Carport steps too long The steps in the picture below are too long lengthwise for me to be able to park full sized pickup truck very easily. The steps touch the corner of the truck when parked under there. I was wondering if I could cut the steps from left side(so open cut end would be against wall) to shorten the length across of steps without sacrificing its ability to support weight as it did before. I wouldn’t need to cut off much if I did, for it probably would be less than a foot cut off.  Would angle grinder be best choice to do it with?

The maximum riser height is 8”. So, if the dimension from floor to floor is 16” or less, then you only need one tread. (See IRC R311.7.5.1)

Treads can be a minimum of 9”. (See IRC R311.7.5.2) However, I’d caution you on using a 9” tread with a 8” rise. Very awkward and I think dangerous.

Stair width is 36” minimum. However, a little known clause allows a 30” wide tread if there are at least two stairways leading to the same space and one of the stairways is at least 36” wide. (See IRC R311.7.1, Exception #2.). (I presume you have a stair from the front door to your overhead garage door that would be acceptable.)

BTW, the code discusses “walk lines”. I would make sure the edge of the steps align with the doorway opening...not the door trim, but the edge of the door opening. In your picture, it looks like you could reduce the step 2” or so from current length.


What is the correct way to secure a gas standalone range? Can somebody tell me the best way to secure a gas standalone range. If there is an earthquake, I would prefer that the range not slide around. It's on engineered flooring over 1-1/8" plywood.

There is an inexpensive commercial product called an anti-tip bracket.

It is screwed directly to the floor and the foot of the stove slides into the slot.

It's primarily designed to go on the rear foot, so that a child climbing up the front of the stove won't pull it down on top of him/her self.  But you slide the stove into the rear bracket, and then attach one in place at the front for extra security.  The problem of course, is that you'll have to remove the front bracket to clean behind the stove.


Can I use a CFL or LED bulb with a higher lumen output as long as I stay under the maximum wattage listed on the fixture? I have a light fixture that lists the maximum bulb wattage as 60W. Right now, I have a standard incandescent bulb in place. Since there is only one light in the room, a single bulb is not bright enough.  Can I safely switch to CFLs or LEDs with a greater Lumen output than the standard 60 incandescent as long as I don't go over the 60W draw?

Yes. The more efficient bulb will also produce less heat, so it should be fine. The only concern is that if there is a dimmer you need a dimmable bulb, and if there is a touch switch or other circuit that was powering itself via a trickle current thru the bulb that may not work -- but neither it nor the bulb will be harmed by the experiment, so go for it.


What are the qualities of a top end paint versus a low end paint? I just purchased a home and it needs a good painting (interior). A little research led me to a thread stating that Benjamin Moore has the best paint. How does it compare to Lowe's and Home Depot paints?

Does the brand really matter?

What are the qualities of a top end paint versus a low end paint?

Update

A link to top 8 interior paints.

I have always been pleased with Behr paints from the Home Depot, though I know they are a bit pricey.

From my experience less expensive paints tend to have the following in common (and I'm sure this is by no means comprehensive)

less covering ability ... the pigments used don't seem to be able to provide as good a barrier to bleed through from what's on the wall now
less coverage ... probably related to the first point, but they also don't seem to get the same amount of square footage per gallon
more spatter/drips, the paint itself seems thinner leading to more cleanup
less selection of colours
less durable, the less expensive semi glosses that I've used don't seem to retain their finish as long leading to repainting earlier.
more marking, again related to the finish, the walls seem to mark up much easier

Again this is only based on my experiences, Sears used to have a good quality paint but lately I've bought Behr.  CIL is probably good in most cases as is Benjamin Moore.  I've used a number of bargain brands and don't really recommend any of them, and the last time I used a gallon of Walmart house brand was the last time I used a gallon from Walmart :-P

Hope this (mostly opnion) helps.


How can I learn the basics of Home Improvement projects? I am a new homeowner and know literally almost nothing about home improvement. I would like to learn basic concepts by doing things one at a time...but I can't just jump in and do most things. Are there any good resources (websites/books) that provide project ideas or tutorials that are organized from extremely basic to very advanced? I could use this to start with things extremely basic and learn skills and get ideas as I go.

Welcome!  You will certainly find lots of specific questions and answers on this site but not as many general how-tos; it is after-all a Q&A site.

Firstly, you need some tools! There is a great thread on this site about the tools everyone should own, I suggest you give it a read!

The internet is a great resource and you will find answers to almost any problem or project you have.  If you are looking for some more general knowledge, I'd recommend taking a look at the books section of your local hardware store.  They usually have some good beginner books on plumbing, electrical, painting and other common around-the-house work.  This particular book rated well on Amazon in the "how to do everything" category.  Certainly high up on the list of common tasks for home owners are basic electrical and plumbing: Changing light fixtures, switches, dimmers, thermostats, unplugging drains and toilets, replacing faucets and/or components.  Typically, the easier projects revolve around replacing existing components , whereas more complex projects involve new installs or big modifications.

Also take a look at this sites blog as it has some good walk-throughs.

If I can give you any advice it is that you can do anything you put your mind and hands to - don't be afraid! Read-up and give it a try!  But also know when you are in over your head and you should bring in a pro.  Stay away from serious electrical work, and never try anything gas-related on your own.

Good luck and have fun!


How can I move hot air from a cathedral ceiling to colder bedrooms? My main living room has a 25 foot cathedral ceiling with a ceiling fan including a staircase going to the second story bedrooms. The thermostat is situated in this space.

There is space to install a vent and ducts to move air from this ceiling hot zone to the first floor main bedroom. I would like to create a system that has:

Has two temperature probes - one in a the "hot" area and the other in the "cold" area.
Controller which will detect if there is a "Max" difference between the hot and cold zone,
Start the fan in the new duct which will stop when the second "Min" temperature difference between the hot and cold zone is reached.

Is there something like this commercially available or do I have to cobble it together myself with a 1-wire system or multiple thermostats?

I suspect this will be a DIY project.

Note that an alternative would be to simply install ceiling fans in the cathedral ceiling room to circulate its air better, removing most of the stratification you now experience.

(I've got upstairs/downstairs zones myself, with definite air exchange at the stairwell. I've considered installing a vertical tube with a boxer fan or two to get some counterflow there. Simpler alternative might simply to be to close the doors of the upstairs rooms, or to install a door at the landing, to limit the airflow.)


Do I need to clean away WD 40 before I add graphite powder to pram wheel bearings? I've sprayed wheel bearing/axle with WD 40.  I now feel I need to add some form of grease (I don't want to remove the bearings-just try and work some grease in there somehow).  That's when I spotted my graphite powder and thought that would probably work its way in with a few spins. (Giving an oldish pram a quick makeover before gifting it to my friend).  My question is, do I need to try and remove the WD 40 before sprinkling the graphite.  Don't want to clag it up.  I have some good wheel bearing grease too, so whats your suggestion?

Grease would be better than graphite. Work it in with a toothpick if you don't have a greasegun with a needle-tip.


How can I magnify, intensify, and redirect the light from a skylight so that it is most effective? My condo has a skylight about 6 feet above the interior ceiling. How can I magnify, intensify, and redirect the light so that it is most effective?

You can always use the concept of a sun tube, a mirrored tube that runs from the roof to a room.  If the walls of the alcove that houses the skylight are not already white, paint them white.  It will reflect more light than a darker color.  If you really want as much light from the skylight as possible, mount mirrors on the walls of the skylight.


How can I verify that the protective earth/ground is separate from the neutral wire in an electrical AC installation? It's easy to verify which wire is the phase without relying on wire colors. But I'm not sure if I'm able to determine which wire is the ground and which is the neutral.

I have heard that using a multimeter it will show a higher voltage between the phase and the neutral than between the phase and the ground.

Is that method correct? Is there any other way to determine if the wire colors are correct and the installation was done properly?

Usually your central heating and your water piping is grounded by regulation.
Your ground wire shouldn't have any potential differerce with these installations (as there shouldn't be any current flowing through it), whereas neutral may carry a few volts (because of current elsewhere in the system lifting potential).

If your installation is behind a residual-current device and you have the live wire identified, another way to figure out neutral and earth is connecting a 25W lightbulb. If the bulb lights up you're using neutral, if the residual-current device trips, then you used earth.

Of course if you don't trust wiring or its colors, the only way to go is to pull the existing wires out of the pipes an do a proper re-wiring according to national regulations.


How to drill into an acrylic tub to create an overflow drain We bought a freestanding tub and did not realize it did not have an overflow drain.  We need to add one to meet code.  Does anyone have experience with this they can share?

I would buy a piece of acrylic plastic to test with (you can sometimes find that with window glass in home improvement stores, or at a arts & crafts store).  Then place some masking tape on the front and back of the test piece, and use a ceramic drill bit.

Then if that goes well, hopefully it will go well on the real tub; but if there is an inconspicuous place to try a small hole (maybe the back foot if it is a footed tub), try there first.


how to install track lighting on preexisting ceiling fan? I have an existing ceiling fan with a light fixture that I would like to replace with track lighting and spot lights. For this purpose, I have bought the "TROSS" ceiling track lighting from Ikea

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80262663/

The problem is: it doesn't exactly fit the space at ceiling fan after I have removed the preexisting light fixture. (see photo)

my question is: is there a standard way to install track lighting on preexisting ceiling fans?

That would be "altering the fan". Fans aren't standardized.

What you've done is disassemble the portion of the ceiling fan where the lamp(s) hang down from below the blades.   Those parts of a ceiling fan are not standardized and are totally proprietary to that fan's make and possibly its model.   Nothing will bolt to that, except spare parts for that fan, or other fixtures made by that fan's manufacturer which they have sent to Underwriter's Laboratories to have tested and listed for retrofit.

