Should I glue or nail hardwood flooring in several widths up to 6 inches? I'm preparing to install 3/4 inch solid white oak in a bedroom using 3-1/4, 4 and 6 inch width boards. I'll be using a alternating pattern of 3-1/4, 4, 6, 3-1/4, 4 and 6.

I'm told if a board is over 5 inches wide, gluing the boards is the best method. However, because only one of the boards is 6 inches, I'm wondering if gluing is necessary.

My inclination is staple the flooring to felt, leavings a 1/4 inch gap between the sheets where I would apply a flooring adhesive.

What would you do?

FYI: I live in CT, where we get all four seasons of humid summers and dry winters. This will be installed in a child's 16 x 12 bedroom above a garage.

Thanks

I like installing solid wood on sleepers, but it requires an extra 3/4” depth for the floor installation.

I’d also acclimate the wood to the room for a couple weeks prior to installation. To me, acclimation means separating the boards and spreading them out on the floor...do not leave them bundled.

Then, I like nailing the boards to the sleepers through the tongue side at about 12” - 16” oc. Stagger the sleepers under the boards and leave about 1/2” air gap at the edges. (I’ve installed boards like this in gymnasiums, but we use thicker boards, thicker sleepers and we leave a 2” gap at the edges. )

One trick to make sure the tongue and groove is milled properly is to hold one board vertically and jam another into the t&g edge. It should fit snug. If it holds and doesn’t slip out, then it’s fine. If not, the boards will wiggle and creak when walked on. Try lots of boards using both edges.

Oh, we stain prior to installation, but seal after.

Oh, for best results, install in the dry season...for obvious reasons.


Testing older anti-scald valve for correct function? Would it be acceptable to do the following:

1)  Turn on water at shower valve. Set temp at > 100F.
2)  Turn off (or drastically lower) cold water upstream.
3)  Measure Temp of water < 120F.

I don't see why not. Better safe than sorry. Can you get new parts if it's broken though or even a cartridge insert, might be the real question.


How can I test a household LED light bulb? Something is wrong with my GU10 base LED light bulb or with the light fixture but I don't know what's at fault. The fixture/bulb doesn't work and has never worked (new install). The fixture was professionally installed. Now I've removed the light fixture from the mains and am trouble-shooting.

Trouble-shooting is challenging because I have only one fixture and one bulb with a GU10 connection.

With incandescent bulbs I could easily check to see if a bulb was damaged. A visual check of the filament was an easy initial check to see if the filament was burnt out and a test for (lack of) resistance with a multimeter would confirm whether the bulb had a complete circuit.

My multimeter doesn't report a complete circuit, even for a known good bulb of a different type ('regular' screw base) and I have only one fixture that accepts GU10 light bulbs.

I've checked the terminals on the base of light fixture and a complete circuit exists between the incoming (and outgoing) wires and the base in which the light sits.

My gut says that it's the light but I am not sure.

How can I easily confirm that the LED light bulb works the way I used to be able to with incandescent bulbs?

FYI this is a similar bulb as sold by Amazon.

Use the meter and carefully probe in volts mode these two points in the socket. You should read the same voltage as AC mains. Make sure you understand the dangers of probing mains voltage.

Also make sure that you are twisting the bulb in the right direction.


How can I clean oil stains from vitreous floor tiles? My vitreous floor tile gets dirty very quickly.  It retains the stains of oil, or any other  wet  material. I have even seen water leaving temporary wet stains while cleaning them.

Is this normal for these variety of tiles or is ours of low quality? Please mention the better way to get rid of oil stains in these tiles.

It sounds like you have unsealed or unglazed tile. Although this is not a bad thing, they do tend to stain easily and will absorb water temporarily, change color then return to original color when dry.

I don't know what you have already tried to remove the oil stains. Once oil stains sink into unsealed tile, they can be very difficult to remove.  Test a small area in an inconspicuous   area with some TSP, bleach and water mixture. You may also try some grout cleaner from the building supply store. If the stains are not deep, maybe some Dawn detergent may be enough.

The longer term solution to your problem is to seal the tile. There are several products at the flooring department of building supply stores. These products are similar to grout sealers but better adapted to whole floor sealing. Expect to pay $50 to $75 to seal the average 12X12 foot floor. Follow the directions carefully and use two coats if recommended by the manufacturer. After sealing, ongoing floor cleaning instructions are included on the bottle of sealer. Avoid harsh or abrasive cleaners, often just plain water will do a good job on a sealed tile floor. Depending on the amount of traffic, you may have to reseal every year or two.


Does a ground need to be install in a 2' x 4' outside junction box? i have a bunch of outdoors 2' x 4' open bottom concrete junction boxes. the question is, does each box need to have a ground rod installed and bonded to the ground wire? if so can someone please point me in the right direction in the NEC code book?

If these are just junction boxes you don't need a ground rod. Why do you think you need a rod? If a transformer vault or the base of a power pedestal that would be a different answer. Grounding electrodes are covered starting in 250.50.


How to prevent trash bins from falling by placing apart or side-by-side, on a windy day? How can you secure trash-bins at the end of a sloped driveway, on a windy day?  Is side-by-side placement recommended to stabilize bins or should they remain apart as generally advised by sanitation company?  Thanks!

In my area the problem with the sloped driveway is solved by simply placing the bins along the curbing to the side of the driveway. The roadway surface is typically sloped down a small amount toward the curb and this helps to keep the wheels of the bin squarely against the curb. This in my experience offers more support for the bin in high wind conditions by trying to place them directly adjacent with each other.

The negative factor with placing bins directly together is that the trash company driver will often bypass pickup at your location if you do this. And you can expect to get the bright orange warning sheet taped to your bin if you persist in doing this.


Best Way to Winterize a Chainsaw? I've seen conflicting advice on how to winterize a chainsaw.  One group says to run it dry, until there's no fuel left.  The other group says to add StaBil to the fuel and run the engine to coat the insides.

The two main concerns seem to be preventing the carburetor flaps (or whatever they are) from drying out and to keep any remaining fuel from getting sticky and coating the inside of the engine.

So I'm not sure what to do!  What are your thoughts?

This is one of those questions that elicits much gnashing of teeth, along with oil change interval and 87 octane vs. "premium". It comes down to opinion and the various factors:

Length of storage (weeks, months, longer)
Engine type (two-stroke vs. four, cylinder wall linings, carb type, etc.)
Climate (humidity, temperature)
Oil and fuel types

Running a two-stroke engine dry means depriving it of lubrication, if only for a few seconds. I'm not sure how effective residual lubrication is, and that probably depends on the oil type.

So, I personally like a hybrid program of sorts. I stabilize my fuel, and I run my machines every month or 6 weeks to normal operating temperature. This way they stay lubricated, the carburetor circuits don't dry out, and I don't run them without lubricant.


2 gang smart wall switch installation wiring Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Trying to replace switch with smart switch.  Now I have 2 gang switch and two lamps in a room.  I bought 2 gang (1 way) smart switch, but struggling to understand how to wire the new switch. Please see pictures below.
So I see I have earth which is connected to the box, Neutral blue are all connected together, and many brown wires which I don't understand what to do.
 Could anyone help please.  This is in UK.

Mark the wires

See the brown wires making the bounce from L1 to the other L1 and onward?  Mark all these wires "brown" with brown electrical tape, and note that there are 2 of them (and a jumper, that you won't need).   These will be "L".

See the brown wire going to one of the L2s?  Mark that with gray electrical tape.  That will be future L1.

See the brown wire going to the other L2?  Mark that with red electrical tape.  That will be the future L2.

For N, you need to add an additional wire to the bundle of blue.

For PE, ditto ditto bare/green-yellow.  Oh, wait, there is no PE, WTH??

Make sure this isn't cheap, unsafe, illegal junk

See where it says "CE"?  See where it says "Made in China"?  These things contradict each other.  The tiebreaker is:

If you bought this retail, at a competent shop such as Wickes, inside the EU, then you are in the clear.  Their retail-gear procurement procedure assures that the CE is backed by an actual, bricks-and-mortar manufacturer inside the EU, who has actually done the testing and certification which the CE represents.
If you bought this thing at a dodgy shop, flea market, CraigsList, DealExtreme, Banggood, AliExpress, eBay, Amazon Marketplace or any other sort of mail order place (other than wickes.com obviously), then this thing is dangerous junk. Back it goes! This is due to a loophole for mail-order goods, where items are shipped either direct from China or via a dropshipper like Amazon Fulfillment Centers (where Prime comes from).  In those cases, you are the importer and you are on the hook for CE compliance.

"oooh, I'm so afraid of the CE inspector. Where's this cat gonna come from?" Right on the heels of the fire investigator, and hand in arm with your insurer and mortgage lender.

By the way, you read right. Amazon is pure junk.  The problem is Amazon blends their listings, showing both Amazon's own stuff and all the third party flea-market sellers on the same listings.  It's very difficult to tell the difference.  And the latest trick of these bastards is to charge nearly full retail as if it were a legit product.  Hunt down the device on alibaba.com, that is the wholesale junk shop that is the ultimate source for most of it; how little they pay there will blow your mind.  I found a $55 pop-up receptacle whose Alibaba cost was $6.


New Dust Collector Trips GFI circuits My new Oneida bench top dust collector works fine on non protected circuits, but it trips all the GFI as soon as I plug it in (with the fans off).   I asked Oneida but they have not heard of this yet.  The product has only been out a few months.
I figure there are capacitors in the DC, as it has 6 fans that vary in speeds from stop to high.  I am thinking it is the capacitors that cause the imbalance, since it happens on all protected circuits immediately upon plugging in, with the unit off.
My solution is to remove the GFI on one branch and use the unit on that branch.  I am looking to confirm my theory and ask is it safe to remove the GFI from one branch?

