Gypsum and ........... Equals drywall mud? What can I add to gypsum to make drywall "mud"? I have a whole bag of gypsum for my garden, is that the same type to make "mud"? Also, is tape need to use mud? And what is the dry time on something like that? I'm looking to fix various nail holes before painting and this atrosity .

The compound is a complex combination often including water, limestone, expanded perlite, ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer, attapulgite, and other ingredients, this was from online ,  but it answers the question of what's it made of.


Can I use pressure treated lumber to build a wall? I have couple of 2X4 8' pressure treated lumbers left, Can I use them as King/Jack studs to support a 2"X 10" header in one of the load bearing wall in my basement ?
Thanks

Yes you can, but there are things you need to keep in mind. Pressure treated lumber requires hot dipped galvanized nails to fasten it in place. The treatment will rust regular nails to the point over time, they are worthless. So that being said, anything else you fasten to that material needs to be hot dipped galvanized or at least rated for use in ACQ/treated lumber.
As a mention, if you used them for the king studs and not the jack studs then the drywall or doors would have regular wood to fasten to. Just be certain to use the proper nails or fasteners to set it in place. No need to take chances


Why would brand new multimeter not work? Just bought a fresh southwire multimeter from Lowe's.

I feel dumb asking, but why would it not work?

I installed battery and have tried measuring different voltages, but get no readings. It does power on though, just constantly reads zero.

Also, I have everything plugged in correct. Black lead is in the com port and red lead is in the voltage port. Knob is turned to whatever is it I may be measuring, have tried 110V wall outlets and also known working batteries.

Often electronic device have a "data hold" featured to freeze the display, make sure that feature is turned off.


Has anyone ever used IdeaPaint? Someone sent me the link to IdeaPaint which appears to be a paint that turns any surface into a whiteboard. It looks pretty appealing, but I was wondering:

Whether anyone here has ever used it and if so whether they are happy with it?
What if I want my wall to be a magnetic whiteboard? What might I do to
the wall (and how) before applying
the whiteboard paint, to make
magnets stick to it?

I'm not familiar with this product, but it seem like the thing that you're looking for...


How much power can a house with 3 x 25amps electricity supply? Please excuse the poorly phrased header - I am (hopefully not for long thanks to you) electrically dumb.

I'm looking at moving to a house in the countryside to live a more DIY lifestyle. Unfortunately, I don't speak the language of the landlord, and I'm going on information my Wife has shared with me.

She told me that the owner said the property has '3 x 25amp' power supply. The house is connected to the electrical grid. So, what does this mean - 3 x 25amp? What sort of power can I expect from this? Will it run a decent size fridge, plus computers, plus lights and kitchen appliances all at the same time? Or will I need to be balancing the load a bit carefully?

Is there more questions I need to ask the owner in order to make any intelligent decision on this matter? Like how many watts that is?

Note: this is in Europe, where the power is usually 220/240v.

230 Volts AC RMS x 3 x 25 Amps = 17.25 kilowatts power.

Your appliances are rated in Watts, add them up and see if the total is more than 17,250.

In most cases the rating is a peak rating (e.g. at start-up after a rural power-cut), the average will be less.


How do I open the back of a gustavsberg toilet? Our toilet is flushing every 20 minutes, and it's visibly leaking into the pot. We live in Iceland, water is cheap here, but it's really annoying. Problem is, I can't seem to open it and it's plastic so I'm afraid to apply pressure.

It's similar to this one.

Guestavsberg has product manuals available on their website:

http://www.gustavsberg.com/28081.asp

Find the page for the specific toilet, then from the product's page, go to 'downloads' and look for the link labeled 'assembly', which also includes information about servicing it.

It looks like some of them have two bolts connecting in from underneath and then you can slip the whole cover off; others have round thing on the top that you press down then give a quarter turn and pull up.


Trouble with solid state relay I have a fotek SSR-25 relay I want to use to control a light (just a 120V led bulb).

The wire connected to the #1 contact is 120vac.  I have nothing connected to the load side (#2).  The inputs are driven by a proximity sensor:

Edit: after trying the relay manually by connecting the load and then touching the 12V input to the contacts, I was able to determine that the relay does, in fact, work.

Which is powered by a transformer at 12vdc:

The sensor can be activated by a hand coming within 0.75".

Please disregard the sloppiness of the wiring, as this is just in an experimental state.  Once I get it working, I will button everything up properly.

I have two problems.

The relay has 120 vac across both contacts, regardless of what voltage is being applied to the inputs. (Edit: this isn't actually a problem)
The proximity sensor seems to work fine I free space, but wood appears to trigger it (???) which makes it inoperable when mounted as shown in the picture.

Edit: I still haven't quite solved the problem of getting the sensor working while next to materials, but I'm punting on that for now.  What seems to be preventing the sensor from activating the relay is that the relay contacts only show a voltage difference of ~20mV, which isn't anywhere near large enough.  I don't understand why it's doing that, though.  Here's the wiring diagram and ratings:

This diagram (which is pretty much all the specs offered by Anigmo) seems to indicate that the voltage across t he relay contacts should be as high as 48VDC, but it's orders of magnitude lower than that.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong, or how better to diagnose the problems?

It's a Solid State Relay - put an actual load (the light, or some other light, etc.) on it to test function - a voltmeter drawing no current may well give misleading readings (with a load present the voltmeter should give an accurate reading.)

For the sake of testing, use a 9V battery if the operation of the sensor is questionable. With battery connected, the load should be on, with battery disconnected, load should be off.

For the sensor, you will either need to drill a hole or mount it differently so that it can work, or change to a different type of sensor. If the sensor is "aways on" and it's connected, then the relay will be always on as well, so that may be the other answer to question #1.

Edit - regarding sensor.

You need to PROVIDE some Voltage for the (sensor's) relay to switch. The Sensor output is a "dry relay contact" - it's a switch, that's all. The sensor does not apply any power to it.

The SSR's input is looking for 3-32V dc.

You need to connect some source of 3-32V DC to the sensor so that when the sensor closes its output, the voltage is applied to the SSR's input. The 48V is a maximum rating on the sensor's switch, but the 32V rating on the SSRs input rules this one.

IF and ONLY IF you are feeding the sensor DC (it appears to take AC or DC) you could connect from the - power for the sensor to the #4 - terminal of the SSR, and connect from the + power for the sensor to one yellow wire on the sensor, and connect the other yellow wire on the sensor to the #3 + terminal on the SSR. Though I have to say at this point this is also verging into "you appear to be wiring things up that you don't quite understand, and you can get hurt doing that" territory. The SSR input is DC only - if you are feeding the sensor AC, you need a different source of DC, connected the same way (- to -, + to relay, relay to +)


Why should I replace the starter every time I replace a fluorescent tube? Many fluorescent tube guides recommend replacing the bimetallic strip starter every time the tube is replaced; however, no one seems to provide a specific reason why it needs replacing. Presumably you could keep using the starter and only replace it when it no longer lights the tube – but perhaps there's a good reason why you shouldn't use an old starter with a new tube?

I'm specifically asking about home use where I can immediately stop using the light when it fails. In locations like shops and warehouses where a failed light may not be immediately noticed or fixed, a short-circuited starter would deteriorate the tube filaments and could even be a fire hazard, so preventive replacement may be warranted.

Modern electronic ballast technology (T8, T5) doesn't use starters. I associate starters with old, inefficient magnetic ballast installations. I haven't had to replace a starter in years because they have not been used in any of the newer buildings I've worked in.

My preference would be to convert any T12 installation with magnetic ballast and starter to T8 tubes with electronic ballast. The tubes run brighter and consume less energy, and since the ballasts use far less copper, they can be obtained in the $10-18 range.

Flickering lamps on magnetic ballasts can overheat the ballast, so it's pretty cheap insurance to replace the starter and both lamps so you don't burn out a heavy copper-wound magnetic ballast which in the day was quite expensive to replace.

Another reason is that failing starters can cause premature tube failure which kind of negates the reason for replacing the tubes. Filaments in the ends of the tubes stay on too long causing excess sputtering which turns the tube end black from the metal deposit and early filament burnout causing the tube to not light. Starters have two failure modes, the bimetal gets weak and delays opening keeping the filaments on too long, the contacts burn and the filaments don't light up during the starting phase.


Sound proofing bedroom doors, what to do about air flow? We recently replaced all the carpet in our home with hard floors, dramatically increasing the amount of noise transmission between bedrooms and the hallway. I've been researching the best ways to sound proof the doors, and I would like to seal the entire door, including the undercut at the bottom.

Regardless of what I end up using, I'm concerned this will impact the return air flow coming out of my bedrooms, as there is no other return. Is there a typical method for making up for this, while still also keeping sound transmission low? I've seen the return grills that attach to the door, but these aren't very aesthetically pleasing, plus I figured they would probably nullify the sound proofing I just performed. Is there another, not overly complicated way to have return air flow, maybe a vent above the top of the door?

