Can the furnace pressure switch be damaged due to water Few months back there was tons of water in the furnace, including a puddle that collected under the pressure switch. As you can see from my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH7Dtx3Ht5U the pressure switch is extremely close to the base of the burner section. This area had a huge puddle of water.

Could this have damaged the pressure switch somehow?

Thanks

If the switch was in the water, then yes. The water will create a short between terminals, or corrode them. You can test the switch to see if it still functions. Turn power off to the furnace, disconnect the tube to the switch, and gently blow and or suck. Listen for a click sound. That would indicate is the switch will latch. Next would be to test with a multimeter. Continuity to ground, and continuity terminal to terminal while blowing or sucking to activate the switch.


How can I create a movable insulated wall? I have a storage area which I need a sectioned. The smaller section will be cooled to 35-40 degrees with the help of our air conditioner and an attached Coolbot system.

I want have the option of maximizing this larger storage area, while having an adjustable and insulated accordion door to enclose the cordoned off area when we have the need to keep the area at 35-40 degrees.

We therefore  don't want to permanently wall this area off.  Please offer some options for this project that I can present to our contractor.

Because your temp differential is relatively high (72˚F vs 35˚F), and you're talking about a relatively large area (I assume, because you talk about accordion "walls"), unless you have a fairly powerful air conditioner or very good wall insulation, your cooling requirements will be challenging.

If it's important that the wall be an accordion wall, then I would think in terms of 2 or 3" thick rigid foam polystyrene wall panels, with edges framed by ¾"x 2(or3)" plywood, with alternating-side hinges linking the individual panels to achieve the accordion effect.


Can anyone recommend colored 100% silicone caulk for use in a shower? I have a shower with a tan colored grout. I need to put silicone caulk in the spot where the walls meet the floor. The previous owner used grout there and it is all cracked out.

I'm having trouble finding 100% silicone caulk that has colors. I can only find one, made by "Custom Building Products":

I'm not sure what "commercial" means, is it not meant for household use? Can anyone recommend any others that I can buy in the US? I can find others that are "siliconized", but I read that you're supposed to use 100% silicone).

(I'm not sure if it's ok to mention brands on this site, but I'm stuck I don't want to use the wrong product for this job, and not sure where else to ask).

Thanks

My take; the newer siliconized calks are excellent products.  I think you will be impressed with their performance. Regarding the above selection, I wouldn't let the 'commercial' labeling impede your choice.  This product will also work.


What are some tips for installing a small shed? I want to put in a small shed to store my push lawn mower and perhaps a few other things.  Our village's website states we need a permit:

SHEDS – Must be either anchored to a concrete slab or have footers 42” deep
Inspections Required for Sheds: Footers (prior to pouring concrete) rough
framing and a final inspection.

Which is easier/cheaper?  concrete slab or footers?  How do I go about buying a shed?  Would I need to do the concrete/footers myself and then have home depot deliver it?  We live in upstate NY if that matters (lots of snow in the winter).

Any place that sells pre-built sheds in your area would likely have advice on site preparation for delivery.

I don't know what the soil's like in your area, but if you're going to hit bedrock before 42", it'd likely be easier to put in a slab;  If you're likely to hit lots of tree-roots, the slab might be a better choice (so you don't kill a tree, and have it fall on your new shed)  For most other times, I'd personally go with footings, but I live in an area that's clay and easy to dig.  (other than tree roots).

Some pre-built sheds are made to sit on a slab, as they have no floor; this can make it easier to get things in/out of the shed, as you don't have the step-up.

... also, rather than buying from Home Depot or similar, look to see if there are Amish or Menonite areas near you -- they often have businesses that do this sort of pre-built structure construction.  It might be a little more expensive, but you can get them customized to a specific size, material, etc ... it's what I'd do if I wasn't going to build it myself.


how to take the sheen off baked high gloss surface I intend to paint my kitchen doors as they have faded into an almost cream colour I want to bring them back to brilliant white, however, as the kitchen doors are profiled sanding is not an option, and as the surfaces rejects any attempts of over painting, hence removing the sheen in order to create a surface key is imperative

One thing I use to prep surfaces is scotch bright pads. The green ones are what I use most often they conform to shapes and really take the sheen or gloss out with very little effort. They have red that is    Heavier or more corse or white that is finer but green works quite well for irregular surfaces.


Installing a Honeywell Wifi thermostat and need a C wire connection My current thermostat is wired as follows and the wires are from my Separate heater and separate AC air handler:

W - From my heat
R - From my heat

Rc - From my AC Handler
Y - From the compressor
G - From the AC Handler

Do I need to add a wire for the C connection but am unsure whether I need to do that how and where to connect it. Our can I do something else with the G wire?
I have attached a pi of my current schematic, can anyone please help?

In the picture below you can note that the connection labeled with a 7 in a triangle is the "C" of your fan controller. As per your added note to the diagram this is also connected to your A/C unit so there is a common "C" between your A/C and the fan controller. This same place is where you want to connect a spare wire to run for the "C" terminal on your thermostat.


I need to switch between two 240V 30A loads I've got a situation where I have a 240V 30A dryer line, and I want to power something else from the same circuit, but NEVER at the same time as the dryer. I'm looking for a switch to use, like a DPDT ON-ON break-before-make switch. There are tons of DPDT switches I've found, and most seem to be ON-OFF. Hardly any show their wiring diagrams, so if they don't give more details, I don't know if they'll work. Note: the second circuit will not use more than 15A, maybe just 12A.

I'm hoping someone can recommend specific switches that will do what I want. Manufacturer and exact part# is what I'm looking for.

Personally, I don't care if it's a knife switch, something that looks like a standard light switch, two buttons, has relays, I don't care. The breaker box is full, it's a long and difficult wire run, and I do not need a separate circuit because I'll NEVER need to run both devices at once.

I could resort to just using one plug and unplugging one then plugging the other one in, but I don't see the point of constantly exposing live wires (the plugs) where something could inadvertently fall on them or water could be sprayed, instead of keeping things all sealed in the wall with a safe, simple switch between two plugs.

You need the right switch.

Poles are the number of independent channels the switch has - single-pole, double-pole, triple-pole, or n-pole.  You need double-pole but triple would be nice as I consider it elegant to also switch neutral, it being a conductor.

Throw is the number of output options.  "Single-throw" means it can only connect Common to output 1, or not. "Double" means it connects Common to outputs 1 or 2. You need double-throw.

The 3032-2x and MS302-DS are double-pole single-throw (DPST) switches.
The 1286 is SPDT, i.e. a common 3-way switch.
The MS303 is 3PST since it's for 3-phase power.
The 1288 is DPDT.  Bingo!

The different prices reflect different ratings (MS=Motor Start, tungesten, ballast etc.) or the varying difficulty of cramming all that into the small 1-gang form-factor.  The 1288 works pretty hard, hence the price.

If you don't like paying $60 for a switch that crams this functionality into a 1-gang yoke, then visit your local electrical supply house and ask them for other options which may trade form-factor for price. A big-box store is not an electrical supply house.

Better, a subpanel with a "generator interlock"

If you spend time around here, you'll hear us preach a lot about getting panels with lots of extra spaces.  That's because a full panel is intolerable.  It cripples you and forces you into bad or expensive compromises.   So with an eye toward that and future expansion...

... fit a subpanel somewhere appropriate.  Feed it normally, from the current 30A dryer circuit.  Then "mis"use a generator interlock kit (such as this sensibly priced Siemens one for Siemens panels) to interlock your dryer's and other load's breaker so they can't be on at once.  Voila.  (Normally with these interlocks, you backfeed the panel with one of two power sources. In this case you're normal-feeding two loads, and interlocking the loads.)

At some later happy day, you retrofit larger cable and turn this panel into a more useful subpanel.

Automatic knock-off

Ironically this may break out as the cheapest option.  The idea is to power both receptacles all the time unless the dryer is drawing power, then shut off the other one with a normally-closed relay.   You'll need a large steel box to put this in (a 5" square deep box is not excessive), and then a listed relay+transformer combo device, in which a transformer makes just enough 24V to operate the integral relay. That way you will be using low voltage with oddball parts, and Code is greatly relaxed.

The relay needs to be DPST-NC (normally closed) (meaning 2-pole, normally on). Typically these mount in a 1/2" knockout hole.  It will provide 2 low-voltage wires, and when they are shunted (shorted), the relay operates.  This means it'll have at least 8 wires: 4 for the DPST contacts, 2 to supply lineside power to the transformer, and 2 for the aforementioned 24V wires.

The two 24V wires go to both sides of a magnetic reed switch.  These typically throw at 10 ampere-turns. Since a dryer draws 23 amperes on full, that's plenty. It's simply a matter of finding the right geometry that the reed switch likes.   Generally, in wiring, it is mandatory to lay all hots and neutrals tightly parallel to each other so their EMF fields cancel each other out.  In this case we do the exact opposite on purpose.  Experiment with laying the reed switch crossing at 90 degrees, or parallel to the wire.  All of this must happen inside the steel box.

On a dryer, 80% of current flow will be on the two "hots".  The neutral can be kept out of it.  Also feel free to calibrate it so the dryer doesn't trip on "fluff/no-heat".

Retrofit grounds

The only thing that scares me about this advice is a lot of dryer circuits have 3-wire (ungrounded) service.  This is a Very Bad Idea, because the switching/interlocking scheme creates so many new and unimagined ways for "the NEMA 10 problem" to emerge -- in which all grounded surfaces of your appliances are energized at 120V.

The safe answer here is to retrofit a ground. I know, I know, long and difficult wire run -- fortunately the ground can be retrofitted as a separate #10 wire, and it can follow a separate route, and it only needs to reach any grounded location that has #10 wire back to the same panel, or anywhere on the grounding electrode system.


How can I replace the bulb in this ceiling fan? So I moved into this house over a year ago, and upon moving in, there was a ceiling fan in the kitchen area that has continued to baffle me (and anybody I have look at it).  The core of it all seems to be 1 piece, the only thing that seems to have screws to be removed are the blades of the fan.  Here's some pictures:

*The little stump at the top of this picture that kind of looks like a screw is the switch to change the direction of the blades.