The reason testing/listing is important, and you shouldn't just jack-rig any old thing, is that fans vibrate.  A lot. The new thing would need to be tested not only to not fall apart itself from the vibration, but also for its attachment point to be durable.  The Ikea item is not tested or listed for that extreme use, and so, you'd have liability problems if your hack was discovered to be at fault for fire or injury.

Generally the more an item extends out from the fan hub, the more the vibration will affect it, so track lighting is a worst case scenario.

The "standard" attachment point is the one the fan is attached to.  So you would have to remove and dispose of the fan, and use the Ikea kit instead.

There are proper ways to extend wiring off a ceiling junction without altering the ceiling itself. But the fan adds a big wrinkle: any such kit involves shifting the fan downward an inch or two.  You must assure it properly supports the dynamic weight of the fan, with vibration factored in.


Seemingly overbuilt basement wall - load bearing? I'm doing some prep/exploratory work before I begin finishing my basement. Home was built in 1980 and has a cement block foundation. There is a seemingly random wall framed in the otherwise unfinished basement. I pulled one side of the sheetrock - I was originally planning on demoing the wall completely to accommodate the layout I was going for. I was surprised with what I found: a "diagonally" framed wall with a pretty serious 4x6 header spanning about 12' across. This occurs at an outcropping within the foundation. The wall runs between the front of the home (flat wall, ~52' in length) and an outside corner. Obviously the wall is not carrying any vertical load, but rather it seems to perhaps have been framed to allow some horizontal load (to support the outside corner of the cement block foundation, perhaps?). Notice the about 16" into the cement block outside corner a steel beam that is supporting the middle of the home is resting on the top of the foundation (2nd pic).
Whether I leave the wall or not isn't a huge deal to my design, and I'd need to run some electric into it anyways, so removing one side of the sheetrock isn't wasted effort. I've honestly just never seen anything like this before (father was a general contractor, been in many homes getting framed during my early years). I'm thinking someone was just bored on the job one day, but would love some other opinions. One odd thing I noticed is that the black waterproofing paint/coating is present behind the vertical studs that are affixed to the cement block, meaning this wall wasn't there during the time that coating was applied. Another odd thing is that the 4x6 header appears to be much older than the rest of the framing, almost like it came off a different job site or something.
Anyone seen anything like this before?

This gives all the impression that is was designed and installed to support the basement wall that the "arrow" of the diagonal bracing points to. The vertical post against that wall is what was put there to support that wall.
The bottom of that post is most certainly held up against the wall securely by the bottom plate in that wall which is likely pinned to the concrete floor.
The top of post is held against that wall by having that large horizontal beam bear against the opposite basement wall.
The diagonal braces are keeping the center of the vertical post from bowing in. The studding fitted above and below the diagonals is placed there to keep the long diagonals straight so that they do not bend under compressive load.
You should carefully evaluate what is going on on the outside of the basement wall where that vertical post is located. There may be excessive ground pressure against that wall due to any number of reasons that can only be guessed at. In the evaluation also check the wall itself to see of there is evidence of cracked blocks, cracked mortar joints or overall inward buckling of the wall.
It is even possible, though not likely, that this wall support was placed there based upon past concerns that may not be obvious today.


What could be causing my garbage disposal to be so noisy after unjamming it? Our garbage disposal first went quiet and didn't work.  It appeared to be jammed, as it didn't turn freely with a hex wrench.  Using a hex wrench and turning it on and off, it now appears to be unjammed, in that it turns freely.

However, now it is very noisy.  I'd describe it as a constant grinding, rather than rattling or clunking.  Both the impellers and freewheel move freely.  I don't detect any obstructions, either by feel or by sight.  I've tried cleaning it with ice.

The unit is a 9-year-old 3/4 HP KitchenAid.

I haven't seen any reports of this combination of behaviors, and I've run out of possible solutions.  Any ideas?

There is likely a small bit of hard debris jammed between the rotating shredder plate and the wall of the disposer. By design this is the area where food particles get ground up. By your description it sounds as though a hard bit (bone, metal, etc.) initially jammed the disposer shredder plate. You have now managed to free it up but a small piece is still stuck in there. I would continue to use it as normal and chances are the debris will eventually get worn down and get dislodged.

Modern disposers are generally not economically user-serviceable, but you could take it apart if you feel ambitious. Alternatively you could replace the disposer, but you might as well wait till it dies.


Wiring Diagram for Double Gang Box - Double Toggle Switch + GFCI Receptacle We are replacing old outlets in our new home (built in 1969) and currently have a double gang box in the kitchen, with a double toggle switch (each switch controls one of 2 kitchen lights) and a regular outlet. We want to replace the double toggle switch with a new one (same configuration) and replace the outlet with a GFCI receptacle, but can't seem to get the wiring right to control each light separately via the two switches. Does anyone have a diagram for what we would do for this configuration?

Replacing the recep and replacing the switch are two separate transactions.

Replacing the receptacle

First, make sure this recep is not already protected by a GFCI somewhere else.  Push TEST on all kitchen GFCIs and on all kitchen circuit breakers that have a TEST button.   If doing any of this knocks out power to the receptqcle, your work is already done. Congrats!

Now, if you need to install the GFCI recep, leave the warning tape on the LOAD screws, don't use them. You don't know what they're for, and lights don't need it.

Note that the LINE screws are actually capable of taking 2 wires each, via the screw-and-clamp arrangement built into it.

Replacing the switch

Don't replace the switch if you don't need to.  If you are only changing it from two-oval to match the rectangular Decora style used by the GFCI, you don't need to do that. You can get faceplates with ovals and one Decora.

The switch is wired one of three ways.

3 wires - one hot supply wire (wired to common) and 2 lamp wires.
4 wires - 2 lamp wires, and two hot supply wires - one from supply and the other carrying power onward to other points of use.  These both will be connected to "common": The connecting tab will not be broken, so they connect through to each other.
4 wires - separate control of each switch.  In this case the "common" terminal won't be common because the connecting tab will be broken off. Each switch will have its own dedicated supply hot wire and separate lamp wire.  These must be kept paired, and must not be crossed.

You will need to examine the old switch and seee how it was connected, and connect the new one the same way as approriate for it.

Quite likely, all wires will be black.  I like to use colored tape to distinguish wires.  This is best done before disassembling everything.


What is this welding tool I found in my attic? I believe this is used with welders because i found it inside a welding helmet.... Could somebody tell me what this is exactly?

According to an ozzie web site, it's a non-flint electronic spark lighter.


Why do my bathroom outlets only work if I plug in a particular device? I just bought a newer home with three bathroom. There are four outlet combine in all bathrooms and none of the works correctly.  If I plug in any corded appliances it will not work but if I plug in my rechargeable toothbrush it works.I checked for voltage, I get 120v I checked the wiring it is correct. I replace one outlet still the same. Could it be the breakers is going bad? Any suggestions?
Thanks Eric

It sounds like there is a high-resistance connection somewhere that is limiting the amount of current that can be delivered. Your cordless toothbrush is probably pulling very little current. You can confirm this by plugging in and turning on a higher current load (which doesn’t work) and at the same time checking the voltage at another outlet. I expect it will drop to a low voltage.

You can test to see if it is the breaker, if you are comfortable working with the panel cover off. While the load is plugged in, check the voltage on the black or red wire coming out of the breaker. You can probably test the voltage at the screw on the breaker.

Most likely you have a poor splice of other connection somewhere. Do the outlets use back-stabs for the wires? If so, one of them may not be making a good connection. I’d suggest redoing all of the outlets using the side screws instead.

One more thing. When you see the low voltage from hot to neutral, also check voltage neutral to ground. If this rises, the problem is in the neutral wire, not the hot wire.


How do I diagnose and fix an electric water heater leak? I have an Electric Water Heater, seemingly leaking from the top of the tank. The "wells" on top are filling up with water. There are no noticeable leaks from the pipes above. Each water attachment point (hot and cold) has a well where the pipes are threaded in.
The insulation is wet and again, it seems to be leaking from the top.

Could this be a Pressure Relief valve or something else? It is about 8 years old.

Good question. If the threaded insert points where the pipes themselves are attached to the unit are not leaking or if the pressure relief valve threads are not leaking then it may very well be the tank itself that is leaking.

To check the threaded connections you will have to dry out the areas of the "wells" and around the pressure relief valve. Once dry then check the threaded areas for leakage. A dry paper napkin be handy to check for wetness around the pipe connections. If you find pipe thread leaks it will be necessary to disassemble the plumbing and then clean the threads and reassemble with good quality TFE pipe thread tape in the joints.

It is possible that the pressure relief valve itself is leaking out the blow off exit opening. Normally this should have an overflow tube attached to it that aims toward a floor drain or through a wall to the outside. If this was never installed on your heater then the leak could be dribbling out of the exit pipe connection and running down into the top of the heater unit. If you find water leaks from this the pressure relief valve is replaceable.

If the investigation of the above items does not turn up anything then it is most likely a tank leak. Such leak invariably leads to a heater unit replacement. If tank corrosion has lead to a leak in one place there is highly likely to be other areas of the take with leaks waiting to happen. For this reason, even if you could determine a workable patch for one tank pinhole, it is recommended to somply replace the tank.

Use care around the tank if the insulation is dripping wet. If this has gotten into the electrical controls or connection area there is a possibility of electrical shock. Do shut off the electricity at the panel before doing any work for safety sake.


Can i use 3 wire for service installation I'm supplying 200amp service to a cabin.  There is a service disconnect at the meter.  Can i use 3 wire 4/0 al to the main panel and put a grounding rod at the main panel and not bond the neutral and ground bus or do i have to use 4 wire from the disconnect to the main panel supplying the ground wire through that?

Past the service disconnect you will need 4 wire and you will need ground rods at the cabin.


