Hanging swing from back patio roof My  back patio roof is a flat roof with 2x6 rafters which look to be connected to the house using joist hangers.  The far end of the rafters sit on a 4x12 beam.
With the weight of the swing and people, call it 500-600 lbs, is it ok to hang from 2 rafters?
Or is there concern the joist hangers would fail?

2 x 6 joist hangers are rated for a minimum of 400 lbs load at a 45 deg. angle, slightly more at a shallower angle. So two joists should be good for 800 lbs total.
Or if you are concerned, attach a 1" steel pipe across multiple rafters, then attach the swing to the pipe.


How do I remove these wall mount faucet handles for my bathtub that have no screws? I want to update these faucet handles for my bathtub but I cannot seem to figure out how to remove them.

There are no set screws. I think they’re made by Kingston brass. I don’t want to start pulling on  it.

I’m scared to destroy what’s in the background.

Can anyone help me ?

You would pop the metal cover off the top.  Use a jeweler fine flat blade screwdriver to work the edge of the metal cover.


A regular switch+dimmer switch combo for several lights Thanks to recent advances in technology, screwing in a light bulb is a talent I no longer posses.
Consider this set up in the first picture.
Those are ordinary switches at location 1,2,3,4. Switch 2 is to connect to an LED light (3 Dimmable  bulbs , each 6W, ST19, GE, replacement for 60W, see details in picture 3 and 4, I got these from a big box store and it turned out online they are half price!).
I want to replace switch 2 with a dimmer. Is this safe and doable?  Are other modifications needed by code? What is the generic name of product I need to replace switch 1+2?  The current switch-plate on the outside is 4.5" by 4.5". The interior of wallbox is about 3 3/4 wide and 2 7/8 tall.
Some issues came up. Apparently dimming LED lights is a complicated issue. You have to watch out for compatibility. GE website does not list a dimmer for this dimmable bulb of theirs, while it lists it for hundreds of other bulbs!  And Lutron Website, which makes dimmers, does not recognize this bulb either! So I am wondering if I should return the bulbs?

You'll want a LED compatible, multi-way capable dimmer
In your case, you'll want a dimmer that's compatible with dimming Edison-base LED replacements, and also supports multi-way operation.  This is not something you want to cheap out on, or order from Amazon, by the way; your local home improvement/hardware store or electrical supply house should stock at least some of the Lutron, Leviton, Cooper/Eaton, or Legrand dimmer product lines, which all have suitable wallbox dimmers for your application.
(If you were considering something more sophisticated than a straightforward dimmer here, you'll need to provide us with more information, since we don't know how your wallboxes are configured, and sensor dimmers, "smart" dimmers, and some other dimming devices require a neutral reference at the switchbox, which isn't always available.)


Shower pump humming when taps opened, but no flow I've got a Salamander CT50 Twin shower pump that provides pumped hot and cold water to the shower. The hot water output is also piped up to the hot water tap in the bathroom (the cold water tap runs off the mains directly).

We've always had an issue with this pump whereby sometimes when you turn the shower/hot water tap on, the pump will hum but not actually pump and all you get is a trickle coming out from the tap/shower head. If you open and close the tap enough times it will sometimes pick up and work well for a while.

Our setup is similar to the one shown below (taken from the manual):

Rather than their being one pipe connected to the hot water outlet, there are two, with one going to the shower hot water and the other going to the hot water tap in the sink. The other main difference is that the 600mm gap that they recommend is actually more like 400mm.

My own suspicions is this gap is the reason why we are having problems, and that the pump gets filled with air and is unable to prime.

What's the reason for this behaviour? Would buying a negative head pump solve the issue? Alternatively, would placing non-return valves on the outlets of the pump resolve the issue?

Thanks,

Turns out the whole air/negative head/priming thing was a complete red herring. I found the manufacturer's FAQ and in it they state that if the pump is humming then it is likely physically not turning.

So I disassembled the pump and on one side, found that a small retaining spring pin had come loose and had jammed into the impeller, breaking a few of the teeth. Once the pin was put back in its proper place and the pump reassembled, it works again.


Are cheap electric brad nail guns worth it for fixing mouldings? I am thinking of creating some doors out of MDF that will have moldings fixed to their fronts, these will be glued on.  I could try to clamp them somehow until the glue sets, but that sounds like a pain.

Another option is to fix them with small nails until the glue sets, and then fill in the holes – it seems that these days a lot of people are using brad nail guns for this.  Guns sell for between £17 and a few hundred pounds, are the low end models up to the job, or are a hammer and punch a better option?

If the question is 'air powered vs. electric' I'd second Chris's comment.

The electric brad nailers, IMHO, aren't useful for finish work. I bought one to do trim work on a room and threw it out after only getting one wall done. They don't have the power or accuracy that the pneumatic options will give you.

Plus, EVERYONE should own a compressor and a pneumatic gun. They just make doing DIY projects that much more fun! ;)

There is a 3rd option, and that's a cordless gun. They are basically a pneumatic gun that has a mini electric compressor built in. These are more expensive, but the main advantage (other than being cordless) is that they are nice for small jobs where you don't want to get out the heavy compressor and wait for it to fill up just to shoot 6 nails.


What type of wire should I use to feed a 70 ampere subpanel? Finishing a basement and I need to add a subpanel.  Main panel is outside.  Subpanel will be in the basement.  70 Amp breaker in the main to feed the subpanel.  I was thinking THHN but would this mean I need to run the conduit all the way to the subpanel?

Would NM-B be ok?

Edit:  I live in Colorado if that makes any difference and I think the wire size is #6 for THHN and #4 for NM-B.

The wiring will have to be in some form of raceway the entire run. If you're using Non-metallic sheathed cable, the jacket fulfills this requirement. If you're running individual conductors, you'll have to use conduit or some other approved raceway.

As for conductor size. If you can meet all the requirements for using the 90°C column, you'll be able to use 6 AWG copper for the run. However, since you're less than 100 amperes, you're likely going to be using the 60°C column. This means whether you use single conductors or a cable assembly, you're still going to have to use 4 AWG conductors.

NOTES:
 - More information can be found in my answer to this question: What wire gauge do I need for a 100 Amp subpanel at the end of a 60' wire run?

 - After further research, it appears 75°C is common for load center terminals (check your specific equipment to be sure).


Folding garden chair assembly...putting a stud in the wood I bough an wooden garden chair table set from a company called vidaXL. There is one step where a half threaded metal stud needs to be screwed in the wood. The other half of the stud is smooth and cylindrical which will move through the groove to facilitate folding of the chair. But the problem is that the other part of the stud is completely smooth and cylindrical with a rounded head (resembling half of a capsule) and no screw driver or wrench works to make it turn. I haven't tried an adjustable wrench but looks like it will not be enough as there will be enough contact surface. However, is there any better tool to turn it and screw that thing firmly into the wood?

The stud gets screwed into the wood piece by using a tool that grips onto the smooth cylindrical part of the stud. That could be any of the following types of tools:

(Pictures from Irwin Tools web site. Other brands of similar tools available too).

In some cases the stud will be relatively soft steel and the tool could mar the smooth surface of the stud. In this case you can try wrapping a strip of leather around the stud and then use the tool to grip the stud through the leather. A strip of rubber can also be used but I have found the strip of leather to work better for this. The right most type of tool shown above can be adjusted so that it can firmly clamp onto the stud and then be used to turn the stud into the wood piece. The other two will gain grip while you hold the handles together.


Glue to withstand high temperatures I want to glue pieces of wood to a sheet of a plastic-like material. This will then be placed in the oven at 200 degrees celsius. Which glue should I use?

Silicone adhesive will bond to wood and many plastics (and most things).  Most silicone will deal with high temperatures, but there is silicone designed for very high temperatures (for engine gaskets, fireplaces, etc.).  You can find it at auto supply stores, Harbor Freight, most hardware stores, etc.  Examples:

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-oz-rtv-silicone-red-90026.html
http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-High-Temp-Black-Silicone-Gasket?N=5002385+3292638826&rt=rud
https://www.permatex.com/products/gasketing/gasket-makers/permatex-high-temp-red-rtv-silicone-gasket/
https://www.amazon.com/Rutland-500-Degree-Silicone-10-3-Ounce-Cartridge/dp/B000DZBLNC


CO Alarm beeps at 6 AM everyday I've seen a question similar to this before and most answers say its because 6 AM is the coldest time of day, but this is incorrect. In northern climates it's very common for detectors to chirp low battery warnings at night (or when away from a vacation home with the heat turned down) and not during the times when the furnace is set to a warmer temperature. Most, in my experience, don't have the "intelligence" to store a low battery warning and reset it when the battery is changed. It's a continuous voltage monitor and that's it. So is there any other explanation?

Co detectors last about 10 years and most will chirp to indicate an "end of life" senario.


Leaking saddle valve There is a joint of some sort leaking in one of our cold water lines running above the drop ceiling in the basement. Does anyone know what this joint is called, or why it might be leaking? It's leaking from the opening (looks like you could attach a narrow water line to it), and tightening the nut below it didn't seem to help (though I didn't tighten too much for fear of damaging it).

Update: it looks like it's a saddle valve, though the handle is missing. Not sure what to make of that.

Turn the water off, and remove it. Those things are rubbish, and always leak eventually.

If you need a valve there, cut out the damaged section of pipe, and install a proper tee and valve. If you don't need it, cut out the damaged section of pipe and install a coupling.

If you're not an expert solderer, They make push-fit fittings (SharkBite® is the well known brand) that are easy to work with. These fittings are more expensive than typical fittings, but ease of use and not having to buy soldering supplies might make them comparable.


Hot water stops running intermittently When I run the hot water to the bathroom sink, as soon as the water starts to heat up, the tap just stops, and I have to give the top bit a few more turns to get it flowing again. It will then usually stop a couple more times, and I find I have to switch it off then back on again to get it flowing again. Happens every time, but only this tap - the bath tub and the shower, both in the same room, are fine.