So it looks to me like the base of it is glued to the ceiling, and other than that I don't see anything.  To make matters worse, the bulb inside is very dim, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to replace the bulb, none of the pieces seem to come apart, I've tried several times and had a few other people look at it.

Has anybody seen a ceiling fan like this?  I'd like to either figure out how to change the bulb, or figure out how to just get rid of it entirely and put up one that makes a little more sense.

Has anybody seen a ceiling fan like this?

That looks like a Minka-Aire Acero F601-BS/BN 52-inch Brushed Nickel-Steel Indoor Ceiling Fan

  I'd like to either figure out how to change the bulb,

The manual is available from their website. The glass shade twists off.

  or figure out how to just get rid of it entirely

Turn the power off, cover the carpet and break out the Dremel :)


How much vinegar and baking soda do i put down my vent to get rid of backed up sewage How much vinegar and baking soda should I use to unclog a sewer line? When I flush my toilet, it gurgles in the bathroom sink. Does this mean I have a backed up toilet or a backed up sewer line?

This is most likely a plugged vent pipe - check your pipe on the roof make sure it is free and clear (no little animals went down it and no birds started to build. Depending on the drain connections and where this toilet is a connecting pipe for a drain vent could also be the culprit.


Convert Mortice Lock to Cylindrical Lock Currently I have a mortice lock. My condo has rules on the esthetic looks of the lock. I wanted to change the lock to keyless and found something similar. However it's a cylindrical lock which the package says "retrofittable".  My question is: Is it possible to just change the handles?

I have attached the photos. 1st photo is the original lock. 2nd photo is what I plan to change to.

Short answer, no.

The new lock is a cylindrical type that requires a standard hole in the door, usually 2 1/8", set back a certain distance from the edge. Most mortise locks do not have that size hole, so it must be drilled with a hole saw. Also, the mortise mechanism must be removed and the door needs to be filled in where the mortise has been taken out to hold the latch mechanism. A hole for the latch will also have to be drilled into the newly built up edge.

You also need to remove the existing deadbolt from the bottom and replace it with a cylindrical type deadbolt. Again, the hole may be different and the mortise channel must be filled and drilled to hold the bolt mechanism.

None of this is very difficult, but requires the right tools and some patience. Care must be taken, because misdrilled holes in a door are difficult to fix aesthetically.


What is the difference between building sand and plaster sand Recently I mixed a batch of mortar for building and was unsure if the hardware provided me with building sand or plaster sand..

What are the properties that differentiate the two?  and are there any scenarios where its fine to use them interchangeably?

It's all about particle size, which is classified using the Wentworth scale or The Krumbein phi (φ) scale.
Sharp Sand
Sharp Sand, also known as Concrete Sand is a coarse sand with larger particles. This type of sand is typically used in concrete.

φ scale - 1 to 0
Size range - 1/2 to 1 mm (0.020–0.039 in)
Builder's Sand
Builder's Sand, also known as Plasterer's, Mason, or Bricklayer's Sand is a finer grade sand with smaller particles. It's often mixed with water and cement to make mortar for laying bricks/blocks.

φ scale - 3 to 2
Size range - 125–250 µm (0.0049–0.010 in)
Jointing Sand
Jointing Sand, also known as Beach Sand is very fine sand with very small particles. This type of sand is used for grouting joints in paving or patio slabs.

φ scale - 4 to 3
Size range - 62.5–125 µm (0.0025–0.0049 in)


What are the advantages and disadvantages to timber framing vs. platform framing? Within in the next 10-years, my wife and I would like to replace the old modular home on our property with a new house.  I've been having some discussions with a friend of mine who is a huge fan of timber frame construction.  Looking at examples of well-done timber frames, I have to agree with him when it comes to the aesthetic appeal of the exposed timbers.  He has touted some of the benefits of timber framing to be (not an extensive list):

Speed of construction.
Squareness of resulting frame (I suspect a well-done platform frame can be quite square as well)
Aesthetic (personal taste I guess)
Cost of materials
Cost of labor (takes more skilled labor, but goes up quickly)
Robustness

He touts it as an ideal framing method for non-developer building (i.e.- for building your home..  it wont scale well to a developer putting up hundreds of houses).  When I asked him what the drawbacks would be, the only things he could think of were:

finding a good crew to do the framing, and
sourcing the timbers can take some time.

Neither of these issues would be a deal breaker for me as I have plenty of time, and he is connected with some very good framers.  So, my question (perhaps too open ended) are: what advantages and disadvantages am I missing?

I can think of one disadvantage to timber framing vs. platform or balloon framing, and that's the need of a crane.  Depending on your site, bringing in a crane to install the upper members might be a problem, whereas with stick-built, you're not moving as heavy of pieces, so it's not as much of an issue.  (it still might be useful when it comes to roof trusses, though, but it's not necessarily required)

An advantage is that timber-framed structures can span very large areas, so if you like an open design, great rooms, and the like, it's very easy to do.  As none of the internal walls need to be load bearing, you can more easily move things around should you need to add a bedroom or remove one down the road.

... but before you built, you might also want to consider comparing to other newer building methods, such as SIPs (structural insulated panels; built off-site, then get craned in and installed in over the course of a few days, so the building envelope isn't open for very long), or ICE (insulated concrete forms; install like blocks, rebar is placed, then you pump in concrete).  Both have great thermal characteristics, if you're in a climate that needs it.

With anything that's not platform built, you're also going to want to check with your local permits office -- anything that's not what they're used to dealing with is going to slow things down considerably.


Is some asymmetry in a breaker box normal? What about neutral to ground having voltage? So, next in my quest to evaluate the health of my new home's electrical system, and call in professionals if needed, was some voltage checking of the panels/outlets around the house.  What I have is a main 200A service in the basement, and a 100amp sub-panel on the main floor. See the attached schematic (notice the main panel has a bonding strap between neutral and ground, where as the sub panel does not- I believe this is the right way for it to be wired).

I borrowed a friends Fluke multimeter and found the following- In both panels, the red bar to neutral is 119 volts, and the black bar to neutral is 121.5 volts (red and black in my diagram).  Testing the outlets around upstairs, I noticed that, as expected, some have a delta v of 119, others, 121.5.  I then tested the voltage drop across red to black, and found it to be around 242 volts. I also noticed that I have a slight voltage across my neutral to ground (it just so happens to be about 1.5 volts) upstairs.

Is this kind of small asymmetry normal?  Should I be getting an electrician in to check things out?

Neutral-ground bonding

The panels are wired correctly. There must only be one connection between neutral and ground in the main service panel.

If a subpanel has a bond, then it puts the neutral in parallel with the ground wire back to the main panel -- and this means current from normal loads (that normally the neutral would carry) will travel on ground paths back to the main panel. This includes bare ground wires, conduits, and metal housings. If someone were to touch anything grounded, they could be electrocuted.

This can also mean that the magnetic fields created in the hot and neutral don't cancel each other out, which can generate a lot of interference.

In the worst case, bad connections or other faults can cause a voltage difference between ground and neutral, causing a lot of very difficult to diagnose problems, and making it even more likely to be electrocuted by touching something grounded (anywhere in the house, from any panel).

In short: There must be only one bond between ground and neutral, and it goes in the main panel.

Differences in voltage

The differences in voltage between the two busses is fairly normal. It is likely caused by the transformer on the pole, or by a load in your house that is causing a voltage drop. For the latter you can try turning off circuits to see if it goes away, but for the former, you're pretty much SOL. That said, it's not a problem. Mains in North America is supposed to be 120V +/-5% (so 114 to 126V is acceptable).

The voltage from neutral-ground is also normal. Here is a decent (but technical) article on neutral-ground voltage. In short, it's caused by the fact that over any length of wire, you have some drop in voltage. Since no current flows in the ground wire, there is no drop there and thus you have a difference in voltage. Another source is induced current, which can be caused by wires going through magnetic fields, such as near motors.

In short, it doesn't sound like you have any problems.


Building indoor water feature / water fountain I would like to have my own little waterfall inside my house.  I find the flowing water very soothing and relaxing.

I have seen a couple of "desktop" water fountains, and that is the rough idea, now I just want to scale that up several notches.

The size I would like to go for is probably about 1m cube (so 1 meter wide by 1 meter tall by a meter deep)

What do I need, where do I start?  I thought as a good starting point is to get a nice photo of a real life waterfall and try to build that?

I've built something similar for outdoor use, but it could just as easily have been an indoor fountain. The easiest way to construct it is from pottery, preferably something non-porous.

If you go to a Garden Ridge or big box hardware store you should be able to find a good selection of pots, and it usually works out well to buy multiple sizes of the exact same style of pot so you can layer them. It is best if the largest/bottom pot doesn't have a drain hole on it. The more "falls" you have in the fountain, the more you will get that nice waterfall sound.

You will also, of course, need to get a fountain pump (also available at the HW store), and some decorative rocks to fill each of the pots. I really like the black smooth river-stone type.

You could probably also create a pretty cool effect by adding a rain chain to the design.


what type of glue do I use I am looking to re-glue the screw that connects a wood leg to a metal threaded bracket on a piece of furniture. The end that goes into the wood leg is stripped in the wood so the leg is loose, I tried liquid nails waited two days but they did not hold. Any ideas of what kind of glue to use?

White or yellow PVA (Poly Vinyl Acetate) wood glue (elmers/titebond) and some new wood. Gluing in a few toothpicks is one method; drilling out the hole and gluing in a section of dowel is another.


What's involved in moving a hot water tank to the garage After a recent electric hot water tank leak on the second floor - I've decided to relocate the tank to the garage.

On the other side of the block wall in the garage - I have the laundry room - so we can tap into the h/c lines.
The electrical panel is inside the house right near the entrance from the garage.

Lots of questions...

What should I be aware of while doing this - is this even a good idea?
Should I keep the tank on the concrete floor or should I use some kind of barrier (over even a drain pan)
Should I use expansion tank?
Can I just connect to the h/c water line currently feeding the laundry room?