How exactly does a 3-way switch work? I just finished replacing all of the switches and outlets in my apartment, after fighting a long war with a weird 3-way switch. Needless to say, I won, but I'm still trying to grasp the concept of how it works. I know how a single pole switch works, like so:

-->--HOT-WIRE-IN-->[/SWITCH/]-->--HOT-WIRE-OUT-->--

But how does a 3-way switch work? I know that we have 3 wires coming into the switch, 1) black hot in, 2) black hot out, and 3) red runner, but how does the switch actually work? What does it toggle? When I held up an electricity sensor to the wires, it seemed that wire 1 of course was always hot, but wire 2 and 3 were sometimes hot and sometimes not.

So, how does it actually work? What's being toggled and how?

  Also, if you're wondering how to wire a 3-way switch, here's how: connect the black hot in wire to the only black screw, then connect the red runner wire to the brass screw on the same side as the black screw, and the hot out goes on the opposite side on the only brass screw. Just a tip :)

Here's a diagram. On the left the hot wire comes in and is switched to one of two wires going to the othe switch. The right switch selects eithe the on or off wire from the other switch. So either switch can be toggled to turn the light on or off.


What could cause polyurethane to dry with excess gloss? I'm having trouble with polyurethane (Helmsman semi-gloss) drying much glossier than it should - like an extra-gloss instead of a semi-gloss. I'm using it on stained wood moulding, and when I did the majority of it in the winter, I got the expected semi-gloss sheen. But now It's coming out extremely glossy and does not match the rest (which is already installed). It's the exact same product (although a new can) and I even tried buying another can in case the can was defective, but I'm getting the same result. The only thing that seems to be different is the weather and possibly the conditions (heat) in which the cans were stored. Can exposure to heat in the can or while drying affect the sheen of polyurethane? Is there anything I can do to compensate?

Some pics:

The gloss in clear finishes is reduced by flatting agents which are suspended in the clear finish.  Flatting agents are tiny particles that reflect some of the light back, thereby reducing the sheen of the finish.  If they settle out or are not mixed well, then the finish will be more glossy, so it's possible you did not mix the finish as well the second time.

Finishers often start with full gloss for the first coats, and then finish with the lower-gloss levels desired, so you may be able to fix the problem simply by applying properly mixed finish over the existing finish.

Another way to reduce the gloss level is to essentially scuffing the surface with fine scratches.  This is sometimes called 'rubbing out' the finish.  You can do it using various powdered abrasives, fine sandpaper, or scotch-brite pads and sanding with the grain of the wood.  The advantage to the mechanical scuffing is that it gives you complete control over the degree you reduce the gloss.  However this treatment can be much more time consuming and this would be more typical for fine furniture rather than for trim.

You can read more on adjusting sheen of a finish in this article written by Bob Flexner, a very well known wood finishing expert.


Ground material for toddlers swing set I am going to build or install an A-frame swing/play set for my kids. I've read rubber mulch can be a potential carcinogen.

I want to:

find a safe ground cover for under and around the swing set
learn how deep the ground cover should be to help break falls

Think of the highest point at which your child would let go or jump from then figure the padding needed. 6" should be acceptable and the rubber is used and will have some carcinogens organic materials will decompose and rot. I'd go with rubber but that's just me.


How to connect two 2x4 to 4x4 post base? I am looking for a way to use a 4x4 base to carry two joined 2x4s as in the picture below.

The problem is that there is a 0.5 in. gap as the actual width of the two boards is 1.5+1.5 = 3 in. while the base width is 3.5 in.

I see someone used a pad to fill in the gap as shown in the picture below. Any idea what kind of pad to use to fill in that gap?
Thanks!

This is the base:

I'd normally use whatever material the beam is compose of. In this case, you probably have some treated lumber scraps. There you go.


Peeling Latex on hollow core door - is there a way to paint without removing latex? I have several hollow core doors that look like someone painted latex over oil, and they are all peeling.  Removing the old latex isn't an option, as I've already spent days on about 20% of just ONE door, ie, it isn't working...  Is there a product that I can apply directly over the remaining latex that might stop this peeling and allow me to repaint the doors white?  Replacing is also not a good option, as they are odd sizes and cost would be a huge factor.

Appreciate any advice on a resurfacing option!
Thanks

The root problem is poor adhesion between coats

Something has gone wrong with the latex application that is causing it not to stick to the oil paint.

A glossy surface under a microscope looks flat as a board, like the Utah salt flats.  Stuff can't stick to that, this being the whole point of glossy paint.  To overpaint it, you want the new paint to be microscopically jagged, have some "tooth" for the new paint to mold into and latch on.  This doesn't mean heavy sanding, I do few swishes with a Scotchbrite green pad.

Usually, the problem is homeowners skip this step.  And they get away with it most of the time, because most house paints are flat. They are already jaggy.

The other likely issue is that they painted the topcoat before the oil had time to cure up and become ready for recoat.  The times in the instructions must be honored, even give them a little leeway.

These two layers will never bond.  There is no magic juice you can put over top of the top layer: paint simply does not work that way.

Keep trying products

Latex is a relatively weak paint when it comes to solvents.   The solvent for my 2-part Urethane paint makes a pretty good latex stripper, but it doesn't attack oil paints.  I have also heard alcohol works well.  There are also stronger strippers.

You also need to use strippers correctly.  Follow the instructions and do everything they say, in particular, cover it with plastic sheet. Lots of people skip that step.  When you find the right product and get technique dialed in, it should go pretty fast and lift the latex without damaging the oil too badly.  Don't try to force it with elbow grease, expect the chemical to do 90% of the work.

All this to say: if it's dreadfully slow going, change methods.


Have these cuts for a gas line structurally compromised my studs? We are in the midst of a kitchen remodel and yesterday had someone come and run a new gas line as we are making the switch from an electric to a gas range.  This fellow is a well rated pro but I'm concerned that the way he's cut the studs (see photos) has structurally compromised them.  Maybe the cleats he's put in place are enough to offset that?

You are allowed to notch a non-load-bearing stud up to 40% of the width. For load bearing and exterior walls they can be notched to 25% of the stud width.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/~jliu/courses/CE479/extras/Notching_&_Boring_Guide_A11.pdf


Should central heating pipes through internal brickwork have insulation? My house has old (large diameter) steel central heating pipes. These travel through the basement before passing up through the house.  My concern is that when they pass through internal walls they are cemented directly into the wall (i.e. they are in tight contact with the brickwork).

My question is - is this normal, or should they be insulated as they pass through the internal brickwork?  (I've no idea whether the heat loss in this case is significant or not).

No disrespect to ChrisF but I disagree fully.

4" of common brick has an R-Value of only 0.88 - so its a pretty good conductor of heat, which isn't what you want when you want to conserve heat.  The direct contact with the wall will only improve heat conduction, as well.

UNFORTUNATELY - given the tight space, you aren't going to be able to insulate where you need it most, the point of direct contact.

If you're not averse to a little more elbow grease - your 4" pipe has a 12.5 sq in internal surface area (ie: the area of the circle), so you could replace the round 4" pipe with either fairly small square duct (if you can find it, 3x4 is pretty small) or insulated round pipe.  If you go with the square duct, you can go larger than necessary (just don't go smaller) and box it in with Styrofoam board cut to fit to give a good thermal break.


Can I use both a concrete slab and crawl space foundation? I plan on building a large shop building on my property and while I want the main shop area to be a thick concrete slab, it would be great if I can make the adjoining rooms have a crawl space-like foundation to save on the cost of the required concrete.  Is this something that is done and would be allowed? I am learning as I go so sorry if this is a stupid question.

Certainly. Split-level homes around the world (including my own) have such a scenario. Often it's a full-height basement foundation wall instead of a crawl space, but the general idea is the same. Of course, it's all subject to review and approval by an architect or engineer.


Should I use oil or polyurethane to protect new cane chairs? My wife and I have just bought 6 cane (wicker) dining chairs. I would like to protect them from the inevitable staining from spilt food and drink, grubby hands etc.

What is the best way to protect them? So far, I have read a little about Tung Oil and polyurethane. Is Scotchguard suitable, or only for fabrics?

I like the natural cane look and would like to preserve the colour if possible.

Interesting question...

I'd never think to use scotchgard. It might work, but if it doesnt, any finish you try to apply on top will not stick. Maybe try this in a hidden area to see if it provides protection.
Tung oil can be a mixed bag - there's a difference between the pure stuff, the tung oil + driers, and the tung oil "finishes." So if you buy the wrong thing you could get either a nice gummy mess that takes forever to harden, or plain up thinned polyurethane.
I would recommend using thinned polyurethane or a "wiping varnish" - this can be purchased diluted, or you can buy poly and dilute it yourself with mineral spirits/Floetrol depending on if it's oil or water based (respectively). The advantage of thinning it is that it allows you to get more working time to evenly coat all the nooks and crannies, and it builds thickness much slower, preventing the wicker from looking plasticy.

Both tung oil (any version of it) and oil-based poly will darken slightly with time, turning a light yellow. Water based poly will not darken as it ages, but is not quite as hard... probably a good thing for wicker.

Ultimately, I'll recommend the thinned, water based poly.


Removing masking/paper from skirting I've recently renovated my kitchen, which amongst a great many other things involved putting in new skirting boards, which needed painting.

So, to protect our new timber floor we decided to slide A4 paper into the very small gap between the skirting and floor and then paint. This seemed to work well, except that now the paint has dried it appears that if I pull the a4 paper out, it may take the paint off the skirtings with it (it's white silk, dulux trade vinyl paint).

Do any of you have any tips to remove this with minimal damage to the new paint? I've thought I could just very carefully go around the edge with a scalpel?

Thanks in anticipation.

Your inclination is correct. A straight pull outward could chip the new paint. Your second inclination is also correct. You should carefully cut through the paint at the paper with a sharp utility knife (sometimes called a razor knife). Hold it horizontally, with a very slight downward angle at the join of the molding and paper.

If you have difficulty keeping the blade from rising up the molding, you could use a metal straightedge to protect it.

You may be able to cut it and remove the paper under the molding rather than through it, but if any is left behind, it should not show and will cause no issue.


