Do i need a short-time timer for coffee maker/water boiler? In many kitchens I have seen a short-time timer attached to the outlet where the coffee maker/percolator/water boiler is connected. I.e. to make coffee, they both need to start the coffee maker, and start the timer (which will be on for example 30min).

I understand the reason for this, which is to prevent fire which can be caused by letting for example the hotplate in the coffee maker run hot without anything on it, or the water boiler be on without any water in it.

However in most modern coffee makers/water boilers/percolators there is a built in timer. For example in my percolator, there is a built in timer and the percolator will automatically turn off after 15min. So is there still a good reason to use an external short-time timer (even if there is a built in one) or can this be considered to be over cautious?

I live in Sweden so the appliances I buy follow the EU regulations.

If the appliances have their own timers built in, then I don't think an additional in line timer adds significant safety or energy efficiency. And given that any device can malfunction, any additional device can introduce risk. If you already have a built-in timer, then most of the time I would keep it in the indefinite on position if the other appliances have their own timers.

My sister has an electric hot water kettle which boils one quart to two quarts of water quickly and then keeps it near boiling. This is an energy efficient method for producing boiling water, but is an extra appliance cluttering the kitchen counter top.

I boil water on the kitchen stove and set the timer to alert me at a preset time. Sometimes I forget the kettle on the stove with the result that a lot of water vapor and heat is added to the air in the room.


Is it possible to hang something on the wall surrounding my chimney? My chimney runs up the center of the house from the basement. Where it passes through the kitchen, there is an obvious bulge in the wall where the wall basically wraps around the chimney. Based on the size of the chimney and the size of the bulge, I am assuming that the cinder block chimney is roughly an inch behind the wall.

I would like to hang a spice rack on that bulge. Is this possible?

If so, is it possible to do it with the hardware provided with the spice rack? It comes with 4 plastic drywall anchors and screws, but my walls are plaster. I know drywall anchors are generally not good in plaster, but that you can sometimes get away with it for light items. A spice rack however seems like it should be pretty sturdily fastened, and with the chimney right behind this wall, I'm not sure I'd be able to get a more robust type of anchor in there.

So what are my options?

I would drill a small hole through the plaster first to test your theory about how much space you have behind the plaster.  Your bit will stop when it hits the chimney, and you can use that to judge how much room you have.

If you have enough room, I would go with a toggle bolt style fastener.  If not, then you might need to use a masonry bit and drill into the chimney.  From there you can use a long tapcon screw to go through the plaster and into the chimney brick.


How to run HVAC supply /return & plumbing + keep out of the way This is the 2nd house we have GC'd.   We want to address concerns prior to having the blue prints finalized and contacting an HVAC company. One among a few concerns is the plumber and HVAC having problems.
After research, we have decided we want rigid sheet metal ductwork.

Furnace and ductwork will be installed in finished conditioned space.
Preliminary plans attached show basement with red lines showing the main floor above.

a. About how far on either side of the furnace will the supply and return trunk lines need to run, as well as the trunk line for the zone heating?  What might be the logical location for the zone trunk and a possible length?

You don't mention which direction the floor trusses lay, but assuming they  run the narrow direction above they it will be a little challenging but hardly unusual. The best bet is to get your HVAC contractor and truss designer together to spec out openings in the trusses for at least the main supply and return trunks.  The truss designer is the expert, but I would expect the supply and returns to be separated by a few feet to avoid a large opening and a weak spot in the trusses.  The HVAC designer might prefer the trunks and opening be centered over the furnace, to make connecting the furnace easier and to avoid the plumbing under the main floor bathroom.  It means long runs to the foyer side of the house, but those are between trusses.

If you are seeking efficiency consider talking to a energy rater, specialist or Passiv house/efficient builder.   You have a nice small, simple structure.  With a modern tight (beyond code minimum) envelope and enough insulation you may be able to heat and cool with a few mini-split heat pump units instead of forced air.  The savings on ductwork alone will pay for a lot of energy improvements, and you'll save money and energy for the life of the home. There are plenty of resources, Greenbuildingadvisor.com, Building Science Corporation and the Energy Vanguard blog are some of my favorites.


Can a home motion detector work through frosted or clear glass? I'm thinking of installing a motion detector inside an existing recessed fixture over my front door in order to illuminate the stairs and door lock at night. Home Depot sells a small sensor that can be installed between the socket and bulb but nobody has been able to tell me if the frosted glass cover will block the sensor.

IR (infra red) motion sensors are generally housed behind frosted plastic housings. Camera lenses also let infra red light pass through. Assuming yours is an infra red motion detector, frosted plastic or glass will not be a problem. The frosting is there to block your view of the lens and to "smear" the background contrast projected onto the IR sensor such that the IR blob's motion is better detected.


How can I tell if my two-pronged outlets have ground wires behind them? I have two-pronged outlets in my apartment. They look like this:

Is there a way to check whether they have a ground or not? Some guides talk about use a circuit tester and touching the screw, but I don't even see a screw? It seems like they've been painted over. Maybe I need to chip away at the paint?

On top of that, how would I even remove these?

What's the point of making them grounded? Either a) safety or b) to plug in 3-prong plugs.  There are several ways to do that.

You see the hole on your second photo? That's where the single screw goes.   On your first photo, the screw is covered with many layers of paint.

I would not stick a spike in there and gore up the threads.  Just get the proper screw.  They come free with outlet covers, which cost 30 cents.  Sand the paint off the head if you mean to put a voltage probe on it.

At this point, the layers of paint will have schellacked the outlet covers to the wall, and you'll need some careful knife work to separate them. Err on the side of damaging the outlet cover. They make oversize outlet covers for a neater appearance in this situation (not 30 cents). And next time you paint, take the covers off first.

Safety

If you can live with 2-prong outlets, you can render those safe by feeding them from a GFCI breaker or receptacle upstream.  Since GFCI breakers cost more than receptacles, especially for some archaic panels, I have been known to put a receptacle inches away from the panel and feed the whole circuit from that.  Plug a nightlight into every outlet in the house to make sure you don't have any crossed neutrals that would prevent the GFCI from working.  Put "GFCI protected" labels on all protected receptacles.

3-prong outlets

If you have provided GFCI protection, it is legal to fit a 3-prong receptacle if you also add a sticker saying "No Equipment Ground".   If that sounds like it doesn't protect equipment, exactly - some equipment cares about that for non-safety reasons, e.g. being sensitive to "static electricity" (ESD).

If you want real grounded outlets, and you don't have good ground in the junction box, you can retrofit ground.  This is easier than pulling all new grounded cable, since it's a single bare wire, and since every circuit served out of the same panel can share ground wires.  The only requirement is that the ground path be thick enough its entire length; so plan for this.  Runs to your heavy appliances (range, dryer, water heater) can be a backbone for the other grounds to connect to.


How deep should piers be for a concrete block fence wall? I am wanting to put up a 1.8m high (besser/cinder) block wall that spans 10 meters across our rear boundary. The wall will be tied to both other neighbours walls also.

The council water main runs 1.3 meters away from the boundary wall at a depth of 1.7 meters. This runs parallel to the new proposed block wall and trench.

What depth should the post holes go down to? I assume to the same depth?

Cheers

Concrete block walls don't have posts or piers, usually. They rest on a continuous footing. The depth of that footing can be found in established local code, and depends almost entirely on annual frost depth.

If your wall has support beams of concrete or steel you could build on piers, but that's a much more expensive and complicated approach. However, the depth requirement for either is probably the same.


expired acrylic paint? Is it safe for me to use expired acrylic paint on canvas? if not is there a DIY on how to rid the mold or whatever is causing the sour smell in the paint? (i really dont want to spend $30 on more gold,silver,and copper paints.)

It is "safe" but as the paint out-gasses it will continue to smell sour.

I used some older paint on a bathroom in a garage once and it continued to stink for months.

Only you can decide if the smell is worse than paying $30 for more paint.

Good luck!


Insulate room over porch I have looked at this How can I insulate the floor of a room above a porch?, but I think my situation is a bit different.
We are insulating the bedroom floor over an open porch (verandah). In Portland OR, so mixed climate. We have complete access to the rafters/joists. There is no wiring or plumbing in this area. The ceiling of the porch has 8" rafters. Then then is a 4" space, then 10" joists for the bedroom floor. A bit like this:
floor (currently removed)====================

joists  |.............     |....................      |......
space
rafters |...................| ...................|
wood ceiling ===================

We have put house wrap (Tvek) across the tops of the rafters and lapped it up the sides a bit and taped it. This is part of the air barrier. This has created a paper floor for the insulation.
We have kraft-paper-faced fibreglass batts that we plan onto this floor and squeeze into the joist bays (which are very irregular - between 14" and 16" OC). I bought faced batts and don't have the strength to take 'em back and get unfaced. We will cut channels in the batts to get them around the joists.

So two questions:
1. Should the batts go face down, so the paper is against the house wrap? I think they should, otherwise we will create a moisture trap.
2. Are there any major problems with this perhaps unorthodox approach?

Thanks
Catherine

An air barrier (housewrap) is quite specifically NOT a vapor barrier.

Vapor barrier should go on the warm side (out in primarily cooling, in for primarily heating) - look up the heating degree days and cooling degree days for your area as one reference, or ask yourself if you use the A/C or the heat on more days of the year.

A loose fill product (cellulose, for example) will deal much better with odd shapes and framing irregularities and voids. Densely packed cellulose can also be used without a vapor barrier as its vapor transmission rate is quite low as a bulk material, thus eliminating the issue of where to put a vapor barrier in a mixed climate.


safe distance for re-drilling nail holes I drilled at wrong place inside the window frame when installing blinds, about 1/2 inch off, is it safe to drill a new hole 1/2 inch away from the old one?

edit:
Please see picture, it's another window in my home, all the window frames in my home are like this, I drilled the hole on the bottom of the top frame.

