Tapping Neutral in Service Entrance (Back to original message because tapping utility pole ground rod directly is not good idea because in our country, robbers like to steal wiring, so if they remove the neutral, and they form a series, they can get shock or worse...)

Background for the experts who have helped me so much in the past. This is my last question. I need to activate grounding before I do all the projects I have asked advices the past month.

In my country the Philippines. 99.9999% of homes don't have any grounding. This is because we never use neutral to produce 120v. We only use 240v. And we have the same split phase power system as the US because they created our ac power system. But after they left and to promote national patriotism, we outlawed use of any 120v so we won't rely on products from the US (this is what the utility company exactly told me).

Also in my country. Contractors omit the third grounding wire because all our appliances don't have any third grounding wire. Even Refrigerators have only 2 prong plug.

Now I need to tap the neutral outside the service entrance directly to my Siemens panel. This is for protection in case hot wire touches the enclosure (so it can trip the breakers. I know the reasons and the rules for grounding and only bonding it at the panel). I want to know what kind of metal connector that I can use to connect or tap a AWG 10 side by side with the AWG 0/1 neutral wire in the service entrance, one that will not rust even after exposed to sun and rains for decades. Is there such a connector? I won't connect them end to end but just tap the open wire at the middle body of it (see photo below). It is much larger than my AWG 10. What connector can do that?

This is our service entrance neutral wire hanging (not inserted into the service entrance).

Here all our apartments have 2 wire going into the conduit and my home is 20 meters inside the compound, therefore I need to connect the AWG 10 by attaching it outside the house frames on the way to the Siemens neutral conductor lugs. I can't do the usual way of wiring it via the service entrance and main panels because I can no longer insert the wires 20 meters away. See.

A split bolt connector would seem to be right for this. Use electrical joint compound (such as Burndy Penetrox) then tape over the joint.

However, you would have to separate the neutral/ground enough from the insulated conductors and then tape over the split bolt and maybe interpose a piece of plastic or rubber so that it would not over time wear a hole in the insulation and cause a short.


Can't get 3rd Gen Nest to power fan on Trane XR95 furnace I have a Trane XR95 furnace and I replaced my original Honeywell Pro 4000 thermostat with a 3rd gen. Nest.

I noticed, however, after installing the Nest that I can't get the fan to run on its own like it did with my Honeywell thermostat -- it only runs when it's heating the house. On my Honeywell, there was a 'Fan' switch that I could flip (from 'auto' to 'on') that would run just the fan (see the first picture below).

Now, on my Nest, if I take my 'G' wire and connect it to 'Y1', my Nest allows me to run the fan but it's temperature-controlled. So the fan will only kick on after a certain temperature is passed (e.g., if the house is hotter than 80 degrees, the fan will run). However, this is a bad hack because I don't have A/C so it could run a long time without really cooling the house down.

I've already spoken to a Nest representative and we went through a good 2 hr. troubleshooting where we checked voltages and what-not, which resulted in him sending me a replacement base saying the base might be faulty. But that didn't help.

I'm wondering if anyone has run into this problem before and if there are any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Image of Honeywell Pro 4000
My Honeywell back plate wiring -- note the jumper between 'Rc' and 'R', which Nest apparently doesn't need because it's all internal.
My Nest wiring
My furnace's wiring (Trane XR95) -- The only thing I changed since this picture was taken is that I connected the blue wire to the top of the 'C' slot. This allowed constant power to be sent to the Nest.

I believe you need to move the red wire at the Nest to the Rh terminal. Rh is 24v from the Heating system. The Rc terminal is 24 volts from the Cooling system. Change that around and see if your issue is fixed.

Nest Pro Installer Guide


How can I close a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue? I will use a rectangular pipe (65mmx100mm) for growing herbs on the wall outside my house.
I want to close both ends of a rectangular PVC pipe without using glue so I can pull at anytime both ends for cleaning purpose.

Does anyone has a good mechanical idea?
I'm trying to maintain the cost low so the less parts the better.

Cork/Foam/Anything that can be molded to fit the hole snuggly.

Also a they make  caps that extend slightly into the pvc pipe., find a rubber seal (old bike inner tube, large rubber band etc..)attach it to the cap, and then shove it in the hole.


How can I use the existing structured wiring panel to get internet throughout my house? My apartment is currently wired with five Cat5e cables that all meet in a closet, where there is also an outlet and the cable entry. The ethernet is currently wired into the board in the picture below.

I want to move the modem and router from my living room into this closet and distribute the internet from there to other rooms using the Cat5e cabling. Can I use this existing wiring setup or is it best to remove the board, manually add jacks to each cable, and connect those to my router?

It looks like this was originally intended for telephone service distribution.

There's a few ways to go about it depending on how neat and tidy you want the job to look.

You can pull those blue wires free from the termination block, crimp them with rj-45 heads, and plug them into your switch. Quicker, Easier, Cheapest.
You can replace the punchdown block in the picture with a mini patch panel. More work, cost, but nicer finished look.  You will then need to also buy a handfull of 6 inch patch cables to connect it up from your switch.

You should trace and label those cables as well so you know where they go.

It's likely that one does not end in your apartment, but is going to the street or a patch panel elsewhere intended to provide phone service.  To prevent damage, do not connect this one to your network equipment.


Covering exposed insulation paper face Other than gypsum, what else can be put over exposed insulation? Code wont allow for exposed paper. If not tyvek than what specific product can be used? The company that installed my insulation, which failed final inspection won't return calls.  I was told nonwoven flame retardant sheet.  Anyone have specific product that meets that?

Flame-retardant polyethylene (6 mil, I think) is commonly used. You'd sort of end up with a double vapor barrier, but since they're tight together it's probably not a problem. It's readily available at building materials suppliers.

Regarding your "ridiculous codes" comment, walls of highly-flammable paper are a genuine safety concern. It ignites much more readily than the paper on the face of drywall, for example, and spreads flame very quickly. Surely you prefer that the occupants have a fighting chance at survival, and those downward-trending lines don't happen by accident.


Things to keep all manner of bugs away from home? This seemed like a decent place to ask this question.

I have incredible amounts of wasps, bees spiders around my home (specifically on my porch and around my workout station outside). I also have a big issue with random sorts of bugs hovering around my porch light. I know that all of this is normal, but it's also incredibly frustrating to get a mouth full of insects as I walk out of my door at night, and annoying to traverse 6 wasps to get down my steps.

Are there wasp insecticides that keep them away? Or perhaps some scents that they dislike? I'm willing to spend money on this. It aggravates me to no end.

Thank you.

Edit: I live in West Virginia. The things I am trying to get rid of are wasps (red and black), bees (I don't want the bees dead, but to leave my porch and workout station alone). The ones near my light are all over the place at night. I have some moths, and some insects that are much too tiny for me to classify. Just hate them flying into my mouth and eyes as I walk outside.

Again: any scents, insecticides, or traps that get rid of these nuisances?

I have a horse farm so there are always some flies under the covered areas on hot days even when using bugs that eat fly larva and fly traps (both helped reduce the number of flies) however the best solution we have found is a large fan set at the lowest level blowing across the area, the flies go other places. We have wasps & hornets but they don't tend to stay where the air is moving.


Crack in shower stall floor I need some advice. My shower stall in my house has a crack in the base. I'm worried about the potential water damage below the unit. I've tried sealing it with Real Seal, but it wears away after a couple of days/weeks. I visited Home Depot today and the guy there recommended Homax Tub and Sink Refinishing Kit. But that looked like it was for porcelain and not whatever my shower is made of. Beyond that, he said the only thing left is to replace the shower which would be at least $400 plus labor.

My next step is to call out somebody for an estimate of some sort. But I thought I'd ask here for any recommendations first. Does anybody have any advise before I drop over $1000 on this? I have to imagine that this is a common problem so surely there is a simple solution.

That looks like fiberglass (if it feels pretty flexible its fiberglass, if it pings when you tap it with your wedding ring its porcelain) which could in theory be patched with a fiberglass resin patch. Use the kind with the fiberglass mesh, not just Bondo it will crack. Or you could try West Systems G/Flex Epoxy Kit WSY-650K, I've used it to do some hairy fixes and it is pretty impressive. Having said that, I would consider any patch to be a temporary fix at best. You've got water, regular stressing forces caused by your shifting weight in the tub, and a hole that may be leaking into an area that you can't see. Bad juju.  Also, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the last time I replaced a shower/tub insert it ended up costing the homeowner about $2300 because we had to tear up and replace a lot of the sub-floor due to years of minor leaks and overflows. You may not be looking at water damage yet but I wouldn't be surprised if you have to perform a little surgery once that shell is out.
Best of luck,
ph


Can I use a red wire as a neutral? I am replacing a 240v wall a/c unit with a 120v one at my workplace. There is no main shut off at the box. Breaker is DP 20A. I would like to move the red wire to the neutral bus with the breaker off to convert this circuit. Along with replacing the outlet. Anyone see problems doing this?

For anyone wanting the code reference as to why using a red (or black) conductor as a neutral is not allowed:

  2014 National Electric Code

  200.6 Means of Identifying Grounded Conductors.

  (A) Sizes 6 AWG or Smaller. An insulated grounded conductor of 6 AWG or smaller shall be identified by one of the following means:

  (1) A continuous white outer finish.

  (2) A continuous gray outer finish.

  (3) Three continuous white or gray stripes along the conductor's entire length on other than green insulation.

  (4) Wires that have their outer covering finished to show a white or gray color but have colored tracer threads in the braid identifying the source of manufacture shall be considered as meeting the provisions of this section.


How do I cleanly cut threaded stainless .24" rods? I have tried hack saw, manual bolt cutters,  plasma cutter - all of which mess up the thread and make it tough to get the nut on. What's the best tool for this? Ideally something under $50 or something rentable? I have a lot of rods to cut (need to make about 50 cuts).

The nuts will be put on once and not removed. I can leave one of the ends unfinished so the nuts don't come off, but one end still needs to be pretty so I can get a nut on in the first place.

A 4.5 inch angle grinder with a thin cutoff disk is the tool I'd reach for first, after threading the nut on.