Appreciate your feedback and guidance/suggestions.

Thanks

There are a lot of questions to ask before an answer can be given:

What climate are you in?
Is the garage heated or insulated?
Is the hot water heater gas, electric, oil, solar, nuclear, gerbil-powered?
Are going to do this yourself?

You can probably get some pretty good, free advice on this by calling one or two plumbers to come out and give you a quote and a recommendation.

It's a pretty big deal to move a hot water heater, even more so if it's gas or oil.  There's electrical code (220v?), pipes, etc.

What about just putting in a nice pan on the second floor with a drain under it...might be cheaper and easier...

source: none, i'm not a plumber or electrician, but I do a lot of my own stuff.


Why does cold water always mix in bathtub mixing valve, even on hottest setting? I have a single-handle (rotates 270 degrees) faucet in my tub/shower. I've noticed that it is always mixing in cold water, even when turned all the way to hot. I can prove this by holding the cold water supply copper with my hand and feeling it get colder as the water runs on the hottest setting.

According to this article: http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/plumbing/how-to-adjust-a-single-lever-shower-faucet.php, the 270 degree position should be hot water only.

I have read the instructions for my valve and the hot water stop is set such that it is not restricting the rotation of the handle in any way. There is no documented way to get hotter water out of the valve.

Also worth noting is that this is a brand new Grohe valve, replacing an old valve which had the exact same behavior as this one. Seems odd two valves would have the same problem if it were indeed a problem. Maybe it's just how pressure balancing cartridges behave?

The reason this is bothering me is because if not for this issue, I would be able to set my water heater's temperature lower. To get adequate heat out of the bath faucet, my kitchen sink is unpleasantly hot (kitchen sink always temps 10 degrees hotter than the bath faucet - it must not mix cold water in).

Background:

All new valves sold in the USA must meet a Federal anti-scald standard meant to prevent sudden surges of hot water. A typical inexpensive 'cycling' anti-scald cartridge works on pressure only, and does not sense temperature.  For example you're showering and the sprinklers go off, the cold water pressure drops, and the valve will reduce the hot flow to match.  The higher pressure source is throttled prior to the mixing valve.

In addition the valves have an adjustable limit on the mixing valve: usually adjustable with a plastic ring easily accessible after installation.

A great background video on this topic, showing a Delta brand single handle faucet, is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI2NZMadb1A .  The video shows the 'cycling' pressure balance mechanism in action.

A cutaway of a typical valve is at http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/electrical-plumbing/whats-behind-your-shower-walls (Popular Mechanics).

These 'cycling' valves have lots of small parts: periodic cleaning may be required.

For your situation:

Try and rule out a strong pressure difference between hot and cold as it arrives at this fixture.
If you can install a two handle faucet, that obviously would solve
the problem.
If your base rough in unit is a 'Grohe Flex', you can insert
different single handle models in place and try them (without re-plumbing).

A more expensive 'thermostatic' valve would not have the problem you describe: it would keep the hot line fully open until a certain temperature is reached, regardless of the cold line pressure.  Grohe sells such models.


Do I need to get professional water damage repair, or can I handle this? We recently had a toilet overflow a bit. There was a small amount of waste in the water. The bathroom itself has tile floors, but the toilet is right next to a very thin wall. The room on the other side of that wall has hardwood floors.

We cleaned and disinfected the bathroom floor and immediately used towels to soak up most of the water, but the water made it to the molding/trim in the bathroom. Over the next couple of hours, we noticed a slight amount of cupping on the wooden floor next to the bathroom.

Do I need professionals to come out and figure this thing out? I'm worried about sanitation and mold, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg if this is really not an issue. There has not been any visible damage on the ceiling of the level below this.

Here are some pics...

The toilet

How close it is to the other room

Cupping is very difficult to capture with a camera

I think the water got under the wooden floor in between the bathroom and the room.

Let it dry for a week or 2 & if nothing's gotten worse & you're not even or barely noticing it with your feet then let it go. Tearing the floor up for a cup or 2 of water that's already gone isn't worth it.

If it actually bothers you later you can sand the cupping down & back to flat. You'll have to re-stain & re-polyurethane the area after that.

Every floor cups a tiny bit all over the place from humidity eventually & you may find some parts of the floor elsewhere are worse. Think of it as character.


Red wire in ceiling (hot) is not sending power to ceiling fan So I've been installing a ceiling fan and I'm encountering an issue I didn't come across in 2 other rooms, same fan model etc. At the ceiling box I've got Ground, Neutral, Red, and Black. In the other rooms I've been able to wire the light to the switch and the fan motor/remote to constant power no problem to keep them separate. I want to be able to run the fan without the light at night. Here, while I am able to get the light working off the switch (black wire), I am unable to get the fan running off the constant (red wire.) When I put my multimeter to the switched wire in the ceiling (black), I get 120V when the switch is on. Red wire has .5V with the switch off and 15V with it on (?) I looked in the box behind the switch and I've got a loose red wire in there capped off. Is that my problem? Seems like maybe it was wired for a fan but not connected? How could I make this work? Do I need to wire nut the red to another wire in the switch? Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: Ok, so I flipped the breaker labeled for the bedroom lights which also includes the hallway light (share walls with the dining room) and THAT is now killing the switch and the fan successfully. Weird. Is this what's called a multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC)? Should I make sure to also flip the breaker called Dining Room since that was successfully shutting off the power to the light in the fan (but not the motor)? Bottomline, I don't mind adding a note on the breaker box to remind myself or whoever, but is is safe? Thanks.

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The change in voltage is coupling between the floating red wire and the live wire.

You can change the switch to a duplex switch. That will allow you to control the light and fan separately.

If you want constant power to the fan then add the red wire to the wire nut with all the blacks.


How to fix drag marks on wooden floor? We just moved out of my in-laws.
Unfortunately the movers left long drag marks on the floor.

These are not deep, only at the surface. I.e. no gouges.

What is the best way to hide these marks or fix this?

A small amount of a good quality hardwood floor wax should hide those scratches.  I mean like a paste type wax, something that is solid at room temperature.

Furniture polish would hide the scratches, but the oils would make the floor dangerously slippery. So a solid type wax prevents the oily problem.  You may need to warm a small amount of the wax, so that it soaks in.  But test it first on a 1" part of one scratch, to be sure this is the right path, as it could make the scratch darker.  So test the repair on a small section before applying to the entire scratch.

A second option would be to apply the same finish to the scratch that is on the floor in the first place.  To do that you may need to contact the flooring manufacturer, or if it was finished after it was laid, you will need to get that info from the contractor that finished it.


Central Furnace blower alwas on, even with thermostat disconected A technician told me it was the electronic control board that has the blower relays on it , I replaced it and still has the problem, I've been reading here online about a limit switch for the blower but I don't see it in my unit. Where else should I check, no heater and no AC

The limit switch isn't on the control board; it is an external part that is mounted in the plenum above the burners.  Wires run from the control board to the limit switch.

If you also have no heat and no AC, then check that there's 24 volts present on the control board.  Some control boards have a normally closed relay that turns off the fan by pulling their switch open after power is applied.


Nest Thermostat says "delayed" and never turns AC on New Nest, replacing an old thermostat. Image of old setup:

Nest setup:

The Nest says "cooling" with the blue screen for about 1 second, then switches to "delayed", then just shows black with "set" but doesn't cool. The blue screen never comes back.

Pics of the furnace:

Any idea why it wouldn't be cooling? I plugged the old thermostat back in and it's working fine.

I chatted with Nest support. They said to troubleshoot by disconnecting the blue/C wire.
It worked fine after doing this. They said the blue wire probably wasn't properly grounded.
When I asked why it worked with the old thermostat, they said "Traditional and non smart thermostats are not sensitive enough to detect the power and voltage issues. They will only activate the AC or heating - even if there are power issues. Nest thermostat will detect sensitive power and voltage issues and prevent the AC unit or heating unit from turning on to prevent damage to your HVAC system."  Would be nice if the unit would give information though...


What can I use to hang a frameless mirror? I'm looking to hang a mirror on the wall on my bathroom. It weighs about 20 or so lbs. There are no built in hooks on the back of the mirror? What should I use to hang this thing?

At Home Depot (or Lowes) you should be able to find these Spring Loaded Mirror Mounting Clips made specially for hanging a mirror.  They are no where near as big as a j channel and the top two have a small spring inside of them so they kind of grasp the mirror (and snugly fit on the glass).

You put the two without the springs in the bottom and the mirror just sits in them.  Two more (with the springs) added to the top prevent the mirror from falling forward.  Of course it would be best if you can get them into a beam in your wall.  And you will barely notice the clips on the mirror once it is in place.


Hanging heavy mirror on brick wall What size screw or bolt do I need to hang 55lb framed mirror on internal single brick wall? Two fixtures allowed on mirror back. Thanks

"Masonry sleeve anchors" are used by electricians to hang electrical boxes and other equipment on brick/block walls.  They are plenty strong for your need.

Or you could use Tapcons (for performance see shear strength), but I find the sleeve anchors to be more versatile and they are stronger.

Either of those solutions is way strong enough to handle your mirror.


Getting 120v single phase & 240v three phase out of 240v single phase receptical Will the following wiring diagram work? This 240v single phase NEMA L14-30R receptacle is right off the main panel with a 30amp breaker. I want to obtain both 120v single phase and 240v three phase off of this receptacle using 2 separate circuits in which only ONE of the TWO will be used at a time.

The first circuit having a NEMA L14-30P plug will utilize both hot wires and a ground wire, leaving the neutral not connected. It will feed into a VFD (assuming already sized for the application) which will provide 240v three phase.

The second circuit again having a NEMA L14-30P plug will utilize only 1 hot wire, a ground, and neutral leaving the 2nd hot wire not connected. It will then be connected to a 20 amp breaker. From the breaker, it will be connected to a 120v single phase receptacle.

Assuming all wired connections are made properly at both the receptacle & main panel, all wire is the correct guage, and that the VFD & 20amp breaker are in a proper NEMA electric box, will this set up work safely?

