Usefulness of Cord Reel with 100-ft Extension Cord I may be missing something, but how useful is a cord reel such as the one pictured with a 100-ft long extension cord?

I'd like to think that a 100-ft extension cable with a pretty good gauge (12) would act as a substitute for a 50-ft and even for a 25-ft cable. But after winding on such a cord reel, one end will be inaccessible, and so even to use it as just a 25-ft extension, I'd have to unwind the whole thing out. Is that right?

I saw suggestions online to buy a specialized reel that picks up the extension cable from its centerpoint. That would solve the problem, but it would also introduce a stress point through excessive bending. Yet another suggestion online is to avoid a reel altogether and use a piece of wood, though I'd really rather not spend half a day fabricating something like this myself.

Those cord reels are very useful.  You'll need a BIG one to hold a 100' 12 gauge though.  If you leave 6" or so hanging out one of the big holes on the side, you can wrap it with the end accessible.

I wrap these with the female end on the spool, so you plug it in first and walk to where you're working.  I guess it works OK either way.

They make cord reels with receptacles on the spool ...

and those work great except when you're working on a ladder.  Sometimes the cord on the tool isn't long enough to reach this thing on the ground.

When you're working on a ladder it's nice to be able to pull some slack off either end.  This is a pretty good way to go:

That's from a tip sent into Fine Homebuilding.

The Cordwiz Pro

does the same thing as the bucket trick, if you'd rather not do it homemade.

One other thing to get if you're shopping, a portable GFCI


Difference between blue and grey blue coaxial ports I have blue coaxial ports in almost every room in my house. What the heck are they for? Are these regular cable jacks? Maybe I am confused since cat5e jacks are also blue colored? To add to the confusion, some of the cable jacks in my house are grey, not blue.

There's no difference between the colors. In locations with lots of different AV sources, different colored connectors are used to differentiate between sources. I'm guessing one installer had a pouch full of blue connectors, and another installer had gray.

The connectors in your home may have come from different manufacturers, or different times in history. So there may indeed be a difference in quality, and/or construction.  This, however, has nothing to do with the color of the connector.

F connectors (and coaxial cable) are commonly used to transmit cable, satellite, and broadcast television signals.


How can I repair a float valve that is blocked open? The toilet float valve I use is of the brand Geberit.
It keeps leeking water because it does not close anymore.

I guess the metal pin at the front needs to move when the green elements move up.
Does anyone have some ideas what I can do to make it work?
I tried pushing and pulling it gently, but it looks very fragile so I don't think it's a good idea.
I've also put it in vinegar for a night, without any success.

I bought a new valve and replaced it.
All works fine now.


What rivets should be used for gutter work? I'm looking to buy pop rivets to do some gutter replacements, but the smallest "advertised for gutter work" pack available was a 100pk. I'd probably only need 20 at the most (short span). There weren't any dimensions listed, but common sense says they would only need to be around 1/8" x 1/4". Assuming any substitutes should also be aluminum.

What size would be adequate for joining aluminum gutters?

It depends on your gutter brand's seam overlap. A narrow riveting area should prompt a small rivet (1/8") because you do not want to drill a large hole (for a thicker rivet) which could weaken the gutter material in the riveted area, causing failure of the gutter material under stress.

The grip range required is determined by combined material thickness.


Breaker box or heat pump problem? We ran our forced air heat pump today.  15 min. in we noticed it just stopped running.  Looking in the breaker panel I could see that the breaker for the heating unit had tripped.  When I tried to reset it, with a very loud bang it tripped the main breaker to the whole panel.  I reset the main breaker, and tried to reset the breaker to the heating unit and it tripped the main breaker again.  I shut the heat pump off and tried a third time, only to trip the main breaker for the whole house again.  What gives?  Panel problem or heat pump problem?

You should contact an Electrician or HVAC technician.  There seems to be a short-circuit somewhere in the circuit supplying the heating unit. DO NOT reset the breaker again until the problem is fixed.

The reason I suspect a short-circuit, is because the breakers are reacting so quickly.  If this was an overcurrent situation, the main breaker would likely not trip (unless the panel is severely overloaded).


Troubleshooting Gas Furnace Problems I turned on heat at the thermostat for the first time in several months. Things worked at first with hot air coming from the vents, until a few moments later when I noticed that the thermostat panel lost power. I went down to the furnace and noticed LED blinking 1-4 code (Ignition Lockout).
I then turned off the power to reset the furnace, but it started blinking 2-4 (Open Fuse) as soon as turned it back on. Replaced the blown 3A fuse and turned on the furnace. Steady LED, thermostat gets power and calls for heat. Inducer starts, igniter glows red, flame did not come on immediately (perhaps on the second try, i.e. saw igniter restarting once), flame and blower now both on and things seemed back to normal until I went upstairs and noticed that furnace stopped and thermostat is dark again.
Went back to the furnace to see 1-4 code again, and 2-4 after recycling the power. Replaced fuse again, but this time fuse is blown only a few minuets after turning power back on; The igniter didn't even start.
Now, I suspect that there might be something wrong with the thermostat, the gas valve, or something else. So I pulled off the thermostat, replace the furnace fuse a 3rd time, and turned on the furnace power. So far LED is steady with no blown fuse. I'm guessing that if I put the thermostat back on it'll either blow the fuse either within minutes or after it calls for heat. Is there anything I can try at this point to diagnose the problem before calling the furnace guys? Maybe I should get a plain old mechanical thermostat to see if it's indeed an issue with the thermostat (Honeywell RTH8580WF)?
Here are some pics:

Wiring schematics

Update: Just two days ago, I took out, cleaned, and replaced the flame sensor just to eliminate a potential source of problem. With the fuse in place, I tested the system and everything worked just fine: Thermostat calls for heat, Inducer on, HSI glows red hot, Gas valve open, Flame on, Blower on. It remained on and all seemed good. I repeated the cycle two more times without problem. I left the thermostat to a comfortable temp overnight, then yesterday morning - nothing. Got 1-4 Ignition Lockout and 2-4 Open Fuse again. Repeated steps above, and this time no flame after HSI on even though I heard a click. Discussed this with a friend and he suggested that it could be a bad gas valve. The theory is that the bad valve is blowing the fuse, cutting the gas/flame and causing both 1-4 and 2-4 codes. Weird thing is it's not blowing every time; it clicks but no flame after ignition. Seems like previous observation (now in bold) supports this theory.
How likely would a faulty gas valve blow the fuse due to a bad solenoid or something? How could I eliminate the possibility of a bad control board? The gas valve is White Rodgers EF32CW197A

Turns out to be a bad gas control valve. Its sporadic behavior was a sign that it's failing. After testing the thermostat, igniter, and flame sensor, the only odd behavior was the occasional loss of flame triggering ignition lockout. As for the blown fuse, it's possibly a bad solenoid or related component on the valve drawing too much current. Gas doesn't seem to be flowing after hearing the "click" since the last failure. Replacing the valve returned the furnace to working order.


Electrical line has no juice after being shortened I have a dedicated 15amp line running to my garbage disposal. The line did not run to an outlet, but was hard-wired straight to the disposal. I was installing an outlet under the sink so that I so I could plug in one of those little hot water tap water heaters. My plan was simply to cut the line and run the part coming from the panel to an outlet (GCFI) under the sink. I would then, inside the box, pigtail the wire and pick up the hardwire to the disposal as well.

When I completed this process, nothing worked. Not the outlet, not the disposal. The disposal had worked before. Now, when I test the line, the line from the panel is not live at all...nothing. I took the outlet off, and the line is still dead. The breaker doesn't seem to be loose, I've taken it out and put it back in. I actually even swapped it with another breaker I knew was working and it worked in the other spot on the panel while the working breaker wouldn't work in this spot.

I guess I'm just not sure how the line could go dead so easily. I've gone into the crawlspace and tested all the wires running through there that could be the right one, they are all live. This seems then like the disposal line somehow goes dead between the crawlspace and the actual spot it comes out under the sink. Is that possible, for a line to go dead at some point without shorting the whole thing?

Is there something I'm missing, or would I need to run a new line? Any help would be greatly appreciated?

Usually there is a switch before the disposal. You push a button, or flip a switch to turn on the disposal. Did you turn the switch on? If this is the case, then this was not the best option for this installation. As well as the undercounter heater may require a dedicated circuit.


Cheapest way to level large concrete floor without losing height I have an old building that I am converting into a living space. The slab foundation is very old and uneven in a lot of spots. I need to level it, but I can't increase the height of the floors too much, or I won't have enough head room for the building code.
Here is a picture of the space, its hard to see the floor but it has a lot of dips and cracks in it.

I would like the entire floor to be level, so I can finish it with tile, carpet, or laminate. My original thought was to lay sheets of plywood down and level them with shims. I would only lose about an inch of height. The obvious way would be to use leveling cement, but that is too expensive. At 800sqf it would be around $4,500.
Is there an industry standard or would laying plywood down be my best option?

There isn't much you can realistically do that will make those slabs even: either one has to come up, or one has to go down. I don't know what options are available for mudjacking a slab with a house on top, but if you could even find someone that can do it, I'd imagine both the cost and risks would be.... a lot.
depending on how big the gap is, you might be able to level it with epoxy. There are self-leveling coatings designed to fill gaps and cracks. You could also try using vinyl floor tiles to make the transition more gradual.
Probably the easiest (and cheapest) thing to do would be to get a big diamond grinding wheel and bevel down the lip. It won't make the slabs even, but at least you won't trip over it anymore.


+24VDC to 5v converter - does the positive make a difference? I have a fairly general question, but cannot seem to find an answer to confirm my thoughts.

I have a garage motor door, and on the top has 4 terminals - 1 and 2 for a switch button to open and close, 3 is COM, and 4 is +24VDC.

I want to add a little module that will allow me to connect to the garage door and control it. Most modules I can find are 5VDC, and there are some that are 12VDC.

My question is, the garage door states it is +24VDC, does that mean I cannot use a DC converter to change it to 12/5VDC as there is no negative?

