Why is this shared-neutral wiring bad? Summary: I have this wiring situation in my home. I gather it's not up to modern code, and I experienced why it's bad (got shocked), but I don't understand why (physics/electricity) it happened.

In the diagram you can see that there are two phases which end up in the same lightswitch box, side-by-side, and the two switches happen to share a neutral.

These two switches happen to be on different circuit breakers, on different subpanels. I happened to turn off the breaker going to the outlet (was swapping out the hardware), and found that wires coming in from the 'top' of the box were still live (and in a weird way, with the white wire measuring 119V to ground, and the black wire measuring 113V to ground, and the two wires measuring 0V between them) and capable of a full-voltage shock.

How/why does electricity flow from the 'white, with tape' wire through to the neutral, and into switch 1, and then into the black wire on the outlet?

For what it's worth, I see that I can fix this by swapping the Add-On switch with Switch2, and then sending the neutral from phase 2 over the white-tape (or black) wires into the other box.

There's a rule to prevent that shock

  In a multi-wire branch circuit (which shares neutral), Pigtail neutrals.  This is why: so you can remove any device for servicing without severing the neutral that other hot wires are depending on.

Set aside, for now, the fact that this isn't a MWBC and is, in fact, a disaster.

Consider the neutral above the receptacle, to the wirenut, and on to load 1 and the two smart switches.  What keeps this neutral near 0 volts?  Is it the appellation 'neutral'?  Is it the white color?  Nope.  What keeps it near 0 volts is that it's tied back to neutral at the panel.  Which you severed when you removed the receptacle for servicing.

Now, absolutely nothing keeps the neutral near 0 volts.  It would "float" at any voltage, vulnerable to inductive or capacitive coupling like any floating wire.  Except for switch 2.  Switch 2 is trying to power itself. It is trying to take power off the "LINE" wire from panel 2.  It is returning that power via the "neutral" from panel 1, which lifts that neutral to 120V, as I show in the second illustration here.  Your removed outlet is the X, and that's where you put your hand.

Now let's start into the grocery list of defects here.

Do not mix sources from two different panels

Don't even mix grounds.  Normally, grounds are the one thing you can web everywhere.  But even the rules for retrofitting grounds don't let you mix grounds out of two different panels.

Mixing neutrals out of two panels is way past wrong.  Mixing hots out of two panels is insane.  You just don't do that. Ever.

It's not illegal to have supplies from multiple panels transit the same raceways, but they never serve the same loads.

Do not mix neutrals - except in properly designed MWBC

The above notwithstanding, ground is a big spiderweb, but neutral is not - neutrals must be fastidiously kept with their partner hots.  There's a stupid-simple reason for this:  neutrals don't have breakers.  The only thing protecting a neutral from being overloaded is the fact that it only returns power for its one hot (or carefully chosen and balanced several hots, in a Multi-Wire Branch Circuit, where it only returns differential current. Damn, MWBCs are fun.)

  Multi-wire branch circuits must  have common maintenance shut-off, i.e. a 2-pole breaker that guarantees when you shut off an MWBC leg for service, you are shutting off all legs.

A fairly recent (2011) NEC rule which also aims to solve the problem you just had. This works belt and suspenders with the "pigtail neutrals" rule.

Regardless you need more experience to be playing with MWBCs.

Currents must be equal in each cable or conduit

It's difficult for geeks to understand this, because they are used to thinking DC.  AC creates pulsating magnetic fields.  As long as all wires run together, the magnetic fields cancel each other out.  However, if they travel a loop, the inside of the loop becomes the core of a transformer.  If you've ever torn one down, you know the core is inexplicably a stack of thin steel plates laminated together with some sort of lacquer. This is to arrest "eddy currents" so as to prevent eddy current heating within the transformer core.

That eddy current energy can be considerable, which is why Code talks so much about it.

The way you avoid this is, draw your drawings with all conductors in a cable or conduit drawn close together, and space between all cables and conduits.  If your drawing encloses an area, as your drawing does, then your currents are almost certainly unequal.  When I colored the above drawing gray, I should have left the center blob white, just to make that clear. If your drawing looks like a tree, then currents must be equal since there is no other possible route.  You're all set.

Fix 1: Feed everything from the left circuit

In this case we just cut the right power cable.  SNIP! And it's gone.

While I was writing this, ThreePhaseEel described this one.

Fix 2:  Feed load 2 from the right circuit

In this case we swap switch2 and the add-on and sever the neutral connection in the left box.  The add-on communicates only with the black-red-white cable from supply 2.

Note the Invisible Wall between the circuit 1 stuff in the left side of the switch box, and the circuit 2 stuff on the right side.   I am surprised the remote switch doesn't need an always-hot, however if needed, it's in the bundle as a spare.  Also separate the ground for that extra cable - that'll make it rather obvious to the astute observer that this is served from a different circuit, since every wire in the cable goes to one device.


LED T8 tubes: plug-and-play or direct-wire? I want to install some good bright LED lights in a shop.   I have access to some nice fluorescent-type fixtures for cheap or free (two 4-ft T8 tubes), so I want to just use them with LED replacement tubes.   I'm wondering what the pros and cons are of the kind of tube that works with the fluorescent ballast or the kind that requires you to re-wire the fixture to supply 120vac directly to the tube.   I lean towards the latter, since the re-wiring should be very little trouble and I'm perfectly comfortable doing it myself, and it seems silly to have a piece of electronics (the ballast) in there that isn't needed.    And I seriously doubt I'll ever want to switch back to actual fluorescent tubes.

Direct wire.    Worst case you have to change a lampholder.

Plug-n-play doesn't allow a ballast, it requires a ballast!  And of a specific type - if the fixture has the wrong type, you would have the ignominious task of buying a new ballast and also possibly change lampholders too.  It's one more thing to maintain.


Removed tiles... what's underneath and how to proceed? I've removed a couple of tiles from my bathroom wall (for a remodel), and I'm unsure about what each of the layers are underneath, how to proceed, and how to make sure I'm not damaging anything structural.

I was expecting plasterboard and then bricks, but am not sure exactly what I'm looking at.

Below are photos, of the top corner.

Looks like drywall over old plaster (horse hair plaster) that was applied to a brown coat which has horse hair in it. This might be real good because that brown coat could be over an inch deep & will take screws beautifully for a cement board covering & easy remodel.


How to prep and level part of my garage when there is a 6" difference in hight? Specs:

Garage floor is cement
24'x32' (except where the car will park.)
far side is approximately 6"lower than the other. (~1° slope)
large crack running the full length.
a number of smaller cracks.
some old oil stains.

What I've got so far:

Power wash the floor of the garage.
Scrub and remove oil stains. (What do I use?)
Let fully dry. (How long?)
Use angle grinder with concrete cutting wheel to clean up and widened crack.
Update: Recommended to use a concrete saw instead.
Fill crack. (Bondo All Purpose Putty?)
Update: Use a Bonding Agent between the layers. (Something like Latex Drylok Bonding Agent?)
Use something between 2x4 studs/base plate to separate the cement and the wood and keep the cement from filling the stud bay. (Flashing maybe?)
Caulk cracks at base plate. (Silicone?)
Build Walls and seal gaps. (Silicone?)
Mix and pour cement. (What cement should I use keeping cost and simplicity in mind?)
Tool the cement so it's level.

Notes:

planning to use epoxy coating for floor.
prefer to use something that is simple but cost effective. (If you can call any of this simple)
will not pour where car is going to park.
will be both a workshop and a garage.

Questions:

Am I missing any steps?
What are good products to use given the depth of the pour goes from 0" to 6"?

I’ve used Gypcrete over concrete slabs and various wood structures.
I think it’s rated up to 8” thick per lift. However, it can’t be walked on, etc. because it will wear. You’ll need provide a covering.
It goes in like tomato soup, so it will seek its natural level. It hardens in a couple of days.


What are these light switches? I just bought an older home (1959), and it has some odd light switches.

The button is a tap button, and just seems to vary the brightness. The slider seems to turn the lights off and on.

The lights installed when we moved in didn't work, so I replaced them with dimmable LEDs (since I assumed the slider was a dimmer). But it doesn't seem to be a real dimmer.

Has anyone seen these before? and if so, is this the expected behavior?

I'm tempted to just replace them with something standard honestly.

Better replace those LEDs with incandescent lights.

I recognize that switch. It is an X-10 brand, WS467 Dimmer module.

Here's the manual.

This switch can be controlled in person with your finger, or remotely with a plug-in or wireless controller.  Hopefully the seller left behind some controllers for you.  Otherwise you'd need to buy one to take advantage of remote control.

Basically the larger top momentary pushbutton is the normal on/off control.
The smaller bottom toggle is to 'lock' it off so that nobody can turn it on remotely.


Add Electrical Socket to a light circuit I have a garage in the building where I live, is equipped just of light, so switch to power on and off and the bulb at the ceiling, i don’t have any power point to plug any simple tools like drill, or car polisher or glue gun, vacuum cleaner..so I was thinking to install the electric socket to the wall running the wires from the ceiling bulb..I tried to do that, but the colors of the light circuit are different of the wires I wanna plug to the socket..I have a red and white wire plug together to the bulb, then I have a black one and a white one, the wires I bought for the socket are red,black and yellow/green (i’m Sure is the earth)..any help or any suggestion how to plug them in the right way? I’m located in Sydney so the colour code may be different.
Thanks for your help in advance.

It appears that it is completely illegal to do any DIY electrical wiring work above extra-low voltage in New South Wales. You will need to engage a qualified electrician.


Ceiling Light, Dimmer off does not totally turn off light I bought a 2 Ceiling Lights (Halo BLD606930WHR)  with 2 Dimmers (Lutron DVCL-153PR-WH). They are compatible lights and dimmers.
When turning the dimmer Totally down to 0%,  one of the lights continues to remain on at very dim level,  the other light shuts off completely like its supposed to.
Do you know what the issue can be, and how can it be fixed? Maybe something installation? Additionally, does having a light like this, cause any damage to the circuit, or a hazard?
The dimmers and switches seems to be work normal aside from that, when using it above 0%. Using the light switches will turn off both lights, which is good.
Update
The Halo lights are 8W Watts.
One thing I noticed in our house, this issue does Not Occur with other ceiling light brands of higher 18W or 15W installed on same dimmer type.  Wondering if higher wattage gets rid of the dimmer 'ghosting' issue.

