What is the worst that could happen connecting the neutral from a smart switch to ground? I have a WeMo wall switch that says I should not install if I do not have a neutral wire. What would be the result if I connected to ground?

There are two main problems:

Since building codes doesn't allow such usage, any inspector who sees it is going to flag it and likely want to inspect a lot of other wiring.
If used in a circuit which is GFCI/RCD protected, any significant current the device would feed through its ground-connected neutral would likely cause the protection device to trip.

I don't think there's any technical reason why it shouldn't be possible for a manufacturer to create a class of switches which would be approved for use in such fashion [ensuring that such switches would never pass more than a fraction of a milliamp through the neutral lead even at startup would require extra circuitry, but that would not be an insurmountable problem.]  I would expect, however, that manufacturers have no motive to build devices which regulators would not recognize, and regulators have no motive to recognize devices that don't exist.


Nicely mounting 2x4s to wall I would like to make some bookshelves similar to what is seen here:

My question is how to nicely mount these to the wall.  Obviously I could simply angle some screws into the wall studs, however I think that'd look a bit messy and would like to hide the mounting method.

I'd try a few of these keyhole mounting plates:

You'd need to be very precise with screw placement so everything lines up properly.  If you're feeling adventurous, you could chisel or route out a recess so the whole thing is flush against the wall.  You could also mount the plates to the wall at a stud, using sufficiently long screws, and then use smaller screws on the shelf to clip in.

Another alternative would be to drill mostly through the stock, screw directly into the wall, and plug the holes with dowel.


How can I protect my underground sprinkler PVC pipe from tree roots? This is a follow up to a previous problem I had here: PVC Pipe for sprinkler system broken in multiple places

Does anyone have any suggestions how I can install underground PVC pipe and protect it from Tree roots.

A few suggestions I've thought of are these.

Inserting a 3/4-inch PVC pipe inside of a 2 inch PVC pipe for short distance (10-20 feet). if a tree trunk or root pushes into the pipe and breaks the 2 inch PVC, that should give the 3/4 inch pipe that's inside some protection.
Placing small rocks under, and on the sides, and finally above the pipe. To give it another layer of protection.

Anyone have any other suggestions or think my 2 solutions are bad ones? I'm open ears.

PVC pipe is the most common pipe used for sprinklers, but in areas that require a lot of bends, there is also something known as "funny pipe".

Funny pipe example

This flexible pipe is not the same as drip irrigation pipe.  It is thicker and a slightly different material.  Some brands are UV resistant and it can be used above ground in flower beds or in shallow areas where it may get uncovered.

Tree roots may still kink this pipe over time, but the should not break it because it will just bend and flex out of the way.


Can I add a porcelain bathroom fixture to existing tile? I have a tub and shower with no means of placing bottles of wash or shampoos except for around the edge of the tub.  I tried to put in a make-shift shelf tower but it does not fit.  I wanted to put porcelain shelves in the corners but I need to do it over existing tile.  I have done it before without removing the original tile but it was about 9 years ago and I can't remember how I did it.  I tried to remove some of the existing tile to place one shelf but managed to pull out Sheetrock that now has to be replaced.  I am not going to ruin any more of the tile or wall.

I would say it is too late to add these. Another alternative is to use a shower caddy. They are fairly common, and can hold soaps, shampoos, etc.

If you really wanted to go this route, you may end up having to re-tile the entire shower.


Exterior outlet not working I have had a problem with 3 rooms and a bathroom all on one breaker. I originally thought I would need to split the circuit, but then decided to check the breaker first in case there were 2 wires connected to the same breaker. A neighbor had an electrician doing some work for him, so I asked the electrician if he would take a look at the breakers in my house when he finished with the neighbor. He came over and sure enough there were 2 wires on the same breaker-a wide breaker that took 2 slots. One black, One red. So, he installed 2 skinny breakers and put the black on one and the red on the other breaker. This seemed to work great and no longer needed to split a circuit. We ran into a problem today: The outside outlet has no power and no breakers were tripped. Is there anything else the Electrician should have done? This is the first time that this outlet has not worked.

Picture of box (bottom left-hand 2 breakers are what's in question here):

The electrician did you no favor . You have a multi fed circuit and the handle ties on the breaker should be together.So both go the same ,and all neutrals should be spliced together to work . Neutral has a load in this case.  And could lead to injury.


Are all toilet bolts installed from under the floor? My mom has an older toilet. When is became loose, in order to tighten the bolts she had to hire someone to go under the house.

We just got a new toilet. I was hoping to install it as a d.i.y project. In this case, will someone need to go under the house in order to install the new floor bolts that came with the purchased toilet? Or should we be able to place them from inside and tighten them?

A typical toilet has a flange that's bolted to the floor and stays there.

Bolts are then turn upside down, with the head down, and the toilet sits on these. The threaded end faces up and the nut goes onto it.

So, a typical toilet install is closet bolts that have threads facing up. No need to go under the floor, be it a 3rd floor bathroom, a 1st floor bathroom or a basement bathroom.


Can I alter the 'timing' of my toilet flush? I have a standard, normal flow toilet, with a problem. When the toilet is flushed, it seems to start refilling the bowl with water from the tank too soon, before the waste has had a chance to drain away.

The result is that the toilet paper/waste just kind of floats around and doesn't really get sucked away. Only when it's sat for a while, soaked in the water and thus got heavy enough to sink does it reluctantly flush away.

Is there anything I can adjust to fix this, or is just a poorly designed toilet/components?

Actually, that's how a toilet is supposed to work.

You can simulate a flush simply by dropping a couple gallons of water in right away.

The spray paint fill is the natural water level.  Flushing occurs by suddenly dumping excess water in the bowl.  This raises the water level at the back, an a siphon effect comes into play with pulls the remaining water out of the bowl, giving the typical whirlpool effect.

If you're not getting the whirlpool, and a clearing flush, there are two possible scenarios.

The tank isn't full, and not enough water is coming down to clear the bowl
There is a small blockage in the drain.

But timing isn't an issue.


retrofit an installed HVAC system My day care center, located in a 100+ year old house and only licensed for 28 kids, had an HVAC system installed about 15 years ago.  Can it be set to vent ALL indoor air and send only cooled outdoor air throughout the house?  I am trying to remove any airborne COVID particulate. I'm willing to give up comfort for safety during this COVID pandemic.

Yes, of course that could be done but you'll likely be looking at some significant ducting work.  The air return, that normally comes from the living space will need to be re-routed and brought in from outside.  Since that will create back pressure on the air handler blower, you will also need to duct the living space to the outside.

Often air-to-air heat exchangers are used in cases like to to minimize losses.

But to your point, I don't believe this is going to be in any way effective in removing COVID-19 virus particles from your space.


How to wire 3way on-off-on rocker switch for central vacuum hose I've got a central vacuum hose that has a broken 3way on-off-on rocker switch. It has 4 wires connected to it. I've seen several suitable replacement switches with varying numbers of pins, from 3 to 10. I'm unsure of which switch to buy (i.e. how many pins) and how to wire it.

It looks like a DPDT switch where they cut off one of the legs before soldering the board.   Black is closed in either "on" position, and white is closed in only one of the "on" positions.   Some DPDT switches have a center position which is all-disconnected, and I presume this switch has that feature, otherwise the black wiring would be utterly pointless.

If you want component switches, my usual places are Digi-key, Mouser, Newark, Galco and other electronics suppliers.   They are relatively standardized most of the time.  Trying to match a switch is a chore, but you might as well learn it.  Numbers on the switch can help, but some may be on the bottom and require unsoldering it.

Soldering is not a huge job, but to un-solder, you're going to want a "snap" solder-sucker, solder wick, or both. It's all done from the solder side of the board.  Don't heat it for too long or you'll cook the board, so if an attempt fails, move to a distant pad, or give it 2 minutes to cool off.  When un-soldering is done well, the device wtill won't come out because each pin will still be stuck to the hole by a microscopic amount of solder, but nudging the pin sideways will cause it to release. If you're nudging hard enough to bend the pin, you haven't removed enough solder.


How should I prepare the site for a concrete step? just bought a house where we've got an existing concrete slab porch that is 12" above the adjoining sidewalk and it does not have a step.  We want to add in a large 6" tall x 3' wide x 11' long slab that will act both as the new step to the porch and also give some area for planters on each end.

With 6" above grade and the size of this thing, how deep below grade should our concrete go? We were thinking 4" and then 4" of gravel beneath that.

For this size slab, should we use 1/2" rebar or would 4" welded wire mesh still be ok?

Since this will be right next to the existing poured porch, should we join the two together with 1/2" rebar or keep slab & porch separate with a small gap (1/4")?

You're asking 3 questions, so I'll address them separately. In the future, please ask one question per post.

There's no reason other than aesthetics and strength that you should extend the slab below grade. Since your step will be 6" thick, strength is not an issue. Use inexpensive substrate rather than making your slab 10" thick.  As far as substrate depth, that depends entirely on the existing soil. There's no magic number. The key is to remove all organic soil and be sure that what's left is thoroughly compacted. Water injection can help.
Considering the small initial cost increase, I'd go with rebar in a 12-16" grid. It will provide more stability in case of cracks. For a slab that size I'd probably cut or tool 2 control joints on the thirds.
If you attach the step to the patio and experience settling you'll end up with a slanted step and/or slab damage (rebar tear-out). I'd leave the step detached and 1/4" to 1/2" above the ideal height to allow for slight settling.  There's no reason to leave a gap or to install an expansion joint against the existing patio in this case. Expansion can occur away from the patio. If the new slab is flanked by other concrete, however, you'll probably want expansion joints at the ends.


Exhaust fan hook up. I only have black and white from source. Please help I am trying to hook up a ceiling exhaust fan. I am going to run 2 switches, light and fan separate. The line in power from box is just 14 ga blk and white. My house was built in 60s. I don't know how to do this since I have no red wire. Electrical is not my strong suite in construction so I need a little guidance.

You're going to need to run new wire, which can be tricky.