I was intending to use something like this: https://www.andymark.com/products/power-converter-12-24vdc-to-5vdc to do the conversion, but the lack of both poles is throwing me especially when the output will be to a USB powered 5V.

This is a diagram from the manual of the circuit board:

"COM" is short for "common".  It means ground, or, in this case, negative.


Can I attach a noticeboard to a plasterboard wall using superglue? I would like to put up a cork noticeboard (with wooden frame) in my kitchen, but the location I want it has several wires and pipes behind it and I am very wary of drilling into it. So I'm looking for a noninvasive method of attachment.

As the noticeboard is fairly light (and would only have paper pinned to it), is superglue an option? The idea is to glue along the wooden edge of the board and press it against the wall for 24 hours.

While the glue is very strong I'm not so sure about the paint on the wall. Might the board rip the paint off the wall? All in all, is this a viable solution (and if not what do you think my options are?)

Superglue will not fill the voids well enough between the wall and the wood frame. There are picture hooks with a special adhesive that may work for your purpose. See here, there is a variety on this link


Is a long shower the main cause of this leak? Would clear silicone on all grout lines help? We are in a brand new house for the past 1 year.  From the first month onward, we have noticed water coming out from under the door jamb pictured here.
When we put a plastic sheet all over the shower, there was no leak.  This is how we determined that the grout was the cause.  The builder has been good about coming back to re-grout the tiles, and re-silicone the shower base.  The leak still occurred.
They came back to put a colorant/sealant on the grout.  Better, but still leaking.  Again, putting up the plastic sheet stopped all leaking.  Am I taking too long a shower? (20 minutes once/week, all other days 10min).   Does grout have a limit?
These are good builders and stand by their work.  Definitely not a plumbing problem.  <img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hayfe.jpg" alt="picture of the door jamb after 1 year of slow leaking
" />

This could be a typical problem related to installing tile directly onto either regular drywall or the type called green board.
A far better installation is to install tile onto cement board and even better is to coat the cement board with a paint on sealer such as RedGuard before hanging the tiles.
One last thing is that the cement board really needs to be installed after the shower base is pushed up against the walls so that the cement board can come down past the turned up lips on the wall sides of the base.
Based upon this you should have a discussion about how the tile was originally installed. It  may very well have been done at less than current best practices in the industry to save building costs, especially if this house was built in a large tract or building project in a mass produced way.


Should I use caulk to fix cracking grout in a shower? We had our contractor tile in the window in our shower. It started cracking almost immediately, and he's filled in the cracks a couple times. It keeps cracking. I assume due to the temperature differences between the shower and the window, and the grout isn't elastic. Can I use a tile caulk to file the crack? Or should I just keep filling the cracks with caulk?

That should have never been grout, joints between walls and other objects should be caulked because movement in those joints will cause the cracking that you now see, and the cracking can lead to water getting behind the tile. This also goes for inside corners in a shower, and the joint between bottom of the wall and the floor or tub..


Are these studs supporting the stairs? Planning on building a cupboard under the stairs i was going to leave this section but the plasterboard was damp (Prob from cats water bowl spilling or something). So i thought i may as well make use of all the space under the stairs but i was wondering if any of these studs are supporting the stairs. I don't think they are but this is an old house so who nos. I would be happy just removing the front two and to be honest one of the front two has a big split in it so if they are offering support they wont be for much longer xD

Many thanks.

If you want to remove the studs for better access to the space for storage, that I did for my neighbor, you could install a header supported by jack studs that will hold the weight above. You may need to consult a professional to engineer the opening the header and supports. My neighbor now has a lot of storage space he previously did not have.


What size ratchets do I need to assemble some new equipment? I recently purchased a power rack and various other bits and pieces for the home gym. In the instruction manual the nuts and bolts on the hardware list state the following sizes:

1/2" × 3 - 1/2"
1/2" × 16t

I'm about to go and purchase a ratchet set toolbox, but don't want to spend a ridiculous amount; on top of that I need to make sure I buy the correct sized ratchet set.

What should I be looking for? I was in Screwfix earlier and the lady didn't know what I was on about; then I took a trip to Halfords and didn't know what to buy. I have a bag full of tools but can't access it at the moment.

I was thinking of getting some pieces to add onto the drill and use the drill to tighten the bolts, but I don't want to round them off.

So it has a bolt that is 3 1/2" long with a 1/2" head, and a 1/2" nut...

You're going to need a 1/2" socket and/or wrench, and/or a couple adjustable spanners. Looks like you're in the UK; so you probably use metric, So you'll need an 1/2" imperial socket and/or wrench, and/or a couple adjustable spanners.


How to make outbuilding remains look aesthetically pleasing We had to knock our outbuilding down as the asbestos tiled roof had fallen in and was in a bad state of repair. We are unable to knock the wall down due to stability issues of the neighbouring structure. Any ideas on how we can make the remaining structure pleasing in our garden. Would love to remove the concrete base but afraid the vibrations will not do the wall any good?

Any ideas?

Before we knocked it down

Why not make it a bit of a patio? Put a wooden latticework screen in front of the remaining walls, a wooden deck over the concrete floor (unless the floor can be cleaned up sufficiently), and a pergola over the top.

You could have vines climb the lattice and over the top, based in containers if the ground is not accessible.

Add a grill, a few chairs and you have a sylvan retreat.


How do I channel a cable behind a skirting board when fitting a back box? I have a 1930s British house with skirting boards, I want to run Ethernet from some points around the house, I have got the cable under the floorboards, but I now need to cut out some back boxes, I have managed to re-purpose an existing satellite port that I wont ever use to be ethernet, but the other rooms do not have any spare wall sockets.

I think I understand how to cut the hole for the back box by drilling and chiselling out. What im struggling to find advice on, is how do I channel a hole behind the skirting board without damaging it or the wall? A long drill bit I would still be at an angle?

I don't want to take off the skirting board as I would 100% damage it and its already painted.

This is the one I re-purposed in the front room.

You would drill from below with a long bit. I assume you wall is typical studs with drywall or plaster. You should be able to get enough angle for the hole to come out in the wall. Do this before you insert the box. Then you can run your wire into the box before mounting it.


How to select the most appropriate indoor LED bulb color I want to buy LED bulbs to install in all the rooms and I don't know

What are the criteria to select the proper ones (for eye and
physiologically good).
How to distribute them in every room ( I mean How many in every room
and what's the distance between them)

I want the lighting most close to the sun light especially the sunset (Warm), because I want to feel the forest atmosphere, like this one:

I have read some numbers in K but I can't recognize the most suitable one:

This is really an opinion question, so I will just explain the color frequency and a listing to look for so that you have the information to make your decision.
First, the different lamps have color ratings: 2500k through 6500k is the normal range. The color at 2500 is a yellow orange; many street lights using sodium vapor lamps are this color; very easy on the eyes, but they do not make the area as “bright” as perceived with the same lumens at 6500k.
At the other end of the spectrum is 6500k. This is close to bright daylight and is perceived as much brighter than the lower 2500k light. Many industrial facilities & offices have moved to 5500k and above as it is closer to daylight.
6500k and above are used in many office buildings in the Pacific Northwest to reduce Seasonal Affective Disorder (sometimes called cabin fever here); the wavelength and perceived brightness reduce the problems associated with a lack of natural daylight.
The down side to 5500k and above is your brain now thinks it is not time for sleep, so having a +5500k lamp in the bedroom is not the best choice. For a home office, kitchen, and living rooms, the 5500+ may be a better choice, keeping the 2500-3500k in areas of sleep and relaxation.
What I have in my home is the bedroom ceiling lights are 6500k and the bed side lamps are 3500k (2500k is just two yellow/oranges for me). When getting up in the AM, the overhead light is on, while at night prior to bed the bed-side lamps are on,. This works really well and I would recommend it.
The last big advantage is power savings. Most screw-in bulbs today are based on the incandescent 60w Edison lamp; a standard 60w provides ~800 lumens, a CFL bulb produces similar light using only 13 watts and a quality LED uses 6 watts. There are some lamps that are more efficient and some that are less efficient, but this can show that changing from all incandescent to LED could cut your lighting cost to 10% of what it is or 1/2 if on CFL/fluorescent. In my case the production areas appear much brighter at the same time.
The listing on your lamps I recommend you look for is DLC (design light consortium). These normally have a 5-year warranty and UL and CE listings. I have had really poor experience with non-DLC lamps, I find the electronic driver (power supply) in the lamp usually fails (I support a lumber mill that has thousands of lamps, tube style (T12, T8, T5) and flood lamps (400w to 1000w), and I have replaced almost all the T12 & T8 lamps with hybrid T8 lamps that can be direct wired (they will work with a ballast but I want to eliminate the losses and failure possibility of a ballast). Most of the big, power-hungry floods were my first swap outs with a 240w-320w LED flood replacing 1000w floods, and the equipment operators love them. (I love them because I probably won’t have to change the bulbs and repair ballast for the next 5-10 years.
I hope this info helps you to make your decision.
Added, I just remembered there are some new tunable lamps, (the color spectrum can be adjusted). I have not tried any of these smart lamps yet, but suspect they may be the next level in home automation and livability.


No air in one room in flat roof house, why? One bedroom in our house gets no air hot or cold coming out of the ceiling vent. Our house has a flat foam roof. Can someone tell me what to look for to fix this problem. All other vents in the house work fine.

Either a damper is wrongly in the closed position or ducting has come loose. If it is an adjustable damper, then it should in an accessible location, e.g., in an attic utility space. Another possibility is that a duct is plugged or crushed.

If you want to try to analyze the problem yourself, remove the register grill in the room and see what you can. If the duct makes a turn near the register, then you won't be able to see far. You could lay a flashlight inside, then use a mirror on a rod to look inside the ductwork.

I would think that there are cameras that are used to look inside HVAC ductwork, but that would be a professional instrument. Plumbers use those to examine sewage drain lines and you'd want to be sure if you got the use of a camera that it had never been used on drains.


Electrical outlet Tests good but not good There is an outlet in my place that tests ok but when I plug in anything, it doesn't power up.  The tester I'm using is a three light tester.Actually, I've used two testers.  Both of them indicate the it is correct.  What gives??? Anyone have an idea?