If you don't have one but do have a circular saw, and the lengths you are cutting allow, an abrasive cutoff blade in the circular saw can also work. This one is listed for less than $2.50

Expect sparks. Clean out all sawdust if you use one of these in a saw that you also use to cut wood with.

For larger scale projects they do make a 14" chop saw version.

You can additionally clean up the cut threads with a triangular file or a thread-restoring file.


How can I build a lamp like the one I saw in the store? My Fiance and I were walking through Target to find a lamp for the corner of our living room. We saw this one that we kind of liked

But the price was way too high and the panels were too small. I thought that I could possibly make it and I want to know if I'm considering all the right materials (since I'm new to this). I think I would need:

Screws (specific size?)
Screw driver
1" x 1" segments of wood
3' x 3'  panels for each base
Stain
Finish
Some linen for the top
A lightbulb base with a cord running out the bottom of it
A bit to drill a .5" hole in the top panel (for the wire to route)
Some staples to route the cable along the top panel and down the leg (to look nice)
A light bulb
Some wood glue for extra stability

Also I'm not sure how I would use the linen to recreate the top part. Notice how the fabric/material is on the inside of the wood segment/leg. How would I recreate that?

It is great to begin woodworking with a custom made project that fits your needs. Often doing it yourself can result in a significant savings, but I think you may find that purchasing the components for the lamp may well cost more than the amount they are asking. But your version will be the size and finish you want.

For the linen panels, you could try mounting the linen on thin plastic, such as acrylic, cut to size. You could use spray adhesive, such as this one, or you could tension the cloth and glue the edges with a thin bead of a general adhesive.  Just make sure it will stick to the type of plastic you select and do a small test to make sure it does not discolor the fabric.

Screw length should be enough to go through the first piece and 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through the second. You need to pre-drill all holes. Glue will stabilize the piece.

Finally, be sure to leave the top of the lamp open to allow heat to escape, and be careful when stapling over wire not to nick the insulation.  You should consider attaching the wire with a bead of glue along the length instead.  You can hold it in place with tape until it dries.


Ceiling Light Wiring Confusion I replaced two sockets in my dated pantry pull chain ceiling light. I tried to put it all back together but blew a fuse.  Each new socket has  one white & one black wire, the newly installed pull chain has two black wires. The house wiring is older, no color distinctions there.  Fortunately I tagged the four house wires when I disassembled everything so I know which two belong together.  Can you possibly draw a diagram that I could easily follow to put this back together? Thanks. Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Your description is somewhat vague but I'll give it a try.

You say there are four wires from the house. I'm going to assume that these were connected together in pairs. In turn, each pair was connected to wires going to the old lights.

If the above is not correct, STOP READING! You need to clarify the wiring to us. A photo or drawing may help.

One of the pairs of wires is HOT and the other is NEUTRAL. Unfortunately, due to the lack of coloring, it may be difficult to tell which is which. Do you know that one of the pairs was connected to the outer ring of each socket? If yes, that pair should be NEUTRAL. If no, do you know which pair was connected to the old pull switch? If yes, that should be HOT.

If neither of the above can be determined, I strongly recommend you call an electrician to sort it out to avoid setting up a hazardous situation.

Assuming that has been sorted out, the wiring should be as follows:

HOT to one black wire of the switch. The other switch black connects to both blacks on the sockets. The white wires on both sockets connect to NEUTRAL.

I'd also recommend getting a roll each of black and white electrical tape. Wrap a strip of black tape on both HOT wires coming from the house. Wrap a strip of white tape on both NEUTRAL wires coming from the house. this will correctly identify the wiring for the future.

Again, if anything I've written does not match what you know of the wiring or if anything is not clear, STOP and call an electrician. If you connect things incorrectly, you could be setting up a very hazardous situation where someone could be electrocuted or your house could catch on fire.


How do I check my upstairs bedroom for insulation in the ceiling? I have a bungalow home in Michigan that has plaster ceiling. How do I check if the ceiling is insulated between ceiling and roof with no access point? The upstairs room was meant to be an attic but converted to a bedroom. Now, in winter it is freezing and in summer extremely hot.

If the house is old enough to have a plaster ceiling, there is a terrific chance there is no insulation.

You would be wise to cut an access somewhere and get rent a blowing machine for insulation. get about 16" up there. Taper it to the roof rafters so it does not touch the roof. It will allow the roof to get too hot in those places and deteriorate the roof prematurely. 2' of airspace over the insulation is recommended.

Be mindful of any added can (recessed) lights that were put in later, they need to be IC (insulation contact) rated or keep the insulation off them too.


How do I connect the common wire in a Carrier air handler? I am trying to install a new wifi thermostat in my home and need to locate the common terminal for my air handler.  I have a Carrier model FB4CNF030.  It's a new construction home and I have the blue common run but it is not connected at the air handler side

I've referred to the post at How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? and understand the purpose of the common but still don't know where to hook it up.  I can't find the wiring schematic for this unit.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

There is a set of connections in the air handler that usually includes the "C" terminal, and it should be labelled (though it may be hard to read depending on the location of the control board and/or wiring/etc in the way).

One way to tell for sure is that while the furnace is not running, using a multi-meter you can measure between the "C" and "R" (or Rh or Rc terminals) and you should see 24VAC. R (or Rh and Rc) will already be going to the thermostat.

As an example, on your furnace, from the manual:

The colors may match, but don't count on it. The sure-fire way is to check using a multi-meter as I said above.


How do I install a GFCI receptacle with two hot wires and common neutral? In my kitchen, I want to replace a regular 120V receptacle with a GFCI-protected receptacle. The instructions describe what to do with a regular 2-wire + ground feed, with and without daisy chaining to other receptacles, but not how to do it with a 3-wire + ground feed. Please describe how I should connect the new receptacle.

Here's a diagram of how the non-GFCI receptacle is currently wired, in my best 6-year-old artistry:

I think it's connected this way so that each receptacle in the kitchen has their two sockets supplied by different breakers. At the service panel the circuit is controlled by a joined pair of 15A breakers. I assume the white and black are separate 15A lines and the red is a common neutral (?).

Here are the instructions for connecting in a 2-wire scenario.

How do I connect this? Or should I consult an electrician?

EDIT

From The complete guide to home wiring

The first problem is that you may be using the wrong cable and breakers.  NEC calls for 2 20Amp small appliance circuits in the kitchen, to accomplish this you'll need to switch to 20Amp breakers and #12 wire.

The next problem. You'll have to pull new wire anyway, if you want to hook up GFCI receptacles. GFCI receptacles will not work properly with a shared neutral, you'll end up with nuisance tripping with a shared neutral.  GFCI receptacles work by monitoring the balance between hot and neutral, so if the neutral is shared the GFCI will not work properly.

To wire up the kitchen properly, you'll have to pull 2 new 12/2 cables from the breaker to the kitchen (all #14 wire on that circuit will have to be replaced). Then install 2 20Amp breakers, to supply the kitchen.  You'll install the GFCI's as the first receptacle on each circuit, which will protect all downstream receptacles.

You can share a neutral between 2 GFCI receptacles.  The catch is you'll have to pigtail the neutral to the receptacles, not use the neutral from the load side of the first GFCI to feed the second.

So you should be able to do something like this...

But not like this...

You'll then be able to use the load side of each receptacle to feed other devices, like this.


Why would outside air come out a furnace intake? One of my furnace air intakes appears to be letting in fresh outside air. I have three intakes on the main floor and one in the basement. The basement one is the offender as far as I can tell.
When the furnace is off, I can feel air coming through enough to be noticeable. Today, it is very cold, so I can tell that it is outside air coming in. When the furnace turns on, air flow reverses and it seems to operate like a normal intake vent.
I believe my furnace uses outside air, but I thought that was just for combustion. I have attached a picture of the furnace, just in case it is helpful.
Any ideas?

If this is "normal", I was thinking I might get some thin paper to place on the back side of the intake such that it can flap open for intake and close when the furnace is off. It faces downward from the ceiling, so this is feasible.

When the furnace blower stops, the forced airflow stops. What you are feeling is the air remaining in the return ductwork as it cools and sinks. That's why you feel it at the lowest return register. Your idea of a one-way flapper valve made from paper is good. It will keep the calm cooling air from sinking. Be sure to minimize any resistance to air flow during normal operation.


Water leak detection - long drive way My dad needs to repair a water leak on a property. This house has a long driveway (roughly 20 metres). But when he went there to have a look, there was no noticeable leak (water puddle etc). Bathroom & under the house have been checked thoroughly and there was no sight of any serious water leak. Currently there is about 0.8 ton of water lost per day due to this leak, which is not a small amount.

My question is that, is there any way we could detect where the water leak is without having to hire a plumber?

Is there any equipment that we could hire to find the source of the leak?

I don't know of any special water finding tools.

"0.8 tons" is an odd way of measuring water, but that's about 200 gallons per day. Not exactly a lot for a normal household. How exactly have you arrived at that number? According to the USGS typical consumption is around 100 gallons per day per person. 200 gallons is about what you would get if you left a garden hose running for half an hour. If there were a leak in your water service line I am not sure you would notice.

Finding the leak may be tough. A leaking fixture (e.g. a constantly running toilet) could easily leak that much water. If you have access to the water meter you could shut off the water at the entrance to the house and see if it continues to spin... that would tell you if the leak is inside the house or in the yard.


Bathroom Exhaust Fan/Light wiring I am replacing the exhaust fan in my bathroom, however it seems like there is an extra white wire on the fan. The wires came with “quick connectors” - do I remove these and tie the whites together?

I was assuming:

Green > Ground
Black > Black
Blue > Red ?
White > White

Thanks!

Yes, they are giving you separate neutrals so you have the flexibility to put the fan and light on different circuits if you want to.  Neutrals must be supplied from the same circuit as the hot; you can't return current from circuit 1 on the neutral from circuit 2, or it causes a number of problems and safety threats.

In an application like yours, feel free to tie the neutrals together using your preferred wiring method.

