Wiring a Tesla Powerwall into an Existing Solar Install I've been looking at the cost and feasibility of augmenting my existing 5kWh solar install with battery-backed storage to shift usage of the solar power that I generate to more useful times of the day/night (because the electric company pays almost nothing for each kWh I export, so the less I can export and the more I can use internally, the better).

The Tesla Powerwall seems like a good option for this; I would either get one of the 10kWh units, or two and connect them together as shown on the site.

Anyways, my question relates to the wiring/installation of the Powerwall unit, and in particular this diagram:

So DC voltage goes from the solar panels to the Powerwall, which then passes it onto the inverter to be converted into AC.  That all seems fine, and tends to imply I can drop the Powerwall into my existing deployment simply by having the panels wired into the Powerwall instead of directly into my inverter (an SMA-5000TL).

However, I'm a bit perplexed in that the diagram also appears to show DC voltage feeding from the inverter to the Powerwall.  It seems like it's saying that  in addition to converting DC to AC a Powerwall-compatible inverter must also do the inverse process to satisfy some unstated requirement of the Powerwall.  Is that correct?

And if so, does it mean that the Powerwall is essentially incompatible with my existing inverter/solar deployment, and that I'd need to get a whole new inverter if I wanted to install a Powerwall?

The powerwall 2 is a DC-DC device and maintains power at 360V.  The solar inverter does the DC-AC conversion. From the Inverters perspective its like a solar panel string with optimizers maintaining the voltage at 360V. But the current can go both directions.


What problems will I face with this all glass stairwell? So i'm planning to build my own house and i have hired an architect to design it. So today they shown me the sketch up model and the floor plan. 1 thing really bother me, where i have concern that the outside of glass will be out of reach for maintenance and cleaning.

i need input from you guys about my concern, What problems will I face with this all glass stairwell?  do you guys think i should ask them to change it? or do you guys have some ideas about modifying this into better and more easy maintenance glass/design?

your ideas are greatly appreciated.

I live in a mild climate and we designed a house for a client with a large greenhouse on it facing south.

We installed thermostatically controlled exhaust vents and the space still stayed extremely hot. The client was nice and she found it perfect for growing oranges, tomatoes, etc. year round.

I’d be concerned about extreme heat build up and put your architect on notice that it must be comfortable without running AC constantly.

Also, some window glazing seals are only rated to certain temperatures. If it gets too hot, the seals could fail.

Also, you don’t want metal handrails (or anything you could touch) because the metal could overheat and be too hot to use...especially with direct sun hitting the handrail.


New Roof - Exposed Nail Heads Have new roof with exposed nail heads at ridge.  Roofer's fix was to cut tiny squares of shingle and goop/glue to top of nail heads.  Need inputs from roofers; what is the proper way to fix the exposed nail heads?  Any code number for this?  Also, have they stopped using drip edge?

There might only be exposed nail heads at the end(s) of the ridge.  The other nail heads should be covered by the adjacent ridge cap shingle, like this (from here):

A professional would hide the last nail heads by gluing an end piece on like this:

That seems like what you are describing.  If so, there should be no nail heads exposed.

If you paid for the roof, have the guys come back and fix it at their expense.

As for drip edge, that might vary according to local climate and neighborhood restrictions.  (I used to live in a neighborhood which required cedar shake roofs with non-metallic edges.  The HOA successfully sued a homeowner who did otherwise.)  Check with your neighbors.


Concrete Steps Moving Away From House I recently noticed that the steps on my front door appear to be moving away from my house.

The gap is large enough that some small critters appear to be getting in the gap to setup a nice home for themselves.

The question I have is, what should I do? Should I just fill in the gap? Is this something that requires professional attention?

Where you live there are many basements, if you have one it is probably normal settling , in a newer home , what do you refer to as small critters? Many times foundations are back filled with rock that can settle and cause the separation for 20+ years , if this is the case and the gap is less than 3/4 inch I would use a latex caulk to seal it if larger I would contact professionals as suggested above


Loud noise in the pipes when I turn off my hot water We have a combi boiler, and recently when you run the shower after turning the hot tap off there is a large banging in the pipes. It only seems to happen with that specific tap (as far as I can tell).

I read online about water hammer, and I think that could be what's happening. I think I might need to turn of the water supply and drain the system, but I'm not sure if I need to turn the taps off/on in a certain order?

Easy fix, if it is water hammer, is to install a water hammer stub -- just a capped pipe on a T downstream of your boiler.  If that doesn't fix it no harm done.

You should also ensure that you have an expansion tank in the system.  You'll need to check your boiler manual to determine if it has a backflow check valve, in which case the expansion tank also needs to be downstream.


Gas stovetop repair: What anti seize to use on brass fittings? I am repairing a gas range.

The brass venturi tubes are threaded, and seem to seize up, even when metallic anti seize paste is used. (And when that happens, I have to drill out the venturi, which means $60-130 in replacement parts!)

These parts get very hot. (They are part of the burner assembly.) Typically, they have to be drilled out because the threads on the brass venturi weld themselves over time to the base jet assembly. Again, this is due to heat.

I am considering trying ceramic anti seize paste this time.

What type of anti seize is the best way to go for this application?

If you are tightening brass fittings to the point where they seize, you are tightening them way too tight!
Propane and natural gas at the stove or oven normally only have approximately 0.75 psi in residential, and 2 psi in commercial in my area. By the time it's being throttled at a Venturi/air mixing point, it's less than that.
The only thing that should used on gas pipe threads is listed PFTE tape, normally yellow or yellow listed pipe dope. If you are seizing fittings you have the wrong threads matched or are way over-tightening the fittings.


Is a ballast required, or merely acceptable, for this Philips InstantFit LED tube? Rather than replace a dead ballast in a fluorescent fixture, I've decided to simply bypass and move to LEDs. However, I think I may have grabbed the wrong kind of replacement tubes the other day in Home Depot. They are in the Philips "InstantFit" range, and are specifically intended to be used without having to remove the ballast. But my question is the following. Is it merely that you don't have to remove the ballast (i.e. but you can if you want)? Ot is it the case that you must not remove the ballast?†

I ask because all the instructions I've been able to find are a tiny bit ambiguous (to me). In the "Warnings and Safety" section on page two of the data sheet it says††:

  Philips LED T8 InstantFit lamps will only operate properly on compatible instant-start ballasts.

However, there are two ways to read that. One, which I now think is the intent, is:

  Philips LED T8 InstantFit lamps will operate properly only if used with a ballast, and it must be of a compatible, instant-start type.

But the other is:

  Philips LED T8 InstantFit lamps will operate properly with or without a ballast. However, if a ballast is used, then it must be of a compatible, instant-start type.

Anyone know definitively which it is?

Various numbers (from the box):

Model: 9290012265
Ordering Code: 20T12 EM LEF/48-4000 IF G 10/1

thanks.

† If so, that's fine. But then I need to replace them and get the kind intended for ballast bypass, of which there are several.

†† That link is to the "global" version. Curiously, the almost-but-not-quite-identical US version does not make the same explicit point.

Interesting thing about being human is the brain is wired to see what it expects to see.  It's hard to turn that off, even if you're a ship spotter or pilot.

There is such a thing as LED bars which work both ways, either with a ballast or direct-wire.  But they're a lot bolder about claiming so!

The ruling word is "only" and your first interpretation is correct.

The data sheets you link are highly ambiguous. But that's not so weird when you look at the Electrical Code, NEC 110.3b:

  NEC 110.3(b) Equipment must be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling requirements.

The operative words are instructions and labeling.  A data sheet is neither.

So you need to review the labeling on the item, or the instructions in the box.

Be warned: if you find that data sheet inside the box, that is bad.  It means this thing is probably counterfeit: the counterfeiters found the same PDF you did because it was the first/easiest document to find.

I am always suspicious of the bargain priced items at the big-box.  Even legit brands often "make" items specifically for one big-box store. If you have a part number that only associates with one big-box, run screaming.


Neutral sparking in panel Why is my neutral (white) wire sparking in the panel?  It's part of a circuit with five light boxes, one light connected to a switch box, one junction box.  Lights one and two, the switch and outlet are joined to lights three, four and five by the junction box.  The power source runs from panel to lights 3,4, &5.  The breaker is 15 amps.

The neutral wire is sparking because it is loose and carries a load.  Technically this is referred to as a non-linear load, or a unbalanced load.

Most folks just refer to it as the return load, or neutral load.

Solution

A qualified technician should tighten the loose screw and give a slight tug on the wire to carefully make sure it is secured and not damaged from the arching.  Also while the panel cover is open, the qualified tech should make sure all the other terminal connections are secured and not loose.

I personally would not recommend this as DIY job.


How to connect cross bracing on rotated posts? I'm adding X style cross bracing to an elevated playhouse to increase stability. The deck sits 8' up on joists, which are on two beams, which are on posts. Problem is, the posts are sorta in a V shape so the back two are rotated a bit. I'm not sure how to connect the cross bracing to the beams. Beams are 6"x6" and cross braces will be 2"x6".
You can see my 3 ideas below, but this is all new to me. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Option 1. Maybe I'm overcomplicating this. Do I just ignore the angle and bolt through with big washers?
Option 2. Create shims that make the the posts align. Seems like a good plan, but I don't have a miter saw. Also, is it bad to bolt through my posts?
Option 3. Nonconventional, but there are adjustable joist hangers that allow for skew/slope. I could use long structural screws, but concerned they might pull out.

Option 2 is the best of your suggestions. It's cheap and quick, but will be stable. Use any available tool (or trial and error) to measure the angle, and use lumber of adequate size to avoid crushing it behind the bolts. Also, use longer bolts as needed to get enough penetration into the post.
An option that you didn't mention is to simply extend the braces to lap past the posts a couple inches, then run your bolts in at the actual point of contact. For purposes of a playhouse, and assuming adequate bolt size, this will work just fine. As long as there's little to no gap between the brace and the post, strength won't be compromised. Just be sure to not get too close to the edge of the post where you'll bulge the wood and weaken the joint. If you pilot properly you can be within an inch or so.