The three-light testers typically only draw a tiny current and usually use neon indicators that work at less than full voltage. They are good for showing a few common miswiring problems (e.g. where live and neutral have been swapped or where ground is not connected) but they are not good for showing bad connections which have a high resistance or which separate when hot.

I would turn off the breaker, verify power is off at the outlet and open it up and check the connections. The next step would be to swap the outlet with a new one or with another nearby working outlet.


Is a weather resistant gfci required outside in a metal box with in use cover? I have a pool that is just off my deck. The gfci I have went bad so I need a new one. It was a 15 amp gfci in a metal box attached to 1/2 in emt conduit with a metal box and a non in-use cover. This is just under the lip of the deck, so it is slightly protected from weather but not completely. I plan on replacing the box and also getting a in-use cover mainly because the screw holes are stripped out. My question is: Do I need a Weather Resistant GFCI vs a Non Weather resistant GFCI? The current one was not weather resistant and went bad, it tripped and won't reset. Also if someone can explain what the difference is between a standard gfci and weather resistant? Is the weather resistant more sealed to handle more dampness from being outside? Thanks in advance.

A WR GFI uses stainless components and screws. GFI's are notorious for rusting, especially at the mounting screws. The one that went bad was probably older, before WR's were even available.

Yes, you need a WR GFI, and an in-use cover. In fact, I'd venture to bet that much of your installation is not up to code. IF it is that close to the pool the receptacle and plug must be of the locking type (twist-lock), and the circuit protected by an upstream GFI. The outside portion of the wiring to a pool motor must also be in conduit with individual insulated conductors. Older codes would allow this installation located between 5-10 feet from the pool, but NO closer than 5'. Also, the cord on the motor should be no longer than 3' and must be #12 or larger.

There are MANY codes involved with pool installations, I hope yours meets them.


Building stairs in congested area I want to build stairs in rectangular area of 6 feet by 9 feet to reach ceiling which is 8 feet high above ground floor. Is it possible build such stairs?

If yes, then what would be height of steps? I want to mention that step size of stairs should be between 6 to 7 inch.

8' in 6" steps is 16 steps. If the tread is around 10" as is common, that's a little over 13'. If you divide the space in half to have 3' wide steps, with a half landing the same width, you only have 12' to play with suggesting that you'd need steps going round the end rather than a half landing. That's not common on a 180 degree bend (but is on a 90 degree bend).

However, 6" risers are rather shallow. Going just over the 7" risers you mention would allow you to make the climb in 14 steps  which would work with a half landing the same wish as the steps.

There may be regulations to consider, and obviously you have to make an allowance on the width for banisters, but it should be possible for a competent builder to design something into the space.


Diagnosing connected circuits; dangerous? We fairly recently bought a c. 1907 house with a mess of wiring, some probably dating back to the 1940s. (In Canada, so 120 V.) Most of the circuits have no ground wire. I was trying to install a GFCI outlet in place of a junction box near the panel in the basement on circuit 1 to install three-prong outlets in a few rooms. I opened the breaker on circuit 1; that stopped power coming in from the line cable (towards the service panel). However, there was power coming in from the load side (120 V on my multimeter).
I found that opening the breaker on another circuit, circuit 2, shut off the power from the load side on circuit 1. I assume this means that circuits 1 and 2 connect somewhere downstream. With both circuits off, I installed the GFCI outlet near the panel on circuit 1, but it wouldn't reset; presumably this is because there's an alternate path in the circuit through circuit 2, and the GFCI is correctly recognizing that it's not protecting anything.
My instinct is to give up on protecting the whole circuit and just install GFCI outlets at the receptacles where I want 3 prongs instead of having one GFCI protecting the whole circuit; an extra few bucks per receptacle, but I can do that myself for less than the call-out charge, whereas sorting out the connected circuits would involve calling an electrician.
My question: is this a dangerous situation that I should call in an electrician to carefully trace and fix (which may well involve tearing out some walls which may have lead paint, etc), or is the apparent connection between circuits 1 and 2 probably safe (as long as I open both breakers whenever working on either circuit!)?
Circuits 1 and 2 are each 15 amp circuits; each powers lights and plugs in several different rooms scattered fairly randomly around the house. I assume we can't exceed 15 amps between the two circuits, which shouldn't be a problem.
Edit
This is answered below; it's a multi-wire branch circuit. But for completeness, editing with images as requested.
Here are the breakers, with the ones for circuits 1 and 2 (as described above) labeled. I don't have photos with the cover off and don't think I need to take it off to answer this question.

Here is the junction box, returned to how it was when I found it. The neutral and black hot wires are pigtailed with three cables: one to the junction box, one to the rest of the circuit, and one to the doorbell. I removed the doorbell from the circuit altogether when wiring the GFCI. The red hot wire is the two pigtails connected together; I hadn't appreciated that the red hot wire is on a different breaker, and this makes obvious sense given that. The junction box is grounded; there is no ground wire coming out of the junction box.

Here is the service panel and junction box, with the cable going to the junction marked in red.

Because you are doing something you should not be doing: You are interrupting the neutral wire for the other half of the MWBC.
A Multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC) is 2 hot wires on opposite phases that share a neutral. As long as they are on opposite phases, the neutral wire carries only differential current.
On a MWBC, you are not allowed to route the neutral through a device.  So for instance you should have found neutral pigtailed to the existing receptacle.  You may have thought "well that's silly, GFCIs can take 2 wires on their LINE screws using screw-and-clamp... why don't we just eliminate that completely irrelvant pigtail?"  ZAP... that's why.
Neutral must remain intact even if a device is removed, e.g. if you need to change a receptacle.
Note that if an MWBC's shared neutral continues onward from any particular box, you will not be using the "Load" terminals on any GFCI receptacle you install there.  If your GFCI is monitoring L1-neutral to assure flows are equal, then any current flow on L2-neutral will cause neutral to be unequal.
There are only 2 ways to GFCI-protect a MWBC:

A 2-pole (3-wire) GFCI, which are only made as GFCI breakers.
Individual GFCI recep at every outlet where neutral is shared. "Load" is not used.


How can I protect my hands when using power tools? When doing many DIY projects there's a strong need to protect hands against cutting by sharp part edges. Gloves seem a natural solution.

However recently I was mounting a countertop and wearing gloves and I needed to drill a hole in the countertop surface. I held my hand too close to the drill bit, so once I turned the drill on the drill bit somehow captured the glove and started wrapping it onto itself. I was lucky - the drill had a rather weak motor and it was adjusted to not achieve anything close to high torque, so I all got was a glove torn apart, but that could easily be a broken finger or two. If I had no gloves at that moment just nothing would have happened, except I could at most mildly scratch a finger.

So it looks like wearing gloves greatly increases risk of injury when using power tools. How to address this? How to protect hands when using power tools?

The wearing of gloves can be a terrible idea when using many power tools. In fact, it can be quite dangerous for the reasons you describe, although kevlar gloves might be a good idea when you are around a chainsaw. They might even be a good idea if you are working with sharp chisels. Even so, I would suggest that it makes far more sense to begin using good, safe practices.

If your fingers are getting too close to a moving powered object, then you are doing it WRONG! If you are taking risks with your fingers, then learn safe working practices!

NEVER WEAR LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING OF ANY SORT WHEN WORKING WITH POWER TOOLS. Gloves are part of this.

Never get close enough to a blade for there to be a problem. Use a push stick or block on table saws. Use hold downs of all sorts. Use a table saw with a saw stop.

If you are using a drill, why are your fingers touching the drill bit?

If you can't control your fingers and other body parts, then perhaps chess is a better activity for you? There are always people willing to be paid to do your home repair projects for you. Or, learn to do those projects safely.

When I go into my wood shop, I wear a short sleeve shirt. No gloves. I am aware of the tools that I use. I use proper push blocks and hold downs where appropriate. And when my fingers get near a moving object, I ALWAYS know exactly where they are and I am in complete control of the situation, or I find a different way to do the job.

Finally, if you are tired, then stop working. There is always another day to finish the job, but you have only one life, only so many fingers, eyes, etc.


How to wire a duct fan, pressure switch, and fan speed controller My question relates to the wiring sequence with a duct booster fan, pressure switch, and fan speed control. When I draw it out, it seems that black from power source would first go to the P.S, white from P.S. would go to the fan. Black from fan would go to speed control, and white from speed control would go back to power source- all in a circuit with wires meeting in a junction box.  Is this correct or am I way off?

Wire to the pressure switch, then to the speed control, then to the motor and back to the junction box.  Just a thought; these small fans make more noise than air. there is usually a better way to get more air into a room.


How can I soundproof my bedroom walls as cost effectively as possible? My bedroom is next to the kitchen on one wall, a hallway on one wall, the outdoors on one wall and the PC room on the other. The wall that bothers us the most is the kitchen wall.

We would like to soundproof the kitchen wall and maybe the hallway wall.

Is that possible without it costing a fortune?

Not sure what a fortune is and how much you are willing to do yourself.

demo drywall on walls - free
buy Quiet Batt insulation - $2 a foot or cheaper-  pack the wall cavity to the max with insulation.   If you want cheaper insulation I think rock wool is your best bet.  And I would sandwich it in.
Redrywall.  OK - Here is the big expense.  Quietrock (Lowes) works well.  It is $40-50 a sheet so that might set you back $300.  You could also double drywall - more work but less material cost.
Mud and tape - don't know of any mud and tape that is designed for soundproofing.
There is soundproofing paint.  It helps but I am not sure how well you would notice a difference when the sounds are coming from so close.  This would be another $100.
There are soundproofing grids you can buy for your wall - some with ok designs.  These are really expensive and really out of the realm of your question.

So if you can do everything yourself you are looking at $200-600.  Another $150-200 to have someone do it for you.  Also if there are drain pipes in the walls then you will never get the full effect of the soundproofing since the 3 inches of material will probably be reduced to 1 inch or less.


How to replace urine-soaked insulation? How can I replace or get rid of mice-urine-soaked insulation, when the smell is strong enough to instantly make me vomit?

