Using buck/step up inverters for in-wall ovens Trying to install an American oven in Japan and I could use some help on the electrical side.

I have 200v single phase as well as 200v 3-phase in open-delta configuration, both in 60 hz

The oven specs say I need either 208v three phase or 240v.

The oven draws 4000w and the microwave 1600w.

I’m trying to decide what would be more appropriate.

A) hook it up to 3-phase 200v as-is. If I’m not mistaken appliances are permitted a 10% variance in either direction. 208v to 200v is less than 3%. Am I right or when using three phase does the 10% variance rule not apply?

B) Buy two of these: https://www.larsonelectronics.com/product/265090/1-phase-buck-boost-step-up-transformer-100v-primary-120v-secondary-31-25-amps-50-60hz

If I use these buck transformers, however, do I have to worry about this: “buck transformers do NOT generate even legs of voltage on the secondary side.” I’m no expert but this seems more important for electronics than it would for heating elements, although I might be wrong.

Any and all help/advice is sincerely appreciated.

Best,

Jay

Edit: So, I just brought my multimeter outside and took so pictures for extra clarification. This junction box has a puny 10amp breaker because it only for my well pump. So my plan would be to have a dedicated line run by an electrician solely for the oven.

DO NOT USE 3-PHASE FOR THIS OVEN. You want a single/split-phase 100V/200V hookup.   The 200V open delta is absolutely incapable of providing essential voltages the oven needs.

Simple enough hookup

Japan is straight-up North American style split phase, and range/ovens are resistive devices, so this thing will work.  Voltage will be 17% less, amperage likewise... which means power will be 31% less.  It'll work, it'll be a little slower to heat up.

You'll need to use the same breaker size the instructions specify.  And make sure to connect it 4-wire, including a separate safety ground, and un-bond the neutral-ground strap on the range.

However, when in Rome, do like the Romans do

That said, I think a North American range in Japan is a mistake unless this is a standard/common appliance in Japanese homes. You are better off buying locally whatever Japanese tend to use.

The odd voltage and 69% performance is the least of the issues.  To start with, if it's weird, the next homeowner won't want it.   So you'll end up either scrapping it in place or taking it with you.

Japan is an island, and that means that beast will either need a ride in an airplane or containership.  Airplane means creating 10 times its weight in CO2 and more than its retail value in jet fuel.  It's an awful lot of cubic feet to use up in a valuable overseas container.

You're obviously a world traveler since  you have a sentiment for American goods and are now in Japan.  The idea of "taking it with you" is further corrupted by the fact that this unit will not work at all, anywhere else.  Not even the Philippines. Only North America, US possessions, and ... Japan.  Only.

Anywhere else, the answer would be "can't do it" or "hack it".

Ironically, the main reason ovens want 120V is so they can power oven lights, specifically so you can use readily available, indigenous oven lights.  So jumpering the oven light to run on 230V in a 230V country, is exactly what the manufacturer does. There may be some 120V electronics, but that could be handled with a tiny transformer.  Assuming the local power grid can provide 40A of single phase; many provide less of all 3 230V phases.


After replacing a recirculating pump (and pressure regulator), shower won't run hot We've just had a our pressure regulator replaced, and a new recirculating pump installed.  All 3 showers used to get hot water reasonably quickly (15-20 seconds).  Now the shower furthest from the water heater won't heat up unless a shower or hot faucet in another bathroom is run.  It just runs luke warm at best.  The hot faucet in a sink in the same bathroom is the same - just luke warm, but no problem with flow rate.

What is stopping hot water reaching the shower, unless another bathroom's hot water is on?  Doesn't sound like an air blockage, and it seems that water is still flowing in the shower through the hot pipe, because it gets colder when the temp control knob is turned to "cold".  Weird and annoying!

Here's the answer:  The problem was solved when:
1)  The recirculating pump was connected the right way round to suck water back to the water heater from the far side of the house AND...
2)  The new digital timer was programmed correctly and left on AUTO not OFF....!

Still can't figure out why it got worse simply by replacing a non-functioning pump with a good one, that was turned off (taking 2 minutes instead of 15-30 secs).  But as long as it's better now I don't really care!


Lights won’t work on dimmer I just installed some recessed lighting in my basement and I can’t get the circuit to work properly.

The installation was: feed to multiple lights to dimmer switch. I used 14/2 for everything except from the last light to the dimmer switch, which I used 14/3. Only the last light dims and the other lights only stay on

Is my issue that I should’ve used 14/3 for everything or something wrong with the wiring?

According to the manual, for a single switch (as opposed to a a 3-way switch, which would require another wire and another (ordinary, non-dimmable) 3-way switch), the configuration is very simple (ignoring grounds, which should all be connected together everywhere):

Top right screw = Black = Hot - this should go directly back to the panel
Bottom right screw = Yellow = Switched Hot - this should go to the light(s)
The "far side" of the lights goes to Neutral

With a single fixture this is straightforward:

14/2 from panel to light at the light:

Connect white (neutral) to one side of the light.
Pass black through to the next cable - it does not connect to the light.

14/2 from light to switch at the light:

Connect black hot to the first cable's black hot
Connect white (="yellow") switched hot to the other side of the light.

14/2 from light to switch at the switch:

Connect black hot to top right (= black according to the instructions)
Connect white switched hot to lower right (= yellow according to the instructions)

Note that yellow is a typical "switched hot" color (could be red or blue or anything else except black, which is traditionally hot, white & gray, which are only neutral, or green, which is only ground). However, 14/2 cable only comes in black/white, so if you have the hot function in the cable then that gets black and switched hot or neutral gets white. Alternatively, if you have neutral function in the cable then that gets white and hot or switched hot gets black. So in this case, you use white as switched hot and then mark it with yellow tape to indicate that it is actually the switched hot.

This conveniently ignores that current code requires a neutral in the switch box, just in case you need it later. But hang on...

That gets one light working. But you have more than one. Now you need another wire. == 14/3.

The problem is you need to have two wires going between all the lights: switched hot and neutral. And you need another wire, not connected to any lights, for hot to get to the switch. With only one light, we cheat a little (except that neutral should be in the switch box) because there is no "carry neutral along to the next light" since there is only one light. But with multiple lights that doesn't work. So now you replace the 14/2 from the first light through all the other lights to the switch with 14/3. That 14/3 will be black/white/red. As described above, whenever possible black = hot and white = neutral. So that leaves red = switched hot. Here we go:

14/2 from panel to light at the light:

Connect white (neutral) to one side of the light.
Pass black through to the next cable - it does not connect to the light.

14/3 from first light to second light, at the first light:

Connect black hot to the previous cable's black hot
Connect white neutral to the previous cable's white neutral and to one side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the whites from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.
Connect red switched hot to the other side of the light.

14/3 from first light to second light, at the second light:

Connect black hot to the previous cable's black hot
Connect white neutral to the previous cable's white neutral and to one side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the whites from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.
Connect red switched hot to the previous cable's red switched hot and to the other side of the light. This actually means use a wire nut to connect the reds from the two cables plus a pigtail to the light.

All the later lights use that same setup: blacks together, whites together + light, reds together + light.

14/3 from last light to switch at the switch:

Connect black hot to top right (= black according to the instructions)
Connect red switched hot to lower right (= yellow according to the instructions)
Cap the white neutral with a wire nut

Now you have all the lights working and you have neutral in the box in case you need it in the future.


Will steel continue rusting if it's completely covered in concrete? Let's say I have a 5" piece of rebar in a rooftop that's exposed to the elements (ie.sun, rain, salt air, etc). After some time it will be covered in rust and pieces of rust can be scraped off.

Let's say I cover this piece of rusted piece of rebar with regular concrete. Will this stop the corrosion?

No.It will continue rusting and the volume of the corrosion products will crack the concrete. New unrusted rebar will rust ( in concrete) but at a lower rate than your "prerusted" sample. Best practice is to epoxy ( or otherwise coat ) new construction. Stainless rebar is occasionally used. Bridges are a very severe service for rebar corrosion ; rebar in locations where the concrete is never wet do not have corrosion problems.


Can I take a 220 line and convert it to a regular house outlet what would be the damage? I have a electric 220 dryer hook up in my kitchen now I want to convert it over to use for a higher grade power supply for my microwave blender and toaster without converting Any wires or touching the  fuse box, is this possible ?

If it's a 4-prong receptacle, then you could do it. Though you'll have to swap out a breaker in the panel. This will leave you with a 20 ampere multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC), which can be used to supply countertop receptacles.

If it's a 3-prong receptacle, there's likely not a grounding conductor. So it's not going to be a good idea, though there are ways to do it.

As it sounds like you don't want to modify the existing wiring, this probably isn't a project you want to tackle.  A local licensed Electrician should be able to do it for you.


Why is my granite still retaining a lot of water after sealing? I bought a new batch of beige granite countertops and they look great, have a good shine, but they are retaining moisture easily after sealing 3-4 times.  I use Aquamix Gold on all my other granite but doesn't seem to be doing the job here.  I am thinking since it is breathable that it is letting the water seep in and I am guessing my granite is pretty porous.  Does anyone have suggestions?

If you look at polished granite with a magnifying glass, you'll see the tiny fissure and pock marks that allow moisture from water and other liquids to penetrate into it. Just because it's polished doesn't make it waterproof. One of my customers recently had picked out 3 prefabricated granite slabs but had to leave them in the granite yard for two weeks before I could pick them up. When I bought them, the slabs had darker edges and I was assured from the granite personnel that the darkness came from being exposed to the rain and that it would evaporate.  We went through a hot spell and by the time I picked up the slabs, the moisture had evaporated and the darkness from the moisture was gone. Don't seal your granite until you are sure the existing moisture has evaporated because it's kind of like painting over a dirty wall, sooner or later the coating will fail.  I don't buy my sealer from the big box stores. Go to a reputable tile or granite yard and get the best sealer you can afford and follow the application instructions. Personally, I use a product called "Rock Steel" and have had nothing but success with it.


