What's the procedure for diluting bitumen mastic with a solvent? The can of bitumen mastic says I can add up to ten percent solvent to make the mastic easier to apply. Applicable solvents list follows. The problem is the mastic is so stiff tat if I put a stick vertically into the mastic it doesn't fall - just stands still so it's unclear how I would mix the mastic with the solvent such that it mixes uniformly and the process takes reasonable amount of time.

What's the procedure for such dilution?

Leave the can in the sun on the next sunny day for several hours (if the ambient air temperature is warm). The sealer should be sufficiently softened to add the prescribed amount of solvent and stir with a sturdy mixing stick. (If the directions on either the solvent or the sealers label states otherwise always follow those instructions).


Shower tile layout suggestions I am tiling my shower surround and I have a platform that is approximately 1’x3’ that I need to tile as well.  I am looking for layout suggestions on what area I should tile first and if the horizontal surface of the platform should overhang enough to be flush with the vertical surface?

I would go with your 2nd option. Columns E and F in the spread sheet. and i would use a bull nose edged tile. I. E. a tile that is designed to have the edge exposed. Other wise you will see the unfinished edge.

This is more aesthetically pleasing and will not put a grout line at the edge that would collect water and not let it flow over the edge of the tile.


Kitchen faucet gives hot water when I close the cold tap I have a faucet in the kitchen sink that is provided cold water. There is a pipe from the faucet to the electric water heater, and then a third pipe to feed the hot water back to the faucet.

When the water heater is full of hot water, I notice a problem. I open the cold water, then close it, and the faucet runs for an extra second. In that second, the cold water is totally cut-off and the faucet starts pulling hot water from the hot water tank. The next time I try to use the cold water, I first painfully burn my hands with the blistering hot water still in the faucet, and then get the cold water.

Why would this happen? If you are wondering, like me, why my faucet has 3 pipes, i have created another question for that.

So is this a recirculating system? It sounds like your “plumbing” has created a back pressure issue that may be causing the problem. Adding a check valve should solve this problem.


Installed new water heater yesterday, today there is water in the catch pan Yesterday we installed a new water heater.  Pretty straight forward, my father in law has done many of these.  I monitored pretty closely for next 12 hours and the catch pan under the water heater continued to have water in it, even when no leaks could be seen at the connections or the release valve or anywhere else on the water heater.  I continually, took this water out of the pan with a rag every couple hours.  I checked in the morning and there is water in there again.  Roughly, a 20 to 40 oz amount of water.  I am pretty sure I received a defective water heater and it is leaking out of the bottom of the water heater.  Has anyone experienced this?  If I can't see leaks at the connections, the release valve, or anywhere else it must be leaking out of the tank.  Does anyone know the cause of this, or what else I could check on this?

I also opened up the bottom of the water heater where you can see the pilot light and put my hand in the bottom of the water heater and I can feel water in there.  There must be a leak in the inner case of the water heater, correct?

Possibly the tank leaks.

But it is far more likely that one of the through-hole connections is loose.  Check those before blaming the manufacturer:

Inlet (cold supply)
Outlet (hot output)
cleanout drain
heating unit

Well, I suppose if the heating unit is causing the leak, blame the manufacturer.

The top connections are easily checked by stuffing a paper towel or rag and see if they sop up anything.


Who to call for fireplace ducting safety check and repair? The home we recently purchased, built in 1974, has a Martin BWH-36A Octa-Therm fabricated fireplace.

A chimney sweep informed us that this fireplace is no longer manufactured, but our chimney is in good shape. However, its blower fans ("circulating air inlets" in the image below) weren't working.

We called in an electrician and got the fans working. However, upon opening the blower grates, the electrician found that the ductwork openings were stuffed with insulation.

We cleared out the insulation around the blower fans. Then, on a hunch, we checked the upper and outside air inlets and outlets: they're all stuffed with insulation as well.

I found a copy of the manual, linked above, at the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) Manual Library's 'M' page.

Here's an image from the 1st page. We've checked the 6 openings shown in the image:

Who would we call now to check and test that all the ductwork is in good shape, clear, and safely usable???

EDIT:
I'm not asking for a service recommendation; rather I'm asking for what kind of professional would check the ducting.

I would've thought a chimney sweep would do that, but he didn't seem interested. The electrician clearly wouldn't do ducting. Should I try a different chimney sweep? Or, do I call an HVAC professional? Or, ...???

UPDATE:
Contacted our fire department, as suggested. They didn't have any information on contractors. Per their experience, though, they stated that, since stuffed with insulation, the fireplace probably has hidden issues. We should not use it till we find a builder or other specialist to literally pull the firebox, et al, out and inspect it. Ugh.

Unless you can be 100% sure you removed all of the insulation, probably put there be a previous owner, you're smart to want it thoroughly checked out. Try calling your local fire department on their non-emergency line or stop by the station. They will usually have some numbers for you to call to get the fire place checked out. They have a great interest in keeping you safe. Also check all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for correct operation. Good luck and enjoy.


How to splice into existing underground rigid metal conduit below ground and hide junction box? I have an existing rigid metal conduit run from the service panel to a junction box location that was previously powering an outdoor appliance.  The circuit is 20A and running 12 guage wire.  The RMC is buried 6" deep (i believe).

The junction box at the end of the run is a 90 that comes straight out of the ground approximately 6" up in the middle of the lawn.

The owner wants to power a shed/garage ~10 ft away from the current J-box, and wants to BURY the current junction site.

What are my options to HIDE this splice/junction point?  If I dig
deeper to 12" or 18" (from the j-box to the shed) can I splice into
the current RMC with waterproof splices and run UF wire to where the
wire needs to enter the shed?
If first option is not feasible -- how else can I hide the splice or can I hide the splice whether I can run UF in or out of more RMC? Outdoor waterproof junction box or maybe something like the sprinkler boxes that you can see in the ground? I see 4x4 direct burial j-boxes on HD website -- but would like to know code for this and whether owner has to live with this being visible in the lawn!

314.29 exception allows listed boxes and handhole enclosures shall be permitted where covered by gravel, light aggregate or noncohesive granulated soil if there location is identified and accessible for excavation.  I have used landscape border at the ground level to identify the buried location. This has passed inspection just make sure to use a quality listed splice kit as this will be in water at times. Also get some thwn (most thhn is dual listed thhn / thwn)  and put it in conduit 1 stick of pipe will get you there.


Earthquake anchors for a standing desk I have an IKEA adjustable standing desk I'd like to anchor to the wall in case of an earthquake. Requirements:

The desk should still be adjustable, that is, I don't want to anchor it just up or just down; I should still be able to raise and lower it without removing the anchor.
It should be possible to adjust the desk without (say) crawling under it to switch anchor straps
I don't want to mar the top of the desk if I can possibly help it.

I've done some searches, but I seem to only be able to find fixed-position solutions.

Bi-fold doors use channels mounted to the underside of the door opening. Most of the load presented by these doors is taken up by the hinges, but the track serves to guide a roller at the edge of the door panel. Some shower doors are suspended by rollers, which take the entire load of the door.

If one is handy, one could use a shower door track secured to the wall and mount the wheels to the edge of the desk or to the underside with the wheel extending. I am able to remove my shower door by lifting it, moving it in a direction perpendicular to the track and pulling the bottom edge clear.

In the case of the desk, you would want to have a second "idler" wheel which pushes against the track, pulling the guide wheel into its rail, preventing such a movement. Another method of preventing the guide wheel from disengaging would be to have wheels riding outside of the track, preventing the sideways movement necessary to disengage the guide wheel. This is more like a monorail design.

The above thought process leads me to consider some amusement park rides in which a series of rollers/wheels surround a large diameter tube (ride track) but this could become unsightly.

Think of a handrail mounted on the wall. The rail need only to be secured at the top and bottom, just outside the travel range of the desk. Behind the rail, between the rail and the wall, the securing wheel/roller pulls the desk to the rail, while side wheels prevent left/right misalignment. If necessary, another wheel between the desk and the rail keeps the desk from contacting the rail.

The image above is necessarily more robust and perhaps more complex than that needed to protect a stand-up desk, but works well enough as a concept clarification. One word is worth one one-thousandth of a picture.


What is this silver plate beside by tub and what is it for? Why is it leaking? What to do? So I was draining the tub in my 1920's era condominium a moment ago when I noticed a substantial amount of water pooling on the floor next to my tub. I soaked it up in a hurry but then I noticed a little more bubbling coming up from under this silver mystery plate next to the tub:

I've used this tub many times before but never had an issue. As soon as the tub had fully drained out the water stopped coming out from under the plate.

What is happening here? I'm totally befuddled. What should i do?

That's a cover for your drain clean out. If water is leaking out of there then either the threaded cap below, if there is one, is loose or there is a blockage starting to form and the drain water is starting to backup because it can't go down the drain fast enough. There could also be a drain plug under the cover that has deteriorated and is leaking. You can undo the screw on the cover and check it out and see what the problem is. Take some pictures. Then come back here for some solutions. Here's what the drain plug would look like.


GU10 LED lights strongly strobing (no dimmer) UK I realise there is a lot of information out there on LED lights flickering, however I'm struggling to find anything relating to this situation, i.e. GU10 fittings and a regular switch (i.e. not a dimmer). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

We've just moved into a new place and the hall lights fixture takes 3 GU10's and currently only had 1 working halogen in. We've got people coming round tomorrow and wanted a brighter hall so dashed out to get some LED replacements, we did but rather cheap which might be there issue? When all 3 are fitted the light flickers/strobes very strongly the entire time it's on. Replacing one bulb with a halogen mainly fixes this problem so I was thinking this could be due to the LEDs drawing so little current? But I didn't think this should be an issue with GU10s as they work at mains voltage so there shouldn't be any transformer or led driver behind the fitting, and there is no dimmer switch to be causing issues.

Does anybody know why this might be occurring? And would replacing the LEDs with more expensive branded versions help? Or would this just be throwing good money after bad?