I've got a fairly new combi boiler (3 yrs), which is maybe 3 or 4 meters from the problem tap (in another room). The pipes going to the basin are a little wobbly, I'm thinking about zip tying them together to make them more stable.

Any ideas on what could cause this?

Happened to me. The rubber washer fell off the bib screw and blocked the valve when it heated and expanded.

Take it apart and take a look.


What would happen if ground and neutral got mixed up in an outlet? I have conduit (plastic at both ends but I can't confirm no metal conduit somewhere in between) running underground to an outlet in my yard that needed to be replaced. I switched off the breaker and cut the wires from the outlet before realizing that there were 3 individual wires running through the conduit, not 3 wires together. All 3 wires are insulated so the ground isn't a bare copper wire. The green wire SHOULD be the ground but it appears that the little piece that remains attached to the neutral on the outlet is green. What would happen if I mixed up the neutral and the ground? The new outlet is a GFCI for outdoor use.  At the breaker, the ground is bare copper so the wire must be spliced somewhere or jumped off another outlet.

Thank you for your replies. I just added the picture of the original outlet with what appears to have the piece of green wire attached to the white/neutral which is the basis for my concern. Since getting these mixed up creates a safety issue, do you have any suggestions on how to figure out which is which?  I have the breaker turned off for the time being for obvious reasons.

It will cause a lot of safety problems if you do that, but not immediately.  If anything else goes wrong in the circuit, it can have a variety of effects. One example is putting hot voltage on your grounds on that circuit, e.g. Every cover screw, chassis of lamps and machines, etc.

It will immediately trip  GFCI/RCDs and some AFCIs, which might cause a frustrated user to remove them and go unprotected.

Green insulated wire is ground wire.  Ground doesn't need to be insulated, but if it is, it'll be green or green/yellow. That applies internationally, it's the closest there is to a world standard.


How to rectify a heavy door? The following picture shows how one of my very heavy doors got "skewed" in the door opening. The numbers indicate the gaps between the door and the jambs on the sides. The door used to shut perfectly, but now, apparently as a result of the sagging, the strike of the lock no longer catches the latch.
I checked the hinges and they are super tight. In fact, nothing appears to be loose. Can you help me figure out what moved, how to prevent it from getting worse, and how to fix the damage that's already occurred.

Picture of the top hinge. Perhaps it's part of the problem?

Working carpenter; I live with this on a regular basis.
You need long (3") screws in the top hinge. One is adequate, two would be better. That's it. Try to use the holes further away from the hinge barrel.
The underlying reason for this is that the people that hung your door left the short screws in place. (Prehung doors are shipped like this because people would be mad if the hinges didn't have all their screws.)
Oh, and pound the hinge pin down properly on the top hinge. That isn't the root of your problem, but it doesn't help.


Doorknob only turns one way This doorknob when locked spins either direction without opening. When unlocked, it used to work like a normal doorknob but now will only turn counterclockwise. Is there an easy way to fix this so it can again be turned either way to open the door?

If it would previously turn either direction and now does not , this is indicative of either something physically blocking the mechanism inside or needing lubricant. Either way your solution is the same- disassemble and lubricate. Remove the knobs, then remove the latch assembly. Remove any obvious pieces of metal or debris that are present, add a lubricant, work the mechanism, and reassemble.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WX8NG0275R4


Outside Ceiling Fan Problems: Light But No Fan Over the course of the winter, the ceiling fan on my screened-in deck stopped working. The attached light still functions properly, so it is definitely getting electricity, but the fan will not operate. Pulling the cord results in no response whatsoever.

What can I do to try to troubleshoot this further? Is it even worth the time/effort to do so, or is it best to just skip ahead to replacing the entire fan?

There are a couple of things you can try to fix it before thinking about getting a new fan:

All the fans I've seen will make a slight humming noise when they're turned on, whether they're moving or not: if you don't hear that noise, you may not be getting power to the fan.  Turn off the circuit at the service panel, take down the fan from the mount on the ceiling and check all the connections.  Once everything is checked out, remount the fan, turn the circuit on and try again.

Second, does the fan turn easily if you move it by hand?  If it doesn't turn easily, then something is wrong with the mechanics and the motor might burn out trying to turn the fan.  Try spinning it a few times to free up whatever might be sticking; if that doesn't help, then I think it's time for a new fan.


Can I change an orifice to make an R22 evaporator unit compatible with a 410a unit? I have an R-22 system that was never hooked up or run. It was put in place and then the project was put on hold for several years. The outdoor condenser unit is no longer available obviously. We just finally installed a brand new line set and a condenser unit 410a only to realize the orifice doesn't match.  Can I simply get a new orifice to make the 410a condenser unit and the R22 evaporator unit compatible? Both the R22 and the 410a are essentially brand new units - they've never been run. Also have a brand new line set.

The orifice will need to be changed. The question is whether the evaporator is rated for the 410 pressures. In the early days the R22 evaporators could not contain R410, but after 410 came out mfg’s started making heavier coils that could support 410 but R22 was cheaper and we had experience with it so we continued using it even though it was being phased out.

If the evaporator coils are rated for R410 sure go ahead and use it, but as I told another person on this forum today I know of a company that upgraded an old R22 system it worked until a hot day and the evaporator coil exploded causing damage to the air handler and the home having to be evacuated (Freon is heavier than air and can kill especially with a closed up house). The fire department aired out the house but the oil in the air handler, furnace and ducts had to be removed before the home could be occupied because of the smell.

So I would check the model of the evaporator to make sure it has an acceptable pressure rating. If so, change to the appropriate size orifice. This won’t be as efficient of a system as it could be but it can work if the pressure rating is there.


How can I fix a shower faucet valve that is sticky? I have two bathrooms that have been completed in the last year. Both have the same Price Pfister rough-in valve. One is sticky and requires a bit of force to turn on the water (turns on by pulling). It actually has gotten worse over time. The other turns on with a gentle pull of handle. The plumber that installed the sticky one may have pulled out the cartridge and messed it up (rationale: because he messed up other things). I'm wondering if this sounds like something I might be able to fix or should I get a new cartridge? The valve in question is a Pfister 0X9 Brass Single Control.

I would try removing the cartridge and reinstalling it with a small amount of white lithium grease on the stem that connects to the handle. Work the grease in gently with your finger. If that doesn't free it up it was bad manufacturing which happens more often than one might think


Which location would be better for my this type of room to install split air conditioner? I'm from north India. I have to install a split air conditioner (see example). So I'm wondering what location in my room would be better.
My room dimensions are roughly 10 x 12 x 10 (Length x Breadth x Height in feet) and a rough diagram is below:

The window glasses are not permanent (I mean I can open the window glasses).
The space between roof and doors/windows top is about 2 feet.
Now I would like to know which wall would be better for indoor AC unit?
I read a similar answer here, but I quite didn't get it. Especially what the user meant by heat loss and gain.
Further, I've heard people that you should not put AC near Windows or Doors as it will affect cooling. And some say above windows is very good choice. I'm really confused.
Personally, I felt that the red wall would be good place, but I'd give it a little less preference (but still I would like to know your view about it) to it if there's any other better location for it in this room. Because red wall is adjacent to my neighbor's home, so the pipe can't cross that wall. Also, I'd prefer the outdoor unit at roof.
So is there any better location overall?
(Please let me know if any other details are needed)

Heat loss or heat gain is how fixed heating is installed. What that means to keep a uniform temp in the room we put registers under / over windows . Where the outside temp affects the room more.
I don’t find mini splits following this quite as much possibly because there air discharge is 3-5x the area of a fixed vent and the minis usually have active vents that oscillate further turning the air in the room. By conventional setups you might want the mini over the window. Will your mini fit there it has to have room to open you have to clean the filter regularly.
Installing over a window may have you drilling the line set through a header not so easy and the lines and drain go down to the outside unit so now it needs to be off set from the window and that looks out of balance to me I would rather put it on the red wall and use the furniture and visual how it looks to mount it. So heat gain and loss with small fixed registers makes sense but with mini’s that big thing on the wall if not located in a way that it looks balanced it can negatively affect resale later.


What are the possible reasons I am not getting cold air from my air conditioner? my heat pump outside is working but my central air conditioning/heating unit in the garage makes a hissing sound or faint sound of water running. There is air coming from the vents. The very last time I used the heat, about a month ago the same thing happened but when I switched to air conditioning the last month, it worked until now. What are the possible problems?

If all is well with your outside unit, I would double-check your AC coil in the main unit indoors. It could be frozen over and thus not cooling the air. This same exact thing happened to us about 3 weeks ago. We moved into a "new" house (new to us anyways, haha) and not many things were being taken care of well... in simple terms, a freeze-over like this can happen because the coil drain is clogged with dust particles and/or sludge. This means there's no where for the condensate to go and leads to a frozen coil. Hopes this experience can help someone avoid a big maintenance bill in the future!
To fix the issue, use a hair dryer or heat gun to melt the ice away. DO NOT CHIP AWAY at the ice since the coils are very delicate and you could puncture one easily.


Temporary window treatment options? (shades, blinds, curtains) I have a sitting room-turned-guest room, and with summer going into full bore the room brightens up too early in the day for sound sleep. It has become a problem. The room has several large windows currently with translucent cellular shades (I think that's the right term. One piece blinds, corrugated) and they are not dark enough.
What would be a good temporary solution to this problem? I don't want anything permanent fixed on the wall. What kind of curtains or shades or blinds or shutters can be used over the existing cellular shades? There is no protruding window frames. The windows look like these (my shades are thinner and more translucent)

One row of windows rounds a corner like these

If fashion and sophistication aren't high priorities - in other words, if you're primarily interested in function and controlling the cost - dark-colored flat bed sheets are something to consider.
The existing cellular shades probably have some kind of metal box at the top of the window to contain their operating mechanism. If that box happens to be steel then you can use magnets to hang the temporary coverings. Otherwise, you might consider hanging with tension rods or removable adhesive brackets (3M "Command" brand hooks).
You might also consider something solid like a sheet of thin hardboard, foam insulation board, foam core craft board, etc. These have the advantage that they could be painted to match the wall or in other attractive ways. The panels could be trimmed to fit the window opening so that they stay in place without hardware of any kind. They could be easily stowed behind a sofa, in a closet, or elsewhere to get them out of sight during the day.