Can I close my gable vents now that I have one solar fan? I have an 84 yo Tudor style home in Hawaii that looked fantastic when we first bought it.  Living area is 2500 sq ft.  It's quite unusual to find such homes because many don't survive the termites.

On one of our walls we noticed water marks the previous owners said resulted from leaving windows open.  When a tropical storm came through, we soon realize it's not a matter of open windows.

We recently discovered water seeping into the wall from the gable vents.  We believe the wood frame became very porous from the 84 years of weathering.

We recently put in one solar fan on our roof.  I'm wondering if we can just seal off the vents, refinish the wall and paint on water proof coating the entire face of that wall would do the job of preventing water from coming in.  And if the closing off the vents would change much of the ventilation now that I have a solar fan removing hot air from the attic.

If your solar fan is working, it's pulling air out of the attic. That air has to be getting into the attic from somewhere. If you seal off your gable end vents, where is the air coming in from?  Your soffit vents, if you have any. If you do, then fine, case closed, remove the gable vents, no problem. If you don't, then the air is probably coming from inside your house! If you air condition that air you are now air conditioning the attic too. That's one way to cool down the attic…

If you only have gable end vents, you have two options. The first is to seal them up and add soffit vents. The other is to replace them or fix them so that the louvers of the vent are much steeper and overlap each other more. See how easy the water can get in when it's blowing almost horizontally when the vent louvers are arranged like this:

Compare that to a vent with much steeper louvers that overlap more:


What are these lines called (on an air duct end) and how do you rebuild them if you cut the end of the duct? I need to cut the end of the pipe and connect a 4" 90 elbow there
How do you rebuild those ?
In my case I am cutting short a ceiling pipe that ends like that and I need to connect there an elbow like the one below and then an air difused
As far as I understand it is not recommended that these lines shoud be present at the upstream end of a duct when joined with another one
So in this case I need to recontruct them at the end where I cut the duct

You’ll want a duct crimper to finish the end that way. Image below from google image search, which led to one on amazon. I don’t link it since products come and go.


Is this an acceptable way to fix garage roof condensation? I'm in the UK.

My garage has a corrugated metal roof with no insulation.  In the winter, when it rains the underside of the roof drips.  Not massively, but just enough to be annoying.

The roof appears to be in good condition and not old, so suspect this is condensation.  Although I can't rule out a small leak.

As I do not have strong DIY skills I have been looking for a solution which is within my means.  I have settled on staple-gunning sheets of aluminium bubble insulation membrane into the beams, spanning the distance between two beams, as close as possible to the underside of the roof.

Is this a reasonable solution or will it cause more problems?
I'm concerned that covering the whole roof tightly will trap damp above the bubble-wrap, causing mould on the beams.
Or if I leave gaps for air to circulate above the insulation then that defeats the point.

That material looks very similar to what I used to cure a condensation problem with my air ducts.  I live in a humid area and the attic is not insulated from the outside. So using the a/c would cause condensation to form on the ductwork and drip on the drywall below.  Your situation sounds similar.  If you line the metal roof with that material, it should reduce the amount of moist, inside air coming into contact with the cold roofing (where it sounds like it is condensing).

I'm not sure how easy it'll be to apply a flexible material like that to the underside of a corrugated roof, however.  You might want to look for a hard foam instead.  As for the mold concern, if you seal all the edges of the insulation with tape (use the silver metallic kind used for HVAC), that should prevent air exchange.  The temperature between the underside of the roof and the roof-side of the insulation will be less extreme than the inside of the garage or the exterior of the roof and less likely to produce condensation.  That said, it might still be a good idea to inspect it occassional.  And all of this is assuming that you really do have a condensation problem and not just a leaky roof.  - Good luck.


Sediment in well water I live in central Florida (by Orlando) and I have well water. The sediment filter is before the softener and after the pressure tank. I've lived in this house for a year and replaced the filter about once every 2-3 months. A couple days ago, I replaced it, but today I noticed a significant drop in pressure. I realized that if two faucets were open (i.e. try to wash hands while toilet is refilling) then there would be very little pressure/flow.  I checked the filter and saw it was completely clogged, as if we hadn't changed it in like 9 months. It was an orange/beige and clay-ish. I know we have a problem with iron, but this almost looked more like sand. There's been construction in the area (the county built a new sidewalk and new driveway), recent heavy rains, and also a drought. We've also had the famous "rotten-egg" smell for a while that seems to have gone away, not sure if this is related.
What is the cause of this problem, and what should we do to fix it? We use this filter by GE, so replacing it every two days would be expensive.

Update: I called the company who installed the pump and pressure tank. The only information they had was that it's a submersible pump and was installed in like 2006.

According to the company that installed my well pump and pressure tank, they say that this thing happens. Apparently some bacteria and iron are producing stuff that is getting caught in the filter, and occasionally there is a large amount of this. Some people may have to replace their filter every week normally.
As long as there's nothing that looks like sand and shells in the filter, everything should be ok.


Can I swap the ends of a retractable extension cord? I infrequently require power in my outdoor shed. I have a retractable cord I want to install in my shed and run to an exterior socket on my house when needed. To do this, I first need to swap the plug and socket ends of the retractable cord. The retractable cord has a built in circuit breaker.  Will swapping the plug and socket ends interfere with the function of the breaker (I.e.is it directional)?

It is not directional, but its position in the circuit does matter.

Most likely you are not looking at a circuit breaker, but a GFCI.  These turn off the power if there is power coming out the hot wire but not returning through neutral.  Which is what happens if someone touches one of the wires and a metal pipe.  It is there to help prevent people from getting shocked, especially in wet environments.

If you swap the ends, it will still protect devices plugged into the cord, but probably won't be protecting its own wire anymore, which could be dangerous.

If it is just a GFCI plugging it into a GFCI receptacle would be fine — the receptacle will provide the same protection.  The only downside is if it does trip, you will have to check both GFCIs to see which one needs to be reset.

If it is actually a circuit breaker, it will no longer be protecting its own wire, since if there was a  short in the wire the current doesn't flow through the circuit breaker.


Replacement motion detector light only works with neutral connected to ground I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with the wiring going to my replacement garage outdoor fixture. I'm replacing an old burned out fixture and i just moved in so I don't know if it was bad to begin with.  My issue is that the fixture only works when neutral is connected to ground which I know is wrong.  I have 120v to the hot wire. What do I need to check  to see how to fix it?

Thanks Ken

it turned out to be a loose neutral in a junction box. the second problem was they ran 12/4 from the switch box to the junction box and used the red wire as the second hot wire I'm guessing to save money and be cheap and this was done during construction so that made isolating and troubleshooting it more difficult.


What should I do about this unfinished corner? I've got this bit next to my back door that looks like it was never properly finished. There doesn't seem to be any structural issue, so I'd feel comfortable fixing it myself.

Trouble is, I have no idea what to do there. Plaster a corner? Put some drywall in? It's a strange shape and I am not sure where to start.

EDIT: As requested, a picture of the top corner and the left side. (This is really a lovely house, overall, I swear! Despite the insanity of a few things like this)

This will be a variation of what may have been mentioned already, but this is how I would handle it.

For the tall vertical piece, assemble 2 pieces of 1X material to make an outside corner that will mimic the left side wall where it meets the door. At the top add an additional piece of 1X to fill the void at the wood joist or beam at the top of the door. The idea is to bring the new material out in the same plane so when it is all painted out, it all looks like the same wall around the door. The only difference being new surfaces next to the older surfaces. The illustration will help depict what I mean, take note of the stunning green parts of the drawing that is referred to


Help mounting trimmed hollow bifold doors I recently bought an older house with 4 closets that have the bi-folding hollow closet doors like those from Jeld-Wen.  Upon inspection 2 sets of doors had to be thrown away as the mounting hardware holes were broken.
A few weeks later, I discovered that two of the closets were not 80 inches tall, which would require the doors to be trimmed in order to be installed correctly.  I lost track of which doors went to which closet.  However, it seems like a pretty good guess that the thrown away doors were the ones that were trimmed making the places where the mounting hardware mounts smaller and more subject to breaking.
What is a way to mitigate this?  I don't really want to modify the house so much to raise the closet door jamb, and I would prefer not having to install new ones each year.  Any ideas?
More details:
One closet is 79.25" the other 79".  This will require at least a .5" and a .75" trim.  It could be a .75" and 1" trim.

You could order doors that are built to fit your openings. They may be more expensive up front, but should be just as strong and durable as standard height doors and not require regular replacing.
You could also reinforce the mounting area by cutting it a bit shorter and installing a bit of metal plate to help take the stress.


Help reconnecting light to existing ceiling box wiring I had to replace an improperly used plastic ceiling box with a metal box to correctly ground existing old armored cable. I thought I took a picture of the box before but I don't have it so I'm having trouble reconnecting the light. Off of this box are:

Single pole switch for overhead bedroom light
Two 3 way switches for bedroom closet and hallway light (both go on and off at same time)

With how it is currently wired, the single pole switch/light are working and the closet light is working with the 3 way switches. I am not sure how to reconnect the hallway light so that it also goes on/off with the closet light and 3 way.
Thanks in advance.
This is where the hallway fixture goes:

On the left is the bedroom overhead light. On the right is the 3 way for the hallway light and closet light (these are supposed to come on at the same time):

The other 3 way for the hallway and closet light:

Copied from my comment as an answer: I took off the working closet light and it is a black/white wire going to the fixture. I traced this wire back to the ceiling box and the black wire goes to #4, white goes to #1. Red wire in #1 is always hot, black wires in #4 are hot when the light is on. Wired my fixture the same as the wire to the closet light - black to #4 and white to #1 bundle and it works now. Thanks!