TLDR: Plug it into a different GFCI.  If it doesn't trip, the GFCI is bad.  If it still trips, the appliance is bad. It happens.
--
That's not how GFCIs work.
GFCI detectors are not connected to the ground wire at all.   (Mind you GFCI receptacles are connected to ground, but only for the sockets. A GFCI breaker doesn't even have access to ground.)
Further, UL requires that devices be built intending to have no electrical interaction with the ground wire at all. So the saw should not be interacting with ground. If the saw isn't, then there are only 2 possible current paths:  From hot via the machine's internals to neutral.... and from neutral via the machine's internals to hot.  And AC power switches between them 120 times a second.
Machines cannot store electrons.  (it would take something like the Large Hadron Collider, but even that couldn't store enough electrons to trip a GFCI.)
All electrons that come in must come out effectively instantaneously.   Therefore, current flows should be equal on hot and neutral on a single-phase circuit.
Since current flows should be equal, the GFCI should not trip.   It only trips when currents are imbalanced, meaning electricity is leaking via a third ??? path.   The GFCI doesn't care whether the ??? path is to ground, via a human or pet, etc.
In a motor device, especially one where the motor's current is interrupted, this third path can be between the motor windings and the (grounded) motor chassis, due to a defect in the motor windings.  A mega-ohm-meter can be used to test for this, after disassembling the machine to avoid putting its test voltage on parts which can't handle it.  This isn't your problem on a machine within warranty.
Very often the third (fault) path is via the ground wire.  Strictly as a diagnostic, you can try interrupting the ground path, by using a 3/2 prong "cheater" and insulate the little tang so it doesn't contact the receptacle cover plate.  If the device stops tripping GFCIs at that point, that confirms an internal ground fault.  Don't continue in service a broken appliance with a ground fault.  One day you'll use it on a receptacle that is not GFCI, and the appliance will just kill you instead.
Appliance makers who are putting out appliances to be used in garages and sheds, really need to learn to make them not trip GFCIs.  Code has required GFCI in those locations for quite some time.  Don't let them "try to make this your fault", it's theirs.
But as a last sanity check, plug it into a different circuit protected by a different GFCI.  If it does, then yeah, it's the appliance.  If it doesn't, I'd examine the original GFCI.


When adding new light to existing lights, only 1 or the other works So I asked a similar question several weeks ago & tried a couple of the ideas put forth, but I could not get all the lights to work properly.  Here's the full story including some additional detail which may or may not matter.
I installed a new light fixture with the intention of not only connecting it to existing lights, but also combining 3 lights spread over 2 light switches into 1 single light switch.
When I removed the 2 light switches, I noticed they were not wired up with 2 separate lines, instead with a single 4-wire line.  So I removed the red wire from both ends & connected the remaining wires, & the lights now light up all at once when turning on the switch.
So then I 1st tried simply connecting the new light to the same light switch as the old lights - in other words 2 black wires on 1 screw, & 2 white wires on the other screw.  But the result was that only the old lights worked when turning the switch on, & when turning the switch off the old lights turned off but the new light turned on.
I then asked a question here:
Added new light to circuit but it turns on when switch is off
1 of the answers suggested following this diagram:

When I did that, the switch turned on only the new light - the other lights remained off.
When I removed the new light & reconnected the old lights, the old lights worked fine again.
I tried a few similar variations but no luck - exact same result.  Tried different light switches too, but same results.
I also tried with a double pole switch - but the new light doesn't work at all - only the old lights worked.
Why does this happen?  What can I do to get it to work?  A couple of pictures showing what I had tried.  The wire going to the top right is connected to the new light.  The thick black wire leads to the old lights.

There's a serious defect in this installation.
All the places where cables come through a knockout hole, you can't do it like that.  You need to fit a cable clamp.

For the cables entering on the right, there's a special bracket that comes with this style of box that provides a dual cable clamp. I gather you removed that for this initial hookup; make sure it gets back on.
Where's power coming from???
My initial impression, based on your symptom, is that you tried to use that diagram of yours, except you attached it to a switch loop instead of to a power source.  A switch loop may seem like a power source when the switch is off; if you decided it was a power source because of testing, test again with the switch on.
The only saving grace I see is it appears the older black cable is a /3 cable.  It might be black for always-hot, white for neutral, and red for switched-hot; that is a modern type of switch loop that you would be able to use effectively.  However you seem very unclear on the function of the various wires.  We'll need to do more work to identify them.
Honestly, I am getting the impression that this setup is a former 3-way switch group.  This might be saveable; but there's another question: which switch did you just eliminate?  Some switches are required by law.  Every room must have a switch in the usual location (you know where to grasp when you enter a darkened room for the very first time, right? That's not by accident). Further, stairways MUST have a switch at top AND bottom.  You can't eliminate those mandatory switches.


What decibel range would be considered a "quiet" range hood? I would like to buy a quiet range hood. Can someone please tell me how many decibels I should look for?

From Lowes.com:

"Range Hood Sound Levels

The sound that a range hood makes is measured in sone. One sone is roughly equal to the sound of a refrigerator running. Normal conversations take place at about 4 sones, and light traffic rates up to around 8. Use sones to compare units, but be aware that the higher the CFM, the higher the sone rating is likely to be. Look for normal sone ratings to find the quietest hood at normal operation levels."

Not all online sources publish sone specifications, but you'll often find that number on the actual packaging.


Need to know if this is mold? I’m being told this is not mold that it is just dirt.
There was a leak as well as a smell to this.
Would like to know if this is mold?

There is no way for us to tell for sure. It looks like mold to me and that's a strange place for dirt to just accumulate. So lets play it safe. Get a spray bottle of white distilled vinegar and spray the area thoroughly. The vinegar is great for killing not only surface mold but also going below the surface to the roots. Let the vinegar sit for an hour and then wipe off. You might need a second application. You can then rinse with hot water and let dry. Spray again and let the vinegar dry naturally, the smell of the vinegar will dissapate in a few hours. Don't use bleach, it's only good for surface mold.


Three Circuits In One Box First question here.  Hope I get the terminology correct.

We have a three switch panel in our living room.  Position 1 is a 3-way switch that toggles lights on the underside of a covered patio.  Power is supplied by a circuit that controls the patio and a small nook off our kitchen.  The other 3-way switch is about 40 feet away in a bedroom off the kitchen.  We have never known what the switches at position 2 and 3 do, for years.

Clearing away some foliage in preparation for house painting, we discover an outdoor box with a screw in flood light receptacle.  I put a bulb in and discover that the switch on position 2 toggles the light.  I would like to put a timer on this light, so I decide to check out the switch to make sure it is a two-pole and to see whether I need a timer with a neutral.  I turn off the breaker that controls the patio lights, but the flood light stays on.  I basically have to go through the entire box to find the breaker for the floodlight.  It's the kitchen breaker, which is weird but I guess I can kind of see how they did it.

Ok, so I turn off both breakers and take off the cover.  I stick my voltage meter in and, surprise, position 3 is hot!  At this point, I turn off the house power at the panel.  I look behind the switches to see what I can see, but I decide I don't want to mess with it.  I put the cover back on.  After much experimentation, I find that position three toggles the bottom plug on a two-plug receptacle in the living room, which is fed by power on a different circuit.  The top plug has continuous power.  I have no need for a switched outlet in this room.

When I looked behind the switches, I couldn't see very well, but from what I could see, none of the switches are grounded.  The box is metal.  I don't think it is grounded.  It looks as though all 6 ground wires were capped under one nut.  I think the bundle is making contact with the box, but I could not see it screwed to the box.  Maybe it is.  It also looked as though there was a bundle of neutrals, presumably from more than one circuit.

What can I do with this mess?  I probably need a pro, but I'm curious what my options are.  In a three-gang metal box, do all three circuits need to be separately ground?  Is it ok to combine neutrals?  Is three circuits in one box even permitted?

If I decide to take out the switch for the plug in the room, can I simply splice the circuit back together and keep it in the box, or do I need to pull the romex and terminate in the box?  Or something else.  I haven't looked at the plug device to see what's going on back there.

I guess put more simply, all I care about having at the wall here is the 3-way for the patio lights and a timer for the newly-discovered flood.  What are my options?