So the problem is mostly the smell. Two ways to go at it, and you may need both - a respirator with a carbon filter cartridge as well as a particulate filter cartridge (stackable), or a combination type cartridge, and a "fresh air blower" to supply clean air to the space before, during and after working in it.

But since I see in the bits that were (IMHO) excessively edited out of your question this is not your own home, a call to the local (health board? or whoever has jurisdiction over landlords) is where you, as a tenant, should start, (assuming that you have already brought this to the attention of your landlord without results - if you have not, start there) along with perhaps looking for a different rental and considering breaking your lease for the property not being maintained in a condition that's safe to inhabit. Ripping out the insulation is not only not your responsibility, it's also undoubtedly not something you are allowed to do, either.


Is it possible that no water running to one toilet could be from frozen pipes? We've been in a cold snap for about a week with daily highs below -20C.  The water is not running to one toilet that is near an exterior wall.  To ensure it wasn't something in the tank, I detached the flexible hose from the tank that runs to the wall and no water is coming through there.
Is likely a frozen pipe?  What do I do now?

Update: We turned up the heat in the bathroom and the room below the bathroom and used a heat gun on the exposed part of the pipe extending from the wall.  Eventually it just started flowing again.  We'll keep an eye out for drips before cutting open the wall.

It could very well be a frozen pipe, it could also be that the valve has become clogged somehow.

The only way to tell for sure if its a frozen pipe is either find the frozen pipe, or wait for it to thaw. If water starts flowing when the temperature warms up then you know it was frozen.

If you have copper pipes, the worst case would be that when it thaws you discover a leak from a burst pipe. With this in mind, it is probably worth opening up the wall to find out for sure - way easier to replace a cleanly cut section of drywall then it is to fix extensive water damage.  Once you find the section you need to determine why it froze - is there no insulation in there? Can you remedy that?


Why do some power tools work in an outlet and others won’t? I was using a compressor plugged into an exterior 15 amp circuit when it stopped working.  The outlet is still hot because a smaller power tool works when plugged into the same outlet. A table saw that had been working on the same circuit no longer works as well but the outlets are still hot.
These outlets are down stream from a GFCI outlet that is not tripped and trips when tested. Thoughts?

You should check if these outlets are attached to the wiring via back stab connections.

Back stab connections can show intermittent connection that could show up when the current demand of the larger appliance is loading the outlet.

If you have back stab connections the recommended course of action is to remove the outlet and replace with a quality one that uses the screws on the side to secure the wires, either by bending the wire the correct direction under the screw head or using the type where the screw tightens a wire clamp behind the screw head. Try to avoid the cheapest outlets that come of 0.49USD in packs of 10 and get one that costs a few USD and is labeled as a better quality unit.


Replacing attic light switch with Leviton combo I want to replace and old Leviton attic light switch with a Leviton combo switch/outlet. The junction box has two Romex cables in and one out to the current light.

The two in have each a black wire going into to the push-in terminals of the switch and one black one connected to a side screw going to the light. Why would there be two romex cables with two black wires going into the switch? How would I install the combo switch with this wire config? The grounds are just wire nutted together (all three). Thanks for the help.

UPDATE:
Here is a better shot of the back of the old switch with some labels:
CORRECTION... New diagram here:

Based on the updated diagram above... Romex 1 from bottom of box has the shepherd's hook and was attached to the screw... Romex 2 from bottom of box was pushed-in to the bottom of switch... Romex 3 goes to the light through the top of the box from the push-in connection at the top of the switch.

And here is the switch I'm needing to install:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-Amp-Combination-Switch-Outlet-White-5225-WS/202077623?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CVF%7CD27E%7C27-2_WIRING_DEVICES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000033102358%7c58700003867202208%7c92700031090651054&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9taWn6eO4AIVQR-GCh1zkAC4EAQYAiABEgIIjvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

FINAL UPDATE... SUCCESS!!

Thanks to ThreePhaseEel (accepted answer) and Harper.

Romex 1 and 2 are using backstabs, which is not a good idea for other reasons.

The backstab is simply connected to the screw nearest it, internal to the device.  It's supposed to be an "either-or", but some people like to use it to splice the 2 wires together.

It would be the same as if the two wires were joined at a wire nut, with a pigtail from there to the device screw.  That is exactly what you should change that to.

On a switch

One side is always-hot, and the other is switched hot to the lamp.  There would be no reason to have 2 cables feeding switched-hot.  Unless you had 2 lights.

It would be very common, however, to have multiple always-hot wires in a box; the second one would be going onward to other loads.

The grounds are nutted together ordinarily.  The neutrals likewise, you may be adding a wire to this neutral bundle to power the smart switch.

How I would hook it up.

First I would get some red electrical tape and mark the wire to the lamp with red tape.

A switch-outlet hooks up exactly like a smart switch, but without the convenient pigtails.   So I would make pigtails.

Get about 7" of 12/3 cable.  14/3 will work if you are sure all the wires in the box are #14. Tear off the sheath to salvage the wires.  Then:

bare wire to the green screw
white wire to the silver screw
red wire to the brass screw right next to the silver screw
black wire to one of the black screws on the other side

Then I'd join all the wires color to color, remembering you marked the lamp black wire red.  Normally you can't count on wire color codes, but I made it work here.

There are more efficient ways to do this, but they are not as clear.


Can I have 30 75-watt lights in a 15-amp circuit breaker and 230 volts? The voltage here in the Philippines is 230 volts. I searched for the calculation of the capacity of a circuit breaker. So I found out that 15-amp breaker at 230 volts can handle 15x230x.80 percent = 2760 watts. Now, 2760 watts/75 watts = 36.8 lights. So, if I understand correctly, I can install 30 lights in a 15-amp breaker. However, I don't want to miss something, is this calculation correct? Also, will it be fine if I will turn on all 30 lights at the same time?

EDIT
We will use #14 thick wire. Is this also correct?

Thanks!

Strictly speaking, you are correct. The circuit can handle 15 A * 230 V = 3450 W before tripping*. As a safety margin, you want to stay below 80% of that, or 2760 W. Your 30 bulbs, at 75 W per bulb, draw 2250 W total, which is within the safe operating load of the circuit. So, from a physical standpoint, you're good. #14 wire is appropriate for a 15 A circuit.

However, as mentioned, you want to be aware of any local codes which limit the number of fixtures or receptacles on the circuit. As @isherwood mentions, too, you may want to consider a lower-power bulb (like LED or CFL) if it works in your situation, or an alternative lighting solution - e.g., do you really need 30 bulbs? Could you get the same result using half as many bulbs that output more light? 2200 W is a lot of power usage for lighting, so any way you can reduce that will be beneficial to your wallet :)

*In a perfect world. In the real world, breakers don't trip immediately when reaching their current limit, etc, etc.


Non-recessed pancake box for ceiling fan I want to install a ceiling fan below an old plaster-and-lathe ceiling. I was thinking of running a piece of wood between two joists in the attic above, then screwing a pancake electrical box directly into that piece of wood.

Rather than cutting into the plaster, I'd simply install the box on the surface of the ceiling (and screw through it to attach the box to the wood above). In other words, the box would not be recessed into the ceiling.

My reason for wanting to do this is that the ceiling is old and not in excellent shape. I worry that if I start cutting into plaster and cutting up lathe between joists, I'll invite more plaster cracks. I'd rather leave the plaster untouched.

I know that you might be able to see the box slightly with this installation method (although I am hopeful that if I get a small enough box and a fan with enough play in the part that covers the box, I can hide everything). I'm not too worried about that, as it should not be very noticeable -- certainly not as noticeable as more cracks in the ceiling.

Are there any other reasons why I couldn't do this?

There surface mount boxes that are fan rated.

You can use one of the back knockouts and the proper connector to bring your cable in from above.

Your plan to reinforce with wood above the mounting seems sound. You should not try to mount such a box with just plaster mounted fasteners. You may want to consider steel joist hangers for your crossbeam.

  Links images are illustrative only, not an endorsement of brands or sources


Thinking about adding a Keyboard tray to a MDF Desk, is it safe? So I am thinking of buying this Desk (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQDPP38/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A1N6DT631H7VR6&psc=1)

And these sliding arms (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHFRUHE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3K6XLR8HSJJOI&psc=1)

For the time being I would be using my current leftover tray from a desk I am using right now.

That desk on Amazon says it uses MDF, would it be safe for gaming? I am not sure how well MDF handles screws or weight from hands/wrists resting.

If you use coarse threaded screws specifically engineered for MDF and use all the mounting holes available to you, the load distribution should be good enough for the desk. If you really want the belt-and-suspenders approach, consider to mount the sliding arms to a pair of one-by-twos or a sheet of plywood, then glue and screw them to the MDF. This will most certainly prevent pull-out of the screws holding the arms, as well as provide for longer screws if you consider that you now have the thickness of the one-by-twos or the plywood added to the thickness of the MDF. If you plan to screw into the MDF, pre-drill and use screws that will not puncture the top. MDF likes to dislodge if the screw tip gets too close to the surface.


Can I run wires for neutral and ground separate from the feeds for a new sub-panel? I am removing two 15 amp breakers at the top left of my 40 space electric panel to be replaced with a 2 pole 30 amp breaker for backup generator. Can I just run two THHN #14 wires through a flexible conduit from an adjacent sub-feed panel and use common ground and neutral on first 40 space panel?

Ground yes. Neutral no.
You can do that with safety ground.
You cannot do that with neutral.  Neutral needs to come over to the new panel that the hots are served out of.
This is easier to justify when using a type of metal conduit which itself is a valid grounding path, which is typically NOT the flexible kinds.  EMT is a little more work but takes care of the grounds for you.
There are also good reasons to try to keep inter-panel conduits shorter than 24". Otherwise you are only allowed 4 circuits in them and must significantly derate the large feeder if there are other circuits in the pipe.
There is nothing wrong with using a service panel as a junction box to hold the wire-nuts that extend the circuit. Note this is a NEC interpretation, that may not work in Canada.