Anytime you replace a soft flooring (carpet) with a hard flooring (hardwood) you get a noisy footstep. Isolating and soundproofing the bedrooms from the hallway is nearly impossible. If you have an older house, with supply and return ducting in that room, you can replace the doors with solid core doors and a reduced bottom undercut to help reduce the noise transmission. With a newer home that only has a central return duct, usually in a hallway, you can not reduce the doors undercut since this the return air from the room. The central return allows a HVAC company to save a few bucks at the home owners expense. To me, this is a crappy and cheap job. I got into the HVAC business in the late 1960's and this type of installation was unheard of. Today, almost every contractor is doing it. 20+ years ago, when I built this house all the contractors that wanted to install a central return were given their walking papers. I searched until found a contractor that would install an older type duct system. I do not know what you can do at the bedroom locations except recommend walking in your socks and leave slippers and shoes for the other areas. You could insulate the bedroom walls and install solid cor doors to reduce some of the noise but the solid surfaces are still going to be noisy.  my 2 cents


I Did Something Really Dumb With My Oven, Suggestions? - KitchenAid kebs107sss00 Woes I am renovating my kitchen and installed a perfectly working used KitchenAid kebs107sss00 oven along with a new cooktop.
Tonight when the wife went to use the induction cooktop she was getting an error due to low voltage.
The cooktop has a green, black, and white wire and is 240v.
I immediately realized I connected the white to the neutral and thus was only getting 110v to the cooktop.
I switched off the breaker and connected the wires correctly, or so I thought, as I was not focusing and chatting to my wife and ended up connecting the neutral wire from the oven to to red 110V wire from the oven and wall thinking that wire was the cooktop wire!!
I went and flipped the breaker and heard a weird clicking noise from the oven followed by an ozone like smell and I turned the breaker off ASAP (the clicking must have been the transformer flipping the locking self cleaning mechanism).
The oven door is now locked and nothing is working :(
I reconnected the wires correctly but I fear the worst.
Any suggestions?
The thermal breaker inside the oven is OK, I am getting continuity so I am not sure if I fried the front panel or what I could have done on such a STUPID rookie move I would normally not make.
I can see no damage to any caps or resistors or anything on the main board or front panel board FYI, nothing is burnt or black.
Appreciate the help!

To unlock the oven door, fashion a hook out of coat hanger wire. While putting moderate opening pressure on the door handle, disengage the latch by pulling it to the side with the hook.


How should I remove the knockout for the drain in a recessed laundry box? I am trying to set up my new washer and dryer but I am stuck. Can anyone tell me how to remove the knockout from an Oatey box?

As far as I recall (been a while - I used one of these boxes once and thought it was a cheesy product I'd never buy again) you either cut with a utility knife or smack with a hammer to break the plug free (hoping there's actually a drain pipe & trap properly installed, if you didn't install this yourself.)


How do I install this flush-mount ceiling light? I bought a new flush-mount ceiling light and am having a tough time figuring out how to get it installed. The instructions that came with it are completely useless.

Here are all of the pieces that came with it (except for the glass dome).

And here is what remains of the existing light fixture where I will be installing the light:

I know how to connect all of the wiring, but can't for the life of me figure out the easiest way to mount the fixture to the ceiling.  Can I use the existing bracket that is currently installed, or am I going to have to use the new bracket that came with this fixture? Either way, can someone help walk me through what screws should go where?

First measure this distance on the light base:

Then check this distance on the existing bracket. (These should be the threaded holes in the bracket).

If those two dimensions match then use the screws B to mount the base to the existing bracket into the threaded holes. You should be able to start the screws into the bracket and then slide the light base over the screw heads in the larger part of the keyhole slots in the base. Then turn the base so the narrow part of the slot goes under the screw heads and tighten the screws till the base is secure against the ceiling.

If the existing bracket does not match then do a sanity check of the new bracket of the measurement between two of its matching pairs of threaded holes as for example:

When you find a pair of threaded holes in the new bracket that match the hole spacing in the light base mark the pair that will be used. Remove the old bracket by removing the two screws as noted here:

Install the new bracket in similar position as the old bracket using the existing screws through the slotted holes of the bracket. Center the new bracket over the box. If it is longer the ends of the new bracket may ride out over the box and rest on the drywall surface. Secure the bracket into place. Then start the screws B into the marked holes. Then, as noted before, slide the light base over the screw heads in the larger part of the keyhole slots in the base. Then turn the base slightly so the narrow part of the slot goes under the screw heads and tighten the screws till the base is secure against the ceiling.


Why can the connections of a recessed light be buried in drywall, but not junction boxes? I'm redoing lights in our kitchen and have to splice some lines. I have read numerous threads that all say you cannot bury the junction box in the drywall, it has to be accessible.
The recessed lights I'm putting in all have a junction box attached to them, and will end up 'buried' behind drywall so only the opening for the light is exposed.
Here is a picture of the recessed housing.

Once drywall is installed, the connections for the light will be inaccessible, much in the way a junction box with splices in it would be hidden behind drywall. Why is this considered acceptable when a box with splices in it is not acceptable to be buried behind the drywall?

The only thing I can think of is that you would be certain where the junction was. If ability to locate the box is the only reason it's ok, what if I as the owner retain information about where the buried box is?
I realize some day we may sell the house, or I might die and the house will go to someone else who doesn't know the boxes location... is that the only concern?

If you search this on the internet you will find the fixture can be disassembled and the j-box can be accessed through the hole that the fixture is in. Therefore the joints are still accessible. Like here.

If you bury a box under drywall it does not meet the definition of accessible according the Code since you would have to remove a portion of the building to access it.


Ventilating a cat box through the dryer exhaust duct I have a small closet that doubles as a laundry room, with a stacked washer and dryer. It's also where I keep my cat's litter box.
It occurred to me that I could probably reduce the odor of the litter box by ventilating the litter box out through the dryer's exhaust duct.
I envision something like this, with an inline exhaust fan forcing air out of the house:

However, I want to avoid pumping the fouled air into the dryer (now that I realize it's been drawing in this air the whole time). Is there a best place to install the tee fitting / fan to avoid this? Would I need to run two exhaust fans?
Cat tax.

Sharing ducts in that way usually isn't allowed by code for health, comfort, energy efficiency, and fire reasons, among others. It's not a good idea, as you won't balance venting force without a diverter of some sort, and that means you have to constantly be switching it back and forth for the current need. You're almost guaranteed to forget at times, which creates fairly obvious problems.
Run a second duct along the first. Install a new vent outside with an operational backflow/draft preventer flap.


How to reduce noise from my refrigerator? I live in a studio appartment and there is a fridge in my room which makes sleeping difficult. Is there a way to reduce the noise it makes? Is it maybe possible to cover it with noise insulant without keeping the waste heat inside?

Update:

Thanks for your tips and hints. I just moved the refrigerator from the kitchen behind a little wall:

I’m wondering if I could cover this alcove with a heavy curtain (maybe using polyester fiber as HerrBag suggested). Do you think the air volume (~ 0.7 m x 1.7 m x 2.3 m) and the walls would suffice to absorb the heat (and noise) of the refrigerator?

Most refrigerator alcoves are mini reverberation chambers, having hard sides.  You may be able to place acoustic foam behind the refrigerator to absorb the sounds.

If you're handy sewing, you could copy this design for a sound reduction blanket using polyester fiber fill used for coats.  As a trial, just loop a couple of layers of the batting off a couple eye hooks and leave space for air circulation.  You may have to use some twine to  belt it down flat.  If it works, enclose in a cotton sack stitched down like a quilt.

To be clear, I'm only suggesting a flat wall hanging, nothing to trap heat.


How can I stop high water pressure from causing leaks at the connection to my washer? First of all, I've tried searching the questions for this but I haven't found anything that matches, but if this is a duplicate, my apologies in advance.

I've just moved into an apartment, and in contrast to the abysmal water pressure in my previous house (seriously, the upstairs shower takes about 4-5 hours to fill a bucket), this place has pressure that is too HIGH. This is normally not a cause for complaint, but my washing machine is having an issue.

Specifically, the connection between the machine's inlet valve and the main pipe in the wall. I'm trying to turn the tap to the optimum level, but it's either too low (the machine takes forever to fill) or too high (the pipe bursts open). I've replaced the pipe clip on both connections, and even reinforced it with a second pipe clip. The pipe holds together, but there are leaks springing around the clip.

I'm not a DIY expert, so what I really want to ask is if there is a solution to this, like a clip or pipe specifically to withstand high pressures. I'll be hitting the DIY stores again tomorrow and also asking my plumber about it, but I thought I'd post the question here as well, to pick your collective brains :)

The usual remedy is to install a water-pressure regulator (aka. water-pressure–reducing valve) where the water line enters the building:

They cost about $70, and the plumber should be able to install it in less than an hour. But since you live in an apartment, this is probably something the landlord or condo management company would have to arrange.

There are also screw-in pressure regulators, commonly used with recreational vehicles:

Although I don't have any experience with them, it would probably work to use one with your washing machine. They are only ~$10, and installing it is something you can do yourself, even in an apartment.


Can the water supply pass through a water heater before the expansion tank? I can't find anything on the piping placement of an expansion tank relative to the water heater.  All the pictures I find shows the intake from the wall to the expansion tank and then to the WH.  The physical layout of my WH and source piping makes that difficult.  Is it OK for the intake to go to the WH first and then keep going and terminate at the expansion tank.
.

It doesn't need to be anywhere near the water heater.
It can be placed anywhere (that's not blocked by a check valve or the like from the cold water inlet of the water heater) in the cold water supply. The pressure is equalized throughout the pipes. Folks with a pressure tank for a well system don't need an expansion tank for the water heater because the well pressure tank already is serving that function as well (unless you slip a check valve in between the two for some reason, which is arguably not going to be a good reason.)
While it is common to put one intended for hot water expansion near the water heater, there's no logical reason to follow that practice, other than putting it on the same shutoff valve.
A possible detriment to your proposed location is that the tank forms a "dead end" - while this is very common setup that looks the same with a well pressure tank, a well pressure tank is the furthest thing from a dead end, as water is cycled through it continuously as the house uses water and the pump supplies water. With an expansion tank for hot water, the movement in and out of the tank is going to be slow and small, so the water out at the end of that pipe may be sitting there moving back and forth slightly for a very long time. Thus, a location where the cold water flow is past the tank opening may be better for the quality of water in your system.


How far is it recommended for pipework to be from electrical sockets and switches? I need to know when radiator pipes are buried into wall,how far are legal requirements stating pipes need to be from electrical sockets and switches? also what is the minimal depth  an internal building block or brick wall that is dividing a living room and a wet room has to be be if chasing in pipework for a radiator.