I'm sure many will think this is an odd set up (because it is) but I want to have the 240v single phase receptacle as my starting point instead of the main panel. Again, please note the assumptions made.

Thanks for looking at this thread but I would only like answers to my question leaving out the personal comments of why you guys would never do something like this even though it may work.

I do not see where you will have any issue with this arrangement - I am assuming your VFD has a means of control for motor speed ; whether that be a pot on the front, a PID loop control sensor or a PLC connected to it.
Not really something in Home Improvement as most homeowners don't have a VFD .

Since you are not going to use them at the same time - I think your setup will work with out issue.

You might want to look at the VFD specific requirements on grounding and neutrals.. depending on the VFD you might need to do some things different regarding your ground and neutral connections, also if using a PID loop control you might have some specific instructions..

I assume you know this info because you are using a VFD - but maybe not ..if you don't what make and model VFD ?? Yaskawa , Rockwell other ??


Is It Okay to Put Dryer Vent Behind Drywall When Finishing Basement I am planning out a major basement finishing project and would like to seek some guidance on a dryer vent question. I plan on having my dryer vent behind my framed drywall, allowing for 6" of space for the vent between the concrete wall and the framed wall. The vent is five inches. Would this be okay to do?

Thanks!

In general it looks good but what you need to consider is the total length can not be longer than 25' and for every 90° you shall subtract 5ft from the total 25' allowed.

Here are some codes regarding such.

The recommendations outlined below reflect International Residential Code (IRC) SECTION M1502 CLOTHES DRYER EXHAUST guidelines:

M1502.5 Duct construction.

Exhaust ducts shall be constructed of minimum 0.016-inch-thick (0.4 mm) rigid metal ducts, having smooth interior surfaces, with joints running in the direction of air flow. Exhaust ducts shall not be connected with sheet-metal screws or fastening means which extend into the duct.

This means that the flexible, ribbed vents used in the past should no longer be used. They should be noted as a potential fire hazard if observed during an inspection.

M1502.6 Duct length.

The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 25 feet (7,620 mm) from the dryer location to the wall or roof termination. The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 2.5 feet (762 mm) for each 45-degree (0.8 rad) bend, and 5 feet (1,524 mm) for each 90-degree (1.6 rad) bend. The maximum length of the exhaust duct does not include the transition duct.

M1502.2 Duct termination.

Exhaust ducts shall terminate on the outside of the building or shall be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer’s installation instructions. Exhaust ducts shall terminate not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in any direction from openings into buildings. Exhaust duct terminations shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination.

M1502.3 Duct size.

The diameter of the exhaust duct shall be as required by the clothes dryer’s listing and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
Look for the exhaust duct size on the data plate.

M1502.4 Transition ducts.

Transition ducts shall not be concealed within construction. Flexible transition ducts used to connect the dryer to the exhaust duct system shall be limited to single lengths not to exceed 8 feet (2438 mm), and shall be listed and labeled in accordance with UL 2158A.


LED Backlight Strips on TV Causing External Speaker Interference I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post a question like this, but here we go.
I recently purchased some LED strips for some backlight on my TV. Admittedly, these backlights are of the "cheap Amazon purchase" variety (although not the absolute cheapest out there). The LED lights are powered by USB, which I have plugged in to the back of the television.
I also had some old-ish Klipsch speakers (two satellites and a subwoofer) that I decided to try to hook up to the TV as well. The speakers connect to the TV through an 3.5 mm AUX cord. However when the speakers are powered on and connected to the TV, I noticed that there is a high pitched buzzing coming from both satellite speakers. I can make the buzzing stop if I disconnect the LED lights from their USB power. Also, If I connect the LED strips to some USB power source other than the TV, I can have the lights on with no speaker interference. The problem with that however is that then the LED lights are always on - as opposed to when they are powered by the TV USB outlet, in which case the lights only turn on when the TV is powered on. Obviously the latter is much preferable.
And I'm not sure if this is relevant, but the TV and speakers are currently powered by different wall outlets.
Here is the spec sheet for the speakers
Any suggestions?

Chances are that the the USB power and the AUX output of your TV share the same 5V power rail. When you connect the LEDs, you either overwork the power supply or some power modulation from the LEDs makes it's way through the power rails into your audio output.
One thing you could try to decouple the audio output by using a isolation transformer. Something like this perhaps https://www.amazon.com/C2G-40000-Extension-Isolation-Transformer/dp/B0047AKVYO (no endorsement intended, illustration only) .
You should check that LEDs don't draw more power than what your TV USB output is rated for. That would be 2.5W for "old" USB and 4.5W for USB 3.0 and up. If your handy with electronic stuff, there are few things with capacitors and resistors you can try, but that would probably be a better fit for https://electronics.stackexchange.com/


Light fixture is tripping the circuit breaker So my wife purchased an antique light fixture at an antique fair.  It is an old brass chandelier with 6 regular bulbs and 1 small bulb in the center.  The guy that sold it to her said the wiring was perfect and that all the parts were there.  Wait for it...the guy lied...I know this is hard to believe.  Anyway after a long search I found all the necessary parts to put this thing back in working condition.  Unfortunately some of the wiring was bad as well and I had to replace some of the wires.  I did all that work and tested it by temp wiring a plug and plugging it into a socket.  Bingo...it works great and is beautiful.  So then I go to hang it up and as soon as I hard wire it from my dining room ceiling it trips the entire house electricity.  Obviously there is something wrong.  When I put the original light fixture up it works fine...what are some potential issues that could cause this problem?  Thanks in advance.!

Roy

If it trips the breaker right away (within a second or so) then you have a "dead short", which means one of the hot wires is touching a neutral wire or something else that's grounded. You will have to go through to double- and triple-check that the wiring is done properly and there are no stray hot wires.

If the breaker takes longer to trip (it can take up to 20 minutes in some situations) that indicates you have simply overloaded the circuit. Is there more wattage being drawn by the new fixture than the old one?


deck railings: alternatives to 4x4 posts? I'm working on a deck with a lot of level changes. Using 4x4 posts for the railing is undesirable because it'll look rather clunky.

I am wondering if there are any examples someone can point me to where a different, thinner post size is used. I can't seem to find any (possibly because it isn't possible to do it without it being too flimsy). Would a possible alternative be to use multiple, thinner posts? I doubt it as the real problem is people pushing on the railing... Hopefully this question is specific enough to warrant an answer.

Thanks.

Typical wood deck railings are 4x4 posts, 2x4 rails, 2x2 balusters and a 2x6 railing cap on top.  Wood railing is chunky but it needs to be to prevent people falling through it in the event of a accident.  It is not just leaning that is the concern but 1 or 2 200+ lb people failing into the weakest spot (middle of the rail) that it needs to handle.  But when it is done right, stained a nice color, sealed and has quality work, it does look very nice.  You can upgrade the look by having post caps or switching out the wood balusters for metal ones for not much more.

If you want thinner posts you need to switch materials, like metal, but that will probably double your costs.  With metal posts, come metal rails which then require metal balusters.  All this metal requires a metal worker to fabricate offsite and then bring to site for assembly and install.


What can I do to seal up these openings between our cabinets? We recently purchased a home that was built around 2006. We then decided to add a couple of cats and one of them is a kitten.

Apparently there appears to be some unfinished work around our kitchen cabinets, mainly in between the sections, and our kitten was able to climb in.

NOTE: I can reach my hand back in there and it's a completely open space in between the cabinets from what I can tell.

My questions

Are openings as shown below normal with kitchen cabinets?
If not, how should these openings been finished?
What can I do to properly finish these openings?

Images of openings

That isn't "unfinished work". Cabinet makers almost never fill that gap because 1) its size and shape may change when the cabinets are installed, and 2) no one ever sees it (unless they have kittens).

In your shoes I'd get some heavy card stock or rolled sheet metal and cut it to fit. Use carpet tacks, a stapler, or maybe hot glue to mount it to the underside of the cabinet frames. Keep the front edges back 1/4" from the front face of the cabinet to keep it hidden.

I'd guess that kittens won't try as hard as mice would to get in there, so card stock should work and will be easier to handle.


What are these latches at the top and bottom of this window for? Getting a hernia trying to open these windows. I've unlocked them so they're either stuck or I'm doing something mindlessly wrong. Regardless, scratching my head trying to figure out what these latches are for? And the little boxy thing (alarm-related)? TIA for any info

In the second picture, the little thing that pops out (pointed at by the left-hand arrow) is a stop to prevent the window from opening more than about an inch. This way, when the window is open a little, nobody can open the window further from the outside to use it as a way of getting into your house. They can be a bit of a pain to latch down so the window can open further, if you desire to do so, but you push it flat, then slide it to the right and it should latch down, allowing the window to slide past it.
The two other items (pointed at by the arrow in the 1st pic and the right-hand arrow in the second) appear to be the locking mechanism that holds the window closed to prevent it from being opened at all. It appears that you pull down on the finger tab on the top one, and up on the tab on the bottom one, then slide the window open to the left. If these will latch into the open position, then you should be able to open each individually to leave the window unlocked, thus being able to open and close the window at will. They may, however, be spring loaded and require you to pull them both toward the center at the same time in order to open the window.
If these windows are several years old, there may be some of the general crud of life accumulated in them causing them to be a bit sticky and difficult to open. They may require a bit of force to open the catches, and possibly some cleaning.
In the pictures you've provided, it looks like the bottom catch is open, while the top catch is still latched shut.


Does a sub-panel in an outbuilding require a ground wire or rod? My main elect panel in the house has a common neutral/ground bar and not separate bars.  If I run from this panel to a sub panel in a detached pole barn and attach the two hots for 240V and one neutral that is connected to the neutral/ground combination bar in the main panel, am I grounded properly?  Would I also need a ground rod in the pole barn and if so, does it get connected to the neutral bar or is it grounded to the sub panel itself?

