Installing a Tension Chin Up Bar - Can I Use Shims to Minimize the Pressure on the Drywall? I bought a tension chin up bar and went to use it on drywall and it punctured the drywall and I came crashing down. Would shims minimize the pressure or spread it to prevent this from happening. Plus could I build brackets for further reinforcement?product link follows

As you have found out there needs to solid structure in the wall behind the drywall, I.E. a stud. Typically these are mounted in doorways that have solid structure and i am not sure where you are mounting yours.
A stud  in a wall is only 1 1/2" ( " = inch ) wide so the bar would need to be perfectly center, but even if centered the whole width of the mounting plate of the bar may not be on the stud and drywall is relatively soft so the movement of you on the bar could cause the bar to weaken the drywall.
Studs are usually spaced 16" on center, so A better approach would be to use a thick board to span across some structure, two studs. (or what ever structure you are dealing with, adjust the mounting board accordingly)
A 2"x 6" board 18" or 20" in length would span two studs. You need to find the center of each stud so you can screw the board into them.If you do not have a stud finder then you can find YouTube videos to learn alternative methods.  Mark the center of each with tape. place the board on the wall so it spans the studs and transfer the mark on the tape to the board.
Pre-drill your board with drill bit just smaller then the thickness of the screw, place the board on the wall, position the board so the holes line up with the marked tape on the wall, use a level. (You can eyeball it if you need or use a tape measure from the ceiling)  The board opposite it will need to be in the exact same height/position. Use a drill bit slightly less then half the thickness of the screws  to punch through the holes in the board, this will mark the wall where you need to   pre-drill the wall/studs.
Pre-drill the drywall/studs to 1 3/4", put tape on you drill bit so you know when to stop drilling. You can skip the pre-drilling of the wall if you have an impact driver and you use torx head screws. (Phillips head screws suck) Mount your boards to the walls and mount your bar to the boards.
EDIT: After thinking about this a bit it occurred to me that your shim idea May (?) be sufficient Without the need for fasteners to screw it into the studs. Use a large thick square board, pinch it between the ends of the bar and the wall. You do  want to make sure that you are centered over a stud otherwise you could punch an 8 inch hole into the wall instead of the smaller one  you already did.


Changing a 4 wire supply to a 3 wire plug I have a very thick 4 wire supply coming from my panel and a 50 amp breaker that went directly to my hot tub. I no longer have the hot tub. The wires are caped and the breaker is off. I want to use the existing 4 wire supply that is already ran and put a plug on the end to use for various tools, log splitter, skill saws, ect. Can this be done without changing everything? Thanks for your knowledge. Phil J.

Sure. You could use the existing feeder to supply a main lug panel, then install individual 20 ampere breakers in the panel. Use the 20 ampere branch circuits to supply receptacles, where you can connect your tools.

Check with your local building department, and/or a licensed Electrician, to flesh out all the details. You'll want to make sure the job is done properly, and up to current code.


Portable indoor heater for emergency I am looking to buy a gas based indoor heater that I can use in emergency. I have an existing gas log fireplace but it is not modern and I am worried that in an emergency it will lead to a loss of heat overall (since the warm air when it goes up will pull air from inside the house).

Has anyone come across any safe to use indoor heating solution? I have seen propane heaters but they are only recommended to use in indoor construction environments.

You could install a direct vent, wall mounted, sealed combustion, heater that requires no electricity and can be fired with your existing natural gas service or a separate propane source fuel. They are readily available through a myriad of supply houses like Home Depot, Lowes, Graingers, E'bay, Amazon and local contractors. They come in almost any size you would want. For more information just use your computer search engine. This of course would not be portable but would give you heat in an emergency and would not need any electricity unless you added an optional blower fan.


I can't work out what this switch is for In my new home, on onr 1 wall, there is the switch shown below.

I would have assumed it was for an electric fireplace, but there are no signs around it at all.

what is this switch most likely for?
Please note it wasn't us who splattered pain all over it.

In the UK, switches with fuses are normally used for high-power and/or permanently wired appliances such as heating systems, electric-showers, ovens and so on.

It is possible your consumer unit (AKA distribution board or fusebox) has a circuit labelled for that outlet. I would check that and try to match up every circuit.

A normal small UK home might have

downstairs ring-main
upstairs ring main
downstairs lighting
upstairs lighting
central heating
kitchen (electric oven, hob etc)
electric shower
garage

If there is something extra it might be associated with your mystery-switch.

Fused switches are usually located right next to the appliance they control e.g. next to oven, next to immersion heater.

The fused switch seems to be in an awkward location for anything outside the room (e.g. outside floodlights, immersion heater on other side of wall).

Perhaps a voltage or metal detector will detect that the switched live wire leads to a spot on the wall where an electric fire has been removed?


Which is the load bearing wall? We are looking to add a door to a wall in our basement and wanted to see what was possible by figuring out what wall is the load bearing wall. Both walls are perpendicular to the joists. The wall on the right in the first pic extends the length of the house and is nearly dead in the center of the house. I would assume this is load bearing?

The second wall and the wall we want to put a door into only runs about 2/3rds of the length of the basement and is not centered.

The ceilings are short down there and there are not room for a beam to cover the spans where the wall isn't on the photo above. Am I right to think that this wall is not supporting our house?

You cannot really tell what is load bearing or not just from pictures of finished space. Your best bet would be if there were blue prints of the original build of the house to to analyze. Walls perpendicular to joists can very well be load bearing if there are joist that span to that partition and then overlap with another that extends to the next supporting wall.
There could be other factors to consider such as these for some examples:

Shorter joists were used in some instances so that they could take more load from the floor above.
The wall may be located directly under a partition wall on the floor above that is itself a supporting wall.


Apparently stripped holes in dryer door hinges I removed  the door of an OLD Maytag dryer(DG408) to repair the latching mechanism. I followed Youtube repair video (that was linked to the repair part on order site) step by step, worked like a charm.
However, when I went to go reinstall door, ALL FOUR of the hinge screws just spin in the holes. I can take screws with my hand and push in and out - nothing grabs whatsoever. They were the only screws removed so I know I didn't mix them up.
Initially removed screws easily with a manual screwdriver, supporting door to be sure I didn't bend anything. Holes and screws are tiny, can detect nothing behind them or see any threads, though holes are so tiny I'm not sure. (Photos below)
I am wondering if the previously posted solution,  by "Fred" I think,  to a similar question asked by "Tiffany  in 2019 would work? Here's what it said:

take the good screws to a local hardware store and ask for a matching
tap to clean or re-tap the threads in the door. The hardware store
person should find a nut to fit the screw, identifying the thread as
metric or SAE and then match the tap tool accordingly.
For a one-off task such as this, you can get away without a tap
handle. Use an adjustable wrench set to match the flats on the tap,
place the tap in the hole and attempt to start the cutting threads to
match the probably-damaged threads in the dryer wall. Because the
threads were there previously, you won't have to use the forward
half-turn, backwards quarter-turn practice used for tapping a drilled
hole. A bit of lubricant would be useful, a light oil or even motor
oil.

Any help GREATLY appreciated.

(

The hinge screws do not engage threads in the sheet metal of the front panel, they are bolts designed to be held in place by nuts, which fell down inside your dryer when you removed the door.
Well, not nuts exactly. The retaining parts are actually small metal plates, one per hinge, with two threaded holes each, that align with the holes in the front panel.
You will have to remove the front panel to install the door. Fortunately this is very easy: remove the two screws near the bottom of the panel, pull the bottom of the panel out, and slide the panel down to disengage it at the top. Disconnect the door switch wires and remove them from the front panel.
Find the retaining plates that have fallen down inside the dryer. It should be obvious how to use these to attach the door to the front panel. A dab of construction adhesive or contact cement might help hold the plates in place during assembly.
Don't forget to re-connect the door switch wires. Close the door before installing the front panel; this job does not require any comic relief.


What can be sprayed over ceiling mastic? I want to spray a ceiling to seal it and possibly also obscure the uneven surface but am unsure what will stick well.
This ceiling assumably used to have tiles. There is an array of thick glue-like blobs over drywall. I believe this mastic could be unsafe to leave exposed and unsafe to scrape or sand, in addition to being a lot of work.
I have an airless paint sprayer and can rent a large texture sprayer for cheap. The question is, what will adhere to this ceiling and not fall off? Can I spray drywall mud, then primer, then knockdown texture, then latex paint? Are there special products that might bond better than the drywall mud?

Acrylic admix is a liquid additive formulated to increase bonding performance when mixed with joint compounds or texture when additional adhesion may be required or when applying over questionable surfaces. It seems to work for this purpose.


How to remove built-in shelf without damaging I have an angled shelf I'd like to remove from an old built-in unit in the house. However, I can't see how it is secured. It is solid wood and is very sturdy. Appears to be some glue at the seams (last pic). Attached are some pictures. Would like to do the least amount of damage possible.

https://ibb.co/BNXqQQt
https://ibb.co/7pBgcXN
https://ibb.co/8PznNJD
https://ibb.co/D72Ypvn

Hard to tell how it's attached without taking it apart. It can't be just glue, so there must be something else. Could be dowels. Could be screws (in which case, the heads might be visible on the other side of the upright, where the piano book is sitting)

That shelf is a permanent part of the house, it wasn't built to be removable. It's going to be really difficult to remove, and there's no way to avoid leaving ugly scars behind. If I were you, I'd just leave it.

If you insist, then maybe you could use a flush-cut saw (and hope there aren't any screws or other metal in there).


How bad is this siding? Here is the house siding that I did not notice for many years

Does it look like the whole siding is rotting here?
Should I replace the entire siding?
Or is it OK to replace just the bad parts?

By the way, this is the house I am selling and one potential buyer already pointed me out. I am wondering if it is a quick fix or heavy fix.

