How can I tell if my counter top is silestone or granite? I just bought a house, that came with granite counter tops. I was doing some research on it and noticed that Silestone looks exactly like granite.

I don't know for sure if my counter tops are indeed granite. Is there a way i can find out without causing damage to the material?

There are some distinct differences between Silestone and natural granite. Granite is cut from slabs and always has some color and patterning differences if you look closely. Also, if you can see the bottom of the slab at some point under the counter top, you will see the machine marks (groves) made during the cutting process.  Silestone on the other hand is man made from granite chips and resins. A close look will not show the longer natural strands or runs and irregular shapes of solid colors as in natural solid cut stone. Silestone tends to be a bit more homogeneous in its overall color mix, especially seen on larger pieces.

Practically speaking, natural granite is a bit more porous that Silestone, and needs to be sealed occasionally to keep contaminates out of the tiny pores. Silestone is manufactured to be extremely smooth and non-porous and does not require sealing.


Bathroom remodel electric questions I am remodeling my bathroom, and as I began to tackle the electric work, I discovered a couple things that were concerning:

The circuit that the bathroom (as well as adjacent bedroom and hallway) are on is controlled by a 20 amp breaker.  It's actually 2 20amp single pole breakers in the same spot.
The wiring that was in the bathroom, that I have since removed all the way back to where the wiring comes into the bathroom, was a mix of 12/2 and 14/2 wire. The wiring that comes into the room, and is the source of the electric for the room appears to be 14/2 (it's old wire with no ground wire and no labeling on sheath, but my wire strippers suggest it's 14/2).

Now I know you are supposed to use 12/2 on a 20 amp circuit, but I don't know the extent of what's on this circuit and what size wire is used throughout the length of this circuit. What should I do to remedy this? I still need to power the bathroom (a vent fan, vanity lights, GFCI). Can I simply switch the 20 amp breaker for 15amps at the box and then run 14/2 throughout rest of bathroom?

It sounds like you have or had knob and tube wiring that might have been converted,
 which consists on a Hot and a Neutral With no Ground (which is needed for GFCI, but

sometimes use the Neutral pigtail to mickey mouse false ground,).

*You can add a ground with a wire to copper pipe from sink’s water supply or run to basement)

14-2 wire is rated at 15 amps MAX

12-2 wire is rated 20 amps MAX

If you splice or run off a 14 Gauge to a 12 Gauge you must treat it as a 14 gauge

The higher the gauge the smaller the wire weakest link being 14 while using 14 to 12

If you are rewiring the whole bath and rooms then 12 gauge is the sanest answer

12 Gauge handles 15 or 20 amperes 14 should not be more than 15 for safety reasons

(When using 12 on 20A breaker use screw terminal as opposed to tension insert)

Testing for a hot wire when there is no labeling on wire casing (sheath) use a meter on
 ~ AC

And use a ground from ground cold water pipe and then touch pos lead on each wire (they
do sell polarity test tools also don’t always work with conversion wiring)

The 110 – 120V reading wire is the hot

Hope that answers your question.

Sincerely BEAR


Can one-way window film actually be a detriment to my windows? I'm considering getting one-way mirror film for my home windows and sliding patio door.  The salesperson I spoke to advised that these films could actually contribute to the breakdown of the window's seals by causing light to reflect off the film and then back through the space between the panes which generates excessive heat build-up within the argon gas insulation.  There always seems to be a caveat to everything, but I am hoping this one is actually minimal and that I can proceed with the film installation with little worries.

I don't like this question, simply because there are too many variables.  "CAN it be detrimental?"  Well...

Windows come in single, double and triple pane; made from glass or plastic; have different insulation systems between panes, have different natural coatings and compositions for various properties such as UV protection or reflection; and many other variables.  Over time glass windows will flow and warp, where plastic windows will oxidize.

Stick-on Window Coverings come in various materials (plastics usually, but that's a wide range of chemical structures with subtly different properties); use different adhesion methods such as static or chemical bond; have different coatings and compositions to create various properties such as coloring, refraction, UV protection or reflections; and again many other variables.  Coatings will chemically change over time.

Light from either side of the window can have different compositions, although usually the concern is natural sunlight.  Sunlight comes from different angles with different amounts of atmospheric interference through the day and year.  This is why it wasn't expected that UV glass can melt siding.

So again, CAN it be damaging?  Sure, anything is possible.

WILL it be damaging?  We really can't say until you install it.  But a bit of very light Googling didn't find any actual reports.  It looks more like an attempt to pass responsibility between window and coating manufacturers.  I'd say check with your window manufacturer, and follow their recommendations.  Ultimately, that's the expensive repair if something goes wrong.


Impact drivers and shredded screw heads I just bought an impact driver. When I use it on a 2 inch wood screw into hard wood, after drilling a pilot hole, I seem to shred the screw head.  What are the tricks to using impact driver?

I'll assume a few things and you can correct me if I'm mistaken. I'm guessing you're using phillips screws (not pozi-drive, nothing fancy like torx). I'm also assuming you've got a good quality driver bit, that hasn't been used too long.

So, a few suggestions:

make sure you're screwing directly in line with the screw. Any angle variance is bad.
get behind the impact driver and push. You need to maintain a good amount of pressure.
buy high-quality screws... I've had particularly bad results from big box gold screws. The exterior grade ones (gray paint) seem much better. Most of the name-brand ones (as opposed to the 'house brands') are better.
also consider alternate driver heads -- torx, robertson, pozi-drive, unidrive. (The alternate heads frequently go hand-in-hand with better products, as well.)
if your bit is worn out from a few too many off-angle screeching spins, throw it out.


Will low well water pH cause plumbing damage or health problems? Our well has been having some bacteria issues so we are installing a UV filter system. The installer also recommended a system to correct the acidic quality of our water which is PH 6.0. He said it can corrode pipes and its not healthy to consume copper. My questions are

-The house is from 1974 and mostly used for weekends. Am I really in danger of pipes leaking in the next 10-20 years from this level?

-Is there any health risk to this level?

Really just trying to figure out if I being upsold or this is a valid concern. Most of the info on the web is from companies that sell water filtration products so I don’t know how objective they are.

A pH of 6.0 is not unreasonably low for a well-water system.  That's at the low end of the "normal" range but not anything I'd worry about.

Copper pipes will not be "dissolved" at this pH level and the minute amount of Cu that you are consuming is not a concern.  It's a common mineral and it is not generally harmful to humans, certainly not in the quantities you're talking about here.

I'm sure the installer you talked to has a solution to this "problem" and he's trying to sell you one.


Can you crimp a tubular lug without a crimper plier? I want to use these lugs on my electrical installation, but I can only find pliers for up to 16 mm2 cables and the mains cables are 25 mm2. I found one store that carried pliers able to do up to 50 mm2, but they where VERY expensive (about 150 dollars).

Is it possible to use these nice lugs without proper pliers? (I will need to crimp at most 8 lugs).

Now that I know the wire in question is in a main distribution panel from the meter to the main lugs, any crimp must be done with the proper tool and dies. This will require maybe a ton of pressure and absolutely no shortcuts would be advised.  Also note that this type of work usually requires the sign off and supervision of a Master Electrician.  Check with your local electrical utility for inspection and sign off requirements.  Please be careful, this is potentially  extremely dangerous and a great risk of fire if not done properly.


Want to solidly fill gap between concrete and exterior door plate I recently installed an exterior double door. On the one side, the concrete floor slopes down, so I raised that side with shims. The bottom plate is level. I can cut and replace these shims with pressure treated wood, but I'd like to fill that gap if possible. I was thinking of forcing quickcrete or rocktite into the gap, and a neighbor suggested that liquid nail would probably work just as well.

To summarize I'm looking to:

Fill the gap between the metal plate and con. 21" x 4" area, starting at 0 and sloping to 1/2".
Provide support for the plate. Existing shims are not weather proof and will encounter moisture, and possibly direct contact with water.

Most other questions I've seen have to do with the threshold.

Personally, I would use plastic shims and simply caulk the front with a solid color to hide the gap.


Removing flush mounted ceiling fixture that has springs atached to it I'm having problems removing a flush mounted ceiling fixture that seems to be attached to some sort of spring or springs.  Please advise the best way to remove the fixture so I can change the bulb.  A link to a video would be very helpful.

Trim rings for can fixtures (which are recessed, but look "flush" from below) are often spring-mounted. The ones I've met either have a pair of "long-legged" springs that go into a slot where they will release if you squeeze the legs together (the trim pulls down from the ceiling several inches and stops on bent-out ends of the springs) or two or three coil springs, where you usually have to unhook one end of the coil spring to release the trim (which is more of a pain.)

Either one can be awkward, so start by being on a secure, comfortable work platform, not precariously balanced on whatever is handy.


LED lights with a dim light in open circuit I was installing new LED lamps on my kitchen, which seemed to be functioning well. After turning off the lights, the newly installed lamps still had a dim light, that kept itself for quite long.

I've measured around 60VAC on the OFF switch for these lamps and 110VAC for the OFF switch attached to another lamp.

After lots of head scratching, I've tried to plug just one leg of the LED lamp into a plug hole, result on the picture below.

Why does this happen? How can I prevent it? Does it take a toll on my electrical bill?

What you are seeing is the effect of Stray Voltage caused by capacitive coupling.  Electricians refer to this sometimes as Phantom Voltage.

  Ungrounded metal objects close to electric field sources such as neon signs or conductors carrying alternating currents can have measurable voltage levels caused by capacitive coupling. Since voltages detected by high-impedance instruments disappear or become greatly reduced when a low impedance is substituted, the effect is sometimes called phantom voltage (or ghost voltage). The term is often used by electricians, and might be seen, for example, when measuring the voltage at a lighting fixture after removing the bulb. It is not unusual to measure phantom voltages of 50–90 volts when testing the wiring of ordinary 120 V circuits with a high-impedance instrument.

Sections bolded by me

The voltage you read with a common multimeter can change depending on how the wire is run, how long it is, etc, but you will usually be able to measure some voltage even when a light switch is turned off.  If you connect even a tiny resistor between the phantom hot and neutral, the voltage will disappear.  It is very, very low amperage and can't be felt or do any work.

