What under-eaves vents can I use to maximize attic airflow and minimize insect infiltration? I live in Seattle. It doesn't snow here often. Winters are cold, but temps do not dip below 32 for long periods of time very often.

I live in a small, one-level 950 sq. ft. house built in the 1950s. It does not have air conditioning.

I don't want to get air conditioning, but I do want my house to be more pleasant temperature-wise during the summer, so I'm trying to figure out how to ventilate my attic.

Right now there are two very small, screened vents under the eaves of my house. There are attic vents on the top of the roof, but none under the eaves. I understand this is a problem, and I've read a bit online that you have to have at least the same amount of airflow capacity at the top of the roof as you do under the eaves, and that the total airflow capacity at the top needs to be X amount based on the square footage. So I kind of get that.

I also know that vents have a net airflow capacity rating.

My problem is that I don't want to put in vents that bees and wasps can get into. Seems like every year they're in something new -- last year I had to get a new nest out of the wall, and before that, it was in the wooden steps in my front yard.

Makers of vents must not think that insects exist because when I look for under-eave vents at Home Depot, they're the grate kind with 1/4 inch gaps between metal slats. No bueno. So what under-eaves vents can I use to maximize airflow and minimize insect infiltration?

According to my calculations based off this site, for my 1000 sq ft. attic, I need a total vent area of 6.6 sq. feet, and a soffit vent area of 3.33 sq. ft.

Run of the mill vents like this one provide 92 sq. in. of vent area. This is .63 ft, which means I'd need 5 of them. But if I put netting in there, I'd likely need more. I'm asking if I put netting in there, how many more vents do I have to have?

I live a couple of hours south of you.  I installed a heat activated powered vent in the roof.
Our house was miserable in the summer at night.  You could feel the heat radiate from the ceiling.
After adding the powered vent that turned on @100 deg F the house was comfortable in the evening.
They have solar powered vents now , so power would not need to be run.
The powered vent was much cheaper than adding the vents at the soffits, and being close to the ridge it removed the hottest air.


What type of professional can repair a possible gas pipe obstruction causing a large drop in pressure to my furnace? The gas piping from my gas meter comes into my house in a straight 10 foot run to my gas furnace

Two feet from the exterior wall the black pipe has a t connection with a run to a gas dryer.
The gas dryer works fine but the 3 year old gas furnace has a supply problem.

The furnace initially ignites okay with a gas pressure reading of 7  but when the burners go to the second stage the gas pressure drops to a  .5.

I have been advised  that there is a possibility that there is an obstruction in the black pipe.
Here are my questions

is it possible that the gas valve adjusting the flame might be bad?

How would the possible obstruction in the black pipe be cleared?

What type of professional should I hire to address this? An HVAC tech or a plumber?

Is black pipe still the only acceptable material used for gas distribution in the home?

Thanks for your help

Why would it act this way?
There is a difference between pressure and flow. If you have two tanks connected by an incredibly small tube, the pressure in those two tanks will be the same. Drain the contents of one tank, wait long enough, and the pressure in the two tanks will again be the same (and lower).
The size of the tube controls the flow rate, which limits how quickly the pressure can equalize. But it will eventually equalize.
If your gas pipe is 99.99999 % clogged, eventually the pressure on either side of the clog will equalize. But if you then open a bigger hole to pull the gas out -- like burning it -- the rate of exhaust will be greater than the rate of equalization through the tiny hole in the clog, so the pressure on that side will drop lower and lower. Until your stop burning the gas, at which point the pressure will slowly go back up and equalize.
Can you DIY? Yes.
Since you're posting on DIY.stackexchange.com, I'll point out that this may well be something you can do yourself.
You have a gas furnace. Somewhere near the furnace you have a gas connection that can be disconnected. This is probably a union fitting, like this:

There are other possibilities, but this is by far the most common. Union fittings are important because pipe is threaded together, and you cannot loosen one arbitrary location without also overtightening the threads at the other end of the pipe. Thus, a union is a fitting that allows you to create a disconnection in the middle of the pipe.
If you shut off the gas (at the meter, or at some shutoff valve that may exist upstream of the possibly blockage) and then drain the gas lines (by turning on the stove and burning off whatever is left in the pipes, for example), you can then open the union, and work your way backwards disconnecting pipe until you reach the known good spot.
You don't have to disconnect every single fitting. Most of the time you can skip a couple of fittings, if you pick your battles right and make sure there's enough room to twist a group of fittings around.
Once you're done, you can shine a light through the pipes looking for obstructions. Use whatever you have to hand - a skinnier piece of pipe, a swiffer handle, or even just a heavy weight on a string, to dislodge any obstruction you find.
It may be that the obstruction is caused by decay in the pipe -- perhaps there is one pipe where water has built up and rusted. You'd want to replace this piece. Just measure it and go to your local big box or plumbing supply store - they can cut to length and thread the pipe for you.
To reassemble, you'll want a wire brush to clean the pipe, and some gas-rated "pipe dope" which you can also get at the same store. These connections will also require at least one, but probably two pipe wrenches of substantial size - 10 to 16". And you'll probably have to put some serious weight on them at one point or another. So have a helper or some helpful tools, maybe including nail-up straps, wood blocks, a ladder, etc.
Other pipes than black iron?
There are other gas delivery technologies. One such is CSST, corrugated stainless-steel tubing. This is to natural gas what PEX is to plumbing -- much easier to route, faster to install, and it requires a whole different set of procedures and training. You don't want to just insert this in the middle of a run of black pipe, though. It's the kind of thing you get either installed as part of new-build construction, or when you redo your entire system.
Check your sediment trap
Other commenters and answers have mentioned this, but it bears repeating: if you have a blockage in your pipe, you may have the blocking crud also in your appliance. Before the gas enters your appliance -- right before -- there should be a sediment trap. This will appear as a 90-degree bend in the flow of gas, with an open leg pointing down:

The purpose of that "dead" leg is to collect whatever crud might be in the pipes before it can clog up your appliance. So... shut off the gas, empty the pipes, and then open that trap and see if anything is in there. You may have to dig it out with a pencil or a pipe cleaner or something. If there's a huge amount (like: the entire leg is full) then crud might also be inside your appliance -- maybe a "service call" is appropriate?


recessed can lighting auto off and outlet heating ... 1 of the 2 can lights automatically turned off, I replaced the bulb and it repeated the auto turn of and on... can I buy a tester to help pin-point if the fixture is going bad ?
... noticed today one of the outlets we use in the same room where our recessed lights are, the outlet plug where we have the in Christmas lights plugged into for our Christmas tree is hot and switches off automatically ... Is the outlet going bad ?

I wonder if the 2 light recessed fixtures are connected to the outlet? is there a way to find out?  I have a outlet tester that only tells if the outlet is grounded.

Actually I think you have two problems.

First, Recessed cans come with a thermal overload, so if the fixture heats up beyond normal the thermal protector turns it off. These protectors can get worn and will trip at random until replaced. You might see if you can access your can from above and if it is covered with insulation then you need to pull the insulation away from it so it will operate cooler. This might fix the problem, if not you will need to replace the unit. Unfortunately you really can't replace the thermal protector without replacing the can. This really isn't for a DIY, you need someone who knows how to get the parts, take down the bad parts and reassemble the fixture.

Second, If your outlet is overheating from the Christmas lights, that is an indication of a loose or bad connection in the receptacle or splices in the box. If you need to remove the cover and check out the wiring. Also if the outlet conductors are stabbed in at the back of the receptacle you need to remove them and wrap the around the side terminals. There is plenty of comment on this subject on this site so no need to go into detail.

Last is just to answer your final question. Its really easy to find out if your receptacle and lights are on the same circuit. Just go to your circuit breaker panel and it should be marked, but if it isn't then you just need to turn each breaker on and off until the circuit in question turns off.

Good luck and Happy Holidays.


Entry Wood Door Repair on Finish We have double entry doors and when I removed our old handle set, it took away alot of the paint that was originally on the door near the handlesets.

Needless to say, I want to try to fix this issue myself if possible.

close up

Any suggestions how I would go about doing this? I purchased a wood filler and have not decided if that would solve this issue.

The quick solution is a mending plate, or mending rings, which cover the damaged area with something decorative. Or pick a lockset whose decorative rose is large enough to cover that area.


heater wire 120v 2-wire. one side ribbed and the other white writing? i tried to add a photo but my phone cant seem to compress the image small enuff..so..this cord turns logic on its head..one side is continuous ribbing while the other has white printing on it..so i have a cord that by all quoted standards is two neutral wires sided by side with no third wire or hot wire (at least not one that plays by the rules) ..two wires...heater..one ribbed...the other white writing stating voltage and temp...on a 1200watt radiant heater..no plug end and its glued together at the seams.. so whats really goin on? i wanna guess the ribbed is neutral but thats a fools venture if i am mistaken...

The ribbed side is the neutral (actually called grounded conductor, not to be confused with the equipment grounding conductor).

NEC 400.22 Grounded-Conductor Identification. One conductor of flexible cords that is intended to be used as a grounded circuit conductor shall have a continuous marker that readily distinguishes it from the other conductor or conductors. The identification shall consist of one of the methods indicated in 400.22(A) through (F).

(F)Surface Marking. One or more ridges, grooves, or white stripes located on the exterior of the cord so as to identify one conductor for cords having insulation on the individual conductors integral with the jacket.


How long can I wait before staining a new deck? I just moved into a new (well, old) house.  The previous owners put in a deck probably about 1 year ago.  It's treated lumber, but they hadn't yet stained it.  Winter is approaching quickly here in upstate NY, so I'd like to wait until Spring if I can.  But I'm concerned that letting it sit unstained through the winter will have long term effects on the wood.  So, can I wait?  or should I do it?

It'll be fine.  You should always wait at least one year anyways to make sure the wood is fully dried.  I think I waited almost 3 years before I stained parts of my deck, with no detrimental effects.