Once that and the grounds are hooked up, you have 2 from the ceiling and 2 left on the fan.  One wire is for the fan, the other for the light.  Generally blue is for the light. I have no idea if your house was wired black for the light or red for the light, but whatever.  Hook it up one way e.g.  black-black blue-red, and if that doesn't do what  you want, then hook it up the other way e.g. black-red blue-black.

Make sure not to put a fan on a dimmer by mistake!


How can I secure a shed with a skid foundation in a windy location? I'm planning to install an 8'x8' composite storage shed in my backyard on a 4x4 skid foundation. However, my house is located in a very windy location. In the past 4 years, I've had my wooden privacy fence blown down twice. One of the times the wind was strong enough (just brushed by the edge of an EF4) to pull the concrete footings of the fence completely out of the ground.

I'd like to secure it as much as practical, but only to the point of which the shed itself will be able to endure. What I mean by that is that I don't care if the hold-downs fail if the shed is already destroyed.

So what's the best method to use?

Just set the foundation on concrete blocks and rely on the weight of the contents to hold it down
Drive some sort of ground screw next to the outer skid corners and use an eyebolt in the skids to attach with carabiners or wires.
Pour concrete piers with 4x4 stumps sticking out of them and use carriage bolts through the skids and stumps.
Something else I'm not thinking of?

I'd rather not have to pour concrete unless absolutely necessary. I've never done it before, and it seems like a hassle. If it's not as bad as I think it sounds, I'm open to being convinced otherwise.

By looking at some mobile home anchoring systems you might be able to adapt something to a smaller scale. They appear similar to the screw in the earth anchors used for dog run tie outs albeit on a larger scale. I would screw in three dog anchors on each side and use a ratcheting cargo strap (available at any auto parts store) to cinch it down. It may take two straps hooked together to get enough length to go over the roof.


Can I tie into a 12 gauge 20 amp line with 14/2 NM-B to run a light? My refrigerator line is 20 amp with 12 gauge wire. Can I tap into that with 14/2 wire, and run a light switch and 1 LED light?

You must use 12/2 to extend a 20amp circuit.   -Or- the breaker can be downgraded to 15amp if the circuit contains 14.   (If downgrading the circuit, you should also tag the wire in the panel "circuit contains 14 gauge wire" to eliminate confusion in the future.)

What you're missing:. Under normal circumstances that segment of the circuit would normally carry little watts/amps as you point out.  However in the event of a fixture fault, or even defective bulb in that fixture causing a direct short, the wire would overheat and catch fire, because it's 15 amp wire carrying a dead short.


Why are these electrical outlets interconnected? I need to replace a dual electrical outlet and fix some melted insulation/exposed wires inside. I found that the two sockets are wired like this:

Coming out of the wall I have dedicated wiring for each socket, but for some reason the sockets are also connected to each other (ground to ground, etc). Why the "extra" wiring? Should I keep it?
Edit: these are Type F outlets in Germany.

Very likely the actual path is: Out of the wall, into one socket, on to the next socket, and then back into the wall to some other socket or other load on the same circuit.
Have you identified the circuit breaker which feeds these (which would be a good sign) or breakers (something would be wrong if you need to turn off two breakers to turn these two off.) See what else is on the circuit that shuts off when you shut these off.


Connecting portable generator with L6-20P to house with L14-30R I have been spinning my wheels reading on this trying to figure out what to do.

I have a 5000W Portal generator that is NG bonded
The generator has a 250V output with a L6-20R connector.

I have a Square D generator interlock installed by an licensed electrician
The power inlet on my house is an L14-30R.

I bought a generator cable but both ends are L14-30 (4 prong).
I bought a L6-20P connector and plan on installing this on Plug side of the generator cable (i'd cut off the 4 prong).

The question is how I wire the new L6-20P on the cable:
The L14-30R has X,Y,Neutral and a Ground.
The L6-20P has X,Y and G.

When I put the L6-20P on the end of the generator cable, should I hook G of L6-20P up to G of L14-30R? This would give me two NG points in the system since the generator is NG bound.

The other option is to not connect the G to anything and just hook up X/Y?

Thanks for any help,

- Mike

Forgot to come back here since there was no answer posted. Appreciate @Harper's help, I wish they would have put an answer so I could accept!

So I ended up buying an L14-30R and replacing the L6-20R in the generator. I wired neutral over to the 240V and wired up the two hots to it. I wired ground over to one of the 120V that had ground on it but I REMOVED the jumper from ground to neutral.

Since I only have a interlock and a inlet plug for the house, neutral is NOT switched over to the generator. If you have a proper transfer switch neutral MIGHT be switched to the generator. Since neutral was not switched, I'm using the house's NG bond and therefore I want neutral to float in the generator. If you do this, you should label the generator as Neutral floating in case you sell it or need reminding.

Everything worked well when I was running on generator power for 3 or 4 days after an ice storm.


Replacement of plywood on open deck above garage Water leak through vinyl and plywood on open deck, some locations already sunken due to rotten plywood underneath.

I would like to replace by MDO plywood (Crezon plywood) and then paint on top of the new plywood.

Can you suggest a type of sealant for the joints of each piece of 4' x 8' plywood?

Do you think this is the most economical way of replacing the deck material?

Our ambient temperature is between 30 degree to minus 10 degree Celsius.

This is not going to work.  Plywood moves less than normal wood, but it still moves.  It will be impossible to seal the joints between the sheets.

I would use ordinary plywood or chipboard, cover it with a waterproof membrane (probably EDPM), and then cover that with something else (stone chips, decking, whatever).


Toilet leaking at lock nut today I installed a new Kohler Wellworth and new supply line. There’s a leak at the locknut where it meets the porcelain. I used a piece of cloth to make sure the leak is here and not the new supply line. When I was tightening the supply line (by hand and I’m not all that strong), I heard a loud snap and the tubing from the fill valve to the overflow had popped off. I can’t seem to get that back on, and I’m wondering what to do about the leak at the locknut. I don’t have the right wrench to tighten it but it feels tight when I try it with my hand. Do I have to replace the whole fill valve?

If it is leaking at the nut against the porcelain, then the seal inside is not sealing or the fill valve has a crack. The inside seal is where is where the water is held. Shut off the water at the valve and remove the supply line. Does it still leak? Flush the toilet to remove water, then remove the fill valve, carefully examine it, then reinstall.


How can I strip & Refinish this window frame? Take a look at the following close-up of one of my window frames. I'd like to strip all the white paint off of it, possibly stain the wood, and finish it with a varnish. I have the following questions:

Is there anything special I need to consider in regards to the heat gun I purchase (i.e. capable of multiple temperatures)?
Will a heat gun be sufficient for getting off all the paint on the curved parts of the molding, as well as the damaged, dented parts? Or should paint thinner be used at all?

While a heat gun can remove a large amount of paint, there will always be some residue that needs to be removed with scrapers and sanding. Scraping can mar and gouge wood (less an issue when you can fill and paint) and sanding in tight crevasses in molding is hard.

There are commercial scrapers available, but they don't always fit your needs. On important projects, I have made scrapers out of large nails with their heads ground down to a sharp edge for tight curves and grooves, and pieces of curved cut glass for shallow curves (I'm a glass worker, so handling this risky stuff is comfortable to me, but not necessarily easy).

Sanding is tedious and, with old lead paint (yours looks old enough to be that), risky. You need masks and goggles.

You also may want to consider chemical strippers. There are newer citrus based versions that are a lot less caustic and foul smelling than the traditional solvent based ones. Even so, these will also need some scraping and sanding before finishing.

The wood had better be pretty good to warrant this care.  If not either removal and replacement, or build up of new facing molding seems the better course.


Toilet continually slowly drains days after I clear it I have a toilet i replaced in a downstairs bathroom that no one uses (no one lives downstairs and rarely goes down there). This is a three floor house and just me and my brother.

It continually slowly flushes where it seems like there is a slow clog. I go down there with a plunger and clear it to where it flushes normally. We leave it alone a week and go to flush it and it slowly flushes ( water fills the bowl and slowly drains) after that. I have used a home depot snake and made sure the toilet is cleared as far as the snake goes (4ish feet maybe).

I've used the restroom after clearing it to make sure it works and it works fine after that for about a week.

I am at a loss for what I can try next and nothing seems to continually clog it.

What could possible be causing this? Googling hasn't given me any answers so maybe someone on here as experienced this?
House was built in 1968.

This problem could be caused by a bad slope in the waste line from the lower level toilet out to the exit point. As the upper level toilets are used the line to the lower toilet back fills and eventually creates the equivalent of a clog.


Trying to repair a leaking faucet handle, but can't determine the brand The hot/left handle leaks when you turn on hot OR cold.  I have pictures/video attached to show where the leak is coming from.  Hoping someone can identify the brand, so I can tell what part to replace?  Thanks in advance.leak in action

That looks a moderately standard tap

What I'd do,

Shut off water to the faucet (isolation valve below or elsewhere).
Use pliers to pull the spring-clip off.
Use the correct sized spanner to undo the nut.
Remove the assembly.
Take the parts to a plumbers-merchants or DIY store.
Show an assistant the parts and ask for advice about replacement washer.
Buy an appropriate replacement washer.
Swap old for new washer.
Replace parts in faucet.
Carefully open isolation valve.


How can I keep the front door from blowing open? Whenever there's a windy day, our front door blows open (letting the weather in and the animals out) unless we throw the deadbolt.  It's not a big deal when we're all inside - it's become second nature to throw the bolt just in case every time I come inside, whether it's windy or not - but it's a major pain to have to take my keys with me, and bolt the door behind me,  whenever I step outside.

I suspect that the problem is just that the bolt of the regular lock doesn't extend quite far enough, but I don't know what I can do to change that.  I thought of adding a shim or two behind the strikeplate in the doorjamb, but it's already scraping the door as it is.

I'm posting from work and didn't think to take pictures at home, but: the doorknob and deadbolt are keyed-alike, Schlage (I believe) and about 15 years old.