Solid stain on untreated exterior wood I am putting together a bar top on my deck, and don't want to use pressure treated wood on the top surface (as I understand it that would be ill advised for an eating area). An option I am considering id using untreated Southern Yellow Pine lumber that is covered in solid stain.

Will the stain provide any protection against the elements?

I've done more digging, and this is what I've found:

Paint

Sits on top of the wood and is capable of forming a sheen
Is good at keeping moisture out, but traps whatever moisture that does get in
Should be easier to clean food / drink spills off

Stain

Can't be applied over a previously painted surface (not a problem in my case).
Bonds to the wood more closely than paint because it actually soaks in
Allows moisture to leave the wood.
Does not form a sheen - leaves original texture of the wood exposed

In my application, I chose to go with paint. I applied two coats of exterior paint with "built in" primer.


Old washing machine trips 20 amp GFCI outlet but never trips 20 amp breaker: ok to install 30 amp GFCI outlet? A sturdy old washing machine draws more than 20 amps mid-cycle when Rinse starts.  Repairman says the brushes on the washer motor are probably a bit worn, so it draws a bit more than 20 amps when starting up while heavy with water in basket.

Local Code now requires GFCI outlet because of water supply nearby.  Since the 20 amp breaker still never trips at the panel (I tested this by powering it via extension cord from non-GFCI outlet), it seems like the GFCI is designed to be more "touchy" than the breaker. I replaced the GFCI outlet once, but no joy.

Motors for a 25 year-old machine are hard to come by.

Is it ok to install a 30 amp GFCI outlet on a 20 amp circuit?

Just trying to avoid replacing a reliable analog machine that seems built to outlast me.  Thank you.

Your choices: fix your washer's ground fault or get a new washer (oh, and get a new appliance technician while you're at it)

Your appliance technician clearly hasn't a clue, because the fact your GFCI is tripping and your breaker isn't means your washer has a ground fault, not an overcurrent.  So, you can either chase down and fix the ground fault in your current washer, perhaps with the help of an appliance technician who has a clue about GFCIs and how they work, or get a new washer.  (My money for a washer this old would be on the insulation on the drum motor windings breaking down after all these years, which means the motor either needs replacing or motor-shop work, but it could be some other sort of problem, such as a slow leak that's been dripping water into electrical parts somewhere.)


How do I seal between the soffit and frieze board? I have a small gap between the wall and the porch roof, probably 1/8 inch or so. I was planning to use caulk to seal it up, but I'm not sure if that is the best product. I don't want to use the expanding gap filler (I've had bad experiences with it). Is silicone caulk appropriate, or should I use something else?

In this case, a caulk that matches the dark frieze board will probably be least conspicuous. You should be able to find a silicone or urethane that's very dark but not black. It might be called "dark walnut", or maybe "charcoal gray".

I'd avoid latex caulks as they don't bond particularly well and they shrink substantially.

If the cavity is deeper than 3/8" or so, pre-fill with foam rope caulk to act as a backer.


Clay and Gravel Liquefaction for Paver Installation I have recently started digging and laying the base for a patio with pavers. Its roughly 300 sqft and the soil is made of clay. I dug around 7" deep to have 4" gravel layer, 1" sand an 2" for the pavers and noticed that after compacting (using a plate compactor) the clay and the 4" gravel on top there are a couple of spots that are roughly 2x2 ft that act as a liquid when I step on them. I think its called "liquefaction". There was quite a bit of water in the clay due to a few days of rain but no standing water.

I do not want to lay anything on top until I stabilize it and wanted to get an opinion on whether its just a matter of drying it, or whether it's ok to proceed and it will harder or settler, or if I can add something to give it more stability.

P.S. the gravel is "A" type gravel, and the rest of the patio space is extremely rigid except the two spots.

Thank you!

You’ll continue to have that “liquid” action until you remove the water.

I’d provide a way for the water to “runoff”, like a perimeter drain, drain rock at the perimeter, etc. that will remove the excess liquid. (I’d make sure the drainpipe extends to a ditch or something, to carry the water away. Water will run in the direction of least resistance.)

Your Class A gravel will give you a good base and the sand will provide a layer for you to set the bricks level, but I’d provide a filter fabric between the sand and the gravel. Otherwise, the fines in the sand will “wash” down into the gravel and the bricks will soon be uneven.


What is this moth-like insect that come through my window screen? Here is a picture. I see a lot of insects like these near my window. Anyone has ideas about what species are they and how to avoid attracting them? Thanks!

I opened the photo again and I am leaning to a termite swarm. Wings look thicker and even, I can’t quite see the antenna but they don’t look like ants and although the body looks thicker than an ant I am not a pro but have remodeled both termite and carpenter ant / flying ants houses in Oregon. And the heavy wings straight thick body to me remind me of those wood munching home wreckers. So I would suggest that, killing them with spray would be a good thing, if a swarm they may have come from someplace else and resting up looking for a new home. If you can spray some and get a couple bodies if the antennas can be zoomed in on and the body maybe we could tell with confidence.


How to read this floor map scale? I'm not an interior designer, but I'm going to do the home design myself. I don't know how to read the scale of this floor plan. I'm going to put this into a floor planner website and design, but I don't know what the parameter of 13300 is. If I'm going to draw a plan on the website (they use meters as a parameter), I need to know what to enter.

The numbers on each side of your plan are probably measurements in millimeters. That's the closest relation I could find to the handwritten 1098 square feet.

7 541 mm * 13 300 mm =
7,541 m * 13,3 m =
100,295 square meters =
1 079.5 square feet


What is this zip tie-like nail? My aunt found a bucket of these things while cleaning out the house.  Neither she, my father nor I have any idea what they would be used for.  The best way I can describe them is that they look like a cross between a zip tie and a nail.

They are semi-round, with one side being flat but having ridges like a zip tie. The head is slightly rounded and the point is more like a flat-head screw driver tip.  The nail is 3 inches in length total.  It looks a bit shorter in the image due to camera angle.

The only idea we had for their use would be like some kind of interlocking fastener. One from each side with the ridged edges lining up could create a fairly strong connection.

This is a ring shank nail they have very good pullout strength , Added for those that don't have 35+ years experience. The Ring shank nails I used in the 70's were 100% except for the tip. No matter how many groves are on the nail it is a Ring Shank nail!. We used them on sub flooring to reduce squeaking and on some kinds of siding where there were big temperature changes that allowed glued sinkers and galvanized to pull out. Added 5/16/16- I did double check with my step dad (retired contractor) and he said they were called ring shank or step shank and there were 2 types but both had the head pulling off issue because of the way they were made. Both of the types 1/2 and double were not legal for long because of the head failure. This is probably why there is not much information on these nails. I remember them because they were so hard to drive straight even with a waffle hammer.


Can an electrical junction box be closed and covered if not needed? Can an octagon fixture box that was also found to be a junction box, be closed and covered over in the ceiling after remodeling. Box not needed.

Absolutely not. Any box containing splices or live wires, even if it's not being used, must remain accessible.


Prepping concrete floor Do I need to grind down my concrete slab floor for a new bathroom before I apply membrane (HydroBan) before tiling? The slab is already quite flat, just some join compound/paint splatters.

The short answer is no you do not. Clean up your joint compound if it is a bump above the surface.

HydroBan usage around fixtures:   Bonds directly to metal, PVC and ABS plumbing fixtures only.

How to use : this link does not seem to work in Firefox 57 but will work in MS Edge.

How to use HydroBan video  : watch it and you will see them doing exactly what you are asking about with no grinding or roughing up the surface.


Are there any concerns with building recessed cabinets into a house/garage partition wall? I have a mudroom in which I would like to add additional “reach into” storage above the to be installed bench. The reach into space would be provided by going back through the existing wall, in between the existing studs.
This wall is load bearing, and is into the garage. I would not disturb the load bearing studs.

There is no apparent plumbing and only one existing electrical like that I can easily move to the side.

I would be in effect creating 4-5 “bays” of about 14” width that would correspond to each persons area for the mudroom above the bench. This would be for gloves hats shoes etc.

The found space would be achieved by adding a wall on the backside in the garage about 18” past the existing wall. This wall would be framed up appropriately, have vapor barrier, use fire rated drywall, and be sealed/insulated.
So essentially I’m just creating a cavity for reach in space, so to speak, and adding a wall in the garage.

So, any unforeseen issues or considerations? Again the existing wall would not have the studs disturbed and the vapor barrier and insulation/fire code would be handled on the installed wall.

With no plumbing or electrical this would be an easy way to make cubbies. I have done similar at an entry way for shoos and backpacks so they were not scattered around, mine went into the back of a deep linen closet so we did not even notice it.
I did add a fish eye light in the ceiling pointing to them to brighten them up the person that purchased the house had 4 kids and loved the cubbies idea.


