Installing water softener outside or inside? Already have“Easy Water” device. Does that change water hardness grains entered into new water softener? We live in Florida and have had white crusty buildup for years in our dishwasher and on our shower heads and faucets and in washing machine. 3 years ago we bought an "Easy Water" thing for $300 and it is supposed to use electrical ion charge or something to change the water molecules so they won't cause hard water buildup. We really have not noticed improvement since installing it and we still have buildup in our dishwasher, washer, faucets, and showerheads.

Yesterday we bought $500 Whirlpool WHES44 water softener from Lowes. We have 3 bathroom home w 5 people living in it. There is no loop or drain in the garage & the hot water heater is in the attic not the garage, so my husband says there is no choice but to install the softener outside at the water main and build a shed over it. He thinks a shed will protect it from sun and freezing.  It only freezes here once a year or so.  He is an experienced carpenter (30+ years) and can do anything but he is not a plumber so maybe he needs a plumber to tell him some tricks to be able to set it up in our (very overcrowded) garage. Or maybe we should put it outside.  That will mean We'll have softened water inside and outside faucets.  I want to be able to wash the car with softened water but don't want softened water in the hose for yard watering because I was told it will kill your plants and grass.  We have a lawn sprinkler system my husband installed that is hooked up at the water main outside the house.  Can we just switch the bypass switch on the water softener when we want to use the hose or lawn sprinkler system for watering plants or yard?  Or does bypass mean you are still drawing already softened water out of the tank before it starts drawing hard water out of the pipes?

On a city website our water hardness is 17 to 20. It just dawned on me that we have that Easy Water thing hooked up to a pipe in the attic where our hot water heater is running and I wonder if it is bringing down the water hardness any and if it matters in regards to setting up the new water softener and entering in the water hardness level. If it does bring hardness down, we would enter a lower hardness number and maybe we would use less salt or potassium to soften the water.  We don't want to drink too much sodium and read about it and seems we would have to drink 4.8 gallons of softened water a day to go over the max of 3200 mgs of sodium recommended per day.  I read that if you buy Potassium at $25 per bag you won't have sodium in your drinking water.  Salt is $5 or $6 a bag.  From what I read we will use about 12 to 17 bags per year for a family of 5.  (My husband put the hot water heater in the attic thinking it would save us on electricity because our attic is so hot here in Florida.  He built this house 16 years ago.)

Should we get the water tested to see if that "Easy Water" thing is indeed lowering the hardness any? Or should we just turn it off and chalk the $300 as a waste of money and lesson learned? Maybe it is lowering the hardness some and maybe we should set the new water softener not to 17 to 20 but a lower number and save money on salt or potassium and on salt discharged into waste water and have less sodium in our drinking water? What do you experts think? I don't want to have to pay someone to come test water and don't want salesmen in here being annoying. Do you think the Easy Water thing does something good? Should we keep it on? Is it just wasting electricity? Will I be able to get unsoftened water out of the water hoses and lawn sprinkler system if we switch unit to bypass?

Easy water does not lower hardness. It is some wires you wrap around the pipes that cost $1500 and "magnetize" the limestone so it "will not stick to you pipes and fixtures as much". Look it up under scams, fraud etc...


What are my options to fix cold and drafty floors over a vented crawl space? I have a 1950s bungalow that sits on a crawl space.  The crawl space is vented and has moisture problems (which I should/will fix, but that's not the main point of this question).  R19 insulation is installed between the floor rafters.  Some of the floors sit on OSB, while the older/non renovated parts sit on slat subfloor.

The floors are extremely cold and drafty.  What are my options to keep the floors warmer and less drafty in the winter?

Will crawlspace encapsulation help?  What would be the most effective solution to fixing the cold/drafty floors?

Cap the floor joists with rigid insulation. I'd first make sure the existing insulation is completely filling each joist bay and as expanded as possible (no edge curls, gaps nor compressed sections). Remember, the paper vapor barrier should be facing the living space you are heating or cooling. For a truly draft-free seal there is now a spray foam kit sold for the DIY home owner. Same 2 part spray foam that is used by commercial insulation installers, but in smaller amounts.


Improving Home For Sale I am selling my house. Although my basement does not flood we had a pipe break and it ruined the floors, walls etc. We have the structure up to install drywall or paneling on the walls. Which do you recommend and why.
Thank You
Regina Miller

Paneling (at least what is usually meant in the current era by paneling) will give it that retro 1970's basement conversion feel. So I would advise avoiding that like the plague.

But it skates rather close to being an off-topic decorating question.

You might just leave it where it's at - someone who wants a workshop down there would want a different wall than someone thinking home theater.


Max sill height for windows as an escape and rescue in a group R-3 occupancy? Don't have a IBC code book available, assuming it's answered in there. Google is giving me some confusing answers

R-1 = hotels / motels

R-2 = apartments

R-3 = single families, duplex’s, etc. and permanent residents that are NOT R-1, R-2, or R-4

R-4 = Care facilitates of less than 5 and more than 16. (More than 16 are “I” occupancies.)

In R-3 occupancies the “maximum height from the floor shall not be more than 44 inches.”  (Remember, that’s the clear opening, NOT the sill height. The opening could be an inch or so higher than the sill.). (See ICC 1029.3.)

The opening shall be a net 5.7 square feet with the minimum height being 24” and width being 20”, except for grade floor exits shall be a minimum of 5.0 square feet. (ICC 1029.2.)


How to wire a GFCI duplex outlet with a garbage disposal switch & combo outlet on load? We moved into a new house last week. I was greeted with a faulty garbage disposal switch in the kitchen. The switch works intermittently depending on how hard it's pressed.

The second issue was the GFCI duplex receptacle on the right of the switch, was not working at all. A reset did nothing.

So I figured I'd replace the GFCI duplex with a new one from the hardware store. After installing that, the new GFCI would not turn on either, despite 120v power to the line terminals (as tested with my meter).

So I disconnected the load wires (pictured on the bottom), and the GFCI started working. The garbage switch continued to work (albeit just as flakey as before). Obviously the downstream receptacle (on the left) that was connected to load (on the right), wont work if it's disconnected.

So I'm wondering should I just replace the switch combo and wire it the same? Or maybe the thing is not wired correctly to begin with. Unfortunately I'm unable to ask anyone about what occurred here.

For reference this is a 2-gang box with 4 wires coming in (actually 5 if you include the ground on the left).

As they say though, a picture is worth a thousand words :) Any help would be great!

(http://i.imgur.com/udwbzjV.jpg)

I don't know your "switch/outlet" combination in detail, but I'd guess there might be a connection by default (ie, the switch is tied to the outlet unless you break a tab) that's getting upset by the switch being fed from the line side and the outlet being fed from the load side of the GFCI. In any case, the disposal probably ought to be connected to the load side of the GFCI.

If the switch is the same one that worked or not depending how hard it's pressed, why haven't you replaced it yet?

The ground wire should be connected to the box. The other cable should be checked for a ground wire, and that should be connected to the box if it exists. The box & grounds should be connected to the GFCI and Switch/outlet ground terminals.

If you haven't dumped the trash yet the GFCI you removed might work fine, given what you have found with the new one.


Is it possible that a room ambient noise generator could reduce traffic sounds from outside? There are traffic sounds ascending the hill on which I live. Might a "white noise" generator inside my small studio apartment have impact on this type of noise, or is noise impact on individuals simply too subjective for an answer?

A white noise generator is like spraying perfume to cover a nasty smell.  The smell is still there, just the perfume is stronger.  The nastier the smell, the stronger the perfume needs to be to cover.

A white noise generator produces noise that our brain quickly ignores.  If this noise is louder that the outside noise, then it will mask it.  But a word of warning, if you have to turn the white noise generator up enough to cover loud outside sounds you might risk your hearing.  Even though our brain doesn't 'hear' the white noise, our ears still do.  And a constant loud noise will produce hearing loss over time.


Testing a furnace transfer switch, watt meter shows extremely low usage I just installed a Reliance furnace transfer switch model TF151W to my main circuit panel.  I tried to test it by running an extension cord from another outlet to the transfer switch.  I put the P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor in the line to test the watt consumption of my hot air furnace.

After switching from Line to Generator and cranking up the heat, I noted the wattage was only 3.7 watts?  Is this because the common neutral is not switched?  If I was to connect the Honda EU2000I 2000 Watt inverter generator would I have any problems?

Well, from the tests you ran (see comments above), your setup is correct.

The Kill A Watt EZ should show a reasonable reading, BUT it appears that that kind of device requires balanced current.
So, because the furnace neutral current is not flowing through the Kill A Watt, it does not compute a valid power based on the current and voltage it does see. (Note that the meter is seeing a "ground fault" from its perspective.)

EG:

This is an apparent limitation of this model of meter; your setup is correct.

To determine the furnace's power draw, if you don't trust the label plate :), and, since you've access to the wiring at the furnace, measure the current and voltage there with standard AC meters.

Multiply the voltage and current to get KVA.  The KVA will be slightly more than the actual power used (thanks to power factor), but your generator needs to be able to supply about twice that KVA anyway (allows for motor start).

Since your furnace has a 1/3 HP blower (max 250 watts, steady state), your Honda 2000 Watt generator should be just fine to power your furnace.


How to deal with baseboard heating causing problems with a headboard? I've got baseboard heating along every wall in the master bedroom.

The bed I bought has a headboard that's tenuously bolted to a frame which doesn't exactly match. On top of that, the baseboard heating makes it such that the headboard is not pressed flat against the wall and whenever a head touches the headboard it's putting pressure on the headboard that makes it start to angle back towards the wall.

This makes it creaky and over time will undoubtably cause the headboard to either snap or come loose from the frame.

What can I do about this?

Attach some spacer blocks to the backside of the headboard or the wall  that match the thickness or distance from the headboard  to the wall.  You could use raw wood or wood covered with a matching fabric,  you could build a nook or shelf space to fill that space for storage.  You could reinforce the headboard to the bed frame  with beefy hardware and or gusset braces  so that it will withstand the flexing.