Can you convert a stackable dryer 220 to a 110, and how? Can you convert a stackable dryer 220v to 110v? I don't have 4 prong outlet. Need to be 3 prong regular plug for regular outlet.

No. A 220 V to 240 V clothes dryer cannot be modified to operate on 120 V only.

There are very small clothes dryers that operate on 110 V, but they are so small that it is clear that a standard 240 V clothes dryer requires much more power than could be supplied by a 120 V 20 A circuit. Magic Chef 2.6 Cu Ft clothes dryer


How to fill between door frame and tile When tiling the bathroom, I cut the door frame higher up than I needed to and now have a large gap. Please advise the best method of filling this gaps so that it looks professional. Some choices -
1. Caulk - easiest, but wont be flush and I believe will look tacky
2. Cutting the frame higher up and adding a new piece of frame. This will look better, but will take time/effort.
Is there a filler that can be moulded/sanded and then painted and that is waterproof?

The usual approach is to cut a thin strip of the same jamb and moldings and glue into place.

You can also fill in small spots with an epoxy based product like Bondo or other paste-like filler (would not use it for thicker vertical surfaces since it may slump). It can be carved and sanded like a hard wood.

A combination of these techniques should give you a pretty unnoticeable surface once painted.


Copper water line connection to fridge has a very tiny leak. How can I fix it? I just bought a new refrigerator and have connected my previous copper water line to the appliance.  It seemed leak-free, but about an hour after we pushed the fridge back in place we noticed a very tiny puddle so I pulled it out and started over this time using pipe threading (??) and thought that worked.  It once again seemed okay so I pushed it back in place again....wrong.  It still had a drop or two showing up. Since I've pulled it out from the wall, it looks dry again.  Did I tighten it too much?  Did I not use the white tape properly (I only wrapped it once and this is my first time using the stuff)?  Can I use more of it or something else?  Any suggestions would help.  Thanks.

Your question doesn't mention where you're located, but I'll speculate USA and from that infer that you're working with 1/4" tubing and a compression fitting -- this is the most common arrangement for refrigerator water supply in the US.

Here is a photo to give names to the parts you're probably working with. I didn't have any copper tube on hand; the blue tube is polyethylene plastic instead. It's shown with a white plastic (Delrin/acetal) ferrule and a brass insert. Your copper tube should have a brass ferrule like the one shown loose in the photo. The brass insert is used only with plastic tubing.

The compression fitting is designed to seal dry, ie without the white Teflon tape or pipe joint compound. It can leak if there's debris in the joint, if it's not assembled square, if a part (usually the ferrule) is nicked, or if it's overtightened.

If a leaky compression fitting can't be resolved by cleaning the mating faces and carefully re-assembling, usually the next step is to cut off that last inch or so of the tube, slide a new ferrule onto the tube, and assemble again. Plastic tube can be cut with a knife but your copper tube should be cut with a proper tubing cutter.

Some say that wiping a bit of pipe joint compound on the ferrule can help seal a small leak. Maybe it can; I haven't tried it -- it seems a bit of a hack and I've always preferred to trim the tube and install a new ferrule instead.


Why would a 240v line voltage thermostat have a blank display? In a bathroom I have a single 500w 240v electric baseboard heater, and AUBE/Honeywell TH305 digital line voltage single pole thermostat.

I noticed yesterday, that the display had gone blank. A quick check showed there was still power to the stat. I tried switching it with another one from another room with no luck.

I checked for power at the heater (which there was), and then tried switching the heater in case a faulty thermo sensor was the problem. Still no luck.

So now I have power at both the stat, and heater, but still a blank display...

All the other heaters in other rooms on the same circuit work fine.

So now what?? Could it be a voltage problem? If so, how was it working before? How would the voltage change??

Any help or input would be much appreciated!!

Sounds like a dead thermostat.

When it was working before, it hadn't died yet.

Why it died is likely to remain a mystery. Things don't live forever (neither do people - dragons might, per one song.)

Replace it.


How to design an LED ceiling lamp I've spend some time googling, but the ROI has been low.

I want to make my own ceiling lamp -- I probably remember just enough electronics from Uni to get into trouble, so I'm trying to find a good howto -- an outline of how to design and build a lamp (the electronics and lighting characteristics, not the mechanical bits) without too much trial and error.

As I look through an online catalog, I find myself questioning:

How do I choose the light type -- spot, strip...  what are the tradeoffs?
How many lumens do I need?
How do I know if a light is dimmable?
How do I connect it to my household power supply (overhead light lines, not via a socket plut).
What aren't I thinking of?

Can anyone point me to a good reference, howto, starting place?

You've got five different design factors, all entangled.

The heatsink.  That will be a ruling factor in your design.
The user controls, light switch, dimmer, HomeKit interface, WiFi antenna, and whatever else you care to dream up.
All the physical parts and aesthetics of the fixture.
The LED emitter itself.
The power supply (driver) which takes line power and makes constant current tailored for that emitter. Any dimming etc. comes in here also.

I have good news for you: the last two can be purchased "off the shelf" from a variety of vendors from Mouser Electronics to eBay. It's possible you could innovate in this area, but you don't have to.

The other three are physical crafts, not electronic ones. Well, except for the user controls, where you can go crazy with "Internet of things" type technologies if you wanna.  There's a lot of potential fun in this area, remembering that color LEDs are available.  (their CRI is not as good as decent white LEDs, keep that in mind, so if you're looking for an excellent daily light, you might want to either forget about color, or put two emitters in your light.  Emitters are cheap.


Can I replace the wax gasket without lifting the whole toilet? I am a woman who cannot lift the back tank of a toilet.  To replace the wax gaskets, can't I just turn off the water, remove the bolts from one side and replace with the new gaskets - then do the other side?  Turn the water on and flush the toilet to refill the bowl?  I'm not understanding why the entire tank has to be removed.

Thinking you are looking to just replace the tank gaskets, here is the scoop.  There is no wax seal between the tank and bowl, there is usually a neoprene or rubber gasket that needs to be the right size and shape for the model of toilet you have. You should also replace the mounting bolts and the rubber gaskets around them also at the same time.  As far as trying to lift one side at a time, i guess that could be done if both bolts were removed and you tilt the tank enough to clearly see the tank drain hole and properly insert the new seal. Of course, it is better to install the seal into the tank and lower it square onto the bowl opening then install the new bolts and gaskets.  The real issue is to be sure the new main gasket is seated squarely so it will seal properly. Be careful tightening the tank bolts. They need to be firm to the point where there are no leaks and the tank is level, but not too tight as over tightening these bolts can crack the tank or mounting flange on the bowl.

Maybe you can find a strong friend to give you a hand with this tricky job. It isn't a difficult task, but might be frustrating if you can't remove the tank, clean the drain hole and install the new gasket at a more convenient working angle.


Water coming from the cistern is not capable of flushing the commode? Its been months now that our water pressure is not enough to fully flush the commode, every time it must be filled manually or wait until it fills for the second time for a complete flush out.

Flush toilets with the usual non-pressurized water tanks don't need significant water main pressure to function. The depth of the water in the tank is what provides the pressure. Low water main pressure will increase the time to fill the toilet tank, but once it's full the flush process will be the same.

In your case, it's likely there's something wrong with the toilet flushing mechanism, or the drain pipe.


Can built-in furniture be installed near sprinkler piping? I had a loft bed built into my condo.  The bed is up near the ceiling and there is a large red water pipe just above it.  It carries the water to the sprinklers but its not a sprinkler itself.  My bed is about a foot and a half below this pipe.  Is this legal?

Since there are no sprinkler heads, valves, or such involved -- there's no need to maintain any set clearance from the pipe with nonstructural, non-fire-partitioning elements, such as furniture.  (NFPA 13 has no minimum clearance requirement for sprinkler piping that I can find, save for the 9.3 requirements on clearance through firewalls, and those are both a) driven by seismic concerns and b) on the order of an inch or so.)


Can I bore a 4inch hole through my ceiling joists? I need to install a bathroom ceiling fan for a new bathroom I'm adding to my house. The only issue is that the floor joists are running perpendicular to where I need to run the 4'' aluminum duct pipe.
My question is do I just bore a 4'' hole through the joists?
Based on this answer from StackOverflow and this one it seems I can bore a hole 1/3 the depth of my joists (which are 11'') as long it's a joist (and not a beam) and the hole is no closer than 2inch from each edge... is that correct?
Thanks in advance!
Follow-up Note: This room is on the first floor, and there is a room above it (so venting through the attic isn't a possibility - as far as I know)

Looks like you have your specs and they don’t allow it. But no I would never drill that big a hole in joists. It’s common to do so on rim joists however as they are supported underneath by the foundation.
For any vent the best choice is to have it as direct and short as possible with as few as corners as possible. The best choice is usually through straight up through the roof.
I have seen some interesting choice for exhaust pipe too. Try to avoid flex hose as that limits air flow.


How do I find the end of speaker wire in a finished wall? I purchased a home with a media room that was prewired for surround sound. One end of the wires is in a low voltage single gang box, the other ends terminate somewhere in the corners of the room. There are some telltale plaster spots that have been painted over, but I would like to confirm the wire location before punching into the drywall.

What do you recommend for locating the wires? Infrared? Tone generator? Something else?

Well, the way I'd find it would be to get a wire tracer. These consist of a transmitter that hooks to one end of the wire to use it as an antenna, and a short-range (and sometimes directional) receiver which you can then use to find the wire emitting that signal. That will let you trace a wire through the wall's surface. (There are several variants of this, at different price points; the more expensive ones can even be used on live AC circuits.)

[Originally a comment, since I thought it was a bit short/shallow as an answer.]


What gauge extension cord should I use for dehumidifier in basement? I run a Frigidaire 50-pint dehumidifier in my basement, which I am currently emptying the bucket once/twice every day since the power outlet is far away from the drain hole in the basement, and the drain hose that came with the dehumidifier is pretty short. But I am planning on getting an extension cord to use so I can move the device closer to the drain hole and use the drain hose so I can have it running without having to empty the bucket on a daily basis.