Very simple LED bulbs that have the bare minimum of driver components can be illuminated by this voltage because they are very low power devices.  LED bulbs that look more like regular light bulbs from major manufacturers have complex circuits to drive them and they typically will not show any glow.


Do I still need to fasten quarter inch drywall or can I just use adhesive? Are modern construction adhesives sufficient to adhere 1/4" drywall over solid plaster walls? Do I have to screw it as well?

Are modern construction adhesives sufficient to adhere 1/4" drywall over solid plaster walls?

No
It's really good to add some adhesive to your drywall-over-drywall, but (speaking from experience) you should identify the studs before-hand and then drive nails or screws in. The reason is that the adhesive is coming out in a 1/4" to 1/2" bead. So even if you spread the adhesive liberally, it's only going to adhere to a small portion of the surface. Worse, you're not guaranteed to get the new drywall to "suck up" to the old one, meaning you might be left with a gap here and there, where the adhesive cured in a bead instead of being pressed flat. Against a 1/4" board, that could leave a weak spot over a hole you can't see until something "bumps" it and breaks it.
I had to do this in my hall bath recently. I adhesived, mounted, and then nailed through the new and old into a stud. I didn't drive a lot of nails, but after doing so the first time, you could hear the adhesive being pressed between the boards (i.e. bubbles popping for a moment or two). The wall has not moved since I mounted it, and drove maybe half of what I would use on drywall straight over studs. Do it right, or do it a second time.


Just bought first impact driver, do I still need to pre-drill holes? I just bought my first impact driver and I was wondering am I suppose to still pre-drill holes with a bit with my regular drill before using the impact driver when going through woods?

I use to always pre-drill the hole then put the screw in with my drill, so now that I have an impact driver can I just drill the screw directly into the wood or am I suppose to still pre-drill and the impact driver will just make it easier going into the pre-drilled hole?

Thanks

If the wood is prone to splitting, it'll still split when you don't drill pilot holes, impact drill or not.


How can I secure these inadequate/leaning deck supports? I am in the process of buying a house. The home inspector noted problems with the deck, most significantly "leaning posts."

What would be required to get those 4x4 supports adequately secured to the deck surface?
Does the fact that some of the precast foundations are tilted (that one in the back is just horrifying) mean that I'll need to have those reseated?
Is any of this work feasible without disassembling the entire thing -- is it a better idea to look into a complete rebuild?

This isn't a tall deck (~3-4 feet off the ground at highest point), and the surface is approximately 15x15 feet.

There are lots of different types of post to beam connectors.

Like this:

However, the real weird thing is that you don't really have beams. They are just supporting the joists with a bunch of random posts on concrete deck blocks...

If it were me I'd lose all of those and put in a couple (or more) beams under those joists and put some posts under those.

Not in that order, though. Leave the posts in, put in some proper beams and posts, and then lose the crappy ones you have there.

Below is an example of a similar height deck I did. There are two beams under the joists of this deck, and four piers (two for each beam). The beams are the ones with the white flashing tape on top. You can clearly see one in this image, and how I attached it to the joists.


What concerns should I have installing a HVAC unit and ducts in a home that's never had it? We're looking at a house in southern Alabama that has no central heating and air.  I would like to put one in.  The house was built in 1950.

What should I be considering about the installation?

The easy challenge is finding somewhere to install the internal half (blower and coils) of the unit. You need to have space, access to service it, a place to run the lines to the outside unit, and power. Power is typically 220, and will need a dedicated circuit, so you'll need to be able to run another line from the breaker panel and have enough additional capacity on the main breaker. Finally, the largest challenge is running the ducts to each of the rooms. In an older home, the joists will frequently be solid and cannot be cut to pass the ducts, so you are left with using the craw space beneath the home, attic space, or enclose them below the ceiling/along the walls.

One final consideration is that a home built this long ago without an hvac unit will likely have little insulation or weather stripping. This means a lot of the energy used to get your home to the right temperature will go right out the walls. To do this right, you could be looking at a situation with all of your exterior walls are opened up to insulate, windows are replaced to prevent drafts, and lots of interior walls and ceilings are opened up to run the lines.

Depending on the home, and especially the layout, it could be cheaper to buy a similar home that already has an hvac installed.


HVAC AC Capacitor Replacement I have a Carrier Infinity Series AC Unit (Model #: 24ANA748A0030020 or 24ANA748A00300); its capacitor needs replacement.  I live in Chicago; so VAC is 120 x 2.

Current Capacitor Specification: HC96KA055D (model), 2-connectors/pins, 55 MFD, +06 -06%, 50/60 HZ, 440 VAC, Round (DIELEKTROL).

Questions:

1)  If I cannot find an exact equivalent, should I consider a capacitor with a higher or lower MFD (than 55) in order to be safe?
2)  What is the relationship between MFD and tolerance? Should it go up or down with increasing or decreasing MFD?

1) Higher is better than lower--BUT you do not want to go too much higher. Given the relatively tight (and odd) 6% tolerance on the original, you would not want to exceed 58uF with the replacement cap. The ESR on the replacement cap should be very close to the spec of the original. (56uF is a std value, 55uF is not).

The following is a good reference: https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Motor_Capacitor_Selection.php

I have never seen a tolerance of +/- 6% before.

However, the identical replacement cap you seek is available here for ~$26.

https://www.amazon.com/Capacitor-Round-volt-Z97F9042-97F9042/dp/B005DST0V4

It is spec'd at 42-55uF-- which is ~47uF +/-20%. You may find cheaper sources elsewhere.

2) Tolerance and uF values are completely independent. You can obtain std cap values with Typical tolerances are +/- 1, 5, 10, 20%.


What is the best way to deal with wall tie failure? My wife and I are considering purchasing a new house, but the surveyor says that it has wall tie failure. What is the best solution for repairing this? Is it really necessary to get the old ties out again?

Let me first say, being originally from the UK my understanding of "wall tie" might be different from your particularly definition/situation.

"The wall is brick on the outside and block on the inside" that to me describes Cavity Wall construction ie the outer and inner leaves of brickwork/blockwork are tied together with wall ties, normally spaced at 450mm centres vertically & 900mm centres horizontally (spaced differently at openings).

How does the surveyor know the wall ties are failing?

Are the walls bowing in or out or are the walls cracking?

See if this helps, How to Replace Wall Ties

If the above link does not help &/or I have got the wrong end of the "wall tie" stick, please post back with any additional information you may have.


Using Old Paint on Inside Wall If I used old expired paint 2 or 3 years ago on an inside bedroom wall, could it be causing health issues to a child if the smell still comes and goes in the warmer weather ?

Unless your paint is pre-1985, you really don't have to worry about lead.

Paint doesn't expire but it can go bad.

It's totally OK to use your high-VOC paint.  You're just not allowed to sell it at retail, or sneak it in to bypass local environmental regs.  Trying to educate 70 million people in the 12-state areas is a lost cause, so the (US and state) government's approach is to ensure that any product you buy in a local store is legal. As far as products you already bought, they're not worried about it.

So if this is "new old stock" sitting on your shelf, for God's sake, paint it before it goes bad.  The second best way to dispose of old paint is to paint something you don't want, then throw that thing away.  The worst possible way is throw it in a landfill, it'll leach chemicals for years.   Let paint do its job.  It's designed for that.

That said...

One curse of low-VOC paint is it's vulnerable to mold and mildew, in the can.  If you open a can of normally mild-smelling latex paint, and it's Stinky, that's what has gone wrong.  Do not paint stinky latex paint on anything (except for the "paint something you don't want and throw it away" rule).  Believe me, you'll want to throw it away!

I have no idea how toxic it is, except for what it is - mold and mildew, which, yes, is not good for humans to be around.

There are lot of answers for how to encapsulate it, but none of the answers have reported particularly good results in the long term. Having forcibly removed much worse paint, I'd remove it.  Latex is pretty flimsy stuff, and it'll practically fall off the wall with enough persuasion, i.e. wetting and firm nylon brushes.  The goal being not to damage the substrate so you don't have to drywall rework.


What kind of tubing should I use for draining condensate from a furnace / boiler? "High efficiency" & condensing boilers or furnaces produce an acidic water byproduct called condensate that has to be drained away.

My boiler has an outlet fitting for this condensate water but the manual doesn't say what kind of of tubing should be used to drain it. The other tubing attached to my boiler is copper (for the water in/out) and steel or iron for the gas connection.

The fitting for the condensate is plastic, however, which I'm sure is for a good reason. But I'm still not sure what kind of tubing to use.

TLDR: Plastic tubing seems the safest to use. You may be able to use certain types of metal in some cases, but acidity in the condensate can damage those materials.

ICC model building code as an example says the following (in part):

SECTION 314 - CONDENSATE DISPOSAL
[M] 314.1 Fuel-burning appliances. Liquid combustion byproducts of condensing appliances shall be collected and discharged to an approved
plumbing fixture or disposal area in accordance with the
manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Condensate piping shall be of approved corrosion-resistant
material and shall not be smaller than the drain connection on the
appliance.
Such piping shall maintain a minimum horizontal slope in the direction
of discharge of not less than 1/8 unit vertical in 12 units horizontal
(1-percent slope).
[M] 314.2.2 Drain pipe materials and sizes. Components of the condensate disposal system shall be cast iron, galvanized steel,
copper, cross-linked polyethylene, polybutylene, polyethylene, ABS,
CPVC, or PVC pipe or tubing. All components shall be selected for
the pressure and temperature rating of the installation.
Condensate waste and drain line size shall not be less than 3/4-inch
(19 mm) internal diameter and shall not decrease in size from the
drain pan connection to the place of condensate disposal.

However Inspectapedia has some additional information on this topic which seems more cautious:

Condensate from condensing boilers is quite corrosive... That's why
plastic is a good drain material. Stainless steel might be acceptable
in some situations. I'd be careful about using brass, iron, copper,
galvanized pipe.

