40A Cooktop on 30A breakers Our Whirlpool GJC3034R Cooktop needs to be replaced so while doing the research I realized that it is rated 40A (here is the excerpt from the manual):

  A 4-wire or 3-wire, single phase, 240 volt, 60 Hz., AC only electrical
  supply is required on a separate, 40-amp circuit, fused on both sides
  of the line.

but when I checked the panel I noticed it was installed on double 30A breaker and was operational for last 8 years like that.

I'm about to purchase a replacement but that one is also rated as 40A.

Anyway, is it okay to install a 40A appliance on a double 30A breaker and am I correct in thinking that the worst thing that can happen is a tripped breaker if we try using all four elements simultaneously?

EDIT

As suggested by someone in the comments section I checked the element wattage of the Maytag MEC7430BB which I intend to purchase and it was 8600 Watts combined. Converted to amps that is 35.83 so again, as long as we don't use all 4 elements simultaneously the strength of the current will be below 30A and all should be fine, other than the possibility of a tripped breaker,... or it also depends on the gauge of the wire?

Let's start with the easy answer. If your installation manual is calling for a 40A circuit for your cooktop and you should install it per their directions. This is because the manufacturers engineers have determined that the recommended circuit is necessary for the cooktop to operate properly. Failure to do so could void the manufacturer's warranty if there is a problem with the cooktop.

Now the more confusing part. NEC Article 220.55 covers calculations for residential cooking appliances and it does allow derating of these circuits. For example if you have a range rated at 12K you can install a circuit rated for 8k. You can run a single circuit for more than one cooking appliance and tap the circuit for the reduced load of each appliance. I have to say that it is one of the most confusing and complex calculations mentioned in the NEC.

How can you be sure that what you have will work with your new cooktop?

You are on the right track by reading your manual and trying to determine the correct KVA to your cooktop, but what you really need to find is the Nameplate rating of this unit. It usually is not in your Installation Manual and it may be hard to find on the unit itself but it will be there somewhere. Another place to find it is to go online to the manufacturer and see if there is a specification sheet for the unit. On the nameplate you will find it's operating voltage and amperage or the required KVA. Then you will have to take that rating and calculate the demand from NEC 220.55. Personally I think that it needs to be supervised by a professional Master Electrician or Engineer or a very competent Journeyman.

Hope this helps, good luck and stay safe.


How Hot is your Transformer? I got this Hammond 500VA Isolated Transformer.

It's 500W capacity.. and I'm only using 30W. How come the temperature already reaches 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit)?

How about you? What temperature did you measure you transformer? And what is the load and capacity?

Is it not when a transformer only has light load. It shouldn't get hot? Or does it run hot even with no loads?

Lastly, is an Isolated Transformer hotter than an Autotransformer equivalent?

Most transformers will give off heat. I don't know if 50C is too hot but most transformer components are rate either 75C or 90C. I suppose you could give Hammond Manufacturing a call and ask their engineering department.
A simple transformer is basically two coils so your primary side is always passing current. Due to that you have a lot of EMF or Magnetic opposition which is the cause of the heat. I won't get more involved in transformer technology since it is about a one semester course and I don't want to bore you or myself to death by trying to explain any more than I have. I will say it does rise in temperature under heavier loads.
An autotransformer will also give off heat. Your particular transformer is shielded and for that reason probably will give off more heat and it is an isolation transformer, and an autotransformer is not. So really not comparable.

Hope this helps


Overthinking basement flooding prevention? I've been recommended by two companies now to install an interior vapor barrier along my basement walls to prevent the water that is shooting out during heavy rains. The vapor barrier will stop water as soon as it passes through the concrete blocks and fall into the perimeter drain which leads to the sump pump. While I'm comfortable taking this route to prevent flooding in my basement, I can't help but worry about potential issues that may arise if I'm not preventing water from first entering my basement walls.
Am I overthinking this situation? Or should I consider sealing the exterior side of the basement?

Providing proper drainage outside combined with sealing is my preferred method. I have had walls that may have been close to what you have I dug down installed drains and backfilled with rock (no dirt) that home went from rivers on the floors to dry walls. If possible to divert the water before it enters it takes less energy to have a comfortable basement in the winter (sump not having to pump all the water out of the house that came in to me that made sense it worked quite well so over thinking it? No I don’t think so but this could be viewed as an opinion question.


Do I need to clean out/fill in cracks in wood floor? We have a lot of gaps between boards in our wood floor (see pic, I'm holding a penny in the crack, some are wider, most are narrower).  It looks like the cracks were originally filled with something, not sure what though (maybe just wood filler).
When I refinish the floors do I need to remove the filler and refill the gaps?  If so, how do I go about both?

In my 1920's house, the cracks between oak floorboards where caused by house settling, and sometimes compressing floorboards. They vary in width by time of year. That makes filling impractical. I do glue down any potential splinters with wood glue and a 5 Lb weight.


Why are 4 circuits connected to a single switch? While working to switch a single switch out for a double (putting a fan and a light on separate switches), I came across an interesting condition -- to make this switch cold, I have to turn off four separate breakers. I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would do this, if there are any risks to keeping it as-is, and if there's anything to be aware of when splitting this into two switches. If anyone could shine some light on this, I'd be very appreciative!
I've drawn out the conditions as best as I can tell, but I haven't tested each individual wire on the patio switch.

I will copy this as an answer as I believe it is most probable.
You may be detecting phantom voltage.
I have seen 2 circuits crossed in the field but never 4.
The chances of this are very remote. Read up on phantom voltage and you might find why you detect voltage. For them to be connected all 4 would have to be odd or even breakers.
if some are odd and some are even it will be phantom voltage because if connected odd and even would be a direct short. There is a possibility of a back feed through a 240v device but this would be as rare as all 4 actually being connected in the field. So the most probable answer is phantom voltage.


Size of laminate flooring expansion gap The instructions that came with my laminate flooring call for a 3/8" expansion gap for floors up to 33' x 26'.  My floor is only 20' x 12'.  Can I get away with a 1/4" gap?  My baseboards are 1/2" thick, and it seems like leaving only 1/8" overlap might lead to a visible gap if things move someday.

Leave the recommended 3/8" clearance gap.

Install your baseboard gently down to the flooring material. If there are minor swails in the floor surface the baseboard may very well leave a vertical gap up off the surface the the flooring material. The way this is normally dealt with is to install base shoe molding. Base shoe is a narrow molding which can easily bend down and follow the floor surface variations.


Can I attach drop ceiling molding to a brick chimney? I have a drop ceiling in most areas of my basement. The previous owners did not complete the job over top of where the wood stove is, and around the brick chimney behind the stove. I don't think this looks nice, plus I am sure a lot of heat ends up going between the drop ceiling and the floor above, and gets trapped there.

If installed, the drop ceiling would be further than the minimum clearance to combustibles relative to the stove pipe connecting into the chimney (8" vertically above the stove pipe).

If it matters, the chimney flue has a inner SS liner, wrapped in a ceramic blanket. I am fairly sure there are concrete blocks around that, and decorative bricks around that.

Question: Is there a safety/codes reason why this job was not completed? Can I just run the track for the drop ceiling around and mounted to the brick chimney?

Only reason that I can imagine is that there is a small risk that a drop ceiling tile falls down on the operating stove...?

The answer to the code question is variable according to your location, especially if you're in the US as there will be federal, state, county, and maybe even city codes with which to comply.

Besides codes there's simple common sense answers. I think I understand that the stove's pipe goes up an actual brick chimney, not just exposed through the ceiling, and my answer assumes that. I can't see any reason why you can't run the drop ceiling up to the chimney as long as you use fire-rated materials, that means the tracks, track fittings, and tiles themselves. You should make sure about that for the whole drop ceiling really.


Do you need primer between layers of paint? Possible Duplicate:
  How do I prepare an already painted wall for new paint?

I tend to always use primer when painting...be it bare drywall or applying a new color.

But do I always need to use primer when doing the latter? Specifically, when applying paint on top of paint, should I always have a layer of primer?

The answer is "It Depends" ...

You generally need to prime if you're painting dissimilar paints, or if you're not sure what the previous paint was, or if you have sanded to bare wood or bare drywall, if you have patched with anything that does not specifically say it's paintable, or if you want to ensure a uniform finish.

For instance, if you were to paint oil paint over bare wood, you would get bad results. Same as if you tried to paint latex over oil since oil paint is hydrophobic. Oil primer is typically formulated to allow application of latex over it, but not always. Shellac-based primer is the best choice if you want to paint over ANYTHING and know that your primer and finish coats will stick.

If you're applying latex paint to a clean latex surface, go ahead, paint away. If there's dirt, grime, grease, or topping out my list of "unusual reasons the finish coat didn't stick", hair spray, you probably want to prime first.


How can I join two lengths of flexible 1/4" copper pipe? I have found a leak coming from under my refrigerator, after pulling it out to get behind it I found the 1/4" copper pipe that supplies the water for the ice maker and water in the door was severed badly. The pipe was attached to the wall behind the refrigerator with a piece of metal bent around it and then screwed into the wall. It possible that this metal severed the pipe when I had the refrigerator pulled out to paint over the weekend which caused the small leak, then pulling out the refrigerator again to check for the leak caused the cut to get bigger.

Anyway, I now have a 1/4" copper water line that is about 75-80% severed. I feel like the best way to fix this would be to make a clean cut on either side of the break and rejoin the pipe, but how would I go about doing that?

I'd use a small tubing cutter to cut tidy/clean ends on both ends of the 1/4" copper pipe  ...

... cutting off whatever portions of the 1/4" copper pipe are kinked or deformed. I'd then slip on a compression fitting called a 'union' ...

... which requires tightening with a pair of wrenches.  Wikipedia has a general article on compression fittings here.  You-tube hosts a concise 3 minute how-to video regarding installing compression fittings on plastic or copper pipe.  The copper tubing portion of the demo starts at 1:45 ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQGL8MBLlaE

Small tubing cutters such as the one pictured above will cut diameters 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" and anything in between.  The small size of that cutter design makes it excellent for tight confines.  It would be the first one I'd buy for my tool box. You could also use a medium size cutter, such as the one used in this 90 second tutorial ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLB3MomrXd0

The small cutter works in the same way. There are two main points to keep in mind when using either of these tubing cutters ...

