Can a breaker be added to the main disconnect panel? I know nothing about electrical code or wiring. I want to add a breaker to my main disconnect panel. Reason being it is super close to my garage compared to my panel inside my home. The main disconnect panel is a full size panel with a main switch at the top then spots for breakers below. Its located at the front corner of the home and I would simply need to run the service 10 feet. I believe it's a 200a service, installed by the previous owner in 2012 and passed inspection at that time. I would like to feed from this panel to my garage and possibly add a sub panel for some additional outlets and a 220v outlet for welding. Is it ok to do this or should I plan to budget to run from the main panel inside the home?

I'll first put my disclaimer out there and say I'm not an electrician.

First, pictures are worth a thousand safety tips. Can you add some pictures of the existing panel(s)? Adding a run has it's challenges. The cable size, type, conduit type are all determined by length of run, amps, and location; might be 1 or 2 others I missed.

As far as adding a sub panel, there are some very strict code and guidelines that must be followed. Namely, the previously mentioned. If this is something you're thinking of doing on your own, be sure you know what you're doing. I had been in the trades for nearly 20 years, and I've played around with electricity plenty. When it came time to adding my sub panel for my shed, I decided there's too much to account for and know to do it myself.

I believe you would be able to do what you're looking to do with relative ease. You can tell your service by the breaker size of your main panel. If the main throw is rated at 200A, it's safe to say you have a 200A service.

As I recall, if your run is interior, you would need to run metal conduit and need no less than a 4 gauge stranded run. If it's exterior, you would need to run schedule 40 or 80 non-metallic conduit. Either way, the cabling needs to be stranded.

I would suggest calling a local electrician to verify gauge for service size and run. It's also good to note, there are specific height requirement, panel types, and grounding requirements that must be considered.


Wiring 5 LED Lights in Parallel We are (attempting) to replace our kitchen light fixtures with LED recessed lights. Let's just say it's been a huge learning curve... which I'm going to summarize here so you know the things we've tried and learned, before asking my questions.
Old Set-Up
South fixture on one circuit with one switch. North fixture on separate circuit (and separate connection to breaker box) with one switch.
First Plan
We kept the two separate circuits, but added a 3-way dimmer switch to each. We wired two LED lights on one, and three on the other. The circuit with three was noticably dim and we eventually discovered that we had wired them in a series, rather than parallel.
New Plan
We decided since we had to try wiring again we'd change our design. What we want now is to have all five lights on the same circuit with a dimmer switch on one side of the kitchen and a toggle switch on the other side.
My search for a diagram to follow led me to these:
https://youtu.be/JOtCH2Nfb9w (do all five need to have the first light as the hub?! Seems tedious, and all those wires won't fit into the little junction box built in to the new LED light)
https://www.easy-do-it-yourself-home-improvements.com/3-way-switch-wiring-diagram.html (ours would be option #4 with more lights in the middle)
Question about wiring multiple lights in parallel as well a multiple lights in a parallel 3 way (this was my most recent find and now I'm thinking my attempt at setting it up like option #4 is totally wrong based on the discussion...)
I am attaching a sketch of how I have currently wired the lights. They do not come on at all. Please help me understand what is wrong, why, and what I need to do instead. Thank you!!
Details

12/2 and 12/3 cable
toggle switch on left, dimmer switch on right
Utilitech canless LED recessed lights with integrated junction boxes, #1500765

It appears that you're taking individual wires out of cables and running them in different directions. Don't do that.
From S1 (see labeled image, below), you've got your red & black travelers running toward S2, but you've got the white (I presume that's what the orange line represents) going to C5. Disconnect the white/neutral from C5 and allow it to pass through the box and on with the travelers to S2 as below.
From C5 to C1, it appears that you're using 12/2 and repurposing the white wire as a traveler. Replace this piece of cable with 12/3 (remove the 12/2 so there's no confusion in the future), carry the neutral from C5's box through to C1's box.
It appears that you've got 12/3 from C1 to S2, but that you've again split the wires from the cable to attempt to use them for different purposes. Don't do that! Use this piece of 12/3 (in its entirety, black, red AND white) to continue to carry your supply power to S2 and wire up the 3-way switch there properly.
Now that you've got your travelers properly set, you've got switched power at S2. Run an additional 12/2 from there to C1, pig-tailing the black/hot to the hot on the bulb (as you've got) and add a pig-tail from the white/neutral to the neutral on the bulb.
You should be good to go at C2, C3 and C4 with exactly what you've got.
Back at C5, make sure you've disconnected the existing white/neutral from the switch and tied it into the new 12/3 running toward S2. Tie the white/neutral coming from C4 to the bulb on C5.
Don't laugh, I drew the lettering with my thumb-operated track ball.
Additionally, I'm presuming that you've got the bare ground wire properly connected. The grounds should be connected from cable to cable, and it should be pig-tailed to each device (switch or light). It should be connected in a daisy chain, following the supply of power. You may be tempted to connect all the grounds in C5 together (both those coming from S1 and from C4). I do not believe you should do that, though I'm not certain that it will cause harm - I'll let the electricians chime in on that. I wouldn't do it, and it would work properly with them separated. I'm pretty sure it would be safe if they're connected there, but I'm not sure that it's code compliant that way.


Electric power and wired ethernet to desk in basement not against wall What's my best option for running electric and ethernet to my desk in the basement without having the desk against a wall? My ceiling is a bit low (79") so I don't want to do anything that significantly raises the floor and I worry about the possibility of water if the sump pump goes out in the midst of a storm. Is there an aesthetically pleasing drop from the ceiling possible or should I just do something with cord conduit on the floor?

You don't even need a drop.
Just put boxes in the ceiling, or just below, and plug in. Your standard 6 foot line cord will reach the "relatively low" ceiling from the desktop, and ethernet drop cables are available in any length you like. Use cord/cable loom to "prettify" the cables if it makes you happier.
Alternatively, you know where the desk goes, so drop a false column (hollow, so you can hide boxes and cables in it) to that location - either onto the desk or all the way to the floor.


How do I add window stools to my new windows? I installed new Jeld-Wen windows and saved the old stools.  I'm trying to figure out how they should be attached but these windows don't seem to be designed to take a stool -- they are flush with the drywall all around.  Referring to the picture, I can butt the stools up to the window wood and have them "floating", supported by trim piece underneath, but that would leave them susceptible to being pulled away from the wall it seems.  If I were to lay them on top of the window's existing wood, then the finger catch to lift the window would be blocked.  Is there a way to add a stool here besides having it float, or are these just designed to have no stool?

Looks like you could "float" them level with the existing frame, but screw in from the window side (through the face away from the room, into the part you call a stool that I'd call a sill) which would firmly attach the stool to the windowframe so it could not pull away from the wall.

They are probably designed not to have one, yes - "picture-framing" windows is one more place to cut costs, and cats and plants don't have effective lobbying groups to prevent it.


How to cut stainless steel sheet without burning it? I need to cut out a small section of 1.5mm Stainless steel. Before, when I've made cuts I have used an angle grinder and its resulted in thr stainless becoming scorched/burnt and I can't remove it.

What can i do to cut stainless steel and not have scorch marks?

As you have implied, heating the metal is actually changing it near the cut and causing it to discolor.  There's not soot or anything you can clean off - the metal is changed.  You may be able to sand off the surface of the metal near the cuts to remove the discolored metal on the surface, but this will lead to a cut that doesn't look very clean and some discoloration may remain.

The other choice is to cut the metal without heat.  Angle grinders don't really cut - they sand their way through the metal creating a massive amount of heat.  One tool that actually cuts through the metal is known as a "nibbler".  They come in many forms.  Hand operated, air powered, electric, and as a small attachment for an electric drill.

They are basically a small punch that nibbles of small bits of metal.  They do this very quickly so the result looks like a straigt cut.  The issue is that many of the tools that I found top at at 16ga (1.5875mm) or 14ga (1.984375mm) sheet metal.  Your 1.5mm sheet is going to be at the top end of their capabilities, but if you choose a quality tool and don't try to move too fast, I think you'll be ok.


how to achieve a reduction of noise of -60 dB in as little thickness as possible of insulation material? I am looking into materials to acoustically insulate a room, and I need to do it in as little thickness of the material as possible.

I found something called Balterio which is a 3 mm thick stuff sold in a roll, looks a bit like aluminum foil. It claims to reduce sound by 22 dB. Which compared to other materials and their thickness required to achieve such a sound reduction, seems a bit unbelievable. Does it really work?

Can I put three layers of this, and achieve 66 dB reduction, which would mean that people speaking on one side of the insulation would be completely inaudible on the other side: normal speech is about 60 dB, minus 66 dB would be below 0 dB - the threshold of hearing - and all that under 1 cm thick? If this stuff was so good, then everyone would be using it in audio recording studios instead of making massive thick complicated walls to reduce by that 60 dB? Where is the catch?

If it doesn't work that way, that what can work, to reduce by 60 dB (for example from 80 dB loud traffic noise to 20 dB at which you can sleep comfortably), in the least possible thickness (certainly not more then 5 cm), at an affordable price?

Think about what you are hoping for. A 10dB reduction means reducing the sound power by a factor of 10. Dropping the sound power by 60dB therefore means reducing it by a factor of 1 million, or stopping 99.9999%

To put this in context, this is equivalent to building a wall that blocks 100% of the sound, (let's say the wall is 9' tall by 10' wide), and then leaving a 1/8" diameter hole in it.

See also the wikipedia article on sound transmission class, which suggests that typical interior wall construction gives STC 33, and that STC 45 is sufficient for loud speech to be inaudible. STC 45 can be achieved with double layer of 1/2" drywall on each side of the partition, over wood studs with batt insulation in the wall.