You can have multiple circuits in one box. But you have to:

Keep all matching hots, switched hots and neutrals of any circuit together
Keep all neutrals of different circuits separate (nobody would ever think, I hope, of combining hots of different circuits - and neutrals should not be any different (except MWBC...))
Connect all grounds together

So it sounds like the existing setup is a bit strange but not necessarily a problem, in and of itself. Grounding may be an issue, and is the simplest part, so let's tackle that first:
Grounding
Grounding can be through a ground wire or through a metal connection - e.g., metal conduit. In your case, you said "all 6 ground wires were capped under one nut". That sounds like all 3 cables in and all 3 cables out. You're set for grounding.
Box Fill
A box can only hold a certain number of wires and devices. The exact number depends on the dimensions of the box, the size of the wires (12 vs. 14) and a number of other factors. It gets complicated. Assuming that the existing setup is code-compliant, it is quite possible that replacing a simple switch with a timer may cause either code (calculated values) or practical issues with box fill. If that is the case (or "just to play it safe if you're not sure") removing one of the switches would likely solve the problem - giving you more room to work. However, removing a switch leads to...
Switch Requirements
Most rooms are required to have a switched light. Or rather, they have to be designed for a switched light, though nobody can force a homeowner to put in a light (or to change a light bulb that burns out). This can be done using a switched ceiling fixture or (as was the case with my house - first thing I got "fixed" when I moved in) a switched receptacle for a plug-in lamp. That is why you have a switched receptacle.
If you have another switched light in the same room as the switched receptacle then you should be fine. If you do not have a switched light then code may actually require you to keep that switched receptacle (or, alternately, change it to a switched ceiling fixture).
If you do remove a switch, best practice is to either remove the wires or cap them with wire nuts (so they could be used again in the future, and disconnect the wires at the breaker or prior junction so that you don't have extra, unknown, live wires in the box.
Combining Circuits
You may be able to combine circuits. That can help with box fill (both code and practical) because then you can remove some of the cables. However, you need to make sure that you are not going to end up with overloaded circuits. That is generally not a problem with LED lighting, but it is still a consideration. When you have any 3-way circuits you need to make sure that you are combining only at the "incoming power" switch and not at the "other switch" as you could end up with some wacky (and possibly dangerous) situations if you mess that up.
Neutral Problem
Harper pointed out that your neutrals are currently combined between circuits. You can't do that! You will have to match up each neutral with its matching hot/switched hot. Then combine each of those pairs of neutrals together. In the end, the number of neutral groups should be the same as the number of circuit breakers that are related to circuits in this box.
Timers and Neutrals
Many timers, smart switches and other devices require neutral. Code now requires neutral in most switch boxes for that reason. Based on your description, that should not be a problem here, with the possible exception of the 3-way switch (again, if it has "incoming power" then it is fine but the other 3-way likely does not have neutral).


Should I use an iron angle or an iron plate to support brick above window? An opening has been cut in my brick wall to make room for a new window.  The wall is not structural. The house is framed with wood like most houses here in Dallas Tx. The window is only 30 inches wide.
There will be only 5 runs of brick above window. Do I use an angle or just a 3/8" plate as header to support the weight of brick above window?

A 3/8" plate may be a little too thick to fit without fattening up the brick joint. A 3 1/2"X 3 1/2"X 1/4" is a little overkill but would keep from creating a fatter joint. With all the brick I laid, for that size window that is what has ever been used. Although structurally the 3/8" plate would work too, I would still use the angle. Otherwise you may notice the joint grow in the area over the window. Also, as a side note, don't let any mason tell you he can't match the color of the existing mortar because of sand color or other BS like that. Sand does play in the color of the mortar, You can pick out whether it is orange or white or yellow with a close look, but the mortar mix itself is the main influence here for color. They are available custom color at masonry supply houses for just a few bucks more a bag. If the mason uses a "just add water" type mix, it WILL be gray... really gray. For 10 bucks in sand and 20 bucks for a bag of custom color if need be, it will cure the distraction.


What are the pros/cons of different wire connectors on a switch/outlet? OR How can push-in wire connections fail? Prompted by an answer on Concerns about replacing a worn out light switch

Also related:  When to use holes instead of side terminals to wire an outlet

To my knowledge, electrical components (switches, outlets, breakers, basically all the home-voltage kinda things) will have one of the 3 connector types:

screw wrap - the wire end is wrapped around a screw, and the screw tightened to hold the wire.
screw down - The wire end is left straight, a screw is tightened to hold the wire, either directly or via a pressure plate.
push in / friction - The wire end is left straight, and pushed between an angled plate which holds the wire via pressure in the design.

There are many, many variations on these themes (plastic housings, attempts to make a release device for friction fasteners) but they all seem to boil down to these 3.  I'd like to know the pros and cons of each of them; but in particular I'd like to know what can or will happen when they fail.

For example, the push-in are fastest to wire.

Other than having to take time to twist the wire end, the two screw options seem basically identical.  Okay, it would take significantly more force to pull a wire out of a wrapped connector than a straight one, but I expect we're into impractical pulling force on the wire either way.  The straight wire ones seem to be less common though, probably as it's more complex to manufacture.

I see a lot of dislike for the push-in connectors.  Personally, I find them a huge pain to re-wire, and it's usually simplest to just cut the wire off and start again.  But if something's wired with push-in and working, how can/will it fail?  What symptoms, particularly early signs, indicate impending failure?

Any wire connector can fail. Screws can loosen with vibration, stress, corrosion, temperature fluctuations, and so on. Push-in (or stab-in) connections can fail for the same reasons. Crimp and pin connections, friction lock, and even soldered joints can fail.

The real question is: what's the most effective wire connection given the operating conditions, parts and installation cost, lifetime expectancy, use case, and so on.

For example, where I work (we manufacture large electric signs), we use all manner of connection methods, and they vary based on these factors. One such factor is serviceability. If a connection is expected to be rugged and reliable but disconnected for safety reasons, we may use screw terminal blocks (which only accept straight wire) or friction lock (which requires use of a screwdriver to release, similar to the push-in connectors on outlets and switches).

Outlets shouldn't require frequent service nor replacement, nor should experience extreme vibration. They also won't (usually) have wide temperature swings, which leaves the stress from normal usage (connecting and disconnecting plugs) which can wiggle things loose over time.

A well-made outlet can have quite good push-in connectors; by "good" I mean they hold solidly for years and aren't likely to fail with normal use. However it can be difficult to tell during installation whether the inserted wire has made good contact or not. Also if one happens to be faulty, it may accept the wire but provide little feedback that the locking mechanism is less than optimal. Pulling on the wire after installation is one way to tell, but if you're using the push-in connectors, are you spending the extra time to do the pull test? Probably not. Screw terminals are easy to visually inspect and determine if solid contact is being made and that the wire is firmly held by the screw or plate.

So while push-in or friction lock connectors can be quick and useful in certain applications (with appropriate confirmation of operation), I recommend wrapping wire around the screw terminals for the most durable connection that's easily verifiable. Usage and vibration can still loosen the screw, and in such case the wire hook will be less likely to separate from the outlet than a straight wire. In all cases where the screw comes loose, however, arc fault can occur, causing problems.


Drilling in the wall, encountered metal too soon I was trying to mount a tv support in the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room (from the living room side, and do note that the sink and the stove are on another wall, parallel to this one).

I checked with the Bosch gms120 that there wasn't anything wrong. It was yellow-ish, meaning that there could be metal traces or metal deep down in the wall. However, since I didn't need to drill very deep, I proceeded.

After a few millimeters, the drill started sounding like it hit some metal thing, so I stopped and checked.

Double checked with the detector, and still yellow, like there is almost nothing.

What is that thing in the wall? The whole area around it (in a 15 cm radius) is yellow, with some parts in red far from where I drilled.

EDIT: Yellow and red are the colours displayed by the detector for "there may be some metal deep down" and "there is metal close, do not drill here". I live in Sweden, forgot to mention. The wallpaper is fibrous, not the wall, that seems to me concrete. On the other side of the wall there shouldn't be anything, I can't check since there is heavy furniture covering the wall in that spot.

Use a magnet to identify the outline of the metal.

It could easily be a nail plate:

The purpose of which is to protect wires and pipes, from you.


I have a 3-pronged receptacle but no ground wire connected to it. Is this ok? I removed the plates from outlets to paint walls and noticed that some of my electric boxes have ground wires connected to outlets while others do not have a green wire at all. Is this ok?

I know that neutral wire is connected to ground in the main box. I also understand the need to ground metal-encased appliances. What I don't understand is why there have to be two separate wires (white and green) that connect to a common terminal at the main box?

The grounding conductor in an electrical system provides a safe path for fault currents to travel along. It's there to prevent electrocution.
No Grounding Conductor
Let's say we have a toaster.

Inside the toaster are two conductors, a black ungrounded (hot) conductor, and a white grounded (neutral) conductor.

To heat the toaster, current flows into the heating element through the ungrounded (hot) conductor, through the heating element, out of the heating element and back to the source through the grounded (neutral) conductor.
Now let's say there is a short between the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the metal frame of the toaster.

Since the frame is metal; and conducts electricity, it is now electrified.

If you then touch the toaster; and you're sufficiently grounded, current will flow through you to the ground.  This could lead to a nasty shock, or potentially death.

With Grounding Conductor
Now let's see what happens when we have a toaster with a grounding conductor, that is properly bonded to the non current carrying metal parts of the toaster.

There's a short in the toaster again.

However, since we have a grounding conductor this time, the current flows through the toaster into the grounding conductor and back to the source.

This creates a very low resistance path back to the source, so the current in the circuit increases rapidly (I=E/R). The increased current causes the circuit's overcurrent protection to kick in, and the breaker trips.
But the neutral is grounded?
The grounded (neutral) conductor is indeed grounded at the service entrance, however, after that point the grounded (neutral) conductor is a current carrying conductor. It's used to carry current back to the source, and so potentially always has current flowing on it.  If this conductor was connected to the toaster's non current carrying metal parts, it would allow current to flow on the metal parts of the toaster.
If there was a break in the neutral conductor further down the circuit. Current could flow through the ungrounded (hot) conductor into the toaster, through the heating element, out of the heating element and down the grounded (neutral) conductor, through the toaster's metal parts, through you, and into the ground. Which could lead to a shock, injury, and/or death.

tl;dr
The grounding conductor provides shock hazard protection, and should always be properly connected.  If there is no grounding conductor available, a ground-fault circuit interrupting (GFCI) device may be able to be used to provide this protection (see NEC 406.4(D)(2)(b)). This conductor should only carry current during a fault situation.
The grounded (neutral) conductor is a current carrying conductor, used to carry current back to the source.  This conductor carries current during normal operation.