I'd only replace all of the siding if ANY of the following is true:

At least 30 percent of the boards are visibly and significantly damaged. If you only have a few boards showing signs of rot, it's not a big deal.
There is evidence that the damage was caused by an insect infestation. That would mean that the damage results not from simple, unavoidable weathering, but by a more serious issue.
There is water penetration and resulting damage behind the siding (either inside the walls, or -- worse -- into the interior of your home). If the damage is limited to the siding itself, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Absent any of these conditions, I wouldn't be too worried. Unless you are diligent about keeping it painted, all wood siding will rot a bit eventually, especially near the ground where it gets wet (and it doesn't take much paint loss to allow moisture into the boards and cause the damage you are seeing). Unless the problem has progressed to the point that it has become severe (affecting a large portion of boards, allowing water inside the building envelope or inviting insect infestation), then fixing it should be as simple as replacing any individual boards that are badly damaged, then putting a new coat of paint on the siding.

Contractors, Realtors and many home inspectors will likely encourage you to replace all of the siding, because they are incentivized in different ways to do so. (Contractors want to do the job; Realtors will be able to sell your house more quickly and easily if you do a full replacement, even if the cost of repairs won't be recouped in the sale; home inspectors are incentivized to find "problems" that their clients -- the home buyers -- use to negotiate a price reduction.) I'd resist their recommendations unless you have good reason to believe that full replacement is warranted. If they disagree, ask them to show you a house with wood siding that was built at least twenty years ago and does not have a bit of rot here and there.


hanging long shelves on a mobile home wall I live in a 1988 Fleetwood manatee mobile home. I'm trying to hang long shelves 8ft long x 12inches, every anchor that I have tried to put in comes out. So how do I add this shelves on my old mobile home walls?

Mobile homes have vertical studs just like a wood frame house. These may be 2x3" x ~8 ft rather than 2x4" as in a fixed structure, but they will still support a shelf if done properly for the expected load on the shelf. The studs will be 16" apart or 24" apart.

You must locate the studs and attach the fasteners through the finished wall (paneling or drywall) into the studs. Also be sure you do not drill into an electrical wire in making holes for the fasteners.

An electronic stud finder is useful to locate the studs, but it does take practice to learn how to use these correctly. Some people use magnets to find the studs by finding the nails used to attach the interior finish wall panels to the studs. Some people can locate the studs by rapping on the wall with their knuckles.

Addition

Electrical boxes for receptacles or wall switches in houses are usually attached to the sides of studs so if you have a receptacle under where the shelf is to be, then there would be a stud on one side or the other of the receptacle. But in at least some mobile homes the receptacles are not attached to studs.  In any case once you find a stud by some means you would look for other studs 16" (center-to-center) away on both sides, but the distance between studs is not always 16" and some framing is 24" on centers.


Wiring a Generator to Main Breaker Panel I'm attempting to wire a generator to my main panel.  I was expecting a separate grounding point and neutral in my panel.  It appears as though there isn't separate connections for each.  It looks as though both the grounds and the neutrals are connected to the same terminal.  I have read that this is acceptable in the main panel.  I just wanted clarification before going further.  Should both the white and bare wire be connected to the same vertical terminal while the remaining wires connect to the double pole?

Note - the generator is being connected in the bottom left position...  See picture for details. I will be adding an interlock to the panel to prevent the main from being on at the same time as the generator. Its a predator 8750. The main is 200.

The 4 Rules of Standby Generator Hookups
There are four rules that must be followed in order to have a safe and Code-compliant generator hookup:

There must be a positive mechanical means preventing the generator from backfeeding the mains (such as the interlock kit that's headed your way, when correctly installed)
The generator-to-house connection must use all four wires (both hots, neutral, and ground)
The generator must plug into an inlet (not a receptacle outlet) on the outside of the house (live mains on exposed metal is a recipe for waking up wearing a halo and wings, and so is running a generator anywhere where the CO-laden exhaust can get inside)
And the generator and the house cannot both provide a neutral-to-ground bond to the standby loads at the same time

It appears that you have 1 and 2 taken care of, and 3 is not hard (just use the proper inlet box if you don't already have one, it's not that hard to find), but point 4 is where your plans are running aground, in more ways than one.
There Can Only Be One (Neutral-to-Ground Bond)
One of the fundamental rules of grounding is that there must be one, and only one, place in a typical building's electrical system where neutral and ground are connected, or bonded, together.  In most houses and other light-duty buildings, this is done in the main panel; as a result of this, most main breaker panels, yours included, are shipped with their bonding means factory-fitted, and futhermore lack separate ground bars.
As a result of this, both wires can be connected to the same bar, right? Well...it's not that simple.  You see, your main panel provides a neutral-to-ground bond for your house, as it should.  However, your generator also bonds neutral to ground (aka the frame), so that it can provide a properly bonded electrical system when it's being used as a standalone power source, such as on a jobsite.
This leaves us with two options for dealing with the problem.  You can either

Remove the generator's neutral-to-ground bond, or

Set up your standby system for a bonded neutral generator.

We'll cover removing the generator's bond wire first, as that's the more practical option in your case.
Afloat in a sea of neutrals
The first option is to remove the generator's neutral-to-ground bond, thus making your generator a floating neutral generator.  This makes the generator less useful for portable use (as you'll then have to have a way of supplying the neutral-to-ground bond when using it as a portable generator, such as through a L14-30P with a 10AWG wire jumpering N to G that is then plugged into the generator's L14-30R when used as a portable), but would let you use it with your interlock setup (the correct interlock for your panel is a HOMCGK2C, by the way) with no further ado.
The downside here is that you'll need to have your generator spend some quality time with a qualified generator serviceperson for this to happen, as your generator's manual provides neither a wiring diagram nor a procedure for removing the N-G bond for standby usage, and technical support was of no use in that regard either.  Of course, you could return it and get a generator that provides better support for such usage, for that matter.
Giving the neutral the switcheroo
The other option you have is to set up your standby system so that it can work with generators with bonded neutrals.  However, this requires switching the standby neutral between utility and generator power, so that the standby loads are only connected to one neutral-ground bond at any given time.  This is something ordinary breaker interlocks cannot do, as ordinary circuit breakers don't switch the neutral; in fact, there is no such thing as a switching neutral breaker in Square-D Homeline, never mind that Square-D simply does not make a main breaker which switches the neutral wire.
As a result, you'd need to use a separate transfer panel for this route; the XRC0303D (now replaced by the XRK0303D) from the Reliance Panel/Link X series is probably the simplest choice for your application if you want to go down that road, as you can simply transplant your existing Homeline breakers into it for the circuits you wish on generator power.  It does require some rewiring (using a fat nipple between the two panel enclosures and a bunch of THHN to route circuits between the two panels), but would let you use your existing generator, or really any portable generator of suitable wattage, in its factory-stock/unmodified configuration.


Changing old doorbell transformer I'm replacing an old doorbell transformer. After removing the junction box, I have 3 exposed black wires. I have the new transformer with the typical White, Black, Green wiring, but I don't know which wires - if any - to connect the green. I added a photo. Any help would be appreciated.

The bare grounds are buried in the bottom of the box there

Since these are NM-type cables we're dealing with here, the ground wires in the box will be bare wires, and lo and behold, there's a whole bundle of them improperly spliced together in the bottom of the box.  Take a suitably sized wirenut and nut the green wire on your transformer to that bundle of bare wires (this will also properly splice the bare grounds to each other).

As to the hots and neutrals

The black wires in this box are all hot, and the white wires are all neutral (otherwise, there'd be a white spliced to something that isn't white, that's a clue that shenanigans are afoot).  So, in this case, it's black nutted to black, white nutted with whites (and you may wish to replace the splice of the existing neutrals with a proper one while you're at it), and grounds as above.


Low water pressure in shower after turning off main Had a bad drip in shower. Two handle shower replaced little rubber rings. Turned water back on and the shower barely comes out but all other sinks in the house seem to have plenty of pressure. Is there anything I can check to fix this? Pressure was fine before this.

Thank you

My guess is there is some debris have plugged the orifices. I would turn the water off pull the cartridge and try to high flow the lines to clear any debris out. In the past I have found rust & scale plugs blocking valves that worked great after flowing, don't forget to check the shower head itself if it has a screen that could be the location where it is plugged if only a shower head (no tub ).


How to properly seal the transition between basement wall framing and spray-foamed box joists? We're looking at insulating the box joists of our concrete foundation. We have 2x3" walls framed which are holding batt insulation, which are 3-4" away from the wall (to accommodate a layer of batt insulation behind the framing). (This all existed when we moved-in - if we were starting from scratch we would have framed right against the wall and spray-foamed the whole thing. Alas.)
We plan on doing 2" of closed-cell spray foam, but what I'm not sure how to go about properly sealing the transition from the wall framing to the foam. Originally I was going to loop the vapour barrier over the top of the framing and behind the insulation, so that any gap left after spraying would still be vapour-impermeable. But then I read that the foam will not stick to the polyethylene sheeting, so that's a no-go.
Should I just spray "down" a little bit at the bottom of the header area, and hope the foam expands to reach (and seal-to) the top plate of the framing wall? Or should I add blocking at the top of the wall first? Anyone have experience with this specific setup?

Front-view of the box joist area (yes, that is frost - this is why we're spray-foaming!)

Top-view of the framing wall and gap

When we insulate the joist boxes in apartment buildings or commercial buildings we are required to close the boxes over the foam with drywall or flame retardant foam board.  Since your job is for utility purposes here's my thoughts.  After you spray a couple of inches of foam into each box, cut measured pieces of foam board that will snugly fit above your wall, between the joists and up against the 1" rise of the sill plate behind the wall. Put a few dabs of construction adhesive on the edges and fit them into place.  This will do a couple of things for you. It will create a larger dead air space in your now insulated boxes, extra R-value and also seal the top of your wall against the foundation.  Smaller pieces can be glued in under the joists to complete the wall seal.  If you want to further seal and joints in the foam board, use some HVAC aluminum tape.


