.


Do shower water supply line covers need to be sealed or caulked? I don't know what the proper name of the cover is that hides the hole that the water supply line comes through the wall, but does it need to be sealed to prevent moisture and steam from getting in to the wall?  If so, what material should be used?  Plumber's putty, caulk, silicone?

I have personally never sealed or caulked the shower neck cover and haven't had any real moisture problems as a result.

The plate is mostly meant to be aesthetic rather than functional, to hide the ugly hole in your wall that your shower neck extends from.  Moisture shouldn't be a problem unless their was negative pressure inside of your wall as compared to the bathroom.  This of course shouldn't happen because you should have a fan going while you shower, and this fan will create a negative pressure in the bathroom vs. the inside of your wall. When the fan is running, air will actually move from the inside of the wall into the bathroom.

If it really concerns you then you can use a bit of paint around the edge to form a seal, but I don't think it is necessary.


Why are almost all of my house's HVAC floor registers placed near exterior windows? My current house is a single story built over a crawlspace and all the HVAC registers are in the floor. In all of the larger rooms, at least one (and usually more) register was placed near an exterior wall and almost always near a window. Looking throughout the house, it seems intentional. I've noticed this before in other houses, and I've talked a few friends and the informal poll tells me that for houses with floor registers built in different states built decades apart, it appears the registers were intentionally placed near exterior windows. In my case, given the layout of the crawl space, it seems like it would have been easy to place them them in other locations.

My amateur intuition tells me that for both heating and cooling, having registers near a window is going to lead to a lot of waste. Is this layout actually common? If so, why?

Yes, placing registers (or other heat sources such as radiators) near exterior windows and doors is the usual practice. This is done in order to combat cold drafts and ensure a more even temperature throughout the room. Here's a Q&A on the subject from Ask This Old House:

  Window glass is the coldest part of a wall. When warm room air hits
  it, the air cools, and cool air sinks. The movement of cool air
  creates floor drafts that most people find uncomfortable. The
  placement of forced-air heat registers or baseboard heating units
  under the windows counteracts this process by sending up warm air to
  mix with the cool. The end result is that the room feels more
  comfortable.


Should I paint bathroom before installation of a new vanity? I am replacing vanity and removing wallpaper to paint.  I am currently removing the wallpaper.  Do I install the new vanity before painting or after?

Paint first.

You don't have to worry about getting paint on the vanity.
Areas that would be hard with the vanity in place - in my bathroom, small wall sections on each end underneath the vanity since the countertop is wall-to-wall but the vanity is (deliberately) a little shorter - are very easy.
If you ever replace some or all of the vanity, countertop, etc. and the replacement is slightly smaller you won't end up with unfinished areas that then need to get painted.

But overall it is just simpler to paint large sections of walls than dealing with lots of edges.


Oven heating element just blew (WOW!). Went & killed the breaker. Clock on range is still running. And is flipping me off UPDATE - 03-15
Okay, so I (clearly) survived the night, along with many since, as I have awaited the backordered OEM part.
It finally arrived.
So today, I pulled it out the unit, and fully-unplugged/disconnected the unit. It's worth noting that, right after there was the kaboom up until today, the clock has read merely:

This is only interesting because try as I might, I cannot find ANY manufacturer that has "75" as a fault code.
Regardless, I replaced the heating element, turned everything back on, and... no luck. Oven's still dead. Rangetop works fine. Just nothing digital.
The clock - and I did my best to accurately reproduce this, both in brightness and shape - however NOW reads:

...which, quite aside from the fact that I don't even need to LOOK to know "8 Phi"/"B Phi" isn't a valid fault code. Hell, even if I assume it's trying to phonetically tell me "eighty-five" (...or "beefy"?): no luck there either. Neither appears to be a valid code for any mfg.
Worse, I can't help but feel like it also looks like it's flipping me off now.
I'm guessing when it arced it grounded to the body of unit. New ECB is next. Sigh.
Original Post
Oven heating element just blew (WOW!). Went & killed the breaker. Clock on range is still running?
Do they have a battery backup or something? Is it possible the breaker (a gfci breaker, which was a new one on me, also) is still letting 110 through?
My first day in here I took a circuit tracer to every outlet, switch, and fixture in the place (that's totally normal, right?). I'm damn positive it was the correct breaker.
This is a rental place here, and the wiring is JAN-KY. Like 15  outlets (5 rooms) on the same 15a circuit janky. Like 100A service on a 4Br 3ba that is itself only 1/2 of a duplex janky. Like half the outlets couldn't hold a plug in em when I moved in janky.
How worried should I be at this point? I'm prepared to assert with some confidence after the Tesla Coil BeyouuuutGrongGrongGrongBzzzzzzzat! sound accompanied by the ballistic fragments of metal and at least MOST of its magic smoke's release that continuity was broken. It's also in the 40's here, so I'd really prefer NOT to kill the main if I don't gotta.
The unit is a Admiral (which I swear I'd thought was a Harbor Freight brand): LER3330AAZ
https://www.partselect.com/Models/LER3330AAZ/
And just to be thorough:

To be clear: I'm asking how dangerous, if at all, is it to leave plugged in, possibly to a (partially?) live circuit? Getting it pulled away from the wall ain't gonna be pretty. I live alone (no little hands at risk. Just me. And I prolly have it coming...)
Edit: that is, leave it until it's full light and I can manhandle it into the open. I'm twitchy because that sure LOOKED like a ground fault, and it's all stainless... I don't really wanna move it until daylight.