Can I add a service panel in the shed near a generator which powers a cabin? I currently have a 200amp Main panel in my off-grid cabin I am building.  I want to feed the panel from my generator which is about 100' in a shed.  Originally my contractor a few years back buried cables between the shed and cabin.  They are (2) 4/0 and (1) 2/0 cable. I have them terminated in cabin panel. I was wondering if I can put another 200amp panel (or 150amp)in my shed, since the 4/0 and 2/0 are stubbed out in the shed (not connected to anything).  I am also assuming that really my "main" panel should be the in the shed, and the "sub" panel in the cabin.
My Honeywell generator is a 12kw standby generator, which will supply 50amps I believe.
Can I do this?

It's interesting, the divergence in design philosophies.  On one hand, an all-gas cabin (I live in one) has very minimal electrical needs (we have 30A/120V, and what's amazing is I didn't even know that for 15 years, it just never came up until the lost-neutral incident).
So you have this off-grid home that will never have utility power, yet there's a 4/0 service line (not feeder; no ground) suitable for 225A mains service.  And no thought toward power at the shed (short of doubling back with another 12/3 UF cable or something).
It's a misfit for the property... like the contractor didn't know what to do, so just did the standard thing for a utility home.  The lack of a ground wire is especially eccentric; you have between $500 and $2000 of wire there; overlooking a $40 ground wire seems silly. Since you say it is conduit (is it all the way or just the stub-ups?) you can just add a #4 ground wire of the same metal, and at least solve that.
I would not remain loyal to any of that, since it is so confused.  I would re-think the entire thing from the ground up.
A low-key low-dollar DC system
Given the dollar I see already having been put into this, this may a little lowbrow for you: I mention it because from your stated needs, it would suffice.
Given your modest needs, a low voltage 12/24 VDC battery system may suffice.  You run an inverter only for loads which are impossible to run on 12/24 DC.  For instance lighting is readily available 12/24V.  If you look at TVs, DVRs, internet routers etc., many of those have a wall-wart that actually makes 12 volts DC - you can simply bypass the wall-wart and feed them 12V direct.  All power conversions are "vampire loads" even when they are in "standby", so avoiding an unnecessary power conversion is always a good idea.   However, a refrigerator is a must-have 120V load -- the people who have been doing off-grid for 40 years have determined that it's more cost-effective to upsize the system a bit, eat the conversion losses, and use any modern, common Energy Star fridge - the appliances are so efficient that $3000 bespoke 12/24V fridges can't beat 'em.
Your well pump obviously needs higher voltage AC power due to the long distances both to the wellhead and down the well.  (most well pumps are at the bottom). But that inverter only needs to run when you call for water.
You don't need to use cheapie lead-acid batteries that wear out after 5 years, a lithium pack with good on-board energy management is good for 15-20 years.  And for 40 year life, they still make traditional Edison Nickel-Iron batteries (which were for EVs; those were popular in the 1900 era when gas engines were really not ready for prime-time).
In this case, the 4/0 might come into play to bring low voltage solar/wind power from an array or windmill, and/or you could store the batteries at the shed instead of the house.
A midrange system
However, a much more comfortable fit would be one of the midrange off-grid systems  - not the Tesla PowerWall but vaguely similar options, possibly assembled from various quality subsystems (Morningstar, Schneider etc).  In that case you use a quality inverter that does run 24x7 and is able to support all 120V loads... and just go ahead and upsize the system to support that (smaller because quality) vampire load and conversion losses.
For topping up the large battery pack, you can use a generator, but total life-cycle ownership costs will be better on a solar array, windmill or run-of-creek micro-hydro.
If you run the generator, it can be quite small, since it only needs to meet average demand; the battery covers surge demand.  Also, you get to run the generator at a time of your choosing, and it runs near full power for the least time possible, which is optimum for both fuel efficiency and wear/tear. The engine isn't running max RPM no load on the off chance that you open a water faucet.

Speaking of that, if you've got the hills for it, think about a tank-up-high to passively pressurize your water system.  Then, you only need the pump to top up the tank, and you can do that at a time of your choosing (e.g. when batteries are full and the solar/wind system is in "dump" mode).

In this scenario, the 4/0 would serve little use, except (if you add a ground) to give you the flexibility to put the gen/battery/inverter system anywhere you please. (but I recommend all in the same place).
By the way... if the cable was direct burial and you needed a ground, just saying, Rigid conduit is an allowable ground path and it only requires 6" cover (12" under vehicle pathways). The shell alone covers the ground, leaving you an empty conduit to fit what you please. It's expensive as all getout, but you can trench it with a garden trowel lol.


Is there a better more flexible framing material for screens than aluminum kits? Our windows are old and do not lend themselves to easy removal of the screens. In fact when I remove a screen I frequently bend it beyond repair. Is there a better more flexible framing material for screens than the aluminum kits from home depot?  You'd think better technology would exist.

Have a look for wood or plastic window frames. They have a mechanism for screen replacement.  Both are very flexible and robust materials.
You can remove one side of the frame and replace the screen then.

Comprehensive explanation to the picture can be found online


Feed-through vs. non-feed-through GFCI for kitchen backsplash? I'm planning to replace a decades-old receptacle / switch combo (switch is used for garbage disposal) and switch (used for wall-mounted light above kitchen sink). Here's the current setup:

For the receptacle/disposal (left) half of the problem, I'm looking at two Leviton switch + GFCI receptacle combos: GFSW1-KW (a 15A non-feed-through model) OR GFSW1-W (a 20A feed-through model). Any concerns with these units?

I'm assuming that I want the feed-through version, right? Or is there some reason why I'd want a non-feed-through model, e.g. easier to install? It's not cheaper.

Also, is it a good idea to also feed the right-side switch through the GFCI?  As you can see from the picture it's very close to the sink so I'm always a little nervous about water getting back there.  The light fed by the switch on the right isn't the only light in the kitchen, so there's no worry about hunting around in the dark if the GFCI is tripped. But is there any other downside to feeding the switch through the GFCI?

Also, dumb question: is the switch in the GFCI/switch combo protected by the GFCI?

Finally, any other gotchas I should watch out for with this setup, beyond the advice in this answer?  I've installed GFCI receptacles before but never when combined with switches.

Second thought: End-run around the whole problem

You don't need to keep that exact configuration.  You need 2 switches, and they make double switches on a single yoke (fits like a duplex receptacle). Move both switches to the rightmost yoke.

Now the left yoke is a receptacle and an abandoned switch.  You are entirely free to put whatever kind of common receptacle you want to put there.

------

Are you sure you aren't doing this the hard way?

A lot of people believe that "GFCI" means the ugly square receptacle with the Test and Reset button.  That's not true at all.

GFCI is a level of protection provided to a circuit.  Current flows in loops -- GFCI compares current on the hot and the return (neutral) - if they are not equal, leakage is occurring.

This can work anywhere in the circuit.  The closer to the circuit breaker, the better, because that protects more of the circuit (including the wires, which does help).  In fact they make GFCI circuit breakers, and those are a very elegant way to solve this problem!  The GFCI Breaker protects every single receptacle on its circuit.

Super important point right there.

GFCI breakers can be expensive.  You can do the same thing by adding a GFCI module before the first receptacle.  The module takes hot and neutral from the panel (in its LINE inputs).   It gives GFCI-protected power out its LOAD outputs.  Easy peasy, cheaper than a breaker.

Wiring that can be a little awkward.  But receptacles are wired in a chain.  You can just find the first receptacle in your chain, and replace it with a GFCI module, and feed the rest of the circuit off tis LOAD terminals obviously.   A GFCI module designed to replace a receptacle looks like this.

Hold on. That looks like there could be sockets there.  That's true.  Can it protect the downline circuit via the LOAD terminals and also have sockets there?  Yes it can.  Can I get those?  You already have.  That's what you've been installing all along.

The point

Stop thinking of GFCI "receptacles" as receptacles.  Think of them as dedicated GFCI protective devices designed for the singular purpose of protecting downstream loads via their LOAD terminals... and also they just happen to have a couple of convenience outlets on their front.

Back to your switch

It's rather awkward to fit a half-GFCI half-switch.  Aside from being an expensive oddball, it raises more questions than answers - is the switch side protected?  Do I break tabs off, or not?  How do I avoid confusing my neutrals and causing a big problem? How do I even wire this thing?  HELP!

We can avoid the entire exercise by simply fitting a GFCI protective device upstream if it.  Either as the breaker, or at a receptacle location that is before the switch location.

I would just change the coverplate so it matches. You could change the switch/receptacle, but those darn things are like $10.  Ouch.

Get yourself a GFCI tester (a common 3-lamp tester with an extra "Test" button) and you will be able to defintively tell when an outlet is protected.

One more thing.

When you install a GFCI receptacle or deadfront, reset it (make sure it's on) -- and then shut off the breaker for 10 seconds.  Turn it back on.  Did the GFCI trip simply from shutting off the breaker?  If it did, back to the store it goes - that one is a poorly made piece o' junk.  Quality GFCIs don't do that.

And the labels.
Lastly if a plain receptacle is protected by a GFCI, it needs up to 3 labels on it, if the fact on the sticker is not obvious.  (2-prong sockets don't need "No Ground" stickers, duh... things with Test and Reset buttons don't need "GFCI protected".)

"GFCI Protected" - the inspector must see these on plain outlets to approve them.
"No Equipment Ground" - required only if the receptacle has a ground pin, but isn't grounded.
Reset in laundry room etc. for unexpected locations of the GFCI reset.  This isn't required by law, just a good idea.


Why isn't there hot water coming from my faucet after stem replacement? I just completed the replacement of the hot and cold water stems form my bathtub faucets. The hot water was leaking so I went ahead and replaced both. They were probably original to the house circa late 50's. After finally getting them loose I inserted new correct replacements. The problem now is that when I run the hot water I only get cold water. I let it run for several minutes but still had no hot water coming out. There is hot water everywhere else in the house, even the sink near the tub. Has any else ever heard of this or encountered this problem.

