How can I build a long lasting low maintenance fence? I'm needing to replace a blown down fence, and have been seeking advice and quotes from fencing contractors. There seem to be two conflicting schools of thought.

One contractor advises that using pressure treated timber posts concreted into the ground, along with a continuous strip of feather-boarded fence (again using pressure treated timber) will result in a longer lasting fence. He specifically said that pressure treated timber will last longer than concrete posts, which are likely to crack over time due to frost. He also said that using pressure treated timber boards will mean the fence doesn't need to be treated in any way after installation.

Another contractor pooh-poohed that, and said concrete posts with gravel board and feather-board panels is the way to go. He said that pressure treated timber is a gimmick for applications where the timber is not in direct contact with the ground, and that it would need to be treated periodically.

To summarise: both options involve concreting thee posts into the ground, but the first option uses timber posts, and the second concrete.

Which route should I take for a long-lasting, low-maintenance fence?  Looks are not especially important, and security is not really an issue. I'm prepared to pay more if it will last well.

A lot depends on why you want the fence and how much room you have. Driving around Southern Ontario, I can easily see cedar rail fences that are over 100 years old, unmaintained, and have not fallen down. They don't even have posts! Cedar just won't rot, and they were constructed to be stable, let the wind and snow through, and endure. They take up a ton of room though, and don't hold back anything smaller than a cow or a snowmobile.

So, are you just marking your property line so snowmobilers and hikers stay out? Confining your dog, excluding the neighbour's dog (or cows which have been a bigger problem for us over the years), excluding deer, reminding your kids where your land ends, preventing neighbour children from visiting your pool and drowning, providing shade, providing privacy, cutting the wind, building something to hold up trees and vines, ... ?

I just had to replace my mailbox. A pressure treated post was put in the ground (no concrete) over 20 years ago. It's still solid, I just had to move the mailbox to somewhere else. The stresses on a fence are higher, but don't get too worked up about "making it last" from a contractor point of view. Design the fence so that if one post does happen to fail (perhaps water pools there) you can disconnect the boards, replace the post, and put the boards back. That will be your most maintainable and longest-lasting fence.


How can I level my bedroom floor? I have a second floor bedroom that is 10' wide by 16' long. The floor is 3/8  to 3/4 then back to 3/8 lower, then 1/4  to the bedroom door. How can I even the floor?   I can not raise the  new floor very much as it will end up too high at the door going into the hallway.  Can I cut the joists at the high point to level the floor? Can I do this to all of the joists?

I have been trying so many different things over the past 3 weeks and I'm very discouraged.

Somebody did tell me that I could use roofing singles to even the floor.  How would I go about doing this?

First, you need to find out WHY the floor is uneven.  Are the joists sagging?  Then you might have some structural issues.

From your description, it sounds like you have no boards over the joists right now.  Is this correct?

I would not cut the joists, as this will cause structural weakening.  You might be able to use a block-plane to shave down a particularly high point, but I wouldn't plane too much.

As for the shingles, I believe your friend was talking  about wooden, usually cedar, shingles.  These are tapered, and could be used to shim up a low spot, but I don't think it's very practical for a big job.

If the joists are the problem, there are three scenarios.

Joists are twisted, but longitudinally level.

This is the simplest.  If you joists are 2x8, then buy a couple of 2x8's and cut them down to the appropriate spacing.  Then bang them in between every pair of joists to straighten them up.

Each Joist is level, but they have different heights

You could find the low ones and cut (rip) a thin piece off a 2x4 to attach to the tops of the low ones.  It could be a bit tricky to get the thickness right.

Joists are bowed

I think the easiest option would be to sister the joists with new joists, only slight higher, so that the tops of the new joists are level and even over the entire floor.

However, you're probably not going to be able to tie the ends of the new joists into the structure.  This means that they're going to have to be extremely well connected to the old joists.  I'd recommend glue, and bolts with washers right through the mid-height line of both joists.  (The center being the zero-force axis of a beam.)  Drill the holes ever so slightly wider than the bolts, so that you can torque them nice and tight.


Single stage under counter water filter I'll say that this may be somewhat of a physics question.
On my GE Model # GX1S01R the intake hose (from the water supply) and the output hose (to sink water dispenser) are both at the top of the filter housing (I think is is called the sump housing). The filter sits loosely inside the housing. I always wondered if the water flowed in above the filter and out the other side. How do I know if it is actually being circulated through the filter? Yes, the old filter brown and the new one is white, but, is the water actually being drawn through the filter, or is the filter just sitting in a housing of tap water?

When you change the filter next, have a look at the internal paths for the inlet and outlet - they are designed to control the flow through the filter, normally flow is outside to middle.


Can I put my air conditioner on a light switch? I have a window mounted air conditioner that turns on and off by twisting a knob on the front of it, it's not a smart a/c, it's either on or off. It's not always convenient to get up and turn it on or off (for instance in middle of the night).

I was wondering if it would be safe to put it on a switch (light switch controlled outlet or a cord switch)?

I'm just not sure if the unit is likely to do any kind of shutdown procedure or if it just cuts the power when I turn the knob.

Assuming you're plugging this unit into a standard wall outlet, then just replace the outlet itself with a switched outlet.  Better yet,  get yourself the infamous "clap on - clap off" controller and you can control it w/o even raising your head off the pillow :-)

But, as Levi warns,  air conditioners, to be precise, their compressors, do not like rapid on/off cycling.  If you're going to use an external switch, be sure not to turn it on within maybe 10 minutes of turning it off.


How to add a two pole 40A breaker with corner tab(s) to Challenger panel? I'm adding a 40A breaker to my panel and I'm confused with the corner tabs. I can buy left or right tab breakers that use only one bus bar. I'm guessing the two pole 40A breaker has two tabs, one in each corner/side to catch both bus bars, but I can't see both sides of the breaker in the picture (see link for the breaker below pls). It also looks like I need to move a 15A breaker from the right side to the left to make space but that would make the number of breakers uneven so I would need a plastic cover like the one installed on the right. I'm including pictures of the panel with and without cover, as well as, close up of top and bottom breakers sections. BTW the panel is Challenger and the wiring for the 40A breaker will be going to the bottom of the panel.

Thanks

Link to breaker: https://www.connecticut-electric.com/40-amp-two-pole-ubitba240

Stop faffing with the Challenger breakers, pull out the bottom right 15A breaker, and install a BR115 bottom left and a BR240 bottom right

Buying "new old stock" or newly made Challenger-style (UBI/Connecticut) breakers is an expensive and frustrating exercise, so why are you insisting on trying to go through it? Eaton BR breakers are cross-listed and cross-labeled as type C (or type A for BD/BQ tandem/quadplex breakers) and can be safely and legally used in Challenger panels, as per this letter from UL to C-H (and see my answer here for more details); never mind that a BR240 is $10 and available anywhere in the USA, while the 40A UBI Challenger-style breaker is $50, harder to find, and probably not as good as the Eaton breaker (UBI seems to have...issues with breaker QC and QA).

If you really insist that the bottom left slot stay free, you can get a single, quadplex, BQ2402115 breaker and use it to replace the 15A breaker bottom-right as well as provide the new 40A circuit and a 15A spare.  This is costlier than using the two full-size breakers, but still more reliable than the UBI breaker, and no costlier than the UBI part for that matter.


Cable Signal Testers I'm looking for tools that can help me test the signal coming into my house from my cable provider. I am currently having issues with a Leviton CATV Relay which I'll replace, but I've been having issues with the cable modem since I took it offline.

I now realized, after reading the manual on Leviton's site, that the relay is actually a two way amplifier, which I presume could have previously been affecting the signal coming into the modem, and the modem was probably calibrated to handle it as it was.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there, I'm hoping once the relay is replaced it will normalize the modem, but I still would like to know what tools I can get to test the stability of the signals coming in (or being relayed out).

You can use your cable modem itself as the tool.  Do a search for "[your modem manufacturer] cable modem diagnostics" and you'll find out how to access the modem's diagnostic page in a web browser.  This will give you upstream & downstream signal levels and lots of other useful info.

Here's a page with some information about a few different manufacturers.


Installing shower filter - NPT adaptor for larger intake? I am in the process of installing a shower filter, and am encountering a challenge where shower head and water pipe are not NPT.
The shower pipe has a slightly larger female "wrapper" (apologies as I lack the correct vocabulary. I am holding said "wrapper" in first pic, below. It attaches to an oversized male connector, which cannot allow me to attach the shower filter, see 2nd pic.

Two questions:

is there another less popular standard than NPT that some showerhead makers are using?

if so, do adaptors exist that would allow me to connect one to the other?

Thanks!

In your first picture, you are looking at a ball-swivel assembly that is part of the previous shower head that was attached.
If you take a wrench to the flat spots on the swivel-ball base (clearly seen in your first picture) and unscrew the swivel-ball, that entire assembly will come off and you will be left with the standard 1/2" male NPT shower arm thread. NOTE- place a strap wrench or cushioned plier/wrench on the shower arm to hold it prior to attempting removal.


How to tell for sure if paint is eggshell or gloss? There is wood panneling in my bathroom on a cabinet and bath.  I can't tell if the old paint is eggshell or gloss?

Obv if its gloss i need to sand it before painting.  So how can I tell for sure?

One paint company defines the various finishes as follows:

  Satin: A finish with a low luster appearance. Washable surface, reflects some light.
  Semi-Gloss: A finish that has noticable gloss and sheen. Washable, sometimes scrubbable surface, but shows surface
  imperfections. Reflects light noticeably
  Eggshell / Low Gloss: A finish ½ way between satin and semi-gloss with a noticeable gloss and sheen. Washable, sometimes
  scrubbable, but may show surface imperfections. Reflects light
  noticeably.
  Gloss: A finish with a high degree of gloss and sheen. Scrubbable surface imperfections. Reflects light very well. If
  properly applied almost gives the impression of ceramic or glass
  finish.

  They also explain gloss and sheen:

  Gloss: Measured at a 60° angle, it's the shininess or reflectiveness of a coating.
  Sheen: Measured at an 85° angle, it's a moderately low degree of gloss that appears flat when viewed near or perpendicular, but
  glossy when viewed from a low or sharp angle.