How to get rid of these bugs? We have newly got these bugs at home and want to get rid of them. They are about 1 cm long. They live under a laminated "floating" floor and they are only active at night - they run around our washroom and one can easily step on them... Is there a way how to get rid of these without removing the floor?

That's a silverfish. They're harmless to people and they won't do any structural damage to your home, but they do like to eat starch, cellulose, carbs; they'll do damage to wallpaper, book bindings, clothing, that kind of stuff. They like to eat mold and fungi too, and they tend to live in dark, moist / damp places.

As with any pest if you search around on the internet you can find a zillion suggestions for getting rid of them, some more successful than others.

Large infestations usually require an exterminator (if you find them problematic). But for small ones there are various things you can try first. This article on WikiHow has a number of suggestions, too many to reproduce here. Here is another decent article, although it's fairly clear that the author really despises these bugs.


I need to fix a recess light in my kitchen? I have recessed lighting in my entire house. It has vaulted ceilings and there is not attic access. One fixture keeps going through lamps and now just flickers on and off. Well, it did until my nephew removed the screw completely from the housing to see if he could take out the can.

What do I do now? We have taken off the trim and removed the baffle, but he dropped the screw that connected to a wing nut inside the can behind the light. I don't how to fix it or if I have to cut a hole in the ceiling to remove the housing? Please help!

Turn off the breaker to this circuit.
Near the bottom of the can light there are three screws. Remove them and the entire inner tin-can should pull down out of the ceiling. You can now rescue that screw and deal with whatever the problem is. This also provides you access to the junction box that is part of the lamp; where its connections are that you need to inspect.

A can light that seems to turn itself on and off either has too high of wattage bulb in it, causing the over-temp sensor to trip. Or the over temp switch has failed and needs to be replaced.

I am at a loss as to why one would burn out bulbs faster than others, unless it is somehow subject to more vibration. I'd check it against the others with a meter to make sure everything was kosher.


Replacement for Ikea backboard I am trying to move an Ikea Pax closet. And even though I tried to gently remove the backboard (put a stick against the edge from inside along the board and hit the stick so it would distribute the power), it still left all the nails in. I removed the nails but now I am not sure I can reuse the backboard.

It doesn't look like Ikea sells replacement backboards (so much for their promise of helping re-use). I am sure Home Depot- or Lowes-type stores sell some kind of hardboard, but is there anything specific I should think of / ask for when getting it?

Or if anyone knows an Ikea parts replacement place that has the backboards, that would be even better.

The backboard is part of the anti-racking structure and very much needed and used by just about every closet.

Backboard where the nails where pulled through can be reused a few times by putting the nails into new holes. At least until the edge is too chewed up.

As for replacement you can take a chunk of the board with you.


Fix a screw into a wall-plug The mirror in the bathroom is held by two hooks, that are screwed into the wall through wall-plugs. One of the hooks has become loose, and can easily turn around, and is thus not holding the mirror anymore. (So the wall-plug is not spinning in the wall, it is the screw itself which does.)

If I tighten the screw more, then it becomes fixed, but then the hook is too near to the mirror and cannot be hanged anymore. The other hook is very solid, even at the right distance.

I have already tried gluing the screw to the wall-plug with Loctite, but it still keeps moving.

I have already seen this related question, but I do not think it is relevant for two reasons:

If I want, I can tighten the screw, but then (as said above), it is too near to the wall.
If at all possible, I would like to avoid drilling another hole, I would rather try some other solution to glue the screw to the wall-plug.

It sounds like a longer screw of the same diameter would solve your problem.

If that doesn't work try a slightly larger diameter screw.

You can help stop this problem from happening again by adding a spacer between the hook and the wall. The spacer can be of any material. It should look like a thick washer. The thickness should be whatever is now the distance between the hook and the wall. The diameter should be about four times the thickness. The hole should be only large enough for the screw. This will allow the screw to hold the hook tightly and prevent it from wiggling and working the screw loose again.

Once you know the dimensions of the spacer, a hardware or DIY store can help you find it.


Granite and water damage I live in southern California. I have granite countertops and over the years I've noticed grout cracks between my granite and the tile splash on the sink side. Could the constant water from washing dishes seep in through those cracks and cause wall damage? How can I find out if the walls are wet? I've checked the walls that I have access to and they don't feel wet. Could a leak detector find the source?

Plus, our neighborhood is prone to those nasty large roaches that hang out in moist areas. I'm not a fan of those damn pests and they do multiply like crazy. When I noticed the little 1 inch (baby) critters I start to wonder and now drive myself crazy trying to find the source. I had this problem in my bathroom shower when opening up the wall during the demo; thousands of those critters were in the wall from water damage.

If I have wall damage then I definitely need to repair the problem sooner rather than later. My problem is I love my granite and cannot afford to have this redone again. But then on the other hand I don't want to have those b______s running around my house. Can I remove my granite without damaging it? I'm a neat freak and yes I am bigger than the critters but Im just not a fan of those flying nasty rodents or water damage.

Granite can be removed without it being damaged in 90% of all cases.  We would need to see pictures before helping out with that.  If granite is installed right it should be held in pace by a couple of wood blocks underneath in the corners - ensuring it can be moved if there is work that needs to be done.  If it is installed like this it literally takes a few mins to disconnect it from counters.  If it is glued to plywood or the cabinets it is much harder but still doable.

Notes:

Grout should never be used at the corner of a counter/backsplash.  Even if you had a tile counter you would ALWAYS caulk where the counter hits the wall.
All counters are sloped.  My kitchen counter reads true on a level.  But if I spill water it might take a day but it will all end up on the left side.  Sounds like yours are sloped back... which isn't good but not life altering.
You should check for water damage behind your cabinets.  You can easily make a couple of cuts and take a peak and no one will ever notice.
If your walls are wet, they will dry given you cut out the leaking.  Most water damage is no big deal.  Mold and other fungi will die quickly without water.  It depends on the severity of the issue.  But temporary water damage is not usually a precursor to a kitchen gut.


How do I create a C wire? My furnace is old and only has 4 wire connections, but I require a C wire. How can I create one based on this diagram?

I do have 5 wires running between the furnace and thermostat.

The way to find a C wire is to look for the transformer, and then find the secondary (low voltage) wire that is not the R wire.

In your case, this is the wire in the diagram going to the right of the part labeled "24 VAC", which is the transformer.


Non-metallic conduit support on horizontal surface in inaccessible space NEC says I need to secure 1" nonmetallic rigid conduit (Schedule 40 PVC to be precise) every 3 feet, which makes perfect sense when it is hanging between supports horizontally, across joists, or on a vertical surface.

However, I am looking to run a length of conduit over my porte cochere. The plan is to have it go up into one soffit, cross over attic space (inaccessible, no stairs or opening) feeding it in via the soffit, and come down out the other. Its about 14' across and there is no real way for me to get in there to attach straps. It would lay on 1/2" to 3/4" plywood which constitutes the ceiling of the porte cochere.  Can I leave this long of a run without a strap? It is 'supported' by the flooring.

My only concern is its not protected - outside the fact that you would have to drill through the plywood to hit it. There is a run of romex to four recessed lights in this space as well.

If it has to be supported, can I use something like a rooftop pipe support and feed them in to the space?

Any advice or pointing to somewhere in the code that hits this would be very helpful.

You might want to check with the inspector first, but I'm going to say they'll allow it.  NEC allows PVC to be supported by passing through framing members, so I'm guessing they'd allow it to be supported where running over framing members (especially in inaccessible areas).

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 3 Wiring and Protection
Article 352 Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Conduit: Type PVC
352.30 Securing and Supporting. PVC conduit shall be installed as a complete system as provided in 300.18 and shall be fastened so that movement from thermal expansion or contraction is permitted. PVC conduit shall be securely fastened and supported in accordance with 352.30(A) and (B).
(B) Supports. ...Horizontal runs of
PVC conduit supported by openings through framing members
at intervals not exceeding those in Table 352.30 and
securely fastened within 900 mm (3 ft) of termination
points shall be permitted.


Concrete block water wall footing requirements My wife and I would like to build a 6 foot high, 8 foot long fountain wall, using concrete cinder block that will then be covered with stone veneer.
My question is regarding the footing. We obviously don't want it to fall over.
Our yard is expansive clay soil.
How large and deep does our footing need to be? Would something like 2 foot wide and 12 inches deep be sufficient for this purpose?
And how far underground should the footing be buried?

To answer your question, the bottom of your footing needs to be a minimum of 12” below finish grade, where you live. However, I feel you don’t understand the complexity of this project so I’m going to layout a few issues you’ll need to resolve.
First, this wall will weigh about 4,800 lbs. (plus weight of your stone veneer) so if it falls over it’s a dangerous big deal. (The footing will weigh an additional 7,200 lbs.)
Also, you want to know the size of the footing, which is going to be approximately 6-8’ wide x 12” deep with a “ton” of rebar in it.
You call your soil “expansive clay”, which is extremely difficult to design stable footings in it AND may require the footing to be 2-3’ deep (which will increase the weight of the wall by an additional 2,400 lbs.)
You say wind loads could reach 60 mph, but my experience is you’ll have 120 mph gusts every year.
However, you live in a high seismic zone so special consideration should be designed for the connection between the wall and the footing.
I strongly suggest you have a structural engineer (not civil engineer) or architect help you with the design.


Can I plug corded light fixtures in outlets in ceiling per code? I  have build a new pole shed. I installed 20 amp switch with 12/2 wire from the switch to 20 amp outlets in the ceiling to power plug in LED lights. I can plug up to 8 LED lights on a 15 amp circuit (according to the packaging). My question: will plugin light fixtures with corded plugs meet code?

Corded lights are legal to be plugged into outlets. Although your LED lights are wired for a 15 amp circuit the lamp draws much less, the directions state 8 fixtures for a 15 amp circuit, I would guess the 8 lamps draw a total of 1200w or less,  but in any case the NEC allows manufacturer instructions to override code in some cases as long as the product is listed. NEC 400.8 provides the locations that can't be used but if the outlet is visible (not concealed) it is legal .