Can I put an Ethernet port in my brick wall? I want to set up a new network in my home and need one by where my computer is. The problem is I don't know if I can put the ethernet cable and port into the wall without problems. Thanks in advance

Two issues - cable and port.
Cable through brick wall
If one end is on one side of a brick wall and the other end is on the other side of the brick wall, drill a hole with a hammer drill and a masonry bit and fish the wire through. A brick wall could be just a couple of layers of brick but often has cinderblock or (as I found when I replaced my oven years ago) all kinds of stone, concrete and junk inside. Ideally you want a bit long enough to go all the way through everything in one shot. Not an easy job, but usually not too hard with a decent drill and bit.
Cable on surface of brick wall
If you can't easily go through the wall, or you need to run the cable a distance along the wall for other reasons (e.g., the router is 20 feet down the wall on the same side) then use a surface raceway. Basically, a plastic or metal rectangular tube that you mount on the wall and stick the wire inside. Some people don't like the look, but running cable inside a brick wall is not practical so it is either on the surface in a raceway (better than just leaving the wire loose) or through to the other side. If you have a baseboard or molding on the bottom of the wall then you can, depending on the details, either mount a raceway to the baseboard/molding easier than mounting to the brick, or staple the cable directly to the baseboard/molding.
Depending on the type of wall (interior vs. exterior) and where you need to run the cable, and what is underneath the floor, you may be able to drill down through the floor instead and run the cable through the room or crawlspace underneath. However, that is sometimes tricky too depending on the ceiling of the lower level.
Port
Surface mount the port. Do NOT try to cut a hole for a box into the brick - it can be done but is absolutely not worth the effort. You can either use a standard box designed for mounting on the wall and put a regular Ethernet wall plate on the box, or use a smaller surface mount port. A standard box has the advantage of allowing for 2 or more ports - easily up to 6, for additional Ethernet or phone or cable TV.


How to attach beadboard to plaster walls without blowing out nails? I am replacing old beadboard on our plaster walls. Around the windows there seems to be cement under the plaster. No matter if I use a nail gun, panel screws, nothing will penetrate the cement. The nails bend and blowout and the screws just won't penetrate. What are the best options to attach the beadboard to the plaster along the windows? I am not having this issue other places.

Nail guns into concrete need big power behind them, I almost said "powder" and that's the truth.  Concrete rated nail guns use a black powder charge. They are literally nail bullets.

Random screws made for wood aren't going to go into concrete either.  That expectation is completely unrealistic. There are screws specifically made for concrete, but they require pre-drilling.  There are drills specifically made for concrete.

The fact that the concrete is cracked will present a problem for drills. (Tunnel boring machines making railway tunnels have the same problem.)  The BANGnailer probably won't mind so much.


What does "new construction only" mean for Recessed Light Housing? My basement ceiling is not yet covered with drywall.   Does this mean I can use recessed light housing for new construction or does that require access from the top as well?

Unless there are other restrictions such as clearance to framing members or insulation or open space above them you can use them.  "New construction" is when the framing is open and not covered by drywall*; the fixture is typically attached to a framing member.  As opposed to "old work" which is where it's closed on both sides and you're going through a small hole in the drywall; the fixture is often attached by clamps to the drywall itself.

* With some "new construction" fixtures you need to have the wall open on the side you're working; with others you can get away with having just the other side open because the fixture will give you enough room to work in.


How do I rewire my existing garage lighting so that one fixture is controlled by a new switch? I have one switch that turns on the 5 light fixtures in my garage. I would like to add a switch where only 1 light comes on to save wear and tear on all my light fixtures.

My thoughts are to run a new electrical line and light switch to my second light fixture. Disconnect the connecting line that goes between my first light and 2nd light fixture in line.

By leaving the first light on the original light switch all I have to do is run a new switch and line to the rest of my lights.

Does this sound correct?

Exactly what you said. Disconnect the first light from the second. Run wire from the second light back to the location of the switch. If it is a single gang box, you will have to remove it and add a double gang box or put a double switch meant for a single gang box in. Tie into the power for the first light and use it to power the new wire to the second light.


How do I determine which phone line goes where, without any special tools? I have six (6) phone lines running from my rooms into the basement. They are not terminated as this is a new build. I need to determine which line corresponds to which room.

Is there a way to do this without purchasing a line tester?

The simplest route would be to use a circuit tester on the various lines in your basement, and have a friend temporarily short the lines in each of the rooms.

An audible circuit tester makes this very easy. It can be a standalone circuit checker, or as part of a multimeter's functionality. It raises a voltage across a circuit, and if that circuit is complete current flows, sounding a buzzer.

If you have a multimeter, look for a speaker icon to see if yours can do this.

As @lqlarry said, you could do this with a 9V battery but that shouldn't be needed - the voltage drop should be negligible.


Run for final Hot Tub Connection I have a hot tub I need to relocate.  Previously it was a flexible liquidtight whip that ran from the breaker panel directly into the hot tub through one of the access ports.   With the move I'd like to bury the line to the hot tub.  I am planning to use metal conduit from the panel into the ground, then rigid pvc underground.  What I'm not sure about is the combination of fittings I should use to make the final run into the hot tub.
I have included a picture of the hot tub with the access port circled.
I need to pass about 10 ft of flexible liquidtight into the hot tub to make the final connections.  Should I transition from rigid PVC in the ground to metal above ground, finally connecting to the flexible liquidtight or is there a better combination. Is it okay to go rigid pvc to the flexible liquidtight at the top (without metal conduit). Finally what fitting would be best to make the 90 degree transition?  Thanks and let me know if you need any additional information.

PVC to liquidtight works, but with a caveat or two
The good news is that it's possible to transition from a PVC conduit to liquidtight flexible conduit without too much work.  However, you can only do it from a spigot (male) end.  This primarily means you can't use a LB to make the 90° bend at the hot tub end without having to use a nipple of PVC to adapt the liquidtight fitting to the hub on the conduit body atop the parts you'd normally use.
In particular, you need to use a PVC female adapter fitting to transition from the unthreaded spigot end of conduit coming out of the ground to female threads you can then thread a LFNC ("Carflex") connector into, sans locknut of course.  Note that you can use a 90° LFNC connector here if the bend radius of the conduit itself is too wide to make the transition.
If you're using LFMC ("Sealtite"), you can do likewise as well, although that does come with its own caveat, namely that you'll need to make sure that the hot-tub end of the LFMC is bonded to ground correctly, which may require a bonding locknut on the LFMC fitting at that end of the connection.


does my toilet have a venting issue? My toilet is making a slight gurgling noise at the end of the flush. Here is a video of the flush:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yIcFN14zdgDAAFu43

The toilet is vented via a 2" vent that meets the toilet about 6" after its flange fittings. All the vents and drains are at the correct pitch or greater:

I am wondering if I should have put the vent coming in the back of a sani-y instead of meeting up with the toilet post 45 elbow. Would this have been a better solution:

Or is there a better solution out there?

Looks like it is correct. Try to keep the vent opening (the 2" branch of wye) within 2' of the stool flange. It appears the wye is rolled up slightly, which is good.  The toilet gurgle could be due to design of toilet.


How can I inspect and repair a roof with moss and other greenery on it? I have a pantry on my house, its attached to the kitchen but has its own slated roof and an outside wall. I have has issues with it getting damp, I have replaced the outside door as that was leaky, re-pointed the wall as it was in poor condition, now I want to check the roof.

There are patches of moss and other bits of weeds, I can't imagine they are supposed to be there, but I'm not sure what to do to get rid of them. How do I check for issues with the roof, and can I do anything about it myself if I find issues, or should I get someone in?

It's probably time to replace the pantry roof. But first, you need to understand how so much water got there that plants started growing on it! Is the pantry roof a much lower slope than the house roof it's attached to? How's the flashing between the house roof and the pantry roof? Are you in a rainy climate? Could the slate roof be leaking water onto wood framing or decking beneath the slate? What are the plants consuming for nutrients? Most things don't grow with only water... are they rooting in some wood?


Can I remove the doors before installing a sliding patio doors frame? Due to bad timing I won't have anybody to help me with this other than my wife. In order to make it easier I would like to remove the doors before putting the frame in position, then put back either one door or both and make sure everything is square level and plumb at which point I am going to put a couple of screws in in order to keep the door in place till foaming complete shimming and all the other things are completed
Are there any inconveniences for this method ?

Don't do that!  You will never get the frame aligned properly in the opening if you take the doors out.  If you can't handle the door yourself, get someone to help.

To elaborate a bit more.  The doors in the frame provide 3-dimensional stability to the frame.  Then you take them out the frame will distort in nearly all possible ways.  You will never be able to get it straight or square enough so that the doors will work properly.

If you really can't get anyone but your wife to help, try building a supporting base to position the door at the height you need it.  Then you can stand the door up there and with your wife's help, all that is needed is to push it back into the opening.  If needed, add some blocking to prevent the door from falling into the opening.

It can be done with one helper, but you need to use suitable precautions.


two conductor cable for a switch I would like to wire a remote switch a feet above the outlet.

Can I use a 2 conductor Romex (14/2) and use the black wire for hot and white wire for switched?

Or do I have to use a 14/3 with neutral not connected at switch, Black for hot, red for switched?

With a few exceptions, current code requires that you use 14/3 (or 12/3) wiring for switches in almost all branch circuits. (NEC 404.2(C)).

While basic switches do not use the neutral wire (white), many more complex switches do, and current wiring standards require the availability of the neutral to allow use of such devices without rewiring.

If the switch is being used to control the outlet itself, that is one of the exceptions that does not require a neutral.

Also be sure to use the bare or green ground wire on the switch as well.


Is it normal for my sump pump to run so often? If not, who should I call? My sump pit has water leaking into it, coming through the plastic wall. I circled the portion that has water coming through it in the picture below. I just noticed it's pumping water every few minutes but this is after we had a lot of rain. Is that normal?

looks like you have a hole in your pit liner. but its doing its job  its still removing water from under the foundation as it should. however i advise you to call a reputable drain inspection service to do a video inspection of the footing drain those are the two pipes you see entering the pit. if water is leaking into the pit from a hole in the plastic liner it should also be coming into  it from the two pipes that enter the pit.


Small door on window screen Anyone know what this small hinged opening on the kitchen window screen would be for?

It’s called a “wicket”. It’s used when the window screen is on the inside and the window has an operator (crank, etc.) that opens the window “out”.


