How to remove air from water supply line? We live in a neighborhood where 20 of us all share a private well. Our water is very sputtery and also VERY fizzy when it comes out - lots of air coming out of it no matter where you are getting it from in the house.

The well operator has told us that the "occasional" buildup of air coming into our homes from the main is likely due to air being trapped in the horizontal pipes from the main to the houses or in there. But it's getting a little ridiculous lately.

Is there a way to eliminate / purge the air in the pipes and alleviate the air dissolved in the water as well - before it get's too far into our home system? Would a pressure tank do this? I need like a buffer / normalizer for the water coming from the supply basically. Sometimes it's so bad it will take a long time to even fill the toilet tank because of the violent sputtering.

We've tried bleeding the pipes and it usually hisses in the morning really bad and very late at night as well - but is generally OK through the day after it get's is all out.

No leaks or anything in the home - we are not the only ones on the well having this type of issue either.

You can use an automatic air vent for the water supply. It has a air chamber and a float that will automatically bleed the accumulated air. They are also relatively inexpensive.

The automatic air vent is commonly used for for hydronic water heating systems but make sure its approved for potable water in your case.

This Honeywell EA122A1028 should work.
Honeywell EA122A1028


Replacing ceiling vent cover I need to re[place the ceiling vent cover but the screw holes of the new cover Do Not line up. One screw goes into the existing hole but the other screw only will go into the drywall and then it hits the metal. Can I drill a new hole and if so what am I drilling into? The Metal Chase? Is that OK?

You are most likely hitting the metal flange around the vent that is used to secure the vent to the studs.  If this is what you are hitting, it will be right behind the drywall, then drilling a new hole for the screw is the right action.


How should I connect my Lutron Casetas switch with only one hot (black) wire? Within the wall switch box, there is a single black wire, neutral wire, and ground wire. I'm installing the Lutron Caseta dimmer (doesn't require a neutral wire connection). On the Casetas, there are TWO black wires. How do you recommend I connect the two components?

Actually, what you called a neutral wire (I assume colored white) is actually the hot coming from the light box (technically, there should be a black stripe of tape or paint near the end, but this is often omitted) and the black is the switched hot going back to the light. This is called a switch loop.
If you had a true neutral in the switch box, it would either be a non-connected white or two whites connected together.
Connect one black from the dimmer to the black wire, the other black from the dimmer to the white and ground to ground.


Floating wall mounted office desk I'm currently about to embark on redeveloping my home office.

We have a room with a small alcove and want to mount a desk top inside it. The approx size is 220cm x 80cm

We can source the wood we want no problem and are considering a hard wood with a nice finish that is around  8cm thick (2inches)

I want the desk to be as free floating as possible with the obvious exception of mounting at the rear and sides into the wall.

The left side wall is plaster into brick, the rear and right side wall are plasterboard with cavity behind .

My question is what is the best way to mount the desk without having to put in a strengthening leg in the centre?

Thanks for your help :)

Your issue is less about how you'll fasten it to the wall, and more about the stiffness required to span that width. I have a very similar desk in my office made of repurposed 1-3/4" thick veneer and particle board door slabs hung only on cleats fastened with 3-inch construction screws. My situation is actually L-shaped, with one slab hanging from the other, and it's suitable for a multi-station computer desk.

2 inches of solid or engineered wood will be strong enough, but it will bounce a bit. I'd estimate the weight at around 100 lbs. It doesn't take much to support that, plus maybe another 50 lbs. of equipment.

I'd run cleats around the 3 sides. They can be almost anything of wood or metal. Even 1x4 pine would do, as long as you get appropriate fasteners into the masonry and wood framing. If you taper the front ends they'll be much less conspicuous.

I'd then install a large steel max-bracket (or two) in the center from the rear to stiffen the front of the desk. It should extend at least 2/3 the depth of the desktop. It'll be practically invisible to anyone standing nearby. Be sure to use sufficiently large lag screws here. There will be a substantial pull-out force on the upper bolts.

This arrangement will be strong enough to support the desk, your computer equipment or whatever, and the backside of any overly-casual, average sized colleagues who wander by.


Can I use a 30 amp generator to power some parts of a 60 amp subpanel My main panel is in my basement and it has a 60 amp breaker that goes to a sub panel in my pole barn. The pole barn sub panel provides power for the pumps and blower motor of my outdoor woodstove.  Last winter I lost power for a week and had to run two extension cords from my 30 amp generator; one to the main panel in my basement to power the furnace and the other to the sub panel in the pole barn to power the woodstove.

I want to get a hookup for my generator so that I don't need all that sassafras if I ever lose power in the winter again.

While it would be easier to run the generator by the pole barn and backfeed the main panel, reading other questions makes me believe that is neither safe nor legal. So, I think I need to get a transfer switch or interlock kit setup on my main panel for the generator.  However, I still need to power the woodstove from the pole barn sub panel.

My question is, can I use a 30 amp generator connected to my main panel to power the 60 amp sub panel in my pole barn?  The only thing I want to power in the pole barn is the woodstove, which is on a 20 amp breaker in that sub panel.

References:

Is it reasonable to create a 30amp branch circuit for the purpose of feeding the panel from a generator?

Can I connect a portable generator to a subpanel to backfeed my house?

Yes, if you make sure to shut down enough things (if not, you'll trip breakers, so you are still good, from the safe and effective front.) I have a 40 amp manual generator interlock installed in a 200 amp panel. I neither need nor want a generator big enough to run everything at once, or automatic switching. I do want (and I have) the ability to power any one thing (or combination of things) that the generator can safely supply, without having to fool around with hack rewiring jobs under poor conditions or absurd extension cord tricks. That panel will eventually have a 100 amp feed to another building, and the generator input will be able to feed it (so long as the actual draw over there is controlled to be below the generator output, of course.)

Exactly what your options are will depend on exactly what your panels are, and what the panel maker has for approved interlock devices, but generically, it is possible. The legal and important safety end of "safe and legal" is having the interlock so you absolutely, positively, cannot backfeed power to the grid. The overcurrent part of safe will be taken care of by the generator output breaker and/or the panel input breaker for the interlock. Obviously the 60 amp breaker will be highly unlikely to trip if a 30 amp generator is feeding it - but if you draw 40 amps for some reason, the generator breaker will trip. The 60 amp rated wiring will of course be just fine with 30 or less amps running on it.


What are the iron bars and threaded rods sticking up out of my backyard? What are these bolts and metal rods sticking out the ground?

It’s a modified type of “sheet piling” used for earth retention/ engineering.

I’d guess there is (was) some slope at your site that the previous home owner wanted to control. I’d guess that they started a project and then abandoned it because it looks like some preliminary site work.

If you remove it, be careful as it could loosen some surrounding areas that could start moving.

The threaded rods are obviously set for future connections, building, equipment, shoring, retaining, etc.

It will be difficult to cut off, based on its size and shape. (The curved connections between the flanges and web indicate it’s structural steel...probably A36 steel, minimum.)


Is there a safe way to rewire original sconces? My 1930's fireplace (Seattle WA, USA) has these inoperable sconces mounted on its face. The house has been updated to modern wiring, but these sconces were left alone and do not work. There is old fabric wrapped knob/tube wiring running from a central electrical box (pictured below) to the location of the sconces.
Two questions:

What wire is acceptable to replace/pull through the old wiring? I would use normal 14/2 romex but given the install I am unsure it I would be able to pull a wire of that thickness/rigidity through the fireplace surround. Is there a smaller/thinner/more flexible type of wire that would be acceptable to use?
These sconces do not have standard electrical boxes behind. Is it acceptable to run wire out of the wall directly into the existing sconces, presumable attaching the ground wire to the fixture body? Will I need to rework boxes here?
If a 120V solution is not safe/allowed/prudent/workable/desired, can I run wire for a low voltage (12v/24v) LED solution without any concerns?

Your pictures don't show any wire coming out of the wall at the sconce and the wires in the central box look like they're cut short with no slack to pull out of the box to work.  Knob & tube is normally attached to the knobs inside the wall and run as separate discrete wires so you cannot pull new Romex "through" the old wiring.  Expect to run new wire from an accessible connection point all the way to the sconces, including installing new boxes and cover plates to attach the sconces to (yes, that means cutting holes, pulling wire, and plaster work).
I'm not sure what type of wire would be suitable to run through the fireplace surround due to heat from the fire. I would try to locate the first stud on either side of the fireplace, then run new Romex in that stud bay, installing boxes to relocate the sconces outside those studs, then patch the holes where they used to be.  Relocating the sconces would apply whether you're running 120v or low voltage.


toilet doesn't flush even after 2 plumber visits, to snake the sewer and also use a toilet auger plumber said that stuff builds up in the actual toilet that blocks it. He used the auger and it flushed. Two uses later, it did the same thing- fill up and very very slowly drain, rather than the usual flush. He said we need a new toilet, but I am not seeing that kind of comment anywhere.

Here's a simple test:
Fill the bowl slowly until the water level reaches its maximum.
Once there take a small bucket, about the size of a ice cream pail, and quickly pour it into the bowl. This should start the siphonic action and make the toilet "flush".
If this works then the main jet is plugged and can sometimes be temporarily cleared by putting a small screwdriver into the jet and gently clearing it of build up.
If it does flush with the test and you can't clear the jet, a new bowl is required.
Cost would say complete toilet replacement.

Additionally, check to make sure the fill valves bowl primer tube is attached to the overflow tube so that the priming water is pouring into it and not into the tank itself.
If the bowl isn't being properly primed, a large portion of the flush action is being used to fill the bowl instead of inducing the syphonic action and clearing the bowl of waste and can cause the waste to become plugged in the goose neck (s-trap) or shortly after.


Safely securing a 4x4 vertically and horizontally I'm looking to find the safest way to secure a 4x4 to act as a beam for rope-climbing. In the picture below, the "top" beam sits on-top of two 4x4 posts.