What to do about water in ceiling from leak? Some water leaked from my upstairs bathroom into the ceiling of a downstairs bathroom. I noticed it when I saw drips coming from my fan/lighting fixture. I would estimate the amount of water that leaked to be in the range of 1 - 2 gallons.
I had a contractor check for damages, and temperature and moisture scans show that there is moisture in the ceiling. See images below.
Unfortunately, the estimated cost for professional water mitigation services is over $1,600, and that is before reconstruction.
I know that it is possible to rent dehumidifiers, although I don't if those are useful in a situation like this. In short, I am wondering if there is a reasonable DIY way to address the leak damage and also whether I am inviting long-term problems if I attempt to go it alone rather than opening up the ceiling and replacing any affected materials.
Moisture sensor reading the day after the leak:

Temperature sensor reading the day after the leak:

Ceiling the day after the leak:

Chances are you can claim from upstairs, if they have insurance you have nothing to loose from getting a professional plasterer to fix it. if they don't and you want to do them a favour then the D.I.Y. approach will save them money. Seeing as you're asking here instead of in "law"
Make a hole, or holes to let the water out.
Wait until it's dry. (possibly weeks)
Patch any weak parts and the holes
Sand flat, seal with a shellac based primer, and repaint.


Can I change the fire rating of 1/2 inch drywall? I currently have 1/2 drywall on my wall sepating the garage, which is now an accesory apartment. The house was built in 1975.
 Code says it must be 5/8. It is not possible to take everthing down to add more drywall. Is there another way to increase the fire rating, by either a product I paint on or spray on?

I am getting ready for an inspection, just looking at other options I can run by the inspector if he doesn't like what I have.
They tell me they are trying to work with me to get this apartment passed and legal. Both sides of the wall in question have 1/2 inch drywall.

Intumescent coatings have evolved (I formulate them). It is just a paint now. 3 coats would add 20 minutes or so to the fire rating of the drywall.

Here, narrow clearance homes are required to use intumescent coated OSB on the outside walls.

These paints can withstand up to a year of exposure before being covered up so bad weather is no longer an issue as it used to be just a few years ago.

The old stuff was PVA resin and water soluble (almost edible) ingredients. Now we have encapsulated stuff with tough, exterior grade thermoplastics as the binder. Things have changed :)


How to investigate a problem with blown 50 amp HVAC fuse without power? My AC unit has the fan working but not the condenser and I found that one of the two 50 amp fuses was bad. Unfortunately after replacing it, I saw and heard a spark and the new fuse was blown immediately after replacing it. Then I replaced the capacitor (just in case) and checked if there are no loose wires touching around the capacitor area, and pulled some wires going into the fan/condenser unit back and forth just in case some of them were touching around there as well. Then I replaced the fuse again with a new one, and that one was blown immediately again. Thus I've lost 2 additional fuses in 30 minutes just trying to replace the bad one. I measured resistance at 0 by using a multimeter to confirm that the two replacement fuses were good before being blown. What can I do to further investigate the problem without the power/compressor working?

The next step is to see where the short is, and for that you will need to check the resistance of the compressor and fan motors. The exact wiring can vary by model, but basically, you need to check the resistance between the wires going to each motor and see if any are shorted.

As a first step, you can probably just check all the wires going to each motor and see if they are shorted to the case of the motor. If a wire breaks internally it can ground out to the motor housing. Beyond that, you need to understand more how the motors are wired.


Are push-connect sockets intended to be reusable? are push connection light sockets a one time use only.  I disconnected the lamp cord to replace it but now the wire holes will not grip the wire.

It depends on the light socket, and maybe how you "disconnected" it.  Some push-in type wire connectors are actually threaded; they grip when you just push them in, but you can back the wires out by twisting them (lefty loosey).  However, if the wires were yanked out, it's possible that the threads were stripped and won't grip any more.  I assume you have also checked for small screws. Sometimes connections that look like push-ins are actually clamps.  You stick the wire in the hole, and then clamp it down (internally) by tightening a screw.


Plastic ground plug openings in 110 outlet broken The bottom plastic of electrical outlet is broken. Does it need to be replaced?  outlet b/c of fire hazard. In 8 of 10 outlets had a small piece of plastic at the bottom of the grounding plug opening.  Why would so many be broken?

"Need" to be replaced? I'd say yes vs. leaving them indefinitely, just because overall when the outlet is fully intact it has its best chance at protecting you, and itself.

Hypothesis on "why so many are broken":

person(s) yanked cords from their cord vs. unplugging correctly (maybe they had a 3 prong vacuum).
Or, are these outlets in places that furniture was likely placed right up against it?

Use caution while using them as maybe more is broken than what you see and consider changing them or having a handyman change them. As @EdBeal mentions, they are under a $1.00 each. And if backstabs are used, its a chance to "correct" that issue too.

FYI: Backstabs are where electrical wiring is pushed into a spring clip on the backside of a electrical outlet or switch instead of screwed on the sides securely.


Replacing a ceiling rose with a led light without using wire connectors I have two ceiling rose lights in my corridor, I have managed to replace one without the need of any wiring connector. I achieved this because it had one Live, one neutral and one earth connector.
So all I did was connect L and N to the new LED light and cover the earth wire with some tape.
The new LED doesn't require earth

However, I have now realised the other ceiling rose has several wires(a search suggested that this is due that being the main one)

I did some search and found that when it comes to converting these type of wires, you need connectors (wago connectors)
I don't understand the purpose of these, are these connectors really necessary? Can't the wires that can't be used, just be taped?

I'm based in the UK

The first ceiling rose that I converted by taping the earth wire(this picture show the setup was)

The following is the picture of the other ceiling rose, which I found to have too many wires on

UPDATE

This is the photo of all the wires after being removed from the ceiling rose setup.

Marked in Yellow: 4 earth wires, connected in pairs - I'm thinking of putting this in a wire connectors of five

Marked in blue/purple: 5 wires connected to a 3 slot section(Neutral). these were connected in pairs of two black together, two(one blue and black together) and one blue that goes to the actual light - I'm thinking of connecting them to a wire connector of 5

Marked in green: connected to a 3 slots sections(Loop), all three were red wires were connected separately - I'm thinking of connecting them to a wire connector of three

Marked in red: three wires connected to a section of two(Live), one pair(consisting of a red wire and green/yellowish) and one red wire coming from the light - I'm thinking of connecting these to a three slots wire connector.

Do you think the setup I'm going for is correct?

Taping wires (rather than using proper wire connectors) is a recipe for burning your house down.

Whether it's just two wires or a whole bunch, a taped connection is prone to loosen, and arc, and start fires.

Don't know where you are in the world, but virtually any place with any sort of electrical code, that method will not pass. Regardless of code, you should be interested in not setting your house on fire. Interested enough to use a proper connector type available and approved in your part of the world, rather than "not understanding" but choosing to do electrical work anyway...


Can I run conduit through a retaining wall? I have a terraced backyard with 3 retaining walls, each about 4' high.  One is poured concrete, the other two are wood (PT 3x12).   I am looking to add some outlets to the backyard from an existing receptacle on the back of the house.  This will be one circuit with 3 individual thwn-2 12 AWG wires: hot, neutral, ground.
I'd like to bury 3/4" pvc conduit, pop out in front of the retaining wall and then go into the next terrace by going through the wall instead of over the top and back down.  The hole I drill in the wall would be at least 1".  I'm choosing 3/4" conduit in case I ever want to add a 2nd circuit, or cat-6 ethernet cable, in the future.
Any issues with my approach?
Mild calif winters here, no snow or frost concerns.

Structurally it’s not an issue, even if you happen to drill through a rebar in the concrete retaining wall.
However, if you’re holding back subsurface water behind the concrete retaining wall, the hole could allow water to squirt out.


What wall cladding should be used along the floor of the garage? I have an attached garage on a house with a wood foundation in Minnesota, USA. The garage is not temperature-controlled.
On a roughly three foot long exterior wall, I discovered the drywall was disintegrating (white powder fell out from between the paper) near the floor (from the floor to about 10 inches above it). I pulled that piece of drywall off and I want to know how I should repair it. Everything was humid but not wet. The nails that held in the drywall were rusted near the bottom of the wall. I didn't see or feel any moisture in the insulated cavities of the wall. The floor in the corner slopes slightly toward the garage door. In the winter, snow and brine often pools a bit in this area as it melts off the snowblower and shovels. I'm guessing the disintegrated drywall is a result of moisture being wicked up into the drywall and then going through freeze/thaw cycles - but I really don't know.

How should I finish this wall? I figure if I just put of a sheet of drywall, I will get the same issue in the future. Here's some potential ideas I have:

Replace the drywall but only down to the base plate - then put cement board from the floor to the bottom of the drywall.

Replace the drywall but only down to the base plate - leave the bottom area covered with something else?

Replace the drywall to the floor but then put some kind of water proof baseboard along the floor.

Replace the entire piece of drywall that I teared off with cement board.

Mount PVC trim board against the floor and run the drywall down to the top of the PVC board.

Something Else?

I'd like my fix to meet Minnesota code and the scrutiny of a home inspector in a few years.
At the bottom of the wall cavities is sand. The piece of steel in the left wall cavity is c-channel shaped and someone sprayed a bunch of expanding foam into the cavity. I don't know what that might be about - I'm guessing a previous owner had problems with water intrusion at some point - especially if the garage roof gutter hadn't been installed yet. I've never noticed water from anywhere but the garage floor and vehicles.
Here's a picture of exterior of the wall:

Eagle-eyed DIY-ers will recognize the dirt in the corner is a sign of improper drainage. I am having the concrete outside mud jacked later this week to fix the slope and the cavity between the garage and the gap between driveway and the garage re-sealed.

I would use cement board. Since it comes 3x5 feet typically I'd use it for at least the bottom 3 feet, unless doing a larger area (or using a scrap you already have on hand) where I might cut it in half and just come up 18 inches from the floor. It takes both water and the sort of minor impacts common in garages with tools far better than drywall does.


How can I remove water-based emulsion paint from paving slabs? On painting the bedrooms in our new house, we've gotten some (mainly) water-based paint on some of the paving slabs on the patio. A little of it may be oil-based gloss we used for skirting boards, but the majority is emulsion.

Is there an easy way to remove it without a lot of laborious scrubbing? I was rather hoping the rain might make it fade, but it's been a few weeks and that was clearly overly optimistic on my part ;)

The water based paint will come off eventually with rain and normal activity on the paving slabs, but it will take a while.