That is a very common fault for a heating element.
Check and see if the stove top works, the fault may not have tripped the breaker.
Most older homes have a 40 amp circuit double pole for a range and 50 amp is becoming more popular. (If in another part of the world a different size breaker is possible)  A 120v oven doubtful 120v GFCI very doubtful with older wiring.
If the fault tripped the breaker it is safe. If the fault did not trip the breaker don’t use the oven and it should be fine until it can be repaired by you if you own the oven/range or by the land lord.
Appliance repair is not covered by the NEC the premises wiring is.
If it can be unplugged and it would make you feel better unplug it if plugged in. I always unplug or verify the power is off prior to replacing these elements (a very simple job).
If the clock is on the oven/ range it most likely did not trip the breaker.
Edit added post element repair:
With the original post stating the clock was on but not mentioning it had a strange reading I did not think to mention that when the element blew it may have fried the controller.
The high current short in some cases vaporizes the traces on the control board some cases just the oven won’t work in others the metal slag from the event shorts out the controls.
With the damage to the board a new board may be needed. It has been a while but the control board can usually be found on line.
I think they come in white and black but that could be a different brand. The relays that turn on the elements are on the board so when there is a short from the element failure the traces turn into the fuses.
Search for your model # and you may find one under 50 but they range up to 150 range actual prices are off topic because they are always changing.


When the radiator is leaking and it's throwing out water Could the vapor that comes out of the radiator be harmful to a person. The room got full of yellow brown spot all over the walls.

Most likely not hazardous. The "yellow brown spots" are probably just from rust, and that's perfectly normal. When antifreeze is used in a hot water circulating system, it's pretty much always a non-toxic form, and it's actually unusual .vs. just using plain water.

In a system with iron components and no leaks, the oxygen in the water causes rust for a short time, and then stops rusting as the oxygen is used up. When the system leaks, more oxygen is available and more rust happens. But there is always rust in a heating system with iron components exposed to the water, and that's normal.


How to fix my broken porch lamp? I noticed that my porch lamp was broken (by someone).  I see a couple of small pieces of wood that is still attached to the base of the lamp.  The tip of the light bulb was broken, which I removed from the lamp before I took the photos.

Should I hire a handyman or an electrician?  Any advice is appreciated.

Partial answer is if you don't have and don't want to purchase a reliable electric meter/voltage tester than you should hire an electrician, the meter is to ensure the circuit is truly dead off. Don't use a $20 cheapo multimeter on mains circuits they have poor fusing and are dangerous. Always begin by checking the meter is working by testing a live circuit.

If the wiring just comes through a plain hole in the siding without an outlet box then it was not installed properly, it will need a remodel-box installed, assuming the remainder of the wiring install is acceptable this is a simple matter of buying the right size for your lamp's mounting screws. If there is no box and the wire looks old, less than 6 inches of extra, undersized, or lacks a ground wire then hire an electrician.

If there is a box, is it the right size and style for the lamp base? It is somewhat odd to have it screwed right into the siding rather than the box, but not inherently wrong as a few are designed for that. If the screws pulled out due to wood rot then you have much bigger issues, if they were just undersized screws then you can put in some wall anchors of appropriate style and size.


Setup for attaching drywall to metal studs What type of screwdriver setup is best to use for attaching drywall to nonstructural steel studs? Yesterday, I tried using my dedicated drywall screwdriver with fine-threaded drywall screws (which specifically advertised they could be used with light-gauge steel studs) to attach 1/2" drywall. This resulted in the screw stripping a hole in the stud. After about 3 screws of the same result, I switched to an impact driver and screwed in the rest of the screws flush on that same sheet of drywall without any special effort to keep from driving the heads in too far or stripping the hole (no drywall simpler attachment or anything, just a magnetic bit holder).

While I may have gotten lucky with good results on a single drywall sheet using my impact driver since its sensitive enough that I can really slow it down and control it's motion, what setup is typically recommended for attaching drywall to nonstructural steel studs?

What you used originally is what it used every day by professionals, handymen and DIYers alike. A drywall gun with fine thread drywall screws. For heavier studs drill-point drywall screws can be used.

If what you did works for you then keep at it. It's just a lot slower than a drywall gun. So if this is just for you and small projects there is nothing wrong with an impact and a sensitive hand.


How to properly anchor wooden porch columns to concrete pad? I have a country style front porch that has non structural wooden columns that are anchored to the overhang and hang to the floor, a concrete pad.  To stop the columns from moving around the builders wedged a shaved 2x4 between the column and the concrete.  A railing is strung on the columns.  Depending on the temperature decides how sturdy the columns are held in place and if anyone puts any weight on the railing a column will swing around.  How can I fix this?

A post base. There are several styles, this is one.


No outlet in bathroom? My 1950's era house doesn't have any electrical receptacles in the bathroom. Doesn't the Building Code state there should be? I reside in California N.A.

Of course it is "allowed". Actually, what do you mean by allowed? Allowed by whom??

In newer homes newer codes apply, for the most part in an older home whatever was code at the time of installation is still code complaint today.


What happens to carpet when the padding is not thoroughly fastened to the subfloor? What happens when the pad is not stapled down correctly.  My pad had staples anywhere from 3in to 10in apart most were about 10in apart one section about 6ft long did not have any.

