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

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

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

People use the wrong screws outside quite a lot, but thankfully there are good alternatives.  Outdoor decking and fencing are commonly assembled with coated screws advertised for such.  They typically come in tan or green depending on the application and can hold up for a long time without rust or staining the wood.

Stainless steel screws are another option for even more rust prevention, but they will be quite a bit more expensive.  This is pretty over the top unless you're building a boat dock or similar.

For larger fasteners, hot-dipped galvanized lag bolts are good.  Galvanized screws might exist, but I'm not familiar with them.  Certainly you can get galvanized nails, but I think that the coated deck screws must have filled the need that galvanized screws would have because I never see them.


Painting an old metal gate with some corrosion I have a front gate to my house that I would like to repaint

I have few issues. First there are a few spots with rust

And some with general corrosion

Also I wonder how to paint around where the gate attaches to the wall without painting the wall

Can I just spray paint over everything?
If so, what type of paint should I use?

To me, it looks like you have a very old Zinc coated gate, which has many areas which have been touched up with a grey paint (I may be completely wrong)..

Typically the galvanization is done when the clean metal fence is dipped into molten zinc and effectively coated in a corrosive resistant zinc shell. if you would like to return the fence to original condition, your best bet would be to remove the entire gate and take the unit to a galvanizing plant for re-galvanizing. Unfortunately the fact that it may already be galvanized means that they need to acid remove the original coating which will cost double, and they would be worried that the acid burns into the mesh too much. (you would have to remove your lock and consult the galvanizing guys if the current hinges will be ok)

The other option is to simply remove all traces of the rust from the existing gate and re-apply a coating of paint. I would say if you choose to paint the gate do not remove, however if spraying is your intention, then i would recommend removal.

To prepare for painting. some sand paper and stainless steel brushes would do the trick, if you have some power tools you could really benefit from steel brush powertool accessories (drill, grinder or polisher)

Using some sand paper, and steel brushes (in the heavy rust areas) scrape away all rust. Once you are happy, I would apply a primer coating (zinc chromite metal primer) and then a final coat of good quality enamel paint.

The corrosion you are seeing are the zinc which has formed pots (are you near the coast?)  if so... painting your fence with enamel is not advised.. since corrosion is too excessive near the coast.

another option would be to prepare the fence (sanding where the rust areas are) and then re-applying the galvanized coating with a brush. this will add some life back to the gate (but does not compare to actually having the gate professionally galvanized)

a Google search for galvanizing paint or spray should get some results.

Lastly, if you are worried about painting on the wall, simply use some masking tape on the edges.


Is all copper pipe pretty much the same? Is there different levels of quality in copper plumbing pipe? I see copper pipe at Home Depot and I assume plumbing supply stores sell it too. Does pretty much everybody sell the same quality of copper pipe, or are there differences I should be aware of?

By copper pipe, I mean the typical 1/2" and 3/4" copper pipe used in residential plumbing applications.

There are different grades and types of copper pipe that you of course should be aware of.  However I think your question is whether copper pipe is really a commodity type product - whether there's a difference between products of the same grade / type made by various manufacturers and sold by various retailers and wholesalers.

This is a common question but it's a tough one.

One the one hand, there are standards that apply to these products and any product that meets the standard should be adequate for the purpose.  That may lead you to conclude that standardization makes these products essentially commodities.

On the other hand, big retailers press manufacturers very very hard for low pricing, and are not nearly as tough on quality;  DIY customers are not as demanding as the plumbing contractors, maintenance people, etc. that shop at plumbing supply houses catering to contractors.  Big box retailers are going to cater to their customers and their customers are primarily concerned with price.

It's very possible that in some cases the same product from the same manufacturer is identical quality whether purchased in a big box store or in a specialty supply house.  It's also very possible that a brand may have to lower their quality (within acceptable standards) to win a spot in a big box store.  It's even possible that a manufacturer may make the same exact product to a higher standard for supply houses and to a lower standard for big box retailers.

In my opinion, I have seen all three of these scenarios unfold over the last ten years as big box stores have grown and become more powerful in the market.


condensation on the glass have been noticing condensation on my window glass each morning, but when I open my heavy curtains, the condensation will disappear.  Never had this problem with my old windows.  Thank you.

This is normal. Your indoor air is humid, so when it reaches a cold surface (your window glass) condensation appears. The heavy curtain facilitates this by reducing air circulation across your window, which blocks heat and air flow around the window, but does not seal out humidity. The window gets cooler, and water condenses on it.

When you open your curtain, the window gets warmed up from your room air so some of the condensation evaporates. This probably happens when you wake up, so you're also opening up other doors and windows, moving air around the house, and helping the humidity levels even out.

As long as you're regularly relieving the humidity build up and it isn't dripping (which can cause rot, e.g. on a wooden window frame) this shouldn't be a problem.


Bricking up door/damp I'm about to block up this doorway and have noticed damp in the bottom corner. If I were to lay a DPC between the screed and first layer of blocks, would that solve the issue....or is it going to require specialist attention?

This is how it looks from the outside, also evidence of damp I think:

This is an extension to the original house (about 10 years ago), midlands UK. Thanks!

If you are going to remove the door and simply replace it with blocks, I would urge you to finish the outside like the existing walls are. Perhaps that is your plan all along but you did not specify that you were.
As mentioned in a comment, the floor slab that the door sets on needs to be broke back to the point that the face brick on the outside can pass in front of the slab. The existing brick need to be "toothed out" or raked back, since there are so few courses that the waterproofing layer (WPL) can be tied into with new material. The stucco needs to be carefully cut back too, or should be so the blockwork that serves as backing for the stucco can tied in to and expose the edges of the existing WPL to tie into that as well.
Then of course, lay up new brick that matches the original with the same mortar color and the necessary coats of stucco to build up and finish that the same to match existing as well.


What could cause water hammer after changing a valve cartridge? I fixed my delta 1400 series shower faucet the other day by replacing the valve cartridge with a non-delta brand.

Everything went well, until I turned it on, now the shower pipe is hammering.  The tub pipe is fine, no hammering at all.

Any ideal as to why this would happen?  I replace the one in the master bath and had no issues at all (I think I used delta brand for that one).

My understanding is that the cause of the hammering is an increase in water pressure in the pipe.  The only thing that changed was the new cartridge.  Could the after market one be the cause?

Here is what I found.  I went to the hardware store and located two of the replacement valve cartridge made by Delta.  Reading the back of them I found that one was for faucet made after 2005 and the other was for faucet made before 2006.  Being that my house was built in 2000 I went for the one made before 2006.  I then replaced the after market cartridge with the new one from Delta and now life is good.

The after market product does not mention anything about manufacturing year so I am thinking it is for newer versions of the Delta 1400 Series shower faucets.


Will hex shank drill bit fit a 3 jaw chuck? Is it possible to fit a hex shank drill bit (masonry) onto a 3 jaw chuck ?

It depends on the shank. Some masonry bits have a round area too close to the hex to fully lock a drill chuck on (oem bits for specific brands). If the shank is a full hex it will work with no problems. I use hex bits all the time because they grip better in the drill chuck and don't take as much force to hold them in place so they won't spin when you bite into a tougher spot.


How is DIY done so much on 'fixer uppers' in areas where AHJs demand permits and licenses? I see a lot of cases of major 'fixer upper' homes or general home improvement done in an area where the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) requires permits and only offers them to licensed pros. How is this the case? I ask because I wonder if I'm missing something. (Of course it is case by case. For example, one person doing electrical may be working with a licensed electrician to do so, whereas another may be outright doing it themselves illegally. Same goes for structural modifications and remodeling.)

From what I can tell, many people are doing work that requires a permit & license without either. Aside from doing unsafe work, what risks are they taking in doing so? I'd think the risks would be high but the prevalence of this suggests it is not. Part of that could also be, many of the people illegally doing maintenance/upgrades are trying to save a buck, or are doing it on homes that are in such bad shape to begin with that their DIY improvements can only bring good things in quality of life and resale value there.

For more context, consider the answers to Does a homeowner need a permit for electrical work in Massachusetts? It is clear that in some places permits & licenses are required for relatively simple work, and also clear that there are people who don't respect those requirements and would rather risk paying a fine than a pro.

And in another related question, Pros and Cons of buildings permits the risks are made clear, along with reasoning why someone would ignore permit requirements.

I will give you an honest answer and could care less about the upvotes/downvotes.  Just my experience flipping houses in many US areas and even some overseas over 25 years.

First every municipality will have a detailed list of things they require a permit for.

almost all places require you to pull a permit for electrical
if you pull an electrical permit some places will allow you to do some electrical work.  This may or may not include you needing to pass a local electrical permit exam.  I have done so numerous times.
when applying for a permit most places will take in a percentage (often capped) of the renovations to help offset the costs for their inspection process.