[Those materials would be sensitive to acid and could be gradually eaten away]

It seems that cases where you can use metal are when the condensate is diluted to a level which won't cause a problem. For instance, when it is introduced into a sewage line which is regularly used for other purposes. However, copper, brass, and related metals seem like a bad idea even in those situations.
This was described clearly in a Green Building Advisor post:

Don't sweat the acidity of the condensate going into the septic tank.
The volume is low (relative to daily drain flows...) and of things go down the drain that are at least as acidic as
natural gas or propane condensate. It's strong enough to react over
time with copper drains, but with iron, not so much.
The lower the pH, the more acid the solution is. Even the most-acid
gas-burner condensate has a pH no lower than 3, most are between 3-5.
Dry wine has a pH of about 3.3 (about the same as orange juice), even
sweet wine still under 4, typical soft drinks are between 2.5-3.5,
cranberry juice is between 2.0-2.5.
[In cases where the condensate will be diluted it would be a mistake to use]
copper, which is far more reactive to acids than iron/steel.
Brass/bronze and other alloys of copper will have the same issues when
chronically exposed to condensate. With drains down stream of a
dilution point such as the laundry sink hardly matter what the
material is, since in a typical applications there is many times
greater flow of the washer outflow as there would be from a condensing
natural gas or propane burner mixing in with it.


Put mortar on cement board for outdoor kitchen I am building an outdoor countertop and still thinking about what to "cover" for the bottom part:

To make it simple, I was thinking about some plain design like concrete looking.

Source: http://www.urbankitchendesign.com/fascinating-small-sinks-for-outdoor-kitchen-with-brown-granite-kitchen-countertop-and-black-glossy-one-door-kitchen-refrigerator/

Is it OK to put mortar outside of cement board? I am thinking it could be "uneven" but not sure if it's possible to perfect it.

It would be like doing Sheetrock. Make sure to have the edges along the sides of the cement board meet. (Not the ends). Then use Fiberglas mesh tape and skim coat. If you use the edges there is a slight indent so the joint won't be noticeable. Butting the ends will cause a bulge that will require a much thicker coat to hide the joint. If you don't use the mesh tape it will crack and every seam will show in a few months. tape like this.


How do I join 2x4s without mitering? I asked this question on the Bicycles site:

DIY wooden bike rack — looking for plans

I'm planning to build this rack out of 2x4 pieces of wood. It'll live in my garage. I'm looking to make a rack similar to one of these, but simpler and, obviously, not made of metal:

(photo credit)

My question is, how can I join 2x4s so they'll be strong, particularly the ones that are horizontal? The stand won't support the weight of the bikes, but it will keep them upright. (Several of my bikes don't have kickstands.) I'd like to avoid mitering the joins, to make construction simpler, since I don't have a miter box. (We have a circ saw and a regular wood saw.)

I know you mentioned that you want to build the bike rack out of wood (and 2x4s) but...

You could probably build nearly that exact bike rack out of PVC pipe or even a slightly simpler design:

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/goodies/TruckbedBikeRack.htm


Why is my AC blowing from this pipe and freezing up periodically? I looked under my mobile home and found a hose coming from the flooring. It is blowing cold air out, and it also looks like water has been dripping out. I think that this is normal, but why is all that cold air coming out. From time to time my AC freezes up, and every day about 3:00 it gets hotter in my house. I am afraid they hooked my AC up wrong.

Sounds like the condensate drain. The process of cooling air causes condensation to form inside of the AC and it's drained out through these lines. There's usually a small P-trap off the side of the AC unit (at least on HVACs for homes) that collects enough moisture to seal airflow (just as a trap under your sink keeps sewer gases from coming into your home). You have to periodically put something in this trap to keep it clean from mold (I use a cap-full of bleach, others suggest something like vinegar to be better for the environment).

As for why your AC unit is freezing up, I'd check your filters. If they are clogged, the AC may be blowing out the condensate trap and freezing over due to insufficient airflow.


What does blocking refer to in relation to floor joists? This question was triggered by the following line in a home inspection:

  Blocking is not installed for I joists above beams in basement.

I have found pictures of blocking at http://www.diychatroom.com/f14/sister-studs-ceiling-easy-question-11349/ (linked from Floor Joist Blocking).  I have also found that cross bracing is an alternative to solid blocking. According to the National Wood Council's Details for Conventional Wood Frame Construction:

  Adequately nailed subflooring will maintain the upper edges of floor joists in proper alignment. Nailing the ends of joists to band joists or headers provides additional joist support that, under normal conditions, eliminates the need for intermediate bridging.

I feel like I understand the term, and what must be done, but my wife understood the inspector to mention load distribution in relation to the supporting steel beam when he commented to her during this portion of the inspection.

Is my understanding of blocking missing something? Does the possibility of compromising the positioning or structural integrity of the steel support beam exist because there is no blocking?

Blocking typically refers to the structure that prevents the joists from twisting, which would be a concern over a load bearing beam. A solid piece of wood, often the same material as the joists themselves, is installed perpendicular to the joists without any gaps (e.g. I joists would use a piece of I joist for blocking). Two 2x4's installed in an X could also be done, and I've seen that with engineered joists, but check with your local building codes to be sure it complies.

I could also see blocking refer to additional vertical members (2x4's) to carry the load from the beam up to another load bearing object above the floor (e.g. a column). The last type of blocking I can think of would be fire blocking to prevent fire from traveling through the ceiling between parts of the home, though it's unlikely you'd see this requirement in a single family structure outside of a garage.

Like Tester101 says, call the inspector and ask for clarification, they should be happy to provide it.


Safest Way to Contain Spliced Lamp Cord I am interconnecting some strip lights in a closet.  They are linkable LED fixtures which each come with a connector cable to link, optionally, to additional fixtures.  The connector cables are a bit short for what I have in mind, but I need to use their ends because they have special connectors to link the fixtures and maintain correct polarity.

The connector cables are 18-2 SPT-2 lamp cord.  I have a spool of the same type of cable.  I am planning to cut the connector cable in the middle and insert an appropriate extension length from my spool.  My plan is to splice them using some 22-18 butt splices, then heat shrink them with 3/4" tubing.  I will ensure the splices are solid and the polarity is correct.  Beyond this, what should I do to make sure this setup is safe?

None of this will be behind a wall.  The strips will be against the wall, on their mounting brackets, and the cabling can be secured however.  If nothing else, I'll just be using cable staples.  I could also run all or some of the cabling through conduits, bracketed against the wall.  Or I could simple put the spliced areas within junction boxes.  Any suggestions for the safest way to do this are welcome.

I realize there may not be a code-approved way of doing this.  The cables will not be in a place where they can be routinely touched, and if I were to move out of the house, I would take all of this stuff down, except for the first of the linkable fixtures which was installed with a junction box by an electrician (it is controlled by a light switch).

If you believe there is no way this can be done without a moderate risk of fire, it would be very helpful to hear why you think so.

Update: This particular line of products now has longer lengths of linking cords available.  As a result, no splicing needs to be attempted.

EDIT: This is obviously NOT a duplicate question as erroneously suggested as "What size heat shrink tube is required?" and "How can I safely do something?" are completely different questions.

This family of lights uses all 120v wiring which means the full weight of NEC applies.  You cannot "freestyle" splices in the manner you are talking, you must use listed products, which those cheapie butt splices probably won't be.  They do exist, but O'Reilly Auto doesn't sell them and they don't use $5 crimp tools either.

So here's how you handle "the cord is too short".   Legally, splices can only be inside junction boxes.  The American gold standard way to splice inside a junction box is with "wire nuts" - for two 18ga. wires I would use the blue or gray ones.  Do not use stabs, they are not rated for 18ga.

If GE sells a listed method to attach their special connectors to your lamp cord, go for it.  Otherwise you can only use it between junction boxes, which means 2 junction boxes.  If you want to do it in one junction box, then buy 2 cords long enough to give you 8" slack inside the box, and splice there.

But I have to say: why on earth are you using this family of products? Don't get me wrong, GE's quality is first rate, but why wrestle with 120v products when you can get the same thing in 12v that's much easier to work with.

Also, these prices are way beyond insane, at least 3-4 times what I've seen in quality 12v products.  IKEA has a broad selection of 12v products at sensible prices.  12v makes the products cheaper because they do not need expensive voltage converters in each lamp.    I buy cheap Chinese LED strips for $7 for a 16 foot roll, I mention that only to shake you out of a notion that $60/foot is a normal price for these things.


Removing pop up tub drain assembly I have a slow draining tub so I tried taking out the stopper but after unscrewing the stopper and the overflow plate there isn't anything more I could do, it seems like there is a one-peice L shaped rod from the lever to the stopper, I cant move one without the other, and I see no way to take it appart. Does anyone know about it and how to take it out? its not the plunger type neither the regular linkage type.    Kohler brand.

I called Kohler and they tried to help me realy nicely, they found it for me (http://www.us.kohler.com/us/catalog/svg_viewer.jsp?productId=415967&diagram=0) and you can see that there is a elbow at the bottom in which the horizontal and the vertical parts are screwed in, so now after years of the installation the rod has got already a lot build up on it and its VERY hard to take it out:-(   (item is discontinued)


What does "by half an inch" mean when talking about rest channel? This video shows how to install the resilient channel to the ceiling.

It sound like the tutorial is saying (a video link with a time stamp)

  because we're installing the
  rest channel by half an inch, so you want
  to make sure that you lower all your
  device boxes about half an inch

Does "by half an inch" mean the height between the bottom of the resilient channel and the ceiling joist is equal to half an inch?

The distance between the top plane and bottom plane of a resilient channel should be determined by the manufaturer, rather than the builder, right?

The cited talking gives me a feeling that the distance is determined by the builder, which confuses me.

Any ideas?

"Because we are installing the res' channel" is parenthetical, "by half an inch" is talking about the ceiling, not the channel.