At the time of purchase (of the dehumidifier), I remember the guy at the counter (can't remember if this was from Lowes' or Home Depot) recommending a 6-gauge extension cord (my memory is a bit shaky on the gauge), but I wasn't sure if I needed a cord back then, so I didn't get any. Now that I started researching, a 10-gauge cord seems to be considered heavy-duty, and I couldn't find anything longer than 6-foot with 6-gauge that's under 100 USD - so I wonder what gauge I heard him say.

What gauge extension cord is generally recommended for this set up - considering the manufacturer seems to recommend not to use one at all? The dehumidifier is the only device that the extension cord will be used for, and I think I will need at least 15-foot cord. My power outlet is a US-standard 3-pins socket.

Specifications shows 115V @ 4.8amp.  With that values it is likely he stated to get at least a 16gauge extension cord.
I prefer to get at least 14gauge cords as the price is usually very near those for the 16gauge cords.


Why two breakers (one for the line, one for the neutral) on a single-phase line? I'm wondering why in my house I have a tied-together pair of breakers (one breaker for the hot line, the other for the neutral) for one geyser, while my other geyser only has its hot line with a breaker on it, while its neutral is simply connected to the terminal strip with all the neutrals.

I don't need to upload a picture: the two breakers are really next to to each other and tied together (sold as one single two-pole breaker unit), so that the operating handle is common to both. If only one trips, the other is forced to do so as well.

So what is the need to have a breaker on the neutral? Are there situations where the overload will be felt only on the neutral and not on the live, or is it simply a trick to accommodate possible wiring errors down the line, i.e. somebody swapping by error the live and the neutral? My setting is a home single-phase 240V line, 15 amps breaker (was ok for the geyser alone, but I added a washing-machine and it now trips when using the washing-machine heating element. So that I contemplate changing it to a 20amps or 25 amps).

EDIT: I am in South Africa, and here is an image (the two-pole breaker we're talking about is the last on the left)

What you have is a 240V breaker and circuit. The white is NOT a neutral, but being used as another hot...which is perfectly fine and legal. Newer codes require such a white to be re-marked as a hot.

DO NOT replace ANY breaker with one that is larger. 99.9% of the time the wiring is appropriate for the breaker feeding it. Installing a larger breaker could create a fire hazard.


How can I use a Z-wave switch as a 3-way with no neutral? I have two lights controlled by two light switches in a 3 way switch loop configuration with no neutral.  I would like to replace either one (if I can get away with it) or both of the switches with a Z-wave light switch. From my research, it appears that almost all Z-wave light switches require a neural wire.

I have found a couple of non Z-Wave dimmer switches which claim to not require a neutral.  This Lutron switch claims to work with a variety of bulbs and not require a neutral.

Do I have any Z-wave options given that I do not have a neutral?

Here is a picture of one of the switches

I recently had a 3-way replaced with a Z-wave combination from Leviton (R02-DZS15 and VP0SR-10Z). The switch requires constant communication with the hub and thus needs power. If you look carefully at the wiring diagram for the Z-wave switches, you will notice that there is a live+neutral powering the switch and a circuit breaking wiring to the light to turn it on-off. Thus, IMHO, you cannot have a Z-wave switch without a neutral wire. Fortunately, in my case there was a neutral wire in one of the boxes and the electrician was able to pull one to the other box.

Trust me once you set the z-wave switch with a hub and program it to work, the additional cost of fishing a neutral wire will be really worth it.


What is coming out of these water pipes? I have been dealing with some hot water pressure issues.  See Should hot water pressure be reduced after hot water is used?

Today, hot water pressure reduced so much it was impossible to shower.

In that other Q/A, it was recommended that I purge the hot water heater.

Access to the hot water heater is not trivial, so I decided to run all the sink faucets on full-hot to see what would happen.

Pressure was very low, but water was flowing through all the faucets.

Then, suddenly, all the faucets started flowing at full throttle.

I took a look at the water coming out, and it looked like gobs of dirt were flowing out with the hot water.  But that seemed odd, as there are aerators on all the faucets.

After running for about 3 minutes, there was still large dark blobs coming out of the faucets.  There was no specific timing, but about 2-3 blobs roughly every 5 seconds.

I then put a stopper in one of the sinks and turned off the rest of the sinks.  The blobs continued to appear, but the sink filled with what looks like clean water.

After about 10 minutes of running the water, there were no more dark blobs.

What was I seeing?  I thought it was sediment from the water heater, but now I'm thinking that perhaps large air pockets look like dirt when passing through an aerator.  Or perhaps it's something else?

Bonus: What would have caused this issue?  (If it's best to have this "bonus" as a separate question, just let me know, and I'll create another one.)

UPDATE: I'm working on getting to the water heater to drain it, but I have some heavy equipment blocking access, so it's going to be an endeavor.  In the meantime, everything was working fine, until today.  Hot water pressure suddenly dropped again.  I don't have a non-regulated sink, so I ran 3 bathroom sink faucets on full-hot simultaneously, first plugging the sinks.  After about 30 seconds, I heard a loud CLUNK in the pipes, and then hot water started flowing freely.

It looked like black gunk was coming out of the faucets, but a visual inspection of the water (trapped in the sinks) and the sinks themselves shows no evidence of anything, not even a film.  I did see one tiny spec (less than 1 mm) of green metal (oxidized copper, perhaps), but that could just be from an aerator or the stopper.  I took off one of the aerators, and there was no evidence of anything.

The source of cold water is municipal water, not well water.

So, it was something blocking the WH's outlet! Remove & disassemble the Aerators for additional evidence. But, definitely flush the tank or get a Plumber & sock him with that fiasco. It could be magnesium from the anode rod, an excess copper soldering flux interaction, plumbers grease (which shouldn't be anywhere), tank outlet gasket failure, tank lining deterioration or just sludge film from massive debris in the tank. But Hey, water pressure problem solved!!!


Shower Pressure Decreases after thumping noise behind wall With the shower on, I hear a thumping noise behind the wall and the water pressure immediately drops.  This happens every few days, so not every time I take a shower.  It happens almost immediately after I pull up on the lever to transfer the water flow from the tub spigot to the shower head.  Sometimes, if I turn the shower off, push down the switch to drain everything through the tub spigot, and wait for one minute, I can turn the shower back on and the pressure is back up.  This doesn't always work, though.

The pressure, once dropped, will remain the same through both hot and cold temperatures.  The only recent work done in the house was the replacement of the air conditioner unit and the replacement of my expansion tank above the water heater.  The sprinklers are not usually on during the time I take a shower.

I have been unable to find any sort of leak or water stain anywhere.  The noise, which I would describe as halfway between a clunk and a thump, with a dash of bump thrown in for good measure, sounds like it is coming from behind the shower, between the tub spigot and the shower head.  My unit is a combination bath/shower, if that matters.

Any ideas or suggestions?  Any other information I can offer? The last thing I feel like doing is plumbing work, but if there's a serious problem coming my way I'd like a heads-up and a chance to fix it before it makes a mess.

Could be a clump of solder is in the pipe.  I had the same problem recently and ran the shower for a while without the shower head. I never found anything but the problem went away.  Maybe it was a glob of flux that finally dissolved.


Painting over linseed finish I finished a piece of wooden furniture I've built with industrial premade linseed oil finish. Afterwards I noticed patches where glue residues caused visible stains on the wood. This does not look so great, so I'd like to paint over with matte white and I am wondering:

Is it possible to paint over linseed oil finish. It has dried for about two weeks now and feels dry to the touch.
If so, which kind of varnish/paint should be used. I have some water based white which was used for a different project. Would this be advisable?

In my opinion it's better to use oil paint over an oil finish, but with the right primer you can use latex / water based.

I'd go over it with fine steel wool and a little mineral spirits to prep the surface either way.


Dusk to dawn dimmable control for indoor stair lights I have 5 LED stair lights on an indoor stairwell, and two problems I am trying to solve:

The lights are too bright, so I would like to dim them. But I don't need to ever change the dimness.
I'd like the lights to come on when it's dark and off when there is light. We currently have a photocell sensor but it is meant for outdoor use so is not very light sensitive and seems to stay on all day despite ample daylight on the stairwell.

I have a single standard outlet box to work within (photocell sensor in there currently). I have been scouring the web but can't find a way to statically dim the LEDs with something that can fit inside the box. And I also can't find another light sensor option, which seems crazy to me because my $5 night light does exactly what I want.

Anyone know of a dimmer or light sensor option that would work in this scenario?

The light sensor is obsolete

Modern light sensors "learn".  It takes them a day or two to learn "This is as bright as it gets" and "this is as dark as it gets", but once it does so, it will correctly switch the dusk-to-dawn lighting.  However it loses the memory if you switch power off to it.  So don't do that.

So toss your obsolete light sensor and get a new one.

One does not simply "dim" LEDs

Your best bet is simply get smaller (lower lumen) LED "bulbs" if it takes bulbs.

Your second best bet is get some cinematic gels (a sheet of tinted plastic).  Figure a way to tuck them inside your fixtures and cut them to shape. If it's not enough dimming, use two or more.  I'd use light gray, and also it's a good time to correct color temperature issues, that's the main use of gels.

Third best is to get an IoT/smart home/connected home controller, and get LED lights built to be dimmable by that smart controller.  The smart controller has no sensor; it gets on the Internet and finds out when dusk and dawn are. Then you implement both the dimming and the dusk-to-dawn with controller scripts, "at dawn turn off lights 1,2,3,4,5" "at dusk set lights 1,2,3,4,5 to 27%".

Other than that, dimming LEDs is byzantine.  Most of them have a switching power supply designed to work on multiple voltages, and will see dimming as a "brownout" and either refuse to dim, or shut off.  You have to buy particular LEDs designed to be dimmed, note which particular technology of dimmer they work with, and get a compatible dimmer. But most of them assume the human wants to change the dimming daily, they are not made to set once and hold forever.  After a power failure they'll likely bounce back to full brightness.  Generally unless you've designed the system to be dimmable, dimming ain't gonna happen.