If you are doing a lot of work talk to your inspector.  If you can actually get the inspector at your city hall (or where ever) please talk to him.  Give him an overview of what you may do.  And here is why.  80% of the inspectors are GREAT guys that will help you out and downright give you great advice through the inspection/permit process.  They will tell you that you don't need to pull permits for certain things and give you hints how to pass quicker for other things.   The other 20% of the inspectors... WOW.  They have their buddy Johnny the Electrician and if you don't use Johnny then your guy better be perfect (and perfect means whatever the inspector wants).  Johnny will charge 50% more.  The same goes for all trades.  Or you get the inspector who wants everything permitted - yes I have had an inspector ask me to pull a permit for putting in carpet no kidding.   My point is know what you are dealing with.  If I am dealing with a shady inspector, no way in hell I am pulling permits unless it is for something I know I need to.  That is just the truth.  We may just skip certain renovations because of this.
Don't let #2 fool you I am a pro-permit person.  But permits and passing permits mean nothing.  I can pretty much have any architect write something up and install a beam or whatever and most inspectors will just sign off on anything.  Sure there are inspectors that know their crap... but I am talking about the majority.  Pulling a permit doesn't ensure that the job is done right.  It just ensures that someone looked at it.   I have bought many houses that passed "inspections" that were not done to code, took these to the city and had no recourse.  In one case the city made me repull permits (costing over 5k) because their inspectors passed them incorrectly.  Anyway sued city and they paid for the work done in the end but took 6 months so I was eating mortgage.  My point is here the permit is just another check, not the all being/knowing check.
When talking electrical.  I will pull a permit if I have a licensed electrician doing work, if I am doing work licensed in the area, or if the work is major.  I will not pull permits for switching out outlets (some cities ask you to pull permits for this - I do not ask as once you ask, you are pulling a permit), I will not pull a permit for adding an extra outlet or two to an existing circuit (yes I follow load standards), and will not pull a permit for switching out aluminum for copper.
When talking infrastructure... I will pull permit if I am making a modification that is substantial or will impact the house listing - adding bathrooms, bedrooms, square footage.  I used to pull for foundation work... But I found that some cities had practices and outdated information that were making my repairs worse and more costly.   I have trusted pros doing this work for me and trust their opinions more than an inspector who is getting his info from the local foundation guy (who wants all the business so often does unwarranted things at a house and acts like his way is the only way to meet code).  On the other end, I am not pulling a permit to enclose a closet, to shorten or modifying non-loadbearing walls, just not happening.

What are the risks?   Well none really if you do the work correctly.  If you are afraid work is done incorrectly you could be liable for failings but really when houses are sold they are sold as is.  Almost impossible to sue a former house owner.  Probably the biggest risk is that when selling the house you did work that shows up on the comp sheet and word gets back to city (this is not common).   City then could come out and ask for permits.  But the city would have to prove that YOU (not previous owners) made the changes unless they are for unpermitted space.

Also a good home inspector should be able to see bad work and then the work would have to be redone.   If substantial you would have to pull permits as home inspector may ask city for them.

To conclude, someone could write a book about your question in the US.   I have had so many inspectors tell me "you don't want to pull a permit for that".  I have had so many inspectors tell me to pull permits for the dumbest crap.   (funny example - had to pull permit for changing out tile in kitchen.  Inspector comes out.  He is new and just some random dude with a sheet to checkmark.  He goes through some other stuff we were doing, he asks if tile was done, one of my guys thought he was talking about the bathroom which was done, my guy says yes, he inspects kitchen tile which is about 40 years old, says good, checked, done).  Any homeowner getting work done on their house for roof, electric, plumbing, or major infrastructure should get a permit to help protect themselves.

Edit: Since it has tag DIY vs pro.  In most areas the only times you would need a pro is an architect for load bearing changes or new space or electrical.  For plumbing it is 50/50 in my area at least.  For everything else you can do it yourself.  If you do not have experience for some projects or do not have a reputation, please count on your inspector to treat you different.  Some are nice and helpful, other will nitpick your work until you get a pro.  But when pulling permits if it isn't electrical or major architectural I would assume you don't need a pro and even for those I mentioned you can ask city if you can do it yourself.  (example - often I have taken out a load bearing wall.  If I well over engineer the cross beam needed many inspectors tell me not to worry about architect sign-off.  It is a strategy I use often - pay $75 more for beam plus better beam better for future owners and save $300 on architect)


super glue / adhesive for plastic that is resilient to extreme temperature variation My car’s side window broke off. The contact surfaces are both plastic.

I managed to glue it back with “Loctite Super Glue Easy Squeeze Gel”. But the result is limited by season. If I glue it on in summer, then it comes off during winter (we regularly have 0 degrees F here). And vice versa.

I'm requesting your recommendations for "plastic on plastic" super glue / adhesive, that can withstand a temperature range of -10F to 110F, and can support a car side window that weighs about two pounds.

I had something similar happen, and I was able to take out the screws from the inside of the car so the whole broken assembly could be taken inside.

Even though product recommendations are off topic, you should be able to find a good plastic adhesive at any hardware store.

You’d be best off with your adhesive results if you can add a bolt between the two pieces to keep them from moving or flexing the adhesive too much. If you remove the pieces from the car you can probably hide the fastener completely (it depends on how it broke). Clamp the two pieces together and give them plenty of time to cure (check the adhesive on the cure time) before putting it back on your car and into the elements.


Air Conditioner: Panel Malfunction I have an old window A/C unit which the electronic panel is malfunctioning.
Basically, it keeps changing randomly the settings (watch the video). Examples:

If I set the fan to low, after a while it might switch to high (and vice-versa).
If I set to energy save, after a while it might switch to turbo.
Sometimes I can't turn it on or off, although I can hear the 'beep' from the panel.
... etc ...

Besides that, it is working fine (ie: it can cool down the room).

Recently I called a technician to repair this unit. He said that this unit is too old to find spare parts and the most cost effective solution would probably be to buy a new one (unfortunately, buy a new one is not an option for me).

Question
Any idea how to repair this unit?

Additional Notes

Air Conditioner description

Model: Springer Mundial Eletrônico
Type: Window
Capacity: 10500 BTU/h cold only

Generally if a board starts acting "squirrely" like that, it's bad and they are not repairable. But in many cases it's not that hard to replace the entire board. Get the model number of your unit and do an internet search for a "main board" for it. If your unit is popular, you may find it for sale and in fact you may find a YouTube video showing you how to replace it. I have done that recently for two different electronic based appliances, both repairs were simple and inexpensive (compared to replacing the entire appliance).


What does a red light on my circuit breaker mean? One of the breakers in the breaker box turns red when I switch it on. Some of my bathroom outlets do not work. This breaker is currently off, but when I turn it on, it shows a red light. What does that mean?

It's almost certainly the case that this is a GFCI (Ground Fault) breaker, or an AFCI (Arc Fault) breaker.

It is tripping because it is detecting a fault in the circuit which it is designed to protect.

The most likely cause of a Ground Fault is that you plugged in an appliance that internally has a ground fault.  Unplug it. Plug it into some other GFCI protected socket in your house, e.g. a kitchen receptacle.  If it trips that one too, then it needs repair.  Otherwise it may be a bad GFCI.

The second most likely cause of a GFCI trip is some wiring is getting wet.  The third most likely is you modified the wiring and did it wrong.  GFCIs are really good at enforcing the Electrical Code.

If it's an AFCI trip, then it might be an appliance (electric blankets were basically the reason AFCIs were invented). However AFCIs were found to be fantastic for detecting wiring faults inside the walls - these are nearly always at a receptacle, switch or lamp.   You may have to open up each of the outlets that has gone dead, and double check their connections.   The less likely reason is a problem with the wires in the walls, but that is only likely if you recently drove nails or screws into your walls.


How do I use 'surface shims' to level out a sloping floor? Asked a question about leveling my floor here earlier this week, and one of the options suggested sounded appealing, but didn't contain enough detail for me (a not-too-handy, not-very-experienced-with-home-repair guy) to move forward on:

  Assuming jacking is not an option, the next easiest way would be to install "pearlings" or surface shim boards every 12 to 16 inches on center across the floor in decreasing thickness and install a new 3/4 inch subfloor over these, screwing it down all the way into the old floor.

Is there another word or phrase than 'pearlings' that is used for this process? Searching specifically on pearlings has gotten me nowhere. Can anyone walk me through the steps of the outlined procedure in more detail, or point me to a walkthrough of the procedure somewhere else on the internet?

I think the word is actually spelled "purlin," and normally refers to framing members bridging laterally across roof trusses, rafters, or wall posts or studs.

You say (in the other question) that the slope is consistent, i.e. the floor is still planar, just not a level plane.  This means the method suggested by shirlock homes in your other question shouldn't be too difficult; certainly a lot easier than the other options you mentioned.

If the slope is across 10 feet, and the outer edge is 1" lower than the inner edge, you'd start by ripping a 1" strip off the edge of a piece of 2-by lumber, so you'll have a strip that's 1" x 1.5".  Attach that to the existing subfloor at the outer edge.  Now say you've decided to put these shims every 12", that means you'll end up with 10 of them across the 10' dimension of your room, and each one will need to be 1/10" shorter than the last one so that you end up at zero right where the room meets the house.  So rip your next one to 0.9" thick, or about 29/32", and attach it parallel to the first one, 12" away from it.  Next one will be 0.8" or 13/16", and you'll attach it 24" away from the first one.  Then just keep going until your last shim is 0.1" or 3/32" thick, and it will be about 12" from the inner wall of the room.

Once you've installed these shims, their top surfaces will form a flat level plane onto which you can attach your new subfloor.  Your finished floor will be higher with this method (at the threshold it'll be equal to the thickness of your new subfloor plus the thickness of your new flooring material, and at the outer wall it'll be one inch thicker than that), but if that works in your situation I think this is a great solution.


Is there a way to design/create a shower that is less prone to mold? I think I've had it with traditional tiled showers...I can't stand the site of mold in between tiles, on the tiles! on shower curtains, on shower doors, etc.

I think I'm pretty clean, but I always will see little bits of mold.

How can I build a shower that would minimize mold growth?

What materials would help? What about concrete? Can I treat the surface with anything?

What kind of enclusure structures would work? Can I treat the shower curtain with anything? What if the door were stainless?

Do I build a dehumidifying unit into the bathroom?

I'm looking for the ultimate bathroom/shower design.

I know that what ever the solution, cleaning will still be required...

General construction advice for 'general' showers:

In/on the walls:

use RedGard as a vapor barrier over the cement board
use paperless or blueboard sheetrock
use mildew resistant pain
adequately vent the room with a proper exhaust fan

In the shower construction itself:

seal all caulk properly
make sure standing water can't puddle

Now, all that said, I pretty much agree. Showers as they are today aren't really designed as well as they should be IMHO.

