DTC Soft Close Slider Replacement? One of the sliders on one of the cabinets in our kitchen has been bent (kid fell on it). I've searched for "DTC 533 soft close slider" (DTC 533 can be seen on the slider below) to try and find a replacement, but the results I get back are all over the place.
What exactly should I be searching for in looking to replace this? Is DTC an actual brand (I found this DTC website that would imply yes, but I don't see how to actually buy anything from them)? What does 533 in this stand for? I'm just not sure what information I need to be assessing terms of finding a replacement that matches the damaged part as closely as possible
Some images:

I see what you mean, the results are all over the place and what looks like direct replacements may not ship to the US if you could even afford it. I know it's weird to say this, but you will need to call the manufacturer of the cabinets, if you know the brand of cabinet, or if not you should contact the drawer slide manufacturer and ask them to help you find a replacement, you'll want to ask for contact information for their closest distributer to you. For special order hardware is a bear, have patience and sometimes you just have to call around and find the closest contractor (like a casework shop) that carries the brand. Sometimes "closest" can be on the opposite side of the country.
To give yourself a head start in talking with them, go to their website, use the drop down for products, click on the the magic-move (i think but could be d-motion), and then scroll down until you see the web view option to view their catalog. See if you can find your specific product in there or in one of the other product line's catalogs. (sorry, but you'll have to do the legwork here).
If you've got the patience, you can pull the top and bottom sections of the slide apart, and hammer it back close enough to it's original shape. If you're picture is a good representation, it doens't look very bent. You might try clamping it to a block of wood with the bent section hanging off bit by bit and work your way gently tapping it back into relative position.
Your last best bet is to take your slides around locally and compare to other brands of slides... you'll want to look for something that will hold the drawer in the same position. You are not likely to find a slide you can mix and match with the existing closers. This is more about finding something that you can mount in place of the existing hardware and have the cabinet fronts not look like something is off.


Will low water use toilets clog more? I need a toilet for the bathroom off a master bedroom that's being built in my house.

Once when my Mother had a plumber in to fix something else, he told her to hang on to her old fashioned toilet as long as she could - plumbers have far more problems and calls about the new high efficiency toilets.

I see that Home Depot and Lowes primarily have 1.23 Gallons per Flush (GPF) toilets in stock, but you can also get 1.6 GPF toilets.

According to Consumer's Reports, more water sometimes (but not always) means better flushing.  And all of their best rated toilets use 1.6 GPF.

Should I go for the 1.6 GPF toilet to avoid problems and having to clean the toilet as often?  Or have the 1.28 GPF toilets improved enough to use one of those instead?

I live in Minnesota where water usage isn't as big of an issue as it is in California.

Some of the low volume toilets manage to flush very quickly because of newer designs. Some of it has to do with coatings on the bowl, and the pathways inside of the toilet. But one change that makes a large difference is a larger flapper and opening that allows the water to drain much faster (the only downside is that you'll need special replacement parts in the future).

The last time I was shopping for toilets, they had a rating of how powerful the flush was in each toilet, which is much more useful than the gallons per flush. My newest toilet flushes much better than any of the older toilets, while using much less water.


Can I run power from a GFCI receptacle to a standard receptacle then to a light switch? I have a single GFCI outlet and I want to add a few standard receptacles and a light from it.  I am curious if it is possible to go from the GFCI, to two standard outlets then on to a light switch?

In general, yes.  GFCI outlets have LINE and LOAD terminals.

You can connect several more outlets on the LOAD terminals, and they will also be protected from ground faults.

You can also add a switch, though bear in mind that highly inductive loads (like a large motor) can cause nuisance tripping of the GFCI.


How do I trace the cabling in a “Ring Main” I have a "ring main" with many sockets on it, it is clear that it has been extended over the years.

How do I trace the cabling to.

Check that it is a single ring
That only one socket is on each spars
That there are not any other issues.

I am hoping for a testing method that I can just apply “set by set”; assume I have access to a good quality resistance meter

Is there any software I can type all the resistance readings into that will “solve” the system and will then tell me:

What additional readings it needs
Or how all the sockets are connected.

Related but a much easier problem: Are there any “easy” ways to trace a home electrical system?

Update:

The issue I have with the standard test method and all current answers is that they assume that the sockets are connect in a single ring – I don’t know how they could detect for example two rings that have their ends joined just before the consumer unit.  Or a spars that is connect to anther spars rather then directly connected to the ring.

The test in the wiring standard is very good at finding common errors like a wire that is not connected, or a live that is connected to a neutral; however the test seems to assume that the wiring is basically a valid single ring to start with.   This is not a valid assumption on an old system you don’t know the history off!

i don't know if this is the right way, but here's what i came up with.

THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROCEDURE. DO NOT ATTEMPT UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING DESCRIBED HERE.

what i'm going to suggest is that you bridge the hot and neutral on one outlet in the ring. then. obviously, before you even think about attempting anything like this, you must turn off and disconnect the hot and neutral from the consumer unit. disconnecting the hot and neutral from BOTH sides of the ring is very important to the accuracy of your readings.

once you have bridged an outlet, you can take resistance readings between hot and neutral. if you have one outlet that you can be fairly certain is the first or last outlet on the ring, you can use that as your bridged outlet, then figuring out the order of the ring is as simple as sorting the list by resistance.

here's an example:

the black lines are wires. the red X's mark where the wires should be disconnected. notice the outlet on the right is bridged and a multimeter is connected to the outlet on the left. the green numbers are the resistances of the wires. obviously the numbers are not realistic, but this is just an example.

in the picture, the multimeter would be reading 58: 12 + 17 + 17 + 12 (that's the wires to outlet on the right and back).

the outlet on the bottom of the ring would read 34: 17 + 17.

since none of the outlets on the spar are bridged, they will not affect the reading above.

if you can't identify the outlets at the end of the ring, you can connect the hot/neutral on one side of the ring at the breaker, then measure the resistance of each outlet. the one with the lowest resistance is the outlet closest to that end of the ring.

the tricky part is identifying spars using this method. it might be obvious based on the resistance readings, but it might not be.


Put table saw table on wheels I would like to put this table on 2 wheels so I can wheel it around and move it outside to my patio.

I have these but not sure how to mount them on the legs.

Edit: Thanks for the suggestions, here's what I did:

1) Cut a sheet of plywood so that all 4 legs fit on it.
2) Mount the wheels to the plywood.
3) Set the saw on top of the plywood.
4) Fasten the legs to the plywood so the saw won't fall off.  I suggest some "L" brackets and screws through the legs but other means could be devised.


Hollowing out wood log for table I'm planning to cut down either a pine or beech in the near future, as I heard that the fall/winter season is a good time to cut trees if you want to dry the wood quickly.

After cutting a log the right size, I suppose my best bet is to try and hollow it out with the chainsaw first off, and then with hammer and chisel.

The log is going to end up being used as a leg for a coffee table, and perhaps another as a table itself.

My main question is this (if I have the above parts right):

How will I go about drying my log in the most effective way? - I don't think splitting is such a big issue, since I'm going for a rustic look, but of course the log has to remain functional as a table/leg.

Would it be an idea to seal the end(s) with a varnish/wax? (I guess there's only really going to be one end of this log, or perhaps I should also consider the hollowed out bottom to be an end still)

Thank you in advance!

I will be happy to link pictures if anyone is interested once I get started.

So you are (if I get your idea correctly) looking at two large-diameter log sections, large enough that two of them would serve as all the legs needed for your table? Could be a nice look.

If you get lucky, you might find a hollow beech. Pine, less likely in usable form - if it's hollow it's usually also rotten outside that.

Assuming you don't get lucky: Your logs/cylinders have two ends, really - coat them both with something. But the biggest factor is to QUICKLY (or at least before bringing them inside where they will start to dry faster) hollow them out all the way through (not just at one end) so that they can shrink without excessive cracking. A large Forstner drill bit is probably the best method for doing this unless you have access to a large wood lathe, (but if you did, you probably wouldn't be asking this question or contemplating a chainsaw/chisel attempt at it.)

Lay out a circle on the end of the log, and drill overlapping holes to remove the bulk of the wood. Using a large-diameter bit (3 inches or so) will allow you to drill down to where the body of the drill is inside the cavity while still being straight. You will have to drill in stages, and probably from both sides. i.e. take a 18" diameter log, lay out a 14" diameter circle, and drill overlapping 3 inch holes all around the inside of the 14" circle, 3 inches deep; having made 3 inches of depth to work in (so that there is room to get the drill down that far), resume drilling another 3 inches deep, all over,  repeat once more, then flip and start from the far side and you can hollow an 18 inch long log.

You can also use any of the (often overly complex) methods that folks dream up for "primitive drums" if you like - I'm simply promoting the quickest way I know, not making use of a large lathe...

If a more finished look worked for you, you could also buy some sonotube (very heavy cardboard concrete form tube) and apply wood veneer to the outside of it.


how to fit restrictor in toilet pan inlet How do I fit restrictor in toilet pan inlet when plumbing? Water is overflowing the pan and soaking the floor each time flush is pulled. Armitage advised to fit this restrictor.

Actually, let's start with some disambiguation, as we may be separated by a common language. I've been assuming you mean the lower portion of the toilet when you say "pan" - is that correct?

Given low detail and no picture in the question, I'll go on first principles and guess that a "toilet pan inlet restrictor" would involve removing the cistern/tank from the pan/bowl (generally a couple of screws or bolts, plus the plumbing) inserting the restrictor, and reinstalling the tank/cistern on the bowl/pan. And I'll second @bcworkz's comment that you should really make sure the outlet is not restricted - an anemic (restricted) flush into a bowl/pan with a restricted outlet is a recipe for a lot of clogs and flushes that fail to flush.