New washing machine seal rubbing, new spider arm? I just got a new seal for my washing machine off ebay. After I installed it, it ran a few times successfully, but then started rubbing when it is on the high spin speeds. I am wondering if maybe the spider arm or dampers are gone too? The two springs at the top seem fine.
If I put a little dish soap where the drum was rubbing against the seal it seems to run ok for a while.
The washing machine is an idesit iwme126, the washing machine is intregrated and came with the house so unsure of the history of the machine. The old seal was very mouldy which is why I replaced it. Any other info required let me know. I could attach a video of it running if that would help?
How can I diagnose if the spider arm needs replacing?

Checked the bearing by checking if there was any play between the plastic outer drum and metal inner drum, there was play so the bearings are bad


Clean or replace water inlet assembly on LG dishwasher I broke the drain hose of my LG dishwasher (LDS-4821-st) right as the garbage disposal inlet, so I moved the dishwasher out to install a new drain hose assembly. I found the water inlet assembly to have what looks to me mold or something gross in it. I see several videos online on how to remove and replace, but I don’t see anything about cleaning the inside. Can these clear plastic boxes be opened easily, so I can clean it? Or am I just better off replacing?

Not sure how to disassemble that, but I would suggest doing an empty load with a few cups of bleach. Maybe once a month or so. I would assume it is dirty water side and not entering back into the machine during a wash cycle. If so, the mold may not be a huge issue. But try the bleach trick with maybe the hottest setting the machine can do. Do this a few times in a row (I know water waste) but if its not causing any other issues with the machine, i would just run the bleach and monitor it. Why replace it if its not broke!!!


Is this a normal fault mode for an arc fault or what is happening in my wiring to cause my AFCI to trip Sorry for the long preamble.
I'm doing a remodel which involves adding a new guest room which shares a wall with the kitchen.   I remodeled the kitchen a few years ago, so I have a good handle on the wiring there (like seven circuits -- two for small appliances, lighting, dishwasher, disposal, microwave, and one more circuit for miscellany like the fridge, range hood, gas range outlet,  the light in the adjacent laundry).    I ran all new wires for everything, except for the miscellaneous circuit, I used a 12/2 cable from the 80s which looked perfectly good.   Everything has been fine for 5 years.

Now I decide to use the circuit also for the outlets and lights in my new guest room.  Everything is wired up, and everything works great.   But then in preparing for the inspection I went and bought an AFCI since they will require it for that circuit.
AFCI trips.   Crap.

Start debugging.   Disconnect all the new wiring  -- still trips.
Unplug fridge -- still trips.   Unplug range -- still trips.
Disconnect range hood -- still trips.
Disconnect all the wires at the first outlet.   As far as I know, it is a straight shot for the panel to this outlet.   So maybe there really is arcing in the main line from the panel.   But it does not trip.   OK, I'm feeling pretty good at this point because I can add the downstream wiring one at a time.
Reconnect the range hood (without the hood on) -- doesn't trip.
Reconnect the laundry lights and new wirings -- doesn't trip!   That is all the downstream wiring!

Then I switched on the laundry lights -- trips -- just the lights, maybe 50W.
Turn lights off, plug in fridge -- trips.

Basically, I'm forced to conclude that something about the wiring is causing the AFCI to trip -- BUT ONLY when any current is being drawn -- but it doesn't matter by what!

So now the question:
Is this really how an AFCI will trip or how an arc will happen?   Only when there is any current being drawn?    I was assuming that if the wiring is really susceptible to arcing, it would happen just from hot being poorly insulated from ground or neutral.   Why does current need to be drawn??   Is this just about how AFCIs work?

What is the explanation of what is wrong with my wiring and/or how to debug it now?

For everyone's info, and because it could help someone else, here is the actual answer in my case.

While I had connected the white wire coming out of the AFCI to the ground bar, I hadn't connected the neutral from the circuit to the AFCI.   In my case it was because I didn't realize the extra screw terminal was actually there and the documentation wasn't helpful.

Bottom line:   If you install a combination AFCI and connect the hot but not the neutral, it will not pop until there is a load.   After the fact, that actually makes sense.   This is like a ground fault from the AFCI's point of view because it can't see the current going back through its neutral port.


Is it against code to splice wires inside of the load center? So I was working on breaking a tandem 15A single-pole breaker into two 15A single pole breakers, one being a Combination AFCI.  After getting the panel open and moving one circuit to a new, 15A single pole (non-CAFCI), I discovered that my second circuit, the one I want on the CAFCI, has too short of a neutral wire to reach the CAFCI breaker's neutral screw.  It looks to have been shortened to be just long enough to reach the neutral bus bar.

Is it against code to splice/pigtail a new, short piece of romex onto the existing neutral (w/ a wire cap) so I can connect it to the CAFCI's neutral screw?

Edit: Just for completeness, this relates to this question.  I was replacing the AFCI receptacle with a CAFCI breaker, on the advice of an electrician, when I encountered this short neutral wire inside the panel.  The electronics and sensing apparatus inside of an actual CAFCI breaker have been around long enough that most of the kinks have been worked out.  The Leviton AFCI Receptacle, OTOH, is still fairly new and might not be usable in all wiring configurations yet.

National Electrical Code 2011
Chapter 3 Wiring Methods and Materials
Article 312 Cabinets, Cutout Boxes, and Meter Socket Enclosures
I. Installation
312.8 Switch and Overcurrent Device Enclosures with Splices, Taps, and Feed- Through Conductors. The wiring space of enclosures for switches or overcurrent devices
shall be permitted for conductors feeding through, spliced, or tapping
off to other enclosures, switches, or overcurrent devices where all of
the following conditions are met:
(1)   The total of all conductors installed at any cross section of the
wiring space does not exceed 40 percent of the cross-sectional area of
that space.
(2)   The total area of all conductors, splices, and taps installed at
any cross section of the wiring space does not exceed 75 percent of
the cross-sectional area of that space.
(3)   A warning label is applied to the enclosure that identifies the closest            disconnecting means for any feed-through conductors.

This is the applicable code section. It used to say no splices were allowed unless there is enough room. This led many, many folks to simply state "NO splices allowed". They were wrong.
You'd be amazed at what it would physically take to reach that 75% number of fill.
So basically yes, splices are FINE in a breaker panel.


Do I need to overlay plywood on my drop-in tub deck before installing tile backer? I am installing a drop-in tub, and built a platform for it. Do I need to lay down some plywood on top of the framing, to attach the cement backer to (Diamond Back, most likely)? The large expanse on the right side already has plywood because it is a large area.

No, you don't. Doing so could be a way to stiffen and reinforce the framing, but it's not required.

I'd be sure your corner laps are all secure and well supported. The left end in particular concerns me a little--that's a fairly long span for flat lumber. If there's any chance of movement, add framing underneath and screw things together well. Construction adhesive would remove all doubt.

The key is to eliminate movement (flex) under the load of the tub users. (The tub itself shouldn't rest on the deck at all.) If you can see or feel movement under your own weight, it needs work.


Sliding door drapes rod - special rod kit needed, or generic window rod OK? I have a sliding glass door in my master bedroom, which leads out to my backyard. I need to get a replacement drape rod and mounts. Will any window curtain rod kit be suitable, or are there special kits designed for sliding doors?

I ask because I believe generic window rods are mounted into the drywall. Since a sliding door might get more traffic, I'm not sure if this would be strong enough as the drapes will be tugged on more. Also I'm not sure if the clearance that generic window rod kits provide is suitable for a sliding door setup?

Thanks

I had the same issue recently and did not really have much room above the door frame to mount anything aesthetically please to the eye.  What I landed on was this.

My sliding glass door is off my kitchen and into the backyard, so in the spring and summer months it gets more traffic.  The panels easily slide back and forth with ease and putting


Should a ceiling fan on a long rod move when using the pull chain? I installed a 52" ceiling fan in our family room on a 2 foot long downrod. It has a very slight wobble, but nothing of concern since I assumed there would be some wobble due to the length of the rod. However, whenever the pull chain is used on the fan, it tips to the side of the pulling and the rod moves in that direction. The ceilings are sloped and the slot for the downroad "ball" is facing the upward direction of the slope, not the downward direction. This is because the ball will tend to hang down in the direction of the slope.

Is it normal for the fan to "tip" to the direction of the pull chain when it is pulled?

The clevis pin is completely inserted with the cotter pin securely fastened to the clevis pin. Also, both set screws are completely tight. It just seems there is a little play between the motor housing collar where the fan is located and where the downrod is inserted. I looked at the old fan I pulled down that also had a long downrod and it had some play too.

Is this because I am using a longer downrod instead of a shorter downrod?

Fans are mounted in a ball and socket type joint, both to allow them to self level and to allow a slight movement to reduce vibration being transmitted back up through the mounting hardware to the ceiling. Slight shifting when you tug on one side of a pivoted fan is likely not a concern.

Also, 2 foot downrods (of the proper type) are not at all unusual in standard fan setups.


Reasons for fridge light to go out other than bulb I have a GE fridge that looks 10-15 years old.  Recently, the light went out and I thought it was the bulb so I tried to replace it but it wasn't it.  The fridge works fine other than that.

What could be some other reasons the light stopped functioning?

The most obvious thing here is that the switch has ceased to function ... the one which turns the light on and off. The switch is usually activated by use of the door.


What makes a certain fixture burn through bulbs? I have one outdoor fixture that inn which the bulbs burn within two or three months of being installed. This happens with both cfl and incandescent bulbs. Any ideas why this is happening?