Resources:
https://www.amazon.com/Halo-BLD606930WHR-Integrated-Recessed-Compliant/dp/B07FRP2VYY
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Single-Pole-or-3-Way-Diva-LED-Dimmer-Switch-for-Dimmable-LED-Halogen-and-Incandescent-Bulbs-White-DVCL-153PR-WH/203670402

Read the instructions for the switch. It states it is designed for incandescent lamps. This technology runs a small amount of power through the load to function it is not visible with incandescent lamps but is with LED’s because they take a small fraction of the power to illuminate. So that small amount of current is the cause of the lamp not shutting completely off.


Temporarily relocating an electrical panel while rebuilding a room The room where our main power supply comes into the house is actually an old converted porch.

Several inches of the wooden frame, including the sill plate and band board, are buried below grade and over the years it has suffered some serious rot. The walls appear to be built out of random scraps of material, including pieces of round fence post. The floor joists are not properly built and need to be replaced. The roof sheathing has a lot of mold and fungal damage on the inside, and there may be some rainwater intrusion. Nothing is level with the rest of the house.

At this point, I am thinking we may want to just completely demolish and rebuild the room. With the exception of the electrical panel, and rebuilding a portion of the foundation, I believe this is well within our DIY abilities.

The question is, what do we do with the main electrical panel while we rebuild the wall pictured above? It connects directly to the supply meter, which is immediately on the other side of the wall. I'm actually happy with its current location as its forever home, but it's in the way right now. What is the cheapest way to temporarily relocate it? Or, is there any chance we can demolish and "build around" it in a safe way?

The only reasonable way I can think of is to buy an outdoor rated panel and put it on a wall outside right next to where you will be working, with some temporary duct work for the conductors going back into the house. You will at some point need to call your utility for a disconnect / meter pull to move the main conductors, but wait until the last minute for that and be totally ready for it first.


Divot repair in laminate flooring I have a 5/16" bomb crater in my laminate floor.  NO idea how it got there.

Yes, I know I can replace the whole board, but it occurs to me that it might be possible to repair it using a drill and a plug cutter.

E.g.

With a 1/2" hole drill a hole through the existing crater.

With a 1/2" plug cutter, cut a plug of similar laminate.

Apply a layer of PVC glue to the plug, and insert.

Gotchas:

Do the plugs and hole drill match?
Will the plug sit flush with the top of the  laminate?  (If there is going to be an error, better that the plug be a few thou low.
Will the edge of the plug chip as it's driven in?
Will the glue cause the midboard to swell too much?

Check by doing an plug and repair on a board not in the floor.

Will the drill skitter on the surface of the flooring.

Check, but probably I'd use another piece of laminate big enough to stand on with a half inch hole pre-drilled in it.

What kind of bit?

Either a brad point or a forstner bit -- something that gives close to a flat bottomed hole.

So:

Q1:  Is this a workable way to make a repair?

Q2:  What can possibly go wrong?

Sounds like a workable way to make a repair, but the circle is going to be visible for sure, and is that really better than having the divot to begin with?  That's up to you...  Assuming this is what you want to do:

  Do the plugs and drill holes match?

A plug cutter labeled 1/2" will cut a hole that fits into the hole that a 1/2" drill bit creates.  A plug cutter is measured by the outside diameter of the plug, and a drill bit is measured by the inside diameter of the hole.  The caveat is that your drill bit may wobble and not make a great, tight hole.

  Will the plug sit flush...

Laminate flooring typically has some type of pad or underlayment or something between it and the subfloor.  So, you'll need to match the thickness of this underlayment (assuming you also tear out a hole of the underlayment when you drill) so the plug doesn't sit too low.  You can use this to your advantage and use layers of paper or something to make it sit exactly as high as you want.

  Will the edge chip

I don't think it will, but depends on the floor.  Some have a more vinyl-like top, and some have a more brittle wood-feeling texture. Put a flat object bigger than the diameter of the hole on top of the plug and hit that to press in the plug rather than hitting the plug directly.  This will drive it in as evenly as possible.

  Glue cause swelling

Don't use a polyurethane glue like "Gorilla glue" that expands as it drys and there shouldn't be an issue.  Wood glue is probably best - PVC glue is going to be super messy and will eat/discolor the surface layer almost immediately.

  will the drill skitter...

I like the plan of using the scrap plank.  Make sure it has a good tight hole in it.

  What drill bit

A hole saw in 1/2" might be hard to find, and probably wouldn't make a clean cut.  A brad point or Forstner is good but still might be hard depending on the underlayment and if there's a concrete subfloor.

  What could go wrong?

The hole you drill in the existing floor could be sloppy.  Then your only choice is to make a bigger hole and try to do it better.  Practice on scrap before hand.


How can I repair a door that a dog chewed on? My dog is an escape artist and managed to get out of her crate today. She then tried to chew her way through my bedroom door to escape confinement. Though unsuccessful, she did damage a significant part of the door. I live in a rented apartment and I would like to know if there is a way to fix this short of replacing the door. If not, is there a way to replace the door that would match this door (and the others in the apartment)? I would like to get my security deposit back if possible!

I will try to post a picture but it's proving challenging from my phone at the moment.

If its hollow then there no way to fix it unless its just on the surface. If its painted than you can just apply some wood filler and sand smooth and repaint the area. It will look as good as new.


Do I have a dead fridge? My fridge just made a noise like a tin lid hitting the floor.  Now there is no power to it at all. Circuit breaker is fine.  I can't pull it out by myself so I don't know if the outlet is ok.  Is it possible the fridge is dead.  It's only 4 years old.

Is it possible the fridge is dead

Yes.

  It's only 4 years old

People often say "they don't make them like they used to".

  I can't pull it out by myself so I don't know if the outlet is ok.

Unfortunately we can't pull it out for you from where we are. You may need to get a friend, relative, neighbour or tradesperson to help.

You can buy gadgets to make it easier for one person to slide appliances across smooth floors. There are low-cost teflon glides that you can slide under the appliances feet. These are small disks, slippery teflon (or hard plastic) on their underside, grippy rubber on the top.

You can also get more substantial metal rollers.

It can help to use a length of wood on a wooden block as a lever to lift the appliance a few mm or an inch or so to slide the glides/rollers under the appliance. If doing this by yourself it might help to cut some broad shallow wedges out of wood, you can then slip these under while pressing on your lever. That holds the appliance up while you carefully position the glides or rollers.

Even getting glides just under the two front feet will often help.

If your fridge is one of those that is the size of a small car, you'll need to enlist some help from nearby people.


Running wiring for a dishwasher I installed a new dishwasher, and now I'm at the point where I need to wire it As a temporary measure, I just wired an appliance cord, and ran it to an outlet.  To do that, I'm running it to an extension cord, out a cabinet, and above the dishwasher.  It's not ideal.  Rather than put in a new outlet under the sink, I'd like to hard wire the dishwasher to its own circuit on the panel in the basement.  My question is, can I drop the Romex through the floor behind the dishwasher?  I know that if you run it to an outlet, the outlet has to be in a separate cabinet, so you can access it without pulling the dishwasher out.  The issue is that it's going to be a real pain in the butt to send it into the wall, then drill a hole down to the basement.  It would be much easier to send it through the floor behind the dishwasher; I just want to make sure that's okay before I do it that way.

Thanks!
Chris

I have done that, hole in the floor back near the wall,

MC Modular Whip  to a junction box in the crawlspace and then romex from the junction box to the panel.

I did not hard wire the whip into the dishwasher, i installed a  surface mounted metal outlet box and connected the whip to that and then a regular appliance cord from the dishwasher to the outlet.

The appliance cord will make the installation and removal of the dishwasher easier as the MC is stiff and will cause problems.


Small blobs of tar on a (5 year old) flat tar and gravel roof I have noticed several cluster of small blobs of tar on my flat tar and gravel roof which was renovated 5 years ago.
I tried to remove one blob (here is a video) and it seemed to be full with no cavities inside it.
Are these something of concern? Should I put extra gravel on top of these?
I appreciate opinions! Thanks!
Close up view

Further view

There is probably a pocket or thick point there I probably would not mess with them as some may be connected. I probably would get some white paint and paint that area white, the tar is getting hot and bubbling up. White will help it to reflect the heat and not bubble up making a low point.


Why don't whole house fans vent to the outside? I've been researching fans and the ones I've found all seem to vent to the attic. Why is that? Why can't they vent directly to the outside? It seems more efficient that way. Otherwise you have to have anothe fan to vent the air in the attic.

There are three reasons why whole house fans generally vent into attics. First, whole house fans are designed to pull air from the highest point in the living space of a house, which is generally where the warmest air collects. This removed air is replaced by cool air entering windows in the first floor, flushing the warm air out of the house. The highest point is generally the ceiling of the top floor, so the obvious route for the air is at least into the attic. However, whole house fans are designed to handle large amounts of air, so it's better to vent the fan into the attic rather than directly out an enormous vent in the roof or gables.

Second, the attic is often the low-rent district of the house, which makes it a good location for the fan mechanism itself.

The third reason was raised in another answer: cooling the attic will reduce the heat load on the main house. However, a properly insulated house (at least in non-tropical climes) will have enough insulation between the top floor ceiling and the attic itself that it won't matter much what the attic temperature is; the heat won't have much of an effect on the floors below. Still, there is some benefit to having a cooler attic.

Add all this together, and you find the majority of whole-house fans will vent into the attic, with the attic in turn vented to the outside by any of a wide variety of (generally passive) methods.