ASSUMPTION - There is a wire from the panel to the switchbox.  If the supply goes directly to the fixture first, then this does not apply!!!

Turn off power to the circuit.
Remove the existing fixture.  See if you can get the mounting box out.
Feel along the wire and remove the staple attaching the wire to the structure.
Do the same at the switch box.
Hopefully, your wire will move now if you pull it gently at one end.
Take some 14-3 wire and strip a few inches of the outer insulation off. (A dull carpet knife works great!)
Tie one of the strands of the new wire to one of the old.  Wrap the entire connection in electrical tape.
Pull the old wire out, and the new wire will follow it in.
Replace staples to the best of your ability.

If you can't get the wire to move, you're going to have to break and patch the drywall, which can be a pain.

Wiring
 - The other wire in your switchbox should be the supply from the panel.
 - Cut two pieces of black wire, and pigtail them to the supply black with an appropriate sized wire nut. (You are splitting the wire into two).
 - Wire each end of this pigtail to a separate switch.
 - Wire the 14-3 black to one switch, the red to the other.
 - Wire the whites together with a nut.
 - Connect the ground to the box and the supply ground.
 - Connect the fixture at the other end according to manufacturers instructions.

Put the switches back in the box with one screw each.  Make sure the connections don't touch.
Test.
Reinstall the other screws, faceplates etc.

 -


Requirements for Surface mount raceway using THHN At the top of a 14' wall in a private residential (non commercial) work shop, I'd like to run about 100' of surface mount raceway, with THHN conductors inside of it. I plan to use 4"x4" raceway, for about 10-15 conductors (Despite being relatively large, it fits the space perfectly). I've read code saying you can put conductors in a raceway, but nothing that specifies any physical properties of that raceway. Can I use relatively lightweight PVC raceways with removable covers, similar to what I'd use for data cabling? (As seen in the picture) If not, what defines acceptable raceway?
Additionally, my plan is to knock out holes, and connect to the solid non-removable surface of the raceway using rigid conduit, for load center connections, surface mount outlets, etc. (In the same way I'd connect to any junction box). Is that acceptable?
Because of the out of the way location of the raceway I'm not worried about it being physically damaged, but I want to make sure the lightweight PVC raceway is acceptable from a code perspective.
California, USA

Thanks.

I use raceway quite often.  With a 20% max fill and no need to derate if your current carrying conductors are less than 30 total it is easier to lay cables in than pull in some cases and no derate is the big advantage.
For exterior raceway it will need to be listed for sunlight or UV protected I have used pvc in the past but most of my work is heavy industrial where metal is needed to protect from impacts. Metal holds up better better but in your case a plastic wire way makes sense to me.


Cutting ceramic tiles laid on concrete I'll be framing out some walls on a tile floor laid over a concrete slab subfloor.  As I understand it, the proper way to do this is to cut out the top flooring, and attach the walls' base plates directly to the subfloor, in this case the slab.

The tile floor is in fine shape, so what I'd like to do is use an angle grinder or circular saw to cut out channels through the tile for the walls.  Will this work?  If I cut a line down a tile and it cracks, the finished product will not look good, because I'll have to replace the broken tile with whatever I can find that looks similar.

If the tile is well bonded, there's no reason to remove it. I would use construction adhesive under your wall plate, and I would use a masonry drill to put holes through the tile for your fasteners.

If someone wants to replace the tile down the road, they'll end up making the same cuts you would have. Why do it now if it may never need to be done at all?

If you do decide to make the cuts, a diamond wheel in an angle grinder will do well. Run a large vacuum directly behind the wheel to collect dust. It should leave very little chipping, and won't crack anything unless there's a loose tile or you get rough with it.


How to mount header bracket for garage door opener to concrete wall? The anchor of the header bracket securing the garage door opener's rail to the concrete wall above the garage door came loose over time and with vibrations (details in a previous question).

What is a good long-term solution for mounting the header bracket, and allowing for future changes (in case of changing door openers, etc)?

One suggestion is to anchor a ~24" length of a 2x6" beam to the concrete, then screw the header bracket to the beam. Other suggestions are welcomed as well.

For concrete anchors for the above idea, what 1) type, 2) embedment depth, 3) diameter, and 4) spacing/number/pattern should be used, appropriate for the vibrating load of a garage door opener?

I believe the wall is poured concrete, with 1-2 cm of parging on the surface. I already have on hand some lead anchors / lag shields, #16-18 x 1-1/2". I have rotating drills, but not hammer drills.

Mount a 24" piece of 2x6 up there with four 3-1/2" lag screws and 4 2" lag  shields, one in each corner.Then screw the bracket into that with two 1-1/4" lag screws. Use 3/8" lag screws for the header and bracket.

Center the 2x6 over the hole in the concrete, Screws should be about 1" down and over or 1.4" diagonally from each corner. Washers are a good idea. You're going to need a hammer drill for the concrete since you'll have drill 2-1/4" deep for each lag shield.The drill size will depend on the actual lag shields purchased.


light fixture with no power We are installing a light fixture in my kitchen, it's an old fixture that was my grandmothers.  When we hooked everything up at first the light worked and everything else on that circuit also worked (bathroom, laundry room, and stove light and vent).  We just loosely connected everything at first to make sure it worked, and it did.  But after we tightened everything down, pushed all the wires back in the box, and buttoned everything up the light doesn't work now.  So we opened everything back up again but there is nothing noticeably wrong with it. No exposed wires and all the wire nuts are on tight.  We hooked the meter up to each wire (there were 4 white and 4 black) and there is no power coming through on any of them. We checked to make sure the circuit didn't trip, which it didn't.  We connected it to the same wires the original fixture was attached to, and like i said everything worked when it was loosely attached.  Any ideas what could be the issue?  thanks in advance for the help

A wire can break at the nut and become disconnected - you have 4 wires - so I am wondering the wire nut size if it is too small.

Did the fixture have stranded wires or was it solid ?

I am guessing your wires are not connected anymore whether a wire broke or one slipped down to the insulation of another.

You stated you have 4 whites and 4 blacks - wire nuts for fixtures typically will support 3 wires of proper gauge and it is a stretch to get 4 wires into them - with out up-sizing the wire nut.

Disconnect the wire nuts, intertwine the wires and reinstall the wire nuts..

Don't over think this - it worked once already (did the lights all burn out at once - probably not. When you pushed the wires into the box (8 wires cramped up there ), then it did not work. - Your wire nuts probably need an up-size.


Can I re-fluff blown-in fiberglass insulation with a cellulose blower? I am planning to add blown-in cellulose (GreenFiber) to my 15' x 40' attic, which currently has blown-in pink (circa 1971) which has really settled/compacted. A lot of it, I can actually pick up in sheets and/or good-sized chunks. If I stuff some into trash bags, can I dump it into the blower I get free from the big box store when I buy the cellulose and re-blow and re-fluff the fiberglass before I add the cellulose?
The Cocoon machine at Lowe's has a warning label about only using cellulose, user assumes liability, etc.

Whether you can or not, you probably don't want to. If you're going to go through the trouble trouble of pulling out the fiberglass, you might as well just replace it with cellulose, which has a significantly higher R-value (around 50% higher per inch than fresh loose fill fiberglass). Your settled fiberglass, on the other hand, has a significantly higher R-value per inch than the fresh fluffy stuff! The settling of loose fill insulation is only a problem because you lose inches faster than the R-value per inch increases. "Fluffing" what you have now would save you a little bit of cellulose but if you still fill to the same depth, but would leave you less insulated.


Gas oven sometimes stops heating It's a whirlpool gas oven, model number SF315PEPB1. The burners work fine, the oven always preheats and works most of the time.

The problem is that sometimes once the oven preheats, it wont stay on. I'm assuming it turns off when it gets to the right temperature and then for some reason either doesn't sense that it needs to reignite or fails to reignite.

I notice that when this happens, if I ignite the burners the oven will also reignite. As a work-around I've been just clicking the burners every 5-10 minutes to make sure the oven stays hot.

What could be causing this, and what could I do to make it work correctly again?

I know that with my gas range, whenever an igniter is used for any of the burners, it sparks them all. By guess, this is probably a safety feature in case any burner was turned on without igniting it. What I'm getting at though is that if you are able to ignite the oven by the burners, then it might be the same feature and in which case - there is gas in the oven that can be ignited. Gas should be either burning or cut off - the burner ignition should not affect it.

So, my guess is maybe a bad igniter in the oven? It might have a secondary igniter specifically for the oven that is not connected to the burners - this one could be bad or disconnected. So that when you're primarily lighting the oven, it might spark the burners (all connected as a primary igniter) or vise versa. Then the oven could have it's secondary igniter that is used for keeping the oven heated when it needs to reignite - without affecting the burners. Again, it's just a guess and you might find something about this in the manual or documentation for the range. You might also be able to see within the oven if there were a second igniter, however this might not be the case as it could be an internal wiring control that specifically ignites only the oven as well.

I don't think it'll be an easy fix, but it's most likely the igniter or rather the controls of it.


Electric oven in the same plug as a microwave Can I have an electric oven in the same plug as a microwave, and if not how hard is it to change a single plug to a double?

Assuming you are in the US, and that when you speak of an electric oven you are referring to one of the electric toaster type ovens that sit on the counter. Is that correct? If so, you can used the same outlet for both, and convert it to a double outlet so you can have both plugged in at the same time. However, both devices draw a good bit of current when in use and if you try to use both at the same time you will most likely trip the breaker on the circuit.

Short answer, you can used the same outlet for both devices, but just not at the same time.


How do I set my multimeter to test doorbell transformer I'm trying to troubleshoot a Ring doorbell that doesn't seem to be charging from the doorbell wires.  I wanted to use my admittedly cheap multimeter to check the voltage that the wires are getting.  My question is, how do I set it up?  The transformer says 16V / 10VA on it.  This is a picture of how I've set my multimeter.  Is this correct?

Yes your selecting an AC voltage setting is correct for a typical doorbell transformer.