This sounds like an older style (washer type) installation. Is it possible that part of an old washer is stuck in the seat, or was pushed back behind the seat into the pipe, preventing water flow? First, make sure you have hot water TO the tub area. Turn the water off and remove the hot side, stem and all. Inspect for obstructions. You may need to briefly turn the water back on with the stem OUT, to blow out any obstructions. Have a helper turn the water on and back off, as you watch for any debris coming out. Once you have established hot water to the valve, you can check for an obstruction AFTER the hot water valve where it feeds into the tub spout, either part of an old washer or other debris. With the valve stem out, and the cold water valve off, try blowing air back through the spout to clear this (it will go into the hot water valve area) and then clear the valve out again before replacing the stem and washer, handles, etc.

Nine times out of ten, some obstruction will be in the line either before the valve or after it, where it feeds into the common pipe to the spout.


Replacing 23 year old 190 limiter for ceiling fan I have a 23 year old Harbor Breeze ceiling fan. The 190 limiter burnt out.
Removed the limiter which has just two blue wires coming from it. Limiter was made in China.
Can only find a replacement limiter with 3 wires (Blue, Red, White). Can I assume that the white wire is the ground wire and what in the fan can I ground it to?

I agree with JRaef the limiters were mandated by law and many fans were tossed when they failed, I know my personal fans do not have them a wire nut must have been installed by some gremlins or friendly elves In the night. The ones I have replaced red is hot white neutral black to the lamp and the lamp back to white.  There also ones that black and red are reversed so your particular model of limiter is needed to be sure. Whoops yours had blue and not black so the model will be needed to be sure. Wilt LED lamps they really are not needed , but prevent someone from putting in more wattage than the fixture is rated for.
Edit I did find one that was red input blue output and white neutral similar to the first one I listed but the part number should be checked because I have got them that the input and output were swapped


A/C intermittently won't cool I have a 2 zone system that intermittently shows temp 2 degrees or so above set point; on one or the other thermostat, day or night. At some point, the condenser kicks back on and everything works fine. Outside temp doesn't matter, it will keep it 70 inside with it 100 outside. The problem is obviously the condenser not coming back on immediately when the thermostat demands cooling. When the temp is above set point, the blower is running, but the condenser unit isn't. Again, after a bit, it does kick back on and bring the temp back down.

Your A/C system, your zone controller, and/or your thermostat could have a time delay to prevent the system from turning on and off too often.  Short cycling the compressor can be bad for it, so the controllers typically enforce some kind of delay.

The actual delay will vary depending on the controller, so you'd have to get model numbers, etc, and research which device has which delay to figure out exactly what's causing it in your system.  There can also be a delay built in before switching from cooling to heating, but that's not what you're running into here.


Copper reducer before hot water heater My house copper lines are 3/4 in and my new water heater accepts 1/2 copper in a compression connection. Is there any issue with adding a 3/4 to 1/2 reducer before and after the heater?

Just doing the math for the area A = πr2

1/2 inch pipe that is A = π(.25)^2
3/4 inch pipe that is A = π(.375)^2

You can see the difference in area and that changes the amount of volume that will flow. Your water heater has a flow rate based on its piping and therefore it will be the limiting factor. Your house could handle more.

The only problem I can foresee possibly happening and would be most likely after install is that your 3/4 pipes could have an air gap but this should dissipate over time by running the water slowly in order to fill the line and build pressure.


Flow sensor adjustment for Navien 240S natural gas fired tankless water heater We installed a Navien 240S natural gas in our house, and it is working fine.

Except the short range for hot water valves in the showers. So, in other words, I need to turn shower valve almost all the way on to start the hot water. This leaves us a very small range to adjust hot water when taking a shower. My plumber explained that it is because the sensor is triggered only with a certain water flow. In general, the water pressure is high already. But there is just not enough flow until I turn the faucet almost all the way on.

Is there way to adjust the flow sensitivity for the sensor in the water heater?

My plumber suggests the following:
He can install some flow controls on the cold water pipe in each shower and set them to desired temperature range.

Is this a good solution?

I find it strange that I cannot adjust that sensor on the unit.

This is a common complaint for these types of water heaters.

Unfortunately, you have a model that seems to be slow to respond to water flow. I don't think any company has a way to adjust the flow sensor on their on-demand water heaters. This is not a customer adjustable function of these style of heaters.

If you're dissatisfied with this product I would suggest searching for a company/product that has positive reviews from people for the product's low-flow response rate. Some products respond even respond well to just running a hot water valve at a trickle.

Good luck!


What could cause a new pressure release valve to drip water? Installed a new pressure release valve on electric water heater because old valve was dripping water on floor.  New valve also dripping water.  Any ideas? Suggestions?  Water temp set at 110F, so it's not because of excess heat.  Water pressure regulator on incoming water main set at 50 lbs.  I'm out of ideas as to what could cause valve to seep water.

Did you test the valve after you installed it? If so you'll need to replace it again. The moment you test the valve you allow calcium and dirty water that can again make the valve lose its seal and continue to leak. They are very temperamental!


What should I use to prime an old plaster wall before skim-coating with new plaster? Should I use oil-based primer on an old plaster wall (as a bonding agent) before skim-coating new plaster over it?

No, use a weak solution of PVA in water (5 parts water to 1 part PVA) instead.

Paint the wall with this and leave to dry, then re-skim.


How to install LED strip where before I had a fluorescent tube? I want to install a LED strip where once there was a fluorescent tube.

I like to think myself as google competent but this time I could not find a satisfactory answer.

Right now, in my ceilling I have 3 electrical wires: ground, neutral and hot. I understand I need to buy a LED strip (I only need 3 meters) and a Transformer that transforms AC into DC

my questions are:

What type of LED strip do I need? and how to find it online? e.g. what specifications do I seek?

Given a LED strip what type of transformer do I need?

And ideally I need to install this near an area with humidity.

There are LED tubes marketed as physical replacements for fluorescent tubes. (I was recently pricing ones in the T8 size). However, the ones I have seen require rewiring the fixture.


Inside panel circuit also powered by outside panel? I am a DIYer and would like some advice (even if the advice is "call an electrician").
I have a house built in the 1950s. I have 2 independent electrical panels from the meter-1 inside, the other outside. B & W wires initially run through conduit. While running a new circuit from the inside panel, I needed to get easier access, so I pulled out a breaker and disconnected the white wire from the bar. This circuit ran to my pantry.
Now, with the inside panel turned off and the outside panel turned on, both the disconnected B & W wires that ran the pantry are hot (per voltage detector).
When the B & W wires are connected to the inside panel and the inside panel is turned off and the outside panel is on, the wires B & W wires are not hot.
What is going on?

Phantom/induced current. With the wires disconnected on both ends, they get an induced current from nearby wires. With the wires connected to the panel, the neutral (white) is pulled to ground, and I suspect that helps keep the hot wire "less hot". Either way, the current you are seeing is likely extremely low. Instead of a non-contact tester (which is always a good safety check), use a multimeter directly on the wires and I expect you will not see any real voltage.


Would you have done this pantry construction differently? We're building a pantry in a small kitchen opening (about 1' depth, 6.5' height) and the original construction framing is anything but straight.

Nice cabinet-grade plywood is being used. Unfortunately there are gaps because the plywood was not shimmed before being nailed to the existing framing.

My contractor plans to insert thin strips to fill the gaps.
I am considering asking for him to take off the installed plywood, shim as necessary, and install again, since the thin strips may look obviously out of place.
Or, we can use veneer to cover up the entire surface area, including strips/gaps, but this adds even more work and would cover up the nice plywood.

How would you approach this?

Did he build it in place? I would've  built it first, then installed it. That way you know it is squared up. You could use shim to plum and level the pantry. I would have him do it over


How do I source/eliminate the sour, spicey, musty odour in our living room? We have a bad smell in our living room that is much worse in the morning when we open the door, presumably because it has been shut in overnight. The smell never seems to travel to the adjacent hall and there are no other adjoining rooms except two bedrooms above (smell free). We have no chimney and it is a 70's house so not hugely old. The room is wall to wall 80/20 wool carpet that we had fitted when we moved in about 9 months ago.

We did not smell this before the carpets but we were busy painting and glossing which are pretty strong odours and the room was well ventilated for this reason. We had the same carpet and underlay put in our bedroom and we have never had a bad smell here. We have only ever had very minor spills in this room that have always been cleaned up immediately. It does not smell like a decaying animal to me, and I have been good at detecting "presents" from previous cats. I cannot detect the exact source or area by sniffing but it doesn't seem to be our furniture.

Try covering the carpet with a sheet of plastic, and see if the smell gets better above and worse below it. Make sure it's a continuous sheet, not a woven plastic tarp. Use one of a reasonable thickness, as polyethylene (the material almost always used for these) passes vapors surprisingly easily.

Put down the plastic in the evening. The next morning, go in and exercise your sniffer; is the smell in the room better? Then lift a corner of the sheet and sniff the carpet: is it worse?

If so, then you might even be able to localize the smell further by sniffing at various points in the carpet as you roll up the plastic.


Eye Lag Screws in TJI type joist for suspended ceiling So I want to install a drop ceiling in my basement, but I have these TJI/ I-beam type engineered wood floor joists and I know that you should almost never nail or screw into them on their bottom flange. So, How does someone install a suspended ceiling with these type of joists then?

Suspended ceilings are lightweight enough that you can attach to the bottom rails. Just don't use fasteners so large that they're splitting things, and come in from below or pre-drill from the side.

If you're using particularly heavy tiles, feel free to run your anchors into the upper rail. That completely eliminates any concern of damage.


How does the hone angle of a glass cutter affect glass being cut? I need a glass cutter that can cut up to 1/2" inch plate glass. I heard the cutter's hone angle is very important, but I'm not sure what does that mean. Does 120 degrees better than 140 or the other way around.