The metal tab in the base of the outlet has been pushed down too far (usually by overtightenig a bulb), and no longer makes good contact with the bulb. This causes sparking that gets worse as it gradually burns away the solder blob, and increases wear on the bulb.

You can tell this is happening be examining the base of the failed bulb; there will be a large divot in it.

To fix it, just pull/pry the tab up a bit. Be careful not to to electrocute yourself.


standard European color codes for power cables A search for "standard European color codes for power cables" yields the following information:

European (IEC) Wire Color Codes

Phase 1 - Brown.
Phase 2 - Black.
Phase 3 - Grey.
Neutral - Blue.
Ground - Green with Yellow Stripe.

What is this three phase thing, isn't there supposed to be just two codes for positive and negative, plus an optional neutral or ground? Plus aren't neutral and ground supposed to be the same thing?

I am particularly interested in home wiring.

Thanks.

I gather that you hail from the world of low voltage electronics, breadboard spaghetti and all that 5 volt stuff.  They use the term "GND" or "ground" to refer to Vss, the current return or common, typically the negative in a 5/12V system.  (which actually makes it the current source, but nevermind that.)

Here, we work in AC, because it is transmittable over long distances.  That changes a whole bunch of stuff, also it can kill you.

Equipment Safety Ground

Separate from the power conductors proper, the "positive" and "negative" as you call them (wrongly)...

... we also wrap the entire kaboodle in a metallic safety shield.  This safety shield is not a conductor (meaning: power should never flow through it normally.)  If it does, something is dreadfully wrong, and the goal of the metal is to keep the misguided current flow away from humans.  And also to allow enough current to return to source that it trips circuit protection systems - overcurrent trip devices (circuit breakers) or ground fault detection systems (GFCI/RCD).

What we call "ground" in mains wiring refers to that safety shield.  This is a very different thing than in DC electronics.

AC: blowing your mind twice

Positive and negative are not concepts in mains wiring -- at least not half the time, since it is AC.  AC itself is bizarre idea to understand - why reverse polarity 16.67, 25, 50, 60 or 400 times a second???? Why bother? The generator is barely simpler - slip rings instead of a commutator. The reason is transmissibility.  It goes through transformers without outlandishly expensive M-G sets all over the place.

Of course, being AC, what happens if two feed wires are out of phase?  Hoo boy.  There's a whole science just to syncing two generators (once sync-locked, push-pull forces keep them in sync, except solar, whose digital synthesis can't be pushed).

Mind-blow #2: What if they're out of phase intentionally?   Great for motors -- just like you can't start a bicycle if you're at top dead center, a motor can't start on single-phase without some electromic trickery.  Having 2+ phases means having 2+ cranks so one is always in the power stroke.   There's no point having two phases 180 degrees out of sync with each other - you could swap the two wires and have the same effect.   So a 2-phase system is 90 degrees apart, and takes 4 wires - two for phase A, and two for phase B.  If you drew it on graph paper, thinking of the phase as a vector, it would be a plus sign.

A 3-phase system has each phase 120 degrees apart (or 60 degrees if you also consider mirror "phases".)  Drawn on paper, you could draw it like an asterisk and take 6 wires.  But you could also draw it like a "Y" (wye) or a triangle (delta) -- and now you are down to 4 or even 3 corners!  That's right, you can do  the 3-phase "delta" configuration with only 3 wires.  Now, next time you're out and about, look up at the power poles and what do you see, up there on top?  BINGO.  You see wires in threes.  (you might also see a lightning arrestor wire.)

But you won't see 3-phase in residential unless you're in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia or South America.  There, they deliver 3 phase to your pole, but in a "wye" (4 wire) configuration. Each phase is 230V from neutral.  They only deliver to your house one phase and neutral. So your house sees 230V single-phase.

Some large European houses get 2 or 3 phases delivered to the house, but this is simply to provide more power.  Individual circuits are still songle-phase.  Very heavy-draw appliances like stoves or on-demand water heaters can be wired to spread their load across 2 or 3 phases.  And of course if the homeowner has a serious home machine shop, he will make good use of 3-phase for motors.

What does polarity mean if it's AC?

We don't want the output side of the transformer rattling and floating at crazy voltages.  For instance if there was leakage in the 9600V transformer which serves your neighborhood, it could inadvertantly pull your 230V service up to 9600 volts from earth - which would overwhelm normal wire insulation and kill everyone in the neighborhood.   So the transformer's 230V output is biased (by way of a grounding rod) to keep its voltages from drifting too far from earth potential.  (other than of course their intended voltage).  Often, the bias is done very simply by a grounding strap, so it is a 0 volt bias.  You could have a 3-volt bias if you really wanted to, but 0 is simpler.

In single-phase, you have two wires, and you bias/bond one of them.

Now suddenly the system has a polarity: one wire is biased near ground, and the other one operates at a significant voltage from ground.  Take an Edison style screw-in bulb socket: the easily-touched screw-threaded part of the socket should be which one? The one near earth hopefully!

The one near earth is called the neutral.  In the US, the lawyers call it a "grounded conductor", since it is a conductor, and it is the one that is biased/bonded/pegged near ground.

Neutral is not ground and should never be abused as ground or vice versa.  I'm talking to you, NEMA 10!  Nothing really enforces this except ambulances and RCD/GFCI devices.


Increase size of ceiling joist compromise roof strength? I am in the middle of renovating my home and discovered a major problem in my livingroom. The room is 20 feet by 20 feet (400 sq ft) and the ceiling is built out of 2x4s spaced 24 inch on center. Each joist is built out of 2, 10-12 foot pieces that are sistered together in the middle with only a handful (5-10) of nails. Running perpendicular to the joists, they have 2x4 blocking about every 4 feet. The entire structure has sagged a bit, which caused the plaster to crack. It is not in danger of falling down.

I would like to replace the 2x4s with larger joists, but I am concerned that the increased size joist may put more strain on the rafters. The ceiling joists would be 12 foot 2x12s that are coupled together with steel plating and nails. They would also have hangers (2x4s) attaching them to the collar ties up above which would support the center of the ceiling, similar to what you see in the picture.

I don't have any sagging or cracking of my rafters or roof line at all, even though they are also built from 2x4s spaced 24 inch on center. The span is about 12 feet which is not adequate, but being as they haven't sagged or cracked after 20-30 years, I'm not planning to do anything with that. If it's not broken don't fix it.

The question is, would replacing my 2x4 joists with 2x12 joists put too much load on my roof?

You don't have joists or rafters. You have engineered roof trusses. The bottom chords are 2x4 because that's all that's required for your scenario. They don't span the ceiling themselves. They're part of a rigid structure that's supported by both the top chords and the diagonal truss members. This is typical and has been standard practice since the 1970s with virtually no static failures on record.

Some trusses, in the case of very large spans or girders (which are sometimes doubled or tripled), are designed with 2x6 or 2x8 bottom chords. But for common trusses in modestly-sized homes 2x4 is standard.

The blocking was probably added to support a particular ceiling finish--tiles or wood panels, for example. Unless you have a particular need for more weight-bearing capacity, leave things alone. If you do, consult a licensed engineer who will examine things much more closely than we're able to from one shady photo.


What should I do about a central air duct leaking above my ceiling? My closet ceiling is leaking a brown liquid. Right above it is an air duct for my central air. I think the liquid is dirty or rusty water that has accumulated in the duct. I can hear it dripping inside the duct.

I live in a rented apartment so they will come check it out soon. I would like to know what I can do immediately to alleviate the problem. I have my A/C set to 75 °F-- the temperature outside reaches 90 °F most days. If I shut it off completely, will the leak dry up? Is there anything else I can do?

It sounds like you have a condensation draining problem.  Air conditioners capture a lot of water from the air.  Most of the time A/C water leaks are caused by a problem draining this condensation.  Stopping the a/c will stop the condensation, and eventually (depending on how much water is backed-up) the unit will stop leaking.


3 prong to 4 prong dryer cord change My 2 year old whirlpool dryer has a 3 prong cord. My new house has a 4 prong. The dryer doesn't have a spot for 4 wires. The ground wire coming from the dryer is attached to the dryer itself. A new 4 pronged dryer cord has white, red, black, and green wires. Maybe the green wire hooks to the ground screw with the one coming from the dryer?

If you can remove the existing grounding wire from the grounding screw, then do that and connect your 4-prong's grounding wire to the screw.

I initially misunderstood your explanation of the existing grounding wire. If this is a wire coming from inside the dryer, then you'll likely need to connect it to the neutral lug once you've connected to the grounding screw a suitable ground from your new 4 prong cable. As said in a comment, your best bet is to consult the dryer's manual to verify this is the correct action for this step.


Well pump isn't functioning after chlorination shutdown We had to bleach our well, and we turned off the the power to the pump overnight. After letting the chlorinated lines set for about 12 hours, I flipped the breaker to the pump to drain the lines. Unfortunately, nothing drained from the lines and I realized something was not working.

I checked the pressure in the well tank, it is fine. I checked the pressure gauge on the pressure switch. It reads 0. I tested the pressure switch circuit and power is hot on both the source and load side. Does this mean the pump is receiving power but not working?

When I have had submersible pumps fail they have always tripped the overload or breaker. If you have a pump controller the start capacitors may be bad but this usually blows a fuse in the controller and you would not have power on both legs if 240V. Try turning the pump power off for 30 minutes if it is over heated it may reset if it has a thermal overload on the pump. Then try toggling the power on and off several times to get the pump to try and start. If it starts you should be prepared to replace the pump because once they start failing to start with good capacitors (if it has them) it wont last long.


How to get rid of a few mosquitoes/gnats that constantly sneak in? I live in an older house, a duplex. I constantly see a few mosquitoes or gnats sneaking in and biting me at night. It's really annoying. It is mainly on the bottom floor, where the A/C vents go to the basement where I imagine they are getting in from.

Is there any special remedy or something to maybe block them off or find the source of how they are getting in?

Any ideas?