If you can find the transformer itself the first test would be to remove one or both low voltage wires from the transformer output and then measure the output with the meter. This will tell you if the transformer is OK or if there is some problem with the AC line voltage feed to the transformer or the transformer itself has failed. This isolation could save a good amount of time trouble shooting the low voltage wiring at the doorbell and switch.


Is an 150 psi air compressor enough for spray staining or painting? Is an 150 psi air compressor enough for spray staining or painting? I have just tried one and the compressor kept working continuously

Update:

this is the gun
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-hvlp-air-spray-gun-set-36-pc-0589311p.html#srp

and this is the compressor
https://www.lowes.ca/air-compressors-kits/porter-cable-c2002-0-8-hp-6-gal-150-psi-pancake-tank-electric-air-compressor_9676167.html

Probably not, because 150 psi air compressor labels are generally found on smaller pancake and hot-dog type models. The important number is the volume of air supplied which is labelled in cubic feet per minute. (CFM or SCFM on the compressor label) Think of it this way, a bicycle pump provides a very high pressure but you wouldn't want to try spraying paint with one!

Typically spray guns require 6-10 CFM while small portables put out 3-4ish. Some of them are embarrassingly close to the low end too. I vaguely recall seeing one model that was rated below 2 CFM @ 40psi. It's hard to make suggestions without knowing your use case, but here are a couple of options:

Small Compressor, Small Gun

Detail guns need less air. The current HVLP touchup gun at Harbor Freight requires 3.2 to 5.6 CFM @ 40 PSI. There are portable compressors that can meet that output. Of course you won't want to paint a house or car with it, but it is an option for the occasional small piece.

Small Compressor, Special Tools

It's not my forte, but you can run conversion guns and pressure pots off the next step up in compressors. Price wise it's probably the worst of all worlds unless you already have a serious portable compressor.

HVLP Turbine

If you haven't noticed, the compressor is getting to be pretty expensive. Tool companies have noticed and now offer portable turbines for spray guns. They're a reasonable solution if you don't need pneumatic tools other than paint guns.

Airless Sprayers

These pump paint through a tip to aerosolize it, and can often be rented from paint stores. The big draw is that they'll shoot latex right from the can without complaint. It's really the way to go for paints and large surfaces.

EDIT - Specific to your setup

Your compressor matches your gun requirements exactly. Unfortunately most compressors have a duty cycle which limits them to running part time to prevent overheating. Start by checking the manual to find the duty cycle and see if it is an issue. It may not be an issue if you're limited to 7 out of every 10 minutes if you're not painting a building.

If you're doing a lot of painting then a paint pot may be a reasonable purchase. (Alternatively an additional air tank if you use a lot of pneumatic tools or small amounts of paint.) It wouldn't be the most cost effective new purchase, but it would be cheaper than a new compressor. It would also remain useful should you ever upgrade the compressor.


What can I do about no VOC paint that stinks after it has dried? We just painted with brand new, but gone-bad NO VOC paint (Dunn Edwards in a dark teal). It went on smelling like good paint but when it dried it has a chemical sour smell mixed with vomit and dead animal. We live in the desert (Sedona) so humidity is not an issue.  Headaches and nausea are not fun. We sealed all offending walls with 2 coats of sealer primer (BIN Advanced) and another top coat of paint, as suggested by paint company, and it did not fix the smelly problem.  Then we got desperate. We have burned two boxes of nag champa incense, as well as cinnamon candles for days. We have washed the walls down with backing soda.... vinegar.... and natures miracle. Everything we do alters the smell, but does not clear it up.  Other rooms we painted with lighter tan color of same paint are perfect.  The windows have been open for days with exhaust fans going, and we are being held prisoner in the only warm room that doesn't stink. Once the room warms up the smell comes back.   After reading dozens of blogs on this issue and hearing over and over that paint company's do not own up to having a fix to this bad no-VOC paint issue, it looks like we may to have to tear down dry wall!   HELP .... Any suggestions out there would be helpful before I rip my home apart.

I can't speak to your problem directly but I have had a lot of success with Kilz Oil based primer. It is far from Low VOC and will come with a very strong odor initially. After the paint dries thoroughly the oil smell will subside and you can put on the top coat. I have used this primer to seal pet urine stains on sub floors that otherwise would have had to be removed to get rid of the smell.


How to integrate beams and venting with drywall? I have air vents and an I-beam right when you walk into my basement.  My family is tall so I am not looking to box it like I normally would.  I am going to hit everything with white paint.  Problem is on the outer walls how do you "connect" the drywall to the I-beam and vent that run across?

Interesting problem. If you've got metal vent, and a steel I-Beam, those will definitely move at different rates than drywall on wood framing. Sounds like you need something flexible for the transition. What about using self-adhering flexible membrane flashing material as (at least) part of the solution?

I know you can get flex membrane flashing with a white surface, but I don't know if any manufacturers offer a paintable product.

Also, I'm not sure how to make a smooth transition from the membrane to drywall, but it might be possible with some careful mudding.  I haven't actually used membrane for this solution, but I am a big fan of the product for other purposes.  Here's a discussion article that mentions many types.

Let us know what you end up doing?


How can I fix this leaky roof over a covered open air porch? There is a small deck above this covered porch. The first picture shows right below that deck where there is small shingled roof. Below this roof is a covered but open to the air porch. When the snow melts from the deck water drips down and freezes on the siding as shown circled in red.

Once everything melted I noticed big bubbles in the paint from the wood siding shown in the second picture. Clearly I have a water problem. Can I fix this the right way in the middle of winter? If not any good mitigation ideas while I wait for spring?

That little shingled roof under the deck would be a really bad idea, because replacing the shingles will be next to impossible. So it smacks of an after-though project and I'd venture to say that they didn't properly flash that roof to the siding, meaning the flashing needed to go UNDER the siding. Fixing it properly now could be really expensive because it may require removing the deck to get at the upper corners. What they likely did was just run a bead of caulking along the roof-to-siding seam, and that didn't last long. What you can probably do now if you don't want to tear anything out is to preemptively remove and replace that caulking every once in a while, maybe based on how long it had been working for you until now. Use a butyl caulk, they last longer in applications like this.


Dirt or concrete for Aluminum fence posts? Should I use concrete, dirt, or gravel to set aluminum fence post is disturbed soil?  The soil was backfilled 9 months ago, and it may not be fully settled.

Do not use concrete.

Concrete and aluminum have incompatible issues.

Dirt and compact it well, every 2" or so as you refill the hole.


Minimum distance between main panel and feeder? I'm running very short on space in my main panel.  And I'm adding a second mini split air conditioner right now that needs another 240v breaker, and would eat the last space in my panel.
Rather than perpetuate the issue, I'd like to add a feeder panel and move both mini splits to it.  The main panel and both the AC units are wall mounted on the same side of the house.  Add a couple windows and a slope and I'm really tight on space.
Either I need to squeeze the feeder in between the main and a radon exhaust tube or take it out to the far side of the house where there's a fairly aggressive slope.
I couldn't find anything in wiring simplified that specifies a minimum distance between the main and a feeder.  Did I miss it or is there really no minimum?
If I go the other way, and take it over the slope, I assume there is a maximum height from the ground, and I would measure that directly down to where the ground is below the feeder panel?
Either way it's a really short run, thinking 125 amp breaker with 1 awg copper to allow for future growth.  I also imagine this might be close enough to the panel that I don't need a main breaker at the feeder panel?  But I'll probably just choose a panel with one anyway, so I didn't look into whether it's necessary.

You can butt panels together as long as the doors open 90°
The absolute minimum distance between loadcenter cabinets, enclosed switches, or similar distribution enclosures is set by the 90° door-opening rule in NEC 110.26(A)(2):

(2) Width of Working Space. The width of the working space
in front of the electrical equipment shall be the width of the
equipment or 762 mm (30 in.), whichever is greater. In all
cases, the work space shall permit at least a 90 degree opening
of equipment doors or hinged panels.

However, you generally don't hit that save for corner cases; what will determine the actual minimum is loadcenter covers (combination covers tend to overhang their   respective loadcenter boxes) and nipple sizing (you can't get any shorter than a close nipple) for surface mount installs, or the width of studs (1.5") for flush mount panels.
And yes, there is a maximum height for panels, measured straight down
The issue with the steep slope in your alternative location is twofold.  First, a steep enough slope may simply not permit "ready and safe operation and maintenance" of the equipment in question, but that's an AHJ call.  More importantly, though, the NEC sets a hard limit of 6'7" from the floor or ground level to the operating handle of the highest overcurrent device in the panel in NEC 240.24(A), as the exceptions to that rule don't apply to your situation.  (This is so that you can get at your breakers in case you need to reset a tripped breaker or shut a faulty circuit off in a pinch, even if you aren't the Jolly Green Giant.)
Ditching the main breaker is actually a good idea
Since you were wondering, no, you won't need a main breaker in the subpanel provided that your subpanel is in or on the same building as the panel you're running the feeder from (and that you aren't invoking the feeder tap rules, but that's neither here nor there for you most likely).  In fact, choosing a main lug panel here gives you an advantage, as many main lug panels ship with separate ground bars fitted at the factory, which saves you the work of having to fit them in the field.  Just remember that neutrals go on neutral bars and grounds on grounding bars, in addition to pulling the green bonding screw or strap out of the new panel and running all four conductors (hot, hot, neutral, ground) to your new subpanel.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
Last but not least, there is no reason to pinch pennies on a tiny subpanel here.  I would recommend a 40-space or 42-space, 200 or 225A, main lug panel in your situation as a minimum, since you're already starving for panel spaces.  If you can, you might as well go bigger: the 2008 NEC allowed panels to have more than 42 spaces generally, so 54-space and 60-space panels have become available, if a bit pricier than their 42-space counterparts.


What is causing my gas water heater to squeal? I have a gas water heater. Starting yesterday, when the flame is on, the unit makes a squealing noise of moderate volume. The noise stops immediately when the flame turns off. This means it is not caused by water pressure in the tank, which would take at least a moment to stop after the flame switched off. What causes this sound?