"We are going to be lowering the ceiling (because we are installing the res' channel) by half an inch"

"We are going to be lowering the ceiling by half an inch"


Is there an alternative to buying a tamper to compact the ground? I plan to build a brick wall, so I need to compact the ground first. The hardware store sells a tool called a tamper, that sells for $60 and only weighs 15 lbs, so it seems inefficient. How is that sufficient weight to pack down the ground? If a worker weighs 200+ lbs, is that more efficient to have them cut on a small square of wood and jump on that? If not, is there some alternative method of stamping the ground down?

You can rent a power compactor which would do a much better job than a hand operated tamper.


Plank T&G subfloor / girder repair in bathroom 48" OC I am doing a complete gut remodel of my bathroom in a 1962 construction home. The subfloor is 1-5/8" x 7" tongue and groove set on 4 x 6 girders that are spaced 48" OC.

A leaky toilet completely destroyed a section of the subfloor, and caused rot to eat through at least 50% of a 4 x 6 girder. There is no floor sagging, but I imagine the beam needs replacement.

I can't find a match for the T&G planks, and the height makes substituting it with plywood a no go. Since the girders are 48" apart, I can't do plywood anyways, unless I add a bunch of joists.

No idea how to address this.

Removed toilet to reveal rotten subfloor:

Rotten girder:

You may need to make a hole in the subfloor wall of your house to pass the new beam under the floor, there may be a conveniently placed vent grid.

replacment planks should probably span between girders.

Trim the rotted planks back flush with the side of the good girders
then fit a ledger board along the girder to support the ends of the new boards


GEC and NM cable through same hole? I'm replacing old 240v wiring in our home and the grounding electrode conductor was put through the same hole in the stud as the 240v cable was. I am not wanting to drill any more holes in the studs than necessary so I want to know if this is acceptable or not. I will have my work inspected and just want to avoid having to redo my work. Is it permissible to pass the GEC through the same hole as my new 240v NM cable?
Thank you,
Ben

Yes, you can run the GEC through the same hole as other cables.
The GEC is a non-current-carrying conductor, so there is no heating issues to worry about.


Need help identifying window manufacturer I have what appear to be vinyl windows with internal sashes and rubber seals.  All the seal in all the windows are failing and need the windows replaced.  I am having trouble finding the manufacturer.  The tag in the window has Advantage DH-Mechanical printed on it. There are yellow tags also with the numbers 124-3 printed on them.  Can anyone assist.  All the windows are failing the same way.

If there are no redeemable markings or stickers, you may need to rely on the physical appearance of the window frames to help identify the manufacturer. Key identifiers that would help include (but not limited to):

Whether the window is interior or exterior glazed.
Whether the window is a slider, casement, awning, or fixed/picture unit (take clear pictures of the hardware as those can be useful identifiers, especially for manufacturers who use custom or specialized hardware for certain window types. Hardware can include casement/awning hinges or crank-out arms, slider rollers or locks, and/or vertical slider spring balances or locks).
If the interior jamb is attached to the frame or integrated as a monolithic unit (same with exterior options such as a brickmould or nailing flange).
The window material is PVC; PVC w/ aluminum cladding; aluminum; wood w/ aluminum cladding; fibreglass; or other.
The interior and/or exterior finishes are material, painted, laminated, cladded, etc.

From there, take pictures of your windows and talk with local window suppliers or sellers (in person, over the phone, or email) within your area and ask if the windows look familiar and match existing window series. While this method may be more time consuming, you may be able to increase your odds of finding the original manufacturer through local parties identifying your windows. This method may also help if your series of windows are discontinued and cannot be found online anymore.


Strange sump pump install by plumber I'm thinking about finishing my basement but at the bottom of my stairs the plumber installed a very strange setup for my sump pump.  See attached picture.

Ive never seen this before so I wanted to know if I could shorten this.
My neighborhood is on a hill/rise and the house is about in the middle. There's a collection pond at the bottom.

Edit: the PVC pipe is connected to the storm drain on the left and to the sump pump in the pit on the right.  I want to make this setup smaller by shortening the black pvc pipe from the ceiling to the floor.  I don't even know why this setup is necessary since it's connected to a storm drain. This is in my basement which is underground.

This should be a back flow-prevention measure, for flash flooding rains. I think your only good, but expensive ($1000), option would be to replace this setup with a Back-Flow Prevention Valve or Check Valve. Call the Builder or get a qualified Plumber...have them checkout your Water Supply Line too, that thing looks 100-years old. Otherwise, turn that corner into a closet or faux bookshelf.


What's a workable low hassle privacy latch for the inside of an interior door (against the jamb) I need to add a privacy latch on this side of this interior door. (Photo #1)
I looked through an extensive set of latches at a local hardware store and none of them had the right strike plate or receiver for this situation Except for a sliding barrel bolt, which I don't want because they tend to slide when not wanted and will eventually bash into the door frame.
Nearby (Photo #2) I used a barrel bolt but there I embedded the receiver behind new trim, not an option for the door in photo #1.
What is a workable latch for this type of situation, something that stays out of the way when not needed?

Possibly a sliding vertical bolt, as more typically seen on the "non-knob side" of double doors?
Or hang the key to that deadbolt on the doorframe, since it's already there - change to a double-cylinder if it's not an egress path and the other side is a latch, or turn it around and don't need the key on this side. Or post a notice that it's not to be opened if closed unless there's an emergency... depends on the level of "privacy" required.
Presumably finding the key for the doorknob lock is a lost hope.
Life-safety-wise, consider that there are reasons (occupant passed out or otherwise unable to open from inside) that interior "privacy locks" (typical of bathroom/bedroom doors) have a means to be bypassed in an emergency, and that anything which blocks/locks an egress path is a bad idea!


Mildewed carpeting, uninsulated flooring Problem:

I just moved into a rented apartment.
The bedroom closet/office has carpeting which is mildewed.
It noticeably smells offensive and I am allergic to mold.

Examination:

We looked under the carpet.
At the edges, we can see that 60s style ceramic tiling was cut away,
so the room likely used to be a master bathroom.
Currently, it is layered as carpet, then padding, and then exposed floor.
Beneath that is the next floor down: an unfinished basement.

The unfinished basement is very moist,
so we assume that the moisture from the unfinished basement
is making its way through the flooring
and soaking into the carpet padding and the carpet,
creating a breeding ground for mold or mildew.

EDIT:
We checked the basement.
(The floor is concrete with roughly 1/8" layer of dirt.
Does this suggest flooding in the past?)
The walls are jagged concrete
which is brittle and crumbs off to the touch.

More related,
there's two or three 1.5' x 1.5' cuts in the ceiling
where I could only assume pipes used to run.

The cuts have since been covered on top with particle board.
The basement ceiling beams, which are large and old
are somewhat moist to the touch;
they have a very slight wet sponginess when pressed with my finger.
The particle board feels less spongy, but still has slight exterior wetness.

Resolution:

How should we approach this?
We believe the landlord, who just moved out of this apartment,
attempted to address the issue by pouring and vacuuming carpet cleaner,
but it was not enough.

We believe that if we treat the carpet,
it may not have a significant enough effect,
and worse, it will recur after a relatively small amount of time.

Thus, is it fair to request that the carpeting be completely replaced,
and that the flooring be somehow definitively insulated
against further contact with any sources of moisture?

Most importantly, in case the landlord is unsure of how to accomplish this,
what is the recommended approach to relieving such a home improvement issue?

The landlords are very nice and competent;
however, they have stated that they are from the West (US)
and are unfamiliar with basements as they have never had one before.

Would 1-2 layers of plastic lining just need to be applied
between the carpet padding and the hard flooring?
Would this be enough of a seal?

The problems you describe are likely on the outside of the building. I'm willing to bet the landlord is unaware of this, or they are simply unwilling to fix it. This likely isn't fixable by you.

The moisture is coming through the concrete. Concrete is porous, so it will wick water from the surrounding soil naturally. To help prevent this process, basements are typically surrounded by a weeping tile. This is how the outside of the building basement should work

In new construction, this is corrugated pipe with a sleeve to minimize dirt, but in older buildings this was literally clay tile. So, what happens over time is this tile can break (it's ceramic), blocking the weepers. There's no way to find this out, except to excavate the outside wall and look at it. (image source)

My bet is

The weepers are broken
The wall has no waterproofing
The ground does not slope away from the building (you can confirm this visually)

Repairing this is not cheap, obviously. It's not surprising that it was ignored if it was known about.

If the joists are spongy, it means they've absorbed a lot of water. I'm surprised it hasn't attracted termites yet. This could be making the apartment structurally unsound if it has been an ongoing problem. Even if there are no termites, the wood may begin to rot.

The only thing you can try yourself is a dehumidifier. But if the room is humid enough to wet the floors and joists, a dehumidifier will likely be overwhelmed very quickly (you will have to empty the collected water frequently). The owner should call in a foundation waterproofing company to excavate the basement walls, water proof them, install new weeping tiles, and slope the ground away from the structure.


How can I monitor my mains water use? I'm in a debate with my water company about usage. Are there any methods to verify that the reading on my water meter outside my house is increasing at the proper rate?

Water meter calibration is something your water company can do for you, or you can hire an independent company to do it. I saw one water company charge $70 for calibration.

When water meters lose accuracy with age it is usually in your favor: large-scale calibration efforts have been profitable for water companies because replacing inaccurate meters usually leads to more revenues for them.

Before doing anything, test for leaks by turning off all faucets and appliances and verify that the meter stops. You can also learn a lot by watching the meter as you use water in different ways. (You will be surprised to see how much watering the lawn is costing you!)

You could try a rough DIY calibration by filling a large vessel of known volume, such as a kiddie pool, but you may need several samples to get an accurate estimate.


Should the outlet that my space heater uses be getting warm? I have purchased two different types of home heaters - both worked well for many years.  Last year I wanted to plug in a clock radio and noticed that the wall where the heater was plugged in was slightly warm.  I checked all the outlets in the room and found them to be a bit warm.  I turned the heater off and the warmth went away.  Now I'm a bit concerned.  Do I need an adapter, stop using small portable home heaters, what?

Line voltage varies slightly by home and by region. 110v and 120v are more or less interchangeable, nominal approximations. 117v is (was?) an average. The current spec is 120v +/- 5% if I'm not mistaken.