Is PVC an acceptable pipe for a vent stack through the roof I'm trying to figure out what type pipe I need for terminating a vent stack in the roof.  Is it acceptable to run 1 1/2" schedule 40 PVC through the roof for a new vent stack.

This will have 2 toilets, two showers, two sinks and one tub off this single vent (In case someone wants to comment on size).

I just didn't know if the PVC will hold up in the sun, or if there's a different type of Pipe I need to use to terminate the pipe outside.  If it is different, do you just use a boot to connect the two?  Anything special done to prevent fumes?

National (international) plumbing codes identify vent pipe size, length above the roof, flashing and caps.  But does not specify material.  PVC, ABS and galvanized have all been used.
You are right PVC is not the best in sun, for my area in desert south west I do not know why builders use it but they do.  But same issue occurs on solar water heating systems and pool pumping/filter systems.  So I like to coat them with at least paint, but like to use white elastomeric roof coating if I have some handy.


Possible explanations for a hissing toilet Mansfield 1.6 Toilet. Relatively recent (<3 years old) Korky fill. Hissing noises. Water level stable.

So, I replaced the drain stack with a new one, new gasket, bolts, etc). Put it all back together, and I'm right back where I started. If I'm hearing watery noises from the Korky unit, where is the water going, if the level in the tank does not go up and over the overflow in the drain stack? Should I just replace the fill at this point? Needless to say, no sign of water outside the toilet.

There should be a tube coming from the ballcock valve (Korky unit) going to the overflow pipe with a clip holding it onto the edge of the pipe. The purpose of that is to run some water down directly to the bowl after the flapper closes in order to refill the bowl (and help take care of "Klingons" on the side). I have found Korky fill valves to be especially susceptible to leaking through to that bowl refill tube continuously. The water runs along the side of the overflow pipe, so it's hard to see. You don't see anything going over the top of the overflow pipe and if you put dye in the tank you don't see it leaking. But if you pull that bowl refill tube off of the clip, you will see a small stream or drip of water coming out.


How can I utilize a light switch for a specific outlet? I just moved into a new apartment and in one of the bedrooms, there is a light switch that switches one of the outlets on and off. Unfortunately, this outlet is placed in the opposite side of the room where I want the lamp to be. Would it be easy/possible for me to do the work and somehow tie the switch to the particular outlet that I want? Or should I hire a professional?

If it's an apartment, meaning you are renting, then this should be a request to the landlord, and they may or may not have it done for you.

I'd instead consider an alternative...namely the wireless switches they now sell. You plug it in-between your lamp and any outlet, and then you mount the switch (which is wireless) next to your regular wall switch with those 3M removable mounting strips.

As a bonus, you can take it with you when you move to your next apartment.


How are thermal (fire) barriers installed over foam insulation in a crawlspace? I will soon be sealing my crawlspace with plastic sheeting across the floor and up the concrete walls. I plan on then adding rigid foam insulation.

My reading of the Residential Code is that I will need to install a thermal barrier over the rigid foam board to add protection against ignition. The layers of material are:

earth---concrete---plastic sheeting---foam board---thermal barrier---crawlspace air

Typically, a thermal barrier is provided by 1/2" gypsum board. My issue is that this is a crawlspace. I am not planning on installing studs to support wall board.

Do I need to install the barrier in a crawlspace?
What would I use as a barrier since I don't have studs to hange wall board on?
Is there an alternative that I am missing?

Related questions:

Do basement walls with metal framing and foam insulation require fireblocking and draftstopping?
How can I install r-max insulation on the interior side of a cinderblock wall?
Should I encapsulate my crawl space?

Do I need to install the barrier in a crawlspace?

Yes you need to install the barrier regardless of where it is.

  What would I use as a barrier since I don't have studs to hang wall board on?
  Is there an alternative that I am missing?

You don't need studs to install drywall. You could install furring strips and then attach the drywall to this. You can even get XPS foam with channels for the furring strips cut out so that you don't add any extra depth to the wall.


Is it against code to secure junction box using Liquid Nails? I need to extend a 14/2 WG wire a few feet. To do this I want to add the extra wire using a junction box. The problem is that I can't get a good angle to nail the junction box down so I was wondering if using Liquid Nails would be against code?

Article 314.23(B) of the National Electrical Code, says that the enclosure must be rigidly supported.

  NEC 2008
  314.23 Supports.
  (B) Structural Mounting An enclosure supported from a structural member of a building or from grade shall be rigidly supported either
  directly or by using a metal, polymeric, or wood brace.

Whether or not liquid nails would meet this criteria may be up to interpretation, so it's best to check with your local inspector to determine if they'd allow it.

The other (better) option, would be to use an old work box. Which is allowed by subsection C of the same section.

  NEC 2008
  314.23 Supports.
  (C) Mounting in Finished Surfaces. An enclosure mounted in a finished surface shall be rigidly secured thereto by clamps, anchors,
  or fittings identified for the application.


Framing design for small cathedral ceiling or A-Frame. Max Headroom I need to specify some framing details for a dormer.  It's a bit unusual: it's in unconditioned space.  The outside dimensions are 8' wide, with a total span depth of 11' (9' to the nearest support).  The total inside height will be just 6'.  Above will be plywood and a metal roof (very lightweight) at 6-12 pitch.  No insulation or inside finish is needed.

There's no room for a parallel chord truss, or really much of anything.  The finish height of the roof above is fixed.

Framing it like drawing A with a tension member in the truss would be great, except I need headroom.

Detail B shows the entire thing hung off a ridge beam, but then it's a pretty big beam for such a small space.  The ridge beam must be supported on posts at each end.

Is detail C done, and if so where would I find documents on the approach and prescriptive beam sizes?  Detail C imagines a steel gusset at the ridge to prevent outward forces on the walls. All the forces take up by approach A's tension member must be taken by the rafters and the steel strapping.

No snow load.  Under 4 psf dead load including ply on roof (metal roofing).

The host roof itself matches 3.12a from the 2018 American Wood Council WFCM https://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/wfcm/AWC-WFCM2018-ViewOnly-1904.pdf
The question relates to detail C: is it done, are there off the shelf metal brackets, and pre-engineered details?

If it's not in the framing manual, what you do is go and talk to a structural engineer, they'll find a design that gets you the shape you need.

Achieving your goal may involve bespoke welded steel portals in addition to the engineer's fees. or may get away with a wooden frame with just steel reinforcing plates.


How do I replace an old Roomba's battery? I've got an old iRobot Roomba "3100 Pro Elite" whose battery has died. A new Roomba is EUR 300 and upward, so I would prefer to revive the one I have.

It's difficult (impossible?) to find replacement batteries in Austria (Europe), and they are so expensive that I haven't yet convinced myself the cost is worth it. But it would be nice to revive the Roomba as it is in decent working condition, mechanically, except for the cheap rubber treads that I have glued back on.

Do you have suggestions for where to get a replacement battery for this specific Roomba?

Would it make sense to try this DIY approach, considering I've never tried soldering on batteries? I'd hate to have this thing explode in my living room. Where would I get batteries from? The page's discussion thread refers to a U.S. website.

Ebay - that's where I got my replacement. It's NOT an iRobot manufactured battery pack (nor does it claim to be), but it works fine. I think it came from someone in Hong Kong, and the shipping wasn't bad at all - I don't know how shipping in your area would be.

I looked at opening the pack up and replacing the cells, but I couldn't figure out how to get the thing open without damaging it.


Is this singe-handle shower valve servicable? If so how would I find the source of a steady drip when the valve is shut off? My mother's house has a shower that has a perpetual drip; the valve is likely original to the house (probably ~1970) and I expected it to be a pressure-balancing valve with a cartridge and replacable o-rings and gaskets that were likely deteriorating.

The valve operates by pulling out to allow the water to flow and pushing in to shut off the water.  Twisting it controls the temperature.  I've removed the cover and didn't find what I expected--so I took these photos:

The cover plate has been removed, the cover does not hold the handle in place (the handle could be removed with the cover on).

The valve with the handle assembly removed

Another view of the valve

The handle assembly

I expected the black plastic to be a removable cartridge, but it seems to be firmly in place (I've just tried twisting and pulling by hand--not much force, but it doesn't budge or wiggle).  The handle screws pass through the black plastic and into the body behind it.

So, the main question:  Does this unit appear to be serviceable--if so how can I get deeper to identify the cause of the drip--how would I pull the black plastic without damaging it?  Or is it just time to get into the wall from behind and replace the whole valve?

...and yes, it'll get caulked during reassambly

Glad you found your answer.

I've also had slow leaks (drips) like you experienced due to (1) solder spatter inside the valve that prevented a good seal on the rubber, and (2) plumber soldering the pipe with the cartridge in place which hardened the rubber so it didn't seal well.


Do waste water pipes for kitchens and bathrooms require a minimum slope to avoid clogging? When I had a dishwasher installed, the plumber refused to install the waste water pipe horizontally, saying that this would get it to clog all the time. He left a roughly 1:10 slope on it. I thought it made sense.

Now I find that the drain pipes that my sink and bath are connected to (and which clog up all the time) are lying on the floor completely horizontally, for a length of at least 1.5 meters. They are 4cm diameter PVC pipes.

Is this a bad installation, and do you think this is why it keeps clogging up? Are there legal requirements in the UK for the drain pipes to be sloped, so I could get my landlord to fix these?

I am not in the UK but my city uses the International Plumbing Code.

Everything needs to have the required slope. The required slope depends on the size of the pipe.

IPC table 704.1 shows that a pipe with an ID (interior diameter) of 2.5" or less needs 1/4" per foot. While a pipe that is 3" to 6" only needs 1/8" per foot.


How can I clean and restore old interior shiplap planking? In renovating our 2nd story master bedroom, we found one wall of shiplap.  We would like to keep it in its natural state, altho after years of being there, and covered, it looks very dark and most likely needs to be cleaned. It is most likely dirty from years of being covered up.  We think it may have originally been part of an outside wall, but the house has been added on since being built and this wall was incorporated into one of the bedroom walls, then covered with drywall and the drywall had been painted. Looking for advice on how exactly to accomplish this feat.  Someone told me to purchase a "sanitizer" that sprays directly on the wood.  Is this a good idea?