Beyond visual inspection to find obvious holes, you can do a blower door test to find the source of leaks. I had one done as part of an energy audit (rebate program the government was running). You should be able to find an inspector in your area that offers this service, rent the equipment, or even just rig up something yourself (since you're not really concerned with measuring the actual loss, or comparing before/after numbers, just finding the leaks).

Basically, you shut all the doors/windows in your house, and then seal up one door with a big fan blowing out, and then turn it on. You'll be able to clearly feel any drafts where there are openings in your house.

Once you identify leakage, you can determine the best way to seal it up. Caulk and expanding foam are two very good options, and weather stripping for windows and doors can work well.

Some common sources of leaks:

windows/doors
electrical outlets (in exterior walls)
vents
attic entrances
openings for pipes and wires.

Another benefit, aside from sealing out bugs, this will also increase the energy efficiency of your home and reduce your heating/cooling costs.


Replacing dimmer switch w/ conventional I'm replacing my current lighting with a new fan. The existing light was attached to a dimmer switch, and I'm putting in a conventional switch since a dimmer would damage the fan. I opened up the old switch and inside is a red and two blacks joined together and attached to the switch. The existing light has two cables going to it, each with a black, white, bare copper, and one cable has a red.  The red is connected to one side of the light wiring, the whites are bloomed together and to the other side, and the blacks are joined together. Bares are joined and pigtails to the box.

I'm not sure if the excess wiring had to do with the dimmer or what, but the new fan only calls for one supply, neutral, and ground.

Not sure how to proceed. Thanks!

Make sure you install a proper fan support junction box that attaches firmly to nearby joists.  A regular lamp ceiling box cannot handle the dynamic loads (vibration etc.) of a fan.  An "old work" ceiling light box that merely clips to the drywall would be totally inappropriate. Drywall has no real strength.

I don't know whether power comes into the switch box and onward from the fan; or into the fan and onward from the switch box.  Regardless, the wiring is the same.  Also, it's a rare situation where all wire colors match their purpose, so color coding does work here.

All grounds are tied together. Each device gets a ground pigtail, i.e. there's a wirenut in the box joining all the grounds.
All neutrals are tied together.  Each device that needs neutral (the fan) gets a pigtail.
Black is "always-hot" in all cases, and all blacks are tied together.  Each device that needs always-hot (the switch) gets a pigtail.
Red is "switched-hot".  One end goes to the switch.  The other end goes to the fan as its "hot" wire (typically wirenutted to a black wire on the load).


Critical temperature what a family house's average thermal energy storage can ride out? Lets say average family house was built with brick (EU).

We know that brick has a good mass of thermal energy storage.

So in the night, when it is colder, it can store lower temperature thanks to its mass.

During daytime on summer, when it is horribly hot outside, it can still give lower temperatures, stored from the night.

But with this climate change, maybe things are getting warmer and warmer. Ex.: 35-40 Celsius in the shade.

I am not thinking of precise answer regarding exact temperatures, but an about average, that in theory, is it possible or not.

->

So the question: could it get so hot outside, that building buildings based on great mass will be the past?

So a building, what is in a very hot area (and cold on winter, like -2 Celsius average) shouldn't have great mass, rather very-very-very-VERY good insulation and air tightness?

I think when it is hot for several days, the great mass is not enough to survive.

When a person builds a building with brick (say, in 1890), they are not engineering the building for thermal management. They are using brick because it is cheap, durable, and holds up the roof.

While the brick could be a thermal management asset, it is only by dumb luck.  If you want more effectiveness, you need to actively engineer for it.

Right now, when the sun goes down, the brick radiates its heat in both directions - into your house and out of your house.  It actually does the second one better, since it's in direct contact with outside.  After the brick cools down, it then becomes a conduit to draw your expensive interior heat to the outside.  So while it is thermal storage, it is also a thermal pipe.

What you need is for the thermal storage to last longer and stop being a pipe.  The best way to do that is put insulation outside the thermal mass.  In other words, wrap your building with insulation.

And then, add either active piping (solar thermal, ground source etc.) or passive solar design (well-aimed windows with summer shading, however, it doesn't sound like you're building a new house).


How would I go about grounding this light switch? I am trying to replace a light switch (so it's white and matchs the room, it still works) but the switch in this room is not grounded (there is no ground screw, it's an older switch). There are two ground wires, which as I understand, one goes to the fixture and one comes from supply ( something like that). The wires were capped together.

The two bare wires in the box should be twisted together along with another short bare wire (about 4 - 6") called a pigtail, and capped with a wire nut. The other end of the pigtail should be attached to the grounding screw, shown in the picture, on the strap of the switch.


Adding a ceiling fan single switch in a box with 3 way switch in older house Sometimes I love our house and sometimes I don't..and many times I don't when I am trying to do some electrical because it is not at all straight-forward.

House was built in 1943, has older silver colored braided insulated wire with 2 wires in it, 1 black and 1 white.

I have done a bunch of work on electrical, replacing when I am able and it is needed, and running new circuits. A couple of summers ago I installed a new 40 panel box. Everything is working well.

So I am trying to add a ceiling fan to our living room. I ran a new 12/2 wire from fan to a newly converted (single to double) box on the wall. The other switch in the box is a 3 way switch that actually switches an outlet on and off and has 1 partner switch on opposite wall.

First issue: For whatever reason, some of the old wire is reversed and some is not. What I mean is, where normally black is hot and white is neutral this particular 3 way switch is indicating white as the hot and black being neutral. Well, let me take a step back. The switch I am referring to has 3 wires connected, a white to the top brass screw, and black to the bottom dark screw, and then a red on the other brass screw. When using a non-contact, I am getting white reading as hot and nothing on the black unless the switch is in the opposite position (in which case both white and black are reading as hot). When I disconnect completely from switch, only the white hits as hot.

So, the fan that I am adding is going to go on a single pole switch so how exactly should I approach connecting this? I know there are a couple of ways. I was thinking of just connecting the black coming from the fan (which is hot for the fan) to the switch and then connecting a single length of wire as a jumper between the hot on this switch and the 3-way switch. Is this proper?

Finally, I have no idea what to do with the neutral coming from the fan in this situation. Which wire do I need to connect this to? I know it is the neutral and am unsure how to handle this situation when connecting to 3 way switch.

Here is a diagram:

You don't have a neutral at the switch. White is a traveler, and should be marked in some way to indicate that it is not a neutral (but is likely not marked). Red is the other traveler, and black is common (either attached to power or the light, depending on which switch it is). Multiway Switching can be confusing, and is the subject of many questions on this site.

This is likely what the circuit looks like

You're describing the wiring at switch 2, where the black wire is only "hot" when both switches are in the proper state (both up, or both down. Unless one is installed upside down). When the switches are toggled, one of the travelers between them will be energized.


How can I restore old, brass coated door hardware? I have some old (ca. 1906) door hardware. Some parts seem to be solid brass, but others are probably coated iron or some other magnetic metal. They were covered in some layers of paint, which I removed by letting it cook for about 1 hour in a mixture of water and NaHCO3 (baking soda in the US).
In the end, I'd like to end up with a matte brass look, quite like the key hole cover of the upper panel in the picture. Which products and/or techniques could be used to achieve that? If it turns out that the brass coating on the main frame can't be restored, how could I apply a new one?
(If you recommend a specific product, could you also post it's main ingredient so that I can find the analog in my country if that product should not be available here?)
Picture:

I would use a wire brush to clean them. Take a magnet and find if they are brass or plated steel , then you can be aggressive with the brush if they are solid brass.  New brass plating could only be applied by a sophisticated commercial shop; It requires plating with two metals ( copper and zinc) at the same time.


Waterproof front lip of shower pan that is beveled for entry? I have a 36" x 60" pre-formed fiberglass/acrylic showerpan in white color.  I have had an issue come up that I thought would not be so big of deal but now I can see it is.  3 of the sides of the pan have that lip that your tile/tile board can overlap.  However the entire 60" front of the pan has no lip there! This is typical if you have the whole front open to a shower curtain or maybe glass but I only have 30" open and 30" is going to have a wall infront of the shower pan.  I know that I can install tile and use silicone to seal that lip and then maybe grout down to the base itself to provide durability to the silicone behind it, BUT, I am worried for the long term life of the seal.  Surely there is a better way?

The only two ideas I can come up with are 1.) A rubber gasket that will make a seal between tile and shower base lip, rubber meaning it's durable, will not rot, somewhat decent looking, etc. 2.) Some kind of acrylic mix that I can "form" a permanent lip for my tile to lay over.  If this product exists please link it from an online source! Locally I can not find it.  I was picturing something like bondo, but I do not believe bondo works with high moisture long-term.

If you caulk the hell out of the bottom edge, and construct the wall so it doesn't move relative to the shower base, then you should be fine. A rubber gasket will probably be less effective than caulk, since caulk can be made to fit any shape of crevice.

Do not put grout in the line between tile and base, use caulk instead. Same goes for the corner seams between the walls. Many grout manufacturers also make caulk that matches their grout colors, so the transition will be invisible. Caulk is flexible, so it can handle slight movement without cracking.


Is it safe to daisy-chain power bars (power strips)? So, is it safe to plug a power bar in to another power bar that is connected to a power source? I don't really want to try it, as if it is unsafe, then I don't really want to try it.

Yes but only if the total power drawn is less than the rated capacity of the source and the ratings of the power bars.

So you cannot exceed the power rating of source, bar 1 or bar 2.

I thought this was worth a diagram:

I assumed 15A just as an example, respect the ratings and regulations for your locality. I also assumed all bars and source are rated at 15A...

If bar 1 is only rated at 10A then that is the limit so the bottom 3 examples will have to change so that the bar 2 uses less...


Wall stud in the way of vent hood exhaust So I am in the midst of hanging a new vent hood in my kitchen and as luck would have it there is a stud nearly centered on where the vent hood exhaust needs to be.