Your heater draws a lot of current, and weak points in the circuit, such as plug connections, will often show some heat accumulation.

It is a bit odd that other outlets would be warm as well, though. It's possible that the wiring runs through the outlet side jumpers, but that should be a sturdy connection that isn't a high-resistance point.

Anyway, "slightly warm" isn't too concerning. Many devices will do that, such as battery chargers. When it approaches hot to the touch you have a real problem. Keep a close eye on it and try not to rely on portable heaters for long periods of time.


Switching from multiple thermostats to a single one I have a heating system that has a separate "smart" heater in each room, each controlled with a separate thermostat (a simple one, like Honeywell T410A1013). What I would like to do is to convert to a single point of control - a single thermostat controlling all heaters.

Short of completely re-wiring the heaters, are there any reasonably affordable options to replace the existing thermostats with some kind of wireless "receivers" that would be controlled from a single device (fancy stuff like controlling via the Internet is not required)?

UPDATE: Just to be clear, I still want to have the part with the thermometer in every room, just like it is now. What I would like to change is the need to set the target temperature in each room separately. I did not mean that I would want to have a single thermometer sensor for the entire house.

It sounds like you have baseboard heaters or similar. Since there is a heat source in each room, it doesn't make sense to control them all together (eg, every room on, or every room off) and since you also want a thermometer in every room, I assume that means you still want individual rooms on/off as needed. You just want to be able to set the whole house to some temperature, and not have to run around to every room to do so.

I am going to guess the motivation for this is that you turn the heat down at night or while you're gone for the day to save energy. I'd suggest the best way to do this is to replace all your therostats with programmable themostats. You still have to program them individually, but you only have to do it once. I have a forced-air system in my house with one thermostat, but it's programmed that I essentially never have to touch it, except for on holidays where I'm home during weekdays. A quick internet search shows it's very easy to find multi-packs of programmable baseboard thermostats for a decent price.

You'd actually have a lot of flexibility with this setup. For example, if you only use a bedroom or two and the living room after 10pm, you could have the heat in other rooms turn off earlier.

For fancier setup, you could use something like the NEST thermostat or a wifi-enabled thermostat (eg, Radio-Thermostat CT300 or Filtrete model). I have the CT300 at home, and the website and iOS app allow multiple thermostats to be connected: in addition to being programmable (and thus not generally needing to touch it), you could obtain your centralized control of all of them, albeit at a higher cost than simple programmable ones.


How do I install a washing machine when the drain is 7.5 feet high? My washing machine drain is 7.5 feet from the floor.  I plan on researching my washer and making sure it can pump that high.  I want to hook it up to a 1.5 inch PVC pipe drain.  The 1.5 pipe is above my main sewer drain.

This leaves me with less than a half foot to connect it to the 1.5 drain pipe.  How should I do that?

I would recommend not doing what you suggest, here's why:

A typical rough-in for a clothes washing machine is as show in the picture below and consists of the following:

vent
2" p-trap
vertical section of 2" pipe above the p-trap
(an actual outlet box as shown is not required, you can just use the plan end of the pipe)

Your discharge hose will fit inside the 2" pipe opening and will usually enter the pipe about 6" to 8". This connection is not water/air tight.

The size of the p-trap and the vertical section of pipe are to accommodate for the flow rate of the washing machine's discharge. The p-trap will create a restriction to the flow and the vertical pipe allows for some head water to buildup without putting any back pressure on the washing machine's internal pump.

A p-trap is a must as it will prevent sewer gas from entering your house. The vent is required to protect the water seal of the p-trap but can be replaced with an air admittance valve depending on local codes.

I would imagine that if your machine can pump that high it will be near its limit and without any room for a vertical section of pipe to discharge into you will have to make the connection sold which will put additional back pressure on to the machine's pump (even more due to the pipe size only being 1.5") which will shorten the life span of the pump.


Can you sand drywall to get rid of cigarette smoke? We are living in a house that was remodeled after purchasing from heavy smokers. Our source tell us that they used to smoke packs of cigarettes a day. Then, it was purchased and remodeled. 5 years later we moved in, and you can still smell something, specially when is humid our rainy outside. My whole thought is that they probably painted on top of the tar and maybe they didn't wipe the walls or wash before painting. could that be the issue? I know it sounds crazy, but could we sand all the walls to get rid of the old paint/tar? and then prime and kills/ paint again? Thank you for your time.

Trying to sand off paint from drywall just isn't something that's feasible.  Your best bet is to use a shellac based primer or other primer made specifically to block odors.  A primer that I'm familiar with and have used with good results is Zinsser BIN primer.  I'm sure other manufactures make similar products.

The shellac base means the primer dries super fast (like 15-20 minutes), and because of that, you should plan on treating any brushes or rollers you use as disposable.  Cleaning is difficult and pretty hard to do correctly.

I've used it to seal in smoke smells on a ceiling and even an area on a floor and wall where an animal died.


Well Pump Runs Continuously I've checked around and read all kinds of other posts that talk about well pumps running and have checked all the possible answers.  I've tested several shutoff valves to see if I can see where the slow leak/running water may be, but nothing.  The main will make it stop, even stopping it next to the softner, but the minute I open the bypass, it starts again.

So I know it's not an external line.  No outside irrigation or faucets.  So I know it's tied to internal.  But I've checked all the toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, even the washer/dryer.  I have no water damage anywhere in the house that I can see.  But it keeps running.

runs, shuts off for a sec, but runs again.  The fan on the pump never shuts off.

The pressure is normal on the tank.  I've played with the individual shutoff valves and can't seem to find the location that the constant running is occurring.

Help!

Who would I even call to help diagnose/find it?

I do not have a well, and not a water expert, but I have a recurring water leak problem and thought I'd share my experience in case it helps.  I recently experienced a problem similar to what you described - water kept running but nothing I could touch was leaking.  I could hear water running (high pitch sound), but could not locate the leak.  I finally checked under my house, in a crawl space, and it was very wet.  It turned out that the leak was underground in a rusty old galvanized  pipe.  I am still cursing that P.O.S. and the fact that any fool ever used galvanized rust prone metal.

One other way I've been able to detect water leaks is by using a cheap stethoscope.  I once had a very expensive plumber come out with an electronic stethoscope attached to a read-out, but since then have been able to narrow in on leaks in walls by using the stethoscope (and saving myself about $1000 / event).


Pocket holes for bed frame support The plans for https://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2019/01/diy-rustic-modern-queen-bed.html call for glue and pocket holes at every joint. I'm wondering if pocket holes will provide enough structural support, or what the simplest practical alternative joint/fastener will be better? FYI I do not have any fancy tools or woodworking experience.

I think the pocket hole screws will hold fine for assembling the headboard and foot board, but for where the rails connect to the legs of the headboard and foot board you'll want to go a different route.

Bed frames get a lot of forces applied to them from different angles. Supporting weight is only part of the equation. The joints between the rails and the foot board and headboard have to withstand racking from side to side and backwards and forwards. A lot of those forces would be directed against the bit of wood at the base of the pocket holes that attach the rails to the "legs" of the bed. The problem with pocket screws is they can pull out or loosen significantly after a few years of use. Maybe they won't...but they might, and there's only so much re-tightening you can do.

The biggest problem that I see with using pocket screws where the rails connect to the legs, is the difficulty in disassembling the bed frame for moving it and so forth--especially since some of the pocket holes in the rails end up being covered up by other pieces of wood that the plans call for gluing in place.

A queen size bed frame made of solid lumber is going to be large and quite heavy when completed, and chances are you're going to want to move it someday--To the other side of the room, to a different room, to a different floor, or a different residence. (Have fun with the stairs or loading it into a vehicle!)

I would strongly recommend that you make use of a bracket of some sort or bed bolts to fasten the rails to the head and foot boards so that you can take it all apart relatively easily.

I've specifically used the Rockler brackets in the example and can attest to their strength, etc. Those guys are very solid, and have a "safety screw" to ensure that things stay locked in place. There are many types/styles made by numerous manufacturers.

Bed bolts are another good option, and have been used for maybe hundreds of years. (The guy in the video makes installing the bed bolts a lot harder than it has to be...but he does a good job.) You'll probably want to cover the exposed bed bolts (if you go that route) but they make bed bolt covers or you could make something out of wood to match the "rustic" style of the bed frame, too.

The brackets and bolts are potentially stronger than pocket screws and will take a bit more "abuse" over the years, too. The pocket screws might not fare as well after a few years of "rigorous movement" on the bed.


What is an End Plate? I've been researching electrical stuffs in the internet with unimpressive results. I'm a complete noob in electrical stuffs so please be patient with me.

What is an End Plate and what is a terminal block stopper and what are the differences?

Where do I learn stuffs like these are there sort of books about these? I'm a bit confused with different terminologies such as angle connectors, din rails, T, LR, LL conduit, etc.

There are good introduction-to-house-wiring books available. Home centers often have these, or cover the basics in a chapter of their general home maintenance books. Your local public library is likely to have much more detailed books, or can order them for you via inter-library loan.

For the questions you're asking, it sounds like reading through one of those would be an excellent investment of your time and money.  Asking here's more useful when something needs clarification or you have a question that's more in the how-to range.


What's wrong with this wiring? Something is wrong with the wiring in my shed, I think. I'm pretty sure that it's been wrong since the previous occupants lived here, and maybe even earlier than that.

When I moved in there was clear evidence of scorching in the shed - apparently something had melted and caught fire. I'm sure it was a rather exciting time. I replaced the damaged wiring and the receptacles, but when we were trying to wire things up correctly we could not figure out the correct order of the wires. It doesn't help that they're all gray wires. We spend a lot of time scratching our heads and puzzling, and then I realized that at most we had 6 different combinations, so we tried each paring and finally figured out that at least one of them was ground, but we still couldn't figure out which was hot and which was neutral. So we just wired things up and the only thing I plugged in was an incandescent lightbulb.

Recently I've thought to revisit the shed wiring and have discovered something that seems rather strange. Between ground and one side, I'm reading ~240v, and ground and the other side I'm getting ~120v.