The only guaranteed way is to use water and a scrubbing brush or, if you don't want to get down on your hands and knees, a stiff bristled yard brush.


Can sheetrock be put in for fire barrier over existing ductwork and plumbing in drive under garage? I am in the process of buying a house and the home inspection brought up some interesting issues.  The house is in the Atlanta area and was built in 1979 with a drive-under garage.  The garage ceiling looked strange in that it was insulated but sheet rock was never put over the ductwork or plumbing.  The inspector mentioned that the house doesn't have a proper fire barrier between the house and the garage.  It was a building code that wasn't present at the time that the house/garage were built. We wanted to finish the ceiling to have that barrier but mostly know that it would probably be an issue in trying to sell the house later.  We're trying to determine if the cost would be too high for this project since there are a lot of other small but expensive items that would need to be repaired.  I first was trying to figure out two things which are if it is even possible to do and if so a range for the project.  I took a couple of pictures during the inspection so you can get an idea of what the state of the garage is. The water shutoff is on the ceiling of the garage so we would at least need to have it redirected to be on the side wall so it is easier to reach.  The inspector seemed to think that the only thing we could do is add sprinklers which would be fine but we only plan on being in the house for 4-5 years so the re-sale ability is important.  I've attached the images and would love an opinion from those that may have tried to attempt similar projects or from those that have worked with sheetrock. It is something that I would definitely have a professional assist with if we do it but if the cost is too much we might just keep looking for a different house.
Thanks,
Cindy

It looks like about the only thing you can do is add a drop ceiling in this area. Code here would require the drywall to be 5/8ths between a garage area and a living area. Basically this means putting in a frame to support that drywall. It wouldn't have to be finished except on the joints, and if you have an area you need to leave access to, you can make that a removable panel (leaving access to the screws that hold that drywall panel up, or creating a hinged door for it.) On the bonus side, it would hide all the plumbing, AC, etc that is now exposed. On the down side, yes, it's expensive, about $400 per 4X8 foot area to do this properly, with the frame-in, unless you do it yourself...
Part of the consideration for this is also fumes and not just fire, otherwise you could probably install a drop acoustic panel ceiling, which is much easier, and slightly less cost.
Also, I'm surprised the inspection found that door to the stairway acceptable, it should be a 20-minute rated fire door, even if one is installed at the top of the stairway, with proper self-closing mechanism!


What are the dimensions of US outlet holes? I am specifically referring to the standard NEMA 5-15 three hole outlet that is used in North America. What are the dimensions of the holes in the outlets?

Surprisingly, I am having difficulty in finding this information on line.

Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Google Image search:

nema 5-15 dimensions

It's a great way to find drawings and other visual information.

Here's a drawing pulled from the search results:

Powercord CN

Dimiensions are millimeters with a comma used instead of a decimal point.

NEMA Website

Following some image searches and regular searches I also came across the official NEMA Website

This NEMA WD 6 - Non-Locking Plugs and Receptacles - Excerpt PDF should have the information you want.


Improve the look and durability of wood siding How can i improve the look of the above piece of wood near the door step? I am new to wood work so would appreciate the steps to be carried out and materials to be used for the job.

Below is another piece thats inside the house and needs work.

The wood appears solid, near as I can tell, and I don't see signs of peeling of the old finish. I'd simply apply a quality siding/fence stain that's tinted dark enough to mask the varying hues in the board and that coordinates with your home's exterior. I wouldn't attempt to scrape it due to the likelihood of damaging the grain, but maybe hit it gently with a nylon bristle brush to remove any loose material.

Note that "stain" is a broad term, and by specifying a siding/fence stain I'm implying that the product is also a sealer. Interior stains, by contrast, are not intended as a sealer or finish coat.


What are the IRC requirments for bracing/blocking in a load-bearing 2x6 stud wall that is 12' high? When building an exterior load bearing wall 12' high, using 2x6's, is there horizontal blocking/bracing required between the studs? If so, what are the requirements for that? ie. how many per cavity, do they stand on end or go flat, etc? IRC 2012.

If I remember right, any stud section that is over 10' tall needs blocking. Any place I have seen, has been in the center of the height, placed flat so it completely blocks the cavity. It is for fire stopping I believe, perhaps structural as well.


AFCI/GFCI Combo Breaker Trips Daily Under No Load I have a new house (about 9 months old) and recently the dishwasher circuit has started tripping.  It trips while the dishwasher isn't running.  I believe it's code that the dishwasher must be on its own circuit so I'm not sure what else could be causing the trip.

Some facts:

Dishwasher completes its cycle (with heated dry so pulling some current) no issue.  Sometime between then and the next time I go to start the dishwasher (typically 2 days), the circuit trips.
The dishwasher has a switch under the sink.  I've tried turning the switch off just after the cycle completes and I've verified that the power is still on.  Next time I go to start it I turn on the switch and the circuit is off.  So I don't think the dishwasher is doing anything to cause this.
The breaker that trips is labeled "Disposal".  The "Dishwasher" one is next to it and stays on.  The disposal has always had power.  The dishwasher circuit does not appear to trip related to when the disposal is run.  Not sure if this is a simple mislabel or a sign of something more sinister.
Last note and this may be completely unrelated or might not.  After a few months of running just fine, the fridge in my utility room started to trip the breaker daily, then getting more often and eventually tripping it every few hours.  It is also on a GFCI/AFCI combo circuit.  I plugged it into another circuit which had an AFCI-only breaker and it was fine.  After reading about the 2015 regulation changes and how many people were having trouble, I replaced the G/A combo breaker with an AFCI-only and it has run fine ever since.  A few weeks after this the dishwasher trouble started.

I'm stumped.  Before I start disconnecting things, monitoring currents, etc, does anyone have ideas as to why this could be happening?  The house is under warranty for another few months but I'm just not the type to call them in without some idea of whats wrong.

The breaker that trips is an Eaton type that has the diagnostic LED.  It does not blink after resetting.  Just in case that means anything to someone...

I have had tons of problems with dishwashers & garbage disposal units in the past. Motor loads eat these "protection devices" regularly. My state has exempted from protection because of this issue. Make sure to check local code and if required replace the AFCI / GFCI unit and complain to the state electrical board! This is the only way the rules will be changed or manufacturers be held to standards that "normal motor loads or mandated CFL lighting can handle without tripping"!


Retaining Wall Leaking Dirt In the home my wife and I recently purchased, I noticed more and more dirt pouring out of one side of our retaining wall surrounding our driveway. It occurs right at the seam where the retaining wall meets the rest of the house

I'm not sure if a squirrel might be digging in there, if the rain is washing it out, or what.

Is this any cause for concern? Should I take any action to prevent / fix this? Is it indicative of any deeper problems?

If it helps, here's an image of the top of the retaining wall, looking down into the driveway

That small pile of dirt is an indication that moisture is behind your wall and is “escaping” by coming out from between the two walls. As the water runs out, it washes some dirt (fine particles) with it.

If you look closely, you’ll notice there is some very small amounts of soil washing out between the joints of the “stack block” wall too. (If you notice, there is more dirt lower on the wall, because the water “escapes” at the lower levels where there is more pressure.)

The wall on the left is made to be solid and not allow any seepage, but the stack block wall on the right is made to allow water to seep through the joints.

If you plug the joint between the two walls, additional water and dirt will seep through the stack wall joints...you probably won’t notice the difference.

Long term, water will continue washing soil out in order to reduce pressure on the wall. It’s annoyingly to clean up every year or so, but it’s not alarming.


Electrical help: wired new Z-wave wall switches (fan and lighting), old switches were jumpered and I don't understand the reason I had three regular wall switches which operate appliances in this order:

1 Ceiling can lights (replaced with z-wave dimmer switch).

2 Fan lighting

3 Fan on/off (replaced with z-wave fan controller)

At the gang box, there are two incoming (line) wire sets from the breaker and three outbound (load) wire sets. All 5 of the neutrals (white) were twisted and capped. Switch one had two wires connected at the line terminal (one from the breaker and the other jumpered to switch 2 (line). Whats odd is that switch 2 had three wires connected to the line terminal (jumper from switch 1, the other line from the breaker, and another jumper to switch 3).

The two new switches (at position 1 and 3) require neutrals to be connected, so I jumpered each neutral terminal to the other 5 (7 total). Other than that, I kept the same config and things seems to work but I'd like some validation I did it correctly.

It seems redundant that switches 2 and 3 are powered of two lines. Would this cause my ceiling lights (operated by new dimmer switch) to get less current or would everything still draw exactly the current it needs regardless?

If your gang-box is fed from two separate radial circuits, my understanding is that the neutrals should not be combined but should be kept separate.

You don't want the possibility that the current from two 20A hots can return via one 20A neutral when there is a fault in the other neutral.
You don't want a path by which a circuit can become energised even when the breaker for that circuit is off.
You don't want to trip a future GFCI (or equivalent) installed upstream.


Why does my window smell like BO? I have a west facing window that seems to be emanating a horrible body odor smell. I've isolated it to the window, since I can close the cellular shades and it limits the smell. Additionally, if I stick my nose into a crack between the shade and the window frame, the smell is particularly strong.

It's also stronger in the late afternoon when the sun is beating directly on the window.

I've tried cleaning the area thoroughly, but that didn't help.

What could be causing this? How can I fix it?

I have the same problem. I discovered the body odor smell was coming from the fly screen. I live by the beach. After a weather event involving both wind and rain I noticed there salt deposits left. When the sun beats down on the salt deposits the BO smell is most prevelant. I have to remove the flyscreen and give it a thorough clean with sugar soap and a brush to get rid of the smell.


What is this type/style of tile called? What is the name for the type and style of the tiles in the photo below?

I couldn't find anything with reverse image search and no one I've talked to knows. The photo is from an MLS listing. The home's owner is deceased so can't be contacted. The home was built in the 1950's although these tiles might not be that old as they look to be in great shape. Any clues?