I search through Amazon and eBay for this cutter but couldn't find any reputable ones. Can anyone recommend one from real word experience? I won't be doing a lot of projects with it but I definitely want to get a good one and use it for long long time.

My first use for this cutter will be to cut off 3 inches on a 70" x 42" x 1/2" table top along the short side.

Glass Cutting

It's not uncommon for thicker glass be annealed, not tempered, for a table top.  This is due to the amount of force required to break it.

From what I've been told growing up around a glass shop and working in the industry for a number of years, the reason glass cutters work is that glass, stone, etc will always break at the greatest point of stress.

When you apply pressure to the surface of the glass with a glass cutter you are crushing the surface under the wheel which causes heat.  Oiling the wheel on your glass cutter will help maintain this heat evenly for a longer period of time.  You need to break the glass along your score before it cools in order to get the most reliable break.

Thick glass, 1/2" and greater is very difficult to cut even for the very experienced.  It also takes a much greater force to break after scored.  If this is your first attempt at cutting glass I would recommend getting a few scrap pieces of thinner material and practicing on those to get the feel for scoring and breaking the glass.  The thicker the glass the harder it becomes to cut off a small amount.  Even 3/8" can commonly break roughly and required a belt sander to polish the edge smooth.  Breaking 3" from a 1/2" thick piece of glass will be difficult and I would personally opt for a wet saw.

Also, any time you cut glass the edges will become sharp.  Be sure to use sandpaper to smooth the edges, called a seam, in order to help prevent cuts.

Glass Cutters

As far as cutter brands, I prefer Silberschnitt because the brass has a nice weight to it and I've grown accustomed to it.  Fletcher is probably the most common brand I've seen from shop to shop.  Someone that cuts glass daily is more likely to go with a cutter that is self oiling and is filled in the end.

The cheaper "hobby" cutters do the job just as well.  The most important thing is the wheel.  A carbide wheel will last you longer, but for limited usage a steel wheel will suffice.  If you opt for one of these types of cutters be sure to rub 3-in-1 oil on the wheel prior to scoring the glass.

A hone angle of 140° is the most common.  After enough experience 140° is easy enough to turn when needed, but broad enough to be effective for 1/4" or 3/8".  I've used it for glass with a thickness up to 3/8".  A hone angle of 154° is what is used more commonly for greater thicknesses.  This angle will give a broader score allowing for more surface stress distributed along the same line allowing for a more reliable break.  A 120° angle is more often used in artwork and difficult pattern cuts.  A more acute angle is easier to work with and what you want majority of the time.  The greater angle is more difficult to work with but necessary to control a break on thicker glass.


Is this the correct approach for installing 3/4" Hardwood floor? So I've been thinking of adding a hardwood floor in my dining room and hallway.  This is what I know as of right now.  I have Hemlock 2x10 Floor Joists spaced apart 16" OC that span 13 feet and the home was built in '71.  The subfloor as it sits right now is 1/2" plywood with what seems to be 1/2" MDF or Particle Board nailed on top.  I've noticed the floor is not perfectly level and might be due to the MDF warping and expanding from moisture.  From what I've been researching it would be best to rip up the MDF (or Particle Board) and gluing the 3/4" plywood and screwing it down to the existing 1/2" plywood (not to the floor joists).  Then lay down a vapor barrier and then the flooring at a right angle to the floor joists.  Is this correct?  I just want to get all of my ducks in a row before I go spend money.

I have seen 3/4" thick hardwood floors go over 1/2" subfloor with no problem. Your floor structure is plenty heavy to carry any load you apply to it. In many older homes (really old homes) there was no subfloor at all, and the floors held up very well.

Remove the layer of MDF, clean up the nails, and reset all the nails that are in the subfloor. This minimizes the chance of squeaks from the nails that may have risen up as the framing dried and shrunk. Add 1 5/8" screws at all the edges and 3 or 4 more spread across the center of the spans of all the plywood.

In my humble opinion, DO NOT use an underlayment foam under hardwood flooring. This is only intended for floating floors!!!!. The "give" the foam has, is asking for your floor to squeak!!! The only vapor barrier you need is a 5 lb. felt paper. It is much lighter and much thinner than roofing tar paper and will give the resistance the wood needs against moisture rising from below. This is what is used in all new floor applications. Sometimes, on occasion red rosin paper is used too, I believe it is error, it has no resistance to vapor permeability.

After this initial bit of prep, lay your new floor.


puddles in my concrete patio What's the best way to even out areas of concrete patio where rain water collects into 2 large puddles? It also sits right up some against pool decking.

A crack has also formed which I tried to patch with concrete caulking.

I have been trying to find the right solution and don't really understand if I should use a self-leveling product or if it needs to be done in thin layers.

Self-leveling materials are usually not intended to be finished-surface products--they cure out to something rather chalky. You'd need to overlay something more durable. I suggest finding a self-leveling product that meets your needs, then overlaying quarry tile or porcelain.

If that sounds overwhelming (it's not that difficult, just time consuming), You might just have to cut out the faulty portion and have it re-poured. You may find a deal by piggybacking on someone else's project. You might get lucky and avoid trip charges, or you could split them. Concrete isn't terribly expensive--it's the workmanship you pay for.


breaker size for 600' run using #4 wire I am trying to find out what breaker size to use for a 600' run to my wellpump(2 horse)------I am using #4 wire-also do I need breakers at both ends-maybe one in the middle??   thanks

To answer the OP's question:

No you only need one breaker where the conductors recieve their supply. (At the main panel). The breaker needs to be sized the protect the conductors the well pump should have internal protection for the motor.

You didn't say whether your #4 was copper or aluminum. It makes a big difference. I will do both calculations with Ed Beal's numbers for the K factors (I usually use 10.4 for copper and 17.0 for aluminum which would yield smaller wires but warm wire has a higher K factor so I will use the hire numbers.)

A 2 hp 230 volt motor draws 12 amps according to the NEC. Using the voltage drop formula solved for area in circular mils. Acm= K x I x 2L /VD
With a 3% voltage drop the recommended number from the NEC yields 25,800 cm for copper which is a little smaller than #6 at 26,240 cm. so if you have #4 copper you have plenty of wire.

However the same calculation with aluminum yields 42,400 and #4 is 41,740 so you would actually need #2 if it is aluminum.

Voltage drops are recommendations from the National Electrical Code and are not an enforceable part of the code. Voltage drop calculations are performed with full load running currents not with startup currents. They recommend 3% for a branch circuit or feeder and 5% total between the two. Since this is a branch circuit the recommended amount is 3% or 7.2 volts.

tl;dr You are good with #4 copper wire. The breaker size depends on the manufacturers recommendation for your well pump, or I need to know if you are using an inverse time breaker or instantaneous trip.


Who should I contact to remove an old boiler from my basement? I had a boiler fire. When I replaced the boiler, I kept the old one around for insurance purposes. Now it's time to get rid of it.

It's got a good bit of steel in it, and still has a couple of steel
steam pipes attached. I wonder if it has any salvage value.
Maybe enough for somebody to come haul it away for "free". Regardless -- win, lose, or draw - it's gotta go.

Who should I be calling to do this, and what should I know going in?

It's sitting by the bulkhead. With the right equipment and a couple of guys, it shouldn't be too hard to get out.
Boiler was mfd. in 1993, so asbestos free. It's cracked, unusable.

Epilogue: Found free removal by chance. See answer below.

Look for a scrap metal dealer in your area.

If you deliver the steel parts to the recycler, you ought to get at least $400 per tonne (which is $440 per U.S. ton or $0.22 per pound).  See this.


Is it the drill or the bit? I'm just in the process of hanging a heavy flower basket which requires 3 screws for maximum strength.

The basket will be hanging on a wall.

I inherited the drill bits, so I'm not really sure if they are for drilling brick but they drilled the mortar just fine. They also have been used for drilling metal and wood just fine too.

Whilst trying to drill the third hole in the brick I can only get a few mm deep.

Is this likely due to the bit being wrong, or due to being a cheap drill?

they drilled the mortar just fine. They also have been used for drilling metal and wood just fine too.

They are probably ordinary "HSS" drill bits mainly intended for drilling metal but also usable for wood (and, with care and low speed, most plastics)

HSS bits will get blunted quickly if used to make holes into mortar or brick. You can sharpen them if you have some suitable tools.

For drilling holes in bricks, you'll get the fastest results from

A masonry bit. These have a piece of tungsten carbide brazed into the tip.
A drill with hammer action.

A corded drill will usually perform better than a battery-powered drill of the same price.

An SDS drill would be the very best but purchasing one is probably overkill if you only have a few holes to drill.

Other experts herebouts have previously pointed out that you can succeed with an ordinary electric drill and an HSS bit. I have found that to be hard work (different types of brick vary a lot in hardness) and much prefer using a masonry bit in a hammer (or "combi") drill.


Prevent Sound from Entering Mattress through Bed Legs There is a construction site next to my bed room and especially low frequency sounds resulting from heavy machines and vehicles enter my bed through its four legs. As I am a side-sleeper the vibrations end up on my ear through the mattress.

What would be a reasonable construction of layers or materials that I could shove under each of the four legs to prevent sounds from being lead into the bed?

I don't think it's practical to come up with a definitive answer without experimentation, but I would try these:

sheets of rubber, such as what is sold in the plumbing section of the hardware store, maybe folded over a couple times
sound isolating feet sold for washers/dryers


Can I curve an L-shaped shower curtain rod myself? My hall bath has a partially enclosed tub.  I have researched an L-shaped shower curtain rod and know that they exist, however, I would like the longer part of the "L" to be curved to allow for more room in the tub when taking a shower.  Can I curve the longer portion myself successfully and easily without harming the curtain rod?

Perhaps.

It depends on how brittle/ductile the rod is.  Its likely steel, which has a wide range of properties.  There may be finish cracking issues.  The wider the radius, the more likely the success.

