Power loss on a sub-panel I have an old ITE main panel in the garage with 600 amp service which has 3 - 200 amp breakers, each feeding a sub-panel in the house. All 3 ITE sub-panels in the house have been fine for over 5 years since we renovated.

Last week, the voltage on the left side bus of one of the sub-panels started fluctuating from 120v to 32v, and now it goes from 0v to 2v to 32v to 0v, etc. The right side bus is fine, so every other breaker pair works (1&2, 5&6, 9&10, etc) and every other breaker pair 3&4,7&8, 11&12, etc) has little or no voltage.

The lugs on the bus bar are screwed on tight, and are not loose. A voltmeter on each of the 120v feeds displays 120v on the right bus bar and 0v or 32v on the left bus bar.

There is a junction box midway between the garage and the house with Polaris taps, so I was able to check the voltage in the J box. Both 120v feeds checked out at 120v coming into the taps and 120v going out of the taps. I removed the taps, cleaned any corrosion off the wires, and replaced two of the taps (on the bad 120v line and the neutral). This leads me to believe  that the issue is the copper wire between the J Box and the sub-panel, which is under the foundation.

The only thing I can think of doing is running new wire in the attic from sub-panel (west) to sub-panel (east), as it will be near impossible to run new conduit and wires from the garage to the house without tearing up the driveway and running conduit on the exterior of the house.

As one busbar in sub-panel east is fine and has 120 volts, can I just run 120 v from west to east by adding a 125 amp breaker in west to provide the missing 120V on east, which already has 120 v, a neutral and a ground? Or do I have to run two 120 V wires and a neutral from the west panel to the east panel?

Alternatively, as there's 15 - 20 amp breakers in east that have power, and perhaps there's not enough amperage in west to supply west + all of east, would it make more sense to add another small sub-panel next to the east panel and move circuits off the old east sub-panel to the new east sub-panel which is fed from the west panel, so I need less amperage from east, such as 80 instead of 125?

If circuits aren't all used at the same time and most of the time, only a few circuits are used concurrently, such as a 30a cooktop and two lights, or 1 or 2 TVs, a computer and a few 10 to 60 watt lights, can the 200 amp panel support a 125 amp breaker to power the east panel?

Any ideas or solutions would be much appreciated.

I have a rule: Nobody does things for no reason.  600A is a crazy amount of service, and if the reason for it isn't obvious, figure it out before you change anything. Once you understand that...

Your principle of feeding one subpanel off another has merit.  However you must bridge over all the wires together - two hots, neutral and ground.  You never pull over a hot and have its partner wires return via a different route, For a variety of reasons.   This means if one wire in a cable run is dead, the whole cable run is useless and must be taken out of service entirely.

But I wouldn't focus on the cross-connection yet.  I'd try to save this setup.  I'm betting it's a termination problem not yet found - it's unusual for wires to just fail.

The bigger problem is: This work was all installed at once, right?  Whatever damaged one thing could well be damaging others.  Did you find corrosion on the connections you serviced?  They're all that way.  Don't wait til they fail, because a neutral failing is especially bad news.

As a temporary workaround, like, to get you to the weekend when you can fix this, you might move your 120V loads to the breaker spaces that are working.  If you need more breakers, either share breakers (when legal) or buy duplex breakers.

I find almost all such problems are with terminations, perhaps in a splice box you haven't found yet.  Don't just tighten lugs, de-energize it and take it all apart and really give it a once-over and fastidious cleaning.  If it's aluminum wire (AA-8000-series is legal and OK), apply the anti-oxidation goop.  Only then, look at the cable itself.

Somebody who puts in 600A service doesn't cheap out on the installation.  There's a good chance your cable run is in conduit, which is designed to make cable replacement easy.  On the other hand, it surprises me that cable would fail in conduit, so I'd be concerned maybe something penetrated the conduit, damaging both conduit and wire.  Any wire damage seems vanishingly unlikely under a foundation, far more likely in a more accessible place (perhaps a recently accessed place - had any diggers around lately?)

And by the way, it's possible to splice underground direct-burial cable.

If the cable is in conduit, easily replacing wire is the whole point of conduit.  They spent extra money as insurance for this situation - use it!  Validate that the conduit is physically intact (not collapsed). The techy way is to energize the bad wire (only) and use a detector to find the wire break (by looking for EMFs).  That tells you how far down to send a borescope (a plumber will have that if an electrician doesn't).

A low-tech way to inspect conduit is to disconnect the wire bundle at both ends and pull it an inch and see if it gives more than the normal resistance. The "Alexander the Great"** method is to pull the entire bundle, inspect, maybe borescope, fish and pull it back in, and see what happens.  Mind you, this is not to continue the old wire bundle in service - but merely to use it as a "test dummy" to test whether the conduit is pullable.  If there are any defects in the wire, replace all of them unless it is extremely clear what went wrong.

If the conduit is intact and the wire is bad, this is routine: pull and replace the wires.  That job is easier with specialized tools an electrician will have those on his truck.

Wires don't just randomly fail in conduit. This for sure: whatever killed the one phase threatens the others.  You'll want to know what that is.


Is it acceptable to install a pool tile mosaic without any thinset or mortar? Is it acceptable practice to install pool tile mosaic without any thinset or mortar securing the mosaic tiles to the pool surface??  My pool contractor did this with a large turtle mosaic and now the tiles are falling out.

He tells me it is common practice to just secure tile mosaics with just the grout and plaster surrounding it - and no thinset/adhesive between the tiles and pool surface.  I heard from someone that ANSI A118.5.2.4 discusses specific installation of ceramic tile mosaics in wet environments (pools, spas, showers), but I have not been able to find the exact text of the standard. Searches keep landing on product info. Can anyone copy-post or lead me to the relevant text?

Likely the pool will have to be drained and the entire 3' by 4' mosaic torn out and replaced (or leave a turtle shaped patch...?)  That sounds like it could be expensive. IF the contractor was not following acceptable standards of tile installation, he needs to step up and fix this.  Right now, he does not sound like he is ready to do that.

Can anyone provide insight as how to handle this.  Any links to resources (such as ANSI, or local standards) would be fantastic. We live in California, Santa Clare County.
Thanks, Kevin

A Google search for "ansi A108.5.2.4" (no quotes) finds a PDF as the first hit  containing:


Cutting smaller rectangular holes in ABS What tool(s) are best utilized for cutting relatively precise rectangular holes in ABS plastic?

If the material is thin (around 1/16th inch give or take) then a hand held nibbler can be good for small square holes.  You can drill a round hole to remove some material and then square it up with the nibbler that makes straight cuts.  An added bonus is that the tool works when you only have access to one side of the workpiece.

Nibbler Tool

The tip you see moves up and down as you squeeze the handles and it takes a little rectangular nibble out of the material each time.


Does the electricity meter move at a different speed depending on how many appliances are being used? I was wondering if it could be used as an economy measure to wash, vacuum, etc. at the same time rather than at different times of the day.

The meter's speed is determined by current flow, so it moves faster or slower depending on electrical consumption.

What may change at different times of the day is the price per unit of electricity. So don't worry about meter speed, check with your utility supplier to determine what time of day would be most economical to consume the most.


How to fix the damaged floor of a vanity cabinet? The bottom of a vanity in a bathroom has a hole (animal?) and seems to have water damage. It is not even. The cabinet doors also have water damage.
What are the suggested ways of repairing it?
My plan is to cut two MDF and glue it. And replace the cabinet doors.

I don't see evidence of animals. Obviously that area was very wet for a period of time at some point, and particle board doesn't tolerate that. A little pressure is all it would've taken to punch through like we see here.
The simplest way is to fit a new sheet of material over the top of the existing floor. If you use 3/4" material you probably don't need to do any repair to what's there now. Just cut it to fit inside the cabinet and extending out to the edge of the face frame. (Notch around the face frame center stile.) You may need to temporarily remove the drain trap parts to make room to finagle the new sheet in there, or even pull the countertop (with the faucet attached but disconnected from the lines).
Ideally you'll purchase a piece of shelving with a finished edge. Use that edge at the front. MDF isn't appropriate unless it's coated or varnished. It'll be a sponge for any spills or leaks.
If you don't like the idea of raising the floor that little bit you'll need to put on your cabinet maker hat. Cut away the existing floor, install small cleats all the way around, recessed the thickness of your new floor, and set in a new floor panel. That procedure is a bit much for an answer on a Q&A site, so post new specific questions if you like.


Why is my Lennox g40uh series furnace not turning on? I have a Lennox g40uh series furnace and it just stopped working today. I can reset the furnace and can see that on the control board both LEDs (green and red) are blinking together which indicates the furnace is operating correctly. I can also hear a small click when I reset it as well. After a minute or so the red LED turns off and the green LED blinks. That's it. Nothing else is happening, no inducer fan, igniter or blower is turning on. The diagnostic sheet gives the following for the blink pattern:

(A) Pressure switch open or,
(B) Blocked inlet/exhaust vent or,
(C) Condensate line blocked or,
(D) Pressure switch closed prior to activation of combustion air inducer.

The inlet and exhaust vents look good, nothing seems to be blocked. I can take off the small rubber tube going from the inducer to the pressure switch and use a straw by blowing/sucking to open/close the switch manually, that should eliminate (D). Normally the inducer will start up first and will create a negative pressure to close the pressure switch but since this isn't happening I am assuming this is the problem since the control board doesn't detect the pressure switch being closed, the igniter and blower won't turn on.

Does anyone have any other ideas I can try?  My guess is possibly a bad control board that is not turning the inducer motor on.

UPDATE
The furnace was off all night but sporadically came on around 6:00 AM this morning.

