Stubborn laminate boards that won't lock, can I glue I laid about 200 sq ft laminate, I didn't do too bad of a job but I missed 2 spots, away from each other but still pretty center in the room, where the boards just won't lock. I tap from both ends I hammer down flat on the joint, I air dusted it, I checked that the won't stay together.

If I try to replace the boards around the failed joint I'll have to lift up ~75% of the entire room. This seems really risky I know a lot of these boards are going to get damaged in the process, I would really like to avoid having to spend anymore money. can I safely use a small bit of glue at these two junctions? Or is there a better way?

I don't see gluing the joint being a problem as long as there is nothing trying to push the joint apart, other than a small deflection of the floor while stepping on it. The subfloor itself is supposed to be pretty flat, say no more than a 1/16" dip in the floor with a 4' straightedge. That was the requirements with my floor. Yours may be different. It should be somewhere on the packaging.

Other factors could cause it to separate, for example, and perhaps it really the only thing, is that the interlock that hold the pieces together failed either before or after assembly. If the high part of the interlock gets knocked off, there will be nothing to hold it together. If that is the case, and the missing parts aren't lodged someplace that forces the mating parts apart again, and there is not a place where the flooring drops excessively when it is stepped on, then by all means glue it and forget it.

If the joint has trash hidden under or in it, the glue will be hard pressed to hold it all together. It will fail with movement, the core material of most laminate flooring is not made to handle a lot of movement, let alone glue trying to hold it together as well.


Supplying electricity to a shed I can't find a straight answer to this, and my dad was the electrician, not me. I have a finished shed 65 feet from the house (8x12). Three receptacles run off of 14/2, one overhead light box, and (1)5000 BTU window ac unit that says it's pulling 4 amps.
Just finished off the building and ran temporary power with an extension cord, but now running juice to it. I will not be running much of anything in there but the ac unit, computer, stereo, maybe a lamp, but nothing major. I'm running 10/2 UF with a 20 amp shut off at the house(code), then into the attic and down into the panel. Will I need to run 10/3 with (2)20 amp breakers because of the ac unit, or will (1) 20 amp breaker handle it?

Edit: I am running conduit since it's code here for 18" burial. Was running 10/2 because of the 70 feet by the time I was done, and wanted to mitigate any line loss.
I never... ever, use 14 ga wire, but I had a roll. Walls are up and finished so I'm stuck there. I get the two 15 amp breakers, makes a bunch of sense, especially with the 14 ga in there. Don't need comm, so I'm good there. Non-fusible pull-out is a good Idea.
As the last response before yours stated, the two legs would be future proof if I need it a couple of years down the road. Both of you mentioned the THHN, good idea and didn't think of that.

Run individual THWN wires in a fat conduit, you'll thank yourself later
For your situation, I wouldn't even bother with a direct burial cable; instead, I would run a conduit (or two, even) from the house to the shed, and run 4 THHNs (14AWG is fine since you're limited to 15A circuits and a 15A two-pole breaker anyway by the 14AWG wiring inside the shed, unless you put a subpanel and ground rods in) in one conduit, leaving the other spare for communications cables.  If you want a precise size, I'd use 1" for the power conduit and a 1.5" for the spare; this lets you use a cheap non-fusible pullout disconnect on the outside of the shed as the shed's disconnecting means, and since you're powering this shed with a single multi-wire branch circuit, you don't need ground rods there.


Why do I need batteries to use solar when the grid is down? I am considering a home solar photovoltaic installation, probably 5 kW or so.   The usual configuration around here is with a grid-tie inverter and net metering.  But when the grid goes down, the inverter shuts off (to avoid back-feeding into the power grid and electrocuting linemen).
We are interested in being able to use the solar when the power goes down (not infrequent in this rural area).   According to the solar installer, the only way it is possible to do this is to also install a battery system like Tesla PowerWall.   The idea is that when the inverter loses the 60 Hz sinewave from the grid it shuts off; the inverter in the PowerWall supplies this sinewave, so the inverter doesn't shut off, and there's also a mechanism to disconnect from the grid.
That sounds reasonable.   But the cost is not.  Two PowerWalls would roughy double the cost of the installation.  During outages, we would be satisfied to only have power when the sun shines; this would keep food safe, allow us to draw water, etc.  Electrically, there is no reason this can't be done without the expensive battery system.  All that is necessary is to generate the 60Hz reference for the solar system's inverter, and to disconnect from the grid.
Has anyone been able to manage such an installation? Would it be strictly DIY (perhaps feasible as I'm a electrical engineer)?

This is an XY problem at the industry level.  Imagine some guy says "Design me a dimmer" and you design him an excellent triac dimmer, no big.  And then he goes "Cool, can you just tack on a VFD onto this thing?" Facepalm, not in any elegant or cost efficient way.

So it is with solar panels.  Everybody and their dog is selling 2007 tech, a solely grid-tied system because it's established, built at scale, and financial models are well established for sharing profits with the finance company, etc. etc.  They can build, sell and finance that all day all night. It's the cheapest way to get you in the door and talking about solar.  But they are selling system X.

Now, post-Sandy, there's the hue and cry to "bolt on" off-grid capability, in a manner compatible with dumb consumers.  They did it, but it's inelegant and pricey, like bolting a VFD on a triac.  The interlocking-for-linemen takes extra resources. I'd call it System XX.

For what you want, you want system Y.

And since you presumably don’t want to design every inch of it from scratch, we should grab out of the traditional "off-grid solar" parts bin.  That means a few minor concessions.

The inverters are simply too different

A grid-tie inverter needs to follow grid frequencies, take all its input power, and force it all onto the grid by pushing voltage as hard as necessary.

An off-grid inverter needs to generate its own AC frequency, take only enough input power to do the job, and provide only as much power as the loads are drawing.

These are dramatically different roles and one inverter doing both will be a costly engineering challenge. They do exist; there are "hybrid inverters" on the market capable of both.  Of course they are pricey and have their own system design requirements, not least batteries.  You are probably better off getting cheap commodity COTS inverters for each application.

That said,  your "No batteries whatsoever" plan is flawed.  There will be cases where you have loads simply too big for the panels themselves to carry, e.g. motors starting up.

An off-grid system, "plus"

This is where I want to raid the parts bins of the off-grid solar people.  The only thing that isn't out of their wheelhouse is the grid-tie inverter, but that's no big.

Their systems are violently battery-centric, for obvious reasons.  Because of this, there is no viable way to avoid it, but nobody says your battery can't be tiny. Last I checked, they sell used car batteries for $20, there ya go.

Now in the house, we have a main panel with the main breaker.  It has 2 breakers in it: The breaker to the grid-tie inverter, and the breaker to the subpanel.

The subpanel is where the magic happens. It has a $23 Siemens or Square D style "generator interlock" which backfeeds two breakers (one at a time). One side it's on utility, the other it's on "generator" (read: off-grid inverter).  Every load you ever foresee running off solar goes in this panel.  If you put every single load in your house in this subpanel, I won't tell :)

"Normal" operation involves the subpanel interlock in "Utility" mode, the off-grid inverter driving into nothing (shut it off), the charge controller instantly topping up the tiny battery, and diverting all solar power to "dump".  Dump then goes into the grid-tie inverter and is sold back to the power company.

"Power out" operation, you throw the interlock to "Gen", power up the off-grid inverter.   As the off-grid inverter draws to supply household loads, the charge controller diverts power to it as needed, blocking the rest of available current from the panels (since "dump" is a dead-end).  If a motor starts and pulls more than panels can deliver, then we see how good or big  your battery is.

And, if experience shows you it's advantageous to have a real battery, you can get one.

Note that in all cases, power flow is one direction only, and nothing ever reverses flow. That is a huge advantage over the "System XX" type setups, which flow power every which way, and need to "bolt on" elaborate, expensive interlocking systems to avoid backfeeding. Here, backfeed protection is a plain interlock, except for the grid-tie inverter which is UL 1741 compliant; you can't find a grid-tie inverter that isn't.

The whole system is cheap, scungy, simple, bottom-tier tech.  That's not to say "don't use good stuff" - yes, of course use Morningstar or Midnight Solar charge controllers. But we're using their standard boilerplate gear, not special-purpose exotica.

Of course, if you want to phone up one of the finance-- I mean solar installation companies, they aren't going to be conversant in a simple system like this.  They won't want to build a thing like I describe here; they've got a standard package they sell over and over that they know how to build.

As far as panels

Many panels sold today have built-in grid-tie "micro-inverters", so their output is 120/240VAC and they drop out if the grid fails. Cheap way to comply with NEC 690.12 Rapid Shutdown, but totally useless off-line.  There are other panels with smarts on board, too.  You want plain Jane run-of-the-mill DC output panels, again, the cheapest thing on the market.

There's also the law to contend with. Roofs have a super important job, and I'm no fan of compromising that with a bunch of holes. Many other places on your property would benefit from shade/snow sheltering, so I say "build freestanding racks over your parking spot etc."  But if you do roof-mount, you have to comply with 690.12:

If your panels are <30V (i.e. common "12 volt"/19V float panels), you need do nothing.
If you add a fireman's switch and relays, you can series-stack them to 80V per segment, and series-stack those segments to anything you please, but much over 80V starts putting you out of bounds for cheap, common off-grid charge controllers.  Note the relays can be powered by a <30V solar panel :)

All in, or all out

Panels aren't just panels anymore.  Many have embedded electronics (like microinverters) to "help out" the installer.  As such, there's no halfway anymore. You can't just let these people install what they please and expect to hack it later: you might, but you're relying on luck. So you really are at a courageous crossroads; you have to jump all-in, one way or the other.

Accept exactly what they install,  as a turnkey system that you won't modify ever, and pay the bill.
Take control of the process, do the research, and spec everything yourself soup to nuts.  You're responsible for the result, but you also have the flexibility to do it your way, and you get the best prices by far.  And no financing.