If the latch plate is flush with the door edge, the set back is correct.  The flat back (faces street for out swinging doors) must be able to extend into the strike plate to hold door.  Many alignment issues crop up to pull those 2 edges apart.
Door gaps tell what has happened to its alignment over time.

up/down misalign due to top hinge pulling away from jamb.  This will rotate the door down (the door will have a wider gap at the top hinge side), lowering the strike in relation to the strike plate, AND make the door hit the opposite jamb.  Sometimes a long screw(3") in the center hole of the top hinge (in a 4 hole hinge, its the 2 inboard holes) can  pull the door back. Sometimes this treatment is necessary for the middle hinge also (if there are 3 hinges)
The strike plate can be filed some amount if the misalign is small (and the hinges are otherwise tight to the jamb).
The strike plate can be moved, but this gets complicated, as the recess has to move with it.  If this is necessary, cutting out and putting in a "dutchman repair", (illustrated below) may be necessary.


Multiple concentric vent kits I have two concentric vent kits I need to poke through the roof.  One is for my furnace and the other for my tankless water heater.  I want to place them near each other for aesthetic reasons, but I cannot find anything in the building codes related to the dos and donts of this.
As I understand it any exterior exhausts should be a minimum of 3ft away from a window - that is no problem.  But is there a minimum distance these concentric vents must be away from each other?  My brain tells me it shouldn't matter as long as they are at the same elevation since they pull fresh air from down and exhaust up - but I worry there is something I am missing code-wise
To be clear - I want to set them about 2ft apart...I just want to make sure I am not in any violation with that choice as it would be extremely difficult to change later

You're fine
IFGC 503.8 is the governing Code passage here, and it sets no minimum spacing for direct-vent terminations from each other, just from features that could draw combustion gasses into room air (such as fresh air intakes and openable windows).


Why is there a copper wire attached to this water pipe? The outdoor faucet was turned on today(45 degrees), shortly after we discovered a leak in the house. We're not sure if the faucet broke or the pipe fractured/burst. After pulling back the drywall we noticed that there is a copper wire in conduit bracketed to the water pipe at the faucet. Would it be safe to try to find the leak by turning the water back on, if we turn off the electricity?

I was under the impression that grounding to a water pipe occurred outside of the house, is that incorrect?

In the UK, current regulations require all metallic pipework be connected electrically, this is called equipotential bonding.

(images from electrician2hire)

By law, the connections must be labelled (typically with an embossed metal label)

I believe current regulations require this equipotential bonding in every room that has metal pipework. This helps guard against loss of earth bonding when a small section of copper pipe in between locations is replaced by plastic pipe. The clamps must be in a place where they can be inspected - which rules out hiding them under the floor or behind plasterboard (drywall.)


Can I make the seams between the tiles in my shower water resistant? It seems that water is seeping through the seams between the tiles in the shower. We suspect that the construction worker who installed the showers and the tiles did a lousy job in selecting/mixing the proper grout.

Is there a product or film on the market that would allow us to make the seams water resistant, without having to fully demolish the shower cabin?

Tile, grout, and cement products are usually porous and will leak. The standard practice is to place a waterproof layer under the tile in showers and baths. Sealing grout is usually done for stain resistance, not to create a waterproof surface in a shower.

At this point, there's no easy answer. You'd have to fix it by removing the tile and starting all over.


Connected C-Wire (previously unused) to thermostat, but still no power? In search of help with hooking up a Nest Thermostat E. I have seen several threads seeking solutions for similar issues and have troubleshooted with their proposed solutions with no luck.
I am replacing an older model Honeywell Thermostat which was battery powered (Model: TH4110D1007) with a Nest Thermostat E. The Honeywell did not have a c-wire connected, and used a set of AA batteries for power. The Honeywell had only red, yellow, green, and white wires connected.
After pulling off the Honeywell thermostat I located an unused blue wire behind the wall plate which runs to my Rheem furnace (installed in 2006). I connected the previously unused blue wire to the C terminal at the furnace circuit board and at the thermostat, however it is not powering up the new or old thermostat (without batteries and with c-wire now connected).
I have attached photos of the thermostat hook-up and furnace circuit board. Again for clarification, the blue (c-wire) was previously unused, all I did was hook it up to the furnace and thermostat c terminals. Additionally, the extra red and white wires at the furnace run to my A/C unit.
Seeking any possible solutions or for anyone to tell me what I may have done wrong to not be receiving power.

It looks to me as if you have shoved the insulation of the blue wire down under the screw terminal at the furnace end. This could be keeping the internal copper conductor of the wire from even contacting the screw terminal block.

You may have done the very same thing at the thermostat end of the blue wire. Note how in the below picture the adjacent red wire shows the center conductor as a small gap proving that it has been stripped of insulation. Did you forget to even strip the insulation off the blue wire?


What's the difference between Casing and Trim? I was recently told that the previous owners of our house used casing instead of the trim throughout the house. What is the difference between window casing and trim? Are there are got-yas that I need to be aware of because one was used and not the other?

Trim is a general term, often used to describe all types of molding and millwork.

Casing is a type of molding, typically used to trim the perimeter of windows and doors. Casing is typically less wide (tall?), but thicker than base molding.

11/16" x 2 1/4"

Base molding (or baseboard) is a type of molding, which is applied where the wall and floor meet.

9/16" x 3 1/4"

Crown molding (or crowns) is a type of molding, which is applied where the wall and ceiling meet.

7/16" x 3 5/8"

I think what the person was saying, was that the previous owner used casing in place of base molding.


How to use thinner insulation than the steel studs? Here in Brazil I can only find insulation that is about 35-40 mm thick. I intend to use it inside steel studs that are 70mm thick and I'm worried it might crumple or sag due to the extra space.

What is the proper way to do it? Should I fix it to the drywall somehow?

Edit those are internal walls, and the insulation is being used for its acoustic properties.

If paper-faced insulation is available, I'd consider using an adhesive caulk to hold it to the studs. The product we use for polyethylene vapor barriers here is called "acoustical sealant". It remains very flexible, so it's less likely to cause bulges in your drywall.

Alternatively, use a spray adhesive on the back side of the drywall that's already installed. Press the fiberglass onto it while it's tacky, then install the opposite drywall face.


Is this a proper grounding of my wires? I’m replacing the light switches and plugs in my new house and noticed that all the light switches so far have the ground wires screwed to the back of the outlet box. Is this good enough that I don’t need a ground wire attached to the switches or do I need to pigtail the switches to these as well?
What is the proper method of this? There’s not a lot of slack coming in from the wires if I need to pigtail them.
As an FYI, the switch below has one for the light and one for the ceiling fan.

You're fine, no need to make any changes here
Switches are permitted to ground through their yokes by NEC 404.9(B):

(B) Grounding. Snap switches, including dimmer and similar
control switches, shall be connected to an equipment grounding conductor and shall provide a means to connect metal faceplates to the equipment grounding conductor, whether or not a metal faceplate is installed. Metal faceplates shall be
grounded. Snap switches shall be considered to be part of an
effective ground-fault current path if either of the following
conditions is met:
(1) The switch is mounted with metal screws to a metal box
or metal cover that is connected to an equipment
grounding conductor or to a nonmetallic box with integral means for connecting to an equipment grounding conductor.
(2) An equipment grounding conductor or equipment bonding jumper is connected to an equipment grounding termination of the snap switch.


is it possible to have a unstable water pressure? I had my bathroom sink valves replaced by brand new shut-off valves. Since this replacement, I started noticing pools of water just under the shut-off valves. What interesting is: most of times I checked for leaking, there was no leaking. I only witnessed leaking for once, which means the water pressure is sometimes high and sometimes low?

Is it possible to have a unstable water pressure in my apartment? What could have caused it?

Yes very possible to have erratic pressure that can cause leaks that appear during spikes.

This is why a pressure regulating valve should be installed in between municipal water tap and the house.

Ask your apartment manager to verify that such a regulator is in place and that it is functioning properly.

These valves can and do go bad over time and should be replaced to prevent the type leaks you are describing.

Typically the highest pressure in a municipal water system will occur during the time when fewest numbers of citizens are using water. Late at night when everyone is asleep.


Calculate the support requirements for a load bearing wall - I am in the process of removing a load bearing wall to open up the kitchen to the dining room. The house was built in the 1700 in the Cornwall(south England) and is constructed from stone using lime and sand mortar. It is a 2 story house.
I have removed the lath and plaster for the wall that I plan to remove(fig 1). The wall span it will need to support to is 2.4 meters. The supporting wall being removed is on the ground, so the beam needs to support the weight of the second floor. The room dimensions are 2.5m by 3.5 on the kitchen side of the wall and 4.5 by 3.5 on the dining room side of the wall. So I assume the total area the beam needs to support 4.5 X 3.5 + 2.5 X 3.5?
There is a brick wall on side that the beam(fig 2) can rest on. On the other side there is nothing but it does appear to have some concrete foundations(fig 3).
My question is how do I calculate the size of metal I beam or, ideally, oak beam that is needed and are the footings (image below) strong enough to support a vertical beam or do I need to remove them and build new one. Lastly what size/strength of vertical beam do I need to support the weight?
 Fig 1
 Fig 2
 Fig 3

There is unfortunately no way of calculating this unless given blueprints of the house.  Even if we did calculate it and even we overdid it, for something this big no inspector will pass it without an architect stamp.
I can mention two things before you start this...

given the current construction I don't think the beam will be a big deal.
you will almost surely will have to have new footings created.   You will be made to dump a bunch of concrete on both sides and this could potentially be a much bigger deal than the header.   (I get that the current footings worked for 300 years but they probably won't pass code for new work)

(also jealous because they stopped selling that fajita kit near me)


Will a Dremel multipurpose bit cut through 1/2 inch polycarbonate? Would I be able to use the Dremel multipurpose cutting bit (561) to cut patterns out of 1/2 inch polycarbonate (Lexan)? Dremel "experts" said no but I want to hear other people's opinions. According to them, the bit will snap.

Polycarbonate likes to melt when you hit it with a high speed blade. The teeth on your 1/8" spiral cutting bit will quickly goo up, and you'll find yourself melting rather than sawing. With some skill/practice, you'll probably be able to make your plastic into about the shape you want. Biggest trouble will probably come from you making the cut too quickly, which'll cause the bit to flex, and melt an irregular path top-to bottom through your Lexan.