And mind you, all that stuff in the last paragraph probably won't "play well" with the dusk-to-dawn sensor.  Either the dimmer will "dim" the sensor which will cause problems, or the sensor will shut off power to the dimmer and reset it.

You're asking a lot of technology here and you'll have to cope with some compromises.


Gas stove sparks but won’t light. No gas smell either. For some reason my gas stove will not light and I do not know why.

Some context: yesterday a flexy tube broke on the bidet. Water went everywhere so knobs were turned in a panic. A new tube was bought. Everything was fixed.

However the next day I realised the hot water had been turned off in chaos. I turned it back on. All good. But the gas stove no longer seems to work.

I should admit even after replacing the flexy tube the gas worked because we had pasta on the hob. So some time between the pasta being made and now the gas has stopped working.

I have cleaned the stove but all i hear when i turn the dial is the clicking sound. Since it worked last night but not now i feel the solution would be something simple.

Any ideas before I resort to calling a handyman?

here are pictures of all dials and handles in my apartment.

https://ibb.co/buJEZw
https://ibb.co/hYDRgb
https://ibb.co/bAVTuw
https://ibb.co/nFrZZw
https://ibb.co/bxORgb

I started this as a comment, but it started getting long, so here goes.

Without more detail and pictures, I would recommend calling in a local expert to look things over, just on the basis of not having you taking a half-baked, uninformed guess from an anonymous person on the Internet as a reliable answer.

Having said that and meaning it...

Is there a control lockout feature on your stove? That would prevent it from supplying gas to the burners (leaking gas into your residence) after a power loss.

Is there a gas valve on the stove itself that got turned?

Otherwise, you probably just have the gas shutoff valve for the stove turned off. Typically (unless it's old), a gas valve will have a yellow handle or knob, or possibly a red or plain brass one. But it will tend to be a valve that rotates just 90 degrees rather than a round knob that you turn multiple times to open or close the valve. Although, it could be a rotary valve.

If it is a newer 90 degree valve and installed correctly, it will be open if the handle is aligned with the pipe, and closed if the handle is perpendicular to the pipe. Although, another caveat, there are also valves built on elbow fittings. I've attached a couple of example images below.

Offhand, it sounds like there just isn't any gas getting to the burners on your stove. Any link to the bidet is probably incidental, since you already know that you were turning both water and gas supply knobs around the house trying to make the water stop. I doubt that your bidet has its own gas supply, and the "flexy tube" is probably just water, right?

You should have a separate gas valve for each gas-fired appliance, somewhere close to the appliance. You have to be able to turn the gas off for just the stove so that it can be disconnected and removed (maintenance, replacement, etc.) without turning the gas off for all the other appliances in the residence. The gas shutoff valve for the stove should be somewhere near the stove so that if you disconnect it, you aren't evacuating all of the gas in the line between the stove and the main gas valve into the residence.

You could easily have the main gas supply valve open, have the gas valve for the water heater open, but have the gas valve for the stove closed.


Is this the transformer for my door chime? I'm looking to install Ring Pro doorbell. I have looked around the junction box for a transformer and couldn't seem to find one this is the inside of the chime.

If this isn't it where could it be ?

No - that is not the transformer.
The transformer could be located in the furnace closet, the garage, laundry room.

If you are installing the Ring doorbell, you do not need to locate the transformer.  You should be able to connect to the existing two wires where the old doorbell pushbutton was located.  Attach the two wires to the back of the Ring doorbell.   From your picture, your original doorbell was AC power, so that is good.


What are these two Sewer Pipes Coming up Out the Ground? We recently had the old terracotta sewer line replaced that comes out of our house to the main sewer line

There are now two pipes in addition to the sewer clean along where the guys dug up

I planned to use a roto tiller on dug up area and plant grass. This first pipe presents a small problem though.

The second pipe is where I want the garden to be, I'm really unsure how this pipe affects that plan. Is it safe to plant anything around the pipe? Will the plants grow into the pipe and ruin it? I'm unsure...

The Question

What are these pipes? What purpose do they serve?

Bonus Questions

Is there anyway I can hide these pipes? I wouldn't think I could bury them, but if I can that would make hiding them very easy. If I can bury them and they're too tall to be buried, can I cut them down in any way?
Does the pipe affect my garden in anyway? Or can I plant around it

If you guys need more info or if my question(s) needs changed, let me know and I'll do it ASAP.
Thanks.

Note

I don't believe that these pipes are the sewer clean. The sewer clean is closer to the house in this picture, if I'm not mistaken

They are probably additional clean-out-points - my local inspector wants one every 50 feet (15 meters) along the line. But my comment that you should ask the people who put them in, who would know, stands as the correct way to figure that out.

If so, they should remain accessible, but be protected from sunlight, as they appear to be PVC. You can paint them for basic sun protection, or my preferred approach is to build a small rock or brick wall around and put a large flat rock or patio block on top of it - easy to find, easy to access, but out of sight and out of sunlight.

Should not affect your planned garden particularly, though you should beware of the possibility that they MAY not be vertical all the way to the buried line - they might angle towards the street before the connection to the line, so when digging near them, dig slowly and carefully. Non-perforated PVC pipes are far less "root infiltratable" than clay pipes were.


Replacing a fan with two switches but only two wires I live in an older house and am replacing an old ceiling fan. Previously, the fan was on two switches- one for the light and one for the fan. To my suprizs, when I pulled the fan down there are only two wires. My fan has three wires one blue, one black and one white. I can't figure out how to wire this back up. I pulled the switch off and attached is a picture. Help is much appreciated!

Just a quick note of warning: The white wires tied together in the switchbox should NOT have the bare wire spliced in with them. They are for two separate paths and must be kept separate, one for equipment grounding (bare) and the other for the neutral/return (white). The bare wires should not carry current except in fault conditions. Some of the danger is lessened if the bare going to the fan is kept isolated from the other two bare wires, but from the pictures I'm unable to tell if they are all tied together or if that one has been separated from the others.

Upon closer inspection, it looks like the previous fan was returning current on the grounding conductor (bare) which is non-compliant usage[NEC 200.6(A)]. They were using the white wire as a separate switch leg for either the light or the fan, another NEC violation as it is neither reidentified nor should be used as a switch leg [200.7(C)(1)]. The fan has a white which was tied to the bare wire, a blue which was tied to the switch leg for the light, and a black wire which was tied to the switch leg for the fan.

What SHOULD be done? To be code compliant the cable ought to either be replaced with a 14-3 wG cable (or possibly 12-3 wG if 20A circuit breaker or fuse), OR change the white wire from a switch leg back to being the neutral the way it was originally wired and the grounding wire back to being for grounding. The black and blue wires from the fan would both tie together with the black wire coming from the switch, and you would probably replace the double switches with a simple single pole switch to avoid confusion later. Most ceiling fans have a pull chain option to change the fan speeds and turn it off, or turn the lights off separately with the other pull chain to run the fan in the dark.

If this advice is disregarded, at the very least make sure the bare wire in the cable with the switch legs is not twisted together with the other bare wires and doesn't touch anything else metal, either in the switch box or fan outlet box. It is only carrying about 3 amps, but at 120v this can still be dangerous, especially if it is allowed to touch the other grounding conductors or bonded metal parts. Again, I'm not saying to do this, but it becomes less dangerous if the wires are kept isolated and it only carries current through this one cable instead of electrifying your entire grounding system.


converting HP to Watt I checked the net and found that one horse power is equal to 735.5 watt. I thought there should be a time factor in this calculation.

I have a 0.5 HP motor. I would like to know if the motor runs continuously for 30 days, how much power would it consume. I was thinking HP * time = watt but several web sites all say 1 HP is equal to 735.5 watt. Then, where does the time factor come in to play? Surely if a motor runs for two hours, it'd consume twice as much power as if it runs for one hour. So, how do I factor in the time to get the watts the motor consumes?

I thought there should be a time factor in this calculation

Both watt and horsepower measure power. They are the same thing, just with different units, hence the direct conversion.

You seem to be confusing power with energy. Power is an instantaneous value, while energy (e.g. joules or watt-hours) is what you use if you consume power for some time.

Note that the HP rating of a motor doesn't take into account efficiency, and so tells you only how much power the motor will produce, not how much it will consume.

  how do I factor in the time to get the watts the motor consumes?

You don't. Time has nothing to do with how many watts the motor consumes. Watts is a measure of how much power the motor is consuming (or producing) at any given instant in time.

If you want to know how much energy the motor consumes, first you have to figure out how much power the motor is consuming, rather than how much it is producing (and a 0.5 HP motor doesn't produce 0.5 HP at all times...that's just its nominal maximum output), and then multiply that by the number of hours it consumes that much.

Having done that, you get a figure with the units as watt-hours, which is the amount of energy you've consumed. This will translate to e.g. a cost on your electric bill, or the capacity of a battery, etc.


How to fix dry wall side of newly fitted tiles shower wall? I have had a brand new shower put in, the tiling is shown, however after about 1 month we noticed a small amount of water passing though to the dry wall. The below is now 9 months later.

The contractor does not know what is causing the problem.

The tiles and grouting used I assume are waterproof.

I would really appreciate your thoughts!

If you're seeing that water on the drywall on the other side of the wall opposite where the tile is then your shower was not installed with a proper membrane. You need a waterproof memberane and a suitable substrate for the shower.

This would be something like kerdi and/or a tile backerboard painted with redgard. You cannot use drywall to back it, nor can you use "green board" in most states. You need a cement board and/or a waterproof membrane.

Demolish and replace the shower ASAP. The more you allow water to penetrate that wall the bigger and bigger your problem will become. Mold will follow. You cannot correct this problem without removing the tile and, likely, removing the wallboard material in the shower.

Your contractor installed it improperly and he should replace it. Check the rules with the contractor's board in your county. You are likely required to allow the contractor to correct it. You can't just have somebody else do it and bill the contractor.