1) Tighten the cutter only a little bit each time, making a number of light scores around the pipe instead of several deep ones.

2) The cutter wheel needs to continually track in the previous score, so keep a close eye on the score and make sure the score is not spiraling along the length of the 1/4" copper pipe, which can happen if the pipe is bent or deformed in the area where the cutter is being used.

After the cuts are completed, the cut ends of the 1/4" pipe need to be very close to circular (for example, not deformed into an oval). If they are not circular, then even if the ferrules can be forced onto the 1/4" copper pipe, the fitting will leak.  If the ferrules do not slip on easily, it might be due to the ends of the 1/4" pipe being out-of-round, or (unlikely) due to defective ferrules.  Using a tubing cutter will help ensure the cut ends of the 1/4" copper pipe are circular.

Alternatively, a hacksaw (or similar) can be used to cut clean ends on the 1/4" pipe.  This will likely result in ends with sharp edges and a burr.  Remove these with sandpaper.  Clean ends will allow the ferrules slip on without gauging, which would lead to a leak.  A fine-toothed file can be used instead of sandpaper, but the copper dust/shavings will most likely clog the teeth of the file.

Here is a 7 minute how-to video from England regarding leaks at compression fittings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aez4ctMtbuI


Cloth-covered NM questions My 50s era ranch home is wired using cloth-covered NM, as you can see in these photos (taken in a basement closet located under the stairwell where the NM is run exposed):

Should I be suspicious of this wire, or is it still good for a significant service life?  Also, will I have to pull an outlet or switch to tell if it carries a ground wire, or is that ruled out by the age of this cable?  Was cloth-jacket NM ever made with a ground wire?

The conductors and the insulation inside the jacket are almost certainly perfectly okay.

The only worrisome thing that comes to mind is that the ground wires in those old NM cables, when they had ground wires, were generally undersized relative to the primary conductors.

The electrical code requires that you bring anything you touch during a remodel up to the current code.

The current code basically requires that the ground wires be the same gauge as the primary conductors (#14 for 15A circuit, #12 for 20A circuit, etc).

I don't know if there's an exception for this old cable.


Old and unused power outlet I have this old and unused hole that I believe was for an outlet or a light switch (bought a house with this capped with plastic). I also have a few old phone Jacks. I plan on removing the phone Jacks and patching the drywall in that hole. I thought of doing the same for this outlet but I remember reading somewhere that doing so would be against code. I can't seem to find that information this time around.

https://imgur.com/gallery/faBYUZG
Thanks everyone! I'm just going to cover it up. It's not worth the effort for me to trace out the wires and try to disconnect them. Appreciate everyone's feedback
Would patching the drywall here be an option? Or is covering it with a removable plastic cover the only option?

That is a junction box, and must remain accessible (plastic or metal cover, cover can be painted.)
NEC 314.29
If the wiring is completely removed, you can remove the junction box, but usually the wiring is serving some purpose and that is not practical.


How far can laser level dots be seen outside in the sun? I am building an CEB (like adobe) home and would like to buy a laser level to help make sure the top course is level.  There is no roof yet, and this will be outside, and in the sun.  The house is only ~20' x 20', so the furthest the laser will have to travel if we put it in the center is something like 14'.  Will most rotating laser level points be visible at this distance?  I've seen multiple different mw power levels for lasers.  How far is each visible outside in the sun?

The laser beam itself will barely be dissipated by the sunlight, check the specs on each device for their range. The difficulty seeing the laser can be attributed to the sunlight flooding all* light spectra/frequencies as well as sensitizing your eyes (or camera white balance) to light. Creating a shadow with your hand near the laser point on the wall should easily reveal it. If you can find/afford it, a green laser would work better for outdoor applications, the light frequency is further away from infrared as well as they are typically stronger.

* "All" is relative to visible frequencies (and a few invisible ones) but for cases of visible light by human eyes, the near red frequencies are visibly flooded heavier due to infrared being so close.


Water spontaneously flowing from hot water faucet in bathroom sink Woke up to the sound of a steady stream of (hot) water flowing from the bathroom sink, as if the handle was all the way open, but when I went to turn it off - the faucet handle was already in off position.

Turned off the hot water shut-off valve below the sink and it stopped.

Why would the water just start flowing like that ?

It is not uncommon for the cut-off valve under the lavatory to get stiff with age. I have encountered cut-off valves that needed to be turned with pliers.

As to the hot water starting to run in the middle of the night, that is a new one to me, but possibly the valve had been on the verge of failing and then suddenly did so. If this is the type with a "rubber" washer seal, then a new seal may fix it. If it is the type with a "cartridge", then a new cartridge may fix it.

If you cannot get the cut-off valve to work with pliers (used carefully), then you will have to replace the cut-off valve.

If you have the water to the entire house shut off, then it might be a good idea to turn off the water heater. Then you may be able to turn off the supply valve to the water heater and then turn on the water to the house and have cold water supply at the taps. Having running cold water will allow the toilets to fill and you will have cold water at the kitchen faucet, etc. Then you can plan a fix for the hot water valve in the lavatory.

EDIT I don't see the left (hot) handle skewed at an angle. The position of the lever is a little different which it will be in general. Pop off the little cap unscrew the screw holding the handle down and remove it. Then remove the covering to expose the valve.  Then remove the guts of the valve and I think it will be revealed as a cartridge. Take it to a big box or a plumbing supply and get a new cartridge.

EDIT #2

It could be that the handle is poorly placed so that it does not close all the way. Remove the handle and reposition it so that when closed it is not in contact with the back splash guard of the counter top. That may be all that is needed.


Can I mount 3 blades on a 5 blade ceiling fan? In my son's bedroom I currently have a standard five-blade ceiling fan. We are currently changing the decorating motif in his room to "airplanes". I thought it would be really cool to change the ceiling fan to look like a propeller. I have found a vintage three-blade imitation propeller that will fit on the current brackets.

The new blades will be roughly the same length and weight as the old ones, and I will mount them equally spaced (not just using three of the five original mounts), so I do not expect any issue there. So, my only concern would come from having "not factory standard".

Will it be safe to only mount the 3 blades on the 5 blade system?

No, it will not be OK.

A fan blade system is meant to be balanced. Even when all of the original equipment blades are in place, minor imbalances can occur and need to be corrected with weights from a balance kit. Failure to have a balanced fan causes wobble. If the wobble is bad enough, it can damage the motor, loosen the fan in its mounting and even cause mounting failure.

The five existing blades are evenly spaced. You can get replacement blades, but they have to be the same number as the originals. If you mount on only three of the five brackets, two blades will be next to each other and one will be opposite. This is a very significant imbalance and could lead to catastrophe.

If there were a way to mount the blades evenly around the perimeter, it might work, but that would require a whole new and custom crafted bracket system.

SUPPLEMENT: The Questioner has added information, now indicating he intends to mount the blades evenly spaced. If that is achieved, balance should not be an issue. Care must be taken to ensure that the adapter used to mount is also balanced around the perimeter (an added bracket on only one side would still create imbalance).


How do I fix a sunken floorboard? I broke this floorboard the other week and tried to pop it back up to mend with no success. How do I cut and slide this board out to put in a new one?

EDIT:

I was able to take the floorboard out, however as keshlam has pointed out, there was nothing actually supporting this section and thus when I put weight on it when walking in and out of the bathroom, it eventually cracked and sunk with my weight. I will be attempting a quick-fix by going back in the crawlspace and trying what keshlam suggested with the 2x4's.

Looks like either there's no subfloor under that board, or the subfloor failed (rotted?) in that area. If this is ground floor, it might be worth looking at this area up from the basement or crawl space or whatever's under there, to see what was supposed to be supporting that board and what condition it's in.

That's assuming that there was something there. Someone may have done a sloppy install over a hole and simply hoped that nobody would ever put weight on it.

If you can get to it from underneath, and it was never properly supported, I'd be inclined to see if I could push it back up into position, then nail some support in place under it -- one or two 2x4's between the joists, tight up against the floor, then insert shims to fill any remaining gap between those and this board. Not very elegant, but more elegant than leaving a board floating in midair.

If you can get to it and discover that it was originally supported but Something Has Gone Wrong, you'll have to proceed from there.


Cat 5/6 in same conduit as power: is NM-B required, or is THHN acceptable? Preface: I'd like to avoid the question of whether one should run data and power together; my question is focused on Code compliance.

I'm trying to ensure I interpret Code correctly when running Cat 5/6 cabling and power together in the same conduit.  For starters, I understand that nothing in Code prohibits one from doing this; I'm trying to ensure I understand how to do it properly.

I'm wiring a basement office for power and data, and I'll be running the electrical in EMT.  My plan was to pull THHN for the power rather than pull NM-B, but then 800.133(2) Exception 1 made me scratch my head.  Is my understanding of the Article that if I want to run both data (Cat6) and power in the same conduit, that the power needs to be sheathed (i.e. NM-B).  Is it unacceptable to pull individual THHN conductors and the Cat6 together in the same conduit?

  800.133 2) Other Applications. Communications wires and cables shall be separated at least 50 mm (2 in.) from conductors of any electric
  light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, or medium-power
  network-powered broadband communications circuits.

  Exception No. 1: Where either (1) all of the conductors of the
  electric light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, and
  medium-power network-powered broadband communications circuits are in
  a raceway or in metal-sheathed, metal-clad, nonmetallic-sheathed, Type
  AC, or Type UF cables, or (2) all of the conductors of communications
  circuits are encased in raceway.

You mean 800.133.  And this very concept of mixing comms and power is highly improbable.  I know you're casting around for a way to do this, but this sort of "hopeful reading" is very highly prone to confirmation bias.