-I'd use a jig saw. It's a lot of work, but far less prone to disaster than 30,000 rpm cutting bits.


Where is the lint filter? For months now, my washer/dryer combo has become less and less effective at actually drying anything I put in it.

I've gotten the advice from some friends to check (regularly) and clean the lint filter to maintain top performance.

Supposedly all these machines have one of these but-surprise-I can't find it at all. I looked inside in the obvious spot; nothing. Checked the manual; nothing. Googled the model number; nothing.

So, ultimately, I am here. Please, tell me, anyone: Does the Lamona HJA 8703 even have a lint filter, and if so; how do I get to it?

Edit: sorry my post is for the 8702 model. I was unable to find an 8703 model
 but would expect the manual to be v.similar.

From what I have read, the washer dryer doesn't have a lint filter. The user manual can be found here:

https://www.northlondonappliancerepairs.co.uk/resources/lamona/27-lamona-integrated-washer-dryer-hja8702/file.html

Part 6 of the user manual suggests maintenance protocols. However part 5.5 explains how to use the cleaning cycle.

5.5 CLEAN PROGRAMME
To keep the appliance operating at peak efficiency over time, it has a CLEAN programme for regular
cleaning of the drying circuit to remove any fluff deposits.
1. After a given number of drying cycles, the CLEAN symbol lights up on the display to warn that this programme needs to be run. The warning light remains on until the CLEAN programme is carried out. The light
goes out at the end of the programme.
2. To perform the CLEAN programme, proceed as follows:
a. Make sure that the drum is completely empty and close the door.
b. Turn the knob to the CLEAN programme (see programmes table for the exact position on the knob)
c. Press the START/PAUSE button
The CLEAN programme can also be carried out even if the light on the display is not on.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE
Important – Before carrying out any cleaning or maintenance procedure, the plug must be disconnected
from the power supply socket.
6.1 CLEANING THE OUTSIDE OF THE APPLIANCE
 Regular, thorough cleaning will keep your appliance looking good.
 Clean the exterior of the appliance with soap, water & a damp cloth, then dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.
 The plastic parts should just be wiped with a damp cloth.
 Do not scrape with pointed objects, or use solvents or products containing abrasive substances because
they damage the surfaces.
 For reasons of safety, never spray the washer-dryer with jets of water.
6.2 CLEANING THE DOOR GASKET
Check regularly that there are no coins, buttons, nails or pins in the folds of the door gasket.
6.3 CLEANING THE DRAIN PUMP
The drain pump only needs cleaning if it has been blocked by buttons, coins or similar objects and the water is not
being pumped out.
In this case, proceed as described below.
1.Remove the mains plug to disconnect the appliance from the electricity supply.
2.Proceed as follows:
use a small screwdriver as a lever to remove the
plugs shown here, turn the plinth downwards and access the pump.

3.Extract the drain hose ”A” - (Have a small towel/cloth ready in case of spills)
Warning!
If the hose is hot, the water is hot or boiling hot. Place a shallow container on
the floor and remove the plug “B” to drain off the water.
Depending on the amount of water in the appliance, the container may have
to be emptied several times.
When no more water is coming out, close the hose again by pushing the plug
“B” firmly back into place.
 EN
21
4.Unscrew the cover of the pump “D” by turning it to the left.
Clean the pump and remove any foreign bodies.
Also check the inside “E”, making sure that the impeller turns freely; any foreign
bodies stuck in it must be removed.
5.Screw the cover back on the pump.
Secure the drain house by snapping the plug back into place "C".
Replace the plinth as follows:
Fit the bottom of the plinth first. Push it towards the cabinet and put the plugs
back into place.
6.4 CLEANING THE DETERGENT DRAWER
The detergent drawer should be kept clean, removing all solid deposits.
To simplify this operation, completely remove the detergent drawer (pull the
drawer fully out, press in the zone marked PUSH and then remove completely).
Remove the siphon "A" and clean all parts with hot water.
Fully re-insert the siphon and remove any detergent deposits before putting
the drawer back in position.
6.5 CLEANING THE WATER INTAKE FILTERS
The machine is fitted with a filter which protects the water intake valves.
The filter is in the fitting on the intake hose which is connected to the tap
The filter must be cleaned if the washer-dryer is not taking in water or the amount of water is insufficient.
To clean, proceed as follows:
 Remove the mains plug to disconnect the appliance from the electricity
supply.
 Turn off the water tap.
 Unscrew the intake hose fitting from the tap.
 Remove the intake hose fitting filter.
 Clean the filter with water, with the aid of a small brush.
 When screwing the intake hose fitting back into place, check that the filter is positioned correctly


How did I mess up this wiring? I had to take down a ceiling light to remove an old wire while renovating.

I eventually managed to wire everything up correctly, but I'm still puzzled by how I miswired it the first few times.  I know I got the pairs of wires mixed up, but I still can't picture any circuit that would do what is described below.

3 pairs of wire come into the box - one set of black and white is the power coming in, one pair goes to the switch for the light, the other continues to the outlet on the wall.  The light had a CFL bulb in it, and the outlet had an LED night light plugged in.

Once I restored power:

With the switch up (can't say for certain if this was on or off), the ceiling light was on, but the night light didn't.
With the switch down, the ceiling light was off, and the night light was on dimly
When flicking the switch, the nightlight would get brighter or dimmer for a second
With the bulb in the ceiling removed, the nightlight wouldn't work at all.

At no point did the circuit breaker trip.  Also, the entire circuit has no ground connection.

What kind of messed up wiring would make it do that?  I've since figured out the correct wiring, but it still bugs me.

Edit:  The closest I can come up with is that maybe I wired the light and outlet in series (incoming black to outlet black, outlet white to light black, light black to incoming white) with the switch between the black and white of the outlet.  I think that might do it...

I can think of a few things that would cause this.  The first is just a bad connection with either a hot or neutral - maybe a wire wasn't all the way in a wire-nut or had lots of corrosion on it. Also possible (if you trimmed any wires the second time) that a wire had a big nick in it.

The second possibility is an open neutral where one of the neutrals was not at all connected.  This can cause some circuits to have a higher voltage and others a lower voltage - hence the dim light and brighter second light.

As someone pointed out in a comment it is also possible that you wired it in series instead of parallel though I don't think this would cause a light to get brighter than normal.

Without seeing the issue occurring its really hard to tell for sure though.


Paint chips: to fill or not to fill? I've had my flooring and skirting boards replaced recently. Ripping out the skirting boards has caused the wall paint to chip in a bunch of places, e.g.:

Now my question is, should I use filler here, or just sand down the rough edge and paint? Since the plasterboard is intact it doesn't sound like filler should be needed, but the gap seems pretty big (who knew paint could be so thick??).
And if I am to use filler here, should I use fibreglass tape as well? I figure since the area is pretty big it might help me spread the filler more evenly, but it might also end up thicker than it needs to be... Help, I don't know what I'm doing :)

Paint will not fill the depression or smooth out the transition. I recommend filling the depression with joint compound, no tape needed. It may take a few passes to fill it nicely, but with thin layers it will not take too long before you can apply additional coats of compound. You probably do not need to fill the entire depression, just feather the transition out. Stop when it looks good to you.
Sanding the paint edge lightly first will help you blend the two together. If you find the paint edge is flaking off the wall, scrape upward with a putty knife until you reach an area that is secure. Otherwise it may just separate on you later, undoing your repair job.
Finally, you may want to prime over the joint compound before repainting, especially if you want to try to get the match with the old area good in one coat.


Can I hang over-the-door organizers from exposed drywall? One of the walls in my laundry closet is open into the adjacent closet between the ceiling and the raw edge of the top of the drywall (about a foot gap). Is it safe to use over-the-door hooks to hang a shelf or shoe organizer from this drywall?

No. Drywall isn't meant to have exposed, unsupported edges. If you hang stuff over the edge, it'll probably fail - at the very least, you'll have drywall dust all over your closet.

Get some screws, and attach the organizer to the wall studs. (Since the top of the drywall is missing, you'll have no trouble finding the studs.) Take 5 extra minutes, and do the job properly.

And when you have a chance, slap the guy who built this travesty.


Why does my gas oven trip the GFCI when turned on after the clean cycle? Maytag MGS5770ADW sn 27787501ZZ

After we run oven clean cycle, GFI outlet trips when oven is turned on.
This continues for several days and then problem goes away until next time oven is cleaned.

I recently replaced the igniter transformer for the stove top and one of the igniters for the  oven for other reasons. This has made no difference with the GFI tripping following the cleaning cycle.

I'd suspect a small, varying current leakage to the metal frame.  Depending on how your kitchen is wired you might could replace all counter top outlets to GFCI protection, then remove the GFCI protection from the oven granted it is behind the oven amd not readily accessible.  However, doing so may allow a potential shock hazard.

The best option is to have the oven checked out or replaced.

Also, I'd recommend putting the GFCI in the panel if possible or another readily accessible location if the one for the oven is not.


Can Tongue and Groove plywood be used if interior walls already in place can Tongue and Groove plywood be used for installing a new sub-floor when there are walls already in place? (i.e. an existing home in use, not a new construction)

In other words: I've been told that T&G can only be used IF walls are not already in existence. Such as building a new home OR removal of all interior walls first, such as in a major re-model job.

But I just want to replace a bedroom floor area in a home with walls still in place.

As I re-read the comments, I'm seeing that everyone is referring to the actual top layer of flooring you walk on. I'm not talking about that at all. I'm talking about adding new "sub" flooring over the floor joists T&G "plywood sheathing".

Yes.  I have no idea why someone would say that.