If you hired a licensed and bonded contractor, the building inspector can pull his bond until the work is corrected. If you hired a craigslist handyman you may be screwed.


Aligning pergola rafters to the sun? I live near Denver, Colorado (so northern hemisphere, some good snow storms in the winter, lots of baking UV in the summer) in a 1970s-built home and I'm putting a pergola over a patio in my back yard.    Thinking about the pergola rafters, I'm seeing several design inputs:

Want the rafters far enough apart to let in as much winter sun as possible
Want the rafters close enough together to block as much summer afternoon sun as possible
Want the distance between rafters to be aesthetically pleasing
Want the rafters aligned either perpendicular or parallel to the back of the house for aesthetics
Want the rafters aligned to let in the most winter sun and block the most summer afternoon sun
Want the rafters straight up & down for aesthetics
Want the rafters angled/tilted to let in as much winter sun as possible and block as much summer afternoon sun as possible

Realizing that several of these design inputs are in conflict, the "optimum" alignment and tilt of the rafters might be more art than science, but is there an app, web site, book, or guru that could help at least calculate some of the individual optima?
And perhaps just as important, I would want to know how much of a difference each adjustment makes.  For example, if giving each rafter a 30° tilt and running it at 25° off direct north/south gave me 50% better sun coverage in the summer (over straight up/down north/south rafters), it might be worth the resulting "wonky" look, but if it only gave 5% better coverage the aesthetic concerns would win out.
Am I overthinking this?  Probably, but they won't start construction for several weeks so I've got time to ponder the deeper questions.
EDIT
According to Google Maps, my house and lot are about 12° E of due north:

A much simpler solution:
Build your pergola with rafters that are aligned in the most aesthetically pleasing manner to you (this is a personal preference and none of us can answer that for you). Then, once it's built, plant some leafy vines at the base of each post, or in pots near the top and train the vines to cover the roof.
As the vines grow, they'll produce leaves in the summer that will block the sun. During the winter, the leaves will drop off (providing you with some nice compost material), letting the sun through to warm the house.
Placing the rafters non-vertically will look odd, to say the least. Running the rafters at a not-parallel or not-perpendicular angle to the house will look odd.  After explaining it, your more environmentally conscientious friends may be impressed by your cleverness, but, when it comes time to sell, you probably won't be there to explain it to a perspective buyer and the weird look may well put them off before getting a chance to hear about your cleverness.
Additional considerations:

In order to allow the most sun through, you want the rafters aligned north-south and standing on edge. In order to allow the least sun through, you want the rafters aligned east-west and laid flat. You've got some diametrically opposed options there, and it's going to be really difficult to reconcile them.
The average winter highs in Denver (Dec-Feb) is in the mid 40s (F), so you're not likely going to be spending a lot of time outside. You may grill on the back patio (everyone likes a grilled steak no matter the time of year!), but that's one or two people outside for a limited amount of time - the sun factor probably isn't that significant.
If this is a free-standing structure not close enough to the house to notice a lack of symmetry to the house, do what you will with it! Letting the sun through to warm the house won't be a factor in this case.


Replacing MC panel with separate meter and service panel I have a Siemens MC30 meter combo panel.  I need to separate the meter from the service panel to allow a whole house generator transfer switch between the two. The only way I know to attack this is to

install a new, separate meter
turn off electrical service
replace the service panel
install the transfer switch
pass the inspection
restore service, which may well involve running new underground service cables.

Does anybody have any ideas which avoid moving the service entry location to the meter (and avoiding rerunning connectors to the transformer pad) and minimizing the down time?

Will this be an automatic transfer switch or a manual one?  If manual, you might be able to relocate a couple of breakers to make room for a mechanical interlock, there are many available and are code legal. They prevent the main breaker and the generator breaker being turned on at the same time. If a portable generator, you'll need a generator inlet to connect to. If a permanently installed generator, it'd be hardwired to the generator breaker. This assumes it's not a split bus panel, in which case, this wouldn't work AND BE DANGEROUS.
If an ATS... IF and this is a big IF!  I couldn't find detailed images of your meter panel combo, but IF (THE BIG IF!) the feed from the meter is wires and not a bus, it might be possible to run conduit to the ATS and rewire it to put it "in front" of the breakers.  Technically then the breaker part of the meter/ breaker combo becomes a sub-panel and you'll have to isolate the grounds from the neutrals, which might require some re-wiring.
What you're attempting is a pretty big deal, and my advice is only a suggestion. Probably Harp will weigh in with one of his "novels" and give better advice than me, but this is a starting point.
As much as I hate to say this on a DIY site, you may need to call a pro.


New oven/range wiring Afternoon,

We currently have a gas range cook top with electric oven underneath that is hooked up to a 40 amp breaker via 8/3 romex wire. We are replacing this with an all gas range/oven that only requires 120 volts/15 amp breaker. My question is can I use the existing 8/3 wire by splicing 12/2 via one junction box at the service panel end and another box in an accessible spot just before the new oven, capping off the red wire at both ends? I'd then replace the 40 amp breaker with a 15 amp and connect 12/2, then connect the other spliced 12/2 into a new receptacle for the oven.

My original plan was just to attach fishing wire to the existing 8/3, pull out the 8/3 from the service panel, then attach 12/2 to the fishing wire and fish that through to the service panel. I will go this route if I have to but it involves several cuts into drywall, undoing bulkheads and acoustic tiles, etc.

Yes, that is acceptable. You don't need a junction box at the service panel end. You can have a pigtail in the service panel. You also don't need another box for the oven. Just remove the existing receptacle, pigtail on some 12 gauge wire, and put in a standard outlet.

Keeping the 8/3 in place also allows for future replacement with an electric oven by swapping out the receptacle.


How to replace this recessed light bulb I've been struggling with this light bulb for hours.
I tried to un-screw it to the left or right but it didn't rotate at all.
Please help me.

Some types of compact fluorescent (PLL, PLT) have a push-in fitting. Try pulling straight out.

Photo by ikiwaner, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

P.S. While you are working on that, you really ought to fix that loose earth/ground connection with a bolt, nut, washer and maybe a crimp-on ring-connector. Or something similar. —

P.P.S. broken compact fluorescents may need special cleanup


Why is the circuit breaker for my furnace stuck in the off position? The breaker for my furnace is stuck in the off position. We were away for the winter and had someone shut it off, and now the breaker won't turn on at all. We shut off the thermostat upstairs thinking that may have been the problem, but it still won't go on.

Why is this happening, and how do we fix it?

If you physically cannot flip it either to off or on (try off first), then it's broken and needs to be replaced.


How can I connect two propane tanks together with a regulator? I just bought a park model home and the large propane tank was removed.
I bought 2 smaller tanks (30lbs each) and an auto change over regulator with two pigtails to attach to the 2 tanks.
What do I need to purchase to connect them all together?
The gas line coming from the ground still has the 1st stage regulator on it. Do I just need to add a hose to attach the 1st stage to the dual auto changeover regulator?
Any advice is appreciated - thanks

You will need to connect the output of the auto change over regulator to the line coming out of the ground.
I am guessing you got the proper 1st stage auto change over.
houses and travel trailers usually have different setups. I had a travel trailer that had the auto setup it was a single stage.
I have built a few homes with propane and they have 2 regulators normally because the tank needs to be away from the home so the tank pressure is reduced by a first stage sent to the house and then reduced again by a 2nd stage.
If you have the wrong size regulator at the tanks the system won’t work well because of restrictions in the plumbing.


Should there be continuity between brush contacts on an AC motor rotor? I have a mitre saw that started shorting. I dismantled it to try to diagnose the problem. On inspection of the rotor, I found that the brush contacts on the rotor all have continuity to one another. Is this normal, or does it indicate a failure in the rotor windings?

This is from a 110v 13a AC Roybi mitre saw.

The two tests you do on that type of motor are "180 degrees" and "bar to bar".  You have to measure the two pads that are 180 degrees apart.  Measure each pair of pads around the motor and see if any of the measurements are a lot different than the others.  It doesn't matter what the measurement is, it should just be consistent.

The bar-to-bar test is the same.  You measure two adjacent bars all the way around the motor to see if any of the measurements are a lot different than the others.

All of the bars having continuity with each other is not an issue, but a third test you can do is to make sure that none of the pads/bars has continuity with the outside of the armature (the larger diameter portion in the middle of your picture).


What to do about toilet overflow tube higher than allowed level on new fill valve? I'm trying to replace the fill valve of a toilet that's missing some parts and I've run into a snag. I bought a Fluidmaster universal fill valve, and the instructions say that the top of the overflow tube should be at least an inch below a certain level on the new fill valve assembly. But the fill valve seems a bit short, and the overflow tube is higher than allowed. Here's a picture:

It's kind of hard to see because of the angle, but hopefully it's visible how the overflow tube is almost as high as the new fill valve, and certainly higher than the fill valve's "critical level" indicator.

I could cut an inch or two off the top of the tube, but then presumably the water level in the tank will be lower. This is a low-flow toilet so I'm worried that it simply might not flush properly if I let the water level fall. Should I cut the tube anyway and not worry about the lower water level?

If I should just cut the tube, what's the best way to do this? The space inside the tank is really awkward and none of my saws fit. I can get my PVC pipe cutter in there but the tube material is a bendy plastic so it just compresses when the blade hits it.

I think @Tester101 has asked the pertinent question:  Is the fill valve height adjustable?  It is.  You need to adjust its height:


Water logging in demolished pool area I recently got a pool filled in in my backyard. The Contractor cut three large holes (3x3') in the bottom of the pool before filling it. This is the first heavy rain of the season and I see a lot of water logging in the area where the pool was demolished and filled. In the demolition process, the Entire side wall / shell of the pool was intact because it was connected to the patio.

Please see the picture attached.

What is the best way to fix this water logging problem now?

The contractor should have busted up the top of the pool sides and cracked the concrete basically everywhere else.  I have filled a few pools.  We jackhammer the crap out of everything.  There are holes punched every foot or two everywhere.  You then totally chop off the first couple feet on the sides - especially on the downslope side to allow drainage.