Should I add insulation to basement ceiling? Currently doing a reno on our basement.  After roughing everything out, I have insulated the outside walls with R13 (2x4).  The house has never had insulation in the basement.  Should I insulate the ceiling as well?   The ceiling is 2x6 and I think R19/R22 should do.  Is this practical/good benefit or am I just wasting my time/money.  The house is in New England, basement is dry, standard poured cement style.

The answer to this question will help: How should I insulate my basement?

Short answer: You don't need to insulate the ceiling, but you can optionally do it if you want some sound blocking.


How to get discount prices for replacement parts I inherited an old fridge a while back that had a broken ice maker. I never had an ice maker before I so started to look into fixing it. I found a parts store and bought a new one for $100 and installed it myself . . . it was surprising easy.

I thought I was king of the DIY world until recently I found out that I could buy a new fan motor for my AC unit for $150 but if a "professional" went to the same supplier he could buy the fan for less than $50. Now I'm starting to think that the $100 ice maker repair from 5 years ago would cost less then $30 if I went to the store in overalls or something.

And don't get me started on the price of a capacitor for an AC unit . . . they'll charge you $200 to install a part that they list on the invoice as $140 and $60 for a service call . . . but it's a freaking capacitor! $10 tops.

How can I get the same price the pros get?

I used to buy my appliance parts at Amre Supply, and never bought anywhere else, so this is only one data point.  But one time I was flirting with the checkout girl and she said "you know, if you make a business account you'll get about a 40% discount on nearly everything".  All it took was an online application and a business card, which I had for my computer software business.  I just checked the "other" box on the "what kind of business" question.

After that, I just identified by business name and got the discount.

And lest you think it was my James Bond Socializing Skills that got me a business account, I just printed the application online and brought it in, about a month later, where it was handled by a 67 year old retired plumber.

So maybe you just need to pick one place and ask if they have business accounts.  Ya never know.


wood sander : sheet cannot hold in I have this wood polisher a Bosch PSS240A. Issue is the the polishing sheet cannot stick at the front, even after locking it.

Each time I'm starting to polish wood, the sheet is ok as you can see

But after a few seconds of polishing , the sheet is out as the clipping cannot hold the sheet

How come? Is there anything I can do to fix it quickly without needing to go to a repairshop?

Thanks

I went to a repairshop , they said it was due to a broken coil spring.

Quite cheap to fix rather than buying a new wood sander


1/2" OD Compression to 1/2" barb fitting? I have a 1/2" copper pipe which has a 1/2" nom compression x 1/2" OD compression stop on it. I'd like to be able to put a 1/2" barb fitting to connect this to a hose.

I can't find anything which would screw onto the male threads on the valve body to get me the barb?

What are my options?

There are no options short of removing the compression stop valve and replacing it, or putting in a short piece of 1/2" OD tubing connected to a new valve with a barbed outlet. threads for compression fittings are not designed to hold any pressure themselves or to mate up to anything other than the compression nut designed for them.


How do I add an outlet to the end of a circuit that terminates with a recessed light fixture? I have a closet with a light switch and a recessed light. I want to add an outlet to the ceiling of the closet. I have really good attic access to the recessed light, so actually placing the receptacle up there will be very easy.

The light is attached to a switch inside the closet. Just one black wire goes into it and one white wire comes out.

I'm wondering if I can somehow insert the outlet into this wiring configuration without it turning off when the light switch is off. I'm afraid it might not be possible.

If that isn't possible, would I be able to pull electricity off the source that runs into the light switch receptacle? Ideas on how I would configure the wiring?

Here is what the outlet looks like. I believe power comes from the bottom. Can I just plug another black wire into the yellow coupler with the blacks and another white into the other yellow coupler with the whites and the ground to the ground coupler and then just run my outlet off that?

Two options:

1) Replace the ceiling fixture with a pull chain model, plus an outlet.  Bypass the present switch.

2) Run a new cable from the outlet to the switch box.  Your picture shows white color NM cable, so presumably it is 14/2 (black, white, ground, 15 amp maximum). Obtain more wire, and hook three wires (black, white and ground) into the respective positions in the couplers.

Read up on basic electrical safety before attempting any of this.  The bottom bundle, as you wrote, is the incoming hot.


How can I get 2X6X12's cut at a slight angle so I can build a level floor? Here's my question - I am turning a friends small garage into a guest room and I need to place a wood subfloor on top of the cement floor.  The room is 7.5' wide by 12' long and it slopes at a slight angle longways.  I need to basically cut the 2 x 4 x 12's into 12' long triangles but do not have a table saw.  What is the best way to do this?Can I purchase them already cut?  Do I need to take them to a specific place that will cut them for me?

If the joists are all the same, layout a master on some 1x material then use a pattern maker bit to rout off your pieces (cut off majority of excess with skill saw first). If they are all slightly different use a straight edge or chalk line to establish your line, then cut off with a circular saw. If your floor is really wild scribe the bottom of each piece, then cut with a band or jig saw. Then lay back in place and mark the top line using a laser to create a global level, or measure and and mark off of a reference point if you want flat but not necessarily "level".


Where could the water leaking from in my Dishwasher? It will only leak during the first 2 minutes of the cycle and than cleans the dishes fine.
The leaking is from somewhere at the bottom of the case in the center where the arm and filters are housed,
not from any hose underneath the case.
Whirpool WDTA50SAHZ0
Wish I could upload a video.

This could be a number of things (any part that carries water could leak...) and is therefore unanswerable as asked.
However, prior to voting to close this question I will say that the main unit that is located centrally in the bottom of the tub and contains the motor, pump(s), and main spray arm usually has a large diameter ring gasket that is the primary seal between the water in the tub and the floor beneath the unit.


My house has steel "2x4s" in the walls, can I hang cabinets, a TV, or some other heavy item from them? The question is pretty much all in the title: My house has metal "2x4's" in the walls. Can I hang cabinets or a TV directly on these metal studs? If not directly, is there something special I must do?

My experience with wooden 2x4s tells me that they are super strong and with correct anchor screws you could mount very heavy items on them with no problem. The reason I ask about these metal 2x4s is because these metal 2x4s seem to bend very easily, and I'm worried that if I attach my TV to them that they might start to bend and put a lot of stress on the drywall causing it to crack or worse. Am I off base? Is there some technique I should be aware of?

Metal studs are great for framing walls. They are super light, easy to work with, straight. But you've discovered one drawback...they don't have nearly the strength of a wooden 2x4 for mounting things to it.
Metal studs do come in different gauges though. The heavier, the better.  But it sounds like yours are fairly lightweight.
Some options:

take down the sheetrock, add some wood 2x4s, re-sheetrock
find toggle bolts suited for this (they may exist, though I doubt any are rated for hanging actual cabinets or HD TVs).
add your own mounting panel on the outside...such as some nice finished furniture grade plywood. Since the plywood can be attached to multiple studs in multiple locations, it can spread the load.
get an entertainment system designed with its own 'wall' panel. Ikea has several, for instance:


Replacing rotted brickmold and sill - what’s the sill piece called? Thanks for your time.

I’m replacing exterior brickmold and don’t want to spend good money after bad so I could benefit from others’ experience.

Here’s a picture, I’ve circled the piece in question:

Anyone know what it’s called and what it’s profile is? I couldn’t find anything like it online, or at Menards. It’s driving me batty not knowing what they call this specific kind of sill.

The house is a 1965 colonial, so I assume this is original millwork.

Update: another angle to show how far the sill sits out in front of the vertical pieces of brickmold casing:

Just thought I’d ask this community before I do the obvious next step and tear it out to inspect and measure.

Thanks!

The bottom piece of your wood window is called the sill.

I had to replace some rotted sills in my home an had a piece leftover
Here are some pictures of it to show the profile.


Can I funnel the output of a portable air conditioner to direct it? I have a portable air conditioner similar to the one in the picture below. I want to direct the output flow through a small duct system to the feet of people sitting on a large table. Can I just tape a large fabric funnel on around the blades of the unit and into my duct system?

The manufacturer would clearly say no! His blower is designed to deliver air into an unobstructed space. The squirrel cage blower wheel in the standard furnace is designed altogether differently. It is designed to push against back pressure. The blower in this type of unit is not designed to do that.

Additionally, you will knock all of the design parameters out of wack.  You could dramatically shorten the life of the compressor. You will definitely loose all of your warrantee coverage.

An accepted solution would be a through-the-wall fan to move the cooling to another room, preferably placed lower on the wall. Or use a breeze box set in the discharge path of this unit, not too close, to augment air flow to the immediate area.


Is it feasible/worth it to recover an alarm system keypad that is unreliable? Our home has a Paradox brand security system with a keypad:

Over the years the keypad had become more and more unreliable to the point where the 0 key was very difficult to press successfully, and the 4-digit access code used a 0.  A service person who was replacing the battery added an access code which was the old one but with the 0 changed to a 1.

A year or so on, and the same problem has developed with another key, so I looked into adding an access code myself.  Turns out, the procedure for changing/adding access codes requires a master access code to be entered.  The default access code according to the manual is 123456 or 000000, but the first one doesn't work, and the second one involves pressing the 0 key, one of which I don't have.  I believe these keypads usually work by pressing a conductive polymer against contacts on a printed circuit board.  I would like to try cleaning this contact interface.  Does anyone have any experience with this?  In particular:

is there a magic trick to getting the front fascia off?
is the keypad likely to have an anti-tamper switch which will trigger the alarm, even is it isn't armed?
can anyone offer advice as to what it is best to use to clean the contacts, assuming I can access them?

These types of keypads have a rubber membrane with the buttons on one side and conductive material on the other placed above a circuit board with contacts.  Crud or oxidation can build up on the back side of the buttons or on the circuit board and cleaning it can often help and get you some more years of use out of it.

