Should anchors be used with screws going into framing? I have just installed a bathroom vanity that came with screws and anchors.  However, I just screwed the screws directly into the drywall, which has 2x4 framing positioned exactly where the screws go.  I did not use the anchors.

I understand it may be a good idea to do use anchors to make the screw holes more reusable in case of taking the vanity off and putting it back on for painting, for example.  I was wondering if there are any other pros and cons for using anchors (e.g. code regulations).  Should I take my directly screwed in screws out, widen the holes with a drill, set the anchors in and reinstall?  I thought vanities and other forms of heavy load that gets hung come with screws with anchors because of the option to install into masonry, where you are more likely to do need anchors.

If the screws are ONLY in to drywall, take it down immediately and reinstall the screws with the anchors. Drywall will not hold a screw all by itself. With an anchor, the anchor expands BEHIND the drywall, preventing pull-out.

If the screws are very long AND you got them in to the studs, you could be good. But it depends on the type of screws, the weight of the cabinet, and how deep in to the stud you got the screw. Too small a screw and it could pull out or shear off.

If the instructions don't talk about using the included screws to mount the cabinet to studs through drywall, then I wouldn't trust them. Go down to your local hardware store and get yourself some cabinetry screws. You probably want them to be at least 2 inches long so you get a good amount of thread in to the studs.


Why WasteKing disposal throws water up? My old Waste King Special Edition 3/4 HP had this problem: when activated it started turning so rapidly that all water and filth accumulated in it gets thrown up into the air (splash guard did not help). It only happens in the first moment after activation - after that it worked OK.

Now it finally died and I am looking for a replacement. I do not want to get the same problem again.

Does anybody know what could have caused that problem? Was it common for that model?
I know that Waste King has high speed - 2700 RPMs, while Insinkerator only 1725. May be the high speed causes it? But then it should affect all Waste King models? Should I buy a different brand or different HP?
What is your experience?

There's a good chance the disposal was larger than needed for your house hold. Three people households will do great with a 1/3 to 1/2 HP disposal. larger the 5 people would use the higher RPM and HP. Those high RPM models need to have a lot of stuff in them before turning them on. I've always had In-Sink-Erator disposals, 1/3 to 1/2 HP and have never had any problems, and that's with a household of 4.
Are you sure the splash guard hasn't been damaged or cut? I once got a call to replace one because the customer cut some of the fins out of it so stuff would go down faster. Then stuff splashed out so they wanted a new splash guard.

You might want to check the plumbing to make sure there's not a partial blockage that could be causing the initial back splash.


Is it useful to paint outdoor conduit white to reduce the temperature? The typical color of most types of electrical conduit is dark gray.

I plan to run some kind of conduit along the edge of a flat roof to install security cameras, and I'm already worried about the heat radiating from the black roof not being good for the cables.

Will painting the conduit white help it absorb less heat from the sunlight directly in the conduit itself? Even if it is less heat, will it be enough to make a difference? Or am I worrying about nothing and it will be fine?

Elevating the conduit 7/8” or more off the roof surface will be more effective than painting but yes white is the least heat absorbing color.  Why 7/8” elevation? That is what code requires or a temperature adder is used when derating the wire; with 7/8” elevation, the adder is not required. This is located in section 310.15(A)(3)(c), "Raceways and Cables Exposed to Sunlight on Rooftops".


I need help supporting and jacking up my attached, wood front porch I live in Ohio in a home built in 1926.  I do not believe the front porch is that old.  The porch is L shape, wrapping around the house and is 24 X 8' in the front extending another 14' back, with same 8' foot depth.  Attached you will find pictures that may help you answer the question. The porch is supported by 2 X 10's that are 22 inches apart.  The foundation of the porch is red brick that is caving in backwards.

It appears that the entire foundation of the porch is supported by the brick with the joists resting on the corners and a few spots along the porch.  Last year I received an estimate to fix the problem with a price tag of $7000.  No thanks, I want to do this myself.  I am trying to figure out what I need to do to lift and support the existing porch.

The frost line in Ohio is 30".  Also I am planning on removing the existing decking and replace it so I can have total access to the porch which has about 3' of room underneath.

Do I need to dig and pour concrete on each cross joist, can I use a preformed concrete support, can I use a jack to lift into place, etc.?  Attached you will find some pictures that may help.  Thanks everyone!!

(Missing images:

Right side of porch that is secure
Porch floor
Porch resting on brick
Front left of porch showing joists resting on bricks and an apparent repair
Image of a column of concrete block that does not support anything and apparently an old poured footer

)

Without awaiting the rest of your pictures, I'll note that if you are removing the decking you're a hop, skip, and a jump from removing the whole porch (or at least the lower frame) which might make it a lot easier to work on. Temporary roof support during porch work is often done with 2x10's angled out into the lawn beyond the porch. Image Search for "porch roof support" if you are not familiar with the concept.


How do I re-level and re-lay a brick pad with a french drain underneath? I have a french drain that is under a brick pad just outside of my walk-out basement.  As you can see in the pic, the bricks have settled and some have even sunk, making the floor uneven.  I want to rip out all of the bricks, re-level and re-lay them.

Any suggestions on doing it right?

alt text http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6761/photoyva.jpg

The best thing to do is not to have it drain under the patio -- when you change the moisure content of soil, it can compact differently, or wash out, both of which could cause the problems you're seeing.  If you can, change the drain there so you're using non-perforated pipe, and run it out further to a drainage field past the bricked area.

The problem is, you want to compact the soil for the patio, which will reduce the air voids in the soil, making it less permeable and not drain as well, making the french drain less effective.

As it's bricked, if you slope it away from the house, you'll reduce the amount of water absorbed in that area, which should hopefully eliminate the need for a french drain to collect the water to take down to a drainage area.

If you want to get the best compaction of your soil, dig some if it out, then compact the soil, then add a few inches back in, compact again, then repeat until you're out of soil.  Then repeat for the base pack, check it for level and then start laying your pavers.


Metal tubes stuck together: drilled a hole in one. How to get leverage? I have an aluminum bicycle seat tube stuck in a steel frame. I have been using penetrating oils and heat and hammering and such to loosen the corrosion. Now I drilled a hole in the seat post, and can insert a metal rod.
How do I grip the rod with good leverage to turn out the seat post? Thanks for any advice. I don't have a socket extension, so I'm showing the image below with a screwdriver. I have an adjustable end wrench (25cm), but nothing bigger. I could rent something if necessary. So far, I can't turn it. Thanks for any advice!

This, unfortunately, is a common and difficult problem.  The issue is corrosion between the Aluminum and Steel and it can make it difficult and sometimes impossible to separate them.
Here is an article from Sheldon Brown that describes some causes, prevention, and fixes:
Sheldon Brown Seatpost Article
I suggestion trying #9 to start with.


What speaker wire should I use to extend the length? I bought the Sony HT-IV300 home theatre system 3 years back.

Specifications ( Impedance levels are mentioned)

For the front speakers, just used the default surrounding speaker wires ( impedance of front = surrounding = 3 ohm), so no worries about them.

I would like to install the surrounding(rear) speakers of 3-ohm impedance on the walls. The wires are concealed.  So, I need to buy the wires to extend up to 30 feet for each speaker.

Online references/readings lead to confusion as everyone stands on their own standard.

Can you guys help me to buy the right wire with right AWG and with a wire gauge chart for distances vs ohm ?
Shall I simply buy 14 gauge wire without thinking too much technical?
As the wires are concealed, should i think of oxygen free copper wires?

Am i really thinking too much?

I would just install 14 gauge wire, it will be more than adequate at 30 feet.

Look for a reputable brand that's made for audio and rated CL2 for in-wall installation.  Any decent speaker wire will be made with fine strands and sufficient purity for your surround system.

You can spend a lot more on speaker wire, but you won't hear any difference.


3 way dimmer on 4 way circuit I have a 4 way circuit with 6 total switches light switches. One is a dimmer switch. The other 5 switches only work properly when the dimmer switch is on. If the dimmer switch is off the other toggle switches do nothing. Can't turn light on or off.

Also the toggle switches must all be in the on position in order to be able to turn the light on from the dimmer switch. What I mean by this is that if the lights are turned off using one of the toggle switches, and then I try to turn the light on from the dimmer switch, I will need to elk over to one of the toggle switches to turn the light back on.

Hope you can help!  I realize that if the dimmer is dimmed, the toggle switches will turn the lights on dimmed, but it would be nice to be able to use all the switches for on/off.

Looking at the Installation Instructions, if you bought the 3-way version then you either miswired it, or tried to install it in place of one of the 4-way switches previously in the circuit.  The 3-way dimmer must be at one end or the other of the circuit.  (if you bought a single pole aka 2-way, then it'll never work).

This little pic shows the layout.  The solid red bars are for one position of each 4-way; the dashed bars are for the other. So long as this particular 3-way dimmer is in one of the 3-way locations, it always passes the "dimmed" voltage to its live leg.


What kind of latch mechanism should I use for this movable ceiling under my deck? I have a nice deck, installed by a contractor years ago. We wanted to use the space under the deck as a covered patio area, so I built a drop-ceiling under the deck. It's made of overlapping panels of corrugated galvanized steel, supported by a cedar structure, with a slight slope so rain will drain off one end of the corrugated. I have four panel structures of cedar and corrugated, each three sheets of corrugated wide.

We were concerned that crud might fall through the deck and accumulated into a debris dam, and make the rain drip through where the panels overlap, rather than spilling off the lower end. My solution was to put a hinge along the edges of the panels nearest the house, so I can fold them down for occasional maintenance, then fold them back up to their normal, almost-horizontal position. So far, it works well, and the under-deck patio is a nice place to relax outside on a rainy Seattle day.

The problem is that I left unanswered the question of how to hold the panels in the almost-horizontal position when they're not folded down for maintenance. For now, I have some spare bar clamps grabbing the deck's main support joist, projecting out under the free edges of the panels. But I'll want to use those clamps again for something else, and they're not a good permanent solution anyway.

So, what kind of latch mechanism should I use to hold the panels in place? I've looked at various gate latches and tinkered with cardboard mock-ups, but no one answer jumps out as ideal.