I would experiment on a similar but simpler rod.  The methods I suggested here would be the least expensive tooling.


Can I put a convection toaster oven over the range? My over-the-range microwave died and I want to replace it with a convection toaster oven.

I would love it to be put where the microwave was, over the stove. Can I do this? I have looked for over-the-range convection toaster ovens, and there seems to be no one selling them.  Do they exist? Is it safe to put one over the stove?

Try searching for an over the range convection microwave on Google Product search. This type of oven combines the quick heating ability of a microwave and the browning feature of a convection oven.

As for your question of safety: Yes it's safe, as long as the oven was designed to be installed over a range/stove. Since you'll be boiling water, cooking, etc. on the stove below it, the design should incorporate some sort of exhaust fan or other method to deal with the resulting steam. Otherwise accumulated moisture could damage the appliance or possibly create a safety hazard with the possibility of an electrical short.


Do basement walls with metal framing and foam insulation require fireblocking and draftstopping? Question: Do non-load bearing basement walls with metals framing and foam insulation (such as extruded polystyrene) in a single-family home require fireblocking and draftstopping?

If so, what is the recommended method to implement it for the type of construction mentioned in this question: Should I use steel or wood studs for basement exterior walls?. Particularly, I am looking for answers that include recommended types of inorganic draftstopping materials to place directly against a concrete/cinderblock wall to prevent mold.

Background: I see a lot of information about using extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam insulation and metal stud framing in basements with concrete/cinderblock walls similar to the accepted answer of this question: Should I use steel or wood studs for basement exterior walls?, but I never see any mention of fireblocking or draftstopping.

Often times, a continuous 2" application of XPS board is recommended to be placed directly against the concrete wall before putting framing up and I have not seen any articles which advise to creating breaks in the foam for draftstops. Needing to use draftstops also seemingly defeats the purpose of creating a continuous 2" foam barrier for moisture if you have to put approved draftstop materials directly against the concrete well because most are organic in nature (e.g. gypsum board, rockwool, etc.).

I was planning to put both draftstops and fireblocks in place because I believe the XPS board prevents the claim of "noncombustible materials". However, can I claim that the whole assembly is made of noncombustible materials and save time and money both safely and in accordance with code? I am pretty sure the answer is no, but it would be nice to get confirmation and recommended methods for doing so if required.

-- From an FAQ on Owens Corning's XPS board (this is the board I am planning to use):

"Q: Can FOAMULAR® be left exposed in interior applications?

"A: No. To comply with building codes, all foam plastics must be covered with a 15 minute thermal barrier. Gypsum board, ½” thick is a common covering.

"...

"Q: What are the flame spread and smoke developed ratings for FOAMULAR®?

"A: For all unfaced FOAMULAR® extruded polystyrene insulation products, surface burning characteristics are flame spread 5, and smoke developed 45-175 depending on thickness. Surface burning characteristics are determined in accordance with ASTM E84, “Test Methods for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials.” Typical building code maximums are 75 flame spread and 450 smoke developed."

The foam insulation itself is combustible, hence the requirement for a thermal barrier.

According to the 2012 IRC:

  R316.4 Thermal barrier.

  Unless otherwise allowed in Section R316.5 or Section R316.6, foam plastic shall be separated from the interior of a building by an approved thermal barrier of minimum 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) gypsum wallboard or a material that is tested in accordance with and meets the acceptance criteria of both the Temperature Transmission Fire Test and the Integrity Fire Test of NFPA 275.

I also want to add that not only is foam plastic combustible, it is dangerously so. Many of the most deadly building fires in recent history have involved improperly-protected foam insulation or accoustic material. E.g. the 2003 Station Fire in RI and the 2013 Kiss nightclub fire in Brazil. Obviously the stakes are a little lower in a private residence, but do not make the mistake of thinking plastic is noncombustible.


How to install 2x10 joists of slightly different sizes? We are trying to install the joist hangers and the joists, but the 2x10s are slightly different sizes. The problem is that some of the boards are 9.25" and some are 9.5" and some in between. So if all the joists are hung at the same level, then the top of the boards are all at different levels, which would lead to a bumpy deck. How is this best handled?

Use face mount joist hangers and set them so that the tops of the joists are all level.

You could try to return the joists and demand a batch that are the same size. Or shim them, which is less than ideal.

As stated in comments, joists can vary in size based on moisture content. Not only that, but they'll expand and contract a bit with moisture changes in the future, as well.


Refrigerator Tripping GFCI Suddenly I have an issue with my LG fridge. The fridge is 2 years old and has been working fine until this morning. When I opened the doors the lights when out. I (after some time) figured out that it had tripped the GFCI in our kitchen (which we didn't even know the two outlets were connected. I have been doing some testing and it ONLY trips the GFCI when both doors are opening simultaneously. I can not get it to trip when just one or the other door is open. BUT if I open both doors at the exact same time the GFCI trip. I ran the refrigerator to another GFCI outlet via an extension cord and it tripped that one as well. My gut it telling me there is a ground fault in the door switch, but I can't understand why it wouldn't trip when I opened that particular door. I thought the control unit that lights up, but it also lights up when only one door is open. I thought perhaps the actual lights, but those come on also when only one door is open. Does anyone have any suggestions, or other tests I could perform to narrow it down.

The model is a LFCS22520S

Thanks so much in advance!

The fridge shouldn't be on GFCI anyway.   Imagine if it had tripped over the night, you woke up to make coffee, the coffeemaker didn't work and you found the GFCI tripped, and you reset it naturally.  Would you register what it means when the fridge also starts up?  Or would the fridge re-cool by the time you go to get food out of it, and you're none the wiser that it was ever off?  Meanwhile food has spoiled.

If the fridge is downline of a GFCI, then stop using the LOAD lines on that GFCI, and fit additional GFCI receps at any other place GFCI is needed again without use of LOAD.

What to do about the refrigerator, though?

Henny Youngman had a joke, "I told the doctor 'it hurts when I do that'.  The doctor said 'Well, don't do that!'"

There's a reason we advise not to put fridges on GFCI.

Fridges do that.  New fridges do that.  Therefore, a fridge tripping a GFCI is a nothingburger in my book.

"Oh, noes, but it's unsfae!" OK stop. Why do we have GFCIs in the first place?  Because people get shocked by ungrounded (not a fridge) appliances whose electrical bits are exposed (not in the bottom back of a 300 pound machine shoved into an alcove), which get wet (not likely) and who often drop the appliance into the sink.

Absolutely none of this fits a refrigerator.  They are simply not the use-case for which GFCI is intended (or able) to help.  Putting one on GFCI simply makes no sense.

And indeed, AHJs see it that way - they will often exempt "Fridge/freezer only" outlets from the rule requiring GFCI for all basement and garage outlets.

Keep in mind a fridge is a safety system. You keep perishable food in it.

Chasing it anyway

If you feel strongly about running down the problem, I would start by slicing up an extension cord and separating the ground wire a good distance from the hot+neutral (bind those together).  Now you can put a clamp ammeter around the ground (or hot+neutral, as normal current will cancel itself out) and look for the leakage current.  I readily acknowledge that a refrigerator light is an unusual source for a ground fault, and may be worth investigating.

Normally fridge ground faults happen when the compressor motor is shut off; that causes an inductive "kick" that will rise in voltage until it is shunted to neutral or ground. Refrigerators may have devices such as a VBO to deal with that, which then fail over time.


How do I reinforce the ends of 2x8s that are sistered to 2"x5" (actual size) joists? I want to strengthen the floor of my office.
Currently the joists are 2"x5" (actual size).

I want to put a 2"x8" (1.5"x7.5" actual size) which will double the existing joists.
I will have to reduce the height of the new joists from 7.5" to 5" at the ends.

Will I have to reinforce the end to prevent the beam from splitting?
What could I use to reinforce the ends?

After all your answers and comments, i want to put a draw to illustrate the final solution.
A good idea is obvious afterthought, but not before!

I'm reading this as the office is over the crawl space and you want to add the 8" joists so that the floor height is unaffected.

You say

  I will have to reduce the height of the new joists from 7.5" to 5" at the ends.

I say you don't, and if you do, it will compromise your attempt to strengthen your floor.

Get joist hangers:

Instead of sistering your joists to the old 5", hang the new 8" (ie: 7.5") joists halfway between each 5" joist.  Put them tight up against the floor and secure them with the joist hangers (again, tight) and that will reinforce your floor quite nicely without compromising the integrity of the board by cutting them down to 5" at the ends.


What could be eating through my drywall Tonight I noticed this section of my wall in the basement. It looked like something had been eating through the drywall. The area is so tight and I know 100% that it wasn't damaged by me. So what problem could I have? I live in Ontario, Canada. I'm calling in pest control to have a look but that might not happen for 2-3 days. Here are pictures of the damage

Since the Pest Controller didn't find any pest cause or problem, very good news. Go ahead & patch, tape & mud it. Make sure the patch doesn't touch the masonry. The moisture down there may get it again or any paper break. If it starts happening all over, eventually, then painted fiberglass faced drywall would last or you might opt for cement board at that time. But, just patch what you've got to gauge what works & what doesn't & for how long.


Why won't hot water come after timer of recirculating pump is off? About a year ago, we had a Grundfos recirculating pump installed. We use a timer on it for morning showers. Recently, after the timer goes off, and someone needs to use the master bath shower later, no hot water comes even after waiting quite a while.  There is hot water in the other bathrooms and kitchen sink. Any suggestions about why this is happening?
Thank you.

Probably a failed/stuck/jammed check valve, if this was the typical (maketh me shudder) retrofit installation where the hot water recirculation line is the cold water line. That makes the proper operation utterly dependent on the check valve, or the cold water line can happily backfeed into the hot water.

The less-shudder-inducing system I prefer is a dedicated recirculation return line, but that can be hard to retrofit (and can have the same problem, if a bit less, since it normally returns to the cold side of the hot water heater.)