Sounds like you have most of the common bases covered.  This happened to me and it was the blocked inlet valve, a leaf had gotten sucked in.  It took me a while to find it, it was not in the visible area of the inlet, it was stuck on a screen to catch debris.  I would double check that.  Maybe try to blow some air in the inlet from the outside of the house and see if you feel the movement in the furnace.

This question is similar and may have some other suggestions.


Identify this 12 wire cable I was looking to run cat6 between my 2 properties for security cameras.  It currently has a cable line between the two buildings that was once used for dish network and probably used for cable TV a long time ago.  I use it for the cameras now using a passive adapter but the speed is only 2MBs.
I was about to test how easy it was to pull the cable line through the conduit when I discovered a second cable.  This appears to be connected to the phone lines but only the blue and blue/white wires were actually connected.  It has 12 wires, 8 of which are the standard colors of a cat5/6 wire, the other 4 looked like grey, grey/white, red, red/blue.  The line has not been in use for at least 12 years.
What type of cable is this?
Would I be able to use this as a cat5 cable utilizing the 8 wires?
Is there a better way to utilize this cable since it has 12 wires?
Edit:
This line was likely installed in 2001, it's about 150ft long.

It is probably 6-pair phone cable. Based on the picture, this is almost certainly not CAT-3, as the pairs are not twisted together.
The canonical example of such wire was 25-pair, used throughout phone systems of yesteryear. The catch is that old phone systems used 1 pair for each simultaneous voice connection and then a number of pairs (how it worked varied quite a bit) for very low-speed signaling between the phones and the main unit. If it turns out to actually be CAT-3 then you should be able to get 10 Megabits out of it. If it isn't even CAT-3 then there are various adapters, line drivers, etc. and you should be able to get a couple of Megabits (i.e., similar to DSL speed, though different technology), but not necessarily much better (and possibly worse) than the coax you have now.


Tape or corner bead where Hardi meets Drywall? I need to finish the outside corner above the shower alcove. The shower ceiling is hardibacker and the wall outside the shower is drywall. Where these two meet, what is the proper way to finish it so it's a nice corner? I will just end up painting it.

The walls were easier because I had tile wrapping around the corner so I just taped and thinset those and tiled overtop. Not sure what to do for the ceiling since there won't be any tile.

I had a similar situation where the backer board extended a few inches past my planned tiling edge in my shower. After I had finished with the tile, I taped the joint and applied joint compound over the backer board and it seems great. It's been three years and there is no cracking or any problem with it. That's not exactly an answer but I hope it helps you decide.


Cannot remove door knob -- totally inaccessible! My laundry room door knob locked up yesterday and the door can't be opened. A thorough search revealed no screws, latches or any discernible way to remove the knob. I got the door knob off with pliers and can now see that the screws are on the other side. I've tried pounding them out with a screwdriver and hammer, but no luck.

Any way to remove the knob, trip the latch, or unscrew the screws from the opposite side?

Thanks for any advice!

You should be able to trip the latch, if you can see what you say you see - there should be something coming from the latch side which can be pulled or manipulated (often rotated, as that's what the knob would do) to do that.

If the hardware is really fouled up, a slim prybar next to the latch between the door and frame will often find enough flex in the framing to free it up, or allow you to pop the latch with a butterknife or the like, without major damage.

When you pass the point of caring about damage, the prybar nearly always works, or opens the way for the less slim one that does.

As you have the hinge pins out, beware of the door falling over when it gets freed up.


Electrical: Can 20 amp breaker with AWG 14 gauge wire cause tools in garage to not run? The wiring to my garage is a single 20 amp breaker wired with AWG 14 gauge wire. When I turn on my table saw, it starts up but the reset button pops and the lights flicker. I have attached the saw to the first outlet coming into the garage to shorten the distance from the box, but I am seeing no difference.

Is the wire under powered for the 20 amp breaker?

Yes, the wire is undersized for 20 amps - 12 gauge copper is code minimum for 20 amps - if the run is long, 10 gauge can be a smart choice, if it's very long a larger size feed (30 - 60 amps at 240V) to a subpanel run on aluminum wire of much larger size quickly makes financial sense given the relative prices of aluminum and copper.

The cycle in effect is that the motor draws a large amount of current when it starts, and that drops the voltage on the undersized wire, and that makes the motor want more current to maintain power. Since heating goes up as the square of current, the motor overheats and shuts down. Keeping the voltage up with adequately sized feed wires keeps the current more reasonable.

Rewiring to a 240V subpanel in the garage may also offer the option of switching the saw to 240V operation, which will reduce the current by half (and the heating by 3/4) so it will start more easily. Depends on the saw motor, but most have that option.


How do I wire a GFCI switch/outlet receptacle? I'm replacing a switch with a switch/outlet (GFCI) in my bathroom.  The switch will control the bathroom exhaust fan.  Currently I only have two wires to work with (hot & neutral...no ground).  The GFCI switch/outlet receptacle I bought has a line and load side plus two black wires that I assume control the switch.  I don't know what to do with the two black wires that control the switch.  I'm assuming I do nothing with the load side considering that I am only working with two wires that were connected to the old switch.

Based on your description, you cannot do what you want unless you run additional conductors.

It sounds like all you have in the box is a switch loop. Meaning you have a wire coming "from" the fan, and a wire returning "to" the fan.  The wire "from" the fan will be electrified, while the other wire will only be electrified when it's connected to the electrified wire through the switch.

In a setup like this there's no neutral in the box, so you can't install a receptacle. If you replaced the cable between the fan and the switch, you could use a cable with an extra wire. That would allow you to included the required neutral.


infared camera for mice? Our home has many mice, a few rats and possibly a squirrel. Concerned about them chewing on wires in our two-story with brick fireplace.  Should I invest in an infared camera- or is this overkill?

An infrared camera might be useful if you were trying to detect or document rodent/pest activity. If you know you already know you have mice, rats, and (maybe) a squirrel, focus on getting them out and preventing them from entering. These questions/solutions might be of some help:

How can I get rid of a mouse in my house?
How do I find where mice are entering my house?
How can I figure out where squirrels are entering my attic?

Alternatively, you could contact an exterminator, who can handle the removal and entry prevention for you.


Unable to close Garage door with remote I’ve made a video of the issue.
I have a craftsman garage door mechanism and can open the garage door with the remote but unable to close my garage door via the remote. I can do both the tasks via the wall button.
I got the house recently and the garage has been closed for six years. Is there something wrong I am doing here?
Can someone help please…

If you watch the back of the opener starting at around :54 in the video, you'll notice that the LED indicator flashes 4 times.  For Craftsman openers, this is almost always the code for an issue with the interrupt sensors.  Make sure that they are clean and getting power (no wire breaks, etc.), and then follow the instructions in the owners manual for aligning them.  If you don't have a copy of the manual, get the model number off of the opener and check to see if they have a .pdf at the manufacturer's website (www.searspartsdirect.com).


Is there ever a reason to fuse the neutral rather then the hot line in a small appliance? This question relates to 120V small appliance wiring in the USA.  I repair small motorized appliances called microcentrifuges that are used in laboratories, and specialize in models made by a particular German manufacturer - Eppendorf. One particular model has a single 6A fuse and I always assumed that this fuse was in the "hot" line.  However, I had one of these models fail and it tripped the circuit breaker without blowing the fuse.  Looking for the fault, I found that one brush holder in the motor had come loose and contacted the motor frame which is connected to the protective ground.  Tracing back I found that power coming in from the three wire power cord went to a brown, blue and green/yellow wire internally and that the brown and blue wires went to the main switch (DPST).  The yellow/green wire went to the metal case as expected.  The blue wire was switched to a black wire and the brown wire to a white wire running to the main circuit board.  The black wire led to the fused leg in the circuit board.  I read that brown is the color for the hot leg and blue for the neutral in European wiring.  To me this means that the hot and neutral crossed at the switch.  Of course, this crossing might have been done by someone, like me, who was unfamiliar with the European color code.  But every unit of this model I have looked at (tens) is wired the same.  I have exchanged the wires on a few units, so that brown is switched to black and blue to white, but am worried that I am missing something.  There is actually a spot for a second fuse on the circuit board, but this is always jumped with a wire on the units I see.  It is used for units wired for 240V in other countries - two 2.5A fuses instead of the single 6A - according to legend on circuit board. And the power coming in does go through a line conditioner, if this is the right term for the small metal box that the power cord plugs into and has the brown, blue and Yellow/green wires coming out of it, if this might make a difference.  To further complicate matters, the model that preceded the one I am discussing here is wired as I would expect with only the hot leg fuse protected.

If your wiring analysis is correct and the neutral is fused, this is most certainly atypical. The hot is fused to prevent a ground short from burning out the appliance and is the reason that a grounded neutral or reverse-polarized electrical plug can be dangerous. Fusing the neutral would not prevent this, which is exactly why the breaker tripped instead of the fuse blowing.

As for why it was done this way? Beats me, unless it is an error. Have you considered contacting the manufacturer? It may simply be an oversight in the U.S. wired models.


How to remove old masking tape from glass? My gridded windows (small pane, divided light) were masked for too long and now the tape is brittle and leaves residue.
I'm using a razor blade to scrape and Goo Gone to remove the glue but is there a better way?

Mix dish soap and water to make a VERY slippery substance.  Then a common $2 razor scraper, being careful to make sure you change razor blades often and it never gets dull.  If it gets dull it could scratch the glass.
The purpose of the soapy water is to make sure the razor blade glides across the glass.
It's quick work, unless the masking tape is still tacky.  If it is, lay fresh masking tape across it, rub down and peel.
By the way, the razor blade method also works on primer and paint.  You didn't actually need to mask the glass at all.  You could have just overpainted the glass wherever you wanted to, and then used this same technique to lift the paint. It's actually much easier than what you're doing now.