The rope will extend from the far right of the post, putting upward force against whatever join/fastener is selected when someone is climbing it.

Most of the 4x4 fasteners I've seen are designed to secure a post vertically and not against the direction of force being applied here.

This can take a load of 1,950/1.6=1,289 pounds. Just make sure the cantilever length doesn't exceed it's back span. Make sure there's 2 installed on each post to beam connection.

For the horizontal force, install (1) Simpson A21 on the underside of the beam to the side of the post on the left and (2) Simpson A21 from the underside of the beam to the faces of the post on the right. Use (2) 0.148 x 1 1/2 nails for each of the clip connections.


Imperfectly cut tile (4mm short) within acceptable range of error? Recently we had a tiler who tiled the backsplash in our kitchen.

He had to cut a tile to fit right below the extractor fan (hood).
And he grouted the space between the top of this tile and the bottom
edge of the extractor fan.

The day he finished the work, the left side of the grout popped open
and exposed a 2mm-gap. (I have no photo to show this unfortunately).

After this happened, I measured this tile he cut, and discovered
that the tile has the width (or height if you face the tile in the photo) of

103mm (left edge)
107mm (center)
107mm (right edge)

In order to fix the gap, my father suggested pressing down the left-rear
corner of the hood so it meets the tile (this was also the tiler's solution,
but the grout he used had not been strong enough, so the hood popped
up). My father was able to make the hood meet the tile
by putting a lump of grout to the left of the hood (to give it more hold).
Both my father and the tiler had to put a screw into the wall to force
down the hood overnight until the grout dried.

The photo was taken after this fix. Note: we have not regrouted the edge on
the left.

Now the left-rear corner of the hood is 2mm lower than the right-rear corner
of the hood, although it's unlikely that any casual visitor would actually spot this error.

But because I spent a lot of money on this kitchen (we bought top-of-the-line
everything), and this tile (top center in the kitchen, above the burners, below the hood)
is in a prominent visible position, I feel this inaccuracy is not acceptable.

I feel my father's "solution" of pressing down the hood on one end is also
a hack solution. It distorts the hood for one, and also, the lump of grout
he used to hold down the hood is ugly (though it's white so less glaring).

Do you think errors of this magnitude is acceptable for a good tiler?

What options do I have? Technically speaking, is it worthwhile,
possible, without-risk for the tiler to cut another tile to replace this one?

Other than pressing down the hood, what other solution is there?

I suppose you can make the grout line thicker to conceal the uneven height
without pressing down the hood.

What's the best solution here, if any?

Thank you.

Nobody else will ever notice it. You'll forget about it in a week, unless you let it drive you insane, which will result in everybody feeling bad, since the tile guy is unlikely to see one corner of the range hood being 2mm offset from the opposite one as remotely within the realm of a sensible customer complaint.

If this will drive you mad, I recommend that you hire a different person to redo that part of the work and explain to this other person exactly what your expectations are. One of those expectations should be pay a lot for this service.

Personally, I would just make the grout line a bit thicker on that side or put some colored caulk in there or something. It's a tiny tiny difference that nobody is ever going to notice.


Water main entry change from1/2" to bigger to change pressure I change main entry from 1/2" to bigger and the rest of home piping still1/2 " will it change pressure or all piping has to be changed?

There is a difference between pressure and flow rate.

Pressure is the power with which the water presses against valves; this won't change with the diameter of the pipes.

Flow rate is how much water comes out at a time, this will get better depending on the smallest diameter along the run and which other taps are open (in other words the smallest choke point). So if the entry is large up until the first branch at least then it will increase flow rate when both sides are being used but not for an individual tap.


Should I clear up a small space with snow against a window? I have about a 10cm wide gap between my Tempo and my house. And, with the winter snow, that space has filled with snow.
Now, should I go and clear that space of the snow (because it could damage the house) or is it all right and I should just let it be?
My gut is telling me its allright because the snow insulates the house just a little bit more, but I could just be wrong.

Sure, snow insulates if it's air tight. Seems like plenty of space between the snow and window for fierce windchill to set in.
Assuming the window is at least double-pane and doing it's job with argon gas then there is not much benefit to having the snow there.
Consider this, the snow will melt and re-freeze several times throughout the season so you're better off preventing the melt from infiltrating the window frame and re-freezing. The sash might not rot but ice doesn't care about the material; water will freeze, expand, and damage, period.
Additionally, don't forget that your window is constantly losing heat and causing this melt-freeze cycle. The weather doesn't have to be above 32F in order for that snow to melt.


How to clear a copper water line in the concrete pad? I replaced a gas hot water heater. I opened the  valve to fill it while the faucets were off.( The gas is not yet turned on.) Then opened the kitchen hot ,of course a blast of air then some slightly cloudy water came out but the flow on hot is less than half of the flow from cold from the single handle faucet. I then opened the hot valve for the washer in the utility room near the water heater and it seems to flow about the same as the cold valve next to it. It appears the 25 ft of 1/2" copper pipe( for hot)to the kitchen, in the concrete pad, is restricted. When I replaced the copper flex line out of the heater ,it had a spoonful of white scale in it. I am thinking the pressure changes caused loosened scale to collect at some point. Any ideas ?

I would disconnect the supply at that isolation valve and then "backfeed " it to try flushing the scale out the way it came in.

Even feeding both points at the same time may make a difference.

Did this for one of my taps and it worked...

Have you checked for any of those tiny inline scale filters - common before washing machines etc.


How do I seal off a small closet so smells there don't escape? I've got a small pocket closet in a study right next to where I work that is actually a partition of a hall coset in an adjacent building entrance, and therefore not well isolated from it. Recently someone using the adjacent entrance piled some clothing for a few days in the hall closet that appears to have been exposed to mothballs, and the smell lingers. I don't really need my bit of the closet and would like to seal it off so that the mothball smell doesn't get through. I'm a renter (and not handy, and can't have a crew over under current circumstances) so I can't do anything permanent or complicated.

How do I seal off a small closet temporarily with so that the smells there don't leak into the adjacent space? Perhaps there's something I can tape around the opening (a few layers of some airtight material perhaps)?

I would get some painters plastic it is thin plastic and it will block smells, I use non bleeding (blue masking tape) to hold it in place so it can be removed without leaving the adhesive residue. Cheap and easy to install , easy to remove.


Integrating into knob-and-tube wiring: okay to borrow a ground I have a mixture of knob-and-tube and NM-B.
If I'm extending from knob and tube, but I have a (different) an NM-B circuit nearby, is it technically allowable to ground via ground wire in the other cable?
If not, what is the right way to do it?  (Please don't tell me to replace all the knob and tube -- it's not going to happen.)

Not to be snarky, but, if you mess up plumbing you get wet and stinky. If you mess up electricity, you get burned or dead. Is it really worth the risk?

As you touch the old unsafe and code fail stuff, replace it. No need to do everything at once.


How do I determine how much weight an indoor hammock mounting kit can bear? I'm looking to mount hammock indoors using an indoor hammock hanging kit, and was wondering how I'd determine how much weight the wall studs or ceiling I attach this mounting kit into can bear.

The hanging kits come with a weight capacity limit, but that's for the kits themselves, and not what they're mounted into.  Is there any way to determine how much weight the studs or ceiling can bear, short of putting [someone else's] weight on it and hoping for the best?

Some general comments:

Single point loads of 200lbs on a single stud (1/2 the rated full load, since you will use 2 anchors) is significant.  Such a mounting would be dependant on securing the lag bolt near the center of the stud.  That can be hard to do, even with a stud detector.

Wall connections: Exterior walls are much stronger than interior (partition) walls. Connections across a corner or across a room will be stronger than a single wall.

Ceiling connections: Connecting perpendicularly to the joists will be stronger than parallel to them (spanning several is discussed below).

Ceiling mounting may be complicated by double mounting to a single joist.

Some specific comments:

My suggestion is to have each attachment point span 2 studs or 2 joists.  This would be simplest by connecting a cross member (such as 2x4 lumber).  Make each support piece longer than the stud/joist spacing by 25% (so the screw holes have strength)  Predrill and use 4 mounting (2 Each end) lag screws, make sure they are centered on each stud/joist and embedded sufficiently.

Then connect the hammock kit as directed.


What type of home security system does not expose cameras to hackers? All of the home security systems available at Walmart seem to rely on the Internet. Users can check their cameras via the Internet on their phones or work computers.

This seems to introduce a significant security problem, as one has to trust that: (1) employees at the company producing the product are not accessing the cameras; (2) employees to not leak passwords; and (3) there is no security breach at the company enabling anyone to access your camera feeds.

Is there any way to setup a home security system that can similarly notify me of intruders, while I am at work or traveling, but which does not rely on security cameras? Or is there another form of detection which avoids the problem above?

One that is not connected to an internet service.

Additionally, you can make sure the cameras are behind a good router with a firewall.

Don't shop at Wal Mart, look for a good security camera system that doesn't use an internet service monitor your system.

You should monitor the system unless you want to hire ADT or a similar reputable service.

Good luck!


Drywall hole, plaster, Primer and Paint I removed the toilet paper dispenser on the wall, covered up with compound, and sanded. I applied primer on the affected area but I painted the entire wall. So, now my wall is not consistent. Can I fix the problem by applying a few extra coats of paint in the area where I applied primer? If not, what is the best way to fix the problem?

Thanks so much!

If the paint color is both:

similar to (or the same as, but similar would do) the previous paint color and
significantly different, especially darker than, the (probably white/off-white) primer color

then the newly primed area will not show the paint color as "completely" and an extra coat or two in that area should do the trick.


When I flush the toilet it leaks between the bowl and the tank. How do I fix it? This only happens when I flush and the leak is small.

There is a rubber gasket that goes between the tank and the bottom of the toilet.  This is sold in a kit that also includes the bolts for the tank because these bolts are almost always completely rusted and can't be reused.  Be ready to cut the bolts if the nuts will not come off and be careful not to crack or damage the toilet.