I'm not sure what they're supposed to read, but on another outlet between ground and neutral I don't get any reading, and ground and hot I get 120v.

120v Between Hot and Ground

240v Between Neutral and Ground

My Dummy Light is Confused, Too

You may not be able to see the label clear enough, but my dummy light has all three lights on - but that doesn't correspond to any of the options on the label.

So I'm terribly confused as to what's going on here. How would I find and fix the issue here? I'm assuming it's probably in my circuit box - I took it off once before, so I know where it is and a little about it. I don't have the option to shut off the mains electricity to the house, so if I were to undertake such a fix, what safety precautions should I take? (If the outlets don't make it clear enough, I'm in the United States)

Inside My Breaker Box

On the right side you can see three wires coming in through the back of the box: they go up to the 20A circuit breaker on the right side and to the ground rail - those are the wires that go out to the shed.

As-wired, the three wires are Hot, Hot and Neutral. You do not have a ground wire, (unless this run is in metal conduit, in which case the metal conduit is the ground path.)

A 120V receptacle has 3 wires: Hot, Neutral and Ground. Your conceptual problem is you are trying to match 3 wires to 3 wires. And that will never work because those 3 wires have different functions.

First, sort out the Ground question.

Look closely at the conduit carrying the wires. I assume it is conduit because I see 3 loose wires same color.  If indeed the conduit is all-metal, and continuous, and joints in good condition, then you have a ground *in the conduit" which should be accessible at the metal box attached to the conduit. It should have a hole tapped 10-32 that you can put a grounding screw into.

You might have an electrician test this believed-to-be-ground path to see if it can really carry a strong current flow. To be actually useful, it must be able to flow enough current to assure the circuit breaker trips.

If you do not have a viable ground path, or if you want "belt and suspenders", you can retrofit a ground: route a copper ground wire from the shed back to the house, via any legal method.  If it is indeed in conduit, you might be able to just fish (or even push!) the ground wire through.

The last option is to simply leave it ungrounded.  Toss out those NEMA 5 (3-prong) receptacles and buy NEMA 1 (2-prong) receptacles.  This will be allowed if the wiring is old enough to be grandfathered (i.e. was installed before grounds became law).  If you do this, I strongly recommend you replace the circuit breaker with a GFCI type.

Here's what you can't do: Grab some green tape and mark one of the hot wires as a ground. It is now illegal to remark a black wire (of this size) as a ground.  A ground must be green, green/yellow stripe, or bare.

A local grounding rod is no substitute

If this were any more sophisticated, you would need a local grounding system (rods) at the shed.  You don't because this is a single (multi-wire) circuit into a single breaker.  Here's the point: Do not use a grounding rod as a substitute for a ground wire.  You need a ground wire back to the panel so that ground faults will trip the breaker.  A ground rod won't do that because dirt is just dirt, it is not a magical superconductor.  Dirt conducts electricity about as well as you'd expect, and it won't flow enough current (if it flows any at all) to give you a reliable breaker trip.

So don't even think about using a local grounding rod at the shed as a substitute for running a proper ground.  It is a nice add-on, though: what it does is give a very direct path for Mother Earth's electricity - lightning and static electricity - to get back to its source.

Then sort out the Neutral

I see in the service panel where one of the black wires has white tape on it.  Similar to green tape, it is now illegal to re-mark a black wire (of this size) to be a neutral.  If the installation is old enough it may be grandfathered, and I would take the assumption that it is.   In that case, it's OK to use new tape to freshen the mark, as that one is falling off.

It's important the mark be intact on the other end of the wire too.  Freshen it there too.  It's vital not to get the wires mixed up.

You have Hot-Hot-Neutral.  Use it that way.

What you have is called an Edison circuit or a multi-wire branch circuit.  This can give you 240V (hot-hot) or 120V (hot-neutral) or 120+240 (hot-neutral-hot) for dryers or subpanels which use both.

If you want a 240V circuit, use the two hot wires.  This could go into a NEMA 2 receptacle (or if you have a good ground you can wire, use NEMA 6).

If you want a 120V circuit, use one of the hot wires and the neutral.  Do not use the other hot wire.  Without a ground use a NEMA 1 receptacle, with ground use a NEMA 5 as in your picture.

If you want a 120+240V circuit, use both hots, and neutral, and ground.  If you have ground, use a NEMA 14 receptacle.  If you do not have ground, do not install it. 120+240 without ground kills people.


What are best practices to run wires from outside in? I am installing my own security cameras.  My house is pretty stretched out. So I may need about 5-6 cameras in different spots.  I am still researching, identify tools I need, different security cameras, etc.

The question is, what are the best practices, and tools I need, for running  wires from the outside to the inside?

I would assume that all wires should gather to one common spot.  Do you have better wire management suggestions?

What kind of bushing should I get that can accomodate wires from 6 cameras? I would assume it would be at least an inch or two.  Something like this?

(source: mavromatic.com)

My walls are stucco, any specific drill bits I need to be aware of?

If you don't use conduit outside, make sure you leave drip loops - where the wire runs down lower than the hole and is screwed in there, then back up to the hole.  You should see this on cable tv and telephone cables as well.  It prevents water from running along the surface of the cables right into the hole.

Make sure you use outdoor rated cables.

Make sure you measure twice and drill once.  You want to go into a hollow space in the wall, not drill all the way through a stud.

Don't make the hole any bigger than it needs to be, since that will be harder to fill and keep waterproof. Fill the hole with silicone caulking (again make sure it is made to be used outdoors).  Make sure the cables are all anchored securely before filling, so they won't get pulled out of the wall and pull the silicone out with them.


Hot and cold water mix My hot and cold water mix in the shower lasts only about 2 minutes ,then the water goes cold ,would like to know the reason ,its only happening in my shower .

There's an adjustable & replaceable valve behind your shower's handle(s). This likely needs to be replaced, since it won't just pop out of adjustment due to it not being mechanical, as in a broken spring or such. The quickest resolution is to call a Plumber to get everything back to proper operation tonight or tomorrow.


Wiring a bilge pump with different size wires Wanting to wire a bilge pump in a boat directly to battery.  Bilge pump has 12 gauge wires.  Two brown wires going to a three way toggle (one is for manual operation, other is for auto operation).  From switch I want to put in an inline fuse (5 amp) but I can only find a 16 gauge inline fuse.  So I thought I would connect the brown wires to the switch, then connect the 16 gauge inline fuse to the switch and heat sink it to a 14 gauge red wire to positive battery terminal.  12 gauge black wire from pump would heat sink with butt splice directly to 14 gauge black wire that would connect to battery.  Is this safe or do I need to find a 12 gauge inline fuse holder and use 12 gauge wire throughout?

The big deal with DC is the distance using the larger wire as the feeder will reduce the voltage drop. You will be fine using the 16 awg wire in the fuse holder with the 12 awg. Suggestion if you use crimp connectors fill them with silicon sealer , even bathroom calking will work then stuff your wires in and crimp this will make the connections moisture proof and anyone that works on marine electrical knows how the connections corrode away if not sealed. I have used this trick on my boats regularly used in saltwater and have never had a bad splice even a decade later.


How big of a transfer grille do I need between two 500 sqft rooms if I want to balance humidity So I have two basement rooms about 500 sqft each and I want to balance the humidity between both rooms.  One room has a dehumidifier and drain so I'd like to cut a transfer grille between the two rooms so the dehumidifier can work through both rooms.
How big of a transfer grille should I have between the two rooms for the dehumidifier to be effective across both rooms.  How far above the floor should the grille be mounted?
Looking at the original blueprints - it looks like they had planned to put 24x14 transfer grilles into the wall - but the actual building does not.

Since the original plans seem to call for a 14x24 grill, that seems to be a really good place to start.
I'd plan ahead to either add a fan to encourage air movement if that's not sufficient and/or add more venting between the rooms.


How should a new brick wall tie into an existing wall? When building a new brick outside, block inside extension, where it joins an existing brick wall. How should the new wall be tied into the old. ie should the outside brick AND the inside block be tied to existing or is brick only with block tied to new brick via cavity fixings.?

If the new wall joins in the middle of the existing wall (eg making a T shape), you can use either wall starters (eg such as these ) fixed to the existing wall to accept both the inner and outer leaf of the wall or you can use frame cramps (eg such as these ) fixed individually for both leaves of the wall.

If the new wall continues along the same line as the old wall (ie it joins it at what is presently a corner), you would typically cut out the "half" bricks (ie every other course) to allow the extension wall to tie into the existing wall such that the bonding pattern matches and continues in the new wall. You would then use wall ties or starters for the inner leaf.

In both cases you should cut right though the outer leaf of the brickwork in the line of the cavity and insert a damp course (DPC) to prevent mositure tracking across and appearing as damp in the corner of the new extension. Ideally, you would cut out sufficient to allow an insualted DPC to be used to also prevent a "cold bridge" along the existing wall.

As you have correctly identified, you will also need cavity ties in the new wall.


Need a tensioning rod to push something tight (opposite of a turnbuckle) I need rod that can push two blocks of wood apart. The space is about 16" wide.
So, basically it is the opposite of a turnbuckle, kind of like a tensioned shower rod.
Is there any kind of standard mechanical device to do this, and if so, what is it called?

Where we need to separate like you are mentioning we use what the millwright call jacking bolts.
These are heavy 1/2” or better. In some cases they use a threaded rod  (short distances up to about a foot).
If longer than a foot they use the same or larger thread stock and weld it onto a plate or tube steel the tube steel just a 2x2 can span 6’ - 8’.
The millwrights usually use national course threads but I have seen them use acme square on 2” thread stock for a heavier load (several tons) needed to be lifted but maintain adjustability.
I don’t know if there are other ways like a reversed turnbuckle but the millwrights use standard stock and the nuts and washers on the inside push the parts away from each other and they call them jacking bolts.


What can I do to differentiate the switched receptacle from the unswitched receptacle on a duplex receptacle? I have some duplex outlets where one of the two receptacles is on a switch. I wanted to install the one on the switch upside down (ground up) so that it's easy to tell which one is on the switch.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure a device like this exists. How can I make the switched receptacle different?