Sorry for the long message. Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Edit: Mystery solved, we found a second switch on the circuit we had previously overlooked which was a dimmer, oops. Thank you all for your time and help, and sorry for missing the obvious!

a regular switch (i.e. not a dimmer).

Although dimmers are the main culprit for this sort of problem, there are other devices that can cause similar problems when used on the same circuit. Especially devices that operate in switch-loops without neutral. Perhaps you have a switch-locator light or a smart switch?

  they work at mains voltage so there shouldn't be any transformer or led driver behind the fitting,

There will be a small driver circuit inside the GU10 lamp housing. Due to size constraints it will be a very simple circuit and cheaper products may be more susceptible to this sort of problem.


What wire do I run to feed 120v driveway lights a total length of 500' from the switch? I am running 5 - 8'lamp posts down my driveway a total of 400-500 linear feet. The lights will be 120v and will have LED bulbs vs. incandescent. Even though the total watts will be no more than 60 W, I know there will be voltage drop.
Thank-you

Plug your scenario into a voltage drop calculator.

If the entire 60W (0.5A at 120V) load is at the end of the run (which it isn't, but makes the calculation simple - your actual results will be better), 14 AWG copper wire fed by 120V has only 1% voltage drop. If you go up to 300W (2.5A at 120V) the drop would be 5.26%, which is still fine.

You could run 12 AWG copper instead if you want the future flexibility to run a much larger lighting load, or to do something like adding receptacles at the posts. The price difference should be relatively small compared to your full project budget.


Please help! We have an air conditioning and breaker issue What is going on if we experience no cool air from our air conditioner?

Our inside temperature got up to 85° til we went outside to check out the AC unit and we saw and heard nothing but the refrigerant blowing out of the line. We then heard the AC breaker jump. It kept jumping turning the AC on.

Please help with any advice.

Your air conditioner is broke. Call a reputable cooling service contractor.

This is not a DIY type propblem.


How do I cut grooves in self-leveling concrete to incorporate an existing drain? This is a follow up question to my previous question about leveling a basement floor without losing the drainage.  After the feedback I decided to use self-leveling concrete and cut (or form it in advance) grooves (canals?) that lead to the existing drain.

I just found that I received an answer with the same idea.  But I'd like to elaborate more.  For example:

Is it necessary to redo the drain or can I just leave it lower, perhaps by just adding another grill on top?

Can I use forms, for example pieces of wood that go all directions (like rays) from the drain?

Or is the best idea to use a screw driver like Justin Kuhs suggests in his answer to me?  (BTW, Justin, thanks a lot for your answer, I didn't think of the screw driver at all, great idea!)

Have people here done such things?  What were your experiences?

24 sq ft would be an area approximately 4x6?  Adding two inches of depth... I think what I would try in this case would be to get several 1/2" dowel rods and cut them to lengths that would allow me to align them in a radial pattern out from the drain, something like this:

Around the drain, I would prop them 1.5" up in the air, and at the periphery I'd prop them 2" up in the air, that way when I poured, I'd end up with 1/2" deep semi-circular troughs that ran downhill towards the drain.  Pour concrete, let it set up and remove the dowels.

DEFINITELY add a new drain cap on top of the old one as a 3" diameter 2" deep hole in the floor is a serious trip hazard.


Consumer unit location I can understand the supplier fuse and meter being in a communal area of a block of flats but was there anything in the UK wiring regs in the 1970s that would explain why the consumer unit is also located in a communal area of the block of flats.

Purpose built block of flats - not converted from a large pre-existing building

There is/was nothing in the Wiring Regulations to require or prohibit such an arrangement.

It is/was not unusual to have electricity meters in communal cupboards, especially in larger blocks where a concierge could open them for the Electricity Board meter reader without the residents having to be disturbed.

Many 1970s flats had various types of electric heating, such as storage heaters, underfloor heating, panel heating, and water heating. Separate tariffs for ordinary use, water heating, and space heating, were common. This would need a 3-rate meter and a timeswicth or radio teleswitch to change the meter rate and turn on/off various circuits, and 3 main cables between the meter and supplier's timeswitch or teleswitch equipment in the cupboard to the consumer unit(s) inside the flat. Heavy main cables are expensive. To allow for the possibility of heating being changed from storage to panel heaters, etc, all the main cables would have to be sized to take the full load.

Also, meter 'tails' or submains longer than 3 metres are supposed to be fused near the meter, as the supplier's cutout cannot be relied upon to clear a fault quickly enough. That means a switchfuse next to the meter (more expense, and takes up space in the meter cupboard).

Therefore, putting the consumer unit(s) next to the meter in the cupboard, and running a few extra metres of circuit cables to the flats may have been considered the cheaper and more practical option at the time.

An example of a multi-rate consumer unit from the late 1960s is shown here

https://www.flameport.com/electric_museum/wylex_fuse_boxes/wylex_multi_rate_metal_fusebox.cs4

It will be noted the fuses are grouped into separate sections, each with their own main switch: lighting and power, heating, and water heating. This could have been supplied by 3 separate mains cables and a 3-rate meter.

Most of these multi-meter multi-rate tariffs and heating setups are now obsolete.