Pad is fastened mostly to keep it in place while installing the carpet, and to keep edges from getting overlapped with slight movement. It's not a requirement for normal function.

Once the carpet is laid there's not really anywhere it can go, and staples wouldn't stop it if it wanted to.


Temporary floor fix - Ikea laminate on concrete and wooden boards I've just bought my first home and have started the long-term and rather daunting task of getting it into a decent state. First on my list is the Kitchen floor. See photo below. I pulled up the smelly old lino, and the 10mm plywood below, to reveal floorboards that are mostly ok, but then completely rotten in places (where there's been a long standing leak). All the boards are a little damp underneath as the soil is too high (touching the beams) and so there's no ventilation, but they're not too bad (yet). Also, about 1/3rd is concrete - laid where I think there was a major leak in the past.

Long term I know that I'll want to completely replace the floor and will re-do the kitchen. But I wont have the money for a while.

In the meantime, I plan to let the damper bits air for a week or so, then lay a cheap laminate floor until we can do it properly.

Something like this: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20284903/
With this underlay: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00018076/

My immediate questions are (noting this is just a temporary, approx. 1 year solution):
- As the floorboards are reasonably sturdy (at least they are where we'll be walking), will there be any need for an extra (plywood?) layer between boards and the laminate?
-The concrete part of the floor is cracked and damaged. Any advice for what to do with this before laying a floor on top? It's currently at the same level as the floorboards.

Many thanks

Is this over a crawlspace?  Fix your dampness and ventilation problems first before you invest a lot of time/money into the cosmetics.  You will probably find more issues.  Why do you want to do this twice (now, and again in a year)?  My suggestion is to do it right, once.

Concrete shrinks as it cures, so cracks are probably only a cosmetic issue.


Heat Pump doesn't work in AC mode, but heat mode is fine I have a heat pump for my house's heating and cooling.  We had our first hot day of the year last week, so I switched it to cool mode (heretofore it had always been in heat mode).  When in cool mode, however, i have no air flow at my vents.  The air handler is on (there's sound), but it's not as loud as it usually is.  I think the fan isn't running.  I opened the chamber where the air filter goes, and I didn't feel any airflow.  Furthermore I see ice crystals forming on the refrigerant lines.  In heat mode, everything works fine (the fan comes on, and there's plenty of airflow).

Is this a problem that I can diagnose/fix myself, or should I call an HVAC company to look at it?  It's an old system I'm planning on replacing in the next year or so, so I'm hoping to not put a lot of money into fixing it if possible.

Your blower motor's HIGH speed died

Most furnaces and split-system air handlers run their blower at a high speed in FAN and COOL, and at a lower speed in HEAT. As a result, it's possible for the blower to work when the system is set for one mode, but not the other.  I would consult the manual for your existing air handler/furnace for instructions on changing the blower speed used during cooling and fan-only operation.  This will change the latent/sensible balance during cooling, but will at least keep you running until you can get the blower, or the whole system, replaced.


How often should I run a bleach and water solution through condensate lines? How often do you need to run a bleach and water solution through the condensate drain lines (of a heat pump) to keep the bacteria away?

What are the recommended parts (e.g. 1 part bleach, 10 part water)?

I tend to pour a cup of bleach down the line once a month. Without that at least in Florida you WILL get an algae backup in the line, which if you have bad overflow sensor can cause all kinds of fun water problems.

If it is already blocked, just pour the bleach and let it sit. Eventually enough algae will die and the block will clear itself out.


Would like to change an existing outlet to half-hot I have an outlet that is fully hot. I would like to make it half-hot instead. There are only TWO wires total going to the outlet; one white and one red. Is it possible to make this outlet half hot with only two wires?

with only 2 wires you wont be able to control the 2nd half. If you just want to cut the power to the 2nd half turn the power off pull the outlet and break the tab between the 2 outlets on the red side. if you want to switch the other 1/2 you will need to pull a wire from the red to a switch and then back to the half you want to switch. You should also run a ground from the outlet to the switch.


Help running power through a switch to a light, but continuing power along the circuit to an outlet I have an unfinished electrical project I inherited that I want to complete, I just wanted to check and make sure the wiring diagram I've fuddled together below will work. I want to run power through a switch to a light, but continue the circuit over to an outlet receptacle.
The wires have already been run to the boxes, so I'm trying to piece together what my predecessor's plans were.
Am I doing this right?

You have it right. I'm assuming you don't want the outlet to be switched. If you run 12/2 as indicated you can make it either a 15amp or 20amp circuit. With 14/2 it can only be 15amp. If the outlet is in a bathroom or kitchen it must be 20 amp and must be GFCI protected.


reclaiming exhaust from 'on demand water heater' Is there some way to recover the heat which is lost through the exhaust system from a 'on demand water heater' ?

It is generally not worth the time and money to try to capture the lost heat through the exhaust system of the vast majority of tankless/on-demand water heaters. The heaters are now so efficient that they can vent the exhaust through plastic (PVC) pipe.

Since these heaters also only operate when there is a call for hot water, they do not run very often. Compare this to a traditional water heater that needs to keep many gallons of water in the tank at a certain temperature all the time.

Because a tankless system only runs on demand, and is extremely efficient when it runs, there is very little heat loss from this type of system. It would not be economical to modify the system to glean the tiny bit of lost energy. It would most likely take decades just to break even from this sort of modification.