Tankless water heater requirements I'm looking at the possibilities of replacing my water heater. Currently we have an electric, 2 element, 50 gallon tank heater that is 32 years old and almost ready to go. The water can sometimes come out milky colored, rust colored, occasionally with rust flakes stopping up filters, etc. And runs about $850 a year in electricity. It still pumps out exceptionally hot water, but we're definitely paying for it.

So currently it's electric with tank hookups; we'd have to reroute the water pipes a little over to the wall and we'd also have to add a gas connection (the main runs directly overtop of where the unit would be. The main gas line comes in nearby at 1" and hits a T above the water heater where a 3/4" line runs to the furnace and a 1/2" line goes to our gas range. I've seen that pressure and such would have to be checked by a professional, but does this sound like it'd leave room for other WH?

Otherwise from what I can see, this is all fine and will work with what we have I believe. The last condition though, is venting this new gas exhaust. We have a vent line currently coming off of our gas furnace, which is directly beside the water heater, leading overtop of the water heater, and into a chimney. The furnace is the only thing that exhausts through this flue. Since the vent runs directly over the current location of the water heater, I'm wondering if we're able to connect straight into it with a T to vent the new water heater. I've seen many resources on this, but they all seem to give a different answer. One says to break in a new hole specifically for the WH, another says to connect them together, another says that you can't use the same chimney for both appliances and to create a new vent line to the nearest exterior wall, etc.

We could possibly take any of these routes and be able to work it in, but I'm hoping for the easiest acceptable solution and why it vs the others.

Also, as you might can see by the picture, the chimney appears to have had 3 other holes in the past that have been filled with concrete.. Or for some reason at least there are wads of concrete on it. One of these could possibly be used.

Also, here is a quick floor layout to show where everything is in relation to each other:

The tankless water heater can be mounted with either concentric venting (preferred) or dual-pipe venting - one for intake and one for exhaust. Because of this, we would not be able to 'common vent' in with the furnace exhaust or even the chimney itself because the concentric would be pulling air down the chimney or suck in the exhaust of the furnace. We could take the exhaust pipe of the dual pipe option and add it to the chimney or furnace, if sized correctly, but regardless we'd still have to direct vent outside for the intake. So, because of this, it makes the most sense to go with the concentric venting and route it outside.

The best location that we're working with is in that old coal storage room. This provides access to 3/4" water lines and the 1" gas line that we can pull off of for the 3/4" line needed for the water heater. The only workaround now is with venting. The gas meter in my picture is actually farther down the exterior wall than is shown (the gas line does a 90 after coming through the wall) and up to where it's shown in the picture. This allows the easiest access to venting outside through this area, although we're required to keep a 3' distance from the gas meter for it's regulator. This shouldn't be a problem because we actually have to run it up the wall about 3' anyway to clear the snow level. If this isn't workable, the other option is to run the vent to the complete other side of the basement and come out of the wall there. This could come close to the maximum allowable vent span, but it's an option currently.


2 load centers under 1 meter: do you need bonding and main breakers at both? Here's my layout as it stands:

meter
|
200A disconnect, neutral and ground bonded
|
|
|
mobile home main panel (200A main breaker, neutral and ground not bonded)

I would like to run another 100A panel outside, right next to the meter so that it runs like this:

meter -------- 100A Panel
|
200A disconnect
|
|
mobile home panel

My question is, do I need a main breaker for the 100A panel, and does the neutral need to be bonded with the ground?

I bought 1/0 wire to run from the meter to the new panel.

Edit: pictures of the current setup here with the new panel on the same pole https://imgur.com/a/eXDbVQ8

You must buy lugs either way.  Do it right.

You can't double-tap a lug.  You can buy "staircase" lugs that are 1-lug width but provide 2 lugs, but you can't torque one without removing the other.  And they may not fit on your breaker.  In that case, you'd use 3-lug Polaris connectors.

Regardless, these don't come in small-large-large, so you'll have enough for dual 200A connections.

Since you're stuck buying the lugs anyway, it's cost-neutral whether you tap the bottom or top of the main breaker (e.g. Service side or breaker-protected side).  Tapping the service side is a) Very Super Mega Bad from a safety and Code POV, because it's sending power to the subpanel totally unfused, and even worse (if that's even possible) b) since the sub is main-lug, it has no protection whatsoever for the buses - another show-stopper.  Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, c) it will have worse issues with bending radius due to the smaller area there.

So "on the breaker-protected side" is the non-exploding answer.

The breaker protects the wires

Given that the cost of wire is not critical when only going a couple of feet, use wire rated for 200A, so the breaker protects this wire.  (Failing to do so is a codevio).

As long as you tap the breakered side, and use 200A wire, the subpanel doesn't need a main breaker if it has 200A+ busing.  Your baby panel doesn't, so it would need a 100A main breaker, plus likely another pair of 2-lug Polaris to step the 200A wire down to something that will fit on a 100A lug.  Therefore, for this and so many other reasons, I recommend this baby panel go back to the store, and spend a few dollars more on a 200A-bused panel - main lug is fine.

Not least, you won't be back here going "My panel is full, what do I do now?"  Spaces are cheap; regrets are expensive.

Oh, snap: 310.15(B)7

There's one other wrinkle.

Right now, all your service's wiring goes onto the mobile home via those wires.  That qualifies you for an 83% friendly "De-rate" based on NEC 310.15(B)7, since NEC is basically calling this an extension of your service drop, and letting you use service-drop sized wires.

Once you split it to two different destinations, you lose your 310.15(B)7 discount. That means adding this subpanel may make your long-existing cabling to the RV too small.

First, check if that is so.  If it is, this is where you'd want to throw yourself on the mercy of the local permitting authority, and ask them to "grandfather" it.

And if they won't, then you could pull the meter, replace that 200A main breaker box with a 200A main-breaker service panel (as small as you can get it), add a 150A? 175A? breaker feeding the mobile home on its existing wires. Then, this "main" panel will have gobs of extra spaces for whatever you're trying to do here.

Heck, a wise choice of panel might even make a generator interlock both feasible and affordable.


Add 240v Outlet to Apartment Subpanel I am looking to install a washer/dryer system in my apartment and have received mixed feedback about whether a 240v outlet can be ran through my existing subpanel to power the dryer.
Is there any way to tell if this is possible based on a picture of the subpanel?
There are no other major appliances within the apartment unit (only standard kitchen appliances).I believe the subpanel gets 40A from the main building panel (built in late 1960's - picture of the breaker from main panel attached and it says "40"). Any feedback would be much appreciated!

You don't have enough juice for a normal dryer
The problem you have is that while you have space in the panel for the circuits required, your feeder just can't quite provide enough grunt to support a bog-standard electric (condensing) dryer.  In particular, you are looking at 750ft2*3VA/ft2 = 2250VA for lighting, along with 3 1500VA allowances for appliances (microwave, fridge+disposal, kitchen receptacles), which gives you 4313VA of load once you apply the 35% load factor for general loads over 3kVA, or 18A @ 240VAC.  However, that load factor does not apply to the dryer's 5000VA load allowance, and you need to provide 1500VA (load factored, though) for the laundry small appliance circuit as well, which puts you at 9838VA of load, or 41A @ 240VAC, just a hair too large for your 40A feeder.  Oops!
Heat pump dryers to the rescue!
However, there is a way to do what you want without breaking your apartment's feeder, although it does mean buying a not-so-cheap dryer.  You see, in the quest to make a less piggy clothes dryer, some bright sparks hit on the idea of taking the exhaust air from a dryer's drum, running it through what's basically a dehumidifier, and then stuffing it back into the drum.  This arrangement is called a heat pump dryer, and it has the upside that it is exceptionally efficient compared to any other powered clothes-drying means out there, in addition to not requiring a vent, either.
In particular, the Miele TWB1xx series of heat-pump dryers will run perfectly fine on a 120V outlet, pulling roughly 8A from that outlet.  Along with your average apartment-sized washer, with its 8-12A of 120V load, it just barely fits onto a single 120V laundry small appliance branch circuit.  Furthermore, we can skip the clothes dryer allotment in the load calculation as a result of this (allocating 5kVA in a loadcalc for an appliance that cannot ever draw that much power as it plugs into a 120V, 15A branch circuit is simply silly).  As a result, we add one factored 1500VA small appliance allowance to our existing load, giving us 4838VA, or 20A @ 240VAC.
Note that this trickery only works with the Miele dryers -- the Samsung and Blomberg/Beko heat pump dryers both run on 240VAC circuits, and it appears the Samsung requires neutral as well, really constraining one's options when it comes to provisioning power for them.  (Also, Samsung doesn't document how much electricity their dryer actually draws anywhere on their website or in the product specification sheet.)


GFCI installation in bathroom switch box doesn't work as expected My bathroom wall switch controls the old light above the old medicine cabinet but it only has 1 cable with a black and a white wire. I took off the old switch and put the black wire on the hot side of the GFCI and the white wire on the other side both in the "line" position. This new GFCI has both a switch and a outlet.

Turned the power back on and the swich does nothing but the outlet works and when I plug something in to it the light comes on. Turn the hair dryer off and the light goes off. What's the problem?

You just tried to hook up an outlet to an old-style switch loop with no neutral wire.  Right now, your hair dryer is wired in series with the light, and the switch is dangling in the electrical breeze.

(In other words: You'll need to find another place to put the GFCI function, or run a new /3 NM cable to the switch box so you can have a neutral there.)


What is this wooden sheet behind my drywall? I bought a home recently which was built in 2004.

I installed a TV mount on a stud and I am now trying to run cable behind drywall, but when I cut through my drywall I found wood sheet behind my drywall. What is that for? Can I cut through that wood?

As shown in the picture, the TV is mounted on a stud and stud finder is also attached to that stud for reference.

It’s undoubtedly a shear wall to resist lateral loads, especially if you live in a “high wind” area or a seismically active area.

It could also be a reinforced wall for shelving.