There is no industry standard for paint sheens, so one company's eggshell can be another company's satin, matte or low gloss.


Idea for cold cellar I will be building a shed attached to my house garage. It will have an insulated monolithic pour concrete foundation.
I want to incorporate somewhat of a small cold cellar in the foundation. How do I go about that in the best way?

A shed it’s a mono pour is 1/2 of what you need. I have built cold rooms using simple Window AC units by modifying the sensors and adding several inches of insulation on each wall and the roof a shed cans be turned into a cool room even a light freezer

My largest one was in my last place and that one did hold and cool up to 3 elk. My current one is less than 1/2 the size but has a larger compressor and coil set to freeze in some shelves to freeze the meat after processing, but is still “ temporary.
Next season I will put up the inside 2 walls and ceiling and turn on the compressor again.

My first unit I think I used a 12kbtu window system and it was great but I no longer live there. I did use a kit to modify the ac unit even though I could have built up what I have now it was much cheaper and I had a window unit that worked.

I would look up cool rooms with window ac units or kits to turn a window unit into a cooler (it has been many years) but is legal because the electronics are all that are modified and it works.


Surface water drain blockage My house is on a private road which is tarmaced. Immediately outside the house is a surface water drain. The drain appears to be silted up and im concerned a heavy storm could cause flooding around the house. As the drain is on a private road I can't ask the council to attend to it.

From the picture is it possible to identify what sort of drain this is - is it a soak away or does it drain into a sewer?

Most importantly, can anyone suggest a good way to unblock this drain, is it just a case of scooping out as much silt as I can? If I employed a company do tackle it, does anyone know how they would approach the problem?

Many thanks in advance.

EDIT: Just to say a local company quoted me £140 +VAT to use a 'jetvac' lorry. As the name suggests they use high water pressure to clear the drain and suck the silt away.

If the private road is owned/maintained by an "association" (some sort of formal group ownership arrangement as is often the case for private roads serving more than one person/house) you should bug the association since they probably all need to be cleaned, and you may already be paying a maintenance fee that should cover such things.

If it's yours and yours alone, you should ask your builder for details of what they did, and undertake to maintain it yourself or hire someone to maintain it for you, on a regular schedule. Our town crew seems to use a giant vacuum truck to suck the crud out, but there are likely several approaches that don't involve a giant vacuum truck, such as a can on the end of a stick.

Since it's close to the house, a wet/dry shop vacuum might help.

Best bet on opening - Hook the grate and pull up - looks to me like it's hinged (so that if left open and traffic came in the marked direction it would slam shut, rather than try to act as a traffic barrier and damage itself and cars.) If so, hooking near the bottom of the picture would be easiest. Otherwise, the middle is always a good bet, if not the easiest.


What tool would you use to cut through cinder block? I have a hidden room in my house that I would like to turn into a closet. The room (currently only accessible from the outside through the vent) vents the utility room to the outside. I'm not sure why it was designed this way, other than maybe because it was easy since it was already framed for a door. Since I'm going to turn it into a closet I need to change the location of the vent. There's plenty of room between the vent and the utility room to change the location. My problem is that the outside wall is cinder block. What tool would be recommended or is best to use to cut or hammer through cinder block?

Since concrete blocks are fairly thick, I'd drill several holes along the line you want to cut with a masonry bit, then use a use a mini jack hammer such as a small DeWalt with a 1/2"  chisel bit.  The hole will not be perfect shape etc, so you will need to fill around the vent after installed with some mortar.  The pilot holes will help keep the hole in a rough shape and avoid breaking off large pieces of the block.  Even it some block breaks, you can fix it up after with the mortar mix.


Will my horizontal fence sag with 10 foot boards? I'm building a fence with horizontal slats made from cedar with pine posts. The posts have dados cut into them and I'm planning to slide the slats down the dado and affix them to the post using a pocket screw jig with decking screws. The slats will be 10 feet long with a quarter inch spacing between each. What I want to know is if the slats are too long such that they will sag in the middle and what I should do to prevent this short of just making shorter fence panels. Thanks in advance.

If you are using 1X4X10 horizontally, you may notice a bit of sag over time. The wider the board, the less likely it will sag. 1X8 would be a good choice, but if you think you are going to keep a consistent 1/4" gap across all boards, that will not happen. Not all the boards will be straight to begin with, and when moisture gets introduced into the mix of things, there is no way to predict what will happen with a gap that may be good at the time of install.


AC: Powering a 25 amp appliance from 2x20 amp breakers I want to use a 25 amp appliance but only have 20 amp breakers.

Work around
I am thinking of hot wiring the output of 2x20 amp breakers so that the 25A load is distributed between 2 breakers instead of one, preventing the breakers from tripping and giving me up to 40A of power to work with.

Is this possible and would it work?

Update
Thanks for the feedback.
I decided it is best to get an electrician around to wire a new 30A breaker, wiring and new wall socket.

You so not want to do this. If you have a true 25A load then install the proper 30A or 40A single breaker and the proper wiring for that amperage (10AWG for 30A breaker or 8AWG for 40A breaker) in a single circuit to a listed receptacle rated for that current rating.

Here are some of the problems that you have with what you propose:

There is never any guarantee that both parallel breakers will split the current equally.
If one breaker goes open on a current overload the other breaker and circuit is left trying to source your 25A load through wiring that is rated for 20A or less. This can cause overheating. One would hope that in this case the second breaker would open but with just a 5A overload on a 20A breaker it may not trip right away.
In the case that you are on a split phase AC mains power system (such as used in the USA where 120VAC per phase is available) you could mistakenly try to parallel up two 20A breakers that were on opposite phases. Doing so would result in a direct short across the 240VAC and could cause lots of sparks to fly.

So....again do not do the kludge that you are proposing and install the proper single breaker/wiring/receptacle to support your 25A load in a safe and reliable way.


What should I look for when choosing a stud finder? Stud finders are notoriously unreliable at finding studs; some will indicate a "rapidly shifting network of hundreds and hundreds of studs".  Is there a way to determine before purchase that a particular stud finder will be more accurately named than most?

Are there certain types of walls for which certain types of stud finders don't work?

There are at least three different types of stud finders; unless you understand what they're doing to try to locate studs, their results may baffle you.

Magnetic - these are a pitiful joke, but they were the only thing available when I was a kid.  They don't sense the stud itself (unless you're in an office building that uses steel studs!), but rather the nails that secure the drywall to the stud. Since the stud probably doesn't have a continuous line of nails in it - and if it did, how could you possibly add more? - and since the magnet is NOT very strong, you might need to sweep up and down the wall many times to find a nail (and then try again, above and below, to make sure it's really a nail in a stud.) The only thing these have going for them is that they're CHEAP - I've seen them at the 99-cent store.
Metal-detecting - these do the same thing as the magnetic type - they don't sense the stud, but only the nails (and other metal in the wall - hence the XKCD joke), but they work on the same principles as a treasure-hunter's metal detector: an electromagnet in the detector induces a small current in nearby electrical conductors, and detects the resulting magnetic field(s).  MUCH more sensitive than the old magnetic type, so you don't have to be directly over a nail to find the stud - but also very susceptible to false positives.  These often go for $10-$15, but frankly, even at that price they're a waste of time and money.
Ultrasound - The only kind that actually does a better job than tap-and-listen.  These directly detect the stud (or at least its edges) by sensing a change in the density of the wall.  You need to zero the sensor by pressing it against a known void; after that, you slide it along the wall and it beeps (or flashes) to show that it's detected an edge.  After years of using worthless magnetic or inductive stud finders, it's a real treat to be able to find the outside edges of a stud - the correct 1.5" apart, no less! - and confidently drive a nail right down the middle.

As for a brand recommendation... I bought a Ryobi at Home Depot and have been happy with it, which probably means that brand doesn't matter much.  Get an ultrasound model, of whatever brand.


Scratched finishing on IKEA furniture: how to fix During assembly, we managed to damage some outer finish and expose the wood underneath:

Is this fixable (say by putting some white "coating" on it)? If so, could you please point me to a solution? I struggled to Google for a solution on my own because I lacked the appropriate vocabulary. Thank you.

p.s. If this post doesn't meet the community's standards, please let me know how to improve it.

Kampel SeamFil seems to be an appropriate product if this is a laminate finish.  I'm looking for some myself.
If it's a paint finish, a thick touchup paint might work. Small brush applied.


how to wire outlet in the box that lacks neutral? how to install outlet in the box that lacks neutral? my box has two black wires (hot and return/load) and bare copper for ground. it was designed for switch that controls light or fan (I guess builder didn't think neutral would be necessary in future). is my only option to run neutral from somewhere else? or can I use existing wires?

No, you cannot legally install an outlet without a neutral. Using the ground wire in its place is illegal and potentially dangerous. Moreover, the neutral wire must be in the same bundle as the hot wire to avoid eddy currents that could cause heating.

If the hot is in a conduit, you can simply pull a new wire. If it’s using NMB (Romex), probably -2 from the fixture, you’ll need to replace it with -3.


How to remove Bathroom Ceiling Fan I live in an apartment and my bathroom ceiling fan is making really loud noise and I'm trying to replace it. However, I am having a hard time locating the screws to remove the entire box. I've checked all the holes ( see pix ) around the box but it doesn't feel like there's any screws inside for me to remove.
Does anyone know how to take this thing down ?
Thanks

Most of those fans have brackets attached to the sides of the housing that extend and are nailed into the studs. Since it's the motor making the noise, try unplugging it from the housing and removing those silver screws. You should be able to remove the motor and fan impeller. Now try to clean it up and dab a few drops of oil on the motor bearings.Re install it and see if it's better.
Once the motor's removed, you'll probably see the mounting bracket sleeves or nails going into to studs that hold the housing in. You could then try to work those lose. Since this is an apartment, check with the landlord before doing any work. He might even have a replacement motor that you can just screw back in.


