stiff textile material for simple underbed "drawer" I have a 90cm x 200cm bed in a corner of my room. I want to use the floor beneath it as storage, but in a way that I do not need to crawl under it to get the stuff in the corner. I have a PVC floor; textiles generally slide well on it - e.g. bed sheets, socks, or carpets without anti-slide coating.

Is there any type of textile (e.g. carpet) that is so stiff that it can be both drawn and pushed back without losing its form? Or is there a simple way of making such a thing?

I would put that thing under the bed and my stuff to store on top. No heavy things; just bedclothes, blankets and clothes inside light boxes and bags. Then I could use it as a simple drawer and the need to crawl under the bed would be gone.

PVC sheets may be a great option. You can use a thicker one that will hold it's shape better or a thin one that can be rolled up. Here is one of many suppliers just to give an example.

Personally, I'm a frugal and more about problem solving than how it looks and would probably use cardboard. I'd either use a bigger box from home delivery items or hunt down a large one, a household appliance store would have plenty of large and thick cardboard from such things as refrigerators. It's probably ok to just dumpster dive in the their recycle bin in the back but the best thing to do is ask up front.

Another option is plywood on furniture sliders and they come in square shape which would work very well too

pic credit: wayfair.com


Can I short live Rc and Rh terminals together as R? I have separated HVAC system with 24V on Rc and Heating system with 24V on Rh. The nest thermostat 2020 has only R terminal. The voltage difference between Rc and RH is about 2V. Can I short Rc and Rh together, put into R terminal?

You need to return it and get a different 'stat
The thermostat you have is a refresh of the Nest "E" model, and thus is a stripped-down version that doesn't support more sophisticated systems, such as your two-transformer system, or multi-stage systems of any sort for that matter.  You will need to return it and get a full-fledged 3rd generation Nest, or some other thermostat for that matter, that has separate Rh and Rc terminals.


Yellow zinc construction screws and brass bathroom fitting Can I use yellow zinc coated construction screws on shower brass fitting?

"yellow zinc" is probably zinc chromate, it's a rust preventative plating, but I wouldn't like to bet on its longevity in a damp location in contact with brass.

Spend an extra few dollars for brass, or brass plated, screws.


The shower water suddenly gets hotter, suddenly goes from 105 to 111F This is not caused by a pressure drop as far as I can tell, flushing the toilet doesn't affect it and it happens with no other water usage. it can happen 10-15 minutes into a shower, not just at the start. I've replaced the cartridge and the shower head. The water heater and pressure valve coming into the house are new, the problem seemed to appear some months after they were installed.
I'm looking for any and all suggestions I even bought a shower head with a thermometer to track it.

I finally figured it out, the problem was different from what I thought. The real problem is that 3 of the 4 RP19804 I tried were defective. You could not adjust the temperature in small increments, any small change caused wild temperature swings. Putting a handle instead of a knobs helped a little, but the real answer was to keep trying valves until I found one that worked.


What should I do about a 72 inch door? I've got a door on a shed outback that pretty much just fell apart this summer and I need to replace it before I get a drift of snow.  The old door was a regular wooden door, but I was thinking of just replacing it with a screen door (lined with plastic in the winter to avoid snow blowing into it).

I bought a 80' screen door from Home Depot which said it 'could be trimmed' but I'm assuming that means gussied up, not resized because I have no idea how I could cut 8 inches off the door.

I searched Google for screen door kits but didn't really see anything.  Is my best bet a custom jobber?

Depending on the door construction and your own comfort level, you might be able to modify the door you have by cutting an 8" section out of each vertical stile in the top or bottom of the door, somehow attaching them back together, and then reinstalling the screen in the smaller opening.

Given how simple a screen door is though, and especially on an outdoor shed where things don't need to be perfect or ornate, I'd recommend returning the door you bought and just building your own.  You can make the frame out of a double thickness of standard 1x4s or 1x6s, laminated with glue and brads.  If you lap each corner you'll end up with a frame that's quite strong.

For the screen, I'd use a mounting system like Screen Tight; I believe it's sold at both Lowe's and Home Depot.  It works great and isn't too expensive.


KDW60X16 Dishwasher - Not Pumping Water (Wash Pump) I have the KDW60X16 dishwasher, and two days ago it started making a whirring noise.
It will fill and drain fine - But will not spray/move water at all. The motor makes a 'humming/buzzing' noise when it starts, and continues for some time until I stop it.

I have removed the motor (YXW50-2E) and checked for any blocks etc.

I have found that the impeller is broken. I assume that this is no good and may be causing my problem?

I have also checked the resistance on the motor and the manual states it should be:

116.2 Ohms (Main Coil)
101.5 Ohms (Assistant)
41.4 Ohms (M1)

All +/- 7%.

I have the following readings:

158.4 Ohms (Main Coil)
117.2 Ohms (Assistant)
41.9 Ohms (M1)

Does the above readings point to a faulty motor?

I also have access to a capacitance meter, so I have taken the starter capacitor off and it checks out at 2.9uf (Rated at 3uf) - I was really hoping this was the issue as its best described from the manual as this but appears not?

Any help you can give me would be invaluable :)

Images attached of the user manual plus the broken impeller.

You show a picture of yourself holding the smoking gun (if smoking guns can be wet): the wash pump impeller. Replace it, and you should be fine.


what's the easiest way to fix this door? This is just a basic North American door, hollow core.  It got damaged and I'd like to fix it so I don't get dinged on the rental deposit.

What I was planning to do was:

measure door
take a color sample of the paint
go to Home Depot and get a new door and matching paint.
paint it and put it back up with the old door's hardware.

I figure that's easier and less problematic than somehow trying to fix the door damage.

Any suggestions or things to took out for?  I am not moving out in the near future, so the paint should have time to get a bit of patina and in any case, they'll probably want to repaint the whole apartment anyway, it's been that long.

You can replace the door or purchase a new skin and glue it on. A buddy of mine has quite a few rentals and when doors are damaged like yours he pulls the pins and knob , lays the door on a pair of saw horses runs a bead of adhesive around the Premier then a x in the center and drops the skin on and clamps until the adhesive is dry. Then he uses a router with a bearing tip to trim the edge and cut the door knob hole. This actually makes the door stronger and usually the skin is thin enough where  trim adjustment is not needed but some times the trim adjustment is needed. It sounds like a lot of work but it can be done in about an hour and is much cheaper than a new door and takes less time than setting new hinges and installing the door knob.


What’s preventing my drill from going though my wall? I’m trying to drill holes for 3/16 screws in the walls of my room, but the drill is unable to penetrate through some parts of the wall. At first I thought I hit a nail, so I tried making another hole and got the same result, and repeat. I know it isn’t mechanical failure because I successfully went through one point in the wall. See the picture before for the one successful attempt at drilling a hole and two unsuccessful ones
Fwiw I’m drilling about one foot from the ceiling. I’ve tried this at multiple points in my room, and the drill still won’t go through. What could be behind the paint and plaster?
Edit: these are the drill bits I’m using:  https://www.target.com/p/blue-ridge-tools-8pc-hex-shank-drill-bit-set/-/A-78262232

A likely possibility you have to be aware of before you up the drilling stakes - you are hitting a steel protective plate that is specifically intended to warn you off of drilling a hole right there, because there are wires or pipes too close to the edge of the stud which you might drill or screw through, causing a larger problem.
Other possibilities depend on what your walls are made of (the above assumes typical wooden studs.) If it's plaster over brick, you might have hit a mortar joint on the "successful" hole. What came out when you drilled the hole? Masonry dust, or wood shavings?


Sometimes need to tap sump pump for it to turn on. Common causes? I am an amateur, so ask all the stupid questions you need to.

I have a submersible sump pump in my basement. It mostly works; however, from time to time, I have to tap the switch housing (I don't know what else to call it. I mean the little box that appears to house the connection between the float/switch and, I'm guessing, the motor) in order for the pump to turn on. The float appears to move freely up and down, but, of course, I can't tell when I have to tap the switch housing whether the float also suddenly rises to engage the switch.

If I pull the float up by hand, the mechanism works fine. When I tap the switch housing, the pump successfully gets rid of all the standing water, even if that takes several minutes.

This pump is about 2-3 years old.

That's as much as I know to tell you up front. I'm looking for possible common causes, simple DIY tricks I can try to improve the situation, and signs that I might need to replace the pump. It appears to work in general, but, of course, I'd like it to be more reliable than this. Which seems more likely: the float is occasionally sticking and not rising and not engaging the switch or there is something loose between the switch and the motor that a light tap jostles just enough to make it work? or is there something else entirely I need to look at?

Update: I did some simple testing today, and the float appears to work well. I filled up the pit both quickly and slowly (with a hose pointed away from the float) and the float rose in the pit every time. I tried spraying some water at the underside of the housing where the float slides up, in case that knocked loose some dirt or muck that might have been occasionally getting in the way. When I let the pit fill slowly over several minutes, the float appears to rise and all seems well. Again---at least as much as my amateur eyes can figure out. I'm happy to take more suggestions for what to try, either to find the cause or to rule other causes out.

There are 2 things I have found with floats controlling pumps of all sizes.

The first is corrosion and dirt buildup limiting float travel so the foot sticks and the contacts are open until tapped.

The 2nd is burned contacts. I have found with frequent cycling the contacts get pitted and may not close. On larger pumps the contacts usually can be cleaned but on the smaller pumps they are not serviceable. A tap on the pump many times will get the pump running for a while but once the contacts start failing a new switch will be needed.

Some pumps have provisions where the float has a cord and the pump has a cord. In this case a new float is can be installed.


How to remove junction box? Did a search... Found a lot of helpful information, but nothing that looked quite like what I'm working with here. Trying to take out this plastic junction box to install a ceiling fan... I'm assuming I would need to install a brace to do that. Trying to get this plastic box out and I'm running into issues. It has one screw in the middle, which is free. Box doesn't appear to be nailed, I can spin it around, but can't pull it through the ceiling... Any tips for getting this thing out? Trying to avoid going in the attic since this box is a pretty far crawl from where the attic entrance is...