Larry, I can relay what is required in our area.  For each and every premise now is allowed one service panel only; thus requiring only three wires to feed.  All other panel on the premise are required to be fed, for the sake of safety, with four wires.  These include two wires as phase conductors, one neutral and one ground. Additionally, all panels that are  located in a separate building require ground rods, no longer just one ground rod but two separated by 6'. In the service panel the neutral and grounding all come together at the neutral bus bar.  The subsequent panels must have all neutrals and grounds separated. Good Luck; PCL


Are there any advantages to installing a 125A subpanel instead of a 100A panel? I noticed that most Square D sub panels are 100 AMPS, but Siemens has one that is 125 AMPs (maybe other brands also, I haven't checked).
Is there any differences I need to know about when I suggest a 100 AMP sub panel versus a 125 AMP (or bigger) sub panel to my electrician?

In this case the more AMPS the less wire he will have to run.

I am thinking about discussing this with him as an alternative to make it easier on him when he rewires my house, since the main panel is almost 50 feet away from the part of the house that needs 80% of the rewiring.

EDIT - The electician is the expert and he would tell or supply you what you need.  The question should really be "mr electrician, do I need a 125 or 100A Sub Panel?  but usually they just supply these for you.

He'll size it according to the what's connected to it and the number of circuits that are off it.

Since you asked about the differences between the sub-panels.  I looked it up and here are the specs of each.

Comparing a 100A and 125A from Seimens.

100A version.

1 Phase, 3 Wire, 120/240VAC
12 Spaces, expandable to 24 circuits maximum with the use of QO tandem breakers
Type 1 Indoor enclosure
with automatic flush adjustment and door
CSA approved for vertical,horizontal or inverted mounting
Lifetime Warranty

125A version.

12 Circuits expandable to 24 (using space-saver breakers)
Certified for use with any combination of full or half module plug-in circuit breakers
Certified for mounting vertical, horizontal or inverted
Suitable for copper or aluminum conductors Rugged construction and reliable performance
-A complete line of accessories give Loadcentres the flexibility to meet application requirements

So it fits the same number of breakers actually.  That suggests that inside the bus bars are a little bit heavier rated (larger) in the 125A version.  Which means:

PRO's: More available power if you need it - e.g. a greater number of higher ampage breakers.  Or a larger number of lower amp ones.  e.g. a configuration might be 4 x 25A breakers + a 15A and 2 x 5A.  - 7 breakers but maxing out the capacity.  You couldn't do this in the 100A version.

CON's: Appears to cost more.

I would suggest unless you can see that you've got a massive load, 100A will be fine.

If you're using your subpanel for a home workshop and you have several high current power tools like a table saw, air compressor, welder etc... then go with a 125A and run lots of circuits for the workshop.  Otherwise, you may just be spending money for no real benefit.

Actually - 125A might be too small for most welders but I'm not familiar enough with the supply power they need so if you're going to run a welder - get that checked out with your electrician.

Ask your electrician what's needed if you'll be the one supplying the parts.


Is it acceptable to use a cut edge against a tapered edge at a drywall joint? I have one 26" wide by 39" long panel left to put up and I stupidly miscalculated my drywall amounts, and I don't have any one piece big enough to cover the whole area. This piece would hit a tapered seam at the top, a wall of the left, and a door jamb on the right, and the floor sill at bottom. Rather than buying a whole new sheet of drywall, Im thinking about just putting in the longest 26" wide piece I have with a tapered edge on top (about 26 x 25) and then putting in one more scrap piece to take it to the bottom. The scrap piece would be butt jointed horizontally to the piece above.

Question, how hard would it be to hide the butt seam? Could I file down the vertical studs a bit to try and create a recess between my 26x25 and my scrap piece? I wouldn't have a ton of room to feather out the mud to the bottom, not sure if the baseboard will help hide the hump.

Almost any larger drywall job will have a few odd cases like that. Good tapers run their butt joints 18" wide or more as a rule. Hiding a tape overlay in that width is not difficult. Use a wide knife or trowel, but keep things thin. Remember that sanding is really only intended to knock down tiny imperfections, not shape the wall.


Lennox gas furnace maintenance I bought brand new Lennox HE natural gas furnace 3 years back. It has been running perfectly. My dealer recommends to do a preventive maintenance because of 3 years time span. I regularly change the filters (Only 3M brand). I live in Southern Ontario, Canada, where temp goes in negative double digits (around -25 C) in winter. Question is does it require any preventive maintenance and what kind of ?

Of course you can do nothing but change the filters but that will affect the reliability and service life of the unit.
There is more to these things than just a filter.  A furnace service usually includes a cleaning of the blower motor, an inspection of the burner and housing for any cracks or leaks (a HUGE safety concern!), inspection of the ignition system, inspection of the thermostat, as well as some other stuff depending on the unit.
Yes, it costs money but so does replacing a furnace prematurely or having the heat go out at the worst possible time and having to pay overtime or holiday rates for an emergency service call.


How can I remove soap and toothbrush holders? What is the safest and least damaging way to remove existing soap and toothbrush holders from drywall? We would like to remove these holders because we do not use them. It seems the previous owner must have glued them to the wall and perhaps this is the proper convention. Is there a way to remove them without damaging the drywall terribly?

If they really are glued to the wall, a heat gun on low might melt the glue enough to get them off. Then heat the remaining glue and scrape it off.


venting dryer into unused lined chimney flue I have vented a gas clothes dryer into an unused terre cotta lined chimney flue in the basement.  The chimney is shared with another lined chimney flue venting the gas hot water heater.  The chimney is 2-1/2 stories high.  My wife worries about this setup and lint buildup in the liner. The dryer dries very well.   Is this an issue?

If you check the dryer installation instructions, you likely will not find any specifications for venting thru the roof. It is generally not recommended. I know my dryer blows a decent amount of lint out the vent. I can't imagine the dryer being able to push the lint out of a 30 foot chimney. I would vent it with rigid duct thru the closest wall.


Can I switch this outlet for a USB outlet? Does anyone know what kind of outlet is this one:

...and can I safely swap it with this one?

Or is there anything power concerns that I should be aware of??

Your existing outlet (NEMA 6-20) is used for 240 volts while your USB/outlet (5-15) is designed for 120 volts. Assuming the 6-20 is correctly wired, you cannot just replace it with the USB outlet. As well as supplying the wrong voltage to anything plugged into it, the USB charger that is built in will probably die, possibly violently!

(The key to knowing that it is for 240 volts is that the right-hand slot is horizontal instead of vertical. The T-slot on the left is for 20 amps and can accept either a 6-15 (15 amp) ot 6-20 (20 amp) plug.)

If you want to use the new outlet in that place, you will need to go into your fuse/breaker box and change the wiring to the outlet to 120 volts.


Unknown shower faucet part I have a leaky shower faucet and was going to check the washer. What am I looking at here in the picture? Can't seem to get this cover off, it appears to be the actual control for the water flow and not the plastic cover, as seen on the other handles. Any help would be appreciated.

That is the chrome inner sleeve from a knob that is now missing its external finned plastic portion.

If it is not pulling off easily (they pull directly off, just like a knob should...) then you may need to use a faucet handle puller to remove it.

Of course there are tricks-of-the-trade, like using penetrating oil and spraying up where the valve-stem splines meet the (probably corroded) sleeve spline and tapping (gently) around the outer part to get it to break away...


Ethernet cable instead of Thermostat wire? I need to pull new wire from my furnace to my thermostat and was wondering if there would be any problems in using an Ethernet cable instead of standard thermostat wiring.

The reason being is I have left over cat6 cable and figured the wire should suffice in place of spending cash on a 4-wire thermostat cable.

fwiw: the run will be approximately 50'.

If the cat6 wiring will suffice, should I use both twisted wires as one? Or just a single wire from each twisted pair? i.e.,

Orange/OrangeWhite to 1 hvac connection
or
Orange to 1 hvac connection

I wouldn't do it. The next poor sod (who may be you) trying to fix something (or perhaps changing the system!) is expecting to find properly colored #18 AWG wire.

Instead they'll find #24 wire in all these weird (to them) colors. You're saving yourself some money now, and making someone else's life difficult down the line.

And of course, if you or someone else later change to a system that requires the #18 wire, then it's got to be ripped out and re-run, which is another pain in the neck for someone.

I advise against doing non-standard things that are going to cause someone extra work in the future!


Can concrete screws or the holes be reused? So we drilled into concrete to bolt down steel bases with several Titen 3/8" x 3" Titen heavy duty Screw Anchor.

I'll be replacing the base, so I will need to remove the screw, remove the base, and then re-bolt the new base to the concrete. I will probably use new screws, but can I reuse the hole? I would be using the same exact screw.

If you look at the information on the manufacturer's web site, they are careful to say not to re-use the fastener, but they do not specifically say not to re-use the hole.

I am a bit surprised and even find it odd that Simpson, whose instructions and product information is usually very thorough, would leave this in a gray area.

I personally would not re-use the hole if you need to rely on these fasteners delivering their rated pullout value.  To be honest, I have used lots of this type of fastener and I find them very convenient to use, but I don't have great confidence in them.
 If you wobble a little when drilling a hole in masonry, it's going to be a little oversized, and that could significantly weaken the hold of this kind of anchor.

If you just need it to resist shear, I would not worry about it.  If pullout strength is critical, you could easily re-drill the hole bigger for use with a different type of anchor.


Water heater overflow outside drain pipe My water heater's overflow outside drain pipe has been running hot water out of it non-stop.  I turned the inflow water valve to the water heater off and the water stopped running.  But what is causing this water to flow out like that?

Since your question says hot water, not steam escaping from overflow, my first thought would be to check for a faulty high pressure relief valve.  This is the cylinder with the little lift switch usually mounted atop the tank with the drain line attached.


Shower base installation: screws through the flange, or not? I'm about to install this acrylic/fiberglass shower base. It's going on top of a wooden subfloor, with 2x4 walls behind it, then tile on the walls. The  instructions that came with the base say to lay down a bed of mortar and set the base on top of it, with the flange right against the studs; they don't say anything about screwing the flange to the studs, but I've seen it done. Would the screws be overkill?