Generally they are easy to disassemble and you can clean the back side of the buttons gently with a damp cloth and the circuit board with some compressed air or some circuit board cleaner.

As far as taking it off, you will probably need to take it off the wall first, then find the screws that hold it together or the latches that hold the case halves together.


Wiring 3 way switch with pilot light? Once again I am going through a room and replacing the switches, and once again I am stumped on how to proceed.

We have a switch in the laundry room which controls a light in the garage. I assumed it was 3 way because there is another light in the garage which controls the same light. So I bought a switch with a pilot light and prepared to go to work.

However, the switch seems to (like many of the others in our house) follow some weird wiring pattern. Here's a picture of the back of the switch:

And here is the new switch I'm trying to install:

https://imgur.com/a/Gr9NH

Could someone walk me through how to wire this up? Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Added more pictures.

The wire painted red is called the common wire (it's connected to the actual light). The two blue wires are the travellers. The pink wire is not necessary. Use a wire nut to cap it off.

To maintain the 3 way function of the two switches, just make sure the red wire  is identified when you take out the old switch. Be sure to put that common-wire on the black screw of the new switch. The traveller wires go on the brass terminals. You can reverse them or not.

Tip- if the new switch is such that it is down while the other one is up when the light is off, you can either reverse the traveller wires or spin/flip the switch upside-down (there really isn't an up or down on a 3-way switch), so that both switches are pointed down to turn the light off.

If you want to eliminate one of the switches (suppose you just want one switch in the garage- not the laundry room), then, in the laundry room, just connect the common (red) wire to one of the travellers with a wire nut. Use another wire nut to cap off the extra traveller and use a pice of tape to mark it "J-Biden".

Now you should go to the other switch (in the garage) and take the unnecessary traveler wire off the switch. You have a 50/50 chance of removing the correct wire, so just take one off, and try it. If the switch doesn't work, then the traveller wire you took off is the one you need... put it back on the switch and take off the other traveller. Put a wire nut over the unused traveller and use a piece of tape to mark it "B. Obama".

Don't forget to turn off the breaker before you touch it.


Mysterious toilet leak We noticed water dripping down the wall below the toilet on the 2nd floor. I assumed it was a leak in the wax ring, especially because the toilet had become slightly loose and rocked slightly when sat on. So I pulled the toilet and replaced the wax ring and secured the toilet down tightly. It still leaked after being flushed. I then replaced the wax ring with a "Sani-seal" silicon toilet gasket. It still leaked after being flushed. So I tried reseating the toilet on the silicon gasket again, with the same result.

I then feared that the cast-iron closet bend had a crack or hole in it, because it does look corroded inside, and does have an indentation that I can see that could possibly let water through. I can't see or access the outside of the closet bend without tearing up the floor or the ceiling below it.

The curious thing is that when I pour a bucket of water straight down the pipe, I see no leakage. Similarly, when I reinstall the toilet and bucket-flush it (with a big bucket of water, pouring quickly), it still doesn't leak. It only leaks when I flush the toilet normally. It doesn't seem like it has anything to do with the supply line - just to be sure, I turned on the disconnected toilet supply line and filled up a bucket, and that did not produce a leak.

My question is, where would this leak be coming from if it only happens when I flush the toilet normally, but not when I bucket-flush it? Could it be that there is a hole in the closet bend that the water only reaches when it has the right type of momentum from being flushed?

Thanks for reading.

I had a similar problem once but the leak was visible and the outside of the toilet bowl was wet. Flushing from the tank produced leakage but flushing with a bucket did not.

It sounds like clean flush water is somehow escaping on its way from the flush valve to the toilet bowl. This could be from a misaligned tank fitting or a crack in the ceramic material. I assume that you have found no water running down the outside of the fixture.

Depending on the design of the toilet, the connection between the tank and bowl parts may include a metal fitting set into the bowl. This can become loose or cracked and thus leak water outside the flush pipe but still inside the toilet.

Or an imperfection or crack in the ceramic could allow clean water to escape from the rim passage or wash passage, well, whatever it's called and the design of these passages varies a lot. The point is, flush water can escape its proper path and still not get outside the toilet where you would see it.

EDIT: couple of pictures to show what I mean:

The red callouts show where an invisible leak might occur only when tank flushing and not when bucket flushing.


Can I connect a water heater to an existing dual-pole breaker? Using a Reliance 10 Circuits, 125/250 Volts, 30 Amps, 7,500 Watts, Model# 30310A unit to my panel. I was interested in running my water heater which in my panel has a two 30 amp breakers. Can I run this breaker to the dual pole 20 amp breaker on the transfer switch? Only concern is in my panel it is labeled as a 30 amp but there are no 30 amp breakers on the transfer switch so want to make sure that is not an issue.

With having 4500W elements, the 2-pole 20A breaker will not handle the load.  Based on 4500W at 240V the heater would be drawing close to 19 amps and will likely trip.  You could swap the elements for 3800W which would draw closer to 16 amps.  Your water will just take a little longer to heat up to temperature.


Help me figure out my wood shed foundation! I recently bought a house that already had a (~2 year old) 12ft * 10ft shed in the backyard. Currently the shed just sits on some gravel. I plan on turning the shed into a 2 room sauna/changing room and want to secure it on a more permanent, level foundation. After much thought and research, I think the best approach would be a concrete pier/sonotube foundation. Seems simple enough... but I have a bunch of questions that perhaps someone could help with:

How many and how far apart should the piers be spaced? The shed is currently sitting on 5 4x4 runners running the long way. Am I correct in the assumption that I should have piers supporting each runner? If the shed is 12 feet long - how many rows of 5 piers would I need?

From inside the shed it appears that the floor is slightly sagging on the left side (you can kind of see it in the photo as well). Should I expect that to level out once it's properly supported on piers?

I'm in PA, so I understand that the piers must go below the frost line - however, do I need to pour footings under the piers as well or will a shallow bed of gravel suffice?

Digging a little deeper and setting the piers on gravel seems to help them heave less, but if you go below the frost line they should be pretty solid.
Digging to that depth by hand is slow work, the first foot is cake, the second foot a little slower, the third foot quite slow, the fourth foot is like digging with a table spoon.

You could support the five 4x4 rails with a post / pier at either end, and one in the middle;  that's 15 piers, a lot of work.  It will be practically like digging three 10' footers.

You could use six piers, four in the corners, plus one in the middle of the 12' sides, and build three 10' beams on 12' rim joists.  That's a manageable amount of digging and building piers but you have to frame the joists / beams and the shed's going to sit higher, you'll need to build a ramp.

I think because the shed was made to set on a level surface, you're going to be better off pouring a pad.


What would happen if I covered my deck in pavers? I have a deck. A very strong deck. Instead of sealing it every year, could I cover it in pavers instead?

The wood is treated, and the deck is raised so it would drain. Also, the pavers would protect it from the sun.

What could go wrong?

What could go wrong?

The concrete pavers are slightly porous and will wick water every time it rains. This will keep water against the wood deck boards for much longer than normal and will shorten the life of the wood. So, less sealing but shorter deck life.

I would find a good oil based sealer like tung or timber oil that will last for more than one season. (I used to use Thompson's but it doesn't last for more than one year.)

Good luck!


Can I use my dishwasher solely for drying? I prefer washing dishes by hand but I want to dry them using the dishwasher. I use the Blomberg DW51600 SS dishwasher. This has an Express dry function. But when I select this function it still proceeds to perform the wash cycles before drying. I have checked its manual but no help.
Can someone please point me in the right direction as to how to use it to only dry the dishes.

Absolutely!

Open the dishwasher.
Hand wash dishes.
Place wet, freshly washed items in the dishwasher racks.
Allow items to dry.

On a more serious note... Dishwashers are designed to wash dishes - it's right there in the name. There are some dishwashers that don't even have a "dry cycle", they're designed to wash, then allow the items to drip dry.
You might, with enough time, find a dishwasher that has a "dry only" cycle, but they're probably few and far between.
That said, you may want to contact the manufacturer to see if there is a magical incantation of buttons you can push to get a "dry only" run, but I'd doubt it.


How can I level the joists and ceiling? I am presently renovating a house that has a 4" difference from the middle to the one side due to the subsidence.

It is a semi-detached duplex, with 3 floors including the basement. The worst is the basement and the 1st floor (4" difference). Now the foundation is no longer subsiding because some stakes are driven to the ground. Now I am going to level the floors and ceilings.

I was told the proper approach was to first remove the floor and subfloor, then find the highest joist and draw a level line around the wall at this point. A this point I would have two options:

Drill holes little bigger than the bolts and sister new joists with old ones with bolts and nuts.

or

Use construction adhesive to glue the new joists to the old ones.

I have no idea which one is better or maybe neither of them works. I'd like y'all's input. Thanks!

Sistering is a common approach to this situation. However, if it's a multiple-floor building, you should have an engineer involved to make sure that the footings in the basement are now sufficient and that the repairs will properly carry the weight of all the floors. You will also need to figure out how to deal with the internal walls on each of the floors.

To answer your specific question, gluing the joists together and holding them together with bolts is the common approach.


What should I do immediately after a clean water flood to minimize damage? Today, we went out of the house for about an hour and when we came back the whole kitchen was flooded.  Turned out the cold water soft connection for the kitchen sink had somehow disconnected (?).

We have a finished basement underneath which was flooded too.

I immediately shut off the water and got rid of it but the question is whether I can do anything else to help the situation.

The floor is red oak and is not finished with polyurethane but with OSMO polyx oil (natural oil and wax).  As far as I remember it has the subfloor underneath and that black tar paper or whatever it is on top of it below the hardwood floor.

There's sound insulation (ROXUL Safe'n'Sound) between the joists.

The dry wall everywhere (including the basement ceiling) is the green mold resistant drywall.  The paint is Benjamine Moore Aura Bath & Spa.