The plastic "tab" on the left side of the picture would fit through the drywall, so there must be something above that's bigger and won't pull through?

That screw in the middle is attaching it to a steel bar that spans between your rafters. The ends of the bar will be nailed into the rafters so you will not be able to get that pout without damaging your ceiling. But the box itself should come off.

If you loosened it and the whole box spins now, you are kind of in a mess because you can't get behind it to hold the nut that is likely BEHIND the bar. Usually the bar is a U-shaped channel and the nut is inside of the U so that it can't spin, but if you can't back it all the way out (assuming you tried) then it's likely that someone installed it upside down before hanging the sheetrock, when they could tighten that nut by getting to the back side with a wrench. Now that it's loose you may not be able to loosen it the rest of the way OR tighten it back up.

First thing though, make sure you tried to take it all the way out, the screw may be over an inch long so maybe you just gave up too soon. If that doesn't work, you can TRY to put downward pressure on the box to try to get it to hold the nut in the back in place until the screw can back out. So to do that, screw something into the mounting holes on the side so that you can pull on it or hand something heavy from it.

Good luck!


Two light switches into one light I am trying to wire a separate light into a light switch by connecting the wires into the switch, along with the ones already in there connected to our main light fixture. The problem is we have two light switches that control the same light, so the polarity is funky. The switch I am trying to wire it into has a black and a white on the right side, and a red on the other side. From what I know, the red wire is what passes electricity to the other switch depending on which switch is activated at any moment in time. I've tried every combination of wires into the switch, and what's happening is the secondary light will turn on when the main light is off, and vice versa.

That being said, what is the best way to get this to work? What am I missing? Any help is appreciated!

Sounds like you might be out of luck, unless there happens to be a neutral in the box.  When it comes to 3-way circuits, a white wire is likely not a neutral (and in your case I can say pretty certainly that it is not).

A 3-way switch has four terminals, none of which is neutral (unless it's a "smart" switch).
Common
This terminal is either connected to the line (power feeding in), or the load (feeding power to the device).
Traveller
There are two traveller terminals, which the switch selects between depending on the position.  If power is fed to the common terminal, power will be directed to one of the travellers depending on the switch position.
Ground
This terminal provides a connection to the grounding conductor.


Bulbs for dusk to dawn outdoor light fixtures I have 3 outdoor light fixtures controlled by a simple single pole switch in my garage. They had old incandescent light bulbs in them.

I replaced one with a CFL bulb and it worked fine - until the next morning when it would not go "off" even though daylight had come.

At first I thought the light fixture sensor was broken, but then I realized it was due to the bulb.

Is it true that CFL bulbs will not work well for this application?

Do LED bulbs have this same issue?

If I get dimmable bulbs will that solve it?

What is the suggested solution?

2-wire photocontrols vs 3-wire

A perfect photo-control has 3 functioning wires:  Always-hot (black), neutral (white), and "switched-hot" (red).  The photo-control powers itself 24x7 via the black and white wires.  It switches power to the lamp via the red wire.

Incandescent bulbs have an interesting property: when they're not burning, they have very low resistance, and will flow current freely (this is called "inrush current"),  That means if you're designing a photo-control, it's possible to skip the neutral wire, and have the photo-control power itself by leaking power through the bulb when it's off.  This won't have any effect on an incandescent bulb.   This is a 2-wire photo-control.

A raw fluorescent bulb is infinite resistance until the lamp strikes its arc.  LEDs are high resistance until they light. (this is also true of any arc discharge light, including LPS, HPS, mercury, MH, or neon). All need a special control circuit to keep current from being excessive.  These control circuits may, or may not play well with 2-wire photo-controls, and may be designed specifically to do so.

The same issue exists with dimmers, so "dimmable" can help.

Another option is to rewire your fixture to use a 3-wire type.

The types of photo control

 source

This "puck type" is a replaceable photo control which sits typically on top of the light.  It's commonly found on street lights, HPS, mercury or MH barn lights, and their LED replacements.  They are universally 3-wire.  The socket rotates, and the detector window should be aimed to the north.

 source

If you look at most of the consumer grade photo-lights, you'll see a component that looks like this.  This is a "stalk type" photo-control, and they are commodity items.  It is replaceable, in the sense that it can be unscrewed from the fixture and replaced.   They thread into a 1/2" trade size hole widely used in electrical boxes.  These are available in 2-wire or 3-wire.

So if your fixtures have this type of 2-wire photo-detector, you can pull down the unit, unscrew the old sensor, and screw in a 3-wire type.  Wire black to supply, red to the lamp's hot, and white with the lamp neutrals.

You can put the sensor anywhere

Nothing says you need the photo-sensor to be at the lamp.  Since the stalk-type can screw into any 1/2" knockout, such as that on the side of a junction box... you can install it where convenient - as long as it has a good view of an area whose lighting changes dramatically day to night.  For instance, you could install it in an electrical box inside near a window.

Let the sensor "train"

Modern photo sensors have a memory, and "Learn" the day-vs-night brightness in their location, over several days and nights.   I've installed a sensor on a north-side porch, so sheltered I needed a flashlight to work.  I wasn't surprised when the sensor turned the lights on in broad daylight.  However, by the second day, it had "gotten the rhythm" of what "light" and "dark" is in that location, and it worked properly.    What does this mean?

If you are adding a photo-control near a switch -- if possible put the switch downstream of the photo-control (i.e. switch the red wire).  That way the photo-control continues to get power 24x7, and it keeps its "memory".

Interchangeable for motion sensors

They also make motion sensors in the "stalk" format.  So you could potentially alter the lamp to be a motion sensor instead of dusk-to-dawn.


Mixing North American Panels and Breakers I have compared in detail a Siemens QPF 2-pole GFCI breaker when put in an original Siemens PL load center bus bar versus that of generic locally made bus bar (for GE breakers). What I found out was there was no special shape in the Siemens bus bar. But they are very straight and uniform and thicker than the locally made bus bar. The latter local bus bar is a bit slant as they can't make it exactly 90% and since it is also a bit thinner.. the upper part of the Siemens breaker spring clip doesn't make full contact in that locally made bus bar. In the Siemens panel, one side of the spring clip has perfectly flat contact with the Siemens breaker while the other side is not so flat. Maybe because the breaker even needs thicker bus bar or design? Now I want to know other brand panel bus bar. Do you really see a special shape to it? Or the issue is just the thickness?

The magic snap is not magic. Contact blades are not flat.

One thing you will notice about US breakers in matching panels is that they "Snap" in with a definite resounding snap.  And when you try to remove them, the initial force needed to pull them out the first 0.1mm is considerably greater than the force needed to pull them the rest of the way.

That's because the bus bar in the service panel actually has a little "nub" shaped into it, of a specific shape.  That shape engages matching curves on the breaker's spring clip.  It works like a detent, creating the snap.  However the good contact also creates a lot of mating surface area.  As such, it runs at sane temperatures during high current flow, which is why UL approves it.

Every panel manufacturer uses a different shape of bus bar, requiring different shaping on the breaker's spring clip.  They are different because of patents.  Each manufacturer has patented their shape, because they think it outperforms their competitor's shape (and avoids violating their competitor's patents). Eventually patents expire, such as Square D's QO (queue oh) patent expired, permitting Murray/Siemens to manufacture its QD (queue dee) breakers for QO panels.  Still, Siemens is unable to make breakers that fit both Murray and QO panels, because they are still different.  They are locked into the old designs because new breakers need to fit old and new panels alike.

So when you use an alien breaker, the clips and nubs don't mate as intended by the two manufacturers, and this is not an accident, it's by design. They are not trying to keep you from using alien breakers, they are (were) trying to keep from being sued for patent infringement.  Anyway, you end up with the clips only mating at 2-4 points instead of flat surface contact, and point contact like that is only good for a couple of amps before it starts melting, opening, arcing and burning.


Why does my electricity blow when I plug in my oven? I have a Sauter (electric) oven that was working fine last week. It was unplugged for a few days. Now, when I try to plug it in, it blows the main electric fuse. This happens with all the dials turned off. I tried plugging it into another outlet, but it also blows the fuse, so the problem is clearly with the oven (other appliances are working fine in the kitchen).

What can this be?

Your appliance has developed a dangerous internal defect, and must be repaired or replaced.


How to protect footvalve from sticking open by sediment? Of late there is seepage of surface water into my open well. This is further aggravated by agglomeration of decaying leaves from a neem tree over the well itself. Its an old well - about 30ft across - beyond my resources to cover it; Besides leaves are not the only issue. As a consequence,  every few days I would lose prime on the pump. I suspect part of the seepage is ground movement on account of earthworks to construct a flyover, and other highrise buildings in the neighbourhood.

The pump itself is an open well self priming type which has served  almost faultlessly o er 2 decades. The outlet is bifurcated; my temporary solution has been to run the ground floor pipe back into the well parallel to the footvalve. This works for now because the ground floor does not need water much, and perhaps because the sediment in the well is not so dense.

If the density ever increases, how do I prevent the footvalve from sticking open?

I pump from creeks and ponds throughout the year they make metal cages that go around the foot valve and because they are quite a bit larger they don’t easily plug up with leaves , one I have a rope on that if it plugs up I turn the pump off jerk the rope a couple of times and all the excess falls off the cage, my suction line is 3” but the cage is close to 8” in diameter and probably 4” tall, the cages or strainer last about 10 years even in mud it keeps the foot out of the mud and any grass and leaves out of the foot, maybe 2x per year I have to move it to dislodge the leaves that settle on it some years only 1 move is needed. You could even make one out of galvanized mesh like is used on the top of chimneys, I did that a few years back but it only lasted ~3 years.