I wouldn't put holes there unless you carefully waterproof them and are 100% sure they won't show. Some panels don't sit down tight on the bottom. You'll also want to be sure not to crack the flange if it's not tight. Use shims if needed.

The mud base, floor caulk and plumbing combined will keep it from moving.


Could you explain this ceiling light wiring? I'm changing an old pendant light into a ceiling light, but I have some difficulty in understanding the current wiring. It is controlled by 2 switches. I've checked typical rose wiring diagram, but it couldn't explain what the current wiring is.

It looks a bit of an unusual setup, but I'll hazard a guess that there is either a further light on the circuit either fed from one of the switches or the power from the circuit is fed in at a switch and feeds on from here to another light (or lights).

(Obviously, you need to verify this, as we can't tell how it's wired from just one photograph).

From left to right, you likely have:

Lamp neutral
Circuit neutral (in / out)
Circuit neutral (out / in)
Circuit live
Live to switch
Switched live
Lamp live

The three core and earth cable (red / yellow / blue) probably comes from the switch. There is probably also another three core and earth running between the switches.

Have a look at the backs of the switches; this might give you more of an idea of where the power feeds to / from.

Usual warning... take care and switch off at the consumer unit before working on the wiring.

If you're unsure at all, you should call in an electrician.


Test outlets to see if knob and tube? (grounded?) Considering a rewire in the future and want to figure out which outlets (and ideally fixtures) are knob and tube. I know many are, some are not. Probably all 2 prong outlets are k&t, possible some 3 prongs are as well.

Is this best done with a multimeter, an outlet tester or something else? What are the steps then? Thanks!

There is no electrical or technical way to tell if a box is wired with K & T. You'd get the same results with old non-grounding NM cable.

The only way is visual. You'd have to open each box and check with your eyes.


What is this crystal on my concrete? My concrete has an old unknown spill which appears in the newly warm moist weather to be forming crystals or hairs. It doesn't have direct water on it, and hasn't been damp recently.

What is the likely cause?

Is this likely to result in damage?

How should I treat the spilled area?

That is Efflorescence.  Harmless, just looks bad.

It's not a spill, just minerals from the concrete crystallizing on the surface of the concrete.  This is very normal and when it is humid, not much can be done about it.  Just wash it off when you notice it.


What is a hacksaw called that has a single, straight handle? I'm in need of a hacksaw like the one on the left in the image link provided. Ideally i need it with six inch or more blade protruding to fit down a pipe.

I have seen one in a store but now cant find another

I believe shopping assistance is off topic for the site, however advise on tools is on topic.

I believe that there is two options that would work for you:

A hand holder for a reciprocating saw blade:

A hand holder for a hacksaw blade, often called a mini hacksaw:


What preparations can I do before I paint the ceiling of my bathroom? I want to paint my bathroom ceiling, but there are some bathroom fixtures that I can't remove and that will be very hard to cover up.

What preparations can I do, and what should I keep in mind when painting? Is there anything I can do to avoid paint splatter on furniture, walls and floors?

My bathroom is shown in the picture below. I can not remove the shower walls, the lights above the mirror or the WC (obviously). (It's possible to remove the shower walls, but I don't want to do it in case I'll mess something up when mounting them back up)

The ceiling is made of drywall (though I don't think it's of any relevance).

Please feel free to edit my grammar / choice of words.

Any home improvement centre sells two essential things for this: painter's tape and plastic sheeting. Buy a thin plastic for the walls, and thicker one for the floor (or, better yet, use drop cloth for the floor). Buy wide painter's tape, it's much easier to use it to attach plastic sheets to walls, shower doors, etc.

Tape and cover everything. There will definitely be splatter, so cover every square inch of every surface. It will take only a half an hour or so, for a bathroom of this size, especially if you have someone to help you to spread and hang the plastic.
Just hang plastic sheets from top of the wall to the floor, completely covering any wall-attached fixtures, etc. Use painter's tape first to tack the sheet to the wall, and then use a long strip to completely cover the area where the wall meets the ceiling. Make sure sheets overlap, so there is complete coverage.

Cover the glass shower walls completely, from both sides. Again, just hang a sheet of plastic on them, attaching it with painter's tape.

Cover the floor completely. Use drop cloth, or thick plastic sheeting. Drop cloth is preferrable as it's not slippery, and will absorb any paint splatter or minor spills.

Pull out potlights' trim. They are usually just spring-loaded, and will go out if you pull a bit. No need to remove the pot lights, and don't cover them completely so they won't overheat, but pull the trim out so you can paint around their holes freely.

Use a brush to paint corners and along the wall border.

Use a pole and a roller to paint the ceiling (and wear a hat, otherwise your hair will be full of paint splatter. Don't ask how I know this).


Why doesn't my doorbell have power at the button? I tried to install a wired doorbell which has a camera. I did some  online research and learned that it requires a transformer and I checked that a transformer is already there by the breaker panel. I started with installing the chime. I switched off the line to doorbell and installed chime. I switched on the power to doorbell from breaker panel and chime sounded “ding-dong” so I assume that I successfully installed the chime.
I then switched off the main power supply to doorbell again and went outside to install new wired doorbell with camera from SimpliSafe. After its installation, I turned on the power button from the breaker panel but this bell doesn’t ring and the bell switch is not receiving power.
I checked with multimeter that there was no power on the outside wire that goes with the doorbell switch despite the power switch for doorbell was on in breaker panel. However, the chime receives enough power.
Is it normal that the chime bell rings when doorbell switch is turned on from breaker panel?
Do you think that my assumption is right that the outside wire is faulted or has no power coming to it and it requires rewiring?
I might have done a wrong installation as well so please advice.
Thanks

It sounds like you've connected the two transformer terminals directly to the two chime terminals. That would cause the chime to sound immediately when the power is turned on, and no power would go to the switch.
The correct wiring looks like a loop or ring connecting the transformer, chime, and switch. See removeandreplace.com.

With your specific cables it could go like this:

At transformer, white wire to one terminal and black wire to the other terminal.
At chime, white wire from transformer goes to chime's transformer terminal. White wire from button goes to chime's front door terminal. Black wire from transformer connects to black wire from from button. Note: black wires do not connect to chime at all.
At button, white wire goes to one terminal of SimpliSafe and black wire goes to the other terminal of SimpliSafe.

Do steps 1 and 2 first, leaving the button wires by the front door disconnected. Turn on power. Touch the bare ends of the button wires to each other. The chime should sound.
After confirming the chime works correctly by touching the wires, turn power off again and do step 3. Then verify the complete system.


Attic Fiberglass safety? So im in my attic installing Cat6 cable in some places. It's a yellow looking insulation (Some is sort of "loose" and some are in sheets, the loose stuff is more white-ish). The House was built in 2002 so there is no asbestos or anything (I'd assume).

Anyways I was handling some of it with my bare hands, (Not a ton) before I realized...wow I should not be doing  that. This is in an attic that's walkable.

Is there any super immediate danger to handling this a little bit (was just pushing some out of the way). I also washed my hands right after.

As far as masks I was wearing a 3M 8200. It seems like this can be used for Fiberglass/Insulation (Unless im wrong). Or do I need to get a different mask?

As far as handling it, is there any certain type of gloves I should be using?

Since I touched it previously, am I in any danger? Is insulation THAT dangerous or is it more-so if you are around it a lot? (My skin seems fine as far as itchiness goes)

Considering your house was built in 2002, the white fluffy stuff is probably blown in cellulose insulation and I suspect zero danger considering the short, limited exposure. But it does have some chemical content:

  In total, the average paper content of cellulose insulation is around
  75-85%. The rest is made up of fire retardant material like boric
  acid, or ammonium sulphate.

I wouldn't want to work with it long term without some skin protection, but any gloves you're comfortable with that allow you reasonable dexterity are surely satisfactory.

The yellow "sheets" you described are likely fiberglass bats. But as far as I know, the worst case for touching those would be some irritation and itching. Possibly a rash in a worst case scenario, but for that I think you'd have to be allergic.

You're smart to wear a mask. Similarly, a few, limited exposures would most likely result in some irritated breathing for a couple days and pose no long term effects. But breathing in the fiberglass dust is your biggest danger here. Your mask is fine for one-project's worth of exposure. But if I were doing several projects up there or working around attic dust as part of my job I'd upgrade the mask to one of those face-muffler-looking-masks, something like the one pictured below.

My opinion is you'll be okay and don't need to worry. And I suspect 9 out of 10 here would probably agree with that sentiment.


Can you paint frosted glass with mirrored paint? I need a full length mirror in my dressing room! My closet doors are frosted can I paint over them with mirror paint?

Nope.

Mirror paint does not work that way. It's not a surface coating, it has to be molecularly smooth and that can't be painted on.

Generally mirror coatings are on the glass itself, and on the backside. The fogged glass has already wrecked the possibility of doing that.   Feel free to obtain actual mirror glass and replace the glass in your cabinets, be careful.


Spa/hot tub A/C pump hums, but does not run When I turn on the power to my hot tub at the breaker, I can hear the relays closing and the pump hums for a short while, but it doesn't turn.

I recently drained and filled my hot tub.  After refilling, I ran the pump for a few minutes to circulate some chemicals, so it was working at the time.  I then turned off the power at the breaker to check something.  Then, when I turned the power back on, the pump wouldn't start.  The control panel lights up.  I can hear the relays click in the control box, and hear a humming for a few seconds (the pump trying to start, maybe, it's hard to tell) then the humming stops.

I read that air in the pump can prevent priming.  However, the pump did run for a few minutes after we refilled the hot tub, so I don't think it's air in the line.  Just to be sure I loosened the outlet connector on the pump and water drained out, in hopes that any air would be released

The control box unit has two fuses labeled pump 1 and pump 2, and I've checked and they're both good.

The pump connects to the control box via a specialized plug, and I'm sure it's well connected.

Maybe the capacitor on the pump went out? As I indicated, it's probably 10 years old. How do you troubleshoot that?
Something jamming the pump from turning? How can you check that?
Anything else?

Update 1  Replaced the capacitor and it ran for a short while but stopped again.  I've removed the pump and will test it on a bench.