For inexpensive solutions, I'm actually a fan of the more modern pre-moulded systems. You can get systems that look quite nice for under $1500 that come in 3 or 4 full-wall sections with gasket seems. I know folks tend to consider them 'cheaper' than a true tiled shower, but I actually find them much more intriguing from an engineering standpoint. They just make more sense to me in a modern home.

For more quirky/unique solutions, I've seen:

metal sheeting. Corrugated Galvanized sheets, for example. Copper as another.
all glass
sealed monolithic concrete (note that concrete is extremely porous so would have to be sealed with something like an epoxy coating)

And...most recently...we stayed at a new hotel a few weeks ago where the shower walls were made out of solid slabs of the same counter-top material as the vanity. It looked really nice actually, I'm guessing it was a Corian like product.


My new dishwasher goes bonkers randomly. How can I test if "dirty power" is the culprit? I bought a brand new dishwasher and within minutes of installing it, the dishwasher started itself, as in clicked "normal" and then clicked "start" all by itself.  It has capacitive buttons and it seemed it was registering phantom button presses.  I fiddled around and tried a few different things but nothing seemed to help.  So I called Maytag and they sent out a repairman.  He replaced the control panel and the problem persisted.  He then replaced the second circuit board (there are only two, one of which is the control panel), and the problem persisted.  Finally, Maytag replaced the entire unit.  The problem has continued, and once again it started within a few minutes after installation.
At this point, I find it unlikely that the problem is in the dishwasher.  I suspect the issue may be dirty power or a wiring issue in my wall.  They tested the outlet with a basic outlet tester and everything was fine.
So, where would you recommend I go from here?  I know capacitive buttons can be sensitive to noise on the wires, so I suspect dirty power of some sort, but I have no idea how to prevent that.  Should I try an uninterruptible power supply and see if the problem disappears?  Is there a simple noise filter I can install inline?
The phantom button presses are very frequent.  This makes testing a solution and seeing if it works simple and conclusive.  I'm just not sure where to start or if this is the right direction to go.

Most likely, you have a bad ground connection in your outlet, maybe even your house. Capacitive switches are referenced to ground, so when there is no ground connection, or the ground "plane" has a lot of electrical noise on it, it can "infect" (for lack of a better word) your equipment, you get random capacitance and seemingly random functioning of the controllers looking at the capacitive switches.
Electrical noise of this type, called "Common Mode noise" when it is referenced to ground, is created by things like inverters, bad computer power supplies, cheap LED drivers, etc. etc.. One thing you could try is to disconnect everything electronic that you own, see if the problem goes away, then plug things back in one at a time to see if it returns. If it does, the last thing you plugged in is the culprit.
My bet: you bought some LED lamps or fixtures that had prices that were almost too good to believe. A lot of absolute crap is being spit out of factories in China that bear no approvals, no testing labels (or counterfeit ones), etc., but they can sell them on internet sites like Amazon or eBay without any consequences.


My kitchen cabinets were mounted with drywall screws. How can I better secure it to the wall? The kitchen cabinets in our apartment were hung with drywall screws which has been flagged to us as a safety concern because they might not bear the load when the cabinets are fully loaded with dishes:

My understanding is these screws can be removed and replaced one at a time with hardware to better support the load. Is that right?
If so, what hardware would you recommend I use for this? Some sort of anchor I'm guessing?

Don't Replace, ADD
Removing the screws is a lot of extra work, for no real benefit. In fact, you might even find that some of the old drywall screws snap when you try to unscrew them, and then you have no practical choice but to add other screws anyway, leaving the partial screws in the studs.
Just add proper cabinet screws. Depending on the layout, you should be able to move a little up or down or left or right from each existing screw and put in a cabinet screw.
Predrilling holes slightly smaller than the new screws is highly recommended. That will make it easier to drive the screws, minimize the risk of any cracking, and also let you easily tell if you are hitting a stud (which you want here).
Thinking about this a little more, this is definitely a case where having two charged up drill/drivers would make the job much easier - one with a drill bit, the other with a screwdriver bit. If you've only got one, I'd pre-drill a bunch of holes then come back around with the screws.


kitchen tiled backsplash before the faucet? Should the tiles on the kitchen backsplash be mortared and grouted before the faucet is on? Is it problematic if the faucet is on first?

The order of installing something like a kitchen backsplash and the kitchen sink faucet would really depend upon a number of factors and preferences.

Working clearance. If the faucet location is very near to the backsplash it could be difficult to install the tiles with the faucet in place.
Installing tiles has use of mortar, grout and possibly tile adhesive. It would often be desirable to keep gritty and sticky materials like that, and related cleanup, away from shiny sinks and faucets so installation before either of those would be advisable.
In remodel jobs, especially DIY, it can be necessary to get the basic operation of a kitchen back in order before some parts of the construction and finish work is completed. In this case it may be a preference to have a working sink before a backsplash.
Contractor availability. If having work done using contractors it can sometimes be problematic to line up the contractor work schedules to get tile work and plumbing work done in the ideal order in time. So you make compromises to get the work done in the most acceptable span of time.

Point number 4) above reminds me of the numerous times I've seen street work done where all the nice new curbing is all installed and the concrete nicely cured. Then you see another contractor out there cutting a slot though the curb to install the likes of cable drops to the houses, water or sewer line installation or underground mains AC power line feed installation.


Pitting / bleach staining on bathroom taps Trying to get an old bathroom looking much nicer, and our bath mixer tap has been quite badly stained / tarnished, I believe someone put bleach on it at one point and obviously it's had quite an impact.

I've had a look at a few cleaning products but nothing seems to have worked – is there anything anyone can suggest to get these taps sparkling again?

That Looks like lime scale or soap scum. try white vinegar, or a similar proprietary lime remover.


How to stop water seaping inbetween concrete slabs I have two slabs in a Home Office converted from a garage.

The regular garage slab and another which is about 6 inch higher than the garage one. The lower one has a wall between the two except for a large door. This wall is seated on a 2x4 timber planks.

When there is very heavy rain, water seeps under that timber in the doorway into the lower garage floor.

I see it seeping in and wondered how I could stop it.

We are on a slight slope down toward the office and have clay just one meter below. I guess it is the water preessure below that is causing it.

Thanks.

oz

Yes, most likely that is water pressure causing it. Ideally, you'd install a drain tile system with sump pump to pump the water elsewhere, essentially redirecting the water. That is a very labor intensive and expensive task to complete, due to the labor involved. It does work very well, though.

I've seen people get away with sealing the joint well with something like Sikaflex. The issue there is you're simply impeding the pressure being relieved. It will either find another spot to relieve pressure (and hopefully not inside your office), or will push it's way through whatever sealant you use.


How do I replace an Australian light switch? I'm trying to replace my light switch with a new one. The switch has two switches on it. The replacement switch I bought has two switches but is slightly different than the old one. This as far as I can work out is because the bottom switch is a two way switch. Will I be able to use this new switch?

Yes; just wire it up as it is now. The terminals should be labeled the same.

Note that US/Canada and the rest of the world have different definitions for 2/3 way - in Aus, 'two way' means a light that is controlled by two switches, while in the US, that would be called 'three way', because each switch has three connections.


Apartment Circuit breaker flips randomly I'm not sure how to diagnose or fix this issue.

I have seen it happen when nothing is on, when a few things are on, and when the heater is on. It does not appear to matter what the electrical consumption is in the room.

I live in a pretty modern apartment (the circuit board cannot be more than a couple years old). I haven't had any lights blow out or any other electrical issues nor do the lights flicker.

The board is just a bunch of switches. I talked to my landlord but I cannot recreate the issue. It happens maybe every 20-40 days.

I've seen posts like: Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping? but in these cases it appears it just keeps tripping. Mine does so randomly with a large amount of time in between.

I do not have a water heater or any other large power drains in my apartment nor do any other room's circuits trip.

This may not be worth spending a lot of time on. Buy a replacement and swap it in.  If the problem goes away, it must have been a defective breaker.

New breakers cost between $3.50 and $40 depending on make, model, and if it is an AFCI or GFI.

Be sure to note carefully if the existing breaker is a GFI (also called GFCI)—ground fault interrupter—or an AFCI—arc fault circuit interrupter.  The former is required for outdoor and wet locations, the latter for "residential family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, parlors, libraries, dens, bedrooms, sunrooms, recreation rooms, closets, hallways, and similar rooms or areas."ref

Replacing a breaker is not a highly skilled operation, but not respecting electricity can be dangerous.  If you aren't comfortable working around open wiring, call in a handy friend.


The walls in our living room transitions into the ceiling with a curved surface...what is this called? Our living room has walls that transitions into the ceiling with a curved surface...the radius of the curve is a few inches I think.

What is this kind of construction called?

If the radius of the wall to ceiling transition is on the order of 1 to 2 inches then that corner is likely formed by use of a vinyl inside corner beading. It comes in lengths and inserted up into the corners and nailed / screwed along the edges through a flange that gets covered over with a feathered edge of drywall mud to blend the beading to the wall and ceiling surfaces.

Sometimes a wood material is also used that looks similar to a cove moulding but that would more than likely not be used up against the drywall in a mudded in smooth transition.

In decades gone by it was sometimes popular to create much larger radius transitions that could be a radius of 6 to 8 inches (maybe even more). These would be seen on plaster construction where curved backer corners were installed to the wall/ceiling lathe and then additional wood lathe was attached to these to create the curved surface. A professional plasterer would then plaster the wall and curved transition up to the ceiling all in one continuous process. Sorry that I cannot provide a name for that type of construction.


Should an underground drainage pipe be perforated? If I want to install a long (30ft+) drainage pipe underground for my sump discharge, should the pipe be perforated or solid? The pipe will flow down and out  into a creek. This is in a region that has very cold winters (<0F).