Design goals include:

Secures the panels in position fairly securely, without loads that will stress the structures so they warp or bend over time, and loose enough so seasonal expansion and contraction doesn't gradually tear things to pieces.
Not a giant hassle to disconnect for periodic maintenance. It doesn't have to be as easy to use as a fence gate, but it shouldn't require tools, seize up if I don't unhook it for a couple of years, etc.
Doesn't require too many holes through the deck joists (pressure treated timber) or the cedar structure that will invite rot in this rainy climate.
Not unnecessarily ugly.
Not absurdly expensive or complicated to build and install.

Here's a cross section drawing. At left is the 10×4 pressure-treated deck joist that runs the length of the deck. The other brown rectangles are 5/4 cedar (which I mistakenly drew as 2×4s), the end-on edge piece at left, the cross supports at left. The bent gray line is the corrugated steel. (I gave up on trying to draw the corrugations.) The cedar hangs from a hinge at the right, out of the picture.

Here's an orthographic drawing. I drew everything except the cross section somewhat transparent, and drew the corrugated somewhat more transparent. The corrugated is attached to the tops of the cedar cross pieces with waxed stand-off pieces through the high parts of the corrugation with outdoor deck screws. The folded over part of the corrugated is attached to the edge with stainless steel screws (and zinc washers); all the inexpensive deck screws I could find were so long that they'd poke through the cedar.

Addition: Here's a photograph of the deck and under-deck ceiling. It shows pretty much the whole of the structure as described, including the bar clamps supporting the free edge of the panels.

Additional idea:

Based on the first reply, I had the idea of hanging some sort of hooks by chains from bolts through the deck's cross-joists, supporting catches attached to the cedar edge pieces. The first hooks could support the middle of each panel, hanging a little bit low, as the panels are raised to position. Then additional hooks at each end could support the panels at the design height and slope so they don't bounce around in the wind. Plastic-coated stainless steel cables might be better for the middle hooks, because they wouldn't rattle in the wind if they were slack.

I would look at seeing if you could use large size slider bolts. I used this type of device to provide the safety latch for a large hinged stairway I had built in my garage some 13 years ago. The stairway was raised and lowered via an electric winch and cable/pulley system but I added two of the slide bolts (one on each side) as a safety measure when the stairway was in the hoisted up position. The ones that I used had round bolts that were 5/8" in diameter had a slide throw distance of about 3". They were plated with a typical hardware silver color.

You may want to consider something like these power coated sliders for your application outdoors.

In addition I want to suggest that you also consider a secondary safety mechanism to prevent injury and property damage in the case that the sliders are not kept latched fully. This could consist of some short chains that are lagged to the deck support beam and engage the hinged section via a hook on the side or end. These chains could hang loose when the slide bolts are in place.


Remove support under interior stairs I'm looking to build a reading nook under some stairs but there currently seems to be a support structure of some kind that I would like to remove. I've tried finding if this setup is part of code or just good practice but so far have been unable to find anything except for a mention related to very long exterior deck stairs.

The length of the stairs are just shy of 10 feet. Here is an image of the support structure under the stairs.

Here are a couple more shots of the stairs:

full shot of the underneath of the stairs
pic of the underneath part of the top of the stairs to try to show of it connects

At a minimum I would like to remove the cross bracing but if I can remove all of it (there are some boards that run to the back of the stairs at the bottom) I would like to so that the area is a little wider.

Is this something I can take down, either partially or completely?

The post that I point out looks like it is notched around the angled stair carriage, an important detail. The wall sounds like you want to keep in place anyway....

Other parts could be removed but the stair would be bouncy, and would need reinforcement to make it act right.


Washing machine shutoff valve won't close My washing machine hot water shutoff valve doesn't close.

The laundry room has separate shutoff valves for hot and cold water. I believe that the type of valve is a quarter-turn ball valve, although the handles are much shorter than the quarter-turn ball valves used for the main water supply lines. I haven't had much luck figuring out if there is a better name for them; if there is, please enlighten me, as that might help me find more relevant information than I have been able to so far. The valves are part of an IPS Water-Tite outlet box, similar to this one: https://ipscorp.com/plumbing/watertite/supplyvalve/washingmachine/centerdrain
The cold water valve works normally, but the hot water valve does not close. The handle turns readily between the on and off positions, but nothing happens. After turning off the hot water at the heater, I disconnected the hose and disassembled the valve as much as I could. The handle is held in place by a hex nut screw. Below this is a stem which turns freely without seeming to engage the mechanism inside the valve that should open and close it. (Sorry, I didn't think to take pictures while I had it disassembled). I didn't see any washers or other obviously replaceable parts, or any apparent way to remove or adjust the stem (beyond turning it, which seems to have no effect).

Is there anything that can be done to repair the valve? If not, what does replacing it entail? Is it going to be necessary to open up the drywall and replace a chunk of pipe, presumably involving multiple soldered joints? That's not something I know how to do, and I'm inclined to hire a plumber rather than try to learn under these conditions. Any suggestions? If I do that, should I have him prophylactically replace the cold valve at the same time, even though it is working normally?

This is in a house that was built around 2005. I have replaced the hoses periodically, but the plumbing itself is unchanged from the original construction. This has become pretty urgent, because the washing machine has begun leaking from the bottom, and in light of its age and some other issues it is having, I want to replace rather than repair it.

Thank you in advance for any help or information you may be able to offer.

Solution: The valves were in fact threaded in place, even though there is no good point of contact on the valves to connect a wrench to. So removing them for replacement was just a matter of applying more force than I had been comfortable doing, using a channel lock to grab them by the body. I had the plumber replace both valves with a new set that is similar, but has a hexagonal piece above the threads for a wrench to grab on to.

Interesting fact: the outlet box and the valve handles both have the brand name IPS. But on the phone, an IPS customer service rep swore up and down that the valve was not theirs, they have never made a valve that looks like that, etc.

You are correct, they are indeed quarter turn valves. To my knowledge, there is no way to repair the valve in question. There is an alternative other than sweating copper for replacing the washer outlet box, but it still requires opening up the wall.

The alternative being a washer outlet box with sharkbite fittings for your shutoff valves. You'll still have PVC, most likely, for the drain to deal with.

I would recommend hiring a plumber to tackle this particular task.


Do I need to sand this unfinished table? I've gathered that the step immediately before staining a table is to sand it. However, I wonder how to tell when the table is smooth enough? Can I skip the sanding step?

In my case I bought an unfinished pine table (new, not antique) which, to my touch, is rather smooth. Running my finger across the tabletop, I can only feel the largest grains. I even see some sawdust around the drawers, which makes me think it was already sanded.

A nice trick (learned as a wood turner) is to spritz some mineral spirits on the wood. I usually use rubbing alcohol, as I keep that around. (Not mineral oil, as that will not evaporate.) Anything that will "wet" the wood, but evaporate quickly without leaving a residue, and without raising the grain as water would do. Water is bad of course in this context, since it causes the cells in the wood to expand, raising the grain. The idea is to see what the wood looks like when wet. It will often bring out scratches that remain from sanding, or other tool marks.


Smart Thermostat - No C-Wire - No Controller Board This one seems to be a little different from previous questions on the subject. Here is the dilemma, I don't see a transformer. I have included a few pics.

There are Three wire bundles. For ease we will call them "Bundle-A", "Bundle-B" and "Cannon-Plug" - see schematic diagram for Cannon-Plug.

Bundle-A has two wires in it, Red and White. This bundle comes down the wall from the second story.  There is another HVAC upstairs, maybe it runs there?

"Bundle B runs through the wall to the Thermostat. I think it is a 10 wire bundle, but they cut back all of the wires except the 4 wires that are in use at the thermostat.

Here is how it is wired:

Bundle-A-Red is connected Cannon-Plug-Blue.

Bundle-A-White is connected to Bundle-B-Yellow

Bundle-B Red is connected to Cannon-Plug-Red through an overflow-shutoff wire (black in this photo).

Bundle-B Green is connected to Cannon-Plug-Green

Bundle-B White is connected to Cannon-Plug-White

Also notice how the Red/Blue wires are also bridged (with a capacitor? resistor?)

Any thoughts on which wire I tap for "C-Wire"?

On another note, look at the corrosion image. How bad is that? How long before leak and repair - scale 1 to 10?

Thanks Ya'll

Tom

n here]1

This is a Heat Pump wiring diagram, if you only have an AC unit then the AC unit outdoors will only require the Yellow and the Common wire as far as the 24 volt control circuits go.
Common is the side of the 24 volt control circuit that every 24 volt circuit returns to, to complete the circuit, this is why it is called Common,  cause every circuit terminates there.
Every 24 volt device has a 24 volt hot leg  and a Common,  the AC unit will have the Yellow 24 volt hot leg of power  and the Common side of the 24 volt control power.

The furnace or air handler has  low voltage terminals R/ red, W/ white, Y/ yellow,
G/ green and C/ common.
The circuit board will have them if no low voltage terminal strip is seen.
Follow the 24 volt wiring to see where the terminals are, the pics you gave show nothing of any use, its hiding the components, google 24 volt hvac transformer, or 40 VA HVAC transformer to see what one looks like.
Red is the 24 volt hot leg of power
White is the Heat circuit
Yellow is the Cool circuit
Green is the Fan on circuit
Common is the side of power every 24 volt circuit terminates upon.
1 of the 24 volt wires going to the AC unit will be Common.


Re-anchoring in existing (failed) anchor holes in brick I've had a shelf come free from the wall on which it was anchored. The shelf is fairly deep (~2') and solid wood, so it's heavy, and it's meant to take some weight (think like a breakfast bar).

The two 90º triangle brackets supporting the shelf pulled the anchors and bolts right out of the brick wall when somebody leaned on it.

Now I have four ~3/4" holes in the brick from the previous anchors. The previous anchors look like this:

They've left pretty smooth holes. So I now need to work out the best way to re-use those positions on the wall for new, more appropriate/stronger anchors. I could drill out new holes in the brackets to avoid the existing holes in the wall, but I'd rather not if possible.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Update: A photo of the actual hardware. They're 1/2" holes, according to the writing on the anchor.