Smart Switch Wiring Question: What is the Need for a Neutral Wire? How to Provide One? I plan to install a Smart Switch to control an outside outlet.

The existing electrical box is in my detached garage and it does not have a neutral wire. The box currently only controls a single GFCI outlet and a few other outlets in the garage.

I want to pigtail the Smart Switch to it but all the Smart Switches claim to need a neutral wire so it can have continuous power. I don’t understand why it needs a neutral wire when the available wiring would provide continuous power to the smart switch.

Why does a Smart Switch need a neutral?

How do I provide one?

Current flows in loops

You know, with an air tool, you only need one hose.  When the tool is done with the air, it can just release it into the air!  Hydraulics could work that way if we were fish.  But since we're not, hydraulic tools need a return line.

Electrical needs a return line too, and it's even more important because electrical power works on the difference of forces. So the return line has the same force as the supply line, actually (that's why we insulate it and keep it separate from safety ground).

So a load connects between hot and neutral (in our nomenclature.)

Now a dumb switch is human-powered.  It needs no power of its own.  So a dumb switch simply connects (or does not connect) an always-hot wire to a switched-hot wire.  Those are the 2 wires in the switch loop before you.

So what options do you have?

Replace the "switch loop" with a /3 cable

The cable run between lamp and switch does not have neutral.  We change that if we have ready access.

Unlikely, but if it's in conduit with loose individual wires, a white THHN neutral wire can simply be added, and done.

Generally, pre-2011 wiring will be a /2 cable meaning 2 conductors (black, white) + safety ground.   Change that to a /3 cable which has black, white, red.  You cannot simply toss in a loose single wire, because all related conductors must be in the same cable.  The old cable can be up-cycled to other tasks if it's removed carefully.

In the /3 wiring, you must use white for neutral (it's not that way now).  Then I advise using black for always-hot, and red for switched-hot (to the lamp). If you do that, the colors will probably match up with your smart switch.

Select a no-neutral smart switch (leaks through the lamp)

This is the option if you don't have a functional grounding system.  This works the way traditional dimmers work - it relies on the very low resistance of incandescent bulbs to "leak" a small amount of power through the bulb to power itself.

This won't play well with CFLs or most LEDs, however that can be solved by adding one incandescent bulb, or paralleling a Lutron LUT-MLC "incandescent simulator" into the lamp wiring.

Select a no-neutral smart switch (that bootlegs ground)

You should never do this on your own. This, plus a trivial wire problem, would render the grounding system itself lethal. Not what you want!

And this only works if your grounding system is in good order clear back to the panel.

UL (Underwriters's Laboratories) writes the rules that appliances must follow to be certified as safe.  Under very narrow rules, they allowed smart switches to power themselves by bootlegging the ground wire as a substitute for neutral. The rule limits current to 0.5 milliamps (not harmful if the above happens) and too low to trip GFCIs.

However NFPA (who writes the National Electrical Code) does not like this method, and outlawed it as of NEC 2020 (or to be more precise, outlawed sale of the devices as of Jan 1 2020).  The good news is, only one US state has adopted NEC 2020. So they should still be available, but don't count on that supply to last.


Why doesn't my Trane rooftop furnace ignite? I’m having problems with my Trane model Yc0060C3H0AA rooftop unit. My inducer motor comes on, my igniter lights up and I can smell the gas valve opening up but my burners will not light.

Serial # g081422350

CHECK FOR GAS AND THAT IT IS GOING IN THE RIGHT PLACE

I would check the gas pressure and the orifices or venturi. If a bug got in the orifice closest to the igniter gas will flow to the other burners but may not ignite. A bug in the venturi can disrupt the flow and cause a failure to ignite. Low inlet or outlet gas pressure could have the same effect.

This is in respect to a barbeque but the premise is the same
www.barbequeworld.com

This is where the orifices attach
www.repairclinic.com

And this is what the burner should look likewww.repairclinic.com


How do 5 light switches in 2 boxes with all black wires work? I'm attempting to replace some switches and have opened up two of the boxes in my bathroom.  I've found that for all the switches (5 total switches in 2 different boxes) they only use black wires.

In one of the boxes, there are 4 distinct sheathed groups of wires, which each sheath containing 3 wires: black, white, and copper.  All 4 of the white wires are joined into a single wire nut, as are all 4 of the copper wires plus an additional one screwed into the back of the box.  The other box is the same (but only has 2 switches and 3 sheathed bundles).

I am super perplexed by this setup.  When I test for continuity I get it between some of the black wires in one box and in the other box, as well as between some combos of wires within a single box.  One of my switches even has a wire jumping between it and another switch (see photos).

If necessary I can try to draw a continuity diagram.  Part of the reason I started working on this was because I had one switch that needed to be jiggled to work, but if jiggled the right way, it would turn OFF a light that is controlled by a switch in the other box.

So here are my questions:

Is this correct/safe
How is this even working when it seems like it's only using hot wires making one big circuit. Why aren't any white/neutral wires used?
Should I use the ground wires for new switches that have ground connections, and if so, do they need to be matched with the sheathed bundle that has each switch's black wire, or are they all going to the same place.
How can I add a timer switch that has red, green, black, and white connections (load, ground, hot, neutral).  (See photos)

Yes, this is correct. In fact this is the preferred way to wire light switches.

One cable brings ground, neutral, and live in,
live goes to the switch then a different cable takes live, neutral, and ground up to the light socket.

The white neutral wires are not connected to the switches because mechanical switches do not need electric power to operate.

for the new switches connect the ground wire to the copper wires. the copper wires should also connect firmly to the metal electrical box, there should be a green screw.  all grounds go to the same place, so allways connect all grounds together.

The white wire should connect to the white neutral wires in that wire nut.

The red and black will be a little tricky. the black goes to the black on the supply cable and the red to the black on the lamp cable, so you'll need to determine which is which. eg using a voltage detector.


Find replacement decorative wood spindle for screen door I have a wood screen door in the screened-in porch that is missing a decorative spindle. It came with the house, so I don't know the manufacturer. There are also no marking anywhere on it, and I've asked a few contractors about suggestions to no avail. I have yet to see any doors at the box scores, along with a local Harvey Industries store, and it seems modern doors are either fiberglass or metal. The door is fine and I'd like to find a replacement spindle or have one made, but I'm not sure where to look. I lack the woodworking skills and tools to "clone" myself, so I was asking here for suggestions.

Link to album with images of the door:

http://imgur.com/a/tmuMx

A local wood working shop with a lathe can replicate one of those, if you get them a template and you let them know the size of the pin on ONE end.


How to make a flushometer toilet look nicer? I'm the new owner of a 3 bed, 2 bath condo in Chicago, built in 1923. It's lovely and old. Both toilets are flushometer style, tankless. They look exactly like a toilet you'd see in a public school (which is to say, functional but not nice).

I'm wondering if there's a way to make these puppies look nicer (ie, covering up all the exposed metal stuff that's behind the bowl and comes out of the wall) without actually having to replace the toilets entirely? They work fine, they just look...not that nice. Also it's annoying to flush them when the toilet lid is up.

Thanks all!

They generally look like this, for reference:

Clean and tidy is fine.

Many find the « classic » look engaging, whimsical, different so if they are working leave well alone.

Seriously though, if the toilet is dirty they will complain but I doubt they will complain « nice clean toilet, but I don’t like the flush mechanism »...

So, clean, tidy with good paper and see if you get comments down the line.


French Drain placement question I am installing a French drain around the back side of my house to help protect the perimeter foundation. I have a 31'X 36' patio butted up against part of the foundation.  Should I also install the French drain around the patio?

The drain configuration depends on the direction and degree of slope. Yeah, you might need to work around it, unless the patio is positioned on the upward slope, on the side of the yard opposite the outlet(s). Below is a picture depicting where a french drain could be located with respect to a patio and slope. Also, I am assuming the patio is solid concrete and sheds water away from the house. If not, then you will need to run the drain under it, next to the foundation.

A solid concrete patio might present either a problem or it might save some work. The intention of the drain is to protect the foundation. The patio probably doesn't need protection, and if it sheds water far enough away (30 ft sounds good enough) then it will protect the foundation underneath it from water.

There's a good chance that you will have two drain outlets. Also, if the slope is fairly steep, then you won't need a drain on the lower side. The picture shows a few examples given a gentle slope.


What would happen if I connected a dishwasher to a hot water supply line? What will happen if I connect hot water to a dish water that is not designed to take in hot water?

Will it break? Or will I just not be able to use the cold programs?

The Siemens SK26E220EU manual says:

  Water temperature: cold water preferred; hot water max. temperature 60 °C.

Which appears to imply that it is fine so long as the hot water is no more than 60C at input. It includes a water softener, so it may well have some parts in the water path before it heats the water hotter that would be damaged by hotter water. If your hot water is electrically heated, it makes little difference to your overall operation cost - if you have an alternate, less expensive source of hot water, you'll benefit, so long as it's not too hot.

For other models, check the manual - or just hook it up to cold if you are electrically heating your water anyway.


How to support a load bearing wall when no temporary wall can be constructed? I am replacing a 4 ft doorway in a load bearing wall with a 4 ft pocket door, which necessitates replacing the header in the wall with an 8 ft header (4 ft of door + 2x 2 ft of door pocket).

The wall is parallel to the joists, but the house has a hip roof. The wall is an interior wall only because of an addition that was added onto this side of the house -- this wall used to be the exterior wall. As a result, the wall does bear the load of the roof hip. However, since the wall is parallel to the joists, I cannot simply support the portion of the wall above the header by supporting the room ceiling.

How does one support the wall temporarily so that the header can be changed?

If the “old hip roof” sits on a double top plate, you can just support the double top plate with 2x4’s set at an angle from the floor up through the ceiling up to the bottom of the top plate.

About 8’ of an interior bearing wall supporting an old hip roof does not “carry” that much weight. I’m sure a couple of 2x4 angle braces can TEMPORARILY support the hip roof.

More important to me is: What do the trimmers sit on? Make sure they are supported all the way down to the foundation.