Typical practice is to make the first 10 feet or so solid and use perforated after that, but that would vary depending on where it is relative to the building basement floor - for a pumped sump I assume the pipe is above the floor level, so 10 feet of solid to get it away from the building and then the remainder perforated to allow it to drain water from the yard as well.

If the pipe is below the basement floor level you would not need a pump, as gravity flow downhill from there would carry water away, and it would all be perforated.


tearing out tub/shower surround I live in Vancouver, and my condo is about 25 years old.  A couple of the tiles in the tub/shower surround are cracked, and I know that when I take them off I'm going to find soggy drywall.  I'm committed to taking the surround down to the studs, but I'm not sure about putting it all back together.  The bathroom has no outside walls, and the only fixtures are the tub/shower and the toilet.  The tile is only on the tub/shower surround.  Do I need a vapour barrier, or do I "just" replace the drywall in the surround with cement board and then tile over the cement board?  Thanks for your help!

Yes you do need a vapor barrier. Replace the sheetrock with cement board and use Redgard waterproofer over cement board following instructions. Install tile and seal grout.


Correct hardware to attach to stud with this dresser anchor kit? Background

I bought a dresser and it came with this chain for anchoring the dresser to the wall. It did not come with the hardware that attaches to the stud.

The dresser weighs maybe 125 lbs with the drawers out. Also, it came with two of these chains for anchoring, but I just showed one in the photo.

Ideas

I was thinking either a D Ring or an eyehook

Question

Is one type of hardware better than the other for anchoring purposes ? I like the idea of a D hook because it has two screws that would have to fail vs. the one eye hook screw. Does the screw thickness make a difference ?

Much more important than the hardware is what it is attached to.

The best protection against tipping furniture is attachment to a framing member in the wall. That generally means a stud (wood behind the finish sheet rock, plaster or paneling).

Studs can be found using a stud finder, and are generally on 16" centers, but sometimes 24". A hook-eye that goes through the finish material and 1" or more into a wooden stud is a good hedge against tipping. One centered high on the furniture piece, or better, one on each end will usually suffice.

A D-ring is okay, but the holes tend to be smaller and the screws attaching it are therefore smaller as well, with less holding power. The screw thickness does make a difference. The gripping power of a larger screw is greater than that of a small thin screw. Also the D-ring itself can be prone to failure with the wire leg pulling out from behind the mounting plate if there is a very heavy load.

If it is impossible to attach to a stud, a strong toggle is the next best attachment mechanism. I favor the pivoting bar type over the spring loaded version. These spread the load over a larger area of the finish material and the attachment bolt can be removed and reinserted easily.

I strongly urge against plastic type anchors when the load tends to pull outward rather than downward.

You may wish to reveiw this discussion of anchor types.

An exception is masonry construction, such as concrete, concrete blocks or tile blocks. These need special masonry anchors and matching screws or bolts.

Occasionally you may find steel studs, which need a finer threaded screw for attachment, and do not seem to hold as well as wooden studs.


What is wrong with this 3 prong outlet? A relatively new (2 years or so) and little used, three prong outlet in my garage has stopped accepting plugs.  The slots seem blocked.  Pushing the test and reset buttons has no effect.  There is a small green light showing. (See photo.)

What is wrong? Is it fixable or should I replace the outlet?

The green light typically indicates that a GFCI receptacle is working properly. You can press the TEST button and the green light should go off, and then go back to green when you press RESET. But the GFCI function is electrical, not mechanical, so it has no effect on being able to push a plug into the socket.

If you have a TAMPER RESISTANT receptacle then it is designed so that you can only use it by pushing the prongs of the plug in at the same time and straight in. The mechanism to do this is mechanical and springs that control it can break or a piece of the shutter can get moved out of place or stuck. Those types of problems are often technically fixable, but probably not worth the effort.

If you do NOT have a tamper resistant receptacle and you can't plug something in then I would consider it broken beyond repair as that is simply not a normal situation. Something got bent out of shape or stuck and messing it with it is not worth the risk. 120V can kill quite easily. The GFCI will protect against current passing through a person, but it won't protect against a physical malfunction that could result in a fire.


How can I repair a broken pivot hinge for a vanity mirror? I have a bathroom vanity with three mirror panels, each on pivot hinges and magnetically held closed.  One of the hinges at the top split due to the metal being stressed repeatedly.  If you look at the photo, the hinges are attached by some fastener - not a screw.

What are my options for replacing this hinge?

I have the same problem. These doors are crap.  The backings are 1/8" fiber board glued to the mirror glass.  This 'fake' wood is warping from bathroom moisture, hence the mirrors are becoming unglued and starting to flop.  I am considering replacing this cabinet instead (with a higher quality more pricey one, sigh!), since the 2nd (of 3) door hinges broke in exactly the same way as described in original post, and the third will fail soon, I'm sure.

Having said that, I have a stopgap repair that I do NOT recommend, since I'm petrified this (or the rest of the door) will come apart at any time.  Caveat emptor!

The fix I made was to salvage hinges from a previous glass doored cabinet. You might have to order your own (see below). The bracket on the hinge that attached to the door has a cross section shaped like a "U", or an "L" with a toe on the mirror side (right) and two set screws on the back (left) to pinch into the door board.  Because the base of the "U" was 1/4" I had to glue another 1/8" strip of strong dense wood to the back of the fiber board.  This was ok as it gives more for the set screws to bite into.  I carefully wedged the toe between the glass and the fiberboard (bad, as this further separates the mirror from the fiber board, ugh! and the metal on glass might chip if bumped).
Note that the new bracket "U" height has to be short enough to clear the old rivets.  I had to file away some of the old hardware to make this all fit. This fix has lasted several years of "careful use"... but I wouldn't use around small children and I'm not gonna fix this again!

Glass Door Pivot Hinges: (woodworker.com)


Why do my kitchen cabinets' magnetic door catches keep breaking? As per the title, my kitchen cabinets use those little magnetic door catch devices.

Where there is a small plate on the door, and a housed magnet mounted to the frame of the cabinet to hold the door closed - instead of spring loaded hinges.

My high-use doors keep breaking their magnets every year or so - generally the central pin holding the magnet captive gives way and the thing falls apart.

Not expensive to replace, but annoying...

Am I likely mounting them wrong to cause such an issue.  If they are too far back, then they do not engage at all and do not work.

If they are too far forward, the door looks ajar.

Magnet latches are cheap and rarely work well. Consider replacing the hinges with capture, European style closing hinges that hold doors closed and don't require any mechanical holding devise on the open side of the door. They are inexpensive and work well and are fairly easy to install.


how to level out basement cement crack I plan on laying some vinyl planks onto cement but there are some cracks from leveling in the cement and with the new flooring you can "feel" where the cement barely sticks up at the crack.

Wasn't a problem with carpet but is now.  These are hairline cracks but you can feel them underfoot.

This seems to be a slightly different question than some out there because it's how to both "level and fill" at the crack location.

What we ended up doing is grinding down the "lip" of the highest edge with an angle grinder cement grinding wheel

.

Then we filled the hole with "self leveling" concrete sealant.  Sikaflex for instance.  Over fill a bit, then after it dries, came back and scraped off any sealant that was poking up with a 4" big blade scraper.


Will grid-lines in textured ceilings show through paint? We just finished texturing our ceilings with a knock-down texture, however the following day we noticed wide grid-lines in the ceiling everywhere we taped and mudded. We did not prime/seal the sheetrock before texturing (wish we had), but plan to do it now.  Will primer and paint cover these grids?

Paint will only cover up VERY minor imperfections, like pinholes in a wall (and even then, if it's a big pinhole, it may still show through). If texturing didn't cover it, paint (which is MUCH thinner) definitely won't.


HVAC drip line sweats during heavy AC use in summer Our HVAC unit is in the attic. It has a PVC pipe that goes down the wall to the bathroom sink, draining into the P-trap under the bathroom sink.

Since last year, during the summer when the AC is used heavily, the drain hose under the sink from the HVAC unit is icy cold and causes the black rubbery hose to sweat. This causes a smell of mold and requires a bucket to placed under the hose to prevent further cabinet damage:

I have had plumbers and HVAC pros come out and they have replaced all the plumbing under the sink, and inspected the HVAC, but the problem persists.

In general, our house is often humid. There is mold around the exhaust vents. Often times it is more humid in the house than out of the house (Dallas, TX area).

If it gets over 90 degrees outside, the A/C never turns off and cannot cool the house below 75 or 76 degrees or so. It is during this time the cold water pours down the pipe and fills the P-trap with icy cold water.

Lastly, I had a general contractor suggest that my evaporator coils may be dirty. Since I've lived in the house (~15 years) I have never had them cleaned. Also, I have had problems with the filters being sucked in because the plenum was so tight, it bent the sides if the filters (even the 3" ones) and after that, they loose all structural integrity. You don't know until you go to change the filter.

What could be causing this sweating and humidity in our HVAC system?

The problem could be the high humidity in the house. Here, north of Pittsburgh, Pa. I run a dehumidifier any time I am using the A/C unit to help reduce the humidity. Most A/C units are oversized not allowing the unit to run long enough to reduce the humidity. If you live in a high humidity area the A/C unit will not remove enough of the humidity in your house to allow you to feel comfortable. I set my dehumidifier at 40% and allow it to run automatically. I bought a GE unit rated at 70 pints per day from Sam's club and it keeps the humidity in check. One more thing, the drip line should have it's own trap close to the unit to keep cold air from blowing down the pipe causing the pipe to become cold which in turn coupled with a high humidity in the house causes it to swet. I would probably allow the condensate drain to run outside the house if that is legal in your area.


What kind of nut should I use when a screw is too short? Trying to replace the handles on a chest of drawers and the 'new' handles are a touch to short for the thickness of the wood to get a normal nut on the end. Is there a Tee nut type thing that can solve my issue?
Any suggestions (UK) where I might get one?
Any other ideas?

Thanks for your help!