There are no residential codes around pipework and electric distance other than they cannot support each other (touch).  Electric live wires are enclosed.  Pipework is enclosed.  They can be basically as close as you want them to be without them touching.


Dull Chime on doorbell I have a doorbell chime that seems to be too low and dull to be heard with the chime cover on the unit. I have tested the transformer and it is putting out 18 V at the transformer, chime wire side. Testing the chime wiring at the wall chime, the voltage drops to 13 V, which operates the electromagnet but puts out a dull thud, which is barely audible with unit cover on. Already replaced the button at the door. Wiring looks to be in good condition. Only thing I can come up with is the unit electromagnet mechanism is deficient. Unit plungers and unit itself clean of debris. Any Suggestions or ideas appreciated.

To ensure there's no problem with the wiring to the button or the button itself, try powering the bell directly. The wiring now should have one transformer wire connected directly to the bell and the other transformer wire going off to the button. Take that second transformer wire and touch it to the second terminal on the bell; the bell should ring.
Not only will this help to rule out the possibility of a problem in half of the circuit, it will also give you an opportunity to see the bell in action and observe whether it might have a problem.


How to cover the metal showing in recessed lighting? I have just installed new recessed lighting in my basement with exposed ceiling. That was the easy part. I happen to have a lot of traditional styled LED light-bulbs that I'd like to put in them. My problem is using these light bulbs, you can see bare metal when standing underneath them. Is there a good product or technique to cover the metal and make it look more finished?

You could cover the bare metal with paint. If you paint it the same color as the baffle (white), it should be less noticeable.


What should I do about soaked particle board under my kitchen sink? I recently discovered I have a leaky garbage disposal (that i have yet to fix). I think it had been leaking for a while, and it has caused the particle board beneath the kitchen sink to sag. I have been catching the drip for a few days now, but it doesn't seem to be drying, and it still feels damp. It's starting to smell a bit like mildew too.

The question is two fold:

Do I need to replace the particle board? It's a corner sink, and I don't think I could replace it without taking the cabinet face off.
If I don't replace the particle board, what's the best way to dry that space and remove the smell.

Remove cabinet door.
Fix leak.
Remove particle board and put a box fan blowing into the cabinet for at least 24 hours. Treat the floor under there with a mold killing cleaning spray. Put the fan back while you cut the new bottom. I would do it piecemeal before removing the face of the cabinet. Which you may have to because removing the face of a corner cabinet will only give you another 2 inches or so. You would have to pull the counter top and remove the top of the cab to get a full piece in there. You may need a support under the planks in the middle somewhere but it beats destroying your kitchen.


Change half switched outlet In my house I have various rooms where the builder installed a light switch which only activates (1) half/switched outlet.  The problem is, the outlet they chose in most instances was stupid / non-ideal.  I've done some electrical work (installed dimmer switches, timers for porch lights, etc), but by no means do I know how things are wired off the top of my head.  Is it possible for me to change which outlets are turned on by the switch? Are all outlets potential or did they just run the circuit from the switch to that one outlet? What do I need to look for?

It would be easy to change the half switched outlet to always on (by replacing it), but not trivial to make the switch control a different outlet. There is a dedicated wire running from the switch to the top half of your outlet (see red wire below). To control a different outlet, you'd need to run that wire to it.


Furnace won’t stay running and when the blower motor runs it sounds like it is sucking up water Part red arrow is pointing to keeps filling up with water and when the motor/fan (blue arrow) runs it sounds like it sucks up water and then furnace stops heating.

Your furnace drain is clogged

No, seriously.  From the appearance of this furnace, it is a condensing (aka "high efficiency") type furnace.  In a non-condensing ("medium efficiency") furnace, the water produced by combustion goes out the flue as vapor along with all the other things that you don't want in your house.  However, condensing furnaces extract enough heat from the burner exhaust gases that the water in them largely condenses out as liquid, which is drained to the sewer system, while the rest of the gases go on their way out the vent pipe.

As a result, a condensing furnace like yours needs to have a free-flowing drain to function.  If the drain is clogged, condensate backs up and into the furnace as you are observing, causing it to shutdown for one reason or another.  Fixing the clogged drain with a thin plumber's snake or compressed air (not Draino, as you don't want drain cleaner getting on furnace parts) should get the furnace going for the moment, but you'll want to have a technician examine your furnace closely at the first opportunity to make sure that condensate hasn't gotten places it shouldn't have (such as into the electrical workings or the gas system).

The owner's manual recommends inspecting & cleaning the condensate line semi-annually.


What are the metal parts which are placed against circuit breaker switches used for? What are the metal parts which are placed against circuit breaker switches used for? These look like hooks and the flat part are placed against the switch as if to block it from being flipped. In the photo these are used in the second and third rows of switches. According to the diagram (not shown), the switches are connected to high power appliances like the heater, dryer and stove.

Those are breaker locks. You can hold the breaker in the on position or raise the bar and shut it off holding them in the off position. I can't tell if they are lockable to qualify as a legal lockout device for "maintenance disconnect" purposes.

YES, the breaker WILL still trip even with the lock in place. Trip mechanisms are internal and will work without the handle moving. As soon as the lock is moved the handle would pop into the middle position.

These are used for circuits that people should not be messing with, like alarms, smoke detectors, furnaces, emergency lighting, computers, etc.


Kenmore 96573230 Dryer Heating Element Too Hot? (420° F) Is it normal for the heating element metal cover to reach 420°F?
http://i.imgur.com/tbi7HgR.png

I just replaced the upper thermal cut-off fuse and it blew within minutes. The cover location of the cut-off fuse doesn't reach 420°F... closer to 200°F.

After further testing... seems like partially obstructed vent was the issue. I replaced the vent exhaust and the dryer is now operating correctly.


Could space above a drop ceiling and below sound absorbing insulation increase echo in room? Our builder has asked whether we have any objection to his laying sound insulation on top of the suspended ceiling he's going to install, rather than attaching it to the actual ceiling above. He advises that doing otherwise will increase room echo, a very important consideration for what will be classrooms without any soft furnishings etc.

The builder is reputable and we have no reason to doubt him but this seems to me perhaps the echo issue is a lie. I realise this would also make difficult access to the space above the drop ceiling.

The level of echo is based on the material of the suspended ceiling itself, not what's behind it. The sound insulation between the floor and ceiling will only reduce the sound travelling between the classroom and the level above. To cut down on the echo within the room, focus on sound absorbing material on the ceiling and walls of the classroom. Soft materials like fabric and carpet are best for this job.

Edit: To better answer your question, the only reason I can think of for laying the insulation is that you have no attachment points where the insulation would have less of an effect. Also, many builders put insulation between the joists, and the joists themselves transmit and possibly reflect some sound. But your concern about limiting access above the ceiling is valid. Also, many workers are unlikely to return the insulation to its proper location after moving it to do some work above the ceiling. Some light fixtures may generate excessive heat if insulation is laid directly on top. And finally, the added weight may not be good for the suspended ceiling, possibly causing the tiles to warp or other kinds of failure. For the ease of maintenance alone, I'd go for the insulation attached to the floor above.


What are these thin boards resting on interior wall top plate for? I am trying to figure out what these two thin (1x4?) boards being used for in my attic. As you can see in the second picture, they are running parallel to the roof trusses, and on top of the interior wall I am planning on taking out. My first thought is that they are being used to support the ceiling drywall together where two pieces join? If so, what will happen if I remove the interior wall that is supporting these two boards. What can I do to prevent the drywall from falling?

These two boards run the entire length of the top plate, parallel to the wall and roof trusses.

You're correct. They're just drywall backing where the span from the adjacent truss is too great to let it float.

The drywall will not fall. You can remove the backing and the wall. When you complete your re-framing you'll need to add backing back in where appropriate.

If you're simply removing that wall, do the demolition, then float boards on each edge of the drywall (half inch plywood or one-by lumber work well), screw them in place through the drywall, then add your 3-1/2" drywall filler strip.


Painting rusty metal This is about 8" of metal crown molding that got rusty because water penetrated to it. I fixed the roof leak and am now repairing the inside. What can I do to prime this rusty peace of metal (maybe remove the rust?) so that it gets painted over, preferably with no or little recognition?

There are rusty metal primers available that will keep the rust from being any kind of problem. It is available in spray and brush on. Typically you will need to wire brush off any loose rust/material and paint it with that primer. After it dries the recommended time, it can be painted over with your color matched finish paint.


Drywall screws visible We have noticed in our new home (which was renovated quite poorly by the previous owner), that the drywall screws are visible. We can visibly see where every stud is.

Does this simply require sanding and painting? Or did they not drill them in enough?

It appears that the screws are screwed in far enough but the contractor did a poor job of taping and mudding.


How do I remove this sliding drawer in my kitchen? OK, so I for the life of me can not figure out how to take these drawers off of their slides.  The ones I have used in the past have had obvious tabs to push in, or you just had to lift the drawer up or down in the extended position to have them disengage from the slide.

If anyone has used the specific kinds before or if you have not and think I have just lost my marbles please let me know :)

This type of slide decouples simply by giving the drawer a good tug in the straightout direction. It is advised to start the tug when the drawer is fully extended and then apply a steady but very firm pull.

When it comes time to reinstall the drawer you reach into the drawer opening and then pull the bearing carrier tray fully out up to the face frame. Then you carefully re-inseret the drawer with the tracks lined up. The tapered nose on the track at the back end of the drawer will engage with the bearing carrier and then you just push the drawer in. It will roll in easily until just before it becomes fully seated against the face frame. At this point you apply firm steady pressure on the drawer to push it fully in. The pressure applied in this latter step will be similar to the tug that you had to apply upon removal of the drawer.