NM-B is always useless in conduit

Using NM-B in the conduit wiring method is not illegal, but buys you nothing but headaches.  It's very difficult to wrestle, and takes up way too much space (counts as a round wire of the wide dimension).  It's not going to bring you closer to running comms and power in the same conduit.

As a rule, NM cable in conduit doesn't buy you any advantages at all.  This is one warning that you may be barking up the wrong tree.

800.133 only affirms a case that's already allowed.

Elsewhere in NEC there is a rule that you can run low voltage or comms wiring in Class 1 methods, and commingle with power lines, if and only if the entire comms circuit, every inch soup to nuts, is wired in Class 1 wiring methods.

It's not even really an exception.  You see, Class 1 wiring has no minimum voltage. If you want to install to mains spec and then run 6V on it, be my guest.  Nothing says you can't use class 1 wiring to convey signal instead of power, and that's exactly what happens between some smart switches, for instance.  The only exception being made is use of smaller than 14AWG wire.   Here's an example:

  We have a furnace which is built to include an air conditioner.  It
  includes a 24V transformer.  Power to the furnace uses the conduit
  wiring method as does power to the air conditioning unit; the route between these units is continuous class 1 wiring method.  We can run
  the 18AWG, 24VAC air conditioning control cable through that conduit because the entire 24V circuit is insulated for mains voltage and entirely contained in a
  Class 1 wiring method.  That's an open-and-shut case for the exception, right? Right?

  Oh wait, the thermostat. That is not rated for mains voltage and the wiring to it uses a non-class-1 wiring method.  Since its wires connect conductively to some of the aforementioned wires, this is no good.  None of the circuitry can share conduit with mains wiring.

Presumably, you want your ethernet cables to exit class 1 wiring methods at a faceplate, then proceed via the decidedly not-class-1 ethernet cable to your most definitely not class 1 Ethernet card or dongle.  So like my thermostat, your entire comms circuit is not in class 1 wiring. That is exactly what you can't do.

Also I believe Ethernet cable is not insulated well enough and not a large enough wire diameter.


What is this valve behind my furnace? I have had trouble running my furnace. It keeps cycling on and off when running. I had this valve set to open when running the furnace. But recently I closed it and it seemed to run longer without it shutting down. But I am worried it may cause damage if I do that. What does this valve do and is it ok to keep it closed or should it be open? Thank you for any help.

That appears to be a damper (given the location I'd call it a "main" damper, as opposed to the ones for various smaller branch ducts) and having it "wide open" may be overloading your furnace fan motor, causing it to overheat and shut down.
This involves one of the counterintuitive engineering principles that the internet has trouble with because it's counterintuitive, but anyone can spew their intuition on the internet.
A centrifugal blower (which most furnace fans are) is moving less air, and thus doing less work, and thus drawing less power when it is restricted, rather than "wide open."
When a properly trained and equipped HVAC technician "balances" or "tunes" your hot air furnace system, one thing they will do is use an ammeter to check the load on the fan motor while adjusting the damper setting(s) to keep the load within what the fan motor can actually push. The right setting is generally neither "on" nor "off" but somewhere in the middle.
When a homeowner or other person starts fiddling with the settings, they are inclined to follow intuition and "OPEN IT UP!" Physics being physics does not care what their intuition says, and the motor (may) overheat, and if it's protected in the usual fashion, shut down.


Surface mount ceiling fan I have a Tri-State home with a center beam extending from one gable end of the house to the other at the peak.  The beam is completely exposed in the living room.  I installed a ceiling fan with light twenty years ago and now the unit has failed.  I need to install a new one.  I have surface mount wall switch and conduit going up to the beam where the old fan was.  I have no electrical box, the wires were enclosed in the canopy of the fan unit.  Is this okay to do.  I installed this myself twenty years ago and the guy from the building center where I purchased everything said that was okay.  I am now having my doubts.  What should I do?

Stop being a cheapskate and get a box, will ya?

What you need is a surface-mounted ceiling fan box, either of the saddle or the pancake types.  Wiring a fan without a box is a great way to drop a ceiling fan on the head of an unsuspecting guest, as well as a fire hazard if a splice ever fails!  Just make sure the box you get is rated for the fan load you have...


How to test water-heater thermocouple? So I took out Kenmore Power Miser 9 burner assembly and want to root cause why the pilot light kept going off whenever I released the RESET button during ignition procedure.

Here is the test I did:

I put the fire for 10 seconds below the thermocouple and saw that voltage ramps up only to 30mV.

I believe I was supposed to see more, like 400mV? Does this mean that thermocouple is bad?

NO, thermocouples may operate at as low as 1-13mv (10-13 mv for operating current, 3-1mv for ECO -emergency cut-out- at low temp.).

Some older appliances used what we call thermopiles or pilot generators (which were actually a bunch of thermocouples bundled together) to supply higher current flow (like 400mv) to operate equipment and/or control circuits (gas control valves, thermostat circuits, fan control relays, etc.)

example:


What might cause water to leak under or behind a bathtub? The floor in my bathroom is constantly wet after showers. House was built in 1970 and this bathroom is all original. From the yellow tile down to the linoleum.

The shower curtain is sealed, the shower head is not spraying, everything above the floor is dry. I tested this by drying it, putting down dry pieces of toilet paper, then showering. TP on the floor was soaked, TP on the rim of the tub was bone dry.

What should I look at to find out where the water is coming from?

My current list is:

old caulk around tub rim
plumbers putty around spout
plumbers putty around faucets
plumbers putty around drain
look inside drain for cracks

What else should I investigate?

Should I find the leak or just reseal everything?

Your external list is pretty good, what's missing is an internal list:

water shut off valves(stem leaks)
Connections between stop valves and mixing valve
Stem leaks on mixing valve
Shower arm and tub outlet extension: leaks at elbow inside wall

It is unusual for these sources to end up on the floor, outside the tub, unless your bath is over a slab.

If you have access (if not, you should make one; 14" square centered on the valve) to the back of the mixing valve, use a flashlight and watch carefully when the water is first turned on, after its been off overnight


T&P valve is really tight, not able to remove it I have the below T&P valve, I'm not able to remove it to replace a new one.
I saw there has some declaration above the valve which said it's the combination of the water heater, does this mean I can't remove it? If no, how to remove a very tight valve. Thanks a lot.

OK, that warning label is telling you that the valve is protecting the appliance from both over-heating and over-pressure (combination). The part about removal from point of installation is a warning that relocating it to another part of the system will not provide adequate protection (back in the day they sometimes located a pressure-relief valve on a pipe outside the home). You can remove and replace it. Pull off that plastic cover so you can see the threaded part. Get a bigger wrench, at the factory they use a pipe compound that sets hard. Your tank is iron and unlikely to be damaged


20amp afci breaker with gfci outlet tripping under 15amp load, but not lower loads I have been switching my breakers over to AFCI a few at a time. I now have two AFCI breakers running to my garage, which are wired to two 20 amp gfci outlets (dedicated circuits). One of the outlets trips every time I try to run my 15amp miter saw, but runs fine when I have a 6amp drill press and 3amp heater running off it. Here is what I've done so far:

I checked the wiring of the breaker in the panel, and it's fine (neutral and hot from the circuit going to the breaker, and then a separate neutral going from the breaker to the neutral bus bar).
Since the other gcfi outlet works with the miter saw, I swapped the outlets, and it still flips the breaker.
Then I re-ran the 12-2 wiring (not that difficult in my case), which also caused me to re-do the wiring at the breaker anyway, and it still flips when I fire up the miter saw.

The gfci outlets seem to work fine, the miter saw works fine on other gfci outlets, I have new 12-2 lines, the wiring at the breaker is perfect... is it possible I have a bad aFCi breaker? Thoughts and ideas are appreciated.

AFCI breakers are horrible with motor loads and even heavily loaded circuits with dimmers or ballast, to the point my state exempts circuits that have problems.

Why are they not able to tell the difference? Your miter saw creates tons of little arcs each time the brushes change from 1 commutator pole to the next, on top of pulling 3-5x the current for startup. This looks like arcs that could cause a problem. Dimmers and ballast change the wave shape causing harmonics that if a loaded circuit (well below the 80% standard) they will trip because they cannot tell the difference between the harmonics and an arc.

Using current code, you need GFCIs in the garage, not AFCIs, and if you want to cut with anything that has brush-based based motors or variable speed it will need to be less than 50& of the breaker value on some of the mfg info I have read.


Particular wood filler suitable for oil finish? I'm going to try doing an oil finish for the first time. I'm going to try Minwax Antique Oil Finish: http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/specialty-finishes/minwax-antique-oil-finish

The wood I'm working with is reclaimed finger-jointed tropical hardwood. I'm not looking for a pristine finish (as it's somewhat rustic/salvaged to begin with) but I would like to fill some of the joints that opened up between various pieces of the finger jointed wood...mostly along the grain.

Is there a particular type of wood filler I should use that won't 'pop out' visually when I apply the oil finish? I will be sanding it, if that matters, so it should be a sandable filler as well.

Without knowing the specific end use and history of the wood or the scale of the project I can only give you three general techniques and you can choose which one suits your needs best.

Paste Filler.
 This comes in a variety of forms but essentially its exactly what it sounds like. It hardens to a sand-able surface, takes stain and finish more like wood than other fillers and some varieties can be applied in large quantities (hardwood floors filler). Some are water based, and some use solvents (acetone and MEK). In this case (and this case only) the water based is just as good as solvent but not if it's for exterior use.
Oil Putty.
 This is the finish carpenter's choice for puttying nail holes in finish grade trim and other small repairs and fills. It comes in a variety of colors that can be mixed to achieve any shade. The putty is applied after finish so it goes on soft and stays flexible. Its great for small fixes but would be impractical to patch large voids or large areas.
Epoxy
 This is just a clear, two-part adhesive tinted with pigment to create a hard, durable, stable patch, here's a helpful link: West System. This method is great for filling things like knots and surface checking. We primarily use it on reclaimed lumber to fill the defects prior to finishing. Epoxy can be used inside and out, on small or large areas but it is the most expensive of the three options.