Multiple outlets stopped working after wall-mounting TV I recently noticed that an outlet in the garage, a bathroom (GFCI), an outside outlet, and the irrigation system no longer work.  I also recently upgraded the TV in the living room and installed a new wall mount for it (drilling four holes to do so).  I do not notice any tripped circuit breakers.  The bathroom GFCI outlet can't be reset (the button depresses, but then clicks back out, maybe because there's no current to it).
First, is it possible that installing the wall mount could've hit a cable that would power all of these different places?
How would I go about diagnosing this?
~~~~~~~ Update ~~~~~~

Going off of @jay613's advice of not over thinking things, and his suggested test, I did get current to the bathroom GFCI (which is further away from the panel than the spot I drilled holes for the mount).  I didn't know how to safely test after that point with the meter though.  Just guessing the path by things that weren't working after that point, the next outlet was an outside one.
After Unplugging a timer that was plugged into the outside outlet (not sure what it powers), I was able to reset the GFCI outlet in the bathroom, and the outlets in other parts of the house now work.  I now believe that possibly the TV mount was coincidental timing, and either the outside outlet failed or the timer that was plugged into it failed (probably more likely)
Thank you very much for the help and insights. Very appreciated!

In wall electrical cables very often do transit from one wall stud cavity to another by passing through a hole bored through the stud. If you happened to drill a pilot hole for your lag bolts right into one of these cable pass through holes there are at least four possible things that could happen:

Nothing. The drill bit and bolt miss the electrical cable completely
Short. The drill cuts into the electrical cable in such way as to cause a hot to neutral short. This probably leads to a few sparks and the circuit breaker tripping in the panel.
Cut Hot. In this case the drill bit could have damaged the electrical cable to cut open the hot wire. Any downstream electrical outlets on this same circuit very well may end up being unpowered.
Cut Neutral. Similar to the Cut Hot case this can effect down stream devices/outlets on this circuit. This could lead to a very dangerous situation at down stream devices/outlets with an "open neutral" condition. This is particularly a problem if the circuit is a Multi Wire Branch circuit with both phases of the source power feed are fed down the same cable.

There are also other issues that could come up related to any GND circuit conductors may become shorted to either the hot or neutral wires. This can also be dangerous and would most likely to trip upstream GFCIs or GFCI breaker at the power distribution panel.
If you are not equipped to handle the problem isolation or have limited experience with this subject it may be advisable to bring in someone experienced in the field to help diagnose the problems. The potential dangerous situations with this are very real and should be addressed in a serious concern.


Add new outlet in pantry to one of the two existing 20 amp small appliance branch circuits I am doing some remodeling in my kitchen. I currently have the required two 20-amp small appliance branch circuits powering the kitchen counter outlets. I have a small pantry/closet directly off the kitchen area and I would like to add an outlet or two in there. Can I hang those additional outlets off one of the two existing small appliance branch circuits?

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 210 Branch Circuits
III. Required Outlets
210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets.
(B) Small Appliances.
(1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling unit, the two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.
(2) No Other Outlets. The two or more small-appliance branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall have no other outlets.
(3) Kitchen Receptacle Requirements. Receptacles installed in a kitchen to serve countertop surfaces shall be supplied by not fewer than two small-appliance branch circuits, either or both of which shall also be permitted to supply receptacle outlets in the same kitchen and in other rooms specified in 210.52(B)(1). Additional small-appliance branch circuits shall be permitted to supply receptacle outlets in the kitchen and other rooms specified in 210.52(B)(1). No small-appliance branch circuit shall serve more than one kitchen.

So if this is really a "pantry", and is considered a pantry by the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). Then yes, you can supply the receptacles in the pantry with the one or more small appliance circuits.
NOTE: There is no official definition for "pantry" in the NEC.


How do I install my new ceiling light fixture? Hi I’d like to install a new light fixture. The fixture is made out of plastic and has a blue and a brown cable.

The image is of the old fixture that works.

In case the image isn’t clear enough - The wires coming out of the ceiling consist of two black wires on the left hand side, then two red wires which are held together and two copper wires on the right hand side which are also held together

How would I install the new fixture?

Left to right is: neutral, switched live, looped live, earth.

New fitting should connect as the old one, blue to neutral, brown to switched live. The bare copper earths should have been sleeved green/yellow since 1977.

This looks like UK wiring, before any USA visitors get confused.


How to drain water from a plastic sandbox? I have a Step2 plastic sandbox as shown here (Step2 stock image, not my kid!):

I live at a place where my options for outdoor play structures is extremely limited, plus I'm renting, so this is the best solution I can do for an outdoor sandbox. I also live in an area where we get a lot of rain. So right now, this sandbox is actually a sandy wading pool. I've been contemplating how to allow the sandbox to drain water that enters it, possibly by drilling some holes somewhere along the bottom, but I'm uncertain exactly what to do. Obviously, I'd like to avoid draining out the sand as well or otherwise ruining the sandbox.

What is a good way to modify a plastic sandbox to allow the sandbox to drain water?

I'd keep it simple. Cut some 2" by 2" holes that wrap from the floor around to the sidewall at the bottom corner, either with a hole saw or jig saw or similar. Use latex-based construction glue or another plastic-friendly adhesive to bond one or more layers of aluminum insect screen over the drain hole from the inside, using a bead around the opening. You could also use pop rivets and washers to secure the screen.

A small amount of sand will work though the screen over time, but it'll mostly stay put. The sand will retain enough water for the kids to play for the short term, but it will drain slowly and keep the box fairly dry.


200 amp feeder wire size? i've got 120' of 350/350/4/4 AL wire from transformer to a  400 amp service entrance meter/panel (Siemens MM0404L1400RLM). From there, the 200 amp feeder breaker is going to feed via 2 1/2" conduit to the future house.

That run is 235' to a temporary power panel to be used during construction ( Siemens PW0816B1200TC).

Is 4/0,4/0,2/0,#4 good? Or am I not allowed to down-size the neutral?

Your 350/350/4/4 AL for the 400A entrance cable from the meter seems undersized.  even using the residential NEC 310.15 83% of 400 for 332A would require 500KCMIl for the hots and 300 KCMIL for the neutral using the 70% rule at 90C (if your utility allows that).
Unless I missed your point and you are protecting this line with a 200A breaker from the 400Amp panel to feed the future house. (and then, your wire seems perfect!)


What does a pressure regulator look like? The water pressure in my flat has been getting lower and lower.
It is my understanding that checking the pressure regulator is a good first step, but I am unsure about what to look for.
Is it that thing?

Bonus question: if it is it, how would you add a manometer to this installation?

If you have a faucet with a hose bibb on it, a faucet like those used in a laundry tub, you could go to a big box store or hardware store and purchase a threaded on pressure gauge to check the existing water pressure. I have one and use it a couple times a year to check my in-coming pressure. This will let you know just what the pressure is.
Yes, that looks like a simple water regulating valve that adjusts the in-coming water pressure. Adjustments of the pressure higher or lower are with a screw driver.


Will I draw more power/use more energy if I add an additional heater? I currently have one baseboard heater in my bedroom, I wanted to add another heater because it gets very cold and I have two exterior walls and only one heater. Will I be consuming more energy because I'm adding an additional heater?

The question doesn't mention how your home is heated, but the general answer to this is yes.  A forced air furnace will use more gas. An electric baseboard heater will use more electricity. A hot water/steam system will use more electricity/gas depending on how it's powered.


Can I use a 15w LED bulb in a fixture that says max 40w incandescent or 11w CFL? I picked up a light fixture at a reuse store and it says max 40w incandescent or 11w CFL. It doesn't say anything about LEDs. Thoughts?

I would be willing to bet you are all set. but, err on the side of caution, and do not exceed the 11W for the base of the socket.

CFL's generate a lot of heat in the base, so its a better measure of that socket's rating to compare the heat the LED bulb generates to that fixture.

An incandescent generates most heat at the filament, which is not centrally located in the base of the bulb, unlike a CFL.

This is why you see many cooked CFL's. Here is a comparison chart to relay the idea (thanks Google and Milwaukee):

Another goodie from Google:


What is an alternative to a vacuum cleaner for cleaning carpets? There are reasons we are not interested in a vacuum cleaner at the moment. I'm sure the same applies for other people. Is there an alternative that can get rid of dirt as well as pick up bigger particles?

Use a carpet sweeper.

Bissell sells several models of mechanical manual sweepers -- an invention that's been around in some form since the 1880s. They work, but only to an extent. For deep cleaning you'll have to use a vacuum or roll up your carpet and take it in to the pros.


How to find what color my roofing is? I'm looking to replace my roof and the company gave me a few color options. I can't tell right now what color my roof is or what color mostly matches. Is there a definite way to figure this out myself? If anyone of your are pros, can you tell by a photo?

Photos can help, but shingle lots vary even within the same brand and color. Your best bet is to remove a shingle and look for a brand. Once you have that there's probably only one color that's an obvious match.

Either look up manufacturer websites or visit a store with a wide range of offerings and do a direct comparison. Keep in mind that age and normal variation may result in differences.

That said, do you really want the exact same color for another 20 years? Now's your chance to make a pleasing change, even if small.


What's the best way to reattach a piece of siding? I just noticed I have a piece of HardiePlank® that is coming off the side of my house. What would be the best way to reattach it?  I have no experience with the stuff, but it seems like a simple diy fix.

It's just my luck that the piece that's starting to come off is also at one of the highest points on the house.

From the installation instructions

Face nail with a 2" 6d or siding nail.

For good measure you could put a dab of matching color caulk behind the nail head before you nail it all the way down.


How to properly support 2-3 with ground nm-b cable from floor joists I bought a house where the previous homeowner hung 2-3 with ground nm-b (cable) with metallic conduit hangers from wall studs below the floor joists.

It looks like the hangers are cutting through the protective sheathing.

Other than running conduit or armored cable are there proper hangers to anchor this cable on its way to a laundry room sub-panel?

Sound like you need to replace the pipe supports with J-hooks and either zip-ties or Velcro straps.

Here is an example of a J-hook.

Notice the rounded edges to prevent cable sheath damage. These supports are required for structured cabling (Cat5) bundles to prevent wire distortion and damage. But would also work well for your application.


Attaching curtain rail to plasterboard/drywall over studwork We've had some new uPVC windows fitted. The upstairs bay window presented some problems and, as a result, the "wall" above the window frame is now studwork with cement board on the external side and plasterboard on the internal side.

Before the work, the curtain rail (a cheap plastic one) was attached to what appeared to be a wooden section above the old window frame.

We're going to purchase a new curtain rail but I'm confused about whether I should be thinking about attaching the curtain rail brackets directly to the plasterboard or (as I've had suggested to me) attach some wooden batten to the plasterboard and then attach the curtain rail brackets to that.