It looks like the old holes go all the way through, so they were made to work with machine screw rods,
note the relatively fine cut thread made to mate into a metal thread.   These would be, say, a backing plate or special metal bolt either a backing plate or a special nut (sometimes amusingly called "sex bolts" as the rodded bolt on the inside actually is a hollow tube with the thread on the inside.)

However, your new knobs are actually wood screws.  Note the coarse thread and threads being brought down to a tip.  These are made to screw straight into wood, into a pre-drilled hole drilled somewhat smaller than the screw size. Screwing the knob in pushes aside and compresses the wood fibers, while the teeth provide force engagement for the pushing and pulling to follow.

Of course, your hole is too large for that. Assuming changing knobs is out of the question...

...The answer is light woodworking.

Go to the hardware store and see what sizes of softwood dowels they sell (1/4, 5/16, 6mm, 8mm etc.)
You will need to drill the old holes larger, up to precisely an available wood dowel size.
Use the smallest size hole that will work, and "work" means you've overdrilled the old hole enough that 90% of the hole surface is freshly cut wood and not the dregs of the old hole.  Glue won't stick to that very well.

Epoxy is the king's way to glue

I use epoxy in West System, I'll show you how to do it without, but bear with me. I'd mix the smallest possible batch of "slow" epoxy, and add "404" high-density adhesive filler to it's like peanut butter (non-slumping non-oozing).  I'd swab the hole with it, swab the dowel with it, and then tap in a pre-cut length of dowel gently with a hammer to flush.  Immediately wipe off the ooze and excess, make another visit in 2 hours to remove any other excess while it's soft.  That ain't coming outta there.

Without West: The hardware store has a row of dual-syringe epoxy packs, ranging from 5-minute epoxy to 8-hour epoxy.  Work time is your friend, real West is a 4-16 hour epoxy.  Any West dealer (marine supply) will stock Actual 404 filler, but not necessarily in the affordable small packs (so call ahead to avoid  "404 Not Found", sorry, had to say it LOL). Or make a "good enough" substitute for 404 by making sawdust any way you please, and using window screen or a similarly fine kitchen collander (wood isn't toxic) to get only the fine stuff.

Give the epoxy a day to cure.  It helps to leave the near empty mixing cup out; poke at the stuff in the mixing cup, if you can still put a ding in it with your fingernail, it's too soft still. Hard epoxy is HARD.

If you just did it with Gorilla Glue or whatever, OK, we are here.

Surface restored. Now find the right drill size.

You want the hole to be just large enough so screwing in the knob is possible, but not so loose that it goes in easily and starts flexing and working as you use it, enlarging the hole as it goes.  It appears that's what happened to the last guy, which is why you're here.  This is trial and error; start small and work up in drill size carefully.


What tools will help me remove an object from a toilet's siphon jet? My toilet has discontinued Korky flapper, which is designed with a plastic ring that clips to the bottom of the flapper's air cavity.  Today, this plastic ring separated and is now resting at the bottom of the toilet inside the siphon jet, which is causing the toilet to not flush properly (no siphoning power, i.e. whooshing).

The ring is too large to pull through the siphon jet hole, though the plastic is malleable.  I've been trying to break the ring, and to force it through the hole with no luck.  I think I might need to try to melt the ring with a soldering iron, but only after I've pumped out all the standing water.

What other techniques or tools are available to help remove obstructions in the siphon jet?

Option #1 is always the best: use a coat hanger with a hook bent on the end.

As a second option, hemostats are pretty handy, but may not be strong enough to break plastic. But perhaps it will help you hold the ring while you cut it with an exacto-knife or some wire nippers.

If you drain the water out, then you will be able to use something like a hot knife... or just use a blow torch to easily heat a blade or a coat hanger hook. A hot blade and/or hook be may helpful for chopping the ring in two. Don't heat up the hemostats or else it will destroy the spring-quality of the steel. If you don't have a torch, a lighter will work... but try not to burn your thumb or don't let the lighter melt (pop).

Or if you are super crafty you could DIY a hot knife with a soldering iron and an exacto-blade.


What should I use to reattach loose tile? Two loose tiles in my bathroom. Is their any product that holds better than the rest?

To re-secure ceramic tiles it is best to consider what environment it will be subject to. If, for example, I am re-attaching a loose wall tile in a shower stall I wouldn't use a "mastic" type adhesive.  I've seen repairs fail when mastic gets wet.     For shower stalls with a solid backing go with any fortified thin set mix. Some people have claimed construction adhesive works, but as with the mastic the dampness may affect the bond. In a pinch I've had very good results with 100 % silicone caulking.     Which ever one you decide on the location of the tile should be  clean from the original grout and adhesive. Scrape down to the cement or backer board and wipe with a wet sponge (let area dry if you use silicone). Press tile with buttered adhesive into the cleaned location, use appropriate tile spacers if necessary, support with painters tape (for horizontal repairs). Finally, check tile by pressing  with a level so it sits at the proper   height.


Do I need a face-mask when painting? I am planing to spray-paint some cabinets.

Do I need a full face-mask or not?

Lungs weren't made to filter out latex aerosols, organic solvents, urethane, epoxy fumes.

Any time you're spray painting, you should at least have a dust filter. Coughing up paint may be something you put up with in an unregulated factory, but given that masks that do the job aren't really that expensive anymore, your lung capacity will be a lot better when you're 60 and need the reserve you burnt off in youthful immortality.

Some of the paints out there can confer permanent, life-threatening allergy. We had a whole paint shop workforce here that took pride in skirting safety. Until a good portion found that painting is no longer a career option. The shop owner got religion after that.


Is it a problem to have gaps in the drywall hidden by molding? We recently had someone repairing the stairs in our home. During the process of removing the old stairs they created these gaps in the drywall (see images), however, they never filled them and simply covered them with molding. Is this an issue we should try and fix or is this normal?

If you can no longer see the openings in the drywall your contractor did a good job, molding is there to cover the ends at the floor and edges at openings so there is no need to go back it will not change anything as every house I have remodeled and built has some spaces that are covered by molding.


Bathroom tub leaking Is there a way to difinitively determine if a tub is leaking? My tub has a small crack in it but I thought it was cosmetic. Earlier today after my son took a bath i noticed a drip in the basement a few feet from where the tub sits. I pulled the tile an it kinda looks like it might have just been from him splashing etc but I want to make sure before I finish the floor

The simplest thing to do is to fill the tub with water and check for leaks:

Wait until the surrounding area is completely dry
Fill tub full of water and mark water level
Let the water stand for a couple hours
Check water level for any change and look for any signs of moisture around/under tub

On an aside, that crack looks a bit more then just cosmetic and will most likely get worse over time. If you're unable to replace the tub now, you can look for a local company that repairs fibreglass tubs. They should be able to advise you if it's repairable or not.


Can I use wood to build my apt or do I have to use drywall? I am building a small loft style apt for my wife and me in Illinois. The building is a rezoned factory with apartments in it. I'm going to pick a wing and build a place for us to stay 'till our house is done.

I want to use 1/4 inch plywood as my main wall - burned stained and cleared looks very nice. I saw it somewhere else and would like to do it, kinda gives the room a rustic cabin look.

Do I have to use drywall on the inside walls or can I use wood paneling for the walls?

I doubt that 1/4-inch plywood on studs would satisfy fire codes. You might be allowed to use it on top of 1/2" or 5/8" drywall.


How to check breaker compatibility? This is a follow up to my previous question.

Thanks to the advice there, I am planning to replace my existing double-pole breaker with a quadruplex breaker.

How do I determine that my panel can take the quadruplex breaker?  My panel is Murray LC3040L and I'm looking at this Murray quadruplex breaker.  Are those two compatible?

The breaker you picked should work fine.  To determine it for sure, read the fine print on the label on the interior of the door panel.  It should list a series of 10-20 types of breakers that are compatible with your panel.  They are often 2 to 4 letter codes.  The actual breaker models will be that code, and then a number.

Duplex, Triplex, and Quadruplex breakers often have an incompatibility tab on them to prevent you from using them in some slots of your panel.  This is called 'circuit limiting'.  Your panel has 30 lots, and is "rated" for a maximum of 40 circuits.  Thusly, only the bottom ten slots (five rows ) "permit" you to install a duplex, triplex, or quadruplex breaker.  This practice is called CTL or circuit limiting.

You can either play along and use two of the five bottom rows.  Or you can search for a "non-conforming" breaker.  From Murray's product list, it's not clear that they make one.  The tab could also be physically ripped out or cut.  But of course that would violate code, and if you do it wrong, you could die.  And that's no fun.


Polystyrene or other foam instead of mineral wool in low pitch loft Have a 1970's 3-bed detached house with quite a low pitch roof - thus making loft space and accessibility less than easy.

We are UK based.

We've got bare minimum insulation at present (seems to be 100mm rockwool/fibre wool) and we're starting to get a little condensation/mould on our master bedroom ceiling.

We've only lived here 2yrs, so slowly getting round to some jobs and this one is really getting my main mission.

We use the loft for some storage and would like to keep using it if at all possible.

I'd like to know if I can replace all the fibre wool with polystyrene or some other foam but also get the best insulation value at the same time.

I'm aware that thickness of material is going to be a factor but the fact it's a fairly low pitch roof (about 1m high) and we would like some storage I'd like to know if there is some fairly super-duper solution that's not very deep???

Can I put polystyrene sheets between the joists (directly in contact with the ceiling boards below)?

If I can then I guess I'd also need to put similar sheets at 90-degrees to cover the joists and bring the thickness up?

Would it be easier to use mineral wool between the joists and put polystyrene above?

The recommended thickness (UK 270mm) is essentially eating into loft storage space. If I have to lose storage space for a better insulated home then so be it.

Thank you all in advance!

You can put polystyrene between the joists or across above them.