Simpson Strong-Tie has an epoxy system for permanently setting structural anchoring systems in cement. It's probably the strongest you will come across. The bolts need to go as deeply into the wall as possible for maximum surface area. One of your problems with this mounting is that steel is quite strong in shear but leverage increases pretty swiftly when they pull out.


What is the correct terminology for the pipe that feeds into a P-trap Hi I have a sink which started leaking and I managed to diagnose the cause: It seems the pipe that feeds into my p-trap is not water tight: photos below
What is the correct terminology for the slanted (should be straight) copper pipe feeding into my PVC P-trap? I intend to buy a replacement for this and install it myself.


Can I replace a 2-gang light switch with a Combo 3 Gang 4 Up / Down & Sideways Toggle Light Switch? Is this possible? Obviously, I have to cut out the drywall to accommodate the new box. Currently this is the set-up:

Ultimately, I need this outlet to contain: 2 light switches and 2 120V receptacles:
Switch Plate Config. (I was unable to find a pic for the outlet, could only find switch plate pic).
The breaker for the existing switch is 15 amps. Also on the same breaker, a duplex 120V receptacle.

This is a single gang 2 switch unit. By removing the single gang box and installing a double gang box (old work box would be the easiest to install). You could use the same switches and add a duplex receptacle. A standard  double gang outlet cover will finish it.


Run 50ft underground electrical: gauge and conduit? I have a gfci outlet in my garage, only thing connected to a 20amp breaker (it’s about 20ft from the electrical box).  I would like to add an outlet 50ft outside in my flower bed.

Two questions:

What size and type wire should I run? I have read about direct burial cable but not sure the size. Going to be installing a low voltage transformer at the end and Christmas lights, so not to much pull.
I’m worried about installing direct burial cable without a cover, even at 18 inches down it scares me. Can I run it inside pvc conduit?

Thank you

A 20 AMP breaker you can run #12 but if you're going to install the PVC conduit, use 3 #12 THHN/THWN-2 wires, black, white  & green. You don't need the direct buried cable when using conduit. If you can feed it from the box your existing GFCI is in, then you could connect to the load terminals of it. If you're connecting elsewhere you'll need a GFCI outlet at the termination of the run. 1/2" conduit will be right for your job. Stay away from using backstabs and if you use stranded wire get heavy duty outlets with the screw back clamps.


How do I take down my kitchen ceiling to expose my roof above? I want to take down the ceiling above my kitchen to expose the roof above, but I need to know if I should leave some of the joists in place for support of the side walls they are laying on.

If you remove any joists it will change the structural load. You need to have a Civil Engineer  design a new structure that can replace the joists (if that's even possible).


Should I add landscape rock before or after installing a fence around a dog pen? I am making a 20'x15' dog pen area. The L-shaped fence will be against the house on each end. This is new construction, so I'm waiting on final grade.

Should I install the fence, leaving a 5" gap between the bottom rail and ground, then after the fence is done, bring in 3" of 1.5" rock? The fence manufacturer recommends 2" clearance between ground and bottom rail.

Or, should I bring in 3" of rock first, then install the fence?

I think it would be easier to put the rock down afterwards (or at least after setting the posts but before adding the fencing) as you won't have to deal with the rock being present while you are trying to dig holes for the posts.


Can I safely remove this sill? We are putting in a new terrace and we have these sills or transitions on the outside of the doors which hang over the terrace. See picture below.
My preference would be to remove these sills and raise the terrace somewhat so the floor inside and outside are more levelled. But I can't assess if I can safely remove the sills without later having problems with e.g. moisture or frost.
The question is can I remove these sills safely?

I don't see why you couldn't go with the plan you are thinking of. It's probably concrete under it so it'll take a bit of work to get it off. You could consider using an angle grinder with a diamond blade and cut a groove across the front of the door to ensure any pieces that do break off don't break off under the door. probably will have to do this a few times until you get to the level you want.


Wet Adjacent wall and base board behind bath tub I have a water leakage problem. I have a bedroom wall and baseboards that are getting wet due to water leakage coming from the bathroom adjacent to the room (the wall is right behind the bathtub valve and shower).  There is no sign of leakage in the bathroom nor around the bathtub area but there is something definitely leaking somewhere inside/under the tub that's seeping through to the other room.

My dilemma is whether to involve the insurance company to have them check it out and run the risk of potentially raising my future premiums or fork out the unknown cost to outside contractors to get the problem fixed myself. The unknown cause (and the extent of the problem) is what worries me.

So my question is, does anyone have any similar experience they can share so I can understand the potential issues I might have to deal with and its associated costs? From there, it might help me decide which path to take.

The leak is probably either in the supply lines and valve, or in the drain pipes. It's also possible that a vent through the roof is leaking rainwater. The only way to determine the cause with confidence is to have a look.

Are you sure that there's no access to the tub's plumbing from the back side or below? If not, consider installing an access panel at an appropriate location in your wall or ceiling.

This is a DIY site, so if you're not up to that task as a starting point, you probably need a professional.


How much drywall should I remove around a moldy area? The previous owner told me that during the last winter when snow melted, water got in the basement through the drywall and he had to wipe dry the floor. Last year we had one of the worst winters on record (New York City).

I have a closet where a piece of the drywall (2x3 ft) has some black spots on it and water marks, but the rest of the drywall seems fine. The basement has regular drywall (not the blue one).

The basement doesn't smell musty or bad at all and I have not seen water coming in since then. I am planning on pouring concrete on the outside to take care of water that might be seeping through to the foundation.

If I just remove that small piece of drywall that has some black spots (mold?) on it, should I continue ripping off the rest of the drywall to look underneath? It would mean I would have to destroy the walls etc. what is the best route especially since the basement doesn't smell and I haven't had any issues since and the rest of the walls seem fine.

When I replace the drywall should I spray some stuff inside to kill the mold?

The industry standards, the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard of Care for professional mold remediation, generally stipulates removal of 24" around the visibly moldy area. We would also generally remove any other wet drywall. If you see visible mold on the room facing side of the drywall, the likelihood of the problem being worse inside the walls is high.


How do I emulate an incandescent bulb? I picked what I thought was a very fine brand of motion sensor, but the units are lasting only a few months.  It's a 3-wire sensor: always-hot and neutral power the sensor, and switched-hot is passed through.  As I read the documentation, I see them mention "Tungsten".  I am driving LED "barn light" type products.

I could install one incandescent bulb to make the sensor happy.  But when it burns out, it won't be quickly replaced, which would create the failure condition.   So I want something that emulates a tungsten bulb, but is long-lasting.  I'm thinking a resistor.

The question is, how do I find a resistor product that mounts on an electrical box it in a code-legal way, and is outdoors-safe?   Is that even a product one could find?  I'm not asking "shop for me" but I don't even know where to begin.

So you need resistors with an ampacity comparable to incandescent lightbulbs... have you considered incandescent light bulbs? I know, but hear me out here - we run incandescent light bulbs at the extreme end of their tolerance for the sake maximizing luminous efficacy. Backing down on the voltage, even a little bit, significantly increases the durability of the bulb. At 90% voltage, you're talking somewhere around 4x life span, 16x at 80% voltage... at 50% voltage, the bulb may well survive longer than you. So if you wire two incandescent light bulbs in series, you have a very cheap, low ohm, high wattage resistor, with a good life span (as long as vibration is low).

How to turn this into a code approved solution is left as an exercise for the reader.


Weird smell from electrical disconnect box when appliance is on I have a 240v, 48amp (60 amp breaker, 6 awg NM-B wire) car charger outside that has a disconnect inline and last night I noticed a really weird smell in the room the wires to out to the charger from. I tracked it down using my nose to the disconnect box (or the wires leading to/from it) and at this point it was pulling 48 amps because the car was charging. I inspected the area and didn't notice any melting but since it was raining I didn't want to open the box outside to look in. I lowered the amps to 32 via the car and the smell appeared to dissipate and this morning the smell was gone. I also noticed a small humming sound from the disconnect outside at the same time.

It's a cheap disconnected:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-60-Amp-240-Volt-Non-Fuse-Metallic-AC-Disconnect-TFN60RCP/100674085?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD27E%7C27-8_CIRCUIT_PROTECT._DEVICES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000034238981%7c58700003943782709%7c92700031956831784&gclid=Cj0KCQiA28nfBRCDARIsANc5BFA1htTEn9RLX9o9ot_7y6wyo4sEOySek6WKOL1FbEizxiqgrYyPfHgaAqE_EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

But it's rated to 60 amps. Maybe something is lose, what would cause a smell/buzz? What should I check first?

Both of the things you report - the smell and the hum - are very likely indications of a bad connection or bad contact in the disconnect.

Bad connections and bad contacts generate heat, the heat can damage the insulation of the wires, and even cause a fire.

I'd leave that disconnect off and if possible turn of the breaker for the circuit until it can be checked.  You'll probably wind up having the disconnect replaced, hopefully the wiring can be re-terminated without replacing it.


What could go wrong with washing machine water hammer devices? I ordered up a pair of water hammer arresters for my washing machine and installed them. The house still shakes, rattles, and rolls when the washer pulses the water. I saved a bit of money by ordering restocks, since it seemed to me that a device with no moving parts except air molecules was a pretty safe bet. Was I wrong?

In my experience, these things just don't work. I used to rave about them, and tell everybody to use them to stop water hammer. I was wrong.

In theory they should work, but in practice they do not. Modern washing machines have fast acting solenoids, which can turn off the water very quickly. Water hammer arrestors designed to fit on washing machine supply lines, are simply too small to absorb enough of the energy to prevent water hammer.

Your best bet is to secure the plumbing better, and/or buy larger arrestors.

To answer your question directly... There's probably nothing wrong with the devices you've received, aside from being poorly designed and undersized.


No water in line to ice maker I just installed a new valve for my ice maker/water dispenser for my Roper refrigerator that I bought used.  The water comes out of the water dispenser, but there is no water in the line to the ice maker and the ice maker is not making ice.  Am I wrong to think that there should be water going through that line constantly or does it only get triggered at times when it is needed to fill the trays?  Is there something else I need to do?