How to properly re-caulk this shower? The caulking in my shower was old and had some mold stains, so I removed it and am planning to re-caulk. After removing the old caulking, I noticed that parts of the removed silicon (the ones removed from the space in the picture) were damp and the sand/grout beneath them was damp. This even though I had not used this shower in about 3 weeks.
I am planning to spray some mold killer in the spaces before resealing. My concern is that the gap is a little big (maybe 3/8 inch), and if I apply silicon directly, water may seep through again over time. Would it be better to put something in the gap first, before applying silicone? Also, how worried should I be about the slight dampness in the gaps?
Thank you very much

If it's breaking up there,it's probably breaking up elsewhere. Think about doing the whole shower, it looks like there's more discolored caulk. Stuff some paper towel down in that large space to see if any water remains and to soak up any that's still there. Once you clean it up and spray your mold killer and let it thoroughly dry, get some epoxy grout and fill in the whole seam between the floor and wall. Normal grout wouldn't be used for a change in plane but epoxy grout works well here. It's waterproof and doesn't need to be sealed.


How do I calculate the size of the downspout I need for a gutter? From what I've read, a 2x3 rectangular downspout is meant to drain 600 square feet of roof. But surely that depends on the rainfall intensity, doesn't it?

600 square feet of roof in Idaho is going to be a hell of a lot different than 600 square feet of roof in Hawaii.

I have 385 square feet of roof which will be handled by 25 linear feet of 5" K-style gutter, in an area that receives a maximum rainfall intensity of 6 inches / hour over a 5 minute period [chart]. Will a single 2x3 downspout be sufficient? If not, will I have to upgrade to 6" gutters in order to accommodate a larger 3x4 downspout, or will a 3x4 downspout still fit on a 5" K-style gutter?

Size the gutters for the rainfall, but go with the largest downspout that will fit your gutters.

The issue for downspouts isn't water capacity in a torrential rain, it's debris that gets washed into the downspout.  The larger the downspout, the better debris will wash through.  Large downspouts are harder to clog, pass more water when they do clog, and are easier to clean out.


What fire hazard considerations are there when creating a cable hole between rooms? Can't believe this hasn't been asked before, but I can't seem to find anything so...

I've currently got a very light, very thin 32" TV mounted on the bedroom wall. It's perfect - except for the fact that I'd love to make it a bit more minimalist and put the cables through the wall it's mounted on, into the fitted-cupboard in the room behind it.

In my mind, the best way of handling this is to drill a hole straight through the wall into the cupboard, reinforce it with a bit of metal piping or something, then block both ends with some sort of plastic/sponge filler.

However, I'm worried about fire safety - I've heard that if you start to play around with holes between walls, it can seriously degrade the compartmentalization of the rooms and fire can spread more easily.

Am I insane? Too cautious? Or are there serious considerations when mucking about with the integrity of 'rooms'.

To the best of my knowledge, the only fire retardation requirements that exist for a residence apply to slowing the spread of fire between connected units - say in a duplex or row home.

In the case of your personal dwelling, there is almost no way to restrict the spread of fire within a residence without making it extremely inconvenient to navigate in your own home.

Now if you installed fire proof doors between every room, with airtight seals (ie: like your exterior doors), and fire retardant barriers like cinder block and fire-resistant foam between the walls, then your concern over putting a hole in your wall would be relatively worth considering, but I suspect that like most homes, these other barriers do not exist on the inside of your home, and so you're worrying over something that, in the grand scale of overall fire safety, won't amount to much.


How can I drill holes less than 1" from a wall? I need to drill pilot holes through 1x1 and into a stud, with the 1x1 flush with the wall. I figure the hole has to be no more than 5/8" from the wall. My drill is too wide to drill a perpendicular hole that close to the wall.
For reference, this is a follow up to a different question Can I safely hang pegboard between studs, rather than across them?, where a user recommended I attach 1x1 to the studs. I didn't think of it at the time,  but the closest my drill bit can get to the wall while remaining perpendicular to the 1x1 and stud is a little over an inch.
I tried Googling, but that kept bringing me to right angle adapters and flexible extenders - but every time I looked at one, they were clearly meant for driving, not for drilling. They also seemed focused on solving the problem of having insufficient space between the drilling surface and some other parallel obstruction, not the distance from the desired hole to a plane perpendicular to the drilling surface - because they don't give a specification for the diameter of the chuck and its clearance from the top edge of the tool.
How do I drill a hole that close to the wall?

Various methods, the most accessible of which tends to be a long drill bit - 12-18" long, allowing the chuck to get out of the way.
If you don't flex the bit, the slight angle (not quite perpendicular) is generally not a problem, but under the guise of "aircraft drills" there are very long bits with short flutes and a long smooth shank that flex sufficiently that you can get them perpendicular, if needed.
A physically smaller drill chuck is the more obvious but generally less accessible method.


What can I use to lubricate a new kitchen faucet no longer turns? I installed a new kitchen faucet about 6 months ago.  However, it no longer turns/swivels at the base.  My non-expert inspection of the problem seems to suggest that the point-of-swivel has a build up of hard water or other kind of water-deposit.  I believe the ring inside the unit is plastic.

I'm not at home at the moment, but from off the top of my head I believe this is the unit we purchased.

We did not use the horizontal base at the bottom, as we didn't have any soap--dispenser holes to cover (new granite counter tops).

Any idea on how to loosen this thing up?  Right now it takes 2 hands to turn, and usually results in turning the whole unit instead of swiveling on the joint.  My first inclination was to use WD-40 but I wasn't sure how that would work on plastic (seems like it could be damaging)

Use CLR to dissolve the buildup from hard water.  Just soak the parts with buildup in a little bit of it.  This stuff works miracles.  You can buy it anywhere.


Which is the right screws to use to mount ikea pegboard to studs for heavy weights with noob skills? I am super confused and overwhelmed with the amount of  research I have done so pardon the post that may seem like a duplicate but I need help in specifically this context.

Problem Statement : I want to mount ikea pegboard 30"x22" onto studs. I used a stud finder to determine that my studs are 24" apart. The house is less than 4 months old so I am confused why they didn't follow the 16" standard.

The pegboard of 30"x22" comes with a bar that has holes at 23-5/8". Hence, I think I can mount it directly to the studs. I am making this for mountaineering gear so I want it to be super sturdy and hold good amount of weight.

Screw length :
I saw 3 inches being recommended most often so I was going to go with 3-1/2" screws just for safety. Is this okay? I just have regular drywall.

I shortlisted :

Structural Screws
All forums kept recommending this and I felt that it applies to my use case. But when I search structural screws on home depot they are not very cheap or many models. Everything is 5lb pack but I only need maybe 10 of those.
This looks strong, is affordable. The top shaft looks unusual, Am I going to need anything special to drive this in? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-3-in-Strong-Drive-SDS-Structural-Wood-Screws-25-Pack-SDS25300-R25/203302236

This looks strong and easily drivable but is expensive. Is it worth the price. https://www.homedepot.com/p/GRK-Fasteners-5-16-in-x-3-1-8-in-Rugged-Structural-Screw-45-Piece-Pack-112221/203533461

Cabinet screws

SPAX cabinet screw seems expensive :    https://www.homedepot.com/p/SPAX-10-x-2-1-2-in-T-Star-Drive-Washer-Wafer-Head-Partial-Thread-Yellow-Zinc-Coated-Cabinet-Screw-75-per-Box-4281020050606/206870578

Generic cabinet screw is cheaper but is it going to compromise the strength value. https://www.homedepot.com/p/10-x-3-in-Zinc-Plated-Truss-Head-Phillips-Drive-Cabinet-Screw-25-Pieces-803002/204275480

lagbolts : strong but overkill for my project. Harder for a noob like me because of predrilling need

Your studs are probably 2x6 to get the thickness for the latest higher level of insulation which requires more wall depth. Since the studs can bear more load, they can be spaced at 24" oc rather than 16" oc.

All of those screws would work. Most of your forces on the screws will be in shear, not withdrawal, so the screw only needs to go deep enough to engage the strength of the steel and bearing of the wood, rather than getting a lot of tread into the studs for withdrawal.

I would use the SDS screws at about 2-1/2" which will give 2" of embed with 1/2" drywall. They will support over 340 lb each and therefore the peg board will be the weak point. Add as many as needed, say 1 per 100 lb of gear, and a minimum of four. I suggest predrilling pilot holes for ease of insulation.


Metering a 240V 40A circuit with an Efergy Engage meter I have a single-phase, 240V, 40A circuit (on a 50A breaker) connected to a NEMA 14-50 plug (these are words my electrician used when I asked him). I use this to charge my electric car. My HOA has asked me to meter my charging usage, for which it seems there are few good options and almost zero inexpensive options.
So I bought an Efergy Engage Hub Kit. Here's a link if you're interested but basically, it's a meter that provides a set of "clamps" that clamp around wires that need to be metered. Unfortunately there are no instructions so I took a stab in the dark. Of the three wires running to my NEMA outlet (red, black, beige) I clamped my meter around the red wire. The readings look ...reasonable but the kit came with an additional clamp (I bought the "single phase" version of the kit) so now I'm wondering if I need to use it.
Specific Question: For someone familiar with this kind of meter, do I need to also have a clamp around the black wire running to my NEMA outlet or is it sufficient to have it on the red wire only?