The basement ceiling shows only slight signs of damage (you can now kinda tell where the sheets meet).  The kitchen floor was OK initially but after a few hours the edges between the pieces of wood raised a bit and became black.  Overall, the damages are minor and almost invisible.

What I worry about is that water is probably still trapped in the floor b/n the hardwood floor and the drywall below.  I worry about developing mold and health issues more than the visible damages.  What should I do?

DIY: Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. You want to RUSH to Home Depot and get some of those giant fans ... plus a couple of dehumidifiers. If you have air conditioning, crank it as low as it will go for a few days.

Personally, I would call in a company like ServPro that does emergency water remediation to evaluate and help fix the problems.


How to fill and paint over chip in powder coated aluminum chair Not sure whether due to weather/humidity changes or what, but a pretty new outdoor chair that we have has warped and cracked. It's made out of aluminum and powder coated. Whats the best remedy here?

The gap should probably be sealed - I was thinking some stretchable outdoor caulk? (Would like to avoid any metalwork as I don't have the tools for that) Pillows will be put on the spot and folks will be sitting on it so there will be quite a bit of friction.

And then painted over (just wanna cover the spot, not repaint the whole chair) Just aluminum primer and a similar color outdoor paint?

Thanks in advance!

This looks like a stress fracture in the powdercoat. So covering it may only temporally fix the problem. Zinc chromate is the best primer for aluminum I would chip the section that is loose and prime (there are some paints that are for aluminum that etch as they are applied so no primer is needed) I would then paint with a matching color, it is possible the crack was from a small area that did not get fully cleaned prior to the powdercoat. You may be able to get a replacement since it is new. I would at least ask and if not prime and paint.


Replacing Ceiling Fan/Light with light only wiring mystery My daughter in law called because she had tried to replace an ugly ceiling fan and light fixture with a light only fixture and whenever she threw the wall switch it tripped the breaker. I thought it would be easy to figure out but not so.

The old fixture (which she had already removed) was controlled by two light switches and a variable speed fan control. The light switches are at each end of the room - so a three way circuit is in place and the fan control is boxed in a two gang with one of the toggle light switches.

The ceiling fixture has a black, red, white and ground. The red is always hot regardless of how the switches or fan control are set. I even removed the fan rheostat completely and capped off the wires in the wall. Red was still hot regardless of the toggle switch positions. The black wire is hot when the wall switches are on. The white is never hot. When I wire a simple light load across the black and white wires, turn on the wall switch, the black is no longer hot and the light doesn't work.

I can't understand how this could ever have worked. There seems to be no connection between the fan control on the wall and the ceiling fixture. Why does hooking up the light between black and white kill the power entirely. Nothing seems to switch off the red!! Arrggh. Any ideas anyone? Any other tests I can run on the setup which may throw light on what is happening?

When someone does a light fixture replacement with switches involved and has a problem, it is usually because they reconnected the white wire that feeds power to a switch back to the other whites thinking it is a neutral.

Then they connect the black to the hot feed throw the switch and it trips the breaker because it is now a dead short.

When using cable to feed switches and return a switch leg, the proper practice is to feed the white wire hot to the switch and return the black wire to the light from the switch. Then (and this is the part many people don't do) you are supposed to re-identify the white wire as some other color. Black tape or red paint or something permanent. I like to use blue tape since you don't see blue in residential wiring. This show the next person that this wire is a switch feed NOT a neutral.

Sounds like the red is a hot feed from the panel that powers the whole circuit. If you are testing for "hot" with a no-contact tester you can get false positives that are from induced currents. You need a basic electrician's voltage tester.

You may have to take all the wiring apart and methodically identify each cable and conductor. Then plan how to reconnect the wiring to accomplish your goal.

Good luck!


Do deck footings need to be spaced evenly? I am planning to create a deck around 2 trees. Because of a irregular shape of the deck, it's hard to make the footing spacing uniform. I plan to have them 53" apart but some area will have footings much closer like 20-30" apart due to the trees. I am planning to use 4x4 posts, 4x8 beams and 2x8 joists for this deck.

Is it OK to do it like that? I mean as long as it won't go further than 6' apart at any two footings, it should be OK right?

Yes, it's common to have deck posts at irregular intervals for various reasons--basement windows and doors, landscape features, sidewalks, etc. The important consideration is that each span is designed properly for load. It may be the case that you have beams of differing size.


Should I encapsulate my crawl space? Our home was built with a dirt crawl space that is about 2' from ground to bottom of floor joist. The floors are insulated with fiberglass held up (where it hasn't fallen down) with wire rods. The AC/heating duct runs through the crawl space and has insulation that looks worn out. There are vents all around the perimeter thru the concrete blocks.

Have had trouble for years with dampness in the crawl space. A few months ago after it had rained for about a week I was under the house and it was so damp it was dripping from some of the floor fiberglass. Also, the AC ducts always drip in the summer.

Currently I have a fan running all summer long to help keep it dry down there.

I'm considering encapsulating the crawl space thinking this should solve the moisture problem. From what I've read it should also eliminate the need to rehang all the fiberglass that keeps falling down, as well as eliminate the need to redo the duct insulation.

Would like to hear from someone who has done this before as to how it turned out.

Update, 10/3/13: Just want to thank littleturtle not only for your comprehensive info on this but your cited source.  I read through it last night and am still trying to digest it. But one thing I picked up on was that you don't have to vent the crawl space to the inside of the house to exchange air. That's what seems best for me because I'm thinking that during the winter I'd have to pay to heat the crawlspace, and heating KWHs are expensive. Incidentally, I'm near Charleston, S.C. (Zone 3) where the cooling cost exceeds the heating cost and the humidity is typically high. Anyway, I'm going to keep plugging along on this topic until I get a good feeling about doing it, or not. I'm retired and have time to think this through carefully.

Update, 11/14/13: Have decided not to encapsulate for now. Why? Doesn't make sense to spend thousands of dollars when the little box fan seems to work okay. In other words, running a box fan in the crawl space all summer does an adequate job of removing the condensation, at a low cost. Keep in mind that there has never been a problem with the dampness actually rotting any of the floor joists, or sill plate. Since the condensation is the only problem, other than that the insulation keeps falling down (another story), it just doesn't seem necessary or smart to spend that kind of money. If, on the other hand, there was ample evidence that there was a payback from the reduction in the KWH used for heating and cooling, then I would do it.

Update, 4/17/14: After further research I became convinced that I should seal the vents in the crawlspace. So, that's what I did. Now I'm monitoring both the temperature and humidity down there with a handy-dandy display in my den. Something I'm also thinking about is using the cooler air down there to cool the house. It stays in the 60's (since February) down there. Depending on the temperature this summer, I may devise a method to exchange air to cool the first floor next year.

Yes, bringing the crawl space into the conditioned space is generally recommended as a way to prevent crawlspace moisture problems (I assume this is what you mean by encapsulate).

This means:

sealing vents to the exterior
sealing the dirt floor with polyethylene sheeting (at least 6 mil), or concrete
creating vents between the living space and the crawlspace (ideally supply air to/from the space with HVAC ductwork), and
insulating the interior side of the crawlspace walls on (not necessary in climate zone 1 or 2; and preferably with board foam or spray foam because fiberglass doesn't do well with moisture).
probably a good idea to remove existing floor insulation

This will prevent humid outside air from coming into the crawlspace and condensing on cold surfaces, and prevent/reduce moisture from coming up through the dirt floor or walls. Your AC will also deliver cold air more effectively. Good site drainage is also key.

There are many good references on how to do this properly:

http://www.housingzone.com/crawlspaces-vent-or-not-vent

https://buildingscience.com/documents/bareports/ba-0401-conditioned-crawlspace-construction-performance-and-codes


Should I paint the back side of vertical shiplap cedar siding I'm preparing to replace T-111 siding on my unheated detached garage with vertical cedar shiplap siding to match our house.   I'm pretty sure the siding on the house (now 35 years old and showing it) is unpainted on the back, but a contractor who recently replaced some of the siding while replacing windows primed the back side (as well as the front).   Should I do the same on the garage install?

Would the answer be any different for any future siding replaced on the house?

It is definitely better to prime the back of the siding before it is installed. It will keep moisture from being absorbed by the back of the siding, which could lead to warping.


Fan power/speed switch grounding I'm making an AC unit out of a cooler, a fan, a PVC tube, and some ice. I'd like to take the fan off of the base, but its power/speed switch is screwed into it. Does this provide grounding or does the ground cable take care of that? Will it be okay if it's not screwed into anything? Thanks in advance.

No grounds here. GET GFCI!

It is not safe to do this with mains power -- especially since this will be near water (when the ice melts).  Those metal bits on top will be energized with lethal voltage.

Nothing in this picture is grounded. The wall cable has 2 wires, so no ground.  The 3 wires in the sleeve, yes, one of them is green, but that wire is for motor speed control and it is "hot".

If you absolutely must do this, then you also must plug this into a GFCI (aka RCD) protected outlet.  That will at least stop it from electrocuting you, hopefully fast enough to keep you from dying.

However, I strongly recommend that you obtain a 12 volt DC fan.  Power the fan from a "wall wart" style power supply plugged into the wall.  This will render it safe.

Of course, don't  have high hopes for this -- air conditioning does not work that way.  Further, your refrigerator will put more heat in the room making the ice than the ice will remove.


Replacing 3/8 inch hardwood with 3/4 inch hardwood We are working to replace our existing first floor which has a section of 3/8 hardwood by the front door.  We want to use 3/4 inch hardwood.  My question is the door frame comes right down to the wood now, I am assuming I need to cut out the bottom of the frame to allow room for the wider new floor?  Or should we reconsider using 3/8 hardwood again?

You should buy the 3/4" - Low-cost hardwood flooring... what's the catch?.

All you will need is a jamb saw - the overkill and easy one.