Main panel to subpanel part inside, part outside; does all need to be in conduit? I am in Washington state. I want to install two 4000W infratech infrared patio heaters.
My main panel is in the garage and the run is about 100ft to where I want to place a sub-panel.  Part of the run from the main panel is in a crawl space and then transitions outside.
Does all the wiring need to be in conduit or can the inside portion(35ft) be 6/3 NM cable (or other recommendations) and then junction to 6 AWG THHN wire in conduit for the outside run(65ft),  Or can the entire run be 6/3 NM cable?
I plan to use a 50 amp breaker at the main panel and 6AWG(per above question) to wire to a sub-panel with two 30amp GFCI breakers in the sub-panel and 10AWG THHN in conduit to wire to each of the 4000 Watt heaters.  Then back from the heaters with 10AWG THHN in conduit to two control switches.

Firstoff, NM cable cannot go outside.  Fullstop. Doesn't matter if it's in conduit: outdoor conduit is not "indoors".  It actually tends to fill with water due to condensation.
If you really, really, really need to use cable outside, UF-B or MH feeder are the right stuff. However UF-B is very flat and wide, and does not work inside conduit.  (the conduit must be outlandishly large: 2" conduit for 6/3 UF-B).
Given the distance, size of the wires and the fact that you're going to a subpanel, you might consider running aluminum wire to cut down on the cost.  There is nothing wrong with aluminum wire at these large sizes. Further, at #4 and larger, you can use the same THHN wire, no need for white neutral or green ground.
You can decide for yourself whether to run conduit all the way across the crawlspace.  It's not that hard once you get the hang of it.  For novices, I strongly recommend EMT conduit because it has an "Undo" and a "Save game" button: you can do a few segments, take a break, snap photos, get feedback, undo mistakes, and resume as needed.  Then the hard part is behind you; actually pulling the wire is just a "victory lap".
(in conduit you always build out the entire conduit run before you pull ANY wire.  Never assemble conduit over wires: that's simply wrong.)
Some people say "oh, PVC is better"... I suppose that's true if you don't glue it, but then you better really anchor it down well, or come back when it's finished and glue it.   Also EMT provides the ground, so one less wire.
By the way, if your garage is an outbuilding, you can't run separate circuits, you must do a subpanel.  On this forum we strongly recommend people "Think BIG" when choosing a subpanel. I would choose a 24-30 space even if it is laughably bigger than your main panel. Spaces are dirt cheap, and when you add something to the house, it's nice to find the spaces you need waiting for you, instead of having to do a bunch of expensive rework.  While the heaters will largely "max out" the panel, if you aren't running the heaters you could run a machine shop, compressor, welder, even an electric vehicle charger.  These days an EV charger is something homebuyers will pay extra for, and you'll be 90% there.
One other reason to go THHN over cable: With #6 copper or #4 aluminum,

NM and UF cable are limited to 55A (breaker at 60A).
THHN can go to 65A (breaker at 70A). So in that case you could run a 120V saw + dust collector even with both heaters going full-bore.

Your 4000W heaters need to have 125% of that provisioned for them, so 5000W each or 10,000 watts the both.  That's 41.7 amps.  That leaves you 13.3 or 23.3 amps to play with depending.


Painting Pre-primed baseboard We are putting down new floors and baseboards and the supplier delivered the pre primed baseboard early so that we can paint it before it goes up.  We are going to paint it a semi gloss white.  Can you just paint it or do we have to do any prep work?

You may want to clean it in case it got dirty during handling and delivery.  You may also want to touch-up any spots where the primer has rubbed off.
But generally it's not necessary to re-prime pre-primed trim.


How do I patch a gap between my bathtub and wall? The wall of my bathtub was cut too short when installed and water leaks to downstairs when I take a shower if it gets into the space between the tub and the wall. My father has tried caulking and even gorilla gluing these white strips there but it still leaves a space. How can I fix it?

Depending how badly it was cut, sometimes the only complete solution is a new tub. At minimum, you need to re-cover the wall so that water on the wall runs into the tub - this may require new tiling or a tub surround. Any time a tub is replaced, the walls around the tub need to be done over, or leaks are almost guaranteed. The image is from a ceramic tile site, but the general idea is the same regardless of material - the wall must overlap the tub.


Alternatives to forced hot air in-wall units My condo came with in-wall hot air units with a fan (one for the bedroom, one for the living room).

I am very unhappy with this heating system and am looking for alternatives.

It is very noisy (to the point that I can't sleep with the heat on).
There's a strong dust smell (I am sensitive to dust and this easily triggers allergies).
The living room is big: 20ft x 14ft (10+ft high ceilings) and the heating unit there (size: 13in x 21.5in) is incapable of keeping it warm in winter.

Previously, in France, I would use "radiant heating panels", i.e. a unit where a metal (or stone) core is heated then radiates heat. These are silent, do not move dust around, and provide an excellent, immediate sensation of warmth. See https://www.atlantic-comfort.com/Our-products/Room-heating/Extensive-heat-panel-heaters/Solius-Solius-Wi-Fi for an example, or https://www.campa.fr/produit/campastyle-design-30-vertical-1250w-anthracite-cmdd13vanth for a more high-end version.

I looked around and it seems that no such thing exists in the US. While I could import a couple of the former radiators myself (I have 208V/60Hz and the spec sheet for those says they're rated 220V/60Hz) I most likely cannot do so because they wouldn't be up to code and would be a liability (if you think I can make this work out: please tell me! that would solve my problem)

The only alternatives I found are "infrared panels" which seem substantially inferior in terms of efficiency, as they don't seem to have a heat-retaining element; they also don't seem to be very popular, as I could only find a few references. Furthermore, they all seem to be plug-in units which entails running them on 110V (less efficient). See https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wexstar-800-Watt-Infrared-Electric-Panel-Heater-White-WS-8WUS/307665070 or https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/radiant-panel for what I've found.

Am I missing something and does there exist some alternative to hot-air that would provide silence, comfort and warmth?

Bonus question: If infrared panels are the only option, does anyone have experience with them and are they a viable plan given the size of my living room?

I'm currently storing 9 240VAC 500 watt radiant (or infrared) panels; not sure if I'll use them or not, but they certainly exist in the US market. Mine were taken out and replaced with an oil-fired boiler as a less expensive source of heat. The space they were in had at least a 10 ft ceiling and they were ceiling-mounted, and quite effective, just expensive to run compared to other heat sources. They are a low-mass structure (steel panel with heating element attached, insulation behind.)

Storage/mass would only make sense if you had different electricity rates at different times - all electric resistance heat is basically 100% efficient; though cold-climate heat pumps can be 300% efficient and are thus a better choice if using electricity for heat. Mass makes the system slower to respond, not more efficient.

Without bothering to do an extensive search, I was able to quickly find 240V 250W panels in the USA currently. "240v radiant panel" as a search term, sift the bad results manually (I got 120V & hot water radiators mixed into my results along with the correct item.)

If your condo is poorly insulated and/or has inadequate power provisioned for the living room heat circuit, you may need to upgrade that or add additional circuits to provide adequate heat. Unless you have bizarrely low electricity rates or very limited need for heating at all, some other heat option will probably be cheaper to operate, but that depends on what you have available in your local market / at the condo.

Fluid-based radiant floor &/or wall heat (with whatever is the least expensive available method heating the fluid) is one option, but it is a major job to retrofit it, much easier/cheaper to build it in than to add it later.


No hot water if hot water recirculator pump is shut off I'm a newbie to the site and posted a question last week regarding help with wiring a Honeywell L6006C Aquasta to a Taco 006-BC4 Hot water Circulator Pump. That question was answered quickly thanks to @JPhi1618. Thank you @JPhi1618!

All worked out well with the wiring and the aquastat installation. However, I stumbled across an issue after installation. The following are my setup details and my current issue. I saw some familiar posts but they did not actually match my issue. Hopefully this is not a duplicate issue.

I have a 3-year-old recirculating hot water loop that was installed as part of the new house. It appears to be a fairly typical installation.  The circulator pump is a Taco 006-BC4 and it was hooked up to a simple mechanical timer to shut off for a few early morning hours.  I decided to eliminate the timer and installed a Honeywell L6006C strap-on aquastat to control the hot water recirculating loop pump.  I strapped the aquastat to the hot water outlet line and I set it up to turn the pump on when the hot water temperature dropped.  It appears to be working fine. It turns the pump on when the temp drops (temp setting minus differential) and shuts the pump off when it rises to the set temperature.  Also, there’s a check valve installed between the circulator pump and the cold water inlet to the hot water tank.  The Aquastat and circulator pump appear to work correctly being I get plenty of hot water to any faucet and get it quickly.  I think it also indicates that the check valve is installed correctly being the hot water recirculating return pipe coming from the pump and into the cold water inlet pipe at the hot water tank is hot when running.

Sounds all good so far but here is the problem I stumbled across.  Whenever the pump is shut off and you pull hot water,  it immediately allows cold water from the cold water inlet pipe to come back into the hot water recirculating return pipe right through the check valve and through the circulator pump.  The hot water recirculating return pipe becomes cold and continues to stay cold if the circulator pump is off and you pull hot water.  Also, the master bathroom, which is the furthest away and the end of the hot water recirculating loop quickly has no hot water.  The kitchen and bathrooms still have hot water being there is plenty of hot water in the tank and it’s being replenished.

Once the system is in this state, the aquastat does not turn the pump back on being the water coming through the hot water outlet is hotter than the aquastat set point minus differential.  With the circulator pump not running, the master bathroom quickly has no hot water and stays that way until you manually set the aquastat to a higher set point temperature which then turns on the circulator pump. As soon as the pump is back on and recirculating the loop, the master bathroom immediately has plenty of hot water.