Looking for advice on the best way to proceed.

up is not an option as the house is 2 stories
at best there is 3.5" on either side of the stud
the manual warns against using anything smaller than 6.2" Duct (not sure if that suggestion can be ignored)

My best idea at this point is to cut the stud...but I am not really sure how I would get it cut.

If you don't want to cut the stud, install 2 rectangular ducts on each side of the stud and split the original duct into two. if the two rectangular ducts have a combined area greater than that circular one, you wont have issues with flow restriction.


Connect neutrals together in 3-gang box (load side) with 3x 3-way switches? I have 2x 3-gang boxes, each with 3x 3-way switches in each box.  All are on the same 15A breaker.

I have wired them together and I'm just connecting the switches now.  I have:

                 --------              ---------
BREAKER --14/2-- |3x-3WAY| --3x14/3-- |3x 3-WAY| ---3x14/2-- LIGHTS
                 ---------             ---------

The 3-gang boxes are connected with 3 runs of 14/3 cable.

My question is: should I splice the neutrals together (and the grounds) at the second 3-gang box (load side)?  It seems like it doesn't matter, since they could just as well be going to 3x 1-gang boxes on the load side in which case they would NOT be connected.

To clarify - I'm not asking if I should connect neutral to ground (I know I shouldn't do that).  I'm asking if I should connect all the neutrals together and pigtail off that or just treat each switch independently on the load side.

Is there a standard way to do it?

Neutral is not ground

Neutral is the normal path of current return.  Ground is an emergency path,  only used if something is seriously wrong (in lieu of sending power through a human, and it helps to get breaker to trip).  Because of that, it's OK to spiderweb all grounds to each other.  This should never be done with neutral.

Currents must be equal in each cable or conduit

Because AC current in wires causes AC magnetism, and the wires' magnetism must cancel each other out.  If it doesn't, it will cause eddy current heating, and noise/vibration leading to fatigue, breakage and arcing, both of which can start fires.

It's a lot to sort out. Mark the wires.

They sell 5-packs of colored electrical tape for about $5 at the hardware store.  Typically blue red yellow green white.

So you might do something like this in box 1

and this in box 2

*The neutrals will be a wire from each cable that need be wire-nutted; I simply didn't bother drawing the wire nuts.

Note how the 2 travelers are color coded the same.  That is because there is no need to distinguish travelers from each other.

I also spiraled the travelers' markings quite some distance, but the switched-hot only the width of the tape.

Now that looks super clear on the drawing, however in the box, things may be so confusing you need to mark the neutrals too. But you cannot use red, yellow or blue (hot colors) on a neutral wire, or you will inadvertently redefine it as a "hot" wire, which is wrong.  White, gray and green don't have that problem.  They won't redefine a hot because you're not allowed to redefine a hot to a neutral or ground.  White and gray are neutral colors, and green won't redefine a neutral to ground, because that's not allowed either.  So brace for an argument with the inspector, but I say using white, gray or green on both hot and neutral does not change the purpose of the wire, therefore is only marking for identification.


What bracing is appropriate for this shelving? I've built a work bench by modifying some plans I found, and one part of the modification involved installing a shelf.  The bench is 8' long, stable and solid, and I used 4x4x6 uprights in the back corners to mount the shelf onto.
To keep the shelf from flexing I used 2 2"x6"x8' as stringers between the 4x4s and attached the shelf ( 12"w 1/2" maple) to the bottom of one of the stringers with countersunk 2" #8 Robertson screws spaced every 12".
My question is: should I further brace this shelf considering the maximum load on it will likely be less than 100#?  My suspicion is that I should install 3 triangular braces, one at each end and one in the center to prevent any sagging.
Edit: Here's the updated picture with both upper and lower.  The curve in the small shelf is illusory, just need to touch it up with the router when I bullnose the front of the bench.

I agree, you should use some "L" shelf brackets UNDER the shelves to the vertical supports. There are many you can chose from, but even the cheap gray 10 inch ones would work fine. Remember, if you use 3 supports, the load is divided, so each bracket will only be holding apx 1/2 of the load resting between two supports.  If you mount them over the shelf, rather than under the shelf, the load will be supported only by the mounting screws rather than transferring the load to the upright post, for that reason, I'd stick with mounting them under the shelf.  Your shelf as pictured without braces will most likely split at the line where the mounting screws are, as the grain of the wood follows that direction.

BTW, nice workbench!  Good luck


Verify existing torque on tightened bolt using a torque wrench I have a couple of already counterclockwisely tightened bolts and would like to know how much they're torqued to in the first place. I know they're torque to at least 25Nm but how much more I don't know.

I have a torque wrench (3/8" drive), and wonder if I could start with 25Nm and incrementally set (2Nm increment per step) and verify the torque by seeing when the bolt can be lossened by turning the torque wrench clockwise.

Does this method give a good enough approximation as decide by the size of each incremental step?

This is deceptively hard to test.

When torque is specified for a fastener, it's really the torque that should be applied when the fastener is installed.

Your test, which I believe is called a "first movement test" - creeping up on the torque until the fastener moves - tests how much torque it takes to make it tighter right now.  You might naturally assume that it will first move when you first exceed the torque applied when it was installed.  However that's not generally true for a number of reasons - the deformation of the parts upon installation, adhesion developing on the threads (corrosion or otherwise), the effect of static versus dynamic friction, etc. etc.


How to make attic easier to traverse? My attic is a maze of wires, air ducts and PVC water pipes. I went just one room over from the attic entrance and it took me a solid 30 minutes just to go there and back. Would it be unreasonable to add some sort of pathway up there to make it easier to get around? And what do you recommend.  My main concern is to reduce how much time I (or anyone) has to spend up there working. I live in Florida and the attic gets super hot. My second concern is about accidentally breaking pressurized PVC water lines that are all over the place.
It's a wood truss roof. There's lots of ridges/valleys and differences in ceiling height. So in the attic you will run into a 'wall' where the ceiling on the room below is much higher than the one next to it.  It seems like almost all of the floor places that would be good to walk are obstructed with wires/ducts. There's a lot of space above that high in the air.

Looking at the first picture, the maximum width beneath the horizontal pipes and above the wiring is ~2 feet.
The air conditioner is ~14 feet long. To get into the area on the left I've just been walking all the way around the unit to the right. You come into other obstacles when you get on the other side of the machine tho.
Measured the temperature in the attic today at 1:30PM. Today was a mostly overcast day with rain. High temp is 110F. Low temp near edges of the attic on the floor was ~87F.

Update:
After adding some boards in a few strategic locations it only takes maybe 1 minute to travel the distance that used to take 10-15 since now I don't have to worry about stepping/falling through drywall in a few strategic places (like turning tight corners with no room to stand).

I live in Florida too so I know exactly what you mean about hot attics. I had the same problem except for the pvc water pipes. I put up a number of 2 by 8 feet of 3/4 inch plywood on the rafters. Where it was possible to move over some of the cables, I did it. where I couldn't move them, I took some 2x4's, notched them for the wires to go thru and put them over the rafters and then plywood on top, like a false floor. You do not want to notch your rafter. No matter what you do, your time will be limited just because of the heat. You have to make sure you don't get dehydrated. The last thing you want to happen is be back there working and start to get dizzy and then take 30 minutes to get out....been there, done that, not fun.


Possible to salvage bowed sandstone slabs for porch steps? Are there are any techniques to flatten out bowed sandstone slabs in a relatively short period of time (e.g. laying them out in a flat spot of the driveway and keeping them wet for a few weeks)? Or, would I be looking at high potential for cracking and/or years of weathering to undo the years it took to get them to bow in the first place? None of my Google searches have turned up any results with related discussions or theory on how to correct for bowing in sandstone (I mostly get hits on flattening sharpening stones by grinding them down or straightening bowed wood).

Background:

I have sandstone steps supported by brick (above grade, cinderblock for the foundation below grade) that are original to my 1950's home.

Since no one seems to even believe it's possible to have warped sandstone slabs, my hopes that there will be tips on how to salvage these slabs have diminished. Below are pictures of the warped sandstone slabs with (the bottom slab is shown in reference to a straight piece of 1 1/4" EMT with close up measurements to show that the slab is still approximately 2 1/4" at the edges and the middle with a roughly 1/4" bow):

The brickwork has been patched poorly over the years by previous owner(s) and as a result, the 2 1/4" x 16" x 72" sandstone slabs that are the surface of the steps have been unsupported in the center at different points in time and have significant U-shaped bowing (about 1/2" difference between the lowest point in the center compared to the outer edges in the top slab with the worst bowing). As you can see, the rest of the steps are also in rough shape and I have them blocked off with caution tape until I can get them structurally sound again. I am hoping to reuse the slabs if possible as part of the step rebuild if it can be done easily by a home owner and in a relatively short period of time (maximum of a month or two).

"Itacolumite is a naturally occurring porous, yellow sandstone that is flexible when cut into thin strips." –Wiki

"Most of the known flexible rocks are also fine-grained; in some cases they are said to lose their flexibility after being dried for some time, probably because of the hardening of some interstitial substance, but many specimens kept in a dry atmosphere for years retain this property in a high degree." Can A Rock Bend? –geocaching.com

I think you're on to something with getting it wet, but I've no idea how long it might take to straighten; probably long enough that you'd need new stairs in the interim anyway.

Shore them up as best as possible and use a 20 amp grinder with a diamond wheel to flatten them? Sounds like a lot of work... but sandstone is awfully soft.

Really though, if they're all off by exactly the same amount, then danger is minimal IMO. Grinding them down will ruin their patina, so from an esthetic view point, I'd leave them alone after shoring them. That's assuming that walking up and down them doesn't feel funny, and that they're all true to each other heightwise within 3/8 of an inch at any given point.

I'd prefer you put your efforts into installing railings. Hopefully that's part of your rebuild plan. If you have to move them make sure you have help and that you both choke-up on it so that they don't crack in half under their own weight when you pick them up.


How can I mount a keyboard tray under my hollow desk? I went to mount a keyboard tray underneath my desk, and discovered that the desktop was hollow (despite what the sales guy said... Guess I should have trusted my instincts).

