Brittle wires in recessed can light In 2018 you answered a question regarding crumbling or brittle insulation on wires inside of a recessed can light. I have the same problem.

Could it have anything to do with the fact that the wiring from the wall outlet is orange cable (like 12/3) instead of white cable (10/3)?

If that makes sense, I know little about electrical. The “new” wiring to the cans is more of a robust thick copper wire, orange Romeo. While the “old” white cable goes from the outlet to the main.

Are the wires getting too hot from the halogen bulbs or is the thin wire from bulb to transformer on can getting overloaded and causing brittle insulation in wire?

The color really is not a concern in US residential wiring. Well if it is listed and properly installed.
Halogen lighting will get hot but a UL listed fixture for homes in the US would be limited to 20 amps and the fixture wiring to the lamp would be a special type of wire that would be ok with #12 Romex to the junction box. No matter what size or color feed ,,, white,, yellow or orange with todays cable colors of the fixture was listed for the wire size (usually white 15 amp) and UL listed brittle wires is not a problem. Orange or 10 gauge is good for 30 amps. This is what most water heaters and dryers run on.

Ok ,,, ok , I know I am getting long here but a UL listed fixture won’t have the problems when properly installed so is it a ? ?? Product or a miswired install???? The fixture should have a junction box where the Romex connects to the fixture wire(this wire can take the heat)  ... if not UL listed with proper connections get ready for failure of the fixture, because 10 awg wiring can drive a 10kw lamp at my plant that on a 50’ pole will light the infield of a baseball with out getting warm.  Ok not halogen but a listed fixture properly installed only needs a white cable on a 15 amp breaker,,, nnnot listed good luck if you have a fire.
 + + to Isherwood for white 15 & orange 30.


How do I stop a rolling chair from rolling on a warped floor? My floors are heavily warped. My desk and office chairs are in one of these warped areas. Since my office chair is on wheels that means it rolls down away from where I want it.

How do I eliminate the roll from the chair?

There are three general approaches that will fix the problem:

Make the floor level.  It isn't clear what you mean by "warped", but if the floor doesn't have any structural problems and you're talking about localized dents rather than general sloping, you could add a rigid laminate layer on top (like Pergo).  If the floor is dented, a plastic chair mat will quickly conform, so the chair will just roll on another layer.
Lock the wheels.  Replace two of the wheels with locking wheels (not very practical in use), or use wheel chocks as ArchonOSX suggests (might become an inconvenience).
Greatly increase the friction of what the chair rolls on.  Use a dense rug, as isherwood describes, or a very soft mat.  But this approach will also make it harder to move the chair when you're on it (and if you put a plastic chair mat on top to make it easier to roll, you're back where you started).


Can brick patio and walk edging be removed without damaging the edging? The original installed patio and walk plastic edging around my brick pavers has become dislodged and is above the lawn line in some places.  Can those places or all of the edging be removed and will that damage the pavers?

You could remove it, but your patio may start to shift eventually if not replaced. The paver edging  is there to keep the pavers in place. There are many different types of paver edging, and bringing it up might pull up your lawn a bit and possibly your pavers.

Instead I would try to hammer the edging back in by placing a board over the edging and tapping it back in with a rubber mallet. If it is thin edging I might try to cut off the dislodged sections with utility knife.


Do I need a breaker in main pannel for sub pannel? I have no breaker space in the main 200amp panel. I'd like to set a 100 amp sub panel with its own breaker. Can I connect the sub panel to the main entry lugs on the 200 amp panel?

I'll tell you with 100% certainty that you CANNOT do this. Period.

It is a serious code violation and safety issue to have the new 100A feeder be unfused.


How do I drywall when the studs are not flush? I have a problem with my bathroom. I recently had someone come and switch the door from the kitchen side to the other side while redoing my kitchen. He did a great job and the kitchen looks great. That being said he used new studs to re-frame the wall and those studs are smaller than the 2x4's used 100 years ago on the original bathroom. I do not know how to correct this issue while dry-walling.... Any suggestions would be great! Thank you i have provided a picture.

The difference appears to be about 1/4" to 3/8". If so, I'd fur it out with some 1/4" plywood strips or some 3/8" lath strips.


Light fitting had water in it - bulb has been removed, and the switch is off, but breakers for the downstairs light circuit won't turn on I've checked that my problem is not a duplicate of this

Electricity passes through a bulb holder, even when the switch is off  because I don't have a backlit light switch.

The kitchen light fitting, below the bathroom, got flooded with water, water was pouring through it. Naturally this tripped the breakers for the downstairs lighting circuit.

There are 2 light fittings on the kitchen light, only one got waterlogged.

The bulb has been removed, and the light switch is in the off position, but the breaker for the whole downstairs light circuit won't let us turn it back on - when we do, there is a spark from the fitting, and the breaker goes off again. Clearly, there is some current passing through it, but why?

Does this mean that the fitting has been wired "Backwards"? i.e. the circuit goes live --> fitting --> switch --> ground?

If there are sparks, something has gone wrong and that breaker is doing its job and preventing your house from burning down.

Most likely the power runs into the box where that light is first, then to the switch.  That's a completely normal thing.  Look up the term "switch loop" for details.

First step is to remove that fixture and check for any water damage and damaged or loose wiring - both in the fixture itself and in the box it was mounted to.  Since that's where the sparks are flying, it's almost certainly where the problem is.  Before disconnecting any wiring, take lots of photos showing exactly where each wire comes from and goes to - you'll be grateful for those when you go to wire it back up.

Then it's just a matter of fixing whatever has gone wrong.  Might just be a wire that has come loose and needs reconnecting.  Or it might be severe damage to the wiring and require replacing.  Won't know until you get in there.

If somehow that doesn't turn up any problems, do the same for the other fixture.  Then the switch.  Then anything else that is on the same breaker.


Continuous use of outdoor outlet I have a friend who wants to run a heater  in his van during the winter (MO).  Heater will be on continuously.  Outdoor outlet (not GFCI)...what type of electrical system should I set up? Or NOT...

The first piece of information you will want to know is the power requirements of the heater. It is common for an electric "personal" heater to be about 1500 watts, which is also a very good figure for a blowing-type hand-held hair-dryer.

Rough calculation means that 1500 watts on a 110 volt home system in the USA will draw about 15 amperes of current.

For this application, it is a good idea to have a dedicated circuit for the outlet that will provide power and use wiring and a breaker appropriate for 20 ampere current. Circuits are typically designed for eighty percent capacity. A twenty amp circuit would then provide safely sixteen amperes for the heater, but would have no reserve capacity.

No GFCI may not be a problem if you have no water contact involved (sheltered area?) but code may require otherwise.

You suggest that the heater will be on continuously, but a 1500 watt heater will generate enough heat that it is likely to cycle on and off to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Note also that many of these heaters will have low-grade power cords which may get hot and pose sufficient risk, regardless of the other portions of the circuit.

Designs such as the one pictured above will also have tip-off safety switches, although contact with oil-filled heaters are not as serious as contact with exposed resistance element type heaters.


How do motor capacitors change in value with respect to age or environmental factors? Do motor capacitors (i.e. start, run capacitors) change in value with respect to age or other environmental factors? I understand they fail, as observed when the motor will no longer start. Do they exhibit a change in capacitance prior to failure?

Yes, capacitors such as motor start capacitors can change in capacitance value due to aging and high temperature. The change in capacitance could actually be the cause of the motor no longer being able to start but there are probably additional factors as well. One of these being ESR of the capacitor (mentioned in @KevinReid 's comment) can change (usually increase) which seriously degrades the function of the capacitor. Usually the change of ESR also relates in some way to the net change in capacitance as well.

Other common capacitor failures include:

Breakdown of the insulation layer between the plates in the capacitor can result in a short circuit in the capacitor. Often when the short occurs a lot of current will flow and this can cause internal connections to blow open like a fuse and render the capacitor open circuit. If the capacitor design does not support this internal fusable connection type the excess current can lead to overheading and the capacitor physically exploding or catching fire.
Over temperature operation can cause the seals on a capacitor case to fail which can be catastrophic for certain types of capacitors that have an internal damp nature due to an electrolyte. If this dries out the capacitor can lose most of its capacitance.


Home Electrical AC Wiring Layout & Estimation Questions I'm in the late planning stages of my retirement home, which I will be building in the rural Philippines. While I have no experience in construction, it's one of my 'bucket list' projects and I am determined to learn enough to at least supervise its proper construction.

I am now working on designing the layout for the AC wiring and have some questions for which I would be grateful for some expert guidance.

Specifically I'm thinking of running the wiring for the ac sockets in conduit, which will be embedded in the poured concrete floor slab. However, I plan to use a junction box to feed some of the sockets. Is it ok to embed these junction boxes? Would plastic junction boxes be ok to use?

Also, I have seen these convenient looking quick 'snap' wire connectors which can interconnect between 2-4,5 wires together. Are these reliable?

Lastly, in learning about wiring wall switches and lights it seems that the live/phase wire is mainly used to interconnect and power everything. The neutral and ground wires seem to connect the lights back to the DP. This being a reasonably accurate understanding(?), is there a general rule of thumb that can be used to estimate how much of each type/colour of wire to buy. For example, for a given length of live/phase brown colour wire purchased, one should buy 60% of that same length for the neutral (Blue colour) and ground (Y-G) wires?

Any experienced guidance would be much appreciated. Th

Don't fall into the "neutral is ground" myth.

Electricity flows in loops.  It takes 2 wires on every circuit.

Hot AND neutral are the two partner wires that carry power to your appliances.  Expect to use them in roughly equal proportion.

You absolutely must not treat neutral as a "common/chassis/backplane" and simply have a bunch of circuits' hots share the same neutral.  That will set your neutral wire on fire.  Which, granted, won't do a whole lot in conduit inside concrete, but you will be forced to rewire at the least.

Safety ground is a totally different thing.  It is a safety shield.  Current never flows on ground (except during fault conditions, of course).