How to fix sagging timber roof trusses? This is a follow up from a previous question: (Is this a sign of my roof trusses sagging?)
Do you know how to use ratchet ties (or some other method) to fix sagging roof trusses?
Here is an image of a ratchet tie in place:
So, this is a 2-storey brick veneer house, built 15 years ago, in south-eastern Australia. Carpernter 1 used some hoist from inside the house to push the ceiling up, then they put in place a hanging beam [i'm not sure this is the right term] for the left half of our roof. This didn't last long before the symptoms of sagging roof trusses began again. A few months later, Carpenter 2 came and temporarily used some ratchet ties, before putting in place some support beams [again, i'm not sure this is the right term] around the same area that Carpenter 1 worked on. This too didn't last long before the trusses began to sag again.
So I am thinking of using some ratchet ties and then just leaving them in place. This will allow me to re-adjust/re-tighten if need be in the future. Also I think I will place them all around my roof, instead of just one area like the previous carpenter. This is because the signs of sagging roof trusses are all around our roof.
The photo attached shows how a carpenter had placed the ratchet ties. But the photo only captures part of the image. I guess the top part of the image would have showed the ratchet tie over the rafter (which would be slanting at an angle here). Is this the right way to do it?
[I know people in my previous post told me to go to a structural engineer, but I am poor...we already tried some carpenters in the past, but it seems to have been a waste of money and effort with them...any help would be great guys, thanks in advance.]

TL;DR
You will probably compress your roof and make things structurally worse using "permanent" ratchet straps.

With the ratchet straps you are only hiding a symptom which can be seen from inside your home. It would make things structurally worse in the long run.
Look at your roof line from the outside, is the ridge starting to do something like this? Ratchet straps will exacerbate the issue.

I'm sorry but there is no easy fix. Either the roof was engineered wrong, built poorly, or someone took out a load-bearing wall.
You could try filing a claim with your homeowner's insurance. Hopefully they're willing to get this fixed before it becomes exponentially expensive and/or deadly. If you involve a structural engineer before calling your homeowner's insurance then you would have verifiable proof of the issue and the insurance would not be able to easily cancel your policy to avoid honoring your claim. Do note that this would very likely raise your premium.

One final thought:
Talk to a real estate lawyer. A 15 year old house should not be having this issue. You might be able to sue the builder or previous owner for this issue.


How can I safely put a plug on an old furnace motor that has just two wires My Old furnace motor has just 2 wires, Black and white. How can I safely put a plug on it to use it? I want it to power a chicken plucker.

You shouldn't just attach a plug directly to the leads coming off a motor.

Mount the motor in or to the rest of the machine, and assuming it's metal, this establishes a grounding bond between them. You can then mount a small junction box, and terminate the wires from the motor in there. Be sure there is continuity from the motor housing to the junction box -- it may be necessary to add a ground wire for this purpose, especially if the motor itself has a ground lug. Grounding all the metal parts of the machine is important for safety. If there is a short, without a ground, anyone that touches an energized metal part will be electrocuted. With a ground, the electricity will follow the path of least resistance (the ground conductor, instead of the human touching it) and in most cases, enough current will flow that within milliseconds the upstream fuse/breaker will trip and the power will shut off.

To add a plug, use some SJO-type wire (that has two conductors plus ground) and connect the ground to the junction box (thus grounding the junction box, housing, and motor housing), and make the connection to hot/neutral in the junction box as well. Your connections should be either wire nuts or a terminal strip of sorts. Be sure to use a strain-relief connector for the SJO. It's also not very hard to find pre-fabricated lengths of SJO with a plug already moulded on the end -- just ensure it is rated to carry the current the motor draws.


Can a MWBC ever be on 2 breakers? Has it ever been acceptable for a multi wire branch circuit to be on 2 separate breakers? My house, which was built in the mid 90s, has the dishwasher and the disposal on the same 12/3 cable, but not on a common trip breaker.
I'm going to replace the breaker, but I'm just curious if this was ever allowed.

Yes, it was allowed to have MWBC on separate breakers. My house was built in 1981 and I had my refrig and two outlets on one MWBC and my dishwasher and disposal on another. They were not handle tied and not even next to each other in the panel but they were on different phases so the neutral wouldn't be overloaded. The whole subdivision was built like that and many panels that I've been in have had them wired the same way.


Do I have a 3 way lamp? I have a lamp that has a label on it saying that it's a 3-way.  However, with a 3-way bulb in it I only get on/off just like it's a regular 1-way lamp.  Wondering if the label is wrong on the lamp (bought it new, so I know it wasn't repaired) or if maybe it's broken somehow.  Can I visually tell from the socket if it really is a 3-way or a mislabeled 1-way?

I borrowed this image from Wikipedia.

1-is the primary contact all bulbs have

2-is the secondary contact for 3-way bulbs

3-neutral


Performance lighting system? What would a Performance Lighting system for a stage include?
Please be as details as possible and if you can include the elements into basic lighting and modern stage lighting.

Best book for stage lighting is written by Richard Pilbrow.

https://books.google.com/books?id=WSCVPwAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Richard+Pilbrow%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT75bgrdrYAhUlmeAKHZAaCjEQ6AEIKTAA


What's a doorway that doesn't have a door called? A doorway? passageway? archway? lintel? soffit?

I have to label one on an architectural drawing, and it occurred to me that there may be a more technically accurate term for it than "passageway" or "archway."

Don't know if this question is more appropriate for Home Improvement or the English Language and Usage site.  /shrug

If you were just using the dictionary definitions, it would be called a "doorway".

  Doorway
  1. the passage or opening into a building, room, etc., commonly closed and opened by a door;  portal.
  2. a means of access: a doorway to success.

  Door
  1. a movable, usually solid, barrier for opening and closing an entranceway, cupboard, cabinet, or the like, commonly turning on
  hinges or sliding in grooves.
  2. a doorway: to go through the door.
  3. the building, house, etc., to which a door belongs: My friend lives two doors down the street.
  4. any means of approach, admittance, or access: the doors to learning.
  5. any gateway marking an entrance or exit from one place or state to another:  at heaven's door.

  Passageway
  1. a way  for passing into, through, or out of something, as within a building or between buildings; a corridor, hall, alley, catwalk, or
  the like.
  2. a corridor on a ship.

  Archway
  1. an entrance or passage under an arch.
  2. a covering or enclosing arch.

  Lintel
  1. a horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above an opening, as a window or a door.

  soffit
  1. the underside of an architectural feature, as a beam, arch, ceiling, vault, or cornice.

  Source

Since you're dealing with architectural drawings, you'll probably want to use "Cased Opening" (or "Arched Opening" if the top of the opening should have an arch). Which would be drawn on a blueprint using this symbol.

A cased opening is a doorway that is trimmed out, but does not contain a door. If you just want an opening in the wall without trim, you could just call it an "Opening", or "archway". It would look like this on a blueprint.


What would be the wiring diagram to add a receptacle switch combo to the outdoor garage lights circuit? I need one more circuit in my garage (to run the dust collector and the table saw at the same time).
I already have a circuit with ground and GFCI outlet.
I also seem to have another circuit that feeds the porch light+ PIR and then it goes into the garage to come out of the garage on the front wall to feed the garage lights as in the first picture (2 wire circuit +ground) in the figure

Below is what I think the wiring diagram would be for the above.
The interrupted brown line is the garage wall on which the lights are installed

I would like to add a receptacle combo switch so that when I work in the middle of the day to be able to switch off the garage lights
like so:

I am not sure if this is correct and if you have seen a more professional wiring diagram I would appreciate if you can point me to it.
Also I am not sure if I need any sort of box other than this:

The wall where the cable enters the wall to feed the first outdoor light looks like this(the wires are in fact vertical with the holes at the bottom of the picture, it was rotated so you can read the cable codes)

Here is a picture inside of the box behind the firs light
I will probably have to remove the PIR that was there (dead and disconnected now). Not sure if I can replace it. Removing it might add more room for the wasps that built a nest there -I just removed that and I had to patch the hot wire, as you can see the insulation was cracked... so I put some tape there

yes, your diagram nails it, and it's obvious you have a good grasp of what needs to be done.

Those "handy-boxes" are great for plain receptacles.   However, GFCIs are too bulky for them.

For GFCIs, I like to use a 4x4 steel square box, with a 1-gang "mud ring" that sticks out about 1/2", that gives plenty of room for the GFCI and nuts.

Since what is downline of the GFCI will be lights only, those don't need to be on GFCI protection.  As such, do not use the LOAD terminals at all - leave the warning tape on them. Make all your connections to LINE.

Another option is to remove the GFCI from the garage altogether and put it in the house. Where? At the switch.  By using a GFCI switch!  Remember, once you complete your plan, you will almost never throw that inside switch.  You are actually better off leaving the PIR powered up 24x7, and you'll be controlling the garage lights from the switch inside the garage.  That's a perfect application for a GFCI switch, which is basically a GFCI deadfront that is rated for switching duty.  The "Test" button becomes the Off switch, and the "Reset" button becomes the "on" switch.  This will protect the entire circuit, lights and all, which is unnecessary, but it allows you to put the GFCI in a box that has room for it, and that lets you use a simple Handy-Box in the garage.


Questions after a test-run grout replacement I have very little experience with this sort of thing, so after reading and watching you-tube videos I attempted a test patch - a 3 tile wide, 1.5 tile deep section (these are 12" floor tiles).  And now, I have questions…

Removing the old grout

I purchased a hand grout saw for the test patch. My grout lines are 1/4", so the saw is significantly narrower.  I tried to cover all areas but kept finding myself with tiny parallel ruts.  I finally resorted to running the saw at a slight angle.  This helped, and did not seem to be damaging the tile, but I never saw any recommendations to do this so I'm wondering if it was a bad idea?

I also wasn't sure how much of the old grout to remove.  I basically just got the dirty layer off.

For the whole big job I plan to use a Dremel;  there are two different types of blades for this, one that's basically a powered version of the hand saw and another that uses a bit that can be set to a particular depth. Is one more appropriate than the other for this job? And can I expect to have less trouble taking the old grout off evenly?

The grout

I have a feeling that my grout choice was too sophisticated for me. :)  I used TEC Power Grout RTU, which is a premixed sanded grout that doesn't need sealing.  It sounded perfect.  However, in reality it was very thick, nothing like the wet mud texture I saw in all those videos.  I got it spread but it required quite a bit of elbow grease and was very difficult to get smooth.