The traditional jamb saw.

And I used to use the tradition saw but moved on to using a Dremel with a wood bit.

Now all that you have to do is uninstall old wood and then get a scrap of the new wood, lay saw on top of new wood on each jamb and cut.  I would plan on about 5 minutes per jamb - if you have experience maybe half the time.


How can I install an on/off indicator for a lighting circuit? We installed smart lights that work with Alexa/Google Home. The problem is that when the lights are off, we don't know if they are off because the (3-way) switch is off or because we voiced them off.
I'm thinking a good solution would be to install a tiny LED light somewhere that would signal whether the switch is physically on or off? Any suggestions on how to insert an tiny LED indicator light somewhere along a circuit. E.g. I'm open to adding another gang to the junction box.
What's a good way to insert some indicator light into a line-voltage circuit?

It sounds like you have light bulbs or fixtures directly controlled by Alexa/Google Home. A better solution, though sometimes a bit more work to install, is a smart switch. With a smart switch, the actual switch is replaced with a device that functions as both a physical switch and as a WiFi/remote/voice-activated/etc. device.
There is actually a bigger problem, potentially, than simply inconvenience. With your current setup, if the lights are turned off via Alexa/Google Home and then there is an emergency and someone who doesn't know about your Alexa/Google Home setup needs to turn on the lights, can they do it? Maybe (depends on the device) turning the switch on/off multiple times will do it. Maybe not. This is a real safety concern.
Related: you also need to ensure that you can toggle the lights regardless of whether your home assistant is available. If you can't turn your lights on because your Alexa is updating the firmware or because a backhoe tore through your fiber cable, that is an equally real safety concern.
A proper smart switch can often work in a 3-way configuration - i.e., with the 2nd 3-way switch being either a regular 3-way switch (possibly rewired a little bit) or with a "remote" at the other location (possibly wired using the existing wiring, possibly battery powered and radio controlled). There are a lot of possibilities.
Back to the original problem. There are lighted switches available such as:

However, as with smart switches, dimmers, timers, motion detectors, etc., lighted switches have to get their power from somewhere. There are 3 options:

Neutral - Arguably the best, but neutral is often not available in switch boxes in older homes
Ground - Usable in limited circumstances. Do not use ground instead of neutral unless the device is designed to do so.
Leak current through the main circuit - Lighted switches used to all work this way. Many still do. The problem is that this is generally not compatible with LED lighting.

If you decide to install lighted switches, make sure they are compatible with your wiring and with your current and anticipated lighting fixtures.


Which 240 volt circuits must (or should) have a neutral in new construction? I wasn't able to find a complete list compiled online, so hopefully someone can help identify which 240 volt circuits are required by code to have 4 conductors run to them.

NEC 2014 applies here, but NEC 2017 will be adopted by my state in a few months.

This is my list, and best effort based on what I've been able to find:

Clothes Dryer - Neutral Required by code
Electric Range - Neutral Required by code
Well Pump - Not Required or useful
Air Handler w/ electric heat - Not Required or useful
AC Compressor - Not Required or useful
Hot Water Heater - Not Required or useful

Is this correct? Is there anything 240 besides a dryer and range that needs or would benefit from a neutral/ four conductor wire?

Probably not, but check the nameplates to be sure, and a neutral can be a good idea anyhow

For a dedicated circuit, the power requirements are determined not by any paragraph in Code (it's legit to have a 240V-only dryer or range/oven circuit if said appliances don't need 120V, or not have circuits for a dryer or range if they run on gas), but by the nameplate on the appliance the circuit feeds.  So, you need to check the specs on what you're putting in to be certain you're running the correct circuits for them.

However, for the common-cases of the appliances you listed, you're likely to be correct -- electric dryers and ranges generally require 120V for lamps, controls, and the drum drive on a dryer while running the heater from 240V, while the rest of the appliances in question run their controls either directly from 240V or from a Class 2 control transformer, and all the motors in them are 240V as well.  Granted, running a neutral alongside the 240V may be a good idea, even if the appliance doesn't use it, so that 120V receptacles and luminaires can be provisioned for service purposes -- this is particularly important for the well pump and compressor/outdoor unit, but may be wise for the hot water heater as well.

(P.S. the trick with the neutral is to replace the normal disconnect box with something like an 8 or 12 slot subpanel -- this lets you have circuits for lights, service receptacles, and the like to go with your well pump, compressor, or whathaveyou without having to pull a zillion wires out that way.)


How should I demolish the brick wainscoting on my house's exterior wall? The front of my house has brick veneer wainscoting on the bottom 1/3 of it. It's ugly brick, and it's in the way of my continuous insulation retrofit project due to how it projects 4" beyond the stucco on the rest of the exterior, so I need to demolish it. The bricks are actual bricks stacked in a running bond with mortar, not thin bricks adhered to a stucco/mortar scratch coat or anything.

How should I go about demolishing this brick wainscoting without wrecking the fiberboard sheathing and 2x4 framing behind it? I suppose the fiberboard is disposable, as I could just replace it with even more foam insulation, but naturally the 2x4 framing needs to remain intact.

From the top down, one brick at a time.

All your chisels strikes should impact towards the lower and next brick, laterally or directly downwards. Place the chisel point in the mortar bed, drive it under the brick, and voilà. If the top row abuts something, these bricks may be difficult, but the rest will come right out once two adjacent sides are free.

This is how I'd attack most brick walls anyway, that I couldn't just push over; using my chipping hammer. Let this be your excuse to buy a rotatory chipping hammer (that toggles to just impact) or have fun with your 5 pound sledge and a cold chisel. (zoro.com)

-Swinging hammers sucks; popping out a single row of bricks (from the top) is child's play with a chipping hammer.


Why would furnace not come on immediately? I had a brief scare just now. It is 7-degrees right now and getting colder so I definitely don't want a furnace failure.

I came home and house was at 62 with thermostat at 64 (my standard not-at-home setting) and I manually upped it to 72. Normally when I do this the furnace comes on in about 4-5 seconds. This time, however, nothing happened. The thermostat said "heat on", so I go down and every thing looks ok. Plenty of oil, water pressure is correct, furnace temperature is normal. I tried pressing the reset button but nothing happened.

So I go upstairs and get ready to call the emergency service when I hear the furnace come on, a good 3 or 4 minutes after I had originally turned the thermostat up.

What could have caused the delay?

That is normal, many furnaces are designed to avoid a condition called a "short cycle".  That's where they quit, and restart again shortly after.

It's not quite as big a problem with furnaces, but it's a huge problem for A/C units (and heat pumps!) and can damage the unit.  If the furnace is designed to work with A/C, the anti-short cycle logic may be the same for both heat and A/C.

Unbeknownst to you, the furnace had just quit before you walked in the door.   It waited the requisite timeout period to avoid a short-cycle, then started up normally.


1960s bomb shelter a safe place to wait out a tornado? I have a 1960s 10x12x8 ft concrete room. It was built under our concrete kitchen floor which is at ground level in 1963. The concrete is 12" thick, except for the ceiling which would be about 24" thick. I do not know if it is rebar reinforced. It has a 36 inch doorway opening in the basement and is otherwise 100% concrete. The doorway just has a simple hollow core door.

This was built in the 1960s when everyone was afraid of nukes. In recent years however we've received a lot of local tornadoes that touch down within miles of me. Last night we had one right on top of us (took out a few houses near us) and we all used this as a shelter. Is this a decent shelter or not? What should be done to it in order to make it a safe shelter? Assuming it should have some sort of shelter grade door instead of the interior hollow-core it has now? There is no venting in there either. It appears to be the start of a bomb shelter that was never finished.

I agree with @paul:  the room should be adequate for protection from a tornado.

However, a bomb shelter was/is designed with different assumptions than what one would design a storm cellar for, primarily that once the bomb shelter is occupied, that there would be no hurry in opening the door for quite awhile.  Also that there is little need for outside communication since it is generally assumed that the phone company is gone and probably all radio stations.

A hollow core door is something of a concern due to over-pressurization and under-pressurization between the room and the kitchen during a storm could (and probably will) bust up the door and turn it into nasty projectiles.  A nice heavy solid core door is much more likely to perform satisfactorily.  It is possibly better to have no door than a hollow core.

Items to consider adding:

A cell phone repeater located just outside the shelter should easily be able to receive cell phones from inside where the 12–24 inches of concrete might make cell phones otherwise useless.
A pry bar, handsaw (for cutting lumber), hacksaw (for cutting rebar), and sledgehammer would be good insurance inside to be sure you can get out when it is time.
Several battery powered lights
Plenty of water and food
A porta-toilet
First aid kit
You are carrying your cell phone into the shelter with you, right?

In all likelihood, you would be in the shelter for only a few minutes less than once a year.  But having the supplies to be comfortable for several days is great insurance even for non-tornado events when you wouldn't even use the shelter.


Do I have to connect the grounding electrode at a detached garage to the grounding electrode at the main structure? Article 250.32(A) of the National Electrical Code, tells us that we need a grounding electrode at a detached garage.  It also says that it has to be "installed in accordance with Part III of Article 250.".

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
250.32 Buildings or Structures Supplied by a Feeder(s) or Branch Circuit(s).
(A) Grounding Electrode. Building(s) or structure(s) supplied by feeder(s) or branch circuit(s) shall have a grounding electrode or grounding electrode system installed in accordance with Part III of Article 250. The grounding electrode conductor(s) shall be connected in accordance with 250.32(B) or (C). Where there is no existing grounding electrode, the grounding electrode(s) required in 250.50 shall be installed.

Then the first part of Part III of Article 250 says, "All grounding electrodes...  ...that are present at each building or structure served shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system.".