Most water never makes it more than a couple feet deep during a rain.  So water is traveling 1-2 feet underground and what does it hit - the side of your pool.   So you are going to have a little pond until you fix that issue.

So at the very least you will need to dig out the entire side of the downslope.  If you have a flat yard then I would dig out all three sides not adjacent to the house.  You then need to bust out the first few feet and poke some holes further down.  Your contractor really half-assed this job - call him back if you have a warranty or contract that allows you to.


Is this asbestos? (Insulation, transit pipe, wall board) These pictures are from a house I just purchased in Western NY. The house was built in 1950 and I believe there are gypsum boards with plaster and lathe over them. Pipe is above a 1944 Pennco boiler. Others are from around house and walls.

As a general rule, it's virtually impossible to tell from photographs if something does or does not contain asbestos, the only way to tell for sure is to take small samples of it and sent it to a lab to be tested. Anything else is not worth the paper is is (not) written on...


How can I install a recessed light container in an abnormally thick ceiling? We are in the middle of our home remodeling and we have just noticed that our ceiling seems to be a bit thicker than what the maximum our recessed lights allow for.

As shown within the picture link below, our ceiling is comprised of different layers (of different thicknesses):

Lower layer: (visible from the room) made out of sheetrock (5/8in thickness)
Mid layer: Plaster (3/4in thickness)
Top layer: Lath (1/8in thickness)

The recessed light container we are using has adjustable clips for different ceiling thicknesses although we have just noticed that our ceiling is too think so the clips would not really sit on top of the ceiling but rather create resistance on the hole.

My question here is if there is some sort of drill bit that, after drilling the initial hole diameter where the container is going to fit in, could expand the hole diameter above the lower layer of sheetrock.

There is a category of power tool called a multi-tool that is basically a very small saw usefull in cutting in tight spaces.

After you cut the initial hole, this tool could be used to trim away  the area in the uper section on an angle to make room for your retaining arms.

The tools come in corded and cordless version, and at various price points. The are very handy and can do other things, such as spot sanding and grinding.


Can I install a new pressure-reducing valve inline with another one? I can't find my pressure reducing valve and am not sure if my house even has one. I checked for several feet around the water meter and for several feet before my main water lines enters my house. The rest of my main water line runs underneath my driveway. So I want to know, if putting one just after the water meter box would still be able to fix my water pressure problem?

Yes you can add additional PRV or regulators. The only possible side affect is a reduction in flow as they usually have restrictions. I have machines that I use 2 regulators one to do some basic isolation from the heavily fluctuating main air down to a fairly clean 90 psi then a second to provide a rock solid 80psi. And this machine runs great with no mishandling like that so Yes get the pressure down to what you want.


Running a portable air conditioner without venting it I have had a portable heater/AC installed in the bedroom for years that currently vents out of a window. I recently had AC installed in the house, but found that my wife has gotten so used to the portable machine running as white noise that she has a hard time sleeping without it.

Would there be any potential issues if we ran the machine on heat mode and just let it vent into the room? I'm concerned about moisture issues over time in the window that it vents from.

If you're using it just for the noise to help your wife sleep, an improvement might be to record the noise the machine makes (such as with the sound recorder in a computer or phone), copy the recording to a CD with a computer, and then play it on a stereo in the bedroom when she's trying to get to sleep. That assumes she needs the noise only to fall asleep, but stays asleep without it.

Another possible solution is a white noise phone app, and a phone in a charger on a bedside table. This may also be useful for travel.

The reason to use one of those solutions is that they draw a lot less power than an air conditioner, and don't put unnecessary wear on a mechanical device with lots of moving parts.

Obviously, if you want the heating or air conditioning too, the machine makes sense, but if you just need the noise, then a device that specializes in sound is probably a better solution.


How should I replace door chime transformer at breaker panel? I'm replacing a door chime transformer with a new 16v 30va transformer to accommodate a new Ring doorbell.  The existing transformer is attached in our circuit breaker panel through a knock out at the bottom of the panel.  This morning I shut off power to the breaker panel, removed the panel cover, and found that the old transformer has two red wires and no green/ground wire -- the new transformer has a white, black and green/ground.
I'm trying to figure out whether I need to attach the new transformer's green/ground within the breaker panel or can I cap it off.  I'm asking because the new ground wire is too short to reach the neutral bus higher up in the panel where I assume it should be attached.
If I do need to attach the new ground wire to the neutral bus, can I/should I extend it?  If so, can you tell me an acceptable way to extend -- e.g., can I use a standard wire nut or lever nut, or is there something more I need to do?  Any other suggestions as to what to do with that new ground wire?  The only other thing nearby the transformer location on the panel is a neighboring panel outlet which shares the circuit with this transformer.

You should follow the instructions provided with the transformer here. Most I've seen have the threaded portion that goes through the knockout made of plastic, and therefore require the ground wire to be used for bonding. There may be some transformers that can be grounded via the knockout to the metal box directly. The instructions should tell you for sure.
You can make splices inside your breaker panel the same way you would in any other junction box. If you have wire nuts or lever terminals and some wire on hand, use that to extend the ground so you can reach the ground terminal. For the ground, you should only use green or bare copper wire.
And it seems you probably already know this, and you didn't ask, but for the sake of completeness, you will want to make sure the white wire on the new transformer is connected to the neutral bar, and the black to the hot of wherever your previous transformer was connected.


Subpanel has neutral and ground bonded in detached structure - should I isolate? I have a detached garage built in 1979 with a Cutler Hammer subpanel with a 3-wire 8AWG feeder (hot/hot/neutral) on 40A breaker from the main house panel.  Subpanel has a dedicated ground rod installed.

The neutral is tied to the ground.  Shouldn't this be separate for a subpanel?

I think I need to install a second block to isolate the feeder neutral and building neutral.  Does that sound right?

This is grandfathered in

The NEC, up until reasonably recently, did not require an equipment grounding conductor in a feeder to an outbuilding, treating it by analogy to a service, where the fault path is through the neutral.  This is problematic from a shock risk perspective if the feeder neutral opens, though, which is why the Code was recently changed to require all feeders to carry an equipment grounding conductor with them.

As you are dealing with an existing install though, the NEC explicitly grandfathers the three-wire feeder to an outbuilding in via 250.32(B)(1) Exception 1:

  Exception No.1: For installations made in compliance
  with previous editions of this Code that permitted such connection, the grounded conductor run with the supply to the
  building or structure shall be permitted to serve as the
  ground-fault return path if all of the following requirements
  continue to be met:

  (1) An equipment grounding conductor is not run with the
  supply to the building or structure.

  (2) There are no continuous metallic paths bonded to the
  grounding system in each building or structure involved.

  (3) Ground-fault protection of equipment has not been installed on the supply side of the feeder(s).

  If the grounded conductor is used for grounding in accordance with the provision of this exception, the size of the grounded conductor shall not be smaller than the larger of either of the following:

  (1) That required by 220.61

  (2) That required by 250.122

Changing it would be a good idea, but...

The 2014 NEC introduced a provision in 250.130(C) that allowed branch circuits to be grounded by tapping off of other EGCs.  This is handy for branch circuit retrofits, but sadly, does not apply to feeders; nor can you run the ground wire separately, as it reverts to 250.32(B)(1)'s verbiage which prohibits that.

This leaves you with three options.  The cheapest and simplest one is to install a GFCI breaker in-line with the feeder at the garage end.  This can get tricky though, as many small subpanels rely on a backfed main breaker, and you cannot backfeed GFCI breakers -- you'll fry the GFCI's trip solenoid if you try it.  Your best bet is to mount a unit mount/cable-in cable-out GFCI breaker in a single-breaker disconnect box and wire it up so that the feeder comes into LINE, and a short 4-wire feeder jumper connects LOAD on the breaker to the subpanel's main lugs.

You'll also need to unbond the subpanel, install a ground bar in it, and move the GEC over to be commoned with the LINE-side neutral of the GFCI via the disconnect box's neutral bar, which serves as the neutral/ground bond for the garage.

Making this a real service

An alternative is to snag a dry-type distribution transformer (5 kVA is a common size for this type of application, but might be slightly small for your 40A feeder) and install it at the outbuilding, creating a separately derived system.  The primary needs to be jumpered for 240V and connected to the feeder hots with the feeder neutral capped off as it's useless now, while the secondary is jumpered for 240V as well and feeds the existing garage panel, which is now a main panel from the Code's point of view.

While this sounds costly, transformers sometimes turn up used for reasonable prices -- they are fairly heavy critters though, so it's probably best to check Craigslist to see if one is coming out of a building demolition/remodel job or something like that in your area.

Redoing it

Of course, you can simply re-run the feeder as well, which will let you incorporate an equipment grounding conductor -- this is practical for a short feeder like yours, but can get costly for long feeders.


When insulating with closed-cell Spray Foam, what ERV and HVAC resizing considerations should I bear in mind? I am building a 2800 sqft, two-story brick home in Austin, TX.  I have heard many good things about the benefits of insulating with closed-cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (ccSPF)1, and have requested that the builder use 2" of ccSPF in exterior walls instead of fiberglass batts.  I am seriously considering asking them to completely seal the house by putting ccSPF above the sheetrock in the 2nd floor ceiling (and then blow fiberglass insulation on top of that).

At this point, I am in unfamiliar territory; I understand that houses with strong vapor barriers must have some form of air-exchange system to remove carbon-monoxide and other harmful by-products of household living.  I have read that the best way to do this is with an ERV system.

With such substantial changes to the design of the house, I want to make sure there isn't anything else I'm missing.  A few questions come to mind...