Sample repair kit

Since you are taking the toilet completely apart, it probably makes sense to also replace the fill valve and the flapper.  These are also sold as a kit for around $20.


How should I clean and lubricate gearing for casement windows? My house has casement windows. I opened their gearing boxes to mask them because I painting the frames and I noticed them dirty.

How should I clean and lubricate them?

I was thinking vacuum with micro dust attachments and white silicone grease.

I was thinking vacuum with micro dust attachments and white silicone
  grease.

That's what I would do. Not too much grease though.


Renovating Crawlspace with Poured Concrete Floor My newly-purchased 1950s home has a below-grade crawlspace with a poorly-poured concrete floor. Specifically, it is very coarse and looks like it was poured and spread with a garden rake. In some places, there are large holes that seem to go down to the dirt. Not good. Also on the list of "not good": we have slightly elevated levels of radon in the home.

Ultimately, we want to use the crawlspace as a clean, dry, conditioned space that is an extension of the basement used for storage.

My plan is to remove the door that separates the crawlspace from the basement, then have my HVAC guy run a supply line or two to the crawl. The supplies supply conditioned air, and the open entry to the crawl will serve as a return. I am also going to seal the outside walls of the space with insulation - but I will save the insulation details for another post.

In order to make the space clean and usable for storage, I obtained a quote for a poured concrete floor. The contractor's intent is to pour a couple of inches of concrete right over the existing "concrete" floor without chipping the old floor out, and then trowel/level it nicely.

My questions are:

Any concerns with pouring concrete right over the existing "concrete" floor?
Assuming that I am OK to proceed with pouring over the existing floor, do I need to stipulate that the contractor lay down a continuous sheet of polyethylene as a vapor barrier? To be clear, if I have the contractor do this, this poly sheet will sit between the old "concrete" and the newly-poured floor. Or is the vapor barrier a lost-cause (or, worse, going to cause a problem) if I do not remove the old floor?
I haven't lived in the house very long, but it looks dry (contractors have agreed).  Also, for the record, I do have some water supplies and drains that run through the crawl to the upper floor. That said, how important would it be to install a floor drain? If I were to have a plumber install a drain, would this drain flow into the sewer? To do this, I think that I would have to have the plumber bore a hole through the foundation wall, which sounds like a huge job. So unless it's highly recommended or a code issue, I would rather skip it.

Regarding the radon, I am going to have the concrete contractor install a vent pipe into the floor (both the new floor and even down through the old floor) for sub-slab suction. My radon mitigation contractor will connect this vent pipe to the radon mitigation system.

I would love to hear any comments from the experts. Thanks in advance!

-Frank

It sounds like you already have a couple of experts working with you. Without seeing the proposed new space, I can only speak to a couple of your concerns.

There is no easy way to install a sub slab vapor barrier without removing the old slab. You do not want to sandwich plastic between the old and new concrete if you are going to only put in an inch or so of concrete to level the space. I'm sure your contractor will prep the old slab  by cleaning etc to assure a good bond with the new concrete. One or two inches of new concrete should be fine, especially in a space with low, lightweight traffic.

I see no reason for a drain in this area unless excessive leakage or standing water is a potential problem.

If radon mitigation is required, the collection pipes should be installed under the existing slab via cutting trenches and tied into your venting before you pour the new concrete. Again, your radon contractor who can see the space should be able to advise you properly and make all the connections to your existing system.


Installing a new smart switch into box, wanting to double check plan (primarily with regards to ground wires) I'm looking to install a new smart switch into a 3 gang box. The current box has 3 toggle switches, each of which is without connection to a ground wire. The box itself has 5 sets of wires coming into the box, with all the grounds and neutrals bound together (either with wire nuts or with copper clamps). A picture of this is shown below (4 sets of wires coming from the top of the box and 1 set coming from the bottom that's harder to see):

The smart switch needs to be connected to neutral, and included with the smart switch is what appears to be a 12 AWG jumper wire for this purpose. My plan was to connect the load/lines as they were with the original switches, and then wire nut this 12 AWG wire with the other 5 (I think) 14 AWG neutral wires already in the existing wire nut with a new Ideal WT52-Red wire nut (which says on the box that it can handle 1 #12 with 5 #14s). Good so far, right?

My next question is how to do the grounding, and this is one that I'm more unsure of. The wires are there, as you can see. But I'll need to ground my new smart switch and will also want to ground the 2 other dumb switches that I'll be replacing simultaneously (since I want them all to be Decora style, and presumably new switches will have ground screws for me to take advantage of). What is the right way to do that grounding? Do I need to get 3 new 14 AWG copper wires to go from the ground screws to that bundle of ground wires there? If so, how should they be joined (that would be 8 #14s)? Would I have to crimp that together with a copper clamp or are there wire nuts that could handle that? I can't just have one of those existing ground wires (say, from each load) attach to the ground screw, right? That doesn't ground it?

Also, as a secondary question, why would there be 5 sets of wires coming into this box anyway? I would have figured that there would be 1 set from the line, and then 3 loads. I think these are all single-pole switches...

Thanks for any insight you can give.

Connect eight #14's by connecting a ground pigtail with four #14’s, then, the other end of the pigtail joins the other four #14’s.


Which is better: UPS or Voltage stablizer in terms of power fluctuations I am renovating my showroom and, already having a old voltage stablizer, my question is which is better: UPS or voltage stablizer, in terms of voltage fluctuations?

As far as I know a UPS is a voltage stabilizer but with a backup battery and a voltage stabilizer is a UPS without a backup battery. As such their ability to handle voltage fluctuation depends more on their specific design than whether or not they have battery backup.


Can my drywall act as an air barrier? I am preparing to improve a building in a cold climate zone. Since it does not seem to be properly insulated, I am reading a book about insulating and weatherizing. That teaches me that I should create an airtight thermal boundary. I have many questions about that, but this one is about the airtight aspect in particular.

Although the exterior of the building has largely been neglected, the interior has new drywall installed almost everywhere. Can that drywall act as an air barrier? I have found an article about the airtight drywall approach, but it is not clear to me whether this will be a feasible approach for a situation like mine, where the drywall has already been installed. Somewhere else, I read that "air does not move through most solid objects (concrete blocks and masonry in general are notable exceptions)", so since drywall is not mentioned as exception, that seems to confirm that it should work fine.

In order for a drywall to act as the air barrier, does it need to be a special kind of drywall? Or does it need to be treated with special paint at all? Does anybody have experience with the airtight drywall approach?

Drywall is mostly composed of compressed gypsum and a paper for structural integrity.  For all intents and purposes air will not flow through it if installed correctly, however the importance of being air tight is to control moisture and condensation from forming inside of your walls.  This is where the vapor barrier comes into play.

A vapor barrier to be most effective should be airtight from the outside.  This can be done using appropriate tape and materials that you can get from your local hardware store.  User decker has a great explanation on this here.

https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/25277/6086

Being in a cold climate your inside of the house will be a lot warmer than the outside for most of the year, so condensation will form on the insulation facing the outside. This moisture can result in mold.

If you are certain that there is not correctly installed vapor barrier behind your insulation, then one option is to tear down the drywall to where you can do this.

A better option might be to look at possibly rewrapping the outside of the house in a new wrap and seaming it to help create the air tight situation that you want.  You mentioned that the outside looks in rough shape so perhaps tearing off the siding was in the plans anyway?

ADDITIONAL NOTE

You may see that there exists a special moisture resistant drywall product typically called "green board".  This will not help you with moisture inside the wall because the moisture resistant properties of the drywall have to do with the green paper on the front face of the drywall.  The board itself is still composed of gypsum and doesn't have any special moisture resistance by itself without the front paper.  It is intended for installation in bathrooms where it will withstand high moisture environments inside the home.


Why don't my 3-way switches work like 3-way switches? Possible Duplicate:
  How should I rewire a miswired 3-way switch?

I just moved into a house and am trying to figure out all the switches. I have now determined there are two switches at opposite ends of a hallway that turn on/off the hall lights, so I'm guessing it's a 3-way switch. However, they don't work quite as expected. Which ever light switch I use to turn off is the only one I can use to turn on the light. Once the light is on, either switch can be used to turn it off. Is this something simple to fix? Will it cost a lot of money?

Take a look inside
If you look at an image of how the switches work internally, it makes it a bit easier to understand what's going on.

This Blog post contains images of the various states of different types of switch combinations, which might help you understand what's going on in the circuit.
The Truth behind the logic
A properly functioning set of 3-way switches, should function like an XNOR gate (or XOR gate depending on how it's hooked up).
XNOR
If both switches are in position 1 or 0, the light is on. If the switches are in opposing positions, the circuit is open and the light is off.
XOR
If both switches are in position 1 or 0, the light is off. If the switches are in opposing positions, the circuit is closed and the light is on.
The first step in troubleshooting multi-way switches, is to set up a truth table. With 3-way switches, the table should look something like one of these.

The best way to do this is to designate one switch as A and one as B, then say up is 1 and down is 0.  Then follow the input values in the table, and log the output. For the output, 1 means the light is on, and 0 means the light is off.

Start with both switches in the down position, and log the result.
Move switch B to the up position. Log the result.
Move switch B back to the down position, and flip switch A to the up position. Log the result.
Flip switch B back to the up position, and log the result.

Now that we can clearly see what is happening with the switches, we can start to diagnose the problem.
What are all these screws?
When installing 3-way switches, you'll notice there are 4 screw terminals.

Black(Common)
Brass(Traveler)
Brass(Traveler)
Green (Ground)

Ground
The bare (ground) wire in the circuit should be attached to the green (ground) screw.
Travelers
The travelers are interconnected between the two switches, so it doesn't really matter which traveler is connected to which brass screw. Though it's common practice to be consistent, so if the red wire is connected to the left screw at switch 1, it should be connected to the left screw at switch 2 as well.
Common
Finally, the common screw is used to connect either to the incoming power or the fixture, depending on which switch you're working on.  For example. Power (from the breaker) might enter at switch 1, so we'll connect the black (hot) wire from the incoming cable to the common screw on switch 1.  In this case, the common screw on switch 2 will connect to the switched wire to the fixture.
Neutrals and grounds
All the neutrals should be tied together, and all the grounds should be connected to all other grounds.
If you are not comfortable working with electricity, never hesitate to contact an Electrician.