To be clearer, it's not nail hole, but screw hole, I already installed the bracket using screws, need to take them down. Do screw and nail make difference here?

Putting another hole even 1/4" away would work at 1/2" I would not worry at all. So I would say it's safe.


What are the causes of these marks on a ceiling? Every number of years we get these marks on our ceiling - where they get progressively worse.
It is a dusty substance, but even a vacuum and wash don’t work longer term which results in a repaint.
Any thoughts as to what causes this? Seems the [very fine] dust is attracted to specific locations.

Room is heated by central air. Vents are not near or relative to the marks.

My first thought is "ghosting".  This is mainly seen in poorly insulated areas and often follows studs and joists (may even see it on the drywall nails or screws).  The ghosting is caused by sections of the wall or ceiling being cooler than the rest of the wall and cool enough to get some condensation.  Every house has some amount of dust floating around, and this dust sticks to the wet parts of your walls/ceilings better than it does to the dry parts and builds up.  Over time this becomes noticeable.  This is particularly bad when you have anything burning in your house (fireplace, kerosene heater, someone is a bad cook, etc.) or if you keep your windows open (more dust).  As mentioned in the comments, this is really bad around areas that get a lot of air flow a (registers, returns, etc.).
The solution is to first fix the insulation problem, clean the walls, then repaint.
That said, your second picture looks more like water damage, potentially, than ghosting.  It's hard to tell, but I can almost see where water has pooled in areas and began dripping down the wall.  However, it's hard to tell from the lighting in the picture.


Is there a cheaper alternative to plexiglass? I want to cover a small area to be  usable in the winter / rain.
I am thinking of using some transparent or semi/transparent material to allow light to pass and to be discreet.
I found Plexiglas, but I still think it's a bit expensive per square/mt for the work I want to do. I am not even really sure that will work the way I want to. Is there a cheaper alternative?

There are all sorts of translucent roofing products, mostly corrugated.
Some are cheap, others ridiculously expensive. Any large building supply company should have the stuff.


Why does my switch trip the breaker after light fixture replacement? I'm trying to replace a ceiling light in the kitchen.  The light is controlled by a wall switch.  I took the light off and I have 2 black and 2 white wires in the box. I shut the switch off and the box was still hot.

I found the breaker that controls the hot wire in the ceiling box.  I put the black wires together and then the white wires together and then attached the black from the new light with the black wires and the same with the white.  I turned on the circuit breaker with the switch off and the light came on.  I turned the wall switch to the on position and the light went off and blew the breaker.

Do I have to put all three whites together with wire nut and then one black to black light lead and other black to white lead from light?  confused

You have a typical switch loop, like so (green is bare ground, which you may not have):

(source: do-it-yourself-help.com)

However, your white and black to the switch may be reversed. Really, it doesn't matter, though. Connect the white from the source and one of the switch legs to the fixture. Connect black from the source and the other switch leg.

To clarify, you want power running through the switch, then through the light, with no other possible path.

When you connected things the way you did, you set it up so that flipping the switch resulted in a direct short. That's bad, obviously. I suggest brushing up on basic electrical theory before tackling any more wiring projects.


How to control a set of lights with a switch and a subset with another switch Hey i am installing recessed lights in my bedroom and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on how you would have the main switch power all of the lights but another switch only turn on a few by the closet.

Wire the main light and light switch as normal.

Wire the second (closet) light and switch as normal, but instead of using the always-on circuit as a feed, use the switched feed from the main light.

This means that when the main light is on, the closet switch will turn on and off the closet light. When the main light is off, the closet switch will do nothing and the closet light will stay off.

Edit: I might have misunderstood what you're trying to do.

If you want the two sets of lights completely separate, then it's just the same as wiring two separate lights.


What kind of connector do I need to connect our outside tap We have just moved into a new house and we have an outside tap thats not connected. There is a flexible pipe coming into the house from the outsite tap and a valve under the sink but how/what connector do I need to connect them together?

Many thanks

The normal pipe fitting at a bib is 3/4” inch here in the U.S.
So you would want a female but that looks like a hose fitting that requires a o ring or washer to seal. The outside one would use “poly” hose that slips into the opening and locks in place but I can’t even give a guess on the size from the photo. This is a bit of a hack setup although it may work I would want proper plumbing here especially going through a wall.


Can I connect 12ga wire for a gas range to 10ga wire from the service panel? I am remodeling my kitchen right now.

Can I use the existing 10ga line which already been built and used in my house for an electrical range to hook up 14ga or 12ga wire for my new gas range?

As long as you have the right configuration of conductors yes, you can use a wire bigger than necessary. Be sure to change the circuit breaker to match the circuit and receptacle required.
Remember, you CANNOT have a "standard" 15 or 20 amp receptacle on a 30A breaker.


How do I add a utility sink drain into a tight space? I'm adding a laundry/utility tub to my garage and have exposed the existing plumbing behind the wall (see picture). I understand I need to have both the sink and washing machine drains vented, but I don't have a ton of space to work with. I can't really go beyond the studs on either side of the picture.

The plan is to have a stacked washer/dryer to the right, with the laundry sink on the left. I'd like to keep as much in the wall as possible, ideally with a laundry outlet box somewhere.

Is there a configuration (meeting CA code) that might work for this? A sketch would be helpful.

After learning way too much about drains and venting, here’s how I solved adding a properly vented sink drain, plus a washer outlet. A professional plumber who was snaking the drain inspected it and gave it a thumbs up. Hope this is useful to anyone looking for ideas.


Wall damage from insufficient attic ventilation The wall in my master bedroom, which is facing outside, has exposed brick and, for several years now the bricks have been showing signs of moisture damage. The symptom is white, frost-like substance coming out of the brick.

For a long time, during which I had other priorities to work on, I suspected that the roof turret, which is right above the wall areas affected, was leaking, as there are a couple missing pieces of slate. Here you can see it and the window in the picture is the one from the second indoor picture above (notice even outside some paint is peeling as a result of moisture penetration):

Several days ago, it rained really hard so I decided to test my conjecture about the cause. I went into the attic under the turret to see if there is water penetrating after it had been raining continuously for some time. In fact, it was not correct. I inspected carefully and there was no water leaking anywhere. However, the wall under the turret in the attic, right above the window damage shown above, also showed similar signs of damage.

As it dawned at me at that moment is that moisture must be coming some other way,I looked around to realize that the front about 40% of the attic, including where the damage is, has no clear access to either of the two attic vents that are in the middle of the roof but with several baffling obstacles in between:

Large crossbeams that occupy much of the attic height
HVAC ducting I had installed several years ago
Ceiling insulation rising above the attic beams I installed several years ago when I renovated that room

The new insulation rising too much is pink under the crossbeam and closer to the front of the picture is the original insulation, which looks as old as the house (112 years). The vents are on the other side of the large crossbeam, you can see how it and the insulation are blocking the way.
Here is the roof plan. The square with X is the turret, the brown is the wall areas affected, the pink area is the room with ceiling insulation rising to block the vents, and the blue rectangles are the positions of the vents. The roof is mod-bit, gently graded with the front (where the turret is) higher and sloping down towards the back.

The vents, as can be seen, are pretty close together and are on the wall, not the roof. Here is what they look like:

My questions are:

Is this a plausible hypothesis that my remodeling (the ceiling insulation + the large HVAC ducts occupying much of the low area under the crossbeams) introduced a barrier between the front of the attic and the existing vents, which then baffles ventilation causing a moisture trap in the front, which then seeps down into the walls below in the bedroom?

Should I install a vent to the front of the attic? If yes, what kind? The easiest to install would be one that goes in the actual roof rather than the wall like the existing two. E.g. a turbine vent uses the outside air movement to create suction and move air from the attic.

Or should I install both one on the wall (for intake) and a turbine one on the roof, for exhaust? Understandably, due to the position, I am trying to avoid installing a wall one because the access would be really hard. Will a roof turbine (or another kind) be sufficient? Where should I locate it for optimal ventilation? I imagine the graded mod-bit parts of the roof (everything other than the turret) for the ease of installation although the top of the turret seems like it would be most effective. I checked other similar houses in the neighborhood and they don't have these additional vents but I think that may be because their attics are not cluttered with ventilation obstacles like mine.

Your problem , as you noted, pertains to moisture. Specifically, moisture laden air coming from the living space below via small gaps and cracks (ie. conduit and wire runs, vents and register openings cut to large, electric boxes and outlets openings cut wider than needed, window door openings not sealed around the rough opening, there's a few more I can't think of right now).
There's also the issue of attic insulation. The original powdered stuff is a very poor insulator. It won't prevent the heat from the attic or the cool from the living space from transmitting (radiating?)    to and from the attic. If I recollect correctly, if warm air hits the cool bricks condensation will form on the bricks in the attic. Maybe not enough to be visible, but enough to be drawn into a porous red brick. I think you know the rest: the moisture contains salts from the brick and mortar, when it evaporates mineral deposits (efflorescent's) is left behind.
The repair is to -seal any passage way's from air infiltration below. Use expanding foam and/or any caulk to fill openings.
-insulate the attic floor. A better but bigger job is to insulate the attic rafter bays. I see HVAC ducts in your attic. Even though insulated the summer heat makes them less efficient at moving/keeping air cool. A radiant foil barrier, I found, works extremely well at reflecting heat from the exterior back out through the roof.
-seal/paint the brick. A clear masonry sealer and/or a masonry paint seals the porous bricks with a moisture impervious barrier. Clear seal on the living space side and dryloc on the attic side.
-an extra turbine closer to the problem area would help as a last additional solution.
Finally, just so you know the powder residue is not a serious problem. That is to say it's not a detrimental fault that over time will effect the integrity of your home. See it as an aesthetic issue.
Lastly, in my opinion the framing, raised pink insulation and vent location and other barriers are not causing this problem.