Almost all old shiplap was once painted, so it probably isn't raw wood. If so, it has some resistance to moisture.

You can try to clean it using a mild soap cleaner, such as Murphy's or other soaps advertised for cleaning wooden surfaces. This should remove most of the dust and other water soluble soils (and a bit of the oil/grease based as well).

If that works, you may have a surface that is acceptable as is. If not, you can progress to a solvent based cleaner. Mineral spirits is the least aggressive and will remove most grime, but leave most finishes intact. However, this gives off significant fumes, so you need to be able to adequately ventilate while doing this, and for some time (a day) thereafter.

If is still isn't fresh enough, you are now in the realm of heavy duty strippers, and this needs a whole different analysis.

If you get a satisfactory result with one of the above approaches, you can just leave it, or you can try to seal it with a flat or satin based clear coat, such as a water based poly.


Ceiling drywall for basement with 48 inch oc joists we are remodeling basement by replacing drop ceiling with drywall. The floor above is supported by 16 ft 4x6 beams at 48 inch oc.

I see the below 2 options. Any inputs will help.

Run a 48 inch(2x6)  blocking between the beams using joist hangers and attach 2 pairs of 8 ft 2x6 to create a 16 inch oc frames to hang the drywall ( again with joist hangers). The new 16 feet length can be plumb with the beams for a flat drywall surface.
Attach 2x4 furring strips on the 4 inch side perpendicular to the beams with 16 inch oc (2 inch ceiling height will be lost). I see that it may be possible to use 1x3 furring strips as well. Can 48 inch span for 1x3 handle 5/8 drywall?

I think the best choice would be 2x3 strapping, here is my rationale.

It would be very expensive to run ceiling joists between the beams, parallel to the beams, so let's rule that out off the bat.  You will want to run something perpendicular to the beams.

You could install blocking between the beams - bottom edge of the blocking even with the bottom edge of the beams - or strapping under the beams.

The 2x6 blocking considered in the question is overkill.  Since this blocking only needs to support the weight of the drywall, you could go with something much smaller, and you'd only need to toe nail it, joist hangers not necessary.  I think you'd want 2x3 blocking spaced 16" OC, and you'd probably put the 3" face down, so you have more surface to screw into at the joints.

Strapping is usually done with 1x3's spaced 16" OC, but that's normally across 16" or 24" joist spans.  I think you'd want to bump up to 2x3 strapping to avoid sagging.  There is an added bonus with thicker strapping: you get a decent amount of space between the drywall and the beams.  Properly protected, you can run pipes and wires perpendicular to the beams in this space - a big advantage when finishing a basement.

So with strapping instead of blocking, you

lose a little ceiling height
gain some wiring / plumbing space
save a lot of time installing

To me, strapping wins.


Is it bad that my cordless drill is smoking? I was using my cordless drill today.  I was trying to drive a bolt that was stuck with my drill in low gear and it wasn't really budging.  I tried a few times and then noticed that smoke was coming out of my drill's cooling slots.

My drill has a brushless motor and 725in-lb of torque and it was stalling out.  Does that mean that something inside the drill fried, or is it common to see smoke come from a drill while under a heavy load?

EDIT: The drill is a Milwaukee M18 Fuel.

Don't Stall Electric Motors. Ever.

Stalled motor = no back EMF = High Current.

It burns the windings out.

I'd think the technology in more expensive drills with brushless motors would sense a stall condition and go into shutdown, but yours seems to be willing to sacrifice its life, cooking the insulation off the windings and attempting to burn out the MOSFET array that drives the motor.

An Electric Impact wrench is more appropriate for this kind of abuse. It has a mechanism that allows the motor to spin up, deliver a sharp shock to turn the bolt and release immedately so the motor never stalls.

If an electric or pneumatic impact wrench driving the appropriate impact socket won't loosen it, the time has come to apply some Mouse Milk and a breaker bar.

Here's a Dewalt Planetary Set with attached Brushless Motor. Your windings will be dark brown instead of that gold, green or red color they usually color the enamel. The next step for it is to turn black and the windings then start to short.


Voltage increase when connecting a large load to household circuit So in the place I'm currently staying, they use an inline hot water heater1. This is a ~5500W, 50A beast2 that replaces the shower head and heats up the water as it comes out. Notably, even 5500W isn't enough to really get the water hot if the flow rate is high, but it's certainly better than nothing.

I noticed that when I turn the water on, the bulb in the bathroom gets brighter. That's the opposite of what I would have normally expected. I whipped out the multimeter, and sure enough when the shower isn't running, I am reading 92V-95V3, but as soon as I turn it on and the shower starts drawing ~30A, the voltage increases to about 107V, which explains the brighter bulbs.

I'm used to a heavy load like a 30A4 either dropping the voltage, on a system with long insufficiently thick wiring runs (or a weak voltage source, like a generator or inverter near its maximum load), or holding steady (a well designed system) - but what could cause a load to significantly increase the system voltage?

Notes: I wasn't able to measure the voltage at the shower head itself - I measure it at an outlet elsewhere in the house. You can't see it in the picture, but the ground wire which comes out of the back of the shower head is simply pigtailed to neutral, which is why you only see two wires coming out of the head - unsafe as hell, but could this also have an effect, e.g., by providing a second return path for current?

1Admittedly, I'm just making this name up - I'm sure the correct term is lurking out there somewhere.

2I've never seen these in Canada, the US or Western Europe, so I'm kind of guessing they are against code. Having live mains voltage in your shower doesn't seem like a great idea, and many that I've seen have bare copper exposed on the hot wire, so you are just a couple inches away from a bad accident when you reach up to adjust it. That said, they are very common at least across Mexico and Guatemala, where plumbing is either absent or cold only. Dual hot/cold plumbing is very rare.

3Yeah, it's out of spec, but this is rural Guatemala we are talking about.

4It's on full, so it should be trying to draw 50A, not 30A, but it's probably experiencing a lot of voltage drop on the long wiring run to the shower head.

This seems like the neutral cable in a split 120-N-120 service is not handling the full current. A small gain in brightness of a lamp on one side of the circuit, when a 30 or 50 A load is applied to the other side, is not unusual, but measure the voltage if it's more than a barely-noticeable increase in brightness. The maximum voltage should be no more than ~127 V.

In the extreme case of a neutral wire breaking (which happened to my service after a tree fell on the entrance cable), the voltage across each half of the circuit becomes 240V split by the resistance for the circuit. E.G. with a 40 A designed load (3 ohms) on one side, and a 1 A designed load (just a 120 W lamp, 120 ohms) on the other side, the actual voltage across the lamp would be ~234 V, and the 40 A water heater would get only ~6V. The lamp would be very bright for a very short while. (In my case, I was lucky -- a few lamp ballasts burned out, but over-voltage protection varistors on outlets blew circuit breakers before a fire started).


how do i remove this light fixture Ok, I want to thank you for your time for reading my post. I need advice on how to remove this old candelier, I have already unscrew the two nails but the cover plate is still stuck to the ceiling, I have also tried truning it anticlockwise but no luck .

You may find cutting the paint around the edge necessary - it acts like glue.


What could cause a condensing units fan to stop working? My AC unit fan stopped working suddenly. I tested the 3 pole condenser (capacitor) and the it looks OK ( 45 uf , 5 uf is what is mentioned in the spec of capacitor). I tested the resistance in the the wires going to the fan motor and it turn out to be 30 Ohm 50 Ohm and 80 Ohm. so there is no open in the motor. Does it mean Motor is fine?

contractor should be OK (** and i am assuming it **) as it is powering the compressor correctly. What can be the way to debug it further.

I can say with reasonable confidence the compressor is OK as i am still getting the cold air at vent also compressor temperature is rising up when the unit is ON.

The problem was because the RPM of the new motor was different. So it burned out quickly. Make sure to use the same RPM motor apart from the HP and Amp of the motor. It really makes the difference.
the AC guy now installed the same RPM motor and it works great.


What should I do with a 3-way light switch that is no longer needed? How do I get rid of a 3-way switch?  I am rewiring some lights in an older home and found that one of the switches is a 3-way.  However, the light it was originally for was removed years ago.  So we have switches that are hot but we do not need.  The wires for the light were put into a base plug high up on the wall.  However, the switch in that room can remain to work the plug.  The one I am trying to remove is the other end of the 3-way in the kitchen.

You can't really remove the wire from the 3-way in the kitchen without tearing the wallboard out and removing it that way.  It's probably stapled above the boxes that it goes to or from.

You first need to determine if the receptacle is being fed from the 3-way.  If so then you might have to connect 2 of the wires that feed from the kitchen 3-way.  If the receptacle is being fed from someplace else then you still might have to connect the wires in the kitchen 3-way or open the receptacle up and remove the wires from the kitchen 3-way and then change the the other 3-way to a single pole.  The kitchen 3-way can have a blank cover put on it or you can buy a switch - blank plate or whatever configuration you need.  Make sure you turn the power off when working around the wires and when the power is on use a non-contact tester to determine what wires are hot.  When the power is on, keep one hand in your back pocket.


How to construct a timber and steel staircase? I need to produce some detailed staircase technical drawings for unit.
What’s the best way to attach the tread to the riser (#1/#2/some other way)?
Also, how do you attach the oak tread to the steel stringer (#3/some other way)?
There will also be a sheet of steel running underneath the treads and risers, with an acoustic rubber mat between the steel and oak. Assuming this will simply be glued onto both surfaces?

For connecting tread to stringer, a piece of flat bar welded on to make a bracket (instead of angle).
For risers (if needed) the the top end of the riser is typically held in a groove in the underside of the tread, and bottom end attached to the back of the other tread,
Stringers are often C-section beams (not flat bar).


Drywall on conrete ceiling without studs, weight issues? I have a question regarding heavy drywall hanging on a ceiling.

I need to hang drywall ceiling without any studs (drywall designed for moisture, vapor barrier, straight onto concrete ceiling).