Can I put a second layer of caulk over newly installed caulk to fill a gap? My bathroom backsplash-to-wall junction was just re-caulked yesterday. (The old caulk was discolored and showing signs of mold.) But on one side of the countertop where there's a 3/8" gap between wall and backsplash, the new caulk was applied at a slightly lower level than the top of the backsplash, meaning there's a small area where water will pool on top of the caulk instead of draining back down onto the backsplash and countertop.

Question: can I just add more caulk on top of the now-dried other caulk, in order to raise the caulk level above the backsplash top so water will drain correctly? Or do I need to rip out all the caulk and start from scratch?

I'm using GE Max 5000 caulk if it matters.

Ideally it would be one continuous bead of caulking, however for 3/8" of a gap at the very top, you will probably be OK just adding a bit more caulking to fill it in.  However, if you don't want to have to touch it again for a while--and considering the low cost and relative ease of applying it--I think I would be inclined to remove the existing bead and apply a new one that covers the entire length. That way you don't have to worry about water getting behind it.


Ikea chest of drawers/drawers table deformed I was recently given this chest of drawers/drawers table by a friend of mine.

But the problem is that because of the weight of the clothes (I pressume), the drawers have been deformed a litte bit.

Is there any way to fix this? It's this one, if you want to have a look at it.
Thank you so much in advance.

Not so much the weight of clothes as low-quality construction/materials.
Possibly compounded by "self assembly" if self assembly is not done with care - the drawer bottom should be fully seated in that groove.
Making new bottoms out of actual plywood as opposed to whatever Ikea used for the drawer bottoms is a solution. It's relatively costly and equipment/skill-dependent.
Solutions that may be less work and expense are to attempt to disassemble and reassemble "better or tighter" - potentially with glue in the slot (which will interfere with any future disassembly) and/or to glue small strips of wood to the bottom and sides of the drawer to hold the bottom in place better.
If trying that, read the instructions (available from Ikea's website) with care - it's always possible that the original assembly was incorrect in some detail. Steps 24-27, mostly. The little wedge seen in your blurry last picture is supposed to be holding the bottom in the slot.
At the low end of that would be just getting the bottom into the slot and then running a bead of hot-melt glue along the seam, which is potentially removable if you ever want to take it apart again, and does not require any wood strips. Using wood strips is a bit more secure, perhaps.


Is cooking oil suitable for curing a newly sanded wooden kitchen countertop or cutting board? After properly sanding a large wooden cutting board or a wooden countertop (aka butcher countertop?), can I use just (virgin) olive oil to seal it? Is there a risk that olive (or sunflower, etc) oil will produce the very unpleasant gummy feel to the board?

I know that the hardware stores sell some kind of oil specifically for this purpose—one that is food-safe, but that is not suitable for cooking. I am wondering why an oil that is meant to be edible in the first place will not do.

I think it is best to use mineral oil.  Food oils can go bad on wood.  I use mineral oil with beeswax and that seems to be a good choice.


What is the difference between a cheap and a more expensive submersible well pump? I'm NOT asking for a recommendation for particular pump.  I want to know HOW to choose between pumps.

My understanding is as follows:

A:  The pump has to be sized for both the pressure you want at the output, and the volume you want.

B:  Pressure needed is output pressure + ~1/2 the drop between the output point and the water level in the well.

So:  For example.  The water level in the well is 60 feet below the top of the well.  The house is 20 feet above the top of the well.  I want 50 psi at the house.  I need a 50 + 1/2(20+60) = about 90 psi.

In fact I want a bit above this, as in use that 20 feet will increase under load.

I can also convert this to head by roughly H + 2P  So in this case H=60+20 and 2P=100, so I need a pump that produces a total head of 180 feet.

Again I want some cushion above this, as a 180 foot head pump would push no volume at this pressure.  More detailed planning requires reading the pump curves for the individual pump.

This all background showing that I'm not completely ignorant and am not comparing apples to aardvarks.

So on Amazon.ca we have:
OrangeA Deep Well Submersible Pump 25GPM Stainless Steel Deep Well Pump 0.5HP 150ft head Submersible Well Pump for Industrial and Home  for $149 including shipping.

Hallmark Industries MA0343X-4A Deep Well Submersible Pump, 1/2 hp, 230V, 60 Hz, 25 GPM, 150' Head, Stainless Steel, 4" $203

Red Lion RL12G05-3W2V 1/2-HP 12-GPM 3-Wire 230-Volt Submersible Deep Well Pump with Control Box $409

That controler box is a sneak -- not all list it.

I'm unlikely to buy a pump off of Amazon.  At least on the Canadian site they don't list either Gould or Franklin, which are the two most common names beside Red Lion.

But what features do I look for in a pump?

The present pump has been in use now for at least 20 years.  During the growing season it's running 24 hours a day.  It's starting to wear out.  I've had to crank back the cutoff pressure for the pump to actually turn off.  It's now cuts off at 45 psi.  I don't need to replace it this minute.  Next irrigation season starts in April.

What do I look for when choosing a pump?

Stainless steel casing.
Plastic vs metal impellers?
230 v  (Pump is 300 feet from house.)
Automatic low water shutoff?
Thermal protected motor

Is Variable Frequency Drive worth it?

Stainless steel casing.
Only if you think there is something corrosive in your water. As a general rule, a submersible pump is under water all of the time. Rust requires oxygen, so unless you constantly pump it dry and expose it, the stainless can be a waste. But it does help with other corrosives. 20 years is a long time, was that pump stainless?

Plastic vs metal impellers?
Plastic is cheaper, but ANY tiny amount of possible grit chews it up really fast.

230 v (Pump is 300 feet from house.)
Absolute minimum; don't even consider 120V.

Automatic low water shutoff?
Absolutely, unless you have some other means of doing that.

Thermal protected motor.
You are required by code to have running overload protection for the motor. Using a thermally protected motor qualifies. If you get one without it, you must add a thermal overload relay to your controller.

Is Variable Frequency Drive worth it?
Maybe. Is variable volume important to you? In a pump like this, if you pump at full volume and turn it down with a valve, you are wasting some energy in that process. Using a VFD to lower the flow accomplishes the same thing while using significantly less energy in the process. But if you are NOT varying the flow on a regular basis, then the losses in the VFD will actually cost you MORE energy in comparison. So it depends on what you want to do with the irrigation system. A side benefit to a VFD however is that you can use it to convert your single phase electric service to run a 3 phase pump. The advantage there is that the pump is more reliable in the long run, there is no "start capacitor / run winding" in the motor that must be switched in and out.


How do I use this H/L/V Wiring? I am replacing an OLD h/l/v with a BROAN 100HFL

I DO NOT have a 12/2 and a 12/3 coming from the 3 switches on the wall.

I DO have this,  two 12/2 coming from the 3 switches AND another 12/2 that ran to a small light that came on with light in hlv

The heater has one red and one white.
The light/fan has a white/blue/black

I got the heater to work connecting the black to red and white to white.....   but do not have the 3rd RED wire coming from wall switches.

I know this is out of code, but CAN NOT run new wiring.

Can someone help me out here??   I know it can be done easily, just having trouble as I am just not an electrician!

I'm not sure why you have 3 switches, and only 2 12/2 cables. But I'll give it a stab anyway.

The fan unit should have

1 Red wire.
1 Black wire.
1 Blue wire.
2 White wires.
1-3 Green or Bare wires.

The red wire in the unit should control the heat, so you'll hook the black from one switch to the red wire of the unit, and the white wire from the same cable to the white wire for the heater.

Next because you only have one more 12/2 cable from the switch bank, your light and fan will have to be controlled by the same switch. So you'll connect the black wire from the switch to both the black and blue wires on the unit, then the white wire from the same cable to the white wire for the fan/light.

If you want the other light to come on with the light/fan, hook the black wire to the light in with the black/blue wires on the unit, and the white wire to the light in with the white wire at the unit.

WARNING

These instructions are for a typical installation, your situation may vary. Wire colors may vary from unit to unit, consult the manufacturers documentation for proper wiring diagram. Contact an Electrician before proceeding.


3 Way (4 Switch) Insteon Setup for Ceiling Fan Light We have been replacing all our light switches with Insteon Smart Switches (http://cache-m2.smarthome.com/manuals/2477d-en-03-26-2015.pdf page 11) to control them via our phones. Ultimately, they work they hookup the same way as regular switches except for 3 way and more switches rather than using a traveller to connect related switches that process is done wirelessly so travelers get capped line goes to hot, and load goes to cold. We've set everything up successfully except for one location.

It use to be a ceiling fan (light and fan) but we previously replaced it with just a light. It's 3 way, so one 2 gang has a switch for the light and previously connected fan, and the other gang also has a switch for the same light and the previously connected fan.

We hooked up the new switches, one works, the other does not, and ends up blowing the fuse. When hooking up neutral wire to either light or fan switch in Entry.

On the ceiling light there is a red capped off and a black attached. And of course neutral and ground.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what I can test or get to the bottom of this or more information I can provide? Thank you!

I'm not getting a very good picture from your diagram. From what I can tell the switches aren't shown? Or maybe they are but the light isn't? Anyway here's what seems to be going on: The switch that blows the breaker could have a neutral or ground wire connected to the load side of the switch. When the switch contact is made you have a dead short. OR the wire that's supposed to be "hot" coming into the switch is actually a neutral or ground. To troubleshoot this I would use a volt meter. Turn off power. Remove load line from switch that blows breaker. Turn power on. If the breaker blows with the load line removed then the switch is bad. If it doesn't then connect one lead of voltmeter to ground (non insulated wire) and the other lead to the load side of switch. Turn the switch on and tell me the results.


Installing expansion tank at washing machine valve? I own a condo with a terribly cramped water heater closet (it sits underneath the air handler with about 6 inches of clearance). I need an expansion tank, but it really will not fit in that closet (not to mention I really don't want to have to touch that again after having just changed the water heater). Is it reasonable to tee the expansion tank into the washing machine's cold water valve? My laundry room has a lot more space than where the water heater is, so there's plenty of room to support it, and easy access if I need to change it out.

So long as you do not have any check valves between the hot and cold supply, an expansion tank can be located anywhere in the system.