I'm pretty naive when it comes to home improvements so if my question is unclear let me know and I'll edit for clarity.

I'm in the UK if that changes anything. The house itself was built in 1885 and is of brick and bungaroosh construction.

Typically you attach the curtain hardware into the stud framing around the window, the only reason to add any extra wood to mount the brackets is if you need to move the bracket out from the wall to get clear of any window trim, or if the hardware must be installed somewhere that doesn't have any studs behind it and you use the wood piece to span the space between the studs.

You can set the hardware directly on the plaster, or some installs may have it on the trim surrounding the window, but either way, you want a long screw that can reach and hold into the stud to avoid the curtains pulling out the old hardware.


Mount Nissedal mirror away from the wall I have an shallow space which I would like to use for some additional storage, with a mirror as a door. The space is only 15cm deep, so I've not been able to find something that I could buy to fill the space. This leads me down the route of building something myself.

In this diagram the black line represents the walls, red the shelves and blue the mirror.

I was planning to use Ikea Mosslanda picture ledges for the shelves, and a Nissedal mirror mounted on hinges as a 'door'.

The picture ledges are obviously not intended to have mirror attached to the front of them. So how can I mount the mirror (which weighs just over 6kg), 12cm from the plasterboard wall?

My first thought was to use two pieces of wood (one for each hinge), and attach the mirror those. However, I'm not sure how to securely attach the wood to the wall. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you insist on building the entire project, you should use standard lumber boards to construct a box around the shelves. Anything less than an enclosing box will not be strong enough to support and withstand the forces incident to opening and closing a hinged door.

To attach the box to the wall, use internal crosspieces at the back of the top and bottom. Screw through the crosspieces into the studs (you'll want to find those for hanging the shelves anyway).

If you want to skip most of the building, you'll find that medicine cabinets are rarely more than about 15cm deep. They're usually designed to fit into a wall between the studs.

Also, I don't know where you are, but around here in New England I have found in furniture outlets many shallow cabinets obviously intended as surface mounted medicine cabinets. Apparently sometimes builders do not want to cut into the bathroom wall.


Where on motion sensor is the battery on the 2550 bravo. I don’t see it When opened My system reads the motion sensor is low in battery. When opened I can see battery. It’s a DSC PC 2550 bravo. It looks wired up

I suspect there are multiple alarms and the readout on the panel controller is mashing the errors together and what you have is a SYSTEM BATTERY low plus another alarm such as one of the motion sensors is triggered so you are reading it as a motion sensor low battery.
According to the manual for the 2550 it powers the motion sensors from the panel there are no batteries in the sensors themselves.  The panel uses the standard lead acid Gel Cell.
Most of these alarm panels are very similar in how they work and most are designed to dial a telephone number to an alarm monitoring company that you pay a subscription to.  I assume you have one of those since a residential burglar alarm that sounds off in the middle of the day (even for a long time) is going to result in the neighbors ignoring it. Many of those panels allow remote service techs to dial into the panel, the usual procedure is the panel lets the phone ring 15 times or so then answers. (if it's programmed to do so)  Call your alarm monitoring company and see if they have a service department that can do this and if so their techs can pull the codes.
However before spending any time on this look at the lead acid gel cell in the panel.  If it is more than 3 years old, replace it.  If you can't tell how old it is replace it.  Make sure to date when the battery was replaced.


Understanding and repairing kitchen shelf door based on a gas spring From my understanding, a gas spring has more or less unlimited life. However, in our kitchen (1) which is by now more than 10 years old, a kitchen shelf door using two 250N gas springs seems to get old: the springs can't hold the door and it slides down back.

Now please tell me if in the following construction it could be possible to remove and exchange the gas spring which is sold separately or I need to replace the "whole thing"(2) because of the rivets.

(1) the kitchen is of an unknown vendor

(2) I will add the image with the flip side to show the rivets but maybe there is a name for this type of the appliance "metal-frame-with-two-springs" so that I could google for its availability as well.

Looks like this YouTube video answers the question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp8365lEGjY

You have to release metal clips at both spring's ends to release it, and the new spring can just click in.

German name for the whole appliance is "Hochschwenkbeschlag", no idea how to call it in English.


Identifying the model of Moen faucet in kitchen EDIT
Here is a following-up question about disassembling this faucet
END EDIT
My kitchen sink faucet is leaky at the base and it should be able to be fixed by replacing cartridge according to online tutorials.
Although the maker, MOEN, can be identified, no model number can be found. Could anybody identify the model?
Or should I just disassemble everything and bring them to Home depot or Lowe's for help?

Or should I just disassemble everything and bring them to Home depot
or Lowe's for help?

Yes, take the cartridge to Lowes and look for a match.
If you can not find a match then go to a plumbing supply house.


Placing planter on rooftop Our house has a flat rooftop. I'd like to a planter box up there 2x3 ft, 15 inches deep. Online calculators say it would take 650 lbs (~300 kg) of soil to fill it.

Would it be safe to have this much weight on the rooftop? It's a 2-storey wood frame house.

No your roof is not strong enough for this. Most roofs are designed to take the area's snow load which is USUALLY between 20-50psf. Even if the space was a porch or occupiable roof it'd only be designed for 40psf on top of that. What you have is 108 psf, there's no way you're roof was designed for this.


Where can I get this type of 'wood paneling'/'siding'/(name?) Sorry about my ignorance here but I don't know what to call this stuff.  I have a few wood (Pretty sure it's wood) boards that have falling off the side of the area that supports my deck.  Questions:

What are these boards called?
Is it possible to order it anywhere so I can replace it?

We also have some fascia(?) or molding that has come off (looks like the previous owner installed the gutters poorly.  So not sure I can get this fascia board at the same place? THANKS!

Generically, that's called "Ship Lap" siding. What it is made of is another aspect; it could be wood such as cedar or redwood, it could be pressboard, it could be vinyl or even aluminum made to look like wood. You should be able to tell if it's vinyl or metal by tapping on it. If it's pressboard, you would be able, if you look long enough, to see repeating grain patterns, something that never happens with real wood.

That fascia / molding and the roof joint needs some professional attention in my opinion. That's a tough spot for a typical DYI project and getting it wrong can leave you with some serious water damage.


How do I seal the cracks between my asphalt driveway and my garage concrete slab? I am not sure if this is an aesthetic problem or not. I suspect that if I do not fix the damage properly the water will continue to infiltrate the cracks and it will create larger problems in the future.

Here are some pictures

Water plays a major role when maintaining the surface of your driveway. It can have drastic effects on concrete surfaces. When it is absorbed or flows into a hardscape, water will start it's damage by an expansion and contraction cycle. This is accelerated in climates that are prone to freezing weather. Hot weather and exposure to direct sunlight (UV rays) will also degrade roadways. Asphalt, which doesn't have the inherent strength of concrete, needs more maintenance in order to increase its longevity and keep it aesthetically pleasing. From looking at your photos it would be wise to consider investing some repair time to your asphalt and concrete surfaces. For asphalt repair: 1) clean soil from cracks and fill with an asphalt filler. 2) After the filler is dry, squeegee the surface with a sealer specifically made for asphalt. The sealer flows into the porous gaps and fills fissures that allow water to penetrate. It also dries to a uniform black color which looks aesthetically pleasing. Depending on your climate, resealing should be between 2-4 years (+/-). Concrete, doesn't need as much care. It should be sealed with a sealer made for concrete (if it's less than 2 months old wait for full cure). If cracks develop (like those in your photo's): 1) chisel-out loose pieces and try to form an inverted "V"- shape in the crack to allow for a better mechanical bond. 2) flush remaining dust and dirt with a water stream. 3) Apply a bonding agent to the crack walls (this isn't critical, but it helps with repair adhesion). 3) mix up a batch of store bought concrete repair patch, either powdered or pre-mixed, and apply. If the total concrete surface needs sealing it may be necessary to power wash and remove impurities so as to allow complete absorption of the sealer. Also if  water can be seen as being absorbed by the concrete it can be sealed.


Why did this AC with a shared condenser stop working? We've got 3 indoor air-con units that are connected to 1 outdoor condenser unit. Only my unit blows air in room temperature (not cold), the rest of the indoor units blow cold air. My indoor unit blows a lot of air and is not blocked. I tried touching the coils but it's not cold.

It's been working before and it just suddenly stopped cooling the air it blows.

There are two LED lights turned on in front of my indoor unit which means cooling mechanism is on (AC is in the right mode). When it reaches its desired temperature (coldness) it stops cooling and only 1 LED light is turned on. But in my case, two LED lights are always turned on when it stopped cooling the air.

What could be the cause of problem?

EDIT:

Indoor unit: Mitsubishi MS-A10VD
Outdoor unit: Mitsubishi MUX-3D23VD

Here's the condenser unit showing the

Actualy 2 units are not working. As you can see in the pipes, 2 pipes to the working unit were moist and the rest were dry. I tried an experiment just to make sure that the two non-working units are eletrically connected to the condenser. I turned off all AC units and the condenser's fan stopped. I turned on one of the two non working units while the working unit is turned off, the condenser turned on. Which means the two non AC units are electrically connected to the condenser.

Click for full size image

Disconnect C2 and measure the capacitance for 25uF. If the reading is out, replace the capacitor.


How can I determine the maximum wattage that I can hook up to a breaker? All of my heating is on one breaker, 240V on a double pole breaker, each marked 20A (it's a small condo). I wonder how I can determine the maximum wattage I can hook up to that breaker.

Power (Wattage) = Current x Voltage (P=I*V)

20A X 240V = 4800W


How do I turn a seized SS screw in a brass fixture? I need to repair the seals of the automated water valve on my Aquastar, on-demand water heater. However, two very difficult to reach stainless steel screws have seized up and I cannot turn them without further stripping the Philips head. The location prevents me from grabbing the head with vise-grips or other pliers.

Can I, over time, apply lubricant to the few exposed threads in the hope that it unlocks the threads? Should I grind down the head into a square that I can fit some socket over? Is there some other way to get this screw out?

I am planning on waiting until the summer to effect these repairs, when hot water isn't so critical!

First I would hit the screws with a penetrating lubricant like PB Blaster or Kroil. Then I would make sure that I have the absolute best fitting phillips head bit on the end of my screwdriver. Then I would push into the screw driver with all my might while slowly turning counter clockwise, and cross my fingers that it does not strip. And then if they do strip, then you have some options:

cut off the head of the screw. I don't know exactly what your situation is, but many times the head of the screw is what is holding the things together, so cutting it off will eliminate the pressure. Once things are taken apart you'll have a threaded rod stuck into whatever it's threaded into, but if enough of it is exposed then you can use a vice grip to get it out.
