Should I upgrade my electrical panel during a solar installation I have a moderately sized electrical panel and over the course of the last 8 years have done a full house rewire, and installed heat pumps (and when I say 'I did X', I mean I wrote the check to the electrician). At the beginning the panel was relatively empty because the house was completely under-wired. Now, all the breaker slots are completely full, some with double breakers. Additionally, the system is set up with the mains wiring coming in through a 220v breaker instead of through the top bus bars, which seems weird to me.

Within the last year I put in the Sense energy monitor, which involves putting two inductive clamps over the mains feed. I was able to do it, but it was a really tight fit to get it in place. https://sense.com/installation

I'm about to have a solar install done, and they'll have an electrician in anyway doing the hookup. They're willing to upgrade me to a larger box for the cost of 1 days work of an electrician and his apprentice, $1200.

The solar company seems to think they can get the solar installed in my existing box, with no problems. However, I think this might be a good opportunity to get a larger box so I don't have to worry about it in the future.

I have several opinion questions.

Should I enlarge my box? In theory, I don't plan to add any more circuits to the house, but this sounds like a good opportunity to future proof. On the other hand, I don't want to throw $1200 at something if I don't have to.
Should I insist on the mains being moved to what I believe is the more standard top-center point directly on the bus bars?
Does $1200 and 1 day's work for 2 guys sound like a reasonable estimate for replacing the box in the Boston area? I'm not asking if someone could do it for $100 cheaper, but, just a basic call on whether this price seems reasonable?

Thanks

::edit::

Decided to pull the trigger and will be getting a contract amendment to the solar job to bundle the box upgrade. Thanks everyone.

Yes I think you should upgrade the panel now, but that is really just an opinion, partly based on disliking split breakers. Making changes after the solar install could get more complicated.

If you decide not to change the panel then no, you shouldn't move the service feeder wires to the directly to the main lugs. You need overcurrent protection for the panel. I do question if the existing stab in "Main Breaker" is Listed for use as Service Equipment, usually some type of screw or bracket is present to secure stab-in breakers to the panel https://www.gexpro.com/usg/Root-Category/Power-Distribution/Circuit-Breakers/Circuit-Breaker---Accessories/Hold-Down-Kits/GE-THQLRK1-Main-Breaker-Retainer%2C-PowerMark-Gold%2C-12-42-Circuit%2C-THQL/p/79046 , I just don't see it. Depending on panel model you may be able to get a kit to mount a main breaker to replace the main lugs.

$1200 sounds within reason, but that's not a two men for 8 hour price or job.


Slow draining bathroom sink Our one and only bathroom sink is draining slowly and it's driving me a little crazy.  I have watched a number of videos on how to correct the issue and tried them all.  I have cleaned the "P" trap and snaked the sink pipes and vent (to a about 3 or 4 feet.  I didn't want to force the snake.  I will be trying to go in further today).  I also cleaned out the overflow.  I have found no obstructions.  The water in the sink just seems to start backing up as soon as the water from the tap hits the water in the "P" trap.  Am I missing something obvious. As I said I am going to try and snake into the pipes again today and try and get around corners that are obstructing the snake.  If anyone has any thoughts please let me know.  I really don't want to spend a lot of money for a plumber on something that should be simple to remedy.

To bring the issue to a conclusion I ended up bringing in a plumber.  It took him about ten minutes with a powered auger to locate the partial blockage in the pipe.  The blockage was located about 12 feet into the pipe.  It was an expensive resolution for 10 minutes work but at least the issue has been resolved.  I will perhaps purchase a better auger so as to deal with future issues.  Thanks to all that gave suggestions on how to deal with the issue.


Adding an on/off switch for my furnace fan Here is my situation,  I want to be able to run the blower on my furnace during the summer so that the cool basement air can be circulated thought the house. I live in an old house and the thermostat only has two wires running to it, and I believe that it is therefor unable to operate just the furnace fan. I remember being younger and the furnace we had at home just had a simple push/pull switch attached to the furnace that turned on the furnace fan, but my new furnace doesn't have such a button. I don't want to run new wires to the thermostat, so I'm wondering if there are other options. Can I install an on/off switch directly on the furnace somehow? I have a carrier performace 80 furnace, model number 58CTA070. Thanks do any help!

Your thermostat is probably connected to the R and W/W1 terminals on the furnace. To run just the fan, you would need to add a switch connected to the R and G terminals.


I have built my 3rd homemade slot car track from MDF. Stuck on surface paint I have finished my 3rd homemade slot car track from MDF. I have sealed it properly all the way.

My first 2 tracks used a cheap latex paint for the track surface. This was when there was a higher rubber content in the cheap latex .
The higher the rubber content, the better traction the slot cars get with the urethane tires.

Now after 15 yrs has passed the cheap latex no longer seems to have rubber in it. So I am at a loss as to what to look for in order to get the higher latex content.

Roman pro rx35 is a product that leaves  a slight tackiness on surface when dry. It aids adhesion of wallpaper.

This is more of a comment than answer but I wanted show a picture of the product.


Main service panel wiring I'm installing a new dedicated 20 amp circuit for an existing bathroom (new fixture). NEC recommends 12 AWG wiring. But ALL the wires (regardless of amperage) in the main service panel are a much heavier gauge (I'd say in the neighborhood of 6 or 8 AWG). In comparison, my 12 AWG looks pretty small when wired to the 20 amp breaker. Should I be using a different (lower) gauge in the main service panel (to match the others) and then change to 12 AWG in a junction box?

The two photos (one, a closeup) shows the difference.

Code requires a minimum 12 AWG wire for a 20-amp breaker. You are fine with #12 wire. I have wired quite a few homes where the owners wanted 10-gauge wiring. 10-gauge can carry more current but is not needed unless it is a very long run: over 100 feet.  Just to give an idea, #12 is rated for 40 amps with THHN but residential is limited to 20 amps for safety.


Smart home automated fire response I've got a rather extensive OpenHab smart home installation with tons of lights, thermostats, and more diverse connected devices. One category of connected devices is smoke detectors, one in every zone of the house.

Right now, when a smoke detector detects smoke, they all start shrieking like normal. Additionally, I've automated it so that:

All the lights in the house turn on at full brightness (to provide a visual queue if someone somehow can't hear the alarms and prevent fumbling with light switches in the dark)
The system sends push notifications to phones, alerting them that there might be a fire. If nobody's home, then security cameras can be viewed remotely and fire dept. called if there's actually a fire.

Now here is my question: Several rooms have motor-driven windows/skylights. From a fire-safety perspective, would it make sense to automate these to open or close when smoke is detected?

I can see both advantages and disadvantages, but I'm not sure what's safer:

Automation should close the windows because they provide fresh oxygen for a fire and can make it grow rapidly.
Automation should open the windows because this allows smoke and gasses to escape up and outwards. This lets people inside the building breath easier while they escape

Some additional information about my house:

Old, European construction with modern European doors, windows, and heating
All walls are solid stone (cinder blocks mostly) or brick. Structural members are thick lumber or I-beams
Automation likely to function for a long time provided fire does not break out in server room. Most devices are battery operated and all networking is powered by UPS in isolated room.

Whether or not you open or close the windows is going to depend on the specifics of a situation. It's not something I would automate, it's too variable. But if you want too be sure, make an appointment to speak with your local Fire Marshall, that's kind of their job to know these sort of things.


External light was not earthed properly I have a 50W external light, installed on an outside wall, high on the wall.
When touching it, I received an electrical shock.
I cut the electricity, and opened up the electrical junction. I saw there that the earth wire was not plugged properly. I plugged it back. The live and neutral cable seemed fine.
Does the fact that I got a discharge mean that the live cable was actually not wired properly? Should I bin the lamp? Is grounding properly just a way to hide the problem?

Fixtures are grounded to protect one from getting shocked if there is a short or fault in the fixture. The ground wasn't connected properly, according to you, so you got shocked because of some problem. Now that the ground is properly connected, you shouldn't get shocked but the problem still exists and must be fixed. Examine the fixture for frayed wires, cracked insulation. Be careful if you're up on a ladder and make sure to turn off the power. If you don't feel comfortable examining it, just replace it.


Will my wall stand up to fairly heavy pine planking on the inside? I have just purchased yellow pine tongue-and-groove lumber for the interior of my home.  As I moved the wood in 16' lengths into to house to acclimate, I noticed the extreme heaviness of each piece.  They are about 7/8" in thickness.  My total accent wall is 9' by 14'. The wall is an outside wall (brick exterior).  Does anyone have any advice on whether the total weight I am adding to this wall could be a potential hazard?

Thanks!

So, not shiplap. And, oh now you care. Nope, no problem at all, the inside wall's studs will handle it all fine. You'd only have a possible issue if you went outside of the wall studs' plane, like with loaded shelving that pulled laterally on the wall. With fasteners it'll all probably weigh about 413-lbs. It'll be great for decades to come.


GFCI Required for 220v outlets? All subsections of the 2014 NEC 210.8(A & B) start off with "All 125v, single phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles..."  I see no such requirement for 220v outlets.  Can a 220v outlet be installed without GFCI protection?  I'm thinking specifically in a workshop/garage setting, but this could apply to dryer or oven as well.

It is a 2020 NEC change

210.8(A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (A)(11) and supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to ground shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
(1) Bathrooms
(2) Garages and also accessory buildings that have a floor located at or below grade level not intended as habitable rooms and limited to storage areas, work areas, and areas of similar use

If your state is still on 2017 or earlier, you're fine. If you are on 2020 then this is the rule (unless you have a local exception).
This would apply to typical dryer receptacles. Ovens, however, are sometimes connected to a receptacle and sometimes hard-wired. If they use a receptacle then specific rules about location will determine whether they need GFCI or not.