Should I replace or patch a plaster ceiling? My house is about 109 years old,  excellent condition, other than cracking in the plaster ceilings.  I've had one 3x3 section even fall out in my dining room.  I want to replace the ceiling in the dining room with dry wall and put up imitation metal tiles.  This will probably cost about 1k-2k to finish.  Should I just patch the hole in the ceiling with plaster, or tear it all down?  I also have some soon to be serious cracks in my living room ceiling starting now too.

CAUTION ALERT !  Dealing with a failing plaster and lathe ceiling can be very tricky. Before you make the decision to tear it down, which as Chris mentioned, a messy job, or simply put drywall over the existing plaster, you need to carefully evaluate the soundness of the lathing to the strapping or joists.  What I mean by that is, are the lathes still firmly attached to the joists and the problem is the plaster "keys" failing from around the lathes, or are the lathes themselves falling away from the joists?

With that said, covering the old failing plaster with drywall is fine. If the lathes are solid to the joists, then putting drywall directly over the old and using screws long enough to reach the strapping or joists will work fine.  However, if the lathing itself is failing, then you must install strapping 16 inches on center, perpendicular to the joists, securely screwed to or ring nailed to the joists. The purpose of strapping is twofold. First reason is to support the failing ceiling securely to the joists. The second reason is that if you just screw drywall to the failing plaster and lathe, the weight of the ceiling will be against the drywall and could pull the screws through the drywall board allowing it to sag or joints to crack now or in the future.

I must say that even though tearing down the old ceilings is a big job, it certainly gives you a clean start and an open view to correct any old wiring problems, add new lighting circuits, install new flush mounted electrical boxes, and install new level strapping etc.


do i add a number to alumiconn connectors when using for repair work of aluminum wiring I have three receptacles boxes with burnt aluminum wiring. I,m going to use three port alumiconn conectors to repair outlet and join copper pigtail with two aluminum wires. I will be using one for hot,one for neutral, and one for ground. What number do I assign each connector for box cubic fill. Hopefully electrical boxes will be big enough after adding all numbers for wires and receptacle and connectors. I have incoming romex, traveling romex to next box down line,receptacle and three alumiconn connectors.

Splicing devices don't have a box fill allowance, even though they may be chunky!

NEC 314.16(B) does not include wire-splicing or wire-connecting devices in its calculations; however, your concern is not misplaced, as the AlumiConn is indeed a chunky critter compared to a regular wirenut.  Fortunately, I doubt most folks will complain if you whack a surface raceway extension (starter) box onto the existing receptacle box to provide extra space, though.  If you have metal boxes, you can also use a standard single gang extension box or mud ring, but nonmetallic box extensions do not appear to be able to be stood off from the underlying wall surface, which is unfortunate when box volume is the reason for the extension.


Vent in closet below stairs I'm preparing this small closet below stairs to use as storage.

[image pending]

Should I drill a couple of small vent registers in one of the stair risers to reduce moisture and stale air inside? Right now, when the door is closed, there's no air movement, except for small openings such as under the door, but minimal.

It depends on what you plan on storing there.

I have lots of closets that have no air movement and they are just fine.

I wouldn't worry about it.


Repurpose light switch to control surge protector? I have a lone light switch lying around and thought it would be cool to use this switch to turn on/off a surge protector instead of the smaller switch on the surge protector. Can this be done?

The benefit of doing this is that I can separate the outlets and the switch; the surge protector is hidden underneath a desk, and the light switch is on top of the desk, for example.

This would be fine if you mount the switch in an electrical box in the wall and use it, for example, to switch the receptacle (or just half of the receptacle) that your surge suppressor or battery unit is plugged into.

For instance, you could us an "old work" box to put the switch in the wall above the desk, and fish NM cable to/from the box with the receptacle in the wall at the normal height off the floor behind the desk.

EDIT

I should probably whip out Visio or a paint program and draw my own diagram, but I'm going to bed so I'll use one I found on the net. :-)

Make sure you've turned off the power to the outlet box before you mess with it.

So here's a picture (below) of what gets hooked up to what. Note that the wire you would fish through the wall to the new switch box is 14/3 or 12/3 (I presume the receptacle already exists, so match whatever size wire is already there).

The reason you'll run 3-conductor (plus ground) wire, is that code now requires a neutral in pretty much every switch box, and if you're not using some kind of occupancy sensor or other device in the switch, which would use the neutral, you just cap it off for later use.

If you decide later that you want to only switch half of the receptacle, you would pigtail the black wire in the receptacle box just like the white wire, connect the black pigtail to one of the hot terminals on the receptacle, connect the black return wire from the switch to the other hot terminal, and break the little brass tab that connects the two hot terminals.  DO NOT break the tab on the neutral side.

Normally, that tab is left intact so you only have to connect one hot lead to the receptacle, or so that you can wire power straight through the receptacle to continue the circuit on to somewhere else.

But you can use needle nose pliers or a small screwdriver to bend that tab back and forth a few times until it breaks off, to electrically isolate the top and bottom sockets.

Finally, this is partially personal preference, but I would wrap the wires around the screw terminals, clockwise (direction you turn the screw) and screw them down tight, instead of poking them into the backstab connectors (if there are any backstab connectors). If the wire is #12 (thicker), the backstab connectors aren't appropriate anyway. You can end up with bad/broken connections inside the receptacle, too much heat and potential for fire.

If you feel uncomfortable tackling this, see if you can get a smart friend to help out. Or call an electrician. But this isn't too tough to do.

There are a few ways to cut the hole in the sheetrock for the "old work" box. Make sure you put that box in the middle somewhere between two studs, not right up against a stud, or there won't be room for the ears on the box to rotate and catch the sheetrock. Don't cut too deep and damage another electrical wire.

The clips in the openings in the back of the box are clamps for the cable, so don't break those out. They'll clamp down and hold the cable in the box.

Don't cut the insulation on the wires inside the non-metallic cable when you trim the sheathing off. Also, leave at least 1/4" of sheathing inside the box. Trim off enough sheathing that you have about 6" of wire poking out of the box, so it's easier to work with. You'll want to beg, borrow or buy some wire strippers. In a pinch you could trim the insulation off the end of the wires with the utility knife.

Remember that loose electrical connections lead to fires. Make all the wire connections nice and tight (wire nuts, screw terminals on the switch and receptacle). When you screw the wire nuts on, pull on all of the wires to make sure you can't pull any of them out of the wire nut. The whole idea of the wire nut is that it clamps the wires together hard, so screw it down tight.


How do I tell if a contractor built my driveway to specification? I am getting ready to close on a house that was just built, and I have noticed several places where the contractor did not appear to meet the specifications set forth in the contract. We have a gravel driveway behind the house, and when it was put in the contractor simply poured gravel directly onto the dirt/mud in the freshly graded yard. In some places the driveway is so thin that mud is easily visible below it. In the contract, the following is specified for the driveway:

  Driveway/Sidewalk

  Contractor to complete 3/4" stone 4" base with crush n run top coat
  driveway. Total thickness of driveway to be 6". See site plan.

I am not familiar enough with construction terminology to tell what that should look like, but I doubt that this is what was completed in my yard. How could I tell if the contractor did this correctly?

EDIT:
As it turns out, my suspicions were correct, and it took two more loads of gravel to bring my driveway up to spec. The difference while driving over the driveway is evident, and lake Erie no longer resides at the end of my driveway. Thanks for the help!

There is really only one way to check the construction of your driveway.  You will need to select a couple of locations and using a shovel, remove the top layer to expose the base layer, then remove the base layer to the grade fill and measure the layers.

If you are not comfortable that the driveway was built to spec, notify the general contractor or party you are purchasing the house from, as well as your lender and refuse to close until the driveway is properly built and proven to your satisfaction.  Stand tough, once you close it will be much more difficult to get this fixed. Insist they prove to your satisfaction the spec was followed.  Good Luck


How do I grind down #10 galvanized DeckMate Screws? I drilled about 50 #10 galvanized Deckmate screws into my new fence before realizing they are too long, and sticking out the back of the 2x4 the fence pickets are drilled to by 1/4 in.

One of the answers in a similar post suggests using 4 1/2 inch side grinder, "Very carefully."  Would this work in my scenario?  What does "Very Carefully" mean?  Would a 7" grinder be more effective?  Does this method contemplate ruining 50 grinder blades?  Would it be less expensive and/or faster to remove and replace the screws with with shorter #8 screws, or does this significantly compromise the strength of the fence?

UPDATE TO POST

Thank you all very much for the answers and insight.  It never occured to me that #12 2" screws might be found online.  Since the local hardware doesn't sell them, I assumed they didn't exist.  Today I counteed out exactly how many of the shorter #12 screws to order, and  realized the 50 I estimated above is way off; it's more like 250.

My inclination at this point is to cut the ends off with a reciprocating saw as Nate suggests below. Is a specific type of saw blade or technique recommended for cutting nails?

I also failed to recognize the rust problem Nate identified, and wonder if the superhero-ultraviolet-blocking paint sheild that I am double-coating the fence with might prevent the cutoff ends of the screws from rusting?

If it is only 50 screws, pull them out and replace them. Grinding them off would work too, but the ends that were cut would rust, if that makes difference. Besides the hash marks from the grinder may not be so appealing either.


Improving piece of furniture I have a piece of furniture that is in need of some improvements.
This is the piece:

As you may already see, there are a lot of light marks in it.
If we look closer to the surface, this is how it looks like in some areas:

And like this:

I'm not sure what kind of wood this is.
I was trying to avoid sanding it because I like the current color and lighter finishing in the edges and I don't think I will be able to make it look as is.

Is there any way to minimize the marks? Some polisher that can be applied?

I don't know much about this kind of stuff and don't want to end up ruining the piece.

You need to figure out what the finish is before you do anything.  I suspect it is some kind of solid stain or paint with a polyurethane clear coat, but it could be epoxy or any other number of combinations.  The type of wood doesn't matter much in your case.