I realize the proper way to to do this would be metal studs, however, I can not lower the ceiling any more than 2 cm to preserve the large room separating arch thing.

My question is about weight, the building is an old conrete block one, appartement is on 4th floor drywall is 125x1200x3000mm (room size is 4x3m. The drywall weight is around 35kg, I will be trying to distribute the weight from edge to edge to get some support from the walls instead of leaving one drywall sheet solely hanging in the middle.

Do I have anything to worry weight wise? As in, is it safe to mount around 110 kg of weight onto the ceiling that is roughly 3x4m in area?

For reference, the build is an old concrete block design: https://gyazo.com/09e079faf29c2988ef0b8ac8b237e49b.png

Drywall is: "knauf gkbi 125x1200x30000mm".

Drywall weighs 8 lbs. per inch of thickness. Plaster weighs 10 lbs. per inch of thickness. This is insignificant in the design of buildings.

Changing a light fixture to a heavier fixture could have a bigger impact.

I’d worry more about the kind of fastener you are going to fasten the gypsum board to the concrete slab. Typically reinforcing steel is placed with 3/4” clearance between the bottom of the rebar and bottom of the slab.

Be careful not to screw 100 screws into the rebar and cause spalling (loss of bonding).


Can both a 240V power supply and a 120V power supply, coming from a sauna heater's single power unit, go to the same outbuilding? So the situation is as follows: I've found an electric sauna heater I want to use in the detached, outdoor sauna I'm building. The outdoor sauna is 55' away from the house, so I'm planning to bury PVC conduit 18" deep for the wire runs.
A wall-mounted "power unit" which needs to go inside the house (sensitive electronics can't freeze, apparently) receives 240V power from the main breaker panel in the house. The power unit then sends 240V power out to the heater. A data cable also runs between the power unit and a digital control unit, installed inside the house to turn the sauna and sauna room lights on/off. A separate data cable runs from a temperature sensor in the sauna hot room back to the power unit as well. This temp sensor data cable will need to be buried in conduit for the run from the sauna to the house separate from the power cables, kept >2" away from the power cables per manufacturer. The power unit also has a connection that provides the power to a 120V light circuit, controlled by the digital control unit.
My questions:
So, because the power unit is protected by the double-throw breaker, and is providing power for both the 240V run to the sauna heater AND the 120V run to the lights, will this been seen as a single circuit going to an outbuilding? Or will this count as two separate circuits?
Assuming they count as one circuit and I'm allowed to send them both to the sauna building, will the 240V and the 120V wire runs out to the sauna be allowed to be in the same conduit? Or will I need to run three conduits? (One for the temp sensor data cable, one for the 120V light supply, and one for the 240V heater supply?)
Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!!

You'll need to run two conduits
The good news is that mixing 120 and 240V circuits in the same conduit is fine, and each of the mains circuits (light, aux, heater) in the mains conduit would be considered a "different use" for the purposes of NEC 225.30(D) since they're separately switched, so you can run all three mains circuits from the main building to the outbuilding instead of putting the power unit at the outbuilding.  You should be able to run the A1/A2 (thermal protector) wires in this conduit as well, since they also run to the heater itself alongside the other mains wiring.
However, you'll need to run the temperature sensor cable in a separate conduit; I called Finlandia Sauna tech support, and they insisted that the temp sensor cable be separated from mains wiring, so I doubt the insulation on it is rated for running alongside mains, and the temperature sensor's housing may not be mains-legal either.


Newly Installed Bifold Doors Difficult To Initiate Closure When Fully Opened I have recently changed out my 36 year old solid wood louvered bifold closet doors with new hollow, molded composite doors. These doors, when opened fully, tend to stick when using the knobs to initiate closure. I usually end up pushing on the panel with my hand to get it started. I NEVER had this problem with my old doors. I did see in another Q&A that someone advised the following:

  "Another problem is when the carpenter puts the knobs in the wrong place. They're often set right near the hinges. This makes the closing force all wrong, which results in premature wear and deformation of hardware. Ideally, the knobs will be in the center of the inner panel. This allows force to be applied in all necessary directions for both opening and closing action."

That feels like what my problem is - that the closing force is all wrong. However, the knobs are exactly where they were on my old doors. Could the difference in the weight of the doors have anything to do with it? Is there any way to fix this since the door hardware has already been installed?

Ed Beal & User3757614 are very right. However, see if you already have stops that are integrated with the door anchors at the ends. If you have them, they're adjustable & keep the rollers from binding in the track, which sounds like is your problem. The doors shouldn't collapse tightly together.

There would be a screw at the outer edge of the anchor & you may notice a seam between a thin edge piece of metal or plastic that you may have mistaken as a bumper or cap. This, would or could be your adjustable stop that can be extended out again to where the binding is avoided.

This is a common problem & everyone eventually leans on the collapsed doors to push the stops in or never extends them in the first place. Due to leveling issues some people leave or make the binding to hold the doors open to stop the doors from closing on them, it's very annoying.


New Fan Switch Question My old switch does not have a white wire.  Should I add one and attach it to the grommet inside the box?

Also, in most diagrams, the black wire enters the box from the top an leaves from the bottom.  In this case they both are on top.  How do I know which wire should be connected to RD?

Thanks

Yes, run a short length of new white wire to the white terminal of the switch and add it to the wirenut (grommet) of the two white wires.

One of the black wires goes to the black terminal on the switch, the other black wire goes to the red terminal on the switch.

It won't damage the switch if you mix up the red and black wires, it simply won't work and you'll just have to swap them around.

You could restore power and use a non-contact voltage detector or a multimeter to find the hot (black terminal) and switched hot (red terminal), but that's just more work requiring tools you make not have.

Mark the switched hot (red) wire with some electrical tape to help remember which is which in the future. Red electrical tape would be perfect, but any color is better than nothing!


How to restrain the arbor on a circular saw to change the blade Been trying to change blades on my B&D circular saw But as I try to fasten it the whole thing turns,Seems like the arbor is loose,What could be the problem and can it be fixed?.....Thanks guys.

Most circular saws have either a push lever that stops the arbor from spinning or a hole in the rear guard through which you insert a thin round metal object (screwdriver) which will catch on a saw blade tooth to keep it from spinning while you tighten the arbor nut.

Note that many saws have a left-hand thread arbor nut.


Can I splice the common wire of two different circuits in the same junction? I have a single 4way run that shares a 2 gang box with another circuit. Both circuits run off of the same sub-panel.

Is phase an issue here? I can't seem to find anything that indicates whether or not this is acceptable. Thinking about it again, my inclination is that you can't/shouldn't do this.

Every neutral needs to stay with its partners hot(s) in the same cable.  You can't have promiscuous neutrals.   There are a bunch of reasons, but let's just touch on a few of them.

Neutrals don't have breakers.  That means, say, a hot/neutral pair rated for 15A will have its hot wire on a 15A breaker, and the neutral is assumed to be protected since how can the neutral flow more current than the hot?  Well a promiscuous neutral could be returning its own 15A plus another 15A from another circuit; overloading at 30A. Nothing would prevent this.

EMF imbalance causes eddy currents and wire movement.  A single wire carrying AC power throws up a lot of EMF.  A reed relay laid alongside a wire will actuate if current flow is > 10 amps. They intentionally wrap wires in loops big enough for ships to sail through, and test EMP resistance and degauss ships.  It can also cause "eddy current heating" in anything metallic that isn't specifically laminated to avoid this.  The pulsing magnetism can also cause physical vibration of the wire in the walls, which can fatigue and break the wire, cause arcing. Arcing can set things on fire inside the walls where the homeowner can't detect it or put it out while it's small.

However, when all the wires in a circuit run together, it means currents are equal and opposite among the wires, and the EMFs cancel each other out, which eliminates the above problems.  Since current flows in loops, that's guaranteed to happen as long as all the wires in that branch of the circuit are in the same cable.  So it's a code requirement that all wires in a circuit branch run together in the same cable or conduit.

GFCI/RCD's don't permit cross-wiring.  They work by detecting unequal currents, using the abovementioned "EMFs cancel each other out" trick.  A promiscuous neutral will obviously cause unequal currents and guarantee a GFCI trip.  That means using this very sloppy wiring technique will backfire on you badly if you ever upgrade the circuit to GFCI protection.


Concrete pour against green board I'm having a new concrete floor poured in. its going to be 4 inches.

The drywall that will be in contact with the cement is green board(moisture resistant).

Will that be ok? or should I cut the bottom 6 inches of drywall and put pressure treated boards?

Assuming that this is a new 4 inches of floor on a ground level structure...

No this is definitely not ok.

Greenboard is mold resistant.  It is, however, still just gypsum with paper over it.

Neither is using pressure treated wood as a barrier.

Why?

Concrete wicks water.  Any water near the area will be distributed to be brought into direct contact with the gypsum or wood.  Gypsum and paper, when left exposed to moisture, falls apart.  Wood, even pressure treated, will rot eventually.

This is why sill plates, which sit on top of foundation walls that can be several feet above ground, are protected by moisture barriers.

You need to put a waterproof (PROOF, not resistant) substance between the new concrete and existing walls, OR lift the walls up (not likely feasible).


What is the proper name for this type of washer? I'm trying to find a replacement for a washer / spacer that I lost, and it looks like this:

I know I need one that's M5 in size, and can probably measure the length of the one I've got remaining. But I have no idea what the 'correct' name for this is, so don't know what to search for. Collared spacer? Insert washer?

Using google image search, your photo is used on a UK company's web site:

https://titanclassics.com/product/m6-washer-spacer

They call it a washer spacer, however, that term is not very definitive:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22washer+spacer%22&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22spacer+washer%22&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=washer+spacer&iax=images&ia=images
More definitively, they are called "flange bushings" or "flanged bushings":

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=flange+bushing&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=flanged+bushing&iax=images&ia=images

Somewhat less definitively are "step washers" or "stepped washers" and  "shoulder washer"

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=step+washers&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=stepped+washers&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=shoulder+washer&iax=images&ia=images


Why does my propane oven emit a chemical smell when in use? We have a propane cook stove. Have been using it for several years.  Lately we are getting a very strong unpleasant odor when using the oven. Difficult to compare the smell to anything, but not pleasant. It is not the usual propane smell,much sharper and more 'chemically'. Seems to happen just when the oven comes back on, but not every time.  I haven't done any painting or anything for several years. I have moved the stove out and checked in the cupboards around it, and nothing there has changed. It only happens a coupe of times each time the oven is used, Never have this smell when using the stove-top burners.
When the oven is turned on initially, it takes up to 5 minutes for it to light, so the igniter is probably weak, but can't see how that would cause the problem, as it doesn't create that smell on initial start-up.