Yes, you can cut through it, or cut openings in it, whether it’s a shear wall or not. I would not make an opening more than 1/4 the height of the wall and not more than square shaped...don’t make it a large rectangle. Also, I’d install framing members at the edge of the opening. (If it’s a load bearing wall, you’ll need to install a header.)


Vertical or horizontal venting for a 36" range hood with a 3 speed 630 CFM blower Installing a 36" range hood with an internal 3 speed 630 CFM 3 blower,damper and 6" vent pipe. Installation is in the area of an unused 10" square fireplace chimney flue.

Supposition: Will increase the hoods 6" vent to an 8" vent to increase air flow efficiency.

Option 1. Run vertical venting approximately 20 feet up chimney flue to top of chimney.
A run of 8" galvanized pipe would be inserted into the 10" square chimney flue. The hood has a 6" vent and will require two 45 elbows connected together to enable tying to the 8" pipe in the chimney flue. A transition connector increasing the flow from 6" to 8" would also be required just after the elbows.

Option 2. Run venting horizontally approximately 3 feet through the chimney brick and out the chimney's exterior wall. A 90 elbow is required. Air flow could also be increased to 8" round.

A larger pipe will certainly increase the flow as will shorter pipe lengths. Fittings are expressed in equivalent pipe length. A 90 degree elbow is typically 5 feet and a 45 degree elbow is typically 2.5 feet. So you can add up your total length and add 5 feet for each elbow to get your total equivalent length. The smaller that number is the better. The only issue you will have with increasing the pipe size is you will decrease the velocity and that won’t remove solids like grease as well but that is seldom an issue with residential hoods. On another note, all hood manufacturers lie about their CFM. 630 CFM through a 6” pipe would be a ridiculous amount of static pressure and you wouldn’t be able to stand the noise or the electrical bill. I would guess when all is said and done you will be closer to 200 CFM but anything you can do to minimize the total equivalent length of duct work or make the duct bigger will help in maximizing the output.


A/C circuit breaker blowing after 15 minutes of runtime 20 year old Amana 3.5 ton runs for 15 minutes and then blow circuit breaker on the main panel in the house. Condenser fans running compressor is running sweating making cold air. Help.

EDIT

Two 40amp breakers toggled together one of them gets hot when it pops that breaker automatically pops the one that's connected to. This unit has run flawlessly for 20 years. It's a Square D panel with Square D breakers

I believe 22amp ZRCF42U01D MOD#

The breaker may be faulty or there may be a fault in the a/c condensing unit. Breakers are so cheap and easy to replace that I would replace the breaker, but those more knowledgeable about a/c's may know better.


can I share the same neutral on two separate 20 amp circuits I am running two new baseboard heaters on a 20 amp circuit, also 2 outlets on a 20 amp circuit, can I run 12/3 wire and share the same same neutral from a junction box, these are on 2 separate walls in the same room, also one of the breakers will be for the heaters, and the other for the 2 outlet units.

If your heaters are 120V then it's possible to use a shared neutral for the heater circuit and the receptacle circuit, as long as you follow the code rules that apply for this type of circuit.  (If the heaters are 240V, there is no neutral on that circuit, and they'd have to be wired separately.)

If you haven't already done so you might want to consider whether you're better off with 240V heaters and separate wiring.  Even if I didn't want 240V now, I'd wire these separately so that I had the option of converting to 204V in the future, rather than save a little wire now with the shared neutral.


Strong wood coating? I made a magnetic knife holder out of wood and coated with Arm-r-Seal oil urethane but after 3 days of curing it seems it'll get beat up too fast. What's the strongest I could use?

Is this a good application for epoxy? I haven't worked with it before due to price.

If I do use epoxy, how well does the old finish need to be cleaned off?

edit: epoxy might not be food-safe enough...

Two part polyurethane is the way to go, Its food safe when hard, and the active hardener makes a really good hard surface.

I also like the finish that these products add to the surface, and you typically could add about three layers to make it really bullet-proof.

The stuff is a little bit expensive, but well worth the money!.


Microwave Oven Outlet Wondering if somebody could please let me know where I should put my receptacle for the microwave in my kitchen. It's an over the stove microwave/range hood type. I was going to install it in the section of my cabinets designated for my microwave, so basically behind my microwave. A contractor, however ; told me to instal it in the cabinet above the microwave.

Thank You

The contractor is correct. The cord from the microwave will exit from the top of the unit, and should pass through the bottom of your cabinet, and plug into an outlet inside the upper cabinet.

The microwave is designed to mount flush to the wall and the bottom of your cabinet, thus you would not be able to plug the oven into an outlet mounted on the wall behind the oven.


well system pressure stops after a couple minutes We had a new well tank installed a year ago. We hoped that water pressure will improve.  Recently, I have noticed that pressure will start then stop for several seconds and return.  Tank pressure is within the required range.

We have no filters on our system. Could that be an issue?   We recently moved in our house. Water pressure stinks even with new tank.  Can we clean /purge and add a filter pre storage tank? What is the standard protocol?  I am very handy and  capable of doing basic repairs.

I would love to improve the water pressure, but mainly provide basic constant pressure.  Thank you for any help that you can extend.

I don't quite understand what you are reporting. When you said Recently, "I have noticed that pressure will start then stop for several seconds and return. Tank pressure is within the required range", what do you mean? Are you speaking of the pump or the flow of water?  You said that the water pressure stinks, so I have  to ask "what is the water pressure"? What is the pump "on" pressure and what is the pump "off" pressure? The tank does not control the water pressure or the amount of water delivered to the faucets. How much water can you use before the pump cycles? Your answers will help us give direct answers to your problem. How old is the well and what type pump do you have? Is it a submersible (down in the well), a jet pump (above ground), A rod pump (very old type), or something else? Your problem could be any  number of things and a better explanation of the existing conditions is needed. Many of us lived with water wells as have I. Please respond.


Why is the TPR valve dripping on my new water heater? I recently install a Kenmore #58240 40 gal. electric water heater. I had a 50 ga. approx. 12 yr. old Rheem which started to pop a little so I just decided to get a new one. After I installed it at factory set of 120° F, I noticed the TPR valve was cracking open and dripping as the water was being warmed up after usage.

I had the house pressure checked overnight using an outside faucet to record the house pressure for 24 hrs. and the meter showed that the 150 P.S.I. occurred thru out the night. My incoming water line meter was replaced around 6 yrs. ago and I was informed that the meter has a double check valve in it (closed system now).

My old water heater never had the TPR valve open even after they replaced the meter with the check valves in it. I do not have an expansion tank on the incoming line and am curious why I am seeing this pressure spike all of a sudden.

The service man came and replaced the TPR as a shot gun approach but I checked it immediately afterwards and the same dripping from the TPR valve occurred.

Sounds like you need to install an expansion tank, and possibly a pressure regulator (or pressure reducing valve).

When a check valve is installed, it becomes a closed plumbing system. Because it's closed the pressure in the system increases, as the heater heats the water. An expansion tank that is properly charged (charged to the "normal" water pressure) will "absorb" the pressure increase, keeping the system at a steady pressure.

Follow the installation instructions provided by the expansion tank manufacturer. Typically the tank has to be on the cold water supply of the heater, and within a specific distance to the heater. You'll have to measure the pressure at this point in the system, to determine what to charge the tank to.

Expansion tanks typically have a maximum charge value, which should not be surpassed. If you measure the normal incoming water pressure (without the water heater running), and the pressure is above this rating. You'll have to install a pressure reducing valve (PRV), to prevent the incoming pressure from being too high. Plumbing code calls for a PRV, whenever the incoming pressure is greater than 80 psi (See this question for more info).


What lubricant, if any, should be used for clothes dryer rollers? It seems I may have used the wrong lubricant for my LG clothes dryer rollers because the rollers kept seizing up. Since these rollers are simple and there are no bearings I did not put much thought into what lubricant to use:

While I am not 100% sure I believe I either used Super Lube 51004 Synthetic Oil with PTFE or WD-40 Specialist Heavy Duty Multi-Purpose Grease

My question are:

What lubricant, if any, should be used there?
What could be that black film on axle? I believe it is culprit here.
In particular, would grease be a better option here than oil because it would not mix with small lint particles (I suspect this is what may have happened here unless that is lube thickener or something like that)?

Grease or nothing would better here. Oil and grease will attract lint and dust and seize sooner. I have used a spray Teflon and graphite as the lube on my dryers with graphite lasting longer.
The black film is probably the lube with some added dust. When you replace this try some powdered graphite or molybdenum dry lube, it lasts a long time and the black film that it produces is a lubricant.


Should there be insulation inside a light fixture? I recently moved into a new home, and I was replacing a light bulb when I found this after removing the glass cover.
Now, I don't know much about codes and regulations, and I'm new to working on my own home, but this screams "fire hazard" to me, so I want more input before I install a bulb and continue to use this. Is this okay to have insulation next to something that gets hot? Why is/isn't it?

This is a good question - seeing some insulation in your light fixture can be a bit of a shock.
Think about it, though. Those incandescent bulbs are inside a glass globe. One of the best features of an incandescent bulb is its ability to turn electricity into heat. What's that heat going to do when it's trapped inside the globe - it's going to melt the wiring or catch the ceiling on fire.
The silver reflective foil reflects heat and light away from the ceiling material and the insulation helps keep whatever heat doesn't get reflected from moving through and melting your wire's insulation which could result in a short and the whole house getting really hot and a visit from the fire department.
TL:DR; Yes, that insulation should be there - it's for your safety.


How can I get this light fixture to light up? Summarize the problem

After replacing several light switches on the same circuit (one switch at a time), one light fixture will no longer light up. The light fixture is controlled by two three-way switches. The light fixture's hot wire is getting 120v (tested with a multimeter). I've tried four different three-way switches and two different light fixtures. I checked the twisted neutral and it is secure. The rest of the light switches on the circuit work perfectly (bathroom, hallway, and front door lights).