My guess is that something in the gas supply line of the heater is whistling (a vibration is being induced from the flow of gas). This could indicate a blockage or deformation of one or more of the gas jets. It's unlikely to be any problem with the exhaust flue or with the water in the tank, as you say.

The other thing it might be, depending on the tank's proximity to your gas meter, is that the gas reg on the meter (which steps down pressure from the gas main to a level suitable for your home's appliances) is starting to fail, and the heater, being closest to the gas reg, is picking up a vibration through the gas line that is induced by the failing reg. This is less likely especially if no other appliance makes the slightest noise, and the reg itself isn't making any noise when gas is flowing.

As far as fixing it, this is something I'd leave to a pro, but that's just because I know enough about gas to know I can seriously screw it up. The fix would likely be to replace any obviously crushed or deteriorated gas pipes and fittings in the HWH installation, and possibly disassemble the line back to the wall to make sure there aren't any nicks or dents in the pipe ends from where the installer dropped and damaged one, then installed it anyway.


Water dripping from soffit - problem with the gutter, roof, or something else? We recently bought a house that has gutter guards installed. I noticed during heavy rain storms, water drips from the front of parts of the gutters, and ends up dripping onto the porch underneath as well. There is a gap in the soffit area that the water drips from that lines up with a darkened area on the front of the gutters.

We had a roofing person look over the roof recently who didn't see any obvious issues with it, and based on experience in past houses I'm guessing there might be a clog in the gutter, as opposed to something else causing this leak.

Does this seem likely to be an issue with the gutters, or might there be more going on here?

Drips are hard to locate: they can originate a good distance away and follow along a beam to emerge elsewhere.That said, check for clogs in the downspout. I've used a flexible plumbing snake to push though leaves. Use it hand-powered, since downspouts are much more fragile than drainpipe.


How much concrete for a fence post? We're going to build up a 4' fence around our property sometime in here in the spring or summer with 4x4 posts.

I've seen that you should bury 1/3 to 1/2 of the above ground post height; so this would make our hole 1.5-2' deep with gravel below. I've also seen that the diameter of the hole for a 4x4 post should be 12".. which would make the radius 6". After going through the math for the hole ( pi x r^2 x h ) it comes out that the hole will have a volume of 1.57 cu ft, but the post itself will take up 0.17 cu ft, so the volume to be filled with concrete will become 1.4 cu ft per post. Right?

The question I have now is that a 50lb bag of fast-setting Quickrete apparently fills 0.375 cu ft after setting. This would mean that we'd need almost 4 bags per post (3.75) - this is also the number that comes up from Quickrete's online calculator. I'm not against this exactly, except that I've seen people saying they've used half a bag per post or a bag a post. How accurate is this and how much should we need? At that rate, we're almost looking at 100+ bags. The 80lb bags fill about 0.6 cu ft and are about a dollar cheaper, is there anything against going with it?

What type of concrete do I need to use, and how much?

Wow! I normally use post hole diggers (6" diameter?) 3 feet deep and ½ a bag of redi-mix per post. I did a free standing section of 6 foot privacy fencing this last summer and we just had a storm of >50mph winds and it is still standing and solid.

So, some of it depends on the quality of your soil but 4 bags per post would be major overbuilding in my opinion.

If you had access to an 8" auger and a full bag per post would still be overbuilding but if you are OCD then that would probably satisfy your worries.

Good luck!


How to prevent pressure from dropping from my water heater? Until two weeks ago, my parents house used one water heater ( noted "1" on the picture) to provide two bathrooms and the kitchen with hot water. The bathroom on the first floor consists of a bathtub which is used occasionally as a shower. The bathroom on the second floor has a shower and is used often.

The pressure in the shower dropped when someone opened a tap to take hot water, so they decided to add an additional water heater ( "2" on the picture)  to get rid of the problem. The two hot water network are now disconnected from each other, and this solved the problem of hot water pressure dropping.

There is now another problem. The pressure in the shower (2nd floor, coming from water heater 2) is very good for 65 seconds, then drops drastically. The water seems to just fall (vertically) from the shower head.

Can this be fixed ?

I'm not a plumber, and I'm not going to do it myself, but I may be tempted to (have someone) switch the output of the two water heaters; the water heater #1 is known to work perfectly on the second floor (pressure wise..), and the first floor shower doesn't really need a high pressure hot water (if that pressure problem can't be fixed easily).

Edit:

About the picture: These are copper pipes painted in white. The red color has been added afterwards using Photoshop to help you visualize the two hot water networks.

I did a few tests this morning:

Time to fill a 17L sink: (17L is an approximation.)

with hot water only: 35s
with cold water only: 55s

Time until hot water pressure drops: 65s

Time to fill a 17L sink with hot water when there pressure is low: 75s

It appears to me you are building pressure using the bladder tanks. Once the pressure reserved in those tanks is depleted your pressure drops because the flow is restricted (possibly ahead of those tanks). I would agree with Justin that you have a restriction that is reducing the flow and after the bladder tanks are depleted you are only getting the flow through the main line.

The fact that it takes longer to fill the sink with pure cold water tells me your problem is a restriction in the line feeding the water heaters and the bladder tanks are compensating for this somewhat when you fill the sink with pure hot water.

Look for a restriction in your main cold water feed line, and then at other points in the system. Check the air pressure in your bladder tanks with the line drained. Lastly, the piping looks too small to me. I would upsize that piping for better flow.


Is it likely that water can enter below the slab? My question is about basement/foundation function and the relationship to sump pumps and water.  If a sump pump is supposed to pump water from below the slab out to the surface and loses power, what will generally happen with the water?

In my instance, I have poured concrete foundation walls, concrete slab, and foundation walls are painted with sealer type primer/paint.  When we lost power the carpet pad got soaked.  Some of that came from the water breaching the sump pit.  But on the opposite side of the basement the carpet still got wet.  Is it likely that water enter between the slab/foundation wall joint all around at the same time the sump pit is filling up?

There's typically a drainage system around the inside perimeter of the basement (perimeter drain), which feeds into the sump pit.  If the pump is not removing water, the drains will fill just the same as the pit.

Water always finds level, so if it's above the rim of the pit, it's also filled the drains.  So theoretically, water could seep in anywhere around the perimeter of the basement.

Once it's found a way in, it could fill the basement like a pool.


How can I determine why my toilets are not flushing right? I just had all the stuff inside both toilet tanks replaced.  Now they aren't flushing right.  I checked inside the tanks and the water doesn't go all the way out.  It fills before it does so therefore you have to flush it twice or hold the handle down till it does.  What can I do to fix this problem?  Hopeing to hear from you.  Ruthann

To my knowledge most newer toilets manufactured after the water saving regulations were put in place do not completely empty the tank when they flush. The extra water is there to provide extra height to the water which increases the water pressure as it flows into the bowl.

If your toilet's flushing performance is fine then leave it as is. If not replace the flapper with an adjustable flapper. This can either be a flapper with a dial or a flapper with a float on the chain (you can even get the floats separately to add to your existing flapper chain). These help control how long the flapper stays open after you flush.


Would using a grounded extension cord negate the effects of a ground prong missing from device? Specifically:

I have a PA System with the ground wire missing.  It has shocked me in the past and I'd like to use it.  Short of a repair (which is coming), would using a grounded extension cord from the wall to the plug on the PA negate the shocking safety hazard that the ungrounded PA presents?

Nope!

Your problem is that you need to fix whatever is causing the shocks and replace the butchered plug.  There is no make-shift repair for this.


Nearly all basement lights dependent on switch at top of stairs I went to a house this evening for a showing and encountered a situation involving the basement lighting that I'm almost certain violates at least one part of the NEC. The house was built in 2000. The basement is finished with the exception of a utility room containing the HVAC, water tank, all of the plumbing stacks, and the main service panel. If it matters at all, we're in Wisconsin.
The basement has 3 total light circuits: a single socket in the utility room with a pull string, a pair of pot lights in the area ~15' from the stairs with a switch on the far wall, and 6 pot lights in the main area near the stairs with a dimmer switch on the wall immediately opposite the staircase.
The pair of pot lights far from the stairs were only affected by the nearby switch. The utility room socket, and the main area lights however, were only operational if the switch at the top of the stairs was on. The utility room and main area circuits did not affect each other thankfully, but as soon as you hit that switch at the top of the stairs both circuits were dead.
Based on what I know of the NEC from lurking on this SE, I believe that there are supposed to be lighting controls at the top and bottom of the stairs that work no matter what state the other is in; and that rooms are supposed to have lighting controls within x feet of the entrance of the room, and that the top of the stairs does not count as the entrance to the room for the majority of the basement; and that a room's lighting (like the utility room) shouldn't be controlled from the opposite end of an adjoined room.
We passed on the house for other reasons, but I'm curious as to how wrong this setup actually is, and given the behavior of the circuits, if it could even be fixed without running new wire.

The stairs require a light control device at both the top and bottom of the stairs this has been code for many decades. The other lighting sounds questionable


How do I replace this switch with a dimmer? I'm trying to install a dimmer switch (single pole) in a 4 gang box.  In the current set up, I have two black wires attached to the SAME screw (one of those wires is from the back of the box, while the other wire is coming from the light switch directly beside it (it seems that all the switches have a black wire that is looped from the one beside it).

In addition to the 2 black wires I have an orange wire going directly into the switch, which I have now learned I need to use the end of an extremely small screwdriver to press into the hole to release it.  I'm not sure what to do with the orange wire.

The box is metal, and there's a copper ground wire screwed to the back of the box.  The dimmer switch I want to install has 2 black wires and one green wire. I was going to cap one black wire from the dimmer to one of the blacks from the switch, repeat this step with the other black wire, then take the green wire from the new dimmer and attach it to the green screw.  Is that right? and if so what do I do with the orange wire?

The loop in the black wire is normal when electricians are running a hot wire from device to device. It saves them time and is really safer since it involves fewer wire nuts.

The orange wire is the wire that is going to the light. The power enters the switch where the black wire is looped over the screw, and exits to the light through the orange wire.