Failed at adding light kits to fans I bought a house that has a lot of ceiling fans but none with lights. They're on dimmer switches as well. I decided to add light kits to two of the fans, a Hunter fan and a Hampton Bay fan (sorry don't know model numbers). I easily found and attached the white/white and blue/black on both fans, having to strip the wires inside the fans and using wire connector caps to attach the light kit wires. I was not able to get the lights to turn on after either install, and one of the fans now hums but doesn't spin. I checked the reverse switch to make sure it wasn't in a neutral position. Is it possible the motor broke during install? Is it a capacitor issue? Should I try to salvage the non working fan or replace the whole unit. Is there a secret step I missed when installing the light kits? I know almost nothing about this kind of thing except for what I just learned in this forum and from some YouTube videos. Appreciate the help!

Solved. The "light" wire in the base of each fan was not connected to anything. Brought in an electrician who hooked them up, connected the light kits and voila, let there be light. Nothing I read on this forum or others mentioned the possibility that when the fans were installed without lights the electrician could have just left the light wire disconnected. Great to know for the future. Appreciate everyone's suggestions! Glad to know it wasn't anything I did wrong.


How to Repair Wobbly Banister Post I have a banister post that can tilt toward the stairs. It is pretty sturdy when pushing away from the stairs. I have cut the carpet around it to try to see how it is attached, but cannot. On the stair side, there seems to be shims that may have been crushed or something, which is why it seems to be loose now. The only solid piece of wood near the post is on the stair side, that I can see when peering between the floor and post. Any ideas on how to fix it?

Video of tilt here

Overview of post:

Shims:

Solid piece of wood:

Assuming that the framing around the post socket is solid, this is what I'd do for a rock-solid result:

Procure some items:

Heavy-duty construction adhesive--the kind that comes in a caulking gun tube. Liquid Nails in blue/gold is what I have in mind.
Wood shims. 6" are ok. 8" are better.
A bubble level in the 2-4' range
Utility knife with a fresh blade
Masking tape and plastic or paper
Vacuum cleaner

Protect the carpeting and post with masking tape, plastic, or whatever. Once solvent-based adhesive goes on, it doesn't come off without effort.
Clean all loose material out of the gap. Use tools to eliminate old shims, dust, etc. Use a vacuum to clean it out well.
Squeeze that gap as full as you can with construction adhesive. Obviously you don't want it dripping out the bottom onto something important, so check that.
Start gently tapping shims into the gap in reversed pairs, seeking to coat them with adhesive. Pre-apply adhesive if you like. The idea here is to create support not just at the top of the gap, but 4 inches or more down the post. If the shims are too thick, cut the lower one in half and use the thin part.
Check plumb with the level. Adjust shims as needed, and continue to tap them in. Be sure that shims or glue or (ideally) both are snugging up down in the gap.
Once you have most of the gap filled with shims, do a final check for plumb, then slice the shims off flush with the hard floor. Scrape off any adhesive that remains outside the gap.
Protect the post from force for 48 hours.

The combination of adhesive and wood shims will leave a solid, well-bonded base for your post. The adhesive will continue to harden over the following weeks.


How should I connect a steel I beam to the sill plate above it? I have a late 70s house, and I want to install a wall next to the middle I beam in the basement ceiling. If I put a 2x flush to the sill plate, it will be fire blocked as well. The problem is that bent over nails were used to secure the I beam laterally, so I can notch for each or them and use fire block spray foam or I can attach it a better way. What is the modern way to attach it? Drill and lag screws?

Drew is correct. You can remove the bent nails to have your new wall ensure it won't go anywhere. However, you can drill a few small holes, like every 4', out by the outer edge of the flange to pop in some screws or nails...nothing major is needed at all. You just don't want to do anything to the inner "I" that may compromise the engineering. That's actually pretty much impossible to do anyway in a residential situation, unless you wanted to cut or drill big holes in the I-beam.


Old Fuse Box Used As A Subpanel Home built in the 50's has a fuse box that's currently being used as a subpanel in the garage. The garage is attached to the house by the means of a 8 foot wide enclosed breezeway/mudroom.
My problem is I would like to add some grounded outlets and the fuse box has no place for ground wires. If I understand correctly I don't want to attach ground wires to same place as the neutrals. correct?
There are only 3 wires coming into the fuse box -2 hots and 1 neutral. the come in above the ceiling in the breezeway into the garage from the main panel in basement.

can i leave the grounds unattached in fusebox or can i not do this?

My longer term plan is to install a load center with breakers but that leads to my next question.

Can I just pull a ground wire from subpanel to main or do i need to replace all the wires from the main to the subpanel?
Any help is appreciated. thank you!!

The NEC now allows a single ground wire to be pulled, since you would be putting in this single ground your neutrals would need to be isolated from ground. A simple isolated buss would do the trick for the neutrals and use the grounded buss for the grounds.


Large loft area cooling I believe the dimensions of the room are about  36' x 12'.  It is the upstairs room, and has a loft looking out to the front room.  In the summer it is almost impossible to cool down, the air vents are in the floor.  Does anyone have any recommendations on cooling this room off?  I do own the condo, and there is a small window at one end of the room.  We have two ceiling fans in the room, but they don't seem to do much to help.

You need to raise the returns to near the ceiling and possibly add more supplies and returns. A picture of the return and supply registers would help determine just how hard it will be to raise the  returns. Also, can this room be isolated from the lower level or is just an open stairway. In some of the condos near where I live it is not possible to maintain a comfortable temperature in these upper rooms without a 2nd dedicated unit due to the homes construction.


What should I consider when removing part of the second floor to make higher ceilings? I live in an old (120 - 150 yr old) house with very low ceilings. I am considering ways to make the house feel more open and one option is to remove part of the ceiling and floor joists of the second floor above the living room to give it a tall vaulted ceiling and turning the remainder of the second floor into a loft. Given the age of the house I believe it is balloon constructed. This is something early in the planning stages and am looking for advice on if this is doable and what are some concerns or problems this could create.

You need to hire an engineer for this one. They will tell you how it can be done, which may require adding additional beams, and other reinforcements to keep the remaining joist structure intact and to prevent the exposed walls from bowing out.


IC Rated, pivoting recessed (pocket) light for shower Looking for an IC Rated, pivoting recessed (pocket) light for shower.

Does anyone know if such a thing exists?  I've been scouring Amazon for a few days now and haven't come across any promising hits.

We're remodeling our master bathroom and unfortunately the ceiling above the shower is vaulted which doesn't lend itself very well to effective recessed lighting of the shower itself.

Thanks for your help

I don't think you will find much of a selection. The 2014 NEC section 410.10.D states the fixture would need to be 8' above the shower threshold. on top of this if you had the height the fixture must be listed for a wet location. With this tight of a restriction most MFG's wont make a specialty fixture because of limited sales.


When do tankless water heaters need to be descaled? I had a Bosch tankless natural gas water heater that stopped working with C7 and EA error codes and the plumber indicated that the unit had failed due to water getting into the internals like the fan an circuit board.  The plumber said this was due to the tankless never having been descaled and that the unit should be descaled annually.

Under what situations should a tankless water heater be descaled? Does it depend upon how hard your water is?  Can you add some kind of filter before the intake to reduce the need for descaling?  If descaling should be done periodically, how can I determine the right frequency for my situation?

The manual will say something like

  Flushing the heat exchanger with a descaling solution if mineral build up is evident. Scale build up will shorten the life of the water heater, descale heat exchanger thoroughly and repeat annually depending on mineral content of ground water.

(From Bosch 2400E NG user manual)

or maybe something like

  Periodic descaling may be necessary in areas with high
  mineral content in the water. Scale buildup in the heat
  exchanger may result in lower flow rates, error codes of
  A7 and E9 and boiling sounds (knocking and banging)
  in the heat exchanger.

(From Bosch GWH 2400 ES NG User Manual)

so

  Under what situations should a tankless hot water heater be descaled?

When mineral build up is evident on annual inspection.

  Does it depend upon how hard your water is?

Yes

  If descaling should be done periodically, how can I determine the right frequency for my situation?

By inspection.


Is there any benefit to tripping a GFCI receptacle when it's not in use? I have a few outdoor GFCI receptacles. (They are on different circuits.) I probably use these receptacles for 2 hours in a given year. In other words, I rarely use these receptacles.

Keep in mind that, because of the harsh conditions of the elements, outdoor GFCI receptacles lose their GFCI abilities much sooner than their indoor counterparts.

Each GFCI receptacle has a "TEST" button that one can use (in conjunction with the "RESET" button) to ensure that the GFCI circuitry inside of the receptacle is still functional.

Should I press the "TEST" button on the outdoor GFCI receptacles, in order to effectively "turn them off", when they are not in use? Specifically, will I prolong the life of the GFCI circuitry by doing this?

If not, isn't it generally safer to "turn off" an outdoor GFCI outlet when it is not in use (which is over 99% of the time), especially considering things like humidity?

I don't mind having to press the RESET button (to restore power to the receptacle) the one or two times a year that I need to use the receptacle...

TLDR: Being energized isn't what kills outdoor GFCIs. The weather is. Put 'em indoors and protect the (plain) outdoor outlets using their LOAD feature.

The "TEST" button is not intended as an "off" switch. Edit: except this one is designed for that purpose.  Tripping the device when not in use might help the internal electronics avoid surge/spike damage. Might, depending on which side of the interrupt the electronics are on.

However, for an GFCI device kept in the mean outdoors, that is the least of your problems, as discussed elsewhere.  The small amount of heat from the GFCI may help ward off condensation.  The best way to extend the life of a GFCI is move it indoors.

Almost all GFCI devices, including "receptacles", are able to grant GFCI protection to additional devices.  You can put one of those indoors somewhere earlier in the circuit, and have it grant GFCI protection to the rest of the circuit, including the outdoor receptacle. That becomes a plain receptacle with a "GFCI protected" sticker.  Test using a 3-light tester which has a GFCI test button.