I have replaced the check valve even though it appeared to be working and I inspected the one I took out.  As I expected it was in good working order.

I can replicate the issue at any time by shutting off the circulator pump and pulling hot water from anywhere in the house.  Also, if I isolate the recirculating loop pump but turning off the pump and shutting off the shutoff valves in front and in the back of the pump, there is plenty of hot water everywhere including the master bathroom. However, it takes longer to get hot water to where you are.

I believe this issue may have been here all along, being the circulator pump was actually never shut off when it was hooked up to the timer, except for the few early morning hours when no one was pulling hot water.

Any advice or suggestions on why this may be occurring is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cWiYoxCePMN5UAoR9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gA6fvyWZfnS4d8fP8

I received the Caleffi NA51249 1/2" spring-loaded check valve today and installed it this afternoon. Great news! -it fixed the cold water backflow into the hot water recirculating loop whenever pulling hot water. I tested it a few times with the pump shut off and all appears to be working as it should. So, the final fix was replacing the swing type check valve, located between the hot water recirculation pump and the cold water inlet, with a spring-loaded check valve.

I would like to "Thank" all of you for your recommendations and assistance! Greatly appreciated and Thank you for all your help!


How to fix asphalt cracked in large chunks? I have a small asphalt ramp from the garage sloping towards the alley.

It seems that either the salt or the city snow plowers cracked the corner and shattered a section of it.

I tried to piece it back together.  How can I fill in the cracks and keep it together?

Here's what it looks like

How can I fill in the cracks and keep it together?

I wouldn't do that.

I would search for a local supplier of asphalt patch

Random example:


Different gauge wire for a 40 amp 240v I am moving my range. I need an extra 4 feet. It is very difficult to run new wire. It is 8 gauge aluminum wire (says on sleeve 2-8). Can I connect 6 gauge aluminum to the 8 gauge aluminum  in a junction box for the extra 4 feet?

Yeah, your plan to splice in a junction box in the basement is fine.  The junction box will need 32 cubic inches, so I'd consider a 4-11/16" square box as a minimum. JRaef's idea of a Polaris connector is the right concept, but you'll be better off with a "mini-Polaris" such as a MAC Block.

Upsizing to #6 wire for the last 4 feet buys you nothing.  You can just stay with 8 AWG aluminum.

8-2 cable is also not legal for ranges (unless it is SEU cable with a ground in individual strands that spiral around the outside of the conductors.  There have been a fair number of incidents of installers using 8-2+ground cable illegally.  These cables have a single ground wire that is just a normal stranded wire like the conductors.


How to manage water runoff on flat roof of accessory dwelling unit I am planning to build a new accessory dwelling unit (granny flat) in my backyard. I really like this design from https://node.eco/

However how do I manage the flat roof water run off? Is it just very low pitch or something?

Slope the surface of the roof to one corner - the black surround hides it.

The slope does not need to be much (0.5cm per metre or 1/4" per 3 feet roughly - my guess) but the roof should not have dips in it ie you should not get puddles after rain.

Then organise the downpipe as required.


Should I replace old blow in attic insulation with new roll out insulation? I have attic filled with old grey blow in insulation. I estimate it to be 20-30 years old. I suspect that it causes a lot of dust in a house. Plus any work in attic would stir it and some will end up in rooms.
So should I just remove it and replace with new insulation that comes in rolls? I think it would insulate better, too.

Pros and cons?

Replacing doesn't make fiscal sense.  Nothing wrong with the old insulation unless it's been disturbed and compressed.  Just add NON-faced batt insulation on top of the existing.

Or you could blow in more insulation - but then you'll find out what dust is really like.


Riding Lawn Mower running very loud Can any DIYers tell me why my 2008 Troy Bilt Kohler engine would be running extremely loud and I mean loud, it does run constantly, but very very loud?  What should I check?  I did check the muffler and one bold is missing and the other was loose, so I have ordered the replacement and a new seal to start.  However, when I tightened down the other bolt it did not resolve the issue.

Things that might be the issue here:

1) Muffler is rusted out and no muffling as it should.
2) The gasket between the engine and the muffler is missing or compromised.
3) There are other loose bolts, perhaps the head bolts or the spark plug.  Either of which can allow compression to leak out and be quite loud.

I suspect you'll have some success with your replacement muffler.


No power in master bath The power in my master bath worked at 2pm when I left my house and was not working when I returned home.  This is the only room in the house that does not have any power.  Nothing on the breaker box has flipped.  To be safe I turned everything off and back on again.  Nothing is working.  Any other ideas?

Look around for a tripped GFCI - or just press the reset buttons on any GFCIs you can find.
Also, TRY turning the correct breaker (hopefully they are properly labelled, if not, correct that this week) off and then back on - sometimes they don't "look tripped" but they are. (or was that what you meant by "turning everything off and back on again" - not clear where you did that.) If it's a GFCI breaker, try the test/reset on it as well.
The GFCI may not be in the bathroom - people make odd choices when laying things out sometimes. It might be in another bathroom (since you can share a bathroom circuit) or some other room entirely.


Ceiling Light acting odd when interacted with from two switches We bought this house a few months ago, and there is a very interesting problem with the ceiling light in the back room. The ceiling light is turned on or off using one of two switches. One switch is in the kitchen along the door frame, and the other is in the back room on the wall beside the door. The problem that I am having is that the light is caught up in some strange state where one switch only dims it, or barely turns it on, while the other works correctly in an on off fashion as one would expect. If I flip both switches off then go back to the one that was working, it starts to behave like the other one, and only brings it up to a dim state when trying to flip it on. In other words, either switch can be bugged, depending upon the orientation of its partner switch. Which ever switch is currently "the odd switch out", appears to act as a dimmer, and it's a dimmer that cannot go to full brightness.

When either switch is in "the bugged state", both switches produce a low "humming" sound.

I'm pretty sure that something is off about the wiring. My question is, what is this called? I've tried Googling, but I'm not sure what the correct terminology should be that would help me find a video, or solution. Also, if someone is experienced in this specific problem, can you explain why it's happening, and how I could go about fixing it?

Expected Behavior: Light switch A or B turning on or off the ceiling light, regardless of the switches on or off state; for either switch to not dim the light at all.

Thanks.

It sounds like you have an old school 3 way dimmer switch, the dimmer only works when that switch is in the loop. Newer electronic switches don’t have this problem I like the lutron maestro these work together so the dimming works at both locations , they also have a 10 second fade to black that gives time to cross a room. They are expensive but will solve your problem , this or replace the 3way dimmer with a standard 3 way switch.


How do I repair decking where my screws have broken? We installed a deck (various 2x and 4x PT lumber with 5/4 PT decking) two summers ago. As the wood dried, it warped and shrunk, so the deck's been squeaking with every step. I just took an hour or so to tighten down all the decking screws to stop the squeaking only to discover that quite a number of screws had broken.
No, they didn't spin in their holes because they had stripped out the wood, the screw shafts had actually snapped:
Leaf present for artistic effect
As you can see, they snapped right about where the threads started - this seemed to be the common location for all the broken screws. It seems that the majority (but by no means all) of broken ones were along one joist, so maybe that piece of wood was more dense than the rest.
Unfortunately, the shaft of the screw is smaller than the diameter of and the piece that came out of the hole is longer than my screw extractors, so I can't get one down the hole to grab hold of the remainder of the screw to get them backed out.
I had this issue when I'd temporarily attached the stair treads to their stringers. In that case, I was removing all the screws anyway (had to redo the stringers), and was able to wiggle the tread up and off the screw, then removed the remainder of the screw with Vice Grips. While I could use this method, I'd prefer not to as that means removing about a dozen screws for each piece of decking that has a broken screw, then pulling all the screws.
I suppose I could just drive a new screw next to the old one, leaving the hole where the old screw was, but I would prefer not to leave a gaping hole for water to enter. (The wife, however, may just insist that it's "good enough" - if I'm tired enough, I won't argue with her... ;)
Any other suggestions on how to go about repairing this?
As a side note, I think I'll try a different brand of screw - I'm not pleased that so many of these have broken, and I'm not sure how much of the PT resistance and "exterior grade" is based on the paint that's obviously coming right off. I'm not going to go stainless, though. Don't have that much spare cash floating about.
Additional note: The brown/grey pattern is because it took us 2 years before we got a chance to seal the deck and it had weathered to a nice even grey. The pressure washing, no matter how hard I tried, didn't come out even, leaving the grey areas behind. Lesson learned.
Final note: It's only the decking screws that have failed. The rest of the deck is assembled with joist hangers/nails and or galvanized lag bolts. They are, to the best of my ability to examine them, all doing just fine.

Using a block of wood and a large-ish hammer, drive the decking down tight at that location.
Pilot a 3/32" or 1/8" hole in the divot from the old screw head, but at a slight angle parallel with the joist, through the decking only.
Run in a new screw. If you find that they're still breaking, use a countersink bit to slightly deepen the divot first.

The fact is that you can probably just run a new screw in at a slight bias and it'll find its way around the old screw, but this is probably easier and more reliable for less experienced carpenters.
Be aware that it may be easy to run the screw in too deep due to the aged wood and existing hole. Go gently.


What's the best way to remove a rusty, broken screw from a tiled bathroom wall? The previous inhabitant of our apartment used screws which aren't rust-free in the shower. Now the screw holding our shower head rail broke off - or rather, just "came off" without any resistance.

The part of the screw sticking out of the wall broke off, the rest is still in the wall. this is what it looks like right now:

If it's possible I'd like to reuse the hole because

the upper part of the shower rail is still attached, so it's in "the perfect position"
it's not like it needs to carry a lot of weight
I'd like to avoid having to drill into the tile and possibly cracking it

That's just the best case though and might not be possible as I can't get a good hold of the screw with pliermy general question is what to do next?.