What did I do wrong when replacing a switched power receptacle? My setup is as follows:

Light Switch
Duplex Receptacle with two plugs (upper controlled by switch)
Second duplex receptacle (presumably always on)

As far as I know, the second receptacle had not been attached to the switch (but I may be wrong about that). The wife wanted white instead of off-white receptacles, so I replaced the second non-switched outlet with a new white one. I kept the wires attached to the same locations on the new outlet.

Here's what happened: the new outlet works (always on, irrespective of the switch), HOWEVER, now the old switch-controlled outlet is no longer switch controlled (it's always on!).

Any ideas on figuring this out or what might have gone wrong?
Is there such a thing as a receptacle that's made for switches vs one that isn't?

You forgot to break the tab on the hot side off the receptacle in the half-switched spot, shorting out the switch and making both halves of the receptacle always on.  The easy fix for this is to turn the power off at the breaker, pull out the supposed-to-be-half-switched receptacle, break the tab on the hot (brass screws) side off, button things back up, and turn the power back on.


How to power Sumitomo Sm Cyclo Motor? I saw a can crusher I wanted to build in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLJgQUiXHV0

And so I built the attachment wheel, shaft, and can chute. Then I bought the motor off ebay here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sumitomo-SM-Cyclo-HM-3097-AS-1-3-HP-1-Phase-Induction-Motor-/381191021505

But I'm not sure what's used to power it? Does anyone know?

I did not see the motor face plate when I first looked went back to get the motor number and did see it. 115/230V so it can run on both voltages. You will need to verify how it is wired and compare that to you want. It is easy to change the connections in the "J" box on the side of the motor where the power leads come out. The wire connection diagram is just behind where the cord is cut off on a silver sticker. The wires are usually numbered, stamped into the wires or have tape numbers on them. Added: Here is a link to there motor selection chart. On page 5.7 the connection diagram shows: 120v connect T1-T3-T8 together to white standard plug, T4-T5-T2 together to black plug. The ground to the screw to the frame. The wires may just have a number stamped on them if there are additional wires tape or wire nut the ends.
To run with 240V: Connect T3-T8-T2 together connect 1 hot to T1, connect T4-T5 together with the other hot, ground goes to the screw in the motor "J" box.
Running the motor with 120V will draw (6.4 amps) 2x the current as the 240V (3.2A) connection. This information is shown on the motor face plate. the starting current can be as high as 525% as listed on page 5.14 of the link.
I did not see a thermal overload listed for this motor. Overloads are set at 115% of the above currents to protect the motor if the output shaft is locked.
Since this is a machine that you are going to be working with while running make sure to turn the power off if the motor stalls or the stater winding's will overheat and the magic smoke will escape. Good luck looks like a fun project.


How can I remove material from this wood beam? I am trying to mount a roller shade in between two wood beams on my porch. The problem is that the beams are a hair too close together to accommodate mounting the shade.

I am trying to remove a small amount of material (~1/4") from the side of each wood beam, about 3 inches deep. I've illustrated the problem on this picture.

I'm unsure which tool or approach would be best to complete this job. I've considered a few ideas:

A straight router cut with a guide on the outside could do it, but the depth of cut I need extends past the capacity of most routers. I suppose I could hammer it out with a chisel but it would take a lot of effort. Another idea I considered was using a power planer to shave off material in large passes, but that approach poses problems considering I'm trying to remove material to a specific depth.

Anyone have suggestions?

What about trimming the roller shade?  Most shades are meant to be trimmed, since manufacturers can't make every single size.  See if you can pop off one of the ends, and then cut the rolled-up shade with a utility knife or something similar.


Ideas for 1" of ceiling/crown trim? I'm drywalling around a window.  The window has a 12" deep "frame", which I plan to drywall on the sides and the top, and then make a wooden sill on the bottom.  The problem is that the top of the frame's framing is about .5" below the room's finished ceiling.  When the "ceiling" of the window frame gets drywalled, it will be about 1" below the room's ceiling.

The question is - how do I make this 1" "drop" look good? I could just cut a really narrow piece of drywall, but I feel like having a 1" 90 degree "step" at the top of the window will look kind of tacky.  I've thought about adding a bull nose bead, but it might be a really snug fit and tough to attach the top side of it.  I've also looked at various molding at my hardware store, but none of it is as narrow as 1" - most of it starts at around 2-2.5" wide.

Any ideas?

Cut out the plate at the wall. let the drywall run up to the window and add a minor piece of wood, something like lattice to cover the difference at the edge of the window to the new ceiling extension. It may take 2 pieces to form a new corner at the window, but I think the corner would be better at the window rather than at the wall face.


How to make use of Existing Window to install a Curtain I've moved to a new apartment(in USA) where in my bedroom I have a window(obviously with horizontal blinds). It is in a place where people from outside can see through the blinds. So I wanted to install a curtain to protect my privacy.

Is it possible to install the curtain to the blind holder? If yes, any product sources/information is much appreciated. If not, do I need to start from scratch: measuring/fixing rod/attach curtain?

Any information would be really helpful.

I would speak first with the landlord (as apartment to me implies that you are renting) to get the OK to install the curtain. Once you have that you would want to install the curtain rod on the wall surface above the window and have it extend beyond the width of the window on each side.

There are a plethora of curtain rod assembly styles that you can choose from. Some are easier to install than others so look at that aspect so you know just what you are getting into before you purchase.

Note that on normally wood framed construction buildings you have about three inches of space to the side of the window and at least that much above the window where you can screw the curtain rod brackets through the sheet rock and into the wood framing. This provides the most secure mounting.

If the places where you need to mount the curtain rod brackets is just a hollow wall area then you will have a bit bigger job of installing the brackets in a secure manner. The normal cheap wall anchors like below are really junk and not recommended. Instead use an anchor like that in the second picture.

not recommended:

recommended:


Troubleshoot motion detector that turns on for only a few seconds at a time We have a light connected to a motion detector in our backyard. It detects motion and turns on the light for 2-3 seconds, then the light turns off again, and won't detect further motion.

A single switch inside the house powers both the motion detector and a patio light. The patio light turns on and off with no issues.

Interestingly, if I leave the patio light on for several hours, the motion detector will stay on longer. It will continue detecting motion & stay on for several minutes.

Do you have any advice for troubleshooting why it won't stay on? It is about 20 feet off the ground, so anything we could do to figure this out without needing to rent a giant ladder would be helpful. I tried to get close enough to determine the brand but could not. Generic white security lighting.

Motion sensors don't like having power cut

You may think of a motion sensor as a stateless device: ”detect motion, turn on, how hard is that?"   But actually, there's a lot more going on.

To start with, how often do you see motion sensors coming on by daylight?  You don't.   That's because they have light sensors so they don't come on in the day.

Day. Night.  How hard is that?   The human eye has a complex iris that allows adaptation to a wide variety of light levels. Because of this auto-compensation, day is just day, and night is just night.   But to a machine, it sees only absolute lux to the sensor, and only on the light frequencies it detects.  Turns out a shady north facing location can have less absolute lux by day then a location with a lot of artificial lighting by night.  So the sensor must "see" a reasonable chunk of a day-night cycle to see what light levels will look like here.  And after having spent much of a day learning that, it will store that data for future use.

However, if you cut its power, you wipe its memory and it must start over.

So expect substandard performance from your motion sensor as long as you have it on a switch.  Nature of the beast.


GE Range Terminal Block Smoking After noticing a burning smell in the kitchen and then smoke from the back of our GE Range, my wife and I discovered that the terminal block was incredibly hot and melting on one side. We unplugged, no fuses blew. The wires from the terminal block are not discolored but there is discoloration from heat around the oven element connections, the insulation around the leads is slightly charred. Can I safely replace the block and expect normal operation or is the discoloration around the element leads indication of a greater problem?

Things don't just start malfunctioning for no reason at all.

The smoke and discoloration from heat means something is broke or you have a loose connection.

It is possible that the connections to the terminal block were not as tight as they are supposed to be and created a high resistance connection over time.

Sounds like you may need to replace the terminal block if it is badly damaged. (If it is not that damaged, there is nothing much to go wrong with them.) At that point, when you remove the leads to the heating elements you can check the elements for resistance to make sure they are still good.

If all the elements and leads are good then reinsert the leads and tighten the connections into a new connection block. If any are open or shorted then replace them. Then test each of the ranges functions to verify it is in good working order.

Good luck!


Should you solid fill a low cinder block wall? I'm making a raised garden bed that is about 2 cinder blocks high (with 1 extra cinder block below ground as footing) in a square shape 3.6 meter each side.

So far I made a footing of 5 cm of concrete, than laid a course of beam type cinder block (shaped like a U) with steel bar inside and filled with handmade concrete (this is below ground level). I already I laid the middle course of cinder block and now I must make the last course. I will probably finish the top with granite.

Now, the middle course should be solid filled with mortar or concrete? The top course should be made of regular cinder block or the U beam type? I have a lot of cinder block available so if possible I would like to use it instead of the beam type block.

The block will be much more durable and solid if the webs (cavities) are filled with concrete. I'm assuming the blocks are being set in mortar? and not dry set? Mortar can be used as a fill and since the height isn't much you shouldn't see any compromise in strength.   You can float the voids level, but a neater look would be to cap the top blocks with an appropriate and preferred material such as granite.


Turning an unneeded outlet into a light switch to power LED lights I would like to turn an outlet into a light switch to control I light fixture at another outlet in the wall at another location. I already installed the new outlet (that I'd like to have power when I turn on my new light switch) and ran new cable from this location to the socket I'd like to turn into a switch. Hope that doesn't sound too confusing.
My question has to do with the wiring. I already fished my wiring through the necessary spaces and I just need to know how to connect it all correctly. Would I disconnect the wiring at the outlet and then use that as my power source and wire it in this way I outlined below?
Turn power off at circuit breaker panel first, of course.
Black - hot from power source to light switch
Black - from cable leading to electrical box to light switch.
White - neutral from power source to white cable connecting to electrical box
Green/ground to green/ground

Your plan sounds good the only problem is many receptacles are located is required spaces (habitable rooms no space more than 6’ from a receptacle 12 between them) so with that in mind if new receptacle is vertically the same or close there might not be any issues.