III. Grounding Electrode System and Grounding Electrode Conductor
250.50 Grounding Electrode System. All grounding electrodes as described in 250.52(A)(1) through (A)(7) that are present at each building or structure served shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system. Where none of these grounding electrodes exist, one or more of the grounding electrodes specified in 250.52(A)(4) through (A)(8) shall be installed and used.

Does that mean that the electrode(s) at the garage, has to be connected back to the electrode(s) at the main structure?

Yes, they should be connected so that the power has a set path back to the source. Rods in the ground are there for a direct shot of electricity (lightning.) Connecting back to the source is for actual grounding - to tie in with the neutral and cause a short if any sort of ground fault were to occur. Without this, running the ground rods and electrodes would not flip the breaker in most cases.

(source: nachi.org)


Not possible to build into cathedral ceiling? I have a house that has a two-story cathedral ceiling. I was thinking about adding a floor and turning it into new rooms in the house. However, a web page I read said "Vaulted ceilings create no floor space. In fact, they prevent you from ever building upward and into that space."

The author does not further explain this remark. Why would I be unable to build into the space? From a geometrical perspective I could still get 10 foot ceilings in the living room and at least 9-foot ceilings in the upstairs rooms, so there would seem to be no limitation from a headroom perspective.

Generally nothing's really impossible, but a lot of things are impractical, usually due to expense.

Depending on the size of the room, changing a two story room into two stacked one-story rooms is a big job and will require an engineer's stamp, but nothing magic.

Essentially all you're doing is inserting a floor at ceiling height.  You'll have to provide for a means of access to the new space - might be as simple as a set of stairs up, or cutting a door into an upstairs hallway.

The extra load of the structure (and the contents and the occupants) will have to be taken into consideration.  For example it's possible that two opposite existing walls are strong enough to carry the additional load to the foundation, and the distance can be spanned by trusses.

There will probably be many possible ways to do it and doing a careful comparison of costs could save you a bundle.

There will be a million details to deal with - maybe redoing forced hot air ductwork, electrical, moving windows, etc. - etc.

It may be that it's not impossible at all, but an addition gives you much more for your money.


Are my hardwood sleepers shrinking? I've built many retaining walls and garden beds with class 2 hardwood sleepers (2.4m x 200mm x 50mm). A few weeks after installing them in a vertical position with no gap between sleepers, a significant (over 10mm) gap develops between the sleepers.

As shown in the photo, the sleepers are screwed into the steel posts, so it doesn't seem likely that they are moving away from each other.
I assume that they are shrinking? If so, why? These aren't new sleepers - sometimes they've been lying around for months before use.

What you are showing is bare wood apparently without any treatment or coating.  In that case the wood will shrink and swell due to humidity and, since this appears to be outside, rain, snow, etc.
Wood changes dimensionally the most at right angles to the grain.  In your case the grain is going horizontally and so the dimensional changes will happen most in the vertical direction.  That, of course, is exactly what you are seeing.
If you don't want this to happen, there are two options that I can think of:

Treat the wood (usually this means primer, paint) with a product that will seal it against humidity and moisture.  This will likely need to be redone periodically.
Replace the wood with a product that is not subject to moisture.

Otherwise, what you have is entirely normal.  You could just live with it as it is.


How do I eliminate the cold drafts coming from my air conditioning vents during winter? I have a forced hot water (baseboard) heating system in my home and added central air conditioning about 10 years ago. The cooling system's air handler is in my attic, and duct work was added for the 1st and second floors for cooling.  There are 3 returns on the 2nd floor, and about 10 supply vents throughout both floors.

My question/issue is that two of the returns and 3 of the supplies have pretty bad (cold) drafts throughout the winter.  I measure the temperature at around 50 degrees F on them.  All the others are at/near room temperature.

I'm considering blocking them for the winter months by purchasing covers, or likely a DIY project like http://www.instructables.com/id/Winter-HVAC-Hack.

My main question is that should there be any drafts at all. Are the drafts a sign of duct leaks that should be found and repaired by the HVAC company?

The air in your duct work is cold because it is running through the attic which is not heated. There will be some air flow through the ducts because they are not a "sealed container" they are designed to move the air in your home.

As for the DIY project if your covers are metal I would suggest using a magnetic tape or adhesive sheets to attach them. Or they make covers:

For the ceiling registers you will want to make sure the magnets are strong enough to hold material tightly.


Kitchen outlet and Light I am roughing in my kitchen wiring currently and have separated the counter top outlets so that I have two per circuit.  I also have a separate general lighting circuit in the kitchen.

My question is, can I use a two receptacle gangbox for one of the counter top outlets and a light switch if they are on separate circuits?

I am in Ontario in case it matters.

As Tester said - it's quite common.  However, local ordinances (and national) can vary, so your mileage may vary.

Also, on the subject of kitchen outlets - make sure each circuit has GFCI protection - one protected outlet being the first outlet in each circuit (do not put two GFCIs on the same circuit).

May I ask why only 2 outlets per circuit?  Seems a tad light...


What are switches activated by a closet door called? My father-in-law set up all of his closet lights to turn on and off when the door opens. He used a switch that was apparently designed for that purpose, with a largish contact switch that turned on when pressed.

I'd buy some of these for my house, but I don't know what to call this item, so I can't find it.

There are two styles that I've seen:

"Automatic closet lights" that mount at the top of the door and include the light socket.

And "push button door switches" that are mounted in the door jamb and connect to a hardwired light fixture.


Removing Paint from Enamel? My partner and I recently purchased a house, and it looks like the previous owners did a quick paint job covering some edges of the fixtures in the bathroom.

What would be the easiest and safest way to clean the paint from the enamel?

If it was paint from the walls, I'll take a stab in the dark and guess that they used the cheapest possible latex paint to get the place ready to sell.  Try scraping at it with a credit card, starting from the edge of the paint.

If it starts coming off, use the credit card to pick up a handful of cheap plastic putty knives and go at it. Most latex paints don't stick particularly well to enamel unless it's been pretty severely abraded, and cheap plastic putty knives won't damage it (metal will, or at very least leave marks).


Lawnmower is not starting and is now leaking gas I hope someone can help me resolve this frustrating situation.

My lawnmower (Briggs & Stratton Max engine) is not starting and it has had problems starting/staying on before this. I followed others' advice to clean the carburetor and change the spark plug, but it is still not starting. Now, I notice gas is leaking from the carburetor cup around the rubber gasket area opposite the bolt. The cup does not feel snug and has some wiggle room which makes sense why it's leaking, but as I put it back together the way I disassembled it, I cannot figure out what the problem is. I have tried reseating the gasket and tightening the bolt several times but each time once I open the fuel line the cup begins to leak again from that same spot.

So now I have a bigger problem that needs to be resolved first, but:

What is the problem and how do I fix the leak?
How to I get the engine running again? The new spark plug supposedly comes pre-gapped to the specification my mower requires so I'm not sure if that is the issue. The gas in the tank is anywhere from 1-6 months old. Oil level is good.

Once you fix the carburetor leak, try to start it. Common problems are:

air filter dirty- remove the air filter element and replace it or clean it thoroughly.
carburetor jets plugged- you said you "cleaned" the carb, but did you completely disassemble and make sure the jets were free of gummy varnish and residue?
old fuel- you state that fuel is "1-6 months old", 6 months is too old. You should drain all the fuel and replace with fresh.

Gasoline in most areas now contains a percentage of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) which is bad for older fuel lines and other components. You do not say how old your mower is, but you should inspect and replace any fuel lines that feel soft or gummy. Also, drain and clean your fuel tank and lines, flush with fresh fuel. Ethanol tends to absorb water from the air which will settle at the bottom of your fuel tank over time. You should try to use only fresh fuel (no older than 3 months) in your mower.


How to repair masonry porch riser I usually enter and exit my home through the garage, but the other day I was by my front porch and noticed the riser was cracked and loose. The part in the image also flexes when you push on it. Is there an easy way to fix this? I've never had to fix porch steps before.

The loose material you are wanting to repair is called "parging". It may be referred to as a skim coat as well. It typically is a coat of mortar, not cement. Mortar has more limestone in it to make it more workable.
11-13 EDIT
You can easily remove the bulk of the loose material by tapping the surface with a hammer. It should readily crack and fall off. to clean up the areas that meet the top of the landing will need a little help, since the parging will not necessarily crack cleanly at the top of the slab. That is where a chisel can come in handy. It does not need to be any specific size just something that has a straight cutting edge on it. Even an old crappy screwdriver will work in a pinch.
After everything that was loose has been removed, clean the surface with water and a stiff bristle brush to remove all contaminates. Let it dry a little. then start the applying of new material after the areas are protected from excess mortar. If you do the new application the next day, the surface will be still damp enough to help aid the the curing of the new coat.
End 11-13 EDIT
Using the proper sized trowels and surface protection, apply the mortar to the wall in a thin layer about 3/8" thick, let it set up firmly then with a fine haired brush, like a soft shop brush sweep the surface with it to give the sanded finish.
Typically the finish you see is for esthetics only, not for weathering, but to be safe, use type "S" masonry cement. It is what is used for waterproofing the outside of basement walls in CMU (Cement Masonry Unit) construction.


Can someone unlock a locked door and lock it back again without the key? Is it possible for someone to unlock your front door get into your house and then lock the door again without being supplied with a key?

Yes, locks can be picked, or bump keys can be used. There's no difference in using these tools to unlock vs re-lock a lock.


Dead outlets, some GFCI, some not Ok, so we are new in this house and have found numerous dead outlets. It is not usually the entire outlet, meaning both plugs, but usually just one.  I know one in particular is a GFCI, but without the TEST/RESET buttons, meaning it is protected downline somewhere.  The top plug does not work, but the bottom one did until today when I was trying to plug something else into it.  I have searched other outlets that are GFCI and have the RESET button, but only found one in the vicinity of the protected one, in the kitchen and I reset it.  The bottom plug started working again, but top one is still dead.  I would imagine it is possible that there is something wrong with just the one plug in all of these outlets and not the entire outlet?  I mean, there could be a loose wire that needs tightening or maybe the outlet just needs to be replaced, period.  I have checked the breakers and there are none tripped and there is no GFCI breaker either.  Should I bother with an outlet tester or just cut the power and pull the outlet and check it?