You could try a screw extractor, i have had moderate success with them.

You use the first end clockwise to make divot in the screw so that the second end that turns counter clockwise will have something to bite its teeth into. Go slow and apply pressure into the screw. In your case the head is missing so it makes it very difficult but worth a try.

The set does not cost to much and is good to have on hand anyways even it does not always work.


Greenhouse subfloor (greenhouse on top of concrete) -- best material? I'm putting together a greenhouse, 10x13-feet base. Unfortunately it will be on a concrete-paved section of my backyard, and I know it will lose a lot of heat to the ground via conduction in wintertime. My goal is a 4-season greenhouse.
I would like to insulate the subfloor of the greenhouse to prevent heat loss via the concrete floor.
What is the best way to achieve this? "Best" meaning bang for the buck, and durable, and won't degrade over time due to direct sunlight, or being in contact with a frozen concrete floor?
Appreciate the help!

You will lose VERY little heat through the floor . Heat loss will be through glass/plastic and a little through the walls ; assuming you insulate the walls. I have some experience ; an 8 X 12 semi-greenhouse with tropical fish aquariums , about 70 F minimum water temperature. The only heat is a few hundred watts of aquarium heaters. And several tender plant pots sitting on the floor. My coldest weather is about 20F but many nights below freezing.  Concentrate all your heat loss plans on the window area.


How to cleanly remove pleated blinds from thermopane windows? I have some pleated blinds stuck to the thermopane window frames of my apartment. It's the kind that sticks to the frame, you don't need to drill holes (this is it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/IKEA-SCHOTTIS-Pleated-blind-90x190/dp/B00RK4U1DK).

I tried to remove one but the material just detached itself from the glue and the frame, with the glue being stuck on the window frame.

How can I safely remove the blinds from the window? By safely I mean not using some toxic or intense smelling substance and not damaging the window frame?

I wasn't able to remove the glue band from the window. The glue was too strong.

I noticed that if I push really hard with my fingers up on the glue tape it starts to pull together.

That didn't last for long since it was very hard to pull it together and as a result my fingers really started to hurt.

I eventually used medicinal alcohol to soak the glue band and make it more soft then using an alcohol damp cloth I pushed the tape together. The alcohol evaporated fast so the glue hardened again so I had to work 5-10 cm at a time.

After a few hours, some tired arms and hurt fingers I managed to remove it completely with no damage to the frame.


"sap allowed" in walnut timber I've been looking at getting some timber for a shelf, and found a place online selling walnut "sap allowed" - which I initially took to mean "might be 'sappy'".

Having thought some more about it though, does it mean "sap has been allowed to [drain/dry/whatever you do to get rid of sap]"?

If it means "sappy", would that make it unsuitable for a shelf in anyway? If I decided to varnish it or something, would the sealing effect present a problem?

It means sapwood (lighter colored) is permitted in the grading of the board,so it's not guaranteed to be a full-face of "black" walnut (which is the most common walnut to run into that terminology for.) If the's been steamed, the color may not be all that noticeable, since that migrates color into the sapwood from the heartwood - for air dried there is a striking difference (and I consider it more often of benefit than a defect.)


Does anyone know the name of this tool? Can any one name this tool?
Found it online and haven't found anything yet.

You asked,

  Does anyone know the name of this tool?

That tool is called a scorp. Specifically, that scorp looks like it is designed for block print carving, the act of cutting an image out of a block of wood or a thick piece of leather to be used in printmaking. Scorps are different from gouges or other carving tools in that they're meant to be drawn (pulled) towards yourself, instead of pushed away.

Other, larger scorps are made by bending larger flat blank into an oval or rounded shape:

These are meant for carving out the hollows in a spoon or other "dishing" actions.

Some scorps resemble really tiny draw knives, and are used like draw knives, but with a single handle (versus one on each end of a draw knife):

Confusingly, some larger scorps do actually have two handles, which essentially makes them a curved version of a typically-flat drawknife:

Sometimes they are designed to be used by one hand or the other, and are open on one side, not forming a complete loop. For example, this is a "right handed" scorp:


Why won't my water heater blower shut off? My water heater has a blower attachment that kicks on when the water heater begins to heat water and shuts off when it is done.  I'm no water heater expert, but I believe that these actions are related to the thermostat.

Recently, I've noticed the blower remains on well after the water heater turns off.  Meaning, the blower motor is running, but the only flame burning is the pilot light.  In order to shut off the blower, I have to unplug the water heater, turn the thermostat up until it clicks on, plug in the water heater (which causes everything to fire up) then finally turn the thermostat back down to normal (which causes everything to shut off as usually the water is at the desired temperature).

Can somebody help he understand what is going on here and how I can keep it from happening again?

EDIT

Unfortunately, my water heater is wrapped in an insulated cover...so I can't see what brand it is...and I'm reluctant to pull the cover off.

However, I did find a plate on it that says:

Manufactured by State Industries Inc
Model PR650NOVT
Serial Number 001200512

It may be built into the design of the heater; kind of like most cars' cooling systems, the blower may be staying on to evacuate any remaining combustion gases and cool the heater element to preserve it. However, if it never shuts off, ever, there's probably a bad sensor or relay in the system that is keeping it running.


How can I add a C wire with this unusual installation? I recently got a new Honeywell WiFi thermostat, which requires a C-wire.  I have 5-wires going to my current thermostat, with only 4 being used.  So I thought adding the 5th as my C-wire was going to be easy, but when I opened the furnace panel I saw there was already a wire on C.

I have searched the net for hours, and I have not been able to find anyone with an installation like mine, so I thought I'd ask for some help.  I've done my best to trace all the wires, and have created a crude drawing (attached).  There are splices in a few places, due to the humidifier, and the outside unit is spliced in between the furnace C and the thermostat Y in between the joists above the furnace.  This is the part that is really throwing me for a loop, along with the Y terminal on my furnace being empty.  Based on what I have been learning while surfing around, I'm not understanding how it's currently working (which makes me hesitant to change anything).  And yes, it currently works!

I would appreciate any thoughts you can share.

If it really is wired like your diagram, there's nothing wrong with the current wiring.

To add your C wire, simply connect your extra wire to the C terminal in the furnace.  Depending on where the splice of the blue wires from the outdoor unit and the humidifier is, it might be convenient to splice your new C wire in there.

Warning: You'll want to make sure the transformer in the furnace can handle the additional load of the thermostat. It's not commonly a problem, but sometimes can be depending on how the humidifier is connected.


Can I put Hardie Board siding directly over old stucco? I just bought an old house that has five different kinds of outside wall coverings.

I was thinking I could remove the fake stones and the old wooden siding and then place strapping over top of the stucco to attach the Hardie Board to without removing the old stucco.

Several things I have read online say that I should remove the old stucco first. That seems like a lot of work for what it's worth and am trying to get an idea of what I am getting myself into before I start.

Any advice or instructions would be appreciated. Do I have to remove the old stucco? Or can I go straight over it?

Here is a photo of the house, two different types of crushed rock stucco, a white cement type stucco, fake stone, and finally and wooden planks.

For weathering in you home, it would be best to remove the stucco.

To add strapping, then the siding would place a lot of emphasis on how the windows are treated for weatherproofing. To do that properly, the stucco needs to be removed from around the windows and add thick trim and head flashing before the siding is set so the trim bridges the gap created by the strapping.

To remove the stucco, it can be removed in sheets, really heavy sheets, really heavy sheets with a bunch of nails sticking out the back side that are in really solid... with wire teeth all around the edges ready to rake the skin off of you. But doing it this way using gloves, will keep the trash to a minimum.. If a right angle grinder is used to cut the stucco, then the wire ends will be kept to a minimum.

Real stucco is 3/4" thick, and solid masonry, with expanded metal lath reinforcement. The stucco can be thicker, or thinner, but 3/4" is the norm. If you go that way, as in removing the stucco, it can be elaborated on farther.

More on adding it over the stucco. It would be best to find the studs to attach the strapping to, since when the siding is done, there will be a lot of weight hanging on each piece.


How can I install an overhead water tank and refill it for individual usage? I live in a group apartment where there is severe water supply problem.
We have a common sump in basement which can be filled with water from external supply sources like water tanker trucks on payment basis.
Actually, I am looking for a solution which I can only individually utilize it.
I am planning to install a overhead tank on the terrace of the apartment and provide pipe lines additionally to my flat.
Now, if I want to refill the overhead tank with truck water supply tanker, how easily I can pump the water to the terrace?

You should contact the water supplier for a metered line to your reservoir so you can segregate water with a clear conscience.  They can then pump to your terrace.


What is the most efficient window design to maximise cooling in a tropical climate? I am building in equatorial Indonesia. My building is roughly 10x4.5 metres in footprint, and it will be a two storey (3.5 metres each) concrete structure. The building backs directly onto a limestone rock, which is massive, being around 20 metres wide, six metres high.

For a variety of reasons, air conditioning is undesirable, so I would like to minimise ground-floor afternoon temperatures. Daily temperatures can go up to about 34C, but sometimes only up to 31C, and at night maybe 25C as a low. Humidity is very high.

What can I do in terms of window/ventilation design to keep things cool inside? Normally here they tend to use simple ventilation blocks (hollow concrete or wooden block with wire mesh installed), but I am not particularly keen from the perspective of appearance. Also it's worth noting that the tropical rains can be very heavy and necessitate closing windows/doors - you can be sitting three metres from an open window in heavy rain and still get wet.