Whatever your situation, one of these three should work. The only general advice I can give you is, whatever method you use, make sure your fill is at least as dark or darker than the wood. Light filler really stands out. The catch is that many woods (cherry, fir, mahogany) darken significantly over time so you have to adjust by eye and your gut. Cheers!


How to precisely measure pipe inner diameter using digital Vernier caliper? I have a pipe of unknown inner diameter. The pipe is big so I cannot measure it's outer diameter (the outside jaws won't reach the midpoint). I want to measure inner diameter.

That should be easy, in theory, using the inside jaws. But how to ensure I am measuring diameter and not some other distance within the circle? I can try to forcefully expand the jaws, but that's not precise. I need to be very precise - I need to fit 3D print into the pipe exactly.

A few approaches:

Place a piece of paper or aluminum foil over the end and tape it in place so it doesn't move.  Press around the edge with your finger to emboss the inside edge into the paper/foil.  It should create a sharp edge.  Remove the paper/foil, and you have something you can easily measure by normal means.

Variation on the theme: make a "cushion" of compressible material (e.g., sheet of closed-cell foam or "felt", styrofoam, or even many layers of paper towel), and put the paper or foil on top.  Press the end of the tube onto the paper/foil, and it will leave an embossed ring that you can measure.
Use the end of the pipe like a big rubber stamp.  Apply slow-drying ink, like stamp pad ink, to the edge and press it against a sheet of paper.  It will leave an ink ring you can measure.  Variation: if you can still find carbon paper (as used eons ago with typewriters), put it face down on a piece of paper and press the end of the pipe against it.  It will leave a ring you can measure.
Measure the inside diameter roughly with a ruler.  Use a slightly larger hole saw to drill out an oversized plug, which will also have a hole in the center.  Use the hole to mount the plug to a shaft that you insert into a drill, drill press, or lathe, depending on what you have available.  With the disk spinning, sand it down until it just fits into the pipe.  That gives you a solid object to measure by normal means.

An alternative is to use a sheet of similar plastic material as your 3D printer filament.  Once you have a good fitting plug, just use it.  Fasten, weld, or bond it to your 3D part.

To ensure you're measuring the diameter by any of these methods, place the paper with the circle on a piece of wood or some layers of cardboard.  Stick a pin through the circle line at any point.  Align a ruler with the circle inside edge at that point at a major division on the ruler.  Swing the ruler across the circle until you find the maximum dimension on the other side of the circle.  That will be the diameter.  If you are concerned that the pipe might not be perfectly symmetrical, repeat the process roughly 90 degrees from the first point.


How do I mate two 2x6s together to make a 4x6 beam? I need to make (3) 4×6×12 beams and (2) 4x6x10 beams for an acquaintance  who is building a lean-to horse shelter. What type of fastener should I use and how many? Must I use adhesive and if so what type?

Keep in mind that lumber nominal dimensions are not actual dimensions.  A 2x6 is really 1.5" x 5.5" not 2" x 6" as the name suggests.  So a built-up beam made from two 2x6's is actually just 3 inches wide.  If you're supposed to use a 4x6 timber, you might not be able to substitute a built-up beam made from two 2x6's.

Using built-up beams made from doubled up or tripled up dimensional lumber is an everyday framing method.  The most common way to build them is simply nailing them together.  There are different standards for the specifics of nailing them up.

This illustration from Details for Conventional Wood Frame Construction shows nails 32" apart in a W pattern, with three nails at the ends.  The document specifies 20d nails.  Other standards may specify different types of nails and spacing.

It may not seem like a lot of nails, and there's no glue, but it's not necessarily better to make the beam more rigid;  this type of beam may function better if the pieces are allowed to move a little so that all the pieces contact the material they support.  The important thing is to stick to whatever the design intended, and that that design is something applicable codes allow.


How should I paint accents over oil-based stain? [I apologize in advance if this sounds more like an art question; looking across SE this site seemed to be the best fit for my question.]

I'm refinishing a bass guitar that I stripped down to the bare wood.  The wood itself appears to be alder, from what I can tell.  The current plan is to give it a single coat of Minwax Golden Oak to bring out the grain and then add some accents with oil paint, finishing with a few coats of clear satin thereafter.  While I'm pretty comfortable with the staining portion of it, the paint raises a few questions:

Should I sand where I intend to paint after it's been stained (e.g. with 000 or 0000 steel wool, perhaps)?
Should there be a clear coat between the paint and the stain?
How soon after painting can I put a clear coat over it?

After staining give a coat of clear finish, sanding it with a fine sandpaper (400G) to remove any raised grain or any dust that may have settled onto the drying finish.  This will give you a good base to add your paint and the sanded surface will give it good adhesion. Steel wool has its purpose, but I would not use it here. That's only my opinion. My experience is the steel wool sheds metal bits everywhere, and may be a deal to clean up completely.

After the recommended dry time for the paint is over, give it your final clear coat.
I know this did not answer your question about how long to wait before the top coat, but depending on what brand of paint you use, makes a difference. Each paint container always list how long it needs to dry before the next coat. Many usually only need 8 hours.

If you do not have that, the safe rule of thumb is, 24 hours if oil over oil, 2 days if water over oil. I don't know what to recommend if oil over water.


Water backs up in adjacent sink only when garbage disposal is used I have adjacent sink basins in the kitchen with the garbage disposal on the right hand side.  Individually, both basins drain quickly when the garbage disposal is not used, even when filled with water.  However, when using the right side basin with the disposal going, it drains as quickly, but water will almost immediately backup into the left side basin until it reaches the same level as the diminishing water level in the disposal basin.  Both drains then subsequently drain leaving food debris in the left basin.  Is this a case of there being a partial clog some distance down the drain pipe?  It may be implied that the volume capacity of the drain pipe is easily sufficient for water draining from a full sink without the "push" of a garbage disposal, but once the "push" factor is added with the garbage disposal going, the flow into the drainage pipe is increased sufficiently that now the capacity of the drain pipe (with a partial clog far down it) may not be enough to handle it.  The added water in the drain pipe has no place to go but into the adjacent sink basin. Is this a correct interpretation of the problem or is there something more obvious going on?

You probably have a bit of a clog in your trap or a bit further down.

Likely, your plumbing looks like this:

The disposal is trying to pump water down the pipe much faster than it would passively flow. This means there is enough water getting into the shared pipe that it backs up into the sink on the right in the picture, bringing disposed food with it. Basically, it's probably exactly what you thought it was.

Try removing and cleaning the trap. If the problem still occurs, start trying some other drain cleaning techniques (snake, chemical clear, etc).


Why is the water pressure low in my shower? I have low water pressure in shower.  I removed shower head but still very little water coming from pipe. Could it be the shower cartridge?  I have 1/2" pipe running from the water heater to the shower valve approximately 50'

Shower cartridges can definitely get debris in them just like aerators in faucets can. Some valves have screen filters in them close to the intakes. also, make sure all your water valves are all the way open.


How to install a 4 wire outlet to a 3 wire junction box I have a black, white, green, and bare copper wire in my fixture but only a black,white, and bare copper wire in the junction box. The instructions tht came with the fixture say tht I should put the green wire as well as the copper wire from the fixture together and then attach those to the bare copper wire in the junction box however that is not working. I have also tried attaching the 3 wire combination to the green screw or "GND" screw attached to the junction box but tht has not worked either. What do I do?

In any recently made appliance, green is only legal for one purpose: equipment safety ground.  Green wire cannot be re-tagged as a hot or neutral so it is guaranteed to be ground.

Bare wire is also only legal for ground.

They are all grounds.  Simply wire them together.

Fixtures sometimes have 2 ground wires if there are 2 parts of the fixture which each should be grounded, e.g. a chain-hung chandelier: a chain is not a valid grounding path, so a ground wire must be in the cord running down the chain. The other wire would ground the rose.

Ground is strictly an emergency current path, and does not flow any current normally.  Electricity needs 2 wires, so 2 more wires must be connected: black and white.  The fixture would work without any grounds at all, but it wouldn't be safe.


How do I wire my new dryer cord? I have recently moved into a new home and discovered that my dryer plug does not fit into the outlet. I have a three pronged plug and need a four prong plug. how do i wire the new cord into my dryer?

Try to find the owner's manual for your dryer and follow the instructions in the manual.

The terminal block on the back of your dryer should have connections for the neutral and both hot conductors from the dryer cord, plus a separate grounding lug for the grounding wire. The grounding lug is bonding the metal housing of your dryer to the ground. Make sure you leave any green grounding wires on the dryer itself connected, as well.

What you do NOT want to do is connect the ground wire to the neutral lug on the terminal block if there is a separate grounding lug.

Although; depending on your dryer (or if you have an older dryer), there may be a grounding strap connecting the neutral lug to the metal housing of the dryer. If this is the case, you can presume that the dryer was designed to use the neutral as a ground path and connect both the neutral and grounding wires to the neutral/grounding lug. But you still might want to call an electrician and get some local professional advice or have them do the work, especially if it's an old dryer.

The neutral (grounded) and grounding conductors are bonded electrically at the main service panel, but pains are typically taken to keep them separate everywhere downstream from the main panel in order to avoid energizing things you don't want to get shocked by, like the housings of appliances, water pipes and so on.

Make your connections tight. Loose connections get hot and start fires.


Exterior door jamb construction I've an entryway with a 9 inch jamb.

I'm planning on buying a slab door and building a custom jamb.