How do I change a bulb from my recessed lighting fixture? A light bulb went out in my storage room and to my surprise its socket and peripheral looks quite complex and all bolted into one piece, meaning I couldn't find screws which I can loose to open it.

Anyway it looks like the pictures below.

Can anyone tell me how I can open this thing and change the bulb inside?

Update: I changed the bulb, it is as easy as, changing a bulb. :)

Thanks to all answers and comments, you guys are awesome!

Here is what the process of pulling the cover down will look like. The bulb is inside. If you can't get your fingers around it to unscrew it and need to use the suction cup, you can squeeze the spring clips and remove the entire trim ring assembly. Pay attention to how it came out, you'll need to reverse that process to get it back in.


insulating rim joist After caulking the four joints that make up a rim joint, can I put the rigid 2" XPS board close to the room (the beginning of the cavity), or does it have to be put right up against the joist.  Because the house has had a past history of termite infestation (no termites seen for years after treatment) I don't want to permanently install the foam board so I can occasionally recheck for termites.  I think, at least for me, once you have termites, you are always going to be concerned that they could come back.

In my house, a square piece of insulating board is up against the rim joist at the end of the bay and great stuff has been used around the edges of the insulating board.  (My house was built in late 1800s)

edit: if you don't use foam, there's really no insulating value - insulation really only happens when air movement is halted.

2nd edit: foam is cheap.  You can use it, then in the spring tear a few off to check for termites and then refoam.  Use a sharpie to write the date on the foam the last time you checked it... just an idea.

I took a photo for you.


Toilet leaking out of handle hole; pump spits water out of top I recently noticed some water coming out of the hole where the handle is on my toilet. Curious, I decided to take a peek. When I took the lid off of the back of the toilet and flushed, water started spraying out of the top of the float valve. I put the lid back on, flushed again, and I could see a small stream of water coming out of the handle. I see two ways of approaching this, but I would like to get your recommendations.

I suspect that this has been happening for a while, perhaps even before the previous tenants (this is in an apartment complex).

Buy some sort of gasket or plug to put in the hole where the handle goes in to prevent water from coming out
Buy a new float valve, and see if it still occurs.

Because this is an apartment complex, I'm a bit weary about buying a new float valve. I am also a fairly new into living on my own, and perhaps don't know the proper terminology. Is option 1 feasible, and if it is, do I have the proper terminology, or is there a more appropriate alternative?

Here is an image of the float valve

Here is an image of it spraying

And the trail of water on the tank

The seal at the top of the valve has failed. Normally a small portion of the incoming water should go through that small tube off the side, while the rest of it should come out the bottom of the valve. None of it should be sprayed about like that.

If it were my toilet I'd see if I could take that top off and try to fix the seal, but I wouldn't try very hard, because it looks like a cheesy valve, and new ones are around $10-$15. If it were my landlord's toilet I'd tell the landlord about it. A good way to prompt some action would be to note that the toilet is leaking and probably causing damage to the floor.


Should I put a surge protector on a washer or dryer? I think the question title says it all, but is there a reason that I should or should not put a surge protector on my washer or dryer? Growing up, I don't recall ever seeing them in my parents' house nor at laundromats. But given that this is a several hundred dollar appliance, I'm not sure why these aren't protected by a surge protector.

If they have the simple electromechanical timers, there's not much that can be damaged by 'reasonable' surges - damage from a lightning strike on your line wouldn't be stopped by a surge protector.

Electronic controls typically do have a surge protector built onto the board, so there's no need for an external one.


BX cable connection to vapor tight luminaire I have some vaportight luminaires that I plan to install in a garage. The garage has bare stud walls, so all wiring is run in 3/8" BX armored cable. The luminaires came with a cable gland connection and approximately 1 ft of SOOW wire stubbed out. I can open the fixture and remove the wiring, but the BX cable is much too large to fit through the gland. My understanding of the electrical Code (Salt Lake City) is that all exposed wiring in garages has to be protected from damage. I don't believe SOOW wiring is rated for permanent installation. How should I connect the BX cable to this light?

The normal thing is to either add a plug to that cord or tie it in at a junction box. MFG instructions override code in this case. Current code in a garage if an receptacle it must have GFCI protection no exceptions.


I need to Mount a 55" Sony TV on a Wood paneling wall w/no studs My wife and I rent a duplex in an old neighborhood of Honolulu, HI. We have talked about mounting our 55" XBR-55X810C Sony 4K TV since we bought it, and yesterday we bought a mount on a whim. It's a Stanley tilting mount for 32" up to 70" TV's up to 90 pounds in weight. The XBR-55X810C specs say it's 38.2 pounds. Here is a link to the mount: http://www.stanleymounts.com/tlr-es2215t-product-page.html

But unfortunately, everything made sense after a wasted trip to the HW store to buy a $15.99 stud finder, and that was, the walls are thin pieces of wood paneling without studs the tilting mount instructions call for. Umm, probably should have added that up when we realized the electrical sockets throughout most of the electrical outlets are facing sideways on the baseboards, and the light switches have electrical running on the outside of the wall into the ceiling (pictures attached).

The wall is located between our LR and MBR; and there is no view to see what's inside, checked the breaker and ground, but there is a ceiling crawl space in the bathroom I can can look.