Is there a recommended distance between fasteners on sole plates? We've just started installing pressure treated 2x4s as sole plates in our 5 year old basement. We drove 3 nails into each 8' plate, one at each end (around 3 or 4 inches in) and one somewhere at the center.

For smaller lengths, we may use two, or in the case or plates next to doors that in turn abut walls, there probably won't be room for more than one.

I can't find a reference that specifies how many such fasteners are needed per unbroken length, or a recommended / required distance between such fasteners.

Are we doing right with this many fasteners to a plate?

If it helps, we're in East-Central Minnesota. And I'm using 22-caliber powder-actuated 2.5" nails, if that makes a difference to the recommendation.

I'm assuming none of these are structural shear walls since shot pins are inappropriate for such use. There is some arbitrary lateral load that interior partitions are supposed to resist, it's only 5 or 10 psf from memory, I can't find the reference at the moment. I'm not sure what the shot pins are rated for either. So without any more specific data, I would judge that a 4 foot spacing should be about right. There's really no need for doubled fasteners at the ends, as long as there's at least one good shot at the ends. You do not want to place shots too close together, the second shot weakens the first.

There is some minimum spacing determined by the shot pin manufacturer to achieve a certain rated strength. This is usually outlined in so called "ICBO Reports" or similar. I would guess a 5-6" minimum spacing would be safe. The only reason to place shots this close is if the first one spalled out the concrete.


Using 4x4 or 6x6 for 5 ft Gate I am building a fence by myself and was wondering if 4x4 pressure treated posts will be sufficient to support my 5ft gates?
I would use 6x6 but they are going to bee too heavy for me to handle by myself.
I live in the southeast USA and will sink the posts 2ft here in the Georgia clay for a 6ft tall fence.

2' is not very deep for a gate post. I would check that with an expert who understands your ground conditions.
You only need to move one end of the post at a time, so you only need to lift half its weight.
If you pay for delivery of the posts the delivery truck will probably have a crane on it and can drop them into the holes for you.


Light Switch with 2 black wires and one red I'm trying to replace a double switch (controls fan and light separately) with a single pole dimmer for a chandelier. It seems there is no ground, but there are 2 red and just 1 black running to the current double switch?

Should I just cap off one red wire, attach one red to the red on my dimmer, and attach the black to the black on the dimmer?

Conduit or armored cable?

These colors are a bit disturbing. One wire looks positively greenish.  The cable entry at the top of your box could either be conduit such as EMT, or it could be an armored cable clamp.  Armored cable forces you into 1 color choice: black-white-green, and that one wire looks kinda green.  It might be blue or gray.

Green wires can only be used for grounds.  Grounds must be green, green/yellow, or bare and nothing else can use those colors.

So we need to test for conduit vs. armored cable.

Firmly grab the black wire and  hold it so it cannot move.
Grab the white wire and push it up 1/4 inch, then pull it back down 1/4 inch.

If the white wire moves easily, you are in conduit.  If the white wire fights, binds and wants to buckle, then you are in armored cable.

Armored cable

That means the wire is green which makes this a real botch job.  You're not allowed to use a green wire for anything but a ground.  THat wire must be re-tasked to be a ground.  Since  you have both ends opened up, remove the red tape from both ends of the green. What were they thinking?

Now fix the grounds properly.  Back of the box is a little hole on a dimple. That's tapped 10-32.  They make cute little green ground screws that are 10-32, even.  Regardless, you ground the boxes (here and in the ceiling) by putting a 10-32 screw in 'em and pigtail off those with 9" long sections of SOLID wire.

Good news is, since this is cable, it is legal to re-mark a white wire to be a hot.  They've even used the preferred color for switched-hot!  So with the grounds fixed, you are all set to use the black and "red" wires to go to the switch. You can leave it on the existing switch, but if you do that, you'll have a dead switch.  I recommend just get a single switch, they are $2.

Conduit

It looks like THHN wire, which is what you use in conduit.  In that case, that strange wire could actually be blue.

However, in conduit, it is illegal to re-mark neutrals to be hots.  First thing you do, tear off that red tape off the white wire on both ends, that does not belong there. Unfortunately we often see electricians who spend their whole career working in Romex, they do a little work in conduit and just use the same color codes - e.g. black and white in a switch loop.  Not allowed!

Gray is also a color reserved for neutral.  If that odd wire is gray, you need to do the same thing - remove the tape on both ends, it doesn't belong there.  And that actually works in your favor - making this wire an actual neutral will help this box support smart switches.

But neutral is not required (unless your switch needs it). There's a rule that switch loops must have neutral, but conduit is exempt because it's so easy to add another wire.

If the odd wire is green, then it can only be a ground.  Do the same thing I said under AC.  However if the conduit is metal conduit, the ground wire is actually redundant.

Now if this leaves you a black and blue-taped-red wire, you're all set.  Those two wires go to the switch and the blue-red wire goes to your lamp.  Easy.

However, if the above restrictions leave you with only a black - you will need to "pull" an additional wire for  switched-hot.  The allowed colors are black brown red orange yellow pink blue or violet.  You need THWN-2 wire the same size as the other wires.  So rough-guess your distance, and off to the electrical supply house to buy that.

Some wires may be expendable/useless, which may help pulling another wire. How to pull is beyond the scope of this answer, but there are plenty of answers here about it.


How do I rewire LED security light to bypass motion detector - without burning out solid state board I purchased a deluxe motion activated light for my porch.  I assumed that there would be an override feature to bypass the motion sensor for manual operation; after a few days and nights of various trials with switching on-off patterns, I resorted the manufacturer's help line. Unfortunately, the answer was, "If it is not in the instruction manual, then it is not an available feature." And I was further advised not to attempt to bypass the motion detector, or I would burn out the circuitry.
Please, is there something I can do/modify to set this into a manual mode? I do want the photocell to continue to control dusk-to-dawn, just constant on throughout the night, unless I choose to return to motion detector operation (not a necessary option). I do want to keep this on a switched circuit (single fixture control). I can remove the motion sensor entirely if that is the most appropriate means.
I have not seen this simpler feature available in the deluxe, ultra bright twin light system (yet, anyway) otherwise I would have simply purchased a new light. I do have smaller, single outdoor LED lamps, but not the double lamp with it's broad illumination.
Thank you for any help.

All motion detectors have an override mode. Typically this is done by either flipping the wall switch off/on in a certain pattern, or by a switch on the motion head.
Thing is, when you put it in override mode every one I have seen reverts back to motion after the next night/day cycle. I have NEVER seen a motion detector that has a permanent manual override mode.


Daisy Chain 120V Disconnect Box from existing 240V box I have an existing AC unit that hooks up to a 3 wire 240V 30amp disconnect box serviced by a 30 amp two pole breaker. I am adding a small 120V two wire mini split AC right next to it and I would like to use the existing 240v circuit. The mini split requires a minimum 15 amp circuit with a 20amp fuse.
Would it be possible to add a second disconnect box and daisy chain one of the live 120V wires and the neutral from the existing box over to the new box?
I will not use the existing AC and the mini split at the same time ever, but I do not want to replace the existing 30amp disconnect because I do run the existing AC once or twice a year for maintenance purposes. I would disconnect the existing AC the majority of the time.
Is this feasible? Is there an easier/better way?

One proper way to do this would be to install a small subpanel, with the 30A and 20A circuits in it. You could install other circuits (e.g., additional 15A or 20A circuits for lighting, receptacles, tools, etc.) in the same subpanel.


Remove thick, painted joint compound from walls My husband and I recently bought a home where a joint compound artist applied his trade :). All walls and ceilings are covered in those half-circle swirls and the ceilings go one step further to create concentric circles! Our home is 40 years old, so there are at least two coats of paint over this texture.
After requesting two estimates and not receiving a response after they came out, six weeks later we bought an electric drywall sander. We tried skim coating first - four applications later we've barely covered the texture. We own a business, so my husband has minimal time outside of weekends. I thought I could work the sander and he could skim coat on the weekends.
We have a space of about four feet between a window and a corner wall. I started with 120 grit and worked for about 20 minutes in a small area with no progress. I jumped to 80 grit, concentrated on one strip from window to corner for about five minutes applying a small amount of pressure to the sander with a minimal amount of progress. I realize it won't be completely smooth, hence skim coating. But I feel like I should have had better results.
Are my expectations too high? Is there a different method I should be applying before sanding? I'm ready to use a grinder on the wall!! By my calculations, it would take a day to just sand the room (not including the ceiling). Any tips would be most welcome - including a visual or to-the-touch idea of what the wall should look/feel like before starting to skim coat. As a side note: I did read the post at Best way to remove textured wall (joint compound)?, but the texture on the wall and ceiling is thicker than even that. I did suggest to hubs putting up new drywall and got a resounding "NO"!

Sanding is going to be extremely time consuming and also very VERY messy.  The best approach I've seen is to wet the material with a sprayer and then as it begins to soften, scrape it off down to the drywall.
After that you will likely need to touch up the surface but I think you'll be a lot better off in a lot shorter time than with sanding.


Sewer Line Installation I am running a septic line from my mancave to the main 4" sewer line coming out of my house.

I want to splice into this line coming out of the house.

The total run is 60'; is this ok to do?

Only if you can get the required slope on the line.

Waste lines larger than 2" are required to drop 1/4" for every 12" of run. So, this line must drop 1 1/2" for every 10 feet or 9" for 60 feet overall.

Can you get that much vertical drop in you line?