The manual is absolutely nuts! There is absolutely no explanation of the wires to be monitored except a series of simplified diagrams of different panel types. And what color do they use to indicate the wires to be monitored? Black? Red? No! Green! I'm sure they picked green to match their logo and because "environmental", but green is ground, the world round. If someone decided to actually put a monitor on their ground wire they would (hopefully) measure nothing. Argh!!!!
That being said, it is clear enough that you need to monitor 1 wire if there are 2 (the second would either be neutral or a second hot, and either way the same current as the first wire) or 2 wires if there are 3 (i.e., the 2 hots but not the neutral). Your red, black, beige is really red, black, white, with red & black being the hot wires and white the neutral wire.
Put clamps on the red & black.
In reality, since this is a car charger, you should have nearly all usage at 240V. The only thing running at 120V (if anything) would be some minimal electronics controlling the charging. But if there were anything significant on white, which there normally would be if these three wires were going into a breaker panel rather than into a single receptacle, the current on white (neutral) would be the difference between the black & red (hots) and the monitoring system would handle it all correctly.
The last step is that the monitoring system needs to "know" what type of circuit you are using. If the system is smart enough (can't tell from the minimalist manual) then it should actually be able to figure out that the two clamp sensors are two halves of a 240V circuit. But I would suggest seeing what the system shows when you are actually charging. There will be some minor differences, but if you charge up your car 50 kWh, you should see very close to that amount (slightly higher due to conversion losses) recorded on the monitoring system.
From a deleted-answer-that-should-have-been-a-comment:
I'm curious why the HOA is asking this. What business is it of theirs?
That is actually pretty straightforward to me. If the charger is powered from a shared garage or parking lot, the power is paid for as part of the condo. fee (or equivalent - terminology varies). Everyone needs the lights and the access system, so the electric bill for the shared areas gets split evenly across all the units served, or by square footage of individual units or some other reasonable method.
A car charger, used by one unit out of many, drastically changes things. While an electric car should cost less in the long run than a gasoline powered car, the energy isn't free. Tesla started with free supercharging to get people to buy their cars. Once sales picked up, they dropped the free supercharging because people would buy cars anyway, knowing that a stop at a supercharger would be comparable to buying a tank of gas. A 50 kWh charge (1/2 to 2/3 of a typical Tesla battery capacity) typically costs $0.10 to $0.20 per kWh = $5.00 to $10.00. Not a big deal if it is once in a while, but if someone charges that much 3 times a week, it could be as much as the entire rest of the electric bill for lights, security system, etc. The HOA is right to be concerned and to want to manage the costs equitably.
If there is only one car charger then it is actually still pretty simple - subtract last year's usage from this year's usage (seasonally adjusted by matching the month) and you have a reasonable approximation. But once a second car charger is added - and one user charges daily for 100 mile round trip, but the other charges less frequently because they have a short commute, etc. - it becomes impossible to guess.
However, in addition to the complications that OP has found trying to DIY an electric meter, there are potentially regulatory issues involved in submetering. That becomes a legal issue for the HOA. I am sure we'll be hearing more of such things over the coming years as car chargers become more common.
A fantastic technical solution would be for the charger itself to monitor usage and report it. I suspect that some indeed do that, but of course that is a feature not needed for a charger at a single family home or provided by an employer for convenience of their employees, so manufacturers will likely not include such a feature unless/until there is a demand. (Which gets into peak demand pricing, but I digress.)
Use At Your Own Risk
To follow up on @Harper's excellent (as usual) rant answer, there are serious legal and possibly safety issues with this product. From the FAQ page:

Warning
There is no need for an electrician to do this power consumption meter install, as we are not disconnecting any wires. Please take care when removing any covers in your fuse circuit box. There are live cables here, either 110V or 240V or if using 3-phase power possible 415V. This is dangerous and electricity can kill so be careful. It’s a great idea to isolate all power beforehand from the main circuit breaker.

This has numerous red flags:

I suspect they recommend against having an electrician install because a licensed electrician is likely to tell you to return the product!
Nothing should ever say "110V or 240V" - be consistent. Either "120V or 240V" or "110V or 220V".
It's a great idea to isolate all power beforehand from the main circuit breaker. Your average homeowner will have no clue what that means. It is CYA-ish language, at best.
fuse circuit box is very old terminology, at best. In fact, the diagrams I saw in the manual all appear to (rightly so) show modern-style circuit breaker panels. There are still plenty of fuse boxes around (typically in houses more than 50 years old that haven't had major electrical renovations) but that is poor terminology choice.

In fact, aside from the legal issue, there are real safety issues. If you know what you are doing, putting clamps on the wires is a trivial process. But when doing so in the panel you are literally inches away from unprotected (or overcurrent but not GFCI-protected) wires. So this is an inherently dangerous activity. In fact, the specific type of activity where I would, personally, recommend that most people call an electrician rather than DIY - as opposed to replacing switches, receptacles, etc. where DIY can be done quite safely with minimal training.
My description about (clamp red & black, why the HOA wants it monitored, etc.) all still apply 100%. But beware of any product that not only isn't properly listed but appears to care very little about safety. It is possible to have a product, especially one-off or niche products, that are designed well and 100% safe, just not listed/certified due to the expense involved. This does not appear to be one of those products.


Sealing coarse concrete rooftop? I live in an apartment and I would like to seal a section of our rooftop with small leaks where water puddles (depth of puddle is negligible). The rooftop is "rough" concrete in the sense that it feels like very coarse sandpaper. All the paint was stripped off some time ago, so it's plain, rough concrete.

I'd like to try to do this on my own since it's a relatively small section. So I had a few questions:

The surface has lots of loose dust. Can I clean this without using a power washer? I have an extra-strength vacuum cleaner.
Once it's clean, should I apply anything before applying the sealant? Maybe something to make the concrete more water-resistant?
For someone like myself with no DIY knowledge, how would I apply the sealant?
I've seen that most sealants are a bright white. How can I add some color so that it reduces or eliminates the glare?
Is this something I should do? The issue is that I've called contractors, and they charge an exorbitant amount.

We live in the Caribbean, so there's lots of rain and lots of sun.

All sealers that I have worked with require a clean, dry, scale free, dust free surface. A vacuum cleaner should do the trick.

As far as pre-coats, and "how to apply", you need to follow the directions on the particular sealer you're using. They all have their own specifications.

Many sealers can be painted over, check the specs for your sealer.

Certain local codes do not allow renters to preform any work on their units. Roofing work is dangerous so be careful.


Is there any code for running Ethernet cable (through attics)? We have an unfinished attic - the insulation-everywhere, step-in-the-wrong-place-and-fall-through-the-ceiling kind.

I'd like to run Ethernet cable through the attic.  I know for Romex, I'd have to staple the wire to the joists, drill holes when running perpendicular, etc.  However, I can't find anything stating I need to do the same with Ethernet.  In fact, much of what I've read online implies there are basically no rules for Ethernet!

So I want to make sure:

Do I need to need to staple the Ethernet to the side of the joists?  Drill holes when running perpendicular?  Can I simply set the cable down along the top of the joists?
If I decide to use conduit (for future-proofing), do the rules change?
If I were to run the cable through the dropped-ceiling of a finished basement instead, would the rules change?

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 8 Communications Systems
Article 800 Communications Circuits
I. General
800.24 Mechanical Execution of Work. Communications circuits and equipment shall be installed in a neat and workmanlike manner. Cables installed exposed on the surface of ceilings and sidewalls shall be supported by the building structure in such a manner that the cable will not be damaged by normal building use. Such cables shall be secured by hardware, including straps, staples, cable ties, hangers, or similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable. The installation shall also conform to 300.4(D) and 300.11.
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 300 Wiring Methods
I. General Requirements
300.4 Protection Against Physical Damage.
(D) Cables and Raceways Parallel to Framing Members and Furring Strips. In both exposed and concealed locations, where a cable- or raceway-type wiring method is installed parallel to framing members, such as joists, rafters, or studs, or is installed parallel to furring strips, the cable or raceway shall be installed and supported so that the nearest outside surface of the cable or raceway is not less than 32 mm (11⁄4 in.) from the nearest edge of the framing member or furring strips where nails or screws are likely to penetrate. Where this distance cannot be maintained, the cable or raceway shall be protected from penetration by nails or screws by a steel plate, sleeve, or equivalent at least 1.6 mm (1⁄16 in.) thick.
300.11 Securing and Supporting.
Please see NEC for full text

So basically, you're going to want to protect and support the cables in a similar manner to any other cables.  Curiously, the code didn't mention 300.4(A) Cables and Raceways Through Wood Members.. Though I'd likely still follow that section if I had to run communication cables through wood members.
If you run the cable through conduit, you'll have to follow the code for protection and support (fill requirements do not need to be met, per 800.110(B).
If you run through a drop ceiling, you'll have to install support wires for the cable, or support it in another approved manner. You can't support the cable using the ceiling grid, or support wires.
Here's a great document from Mike Holt that explains Article 800 (with images).
Introduction to Article 800 - Communication Circuits (PDF)


Grounding a receptacle when there is no ground wire? I am replacing old receptacles with new tamper-proof ones.

I opened one in my basement and realized it wasn't currently grounded, the electrical housing is a real mess and has a copper "ground" wire going across it in the back with no way to connect it to the receptacle.

So, how do you ground something in this case?

1) Buy some wire at hardware store, cut the ground wire, attach the 2 cut ends and the purchased wire together with a wire connector (marrette)?

2) Buy some wire at hardware store and just connect the ground on the receptacle to the electrical housing?

What are my options?
(wish I could post a picture)

Use self-grounding outlets. A self-grounding outlet should be labeled as such when you buy them.  If not labeled, you can tell one if it has a thin copper wire or brass tab (see picture) running across one of the screw holes that attach it to the outlet box.  These outlets, so long as you have a grounded metal box, provide a safety ground by "bonding" the outlet to the box.

Leave the bare copper wires twisted and screwed to the back of the box.  As far as connecting the black and white wires, I always use 'pigtails'.  Make two 6 inch lengths of wire (pigtails), one white and one black.  Attach one end of the pigtails to the outlet screws, and then attach the other end to the wires in the box using a wire nut.  The black wire is "hot" and attaches to the outlet's brass screw. The white wire is "neutral" and attaches to the outlet's silver colored screw. Connecting the wires in the box with a wire nut reduces the risk of continuity failures, and helps to preserve the length of the wire in the box if you have to remove the outlet in the future.


My AC condenser is running when I turn heat on and it is not a heat pump, any advice? I am wondering why the AC unit would be running and blowing warm air outside when heat is on.

You clearly have a problem with the controls of your heating and cooling system.  If he outdoor unit is straight cooling and is running when you are calling for heat, something is wrong. This is a fairly technical problem, I recommend you consult a pro.  You may have a bad thermostat.  But in any event this is costing you unnecessarily in energy cost and could damage the components of your system. Good Luck!