While it's true that neutral and ground are connected at the main panel, don't think they are somehow the same.  The purpose of the connection is to a) keep hot/neutral from floating at thousands of volts above ground, e.g. due to a transformer leak.  And b) current flows in loops, and that allows fault current that got on ground somehow, to loop back to neutral - and flow enough amps to trip the breaker.

It's possible to do isolated systems where H-N is not connected to G at all.  However that can cause problems.

Because of this, safety ground can be shared among multiple circuits (the ground wire must be large enough for the largest of the circuits sharing it).  As such, you need as much ground wire as you have conduit length.

If you use metal conduit -- wait, you can't use metal conduit in concrete! It will corrode.

As far as hot wires, they don't give out medals for saving wire.  Use as many hot wire colors as your country's electrical codes will allow - this will be very helpful when trying to distinguish one wire color from another.  I own 8 colors of hot myself and 2 of neutral.

You are not subject to the special case in about half of the Philippines (the legacy USA territories), where power is unusual. (two hots, each 120V from ground. Effectively, neutral does not exist in those territories, and this is a big bag of Not Your Problem.  Just be aware those territories do exist, and about half of Philippine advice will apply there.  So if you see stuff about 2-pole breakers and 2-pole switches, that is that, and doesn't apply to you.


What wire size for 125A Subpanel? Service at Main panel is 200A. Subpanel is 125A. Want 100A delivered to Subpanel 100ft away (run). Can I use 100A breaker in Main and run 2-2-2-4 wire to the lugs in the 125A Subpanel?

Make sure your subpanel has enough spaces

The #1 mistake sizing subpanels is getting just enough spaces to do the job today.  Then later, they try to add more loads, particularly 240V loads that gobble up 2 spaces each... and they find a full panel. This is made even worse by the allure of "12 spaces/24 circuits" - that second figure has been a complete lie for several years, now that most circuits need AFCI or GFCI breakers, which take a full space.

"Running out of breaker spaces" should simply never happen, given that extra breaker spaces cost less than $2 each today.  Spend $30 extra and get a nice, big panel.  Aim to finish with at least 50% of spaces unused.

Don't use copper

The #2 mistake is using copper wire for feeder.  That's just silly. Not only is aluminum proven and reliable for feeder, the old feeders never had problems from being aluminum, not only did they improve the metallurgy, but the lugs are aluminum.  So the clever novice creates the dissimilar metal matchup instead of avoiding it.

Copper is also wastefully expensive compared to aluminum, which creates an irony if the person also cheaped out on a small panel. whoo, saved $30, wasted $400.

Honestly the main reason copper feeder exists is consumers affected by the aluminum ooga-booga. Like many moral panics, there is a nugget of truth at the center of it, but it applies to small-appliance branch circuits only (receptacles, lighting, dryers etc.), and is easily managed. No home inspector is ever going to blink an eye at a 100A aluminum feeder.

Aluminum is a very lightweight material, almost 1/4 the weight of copper, with fewer atoms spaced farther apart.  Atoms are what carry electricity, so the wires need to be physically larger (by 2 numerical wire sizes). Even so, the wire is notably lighter.

Wire sizes

First, at 100' of distance, you do not need a wire size "bump" for voltage drop.  The wire salesmen love to exploit two misconceptions: First, you shouldn't compute voltage drop based on breaker trip, but rather on practical load, i.e. what you actually expect to run.  (and the breaker should be at least 125% of that, for Code reasons).  Second, 3% is not in Code anywhere, and it's ridiculous. Very often, the voltage drop calcs will force you to bump wire size at 3.01% drop - the smaller size would compute to 3.35% drop, and that's perfectly fine.  4.15% is fine. 5.03% is allowable. Code is concerned with total voltage drop from the meter to the final outlet; don't allow that to exceed 8% without a good reason.

Anyway, you're nowhere near to even needing to think about voltage drop.  Even the wire salesman won't recommend a bump before 115'.

Given that you are at 100A, you just pull it out of NEC Table 310.15(B)(16).  Use the 75 degree C column, unless you have a cable type which mandates use of the 60 degree C column. And, you round up to the next available breaker size.  That means usually:

100A is #3 copper ($600/100ft) or #1 aluminum ($175/100ft).
125A is #1 copper or #1/0 aluminum (table ampacity is slightly less, but you get to round up).

As you know, the subpanel ampacity can be greater than the feed breaker ampacity. You don't need a main breaker in the sub, if it's in the same building.

Oh. You're in PVC conduit.

Okay. Change of plan for the wires, then.

You want to use individual wires not cable.  (the outer jacket makes cable very stiff - too stiff for achievable pulling through conduit. It can be done but you'll need an electrician's truck full of pulling tools, and the whole point of DIY is not needing to call the electrician, eh? :)

In this case, you use individual wires.  Such as XHHW-2, THWN-2, or USE-2. (the "2" just means it's the 2nd revision of the spec for the insulation, and as such, gives it more features, such as higher temperature.)

You aren't stuck with the cable's default ground wire size. You can use any ground wire that NEC permits (6 AWG Cu or 4 AWG Al).  Since it's an outbuilding, you will need the ground wire in addition to the ground rods.  Both are mandatory; one  takes human-generated fault current back to source, and the other takes natural lightning/static electricity to earth (which is its source).

If you just bought the cable, then cut off a few inches and see if the wires are individually labeled with markings.  If so, you can remove the sheath and use the wires in any application their markings allow.

If you need to run some of it openly (e.g. on joists as cable) and some in conduit, you either do the works in cable (hard pull; get bigger conduit, it'll help!) or you can transition from one wire type to the other in any appropriate (large here) junction box with permitted splices.


Installing a dishwasher where there is no preexisting one I want to add a dishwasher for my parent's house but I'm not sure if there's any electrical work that would need to be done prior to starting the plumbing.
There is no outlet under the sink but there is one above the counter directly on top of where the dishwasher would be installed.
I do know that the outlet is on a 15 amp breaker which I assume needs to be changed for the dishwasher.

Depending on what's behind that cover plate, you will probably be able to run some NB cable, if it' allowed, from there down the inside of the wall to a new junction box for the washer. If conduit is required, you'll have to cut away the wall below the counter to install your conduit.
You cannot just change a 15 amp breaker to a 20 amp breaker without replacing the 14 AWG wire with 12AWG wire. If instructions call for a 20 amp circuit, then you'll have to run new wire. You'll have to check to see if GFCI protection is required.
Since your basement is finished, you could use conduit or some of the decorative wire channel to run the wire on the surface of your finished wall.  See picture below from Lowes.


How to fix a through hole in stucco on the outside of the house? Some contractors drilled some holes on the outside of the house and I need to patch them up.

One hole is about 1 to 1.5" in diameter. They drilled through so that they can put a piece of wire through to feel for studs! (apparently a stud finder didn't work)

There are some other smaller holes...they used a small drill bit...maybe 1/4" diameter.

My question is how do I patch those holes up? These holes don't have a surface on the other side.  If I were to just fill it with something there's nothing on the other side for the filler to hold on to, right?

What should I do this fix?

Can I just fill the hole with stucco patching compound? (Something like Quikrete Pre-Mixed Stucco Patch?)

UPDATE:
I can access some holes from the attic. Is there something that I can do from the back side of the hole from the attic? Should I screw in a metal mesh on the back side in the attic and then go to the outside and fill the whole with stucco patching compound?

The best way is to knock out enough stucco to find the studs, mount a backing plate to the studs, and stucco over that.

Now, that's a lot of work, so there are quicker& easier ways.  Perhaps you could cut a small plug out of plywood or similar material which press-fits each hole, then do a skim-coat over it to match the stucco.

It comes down to time vs. quality, basically.


How to replace a door knob without screw I lived in a rental apartment. Recently my roommate decide to sublease his room, so I'd like to replace my door knob with a lockable one, but I'm unable to remove this core part ( I don't know what it is called).

Can't quite find a place to screw off this thing.

Question :

I suspect it is installed by hammering?
Can this thing be uninstalled in a non-destructing way?
If the answer to 2 is yes, how can this be done ?

Thanks in advance!

As @ Daniel Griscom suggested, I'm able to pull the latchbolt out from the side.

After prying off the bezel a little bit by a flathead screwdriver, I integrated the door knobs back and pull it side way, and successfully uninstalled the bezel and the latchbolt together.


How do I properly ground a light fixture? I installed a light fixture in my bathroom and need help grounding it properly. The previous fixture wasn't grounded. When I removed the fixture, there were two wires, one black and one white, from the wall while the copper, ground wire was wrapped around a screw that was screwed into a metal plate type thing. Do I connect the ground wire from the fixture to the end of the copper wire wrapped around the screw?

Yes, if there is a ground lead from the fixture you must connect it. If the box is metallic, and properly bonded, then any metal crossbars or mounting will also be bonded, but do connect the ground wire to the box's ground wire.


Musty Smell in slab and block house As my title states, I have a house that is on a slab and the exterior and most interior walls are block and covered with plaster. Since we bought the house we have noticed a musty smell that we originally thought was the washing machine.

It wasn't.

My concern now is that is may just be the HVAC system built in the slab, but that costs thousands to clean, and to reseal with spray. The smell isn't just in the hvac system though, it seems to be seeping out of the walls. I am just looking for suggestions, ideas, or even concerns that informative people may have on this issue. Anything helps!

My sister had a condo and had very similar problems with the odor. It was the a.c. ducts actually installed in the ground with the foundation poured over then. They rusted out and that's where the musty smell came from. We ended up filling in the ducts and sealing them and running some new ducts on the ceiling and framing around them with drywall. If you have registers in the wall that might be why you think the odor is seeping in from them. Good luck.


Can I span conduit 15 feet between my home and unattached garage? I have a porch separating my two bay garage and was looking to add a subpanel to the garage. The porch is attached to my house and butted against the garage, but not mechanically fastened to the garage. Can I hang the wiring (in conduit) vs burying the wiring?

You could also fabricate a "strut"* structure to span the distance, then strap the conduit to the strut. The issue is that you can't rely on the mechanical strength of the conduit to support itself (and the wire inside of it) for distances over 10ft.