Here's one resource to help with your analysis.  Keep googling.  And check the back and bottom for manufacturer and brand information.

I do very little with my furniture besides cleaning.  They wear their dings with honor.  The first one looks bad, but get enough of them and it's a "patina", "texture", or "interest".  Although they don't have the solid finish yours does.


How to test a Circuit Breaker I have very old Wadsworth circuit breakers that almost never trip. An electrician told me that sometimes these breakers aren't tripping when they should. There's very little online about this company since it went under in 1990. How do I make sure they still work without potentially damaging the wiring? Or doing something dangerous like shorting out a circuit?

Sadly, there just isn't much data to go on
Unfortunately, very little is known about the behavior of Wadsworth breakers; the original manufacturer is nothing more than a brand name that's been tossed about the industry a few times since they stopped being a going manufacturing concern, and while there are replacements out there, there is basically no manufacturer data about their performance, either.  Nor are there any independent test results; unlike the FPE fiasco, which motivated a significant independent study effort (the work of Aronstein et al) that also swept in Zinscos and their checkered history as well as several more mainstream brands of breakers to serve as a reference point, Wadsworth breakers have not been analyzed in-depth by anyone outside of UL (back then) or ETL (more recently).
You can't really test a (small) breaker in-situ either
Atop this dearth of information, there is basically no way to safely test a miniature (loadcenter) breaker while it is installed.  This is because most breakers consist of two parts: a thermal trip that protects wires against overheating caused by overloading of circuits, and a magnetic trip designed to catch short circuits and other such catastrophic, high-energy faults.
With the thermal trip, the primary hazard of testing it while the breaker is installed is that the circuit itself will simply fail open at a weak connection under an overload test current (say, 200% of breaker rating), creating a hard-to-diagnose fault. If you carried on long enough without the breaker tripping, the wires would eventually overheat and create a fire hazard, as well, which could be a problem with relative unknowns like your Wadsworth breakers.  (It's less of a problem with modern wiring like the THHN used for your homeruns than it is for old cloth wiring as modern insulation withstands heat better and thus as better safety margins against overloading, but it's still possible to do.)
However, the primary problem is that the thermal trip is rarely needed to safeguard a circuit from damage; instead, under high-energy fault conditions, such as those created during a short, it's the magnetic trip that needs to operate in order to instantly disconnect the circuit and thus stop further damage cold in its tracks.  These levels of fault current (at least 10 times the handle rating) are much more damaging to the circuit as a whole than a simmering 200% overload is, and there is very little limit on how high a breaker's magnetic trip can be set.
As a result, there isn't any good way to test a loadcenter/miniature-type breaker in-situ without risking severe circuit damage, and the high-powered equipment required to test a breaker's magnetic trip function can't realistically be brought out to a worksite either, even if pulling the breakers in question out and sticking them in a test machine was in the cards.
There really isn't a good path forward
The other part of the problem here is that it appears that we aren't looking at a simple breaker panel here, but some sort of multi-way meter-pack that contains a set of electricity (watthour) meters and associated small breaker panels.  As a result of that, and the space constraints associated with that, there's really no way to fix this without essentially rewiring significant chunks of the building.


Drain pipe through floor joist I'm moving my sink. And I have to run my drain pipe through my floor joist or cabinets. My floor joist are 2×8's. Can I run a 2 inch pipe through them. And if i did run them through my joist would it make them weaker?

It depends on the size of your drain.  You can do it with a 1.5" PVC but a 2" really won't work.
Allowable hole size in joist
The maximum allowed hole you can drill in a joist is 1/3rd the depth of that joist.  The actual depth of a 2x8 joist is 7.25" allowing only a 2.4" hole.
A 2" PVC pipe is 2.375" outer diameter (2-3/8") and you'll probably never get a 2.375" pipe into a 2.4" hole.  Milwaukee is the brand plumbers use in my area and Milwaukee's hole saw kits don't even come with 2-3/8" saws because they're not practical.
If your drain is 1.5", Family Handyman has a helpful article showing you the right way to plan where to drill the hole in your joist.  Note you need to plan on a 1/4" slope per foot of drain line, too; so don't figure on going through very many joists in series with this drain, or you'll be too far from the center of the joists and compromise them.
1.5" drain capacity
A 1.5" drain is only enough for 3 drainage fixture units (DFUs).  That's sufficient for your kitchen sink & garbage disposal (DFUs per fixture table) but it is not enough for an additional dishwasher to meet code.


Safe to buy brass compression fitting/pipe transition? I'm putting in a water line from a new well to my house.  I've purchased 250psi 1-1/4" CTS poly tubing, it's about a 230' run.  I plan on transitioning to PVC underground outside the pump house before the line goes into the building, and also transitioning to 1-1/4" PVC sleeved in 2" PVC where the line passes through my concrete foundation under my house.  I purchased these brass compression fittings to make the transition:

There's also a stainless steel sleeve that goes inside the pipe to help maintain stiffness.

Anyway, my question is if it's safe to bury these fittings underground, or if I should plan on putting a valve box over them to maintain accessibility.  The pipe will be 2' below ground, so even with the valve box it won't be easy to service it should it fail in the future.

Also, is my plan to transition to PVC sensible before it enters buildings on either end?  After the PVC enters my house there will be a further transition to PEX.

From a corrosion consideration it should be good: Except check that the clamping screw on the CTS end is stainless steel , non-magnetic would be best.  A steel screw would not likely last long on a brass/bronze fitting underground. The fitting has a more reddish color than yellow brasses which is means better corrosion resistance ( less zinc and more copper and tin). This answer if for buried in the ground or a valve box.


Water dripping under vinyl siding onto basement concrete Recently bought a house and it's been incredibly rainy. Record monthly rainfall for a couple of months running. Not sure if it is related but it seems as if there is some water running under the siding of the east side of my house when it rains. We've gotten two or three very small "puddles" in our basement on this side of the house as well during different heavy rainfalls. Nothing large just a tiny splash of water here and there that dries up very quickly. To be honest there's probably been some I never saw because they dried up. Unfortunately I can't tell exactly where the water is coming from because we have that white vapor guarded insulation nailed into the wall throughout the basement. All I can see without cutting it away is the puddles which seem to show up in random spots on that wall.

Anyways I attached some pictures of the outside near the bottom of the siding and really just want to know if you'd consider this a problem and if so what usually causes it? What should I do or who should I call? We are not very handy on large projects.

Thank you so much for your help. We are very nervous and stressed about this.

Any leakage is a problem. It can get worse through building movement or freeze/thaw cycles. It can lead to other problems like mold.

So moisture is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil.

If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through the crack between the foundation wall and slab.

If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the exterior side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perf pipe laid 6”-8” below the interior basement slab.

To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perfect pipe. If dirt is allowed to be backfilled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.

Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well and pumped away.

This is expensive so you may want to monitor it for a season or two. This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.


Is caulk a good temporary fix for a gash in fascia board? I was helping a friend with her house, and it turns out there is a pretty sizable gash in her fascia board right above where the gutter is nailed on.  It's oval-ish, about 6 to 8 inches wide by 2 to 4 inches high, roughly.  It is apparent that it is related to water damage.

They want to caulk it, but I think it's something that should get replaced immediately. Is caulk an OK solution for a  temporarily fix?

What is the proper procedure for fixing the fascia board?

You have to look underneath it.

The problem with water is that it doesn't just "gash" things, it goes through them and soaks what's behind them, and then it rots it. Take it down, inspect behind everything until you find all of the damage, FIX IT, put it back up. By caulking it, you're just sealing the water in and helping the rot.


How to stuff a portable storage container? I plan to renovate my house by next week. So I need to shift my valuables to the new house. I have arranged to use portable storage containers for the move. But now I have doubts about the packing process. Can we pack as much as the stuff in a storage container? Are there any limitations regarding the weight of the stuff? Please share your experience.

The packing and weight restriction questions are things you should be asking the moving pod provider. They can give you their recommended procedure to safely pack the pod and how to distribute the weight in a safe way.

Any restrictions on weight are going to be fully dependent upon pod design and usage scenario (stationary storage or transport storage). In the case of the transport usage there will be limitations based upon the vendor's truck and lift mechanism.


How do I install a garden door that's thicker than the wall? I thought I found a great deal on a used garden door and the problem is that the wall is 2 x 4 studs and the garden door is 6" thick.

Is there any way possible to increase the thickness of the wall?

As DA01 said - cut one inch off of either side of the door jamb.


Can I blow dryer exhaust into a pillow case or sheet? Go ahead and laugh.  It's okay.  Before you do, though, hear me out.

My dryer has been drying less and less lately.  Today, it stopped drying.  Now I have a full load of wet laundry and it's all the clothes I got.  I just tried cleaning my exhaust duct/vent/whatever with one of those things with the bristles and the coily "handle", but I have had no luck.  I tried cleaning it from inside the house and outside, but nothing.  The dryer is blowing out exhaust out the back, though, so I know it's doing it's share of the work.  However, even with the exhaust hose hooked up, I feel absolutely no air blowing out of the vent outside.  I've peered down its full length with an LED flashlight from the outside and even stuck my cell phone up in it and snapped a clear pic from the inside and I see no blockages.  I've even felt along the length of the exhaust hose while the dryer was going and felt no air escaping through tears or around the gaskets that hold it to the wall and the back of the dryer.

I am just going to call someone to come and do it, but, being the week of Thanksgiving and all, I doubt I'll be able to get anyone here until next week.  Meanwhile, I have a load of laundry that needs to be dried.  Therefore, I've come up with the temporary -- and idiotic -- idea to attach a pillow case to the end and let it rip.  However, the idea of dying in a fire just days before the delicious Thanksgiving feast leaves me sort of questioning whether or not I should do this.  Had I a longer hose, I'd just stick it out the garage door and let it rip.  However, I don't, so I won't.