drill out the screw. This would be difficult on something like stainless steel, and you would also ruin the threads of whatever it's screwed into (if it's a nut then no worry).
cut the head of the screw into a square or something to get a socket onto it. Will be too hard if it's a small screw
blast away the screw with a torch. Something tells me this would be inappropriate for your situation
use a screw extractor socket. I have had good luck with these.

If breaking the head off the screw would compound your problem further because you will be unable to get the threaded rod out, then you're biggest priority should be not to break the screw! If this happens, then a machine shop may need to mill it out.


Slight plumbing leak in 1930s threaded pipes I have a 1930s-era house with generally galvanized plumbing.  The water-in line is a straight vertical pipe, except for this section which is perpendicular (and copper).  The loop part is marked "Ford", the water comes up, to the right, circles around, then continues up.  This looks like some sort of old-style expansion joint to me.

As you can see in that image, and this closer one, the right hand threading is leaking just a little, roughly a cup of water over 3 days.

Adding to the complications is that a few feet below this loop is the main water shut off for the house: an old gate valve that no longer fully shuts off the water, though it does shrink it to a manageable trickle.
I'd like to eliminate the leak before the basement is mildewed, but can't stop the water flow easily.  Ideally, is there a way to install a new ball valve in place of this center pipe part so I can both deal with the leak, and have a reliable way to turn off the water?  If not, is there a reliable way to replace that center pipe that won't leak?
(This sounds like a job for some sort of PEX, so I should admit that I've never used it, and have always been slightly distrusting of it.)

Your only real DIY option is to wrap it in Flex Tape. The stuff works and should be good for at least a decade.
Other than that, you'd have to hire a Plumber to turn off the water at the street for a new valve to go in. That's how it was for me, but call your utility and see it they'll do it and wait for you to put in a new valve.
Anyway, the Plumber won't just turn off your water and wait around to turn it back on, they'll demand the whole job...typically.
Just so you know, the Ford will need to be removed and an expansion tank will be added to your water heater assembly...if there isn't one already.
FYI, start saving up now for full replacement of that galvanized out to the street, minimum...it's got maybe 10-years left.
And, NEVER, do PEX. It's plastic and therefore garbage.(period) The inventor admits that chlorinated water was his obstacle and the only way to defeat it was to leach sacrificial toxins to combat it.
See mrpexsystems, it's a hoot of failure. And, NO PEX has been around for 40-years! That's ALL a LIE and is completely confessed that PEX didn't EVER go beyond experiment until 2003.
PEX is only "good" for 25-years and then NEEDS full replacement. Stick with sweated copper for everything and only use a real Plumber that can sweat a joint. I'm just saying.


What Could be turning on my TV? I live in a two bedroom condominium in Southern California. I have a 55" Sony LCD TV in one of the bedrooms that keeps coming on for no apparent reason. It hapens once or twice a month. I've tried to close the blinds (the bedroom has a window), hide the remote control, disconnect the LAN cable (WiFi is off), use an extension and plug the TV in the living room, add/remove power strip, etc. and I still have the problem. I replaced the electrical panel and all breaker a few months ago to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage to charge my EV and I thought maybe the TV will not turn on anymore ... but it does. The only thing left from the old circuits is a GFCI outlet in the batroom.

Why didn't I send the Sony TV in for "repair" while in warrantty: I had a Phillips plasma TV before the Sony that also acted up in that bedroom. I send that one in for repairs and after a month I got it back and the minute I plugged it in showed the problem. So I'm not convinced the problem is with the TVs. The Sony TV is now out of warranty anyway.

What else can I try to rule out the problem is not in the condominium electrical system?

Well... it looks like the silly USB wired keyboard was the culprit. I made it a point to disconnect it after I use it and the TV hasn't turned on since. One time it came on and I thought it wasn't the keyboard but when I went to turn it off I noticed the keyboard was connected. Weird how a passive USB keyboard would make the TV turn on. Hope this helps someone else. Thanks all.


Stove top ground wire connected to neutral wire We were removing the in-wall oven from my in-laws' old house (which we rent) to replace it next weekend.  The wall oven and cook top were fed from the same supply.  In the junction box the cook top ground wire was connected to the neutral wire from the supply wire.  The cook top only had the hots (black and red) along with a bare ground wire.  So it was wired black to black, red to red, and ground to neutral.  Why would someone do this?

It seems this is a 220V cook top (based on what I have read).  This isn't something my in-laws would have done.  They weren't DIYers.  This would have been by the kitchen showroom that they had install their remodeled kitchen 25 or 30 years ago (I think).

Many years ago, electrical was done without ground wires.

Range/ovens need 240V for all the stuff that makes heat, and 120V for the oven light (so you can use readily available bulbs).  Because of this, ranges were supplied 120/240V hot-hot-neutral.

When the grounding "fad" took off, the NFPA wanted to mandate 4-wire range and dryer connections: hot-hot-neutral-ground.  However, the appliance industry was appalled at the idea that people would have to upgrade in-wall wiring the next time they bought an appliance.  It would crush appliance sales!  So they pressured for a compromise, where if ground is absent, ranges and dryers could bootleg ground off the neutral wire, so the chassis is 'grounded' to neutral.

It helped their case that most 3-wire connections go back to the main service panel, where neutral and ground are bonded. The failure of the neutral wire would have the effect of electrifying the chassis, but that was reasoned to be "a risk worth taking" since these connections are rarely disturbed.

Even today, all ranges/ovens and dryers can be connected in 3-wire or 4-wire modes, with neutral internally jumpered to ground in 3-wire mode.  It's not a good practice.

It was allowed to do this with /2+ground UF cable, which has a bunch of ground wire strands orbiting the conductors.  These are bunched up and used as the neutral. Some thought they could do the same with NM cable (nope). Of course some installations have /3-no-ground cable, where the neutral wire is actually white.

In an installation with /2 UF or NM cable, you can redesignate the bare neutral to be ground. Otherwise you can retrofit a ground wire.  You cannot retrofit neutral wires.

Now you know the history of 3-wire range connections, you can see why they attached ground to the neutral wire: appliance shop installers think of them as interchangeable, and are trained to use whichever. Installers are certainly not electricians.


Septic system was designed for 3 bedrooms but we need 4, what are my options? We're looking to build an in-law  space and for it to be legal it has to have a bedroom, which means our septic is undersized. The town has our house listed as three bedrooms (It's actually already four bedroom house) even though the tank is 1500G. I guess it has something to do with how fast the water drains?
We'd prefer not to have to replace the septic as that would increase the cost but I'm confused as too why our system can not handle it if our tank is already 1500 gallons.
Could we possibly just upgrade some components to give us that expansion?
We have the original design docs, what should I look for to answer this question?

There are a combination of rules for septic systems.
The size of the tank is one of the things but it is not the most important.
The drain field has more to do with the size of the system and the percolating rate or how rapidly the water from the field leaches into the ground(or not).
I have built homes where 75’ was enough for each bedroom and others took almost 200’ per bedroom (heavy clay but the soil met the minimum percolating rate) both had the same size 2 chamber tanks.
It may be as easy if you have enough property to add a distribution box on one of your existing lines in the field and create a larger field.
Check with your local building codes office (where you get the permits) they may say on an existing system no problem or if the area ok known for problems or close to a stream , creek or listed county drainage area it may not be possible.
I have turned 2 bedroom homes into 4 bedroom with this simple (but kind of yukky) addition to the existing field. I have also been told no it would require a pumped / mound system (very expensive) and they did not even really look at the lot map they also did not get the permits and extra taxes for the improvements oh well.
So it may be possible and not that difficult check with your county offices and maybe it will only be 100’ of lines (put in 200 so your home would be legal).


Drywall Under Tongue and Groove? We've removed damaged drywall on our bathroom walls, and would like the walls to be thin tongue-and-groove planks. Is anything material except the tongue and groove required on the studs?

You should be careful in your choice of wall paneling material and its preparation. Not all T&G planks are suitable for walls period, and fewer still are suitable for bathrooms. Ensure your planks are sealed on all sides to minimize risk of warping.

For more flexibility, install a standard drywall wall surface. Then you can attach decorative paneling over that without compromising critical functions of the wall.


Hallway light switch also controls electricity to adjacent rooms My house has a hallway with a light and light switch. The switch controls electricity to the light correctly but also electricity to both the entire adjacent rooms (office and front from). When the switch is off both rooms get electricity but when its on they don't. We've always left the switch in the off position and not used the light but I'd like to fix it.

I'm guessing two of the wires should be pigtailed to bypass the light switch entirely? There are three black wires and a ground going to the switch. I've made two diagrams below of the state of each terminal in both the on/off position. Thanks for any help.

And this is why people shouldn't slap wires on screws willy-nilly

The previous installer apparently thought that all wires belong on screw terminals, which isn't true here, and combined with the 3-way to yield the bizarroland behavior you see here.  Fortunately, this is easy to fix.

Make sure the breaker's off. Take the two wires off the left hand side of the switch and wire-nut them to a short length of the same size wire to serve as a pigtail.  Land this pigtail on the black screw on the switch.  Turn the breaker on, and enjoy your outlets working all the time now.


Is a wooden buck necessary when installing windows into full width brick? I'm looking for pointers on installing a new window into a full width brick wall. Pictures are here. They are the basements windows in a rowhome. There's a slanted brick sill on the bottom. The brick is covered with formstone on the outside. At the top there's a wooden shelf on the backside and arched brick on the front.

Specific questions:

I'm considering installing directly into the masonry without the buck frame. In that case, do I have to use a separate sill? The house already has a slanted brick sill; should that suffice? Also, it has formstone that wraps around the masonry on the sides and top, do you think it's necessary to add framing or something so that the lip of the formstone doesn't trap water? I think it would be minimal if it did.
If I do add buck, can I just do it on the sides and top? If I add it on the bottom, should it be slanted like the sill underneath?
I'm also planning to install iron bars later. Should I make the buck framing go from formstone to the inside brick edge (about 7") or is 5/4*6" PT pushed up to the formstone okay? In which case, I guess I would line the window up on the inside of the buck to leave space on the outside for the iron bars and I could install extension jambs later if needed?

Windows are installed directly to structural masonry openings in Europe all the time. Since you already have a sloping sill, you're good there. You'll need to have the windows fabricated for a very small gap between the windows and the brick. Then screw the windows into the brick with shims and masonry screws, and fill the gap with backer rod and caulk on the outside (100% silicone, butyl, or polyurethane--no latex/acrylic!) Spray foam the remainder of the gap from the inside, and finish the interior however is most appropriate--likely with plaster.