How can I seal a smoker door? I am building a brick smoker and need to seal between the door (a small panel on the top of the firebox) and the bricks.

What kind of material is appropriate here? I was thinking some kind of flexible rubber gasket, maybe the kind used to make custom gaskets for engines?

You might try something like this: Woodstove Gasket It worked well on my woodstove.


Can I use Multi-Cable Staples to run wire horizontally? I am running 5 or 6 runs of wire in my attic and thought I would use the Multi-Cable Staples to give myself more room.

Here's a picture of what it looks like:

They definitely seem strong enough to handle the weight, but I've never seen them used in this manner and am not sure it's up to code.

I also do not see anything on their website or the packaging that says anything about this: http://www.gardnerbender.com/en/mcs-100w

The National Electrical Code actually never mentions how to support cable. It just gives the spacing for the supports.

The supports should be identified for the use. The code section for support is below:

  334.30 Securing and Supporting. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable, at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (41⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.) of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or fitting. Flat cables shall not be stapled on edge.

As long as you follow the manufacturer's directions then there nothing in the Code prohibiting your intended use.

Good luck!


why does my house have a 4 inch vent stack going out the front? I have a vent pipe that goes out the front of the house(just above the foundation)it goes down into the drain under the flooring in the basement.I have my plumbing vented already. I do have one toilet in the basement.When you sit on that toilet it (the pipe) is right in your face. I want to remove it, can I? it is made of cast iron and starts on the the floor of the basement goes up and out of the front of the house just above foundation.

This sounds like the exhaust vent for a radon mitigation system. If so, there will be a fan constantly running in that system and the pipe will exhaust somewhere near the roof line. I would not recommend removing this since it was likely added after radon was detected in the area.


How can I move my fridge in and out faster for repairs? We have an older 48 inch wide subzero that has been undergoing repairs for the last month. Everytime the tech needs to bring the fridge in and out of its position it's a complete pain in the behind to put the fridge back into the proper position it originally was in.
What can i put under the fridge "foot" to make the glid back and forth much easier and faster?

Provided you have enough vertical clearance, these sort of "appliance sliders" can be effective:

Then what about something like this if you don't have clearance:

Called "Appliance sliders".


Covering Up Some Old Wall Art We've got some wall art painted on to our walls with a paint brush that we'd like to cover up, but we'd like to be able to cover it up in a way that won't ruin the integrity of it, so that if anyone wants it back in the  future, we can still have it there. That means painting over it isn't an option.

Are there any ways to wallpaper it such that the wallpaper will sit on top of the art and can be taken down at some point in the future?

Thanks.

I would put a wood frame around/over it then cover the frame with a hardboard then decorate that.

Many times that an internal framed wall has been removed to find things behind.


Newly installed water heater with faint gas smell Installed a new water heater last night (Rheem Performance Plus Model #XG50T09HE40U0). All went well with installation (including gas line bubble test), but this morning I could detect a faint smell of gas.

I had re-used the existing gas line last night (except for a new male threaded adapter), but after smelling it today I replaced the line with a fresh one (and reused the new male threaded adapter from last night). All threads were well sealed with thread tape. However, after replacing the line today, I can still detect the smell.

It smells like it's coming from where it is connected in the control unit.

Options?

You have used the wrong type of teflon tape - for gas the thicker yellow teflon tape should be used.  Another option which many prefer is to use a pipe sealant like RectorSeal.

If after replacing the white teflon the smell persists I would check the other end of the gas line.  It's possible that when removing the old gas line an existing fitting was loosened and is now leaking slightly.


Need help understanding gas water heater I just bought a house and it have a gas water heater. I need to know what is the water shut off valve to shut down water in the entire house. Also if you can help me label any of the other knob (which one is to adjust the temperature of the water inside the tank) .. that would also be very appreciated.
Picture:

A - Expansion tank. This prevents the pressure increase due to heating water, from damaging the plumbing. The tank is filled with air, that is separated from the water by a bladder. When the water expands due to heating, water compresses the air absorbing the pressure.

B - Check valve (or back flow valve). This is designed to only allow water to flow in one direction.

C - Thermostatic mixing valve. This allows hot and cold water to mix, so the water is not too hot.  You can adjust this to make the water leaving the tank hotter or cooler. Note, the water can only be as hot as the water in the tank, so you'll also need to set the control knob to the proper temperature setting.

D - Ball valve (or quarter turn valve). Used to isolate expansion tank and turn off cold water to water heater.

E - Globe valve. Outlet to heating system.

F - Temperature and pressure relief valve (T&P valve). This is designed to open if the water temperature, or pressure in the tank gets too high.

G - Hose bib. Not sure what it's used for here.

H - Globe valve. Inlet from heating system.

I - Ball valve. Used to turn the gas supply on/off.

J - Temperature control. Used to set the desired temperature for hot water. Adjusting this will change the temperature to which the heater heats the water to.

K - Drain.  This allows you to drain the tank.

L - Ball valve. Not sure what it's used for here.
Possibly shuts off cold water supply to heater, and/or other fixtures. If anything in this closet was a main shutoff, this would be it. Can't see where the plumbing goes, so can't tell if it only goes to the heater or splits to other fixtures.

M - Drip leg. This is used to catch any debris in the gas line, to prevent it from clogging the orifice.

N - Pilot view port. An opening where the pilot flame can be viewed from. Peek through here to see if the pilot is lit.

O - Burner cover. removing this would give you access to the main burner assembly.

It's not clear if any of these valves are the main shutoff.

You'll use a combination of the control knob and the thermostatic mixing valve, to set the temperature of the hot water delivered to the taps.


No power/lights in part of our garage I am having an issue in my garage where 3 outlets dont work and my 2 fluorescent hanging lights dont work. I have put new outlets in to see if that was the issue, I have checked our breakers and no issue there. I do have power and electric in 2 of my standard lights and my garage door opener works.

I was am running out of ideas on where to look. We were recently told to check the fluorescent lights to see if it would be them. Would they also cause the outlets not to work?

Ok so now we are in a troubleshooting situation. The first thing everyone is going to ask is if the circuit(s) not working are on either a GFCI or AFCI/GFCI protected circuit or if there is a tripped breaker. Depending on the age of you residence this could be inside the panel as a breaker or on a protective device and it could be located almost anywhere. The reasoning is that this is around 85% devices in the garage are not working.

If it is not a tripped GFCI or AFCI/GFCI breaker or device the second cause is usually a loose or broken circuit. So you need to trace it out. To do that you must identify the circuit. You will either need a circuit tracer (a fairly expensive piece of equipment) or a multimeter/ammeter (not so expensive, somewhere around $45.00 maybe even less). If you don't have any of these meters I suggest you get one or have someone else troubleshoot it.

If you have a non contact voltage tester check to see if you can find power by stabbing it in the small slot of the receptacles. If you get a ring at a device not working that is usually where the problem is.

If that doesn't work you start by opening up the boxes. Be careful we don't know if there is any hot wires in the boxes since we don't know the circuit and we can't shut off the breaker. As you are opening the boxes look for a dislocated conductor and if you have a non contact voltage meter test to see if there is any power in the box. What we are really trying to to find the is end of the circuit. That would be the box with only one feed in and no feed out (basically three wire a hot, neutral and ground). Then we can work our way back to the problem. If the problem is not in any of the boxes that are not working try going around the garage and find the circuit that leads to the device not working. Try and determine which box is closest, it should be a box between the device not working and the breaker panel.

Once you do find the broken or loose conductor go through the breakers and find the circuit. If the panel is not labeled you will have to turn each one off and on until you do not get a ring with you non contact tester.

Then and only then should you make the repair, then turn the circuit back on and test to see if the devices are working. Then turn the circuit back off and button up the devices and turn the circuit back on. Test all devices to make sure everything is working correct.

Needles to say trouble shooting is very laborious and frustrating to the not so familiar and you may decide it would be worth bringing someone in who has the proper equipment and has trouble shooting skills developed by a ton of experience.

So I will leave you with this piece of advice. Before trying to troubleshoot, I would make sure that it is not a tripped breaker,GFCI or AFCI device. I would check it at least twice and even then go through it on last time before I did anything else.

Good luck


Wiring question on replacing a 240 volt wall heater with a 120 volt heater My old wall heater is 240v.  See all the wires from the first photo.  The new heater is 120v.  See second photo.  The green ground wire is on the box.  How do I connect the new heater to all that wires coming out of the wall?

It looks like you have red , black, white & ground. You could connect a 120v unit to the black , white, and ground with the black, white and ground of the heater. This should be 120v if properly wired. The question would be  is this the only heater on this circuit? Also what is the wattage of the new heater. A 120v heater will draw 2x the amperage of the same sized 240v unit and the wiring may not be large enough. If the new heater is 1/2 the wattage of the old one using the black or red wire for the line voltage and then white for neutral and bare copper to the ground will work.


Elevated Deck over concrete Patio I'm building a deck over a walkout basement.  I want to put a concrete patio below.  Can I dig the footers (3 total) to depth of 30" below the frost line and then do a monolithic pore of the concrete for footers and slab?  I plan to use simpson post base over the footer location imbedded in the concrete.  The other option is to use the concrete tubes and do the footers/concrete piers first and then poor the slab around, but trying to save time.

Thanks

Since you’re not making your concrete patio as deep as the footers, your patio will be subject to frost heaving. This means that if you mechanically connect (e.g. build in a single pour) footers and patio, you’ll make your footers subject to frost heaving as well, even though they reach below the frost line.