Thus, if you have a check valve or PRV (which acts effectively the same as a check valve from the system point of view) on the main inlet to the house, you can put the expansion tank wherever it is convenient if there are no other check valves in the system. All the water (hot and cold) experiences the same pressure throughout the system, and the expansion tank will work wherever you put it on the system.

This appears to be a widely misunderstood concept, as can be seen in the comments.

Note that if you put it on the far side of a valve, (i.e. not a check valve) it will not work when the valve is closed (but that will also make servicing it easier, if needed.)


Inalto Ceramic Cooktop Wiring How do you hard wire an Inalto Ceramic Cooktop given the following connecting points:- L1, L2 on one side of the connecting plate and N1, N2 on the opposing side of the connecting plate, with a PE (earth) point at the bottom end of the connecting plate. I have only three wires to connect one active, one neutral and one earth. An Australian connection.

There's just not enough power there

A 15A 240VAC circuit can only supply 3.6kW, or slightly under half of what your cooktop draws.  You'll need to have a bigger radial circuit put in, dedicated to the cooktop/cooker setup; I presume a 32A circuit would be a standard size in Australia, provided you are served with a single phase.


What should I do about a crack in the concrete slab in my living room? We purchased the house about 2 years ago. The house is about 50 years old. Today we removed the carpet and the hardwood floors under the carpet.  We found out the slab has an approximately 10ft long crack. See the picture. The crack goes from hairline and branches off to bigger cracks. See photo. It's about 5 inches deep from what I could measure.

The house is in Granada Hills, California. I was thinking it's maybe due to earthquakes or earth shifting. I know a major earthquake happened in 1994. The walls appears to be fine and show no sign of structural damage.

What type of crack is this? How can I fix it and should I be concerned? Should I use cement, Emecole 555 or a bottle of concrete filler? Any help or insight would be appreciated.

This is not going to be the answer you wanted to hear, but here goes.

Although I cannot see the cracks up close, it appears that the cracks were created by the floor flexing in a fairly straight line.  The cracks wander in a band about a foot wide with some parallel and joining cracks.

My first plan of attack would be to remove a rectangle of the damaged and weakened concrete apx one foot wide by the length of the crack, apx 10 feet. This can be done with a small hand held jackhammer. ($30 to $40/day at rental store). Slightly bevel the edges back from the surface to create an inverted "V", so it is slightly wider at the bottom than the top.  Once the edges are clean of dust and chips,  carefully fill the open void with a mixture of concrete mix equivalent to a 5000 pound mix.  You can use a ready mixed in a bag, just add water. Keep the mixture a bit to the stiff side, not too wet. Fill the entire void  be sure to push the mix tightly against the existing concrete. Wetting the existing concrete isn't a bad idea. Trowel smooth.  Done.

The reason I would not recommend a quick fill fix is that there may be lots of other cracks below the surface. If you don't get a good solid patch, water could wick up through cracks or the hidden damage could compress or further separate in future shakes. Although it seems like a big job, a 1 foot by 10 foot removal and repair is not as bad as it sounds. With the proper tools, you should be able to do the whole job in 4 to 6 hours.   Good Luck


Change my 220v 50 amp breaker to 70 amp on existing wiring to pool panel Currently I have a 50 amp breaker (220v) running to my pool panel. My pool panel has two 110v outlets and a 20 amp (220v) to run my pool pump. I want to add an electric pool heater which will be a 40-60 amp (220v) dedicated circuit that will be added to my pool panel. With that being said, I guess I need to increase the breaker size in my house that goes to my pool panel from 50 amp to 70 amp. So my question is wiring size. I need to make sure the wiring that's existing is the correct gauge for me to increase the breaker size. I dont know exactly what gauge it is but this is what it says on the wire: CSA T90 NYLON OR TWN75 F11 NOM - ANCE 90°C RoHS 600VOLTS VW

I dont know if this is needed but my main breaker in my house is 200 amp. The wiring going to my pool panel is in gray conduit from my breaker panel in my house to my pool panel which is located outside obviously (which I believe is done that way to be up to code). Electrician ran that for me about 7 years ago.

All I am trying to do is answer your basic question. Simplistically put, the NEC requires electrical conductors to be protected by overcurrent protection that matches the current carrying capacity of said conductor. So in your case you must run a #4 for your 70A breaker.

If you are trying to determine a wire size you should be looking for a marking similar to this.

The reason everyone is asking questions is because we think we could help if we had more information. See comments above.

PS - Instead of a 12 your looking for a #8 or 6 or 4.


Double joists separating on outside edges of deck My deck has double joists on the east and west edges that seem to be separating. I imagine water is getting into the space between them and prying them apart. This deck is located in Minnesota.

In the images, you can see the joists are screwed together. there also seems to be some glue residue. The cracks have small rocks and debris in them.

How can I fix this?

I have many issues with this deck and will likely have to ask several questions on this site. The scope of this question is simply what to do about the double joists that are separating.

From your pictures I would say the outer one is a perimeter board. These are for looks to dress up the outside of the deck.

The inner board is carrying the end of the deck boards but is not attached to the ledger board with a hanger. Bad technique, in my opinion. Notice, the inner joists are attached to the ledger board with joist hangers. But the outside joist is not.

You should be able to add more screws to the perimeter board to pull it back in to the outside joist.

Good luck!


Is insulating an unfinished basement worth it? If so, how should I go about it? I have an unfinished, well waterproofed basement with cinderblock walls and a concrete floor. All but the top 6 inches / 15 cm or so is underground.

Would it be worth insulating the walls down there? How would I do it? We have pretty long, cold winters and the summers are generally mild - a few 90 degree F days, but mostly high 70s to 80s.

Absolutely it's worth insulating.

Concrete is a poor insulator.  8" concrete blocks have an R-value of 1.1 - about the same as 3/4" particleboard.

In my neck of the woods the frost line is about 3' down. So, assuming that a house here has a 40x40 foot square footprint and the basement is 8' high:

160 lineal feet x 6" = 80 square feet exposed to air;
160 lineal feet x 3' deep = 480 square feet exposed to ground above the frost line;
160 lineal feet x 4.5' deep = 720 square feet exposed to ground below the frost line.

Calculate the heat loss, using the formula (Area * (Tinside - Toutside) / (thermal_resistance) See here for a complete explanation

Assuming it's 0F outside and 70 inside (you said long and cold :) ), we'll say the above the frost line is 20F and below is 40F.

Above ground: 80*70/1.1 = 5091 BTU/hr
Frost line: 480*50/1.1 = 21818 BTU/hr
Below Frost line: 720*30/1.1 = 19636 BTU/hr
Total: 46545 BTU/hr.

Now sheath and insulate with R20 insulation.  Call it an effective R15 due to thermal bridging by the studs and because you don't do this every day so there are some gaps, etc.  Then your total comes to 3414 BTU/hr.  You save more than 16,000 BTUs/hr, or almost 400,000 BTUs/day.

In a 6 month winter that's 72 million BTUs.

Your $ savings will depend on the price of energy in your area, what you're heating with etc.  $15/million BTUs is not unusual: that's higher than it was in Alberta where I'm from, but lower than California where I'm at now.


When installing two layers of subfloor, is it okay to secure both layers to joists? I am in the middle of replacing my subfloor.  The old subfloor was two layers, each about 1/2 inch thick, totaling 1 inch.
1-1/8 inch OSB is pretty much out of stock everywhere at the moment so I'm thinking of putting two layers back in.  19/32 + 7/16 = .578 actual + .4375 actual = 1.0155 actual.
I will be installing LVP or laminate as the floor.  Is it okay to secure both layers of subfloor to the joists if there wont be tile going on top?
If that is not okay, how would you go about securing the second layer of subfloor to the first?
Thanks!

That's the usual approach. Almost no one puts down double-thick subfloor in residential applications (for cost and handling reasons), and both layers need to be fastened to joists. Only thin underlayment can be fastened just to the subfloor.
I'm not sure what your question about tile means. Subfloor can and should be fastened to joists regardless.
You can probably use a sparser fastener schedule on the first layer, then go whole-hog on the top layer. That would require adequate penetration into the joists, of course.


How can I tell if the home I just bought has real wood countertops? I am wanting to resurface my countertops but I do not want to ruin them.
How can I tell if they are real wood countertops?

No, you have wood veneer over particle board with wood edge banding and backer sheet.
You have to be careful if you are going to sand /refinish as you don't want to (you most likely will) go through the veneer. Veneer can be 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick.


light and fan. together but separate Currently I have a switch that turns the light on and off, and a second switch that turns the fan on and off. I would like to make it so the fan can only turn on if the light is on as well. But if the light switch turns off so does the fan. Now I don't want one switch to turn them both on and off together. I just don't see a need to leave the fan on if you're not in the bathroom. Hopefully I've asked my question in a way you understand what I'm asking.

To do what you ask:

Disconnect the supply for the fan switch - wire-nut and tape it (it will be going no-where.)

If it's a jumper from the light switch supply, just remove the jumper. If the light switch is supplied by a jumper from the fan, remove the jumper and move the supply to the light switch.

Put a pigtail on the light switch switched hot, and connect the light (which was connected to the switched hot), and the supply for the fan switch to that pigtail.

... but my comment is probably a better approach to take.


Will sealing off rafter spaces and unusable spaces help my attic insulation plan? I am trying to warm an exercise floor in an unfinished attic and save on heating at the same time. I want to evaluate whether covering the rafters in my attic with various materials will be worthwhile to warm the space and to save on the heating bill. I have a pyramid shaped attic.  I would separate the peak from the main space with rigid foam, drop a knee-wall of blankets around the perimeter and then close off and connecting the two spaces formed thereby by stapling a layer of plastic sheeting or bubble wrap to the still exposed rafters in between. I think the foam and blankets will help. I am thinking that connecting them by sheeting spaces between the rafters will cut down on draftiness and maybe add r value. Does this plan sound worthwhile implementing for a season or three until I can afford a better system?

First of all, foam and plastic are fire hazards. Don't turn your attic into a giant match head for your house.