Lutron makes this outlet

That works with this plug

So you can tell which one is which, plus no accidentall plug-ins.


What is this sanding disc and where could I find one? As best I can tell, it's a 5" diameter, open-coat, all-metal (steel? tin?) arbor-mounted sanding disc.

It's the only thing that will remove tar from brick on my house, and I really need to purchase more. No idea where this one came from.

That looks exactly like a Porter Cable paint remover disk, at a glance. 24, 36 or 48 grit, $20 bucks or so.

The tool it's made for: the Porter-cable 7403 abrasive paint remover. There probably is a backing pad that supports the disc.

Here's the pad:

Not affiliated, don't own one, do own some other Porter-Cable tools, happened to notice these discs when looking for some sanding supplies once.


Removing or modifying bridges between truss or joists to make way for ducting I want to run ducting for a kitchen extractor through the ground-floor ceiling of a two story building in order to get it to an external wall. The ducting would be running in the same direction as the ceiling truss/joists (or are they floor joists if there's another level above?), however in addition to the joists and truss, there are bridges joining them every couple of meters. (I say joists and truss because there are joists through most of the ceiling, but then open web truss in the vicinity of the kitchen, needed to allow for plumbing from a bathroom above.)

The red arrow in this image shows the desired direction of ducting travel, and the bridge that is blocking it. (Photos taken through ceiling light cutouts, so this is the best look at it I can get without removing ceiling drywall.)

The truss/joist height is 280mm, and the ducting diameter is 200mm. That doesn't leave much room for anything to remain of the bridges.

My question: I'm assuming this is something I'll need to consult a structural engineer about, but generally speaking, how necessary are these bridges? Could they be removed, or replaced with something that would leave room for duct? Although with only 80mm available height remaining with the duct installed, maybe it'd need to be steel rather than wood?

Bridging (or blocking) between trusses or joists is used to keep the trusses or joists from “laying over” under heavy loading. Randomly removing a few pieces of bridging is not serious, because adjacent pieces of bridging will still keep the trusses and joists plumb.

However, in your case, the “bridging” is something else. I doubt it’s bridging because 1) the trusses are fastened to it with steel connectors, 2) the solid member is continuous, not discontinuous between the trusses, 3) the solid member is more than 38 mm (1 1/2”) thick.

I’m thinking that solid member is a structural beam, not bridging. Do NOT remove it or notch it until a structural engineer (not civil engineer) or an architect can review it.


How can I splice strings of patio lights together? I have 6 strings of patio lights, each string with 10 bulbs.  They can be plugged  together like Christmas lights into a 60 bulb string. Each string is rated 9.6 watts (0.08 amps) and each string has a 3 amp fuse built into the plug.

To make the 60 bulb string more aesthetically pleasing, I would like to cut off the end plug/sockets and solder the strands together into one continuous line.  This would leave just one 3 amp fuse at the start of the string.

Is this safe/legal?  Is there a better/safer method of joining strands together?

"Holiday" lighting is covered in the code and required to be listed by Article 410.160. It is considered temporary lighting and therefore you could argue that it could be spliced without a junction box.

The code puts a 90 limit on holiday lighting [590.3(B)] but there is a holiday at least every 90 days and you could claim that you are celebrating a holiday practically every day of the year.

If you don't mind violating the listing of the assembly, and the code: Solder them together and use shrink tubing to cover the splice (make sure you put the shrink tube on one side before you solder the splice.) It may not be pretty but if it is well insulated it will be as safe as the plugs and probably more waterproof. Keep the 3 amp fuse on the end of it for added safety.

OR as bats suggested get a roll of LED rope light terminated with an approved plug.

Happy Thursday!


What are the pros and cons of medium-density fibreboard (MDF)? I heard mixed opinions about making cupboards and beds from MDF. Some said it doesn't matter, MDF is as durable as whole tree or sandwich boards. Some said that MDF is weak, and will not last for years if you move the MDF-beds often.

I'll be glad to hear your experiences about the durability of the MDF.

MDF is medium density fiberboard. It is essentially an amalgamation of sawdust, wood chips, and binders. Sorta like dried oatmeal.

Cons:

MDF is a pain to work with if you have to remodel later or install hardware several times, as the more you drill it, the less sturdy it becomes and begins to flake.
It will also split if not pilot hole drilled.
MDF does NOT tolerate water well. Water begins to degrade MDF into fine particles, think wet cardboard.
Smooth shank nails have a difficult finding purchase.
Formaldehyde resins are commonly used to bind MDF together, so I wouldn't use it near small children or pets.
It is much heavier than similar sized pine boards.
MDF crumbles easily, so finding pieces that have a clean edge are hard to find.

If you have purchased anything from Ikea, you know what this is.

Pros:

It's cheaper than hard wood.
It can look very "clean" as it doesn't contain knots or rings or any other naturally occurring wood deformities.

Verdict: Use anything else, seriously. MDF is cheaper, but you will pay for it in the long run. Especially true for cabinets, as weight of the wood will decrease the amount your cabinet can hold, plus MDF will begin to sag from stress.

What about Pineboard? Pineboard, considered to be the cheapest whole wood you can buy. Is stronger than MDF, lasts longer, holds up to water degredation much better, and doesn't crumble.


Would applying silicone grease to an EPDM seal/gasket be helpful or hurtful? I'm repairing a Samsung front-load washing machine and had to take the tub apart.  The tub consists of two halves which are joined by a number of bolts and a thin (approximately 1/4) seal which appears to be made of EPDM (based on the label).

I'm installing a new seal and it appears there was no lubricant/grease used originally, and it's not mentioned anywhere in repair guides.  However, I was taught that a gasket/seal isn't watertight without lubricant, and this being the most likely location for a leak I'm weighing the risk of applying a thin coat of silicone grease to the new seal.

Would that be a mistake as it's not to the manufacturer's spec?  And would there be a risk of it causing problems now or in the future?

Overall I don't think the grease would hurt but may have made the repair more challenging; greasing the seal likely would have improved the watertightness, but also may have made it more difficult to install correctly (the seal needed to sit in a groove and be slightly stretched).  It also would have added a slight chance of grease getting onto the clothes.  Considering that the original seal was ungreased and still watertight after 8 years I decided the risk wasn't worth it.

PS) In case anyone else is doing this repair... After bolting the drum together I was extremely alarmed that the two halves didn't seat together cleanly.  The seam was tight at the bolts, but in between the bolts there were gaps of more than 1/16th of an inch--O was sure I'd pinched the seal and almost took it back apart.  Thankfully I found a few high res photos and videos and it appeared this is normal.

So, if possible, take photos of this seam before disassembling it.  Also, be sure to clean the channel this seam sits in very well.


Finding Skylight Replacement Dome My home was built in 1986, and the skylight acrylic dome looks ready to break any moment now.  I want to replace the dome but I can't for the life of me find anywhere that sells them with the setup that I have.

I think its called dome over curb or curb mounted? But the dome slides over the curb with no external frame, screws are ran through the side.  The curb measures 25.5" across.

Given I haven't been able to find a replacement, should I look into different styles (tempered glass or installing a frame)?

Purchase a new curb mounted unit of the same size as this old one (in some unique cases it may require a special order if your unit is an odd-ball size). Then
just remove the whole existing skylight from the existing curbing. Peel off the old foam sealer material that is on top of the curbing and then lay down new sealer strip. Finally set on the new skylight and screw through its side holes into the curbing to secure into place.


washer drain overflowing, tried cleaning vent The drain pipe for the water coming from the washing machine overflows. I tried drano, but that did not fix the problem. I climbed onto the roof and slid the metal snake down the pipe. I met some resistance then pushed through and moved the snake back and forth. When I pulled the snake out, some clumps of stuff came out. I repeated the process.

Should I spend more time on the roof or use more drano?

You're going to need to get an electric (or battery) powered handheld drum-type cable to do the job. Something similar to this;   https://www.cleaner.com/online_exclusives/2016/04/milwaukee_tool_introduces_cordless_drain_snake

Not saying you need to go out and buy one, but most rental centers have them.  With that you should be able to run through the trap with no problems.  And if needed, you can access the clean-out (like in the picture) in your main drain and run the cable through it.

I've been doing building maintenance for 35 years now at a local hospital, and for what it's worth, I'd stay away from Draino and similar products.

Hope this helps.


Upgrade from outlet/switch combo to GFCI + outlet In a bath in my house I currently have a very old (likely original 1949) outlet/switch combo.  The outlet is hot, not dependent on the switch being on.  The switch controls vanity lights.  I would like to replace the outlet/switch combo with a GFCI outlet and a separate switch for the vanity lights (and so also move from one a one gang box to a two ganb box).

My question -- without knowing exactly how this is wired (have not tore it apart), is this likely to be an option?  Will it only work if there is two wires feeding the current outlet/switch?  Assuming there is only one wire, does anyone have a diagram on how this would be wired?  If it cannot be done, is there GFCI/switch combos?

As a footnote...the wiring in the house is original as well, on the list of things to get done, but just not in the budget for a few years.  It is non grounded 2 wire.

Thanks!

I had a similar situation in my bathroom.  I had power in the ceiling, to the light, and a 14/2 running down to the switchbox.   My assumption is that the original install consisted only of the light switch, but had been "Upgraded" by everyone's favourite contractor, Some Moron.  This esteemed craftsman put in a combo switch/receptacle, Jumpered the hot side of the switch to the hot side of the receptacle and then pigtailed the neutral of the receptacle to ground.

IF THIS IS YOUR SITUATION,

You need to run a new 14/3 from the ceiling to my switch location and break drywall to install a 2 gang box.  The final wiring is:

Panel Black -  14/3 black. (with pigtail in switch location)
Light Fixture Black to 14/3 Red.  (Switched Hot - power to light)
Panel White - 14/3 white.

In the 2 gang box, I took a black from the pigtail to the GFCI hot, and the white from the 14/3 to the neutral screw.

Other possibilities:

Existing 14/3 -- Do as above, but obviously you don't need to run a new cable.  Check the wiring in the light box to make sure you get the switched hot right.