The desktop piece is a hair over 3/4" thick.

The tray is intended to mount with 3/4" long screws (these don't quite break the surface when the mounting bracket is factored in), but there isn't enough material inside the shell of the desk for the screws to grip on to.

Looking online, the best I could find was someone with a different type of desk finding some studs inside the desktop. I'm in the process of getting my hands on a stud finder to check on this, but for now I'm assuming it won't be an option.

A friend suggested pushing a bolt down from the top of the desk, with a washer above the desk to help distribute the weight. I'm okay with the bolts disturbing the surface of the desktop (it'd be outside my work area), but I'm not sure of the aesthetics. I'd also like some idea of how well this would work before drilling more holes in the desk.

An ideal solution would be something that I could insert into the interior space of the desk for the original mounting screws to attach to. But I'm not sure that such a thing exists, or that it would work in this case.

I'm also open to other suggestions.

Note: Apologies for not including a photo. I just wasn't sure what to take a photo of. If there's anything that needs clarification in the above, please let me know.

There is usually some structure around the perimeter of hollow panels.  You could either:

span the distance with 3/4 material (1x3 or 4) front to back, where you could glue and screw.  You can then install the tray to the "runners".  You could miter a third piece to make it look a bit more attractive (end-grain-haters)
Span the underside with a piece of plywood glued up. Even 1/2" ply has a lot of screw holding power.  Attach tray as above.


How to figure out if regulation allows imported fuses that are higher quality than what is legally required, but is not readily accessible? I live in Hong Kong and they kind of adopted British electrical standards.

I said "kind of" because they only use Class C (Commercial) MCB; Class B cannot be bought locally. I asked around and they all look at me like I have 2 heads.

The effect of this, based on product specification, is that over-current protection is not as sensitive. This also affects the RCBO protection because they are also rated for Commercial uses (less sensitive; takes more current to trip).

How do I figure out if I can install proper B class residential MCB and RCBO so that it is safer?

Type B only affects the magnetic-trip overcurrent portion of the breaker, designed for detecting short circuits. It doesn't affect the RCD part of the RCBO, or the thermal part of the MCB.

Using Type C breakers is fine unless you have such a long run of thin cable that there isn't enough fault current available to trip it at the far end. Hong Kong codes should force using either a smaller breaker or type B breaker in these cases, but usually volt drop will cause people to use a smaller breaker first.

Using a type B makes you more likely to suffer nuisance trips from motors starting, inrush current from switchmode power supplies (turning on a bank of LED lights can be a serious issue for this), and other similar issues.

Unless you have circuits over 50m in length, according to my copy of AS/NZS3000 which is likely similar to your rules, in most cases Type C is fine.

Commercial vs residential doesn't play into it.

I can't comment specifically on Hong Kong code.


Do I need to use molly/toggle bolts to mount an over the range microwave if I can attach the mounting bracket to studs? I recently bought a used KitchenAid microwave (model khmc1857wss0) and have been watching videos on how to mount it. Some videos have them using toggle bolts to mount it, others just screw it into the studs and potentially use drywall anchors for a few extra support holes. Given the weight of the microwave, would it be safe to not use toggle bolts so long as I can drill the mounting bracket into studs?

I'm asking because I need to order most of the mounting hardware (since it wasn't included when I bought it) and am trying to determine what parts I need to get.

You are better off mounting it to the studs. If there's no studs near the edge then I would add a toggle there.


What's the mechanism to maintain this shelf stable I want to know what's the mechanism to maintain this shelf stable even when they tilt the wall-bed:

I would like to build something similar myself (not for a bed though).

I researched about gimbal + shelves but I didn't have luck.

Can someone point me in the right direction? Does this mechanism have a name? What are the physics laws that make it possible?

Note: GIF is from the video of the Oslo Bed from resourcefurniture.com

The general term for a hinge that allows something to move but keep the same orientation is a "pantograph hinge".  The general term for that type of bed would be a "Murphy bed".

The pantograph mechanism takes many forms, but the trick it uses is to have parallel connecting rods that pivot together so that the door or shelf that it is connected to can swing out, but maintain it's orientation because the pivot points remain parallel.

I know that is a bit abstract, but that will give you a starting point to research the topic more.  This is not a "standard" piece of hardware that you can pick up at the hardware store, so there't not a specific product I can link to.  I'm sure the design for that bed is custom.

Here you can see the basic concept with two parallel arms that allow the black leg to swivel downward while maintaining its vertical orientation.  If this was the "leg" on the bed that held a shelf, you could imagine another red bar connected to the head of the bed to actuate the leg movement as the bed is swiveled down.

The bars of the system can also be replaced by cables and a pulley system which is what could make it so compact and hidden in that Oslo bed.  I suppose they could even use a gear driven system with cables and pulleys.  Either way, it's custom designed and built just for that purpose.


How can I identify and source an old faucet cartridge I have an old faucet that drips. I would like to fix the leak, but am having a lot of trouble finding a replacement cartridge.

The faucet does not have any markings of any kind. I brought the cartridge in to several hardware stores and dedicated plumbing supply stores, but nobody could identify it. I have also searched online plumbing supply stores, but again no luck.

Normally I would take this as a hint and replace the faucet. But I plan to upgrade the whole bathroom in the near term, so a new faucet seems especially wasteful (it would likely be scrapped again during a renovation).

The broach outside diameter is 7/16" and it has 34 teeth.

Is there a better approach to sourcing a replacement part for this faucet?

That looks like an American Standard brand of faucet. Probably same stem as a Hampton (pic below) or Williamsburg style faucet. The part number for that cartidge might be 994053-0070A pictured below. The cheaper version would be Danco 10472 4Z-24H/C Stem for American Standard Faucet. You should try to call American Standard (800 442 1902), and you should try to send them your pictures (above). And read the fine print on the warranty from American Standard.


What's the difference between a childproof outlet and a normal one? I was reading the latest entry on this blog and I saw that she'd mentioned that they'd installed some child-proof outlets. But they don't look any different from normal outlets to me!

What's the difference between child-proof outlets and normal ones? How would I go about installing them, if I needed to?

A child-proof, or tamper resistant (TR for short) receptacle, has a spring-loaded cover over the electrical contacts that retracts when both pins of the plug press against it.  You need to push against both sides simultaneously, and some force is required to open the cover, making it difficult for a child to get something in far enough to get a shock.

A regular outlet doesn't have that cover, so a child can easily push something into the slot, touching the electrical contact and getting a shock.

Installation is exactly the same as for a regular receptacle (as you noted, they look identical from the outside).

Some other points:

The 2008 NEC requires TR outlets in new construction and renovations (thank you, @Tester101).
TR outlets are somewhat more expensive than regular.
TR outlets grip the plug much more firmly than regular ones, reducing the risk of them pulling out accidentally.


How can I make my concrete countertop smoother? I think I used the wrong concrete mix. It had rocks in it so when I tried to get it level, but I really struggled.

I then went and bought some self leveling cement to try to balance everything out. It looks better but it is not flawless.

I whitewashed it to give it a white look because the white pigment didn't take.

My next step was to seal it with Valspar Wet seal.

My questions are:

Will the sealant fill in the grooves to give a smooth leveled feel?  Or Would Epoxy be better for the job?
Looking at the pictures, what would you do to give this a professional touch, or make it as clean as possible?

ALT. option

Should I build up the edges with  melamine board so that it becomes 2 - 2.5 inches, then pour more concrete on top?

I greatly appreciate your advice and feedback. Im trying to make this look right. My wife is nervous it wont look good, but Im confident it can turn out [right. Just need a little help.

Photo 1 | Photo 2

Instead of just using sealant, it sounds like the best approach is sanding/polishing.

Pour-in-place produces rough concrete, as you have discovered.

Begin with very coarse sandpaper then as it gets more smooth you can use ever-finer grit until you achieve the surface you intended.


Toilet with brown sediment in the toilet bowl 10 days ago I moved into a newly built house, with all new fixtures and fittings.  In the past few days overnight in the downstairs toilet, brown sediment settles at the bottom of the pan.  The water in the cistern is absolutely clear.  This is not happening in any of the other toilets upstairs in the house.  We have cleaned the cistern and toilet out, tried to clean around the u-bend and there is no obvious damage anywhere.  There are no rusty pipes anywhere.  Any ideas ?

If on a well: While it's odd to have it only at one toilet, it otherwise sounds exactly like "clear water iron" (dissolved iron in the water, turns to rust when the water is exposed to oxygen.) That will pass right through a filter unless it's oxygenated first.
Try filling a clean white bucket with clean water, and then wait (or stir and wait.)
Or, check your water test results for iron and manganese.
If not on a well, check your aerator screens in the downstairs faucets, particularly.
You may be getting sediment or rust from the water distribution system, in which case a whole house filter should clean that up. You may not see it upstairs yet because it may be settling out more in the lower pipes.
Try filling your clean white bucket from the lowest drain valve or hose bibb in the house, or from the lowest sink with aerator removed. You probably won't have to wait long for it to settle out if this is debris, rather than clear water iron.


How to safely remove exterior metal panel? Under our breakfast nook there is a metal panel like a soffitt or similar. I'd like to remove it so that I can check for insulation inside. However I don't see how to remove this panel without damaging it. I don't see any visible screws or nails on the panel. The panels are a bit flexible. What is the proper way to take this off?

That is standard aluminum soffit, much like the vinyl sort, and one piece locks into the preceding one the same way. Look closely at both ends, and if you can't see any fasteners try to slide the end piece toward the middle. If it doesn't go try the same on the other end. One end or the other should pop out and you'll then see how it's fastened. It's usually nailed like vinyl. Be careful handling it as it bends and dents easily.