Ice makers typically have their own electrically-actuated valves. The system may need to cycle a few times to purge the air.

There may also be a manual purge process, depending on the model. See if you can find your owner's manual online by model number.

In the meantime, you could fill the ice trays with water from a container to be sure the system is functioning. It should eject the ice after a while.


Type of screws for 2x4 shelves and benches I am making some shelves and workshop benches out of 2x4 and OSB, just the standard type you see in a lot of garages/workshops.  I want them to be sturdy and support a good amount of weight.

My question is what type of screws should I use, drywall screws, decking screws, or something else; what about torx vs phillips?  Would I need to predrill holes (OSB/2x4s), ideally I wouldn't so I could make quick work of the assembly.  Also what length is good, some places have screws going through two 2x4, would 3 inch screws protrude the other side in that case?

Do not use drywall screws. They are thin bodied and brittle. They hold because there is virtually no dynamic load and the load is spread over many screws on many studs.

I would favor construction screws, although deck screws would be fine. You can find both types with drill point tips that make predrilling unnecessary except in harder materials (such as hardwood or mdf).

Most carpenters have moved to star (Torx is a brand) over phillips, although some modified phillips (such as Pozidriv or Supadriv) have advocates, but they need special bits and screwdrivers to work at their best.

Length of screws should be determined by the thickness of the wood you are attaching. It is bad form (and dangerous) to leave tips protruding because of overlong screws. If you need to go through one 2x in places and two 2x in others, use different length screws. Usually if there is a pair of studs that are already attached, any OSB panels would likely only need to go through the stud it is facing, not the sister stud. Screws can probably be the thickness of the OSB + 1 to 1 1/4 inches. The screws to sister 2 2x studs should be 2 1/2 inches (2 3/4 would be fine, but an uncommon size)


Extending 12/3 existing wiring There’s a 12/3 existing wiring in my hallway that runs up to the light fixtures. I want to extend the 12/3 wiring to a bedroom to add a smart switch and recessed lighting. If I pigtail 12/3 from the power in going to the light switch in the hallway and send the cable to the bedroom to a smart switch would that work?

First thing is you need to determine if that box (picture) is two circuits with a shared neutral, called a MWBC.
You weren't clear what lights are on that box, and what lights you are going to have on the smart switch.
I presumed the smart switch is going to control the recessed lights and all that is going to be in the bedroom?
What do you have to test voltage with?
(How much is already on the circuit/circuits?)
If it is split (MWBC), then you will only be using one circuit (a hot and a neutral).
Warning, you must have BOTH circuits turned off before you do this (or you can blow something up on the live circuit!
You could also get electrocuted.
Do NOT mistake the red wire in your box (pic) for the Red wire in a smart switch diagram!
[UPDATE-adding question (can't comment yet, until I get 2 more up-votes)]
Did you mean 12-2 wire?
12-3 has a black, red, and white wire; 12-2 has black and white.
12-3 w/g (with ground) has black, red, white, and bare ground.
If you mean 12/2 G, then your project makes more sense to me.
Also, mostly curiosity; is that box (pic) mounted on a stud?
It looks like the drywall is patched on all four sides.
I would recommend adding 'F' clips, but the plaster ears are not on that box,as far as I can tell. (and that patch looks wafer thin anyway at the ear ends.)
So does the switch fit in that box? Looks like it is in another box, no room here, and no pigtails visible...
If you meant 12/2, then my advice above is still applicable.
@FreeMan Thanks for the assistance, fixed those in my post.


Should I leave the fan switch on my thermostat set to fan rather than auto? I purchased a new Amanda Furnace in Oct'2013. I am told in order to maximize a warm, consistent room temperature I should set the thermostat to the Fan position rather than the Auto position.  Does this make a difference in maintaining room temperature and is it more costly?

Running the air handler all the time is generally going to cost you some significant electricity. Since either is fine, try it both ways and see what you think, in your house; houses do vary.


Why is my refrigerator tripping breaker? I have been troubleshooting this problem and I have narrowed it down to the ground in the unit. When I disconnect the ground from the frame, it runs fine, and has no problems. When I reconnect the ground, it trips the breaker. We recently cleaned and defrosted the unit. and thats when the problem started. It ran fine before that. I ohm'ed out the ground to the temp control, and that is fine also. I ohm'ed out that same wire to the frame and that was all over the place. I can only assume that wire is causing the problem. Is it possible I got something wet and that is causing it?

The path of least resistance.

When the ground is removed, the current is forced to go through the compressor, and fridge works.

When you replace the ground, there is a path from hot to ground, that avoids the compressor.

So your problem is somewhere between the 'hot' wire on the plug and the compressor.

Possibly a problem in the receptacle where the hot wire will short when the ground pin is inserted, but unlikely. If you want to test for this, plug in something else with a ground pin, wiggle the cord, and if it works, the fridge is the problem.

My vote would be for someplace where a wire was pinched while working on it.

The wire should be loose - long and had too much room to move around and got pinched, or it should be really tight, because it did not have enough room to move.

There does not have to be much damage to the insulation for this to happen, but running your fingers along the wires should be enough to find it.

Best of luck to you


Best practice for filling a pit in a concrete slab? I have in my barn (concrete floor) a pit, of about 36" x 60" x 10" deep which was originally used to install some machinery by the previous owner.
I have no use for it, and would rather have the floor space than a safety hazard. I don't know how deep the rest of the slab is, nor how much is left under this "pit". It is smooth sided and bottomed.
I'm not sure if I should fill it full with concrete or use filler?
Also, i am not sure if I need to prep the sides at all for adhesion or what kind of concrete to use.

I'd fill it part way of compacted gravel leaving enough space for the thickness of concrete slab you want.  The pour is going to be heavy enough that you really don't need to worry about adhesion.


When an AFCI or GFCI breaker is tripped or turned off does it break the neutral line also? When an AFCI or GFCI breaker trips or turned off does the neutral on the circuit break from the bus bar?

GFCI's must break neutral
GFCIs (of all types) are required to break hot and neutral, unlike regular fuses, switches, or breakers.  This is not spelled out in UL 943, but is implied by the requirement in UL 943 6.7.2.2 that a GFCI must still trip and disconnect the load circuit from power if the line-hot and line-neutral connections are interchanged.
Some AFCIs also break neutral, although they are not always required to
Because early AFCI designs were derived from GFCIs, they inherited the property of breaking the neutral (as well as being sensitive to gross ground faults).  However, some more modern designs (Mod 3 THQL AFCIs, most notably) dispense with the ground-fault detection, and thus may or may not break the neutral wire.  (As to the standards: UL 1699 13.3 requires receptacle-type AFCIs to break neutral, whereas circuit-breaker/loadcenter-type AFCIs have the option to not do so.)


What type of adhesive is recommended for a curved shower curtain rod on ceramic tile? What type of adhesive is recommended for gluing metal brackets for a shower curtain rod to ceramic tile. I want to avoid drilling and using fasteners. The rod is an arched type that bows out to make the shower stall a little more roomier. Also, I  don't want the ceramic to be damaged if the brackets need to be removed.

There are many tension rods on the market that are expandable to fit a regular shower. They don't require any screws or adhesive. A screw mechanism in the rod holds the rod in place after tightening. Just a thought.


Can houseplants actually improve air quality? I just moved to a new apartment. If I close the windows, the air gets heavy and stale very quickly and I get a headache.

The place has laminate flooring (which looks pretty realistic, I thought it was hardwood for a few days) and popcorn ceilings. Not sure if this is a problem, just thought I'd mention it.

The flooring looks new, but I know it hadn't been installed just before I moved in. I've lived here for about five weeks, and the air quality isn't improving, so it's not something that's going to outgas quickly.

I read that certain plants can improve air quality, e.g. by absorbing formaldehyde. Of course, I don't know if I need to worry about formaldehyde specifically. There is no "chemical" smell (and I have a fairly sharp sense of smell), it just feels heavy and maybe a little dusty.

How realistic is it to expect to solve this with houseplants (which I want to get, anyway)? I just read things like "plant X is very efficient at absorbing chemical Y", but there was no quantitative information, and I wouldn't be able to use it, anyway, since I don't know what the pollutants are and their concentrations. Would I need a small forest to make a noticeable difference? Has anyone here tried this approach? Would an air filter be a better thing to try first? Any recommendations?

The apartment is approximately 670 square feet.

I would do both plants and an air filter.  You can purchase a reasonable sized air filter for $89 on Amazon (Honeywell 17000-S QuietCare True HEPA Air Purifier, 200 sq ft) that does a pretty good job of helping clear up the air.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000050AQ5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1  I use this one because it's large enough to make a noticeable difference, but small enough to not be obtrusive, which you would probably want in an apartment of this size.  I have one in my den, another in my LR, and a third larger one in my BR, but I have a dust allergy (you may want to get tested for allergies...Dust, mold & pollen allergies can cause headaches).  It's relatively quiet as air filters go.  I've tried smaller and larger models, which were respectively ineffective and too loud and too visibly large.  I've also tried a model with an ionizer and permanent filter, which had a horrible smell, and ionizers are irritating to the lungs.

I also have about a dozen smaller plants, and they refresh the air in the immediate vicinity, but they would not be enough by themselves. To help the plants and increase the freshness, I also bought a water based air purifier humidifier by New Comfort ($45 on Amazon), which I place near the plants in the dry months, and this also helps me breathe better.

Finally, there is the issue of what is causing this air?  It could be the laminated floor still offgasing formaldehyde (the issue is complicated - see http://inspectapedia.com/indoor_air_quality/Formaldehyde_in_Laminate_Flooring.php). If you bought any new furniture, it could be from that if it contains MDF, which most does.  Sealing the MDF may help. It is difficult and expensive to accurately determine your air quality and what may be causing the problem.