Double 14/2 - In this situation, you'd have 1 14/2 powering the receptacle, and another 14/2 acting as the runner for the switch.  Usually black is hot, and white is switched hot.  The white wire should be marked as such, perhaps with a piece of tape on the end.  Wire it exactly as it is.

Power to the switch box
You may have the situation where the power feed from the panel goes directly to the switch box. Usually you'll have a feed from the bottom (power) and another pair going out the top to the light.  Check these with a voltage tester!

Create a pigtail on the feed black with two short pieces of black wire.  One goes to the switch, the other to the receptacle. To the other side of the receptacle, attach the black to the light.  This is your switched hot.

The white from the light, the white from the feed are wired together with an additional short piece of white wire which goes to the neutral of the receptacle.

Additional Warnings:
All connections go to the LINE side of the GFCI.
Do not work with power on.  Turn off the breaker or fuse.
If you don't see one of the scenarios presented here, then call for professional help.


Truss Spacing and Sheathing Type We are putting a new roof on our house (framing and all). The engineer sent me three prints with different truss spacing (16",19.2" and 24" OC). For obvious reasons, I would prefer to use the 24" centers (cheaper material cost, faster construction).

I am wondering what the downfalls are to using 24" centers. Do I have to use heavier sheathing if the trusses are spaced farther apart? The prints call for 1/2" sheathing on all three prints, but I will probably go with 3/4 just because.

FYI, I am in Ohio (stupid snow loads...) and we are using TJI trusses. Any advice is appreciated!

The primary advantage to closer truss spacing is greater load-bearing ability, which is important if the roof will have heavy stuff on it, like shingles and snow. With 24" OC trusses and a conventional shingle roof, you may need to shovel your roof from time to time to prevent snow buildup from becoming dangerous. On the other hand, you can decrease this irritation by making the trusses' load lighter. One way would be to have a lighter roof material, such as metal. It will be more expensive up front, but a metal roof will last far longer than shingles and probably prevent you from having to worry about snow loads. It will also probably increase your house's resale value, which will not happen if you're simply replacing a failing roof and structure with a new one of the same or similar quality as the old one.


GFCI position in the line I am installing a GFCI.  There are several other outlets in the same line.  How can I find out which of the other outlets is downstream from the GFCI?

First ascertain the complete set of outlets that are on the circuit by testing which ones go off when the main breaker is turned off.

Now turn the breaker back on and then press the TEST button on the GFCI. The result of this is that all the outlets that are connected to the LOAD terminals of the GFCI will go off. Those that are up still powered are those that are upstream from the GFCI.


Can I use 220 V outlets on a 15 ampere breaker and wire it up as 110 V? I purchased a 220 V outlet and didn't realize it. My circuit is 15 amperes. I wanted to hook up a series of normal 15 ampere 110 V outlets. When I look at the outlet it looks exactly like a regular 15 ampere 110 V one?...but it has a red, blue, and yellow wire instead of black, white and green wires.

The red wire connects to the brass screw (where black normally goes), the blue wire to the silver screw (where white normally goes), and the yellow to ground (where green or brass wire normally goes). The instructions are in German and/or English.

It looks like the outlet is just a metal backing and a plastic face.

It should be ok to hook up these outlets and use them as 110 V ones, correct???

Is there anything special about the way a 220 V or 110 V are made?

I am in the US, near Washington, D.C.

Send it back right now

You bought it off Amazon Marketplace, the world's biggest junk shop.  A step down from eBay, even, because this garbage hides amongst legitimate products.  Here.  See what you had to notice to even spot it?

Note the "Sold by some_random and Fulfilled by Amazon" part. That means "Amazon Marketplace" flea market.  Often, they also have goofy brand names that sound like Ikea furniture names, but you can't count on that.  They're just making it up.

Standards matter. Really.

These things don't come within a mile of US safety standards.  If you think that doesn’t matter, watch Big Clive's teardown videos on Youtube, you'll get religion right quick :)

Heck, it doesn't even comply with EU safety standards.  The CE stamp and RoHS stamp are counterfeited... or to be more precise, they are a legal promise by a bricks-and-mortar business inside the EU who manufactured it there or took responsibility for legally importing it, that it complies. If Joe EuCitizen mail-orders it, and it ships direct from China or via Amazon's fulfillment center (for some reason), Joe EuCitizen is the importer in EU law, and Joe has no chance of complying.  See how that works?

In the USA the system is not promise based, but requires every piece of equipment be listed.  Listed means manufacturers and importers must send off specimens of the items to Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) or equally competent testing lab, where they do destructive testing well beyond BigClive levels.  Most equipment breezes through this because manufacturers know what they're doing and they're either using the same methods as were approved before, or use components with the RU mark which means UL pre-approved the components.

The scam

Here is the business model of this scam.  Many Chinese counterfeiters market products designed to look like legitimate product, but of course are made very, very cheaply.  This scammer found this particular one on Alibaba, a bastion of this type of spew. He asked the builder "hey, can you give me USA sockets?"* The builder said "sure".  (Hence the Faux German wire colors).  He paid $6 for the units, $2 each to have them individually packaged, and sent to the Amazon fulfillment warehouse (for which he pays about $3 per unit), and so they're in Prime. Probably did all this from a computer in East Asia.

So you have ten(s) of people pretending to be hundreds of companies all selling the same stuff from the same 1-3 Chinese junk mills.  (notice how you see the identical units over and over in the Alibaba search results).

Note the price is only a little bit below the price of a UL listed domestic unit from a reputable builder that is actually designed for that purpose and built properly.  That's how they set prices: expensive enough to look legit and cheaper enough to make you buy.  The profits are insane, and they don't even care that you return it; don't be surprised if they tell you to keep it.

Total junk.  You were ripped off, request a return based on "not as described" and send it back.

How to buy not junk

If it's too late to send it back, or if they tell you to keep it, send it to Big Clive on YouTube.  He will tear it down in a video and show you all the ways it would've tried to kill you.

In the future, don't buy electrical parts online; they are price prohibitive because they're usually too low value to justify shipping.  Talk to your local electrical supply house, and tell them you are sick of being overcharged by Home Depot (that puts them on notice that you are price conscious).

Certainly never touch an "Amazon Marketplace" product again with a 10-foot pole.

Amazon proper is supposed to be OK, but two problems.  First telling the difference in listings.  Second is, the listing may say "shipped from and sold by Amazon Proper" and Amazon may normally stock product legitimately sourced from Actual Leviton.  But if Amazon is out of stock on that, they will silently and automatically substitute the same "SKU" from an Amazon Marketplace seller — and the Marketplace seller may be selling counterfeits.

-

* the HA-BSD-001 code on the parts bag googles to a page on Alibaba, listing an identical device, but with a German "Schuko" socket instead of our familiar friend the NEMA 5-15.  The wire colors, right on cue, are shown in the listing as red, blue, and yellow/green, faux German colors.


How should I protect wood gates in a damp climate? I would like to make a set of external timber yard gates, i.e. both sides of the gates will be exposed to the elements. Since I live in the North of England, it tends to rain. In order to avoid the gates swelling during our damp winter, what sort of things should I aim to do?

The sort of things I'm thinking of are:

Should I specially treat the wood before construction
Should I paint along the bottom of the gates

"tends to rain" :) Wood will shrink and swell. You can't stop it. Rather, allow for it. You can use wood naturally resistant to decay. Not sure what's available in your locale, examples include redwood, cedar, teak, cypress. You can also use pressure treated lumber, in which case, be sure to apply preservative to cut ends. Field applied preservative will help for a while, but it will not last. You should avoid paint, the shrinking and swelling will quickly cause failure. If you must paint, all surfaces of every piece should at least be primed, if not fully painted.

Use corrosion resistant hardware and fasteners. Stainless steel if possible. At least hot dipped galvanized. Not the much thinner electro-galvanized. For hardware, a durable factory applied finish such as powder coating would be OK. Don't waste time with fine joinery, big and clunky is more appropriate. This is not an excuse to be sloppy, the big and clunky joints must be well made. The frame's primary diagonal should be low at the hinge side so that it's joints are in compression.


Powering a Window Air Conditioner -- 10' 12/3 SJTW extension cord vs new outlet? TL;DR: Is it fine to use 10' 12/3 extension cord or should I really have an electrician come out & install a new outlet?

I recently installed 8,000 BTU window air conditioner (the LG LW8016ER). Unfortunately, there isn't an outlet near the window.

I've heard lots of disclaimers that you should have an electrician come out to install a new outlet, and not use an extension cord.  Is that really necessary if I get an extension cord of sufficient gauge?  Specifically a 10' 12/3 SJTW (the Thonapa TH-123Y10).

Reading around, most of the wiring used to connect the outlet is 12 gauge as well, so it didn't seem like it would that different from just running the extension cable.

R.E. Has a great litmus test.  If you are going to sell, rent or AirBnB the place like this, fit a proper receptacle. Otherwise...

It's about cord damage, and melting extension cords

A lot of Electrical Code and UL rules come from data science.

Most consumer extension cords are intended for, you know, lamps. They are 16-18AWG, good for 7.5-10 amps in ideal conditions, but they often have problems at connector ends.  Historicaly A/C units pulled as much as 13 amps (less now, since Energy Star and SEER).  As such, it's a high priority for NFPA and UL to discourage extension cord use, because consumers will make bad choices in extension cords.

However, via data science, it has emerged that a large number of casualties happen because of frayed air conditioner cords.  This is why air conditioners use funny cords, and have that GFCI-looking thing on their plug.   It is actually optimized to detect cord damage.  Needless to say, that gadget can't protect an extension cord - so an extension cord defeats its purpose.

Use an extension cord ...carefully

This is me advising going against UL advice and Code, if you are able to take responsibility for the reasons.

Or, use surface conduit

You add a "starter box" at your receptacle, then follow the wall to a suitable location.  #12 THHN wire will suffice, presuming it is actually a proper, mains-listed surface conduit system like Legrand Wiremold, and not merely a cord-organizer intended for ethernet and the like.