Since 1 outlet worked when the gfci was reset and the other did not look for a light switch that could be controlling the upper outlet this is quite common. If there is no switch close by pull the outlet and see if the connecting tabs on the side of the outlet is/are broke. if broke and a wire goes to the upper section there is a switch some place or a circuit breaker is tripped, yes it could be a bad back stab but I would look for a switch or breaker first because 1/2 of the outlet is working.


Is it better to have two A/C compressors running or just one? I'm about to get the A/C installed in my new apartment, and was wondering which of the following two situations would be more efficient:

(a) Cooling 2 rooms on a single A/C compressor (same system)

or

(b) Cooling 2 rooms on their own separate A/C compressors (different systems)

*both of these rooms are likely to have the A/C on at the same time, and are likely to run through most of the same times of the day (say, 11am - 8pm)

Some background:

My new apartment has 3 bedrooms, a living room and a dining room that I would like to have air conditioning in. Each of these rooms will be fitted with an air-conditioning blower, and I can have up to a maximum of 2 A/C compressors on the outdoor ledge meant for that.

Two of the bedrooms will be converted into our 'offices' - a computer workspace for me, and a piano room for my wife. Both of these rooms will likely need to be air-conditioned throughout the daytime, but will likely be turned off at night.

In the other areas, ie. our master bedroom, living and dining areas, I think we are more likely to use the fan since we won't be there much while it's hot in the daytime. However, we'd still want to have air-conditioning available since it can get insanely hot in some parts of the year (even at night) here.

Our current plan is to have two A/C compressors, one for 3 blowers, and one for 2 blowers. Should we have both 'offices' on one compressor so that in the daytime only that compressor is used? Or should we go for having them on separate compressors so that both compressors are used in the daytime, but are each at a lower load.

I think our main concern is the energy consumption of either option, since electricity costs are pretty high here. I understand that from a reliability standpoint, having our offices on separate systems might be good, but I think we can deal with that, especially since air-con servicing here is pretty easily available.

I would install a split system with a single compressor. A mini split system is very efficient and is designed to supply cooling seperatly where needed the compressor condenser units only run at the speed needed to supply the load on the units I have installed. Electricity is expensive but a 2nd compressor will end up costing significanty more compared to 1 compressor with 2 evaporators (or more) because with 2 you now need 2 disconnects and the extra wiring since they will be in the same location. The only time I would suggest to have 2 compressors is when the home is large and the pressure and suction lines to the evaporators get long in this case it can be cheaper to have units located on opposite sides of the home reducing the line set length. But since the compressors will be located in the same location I would go with a single sized for the evaporators you need.


I would like to eliminate 2 3-way switches on one circuit I have 2 3-way switches operating the electrical plugs (No lights) in the living room. I would like to eliminate both switches so the plugs are on all the time.

You'll have to leave at least one receptacle controlled by the switches, or you'd be violating 210.70(A)(1).

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 210 Branch Circuits
210.70 Lighting Outlets Required.
(A) Dwelling Units.
(1) Habitable Rooms. At least one wall switch controlled lighting outlet shall be installed in every habitable room and bathroom.

If you want to know how to rewire the other receptacles, you're going to have to include a bit of information on how they're currently wired.  Turn off the breaker, pull out the receptacles (leaving the wires attached), and document the wires and how they're connected.


What type of contractor I have a number of projects I want to get done all on the exterior of my home:

Replacing an old 1970s metal awning with a retractable solar shade
Adding window trim over stucco
Replacing a fence gate
Repainting the whole exterior
Power washing bricks

I think it would require at least a painting company, a window company, and a fencing company.

Should a novice homeowner contact each of those companies individually to get quotes and coordinate the work -- or is it more appropriate to find a general contractor to do that?

You describe a mixed collection of tasks, and may do best with multiple contractors.

Someone who advertises as a general contractor probably won't be interested in many of these tasks, and/or would be expensive because they would farm out the small jobs to many subcontractors, adding cost and profit on top of the actual work.
There are some handyman services that could probably handle everything.  They are big organizations with a variety of specialties. They're licensed and experienced in the different trades.  Many are basically general contractors, but they focus on small jobs and use their own crews.

I've also worked with individual handymen who had broad experience in construction, were well-skilled in virtually every trade, and just wanted to be in business for themselves, doing smaller, multi-disciplinary jobs start to end.

Just make sure that whoever you select has experienced people doing each task.  There's a difference between knowing how to do something and doing it day-in and day-out.
Replacing an awning with a retractable shade could be handled by a handyman with some experience in construction.
Adding window trim over stucco is something I would want done by someone with some carpentry and stucco experience.  "Stucco" can be done in a variety of ways, and it serves as a skin.  It's easy to damage, create water leaks, etc., so you want someone with some construction experience who understands stucco.
Replacing a fence gate is a task for a handyman with some carpentry or fencing experience.  This is a relatively small job, so it will be much less expensive to have it handled by someone who is already on-site than to bring in a fencing company just for that.
Exterior painting is a job for professional painters, especially if the house is multi-story, stucco, or has a mix of exterior surfaces and finishes.  A handyman service may have a crew of professional painters.  This is a big enough job to contract separately with painters if you work with a handyman service that doesn't regularly paint entire house exteriors.

That said, if the house is stucco, paint may not be what it needs unless your objective is to change the color, or there is extensive cracking you need to repair.  The color is blended into the stucco mixture, not a surface treatment.  If it just looks "weathered", it may only need a cleaning, which could be handled with low-pressure power washing.
Power washing the brick depends on what you need to accomplish.  If the brick has chemical or oil stains, paint spots, lichen, or other heavy-duty staining, or covers a very large area, it may need the cleaning power of professional equipment.  It it is just normal environmental "dirt" and not a huge area, consumer-grade equipment will be adequate.

If professional grade equipment is needed, a handyman service may have it.  Just make sure they have some experience cleaning brick with it.  Overdoing it can blast away chunks of brick.  There are also lots of power washing services.  They will have professional-grade equipment and some practice, and will be used to doing it efficiently.

If the bricks are just dirty and not a huge area, you might even think about doing this yourself.  Professional grade equipment isn't required for simple cleaning, although it would be faster.  For what you would spend delegating the task to a pro, you could buy a cheap electric pressure washer, do it yourself, and then have a pressure washer for future cleaning needs.

When you talk to contractors, they will all say that they do all of your tasks all the time.  Recognize that there may be some level of BS in their claims.  Push for details, ask to see pictures of similar jobs they've done, and check out references if practical.  Start with recommendations from neighbors and colleagues, and consider using a service that does some level of initial screening like Home Advisor or Angie's List.


What type of panels are on my shed? Always worried about running into asbestos due to an older house. The guy built a lean to on the side of the shed. Is this asbestos panels or is it fiberglass?

In my part of the planet, corrugated asbestos looks like this

It is a light-grey, opaque, harder and much less flexible than corrugated fibreglass (glass reinforced plastic).

What you have looks to me much more like corrugated fibreglass panels.


Toilet not flushing after flooding We have two toilets at home. One doesn't flush well (does this gurgling/bubbling thing) and one used to work. The city flooded for a couple of days and now neither toilets work. The water still "drains", no actual flushing, just sits in bowl. It goes down VERY slowly.

We have recently (two weeks ago) cleaned the vent. Today, we asked a plumber to come in with a snake to clean the drain, there were bits of trees roots? He wasn't able to fully unclog the drain, says the machine is striking something that can't be pulled out. We have replaced the wax ring as well.

Yesterday, while doing laundry and washing dishes, there were resurgences of water from the shower drain.

We have no idea where to go from here. Please help! Any experiences welcomed and appreciated.

Get a plumber

It sounds like the flooding may have caused your sewer lateral to collapse in on itself, blocking all the drains in the house from ever reaching the city sewer system.  Sadly, this is something that generally requires a professional to fix, and is also quite expensive to repair.


Pool light not working Just bought a home and the only pool light is not working. If the GFCI breaker is not tripped and there is no outdoor switch or GFCI, does that mean it’s probably the bulb itself thats dead? Or could it be something else? Not sure what to check. Thanks

There should be a switch somewhere, possibly by the pumps and filters or by a door going out to the patio. Most pool lights are low voltage, 12 volt AC, and are fed from a transformer either in the control box for the pool or in a separate pedestal located at least 5 feet away from the pool's edge. You're going to have to find this first, then you can check for voltage at that point. If all checks out, then a bad bulb is probably at fault. If possible, try to get back with the previous owners about this or even some of your new neighbors with pools, they might have the same or similar systems.


Which caulk around the sink in kitchen is a health-safe? I need to glue a metal sink within the hole in the countertop - a gap has appeared in one place of contact-edge between the sink and top-counter. Many people have recommend silicone. My question is not about its strength and waterproof features.

I ask is the silicon based glue (or 100% silicon) SAFE to my health (being next to my plates and cups)?

Looking for your help, Michael.

In general silicone is very safe for living organisms including humans. Cake molds, pacifiers and breast implants are made from silicone.

To my knowledge every single sink installed in a table is installed using a silicone caulk. I have never seen a gasket for that purpose.

Most carpenters and plumbers would use a silicone rated for wet rooms to install a sink. That means that they have some kind of anti-fungal agent in them. I don't know about the toxicity of such agents, unfortunately. However, do remember that mold is indeed unhealthy.


Electrical: Is this tangle of wires in a 100 year old house cause for concern? Just bought a 100 year old house and it has knob and tube wiring along with newer wiring running to the kitchen and parts of the finished basement. There's a whole bunch of wires in the basement. I'm not sure what is still being used, or what isn't and is just old that was left in place.