Power On But No Power I have a GE 20amp Breaker that feeds my Dining room and outdoor power for Linai.  Breaker off, no power going out, breaker on power at the panel.  No power in aforementioned area.   GFI outside, replaced with new, still no power.

What are the possibilities?  Ground or short somewhere?  But why wouldn't that trip the breaker? From what I can tell, this 20 amp breaker also feeds the Microwave. I have unplugged everything, reset the breaker many times, still no power.  Removed cover of main panel and tested breaker with my voltage tester...

Grounded hot or a short will trip the breaker. But a loose wire will not.

With the breaker off, check every receptacle in the circuit for a loose connection. If you find backstab connections move them to screws. Start with receptacle nearest the breaker, though sometimes the wiring is not done in the most obvious /logical path.


Fixing patch up that has gotten 1st coat of paint I tried to do my first diy patch job before painting and it did not turn out well.  The first coat of paint was applied and I wanted to know how to fix it.  Any guidance is appreciated and please keep in mind I’m a newbie.

You need to sand and then re-coat it will be a bit tougher to sand with the paint on there but it will come off.
To do a really good job sand just until you see the paper, wipe down with a wet cloth to remove the dust, then apply another coat of mud, I suggest a 12” wide knife or wider for best results you don’t want a thick coat. When put on two thick it shows more shrinkage so a quick sand and fill again may be needed, I shine a light on the work prior to painting , put the light close to the wall and look to see shadows on the other side of the patch. Lightly sand and recoat a wider patch will be less noticeable when you have a bump to hide, when I was a kid and learning it would take me 3,4,5 coats to get it good enough for my dad, today I usually get it in 2, sometimes 3 coats don’t rush it use light coats, And a light to show imperfections, they will be there the trick to hiding them is wider and uniform patch then a light spray texture can make it really look like a pro job.


What can I do about 2x4 wood expansion joints that are above the surface of the concrete? I have a lot of concrete in my yard that has several 2x4 6-10 foot wood expansions.  The 2x4's are now between a 1/2" and a full inch above my concrete.  What can I do to fix this? I thought about a hammer and chisel, but it would take me a year!  Can I take the 2x4s out?  I've had this concrete for about 15 years.  No cracks anywhere just expanding wood!

Not knowing what you use this concrete pad for, you could take the plywood out and fill the gaps with polymeric sand. Once you water it in, the sand forms a locking pattern that resists weeds and is fairly easy to replace if it cracks.


How to shape this metal? The metal below was a banding strap in its former life.  It is magnetic but slightly rusted at spots, so probably galvanized steel?

On the left you can see that I have started to shape the metal.  However, this is not going as easily as I had hoped.

How can I shape the metal (using hand tools) to more closely resemble the bracket below?

Specifically, I need help forming the loop.  I believe I can handle the rest.

BTW, this will be for holding tools to my garage wall, so I hope the question is appropriate here!

Edit:// Also wanted to say that the end result does not need to be so refined as the example I provided.  I will be satisfied with something resembling a capital Omega.

Edit #2:// I have been shaping this over a pipe to get the shape on the left.  Should I try using a smaller pipe to bend over?  I thought I should use something larger, but now I am thinking probably not...

Here is a link to a hand-bending jig. Basically you need two or more pins to hold the metal and you either use the metal itself (with the pins held in a vise or table-top) or a handle attached to the pins (with the metal held in a vise) to bend the metal.
What I'm saying in my comment is that the item you pictured is not made of bent metal, it's made by welding a short section of pipe to a steel plate. A bent tool holder does not logically have the same form to achieve the same function, and trying to make it "look like that" will make the job much harder than it needs to be.
Some more options: One.  Another. Scroll down a bit in the last link (a newsletter for blacksmiths) and there's a "how to use" section.
Sorry for the link-heavy answer, I'm not up to drawing the pictures and trying to explain in more detail right now. Someone else can take a stab at that.


pick thickness of the engineered wood planks I'm considering to install an engineered laminate floor on the plywood subfloor, the planks vary in thickness. How do people normally pick the right thickness of the planks? I understand that there will be underlay installed as well, which has its thickness, and the laminate planks on top. However I want to make sure that new floor in room will level with the hallway which already has hardwood floor installed. So, I'm assuming the underlay will "settle down", so I should pick slightly thicker planks?

Thanks.

Underlayment doesn't settle or compress appreciably, and you usually won't find varying thicknesses of your particular choice of flooring. You'd have to change brands to change thickness.

Unless you have some specific height need, purchase what suits your fancy. The transition between the new and old floors should accommodate, and a difference in height of 1/8" or 1/4" doesn't cause a problem.

If you're aiming for perfect level, you may need to install additional subfloor material before the flooring underlayment.


Fridge tripping GFCI Outlet I just got a new fridge and put the old one in the garage. It's connected to a GFCI outlet which it's tripping intermittently. It's not the breaker that's tripping, it's the outlet itself. The fridge is connected to an extension. When I press reset the fridge works again. I know there are issues with using GFCI outlets and fridges, my question is, can I just replace this outlet with a non-GFCI outlet? Would that work? Is the wiring any different? Would it still trip for some other reason? The breaker is 15amp compared with 20amp previously. It's not tripping the breaker so I'm guessing that's not the issue.

Same old deal I have seen for the past 35 years as a service technician.  Not one person referenced the owners manual. Any appliance you purchase that has a compressor will tell you in the owners manual to not plug it into a GFCI receptacle. And this goes beyond compressors to include just about anything with an AC motor. While it is true a lot of refrigerators will run for a while on a GFCI receptacle,  it is inevitable that at some point the internal lubricant will collect enough metal from friction wear that it will charge the lubricant itself and create a natural current leakage to ground, which, surprise, surprise  trips the GFCI. The most common response when you tell someone to read their manual is "I didn't get one"  Uh huh. P.S. all compressors are vapor compressors. If there's no vapor there nothing to compress


Could sound insulation around copper pipes cause condensation? A leak in the bathroom, above the kitchen, started as a small water stain on the ceiling. I opened the ceiling and determined insulation (2 insulation pieces), that was placed to absorb the sewer pipe, was soaked.  After two weeks of investigation, the toilet, sewer pipe, vent piping and copper cold water pipe appear not to be the issue. The vent pipe goes to the roof, and after rain storms, that too appears to be a non-issue.  I had sound insulation covering the sewer plumbing, which also covered the cold copper line that feeds the toilet.

Could this sound insulation around cold copper pipe create enough condensation over time (13 years since the house was built) that it finally came through the drywall.  I realize now I should have used the black foam copper pipe insulation.

Any insight would be appreciated before I close up the ceiling.

No.

Insulation does not, by itself, cause condensation.

Insulation (in conjunction with other factors) prevents condensation.


What materials are fake coals for gas fireplaces made of? My new gas fireplace looks remarkably realistic!  I'm curious what the "glowing embers" are made of.  I have found replacement sets, but I've been having a hard time figuring out what materials comprise these fake embers.  One description on a similar set suggests some type of ceramic material, however, I'm curious what technology goes into these rocks.

Originally (back in the old days), they (like gas grills) used volcanic rock aka lava rock.

Several current vendors use a mixture of rockwool fiber material and vermiculite.  Others list sand and vermiculite.

Having them on the bottom helps diffuse the gas (by scattering the gas as it rises, so you don't see jets of gas).  The glowing aspects is a nice side benefit.

The newer 'glass' bead gas outdoor fire pits do a similar diffusion and look good when not in use (not so much for vermiculite and rockwool, which look 'ashy' (on purpose)).


What is this mountable adjustable clamp for a pipe called? I am looking for the terminology that I can use in order to find one of these clamps to buy online. I can mount it on wood and then tighten it to keep a pipe in place.

This looks like a field retro fit. A larger clamp than was needed and a two bolt holes drilled in it to make it fit. I have never seen one like this before and I've put up a lot of pipe. There are many pipe clamps that have rubber bushings in them to keep them from hitting the walls.


Uncapped wires in light switch box I was trying to install a smart light switch, I don't have a neutral, so I can't do that. However, when I looked in the box, I noticed this other group of wires pushed to the back. They aren't capped off and they read hot. It is three wires; black, white, and copper. The wires sticking out of the box were the ones connected to the existing light switch. Any ideas? Can I use these extra wires to power the smart switch?

If you find out that the yellow cable is hot and switched only by a breaker, you can feed the light from it. Just disconnect the existing light and switch wire from the hot and neutral at the light fixture box. Cap them and tuck them away. Remove any black tape from the switch white wire and connect it to the white wire from the light fixture. Connect the black switch wire to the black light fixture wire. At the switch location, connect the feed neutral to the white wire from the light fixture box and remove any black tape, connect the feed black to the line side on the switch and the remaining black to the load side. With this setup, you can install your smart switch. Connect all grounds.

You have to verify the yellow cable source and voltage before doing any of this.


building bedroom in finished basement I want to install 2 walls on top of floating laminate floor. Do I have to cut a channel in the floor or can I just fasten the walls to the floor. Do I have to fasten to the concrete below the laminate?

A floating floor wants to be just that - not anchored down. If you go about placing the bottom plate for a stud wall on top of the flooring material and then try to use concrete nails to anchor the plate to the concrete floor the flooring will be captured and not longer able to float. This will result in constriction of the flooring material when it wants to move due to thermal and environmental changes and will likely warp, buckle and break joints between flooring planks.

BTW - In most places there will be a requirement for there to be an egress window in this basement bedroom to allow the occupant to exit in the case of fire. Unless you are prepared to provide that you may want to hold off on your remodeling project.


Direction of tap out of water heater Sorry for the weird question, but here goes.
I am planning to install an electrical, tanked water heater.
For the inlet, I will screw a pressure relief valve directly in the cold water pipe, and screw the inlet pipe of the water heater to it:

This type of device will automatically drain the water when the pressure gets too high.
For the outlet, I have been advised to plug a tap like this directly into the hot water pipe, and the outlet pipe of the water heater into it :

I was surprised to be recommended a connection that has a 90 degrees angle, with a valve. Why not a simple straight connection? Does the 90degrees angle matter? If so, why?
Knowing that my water heater will be higher than the connection, should this angled connection face up or down?
In addition, I was thinking of adding a pressure meter just before this outlet connection, so that I can monitor the pressure myself and make sure there's no excess pressure going into my pipes (they are old and I am terrified of the work involved if they burst). Is that reasonable or will that create issues?