It sounds like your attic ceiling is not yet insulated, so that is where you should start.  The fiberglass stuff goes on sale pretty regularly at the big box homecenters. You want the paper backed stuff. The paper makes it easy to staple to rafters and it will stay put once it's up. Your roof requires some air circulation, so before putting up insulation between the rafters you will need to put up ventilation channels. The big box stores sell them, though I can't recall the brand. If you can't buy it all at once, do it a roll at a time until the whole ceiling is insulated.

When you have the entire ceiling insulated you will probably be surprised at how much warmer it is.

But your job isn't really done at this point. The craft paper backed insulation must be covered with drywall in order to pass any type of fire code (I'm not a fire code expert, but the insulation says so right on it). So once it's insulated, put up drywall. No need to plaster or paint yet, jut get the insulation covered. Start by making a peak ceiling and then fill that whole space with fluffy insulation. Then would you way down until you're ready to do the kneewall. Drywall is also fairly cheap. Just requires time and probably a friend to install.

If you close off the space first and it still is not warm it is VERY difficult to insulate after the fact.

Good luck!


Gap between half moon window and lower windows Is something missing in this gap? I had a lot of water come in through the top corner of this window last storm.

I’ve caulked and placed silicon anywhere I can see possible. The entire house siding along the right side of the window about five feet down is rotten so I’m a little confused where all the water is coming from.

That is a very unusual installation.

The windows are made with a “flange” that is about 1 1/4” wide all the way around each window. The flange is made watertight to the window frame and is used to fasten (nail/screw) the window to the window opening.

Unfortunately, I see a few problems: 1) window flange cut off between windows, 2) no cover flange between windows, 3) lack of backer rod for sealant between windows, 4) weep hole plugged

1) The top window fits so tight to the bottom window that it appears it’s flange was trimmed off. (Hopefully, the lower window was installed first so the top window overlapped the lower window flange.) However, If the window is leaking, it wasn’t properly sealed between the two flanges.

2) Some windows are made to “fit together” in a pattern. When there are extra large openings, the window weighs too much to lift into place. So, the manufacturer makes a cover that clips into both windows to seal the space between the windows. Obviously, if this is one of those types of installations the clip has been lost.

3) It’s not the quantity of sealant but the quality of the installation. That is to say, the depth of the sealant should be about 1/8” to allow the sealant to expand and contract. The way this is accomplished is by using a backer rod. It keeps the sealant from filling up the entire space and is placed so the outside edge is about 3/16” from the face of the window.

4) It appears that the upper window’s weep hole is plugged with dirt, etc. The stops need to be removed and weep holes cleaned.

I can’t see the edges, top or bottom (sill) of the window so cannot make a determination on those issues. If they’re leaking too, (as you noted) the original installation was probably poor.

I’d recommend removing all the windows and using “peel-and-stick” paper along with new backer rod, sealant, etc.


Second floor leveling question I have just recently purchased a business that has a large house on the property built in the 20's. Over time due to settling and likely some botched repairs the floor on the second floors slopes pretty badly.

Long story short, I have torn up the carpet and old hardwood which has left me with just the beams. The room slopes drastically from the outside in which is about 3 inches over a span of about 10 feet which is very noticeable. I can not shim up the low side because that will leave a 3 inch step into the room of which the ceilings and doorways are already incredibly low.

I know cutting beams should always be avoided but I was wondering if it would be alright to cut the beams on the tall side (2x8 beams) down roughly 2 inches and then sister new 2x6 beams to them to allow leveling as well as more support?

it this case, it is not a home improvement project. Since it is a commercial building, you really need to have an engineer design a fix.  the liability is to great in rental or commercial property not to have it endorsed. Don't take a cheap fix, it will bite you. The safety of a lot of people depend on how you fix the problem.


Is there a way to reuse ADT's alarm sensors without using their central service? We moved in to a house where previous owners had ADT's alarm system. The board is still there and I'm planning to remove it because it doesn't do anything at the moment.

But the (wireless) sensors are still on doors and windows and as far as I can tell are still functional. I would like to reuse those, but I would like a 'local' alarm system (that would just trigger a sound but nothing else), as opposed to centrally monitored one that you have to have subscription for.

The question is what are (affordable) options for units that could connect to existing ADT's sensors and that are reliable enough to cover basic security situations? (I don't care about sophisticated attacks. I just want to know immediately if anyone breaks into the house while I'm there. Everything else, I don't worry about.)

This sounds like a fun project for a rainy weekend.

I have similar situation.  Bought a house that had an old alarm system in it.  The box is locked and I don't have a key.  The "control panel" still lights up and there is a "ready light" that glows whenever all of the sensors are "happy".

I'm thinking it would be easy to take one of the super-simple wifi enabled micro controller boards out there these days (like the photon/spark unit) and just set it up with IFTTT to notify me if that light goes out when I'm not at home.

Could theoretically make a low-duty-cycle battery powered one that would not even need any connection at all to the alarm system.  Just have the micro controller watch the LED with a light detector.


Reducing cold water flow from shower I started getting only warn, not hot water in my shower (all other taps are fine) I tried playing with and removing the anti-scalding device with no luck. My guess's maybe the shower valve is bad.
I don't own the place and with everything that is going on, it's not an ideal time to call a plumber.

The only solution I found at the moment is slightly close the cold water ball valve behind the shower. However, I'm not sure if that will cause any other issues or will wear it out while we wait to get it fixed.

Using the cold water shutoff valve to reduce the flow of cold will not cause any other issues or wear it out.  You most likely have a sediment blockage in the hot water shutoff valve or in the shower valve.
Since you do not own the place, it is most likely the owner responsibility to have the shutoff valve repaired or the cartridge in the shower valve repaired.


Why isn't door casing mitered to meet base trim? Question Up Front

Why are door trims at the floor not cut at 45° like everything else is? Is it a style thing, or is there a functional reason for it?

Details

I have noticed in many houses that the baseboard is mitered and beveled so that the pattern of the baseboard continues seamlessly.

Example

The bisecting miters and bevels seem to be everywhere except for the bottom parts of doorways. The example below shows a doorway with a different trim than the baseboard, but it doesn't seem to matter whether they're different. The bottom of the trim is always cut at 90°, not 45°.

Example

Is there a functional reason for this, or is it just a ubiquitous style?

The issue is that normally, moldings around a door are very different from baseboard molding. You can easily bevel two identical moldings together; you can't do the same if the profiles are different.

Of course, this begs the question: why are door moldings different from baseboard moldings? Well, mainly tradition; that's the way it's usually been. Lee Sam's answer that "doors are in the wall and baseboards are on the wall" is probably as good as you'll get.


Confusion when adding new GFCI outlet I am replacing an existing outlet with a GFCI outlet.  The existing outlet functioned fine, but I want GCFI protection on the circuit.  It appears to be your standard daisy-chained outlet box - 2 black hots, 2 white neutrals, 2 bare copper grounds.  Both grounds are bonded to the metal junction box.

I'm using my multimeter to find which wires are the line to the breaker box, and which wires continue downstream to feed the rest of the circuit.  I disconnected the old outlet and I'm measuring the wires looking for 120V.  Hot 1 to Neutral 1 measures 120V.  Okay, I found my line wires.  So I connect Hot 1 and Neutral 1 to the GFCI outlet line terminals, and Hot 2 and Neutral 2 to the load terminals.  I turn the breaker on and the GFCI trips right away.  Okay, time to double check my work!

I remove the outlet from the the circuit.  I double checked and there's still 120V between Hot 1 and Neutral 1.  But...there's also 120V between Hot 1 and Neutral 2.  No volts between Hot 2 and any neutral.

Why is there voltage via Neutral 2 when it should be disconnected from the circuit with the outlet removed?  There should be no path via Neutral 2 back to the breaker box, so I shouldn't see 120V, correct?  I think I have a ground-neutral short somewhere, or perhaps the neutrals from 2 circuits joined together somewhere.  Is there another scenario I'm not thinking of?

You are correct. There is a pathological path from Neutral 2 back to the neutral bar in your service panel. Neutral 2 should not be connected to anything but the cold sides of the loads on Hot 2. You should track down and eliminate this path, even if you do not want to provide GFCI protection to the downstream loads. It is a persistent hazard to anyone working on the wiring, and may carry an unbalanced current that can lead to inductive heating.

The most likely culprit is a bootleg ground somewhere further along the daisy-chain. Other possibilities are an accidental contact between a bare ground wire and a neutral terminal screw, an unnecessarily borrowed neutral, or failed insulation in one of the loads.

You could start by unplugging everything from the downstream outlets. Keep checking the voltage between Hot 2 and Neutral 2. Remove the outlet cover plates and pull the outlet devices out of their boxes, without disconnecting any wires. You will probably eventually either disturb the accidental contact, or encounter a white wire that doesn't make sense.

As always, be careful around live wires. Wear gloves and try to handle devices with one hand only.


Thermostat settings two hvac units older house I purchased a historic house built in 1920. The house has two HVAC units, one for the upper floor, one for the lower. Total sq ft 3300.
I had been setting the upstairs thermostat at about 83 degrees during the day lowering to 76 after sunset as it is not often used during daytime hours.  I was told by my HVAC technician that this was a bad idea due to everything absorbing the heat.. carpeting walls furniture insulation etc.
I have to agree as the unit ran nonstop when attempting to get to a comfortable 76 degree sleeping temperature at night.  The house has bedrooms on both floors and the downstairs is generally kept at around 78 during the day reduced for sleeping to 74.
I live in a hot and humid climate where overnight lows can be mid 80s with upwards of 80 percent humidity. Day time highs easily reach 98 to 100.
The downstairs area has a high ceiling . Can someone recommend a good temperature setting for both thermostats that will 1. Not have the AC running non stop 2. Not break the bank to maintain a comfortable temperature.  I’ve read many conflicting articles on the temperature spread between the two floors and have come away more confused than ever.

You ask a tough question and I assume those are the articles you've read that left you with no definitive answer.