It could be dust - in the fall, when the heat is first turned on, the air becomes particularly dusty and s/w smelly if you're sensitive to that, but then it levels out.  I'm in a private home, so it's easy to check the furnace air filter, but if it continues you may want to do that or ask the sup to check it - a dirty filter and/or ducts can cause what you describe, too. Frequent vacuuming (with a HEPA filter) may help, as may installing dust filters over your heat vents.

To prioritize, I would start with an air purifier such as the Honeywell 17000-S, and see if this helps, then proceed with other remedies.  Good luck!


Only 1 live wire instead of 2 for my light switch: is it normal? (Replacing Light Switch with Smart Switch: ) My current light switch are only wired with 2 cables: live (black) + ground (white). These is also a neutral in the box, not directly connected to the switch at the moment..

I want to replace my switch by a new one, which has 2 live wire connections. How am I supposed to handle these 2, since I apparently only have 1 live wire? Can I even do it?

I have 4 light switch in the box, hence the number of cables shown here. Each switch has only 2 cables. On the picture we see a black & white ones which are coming from one switch. The white cable goes to the red screw, the black goes into the box. Inside the box, there are also 4 white cables all tied together with a screw.

Thanks for your help!

Assuming that all 4 switches go directly to 4 different lights. Each light has to have a hot switch leg and a nuetral. In the switch box there has to be a branch circuit consisting of a hot wire (if Romex, the black wire) and a nuetral wire (if Romex, the white wire).
All the light fixtures will have two wires comming into the switch box. Hook all the whites together along with the feed nuetral from the branch circuit.
Hook one side of each light switch screw to to the branch circuit Hot wire. Hook the other side of the each light switch screw to the wire that goes to one of the four light fixtures. Looking at your smart switch it looks like it needs a nuetral hooked to the white wire and the two blacks are for the hot wire from the branch circuit and the other black is a switch leg that goes to which ever light fixture you are trying to control with the smart switch.


Painted double basin metal utility sink. Is this worth cleaning up? The utility sink in my house is disgusting.  My wife wants me to pitch it and buy a new one.  I hate those cheap plastic sinks and I was curious so I jumped online so see what they were selling for. I found a single basin going for $300.

My question is simple.  is this worth cleaning up and keeping?  The paint is oil based, so it took 10 minutes to remove a few square inches.  It looks pretty nice underneath though.  I'm not certain what type of metal it is.  It doesn't seem to be rusting, so I was guessing bronze since it is quite dark.

Second question.  If it is worth keeping I'm thinking I need to chemically strip this.  I'm going to destroy my drill doing this. Any advice on how?

Paint strippers good for oil paints are readily available.  One popular one is called "Aircraft remover".  It will go after alkyd enamels and lacquer paints quite effectively if used as directed.

Don't assume the paint is "oil based" merely because it is not latex based.  There are some much more durable coatings out there, most of them 2-part like an epoxy.

A great many such sinks are made of galvanized steel wrapping around concrete.  If they are heavily rusted, they may look black.


Can I calculate beam size if I know length, and weight support requirements? I am interested in hanging a heavy-bag/swing/aerial yoga bands -  but am concerned about hanging from a strong enough beam.
I have tried to read lots about deflections of different material based on span (using span tables) but I am missing some fundamental information that I'm hoping you lot can help me with.

The ceiling rafters are too thin (2x4), and are comprised of a variety joints - I'd prefer not even mess with those. So instead, my thought is to attach 2x6 to the walls, and use joist hangers to support a new set of beams for this project - I just don't know the size of beam that would be needed.

Knowing that I need to span 10', and expect to have a live load (the weight will be swinging) on a single point on the beam, I need to determine the required size to support 200 lbs. Or let's get nutty, say 400 lbs (I assume we can just adjust this variable in the formula once someone helps me understand the formula).

I have read tons of threads that all basically say the same thing - "Go use this calculator!"
http://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/spancalc
The problem is I don't understand the values it wants enough to complete this. The calculator wants me to pick a size & length, which defeats my needs. I know my length, and weight requirements, but not size of the board. (example 2x6, 2x8, 2 - 2x6's bolted together)

I get that the more material that's there, the stronger it will be - but is knowing the info I have enough to use a calculation to determine necessary size?

I'm being recommended 15 other 'similar questions' that I can't seem to piece together an answer for myself, so maybe I need more information before I can determine this, but I'm not clear what other variables those would be based on the information I have read thus far.

Does such an equation exist?
Example: Live Load * Distance in inches = X lb/in, where there's then a table of what wood supports by the lb/in that, I can find what would work?

You can do the math by hand or look for a beam calculator online, but it's easier if I just use engineering software I have to size this beam for you.

Use 3 plies of 10' long 2x6 to support 400# located at the middle of the span.  With 400# that will always be there, it will deflect 0.18", so less than a quarter of an inch. I sized SPF #2, so you'll be fine using any 2x6 stud you can find at your big box store.

Nail the three plies together with 4-1/2" 30d nails in two staggered rows. Technically this detail is for a built-up column, but just use the same nailing pattern.

If your next question is what if I sized it with 200# instead of 400#, the answer is that you can use 2 plies of 2x6. It will deflect 0.14", and nail them together in the same pattern but with 3" 10d nails. Personally I wouldn't do this though, because kids like to hang on these bags and I think the 400# loading and 3-2x6 makes the most sense.


noisy Air-conditioner compressor I bought a new split AC that worked great for a week or so, but now I can hear some annoying noise coming from the outdoor unit.
The outdoor unit in installed on a flat roof so I can hear this noise even when I'm inside the room. (Noise sample), is this normal?

Another things I noticed is that the the AC pipe gets wet when it's running, is this normal ? (Video).

The compressor noise in your video is not normal.

Some of the possibilities for this noise are:

Non-Condensables

Things that can't condense, such as moisture, ambient air, etc. can
make a compressor chatter like that because it is trying to compress
something that doesn't want to compress.

Ask an HVAC Technician to recover, evacuate, and recharge your unit
to eliminate the chances of non-condensables being present in the
system. Refrigerant filter installation would also help.
Compressor Bearings

Sometimes compressors aren't pre-charged with oil from the factory.
That could an oversight on the manufacturer, or the contractor that
did the installation. Most mini-splits however do come pre-charged
with oil. What could also be a problem, is oil from your compressor
has pumped itself throughout the system, and hasn't been able to
return to the compressor.

This can be eliminated depending on how the line set is installed.
Creating oil-traps is typically the best way to go - it prevents the
oil from leaving the compressor. But there should only be one oil
trap close to the unit in the line set. Additional traps throughout
the system will trap oil and prevent it from going back into the
system.

Oil is integral for keeping the bearings lubricated and from
overheating. Friction will warp the bearings, and cause the spin of
the compressor to make loud noises.
Non-Level Installation

If the outdoor unit is not installed level, then the compressor
could be spinning on an uneven axis. This could also create noise,
and will eventually warp bearings (if it is a compressor that has
them) which creates even more noise.
High Amperage

Check the amperage of the power going into the compressor - not the
entire unit. Make sure that it matches its amp rating. If it is too
high, then it can start making noise because a by-product of
electricity is heat. Heat causes metal expansion internally and can
increase friction of delicate parts within the compressor - creating
noise - warping bearings - etc.

The moisture on your line set is normal.

As was mentioned in comments, this is natural. In the HVAC industry, we call it "sweat back." Meaning, you have heat transfer happening - it's doing its job. This is no different than setting a cold can of Coke onto the table, and seeing the condensation build up on the outside of the can.

If you don't like to see the drips, then installing more insulation (Armor Flex is a common term) on your line set will help a lot. Some technicians will even try to cover the service ports. Moisture will attract dirt. Dirt is an inconvenience on the service ports and if not removed prior to hooking up manifold gauges, can clog the gauges themselves.

Something else to consider is Slim Duct or SpeediChannel (those are brand names) but it protects your entire line set from the environment (and other mischievous creatures such as rodents and people). Here is an example:

It also has an aesthetic quality - it looks better on the outside of your home and can even be painted to match the color of your home.


Is there a way to remove a root from under a walkway to bring it back to level without getting the walkway redone? I had a disaster of a huge river birch tree in front of my house when I purchased it a year ago.  I had it removed about five months ago, and the roots that ran through the yard were ground out along with the stumps.  The roots lying underneath the walkway were not removed at the tree removal contractor said they could not go under the walkway, which was obvious by the massive machine they used for the stump grinding and root chasing.

I had a mudjacking contractor take a look, and he told me that doing that $1,000 job would leave the walkway peaked because the root would still be underneath.  I then submitted a request through Thumbtack asking if someone could lift the segment and remove the root and then put it back.  I had seen Youtube videos of this being done, but it does not seem to be standard practice.  The guy told me "sure" and then took a look and said the segments had to be removed and the concrete repoured for $2,500.

Is there a way to remove large roots from underneath an exposed aggregate sidewalk without turning it into a huge project?  I don't know what kind of contractor would do this.  Maybe concrete contractors are not the right place to go.  I want it to be ground/chopped/destroyed.  The complicating factor is that unlike regular stump removals that include the roots, this large root system is under a walkway.

Saturating wood with saltpeter produces an oxidizer, allowing it to burn while buried. In ancient days gone by you would drill a hole in the stump, fill it with saltpeter from the corner drug store, then light it after a couple days. The stump and roots would all burn. In these more enlightened times you're probably violating some civil ordinance by doing it.

If safety is the only priority you can cut out a section of the walkway directly above the root with a wet saw. (Either rented or a contractor) With the pavement lifted out of the way you can dig out the root with hand tools then pack the void with an appropriate base. If you've lived a virtuous life the original section will have remained intact, otherwise you'll need to repour the small section. This will leave a visible repair, but you can definitely do it below $2,500.

FYI, if you look in the Yellow Pages you should be able to find a masonry supply yard nearby. There's an excellent chance that they'll carry the aggregate used on your walkway.


Rectangular steel tube bolted connection Is there any way to make bolted connections (T-shape, L-Shape etc) for rectangular or square steel tubes to avoid welding but also achieve modularity of the structure?

Threaded tube inserts can help a lot but i am not sure about the rigidity of the final structure because they are plastic.

Any other techniques or recommendations?

EDIT.