Yes, attach the green wire to the green screw. But, you need to wire the blacks from the switch differently. One switch black is for the incoming power, and the other is for the exiting power. So, one needs to be connected to the same black that is connected to the old switch; and one needs to be connected to the orange.

I would, with the power off at the circuit breaker panel, and after testing to make sure the black at the switch is not hot, cut the existing black to form two separate wires and strip the ends appropriately. Then I would connect one of the black wires from the new switch to these two wires with a wire nut.  After that, connect the other black for the new switch to the orange with a wire nut. That should do it, and your dimmer should now work. Good luck, and be careful!

PS: I personally use a Fluke 1AC-A1-II Volt-Alert AC Non-Contact Voltage Tester to verify or locate hot wires and love it. You might want to check it out for the future. Its inexpensive too. Note: I have no personal connection to Fluke; I just think good products like this are worth spreading the word about.


GFI outlets not working - resets working 4 outside GFI outlets and 2 in the garage not working. One in the garage has a GFI red light. The light is powered on, but outlet doesn't work. The Elec Panel GFI is not tripped. Help

Quite a few GFCIs have a light that comes on when the GFCI has been tripped. You should press the Reset button.

If the outlet refuses to reset it has gone bad and will need replacing.


Is this electric water heater wiring correct? I recently re-wired my water heater from 120v to 240v. I'm not sure why it was wired with 120v to begin with, but it was not providing enough volume of hot water. I looked up basic thermostat wiring diagram, and it appeared as if the thermostat was wired wrong, so I moved a wire.

Can anyone confirm that the wiring is correct? I've uploaded the before and after shots of the wiring change.

The third picture shows a jumper that I can't seem to see in any wiring diagrams I look at.

Before:

After:

Should this jumper be left or removed:

Click for full size image

I just did a search for John Woods thermostat wiring and found the John Wood website.

Then I used it, and your pictures to create the modified picture below.

It looks to me like you have it wired right. Also, it looks like the original wiring was done so that both the upper and lower heating elements would be on at the same time. With it wired the way you have it now, the upper element should go off when it reaches its set temperature, and simultaneously turn on the lower element.  I would check this with a voltmeter if I were you.

I AM NOT AN ELECTRICIAN: JUST A DO-IT-YOURSELFER OF ABOUT 50 YEARS. So, you might want to wait for a real electrician to respond.

Click for larger view


Safety practices for 5-volt 150-watt power supply for dot-programmable RGB LED light ribbons The electrical device in question:

For my owned premises, I self-installed RGB-programmable accent lighting: NeoPixels-compatible LED light ribbon (5 meter 300 LED individual-addressible, the WS2812 / WS2813 / SK6812 compatible type -- really cheap nowadays if you DIY, barely more than the cost of solid color).

For those unfamiliar -- these are the newer kinds of individual-light-programmable LED light ribbons.  Metaphorically like a single-pixel-row jumbotron capable of playing any animations or graphics at a high framerate, with many apps and software now available for these nowadays (proprietary and opensource).  Being a 3-wire (+/-/data SPI wire) compatible with Raspberry Pi as well as generic WiFi/Bluetooth/smarthome/hub controllers since this is a now-common LED chip that is also branded under big names.

Although not my install, here's a YouTube video of what NeoPixel compatible accent lighting is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyl-TS8sR_w (though I run it more subtle animate programmes, like gentle flame flickers and/or aqua flickers).

The unusual electrical in question:

What's so unusual about it is that it needed a high-wattage 5 volt power supply to drive it.  Peak is 90 watt (if 100% LEDs illuminated to all white), so I overprovisioned to 150 watt and bought this power supply off Amazon ... Admittedly it is generic/China but claims FCC/CE certifications / ISO 9001 factory.

Been working reliably/cool for the last 2 months in an open-air mount but I would like to improve safety.

I live in Province of Ontario, Canada and I've changed outlets and light switches all the time, as well as installed a new circuitbreaker (all in owned premises) that passed a 2nd person inspection -- as well as upgraded a sub-fusebox into a sub-panel (of same rating) in a detached-garage/shed, so I'm not new to DIY electrical work.

Now, my concern in question:

However, this barebone-ness of the power supply is giving me a little bit consternation, and I'd love to wrapper it up in a "box", like an oversized power junction box or similar.

From a safety perspective --

Are there some standard best practices relating to permanent installs of these high-wattage low-voltage power supplies -- e.g. the purchase of a fireproof metal enclosure and mounting these power supplies inside them, to prevent shock issues and reduce risks.

In addition, if there are issues continuing to use these types of bare power supplies -- what would be the best (reasonably priced) alternatives for a permanent install high-wattage 5V power supplies for these newly common dot-programmable RGB LED ribbons?   12 volt is common for older RGB ribbons (global-color programmable) but high wattage 5 volt (individual-LED programable) is relatively new in the residential lighting world and currently there seem very few best-practices yet.

Unfortunately, enclosures are tricky when the equipment needs to be ventilated.

The first rule of electrical is that anything that touches mains power must have a proper UL listing, CSA, ETL or equivalent. US-OSHA keeps a list, and everyone else dogpiles on and cites it rather than maintain their own list.  Your tax dollars at work. A RU listing (UL component listing) is not that.  RU component listings shortcut a UL equipment listing because the component is pre-certified.

And CE is definitely not that; it is a junk mark gleefully faked by the Chinese. The rare Chinese maker who is able to stick a UL listing on their item proudly does, with file number, and they don't use CE at all; no need to fake.

I don't know the Canadian code requirement for approved (read: CSA-approved) items, but the NEC section is 110.2.  It's on the first page.

I have excellent 24V GE power supplies for LED lighting that mount in a fluorescent ballast form-factor.   Still need enclosures, but designed to play in a confined space.

The go-to in the "Chinese, but UL listed" department is Meanwell, and their stuff is sold at Mouser, Digi-Key, the usual.  Some of their supplies have the UL or ETL listing instead of the component-level RU mark.

There is no Code legal way to bring hot and neutral to open, uncovered screw terminals on the equipment. That is one of the 100 details that the Chinese fakirs completely ignore in Code. This might be allowed in an RU component.  I suspect on the UL-listed Meanwell supplies, they'll have an IEC inlet or a proper cover for the 120V splice areas.

Another important thing required in mains code is complete separation of mains and low voltage power. Bringing them onto the same terminal block is a nope.


How to remove wooden screen door from the frame to replace screen I have an old (c. 1950) wooden screen door that I need to remove so that I can replace the screen. I think it's probably made by Pella (The original owner of the house was an executive for Pella) but it has no markings or ID plates, etc.

The rollers don't seem to retract into the frame at all. There are screws in the corners of the door. I thought that if I loosened them that the rollers would retract, but apparently, those screws are holding the wooden door together.

There don't seem to be any screws in the top runner channel other than one that anchors a spring which closes the door. There doesn't seem to be any other screws holding the top channel in. Even if there were screws in the top channel, there's no room to slide it off to either side anyways.

I can't figure out how to get the door frame out of the track. I tried contacting Pella directly, but...no love.

Here's some pix:

This is the top corner of the leading edge of the door. Shows a screw hole behind weatherstrip and the spring mentioned that pulls the door closed...bottom corner is similar. No spring at bottom.

This is the top corner of the trailing edge of the door. (Bottom is identical.) Shows the track at the top and one of the screws which I thought was to move the rollers, but turns out it's structural and holding the door frame together.

Here's a shot of the interior handle/latch. Perhaps would help to identify the manufacturer or something.....

Any suggestions?

I have repaired a few screen sliders in the past several you just lifted the screen to the top and pull out at the bottom to remove. My current house the slider takes 2 people to remove lifting the screen the wheels do not clear the track a 2nd person is needed with a screwdriver to lift the wheels pull that side out then the other as they are spring loaded. This is the only way I have found to remove this slider so I could replace the screen. Make sure when you put the new screen in the door is square or it won’t seal properly. I usually measure diagonally corner to corner and make sure they are the same, I made that mistake in my youth and I had to get another screen.


How can I make this old space heater more quiet? I have an old space heater running along the outside-facing walls. It's a very simple heater: it consists of a pipe, a heat sink all along it, and a cover.  I don't know what's inside the pipe; most likely water or oil.

When the heater turns on and turns off, it makes very loud clicking sounds in the bedroom -- loud enough to consistently wake up my wife and me.  These clicks happen every couple of seconds for several minutes.  And considering it heats up and cools down basically every hour, this results in interrupted sleep and anger at the heater.

My best guess is that the metal is ticking when expanding and contracting, but what can be done to reduce the noise?  Surely it wasn't ticking like this when it was brand new.

Some possibilities:

Reducing how hot it gets.  Then it could stay on continuously rather than cycling.  But I don't think I have control over this.
Putting dampening material in the heat sink, if it's the heat sink that's making the noise.  But I don't know what material would be safe.

It could be noise due to the fluid moving inside. I would try to let any air out of the pipes and re-fill it to the recommended level.


How can I wire multiple recessed lights and multiple dimmers? How do I wire recessed Zinc Alloy ceiling lights.  There are eight lights and eight dimmers.

Can I run all wires and the feed into a junction box?

Since you have a one-switch-per-light configuration, you'll need to run a cable from the switch electrical box to each light.  So you'd have the line coming into the box, and then the hot would go to each switch, and then from each switch to each light.    All of the neutrals would be tied together.

This of assumes that a single circuit can handle the load of all of these lights - have you done any load calculations yet?  You also have to watch out for the box size as code states the maximum number of wires in each box depending on the size.

There might be other ways to accomplish this (extra wires for travelers, etc.) but we'd need more information on your setup to help provide any insight here./


What is this soft plastic like material that has been added to the window, and how best to remove it? The previous owner added this soft, plastic like material to the window frame and I'd like to remove it. I can get parts off with a knife, and when I do it is flexible and soft.

I believe this is probably a common material, but I'm struggling to identify it. What is it? And how best would you go about moving it from the window?

Likely "removable caulk", (perhaps "temporary caulk" - been a few years since I put some on leaky windows for the winter) in which case pulling it once you get an edge lifted up should be effective at removing it, though perhaps complicated by it being a sloppy job...