Update 2 After pulling the motor out I confirmed that the impeller could be easily turned by hand, so it wasn't jammed.

After pulling the motor out (which required draining the spa and disconnecting the PVC connections) and removing the cover, I found another capacitor. Googling the part number indicates that this is a start capacitor.  It helps the motor start.

The motor also has a capacitor on the outside, and it's the run capacitor.  That's the one that was replaced first.

After replacing the start capacitor, the motor started and is running.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_capacitor

It turns out that Spa/hot rub AC motors like this have both a start and run capacitor, as do blowers on forced air furnaces and air conditioning units.  If an AC motor like this won't start, there's a good chance it's the start capacitor. The start capacitors tend to fail eventually, the run capacitors last much longer, apparently.

My spa motor

Start capacitor

Run capacitor


When installing a three way dimmer switch, does it matter which switch is the dimmer? My grandmother called me the other day to troubleshoot from half way accross the country. She installed a three way dimmer switch in her dinning room at the location most used. It turns the light on and off, but does not dim. It is an incandescent fixture and it has incandescent candelabra lamps. Even as a wireman I have been racking my brain to figure out what else it could be. After reading some other Q&As, I noticed some people suggested that a dimmer should be on the line side, doesn't the power need to go through both switches? And, therefore, shouldn't it dim regardless? I suggested she try to find dimmable bulbs as the first, easiest, and cheapest attempt to solve the issue. If it does matter which side the dimmer is on, would it help at all to have a dimmer on each end?
TIA

I know it sounds pretentious, but it really does depend on what dimmer or set of dimmers or dimmer kit you buy. If you're a wireman you can probably go online to a manufacturer like Lutron and look up a set of specification sheets to help you select a proper dimmer.


How to tile a "wet room" style bathroom? I have 2 rectangular bathroom that are buing built in a wet room style (curbless open shower, drain in blue with all edges sloping towards it, see below). It was already properly sloped and now we were trying to find some small tiles (like 15x15cm or 20x20cm) so that the slope is properly mantained.

So far no luck, I could only find solid color 'pool tiles' in this size, anything "pretty" is in a large format (50x50cm upwards) which would have lots of cuts to follow the slope. Even 30x30cm with minimum cuts would look strange (see below simulation).

Is it ok to use the 'pool tiles'? I don't know if they are ok for bathroom floors and how much slippery they will be.

Simulation 30x30cm tiles on my bathroom:

What I'm trying to avoid at all costs.

If you have a specific tile in mind, and you have seen this in a store, simply try the slipperyness out by making it wet and rubbing on it.

There should be nothing wrong with using a pool tile for a bathroom (except maybe slipperyness), since a bathroom is made waterproof underneath the tiles. If the membrane is intact, you can use any tile meant for wet conditions. If the membrane isn't intact, you need to do the whole thing over and redo it anyway, regardless of your tile choice.

Now, I don't know what tiles you like and find pretty, but at least where I live (Denmark), you can get most tiles in sizes from 5x5 cm and up to 31,5x31,5 cm (and some up to 60x60 cm). Some smaller tiles come in sheets of mosaic tiles on a plastic net.

A qick search on my local stores yielded several mosaic tiles (30x30 cm sheets of 5x5 cm tiles) that were labelled as "not slippery" and generally tiles in all sizes and colours.


Does a small bolt cutter exist which tensions with a wrench? Does anyone know if there a bolt cutter which tensions using a wrench?

The closet I can find is a nut splitter, but it is not really intended for cutting...

Update

I need to cut iron rods (I would prefer to use steel rods, if I can cut them) of 5mm to 10mm in thickness. I have looked at bolt cutters, but the ones I could try out in the shop couldn't open wide enough and is just not handy for me. I am 159cm.

When I search for "hydraulic pliers" it begins to look promising, but all I can find are for cables, which I suppose are for soft metal such as copper and the blades doesn't look to completely close.

With hydraulic it just means how it works internally in the tool. A wrench is still needed for tension, which I also feel more comfortable with safety wise.

Bolt cutters come in many sizes, you may need to shop around to find some that can cut 10mm, simple mechanical bolt cutters for cutting 10mm steel will have handles about a metre long.

Hydraulic cutters are more compact and are operated by pumping the handle several times. each stroke closes the jaws slightly. hydraulic cutters with jaws intended for cutting steel bar are available, but seem much more expensive than the simple type of bolt cutter.


LED light bulb flickering in socket, incandescent works fine I have a couple of outdoor light sockets with built in motion detectors. These seem to work as you'd expect with regular incandescent bulbs- you can set a timer for how long you want them to be on when motion is detected and they light up fine.

When replacing them with LED bulbs however they blink rapidly instead of staying on. I'm not talking about a 50hz buzz or whatever, they completely power off and on rapidly, almost like they are trying to strobe. The blinking is erratic, it will go for 10 seconds then go dark completely, then blink again for varying amounts of time. I see this same behavior with LED bulbs in both of the sockets, which are the same brand and model of motion detector outdoor light sockets.

The bulbs are Verbatim A19 6-Pack Warm White 3000K LED Bulb, Replaces 60W, Non-Dimmable 99072 if that matters.

I want to replace everything in the house with LED, but not sure how to make these two sockets work correctly. Suggestions?

Are these the the type of motion sensors which use the neutral wire?   A motion sensor needs power to work.  Ideally it gets always-hot, and neutral, and then provides a switched-hot to the target bulb. Such a unit should work fine, I use them widely.

However some motion sensors are designed like old school dimmers - they are designed to work in old-style "switch loop" wiring which did not provide a neutral.  They get power by placing themselves in series with the incandescent bulb - they allow a small amount of current to leak through, not enough for the bulb to light.

This totally falls apart with CFLs or LEDs because their switch mode power supplies do not play nice with that scheme.  My suspicion is you have one of these.

You can get new sensor heads that do have neutral wires and attach in the same way (screw into a 1/2" knockout).  I use them widely and they play nice with everything.

Or you can get entirely new sensor/lamp combos which are sealed, since the LED emitter is going to outlive us all.  Some of those are 12V internally, i.e. the sensor runs on 12V as does the LED emitter head.  12V detector heads are much more economical than 120V ones.

Or you can slap an incandescent into one of the lamp positions.  Or a resistor of appropriate size which has the same effect.


Can I take the cover off my fusebox to attach an energy monitor? I have bought an Energy Monitor to track our electricity usage (hard times...).  I now need to put the sensor on one of the cables either next to the fusebox or the meter.  Unfortunately I cannot access any cables surrounding the meter as it is all secured either behind cable protectors or the walls in our flat's lobby.  That leaves me with access to only the fusebox within our flat.

My question is this, I cannot see any cables surrounding the fusebox but I can see two screws on the cover - is it safe to take these off to see if I can access a cable inside to place the sensor around?

I hope this is the right place to ask.  We have lived here for quite a few years but nobody seems to understand our boiler and I would like to track our energy usage as we are on Economy 10 but seem to be using 70% On-peak energy and only 30% Off-peak..even with an economy 10 boiler and the dishwasher/dryer/washing machine etc going on during the off-peak times..  It's almost £200 a month for 2 people in a small flat and we are energy conscious.

I would find some way to attach the measuring clamp around the live feed near the meter.

My house, as many do, has an external wall-box flush-mounted into an external brick wall. It used to look like this

Mine is a bit unusual in that the supply is three-phase rather than the more usual single-phase but the general layout is the same.

At bottom left is the incoming unmetered supply terminated at 100A (230V) supply fuses. You are not permitted to touch these.
Neutral and Live (usually one but three in my case) wires feed the meter.
You can see the after-meter live wire (marked with red tape) disappears off into the wall at top left.

There should always be enough room to attach a current sensing clamp over that wire. The wires are very stiff but you should be able to move them enough to attach a typical clamp around the live wire safely.

Inside my house, on the opposite side of the same wall, is a separate wall-mounted "consumer unit" inside a cupboard. These are often called a fuse-box although these distribution panels now contain miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) rather than fuses.

There is no way to attach a current sensing clamp here and I would advise against opening up the panel to find the incoming live feed. You would need to isolate the supply into the building and there is no facility for householders to do this - I believe you are expected to contact the electricity supply company if you need to isolate anything before the main switch on the consumer unit.

The current-sense clamps supplied with energy monitors are intended to be used in the exterior meter box.


Orange flame on a Rinnai furnace after propane conversion I have just installed a Rinnai hot air direct vent furnace. After converting the appliance to propane, I adjusted the gas pressures  with a manometer according to the manufacturers instructions. The flame is mostly blue with orange at the ends of the flames. I also have a plume of what looks like moisture coming out of the exhaust manifold.
Could I have adjusted the LPG pressure too high? The instructions call for 1.06 in/H2O at low manifold pressure and 3.8 in/H2O at high pressure. Can anyone suggest a solution? Thanks in advance, Jeffrey.

This sounds normal. It sounds like you have the proper air fuel mix and the moisture is normal, I have had almost every home owner call be on a cold morning saying there furnace is smoking, it is actually the moisture and it shows up as a fog on cold mornings , sounds like things are just fine.


Change a outside 220v line from hard wire to a irrigation motor to add plug and receptacle I have an 220v 30 amp connection for my irrigation system which I bring the motor in over the winter. Currently it's hard wired to the motor with the conduit coming up from the ground. I would like to make it easier by adding a plug and receptacle. Thinking of cementing a 4x4 in the ground to attach the receptacle, any issues or tips?

First -- you just need a solid place to attach the box to.  A 4x4 post cemented into the ground in the correct place certainly qualifies! (It also means you won't have one of those disasters where someone nails a conduit-supported outdoor receptacle with a piece of lawn equipment and the conduit breaks, leaving exposed wiring around)

Second, you'll want a weatherproof box (they all have conduit knockouts) and a "while in use" bubble cover as this is a wet location.  (You may need a reducer, though, if your conduit is too big for the weatherproof box to fit onto it.)  Use the same material for the box as the existing conduit -- metal boxes for metal conduit, PVC boxes for plastic conduit.  The box should have holes on it which can be screwed to the 4x4 -- if the hole spacing is too wide for the post, simply use a piece of scrap 2x6 as a mounting-bracket.