I interested in joining square or rectangular hollow sections. Not cylidrical pipes or strut profiles.

-For example i have found this solution that needs only two holes - one for each tube - and two threaded pieces of metal.

-Same logic for pre-drilled profiles

Another solution is to directly weld a piece of threaded metal at the end of each tube

Tube steel can be bolted or drilled and tapped if you don't want to weld. It can also be riveted but this can be tougher than welding (not talking pop rivits here but steel pins that are heated and flattened) . I believe welding is more common because there are less holes in the steel but it can be done and depending on your hole placement and wall thickness bolting can holdup and still be able to disassemble without grinding or air arcing the welds off.


Can I use glue instead of nails to install shoe molding? I installed engineered bamboo flooring in my home office and have quarter round shoe molding to install to cover the expansion gap. Given how hard the trim is (I've bent nails installing the carpet reducer), can I use glue to fasten the molding to the baseboard? If so, what glue do you recommend?

Shoe molding may have to be removed in the future to work on the floor or the wall. That's fairly easy with nails. It's fairly difficult with glue, unless you use something like hide glue that's specifically intended to allow disassembly ... and the techniques used for that would be hard to apply in situ to parts of a house.

Generally, don't glue anything that may need to be serviced, unless you're willing to risk having to destroy it to remove it.


How does this power outlet configuration in my new home work? I just moved in to a new home I'm renting to find this, near where a TV would usually be installed.

This is near TV height, under a TV mount that was installed by the homeowners.

And this is on the bottom near the baseboards.

When we arrived, the white power cable was plugged in to both ends.

I took off the faceplates, and it seems that BOTH outlets are wired to the mains, but I can't get power from the one on the top, and I don't have a multimeter with which to test them.

If I wanted to use them correctly, how would I?

I've seen installations like this before, and I think you're missing a piece of the puzzle.

First step, is to get that cord out of the wall.

In a typical instsllation, the male receptacle at the bottom of the wall is connected to the upper receptacle via NM cable (or other approved wiring method).   The male end of a cord (like the one in the wall in your case) plugs into a nearby receptacle, while the female end plugs into the male receptacle (like the one in your photo).  This cord passes power to the upper receptacle, via the NM cable within the wall.

I'm not sure if this is how your setup is wired, since you say the receptacles are connected to the mains.  But this is how a typical Installation works.

You should be able to verify this with a multimeter (when you have access to one). With nothing connected, neither of the receptacles should have power.   You should also be able to get continuity between the receptacles.

Plugging the cord in as described above, should supply power to the upper receptacle.


Google Nest Thermostat tripping Double Pole 25A breaker The Google Nest was recently installed by the Pro technician that is sent out for installation. The first day everything was working normal, heating was on and warming our house to 70/71F. Around the third day the breaker kept tripping for the thermostat.
I have a Honeywell Furnace that asks for double pole breakers. L1/L2 is 60A and L3/L4 is 25A. Currently L2 is on a 60 and L3 is on a 25.
With the knowledge that I have now, I noticed the Nest is asking for 20-30V, could that be the reason the 25A breaker is tripping?
I can turn the breaker on and the thermostat will turn on, kick the furnace on and blow heat but after 5-10mins it will trip again and the furnace will start to die down.
I was able to find a unusual fix by just removing the nest base off the wall and that seemed to do the trick. I will plug it back in to set the temp and turn it on and then disconnect the nest from the wall and the breaker will not trip unless I leave it connected to the wall for more than 20mins. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

Based on your comment about the unit running fine after indoor temperature got closer to the setting. I would say that there is an issue with the auxiliary heat strips. They come on when the requested temperature you set is more than a couple degrees higher than the room temperature.
There is a high current draw to run these strips. They also come on when outdoor temperature is too low for heat pump to function properly.
Make sure the wiring feeding the heat strips is large enough to service the load they draw. Find a label that states the KW of the heat strips.  Then find what size breaker is needed to provide that.  It may be that the wire and breaker is undersized for the new heat strips. 10kw strips will often be fed from a 60 amp circuit.
Edit:  looking at your photo I see a double on the right bank labeled heat pump.  What does that feed? It looks like that is 30A for outdoor unit.
The 60a circuit should be powering the heat strips. It could be that your old thermostat was not wired to activate the strips. The nest is wired to turn them on but the 25 amp circuit is not able to handle heat strip load.  Some pictures of the air handler and how it is wired would help rule in or out this hypothesis.


Remote pump house power supply 220v and 120v I read prior questions and need to follow up before investing thousands in wire.

Starting at barn, need to run power to a sprinkler water pump (TSC model CLLS115) 900 ft away. Pump can run either 220V 10A or 115V 20A.

At water pump location I need pull chain light & 115V recep for sm heater or heat lamp in winter months.

Pump is used 1-2 x's per week for an hour. Barn has 2 unused 220V breakers. My plan to keep wire cost down is to use URD 4g Alum 3 strand wire (2 hots & a neutral) the 2 hots for the 2 sides of 220V & neutral for 115V need.

If I drove a ground rod at pump location for ground needs.  The 2 hots for pump with ground & the neutral with a split off 1 of the 220V feeds & ground to a seperate 20A breaker for recep & light.

Upon cable reaching pump area I was told I need a disconnect I had planned on a 30A disco. I had planned to put a subpanel because of 115V need as your article stated.

In your prior question work you stated you needed a 220V breaker & 20A breaker at location.  If I did the 220V breaker in panel at pump WOULD I NEED A DISCONNECT SWITCH AT LOCATION?
however that would be 2 breakers on  1 -220V circuit or would the breaker at barn be enough??  Do I need disconnect also?  If so does cable run into disco first then panel or vise versa? Which one is not necessary or both & where to go with cable first? - thought I would check before investing in disco & panel.

the "I own a copper mine" version

If you own a copper mine, wire cost is no object. Sell your copper at market and buy aluminum.  Assuming we're running just the lump at 10A, and aim to confine voltage drop to the stock-advice 3%,  we will need 3/3/3/6 aluminum cable.

If you also want to run an honest 20A of loads in total, we will need 2/0-2/0-2/0-1 cable ($3000).

If you want a full 30A still at 3% voltage drop, you'll need 4/0-4/0-4/0-2/0 cable ($5000) .

We need neutral because you have 120V stuff to run that apparently you cannot source in 240V for some reason.

We need ground because using a ground rod instead does not provide fault current protection.  You also need a ground rod.

You will need a disconnect at rhis location .  This is as easy as using a subpanel which has a main breaker. Size does not matter as long as it is>= the supply breaker.  Remember it must also have separate ground and neutral bars.

The stock advice, no-brainer version

See "I own a copper mine" .

The "I do not own a copper mine" version

in which cost is considered worthy of attention.  Ok, 2.4 KW for the pump, somewhat less for heat and light, say we can get this done in 5 KW.  5 KVA transformers are often seen on Craigslist for $100ish, we need two. Probably 480V transformers, if possible get 600V, popular in Canada.

The transformers will be used back to back, to step up transmission voltage, reducing voltage drop dramatically. At the far end, it will give 120/240 split-phase.

Amps will be 10.42@480V or 8.3@600V. We are going for 6% voltage drop at max power since draw will usually be half that (and thus 1/4 the drop).

Either way, #8 Al will suffice or #10 Cu ($500).  We only need 2 wires.

Why no neutral? We will be manufacturing neutral locally. Why no ground? Irrelevant since the transformers double isolate the service.

Since our final output transformer has no earth ground reference, we must provide one with a local ground rod.  All this would make this a main service in need of a main breaker, and as a main service, neutral would be tied to ground here.  The technical term is "separately derived service" .


Fixing a slowly leaking toilet tank It seems as if the seal at the bottom of the tank is no longer perfectly planar. It is slowly leaking until the flotation device is low enough to trigger refilling.

I am guessing that this can be fixed by replacing just the part that rotates (name?), and that it is not necessary to replace the entire mechanism.

Is this accurate? In particular, could the leak be the result of the bottom part of the seal becoming crooked, which would be a lot more complicated to replace?
Does the rotating part come in a standard size or in one of a variety of few sizes? Does this picture tell you what I should be asking for at the hardware store?

Update

Assuming that the "flapper" (credit for naming it: Michael Karas) is the part attached to the hinge, I noticed that the flapper has another seal attached to it. The seal is made of silicone and is the soft material that stops the water. Is the seal a replaceable part on its own? Alternatively, I do not see which movement will detach the hinge. The material for the axis (as you see in the picutre) is a very thin tube of plastic. Breaking it would mean that a trivial repair would all of a sudden become a serious one.

The part that you most likely need to replace is known as the flapper. It is the part shown in your picture that has the hinge arms that go back to the posts on the sides of the stand pipe. The flush lever also connects to this flapper to pull it up when the toilet is flushed.

The flappers are made of a flexible rubber or silicone material. Water treatments like chlorine in the water will degrade the flexibility of the flapper over time. This can lead to cracking or hardening of the flapper and can allow for the type of slow leak like you describe.

I find that I have to replace the ones in my house about once each 2 years or so. Note that there are some types that are better than others so look carefully at the options that you find at the home center or hardware store. Some of the replacement parts are designed to be "universal" and can be adapted to the several different hinge styles used in the water closet of the toilet. The ones I purchase generally have to have part of the thing cut away to adapt it to my usage.

Take your picture with you to the store. It will help you pick out just what you need.


Hot Water stopped working in Kitchen Faucet In the process of a failed attempt at fixing our dishwasher, I turned off the hot water valve beneath the sink. After turning it back on, the hot water side of the faucet no longer works!

Our faucet looks like this, with a single lever to switch between hot/cold. The faucet is attached to a long hose so it can be pulled out. The "cold side" works just fine, but turning the handle to the "hot side" results in the flow of water stopping.

Beneath the sink there are two twist valves- one for hot water and one for cold water. I am able to turn the cold valve on/off and it stops/resumes flowing water as expected, unfortunately this is not the case with the hot water valve. With the hot water valve open and the faucet turned on (on the hot-side) I can feel the hose that connects the valve to the faucet head warming up. This leads me to believe that perhaps the valve inside the faucet has failed?