I'd strongly suggest that you ask the "why" questions to whoever it was that made these recommendations to you. That person may well know your local codes and/or the particular unit you're planning on installing better than any of us will. That said...

Generally, I believe your "security group" is called a "pressure relief valve" - it opens automatically if pressure gets too high, and drains the water someplace, hopefully where it's designed to go (like a drain). I'm not sure, however, what this has to do with your question at all.
The item in your 2nd image looks like it's got a garden hose thread on it. Beyond that, I can't imagine why it matters whether it's a straight or angled fitting beyond the fact that the angled fitting will more easily allow you to turn the outbound plumbing along the wall, which is where you probably want it. If you need the plumbing to go straight out from the tank, I'm sure you could use a straight fitting here.
Having a valve right at the outlet from the heater allows you to shut off water flow to the entire house if necessary for plumbing repairs, preventing pipe freezing in case of power loss in freezing temperatures, etc.
Generally, the outlet of the valve points in the direction the next section of plumbing needs to go. If you need to run up from your outlet, point the valve up; if down, point it down; likewise for left or right.
I wouldn't see any issue with installing a pressure gauge right off the hot water heater. Make sure that the gauge you pick will support the temperature of water coming out of your heater. I would install a valve before the gauge, though, just in case the gauge fails & needs to be replaced. The valve is a handy shut off to keep your floors mostly dry while removing/replacing the gauge.
Again, confirm all this with your local building/plumbing inspector to ensure that it meets all applicable local codes.


Home network wiring network closet In my condo, there is a network closet that contains this item:

There are 3 RJ45 jacks around my condo and I assume it's each connected to one of the 3 blue Cat5e cables that are connected to this thing.

My questions are:

What do you call this "thing"?
How do I interconnect this "thing" with my router so I can have wired access on the wall jacks? The existing connection was installed by the technician from my ISP and it doesn't look like it was connected by hand. Does it require a specialized tool?

That is a Belden IBDN QCBIX1A4 BIX Distribution Strip with 4 pair markings. A datasheet can be found here. This product line was originally owned by Nortel, so you might see Nortel labels in your panel.

It's essentially a 4-pair splicing strip with 110 style punch down terminals - every pair of wires punched down on one side are extended to the other side of the strip.

Manufacturer's description:

  The BIX Distribution Connector is a 25-pair connector. The
  connector’s symmetrical construction allows termination
  of cables on one side and cross-connect jumper wires or
  BIX patch cords on the other. Each BIX connector is
  equipped with 50 double-ended Insulation Displacement
  Connection (IDC) clips for terminating plastic insulated
  solid copper conductors without stripping. The connector
  is built with two staggered rows of IDC clips enclosed in a
  three-layer construction of fire-retardant plastic wafers.
  Pair splitters on each side of the connector facilitate wire
  insertion.

Since it is certified for CAT-5e, you should be able to use it to extend ethernet to your rooms (and it should work up to gigabit speeds). Probably the easiest thing to do would be to get some solid (stranded wires don't work well with punch down blocks) CAT-5e patch cables, clip off the end (if you cut them in half, you can use both ends), then punch them down opposite the existing wires, matching the color codes. Then you just plug the other end of the patch cable right into your switch/router.

If you're lucky, everyone used the same color code, and it will work, otherwise, you might need to inspect your home wiring and the patch cable and match up the colors to make a "straight through" connection, i.e. pin 1 at the jack in your room, should go to pin 1 on the cable in your wiring closet, and so on. Here are the most common wiring color codes for structured wiring, but the installers (and/or patch cable manufacturer) may not have followed the standard:

You'll want to use a 110 punch down tool for this, a spring loaded tool works best:

(I'm not neccessarily recommending this particular tool - punch down tools range in price from $10 to hundreds of dollars for professional models. You're generally paying for longevity more than performance with the more expensive tools, for a few dozen punches, you won't see a whole lot of difference among the price range if you stick with known brand names)

But if you're only doing a few punches, a manual, non spring loaded tool would work:

There are other options, the BIX line also includes a CAT-5e modular jack strip that may fit into your existing panel, then you could punch down short CAT-5e cables to patch from the connector strip over to the modular jack panel. (or just move the blue wires from the connector strip over to the modular jack panel so you don't need to use short jumper cables)


How do I uninstall a velux blackout blind? (A Velux blind is a brand of skylight/roof-window in the UK that's apparently quite popular).

We have a couple of velux windows with blinds attached.  We'd like to swap them for the black-out blind variety, but having ordered the new ones, are at a bit of a loss for how to uninstall the current ones.

How to best do this?  Couldn't find any information on velux's site.

Adding an update to Peter Mounce's answer from: https://zebbakes.com/2011/06/21/how-to-uninstall-a-velux-black-out-blind/

The Mr McDonald method at the end worked for me in a couple of seconds, and doesn't have the crazy screwdriver involvement.
The quote is:

  spoke with a very helpful chap at Velux (UK) and removed the blind quite easily. Method was this: 1) With the blind retracted fully, grasp the casing firmly at each end with your fingers at the back (between casing and glass) and thumbs on the front. 2) Now twist/rotate the case up and out (as if twisting case toward top of window frame) and listen for the ‘click’ of the catches releasing both sides. 3) When both catches released – blind should slide forward and out! Tried it and it worked a treat! Obviously no guarantee but was reassured by Velux that if the clips should break on attempting removal that they can supply a new set of brackets for re-installation.


How to create a conditioned attic? My attic has reached the point of no return with storage. I must use it for that purpose.
So now I have to find a way to insulate the attic's roof.
For this DIY handyman dad, does anyone know of a step by step guide on how to convert an attic to a storage attic? I can imagine the steps, but I know I'm going to miss something crucial. I live in a normally cold area (New York State). Mentioning this since all articles I've read say I should aim to get R-60 if possible.

What I have:

since a bedroom was added above the garage, I have two attics (original + new) and they are connected.
the attic is triangular in shape (from outside), but rectagular attic floor (if that matters)
there is a ceiling vent (at the middle of the attic roof) to vent hot air?
there is an attic fan near the top of one side + a "window" cutout, where I guess its used for moisture ventilation.
the 'new' attic is for a cathedral ceiling, so I cannot walk on it, but I can see there is R-19 insulation (looks small in thickness, so R-value is an estimate).
There is insulation on the 'original' attic, but there are 2x6 planks used to hold all the storage
I'm fairly positive there are side vents since that area seems very dirty (wind?)
The 'original' attic roof does show nail points, so you can see there's nothing but lumber that I can physically touch.

My guess on what I would need to do:

Put hard foam (pink stuff) in between the beams - Im just not sure how to keep it on the roof?
close the 'window' + attic vent - somehow, since Im not sure.
close the connection between attics with a door, since I may still need access to that 'new' attic. And insulate that attic door Im putting in.
cover up all the pink foam with some vapor barrier, say 6mil plastic since it needs to face the 'living'/storage area. This is to keep an air seal.

I know there's something I've not considered. Does this look right to those that have done this? If there's any documentation with pictures I'd love to see it.

Ventilation
This is basically what you're trying to achieve, with respects to ventilation and insulation of the roof.

Soffit (eave) vents
Start at the bottom of the roof, with soffit vents.
Baffels
Baffels are used to provide a channel along the underside of the roof decking, to allow air to flow from the soffit to the roof vents. You don't necessarily need baffels, but you do want to provide at least one inch of free space under the roof decking. Baffles simply make providing this gap easier.
Roof Vents
You can use either pot vents, or a continuous ridge vent here.

Pot Vents

Ridge Vent
If you don't already have a ridge vent, you'll have to do a bit of work to install one.

Remove the existing ridge cap shingles.
Using a circular saw set to the appropriate depth, rip a straight line along both sides of the ridge.

Install the ridge vent.
Install ridge cap.

Insulation
Now that you have proper ventilation, it's time to think about keeping the conditioned air in the conditioned space.  For this, you'll need insulation.  If you used baffles in the previous step, insulating the roof is easy. If not, make sure you maintain a one inch gap below the roof decking while you install the insulation.
You can use whatever type of insulation you'd like, just make sure it will provide the R-value you want in the space available.
Vapor Barrier
Once the insulation is up, you'll want to install a vapor barrier to prevent any indoor moisture from getting up into the insulation. If moisture is allowed to get into the insulation, it could condense and cause mold problems and other water damage such as rot.
You'll want to use polyethylene sheeting, at least 4 mil thick. You're also going to want to seal all seams using house wrap tape, to ensure a good seal.
HVAC
Now that the space is sealed, it's ready to be conditioned.  You'll have to install appropriate heating/cooling elements in the space, which completely depends on what type of heating/cooling you have. If you have forced air, don't forget the returns.
Carry the Load
The next item to address, is to make sure you and your stuff don't end up on the floor below. You'll want to make sure the floor of the attic is adequate to support the load. If it's not, you'll have to take steps to beef it up.  For this, you might want to contact a structural engineer.
Access
Since you've been getting up and down to do all this work, I'm going to assume you have adequate access to the space. If not, you'll want to install a ladder, stairs, etc.


Furnace runs for about 5-minutes only and shuts off Furnace (Lennox G40UH, 12 years old) runs for about 5-minutes (sometimes as high as 7-minutes) and they turns off despite the heating call from the thermostat continuing. Flame sensor has been replaced. All vents in the house are open. Removing the furnace filter and it’s cap (5”x16” cap)appears to buy about another 2-minutes of run time…though that could have been a fluke.