If not, you are asking for a clogged line and backed up toilet and nobody likes that.

Good luck!


Water heater problem I'm going out on a limb posting here, but I'm really at a loss. I live in an apartment, built roughly 30 years ago. In the last two weeks I've had to call maintenance as I've lost hot water. Each time, he fixes it I can hear the gas start and then we have hot water shortly after. However, by the end of the day the hot water disappears, and by the next day there is none to be found. It seems like there is a problem with the water heater communicating that more water needs to be heated, but I'm not particularly handy in this respect.

I don't think our maintenance guy knows what he's doing, he assured me last time the hot water wouldn't go away again. But, surely enough, it did by the end of the day. It's not actually that big of a deal, I can deal with a cold shower, so there is no rush. I would like to have hot water eventually, though.

Is this something I can fix on my own? If so, what should I be looking for? Or should I break down and call a different maintenance guy? I've attached a picture of the heater for reference, to see if anything stands out as blatantly "wrong". Please beware that I'm new here, if another picture is needed, let me know.

Did you ask the maintenance guy what he did to "fix" it the first two times?

This should give a pretty good clue as to what might have gone wrong.

Seeing the picture we can see that this is a natural gas water heater. Is it possible that the pilot is going out?

Pilot lights can be going out for a number of reasons:

1) The water tank is old and holes have rusted into the bottom and water is dripping out and extinguishing the pilot light flame.

2) The thermo sensor has gone bad and requires replacement. This is usually thin tube that runs from the gas control valve over to the pilot flame. The flame keeps the sensor end hot and keeps the gas valve armed. If the flame goes out this forces the gas valve off as a safety interlock.

3) A draft by the floor is causing the pilot light flame to go out. The missing cover  over the pilot light access hole could be the cause of this problem.

As a very first check of your missing hot water kneel down and look into the access hole and see if the pilot light is going.

Since you live in an apartment I assume that you rent. If this is the case you should certainly not be trying to fix this problem yourself. That would be the responsibility of the landlord. If you are in an owner occupied apartment then that is another issue and your best course of action would be to call in a technician to perform the proper repairs or replacement of the water heater.


How many outlets in 4 inch box? Can I put two duplex receptacles in a 4 inch box (depth is 2 1/8") without overfilling it?  I will use #12 AWG with each receptacle on its own circuit (MWBC).
Wondering if I need to upgrade to a 4 11/16 box.

Raised exposed work cover, or flush cover?
4 x 4 x 2-1/8 is 30.3 cubic inches. That fits 13 "counts" of 12 Gauge at 2.25 cubic inches per count. If using a raised cover they typically add 6.5 cubic inches or so.
What is a count? A wire terminating in the box, a wire passing though the box, 2 counts per yoke device (ie, a receptacle) 1 count for all grounds (unless using NEC 2020 where additional ground wires [edit: beyond 4] count as 1/4 of a wire...) Edit: right, I don't use NM/B, and if I do I use clamps that are external to the box. If you use clamps internal to the box they add 1 to the count.
If the outlets are on one circuit, you presumably have 3 wires in (hot neutral ground) 2 wires out, and 4 "wires" for the two yoke devices.
9 * 2.25 = 20.25 which is less than 30.3 so you are good. (even with clamps in the box)
If the two receptacles are on different circuits, 5 wires in, 4 wires out, 4 for devices. 29.25 inches which is less than 30.3 so you are good.
Edit: Ah, you said MWBC, so subtract a wire each way (one neutral in and out, not two) still good. And remember to pigtail your neutrals.
Pigtails (wires that do not leave the box) are, incidentally "free" (they don't add to wire count.)
Wires that pass though without connecting to anything in the box count 1 unless they are 12" or longer, in which case they count 2. This effectively differentiates between "just passing through" and "leaving enough to a possible future connection" since you are supposed to have 6" for a connection.
As with conduit fill, not being right up against maximum box fill is more comfortable to work in.


Baseboard socket plug replacement So up in the attic guest room of our century home, there’s a baseboard electrical outlet that looks like a light socket (see picture below).  I’m not sure what exactly to call it, and various Google searches don’t turn up anything like it (probably because I don’t know what it’s called).  When we moved in, it had one of those screw-in adapters like people screw into actual light sockets; I removed that immediately.

I very much want to replace the outlet with something from this millennium, but I admit to being a little wary.  I’ve successfully replaced old two-prong outlets with GFCIs before, but I’m not sure if this is likely to be significantly different.  I do expect 15A knob-and-tube wiring, and I’m not expecting a ground wire, but I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should be ready for before I start in.  Or if this is one of those “oh crap, dude, don’t go anywhere near that thing without a certified electrician with thirty years of experience!” situations.

What say you, DIYstack?

EDITED TO FOLLOW UP: here are some pictures of the wiring and units.  First, the wiring after I disconnected the receptacle and unstrung the leads from the gang box.

The gang box itself is solid metal, stamped “STEEL CITY” in the back.  The receptacle unit’s body appears to be porcelain, both in look and feel and because it chipped pretty easily when my screwdriver bit slipped off a screw.  Here are the front and back.

The manufacturer appears to have been Bryant, as per the stamp on the upper left corner and also the fancy engraving on the contact tongue in the back of the socket itself.  If I’m not mistaken, that lower right corner is stamped “660W250V”.

I tried just splicing the two wires together, both with a Wago lever splice and a traditional twist-cap splice, and in both cases got an instant circuit-trip as soon as I closed the breaker switch.  So I reconnected the receptacle unit and that went fine; it’s powered to the proper levels and no circuit tripping happens.

I was planning to replace this myself with either a (non-grounded) GFCI or possibly a non-GFCI three-prong outlet, of which I have a few lying around, but now it feels like that’s outside my competence zone and I should bring in a licensed electrician.  Thoughts?

This appears to be an ancient Edison-screw-receptacle

What you have appears to be an ancient sort of receptacle, from the days when people put Edison screw bases on the end of cords because standard NEMA receptacles weren't a thing yet.  I'd put a new single-gang old work box in there with the correct tubing/bushings for that old K&T wiring, and then fit a 15A GFCI receptacle at that location; just be careful to make sure you don't get hot and neutral mixed up!


Why did the builder install an OSB Wall behind Drywall? In my garage, the builder looks to have installed an OSB wall adjacent to the Living Room. The other walls are just drywall and studs whereas this one has OSB and then drywall on top of it. Is there any reason why they would have installed this wall?
I'm looking to cut a utility access panel into this wall so checking if there's any negatives to cutting through this wall.

That is probably what's called a shear wall. It's laterally structural to support the building's side-to-side forces.

Penetrations in your shear wall must adhere to different restrictions than other walls and you may need to consult an engineer to verify. However, I suspect that if you're just removing enough osb to accommodate a small sub panel you're probably fine, you may need to block around it.


How to fix garbage disposal leaking black sludge under sink? My garbage disposal is leaking water and black sludge under the sink and it makes the whole house smell horrible. Can I easily fix it?

Edit:

Here's a picture of it:

the leaked water/sludge is circled in red at the bottom. As you can see the leak appears to be coming from the plumbing that is taking the stuff away from the GD.

If it's coming out of the motor casing, the seal under the shredder plate has failed. The whole unit needs to be replaced. Repair is pointless as the garbage disposal will have other corrosion issues.

From Photo It's coming from the trap joints. There's a square cut rubber gasket under that screw collar that's probably hardened, cracked and is the source of the leak.

Get a bucket under the trap ("U" section) loosen the collars that hold it on and pull the trap out. It'll be full of gunk. Since it looks like there's rust on the outside, clean it really well and make sure it's not ready to corrode through. Replace anything that is ready to rust through. The tailpiece (what goes into the septic plumbing) also has a collar, take it loose and clean that piece as well. Replace all the gaskets and put it all back together.

Make sure the black "L" bend that comes out of the disposal unit protrudes far enough into the trap "U" when you put it back together so that the gasket seals. One problem I've come across is that the installer cuts it too short and it works its way down till the gasket fails to seal and it starts to leak.


how to find out screw diameter? You know how on the drill bits it can says : 5/32 for example?

What's the right drill bit for this screw: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.8x1-12-flat-socket-brass-wood-screw.1000140305.html?

Thnaks

There is a great explanation of hole sizes here: http://l-36.com/woodscrewpilot.php.  Some key points:

You can easily find the actual dimensions by screw size in size charts with a google search, such as http://www.raygirling.com/screwmes.htm.  Your #8 screw has threads with a diameter of approximately 5/32" (0.164"), and a root diameter of approximately 7/64" (0.112").  The root refers to the "inner diameter", the solid shaft inside the threads.
Ignoring the countersink, you may need a pilot hole or a clearance hole.  The clearance hole is slightly larger than the thread diameter so the screw can slip in and out.  When you screw two pieces together, if the threads grab in both pieces, they can hold the pieces apart.  A clearance hole is used in the first piece so that the threads do work only in the second piece and can pull the pieces together.

The threads are shaped like a wedge and make space for themselves by compressing the wood.  But there are limits to how much the wood can be compressed.  The pilot hole allows space for the solid "core" of the screw so that the screw doesn't split the wood.  The clearance hole size isn't critical but the pilot hole size is.
The are many guidelines for pilot hole size, and the recommended size differs for hardwood vs. softwood (hardwood splits more easily).  There are sometimes separate recommendations for brass screws, such as yours, because the metal is soft.  Some sources recommend using a hair larger hole for brass, others recommend just inserting and removing a steel screw first to do the heavy work of cutting the threads and compressing the wood around the screw.
Most pilot hole guides are based on achieving maximum strength as determined by the American Wood Council (AWC). Their recommendation is for 70% of root diameter for softwood and 90% of root diameter for hardwood.  The discussion I linked to describes that as unnecessarily risking splitting, especially near an edge, in order to gain a trivial increase in strength.  It also makes inserting the screw much more difficult.
If you are using brass screws, the application is likely more decorative than structural and the last iota of strength is probably a secondary consideration.  The recommendations of the author I cited are generally based on 85% of root diameter for softwood and just the next drill size larger than the root diameter for hardwood (which ranges from 102% to 116% of root diameter).  Those values should be good for brass screws.  Some other tables recommend 100% of root diameter for hardwood, which should also be fine.