The original grout, at least according to the builder, was TEC sanded powder grout, which I would have to order from Lowes.  I had thought that using the premixed stuff would protect me against having mixed it incorrectly, but now I'm not so sure.

EDIT - I returned the grout I had bought (I have to give Lowe's credit for allowing this, since I had used some) and ordered a bag of the same brand and color of powdered grout that the builder says they used.  This should help with the amount of effort it took to get it spread.

The application

As I said, the grout fought me every step of the way.  It rolled up into balls, it stuck more firmly to the rubber float than to the floor, and was just generally aggravating.  However, I did finally get it to go where it belonged.  The exception was the edges, where the grout line met the wall or the cabinet.  It was impossible to move diagonally over the line in those places, which is essential to working with this stuff.  Is there a trick to getting the edges right?

The cleanup

This was the smoothest part of the process, but I did notice that by the time I got the tiles clean there were obvious places in the grout lines where it was not applied thickly enough. I don't know if this was an application failure that I didn't notice because of the covering of grout everywhere (even after scraping with the float at 90 degrees) or if I was actually wiping away some of the product.  Either way, I didn't know if it was ok to apply more with the surfaces wet, so I left it alone.

This was only a test, and I fully expected to have to remove this grout and replace it, so I have already succeeded no matter how it looks.  But I think I am going to have to get a different grout - the color was much whiter on the floor than in the tub or brochure, even though it's supposed to dry the same color, so we'll see.  Right now it is too white for the tiles.

EDIT - having changed the grout, I have one further question.  The grout I will be using is TEC AccuColor Sanded Grout.  Their website describes this as a "polymer-enhanced portland cement grout" but doesn't say anything one way or the other about whether it needs to be sealed as an additional step.  I think that the polymer-enhancement means it does not, but can anyone confirm that?

So - there's my tale, I'm hoping those with more experience than I can make some suggestions on how to make it go better the next time!

I used an oscillating multi-tool with a carbide circular blade to grind out the grout.  I took it all out, and used a chisel to removed whatever remained. Re-grouting is a grueling task; I could not find anyone to do it.

Sounds like you need to thin that grout.  Maybe some latex additive would help. Grout should be pasty but flowing.

When all else fails, I use tongue blades to smooth caulk and grout.

The right consistency grout will not leave bubbles and voids. It will flow and be heavy enough to sink to the bottom.


Type of crane to move stone slabs? I am planning to build some steps from stone slabs. The slabs weigh a maximum of about 600 pounds. I need a way to move them around over ground like a lawn, so small wheels or a pallet truck are no good. Also, I need to move them into position, so just carrying them is not good enough. It has to drop the stone into the right place.

I am familiar with small cranes used to move machine tools, but those cranes typically have pretty small wheels and are designed to move over asphalt or concrete, not rough ground.

What are options? I think in the old days they had a thing used to move stone that was like a pair of long iron arms that were joined at a fulcrum where there was a wheel. You could manipulate the arms like tongs to pick up the rock. I have not seen these things in any modern context though.

An engine hoist with large wheels. If you can't find one pre-made "offroad engine hoist" will provide many design/modification ideas.

An engine hoist with small wheels and planks or plywood laid on the ground to make a hard surface to run on.

Same options as above but an A-frame hoist.

A 3-point hitch crane on a tractor.

A small excavator (rental, one day should do if you are prepared.)

A hitch-mounted crane on a pickup truck.


How far can I run a DC line to some LEDs I'm working on a project where I want to mount an LED Light bar to the side of my house. The light bar will be closer to the peak of the roof, and the power supply ideally would be in the basement so all I'd have to do is flick a switch.

I'd like to run a wire down my wall, into the basement. I have an electrician friend that can help me with that part, but I'd like to know is if I can run a DC line that far (approx 30-40 feet)? And can I use Romex wire to do it, or would it have to be something else?

Here is my house with a very crude representation of what I'm  trying to accomplish:

Here is the light bar I'd like to use:

Light Bar

And here is the power supply that would be mounted to the wall in the basement:

Power Supply

At 25A (300W @ 12V), the wiring is going to have to be fairly hefty.

Since the power supply does not have remote sensing, you'll just have to manually crank it up to compensate for the voltage drop in the wiring.

According to the datasheet, it can be set up to 13.2 V, which gives you 1.2 V of "headroom" for the wiring.

1.2V/25A = 48 mΩ total resistance.

2 strands of 40' = 80' total wire, so the wire can have a maximum of
48 mΩ/80' = 0.6 mΩ/ft of resistance.

Using copper wire, you'd have to use AWG8 to get to this level and deliver 12V to the fixture.


ceiling fan installation with two white wires the current light is connected to the white wires coming out of the box now.The two black wires are hooked together. can I hook the fan to the white wires like the light is now?  Is it safe to do this?  There is not ground in the box.  When I looked in the breaker box, the white wires were hooked to the ground bar.

You're likely seeing what's called a "switch loop". So the white wire of the cable running between the switch and the light, is used as the switched hot.  The wire should be reidentified as such, but it's often not.

If you're connecting the new light exactly as the old light was, you're probably okay. Use a voltmeter or multimeter to confirm, or have a look in the switch box.


Why does my pilot light go out when I release the pilot light knob? My furnace pilot light will not stay lit. I can light it and depress the pilot switch for 2 minutes. But, once I let go of the button, the pilot immediately goes out. Does my thermocouple need replacing?

Yes, either the thermocouple is going bad, it's not getting heated, or something is wrong with the controller. The most likely of those is that the thermocouple needs to be replaced. The button you press to light the pilot bypasses the thermocouple. When you release the button, the thermocouple ensures that unburned gas doesn't get released by shutting off the gas when it's not heated by the burning pilot light.


How to drill a table top without drilling through it? I am considering buying a table (Flash Furniture 24" square top with 18" round center pole base). The table top is reversible, which means that it comes with no holes drilled in it. It attaches to the base via screws. Here are the instructions for assembling the table. It's showing a different bottom of the base, but I'm concerned about the top of the base, where it attaches to the table.
The instructions, being graphics only, don't say what drill bit to use or how to make sure I don't drill too far into the table. I think I can handle the drill bit selection part - choose a bit the thickness of the screw shaft - but what I don't know is how do I make sure I drill deep enough but not so deep that it comes out the table top. How do I drill a table top without drilling too far through it?

There are drill stops that are available that clamp to the drill bit or other stops that mount on the drill as an attachment.
For little jobs like that I have always found that some tape wrapped around the drill bit is sufficient - but don’t be pushing hard.
For precise jobs then a pillar drill gives accurate results.


How can I rewire to remove/relocate this hidden junction box? I discovered some seemingly-inefficient wiring and a hidden junction box in the wall. I understand why they would put it there, but it still seems inefficient. I think the same could be accomplished differently, eliminating the need for the junction box or possibly relocating it at a normal outlet height, but I'm not sure how.
I've drawn out the wiring diagram.
Labels

Fixtures

L1 = Exterior light fixture 1
L2 = Exterior light fixture 2

Switches

S1 = Switch that should control both exterior lights (L1 and L2)
S2 = Empty slot for a switch
S3 = Switch for ceiling fan outlet

Junction boxes

J1 = Round junction box 1 (no access, faces outside, this is what I want to remove, or relocate at normal outlet height, if possible)

Some important notes

Yellow and orange are on different circuits. I don't want to add anything to the wall heater line. I put it here for reference only.
Right now, the yellow and orange lines are 12/2. I can replace whatever is visible, pretty much. But, I prefer strongly to avoid replacing the wire bringing power into the first exterior outlet (it runs behind stone and access is only possible if I remove major sections of the exterior wall on the left side of the house). I also prefer to avoid re-running wire number 5; it's not as hard, but it would require me opening up the right side wall to find the next endpoint.
Since S2 is empty, I would like to use this for additional interior light control. But, those lights aren't installed yet. They would tap into line 5 (on another wall).
Due to L1's (and stud) position, there is almost no room behind L1. So, it has to use a pancake electrical box. There isn't room in that box for much.
Similarly, due to the stud position, the switch boxes for S1 and S2+S3 are a tight fit in those spaces. The space between studs where S1 is located cannot fit more than a single gang box. The space where S2+S3 is located cannot fit more than a 2 gang box.
Not shown are the horizontal fireblocks. I mention this since the hole currently can fit 3 12/2 or 12/3 wires alright. Unless I'm not mistaken, local code limits NM-B per bored hole to 3.
Number 5 run continues into the next side wall. It's not an end run. I don't want 5 to be switched.
I do have access to the crawlspace. I haven't run wire in a crawlspace before, so I'd have to figure out what the code is for that. I prefer to avoid doing this, if I can.
NM Cable Splices aren't compliant in this case (based on local code requirements).

Note that I wouldn't mind relocating J1 junction box underneath the switches (i.e., outlet height). But, that would put it under the fireblock and I'd need to keep the wires going through there to 3 or less. This seems necessary either way if I need to make the junction box accessible without it looking ugly inside.
Any recommendations here?

I'd make the argument that this is indeed repair work in the scope of 334.40
Even taking the NEC 334.40 restriction on concealed use of NM splicing devices as limiting them to repair work in existing wiring, I'd make the argument that this is a repair, as it's fixing an existing Code noncompliance in an existing building (vs. simply expanding on Code-compliant wiring).
Once you do that to extend cable #5, you can then blow the S2/S3 box out from a 4" square box to a "5S" (really, just under 4¾" square) or a true 5" or 6" square box, preferably one with at least 3" of depth.  That should get you enough cubic inch capacity to land the cable #5 extension, as well as a 12/3 replacement for cable #3, cable #6, and a new cable for the new light, in the S2/S3 box and make all the splices there.  A replacement for cables 4 & 7 is then run over to the S1 box from L1, which makes the wiring for L1 straightforward, while the red wire in the replacement for cable #3 carries the S1 switched-hot back to the S2/S3 box where it can go to cable #6 to feed L2.
As to getting the new cable up thru the top plate? Well, one could cross it over the into the other stud bay by running a 12/4 instead of the 12/3 between the two switch boxes and then running the new cable up from the S1 box, but that may require a deeper box at S1 as well as replacing the S2/S3 box with something chunky.  It also should be possible to have 2 holes in the top plate and/or fireblocking in the S2/S3 bay, with the cables split between the holes.
The alternative if you can't use the NM splice on cable #5 would be to "flip" the J1 junction box to the inside wall at its current height, given that rerunning cable #5 is off the table.  One could disguise it with a nifty wall sconce or such if one wished, even; I'd use a deep 4" square or "5S" box for this job as one can put a single-gang mud ring of the appropriate size on either.