Is there anything I can do to further troubleshoot the issue, or should I call a plumber?

Chances are either the valve seal has disintegrated and clogged the line, or other sediment has broken free and done the same.

Disassembling a faucet is usually fairly simple. Remove the set screw retaining the handle, then start removing the exposed nut, washers, and valve components. Lay them out in order for correct reassembly. Check for damage and debris.

If your valves are not soldered in (if they're installed using compression fittings), replacement is fairly simple. It's a good opportunity for even an occasional DIYer to get his hands dirty. Post a photo or accurate description for more assistance.


Remodel Planning - working with or fixing present issues I own a house in the PacNW, and am starting to plan out a fairly extensive remodel. The house has issues, however, that I want to fix or work around, and I am trying to get an idea of how extensive the demo will be.

Issue #1 is that the house was built in 1942, and structurally does not meet current code. It is 2 story with full basement, and the 2nd floor floor joists are rough cut 2x6 with approx a 16 foot span, 16" OC. I know that doesn't meet code on span alone, so this is issue #1 I am trying to work with.  Issue #1.5 is that those same floor joists are not square cut where they rest on the exterior walls, they are cut at a 45 degree angle (roof is 12/12). Diagram:

Issue #2 I have is that there is no sill plate on top of the concrete foundation wall, the 2 x 10 rough cut 1st floor joists (and rim board) are resting directly on top of the concrete foundation.  The joists look like they were placed when the concrete was slightly still wet, as they sank into the concrete a bit before it set up, so they have a sort of a pocket they rest in, but there is no treated lumber in between them and the concrete.  From looking at (and poking at) the joist ends I can see in the basement, there seems to be no rot, but I would like to earthquake retrofit the house (go Cascadia fault!) and add a treated sill plate connected to the foundation wall with appropriate fasteners.

The house did not have a 2nd floor when it was built, I think, and was added later in a remodel of the attic space.  The house was last remodeled in the early 1970s, from what I can tell, and I bought it as an estate sale for a third of the prevailing market price of the houses around it.

For fixing issue #1, will that require new joists to meet code? or can I sister LVL or I beam joists? Total rebuild of the 2nd floor from the joists on up?

For issue #2, can I bring in a contractor to cut the concrete wall such that I can slide a new treated sill plate in and fasten the existing structure to that new piece?  Has anyone heard of that being done before?

I am going to bring over a structural engineer in March to take a look, after I graduate college, and give me an educated opinion, but I would like to put out feelers here and see if I can get some educated guesses for what I am looking at.

Issue #1: Yes, you are correct. Those older, larger, joists (even using Douglas Fir - Larch species and Select Structural grade) they DO NOT meet the current structural code.

If I did my calculations correctly, they barely meet code (40 psf Live Load plus 15 psf Dead Load) for a 12’ span. You’ll need to add additional floor joists.

Issue #1.5: The tapered bearing end would be acceptable, if 1) the joist has full bearing, and 2) the roof slope is 4:12 or greater. (If it’s a low slope roof then more of the joist is cut and removed.) BTW, does that make those joists ceiling rafters and not floor joists with the roof sheathing in that arrangement? If so, your rough 2x6 at 16” oc spanning 16’ is acceptable.

Issue #2: Another way of solving the no sill plate issue is to install a pressure treated ledger bolted to the existing concrete wall, rather than cutting the existing concrete wall down. Lift the joists up 1/4” and clip the joists to the ledger. Then install blocking and nail the exterior sheathing to the blocking for shear walls. (Where you live, you’ll probably want to add exterior wall sheathing for your seismic resistance.)

I’m sure you have other issues too: 1) energy code, 2) tempered glass, 3) smoke detectors, etc.

1) The Energy Code will require 2x6 exterior studs so you can install 6” insulation or you’ll need to install and exterior layer of rigid insulation...or you could install a super efficient heating system to off-set the 4” insulation. Also, thermal pane windows, etc.

2) Any glass within 12” of a door or 18” of the floor will need to be changed to tempered glass.

3) Smoke detectors are required outside sleeping rooms.


Could our electric baseboard heaters be causing soot damage in our kitchen? We have electric baseboard heat that's about 30-35 years old. Each room has its own unit. We normally keep each unit on 60-62 °F. We only use 3 units: kitchen, living room, and master bedroom.

Last week, during the cold snap, we turn it up to 70 °F in the kitchen, we had a cold morning. Later that night I went into the kitchen and the curtains, the walls and ceiling were covered in soot.

We live in a 55 and older community; we own the unit, but they do the maintenance. When I called them, the first guy found 5 little gnats under the unit cover and said they burned and made the smoke though he wasn't sure. Two days later, the head of maintenance came looked and said he'd get back to me. He called on Friday saying it was a candle.

In the meantime I washed the 1 wall and part of the ceiling but by Friday night it was back. It's in my cabinets, all over the tile floors, that now tracked on to the rug. The ceiling in all these room also has soot. I washed the windows in these rooms because they were also full of soot. My curtains are ruined, they hung over the heater, just to the bottom of the trim of the window. Cutting this short: it's all over, on the door to the closets. We have just lived here a year, so everything is new cabinets and paint.

On Monday I'm calling the manager of the complex. We are breathing this in. By the way the room I do burn a candle is the 1st bath, that ceiling is clean, and the only time I burn a candle in the kitchen is when I'm cooking.

What I'm looking for is proof that the elements in these heaters are burned out, and need to be replaced. Any info a professional can give me on the matter I would appreciate.

We are in a mess: all I do is wash everything down in my kitchen. I don't know how it's in my cabinets. An opinion from an expert would be deeply appreciated. They are trying at all cost to put this on me, so I have to hire an electrical contractor, and buy new elements or heaters.

While I have not ben able to find an example of a hardwired baseboard electric heater failing in this manner on a quick search of the web, here's a story about a freestanding but otherwise similar unit making lots of soot. The only way I can envision an electric baseboard making as much soot as you have described (short of filling it with flammables) is if it were both oil-filled, and had failed.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/551553


How can I open this door latch with the knobs removed? So my stupid roommates not only put tape in the door but also took the knob off. I closed it while doing laundry and they dont know where the knob is or pieces to open it. Can yall help

There's a C-shaped piece in the hole through the bolt near the right (inner) end. Press one leg of that toward the edge of the door (the latch). Normally there's a formed sheet metal shaft with an opposing C shape going through there that rotates and does just that.


How can one properly and tidily install this hardware for internet access? This picture shows what my new home has for the wiring necessary for internet access. Some of the wiring here isn't necessary---in fact, most of it isn't, just the telephone wiring.

With an idea of how this looks I assumed I would use what's called a "peg board", a white board with lots of holes in it, attached to the wall of this area and then mount the necessary hardware to the board w/ (what? zip-ties, or?) and then rout the wiring that's necessary in a tidy fashion through the peg board.

The hardware to be mounted to this board include only (a) a small (few inches x few inches) telephone "device" which needs input of 500mv/6.5v, and input of telephone (the telephone wire that gives the telephone connection to the outside (this powers my wireless telephone system), (b) a also similarly small telephone box (the one that provides the telephone wire to (a) which needs ethernet access to the router, and 12v/1amp max. (c) a router (self explanatory), and (d) the internet providers piece of hardware which will take in one of these raw telephone wires (pictured), and their own (power brick :), and possibly later (d) a wireless AP. Lastly, a 120v mains switch that can turn on/off all of that above. There's a mains within feet of this hold w/ the wires.

This isn't a complete solution to this question however, e.g., one technical point is missing: how do I mount this pegboard to the wall? The answer to this question finishes the possible project.

EDIT: the pegboard would mount horizontally as:

Note: the internet provider will be having to come on site to fix the wiring for their modem.

EDIT: additional thoughts

There are three "tv type" cables (one of which has no connector on it), and three "telephone type" connectors none of which have connectors.

Possible answers to this question might include such information to address: (a) that first, the hole could be repaired, and then a utility plate for cable/telephone could be used to tidy things up, and labels could be put on the respective outlets on this plate. Problem here may be that there wouldn't be room for labels (given six outputs) and, can one even find a six output plate like this? (b) two utility plates could be used to overcome some of the problems in (a).

Re mounting of the board: (a) spaces could be used so that the wires could be run underneath the board as needed and the peg holes could be drilled out (increased in size RPN). (b) flush mount the pegboard, and plug mount the utility plates, and run the wires on top of it.

Re attachment of hardware: (a) zip ties.

OK, this is kind of a rambling question with a lot of details, but let me give you some leads on some of them:

Wall Plate

If you want to install a wall plate, you'll want to clean up the opening and then install a "low voltage mounting bracket", which is a square piece of plastic that frames the opening and provides a place to attach the plate:

(Wall plates come in sizes like 1-gang, 2-gang, etc., which indicates how many toggle switches or receptacles it can fit. You might want a 2-gang for that size opening and number of cables).

Then you can get a "keystone plate", which is a wall plate with small square holes in it (available in various widths and with different number of keystone holes). Here's a 1-gang, 2-keystone plate:

Finally, you get different keystone modules for the different types of cables. They snap into the holes in the plate. This lets you mix and match different connection types on the same plate. I'm not really sure what you mean by "tv type" and "telephone type", but here's a coax keystone module:

(EDIT: resist the temptation to skip the bracket and screw the plate directly to the wall. The screws will pull out of the drywall in about 2 seconds. I've seen this happen in several houses where people added coax wall plates or something, and didn't bother to do it right.)

Shelf & Mounting

As for wall-mounting options, it depends on how tidy you want to be. You could either mount a small shelf to the wall and place the electronics on that, or use your pegboard and find a way to strap the items to it.

Personally I would mount the shelf or pegboard just below the wiring plate, not on top of it. That would make it easier to mount the wall plate, and easier to make changes in the future.

Whatever you mount to the wall, make sure you attach it to the studs behind, not just screwing into the drywall.


I purchased new washer and dryer and the breakers for them are tripping after using dryer The dryer is causing the breakers to trip after 5 minutes of use.  Specially if I put too much clothes.  Can I replace them with 30 amp breakers to avoid this?