How do I seal around an outdoor rated wall mounted luminary? What's the proper way to seal a exterior wall mounted luminary from water entry?  I was unable to find one for purchase with any sort of gasket, and it appears that any water sheeting down the wall will simply pass through the fixture:

The pictured fixture reads "suitable for wet locations" on UL sticker, and is from a respected brand.  There's a weep hole at the marked bottom.  I checked every wall mount fixture at several home and building supply stores and they all had the same basic design.

Caulk is an option of course, but caulk must be maintained over time.  A retrofit 'mounting block' might help, but those need caulk also.  Are there better options for keeping the inside of the light reasonably dry?

What's the proper way to seal a exterior wall mounted luminary from water entry?

Caulk it with a high-quality, paintable silicone caulk like this. I have been using this caulk for 8 - 10 years and have never had to re-caulk after applying it.


Are pool cover pumps inherently risky? I see a submersible pool cover pump such as the following advertised, and I am puzzled with several questions.

The power cable will be going into a large pool of water. I assume that the power cable is sheathed with PVC. How can PVC withstand a few months in the open? Isn't there an inherent risk (certainty, in the long term) that it will develop minute cracks? If that happens, wouldn't it be inherently risky?
The pump is indicated to be 3 lbs. That seems to be a lot of load to put on a vinyl cover. Wouldn't that weight resting still for at least six months over one spot cause the pool cover vinyl underneath to stretch or even possibly rip?

There are three reasons why you need not worry:

UL/CE rating

I think you will find it is UL or CE rated I know with UL the items are tested and abused like any home owner would, not as sure about CE but some equipment I helped build to send over the pond had 3rd party inspectors checking every part to make sure it could be CE compliant. The pump should have a GFCI plug this would limit any potential shock if the cord were to fail. I would think the plastic pump impeller would fail before the cord even with 5/6 years outside.

Connection

Should the device be faulty, you still need not worry too much. You will deposit it in your sitting pool of rain water, while it's not powered. You'll walk to connect the power cable (hopefully your outdoor power is a GFCI one). While connecting the power, you'll not be close to any water.

Weight

The vinyl tarp can already handle a column of water 2ft (maybe) high. If you calculate the distributed weight of the pump on the (usually large) base, you'll find that the psi on the tarp will be in the same ballpark as the column of water.

Just as importantly, you do want the weight of the pump to push a little on the tarp. That incline will drive all your rain water towards the pump so all the water reach it.


Is this mold in the walls or something else? We are remediating visible mold in certain areas of the house. This weekend  I took photos in side the walls and into the attic. Does these photos look like mold or something else? Some of the dark areas in the photos could be shadow.
Video: in the wall

In the San Fernando valley 30 miles north of Los
Angeles a family member died. Leaving the spouse
alone. Mysteriously 7 years later the remaining
spouse died. When the coroner came, he thought
their was a death their in the past. Records confirmed
what he thought. There was a lot of mold between
the studs, and behind the walls.
My point is, if you don't know find out quickly. It can be concluded with a test of the air over a period of hours?!
Don't wait. Come to a conclusion professionally.
Painted for 7 years. Dealt with minor stuff, maybe
10 square inches in the past. Did train with a
firm that taught me what to look for when bidding
for new work.
I would contact my insurance company and go
from there. Get informed quickly.


What happens if ground and neutral are swapped in a light switch? I’m replacing a light switch in an old house with lots of uncolored wiring. I removed the switch plate to find two black wires (connected to the switch) and a capped up white wire (see photo below).
Is that white wire ground or neutral? What’s the difference? What happens if I think it’s a neutral wire but it’s a ground instead? (For what it’s worth, I’m installing a wifi switch that requires a neutral.)

Green, yellow-green, or bare are supposed to be safety ground only.
In North America, neutral is required to be carried on white or gray wires.
If neutral is not needed in a cable, the white can be re-tasked to be a hot wire. Code now requires such white wires be marked with tape, but most installers do not.
Hots are every other color.
You have 2 white wires in that cluster. Even though they're not attached to the switch, they're equally important.  Generally a cluster of all whites are neutral.
Rarely, you'll see 1 white in a cluster of hots; that's the "cable exception" I mentioned above.


Does a roof with 3 layers of asphalt shingles somehow last longer? I have a building with 3 roofs on it, the top layer is starting to curl, etc, due to its age.  My question is if having 3 layers of shingles will extend the useful life of the roof?  I know this is vague but I hope you see where I'm going with this.

No. Layers of shingles on top of each other shorten the life of the roof due to the newest layer sitting on an uneven lower surfaces.

The best life will come from removing all the old layers down to roof boards or sheathing and then laying down the new roof on a well repaired flat surface.

Multiple layers of shingles happen because folks want to avoid extra removal work or to save the cost of removal labor and disposal costs. There is basically no truth to claims of benefits of stacking shingle layers.


Fluorescent light trips adjacent GFCI My fluorescent light trips an adjacent GFCI when it is switched on. It is on a separate circuit. The GFCI is new with an alarm.

Is this being caused by some sort of interference?

Likelihood 1: Since the GFCI is the new thing, it is miswired.

This usually happens when someone is replacing a plain receptacle with the GFCI, hooks up the supply wires to the two LINE screws, and finds themselves with wires left over.   Those used to go on the extra screws on the receptacle, which were for the purpose of being spares.  However, GFCIs don't have any spares, just the two LINE screws.

This is where novices typically peek under the warning tape that says "Do Not Use, for wizards only" in as many words, and they see two more screws. Voila, somewhere to attach my spare wires!   Except those aren't spares, they are the LOAD terminals intended for extending GFCI protection to other outlets.

Sometimes this mistake inadvertently leads to extending GFCI protection to other circuits, yay I guess.  Other times, this is miswired, and causes nuisance trips.

Likelihood 2: Or your light has a ground fault

Suppose you build an X Detector because X is a common failure point in your situation.  And it immediately detects X.  The detector must be bad, right?  That is exactly how people react to GFCI trips. One guy bought $75 of new GFCIs because he could not believe his $30 coffeemaker had a ground fault.

I imagine that you did not have a GFCI before.   So maybe the lamp has had a ground fault this entire time, and you just didn't know it.  You can test that by removing the ground wire temporarily, so the fixture has no ground; but beware: its chassis will be energized at 120V if it in fact has a ground fault!  Don't leave it that way, no matter how much it seems like an easy fix.

That's not a surprise with old fluorescent magnetic ballasts. I would say in your light upgrade, you "zigged when you should have zagged".  Buying expensive LEDs that absolutely depend on maintaining a ballast does not protect you from failure of the ballast. Instead I would have bought a quality electronic ballast cheaper than the LED "tubes", and just stayed with real fluorescent.   Now you have two choices:

replace the ballast  (and retain the ability to rollback to real fluorescent if those LEDs turn out to be a piece o' junk) -- consult their instructions for the type of ballast to buy; it matters.
sell those LED "tubes" on craigslist and buy direct-wire LED "tubes", and rewire the fixture to bypass the ballast and feed 120V straight to the LEDs.


How can I fix this handheld vacuum cleaner? This is a handheld vacuum cleaner with a simple circuit inside. I’ve charged it fully for a good while and also tried decharge-recharging it but no joy. All it can manage to do is ticking the engine which is not powerful enough to get it on full rounds and working. I have contacted the producer and they said they don’t have batteries available for this item. Is there a way I could find out if it’s the battery or something else? I find it a waste to put this in the bin and buy a new one.

P. S. I have a video but it doesn’t seem like I can upload videos here.

Update:

Here’s how I’m testing it with the 9V battery:

Update #2:
 I’m not sure if the contact is made but here’s how I’m testing and still no joy. I have a feeling that I’m making a mistake somewhere.

Easy fix if it's the batteries

The batteries are 18650s they are extremely common they are used in power tools, laptops, home devices and they are even the driving force behind the Tesla automobiles.

Test

Cut the red and black wires going to the batteries one at a time. Strip off a little bit of insulation and apply them to a 9 volt battery. Red+  black -

Leave the yellow wire for now. It senses the voltage for the charge indicator light. It's possibly connected to a chip wrapped in the battery casing.

This is what the individual batteries look like

CAUTION

These batteries have a lot of kick. They are potentially very dangerous if the contacts are shorted. They will melt wire and are very capable of starting a fire.

If the unit runs on a 9v then the batteries need replacing. If that's the case you will need to order some Amazon has lots of them. You'll want to find some with the same mAh rating. In your case you will need two 1300mAh batteries.

something like this, basically apply power directly to the motor.


How can I get rid of a mouse in my house? There is a mouse in my house.

What's the most effective way to get rid of the mouse (and any "friends" it might have) and ensure that it doesn't come back.

Get a kitty:

(Thanks to Wikipedia for the image)


Safety of clamping two solid core wires in a ring circuit socket I just bought a house in the UK for the first time and have discovered the joys of ring circuits. One of the
double sockets in the house was faulty (switch would always stay on). I took it off the wall
making sure not to touch any of the live wires (ha just joking). Inside I found the live wires
had badly corroded (but not the neutral - some galvanic effect I assume) and one of them had
totally melted.

I'll ignore the obvious safety issue with ring circuits that this may have broken the ring
and I had no way of knowing (without tedious manual checking). My real surprise was that
apparently the official way to continue to ring is to screw both incoming parts of the ring
into the same screw terminal in the socket.

These are solid core wires. This can't possibly be safe can it? In my experience it's extremely
difficult to securely screw two solid core wires into the same screw terminal so that they are both
securely clamped - far too often the screw is stopped by one of the wires and the other one is loose,
possibly leading to a high resistance connection.

Why is this considered safe? Why don't sockets just have two pairs of screw terminals that are
connected internally?

This can't possibly be safe can it?