Third, you'll be putting a single 6-30R receptacle in this weatherproof box, and using a matching 6-30P plug on the motor's cord.  (NEMA 6 is a 3-wire HOT/HOT/GROUND receptacle -- this is correct for a 240VAC only circuit.)  You may wish to use a L6-30 instead of a straight blade 6-30 here, as well, considering how infrequently this device is being plugged and unplugged.

Finally, make sure there's a small hole in the bottom of the box so that water that does enter can leave promptly (no bigger than a quarter inch).


Why does my whirlpool ice maker make ice, quit for several weeks, then start again? I have a Whirpool side-by-side with an in door ice dispensing system.  I have been having an issue with the ice maker for some time now.  I thought the ice maker was defective because it would make ice for a while then just stop, and a few weeks would go by and it would start making ice again.  So, I replaced the ice maker.  The replacement ice maker is doing the same thing.  It fills the tray with water and freezes it, but won't dump it.  Then all of the sudden it will work for a while, then stop again.  Any ideas about what might be going on?

Refrigerator ice makers are designed to stop when the ice holding receptacle is full. How often do you dispense ice? Are you sure the ice maker has stopped when the receptacle is not full? There is usually some sort of arm that gets raised as the receptacle fills up and when it is high enough, it shuts off the ice maker. Check to see if that arm is working properly.


Once a person has bought a house (not new build) what are things to be done to maintain the house? When we buy a car, we have to check its oil and coolant level and periodically change its filters. Different parts of the car need to be changed as the car ages since some parts have longer lifespan than others e.g alternator belt and brake pads e.t.c. This applies to new cars but more so to old cars.

Now coming to house. A new build house may not need any one to work on it. However, most people will be buying old houses e.g me in UK and old houses can be 50 to 100 years old or maybe even more.

What are things that a person must look out for in a house to keep in well maintained like a car? Assuming the house is a "standard construction" house in south of UK? I am assuming that like a car, there would be a standard list of things here too.

Answering this question fairly would take volumes. In fact, volumes upon volumes upon volumes.

But we all have to start somewhere, so thank you for asking us here. You'll find quite a few of us are enthusiasts, electricians, plumbers, builders, engineers, etc. This StackExchange forum is geared towards a question or a problem for home improvement or repair, but that said, a high level answer is a good start, and your next visit might be one of upgrades vs. repairs!!

Take the Tour: https://diy.stackexchange.com/tour  to get some info on how to get the best results.

A home needs to be protected from the elements, so a sound roof that can carry water off of and away from the house is vital. Windows that close and doors that close, and seal, and keep weather out is vital. Think of the area you are buying all seasons, and decide if things look durable enough for those seasons. Look at neighboring structures and see if this place is "as good" as the rest.

A home also needs proper and functional electrical, water supply, sewer/waste removal. You aren't necessarily going to 'know whats right' but you can certainly tell when something is wrong.  If something breaks, ANYTHING, EVER.... fix it. If you ignore it, it will cost you more money.

For all of the things I listed above, notice that for anything that MOVES (and I do mean anything), pay attention to it it it gets weak, deal with it. If it cracks, or doors and windows dont open and close properly, address it. Be sure to close doors "with a healthy closing" and ensure the entire wall doesn't shake. If it does, it's probably "cheap".

All appliances, and furnace, fans, etc, should be checked regularly. Schedule them for cleanings on their maintenance cycle. You could hire a general contractor to do a walkthrough of your house each year, they would love to sell you something, but chances are, you'll know when something breaks.

Pay attention to creaks, definitely pay attention to drips, wet spots, and slow draining or slow water supply. Pay attention for smells of gas, definitely change filters. Wash your windows.

Always inspect your property after any kind of storm. Look for damages. Get a ladder or someone you trust with a ladder. Wash your windows at each season, and always look at areas that have caulking, or where pipes and wires enter the building.

Trim back trees, cleanout gutters. etc.

When you are shopping for a house, keep a notebook. Make notes of the things you see that scare you! Trust your eyes, your nose, etc. If you think you smell moisutere (mold or mildew), you probably do! Look for water stains and loose fixtures. Write these down, these are all things you someday may experience when you are an owner.

When you get ready to buy, take another walkthrough or two. Bring a friend that thinks they know a lot (preferrably one that does haha). But, Even if they dont - A second pair of eyes and opinions can really help spot issues. Then pay for a home inspection. It doesn't hurt if a freind is a contractor.

Good luck.


Nema 14-50 40A outlet for electric car: one gang box (plastic or metal) and cable size ...code? I'm getting ready to install a nema 14-50 outlet for an electric car/vehicle (EV) and I'm looking at the details. I found out that NEC 2017 section 314.17 talks about enclosures but I'm a bit confused.
The outlet will be in my (attached) garage so it would be indoor. I'm planning to run NM-B cable (AWG 6 or 8, about 15 ft inside drywall) from the breaker box (upstairs) where I'll have it connected to a 40A breaker. I can't do 50A breaker because my SE cable is rated at 75A and the main breaker is 60A. The city permit people had no problem with this when I consulted them. I can use it at night when nothing else is being used.
Do I need a metal box for the outlet? Will attaching the cable to the stud within 8in of the box be required? Am I missing any other details?

Thanks

I'm betting this is a Tesla charger, which draws 40A. You cannot load a 40A breaker at 40A continuously (defined as 3 hours or more), you can only load it to 32A (80%) because technically, a 40A breaker is designed to protect 40A rated conductors, which by code must be sized at 125% of the continuous load. So you need conductors rated for 50A and a 50A breaker, it wasn't a suggestion on their part. If you ran #6 conductors and wanted to protect them with a 40A breaker, technically that would not violate Code, but you are likely to have nuisance tripping of that breaker. That's a nasty surprise to find out about in the morning when you want to drive to work...


We have used Filter sand for construction , Is there a problem in this sand? We have used filter sand to construct our home and for mold we have used trichy sand, The building is almost completer just final Flor is pending, Now many people come to me and say that we are using wrong sand this sand is not so good for construction. Is there anything I can do about this Please do let me know if there is anything.

I had to Google Trichy and filter sand to try to decipher your question.

I'm guessing you mean you are using river sand from the Trichy area (Bangalore, India).  For structural concrete, you should have sand (about 1 mm), gravel (5 to 20 mm), and cement.

If you have sand but no gravel, that is not good.  Gravel but no sand, also not good.

Some sand is dirty, with clay or organic material, and that is not good...but you say filter sand so that should be clean.  Some sand is too round/smooth to make a good bond and some, like crushed coral or pumice, is too soft.

In US we have very specific mix designs, test the sand and gravel, and we break samples of cured concrete to make sure it is as strong as advertised before removing formwork or shoring.

Good luck!


Old Carrier Furnace, 3-Wire Pilot Assembly, Electrode Sparks Continually While it Runs Our 29 year-old Carrier furnace relies on a 3-wire pilot with an intermittent spark igniter. It sparks probably around 30 times before the gas valve opens and the furnace fires up. That's a lot of sparking, and surely not good in and of itself, but the real problem is, it just keeps on sparking continually throughout the cycle, up until exactly the moment when the blower stops.

I would estimate it sparks twice per second throughout the cycle duration, roughly twice as frequent as the sparking that happens prior to the blower coming on.

Please note this furnace does not have a flame sensing rod. This is the bimetal type. Any suggestions on troubleshooting are appreciated.

I experience this exact same problem (sparking throughout the entire cycle) when the 646AX gas valve assembly failed and had to be replaced. No direct replacement was available but the stated equivalent replacement was the EF32CW.

I soon found out that the EF32CW doesn't actually have true separate PICK and HOLD coils -- it just ties the two connections together to energize a single PICK/HOLD coil. Unfortunately that means that the sparking that is supposed to happen only during the PICK phase now occurs throughout the entire HOLD phase.

My kludgy fix was to disconnect the fake PICK input and route the HOLD to the PICK. So the PICK signal only energizes the spark generator while the HOLD opens the PICK/HOLD valve and keeps it open. Works fine...


How to detach box from skirting board I need to get this box off the wall! I started going in-between the box and the skirting board with a knife but the wires (and not knowing where they go inside) worry me.

Any thoughts on how to detach the box easily/safely?

Thanks

I would aim to pry out the top to see how the box is fixed in place, then disassemble the box and, if necessary, rebuild a new one from new wood.

Even replacing cut/damaged 240VAC wires is not an insurmountable obstacle.

Deciding that you are fully prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome is, for me, an important step in raising the necessary motivation to start on a difficult job.

Turn off the main electrical panel first. Take whatever other precautions seem appropriate.

There's a limit to how much damage you can do here. So long as you take some basic precautions. The sky won't fall.


Plunger doesn’t stop all water I put in a pvc linkage and plunger and it’s not stopping the water from draining slowly from tub. I tried all positions on it and same result. I bought a brass setup and cannot get plunger down far enough to put plate back on. At a loss for ideas right now.

I'm willing to bet that it is dirt and grime in the plumbing that is preventing a good seal. I would take out the linkage and plunger and clean out the pipe at least to the length of the plunger unit. There are several ways to do this but it should be mechanical in nature, like scrubbing a dirty pan. Here is one example of a tool that you can buy and you can make one yourself with some stiff wire and a rag. DO NOT lose the rag in the pipe!


How to install half pieces when doing subway tiles When installing a subway tile layout in a shower, how does one install the half pieces that will occur on the ends?  Do you just cut the tile in half, flip it so the flat side is facing towards the corner (and not out) and hope that the grouting hides the flat side of all those pieces?

If you're asking about inside corners, yes. You simply lap the two walls. Normally you'd put the grout line on the wall that is parallel to the most common viewing angle so it's less conspicuous. I tend to use slightly smaller grout lines in that situation to conceal them even more.

If you have any reason to believe you'll get movement at the corner, use caulk instead of grout there.