To measure the thickness I measured the inside of the door jam (3 4/16"), and subtracted the measurement of each outside edge of the jam to the wood paneling to the wood paneling on both sides, subtracting the outside doorjam overhang on each side and taking it away from the initial measure (inside measurement - (1 11/16" + 12/16") 2 7/16" = 13/16" of thickness, in total, for both sides of the wood paneling which is surprisingly sturdy and holds sound quite well.

I searched the DIY site before typing this all out and couldn't find the exact scenario, so I am hoping that a few kind users could offer me advice on how I could make this mount work, given the layout of the room, having no other mounting options (except for maybe a floor standing mount).

So if there is a reasonable way for a DIY novice like myself to safely install the TV with minimal damage to the wall, then I am all ears and would be so appreciative.

The wall plate hardware includes are 4 lag bolts with washers, and concrete anchors. The directions say to drill 3 inch pilot holes into studs which have no less than a total depth of 3 1/2 inch, with a 3/16" bit.

Pictures are attached. LMK if you need anymore info to help.

It sounds like you have solid 13/16" thick plywood for a wall. If that is the case, I'd drill holes matching holes in the mount all the way through, get four metal bolts, four matching nuts and eight washers, and hang the mount on the wall, securing with nuts from the opposite side of the wall and using threadlocker on bolt threads. You would have nuts permanently visible on the back side but the construction should be more than sturdy enough to hold a 40 lb TV.

If you don't have solid plywood but something else (I doubt that there's enough room for anything else but who knows?), that's a different story. You should find out as soon as you drill the first hole.


Are cedar planks from a home center store suitable for a sauna? When I look-up cedar boards on various home center web sites, I see many choices, but I'm not sure which most closely matches the typical sauna prefab and pre-cut kits.  My situation is such that a standard kit would not fit, and it seems custom kits are not being shipped quickly, I want to get started quickly, so I don't want to buy a kit.  Some sauna stores offer just the planks, but those are the same stores that are not offering quick shipping, so I thought I'd look at large home center stores that are able to ship within a day or two of ordering.

Wood available at the home center stores include 1"x6"x8'six pack of "siding", but that looks rough (not planed), and I think the standard sauna cedar is smooth.  Then there is 1/4" x 3 1/2" x 8' generic "cedar", "v-plank", but I wonder if that's thick enough.  There's also 1/4" x 3 3/4 x 48 "eastern red cedar" "planking", which looks really nice, and most like the wood in the kits, but is only 1/4 inch.

From a kit description:

  Tongue & Groove Western Red Cedar Boards are knot-free Grade A and Better, Vertical Grain and kiln dried.  This 1/2 thick (nominal 7/16") by 4" material has a 3 3/16" face (actual wall coverage).

The kits also might use even thicker boards:

  3/4" thick (nominal 11/16")

You will not find Grade-A kiln-dried T&G cedar at a "home center".

Call a lumber yard. Not only will there be a competent human familiar with woodworking to talk to, they will likely be able to get almost anything you want and deliver it too.


What is the purpose of the crown in the middle of a router mounting plate? I purchased a router table mounting plate to go inside a custom made table.  The insert includes some crown in the middle of the plate.  The height of the crown is roughly 0.030".

At fist I thought this was a mistake, but after reading the back of the package it says this is by design and that it insures the work is at the highest point.  The consensus here http://lumberjocks.com/topics/39338 seems to be that the reason for the crown is so that when the router is mounted on the plate, it sits flat.

The primary use of the table would be for joinery. I am a novice woodworker, but it seems that the crown imparted would do more harm than good in this scenario. I have 3/8" aluminum plate on hand and am considering using that to build the insert.

Will having the crown on the pre-made plate be better for my purposes than the flat custom plate?

I know the theoretical answer to this because I read it here, in reference to a different router table top: http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=41793&cat=1,43053,43885
It's twofold, as suggested earlier in the comments:

it helps the table to sit flat, or at least not concave, with the weight of the router.
it ensures that the workpiece contacts the table right next to the bit, even if it is not quite touching out at the edges.

I also have seen this in practice, with my own makeshift router table top, made of too-thin plywood:

If the table sags, the accuracy goes horribly awry, because the depth of cut changes according to the workpiece's position on the table, as well as with the amount of sag (which tends to fluctuate with weight).
If the table is bowed up slightly, the error is not appreciable. Technique helps here too--you want to apply downward pressure on the workpiece near the bit, not near the edge of the table.

The key here is that the curvature here is very slight. The amount of tilt the workpiece might get with a convex table doesn't generally add up to appreciable error, but the depth variation with an equivalently sagging table is unacceptable for most joinery.

My experience suggests that the convex table is a good solution. Of course the other answer is to get something perfectly flat and sturdy, but I would be careful about that, because a lot of materials (like MDF) will sag over time.

EDIT: For a convex inset plate, install it so that it is flush with the rest of the table at the edges, and you should be in the same situation as if the whole table top was crowned.


Chest freezer failed to freeze after plugging it back in I unplugged my GE chest freezer for 3 months, When i plugged it back in the compressor runs but the freezer wont get cold.

The freezer sat in the same spot for 3 months and wouldn't get cold after it was plugged back up.
The area that the compressor is in is clean and looks like new.

I never had a problem with it until i unplugged it.

With newer refrigerants (since Freon was banned), the seals on the moving parts in the compressor will sometimes dry out and leak if left off for long periods of time. It MIGHT work to recharge it and see if the seals swell up and seal again, but if the seals cracked, it will not, then you have wasted the money for the recharge. Most technicians will simply tell you that it isn't worth doing from a risk/reward standpoint.