Are missed nails and gaps between members a concern in new construction framing? I’ll preface this by saying this is our first home build and my wife and I are very new to the process.  After having some issues with our builder we finally started framing last week.  After walking the jobsite yesterday, we noticed several things that had us concerned (missed nails in studs, window supports not resting against the cross brace and split studs).  Before we go back to our builder and ask for clarification from a biased source, I was hoping to get some advice, is this normal in this stage of the build?

That's not good. However, before you complain, grab the stud and see if it will move. It could be that the carpenter quickly fired 3 nails then realized he missed and got it right with a 2nd set of nails in which case there's nothing to worry about. Since there's a 2nd top plate (as there should be) you can't look to see if there's a 2nd set of nails, you can only try to move the stud. You may have to bang on it a bit, though with no weight on it, it should move reasonably easily if it's not actually nailed.
You could bring it up politely with the foreman, "Hey, that doesn't look quite right... Can you confirm that this was renailed?" Then wait for him to prove to you that it won't move.
I'd be more concerned, however, that the top plate joint isn't directly above the stud, but I'll leave it to the actual working carpenters here before panicking about that. I wouldn't have done that, but I don't know if it meets code or not.


What causes and how to fix lifting floorboard? It doesn't seem to want to lift up. I assume it is some sort of tongue and groove board because there are no nails or screws anywhere. When I press down on the lifted part with a lot of force it barely moves down. Not sure what to do here.

Wood moves over time, no real way around that. The board could have been fitted so tightly originally, that over time it expanded just enough to force it up.

As already suggested, you could trying smacking it down with a piece of scrap wood and hammer.  If that works, there are special screws you can use to screw the board down more permanently. The screw head is designed to break off to make as little of an appearance in the board as possible.


Should I install baseboards before or after laminate flooring? I am planning on having laminate flooring. The baseboards are not installed yet. Should I wait until the laminate is in first? Or should I do it before it is installed?

Baseboards should be installed after laminate.

Most (all?) Laminate is a floating flooring system which means it doesn't actually attach to the subfloor (friction holds it in place once all the pieces are set together.  As a result, it will expand/contract a bit with temperature/humidity changes in the house.  Because of this, you have to leave a small (quarter inch) gap around the outside edge.  The baseboards are then installed to cover the gap.

Also, laminate is very difficult to cut with a saw without at least minor chipping.  So unless you are going to buy a special cutter (looks like a large paper cutter), you are going to want to hide that cut edge.  Luckily, the way laminate is normally installed, the only cut edges are along the walls or transitions so they are covered.


Why does a single switch on the wall control only the fan on my ceiling fan? I have a Harbor Breeze fan where the light switch only controls turning the fan on and off. You have to pull the chain to turn the light on. Both pull chains work fine. There is no remote control.

What is wrong? Is the wiring wrong? Could the wrong black wire be connected to the blue and the wrong black to black?

Answer:. Now fixed. Tan and white were neutral wires ( hooked together correctly) The blue wire (light hot wire)  from fan was not hooked to hot wire coming out of box. Just disconnected small black wire from blue (capped it off) then connected blue wire to the black coming from ceiling. Now light and fan can be controlled by switch or pull chains!!!


How to fix a garbage disposal with rubber caught in it? I'm missing a small piece of flexible rubber that was approx 0.8" x 0.3" x 0.17".

I think it went into the garbage disposal in the kitchen sink.

After turning off the breakers, and securing my cat so he would not turn them back on out of spite, I felt around in the garbage disposal.  I could not find anything... one of the downsides of actually having huge hands (as opposed to a certain individual who will not be named due to his sensitivity about this matter).

Now, when I run the garbage disposal, it doesn't sound so great.  It sounds like something may be stuck in it.

Besides disassembling and cleaning everything (if that's even possible... I'm not sure if it's a sealed unit), is there anything I can do to get the garbage disposal back to it's previously happy state?

Related question, but for glass: How can I fix a garbage disposal with crushed glass in it?

Reviewing the design of a garbage disposal here it seems very difficult for anything like a chunk of rubber to actually get jammed in the grind ring.

If you were to put something in there like a chunk of rubber (or bone), it seems likely it will bounce around and not get ground up at all. Small bits or rubber might get broken off in the ring but by the design they should be washed down the drain. I have experience with the piece of bone thing and it does, in fact, just bounce around irritatingly refusing to be ground up.

It would seem the worst things for disposals are slimy sticky things that are not water soluble. These materials could get into the grinder ring and clog it up similar to a file being clogged with paint.

So, if your piece of rubber was batted into the disposal by your spiteful cat, it is likely still in there bouncing around. Your choices are: have a child or slender-wristed lady fish it out; or remove the disposal, dump it out and possibly disassemble it to clean it out.

BTW you may want to keep the cat a little happier since you do have to sleep sometime.


How to install thermostat with plug in heater? My house has three electric wall heaters in different rooms used to augment the gas forced air that heats the whole house.

These electric heaters are mounted on the wall, but plug into standard 120v outlets near the heaters. They have a small hot/hotter/hottest dial on the top of the heater but to turn them off they need to be unplugged.

If I wanted to operate these with a standard wall  thermostat, how would I implement that setup?

The controlled AC outlet you linked to in the comment above seems like overkill unless you were intending to run all of them from one thermostat.  I'd actually recommend putting all of them on individual thermostats so you can keep them in 3 different heating zones.  Not only would this be much cheaper (the relays don't even include the thermostat), but it would be a "plug and play" solution without having to wire all of the signal wires back to the relay.  I'd take a look at something like these.


Can you use a power drill with the exchangeable screwdriver bits on a manual screwdriver? If not, what is the difference between a screwdriver bit that is designed for a power tool versus the ones that come with a multi-bit screw driver set like these: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Hardware-Hand-Tools-Screwdrivers-Nut-Drivers-Screwdrivers-Multi-Bit-Screwdrivers/N-5yc1vZc98m ?

Screwdriver bits are generally considered consumable. Regardless of the brand, they eventually break/wear out. Hardware stores sell them in packs of 5-10 for exactly that reason. I wouldn't put too much stock in what kind of tool the bit originally came with.

The only exception is if you're using an impact driver you might want to be a little more picky. Impact drivers (or impact wrenches) put a huge amount of torque on the bit, and a cheap one could fail catastrophically. There are special "impact driver bit sets" you can buy that advertise high torque strength.


Do I need to prepare my boiler for the water being shut off at mains? We have a brand new boiler and hot water heater.  The city is turning our water off at the main for approximately 6+ hours for maintenance.  Do I have to do anything?  They’re both run on natural gas.  Thanks

Yes, I think it would be a good idea to shut the main water supply valve off to the hot water heating system during that time.  You are likely to loose water pressure to the house during that time.  The heat system should work fine during that time.  Then when you know that water pressure has been reestablished, open several of he faucets throughout the house, allow them to run long enough to dispel all of the air from the house piping, 2 to 3 minutes, then reopen the valve to the heating system. For the water heater I would shut that off as well.  You will have to open this valve again before doing the air flush.  Happy heating, P.


Is this a load bearing wall? Please help I have a commercial space I am working on and would like to open up the wall between two rooms its a single story building, flat roof, concrete flooring. one room is 400 sq ft and the other is 600sq ft. I just want to open it up to the exterior wall one one side and where the thermostat sits on the other just before the hallway entrance. I have removed most of the drywall seen in the picture so you can get a good idea of all the studs i'll be removing. It seems there use to be two windows in this wall but then was just converted into a wall with a center opening. There is an 18inch beam under the joists running across the whole building to both exterior walls. Thanks in advance for the help!

I would definitely assume the wall is supporting that beam. Get a structural engineer's advice to be sure, and to find out what your options might be. Solutions often exist, but may not be DIYable... and this is emphatically not something you want to risk getting wrong.

For comparison: My contractor was able to open a 15-foot-wide passageway through a central loadbearing wall, but we needed to install a heavy (4x12?) Parallam beam to absorb the load, strong columns at each end to transfer the load downward, and at the non-foundation end a steel C-beam was sistered to an existing joist to transfer load to foundation and main beam.


How can I attach the sill plate to the block formation (contractor did not do it) When we purchased this home we had some renovations done before we moved in, one included framing in an existing covered porch on 2 sides. The builder came highly recommended and routinely built $500k+ homes and received numerous awards for homes in the area. He was originally going to build our home from scratch but issues with the land eventually led us to find a great home built in 2000. The builder seemed to be the most knowledgeable about what we wanted to do, was not the cheapest of the quotes we received, (we met some characters), and was professional in all our dealings.
When construction started they went under the deck, dug a trench and had a footer poured, then a block mason added a cinder block support wall on the 2 outside walls, so I felt pretty comfortable in the way they were progressing.
Fast forward 5 years, I'm in the process of becoming a home inspector and I started noticing things. We had him open up several interior walls, beams were added but the support columns were not tied into the beam below causing the floor to bounce. This made me want to take a close look at the addition, today I went under and looked around, as far as I can tell there are no bolts holding down the sill plate, the center support beam not touching the 2 support columns, and only a few of the floor joists are nailed to it, and the blocks were not back filled. I am planning to shim and add clamps to the center support beam.
Question: How can I attach the exterior wall to the foundation?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you have the clearance, use a hammer drill with a masonry percussion bit to drill down through the sill plate into the concrete block.  Then use a two-part anchoring epoxy to embed galvanized bolts through the sill plate into the epoxy filled hole.  After the epoxy cures, add galvanized washer, or washer plate, bolt, and tighten down.
You also might be able to use a strap tie, that fastens to a wall stud and the foundation.  Something like this one (from Simpson):