Bathroom light switch Quick question.  In my bathroom I have a 2 switch electrical box.  One switch is a dimmer and the other controls the fan.  I need to replace the dimmer switch with another dimmer switch.  I connected the black wires and everything works fine but there is a ground wire on the new dimmer switch (no ground wire from the old dimmer) and I don't know where to hook the new ground wire up to?  Do I hook it up to the ground screw part on the fan switch (that would have the fan ground wire and the dimmer ground wire).  Do I not need the ground wire for the new dimmer?
Thanks!

Some dimmers use the ground to trickle a small amount of current for normal operation. If yours is working without it connected, I would say it doesn't fall into this category (although you could provide the model name/number to be certain).

Most likely the ground connection is there simply because all residential switches, receptacles, etc. require a ground these days.

It sounds like a ground wire is available in your switch box, but it is going to your fan's switch. No, you cannot double-tap the ground screw on your other switch. You need to use some form of wire connector to make what is called a pigtail to connect the ground from each switch to your ground wire in your switch box.

Illustration of the pigtailing concept


How do I dispose of the waste water after cleaning a brush or roller? After using latex paint and cleaning the brush/roller with soapy water, how do I dispose of the paint/water mixture?

Modern Latex paint has very low toxicity. I don't hesitate to wash the brush in whichever sink is available (being careful to make sure that I then wash all the paint off the sink in turn).


Identify drywall texture I’m having trouble figuring out how to replicate this texture.

That looks almost like a stomp texture with a circular or tree bark like mix or even a light knockdown.
Here is a sample of a few different textures.


Broken bed thin material My kids bed broke. Apparently jumping on it caused the thin material on the connected surface to split. The special furniture side nut things just tore right through.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oc8fEiHFfExwxHX86

Any suggestions on how to fix this?

UPDATE I decided Jasen's answer was best but it was still too complicated for me.

Here is what I did

Maybe good enough?

That looks pretty busted up, and I'm guessing you want to fix it,
and making it stronger than it was it more inportant than making it look good as new.

MDF and chipboard are weak in edge-grain, so for durable connections screw into (and preferable through) the faces not into the edges.

What you do is get some 20mm x 2mm  aluminum angle that's as long as the join, and some chip-board screws.

Place the aluminium inside the failed corner, drill small holes (eg 1/16" or 1.5mm) through the "wood" into (and through) the aluminium then screw through that hole. do that though both pieces in every 2" or so along the join.

There'll be sharp screw points through the aluminium, but chripboard screws are hard steel, so if you bend them a bit you can break them off fairly easily (eg using pliers)


Is it safe to have a heating vent covered by a gas range/oven I moved into a house where I discovered the central air floor vent is directly under a freestanding gas range/oven. I can feel the forced air coming through the burners. Since it's a slab foundation it's not easy to move the ductwork. Eventually I'll have to remodel the kitchen to fix other hidden issues the inspector missed but in the interim I just want to be sure I'm safe. Thanks!

Is this safe? Probably.
Is it a good idea? NO!
There are two problems:

Air flow to the room

A central heating/cooling system is most efficient if the air goes where it is most needed. Major appliances, built-in cabinets, etc. don't need to be heated & cooled. Most of the time ductwork terminates either in the walls, ceiling (good for cooling but not for heating) or in the floor near the walls. That makes sense because if the ducts run to the middle of the floor then you severely limit how you can use a room.
However, if registers are in the wall near the floor, or in the floor near the wall, then it is important to make sure that those areas are not blocked by things like an oven or range or wardrobe or other large furniture or appliance. Even a large sofa can be a problem if pressed up against a wall.
Often there are simple solutions. Depending on the setup, you may be able to redirect the air flow with a piece plastic or metal, so that the air flows out the bottom front of the oven into the room, instead of flowing every possible direction around the oven.
For permanent fixtures - e.g., built-in cabinets - you can actually extend the ductwork so that it terminates with a register in the toe-kick space.

Effects on the Oven

If you have enough air flow that you can actually feel it around/through the burners then it will affect usage of the burners, and possibly the oven underneath the burners, depending on the design. This could result in higher gas usage than necessary and also unexpected changes (up or down) in the burner flames when the central heating system turns on and off. Definitely not a good thing.
But is it enough to kill you? Probably not. But I'll bet it is increasing your costs for heating and/or cooling and/or cooking.


How many wires per connector, why is a black wire connected to a white wire, how to install brace bar without attic access? Hi all.
I have a single hallway light that I decided to replace with two new fixtures. It is a 3-way with a switch in the office (3-way switch 2) and another in the hall (3-way switch 1). It appears that the source cable to the bathroom also pigtails from this box (switch 3).
Additionally, it appears that none of the switches are grounded…they don’t even have a ground screw. The house was built in 1979. Does this mean I need to update my switches? Plus, I keep trying to figure out how/why a black wire and a white wire are connected in switch 2’s box. Isn’t that black wire hot and that white wire neutral? I would have expected it to short out.
My plan is to pigtail a cable from the current fixture box to the new fixture box. My concern is the best way to get all of the wires properly connected. In my existing fixture box (which I will be replacing with a roomier box) I have my source cable, a cable to the bathroom, and a cable to switch 2. I will also need to add a 4th cable that goes to my new fixture box.  So, should I combine all 4 wires (of each type) with the (5th) wire from the light fixture into one connector? If so, is there a wire nut that can safely accommodate this configuration? If not, what are my options? Existing cables have 14 gauge wires.
Lastly, I am installing the new light fixture in the ceiling of the first floor (so, no attic or crawl space access). There isn’t a stud conveniently located to attach the fixture box. Any suggestions on putting in a brace without having to dismantle the ceiling? I abhor drywalling. ; - P
Oh, one more thing…my terminology above is subject to my limited knowledge and may not be correct. Although I grew up helping my father with doubling the size of our house, I didn’t listen so good to what things are called. In doing research I have picked up some of the lingo, but keep having to google what things are referring to. I appreciate your patience.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions/answers/help.

Think of it this way.  A pair of 3-way switches, together, acts like a simple switch.

So when one of the 3-ways is on a spur like that, it's pretty simple.  The 2 travelers (brass screws) can be ignored, and treat it as 1 plain switch between the wires that are on the "common" (black) screws.
So that would be the white from the /2 cable, and the black from the /2 cable.
That is a classic switch loop.
I very strongly recommend using colored tape to re-mark wire colors so they match their function. In particular up in the lamp box, the black to the lamp and the black *from the switch are both switched-hot. I would strongly advise marking them with red tape.
As far as the white wire being as a hot in the switch loop, that's not an option, Code requires you to mark that black (well technically any hot color will do). So mark that black at both ends.
This makes it easy to see what is going on in your boxes.  Hopefully it will then be obvious that your fourth cable should attach to white and blacks if you want the cable to be always-hot, or white and red if you want it switched with this light.
As far as braced junction boxes designed to be installed through the final hole into existing drywall, they make "old work" fan-rated boxes.   If you put a lamp in a fan-rated boxes, I promise not to tell :)


Is this hard floor mat in our closet made from asbestos? The house was built in 1930 and this mat is in an unfinished closet, it's about 2 1/2' x 6'. It's not glued down and I could literally pick it up and take it out of the house if I wanted. But it is cracking and I just didn't want to touch it. Is this asbestos and since it could be picked right up do I really need an asbestos professional to pick it up and remove it?

Here is a couple pictures of it.

It is difficult to tell, but it’s the right age. The EPA regulates the testing, abatement, and disposal of asbestos. The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that it needs to be friable to be harmful. This is not friable and you can easily remove it if you like.

However, I’d be careful not to break it up and I’d wet it down before I tried to move it. That is to say, I’d spray it with water and wrap it in a large sheet in case it did break up.

Also, you can buy test kits to determine if it is asbestos from your local hardware store. If it is asbestos, call your local sanitation department and dispose of it properly.


What is the plumbing diagram symbol for a water hammer arrestor? Despite my best Google queries, I simply cannot find an image of a typical water hammer arrestor symbol for a top-down 2D plumbing drawing of a single floor. Can any provide an image of this symbol or tell me if one does not exist? I certainly could create my own symbol and explain it in the key (I plan to provide a key anyways), but I would like to use standard symbols wherever possible.

I am also planning to do a riser diagram separate from the top-down 2D drawing.


How to draw cross section of this plan by hand? Please tell how to draw cross section of this plan draw and tell roughly.

Get some engineering graph paper and a construction stencil , this is how I still lay out jobs for a permit, they can be done without the stencils but reviewers have fewer questions. Questions delay the permits.


Do under-cabinet outlets need to be provided above a window? We just had our kitchen remodel project inspected and the inspector told us we needed to install outlets on a wall that is essentially one long (10') window directly under one long cabinet. We have plenty of outlets on the adjoining two walls. The bottom of this long window butts up to the countertop with a half-inch reveal, for a clean modern look. The only place to put any outlets would be under the cabinets, using those outlet strips (a solution we're not wild about), but my question is this: should the inspector be looking at this wall as a wall, which would need the requisite number of outlets, or as a window, which might be except from this requirement. It seems to me that this space, taken up as it is by a large window, not a wall that would allow outlets to be installed, should be exempt from the outlet-every-two-feet requirement. Are there any electricians or inspectors out there who can offer some informed opinions on this situation? Thank you.