What do I do about this mess?  Somebody help me.

I'm presuming you're using the pillow case as a lint filter.  The bigger problem will be humidity.  You'll be putting all of the moisture from the wet clothes into the air.  After a couple loads, this makes the room really, really, REALLY humid (I've been there).

If you can swing it, you might be well off getting some flex dryer duct and running the end out the window while you're doing laundry.  Then you won't need the pillowcase at all, which might cause some other problems due to back pressure/poor airflow (e.g., it might take longer for your clothes to dry, and it might cause the dryer to run hotter).


What type of plywood for shower bench? I'm framing in a 40" x 16" shower bench and I plan on using 3/4" plywood.

I plan on using granite to sit on top of the seat.

I would like to know what kind of plywood I should use for the seat?

Should I use pressure treated? I've heard that pressure treated wood is not recommended to use inside the home.

What about sheathing plywood?

I would skip the plywood and use Kerdi board. It will cost a bit more but it's very easy to cut, very light weight so it's easy to handle, and it is completley  impervious to moisture.

You can get it 4x8 sheets and build a custom seat or one of their pre-made seats, if you can find one in a size you can work with.

Here's a video from the maker of Kerdi-Board about making a bench out of the material.


What is this hole in my basement floor and how do I repair it? The house was built in 1935 and is located in Pittsburgh, PA USA. The basement floor is concrete. There's no sump pump or any other kind of hole or hookup in the basement.

The hole is along the middle of the back wall, far from any of the other floor drains or the drain stack.

The rectangular looking channel in the middle of the hole appears (and feels) like it goes left and right some way under the floor. Is this some kind of interior drain?

If so, how do I properly repair the hole without interfering with drainage

Lots of homebrew construction was still going on back then. I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a makeshift floor drain for occasional use, say in the case of plumbing problems or heavy rain.

It's also possible that it's just a sinkhole from poorly mixed concrete and inadequate substrate compaction.

If the basement has been dry for a number of years, just patch it up with masonry of some sort (whatever's on hand). If you're not sure, consider installing a proper drain grate to clean it up aesthetically but leave it functional.


Light bulb socket adapted to a 3 pin plug socket In my loft i have a light bulb operated by an on off switch. Is there a gadget that screws into the bulb holder that would turn it into a 3 pin plug holder? I need a power source for a squirrel repellent plug.

Hire a handyperson to do this.  Or at least, turn off all power before doing any work, and get up to speed with electrical safety by reading a decent book on DIY home electrical.
The fixture almost certainly is attached to an octagon box.
Remove light fixture entirely.  Then install any common receptacle in this style of octagon box cover

and fit it up to the light's junction box.
If you run a ground wire to the receptacle, then you can mount the recep to the plate with just 1 screw (the middle screw).  You need the 2 outer screws if grounding is coming through hard metal-metal contact between plate and box.
If your octagon box is 1/2" too small for this type of plate, then you have a "3-1/2" size box, and that will require a very special plate that has (and includes) only 1 socket.


Pilot light continually burning The pilot light on my gas fire usually goes out once the fire is lit and I have released the switch. Now for some reason the pilot lite remains lit and doesn't go out until I turn the fire off. This is unusual as the pilot light has never continually burned while the fire is burning. What would cause this to happen? Cheers Brent.

Gas fired appliances usually have a standing pilot that is monitored or one of several types of igniters, spark igniters usually you can hear the click, click click, hot surface igniter several types here coils if nichrome wires that get red hot and a carbon like material that gets hot and ignites the gas all 3 that ignite the main burner do not have a pilot. The type that has a standing pilot the pilot is always lit.

Standing pilots are going out of style because of the constant use of gas. The bummer about this is standing pilots are much more reliable than any of the other methods.

If you notice the gas going off I believe you are remembering the temp being made and the main burner shutting down. As if the pilot shuts down this will normally cause the thermocouple to cool and will normally shut the gas down unless there is a system to monitor the flame. With the information provided I believe you are not accurate in your memory of events but a model number would help verify the normal operation.


Gazebo Height Planning I am planning a gazebo which will be positioned against my boundary fence, the overall height of the pitched roof is 3.0m.
The guidelines say I can only have a structure that is 2.5m tall, if I lower the ground level by half a meter so from the original ground level it will only be 2.5m tall is that acceptable?
I have looked but cannot find anything on this.
Paul

In the U.S., that’s a Planning Commission decision not a Building Code issue. I’d go in (or call them) and explain the situation.
Here, some jurisdictions will allow you to do what you suggest and some will even allow you to pile dirt against a structure to keep it below the maximum height allowed. Other jurisdictions take the average height of the existing building site.


changings gas logs fireplace to insert This is more like asking opinion whether it is worth converting from a gas logs fireplace to a fireplace insert. It is gonna cost me 5k here in seattle.

I have a gas logs fireplace (gas fireplace with open vent in front and chimney to the top). I am thinking to replace it with a modern fireplace insert. The room is around 400 sq ft. My question is it worth putting in 5k to put a fireplace insert instead.

Basically, if the gas logs fireplace can heat up the 400 sq ft, then I won't need a fireplace insert. Its just that I am not sure whether it would be able to heat the 400 sq ft.

If you are talking about a gas log set in a masonry fireplace then you need to understand that these log sets are not really expected to heat the room aside from a bit of passive radiant.  In fact, the room could experience a net loss in heat.  The flame from the gas log will heat the chimney flue causing a good draft and will suck the heat right out of the room. These things were designed for ambiance without the mess of chopping wood. They are quick and clean.  That is it.

Ben Franklin designed the Franklin stove to beat the disaster of a heat source of the old masonry fireplace.

The modern natural gas steel fireplace insert is a big step forward.  It will actually make heat.  They have been engineered to extract heat from the fire and get it into the room.  With the right size they can easily heat a typical room of a 1000-Sq feet.
It is however not necessarily the most beautiful thing that ever walked the down the isle. Some have glass fronts to give you a view of the fire.

Cost effectiveness? Something you have to decide.


Will I notice a pressure drop going from 1/2" pex to 3/4" CPVC then to 1/2" CPVC? I'm replacing my older CPVC piping in my house and I have access to almost the entire house except the master bath area. At first, I thought it was being fed by a 1/2 inch line that I could just connect into off a Pex manabloc system but it is not.  It is a 3/4 inch line that branches out to 1/2 connections to the shower, sink, and tub except the tub faucet is 3/4.

My question is, if I connect a 1/2 pex to 3/4 CPVC that branches back into 1/2 CPVC about 6 feet later, will I notice a pressure drop or anything?

It truly will not be as efficient as 2 separate lines feeding each fixture, or 3 separate lines for 3 fixtures.... You will only notice a pressure drop when both fixtures on the same branch are used at the same time. You will see the difference, it may not be drastic enough to need to gut what ever is in the way to get it run  everywhere. If I remember right, Maniblock only has 1/2" connectors?


Can homeowners install sink grease traps to prevent build up in septic/sewer lines? My septic system periodically gets clogged with hardened grease build up which I have to manually clean out (about twice a year).  I use a bacteria additive monthly and have the tank pumped bi-annually. The system is very old, but I don't believe the problem is anything other than this grease build up.
I am wondering if grease traps are sold/installed in homes as they are in Restaurants and if that would help. Is there a non-commercial sized grease trap?

Don't dump grease down the drain. Discard it in the trash (or use it for further cooking.) Pour out grease/oil into a can for cooling, possible refrigeration and re-use, or to discard in trash. Wipe most remaining grease out of pots and pans on a paper towel and discard it, before washing.

Also, go with the recommendations of virtually every public health department and cooperative extension and stop wasting money on "bacteria additive" - none do any better than the ones in the waste stream naturally, and some have deleterious effects (they successfully "liquify wastes" and plug your drain field, when the whole point of the septic tank is to separate those solids so they can be pumped out.) A plugged drainfield is VERY expensive (you need a new drain field.)

You can install a small grease trap inside, but then you need to maintain it. Or you could install a large grease trap (pretty much like another septic tank) outside, ...but then you need to maintain it (in some places, there is a minimum pump schedule by law for grease traps.) Grease trap maintenance is decidedly gross - it smells terrible.

http://store.msuextension.org/publications/HomeHealthandFamily/MT199401HR.pdf

http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/water/septic-systems/septic-tank-pumping

http://spock.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/html/C819-3.html

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-142.html


Add common wire to furnace Trying to add common wire to furnace for smart thermostat. Looking at wiring diagram, it looks like common wire off transformer is blue, switches wire color to white (via wire cap), then back to blue (via connector block), and connects to terminal TH on the ignition control module (SP-735A). Is this understanding correct? Can I just add a wire off the TH terminal (or off combustion blower relay) to get a common?

I am not so sure that the Common of the transformer connects to terminal TH of the ignition control module. It looks more like the TR terminal and it looks like another terminal is labeled TH.

I would encourage you to locate the wire join point depicted below and add your C wire into the existing 3 wire join to make it a 4 wire connection. If you are lucky this may just be a simple wire nut that you can remove. If it is a crimped wire termination then you have a little more work to do cutting it off and then re-stripping the wires to allow use of a proper sized wire nut.


hardwired and wireless ceiling lights My husband saw a electrician hardwire on ceiling fixture that came with 2 or 3 identical lights that were not hard wired but were wireless. we can not find this light but want one and want to know how it works . this was on a diy or old house type show. can you help?

When you say they were "wireless" you must mean wireless control, wireless on/off and dimming. There must have been a wire in the ceiling or in the wall to power the light. The only truly wireless lights are battery operated and not very bright and the batteries don't last very long.


How do I make light blue paint more interesting? My room has a very dull blue paint that causes boredom. I was looking for ways I could liven it up a bit.