The High Limit switch is showing 0 ohms when the furnace is not in a heat call and for the most of the cycle during the heat call, sometimes there would be a few ohms (under 10) for a few seconds. On multiple shutoffs when the flame when out  (blower still on) the High Limit switch jumped to an open circuit and then quickly to 142K ohms (photo below) and then stepped back down to 0 ohms over the course of a minute or two. When the flame was turned off in this way (aka not by the thermostat), the furnace would try to fire 1-3 times again before it was able to fire and stay on for the roughly 5-minutes again. When it tried to restart some resistance would appear across the High Limit switch.

Flame is a healthy blue with no signs of drafting from the exhaust venting.

When the furnace is unable to fire, it does signal a code for “Primary or secondary limit switch open. Limit must close within 3 minutes or unit goes into 1 hour Watchguard.”

Actions taken:
 - used compressed air to blow out dust from blower area, burner, exhaust fan, and exhaust venting pipe.
 - Replaced the flame sensor
 - Ensured vents throughout the house are open.
 - Tested removing allergenic 3M furnace filter.
 - Tested using a cheap blue furnace filter.
 - Tested using no filter.

Could the fact that I am running the furnace’s heating cycle back-to-back-to-back be causing the issue? For about 90 minutes I was running heat cycles typically with no more than 5-minutes in between.

The limit switch should always be at 0 ohms. Since it is bouncing around it sounds like a bad switch. Check the temperature at the outlet of the furnace and at the inlet of the furnace. Subtract the two to get you the delta T. Look on the name plate for the correct delta T for your particular furnace. It will always be a range such as 30-60 degrees. If you are over the max number you will need more air flow. The limit switch is much higher than this number however and you should not be anywhere near hot enough to trip the limit switch. If you are measuring over 140 degrees or so at the outlet it is likely the limit switch is doing its job and you need more air flow


Greenish gray mold on wooden window frame Does anyone know how to deal with greenish gray mold on the border of my window frame and the insulated glazing?
I've never had mold before and my house is 32 years old and very well insulated. The wood in the pictures is impregnated hardwood.
The mold is on all four sides but is thickest at the bottom and lower part of the sides:

Close-up:

My take:

Scrub away the solid parts (fungi)
Clean with diluted vinegar

Would this be a good idea or could the spores have penetrated too deep into the wood?

Will it need replacement? If no, if it gets worse is there a point of no return?

Does anyone know what kind of mold this even is? I've never seem it before. It's pale green, completely different from the black mold that can grow in the bathroom or the deep green mold that grows on fruit.

You are probably getting this because of condensation buildup on the windows plus the wood to feed on at the bottom.  Probably no way to totally stop the condensation but simply opening the windows once a week or wiping off the window area with a towel would probably help.  Also turn on exhaust fans when taking warm showers or cooking a lot.

To clean just use soap or laundry detergent.  Scrub it with a foam pad and a wire brush for wood parts.   You will probably need to go through a couple buckets of water.  Once everything it is off spray on bleach to the area and wipe off with a towel.  Most of the time bleach will have little to no affect on wood unless it pools there but test on a small portion first if you want.


What type of Piping for Reduced Pressure Backflow Preventor for Irrigation System Looking into installing a above ground reduced pressure backflow preventor for my irrigation system.  Looking at many examples and videos online, I saw different types of piping from PVC, Copper and Galvanized Steel used for the above ground installation like the picture below. My main concern is protecting the potable water and having a long term system.

My question is, which type of piping is appropriate for having this backflow preventer outdoor and under the sun?

Copper - I heard can deteriorate over time.
Galvanized steel - can build up rust inside the inner walls over time
PVC - Not good for outdoor and sunlight

Copper can have problems with high mineral content but even with that it will last decades if prevented from freezing and I think it is the best for exposed work it is easy to cut and sweat fittings and my top preference.
With PVC if doing exposed work I use schedule 80, I have not had problems with sunlight compared to PVC in exposed areas getting broken especially in winter.
Steel would be my last resort, it is harder to cut and thread but holds up quite well on exposed work. As far as rusting it will take many years, I have threading equipment but find both copper and PVC hold up quite well and the extra work of threaded pipe so not worth the time and extra work for me.


Wire 2 separate lights from a dedicated outlet plug I have a dedicated 20amp plug for microwave. It’s the only one not on GFCI or on 4 way in kitchen. Should be fine as using all leds.
I spliced off the hot/neutral/ground and ran it to a new 4 gang i installed after tediously getting the 2 gang out. Has cans on a 4 way and breakfast on a 3 way already done. I got that hooked back up no prb and working.
Now I’m second guessing my hours of research...
Setup:
Spliced dedicated source wire with 3 port connectors so have new 6” black/white/ground run to plug and 1 new 12/2 yellow Romex runs to new 4 gang.  Have (2) 12/2 romex cables running to the 1st light location for under cabinets and one to the pendant lights.
My goal is 2 switches. One to control 2 pendants and one to control 3 location of under cabinet lights for total of 9 lights.
What I’m unclear on is how to wire the 2 new switches in the 4 gang (one for pendants and one for under cabinets) both to be single pole with no other switches.
Once I get the dedicated ones it’s simple to daisy chain them to each light..
Here is my plan.  It correct?
12/2 coming from the spliced plug would be my source should it go:
Combine all the neutral white wires with big red nut to just pass through so 3 romex all together.
Source hot Black split it to each switch with 6” new cable with red nut then wire 2 other 12/2 blacks to switch going to each light chain.
Splice the ground from source and 2 lights 12/2 into large red nut with 2 new 6” wires to each switch as well as to the 12/2 light. So 5 grounds (what color nut for 5x 12/2 ground?)
Does this sound right. My brain is fried.
Can submit picks or something if anyone would help greatly appreciated!!
Any diagrams would be super helpful!!
Another note. I’m adding 9 under cabinet lights in 3 locations.(6) 12” lights and (3) 9”  For a total of 66 watts. The 2 pendants will have LED with 2.5 but using 4 it’s a title of 82w. They should be .68 amps right.
If microwave is 1700 watt ther would 14.1 amps.
I should be fine right?

You can't pull from the microwave circuit under Code, so use the range hood circuit instead
Your 1700W microwave is far in excess of the 50% limit set by NEC 210.23(B)(2) on the total wattage of fixed appliances connected to branch circuits that also have lighting and/or general-use receptacles on them:

(2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating
of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere
rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization
equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

As a result, attaching your switches to the microwave branch circuit is no good.  However, since your range hood pulls far less than the 10A/1200W maximum NEC 210.23(B)(2) sets for a built-in/fixed appliance on a general circuit, running the lighting off the range hood circuit will be fine, barring any local amendment that requires a dedicated circuit for the range hood (which sounds strange, but does exist in a few places in California).


Installing Outlet for Welder; Possible Dual Use for RV I'm doing some electrical upgrades to my garage/workshop with upstairs apartment; I'm going to be replacing its 1960s-vintage subpanel which is fed by #4 wire from a 200 amp service entrance panel (on the house, about a 40 foot wire run).

While out shopping for a bench grinder (1970s Craftsman; I'll take 50 years old, a little rust, but Made in USA over brand-new cheap Chinese crap any day) I found that the seller had an old Miller welding machine which he was willing to let go for a reasonable price. It looks to be in decent condition but the power cord is deteriorated and will have to be replaced prior to use. I'll need to install a suitable outlet for it...nameplate specs are 230 volt, single phase, 37 amps. The plug currently on the machine is a NEMA 10-50P.

I'd rather not do any welding actually inside the garage, with perhaps rare exceptions. I was thinking of installing the new outlet on the outside of the garage, at the driveway, just 2 or 3 feet from the subpanel I'm replacing. I don't currently own an RV, but it strikes me that it would be ideal to install a receptacle which could be used either for the welder or for an RV.

Suggestions? (Also, suggestions for "tuning up" and safety checking the old Miller welder prior to first use are welcomed as well.)

I appreciate your effort to try and combine outlets and wiring but it's usually pretty hard to do. Your welder will need a 40 Amp breaker, two hots and a ground. Your future RV would probably need at least a 20 Amp breaker, one hot, a neutral and a ground. Weather proof, water tight outlets and cover plates can run into a lot of money so I'd think about installing your welder outlet in the garage. Put a longer cord on your welder or get longer ground and electrode cables so you can weld outside. If and when you get your RV, then deal with the outside outlet. If you run 3/4" conduit and THHN for the welder circuit, you could add the new RV circuit in the conduit and extend it outside with your weatherproof/watertight fittings. If you're planning on running cable, you'd need two separate runs.
As far as testing your welder, A Megger test would be the best for verifying the insulation is good. You could also remove the access panels and clean everything up and check all the connections. Plug it in and strike a small arc at each setting.


Dishwasher leaks water but doesn't work? Our recently replaced  dishwasher doesn't work AT ALL. If I turn it on nothing happens, but I can hear the timer running on it. I have checked power cords and what I could see. We never use our DW so it hasn't been a big deal except for the fact that the bottom is filled with nasty water.

But twice now in the last couple weeks, when we have washed dishes (in the sink) water starts leaking from our DW! It just did it to me a bit ago and my whole kitchen floor was soaked.

Since our landlord doesn't accept maintenance calls and requires a written letter, it will take a while before I hear from him. Is there something I should check myself?
It is an older style DW, nothing fancy. No cancel or drain buttons to try.

The dishwasher should drain into the disposer so it sounds like you have a combination of 2 problems:

1) significant blockage in your sink drain p-trap that is causing water to backup into the dishwasher (path of least resistance). However, it still shouldn't leak normally.

2) the DW drain wasn't done with an air gap or high loop that prevents #1. In other words, the drain hose should run out of the DW, then much higher than where it connects to the disposer before dropping down again to enter the disposer.

That doesn't answer why it is leaking though. Poor drain connection, bad pump, bad seals. If it leaks that bad, it may be a blessing it hasn't worked.


How do I double screw corner posts I'm building a dog house for our new puppy and got stuck on something.

The plan...
I want to build a frame and put external and internal walls so I can fill with insulation as Winter where we live gets a bit cold. (around 0-2 during the night).

I had some framing timber hang around in the garage so I'm using that for the frame. Some 45x45 posts and treated ply for the walls and floor.

The problem I found is...
I need to put a couple of screws through the posts into the beans but because the posts are corners posts, I will have 4 screws coming in. Kind of like this (below).