Otherwise, just (clear?) caulk, and it might be harder to remove. Using a knife will risk scratching things up - a plastic scraping tool might be a better choice, depending on the window material. Then again, you may just have to plan on repainting.


Routing a light switch to the side of a cabinet I'm installing some floor to ceiling cabinets and due to the existing configuration, a light switch will need to be moved to the side of the cabinet.

Before:

Ultimately, I would like it to look like this when the cab is installed.

What is the recommended way to route wiring from the original switch's electrical box to a new box on the cabinet.

I'm thinking I should do surface routing inside the cabinet into a box that I will install in side of the cabinet as I would dry wall.

My questions are..

For the box on the side of the cabinet, can it just be the cheap blue type new work 1U box. I notice those don't have a 1/2 inch round port for PVC tubing which I would use to route the cable to the switch. Furthermore, we will be accessing the inside of the cabinet, so I'm wondering if there is something neater / safer.

For the box in the wall that had the original switch - how do I cover that up and route cable out of it? I can figure out what type of cover to use that will let me make a connection in the box and route 1/2 inch pvc out.

Last - If there's a better option than 1/2" PVC to use as a cable conduit, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

I would use drawn steel boxes and EMT conduit, it's bulletproof, firesafe, cheap, easy to disassemble to alter or access, and grounded.

I thought it was not cheap and I was mindlessly gold-plating everything, until I looked at the prices for the blue cheese.  Holy smokes, it's more than steel boxes! And the orange backless are even more! Why...

And I find EMT easy to work with, just cut it with a hacksaw and a few spins of your wire stripper deburrs the inside.  And it all spins together either with compression fittings or setscrews.  No cementing.

On the original light switch, you fit a "blank" steel cover plate with a 1/2" knockout on it, and extend the EMT off that.

If the underlying box is steel, and the cover plate lands hard on clean unrusty unpainted steel (not held above it by drywall etc.) then the cover plate and extended EMT is a valid grounding path.  Otherwise you will need to extend the ground in a wire.  Either a bare solid wire or I prefer a green stranded wire.

In conduit, you are able to use stranded individual wires (THHN) which is easier to work with, but a little harder to attach to devices (and the device must be listed for stranded wire, can't say "solid wire only".)  I like the Leviton Screw-and-clamp types where tightening the screw clamps the wire.

However in conduit with individual THHN wires, you are not allowed to use white for a hot wire.  That is relevant in "switch loops", just use two blacks.


Best way to insulate supply duct with minimal clearance I wanted to wrap the supply side ductwork, but the return is mounted so close to it, in some spots barely 3/4 of an inch of space between them. What is the best way to insulate in this case? Supplies both heat and AC located in an unfinished uninsulated basement of a 2 story house in Chicago area, basement is pretty chilly right now in March and the supply spans the whole length of the house so there is a pretty large temperature difference when you get to the end of the run 30-40 feet away from the actual blower.
I thought of 2 possible ways I would do it:

Getting 3/4" foam board and shoving it up in the space and then use R-6 fiberglass duct wrap on the other 3 sides.
Fill the gap with spray foam, as this would also close up any leaks. Then again use fiberglass duct wrap on the other 3 sides.

Supply is the smaller duct on the right in this picture, the gap looks much larger than it is in the pic, on average about 3/4 spacing.

I'd go with the foam board. Spray foam expansion could collapse the duct somewhat and maybe cause some airflow volume issues. Main reason I wouldnt use it would be working on the duct work later would be terrible with all that foam stuck to everything. Just my initial thoughts.


Is it a bad idea to put a 60 A breaker in a 100 A panel? I’m thinking about putting a tankless water heater into a shop with a 100 A feeder.  Based upon groundwater temperature where I am, the model I’ve selected runs on 240 V and requires:

a minimum 125 amp electrical panel for installation with (1) 60 amp double pole breaker connected to (1) set of #6 awg wire.

I suspect that the requirement/recommendation for a 125 A panel is simply so that you aren’t using more power than your service can supply in case the tankless heater is running at the same time as several other appliances that are using electricity, though I’m not an electrician. My questions are:
(1) Does the electrical code (I’m in Canada) specify the maximum breaker amperage for a given panel amperage.
(2) If the code doesn’t prohibit this setup, is it otherwise unwise to do so.
In case it matters, this tankless heater would only be used to supply a utility sink faucet primarily used for hand washing. There are some other relatively large current draws in the shop, but since I’m generally the only one working in it I don’t expect to be washing my hands and, say, welding at the same time.

The instructions are CSA-approved (or UL-approved; UL is now licensed to approve in Canada thanks to trade deals like NAFTA and GATT, thanks Bill Clinton).  They are requirements and must be followed, unless you obtain an AHJ waiver.
The reason the UL-approved instructions require at least a 125A service is because a 100A service would not leave enough headroom remaining to reasonably power a modern electric house with presumably at least one other large electric appliance along with normal lighting and small appliance loads.
Subpanels are irrelevant to this type of service calculation.  The old joke "I can't be overdrawn, I still have checks left in my checkbook!" really nails the difference between breaker spaces (and how they are distributed in subpanels) -- versus -- ampacity drawn by those loads.
Your house's calculations are based on the ampacity of the various loads (as well as square footage and some other odd stuff that goes into a proper load calculation).  The arrangement of panels and spaces doesn't enter into it.
That said, you have to do another load calculation per subpanel to make sure you are not overloading that subpanel's feeder.  But the 125A admonishment in the instructions does not apply to that.
TLDR: you're fine if your house's service is >=125A and it won't bust load calculations for your house or sub.


Need help with 3-way wiring (diagram included) Could really use some help. I'm putting in some GE Z-Wave plus switches in my new house and have come across my first 3-way switch.

I think the far left Romex in box #1 is the cable that goes between both boxes. The Internet seems to suggest that the black wire there is no longer needed and can be capped at both ends. That leaves me with the traveler and the neutral wires at box #2, which is exactly what the GE add-on switch takes.

At box #1, far left Romex, I capped the black, put the red on the traveler of the new switch, and put a jumper from the neutral of the switch to the bundle of neutrals.

This leaves me with only the red wire going up into the center Romex. Since the top black wire from the fan switch also goes into the center, I want to say the red is the load for the light, but originally it was connected to the common terminal of the old switch. I'm not sure how this switch gets power.

I'm very confused and not an electrician. Please help me.

What you have here is a line-side traveller loop.  The white wire in the leftmost 14/3 cable takes power out to the switch in Box #2, while the red and black wires in that cable are the travellers going back to the switch in Box #1, which then feeds the load.

The fortunate thing about this configuration is that it's relatively easy to hook your smart switches up to it.  You'll just need a couple of pigtails for the line and neutral on your new dimmer, and a couple of wirenuts to cap off the unused black wire in the cable between the two switch boxes.

Make sure the power's off at the breaker.
Remove the old switches.

In the first box:

Remove the white wire that's bundled in with the black wires from that junction and join it and the white pigtail to the existing bundle of white wires.  (These are your neutrals.)  Remove any tape or paint flags or markings on the white wire in the leftmost cable.  It will become a neutral once again, as it was a hot previously.
Nut the black pigtail into the existing bundle of black wires.  (This is your hot feed coming into the box.)
Connect the existing ground pigtail that grounded the old switch to the ground terminal on the smart switch if the old switch was grounded.  If it was not grounded, post a comment here and I'll update the instructions.
Connect the black pigtail to the line terminal on the smart switch.
Connect the white pigtail to the neutral terminal on the smart switch.
Connect the red wire from the leftmost cable to the traveller terminal on the smart switch.
Cap off the black wire from the leftmost cable with a wirenut.
Connect the red wire from the center cable to the load terminal on the smart switch.

In the second box:

Remove any tape flags or paint markings present from the white wire.
Cap off the black wire with a wirenut.
Connect the ground wire (if present) to the remote's ground terminal.  If no ground wire is present, post a comment here.
Connect the red wire to the remote's traveller terminal.
Connect the white wire to the remote's neutral terminal.
Put everything back together in both boxes.
Turn the power back on and configure the smart dimmer.


10 inch rough toilet but heating baseboard is in the way Just moved into a new house. Need to replace the toilet. It is a 10 inch rough from the wall, however there is a heating baseboard in the way. There is a toilet there now and the back of the base of the toilet doesn't extend all the way back to the wall and that's why it fits. I've gone everywhere and cannot find a toilet that doesn't extend back to the wall. The existing toilet seems to be from the 80's or 90's.

Anyone know where online I can find a toilet whose base does not extend all the way back to the wall so it fits with the baseboard heating?

I had a weird offset flange in a bathroom where I replaced a toilet and like you, couldn't come close to finding one at my locals shops. At this point one option is to visit a plumbing supply outlet and see if they can help. They are the ones who know about these specialty items.


Septic system pump too loud We had a new septic system put in about 2 years ago and love it.  No more problems for us with water backing up and not flushing when it rains.  It is an aerobic system with a pump that runs continuously.  The pump sits on our back patio.  At the time it was installed we didn't use the patio, ever, so the noise didn't bother me.  It's not extremely loud, about like a dishwasher or washing machine.  But it is loud enough that at night I want to hear the crickets and frogs and it interferes.

Is there a way to quiet the pump some way.  Right now I have a cement block type thing sitting over it to protect it from the dogs.  There is an opening on 2 sides for air. The plumber actually put this on it for me.  It needs air flow I am pretty sure so it does not overheat.

If I can't quiet it is it okay to unplug it for an hour or two at a time each day?  I have googled this and can't find an answer.  I know it is okay for the power to be off at times because the plumber said if we lose power for a few days not to worry.  But I wonder if I do this every day for an hour or two is it okay?

The possible result of unplugging it for hours is that the pump may lose its prime. If that happens, when you do plug it in, it will run and run without actually pumping anything. If left this way, it could overheat and be seriously damaged. It is relatively easy to restore the prime in the pump, but you would not want to be doing this every day. It would be annoying.
Building a sound barrier sounds like a better option.