*(Unitstrut or Superstrut are brands of construction members for making light frameworks for holding pipes and conduits typically sold at plumbing and electrical supply houses, but sometimes available at larger home centers)

http://www.tnb.com/pub/en/brands/superstrut

https://www.unistrut.us/


Voltage on 10-30R metal faceplate I just moved into a new house where there are two 240 volt 10-30R outlets in the garage, each with a 30-amp breaker and 10 gauge wire. Voltage across the hot terminals is 247 and, of course, approximately 124 volts from each hot terminal to neutral.  So far, so good.  However, on both outlets, the voltage across the metal face plate to either of the hot terminals is 14-18 volts.  Why the heck is that?  There is a bare ground wire in each of the boxes, but there is no ground terminal on the 10-30R receptacle, so the ground wires are just pushed to the back of the boxes.  Where the heck is that voltage on the face plates coming from?  And is it a safety problem?

You have grounds in the boxes.
So.

Buy two 14-30Rs
remove the 10-30Rs
connect the 14-30Rs
Smash the 10-30Rs with a hammer so they don't get re-used
place in trash or recycling.

Per comment about "3-wire compressor & welder": alternatively L6-30R Plus L6-30P for the cords, and cap the neutral while connecting the ground.
Outlet looks like a NEMA 10-50 but is only stamped at 30


Fluorescent lights sometimes don't turn on I have two T12 double-ended G13 2-pin 4 foot fluorescent lights in my bathroom. They often (maybe 1/3 of the time) won't turn on, with a very slight glow in one corner, then usually turn on after an extended period of time. I replaced the bulbs with new ones and this still happens. From my googling I read this as a sign that my ballast is bad. Is that right?

My initial response was to replace the bulbs with LEDs, something like the Philips Instafit or Hyperikon "plug and play" models that work with a ballast, as that would be a very easy installation I could do myself. But if my ballast is bad, that won't help me, correct?

Installing a new ballast in 2019 doesn't seem to make sense. So am I right in thinking that my best path is to buy non-Instafit LED bulbs and bypass the ballast?

Thanks for any help!

Do not use plug-n-play LEDs - they depend on a functioning ballast and your ballast is suspect.

Because then, you'd be at a crossroads.  Return the plug-n-play and remove the ballast and get a direct-wire/ballast-bypass LED... Or replace the ballast and stay with PnP and support that ballast forever, even though LEDs don't actually need it.  Obviously the second one is pretty lame.

I honestly recommend a third choice, replace the ballast and keep that nice new tube you just got, that is probably 90 CRI and better light than you'll get anytime soon from LED.  Modern ballasts fix all the complaints about fluorescents.


What kind of glue should I use for insulation to wood? I've got an unusual DIY underway. I'm making my own billiards table (pool table) cover. I started out cutting down two 4'x8' insulation sheets to set inside of the table's bunkers. I had to use two sheets to add up to the 1 & 3/4" height needed. Then I used a 4'x8' sheet of wood paneling (cheap) to cover the top of the table.

It fits well, but I'm having some trouble glueing it all together. I had to buy two different types of foam insulation, due to what was available in the thicknesses I needed. One foam sheet is purplish in color. The other is white foam with some sort of reflective material on both sides. The paneling is not very rigid, as it was the cheapest I could find.

So, I'm trying to figure out a good way to glue it all together. I tried to use a little bit of liquid nails, but I ran out. It didn't stick the foam to the wood paneling well enough and pulled apart. Any ideas? Thank you.

You want project adhesive. It's like construction adhesive, but water based. The solvent in "heavy duty" construction adhesive dissolves the foam, which probably resulted in the poor bond you experienced. Project adhesive labels often mention foam as a typical use.

Be aware that water evaporates more slowly than solvents, and therefore your bonds require a longer cure time.

Liquid Nails is a brand name. The company makes both products.


Any tricks to extend laminate floor without having to re-lay the whole floor? Problem: I had some old french doors removed and some new upvc bifold doors fitted. The french doors had a brick stub wall either side of the doors. My laminate floor was fitted up to the brick walls. With the walls now gone I have an 8 inch gap where I need my flooring extending.(see pic)

The floor in this pic was laid left to right and its click lock type. No Glue used . I have 2 spare packs of flooring ready to use.

The previous owner has laid the flooring throughout the ground floor with no breaks.

The floor extends to another 2 rooms to the right of the above pic and if I trace the boards back I think I'd need to pull the whole floor nearly plus the skirting boards,door frames etc.

Any ideas , tips ?

Update: Thanks for tile idea. Here is the finished job :)

Well you are lucky because of those patio doors.  What do I expect to see by patio doors - TILE!

So:

Go out and find some faux travertine (or the real stuff) tile.  It looks like you need some 12"x12"s.
Measure 24.5 inches from door all the way across.
Cut out laminate with circular saw.  (several saw types will work here)
Glue a tile edging strip about 1/4" from laminate (this may be the bottom holder of a transition strip but that's another question)
Mix thinset.
Install tiles.  You should only have to cut the two tiles on the far right.
Wait a day for thinset to cure a bit.
Grout.  You should have a spacer by door, middle, and before transition holder.
Clean up area.
Glue down transition.

Pros:

It will look nice.  You could even put a third row in here.
Depending on tile it could cost less than $150.
The tile will transition to the door much better than the laminate.  There isn't really any kind of good trim to put by the door in your situation - it is a common question on this site.
Your laminate seems to have long runs.  The transition should give it some play.
It is like 3-4 hours of total work.


Will keeping the hot water running by accident cause any damage to the hot water heater The hot water was left running over night about 6 hours in my bathroom sink
Would that have caused any damage to the hot water heater

No significant damage, just a bit more wear and wasted fuel.


How can I replace this P-trap This metal p-trap in my kitchen has rusted out at the bottom and is leaking. I removed it and in this case the nut goes on the trap side and the piece it connects to is threaded. I'm used to seeing the opposite where the trap is threaded. All the traps I saw at HD were threaded as well so wasn't sure what to purchase to repair this.

To elaborate on what Hari said, it's important to note that the most common kind of trap is for a PVC to PVC (compression fitting with top-screw). You have a chrome pipe there, so you need a P-trap that is threaded with the screw below.

Something he didn't mention is that, with chrome, you have to have a rubber washer. If I were you, however, I'd go ahead and replace the chrome wall tube as well (you have a reducing cap behind it). Then you can buy a PVC kit that contains both the trap and the wall tube. This will require a washer for that nut, but once it's done you don't need to worry about it again. The reason to do this is the PVC removes more easily if you have a clog. If that washer on the chrome dries out, you'll have to replace it potentially any time you need to remove the trap.


Is there a way to remove condensation and clean inside a double pane window? I have some double pane windows with failed seals.   They get condensation inside.   When it dries it leaves unsightly residue that I can't figure out how to clean off.

I know that I could replace the windows, but that seems wasteful for what is mostly a cosmetic problem.

Are there any clever ways of cleaning between the panes?   Maybe all windows should come with magnetic cleaners like they have for the inside of fish tanks.

No. You're limited by what you can do from the outside, and obviously that's not much.

Energy efficiency is only slightly reduced in such cases, as airflow into and out of the compartment between panes is minimal, but the aesthetic problem will only get worse.

Chances are you can replace just the sash, which might cost about half of what a new window would and doesn't require carpentry work aside from a little hardware swap.


How do I remove a plunger inside the overflow assembly? without the rod? I have an issue about some type of plunger stuck inside the overflow assembly. The tub is older and the overflow cover plate was gone and the entire assembly was missing when I got to the tub (helping a friend). I know there is something in the overflow assembly because I sent a plumber's snake down the overflow, pushed past a little resistance and the tub drained, almost as if I had pushed past something. I pulled the snake out and ever since then, I can't push the snake down anymore and the drain is completely blocked. With no assembly attached to the plunger, is there anyway I can retrieve it without going behind the tub or under the house? I tried coat hanger retrieval, I've tried the snake again and I tried WD-40, but to no avail.

Soak it overnight with CLR to soften any lime/scale (the bucket, i.e. stopper will often have crusty stuff from years of just sitting there) then douche it with penetrating oil like liquid wrench. Then use a stiff heavy-gauge wire bent into a hook shape to try to fish the bucket out.
Then, instead of trying to replace the bucket and wire assembly, leave it out and put a blank trim plate on the overflow. Hand them a rubber stopper and scram before there are additional problems.


Why won't my A/C turn on after I replaced the thermostat batteries? Our thermostat died yesterday, but after replacing the dead batteries with fresh batteries, and confirming the LCD screen was operable, our AC no longer turns on.

I have attempted a factory reset on the thermostat, and I do hear a quiet but definitive "click" when I believe it is attempting to activate the HVAC unit, but that's as far as it gets.

One theory I have is that the batteries were long dead, and the thermostat was getting it's power from the wiring directly, which means it could be the HVAC unit that died. However, it's one of the first times I've had to deal with a HVAC unit personally, so I'm guessing. I reset the breaker a couple times to see if that would do it, but it's a no go (it is clearly marked on my panel with a aluminum bridge between both breakers).

Anything else I can try before I call a pro?

Sounds like you may not have power from the transformer. You can check this using a multimeter, by testing the voltage between the red R wire and the blue C wire.  You should read somewhere around 24VAC, though depending on the system it could be anywhere from about 6VAC to 30VAC.

Most thermostats only use the batteries to power the thermostat itself, LED display, programming, date/time, etc.  Thermostats with a C wire (like yours seems to have), sometimes only use the batteries to remember your settings during a power outage.  The actual power for signalling heat/cool, is supplied by a transformer in the furnace itself (the red R wire). If there is no power on the R wire, the thermostat has no way to call for heat/cool.  In this case you'll have to have an HVAC tech troubleshoot, and possibly replace the transformer.

You could use your multimeter to verify the furnace itself is getting power, though this is slightly more dangerous since you'll have to open the service panel on the furnace. This could put you in danger of electrocution, and should be avoided if you are not familiar with HVAC systems.