How to isolate a baseboard heater circuit, drain, purge? I am renovating a kitchen and in the process have a need to remove a baseboard heater from a wall that will now occupy cabinets. The removal is straightforward and will take 10 minutes tops. However I of course will need to drain the line of water prior to doing so. Being from Texas, baseboard heating is new to me. I believe I have the overall concept but want to be sure so that I do not damage my system or cause future problems or hazards.

The first image is a part of the overall system. I have circled what I believe are the main components I need to worry about. Correct me if I am wrong at any point.

In pink is the power shut of for the furnace. I would need to shut this off prior to starting any work?

In green is the supply lines to the heating system (details below).

Yellow are control valves that send the water to each circuit (details below).

Blue are the return lines of each circuit (details below).

I believe that circuits 1 & 2 are fed from the supply line on the left and are controlled by the valve. The spigot allows to drain/purge the circuits.
Same with circuits 3 & 4 being fed by the supply line in the middle which are also controlled with the vale and spigot.

In theory, if the unit I need to remove is on circuit 3, I'd close the valve for 3 & 4 to stop the water flow. I'd also attach a hose and bucket to that spigot to drain those lines correct? (See pink highlight).

The two main lines marked 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 in the previous image split off to individual circuits that I believe are controlled by these valves which are controlled by thermostats in the house, correct? And each of these lines go wherever they go throughout the home hitting their respective units along the way. In my example, #3 is the line my unit I need to remove is on.

After winding their way through the home all four circuits join back up and return to the boiler for reheating. Shortly after all 4 merge there is a valve that seals off water from flowing backwards into the circuits (if that's even possible?). I'm assuming that closing this valve in conjunction with the 3 & 4 valve previously mention would allow me to drain the circuit enough to do the plumbing needed. (see valve in pink below.)

Is there anything I am missing or am I completely off base here?

I am also assuming that doing this procedure introduces air into the system that would need purging.

The steps for purging would be similar I believe except I would have to have the power to the boiler on and have each thermostat running as I purge the air from each circuit?

All advise is greatly appreciated!

You are on the right track. Assuming you want to work on a single zone, you will need to:

Shut off your boiler using the switch (potentially you could disconnect just one zone and leave your boiler running for the sake of other zones, but in general it's simpler to just turn off the system unless you're doing extensive work during the winter).
Disconnect that zone by closing valves on both the supply and return ends of the zone's loop. It looks like you have valves on each of the zone supply lines, but only one valve on your return, after the zones are joined - the pink circle in your last pic. So you may end up draining a bit of water from other zones. Note that if you didn't have valves on both ends, you could also drain your entire system. To do that you'd want to also shut off the cold water supply into your boiler, which is always there to allow the system to fill and respond to evaporation/leaks.
Prepare to drain by attaching a hose/bucket to your chosen zone's drain valve/spigot. Open the drainage valve. You'll get some water out at this point, but it will be limited because there is no other opening to allow air in.
To facilitate draining in the areas you'll be working, open bleed valves on your radiators upstairs. The bleed valve is a smaller valve designed to let you release air from your pipes so that the there is no air in the pipes along with the water. In this case you're going to use it to allow air in instead, so that the water can drain down into your bucket instead of spilling all over your floor when you cut a pipe upstairs.
Make your changes upstairs. Note that if you change the layout significantly you may need to add bleed valves to facilitate purging air in the future.
Close all your bleed valves. Close drainage valves and remove hose/bucket.
Reopen all the valves you used to disconnect your chosen zone. That zone will now be filled/under pressure, but with a significant amount of air in the pipes so it won't yet be ready to run.
Bleed the air from the system. Note that you may need to bleed radiators in other zones as well, because it does not appear you can fully isolate the chosen zone on both the supply and return ends. When bleeding the radiators, open a valve to release air and close it when it stops sputtering. Use a cup and rag to avoid spraying water everywhere. :)
Check again for leaks. :)
Turn the system back on and test it out!

Good luck with your project!


Hampton Bay fan missing remote, replace with pull chain? Moved into a new place and my master bedroom has a fairly nice Hampton Bay fan. However, the previous tenants "lost" the remote for it. The walls are plaster so the landlord opted against running a switch on the wall, so for the time being I am without a ceiling fan.

I'd like to replace the remote assembly with a pull chain, as I've heard no good things about ceiling fan remotes.

Is this feasible or do I need to go buy a replacement remote?

Edit: this fan is a real POS. No chains, no reverse switch, no remote receiver in any serviceable area. I found a replacement remote at Home Depot and attempted to replace it. First I tried using the factory defaults and hurray the fan turned on...just in reverse...and slow. I'm not sure what exactly to do with this fan besides ask my landlord to throw it out. Ideas?

Edit 2: updated my answer, the light housing had fubar'd electronics. Replaced those and it is golden.

As far as I can find, having taken the fan down, there is no way to add a pull chain to this fan. There is also no remote receiver in any user serviceable area of the fan. The light housing connects to the fan body via a six pin Molex connector and contains a wattage limiter of some kind (per the Hampton Bay specs for similar fans).

I am unable to buy a replacement remote with a reverse button, nor have I been able to get the fan to reverse or speed up. The Home Depot staff were also unsure how to fix the problem, and the service personnel at the 1-800 number included with the fan remote were also unsure how to fix the problem.

The fan appears to be worth at most $70, so I am just going to replace it in its entirety. Lesson learned: avoid Hampton Bay remote controlled fans.

Edit: A look inside showed that the light housing was fubar (partially melted, probably killed the receiver). I replaced it with an aftermarket kit and voila:


Will replacing windows significantly reduce solar heat gain in summer? A friend of mine is remodeling his 1980s house and was asking advice about keeping it cooler in the summer.   The house currently has the original double pane windows, many of which have "popped" and are clouded. The house is east facing and gets tons of morning and early afternoon sun. It gets really hot during the day in the summer.   It doesn't currently have any A/C. It's heating system is a wood stove and old fashioned baseboard heat.   He's thinking about a mini-split system for heating and cooling, but I'm worried that it will be expensive to run the A/C unless he deals with the solar radiation heating the house.
One thing I suggested was to close off some of the upper windows in the prow, insulate and drywall over the openings. That would change the look, but might help control the solar radiation.
Another consideration is how much additional insulation could be expected with replacing the windows? How much difference could that make?  Again, they are double pane, but now about 35 years old.

Different types of solar coatings (and where they are installed on the glass panes) can make a significant difference in the amount of solar gain.
There are various types of solar coatings and each serves a separate purpose. However, they all allow vision out the glass.
You indicate some of the double pane windows have failed. I’d take this opportunity to replace the glazing units with special solar coating. Here’s an article that explains the various types:
https://www.google.com/amp/glassed.vitroglazings.com/topics/how-low-e-glass-works%3Fhs_amp%3Dtrue
In addition to the various types of solar coatings, there are 4 surfaces to a double pane window where the coatings can be applied. Installing it on the inside surface of the exterior pane will provide best reflection.
This process needs to be accomplished by a window manufacturer, but you do not need to remove the window frame, just the glazing.
I’d do all the panes so all the windows look the same when viewed from the outside and inside.


How can I estimate the load capacity of a set of shelves? I'm pricing and researching supplies for built-ins in my living room.  The plan is cabinets on the bottom, a cubby for a TV and staggered shelves for several hundred HEAVY books above that.  My instinct is to build the whole thing out of 3/4" birch ply, but I'm also looking at pre-built wall cabinets for the base to possibly save myself some hassle.

This leads to a number of questions about material choice and structural design.  For instance, could a couple IKEA wall cabinets be the base for a structure that will hold a thousand pounds?  Two thousand pounds?  (I'm aware the floor has to support this as well - I'm on a slab.)

So, based on materials, joints, and structure, how can I estimate how much a piece of furniture can hold?  How much weight can a box-frame support?  At what span will a shelf of material X fail?  Are there tables or online resources available for this sort of thing?

There are a number of online calculators related to the problem in the answers & comments to an earlier question about building shelves:

What are cheap ways to build strong shelves with a large span?

References included:

The Sagulator (sag calculator for different types of wood & related materials)
Elastic Beam Deflection Calculator (can handle lots of different loadings, but you have to know the properties of the materials)
Structural Beam Deflection and Stress Formula and Calculation (gives formulas, but doesn't have the fancy javascript calculators)

All of these were to calculate sag -- wood and metals are going to sag before they collapse in most cases.  The exception would be when fasteners tear out the side of wood (eg, an anchor comes free from the wall), and sometimes, there isn't a whole lot of time between sag & fail (I had a bookshelf bow, pull free from the shelf supports, and then cascade as it took out all of the other shelves below it).

Concrete will fail explosively (sudden collapse with little to no warning, which is why reinforced concrete specifically has less than the optimal amount of steel in it, so the steel goes first), but that's not normally used for shelves.


Is there an online way to check my appliance power usage? I'm considering replacing my old appliances (refrigerator, washer & dryer) with a more efficient model.  Is there a website or simple method to look up their measured power usage ?

Make sure the appliance is Energy Star qualified. If it is, it should have a yellow Energy Guidance label that lists annual energy consumption.


High pitched beep in house every 15 minutes Can anyone help? I keep hearing a 3 second high pitched beep but can't quite tell where it is coming from n our lounge where our home theatre system is, i.e. LED TV, receiver, speakers, blu ray player, modulator, router, Foxtel box and modem. There are a couple of cable connector boxes behind the system also. I thought it was our fire detectors but I took out the batteries and I could still hear this beep lasting about 3 seconds every 15 minutes. I unplugged the power for the TV and waited 15 minutes - I could still hear the beep. I unplugged the router - still could hear the beep. I unplugged the Foxtel box - still could hear the beep. I unplugged the receiver - still heard this annoying beep.
Any ideas?
Thanks
John in Canberra, Australia

The only thing I have ever heard of making the high pitched beep at intervals is fire or house alarms.  If you have a dead battery in your fire alarm it will go straight to its backup power and beep.  Given the pitch and the proximity to the ceiling and how well the sound echoes it can drive you nuts.