The image is low resolution and warped, but it appears like the tile patterns repeat in different orientations. This suggests it is not linoleum, where the patterns are likely to repeat in identical orientations and less frequently. The more than slight reflection of the white appliance also shows the flooring has more shine than plastic flooring like linoleum or vinyl.  You can also see the primary light source is coming from significantly higher above and behind the camera (by the shadow under the cabinets).  The tiles appear to follow this shadowing, strongly suggesting they are significantly raised (approximately .33 inches or higher each).

Because of all this, it's probably regular ceramic tile.


Continuous Power to Switched Outlet Power source is supplied by 12/2 romex to switch.
Feed from switch to duplex outlet is supplied by 12/2 romex.
Is it possible to provide continuous power to one of the outlets while the other outlet remains switched?

Not with the outlet on a spur with 12/2.
Worse, you cannot simply bypass the switch, unless there’s another light in the room under control of a switch.  Code requires every room must have a light switch in the usual location, and the switch must either operate a light, or a socket.


Converting two three-way switches to a single dimmer I recently replaced my kitchen lights to dimmable LEDs. Right now there are two 1 gang 3-way switches, so I can control the same lights from two switches.
I wanted to replace one of the switches with a dimmer, so I bought a dimmer switch and turns out it's only two-way.

Both switches look like this :

While the dimmer looks like this :

How can I wire this dimmer?
I don't mind getting rid of one of the switches.

Never gonna work.  Take the dimmer back and get the right thing.  It won't be the first one the shop has taken back for that reason.

But, know this -- a dimmer switch that works with an old-style 3-way** is a hard problem.  The device that can solve it is sophisticated.  Basically it has to be able to power itself off either of the two travelers, supply the light from the traveler that is hot, and treat a change in traveler as a command to "invert" its on/off state, while remembering its dim setting.   All this to support a very obsolete way of doing that thing.

In this day-and-age, you are far better off going with a dimming smart switch and a matching "remote".  Make sure it's a model that plays well with your LEDs.  The remote can also dim, so you don't have to cross the room to set light level.  You could set it from your phone depending on the model you get.

Think about a going with a standardized system like Z-wave or Zigbee, so everything in your house could talk to each other and your phones.

** 3-way is the American term.  The British term is 2-way.


How should a switch loop be wired? I encountered this apparently simple situation recently.

The issue is that it seems no matter how you wire it, you'll always end up with a black connected to white, which seems wrong.

How should this simple light fixture controlled by a switch be properly wired?

Why do you consider a black to a white wrong?? The whole "black-to-black, white-to-white" is a wives tale and myth.

What you have is a switch loop, and is VERY common, especially in 50's and 60's homes.

The white from the panel goes to the white from the fixture. This is the neutral.
The black from the panel goes to the white from the switch. This is the feed.
The black from the switch goes to the black from the fixture. This is the switched hot.

Modern codes do require that the white to the switch get re-marked with a hot color (typically black, red or blue) with a permanent method such as paint, a permanent marker or even tape.


What is/are the proper method and tools for drilling into masonry? Related to this question, The blinds project has gone pretty smooth up until this point. It seems that some walls have plaster or masonry behind them. Probably not a big deal, but I've snapped a couple of quality drill bits in the process.

Thus, I ask: What should I do to fasten the rest of these to the wall? I have seen some suggestions online about using molly anchors, but I'm not sure if that's the right approach, or even which molly anchor is appropriate.

Assuming that you have masonry walls, you need masonry drill bits and masonry anchors, which are somewhat different than the molly anchors you find for use with hanging on plaster.

Any masonry anchor style should do - as long as you size it appropriately for the item to be hung.


wiring two thermostats in parallel I wqant to add a wifi thermostat to a millivolt system. I would like to keep the current thermostat in case of power lost so that it would kick in at a minimum temp say 45 degrees. How do you wire a thermostat in parallel? Thanks

First of all, most if not all "wifi" thermostats have a battery backup so the thermostat keeps working even if the wifi goes down.

Second, if you lose power, how do you expect your furnace to keep running?  Your existing thermostat runs on electricity too.


Putting a rain barrel on a deck or on a stand I'd like to have a rain barrel setup directly connected to soaker hoses (that will eventually be electronically controlled) to water a garden on-demand. The rain barrel obviously has to be above the garden beds (what's the minimum height differential here?), so my placement options are:

On the deck next to the garden beds. The deck is well built, but the place that the barrel would go is on the deck, lofted above the septic tank. This will put an additional ~200 pounds static load onto the roof of the septic tank. Will this cause an issue?
On a stand on the lawn. I assume I'd have to lay down a gravel/stone dust packed base, some large pavers, and then build a relatively beefy wooden stand to hold the rain barrel up.

Which of these options (or potentially others) would be best?

Edit: I'm mostly looking for longevity and safety. I am happy with both locations from an aesthetic perspective. The deck is easier because I don't have to dig/fill, but the footings being on top of the septic are a structural concern that I'm asking to have verified

These answers will be opinion based so here's mine. I would rather have a 100 pound keg of beer on my deck. The rain barrel is just for the garden so I would be making it part of the garden instead of part of the recreational use of the deck. I doubt it would cause any issues if on the deck though.


Time for a Box Upgrade (to 200A)? So I have 2 units on my property with solar on each, totaling 7K. My front unit I use as an office and already upgraded the box there to 200A. In the back I still have 100. I have central air right now, but that's about it, the rest is lights. I realized in the office unit the only thing that was still gas was the stove so last year I got an induction stove and turned off the account (saving around $300/year). My back house I will eventually go completely off gas but I have a Takagi tankless right now. When that dies will replace with electric. Then I have a gas stove and a gas furnace for my AC. And a gas dryer.

Few weeks ago I had finally had enough of it sounding like a helicopter battle was occurring under the house when the washing machine was completing its cycle. Got a new machine (which incidentally has an annual use of $10 of energy).

When the dryer dies I will for sure replace it with an electric one.

Last variable: I am in LA where DWP instituted a program to switch to Time of Use meters. I did that over a year ago and my meter has run backwards in the A and B periods a lot, so anything I move to electric is running for free.

Question is should I just do the box now? or try and hang the dryer and see if I can get away with it.

The only way to know for sure if an upgrade is required, is to do a load calculation on the building.  For this you'll need to know the electrical requirements of all the major electrical equipment (A/C, Heat, hot water, range, dryer, etc), and the square footage of the building.

In my opinion, any home that's all electric, should probably have at least 200 amp service. Obviously this is a generalization, based on the average home in my area.


What sort of handle would fit this main valve? Does anyone know what sort of handle would fit this main valve?  Prefer to avoid using the tongue and groove pliers again!

Not the answer you want but the only way a handle will fit on that chewed up stem is if the stem is replaced.

Anything that the handle used to engage with the stem is gone, whether it was square shoulders, knurled, fluted or flat spot. I do not see anything for the handle to engage to turn the shaft.


Precast cement stairs bolted to foundation We are attempting to sell our 1969 split level and one of the issues we have is our precast cement stairs. They are attached to the cinder block wall foundation with bolts. This  caused about a 1/2 inch by 3 feet gap in the block wall in the basement.  the stairs were pulling away from the house so our contractor lifted them up with cement shims to make the stairs plum against the house. The gap in the basement wall remains.   Any suggestions? Should we remove/replace  the stairs completely or is there an easier fix here? Was hoping to not have to put anymore money into the house but if it helps us to sell, I see no other choice. Thanks in advance.

Resale or not, the steps are a serious structural issue.  Eventually, they will cause very expensive problems.  One way or another, you need to remove that load from the foundation wall and make the wall plumb again.  You may be able to do that cheaply, but in the big scheme of things, steps aren't all that expensive, especially compared to foundation repairs.  If you need to replace them, you could even go with something other than concrete.

That said, lets look at potential fixes short of step replacement.  The concrete shims are a temporary fix.  The shims will settle faster than the steps did.  The steps need a proper footer to be stable.  You don't want that weight hanging on your foundation wall.  The wall is not designed to support the leverage that the steps create.  The load of the steps will eventually destroy that wall and become a serious structural issue.  Re-securing the steps to the wall was the worst thing you could do.

The upper part of the third picture has several pads on the wall (the detail is too small to see).  You indicate that those are the bolts.  I would cut them off.  Even better, if you can pull the steps away from the wall again and are able to access the bolts outside, cut them off there, too.

Once the steps are no longer a load on the wall, they can be supported as a free-standing piece.  If you can leave the steps intact, you may be able to use helical piers to support the steps rather than trying to excavate footers.

If there is a gap between the steps and the wall, that is just a cosmetic issue.  Caulk the gap or use other methods to hide it for a nicer appearance.  Grout may separate or crack if the steps settle at all.

The crack in the basement is because the steps made the upper part of the wall tilt out.  That also stresses the exterior brick facing, but that may be spread over a large enough area that you don't yet see similar separation in the brick mortar joints.

Use a long level vertically inside and out, straddling the crack area, to look for anything that is out of plumb or not a continuous straight line.  If you see any such signs, have a foundation specialist look at it.  They may be able to push things back into place.  I wouldn't simply re-point the cinder block mortar in a non-vertical position because the weight of the house that it is supporting will try to push the wall more out of alignment.

If you don't want to undertake the work prior to resale, leave the evidence visible (although I would at least cut off the bolts inside the basement).  You could have serious liability if you try to hide a structural issue.  The home inspector will see it, and you can negotiate the price.  If the buyer wants to just re-point the mortar and not fix anything, the onus will be on them, and you will be in the clear.  If that is your strategy, don't bring in a foundation specialist, yourself.  You would be obligated to disclose the findings, which could document a high repair cost.


How to protect the AC from power spikes - a hardwired surge protector, or UPS? As I understand, power surges can damage the AC boards, compressors and fan motors. Looking into hardwired surge protectors I found devices ranging in current, maximum protecting voltage and protection modes, whose prices also range from $20 to $800.

At the same time a 220V computer UPS cost is in the range of $100-400.

What should be considered when choosing a protection method for a 220V AC running off of a 30A breaker?