Is there a product I could apply on the wall before painting so that one paint layer only will do? After removing wallpaper with a steamer I want to paint it, but using the least amount of paint possible.

Is there a product I could apply on the wall before painting so that one paint layer only will do?

Use a primer, like Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 or any other interior primer. It's rather hard to get true one coat coverage, why do you want only 1 coat? Are you trying to use an existing paint leftover to match the rest of the room? If so, you can buy tintable primer to better match the final color. We had to to this in a bright pink bedroom, so we tinted the primer blue, applied one coat of primer and topcoated with 2 coats of regular blue semi-gloss; worked quite well to hide such a strong color. You might get away with only one coat if the tint is relatively close. Check your local Sherwim Williams, Lowes, HD et cetera to see if they do tinted primers. Sherwin Williams is usually the best bet for special stuff.


Why is hot water coming out of the faucet but the shower is ice cold? (Diverter not on spout) My shower has 3 knobs & the spout. The diverter (that turns from spout to shower) is in center of shower wall between hot & cold knobs. I've checked to ensure the diverter knob is fully turned onto shower. Is it difficult to fix/replace when the diverter isn't on the tub spout?

If you get warm water out of the spout and cold water out of the shower head, then I sounds like you've isolated the potential problem to the diverter (only other thing that comes to mind is some kind of water pressure based issue, but I can't think of where that would happen on the hot water side only since you have separate hot/cold knobs).

Since this is after the hot/cold knobs, you can probably fix this problem without even shutting off the water, just place something over the drain (don't want to lose a screw), disassemble the diverter, see if it's just an o-ring or dirt, and if not, replace the entire part (take the old one to the hardware store to find an exact match).


How do I replace the water supply line that appears to be built in to the shutoff valve? We're preparing to replace our bathroom faucet. We were able to easily disconnect the cold water supply line from the shutoff valve to the faucet by simply loosening the nuts holding it in place. However, when we went to disconnect the hot water supply line, we see that it appears to be built in to the water shut-off valve. We are both new to home improvement, but have done a lot of research and haven't come across anything like this before. What IS this? Is our only option to replace the water shut-off valve entirely?

(Our new faucet has 3/8" water supply lines, otherwise we could reuse the existing supply lines and not worry about the weird shut-off valve)

I've dealt with these before. The flex pipe is silver soldered into the valve body, probably a product design of the day to dispense with having a problematic compression fitting that would eventually leak.

If you loosen the nut from the pipe nipple, the valve body and flex supply line pipe will be rotatable to position it for a direct lineup to the faucet inlet.

Even if the other end of the metal flex supply line is compatible with the faucet (sounds like it isn't), brass and copper flex work harden from bending into position and can crack if disturbed for later repairs, so I don't recommend reusing it. The only way to fix this is to replace the shutoff valve with a 1/2" to 3/8" right angle shutoff. The newer ones available are nice quarter turn units. Remove the compression fitting nut and ferrule and the 3/8" supply line should thread right on. They use a neoprene flat washer now that gets rid of the leak problem the original silver-soldered supply line was meant to prevent.


Can I replace an air exchanger with a heat pump? In my basement I have a rather large Air Exchanger:

I have heard that if I install a heat pump I may be able to replace the air exchange. This gives me two benefits that I can see:

The Heat Pump will be outside. Giving me more space in my cramped basement.
The Heat Pump will lower the temperature a bit in the house during summer (I have no air conditioning).

However, there are a few things that I'm not sure of:

Can the heatpump re-use my existing vents that are installed though
the house for the air exchange?
I'm not 100% positive what the air
exchange is used for… I know that it keeps the dew from forimg in the
inside of windows during winter. Will the heat pump do this as well?
I use oil for heat and hot water. To my understanding, I will not
need to use oil as much for heat (unless its a very hot day). So my
oil consumption should go down, although the heat pump will increase
my power charges. Is this going to be worth it?

I'm not sure if there are versions of heat pumps that have the compressor and evaporator both outside, but mine has the compressor outside and the evaporator/air handler inside, which is about the same size as the air exchanger you have in the picture. So if you install a system similar to mine, you won't have any space savings.

On another note, heat pumps are only really usefull in areas that don't have harsh winters. Their optimal range for heating is 40°-55°F, and they don't perform efficiently in colder climates.

I'd talk to a local HVAC installer to see what type of system is best suited for your climate if you're dead set on changing the type of system you have installed.

More on Wikipedia


How can I find the source of a leak? We have a lead lined, concave roof on a bay window. The roof itself has a small drain.

Inside the house, below the bay window we have a small leak that occasionaly appears when it rains.  I have attempted to seal up the roof using bitumen tape and most recently painted with elastomer based roof seal paint (really thick rubbery paint).

The leak is much reduced. However there is still a small one, sometimes.

Any tips on finding the source of the leak in such a situation ?  My current plan is to go up with bucket of water and assess possible holes by pouring water in them and waiting for any leak (there was nothing particularly obvious last time I was up).

The best way to water test a roof is to have one person on the roof with a hose and another inside watching for water to begin entering.  The idea behind a water test is a process of elimination.  You want to start the water test at the lowest point of the roof closest to the interior leak.  Turn the water on, wait 15 minutes, then start moving uphill and in a progressively wider arc every 15 minutes.

Considering that you've already coated the roof with elastomeric paint, it's likely that the leak could be coming from the edge detail (coping metal, drip edge, fascia, etc), a flashing, or even through the frame of the bay window itself.


Removable wall panels as alternative to drywall I have a wall in a basement utility area that is currently unfinished and I would like to cover it up. Right now the wall is just drywall on one side, open on the other, stuffed with fiberglass insulation.

I would like to have removable wall panels, however, rather than drywall because there is a lot of electrical wire and stuff in that wall that might be changed later and I do not want to have to rip out drywall and be replastering every time I change some electrical in that wall.

Are there wall panel systems of some kind that are made for this purpose?

Since this is a utility area and, presumably, it doesn't have to look all that pretty, you could screw up plywood or OSB as a wall covering to protect the wiring and insulation. Paint it white or "builder's beige" to make it look a bit nicer, then, when you need to make changes, you can easily unscrew it. After the work's complete, put it right back up using the same screws and screw holes. They make screws in white, tan, green, etc. so you can get screws to match the wall color, so you probably won't even need to repaint to hide the screws!

I have to wonder, though, how often you're planning on "changing" wiring "and stuff" that you're worried about this. If you have some specific future expansion in mind, but aren't ready (financially or otherwise) to do it now, install conduit leading from where the wire "inlet" is (is there a breaker box here?) to where the power will be needed (or as far as you can) now, then cover with drywall.

When you're ready to take on this specific future work, it's easy to pull a string through the conduit (or run a fish through it, or install the string now while everything's open) and pull all your wiring through the conduit. You have the added expense of installing conduit, but that's going to be significantly less than the cost of drywall repair and repainting later.

If you go the "empty conduit" route, make sure you put in the maximum size conduit you can run through your stud cavities, and make sure you've got enough for any expansion work you can think of. Then double your capacity. Seriously, if you're planning this far ahead and are that concerned about future drywall work, additional conduit in the wall is cheap insurance. Much cheaper and less frustrating than being just short of enough conduit space and having to tear up the drywall anyway. Can you imagine getting all but that last cable into the conduit and having to tear everything up for One. More. Cable.


How do you paint interior doors easily I need to paint several interior doors  How can I do this easily.  Most doors are in carpeted rooms.

Also, do you paint the bottom/top surface too for non-humid rooms?

Use a roller to get the most Paint onto the door, only for 1/3rd of the door at a time & immediately Tip or Lay that area off. Tipping or Laying off is using a Paint Brush in the direction of the wood grain or simulated wood grain. Meaning, you even get the meeting joints perfect as well. You never want to just roller a door or trimwork, it looks horrible & is a very obvious Bad Paint Job.

Only Paint the top & bottom of the door if they've never been Painted & then only after a Primer coat & only every 20-years. They just need to be sealed but they don't need any regular refreshing that may hinder operation of the door.

Never Paint the locksets nor their latches, tape them or best is to spend the 1-minute it takes to remove them. If you don't want to remove the door & the top & bottom don't need Paint, then tape the hinges & even overly tape them to trim the tape off with a utility knife. Priming & Painting under the hinges, latch(es) & inside the lockset holes should also be done once & then every 20-years.


Is a 100A breaker adequate for a garage subpanel? I am a DIYer and want to do this project on my own. I do have a licensed electrician that I can fall back on, and will use at the end of the project to check it, but I'd really like to do this. I've wired my second floor, but have not done this type of project before.

From what I understand at this point, I'd like to use a 100 amp subpanel in a detached garage that is approximately 90' away (15' of which is outside) from the 200amp main panel. I believe that I need 6/3 wire with conduit at least 18" underground.

Is a 100amp breaker in the main panel sufficient?  I want to run a fridge, A/C, multiple power tools, an electric range, a HE heater, along with other general household items.

I understand I'll need a grounding rod that's at least 8 feet (Garage used to have electricity, so I assume there is one somewhere, but can't find it). How do you get this driven so far into the ground?

Where does the wire (#6, I believe) from the grounding rod connect in the subpanel?

Once I have the panel set up, I'm good. I just need to get this in before winter.

Thank you for all your help.

Well, you asked several questions and if you search on this site you will find many questions and answers regarding sub-panels. We have covered this same subject many times. It may be the most asked questions from novices.

It would be a Code violation, and safety issue, to protect #6 wire with a 100 amp breaker. You will need #3 copper or #1 aluminum if you want to protect it with a 100 amp breaker. You can use whatever size panel you want at the garage but if you want to fully utilize it you should feed it with proper sized wire and protect that with a properly sized breaker.

You can drive the ground rod with a fence post driver they sell at the farm centers. If you have good soil they are easy to drive.