Not an inspector or electrician, but I was a supervisor of a job that had the same issue. With prior approval from the inspector since there is a requirement/restriction for countertop mounted outlets, the inspector allowed a pop up outlet in the countertop.
Here is a pic of the countertop with the window, sorry I can only tell you the outlet is near the red box on the counter. Wall framing did not allow it to go anywhere else to get it close enough to the sink...
As mentioned, it was pre-approved by the inspector. This was about 3 years ago.


Do GFCI breakers provide necessary protecting for multiple outlet surge protector? I just got results of home inspection on house I'm buying and discovered they had illegally replaced two prong outlets with three prong ones without correcting wiring. I understand my options may to rewire properly, install GFCI receptacles, either individually or at the beginning of each circuit, or install GFCI breakers in the panel. I understand that each outlet must have a sticker regarding grounding. But I hope and believe I'm wrong, that surge protector indicate that this is not acceptable method for the surge protector to properly work. If that is true, what other options are there to properly correct this problem? Should I cancel this purchase (which I can do based on the inspection results)?

I work from home and have computer equipment that needs to stay protected, especially since there are often storms and power outages.

Grounded (aka 3-prong) receptacles without an actual ground path
Older houses did not have grounded receptacles. Simply replacing a 3-prong receptacle with a 2-prong receptacle provides a false sense of security - and can actually be more dangerous than leaving the 2-prong receptacles in place. There is nothing inherently wrong with a 2-prong receptacle. Many devices do not require a ground wire and come with a 2-prong plug. But devices that come with a 3-prong plug are designed to use that 3rd prong for safety and bypassing that is not a good idea.
There are 2 different solutions available:
Ground the Receptacle
This can be trivially easy or monumentally hard. It is trivially easy if the wires are run through metal conduit. Metal junction boxes connected to metal conduit all the way back to the panel generally provides a good grounding path. In other words, you connect a ground wire from the receptacle (typically attached to a green screw on the receptacle) or other device to a grounding screw. The grounding screw doesn't have to be green, but it does have to be the correct type in order to ensure a good connection.
If you don't have metal conduit then you can either retrofit a ground wire all by itself, which does not have to follow the same path as the other wires, or you can run a new cable, including ground, from the panel (which always has ground) to the receptacles. Running a new cable is typically easy in an unfinished basement or garage but much harder in the rest of the house.
GFCI
A GFCI, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, is designed to protect a specific type of problem, a ground fault. Despite the name, a GFCI does not actually use ground itself. Rather, it measures to see if current on hot(s) & neutral matches. If the current doesn't match then by definition it must be flowing through ground, and the GFCI breaks the circuit. So there is a class of problems where a GFCI or a good ground wire would provide protection, so GFCI is considered "good enough" to avoid the need to retrofit a ground wire. However, it does not protect against all modes of use of a ground wire. In particular, as you noted, there are surges and other problems which are resolved by making use of the ground wire and which won't be handled properly if the ground wire is missing. As a result, GFCI without an actual ground must be labelled to indicate there is no ground wire.
What to do?
I would recommend GFCI protection for the general usage receptacles. That is a cheap and easy fix. They do need to be installed properly in terms of Line/Load connections, or installed in the main panel (a little more expensive).
But for the most critical loads - i.e., your home office - retrofit ground if practical or run new circuits with ground. Unless this is a big house with "impossible" wiring and a full panel, adding a couple more circuits should not be that big a deal.


Replace forced air heater with electric radiant floors There are forced air in-wall heaters in my house which are quite noisy. I am considering to replace those with electric radiant floors. What would be the least invasive way to do it?

Current heater is 800W 240V. There are three rooms with such heaters all using the same circuit protected by 20A breaker. I presume I can go as high as 5A per room with this setup, i.e. 1200W. But again, if 800W forced air heater is enough to keep the room warm, equivalent power radiant floor should work just as well. Am I missing anything?

Anyway, my current idea is to reuse existing wiring: disconnect the in-wall heaters and use their wiring to power the radiant floors (installing additional junction boxes as needed). Is anything wrong with that plan? Would I be able to use existing thermostats that directly control power to the heater (i.e. no low voltage lines)?

Washington state, if that matters.

800 watts/room is 2,400 watts, drawing 10 amperes total at 240 VAC. Assuming you need to increase it by 50%, as you suggest, the maximum current is still just 15 amps, still within the 20 A circuit capability.

You must have a very mild climate and well insulated house if 800 W (about 2,700 BTU.hr) is sufficient to keep it warm... you're not up by Snoqualmie Pass. ;-)


Is a junction box "accessible" if it is mounted behind/above a recessed light housing? I am redoing our kitchen lighting. We currently have 1 fluorescent light fixture in the center with 2 T8 bulbs (ugly but a lot of light) and one decorative light fixture over the sink.

I am going to install recessed LED lighting and 2 pendant lights over the island. The switch controlling the light over the sink will end up controlling the pendant lights over the island, necessitating a longer wire run to get to the island. My plan is to install a junction box on the joist in the ceiling above the sink in order to splice in a longer wire run. The original light fixture below the junction box will be replaced with a recessed light (housing with built in junction box). This will make the junction box accessible by removing the recessed light housing. To me, this is equivalent to having the junction boxes for the recessed lights being "accessible" by removing the housing which makes them up to code.

Will this work code wise, and are there any better ways to extend the wiring to the island. (it's only going to be about 4 feet).

Would this product be an acceptable alternative, since it is still accessible by removing the recessed light housing?

http://www.te.com/catalog/cinf/en/c/11621/0?BML=10576,17560,17685&RQS=C~11621

Since the same switch will control the light over the sink (which you are swapping to a recessed light) and the lights over the island, this is easy.

When you add the wire for the island lights, use the junction box on the new recessed light can for the make up.  This is no different then connecting multiple recessed light cans together.


What are my options for installing 240v receptacles in an attached garage? My workshop (attached garage) is currently wired with 120V receptacles fed from the main panel in the house by #10/3 with ground (1 black, 1 red, 1 white, 1 ground) attached to a double-pole 30A breaker.

I'd like to power a 13A, 240V table saw, and need to install a 240V receptacle.  It would also be convenient to install a couple of "extension" receptacles around the perimeter so that I have of the option of changing my shop layout. I see two options, and would welcome advice.

Option 1:

Extend the existing wiring around the shop, using double-ganged boxes for a 120V receptacle on one side, and a 240V receptacle on the other side. The 240V receptacle would use both hots and the ground, and for the 120V side, I would draw from either hot leg to create a split receptacle.

Option 2:

Install a subpanel in the workshop, fed from the currently-installed 30A breaker in the main panel, and create separate circuits for 120V and 240V. Each circuit would receive its own breaker.

Questions:

Option 1 seems most straightforward. But is it correct or safe?
If choosing Option 2, what size breakers should I use for the 120V and 240V circuits?

A subpanel is probably the safest bet. It will allow easier access to cut power in an emergency, and it will offer better protection of the wiring.

If you go with option 1, you'll have to step down to #12 or #14 wire at some point to feed 120V receptacles.  Which means you'll potentially be able to draw 30 amps on a #12/#14 wire, before the breaker trips.

If it were me, I'd install a subpanel with a 30A main breaker. Then use a 20A single pole breaker to feed the 120V receptacles, and a 20A double pole breaker to feed the 220V receptacle. You could use a 15A breaker for the 120V receptacles, but since it's a shop (where you'll likely use high draw devices) I'd go with 20A.  If you do use 20A for the 120V receptacles, make sure you use receptacles rated for that amperage and #12 wire.


My heating coil was bent. Should it be replaced? I know nothing about home improvement so apologies if I have the terms wrong. My landlord sent someone inexperienced to replace my below-window AC unit, and the person somehow bent the heating coil above it. It's now sort of a wide upside down v shape, with one end almost an inch lower than the other.

Should I make the landlord replace the bent coil with a new one? (The landlord wants to try to unbend it.)

It's hard to capture it in photos, but here is my attempt. The first photo compares the bent coil unit to the normal one in the other room, so you can see how much it's bent.

Thanks in advance.

If the heating coil belongs to the landlord and it is still functional (it heats the apartment when needed, without leaking, etc.), you really don't have any reason to "make" your landlord replace it, and making a great fuss about it would put you on the short list for not getting your lease renewed with any sensible landlord.

It's their property, if their chosen fix for the heater they own in the apartment they own is to bend it back into shape, you are merely a tenant who can choose not to renew your lease if that sort of repair is somehow offensive to your sensibilities. I don't think you'll have any luck from a legal standpoint trying to break your lease over it.


Arduino ceiling fan control I've good experience with Arduino, but always with digital electronics and low-power loads. I'd like to automate my ceiling fan using an IR remote control but I've no experience with controlling AC other than using a simple relay to switch things. The arduino/IR part is clear.

I've a ceiling fan with a rotating knob controller. Without the cover it looks like this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gqzwcqx98kyf5ij/2014-08-10%2014.39.57.jpg

How should I control it? I don't mind having only one speed so the quick solution is using a relay. Is there anythink like a "digitally controlled rotary knob" so I can also choose speed? As far as I understand this should be nothing else than a variable resistor, but I do not know anything about controlling AC loads.

Ceiling fan switch diagrams

You can easily do it with three arduino activated relays; you might be able to do it with only two.

You'll need to figure out how the switch maps position to connections as it rotates, and replace all of those connections with relays.  Relatively easy, but somewhat time consuming.


Draining from gutters Currently at my house that I bought recently, I have one side of the house draining the gutters down some pvc pipes that end up draining into my sewage line. On the other side of the house, the gutters just drain down onto a side concrete path that butts against the exterior wall of the house.  This side is of course not a good way to deal with water, as it can pool against the side of the house.  I have a small strip of grass beyond the concrete that I could make a PVC "ditch" to which that side of the house drains to.