The thing is most of the time these alarms are all installed at the same time.  So if you try to figure out which one it is and which battery to replace, well you are doing the same thing a week from now.  And we all know that batteries only die between 1-6 AM.


How do I remove this fastener under my bathroom faucet What the heck is this brass fastener and how do I remove it?  It seems to be holding down my bathroom faucet which I'm trying to replace.

All I can think is that center "hinge" maybe unscrews somehow?  But I don't see any way to grip it, it doesn't have a shape I'm familiar with or that I know how to use with any of my tools (phillips, flathead, hex nut, wrench).

This is a toggle nut with some type of locking device extending down through it.  It must be removed from above.  Some type of cover on the faucet itself is removable. From there you will see the top of the bolt that is threaded into that toggle nut. unscrew that bolt and the toggle will drop away.


help determining amp service to my house I'm considering installing an electric tankless water heater in my house, but need to know what amp service I currently have. I read that you should look at the amps on the main breaker to the house to determine this. So I inspected the main panel on the outside of my house, and found the main breaker that feeds to the subpanel inside the house. It is a 2-pole breaker that says "100" on each side. Does that mean it's 100 amps total or 1100 on each pole (=200 amps?):

And here is the breaker with the panel face off:

And the main panel itself is wired up from the meter via these two wire:

Another pic of the main panel's center portion:

And my sub-panel inside the house for good measure:

And the meter itself:

A lot of what I am about to answer is personal opinion so there may be quite a bit of comment on this answer.

It appears that you have a 200A service being fed to a Zinsco Panel which is being used as a service panel utilizing the 6 switch disconnect rule, NEC Article 230.71 (A). The 100A breaker you are referring to appears to be servicing the subpanel.

The Bad news:
You cannot by code add a new disconnect to your main panel.

The panel is a Zinsco and it appears to be in bad shape. Also Zinsco's are no longer manufactured and are considered to be the second worst panel in the industry (FPE being the worst). They have a tendency to overheat and damage the bus and breakers. I would not recommend putting a high stress load like a tankless heater on them.

Recommendation: Replace your main panel with and install a 200A main breaker. Then I would add a second main breaker for the tankless water heater which would keep it from creating extra stress on the existing electrical system. If possible in your jurisdiction you might upgrade the entire service to a 320A service. You will need to contact your utility provider to check availability.

Final comment: In respect to your question about the 100A breaker. With different voltages (120 vs 240) it's not about amperages but available power. In other words a 120V 100A circuit would be 12,000VA on a single phase, and a 240V 100A circuit would be 24,000VA or 12,000VA per phase. That should clear things up or just muddy the water a little bit more.

Hope this helps and stay safe.


Can I cut tile to follow the profile of a closet flange? If I mount the closet flange to the substrate, can I cut the tile to match the radius of the ring with a small gap between the tile and ring I.E 1/8"

That is totally normal.  1/8" would actually be a superb cut.  The toilet hides the gap.


Bandsaw cutting at weird angle My bandsaw follow and cut a straight line, but vertically, it almost immediately shifts the bottom part to the left and cuts a weird angle where the cut i'm making on like a 10" tall block of foam ends up being almost 1/4" left of where it is at the top, with the line I'm following. and it's not the angle of the table. Once the cut is done, the blade shifts back into place and holding up my 10" piece to it shows a large gap between the top part of the foam and where the blade is normally.

Check your lower blade guide.  Blade guides are either blocks or small roller bearings.  To be out that much, I suspect that someone didn't reset the guide after the last blade change, or perhaps the block has fallen out.


Tub Faucet Handle goes back too far when turned off My Delta roman tub faucet handle goes back too far when it is turned off. I tried to take the decorative base off (screws) and now that is stuck. I put WD40 in the thread area but it still won't move. So I have two questions:

how do I get the handle aligned correctly?
if the handle repairs requires me to take the base off, how can I get it unstuck?

I know that it screws off because I removed the one for the hot water easily

You need to have a plumber's wrench/plyer to hold the nut below the sink, and a helper to hold/adjust the handle into the correct position.


Question on Furnace/EIM Wiring and Splice Thanks for taking the time to read my question.

About 5 years ago I had what I assume was a pretty run of the mill Trane system installed in my 1200 sq ft CA Condo. The installed parts are:

Trane XL80 gas furnace w/Emerson 50M51-495-01 board (pic 2)
Trane XR13 Compressor
Honeywell THM5320R EIM
Honeywell TH6320R1004 Wireless FocusPro Thermostat

I was recently considering installing a smart thermostat and before deciding what to buy I wanted to do some research on thermostat wiring. I think I'm pretty clear now about how a 5 wire setup works, why older setups didn't always use a common but did use R, Rh and Rc and why newer setups tend to include a common and use only R jumpered to Rc and Rh.

With that in mind and having checked out the manuals for my furnace and EIM I figured that the wiring I'd find in my closet would be pretty straightforward. It would likely just be color to color from the terminals on the board to the terminals on the EIM with R, Rc and Rh jumpered.

When I took a look at the EIM however I saw there were two composite wires going to it. One of them was using Red, White, Yellow and Green with Red wired to the Rh terminal on the EIM and the others wired to their respective labled terminals (pic 1). The other composite was using only White and Red with Red wired to R and White to C (pic 1).

Opening the front of the furnace I was suprised to see that the second composite, the one using only White and Red and wired to R and C on the EIM, wasn't coming from the board terminals but had been spliced into two of the wires going into a 4X3 plug on the circuit board.

The wires being used are the R and B in the diagram below:

   |1 |2 |3 |4 |
   -------------
1  |  |  |  |  |
   -------------
2  |  |R |  |  |
   -------------
3  |  | |B  |  |

Red is spliced into Red and White spliced into Blue coming from the circuit board plug (pic 3).

The other composite and its wires are wired as expected to the terminals on the circuit board (pic 3). The common in use there is going outside to the compressor relay.

So my concern is the wires spliced into the circuit board and running to R and C on the EIM. Based on the documentation, I can't see why that was done. I was also surprised to find that even though there's two different red wires running to R and Rh they are still both jumpered together along with Rc. I'm concerned it might be a problem and wondering if I should call someone out to look at it before proceeding. Is this a typical and/or valid setup for this kind of equipment.

pic 1: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UjErHvcALBqpFLWC6
pic 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/HKMqdEt2h3dbdNFV7
pic 3: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bDowrCknKAGffzh29

Your system is not really hooked up wrong, just odd. It looks like the installer read the directions from Honeywell and it looked like he needed to take power directly from the transformer. Honeywell doesn’t know what equipment you will be hooking up to so their directions are generic. Those two wires from the transformer do not need to be there. The R from the furnace should go to the R on the receiver and then jumper to Rc and Rh. The C from the furnace should be hooked to the C on the receiver. The extra wires are not hurting anything since they are coming from the same 24 volt transformer.
If you were to install a new thermostat you would need to remove the old thermostat and receiver since the receiver will only work with either the Focus Pro and Vision Pro wireless thermostats. You would then either run a new  5 wire cable from the furnace to the new thermostat or run a cable from the new thermostat to where the receiver used to be and splice into the wires there.
I would use the blue wire to hook to the C on the furnace and the C on the receiver and loose the extra cable if you were to change thermostats or just leave it since it isn’t hurting anything.


How to properly add another outlet off this box? I am trying to add a new outlet off this box for my TV and I want to confirm that I am wiring this properly.

The outlet I am connecting to has one socket that is run off a switch. So currently the box has one white cable (with white, black, ground) coming in as well as one black cable (white, black, red, ground).

The bottom socket has constant power at this point, while the top is running off the switch.

Id like to connect a new outlet that also has constant power. Can I just pigtail my wires off the white wire coming in? Is there a better approach? Any additional information I can provide?

Tie into the existing nuts for the pigtails

You'll notice that the hot and ground are pigtailed already -- simply nut the new black and bare wires into the existing junctions.  As to the white wire, it does not appear there's a pigtail for it, so you'll have to make one from a short length of white wire of the appropriate size (if in doubt, get a piece of 12AWG stranded THHN from the hardware store) and nut the existing white neutral with the new white wire and the white pigtail, then connect the new pigtail to the silver neutral screw on the receptacle.

Don't forget to stick a flag o' black electrical tape on the white wire
that's connected to the various black wires while you're in there -- that will make it plain what that white wire is doing if things need to  be undone again!


If I install a 30 amp breaker in my breaker box, can I use 15 amp outlets on the circuit, provided none of the appliances used exceed 15 amps? I have a shed that has outlets wired with either 14 or 12 gauge wire and 15 amp receptacles. I already know that my total usage will be almost 30 amps.
If I use a #10 on the first receptacle and a 30 amp breaker, can the other outlets use 12 or 14 gauge wire? Or do ALL the outlets have to have #10 wire? Can I even still have 15 amp outlets or do I need 30? I know next to nothing about wiring.

This simply will not work.  The only receptacles you are allowed to put on a 30A breaker are 30A receptacles.  Those are unfit for your purpose.

Further, if your expected loads are near 30A, you should be derating this by 125% (37.5A) and provisioning that much power - I.E. 40A.  And they don't even make 120V/40A receptacles.

The right way to do this is to fit a sub panel at the shed, and have individual circuit breakers protecting each #14 or #12 circuit.

I am also concerned about what your feed cable is to the shed.  This too will be a limiting factor in your total possible load.  There are ways around them, but you should not use those ways until you are well past mismatching sockets, wires and breakers.