Few questions :

What kind of wood is the best for exterior door jambs ?
How do I extend the threshold ? The one that comes with the door is made of aluminum.
Are there any potential issues I should watch out when building a custom jamb ?

whenever i build a custom exterior jamb, i use ipe.  its stronger and harder than anything else you will find for exterior work, takes paint well, clears beautifully, and is a great wood in general.  the biggest problem you will run into with exterior jambs is moisture related warpage. ipe wont warp.

to be honest, i learned long ago the best way to do what you are doing is just build the entire jamb from scratch.  that way you get all the stops, seal mounts and extensions as an integral piece of wood.  you can make your own threshold from oak or ipe and its never going to fail.  if you do want an aluminum one, try here:

http://www.crlaurence.ca/crlapps/showline/offerpage.aspx?ProductID=28847&GroupID=58652&History=39325:4939:26565:28809:47252:28809&ModelID=58652&pom=0#

you will have to mill a sub-threshold out of wood and joint the aluminum one into it to get it work as you wish

if you try to cobble something out of an off the shelf unit, you will have caulking and glue that will eventually let in water, or you have to set the door so far towards the outside, that you get hinge swing issues with your inner nailer extensions.

you can definitely buy an exterior door, and all the seals.  then build your own jamb and put it all together.  you will be much happier for much longer.


How can I run air tubing into a PVC manifold / fitting? I am attempting to build a photobioreactor, in other words a water-filled system for growing algae. I'm using a series of 1.5" clear tubes to hold the water, the bottoms of which will connect to a PVC manifold I've assembled by gluing a bunch of tees together. The nominal pipe/fitting size I'm using is 1-1/4" schedule 40 PVC.

There are ten tubes (currently) and I need to be able to bubble air through each tube to deliver carbon dioxide to the algae. I don't know how to run the air tubing into the manifold underneath each tee to deliver the air bubbles. The tubing and fittings I'm using for air are actually 1/4" drip irrigation parts.

I'm attaching some photos of what I have tried so far:

First attempt: drilled 1/4" holes, pushed tubing in, silicone around each hole. Result: leaks

Second attempt: Enlarged holes slightly (5/16"), siliconed the "misting" drip irrigation fitting right to the hole. Result: came apart during handling.

My next attempt was going to involve enlarging the hole and tapping 1/4" NPT threads into the wall of the fitting, and screwing a barbed adapter directly in. The reason I didn't do this from the beginning is because of the cumulative cost of all the extra fittings. I'm looking for other suggestions or perhaps some part or fitting I've not heard of that will make this easier.

Assuming you have or can get the clear tubes to attach and not leak, I'd suggest a 1-1/4" (or reducer and 1/2") PVC pipe parallel to your clear pipes, running above water level, and NO penetration for the CO2 feed line; not only run it in the bottom of the pipe as suggested by @bib, but run it inside regular, normally solvent-welded PVC vertically as well, all the way above waterline. No funky or fragile seals between plastics that don't solvent-weld nicely.

From fishtank experience I'd also suggest that you be open to running 10 tubes so that you can balance the airflow if it does not opt to cooperate and divide evenly in practice (one of those things where things are the same in theory, but often different in practice).


2 AFCI Breakers Tripping - One instantly and the other after a few minutes I have 2x 15amp AFCI Siemens breakers, both are tripping. One breaker would trip instantly and the other one after a few minutes. Nothing new was plugged in into these circuits. It just happened out of the blue and was working fine for years.  The house was built around 2003.

The breaker that instantly trips connects to the master bathroom which has a light, 2 receptacles (non gfci), and bathroom fan.  It also connects to the laundry room but only to the light and fan. Lastly, it also connects to 2 lights in the upstairs hallway.

The breaker that would trip after a few minutes is connected to 3 bedrooms, 2 rooms has 2 receptacles and the master has 3 receptacles.

Would replacing the breaker be my first (quickest) option at this point?
would swapping breakers to see if the instant tripping follows the breaker or the circuits be a good troubleshooting idea?

If a swap reveals that the symptoms stay, i.e. other AFCI are also tripping in the same circuits, and all devices/lamps etc. were disconnected, there is most likely one or more problems with the panels/boards or wires.
Since the AFCI is tripping immediately, it seems to be a static fault and therefore an insulation tester would help to find the location via a bubble search, i.e. iteratively disconnecting half of the wires/outlets/circuits. Since an AFCI detects HF signals, a portable AM receiver may help searching when the insulation tester feeds that faulty location.
Possible reasons:

Water damage from heavy rain or moisture or plumbing, spilling/overfilling of bathtubes, sinks etc.
Rodents or insects having destroyed the insulation resulting in leakage currents
Any recent work like hammering nails or turning screws into the wall or ceiling
Earth movings/oscillations from earthquakes, underground activities, mining, construction activities, subways etc. causing stress to the building

If the AFCI are faulty, possible reasons are an overload, e.g. by a lightning strike or a shortcut or electric switching activities of the power supplier or any surges in the power lines. The main panel surge protection - if any - can not   cover 100% of all possible surge events. Maybe neighbours do have similar problems.


Protection from an asbestos wall The trapezoid-shaped wall in the back of the picture is a wall that my neighbor built between his backyard and mine:

Apparently, it is made from asbestos, which might be unhealthy.

In order to protect my family from potential health issues, I thought of painting the side facing my yard with an acryllic paint (my neighbor will probably not mind). Is this indeed a sufficient protection?

Alternatively, I thought of just buying a large plastic sheet and hang it over the asbestos wall. Will this provide enough protection?

Paint is the best way to encapsulate asbestos,
I am trying to figure out what part you believe is asbestos. The fence looks to have a metal roofing or siding, the wall in the back of the photo looks like corrugated fiberglass,  if corrugated fiberglass  I would not paint it without permission as it may be letting light in (we do this in our barns, The fiberglass allows light in but stops the wind and rain, if you paint it without permission you may be forced into replacing it.
First I would want to identify what it is, I don’t remember any corrugated asbestos panels but could be wrong. If it is asbestos a quality exterior paint should be used (with permission) to encapsulate the material. A close up photo would help and if there is light that shines through at night it is not any kind of asbestos I have seen but probably fiberglass clear fiberglass yellows and has the little string looking hairs once it ages and this is what I think you have if you are talking about that surface and not the fence to the right.


How do I connect 1/4" plastic tube to 3/8" plastic tube? I am installing a R/O filter under my sink. The drain for the waste water attached to my dish-washer drain hose provides a 3/8" connection (Watts Premier 164020 DLA-D Drain Line Plumbing Adapter). But, the drain with my unit is a 1/4" hard plastic tube. I am not sure what to do, but maybe I can connect the 1/4" tube to the 3/8" tube somehow.

Any ideas?

Watts connector described has a push-in connector for poly tubing. What size is the push-in connector for? You cut off the poly with a sharp knife and push it into the fitting if it's the proper size.

Other options, Universal Dishwasher drain coupler. Usually, they come with a new disposer. They look something like this. If you search online, all sorts of sizes are available.

Also, given that 1/4" tubing is a standard size, you can adapt it up in size to 3/8" by using an appropriate brass compression fitting. I'm assuming that it is hard poly and barb fittings won't work as it isn't flexible enough. The compression fitting ring will have bite into its surface enough to seal and hold. For Vinyl and Poly type tubing, they make a brass insert so the compressing fitting has better bite. Shown is a sample of a union coupler with inserts, what you need will have to be selected for your situation


Two breakers sharing same neutral? I was installing some new dimmers and outlets when I found two breakers were running in to an electrical box using a 3-wire conductor (red, black, white). Red/black were switched by different breakers, so they seemed to be sharing a neutral.
I've seen other threads (main one linked below) here that seem to indicate that this is OK as long as:

The two circuits are on different "legs" of the 240v supply
The two breakers are tied together.

I wasn't sure how to tell if the two breakers are on separate "legs". How do I tell if this is the case? I found two boxes with this configuration. the breakers associated with o[![ne box were adjacent to each other. While the breakers on the other box are separated by 1 breaker. Does this seem right?
The other issue that the breaker pairs can be turned on/off independently. This doesn't seem safe and I was pretty confused with my NCV detecting voltage with only 1 breaker off. Is this anything to worry about? I imagine the rest of the circuits in my house follow a similar pattern - 3 conductors sharing 2 breakers.
The house was built in 1981 (WA state fwiw) and I don't know the history behind the electrical work here.
Other threads:

Shared neutral on the same leg
Can two circuits share a neutral?

Breakers

Panel Label

Updated handle ties for double pole breakers were added in 1981 I was confusing that with multiwire branch circuits because the local jurisdiction added mwbc ties the same year but the NEC required handle ties in 99 or 02 if they landed in the same box or yoke and later in 08 all mwbc’s required handle ties for the reasons listed below.
I believe you have tandem breakers looking at the double pole compared to the other breakers, if they are tandem your setup would be ok. 4 breakers on 2 poles the left 2 are on leg1 the right 2 on leg2  they make ties to connect the outside 2 and clips or brads for the inside 2. Back when your home was built they were not required and you do not have to update them. If it was my home I would swap the wires so the mwbc was on the center 2 and cut a 6 penny nail so when it is put in it doesn’t extend below the bottom handle this will make it safer so anyone working on either of those 2 circuits doesn’t get a Wake up call from mr zap. But I would verify they are tandems so you know you are on separate legs in any case (measuring the 2 Hotta should show 240v that’s good, if 0 it will need to be moved.)
The 2 breakers being tied together on a 240v service means they are on separate legs. This is needed because if you want to work on circuit one and they were not handle tied you can get knocked on your butt or worse because the neutral is the return path and is carrying the voltage back to the source so although not required on your home it is a good idea
Having a common neutral is legal and common to do this it is called a multiwire branch circuit.
Both share the same neutral. They can do this because with 240v single phase leg 1 is at the maximum positive voltage while leg 2 is at a negative max they actually cancel each other out if exactly the same size the imbalance is returned via the neutral.
With all the AFCI and GFCI requirements multiwire branch circuits are not used as often because of false trips, they they are /were used is you get a second circuit for 1 extra wire this can save a lot of $ especially with a large home or on a longer run to the panel.


Do I need a hammer drill to install brackets for drapes on a brick wall? I want to put up brackets for drapes. I have a masonry bit, but are using a simple (and possible cheap) cordless drill.  I can seem to penetrate the brick.  Do I need a hammer drill to do the job.

Petty much going to need a hammer drill for brick. You could try going into the mortar, but it sounds like you already dulled your bit. Try a fresh bit going into the mortar joint but don't expect superior pull-out strength.