Don't worry about your formstone cladding. It won't hurt anything, especially if the brick sill extends beyond the formstone, allowing water to fall down through the air rather than dribbling down the side.


Double glazed windows reduce only part of noise. What could I do next? My bedroom is using double glazed windows with great performance on soundproofing noise made by cars outside.

Regarding little girls screaming and dogs barking, double glazed windows do reduce part of that kind of noise, unfortunately the remaining noise that passes through the window is not very loud but still clear and annoying.

What could I do next?

You could add operable shutters outside, and heavy sound deadening blackout shades inside.

Even hanging heavy curtains would help.


Security for Outswinging Door (Patio) Not Sliding door I live on the 1st floor (Ground floor) in an apartment complex. The door opens outside into the patio not inside to the apartment. How do I secure the door while we are inside the apartment?
Any security bars or DOOR Jammers etc?

For front door we use this now: Brinks 675-83001 Home Security Commercial Door Jammer (on Amazon.com) (This is works perfect for door opens inside/inswing).

Just short of doing something like below, I think the best you can make sure of is:

Steel door
Secured hinges (As Brock Adams suggested - non-removable pins or concealed)
A deadbolt
Reinforced latches, or at least well installed.
Not excessive clearance between the door and the frame that would allow anything between to mess with the latch (A deadbolt also takes care of this)


Is it dangerous if the ground pin of a 3 prong plug breaks off in the outlet? The grounding prong of a 3 prong plug broke off in an outlet.

Could this be an electrical hazard should a child touch it?

It could be bad if other things go wrong as well, or if the circuit/device is miswired. It also prevents you from plugging in other grounded devices, which could be a problem as well. The best thing to do would be to either remove it, or replace the receptacle.

Turn off the power to the circuit at the breaker, and verify power is off. Then using needle nose pliers (or tweezers), try to extract the pin.  If you're unable to remove it, have the receptacle replaced by a professional.


Reclaimed floor boards vs roof boards: what's the difference? I'm looking for some reclaimed pine floorboards to match the floor they'll be helping fix. This place (for example) lists both reclaimed floorboards and roof boards— is this the same thing? Could I get roof boards and use them in a floor?

Get the dimensions you need first, then judge by looks. My guess is that the roofing boards would be lower grade (ie, more knotty) than floor boards.


Sizing for a flush countersunk screw I'm fitting some old keyhole covers. I need two screws for each. The hole in the cover is about 3 mm and 4 mm at the top of the opening. I tried buying some 3×12 mm screws but the head is too wide. I can't find out how to know the size of the head of any screws as it's never shown. Is there a ratio or something? Any idea where I can get suitable screws in the UK?

Wood screws like most other types of fasteners are made in standard sizes. You can find tables of data online that will show the size information that you are looking for. The image below shows one such table that should be able to guide you as to the screw head diameter for various common wood screws.

(Table Source: https://www.metalsheets.co.uk/wood-screw-guages-in-metric/)


What are "concretors' nippers" for? I came across this tool called "concretors' nippers"

I guess they are for some operations with concrete reinforcement, but can't find any details.

What operations is this tool for specifically? Where do I find more info?

These are used to tie rebar wire around rebars - twisting the wire around the rebars, and then cutting the left over. Rebars are used prior to pouring the concrete to strengthen the concrete, hence the tool name.

They are also called "end-nippers", and are useful for cutting or grabbing things close to the
surface, such as nails or the like. Finally, they can be used to cut tiles, however I have no experience with this function and can't comment on it.

See this nice little PDF that shows a picture of the two uses of this tool (no affiliation, just what Google came up with).


How to connect 3-wire appliance to 4-wire junction box I want to replace my old electric cooktop with a new electric cooktop. The new cooktop is 208/240V. It has 3 threaded wires: red, black, and green.
The metal junction box is 4-wire grounded. It has red, black, white wires and a bare wire grounded to a screw in the box.
Looking at my circuit breaker, the circuit running to this junction box is 120/240V.
Is this something I, not an electrician, can do? If so, is this the proper way to connect:

Red to Red
Black to Black
Green (from appliance) grounded to the same screw as the bare wire (from the circuit)
Cap off the white wire (from circuit)

That is correct wiring. You are in the very good situation of: Had 4-wire, now only need 3-wire. Far more common is either: "Had 3-wire, now need 4-wire" or "Had 3-wire that should have been 4-wire but grandfathered".
The only issue is current requirements. Depending on the size of the existing wires and breaker, you may be in any of the following situations:

Everything OK as-is
Wire OK but need to put in a larger breaker
Wire OK but need to put in a smaller breaker
Need to put in larger wire and a larger breaker.

Can't tell which of these 4 situations applies without knowing the specs of the new cooktop, the size of your existing wire and the size of your existing breaker.


How to install springs on werner loft/attic ladders? I've just purchased the this loft/attic ladder.

The installation instructions show that the springs must be installed while the ladder is closed (less tension in springs). Problem is even when closed its proving impossible to pull the springs by hand to link the two hooks (on either end) to the mounting brackets.

Can anyone think of a way to somehow mechanically extend the spring to allow it to be installed?

This is from the Werner Ladder Co. FAQ for wood folding attic ladders:

  For reattaching the springs on your model ladder you will need two people. One person will need to go into the attic and have the door closed. Once they are in overhead space and the person below is holding the ladder closed the springs will be able to carefully be removed. Please contact our customer care department at 888-523-3370 Monday through Friday 8 AM till 5 PM EST if you have any questions, or need any additional information

So... it seems to me that @keshlam's comment is correct, you need to use brute force. Get two people in the attic to help stretch the springs if you need to, while the door is held closed from below by a person standing out of the swing radius of the door and propping it up with a 2 x 4.

Or, using the above prescribed procedure for holding the door closed, have the person in the attic attach a "come-along" to the end loop of the spring and a sturdy anchor point. The spring could be easily stretched in this manner. Or fashion a block & tackle using some rope and a couple pulleys; it should be fairly easy to rig up a mechanical advantage for this.


Electrical appliances on one outlet Firstly, this is in France so we're talking 220V power.

I've got two new single/individual induction hobs. They're both 2100W at full blast. I'm replacing a double hob unit where one hob was 1900W and the second one was 1400W.
For one 20A fuse, there are two sockets in my kitchen. One socket has, on a power strip:

a microwave - 1400W microwave and 1300W toasting both of which I do
often, and 3100W max for oven duties which I never use.
a small convection oven (2900W), almost daily use

It's the second socket I want to put these hobs on. But I don't know what to calculate to see if everything will be fine and would love some help with the maths.

What I know for sure, usage-wise...

I've had microwave and oven at full blast and both the old 1900W hob and the 1400W hob in use and never had problems.
The only time I'll ever go up to full blast (2100W) on the new hobs is when I'm boiling water and even then it'll only be on one, never on both.
Everyday cooking will hardly ever go above halfway, power-wise, so we're talking 1100-1300W max. But using both at that strength is common for my cooking.

Am I leaving anything out for someone help me out? Am I just adding up amps and that's that? Or is it more complicated than that? I'm asking now because before the hobs were 1900W and 1400W and now they both have the potential to be stronger. So, I'm concerned. And also, I'd simply like to learn about consumption more.

Thanks!

Simply if both of those kitchen outlets are supplied from the same circuit with the 20A fuse you have a problem.

The maximum available power is: 220VAC * 20A = 4400W.

It is usually recommended that a circuit be derated to 80% of it's fused capacity for loads that may be on for any length of time. That takes your recommended available usage to 3520W. So any usage combination the you come up with from that mix of loads that goes over 3520W is a hazard and should be avoided.

So ... you should definitely be considering the the addition of a new circuit to your kitchen for the new dual burner unit. Call in a professional electrician and they can tell you what you need to be safe and code compliant in your area.


Want to purchase electric range unassembled We have put in storm doors at front and rear entrances that have finished frames that narrow the doorway to under 26 inches.

A 30 inch free electric range is our pick for a new range.

Also we have heard of some appliance manufacturers that have special collapsed uninstalled range to homes, condos, etc with very small doors.

Anyone have name(s) of (a) manufacturer(s)?

I Googled for a few minutes and can't find anything you might be interested in, unless it is something like this (an unassembled "stove"):

Of course for any given range, taking off the oven door is something housewives are expected to do for deep Spring cleaning.  That removes a couple inches off the depth which should make the side profile about 24 inches.   Here is a side view of our GE Profile range:

Those handles stick out 2.1 inches.  The oven drawer and door slide out and can be removed without any tools.  The knobs stick out 1.0 inches but they easily slide off leaving shafts which don't protrude any more than the ridge below it.  This is a gas oven and range, but the female connector on the back doesn't extend beyond the chassis, so without a gas appliance line, the fore to aft distance without handles is 24.25 inches and 26.35 inches with the handles.  So this as large as can be standard size appliance (30 inch) would easily fit through your door—sideways.


Are prehung doors or door blanks easier to install for a beginner? From what I know, prehung doors are a huge pain to install correctly.  But, with door blanks, the hinges aren't routed out.  Which of these methods is best when it comes to interior doors:  using prehung doors or cutting out the hinge patterns on door blanks?

Are there any other ways to replace interior doors?

This would depend on the tools at hand.  If you have the proper chisels and jigs using a blank would be fairly easy, and you would not have to worry about squaring and plumbing the frame.

If you only have a 4' level, a hammer, and some shims hanging a pre-hung door would probably be your best bet.

A third option is if you could find a pre-hung where the hinges would line up with the existing frame, you could simply hang the pre-hung door in the old frame.  This option eliminates almost all the work.

In my opinion, if the existing frame is true I would rather use a blank.  Most pre-hung doors come with really cheap crappy frames (unless you pay extra for a good one), so any time I've used one I ended up building my own frame anyway.


Will cutting the fridge capillary pipe allow the gas to evacuate? I'm wanting to remove a compressor from a fridge, I need to release the gas(r600a - safe) first. Initially I thought you had to cut or pierce the copper piping attached to the compressor but I've watched a video where he cuts the capillary pipe.
Cutting the capillary would be easier and safer than the larger copper pipes.
Will this release all the gas?

The capillary is the small regulating tube if you cut it with side cutters it may partially seal keep this side of the system on the high side so you don’t loose all the oil.
If the cap tube is on the low side it will spray oil at what ever pressure It is charged to.
If it partially is sealed and a slow release this helps prevent the loss of the oil that a rapid release will pull the oil out.
If it seals because your cutters use pliers and squash the cut tube by crushing 90 degrees to the cut this usually opens the copper enough to vent.
What I mean by 90 degrees , from the cut turn the tube or rotate players 90 degrees and compress the smashed together part
use safety glasses as some times the oil vapor and oil come out at great force and have plenty of ventilation as mentioned on other posts.


How high to raise water heater above floor? I saw a water heater stand at Home Depot but it's about 15" high. That's a bit too high for my basement. Can I just make one with 2x4 and plywood that's only 4" tall, basically just enough to be able to drain water off the drain tray? Or does the code require it be higher?