Now my question is, in general is it better to drain to the sewage line like the one side of the house, to let it drain down the slope of my yard (which is properly sloped), or to run the water into the street (which I am sure the city may not like so much and I am unsure if that violates any codes)? Is there any harm doing it any of these ways? Is it fine to leave the one side of the house as is, draining into the sewage line?

In my part of the world rain gutters are rarely routed into either municipal sewers or storm drains, and runoff is almost never piped to the street. It's just a matter of routing runoff to a part of your lot that slopes away from the structure.


What is this type of lead called and how do I wire to it correctly? I'm becoming more frustrated than I'd like to admit trying to wire this button up,
  and I often find the easier method it was designed for when I'm having this much trouble.

Sorry for the poor man's macro; there is a clickthrough to the product's datasheet.

If this question is off-topic for DIY.SE and on-topic for another, by all means flag for migration.  I'm following a past suggestion from this question over at EE.SE.

Making connections

You can use heatshrink tubing to insulate the connection and prevent the wires shorting together.

Slide a section on, out of the way, before attaching the wire, solder the wire, slide the tube over the exposed wire and heat it to shrink it.

Which connections

You don't say what this "button" is for. I don't know of a function for a push-button operating a switch with five terminals.

You can usually use the continuity function of a multimeter to work out which terminals are connected to which before, whilst and after pressing the button. From this you can work out  how to wire up the connections to whatever it controls.


Should I use a screw or anchor bolt to hold a metal box to the wall? Which type of bolt is best for securing a metal box to a wall to prevent it being pulled away: Screw Bolt or Anchor Bolt?
And by Screw Bolt I mean this:

And by Anchor Bolt I mean this:

(source: northerntool.com)

I'm old school: I still use lags and shields. They "never" pull out when installed properly.

(alliedboltinc.com)


Trying to convert battery powered sensors to hard-wired sensors. Code / safety concerns? I have a number of battery powered, low-power consumption zwave sensors installed around the house, such as contact, PIR or temperature sensors. These are most running on 3v (CR123 or 2 AAA) batteries and takes very little power ( one set of battery lasts for 3month to 1 year.. so maybe < 10ma?  )

I am thinking of modifying some of them, to put hole in the battery cover so I can wire it to a 12v wall wart with a buck converter outputting 3V near the sensor. The wire may or may not go through attic/drywall/exterior wall, but the wall wart / buck converter will be accessible, and there will be connectors and fuses to break the circuit.

I read about the regulations and safety concerns, and learned that for low-voltage wiring I would want CL2 for in-wall use, and I should worry about voltage drop for longer runs ( which the buck converter should mitigate). It seems like NEC does not specify too much in the class 2 area?

What am I missing? Is there other related NEC for this kind of setup? What are the regulatory and safety concern should I worry about in this setup? Is this a viable plan?

Low voltage wiring to devices that draw less than 55 watts has greatly relaxed rules, and is covered under a different section of (US) National Electrical Code  than mains wiring.

You can see the effect of those rules in how thermostat and doorbell wiring is done -- both of which are subject to Code.

Here, the very fact they can get 3 months runtime on two AAAs implies you have exceptionally low draw devices (in the microamps) that they are not using any more power than you might find on telephone or Ethernet cables (disregarding PoE).  So telephone style wiring is appropriate.

Of course, telephones have current limiting resistors at the far end of the circuit, even if you're right next to the central office, the telco won't give you enough current for a short to start a fire.

You should do the same: have current limiting resistors on the "head end" (power supply end) to remove the possibility of significant current flowing, e.g. A resistor calibrated so the devices normally receive sufficient current, but if the wires are dead shorted, only a few milliamps flows - would be about right.  So you might consider a 3V supply, skip the buck converter, and put a rightsize resistor on the head-end.

E=IR

E=3V, I=10ma (30mw not likely to ignite drywall paper), R=300 ohm.  Assuming your device normally draws <<1ma, it will see <<0.3V drop, you'd have to give it some trial and error to make sure the device isn't browning out at times of key activity such as transmitting, to find the right value of R.


Where does my C wire go in this splice connection? I'm looking to install the Ecobee3 Lite thermostat. My current thermostat has a blue C wire running to it, so my understanding is the PEK doesn't help because that is used if you have no C wire.

On my furnace side, the C wire is unused, so I'm trying to figure out where I need to connect it because I do not have a typical control board that everything conveniently plugs into.

Wires not held in my hand are what is coming from the thermostat with the C wire wrapped around the other wires.

The wire being held (I'm assuming it goes out to the AC unit) connects a small white wire to the yellow wire of the thermostat. It then connects a small red wire from the AC to a larger brown wire that goes into the unit.

Based on the schematic, the Brown wire is listed as connecting to the C wire going into the unit, so does that mean I can have the C wire from the thermostat, the R wire from the AC and the brown wire connected in the same cap? Would this give me the power I need to go to my thermostat?

Here's a picture of what everything goes into. I saw on another post that the C wire can also connect to the ground wire?

Based on the images and your comments, I would say that the wire splice you are holding in the first image with the thick brown and thin red wire would be where you want to connect your C wire.  Blue is the typical color to use, and I believe you have an unused blue wire going to your thermostat that will work (the cable with the unused blue and brown should be the thermostat wiring).

The thin red wire in that bundle and the thin white wire from that yellow/white splice go to the "cooling unit relay" from the schematic.  So the thin red would be the "common" side of the cooling relay and the white would get voltage from the thermostat.


Why is the drywall wet in one corner? I'm repainting a room and noticed that the paint was chipping off (and was even bubbly) in one of the corners just above the baseboard. It wasn't wet but to me it looked like evidence of past moisture. I chipped some of that top layer off without looking too much into it. I spackled the corner and when I started sanding it the next day, I noticed that the spackle didn't dry and almost all of it fell out while sanding. I also noticed that the wall was cold (wouldn't call it wet to the touch). I've decided that I will need to cut out a piece of the drywall in that corner to inspect what is happening inside. The room is on the second floor and that corner is protruding in the air as seen in the photos.

House is located in southeast PA. At the moment it's cold around here (usually just around 32). Hasn't rained in a week or so. No evidence of wetness outside so I'm wondering if there is a weep hole that Is allowing the cold air to get in. I'm hoping to not leave the wall open for longer than I have to and that is why I'm posting here before I start.

I will check the insulation in the two walls as the walls converge to the corner.
I will also check to feel any cold holes. If I find that there is air coming in, would it be enough to get some kind of a wood caulk or sealer, and seal the corner joint from the inside?

Edit: Opened up the drywall - no evidence of wetness. I did notice a draft from the corner I guess. applied some insulating foam to that so hopefully that will help in the future. Thanks for the advice!

I'd go with FrK and Steve Sether, since you found no signs of water and this is a bump-out. Condensation is most likely.
It could be a lack of insulation, but more likely it's an air leak. This could be permanently fixed if a Spray Foam's tube easily feeds up into there from a gap in the siding's corner or from drilling a small hole in the room's corner.
You'll need Big Gap Filler spray foam, shot for about 5-seconds to get the area filled.


60 amp single phase sub-panal from 3phase panel without Neutral ThreePhaseEel has asked me a couple of questions. First, I want to thank him for the answer.

As to the color of the 3 phase wires from the pole, all are green. I don't see any white either. The high leg is the first wire from left in the box that is 208v. The second and third are 120v. So I think instead of A-B-C I have B-A-C. In the box the color of Bus bar C has been painted red but the voltage of this bar is 120. The voltages that you are showing are correct. What I don't understand, is where the white wire from the pole is. Although I see the white wire has entered the adjacent breaker box from the pole.

What should I do when I don’t see white neutral coming from pole to 3 phase panel?

Is it possible there is only one neutral for both single and 3 phase panels?

Can I use the neutral in single phase to connect to the single-phase 60-amp panel that is from 3 phase panel?

How can you distinguish #6 PE from XLPE?

What is this balancing issue warning that some people are talking about when you want to install a single phase sub-panel of a 3 phase panel?

Is it OK to have 60 amp breaker as feeder and as main sub-panel?

Which one will trip first if there is a short?

Finally a question about conduit. Can I use two 1.5” 90 degree elbows (like S shape) connected to each other?

Alright your question is all over the place. Let me try to figure this out.
You have a three phase panel. The different legs are all 120V when measured to ground. But if you measure between any leg to another leg you have 208V. In that panel you have no neutral wire. Just three hots and a ground? You cannot just say that the voltage was 120V on the bus bar without saying what you measured it to (to another leg or ground or what?)

Are you sure this is a three phase panel. The 208V measured from Hot to Hot indicates that it is but do you know how to tell? 3 phase is usually only found in commercial and industrial sites. Not in houses.

What is this box that the white wire goes into thats adjacent to the pole? Does the power go from the outside overhead lines, to a meter base (where power is measured and reported to power authority?) and than to your three phase panel?

Are you now trying to make your own 60A single phase sub panel from your three phase panel? I am still not sure if you understand how 3 phase works/is. We can help you but you need to be more clear.

I am not sure what PE wire is and I am not sure if you are talking about the main service conductors here when you are wondering. But XLPE has a clear almost like shrink tubing around it. If you were to scratch the outside of the individual cable it would sort of rip the outside. Kind of like it had scotch tape on the outside and you scratched it ripping some up. It should also say in writing on the cable XLPE if you can see any writing.

Balancing your panel just means putting the same amount of power on each phase if you can. So if you had 3 big assed air compressors, you would try to put one compressor on Phase A, one compressor on Phase B and one compressor on Phase C. (Or on Phase A+B, Phase B+C and Phase C+A if they are 208V). Do you see. So you just try to evenly space your big loads if you can. The smaller loads you don't need to worry about as much. But if you were doing a sub panel you would put the sub panel on a leg that doesn't have very many big loads on it in the main panel.