Switch from electric range to gas range I’m think about buying a gas range and not sure if my kitchen is setup for it for or not.

A gas range needs a gas pipe. I'm not seeing one in that photo.   How hard it will be to install a gas pipe depends on how your house is constructed and whether or not you already have a gas supply to it.


Attaching a heavy item to a 'powdery' external wall I have a house in the UK built circa 1870. The external walls are London brick in Flemish bond I think, and are in a single layer (no cavity wall construction). At some point many tens of years ago, a larder was built alongside the house (so the previously external wall of the house forms the inside wall of the larder). Behind this wall is a fireplace and chimneys. Now it is an internal wall, it has about half an inch of plaster on it, which appears to be directly affixed in some way (as opposed to using plaster board - I think that's 'dry wall' in the US).

(I've simplified this slightly so you get the picture. It may be that the larder (in a slightly different form) was original. However, the wall is certainly load-bearing - it supports the external wall to all the floors above - and where internally you get to the larder there a huge internal lintel or joist.)

Some years ago I attempted to attach an old (much loved) thing for hanging coats to this inside wall. The thing for hanging coats is essentially a plank of wood, about 3/4" thick, 4" high, and 6 ft long, with a number of coat hooks along its length. It has 5 holes in it for mounting screws.

My strategy was simply to drill into the wall using a masonry bit and hammer drill, and mount the 'coat thing' flush against the wall with screws and wall plugs / rawl plugs. I used a 6.5mm drill bit, and screws about 3.5 inches long (so about 2.75 inches was in the wall when done). A brief amount of investigation showed the wall was powdery, even an inch or more, by which I mean that even going into the brick, rather than drilling a clean hole as one would normally expect, the brick appeared friable. I'd used the longest screws I felt prudent (what I don't want to do is go through the back of the chimney lining), though I may have been over conservative.

It sort of worked, but the coats are heavy, and every year it came out the wall another few millimeters, and finally fell off a few days ago. I now have the task of remounting it.

What's the best way to do this? Would longer screws actually help? What's the best way of working out the usable thickness of the wall? Why is the brick so friable in the first place? Is this likely to be result of the chimney behind?

I've added a badly drawn picture below.

Here's what I did (probably a little over-engineered but it worked well)

Filled current holes and the surrounding mess
Got 135mm long, 7mm screws with wall plugs, and drilled 10mm holes for them
Located the holes 50mm above the current holes, 50mm being approximately half a course of bricks

Whilst drilling I think the problem might have been that I'd gone between two brick courses, but this was probably compounded by the fact the plaster was thicker than I thought (it might have been 60-70mm before it hit the brick by the noise of the drill), so the ridiculously long far too heavy duty screws probably did the trick.

Each of the screws is apparently rated to hold 90kg, though I doubt either the wall or the coat-hook thing itself would be anywhere near that.


How should I eliminate an unused switch in a two gang box? Florida, USA

We bought a house with five ceiling fans, each with a light fixture installed. Each fan is controlled by a pair of wall switches in a two-gang box, one for the fan motor and one for the light housing. Simple enough.

We are replacing the fans with models that do not have lighting kits.

My wife desires fans without lighting kits.

What's the best way to handle the wall switches and lighting kit wiring?

Hold on. You can't just eliminate lights

You may notice that in almost any room you go into, anywhere, you have an intuition as to where to reach for the light switch.  The light switch is in an expected location.  That's not by accident.  That's established in the Building Codes.   It is mandatory.

It also comes up in NEC Section 210.70(A)(1), which provides rules on dwelling unit lights and switches. source

So as you eliminate light switches, you must make sure you don't eliminate the legally required ones.

"But we're not moles, of course there will be light, you'll just have to know the secret way to turn it on".  Nope. Nope. Secret ways are not allowed.  They may work for you, but won't work for guests, particularly First Responders.

If in doubt, post a room layout drawing here showing lights and switches.

How to do it

In normal 1-way switches, they have 2 switch terminals.  That is all.

If there are 2+ wires going to the same terminal, I recommend doing something to indicate to the next person how this was wired; e.g. Mark the solo with red tape (if it's the switched-hot), or bundling the group with tape.

Then, simply join all wires with a wire nut.

Then, fit appropriate cover plates, as discussed elsewhere.  They also make little "switch plugs" that bolt up like a normal switch, but have no wires and simply a rectangular plug that fills the hole.

This allows  "the next person" to easily reactivate that feature if they find it useful, or if you're selling and your inspector catches a missing mandatory switch.


What is the official name for this metal bracket that sits on top of a concrete pier? What is the official name for this metal bracket that sits on top of a concrete pier?

Post anchor is what I have always heard them called.  However, Home Depot stores sell them as a Post Base.


Is there a correct orientation for hurricane clips? When installing hurricane clips to joists where it crosses a beam, is there a preference to mounting the clips on the inside or the outside of the beam? And should the ears on the clips point inward over the beam or outward? (Does it matter?)