Circuit includes:

Upstairs light (will not light up, the remaining items work perfectly)
Bathroom light and fan
Hallway light, exterior light, and front door lights
Doorbell

Provide details and any research

There are two three-way switches at the top of the stairs. The switch on the left controls a different circuit that works perfectly. The switch on the right (referred to as Three-way switch #1) controls the light fixture that won't light up. Three-way switch #2 is at the bottom of the stairs, on the same circuit as switch #1 and the problematic light fixture.

Three-way switch #1 (right), breaker on, red traveler wire is cold (three-way switch on the left can be ignored, it works perfectly)

Three-way switch #1, breaker on, white traveler wire is cold

Three-way switch #1, breaker on, black wire is hot

Three-way switch #1 installed (right) - ignore the switch on the left

Three-way switch #1 installed (right) - ignore the switch on the left

Three-way switch #1 wires

Three-way switch #1 twisted neutral wires

Three-way switch #2, white traveler wire is hot

Three-way switch #2, red traveler wire is cold

Three-way switch #2, black common wire is cold

Three-way switch #2 wires

Three-way switch #2 installed

Light fixture black wire is hot (120v, tested with multimeter)

Light fixture white wire is cold

Light fixture installed, will not light up (also tried another fixture with the same result)

Fixture black and white fixture wires: 0v

Fixture black and ground wires: 120v

Switch #1 black and white (neutral) wires: 0v

Switch #1 black and ground wires: 123v

Fixture connected white (neutral) and ground: 0v

Other switches on the circuit

Bathroom light switch (left) and fan switch (right)

Bathroom box

Bathroom neutrals (retwisted after)

Hallway light switches (hallway light, two front door lights, and exterior light on the side of the house)

Hallway box

Hallway neutrals (retwisted after)

Interior doorbell

Exterior doorbell (faceplate removed)

Circuit breaker (#34) that powers the problematic upstairs light fixture, as well as the bathroom light and fan, hallway light, exterior light, two front door lights, and doorbell

When appropriate, describe what you’ve tried

I've tried:

Four different three-way switches
Two different light fixtures
Testing the hot wires with a multimeter to confirm they're outputting 120v
Untwisted and retwisted the neutral wires at switch #1
Trying multiple combinations at switch #2 (black wire on black screw, travelers on brass screws; white wire on black screw, travelers on brass screws; red wire on black screw, travelers on brass screws)

I think the problem is that I have an open neutral on another light switch. Is it possible that an open neutral on one light switch could break the circuit on another light switch? Anything else I can do to get this light fixture working?

Thank you.

Solution

I finally fixed this, and boy do I feel dumb. I did not realize that, in addition to all the light switches, there's an outlet on this circuit. I had replaced the old dual outlet with an LED light and single outlet, and it was not working. I took the wall plate off, removed the outlet and found the problem. For some reason, I only connected one neutral to the left screw and capped off the other neutral. That was the open neutral. I connected the capped off neutral to the screw, in addition to the other neutral, and now the outlet and light fixture works!

The open neutral

Closed the neutral and now the light fixture works!

The pictures are great. To my eye it does appear you've wired the 3-way switches correctly; I think you're right that neutral is missing. You can confirm by measuring voltage (with the multimeter) between black and white at the light with the power on. Measure voltage from black to ground there as well. Do the same check at the switch #1 box: measure voltage hot-neutral and hot-ground. For extra points, connect the light fixture and then measure voltage between neutral and ground.

It seems likely you'll find ~120 V hot-ground at both locations and some floating voltage hot-neutral. If you have the light connected you'd probably also see ~120 V neutral-ground. All of these conditions point toward neutral being open somewhere along the way. You're probably going to have to chase this upstream of switch #1.

Content of other boxes

I count four cables in the bathroom switch box. It looks like the pair in the middle are the switched lines to the light and fan; the outer cables must be the supply coming in and going out.

The hallway switch box also appears to contain four cables. Since there are 3 switches and no /3 cables, this box must be the end of the line for the circuit -- there isn't a cable carrying hot and neutral on to anywhere else. The neutral bundle looks a little suspect - the stripped part of one conductor goes down much lower than the others do, which makes me think it may not have been pushed up into the wire nut as far as it should have been. It probably just slipped down while you had the wire nut removed, and anyway this does seem to be end-of-line.

Focus on getting neutral working at the switch #1 location first. It's probably easier to reach than the light is, and you also have an always-hot wire there. By measuring the unswitched hot to neutral you avoid the risk of accidentally collecting false data (ie measuring at the light while the switched hot is turned off).

Could there be any outlets in this circuit? Verify neutral continuity through those too.

Tracing conductors

You may have come to the point of tracing out conductors. There are many ways one could do this, most of them laborious, and with various levels of risk of shock or equipment damage.

Measure resistance. Do this with a de-energized circuit. Disconnect both ends of a conductor and measure the resistance of the conductor. Do the same with other conductor(s) in the same cable. This helps to confirm that a cable goes where you think it goes, and that all its conductors have continuity. If the meter leads don't reach you can extend with some wire, an extension cord, alligator clips, etc. Could also measure loop resistance, for example: short black to white at one end and measure resistance between them at the other end, then try shorting black to ground and do the same.
Use a cable tracer. In the world of telephone and Ethernet there's a tone generator and inductive pickup kit often used to trace wires. This can be used for tracing mains wires too. Even though the tone generator can withstand the 90 volt POTS ring voltage, this probably should be done with the circuit de-energized.
Use a test lamp. This is done with the circuit live; appropriate precautions must be taken. One would open up the connections in the switch boxes, identify which cable brings the hot (and neutral) and start adding back one cable at a time, using the test lamp to look for hot and neutral showing up at other boxes.


How to grout in order to minimize uneven tile spacing? I have tiled my shower wall with hexagonal tiles & subway tiles.

I am about to grout both walls BUT because the hexagonal tiles don't space out evenly, I am afraid white grout would show the uneven spacing imperfections too much.

Would it look weird with the subway tiles with white grout ?

What color grout should I use for the dark tiles to minimize uneven spacing ?

This is really going to be opinion based but I would be looking for a dark blue, tile matching grout. The white grout is going to tie all those shooting rays  of white together and will lose the effect. The imperfections would be minor unless your mother-in-law or father-in-law wanted to make a point in which case no color grout would hide it. Just my humble opinion. You could even think about using the same color for the subway tile depending on your color coordination. Caution: no one has ever let me decorate their house.


Would it be safe to leave charred wood on a deck until repairs can be made? Had a small fire incident outside on our wood deck.  There didn't appear to be any structural damage to any of the supporting material, just a few surface boards which need to be replaced.

Can the charred material be left alone, or does it have a chance of igniting from heat form the sun due to the black color?

Wood ignites at 575 degrees Fahrenheit.  Simple sunlight alone will not provide enough energy to cause wood sitting in the open air to ignite.  (Otherwise, buildings which had burned and been put out but not torn down yet would be forever bursting back into flame...)


Do I really need an air conditioner filter? Do my AC air intake vents really need air filters?
Is there any downside to removing them? Like are the blowers expecting a certain level of resistance from the filters in order to work properly?
Could I damage the blower or the AC unit by not having a filter installed?
I really want the least amount of resistance in order to cool the house as fast as possible during these hot summer days.

Yes, you'll distribute crud through your ventilation.  On top of that, you'll accumulate crud in your AC unit.  BAAAAADDD idea.


How to mount short handrail with no studs? Ok, I have my basement stairs I'm finally trying to mount a handrail on (it wasn't done by previous owners, and I'm finally getting to my "to-do" list :) )

So I measured, and went out and grabbed a wooden railing (4 ft length) and some brackets:

So now I just have to find the studs ... and therein lies my problem. I did find 1 stud, however, I don't think that's enough to mount it to ...

here's a little diagram showing my situation:

So I have a short 5-step flight.
From the bottom floor, to the top of the top step, it's 44 inches.
From the first step to last, 44 inches as well ...
My only stud is 19 inches in .. and I cannot locate a 2nd one.

I don't think I can / want to mount 1 bracket only to the drywall .. but if I have to, how to do it so it's as solid as possible ?

What options do I have ?

A photo would help us narrow down possible solutions, but the bottom line is that you must have at least two solid anchor points. I find it hard to believe that you don't have studs at least on 24" centers. It could be that you're hitting the floor system, but that probably just means that you have solid backing in a horizontal orientation.

If you can't find additional backing, I'd run a flat hardwood 1x4 behind the handrail for the brackets to mount to. It can extend all the way to door trim or wherever is necessary to find backing. Now you have solid backing for your rail brackets.


What is the cubic feet of my washing machine? I will be purchasing a new washer in the near future and want to know the cubic feet of the one I will be replacing.  I have an old Whirlpool stock no. LXR7144E, model no. LXR7144EQ0, serial no. CF1603879.  I have tried looking it up online and I can find parts, manuals, etc. for it but nothing list the cubic feet.  Thanks for the help!

Jennifer

Stick a measuring device inside.  Measure the depth and diameter.  Convert those to feet.  volume = height times (diameter / 2) ^ 2 * pi.

For example, my washer is 12 inches deep (a front loader) and 22 inches in diameter.  1 foot times (22/12 / 2)^2 * pi = 2.6 cubic feet.

To clarify:

12 inches = 1.0 feet

22 inches = 22/12 feet = 1.8333 feet

convert 1.83333 feet from diameter to radius by dividing by 2 = 0.916666 feet

1.0 x (0.91666) ^ 2  x π =

0.84027777  x  π =

0.84027777  x 3.141592 =

2.63980994


Does the specific gravity of a lead-acid battery  indicate degradation? Let say I have a battery that is a few years old.

When it was new, the specific gravity was indicating 1.265 when full, and it lasted fairly long.

If I do an equalization charge, for the same battery after 7-8 years, what would I expect to see?