What is the best way to fill a 3 inch gap under my concrete front porch? I'm in need of some help with my concrete foundation. As I was leaving the house this morning I discovered two or three skunks crawling into a gap under my porch. The hole is on the bottom of the porch where the grass and porch meet. The gap is about 42"L x 3 1/4"W. What's the best way to fill this gap?

Also, what would be the best way to get all the animals out of there? I wouldn't want them to get stuck under there if I pour concrete; that would not be good news at all.

I'll assume that the hole is there because concrete was put onto unrammed gravel. The current state is left on the picture

Now assuming you've got rid of the animals you have to stabilize the existing concrete and the gravel beneath it. The easiest way would be to excavate some of the gravel until you reach some stable foundation (I'd guess it's around one foot deep) and put new concrete forming an extra "step". That will be the easiest way to force the new concrete under the old concrete.


How to deal with invisible mites? I do not feel them, but the two females in the house complain of being bitten by the largely invisible mites. The bites itch and the overall situation disgusts them...

The pests are, probably, bird mites, though we aren't entirely sure. If they are, indeed, mites, then the products meant against flying insects may not work...

What sort of thing would you recommend to kill the suckers -- without injuring the human (and canine) residents of the same residence?

It could be mites from another type of animal, such as mice. I get bites in the garden in the summer from invisible mites. I don't know how to get rid of them but next summer I was going to try putting vaseline or olive oil on my legs. The olive oil works for no-see-ems in Mexico, as they drown in it.


What kind of walls are these? What hardware should I use to hang up some canvas prints? I'm looking to hang up some canvas art (already on stretcher bars). However, I don't know what kind of hardware I need to use, because I have no idea what kind of walls they are. They don't seem like drywall because they seem like they're solid walls. Here is a likely useless video of me tapping on the wall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufvZzCUg1Gc

Is this plaster? If I want to put a screw in, should I drill a hole first? Should I be looking for studs?

The walls look and sound like plaster, probably over wooden lath. The lath is then nailed to wooden studs at intervals, probably at 16 inch centers.

A common approach to hanging art and mirrors on both plaster and plasterboard (drywall) is to use picture hooks with thin, hardened nails, such as these

The nails are sharp enough and thin enough not to do damage to most plaster.  The hooks (properly sized and in multiples) are strong enough to hold up over 100 lbs. Canvases on stretchers should be no problem unless they are many feet long.

Use at least two hooks to spread the load and improve leveling of hte pictures.

When the load approaches 100 lbs., extends out from the wall, or is subject to movement, it's time to find studs, or at least heavy duty toggle bolts.

  Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


Do I need to rip 1/4 of an inch off of my 2x8s to build box steps I'm building box steps to go between the upper and lower portion of my deck. The total height difference from surface to surface is 24 inches. I'm planning to build the box out of 2x8s and use decking that is one inch thick.
To be even I need three steps of 8 inches per rise. Since the nominal height of the 2x8 is 7 and 1/4 inches, I would need to rip 1/4 inch off of the 2x8s. That is a lot of annoying finicky cutting that would be easy to get wrong or inconsistent.
Would I be okay not ripping the 2x8s and producing 2 steps that are 8 and 1/4 inches high, then one that is 7 and 1/2 inches high? Code says the max difference in steps should be no greater than 3/8ths, so I would be close...
Is there an alternative solution to ripping 2x8s that would serve me better?

You don’t set the fence at 7” and try to control wobbling.  You set the fence at 1/8 inch plus a 1/8” kerf.
Easy cut that way.


Laying Stone on a unlevel concrete surface first and foremost thanks for the help :)

I am in the process of redoing my porch and I have hit a road bump along the way. I am planning on laying real thick stone (as seen here) on the porch floor.

I was going to attempt the job my self when I realized that the porch is not level. Its not sloping away from the house, its more "level and slopes toward the house" Nothing crazy and it varies about .25 - .5 of a inch). This needs to be fixed as the porch should slighty slope away from the house.

After talking to a few contractors I was basically given the following advice:

Use a self leveling concrete then backbutter with mortar so it slopes away from the house.
Back butter the mortar (i.e: when laying the stone use the mortar to make up for dips in certain area) and ensure it slopes away. (So do NOT use self leveling conrete, just use extra mortar as needed)

Any advice would help :) Thanks everyone

I like it and it should get rid of that trip hazard door threshold. I'd stay away from the self-leveling anything and you don't want nor should now have level anyway. As you said, you just want to bring the dips up.

Self-leveling concrete/cement would destroy the porch's pitch for water to run away from the house. You just want Flat, which is not the same thing as level...like a stairway handrail is flat, but not level.

Also, new cement doesn't really stick to old with much strength, so either way, you'll need Bonding Agent if you plan on a full-bed mortar job. Since, you don't want things shifting and you don't want people sliding off an edge of loose stone. Yep, I've been to quite a few places that just laid stuff naked or on a sand bed.

I'd go with Type-S mortar and just back buttering for the deep areas, as it's hard as the stone and much better at standing up to weather. Type-N is what a lot of people use, but I've found it to crack easily and even crumble back to a sand quite quickly at a number of places I've visited.


Should I use a roll or spray method to paint my textured ceiling? I have fresh knockdown textured ceiling. I plan to give it a coat of primer and a coat of white ceiling paint. The whole house is undergoing complete remodeling. There is no furniture, and no flooring. There is no need to cover anything and/or tape stuff up. I have access to commercial grade sprayer. The area to be painted is rather large. That's why I am trying to find more effective way to accomplish the project. What is more effective way to paint ceilings? What is spray and roll method?

Spray and roll, more commonly called spray and backroll around me is when you spray the paint on and then another person follows behind you with a roller to roll the freshly spread paint. One of the reasons to do it is to get more even coverage in textured ceilings.

It's easier to do with two people so if it's just you might just want to skip the sprayer to keep things simple.

If you've never used spray equipment before it can take some time to get used to. Chances are you're going to mess up the first go (drips, sags, missed spots, etc) so at least practice on some cardboard or something.

I own and have used sprayers but I also own a Wagner Power Roller. It's a system that feeds paint through a tube into a roller so I don't have to keep a tray of paint. I eventually got good with the sprayers but with the power roller there was very little learning curve, no need to tape as much and cover everything. In almost every way I found it easier than the sprayer.

They make roller arms that attach to airless sprayers that do the same thing. There called pressure rollers. If you have access to the airless sprayer maybe you can find one to borrow or rent.


Galvanized steel hinge screws with stainless steel hinges: What is the risk of galvanic corrosion? The screws in question are zinc-plated hardened steel screws (1 1/4 in) for use with heavy duty fire-rated stainless steel interior door hinges of unspecified grade.

There is a theoretical risk of galvanic corrosion, given that both the zinc plating and carbon steel are anodic to stainless steel. However, I've come across a number of resources that claim that the risk of this is negligible in a typical mild-moderate-humidity urban interior environment.

Galvanize It!: Dissimilar Metals

I've seen a number of SS hinges that have BZP screws in them with no visible corrosion.

Given their relative availability, is it worth the extra effort to track down stainless steel screws for stainless steel hinges, or should I just stick to using galvanized steel screws?

Indoors? No they won't corrode. Zinc looks different than stainless which is more dull, so just get the right screws. It looks bad, I've done it before on accident.

Commercial door hardware companies will have boxes of them.


How do I balance an attic fan? I have recently replaced a motor for my attic fan because the original one burned out. I did measurements for the height of the fan blades in relation to the supports and ensured that when I re-attached the blades that they fit.

In the picture below, the fan is located in the angled ceiling of my attic.

After putting everything back together, I spun the blades and realized that they were making contact with 1 of the 3 support struts, suggesting that my replacement was not balanced. In order to fix this, I used several washers between the motor and the support strut to push the motor up and angle it in a manner that did not permit contact between the fan blades and the strut.

Afterwards, I reconnected the wires and let the fan run for about 5 minutes straight without issue. On the day of the work and test run, the attic was maybe only 80° F and I had to trigger the fan by lowering the thermostat down.

Satisfied that things were fine, I closed everything up. A few days later was much hotter and presumably the attic reached a temperature of 100° F and tripped the thermostat switch causing the fan to turn on. I heard a clanging downstairs, realized the blades were striking and shut the whole thing down.

Right now, I've just cut the electricity to the fan for now, but when I go to fix this, I want to ensure that however I balance the fan it will stay balanced through both temperature fluctuations as well as vibrations of the fan rotating. I'm pretty sure my washer-spacer solution was the wrong thing to do. What is the correct way to do this?

If it helps, I situated the fan blades at the same elevation as they were previously, but there is room on the spindle to move them further up if needed.

A few suggestions.

None of these include removing material from the blades (because after doing so you would indeed have a balance problem).

Forgive this one, but are you certain the blades are installed correctly? The fan indeed exhausts, when it's running?
In my experience, "replacement" motors, even under identical part numbers, might be subtly different from their originals. If this new one is slightly shallower, then you've done nothing wrong. Maybe check them against each other, and then cut yourself some slack.

(The fact that your fan isn't mounted dead vertically could cause you to have a problem that the manufacturer's quick & dirty testing failed to detect. Because gravity.)

Those bent-sheet brackets are a primitive thing. They're likely to have gone asymmetrical. Maybe put the palm of your hand against the motor's base, and press firmly to bend them, just a little.
Unless, if I understand you, the position on the blade assembly on the motor shaft is indeed adjustable. If so, then why did you bother with the washers? Side it on out!

None of the above explains why the problem didn't appear when you tested it. Only with a hot attic. Difference in air density? Behavior of the motor's lubrication? Or (as already suggested) a loose mounting screw?

Good luck. Let us know what works for you!