So the recommended pilot hole for your #8 brass screw would be 3/32 for softwood (vs. AWS value of 5/64), and 1/8 or 7/64 for hardwood (vs. AWS value of 3/32).


Overlap When Painting Stripes: Can I Sand? I'm painting a three-stripe pattern across the length of my wall, and I had a question about whether I could sand down the overlapping areas.

The stripe consists of a 21" green stripe with two 3" stripes (white and dark grey) bordering it. It goes green--white--dark grey from bottom to top. The walls are a light grey/taupe color. We painted the top and bottom of the wall light grey, and then we measured and painted a swath of white. Next we will paint the grey and green and ta da, the white becomes a stripe.

So to my question. When we painted the white, you could see the buildup under it when you look closely. It's not super obvious, but my OCD had taken over. Before I paint the other stripes, can I tape them off and sand down the areas that will be painted? I just want to whittle down the paint a little so it looks cleaner.

Sure, no problem there as long as you get what you want. Or, you can very lightly & precisely cut or score it along a straight-edge with a razor blade & peel it off. Or, even very carefully paint white over any bleeding fissures.


door frame 1 inch smaller on each side of door opening I had a custom wood door installed, but the door frame of this door was made 1 inch two small on each side of the door opening. The contractor used some wood screws to keep the door frame aligned with the door opening. Now in between the cap of the frame and the door opening they used foam so seal the gaps in the inch difference .

After the wood trim was installed around the door frame, there are now gaps between the trim and sheet rock, inside, and outside I have 1/4" gap around the door opening, a stucco trim that is around wood door, placed on top of brick. Also the wood door is an arch door and I have a big gap between the trim and sheet rock, see pic .

How do I correct this gap? Or does the door maker need to redo the door frame? He claims it was the guy you made my house fault, I need help with how to fix this problem

Normally,the frame of a prehung door is a bit smaller than the opening.

When it is installed, that space allows you to use shims to fine-tune the frame's poisition so it is straight and level snd square even if the opening isn't. Mounting screws are then driven through the shims and into the structural framing to hold the door in that position.

Gaps around the shims are filled with insulation, and trim boards attached inside and outside cover that gap.

From your description I agree with @edbeal and @brhams that either they ordered a door that is entirely too small for the space, or they are trying to use unreasonably narrow trim, or both. The trim around my doors is a full 3" wide; that could cover many mistakes.


Where can I find resources on Gas Furnace manufacturers We are going to replace a 30 year old residential gas furnace. We have estimates for furnaces from Rheem, Trane and Bryant. This is a rental, so we aren't going for the 95% with tax rebate but standard 80. Looking for information about these three manufacturers.

Are you looking for reviews or just general information about the furnaces?

This website has consumer reviews:

http://www.consumersearch.com/furnaces

Here is information about Rheem furnaces:

http://www.rheem.com/products/heating_and_cooling/gas_furnaces/

Here is information about Trane furnaces:

http://www.trane.com/residential/products/furnaces

Here is information about Bryant furnaces:

http://www.bryant.com/products/furnaces/gas/index.shtml


How do I replace weather strips on our outside doors? We have a rather annoying cat who has scratched all of our outside doors and ripped the weather stripping with her claws.

How do I go about replacing this stripping and are there any weather strips on the market that may be less prone to being torn up in the future?

Definitely would be helpful to see a picture, but something like this under-door weather stripping attaches directly underneath the door and I doubt your cat would be able to get to it.


How long does setting-type joint compound have to dry before priming? I put the final skim coat of 90-minute hot mud on the walls this afternoon, how long should I wait before priming?  I've seen everything from overnight to 3 days, and the manufacturer's website doesn't have a number.

Using Sheetrock Brand Easy Sand Lightweight Setting-Type Joint Compound:
http://www.usg.com/sheetrock-easy-sand-lightweight-setting-type-joint-compound.html

Going to use Zinsser 1-2-3 primer if that helps at all.

It depends on thickness, temperature and humidity. Most of the time, overnight is sufficient.  Latex primers are more forgiving of any subsurface moisture.

I have a moisture content meter I use after water damage repairs.  Interior MC should be under 15%, exterior under 25%.

You would want a full dry before sealing with a shellac or oil based primer.
Blistering would be the likely result otherwise.


Replacing Non-Working Single-Pole Dimmer Switch Ok- so I hope I explain well- I will also attach photo. Dimmer switch and switch to fan located in same box. When we removed the plate, the cords came out of there locations before we could see what was attached to what. We have: 2 white wires that had a yellow nut connecting them; then we have a red wire, 2 black wires and a green grounding wire. The new dimmer also included a yellow "jumper" wire. We are wanting to replace the current dimmer switch and also the switch next to it that controls the fan. The old setup has wires coming out of the switches attaching to the wires in the wall with yellow electrical nuts. The new switches don't have any wires at all (other than the green grounding wire)- just the screw or wire-in-the-hole hookups.
We are having a hard time figuring out the connection map. We can't tell which one is the common or "hot" wire. We don't have any electrical tools to tell us either.
The new dimmer switch has a blue screw, a gold screw, and a black screw. The new regular switch has a black screw, a gold screw and a green screw.
Can someone PLEASE help by telling us what to hook which wires to on both the new dimmer and the new switch? Even without knowing which is the "hot" wire, is there a couple of different configurations that could help us figure that out?
Thank you so much!!]1

I'd be surprised if the wires coming in from the bottom of the box (the 14/2 NM) weren't the supply (hot).  It's fairly common to use a 14/3 for the run between the switches and the light\fan. In that you only have 2 cables coming into the box and you're working with single-pole switches, the easiest way to verify is to use the regular switch to test for the hot.

I'd connect one of the non-green terminals to the red wire coming in from the top and one of the non-green terminals to the black wire coming in from the bottom. Switch it on, and turn the breaker back on. My guess is that either the fan (most likely) or light will come on.

You can then confirm this by turning the breaker back off, removing the red wire from the switch, and replace it with the black wire coming in from the top of the box. Turn everything back on, and the other device should be on now.

After you've confirmed that the bottom black wire is the hot, follow the installation instructions on the new switch and dimmer. You'll need to connect both of line terminals on the switches to the hot. You can either jumper them (tacky) or wire-nut two pigtails onto the hot and connect one to each switch.


Where to connect c wire in furnace? I'm trying to figure out where to connect a C wire from a thermostat to my furnace. I found this old post for the same furnace type (Trane XE70), but it seems as though a red wire goes to the terminal the other poster had a white wire go to. This made me too nervous to try it without inquiring with more knowledgeable people.

The wire bundle with the blue wire is the one coming from the thermostat and the wire bundle with the wrapped unused green is coming from the AC unit (I believe). Any suggestions on which terminal would be a common ground? Is there an easy way I can test with a multimeter?

EDIT: Requested wiring diagram for the model.

Thanks!
- Sincerely, DIY Noob

Figuring this out is not as hard as it looks

The cable going off to most A/C outdoor units has two wires -- both of them go to the contactor's coil there, but one must connect to the Y wire (call for cooling) from the thermostat and the other must connect to the C terminal from the furnace/air handler (presuming the furnace/air handler is providing 24VAC to the thermostat for cooling).  As a result, when the thermostat connects the 24VAC going to it on the R wire to the thermostat to the Y wire going back, the circuit is completed (just like flipping on a lightswitch), and the air conditioner compressor comes on.

As a result, since the white wire going off to your air conditioner connects to the yellow wire going off to the thermostat, and assuming standard thermostat wiring color coding, the red wire going off to your air conditioner must be connected to the C terminal on your furnace, which is where your blue wire going off to the thermostat connects to in order to provide a return path for the 24VAC thermostat power that doesn't go through some load or another in the furnace.


Switching between two appliances on a single power socket Is there a device on which I can plug in 2 appliances, however with a button/switch, I can switch between these two appliances so only one is active at a time?
I don’t want to plug and unplug appliances multiple times.

Something like this perhaps?  Your question is somewhat ambiguous but this sort of independently controlled power strip appears to meet the requirement:


What type of electrical boxes should I use for outdoor fixtures when fiber cement trim openings are narrow & shallow? I haven’t heard from the electrician who wired my house for 5 days and prior to that was just a short text to say our contract didn’t include installing light fixtures for a remodel.  I live in a rural area, so contractors are hard to come by.  I can do basic wiring.

My questions concerns electrical boxes for PPG fiber cement light blocks and outlet blocks.  The blocks are trim pieces for outdoor electrical fixtures.  They have very narrow and shallow openings.

The light block is 1.25” thick x 7.25 wide x 9.5 high.  One block has 2 cables protruding and the other has 1.  A 4” diameter pancake box was slightly too large in diameter.

My light fixtures are Bellagio 16.5" high, bronze downbridge outdoor wall lights.  The backplate is 6.75" high x 4.75" wide.  They weigh 4lbs.

Question:  What type of light box should I use to enclose my wiring?  Should I use a metal 3.5” octagon box 1.5” deep?  I want the light fixture to sit flush with the trim.

The outlet block is 1.25” thick x 5.5 wide x 7.5 high.  I tried a 1 gang, 1” deep blue PVC flanged shallow box, but it was too wide.  I found a metal box that will fit, but it is 1.5” deep.  I was hoping the face of the GFCI outlet would be flush with the trim.  The outlets will be protected by waterproof boxes.

Question:  What type of outlet box should I use?  Should I stay away from metal?  Also, one outlet block has 3 cables protruding from it.