If you have two 60 breakers than on a short would trip the breaker that responds the best. Thats anybodies guess. Is your main panel a 60 A breaker and you would like your sub panel to be 60A? Or is the load your adding 60A and the main breaker is only 60A?

Yes you can use 2, 90 degree elbows together. Depending on your cable size it could be hard to pull through if you did them back to back. If you could put a short strait section between them it would be better. Would 2, 45 degree angles work in this application. Its not as harsh on the corners to pull through. Unless your cable is small compared to the pipe and than it shouldn't matter to much either way.

So you are missing tons of information. Let us know.


How to reglue stickers that came off laptop? Contrary to this question, the Intel sticker came off from my laptop and I want to reglue it. What is the best way or the best glue to stick it back on?
I tried already with instant superglue, but that didn't hold for long and the sticker came back off, leaving ugly glue leftovers on the laptop, impossible (or hard?) to remove.
On a sidenote, I already posted this question on superuser, but other users suggest this forum to be more appropriate.

You want something 'gummy' rather than hard.
'Superglue' is a hard result, easy to crack away if there's any movement in the finished joint; poor for mis-matched surface types like a thin flexible sticker on a hard substrate.
In contrast anything 'gummy' will retain flexibility & is less likely to release with movement.
A generic contact adhesive will probably be the best bet. The old standard for this [at least in the UK] is Evo Stik. Apply to both faces separately. Allow 10 minutes for it to become almost dry, then join the faces. Be careful with alignment, you don't get two chances. Apply even pressure for a few minutes, then leave at room temperature for 4 to 24 hours to fully cure.


How do I couple IMC underground? The title, more or less, sums it up. I plan to bury some THHN/THWN-2 feeders, and my jurisdiction allows a 6" bury depth if I use IMC or RMC. I plan to use IMC, which comes with both a male and female threaded end. Do I need to use any sealant on these threads to prevent water ingress?

Unfortunately, I don't think I will be lucky enough to avoid cutting any conduit to get the length I need. How do I couple unthreaded IMC underground? Do I need to use liquid-tight fittings?

My guess is that I don't need any sealants or special fittings because the THWN-2 wires are suitable for wet locations, but I'd like to make sure, in case I need to order special fittings.

Do I need to use any sealant on these threads to prevent water
  ingress?

No you should not use any sealants, chemicals or compounds that are not specifically approved for electrical installations.

  How do I couple unthreaded IMC underground? Do I need to use liquid-tight fittings?

The best way to couple unthreaded IMC is with threadless IMC compression couplings. Yes they do make them and they are expensive and they are not a stock item. Exercise caution when using them. They have a tendency to pull apart during expansion and contraction of the soil. Try and use them where there is less of a chance to do this, meaning at the beginning and end of the trench around the 90 degree ell coming out of the ground or use with an expansion coupling.

Good luck.


Replacing subpanel that was fed with 3 wires A contractor replaced my subpanel with a new one, and will come back for other work and inspection. (Old subpanel is Federal Pacific.) My home is in California, built in early 1980s. The subpanel is in the attached garage, feeding everything in my home except AC.
I noticed that my subpanel is fed with 3 wires (hot, hot, neutral).

Does this mean my home is not properly grounded?
Is it a code violation to replace the subpanel without fixing grounding?
The contractor recommended connecting subpanel to a new ground rod without adding a 4th wire. That appears like a bad idea based on another question on this site. What's the right way to fix this?
When I put a voltage meter between hot and ground bar of the new subpanel, it shows approximately 120V. Is that expected when the panel is not connected to ground feed? How do I verify that ground and neutral are not accidentally bonded in the subpanel?

Photos of the inside after replacement: (In the photo, breaker is not properly set up for MWBC. That will be fixed. Please ignore.)

Your feeder appears to be in metal conduit, which is the grounding conductor
Since your feeder appears to have been run as wires in a metal conduit, that conduit would serve as your grounding conductor provided it is continuous back to the main panel.  I would turn off the feeder at the main panel and do a continuity check from the neutral lug on the panel to the panel cabinet, though, to make sure of this.
... and that "hook" wasn't ever needed in your situation
Note that the "hook" you describe, which is more properly called a lug on a bonding bushing that was present in the old installation, wasn't actually ever needed in this case, since the conduit does not have service entrance wires in it, just feeder wires, and your circuits are running at less than 250V to ground.  (Bonding around concentric/eccentric/impaired KOs in the fashion you describe is only required for service entrances and circuits upwards of 250V to ground, as per 250.92(B) and 250.97 respectively.)
You will need to have those open knockout holes plugged though
Unless the contractor is planning on using those open holes in the top of the panel for a cable run when they come back, they'll need to put knockout plugs in the open KOs in the top of the subpanel in order to keep junk from getting into the panel and causing trouble there.  (They're a Code violation for that reason.)


How could I repair the following bathtub chip? Like a fool, I managed to chip the bathtub in my apartment - what would my best bet be for repairing this, short of replacing the entire tub?

Long story short, I dropped something in the bathtub because my brain is the size of that a small flea, I understand that I'm not worthy of life, and all of that good stuff.

I think that it's a metal tub with a porcelain coating - could this be fixed with a repair kit?

Nothing you use to repair the porcelain tub fired frit will be as hard and durable but you can look for two part glass filled epoxy resins to repair the porcelain chip. If you are using the tub right now, any shower, shampoo or conditioner residue MUST be completely removed from the chip area prior to or before filling and leveling the epoxy resin. Alcohol followed by acetone swipes will remove most soap residues quickly.

Finding a good color match may be difficult. Looks like a light Almond Beige on my cheap monitor. There are kitchen and bath installer adhesives that are availabe to the trade that allow a good color match but they are usually big kits with many pigment tubes and designed for bonding many linear feet of stone or man made synthetic countertops and bath liners. Did you save any of the porcelain chip for a color match at the store?

Another problem is leveling the repair adhesive bond after applying it to fill the chip. You want a smooth gloss fill to match the surrounding area gloss and color. If the chip is on the bottom of the tub or shower enclosure, then things are easier than if the chip is on the the side of the tub. For side and vertical wall fills, a layer of clear plastic tape can hold the fill in place until it has polymerized to a non sticky high solids fill. In any case, spot sanding to lower and smooth out the patch would be another additional step after applying the bonding fill agent to the chip. Good luck

If you search on "Porcelain Repair Kit Almond" you will get at least a dozen different kits to choose from. Devcon, Permatex Loctite and many others are name brands for epoxy repair and all should work when the directions are followed. Keep it clean and dry before during and after repair for at least 24 hours. There are also tub restoration paints but avoid those unless you feel like re-spraying a well masked complete shower and or tub interior.


Is creating a concrete driveway a diy? The entry of the driveway is just a rock bed with no concrete. I want to replace it, it doesn't have to be replaced with concrete so I'm open to suggestions there. If it is a diy, what are the high level steps involved? What about tools? I know the old stuff has to go, but beyond that I don't know. I'm in MI, USA also in case there are some local laws anyone is aware of.

DIY option:

rent a skid steer
scrape off existing driveway
buy crushed rock
spread with skid steer, rake
rent a compacter and compact crushed rock layer
bring in sand, spread, screed and level.
buy concrete pavers
start laying them
depending on your age/health, buy lots of Advil

Good luck!


Will a 4x6 substitute for a doubled 2x6 header? I am replacing a 3 ft single pane window with a 4 ft double pane window.  The old header was just a single 2x4 laid flat with 2x4 cripple studs spaced 16 inches.  My question is: can I install a single 4x6 beam (douglas fir #2 grade) instead of sandwiching two 2x6's with plywood?  The charts that I found in the IRC list only 2x's.

In my experience, and assuming your lumber doesn't have major checking, a 4x6 is adequate as a substitute for doubled 2x6s. Whether it strictly meets code is another question, but I'd assume that it does.

It'll almost certainly be adequate in your specific case, where no structural header existed in the first place.

FYI, you don't have to sandwich plywood. You can use a flat 2x4 bottom and stand 2x6 sides on that in a U configuration. That's how I've done it for many years. In the case of 2x6 exterior walls you can insulate between the side members.


Best way to reattach this molding to the drywall? We bought an old house earlier this year and the molding it loose in a lot of places. It looks like they used very long, thin nails to attach it originally. They don't seem very effective. How should we reattach the molding?

For that type of heavy softwood trim on drywall, I'd use 2-1/2" 16 gauge gun nails, or get some 2-1/2" hardened trim/casing nails (which are significantly narrower then regular wire nails) and pre-drill through just the trim with a 1/16" bit. You want an inch of penetration into the framing, at least.

Where it contacts the door jamb, 1-1/2" or 2" nails are adequate, but you could use the longer nails as well.

You can also use a few dabs of construction adhesive or silicone against the drywall for better stability.


Using washers to fill gap between top support component and IKEA IVAR cabinet I have an IKEA IVAR pine cabinet, the 80x50x83cm version - like the cabinet here.

I have installed it into IKEA IVAR side units, 50x226cm - like the side units here.

Here are the assembly instructions.

The side units are over 15 years old, which may explain the following problem:

There are supports which plug into holes in the uprights and have a protruding part which contacts the cabinet. The supports go on the top and bottom of the cabinet. There is a hole in the protruding part for a machine screw which screws into a hole in the cabinet to steady it. (See pages 16, 17 and 18 in the assembly instructions.)