How can I correct wiring of a half switched receptacle? In the living/dining area (of a home I just purchased in a new city/state where I don't yet know an electrician) there are 5 outlets with the lower-half switched. I was attempting to eliminate switching of the dining area receptacles, and in one box fed with two (2) 3-wire romex plus ground feeds I removed the red wire to the lower hot side of the receptacle with a broken tab between the upper and lower outlets. I jumpered the upper and lower outlets effectively making both hot, but now the switch does not control other half receptacles.

You need to join any red wires from the boxes you modified such that the removed red ties into the "other" removed red (or whatever color was used) so that the circuit is carried to the next location.

So if a red wired screw (or so be it, backstab) had another wire on it, or with it, they need to be capped together in the back of the box.


How to accurately judge economics of converting from oil heat to liquid propane? I have an oil boiler in my house (boiler and burner about 27 years old) and, as part of a renovation project, I may upgrade to something more efficient. I thought I would have to stay with oil because I have no natural gas available on my street.

I was surprised when a recommended heating guy suggested replacing my oil system with one based on liquid propane. When I do the numbers, the price per gallon for oil and LP are about the same in my area (Massachusetts) but LP has fewer BTUs so the price per BTU is cheaper with oil.

The guy said that the gas boiler (Viessmann) can get up to 96% efficiency where the best oil boilers can only get up to about 86%. While those numbers are true based on what I've read, my simple calculations show that that difference is not enough to make up for the higher cost of LP.

He claims that those numbers don't tell the whole story because the entire LP system would be more efficient: modulating, condensing, etc. But I thought modern oil boilers have those features too? He was saying that those simple numbers don't tell the whole story.

I'm willing to believe LP can be better but I haven't seen good arguments. Is this guy simply wrong or is he right but not able to express his information well?

First, check to see if there are any tax breaks on the LP system for your area.

My rule of thumb on energy savings savings is, it must pay off in less than 10 years or half of it's usable life (which ever is shorter).  Since you have to replace the unit, see if the difference in cost - expected savings in energy over 10 years justifies going LP.  A lot of times, the energy efficient items don't pay off unless they have a tax break or you have to replace an entire system anyways.

Edit:  I was curious about the results and looked up the values.
Assuming you are using 800 gallons of oil each year at a rate of $4.21 a gallon = $3368 year.
You would need 1060 gallons of propane to match the 800 gallons (taking into account different efficiency) at a rate of $3.80 a gallon = $4028 a year.

Cost data came from here: http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_wfr_a_EPLLPA_PRS_dpgal_w.htm
BTUs of propane: 91,500 per gallon
BTUs of heating oil:  135,000 per gallon
Conversion from oil to propane used:  oil gallons * oil BTUs * oil efficiency = 92,880,000 effective BTUs used each yet.  92,880,000 / propane efficiency / propane BTUs = 1057.38 gallons of propane used.


looking for hexlike-bit to unscrew bottom of ikea couch leg We're trying to unscrew a leg from an Ikea couch (it's possibly the Stockholm model, not sure). The bolt on the inside looks hexlike, but all the hex bits we've tried doesn't seem to work.

Can anyone tell us what bit should be used to take this screw off?

5mm is one of the most used sizes for IKEA furniture, but 4mm and 6mm are common as well.  I doubt a nice sturdy foot on a couch would be using anything smaller.

If you have some bike tools around, try them.  They will be metric sized hex.


Can I move air return higher? I need to install some open shelving but the brackets they use are at a height that would interfere with the air return pictured. Would it be okay to relocate the return 4” higher or is there a reason (Kentucky code) that dictates how much distance it should be from the ceiling? The ceiling is 9’ high and the air is returned between two studs that are open all the way to top plate. There is no actual ductwork.

Yes, you can move it up as long as the top plate does not restrict the air flow. I don't know where you are located but where I live there is no code against moving it.


High water pressure issue from hot water heater Hoping someone can help me with this weird issue I am having with the water pressure at my house (at least seems weird and mysterious to me). This is an issue that started happening about 6 months ago.

When we turn a faucet on, hot or cold, we get a burst of higher pressure water for a few seconds and then it settles down. We have a pressure regulator on the main water line coming into the house and it seems to be working because I have adjusted the value to reduce the pressure some.

About 6 months ago, I replaced the pressure relief value on the water heater because it was constantly allowing hot water to drain. After a few weeks it started leaking again. It was about this time that we noticed that we get the burst of higher pressure water when we open a faucet.

If we turn off the cold water intake for the water heater, we don't get the pressure spike when we turn on a faucet. So the pressure issue is apparently related to the water heater. I have checked and the water heater is set to around 125 degrees and the water that comes out of the tap is around that temp so it isn't set at too high of a temp.

Now, the mystery is this. As a test, I turned off the power to the water heater and ran the hot water until what was coming out was barely warm so that there would be no extra pressure in the system due to hot water expansion. After doing this, I still get a spike of higher water pressure when I opened a faucet.

So, when the water to the water heater is turned off, I don't get a spike of water pressure when I open a faucet. When the water to the water heater is turned on, I get a spike in pressure, regardless of the temp of the water in the heater and if the power is even turned on to it.

I know I need to install an expansion tank and replace the water heater pressure relief value, but I don't want to spend money if that isn't likely to fix the issue because of something else that may be going on. Any suggestions on what may be causing this issue and would an expansion tank really fix the pressure issue?

If you get a burst of water flow which seems like an over-pressure, it may be time to replace the pressure reducing valve in the water supply line.I would put a pressure gauge on the cold water. Then run the water for a few seconds until the pressure stabilizes in the line. Stop running water and see if the pressure gauge rises as I suspect it will. You can buy a pressure gauge that will screw onto any outlet that will accept a garden hose. Buy at a hardware store like Ace or Home Depot, or Lowes.


What gauge wire do I need for basement sub-panel? Basement subpanel (100A max) will serve:
  One 30A clothes dryer (220V)
  One 15A bedroom outlet circuit
  One 15A utility circuit (furnace, washing machine, misc)
  One 20A bathroom circuit
  Two 20A kitchenette circuits

I want to use Aluminum SER wire, the distance is about 100'. Half of that will be in the ceiling void behind drywall, the other half will be in PVC conduit as it passes through the garage then pokes through the outside wall into the back of the main panel.

Based on the branch circuit requirements, would 60A suffice or should I spec it for 80A?
What gauge Aluminum SER wire should I use for 60A?
What gauge Aluminum SER wire should I use for 80A?

I have looked at the NEC codes but they vary by wire type and I don't know which temperature column to use, nor whether the distance affects the calculations

Never, ever scrimp on a panel

When I hear "100A panel" I tend to think very small panel.  Don't get caught by that.  Spaces are cheap, and you want loads of extra spaces. Firstfor future expansion (it's frustrating not to be able to add a feature for lack of spaces). And second, when the inspector comes 'round and says "these circuits need AFCI".  My goal is to finish a project with less than 50% of spaces used (but without using double-stuff breakers).  A neat thing about panel pricing is you can get industrial tier panels like CH, QO, GE or Siemens for about the same price as tenant tier lines like Homeline or BR.

Wire size

In aluminum wire, you need

60A: 4 AWG ($92)
80A: 2 AWG ($137)
100A: 1 AWG ($167)

There is a "100A bump" because circuits >=100A get to pull out of the 75C column in NEC Table 310.15B16 instead of the 60A column. However in your case the numbers don't quite line up; 2AWG is rated 75A@60C and 90A@75C. You can "round up" to the next breaker size, so 60C gives you 80A breaker.  Sadly, 90A breakers do exist, so you can't call it a 100A circuit (unless your AHJ agrees; worth asking since this is quite close and there's precedent).

100' is below the 115' threshold where anyone even starts to care about voltage drop.  If you want to upgrade wire sizes to deal with voltage drop, that is fine, but feel free to upgrade breaker sizes also.

I don't know what your total project cost is going to be.  Obviously if this all DIY the wire cost is a significant fraction, but this ignores the value of your time.  Contracted it's at least a $600-1000 job.  A small increment in wire costs can give you a lot of headroom in the future.   It'll even help with home resale value.


How to wire Bathroom fan with timer? Please Heeelp!!!
I just purchased a bathroom fan "Aero Still 100T" wich comes with a timer. This fan comes with 3 wires, white, red and black

however I realized that the connection wires for Fans in my bathroom only has 2 wires: black and white
I tried connecting each wire to its matching color but the Fan does not do anything.
As aditional informtion the Fan goes connected to the light's switch (yes, the bathroom's light does work)

MANY MANY THANKS

You probably should use an English manual
https://blaubergventilatoren.de/en/product/aero-still-100#downloads

The diagram here shows how to connect from the L/N lines of the main panel to the 3 wires (L, LT, N). The second diagram is sharing a light on the same switch.
The S is a manual switch that is part of the circuit. If you do not want a manual switch, then they have a diagram further down to connect just the L and N and use the pull cord.
The way this device works is when you flip the switch to "off", it keeps running for 2 to 30 minutes after it is "off". Obviously, if all you have is L and N, then it won't have power, so the L wire is split into L and LT. Your light switch connects to LT and it tells the fan to "turn on" or "start turn off timer", while it runs off the normal L and N lines.
Beyond that, if you don't know how to split a line, then this installation is beyond your ability and you need to hire an electrician.
Note: The likelihood of your existing wiring having the 2nd live wire is next to none. In your original setup, it would only need one live from the main panel to the switch, and one live from the switch to the fan. This setup requires two live wires; one directly from main panel to the fan and one from the main to switch, then to the fan. There's no reason for anyone to wire it like that with a normal switch, so your new fan probably won't work with a switch. You may have to go with the L/N connection in Figure 13.


Will a rusty tool or bolt lying with other tools or bolts induce them to rust as well? I have a toolbox with a bunch of tools in it. In addition, I have a large plastic box where I keep all my bolts and nails in a disarray.

Some of the bolts are a little rusty, and some of my tools (e.g. screwing bits) are rusty, and now I am concerned as to wether storing them all together (some of them touching each other), might induce the unrusted tools to rust as well.