They are intended for different purposes:

Surge protectors are mostly designed to protect against lightning strikes, although more expensive models may include some kind of power conditioning (protecting against smaller surges).

A UPS, (Uninterruptible Power Supply), on the other hand, is designed to provide some amount of power to a computer during a power outage, helping to prevent data loss, etc.  These also usually include a surge protector and power conditioning, of various qualities.

Motors, compressors, etc. generally draw a large amount of power on startup, unlike computers, which may cause problems.  You probably also do not need your devices to keep running for a short amount of time during a power outage (if you do, a UPS would be the way to go).

Whatever you do choose, make sure that it is rated for the power and voltage being used, and that it is intended to be used in that manner.

As ThreePhaseEel stated above (beat me to it, it seems), a hardwired surge suppressor is probably your best bet.


Can I retrofit a ground wire to my oven circuit? I'm dealing with a 1970-built home and the oven has 6-3 without ground running to the oven. 2 hots and the neutral. Got a new oven coming in and want to make sure it's wired right. I could run new wire, it's not impossible but daunting for a DIY'er. I'm curious about running a separate 6AWG ground wire along side the 6-3 from the panel. I see conflicting info online about how NEC 2014 allows this but then there's NEC 303.3(B) that says all wires need to be together or is that only for running in conduit? The oven wire currently is running up a wall and along a 2nd story floor joist to a junction box, only after the junction box is it in metal conduit with a ground wire bonded to neutral. I plan to remove the junction box and run the 6-3 through the floor to a new junction box up stairs with a 4-prong receptacle.
Here's some pictures:
https://imgur.com/a/Asq4c9R

You can retrofit ground. See many answers about that - e.g., What does this answer about old residential home grounding mean?

Options include running a new separate ground wire or connecting with another ground wire. However, while you may be able to use a smaller than 6 AWG wire for the ground (10 AWG according to Harper's comment), you can't just connect to a 12 AWG or 14 AWG ground from a 20A or 15A circuit - that's not quite big enough.

As far as all the wires being together - ground is the exception. That's because ground only carries current in an emergency (and then hopefully only long enough for the overcurrent situation to trip the breaker). However, one key to that is make absolutely certain that any neutral-ground bond in the oven is removed. Sometimes a neutral-ground bond is included in the oven but that is only used when connecting without a separate ground to the panel (which should not be the case on any new installation).

As far as why this is all even an issue: When grounding was added as a requirement for most residential circuits, appliance manufacturers (specifically electric ovens/cooktops/ranges and clothes dryers) were concerned that requiring a potentially significant amount of electrical work (e.g., if the wires were not in conduit and the path not easily accessible to run a ground wire or a new cable) would affect sales of new appliances - you would replace it if it was broken and you had no way to fix it, but you wouldn't "upgrade" and you would fix rather than replace when possible. In other words, money. So they got an exception to allow ground to share the neutral connection. In certain situations this provides the same safety benefits of a separate ground wire. But in many other cases it does not. At this point (and for many years now), new installations and changes to existing installation require full separate grounding. But the manufacturers are still resistant to losing any sales due to lack of a ground wire so they continue (legally) to sell appliances that can be connected either way, and in many areas it is totally legal to keep using a ground-via-neutral provided it is a simple appliance replacement, but not recommended.

As far as neutral-ground bond in the main panel, the basic idea is that neutral & ground should be connected in exactly one place. In fact, they need to be connected for certain aspects of the entire electrical system to work properly. But having them connected in multiple places ends up defeating the purpose (partially) of ground wires.


How to fix split open roof Recent winds in the UK had blown the roof off my shed. It look like it has opened from the beam. I have claim insurance on it but for the time being I had put carpet on the roof but it keeps blowing off because of the wind.

What can I do as a temporary fix so my things don't wet?

Don't use carpet. Water will go right through that. Buy a tarp with metal rings, and use rachet straps or ropes to fasten that to the base of the shed. Example: https://youtu.be/2X6qlhyKSjM

Hardware stores and home improvement stores sell tarps. Walmart even sells them.


Is our flooring contractor extending our hardwood floor correctly? As part of our kitchen renovation, the contractor is extending our hardwood floor. As you can see in this photo, they have cut out boards from the old floor and are adding new boards. I think this is called "toothing". It looks like they are not putting underlayment under the new boards that join with old boards. What you cannot see in this photo is that we have a basement below.

It seems to me that either the underlayment is necessary between the hardwood floor and the plywood subfloor, in which case it must be under all boards, or it is unnecessary, in which case they are wasting time and money. It seems that being inconsistent could cause bowing or warping.

So, my questions are:

Should the contractor be putting strips of underlayment under the new boards that join with old boards?
Given that this is the floor for a kitchen, where liquids may spill, does that change the importance of the underlayment or of being consistent with underlayment?

I have seen glue down floors with no paper, it was a wider board, but still solid flooring, not engineered. When I was coming up in the trade when I was in my 20's I was told paper was used as a cushion, I thinks it was wrong. When nail down wood floors move as with a cushion under it, they squeak.

The paper is used to prevent I think, and you may find elsewhere, to prevent the mass migration of moisture from below to the flooring above, and perhaps to keep spills from going through below. Moisture going through a floor is inevitable and necessary. The rapid transfer is harmful and will damage the floor. The paper slows the transfer down. The floor finish and cleaning up spills asap is part of that.

Where the paper is missing at the joints can only be repaired to a degree, the driving of the new floor will have a tendency to rip the strips up as it is being driven in if they are narrow. Narrow strips will have many joints anyway so in the long narrow areas it may be a moot point. I think some areas may have been able to have been detailed better, like sliding the paper up under some of the ends to cover a little better, but if the action doing this loosens up the existing, then it is better not to do so for creating squeaks.

IMO, they are doing an somewhat acceptable job on the paper, their toothing is excellent, tying in new to old and finishing it usually stands out a bit, but spreading out the toothing long into the old floor helps blend it in. The ends of the flooring where they are driving it in, leaves a little to be desired, I see the ends are getting dinged up from the hammer by not using an effective drive block to protect the new floor while being driven.


Breaker box that is full My box is full and I have a gas water heater and trying to switch to a electric tank. Could I just take out two of my 110s and replace it w a 220v for the new tank.?

Assuming that there are no service capacity constraints, you have a few options:

Replace some of the breakers with tandem breakers.  These essentially double the density of each slot.  These breakers come in a variety of configurations of both 120/240V and combos with both.  This is the easiest of options for a do-it-yourselfer to complete.
Install a sub-panel. You would relocate a number of circuits from the current box to a new sub-panel.
Replace the entire breaker panel with a larger panel. This is the most difficult of the three options and sometimes requires the utility to disconnect your service in order to complete this.

As always, contact a licensed electrician if you are unsure of how to safely make these modifications.


Converting 3-gang electrical box to single This 3-gang box in the kitchen houses a GFCI protected outlet, a dishwasher switch, and a garbage disposal switch. I will be wiring the dishwasher and the garbage disposal from under the sink with a box with two switches. The plan is to remove the wall switches and connect the hots at the existing box.
I’d rather not rip out the wall to remove 3-gang and replace it with a single box that would house the outlet and also act like a junction box for the dishwasher and disposal extension. I am looking at the least “intrusive” ideas that will allow me to do that.
One thought was to cover the two spaces with a drywall and install a single plate.
Another was to somehow pry the 3-gang and drop it inside the wall, then try to install an old-work box.
Any other ideas? What would you do?
This part of the wall is already painted but I guess I’d have to do what I have to do. Should I just bite the bullet and cut maybe a 1’x1’ square, put a proper single box and drywall it, or is there a better way?

So I called my sweetie over, who is the resident chef, but knows nothing about electrical, and explained you had extra gang spaces and wanted to eliminate them.  Other than that, I did not "lead the question". The instant response: "This, please!"

See, now that's the difference between an electrician and a chef.
I've learned to be careful and avoid the "target fixation" which motivates many to do wiring that exactly complies with Code minimums... or is designed to min-max for minimum cost.  We don't work for electricity. Electricity works for us.  Usability is the reason we wire, not Code... and as for cost, most electrical stuff is laughably cheap compared to its value.


Will a drill bit that came with a dremel be good enought to drill out a screw? I have a dremel, and I want to know if the drill bits that came with it are good enough to drill out a screw in my shower faucet.

The shower faucet handel is broken and the screw is stuck in the hole. I would like to just drill it out instead of pulling the whole fixture apart.

It should be good enough, even though you are using a rue of thumb.  You might try a screw extractor.

Here's the instructions on using a screw extractor.

Here's a link from a previous post on suggestions on removing damaged screws.

If you extract it in a good way you won't damage anything and can reuse the old parts.  The screw extractor kit is handy to have around, even if it is only used a couple times a year, if that much.  It easily gets the bad screw out, get a replacement handle and screw a new set screw back in.  If you drill it out, the you risk damaging the threads or you might have to tap the hole and go with a large size that might stick out more than the designed screw.


Fluorescent lights that turn on very slowly So I've got an older house, built in the late 1950's.  All the lights in the bathroom fixtures and the garage are fluorescent.  Sometimes, but not always, they take several minutes to actually turn on when you flip the light switch.  I can see that there's a glow at the ends of the tube when they do this.  I've tried switching out older light tubes for newer ones, but it doesn't seem to matter.  What's going on with this?  Why do these lights do that?  Any way to fix it?

Since you've got an older house, your fluorescents probably have starters. Fixtures that take a long time to turn on may have a bad starter. I'd look into replacing the starter if you can find a matching one - it should be a relatively cheap alternative to replacing the entire fixture.


Wiring power cord Adapter to connect a Round 3-prong female generator plug to a round 4-prong Gen Trans Switch We live in a rural area where electrical service from the local utility is sometimes interrupted for a few/several days by winter storms - accompanied by high winds - that blow down large evergreen trees across electrical transmission lines.

So, (to ensure we have residential electrical power during an extended power outage) we have two "paired" Honda EU2000i portable gas generators.  They’re both small, red and quiet.  We have a small “pairing” cord set from Honda that allows us to connect two of these generators together (aka “pair” them) for approximately twice the output amps.