Automation of electric machines I have, of course, a lot of electric machines: Computer, printer, humidifier, etc.

But I want to make them "smart" by automatizing when the humidifier will turn on everyday.

The original humidifier doesn't have this.

But is there something like "automatizable button" that will work like a "connector" between the original humidifier (or any electric machine) and the electric outlet? So that I can automatize the "automatizable button" to be "on" at, say 8 pm everyday?

Yes, you have a couple different options in today's market. The cheapest would be a plug in timer that has to be manually set. As long as your schedule stays consistent, then this is a good option as it's well rounded and very useful. They make both ones with the push dials (as shown below) and ones with electronic displays, both are still relatively cheap.

The next option, and between 4-5 times the price of the manual timer, is a 'smart' outlet. These work over your wifi and can be connected to a phone, tablet, or other smart device to be programmed and controlled. The cheaper version of this allows you to turn the device on or off from wherever you are (with internet service) and set up a timed schedule for when it should come on/go off. The more expensive version (about $10 more) is a little smaller and has all of the same features as the last, but also allows you to track the energy usage of whatever is plugged in. Very neat product and if you go this route, then if you're ever home at some time that the item is scheduled to be off, then you can simply pull out your phone/device to flip it on.

Either way they'll both definitely provide some convenience to your routine.


Does every deck stair with stringers longer than 6 feet need mid-span support? I have read that cut stair stringers longer than 6 feet in length require mid-span support.  Solid stringers seem to be able to get to about 13 feet without support.  So how do you combine these two ideas when you are building 4 foot wide stairs and the two outside stringers are solid and the two inside stringers are cut?
Can that span the entire length unsupported, or does the presence of the two cut stringers bring you back to a maximum of 6 feet unsupported?  In my case, the total rise will be about 8 feet or so, for stringers somewhere around the 13 feet mark.
Or is this simply a better-safe-than-sorry thing and you just support it always?

It is not possible to use a solid stringer mid-tread, so where the code addresses increased span allowance for use of solid stringers, there is a presumption that the middle stringers (if any) are cut. Your 48" width will need two cut stringers, because anything exceeding 36" width need max stringer spacing of 18"OC. There is no support or span requirement that is dependent on stringer depth. Max span 13' 3" (or 16' 6" for southern pine). All stringers shall be minimum 2 x 12.
Your 4' wide 13' span stair will have plenty of support with the 4 required stringers...


Lighting circuit trips breaker every time I have a lighting circuit in my home like so:

Every time I turn on the switch, the breaker trips. This circuit has existed for over four years and only now has the problem begun.

I've checked all connections (neutral in the switch was burnt from the original, probably caused the original trip) and they are all fine. In the moment before tripping, all bulbs are lit.

Any ideas what is wrong and what is the remedy? I'm hoping for options that don't require a rewire as that would mean a re-plaster. :(

Note:

There are actually ten bulbs in the circuit, but I drawn only three for brevity.
The bulbs are actually 50W GU10 down lighters.

what I've tried so far:

Removed all but one bulb from the circuit
Replaced the bulb
Tested the bulb in another circuit proving it works
Removed the bulb
Replaced the switch with a proved to be working one
Removed the switch
Moved the switch to the neutral wire
Changed the RCB

All of these result in the same outcome. The breaker always trips.

Update
The following diagram demonstrates how the physical wiring runs:

I know you are to avoid making statement based on opinion, so here is my thought.

The Breaker, like me, has gone soft and infirm.

The 'thermal' part of the thermal-magnetic breaker was willing to tolerate the slow death of the burned switch, but it weakened itself in the process. So the slightest load will now trip it.


Bathroom gfi won't work Here is a picture of the gfi I have power going to it but nothing works I have checked the breaker box the light is not on the gfi but it won't let me reset it have clue

it won't let me reset it

If it used to work, and you have not changed the wiring:

It's either defective, or there is a ground fault. They do seem to fail on a regular basis in the long view (I average 10-15 years, from what I recall of my GFCI failures.) But a fault of exactly the sort they are designed to prevent is always a possibility, until it's eliminated as a possibility.

If it never worked or is newly installed:

There's the additional possibility that it's wired incorrectly - incoming power goes to the "Line" terminals, any power going beyond connects to the "Load" terminals. When wired "backwards" they don't work.


Ground Wires in Bathroom Vanity Light I am replacing a vanity light in my condo. I removed the old fixture, which was a cheap long shallow box with five round bulbs. Lo and behold, there was no junction box behind the fixture, as all wires were contained inside the metal body of the unit and apparently one wasn't necessary. No studs behind the fixture either, so the old light was screwed into the wallboard. There was a hole in the wall and a thick white plastic coated cable encasing the three wires, ground, black and white. I added a shallow junction box that had to be installed directly over a ventilation pipe inside the wall (see photo) which came with a grounding wire attached to a screw. The light fixture has a grounding wire too. How do all three grounding wires get attached?

Just use an appropriately sized wire nut. Which is what you should also do for the black (switched hot) and white (neutral) connections.


How to run cables in drywall? How to run cables in drywall?
It is unlike a masonry wall with built-in conduits, isn't?
How is it done?
Thanks in advanced.

When adding new circuits in existing drywall pros will cut a hole where the box goes.
Next use special drill bits to drill up or down depending on the direction of the wire pull, drilling up to get through any fire breaks going to the ceiling then drilling through the top plate, or to go down or through the bottom plate going to the crawl space.
The side of the hole is the size for an old work box.
The special drill bits are long flexible screw end spade bits the screw tip helps pull the bit into the work. A trick to center the bit to keep it 1-1/4” away from the plate edge is using a tennis ball on the shaft. (This can be difficult on exterior walls with insulation, in some cases another hole is cut and patched usually high on the wall) to get the needed holes to snake the cable in the wall.
Several methods to run the wire in the walls include:
“fish rods” are used these are normally thin fiberglass rods that we feed up to the hole and use to pull the cable down.
A pull string is commonly used dropped through the top hole with a tubular lead weight (think fishing) I mark the string for 8’ so I know the string made it all the way down. If it hangs up pulling up and letting it drop will tunnel through fiberglass insulation. Then use a coat hanger to reach in through the hole and grab the string.
The last method is usually on interior walls or no insulation straighten the cable and stuff it in the hole and feed it down grabbing the cable from the hole with a coat hanger.
Inside the wall no staples are required when pulling nm (Romex) or flex (mc,ac or flex able conduit) in a finished wall.
These are the methods I normally use.


Does this kitchen faucet fit with this sink? I bought a kitchen sink and kitchen faucet. (Links are in a text file at this location because I'm not allowed to post more than 2 links.)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zq4kbe5baavaodb/AAB_TZ5vBKzEgJWsXzRUUDG5a?dl=0

I've also included 3 pictures of my current sink and faucet I want to replace and the piping underneath.

The kitchen faucet I bought has a separate soap dispenser and I presume it requires a separate hole in the sink.

The sink I bought has 3 holes and I presume that 1 is for the main faucet and the other 2 are for the hot and cold water.

Does this mean I have to drill a hole in this sink if I want to install the soap dispenser?

Or do I have to buy a sink that accommodates a separate soap dispenser?

The easiest option in my opinion is to get a sink with a 4th hole cutout for the soap dispenser if you want that. They are a fairly standard option when searching for sinks and I think the resulting look is the best.

It may be possible to drill another hole, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you attempt this, please use a center punch to make a dent to start the hole saw in, otherwise the bit will slide all over the sink and not where you want to drill. The reason I wouldn't consider it is the high risk of damaging the finish and possibly making the hole in the wrong place.

If you don't like the first two options, you can only use one hole in the sink for most modern faucets. They typically include an option to install a cover plate to hide the other two holes. If you don't use that plate, you have two holes to use for soap and lotion dispensers.


Should I float or glue locking bamboo? I have 800 sq ft of 1/2" locking solid stranded bamboo floor on its way and I'm trying to decide between floating and glue. I'm doing every room on my 1st floor (see attached pic), except for the powder room and adjacent W/D area. The flooring will run lengthwise from one side of the house to the other, if that makes sense. The longest length of a single span is 30' from "front" of dining room to "back" of living room, and 30' from the garage entry to the far (right) side of living room. We are installing over a wood subfloor (I assume OSB, but I have yet to check).

My concerns for floating are: hollow sound (I wanted solid h/w, nailed down), expansion issues (I don't want to use T molding), and dealing with 2 stair transitions (2 steps down from front entry into living room and the top edge of the basement stairs off the living room).

My concerns with glue down are: slow/messy install (and hearing about it from my wife, who wants to float), difficulty of removal (although I don't plan to), and I guess that's it.

I mainly want to know how concerned I should be regarding expansion issues if I do a floating install? Between the pinch point(s) heading into the kitchen and the somewhat long length of some of the spans, will I be able to get away with not having expansion joints (aka T molding)?? I'm in CO, where it's very dry but I have a house humidifier and plan on keeping the house around 40-50% RH. I consider myself quite competent at recreational home improvement and am not worried about the difficulties of executing either install...I just don't know best practices when it comes to this stuff.

Thanks!
Eric

Flooring:
https://www.flooranddecor.com/bamboo-wood/ecoforest-spanish-tiger-locking-solid-stranded-bamboo-100095611.html

Pic:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ve9Zb2hdjPslcIwZ2

The install instructions state an approved cushion underlayment is required so this is a floating floor gluing it down may cause more problems than you expect. The cushion underlayment keeps it from having the hollow sound you are conserned about. Also you will want the material to climateitze. Make sure to read and follow the instructions if you want the floor to last.


Can I run the cord for plugged ceiling lights through the attic? I purchased 2 hanging lights from Ikea and they are wired with plugs. I was wondering if I could run the cords with the plugs through the attic and down the wall to the plug. Will the wire get to hot in the summer and cause a fire?

Short answer: No, you can't run flexible cord through the ceiling/walls.