Of course a thorough (i.e. scientific) explanation would be even more appreciated.

Thanks!

Rust is not mould, rust is oxidization of the metal and cause by the oxygen in the air.

Most tools, nuts and bolts have a rust proofing in the form of a light coating of oxidization (often of a metal that's not iron) that will isolate the material underneath from further rust. A scratch in that coating will then let the rust spread again.

For long term storage you can oil the tools.


What is the main difference between stopping and skimming when plastering and when to use each Back in Australia I worked with some plasterers.  The process involved hanging plaster boards to the frame and then stopping.  Stopping involved appling a compound (setting base coat and drying top coat) and joining tape along all of the joints and over the screw holes followed by sanding for a perfectly smooth and level finish.

Since arriving in the UK I have noticed that often people prefer to skim the entire wall after hanging sheets of plaster to it.

Having seen both finished products, there look equally good to me.

Why do people do this and not just stop over the joins and screw holes? Is the process of skimming stem from older methods of plastering? or is there some other advantage that I am missing.

Skimming probably does come from before plaster board became ubiquitous. Previously you'd apply a coat of undercoat plaster to the wall or laths and then a top coat to finish. You'd also skim a new coat of topcoat if the wall had been damaged beyond simple filling. A good plasterer would be able to get a glass like finish on this topcoat with no sanding required.

Skimming over plasterboard gives you the same options. You can get a good finish without sanding - which is a messy job.


Should tile floors be cleaned with vinegar only? Is the advice against using other solutions a myth? After we had ceramic tile installed at our house, the company said we should just clean with vinegar and water mixture. However, I haven't been able to find anywhere online that says that using Pine-Sol or other cleaning solutions (like Swiffer sprayer thing) damages the tile.

In fact, this is what the company says.

  Recommended “To Do’s”

  • Clean your new Flooring with a damp mop once a week or more,
  depending on the amount of traffic. Heavy traffic areas should be
  mopped more often than once a week.

  • Use an all-purpose, non-oil based household or commercial cleaner.
  Ensure that the cleaner is compatible with the grout cleaner
  recommendations in the maintenance and protection section. You can
  also use a cleaning solution of one cup of white vinegar to two
  gallons of tap water.

  • Cleaning spills off of Porcelain & Ceramic Flooring is generally
  easier than other types of flooring. The entire area should be cleaned
  and scrubbed with a cleansing solution using a cotton mop, cloth,
  sponge or non-metallic brush. The entire area should then be rinsed
  with clean water to remove any residue left on the Flooring from the
  cleaning solution.

  • Sweep or vacuum your tile Empire Flooring prior to mopping to remove
  any dust or debris.

  Recommended “Not To Do”

  •    Use a detergent or soap because it may dull the surface and
  potentially promote the growth of mildew.

  Other Care Instructions

  • Routine cleaners used on your Porcelain & Ceramic Flooring should
  never contain acids or ammonia because they can discolor the grout
  and/or damage the grout and the glazed surface of the Flooring.

  • You should allow your new Ceramic Flooring and grout to set and dry
  for at least 72 hours after installation before damp mopping it.

Of course, the cleaning agents claim they're safe on wood and tile (we
have both), but at the same time I don't want to damage the new tile.
Anyone with tile experience actually know if the claim that using anything but vinegar and water is bogus?

Update: Fixed question and title to better reflect original intent of the question.

In the to-do section of the care instructions you posted, it suggests "Use an all-purpose, non-oil based household or commercial cleaner."  OR, it says, you can use vinegar/water.

I think you are over-analyzing.  The normal floor mopping solutions like Pine-Sol or a Swiffer will work fine.  Just don't use anything abrasive that will scratch the tile or an aggressive bathroom "tile/grout cleaner" that is meant to bleach and renew grout that is stained.

If you're concerned about a particular cleaner, you could always test a small section that is out of sight.  You can also apply a "grout sealer" solution over the grout lines.  This is tedious, but can help slow down staining of the grout.


Hot Tub Heater Shutdown My hot tub shuts down with error code "dr" which my manual says is:

  Possible inadequate water, poor flow, or air bubbles in detected in
  heater.  Spa is shut down for 15 minutes.

The sequence of events is:

jets turn on and flow is good.
about a minute later bubbler turns on.
about 5 seconds later the heater turns on.
about 3 seconds later the tubs shuts down with error code "dr"

I was just restarting the tub and there was rainwater that had gotten dirty so I figured there was crap in the heater so I opened up the pipe and looked in.  It seems surprisingly clean.

What else can I check before I call a pro?

Should I just keep trying it to see if it will eventually work itself out?

I further disassembled the heater and found a check valve flapper stuck in the heater coils.

I then realized that I had broken the check valve in the filter housing while vacuuming the water out of the pipes.


I have a garage heater but I don't want it to run at all if the temperature outside is above 45 degrees I was thinking about putting two thermostats in series so that I could set the garage temp to ~65° but ONLY have it come on in the event that the outdoor temp falls below ~45°.

The garage does get a little heat from the house, so it's not too bad in there until the outside temp gets really cold.

This is a great idea in theory, my problem is that I can't seem to find a thermostat that allows me to set a temp below 50°, that is suitable for installation oustide. I'd prefer an electronic one rather than quicksilver in a jar, but it also has to be weatherproof.

Your idea of having two thermostats will probably work, but the thermostat you are searching for might need a little help.  There are two ideas I have.  First, a heat pump system needs a thermostat outside so the compressor doesn't run when it's too cold outside.  Thermostats such as the Goodman OT18-60A perform that function.  Now, that is designed to cut off the power when the temperature is too low, but that in conjunction with a "normally on" relay might work for you.

The other thing you could search for is thermostats for pool or spa equipment.  Pool freeze protection relies on an outdoor thermostat, so you might find something there.


Reason for red wire in switch box? BLUF: need help with what to do with a red wire from the panel.
I'm replacing a bedroom switch with a Kasa smart switch. The old switch didn't control anything (previous owner must have removed the overhead fixture), but I'm looking to connect the new switch prior to installing the fixture.
However I'm seeing that there is a black, red, white and ground wire coming from the wall. Both the red and black are hot. If it helps, this is connected to a tandem breaker.
What should I do with this red wire?
I don't quite understand its purpose here.
Here is a photo for reference (capped for safety):

I  brightened the picture in Photoshop and confirmed there is only one /3 cable coming into this box.   That makes it 1 of 3 possibilities.

The far "spur/loop" end of a 3-way switch complex.
A modern "switch loop" which brings Always-hot, Switched-hot and Neutral (for smart switches).
The ceiling box is fan-rated with an obsolete "switch loop", but with an extra wire for separate control of light and fan.

In the last 2 cases, the cables in the wall are the same; you get to decide which of the two it will be, by how you wire it in the ceiling.
This much for sure, we have to see the wiring up in the lamp box to know any more.  There is definitely at least one more cable up there.  We need to see how they are interconnected, and whether the box has a "Fan Rated" marking.
P.S. Make sure your smart switch has a UL, CSA or ETL listing.  We see a LOT of cheap junk flooding the flea-markety mail order channels like eBay, Banggood, DealExtreme and unfortunately Amazon has opened their site to the eBay gang.  The junk even ships with Prime because they opened their warehouses too.
Edit:
Given that there is apparently no existing ceiling box, it is most likely a switched receptacle.  If there is no ceiling light the only other way to meet Code is a switched receptacle.  That greatly increases the likelihood of the second possibility.
Often, rooms are wired with red-white-black circling the room.  Black is always-hot, red is switched-hot and white is neutral. Most receptacles are punched down to black and white (always hot).  The switched receptacle is punched down to red and white.  It was uncommon to extend the /3 all the way to the switch until 2011, but hey, OK :)
Often, such an installation will use a "split" receptacle (tab broken off on the hot side) to allow each socket's hot to be fed from a different wire.  One socket gets red (switched) and the other gets black (unswitched).
This would also jibe with the observation that red and black are both hot.  Very often, a dumb novice comes along who is changing receptacles for aesthetic reasons. They don't even know tabs are a thing. So they don't look for broken tabs, and they don't break the tab off on the new recep.  This has the effect of shorting black and red, making the switch ineffective.  The switch stops working, they shrug their shoulders and resign themselves to switching lights off at the floor lamp.
So my working theory is you inherited the above situation.  You'll need to open up the receptacle boxes in the room and see what  you can see.  It may simply be a matter of snapping off the right tab.


Can I use ProPEX for Pressure Relief and Steam Generator Drain? I'm installing a steam generator and a tankless water heater.  I want to know if I can use ProPEX for the P&T relief and for the steam generator's auto drain valve.

The googling I did on the P&T valve was that the plumbing needed to be secured and that it was hard to secure PEX.  for the tankless I was going to use a PEX to Brass threaded fitting with ears and secure that to the wall and exit the side of the house.

The steam generator P&T and drain is going to be plumbed into the grate of a 10x10 floor drain and secured to the drain cover. Of course with the 1" air gap to where the actual water drains.

Thanks!

The code requirement in most areas for the P&T relief plumbing is that it must be a material suitable for potable water plumbing - which in turn typically means it must allow a working pressure of 100psi at 180f. This might seem like an inadequate set of requirements for something intended to drain boiling water or steam, well over 180f, but the key term there is working - that is, it needs to remain durable when exposed to that pressure and temperature over long terms. The relief drain plumbing does not need to support pressures that high, and will only briefly be exposed to high temperatures so long term reliability is not required.

You may notice that PEX tubing is marked as complying with ASTM F877. ASTM F877 standards require that the tubing is able to endure 150psi at 210F for 30 days straight.


How to connect my electric Ikea cooking plate? My old cooktop broke so I am currently trying to install a new electric ceramic hob (Ikea Barmhartig).