Q1. The spec house model (engineered for fiberglass batts) comes with a 14-seer A/C system.  With whole-house ccSPF foam and an efficient ERV system, it seems that I should reduce the size of the A/C; if so, how should I go about estimating the impact of these changes on the size of the A/C myself?  I would rather not depend on the builder to re-size the system; so far, the only people they will let me talk to are in sales and their purchasing department.
Q2. Does anyone have experience with ERV systems?  If so, can you share what kind of maintenance issues you had to deal with?  How do I reliably test that it is functioning properly five years from now?  What model are you using?
Q3. ccSPF is very sticky; I'm concerned about what I will have to do if I need to replace some sheetrock down the road.  Is there something I can do proactively to make it easier?

In addition to being a fantastic thermal insulator, 2" of ccSPF effectively acts as an insect / vapor barrier, it is an amazing sound insulator, and also insulates against radiant heat transfer.

At this point, it's not a DIY project. You need to consult an engineer or an architect/engineer that is used to these kind of building envelopes. A sealed envelope with an ERV needs to be designed and PROPERLY sealed, and the ERV capacity needs to be determined and designed by an engineer in order to meet building code and pass inspections.

Note: I'm in TX and familiar with building code for high efficiency projects here, and my girlfriend is a PE but not in HVAC.


Serious corrosion of vent connector duct in gas hot water system I have a combined radiant heating system/domestic hot water system.  This unit is a middle efficiency unit rated at 87% The boiler is connected to a B-vent chimney with single wall vent connector.  The boiler is also equipped with an electric damper to reduce air going up the chimney when not operating.
The B-vent was replaced 15 years ago and is in good shape.  The vent connector is so corroded that last night it collapsed.  It was replaced at the same time.
I have shutdown the unit until I can get it vented properly again.
A:  Why is my vent connector pipe corroding so badly?
B:  How can I prevent this from happening again?

My suspicion is that the boiler is oversized (90,000 BTU) and is short cycling.  Even on cold winter days it rarely runs more than 2-3 minutes at a time with 10-20 minute off times.  This results in hot humid air in the vent and chimney which is kept there when the electric damper closes.  Water condenses in the exhaust system, and never really dries out.
My thoughts:

Disable the damper in the open position.

Punch a hole in the damper so that  it doesn't shut all the air off in the off position.

I would start with a couple of small 1/2” holes if you disable the damper totally you loose efficiency quickly where several smaller holes will allow a draft and the combustion moisture to dry 15 years is a fair amount of time but I have had systems last much longer in some cases when doing annual inspections I have recoated single wall with zinc rich paint it could have the last piece dipped in a batch but excess moisture is probably the cause so start small and see if that works without totally disabling the energy saving feature of your damper.


How can I power a load from two separate circuit breakers? On one circuit breaker I have a manual switch. On the second circuit breaker I have a motion sensing switch (using a mechanical relay). I have a number of lights wired in parallel as the load. The lights should turn on as a result of motion or manually turning them on. Unfortunately I can't just wire the two switches in parallel on the same breaker because of physical constraints; I'd have to perform a major renovation to rewire.

It seems I need a sort of DPDT relay like this, which is normally open, has two magnetic coils, and keeps both circuits separate:

Does a relay like this exist? Is this the correct way to solve this problem?

Use a simpler relay

A better plan would be to use a UL-listed SPST relay with a 120V coil driven from the motion sensor, with its contacts in parallel with the lightswitch.  (A Functional Devices RIBU1C or RIBU1S will do the trick, provided your lighting load does not exceed 600W.)  That way, all your lighting is powered from one breaker, and you don't have to do a bunch of rewiring.

Of course, this requires that your motion sensor power itself through the neutral, or be replaced with one that does, instead of "cheating" and trickling power through the load.


How to fix doors not closing I had a contractor come in and finish my basement.  He done a decent job for the price but now a couple months later my doors wont shut.  They worked perfectly fine before but now it seems the top part it getting caught on the trim.  My first thought was to sand the top portion so it will close but not sure if that would be a long term fix.  It seems to be about 1/8 inch off at the top.  There are two doors like this.

I tried to take the door off and put it back on thinking it may not have been set correctly.

I would bet the doors were dryer than they are now. Most basements are more humid than the rest of a typical home, especially in the summer. In the winter they will shrink again, but it will be needed to trim a little here and there to get them to work in the summer.


Grounding branch circuits in gutter instead of in panel Replacing a sub panel (with neutral from main panel and local ground rod).  The branch circuits will come in via a Wiegmann gutter above the subpanel.
Is there an issue having a grounding bar in the gutter, and terminating all the grounds there?
Intent is just to keep the panel itself neat and tidy by only bringing the lines/neutral into it.
Follow on question - if that is ok, can the grounding conductor (from the rod) just pass through the panel (from below) to the gutter above? Or should it also bond to the panel itself.
Hope that’s clear!

The equipment grounding conductors can join together in the gutter...
The overall thrust of your plan, where you bring a bunch of branch circuits into a gutter then send their hots and neutrals to the panel via a short conduit nipple, falls under NEC 250.122(C):

(C) Multiple Circuits. Where a single equipment grounding
conductor is run with multiple circuits in the same raceway,
cable, or cable tray, it shall be sized for the largest overcurrent
device protecting conductors in the raceway, cable, or cable
tray. Equipment grounding conductors installed in cable trays
shall meet the minimum requirements of 392.10(B)(1)(c).

Since we're dealing with 120/240V branch circuits here, this requirement can trivially be met by using a metal nipple with double locknuts (one inside, one outside) at each end to join the gutter to the loadcenter.  Note that since the Wiegmann gutters/troughs do not ship with a grounding terminal bar fitted, you'll have to fit a UL467 listed one yourself.  If you have a drill/tap (or combination drilltap) in either 10-32 or 1/4-28 handy, you can drill & tap a couple of appropriately spaced holes then fit a matching bar using suitable machine screws:

For the 10-32 case, you'll want to use an Ilsco NBAE series bar of the appropriate size with two mounting holes drilled 2.344" apart and 10-32x1" machine screws to mount the bar to the holes
For the 1/4-28 case, you'll want to use an Ilsco NBAS or Penn-Union NA-400 series bar instead, using 1/4-20x3/4" screws (mounting hole spacing varies in this case)

However, not everyone is equipped to tap holes in sheet metal.  For those who aren't, an alternative is to use an Ilsco NBAE series bar, but mount it using 10-32x1" thread forming screws (Fastite™ or equivalent type) into #21 pilot holes in the gutter drilled on the same spacing as above.
...but that doesn't extend to the grounding electrode conductor
However, since you have a legacy 3-wire feeder to the outbuilding in question, you must land the grounding electrode conductor on the bonded neutral bar of the outbuilding's subpanel.  This is by analogy to a service entrance or separately derived system, since both those points have bonds present and both situations require that the GEC be connected to the neutral (grounded conductor), not to an equipment grounding bar or point.  Furthermore, trying to land the GEC in the gutter would most likely violate NEC 250.121, which prohibits the GEC and EGC from sharing the same conductor/wire except under a few select circumstances (which you are not going to run into here).


Why does the pilot light on my Vermont Castings stove keep blowing out? I bought a house with a sunroom heated by a Vermont Castings gas stove with a problem the HVAC/stove repair person hasn't solved by replacing the thermocouple, valve($$$) and taking apart and cleaning. I think it was installed in '89.

When the stove 'shuts off' after reaching the desired temperature, there is a 'poof' sound and occasionally the pilot light is blown out. This happens, on average, once a week. Sometimes 3 times a day. The pilot is all blue and covers all the pieces. The repair person is out of ideas, besides 'get a new one', which I can't do right now.

Any ideas, please?

I actually have one of these and there is a known issue with the Honeywell gas valves used. The solution (if it applies to your model) is to replace the valve.


Can you put a small breaker panel after a 30 amp breaker from main panel in the house? Looking to run lights in my garage.  If I put a 30 amp breaker in my main panel on a 10 wire to a small breaker panel in my garage, can I put 2-4 15 amp breakers out there for the lights?

Likewise, can I do it for 20 amp breakers for outlets on another 10 wire to my panel with a 30 amp breaker?

It sounds like what you want is a sub-panel (http://www.wikihow.com/Add-a-Subpanel). You will need to check for local regulations pertaining to exactly what you need to install, but all of the materials should be available at the local big box store. Also, make sure that you size the breaker at the main panel correctly (you mention 2-4 15 amp breakers, anything more than 2 with a 30 amp breaker would be a no go.)


Best Technique to Achieve Perfect Cut-Outs in a 2x4 I am building a ladder similar to the one pictured. I want to cut hand-hold holes like the ones in the image.

I am horrible with a jig-saw, and I don't think I could ever get them looking as nice as those below with a jig-saw.

How did this person achieve the exact same holes? What tool/technique is best to achieve this. I want it to look as clean/professional/consistent as possible.

The most likely solution is to create a template and use a router with a bit that follows the template. The router would also be used for easing over any sharp edges.

photo credit, sample image, not a product recommendation


Recovery from a trashing: exterminator first or disaster recovery cleaners first? So, as part of the project that is my (inherited) house in southwestern Missouri, the house finally has been dejunked from the human-inflicted disaster that happened to it. (Worse tenants than us were involved.  I will leave it at that.)  However, the state it was left in also demands a thorough (disaster recovery thorough) cleaning, and also left the place open for four-legged, furry, squeaky tenants, as was discovered during the dejunking:

So, should I call in the disaster-recovery cleaners first to give the place a thorough scrubbing and then have all the squeakiness removed by the exterminator, or the exterminator first to evict the mice before the cleaners go to work?

Clean up first. By removing their 'house', most of the vermin will leave on their own.