Regardless of code, I like to get them off the floor just in case the basement floods. My preferred (and easily available anywhere) solution is a few solid concrete blocks; one under each foot. You can stack them if you want, too. This is an easy way to increase the height in 4" increments.

I don't suggest using lumber. If your floor is the least bit hygroscopic, it will rot from the underneath even if the tank never leaks.

16" x 8" x 4" Solid Concrete Block:

(source)


How to attach an appliance bracket to a stainless steel table? I need to attach this base plate to a stainless steel table in a commercial kitchen. It'd be attached to the top surface off to the side.

It's for a commercial size can-opener.

How do I go about that? Drill holes and then use bolts? Use some special type of screw? Do I need a special drill bit to create the holes?

The tables aren't a solid slab of steel...they're actually pretty thin on the surfaces.

I'm a woodworker...doing anything with steel is way out of my wheelhouse. :)

Here's a photo showing the item attached so you can see what I'm after.

That application obviously results in a lot of torsional stress on the part. You'll want to drill the top for bolts and nuts, as opposed to using sheet metal screws, which will eventually work loose.

I'd size them to the holes in the bracket plate. The type of bolt isn't really important, but you probably want something with a low head profile. It must be stainless, of course. Use lock washers under the nuts, or use flat washers and stop nuts (with nylon inserts).

You may also want to add a backer plate of heavier material to reduce flex in the table, depending on its thickness gauge. 1/4" aluminum bar between the nuts and the table would do well.

Drilling stainless can be challenging. Do a little reading on tools and technique.


Portable Air Conditioners: Is amperage a better measure of cooling power than BTUs? Many non-brand name portable air conditioners have a lower amperage rating but a higher BTU rating. This doesn't make sense, how could a non-brand name portable air conditioner output 50% more cooling power and use almost the same amount of power as a brand name model?

For example, a LG Model # LP0817WSR portable air conditioner has a BTU rating of 8,000 and pulls 9.2 amps. A Whynter Model # ARC-12S portable air conditioner has a BTU rating of 12,000 and pulls only 9.5 amps.

Is it common for manufacturers to overstate BTUs? Is going by amperage better than going by BTUs?

I currently have the LG model stated above and can get the bedroom down to about 68 F when the central air is set to 78 F on a 100 F day. Would the 12,000 be able to take it down to 61 F? The room is only 140 square feet and has 3 older windows.

Some manufacturers will use outputs based on what we used to call "lab standards", which meant that the figures could only be achieved in a perfect setting or perfectly controlled environment.  With these units the testing parameters were controlled perfectly to obtain numbers that were not attainable in normal operating environments. Others use average numbers. If the numbers look to good to be true they probably are. As fixer1234 stated the difference could be a higher efficiency model, but in that case the price difference would be much higher. Sometimes the numbers are just too good to be true.----  And as for being able to get the room to 61 degrees, it is impossible for me to say since at some point as the temperature goes lower the A/C unit will just ice up and stop performing. These units are not made to operate at that temperature.


How can I trim out the gap along a new exterior door with a smaller rough opening? I received a new prehung front entry door with right and left sidelights as a gift to replace my extremely aged and poorly installed current front door. The problem is that the new door width is approximately 4.5 inches too narrow to fit into current rough opening. (Actual door is still 36", but sidelights are both a tiny bit narrower, accounting for the size difference). Reframing rough opening can be done easily to account for the newer smaller door width. HOWEVER...

My concern and question to everyone deals with the outside and the siding not covering this new gap of 2.25 inches on each side due that I will create if I reframe a new rough opening to accommodate the narrower width of the new door. Current siding is very old, aluminum, and aged, so matching up siding would probably not be easy, ideal, or possible.

Does anyone have any clever ideas or thoughts on what I can do to accommodate this narrower door with a nice, successful looking door installation? Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post.

Thanks,
D

I agree with S Rura.  The only way to do this without messing with the siding is to install a nice trim or brickmold.  You will need to install a plywood filler to match the depth from your rough framing to the siding level.  Caulk all the seams. Then install some ripped(if necessary) brickmold or other flat trim like painted pine, MDF, or PVC. Then caulk the seams around the door and J-channel again.  It will look great. On the inside, just extend the drywall, tape and mud, then install the trim of your choice.


Will a cement mixer extend the working life of mortar? I'm going to do some brickwork on my own.  Last time it was quite the job to mix up mortar and get it laid before it started to go off (I know, working in pairs would be helpful!).  I know I can extend the working life of mortar a bit by making a looser slurry (at the expense of some strength), can I also keep my mortar workable for longer by continually agitating it in a cement mixer?  If so, how much longer is it likely to remain workable - just a couple of minutes, or indefinitely?

A mixer might help you mix smaller batches more quickly, so that you can easily adjust the size of a batch and keep up. But most mixers will make you think you should be making an even larger batch, and that's not a great plan.
It won't perform magic, and trying to extend the working time of cement products is heading down a road that is better left untravelled. Far better to sort whatever you need to sort to make small batches accurately and make more of them.
Without knowing what method you were using, you may be better served by a proper mortar hoe that has two big holes in the blade to promote mixing than a mixer, since your problem was having too much mortar mixed up to get through. A beneficial side effect of smaller batches is that they are easier to hand-mix.
I recall being instructed to make sure the mixing pan and tools were cleaned between each batch, to prevent the partially set earlier batch from speeding up the set of the next batch.
If you just want to extend the working life, then chilling everything (water, sand, cement) will slow the reaction somewhat. Chilling only one part (water being easiest) will slow it somewhat less, as the rest of the materials will bring the temperature back up, and the reaction itself is exothermic. But mixing only the right-sized batch for your rate of work is easier. I use a scale that reads in grams when I mix tile mortar and grout, working by myself on fussy small tiles. I can't possibly get through a whole bag at a time within the working time, and I don't even try. –


Need help choosing bookshelf thickness I have a recessed wall and want to build in some shelves. Went to the lumber yard today and got some 1"-thick  hard maple boards and asked them to mill them down to 5/8", which they are going to do tomorrow, and then mentioned it to my dad, who said I should go with at least 3/4", and I can still call and leave them a message and change the order or tell them to hold it. But I would really like them to be thinner.

The shelves are going to be 8" deep and 4' wide, and ideally should be supported only at the ends and not bend visibly under the weight of the books. If anyone can venture an educated guess how much they would bend at 5/8", 11/16" and 3/4", I would appreciate it.

I may have learned this in the strength of materials class, but I barely remember anything from it and it was not my favorite subject. Formally, I think, this would be called maximum deflection of beam with two supports. I can't find the formula online and seem to remember vaguely that the deflection is proportional to the beam thickness to the third power. Does that sound right?

It will depend on your book load, and whether your "hard maple" is really sugar maple or not.

There is, of course, an easy way to deal with the calculations these days. Do be sure to read all the "notes" below the calculator. Shelf thickness (or "depth" in beam speak) cubed is indeed the correct factor, and why even small changes in thickness make large differences in stiffness.

http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm

For lesser woods, 48" is a heck of a long unsupported span for a thin shelf. Actual sugar maple at 8 x 3/4" will do 50 lbs per foot within the "acceptable" range and typical book load is given as 20-40 lbs. Mind, that is based on the strength of "clear, straight grained samples" and "initial sag only." At 35 lbs/ft that shelf reaches the suggested target of 0.02 in/ft to allow for additional sag from sustained loading.

Silver maple is "borderline" at 40 lbs/ft. red, black, and bigleaf are "acceptable" at the same figure. All are somewhat less stiff than sugar maple.

IMPE you should be able to get 13/16" planed from 4/4 rough. If you want the appearance of a thinner shelf you can cut a long taper on the bottom front edge, which will reduce strength somewhat, but not as much as thinning the whole shelf width.

At a higher level of difficulty in the "absurdly thin non-sagging shelf" direction you can mount steel rods, say 16" in from the ends and drill holes in the shelf (the difficulty is in getting the wall-mounted rods and the holes in the shelf to agree) for "invisible supports."


How well will LED strips hold up in a kitchen? I am planning to install LED strip light in my parents kitchen. We have a chimney that is blocking out all the light over the stove top.

The things I am worried about is

Longevity of the lights. I don't visit them often and I want the lights to last long and not fail in a few months or weeks.
Resistance to oil and grime. and how easy it is to clean.
Heat and short circuit. I saw some of the post that said that the heat melted the wires and shorted. I know led's don't heat much. But I never used LED strip

Longevity: LED's are generally marketed between 50k-100k hours of burn-time. I installed them throughout my home 18 months ago; none of them have failed yet.

Grime Resistance: For a kitchen, buy waterproof strip lights like these - they'll hold up against steam. You can also fabricate an easy-to-clean cover using clear PVC and brackets

Heat: If the strips are installed correctly, each LED will be cool to the touch. Monitor the installation for excess heat and wire in a resistor if needed.


Split AC installation: Need for a Vacuum Pump & Nitrogen cylinder I bought a new Split AC (1 ton, LG made) and the company sent home a technician to install the unit. The guy arrived and took measurements and I quizzed  him a bit about his kit and strangely it doesn't seem to include either a vacuum pump nor a Nitrogen Cylinder.

From what little I know, I thought these two items are essential to commissioning the AC. Am I wrong in assuming this?

Or is there any reasonable way to connect the Indoor and Outdoor units and start things up using the refrigerant provided alone without using a vacuum pump (for evacuation) nor a N2 cylinder (for pressurized leak testing)?

He hasn't started the actual connections yet and I just wanted to be sure the guy knows what he is doing.

Don't let him install your unit.

Yes, you should pump the unit with dry nitrogen to check for leaks, then evacuate the system with a two stage pump.


How to install a wall-safe in a concrete wall? Our walls are made of poured concrete.

If I wanted to install a wall-safe, what would be the most efficient way to do that?

When I added a vent to the bathroom I simply drilled a lot of holes next to each other in a circular shape with a long drill-bit. That and a hammer and I was done.

But for the size of a wall-safe, that will take me many man-years to do.

What tools or techniques do I need?

I do not want outsiders to install the safe; security by obscurity is a safety feature I hope to gain.

The simplest and most efficient method is to add a new wall, and have the safe in place when you pour it.

Barring that, for a "really, I'm QUITE sure it's not structural" wall, rental or purchase of various destructive technologies will aid the process - diamond core drills can make large holes cleanly and quickly. Diamond saw blades can make grooves between holes (few will make it through the entire wall thickness, and those would be hard to manage anyway) or for a cruder approach various levels of jackhammer-related tooling (hammer-drills at the low end, actual jackhammers that are a bit much to manage on a wall at the high end) will bash out concrete and/or drill holes somewhat faster than regular drills but more crudely than core drills. Presumably you'll pour new concrete (or grout) around the safe when in place, so crude may not matter much, so long as you don't knock the whole wall down.