How can I make the proper connections? The back panel looks like this:

How do I open the circuit cover without breaking it, and then attach the wires? The wires look like this (I know the L1 L2 Neutral and Earth):

previous configuration:

Your first picture shows a diagram on the junction box, where two screwdrivers are prying in certain spots to get it open.


Getting Ethernet Cable Through Exterior Wall I am looking to run Ethernet cable outside my house. I have already found this question on running Ethernet cable outdoors, but it does not cover the best way to get the cable there.

Ideally, I would like a standard Ethernet jack on the inside of a standard exterior wall in an American home (drywall on the inside, presumably some thermal insulation in between, and clapboard siding outside, about 6 inches thick judging by the window). Regarding this I have a few questions:

What is the best way to do this that has minimal effect on insulation? I would prefer if this did not cause a stream of cold air to flood into the house.
Do I need to be concerned with various housing codes restricting how I am allowed to wire this?
Is there a safety concern with regards to the jack coming in contact with thermal insulation?
How do I minimize damage to the exterior clapboard? Is this even possible?

Answers to any of these questions are appreciated. Thank you!

Ethernet cabling is low voltage and installation has few requirements compared to regular electric (120V, 240V, etc.) wiring.

  1 - What is the best way to do this that has minimal effect on insulation? I would prefer if this did not cause a stream of cold air to flood into the house.

I generally just drill a hole. I have a really long drill bit (I think 1/2" but not sure at the moment) for this purpose. Just make sure you know that it is a "safe" area - away from any electric wiring, plumbing, etc. and drill a hole. If you have any problem with air coming through, you can use foam (like Great Stuff) to fill the hole after you have the cabling done.

  2 - Do I need to be concerned with various housing codes restricting how I am allowed to wire this?

There probably are some codes in some places. But generally I have not heard of many code issues with low-voltage wiring. It simply doesn't have the same safety issues that you have with regular A/C wiring.

  3 - Is there a safety concern with regards to the jack coming in contact with thermal insulation?

Not that I know of. But there are 4 ways of doing this, and only one would have the jack in contact with insulation:

Wall jack installed in box eliminator in insulated wall - then you have contact between insulation and jack.
Surface mount jack (any wall) - cable goes through wall but jack is entirely inside the room.
Wall jack installed in box eliminator in interior wall - i.e., run cable through a hole and then route it along the baseboard or through the ceiling or whatever, terminating with a jack installed in a non-insulated wall.
Wall jack installed in a real box. The jack is in the box so not in contact with insulation.

I usually use a box eliminator and don't worry about the insulation, but I have done all of the above at times, depending on the specific situation. Of course, all except a surface mount jack will require cutting a good size rectangle in the inside wall, but it will be covered with the jack/wall plate. If you are working with paneling or something else stronger than drywall, surface mount may be easier.

  4 - How do I minimize damage to the exterior clapboard? Is this even possible?

A small hole is really no big deal. The phone company & cable company do the same thing all the time. I find it is least obvious if the hole is a few inches from the ground, but sometimes it has to be higher up to match a reasonable location on the inside wall. The hole should not cause any problems. As noted by HazardousGlitch, the side you drill from will have the cleanest hole. So, all else being equal, drilling from the outside makes sense if you will be installing a jack (wall jack or surface mount) right where the cable comes. If you will be routing that cable to elsewhere then I would generally drill from the inside to keep the inside hole clean and so that you can position it very precisely (e.g., right above the baseboard). Most people tend to care more about the inside of the room than the outside of the house.


Clothes Dryer will not heat up I have a Samsung clothes dryer that stopped heating up.  Here's what I've tried so far:

verified that the 30 amp breaker is working fine
verified 120/240v at the relay
verified 9ohms across the heating element
verified that the element wasn't shorting against its housing
verified 0.1 ohm at the high limit cutoff and the thermostat
verified the thermistor on the control panel is functioning correctly
gave lint trap, exhaust, etc a good cleaning

About the only obvious thing I haven't tried is probing the outlet itself for 240v. I'm unable to check it with my multimeter because the probes can't reach inside the outlet.  That said, sine the relay read 120/240 as expected, I think it's getting good power.

Final weird thing is that after I put the dyer back together and it didn't work, I flipped the breaker off and on and tried the dryer again.  It heated up!  Power cycled the dryer and tried again, no heat.  Toggled the breaker... Heat! Power cycled and got no heat.  Figured I was on to something, but no amount of fiddling with the breaker or power cycling will make it heat up again.   Really not sure if that's a red herring, but including it for completeness.

So - any suggestions as to what the problem might be?  I guess I feel like I've tried the obvious things, and now need some less obvious possibilities.

Thanks

probably a bad circuit breaker, recommend replacing it.  You can check if it is bad by checking the voltage on it using an ohm meter.  Set the ohm meter to 200v ac, touch one probe to the screw where the wire is attached and the other probe to the silver grounding bar with all the bare copper wires attached.  It should read approx 120v.  Check both wires this way.  Start the dryer, if it doesn't have heat again... recheck the voltage on the breaker again.  I'm betting that one of the screws shows 0 voltage... my guess is that one leg of your breaker is bad or faulty.


Can I use this chlorinating liquid to disinfect my drinking water? I have well water coming into my system and I noticed that in my water storage tank there are small particles floating around. It really could be anything, but I decided to buy some chlorine to treat the water, especially because I drink it. I do have a small system inside the house to filter the water, but I think chlorinating it from outside will help too.

My question is, is this the right product to use to disinfect bacteria in my storage tank outside?

Here is the link to the product I bought from Wal-Mart:
Link here

It is meant for pools, but I could not find anything for drinking water treatment.

If I can use it, how much approximately would I add to my storage tank? I think it holds 500 gallons.

My water tester uses basic Clorox bleach, swimming pool chlorine will also work, dump the chlorine / bleach down the well vent and flush with some water, waiting at least 3 hours or over night will provide the best results then flush the system for 3 hours or until there is no bleach / chlorine smell and your well will be sanitized. If you want to eliminate some floaters and small sand from getting into your tank add a particulate or string filter prior to the tank, if a filter is added remember they need to be changed, get one with a clear filter housing and you may be surprised how much gunk a simple string filter can stop.


Can someone please explain this gas water heater thermostat marking What I don't understand is the box with a slash through it located counter clockwise from the larger solid bar.

I'm sure it is less warm than the large box, but does it have a special meaning?

I don't get why they used a different marking for that specific one.

I did actually look for a manual online that might explain the settings, but I failed to find one that specifically mentioned this.

Make/model: white rodgers 37c73u-725

So, according to a manual I was able to finally find, the box with a slash through it indicates 120F (similar to the triangle commonly seen). Each marking above that represents a 10F increase in water temperature. I am going to guess that they wanted to indicate a scald free setting and a typical setting differently; my understanding is that 120F does not sanitize, but 130F will.


Replacing T12 flourescent bulbs Can I replace my T12 fluorescent bulbs using LED tubes from Eled lights.com by just removing the ballast, or do I need to change any fittings?

How do I rewire the fixture if I remove the ballast?

It all depends on your type of fixture. Go to there site and look and the install instructions and go with the ballast you have.


Rain Bird ESP-6 Sprinkler controller buttons no longer functioning—do I need a new controller? I am trying to manually cycle through my sprinkler zones with my Rain Bird ESP-6 controller (from 1996), but the membrane button to manually cycle the zones does not work. In fact, none of the 4 membrane buttons work. But the dial works fine and the system still runs when it is supposed to for how it is currently programmed.

I have tried taking out the backup battery, unplugging the power to the controller, and re-plugging the controller without the battery, but it did not work. I also completely dismantled it, cleaned it out and inspected it. There were some insect carcasses inside the controller and a bit on the circuit board, but nothing that appears to have caused any damage or short-circuiting. I don't see any indication of burn marks or overheating nor do I see capacitors that look (visibly) blown.

I do remember that the last time I was cycling through my zones, about 3 months ago (just to inspect them and adjust the nozzles) I had some minor issues with the manual cycling button. It worked, but I had to press a bit harder, and sometimes it didn't register. I don't know if the other 3 buttons had identical issues at the time, I had no need to press them.

Is it safe to say that I need a new controller, or, in the least, need a replacement circuit board? Now that I have reset the controller, I currently cannot program it for the hot weather coming. I'll just have to manually open bleed valves until I can remedy the situation.

If the membrane buttons are on the circuit board, a new one might fix
it.
On the other hand it's an electronic device that's 19 years old.
Assuming you can even get a replacement part, it will probably cost a
significant percentage of just replacing the whole thing with a new
unit (and typically the new unit will have a warranty period, while a
replacement board may not.) Go shopping for both ways and make up
your mind.
A third possibility would be to see if you see anything that you
might try when you search for "membrane keyboard repair" - I have not
sifted through the results, and I'm not going to link to any, but
there did seem to be a variety of options such as replacing the
unreliable things with reliable types of switches, and various
attempts at opening them up and cleaning them. I'd prefer replacement
(not a fan of the things, longevity-wise), which should be as easy as
wiring 4 switches into the place where the membrane switches connect.


Need help with toilet not draining I have a toilet that doesn't work... When you flush the handle, the water fills the bowl up but it does not drain. The tank on the back does drain and refill with water so I know that is not the problem. I have tried plunging the thing with no improvement. I have tried snaking it and from time to time, it looks like the snake does not go up the pipes, I can see it coiled around inside the drain pipe. We have tried to use drano for two days and nothing seems to help. I know that hiring a plumber is the best answer but at this moment in time, hiring a plumber is not affordable and not in the family budget. Can anyone help with any other suggestions?

What you describe is a "clogged toilet".  Plain and simple.

You say "snake", but have you specifically tried a "closet auger" that's made for toilets?

They are normally 3ft, but if you look, you can find a 6ft model that has an extendible snake.  The snake part of these is much thicker than a standard drain snake and the long, bent handle starts it on the right path.