The super-duper products for this do get you equivalent insulation to fibre wool at a lesser thickness but at a higher cost in £££s. Search for Celotex or Kingspan insulation boards. They are available at a wide range of thicknesses (25mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm). They should be cut to the width of the gap and friction-fitted. For maximum insulation at minimum thickness, you would use 100mm between the joists and another layer (your choice of thickness) above the joists.

To maintain storage space you should apply batons at right angles to the joists (installing insulation boards) and then board over the top with tongue and groove chipboard floorboards (use wood glue on the tongue/groove interface and wood screws into the batons). The required spacing of the batons will depend on the thickness of your chipboard - approx 400mm between centres for 18mm chipboard or 600mm centres for 22mm chipboard.

A good head torch and electric screwdriver will be invaluable.


Passing a generator extention through a wall for use in a power outage When the power goes out and I use my generator I am currently running an extension cord through a cracked door from the garage into the house, down the basement stairs and to my sump pump (which is all that I'm concerned about during a storm, when the power usually goes out.)

What I would like to do is somehow run an extension cord to the interior garage wall, plug it into something that passes through the wall into the basement, where I would have another extension cord already plugged in that runs to the sump pump area where I can just unplug the sump pump from the wall, and plug it into the extension to the generator.

I don't want to wire an inlet to the breaker box and power the whole house, just a line to the sump pump where I can unplug and re-plug as needed. Also, backfeeding and suicide cords are ABSOLUTELY out of the question.

Am I making sense in my explanation? Basically I want a self-contained wall plug that is male on one side that I plug the extension cord from the generator into the wall (garage side) and female on the other (basement) side of the wall that I plug an extension cord into that runs to the sump pump area.

I've seen people suggest just drilling a hole into the wall, sticking a PVC pipe through and just cap the ends when not physically passing a full extension cord directly through a hole in the wall. I don't like that idea. I prefer having a plug on each side of the wall to plug into. Not sure what parts I'd be looking for or whether this is something that would violate electrical codes. I can visualize what I want to do, but I have no idea what the parts would be called or what to look for at the hardware store.

I'm a computer guy, not a tradesman, so I'm not overly handy in this area, but I'm confident I can work it out with just a little guidance. Any suggestions from professionals who know better would be awesome.

Thanks!!!

You need a generator inlet  that feeds a single outlet.(you seem to know what an inlet is, but it doesn’t need to feed the breaker box, it could just feed a single outlet.) This new outlet should be placed next to your current sump pump outlet, and properly labeled to avoid future confusion.  (Assume here I’m talking about a future homeowner or tradesman— you won’t be confused but others might be in 10-20 years.) This new outlet would be dead when not fed by the generator.

Do NOT run your generator in the garage, it must be outdoors! Generators emit Carbon Monoxide which is odorless and extremely lethal.

(Note: the linked example is weatherproof, non-weather proof models are made for standard knockout sizes the are found on Hoffman-style enclosures, which are typically larger than needed for this project.  Since the easiest to install are all weatherproof there is a message there—these should be indoors or in the garage.)


Can I cover these pipes in my basement floor with concrete? I have a 18in by 18in area in my basement floor that is open dirt. The house is measuring high for radon so I need to seal this up as it is a major source for radon getting into the house.

There are some water pipes coming out of the dirt area, and something else that you can just see the top of... not sure what it is. Can I cover this all with concrete and seal it up? That's what the radon mitigation company said to do. Would I ever need to access these pipes again?

If you are going to concrete this, you need to extend the sewer cleanout or you'll be taking a hammer to the concrete when you need that (if you even remember where it is, then), and you'll need to sleeve the copper waterline with something to protect it from the concrete, or you'll be having a massive leak and needing to hammer the concrete to fix that. Both of those penetrations will want an appropriate sealant / caulk for the radon containment job, as well.

At 18x18 inches you could possibly also adapt a standard radon-sealing sump cover to cover the hole and attach a radon vent pipe to, though this looks like the sort of overly finished basement where that might be difficult as you're built right up to the hole.


Water Has a Rotten Egg Smell At Times I purchased a house back in April 2013 and at the time I purchased a new filter and softener system for the house as the water had a strong rotten egg smell. A year later I had the issue with the hot water (rotten smell in hot water), and I resolved it by changing the anode rod every 6 months. Now two weeks ago I started getting the rotten egg smell in cold water only. I called the company that installed the systems and they did all the chemical tests in water and everything resulted in normal readings. So they recommended line chlorination because they said there might be bacteria growing in plumbing and it might be producing that rotten egg smell. Therefore, we agreed to try; but unfortunately 3 days after the chlorination the smell came back, but it came back even stronger. and again only the cold water. Then the next two days the water was fine without any smell and then it started all of a sudden. (Basically the smell comes and goes.) The strange thing is that I always go check outside to see if the water right after filter also stinks like rotten eggs, but it doesn't. The smell is only inside the house, on showers and sinks.
Thank you very much in advance.

First, wait for a foul-smelling day and obtain samples from before your filter, and from hot and cold faucets. Send them to a testing facility that YOU choose.

Well-established bacteria can easily survive a chlorination treatment, as it will only kill the bacteria on the surface layer.

It might be your city's water. It happens from time to time in my city - just means I can't drink faucet water that day.

If it's in your system, you may need a shock chlorination or acid treatment, or possibly to replace some pipes.

To me, it sounds as though you have well-established sulfur bacteria in your house's pipes.

I would probably spend $20 on bleach before a treatment, just in case. Take out your filters, and using the filter assembly or well cap (if you're in the country), just systematically introduce a couple bottles. Run faucets individually until the bleach mix is coming through all of them. Shut them off, wait 15, run them all for 15, shut them off. Then wait an hour and repeat the process. Then do it again.  Bang on the pipes to shake things up inside - Iron/Sulfur bacteria is literally a sludge layer on the pipes and banging on them is a tried and true method.

In rural WI, where I grew up, when farmers get a foul-smelling hint in their water they pop off the well cap and dump a bottle of bleach down. It's not technically chlorination, but it's cheap and it works.

If the bacteria is in your system and the DIY doesn't work (or you don't feel comfortable doing it), find a good plumber and tell him the situation, including the part about standard chlorination not working. Pipe replacement, shock chlorination, or acid treatment will be the next step.

Good luck.


Why would hot water pipes be smaller than cold water pipes? Just bought a house and am finding the hot water pipes are smaller than the cold water pipes. Why?

Hot water delivery times are highly dependent on the size of the pipe. It will take more than twice as long for hot water to reach the fixture travelling through a 1/2" pipe than a 3/8" pipe (because there is roughly twice as much cold water sitting in the pipe), and more than twice as long through a 3/4" pipe compared to a 1/2" pipe. Thus, using the smallest supply lines possible for hot water plumbing to fixtures will supply hot water much faster, saving water and energy, and making occupants happy.

With cold water supply lines, there's no similar issue. Instead, our only concerns are about supplying enough water for good flow rates, and stable pressure (so output doesn't noticeably fluctuate when someone flushes a toilet, for example). So for the same fixture where a 3/8" hot water supply line makes sense, it also makes sense to use a 1/2" cold water supply line.


How can I wire this three-way circuit between two buildings with only 3 conductors? I am rewiring my entire house after a major malfunction of two antique knob and tube circuits.  I'm up against a challenge with some outdoor lights.  Here's the situation:
I have a detached garage. It has a porch light over the service door, and it works on a pair of three way switches located in the garage and in my kitchen.  The porch light over the kitchen door also works with this garage light - they are both controlled by the same 3 way switches. I'm a really big fan of this setup, and I hope to save it.

The garage is powered by an underground 10-3 romex cable connected to a 2 pole 30 amp breaker in my brand new 200 amp main service panel in my basement.  It goes to an old QO service panel in the garage that has no main breaker and no ground bar.  There is also a 12-3 romex cable going to the garage to make the three way switches between the two buildings function.  Neither cable has a ground wire.  Both cables are buried under my blacktop driveway and not in conduit, so they are so hard to replace that let's just assume it's impossible.

I know I need to replace the load center in my garage with a new, grounded unit.  Remember, I'm rewiring a whole, enormous old house built in 1878, so getting the lights back on is first priority - I'll get to the garage when the house is done.

My question concerns the 3 way circuit controlling those two porch lights.  It seems like it shouldn't work with only 3 conductors travelling between the switches and lights on both ends, but somebody did all kinds of janky stuff with the old knob and tube wiring to make it work (It wasn't me!).  I'm thinking about doing something that maybe isn't quite as janky as that, but I need to know whether it's safe.  There is no building inspector where I live, so just go by National Codes and personal experience I guess.

Here is a diagram of what I'm thinking about doing.  Basically I would run a fairly normal 3 way circuit, except that when it gets to the switch in the garage I would wire nut the black wire from a piece of romex to the wire coming off the common and run it to my porch light.  Then I would take another piece of romex and use the white wire in it to get a neutral connection in the garage's load center for the garage light.  Ground wires in the garage would just run to the neutral bar until I get a new load center out there.  Grounds in the basement would be wired properly to my new load center in there.  Between the switches there would be no ground since I can't add one to the underground cable.

Will this work?
Is it safe?
If the "power source" is the "load" side of a GFCI outlet, will it constantly trip since the current on the neutral from that garage light isn't returning through it?  All help is appreciated.

Have you considered a remote for the house end of the garage hookup? I'm thinking a z-wave controllable light switch or something in the garage, and a remote control in the house. That way you can ignore the 12/3 romex and weird wiring (of that part of the circuit) and get on with your day.

I'm unclear whether it's allowed by code (especially with the colors you have), but with 3 wires, you've got enough for a single 30 amp circuit - ground, neutral and hot. Is that enough for the garage? That would at least be safe.


How do I fix a slow sink faucet? There are many YouTube videos online that often deal with a part of the process of diagnosing and fixing a slow-running or stopped faucet. Is there a comprehensive series of troubleshooting steps to follow?