Name of this shelf support screw with plastic head This shelf support is a screw with a semi-circular plastic head. Does it have a name? A name that can be used on Google to find this thing. Or the name given by those who produce it.

Additional info: it's total length is 32 mm and the width of the plastic is 20 mm. The visible part of the screw is 17 mm.

I doubt you'll find a superlative industry term since they're so often proprietary.

Shelf support screw
Threaded shelf support
Twisty bump
Screwy knob thing


Vertical drilling into ceiling joist for pilot hole When it comes to vertical drilling into a joist, the internet is split in two:

One is discussions about drilling a large hole through the joist to pass plumbing/electrical/etc, and the answer is "don't do it!". There's discussions about the bending face, thirds of the joist, code, etc., and how any notching/drilling on the bottom of a joist - especially in the center 3rd - is the worst thing you can do.

The other half is about mounting stuff to the ceiling - on which there are... crickets. If you keep looking, you'll find mounting instructions for stuff (like lamps, fans, bike hangers or these 400lb and 600lbs racks), where screwing (vertically) into the joist is what you should be doing (as opposed to mounting to drywall), and as long as you're centered enough on the joist, there's nothing else to worry about. Pilot holes are welcome.

Can anyone help settle the discrepancy?

Personally, I'm mounting a 6lbs projector (+2 lbs mount) in the middle of a long timber ceiling joist in the middle of a living room; the ceiling supports a residential floor (another living room) above it. Barring new information, I've decided to use 2 x wood screws (#10 or #12 w/ 1/8" pilot hole) instead of thicker lag bolts, since those should easily support the light, static load while minimizing displacement of the joist material.

I see your concern but there's really no discrepancy.  The tiny pilot holes you will drill for your #10 screws to mount your projector do not remove any significant amount of material from the joist.  They also don't go all the way through, just an inch or so.  They won't significantly change the strength of the joist.

If you were drilling a 3/4" hole vertically all the way through the joist and running all thread through it, you'd be removing half the material in that spot, and that of course would weaken the joist significantly.

So where do you draw the line?  I am afraid I can't give you an exact answer based on engineering calculations and testing.  However I can give you a rule of thumb that has worked for me.  I find that 3/16" x 3" pilot holes for 1/4" x 3" screws are adequate for anything you can hang off 2x framing, so there's no reason to go any bigger.  That hole is smaller than the shaft of the screw but adequate to prevent splitting in framing lumber, and small enough that it doesn't significantly weaken anything.

I have mounted all kinds of equipment, often hundreds of pounds, using this rule of thumb without any problems.  In the rare instances where I don't trust 1/4" hardware, rather than use larger fasteners, I'll use more fasteners;  for example, sometimes I'll attach unistrut to framing with multiple 1/4" screws then hang the heavy stuff off the unistrut.  This also distributes the load better.


How to make a basement warmer? I'm looking for some cheap way to renovate my basement and make it warmer and quiter,any ideas?

I helped a friend of mine renovate his basement. We installed these raised floor tiles with carpet and pad over them. This made the floor much warmer, especially when going barefoot.

We also put up 2"x4" wall frames around the perimter wall (along with some interior walls) and insulated them. Then we drywalled over them. This reduced the floor area slightly, but it was worth it.

The basement is now typically warmer than the main floor. However, all moisture issues need to be reolved correctly first, or you'll have issues with the wall system.


Dryer vent through cinder block and then through yard - is this ok? I've been researching how to vent my basement dryer, using galvanized steel ducts. There are lots of things on Google that show how to do this under a normal situation, but mine is unique, and I can't find a good answer yet.

Normally one would drill a hole through the wall that faces the outdoors, and run the duct through there. But I can't because my walls to my house are stone, and I would never want to drill a 4 1/4" hole through it.

Instead, I'd like to dig a hole in the yard, where the vent will come through the basement cinder block, and then drill through the underground cinder block. This requires three 90 degree turns, but the total equation is less than 25' (counting 5' for each turn).

Is this ok (I follow Maryland code)? Will the weight of the dirt harm the steel duct when I refill the ground around the vertical duct? And which kind of cap should I use at the end (assuming this is ok to do in the first place)?

Hopefully this picture helps:

You can get duct that is rated for underground use. It's more expensive of course, usually stainless steel.

Your MUCH bigger problem with this idea however is that you are introducing a place for ground water to enter your basement. There is no good way to seal something as large and flimsy as vent pipe penetrating a basement cinder block wall. This will result in a long term nightmare that will be very difficult and expensive to fix. The only possibility I can think of is to use cast iron pipe, like a sewer pipe, with an approved wall penetration method and all joints sealed against water leaking IN to the pipe and thereby into your basement. Making your dryer vent connect to the cast iron pipe may be a challenge, but creativity should win out.

But rather than that, I would call a "concrete coring company" as ask about them coring a hole for you in the stone wall. It's done all the time.


Install new wall outlet few feet to the left of existing outlet If  I wanted to install a wall outlet 3 feet to the left of a current outlet, would I have to take down the whole wall? It is possible and how much would it generally cost range?

The wall is already there existing home, it is on the same side of the wall as current outlet, I am in apartment condo in California.

You can carefully remove the cove at the bottom of the wall. Then cut the drywall out from the area behind the base cove. You will need to notch the plate back so you can fish the NM behind the dry wall. Run the NM to the new location and repeat the notching up toward the new hole you just cut to install the cut-in box. Connect up the new receptacle put on the cover plate, then make up the connection at the old receptacle location (make sure the circuit is turned off). Replace the base turn on the power and you're good to go.

Stay safe and good luck.


What type of gas generator to run a dump pump, fridge, and 3 small appliances I need backup power to:
 - continuously run a sump pump for 4-5 hours
 - continuously run A fridge
 - as needed run small appliances like coffee maker, electronics

1/2 HP Sump Pump - 1000W Run but 2000-4000W startup
Refrigerator - 250W run but 1000-1500W startup
Coffee maker - 500W
Electronics?  You didn't specify.

So as long as your fridge and your sump pump don't startup at the same time, you could get by with a 4000W generator.  A 5000W would give you a bit of margin.

As far as run time, it depends on the fuel capacity of the generator.  You will want to keep extra fuel on hand if the outage lasts longer than the fuel tank capacity of the generator.

To be legal you will either need to run cords to each individual unit or install a lockout transfer switch to avoid the possibility of back-feeding the grid and endangering power company workers.


Can I nail mass loaded vynl onto plywood? I have sheets of plywood nailed outside the windows, will it be possible to sandwich 1/8" thick mass loaded vinyl in between the plywood that is already there and another piece of plywood? If it is, do I use nails, glue, etc...?

Obviously, the wall can’t be made to be floppy; but the soundproofing inside the wall can be floppy.  In the Science of Acoustics, we call it a “Limp Mass Barrier.”  This is typically why the Mass Loaded Vinyl is instructed to be installed against the studs and then drywall over it. This allows the barrier to move in 3-Dimensional space and bleed off the energy of the sound, resulting in greater net losses of sound propagation through the wall.
“But I don’t want to rip down my sheet rock to put this stuff up.”  That’s fine, no need to really.  The solution here is to find the studs behind the existing sheetrock with a stud finder, mark them with a blue line, and screw in some Furring strips vertically-through the sheetrock – into the studs.
– acousticalsolutions.com

Stick with nails if that's what you got. No glue if it's temporary. I'd probably use exterior screws.
It's supposed to be furred out so that at least one side can move freely. Then you could even sandwich the furring strips with two layers of vinyl and then plywood it.


Is it the house wiring or problem with electric stove? Replaced daughters gas stove with Whirlpool glass cooktop with double oven. The electric outlet has not been used for 25 yrs. House was converted from fuses to circuit breakers since stove outlet was last used. The stove was delivered on a trailer lying on it's back about 1 1/2 hr drive. When turning on each cooktop burner they sparked and blew either the main fuse or something in the control panel. Both ovens work fine. Looking at the burners by lifting the cooktop. Would you suspect the problem was caused in transport or could something be wrong with the wiring at the circuit breaker box?

I would carefully disassemble the stove, particularly in the sparking areas, and positively find the reason why.  It is not enough to say "Gee, it seems to have stopped sparking now".

People die from electric stoves with problems - and the last line of defense is a proper grounding system.  That's why I would beware of 3-prong NEMA 10 connections: If the stove requires NEMA 10 or 14 (as most do), convert the receptacle to NEMA 14 by adding a ground wire, and change the appliance cord to NEMA 14 as the manufacturer instructs.


What could have caused CFL bulbs to glow during a power outage? Recently during a storm, I lost power to my whole house.  For ~30-60 seconds after losing power, 3-4 CFL bulbs continued to glow faintly.  The bulbs were on different circuits, and legs of the 120/240V residential electrical system. One of the bulbs was even part of a multi-bulb fixture, where the other bulbs in the fixture all turned off.

I suspected possible backfeeding. But I wouldn't expect single bulbs in multiple bulb fixtures to get power while the others did not, if this was caused by backfeeding.

What could have caused these bulbs to continue to glow after power was lost?

This is normal for fluorescent bulbs. You should be able to see the same thing when you turn off the light fixture using a regular switch instead of dropping a tree across your power line.

Fluorescent lights generate light by an electrical discharge through the mercury vapor in the tube; the mercury emits UV light, which excites electrons in the phosphorus coating the tube.  When those electrons decay, they emit visible light.  However, there can be a delay between excitation and decay, so you'll see some light emitted for a while after the bulbs lose power.

Variations in construction between manufacturers or even between individual bulbs mean that they'll glow for different amounts of time.


Grounding a sub panel panel properly I have 3 panels
1) Main Breaker
2) Sub Panel
3) Sub Panel serviced/fed from (2)

Can I ground Panel (3) to Panel (1)?

The reason why I want to is I can use one size smaller conduit between (2) and (3) [1 and 3 are located beside each-other], which for this installation would be a HUGE advantage!!

Can I ground Panel (3) to Panel (1)?