Most people outside the UK consider UK plugs and sockets to be, if anything, over-engineered for safety¹. The use of fuses, shutters, sleeved pins, polarised connectors, angled cable outlets, high insertion forces, finger protection and so on are not universal and ubiquitous outside the UK. Of course, you can find on eBay sellers of non-compliant and even dangerous sockets that are aimed at the UK market but which do not meet UK standards and which would be illegal to sell in the UK.
The specifications for typical UK sockets does not allow for mixing wires of different sizes.

Source: MK
As you can see from the example spec above, the terminals are designed for clamping multiple wires together.
A normal 32A ring main uses 2.5 mm² conductors, you can clamp three per terminal (e.g. in, out, spur)
So long as you check the screw is tightened fully and then check that you cannot pull any wires out, it will be safe.
I believe the intent here is that a gas-tight connection be formed between the conductors and the clamp. Copper is a fairly malleable metal so it should normally be distorted by the clamping mechanism such that the surfaces formed on the wires conform closely to each other and to the clamping surfaces.
As you note, its a loose connection that causes overheating and burning.
It isn't normal to see any significant corrosion other than normal superficial tarnishing of copper from exposure to air.

Why don't sockets just have two pairs of screw terminals that are connected internally?

You can get sockets with dual terminals, but these are specialist unswitched sockets for use in medical applications - each of the terminals can still be used to clamp multiple wires (four 2.5mm² in this example)

Source: M2

Dual terminals for live, neutral and earth Each terminal accepts 4 x 2.5mm²

Screw cap covers minimise dust & dirt traps improve effectiveness of infection control procedures

Clearly engraved 'MEDICAL EQUIPMENT ONLY'

Face plate manufactured from a blue urea compound which contains a very effective life-long anti-microbial & anti-fungal additive

Isolated Power Supply sockets for medical applications

In line with HTM06-01 and MEIGaN requirements with clean and dirty earth connections

These would be inappropriate for use in a home.

Notes
¹ If we set aside the issues with split ring-mains and treading on BS1362 plugs.


Storing energy from small wind generator to power led garden lights I want to create a small wind generator using a bike generator (se picture) to power some led garden lights during the night.

I have so far created a 1m in diamater wood propeller and a rotating house for the generator that seem to work well (the propeller rotates and the housing turns to face the wind).

My current problem is energy storage. The generator creates somewhere between 10-13 Volts on a decent day. The led lights in the garden will be either 6 or 12v (I havent bought them yet). I have two questions.

What kind of battery is suitable for this type of things (continous
slow charge and discharge, I'm thinking a car battery, but I don't know).
Can anyone link to some type of battery management electronic that will keep the battery from getting fried by over/under charging?

Thank you.

A deep cycle battery is what you want. A standard car battery really is not designed to charge and discharge where a deep cycle is made to do that so it will have a longer usable life.


Cut plaster hole, without hole saw, options? I need to cut one 6" hole for a can light into a plaster ceiling and don't want to spend the money on a hole saw. What are my best options?

Your best option is a jab saw and a steady hand.

If your question is how to do it while spending no money the answer is substituting the saw blade in a multi-tool or Swiss Army Knife. Failing that, scoring the plaster with a utility or X-acto and carefully breaking it out.


What's causing the smell in my basement? I suspect my natural gas water heater is filling the basement with an off-putting odor similar to what it smells like when someone gets a perm. I guess you could say its like the sulfur/rotten egg smell, but, to me, it's closer to the smell of a perm. Note that the water itself smells and tastes fine.

I've educated myself a bit about water heaters, and found out that depleted sacrificial anodes can cause this odor, but everything I've read talks about the water itself, not the area around the water heater.

The water heater is an AO Smith model, installed in 2011.

What's the deal?

A few more details: It's definitely not the smell of natural gas. Also, our boiler sits next to the water heater. The boiler's pilot light is on and fine. Our thermostat is currently not turning the heat on, so it's just idling. To eliminate it completely as a variable, I turned off the gas to the boiler. That didn't help.

It turns out it's nothing to do with the water heater. The sump pump's backup battery, which is pretty close to the water heater, exploded inside its container. That's what caused the smell.


leaky bathtub not sure where the leak is We had drips from ceiling right below bathtub upstairs. It only happened  when the tub was filled with water(even small amount, so probably not overflow issue). I don't see any bathtub crack. What can be the root cause ?  Thanks!!

You have not yet established whether the leak is in the supply valves or in the tub or drains.

With the tub valves off for a sufficiently long time,  I presume you have no leaking, right? If so, that eliminates the supply piping before the valve seats. When you open the valves, water is admitted into the mixing chamber of the valve and it could be leaking as you fill the tub (crack in the valve body or around the valve stems).

Fill a bucket elsewhere in the house and pour it into the tub. If it leaks, then you have eliminated the valve(s) and it is in the drain of the tub. If it does not leak, it is in the valve(s).


How do I repair a burner on an electric stove that is on all the time even if turned off? I have a free standing range electrical stove and one of the burners stays on all the time even if I turn it off.

Can someone give me some ideas on how to fix this?

I'll bet the control switch is broken.  This is not a difficult fix, but usually requires lifting the range top to access the wiring harness and install a new switch. Most appliance stores with a service department will also sell the parts.  If your range is a new solid state computer controlled, you may have a bad control board. If that is the case, the parts are expensive and should be done by a tech. they are very hard for a consumer to trouble shoot.


Running Coax and CAT6 through wall I am attempting to run coax for cable to the upstairs room, and CAT6 into what will be designated a networking closet.  I feel as the only option is to make multiple holes throughout the drywall to go through every stud and any potential blockers.

I have never ran cable through the ceiling, and I doubt I will be able to match that texture.  I also am pretty sure one coax cable and three CAT6 cables will be noticeable if I attempt to run them under the carpet.

This floor of the house in a slab, so running underneath isn't an option.  The wall pictured runs 19 feet up to the second floor ceiling, so I am considering running the coax into the attic above the second floor room.  The exterior is brick, and I am trying to avoid breaking the vapor barrier just to have an ugly cable running up the side of the house.

What would be the best way to run this cable, as every option I can think of will have considerable difficulty?

Here's what I am attempting:

Always hard to tell before opening things up, (and from limited pictures) but you appear to have a "thicker section of ceiling" out there in front of the closet, as compared to the underside of the presumed stairway (based on clues like the angled section of ceiling but it's a first floor location, and the open to second floor bit.)

If so, you can probably just punch one hole in the wall that goes through to that space, and one into that space from the closet, and have far fewer places to patch than if you run it through the studs, only one of which needs to be nice enough for company to see. Connecting between the holes is a matter of "fishing" a stiff-but-flexible fiberglass rod or spring-steel tape either through, or in from each side and hooking the two. I can't guess if that will be of any help with the room above, as I don't know the relationship of that room to this room.

That is, of course, if the space is not completely full of something else (like ductwork.)

If you do go up to the attic, run a conduit to save trouble the next time - there's almost always a next time.


Can you lay hardwood on concrete floor using mortar and grout? Is it possible to lay wood planks on tile mortar and grout in between with 1/8" gaps, like you would tile. I have a concrete slab sub floor that is all above ground level. I live in North Central Arizona. We have a good rainy season during the summer, but are high and dry for most the year.

The only thing that I think could go wrong would be the boards warping and separating from the mortar beneath, or perhaps shrinking and leaving gaps in the mortar. I guess I wouldn't mind cracks or gaps; those are easily filled, but warping would be a problem. I want to use 3/4" or 1" heartwood pine boards that I can get locally. I would be able to let them sit in my garage for a few months or even a year if needed.

I want to try mortar for the look, but also for maintenance. The gaps should make replacing a board easier.

No you can't do that. Even in Arizona. Wood has a high expansion and contraction ratio, they would work themselves out of the mortar in under three years in the driest of climates.

Your best option would be to membrane underneath the boards, secure them with concrete nails, and epoxy, or caulk the joints. That might last a year.

In terms of code, in the north it's not allowed. Untreated wood cannot bare directly on concrete.


What heights can electrical wiring be fished through wall studs? I want to install some closet rod supports for a double rod closet. My studs appear to be spaced every 16". The rod supports need to be drilled into the studs at heights of 42" and 84". The house is a ranch, this is being done on the ground floor.

The other side of the wall is a laundry room with washer and dryer outlets. I'm worried that the electrical for the laundry may be fished through the studs, and that when I drill into the studs for the rod supports, I might hit the electrical wires.

Is there any way to check how the wires are arranged behind the wall, besides tearing the wall down? Some extra info:

I'm in New York. The wall dividing the closet and laundry room used to be an exterior wall - the room with the closet is an extension from 2009.

Thanks, picture attached.

Your situation isn't unique, and any wall is likely to have wiring in it at various heights. It should be centered horizontally, so if you limit your fastener depth to about 1-1/4" you should be safe. If that's not deep enough you're probably not using the right fasteners. Wires and pipes that are close to the stud face should already be protected with steel plates.

Of course, you can purchase a non-contact voltage detector to trace the wiring, but this shouldn't be necessary.


Can I use an unused wire as a "C" wire? I just bought a new thermostat that is Wi-Fi enabled and it requires connection to a "C" wire.  The old thermostat does not have one running to it, but there are other unused wires.  The thermostat only controls a hot water baseboard heat system (no fan and no AC).  Can I use one of the unused wires for the "C" wire as long as it is connected at the source (boiler) properly?

The "C" wire is typically a common, or the other side of the 24 VAC transformer. The wireless Tstat would need the power source to operate. If there are unused wires in the wiring harness at the thermostat, then using one of these wires for the common is acceptable if that wire is clearly marked (as common). This wire would connect to the other side of the transformer that supplies the 24 VAC (follow the red wire back to the transformer and see how the other side/wire is connected. does it go to ground? does it leave the transformer to somewhere else?).


How to prevent concrete roof from Absorbing water It's winter again and rainwater still collects on my flat roof due to it's bad tilt, Because of that the concrete absorbs a lot of that water into the second floors roof and it's really visible on the roof and the walls. I try to move the water to the gutter when I'm in the house but I don't have time to keep doing that.