Question:  The final question concerns how the cables protrude from the sheathing.  In several cases they’re not in the center of the opening.  Should I use a jig saw to cut into the sheathing to reposition the cable to be able to pass through center knockouts?

Thanks!

It would help to have a single question and focus on it , what is the question about 3 wires?  I can see 2 on the top left and a loop on the right, is the question on how to wire?

I would use a round light fixture box inset in the wall For the upper boxes
If the box is mounted in the wall NMB wire is ok but if the box is surface mounted then it comes down to local jurisdiction rules and amendments.

A wall pack normally needs no box, the connections are made inside the fixture, most lanterns more common with this setup will need a round box. Metal or plastic is your choice.

You mention receptacle / GFCI yes you will need an in-use or heavy duty cover and a weather rated GFCI if the GFCI is outside (many locate the GFCI inside for longer life but with weather rated it doesn’t matter as the electronics are sealed).

I forgot to mention but many jurisdictions require tamper resistant receptacles on top of GFCI.


Corralling multiple drain hoses I'm trying to get my utility room in order, and one issue I'm finding is drain hoses.

My washer has a drain hose that drains in to the utility sink.
My water heater has the T&P drain that currently sits over bare floor, which might someday cause hot water to fill up my utility room.
My humidifier has a drain hose that drains to the floor drain
My dehumidifier has a drain hose that drains to the floor drain
My furnace has two drain hoses that drain to the floor drain
My water softener has two drain hoses that drain the the utility sink

That's eight drains, with varying requirements for air gaps, maximum heights, end heights, run lengths, etc. What I would like is to get as many hoses as possible off the floor, and ideally I'd like them all to drain to the utility sink because our floor drain is sketchy as hell. I'm not entirely against adding additional plumbing if that would help, but running adequate vents from the utility room is a pain.

Any suggestions, products, alternatives?

You can get it condensate pump or multiple condensate pumps to handle all the drain lines and pump them into a laundry tub or another suitable location. It's one more link in the chain that can fail and you have to check the capabilities of any condensate pumps that you are using in regards to flow rate and holding capacity. Your T&P valve should be pipes to the floor within 6 inches of the floor and not pipes to a drain or condensate pump the idea being if there is a drip or a leak from there it gets noticed and repaired. Water softeners will all often flow more than what they condensate pump is capable of handling. A higher flow pump I'm sure is available.

Condensate pump

Amazon

This one looks like a pretty heavy duty condensate pump. For a hundred and fifty bucks with a 4.5 gallon per minute rating seems like a pretty good deal it might be up to the task. Not for the washer though. They can dump like 15 gallons per minute.


Is infrared blocking film effective in reducing temperature inside a room? I was going to put a foil on windows, but found a film that is alleged to reflect rays from infrared spectrum, thus preventing 60% of sun heat of entering a room.
Any criticism on it?
Or personal experience? Will it really help?

My house has no central air and lots of huge windows on the south, so it gets a bit toasty in the summertime.

I installed window film (brand is "Vista Window Film" if it matters).  I don't know what it does in terms of which part of the spectrum it blocks (IR or not?).

It has done a fantastic job.  It colors the view just a bit, though you only really notice when comparing against a non-tinted window.  Temperatures are bearable in the summer now.


How to wire switch for outside motion sensing light I have an outside motion sensing light which uses a nitewatch MW-12 motion detector. There is an existing Intermatic Inc. SS7 switch on the inside of the house which is very convoluted to program (there was also a V3L-2901-D9 switch hooked up to the back of the programmable switch, I'm not sure why). Some of the time I am able to get the motion detector to work and am able to turn the light on manually using the switch, but other times I can't get it to work at all. I would like to replace the existing switch with a new one that isn't so complicated and unreliable.

I took the switch out and found that there were 2 hot wires and a neutral connected to it. My guess was that the two hot wires would allow me to select whether the light should work as a motion detector, or should be on. I therefore installed a three-way switch to allow the selection of either hot wire. One position of the switch successfully turns on the light, but the other turns it off and does not make it work as a motion detector.

I'd appreciate any advice about how to get this working. Thank you!

Here's what you need to know about motion sensors.

They already have a light sensor, and already won't turn on in daylight
They need time to get acclamated. Interrupting power breaks that.
When you connnect power to a motion sensor, it turns on for several seconds.

The motion sensor needs 24x7 power, not interrupted

A motion sensor needs power 24x7.  A motion sensor needs to scan the environment repeatedly, get a sense for what "normal" looks like (and it may not be its first view), store that, and compare it to future scans.

Meanwhile the motion sensor's daylight sensor needs to calibrate itself to what day and night look like in the light location.  It's not a matter of absolute lux - a light in a northern exposure in forest may see lower lux by daylight than one at night in an urban environment with street lights, traffic headlights and city glow.  The sensor needs a day-night cycle or two to calibrate, and then it needs to store that data.

Your timer setup, designed to switch off plain lamps, is constantly cutting power to the motion sensor.  Which does what, anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Wipes out the motion sensor's memory. Now the motion sensor acts like a fresh install.  First, it turns on regardless for a few seconds, to inform the installing electrician that the unit has good power.  Then it falls back on factory settings for day/night lux until it learns (which it can't). It hasn't really had time to get clean scans of the area, it just sees this angry customer and has no idea if that guy is always there.

Sensor before switch?

The simple fix is to put the motion sensor ahead of the switch.  The motion sensor has power 24x7, does its happy thing, and has no idea you have "cut the lamp connection" downstream.  This only works on motion sensors with neutral wires.  Oh wait.  The timer needs power too.

This just doesn't work.

You have them wired in "And Logic", meaning light turns on if timer and sensor call for it. That can't work.

It is practical to wire "Or Logic", meaning the light turns on if either the motion sensor or timer calls for it.  Motion sensors (with neutral) are happy being one of several things that turn a light ON.  That's just not very useful.

Remembering that motion sensors already have light sensors and won't turn on in daylight.

Make up your mind

So really, this comes down to "junk the timer+switch" or "junk the motion sensor".

Honestly, motion sensors work fine if you give them an opportuntiy to settle in.   Too many restless consumers don't, because they don't  realize what's going on.  Bypass (and eventually junk) the timer and switch.

Alternately, the timer would probably make a lot more sense if you had a plain light on it.  Intermatic's steel chassis equipment is Good Stuff, if you junk it, disassemble it with respect and sell it on Craigslist.


How to install drawer slides when the drawer cutout trim is not flush with the cabinet's interior side panels I want to replace the original drawer slides which were installed back in the 1970s.  As you can see from the picture, the interior side panels of the cabinet are not flush with the cherry trim on the face of the cabinet. The panels are recessed by about 3/4". The slides are currently mounted to the edge of the cherry face and, in the back of the cabinet, to the face of the rear panel.
Is there a type of drawer slide that comes with a metal bracket that gets mounted to the interior panel, compensating for the panel recess, and the slider in turn gets mounted to that bracket? Or do I need to install a piece of 3/4" plywood to the interior panel to bring the panel flush with the cherry edge?

Your cabinet has what is commonly called a face-frame. There are many, many drawer slides available that will work with face-frame cabinets, either by specific design or by use of optional mounting hardware. A "gap filling" strip is not necessary if you use the proper (sometimes optional) face-frame brackets for your slide.
I think you may be approaching this the wrong way. Instead of looking for special brackets, which would not be "universal" and would only work with a particular drawer slide brand and model, you should be shopping for drawer slides that will work on a face-frame cabinet. Virtually every slide maker has options for face-frame so you would narrow your selection by other necessary (or desired) specifications such as: length needed, full-extension desired?, weight rating needed, soft-close feature desired?, etc.


Why would a single receptacle fail after updating other wiring? I'm currently doing some renovation in my bathroom, and while the walls are open, running updated cable where I have access. This also includes the addition of a GFCI outlet. It's a 1940s home, and the bathroom and its wiring are original. I've lived here for 17 years, and just purchased it in December. Now that I own it, I am starting to correct all of the issues I know of.

With the intention of having a dedicated circuit for the new outlet, I went all the way back to the breaker panel with 12/2+G Romex. Currently, this circuit has many branches throughout the house, and the intention is to ultimately isolate the bathroom when I free up panel space. The breaker panel is full, so a simple "new circuit" is not immediately possible. The new 12/2 was installed at the first "half" of the circuit so far - forming the "trunk" so to speak - and all but 2 of the branches remain unchanged.

But the issue at hand is that one of the outlets on the circuit failed the day after I ran the new cable. EDIT: The dryer and heater would not work, and there were no audible or visible signs of a problem, nor a burning smell. Due to the fact that the current wiring is an absolute mess, I have drawn a schematic with more specifics to illustrate the current configuration rather than trying to fully explain. I am aware of all of the code (and plain stupidity) related issues that are present, and intend to correct them and reallocate circuits incrementally once I finish the bathroom renovation, and then map out the rest of the wiring.

At the end of one of the branches in the basement, is a receptacle that has my clothes dryer plugged in. I work from home, and my office (with its own circuit) is also in the basement. The basement is unfinished, so we have areas separated by shelving or furniture. 2-3 months ago, I added a space heater (set low), just to take the edge off on colder days, figuring while the dryer is not running, the heater set low would be fine there. Note #1: I have another space heater on my office circuit. Note #2: I was not aware that the laundry area was not on its own circuit until I started this. Regardless of these facts, this setup has been working without issues since I started using it. So, the question is that how, after 2+ months, did the old receptacle fail, and when replaced with a brand new one, fail again?

Also... The breaker did not trip. All other outlets are working fine, and the new bad receptacle is reading ~36v to neutral, and ~40v to ground. I get ~126v at every other known branch on the circuit. My only assumption is that the lower resistance of the 12/2 changed the dynamics of the whole circuit somehow?