I believe heaving of the patio might be mitigated if you pour it over a bed of crushed stone, like basement and garage slabs are done, but I don’t have experience with this.

Side note: you should use concrete tube forms regardless, as they will make your footers relatively smooth, making it much harder for anything subject to heaving to “catch” them and jack them up.


Is my plumbing drain/vent setup ok? I'm new at plumbing, working on installing a master bath in our house. Pictured is the room with the shower pan in place, a vanity drawn where that will go and you can see the toilet flange sitting in between where the toilet will sit. Does the setup I've drawn look correct? Are there any mistakes that I need to change or a better way of doing anything. Under the room is unfinished basement. My cleanout needs to be pretty close to the toilet. I can't move it further left past the shower as there is a block wall there.

I don't know where you are located and plumbing terminology can vary by region, however, the typical method to plumbing a single bathroom would be to use a 'wet vent'. I've discussed wet vents in this previous answer, which includes a full definition as well as the components of a wet vent.

One condition of a wet vent is that the toilet needs to be the last fixture connected (or be connected via a symmetrical fitting). Here's the reworking of your sketch as a wet vent with the toilet as the last fixture:

The portion highlighted in red is the wet vent. This section of pipe will drain the sink as well as allow air to pass through and vent both the shower and toilet. With this configuration, you do not need the second vent at the end.

As others have mentioned, the cleanout at the end is optional, as the removal of the toilet will act as a cleanout for the line.


Contractor wants to "derate" my subpanel We're going through the planning phases of installing a pair of Tesla Powerwall units for our house.

We got this via the project contact from their engineering group.

  Both Tesla Powerwalls are going on the 200A subpanel that is being
  fed by a 200A breaker.  Without derating, you can only add 40A of
  generation (whether it is a battery or PV).  The continuous amps of
  the two powerwalls is 60A, which exceeds that.  By derating to 175A,
  you are allowed 65a of generation.  So, 60A (Tesla) < 65A (max
  allowed).

Can someone explain to me how going from a 200A panel to a 175A panel facilitates this? Isn't "more, better"? By going from a 200A down to a 175A, is this what opens up the capacity for the extra 20A that the batteries need to provide (by providing (200A - 175A) 25A)? How does that work?

Note, we already have a 7.5Kw PV system installed (I honestly don't know if its through this panel or not, the breakers are in the other, main, panel outside).

Mind, I don't question the engineers. If it has to be done, I guess it has to be done.

I just don't understand it what is going on here, and what the longer term impacts this has.

Overall we have a 400A setup in the house. I guess it's via two panels (since this one is a 200A subpanel of the other one).

Any insight appreciated.

Yeah, that's a thing.  The problem is you have potentially two energy sources feeding the panel: The 200A main breaker and the 60A Tesla PowerWall.  That's 260A on a breaker bus that is rated either 200A or 225A - I suspect the former, though the label will say for sure.

Now, they give you a mulligan for 20% of the panel ampacity. So they'll let you slide up to 240A on that 200A busing.  But you need 260A so that is not enough.

So, one option is to derate whatever breaker happens to supply this panel. Now you have   175A + 60A = 235A = you're inside 240A.

Another way is to go talk to the dealer who sells those lines of panel.  They put a large variety of panels on a limited number of panel box sizes.  The goal is to find a panel with 225A-rated busing, where the bus assembly will bolt up to the same mounting holes that are in your panel.

Now you'll have 225A x 120% = 270A, which covers your 260A.


What is this plastic tubing and why would water be dripping from it? I heard dripping in my furnace room and found this thin plastic tubing coming from under the overhead insulation.
It is dripping slowly but steadily, and appears to be clean water, I.E. No smell or discoloration.
Thoughts, Before I go tearing it apart?

It looks to be a saddle valve which is used often because it means that you can add a tap for a fridge's ice maker to an existing water line without cutting into them. However they can start to leak and they don't get a perfect seal into the pipe when turned off either.
If you find it leaking you should be able to replace it with a proper tee and valve to fix the leak.


Would a concrete grinder remove a pebble overlay from the concrete base? I started using a power washer in unison with a pole with a heavy metal edge on it. It's going tremendously slow. My question, if I rent a concrete grinder from Home Depot, would that remove this top layer of aggregate?

I have not removed a overlay but I have put a few down. If the epoxy was dry in that area it might come up easy with a pressure sprayer but a section that has plenty of epoxy will be a bugger to grind. A commercial tile chipper is like a heavy pole blade that cycles back and forth and will probably do a better job.


What would cause a Spur Switch light to go off when the device is turned on? I have a fused spur switch in my kitchen with a dishwasher attached. Recently the dishwasher stopped turning on, so I removed it from the bay and noticed two things.

The neon light is quite dim.
When turning on the dishwasher (which never appears on), the neon light seems completely unlit.
I have uploaded a video to youtube demoing this behaviour.

The dishwasher has been working for the last six months without fault so far.

It is a UK 240V (50Hz) wired house, but presumably whatever electronic engineering principals would apply to this circuit generally.

What would cause this?

Assuming the light itself isn't bad, then the combination of a dim light and the dishwasher making it go out sounds like a break in a wire or a corroded connection. A break or corrosion can allow enough current to pass to light the bulb dimly, but when a higher current is called for the resistance of the break or corrosion goes up, causing an apparent total failure.

See https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/27285/82


Frameless Glass shower door handle Is there an industrial standard relating to the distance between the shower door handle and the edge of the glass door?

I cut my fingertip completely off by swinging the door outward.

This type of door is problematic for just the reason that you show. It would obviously be better if the handle were positioned a bit farther from the door edge. But somehow I doubt that there is any type of international standard for the spacing requirement. Clearly there would be a trade off for the width of the door and how far the handle is positioned from the hinge side of the door. With the narrower door and the handle more toward the center of the door it would be harder to open and close.

One thing to consider is that some doors like this have a silicon strip that is attached to one side and has a flap to overlap the other side of the door gap. These are designed to keep shower spray from getting out through the door crack. They also keep the door from opening both directions. The combination of the single direction door opening and the padding afforded by the silicon strip maybe you can minimize the chances of losing another finger tip.


Water smells like sulfur or rotten eggs only in a couple of faucets My parents have a brand new house built 3 years ago. It has city sewer and water and a 80 gallon electric water heater and a water softener. They had a plumber come to replace the anode rod and he rounded the top of it off and then told it's basically my parents problem now and said he would fix it and the estimate was $1000.00 to do so. Sorry this is about what to do about the smelly water.just added the plumber thing for anyone to comment on if they think that's what should happen if they screw the job up to begin with.also I think the smell goes away a little after you run water but comes back.

Now my parents are in their late 70's early 80's and are lost on what to do.  Thanks in advance for any help.

If it is indeed coming from the water source.

The term used is “sulfur water” which typically refers to water that has a rotten-egg odor that is caused by hydrogen sulfide.

Odor on hot side only. If the sulfur odor occurs only in the hot water, the most likely source is a reaction between an anode rod in the water heater and natural sulfate ions in the water. An anode rod is made from magnesium or aluminum, and its purpose is to protect the steel water heater tank from corrosion. Magnesium rods are more likely to cause the odor, so the first step would be to replace the magnesium rod with an aluminum rod, if available. If the aluminum rod still produces the odor, the next step would be either to operate the water heater without an anode rod or to remove the sulfate ions.

Removing the anode rod would remove its corrosion protection, potentially shortening the life of the water heater tank. There are FDA-listed corrosion inhibitors we can add to the water to extend the life of the tank.

Removing the sulfate can be accomplished by using a dealkalizer, a system similar in operation and cost to a water softener.

Odor in the cold water that goes away after water flows. In this scenario, the most likely source of the hydrogen sulfide is Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB’s). The bacteria are not considered pathogenic, but the “breathe in” sulfate ions and “breathe out” hydrogen sulfide, just like we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Just like an un-ventilated room full of people can get stuffy after awhile, a section of plumbing where there is no flow can get stinky after a while when SRB’s are present. Therefore, a characteristic of a rotten-egg odor due to SRB’s would be a strong odor in the cold water at first draw (for example, filling the pot for morning coffee), with the odor decreasing as the cold water flows.

Although rare, it is possible for SRB’s to colonize in the water heater tank but nowhere else. The tank holds too much water for the odor to flush out quickly. A relatively-easy test to determine if the water heater tank contains SRB’s is to raise the temperature to 140oF or higher for 48 hours, which will kill the bacteria. If the odor (hot side only) goes away, the odor was due to SRB’s; if not, it is due to the anode rod reaction.

Some laboratories can test for SRB’s, and field test kits also are available. Treatment would consist of shock-chlorination of the well and plumbing, with continuous chlorination if the odor returns too quickly.

Odor in the hot and cold water that does not decrease as the water flows. This is true hydrogen sulfide from the source aquifer. There are a number of treatment methods available, including Water Softener, Sulfur-Cleer and Iron-Cleer filters, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide chemical feed and carbon filtration. The choice will depend on the level of hydrogen sulfide and other contaminants (like iron) in the water as well as the peak flow rate (gallons per minute) and the peak daily water usage (gallons per day).

As with many water problems, the cause(s) may be complex and require in-depth exploration. For hydrogen sulfide, that exploration starts with finding the source.


Do I need more than just Drylok to insulate concrete basement walls before framing out some walls? I have a large unfinished basement. Concrete blocks walls. French drain. All but the top 18 inches or so are underground.

It's got great potential to be finished (9 foot ceilings).

The basement has a sump pump, which kicks on any time it rains. The concrete clearly sweats in certain areas. In one corner, there is a hole in the concrete at the very bottom about a dime size which trickles water after it rains. The water trickles down the french drain and finds its way out through the sump pump. In my 3 years at the house I haven't seen the water rise over the french drain, even during the heaviest downpours, but I admit it's a little disconcerting to hear water trickling into the basement whenever it rains.

Last summer I put Drylok on every inch of the concrete wall. 2 coats on the bottom half.