Pull the oven burner and check for lint or any thing that could partially block the air inlet at the burner venturi. If you can see the flame, It should be blue and have a definite pattern not yellow and lazy. My last home had propane for cooking and the stove required more than normal maintenance. If the odor is a "burn your nose or eyes" kind of odor that usually means not enough combustion air at the flame, and a weird smell is what you get. – d.george 6 hours ago


What are the pros and cons of louvered gutter alternatives? One part of our house has a gutter nearly 30' above grade (a dry-laid brick patio outside a walkout basement), which never gets cleaned out because I don't enjoy being on a ladder that high, and that part of the roof is not accessible from the other side (it's a non-traditional contemporary house).   Luckily, because of the height, this takes several years to clog completely with leaves, but it's now time to do something agin.

I'm considering Rainhandler "gutters" to replace the traditional gutter on this section.  It's about a 28' run, and drains approximately 12' of roof (it's a shed roof Lthat butts into a wall).   The eave is about 16" deep.

What should I consider before making this decision?

The Rainhandler Plus might be OK if the ground around your home's foundation slopes at least 1 inch per foot for 6 feet or more and you haven't had water leaks in your basement or home. But you'll find gutter-guard systems that are better at capturing water for far less.

Consumer Reports 2010

My gutters are 3 stories above the ground level (it's a townhouse), so we had Gutterglove installed. It's been a year and we haven't had any problems. I previously had some cheaper screens on my gutters that lasted about 8 years before buckling from leaves (there's a steep hill behind my house so we do get leaves even on a roof that tall).  I haven't had any problem with the gutterglove system, but it also hasn't been long.


GFCI and 3 way switch I am trying to wire in a GFCI outlet from a 3 way switch. There is a good ground nearby but no neutral. Can it be done and how?

No. You can never wire a receptacle with no neutral, and you can't substitute ground. (This is another disadvantage of running switch loops without them, which by the way is no longer allowed.)


What kind of metal is safe for DIY BBQ repair? The flame deflectors in the propane BBQ are rusted to bits. They sit an inch or two above the flames. For making new ones, I know to not use any galvanized or painted sheet metal.  What kind of sheet metal would not be a potential health issue?

Best would be a cast iron/steel piece, it would last forever and do exactly same as next item.

Second best would be mild carbon steel, what we call black steel where I come from. It rusts like no tomorrow but it is cheap, sturdy and no surprises.

Stainless is a waste of money, heat over time will both make it brittle and leach mystery compounds like chromium into nearby surfaces.

Galvanized is ridiculous, as propane heat will melt the zinc and it will make a puddle.

Best performance is heat resistant high alloy steel with large portions of nickel, molybdenum and others. What we call "kettle steel" in my neck of the woods. But that is hard to work into shape, difficult to weld, heavy as bricks and thus expensive.


Will nailing vinyl over my wall ruin the paint over time? I have some noisy neighbors and my landlord has given me permission to nail mass loaded vinyl over the offending window. The vinyl will remain in place for about 6 months. Is there any risk that over time the vinyl could stick to the paint and ruin the wall when I take it off?

You need to know how fresh the paint on that wall is and what the sheen of the paint is (matte, satin, semigloss, etc).  Paint that is glossy and less that.. 6 months old will tend to still stick to things that are hung on the wall (I made up that time frame, but feels right to me).  Even matte paint can have this issue, but it's far less likely.

A good option might be to hang up builders paper (basically kraft paper like grocery bags are made of) to provide an intermediate layer between the paper and the vinyl.  The paper can still stick to very fresh paint, but it is less likely to do so.


Did someone throw a rock at my window? The outside pane of a double-glazed window in my house is broken, and I'm curious to know why. Picture below.

I've done some Googling to investigate, and as I it understand the possibilities are:

Impact

This is a second floor window so it would have to be a projectile. My research suggests that this would appear as a series of points originating from a central point-of-impact. I don't see the typical spiders-web pattern, so I don't think this was an act of vandalism.

Heat induced

At the time of the breakage, it was 70F in my house and 39F outside. I don't think this is a sufficient gradient to cause a spontaneous breakage.

Mechanical stress

I'm less sure about this - I can't find consistent information on how this looks.

Edge failures

I don't think the breakage appears to emanate from the edge, so I can rule this out.

Summary

All in all, I'm at a bit of a loss, and was hoping some expert here might be able to help me figure out why my window broke.

That pattern indicates that a blunt object hit it, something relatively soft and larger. A rock or other hard and small object would leave a clear indicator like the picture below, with a central point and circular lines. What larger and blunt object would hit a second level window? Probably a bird. I think that this is a bird strike in the middle of the glass

As an interesting side note, here's an eagle that flow through someone's window last month


Where does the strength of a French cleat lie? I'm making a French cleat wall for a home office.  I'm wondering how to make the strongest French cleat.  Is it the length/angle of the bevel that matters most, like in B vs A in the diagram?  Or is it the overall width of the cleat that is attached to the wall, like in X vs Y?  Or does overall thickness of material (as in across A-side/B-side) make the real difference?

If you consider the physics of this, the B wedge is going to apply more outward force on the cleat attached to the wall then the A wedge for a given amount of weight supported.  So you might cause the attachment to the wall to fail long before you would be reaching the capacity of the bolt's shear limit.
Generally a relatively shallow angle will give you all the support you need as you really just want it deep enough to keep the supported item from popping off the cleat.
If you are concerned about the amount of weight supported, use a wider cleat not a steeper angle on the cut.
Bottom line: Between your two diagrams, the LEFT one is the better choice.


How should I patch a large hole in brick? I have an old vent, about 6-8 inches in diameter, in my ranch style brick home that used to be for my stove.  We have done away with the stove and no longer need the vent.  The hole and vent is outside and leading into our unfinished basement so it would be easy to run an electrical outlet (GFI) where the hole is to where we are going to put a fountain with some landscape design.

Can I place the electrical outlet in the hole and cement around the outlet with the electrical wire into the basement?  Do I put CCA treated wood or an aluminum piece of metal inside behind the cemented hole to support the concrete inside the house?

This is the procedure:

(1) Have a REAL bricklaying-mason repair hole. Holes in brick are repaired with brick. Do not hire an idiot. It is harder to repair a brick wall than to build a brick wall.

(2) Drill 3/4" hole through wall.

(3) Put electrical conduit through wall.

(4) Seal conduit with approved material to make completely air and water tight.

(5) Mount all-weather electrical outlet to outside of wall attached to conduit..


Is it normal for a washing machine to shock you without grounding? Wrote a long story about me moving my mothers washing machine but decided to keep it short:
Machine 8 years old, aesthetically in perfect condition other than some exposed sheet metal on the side due to a scratch. Reportedly a few of its programs don't work.
The room where I installed it was (according to the previous owner) intended for a washing machine but he never got around to it. It had water but no electrical sockets, only an improvised lamp attached to a heavy gauge 3 core electrical cable sticking out the wall.
I removed the lamp and attached a grounded outlet instead. Plugged the machine in, all the lights came on as normal. Reached over to adjust the drain hose and got a mild shock from the scratch of exposed metal on the side. Didn't try if any other parts of it would shock me too, just unplugged it.
Searched around the internet, some claim that its normal if the machine isn't grounded properly. I have no clue if the ground on that wire I connected the outlet to actually serves any purpose. The other end of the cable is connected to the electricity of the bathroom next to it but I have no clue where. The bathroom has no sockets either, only lamps. I looked under the housing of a few of the bathroom lamps, they get their electricity via a 2 core cable.
In the electrical panel, the switch that controls the bathroom and the washing machine room has a 3 core medium gauge cable leaving and disappearing into a wall. Its not the same kind of cable as either the washing machine room or the bathroom have.
So now I'm suspecting that the grounding in that room might be fake and as such would justify the shock that the machine gave me. Is that a plausible scenario? Or should I just be looking for a new washing machine?
This took place in europe, 230V is the standard. Blue and brown wires make zap, yellow/green stripe wire is supposed to be ground.
EDIT: Looked up how to test for grounding, turns out all I needed was a multimeter, I got one of those. Surely enough, the cable in the washing machine room is not grounded. Also tested other outlets around the house, the grounding works in most places, other than the washing machine room, all the basement outlets save for one, the outlets behind the house on the patio don't work at all.

Well, don't be confused by what happens in North America.  There, some very silly things were done to dryers regarding bootlegging ground off neutral, and so dryers are a holy terror.  Not Your Problem.
Your washer hooks up just like a normal appliance - Hot, Neutral and Earth.
I suspect the root of your problem is this "improvised" electrical connection.  The first thing you did - that is a cardinal sin in Britain and European influenced areas - is you attached an appliance to a lighting circuit.  Many lighting circuits are some piddly small ampacity like 3 or 6 amps.  They are simply not intended for a large appliance.  Only lighting can be on those circuits.   It's possible that light was herky-jerked off an appliance circuit, but you should have investigated that.
Further, it's likely the lighting cord that was run for it, was "lighting-sized". So too small to run a large appliance like a washer.  Again, in Europe, never convert a lighting outlet to an appliance outlet!
Generally anytime you find hork-a-dork wiring like that, you need to go through it "with a fine-tooth comb". Think about it -- when you're looking right at several Code violations, it would be insane to assume the rest of it was done safely to Code.
What you really need to do is find out whether DIY is allowed in your country, and either properly install a receptacle outlet in the room off an appliance circuit, or wire a dedicated circuit (that's Code in El NEC countries like Panama and the USA), or have a professional do it if local Code requires that.