Cracked Heat Exchanger Carbon Monoxide If there was a crack in a heat exchanger in a natural gas forced hot air furnace, would it trigger a Carbon Monoxide detector to go off?
This is NOT happening in my house. The reason why I am asking is I have been smelling smoke (combination of cigarette / wood burning) the past 3 days and I really only smell it when I am in the house. My wife can't smell it but she really does not have a good sense of smell.

If the heat exchanger is leaking Carbon Monoxide into the heated air in dangerous quantities, it SHOULD trigger the Carbon Monoxide detector, but I wouldn't assume that everything is fine just because the alarm is silent. Your life is too important to gamble on that device working as intended.
On a side note, I think that a wood or cigarette burning smell is much different than any odors produced by a natural gas furnace (in my opinion anyway).
Best bet is to inspect your furnace periodically, or hire someone to do so.


Entry light switch controls adjacent bedroom lighting I'm new here and may have caused a problem when rewiring to install recessed lighting.
The wiring of my entry area is done in such a way that:

Cutting the light on, will cut on the light in the entry area AND provide On/Off capabilities to the adjacent bedroom
Cutting the light off, will cut off the light in the entry area AND not provided On/Off capabilities to the adjacent bedroom

A diagram of what this looks like is attached. I'm new to this type of thing and the nearest electrician mentioned it is likely an easy fix but no one has the time (booked out) until 2 weeks earliest...
Does anyone have pointers (tutorials online, books, etc) suggestions or solutions on how to get this working so that the switch is not controlling the other room?
Thanks for looking!

@Ed Beal @NoSparksPlease - so yes, these 2 wires needed to be wire nutted together, leaving only the red connected. That resolved the issue, and i've found this video to explain what was happening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRSgemIxamU (Scenario 2 at the 2:47 mark)
@manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact 2 - yes the diagram is showing the light box, not the switch box
@ThreePhaseEel - I will indeed post pictures if this ever happens again -- assuming I can't get a hold of an electrician as the first option.
Thanks for the feedback everyone!


Why would the documentation say to wire a pole of the 3-way occupancy switch to ground? I'm currently wiring up an occupancy sensor to a 3-way switch, I'm leaving one of the mechanical switches in place, and here is the wiring instructions.

according to the instructions I need to wire one of the poles on the second switch to ground (fig 5). I've never seen this before, is it safe to do? Do I wire that pole and the ground nut together to go to ground?

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for wiring the device. If the instructions say make a ground connection, then make it.

For argument's sake, that ground could very well be for nothing more than grounding the switch (so it wouldn't necessarily be a pole).

However, it is likely that this device is indeed passing some current to ground. Below is a reference from a competing manufacturer of similar products. Notice that this only becomes a concern when combined with many such (twenty!) devices, or with other devices that are prone to leaking current to ground. Also note that this is only a concern on GFCI protected circuits.


Wiring a ceiling fan I need help in wiring a new ceiling fan, no electrical feed. We wired it to our light switch which apparently controls our bottom outlet. When we did this the fan did not work when we flip the switch, unless we plug something into the bottom outlet and turned it on. How can we fix this problem?

Your bedroom outlets have been wired to the receptacles in the traditional "switched outlet" configuration. On your receptacles there are brass bridge tabs creating the circuit between the two receptacle plugs, the electrician has removed this bridge and wired the top receptacle to a "hot" wire and the bottom to the "switched hot" from the light switch. The bottom of the light switch should have a constant "hot" wire on it. You will need to purchased a single gang two switch light switch and replace the existing single gang light switch with the dual. Jumper the existing incoming hot wire to the two new switches. One switch will continue to switch your outlets and the new switch will control the fan. You will need to run a wire to the ceiling fixture to power the fan if no current wiring exists. Use a licensed electrician if you are not capable of performing these changes.


How do I find a fire-rated door that won't dent easily? I recently bought a metal fire-rated door at Lowe's for the doorway from my house to my garage.  In putting it into my van, it bumped into a dolly cart.  I was surprised to see that it was dented from the bump.  If it is dented so easily in transport, it surely will be dented in ordinary use.  I returned the door.
So how do I find an inexpensive fire-rated door that is more durable, perhaps dent-resistant?  The salespeople seem to think that all metal doors could dent and that all fire doors they might sell are just about the same.

A metal fire rated door is not required.
The door between the garage and house shall be 1) a solid wood door a minimum of 1 3/8” thick, 2) solid or honeycomb core steel door that is not less than 1 3/8” thick, or 3) a 20 minute fire rated door. (See ICC R309.1)
A door is not allowed between the garage and a sleeping room. (See ICC R309.1 openings)
I’d use a solid core wood door with a door frame that has an “intregal door stop” rather than an “applied stop”.
Garages are to be separated from single family residences by 1/2” gypsum board on garage side ONLY, provided the garage does not open into a sleeping room. (See ICC R309.2)
Make sure you confirm all this with the AHJ.
Oh, if you’ve got to have a metal door try Entek.com. Terrible website, but great customer service. Give them a call.


control for attic fan I have an attic fan with an old (MH Rhodes 90015 /marktime) mechanical timer switch. I want to replace the timer with a thermostat (presumably a line-voltage thermostat).  To my surprise, in the switch box where I expected a line and load feed as in a typical light switch, the two wires that were attached to the timer are a line and a neutral with 120 volts.  Is there a thermostat that would connect to that? Or will I have to find the junction box and rewire to convert the switch feeds to typical line and load?

There are line voltage thermostats,  I use these for controlling electric heaters no battery a simple 2 pole switch with a temp dial. T522-w is the model I use 50-90 F temp range 120-240 at 22 amps 277v @ 18 amps I think it was close to 18$ at Platt but you may be able to find it cheaper online I believe when I ordered these there were some ~12$  but I needed 20 amp minimum 240V. , Added just checked online and you can find what you want using line voltage thermostat. Honeywell has one 13.95 (sold by Amazon) it's a 4 wire you only need to use 1 set, cap or tape the other set these are much heavier duty than your fan needs so they should last.


Isolating a workstation located in an open space office I have a large room in my house, which I use as an open space office where several people are working on their own desk (see image below for an idea of how it looks like).

Several persons make many calls everyday and subsequently disturb the other people. What are some solutions to acoustically isolate their desk, so that they making calls doesn't disturb the others?

My constraints:

I cannot move his desk
I cannot ask people to wear headphones or earplugs
Since I am renting the space, I cannot drill in the floor or ceiling
I can only modify the desks (or immediate surrounding) of noisy persons

Why not just put up sound barrier screens around the noisy desks. To make this work you will have to, as a minimum, keep it to one person per desk and where desks are adjacent move them apart enough to allow the barrier screens to stand in between the desks.

Here are a couple of possible examples:


Can I use a 220V line to supply two 110V receptacles? I went to replace the over-range microwave today, only to discover that the old one ran on a 220V line:

...but the new one only needs a 110V receptacle:

Am I correct in assuming that I can use the existing wiring, swap the 220V outlet for two 110V two-outlet boxes, and then remove the 220V breaker in the box for a single 110V breaker (40 amp down to 20, I think)? Is this advisable? I know DIYers who swap out breakers all the time, but I'll need to do some reading before I tackle that...

What size are the wires?  A 40 AMP circuit is probably 8 or 10 AWG, neither of which will likely fit in the terminals of a 20 ampere receptacle.  Which means you'll have to use a 12 AWG pigtail, to attach the receptacle to the circuit.

Aside from that, you've got it about right.

Remove the existing receptacle.
Install a new box.
Use properly sized twist-on wire connectors to attach a 12 AWG pigtail to one of the ungrounded (hot), the grounded (neutral), and the grounding conductors.
Use a properly sized twist-on wire connector to cap the extra ungrounded (hot) conductor.
Remove the double pole 40 ampere breaker.
Install a single pole 20 ampere breaker.
Connect one of the ungrounded (hot) conductors (the one attached to the receptacle), to the new breaker.
Use a properly sized twist-on wire connector to cap the extra ungrounded (hot) conductor.
Install a plate to cover the empty hole in the panel cover (that was created by removing the double pole breaker).


Flickering of lights and vibrating of freezer compressors I generating current from a ZS1115 diesel engine and a 15kva brush alternator .
The alternator is giving out current but the lights are flickering and the freezer compressors are vibrating , whats the possible cause ..? Pls Help...

In all likelihood the alternator is not putting out the type of AC waveform that the appliances expect. Depending on your location the AC mains from the utility service will be a single frequency sine wave of 50Hz or 60Hz. An alternator will often put out a three phased AC signal that will vary in frequency depending upon the RPM of your diesel engine.

Also since alternators are typically used in applications where the output is rectified and then used to charge a battery in a DC circuit the frequency based upon engine RPM is not of a concern for those applications.

Of course there are loads you can put on the rectified output of an alternator that will work OK as long as the voltage is the correct level. Incandescent lighting would fit this usage but if you have certain typed of florescent lights or AC line powered LED lights they are not going to like operating outside of their 50/60Hz frequency range with the proper AC sine wave voltage level.


Boarding windows without storm shutters I bought a house a 5 years ago that has the pegs for storm shutters, but no shutters.  See below.  My previous house was all brick and we used plylocks.  How should I go about boarding this up for a hurricane?  The peg is threaded, so I'm thinking that a hole in the plywood slid over the pegs, secured with a nut and washer.  Maybe there's a product out there that will do the job better( faster? )

Are these hanger bolts?

Washer and nuts is the way to go. you can use wing nuts if you want.
If I was doing it, I would measure and drill the top 2 holes in plywood. Hang it in place and then measure and drill bottom 2. you should be able to do it while its hanging. The drill hole doesnt have to be super snug give your self some room for error.


Privacy for lower level room I have a quad level home. The family room windows are pretty much ground level outside. If our neighbors walk by, they can pretty much see everything. Not  to mention our homes are pretty close.

We have film in the bathroom but, that seems to block a nice amount of light and obviously we get no privacy if the window is opened.

Any options available for some privacy that allow me to get some some light and air flow?