From my one experience fixing a slow-running sink, I'd recommend these steps, weighted by likeliness to be the source of the problem and PITA-factor in troubleshooting:

Check other sinks.
Verify your shutoff valves under the sink are all the way on. Typically an on valve points in the direction of outgoing flow. If it's not clear, lefty tends to be loosey.
Check if you get the same issue turning the sink to all the way cold vs. all the way hot. Basic sinks are unlikely to have pressure/thermostatic balancers.

If the problem is imbalanced, it's at or before the mixing cartridge and unlikely to be in the flex hose or aerator/flow restrictor. Check hot/cold feeds first in following steps.
If the problem is balanced, and you're sure you don't have a balancing mixing cartridge, the problem is at or after the mixing cartridge and unlikely to be in the hot/cold feeds.
If the problem is balanced, and you're not sure what sort of hot/cold mixer you have, just continue.

Plug your sink with a towel or stopper or grate and pop off the assembly and look for debris. There may be several small parts so be careful.
Extract and inspect the mixing cartridge which should be accessible from above. You may need Channellock/tongue-and-groove pliers for this to remove a screw-on retaining ring if you can't loosen it by hand.
Lay down a towel under your sink, turn off your two water supply shutoff valves, and start detaching and inspecting the under-sink hoses depending on the priority order established earlier. A typical one-hole faucet will have one hot and one cold hose carrying water up a copper pipe coupling, which will go up into the cartridge and then back down through a copper pipe that couples to the flex hose ( sometimes through a fat plastic coupling that includes its own flow restrictor) which leads into the flex hose that you pull out of the sink. Remember that the ends of the couplings and hoses often twist independently of the hose itself, so you don't have to do too many acrobatics to twist things into place. Things to look out for:

If you have a plastic coupling with built-in flow restrictors, they may be clogged and need replacing/removal.
The hot and cold feeds from the wall should have very high pressure. If they don't, you have piping problems and are looking at a bigger fix.
If any coupling is clogged, you may have to remove it.
Once the hot and cold feeds are disconnected, you can try blowing on the system in reverse in the hopes of dislodging something, but this may make some problems worse.


How can I add breakers for a new HVAC system to a full panel? I am installing a 240v ductless mini split. My breaker box is full, and I have a separate (hot water) breaker in its own box on its own meter. The main is a 100 amp Westinghouse, the house is 2000 sq ft. 4 beds 2 baths. The house is currently run on an oil furnace.
I see two ways I can approach the situation:

Add a subpanel on a breaker in the main box. Not preferred because I fear blowing the main breaker.

Upgrade the breaker in the hot water box to supply a new subpanel. Preferred because I won't have to be concerned with blowing the main breaker, BUT there is no shutoff between this breaker and the meter, so the meter has to be pulled.

Are there other plausible options that I am missing?
Any other reasons why option 1 may be better than option 2?

Option 2 is probably not an option at all - that setup is almost always for a special-rate storage electric water heating tariff and is only on for a few hours when demand is low overnight (which is why it's a special lower rate) or else it's switched off whenever loads are high (a different scheme, similar concept.)
For my utility, you can keep them if you have them from decades ago (when they had a nuke plant idling away all night), but you can't get a new one done this way. You certainly cannot add to it, (for my utility) you don't own the water-heater associated with it - it's part of the overall deal, they own it.


How do I trace a water leak inside a stud wall? There is (maybe was) a slow water leak in the wall behind our shower.

While tracking down an issue with the floor, I removed the frout panel from under the shower tray and noticed it was very wet under there.   As the water is a long way from the drain outlet, I don’t think it is the drain outlet, also I can feel up the inside of the stud wall to above the level of the tray and it feels damps.

Over the last few days it has dried out a lot due to the under tray panel being removed.  It also did not get any worse when using the shower so I am guessing it is a slow leak of some sort of past issue.

The shower is controlled from a pump/mixer in the loft with an electronic control, so only a single pipe from the pump goes though the wall. There are also two water central heating pipes running though the wall.

One side of the stud wall is tiled over ply board; the other side is next to a inside brick wall. The stud wall has just been added to provide space to run the pipes. As it predates us buying the home, I don’t know how it is built, however from under the shower tray I can see a few 2x3 vertical timbers.  I will also be able to access the top of the wall from the loft, but have not yet taken the boarding up in the loft to do this.

I believe I can replace any of the pipes if needed without breaking into the wall by using flexible plastic pipe.    If I had two I could bypass the shower pipe by putting an outlet on the ceiling.

Any more ideas on how to track down this leak?

Water can travel a long distance, and come from lots of sources, so there's no easy answer here. You'll have to start opening the walls and working your way up until you reach the source. If there's any spaces to check (attic, roof, another bathroom) look there before getting too destructive.

Around a bathtub, you can check for any locations water can pool at the edges and ensure it's caulked and sloped into the tub. Check around the faucets, valves, and shower heads for anywhere water could leak and run back into the wall. Fill the tub all the way to the overflow level and make sure the overflow doesn't leak. Then open the drain when it's full to check the drain pipes for any leaks (some of these won't show until you're under pressure).

And realize that you could also be dealing with condensation if it's cold outside and your insulation isn't adequate with a vapor barrier. You could also have a leak from the roof or condensation on pipes above the bathroom. Even uninsulated HVAC ducts can get condensation in the summer from the cold AC, as can dryer and exhaust ducts in the cold winter.


How can I prevent damage to fire sprinkler heads in workshop? My new condo has a standard heat-activated fire sprinkler system.  In the living areas the sprinkler heads are completely recessed into the ceiling but unfortunately in the garage, which I also plan to use as a wood shop, they are only partly recessed.  Even worse, several of the sprinkler heads in the garage are in places where it will be very easy to bump (messy) or even walk into (messy AND painful).   For example, there are sprinkler heads mounted underneath the top half of an interior stairwell which sticks out into the garage space.

Obviously I cannot disable the sprinkler heads.  What are the best strategies for protecting them?

You can get sprinkler head cages to protect the sprinkler heads from damage.  Some have bright colors (easier to spot and avoid) and somewhat rounded edges which probably would hurt less if you bumped your head into them.


Bought some concrete last week and the bags are much harder than I would have expect. Have they gone bad? Never really used much concrete before, but I bought a couple bags last week from Home Depot and I'm pretty sure they must have gotten at some point and partially cured, but just looking for some confirmation. The first bag I opened up, the corners were rock hard, and then I just opened a second bag and it's much the same. I can chip away at it with a chisel, but it's hardly like in videos online where they just cut the bag open and dump it in a wheelbarrow. Anyways, took a quick video of the second bag and posted it on YouTube and then at the end grabbed one of the corners from the first bag just to show what that looked that, probably easiest just to look at that be like yep, that's bad concrete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlsN2SFJE0&feature=youtu.be

I would be bringing them back to HD and get a couple new bags. That concrete should not be that hard and I have never seen a bag that bad. When picking out new bags, drop them gently on the corners to see if the corners collapse, meaning that the concrete inside is soft. Be careful not to break open the bag. HD is really great about returns.


Is it OK to block off an unused root cellar to mitigate moisture problems? I have a root/cold cellar underneath my front porch. The walls appear to be poured concrete as I can't see any bricks or cinder blocks.

The room sweats like crazy so there is an obvious moisture problem. The door to the room is just made of what looks like whatever wood the previous owner had lying around.

I don't use the room and I'd like to eliminate it all together. Is this as simple as removing the door to the room and closing it off?

The only problem I foresee is that the pipe that supplies natural gas runs to my home right through that room.

It probably sweats because it isn't vented properly to the outside and blocked from the inside. If it's truly a cold area, it should be vented to the outside and also vapor blocked from the inside. Most likely hot wet air from your house is mixing with cold air in the cold room and condensing on the walls or something.

They deal with these on episodes of Holmes on Homes all the time.  In one episode I think they removed the vents and spray foamed it to be part of the inside house and in another they added vents and a better door to make it separate from the house.


Is purchasing a valve necessary when shopping for a bathroom faucet? A product page for a bathroom sink states a "rough in valve" must be purchased separately for the purpose of installation. I wasn't sure if I really needed that because I am just going to replace my current faucet and there should be an existing valve under the sink, but the check out page reiterates that the valve is required. I did a bit Googling and on another forum some folks also mentioned the necessity of the valve. The product page claims the valve, by the same company, is specially designed.

I am stumped because it seems another faucet model from the same manufacturer does not require a valve. And the views on that other product page make no mention of a valve requirement and talk only about how easy the installation is. So do I need to purchase a valve for a faucet replacement job? Do some faucets require special valves? In what ways if any are the two faucets different in installation?

Also what's the difference between valve assembly and drain assembly? Do they ever overlap? I know what a valve is, but I am not sure what valve assembly and drain assembly are respectively. Google and Google Images have left me more confused as they seem to give various pictures of different things.

The first product is a 3 finish piece faucet and in this case Moen has turn it into a feature where you can just swap out the 3 finishing pieces without touching the underlying valve.  You need to buy the valve separately and it is specific to that series of three piece faucet.

The second link you have is a single piece faucet that has everything in it.


Is 1/4" overlap, front door to door frame enough to prevent break-in? In my Mom's gated community, there were some break-ins by robbers who stole jewelry, etc. In both cases, the robber(s) broke in the front door. The police department had a meeting with residents about preventing break-ins, and a deputy recommended having the front door reinforced, or to have it replaced with a metal door. There is 1/4 overlap, wood door on doorframe. Is that enough? I thought if you had a deadbolt, which we do, it was almost impossible to break in through the door.

There is no such thing as an "impossible to break in" door short of something like the NORAD facility in Colorado.  That sort of thing would be quite impractical for the average home.