I like that blue and I choose something close too it for my room. I made one wall behind the bed an accent wall using wall paper.
White furniture and trims work nice with this color, black or dark wood items not so much.


Do I need a voltage converter to run an imported bandsaw? I just bought a 220 VAC 50 Hz bandsaw and dust collector from someone who brought them back from Australia. Can I use my home 220 VAC circuit or will I need some type of converter?

As the others have suggested in the notes, the frequency of the supply has an effect on the induction motors that power the bandsaw and the dust collector.

If you move a motor designed for 50Hz onto 60Hz power, it will turn faster, by roughly 20%.  It will also draw more current (possibly a lot more, it depends on the motor as to how much).   The speed may exceed design tolerances on parts such as bearings, the impeller in the dust collector, etc.  If the current increases over the motor's full load amperage rating, the motor (or possibly other wiring of the device) would fail.

It seems likely to me that you would be able to buy replacement motors of the correct type cheaper than a frequency converter.


What's the best way to hang this large picture on insulated plasterboard? I would like to hang this fairly large framed picture on my living room wall. The frame measures 167x75cm, and weighs roughly 8.5kg. Both top and bottom of the frame had snapped previously (while being transported from abroad), and have recently been repaired by a local framing specialist. Here is a photo of the back of it - you can see the 4 metal braces where the repair took place:

The wall it needs to go on is a 9mm plasterboard with 30mm insulation board on top. As you can see in the photo the frame already has two D rings fixed to the frame for hanging from two hooks.

I would like to put any fixings into the studs which are 400mm apart. Unfortunately to get the picture in the centre of the room, both D rings fall more or less halfway between studs.

Would anyone be able to provide some advise on the most secure way to hang this please? The two options I've thought of are:

Rotate the D rings 90 degrees so they point each other, attach a cord/wire, and hang on two screws screwed into the 2 closest studs (roughly 200mm from each D ring)
Hang using 2 hooks to match the current position of the D rings, and fix into the plasterboard using some kind of drywall fixing.

If going for the cord/wire option, do I want to use a cord or wire? And should it be attached taut or with plenty of slack?

If fixing to drywall I would assume a metal spring toggle would be the most suitable - however I've never seen drywall fixings used where there is insulation board in front of the plasterboard, and not really visualise if that gets in the way of the fixing at all?

Also should I worry about the stability of the frame at all after the snap and repair? The braces look to be strong but I suppose the frame still won't have its full original strength?

Any advise would be much appreciated! I'm just really nervous that if not done properly, the picture will fall one day and knock someone out...

I'd use picture wire between the two D-rings to hang the picture. Leave some slack in the wire, as that will give you some scope for adjustment to make sure it can hang level.

Usually, I'd suggest picture hooks, but with insulation in front of the plasterboard, my suggestion would be to drive decent length screws into the studs, leaving the head protruding a little, and hang the picture wire over the screw heads


how to tighten the nuts inside the U shape under the countertop in the kitchen Hi,
The faucet in the kitchen is loose due to leaking. The wood under the countertop was damaged due to leaking water. This makes it very soft and difficult to tighten the nuts. From the picture, there is very little space for me to put the basin wrench into the "horseshoe" to tighten the nuts as you can see in the picture. In the picture, the yellow plastic line is the water coming to the faucet, the other two pipes are cold and hot water pipe.
How should I do it? thanks!
Yiqun

That type of faucet typically comes with a special deep socket tool to make fastening easy. Without that tool (and they are not "universal"; each faucet make/model may have different size/style) you are left to making some other tool work as best as you can (long handled plier, basin wrench, crowfoot wrench, adjustable wrench, etc.)

I would never attempt to tighten that up with those hoses in the way, remove them first to facilitate access.

You say that the mounting surface is "very soft and difficult to tighten the nuts". I am afraid that will be a problem for you. You really should remove the entire faucet and repair/reinforce the damaged sink.


Sound Proofing the wall between bathroom and bedroom Is anybody able to recommend the best way to sound proof my wall which is adjoined to the bathroom.  I'm gutting out my bathroom and having it refitted which new shower, bath and etc and relocating the shower to the corner of the adjoining wall of the bedroom and exterior rear wall.  I want to minimise the sound that the shower,pipes etc would make.

What is the best product to use?
Will the sound proof be resistant to water?

You deal with it by doing couple of things in parallel:

Decouple sound sources, quiet pipes in the walls

Make sure to wrap all pipes in either soundproofing mats or just carpet underpad (that's what I did), especially where the pipes touch the framing, to reduce sound transmission directly from the pipe.
Make sure nothing rattles/moves, e.g. all pipes are securely attached.

Add more mass to the wall, reduce the sound from the bathroom itself

Use thicker drywall, or double drywall, with Green Glue between the layers.
Add Roxul Safe'n'Sound or similar soundproofing bats into wall cavities. This will also somewhat help with noisy pipes.
Use acoustical sealant in all outlets or other openings in the wall.

Deal with the noisy fixtures

Get a quieter bathroom fan, if yours can be heard outside of the bathroom.
Make sure your water pressure is not too high, install/replace water pressure regulator if needed.
Invest in quality plumbing fixtures. I found that cheapest faucets often make much more noise than quality ones. Same for shower head. Also, 2 gpm showerhead will typically be quieter than 2.5gpm (less water).

In any case, if someone takes a shower, it will still be heard in the room right behind that drywall. Doing all this will reduce the noise, but not eliminate it completely. I did succeed to make my basement much quieter doing basically what I wrote above, and it wasn't terribly expensive (I didn't do double drywall though), just don't expect miracles.


Low-cost hardwood flooring... what's the catch? Genuine hardwood flooring is generally quite expensive... but a few local stores have glue-down hardwood planks that are actually cheaper than mid-priced laminate (~$1.80/sf).

What's the catch?

The cheap hardwood looks nice, and aside from taking a bit more work to cut & lay, I don't see any glaring "gotchas". Are there any?

The hardwood planks I'm talking about are solid wood, roughly 3/8" thick and 2" wide, finished on top, and have a groove cut into one side & a tab cut into the other.

There are a lot of factors when it comes to pricing flooring as it has become a highly competitive, mass produced commodity.

What you have here is the cheapest specs you can get in wood flooring:

2" wide planks are about as narrow as it gets, it is a harder install
3/8" thickness is about as thin as it gets and will limit its application to something that has a very very good subfloor.
these planks can be made out of literally the scraps because they are so narrow and thin.  The wood costs are probably ridiculously low and most of the cost to consumer goes to transportation and cutting the tongue and grooves.
quality hardwood flooring is 3/4" thick.  Yours is half that.  There is usually a 1/4" wear layer which allows 3-4 sandings.  I wouldn't expect more than a very very light touch up sanding out of 3/8" flooring.
thinner hardwood is more likely to develop splitting or impact cracks
thinner hardwood is more likely to warp
the cost differential between this and other flooring options is negligible.    I can get decent 3/8" laminate and engineered flooring for about $2 sq/ft.
in fact laminate and engineered flooring might be a much better solution if going thinner as there is more control for humidity variance and moisture intake.
I personally just installed engineered flooring in a house that was 5/8" thick, looked beautiful, and had 4.25" width.  It costed $2.89 sq/ft.  It was a dark brown and we got a quantity discount which dropped it 50 cents sq/ft.  It would beat any 3/8" hardwood on the market as it had a solid pine layered backing (no mdf).  I mention this because its ugly sister - same exact stuff in really ugly orangish brown try at cedar - was selling at $2.05 after the quantity discount.
you will pay a premium for a manufacturer of hardwood.  If it is not being labeled by a major hardwood manufacturer it will cost less.  It is like going to the store and buy Cola or Coca-Cola.  You know how one will perform and not sure about the other.  I have gotten some bad and good really cheap flooring.
Every major hardwood distributor carries 3/8"x2.25" planks that I know of from anywhere between 1.50-2.25 sq/ft.  It is mainly so they can say in their ads, "Hardwood flooring from $1.79".  Another reason would to be just to satisfy a cheap customer.  They do not really want to sell you this stuff.  It has innate problems and needs to be installed right and they don't want to hear about problems on a product with slim margins.  If someone is pushing this on you it means they are carrying way too much of it and need to make space.
And to summarize - what you are talking about isn't "real" hardwood flooring.  It is a cheap imitation made out of wood.  It is a con job on the uninformed consumer.  You are informed now so you will buy something with at least 5/8" thickness or you choose laminate or engineered flooring as they will perform better with the same or longer life expectancy.

Note:  This is not a shameless plug but I have used BuildDirect at least 20 times to buy wood/tile/laminate - I have absolutely no affiliation with them.  (waterproof laminate they have is awesome.  They have sales and clearance sell offs.  They send you free samples.  There are a range of flooring in the low 2s that meet your criteria and 3/4".  Maybe a utility grade flooring will give you what you want as it is actually great flooring but has knots, natural cracks and blemishes - but done with thought these look great.


How to repressurise a Baxi Duo Tec Combi 24 HE boiler I'm currently having trouble trying to repressurise my boiler. Unfortunately, the YouTube tutorials and the manual look different to mine!

I've also added photos below to help.

Any help would be hugely appreciated. Many thanks.

Looks the same as mine, and since I've ended up here with the same question, I thought I'd update with an answer.

Looking at the third photo it looks as though you have the filling loop permanently fitted (as I do), with the two end caps hanging down. On the videos I've seen on Youtube and the Baxi website the taps are black and round, but yours is the same as mine with the two blue lever style ones, so...

From what I've read you need to turn the boiler off, so I did, then open the blue tap on the left fully. Then slowly open the blue tap on the right and watch the pressure gauge. You should get into the green section, around 1 to 1.5 bar. Then close the right tap first and the left tap second.

I'll finish off by stating that I'm not a plumber, but this is what I did and it worked for me.