The cabinet is properly seated on the bottom supports, and screwed in correctly. However, when it is properly seated on the bottom supports, there is a 3mm vertical gap between the protruding part of the top support and the top of the cabinet. The top machine screw is then too short to properly screw into the cabinet.

I phoned IKEA. Their suggestion was to order new uprights. I would like to avoid that.

Is it a reasonable solution to buy new, longer, machine screws (14mm)
and use a 3mm stack of washers to fill the gap between the support
and the cabinet?
The metal washers which fit the British Standard for an M4 machine
screw are 0.8 mm in depth. I’ve found nylon washers which are 1mm in
depth. How should I arrange my washers so they fill up the space
underneath the support fully? Can I mix washer types? (I’m not sure 3mm is an exact measurement.)

The part numbers in question are:

103887 for the supports
100404 for the screws

The IKEA parts catalogue, which gives the dimensions of individual parts, is available here:
http://www.icomp.webcms.se/index.cfm

I would drill new holes in the upright so the top bracket is properly positioned. Your plan for washers would work but I don't think it would look as good.


Portable heat/air system Okay it is clear that the portable heat and air system has to be vented outside for the air conditioning but does it have to be vented outside for the Heat? I have an idylist portable heating and cooling system

Electric heating elements like they use in the Idylist units do not need venting. Some units do work like a heat pump and may have some condensate that will need to be drained. The amount of condensate will depend on the humidity and the length of time the unit is running but for heat no vent is needed.


What material should I use to hold a live lamp piece in place? I am repairing a lamp whose plastic rotary knob has degraded and broken (as seen on the right of the photo below).  The knob originally moved a small metal pin, which conducted the electricity for the lamp (the pin is visible in the center of the image on the left, and the top of the image on the right).

Now that the knob is broken, it can't hold the pin in place.  This has happened before and I've just glued the plastic back together, but now I'd like a longer term solution.  Since I can't find a replacement for the plastic knob, I have inserted a cord switch into the wire instead, which works just fine.  But to make this solution work, I need to keep the metal pin in place and in the on position.

Here are some options I've considered:

Solder (risking damage to the plastic bulb fitting)
Non-conductive putty (couldn't find something that fit the bill)
Glue
Cardboard
Rubber band

I've seen some posts online that suggest glue, cardboard, or rubber bands would work for low voltages (the latter two would be used to wedge the pin in place).  But I don't know if 120 volts counts as "low voltage" for this purpose.  So I'd appreciate any advice on whether one of these solutions or another one I haven't thought of would be most appropriate.

It looks like that pin is the internal mechanism of what used to be a switch that was integral to the socket.  There is no a way to safely hold that in place.  You are likely to get a high resistance connection or arcing, either of which will eventually destroy the lamp, and could cause a fire in the process.  It generally isn't worth the effort and risk to attempt a home repair/redesign.

Replace the socket.  It looks a lot like this one:

You can find replacement sockets of pretty much every type, including ones with integral switches of different configurations.  This one I linked to at Amazon ($3.28 with free shipping as part of a larger order), but it may also be at your local Home Depot, Lowes, or electrical or lighting supply store.  Or you can redesign the lamp using components that are certified by UL or another organization.

But repair it by replacing whole components that are designed to be used intact.  The components aren't generally repairable.  If you can't find the exact replacement, modify the brackets or other mechanical parts that hold the socket in place rather than trying to modify the electrical components, themselves.  Hardware store have a big selection of brackets and parts you can use to make things fit an existing fixture.

The black and white wires in the lamp have crimped terminals that look like they may be salvageable to simplify connecting to the screw terminals on the replacement socket.  You might need a Dremel tool to free them.  If it's too much effort, just snip the wire behind the crimps, pull a little more into the fixture, and make new connections.


How can I fix low water pressure in one shower? I am experiencing low water pressure in one shower on the second story in my condo. The water heater is on the first floor. The shower downstairs has good water pressure. Every sink and toilet seem to have good water pressure too. Neither shower has a bathtub faucet. Both faucets are single handle.

I have tried the following:

1) Removed the shower head from both showers. Water pressure is significantly lower coming out of the pipe upstairs than it is downstairs.

2) Switched the cartridges between the showers. Performance for both showers did not change.

I have limited access to the rough-in valve, but can't access any of the pipes unless I remove drywall.

Additionally I have noticed that there is intermittent vibration in the pipe when turning the faucet from cold to hot. The handle starts pointed downward, and the vibration starts when the handle is about 90 degrees counter clockwise. The vibration stops if I continue to turn it all the way to 180 degrees, and turn it slightly harder at the end.

I'm not sure if these two problems are related or not.

Any ideas on what may be occurring here?

I was able to fix the low water pressure issue by slightly opening the valve stops.

I was able to fix the vibration issue by finding a procedure online to empty my water lines.


Is a butt edge to tapered edge drywall joint OK? I’ve got some smaller areas I need to fill with drywall in a room, and fortunately I had some pieces from cutting others while staggering. I used them to fill in the gaps, but I didn’t like how they looked as they were butt edges against tapered edges. I took them down and used a fresh sheet to ensure all tapered edges met.
However, I feel like I wasted an entire sheet just to achieve this. Is it fine to have a butt up against a tapered edge?

It depends how fussy you are. A perfect finish is easier if you have the only joints at tapers and corners.


How do I prevent my screen door from opening too far? Just bought a new house and I've noticed that when the front screen door opens too wide it knocks into a light fixture hung on the other side of the door. the fixture has started to loosen so obviously this has been a problem for a while. Obviously we could just be careful, but we have a toddler and have other friend with children.

What is the best way to keep the door from being opened too wide to prevent damage both to the door and to the fixture behind it?

You can always install the spring.

Kids really love playing with these.  Until it slams onto their little fingers.

Or you can install a closer.

These you mount high and it will limit the amount how far back a door will go and how fast the door closes.  You can also lock it open when you bring the groceries in.  If you already have a closer it either needs adjusting or maybe it's not mounted correctly to do what you need.

Also, you might consider if you don't have it is a locking latch.

Edit  After I read comments placed while writing this.

I spent a few weeks one summer building and installing these until the state said I was too you to work with the tools.  I can adjust them but for the ife of me I couldn't tell anyone.  I did find this:

There are two ways to control a pneumatic door closer:

Adjusting the bracket that attaches the closer to the door.
Turning the screw on the end of the closer that regulates the rate at which the air is released from the cylinder.

If the door doesn’t close all the way, adjust the bracket:

Open the door and slide the stop out to hold the cylinder open.
Loosen the screws that attach the bracket to the door and move the bracket further out (toward the door handle).
Or remove the pin that secures the cylinder to the bracket and move it out to a hole further away.

If the door slams shut or closes too slowly, adjust the pneumatic cylinder:

To slow the closing, turn the screw on the end of the pneumatic cylinder clockwise.
To speed up the closing, turn the screw counterclockwise.

If adjusting doesn’t help, the closer may need to be replaced. Take your old door closer with you to the home improvement center to be sure the replacement will fit the hardware on your door. Some pneumatic door closers work better than others, so buy a quality one.


Raw linseed oil on counter top: drying time? I have a new pine countertop that I'd like to match some existing pine kitchen surfaces nearby. The previous owners of my house finished the existing counters with raw linseed oil, so I decided to follow this process for the new pine surface — even though it is not a food surface, I decided a matching look would be nice.

I mixed 2 parts raw linseed oil to 1 part mineral turpentine, a ratio I found somewhere online that appeared convincing. As the previous owners did on the existing counters, I added a touch of stain to darken the colour just a bit.

I applied 3 thin coats of this mixture with a paint brush, allowing ~10 hours between applications, waiting for the surface to be dry to the touch.

Now, some 10 days and quite a lot of fan-blowing time later, the new counter is still very ... oily. It's dry to the touch, but leaves an oily residue on my fingers. A brown residue can be rubbed off on paper, and any paper left sitting on the counter blots up tell-tale oil.

The air has been relatively dry, and temperatures have been around 10 to 20ºC (50 to 70ºF). Edit: humidity in the 50 to 80% range, top stored indoors.

How should I proceed to get the surface to 'set'? Is it just a matter of more time and more air, or should I be wiping the surface down with something to get rid of the remaining oil?

Thanks!

Raw linseed oil does not harden. That is the fundamental difference between raw and boiled (often chemically treated rather than actually boiled, these days) linseed oil. It will be gummy for a very, very long time.

You would probably want to remove as much of the surface oil as possible and re-oil with a hardening oil - boiled linseed, walnut, etc.


THHN through EMT - then convert to Romex? I want to wire outlets and light in my unfinished attic. There is a light switch at the bottom of the stairs, cable (I think THHN?) that runs through EMT through the wall and comes out upstairs and then connects to the light.

Since the attic will eventually be finished, I don't want to add any more conduit (and will probably get rid of the EMT that is exposed upstairs). How do I convert the THHN to Romex? I'm confused about what to connect to what.

Also, I'm trying to wire a three way switch (one switch at the bottom and one at the top of the stairs). Is this going to be possible with the current wiring that's in the EMT or do I need to switch it out for something else?

You can transition wiring methods at a junction box.  Use the EMT wiring method up to the junction box (whole nine yards with fittings and clamps).  Then use the NM wiring method beyond it.  The junction box must remain accessible without screws, nails or demolition (other than the ones on the junction box lid, of course).  If you don't like the aesthetics of a blank junction box cover, then stick a receptacle there lol, or better, extend the conduit a little bit to a place you want a receptacle, and use an extra-large box so you have room for the splices. Then put a receptacle there fed off one of the circuits.