Lighting a Room with LED Light Strips I want to light an entire room (~300sqft) using light strips as there is no wiring available for traditional lights. I want to make 3 rectangles on the ceiling ("zones") that I can control individually with Alexa. I have a few questions about doing this.

Is it possible to light a room with LED Light Strips
What accessories do I need to install light strips? (e.g. power adaptor, connectors for led strips, etc.)
Considering I am trying to use these strips as a primary source of light which is best: RGB, RGBW or White?
Could I connect 2 of these light strips together to extend
the strip?

1 Yes, it's possible to light a room with LED light strips. Lots of people do it. But it requires doing your homework.  If you are impatient and fly past your skills, the project will probably fail.  There are a variety of ways to do it.

2 You'll need a significant amount of 12V or 24V power (24V means half the current, which greatly improves the situation with voltage drop and fading).  You will probably want dimmers and amplifiers.  And appropriate wiring.

3 Given that this will be your primary light,  you should place importance on CRI aka Color Rendering Index. If you remember green fluorescent and some CFLs and very early LEDs, that thing that made them look awful was bad CRI.  Hold out for 80+ CRI preferably 90 CRI.

You should also be thinking about color temperature.  4000K is similar to fluorescents in an office.  Old incandescents are 2700K.  5000K is similar to daylight and 6500K is a cloudy day.   You don't want colors that are too blue in a bedroom in the evening, because they will make it hard to sleep.  If you just buy random LED strips and don't pay attention, you will probably get 5100K, which will be pretty blue.  LEDs naturally make blue light and use phosphors to convert it to other colors, so they like to sell you the more blue LEDs because they require less phosphor and are therefore cheaper.

RGB or RGBW lights let you dial in any color temperature you want, including some insane ones, but the CRI is fairly poor.  I'm not sure I'd want to use RGB as primary lighting.

4 The product bundle you linked is a complicated bundle of products, including an LED strip, a smart WiFi based controller (RGBW dimmer), and a power supply.  You probably don't want to use that.  If you want control via WiFi or Alexa, then look for a-la-carte controllers or dimmers that do that.

Keep in mind that the electrical and building codes require that you have a light in the room that responds to a physical switch in the usual location.  That can be a smart switch talking to a WiFi or Alexa type system, but it has to work when you push it.

All the wiring needs to be done consistent with NEC low-voltage rules.  If your power is over 55 watts (which is actually a lot in LED), pay close attention to those rules.


What are my refinishing options for a concrete patio? I have an external concrete patio, about 3 years old.  I'm wondering if there are any finishing or refinishing options to make it look a little better than just boring 'ole concrete.

I have been researching this topic a lot lately.  I have even done a few test squares.  The Acid staining is awesome.  You should search for "acid stain" on Youtube.  There are countless ways to do it, so watch a whole bunch of those videos and you will get a get idea of it, and some good ideas of what you can do.  But here are the basics:

Clean the concrete. What is on it will determine what to use to clean it.  You will want to surface texture to be fairly uniform.  You can even put a thin layer of resurfacer on it to even it to hide everything.
Mask areas or put on stencil.  You can put about anything you want on it.
Apply the stain. Stain runs about $45-$60 dollars for a quart, but it will cover about 300 square feet.  The price may limit how many different colors you will want.
Neutralize.  This is just applying ammonia, or a more expensive neutralizer.
Wash the concrete.  Just Soap and water will do.
Apply Sealer.  There are a thousand different sealers.  You will need to figure out what kind of a sheen you want on it.


Paint ceiling or skimming required I recently removed the texture from my ceiling and managed to reach the plaster board.  Will I be able to prime and then paint the ceiling or if it needs to be skimmed by a professional?

Wow!  That is a great job of removing texture.

You have (at least) three choices:

Add texture—maybe one you like more than the old one—which greatly helps hide joints, fasteners, and other imperfections.
Skim coat and sand.  Making it perfectly flat may take a newbie quite a bit of effort.  Expect at least four coats.  Use non-diffuse work lights well away from center:  the best would be next to the ceiling at the far edge from where you are working to readily reveal shadows of non-flat features.
Paint and hope for the best.  If it is ugly, maybe you could keep the curtains closed and engineer the light so the ceiling isn't noticeable.


Using a 30-amp tandem circuit breaker for a 120/240v circuit? I inherited a main panel box from a homeowner that wasn't always fond of meeting the required NEC codes.  As such, there are some oddities in the panel.  One such oddity is the fact that he installed a couple of tandem circuit breakers for use in 120/240 circuits.

Specifically, there are two Murray MH-T 30-amp breakers.  These are tandem breakers and not "slimline" or "thin" breakers -- the two breaker switches on each are not connected in any way.  One of these breakers is used for the clothes dryer and the other for an electric water heater.

In the case of the dryer circuit, there's one 10/3 NM wire, with the hot black attached to one of the sides of the tandem breaker and the hot red attached to the other side.  The neutral is connected to the neutral bar.  In the water heater case, there's a 10/2, with both the white and black attached to their respective sides of the tandem breaker.

I want to stress that this absolutely is working.  Both the dryer and water heater were wired this way well before I moved in and it's only now, years later, that I noticed what was going on.  It's worked fine all along.

This seems all sorts of wrong, though.  It's still a single pole breaker, even if there are two 120v circuits coming off it.  It seems like if this was okay, that I'd hear about using a tandem breaker as a space-saving slim 220v breaker... but I've seem nothing.

So, what's wrong with doing this?  What's the ramifications if I don't change these two out with traditional double-pole breakers?

EDIT: Added photo of the breakers in question:

The very top is a double-pole 20-amp breaker that's fine.  The first 30-amp tandem is the dryer breaker and the second is the water heater.

EDIT 2: Added photo of the dryer breaker popped off the panel:

You can clearly see the two buses and that there doesn't appear to be any shenanigans connecting the two of them.  I removed the top double-pole breaker for clarity.  The popped dryer breaker is clearly a single pole, as you can see the one entry slot.  It's apparently connected to the left bus and only that bus.

It sounds like you may be mistaken as to how this is wired, or that perhaps I'm just not understanding your explanation. As others have mentioned, it's not possible to get 240 volts from a single pole in a 120/240V split phase system.  Each tandem breaker provides 2 120 V circuits, this is true. However, if you measure between the terminals on a single tandem breaker, you'll get 0 volts.  This is because the terminals are both powered from the same leg, and so are at the same voltage potential. If you measure from a terminal on the top tandem breaker to a terminal on the bottom one, then you'll measure 240 volts. This is because each breaker is connected to a different leg, which are each one half of a 240 volt circuit.

With all that said. For this setup to work, one appliance would have to be connected to both breaker. Something like this...

Notice that each appliance circuit has one wire connected to each of the tandem breakers. In this situation, you'd need a device like Speedy Petey shows.

Which ties the breaker handles together, to provide common trip characteristics.

Notice how the inner handles are tied together, and that the outer handles are also tied to each other. This way if either trip (or are turned off by the user), the entire circuit is shut off.

If this is wired the way you've explained, where the dryer is connected to the top tandem and the heater is connected to the bottom. Then there's some magic going on in those breakers.


Standing water at bottom of sink I wish I could figure out how to load a picture that’s a small enough file to explain but hoping someone can understand what I’m saying here. I have a ring of water around the entire perimeter of the waste seat at the bottom of the sink bowl with new faucet/drain combo I have installed. I would think tightening it more (to bend the waste seat toward the center of the hole) may work but don’t its fairly tight and I’m a bit worried I could over tighten and have an instant regret.

I'm not sure there's an answer to this, other than installing a slightly larger drain kit, or one that isn't so convex. Perhaps after cleaning it a few times with a scotch brite pad it will have less surface tension.


main breaker panel to sub panel The main breaker panel has the grounds and neutral hooked together and has bonding screw installed. Where do I put the ground wire for the sub panel? Do I put it on the neutral bare where the white neutral is also? So the main panel would have the ground and neutral wire for sub panel on the same bar? Also should I leave bounding screw off on sub panel?

In the main panel, put the neutral where all the other neutrals are.   Put the ground where all the other grounds are.  Good chance they are all going to the same bus, that is fine in a main panel.

In the sub-panel, yes, ground and neutral must be separated.


What economical ways exist to dampen floor vibration on top floor apartment? I live in a top floor apartment which is above the garage (open air, really just a lot). The unit is at the end of the building; the apartment is held up by columns. The building was built around the 1970s. During the last major earthquake in the area (Los Angeles, California), the building only sustained minor damage (a broken window).

The thing is, before I moved in, the landlord installed hardwood floors instead of the carpet that was there before (not a good idea). This has the effect of amplifying all kinds of sound waves and causing vibrations and thumps. There are moments when it's still, but when my next door neighbor (his apartment is also above the garage and has no unit below it) walks around close to my room (his bathroom is adjacent to my bathroom), his footsteps cause minor tremors to ripple through the floor. It's really annoying and it feels like I'm on a boat or in a car that's stopping and braking frequently. It happens in the kitchen and main room too (I live in a one-bedroom apartment).

I got an area rug and put some cut up carpet under the bed legs, and that seems to help a little bit as well as moving the bed away from the wall bordering the neighbor's apartment to the other side of the room. But I still feel the little ripples and shakes from time to time. Will soundproof foam pads under the carpet help?

It can't be that much of a structural deficiency; as I said before, the last major earthquake did not cause major damage to the building.

What can I do to soundproof my bedroom floor outside of stripping the hardwood and installing all the necessary things (can't afford that, landlord won't do it)? I'm pretty sure 99% of the vibrations are caused by my neighbor's footsteps. Perhaps some of it is caused by something else in the building, but this is hard to figure out due to having no unit below me.