The Honda generators have a round 3-prong female receptacle/plug on the face of the generator to accept a round 3-prong male plug from a power cord (to connect the generator power to a load).

We also have a 30 amp Honda "Gen Tran" - Generator Transfer Switch that has been professionally installed to the breaker box in the garage (for the house).
The 30 amp Gen Tran Switch (part # 32310-189006) has 10 circuits, and a male 4-prong locking plug power inlet to receive the female end of a 4-prong power cord that is connected to a generator power supply.

Note: Each circuit on the Gen Tran Switch must be individually, manually moved from “Line” to “Off,” and then to “Generator Power,” in order to safely transfer generator power to a specific electrical circuit in the house without back-charging the line coming into the house from the utility pole.  Then, when utility power is restored, each circuit powered by the generator must be individually, manually switched back to “off,” and then to “line.”

Here’s the challenge/question, and it involves wiring/creating an adapter to allow the round 3-prong female generator outlet to be connected to the 4-wire power cord that plugs into the Gen Tran Switch:

We have a “4 wire, 10 gauge, 25’ power cord” (purchased from Home Depot) to connect the "paired" generators to the Gen Tran Switch.
The respective female/male ends of this power cord are both round 4-prong, and wired as follows
•   Green       “Ground”
•   Red         “Y”
•   Black       “X”
•   White       “W”

The round 4-prong female end of the power cord plugs into the male prongs on the face of the Gen Tran Switch just fine, but the 4-prong male end of the power cord won’t plug into the round 3-prong female receptacle on the generator.

So, I will need to wire/build an adapter (with a Round 4-prong FEMALE plug on one end, and a Round 3-prong MALE plug on the other end) in order to be able to connect the "paired" generators the Gen Tran Switch. I plan to use an 18" piece of 10 gauge 4-wire, and two locking plugs, to create the adapter.

On the adapter, how should the 4-wires be connected to the 3 terminals for the wires on the male end of the adapter?  My un-informed layman’s approach would be to either:

A.  Amputate the green wire from the 3-prong male plug (that will be plugged into the generator) altogether,
or alternatively to
B.  Wire the Green Ground wire and White neutral wire together...

... And then, in either case, to wire the remaining “Y” to “Y” and “X” to “X” for both ends of the adapter.

Thoughts or recommendations?

I looked up the Honda EU2000i Owner's manual, and it appears these generators are only rated for 120 volt output.

I couldn't find much detail on the transfer switch you mentioned, but from what I could find it appears to be a 120/240V transfer switch.

If you were to connect the generator to the transfer switch, only half of the circuits would work, and you'd not be able to power any 240V loads. This is because the generator is designed to only supply 120 volts, whereas your home (and the transfer switch) work with a 120/240V system.

If you really want to proceed, which I wouldn't recommend. The adapter cord would have a standard 20 ampere three prong plug ("hot", "neutral" ground) on one end, and a four prong ("hot", "hot", "neutral", ground) plug on the other. The wiring would be as follows:

Three prong "hot" to four prong "X".
Three prong "neutral" to four prong "neutral" (W).
Three prong ground to four prong ground.
four prong "Y" not used.

With this setup, only the circuits labeled "A" on the transfer switch will work (or maybe only "B" will work, depending on the internal wiring).

My recommendation; based on the fact that you seem to indicate that the power in your area is somewhat unreliable, is to purchase a larger 120/240V generator. This should plug directly into the transfer switch, and will power both legs (A and B), as well as supply 240 volt loads.


outlet intended for half hot does not have tab removed We just bought a house and saw a room that used to have half hot wired for all the outlets. It was converted over so both plugs of the outlet are hot all the time. However, the way it was wired, there are two hot wires going into each of the outlets. This is fine because the tabs are removed between the outlets. However, there is one outlet where the tab is not removed (pictured) -- probably a recently replaced outlet where they forgot to remove the tab. Neutral tab also not broken. Neutrals continue on to other outlets.

I removed the tab but I still have two questions:

Is this dangerous?
Does this mean there is 220 volts to this outlet if the tab is not removed?

EDIT UPDATED IMAGE:

Remove the tab in the center receptacle and you should be all set.   Or you could just remove the red pigtail from that receptacle and also, you'd be all set.

The problem right now is that you have a redundant current path on the hot side.  The red wire is spliced to the black wire, so they are from the same circuit and in the same potential (i.e. in the same phase).    If they were from different circuits, this situation would be a lot worse.  Eliminate the redundant path and you're good.


Can I put the unused blue wire in the C port, while still having the existing wire there? I am installing a Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat.  I do not have a C wire, but there is an unused blue wire in the thermostat wiring, and also in the furnace wiring.

The videos I've watched say that I can use the unused blue wire as the C wire.  That's no problem for the thermostat, but when I look at the furnace, there is already a wire in the C port.  Can I put the unused blue wire in the C port, while still having the existing wire there (so, having both wires in the C port)?

I've included pictures of the thermostat and furnace.

Yes. It's not exactly code compliant (as far as NEC goes), but it is an accepted practice in the HVAC industry.  Notice that there are two wires on the Y terminal.

I believe this question has been asked a few times before, so may get closed as a duplicate.


Does my plan for 240V subpanel to planned shed 200' away sound reasonable? We are building a path and stairs from our cabin to the lake which is about 200' away. Eventually I plan to build a shed to store Kayaks.
In the short term I want lighting at the lake. Other than lights and potentially running light-duty 120V equipment (powerwasher, electronics, air pump) I can't imagine what else I would need power for at the shed. On the other hand I like to plan for "unknowns".
I was planning on running a combination of buried PVC conduit and PVC conduit attached to the stairs to get to the final destination.
I'm wondering if my plan to use 1" conduit, 8# CU (4 conductors) to a a 40amp subpanel sounds reasonable.
I calculate the voltage drop to be about 4%; does this sound about right?

The experts will come along to discuss a ton of issues, but I'll point out a few to get you started:

Conduit Size

The big cost with PVC conduit is not the conduit. It is the digging. Whether you do it by hand or with a machine, the digging is the hard part. At current Home Depot prices (and you may do better elsewhere), the difference between 3/4" and 1" is $ 1.20 for a 10' piece, or a grand total of $ 24 for 200'. Go "big" now. It doesn't cost much, and the cost of having to redo it is a lot more than $ 24.

Subpanel

Even if you only need one circuit, a subpanel makes sense. There are a bunch of reasons. One of them is GFCI protection. With a single circuit, a GFCI trip will turn off the lights as well as the tools. With a subpanel, you can easily separate the lights from the receptacles. The main breaker on the subpanel will also function as a shutoff switch for all power to the shed. You can also put in a 40A or 60A or much larger subpanel even if the feed is 30A (which would typically be enough to provide for 4 15A or 20A 120V circuits). Again, the big cost is the labor involved, so don't put in a "just big enough" subpanel, go up a size so you have expansion room - e.g., if you decided later to turn the shed into a real workshop then you would only have to replace the feed wires and the breaker in the main panel but not replace the subpanel.


How can I repair the carpet around a new shower? I just had a new shower put in, and the existing carpet doesn't quite go close enough to the bottom of the shower.  It looks uneven.  Is there something I can buy to make it flush?

Ignoring the fact that carpet in a bathroom is just a bad idea, I see two options:

Install a threshold to cover the gap

(source: abbey-carpets.co.uk)
You might be able to put down a new tack strip and stretch the carpet.  This will really depend on how large the gap is (you didn't say)

(source: homedepot.ca)


Is the advice "don't operate light switches barefoot" outdated? I was taught in my young age (1980s-1990s) not to operate light switches (or anything electrical) barefoot. Is this advice still relevant in 2021 (in a modern house in Western Europe with grounding, just to have a reference)?
Or does it no longer apply to modern wiring and light switches?

I don't think the advice was particularly salient in the 80's or even decades before. I think it was based on some irrational fear &/or misconception.
Don't use light switches with wet hands - which is why bathrooms have pull-switches. That makes sense, but to extrapolate that to any & all light switches for fear they're badly wired, unearthed & the shoes will stop you becoming the route to earth… sorry, that's irrational fear.
It belongs in the same category as always making sure socket switches are off if nothing is plugged in, which still sees some adherents even in the UK, where you'd need a slim screwdriver to even open the socket gates be able to poke something into one.


How deep do I dig to install a walkway when there is already a trench that has some vegetation? I am planning to install a walkway along the wall of my house. This will replace an existing area where the former owner had plants.
It looks like below

My plan is to level it and to add 2" of sand stone. Not sure if I need gravel as basys here. After that I would compact it and then install these precast slabs that look like flagstone
Then fill the gaps between slabs with white decorative stone to add some contrast (https://www.lowes.ca/outdoor/garden-landscaping/mulch-rock-soil/stone-gravel-rock/)

I hope that the final result will look like this:

My question: I know that when you are installing something like this you need to make sure that whatever plants and roots are there they must be removed. One way to take care of this problem is to install landscape fabric. Would that be enough or I need to also dig a layer of soil deep enough to remove any vegetation roots ? Most of DIY instructions show how to install this when you have existing lawn and the reader in instructed to remove the sod and build on that.

You don't need to go deeper than what you need for your design.  Remove any substantial exposed roots on the starting surface (say pencil diameter or larger), mainly to level it and prevent voids if they eventually rot away.  Landscape fabric can't hurt, but I'm not sure how much difference it will make.

It's generally a good idea to start with a compacted layer of paver base.  The material is a designed mix of sizes, and the pieces aren't rounded.  It interlocks to make it more stable so it doesn't shift and settle when it gets wet.  The finer material gets washed into crevices between larger components, making it even stronger and tighter.  Once it's compacted and gets a little water, it can approach concrete in its characteristics.  It also helps to block roots.  Then use a layer of sand for the slabs.

Be aware that your decorative stone and underlying sand will quickly form a "garden".  Dirt will collect in the stones, and seeds and pollen that fall there will grow (even if you have a layer of plastic directly underneath).  You will need to regularly treat it with weed killer.  I've done a couple of approaches to create a maintenance-free barrier.