The specific gravity when fully charged will rise to the same level but it won't last as long.
The specific gravity when fully charged will indicate degradation of the battery and will show a lower level (say - 1.215 or so).

Which of these answers is more accurate?

Neither choice is perfectly accurate and specific gravity is going to vary based on temperature and the quality/purity of electrolyte in the water over the life of the battery.

The fundamental change to a battery over it's life is that the internal resistance of the battery increases and therefore the same level of chemical charge will end up resulting in less delivered energy to the load. So, from that perspective, #1 is the most correct, assuming the electrolyte has not broken down and is in an ideal state.

However, in many practical circumstances, the electrolyte solution becomes polluted over time and the relative ratio of the water to acid mix changes making it hard to use specific gravity alone to assess the state of charge of the battery.

See this reference for some more specifics on the topic.


Problems with common lead bad connection at meter I live in a home that had a bad common lead connection, and this caused rotating blackouts throughout the house, and there were a couple of surge protectors that were overloaded - one blackened and produced a volume of smoke, in a room 15 feet from the load center.

After we had an electrician look at it, his determination was the problem was a bad common connection in the box out by the meter - the end of the cable was severely corroded, covered in green crust, and the insulation showed signs of burn damage as the cable had apparently overheated.

NOTE: I failed to state that he replaced the bus box and spliced a foot and a half of the common cable to fix that problem.

Now we have one side of the house that seems to trip the breaker on a regular basis, but it always resets and is fine until there are four or five lights or appliances (a combination of three or four rooms) on simultaneously. Shouldn't you be able to have every light in the house on and not trip off a breaker, effectively shutting down that side of the house?

This has not happened before the bad common incident, since then, it is always the same breaker that trips. Only one breaker and it never did this in the five years we've lived here before that problem. I think this is telling me two things, one - that the breaker may have been weakened by the drop-outs and surges during the bad common problem, and the wiring in this house is not correct for code. My biggest concern isn't the breaker itself, but I am wondering if this is dangerous. Am I going to wake up some night to find the place on fire? Can I just replace that one breaker and be OK, or will I have to get an electrician to rewire the house? I am really worried this will be beyond my means to repair. Help!

CALL YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY NOW ON THEIR EMERGENCY NUMBER

You have a bona fide electrical emergency right now due to that failing neutral, and since it's in the meter pan, it's the utility's job to fix.  Call them up on their emergency number (same number that you'd use to report a power outage) and tell them that the neutral in your meter pan is failing as well as giving your address.  Until then, keep loads to an absolute bare minimum as the voltage at your outlets is going to be all over the map.


Can I install a receptacle outlet below a window? I need to add a receptacle outlet to an existing line.  I will run the line from an existing receptacle outlet.  Is it okay to locate the new outlet below an existing window?

Yes.  As long as you have part of the wall under your window (your window doesn't go to the floor) then it is treated like any other wall in your house.


No water flow after closing and reopening shutoff valve My faucet was in need of attention so went below the sink, shut off the valves, unscrewed the supply lines, cleaned the faucet put everything back and now the water won't turn back on at the valves. It's not the faucet.
Any ideas?

I have found on old valves the valve stem separates from the gate. they close fine but then it feels like it is opening but is broke.
You will probably need to turn the water to the house off , bleed the pressure off and remove the valve and install a new one.


Fill hole in slab beneath tub to reduce radon? We recently discovered that our downstairs bathtub has a large hole in the slab beneath it where the tub drain and a few other pipes go into the dirt.  We had a radon mitigation system put in a few years ago to deal with elevated levels, but our monitors show that it still gets up to around 3-4 pCi/L in the winter. (Current 7 day average is 3.78 pCi/L). Granted, that's (barely) below the EPA's recommended "action" level, but I work from home and my office is in the basement, so ... (cough, cough) ;) We're thinking that that hole in the slab is potentially how a lot of the radon is still getting in, and wondering if it would be worth it to somehow fill it in and seal it, and if so, how.   Thoughts?

It would be cheap and easy ( my favorites for any home improvement) to spray urethane foam under the tub. You can get it at any lumber/hardware store. It would certainly reduce the amount any gas that might enter that way. It makes a "closed cell "foam which is relatively impermeable.


Hammer Paint Over Rust I have some rusty metal L-beams that I want to use for a project but I don't want to spend the time and money to have them sandblasted. I have heard that you can spray Hammerite paint right over the rust and that this will adhere to the metal but it sounds too good to be true. I looked at a can of this Hammer paint and the ingredients don't appear to be any different than other spray paint primers which must be applied to bare metal only. Does anyone have experience with this Hammer paint?

In general, paints like this do indeed stick to the rust just fine and encapsulate it by linking together and forming a hard surface. This is good if you want something to look good, but it doesn't do much to stop the rusting process. Eventually, the metal below the paint will rust further, and in the process expand. This will cause a crack in the paint, and eventually it will chip off. If the steel angle in question isn't structurally important, that might be fine. Depending on your climate, painting over it might buy you a few months or a few years. If failure of the steel would be a big problem, then you should sandblast or otherwise get to white metal, and pick a coating system designed for rust prevention.


What kind of caulk to use around light fixture on masonite/composite/engineered wood siding? I have hardboard/masonite/composite/engineered wood siding (but it's not LP or Hardie, which I understand are better and more expensive). I noticed a light fixture and the siding aren't very well sealed together. I assume I need to caulk around the fixture? I've never caulked in my life. What kind of caulk do I buy? As to color, could I use a clear one, so I don't have to paint? Thank you]1

The best thing to use is called "Butyl" caulk. It is mineral spirit based (meaning not water based) rubber like caulking so it will adhere to almost anything, it is flexible so it expands and contracts with temperature differences, and once dry, it can be painted. It can also be cleaned up with mineral spirits (paint thinner) if you make a mistake or get it on yourself. Butyl caulking however will last usually no more than about 10 years, so you must check it periodically and know when it is time to re-apply it.

Silicone based caulks will last longer than Butyl but cannot be painted and cannot be cleaned off of anything.


Is there supposed to be a gap between the wall and the roof? We bought a new house last year. Going up to the loft we noticed there is a considerable gap (5-6 cm) between the roof and the wall, like this:

Is it supposed to be like that?

It's freezing up there but I'm more concerned about animals entering the house.

Is it supposed to be like that?

There needs to be air circulation in unheated space to prevent condensation causing rot.

  It's freezing up there

That is good. It means your loft insulation is working.

  I'm more concerned about animals entering the house.

I found fixing wire-mesh externally to any small gaps at the top of the walls keeps unwelcome types of animal out. You could instead apply this internally.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds encourage builders to make provision so that critters can enter your roof to nest.

Note the wire-mesh guard to prevent them getting to areas where they would be unwelcome.


Are these three-way switches? I have 2 bedrooms and I want to replace the light switch for a dimmer.  I though it would an easy job for a beginner like me but after I opened the first switch, I realized there was a 3 wires (I was expecting 2 + the ground wire).

After reading on the switch, I determined the red wire is a common wire (on the old switch, it was plugged in a "quick connect" hole with the letter "C").  The second room also have the same setup.

I'm a bit confuse.  I though the common wire was for a three-way switch only.  Considering that each bedrooms switch are independent and that there's only one switch in each room, can someone help me understand if I have a three-way switch or not.

* EDIT *
Please note that their was no Common wire in any of my switches.  See accepted answer for details.

For the record, here's a schema of my final circuit (I have a ceiling light but the schema is still valid)

One red wire on one screw, right? And two black wires under the other screw (or poked into those dang quick-connect holes I hate so much)? If so, that's an ordinary switch, not a three-way. If it actually has three screws on the body of the switch, though, it's a three-way... and given your description of things, there's no really good reason for that.

If indeed you have a red wire "going to one location" and two black wires "going to another location", then ONE of those black wires should be the power feed and the other should be power continuing on to the next switch ON THAT FLOOR, unswitched, so as to supply power to the next lighting area. The red wire should be the one headed to the light fixture.

Might not be, though. Sparky guys wire all sorts of things in different (often incorrect) ways, so if you run into an ambiguity it's Best To Test.

To verify my suspicions, could you post a quick photo of the wire connections to that first switch?


T tap with valve for pex? This picture is of a 1/4 inch PEX line from a reverse osmosis filter. This section is right before a remineralization cartridge. The water before that cartridge is fairly close to being distilled water. I was looking for any product that would allow me to create a t-tap with a valve so I could get distilled water whenever I want and also just easily turn the valve to have the reverse osmosis filter send water to my refrigerator instead.
When I repeatedly disconnect the 1/4" pex line from the cartridge and reconnect it, after a while the seal becomes ruined I found and I figured a t-tap would fix that issue. After looking online for quite a while I am unable to find something that would work.

Disconnecting and reconnecting those lines will stress the connections and cause them to fail.
It should be simple enough to tap into that 1/4" line using a tee connector as you suggest and then adding a 1/4 inch shutoff valve on the tapline. Following is a link to some inexpensive components but you can probably find them at your local hardware store as well.
https://www.amazon.com/PureSec-Connect-Fitting-Assortment-Package/dp/B07D629S7W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAhbeCBhBcEiwAkv2cYxp0g2lpGx0N-YKN4TircqwGvjwjL7gY2ceOIzEXMkbJnn8we298EBoC6uAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=384443217506&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9028825&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11177684254370804919&hvtargid=kwd-825352349189&hydadcr=8432_9886307&keywords=1%2F4+inch+t+valve&qid=1615744105&sr=8-1


How to fix a leaking concrete ceiling? We are occupying the second floor of a 4 story apartment complex. We have recently moved in and all 4 floors are now occupied. The occupant in the first floor says his bedroom ceiling is leaking with water drops forming especially in the morning when the bathrooms are most used. There are two bathrooms near the leaking area (in our 2nd floor house). Unable to pinpoint the source, the constructor has started removing the floor tile of one of the bathrooms in our house. He expects to find moist cement underneath if it is the source. The problem is the source can also be from one of the two wash basin drains or from a poorly fixed PVC pipe tracking along the concrete structure. The building has a concrete wall design with no bricks. How do we identify the source of the leak accurately without having to open up the roof or the wall one after another? Is there any technology that can pinpoint the source of the water accurately?