My bed frame is also really cheap and flimsy and will shake and sway if you move around on it, so that's not helping. Should I take the headboard and mattress off the frame and just put it on the carpet? The couch in the main room also seems to ripple from time to time, but it feels more pronounced in the bedroom.

Other information: Since there is nothing directly below my apartment there are pipes immediately running underneath the floor and are visible in the garage. Could the pipes be causing the vibrations?

You need something to absorb the movement and vibrations.

I am not really sure about the layout but you need something along the adjoining wall that is very heavy and won't make noise.  I had the same situation when I was in college and I brought in a large concrete outdoor bench and put a rubber mat under it.  It weighed a good 400-500 pounds and I had energy to move these things back then.  It worked great.

So very heavy furniture plus padding... You could also talk to the landlord and see if he can secure the joists better underneath to see if that helps.


Heat loss - hot spots on roof I purchased a house this summer and am noticing some hot spots on the roof. The old home owner just said they kept the roof shoveled to prevent it from causing ice dams. That is fine and all - but was wondering if any of you might have suggestions on what might be causing it. Seems strange that it is localized directly over a soffit vent. Any ideas? Attached is a picture. Seems like it must be a pretty severe heat loss... But I really have no experience. There is blown in insulation in the attic.

All homes have variation in heat loss. Yours seems to correspond with the soffit vents. It could just be that the additional airflow in that area leads to more melting in marginally cold weather. It doesn't take much heat to melt snow on a 35 degree day.

It could also be that there's another vent directed through the soffit vent. It's all guesswork until you inspect the attic, but I see no reason to be alarmed.


How do I prevent flood waters from entering my house? I live in a city where every time a heavy downpour lasts for more than 15 minutes there is flooding everywhere. When the water in the street have no more place to go, it then enters my driveway/patio. When it is around one foot deep, the water plus minute sewage seeps in under the door. Is there something I can put under the door to prevent the water from seeping in? I put towels or socks under the door but once they are saturated with water, I have to start mopping the water that seeps in. Last night after more than an hour of heavy downpour, I had to mop up 4 buckets of water that came inside the house.

If anyone has any ideas on how to solve my problem I would be very grateful. This is the second flooding this week. With the approaching year end, we are expecting more heavy rains. We thought of buying a pump to drain the water but the problem is there is nowhere for the pumped water to go. The earth here is saturated already and will no longer soak in water that is why we have the whole area around the house cemented and tiled. I hope I have given complete details to my problem.

DA's comment is correct.  If water has gotten to your house all you can hope to do is minimize the damage...water WILL get in if it is up against the door.

The best bet (a picture of the area in question would be useful) would be to build up the ground around the house to add a barrier to keep water off the house in the first place.  That may or may not be feasible in your situation, this is where the picture would be handy.


Redoing my roof: how should I redo my insulation? I live in Denver. My 60 year old house is 1.5 stories. The upstairs has a highly sloped roof and definitely has insulation in the relatively narrow attic and I believe has insulation at the angled portions of the second story and in the hip walls. However, that insulation is not updated since 60 years ago and was found by a home energy audit to be insufficient.

I have to have my roof redone this year due to hail damage. The roof is asphalt shingles. Most of the attic space is tiny, like 4 feet tall. There are currently vents on the sides of the house, but no vents in the top nor any vents in the soffit. There is an attic-fan which draws are in through the vents on the side of the house - the fan runs on on a thermostat.

Should I have the roofers take off all the shingles and plywood in the roof, redo the insulation in the attic/walls, and then reinstall the roof?
If not, what strategy is the best in terms of cost, improved comfort, energy savings?

A picture may be worth a thousand words? Here's a cross-section focused on where we have insulation, of what quality, and where we have access.

Unless you need to, don't rip off the sheathing. At 60 years old, it may need it anyways. If you look at the roof can you see dips between the rafters? If the sheathing is still flat, keep it in place.

Your best bet is probably blown-in cellulose. You can hire a company to handle it, or rent the machine from your home center. You should only need a small access point to get the nozzle in, large enough for a rake to smooth out any irregularities.


Connecting a bathroom fan/light combo? I'm replacing my old bathroom fan with a new fan/light combo. The new fan/light has four(4) wires, but the existing switch has only three(3) wires. How do I wire this set-up? There are white, blue, and black wires on the fan/light, and what I guess is a screw for the ground wire. But the existing switch wires are white, black, and a bare copper wire. I really want the fan and light to come on with a single switch if possible. Is this even possible?

Tie the black and blue wires to the incoming black wire, the white wire to the incoming white wire, and the bare wire to the ground screw.  This will allow you to turn the fan and light on and off as a unit.


Can I decorate this skirting board install? I've just had a carptener install skirting board and I'm struggling to see how I'll decorate them so they look half-decent.

After he installed them he complained that the walls were difficult and therefore there were some large gaps between the skirting and wall (up to 11mm at its worst). He's filled these with caulk but already I'm seeing it come away in some places.

He's also put in a couple of joins on the longer lengths without asking me. These aren't especially long lengths so it's just him saving wood. They're only 2, 3 and 3.5m lengths. The joins are really obvious.

One of the external mitres is 2mm off.

Some of the nails aren't flush with the skirting.

Lastly, the gap between the skirting and the floor varies from no gap to 6mm.

Is it possible for me to caulk/fill around these issues? Or should I get him back in? I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable or not.

Pictures here.

As for the gaps between the bottom of the base board (skirting) and the floor ... that is normally covered over with a base shoe molding. Base shoe is a small dimension molding that can be pressed down to fit the variations in the floor surface. Base shoe molding is normally only skipped when carpeting is going to be installed on the floor.

A nice trick regarding base shoe molding is to fully paint it (primer plus top coats) before it is installed. This way, after install, all that needs to be done is to fill the nail holes and do very small touch-up painting. It makes for a really clean look along the floor. If a pneumatic nailer is used to install the base show the nail hole size is minimized.

In days gone by it was common to just use flat boards for skirting instead of the types in common use today that have the top shaping features formed into the skirting. This allowed for the use of an additional small shaped molding called the top cap to finish off the top edge. Similar to the base shoe, the top cap was flexible and would cover the gap between the skirting board and the wall. In those days the idea to squirt calking compound along the top edge of base boards was unheard of.


Why do I need such thick wires in household electrical installation? I am running electricity (for light and a couple of outlets) into my garden. I am trying to decide on which wire thickness I need to choose. FWIW, I am in Europe.

The whole house is wired with two types of wires: outlets with 2.5 mm2 (roughly 13 AWG) and ceiling lights and corresponding switches with 1.5 mm2 (roughly 15–16 AWG). All breakers are rated at 16 A, and there are two groups of them, each protected by a 20 A breaker with 30 mA RCD.

Since 2.5 mm2 wires are much stiffer and hence difficult to run through conduits (and it's not a common practice to use stranded wires for wall installations in Europe), I am inclined to run 1.5 mm2 wires into my garden.

However, as the existing installation and googling show, it is a common practice to use 2.5 mm2 or thicker wires for everything but lighting, and 1.5 mm2 for lighting. I wonder why? Aren't these standards outdated?

My logic is as follows. A 1.5 mm2 wire is rated for 16 A (I used this tool, and entered 30 °C, PVC insulation, 3 elements in confined bundle). At 230 V, this gives the maximum power capacity of 3680 W. The highest power device I was able to think of for a garden is Kärcher K7, which is rated at 2.8 kW. Thus, 1.5 mm2 wire should be more than adequate.

Obviously for modern LED lighting, even 1 mm2 is ridiculously thick, based on such calculation.

Another aspect to consider is the voltage drop. Copper's resistivity is 17 nΩ·m. Hence a 1.5 mm2 20 m cable has a return-path resistance of R = rho × L / A = 0.45 Ω. It will cause, at full current, a voltage drop of 7.2 V, which is probably perfectly fine for all modern devices. A connected LED bulb might be more picky, but it consumes only 10 W, so the voltage drop will be much less, 10 / 230 × 0.45 = 0.02 V.

Where am I wrong in my consideration?

However, as the existing installation and googling show, it is a common practice to use 2.5 mm2 or thicker wires for everything but lighting, and 1.5 mm2 for lighting. I wonder why? Aren't these standards outdated?

Home wiring has been standardized over the last 100 years. More and more loads are being added to receptacle circuits while lighting is actually becoming more efficient. This is why the lighting is normally done with smaller wire. This is reflected in your minimum size breaker at 16 amps for 1.5 mm2 wire. Ours here in the US is a 15 amp breaker with a #14 wire.

  Obviously for modern LED lighting, even 1 mm2 is ridiculously thick, based on such calculation.

However, this is sized for the entire circuit not for individual loads. So, since LED lighting does draw so much less power it just means you can now wire a house with many more lighting outlets on a single circuit. This frees up more circuits for the appliances that modern humans loves.

There is a method to the madness and if you spend enough time in the industry you will overcome the learning curve.

Have fun in your garden!


New Bathroom Light Fixture Issue I'm trying to replace an old light fixture in my bathroom with a new one but it is not working correctly. There are two switches, one for the light and one for a vent/light combo on the ceiling. Attached a picture of the outlet box. I did not take a picture of the configuration of the old fixture wire hook ups. I've tried every possible configuration for the new wires. Hooking it up normally (black to black, white to white), the light fixture will stay on when the power is turned on at the breaker and the switch does not turn it off. The configuration in the picture allows me to use the switch that should be just for the vent but seems to be on the same line because it works weakly. All other configurations do nothing.

Some other info that might be relevant is that I see red and white wires coming from both switches, but don't know how that comes in to play at the box.

Any suggestions?

"Hooking it up normally (black to black, white to white), the light fixture will stay on when the power is turned on at the breaker and the switch does not turn it off."