There's a couple places where a bunch of different wires are all tangled and connected together, seen in the photos below. Is there anything I should be looking for? Any cause for concern? The inspector didn't mention anything about it during the home inspection.

The first photo shows home telephone wiring.

One of the cables is the two-conductor service wire from the phone company. It is most likely the black cable passing through the knob insulator, but it could be that very old cloth-insulated three-conductor cable caught between the subfloor boards. You may be able to trace it to where it comes into the house, and you can see if it continues on to a utility pole.

The remaining wires are all runs to various and sundry phone extensions throughout the house. The photo shows samples of every type of house internal phone wiring ever used from 1920 to 1990. Look around the house for phone jacks; you probably have samples of those spanning 70 years also.

The inspector didn't say anything because the wiring is completely safe, even it it's still connected to the phone company.

Depending on where you are, if you can find a suitable telephone to use, you may be able to make local emergency (e.g. 911) calls even if you are not a subscriber.

The second photo could be of anything.

If the inspector didn't go into cardiac arrest, it must be low voltage and therefore safe. It's most likely for your doorbell.


How to make Handrail Transitions with Rotation? We removed the old handrail that was not up to code and didn't reach the first step of the stairs as required.  We have a traditional guardrail installed on one side and we are having difficulties trying to find a good method of continuous transition on the other side, that has a wall angled 45 deg away with the first two steps. The handrail needs to terminate on the first step, not near the third.
Since we have traditional handrails, we can't make a simple miter cut because the short piece's top orientation will start to point away from the wall. With circular handrails, this is not a problem as there's not top/bottom.
How can we get a good/decent transition?
Stair slope: 41.5 deg
Inner angle of walls: 135 deg leveled (following the handrail path, the inner angle becomes 145 deg)
Stairs

Trouble wall

Example cut showing rotation needed to remain upright and proper distance

Traditional handrails being used

Typically it is done with a miter cut to get to level, or up easement, then a 45 degree level turn , then another miter cut to resume the angle or over easement, this will get the job done. You can do it with all on-site miters, or you can purchase "fixtures"... parts that are "pre-bent" to make smooth turns. Where I have "up easements" or "level turns" or "over easements" is the names applied to these fixtures I referred too.
I would suggest using glue and "biscuits" to join these parts together, since they will be small enough so there will be no strength in just using screws alone.


What is drawback of smaller diameter recessed lights? I am looking into installing recessed lights in an existing house. Because we have insulation in the attic, I am looking at IC rated, remodel housings. Here in the US, I am finding that the 5" and 6" diameter housings are the most common, but I tend to like better the smaller 3", or maybe 4" models.

Given that context, what are downsides of smaller diameter recessed light housings (3-4"), compared to larger ones (5-6")?

There really isn't any downside that I'm aware of.

Bulbs are a concern, although that applies to any type of light: are they readily available? Can you get them from your local big box store, or do you have to resort to a speciality lighting store, though special order, or from some obscure site on the internet?

Regardless of light size, providing the appropriate number of lights, in the appropriate positions, and with the appropriate bulb beam angle (using flood vs spot) is important. I actually discussed that in depth on my answer here: Is there a good rule of thumb for how many lights you need in a room?


Can a crack in a sink be fixed? Putting apartment up for rent.
Just want to fix this hairline crack without replacing the whole sink.  It's about 1/16" deep (can just feel it with the tip of your fingernail)
Is it possible? How?

You might have been happy living with it, but it's a probable red-flag issue.
Acceptable fix - replace sink. If you have a "Habitat for Humanity ReStore" nearby (or some other "thrift store that deals in fixtures") it might not even be that expensive. Doesn't need to be a fancy overpriced brand but it needs to be intact.
Slumlord fix - epoxy or leave as is. It will never be "right" short of replacement. It will lose you renters with reasonable expectations, as they will smell slumlord when they see that sink at the apartment showing and keep looking - elsewhere.


Is my closet wall load bearing I wanted to take this closet out but got nervous when seeing the backed wood.

There is a floor above and the basement is below, but no support beams where the closet is.

Also the joists run with the front of the closet.

Is it safe to take out?

It is not unless someone totally incompetent built the home. Lumber is never used flat like that as a load-bearing header. It would need to be full-height in that head space.

Disclaimer: I'm looking through the internet at a fuzzy photo with relatively little context. Take Alaska Man's advice and get a local expert on scene.


How can I provide an electrical outlet at my portable kitchen island? I want to use appliances on my kitchen island but don't want it to be built in.  If I hang a pendant light and install a lamp holder outlet adapter into a light bulb socket. Is this dangerous or a violation of code?  I would wire the lighting like I would for electrical outlets in the kitchen and provide a GFCI upstream.  I don't see anything in the code about hanging outlets in the kitchen.

There are pendants and there are pendants. An item like this Power Pendant Outlet Drop is designed for the purpose you describe. An ordinary residential grade hanging light is NOT. There are a few possible issues:

An ordinary hanging light fixture is designed to carry the weight of the fixture. It is not designed to handle frequent manipulation and the stress of daily plugging/unplugging of appliances.
An ordinary light fixture (hanging or a table lamp or whatever) will often have smaller size wire than needed for a full 15A or 20A circuit because the requirements (and associated UL testing/rating) are based on the fixture having a maximum continuous usage far lower than 15A or 20A. For example, a 6-bulb chandelier might be rated for 6 x 60W = 360W == 3A continuous usage. Therefore, it can have 18 AWG wires from the bulbs on up to the ceiling box. You do NOT want to run your toaster oven on 18 AWG wires.
Grounding - I do not know if ANY edison-base to receptacle adapters are available with proper 3-wire grounded receptacles. I know the ones I Google'd now (UL listed, name brand) are NOT grounded, and I suspect that by design it is not possible to have such an adapter properly grounded.
GFCI - If the lighting circuit is on a GFCI breaker (or downstream "Load" of a GFCI receptacle) then you are protected (and this helps mitigate the grounding concern). But if that is not the case then you would need to retrofit a GFCI breaker. If you can't do that (e.g., old fuse box or double-stuff breakers) then you are going against modern code for kitchen receptacles.

In short: This is not a good idea unless you are prepared to install a "real" pendant power source.

As far as the alternative of a floor outlet - that can easily solve most of these issues. However, a floor outlet will be too far away for modern kitchen appliances that typically have (based on modern kitchen electrical code) ~ 2 - 3 ft. cords. A hanging pendant (of the right type) does not have that problem.


Wrong wiring color used for 240V appliance (white/black instead of red/black) We had the electrical system in our house upgraded as part of a remodel. While investigating an electrical issue, I noticed that our AC unit (which is rated 240 volt / 25 amp) appears to be wired with the wrong color wiring: it uses white/black wiring instead of red/black wiring. I'm certain it's 240V because I measured between the white/black terminals within the breaker box, and the label on the AC unit also says it's a 240V appliance.

How egregious is it to wire a 240V appliance using white/black wiring? Should I ask the electrician to redo this piece of wiring? (The gauge of the wire seems to be correct -- 10AWG -- given that it's a 25 amp appliance.)

If this is a cable assembly (like NM or MC cable) NEC 200.7(C) allows re-identifying the white wire for use as an ungrounded conductor by tape, paint, or other permanent means.

If it pipe and wire then you need to re-pull the wire. Usually it doesn't have to be red, but red is good, it can't be grey, white, or green and it's easier to not pick through details and avoid anything with stripes.


What options do I have for replacing this sillcock? The handle on my outside faucet falls off almost every time I use the faucet, which is mildly annoying. As far as I know, there are no leaks or any problems with the sillcock itself.

My basement has an unfinished part and a finished part. I found the water line that goes to from the main to the sillcock in the unfinished part and followed it to where it goes above the ceiling of the finished part of the basement, shown on the left side of the diagram. I know nothing about the plumbing in the orange highlighted part of the diagram.

About two feet before the water line goes above the duct work and ceiling, there is a small water line that goes up to the water unit on my fridge, highlighted in yellow in the diagram.

Freezing in the winter is my number one concern. There is another faucet on the backside of the house, which has a shutoff valve a couple feet in from where the water line exits the house.  That is all in the unfinished part of the basement so I close the valve and drain the line in the winter.  However, for the faucet shown in the diagram, even if there is a shutoff valve, it must be above the ceiling as there aren't any in the unfinished part of the basement.

If I wanted to add a shutoff valve, could it be added in the yellow highlighted area of the diagram?

If I wanted to replace the sillcock with a new frost-proof sillcock (that would take care of the handle falling off annoyance too), what options do I have?

I'm not a plumber, nor a very handy guy so I assume there is other information I am not considering. Please let me know if I've left out some crucial information or there are options I need to consider.

Thanks!

EDIT: For what it's worth the handle on faucet is not at a 45-degree angle, so it gives me some hope that it may be frost-free already, but I do not know.

You can put a shutoff in the yellow area if there's nothing ELSE feeding off the hidden part of the waterline. If there was a shutoff above the ceiling it should have an access panel, but code violations are a dime a dozen with things like this.

Given the "handle-fall-off" situation I'd suggest overcoming whatever fear of drywall repair may be holding you back and opening up the ceiling to replace the sillcock with a frost-free unit, though I am also of the "and put an inside shutoff on there anyway" camp. Most houses are constructed such that drywall repair is a given for any plumbing or electrical work to get done, so it's a good thing to learn.

However, if you want to check if it's frost free first, and see if you can fix the handle, shut off the water at the main, and unscrew the entire valve-cap-nut assembly to remove the valve from the sillcock - if it's 2" long, it's not frost free - if it's 10-12" long, it presumably is. Then you get to have fun trying whatever you haven't tried yet, and perhaps some things you have, to hold the handle on - thread-locking compound or the like.