Presuming the place is built right or something close to normal & expected. You would drill a small hole (drinking straw or pencil sized) in the dripping area of the ceiling so an Endoscope Camera could be inserted to catch the leak in action. This would be repeated probably just 2 more times until the leaking pipe is found.

When drilling the hole you'd want a bucket underneath to catch any puddled water up there or just have towels on the floor around a bucket & insert a short bent piece of wire to direct the water down into the bucket.

Then, you rip out the entire ceiling & permanently fix the pipe & that means DO NOT use some screw-on piece of garbage that fake plumbers have been pushing for decades. The Landlord must be involved in all of this & must be the one to have the above performed by a Real Professional Plumber.


Shopvac drywall attachment too restrictive? I have :

5HP 16Gal. Shopvac
 A drywall vacuum attachment , to suck up the dust while sanding.
 a brand new filter ( made for fine particles like dust)

The Problem :

When I start the vacuum, it seems okay.. but quickly slows down and starts to smell like it's overheating.

Should I not be using this powerful of a shop vac?  I attempted to adjust the holes on the attachment, but to no avail (no instructions are given).
  I'm thinking perhaps I need to open up the back port (exhaust port) .. would that help?

I find the models that use filters plug up quickly. A contractor friend showed me what he had made using a 5 gallon bucket and plumbing fixtures. one pipe goes in and a 90 at the bottom of the bucket capped off then drill a bunch of 1/4" holes in the short pipe at the bottom. fill the bucket 1/2 way with water the suction pipe is short only 1" from the top the dust comes in and when bubbling up through the water the dust is trapped in the water, when you notice dust rinse and put fresh water in the bucket works great and no filters to buy. I have had mine for a few years. If cleaned at the end of the day it is not hard to clean if you forget it is a lot more work to clean out.


How can I repair my stainless dishwasher interior? My dishwasher has a stainless steel interior. To hold the rubber door seal in place the manufacturer attached a stainless strip along the edge forming a channel for the gasket. It's held on with spot welds every couple of inches.

The dish rack caught on the metal strip bending it and eventually pulling it loose at the bottom. I cut off the bent piece and straightened it out, but now I'm having trouble reattaching it to the stainless interior.

I can't spot weld, so I've tried JB Weld and another type of epoxy. I did the recommended surface prep, scuffed it with sandpaper and clamped it for 24 hours. It makes it through about two washes before it falls off. The epoxy just won't stick to the stainless well enough to deal with the hot water and detergent. I really don't want to drill holes and invite leaks, but at this point that looks like my only option.

If I drill holes and use small, good quality stainless screws what would be the best way to prevent it from leaking? And how do I make sure the screws are good enough quality to stand up to the harsh treatment?

I did end up screwing it down. I used small, stainless, countersunk screws and took Ed Beal's suggestion of sealing it with red RTV. So far it's holding up just fine.


Wiring a ceiling fan to the house wiring My ceiling fan came with black (motor), red(light), white (neutral) and green (ground), but at my home I have: three white together, three black together, one blue and two red together.
What should I do?

I assume you have separate light and fan switches on the wall. Just substitute the red wire from your new unit to the connections the blue wire used to go to. Do everything else exactly as it was.  The blue is light on your old unit, so same function as red on your new one.


My dining room light will not turn on or off by the wall switch I replaced an old chandelier (worked fine before removed) with a new chandelier.  Also, I replaced the toggle wall switch with a Luton 1000 Watt Dimmer Switch because my light has 18 rods extended from the ball of the light that requires 18 40 watt bulbs. In the ceiling I have 2 neutral white wires, 2 black hot wires and 2 grounds.  The light switch has 1 neutral/1 black/1 ground wire. The lights will not turn on or off by the switch. My home was built in 1957 but has some updated wiring. I've tried capping off white/white, black/black and the ground but with no success. Please help!

Based on the information you gave, one white/black pair in the ceiling box is the incoming power, and the other white/black pair goes to the switch.  You need to determine which pair is which.  Connect the chandelier to one pair and turn the breaker back on.  If the chandelier lights up, that's the incoming power, and the other pair should be the switch.  If you have a continuity tester, you can hook it up to what should be the switched pair (with the breaker off again) and verify that you have continuity when the white and black wires going to the dimmer are touched together.  Turning the dimmer on and off may not be enough to get a reading on the tester - the wires need to be touching.

Once the pairs are identified as incoming and switched, the ceiling box should be wired as follows.  Connect the incoming white wire to the white wire of the chandelier.  The incoming black wire should be connected to the switch black wire, and the switch white wire should connect to the black wire of the lamp.  You should also wrap black electrical tape around the white switch wire since it is playing the role of a black wire.  This "marks" the wire as black for anyone looking at it later.  The same should be done for the white wire at the switch.  It should not matter how the wires are connected to the dimmer.

Edit:
Now that I search for an image, this appears to be a possible duplicate of:
How to properly wire a ceiling light fixture?
Which has some handy diagrams.  I suspect what you have is the first picture, and what you need is the second picture:


Is there a maximum allowed time for a house to be built? I bought a house built in 2015, but after pulling the permits I find out it was started in 2008. There were stop work orders and failed virtually every inspection. It just scraped by in 2012 for inspections but then sat for another 3 years after that. I was told it was built in 2015 because that's when the "first" owner took occupancy. I found out that the foundation had been poured in 2009 and left sitting until 2011.

What date is used as the date the home was built? Is there a limit on how long a house can be under construction?

I live in Canada.

In the U.S., each state “adopts” a Code. The Code requires a Building Permit” for construction. If you look in the “definitions section”, you’ll see that a “Permit” is for a “specific activity.”

I’d check the original Permit Application and see what was included (and not included). In the U.S. there is a “disclosure law” that requires the seller to disclose POTENTIAL problems that could affect the value of the property being sold. If it wasn’t disclosed that the construction (“specific activity”) wasn’t completed, they are liable for the repairs.

I’ve testified that the seller “should have known about dryrot, settling foundation, etc.”  If your house is not habitable, you have a great case.


Aluminum Fence posts set into concrete I am putting up short sections of aluminum fencing inside my patio in the back and up one side, to deter people & pets from jumping off the patio at those points. A gazebo is going to be permanently set up on this patio, inside the fence sections.

I am going to set the aluminum fence posts into concrete. The posts provided are 56" tall, the fence panels are 45". I live in Maine, so I need to put forms in and set them below the frost line (4') yet it states in the installation directions that "The posts themselves do NOT have to go below the frost line, however, for proper installation."

My question is, how do I keep the fence post at the proper height and plumb, if it is not going to have the stability of reaching the bottom of the hole?

The forms have a top. You temporarily attach something to the post that holds it at the proper height when sitting on the top of the form, and you set a couple of temporary wooden stakes at 90 degrees to each other from the form that hold diagonal braces that hold the post plumb, and leave all of those in place until the concrete sets. With aluminum posts this might involve a lot of clamps to hold the post to the braces and supports.


Could a disconnected ground wire in the breaker box have caused any problems? A major home improvement company renovated the outside of our home. During the process the subcontractor jacked into our breaker box without permission and without the use of an electrician. After complaining we finally hired an electrician to review the breaker box and discovered the ground wire had been removed from the ground for almost a 12 week period. My question is what potential harm could of come of this event?

If you have not experienced any problems with equipment and have not gotten any shocks, then you dodged a bullet.  No harm, no foul, sorta.  Just glad you found the problem before anybody got hurt. I'm sure no damage to appliances.


Shelf brackets extend past the shelf I am a little confused. I purchased shelf brackets in the exact size of the previous ones I had for this shelf. The new brackets however extend a bit further past the shelf itself ( not the depth going down ) but the width. Is this an issue? I plan to put hanging plants and could hide the extending piece of the bracket but is there a safety concern with this. I plan on putting very light items. I am just as to confused as to how they say they are the same size but aren't really.

If they were the "exact size of the previous ones" you may have them rotated "the other way" - many shelf brackets are not the same length on both legs, so you may have had the longer leg on the wall and the shorter leg on the shelf in the previous installation, and the longer leg on the shelf this time.
Flip them around and see.


Pull Up All Laminate Boards Or Cut One Board in Doorway and Start From There Now that I have installed Pergo XP laminate flooring I've discovered that there is a soft spot from the doorway which transitions from the kitchen into the dining room.  When walking into the dining room the floor is spongy, and there is probably a 1/8" play.

I do not want to pull up all the laminate because this would require pulling up the laminate in entire the dining room, as well as the front part of the foyer (I managed to get all three areas linked together with no transitions).

I was thinking I could simply cut one of the boards in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen (much like you would if it was damaged).  With this board removed I could just pull up the first few rows in the dining room, just enough to put some feather finish in.

Is this even worth it?  We rarely use the dining room, but it is right in front of the doorway to the kitchen, so no matter what you will notice when walking between the two rooms (though the wife claims she barely can tell).

Or do I need to pull the entire laminate up from the foyer and dining room and not risk cutting any boards?

You don't have to do anything.  Most laminate installs have a soft spot somewhere.  I also don't think the soft spot will change.  You either accept it or fix it.  I am not saying you had a "great" install but it is what it is.

If you are going to pull it up - you need to do a big enough area where it can be properly leveled.  For issues like this we use a simple leveling liquid or we use roofing shingles (really small transitions).  I cannot see you being happy doing this from below.  Injecting the floor is never a good idea as the weight of the flooring can alter the liquid disbursement.   If you are going to take stuff out you have to label each piece well and take everything out very carefully.  The tongue and groove on these aren't made for many installs.