The #6 grounding electrode conductor connects to the ground bus and the neutral bus is kept isolated. Take the green screw (or the jumper strap) that came with your panel and throw it away.

Good luck and stay safe!


Recliner position lock stuck This photo is of the underside of a La-z-boy recliner, and shows a rotating square bar (attached to the handle on the side of the chair) with a cam that has a couple locking positions as shown.  A pin rides along the outside of the cam, with springs that pull it into the resting position but can be overcome by a reasonable amount of intentional force (moving the wooden handle to rotate the bar) to change the position of the foot-rest.  The photo shows one end of the pin (the other side looks the same/symmetric) and the photo shows the pin in the "out" position where the setting can be changed.

This chair gets stuck in the "foot rest out" position, and no amount of force applied to the handle can get the pin to spring out so that this can rotate (the wooden handle would break first).  When I put my fingers in to manually move the pin it seems to extend the springs etc as designed, easily.  When the chair is tipped over on its side, it also works.  When the chair is right side up or upside down, it does not work.  Stuck in the open position, it's impossible for a limited-mobility person to get out of the chair without help (and then the chair must be laid on its side to get the foot rest back in).

I think the problem may be related to the wear on the metal as shown in the slight deformations around the locking position, that may create a deeper cavity or stronger lock than what may have been an original slight slope allowing the pin to roll out of the lock positions.

Is there a fix for this?

You may very well be right that the wear in the lock position notches is leading to the problem. With as much wear and metal deformation showing one has to wonder if the spring loaded pin is also worn severely.

One possible fix for this is to file away the metal some where the wear in the lock notch has produced an undercut. You would have to be really careful to not file away too much or create a condition where the pin would not stay in the notch as intended.

If the pin itself is worn it would need replacement as it appears to be a specialty design with the spring hook up. Although a replacement could be made if access to a metal turning lathe and tooling was possible.


Does a neutral wire need to be run from a switch to the light? We have an older church building that we would like to put our parking lot lights on a timer. We purchased digital timers only to find out that there is not a neutral wire within the switch boxes. We would like to run a neutral wire from the breaker box to the switches, does the neutral wire have to continue out to the lights? The switches only have 2 wires into and out of them, no ground.

A church is a commercial facility so use caution on advice received on this site most are not familiar with the unique requirements to commercial construction. Could you provide a photo of the wires entering the box?
Also how many lights and the type?
there may be a contactor controlling multiple runs I use 3 phase contactors to control 3ea 20 amp strings on 120/240v services.
there are timers that need no neutral check out an intermatic STO1 they run in the mid 30$ range and the timer is battery powered so no neutral is needed and power bumps don’t affect it. The battery last about 2 years.
The nice thing about this timer is it is astrometric or you can turn on a feature to turn on at sunset and off at sun rise it updates itself based on your location. I use them at my plant to turn the yard lights on at 3am then off at sunset, on again at sun set then off at 1030 pm or the time they shut down for that day then they don’t turn on for a day that we never work would be great for a church where scheduled services and weekly Bible studies or choir practices. If you need it on when it’s not programmed tap it and it will stay on until tapped again or the next scheduled off time. I drive small (15 & 20 amp circuits) with this timer and if the loads are larger drive contactors (power relays).
Depending on the area and construction type you may have conduit that’s why I asked for a photo and a neutral could be pulled in conduit in commercial facilities. buildings with occupancy requirements are normally wired with conduit.


Will adding a second sink in a bathroom with only one sink currently reduce the water pressure? We have two bathrooms that have plenty of space to each add a second sink on the vanity. So essentially:

Master Bathroom currently has 1 sink, we want to turn it into a Jack&Jill
Guest Bathroom currently has 1 sink, we want to turn it into a Jack&Jill

I looked up all the connections necessary, so the install isn't an issue. But: Would that essentially reduce the water pressure in each sink to half of that of before?

The pressure may be slightly reduced while in use. Most homes have at least 1/2” plumbing and the sink cartridges usually have ~1/8” orifices in the faucet on each side so if you turn all 4 on at the same time you probably will notice a difference but not a significant one. Now a tub faucet that would be a different answer.


Trouble gluing cap on hot water faucet We have a kitchen sink hot water faucet that has a cap with "Hot" on it to go on the faucet.  We've tried several types of glue for it, but after a few days of usage, the heat the faucet absorbs from the water seems to make the glue useless.

If you look at the photo, you can see the screw that would be under the cap, so I don't want to use anything super-strong that would force us to break the cap to get to that screw.

What kind of glue can we use that will hold this cap in place that won't break down from the heat from the water and will let us, if needed, pry the cap off if we have to get to the screw under it?

Try Araldite or Milliput - both are different types of epoxy, araldite is a two-part paste, milliput is a putty, and the latter is recommended for repairing radiators, so should be plenty heat resistant. The downside to milliput is that it is not especially sticky and also has bulk, so you might struggle to make a thin, solid join. Araldite should have no such issues, but I can't vouch for its heat resistance.

edit: I have just read the remark about having to reach the screw - in which case be wary of Araldite as I have heard of plenty of references to it needing something akin to a small bomb to shift it once it's cured. If you go for this, use a tiny dot that you can easily crack with a little leverage.


Used the wrong screws for sheetrock and screw marks are too visible. Any suggestions? I used wrong screws for the drywall. I didn't realize that the screws are wrong until the job was done and I started to put mud on the walls. After putting the first layer and doing some sanding, I realized that screws are still way-way too visible. I am trying to correct my mistake in some way and am looking for suggestions on how to fix this. Can somebody suggest something?

I was thinking to put a layer of paper tape to hide this mess before putting a layer of mud again. Is this a good idea?

It's hard to give advice that will result in a good solution without knowing the type of screw you used. And in addition to the type, whether or not they were set correctly (with the face of the screw slightly below the paper surface of the drywall).

As Solar Mike mentions, drywall screws are coated to prevent rust from bleeding through the finished surface and staining your wall. They also have heads that are tapered on a curve so they can penetrate deeply enough to sit correctly (slightly lower than the face of the drywall) without punching through the paper, but still provide enough tension that they stay put, hold the drywall still, and don't exhibit nail pop (by cracking the mud you put over top of them to cover them up).

You can certainly put more mud over the screw heads and sand, then repeat until they're hidden. But you may still risk rust stains showing up over time (sometimes long after you've painted the wall and considered the job done) or nail pop from the incorrect screws moving due to changing conditions (temperature/humidity) over time. Putting squares of tape of the screw heads will stabilize the mud a bit and may help reduce the chance that they'll pop through over time, but it won't really help if your screws rust and stain the wall.

Screws of any type, right or wrong, set with the heads above the surface of the drywall, will prove more difficult to hide correctly. You'll end up building a thicker layer of mud over them and the resulting high spots will almost certainly be visible after the wall is finished unless you feather them well over a larger-than-you-might-think area.

Another option would be to drive new (correct) screws in between your existing screws, then back out the incorrect screws and remove them. Treat the resulting holes as you would the screws themselves, cover with mud and sand.

Also, worth noting that it's normal for the mud to shrink as it cures and there will almost always be dimples above every screw head after you've sanded the first coat. This is why a second and/or third coat is pretty typical.


Solar? Lots of room for panels, so should I ditch oil? First post for me.  Long time reader.
I'm in south west Massachusetts.
I just bought a new two-story home.  9ft ceilings.  With garage, it is about 2,600 sq ft plus 2,000 square feet of garage space (one is a 3-car carriage house).  I'm including the garage space because I wrench and build stuff year-round...it's important to me.
Property is 6 acres, and has 350' of southern-facing property line, unobstructed sunlight.  Flat ground facing the sun on the edge of a farm field!  Solar panels wouldn't be visible from the home.  Blazing rays!
Would it make sense to convert this home, or add ancillary heating via electric heat with this potential?
I've never done solar, never thought I would be asking this, either.  The future is coming whether we like it or not....
Is there a calculator, or algorithm to find feasibility for this type of thought?
What would the knowledgeable guys say?
Thanks in advance.

OK, here's what you DON'T do.  "straight substitution".   Going "oh hey I don't like change so I'll just use all technology exactly as I'm accustomed to, except change this one thing and expect all that to work like magic".
In fact, we see anti-solar people take that attitude on purpose, to show how the new tech can't possibly work.
So you wouldn't just bolt-up solar to "old tech" electric resistance toaster heating.  20 years ago someone said to me "using solar to run a resistance heater isn't even stupid".  Of course solar is much more efficient and cheap today, so maybe... but yeah lol... no.
NOT energy storage
One problem is that the solar doesn't run 24x7.  To "time-shift" energy to when you need it, you need a storage method.
The prevalent storage method in use today is to sell your power to the electric company when the solar is running, then buy power back for your evening needs.   Of course, that depends on the grid being up, doesn't it?
Here's the thing.  At this point, solar is just a "bolt-on".
In fact, really, "selling power to the PoCo from your solar" is really a separate transaction from "buying power from the PoCo for household use". (except they may punish you on rates if you generate more power than you use, since rates like "net metering" are more of a courtesy).
So you don't really need to optimize anything else. If you have inefficient appliances, you don't need to care.
So you can separate it more.  For instance, those panels would work much better in the Mojave Desert due to more solar hours... and electricity is worth more there.  So yeah.  You could actually stick the panels there, sell the power to PG&E, and use the dollars to buy power from Mass Electric.
Energy storage (grid-down capability)
The other storage option is, y'know, actual storage.  The advantage here is it can stay up even with the grid down.  Since most people don't have the facilities for pumped storage, "batteries" are usually it.  That costs about $200 per kilowatt hour, using used Tesla Model S batteries, and that will usually end up costing more than the solar panels.
When trying to make a  house work on batteries, i.e. being grid-down-impervious, the #1 goal is to reduce energy usage. It's much cheaper to invest in efficient appliances than to invest in additional battery and solar needed to sustain inefficient ones.
Now we get out the sharp pencil and start crunching on efficiency tech.
Empowering tech: Heat pump
Where electric really excels for heating is the use of heat pumps.  They take 1 unit of energy to pump 4-5 units.  So they're just stupidly efficient.
You can see where that's a nice multiplier with solar heat.
Now, they do have a problem running in the very cold.  Older ones just shut off, but newer ones at least can "do a defrost cycle" and keep running at all temps (at much reduced efficiency).   You can end up in "coffin corner" as the aviation people call it: as air temperature drops, you need more heat, but you have less available due to lowering efficiency interchanging with -20F air.
So don't.  Interchange with deep ground water that is 50-60F.  This "ground sourced" heat pump is quite efficient and stays that way in the bitterest cold, because it doesn't feel the cold.
Empowering tech: Passive solar
This, unfortunately, requires a house built from the ground up for that.  However a great deal of HVAC load can be removed altogether by designing the house to catch full effect from the winter sun, and have a great deal of thermal "energy storage" built into its bones.  So now the bulk of your heating comes from solar gain, and you only need the heat pump for small adjustments.
There are many more, but that's just a few.