Should I remove existing drywall before framing a wall around HVAC ducts? My friend has soft AC ductwork running up an interior wall. He wants to build a wall around it to hide the ductwork.  My idea is to pack out the wall by nailing in framing between the ductwork right to the existing framing.  My question is, do I need to remove the drywall to pack out the framing, or can I just nail 2x4s to the existing framing through the drywall? I would then drywall over the new 2x4s to hide the ductwork and go from there.  I am certain it would be solid, I just want to be sure.

It doesn't really matter either way. You'll have to do the same work to finish the drywall in either case.

If it's an exterior (insulated) wall, then cutting the drywall without damaging the vapour barrier is a bit tricky. I usually try to avoid cutting exterior walls for this reason alone.

Benefits to cutting the drywall:

If it's an interior wall, you might be able to put the duct work back into the wall cavity a bit deeper (or even entirely -- I don't know the entire situation). At the least this might help to have the bulkhead protrude out into the room a bit less.
You can be 100% sure about attaching to existing framing. This isn't hard anyway, but opening makes it a bit easier.
You can add cross-members for support if necessary, such as if the edge of the new bulkhead doesn't line up with the studs.

So unless you have a compelling reason (mostly one of the above), I wouldn't bother cutting existing drywall.


Is my orbital sander fixable? I have a Bosch PSS230 orbital sander (1990's vintage I think) which has served me very well until yesterday when it made a nasty noise and some crud dropped out of the bottom. Having had a look at it it looks like the 'crud' was the remnants of some sort of cement/rubber flexible force transfer system between the spindle and the footplate (excuse me if these terms are wrong).

Just wondering if anyone here has had a similar problem, and whether there is a suitable material (silicone, acrylic...) with which I can rebuild it?

Thanks, Dan

https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/service/replacement-parts/

Bosch may have a answer.

i have had lots of lock using PERMATEX Right Stuff. Silicone based, fast drying, strong and dependable.


What tack like options are stronger then blu tack? I want to use something stronger then blu tack as a non permanent option to secure things, such as christmas lights, paintings, small mirrors etc. I mean non permanent in the sense that it does not harden overtime and remains pliable. I have read other questions that quote blu tack as good for posters, but I am looking for something stronger. I also am not really worried about residue left behind. It has to be mold-able like blu tack, so 3M command strips wouldn't work. Non-water soluble would be a benefit.

I can't find any sort of moldable "adhesive putty" that isn't in the same basic class of product as poster tack. Products like rubber cement, which are generally removable from most surfaces without damage (not much anyway), stay pliable but not moldable after they cure, and almost anything else stronger than that should be considered permanent, as it will mark or damage the surfaces being adhered.

Beyond those products, pretty much everything you give as examples of things to hang on the wall non-permanently are what Command strips were designed for. Yes, they're one-use, but a couple of Command strips can hold some surprising loads.

Why does it need to remain moldable? Are you trying to find something you can pull out year after year along with the lights, and not have to find replacement adhesive strips for? If so you're probably out of luck.


How to cut a perfect shape out of 4cm oak? I need to mount an undermount copper sink to our new kitchen surface. The surface is 4cm oak, which will be varnished with 12 coats of marine lacquer to protect the oak from water.

What I want to achieve is to cut out a very precise hole for the sink (I should add the sink is rectangular with curved corners), such that the cut out wood can be reinserted as a lid over the sink for additional workspace.

Elsewhere I cut out some rougher holes for domino hobs with a jigsaw but found it nigh on impossible to maintain straight and vertical edges.

I guess a cut width of about 4 mm will be necessary.

What tool or technique can I use to achieve my goal?

Use a router with a centering bar. A really fine finish can be achieved.

If you need a square or rectangular or different hole then bits of batten secured down can give you that shape...


How should I complete the installation of my flooring where a gap remains against the wall? I am laying laminate flooring in a room and unfortunately my calculations were off and I am left with expansion gaps of about 2.5cm to 4.5cm (0.97in to 1.77in) along one wall (see picture).

Is there any recommended way to fill this in so that my baseboards can be installed?

I ended up ripping the laminate boards lengthwise using my jigsaw and fitting them in like Jim suggested. I used some cardboard to cut out the shape that the long pieces should be and then drew across the edge of the cardboard piece on the laminate boards. It worked out quite well I think and I hope there won’t be any structural support issues.

The expansion gap between the wall and laminate boards is now a lot smaller.


Splicing help due to no power So, I have had a buddy lead the way on wiring my basement of a basement finish in a home built in 2017. The builder ran two wires from the panel in the garage to facilitate the finishing of the basement. Of course, now my buddy is on vacation for 2 weeks and I'm at the point of hooking up all my receptacles (so I thought). We spliced the two wires coming in I've attached a picture of that. When testing for power in boxes, I've only got about 60% with power. I'm assuming this has to do with the way the hots are together. Is it about just playing around with them and figuring out the best match? Any insight is much appreciated.

Click for larger

Stop. Now!
Honestly, the follow up questions you've been asking lead me to believe you really don't understand how this works and I'm growing concerned that you could seriously hurt yourself!
I'm all for you learning to do this yourself, however, electricity can be deadly if you don't know what you're doing, and I don't want your family coming here after you're gone to blame us.
Wait until your buddy gets back from vacation and learn from him with hands on experience. Have him explain things to you, show you how to do it right, and how to avoid doing it wrong.
Waiting 2 weeks is far better than being dead or burning down your house. When he gets back, have him read this (and other answers) to your question, and show you how it works.
Seriously heed Harper's advice from a comment on your question:

Don't experiment. There are many combinations that you'll stumble upon, that will work (mission accomplished, button it up) but will kill you.

You've got 2 circuits in (A and B) and 3 outbound "circuits"* (1, 2, and 3).
Assuming that you want:

lines 1 and 2 to be on breaker A

put one wire nut each on all 3 White, all 3 Black and all 3 Ground wires from each of the 3 cables

line 3 will be on breaker B

Put one wire nut each on the 2 White, 2 Black and 2 Ground wires involved

If your desired connections are different, then rearrange them to match to suit your needs.
You should not need any pig-tail wires anywhere in this box. In no case will you need more than 3 wires nutted together, so, using the correct size nuts, there is no need for pig tails at all. It appears that there's a white pig tail from the nut at 12 o'clock connecting to the nut at 4 o'clock (though it may just be the angle causing confusion). If you can find ANY path between breaker A and breaker B you've done it wrong.
While you have the box open and things are fresh in your mind, I would strongly urge you to label the cables so you know which is which next time you open this up for repairs/modifications. A Sharpie applied to the white cable housing (Breaker A, Ceiling Lights, etc.) or a fancy label maker will do the trick.
* No, they're not really circuits - a circuit is based on the breaker and you only have 2 involved - but you're probably thinking of it as 3 "circuits".


Extra water line under sink? My house’s basement has a small kitchen area with a sink. I can’t figure out how to turn the water on to the sink. When I turn the valve on the left, I can run the sink but the third water line (which isn’t connected to anything) will run while I use the sink. When I turn on the valve on the right, the third water line runs no matter if I’m using the sink or not. Should I just cap this? Is this a refrigerator line?

Thank you for asking. And yes absolutely, it could be/could've been for a refrigerator, dishwasher, humidifier, poorly and illegally done toilet, standalone ice maker or even a trap wetter for a basement floor drain.

It was done by someone for a reason, so you should find out exactly what that reason was/is...since you now know where its local shutoff is in the case of service or emergency.

Only if you can pull the hose all of the way out to find its not connected at all should you cap it or change to a regular shutoff valve. If you don't need it and it's not currently doing anything, then go ahead and delete it.


What is a good depth for putting bark around a playset? What is a good depth for putting bark in a playset?  Here's a link to a picture of the project so far:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a chart for this:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/323.html

Fall Height In Feet From Which A Life Threatening
Head Injury Would Not Be Expected

Type of Material            6 "Depth    9 " Depth    12" Depth
Double Shredded Bark Mulch  6           10           11
Wood Chips                  7           10           11
Fine Sand                   5           5            9
Fine Gravel                 6           7            10


What screws for attaching 1/2" ply to 3/4" ply? I was using all-purpose screws (1 1/4") to attach my second layer of plywood to the under layer. The top layer does not get screwed into the floor joists. A lot of the screws just spin and don't sink into the floor like I want them to.

Am I using the wrong screws?

You'll need to pilot and counter-sink screws like that, or try switching to a self piloting, self counter-sinking screw like Gold Star or similar. The problem with all purpose screws is that the blunt tip just flexes the fibers out of the way, reducing the amount of material the threads can get a hold of. With a screw that short it doesn't get enough bite to pull the head flush so it strips out. With a Gold Star, the burr on the tip severs the fibers, allowing the threads to bite in all the way around,  then the nibs on the bugle help the head burrow in so you don't have to counter-sink.


Why is my dimmer switch buzzing? We had 2 dimmer switches that had stopped working (lights were on 100% regardless of how turned the dimmer switch was.

I checked the back and went out and bought 2 new ones, turned the electricity off and swapped them over.

They both control 4 lights and they both work ok, but on one it buzzes constantly. Is this a sign of a faulty dimmer switch or is there something else going on?

This can also be a sign that you bought a dimmer that is designed for incandescent bulbs, but you have it controlling CFL or LED bulbs. This can absolutely make it buzz. If the dimmer was not explicitly for CFL and LED bulbs and those are what you are running, then you need to get new dimmers that are explicitly for those bulbs.