As others have mentioned, you could use that large rock to your advantage, but for less money, you can simply design your house to take advantage of passive cooling methods. Quickly, I'll preface that I get most of these ideas from the visitor center in Zion National Park. It gets exceptionally hot and humid in the summer there, but they maintain near-zero usage of AC due to the building design.

Window Angle

You can position your windows with overhangs or sunshades that passively block sunlight (and potentially some of that rain you mentioned) during the summer months. Indonesia, being so close to the equator (as you said), would likely have less variation in sun angle year round, so it's possible these sunshades would work continuously to prevent heat ingress.

Check out these examples: Zion, Sunshades, Google Images

On a similar note, using Low-E glass can help reduce any stray IR radiation from entering, further helping cool your house.

Passive Cooling Tower

You are making a two-storey building, so you can take advantage of a vertical passive cooling system. I have been next to the one in Zion, and it's amazing how well it works. Check out this diagram.

It works on the principle of evaporative cooling. You have wet fabrics exposed to the air at the top of the tower. Warm air rises from your house through a chimney (of sorts). When it reaches the fabric, the warm air causes some water to evaporate, causing the air to cool as it transfers heat into the water. The cool air then returns down the chimney and into your house.

It's even possible to do this without needing the wet fabrics (though those help significantly due to the latent heat of vaporization of water). Skylights can accomplish the same task, and many have automatic controllers to close when they sense rain.

Ultimately, by having ventilation both high and low, you get passive (or natural) convection cooling. This is also where that large limestone rock can help. If you can get ventilation through that rock, you can take advantage of geothermal buffering, which helps maintain a constant, cooler temperature. Effectively, you are tying the thermal capacitance of your house to the rock, making it harder to heat up easily.


Is earthing required for a submersible water pump? I have a submersible water pump with a power cable that ends with a three-pronged plug with a protective neutral contact. Having a matching outlet is problematic - there are only unearthed outlets at where the pump will be installed.

Now I don't see why earthing should be needed in the first place. The pump will be fully submerged into a well with drinking water that will have contact with earth. So I assume that it will be automatically earthed at all times.

Is earthing required in such setup?

If earthing is provided, earthing should be used.

And a device-local earth is not sufficient.  Imagine if a fault develops inside the device, and the only way for the current to get out and to ground were through the water outlet.  As soon as you use the tap - zap.

Also, as with all devices in such an environment, an ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker) should be used.  This monitors current in the earth wire, and if any current is found on that wire it cuts off the power instantly.

Did you know: Water is a very poor conductor of electricity.  Pure water will not conduct at all.  It is actually the impurities and minerals in the water that provide the conduction.


Water heater builds up excessive pressure only when reheating the tank. What's going on? The pressure release valve on my water heater will trip predictably after a significant amount of hot water has been used (e.g. dishwasher, laundry, long shower) releasing 16 oz or less of water.  It only happens if a sizable quantity of hot water is used and the water heater as to heat up cold water, if the tank is sitting idle full of hot water it won't happen.

I've noticed that after using a lot of hot water, if you wait about 10-15 minutes then turn on the hot water there's almost an explosive blast of pressure as the water heater is heating cold water.  Letting a faucet drip hot water usually prevents the pressure release valve from going off.

It's an electric water heater over 6 years old with a cold water expansion vessel.  The temperature is set to about 110 and I've been slowly ratcheting it down to see if it affects this pressure build up, it doesn't.

What's going on?

Your expansion tank has likely failed or isn't large enough for your hot water tank. Expansion tanks have a bladder in the middle that ensures it is half full of air and needs to be periodically checked to be sure it's properly pressurized. These bladders eventually fail, allowing water to enter the air side, which eliminates the ability to absorb the expanding water.

Replacing the expansion tank may be a simple process if it's just screwed on. With the water shutoff, you unscrew the existing tank, pressurize a new tank, apply some plumbing dope to the threads, and screw the new tank on.


How to get rid of spilled coffee scent? Thought I managed to clean the coffee spill effectively; however, few days later the scent is still there.
At this stage, what is a suitable way to removed coffee scent off a rugged floor?

Dump a box of baking soda on it, wait a few days, vacuum it up.


Notched exterior stud next to chimney I had an electrician over yesterday and they ran BX and a flex conduit for a TV I want to hang over my fireplace. I was examining the notch they made in a stud immediately next to the chimney masonry and I'm concerned that it is too deep. The member is a single 2x4 and the notch depth is slightly over 2", so I would consider this stud compromised. Complicating this further is that there is pretty much no way to adequately install a stud shoe on this thing because it is directly next to the masonry of the chimney.

Directly behind this stud is what I believe is the sheathing, it's hard to tell because it's full of old insulation, but there is some kind of lumber there.

Should I be concerned? I've already contacted the electrician and am waiting to hear back. I don't know if being near masonry helps or hurts and whether my house being brick on frame matters (I suspect it doesn't).

You don't need a ton of room to install a stud shoe.  You can also use traditional strapping but I would try to get a shoe on it.  If you can attach the front and one side really well you can probably get away with not attaching the side near masonry as well (could glue it).  The 2x is compromised so you need something bracing the front.


GFCI outlet trips overnight. The breaker indicates there is ground fault. Outlet tester shows no lights (no power?) I have a GFCI tripping problem. My garbage disposal is connected to an outlet protected by a GFCI breaker. I am still able to run the disposal several times within one or two hours after I reset the breaker of garbage disposal. HOWEVER, the next morning, it is always tripped... The breaker indicates ground fault. Outlet tester shows no lights (indicating no power?). I am not familiar with electricity at all. I appreciate any help!

The outlet tester shows no lights, because there is no power until you reset the GFCI.
A GFCI can trip because there is a ground fault or because the GFCI itself is bad. Most of the time, it is an actual ground fault - a life-safety condition. Consider the different possibilities:

The disposal has a fault which only appears after an extended period of time. For example, there could be a very small leak of water into the motor. It could be that it is a very slow leak, so it does not show up on immediate use, but does trip the GFCI after several hours of drip-drip-drip. Then it trips in the middle of the night. By the time you get to it, the water has dried out and you are able to reset the GFCI and use the disposal again for a while. Key question: How old is the disposal? Any signs of cracks in the case? Any water under the sink, anywhere?

A downstream device has a fault. A GFCI can be connected to multiple devices (receptacles or hard-wired) using the LOAD connections. This is unlikely for a disposal receptacle, but it is possible. If that is the case, or if you have something else plugged in to the 2nd receptacle (assuming it is a typical dual receptacle) then a different device could be causing the problem.

Water dripping into the receptacle. A long-shot, but if there is water leaking under the sink and slowly making its way down the cord to the receptacle, that could cause a GFCI trip. If that's the case, you want to to trace back to the disposal, drain and sink to find where water is leaking.

Based on discussion in comments, it is not clear whether the disposal is causing the trip or something else. Suggestion: Next time you use the disposal for the "usual" amount, assuming you have no GFCI trip at the time, unplug it. Then the next morning see if you find:

GFCI tripped before you plug in the disposal. This would indicate a problem with something else on the circuit or with the GFCI breaker itself.
GFCI trips immediately upon plugging in the disposal or after plugging in as soon as you try turning the disposal on. This would indicate a problem in the disposal itself.
Disposal runs fine for a while after plugging it in. This would indicate some sort of leakage inside the disposal causing the "usual" trip and drying out before you plug it in (or on a regular day, drying out before you reset the GFCI).


220vElectrical Nightmare I recently lost the use of all of the 220v appliances in my house

The fan motor still comes on, but no condensing unit functions.
The light inside the dryer comes on, but no heat,
The oven light and stove top lights come on, but no heat at the burners.

Can someone please help me.

One "leg" -- one of the two out-of-phase hot wires -- of the 220V supply is not being powered properly. You need to trace the circuits to find out what has gotten disconnected, or bring someone in who knows how to do so.


Floor tile layout suggestion and backer board or not? I have a small utility closet that is 28" wide and 78" long. I have never tiled before, so I wanted to try my hand at a hidden away place. I have two questions:

There is some glue from the carpet padding that could be scraped up, but do I need to put a backer board down or can I tile directly onto the cement. Most of that is paint on the floor.
We are putting down 6x24" tiles. What is a good layout of the tiles? I came up with this, but any suggestions?

Thanks for the tips!

Direct to concrete would not require backer board, just make sure you use the right tile set thickness and back butter the tile, ensure the proper gap, and lay the tile any way that looks good to you. Factor in waste from cuts and make sure you get enough in case you break any.


Covering Airing Vents in Floor I have been asked to help fix a home up for someone, it needs work on flooring, drywall, doors, exterior etc. My question is, the central heat/AC is no good and to cool and heat the home the homeowners use window units. With that said, all the floor vents are damaged or just a hole in the floor. The open holes seems to have caused them a rodent problem. Would there be a issue with removing the damaged ductwork and covering up the holes for the vents permanetly?

Your heating/ac system was designed to distribute “conditioned” air (heated or cooled) throughout your house. Covering a few registers will cause air to be redirected randomly to other parts of your house. This causes over-heating in some rooms and over-cooling in other rooms, depending on what the thermostat is calling for.

Yes, you can remove the existing damaged ducts and reinstall a new balanced system and cover the registers that are in the wrong location. However, the new ducts will need to be sized properly. I’d have a reputable heating and air conditioner contractor layout a new system. If they can’t, I’d contact a mechanical engineer (not civil engineer).

We’ve done this many times and we always search out and find where the rodents are entering the house and the system. As @Ed Beal said, rodents will tend to return to a warm environment.