One is to use exposed aggregate concrete as the filler where you're showing the decorative stone.  You can mix in colorful pebbles and then wash the surface to expose them.  If you want to stick with a look closer to what you show, you can fill partially with mortar or grout and then embed a thin layer of stones in the surface.

Another approach I've used is to put in the decorative stone chips, add some fine sand to fill the lower voids (wash it in until you can just start to see it), let it completely dry, and then add plastic resin.  That amount of resin can get expensive, but you can make your own cheaply.  Explaining how to do it is a bit long and tangential to this question, but if you're interested, we can dedicate a separate question to it.


How do I connect to a dishwasher bushing? I just bought a new dishwasher for a newly renovated house that I just bought.
I am trying to install it myself.

My sink drain pipe has one of these sticking out the side above the U pipe thingy like the bottom right most example.

Do I just go to town on the end of that with a hacksaw and clamp on the drain hose?

Edit:
My sink drain looks like so with the bushing circled. I do not believe there is a hole on it.

"Do I just go to town on the end of that with a hacksaw and clamp on the drain hose?"

Yes.  The end is capped so that it can be installed without being connected to anything.  Leaving it uncapped would leave it open for leaks if you were to fill the drainpipe.

Just cut off the end as near to the cap as you can reasonable fit a saw, and slip the hose over it.  For added security, use a hose clamp to secure it.


What alternatives are there for basement post footings besides concrete? House is cabin construction 2x4's. Dirt floor. Main support piers in the center of the house are sunk concrete, but the beams are sagging all over. Center support piers are reasonable.

I used jackposts on concrete blocks between the center support pier and outside wall.  The problem was crawlspace was wet so the blocks sunk.  I have remedied most of the wet problem.

So the right way to do this is to dig down 2 feet and sink some concrete, then jackposts under the sagging part of the beam. (ok should be wood pier...) I was told only screw the jackpost say 1 inch a week till its level.

Are there alternatives to sinking concrete?

It's rather cold here now and the less I have to be under the house, the better.

Thanks.

A bed of gravel under 3' 6x6 sleepers or a triple stack of 2x10s should do fine. As Steve Foutz said, you're looking for surface area, and it has to be something that won't flex into a banana under load.


Chromalux Electric Boiler Replacement for Radiator System I have an old chromalux electric heater heating my radiant heaters. Would it be more cost effective to replace it with a gas fired boiler? - and would I have to replace the rads or just tie into them?

The answer depends on where you are, what your local energy prices look like,  whether you already have gas coming into the house, whether you're going to be there long enough for investment in a new system to justify its cost...

In my area, gas and oil have historically alternated as most cost-effective, with electric heat always being most expensive.

When I bought it, my house had a 1945 oil boiler, inefficient by modern standards and with a slightly leaky tank as well. I budgeted for replacing it when negotiating the purchase. I personally prefer gas and already had gas coming into the house, so that's what I chose -- a direct-vented high-efficiency gas boiler, with new pumps, feeding the existing radiators.

(Actually,  I was very interested in the small gas-fired cogeneration plants starting to be sold as heating systems ... use the gas to run an engine which runs a generator, sell the electricity to the grid and use the "waste" heat to heat the house -- but for good or ill, they were only available for forced-hot-air systems and I wasn't ready to replace everything or deal with having only one or two trained technicians in the entire state to maintain the thing. So I'm just selling solar to the grid.)

One thing to keep in mind when upgrading a heating system:  Old units drew combustion air from their surroundings, drawing (cold, in winter) replacement air into the house. New units are direct vented, meaning they draw combustion air directly from outside, so you don't lose as much heat out the exhaust.  But their greater efficiency also means less heat lost to their surroundings, so the basement may actually become cooler rather than warmer unless you remove some pipe wrap to get more heat into that space... or add a zone and radiator(s) for the basement.


letting-in two-ply 2x12 girder to 6x6 beam I am doing a project where I'm supporting a girder made of two 2x12s with a 6x6 post.  (But this question really applies to 2-by-anything).   For added strength, I want to "let in" the girder to the 6x6, that is, cut a notch out of the top of the 6x6 for the girder to sit in; this is superior, because the girder is supported directly by the 6x6, not just by the fasteners.

I will also add a diagonal brace, probably 2x6.

Several questions:

What is the best way to notch the 6x6 ?   In the past, with one 2-by, I've made a series of kerfs with my circular saw, and then cleaned it out with chisel/hammer/etc.   But my circular saw can only cut to 2-1/4".   How well would it work to make cuts down both sides of the 6x6, which would leave about 1" of material in the 6x6 (actual thickness 5-1/2"), and finish up with a sawzall, which would be guided pretty accurately by the previous two 2-1/4" deep cuts ?
Should I consider making the notch less than 3" deep, perhaps the 2-1/4" my circular saw could manage with the kerf & cleanout method ?  I intend to thoroughly bolt the two 2x12s together, and the notch would still support half of the second one, so no worries on strength there.   In fact, I fear that by making the notch 3" deep, I would leave only 2-1/2" of the 6x6 where the girder is bolted, which would weaken the connection a good bit.
If I decide to make the notch only 2-1/4" deep, how do I make my diagonal brace lay nicely ?  The girder would stick out 3/4" from the side of the post, so there will be a 3/4" gap between the brace and the side of the post.   Maybe just put a "washer" of 3/4" thick wood between the brace and the 6x6 ?

ADDIITONAL CONTEXT:

This will be outdoors, so the wood will be treated, probably using MCA (micronized copper azole), which is supposedly gentler on metal fasteners and non-toxic.

This is for a ground-mount solar array.   The girders will support aluminum rails to which the solar panels are clamped.   I believe this means that the strongest forces will be wind uplift, not downwards.  I had to get a PE to stamp some drawings for the permit (below).   I am deviating a bit (with AHJ's blessing), using metal rails instead of the 2x8 purlins shown in the drawings.   But I will do the footings/piers, posts, and girders as shown in the drawings, except possibly making the notches only 2-1/4" deep as mentioned above.

I've done that before many times on large beams and it works fine. In fact, forgo the reciprocating saw and still use your chisel. It'll easier than the other method because you'll be working with the grain instead of against it. Or you could use the reciprocating saw to finished the depth on   your cross cuts for your usual method.

The brace is called a knee brace and it's often of evenly dimensioned lumber, usually 4x4, and is usually attached on the face of the beam and post rather than the side. Lag screws are used for attachment, through the knee brace at 45 degree angle which is at the normal 90 degree angle into the post and beam. Usually a counter bore is used to both hide the screw head from view from the side and to provide a flat bearing surface


Fluorescent fixture won't stay lit I have a two-bulb F28T5 light fixture that went out and replacing the bulbs with new ones did not fix it. So I replaced the ballast with a new one. The lights come on but go out within  a second or so. I cleaned the prongs that hold the light with alcohol and a Q-Tip but that didn't help.

I bent the prongs inward slightly and then the bulbs stayed lit for at least five minutes, long enough that no one noticed when they went back out. I tried rotating the bulbs in their sockets again but, as before, they only stay on for a second and go out.

The only thing I can think is that, perhaps, one of the bulb holders is bad or loose but, with it staying on as long as it did before, I wonder if there's something I'm not thinking of.

If the lights actually light then apparently the lamps and wiring are good. I would suspect the ballast.

Is your ballast rated for T5 or T8 lamps?

The 'F' on the lamp is just the wattage rating.

I believe the two lamps are incompatible with the ballasts designed for them respectively. A lot of the T5 ballasts are listed as high output or HO. shop for ballasts and I think you will find they are lists for one or the other but not both.

You need the lamps that match your ballast.

Good luck!


what is this unused brown wire in my thermostat wiring? I replaced an existing Honeywell programmable thermostat with a new Z-wave enabled CT101-L thermostat yesterday. All went well, and the C, W, Y, R and G wires found their proper target connectors. The thermostat's working fine, and I'm able to control it remotely. (Haven't tested air-conditioning on account of the deep freeze here in Minnesota, but I'm assuming that's OK).

My question is about an unused brown-colored wire tucked back into the wall. This loops back on itself, and wasn't connected to anything on the old thermostat. I'm not sure where / how to trace this back to the furnace.

What is this wire? Is it an outside temperature / humidity sensor (which would be more than awesome), or just something that's a standard part of the cable (which probably is also good, so I can probably add said sensor). Or does using it somewhere unlock some more thermostat goodness?

It's likely not connected to anything. If you go to the furnace, you'll likely see the cable that goes to the thermostat. You'll also likely see the brown wire either wrapped around the cable, or just not connected to anything.


Putting 2cm granite on top of plywood and adhensive I posted a question here about my idea for outdoor granite countertop:

Granite countertop installation on top of 4x4 outdoor

I found a 2 cm countertop piece (without the thick L-shape edges) as it's just flat on all 4 sides. You could say it's unfinished but since the sides are all shiny, I like it the way it is.

If I put it on outdoor plywood and glue using granite adhesive, is that enough? I am afraid the piece still moves because the 4 sides don't have the thick edges.

Perhaps you could reinforce the edge/rim with a strip (steel, hardwood, or 2x4s) underneath the plywood.

Brackets should also be helpful, especially if they are attached to support strips.


zinsco breaker box in garage Just got this place. This panel is in the garage. It is connected to the house main on a 50amp breaker. the panel in garage has 8 circuits going out to 20 outlets and one light fixture on ceiling. I know Zinsco is bad fire hazard and want to replace. Also curious if I would be able to only use half of the outlets and have a 220 line in garage. Is this possible?

Well, I'd suggest selecting a new subpanel with a lot more than 8 spaces.  For expansion room, mainly; if you get busy you can fill it.  (you can run a LOT of stuff on 50A feeder).
You probably weren't imagining a 24-space panel, but the fact is, panel spaces are laughably cheap... whereas running out of spaces is a major frustration.  So it really, really is "false economy" to scrimp on the size of the panel.  Buy spaces like you never want to buy them again. Because you don't.
The new panel will be taller and you won't have any trouble getting all the cables fully into the panel and 1/4" past the cable clamp while they are still in the sheath.
A new installation would require a separate neutral and ground.   Also, ground (alone) can be retrofitted.  However, simply replacing the panel to get rid of that Zinsco should not oblige you to upgrade to a grounded feed.  Also, adding individual circuits should not have that effect.