You simply splice wire to wire, except for grounds. Normally there isn't a ground in the EMT conduit, the conduit is the ground.  Any junction box will have a #10-32 tapped hole and you fit a cute little green ground screw there with a pigtail.  You tie the pigtail to the Romex grounds.

I get where you're a Romex guy and EMT/THHN feels alien to you.  I strongly recommend you "get acquainted with" this new wiring method.  It is actually rather versatile.  For instance, a conduit can take up to 4 circuits - or 8 with multi-wire branch circuits!  All circuits can share 1 ground wire, and if the route is entirely metal conduit and metal boxes, the conduit is the ground!  It's a fantastic system.

That the attic will be finished is precisely why to think about extending conduit.  Conduit lets you alter the wiring later depending on your usage.  Find it's too hot and want a window air conditioner, but a 120V one would overload the circuit with your PC/laser, and you'd prefer a 240V unit anyway?  Easy peasy - pop a few box covers off, pull two more wires, instant dedicated circuit.  With stranded wire, pulling is easy. I do it all the time.


Best way to temporarily relocate a radiator? I need to move a radiator a few feet along a wall for about a year or two to avoid some furniture, and then move it back to its original location. I'd therefore like to avoid having to lift all the flooring up and laying new pipes, but just put some extension piping in which can easily be removed later.
My current thinking is that I have 2 options:

Remove the valves, extend the pipework along the wall, and install radiator + valves in new location
Extend the pipework after the valves, so the extension effectively is part of the radiator.

I think option 2 sounds easier, I can even do it without draining the system, but (other than the weirdness of the valves not being next to the radiator) are there issues with that approach?
Or, are both these ideas stupid and I should do something else?
One extra detail, just to make life interesting ... the radiator feeds are 10mm piping, but I would probably just use 15mm for the extension. Or is that a bad idea too?

I think option 2 sounds easier, I can even do it without draining the system

Yes, not draining the system is a huge plus. You'll have to drain the radiator of course.

but (other than the weirdness of the valves not being next to the radiator) are there issues with that approach?

Yes, you have to avoid having high spots in the pipes because air bubbles will settle there and will be impossible to remove. The pipes must have a little bit of slope to allow air bubbles to rise into the radiator, then you can open the air trap on the radiator to let the air out. This means the new spot for the radiator should not be lower than the old spot, or the pipes will have slope in the wrong direction. If you use PEX pipe which is easier to work with, then it would be better for the new spot to be like 1" higher.

Or, are both these ideas stupid and I should do something else?

It's a bit of a kludge, but hey, it's your radiator, so why not.

One extra detail, just to make life interesting ... the radiator feeds are 10mm piping, but I would probably just use 15mm for the extension. Or is that a bad idea too?

No problem, but have a good look at what kind of fittings are used to connect the valves to the radiator. You will need compatible fittings, and probably more fittings to connect that to your pipe, which may decide what pipe you'll use if you want to minimize the number and/or total cost of fittings.
Also I'd really advise using PEX pipe or other type of pipe that is a bit flexible, because you won't drill the holes in the wall with absolute precision, so in the end the radiator may not be exactly where you want down to the millimeter, and if you end up with steel tube that is a few millimeters too short or doesn't end up exactly where you need it, well you can't bend it in place, so it's kind of a bummer. Worse, the weight of the radiator may end up resting on the pipe and not on the wall.


Will switching to LED lightbulbs make a significant difference in my electric bill? I asked Reliance Controls about a THP103 meter that I was having trouble with. Turns out that it's not a true RMS meter and thus is unable to give you accurate readings on a CFL or LED installation. See my other question: Why am I getting strange results when using a power meter to measure CFLs?
After explaining why I was testing a CFL (not seeing a noticeable difference in the cost of electricity being used) they replied with the following which I'm assuming isn't public knowledge because the average person doesn't have a degree in Electrical Engineering:

You may already have information on estimating the energy usage/utility charges, but here is a document that might assist in calculations if you are interested.   The difference between a 100W incandescent light and a 15W CFL is pretty minimal when related to monthly costs, but that's just a generalization and there are many factors.
If both lights are on 24 hours per day, for 30 days in a month, the 100W bulb might cost about 5-6$ more for that month than a 15W CFL. But if they are on only 12 hours per day, for 30 days, the difference is much less, maybe only 2-3$ per month.   Less than 12 hours per day will bring that difference closer as well.   Maybe some of the formulas will help learn more about what could be bringing the bill up or down.

So, I'm looking for a way to bring down my electric bill and I'm leaning on the age old principle of simply turning off the lights when you leave the room. However, I work long hours and light is somewhat of a necessity unless I work by the glow of my computer screen. Plus I need a light for my chickens which require 16 hrs of light during the day and winter is setting in, and the simple fact that I live with 3 other people who don't know how to turn off the lights. One's 3 so he's excused until he can reach the switch.
Does anyone know if LED bulbs make any difference in terms of lowering costs to a noticeable degree?

Say your electrical bill is $100 a month.

Now say you have a refrigerator, a computer, a window fan and your light bulbs in your house as your only electrical devices.  Everything but your light bulbs are on 24/7.

Fridge: 725W **NOTE MOST FRIDGES DON'T ACTUALLY RUN 24/7 THIS IS JUST FOR EXAMPLE PURPOSES*
Computer : 125W
Fan: 150W
Lights (on 8 hours a day, 100W)

Fridge, computer and fan on all day = 1000W * 24h = 24kWh
Lights on 8h a day = 0.8kWh
Total daily usage = 24.8kWh

In that scenario your lights represent 0.8/24.8 or 3% of your daily electrical consumption.

If you replace your light with a 15W bulb, you've dropped from 24.8kWh to 24.12kWh a day, a savings of only 2.7% of your total daily consumption.

Addendum:  I am not saying lighting is going to be 3% of your bill - I'm only making an example.  You have to do the math - you have to figure out how much total power you're using (check electric bill) and then how much power your lights use (look at the bulbs and measure how long each one is left on each day) and that's your total % of energy for lighting.  If that % is 15 then you can only reduce that 15%.  You can cut your lighting costs in half, but half of 15% is only 7.5%.


How can I seal around this pipe on my roof? I have a PVC furnace exhaust pipe coming out through my roof. Unfortunately, the guy who installed it used the wrong size flange. So instead of the rubber rising upwards against the pipe, it is sunken downwards, and water puddles in the depression and eventually drips inside. I tried using roof sealant caulk, but it didn't do the job. Is there some kind of thick, sticky sealant that I could drop in there to solve the leak?

Sounds like you should just get the right sized pipe boot rather than trying to glue the wrong sized pieces together.


How can I remove a mouse stuck in the air duct above a kitchen exhaust fan with built-in microwave? Last night I heard noises in the cabinet above the microwave. There was nothing there but I heard squeaking and movement from the lower part of the metal air duct in the center of the cabinet.

I am not sure how to approach removing the mouse from that space... This microwave was installed decades ago and I have no idea how to remove it.

So I am thinking that it may be possible to remove the lower part of the metal air duct?

Not even sure what these parts are called. Open to ideas.

Can't imagine the mouse being able to climb back to the roof and so I need to deal with this and soon.

Thank you for your help!

Edit: I am adding images for clarification:

The microwave and fan assembly seems to be held in place by two long screws in the front part of the wooden cabinet. I presume there's some kind of bracket in the back

Where there's a mouse there are mouse droppings and urine... I'd get that microwave out and clean it, if not replace it.

It looks like there are a pair of screws in the front corners of the cabinet going down into the microwave. If so.. those are probably what's holding up the front edge of the microwave. The rear edge is probably supported by some wall-mount bracket.

Don't forget to unplug the power cord. Then remove the two screws at the front and allow the unit to tip downward; after tipping it downward a bit you'll be able to lift the rear off of the wall bracket. It can sometimes be managed by one person, particularly if one knows how the assembly works.. but that not being the case here, recruit help to deal with the weight and any unanticipated fasteners/challenges.

Make sure both you and the assistant are comfortable with the idea of a spooked mouse dashing out of its prison, over you, and disappearing into the kitchen.


Will a consumer UPS clean up power from a conventional genetator I have a DeWalt DXGNR7000 generator with a bonded neutral. I’m okay with house wiring, the fine folks here on Stack helped me out with that.

However, I know that these types of gensets create 60hz sine wave power but I’m informed there is lot of noise and frequency variation... like a LOT. Like all over the place...

And I guess that’s okay for my LED light fixtures, and a microwave oven, and circular saws etc, but not so much for satellite receivers, TVs, computer etc.

So instead of buying a (much) more expensive and less powerful inverter genset, I thought about putting a consumer UPS backup, like APC with their AVR feature, in front of the sensitive stuff.

Good or bad idea?

Any guidance is, as always, very much appreciated!

A regular consumer UPS will keep the voltage within acceptable limits for electronic equipment, but it won't do much cleanup of electrical noise or irregular frequency while it's powering the equipment from the mains power.  That's because they're designed to supply mains power as long as it is available.  The battery kicks in only if the mains power goes out or drops below a minimum threshold.  Surge protection protects against high voltage spikes.

An "online" UPS will do what you're asking.  With these, you always operate off the battery, so the output is a constant voltage, constant frequency, and noise-free.  The mains power keeps the battery charged when it's available.  Voltage or frequency fluctuations, noise, or other problems don't affect their ability to charge the battery.

That's the basics.  Unfortunately, things are a little more complicated as far as what you can actually buy for the kind of application you have.  Many products are actually hybrids, particularly in the size used for home electronics.  This discussion by APC describes the technologies available and what they can do as far as cleaning up messy power.  You can use that to compare the products available (and their costs).  Here is some summary information from that link:

As you can see, the technology that does what you want is generally expensive or impractical for applications smaller than commercial use.  But at least you have the information to make a more informed decision.