What is the maximum distance a trap can be installed from a shower drain? I am installing a new shower in an upstairs attic.  I am taking part of a downstairs closet for a chase wall to run the plumbing and electrical. The closet is 10' from where the shower drain will be located.  Rather than pull up good hardwood floor or tear out a plaster ceiling, I plan to push the drain line under the floor from the attic space near the closet.  I would like to locate the trap in the closet as that would be easier than pushing the trap assembly the 10' to the shower; not to mention that I am limited in the space between the floor and ceiling below.

If a 3" pipe is run to a 2" trap the pipe is sufficiently oversized to be considered self venting.
A running trap may be used remotely which uses less space at the shower drain.
To answer the original question, I don't know the distance to trap max but it depends on the piping size.


What could cause water to come up from the bottom (upwards) through the tundish? I have an oil-powered boiler along with a water cylinder which has been installed in our home for a number of years by some previous owner. We've been here a couple of years without a hitch.

Just the other week the tundish started overflowing with water every time the boiler fired up. I called the plumber out as I know nothing about boilers or water heating whatsoever, and after having two plumbers out over two days, they eventually told me I need to call someone who clears out drainage.

I'm only just figuring out how the whole system works but I'm hoping someone can explain it a bit more for me.

From the top of the cylinder down to the tundish there's a pipe. The overflow isn't coming from the cylinder. That took me a while to figure out, and was the first thing I thought was happening. The water is actually coming from the bottom upwards. You can see in the following picture that the pipe goes in two directions. Going downwards is from the boiler, and going upwards is.... I haven't got a clue! I can't actually see where it goes unfortunately.

In the following picture you can see the whole setup, the tundish and cylinder on the left, and boiler on the right.

The final picture shows the pipe that goes up to the tundish from the boiler. As you can see, the pipe comes out the very top of the boiler.

My question is, what could cause water to come up from the bottom upwards through the tundish? Is it really a case of blocked drainage and all I need to do is get someone who specialises in drainage out?

Amazing it's been a month since I visited this, but I've now had four plumbers, an electrician, a drainage service company, and a previous owner of the home in to figure this out.

Fortunately, the answer lay in phoning the previous owner who was very helpful.

The outflow pipe is blocked (still) meaning that the excess water which is pumped out from the boiler, and perhaps the cylinder, can't escape to the drain. The drain is somewhere under some bricks that look as if they're cemented in, however some are loose and beneath them is a drain. Yes, you heard right, a drain under some paving.

The answer is to find this drain, which I'll find in the next couple of days, and unblock it by calling a drainage service out to use special tools to clear the pipe work. Basically when the boiler is on, the outflow pipe fills up and up until it comes back up the pipe and into the tundish overflow, leaking out all over the floor.

When in doubt, find out where your overflow goes. When you have no idea where it is, phone the previous owner.

Now I'm stuck with many plumbers bills.


Rust and ash in my AC/furnace - should I be concerned? TL;DR - Furnace/AC generates a lot of rust flakes and ash, not sure what this means.

UPDATE - An inspector came by to look at the furnace. While the inspector didn't find anything broken, he said it was nearing its end of days, and that it was only a matter of time until something broke. As per his recommendation, my apartment complex replaced the unit.

I live in an apartment unit that's 34 years old, and I'm a little concerned about the state of my furnace and AC unit. I don't know exactly when it unit was installed, but it seems to be showing its age. I noticed an excessive amount of rust flakes and, now that the gas heater is flexing its muscles for the cold this season, some ash. I honestly don't know much about HVAC systems in general, so I took some pictures. Is the condition of my system any cause for concern?

This is where most of the rust would pile up. I have cleaned most of it off. Before I did, it would simply drop to the ledge and floor below.

This is underneath the rusty ledge, looking at the burners. You can see some of the rust that fell from above, as well as some ash from near the pilot light.

A closer view of the pilot light, showing the rust flakes and ash piling up below. The ash was not present before this season when the heat kicked in.

Underneath the rusty "hood" in the first image, there are two holes where it seemed most of the rust would fall from. It was a little difficult to get a good picture of these holes, so please excuse the poor camera work on my part. This is the left one. I'm not sure what the larger bits once were, but they don't look or feel like metal or rust. My guess is that at some point this hole was partially covered by some material that fell apart through the years.

The right hole didn't have the same non-metallic flaky bits, but did show a good amount of rust flakes sitting inside. I'm not entirely sure what these holes are for, but again, I'm not very familiar with these systems. It seems like a majority of the rust comes from these holes and drops onto the rusty "hood" (first picture). I lightly brushed my finger along the outer rim of the hole and rust eagerly fell out.

This last picture is of the floor below the unit. You can see a small section where I dragged my finger through the rust that had piled up. I doubt this picture is very relevant, but I included it to give a scope of how messy this system is.

I know this is a long post, so thank you for reading it through. My question is, should I be concerned about the excessive amount of rust accumulating through this system? As far as I'm aware, the furnace and AC work alright apart from being noisy and inefficient.

I would talk to your landlord to ask them to inspect your furnace/AC for the year and let them make the determination.

When I do something like this with my landlord, I remind them that making sure things are right will save them from a catastrophe, possibly in the near future.  And yes, I do say it something similar to that.  I hold back only enough to let them feel as if the decision is theirs.  I also make valid statements about things should work, vs how it currently is working, even if I have to research that info first (like you are doing).

If your landlord is honest, and not a slumlord, you have a good chance to get at least some work done to it, if not replaced.  Most furnaces are designed to last around 20 years, so it's a good chance it's been replaced sometime in those 34 years since the building was built.  It may simply need a good cleaning and some basic maintenance.

Furnaces usually smell of burnt rust and dust when they first come on for the season.  If that odor continues past the first week of steady use, then it's not normal, in my experience.

Again, letting your landlord make the decision will make you sound like less of a jerk tenant (or worse) and more of a concerned person who knows what you/they're talking about.  Just because you got your information of the Interwebs doesn't have to mean anything to them.  ;-)

Simply making them away of a situation before it becomes a problem will, eventually and hopefully, will get you on their good side.  I find that useful, myself.


Can I rewire the cooker so I can use the gas oven without it being connected to the mains? I'm planning on getting a freestanding gas cooker (LEISURE Cuisinemaster CS60GVK)  (all gas hobs/oven/grill etc) but it uses a normal plug for the ignition and led programmer. I know I can rewire the ignition to run off a 12v spark generator (that should be straight forward)  but reading through the manual it says I can't switch the oven on if the time isn't set on the led programmer, does this mean that if I don't have the programmer on, the oven won't work? I don't know why this would be but wanted to ask if any one knows of why this is and how or if I can bypass this as I don't need the programmer.

In these ovens the programmer (often called the "timer") contains the circuitry which controls the oven temperature. I don't think you can use the oven without a functioning programmer.

You would need an "off-the-grid" range and oven: https://bensdiscountsupply.com/premier-bak100tp-20-battery-ignition-gas-range-biscuit-with-black-trim/


new fan has 3 wires, 1-white, 1-blue, 1-black. coming out of the ceil is 1-red, 1-white, and 1-black Help: I can not understand how to connect these wires. my new fan has 1-white,1-blue,1-black. and from ceiling 1-red,1-white,1-black and 1-copper ground? The difference in matching the different colors makes no sense to me. I have tried many variations. Nothing works.

Without knowing how many switches control the fan, I assume you have 2 switches. 1 for the light and one for the fan. If this is the case, you hook black-black, white-white, bare(green)-bare(green), and red-blue. Then you should, if your house wiring is "normal", have the 2 switches controlling how they did before. Now, if you have 1 switch, then your red could be a traveler to another switch, a 3-way switch. In this case, the blue and black both go to black, white-white, bare(green)-bare(green), red to the other switch red(normally this would not have been unhooked if this is the case.)


Rewiring screw less lamp socket, how do I remove wires? I bought a light kit from World Market to replace my current set up and opened the socket to rewire to find no easy way to remove the wires from the socket... How do I get them out? There is no visible means of releasing them and I don't want to just yank them. Has anyone seen this sort of socket before?

Open one leg of a paper clip and insert it into the little notch next to the wire. The wire should pop right out.


How can I repair a bed with adjustable head (manual) that is broken? I have bed with adjustable head broken. I don't know what I need to fix it, and how this part is called to buy it (I guess it  sold in Ebay?)
I have more one bed with that part that work great, So I photographed it, so it will be more understandable:

That is called channel steel or U-channel:

Channel steel is available in a wide range of thicknesses and sizes and available in different grades of steel and aluminum. It's going to be hard to find an exact match for that piece on eBay and if you get a stock piece that you have to cut and drill yourself, you may not have the right equipment on-hand to do so.

It you can take the piece off and take it to a local metal fabrication shop, they may be able to make you a replacement piece - they may not have an exact match in stock, but they may be able to fold you a custom piece. They may also be able to make a stronger piece or reinforce it where it bent. Or may even be able to straighten out your piece and spot weld reinforcements to keep it from bending again.


Tankless sub-panel water heater use = buzzing? So I have a main panel (3 phase power), and a 100 amp sub-panel off of that. The sub-panel includes an ~55 amp draw tankless water heater. When it's not used everything is normal. However, when the tankless water heater is engaged, various electronics around the house show side effects:

The power bar for the TV / entertainment center buzzes loudly
Many dimmable LED lights on different circuits flicker / fade
LED lights in the master bathroom buzz loudly

All affected devices are on separate circuits and not tied to the sub-panel or the tankless circuit.

This only happens when the sub-panel tankless heater is active. What's going on? Is it dangerous?

Could be several things, among them:

There is a loose neutral connection in the heater circuit or elsewhere and when high current flows to the heater, the loose neutral is causing flicker and it is causing what's called "common mode noise" (electrical noise related to ground) that is getting picked up by your sound bar.
The overall added load of your water heater is too much for the service and is causing a voltage drop, in which case you need to call the utility about making sure you are being given enough capacity (i.e. the size of their transformer).
Similar to #2, but is being caused by you have under sized conductors that are causing the voltage drop under load.