The only other thing I can think for you to check, is to look for a serviceman switch and make sure it's in the ON position.  A serviceman switch is a switch on the feed line to the furnace, that allows servicemen to turn the power off to the furnace to service it.  It should be located very close to the furnace, and within line of site of the furnaces service panel. If there is line of sight from the furnace service panel to the breaker panel that feed the furnace; or this is an old installation, you may not have a serviceman's switch.

Your best bet, is to simply call in an HVAC technician to service the furnace.


How to install sink drain pipe correctly I'm trying to connect this drain assembly on my bathroom sink.

But when I connect to the sink it drips.
I tighten the top nut(arrow) with a channel lock, but it still drips.
Steps I took:

I put plumber's putty on the top
squeeze the top into drain hole.
attach the drain pipe to the top
turn the top nut tigh.
attach p-trap to drain pipe.

Am i doing something wrong, sometimes I hear a snapping sound and it seems that the drain pipe has loosen. Should I use Teflon tape?

I've had similar problems sometimes with sink drains. I'm guessing it's leaking were the rubber washer and the sink bottom connect? If so:

Make sure the black washer is fitting correctly. It should almost fit into the opening, but still have part of the curved section showing. Tightening the plastic nut will force more of the round section further and tighter into the sink bottom.
Check the sink drain opening for any irregularities. Run a finger tip around the drain edge and feel for bumps; it should be perfectly smooth.

I'm guessing the clicking sound you heard may be a stripped thread on the drain or a cracked nut. The PVC plastic is very easily cross threaded if not lined up correctly. Sometimes you can "uncross" the threads with a sharp utility knife.

If the two suggestions I first mentioned don't apply and nothing is working it might be worth noting that the type of drain in your photo (the accordion or flexible-type) is not up to code anymore. It may be easier to purchase a new rigid P Trap.


Plastic screw from inside outlet box to stud So I went to Lowe’s to see Their selection of double outlet boxes and came across old construction and new. The new construction had nails on the outside. So I thought hey I’ll try it since I can access from behind the drywall. It was going smooth but honestly it was so hard to nail without hitting the drywall and still keep a nice flush setup for front of the box. The old construction had these flaps that go into the drywall and I liked that idea since it ensure it was flush but I hate the fact it’s not screwed into the stud. Soo I seen a electrician on YouTube use these new construction boxes but do the screw on the inside. However, I googled this and people say it’s against NEC for a conductor to screw inside the box to outside. However all the post I read are about using metal screws. Well that got me thinking why not just use plastic screws and problem solved? Also those Madison screw in boxes I did not like those when I tried them as they start to sink back as you screw. Maybe I just suck with them but the idea above gave me a perfect fit I’m just curious if I should be worried since the screw concept is still unanswered if allowed.
Edit: well looks like there aren’t any plastic screw options. It seems nec code in 314 says you can screw from one side of the box so I am curious if this method is now allowed. I was considering keeping it and just using electric tape over screw head. Or should I just remove the screw and assume the drywall can take the beating of plugging stuff in and out?

Man, you guys just looooove your plastic boxes.  You'll do anything to keep em.
I'm a metal conduit guy and it would never occur to me to use a plastic box.
Using a screw to attach a box to a joist isn't even a problem in my world.  No inspector would flag a metal box for that.
The screw holes you use, they're either pre-made or you drill them (set that drill on FAST and push hard)... and that's fine, you're allowed to do that. Metal is inherently strong enough.
Plastic you have to attach it at its designed anchor points or it'll crack.
If you're going through drywall with a metal box, you buy the (typically a 4x4) box and an appropriate 1-gang or 2-gang mud ring.  The 4x4 boxes have more room than a 1-gang box.  The drywall hole only needs to be as big as the mud ring - NOT 4x4.
If you need great gobs of room, you use a 4-11/16" deep (2" or 3-1/4" deep) box again with a 1-gang or 2-gang mud ring.  Again hole is only 1 gang in size but you have lots of cubic inches behind it.


Intake blockage on hot water heater - shuts off I have a similar problem to a question I’ve seen posted here before.

I have a high efficiency water heater...and the sensor keeps shutting it off as the intake pipe outside gets full of frost.

I’ve monitored it and noticed it gets the most frost from when the furnace vents out the return air, blowing warm moist air outside, and with a gust of wind, the warm air gets directed into the intake thus condensing and causing it to block up with ice and frost.

Wondering if there is a clever way to modify either my exhaust or intake to prevent the re-circulation.

And yes I know the black poly is wrong, should’ve been white ABS.

I have no problem with the ABS.  If you have  a screen in the outlet of the pipe take it out.  You can put it back in as the temperature moderates if you want.  How long is the run and how many elbows?  What is the age of the water heater.  Sounds like you are not getting enough air flow, movement of air is too slow. Too tight of elbows can also cause this problem.


The right base for a gravel patio There's lots of information online and videos on YouTube on how to build a gravel patio, but they usually don't have enough specifics. They say "you may want to do this" or "pour base material" without clarify when or what or how. So I'll just ask specific question here for my project.
I making a 200 sq ft gravel patio. I pulled up sod and other vegetation. The soil is mixture of clay and sand.

Do I need to lay down geotextile fabric? If so, what kind? Presumably, I'm more worried about weeds than stability - is that correct?
Do I need to tamp the soil? With a hand tamper or rent a compactor?
For the base layer, should I use clean or modified? What's the appropriate thickness for the base layer? Do I need to compact this layer?
What's the appropriate thickness for the top layer?

There can be lots of opinion here so what type of fabric to stop weeds? Just about any landscaping type will work as long as it is permeable (water can drain through).
Do you need to tamp the soil? If you like playing in the mud go ahead but clay will move around and sand really doesn’t need it.
When you talk about base and top that’s up to what you want.
I use crushed quarry rock or shale and a plate compactor the thickness 2-4” will be fine for most locations if you have a lot of mud maybe more.
You want the fines in the rock they help things to lock together.
Never use crushed river rock it will not pack well it moves.
If you want a decorative top rock spread it pack it and keep adding until you have the look you are after. If you want stones put down a inch or more of sand to bed your stones or pavers, fill spaces with sand and that’s it.


What size of lumber should I use for the mounting rail for shelves and cabinets? I recently scrounged some steel shelving that I'd like to hang in my garage. This used to be in an office, its for paperwork but will work great for some things in my garage.

The mounting holes on these shelves are not going to be centered on my studs. What I think I need to do to hang these is to screw two boards to the studs and then mount the shelves to that.

How do I determine what size of board to use? Is it based on size/weight of the shelves?

The shelves are basic steel box shelves. They are roughly 4' long, 10" deep, and 12" tall. It's a steel box open to the front and there is a slight flange on the back.

The garage wall is finished. Just has drywall and paint.

Several different factors weigh in to what size of board you need.

Weight - Definitely the major factor.
Stud spacing - I'm assuming you've got standard 16" OC studs, and that you're attaching the support board to every one it spans.
Location of Mounting Points - The closer the mounts for the shelving are to centered between studs, the higher the bending load on the board.
Fastener Type - The thicker the fasteners used to fasten the board to the wall and the shelves to the board, the higher the stress concentration at those areas. Standard wood screws should be fine for fastening the board to the wall.
Use a Wide Board - The bending strength of a board goes up by a factor of width squared, and only linearly with thickness. So if you're flush mounting against a wall and don't have to worry about torsion, a 1x6 will be stronger than a 2x4.

Did you have a rough order of magnitude for the weight you'd like to hang? Just shooting from the hip, I'd think you'd be OK with a 1x4, or a 1x6 if you wanted to be safe.


Exposed wire in ceiling light Was changing the two dead light bulbs and a piece fell off than noticed the wire became exposed. Is this something I can fix as a diy and how dangerous to use the light.

There's definitely a water-ingress problem here (or was).  That green corrosion on the copper wires is very severe.  So your much bigger problem is structural damage to the building (or black mold) due to what else the water has been up to.

However in the meantime, those loose wires are dangerous, and the remaining visible bare wire is probably shot.  Even if the sockets were replaceable, it doesn't look like there's enough wire length left to splice to them.  So the fixture is shot.

When you buy a new fixture -  we're not talking a lot of money here - either buy a pure-LED fixture that does not have replaceable bulbs (this will be more money), or buy one that is open on the sides and allows airflow to the bulbs.  That way you can upgrade to LED and save a ton off your electric bill.

If swapping a fixture is too much for you, any competent handyman can handle the task.  To give you a sense of the difficulty, most towns that require permits don't require a permit for "swapping a light fixture", as it is considered to be a trivial repair by electrical standards.


Protect electrical cords from damage in storage I'm essentially asking about power cords on electrical tools.

I know how to store higher gauge wires (e.g. USB) to prevent damage and sometimes something like a vacuum cleaner will have hooks to wrap the cord around and then a holder built into the plug that will clip onto the cord.

But when it comes to power tools with lower gauge - how can one store them in a way to prevent damage? What damage should I try to prevent? I'm leaving this pretty open ended for the sake of the site, but mostly sometimes my plug prongs get bent during storage. How can I prevent this type of damage from occurring if I'm storing these things in bins?

Damage such as -

source

source

Hand held power tools do have problems with the cord breaking at the strain relief as your photo shows it is more of a usage issue in my opinion because that is the point the cord gets constantly flexed at that point. I usually make a loose coil of the cords and lay the cord on top of the tool. Cords are not two difficult to replace or repair. a new cord cap needs to be installed on the lower photo so the ground is available to the tool  and the top broken wire needs to be shortened or replaced. Some times if the rest of the cord is in good shape with a break at the strain relief I will move 6+ inches down the cord to get away from the area the wires have been abused and re-terminate the wires inside the handles. Loose coils on top of the tool would be my answer for power tools and for extension cords I connect the ends after coiling (and hang them on the wall) with the ends together they are protected from getting bent.


Re-seal trailer roof I have a small metal trailer.  It is 5 years old and has developed a leak.  I'd appreciate advice about how to re-seal it.

The trailer has a PVC coated galvanised steel body, about 6ft long and 4ft wide and high.  I believe the roof was manufactured as a separate piece.  There is a 90° bend at the end of the body and roof panels, forming a flange (if that's the right word) about 4cm long on each.  The two flanges are riveted together inside the trailer.  The join is filled with a white sealant (I assume silicone) on the outside.  I've tried to show all this in photos below.