Translucent film lets a lot of light through and provides privacy as well (as long as you don't get to close to the window). There are window films with beautiful patterns and even ones that can be attached to window panes without an adhesive. (I think I'm not allowed to suggest a brand here.)


Swapping wires in electrical panel to move outlets to different phase of service. Is this safe? I need two nearby outlets in my house to be on different breakers and different phases of the service. The outlets are currently each on different breakers, but each is on one of the poles of a two pole 20 amp breaker so they are on the same phase. They are #13 and #14 in my panel. If I swap the the red wire(#14) with the red wire from the two pole 20 amp breaker below(#15) as shown in the picture it does the trick. Both breakers are 20 amp so I think this should be ok. I just wanted to see if there is any reason I shouldn't do this? Thanks!

Inside the panel door

Full panel

Outlet on breaker #13

Outlet #1 on breaker #14

Outlet #2 on breaker #14

This panel has more problems than you can shake a stick at
Not only do you have the mis-wired MWBC pair in #13/#14/#15/#16 trying to slow-cook a couple of neutral wires, you have a bigger (in terms of time and cost to fix) problem with this panel, namely that 75% of your breakers don't belong there as they're the wrong type for the panel you have. Furthermore, it appears that most of your MWBCs do not have a means for a common maintenance shutoff, which also is a Code violation.
As a result, this isn't just a matter of swapping a couple of wires around and washing your hands -- you'll need to replace 75% of the breakers here just to bring it as close to Code as practical for this panel, given that putting a bigger panel in would make this a far larger job.
Problem #1 -- the double-stuffed panel
Whoever put this panel in was penny-wise and utterly pound-foolish, as they put in a panel that was basically half (or less) the size it should have been.  This forced them to use double-stuff breakers, which provide two breaker mechanisms and handles in a one-space package, connected to the same leg or phase of the incoming service as they share the same contact clip that attaches them to the busbar.
These double-stuff breakers are different from two pole breakers, which have two contact clips on their back and take up two full width spaces, allowing them to attach to both busbars and provide access to both legs of the feeder, and power things that require 240V as a result.  Of course, one can have a breaker that's both a two-pole breaker and a double-stuff breaker.  Those are called quadplex breakers, and one can be seen feeding circuits 9-12 in your panel -- each pole-space contains two breaker mechanisms, with the inner pair and outer pair tied together.
Problem #2 -- multi-wire branch circuit mishaps
It seems that whoever wired this condo wanted to save a few pennies on copper, so they made heavy use of multi-wire branch circuits (MWBCs) to wire it.  In short, because North American light-duty electrical service is delivered as 240V but with the neutral point set halfway between the 240V legs, if you connect two 120V loads in series and connect the neutral wire to the midpoint of those two loads, the only current that returns down the neutral is current that flowed through one load but not the other load, allowing one neutral to be shared between the two hot wires.
However, this requires the hots to be on different legs, and also requires both hots to be shut off simultaneously when you go to turn things off for maintenance work so that you don't get bit by hot B when you're working on something attached to hot A.  Right now, your miswired situation at #13/#14/#15/#16 has neither of those properties, which risks you getting shocked (if you only turned off one of #13 or #14 to work on the garage outlets, for instance), and also is busy trying to light your house on fire, as now you have two hots on the same leg trying to share a single neutral, potentially pumping 40A down a 12AWG wire only rated to handle 20A. (The situation with #4 and #6 only has the former problem, while #9 and #12 are somehow correctly wired to their breaker, but that has other issues which will be detailed below.)
Problem #3 -- the alien invasion
Your panel is a Murray/Siemens loadcenter.  This means that UL, as part of the process to get it listed, tested it with Murray breakers in the panel.  However, only two of the breakers (#3/#4 and #15/#16) in your panel were made by Murray/Siemens to begin with.  The remaining breakers are of the wrong type to be used in a Murray panel (there's a Square D HOMT at #5/#6, and the rest are Eaton/C-H/Westinghouse/Bryant BR breakers) and thus have not been tested for proper compatibility with a Murray panel.
This is what drives the need for breaker replacements here -- the last installer (or installers, even) whacked in whatever they had on the back of their truck instead of getting the correct breaker for your panel.  Note that you are best off shopping at an electrical supply house that stocks Murray/Siemens, or ordering the exact part numbers you need online from a reputable distributor -- the big box stores generally don't have a great selection on these things, which may be part of the reason your panel was invaded by aliens.
Eating this elephant, one bite at a time
Fixing this panel will be a multi-step process, requiring:

Temporary number tags (1-16) to put on the existing wires so that you can tell which wire goes where when rewiring this thing -- if worse comes to worse, you can use flags of masking tape for this and scribble the numbers on with Sharpie
And replacement breakers, namely (these are exact Murray/Siemens part numbers, and are the only parts acceptable here):

a MP21515 (Q21515CT) for #3/#4/#5/#6
a MP220230CT2 (Q220230CT2) for #9/#10/#11/#12
and a MP220220CT2 (Q220220CT2) for #13/#14/#15/#16

The first step, of course, is to turn the main breaker for your condo off.  Once you've verified that nothing's live in your panel, then you can tag the hot wires #1 through #16 based on which circuit in the panel they are hooked up to at this point in time -- we'll be using these numbers later when we hook stuff up to the new breakers.  Once everything's tagged, you can then unhook all the wires from the old breakers, and pull out all the old breakers -- put the ones for circuits #3/#4 and #15/#16 with the new breakers as we'll be transferring those to different circuits as part of this, and dispose of the rest appropriately.
Now that you have all the needed breakers at hand, you can install them into the panel.  The MP2020 goes in the space for circuits #1 & #2, the MP21515 goes into the spaces for circuits #3, #4, #5, & #6, the MP1515 goes in the space for circuits #7 & #8, the MP220230CT2 goes in the spaces for circuits #9, #10, #11, & #12, and the MP220220CT2 goes in the spaces for circuits #13, #14, #15, and #16.
Once that's done, then it's a matter of wiring the new breakers up.  The wires labeled #1, #2, #3, #4, #7, and #8 go back to the same circuits they were always on, while #5 and #6 are swapped to provide a common maintenance shutoff for the #4/#5 MWBC -- this puts the wires labeled #4 and #6 on the inner two poles, while the outer poles get the wires labeled #3 and #5.
Moving on to the right side of the panel, the wires labeled #9 and #12 connect to the two 20A poles of the breaker that services #9/#10/#11/#12, while the wires labeled #10 and #11 connect to the two 30A poles of that same breaker.  Finally, we get to the situation you originally asked about; for this breaker, the wires labeled #13 and #14 connect to circuits #13 and #16 (aka the two outer poles), while the wires labeled #15 and #16 go to circuits #14 and #15 (aka the two inner poles).
Once everything is wired up and tightened down, and the temporary number tags removed to avoid later confusion, then we can button the panel up and turn everything on save for the #13/#16 handle (which will be ganged together), as we'll be moving onto that next -- note that the breakers I got for the MWBCs not only have common maintenance shutoffs, but common trip functionality as well, which will be important when we move onto the garage circuit.
Now that the panel's corrected, there's a much less hinky way to get 240V at the garage
Now that we have the breaker panel straightened out as best as possible (ideally, we'd get GFCI and AFCI protection installed, but that requires wholesale replacement of the panel with a much larger one, something beyond the scope of this project), thanks to the MWBC wiring that's already there, we can make it so you have 240V in the garage without the need to screw around with dodgy adapters.  You'll need three things besides the breakers for this, and those are a Leviton 5844-I combination 5-20T/6-20T receptacle, a wirenut accepting 3 #12 wires, and a piece of red 12AWG wire to add to the existing pigtails.
At the box that you labeled "Outlet on breaker 13", you'll want to unhook the receptacle from the existing pigtails, and also undo the wirenut that joins the black and red wires together.  Use your new wirenut to add one end of the 12AWG red pigtail to the junction of the black and red wires, and then wire the receptacle as follows (feel free to use the screw-and-clamp backwire system on this receptacle, or the side screws instead if you're more comfortable with those):

Black pigtail to one of the brass screws on the opposite side of the receptacle from the silver screw
Red pigtail to the brass screw on the same side of the receptacle as the silver screw
White pigtail to the silver screw
And bare pigtail to the green ground screw

Last but not least, button up all the receptacles on the garage circuit, and turn the #13/#16 breaker back on.
Now, you have both a standard 120V (NEMA 5-20T) receptacle there, and a 240V (NEMA 6-20T) receptacle that your charger can plug directly into without the need for a dodgy adapter.  This works because the breakers I specified above are common trip breakers, which are required when you are mixing 120V and 240V loads on a multi-wire branch circuit as we're doing here because the common trip function disconnects both legs of the circuit on a breaker trip, thus cutting power to the fault and avoiding a scenario where a one-legged trip doesn't do anything useful because the fault's backfed from the other leg via the 240V load.


Should there be a cap next to my furnace ac drain? In the picture below, the left side has a good amount of airflow while the ac/blower is running. The tube on the right is the drain that the condensation flows out of to the floor. Should there be a cap on the left opening? Seems odd as there is so much air coming out of there.

Yes, that should be either plugged, or plumbed as a secondary drain. A 3/4" MNPT plug should do the trick.


How can I test if my powertool is getting enough electricity? Suppose I bring a powertool over to a community center (or a relative's home) to volunteer on a project.  How can I determine if my tool is getting enough electricity (supposing other loads on the circuit are constant)?

The most basic test: If the tool isn't struggling -- if the motor is maintaining its normal speed under load -- it's getting enough power for practical purposes.  If it does run into trouble, taking some load off it by cutting more slowly might help.

But in a normal building, since you aren't going to be travelling with anything huge, the odds of your needing more than 15A are low unless you're running multiple larger tools and/or there are other loads on the same circuit -- in which case, as @jack said, the breaker for that circuit should blow to keep wires from becoming a fire hazard.

(Normally. I've seen some wierdities in buildings with archaic wiring, such as a circuit that dropped from nominal 120V to something closer to 90V whenever someone used the photocopier. Still not sure how that passed inspection, but it did, repeatedly.)