Personally, I've found it least expensive and of course most comfortable to set-it-and-forget-it in my last 2 homes...the only ones that had central air. By just maintaining the thermostat's comfort range of a few degrees the system will only activate briefly once or twice an hour typically.

Mine's set to 70 and only on the 95-plus days does it occasionally fall behind at mid-afternoon for an hour. It depends on cloud assistance here and there or wind being present to cool off the roof and siding.

In your case of 2 systems and 2 floors your only real course of action for any further experimentation or "construction" would be to install a door...likely just temporarily with even plastic sheeting taped liberally at the top and bottom.

A door or the enclosure of the top of the stairs (so cold air doesn't fall from upstairs) would allow you to see if turning the upstairs off or up so high during the day is beneficial at all. I'd suggest 74 or 75 all of the time, unless you're actually comfortable at the 78 for the majority of 24-hours.


Is it possible to fit skirting boards with screws into the wall I've been redoing my room (walls and floor) but now I am stuck on the skirting boards. Here is the room at the moment

The walls are uneven and also I wanted to put the laminate floor under the skirting boards so it looks neater. However, I am told that skirting boards are usually fit with glue and nails and that means if I have to replace the floor or some part of the floor (if damaged), it will be a big mess taking out the skirting boards.

So the question is, is it even recommended to fit them using screws directly into the walls (they are brickwork with a big layer of plaster/filler? not plasterboard).

The house is early 1900s i believe (Morden, London, UK)

Thanks

UPDATED:

I misread about the masonry walls. I've actually installed base trim using trim screws and plastic plug anchors. It works fine, but the holes in the trim are larger.

ORIGINAL:

Glue is only used for joints, and nails pull out of the wall fairly easily when the boards are removed. They can then be pulled through the boards from the back side so the boards can be reused.

You can certainly use screws, but the holes will be much larger and therefore more difficult to conceal.

In general, trim isn't installed with the expectation that it'll be regularly removed.


Mounting long pipe as curtain rod from ceiling between exposed beams. What are these hex bolt sleeves used for existing pipes / better alternative? I live in a loft space with exposed beams ~9ft apart and vaulted ceilings. I'm trying to cordon off part of the space with a divider curtain. I previously tried a tension rod which sagged too much due to the span length, so now I'm trying to figure out how to mount some sort of pipe between the beams that I can then put a curtain with 1.5" diameter grommets on. After many hours of combing the hardware store, I still can't find something that seems like it will solve my issue.

Floor flanges for pipe that I can find all seem to be threaded, so even if I could cut a pipe to the exact length between the beams, I would be losing the threading and thus unable to attach them on one end. I can't find any other option that would allow me to just go straight across between the beams (I'm all ears if there is one as this seems the ideal way to do it!), so my other option would be the ceiling. From the ceiling I need to come down around 12-14 inches to clear an exposed sprinkler pipe.

There are two issues I'm having here. While the thinner (~3") pieces of wood that run perpendicular to the beams might just barely be wide enough to attach a floor flange, two pieces of pipe and two elbows for a U shape, all except the very last one closest to the wall are at an angle due to the vaulted ceilings. Additionally, were I to go this route, I'm not sure what I need screw-wise to ensure the weight is accounted for. I used lag screws with a hex head for a projector mount once, but I'm not sure how long these ought to be and lag screws don't seem to be the correct width for the flange holes regardless.

The other option that appears to have been used for the existing sprinkler pipe seems to be sinking some sort of hex shaped sleeve with a threaded inside into the wood (no idea what this is called). Into that sleeve a long bolt comes down and on the end is a clamp with short bolts on each side that allow the bottom to come off so the pipe can be sandwiched between that and the part attached the the bolt. This would probably work except that I can't figure out what any of these pieces are, especially the thing that goes into the wood.

After stubbornly spending most of the day trying to accomplish what I initially thought would be a very straightforward task, I'm hoping someone can suggest a solution either by suggesting something I haven't thought of, or identifying the pieces I can't figure out since I'm presently pretty frustrated and stumped.

Many thanks!

That is called a rod coupling nut.

The part above it is a double ended wood screw threaded rod stud, or something like that

Or you can buy a vertical threaded rod hanger


Is peel and stick vinyl tile flooring really waterproof? I am installing these tiles in a bathroom mainly used my youngsters in a bath.

When they inevitably splash water on the floor won't the seems in these tiles allow the water to pass through.

I really want to do the flooring install myself and want to give these tiles ago.

What can I do to prevent any water getting through the gaps?

Is caulking a viable alternative?

They are waterproof in that you can get the top as wet as you want.  They are not waterproof in that they will keep water off your floor, nor will said water not affect the bond to the floor.  These tiles may be able to last sitting in water but they will not keep water from getting underneath.  Your only options are really one sheet of vinyl or tile (could I guess use a membrane).

If you install these right though I would bet that 99% of the water (given you don't just let an inch of standing water sit) will never meet your subfloor.  No caulk is needed, just make sure that all of the edges are tight and clicked into place.  To keep your bathroom better suited for a kid you may want to make sure baseboard are sitting right on these and caulk between baseboard and tile.


Shower head releases water every time the toilet is flushed I installed a new bathroom with a shower (no tub). The shower head releases water every time the toilet is flushed, even though he mixing valve for the shower is off.

The bathroom area was an old porch with a concrete floor, so the water lines for the bathroom run:

to the toilet
to the future bath sink
up a wall into a ceiling bulkhead
down to the mixing valve
up to the shower head

When I turn the hot water supply off, the problem goes away.

Hmm. I'm going to guess this is possibly water-hammer related, where a high-pressure spike caused by the toilet fill valve shutting is forcing water past the mixing valve. If so, the water would be released as the toilet stops filling, and a water hammer arrestor should settle it down, be it new and high-tech with a piston or old (merely an air-filled pipe stub that needs to be drained of accumulated water from time to time.)

If it releases water at the start of the flush, I'd have to suspect some sort of vacuum breaker being involved, and getting activated by the sudden drop in pressure when the toilet fill valve opens.

Edit: ahh, your new information is possibly diagnostic - turning the hot water supply off stopping it suggests that the casue is probably related to the "anti-scald" function that's pretty much universal in tub/shower valves at this point, which is responding poorly to the pressure drop on the cold line as the toilet fills (and for some reason, doing so even if the mixer is shut off.) You might call the valve manufacturer and inquire if this is expected behavior or a defect of some kind.

If it is expected behavior, and you cannot run a new line that's either larger (for less pressure drop_ or dedicated (so the toilet and shower are not sharing the line) a small pressure tank/accumulator in the bathroom area should sort the issue by holding pressure up while the toilet fills.

On third thought, first go though and make sure that all the valves in this line are FULLY open. If the problem persists, see if your toilet fill can be adjusted to be slower. Then consider more involved solutions.


Furace fuse blows when Aprilaire humdifier is turned on above 35% I live in a pretty old house and have a Carrier furnace with an Aprilaire humidifier attached to it.  The device that controls the water flow, I guess it's a solenoid, is visible on the exterior of the contraption, yet it is very rusty.  It is so rusty it just looks like a block made of rust that happens to have wires going into it.  This is the 4th winter so finally I decided to see if it works anyway.  Turned out it worked for a few weeks at 25%.  Then it started getting "warmer", approaching 20 degrees outside, awesome.  So I followed the chart and increased the humidity to 35%.

Increasing the setting to 35%, I found it blows the 3 amp fuse inside the furnace.

Would replacing the solenoid fix this?  Or is there any other potential cause or incompatibility between the two systems?

If I replace the solenoid, I won't need it until next winter, assuming that it warms up between now and then.

The solenoid shouldn't blow the fuse, unless there is a short in it. It's not like a motor that has high locked rotor current, which could blow a fuse if the rotor was frozen. If the coil of a solenoid energizes, it doesn't matter if the plunger moves or not (electrically speaking).

I'd check the resistance of the coil, versus the specifications for the solenoid. This should tell you if there is a short.  Depending on the price of a new solenoid, I might just replace it if it's in as bad a shape as you describe.

The other thing to check, would be the humidistat.

I'm not sure why you'd see a fuse blow at one humidity level, and not another. I'm guessing the unit didn't kick on until it was set above 35%, so the problem may or may not depend on the setting.


Why is there a 1/2-inch hole drilled in my heater exhaust? I have a Carrier high efficiency furnace which uses 2-inch PVC pipes to pull in combustion air from outside and exhaust the combustion gasses back outside (through a concentric vent, but that's not really important.)

It seems that the installer drilled a 0.5" hole in the exhaust pipe about 2 feet up from the heater.

When the heater is running, you can feel air coming out of this hole, it is warm and moist, and it smells like you would expect natural gas exhaust to smell. (Before you ask, yes, there IS a carbon monoxide detector right outside the door of the room, and no, it does not detect anything.)

The issue I have is that there is a lot of water vapor present in the exhaust, which condenses on the inside of the pipe and then drips out through the hole, collecting in a large puddle on the floor. (If you look closely at the picture, you can see the trail of water below the hole.)

(I notice that my neighbors always have clouds of water vapor coming out of their exhaust on cold days, but I never do. As far as I can tell, the reason for this is that their exhaust pipe is only a few feet long since their unit is right next to an exterior wall, while my pipe is 30 feet long so the water has space/time to condense.)

In any case, the puddle is annoying and messy, and the room is too narrow to just put a bucket there -- it would obstruct the walkway to the washer/dryer.

Right below the exhaust pipe (not shown in the picture) is the condensate pump for the heater drain and humidifier drain. (For some reason, they piped the AC drain directly to outside but the other two drains to a pump which goes to the sink.)

Am I correct that condensation in such a long pipe is normal?
If not, what is wrong with my furnace?
If I seal up the hole so the condensation has to drain back through the unit and out the actual furnace drain, will that cause any damage?
If I can't seal the hole, is there a simple way to catch the moisture at the hole and direct it into the condensate pump instead of onto the floor?

The short answer is this: it makes no sense for a sealed combustion appliance to intentionally leak exhaust gases to the building interior. There was probably a legitimate reason for the hole to be drilled -- maybe there was a need to measure the pressure inside that pipe to assure the installation was okay, or as part of the troubleshooting of a "blocked exhaust" error code thrown by the furnace controls -- it's difficult to be sure. In any case it seems reasonable to seal the hole.