Up-sizing the breaker will only work if the right size wires are used. Adding a larger breaker will allow it more breathing room so as not to trip, but if the wires aren't sized right then it'll just burn them up (without tripping) and lead to a fire hazard.

You'd want to have #10 wires ran for a 30A breaker. As long as they are, there'll be no problem.

I'll say though, typically a dryer uses a 30A breaker to begin with and it's odd that Both breakers are tripping when the dryer runs. Your washer circuit should have no influence from the dryer's.


Reinforcing furniture for aquarium So I'm planning on adding a new aquarium to my collection and I'd like to put it over my television on my entertainment center. However, when the tank is filled it will weight between 350-400 pounds and I am not sure the furniture can support that.

My idea is to purchase some 2x12's and have them extend the platform the aquarium sits on to the posts on either end. Will this be enough to safely transfer weight to the support beams? I'm concerned that even if I do sucessfully build the platform it will still be unsafe.

Would definitely love some opinions on whether or not this is a good idea and is achievable in a reliable way. Here are some photos of what I'm dealing with.

Thanks!

It may be strong enough to put that aquarium up there but there are a raft of factors that would seem, when taken all together, to discourage you from pursuing this idea.

Aquariums require regular servicing and having it up so high will be a total pain in the tush when it comes to cleaning and adding water and so forth.
Cleaning aquariums is usually a wet and messy job. The possibility of spilling water down over electronics or water damage to the "decent" looking furniture is a high risk.
The backer board in that shelving unit may very well be made of a thin cardboard material that has a nice wood grain printed surface. Such material would not stand up to providing side to side stiffening of the unit with all that weight on top even if you laid flat 2x12's across the top of the unit.
The upper shelving unit is not built into the lower unit as an integral structure. This leads to concern the unit could buckle out the middle under  possible earth quake conditions even if the top of the upper unit were to be secured to the wall.
If you have kids in the house, or ever plan, to be aware that they can and will attempt to climb up on shelves. An aquarium up there is bound to capture attention or curiosity. It would be extremely unfortunate if a child were attempting to climb and the very top heavy shelf and aquarium were to collapse, fall or be pulled down with said child underneath.
From a pure aesthetics standpoint even the empty aquarium looks very top heavy up there to the point of being almost ugly in this observer's opinion.


Is rust inside a black iron natural gas pipe normal? I was doing some repair on a tiny leak in one of my natural gas pipes, and noticed that inside the pipe was a small amount of rust.  When I took the pipe off, when I turned it upside down a small amount of rust came out.  I could see a thin layer of rust coating the pipe in at least a few parts.
It wasn't large enough to concern me, but it made me wonder why this happened.  Do these pipes rust from the inside out, and eventually need replacement?
I'm also not completely sure how these pipes could rust inside them.  The pipes themselves should always have methane in them and no oxygen or water.  There was zero rust on the outside.
The house itself was built in 1924.  I'm not sure when gas was put in, but this was a gas pipe in the laundry room feeding the dryer, so it might be as old as 60-70 years.

It's entirely normal.  There is always a bit of moisture in natural gas and there can also be small amounts of other impurities including oxygen.  This is enough to cause small amounts of rust in black iron pipes.
Obviously there is little danger of it rusting through any time soon since, as you've noted, it's been there perhaps 60-70 years and will likely be good for another 60 years or longer.


What screws should I use for my floating Ikea bookshelf? I recently purchased a floating bookshelf from Ikea. The following links are to the bookshelf and to the assembly directions of the bookshelf.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40103751/

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/assembly_instructions/lack-wall-shelf__AA-10128-11_pub.pdf

I will be placing books on these shelves that weigh about 40-45 pounds.

My walls are 1/2inch Drywall.

Originally I wanted to use toggle bolts but I'd rather use something that's less damaging to the wall.

The shelf takes 16 screws so I decided to go with this threaded anchor.

Do you guys think that if I use 16 of these threaded anchors, in the assigned spots indicated by the manufacturer, then the floating bookshelf will be able to hold up the 45 pounds of books that I'll be placing on it?

Did they have chalk when you went to school?  Soak newspaper in diluted Elmers glue, wrap it around a stick of chalk, let it dry, that's pretty much what drywall is.  You wouldn't expect that to carry a load, would you?

Your wall probably has wood or metal studs typically 16" on center, sometimes 24",  unless it covers concrete or cinder block.  Of course the IKEA product is metric, so we can't expect it to line up with 16/24" centers unless they were rather clever.

The UPPER holes nearest the poles do 90% of the weight carrying.  Either one will do.  The lower holes just keep the unit from flopping upwards. Can't hurt, won't help much.

So find your studs in the walls and figure out how to position the Ikea unit to get the best weight transfer onto the studs. Ideally position it so both outer poles are well supported near studs. Feel free to drill extra holes in the IKEA mounting bracket, again the upper holes are the ones doing all the work.  You are drilling into steel, "feeds and speeds" matter, feed is downforce (roughly) and speed is drill speed. When you're in the sweetspot, the drilling is fast and the chips are long.

If you just can't make things line up the way you want, another option is get a piece of hardwood 1" thick (preferably 1.5") and the size of the backing plate.  Position it exactly where you want, attach the hardwood to every stud it overlaps, then attach the IKEA mounting bracket to the hardwood as instructions direct but with 1-1/4" screws.  The trick to working with hardwood is pre-drill every hole so it doesn't crack the wood, and drill a slight countersink for the screws into the wall so the Ikea backplate doesn't ride up on their heads. Bonus points if you drill extra holes in the Ikea backplate and run them straight into the stud as well.

Never drill more than 1-3/4" below the wall's surface.  The standard for construction is that wires and pipes must be at least that far away from the wall surface or be guarded by a metal plate to make them difficult to drill through.  If you carelessly use 3" screws and nick a wire, it can break wires or pipes - even electrify the entire shelf!


Water Valve to toilet will not stop water supply Water valve to toilet will not stop water supply even when valve is shut off. I have opened and closed the valve several times but water continues to be supplied to toilet.

It is very common for the "stop valve" (the local water supply shut-off valve for a plumbing fixture) to leak by. Over the years the rubber bibb washer either softens to the point that is disintegrates when tightened down against the valve seat, or calcium scale or/and mineral deposits prevent proper sealing. Try opening and closing it a few more times, then use pliers to actually force it closed. Any of the following scenarios could play out:

the water flow will stop*
the flow will not stop*
the handle will break or be crushed and the flow will not stop*

*these scenarios require that you shut off the main water supply to the house/area and repair or replace the stop valve (most likely replace).


How do I reattach a door handle lever with a concealed screw A door handle to one of the rooms in my apartment has come loose. I cannot find an exact match online but it is similar in construction to this door handle.

The issue is that the lever part has come loose from the base. The mechanism itself is not loose from the door.

I cannot work out how to reattach the lever and I am wary of causing further damage by disassembling too much more. I cannot find any kind of manual or guide for this type of handle, but that may be due to not knowing the right terminology for my search. Here is how it looks:  There is a central screw-like thing that should connect the lever to the handle - it wobbles and rotates freely but does not come out of the base. I can put the lever in place but not rotate it in-place without moving the whole handle.

There is a grub screw underneath but I'm not sure which part of the handle it is meant to secure:. Do I take apart the whole thing? Any advice is much appreciated.

It should look like this when assembled:

My guess is that the removal of the set screw (which you called the grub screw) will allow the post piece of the door knob to be removed from the door. A good pull may be required to remove it.

You should look at the door handle on the opposite side to see if it also has a similar set screw. If it does not have any visible means of removal then the knob from the opposite side will pull from the door extracting a central shaft which is extending into the post that you see on this side. The set screw in this case is holding the handles in place from both sides.

Once you get the post off the near side reattaching your knob lever should be as easy as accessing the head of the central screw from the inside of the post piece. The central screw head may use a normal screw driver or may be a six sided hex similar to the set screw head.


What type of pipe joint is this, and how do I repair it? The plastic pipe under my kitchen sink is leaking. This top pipe seems to simply be resting on the bottom section. Is this how it is supposed to be? I can freely pull the pipes apart with a little bit of force... Where can I get more information on this type of joint?

That's known as a slip joint. If you remove the slip nut, you should find a beveled washer on the pipe.

To put the joint together, you'll slide the slip nut onto the upper pipe, followed by the beveled washer (bevel side down). Then you'll slip the upper pipe inside the lower pipe, and use the nut to tighten the joint.

Looks like it's a waste tee similar to this.

The trap should be attached to the bottom of this piece, probably using another slip joint.

When tightening this type of joint, you want to be careful not to overtightened. Hand tight is usually all it takes.  It should be just tight enough, so that the pipes don't easily come apart.


Is it necessary to keep tools lubricated? I've noticed that some of my tools, especially the more expensive ones (e.g., a wire cutter), come lubed. So, is it necessary to keep them lubricated? If so, what kind of oil should I use?

Short answer: Yes, if you want your tools to last.

A quick story:
I have a set of Crestoloy Crescent wrenches that are nearing 100 years old.  They were passed from my Great Grandpa to my Grandpa to me.  I use them at least once a week.  The tools have worked on farm equipment, on boats, on cars, and on houses.  At times, they have been carelessly left in fields or damp environments.  During all of this, the tools were regularly wiped down with a thin layer of oil.  Today, those wrenches are devoid of rust and fully operational.

Oil on the metal portions of tools will do wonders for the longevity of the tool.  The oil will repel water and prevent rust, along with lubricating any moving parts.

The type of oil doesn't matter so much (see the comment below for someone who knows more about oil than I do).  Lots of people recommend WD-40.  It's cheap and widely available.  My Great Grandpa used clean motor oil on all of his tools.  A dab of oil on a rag, then wipe them over the tools when you're done working.  I use lubricating oil meant for an air compressor.

You don't need much oil to get the job done.  None of my tools feel greasy; all of them look and feel dry, except on the moving parts.

A warning.  Do NOT oil plastic or rubber parts of your tools.  Oil can make plastic and rubber pieces (like handles) brittle and lead to cracking.