My first choice would be #1, given that it is getting picked up by the sound bar.

Is it dangerous? Possibly. Loose connections and/or voltage drops under load are never good things and will not "go away" by themselves.


LG Electric Range - Infinite switch burning up repeatedly, burner staying on high no matter what the setting I have an LG smooth-top Electric range, LDE4413ST, that keeps burning up infinite switches on the Right Front burner, which is a "dual element" burner.  This burner also operates at high power only,  this behavior seems to start when the switch burns up.

Here's what i've tried:
- Tested  continuity on the wiring harness (seems fine, could not find a short)
- Tried  a replacement cooktop heating element (it operated at high power all the time, because the switch was bad and I didn't know it yet)
- Took out the replacement cooktop heating element and put the old one back in
- Replaced the infinite switch since it was burned/scorched at the P1 terminal (replacing this worked for a few days, then stopped with scorch marks at the P1/Ls terminal.  When this happens there is continuity between this terminal and 2/H2, which I understand is not supposed to happen)
- Checking the cooktop heating element resistance on the original burner (was fine)

The range is an LG LDE4413ST. It is the right-front burner that is having this problem.

Everything else works on this range.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

This can happen if the L1/L2 connections are swapped when a control/switch is replaced.  The element will work fine by itself.  Turn on another element at the same time that has the L1 connection to the other wire color, and the control will POP.  Both switches/elements will work separately.
The L1 tab of the switch is manually connected to the pilot when you activate the switch.  With the input wires swapped on one switch, you are putting L1/L2 together when both switches are turned on.
Both the switches that are connected to the same pilot light must have the same color wires connected to the same tabs, say red to L1 and black to L2.


Can I install false LED light bulbs in a chandelier to reduce the total light output? I have a chandelier that holds 18 lights bulbs. The bulbs I have are non-dimmable 4 watt LED bulbs. I really only need 12 bulbs working at a time.  Would it cause any harm only using 12 and hollowing out 6 old bulbs to use as place holders?

Or, is there a way to tape a bulb so that it doesn't light up and doesn't present any electrical issues?

I'm more worried about electrical issues than anything.

Thanks for the responses so far. I may try using an plastic/rubber/fiber insulator at the bottom of the bulb.

I'm not sure "hollowing out" makes any sense. Start by just not completely screwing in the bulbs you don't want lit (or leaving them out entirely). As bulbs burn out, you can switch to using the dead bulbs as your placeholders.


What is/are this/these fittings connecting my boiler to circulator pump? There's a leak somewhere around my circulator pump and the fittings that connect it to the Weil McLain CG-5 gas boiler have corroded and should probably be replaced. (right?)

Not very familiar with these fittings. The pump is a Bell & Gosset Little Red Pump and looks like 1" copper connects to top of pump and then the fittings on the bottom connect to the boiler which looks like 1" too then a drain valve.

As best as I can guess there's a Tee fitting (1" x 1" x 3/4") made of iron based on what the corrosion looks like. Then a drain valve. Only thing I can find that looks similar is a black iron fitting but it doesn't seem to be for water applications. http://www.homedepot.com/p/LDR-Industries-1-in-x-1-in-x-3-4-in-Black-Iron-FPT-x-FPT-Reducing-Tee-310-RT-1134/100577900

What should I be replacing all that with and what materials? Looks like I'll need a reducing tee, drain fitting and the flanges for the pump. And probably a new pump.

Also, will the pipe leading the the boiler need to be replaced due to the corrosion and is that something that can even be replaced?

Here are some pictures.

Here's a picture of a different model Weil McLain boiler that that has the same drain and Tee fitting. It's the black fitting over the drain on the side.

If you can measure the outside diameter of the copper pipe above the pump and subtract 1/8" from that dimension (diameter) you will have the size of the copper pipe.

Then, the pipe at the bottom of the pump and into the boiler should be the same size but is black iron pipe schedule 40. Schedule 40 is standard weight pipe, the same as used for gas lines. Sometimes, the pipe into the boiler is one size smaller than the rest of the pipe, for some unknown reason especially if this an old boiler.( It was just how the boiler companies piped it).

If the system works and heats OK, I would buy the same size pump which usually comes with flanges and gaskets that fit the pipe size used. Today, the flanges and gasket set may come as a separate item depending on where you buy the pump.

The fitting below the pump looks to be standard black iron. You can buy either a reducing tee to accept a 1/2" or 3/4" boiler drain valve or a cheaper way may be to buy a standard tee and a reducer to fit the valve. Regular black iron fittings sold by Lowe's and Home Depot can be used on hot water boilers. They don't have to be a special material. Don't let anyone tell you that you need a special fitting of brass, galvanized, stainless steel or something. Boiler water is usually not corrosive.

Once you take the piping apart in the spring you will be able to better know the sizes of the piping and it's condition. As for the pipe going into the boiler, if it needs replaced, be careful when taking it out. If it breaks you will need someone who knows how to take out the broken piece. From the picture the pipe into the boiler looks like 1-1/4". You can "google " (standard pipe dimensions) to find the outside diameter of the steel piping.

Asker Edits:
This was a very helpful answer to find what I needed and the pipe sizes. After I used the advice above to figure out what I needed I finally found the manual online (totally forgetting the paper manual I have near the boiler) so included a diagram and the parts so I can accept this answer in case anyone in the future needs this info for a Weil-McLain CG boiler.

From bottom up:

1) 3/4" Drain boiler drain valve
2) 1-1/4" x 3/4" x 1-1/4" black iron tee (3/4" at bottom)
3) black iron nipple. 1-1/4" diameter. 5-1/2" length for Taco 007 circulator pump, 6" for Bell & Gosset little red pump (LR20 1/20HP), 5" for B&G100 or Taco 110
4) 1-1/4" black nipple close
10) bottom flange 1-1/4"
9) top flange 1-1/4" or different depending on size of pipe above
13) Pump gasket (came with pump)
6, 11 & 5) Bolts and Nuts 7/16-14 nut, 7-1/15x14x1-1/2" bolts. 4 nuts and bolts come in a pack from the pump manufacturer or can be bought at big box store in a pack with the flat style flange gaskets.


Where do I unscrew the aerator from my faucet riser pipe? The picture under itself does not clearly manifest the 2 splits or connecting points, but I have indicated them with the red lines and numbers.  Which  do I unscrew for the following?

  First off you will have to unscrew the [aerator] [...] from the faucet riser pipe.

I would think that the aerator assembly comes off at the lower split that you marked as #1. However with that said it might make sense to try to find a manufacturers diagram / parts list for this particular faucet. Often such document will contain an exploded parts diagram for the complete faucet so you can easily tell what parts attach to others.

It is not clear just what the black covered part of the faucet spout is all about. Is that meant to be a hand hold to be able to swing the faucet spout from side to side? Is it meant to insulate your hand from hot metal parts if you are running full hot water through the faucet.

The "indentation" at point #2 may not actually be a separable joint at all - particularly if the black part of the pipe covering slides onto the pipe from the end once the joint at #1 is separated.


What type of terminal block is this? It doesn't seem to have screws nor a button. I need to rewire the cables because of them started to split. Any ideas how to get it out?

That's not a terminal block. That's a factory built connector, where the 2 small wires have been crimped onto the contact blade, then inserted into the connector void where it "snaps in".

Sometimes with a jeweler's screwdriver you can reach in and release the tang that holds the contact blade in the connector, but you're just as likely to break it. You will not be able to release those wires.

If this were North America, I would say, worst case, replace that connector with a ballast disconnect socket, which are readily available.


What's the best way to separate house light from garage lights? Currently, I have an outdoor house light connected to the same light switch as a couple other garage lights (see sketch). I would like to separate the garage lights from the outside house light using two separate switches. Only thing is, the switch is already in a three-gang box. So, I already went ahead and bought a four-gang and I installed it, but now I'm having trouble figuring out how to wire it all. The way it was is confusing to me and I'll try to post an image of how it currently is. Anyway, the other two switches in the box control a light in the house and another completely separate that isn't causing any issues (dimmer switch for kitchen lights), so you can ignore that. So yea, main goal is to add a fourth switch to the box to separate the garage lights and outdoor house light. Thanks!

I actually managed to figure it out on my own. Referring to my picture, I moved the red wire to its own switch and added another white wire and attached it as well. Problem solved. Only downside was trying to pigtail 4 wires into one.


How should I wire a subpanel for a tiny house? I have a subpanel almost wired in our shed, it's being converted into a tiny home for a few months, it's about 25ft from the main panel which is inside of a mobile home. The main panel I believe is 100 AMPS. The subpanel that is installed in the shed is 125AMP. It has 2 30amp breakers and 3 15 amp breakers installed. I need an opinion or 2 before proceeding.

Is it safe to wire the subpanel to the main panel? I don't think the sub will use even half of the capacity, so could I put a smaller breaker in the main?

If you use a 100A breaker your main in the mobile home you will need #3 copper wire to feed the sub the sub panel. A 60 Amp breaker in the main panel should provide enough power from the loads listed this would require #6 copper wire.

You will need to run both hots a ground and neutral. In the sub the ground and neutral buses need to be isolated. Many times Panels come with the buses connected the connection will need to be removed or you can add a grounding buss screwed into the metal of the panel. (Make sure there is not a connection from the original buses to the box.)

I am hoping you will be living in the tiny house while remodel work is completed on the mobile. If both the mobile and the tiny house are used at the same time you may trip the main. If you trip the main you may have to do things like turn the AC off while the cook top is in use to prevent the main from tripping.