Plumbing fixtures starve but water pressure 50 psi We can't run a shower along with any other fixture in the house or it will slow to a trickle.
I've measured the pressure with a gauge and we get ~110psi before the pressure-reducing valve and ~50psi after it. Apparently, that's the recommended pressure.
I turned on the basement bathroom faucet and saw a ~10 psi drop in the internal pressure. Is that expected - or does the PRV keep a constant 50psi even under demand?
This is a 2 storey + basement 3800 sq ft house. I measured the pressure after the PRV using the tap for the washing machine. The house was built in 1986 - although there's evidence it's been replumbed since.
I'm now at a loss for what could be causing this.
It happens on both of the two working showers. For example, in the basement, if the toilet cistern is filling then the shower flow rate is about half. Upstairs, if anything else is running then that shower essentially stops.
If relevant, we also have a shower panel in another upstairs bathroom which is unusable because it is either hot or cold - nowhere in between.

does the PRV keep a constant 50psi even under demand?

It is designed to try to, by opening all the way up. If for some reason it is not opening all the way up, it could be a cause of downstream flow problems. I would replace/repair that first unless you suspect something else as the cause. Any other restriction, including limitations present due to system design (pipe/fitting size), and/or system condition could also cause the problems you describe.


How to assess whether tree roots are causing a problem I'm in the process of buying a house that has large trees in the garden. I noticed on the documents for the house that some pipework, cabling and drains run fairly close to one of the trees. What kind of expert do I need to take a look and tell me if the trees are likely to be causing a problem? The trees are under a preservation order, so I would need a tree surgeon and planning permission to do any work to them, but I'm guessing a tree surgeon would be more interested in the upper parts, and might not be the best person to assess any damage at or below ground level. Any thoughts welcome :)

I had similar concerns with my home purchase in the U.S. about 7 years ago.  It was noted on my home inspection that A tree had been recently removed (long enough ago for grass to re-grow over the area but there was still a depression) from the front yard where the main lines go.

I had a plumber run a scope down the lines starting at a basement cleanout/drain and inspect the lines all the way to the street to determine if there is any current damage from roots (or anything else).  Cost me an extra $125 but most of that was simply the service call fee (compared to the estimated 10K repairs would have cost, I was happy to pay it).

Of course, this only checks for existing damage.  There is the slimmest of chances that a tree root could be just on the verge of busting through which would have been undetectable but in my case where the tree had already been removed that chance is diminished since tree roots eventually stop growing after the tree is removed.  In your case (with live trees), it would be a higher chance but still unlikely and there really isn't anything else you could do to prevent it that would be cost effective.


What type of screens do I need for this crank case window? Can someone please advise me on the type of screens and where to buy for this type of crank case window?

Here were some options from screenitagain.com (Lowes)
Which of these screen frame profiles do I need?

Which of these fasteners do I need?  Knife latch looks promising

The screen will sit where the blue lines are, up against that small lip (sorry bout the poor drawing skills). It will be held in by flush mount clips like shown below. You will need to drill small pilot holes for the clip screws.

You can have the screens built to your custom size at a good hardware store or home center. Do not get the cheap screens with the lame plastic corner pieces, get good heavy gauge mitered aluminum frames.


Bamboo floors with cats and dogs We are purchasing a place and one of the things we are looking at doing is replacing the carpet downstairs with something more wood like. I say wood like because of pets and the damage they can do to hardwood floors. We had been considering laminate floors but I've been reading about bamboo and how it can be highly durable too.

So would a bamboo floor with a high Janka rating hold up well to pets or should we stick with laminate flooring?

Thanks

This is really about your expectations of the flooring.  If you are more worried about looks then you need to go with a solid hardwood.  Bamboo is a very hard wood and will last many pets - when we are talking about surface damage.

However scratching will eventually breach the stain/poly finish - and then when they pee/poop that will get in the wood and it is basically never come out.  So this depends how well you upkeep the floors and how many accidents you have.  The "look" of the floor will be dependent on the wood rating and bamboo is very hard (oak would be fine too), the grain of the wood (wood with more character hides things better and flat woods show), and the color - a light color will hide scratches.

Your other option is pure vinyl/rubber laminates.  Here is something that I have installed - also Home Depot has a line of planking (and some look like porcelain tile) that I have used.  Both were great - installed easy and pure rubber.  Have used them in many many basements.  This won't give you the exact feel of hardwood but they look great and can be FULLY cleaned.

So it really comes down to the upkeep you want to do, how truly clean you want everything, and the look/style you are going for.


How do I properly prepare newly-finished drywall for priming? What is the minimum amount of dust that can be left on a wall before it adversely affects primer application?  If it has to be completely free of dust, how do you get it all?  Taking a damp rag over the wall seems to be the way to do this based on my own research, but then you have to rinse it wring it out.  This dirties up the water which just means more particulates would end up back on the wall as dust after the water evaporates.  Plus, going over all walls and ceiling of a 250 sq ft room with a damp rag just seems like a PIA.  Is there a better way?

You didnt have to use a mop, for next time all you have to do is take a broom to it and sweep the dust off, put some primer on, wait for it to dry and then take a pole sander to it, and dust clumps left on the wall is forever gone.


shut-off valve problem I was going to shut off the angle stop valve (shown in figure a) but it did not budge. I tried every possible method but it did not work so I decided to replace the whole valve. I could successfully take out the valve (which is shown in figure c) but ran into several problems

a) First of all, what is the type of this angle stop? Is it compression type or threaded type? The nut and the yellow ring (indicated by the blue arrows in figure b) could not be taken out. The pipe is smooth and does not have any thread. The threads are inside the nut. I was wondering whether I should buy the thread type and connect it to the nut or whether I have to take out the nut and the ring and connect the compression type to the pipe.

b) Because I was not sure about type of the valve, I decided to put the old valve back but now have leak around the connecting nut (indicated by red arrows in figure a). What should I do to make the leak stop? Or, is there any way to cap the end of the pipe ?

Thanks a lot in advance!

The connection to the pipe is a compression fitting. Buy a new valve with the compression style connection (and, of course, matching outlets) and thread it into your existing nut and ferrule (compression ring). You need to tighten with a fairly heavy hand here, they are designed to form a metal-to-metal seal with the ferrule actually being squeezed down onto the pipe permanently.

If it leaks, tighten more. if it still leaks, cut below the old ferrule and use the new nut and ferrule that came with your new valve.


Why am I reading 20V at the receptacles on one household branch circuit? I have a series of three household receptacles through which I am getting maybe 20 volts.  All other receptacles in the room on other circuits have normal voltage.  I replaced the breaker and tightened the wires, but it had no effect.  What should be the next thing to check?

Check the power on the wires themselves coming into the first box. If you have low voltage there, then you have a problem in your wiring between the service panel and the first outlet and you'll probably have to pull new wire.

If the voltage on the wire itself coming in to the first box checks out, then check the connections in all three of the boxes that those receptacles are in. Maybe you have a bad connection in the first one, and it's affecting the other two that are "downstream" from it. If you're wiring through the receptacles, check the little metal tabs on the sides of the receptacles to make sure they aren't cracked or missing.

If you're using the press-in connections on the receptacles, try the screw down connections. Electrical connections must be tight. Also consider pig-tailing the connections with wire nuts inside the boxes, so that the electricity to the downstream boxes doesn't have to go through the receptacles at all. Unless this is a GFCI-protected circuit, in which case the downstream receptacles must be fed through the GFCI receptacle. But in that case I'd still prefer the screw-down posts to the press-in connections.

It's also possible that one or more of the receptacles themselves are just faulty (broken internally).


Threading cable through existing pex-like tubing My apartment (top floor) has runs of 3/4" (-ish) pex-like tubing (photo attached, Switzerland if it's relevant) running from a central point. One such tube carries an existing coaxial cable (landlord provided, I do not want to detach) from a satellite splitter in my apartment to the roof, where, together with a large number of other such cables it emerges through a (non-removable) metal pipe about 4" in diameter with a 180 degree turn on.

My corona-virus challenge is:

to somehow thread a cat-6 cable up the same pex-like tubing so as to get internet access on my roof terrace (where the pipe is).
preferably to do the above with either no new tools or no tools I can't get by mail order.

EDIT: The pex-like tubing is not split (it's solid all the way around).

EDIT: I think I've now gained access to where the pex-like tubes end in the roof void. If I'm correct the cables emerge from many tubes, and are then cable-tied together to a cable frame in the open and go through what looks like some plastered gauze into a roof void, presumably into a pipe the opening of which must be about 15" above the gauze. So there are now two separate tasks: getting the cable up the pex tube (or down it having identified it), and getting it through the gauze and up the pipe (or the other way).

How would you approach the above?

I agree with Solar Mike that a vacuum may work to pull a string, If the smurf tube or flexible nonmetallic conduit is 1 piece.  The nickname is from a kids carton where the characters are blue.

Having 9 or more flex lines going through a 4” makes me think this would not be 1 piece or the flex ends at the 4”, so you will need to try a fish tape.

A fish tape is a reel of steel or plastic that is used to push through a conduit, connect a wire and pull the wire back. The only problem(s) may be if the conduits stop prior to the 4” and the tape doesn’t go into the large pipe. The second possible problem is the 180 degree turn; depending on how tight this turn is, it may be tough getting a fish tape through depending on how far from the 4” pipe the flex conduits end.

If the smurf tube exits the 4” connect a vacuum and suck a string thru the tube a little plastic like a bit of bread wrapper on the end of the string helps the vacuum work.  Fish tapes come in different lengths from 25’ to 250’, it will need to be as long as the length of the conduit.
Just finished and saw your edit I think a tape or combination of tape and string are the paths forward.

Good luck


How do I wire a ceiling fan with a light kit? Ceiling has three wires: one white, one black, and one bare. Fan has four wires: one white, one black, one blue, and one green. How do I connect wires?

The manual for your fan should outline instructions for this type of wiring setup, but generally this will hold true:

Black in box goes to blue & black in fan.