It is always best to consult the manufacturer's manuals and catalogs on this. Simpson Strong-Tie is one brand that is very extensively documented. If you're talking about the diamond plate type, they belong on the outside of the building, and tie the double top plate strongly to the rafter. If you use them on the inside, they only catch the lower truss joist across the join and don't properly attach anything together.

http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/h.asp

Since it's under copyright, I'm not sure if they'd consider a clip to be fair use, so here's a link directly into their PDF Installation notes on installing these things for Rafter and Truss construction. Scroll up or down for other Hurricane Clip and Earthquake ties.

http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/catalogs/S-INSTALL09.pdf#page=21


Can I use composite wood to make ground-contact retaining stairs? Hills get cut using the following procedure:

When earth is cut deeply enough, stairs get formed.These stairs, which have front walls and back walls, need to be braced. The obvious choice for a brace is pressure treated wood with rebar running through it and into the earth.

Can composite wood, the wood used for decking, also be used for a brace?

Composite wood is not usually rated for structural uses. Whether this is structural or not is debatable, but you'd likely need to drive more rebar if you opt for composite boards to prevent buckling.


What is the name of this screwhead? This is too weird to describe. (See below) What kind of driver will fit this screwhead?

It looks like a tire lug screw.  You could try a multi grip universal socket like the one below depending on the actual size of you screw.

What I usually do in cases like this is get out my Dremel tool with a cutoff disk and grind a slot in the middle of the screw and then use a large screwdriver to undo it. When that hasn't worked, I pounded a copper pipe close in size into the screw and made a makeshift socket, flattened the pipe and used an adjustable wrench to turn it out.


How can I combine two wall switches into one? As you can see in the picture the top switch doesn’t work at all. The bottom switch is the one that actually works.

How can I change this 2 switches to just 1 - when I would buy a brand new one

Please help on this!!!

Assuming that the black and red wires that are connected to the same side of the switch power either light fixtures or standard outlets...

Mark the wire that's on the side by itself with tape or something else.
Remove all wires from the switch.
Clip the loops off the two unmarked wires, then strip them 1/2" to expose fresh wire.
Use a suitably sized wire nut to combine those two wires, along with a 6" length of #14 or #12 solid copper building wire.
Bend a loop into the pigtail wire using a needle-nose plier or similar.
Install the two loops onto either screw of a standard two-way switch, wrapping the loop clockwise under the screw head. The loop should fit snugly against the screw shaft and wrap at least half way around.
Install the switch and a cover plate into the box, tucking the wires in carefully so as not to kink them.


Should I change from fluorescent to LED lighting in the kitchen? I bought an old home and put two large 14 in. round fluorescent lights up, thinking it would supply plenty of light. There's also a recessed light over the sink. It's still dark in there. I've been advised to check out Lithonia lighting and get LED lights to replace. Please tell me what you think would be best. I was told that the fixtures in the big box stores were not as good.

14in light is a useless figure. What you're looking for is lumens. ("Replaces a X watt incandescent" is also useful, though affected by marketing a bit.) Get a target lumen value, then get a lighting setup that meets this value. LEDs vs fluorescents doesn't matter for getting enough light, just for power-saving purposes.

Before you replaced the lights, was it bright enough? If so, calculate how much lighting there was back then, and try to hit that same amount.


Can I vent my dryer 'up'? We recently moved our dryer into the garage stacked on top of a washer. The easiest way to vent it was straight up about 6' into the attic, then a right turn in the attic 12' out the back of the house.

I had an appliance repair guy out to help with some propane connection issues and he said we shouldn't ever vent a dryer 'up' as it makes it a lot more likely to accumulate lint.

While I have no reason to doubt him, this also isn't something I had heard before. Coming from MN where most every house has the dryer in the basement and vents up, it seems perfectly normal to me.

In addition, prior to moving the dryer, it vented 'down' through our crawlspace and that was still caked with lint when I went to clean it out.

The question: Is it true that venting a dryer up causes more lint buildup and, if so, to what extent is it a greater problem than just venting horizontally or down?

I'm fine cleaning the vent once or twice a year and if that's what I'd have to clean any vent, regardless of direction it goes, I don't know that I want to spend the effort to re-route it underneath the house (which wouldn't be all that easy).

It really doesn't make any difference when it comes to lint build up.  But you might consider putting a secondary lint trap near the dryer to help reduce the amount of lint trapped in the line.


Using two 30amp circuits to supply one range My old range from the 1970s has two 30A circuits coming to it.  New ranges all use a single 40A circuit.  Can I join the two sets of wires into a single 60A breaker?  The circuits would be joined at both ends to a new 60A wiring, one to range and one to new breaker.

Bottom line is NO, you definitely cannot do what you propose. You CANNOT parallel a circuit like this of this size. It is expressly forbidden in the NEC, and could very well be a safety hazard.

If the appliance takes two separate circuits like your old one that is a different story. Do you know what size and type of wire is feeding the old 30A circuits?

Also, all "new ranges" definitely do not use a 40A circuit. Many can, but many also have too great a draw for a 40A circuit.

The NEC allows any household cooking appliance 12kW or under to be served by a 40A circuit, but I see more and more basic units over 12kW.


Replace 3-way switch with one single pole dimmer I have a single dining room light controlled by two 3-way switches (Switch 1 and Switch 2).

The way things are wired / set up right now is:

Switch 1 is really the only switch we ever use to turn the light on and off.

If Switch 1 is in the On position you can turn the light off using Switch 2, BUT

If Switch 1 is in the Off position, then you CANNOT turn it on using Switch 2.