My question is : Is there anyway to stop the concrete from absorbing this water, and what are the possible fixes to my my problem ?

and also is there any way to dry the water that got already in the walls ...etc ?

Concrete absorbs water. That’s why it can never be finishing layer in this type of situations. Even if it is properly tilted that wouldn't solve your problem completely. You must protect it. Now, if you want to do it right it's a bit more complex than just putting tiles. If you are short on money you can do just that but it's not proper solution. Firstly you should apply some hydro coating. It should be something that is meant for outside usage. Pay special attention to the edges; places where your slab connects with surrounding walls etc. Than, since under the slab is a living space (which is being heated) you should put some thermal insulation to prevent condensation which also can cause humidity problems. If you use thermal insulation which soaks water you must wrap it around with a foil. Then you can put some metal sheets on top of the roof. Keep in mind that sheets cannot be HORIZONTAL. There MUST be some slope. Again, pay attention on the edges, they should be placed so water cannot find the way in. If you want I can draw some sketches how to do it, but I will need a picture for that.


Why is my GFCI receptacle tripping when I add another receptacle to the circuit? I have 3 receptacles in my garage. One is a GFCI which protects all 3 outlets. I want to connect a new receptacle off the third receptacle (end of run) on other side of wall, and have it protected by GFCI. I connected black to black and white to white. But when I reset the GFCI, it won't hold/reset. When I disconnect the new receptacle, the GFCI holds. I made sure black was attached to brass side, and white is attached to silver side. What am I doing wrong?

Look for a ground fault

Disconnect the wires feeding the new receptacle, at both ends.
Set your multimeter (you do have a multimeter, right?) to the lowest resistance setting, or the continuity setting if it has it.
Touch one probe to the green/bare grounding conductor, and the other to each of the other wires in turn.
repeat this process for every combination of wires (G-> B, G -> W, W -> B).

With the wiring disconnected, you should not get a reading on the multimeter.  If you do, it means you have a short-circuit between that set of wires.  Repeat this process on the new receptacle, touching one probe to the green ground terminal and the other to each the brass and silver terminals.  Again, no combination should give a reading.
Your circuit is too long?
It may be possible that the circuit is just too long, and the resistance in the conductors themselves are causing the imbalance. Try connecting the new receptacle to the previous receptacle temporarily, using short pigtails (CAUTION: Working on energized circuits is dangerous.).  Turn on the power, and try to set the GFCI. Make sure nobody is near the exposed receptacles, and don't touch, or get near them while the power is on.
If the GFCI holds, there is a fault in the wiring to the new receptacle or the circuit may simply be too long.
Warning: I haven't done any calculations, research, or testing on this theory, so it could be completely false.  It's just a thought, but it's fairly easy for you to test.
According to the documentation for the Two-Pole QO®/QOB Circuit Breaker and Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

NOTE: To minimize nuisance tripping:...

Do not connect circuit breaker to  more than 250 ft. (76 m) of load  conductor for the total one-way run

Is the power on?
GFCI receptacles can only be reset when the power is on. So if you're trying to reset it with the power off, you won't have any luck.


How to remove this toilet supply line that seems to have no nut? The toilet water supply doesn't seem to have a nut at all and rotating it or turning it does nothing. Unsure how to remove this:

That valve seems to be of the variety where the supply line and stop-valve are a single integrated unit. In the foggy haze of past bad ideas, this was not uncommon (although most that I encounter are metal).

You will need to shut off the cold water supply and replace the valve and flex supply line...


Can a 27 inch stackable washer and dryer be safely installed in a slightly over 27 inch opening? I have an opening in the bathroom which is slightly more than 27 inches. Height is not an issue, nor is the depth. I've looked at 25 inch and under stackables, and their capacities are just too small for our family. Is it safe to install a 27 inch stackable washer and dryer in this space? I've seen some places recommend 1 inch clearance on both sides, and a post here that seemed to indicate you could have zero inches of clearance. Going to a 27 inch size opens up a lot more options for me, including combos, and greater capacity. But before I make the purchase, I'm looking for some "expert" advice.
The side walls do have drywall on them, I believe 1/2 inch, and are on-load bearing 2x4 framing. I'm thinking also that if I needed to make the opening wider, I could remove the drywall and trim back the 2x4s a bit to compensate. Thoughts?

The problem you should be aware of is most walls aren't precisely square (Nor plumb). So if your tape measure reads 27 inches at the niche opening it may read 26 1/2 inches at the back of the opening (or 28 inches!). You should take measurements from different points of where the appliance will go. (3) minimum: front, middle and back.
If you find the appliance is slightly big for the space planned on modifications can be made to allow some extra space. As you suggested dry wall can be removed if you need 1/2 inch or less in width. Just realize you'll have an open wall with studs exposed. Unless, of course you only need less than 1/4 inch. Than you can remove the 1/2 inch drywall and replace it with 1/4 inch drywall or paneling.
Getting more than 5/8 inches would mean chiseling down the studs.
Remeasure to verify the width at several points. If they all read 27 inches you'll have a snug fit and possibly some vibration coming through the walls when the spin cycle goes on.


I need to screw into my wall but halfway in, it hits something hard I tried in different spots on the wall but same thing. Is the whole wall like that? I live in a concrete building but not soundproof. I am able to use screws on other walls.

Sometimes a concrete wall will not have full-depth studs on it.  Instead it will have thin (sometimes only 3/4") firing strips attached to the concrete and the wallboard or paneling gets attached to those strips.  If you are using long screws, chances are good that you are just hitting the concrete.

One way to test this would be to drill a small hole where there is not a stud and probe the wall with the bit to see how deep it is.  If the wall is shallow and you have thin firing strips, hanging heavy objects on the wall can be a challenge because you will have to use special anchors and partially drill into the concrete or brick.  You have to know a little more about how the wall is built to know that drilling the concrete will be safe.


Need to branch off a receptacle series, but not at the end of the run. Best practices? My scenario is that I have a receptacle that currently feeds to bedroom lights, which is the end of the series on the circuit. I would have to fish the wire a good distance from the light switch and would not be ideal.
Option 1: Would it be appropriate to pigtail like below? Pretend that last outlet is a light switch.

Option 2: The incoming power to the receptacle in the diagram goes through unfinished basement area. I could do a junction box and splice there.
Option 3: I can't think of what they are called, but I could use a new receptacle that has the ability to feed multiple receptacles with a bar with push in, or something like that. I am not talking about the scary stab ins. I would replace the first receptacle with this new one.

Your Option 1 is 100% acceptable. Several key points to keep in mind:

Make sure you use appropriate gauge wire.

If the existing wire is 12/2, it's likely that you've got a 20amp breaker and your new wiring must be 12/2. It's possible that you've got a 15amp breaker and the wire is over provisioned and that's perfectly acceptable. I'd suggest sticking with 12/2 in case someone (maybe you) ever replaces the breaker with a 20am based on the cable they see in the panel & don't check all the wiring on the circuit.
If your existing wiring is 14/2, you've got a 15amp breaker (or a code violation and potential fire starter), and you can use 14/2 or 12/2 wiring for the new extension.

Is the outlet switched? If so, be careful about how you attach wiring to ensure that your new outlet is switched or is not switched, depending on what you're after.

Based on a comment on the OP about replacing the box with a larger one to ensure there's enough room for wiring:

Removing wiring from an existing box in a wall can be a bit of a... challenge...

If you need to increase the size of the box, you may be better off going with your Option 2

Your Option 2 is also acceptable with caveats:

It's likely that when you cut the supply cable leading to the outlet that you will no longer have enough cable available to make into the box with both cut ends and have enough cable in the box to meet code requirements for all the wiring.

This can be rectified by using 2 junction boxes. Feed the wires into one box and connect them to a short piece of wire that then leads into the second box. In the second box, pig-tail the wires to the existing cable leading to the existing outlet and to the new cable leading to the new outlet.


Why are two columns holding up this support beam? We purchased a new Ryan Homes house ten years ago and are now finishing the basement.  Down the center of the basement ceiling is a large steel I-beam between the footers.  Given the size of the house this is understandable.

However, this beam appears to be held up by two different vertical 'poles'.  One is a metal pole that is anchored to the concrete and looks designed to hold up the beam.  The other is what looks like three 2x4s nailed together and just shoved into place no more than two feet away.  Photos are included below.

Why would this makeshift wood structure be put in place when a metal pole is right next to it?  I thought it may have been a temporary support until they could get the metal pole in place, but then why is it still there?  How do I determine if this is a necessary structural element?

From the information you've provided, it seems as though the post is likely not needed.  However, none of us have been to your house, seen the plans, nor talked to the builder or engineer.  So we cannot say for sure, what the purpose of the post is.

I've seen temporary braces, and even tools left behind on builds. So it's definitely possible that it's no longer needed. But when it comes to the structural support of your home, you're going to want to be sure.

Contact Ryan Homes, and ask them about it. If they can't answer, find the original building plans (sometimes given to the original owner, otherwise should be on file at city/town hall). If you're still not sure, contact a structural engineer to have a look.

Don't remove the post until you're sure it's not needed.


Is there any way to figure out if your outdoor faucet is frost free? I just bought a house last spring, and now is time to clean up outside for winter.

Thing is, I don't know if my outdoor faucet is frostfree or not.

Is there a reliable way to tell if a faucet is frostfree?

Here is my faucet

When you turn the water off does it dribble for a few seconds like a 6 or 8" pipe back in the wall. The absolute way would be to pull the valve stem but this requires turning the water off.  Looking at your faucet it is a frost free. The valve seat is usually inside the wall with the supply pipe, this is how I have seen and plumbed them. Makes a hell of a mess when they break but if the home is heated that almost never happens. Some go into the crawl space these were put in by some sick puppies in my area they freeze under the house to fix swimming in ice mud. Note keep your valves open on that Y or the water gets stuck and will break the pipe with a good freeze.