Using PEX as wire conduit I have some 1/2" PEX-AL-PEX left over and thinking about using it as conduit for ~20' ethernet or phone cable. Pipe is appropriately orange.

Will the aluminium layer provide RF shielding? (assuming I manage to ground it)

Is this a bad idea?

Because this is an indoor run, I'm not entirely sure why conduit would be helpful, except in eventually pulling more cables, as you mention. That said, I pulled CAT6 through 3/4" PEX, and that was difficult. If you have 1/2", you're not likely going to be able to pull it through at all if it's terminated, and you probably can't get any more cables in there afterward.

Overall, I don't see a point to it.

If you wanted to do it, you could. You could probably use a PG fitting to connect it to boxes on either end. Keep pull tape in the PEX so you can pull more easily in the future. It helps to have twice the length of the run so you can hold it on either end, attach your cable, and pull without losing the pull tape on either end.


How to remove a doorknob with no visible screws? I have an exterior lock set with a knob on the inside. I can't get the interior doorknob off. It does not have a hole in the shaft of the knob in which you press a clip down to remove it. It's one of those where you pull the cover plate back away from the door and rotate an inner plate in the direction of the arrows. After I rotate the inner plate, what do I do next to remove the interior knob and the plate on the door. The interior plate is loose, so it seems to be out of its "Locked" position, but will not come off. I believe it's a Schlage lockset. It came with the house and is 22 years old.

post a pic . sounds like a kwikset titan and if it is you rotate cc about 15 deg and it should pop off. may be an old corbin where there are 2 rectangles at 12 o clock and six o clock. push them away from the latch with and the knob will literally pop off.


Connecting an outdoor light I need to connect a flood light to the exterior of my house. Previously, an on-wall lamp was installed, and this is how the exterior wall looks like after I uninstalled it. There are 3 sets of wires, though I'm going to use only one set.

This is the flood light I need to connect. Note that I can not replace its cable as the body is IP65 sealed and can not be dismantled.

What would be a correct and aesthetic way to install the flood light?

I'm guessing there was an old light exactly there?  And that light happened to have an integral junction box which housed the wiring splices?

You'll need to install an appropriate outdoor junction box for your country's wiring methods.  Then mount the light either independently, or I have been known to mount it on the junction box lid.  Then create a proper entry for that cord into the junction box, and splice it therein.


How do I reconnect a garage to a house with existing underground wires? I've got an existing garage about 30 feet from the house which I need to reconnect (wires were cut during house construction project). I have three 2-conductor cables running to the garage, as well as what looks like a low-voltage 2-conductor cable.

I'm just going to ignore the low voltage cable, which means I have 6 wires going to the garage: 3x 2-conductor cables.

There's no ground wire bundled in the cable. So what's the proper way to hook this up? Can I use two of the cables to run two 20A circuits out to the garage, using the third cable as ground? Or just use one cable for power and another wire for ground, ignoring the third cable? I have steel conduit in the house and in the garage, but not in between the two.

I was thinking of putting a panel in the garage with two breakers there, but now I'm thinking maybe just a shutoff there will be fine.

I'm not particularly asking about grounding or GFCI breakers/outlets (yet), as I think I have all that covered by other sources. I'm just not entirely sure how to hook things up given the existing wires.

And I will be rewiring the garage (house is all new wiring) as it's all a cluster-fun in there right now. IOW, there is nothing proper in the garage now that I could use for reference.

Thanks,
John

You can reuse the wires one of several ways.

Run a separate ground wire

Since it is a retrofit, you can add ground wire.  (NEC 240.130).  The 3 circuits can share one ground wire if they all originate in the same panel (as of NEC 2014‘s new 240.130D). The ground wire must be installed properly, and an appropriate size for each circuit it's grounding.  If your fattest conductor is 10 AWG, a 10 AWG ground wire can protect all 3 circuits under NEC 2014.  If I recall, 8 AWG bare copper wire is readily available.

Hots and neutrals from the same circuit must be routed together.  A 240.130 retrofit ground may follow a different route.

If an existing wire is already bare and appropriate size, you already have your ground wire!

Wire larger than 6 AWG can be redesignated as ground by wrapping it in green tape at each accessible point.

Ask your inspector to re-designate

Generally you cannot re-designate a conductor to be ground, although an entirely bare copper wire can only be a ground.

Ask your local inspector if there's a way to allow this anyway.  Local jurisdictions can override Code.

Forget ground and use GFCI

GFCI's may be required anyway for your new circuits.

You can use the GFCI rules, which allow ungrounded 3-prong outlets when fed by a GFCI breaker or outlet.   All the outlets must be labeled "No Equipment Ground".

They must also be labeled "GFCI protected" if they are a plain outlet fed by a GFCI upstream.

In this case, take care not to connect ground to anything.  Nothing is safe except a ground wire run all the way back to the main service panel.

Make the barn a main panel, isolated by a transformer

This is a complicated one.  Wire the barn as a main panel.   It must have its own ground rods and neutral must be bonded to ground in the panel.   However this neutral must not bond to the neutral back at the house.
It is isolated from the house by a transformer.  This is a "mini" version of the service the power company provides to you.

The key is a transformer of appropriate size.  It must be single-phase and with a VA rating exceeding your planned load. I often see them on Craigslist at sane prices, e.g. 5K VA for $100.  Typically, you can jumper the secondary to either supply 240/120 split phase like your house, or 120-only at twice the amperage.

For amp capacity of a transformer that you've jumped for 240V, easy peasy - divide VA by 240. For instance, A 5K VA transformer is 5000/240 or 20.83 amps.  It can be supplied by a 20A breaker and 12 AWG wire, and can output 20A to each side of the panel.  If jumpered for 120V-only, it can provide twice that or 40A.

Main breakers that size will be tough to come by, don't bother, just backfeed a regular breaker.

Multiple circuits? Somewhat.

Generally NEC allows only one circuit per voltage. So you can have 240V on one pair of wires, and 120V on a second pair.

You can have more circuits for specialized uses which require a separate circuit, for instance the third pair of wires can be used for lighting controlled from the house. I would use that loophole to power the barn interior lighting on a separate circuit from the outlets - that way if the table saw kicks and trips the breaker, you aren't plunged into darkness with your hands 3 inches from a spinning blade.

Re-designate wire? Mostly no.

Generally, wire function is decided by color, and they cannot be re-designated unless they are larger than 6 AWG (at the request of distributors, who do not want to stock multiple wire colors in large sizes).   However, neutral (white or gray) wire can be re-designated hot (e.g. to allow 10/2 to feed 240V loads).  Also, an entirely bare wire can only be used as ground.


How should I reconnect my light fixture with red, white, and blue wires? So I have switched a lot of fixtures in my house, but this is a first.  I had drywall repairs on the ceiling, so didn’t remove the fixture the contractor did. I have no idea how it was wired in before but when I connect the fixture’s black to the red and white to white (or vice versa) the light is on regardless of the switch being on or off!

I assume they are both hot, but what do I do?

The blue wire, coupled with the very notable total lack of any black wire, indicates your house is NOT wired in cable.  It uses individual wires, which means it is in the conduit wiring system.  Given your ceiling being solid concrete, that is no surprise.   As such, wire colors may be whimsical as compared to diagrams you see on the Internet.  In conduit:

neutral will be white or gray,
ground will be green, yellow/green stripe, bare or the conduit itself
hot will be all other colors.  Hot will never use white wire because that is not allowed in conduit.

Generally speaking, when you see

a clump of hots -- note that a clump of hots might include one white wire
a clump of all white wires, and
a solitary hot

That connects like this.  The clump of hots is always-hot and you will not be using it.   The clump of all whites is kept together, and the neutral from the lamp is added to it.   The solitary is switched-hot for the lamp.


Techniques for Squarely Cutting the End of a PVC Pipe I am replacing a floor drain which required me to saw off the old drain which was cemented to 4" schedule 40 PVC.  I had limited room to do this (Please see the picture below; I had broken out the concrete and gravel/earth around the drain), so I used a Dremel with a plastic cutting blade to cut from the inside of the pipe, leaving a slightly jagged pipe end.  The new drain has a hub connection that fits over the end of the pipe I've cut.  I've read that the end of the pipe should be as square as possible to maximize the quality of the hub connection.  Right now the cut isn't square and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to make it square.  As such, I have a few questions in one here, because I'm not sure what my options are.

How important is the squareness?  If one side is off by a third of an inch or so, will this really matter once the hub connection is solvent cemented onto the pipe, considering there will still be a couple of inches or so of bonding surface?
If the squareness is important, what are some good ways to cut the pipe, seeing as I have very limited room to work with it from the sides?