When I look inside, there is often water sitting on the flange (as well as on the floor and ceiling).  I think that the two flanges have been distorted by jolts from the road, the sealant no longer fills the gap properly (or perhaps it is ageing & now lacks the flexibility required), and the water has a route in.

What would be the best way to fix this?  Some ideas I've already had suggested to me:

Add externally-rated silicone sealant between the flanges, outside and inside.  (What sort of sealant would be best?  Should I remove the existing sealant first?  How?  Also, could I really seal from the inside?  The gap is mostly quite small and I don't want to make it worse.)
Cover the gap up externally with a strip of vinyl.  (But apparently the vinyl is unlikely to last long due to the movement between the roof and body.)
Bridge the gap externally with P40 Glass Fibre Bridging Compound.  (I have no experience with this... would it bond to the PVC coating?  Would it cope with jolts, or shatter?  Would it look neat?)
Add more rivets?
Cover up the trailer with a tarpaulin when it is at home.

The easiest thing would be to fill the gap with UV resistant silicone caulk. Before you apply the silicone, make sure the join is very dry.


Do I need to be legally qualified to install a Hive smart thermostat? As a competent DIY'er, am I legally allowed to install Hive myself?

The reason for the question is I have been asked to provide a cert as I'm selling the house.

If not, can someone point me in the direction of where it legally states I can.

In the vast majority of jurisdictions, most DIY work is perfectly legal in a house you own/land contract, and live in. The only exceptions are things like Freon handling, gas lines, and several other crafts, due to the particular hazards (often indirect, e.g. Freon).

You're not allowed to work on houses you don't own for obvious reasons.  In many crafts, including electrical, you're not allowed (or permit non-licensed people) to work on houses you rent out, because that would be a huge incentive for "slumlord repairs".  Given that rental properties tend to already be at the "more distressed" end of the housing spectrum, this is a recipe for dead tenants.  However it is presumed you have incentive to do good work on housing you expect to occupy yourself.

Further, certain minor jobs are always allowed (for homeowners not tenants) due to their simplicity, common-ness, and low chance of critical failure.   For instance changing receptacles and switches (typically done for cosmetic reasons) even though this work is harder than it seems.  I would certainly expect that changing thermostats on a 24VDC system would be on the short list.

That said, the "only work on houses you expect to live in" principle applies in spades. If you are gussying up a house for sale, STOP.  Aside from the "no incentive to do safe work" factor, you're also locking them into choices they may not want.  Don't lay white carpets (pretty but nobody wants to live in it), don't fit 20-space stuffed service panels, and don't pick a smart 'stat for them. Give them a price concession of a fraction of the upgrade cost and let them choose.


Drain pipe clogged in tough spot After things thawed out in Texas, I found that my kitchen sink will not drain.  In checking the p-trap, I found the inside plumbing corroded and replaced all of it from sink drains (double sink) to stub-out.  I have run a snake through the stub-out and down to what seems to be the right angle under the slab.  I can not get past that, but there is nothing getting caught on the snake.  I just can't get it to turn another corner.
I dug up outside, removing a concrete step for access.  I have actually run a garden hose in about 10 feet downstream, and have another access hole 20 feet beyond, where I can see water running freely.  I have tried putting boiling hot water in the sink and plunging.  I sucked out a bit of grit and slime, but not much.  I need an idea on how I can go upstream from the Y shaped access hole.  Water left in the sink will drain overnight, with no sign that there is a leak.  I.e., it must be seeping slowly through the pipe.

I think at this point, you should call in a plumber with a snake & camera to determine the problem with the drain pipe. Instead of cutting, flushing and making a big mess a plumber with a camera on his snake could quickly determine the problem and the fix needed. If you call in a professional tell him/her the size and type of the piping you are dealing with.
my 2 cents


What are the rules for making your own conduit KOs in nonmetallic junction boxes? Some North American electrical boxes (usually nonmetallic ones) lack conduit knockouts, as they are designed solely to clamp NM cable.  Unfortunately, some devices (the RIB series of enclosed, UL listed relays, for instance) use their own enclosure with a conduit nipple providing a wiring chase to the box they're connected to.

Does one need a conduit knockout provisioned in the box in order to attach a nonmetallic conduit (nipple) to it, or can one drill an appropriately sized hole in the box, then use a non-metallic locknut to attach the conduit to the box?  What Code provisions apply?

It's OK to drill a hole in plastic, in fact a lot of them don't even come with knockouts - for example

http://www.carlonsales.com/productdrawings/E987N.pdf

The zip boxes and others with integral NM clips - I doubt they are listed for use with conduit but even if they are, I'd use one like that linked above.


Can I add a standard receptacle on a GFCI circuit So, I want to add a receptacle in the bathroom (I tend to run out of batteries on my phone while crapping at the end of the day).  There's a GFCI outlet on the other side of the crapper wall that faces the bathroom sinks, so would be a simple matter to wire off of that one, if its possible.

They make these charger receptacles that would be nice to use:

Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet
U-Outlet, Dual Socket/ Dual USB

...but they're not GFCI.  Is there a way to wire one of those into an existing GFCI circuit so that GFCI protection is still enabled (and legal)?  I live in Austin, Texas.

The only reason I think this may be possible is that our current GFCI outlets seems to have several "normal" looking outlets on a circuit with just one outlet that has the buttons to reset it that switch power on and off for all the outlets on the circuit.

You should never chain two GFCI circuits together.  When you install a GFCI circuit, you should only ever chain standard outlets off of them.  Multiple GFCI on the same circuit can cause each other to trip.

So yes, what you want to do is actually what you should do.

What you do need to do, however, is make sure you connect the new outlet to the LOAD terminals on the GFCI outlet.  That will put the new outlet on GFCI protection.

You should also sticker the new outlets as GFCI protected.

See in the above how the duplex (standard) outlet is fed from the GFCI, NOT the main line.

And in case it's unclear- the 3 gfci in the pic are not chained - they are connected in parallel.  Only the standard outlet is "chained" - or connected in serial.


New Central Air Install: choosing single-stage vs dual-stage condensers Specifically:  would a 2-stage 3-ton condenser be more efficient than a 1-stage 2-ton condenser?  Let's assume the same SEER rating for both.
What about reliability? - I heard that 2-stage are a lot more complicated, does it mean more maintenance?
Finally, is it worth the extra investment if we live in the NorthEast and will be using central air 2 months a year?
Please advise.

2 stage equipment is for comfort, not economy. You probably won't make that extra cost back if used 2 months a year and your house leaks AT ALL. (high SEER units are useless in an improperly insulated house) Reliability is doubled in that half the system can be broke and it will still work. Heating in your area is more important I would think, spend that money on an ECM (variable speed) furnace with a modulating gas valve. If they are the same SEER then there is no operating cost difference (right guys?). A 3 ton will just run less often and cost more to do so than a 2 ton. If you want to save money, thermal scan your house and fix those issues. Unless your rich and a green freak, I see no benefit to dual stage systems less than ~10 tons. The second stage is for those months that your first stage can't handle. In your situation it sounds like it would either always run both or never need the second.

ECM's pay for themselves in about 3 years, MGV's 10 or so depending on usage. 18 SEER will never pay for it self unless your house has an astronomical R value.

Quote from HVAC TALK

  2 Stage is for COMFORT.

  Some people may save some money, from the longer run in first stage because they won't feel that sudden coolness from the short on time that a single stage has at the mild and mid range winter temps.
  Meaning they don't set the stat as high as they did with their old unit.(comparing 2 stage 90% to single stage 90%) So it looks like the low fire is saving them a lot of money by being more efficient, when its really because they have their stat set lower.

  Same with 2 stage A/C. They may set their stat 1 or 2 degrees higher. So they save because they are more comfortable at a higher temp. Which of course, maintaining a higher temp, uses less electric.

  Most 2 stage units going in are replacing older lower efficiency single stage units. Moving up from a 80% to a 90%, or 9 SEER to a 15 SEER, so they see the overall savings. And rave about 2 stage savings.
  Contractors then repeat how much a 2 stage system saved that person.

  So its just repeating observations made, without a control, to check it to.

  In your case, (not to take money from a contractor, but), I'd just set the lock out lower, and see how it does this winter.

  Keep the money you were going to spend on a new system in the bank, and let it make some interest.

http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?178756-2-stage-furnace-not-more-efficient-than-1-stage/page2

This guy "Beenthere" seams to really know his stuff.


Sprinkler Anti Siphon valve is leaking from cap Tonight after I manually turned on one of my sprinkler zones for few minutes and after it was done I noticed that water was continuously leaking from the underneath the cap of the anti siphon valve. I thought it would stop after a few minutes, but it did not.  When I tried to turn on the sprinkler zone again the water would stop, but after closing it again it would leak again.  So I just went ahead and shut off the valve for the whole sprinkler system until I was able to troubleshoot.

So in my situation do I need to replace the whole anti siphon valve unit or can I just fix the cap part?  In picture see the part circled in red to indicate where the leak is coming from.

The anti-siphon valve is a one-way valve that should allow air in when there is a lower pressure inside the system but should close when there is water pressure.

It sounds like the valve is not closing, perhaps it has some dirt or other material blocking it.  You might disassemble and clean it and replace any worn or broken pieces.


Extending 4x4 Deck Posts I have a deck about 6FT off the ground with old 4x4 posts that stick up about 24" above the existing deck.  I replaced the decking and when installing the railings, I noticed the posts on the deck were about 12" too short.  Is there any way to extend the posts about 12" so when i screw the top railing in, it would actually go into the post?  Want it up to code as much as possible, in VA.  Thanks.

What I did was drill axial holes in the center of the 4 X 4 ; push in one foot lengths copper tubing ( or steel conduit) halfway. Then drill matching holes into the extension 4 X 4 and push them onto the tubing . When connecting railings are added it has good strength. Select a hole size to give a tight fit with whatever tubing you use.