Ceiling fan electrical box missing female screw holes I have an existing electrical box that appears to support ceiling fan installation but it is missing the 2 female screw holes I'm used to finding in these boxes.

Is there some sort of intermediate piece that attaches to the two existing post screws?  I cannot find any brand or model information in the interior.

This looks like a Legrand 22200 retrofit box. They typically have a riveted screw on each side, but I don't see either.

You might not need to buy a whole new brace, however. Take it down and go to the hardware store. They should have a box that will work with it as-is.


Does mouse poison attract mice? This may seem like a silly question, but...

The scenario is that I'm adding a bit of storage underneath the bottom half of our stairs. Up until now it was just a closed in space that was being wasted.

So I pulled off the sheetrock and found a deserted mouse metropolis. LOADS of fiberglass insulation chunks mixed with a huge amount of seeds, mouse poison and mouse poop.

Eww.

Shop-vacced it all out, bleached every surface, sprayed it down with animal-pee descenter and went to work figuring it out.

Turns out the contractors were incredibly lazy in their hole cutting in the subfloor. There was huge gaps around the vent pipe and the electrical wiring that went down into the crawl space.

I went and got some rodent-proof great stuff and spray foamed all the openings and now it's all clean.

The question:

Before I close it all back (I'm adding some built in drawers in the front), should I toss in some mouse poison pellets? Is that a smart 'plan b' in case they get back up in there somehow, or is that only going to encourage them to get back up there because the poison attracts them?

No you shouldn't.

If you put animal bait there, a stray rodent might find its way in there and perhaps die, which would cause a stinky problem after a few days. If you did a sufficient job sealing up the area with spray foam, the problem shouldn't come back!


Why would silicone caulk not cure? I re-caulked my shower on Saturday afternoon, using GE Silicone II Kitchen & Bath Caulk. I left it alone until Monday morning, when I showered in it. I assumed it had plenty of time to cure so did not check before using the shower. When I used a squeegee to clean water off the walls of the shower, I hit a corner and discovered the caulk was still as soft as when I had applied it over 36 hours earlier. I could wipe it away with my finger.

What would cause my caulk to not cure?

Some possibilities:

Humidity is about 100% right now. I live close enough to Hurricane Harvey to get lots of rain.
The silicone caulk tube says to use by 2014. Does this caulk really expire?
I smoothed the caulk application using my finger dippped in warm water, based on a YouTube video I watched to give me confidence. Was this a bad idea?

Expired caulk

You bet it expires, and fast.  That is because of the chemistry of this type of caulk.  The stuff is nearly magic, but that comes at a price.

Extremes of temperature are not kind to it either.  That's not a surprise, even latex paint has that problem.

I have had your experience myself, grabbing random caulk found around the shop and going "this must be OK", only to have to redo the project. Removing the old material completely is a huge chore, and the job will fail if you don't.  Never again!


Washing machine won't turn on Washing machine: GE GTW490

One day heard a washing machine trying to drain when it was inactive. Unplugged it and plugged it back in, still tried to drain on start up. Now every time it starts it tries to drain itself

There are no visible water in the machine. It's a top loading one. I've checked the drain pump and it seems to work when plugged in. No water is in the hose or pump.

Took it apart and can't see any mechanical problems. Won't enter the diagnostic mode as the manual states. All LEDs should blink but only the first left one does. Pressing start does nothing (should display an error code on LEDs)

Update: got it to enter a diagnosis mode (wait for machine to initialize and then hold the button). Gave a binary error code: ...*.. or 4 "UI software version non-critical

Figured it out eventually. There is a debugging menu. I ran the drain pump test cycle and then cleared error codes. Rebooted and worked fine


Adding a 100A breaker in front of a feeder OK, in a rehab of existing outlets I came across a 30A dryer receptacle on a 50A breaker with 12/3 AWG.

Needless to say I am not happy. In looking at the breaker box, the white and bare ground are inserted into the ground strip. And they were twisted together in the 30A receptacle.

This b box comes directly off the 100A service and NOT through the main panel.

What I am looking into is to add a 100A double throw breaker box from the service line in front of the 50A box, change the wire to 6/3 AWG and replace the receptacle to a 50A outlet to use as a 40A range circuit. I've got a 3 wire 50A range cord to go with it.

Does this sound safe and do I still twist the white and bare together at the outlet box?
Thanks fellas.

Well, I am not at the location and AFAIR there was no panel info on the box.

After you guys asked more ? I am beginning to think that replacing this box with the new C-H box I have and putting in new 50A breakers and call it good.

Although, I'd like to have a means to shut this circuit down from the service line if need be. This line from there runs through the attic down through the eave.

Get a 4-prong outlet and a 4-prong cord, but don't bother with the extra breaker unless you're changing the panel out

Since the box in question is so small (a spa panel, really), I wouldn't bother with the extra circuit breaker if you can find a 40A breaker that replaces the existing 30A breaker in the box.  On the other hand, if you can get the power cut to it safely, then I would consider replacing it with a larger panel with a proper main breaker in it -- an 8-space, 200A, convertible-main mobile home panel with feed-through lugs that has been field-fitted with a 100A main breaker is a good option here, as it can easily be migrated to be a subpanel, or be a main panel instead if you want to convert the existing panel to be a subpanel.

Your choice of 6/3 W/G for the new range circuit is well and good, but you need to use a 4-prong (NEMA 14-50) range receptacle and matching 4-prong cord for your range here -- neutral and ground stay separate at the receptacle as a result, and you also need to pull the bonding strap inside the range when you fit the new cord.


Thermostat White-Rodgers 1F82-261 switches to stage 2 heat for no apparent reason I am running a central heat system that uses a heat pump as stage 1 and a gas furnace as stage 2. The thermostat used is the White-Rodgers 1F82-261 which supports 2 stages of heat.

When using regular heat mode on the thermostat and setting the temperature to 1 degree Celsius above actual temperature, I noticed that the thermostat was consistently switching to stage 2 heat after about 10 minutes running the heat pump. The manual of the thermostat mentions that stage 2 should only be used when the set temperature on the thermostat is 4 degrees above the actual temperature.

Is there another reason why the stage 2 would kick in prematurely? For example, I suspect that my ventilator is not pushing enough air for the heat pump and therefore may require lots of time before an actual temperature increase is noticeable. Would that be possible that the thermostat triggers stage 2 if no temperature increase is noticed for 10 minutes? There is no mention of that in the manual though.

I didn't look up the manual but it is very possible that it kicks in second stage after a set amount of time. There should be a installer configuration section where you can adjust those settings.... Now I'm curious, I'm going to look up the manual.


Dryer lint trap doesnt fit The dryer lint trap quit fitting. We cant put it back in as if it is too big. Have looked and doesn't appear to be anything blocking it and lint trap is cleaned after each use

Most lint filters on dryers have some type of gasket to reduce air bypassing the screen. There may be a gasket on the removable filter itself or there may be one incorporated into the filter receptacle/slot. I have seen these gaskets come unglued and bent/crumple into the slot that the filter goes into. Check for obstructions.


Can I double-feed a low voltage DC system? I am trying to make some lighting resilient to breaker trips.  (I.e. You trip the breaker and the lights don't go out.)

Naturally it's all LED, and I am favorable toward low voltage DC lighting.

I want to have a DC always-positive and return bus (e.g. Red and black) then lighting wired in the usual way with a switch interrupting a switched-positive  line to the light.

My question is -- can I use multiple DC power supplies to feed this DC bus off multiple mains AC circuits?  Idea being if an overload or GFCI trip knocks out a circuit, the other one keeps the lights on.   Supplies would be oversized with that in mind.

I parallel power supplies all the time. The only problems I have found is with switching supplies sometimes they don't work well together but this is on loads that are inductive in nature. If I want to be 100% sure it will work I use a transformer based regulated supply set at the same voltage. So both supplies under normal load are being used. Setting 1 supply at a different level has the higher voltage one doing all the work and possibly failing earlier than if both are set at the same level. No diodes or anything else is needed. It is much like hooking 2 batteries in parallel for more amperage.


How to fix big gap between aluminum double door stiles I have an aluminum frame double door. The gap between doors is about 5/8. I use a deadlatch as a lock, since latch isn't long enough, there was used a piece of aluminum bar 3/8 thick as a fixed latch.

Is there a better way to solve this?

Also, I plan to put an electric strike - so if the solution will allow for an electric strike - that's extra bonus.

The aluminum plate that is screwed onto the edge of one of the doors is an acceptable way to provide for the latch catch as long as it works. I do hope that one of the two mating doors has a top/bottom bolt that slides into holes in the top frame and/or the bottom threshold. Without those the center latch securement between the two opposed swinging doors is not robust at all.

The type of installation that you have just does not lend itself to use with most styles of electrical release strike plates. Those generally want to be mounted on the fixed frame part of a door frame and not on the edge of a swinging door. Wiring access is another consideration for placing the electrical release on the fixed frame.

The large gap between your doors will want to be addressed somehow. There is the consideration of heat loss or cooling loss through such a large gap. This may be can be mitigated by installation of an appropriate style of weather strip along the edge of one of the doors. The large gap also seems to indicate that there may have been an improper installation of the doors or that they were not properly adjusted. Sometimes there is room for adjustments depending upon how the hinge pivot side of the door is designed. So you may want to investigate getting the door serviced.

I would not recommend installation of the electrical release catch unless the door configuration was changed. If you really have to go that way you would have to work out a scheme to snake the electrical wires through the internal door structure over to the hinge/pivot side were a flexible wiring coupling can be installed. And if you do this you will also have to make sure that the door with the electrical release catch is equipped with the top/bottom security bolts.


Hot water isolating valve, when try to close the stem comes out I have a valve on a hot water line that "appears" to be stuck just a little bit open. I don't want to risk breaking it so want to turn off the water earlier on the line. The problem is that when I tried to close THAT valve (CW) the stem just about popped out and into my hand. The line was full pressure (and HOT) but I managed to reverse the direction (CCW) and get the stem to go back in. Googling this doesn't come up with anything. I can't believe this is a unique situation. I don't have an earlier valve on the line I can turn off so I need to work out a handling.