Can Hi-rib cementing be used to level a second story floor? Is it advisable to use the hi rib cementing style to correct the whole un level wooden second floor area? It is not level from between 1 to 2 and 3/4 inches in certain areas.

No.  Hy-Rib is an exterior industrial product not intended for residential use, and IIRC you'd never cover it completely w/ less than 2 full inches of concrete, adding an incredible amount of weight to your WOODEN structure.

If your floor is that far out of level, that suggests problems in the underlying framing.  The best fix is to correct from the bottom up - start in the basement and adjust the 1st floor to level or as near level as possible, then repeat working your way up the house.


What is the manufacturer of this 1990s toilet? I'm going to get a better pic today. But this toilet is from 1991, bone in color and elongated. The elongated toilet seat replacements at Home Depot are an inch or two too short.

We just purchased this home and are trying to find the manufacturer. So far, we are unable to locate any identifying marks.

Ok, we just found a number inside the tank, 1957 12 7 89. I'm trying to look it up now.

Thank you, Susan

Without gettng anything useful directly from the number, my search on the number lead me to a "toilet identification page" where the peculiar shape of the tank provided the tentative ID (Eljer Preserver) in my comment.


Is is possible to have "bad" electricity in your home? I live in a small 5-unit condominium building in a city and have noticed that light bulbs are constantly popping well ahead of their anticipated shelf life and other electronic equipment (most of it baby stuff, I have a newborn) is breaking again sooner than it should.  Is is possible to have a problem with the electricity in a building / unit and, if so, what should I be checking / how do I speak to an electrician to assess and fix the situation.

Forgive my naivety on this subject...

It's definitely possible to have poor power quality, which can lead to shortened life of devices.  It's possible for this to be caused by poor wiring in the building, though it's more commonly a problem with the distribution system.

In areas where utilities are older, it's common for the distribution systems to be overloaded by higher consumer demand.  This can lead to voltage fluctuations, which can be rough on electrical devices.

An electrician can monitor the system, and diagnose power quality problems. However,  they may be limited in their ability to solve the problem. The building owner may not be willing to pay for the repair, or the problem may be outside the building.


Silicone caulk over latex paneling glue I had glued some paneling to my kitchen walls. The next day I got the silicone caulk and blue tape to finish the job. Looks great! Oops. I never opened the silicone caulk and used the glue in it's place, still looks great, but I want to know if I can put the silicone over the glue? Thanks in advance.

Yes, you can apply silicone over most other adhesives and caulks. It should bond well. Keep in mind that silicone isn't paintable, in case that's your end goal.

Also, applying more caulk of any kind may make your bead more conspicuous, defeating the purpose of doing so (from an aesthetic perspective).


What could cause reoccurring leaks in a hot water pipe? I have a 12 year old house. The past couple of months a couple of hot water pipes have sprung pin-hole leaks at the solder joints. This has happened on four separate occasions.

I've had three different plumbers look at it .

One thought just coincidence or bad luck.
One suggested perhaps a bad ground. Disputed by the other
plumbers.
One suggested water quality. Water was tested and appeared fine.

Wondering if anyone would have some thoughts / suggestions?

UPDATE:

To update, the cause was a hot water re-circulator. Apparently the flow of water over the course of years can erode the solder around the pipe joints. The hot water fittings were replaced and a timer put on the re-circulator to run only in the mornings.

It depends on where the actual leaks are. If the leaks are at the solder joint, then this would indicate poor workmanship from the installer. If the pipes themselves are developing pinholes, then you could have gotten a bad batch of copper pipe that had impurities in it. Recycled copper used for pipes can have impurities in them which can lead to pinhole leaks. I have heard that this was a common problem for a while. I'm not sure if it has been resolved yet.


How to cover the crevice between some laminate and molding There's a small (SMALL!) walkway next to this staircase that was originally covered with carpet.  It's been ripped out and replaced with laminate, but now there's a crevice between the laminate and the wall molding.  Any suggestions on how to fix or cover up?

Small gaps like that are often filled with white painters caulk. Be sure that it is paintable. Get the small tube (not the caulk gun size). Cut the nozzle size to small.

It can be squeezed into the gap and carefully wiped off the laminate with a damp paper towel.


Battery backup system for tankless gas water heater (outdoor install) I have a Takagi T-K3-SP tankless gas water heater, which is installed outdoors. It still needs electricity though, so when I lose power at home, there's no hot water.

The manual states it uses 86W during operation, 6.2W during standby, and 111W during freeze protection (but my area doesn't get cold enough). I thought of just plugging the heater in to a UPS backup battery for my computer (rated 600VA) during power outage, but it's hardwired to AC outlet as shown in the photo.

What are my options? I looked at Hugo backup battery for tankless water heaters, but that seems to just provide a regular 3-prong AC outlet.

So I'm now thinking of putting a UPS battery system indoors. Behind the water heater is a crawl space. The AC power for water heater comes from a junction box inside this crawl space (see photo below). The white Romex cable is what goes outside and supplies power to the tankless heater. The yellow cable is the power supply. The metal conduit goes to the HVAC unit.

Instead of white Romex cable going into this junction box, can I create a power inlet like this next to the junction box, and terminate the white cable there? I will also create a new power outlet from the junction box. I will buy a pure since wave UPS like this, and plug it into the AC outlet. And then I will use an extension cord to connect the UPS to the inlet.

To summarize, electricity flows from the junction box --> new AC outlet I'm creating --> UPS backup battery --> white Romex cable --> water heater outside.

Please share your thoughts on this setup. Thank you!

(I got this idea from the DataComm TV wall mount kit I have, where I put an inlet next to an existing outlet by the floor)

Technically, a UPS could be wired in, but there are a few caveats:

It depends on the electrical codes and gas codes in your area. The thought of making a change which might affect a gas-powered appliance would make me very cautious. Another worry would be an improperly isolated device feeding power back into the line, creating a shock hazard. Be sure to use an approved device, installed by a technician qualified in both gas and electric maintenance.
Though the UPS has ample power to operate the heater, the run-time is limited by battery size. A quick "off-the-cuff-" calculation: Assuming an 18 ampere-hour battery in the UPS, at 12 volts, gives a maximum of 216 watt-hours. Assuming a 20% duty-cycle, i.e. moderate use of water, the heater would use ~18 watts on average. With an 18 amp battery, you'd have about 12 hours of operation.
The UPS would need to be kept indoors, because a battery loses significant capacity in cold weather, and because the UPS is doubtless not designed for outdoor use.


Which wood dimension to run on top of fence? For the below picture, is it a 2x4 or 1x2 on top? Also how does it attach to the pickets? Is it nailed/screwed to the posts?

I can't really tell.

That's a 2x4.   It would look better on both sides of the fence if it were a 2x6 or 1x6, because then it would fully cover the posts.  Nail them down from the top, into the 4x4 post.


Why does my water pressure fluctuate? When I run the shower, mostly hot water, the pressure will run normal for a minute, then raise for a minute, then repeat. My home is supplied by a well. What is causing this?

You are experiencing a fairly normal event for a well with pump and pressure tank, though if the behavior seems new & different the pressure tank may require maintenance or repair/replacement.

Most well pumps (there are exceptions, such as "constant pressure pumps") run on a simple differential pressure switch with a 20 PSI differential (often non-adjustable) and a somewhat adjustable setting (20/40, 30/50, 40/60 are probably the most common settings.) When no water is being used, the system holds pressure due to a pressure tank; when water is used, the pump is activated when the pressure tank falls below the lower setpoint, and the pressure rises as the pump runs, until it shuts off at the higher setpoint - water has been added to the pressure tank, which again supplies water until the lower set point is reached.

If the air cell (most typical these days is a "bladder" or "diaphragm" type of tank where are and water are separated by a membrane) has inadequate pressure (possibly due to a leak) the amount of water stored in the pressure tank becomes smaller, and the pump operates more frequently - this is both more noticeable to you, and worse for the pump's life expectancy.

If you turn off your pump and drain the water from the tank, the air pressure should be roughly 2 PSI below the lower setpoint (18, 28 or 38 PSI for the typical setpoints listed above.) If you can pump it up to that value and have it stay, that may be all you need to do - if you find the pump operating more frequently in a short time (and drain the tank again and find the air pressure is lower again), or you can't pump it up at all, you may need a new pressure tank or a new bladder (I have personally found replaceable bladders to be non-ecoomical .vs. just replacing the tank - shop and see what you find.)

It is also possible that your tank is fine, but could be larger (or could be two, which is effectively larger.)

Or, you could convert to a constant pressure pump system - but those have always seemed excessively expensive to solve a "problem" that isn't really a problem with a properly designed and functioning pressure tank system - to me. That's an opinion and budget call.


Techniques for leveling small section of subfloor I recently had my back door removed and replaced with a sliding patio door. When framing the new opening, some of the framing was rotten and replaced. Due to the house being 118 years old, things aren't always perfectly square and level. The new subfloor is a bit sloping right around the door. The framers installing the door said this would be no big deal for the flooring guys, and that they are used to this sort of thing.
Turns out, 2 flooring guys say they can't deal with this. The slope is about 1" over 12", then the 3/4 plywood the door is on.
What kind of options could I employ to level this area out? While I could fabricate a bunch of large shims to exactly match the profile, it would be a time-consuming hassle. Would something like a self-leveling concrete or epoxy resin type material work in a situation such as this, if the area was adequately sealed from leaking? What other options might there be?
Here's an image of the overall situation. The subfloor on the right is the 'original', while the vertically oriented plywood is the new subfloor installed by the framers for the door.

View of the overall deflection. The old subfloor is reasonably level, and this picture was taken with someone stepping on the level placed in the gap in the flooring. The difference between the ideal and the bottom is about 1".

Another view

This looks like a job for self leveling compound. I would probably do it in 2 pours it looks a bit thick for a single pour. What kind of flooring are you installing? It looks like there will be enough height at the door for just about any kind of flooring Once leveled.
Folks that haven’t worked on old homes don’t realize true dimensional lumber was once used. Plywood is thinner the 2x4” are thinner today and may be the cause of the height issue.