Bi fold door pivot removals Top plastic pivot is broken in bi fold door how can I get it out? I can't use pliers not enough to get a grip

I assume you're dealing with standard hardware inserts, as shown in the bottom row here. Simply grasp the shaft below the end device with a pliers and tap on the pliers with a hammer. It should pop out.

If you're not dealing with this type of hardware, please update your question with adequate information and/or photos.


How can I replace the top two wood panels in my front door with glass? I'd like to replace the top two wood panels in my front door with glass for more light.

Is there a how-to site explaining how this is done?

I'm assuming it's a wood door with rectangular frame and panel construction.

Often in cheaper doors, the wood panels are simply held in by trim on one (or both) side(s) - usually the interior side. If that's the case, you can simply (carefully) pry the trim out, remove the panel, and insert glass in it's place. You'd then want to seal the exterior side with a little silicone, and reattach the trim to hold the glass in place.

If it's a higher quality door, the panels are housed in grooves within the frame, and it's assembled in one step. In this case, you would have to cut away part of the frame in order to remove the panel. The simplest method I can think of would be to use a router and a fence to remove the material. Set your fence so that the router cuts away about a 1/4 inch of the frame material on the inside. If that doesn't expose the panel completely, slowly adjust your fence so your router moves closer to the outside until the panel is exposed. You'll likely have to use a chisel to square the corners of your cut. Then remove the panel, replace with glass, and install trim to lock the glass into place. Paint/stain to match.

If you have the tools, it is actually pretty easy to make a double pane window. You would simply need 2 panes of glass of the same size. You would insert the first as normal, then use thin strips of wood, I'd say approximately 1/8 inch square to offset the second pane. Attach these strips tightly against the first pane,locking it in place like you would with trim and lay the second pane on top. Then finish with trim.

Edit: One note I just considered. Often frame and panel looking doors are not actually constructed as such. Some times there is a solid plywood core and the faux frame and panel is simply laminated on top. In that case, I would look into getting a new door.


Bathroom light/exhaust fan fixture wiring So i remodeled our bathroom a bit a couple of years ago.
It originally had just a light fixture on the ceiling. I turned our bath tub into a shower/tub. And there used to be a window that i took out and made it glass block.
So i needed to add an exhaust fan. I bought one with the light/fan combo. I installed it and just used the existing wire from light switch. Mind you i even went bigger than i needed for the size of our small bathroom as far as cfm's go.
It directly vents up out of the roof of the house with no obstruction in vent piping.
Ever since it was new it does not suck (or pull) air out of bathroom. Even with the light fixture decorative glass removed i can put a piece of tissue up and it immediately falls.
So could it be possible to not have enough power from the original wired light to run the fan/light???
Its an older house with the 2 wire(neautral/hot) and uses conduit as ground...i believe.
Is there a way for me to check it with my multi meter?
Thanks in advance!

There is a flapper (back draft damper) in the outlet of the exhaust fan. Make sure that it opens when the fan runs and is not stuck closed by anything including a mounting screw or discharge pipe item. Make sure that all the packing material has been removed from the fan housing. You can remove the fan and motor so you can inspect the vent damper. On the roof, make sure that the discharge damper assembly will open with  any air movement.  Hope this helps.


Are there diamond cup grinder wheels that create a coarse, no slip concrete surface? I bought a diamond cup grinding wheel for my 4.5" grinder to remove an acrylic stained concrete finish. The cup works great removing the acrylic stain, but it leaves the concrete highly polished and slippery. Is there a particular grinding wheel that will leave a no-slip, coarse concrete surface?

Short answer: no, at least if used as intended.

There are some cups and disks that are extremely coarse; they look like a few pebbles of abrasive stuck in random spots.  But they just remove more material faster, and still leave a surface smoother than would be helpful for your purpose.  The problem is the rotation and speed.  The abrasive gets at the whole surface with just a little motion of the grinder.

You could do something different with a coarse cup.  Hold the grinder in one spot and turn it on for just a second or so.  It will grind a circle in that spot.  Move the grinder to another spot and repeat.  The idea is to cover the concrete with a pattern of circles.  They don't need to be deep, maybe on the order of 1/16".

Another technique is to use a circular saw with a diamond cutting wheel.  Adjust the blade guide so the cutting depth is very shallow (around 1/16"), and use a guide to make straight grooves at controlled locations.  Grooves about 1" apart should be enough.

You could also try the opposite approach; add instead of remove.  Bond a thin layer on top with a broomed finish (you would need material with high bonding strength designed for this purpose).  There are also surface finishes that contain some coarse grit for traction.  Or you can buy non-slip tape sold for this purpose.  It is a rugged tape with a gritty surface and a serious adhesive.  You put down strips about 9" apart.


Can I apply stain to an oil treated oak counter top? I purchased a counter top that was pre-treated with one coat of wood treatment oil at the factory. Can it be stained and varnished ?

I'm assuming this was a standard oil finish like a Danish oil or tung oil. They will harden. If the oil finish was a mineral oil, commonly used for butcher block tops for example, that oil will not harden. But even so, one coat of oil finish is not that much of a finish.

You should be able to apply stain to it. In fact, a hardened oil finish will help that stain so it is applied fairly evenly, although it may not soak in as deeply as it might otherwise. There are different kinds of stain, and that will be a factor. Thus there are dye based stains, which get into the wood. With an oil finish, the dye will not penetrate as well. Pigmented stains (essentially thinned paints) have pigment in them. (Ok, maybe that is obvious.) They are designed to sit on the surface of the wood anyway.

As far as a varnish finish, yes, a hardened oil finish that has soaked into the wood will not do anything to stop a varnish from hardening. However, if the oil finish is a non-hardening mineral oil, then varnish will probably not adhere terribly well to the wood. So really it matters what kind of oil finish was applied, and what is the purpose of this top.


How do I rewire this ceiling fan? Hi someone was cleaning the dust off a ceiling fan in my house today and the screw broke off from the ceiling so we had to take it apart to fix it.

Now we are trying to figure out the wiring the person that removed it didn't check what went into what. The ceiling has a black wire, blue wire and a green wire which I guess is the ground. The ceiling fan has a white wire, blue wire and black wire. The black wire on the ceiling fan says motor, blue says light and white says neutral.

We tried the obvious black to black and blue to blue it didn't seem to work at all. We then tried black to black and blue and white to blue. And that seems to get the fan working but the light doesn't and switch on the wall is able to turn the fan off and on with this wiring.

Also the fan has two pull cords one of the light and one for the fan. It also has a switch on the side I guess to turn it off since the fan won't spin when its pushed to one side.

Are we doing something wrong? We thought of trying the blue/black from ceiling fan to the black on the ceiling since the black is working for the motor but we aren't sure if that was dangerous to try.

Also the fan is a Harbor Breeze brand unit.

The wiring from the fan.

The wiring from the ceiling.

Also here is a closer picture of the green wire its only connected to the screw on the bracket on the ceiling. I don't see anywhere it goes on the ceiling fan.

TL;DR: Whoever installed your ceiling fan had some terminal screws loose

The good news is that the green wire is unmistakably tagged as an equipment grounding conductor, and was likely not the current return path in the original  wiring configuration.  The bad news is that whoever originally wired this did a hack job, deciding to use some blue wire they had left over from the last hack job as a neutral wire (grounded conductor), which grossly violates NEC 200.6(A):

  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.

Now that that facepalm moment is out of the way, it's possible to fix this by nutting the blue and black conductors from the fan to the black wire from the ceiling, and the white wire from the fan to the blue wire from the ceiling.  While you're up there, please, please, please tag the blue wire from the ceiling with a piece of white electrical tape -- there's no way to bring the current situation fully up to Code without ripping out the offending neutral wire and replacing it with a white or grey wire, but a tag will at least keep the next electrician's eyeballs from frying when he or she stares at your ceiling fan's wiring.


Typical general purpose sledge hammer weight? What is the typical head weight (or weight range) for a general-purpose sledge hammer?

Background: I've been shopping around online and have seen everything from a small 2 lb hammer to weights up to 20 lbs. Shopping online, I haven't had the opportunity to pick one up and get a feel for the weight.

I get that the weight largely depends on the application (and the person). So assume I am a homeowner intending to use it for light to mid duty home improvement work (breaking up a concrete walkway, cinder block walls, occasionally splitting some firewood with a wedge, etc.)

Note: Right now I'm considering an 8 lbs hammer and a 12 lbs one. Is 12 lbs overkill? They're the same price, so it really comes down to the weight.

Normal "full length" sledge is 8 lbs, normal "hand sledge" (short handle) is 4.

Excess weight may have two downsides - one is more wear and tear on you the operator, and the other is that you may get lower velocity on your hits - and since energy is mass times velocity squared, a hammer weighing 12 lbs still needs to make at least 81% of the velocity of the 8 lb hammer to get the same "hit" - so you have to swing 50% more weight only 20% slower.

Barring unusual circumstances, I'd suggest you stick with 8 lbs. It got standard because it works for most things.

....also, go find (and perhaps even patronize) a brick-and-mortar hardware store...while you still can.


How to keep water away from house from new concrete pad? I am planning to build a concrete pad under my deck (8-10' clearance). I am concerned about water dripping down through my deck and collecting against my house. What tips/steps should I take to prevent this when I build/pour the pad?

Your key design element for the concrete pad will be the slope that you plan for the surface away from the house. This allows water to run down slope rather than gathering at the house. Another detail will be the attention paid to getting a flat surface without dips and pockets of unevenness where water could collect.


Prevent sun shade pole from rotating in base I have bought a centre pole sun shade (a Doppler Sunliner) for my balcony, along with a hollow base filled with water for it to stand in, which works fine. But as soon as there is a tiny bit of wind, the sun shade starts rotating. How do I prevent this?

As far as I can see, the base I bought does not have any mechanism in place to prevent rotating (the hole into which the pole is inserted is a plain cylinder with a smooth bottom). There is a possibility to tighten the grip around the pole through tightening a screw of sorts but this does not seem enough. The instructions for the sun shade state that if there is wind the sun shade should not be used, but it seems silly to stow it away even at the slightest hint of wind, which is sadly enough to send it spinning.