Why won't my new exhaust fan wired between switch and light fixture work? DIY electrical guy here. I have one 2/12 coming into the top of an existing wall switch (sgl. pole) that powers an existing light fixture. So I assume (right or wrong) that the current is coming into the switch on the black side and (when switched on) follows the common wire back to the black side of the 2/12 running over to the light fixture. Since the voltage after the switch is carried on the white side, I spliced my exhaust fan into the white side of the romex between the switch and the black side of the 2/12 running out to the light fixture. In my thinking, I figured the existing switch would power my new exhaust fan AND the light fixture. But after flipping the 15A circuit breaker back on, the switch still worked the light fixture, but the fan wasn't working right. The fan blade turns, but not with enough force to move any air. Where did I screw up?
The fan works, by the way. I checked it by plugging it into an outlet and it moves 70CFM no problem.

They should be wired in parallel instead of being in series.

The light bulb is limiting the amount of current that can run the fan, like a resistor.

Kudos on including that diagram.  It makes the situation very clear.  Upvote.


How do I fix a condensate drain line that froze in my split electric system with heat pump? I have a split electric system with a heat pump.  It looks like my condensate drain line is frozen.  I switched to supplemental heat which does not use the heat pump.  Is this enough for now?  Our hard freeze will be over in 2 days and we will be back to temps in the 50s

Your inside coil should have two outlets to drain condensate, one running outside and the other with a float switch to shut down the unit if the outside drains clogs. You can unscrew that float unit and put a bucket there to drain the condensate until the line thaws.

You should also figure out how to correct your condensate line so that it can not freeze. In climates where freezing of the condensate line is possible, you have to run it so that you maintain an air lock on the line (with a p-trap), but also do not expose the water creating the air lock to freezing temperatures. like this:

Notice that, starting at the a/c unit, the condensate line has in this order:

an air gap, which is basically just a t-joint with a short piece of vertical pipe, left uncapped and open to the airspace shared by the air handler or the conditioned space. It should be a couple inches taller than the condensate collection pan, otherwise the condensate will flow out of this tube and never trigger your shutdown float switch, if you have one. The air gap prevents the p-trap from being sucked or blown dry by the air handler.
a p-trap to prevent your conditioned air from being blown out the condensate line, or from sucking in fumes from outside. It also keeps critters out.
a continuous down-sloped condensate line.

All of this needs to be laid out so that everything from the air handler through where the condensate line starts its downward slope will not freeze. Since the line is sloped down, it will drain, even in cold weather. It's also important to minimize the amount of line exposed to freezing weather in order to prevent the water from freezing in cold section of the line.

Also, in emergency heat mode, you may not be able to generate enough heat to keep the house comfortable. It used to be that the emergency heat coils had to be large enough to heat the house by themselves. Since heat pumps have been on the market for quite a while and their reliability and availability has improved, that is no longer the case.


New GFCI’s indicator light is green but outlets have no power I installed new GFCI. It’s the last outlet in that circuit so I connected the wires without touching the yellow sticker. After all done, I tested it and green indicator light is solid. When I plug in, no power on both outlets. What did I do wrong?

Update.
I use this GFCI outlet for portable under sink water heater. I test with a radio and it works but I plug the water heater and no power. I mean no power from outlet, not only water heater. I use the non contact tester which can test power and current. I switch to radio and has power again.

I have found many new models require the test and then reset buttons need to be pressed to activate the outlet and taped terminals. I would try pressing the test button then the reset sometimes these can be stiff but give that a try , if it doesn’t work provide the model # and brand.

Added after update, your radio works that helps, when you plug in the water heater the radio quits but you have power indicated with a non contact tester, this points to a loose neutral some place in the circuit.

A radio may only take a few milliamperes of current so it works, but add a large load and now nothing is working but you have a voltage but there is no return path to complete the circuit with a heavy load, check that any pigtails on the neutral all the wires are tight pull on each one (one might pull out) verify at any other junctions , other outlets for the same but it will be on the neutral because you have voltage with a load.


Faucet Water Pressure I have low water flow from my kitchen faucet. However, both bathroom faucets have very high water flow.

I have verified all the shut off valves are fully open (bathrooms don't have shut off valves that I see) and all the aerators have been cleaned and put in vinegar overnight.

Also, I recently bought this house. I noticed very high water pressure from the outside hose. I bought a water pressure gauge and it was at 120psi. After reading about normal household pressures, I found the pressure reducing valve and turned it counterclockwise until the outdoor bib showed 60psi. This video I took is with the pressure at 60psi.

What would cause this large difference in water pressure?

Video: https://youtu.be/DpJPebfXhaI

The piece I took out from the back of the pull-out faucet. Went from 1 gpm to 1.5 gpm.

You should disassemble the kitchen faucet and inspect the temp/flow control valve assembly for debris/obstructions. It is common for debris to get knocked loose and flow downstream, causing problems like this. Your manipulation of the pressure regulator could have done it.

Another consideration: those bathroom faucets appear to be older and may not be of the "water saving" variety. The kitchen faucet seems new/modern and likely has water saving flow restriction, either the sort described by @Ed Beal or integral to the design of the flow control valve.


washing machine leaks during fill cycle Top loader Whirlpool. I've removed the back and water is leaking from the Break Vac during fill. The hose running to it is OK. The water is leaking from the back opening of the Break Vac. I'm thinking it's one of three things but don't really understand how this works. 1. Could it be too high a water pressure? would simply partially shutting the house inlet valves solve the problem? 2. Does the Water inlet valve in the machine control the flow and is it bad and allowing too much water to flow through it to the Break vac? 3. Possibly the Break Vac was jostled and in wrong position? The Break Vac appears to be a simple part and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it like cracks but maybe I'm missing something.

The "Break Vac" is a vacuum breaker component. You'll find similar devices on sprinkler systems to avoid siphoning water back in should the water supply lose pressure, or on frost free spigots to allow water to drain out of the fixture so it can't freeze and break things. On your washing machine, the design is quite different, simply a plastic funnel sending water into the tub, but the goal is the same, to ensure water can't be siphoned back if there's a loss of water pressure. As for why yours is leaking, you'll need to do some tests to work that out.

If it's high water pressure, you can try partially closing the valves to the washing machine as a quick test, or get a cheap pressure testing gauge to see the water pressure in your home. If it's too high, you may need to have a pressure reducing valve installed where the main enters the home, and possibly an expansion tank to deal with pressure fluctuations from the water heater.

If it's in the wrong position, it should be relatively obvious when you've opened things up. On versions I've been able to find, it clips into place. If the clips are broken, then it's time to replace it. You could perhaps have a problem if the washing machine was significantly out of level.

Two other possibilities that come to mind. You could have a bad clamp holding the hose on to the back of the vacuum breaker, allowing water to leak around that connection. If so, just get a new clamp and replace it. Or there could be too much dirt and debris inside the vacuum breaker throwing off the intended water flow. You can try cleaning it to see if that corrects the issue. If all else fails, I'd just replace the part. It's relatively inexpensive and you appear to be familiar enough with disassembling your machine.


Shower head change caused a problem house built in 1972, changed the screw off shower head for a screw on hand held shower head.  Since then every time someone turns water on in kitchen it effects the water temperature in the shower.  Its like someone turned off the hot water.  Can someone tell me what i need to fix this problem?

If you have the old shower head, consider to re-install it temporarily for the purpose of this exercise.

Run the water through the shower head into a five gallon bucket. Measure the amount of time it takes to reach a mark on the bucket.

Replace the shower head with the hand-held unit. Perform the above test again. If the amount of time for the hand-held is shorter than the fixed head, your water flow through the plumbing to the shower has increased. If the time is greater, you have a lower rate of water flow through the new hand-held shower.

It's not unusual for shower temperatures to vary when a hot water tap is opened elsewhere, if pressure and flow are insufficient and/or the plumbing is configured to allow one pipe to take more of the hot water.

I suspect that your flow rate has changed sufficiently to reduce the hot water flow to that leg of the plumbing. Today's shower heads, both fixed and hand-held are supposed to meet US flow rate requirements:

  Did you know that standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water per
  minute (gpm)? Water–saving showerheads that earn the WaterSense label
  must demonstrate that they use no more than 2.0 gpm. The WaterSense
  label also ensures that these products provide a satisfactory shower
  that is equal to or better than conventional showerheads on the
  market.


How to open up this single lever American Standard shower knob One of our showers has this American Standard single lever mixer. Lately, even with the handle turned all the way to 'hot', the water is moderately warm at best. The other faucets in this bathroom and everywhere else in the house emit sufficiently hot water, so I suspect this particular cartridge may need replacement, or maybe the temperature limit needs to be looked at.

The problem is - I don't know how to go about opening the knob. The two visible screws are obviously holding the wall-plate, but there has to be a simple (?) trick to remove the handle/knob first. Hopefully someone can recognize the model from these pictures and point me in the right direction.

The front pops off, I hope this helps anyone who is looking for an answer to this!


Fixing Whirlpool Oven Fans and Doors I have an older Whirlpool oven that has recently started to make noise when I turn it on. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the oven fan. In addition, the door does not seal too well so if I can fix that at the same time I'd be really happy. Is this the sort of thing that can be fixed by myself or a repair person, or am I looking at a new oven? I'd like to think that most ovens are very serviceable, but I am not sure where to start figuring it out.

I think your reasoning is good - it's pretty easy to pick out a the sound of a fan hitting against something. I recommend RepairClinic.com. They have a great site for appliance parts, and lots of info and schematics for what parts are available and how to replace them. You already have the manufacturer and model number, so you are ready to go.
Hope this helps.