What size subpanel breaker do I need? I am installing a Whole House Tankless on-demand electric water heater.  My main  200 amp panel is almost full.  The requirements to run the water heater is four 40 amps double pole breakers.  I am assuming that all four breakers will draw at the same time.
What size "main breaker" do I need for my subpanel?

200A in the subpanel
Which means you don't actually need a breaker; the existing 200A main breaker will suffice (assuming there actually is one, and you don't have a split-bus/Rule of Six panel).
All you need is subfeed lugs, either built into the panel, or as a bolt-in.  (however, this bolt-in will take 4 breaker spaces and limit the use of breaker spaces opposite it; so prepare to move as many as 8 circuits to the new subpanel).
However, this isn't going to work...
These days, people install 200A service because the electric company won't serve anything less, so an all-gas house like mine might not even have 40A on its load calculation. Such a house could support 160A of electric tankless.
However, in the past, people installed 200A service because they had so many electric major appliances that 100A service wasn't enough.  Obviously, they do not have 160A of capacity to spare... and I bet you're one of those. If you have 240V breakers on your range, dryer, furnace or A/C, I guarantee your panel does not have 160A of spare ampacity, and you'll need to either change your plan or go with a 400A-class service.
400A-class service actually implements as dual 200A service panels.  So your existing 200A panel just stays put. Then you install a second 200A panel (with a LOT of extra spaces this time, please!!) And there you'll have plenty of both physical space and ampacity for your water heaters.
Is this even a good idea?
First, I think the idea of electric water heat is great, if you have the ampacity available to you.  Some people don't like it, but I think most of their dislike actually relates to what I'm about to describe.
This isn't a problem you have, certainly... but many people have very bad experiences by getting too small a tankless. The heater could not carry their load (and they didn't do too much thinking about GPM and things like that).  These same people also have trouble with electric cars, off-grid solar tech, and other technologies.
Then of course there's the problem you do have, which is that a successfully sized tankless can take so much electricity that it's hard to provision (at least, if other conservation measures aren't taken to reduce the needed GPM).
The hot water pipe between the water heater and the points-of-use will tend to go cold fairly quickly.  As such, there's a "slug" of cold water that has to be pushed through the pipe before any hot water arrives.  A centrally located tankless does nothing to improve this.  However, with tankless heaters, it is possible to have multiple tankless heaters, each near a point-of-use (such as a bathroom).  This eliminates the long pipe run and the waiting... and allows the local unit to be much smaller in capacity, since it only needs to support one "large" load of known size.  For instance a bathroom's unit could be sized for its shower, and combined with a low-flow showerhead - making the unit size very practical.  This would make the bathroom immune to temperature changes from use of hot water in other rooms (but not within the bathroom itself obviously).
An extreme of this is Great Britain's "electric shower" - an 8.5KW to 9.5KW (40A) unit that is directly attached to the shower.
The right combination of units could also reduce the overall ampacity needed, making the project more achievable.


Can I use an outdoor 8/3 wire to hookup lights outdoor? I have removed a hot tub from my house and want to know if I can use the cable for some outdoor lights.  The wire is a 8 gauge 3 wire hooked up to a double pole 50 Amp breaker.  It is a lot of wire and rated for outdoor use.  What is the best course of action.

I would use the cable to feed a small sub-panel. Then you can feed your new circuits from that. This gives you a lot of flexibility.

Where was the hot tub? Where is this cable exactly?


Silicone use to bond wood boards at high temperature? I'm in a composites manufacturing class, and I'm looking to make a one-off carbon fiber mountain biking handlebar from prepreg.

As I don't want to invest in the metal needed to make a proper mold, I'm experimenting with using quarter-sawn oak to hopefully prevent too much warping with the heat. I need to glue some of the boards together to get a thick enough mold, and the mold has to be able withstand roughly 300 F curing temperature for the carbon fiber.

Would a high temp silicone gasket work?

Would it be able to withstand the temperature as well as roughly 50-100 psi of internal force from the bladder without separating?

Krayden offers Loctite Hysol, a high heat epoxy suited for wood applications up to 350 degrees. They have other similar products with even higher heat ratings.

Here's some 3M Scotch Weld Epoxy as well


What is this metal button on the wall? I have an older house that has these on the wall of the two bedrooms:

Does anyone know what they might be? I took one out and it is has a long metal rod, but I cannot see anything that it attaches to or pushes. Trying to decide if this needs to stay or if I can remove and patch the walls.

Edit: Here's a pic of it removed:

It is a retractable hanging rod, also called a valet rod. It should only pull out about 7 to 10" max. I have installed theses in walk in closets.


Why might a double-pole breaker have the same phase on each wire lug? I recently encountered a strange situation in which a double-pole breaker had failed in a spectacularly unusual way. I can say this confidently because replacing the breaker solved the problem. What I want to know is what could have possibly caused this mode of failure.

In short: Both legs of the double-pole breaker appeared to be on the same phase. I have no idea how this could have happened because a straight breaker swap rectified (figuratively, not literally) the issue.

In long: Referring to the letters in the picture below, I measured the following voltages using my multimeter:

0V A-H
120V A-B
120V A-C
240V B-C
120V A-D
120V A-E
120V A-F
240V E-F
120V A-G
5V F-G

Of course,

A is the Neutral
B is the Hot (Leg 1)
C is the Hot (Leg 2)
D is a blade on Leg 1
E is a blade on leg 2
F is a screw-down terminal on the double-pole breaker (nominally Leg 1)
G is a screw-down terminal on the double-pole breaker (nominally Leg 2)
H is the Earth Ground

I tested points D and E as extra validation to make sure the contact springs on the double-pole breaker were in fact receiving power from separate legs. In retrospect, I should have also checked D-F, D-G, E-F, E-G, but I didn't do that at the time.

What could possibly cause the 5V F-G reading?

Your double-pole breaker is not switching both legs simultaneously as it should be.
The top D-F pole is connected, while the bottom E-G pole is not connected.

Whatever 240V appliance you have connected to that circuit is feeding the  'B' phase from D-F back into your G terminal.
Even with no appliance connected, capacitive coupling between the wires in that cable will fool your mutimeter.

If you had a load to neutral from both poles you would see 120V on one and 0V on the other.


Using Power Curtailment Terminals on a Carrier Heat Pump to Shed Heatpump I am considering installing a Generac 22kW whole house generator and automatic transfer switch.  The transfer switch is designed to shed the Carrier Infinity heat pump if the start up load is more then the generator can handle. When power curtailment is in use, a "Curtailment Active" message is displayed on the controller screen.

Normally, the automatic transfer box is wired to the thermostat (controller) to shed the heat pump however, the dealer who installed the heat pump is adamant the Carrier Infinity controller should NOT be rewired to accommodate the generator "shed" feature. He feels doing so could disrupt data storage information.

Carrier Infinity heat pump components are controlled through a wall mounted Infinity Control.  The control replaces the conventional thermostat and provides a single wall control for controlling all features and system settings including cooling temperature, heat temperature, humidity, multi stage compressor settings, etc.

The Carrier Infinity controller on my heat pump also stores 27 different codes to identify faults with the system over time. The controller communicates operating conditions and other data that is passed continually between the various components over the ABCD bus. All Infinity fan coils are variable speed and the compressor is multi stage.

Approximately two years ago, the utility company discontinued the curtailment program, so the terminals on the compressor control board are no longer in use.

If the Generac automatic transfer switch uses a NC relay and I believe it does, it seems to me I could use terminals R and Y2 located on control board to shed the heat pump just as Carrier intended the terminals to be used by the power company.

Do you think it would be appropriate to use the two curtailment terminals on the compressor control board to shed the compressor?  Using these terminals would not shed the air handler blower motor.

I'm with Billy, I see no problem.  Here are my concerns: You are not really needing to break R from Y2. You are breaking Y2 from Y2.  The red will stay where it is to power all other features.  And why is the heat pump second stage? Unless the reversing valve is stage one.  And what is the back-up heat? If it is electric resistance, that will require a whole lot more power then the heat pump.  That would be where you would want to shed load.  With 22-KW of generator, what is the tonage of the heat pump.  22-KW can start a lot of heat pump.


How do I fix a leaking outside shutoff valve? I decided to turn the outside water tap on this weekend, and when I did I noticed the valve inside that connects to the main (in the basement) seems to be leaking a lot along the threads of the valve. It used to drip a little here and there when I first turned it on, my dad placed an old ice cream bucket over the fitting so it hangs beneath the valve and catches the odd drop. This time is different however, within 30 minutes the bucket was half full. Is there a quick fix for this issue that anyone knows about?

It sounds like the packing on a gate valve is failing. You can shutoff the water and attempt to repair these valves with new washers, cleaning the seat, and installing new packing material. However, the far more common approach now is to cut out the old valve and replace it with a 1/4 turn ball valve. These ball valves are much more reliable than the older gate valves, and the effort to install one is often less than the effort to repair a gate valve.

To replace the valve (assuming copper lines):

Shutoff the main
Drain the water in that pipe
Clean the outside of the pipe on either side of the valve before you make your cut (it's easier to clean first rather than after the pipe is cut)
Cut the pipe on each side of the valve
Test fit the new valve
Measure and cut a short piece of pipe to span any gap, you'll use a straight coupling between this pipe and the existing plumbing
Remove the valve, clean all ends and fittings again
Apply flux to the valve, pipes, and coupling
Connect the junction, short pipe, and valve to each other and the existing plumbing
Heat the joints with a blow torch until the flux bubbles and the opposite side melts the solder into each joint, take care not to excessively heat the valve itself
Give the pipes a few minutes to cool, you can also wipe away excess solder with a rag while it's still hot to make the result look better
Turn the water back on and check for leaks