Phil


Are there issues with venting a bathroom fan through the roof soffit? When I purchased my house, during the home inspection it was indicated that the bathroom vent is simply discharging directly into the attic space. Because we were concerned about mold in the attic, we've simply not used the fan. The inspector indicated that we'd need a vent pipe that went straight up through the roof.
My attempts to hire someone to do this work continue to fall flat, but in speaking with a contractor the other day, he'd indicated that the vent could instead go through the roof soffit instead of through the roof itself. Is this accurate? I wasn't sure if this would create condensation issues either in the vent line or along the side of the house where it vents out.
I saw several other questions relating to this which all seem to indicate this is a bad idea, but they're several years old and I'm not sure if there have been any changes in technology that would make this more viable (maybe modifications to the soffits around the discharge point to prevent the humid air from being pulled back in and preferred pipe slopes to prevent condensation buildup).
If it's relevant, we're located in South Jersey, which sees a lot of temperature fluctuations throughout the year (and often throughout the day).

I am not a roofer, (although I have worked on roofs before) but recently did replaced my bathroom fan and from the information I gathered (much like you) the issue is that the air is rising, hot and full of moisture which will go back into the soffit. How much of a problem that is, it's hard to know since this commonly done that way (because of how much simpler it is probably).
The other issue here (currently) is that you'll be trapping moisture in your bathroom, so you'll be getting mold there unless its vented well, doors / windows open that kind of thing, so I'd get this done soon.
As I said, I've recently replaced my bathroom fan. In my case, it was the wrong size fan, with a smaller pipe then what was needed, venting out of the soffit. Although it was probably working for about 15 years, there was no "visible damage". However, I would never do it that way, for the reasons mentioned. So I cut a hole in the roof an vented it there. It's fairly simple and there are plenty of videos on youtube on how to do this.
Given that yours is venting to attic already, means that you probably have very easy access to the pipe and underside of the roof. This should make this even more of a simpler process. You can mark the underside of the roof and drill a starter hole. No need to "blindly" find rafters.
Or, a roofer should be able to do this for you easily.
All things considered, between leaving the fan off, venting it to the attic or through the soffit, venting it through the soffit is certainly the best choice by far.


What ballast should I use for a 90W low pressure sodium lamp? I am building a monochromatic lamp with the use of a low pressure sodium (LPS) lamp. Through research I understood I need a specific ballast for such a bulb.
The examples I found on the net feature a LPS bulb but only the 35W one. The ballast recommended for the 35W bulb was the Fulham Lighting WH3-120-L Workhorse 3 Adaptable Electronic Fluorescent Lamp Ballast, 120V, 64W max.
Unfortunately I require the 90W bulb for the project, as apparently it is possible to mount the bulb horizontally. I tried to look for a ballast for a 90W LPS, but often found products that are five times the price of the first mentioned ballast or that are unavailable in my area (I was only looking with those specific keywords.)
My question to you is: what kind of ballast should I be looking for for a low pressure sodium lamp of 90 watts?

If I were you I'd be looking for a 90-watt low-pressure-sodium ballast.
That's pretty much the google phrase, though "SOX90 ballast" may also yield some fruit.  Apparently SOX is the slang for this type of tube.
You know, you can get LEDs that emit a single color.  In fact, LEDs were single-color for most of their existence. You'll have trouble beating SOX for efficiency, but LEDs will certainly be better for availability.  The easiest way to get single-color LEDs in a vaguely consumer-buildable form-factor is in 12V LED strips.


Conduit fill size when using multiple cables of different sizes I have a main panel in my garage and I would like to install a subpanel in my basement.  My plan is to run a 60A circuit to the subpanel (using 6/3 NM) as well as 2x 12/3 NM homeruns; one to feed 2 cirucits of lights and a second that would not be connected to my main panel yet, but would be available for convenience if I later wanted to add 2 more circuits in the basement.  I was planning to use Schedule 40 PVC (inspector told me this would be fine), and the total run of conduit within the garage to the junction box in the basement will be approx 40' in length.

What size of PVC conduit would I need to satisfy conduit fill requirements?  Would I be able to use smaller conduit sizes if I stripped the sheathing from the 14/3 and 12/3 cables?

In my research, I've come across this post (What type of wire for subpanel in attached garage?), and it seems that my cross-sectional areas would be:

6/3     650 mils    0.3316625
12/3    347 mils    0.094521
12/3    347 mils    0.094521

Resulting in a total area of

0.3316625 + 0.094521 + 0.094521 = 0.5207045.

In this post (How do I determine the fill rating of a conduit?), there's a table in NEC 2014 Chapter 9 Table 4 for PVC Schedule 40 indicating Over 2 wires requires 40% fill area; so it seems like 1 1/4" PVC would allow for .581" size, granting enough size for the .521" area that I believe I would have wih those 3 cables.   Am I deriving this correctly?

Thanks for the help!

Stripping the jacket off the cables is not an option. The wires inside are only rated as part of a cable assembly, and cannot be used as individual wires.

I didn't check your numbers, but the process you followed is correct.

If you're dead set on installing cables, you might want to bump the conduit up a size. The extra space will make the pull a bit easier. Also make sure you use plenty of lube. Though since you're installing conduit anyway, consider installing individual wires instead of cables.

It also might make more sense to bump up the size of the feeder a bit, and eliminate the two branch circuits.  Increase the size of the secondary panel, and supply the 20 ampere branch circuits from there instead. This might save money on materials, make the pull easier, and reduce the size of the conduit (not sure about this, as I haven't run any numbers).


Electric dryer runs but won't heat Dryer Has 220 at outlet, checked each leg to ground and have 110. Checked other end of electric cord  on the dryer, no 220 across hot but have 110 to ground off each leg. Dryer turns but won't heat. Replaced dryer cord, same issue.

You have to have 240 Volts across hot legs. Sounds like you're connected to the same hot leg in your panel. Check the voltage across the two breakers, or double pole breaker that the wires are attached to. You should get 240 Volts.


Natural ant/insect repellent Please suggest some natural ant/insect repellent that I can use to get rid of the ants/ticks/insects.
I started using clorox but I would prefer something natural.

Thank you so much


How can I get my cupboard doors to close after installing new hinges? I'm installing NEW hinges and painting cupboards.  I could not find hinges that matched the old 28 year old ones, so have new hinges.  These are not hinges that have the part that goes into the wood - they're just plain hinges.  However, once installed in what appears to be the correct location, the doors refuse to stay shut.  They pop open about an inch.  It would seem that maybe the hinges are too tight, but I can't figure this out at all. I can't leave them as is, because it's even more unsightly than before.  Called a male friend who has a lot of mechanical/handyman/household experience, and he couldn't figure it out either.  I hate to hammer on these new hinges and make things worse.  Suggestions?

Plain hinges with no springs cannot keep doors snug up against the cabinet even under the best conditions. At best the doors sort of "float" near the fully closed position. More often than not the doors drift open slightly. You need some sort of catch to use with plain hinges. There many sorts, usually relying on some sort of spring or magnetic device to hold the door closed but release easily when pulled upon.


Slow faucet when water gets hot I appear to have a strange problem. For the last 6 months, at least, in my master bath the sink faucet pours slowly when the hot water reaches the faucet itself.

That is,

If the pipes have cooled off, it runs as fast as the cold side.
As the pipes warm up, and warm water starts flowing, it slows down.
As long as the water is warm/hot, it flows slowly.
But it clears up and resumes full flow

The guest bath has a sink attached to the same pipe head, no problems. Same for the master and guest showers.

The faucets, shower heads and hoses are about 5 years old. I replaced them all when we moved in.

I suppose it could be debris coming loose when the pipes or hoses expand from the hot water, but it's very consistent. The flow is always the same speed. If you run the shower to get the water hot, then the sink faucet, it will run at normal flow for a few seconds until the hot water reaches it, then the flow decreases sharply as the water heats up sharply. Otherwise, the flow slows down... slowly.

What could be the problem? I'm tempted to replace the faucet and hoses again, but it's not as simple as the guest bath to get under there. It also drives me insane because it's something I forget as soon as I leave the bathroom but every morning when I try to shave I'm reminded. I imagine it's saving me a bit on energy, though, on the bright side.

It sounds to me like an overactive "scald prevention valve" - pretty much all USA faucets (and likely some other areas around the world) have been required for some time (certainly much more than 5 years) to have a mechanism that is designed to prevent scalding, so there's a thermally-active element in the faucet that is supposed to reduce flow when it's too hot.

I would guess that yours is mal-adjusted (if adjustable) or simply failing in some way that makes it over-react long before it should. If you can find literature on your faucet (whether you actually saved it, or just can sort out the model and look it up with the manufacturer) you might discover if there is supposed to be some sort of adjustment. Depending on manufacturer there might also be a help or support number you can call (particularly among the "guaranteed for life" manufacturers.)


How can I replace laminate with polished concrete flooring? I'd like to investigate whether I can replace my first-level flooring - currently faux-wood laminate - with polished concrete. What do I need to know?

Is it even practical to put down polished concrete as 'old work'? How much margin around the edging is needed? i.e. Will I need to pull off the baseboards (or can I get away with just pulling up the trim over the hardwood edge), will kitchen cabinets need to be removed/replaced, etc.?
What are all the steps involved? Which, if any, are better done by a professional?
How to deal with the subfloor, and if the current subfloor is not suited, can it be modified to support concrete? I'm not yet 100% sure if there's a slab underneath.
Any other big questions I'm not asking?

The main problem you will have is thickness, thin concrete tends to crack. Your laminate flooring is all of 1/2 inches thick most likely, so the maximum your concrete floor could be is that much, and that's not enough. Other problems are:

unless you are pouring on slab the flexing of your floor will cause the concrete to crack
unless you are pouring on slab the concrete will drop between the floorboards
unless you are pouring on slab the floor will probably not be designed to take the weight and could lead to structural problems
Creating polished concrete requires special materials and repeated sanding with ever finer diamond wheels, equipment which would be very expensive even to rent, presuming you can rent it

I'm not saying it's impossible, if you're on slab you might be ok, but if it were me I'd be considering a cool looking tile rather than polished concrete.