So far we make do with a system of ropes and carabiner hooks but I wonder if anyone has any other suggestion on how to prevent the sun shade from spinning in its base.

It's going to take some caution and some experimentation to arrive at a solution you can live with.

For light wind Alaska Man's suggestion seems good - tighten the wing nut/loop bolt in the base.

If you have tightened the wing nut/loop bolt as much as is practical (too much tightening will break something) and you are still getting spinning it's time to get creative.

What you have is in effect a windmill. As large as the umbrella is very little wind could apply significant torque on the pole.

Try to find a way to reduce the wind effect:
- Angle the umbrella so that the windmill effect is reduced.
- Position the umbrella in your location so that it's protected from the wind
- Experiment with how open the umbrella is to reduce the windmill effect
- An umbrella ring can add friction and help keep the pole from spinning (link is an example not an endorsement)

If none of these things work you may have arrived at your best solution.


How do I weigh a kitchen island to determine what size castors to get? I need castors for a kitchen island. I need to know what to get. Do all the castors need to carry full weight or do I divide by 4 to get say 4 50lb to hold a 200lb cabinet for example?

When buying castors, they're generally marketed as a set that can carry a total load.
ie a set of 4 '200 lb' castors are meant for an object that weighs under 200 lbs.

I'd simplify your problem by estimating then doubling that. If an average person can lift 50 lbs, is the kitchen island something 2 people can lift? Get a set of 200 lb castors.

Would it take 4 people? Get 400 lb castors.

The difference in cost of castors is small enough that I might just get 1000 lb castors and call it a day.


Why is my two year old A/C compressor cycling every 10 seconds? My central A/C compressor is coming on and off every 10 seconds or so.   It's only about two years old.
I'm familiar with short-cycling, but that's usually in cycles of 1 to 5 minutes.  I've experienced that with my previous system that had a slow leak.  But I have never experienced or heard of short cycling so frequent, every 10 seconds.
What are possible causes and are there any DIY diagnostics I can do while I wait for the installer to come out?
The fan is running fine while this happens.
Edit
As noted in comments the compressor has diagnostic lights.  I should have known that.   Sadly this is the diagnosis: "Yellow Alert 4".  Which I believe is not a DIY job and hopefully a warranty job.  :(
It's not fault 2 - low voltage or bad connections.  The contactor is clean and functional and the cooling fan is starting and spinning nicely.  So it must be condition 4.1, 4.3 or 4.4

The technicians found low refrigerant and a slow leak at the fill valve.  They replaced the valve, refilled and tested the system and all seems well.
This leaves annoying open questions that can no longer be answered including:

Why did the self-diagnostic
detect Locked Rotor (4) and not Low Charge (1)?
How did a "slow leak" spontaneously develop after the end of last summer that progressed as far as immediate low-pressure-shutdown for the beginning of this summer?

The technicians were not interested in contemplating these things so I'll just have to move on without answers but with a working system.


Sliding closet doors with 3 doors has narrowed opening I have a 83" width closet so I used two 72" closet doors. Basically, it is 3 doors on 2 tracks

However it is weird because the opening is way too small: 83-72 = 11"
It is because the front two doors are on the same track which is taking 72" space.

Here is the track

Is this installation done right?

UPDATE

This is the door I bought

https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-9205C-Series-White-6-Panel-Steel-Sliding-Closet-Door-Hardware-Included-Common-60-in-x-80-in-Actual-60-in-x-80-in/3040848

I got two of them

Put a large door and the small door on one track - that will enable you to maximize the opening...

If you have 3 doors the same size, then install a 3rd track which means that all the doors can be in one spot maximizing the opening...


Should I powerwash and waterseal a pressure treated deck? Is there any maintenance that I should be doing such as yearly power-washing and water-sealing for a pressure treated deck?

It's always good to inspect your deck every year after winter. Check for any loosening fasteners, any signs of rot, check for mold, and inspect places where wood meets wood.

I would advise against an annual power-washing. It is extremely harsh on the wood, even if done by a professional. It requires a lot of work to restore the surface, as the pressure washer damages the surfaces. I would look it at as something you do to restore an old deck.

It's usually a good idea to give the deck a gentle yet thorough annual cleaning to remove any built up dirt. If you see mold forming, it doesn't hurt to use some bleach. I'd try to do it when you have stretch of good weather so it can thoroughly dry, but avoid doing so when it's so hot that the water dries before you have a chance to rinse the cleaning solution off.

Trimming back any bushes and growth near the deck before this step is also good, as it ensures the deck can dry properly.

When it rains, see if the water is beading and running off properly. If it's not, then you should consider re-sealing the deck. It's not uncommon to hear suggestions of an annual application of water sealant. I don't think it's necessary unless it's a particularly expensive deck, or your region has a climate that's harsher on the deck.

For the late fall, it's a bit late in the season and you may not get the right conditions. I'd still do a complete visual inspection. You can do spot treatments to hold you over until spring. Clean any mold spots. Clean any areas of rot, allow to dry, and then spot treat with sealant. If water is pooling on any boards, consider spot treating there.

(Also, pressure-washing and resurfacing are a lot of work, and there is a lot of room for error. Make sure you're careful to do it right.)


How to convert eaton type BRD to type BR and is this a good idea? There seems to be a shortage of breakers around me. No one has the Eaton type BR breaker in a 20 tandem. Electrical supply house handed me a BRD type and I had heard about removing the metal plate in back but unsure how to do it and whether it's a good idea. Can't find any info on youtube...will a flat screwdriver take care of its removal?

First, make sure you are searching broadly. Many homeowners get stuck in the "big box store" rut and search only Lowes, Home Depot and Menards... failing to realize that family-owned lumber supplies, electrical supply houses, and hardware stores all sell breakers.
Look at your bus stab for notches. Or, Plug-on Neutral.
You cannot put tandem breakers anywhere except where it's allowed by the panel labeling.  Fitting them where they aren't allowed generally means putting more breakers in the panel than it was designed, tested or approved for.
It is common for Eaton's label to not specify which spaces are allowed (some diagrams don't even correspond to the panel)... in those cases, they instruct you to look at the bus stab: a solid/square bus stab does not allow tandems/quadplexes, however, a notched bus stab does.
The reason is CTL, or Circuit Total Limiting.  This was a NEC and UL requirement from 1966 to, I want to say, 2014 or 2017.  CTL panels have notches in their bus stabs where tandems/quadplexes are allowed.  CTL panels also have labeling indicating that you must use "CTL" breakers such as BD, BQ, or BQC.
Of course there were some pre-1966 BR panels still out in the field, which were entitled to use double-stuff breakers, but did not have stab notches.  To support these panels only, Eaton continues to make the "BRD" breakers - however it is a Code violation to fit a BRD breaker in a CTL panel, because that would let you defeat the CTL limitations.
NEC recently dropped CTL as a requirement.  That does NOT give you a free ride on any existing CTL panels; they have not been tested by UL for, and have not been approved for, double-stuffs in any space. Keep in mind that panel makers did not immediately change their designs and immediately get UL approval: so CTL still applies to older designs bought today.
However, if you buy a new design panel which has been UL-certified to be non-CTL, then you can (as always) use any breaker listed in the panel's labeling.  ThreePhaseEel, who knows 10 times more about panels than I pretend to know, says that all Eaton "Plug-on Neutral" designs are post-CTL and are approved for double-stuffs in any space, including BRD type.
All that to say... if you have a CTL panel and the breaker space is allowed to use a BD breaker...  I don't see a problem with temporarily using a BRD breaker.  You'll need to correct it before next inspection (typically at house sale time).  And make sure no maintainer moves it into a non-tandem space.  It's a violation but a statutory one.


Irrigation sprinkler only comes on for a moment? I recently had a tree removed, and in the process of grinding the surface roots they broke one of the irrigation lines. I dug out around it and fixed the pipe with a slip fix, but now I'm having an issue with one of my sprinklers.

When I turn the system on, this single sprinkler comes up normally for a second or two, then as soon as the other sprinklers pop up it drops back down and just bubbles a little bit. Here are the facts:

When I turned the system on before I fixed the break, all of the water poured out of the pipe and no sprinklers came on in the yard
When I removed the sprinkler head (thinking something might have been wrong with it), the water just bubbled coming out of that location. Almost like air in the line, but it never seemed to clear up or even change at all
Standing on one of the other sprinkler heads (putting more pressure back into the system) has no effect on this head
The whole system was working completely fine before the break and the fix

Any ideas what could be causing this head not to work correctly?

You most likely got dirt or other debris in the line going to the faulty sprinkler head during the repair job. I would suggest removing the faulty head and then turn on that sprinker circuit to flush the line out. If there are other heads down stream from this head you should also remove those one by one and flush them as well. Finally take a good look at the "faulty" head and make sure that dirt did not get inside and cause it to malfunction. Most pop-up heads can be disassembled to permit inspection and removal of dirt and grit.


How should I fill a hole in an exterior wall? I noticed a good sized hole in an exterior wall that allows wires and things to go from my AC unit into my basement.

The problem is that the hole is a good deal larger than it needs to be and there is nothing sealing the hole, so I can see sunlight clearly through the hole.

What should I use to fill this hole in my wall preserving the important stuff going through the hole?

Click for full size

I would use Duct Seal

I'm surprised whoever installed the AC unit didn't use it, it's used all the time by Electricians and HVAC technicians.

It does not harden; so unlike foam, it can be easily removed and replaced if you have to add/remove wiring/plumbing.


A/C cold air kicks in 30 minutes or more after the blower comes on. Any ideas? The last two days the A/C unit has been operating differently. The blower comes on after getting the signal from the thermostat but no cold air. After 30 to 45 minutes cold air comes out and cools the house.
A/C unit was operating fine last week. Filters replaced a couple of weeks ago.

If the problem is on start up it is most likely under charged ( usually due to a leak) when the system first starts up the system is cold, the gas is compressed this creates heat that is removed in the condenser coil,
 if there is not much gas it takes some time in this case once the compressor starts it is probably running close to 100% of the time As it is not cooling enough to shutdown.
A recharge can fix this with most systems
It may also Be a sticking thermal expansion valve can be the problem but I have not seen this very often and when that is the cause the unit will cycle funny.