I have considered sanding/grinding from above until the edge is level.  Would the PVC dust be dangerous if I were applying suction from a shop vac (with a HEPA filter and dust bag) and wearing a respirator?
I had hopes there would be a tool that could be placed over the end of a 4" pipe and turned to make a squared-off cut.  Does any such tool exist?  Is there anything at all that can squarely cut 4" pipe without needing much room at the sides of the pipe?

There is a tool that is made for cutting out the PVC pipe in a joint so that it may be used again. That tool may be useful to square up the end of the pipe in this case if you were able to hold the tool inline with the pipe while it shaves off the high part of the pipe. This is what one example of the tool looks like.

These are used to chucking up the tool into a good sized electric drill (AC powered is recommended). The round slug on the end of the tool keeps the cutter centered in the pipe so that the cutters will shave off the PVC pipe in the coupling. In your case this may allow you to square off the pipe in your drain if you can hold the tool steady whilst it shaves off the high part.

Note that not all PVC pipe shavers are suitable to your situation. Some of them do not have the same type of round slug as shown above. Cheaper ones may just have a thin washer style guide to hold the cutter centered in the pipe. Even the above tool type may not work in your instance if the non-square end of your pipe is too angled.

When searching for these the search phrase you want is "PVC fitting saver".


Marine Exterior Lights on Seaside Home On a residence located about 20 feet from the ocean in a severe weather climate. I am contemplating putting stainless steel well sealed marine lights on the house for some exterior deck lighting and flood lighting.

If I use a step down transformer for converting 120V to  24V, I’m wondering if there is a special junction box that would allow me to split the box and be able to fit transformers in the box at each light ?

Or would it be better to step down the power for the entire circuit near the panel?

I don’t know if there’s a voltage drop problem but farthest fixture might be 120 feet from the panel.

The lights I’m replacing had aluminum housings and completely degraded from the salt over 15 years. Hoping there is also a gasket-ed stainless box as well out there.

Am I crazy to pursue this ?

Yes there are stainless fixtures but for the cost I would probably just purchase currently available led floods or wall packs. The fixtures I use are aluminum but are universal voltage rated 100-277vac.

These low wattage high lumen output fixtures are so much less than a stainless fixture you could replace them 1/2 a dozen times and wire them directly into your existing power.

Look at what is available at myledplace.com or 1000bulbs.com both have a good selection of DLC + UL approval  of LED fixtures I have used both and have had good customer service even on the few failures I have had. dlc is design light consortium and requires a 5 year warranty and you want UL for use in the USA.

The reason I suggest a less expensive aluminum fixture is because the electronics usually don’t last as long as a stainless fixture and the non stainless parts inside usually fall apart requiring repair so all the big $ is kind of wasted where a good aluminum fixture will be much cheaper easier to wire so give them a look.


How to handle 4 wires using 3-port AlumiConn connectors? I'm rewiring outlets and switches in our 1960's California home using AlumiConn connectors to connect the aluminum wiring to copper pigtails.  Most cases are straightforward, but I've run into a case where a box (a double-sized box, thankfully) includes a joint of the neutrals of 4 aluminum wires (10 gauge each).  AlumiConn's only come with a max of 3 ports.

What is the correct way to handle 4-wire connections?  Is it correct to daisy chain the AlumiConns?

Lacking any other instructions, my instinct would be to wire them like this, but I don't know if this is acceptable, safe or correct:

  AL  AL      CU      AL     AL
  |    |   ,------.    |     |
  |    |   |      |    |     |
,--._,--._,--.   ,--._,--._,--.
|  AlumiConn |   |  AlumiConn |
`------------'   `------------'

You have two options here

You have two options here.  Either you can daisy-chain AlumiConns as you describe, using 12AWG copper THHN for the jumper wire, or you can use a single Al/Cu rated mechanical tap connector (often called "Polaris connector") rated for the wire sizes in question (the smallest size you'll find can take anywhere from 14 to 4 AWG), provided the latter will fit into the box.  An ILSCO PBTS-4-4, for instance, takes up about 2" by 1.3" by 1.4" (LxWxH) and requires a torque setting of 20 in-lbs for 14-10AWG wire.  Either way, you'll need to torque these connections correctly, as you are already doing with your existing AlumiConns.


consumer-grade modified atmosphere storage? I hope this is the best forum to ask this question on:

Where we live, mould is basically inevitable on anything that we put into storage for more than a few weeks, esp. on sensitive things like shoes.
Air-tight containers with as little oxygen as possible (can't call it vacuum... :)) help for clean clothes but it's of course near impossible to get leather to the same level of through-and-through cleanness.

Which led me to wonder: what if instead of storing things under some approximation of vacuum, we store under regular atmospheric pressure but with the air replaced by an inert gas that won't allow anything aerobic to grow? You can get your tyres inflated with nitrogen, so even if I've never seen a workshop where they offer the service I assume that means that it doesn't require industrial or research lab working conditions.

I haven't yet found anything suggesting that there exist consumer grade storage solutions of a kind where you stuff things in a container (rigid or not), connect it to your nitrogen container and "flush out" the air from the box to replace it with the inert gas before sealing it.

Would such a system be conceivable, and would it indeed help with preservation?

Air tight buckets and dry ice are used by some preppers to store food in oxygen free environments (as a bonus, it also kills any bugs hiding in the grain/beans).  As long as you make sure that you don't end up with a crust of water ice on the outside you should be able to do the same to keep your items dry and mold free assuming they've been thoroughly cleaned before being put into storage.

What you do is to put a layer of dry ice in the bottom of the bucket, put whatever you want to store on top and then put the lid on almost but not quite tight enough to fully seal the bucket.  Leaving a minimum opening is needed to prevent pressure building up from rupturing the bucket as the ice sublimates.  After the initial partial closing you monitor the temperature of the bottom of the bucket, and seal the kid down when it's no longer extremely cold.  If you're doing a number of containers at once you'll want to make sure your work space is well ventilated.

A 6 gallon storage bucket contains 1.5 cubic feet of volume, and you want enough CO2 to fill the volume about twice over to be confident you've displaced all the existing air inside.  A pound of dry ice will produce 8.3 cubic feet of CO2.  For something like shoes that have a lot of empty space it's probably best to assume the volume if what you're storing in the bucket is negligible for planning purposes, so you'd need about 5.8 ounces per bucket.  At around a dollar/pound it's cheap enough that unless you're storing a lot of stuff at once you'll probably spend more on the gas going to get it than anything else.

Ultimately though, while more practical than Ed Beal's discussion about nitrogen filled warehouses, dehumidifying is still probably the more practical option.

My source for the above was:  http://www.thefoodguys.com/dryice.html


temperature and pressure relieve valve I had a plumber replace my T & P valve on a 08' 50gal. American water heater. It kept discharging water practically every other day. He replaced the T & P valve and water started relieving again 2 hours after the plumber left. Not much, but enough to indicate a problem still exists. What other troubleshooting solution is there, short of replacing the water heater. Should I just replace my water heater?

There are four reasons a temperature and pressure valve will release water.
The valve was physically opened
If you; or somebody else, opens the valve, it will obviously release water.
Since you didn't mention holding the valve open, I'll assume that's not the problem.
Bad valve
If the valve is bad, or junk is stuck in it, it can cause water to be released.
Since a plumber just replaced it, I'd guess this is not the problem either.
Pressure is too high
When water is heated, it expands. This expanding water increases the pressure in the closed plumbing system. If the pressure gets to high, the valve will open to release some of the pressure.
You'll have to put a gauge on the system to determine if this is the problem.
Temperature too high
If the temperature of the water in the tank gets too hot, the valve will open to release some of the overheated water.
Again, you'll have to put a gauge on the tank to find out if this is the problem.

Since it sounds like it's only a small about of water, I'd lean towards high pressure.
To verify this, you'll want to connect a pressure gauge that can remember the maximum reading to the system. Then use the system as normal, checking the gauge from time to time.
Once you determine tha actual cause, then you can start looking for a cure.


Will it damage my washing machine and tumble dryer to be left in a shed for storage I have a Miele washing machine and tumble dryer, each worth around £600, that I bought last year.

I just moved houses and my new already has a washing machine and dryer.

Would it be safe to wrap and put my washing machine and dryer in a Plastic Keter shed in my garden for a few years, or could the cold weather in the non-insulated shed damage them?

(Another option is to put them in my storage loft, but that is a real mission!)

I hope this helps, I live on the coast in California where we get a good share of cold and wet weather.my washer and dryer are in a metal shed but I use them weekly. I would think if the units are drained,and off the ground (dirt) they should be fine. You me mentioned wrapping them I believe that be a great idea the only problem I see is if you have critters i.e. Rats squirrels I'm in the mountains and our little critters find places to live in wintertime


What is the usual maximum load for drywall? Possible Duplicate:
  How much weight can you mount to a wall?

I've only recently moved beyond yellow wall plugs and into a different style of self taping plug that's rated to significantly higher weights.  These plugs advertise 80 lbs of pull out / 120 lbs of down ward pull through.

What kind of weight can the dry wall withstand before it fails?  I'm looking at regular household application, so standard width sheets apply (since I'm sure the width will affect this answer).

I sort of wondered this on the metal, butterfly style plugs but at least they seemed to distribute the load on a larger section of the drywall.

In response to some of the questions, assume 16" on center, say 1/2" or 5/8" sheets.  My specific application is hanging shelving (screw down strip/track, 5 screws per strip about 12-18" each apart, strips mounted 30" apart, lock in 8" hanger style arms) which I have done many times before.  I'm not looking to push the envelope on how much I can get away with, I'm trying to ascertain whether the drywall would fail before the plugs would, for a better practical knowledge.

How much the drywall will withstand will depend largely upon its thickness.  1/8" drywall is pretty flimsy while 7/8" can take quite a tug.