The problem i find here is that screws will clash to each other. So I was thinking I could divide the bean in for parts (let's say 1,2,3,4) and in one side I would screw the 1 and 3 and the other side I would screw 2 and 4.

Is there the way to do it or there is a better way?

Thanks in advance

Ed Beal is right. Assuming something like #10 or #12 screws (as opposed to 3/8" lag screws, for example), even if they collide the second will merely glance off the first. It's not an issue.

To avoid the situation altogether, simply offset by 1/4" or so.


How far from the sink can we install the dishwasher without major remodel? We are buying an old house built in 1935. We do not want to do a major kitchen remodel but we would like to replace the old portable dishwasher (that you roll over to the sink and hookup) with a regular dishwasher. There is no spot next to the sink and we would be putting the dishwasher on the other side of the kitchen.

Is this possible? Can we somehow run the plumbing under the kitchen in the basement to reach the sink for disposal? If I had to guess it would be about 10-15 feet of hose to reach the dishwasher.

There are no code regulations concerning the placement of a dish washer.  As AWMoore mentioned, you will need to supply a hot water feed and a drain, with a trap. You will have to see where you can tie the drain into the system being sure to meet the drop to run ratio. You can most certainly find a place to make this connection in a basement. To save head space in the basement , the trap can be installed above the floor behind the dishwasher, and the dishwasher drain hose install there, kinda like a washing machine.


Can a standard PVC electrical box be used as a junction box? I have one line coming from an outlet and need to branch it to two lines.  Can i use a standard electrical box (blue PVC) as a junction box to branch an electrical line?

You can do what you want, as long as...

The box remains accessible.
The box is fitted with a proper cover.

That being said, it may be more appropriate to make the splice in an existing box (assuming the box is large enough for the additional conductors).


Redecking while Re-roofing My house is in CA (USA, we don't have many stroms / heavy winds) and i am undergoing a re-roofing project. House is about ~65 year old the current "plank decking" looks in decent condition.
Is it a good idea to put a OSB on top of it to make it a "SOLID SHEATHING" before putting the singles ?
My roofing contractor told that very few people chooses that option (1/100) or so.
Cost of adding OSB (solid sheathing) is ~20% higher (2K $). Is it worth the investment?
I already have adequate attic insulation and my question is primary related to longevity of the new roof.

What do you expect to gain by this?
Your roof deck is in good shape, so if you put a roof on it that keeps it dry, I'd expect it to stay that way.
Redoing the deck happens when you let the roof go to long, it leaks and rots the deck, and you need to remediate that.
If you are worried about meteors, they will not care about another layer of wood. I doubt you are getting hailstones of a size to break your roof deck, or it would be broken, and lacking some reason like that, I don't see much advantage to adding a layer of OSB to support your roof while it sheds water and ordinary size hailstones, when your current roof deck is doing that job just fine.


How can I insulate a stud bay containing a subpanel? I'm putting a subpanel in the outside wall of my attached garage, which I'm also insulating so I can work out there in the winter. I'm wondering what steps are worthwhile to air seal and insulate around the subpanel. The wall is 2x4 framing, so there isn't really any room for insulation behind the box.

Would it be beneficial to try fitting insulation in the rest of the bay (above/below panel) or should I just focus on air sealing?
Can/should I use caulk to seal the cable clamp penetrations?
Should I do something to block airflow through the conduit which will connect the subpanel to the main panel?

Have you considered using a surface mount box which would allow more space for insulation in the wall behind the electrical panel?

You should definitely do as much as you can to prevent air leaks.


Voltage detector beeps on the sides of smart dimmer switch after installation Possibly similar to Should a smart switch (that requires a neutral wire) cause my non-contact voltage tester to beep? but slightly different symptoms, and only on one switch.
After installing Leviton D26HD smart dimmer switches, running an NCVT-2P voltage detector pen around the front outside of the switch where the switch meets the face plate, it detects something on both sides half way up. But not on the top and bottom. And it doesn't detect anything on the other dimmer switch in the other room.
If I pull the switch out, the voltage detector beeps near the line and the neutral parts of the switch's sides (it has built-in wires, not terminals), but not near the load or ground.
Suggestions? Do I need an electrician to check?

Non contact voltage detectors are very sensitive and can be miss-leading. They detect the presence of power, not the amount of flow of power. Your smart dimmer is using a tiny bit of power at all times which is being routed thru the neutral, which is appropriate, but it's enough to trigger a non-contact voltage detector.   If you really are worried about it, you need to get a digital multimeter (DMM)with an amp clamp on it that you can put around the neutral to measure the amps being used.  It should be a very tiny amount, maybe not even measurable.
To be certain, can you provide a picture of the wiring in the box? It makes a difference whether this is a switch leg where the power goes to the fixture and then a cable to the box, or power goes to the box where the dimmer is and then a cable to the fixture.


Is there a Grounding Electrode that can be buried less than 18"? A house that is being constructed is being built on ground that is only 18" deep before it hits bedrock. The rebar can't be used as the grounding electrode because there is a vapor barrier below the concrete slab. There are no copper pipes to use either. We can't use plates or horizontal ground rods because those need to be at least 30" deep.

Is there a grounding method that would work for this case? Will drilling into the bedrock be acceptable? I've been looking through section 250 of the NEC and haven't found anything that could help.

You need to talk to your AHJ

(Authority Having Jurisdiction, i.e. The guy who issues the permits).

This is provided for in the Electrical Code by giving AHJs latitude to set grounding standards to suit local conditions.  You are like the 10,000th person in their jurisdiction to have that problem.  They have compared notes with other AHJs nationally with similar geology.  They know how to solve it.


How can I get paint on rocks to last longer? Occasionally I paint a rock outside and would like it to be unaffected by weather as well as needing to be repainted for a while. I was looking into hydrophobic spray - and was wondering if anyone could confirm it would work for my needs or suggest anything else.

Strength of paint bonding depends on the surface.  A surface with lots of microscopic roughness, like something worked over with 400 grit sandpaper, is going to bond well.  Something microscopically smooth, like a sheet of glass, will bond poorly.  But even on a poor bond, the paint will want to stay there just for lack of physical motiviation to go somewhere else.

Weather is not enough to provide that motivation.  It needs help, with a stripper that is compatible with the protective layer, and/or scrub brushes and elbow grease.  This is a hard problem, and transit agencies with rail operations are at the leading edge of the field.  (Building managers less so, since they can repaint.)  They use rather exotic paints you will not find at Lowes.  This may be a lot of work.

Hydrophobic films can only work against water based paints.   Common graffiti paint in spray-cans is oil based.    In any case, hydrophobic coatings are not magic, they can't make the applied paint levitate and move downrange.  The paint will still sit on the protected item, will just hopefully be easier to remove.


Can I bury RG6 in the same conduit as electric? I am burying electric wire in a PVC conduit from my house to my shed, I want to run RG6 cable for cable TV also, can I run the RG6 in the same conduit as the electric wire? without any trouble or interference?

No, you cannot. Unless you're not covered by National Electrical Code (or similar), you don't care about following codes, or you're also installing a permanent barrier or listed divider.

  National Electrical Code

  Chapter 8 Communications Systems.

  Article 820 Community Antenna Television and Radio Distribution Systems.

  820.133 Installation of Coaxial Cables and Equipment.
  Beyond the point of grounding, as defined in 820.93, the
  coaxial cable installation shall comply with 820.133(A)
  and (B).

  (A) Separation from Other Conductors.

  (1) In Raceways, Cable Trays, and Boxes.

  (b) Electric Light, Power, Class 1, Non–Power-Limited
  Fire Alarm, and Medium-Power Network-Powered Broadband
  Communications Circuits. Coaxial cable shall not be
  placed in any raceway, compartment, outlet box, junction
  box, or other enclosures with conductors of electric light,
  power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, or medium-power
  network-powered broadband communications
  circuits.

  Exception No. 1: Where all of the conductors of electric
  light, power, Class 1, non–power-limited fire alarm, and
  medium-power network-powered broadband communications
  circuits are separated from all of the coaxial cables by
  a permanent barrier or listed divider.

You can Either put a second conduit in the trench for communications circuits, or put direct-burial coaxial cable in the trench.


Can I repair the warping in this laminate flooring So, this post is going to make me look like an idiot, but I'm okay with that.

About 4 months ago, we bought 800 sq ft of laminate flooring (12mm w/backing).

I stored the flooring in my garage, stacked pretty tightly on a few 2x3s to get them off the ground.

Well, on Sunday we had a guy come to install some of it in our dining room, and he couldn't due to the warping.  (I had previously bought in 7 boxes of the laminate to acclimate to the house 3 weeks prior).

Is there anyway to fix the warping somehow, or am I out of luck?

If you mean the flooring is warped with the shape of the 2x3s from sitting on them for months, maybe you can save them by unwarping them.

First I would try setting them on a hard flat surface (like a concrete garage floor).  If sitting on some shape deformed them, the same process should reform them.  Keeping them at elevated temperature (80–110°F) should speed up the process.

If that proves unsatisfactory, perhaps setting them on the "reverse" of what they sat on before:  Create a 2x3 gap underneath where they sat on support before and with the rest of the bottom solidly supported.  The pressure is much less this way so it would take much longer to change shape than they did before.  Presumably it did not take the whole four months to warp, so with a little luck, perhaps they will reform in a matter of a few days.


Is it okay to use two 20x20 air filters instead of one 36x20 for my home AC? I am replacing the air filter for the first time. I came to find out the person before just used two filters that were size 20x20 and overlapped them. The size of the actual duct is 36x20. The 36x20 are super expensive, so I was thinking of doing what the other guy did, but I read somewhere that air might escape through if there are holes. What should I do?

In order for your air filters to work correctly, they must be the exact size made for the filter box otherwise yes, dirt, dust, etc. will get sucked right through the gaps. Even if you were to seal the gaps with duct tape, it would only last a little while before it came off. Your AC system will last much longer and be more efficient which will save you more money than the little savings you get from the previous occupants cheap fix.