The short version of the solution is: when you see a very old junction that is taped together, unwrap it completely (while the circuit is off), and inspect the junction directly. Then, fix as needed, and replace the tape with wire nuts. The new upstream wiring had nothing to do with the actual problem, and the wiring inside the old downstream junction box must have shaken loose during demolition. Troubleshooting it the first time resulted in the accidental rejoining of the wires within the box, restoring continuity, and creating the illusion that the outlet was the problem. The first repair worked out on a fluke.

How I missed It: The issue was not with the outlet, but inside a junction box that was ruled out since it was not accessed until the problem with the receptacle arose. While the circuit was off, I removed the old receptacle and opened up the junction boxes between it and the panel. After restoring power to the circuit, testing the bare wire immediately yielded ~126v. So I shut it back off, installed a new outlet, closed the boxes and restored power. Done deal.

Three days later, no power again. Actually, very low power. After the second time the outlet stopped delivering proper voltage, I decided to diagnose the original receptacle before removing the new one. It was fine.

Checking for continuity and shorts with a meter: Disconnect and remove the outlet. Set your meter to resistance/ohms. This is a little more reliable than continuity (if you have that), because you can have a resistive short that may not register as full continuity.

Test the receptacle in groups:

Neutral Group = long slots & silver screws
Hot Group = short slots & brass screws
Ground Group = round holes & (usually) green screw on the mounting frame

Touching the probes to any two points within a group should read zero or nearly zero ohms. High readings or no response indicate a dirty, loose, or broken internal connection. Any points from two different groups should yield no response from your meter. If you get any reading, there is a short.

Finding nothing wrong with the original receptacle brought me to the realization that something else happened with the wiring. I removed the new one to confirm that the bare wires still read low. Working backward, the junction nearest to the the receptacle has an old porcelain light/power socket combo. Testing that power socket also yielded full power, so the problem was absolutely with the one cable between that box and the actual receptacle. Opening that box up immediately gave me a reading at the trouble spot. It became obvious that the issue was a loose hot connection in an old junction box hidden by tape.

One final tip... Testing a receptacle/wiring on a confirmed working circuit that is on. If you get a reading on your hot (black) to ground (bare), but nothing on your hot to neutral (white), then your neutral leg is open. If you get no reading from hot to either one, you most likely have a break in your hot leg. If you get a reading on hot to neutral, but not hot to ground, you have an open ground. In my case, I got about 36v to neutral, and 40v to ground. Ruling out the outlet, and getting nearly the same result on both made it rather obvious that a hot wire was loose somewhere.


How do I activate my Cat5e+ connections int my apartment? I'm living in a recently built apartment (2012 or so) and have dual ethernet (Cat5e+) and coax connections at 5 different locations across the floor plan.

Connecting my modem to any of these 5 coax connections across the apartment gets me network access.

My goal is to gain network access through the ethernet connections and use them to connect directly to my WiFi router and/or devices.

My thought is that I need to connect my modem to the panel in my closet:

Possibly also connect my modem to a switch and then connect my switch to the first 5 of 8 ports shown here:

I'm guessing each of those 5 correspond to the ethernet ports across the apartment.

However I have a flurry of coax cables that are identified only by 1-5 (some numbers have doubles) and after connecting my modem directly to each one individually, I found none have a downstream.

What am I missing here? What steps should I take to rig up my cat5e+ connections throughout my apartment?

Thanks in advance!

Each of the coax wires, green wires, and blue wires represent home runs from this box to your room plates.  Respectively carrying TV, telephone, and ethernet service.  (I agree with Ecnerwal's observations)
Presumably that black coax hooked to a splitter is your network input.

You can use this in two sorts of ways;
1) put your cable modem and a router/switch here, and hook the cable modem ethernet output to the switch, and wire the switch ports to the blue patch jacks.
If you want wi-fi, you can put it here or on a drop that is optimally located.
2) you can use one of the coax drops to run to the room where you want to put your modem and switch(s).  Back feed the ethernet from that room to a switch in this box, all other rooms would be downstream of that switch.

WRT to TV.  You can add an additional multi-line coax splitter (maybe that horizontal coax thing is one) to feed the other coax drops.  There may be two in a room to allow a DVD or satellite receiver source signal to be distributed to other rooms.


Does a humidifier cool the air? I'm considering getting an evaporative humidifier for my super-dry Northeast house, but I'm wondering if the evaporation cools off the room and is going to add to my heating bill.

It seems like evaporative humidifier work exactly the same was as evaporative air conditioners — i.e. blowing dry air across water to cause evaporation, thus transferring the heat of the air into water vapor's latent heat.

Am I wrong about the thermodynamics? Or is the effect small enough that it doesn't make much difference?

You are quite correct about the thermodynamics. The heat involved in a phase change of water is so significant that professional HVAC guys specify the performance requirements for cooling as two different parameters: sensible and latent heat to be removed. The latter is the heat involved in phase change of water and is often more demanding than removing sensible heat.

"For example, in 1 kg of waste air at 20 °C with a relative humidity (RH) of 60%, the total energy is 42.5 kJ, more than half of which (22.5 kJ) is latent heat."

You can analyze your situation with a psychrometric chart like this:
http://www.truetex.com/psychrometric_chart.gif

Just pick your desired temperature and relative humidity and you can find out how much water exists as vapor under those conditions.


How to protect decking when it's already winter I have decking that looks in desperate need of some protector or oil. In the UK it's already quite wintery - temperatures are consistently around 5C (~40F), most days are wet. The instructions for all the protectors and oils that I see say to apply in temperatures over 10C-15C and only in dry conditions. How important is this? Should I assume that doing something is better than doing nothing? Is there any advantage to protector over oil in this situation (I think protectors tend to be water-based, so maybe less sensitive to wet weather?).

The temperature range is important because it dictates the drying time and should be followed pretty close. The dryness factor is critical. Wood absorbs water. When you set out to protect your deck you want the deck to absorb the sealer. If the deck is already wet, then the sealer won't sink into the wood and you've wasted your money. The deck must be dry so it absorbs the maximum amount of sealer. This applies to water based sealers too.

If you feel the need to do something now, You can get a water proof tarp and cover your deck and then apply the sealers when the deck is dried out. Make sure to allow for air flow while the tarp is on the deck. Then keep the tarp on the deck until the sealer dries, still allowing for air flow. Otherwise, wait until spring. Good luck.


What could be causing my Thermostat "R" wire to only be 8 VAC? I am trying to install a Nest thermostat.

It says Rh not powered. I checked with a meter and I get approx 8 VAC reading.

What could be causing this?

The furnace itself ain't pretty.

Update:

I had a furnace guy come in the morning. He saw the furnace and said "Oh my god!"

After two hours he decided he couldn't figure it out and they sent another guy later that day.

They finally figured it out.

Since a guy who works with furnaces for a living couldn't figure it out after two hours I think I never had a chance to begin with.

So in the end, the answer was:

Call a pro.


How to fish NM cable up, over, and back down I am trying to fish a cable up from an outlet/switch box, over a door, and back down to a box outside. What is the best method to fish the cable?

Accept the need to do drywall repair.

Knock some access holes. Unless you are going into an accessible (attic, say) space to go "over a door" you need to drill holes in studs - and if there happen to be holes there now, you still are not going to be able to fish through them without some access holes, IMPE.


Do I need a pump to move rainwater from a tank to point-of-use? We are thinking of converting our shop into an apartment. There is already a water supply but there are 2 homes on it already.  We are considering using a holding tank to catch rainwater for  dishes, bathes and clothes washing.  We have decided on  1500 gallon tank and know how we are hooking it up.

Do we need a pump to get the water inside(the tank will be elevated) and if so where does it need to be, inside or out and what kind of pump is recommended?

Thank you

It's going to depend on how much pressure you want and how high your cistern is with respect to point of use.  Typical US residential water pressure is on the order of 40 to 80 PSI.  One foot of head (height of the water column from cistern to tap) gives you 0.433 PSI, so you would need a 92 foot head to reach 40 PSI.  This is the concept behind water towers

You may not need that much pressure - it will just take longer to fill the tub, etc.  Whether that's acceptable is a judgment call on your end.


Can I use a neutral wire from another outlet to repair a broken neutral? Recently one wall of outlets quit working. Testing shows the hots are all good and the grounds are all good but the neutrals are all dead. They are all connected to each other but somewhere have lost the connection to the panel.

Can I add a  neutral from another nearby outlet which will make these outlets work without tearing up the walls to find where the neutral has  become disconnected?

No, you cannot do this.  Assuming the nearby outlet you want to borrow neutral from is on a different circuit, you will be overloading its neutral.  Even if it is the same circuit, it's very bad practice to leave broken wiring energized without fixing it -- what if it moves a little and reconnects just enough to arc?  Then your house is on fire.

However, fixing this properly probably isn't as much work as you think.  You most likely will not need to tear up your walls.  Unless you recently drove a nail through a wire, the wire inside the walls usually doesn't just break.  Rather, things usually go wrong at the outlets themselves.  The so-called "backstab" outlets are especially prone to having the wires come loose over time.  So the fix for this will involve pulling out each outlet in turn, making sure all screws, wirenuts, etc are tight, and ideally replacing any backstabs in the circuit.  Most likely you'll find one of the outlets had the white wire come loose, and when you tighten it, everything starts working again.


Installing Tile on a painted wall with satin finish I am redoing out laundry room and would like to put tile on a wall that is already painted. The paint is a satin finish and is in good condition as it is only 2 yrs old.

Is it ok to just spread the adhesive and install directly on the painted wall? Or should I do something else to prepare it?

Thanks!

The safest way to do that is to apply a scratch coat first, using whatever mortar or mastic youll be using to install the tile. Make sure you let it cure out all the way. Most mortars and some mastics heat up as they cure. This means it can it can make the paint release from the wall, much like removing wall paper.