I'm thinking about getting some metal studs, framing out some walls, and making a kids room, family room, and bar area.

My questions are:

Do I need to put foam or some other sort of vapor barrier on the (already Drylok'ed) concrete walls before the studs go up? Or is the Drylok enough?
Is it OK that water will be trickling in behind the wall in that one area? I realize its wise to put a battery backup on the sump pump, plus I have a backup generator, but is there something that needs to done before finishing the basement, or can I live with the water getting in just as long as the sump pump gets it out?
Is it OK to use metal studs to frame it out? Seems like the way to go given the moisture, but also it just seems easier to manage than cutting so much wood.
If you were me how would you proceed to get the basement ready for finishing?

The right way to do it is to have the outside entrenched and have any cracks patched with hydraulic concrete, drylock and delta board, as well as having new weeping tile put in below the footings.  Unfortunately, this will cost you about $100 - $150 a linear foot.

Then I'd go with closed cell spray foam on the inside.  Metal studs are fine in this case, as you're going to stud out an inch or two away from the wall so they can spray in behind.  (Note: wiring and plumbing go in before the foam.)

Like I said, this is a very expensive process, but it will be done right, and it will last for a very long time.


Letting fresh air through a window without letting noise in I live in an apartment and it's pretty noisy outside, so I usually keep my windows closed. It does get pretty stuffy inside though, so I'm wondering if there's a way to get air through the window without letting a lot of noise in.

I've seen some portable air conditioners have a vent sticking out the window -- would something like that allow air to come in, but not noise? (presumably with the fan blowing air inside instead of outside)

I live in a moderate temperature area, so there's no central heating / cooling and it's fine to leave the window open at any time.

Short of replacing your window with a duct with several turns, lined with sound baffles, you aren't going to get quiet.

Human ear is amazingly sensitive.  30 db is a very quiet country side.  Flies buzzing, birds chirping.  Office is about 70 db  40 db difference doesn't sound like much, but it's a log scale.  That office is a thousand times noisier.

3 db is a factor of 2 in noise.  That is detectable as being quieter.  Just.

To make a meaningful difference you have to take at least 10 db (factor of 10) to 12 db (factor of 16)  This is difficult.

Windows that are designed to reduce sound are made of heavy glass, are double pane, and one pane is thicker than the other, they are mounted in a way that isolates them from each other and from the frame.

Ducts that reduce noise transmission are lined with irregular chunks of foam, and have several corners with T's so that the air has to corner while the sound goes straight.  Hard to do well.

More information:  Research sound stage building design.

What you can do is mask it.  Get a set of external speakers you can plug into your phone, and get a recording of surf, or babbling brook, or wind in the pines.


having to cycle switch to get fluorescent lights to come on In our kitchen are 2 two fixtures that hold 4 48in tubes. There are two switches for these lights. We have to cycle the switch several times to get them to fully light. It does it with both switches. This doesn't happen every time. Maybe 50% of the time. My Husband has checked the ballast temp. and it is always good. No buzzing or flickering when lights are on. They also stay on once they light up. He took all 8 tubes out and found they all have loose pins, really loose. They wobble around. They do not have starters. He thinks this is our problem. My question is how did all 8 tubes develope loose pins? Is he right? I don't want to waste money on something we don't need.

Fluorescent tubes should NOT be loosy-goosy in their sockets (lampholders aka "tombstones").

The "tombstones" use one of several pretty much standard designs.  1000bulbs.com sells them, the most common one at 60 cents each, many hardware stores have the common types as well.

If you see black bands on the ends of the fluorescent tubes, or you just know them to be very old, it may be the tubes.

If the ballast is a bulky, heavy thing, it's high time to replace it with a modern electronic ballast.  The electronic ballast will cure cold-start problems and eliminate all flicker.  It, plus the modern 90 CRI bulbs, make fluorescent rather wonderful lighting.  The fact that you can get reliable, top-tier versions of ballasts and tubes very cheaply, has encouraged me to keep fluorescent instead of crashing headlong into LED.

If each socket has 2 wires, then you want a rapid-start or programmed-start ballast that wires the same way.  If the ballast only sends 1 wire to each socket, then you are stuck with an instant-start ballast (unless you want to change all the tombstones; then you can convert to rapid-start).

They make ballasts that support up to 4 tubes. You can go with T8 or T12 ballast, as fits your preference for tubes; either tube type will fit your fixture, but the tube must match the ballast.  T12 is obsolete and that will impact tube variety and price in the future.

Most 4-tube fixtures will let you use 2 ballasts; that's nice when you want to have a bright/dim setting.  I like having 3 tubes on 1 ballast and 1 tube on the other, with a pull switch on the 3-tube ballast; that gives you high and low.  (light is logarithmic so cutting wattage by 75% feels like about half light).

If your lights are hardwired, fit a ballast disconnect plug on the hot and neutral wires from supply.  This is a Code requirement now.

You can also use LED "tubes" instead of actual fluorescent tubes.  If you do, you want ballast-bypass types that feed hot and neutral to opposite ends of the tube (because the ones that feed the same end won't work on 1-wire tombstones), and I don't want 120/230V on 2 pins that close together.   You use ballast-bypass, wiring hot and neutral to the tube sockets directly, so that you don't have to continue maintaining the ballast.


What is the difference between the filter on my furnace and an Air Exchanger? I live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) and the allergy season has started for me. It is so bad that I am thinking about getting an air exchanger for next year. The house I live in was built in 2007. It has a standard gas furnace and the furnace has a large 20 x 25 x 4 filter attached to it (I change the filter twice a year).

What is the difference between the filter attached on my furnace and an air exchanger? Are they doing the same thing? Would I get much better air in the house with an air exchanger? Is it worth getting an air exchanger?

Thank you!

Do you mean HRV/ERV? They won't help with allergens. In fact they are likely to make the situation worse. Their job is to bring in fresh air and pre condition it with the outgoing air. They do have filters but they are just to protect the exchange core. If your allergic reactions are due to pollen and the like an HRV will make it worse as the equipped filter is not a MERV rated filter. You would be better off installing a whole house HEPA unit.

Duct mount HEPA

Elecro-Air Five Seasons

I've installed lots of these. You would leave the furnace fan running constantly as well as the HEPA filter fan. There are much better options available from IQAir but they are very expensive.


Mounting Computer Under Particle Board Desk I would like to mount a computer under a desktop made from particle board, the desktop is 1/2 inch thick, the computer plus mount weighs about 25lbs. Would the particle board hold?

How could I mount the computer to the underside of the desk and ensure it doesn't fall and break?

While there's no problem mounting things to particle board as others have described, 1/2" is just too thin to work with. I would mount another board under your desk using construction or wood glue, at least doubling the current thickness of the top.

After that has set up for a day, I'd mount with 3/4" screws (or longer, depending on final thickness), properly piloted.

I've mounted many things to 3/4" particle board from below, including dual coat hooks that my kids have used for years. 1/2" just doesn't offer enough grab. It's likely that the screws will pull out a layer of material when it all comes crashing down.


Can I have a shared exhaust flue for a high efficiency furnace and tankless water heater? I recently purchased and am installing a 96% efficiency two-stage gas furnace. The old unit was an 80% efficiency unit using a 4" metal flue. This flue merges the exhaust of both the hot water heater and the old furnace.

With the new furnace however, I need to switch to 2" PVC and I am unable to connect this to the metal exhaust as the condensate created by the higher efficiency furnace is corrosive and will cause the exhaust flue to rust and create a carbon monoxide hazard.

As it so happens, however, I have been wanting to upgrade to a tankless hot water heater. I am aware that there are condensing and non-condensing tankless models, and that the condensing models also use 2" PCV.

Would it be safe to join the exhausts similar to the old setup with this configuration? Or do I need to run two separate exhausts? If I can merge the exhausts of these two appliances, Do I need to go larger above the y joint? How large? Would 3" be sufficient?

In answering @Harper-ReinstateMonica's question in the comments, I stumbled across something on page 12 of the manual which states "never common vent this appliance with another appliance or use a vent which is used by a solid fuel appliance."

So it looks like it common venting with a tankless condensing water heater would be generally unsafe, is not recommended by the manufacturer, and may be against code.


Cantilevered roof overhangs Are there good options for attaching roof eaves/overhangs essentially as cantilevered beams with a fixed support? This is a monoslope (lean-to) roof with a 2:12 pitch (~9.46 deg), unheated structure, and I'd like to "bury" the rafters so that they hang more like ceiling/floor joists instead of sitting on top of the carrying beams.

The design roof load is 90 psf (dead + snow load) and the rafters are spaced 24" O.C., overhangs are 2', thus each eave has a load tributary area of 4 sq ft and needs to carry 360 lb.

Can I use something like this rafter connector? Will that meet code?

Another option I thought about is attaching the eave rafter with a couple of bolts through the carrying beam:

Is there a name for this type of connection? I'm not quite sure how to evaluate the stress.

We don't know the distance from the 4x12 beam over to the next support. So, we don't know the load (tributary load in pounds per linear foot) on the 4x12 and therefore we don't know how much, if any, the 4x12 can be notched.

However, assuming you have calculated the Total Load (LL + DL) correctly at 90 psf, then a No. 1 Doug. Fir 2x8 at 24" o.c. with a load of 90 lbs. per square foot (180 plf) can span a maximum of 9'-0" with a bending stress of fb = 1500 and modulus of elasticity = 1.4.  If you need the 2x8 joist to span further, you could span 11'-0" at 16" o.c. Or span 12'-0" at 12" o.c. (This does not account for "short duration loading" (snow that lasts less than 30 days) or "impact loading" (snow that lasts less than 7 days) like where I live.

Therefore, to determine if the 4x12 beam is adequate, I calculated the maximum tributary load on the 4x12, which is half the 9' span plus the 2' overhang, which is:
4.5' + 2' = 6.5' x 90 psf = 585 plf
The maximum load on a 4x12 spanning 10' is about 700 plf (Therefore, the 4x12 is slightly over sized and can be notched...if the 2x8's only span 9', which I'm guessing they are over stressed.)