How do I wire a hard-wired wall switch and a remote for my ceiling fan/light? I have installed a ceiling fan/light in my living room where only a light fixture used to be.  The room is large and with a high ceiling so getting up to change the fan setting and dimming the light is a pain.  And a pull chain is not an option or a feature of the fan.  I currently have a remote and receiver in the canopy.  This is great, except for walking into the room when it is dark as I knock everything over searching for the remote.

What I would like to do is have a wall switch that will turn the fan and light on and off separately, AND have the remote in the room that also has full control to turn the light and fan on and off, but I don't think that is possible.  If I'm wrong please let me know.

So my second desire, which I hope is possible, is to have the light controlled (on/off/dim) by a hard-wired wall switch and the remote, and the fan wired hot and controlled by the remote.  The fan is a Hunter 3-speed.

About the installation:

The current wiring is with 12/2 romex (with ground).
I have access to the entire circuit, fan junction box, and wall switch from the ceiling/attic above.
The fan, remote, and canopy receiver are all Hunter.
I've attached pictures of the switch hardware that I'm working with (alternative suggestions welcomed).

Thanks Fellas,
Evan

Simplest answer is probably to get a second remote and velcro it to the wall, unless the controller is designed to also support a physical switch via a switch loop or the "toggle off and on again rapidly" signalling mechanism. Docs for the controller should answer that question; if they don't tell you how to also use a wall switch you probably can't -- or at least can't use it as anything but a master power switch.


Why does my fluorescent light fixture take minutes to turn on in high heat and humidity? Our kitchen fixture won't come on for 3 to 5 minutes when the temperature goes over 90°F (32.2°C) and 90% humidity. It flickers and only reaches 80% brightness after that. It will occasionally flicker in lower, but still warm temperatures. It is fine below 60°F (~15°C).

I have tried replacing the tubes using both standard and ES tubes.

We rarely get above 90°F (32.2°C) without going over 90% humidity so I can't tell if it is the heat or the humidity causing the issue.

By the sound of things you must be using the older ballasts with a starter plug. These ballasts cause flickering of the bulb and this constant flickering causes damage to the ballast itself.

The ballast has to generate a very high voltage to "spark" the tube. Once the tube is glowing the ballast can relax and give a constant power output. The state between changing from high output to regulated is very stressful for the components and the starter plug is also responsible for handling this change.

Tubes need to be replaced every 12-24 months because the gas inside the tube loses it health properties even though it still emits light. So technically it becomes bad for your eyes because it starts to produce unwanted UV light.

I would suggest removing the old light fitting and buying a new one and INSIST on an electronic ballast. The electronic ballast does not need any starter plugs and handles the initial output voltage much better. It does not cause flickering (but if there is a problem it just does not turn on). These ballasts MUST match the wattage of the tubes. Higher or lower wattage will result in shortened life of the tube or not turn on at all.

The electronic ballast will not be influenced by humidity or temperature that much. It just runs.

The differences...


What is the difference between "Input" and "Output" values on power adapters? Which one represents the amount of power being drawn from a circuit? I'm trying to get a rough idea for how much electricity I consume in my home office.

I understand that there are a lot of ways to measure this kind of thing:

Turn everything else off in all other rooms.  Turn off other circuit breakers, and monitor power usage meter.
Measure with a device (e.g. Kill-a-watt)

In the absence of that, I'd like to get a rough idea by checking the power adapters for various devices.   When I check power adapters, I see things like "input" and "output".  Which one is the one actually drawing from my house?

For example:

Does this mean the device is drawing 0.24 amps? Or 1.5 amps?

I suspect that "output" is in terms of DC and not actually drawing that much power so I should probably be looking at "input".

Power adapters convert the electricity from one voltage to another voltage, and sometimes between AC and DC.

The quick answer to your question is to multiply the INPUT voltage by the INPUT current. In this case, you likely have 120 V input (if you're in the United States). So, the MAXIMUM power would be 120*0.24 = 29 W, though the actual power usage is likely less than this. With efficient power supplies, it will be better to look at the electrical requirement of your device rather than the power supply's maximum power rating. For example, if the device uses 1.2 A at 5 V DC, it would use a maximum of about 6 W. I would multiply this number by about 1.2 to account for power supply inefficiencies, so your system may use about 7.2 W max.

And here's some related information about power supply efficiency that is somewhat relevant to the question (that I wrote before carefully reading the question):

The INPUT is what sort of electrical system you need to supply to the adapter (i.e. what your power company supplies).

The OUTPUT is what is supplied to your device.

Note that he amount of DC electrical power is calculated by multiplying the current by the voltage (P=I·V). For AC, this product is the maximum power that could be used, though the actual amount could be lower because of the power factor (P=I·V·PF), and the power factor is typically between 0.7 and 1.0 (except for some motors).

Because of inefficiencies in the power adapter not all of the input power is able to be output. This extra power is turned into heat. So, the input power is always larger than the output power.

In your example, the power adapter is rated to use a maximum of 58 W (0.24*240), but can output only 5*1.5=7.5 W. So, worse case based on the label, it will use 58 W, but only supply 7.5 W to your device, so about 13% efficient. Efficiency is defined as the output power divided by the input power.

Power supplies usually do not draw their maximum power during usage: They try to draw only the amount of power the device wants. So, this adapter usually won't be drawing 58 W. In fact, modern power supplies will use less than 1 W when plugged in with their device turned off and have inefficiencies of >90%. So, knowing the maximum does not tell you their typical usage.

One quick test of the efficiency is to check the temperature of the power supply. The hotter the power supply (while plugged in), the less efficient it is.

When choosing a power supply to reduce energy use, pay attention to their efficiency and not their energy use. New supplies should be rated as to their energy usage using roman numerals (I,II,III,IV,V) based on an international standard. Class V is currently the best efficiency rating, and will mean that the drawn power will closest to the supplied power, in which case you should look at the devices required voltage and current to get an idea of the power used.


Should I switch from propane to electric heat? After a downright frightening heating bill, I am thinking of switching to electric heat. I want this to be as little impact to the house as possible. I currently live in a 1100 sq ft manufactured home (mobile home... its a trailer) with a bedroom on each of the polls and a massive kitchen and living room area. My plan is:

A small space heater per bedroom
A baseboard heater for the kitchen livingroom area

My home has 100A line coming in with a 60A main breaker. The electrical is already heavily separated and my panel has enough room for two more 15A breakers. I do not have ready access to a 230V line. (I know enough not to do any work here myself)

Is there anything that I need to know before committing to this? Does anyone have any similar stories that can help me with this?

P.S. It may be worth noting that I currently pay $5.10/gal (!!) for propane and $0.08/kwh for electric. The current system is forced hot air.

UPDATE: I have equipped the main rooms with electric, oil-filled heaters. During the day they keep the house warm enough and at night our bedrooms are fine (the living room and kitchen suffer but I'm the only one who wakes up early enough to notice so moot point).

You should consider a few conditions when deciding what is the most efficient (often cheapest) method for heating your home.

The Department of Energy site has some good resources about regional heating fuel costs.

Their heating fuel comparison calculator is a useful example:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/ask/conversionequivalents_faqs.asp#compare_heating_fuels

Consider installation costs as well as operating costs. There are obviously some pretty efficient heating techniques (geothermal and solar) that unfortunately, still have extremely high installation costs. This often makes their installation untenable.


Run electrical wire outside in for new lightings for cathedral ceiling This is my living room and I am planning to install 9 recessed lights on the cathedral ceiling.

There is no attic space and there should be just 4-5" gap on top before it hits the roof.

I don't want to bring down the ceiling entirely just for this job. Notice that there is one light on top already but it's in the wrong location so it's not useful. The joists are going left/right to top beam. So running the existing wire to other locations will require drilling through ALL the joists.

One other information to know is that I have access to attic space NEXT to this living room area and I can see a big "triangle" so I could drill from there.

I have two options:

Run new wiring from the attic space (blue rectangle) to OUTSIDE the house and into the sides of the cathedral ceiling. I can drill holes from left and right (circles) where there are air vents into the top space of the ceiling:

I assume I could use outdoor wires and then just fill the hole with some hole filler material to seal it.

Drill 6 big holes (red rectangles) on the wall and drill on top to make a hole into space of the ceiling. Then run wiring from the wall up the ceiling.

This is more difficult as I just cannot figure out how to run the wire from the switch to inside the wall through these 6 holes. I assume I have to drill side-way through all the studs to run the wire. But this option seems "more right" than the first one.

Please let me know your thoughts on the two options or if there is a better way.

Thanks

I think your plan is based on a reasonable assumption - that when you drill in from the outside, you'll have an unobstructed path between the rafters to fish your wires up through.

I'd want to verify that is the case before committing to this plan.  I'd want to drill holes in from the outside and be as sure as possible I could get a fiberglass fish stick up to the spot where the can lights are going before I cut holes in that ceiling.  This isn't a guarantee things will go easily but it ought to help.

You are probably aware of this, but even with two very proficient people working, getting in place on ladders, scaffolds or etc. and fishing wires from the eaves to the ceiling is going to be challenging to do safely.

I don't know if you'll be happy with the appearance of exposed outdoor cable under the eaves, if not, installing conduit up there will be  another challenge.

I don't know if that ceiling is tongue and groove, but choose your hardware carefully - some may be much much easier to install than others.

Wiremold is starting to look pretty good to me...