There are many problems with this, the main being that it's against code, relevant section:

  NEC 400.8 Uses Not Permitted

  (ref. Extension Cord) Flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following:

  As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure
  Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors
  Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings

Essentially, you can use flexible cord from the junction box to the light itself (NEC 400.7, ref Pendants), but not past that point where it becomes part of the "fixed wiring of a structure".  The main reason (as I understand) for this is that flexible cord is more subject to physical damage (which can then lead to overheating).

You have a few options.

Suspend the lights

You can suspend the lamp from the ceiling using hooks or some other physical means, so long as the flexible cord is exposed (eg: no holes through drywall).

Use surface-mount conduit

There are various surface-mount conduits (or raceways) products that will allow you to partially conceal the wires. Some products can be painted.

Add a junction box

Bottom line, if you want the wire totally concealed, you need a junction box. This is a non-trivial task, and almost certainly involves punching holes in the drywall (which you'll have to patch afterwards) to be able to fish wires. You'd use solid-core wire to comply with code to run to the junction box (typically 14/2 romex).

How to actually do this warrants an entirely new question.

Anyway, once you have a junction box in the ceiling, the best thing is to get a type of lamp designed to be hard-wired.

I looked around for a retrofit box cover to use the existing lights as hardwired, but can't find one. I'm not sure such a thing exists, but if it does, you could use that to use the existing lights as hardwired lights. Even in this case, the wire to the junction box has to meet code (eg, you can't use flexible cord), although it would be fine, as per NEC 400.7(1) to use flexible cord from the junction to the light fixture itself.


Adding Outlets for a Stove and Refrigerator in my Basement Does my panel have enough amperage and space for adding two outlets for a stove and refrigerator in my basement? Thanks for your help in advance!

Not without some rearranging, unless your stove is only 110V  (which is more like a hotplate or electric grill, or a gas stove).  If that is the case you can put a 2 new breakers on the bottom row to supply 2 new 120V circuits.

In order to have a 220V electric range/oven you need a 240V breaker that spans both phases.  A 240V breaker is double height,  so you need to remove a breaker from the bottom left or bottom right to make space.   One way is remove the 2 on the bottom left, and combine them into a single tandem breaker (2 circuits that take up one space, such as you have in the bottom right).  That would leave you room (2 slots) for a 240V on the left, and you'd have a remaining slot on the right for the new 120V circuit.

Edit:
200 amp service is more than enough for almost any house.  You can put circuit breakers that add up to more than 200 it’s not a problem.  If you ever used more than 200 amps in total your main breaker would flip and at that point you’d know your limits and live with it, or decide to upgrade the service.   Realistically that probably won’t be an issue unless your oven was on cleaning cycle, with an AC running or a couple space heaters going, clothes dryer, curling iron, hot water heater, and someone welding while blow drying their hair!


What could have caused the burnt electronics smell in my Kenmore washer and dryer? I have a Kenmore washer and dryer (both electric) in a separate laundry room. We came home yesterday after being out, only to find a HORRIBLE smell in the laundry room. At first I thought of turpentine or some sot of paint thinner. Very harsh "ozone" sort of smell. At this point, having removed all containers from the room, I have narrowed down that the smell is that of a blown circuit. I used to smell something similar when I visited businesses that produced circuit boards and semi conductors.

Both units work
Possible heat loss on the dryer, but the clothes do dry. I've just had to put some back a little longer.

What happened here and what do I need to be concerned about now?

I have had a few control boards from assorted appliances burn to some degree, but continue to function.

Those pc boards tend to be made from bakelite, the brown color boards you see in less expensive items. Bakelite is a paper based product.

And it smells 'that' way.

If there is loss of heat from the dryer, it is likely the board that controls the temperature. The boards are behind the control section of the appliance, and the ones I have worked on have always been easy to replace.

Buying appliances that are sold by Sears, is great because they stock parts from many years back.


Door Opening No trim If I measure a closet door opening, to be 35.5" x 80" and the door opening does not have any trim,  what size bi-fold closet door would I need to purchase.

Beth,
If your referring to an opening not intended to ever have trim, consult the rough opening (RO) parameters of the bi-fold door manufacturer, as the type and placement of the hinge pins and the thickness of the door will determine the space needed between the outer edge of the closed door and the frame of opening.

Most bi-fold doors are about 3/4"-1-1/4" thick (depending on if they're made of PVC or wood and solid or slatted...older, reclaimed doors are thicker).  If the hinge pins are set half a thickness in from the outer side edge of the door, the clearance will need to be about 75% of the door thickness...especially if the door frame isn't perfectly square or hinge pins aren't set perfectly perpendicular to each other.

I'm working on a set of bi-folds that are 1-1/8" thick and require a min. 1/2" clearance between door and door frame (which doesn't give much leeway for error); where the doors meet there isn't supposed to be any space...they're meant to be flush to each other...but I'm adding an astragal, to one of the doors, to make installation easier and look more finished.

If you the doorway opening will, eventually, have trim decrease the RO width by 1-1/2" (assuming trim will be 3/4" thick each side).

If you know the floor is level; with no rug in the way, I'd give 3/4" for a space in top and bottom...some like it 1/2" but in adjusting the doors, after installation, sometimes that extra 1/4" is useful.


How to ground private 2/0 aerial triplex from meter to garage Where to ground aerial 2/0 triplex bare neutral at the meter/pole. Can I connect directly to power company strand/neutral? Or connect to mast (customer equipment)?

Sadly, with this type of feeder, you are obliged to use the bare wire as a safety ground (unless you can get a waiver from your local authority to treat it as a service).

That gives you two options: run 120V-only, or run 240V-only and use a transformer to derive 120/240V service.   This might be sensible if the lion's share of your load is 240V only and your 120V loads comprise only receptacles abd lights.


What kind of wiring to add light switches in condo I own a Toronto condo, and as a result of a bedroom wall being added after the initial construction, light switches for the living room are inside the bedroom (like that when I bought the unit).  I want to add switches at an appropriate place on that separating wall, and thus have to go from the old switch box around a wall corner and a door frame.  The construction is metal studs.

I have consulted the CEC, but I'm unsure: what types of wiring are allowed in my case?

I'm moving 3 switches, so at minimum I'll need 7 conductors (not counting bonding).  CEC rule 12-106 says: "Where multi-conductor cable is used, all conductors of a circuit shall be contained in the same multi-conductor cable".  Does that mean I can't run 3 parallel cables for example?  I doubt I can find a 7-conductor cable, so my other option would be single wires in a conduit?  The current switch box receives 1" non-metallic tubing, but that seems more difficult to install and the path I had in mind would have 5 90-degree bends, while the maximum is 4 when running wires through it.

Finally, are these condo towers still considered residential or are there different rules to consider?

It's quite likely that being in a multi-unit structure like that, you'll need to work to commercial standards in conduit.  Ask when you pull the permit to do the work.

The multi-conductor rule also applies to conduit.

The rule has to do with current loops.  All the current going down one cable or conduit must come back in that same cable or conduit.   If you sum up all the current in all the wires in a cable, counting the return (neutral) current as a negative number, this must always sum to zero.   This is so magnetic fields will cancel each other out.

So for instance you go from

Cable 0A: always-hot and neutral from power supply
Switch Box A:  switches a hot. Neutral passes through.
Cable AB: always-hot, neutral and switched-hot
Lamp fixture B: uses switched-hot and neutral for the lamp.
Cable BC: always-hot and neutral
Receptacle C: Uses always-hot and neutral.

Suppose you have a 10 amp heater in receptacle C and a 1 amp light in lamp fixture B.   Obviously in Cable BC, currents are equal at 10A hot and -10A return.  However in Cable AB, always-hot carries 10A, switched-hot carries 1A, and neutral carries -11A.  So even though several wires are in play, currents are equal.

If all you had was 14/2 cable, and you needed to make the connection from A to B, you would run two cables.  It would be wrong to use the same neutral wire for both hots in that case since they are in different cables.  You would use one hot and its partner neutral for the lamp, and the other pair for the receptacle.

Occasionally you have to think these things through is all.


Can I use a ground rod as an equipment ground for a detached garage? I'm in a bit of a dilemma.  The house we bought has a detached garage supplied by 12/3 UF with ground.  The previous owner/handyman set this up as a multiwire branch circuit (MWBC) with a twist: one of the conductors is fed from the main panel in the basement to create a 20A circuit in the garage for plugs, but two other conductors in the 12/3 UF are used as switch legs for a 3-way switch, enabling the garage lights to be turned off either from the house or from the garage.  This leaves the equipment grounding conductor to be used as a shared neutral for both the plugs and the lights in the garage - definitely not code compliant, probably a bad idea all around.  The EGCs of the NM cables that feed the lights and plugs in the garage are tied together in a box in the garage, and not bonded to the makeshift neutral (EGC of the 12/3UF), as far as I can tell - so there is no true safety ground for the garage outlets.

I am not ready to dig up the yard and re-feed the garage, which will probably be the ultimate solution: reclaiming the 12/3 for only the lights, and adding thicker conductors in the trench for a proper subpanel in the garage.  I also realize that the easiest short-term solution would most likely be to rearrange the existing wiring connections to make either a single 20A circuit on a 3-way switch for all lights and plugs in the garage, or a single always-on circuit in the garage, to which I could connect the plugs and the lights, with a switch in the garage for the lights.  The first of these choices is not an option because the garage door opener needs to be always live for use with the car remote, and the second choice, though preferable, loses the significant advantage of the 3-way switch.

In general, I'm ok with using the ground of the 12/3 UF as neutral on a temporary basis because of the tough nature of UF cable, and because it hasn't caused any obvious problems yet.  I'm thinking of driving a grounding electrode at the garage and connecting the equipment grounding conductors of the branches in the garage to that electrode, which wouldn't be bonded to the neutral.  I know this would not be code-compliant, but I wonder if it would be an improvement.  I'm also wondering if GFI protection of either/both of the branch circuits in the garage would be possible and preferable - though I know that using GFIs on MWBC creates new issues.