If you're talking any more than just a few pounds, then seriously I wouldn't rely on drywall anchors - if necessary cut out some drywall and install a backer board.


100amp Sub Panel for 75ft - Anything else I need? to save myself some costs for adding a sub panel, I'm buying the cabling, sub panel, breakers, etc. NIM for an electrician to finish all the connections.  I'm going to run the cables, etc.  I'm wanting to add a sub-panel in my Garage (on other side of house from main breaker).  Primary reason is we bought a hybrid, and the charger I got is wanting 50 amp breaker (https://www.costco.com/juicebox-pro-40-amp-electric-vehicle-charging-station-evse-with-juicenet%2c-24-ft-cable.product.100397573.html).  I then would like to be able to add a shed off the garage in the future to run power tools as needed, possibly a heater, and run new outlets for holiday lights etc on the exterior.

Some Details:

My main Panel is 200 AMP
My distance is roughly 75ft from main to sub (this is about 7ft of play)
I'm adding a 100AMP sub-panel with main cut off at root (e.g. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-Homeline-40-Circuit-100-Amp-Main-Breaker-Plug-On-Neutral-Load-Center-Value-Pack/50311143)
Based on my research, I believe I can go #3 or #2 AWG, and I need red,   black, white, and ground.  Which I believe is also considered #2/3 with Ground.
Planning on fishing wire on the interior

My questions are:

What if we buy another hybrid, would you feel another charging station could be added?  I feel this could happen, but not for a few years, but want to size right
Does #2/3 w ground mean that it will have red, black, white, and
ground?  In my research the pictures don't always match what I think is correct.

Any suggestions on where to buy that size cable for reasonable price? e.g. is this ok?  I'm assuming the color is really better (https://www.wireandcableyourway.com/industrial-cable/tray-cable-thhn-pvc/thhn-pvc-tray-cable-with-ground/2-3c-thhn-pvc-tray-cable-with-ground.html)

Thanks for any help, this site has been informative, and I tried to find matching questions, but then most people don't respond when asked for more details.

Let me know if I missed anything.

Editing to add (thanks to Harper):

I've already been talking with Master Electrician and he has worked with me in the past when replacing the 200 amp because when we moved in it was an old Stab-Lok panel that I wanted to get out of the house.  In addition, permits have been pulled, but I need to adjust because they were going to be for the 200 AMP replacement and a direct line to the charging station.  I since had two things happen, hired a "pro" (licensed/insured) contractor to remodel the basement and he promptly said he would, then ignored running the cabling before drywall was done.  I then decided if I'm going to cut the drywall back open to run the wiring, I'll just add a larger panel and connect the charging station off of that.

Big enough subpanel

That's a 20-space panel. The 40 number is baloney. I'm glad you're getting a good size panel though

However, that panel has HOM's super-cheap 100A busing, which forecloses any possibility of going 125A at another time.  A panel that size should have 150A+ busing, man, Homeline lives up to its name. Consider also CH, BR, or Siemens. I don't recommend QO because the breakers are too expensive.

You do not need a main breaker in the subpanel if the garage is attached to the house.  "I want it so it'll trip first and save me a walk" does not work at all.

Electrician to finish

There are three things electricians do not like.

Finishing a job an amateur started, because the quality of work is usually a disaster and that requires the painful "you gotta pay me to redo it" conversation.
Using parts supplied by the customer, because noobs usually buy the wrong stuff, again ditto.
Being associated in any way with ninja work for which permits have not been pulled. It is embarrassing and invites the customer to sue for not mentioning the consequences of ninja work.

And frankly, much of what you want the electrician for - the careful eye - is part of the permit and inspection process.

Conduit, however...

One way to save a lot of electrician time is to pre-lay EMT metal conduit Take the time to learn to do conduit properly; so it's tip top and waiting for wires.  Also have the exact conduit length pre-measured, and have a pulling rope already in the conduit.  Lay it between the main panel and the new subpanel, and I would buy and mount same before calling the pro.

Use conduit at least 1 size larger than what the conduit fill calculator says you need, because that eases the pull.  And have access points at least twice as often as Code requires, every 90 or at most 180 degrees.

If you lay conduit, expect to use individual wires such as XHHW.  There are so few choices here that you could buy this in advance.

Wires

The cable you linked is the wrong stuff. (What'd I just say? :)

The correct wire colors for this circuit are black, black, black, because they are larger than 6 AWG and distributors don't want to stock multi-color wires in large sizes.  The ground should be green or bare #6 Cu, or black #4 Al. The wires should then be marked colors with colored electrical tape.

The correct wire size is #1 AWG Al for 100A or 1/0 AWG Al for 125A.  Very few people recommend copper for 100A feeder, other than people on sales commission. Besides, the lugs are aluminum, and why create a dissimilar metal problem?  Anyway, aluminum is no threat; the threat is failing to set the torque correctly.  That'll cause problems on Cu and Al equally.

You want XHHW x3 + gnd in conduit, or SER cable if direct-lain.  That's the Al equivalent of your chosen Cu, giving 125A. 100A cable is cheaper.

I'm stuck on 125A because the #2 Cu wires you proposed are good for 125A. The cost diff is very small, but you'll need a better panel.

Buy 2' more length than you ever thought you'd need.  I did that with some 1000 kcmil Cu at $10/foot (Al wouldn't fit in the conduit!) I almost bought six 15' pieces, but buying 16.66' saved our bacon.

Buying electrical

Don't buy wire online.  Buy it at your local electrical supply house, and tell them you're sick of overpaying at Home Depot (which they'll believe, because they secret-shopper Home Depot all the time, mostly to snare away any competent clerks). Check 2-3 on price to avoid the one that'll stiff you.

Once someone protested "I'm in eastern Oregon, I have to mail order." Really? Where do your local electricians get supplies? Turns out there was a Platt within 10 miles.

As a general rule, it is useless and futile to use online resources to price electrical gear.  The stuff is very low price, high weight and awkward sizes, which works very much against mail order.  People buy locally. Online sellers know they're dealing with noobs or the desperate, and price accordingly, padding prices even more to make their shipping charges seem not unreasonable. Some are bricks-and-mortar electrical supplies who post the "I don't wanna box it up and ship it" price online.

You just have to go locally.  On the most commodity things like 12/2 Romex big-box will loss-leader But on everything else, a friendly electrical supply will trounce them, often shockingly.  Price 4-11/16" square boxes at electrical supply vs big-box -  you'll never trust big-box again!

More power to you

A 100A panel can definitely support 2 charging stations that provision at 50A each. If you go 125A feeder you'll have headroom for a 50A and 70A Tesla charger.


Strange noise any relation to well pump failing? I haven't used my well pump all Summer (since we've had to much rain I've not needed it).  This last week or so things have really dried up and I decided I should water the grass.  With sitting that long I went ahead and re-primed the pump (I know from the past that it can only hold prime for about 2 weeks of disuse).  No problems cycling it several times while priming.

I then let it finish refilling the tank while I ran the hoses out in the yard.  When it clicked off, instead of the usual "click"/"whirrrrrr" sound (from the motor spinning down) it made a "click"/"pssssshffft" sound.  I didn't think a lot of it as I had the primary valve open and sometimes there's a little leakage around the secondaries.  However, after attaching the hoses and opening the water valves the tank drained without the pump ever coming back on.

So far I've checked power to that circuit, and tapped the control module to see if it might perhaps be a stuck relay.  What should I look at next?  Pressure switch (if so, how do I test it?)?  Bad motor perhaps?  Any particular common point of failure (especially with that odd sound)?

Before I tried calling the once local electric shop I trust and the one local well pump shop in the phone book I decided to go ahead and take a crack at it myself.  I assumed either the motor was toast or the start/stop switch/pressure assembly was bad.

I opened up the casing (with the power cord unplugged of course!) and found that the pressure switch (under pressure) forces the contactors (no true relay, has open air contactors) apart.  With no pressure in the system, they were firmly closed.  The module did have a number of bugs in it, so I forced the contactors open and cleaned them off.  I then scrubbed out the bugs from the rest of the control module, manually clicked the contactors a number of times (and they made a nice solid metallic click).  After that it was re-assembly and test time.  Hooked everything back up (pipes and all, since if it works I don't want to either run it dry for long or have to yank the plug out while it's pulling a full 3/4 hp worth of power (12 ish amps).

Did a full prime cycle and then multiple test cycles with no problems.  Ran out all my hoses and sprinklers and let the water flow.  Works perfectly now!


Should I be able to just peel tile off the wall by hand if it is installed right? We hired a contractor to remodel our master bathroom. For the tile installation in the shower, he started with a float-cement backing. To show quick progress, he rushed through this step and the final surface was uneven with deviations of over an inch in some places. He assured me that this was no problem and proceeded with setting the tile. To make it come out straight, he had to use well over 1 inch of thin-set in some spots:

After pointing out to him that the instructions for the thin-set he used (MultiSet Modified Thin-Set Mortar by Custom Building Products) state that it should not be applied thicker than 1/4", he told me that he had mixed in some Portland Cement (Spec-Mix Type-S) to give it extra strength and that I shouldn't worry about it.

He had to pause installation for a bit and after 12 days of curing-time, I tried to see if I could peel off one of the tiles (a 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" piece that was crooked and needed to be redone anyways) by hand and it popped right off in one piece:

And left the wall underneath it looking like this:

Is this how it's supposed to be or did the added Portland Cement reduce the thin-set's stickiness? Are there any other potential issues with mixing cement into thin-set and applying it in this thickness?

Portland Cement has poor adhesive qualities by itself, which is why it is commonly mixed with a polymer. By definition, "thin-set" refers to an application thickness of under 3/16th of an inch. Other common additives to thin-sets are water retaining compounds that help them retain moisture to extend the curing time for more strength. By adding additional Portland Cement, both of these properties have been compromised in the mix. As far as curing goes, the ANSI spec for thin-set performance specifies a final set time of under 4 hours (this link has a good run-down). Tiles should be difficult to peel off within an hour.