Assuming all panels are in the same building.

The answer is yes, but only if you feed Panel (3) from Panel (1)(see comment from @. ThreePhaseEel). The NEC requires all conductors to run together as a group.


Grade slopes toward foundation under sloping deck I have a two-part problem.

Problem #1: The grade under my deck has developed a slope towards the foundation of the house. I have begun to get water seeping onto the floor of my finished basement. The deck is about 3 feet above the ground at the house and about feet above ground 14 feet away from the house. I've crawled under to check it out (there's just enough room to crawl around) and sure enough, the four feet closest to the house (the old back fill) has sunk about a foot, and in places there are bigger sink holes leading right to the basement wall.

Problem #2: The deck itself now slopes back toward the house. I built the deck (14'x24") 23 years ago. Three years after the house was built. I decided NOT to attach the deck to  ledger board (BIG MISTAKE!) and build it "free standing" right up the house with access to a kitchen door. I dug (4)post holes about 2' from the basement wall, and filled them with concrete. They were inspected to be sure they were deep enough and below the frost line. The back fill has sunk, pulling the deck down with it.

Question: Should I just tear the whole thing apart, fix the grade, and build a new deck? Or is it possible to dismantle the deck, fix the grade, install a ledger board, and rebuild the deck saving as much material as possible? I need to address the water problem ASAP before I have Problem #3: Mold in my basement!

The deck boards are installed perpendicular to the house, so I cant just remove some of the boards. They must all go!

You did not say what kind of the wood the deck is made of and the condition (other than old).
I have completely rebuilt some 30+ year old redwood decks in the past that were nailed with a nail jack like this. The boards bay be able to be turned over and an almost new surface is possible after a little sanding. if the surface has been well maintained and the nails are pulled without damaging the surface of the wood screws could be used to replace the boards in the original positions. this will take more time than replacing the decking but can save thousands.
You will also find material cost has dramatically increased and the quality of the lumber is lower today than it was 20+ years ago. it all depends on if there is any rotten ares with the decking if it can be reused redwood and cedar have very long lives compared to other soft woods.


What kinds of gloves should be used for working with mortar? I am currently working on my eagle scout project, and I will be using mortar to put together part of my project (I know this doesn't completely apply to home improvement so if this is the wrong place I'm sorry!).  I want to make sure that nobody gets hurt, so I bought work gloves for everybody.  They also had gloves meant specifically for working with mortar.  Is using normal work gloves fine for mixing mortar, and using it to build a fire pit, or should we use gloves meant for masonry specifically?

Considering how little exposure you will get to the mortar for your small project, you're probably fine with just your work gloves. Wearing latex gloves under your work gloves will provide additional protection. I would suggest that for the people who will be working directly with the mortar.

Big picture, more important than gloves is breathing protection. Inhaling dry mortar powder can be very dangerous, even in small quantities. Different people have different reactions: while one person could spend years breathing the stuff and never have any problems, another could experience severe respiratory distress on their first exposure. Whoever is opening bags and mixing should be wearing a respirator. The disposable kind is fine, if rated for mortar exposure.


Automatic garage door opener opens when it hits the floor I have a garage door opener that has been working fine until the past month or so.  Now, during a close cycle, once it hits the floor (where normally it would stop) it will switch back into an open cycle.  It's created several 'Ack I left my garage door open' incidents until I figured it out!  Any idea what would cause this?  It's about 5 years old, installed it myself.

This is most likely due to the auto reversing function.   This is where the door will reverse open if it hits an obstacle when closing.

One possible cause is that there is an obstruction on the floor where the door meets the floor.  Look for any irregularities on the floor and on the bottom of the garage door.  You might find something stuck to the bottom garage door seal.

Another possible cause is that the door got out of adjustment.  Most door I have seen have four adjustments; 1) Open force; 2) close force; 3) open travel distance; and 4) close travel distance.  I would look at making adjustments to the close travel distance.


Single Ground Wire Run Under Floor Joists I'm in the process of finishing my basement and, aside from a ground wire that was run under the floor joists, I have a fairly clear path for drywalling the ceiling along the floor joists. I have contacted the builder and they are refusing to address the issue. I've done some research on the subject and I've found other answers on this site pertaining to NEC codes for hanging wire to floor joists, but I believe the code doesn't specifically address my situation because the ground wire is a single 2 AWG conductor, while the NEC code (from the sections I've read) specifically call out two 6 AWG and three 8 AWG conductors. I've tried to find any additional information on this subject, which might be directly relevant to my case, but I haven't been able to locate anything. Is there a specific section of the NEC that addresses this case? Is a single conductor 2 AWG run under the floor joists up to code? If this is to code, how would you recommend I hang the drywall?
As a side note, I am not a contractor and I'm essentially trying to learn framing and drywalling by watching YouTube videos, so it's not that I'm trying to be a pain, but having the cable run through the joists (rather than under) would make my life significantly easier.

National Electrical Code 2011
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC, and NMS
II. Installation
334.15 Exposed Work.
(C) In Unfinished Basements and Crawl Spaces. Where cable is run at angles with joists in unfinished basements and
crawl spaces, it shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller
than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edges
of the joists. Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes
in joists or on running boards. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable installed
on the wall of an unfinished basement shall be permitted to be
installed in a listed conduit or tubing or shall be protected in
accordance with 300.4. Conduit or tubing shall be provided with a
suitable insulating bushing or adapter at the point the cable enters
the raceway. The sheath of the nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall extend
through the conduit or tubing and into the outlet or device box not
less than 6 mm (¼ in.). The cable shall be secured within 300 mm (12
in.) of the point where the cable enters the conduit or tubing. Metal
conduit, tubing, and metal outlet boxes shall be connected to an
equipment grounding conductor complying with the provisions of 250.86
and 250.148.

Edit: Added image

Your #2 wire is large enough to be run without protection or a backer if running perpendicular to the joists in the basement ceiling. 250.64.B.3 requires wires smaller than #6 to be protected. The basement ceiling is considered a safe location and the specific height is not given. 334.15 provides the examples of attachment as you have mentioned.
I would caution that some older code answers are not current code as code has had significant changes in the last few cycles. (Each cycle is normally 3 years).


Can I run an unrelated electrical cable under a bathtub? I have an older house with a mixture of grounded and ungrounded outlets.  Every room has at least one grounded outlet in it, except one.  I've long wanted to run a new cable to that room and at least put a single outlet in it, so that I can stop running an extension cord across the hall.  There are no nearby grounded outlets, so I've never figured out a way to do it, until now.

There are three rooms in a row - the dining room, a bathroom, and my wife's office.  The office is the room without the grounded outlet.  There is a grouded outlet on the wall between the dining room and the bathroom.

Would it be legal / advisable to run a cable from the grounded outlet in the dining room into the hollow of the bathtub, and through the wall into the office?  I assume that some sort of extra waterproofing would be necessary, and maybe even putting a GFI into the dining room outlet.  The floor joists (inaccessible from below without ripping the drywall off the basement ceiling) run crossways to how I want to run the wire, so running under the floor is difficult, and I have a very short attic (maybe three feet tall), so running it up and over is also difficult.  Going through the tub hollow is probably the best bet, if I can do so legally and safely.

I'm in the United States.

There is no code telling you that you cannot do this.  Electric is ran under plumbing in walls all the time and that probably has a lot better chance of getting wet than under a tub.  I personally would run it inside pvc under the tub but I don't think it matters.  A GFCI outlet also sounds like a good idea.


How to rescue smoothie stains on the wall? I accidentally spilled quite some smoothie on the wall. It turns out to be very difficult to be cleaned. Now I am thinking about repainting the wall. The only issue is, we have a high ceiling room. It's about 3m-3.5m high. Repainting it sounds like a big pain. Does anyone have any suggestions?

You may have to get a ladder, assuming you don't have one tall enough.  You could decorate the rest of the wall with more smoothie but painting would probably be the best bet. :)  If you do paint, test on some lower stains first and give them at least a day to see if the stains bleed through the paint.  It would be safer to just use some Kilz primer to seal the stain spots before repainting the wall.


Insulation exposed behind face of my fireplace I recently had my house inspected and this was identified. I don't know if the previous owners used this fireplace regularly but it looks like the insulation between the face of the fireplace is exposed to the fire pit of my fireplace. What sort of suggestions should I take to cover this up?
Thanks.

If you can't find the original, it looks like you could make a new trim piece out of sheet metal pretty easily.


Replacing stair risers: three issues These stair risers had an unattractive tile on them  so I removed it.
I have three issues I need to address:

I need to get the tile residue off. I'm thinking paint stripper will do the job here
I need to replace the straight risers. I don't know if I can just paint the wood that's there or if I should cut 1/4" plywood
I need to replace/cover the curved riser (last step curves to the wall, out of picture). I'm hearing I should put a veneer on with contact adhesive, but there are so many options on Google so I can't figure out what to buy. Is there a specific veneer good for curved risers?

My neighbor went to the Lowes or home Depot, I do not know which one, and bought a step renewal kit that consisted of treads and riser covers. He and I installed them on his stairs that ran from the lower to the upper level of his home. The stair kit came in several different finishes. He chose the finish his wife wanted. When completed the steps looked great and his wife was very happy. (You know what that means). They were fairly easy to install. If you are not good with tools ask a neighbor or friend to help. My 2 cents.


How can I safely extend my surge protector's cable? Here is my situation, my office table doesn't have an outlet nearby, so I need a power strip with a long cable.
I want to use a surge protector for extra protection, and I have one from Brennenstuhl, but its cable  is not long enough. My first thought was to open it up and replace the cable, but it is soldered in places and I don't want to mess with that.
I am thinking however to cut the cable and extend it manually with a cable of my needed length.
Can I do that to a surge protector?
Another benefit will be that I can change the plug, so that it connects to the ground in the socket. I am in Denmark and the socket is type K while the surge protector now has type F.

If this would be a simple power cord I would do it without asking, but because it's a surge protector I think it's better to ask.
Right now my setup is two power cords one in another one.