Hardwood floor to french door transition I am installing solid 3/4 inch hardwood flooring. How do I transition it to a french door. The height of the wood flooring and door threshold are the same, but there is no clearance for the door opening for any molding that would be above floor height.

I ran into the same thing. In some cases it looks OK for the wood to but up next to the threshold.  If the doors are metal, like exterior doors sometimes are, then they can't be cut. You have to remove the whole frame and raise them by adding a spacer underneath. I recommend pressure treated plywood. I have done one door and have 3 more to go. If they are wood and can be cut, the I would trim off the bottom of the doors to clear the floor plus a entry mat / rug.


How to improve the insulation seal on French Doors to stop drafts? I have a few french that go to the outside in my house.
They look like below, the right door swings out while the left door typically remains closed.

In the above photo, the area circled in red is shown in greater detail below - as seen when looking up. You can clearly see that the door does not make contact with the insulation at the top-left corner of the right door.

In dire-emergency during the wildfires, I covered all of the insulation seams with masking tape to prevent smoke from pouring in. This was effective but not a long term solution.
I've tried closing the left door to different degrees. Shoving it in as far as possible vs closing it only so it is as straight as possible in alignment to the door frame. Neither of these situations has helped.
I am looking for the most effective long-term solution to fixing the air gaps that still allow for opening and using the doors.

You found the weak link in weatherizing French doors. I've found that it's as much art as science. Where the two doors meet the jamb is often a problem.
In the pic it appaears that the weatherstrip above the right door is offset from the vertical strip on the left. Did you try simply repositioning the weatherstrip where you have the gap. Sometimes the weatherstripping has peel and stick adhesive on the back side. See if you can reinstall it to conform to the door and fill the gap.
If that doesn't work your local home store should have any number of pliable insulation strips that you can attach to the exizting strip in that corner. At worst, replace the entire weatherstrip - they're pliable and can be made to fit.


Grey water tank issues I just finished installing a new Grey Water Pit (4’deep, 4’wide & 32’long). 4” perforated PVC runs down the middle of pit to 8” off the bottom & tees out in both directions 16’. Then filled pit up with 15 yards of gravel to 10” from top. Then covered gravel with ( 2’x 8’x 1/8”) corrugated black plastic panels & a layer of 8 mill plastic to keep dirt from seeping down into gravel. Then covered to grade with dirt.
DID I MESS UP BY PUTTING PLASTIC ON TOP OF GRAVEL???
My neighbor says I should not have used plastic & just covered gravel with dirt so water would evaporate out the top. The pit ditch sides are pretty hard solid clay dug down to a sand layer at the very bottom of the pit, so probably not going to get water to soak into walls of pit, just the bottom at sand layer.
I live in the middle of Oklahoma panhandle & only get average of 17” of rain per year. The new G/W pit only gets the cloths washer & kitchen sink water to releave stress on my 20 year old septic tank.

Putting plastic on top when you cover with dirt will extend the life of the drain. This can be verified by looking at how to design a French drain--if you prevent the dirt from settling in the rock the drain will last much longer. Your gray water drain is a French drain.


Can I use a rheostat as a potentiometer? Is it possible to safely use a rheostat as a potentiometer to control an incandescent ceiling light? I have replaced a ceiling fan with a light fixture and would like to use the existing rheostat as a potentiometer.

Come on guys the answer is absolutly not! the way both reostats and potentiometers work is they absorb the heat not used on the load so you would be making a wall heater in your box,,, a modern dimmer uses SCR or TRIAC solid state devices that limit the amount of AC making it to the load. Dont use a standard Dimmer for floresent lamps unless the ballest are listed for this. most dimmable Floresent lamps require a special ballest and dimmer combination.
I thought I should specify, some old celing fans did use variable resistors to control the field winding (speed control) these can cause a fire if used as a dimmer, if the the device is a modern dimmer it would be ok to use it should have what it is made for listed on the body of the divice and how many watts it can handle.


Why don't (all) professional painters use paint sprayers? Every time that I have hired someone to paint the exterior of my house in the past, they've done it the slow, hard way: with brushes. They have all been professional painters with legitimate painting businesses, and they've done very nice jobs.

This year, because I have been feeling poor, I decided to buy a fairly nice $300 paint sprayer and try painting the house myself, instead of paying the professionals $10k to do it. When I used the sprayer for the first time the other day, I was amazed at how fast it went. I did about a fifth of the house in four hours (and it's a large, 4000-square foot, double-family house).

That left me wondering why professionals would ever not use sprayers. I know that sprayers waste a fair bit of paint, and that it can be harder to get an even finish when you're spraying. But the wasted paint seems worth it if you can do ten jobs in the time it would take to do one by brushing. And I assume that professionals would learn how to spray paint evenly.

I know some professionals use sprayers. But the guys I have hired don't, and again, they were very good, professional painters.

So can anyone enlighten me as to why you would not use a sprayer if it was your job to paint houses, and the amount of money you could make with a sprayer is much higher?

The paint needs to be of appropriate consistency. If the paint deviates too much it could clog the sprayer.
overspray (paint landing where you don't want it to) is a big issue, avoiding that means spending a lot of time masking stuff off and/or building a tent around what is being painted. Depending on the job this can take longer than breaking out your brushes/rollers and doing it the old fashioned way while only masking the edges.
Sprayers need an air compressor, which needs power and can be quite loud. You also need to run the hose from the compressor to the spray gun.
The amount of paint in the spray gun is limited and fairly likely not enough to last as long as a tray of paint or a small bucket that you can take up a ladder. Leading to more up and down movement making the tiring painter.
When people hire a professional painter they expect a minimal quality; uneven finish looks like very shoddy work and can lead to a lot of clients refusing to pay.


What are my options for hiding/removing service panels from the outside of a house? I'm trying to improve my curb appeal and I have several utility panels on the side of my house in full view, including cables running up and down the outside wall. Those were installed before I purchased the house. I can identify the electric, and the FIOS. I can see 2 other panels and I'm not 100% sure what they are.

(click for full size)

I would venture a guess that the grey box is an old telephone service? And I have no clue what the little black box is.

Now I would like to eliminate all I can. I use the electricity and FIOS. I don't need anything else. For telephone I exclusively use cell phones and FIOS includes phone service anyway. I don't see anybody going back to the old copper lines.

How can I get rid of this panel entirely, and also how can I get rid of the landline coming from the pole? Do I need to call the utility or can I ask an electrician?

Same question about the little black box, if someone can actually figure out what this is?

The small black box may be the exterior electronic reader end of your water meter.  Trace the wire into the house and if it connects to your water meter then you probably can't do much about that box.  You may be able to have it relocated by your water utility.

The center grey box appears to be for phone lines and the one on the right looks like cable TV.  It should be safe to open both boxes to verify the wiring.  You should see a "customer access" screw on the right side of each.  I wouldn't recommend removing ether of them unless you don't plan on selling any time soon.  A potential buyer may well want broad band internet (DSL or cable modem).  I know it would be a deal breaker for me not to have high speed. ;-)

You may have better luck hiding the boxes and lines by painting them to match the brick or with placement of plants or wall hangings.  Finally, you may also consider using some cable ties to clean up the clutter without actually removing anything.  Just bundle the wires together when they run parallel.  Be aware that this could cause interference in the data lines though.


Are fairy lights safe if you cut or break the wire? My string of fairy lights I have got old and somehow the wire at the end broke and fell off. The lights still work, but is it safe to use with that broken wire?

Your lights may be fine but the end needs to be taped for several reasons. First if 120v or higher an exposed wire could lead to a electrical shock or worse. Second the exposed ends could short together tripping the breaker and causing further damage to the conductors and or insulation. Third if the hot conductor contacts another electrical device that may damage that device and trip the breaker, so putting insulation in the form of tape or wire nuts on the ends will probably make it safe but without a picture it would be difficult to say more.


Which hammer drill should I buy? I'm looking to buy a cordless hammer drill. What should I buy? Note: It can be just a drill not a screwdriver too if that makes a difference.

Its purely for diy. No real budget in mind, more just looking to see what makes I should be considering.

Cordless

I re-read your question and saw it said cordless. I don't have a cordless but this website rated the Milwaukee 0824-24 V18 Lithium-Ion Hammer Drill Kit as the best. The Hitachi DV14DL 14.4-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Hammer Drill is another quality product available for about the same price as the Milwaukee drill.

Cord

I have this one and it works pretty well - Hitachi 5-Amp 5/8" Hammer Drill

Don't forget to buy a good hammer drill bit if you are doing true hammer drill work! Non-hammer drill bits will break. I suggest carbide tipped drill bits for this task. The smaller the drill bit though, the faster they break - carbide or not.


How to remove bad smell from rubbish chute? When opening the rubbish chute, there is always a disgusting smell. Is there any way to remove it such that when I open to throw my rubbish, I will not smell it?

To some degree, your garbage chute is always going to smell a bit like garbage.  There are however some things simple and complex you can do to reduce it.

First, you need to clean it and ensure that any stuck food/grime is dislodged.  Give it a hose-down (pressure washer if you can) and then disinfect/deodourize it.  If there is crap stuck in there, it doesn't matter what else you do, it will keep smelling.

Make sure that whatever you throw down it is in a sealed bag; do not throw loose scraps down.

If it doesn't already have one, a flap on the opening will help keep some of the smell down - usually you have to push you garbage through it and then it springs back closed.

If you can control it, empty the garbage bin at the bottom frequently so food does not sit down there rotting (and smelling for ages).

As a commenter mentioned, positive pressure in the room will keep the smell from leaking into the room.  Condo's use this mainly for fire prevention but it also helps keep smells at bay (or in the originating condo at least).  A fan alone will not create the pressure, you need to be bringing in outside air at a faster rate then it escapes so that there is always positive pressure.


What is required for seasonal maintenace of a heat pump? Over the years I've had several local HVAC companies provide seasonal maintenance of the heat pumps and propane furnace in my house.  It seems that every technician--even within the same company--does different things.  One tested a capacitor.  Another hosed out the compressors outside.  Some open the air handler up and vacuum it.  They all clean the burners, check/clean the filters, and make sure the condensation drain is clear.  What should they be doing each visit?

Your list is pretty good.  Check/clean flame, filters, condensation drain and coils.  I would also listen for abnormal noise and check both cooling and heating performance by measuring the indoor and outdoor temperature splits.  I would not go measuring capacitors unless I suspected a failure.