I can't speak for your specific appliance, but in general, yes it's normal to have condensate when longer exhaust lengths are involved. The liquid may flow to the exterior or back to the appliance depending on the slope of the exhaust. Some appliances are designed to receive and drain the condensate; others are not (but a condensate catchment accessory may be available). Consult the appliance installation instructions for details.

You mentioned both an air conditioner drain and a heater drain. Does the heater drain originate in the inducer fan housing? If so it sounds like your furnace is equipped to deal with condensate. I'd verify that the drain is working, maybe by running a few ounces of water in through that exhaust hole and verifying that most of it flows out the drain. Then seal up the hole in the exhaust pipe.

Exhaust condensate is somewhat corrosive (acidic), so it should be handled with materials designed to deal with it. A puddle of condensate on the floor is Less Ideal.


How should I connect electrical wires to a cooktop (platetop)? I'm having some problems understanding how to connect some electric wires for a platetop.

The wire colors normally mean, blue=N, brown=L, and yellow/green=PE.

My problem is, the platetop has L1 & L2:

When I connect the blue wire to L1, nothing happens. When I connect the blue wire to L2, then the platetop works, but only half of them on the right.

This is how it's connected now:

What am I doing wrong?

THIS IS NOT A JOKE- THIS APPLIANCE NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED PROPERLY

This is how it should be wired using 220-240volt

BUT

There are some things to consider first!

The wires you are using to connect to .. are they the provided wires? there should have been a solid copper U bridge to connect L1/L2 to each other too!? Where is it?

If that is not the original cable you must consider using 2.5mm solid core cable

But also the wire that is in the plug should be the same/similar type! and it should be DEDICATED ONLY
meaning no other plugs on that line

Before the stove you need an isolation switch (any electrician that says this is not needed is a bad electrician!)

And MOST IMPORTANT

A 8AMP (MAX 1700WATT) on 2.5MM Solid Core Dedicated Line!!!

Be warned if you do not meet these requirements you are putting your self at a electrical fire risk - and this is for ALL 220VOLT Installation anywhere in the world. If you have ome insurance and it burns down and they find that your new stove did not meet these electrical rules.. sorry - insurance void!!  Even after installation you need a NEW electrical test certificate to certify there are no GROUND leaks! or micro shorts!


Are mounting anchors necessary for plaster walls? I have a bathroom utility organizer I need to hang on a plaster wall. The organizer is lightweight aluminum, weighs about 5 pounds, and will be holding fairly light items such as toothbrush holders and bath towels.

Do I need to use anchors before installing screws and mounting hardware for plaster walls?

A screw directly in plaster or drywall is not very strong. Over time it will work its way out and leave a hole in the wall.

It's OK to use a nail to hang a framed painting or photograph. If you do this, first put a piece of scotch tape on the wall, to resist cracking. Make sure the nail is angled 45 deg from vertical. You can pull the nail out when you're done and it will only leave a small hole that is easy to patch. (Many people don't patch, but you'll still see the hole when you repaint.) There's a limit to how much weight I'd want to put on nails in drywall, though - if it tears out, it's a mess.

There are a variety of drywall anchors that you can use for larger loads (see http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/infanchor/infanchor.html for a good list). Most require you to drill a hole first. Be careful when you do this, because if there is wiring or plumbing behind the wall you could make a lot of trouble. Threaded anchors don't require drilling and are very easy to use.

For the most strength, screw in to a stud. I do this with towel bars especially, because I know people like to use them as hand-holds. Also, people yank towels from their holders, which puts a lot of strain on the wall.


New Medicine Cabinet - Stud Removal I am installing a new inset medicine cabinet. I need to add about another 1.5” inches in height to get the new one to fit. I would like to remove the header on this (it’s a true 2” stud) and replace it with a piece of 1x4. I’m pretty sure this is setup just to support the original cabinet. Would there be any harm in doing this (or possibly removing the header altogether)

You can do a number of things here:

Shorten the stud board coming down to the header and move the header up 1.5” to 2” inches (I would do that ) - a nice oscillating cutting tool would make that easy to do right in place.

I would then install my cabinet - and I would have a sturdy upper frame for it as well.

You could remove it , replace it with something thinner .. but really why spend the extra money for wood - just cut the stud board and move the thing up the distance you need.


Replaced ceiling light with a ceiling fan and light, then added a remote control I replaced an existing ceiling light with a fan/light combo, and then added a remote control.  The fan and light work, but the light only seems to have partial power as the light is very dim.  What is wrong?

Sorry, this site is new to me. I got the ceiling fan and light working correctly with the remote I installed. Turns out that I had it wired correctly and just didn't realize I had to hold down the light button on remote control to increase the light brightness. I also figured out all I had to do to get the fan speeds working was to have the fan on high first,  then the low, medium, and high settings worked on the remote. And this was without having to disconnect the remote. Also,  the universal remote control I purchased did not come with  an installation user's manual
Thank you all for your kind and patient help and support!


How can I add a light switch to an existing lighting circuit? I have a Light switch that runs four lights, I would like to add a switch to the last light. Is this possible and how could this be wired?

Anything can be done, but in simple terms, NO you cannot switch one light that is already switched without using a hot and a separate switch circuit.  I will not explain in detail, cause I feel you really don't have the concept of how this can happen. Sorry if I sound rude.  If you do not have a basic understanding of electrical circuits, than I really recommend you get an electrician to help you. Electrical is not a DIY unless you really know what you are doing. It certainly can be done with some wire fishing, possible wall opening, and some refinishing work after. Be safe and get someone to look at your situation. We cannot tutor you enough here to assure a safe modification you want to do.


By-pass door falling off track We have a closet door in the upstairs of our new house that is a bypass wooden door that slides on a track at the top of the door. Once we bought the house we discovered the doors were totally messed up and moving the door even a few inches would cause them to jump their rails making them pretty much completely useless.

So I went out and bought a replacement set of hardware including rails and rollers (like this) and went ahead and replaced the old one. Now I have the new hardware in, the door at the back rolls perfectly, but the front one still doesn't work at all. I had a hard time getting it on the rails in the first place and then moving it a few inches to the left and it falls off. It'll fall off on the right too, but I have to move it further to the end.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Answering my own question, but I did eventually get the doors to behave themselves. The way I ended up doing it was this: The rollers that I got with the hardware kit and adjustable. They have one fixed screw hole and two more that are curved slots letting you not adjust the angle. I got the door in by removing the rollers from the door, placing the rollers in the track and then screwing them into the door while they were hanging from the rails. They ended up very slightly angled, but it looks fine and, more importantly, they can open and close. I had to adjust them again slightly because the door was dragging on the floor guide at the end of it's run.

It wasn't easy - an assistant would have been a great help. But I did manage to get them in and have them hanging in a way that I could move them without them falling off again. I used some shims to lift up the bottom of the door while I screwed it back in since it would be impossible to hold the door off the floor and turn the screws at the same time. Again, an assistant would have made it easier.


how to clean caulk between tub and tile I am removing the caulk around the bathtub and tile. I believe the previous owner removed the grout out and filled the gap entirely with caulk.  I applied silicone remover which is helping but there is still residue that I cannot remove or scrape out of the gaps.

Removing caulking can be time consuming, especially in the bathroom. From my experience there is no magic solution.

I recommend these tools:

flat head screw driver
small paint scrapper (plastic as to not scratch any finishes)
hair dryer

Using the hair dryer, heat up the caulking, then use paint scrapper to loosen the caulking by pushing on top and bellow, try to keep the caulk intact. Once you've freed one end, try to gently pull away following the line in which is was laid. Use the paint scrapper as you peel away and try to get long lengths to keep it clean.

The flat head screwdriver is if you have difficulty getting a started but usually the paint scraper will do the job.

If the caulking is dry, you will be using both the screw driver and paint scraper.

Patience is a must.


Door frame pulling away from wall over time the molding around the door frame has pulled out a little and we always just use a hammer and block of wood to put it back into place, but recently my door was slammed and now it's completely pulled away from the wall. Not sure if theirs anything I can do about this. iv got power tools but no knowledge on what to do.

Long (3") screws (3 or 4) through the jamb into the framing of the house should do it. Be careful not to drive them too tight; otherwise you'll warp the jamb and the door will fit loosely. In a perfect world, you'd predrill the jamb with a drill bit big enough that the screw goes through it readily (but not too loose). If you have the same problem on the hinge side, replace one screw per hinge with a long one. Same caution about overtightening applies (and it would be worse on this side if you did it wrong).


What kind of soil mix to use for grading the perimeter of house to keep water away from basement? To help divert water away from my home's foundation, I am trying to improve the grade of the landscape around the perimeter of the house. I suffered a flooded basement (about 1" or so) from hydrostatic pressure after recent rain storms that lasted over 3 days.

Question: When I grade the area around my home, what kind of soil mix should I use to help divert water away from the foundation?

Note: I have rose bushes that will need to go.

Grade looks good to me. The ground level should drop 6" within 10' of the house.  From the pic, it looks like you have this covered.

If I'm right about the grade being correct, then the water in your basement isn't going to be solved by grading, BC grade isn't the problem.

Give your rain gutters an overhaul. Make sure they're all dumping water a good distance from the foundation. Youight need to step up your gutter cleaning regimen. I use the gutter attachment for my leaf blower - saves a lot of time. With an old maple and am ancient walnut near my roof, I have to clean them 2-3 times a year.

The rose bushes should be fine where they're at. You can pack soil around them if you're hellbent on adding grade.

To answer your question: it doesn't really matter what you use. Grading is to keep water from pooling against your house. Topsoil is fine, as long as it's sloped.

However, the grade looks okay and there's a proper amount of foundation above ground. I suspect faulty gutters are the issue here.  The runoff from clogged gutters can spatter your foundation. It can even splash upwards into your siding - but that wouldn't cause an inch in your basement.  The spatter against your foundation, or a cracked wall, would.