The best choice, however, is a door sturdy enough to discourage the garden-variety OPPORTUNISTIC thief.  Generally they will move on if they can't get in quickly and the best thing you can do is make gaining entry difficult enough they will go somewhere else.

A steel-clad door with a steel frame is an excellent choice but you need to ensure that the frame is well anchored into the wall of the home.  A proper installation may take some construction work and if you aren't familiar with this kind of construction you should hire a qualified installer.

Keep in mind that thieves also look for other weak points to enter like windows, sliding doors, hidden keys (they know ALL the spots), etc.  So check and reinforce those as well.

Thieves like to come back to places they have hit after a few months looking for insurance-paid replacements so don't think that just because you were hit that you are in the clear.


Destroying a wasp nest Wasps have made 2 holes beside the foundation of the house:

My dad wants to wait until winter, but I rather destroy both nests before they start stinging people. How should I go around destroying these?

Sevin (carbaryl) is extremely toxic to wasps, hornets, and bees; however, for safety, you want to use something with instant knock down like gasoline, or any can of wasp and hornet killer (which contains petroleum distillates). Gasoline works great (always), but has obvious environmental and fire hazards, and it doesn't leave an insecticidal residue like a can of wasp and hornet killer does (which means if you missed some of the wasps they won't be killed by returning to the gasoline treated nest... unless you use like a gallon of gas).

Starting fluid (diethyl ether), acetone, paint thinner, diesel fuel, and even isopropyl alcohol will all provide a quick knock down, but again- they don't leave an insecticidal residue. Soapy water will also knock them down pretty quickly, but not as fast as the petrols. Also, as Ed Beal said, brake cleaner will knock them down quickly. There are generally two kinds of brake cleaner: petrol (like diethyl ether) and chlorinated (like tetrachloroethylene)... both work rapidly.

It's always best to apply pesticides to wasps' nests at night, but if you must use a flashlight or lantern to see, set the light down (illuminating the nest) at least 10 ft away from yourself (because wasps will fly toward the light).

With regard to organic pesticides and essential oils, there are basically two classes of essential oils, phenols and terpenes (incidentally, gasoline is composed of phenolic and terpenic molecules, too). Thyme oil, clove oil, and cinnamon oil are examples of phenolic oils while peppermint, lemon, and lavender are examples of terpenic essential oils that add a rapid stunning effect against most insects. Generally, a combination of phenolic and terpenic oils are chosen to give (many) organic insecticides a more rapid knock down (like 0.5% to 2% is common). Of the essential oils, thyme and lavender oil have fastest effect on wasps. Peppermint and clove would also be pretty fast. Lemongrass will encourage honey bees to nest, and (generally) discourage yellow jacket nesting... this is more of a pheromonal cue. Lavender oil may attract bumble bees, and peppermint oil may attract felines (it's true). I have found that thyme oil has a more calming effect on wasps while cinnamon oil has a provoking/enraging effect on wasps.

A light weight vegetable oil or mineral oil provides the final kill for organic insecticides (like 3% to 8% is common)- via suffocation... although lighter oils like capric acid (10 carbons), caprylic acid (8 carbons), and caproic acid (6 carbons) have a more rapid effect. Oils are suspended in water with soap or a surfactant like SLS (1% to 3% is common), which again, is an all-around insecticide.

The only current examples of organic insecticides which leave a residue are naturally sourced pyrethrum, spinosad, neem oil, sesamin, bacteria, fungi, and extracts like abamectin. However, nicotine and ryanis/ryanodine (which no longer allowed by EPA) would also be considered organic insectides. I would not consider any of the current viral pesticides to be residual. Only pyrethrum (aka chrysanthemum extract) would be a suitable choice for an organic, residual wasp killer.


Does the ledger board for a bathtub go under the flange or level with it? Replacing a bathtub with a new one pictured.  It will go into a 3-walled space.  Durock and tile will be attached to wall to finish the job.

I've been reading many articles and they mention a ledger board for tub support.

I drew a picture.  Is the ledger board supposed to be under the flange side (as pictured in black) or do you nail the flange to the ledger board (which means I'd have to shim all the studs to be flush)?

Your tub should have clear and specific instructions. It varies by model and material.

However, if a ledger board is used, it'll be under the flange, providing support from below. There's no point to a ledger if you have a typical framed wall and can simply nail the flange to the studs every 16".

The only tubs I've ever installed using a ledger are large spa-type tubs, and those are usually set into a full deck. Typical shower tubs simply get fastened to the wall framing. Do follow the instructions, though, or you'll void your warranty.


Is this Termite or Carpenter Ant Damage? I'm renovating a bathroom in my home in Maryland. I found this insect activity when I removed the drywall. Was it made by termites or carpenter ants, or hopefully, some benign insect? It doesn't look like there is damage to the wood, although I don't know what is happening between/inside the studs.

Tell-tale of carpenter ants would be sawdust on floor or surroundings of the tunnels. Carpenter ants do not eat wood; hence, when they bore tunnels through wood, they push out the bits of wood through the holes in the wood which then accumulate in piles.

In the photographs appear to be the typical termite mud tunnels. Termites consume wood and then cover their tunnels with saliva, mud, and fecal matter. The dirt trails you see are called “mud tunnels.”


Wall Switch | Want to Install Rocker Switch As I have mentioned in other posts of mine - I struggle with electrical work. Now, I have an issue. Today, I went to change a couple of switches from whatever they were to rocker switches.

Now when I opened it up in the first place I noticed, that the switches are connected by a wire going from the right switch to the left. When I went to change the switches I did my best to maintain whatever had been created in an attempt to ensure the new switches would work.

I then removed the wires from old switches and placed them as best I could on the new ones the one the left trips the breaker. Any ideas? I have tried everything I can think of...Before I changed the switches the lights worked, the breakers didn't trip and now they do and I am at a loss. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Below are pictures of the how they are currently.

EDIT 1:

As pointed out on the comments the red wire shouldn't be on the ground. Now, I have tried with it as described on the below photo. No matter where any of the wires have been connected it tripped. Thoughts?

WHY THE BLOODY GREEN BLAZES IS A RED WIRE ON A GROUND SCREW????

The answer is because you replaced a 3-way switch, and you do not know what a 3-way switch is or what that means, because you are lunging forward on these projects without nearly the adequate learning.

Nor do you know what a green screw means.

Further, you are prone to experimentation, in which you just toss stuff together and "try stuff".  The problem with experimentation in electrical is there are many combinations that work and will kill you.

So please just stop.

If you insist, then please go to the library and read books on electrical-how-to, find a book that speaks to you, and read it cover to cover.  Why would I advise that when Google is easy? Because Google gives you swiss cheese knowledge; it only answers what you ask, and doesn't tell you the 20 other things you didn't know to ask.  You need a well-rounded primer on the subject so you aren't constantly tripped up on mistakes this dumb.

This isn't saving you any money.  On selling the house, the buyer's or city inspector will detect one of the problems that "worked, but will kill you", and will inspect more closely and find more. You'll have to hire an electrician to bug-hunt all your mistakes, which is more expensive than just hiring it done in the first place.  Especially because on simple stuff like this, a handyman will do.


Hot and neutral touched. Some lights no longer working I was disconnecting a light fixture, it slid down quickly the hot and nuetral wires touched and caused ceiling lights in three rooms to go out. One outlet is also not functioning.

I went to the panel to switch the breakers on and off.  Still no ceiling lights in three rooms.  All the outlets are working except for one.  Please advise.

Are you sure you manipulated the breaker handle correctly? You need to turn a tripped breaker fully off before you can reset it.

If that isn't the issue, there's a weak connection somewhere in the circuit that failed due to the surge. You'll need to examine each device connection and splice for faults. Pay particular attention to "backstab" connections (rear-facing plunge clamps) on outlets and switches. They're known to fail. Use the screws with a proper wire loop instead.


Can I use my dual light/fan dimmer switch on a ceiling fan? I wired our bonus room to include a 14/3 wire from switch to fixture with the assumption that I could hook up an "infinite" speed control fan.  Come to find out that most if not all ceiling fans do not recommend this approach because it could burn out the motor or is otherwise a fire hazard?  I don't get this.  Our previous home had a variable speed dial to control the speed and I was hoping not to have to use those stupid remotes that run out of batteries or otherwise get lost.  Certainly I could just replace the switch with a pole one and use a remote, but I was just wondering if I should proceed with my original idea or just default to the remote option?

You should not use a dimmer that is designed to control lighting, as that can cause problems. Instead, you should use a fan speed control device, that is specifically designed to control a ceiling fan. You'll also want to make sure the control you're using, is rated for the maximum current draw of the fan you're using.

There's no real difference between the in wall speed control, and a remote speed control module. Both devices control the speed of the fan, external to the fan itself. The only difference is where the device is located (wall box vs. ceiling box).


What is this pipe called, and how does it work? I recently saw a plumbing setup where a 2" pipe was run from a bend in the 4" toilet return.  The 2" pipe bent upwards to meet the floor next to the toilet, where it was capped off with a removable cover.

In case of a clog, apparently the plumber uncaps and pushes air (or water?) through this pipe (or vent? valve?) to purge the clog.

First of all, what is the correct terminology for this apparatus?

And I hope it's not outside of the scope of the question to also ask does this thing function as a vent?

Will it have a one-way valve to prevent the elevated water in the toilet from rushing out when it's uncapped?  (cap is level with the floor next to the toilet)

Here's an ugly sketch of the thing:

A capped opening in a sewer line is called a clean-out, usually they are a 4" long bend wye with a cap on one branch so you can pull the cover and run a snake down the whole length of the main sewer line.

In this case, a 2" pipe would be a good size to run a snake down to clear any clogs downstream from the toilet. I'd guess that somebody didn't allow enough drop in the sewer line and added the pipe to allow shoving the solids out of a long, level area.

Sewer Auger (Snake) or a Water Bladder Clog Buster just in case you ever have to use it.

No, it's not a vent.