The parts below this stem have corroded off. You will need to turn the water ahead of this valve even if it means shutting down the whole water system. If that is impossible because it is in a hospital or a production line setting, then you could freeze the line with dry ice or with a freeze kit as long as the flow can be stopped long enough to get the line to freeze.


Garage Door open on it own When we have a power outage the Garage door will open when the power comes back on!! How do we stop this ? We don't want the door to open when we are gone.

Thank You
Ron

If you're away on vacation, then it might be feasible to unplug it while you're gone, but that isn't a good solution because it requires management on your part, and doesn't address what happens when the power goes out while your at the store, or work.

You could try adjusting the limit settings, then simulate a power outage by either unplugging it or flipping the breaker.  It might be that when it normally closes it is very close to a limit and on power up it improperly detects that a safety sensor is detecting a trouble situation.

Other than that you'd have to contact the manufacturer and see if they have a reasonable explanation.


Do I have a bad heating element in my electric boiler? I have a Dettson Hydra20.  Two days ago we woke up to 17C inside the house instead of the 21C set on the thermostat.  The water temp on the boiler was at 40C and not moving.  I also have a gas fired boiler (dual energy setup), I switched to gas and the water temp quickly went up to 80C.
Today I did some troubleshooting on the electric boiler.  I changed a relay that I think was faulty (I wasn't hearing clicking, though in retrospect, I should have checked voltage at the heating elements to be sure).  After that, I ran the electric boiler again, water temp got up to about 55C after thirty minutes or so.  The problem is that the water temperature is set for 75C using the set screw.  Even after an hour, it never gets past 60C.  Pressure stays at around 18psi.  From what I recall, before it was getting up to 75C and about 25psi.  The radiators seemed hotter before, though I don't have temperature readings to prove it.
I tried rolling back the set screw water temperature control and the boiler turned off as expected.  Rolling it back up turned the boiler back on.  So this seems to be working normally.
All four heating elements check for continuity and do not have shorts (touching terminal and other metal on the element with meter).  Each shows ~12 Ohms resistance and when running,  ~240V.
Is it possible that I have a bad or under-performing element?  Anything else I should check?  Thanks a lot!

Unlikely an "under-performing element", they usually either work or don't work.
2 things come to mind:  1)  The flow rate thru the electric boiler is just too great to get the water up to temp, or 2)  You have a control problem.   Did you check to see that all the elements get power?   Is there any staging involved? Your thought that it might have been a bad relay was a good one and it sounds like it might have addressed at least part of your problem.
How closely were you monitoring the system before the problem?   Maybe what you are observing now is how it was operating before, but just didn't know it.


Where to attach a storm window? We have two very leaky, single pane windows that we need to insulate. Because interior shrinkwrap storms are impractical for several reasons, we're looking at exterior storms instead. Home Depot has quoted us $122-$177 per window for LARSON storms that are in the size range we need - i.e. narrow but tall.

My question is where I should mount them. Simplest would seem to be an outer-mount (AKA overlap or Eastern) fit, in which the storm is sealed to the frame around the existing window. The problem with this is that in this configuration, there is no sill for the storm to rest on. All of the documentation I have found about installing storm windows talks about resting on the sill, so I can't tell if not having one available is a problem or no.

If we do indeed need a sill to rest on, and therefore are forced to go with an inset-mount (AKA blind-stop, flush or Western) it's not clear to me how I will compensate for the fact that the inset is heavily sloped and non-level. Where would I take measurements from? Depending on where in the inset I measure from the height measurements will vary; close to the edge it will be taller, as it slopes up to the interior window the measurement would be shorter.

Given this window, then, which mounting style would you use and why? Do I absolutely need a sill to rest on for an outer-mount?

An outside mount with no sill would at least give you a drip edge there. It's just installation step one: rest on sill. So be careful trying to mount an exterior one. For an inside mount, remove and measure the screen. Have them replicated as storms and hold them in with clips to promote annual use. Caulk it shut if you must. And the rest of your trim while you're at it (the other half of your problem). You may need to install backstops for the new window as your screen is held in place by butterfly latches.

I highly suggest dropping that cash on completely new windows which would be operable and more efficient; inherently greener. (saves you money)


Removing a decorative cover in a moen faucet After taking the handle off a faucet, the decorative cover won't come off. I tried a strap wrentch first, then a pipe wrenth. Is there any trick for this? I don't care if it is going to damage the chrome surface - after having applied a pipe wrentch, I think I need to replace the cover any way :(

That piece could be press fitted into the valve body and heavily corroded but since the cartridge screw is accessible with just the handle being removed (unusual), try removing it. Never use a pipe wrench on chrome. Even if you could remove it now, you'd never find a replacement unless you lucked out at a plumbing supply store.


Should I glue down sheet vinyl? How does a person know if sheet vinyl is glue down or not my daughter  bought it at a surplus store to save money it fells cushioned and is1/8th to3/16th inch thick

Vinyl sheet flooring should be glued down in high traffic areas that will have rolling wheels such as wheelchair, office chairs or any heavy items on rollers as the vinyl can easily be stretched and easily torn if something catches on it. Speaking from experience:)
Worst culprit in kitchen is when you have to move a refrigerator, range, dishwasher and feet get caught when trying to slide back in. If your vinyl is not glued, find a thin sheet of plastic or something that has low friction and put that under the back feet when pushing the appliance back in. This should allow the feet to slip without rucking up the vinyl and possibly tearing it:)


Weird orange rust spots appearing in holes on freshly painted basement cinder blocks I've started to paint my basement with white primer, and on one wall weird orange spots appeared in the holes I had "filled" with the primer.

The wall is made of dark cinder blocks which are pretty rough. I have to use a lot of primer in general with the roller and need to touch up with a paintbrush all the major holes to fill them.

At some point during painting I noticed the yellowing in one hole, but didn't think much of it and filled it again.

After 3-4 hours I checked on the wall again and saw 2 dozens such spots in a bright orange color, much like rust. One other wall isn't affected at all, but the primer I used was a different brand. Now I'm using a new KILZ 2. Before, I was finishing a Benjamin Moore white satin paint.

As you can see from the picture the hole is still "closed" by the paint.

In that section the wall is pretty dry. We've had some efflorescence near the ground (which I've removed), but not at all where I'm painting now. The wall is 25% above ground and the spots have appeared both above and underground.

The wall was also painted with just one layer 8 years ago on one section of the same wall before we bought the house, and I've now noticed the same spots.

Any idea what that could be? I'll be continuing with the painting over the next days.

Here's a picture of the unpainted cinder blocks.

The orange stain is likely an iron ochre infiltration due to high levels of iron in the soil or pre-existing iron in the cinder block. More info

The paint is simply making the orange much more visible than it was on bare cinder block.

I highly advise reading this article on basement finishing before continuing to paint your basement. You will likely have to re-paint next year because moisture is merciless and you might even cause mold issues for yourself which weren't present before.

If you really want to make the cinder block look nicer then you can try staining it. More info

Below is a picture of my basement wall which was Drylok'd about 4 years ago by the previous owner. Note: it looked like new when we moved in and it quickly went to crap.


How can I make a wall surface tolerant of high-bond adhesive tape? When one remove acrylic (high bond) double sided tape from wall, it often damages the wall. Surface material is peeled off, usually drywall and plaster, and sometimes paint.
When one build a new house, how do one make a wall surface strong enough against tape? Is there any newly invented but rarely known drywall material or paint for this problem? Thank you

Since no one answers, maybe I can provide some options to make a start. A thick plastic wall paper may have a chance to solve the problem. The thing is that when moving a double side tape wall anchor, one needs a hair dryer to heat it up. It is a risk to damage wall paper. Also some decoration board on wall also can solve the problem. Ceramic or stone tiles too can perfectly solve the problem. Just ceramic tiles are usually used at bathroom so using it at living room is wired. Stone tiles will be expansive. I wonder if there is any new chemical or enhanced plaster available? Some epoxy plaster is really strong, but it is design to fix small part of a wall and to expensive and to fast dry to paint on wall. I am focused on finding an suitable material with available price.


What kind of floor tile is this? I'm trying to determine this type of common floor tile covering. Can anyone help me identify?

This is called VCT, Vinyl Composition tile.  It's normally installed with adhesive and maintained with various cleaners and polishes.  It's very common in commercial installations.


How many lights do I need for my basement? Basement is 550 sq ft.  11x50 with a 7 ft ceiling.  Am planning on using recessed LEDs since the ceiling is already completed.

11' x 50' is a rather odd shape but lighting it is done like any other space, first and foremost consider what you will be doing and where you will be doing it.  Is it one big entertainment space?  Is it a combination media area (tv on one side) and play area?   Is part of it an office that will need task lighting? Before even considering how many or how bright the fixtures are, imagine yourself using the space.

One common rule of thumb is 1.5x the square footage in incandescent watts, i.e. if you are lighting up all 550 sq feet you will need about 825 equivalent watts, or 14 60 watt fixtures.  If part of it is just a media area that won't need a great deal of light you can reduce the fixtures in that section and focus on the other areas.

Edit for future-proofing: to consider this in lumens, a living space is best lit with 20 lumens per square foot and LEDs that range from 750-850 lumens per fixture would therefore require 14-15 fixtures to fully light the area.


Low Voltage cable run thru Flexible Aluminum Pipe Are there any code issues with running CAT6 and Coax thru flexible duct that is not part of a ventilation system?

Basically I want to use something like this as conduit into an unfinished attic instead of PVC:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Speedi-Products-3-in-x-96-in-Round-Aluminum-Flex-Pipe-EX-AF-396/202907340

The attic is dusty and full of insulation.  So I want something flexible that can curve back up to keep the dust and insulation from falling into the living space/closet

May I introduce you to smurf tube? It's actually designed for the job, and meets your flexibility requirement.

(Technically ENT (Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing), and it comes in non-smurfy orange as well as smurf blue.)