Again, I'm not yet ready to dig up the existing cable, and not willing to run anything overhead.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Benjamin

I'm thinking of driving a grounding electrode at the garage and connecting the equipment grounding conductors of the branches in the garage to that electrode, which wouldn't be bonded to the neutral.

This doesn't work.

Let's say you have a piece of equipment short the hot wire to the ground. The power tries to get back to the source. When it tries on your circuit it has to go through the ground to get there. Consequently, the breaker will not trip and it will sit there waiting for you or one of your family to get in the circuit. This is what kills people.

So, short answer is, this is a bad idea.

Spend the time and money and do it the right/safe way.

Good luck!


Installing a Smart Light Switch I would like to install a Smart Switch (in the UK). I am confused regarding what wires go where and the fact that this requires a neutral wire.

This is the back of the new switch:

Although I know I have 3 wires in the switch socket, I cannot remember if two are coloured blue / brown. I do remember I have a yellow-green striped wire which from my research on Google is ground (not neutral).

I know two wires are currently plugged into L1 and L2 in the current switch (whatever that means) and the yellow-green stripped wire is just loose in the socket.

So, how would I go about installing this switch based on where the wires are currently plugged into and where they need to go in the new switch? If yes, I must already have a neutral wire?

Thanks,
Lewys

Oh no, send that cheap Cheese piece of junk back to Alibaba.

  Note: The dimming feature not workable for the LED and engergy [sic] saving bulb

That is terrible English. They didn't even bother falsifying a mark from a reputable testing lab, they just faked FCC cert (most do) and CE mark (which is only a manufacturer's promise anyway, and falls short of true safety testing standards, let alone the testing itself.)

This thing is not for LED (which presumably you will want to use at some point), is unlisted and not safe or legal for sale in the UK, and due to the neutral wire isn't even a correct fit for your application.  Get rid of it.

Get a workable neutral-less LED dimmer at a reputable vendor like Wickes, or one made by a reputable maker that is "ships from and sold by Amazon.com".  EBay/Alibaba-AliExpress are right out, even if they claim to be reputable brands, they may be rejects or counterfeit.


Can I connect a household heater to a 240V garage outlet? My husband (not living) had a separate 240V outlet installed in the garage that he could plug his Snap-On truck in to charge. I just remember him talking about how he would plug in his truck (Snap-On dealer).
Anyways. I have a 120VAC 1500W infrared heater.  Can I use this outlet for that? I can't seem to plug it anywhere in the house because it trips every breaker.  House was built in 1976. No upgrade 3 circuits not counting the one in the garage. I don't want to do the wrong thing.

A 220/240v single phase outlet (they are the same)  is not what you would want to plug a 120v 1500w heater into. If that heater is tripping a 15 amp breaker there is something wrong as it should only be drawing 12.5 amps.
Most mobile power outlets are 120v 30amp or 240v 50 amp. In either case it would be a code violation to plug this heater in because both breakers are two large (even an adapter cord is used on the 240v)


What's wrong with the wiring in this light switch box? In another post it was brought to my attention (thanks @Harper) that the wiring in one of my light switch boxes might be incorrect. It was something about a shared neutral, but I don't have the knowledge to say more than that.

As far as I can tell, the black wires are energized by one circuit breaker (9) and all the others are energized by another (21). I don't know where the wires are coming from or really anything beyond what I see in the box. Here is the breaker box:

http://imgur.com/a/gcF9h39

What's wrong with this wiring? Can it be fixed? My ultimate goal is to install a smart light switch, but with the complexity of this wiring I'm not sure how to do it (nevermind if this is dangerous for some reason).

So yeah, like Jack says, supply comes in from lower left: red hot, black hot sharing neutral. The upper right is switched-hot to a lamp.

The upper left carries switched-hot to a lamp, but it also carries unswitched hot on black to other outlets downline.

Important fact: Neutrals don't have breakers. The entire concept is that the hot breaker limits the current that is possible on neutral. Neutral wires are the same size as the hots.  The shared neutral arrangement is called a multi-wire branch circuit.  Breakers 9 and 21 are both returning current on the same neutral wire.

"But wait a minute, Harper. If each hot is rated 15A, and the same neutral is returning current for both of them, doesn't that mean the neutral is flowing twice as much current, up to 30A?  That's way too much since that size wire is limited to 15A."  Bingo.  That is exactly what is happening in your panel.

"So how is that thing ever supposed to work?"  It relies on the use of multiple phases, and the simplest is the North American 120/240V scheme, with opposite poles.  If the two MWBC phases are chosen to be opposite, then something cool happens.  Imagine black amps as + amps and red amps as - amps.  If black has "+" 15 amps, and red has "-" 10 amps, how much does white carry?  +15-10 = 5 amps.  Only 5 amps.  In fact you can try any value for black or red 0-15 amps, and neutral never exceeds 15 amps!

However, this requires the black and red wires be on opposite poles.  Let's look at how service panels are laid out.

Now if you look at how your breakers are positioned, it's perfectly clear they're on the same pole, because they're two rows apart.

This also totally ignores another rule that applies to Multi-Wire Branch Circuits: The handles of both breakers must be tied together so they are shutoff together.  It does not matter if they trip together, but any scheme that ties them will make them trip together most of the time.

So, the breakers need to be rearranged and replaced with either a 2-pole breaker (Siemens), or you must obtain a Siemens/Murray handle-tie.   Then, you must rearrange the panel so the 2-pole or tied breakers can be on adjacent rows in the same column.


Replacing a 120 Volt Air Conditioner plug I need to replace this plug on my 120v AC unit. (Cord is in good condition) Lowe's has a similar plug but with only three wire connections ( I would like to use this stock plug as an OEM replacement cost more than the air-conditioner is worth $100+) Can I use it and what do I do with the 4 wires on my existing plug to use the 3-wire plug with only three connections?
The Frigidaire FAC105P1A is a 10,000 BTU Energy Star Compliant electronic compact air conditioner with electronic controls.

This is not a GFCI plug, it is an LCDI plug. The copper pigtail 4th wire is a dead giveaway.

The bare wire is a mesh that surrounds the hot and neutral wire. The circuit detects if there is a Leakage Current between the hot and neutral wires and the surrounding mesh, which would indicate a damaged cable. The purpose of this is to prevent a fire hazard. Because the AC pulls a lot of current, a damaged cable can get hot and start an electrical fire. (The internal insulator can be damaged with no visible exterior damage.)

No one really sells replacement LCFD plugs, because (in theory) the design of the cabling requires differently rated current detection circuits.

But you can buy a new LCDI cable from Amazon or maybe a local HVAC shop. Just make sure it's rated for the sufficient wattage. (Almost all will be, but you never know.) You will have to remove the casing from the AC unit to connect the leads internally, which is a bit more hassle than working with a cable. But worth it to prevent a fire!

However, the unit will still work if you tape off the outer mesh wire, and connect the hot, neutral, and ground to a regular GFCI replacement you can get at any hardware store. You will gain shock protection, but lose fire protection, since most of these LCDI plugs don't include GFCI, though some models might. (I wouldn't recommend this, though, don't know if your insurance would cover a fire if it started one. It might be okay as a short-term solution until you can order a new cable if you are burning up and need to cool right away.)

Might be best to remove your defective cable first, so you can visually check if the leads on a replacement will be compatible (sufficient length, compatible fasteners, etc.)


Replacing a dryer that has a three prong hook up I'm replacing a dryer that has a 3 prong receptacle.  The receptacle has 2 hot wire connections and a ground wire hooked to the neutral. My new dryer has a grounding strap hooked to the neutral and to the body of the dryer. Do I need to disconnect the grounding strap since the ground is being used as the neutral?

The receptacle, with two hot wires and a ground as a neutral:

The breaker is in the main box. Wired normally.

What you have is 2 hots and a ground being misused as a neutral.  This is dangerous and illegal.  It would also be dangerous and illegal to misuse a neutral as a ground, except that a special exception was made in the Code to make it legal here.

Usually when you see these obsolete/dangerous NEMA 10 receptacles, they are this way because obsolete wire was used, and wire is hard to replace.  However, if you look closely, it is modern wire with both neutral and ground.  Clearly, the house originally had the modern, safe NEMA 14 type receptacle, and somebody got a used dryer with an obsolete NEMA 10 cord, and fit the NEMA 10 receptacle instead of a NEMA 14 cord.

When the NEMA 10 fails, it fails deadly, electrifying the chassis of the machine. It has a track record of killing people, although some deny this - the problem is, these accidents are typically miscategorized as miswired outlets (botched wiring) when in fact the wiring was correct and simply failed.

For safety, I would put it back to the modern, safe NEMA 14-30 receptacle and cord.  Either pull some slack from that 4-wire cable, or lower the receptacle 2 inches so you can get use of that neutral wire.

When you fit the NEMA 14 cord, remember to remove the ground-neutral link on the dryer.  Neutral should go to power terminals, ground should go to chassis, and they shouldn't be linked.


How to extend ductwork a few feet due to soffit I built a soffit around my ductwork in the basement. There was originally air vents coming out of the ductwork to heat/cool the basement. However, with the addition of the soffit, the vents are now about a foot away from the soffit wall. I've added pictures to show my situation.

How do I extend my ductwork? I've tried to find things online but can't find anything that I think would work.

I don't understand why you didn't make the soffit flush with the duct work. Nevertheless, I see your issue.

I think you will have to take out the existing registers and cover the holes with metal and then pop-rivet the covers in place. Cut new holes for duct work extensions in the new covers (6"? 8"?) and then install take-offs and your extensions as required. Carefully seal the new seams with foil tape.

I note you do not have the duct work insulated. I presume this means you only run heat (not A/C) thru the duct work. If you do run A/C thru it, you really need to insulate the entire duct work system before you enclose it. Otherwise, if/(when?) condensate forms, it will eventually ruin the material you make the soffit out of. It will be FAR cheaper and easier to go ahead and do that now, than in the future.

(As an aside, I am not sure "Soffit" is the right term for this--it could be a regional thing. I would call it an HVAC chase.)