So, I think there are 3 options:

Option 1: The 2x8 joists are in "reverse-bending" as they pass over the 4x12 beam. So, the top half of the joist is in tension and the bottom half is in compression. If you carefully notch the bottom one-third of each 2x8 so that the joist fits tight over the 4x12, then the overhang won't sag or fail.

Option 2: if you lower the 4x12 enough to let the 2x8 joists to sit on the 4x12, there would be no need to notch the joists.

Option 3: The 4x12 is slightly over designed, you could notch the 4x12 beam a maximum of 2" (making the beam an equivalent of a 4x10).

Note: In your original statement you indicated that the total load is 90 psf. This seems extremely high. Did you mean 90 plf on the 2x8 joists. If so, that would make the snow load 40 psf, which is high, but reasonable. (Meanwhile, I'd double check the span of those 2x8's.)


Should I open my AC register in the basement to help with condensation? Really hot in NJ this week, excessive heat warnings, and the like.

Daytime Temp: 96 degrees
Daytime Humidity: 55%
Feels Like: 105 degrees

Nighttime Temp: 79 degrees
Nighttime Humidity: 87%
Feels Like: 87 degrees

We live in a two-story colonial with a basement. We have a single unit two-zone system (with dampers to separate the 2nd floor from the 1st/basement). We keep the upstairs temperature set at around 75-76, and the downstairs temperature around 78-80.

Humidity sensor in the basement reads between 50-55%. I know above 55 is a mold threat. The unit is in an unfinished storage area.

We just bought the house this past December, it's our first summer in the house. There are decent amounts of condensation forming on some of the vents and the main unit (mostly above the inside unit and ducts to the 2nd floor. Obviously, it's working really hard to keep up with the high temps outside.

I moved some stuff out of the way and put some buckets down to catch the drips. There is a register on one of the main branches of ductwork.

Here is a video of my AC unit, the condensation, and the register.

................................................

Should I open up a register in the unfinished basement storage area where the AC/Furnace is kept to help with the condensation problem?

(And should I leave the door to the unfinished room open or closed too?)

Edit: I already have one dehumidifier running, added a second one last night.

Update: I opened the vent, increased the temp on the thermostat and ran a second dehumidifier. There was still some condensation, but nowhere near as much as the previous day.

My recommendation would be to run a de-humidifier in the house to control the excess humidity. If you do not want the noise in the living space as I did not then I would put the de-humidifier in the basement. You should open 2 registers in the basement and have at least 2 floor level return grills to circulate air in the basement. Set the de-humidifier at a comfortable level and now you can control the excess humidity. This is what I did and it works great. My de-humidifier is a 70 pint model bought at the 1 of the big box stores.


Kitchen Remodel Order of Operations We're looking into doing a basic remodel of our kitchen: replace current tile with new tile, reface cabinets (maybe replace a couple of cabinets), replace back-splash and replace the counter-top. We're on a budget and we won't be doing it all at the same time. Most likely during the span of 12-18 months.

My question (challenge) is: what is the best order for these jobs in order to minimize the risk of having to break or redo any of the previous work.

Thanks for your help,

PS I'd be willing to live with some broken/unfinished portions in between the jobs if it can prevent any rework.

Here's my order:

Make any changes to the walls, upgrade wiring, lighting, etc. I prime my walls at this point, it cuts down on dust and gets paint in places you can't reach later.
Cabinets
Counter top (this will take time)
Backsplash
Paint
Flooring (I prefer flooring outside of cabinets)
Install appliances
Trim (typically painted separately and touched up after installing)

I personally move the refrigerator and microwave into another area as a temporary kitchen. Then either rig up the sink with a temporary setup (old piece of counter top or plywood) or use a bathroom.


How to attach quarter-round molding to the base of a shower stall Looking to attach this quarter-round to the shower stall.
Should I glue and should there be a gap for caulk. Don’t think I can nail as concrete flooring below laminate. If gluing, should I glue to floor and caulk to stall or glue both? Worried about floor movement if glued to floor.

Is that wood quarter round? I would encourage you not to use that and find PVC quarter round if you insist.
For install I would first silicone the end of the laminate gap where it butts into the pan and let it dry. Then attach the quarter round with a bead polyurethane construction adhesive to the pan only on the vertical surface, or better yet schluter kerdi-fix if you can find it. Then silicone the edges and hope there is enough allowance for movement. Ideally there would not caulk the gap with the laminate but I would be more worried about water intrusion than expansion and contraction.


What are the best options to repair this kind of damage in my bathtub? Please let me know in the comments if any other information is
  required to understand the issue or help one construct a good answer.

I've reviewed other questions regarding bathtubs without success. The current tub covering appears very thin. I've had some experience with a spray on product (can't recall the name).

However, I am concerned with the possibility that I ought to somehow strip the material off the existing tub surface before putting on anything new. Any insight or advice would be much appreciated.

Background

(per request in comments)

We've had this house for 10 years. We didn't really notice the peeling on the side but the one around the drain began just a few months ago. The covering seems very thin as the picture indicates and the tub itself does appear that it might be fiberglass. We've never applied any finish to this tub so I don't have much more history there.

In my personal experience, you can paint it any way you like and it will peel off again, sooner or later. The tub is not well made in the first place if it's separating like that, and this may be aggravated by being installed without proper support, so it flexes. But at more than 10 years old you're not going to get satisfaction from the manufacturer, if they even admit who they are.

That pretty much leaves the tub overlay (an expensive in the cash sense, yet cheap in the quality sense, even thinner plastic liner) and the unpleasant but effective (and generally cheaper if you DIY than the overlay) replacing the tub, with all the joy that implies for the surrounding tilework. If you go that way, at least pour a plaster support bed under any fiberglass/plastic tub, or give some serious thought to a cast iron tub - no fun to move but hard to damage once installed.


Code-compliant undercabinet light wiring I have 6 LED undercabinet lights that I plan to link together and power using a switched outlet. The lights use SPT-2 linking cables with proprietary connectors that aren't long enough to link the lights so that the cord is hidden. I would like to use a spool of SPT-2 wire to connect these lights, but according to the NEC, SPT-2 wire can't be spliced (I would need to splice to connect the lights with the proprietary connectors; essentially I am just extending the linking cables). Can SPT-2 wire connections be made in a UL-compliant junction box mounted to the underside of the cabinets?

Here's an example of the junction box: https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Direct-Wire-Linkable-Fixture-Junction-Converter-Box-White-39971/304228493

This box is intended for the connection of AC power to the proprietary connectors, but I was wondering if I could use several of these boxes to make connections between SPT-2 wire and the linking cables. I am not sure if this would constitute a violation of code. Linking cables are available on Amazon, but they aren't long enough.

Edit: here's the lights I'm using - https://byjasco.com/honeywell-18in-linkable-plug-led-under-cabinet-fixture

You'll need a different box

The fixtures you're looking at use a different converter box than what you have linked.  In particular, you'll need a Jasco 44130 box in order to transition from the connectors on the lights you've linked to permanent wiring. For your application, you'll need one of those boxes at each end of the connection, with a Chapter 3 wiring method between them, such as 14/2 NM cable if the wiring is concealed appropriately, or a surface raceway (Wiremold) with 14AWG stranded THHNs in it if you want to run exposed wiring box to box.


Optimizing heating in a heat-pump + electric resistive system Outside, I have a LENNOX 13hpx-036-230-17 compressor:

Inside, the air handler is a LENNOX CBX25UH-036-230-1:

The air handler lists 36,000 BTUH cooling capacity, with r410a at 450psi, cust part # 79w36.  I have electric backup heating.  (I believe two radiant coils because there are two large (30 and 60A) double pole breakers.)

I have a few questions as a homeowner to help protect the equipment, and run it as efficiently as possible:

Is there any minimum outdoor temperature for operating this unit as a heat-pump, below which damage is significantly more likely to occur?
Is there any minimum outdoor temperature for operating this unit as a heatpump, below which is it less than 100% efficient?

i.e. I know that radiant/resistive heating strips are 100% efficient at creating heat from electricity, and heat-pumps are something like 300-500% efficient because they move more heat from outside than they produce themselves.  I know that heat pump efficiency decreases as outdoor temperature drops.

Is there some sort of formula or table that shows the relation between temperature and efficiency?
Is the Heat-pump's heating capacity the same as the listed cooling capacity? (36kbtuh)  What is a good way to measure this if I want to monitor its proper operation over time?
When should I expect it to enter defrost mode?  (Is it based on a timer, temperature sensor, weight sensor, or something else?)
Do you recommend any sort of awning above the outside unit to keep snow and freezing precipitation off of it?  Or any shielding from nearby dryer exhausts?
Are the indoor fans in systems like these of negligible amperage, and simply thrown on to one of the electric heating element breakers?  Or is my fan likely the 30 A breaker and I have a single coil?

I would like to use my system as long as it will last, as efficiently as possible.

FOLLOWUP:

I got the original installer to come on site and help answer these questions.  They showed me how to deduce what coil package was installed:

They said that my unit will sense if it is too cold to run, and shut down on its own, but my climate basically never gets that cold.  Also, that my unit is always >100% efficient.  Even if there's no heat to pump from outside to inside, it will pump its own waste-heat inside.

They said my unit ships with a 90 minute defrost cycle, and they adjust it to 60 or 30 minutes.  I have bought and will be installing a 'demand defrost' system from Mike MacFarland/EnergyDocs:

This will radically reduce the number of times my system defrosts, extending its life, and reducing wasted energy.  The $135 cost should pay back in 2-4 years depending on how cold my winters are.

My installer also indicated it was common practice to put the fan on the smaller of the two breakers, as it is considered negligible power draw.

In my main panel, I have two double pole breakers for the furnace/air handler.  60A for stage 1 resistive heat, 30A for stage 2.  Then an additional 30A double pole for the compressor outside.