Strange clicking noise only heard while playing back recorded information on cassettes, etc Am disabled/health issues and need to record things, fast talkers, long conversations, etc.  Since a Smart Meter was installed I've had issues with electronic failures and this noise. Like self-setting alarm clocks failures (all of them). Can't hear the clicking noise by ear, only when I think I've recorded information, instructions, (over the phone/land line) and from the answering machine to clear it, that a constant clicking noise happens.  Fast clicking like click... one count...click and on it goes.  Voice quality from the calls severely drops or during is horrible.  Folks at the VA don't listen well when asked to speak up louder and clearly either.
Old retired jack of all trades and worked construction/contractor/business, etc.  I am at a total loss on this one.  I am not a techy. Have called in a couple of electricians, power company, cable tv/net service company, to the Geek Squad, no-one has a clue what it is.  Just sounds like some kind of "electrical clicking noise" or "jamming like" from somewhere, somehow.  Or "spooks."  No ghosts or hauntings here, gremlins maybe.
Have tried numerous kinds/makes of recorders/cassettes (mainly what I use).  AC and battery powered tests, all through the house same thing.  I think I've recorded info from like a doctor's office for later use and nothing but very low voice levels and the clicking.  While the answering machine seems fine but not for longer talks, volume boosts, for info before shutting off.
Nothing else in my home has changed except for the wifi stuff, a amplified speaker phone to use, a new cable tv box, and the Smart Meter.  No other noise makers in the house or has been, or causes found.  Anyone ever hear of this going on in their home?  TY for any suggestions and input.  Have several heads/professionals around here scratching their heads on this one.

I remember this sound from my youth; about once or twice a second.  It is either a tape recorder or player problem.
This can be proved by running the machine elsewhere - the clicking will happen wherever the machine is, so proving the smart meter is not the problem.
A forum about tape deck problems is shown below.
I hope you find a solution.
As many people no longer value tape players, you may be able to get a better one with a polite request on Freecycle.org
https://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?s=623cb949fec3395c575f44fa0bf2564e&t=31268


Old pivot rod assembly, unsure how to remove I unscrewed the nut holding on the pivot rod assembly under my bathroom sink and noticed what you see in the picture. It appears that the rod is encased in some kind of cork substance.
I am not sure if it can be replaced. Is it possible that the rod can be moved forward so I can reattach it to the stopper. I'm doing all of this because it rusted through and won't attach to the stopper as of now.
Hesitant to move forward without some guidance.

What you're looking at is corrosion, not a packing substance. You want to pull the rod out and if it's reusable clean it up with a decalcifying agent. Try vinegar but you might need something stronger like Kaboom or Limeaway. Since it's not engaging the stopper it might be beyond repair in which case you'll need to replace the rod assembly and depending what you find when you open the drain the entire stopper assembly might need replacing.


Electrical Bonding for an exterior building I have to upgrade the service I have for an exterior building.
The wiring follows the old code, and I'll need a permit to do it.
So I am going to have to update the service and everything to the newest code regulations, but have a little confusion on the bonding of the ground and neutrals.
Typically you bond the ground and neutral at the first cut off point after the meter, be that a panel or a disconnect.
But the meter and disconnect sit on one building, and the panel and grounding system sit at another building, with about 115feet of distance between them.
From what I understand, in theory, the area that you bond, should also be the entry point for the grounding. (I could be wrong about this though)
Aka my ground should initially enter my disconnect, then bond, then travel the 115 ft to my panel.
But since the grounding point is at the panel, I am not sure how to handle this.
I am not sure if I need to bring my ground wire, straight to the disconnect, then back to the panel.
Or Install a new ground bar at the disconnect, just to do the bonding and then tie the other ground system into it at the disconnect
Or do it as I have illustrated in the drawing attached
(which I believe might be the correct way of handling this)
which is:
bring the ground into the panel
tie it to the ground bar only
push it back through the conduit to the disconnect
and bond it with the neutral there.
Am I correct in this? or am I missing something?

You need a ground wire and ground rods at both structures

You are correct that you only bond neutral to ground at the service entrance.  However, current Code not only calls for a grounding wire between the structures (which you have provided), but for a grounding electrode system at both buildings.  This can be a concrete-encased electrode (if provided), or the old saw of two 8' ground rods driven 8' apart and connected with an appropriate-gauge wire if no better electrode (such as a concrete-encased electrode, foundation steel of some other sort, or a well casing) exists.

Each grounding electrode system gets a grounding electrode conductor back to the ground bar in the panel/disconnect for the associated structure, and the feeder equipment grounding conductor in the inter-building feeder connects the two together, from ground bar to ground bar.

You are also correct that the radio tower needs a ground rod, and that its ground needs to be bonded to the mains grounding system at the structure where the radio device (transmitter or receiver) is located.  This ground wire goes to a tap on the structure's grounding electrode conductor, made using an intersystem bonding termination device or suitable tap connector.


Why should I repair/replace roof just because it's old? My roof is old. Shingles are worn down, some are torn, and there are some nails coming through some shingles. I'm being told by some contractors there for other reasons that my roof needs immediate repair or replacement. They question they're not really answering though is why do I need to repair anything when my roof is functioning perfectly fine. There are no leaks, no bowing, no problems other than it 'being old'.

So..

What are the problems with simply having an old roof?
What am I missing - why should I repair/replace my roof when it is functioning perfectly?
Why should I not wait for bad weather to tear up the roof and then rely on an insurance claim to cover damages?

"Shingles torn" "Nails showing"

You very probably have leaks you have not yet noticed. If you re-roof now, you might not rot out the roof deck and need to replace it as well. If you wait until you have leaks you notice, you may find that you're rotted out the roof deck and be looking at a far larger bill.

However - don't hire ANY contractor that drives by, looks at your roof, and rings your doorbell offering to replace it for you. That sort of "drive-by marketing" is typically associated with the absolute lowest form of "wannbe contractors", often mobile units that won't be around when the new (shoddily installed from the worst materials) roof leaks. Look up established local firms and invite them to make a bid.

Your insurance adjuster is wise to the tactic you plan to engage in - if the roof was not maintained in good condition, they will probably deny the whole claim (you neglected the house) rather than buy you a new roof. They know what old shingles look like, even after they have been torn up by bad weather. They probably even have "before" pictures of it, with dates, in their files.


Why are LED bulbs in a cooker hood flashing when I put in the fourth bulb? I replaced 4 bulbs on a cooker hood with LED bulbs. Three will work ok till I put in the fourth; then they flicker once when turned on but will not stay on.

This usually means that the transformer either is not large enough or not compatible with your LED bulbs.

It could also be a problematic bulb or socket, so before replacing the transformer, try the bulbs in different sockets and see if its still always adding the 4th bulb in the same location that causes the issue.  If its always the same bulb, regardless of number of bulbs installed or location, then that bulb is probably defective.  Otherwise it's probably the transformer.

Note that some transformers/drivers, dimmers, etc. are rated differently for LED vs incandescent bulbs.


How do I tighten this screw? I have a fairly new bathroom suite. The toilet seat has a nifty quick-release hinge which allows you to just press two buttons to take it off for cleaning. Underneath, the hinge assembly is fixed on with a long screw, tightened with a nut that fits snugly into a recess inside the porcelain. There's no screw head accessible from underneath, and the hinge doesn't come off on top to screw from that direction.

Naturally, the seat has come loose. How do I tighten it? I've tried just turning the screw thread with a pair of pliers, but it's hard to get a decent grip and this only works for a short while. Is there a particular tool I need to buy to tighten this sort of screw? Or a particular technique?

Two things unbelievable about my answer.

It's not about electrical
I took pictures of my toilet

I think I have the same seat, so here we go...

Excuse the glare, but this is what holds my seat down.

Now take the top half of the clips and twist them counter-clockwise.  The picture shows them all the way turned.  Now the hard part...

You might have to work at this but you give it some wiggles and it pulls straight up.

Hopefully this is what you have and hopefully the artistic work I did does not go in vain.  Taking pictures of toilets or loo's or any device of this nature just does not do anything for me.  I hope they don't pull my man card, then I have to get my you know whats out of my wife's purse.


Are all plastic compression fittings interchangeable? I need to rework the plumbing under my kitchen double sink. Currently, it consists of one brass drain pipe along with all ABS pipe and compression joints. Can I replace the pieces I need with their PVC counterparts or will there differences in diameters not allow this.

My experiance in the UK is that compression waste pipe fittings are pretty tolerant about pipe sizes. For example a "40mm" compression fitting will clamp down on a pipe that is anywhere from about 40mm to 43mm in diameter.

I don't know if compression fittings sold in other countries are similar or not.


How risky is it to drain window wells into an interior drain tile system? During some recent heavy rains one of my window wells filled with water, which started coming into the basement through the deteriorating window.  I have a drain tile system around the interior of the basement walls but no drain around the exterior. (The house was built in the 40s, and the interior drain tile is a recent enhancement.)

In the two summers since it was installed, the sump pump has run very little.  I've never actually noticed it running apart from when I test it, but the seepage I used to get on a regular basis from the bottom of the basement walls has stopped.

I'm considering installing drains in the window wells to connect to the interior drain tile.  I have misgivings about intentionally channeling all that water through the inside of my house to the sump pump, though.  While adding the window well drains seems like the obvious solution to keep the window wells dry, how much worse would it make a sump pump failure?  Would it make a failure more likely because of the increased activity?

You're right on target with the questions you've asked.  You want to prevent water from collecting around the house.  Ideally, it's best to avoid water being there in the first place.  If you can't do that, that next best solution is to give it a place to go to get rid of it as quickly as possible.  That can be accomplished on the exterior or the interior.  If you put in a system to get rid of water, the benefit will come from letting it get rid of as much problem water as you can get into it.

To drain the window wells, don't just drill holes and let the water run down the wall into the floor drain.  Stick a pipe through the wall with the wall opening sealed around the pipe, and direct the water into the drain while keeping it contained.  Use some form of screen or filter on the inlet so the pipe doesn't get clogged with debris.

As you noted, once the basement is no longer sealed, water can migrate in as well as drain out.  The interior drain, itself, is a potential path, and any other exterior water you provide with a path adds to it.  It is critical to have a reliable and redundant system to get rid of the water or your basement can become the collection system.

Sump pumps don't last forever, so have a second, backup pump.  Power can go out in a storm, which is the likely time when water will be feeding the system.  So use some form of battery backup or make one of the pumps battery- or dual-powered and include a provision for keeping the battery charged and tested.  Or have the pumps on a backup generator.