That said, what I want to do is replace Switch 1 with this single pole dimmer switch.  I DO NOT care about being able to turn the light on and off using Switch 2.

The following pictures show the current wiring for the (non-dimmer) three-way switch (Switch 1) and the single pole dimmer switch I want to replace it with.

How would I go about wiring things to accomplish what I want?

This is a pretty common problem. A three way switch has 3 posts for connection 2 posts are for the carriers between the switches and one post that is for the line/load. So line side (hot wire) attached to one side of the 3 way and the load side (switch leg) attaches to the other and up to the lights being served. Your problem is the one of the line/load conductors is attached to one of the carrier posts and off course the carrier is reversed also. So it's just a matter of having the right wires on the right posts.

If you want to abandon switch 2 you can simply remove the wires from it and connect the line/load conductor to a carrier then find that conductor in the switch 1 box and use it as the new line/load conductor then connecting it to your dimmer. Be sure and wire nut off and make safe the extra carrier conductors.

The problem is that the next person living in the house may want the 3-way back. So might I suggest you repair the original problem. Then purchase a three way dimmer and leave them both in place.


Can I plug a fridge freezer into a short extension lead? I've done a lot of research and the general consensus is no, but this is for use cases drastically different to my own.

There is a double socket in my garage that has always been used for a fridge freezer and a tumble dryer. Recently I bought some LED christmas lights to use year round that draw a total of about 10 watts. I decided probably the best appliance to share a socket with would be the fridge freezer as the tumble dryer probably draws more power.

So my question is, on a short 1-2m extension lead would a fridge freezer and some LED lights be okay?

Get an extension lead rated for 13 A. You can get rubberised ones which are a bit tougher - you don't want to skimp on the price.

Make sure it has some provision for mounting it on the wall and do so (use screws that won't rust, like brass or zinc-galvanised). That way, if water gets into the garage (like on those days it rains sideways) it won't get to the extension sockets.

It would be best to make sure that there is no way for condensation on the lead to trickle into either end - the plug end will be ok as that hangs down with UK sockets installed the right way up. For the extension outlet end, you just need to leave the cord hanging downwards a bit.

You might want to label the plugs with sticky labels or a marker pen.

Or you might have a electrician mate down the pub who'll install an extra double socket for the price of the parts and a couple of beers :)


What masonry anchor should I use to install both window boxes and shutters into brick? I have a brick house and my wife and I want to install plastic shutters and wooden window boxes on some windows. I know that the shutters will not be heavy load bearers, but the windows boxes will be much heavier.

I've looked all over online and am still pretty confused by the differences in the masonry anchors that I might need to use for this project.

I see tapcon screws are anchors and screws in one, but would they be strong enough to handle a window box?

Are there standard plastic/metal anchors I could use that would work just like a drywall anchors?

Tapcons <(Stack Exchange discussion) will do the trick. Just use enough of the right ones and some washers. Do not use plastic anything. Personally, they're my favorite and I dread making the holes for these, wedge anchors, when I need something to be structural.

Recently I've begun using these, Wedge Bolts instead, where something better than a Tapcon is necessary: (all fasteners shown require a hammer-drill and a masonry bit to drill the hole, and I highly recommend using an impact gun to drive them)


How should I install fence panels on posts that aren't level? Needing to install a 24 foot horizontal board privacy "wall", we sunk one 6"corner Superspike and three more 4" Superspikes. The fence will be in two 12' sections. Our problem is that with uneven ground, the spikes are not all level with each other creating a difference of about 3 inches from one end to the other (this is the slope of the ground). How can we remedy this? should we compensate for the slope by driving three spikes consecutively 1, 2 and 3 inches deeper to make them level? We are also on sandy soil in Southern Ontario, and wonder about the overall stability of Superspikes when the ground freezes and windy conditions.

For a trivial difference like 3" (large sections of my boundary have at least 3' difference over 24'), I just wouldn't worry about it.  3" in 24' is 1:96, so nobody will notice that the posts aren't quite vertical. so put the posts in vertically, and then tweak the panels slightly so that they aren't quite square.

If you want to be really precise about it, sinking the fence into the ground is probably the best approach.

For a larger difference, you would need to staircase the fence, probably with shorter sections (to minimize the difference over each section).


How can I stop mortar plugs from popping out of slab holes? Our termite people plugged their dozens of chemical insertion holes using a regular grout and a putty knife. Needless to say the plugs are popping out left and right.  (They tell me that is normal, the plugs pop out in all their jobs).

How would you suggest sealing these holes, restoring the slab to the original condition, and keeping termiticides from leaking up?

I realize the termite people never cleaned the holes of concrete dust, so I'm prepared at least to do that:

If you do it your self (not endorsing, and see comment by The Evil Greebo) you could put a more secure plug in by using hydraulic cement.

To ensure that it does not come out, holes or cracks are usually back cut (the hole is made wider below the opening so that its diameter is greater than the diameter of the opening). This can be done with a small masonry chisel and a small sledge hammer. Start chiseling about 1/2 to 1 inch below the opening and go down about 3/4 to 1 inch deep.  You just need to get it a bit wider (1/4 inch greater all around) than the hole.

The hydraulic cement is used like a putty and it expands slightly as it dries to lock it in.  Follow the instructions, especially about moistening.

If you are doing this yourself, use a good mask and gloves because there have been harsh chemicals in that hole. Let the chips and dust fall in the hole. Do not vacuum them out!