No. You may risk damaging your unit by running it in cooling mode when it is too cold out (although some systems have safeties around this), but heating in low temperatures should not damage the system.
No. A correctly functioning heat pump should not ever drop below 100% efficiency.
This is dependent upon the specific heat pump model. Often, manufacturers provide charts/graphs describing the efficiency at different temperatures, but I do not see one available for yours. Two data points are specified; at 47f it is rated at a COP of 3.5 (or 350% electrical efficiency), and 17F a COP of 2.42.
No, but the heating capacity is often close, in mild weather. Yours is rated at 33,400 BTU/h at 47f and 21,400 BTU/h at 17f. Measuring this requires two temperature sensors (before and after the coil) and an accurate airflow measurement.
Your system defrosts on a timer, after 30/60/90 minutes of compressor run time, depending on a jumper setting. (this is less efficient than smarter systems that detect increased air pressure from from frost blocking air movement through the coils).
Protecting the unit from falling ice from eaves, and from accumulation of snow, is a good idea. However, make sure to leave ample space so that the airflow isn't restricted.
It says on the side that your blower draws up to 2.3 amps.


Ceiling fan/light support hook? just tonight we upgraded our ceiling fan to a ceiling fan/light so can finally have good room-fill in our living-room. However just now (like 2 hours after install) I realized I may have forgotten to install the suport hook so it is only being held up with the 3 screws and the hinge hook on the outside. How critical is it that I pull the screws out and attach that hook if I did in fact forget it?

Quite critical -- an improperly installed fan is a trap waiting to fall on an unsuspecting occupant's head!  I'd fix it straight away (and double check to make sure you didn't damage the parts that are currently holding the ceiling fan up, too)!


Pulling Wires Through a Plastic Tube I have a 2 meters long plastic tube with 8 mm inner diameter, and I need to pull 5 wires with a 6 mm  diameter silicone tube through it. But all the different ways I tried were unsuccessful and It made me really frustrated.

What is the best way you propose for doing this?

I have limits in choosing a larger diameter plastic tube.
As you can see in the picture, although being slightly tight, there is enough space for pulling them through the tube.

Thanks.

If you have access to a shop vac or other vac, try sucking a strong string thru first, then tape the end to your group of wires & tube and pull it thru.   It's helpful to loosely tie some knots on the start of the string to give the vacuum something to "grab on to".


Food safe varnish or paint I'm making a set of drawers that will be used to store food. I'm using plywood and to seal it and make it easier to clean I'd like to use either varnish or if that's not possible, paint. Is there a food safe option for either that I can look for at my local hardware shop?

Apart from anything else I'm after something that won't make all my food smell and taste like paint.

In parts --

The smell from any paint or varnish is a result of outgassing.  Leave the doors open and that should disappear in a week or less.  If it doesn't, or the paint remains "tacky" then strip and redo with fresh paint.

Unless you are storing foodstuffs unbagged, there's no direct contact between food and the drawers, so it's a nonissue.  If you are storing loose items (onions? ) I still strongly doubt any significant material transfer can take place.  If worried, peel and/or wash before use.


Plumbing backup not cleared by auger I'll try to make this short so if more info is needed please ask.  I have a split level house. Two full baths and they are located right above/beneath each other. Periodically I have a back up in the downstairs bathroom which is the last drain connected to my main line. So when upstairs shower is used the downstairs one will begin to fill with water. Or when the downstairs one is used it just fills with water. Very slowly draining out.

I ran a 50ft snake though the downstairs shower assuming it would reach pretty much to the sewer where I believe the clog would have to be to be giving me the problem in having. I pulled some hair out but not enough to convince me I fixed the problem. However it seemed to do the trick for about two weeks. But I'm right back in the same situation now. Main line between house and street was redone due to tree root damage 5 years ago if that means anything. I can't believe roots would grow that fast or create the intermittent problem. I don't have much experience with plumbing but I believe I have common sense.

So just wondering what else it could be or could it have been that the snake and the tip of the snake were to small to really do the job correctly. Any and all info is appreciated.

I think it is time to call a plumber for help. Your snake may not be big enough or long enough. The plumber I use has a snake with a camera so you can see what is in the piping.  By using the camera he can spot any problems that may be lurking underground and fix the problem you are having.


Relatively new concrete porch crack About 6 months ago a contractor poured a concrete slab to serve as a porch. The slab rests directly on the ground and measures 25' by 4' and is 4" thick.

The slab has remesh under it, no gravel, but the area was poorly prepared as evidenced by the edges of the pad where dirt was piled up and it sounds hollow under one corner when you stomp on it. Additionally, the contractor didn't saw any expansion joints.

A 4' hairline crack has appeared that bisects the pad roughly in the middle.
Additionally this crack is right in the area of the entrance to the business.

I'm concerned that the crack will continue to grow as it freezes and thaws and that the pad will continue to degrade.

Should I be concerned about this crack?

Yep, if there wasn't insulation &/or gravel under it, that would cause hollow sounding areas. But, he definitely screwed-up on not doing a control joint...every 10' is normal as well as required for exterior slabs.

However, your best course of action is to cut that crack open. Not actually all of the way through, but at least an inch deep. Control joints are meant to crack & making them in the first place usually ensures that any cracking will happen within them.

Since you only have 1 crack though, then you really don't have any other choice but to take that crack's lead. It would be reasonable to expect that there wouldn't be any other cracks in the future after that stress relief & stress relief focusing measure.


What does "roll" mean in the context of hardwood flooring? I am trying to follow these instructions for hardwood flooring installation.  I do not understand what they mean by "nail the rolls".  I cannot think of anything related to hardwood flooring that would resemble a roll.  Can anyone please explain what is mean by this terminology?

  Step 7: Hand-Nail the Rolls

  After the first few rows have been installed, drill pilot holes down into the tongue of each board and hand-nail the rolls until there is enough clearance for the pneumatic nail gun.

Source: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-install-a-hardwood-floor/index.html#step7

It looks like a typo for rows. Perhaps it was transcribed from a voice recording.


How can I muffle street noise increase from triple-pane windows? We recently had new triple-pane Soft-Lite vinyl windows put in around our house, to replace the older single pane, double hung sash windows that were in place before.  The odd thing is that the house is noticably more noisy now, we live 2 houses away from a semi-major roadway, it's not busy all the time but does get a fair amount of truck-traffic.  I don't get why the triple-pane windows would increase the noise this much, we bought the house because of its convenience to the road but it was really quiet originally.  Doing some spot checks with a Decible-meter we found the levels had gone up but when discussing this with the installers they didn't really have an answer.

Would there be a cause for this due to either the window boxes being removed and the current windows being slightly smaller?  I am thinking the frames may not be that soundproof and we are getting noise through those.  Or perhaps the insulation around the new window boxes is not sufficient.  Maybe losing the storm windows has lessened the sound proofing, still triple pane argon gas windows should not increase the noise levels - at least I would guess not.  While its nice to be more energy efficient, I don't want that to be dampened by increase traffic noise.

Single glazing with storm windows absorbs sound reasonably well, I would not expect a huge decrease in sound level with triple glazing, but certainly not an increase. Single glazing alone is another story, it's sound absorption is terrible.

The increased sound is certainly due to the frames and adjacent construction. While there is often a correlation between thermal loss and sound transmission, sound is much trickier to manage well. It is sometimes counter intuitive. The construction joints must be carefully detailed. The general concept is to avoid any solid connection between inner and outer surfaces. Any connections should be via resilient, absorbent materials. Typically, you want to fill any voids with sound insulation, though in some cases this has been worse than a simple air gap.

Also consider exterior sound attenuators. Walls, fences, trellises, large shrubs, trees, berms all will help attenuate sound, but when you consider cost vs. benefits, such measures need to be carefully considered.


Air Quality Concern in Apartment I just moved to a new, old apartment.  At first I did not notice anything, however I am now smelling an old, greasy, cigarette sort of smell in the kitchen near the stove and stove vent.  I understand not everything being perfectly clean.  However, after taking apart the entire vent yesterday, cleaning it with germicide, degreaser, lemons, limes, and more, and fanning the entire apartment, the smell has returned.  I stained a coffee table yesterday, which may be the source of my cough, however I have noticed I am coughing much more often when I'm in the kitchen.  A similar sort of smell appears when I run the fan in the bathroom upstairs.

My main questions:

How should I approach this problem with management?  This is my first apartment, so I have not encountered this situation before.  I sent an email before posting this, which I now regret (since I should have listened to advice first).
Is it worth purchasing something to monitor the air quality?  I've found some devices on Amazon for about $200.  I'm a paranoid person, but I'm scared I may be exposed to something dangerous (who knows).
What's the best way to tell if I am actually exposed to something dangerous?  I have cleaned absolutely everything I can think of over the last week.  I don't know if it's the result of all of the cleaning products, I'm just getting sick and falsely associating it with the smell of the kitchen, or something else.

Thanks!

It sounds like the range hood duct wasn't quite airtight, and some grease has escaped into the guts of the structure it was running through.  This type of IAQ problem is basically a nuisance -- it's easy enough to fix by removing the culprit grease buildup from wherever it is, although finding it may be a hassle and may require management to dispatch someone to help by getting into the wall/ceiling cavities (which is where this grease buildup most likely is, either that or inside the motor).  Also, seal the range hood duct with some high-temp foil tape while you're at it, and make sure there aren't random greasy buildups behind the stove or wherever.

I wouldn't focus on IAQ monitoring -- the best approach to air quality problems isn't to monitor, lab test, or even ventilate, it's to follow your nose to the source and eradicate it.  Quoting Max von Pettenkofer:

  If there is a pile of manure in a space, do not try to remove the odor by ventilation. Remove the pile of manure.

For more information, I would suggest reading the work of folks who have more experience with this than I, namely BSI-017 on why IAQ problems aren't going to be fixed with fancy tests, and BSI-070 on why venting isn't an answer to everything.