White in box goes to white in fan.

Connect all grounds together.

This will cause your switch on the wall to control both the fan motor and fan lights. You'll have to use your pull chains to control the two independently.


What is the best tool/method for vine removal? i recently bought a 108 year old house with an ancient garage that has vines growing up the back of the entire structure.  the vines have started getting into the gutters and even inside the garage.  i want to rip them all down but i'm not sure of the best tools to make the job easier and what steps i can take to slow/stop their regrowth.

In addition to the normal tools like pruners, hedge shears, etc., my tools for controlling unruly vegetation include:

pruning saw (look for one that cuts on both push and pull strokes):

bypass lopper (much more leverage than a regular pruner):

tree pruner (no more climbing on a ladder to get at high branches!):

In your situation, I would start by using these tools to cut back all the vines close to the ground.  Dig as much of the roots out as possible, then keep an eye on the area for new shoots and dig them out (or spray them with weedkiller) as they pop up.  Eventually you'll get rid of them, though it may take persistence on your part.


water valve to toilet will not shut off and the water is running more and more even when off my toilet was being fix because one of my kids break it. the water valve was turn off but was leaking a lil bit then around 10:30 last night it sounding like my washer was being fill but it was coming from my bathroom the only way it would stop was to turn the main water line off but how do i get the water to turn off to the water valve to my toilet?

ps if there is a video that would help thank you!

This just happened to me yesterday I kid you not.  Not rushing water but a slow drip that accelerated overnight and went down thru the wall all the way to the basement.

The problem was that the rubber washer in the toilet fill valve had corroded because of water.  No problem when attached to the toilet but when I needed to it turn off it could not seal completely and then got worse over a few days.  .

Interested parties mandated that I call a plumber, and for $450 2 guys came and put a new toilet valve shutoff on the water supply line.  It is very nice. The other option would have been for me to bring the old toilet valve shutoff to the hardware store, match it with a new $15, bring that home and put it on.

Benefit would have been savings of $335.  Risk would have been that I screw it up somehow and cause colossal house-destroying leak.  You do that once and people remember...


cracks on both side of the bay window my house is a typical semi detached 1930 house, there are two cracks on the both side of the bay window
, they are roughly about 3-4cm wide, it was easy to filled it up with the mortar.

the crack is caused by the front wall slightly moving forward, or perhaps the rest of the house moving backwards while pulling the front wall to cause the crack.

most of the houses on the street have got the identical issue, after spoken to the neighbours no one seems worried about it!

when I first purchased the house, the home buyers report did mention it, but wasn't rated as a serious problem. and didn't explain the reason why the house has moved, or is it likely to get worst or not

my question is, is there any way to stop it getting worst? or anyone had the similar problem knows the more about
the cause of the issue?

If this is an actual bay window in a flat wall, then it's due to a very poor decision to put a bay window in brick or stone, the window is causing too much stress. Brick or stone is great at handling vertical loads, but quite poor at handling lateral loads. A flat window & some brick or stone re-laying & re-pointing will be the only remedy to this type of problem.

Now, if this is actually a whole bay wall that the window simply sits in. Then, that's alarming. Any separation of the bay wall from the building means it's very bad & needs much more than crack patching. You have a rotting foundation under that bay wall from almost a century of trapped moisture weakening the mortar & brick or stone. Unless, it can be determined that the house is collapsing backwards (i.e. multiple wall cracks inside & out), the problem is usually the bay wall tipping out & away from the bottom. The cracks should be wider at the top than at the bottom.

To remedy the bay wall scenario involves installing very beefy temporary supports, jacking the entire bay wall back into place & then re-building the bay wall's foundation. Only after all of that & 30-days mortar curing & effort evaluation do you then re-install & re-point the formerly detached bricks or stones.


One switch four lights I ran wire from the panel box to four shop lights then to the switch. The switch only turns off the last light closest to the switch. Have I completely messed myself up or is there still a way to have the switch turn off all for lights?

Anytime you're designing a complex of lights and a switch, sketch it out using /3 cable (black white red, or the wire functions always-hot, neutral and switched-hot).

Switches need all 3 wires.
Lamps need switched-hot and neutral.
Supply gives always-hot and neutral, obviously.

In your case, you will find you need /3 cable between all the lamps and the switch.

Sometimes you will find a segment where you just don't need all 3 of the wires - an example is a lamp past the switch.  In that case you can use /2 cable; possibly one of the wire colors will be wrong (an example is black when you want red) - just mark both ends of that wire with colored electrical  tape.

Don't get clever with switches and say "the switch only needs always-hot and switched-hot".  No, you also need to bring neutral to the switch; that has been Code for about a decade now.

If you want to do 3-way switches 2 or more switches in a multiway configuration, you need to run a separate /3 cable between the switches just for that purpose.


What's the best way to connect two separate generators to a well pump? I need to have a generator run 240 volts to a well pump, and want it switched off when the generator is started.  I also want a second (back up) generator that can be switched on if/when the main generator doesn't work.  What's the best kind of switch?  And how should it be wired?

Many generators (especially those for permanent installation) have optional automatic transfer switch assemblies.  If the backup generator is permanently installed, then I'd recommend buying its recommended transfer switch.  Wire it per its instructions.

If you're going to build your own transfer switch, then make sure that it is "break before make" or has some sort of interlock to prevent both generators from connecting to the load at the same time.  Mains should also be isolated from either generator if mains is present on site.


New door binding on frame I recently remodeled my bathroom and my father-in-law helped me install a new door to the bedroom.  At the time it was installed the door would open and shut perfectly.  But now that the wall and trim have been finished the door is now binding on the latch side of the frame and I have to apply quite a bit of force to it to get it to open and shut.  It seems that the opening for the door has become narrower through the process of installing sheetrock and trim.  Is there any solutions to adjust the door frame permanently without romoving the sheetrock or cutting the door?

Very often the change of seasons and corresponding temperature and humidity changes result in the house and woodworking moving around.

The usual fix is to inspect the door frame and door hinges to see of they are secure and installed correctly. If all appears to be in order then the next step is to study the door itself and see just where the binding is and how much. Mark the binding locations with some of the colorful type of painters tape and then demount the door via the hinge pin removal.

The binding areas are normally handled by taking material off the door via sanding, planing or even trimming with a saw. (Note that this applies for wood material type doors - not steel jacketed doors).

Next is to re-hang the door in the frame and test for fit. Sometimes it will be necessary to make several iterations of trimming the door to get the correct fit. The final fitting should be followed up with a fine sanding to get a finish surface.

The final step is to re-finish the parts of the door where the trimming occurred. This may be a primer/paint job or possibly a stain/finish job depending on how the original finish was applied.


How do I work around a tree in my fence line? I have a fence that was built about 4 years ago.  There was a large oak tree that I wish to keep on the fence line.  The fence was built around the tree; it not only removed the tree from my yard, but I didn't like the look of it: (not to scale, obviously)

fence--> -------[]-----------[]---[]  00
                                  |  0000  <--Tree
                                  |  0000
                                  |   00
                                  []-------------------[]--------[]
                                                                  |
                                                                  |
                                                                  |
                                                                  |

So I had someone come out and redo it to be like so:

fence--> -------[]-----------[]-----  00  ---[]-----------[]-----[]
                                     0000  <--Tree                |
                                     0000                         |
                                      00                          |

Notice the chunk of fence that is connected to the posts [] and just floating next to the tree.  Those are starting to come apart...

I'm looking for a good solution to maintain this design better.  The floating pieces are actually connected with a crazy contraption of 2x4's behind the tree where you can't see it, but it's not very solid.  I'm hoping to find a solution that will last more than a year or two.

Build a wrought iron ring either around the back or depending on how big the tree is or around the whole thing.

Make a half circle with two horizontal 1" strips and 1/2" iron posts. 1 post every 8 - 12" would be enough. The two outside posts can be longer and set in concrete. You can easily make the diameter of the ring big enough to leave 6-8" of space for future growth. If you want to still block it off more you can string it with vinyl straps used on balconies or something that fits your style. Tabs welded to the outside posts would allow you to connect the boards coming from the wood posts to support them.

It would be a fairly simple build for someone with a welder.


What is a "seized" power strip? A power strip here could likely be replaced with surge protector.

But I have no idea what "seized" means.

That term is not a known term.  Literally, you are the only person on the known web to have ever used the expression.

Congratulations, I guess!


Can we build some sort of ventilation system in our rental apartment? There isn't an exhaust fan in our kitchen. Everytime we fry or bake something we set off the smoke detector.
There's a window pretty close to our kitchen.  Is there a way to rig up some sort of flexible exhaust tubing and a fan so that we can draw the smoke out our window?

Is it sufficient to put a window fan in the window when cooking?

If not, there are ductless range hoods, also known as recirculating range hoods.  These filter the air and lets it back out in the room.


How can I create an enclosure that will protect an indoor camera outdoors? My DropCam is an indoor camera and there's no outdoor version, so I would like to come up a way to have this camera outdoors.

So far I thought about creating a casing using:

an empty 2 liter soda bottle
Dry Silica Gel
Silicone Caulk

As you can see, this casing might work in keeping the camera dry, but I still don't know how to weatherproof the power cord. Does this sound doable? Figured I'd ask here in case anyone has ever been able to make a weatherproof case.

If it is not rated for outdoors it will fail eventually. All professional outdoor camera housings have vents to allow them to breathe. It is a fact that moisture is going to get to your camera no matter what you build and since it is not rated to handle it it will fail. If you rig something yourself and attempt to seal it tight you'll wind up with condensation on the inside of the container and that will not only ruin your camera but you won't be able to see anything because of the water droplets that you cannot wipe off in a sealed bottle.