How large should a return HVAC duct be relative to the size of the supply? I have a 4 ton American Standard electric forced air furnace (with no A/C - just heat) with a single speed blower motor, circa 2006.

My supply main trunk is 12"x20".

The return side of the system has not yet been completed. Is there a standard rule of thumb for sizing the return side of the duct system?

EDIT: Ok, clearly this is a more difficult question and answer than I anticipated. Does anyone have a general rule of thumb for the ratio of a single trunk supply to a single trunk return?  i.e. In any given installation should the return/supply ratio be 1:1? Should it never be less than x:1?  Any input would be appreciated.

OK, I have heard from multiple HVAC contractors that a general rule of thumb in a single trunk return, single trunk supply duct system, the RETURN:SUPPLY ratio should be 1:1 or greater.

In other words, the return should always be at least as large as the supply.  And preferably the return should be larger than the supply.


Overhead lights don't work but voltage meter shows sockets have power Overhead lights don't go on but voltage tester shows voltage is reaching  sockets. Even when switch is turned off, meter shows voltage still reaching sockets. Receptacles on the same circuit  also show a charge with the voltage tester but appliances plugged in don't work.

Voltage testers can sometimes be tricky because they can show "phantom voltage" induced (well, capacitively coupled) from other wires.

However, the more likely problem is -- remember, current flows in loops -- and the safety ground wire is not a player.  So somewhere the loop is broken; if you're measuring voltage (hot to ground) then it's likely that side of the loop is OK. Check the neutral side.

The neutral side is trickier to test, because it's supposed to be near 0 volts.  However if it is broken, and a load is connected and turned on, then a disconnected neutral will float near 120V, and will give a voltage reading.


How deep in ground should I install 4x4 PT fence posts? I'm installing some 4x4 Pressure Treated 8' Tall Fence Posts for a chicken run. I want to have at least 7' tall fence, and am wondering if the 1' sunken depth is adequate. I have read conflicting information as to what I should do and the methods to use. I am also not building a wooden fence, just a light poultry wire mesh.

My plan was:
I so far have dug 7" Diameter x 18" Deep. Wanted to put 3" of Concrete, 3" of Gravel, to be left with 1 foot of sunken post depth in the soil. Then Soil+Gravel Mix all the way to the top, tamping as I go to compact.

I plan to be using 1" poultry chicken wire mesh for the perimeter, with a gate on one end between 2 posts.

My 3 questions are:

Is 12" Sunken Depth good enough for a 7' tall fence? How deep do I need to go for such a light application of netting/wire mesh?
Do you think the 3" of gravel atop the 3" of concrete will be sufficient to prevent moisture wicking into/against the post to increase its' life?
Do you think that 6' will be sufficient to keep predators and deer away from the poultry if I have to dig the post deeper?

I definitely don't want to install these more than once, and if I have to dig deeper I will.

If you already bought (and can't return) 8 foot wooden posts and you want a 7 foot high fence (or "at least 7 feet") I would suggest not burying them at all, as that's doomed to failure. Put metal post bases (or metal posts) in the ground and bolt your wooden posts to them. Otherwise buy 10 or 12 foot wooden posts if you want 7-8 feet above ground and you want them to stay put. Or, bury them 3-4 feet deep and bolt 2x2 or 2x4 lumber to them aboveground to get to 7 feet (or more) above ground level.

If you didn't already buy them I suggest you learn about metal posts, they are usually much less expensive and easier to set, as well as somewhat safer around livestock than PT wood. But you still need enough post in the ground to hold the post in the air stable, and unless you are drilling holes in solid rock to place your posts in, a 1-7 ratio is dubious in the extreme - and so is placing concrete footings above frost line. In reasonably solid ground an 8 foot post can be driven in 2 feet and leave 6 feet above ground, but your corner posts will definitely need some bracing to stay put, and/or will need to be longer.

Wire (mesh or not) is actually more demanding on the posts than a wooden fence - the wire pulls and provides no support - wooden fence sections provide some bracing to the posts.


Soundproofing windows against air traffic noise We're currently renting an attic apartment under one of Heathrow's main flight paths and unfortunately have only double glazed velux windows. The aircraft noises are fairly loud and I'm looking to reduce this.

As it's rented accommodation I'm looking at fairly cheap and non destructive options (e.g. replacing windows).

Right now I'm thinking about how sound studios eliminate outside noise, so would Acoustic foam over the inside of the windows block some of the sound?
http://www.cutfoam.co.uk/acoustic.html as I would be able to just stick these up with sticky back tape.

Any ideas of how to eliminate some noise would be great.

First, figure out how the majority of noise is getting into the interior.  Is it really coming through the windows? Or is it coming through the roof and ceiling and walls?

Windows are the hardest to sound deaden, but you imply you are good with acoustic foam on the windows?!  What about bricking (in a removable way) over the window?

An existing space can be quieted substantially with heavy draperies from ceiling to floor.  Not just on the windows, but on the walls.

A drop ceiling installed under an existing ceiling also helps.  That also allows placement of additional insulation.

No idea what the limits are for UK rentals, but they seems to be a lot more loosey-goosey than in the U.S.!


How to excavate 3ft deep around perimeter of building I have a building that I'm converting into living space for rental units. The building is on a cement slab foundation and to bring it up to code, I need to install foam board insulation around the entire exterior perimeter of the slab 3 feet deep.
My issue is I'm not sure what is the best/safest way to dig around the entire perimeter of the building.

Is it feasible to dig it by hand?
Is it dangerous for me to excavate
the entire perimeter at once?
Are there any tools than could help
with the job?

I considered an excavator, however, one entire wall of the building is covered by an awning, which wouldn't allow for the excavator. There is also some cement I will have to bust away to get to the dirt.
Any advice would be helpful.

Who told you that you need insulation 3’ down around the perimeter of the building? Let’s try this a different way:
The Building Code is divided into several sections, including the Energy Code, Structural Code, Fire Code, etc. Your question references the Energy Code.
The Energy Code identifies the minimum energy code requirements. These requirements are outlined in what the Code defines as the “Prescriptive Path”. That is to say, if you use the minimum values of each item in the Prescriptive Path, (i.e.: R-value of insulation in attic and walls, U-value for windows and doors, efficiency of heating units, etc.) then you comply with the Energy Code.
However, you can substitute a higher value for one item in order to reduce (or eliminate) another item.
So, if you don’t have perimeter insulation 3’ down around your slab, you may be able to increase the R-value of your attic insulation or purchase a more energy efficient heating unit, etc.
In order to change the items in the Prescriptive Path you’ll need to hire an architect or mechanical engineer, but they could save you $$$$ and a ton of grief.
Btw, I noticed that you’re converting a building into “residential units”. If the building will have more than 2 units, you’ll need fire sprinklers, unless you install a 2-hour fire wall between each 2 units. (An architect can outline how to do that.)


How to remove heavily rusted hinge This hinge has seized so needs replacing. But I can't even see the 4 Phillips screw head clearly, and a screw driver just slips so it's likely stripped.

What's the best way of removing these screws? I was thinking maybe use a Dremel to cut a new slot for a regular screw driver but in going to have access issues on the left.

The usual tool to use for this is a screw extractor.

You drill a hole in the screw, then use the screw extractor bit in the hole you drilled.  The brand pictured has the drill and extractor on the same bit.

Drilling the hole is usually the hard part.  It may help to drill the smallest possible hole first, then re-drill with a bigger bit, then extract the screw.

If you're patient, you can use a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel or tiny grinding wheel to cut the heads off, remove the hinge, then use vice grips to unscrew the bits left behind.

Rather than cutting a slot with the Dremel, you can try to just grind a flat on the head so you can get a better grip on it with vice grips, but in this particular case it looks like there's not enough room for that to work well.


How often and long should my fresh air intake run? My builder installed a fresh air timer on my furnace, a 24-hour pin timer with 15-minute increments. When it's on, it runs the fan and opens the fresh air damper. The resulting air that comes from the registers is cold (it's cold outside) but not as cold as the outside air, which leads me to believe it's mixing the outside air with recirculated air from inside.

We ran it on always-on mode for a while to help with the carpet and paint fumes, but it's cold enough outside now that the constant cold air is bothersome. How often/how long/at what times should I run it during different times of the year? The settings the builder left on the timer were clearly the result of someone just haphazardly poking a few groups of pins so it ran a few hour-long intervals every day.

I've poked around on the web a bit but there's an amazing amount of jargon and conflicting advice out there.

In our area, these systems are required to make sure that your house has sufficient fresh air to combat sick building syndrome.  The amount of fresh air required is based on a lot of sophisticated equations of square feet, number of occupants, etc. But after all that, not one word is mentioned about how long it should run in a given 24-hour period. It is totally left up to the home owner. If you have an active house  hold with the doors opening several times a day with normal coming and going.  You don't need any additional fresh air.  If you are a shut-in with very little coming and going, I would say 15-minutes twice per day.


mixing a little dish soap and water into your compound I was reading a tread about how little air holes appear in drywall mud. There were multiple suggestions of adding a little ivory soap and water to drywall mud to make it as smooth as a baby's butt. How much soap to water to mud would all you pros out there recommend?

It has been a while since is did it but it did have an impact on the air bubbles.

How much soap ? Very little, much less than you think.

I have done the soap, maybe a half tablespoon for a gallon or two of mud, but i do not use any water.

I remember adding too much the first time and it was a little thin/loose, hard to work with.

I used generic dish soap.

You can always add more but you can not take it out. ( I have cut this board twice and it is still too short )