This tells you the black wires under the same wire nut and the white wires under the same wire nut, are the hot feed wires from the main panel. This is as it should be. The white wire from the fixture should go under the wire nut with the other white wires. It should never be connected to a black or red wire in normal configurations. (The configuration you have in the picture is incorrect as you have the neutral for the light connected to both switch legs under the same wire nut.)

If there is only one three-wire cable running to the switches, then the white wire should be permanently re-identified as black and it will be connected to the hot black wires in the J-box and become your hot feed to the switches. This is the proper way according to the Code. Then the black wire and the red wire coming back from the switches are your two switched legs. For example, black for light, red for fan/light.

Good luck and stay safe!


Backer board bowing on 24" inch steel studs for rock ledger panel installation I wanted to screw Hardie backer board (.42") over my drywall to the steel studs to adhere 6" x 24" x1" stone ledger panels using polymer modified thin-set, floor to ceiling is 12'.

Problem is that Hardie and Durock backer board specifies 16" maximum (assuming no drywall is underneath). Problem I guess is deflection (bowing). Does anyone have any recommended practice with this kind of application?

I feel that adding construction adhesive in between the drywall and backer board along with screws to the studs should strengthen it quite a bit. Plus the ledger panels will add rigidity.

Adding 2x4' studs is not an option for me.

Thanks for your help!

This question is either subjective (based on opinion and personal standards of quality) or is a warranty issue. In either case it's probably off-topic. That said, here are my thoughts.

Yes, adhering the cementboard sheet to the drywall will add stiffness--probably enough to result in a satisfactory substrate, especially when considering the large size of your stones. However, it may not meet warranty requirements for either the cementboard or the stone.

All that said, tt would probably be trivial to cut out the majority of the drywall at convenient lines and replace it with half inch plywood. Glue your cementboard to that and be sure you won't have problems.


Drilling hole in Aluminum i-Beam - weakening This is one of those things that my gut says "how could it be an issue" but am hoping someone has a more engineered answer.

I have a 13k Boat Lift from Boat Lift US. Each side has two 3/8" Aluminum beams, 3.5x7" on a 10' span. Each of these beams are made of two u-Channels on the side, so it is like an iBeam with air in the middle portion (this leaves room for the pipe that rolls the cable up). They have numerous attachments already (about 5 holes) in various places from the factory.

I want to put two 3/8-1/2" bolts through each, one about mid-way and one about 1/4 across the span, which will have a few hundred pound load occasionally on them, pulled at a diagonal. The reason for the largish size for small load is the bolt has to span about 3" in air between the beams where a cable will be attached (the bolt is thus supported on each end but has a bending load in the center).

My concern is not the load on this hole itself or the bolt, the load is small, but am wondering if drilling additional holes through the iBeam significantly weakens it?  At present we are not putting anywhere near its capacity on the lift -- but one day we might.

Is there any guidance how large a hole you can drill (well away from other holes)  and still have a de minimis impact on strength?

Thanks in advance,

Linwood

Note: Edited to clarify these are not true ibeams

The reason an “I-beam” works so well is that the “meat” (strength) of the beam is in the flanges, NOT the web.

Drilling a large hole(s) in the web will not decrease its strength, especially if it’s in (or near) the neutral axis. I’d keep the hole away from the flange’s connection to the web. I’d also leave about 10x the thickness of the web between holes.

BTW, don’t let the bolt rest on the flange.


Help with creating a DIY low voltage garden pathway light? I would like to create DIY garden pathway lights from complete scratch.

I have some very nice outdoor metal lanterns that I'd like to retrofit and use for my design. I really don't like most of the options available for a variety of reasons. One being that you have to spend so much just for something that will last for years. But secondly, even the very high end good quality light fixtures are not what I am looking for. Plus, for my specific needs I'd like these low voltage LED DIY lights to each have about the equivalent of a 40w incandescent bulb. Even the most high end bulbs seem to only have a 20w equivalent.

I know I will need a transformer to plug in, the correct wiring that will go under ground. But I will need to light sockets and the connections to make these lamps. I know this is a lot to ask but can someone direct me on how to learn how to do this? I don't expect someone to type out every detail as to how to do this DIY project. Has anyone ever attempted to do  something like this with long term success?

Timer controlled low voltage with LED lamps is the way to go, one reason is that the inevitable failure of "line voltage" temporary extension cords could lead to shock injury.

I agree that the consumer grade "big-box" stuff is junk and not likely to last more than 2 years without constant attention. What you need is heavy duty professional grade equipment, check with your local landscape supply house. I like this type because they are heavy duty and manufactured in my area of the good ol USA.


Does the circulator in an indirect fired water heater point towards the boiler or towards the tank? In the manual for my SSU-119 indirect fired hot water heater, the following text seems to suggest that the circulator points towards the tank:

  On the water heater, the boiler supply connects to the outlet of the
  circulator. The circulator inlet is to be connected to the hot outlet
  side of the boiler. Be sure that the arrow on the circulator is facing
  the correct flow direction. (See pressure drop sizing for circulator,
  this manual.) On the tank, the boiler return connects to the return
  side of the boiler. The return(s) from heating loop(s) should have a
  flow check or swing check valve installed before the return pipe from
  the tank.

However, a diagram later in the same manual seems to show the circulator flowing towards the boiler, not towards the tank:

So, which is it? Does the circulator point towards the tank or the boiler?

More information is needed about the system to accurately answer the question. It depends on what the two manufacturers recommend. Some boiler companies specify return pump. So the boiler circulator pumping into the boiler, others specify a supply pump. The first thing to consider is how the boiler manufacturer wants the system configured. Most of the systems I design use a primary boiler pump on the return side with a heating system pump and a primary indirect pump on the return side. Both primary pumps equipped with check valves. In this case the boiler primary will be denergized on priority, on a call for domestic hot water. On a call for heat the boiler primary energizes.

This is an example of a recent job

red is common piping, blue indirect, green central heating primary, purple central heating secondary, magenta central heating return

this is prepped for 3 low temp zones and a high temp potable water zone of the Turbomax (indirect) The low temp are high mass radiant and the high temp is a fan forced hydronic coil

In this case I actually went against the manufacturer recommendations for piping to make everything fit. There's only about 50' height here.

What is important, is that when the DHW circulator is running, it's not causing flow in the heating system and vice versa.

There are other things to consider like where you are tapping your expansion tank, micro-bubbler and dirt separator (if required)

Basically you want the domestic circulator to act on its own loop and not affect the central heating side and vice versa.

This is the simplest way to configure it

this works well on a single zones system. On a old-school system a "boiler bypass needs to be installed

Something like this would apply if using primary secondary piping though you could remove the injection pump if utilizing a full primary loop

you must always ensure that your boiler has full flow


Is it possible to reuse a copper pipe's compression fitting? I removed what I didn't realize was a compression fitting on a copper pipe for my kitchen cold water supply.  Is it possible to reuse the compression fitting or do I need to buy a new one to replace it?

It looks like it's some kind of plastic.  It took a tremendous amount of force to loosen, and a fairly cursory attempt at re-tightening resulted in a leak.  Also, I assume I should wrap everything in teflon tape when replacing the connectors?

If it hasn't been tightened many times, it should be okay to reuse.

Clean off the mating faces thoroughly and don't use tape, putty, or anything else.  And don't be gentle tightening:  The seal is formed by forcing the surfaces together and "bending" them to mate.

Even with threaded steel pipes, it can take a day or two for the tightened fittings to form a good seal and they can drip at first.  The essential observation is whether the drip rate slows hour by hour—if it does, it is probably okay and going to seal.

If it doesn't drip more slowly, try tightening a little more with water pressure applied until two consecutive small turns (1/8 turn) doesn't immediately decrease the drip rate.


How do cedar and pine compare as decking materials? I'm replacing an old deck in my backyard.  The existing deck is about 15X15 and is at ground level.  I'm trying to decide between treated pine (Ac2) and cedar.  Synthetic/composite wood is too expensive and I like the look/feel of real wood.  I live in Minnesota, so we get a good amount of harsh weather.  Cedar is a bit more expensive, but I just love the appearance.  Treated pine lasts about the same amount of time, and is cheaper (or so I'm told).  Does one material require less maintenance than the other?  Is it suggested that I stain/seal either material?

Definitely Cedar & 1-1/2" thick, if possible. Thicker stuff won't cup & if you had any bounce or flex between joists before due to thinner stock, that will be gone.

The best & most natural finish I've found is One-Time Wood Protector. Though, it must be Sun or UV cured to work.

But, with Cedar you want to let it season for 6-months before you coat it with anything. You lumber supplier can tell you everything you ever wanted to know & may have other & even better options.


Gap on top and side of entry door I know this has been asked by several folks on the forum, but I wanted to ask specific to my situation.

We live in a new construction home in Central NJ, just moved in this past September. When we contacted our builder, she refused to come out to take a look and said the issue is probably due to the weather.

Seeing as to how it's really cold out and New Year's weekend, before I call a professional to take a look, I wanted to see if there are suggestions on how I can fix the issue.

There is a gap on the top and left side of the door (opposite side of the hinges). The door also protrudes inwards in that same corner. Are there any diy fixes for this? I've attached pictures for reference.

It looks like your door is warping. There's probably no way to fix the door itself, but there are a couple of things to do that can help.

apply or move the weatherstripping so that there's no air passing through
re-hang the door to split the difference of the warp between the top and bottom. This will never be a perfect solution, but it's done pretty regularly.

You should ensure that the door has been painted on the top and bottom edges, as this is one cause of warping. Also, you should make sure that moisture isn't being dumped onto the top of the door from the outside.

There's also the question of what warranty obligations the builder has to you. You'll need to consult locally, but they might be legally required to fix this. (And, in my opinion, a fix would be a new door. However, standards of what is acceptable vary from place to place.)