If I understand correctly:

You have a surge protector that has an F type plug on it. This plug has a ground connector, but currently the ground is not in use, because you are plugging it into a K type receptacle (a receptacle that's compatible for the power pins but which doesn't have the right connections for ground).
You would like to extend the cord. As an added benefit, you would like to make the ground connection, and feel that replacing the cord with one that has a K type plug on it would solve both problems at once.

Depending on the construction of the surge protector, this is probably "fine". Your challenges will be finding a cord of the appropriate length with the plug you want, and opening the surge protector to change the wire. If the surge protector uses screws for the case, opening it should be straightforward. If it's glued, as some cheaper-built ones would be, it's probably not worth the effort.
Inside the surge protector you may find that the cord is soldered, or it may be attached with screws. If the latter, replacement is very easy. If the cord is soldered, that could be harder; high-current wires are soldered with higher-temperature solder and with a larger amount of solder, which means a normal hobbyist soldering iron might not work that well. I've managed to deal with those kinds of connections, but it's a pain and is messy (I'm not that skilled at soldering, and it's easy to overheat neighboring components, circuit board, etc. in the process of trying to disconnect the old cable and solder back on the new one).
I wouldn't do any of that.
For your situation, I would instead just use an extension cord. You want something heavy-duty, with 12 gauge wire, not a light-weight lamp cord extension. With an appropriate-sized extension cord, there will be no problem at all.
I don't know what the types of extension cords available in Denmark are, but given the mix of outlets in the country, it's possible you can find an extension cord with an F receptacle end, and a K plug, solving both problems at once.
If not, then surely there are electrical adapters available which can convert the F plug to a K plug, which you can use in conjunction with the extension cord to provide the added length and the ground connection you want.
That will be just as safe, and doesn't involve having to modify the surge protector at all. It's not quite as pretty, but there are fewer opportunities to mess things up. To me, that makes it a much preferable solution. :)


Electrical tape vs Wago connector I live in Argentina where everyone use tape and nobody know Wago connectors.

Should I use tape or Wago for my house? Wago can be purchased on Ebay, not in local shops.

Tape is not a connecting means on its own

Electrical tape is an insulating means, not a way of mechanically holding together a connection.  In fact, old school "twisted and taped" joints had a secret sauce to them: solder!  The idea behind them was that twisting the wires together provided mechanical stability, the solder wetted the wires, filled the gaps, and made a gastight electrical connection, and only then you applied the tape (friction tape back then) to insulate the whole shebang. Omit the solder, and you have little to no electrical connectivity.

In this day and age, we have better ways of making gastight connections.  Push-in style connectors (such as what Wago is best known for) use a spring system to grab individual wires in a gastight fashion; when designed properly, it can be quite an effective setup, even in the hands of a novice installer.  Wirenuts use spring pressure to hold a twisted bundle of wires together; while a bit more technique-sensitive than push-in connectors or screwlugs, they can be made extremely inexpensively, leading to their widespread use in some parts of the world.

There are also a couple different styles of screw-based connectors (North American style mechanical lugs and Eurostyle device and splicing blocks) that rely on correct torquing to achieve a gastight connection between a screw or screw-driven pressure plate and the wire end, as well as the old standby of compression or crimp connectors.  These rely not on technique, but on proper tooling for reliable joints: screw-type connectors practically require a torque screwdriver or torque wrench to get right consistently, while crimp connectors require a suitable crimping tool.


Attaching conduit to fence Can I attach pvc conduit to an existing chain link I am installing a storage shed and I don’t want to dig a ditch

Whether the fence is deemed a permanent structure suitable for support of electrical conduits is likely in a gray area and subject to the determination your local inspector makes.  You could call in advance and ask.

PVC conduit has to be supported with a maximum distance between supports determined by the size and type of conduit.  For example, 2" schedule 80 PVC supports can be no more than 7 feet apart.  Schedule 40 has to be closer, and smaller conduits have to be closer.  PVC tends to sag and look like hell if you don't support it at the code maximum between supports.

So unless your posts are very close or your conduit is very big, you'd have to fasten to the chain link part of the fence, which may or may not be deemed sufficiently rigid for conduit supports, or run something like unistrut from post to post, and attach to that.

But that would be a big pain and at that point, you might be better off with EMT, which can span 10', or RMC, which with threaded couplings can span 12' between supports.  You might still need to put some strut between some of the posts if there are boxes or etc. that need closer support.


GFCI pigtail in service panel I'm adding a GFCI circuit breaker in my main service panel. The neutral pigtail from the GFCI breaker is not long enough to reach my neutral/ground bar, unless routed in the space between the service disconnect and the circuit breakers, above the hot bars. See photo. My panel is the same model as the one shown.
I've never seen a wire routed through this space, so I'm assuming it is a no-go. Is my assumption correct? If so, what is an NEC compliant way to extend the pigtail? The pigtail wire doesn't appear to be replaceable at the breaker.

Just extend the pigtail with a wire nut. Wire nuts and other splices ARE allowed in panels per NEC.


What is this three-wire cable hanging from my ceiling? When we bought this house in Seattle, Washington, the downstairs bathroom was framed, but unfinished. There is a thin gray cable hanging from the ceiling, and I can't identify it. Any guesses as to what this is?

The house is wired for security. Is it possibly connected to the security system?

Thanks!

If there was a black wire in there, I would say it was a telephone line. The fact that the crimps are on red and green supports that theory, as red/green are the first to be used.  (black/yellow were spares; they got a variety of uses such as Princess phone backlights, second phone lines and the like.)

It's also conceivable that it's doorbell or thermostat cable, or phone cable re-tasked for those purposes.  (phone wire is a little light for that).

It's definitely not AC power.


Drain making dripping sound after sink drains. No leaks Does anyone have an idea why after I turn off the water in my newly installed vanity, it begins making a dripping noise for approximately 5-15 seconds.
It's only a few drips honestly but none of the other drains in my home make this noise. I did the install and just want to make sure that it isn't a symptom of a greater issue, like the P-Trap siphoning out the residual water.
Drain was installed with the foam gasket included, considered plumber's putty.
There are no leaks visible in the P-Trap or the drain assembly. No smell of sewer gas. This shouldn't be driving me nuts but it is.
Parts:
P-Trap
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/os-b-plastic-1-1-2-p-trap-with-1-1-4-reducing-washer/1000120436
Tailpiece extension
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/os-b-brass-1-1-4-x-6-chrome-extension-tube-slip-joint-connect/1000120361
Drain
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/os-b-brass-lavatory-drain-with-clicker-closure-brushed-nickel/1000800313
Vanity
https://www.ovedecors.com/us/cliff-30-white.html

I have found this on many sinks while draining a little water backs up in the over fill drain and the water in there takes a little longer to drain out as it is not as open as the main drain (the deeper the water is in the basin the longer it may take to stop). About the only way to eliminate it would be to seal off the overflow drain. Some basin designs are worse than others but this is what is happening.


Removing bathroom tile from cement backerboard I started removing what I believe to be 12x12 ceramic tiles which I’ve found out are adhered to a concrete backerboard which is adhered to a plywood subfloor. I’ve scoured the internet and have found some similar questions but nothing which fully satisfied me. Basically, my tiles are chipping in tiny pieces when I am manually chipping them off with a chisel/hammer and I’m looking for a more effective, less time consuming, less intensive method to remove them. I was initially going to try and keep the backerboard but it’s getting a bit chipped up and since it’s so inexpensive I’m thinking of just ripping it out as well. I was thinking about buying a rotary hammer with a chisel blade and going to town but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or tips that might help me out? I do have a decent amount of power tools in the garage so if another tool is the answer I might have that lying around. I have not seen any screws in the backerboard so far (I’ve only gotten off like 8ft^2 of tile, though) but I was also worried that if I tried to lift/remove the backerboard and it did have screws that I didn’t find it could damage my subfloor, which I am obviously hoping to avoid.

Thank you so much for any assistance anyone can provide!

If the backer board is attached with screws, the easiest solution would be to find them, remove them and take the floor out in chunks. However, that's not gonna happen since there isn't a good way to find the screws and you'd have to chip up the tile to get at them.

I removed almost 600 sqft with a rotary hammer from Harbor Freight. I bought the mid-range sds model. I don't usually buy power tools form HF, but this is one that you will probably destroy during the process, so buy accordingly. I went through two of them (replaced under warranty) to finish the job.

Regarding the cement board. You won't know for sure that you have to replace it until you get the tile off and it cleaned up. depending on how much you beat it up and how much grout and mortar is left, it may be easier to replace it. You may need to pull it to level the floor anyway, you just don't have enough information to make that decision yet. Good Luck! Oh and get good knee pads, they are a life saver when chipping up tile.


What could be damaging my furnace control board and/or what can I do to protect it? I had an issue with a damaged control board a few months ago, replacing it worked, details here: Is it the control board or is it the induction fan?
A similar issue has now came up.
It's hit or miss if the induction fan comes on and sometimes when it does I see a spark coming from the black wire leading into the fan (image below). Sometimes it starts, sometimes it does not. This leads me to believe a similar malfunction is occurring with the board - it's just hasn't fully failed yet.
Lately my area has been getting power surges and I'm convinced it's related. I curious if there may be something wrong with the fan as well causing it to damage the board. Also the large blower the board is attached to rocks WILDY sometimes which I can't imagine is helpful.
Is there anything I can do to protect the equipment from surges and furthermore what tools can I use to further diagnose the issue?
Fan

New Board

Thank you!

To me it sounds more like bearings in the fan are going out. Or a bad electrical connection.
Surges that would cause a motor to jump around would blow just about every electronic device in the home up.
A motor that had bearing problems may spin up and when the bearings get hot start stalling or moving around.
If the motor was drawing two much current it could be damaging the board so I would not be looking at electrical surges from a service as much as for loose connections OR bearings going out.
Surge protection will not stop either problem from damaging the board.