How can we dry out a soaked water heater (and restore a novice plumber's dignity)? Suppose a novice plumber -- a completely hypothetical novice plumber -- removed the top heating element in their electric water heater before the tank had sufficiently drained, resulting in about a gallon of water spurting out not only into the basement, but also down the inside of the device, soaking into the insulation to the extent that the foam around the lower heating element and thermostat squishes and dribbles forth when squeezed. (Suppose said hypothetical novice plumber is not a complete fool -- the power to the water heater was cut off before the mishap and remains so now.)
Suppose this imaginary person would like to stop taking bucket baths in a precarious blend of stove-boiled water, liquid ice from the tap, and shame, and return to the glorious steamy showers they took for granted as little as a week ago. Suppose this imaginary person shares this home with others, and that a 12-year romantic relationship hangs in the balance.
Even a rookie can see the potential risk in wiring everything back up and flipping the breaker while there is enough moisture in the insulation to irrigate a small orchard. Suppose a fan has been blowing on the heating element/thermometer access points for 48 hours. Suppose that a dehumidifier has been running constantly, and that even a hair dryer has been employed from time to time. What else would you advise our protagonist do to dry out the obstreperous water heater? How much more time must elapse? How dry is dry enough?

If you have a wet vacuum cleaner with a slotted attachment, use that first to suck up pooling water and very wet insulation. Then pull out as much of the wet insulation around both elements as you can. If it rips, that's OK because you can add it back when it dries out.
If the area around the heating elements and wiring is dry and no water is dripping or running out the bottom, you can reconnect the elements and turn on the breaker and go back to hot showers. Even if the insulation is still damp away from the elements and wiring, you'll be OK. If you're stuffing towels in between the tank and outer casing through the openings where the elements are or doing any type of drying out the inside, turn off the breaker while you're working on it. If you've got a fan you can place in front of the water heater, do it.


Replacing fluorescent fixture with a normal tungsten lamp - wiring trouble! I am replacing 2 fluorescent fixtures with 2 simple two-wire lamps.  (The two fixtures are on one circuit - when I removed the first fluo fixture, the second one no longer lit up.)  I am having trouble figuring out how to rewire it all.

The difficulty is that coming out of each socket in the ceiling, there are two sets of wires.  On the left is a black and a white wire.  On the right is a black wire, a white wire, and a red wire.  The right red wire connects to the left white wire. The right white wire was going into the fluorescent.  And finally, the two black wires connect, and then a third black wire (connected to the same wire cap and coming out of it) went  into the fluorescent.

I tried simply connecting the black and white wires to my new fixture, but I think it’s blowing the circuit - it feels different when I turn on the breaker than when there are no wires connected. I’ve tried different combinations of the black wire (leaving one of them out of the equation), but no dice either.

Anyone understand how I might be able to connect the circuit and get these lights to work?

SOCKET 1
(i disconnected all the black wires)

SOCKET 2
(have left black wires exactly as they were when i removed the fluo fixture)

You can't go by color alone, you have to understand what the wires do.  Here's what happened when you hooked all the like-colors together.   BOOM.

This is probably how it was connected originally.  However, this is wrong and illegal, for several reasons: white wires must be neutral unless marked otherwise, and here it's a hot mess.  Also, "hot" is always connected to the light fixtures even with the switch off, which can surprise the guy working on the fixture.  It's also likely that the white wires on the fixtures are actually "hot" - that's especially dangerous with Edison style sockets.

Here are the exact same wires, rearranged in a way which is legal and solves all of the above problems.  Now the "hot" wire to the fixture (red) is switched, and neutral is always connected.  With the switch off, the fixtures see no power.  Note it now matters which end the switch is on, because on one end, white is actual-neutral, and on the other, it is switched-hot.

On the right of this drawing is called a switch loop. Those are wired with black-white cable out of sheer practicality... the white is not neutral, but is switched-hot. Legally the wire must be marked, typically with a few wraps of electrical tape.  Black will suffice, use red if you have it.

This switch loop arrangement is actually obsolete.   In new work, code now requires neutral be brought on switch loops.  In that case, all 3 wires would be extended to the switch, and neutral would not be used until the happy day you get a smart switch or motion sensor.

The color of the wire-nuts do not matter, as long as they fit the wires - they have a lot of range.  Yellow is best suited for all the connections here.

All these drawings omit ground wires.  That's commonly done on illustrations like this.  Nonetheless, all the grounds do need to be there and be hooked up.

One last thing: You'll get way less light.  A dual 4-foot fluorescent (62-90 watts) produces the same light as 400-500 watts of tungsten bulbs.  If you hate the fluorescent flicker, lousy cold-start or hum, or the ballast or starter has failed - electronic ballasts fix all that! And you can retrofit your existing fixtures.  If you hate the fluorescent color, they fixed that too - tubes and LEDs now come in excellent color rendering (80-90 CRI) in 3000, 3500, 4000 or 5000k color.


How would I size a heating system that would only be used to warm the floors? I have a forced air heating system that works well, and I'm not looking to replace it. However, I'd like to get the "warm floors" effect of radiant floor heating. I've heard that with a lot less BTU/hr, you can still do "floor warming" by using a lower hydronic temperature. Since any energy put into the floor to warm it needs to go somewhere, I would expect that this will supplement my forced air heating.

Given that the desire is just to warm the floor, rather than heat the house, I don't think that figuring out how many BTU/hr I would need to supply to keep the floor toasty involves any sort of heat loss calculation for the house. Any heat lost is already replaced by the forced air system. As a result, how do I determine how much I need to just keep the floor warm?

Note: I am aware of the labor involved in installing hydronic radiant floor pipes, but I've just gutted my basement for a remodel and the first floor subfloor is accessible for a time. If I'm ever going to want to do floor warming or potentially future radiant heating, the time to install the pipes would be now. Eventually when we replace our second floor's finished floor, I'll probably rip up the subfloor and put in hydronic structural panels at that time too. For the purposes of this question, assume I already have unused radiant floor heating pipes under all of the floors.

Your goals are somewhat at odds.  Even where radiant floor heating is used as the only source of heat, the floor typically does not get anywhere near "toasty."  The floor temp is typically only 5 to 10 degrees above ambient (75 to 80 F), and the vast size of the radiator (i.e. the entire floor) provides enough energy to heat the entire space with such a small differential.  So, the floor will feel better than an unheated floor, but since it is still colder than your body temp, it won't feel "toasty" by any means.  So, if you piped enough energy into your floors to make them feel warm under foot, you'd likely overheat the house!

The only "toasty" floors I've experienced is a heated bathroom floor.  In that case, there was electric coils under the tile (several hundred watts worth for a large bathroom), and indeed, the floor felt warm underfoot.


Cat3 from Verizon ONT to Old Bell Atlantic Panel I am trying to identify what the purpose of this was, and whether it is safe to cut this cable. This Verizon Fiber ONT (optical network terminal) has a blue and white cable coming from this interface:

It is running up and over to this old copper phone line (Bell Atlantic) panel which appears to be capped off.
(front):

(inside):

There are however some wires that are running from this phone interface to a tube on the right and under my basement window:

I have a lot of Cat5e in the house that terminated in the basement next to this BA panel here:

I want to re-purpose the Cat5e which is terminated throughout the house as RJ11, and use it as RJ45 and hook it up to get 1Gbps internet. I am trying to determine what at one time was coming out of this ONT:
What is the blue and white Cat3 cable going to the Bell Atlantic box that is now capped off?
What is the brown and white cable next to that that is capped off?
What is currently hooked up to this interface panel that's going underground?

When Verizon (which is the latest iteration of C&P Telephone -> Bell Atlantic) puts in FIOS, they convert the phone lines to run on the fiber from the central office and they come out of the ONT as copper which they then connect to the original Network Interface (a.k.a. DMARC). ("Network" refers to "telephone network", not to Ethernet.) That network interface will have wires going to the rest of the house and also often still have wires going back out to the street. At some point (typically in or very close to the network interface, they will disconnect the old lines in order to avoid problems.
Each phone line users 2 wires (the RJ11 jacks can handle 4 wires = 2 phone lines). You actually have space for 6 (possibly 12, not clear if that is 6 repeated left & right or 12 separate lines), but currently you only have 1 line connected on the blue/white pair. Blue/white is one of the standard colors within a 4-pair cable, but is also standard for "cross connect" wires, which is the actual function here.
Do you have any traditional "land lines"? Do you want to have any "land lines"? Or are you in cell phone and/or VOIP mode? If you have no need for regular land lines (aka POTS) then you can ignore the old network interface. If you do want regular land lines then there are a number of different ways of wiring them, some of which will make use of that network interface, but not all.


Primer mottling, is it getting absorbed into the wood? I have been having trouble priming some hardwood boards. The primer goes on fine, but after about 15 minutes, it begins to take on a mottled appearance and you can see the wood again. So, either the paint is pooling and migrating into clumps or it is getting absorbed into the wood, not sure which.

The wood is supele and the primer is an finely ground oil based base coat made by Fine Paints of Europe.

What is going here and what should I do if anything to correct the problem?

Supele has a lot of natural oils in it, similar to some types of Mahogany or even Ipe, making it great for outdoor applications, including decks and even boat building. However, because of the natural oils, it will repel finishes and give the finish you described (a picture might help). Try sanding it smooth, then wiping it off with mineral spirits before attempting to paint again.

This still might not solve your issue and a coat of shellac as recommended by @jbbenni might be necessary to seal it prior to painting.


How can I take down an awning? I need to take down this awning for the winter. It's 20ft x 10ft. The 20ft side (the side on the right in the picture, adjacent to the house) is wrapped around a 20ft-long steel beam. The three other sides are held in place by a long cord  woven through eyelets.

How do I take down such an awning? I'm guessing that the side with the beam should be detached first and unrolled down gradually while the cords are undone slowly. Is this about right? I'm also guessing that this is a task for two folks capable of carrying a rather hefty load, and it should not be attempted solo. Is that right?

That photo is not very helpful in identifying how the awning is attached to the house. In general, there should be brackets of some type, which grab hold of a metal rod that's within a pocket of the awning. Once you've figured out how to free the top of the awning from the house, you'll have to remove the ropes that tie the awning to the support structure. Once the cover is free, you can roll it, or fold it up.

It shouldn't weigh too much, as it's just a sheet of canvas.  I usually take mine down, and put it up by myself. So if you're able bodied, you should have no problem. If you're not, you might want a hand getting it down.