Note if your system is R22 the cost is high $100/ lb and more so they may try and talk you into a new system.


How to make stair with grasses I found this picture online and wonder what material being used as the retaining wall for the grasses?

It looks like a long piece of metal horizontally. But it could also be pressure treated lumber.

How to even prevent this from moving or falling over after many years? Is this a good idea for maintenance purpose?

I am sure it looks beautiful.

I believe its turf and not real grass. You have also asked how to prevent this from moving or falling off. So in case it is real grass ; grasses Belo to the category "runners" (it is one category among the sub aerial modifications of stem). Runners don't have the ability to cross obstacles. So the edge of the stair is its boundary and it will not fall off. However if it grows long it will require mowing or cutting with a scissor.


Can I test an unwired light fixture with multimeter? I’m looking at a light fixture on Craigslist, but I’d like to see if it works first.

I have a multimeter that I needed for another project. Can I use the multimeter to test the light fixture before buying it? How would I use the multimeter to test the light fixture?

You don't need a bulb at all to test the fixture.  There should be one main "neutral", and one main "hot" wire coming out of the fixture. If there's more than one of each, you can tie each set all together, or test each one individually.  The following procedure assumes a single "hot", and single "neutral".

First, set the multimeter to test continuity , or the lowest resistance setting.

Test the "neutral" wire

Put one probe on the "neutral" wire.
Touch the other probe to the threads inside each socket.

Next, test the "hot" wire.

Put one probe to the "hot" wire.
Touch the other probe to the contact at the bottom of each socket.

The threaded portion of each socket should show continuity (or low resistance), with the "neutral" wire. While the contact at the bottom of the socket, should show continuity (or low resistance) with the "hot" wire.

If one or more of the sockets doesn't test out, you may be able to repair the fixture. It's up to you if you're willing to put in the work.

If you know what size socket it is, you might want to fit a bulb in the sockets to make sure they're not physically damaged (deformed, etc.).

As @MichaelKaras points out, you'll also want to check to make sure there's not continuity between "hot" and "neutral", or either of those and the body of the fixture.

With the multimeter set to test continuity (or low resistance). Place one probe on the "hot" wire, and the other on the "neutral" wire.
With one probe still on the "hot" wire, touch the other probe to various metal parts on the fixture.
Place one probe on the "neutral", then touch the other probe to various metal parts on the fixture.

If any of these tests show continuity, then the internal wiring is likely damaged.


how can i attach a t-post to my well casing to allow an outlet to be mounted? There is no ability to drive the post into the ground as there are close gas, water and power lines.  Hose clamps don't seem to be strong enough, nor wire ties.
I could consider a 'doghouse' right on top of the well casing but that invites animal and gas buildup issues.

This is easy with strut channel such as Unistrut brand.

You can attach the strut to the casing with strut pipe clamps.  You can get these in just about whatever size you'd need.

These clamp the strut perpendicular to the pipe.

With two pieces of strut clamped perpendicular to the casing, spaced the same distance of the mounting holes on the box, you have a very solid structure to attach to.  You can then use fender washers inside the channel with nuts and bolts to secure the box to the strut.
That will be about bomb proof.  It might seem like overkill, but I agree that even heavy duty hose clamp style clamps don't really do it, and this is quick and easy.
Alternately you may be able to use U-bolts to strap the strut to the pipe, depending on the size of the pipe, but I prefer strut pipe clamps.  I think you get a secure attachment without stressing the wall of the pipe as much as the U-bolt does.


What is the purpose of the tube connecting to the overflow pipe in my toilet tank? My dual flush toilet was leaking; this is what the connections looked like before I "fixed" it:

Notice the ivory-yellow  hose is connected to the blue-plastic fitting on the overflow tube.

In response to my asking my brother how to stop the leak, he told me to remove the hose from the blue-plastic fitting, and let its flow go into the tank. To my amazement this worked; it stopped leaking. But I wonder what the hose is supposed to do there, and what was the effect of our disconnecting it from its original fitting? And, by the way, I have found that if we just plug or pinch the hose, don't let water run out of the hose, everything works well. So what is the role of this hose?

Based on my experience with USA model single flush toilets, if you would take a pitcher of water and pour it down that vertical tube (called the overflow tube), you would see water going down into the bowl of the toilet, bypassing the flapper valve.

When the toilet refills after being flushed and the flapper valve is closed, most of the water goes into the tank (cistern) but some goes through that plastic hose into the overflow tube and into the bowl. I assume this is to insure that the bowl has enough water to seal the S-drain in the toilet. When the valve shuts off the water flow, this stream of water should stop. If the flow of water out the tube does not stop, then there is a fault in the valve.

If water is continually coming out of this hose, then pulling the hose out of the overflow tube would simply redirect the leak into the tank which would over fill and finally go out the overflow tube. However, if the toilet was used frequently, then the toilet might get flushed before water went out the overflow and in a sense the leak would be stopped.

The one way I can think of that pulling this hose out of the overflow tube could "stop" the leak would be if the extra water in the toilet would cause more compression of the seal in the valve and so actually shut off the water, but this seems improbable.

If I had this situation, I would consider changing the main seal in the valve, but this operation could go wrong and damage the valve.

EDIT
If you leave the hose out of the overflow tube, you should notice that the bowl has a lower water level in it. If you would decide to just use it that way, you could keep a pitcher of water on hand and as the toilet is refilling (or after),  gently add just enough water to the bowl to bring it over the lip to seal out sewer smells. If you add the water too rapidly, then you would start the siphon action which would pull too much water out of the bowl.

If you would plug or pinch the little hose in question, then it will become pressurized something which it is not designed for. Also parts of the flow valve could be improperly pressurized. This might eventually rupture the hose or the valve assembly.


Problem with getting handrail flange bracket tight to post I am mounting a handrail to some steps and the bottom concrete area below the steps. I am having an issue with getting the set screws to tighten to the metal post that goes into the flange bracket. I have included a picture of the flange bracket. It will tighten but with very little back and forth movement it becomes loose again. Two set screws to flange.Only on side seen.  Any suggestions?

Here is what the bracket itself looks like including the two corner set screws:

I am inclined to agree with Jack in the initial comments here that the bracket shown is what not going to ever be able to constrain the post to no movement. At best the depth of engagement of the post into the bracket is about two inches and the total length of the post is probably about 36 to 40 inches. Think of the size of lever arm at play here. It is very easy to see how even moderate pressure on the post could deform the bottom portion. This would be even more true if the post itself is relatively thin material.

Even if the post were literally welded to the bracket any racking of the post would likely experience problems with the relatively small studs that you have embedded into the concrete.

You will have to find a way to secure the upper end of the post in such manner as to constrain it from movement. This will undoubtedly be taken care of in a direction that is inline with railing assembly once things are fully assembled. Racking of the post in a direction that is at right angles to the railing will require additional measures. Some possible options:

If the upper portion of the railing is adjacent to the building structure use another type of bracket to bolt the upper portion of the post to the building.
If there is additional span of the base concrete about 12 to 18 inches from the post on the side away from where you walk you could attach another bracket to the concrete and secure a bar or rail from there at an angle up about half  the way up the post. This will create a strong triangular structure to prevent the racking. It even looks as if Lowes sells a  bracket made for just this purpose:


Does beam orientation matter for structural engineering calculation values from wood supplier tables? One can get values for load bearing of simple wood constructions and thus the right beam profile dimensions to choose from tables from wood supplies (e.g. http://www.merkleholz.de/en/Static-table-KVH-8082-192.html). Does it matter for such simple constructions in which sense to orientate the beam, i.e. does a 60mm x 100mm beam on two 100mm x 100mm posts support the same in this

and in this

orientation?

I read the wikipedia articles on beams and beam theorie and I guess it's in the equations, but I don't seem to figure it out.

There are 3 factors to consider in the design of a beam:

Section modulus, which is a factor of the "area" FROM  the neutral axis (usually the centre of the beam).  That is why a beam set in the vertical direction can support more than a beam set in the horizontal direction...because more of the area is further from the neutral axis.
The extreme fibre in bending, which is the strength of the material of the beam (pine, fir, steel, etc.) from the neutral axis.
Vertical shear, which is the area of the beam at the bearing point. This is important because if the area is too small, the beam will "crush" (compress) due to the load.

So, one of the above factors will "govern" in the design of each beam. When manufacturers of beams put "allowable" sizes of their beams in a table, they've calculated these factors into their tables. By the way, usually, 2. (Extreme Fiber in Bending) governs extra long spans and 3. (Vertical Shear) governs for short spans with extra heavy loads and 1. (Section Modulus) governs for normal residential construction with moderate spans and moderate loads.


ABS Glue = yellow or black? I'm doing a bunch of ABS plumbing for the first time. I have everything cut and ready to assemble so do one last YouTube search for a few tutorials on glueing.

Seems really simple.

HOWEVER, all the tutorials are using this yellow cement. The one I have is black. It's labeled "Medium Black ABS Cement". Is this the right stuff and just a different color? Or do I need to make the road trip back to Home Depot to find the yellow stuff?

It's ABS cement, you should be fine.

IIRC, the "yellow stuff" is the typical multi-plastic version that's somewhat more commonly found (IMPE) and can join ABS, PVC, CPVC, or any mixture of them - around this area, ABS is rarely seen other than already installed in old installations, so the yellow stuff is more useful to folks who need to repair or adapt it with PVC parts.


Seal a 1in drilled hole in concrete block I need to drill a 1 inch hole in a basement foundation block wall to pass a 1/2 emt conduit through.   How do I seal the gap afterwards to pass inspection,  prevent mice, insects, rain and drafts.

Keep in mind it's winter in Minnesota, so any compound needs to be able to be applied in cold conditions.

Do I simply use duct sealer or something more solid.

I'd use duct seal. I don't think mice like chewing it much, and at four feet up it's fairly safe anyway. Keep it in your pocket until you're ready to apply it.

You could also use pure silicone or urethane caulk if the masonry is dry. Both are solvent-based and should still work fine in the cold.