That said, there are several other issues I can pick out from your pictures:

Even if the tile does adhere properly, the grout will most likely
start cracking within the first couple of months. There shouldn't be
any of the huge voids visible in the bottom two pictures,
especially in the corners.  When you float grout in, there won't be anything to support it in places other than the sides of the tiles
themselves and any minimal keying from packing it into the joints.
In the top picture, it appears that the float-cement backing was
applied over sheet rock or plaster? If this is the case, it will wick
moisture into the wall.  Although this will be a fairly small amount,
eventually it will start bubbling around the edge.
Weight. This installation will weigh approximately 20 pounds per
square foot more than another backing type.  On a small shower,
you're talking close to a ton of excess weight. If this is on a
framed floor, it will deflect and exacerbate all of the other
issues.
I don't see any indication that any structural support was
incorporated into the float-cement (wire mesh, fiberglass mat, etc.),
and certainly not in the "thin"-set.  This means that it will be
prone to cracking over time.

I think @DMoore hit the nail on the head with this one. You need to have this contractor stop work immediately. The simple fact that he can't lay tile straight (and isn't using spacers) is fire-able in my book sub-strait aside - now you're talking about what you will see when it's done. Schedule a time for a building inspector to come by and take a look at it (you did get a permit, right?) - they are generally less busy this time of the year, so will be a lot more willing to give you a good opinion. Tell them that you are concerned that the work being performed isn't up to code and that you'd like somebody to take a look before it gets covered up.

As far as how I would go about an installation like this, I would generally back everything with framing and half inch cement-board.  If I was worried about deflection at all, I would thin-set a second layer of cement-board to the first layer with staggered joints. I haven't seen a shower around my neck of the woods done with float-cement backing that was installed more recently than about 1960.  Even though the materials cost more, if I'm billing $40 to $50 an hour for labor it still costs half as much overall, doesn't have long down times for curing, and is a ton easier to work with.


After repointing a fieldstone foundation, should I backfill with gravel? I've repointed a fieldstone foundation wall, but now I'm not sure how to backfill around the wall.  Everyone I've asked has said I should now backfill with 3/4 gravel, so water drains quickly down below the frostline. Then finish with 6" of topsoil pitched away from building.

Is this the proper way to do this?

That sounds reasonable. The goal is to keep water away from your house. If you've ever stood on wet soil, you know that it is soft and has little strength. Also water under your house can lead to mold and mildew.

The gravel makes it easier for any water to drain down so the area under your house stays dry. Without the gravel, water would also try to flow through your foundation wall and go under your house.

The graded topsoil encourages rain water to flow away from your house.

If you like, you can even put a plastic sheet in two places:

between the gravel and the foundation wall to help block water going under your house.
between the gravel and the topsoil. Make sure it is also graded so water drains away from your house. This would really be your primary defense. The first sheet of plastic would be acting as a backup if you have this.

Did you have any specific concerns about this approach or are you just asking for general confirmation?


Fernco coupling to join ABS drain pipes under basement? I tapped into a 2" ABS pipe that runs underneath my concrete basement floor, and presently joined it using a Fernco coupling allegedly rated for underground use. (Unclear if this can be used indoors though? I was surprised the shielded ones I saw in stock at Home Depot didn't appear to be rated for underground use).

I had my rough-in inspected, though the inspector didn't say anything about it, and was mostly concerned that it wasn't leaking (it's not, and it's been there for about a year). But there's a bit of space between the pipes (perhaps 1/2") and I'm concerned they could come out of alignment (and I think you can see already the alignment is not quite perfect, though it was previously a continuous pipe; I could definitely force an alignment to make a rigid connection). The earthquake risk here is pretty minimal, climate zone 2, dirt is super rocky, some box elder trees in the yard not particularly close but with spreading root systems.

Is this the main risk, that the pipes settle/shift sufficiently divergently to sever the connection? (And this risk is non-trivial?)
Should I redo it so the pipes meet perfectly (no 1/2" gap)? (I would probably have to remove more of the concrete floor and replace that section of pipe to the right of the joint)
More generally, what's the best thing I can do to improve and/or bomb-proof this junction (without tearing up the entire floor :)? Would a shielded coupler be a good upgrade?

Wye visible on the left to accommodate the drain I added; before I cut in, the ABS pipe was continuous. The entire length of pipe is underground below the concrete floor.

Be quite difficult to use a normal abs coupling here.  The couplings have a stop built into them and you typically need flexibility in the two ends being joined.  These look concreted in.  If the connection is going to receive concrete on top of it I don't see any risk of this separating.  Rubber does tend to age, get brittle and crack over time.  I'd probably just embedded it in concrete on all sides, if the rubber does die overtime at least you still effectively have a concrete pipe directing the effluent into the other portion of pipe.

One thing I've done in the past is to take a hole saw and drill out the stop in a standard abs coupling, then slide the coupling onto one side of the pipe, abs glue the two sides and slide the coupling over top the two pieces.  The sides need to be quite clean and I did this with 2" pvc last time.  I am not sure how much force would be required on a 3 or 4" abs to pull the coupling over the glue.  I don't think I'd do that in this case.


Installing railing pickets using dowel pins I am building porch railing, and I'm considering using dowels to attach the pickets so that no nailing is required.

For 2x2 pickets:

What size dowel stock should I use?
How long should each dowel pin be?
How tight should they fit into the hole?
Should I glue the dowel pins at all?

Also, dowel stock is available in oak and pine. Oak costs twice as much, but is it going to do significantly better in an outdoor application? I am pre-priming and painting every piece of lumber.

To answer your last question - oak will last significantly longer than pine. It can be left untreated and will harden.

If you do use oak then dowels will be the ideal fixing mechanism as metal, particularly iron, will stain the wood.

See the answer to this question on dowel sizes for what size dowel to use.

They should be quite tight and if you get it right, there'll be no need to glue them.


A good paint for kitchen cabinet doors? I'm thinking about making my own cabinet doors from MDF, and I think it Can handle it, but I want to finish them with a good paint.
By good I mean something like polyurethane paint, which dries up with a high gloss and is extremely durable and doesn't fade or get sticky over time.
My worry is that from what I hear it shrinks when drying and can warp the doors.
What are people's experiences with this - or are there better alternatives?

Application quality is probably more important than a specific paint. MDF sucks up paint better than most wet and dry vacs. Sealing it well (especially any edges/routed elements) is absolutely key.
This is a good example of the issue and a possible solution
You would have to get MDF pretty soggy with paint for it to significantly warp the doors. A much more likely issue is gonna be the paint cracking as it shrinks rather than 1 mm of drying polyurethane paint warping a 20 mm MDF door.
If I'm being honest solid wood or birch plywood is probably easier to get a good looking result out of. That way you can go for paint, stain or naked and finish it off with some clear polyurethane for protection.


What NEMA configuration is this receptacle? This looks like a type H-39, but I can't tell if it's 125V, or 250V. A coworker sent the picture and they didn't test for voltage. Is there anyway to tell what kind it is without testing it? Is it even an H-39?

From everything I can find 1 and 2 are the same receptacle. It's just a matter of application

So in answer to your question NO. you need to test it to find out it's apllication.

Sorry I couldn't be of any help.


How to prevent shower water from leaking from the side of glass shower door Shower water often leaks from the side gap of my glass shower door (see attached). I already replaced the old undersweep with new one that seals it better from the bottom, but it seems shower splash still comes out of the hinge gap on the side, which can seep under the flooring and show up as a water spot on the ceiling downstairs in the living room. I would highly appreciate effective ways to block the shower splash from exiting the shower room. It’s really poor shower room design IMO, as I never had such problem in my previous residences, but I don’t have the energy to replace it completely. Thanks!

did you ever resolve this? If not, then may I suggest that you need a seal that runs down the hinge side of the shower door.

It looks like you have 8mm glass SO you would use a PCR8 From CR Laurence.

You can find them here

They are a simply push on seal that you can run from the top of the glass right down to the bottom, you would have to cut the seals where the hinges are but thats about as technical as you get.

Lee


Any way to see if it's made of galvanized steel? Is there any easy way for me to see if something is made from regular steel or galvanized steel?

I'm having some galvanized steel bases installed at my apartment, but I want to make sure it's actual galvanized and not regular steel or steel with a coat of rustproof paint, etc.

Thanks.

Galvanised steel has a distinctive "spangled" appearance. The crystalline structure of the Zinc is visible.

There are two main types

hot-dip galvanised
electrogalvanised (electroplated zinc)

You can often tell if something has been hot-dip galvanised. It looks like a thicker coating is present. This is better.


Replace or clean stained carpet after mold issues? I moved into a new build just over a year ago, and a few months in mold issues occurred in the nearby closet. The main cause of this was an exterior concrete wall which was still drying, and led to moisture which particularly built up in the closet.
The builder eventually completed mold remediation, which included adding an intermediary wall between the unit and the concrete, and replacing the carpet in the closet where the mold was the worst. However, they did not replace the carpet in the master bedroom.
The carpet in the master bedroom is stained, and I think it is due to mold spreading from the closet. I have tried everything to remove it, including getting a high temperature steamer (Dupray Neat Steamer). On occasions I have managed to remove the visible stains, though it seems to come back and now looks the worst it has ever looked.
What should I do to address the carpet?
The options I have thought of include:

Getting a professional carpet cleaner to attempt to clean it
Replacing the carpet
Chemicals for cleaning carpet
Covering it with a rug

If it's coming back through, it's not dry underneath. Aside from who is going to be paying for it, builder or insurance, you need to get that up, test the floor underneath for damp & then, depending on result, get the builder back in or see if a dehumidifier can get it dry. I wouldn't lay any new flooring until you can assess the damp below and I wouldn't dream of putting that back down again.