An easier version might install by simply lifting the flapper/flush valve and dropping it in place below the valve. But you may have an "outlet siphon" instead of a flapper valve, since your terminology appears to be British. That most likely does involve removing the cistern.


Can you use a standard joist hanger connect lumber to an i-joist if I add stiffeners? I know they sell tabbed hangers for this but they want like $20 each for them. Just wondering how else people do this. Picture: I am in the middle of re-doing this and still need to remove the other header.

I would carefully fit notched blocks the height of the joist into the cavity so they make contact on all faces. I'd also put a backer block between the ribs on the back side. Then I'd use construction glue and screws to anchor everything. Mount the hanger to that.
                    ________ __
                   |     ---|--|* <--- screws
                   |________|  |_
                   |   ||      | \
       screws --> *|---||---   |  \
                   |   ||      |   |
                  *|---||---   |   |
       backer ---->|   ||      |   |<-- joist hanger
                  *|---||---   |   |
                   |___||___   |   |
                   |        |  |   \
                   |________|__|____|
                             ^----------filler block

I'm not sure that it meets code, but I'd have confidence in it. Heck, if your face-nailed boards held up this will.


Electrician connected new water well to house panel, but confused about wire size in generator transfer switch? Is my new, 278 ft water well, wired in safely? Electrician ran 100 ft of #6 wire from ( transfer switch out to well house control box ) & then ( 278 ft of 3 wire #12 going down csg to 1 1/2 hp pump ) 378 ft combined wire.

I checked the “Franklin Electric AIM” manual pages ( 14 & 15 ) and the calculations are shown to be acceptable @ .96 maximum allowable voltage drop to meet NEC recommendation of less than 1.0

My issue is that my “Reliance Transfer Switch )has #10 wire running from the 230 volt double pole breaker to the house panel box. So wire starts out at breaker as 4 ft of #10 wire, connected to 100 ft of #6 wire out to well house controll box, then 278 ft of # 12 ( 3 wire ) running down to pump.

The number 10 wire at transfer switch seems too small, but it comes factory wired this way, what do you guys think ?

If the 12AWG submersible pump wire is fine, then the 10AWG in the transfer switch is certainly fine too

A circuit's ampacity is set by the thinnest wire in the circuit.  As a result, since we know that there's 12AWG wire in the circuit (going downhole to the pump), the 10AWG wire between the house panel and the transfer switch is fine.


Can manually throwing the dryer circuit breaker cause it to burn out? What can cause the dryer circuit breaker to heat up to the point that the plastic at the connection melts?

Can manually throwing the breaker cause this? My wife has suffered through two house fires and throws the dryer and stove breaker when she leaves home.

Manually flipping a breaker, especially without a significant active load, should never melt a breaker.

A melted breaker indicates a large heat build-up. This could be a defective breaker but is more likely a bad connection, producing resistance, which heats up under normal load. This could be an insufficiently tightened screw connection to the hot wire, poor connection from the breaker to the panel, or such. It could also be a breaker not rated for the panel, producing a poor connection.

First question: do you have aluminum wiring in your house? If so, the circuit breaker must be rated for use with aluminum and the wire should be properly treated before connecting. Improper treatment of aluminum wiring has caused many house fires.

Second question is what brand is your breaker panel? There are several brands from the 60's and 70's that are generally acknowledged as fires waiting to happen.

In any case, a melted breaker indicates a serious hazard! I highly recommend getting a professional electrician in to look things over!


How to calculate cutting angle for a circle of tiles? I'm looking to calculate the angle I need to cut on square tiles that will be arranged around the edge of a circular pool.

Given that radius is 7' and that tile width is 12", how many tiles are needed to close the full circle, when distance between each tile is 1/4". At what angle does each tile need to be cut on both sides, so that when laid in a circle, sides of the tiles are parallel to each other? Can somebody point me in how to calculate this?

Assuming you are just going to tile a simple circle with a radius of 7', the calculation is easy to estimate number of tiles.

πR2 = Area

I'm going to use inches here: Radius is 84" = surface area of 22,156" squared.

It wouldn't be out of the question to calculate the number of tiles out of this, and add in a percentage for breakage/cuts. based on a 12" tile and 1/4" grout, I'd guess 150 tiles + 20% breakage/waste, or 177 tiles.

The next part gets more complicated. What I believe you're suggesting is cutting trapezoidal sections of tile, and arrange them in concentric rings. If you want to maximize the tile size, the pitch will be the same, but will not have the same layout on each and every tile. For each consecutive ring of tiles form the center, they will become more oblique and large.

I suggest doing an accurate scaled drawing in the spirit of what I threw together. Using autocad or sketchup would be highly advisable to make a 2D drawing. This is really the easiest way in my mind. Then you can have a firm plan of cuts, measurable angles, as well as a count of tiles.

Keep in mind, this is just about layout and measurements. I have NO idea of the tiles cut like this will be stable or if it will be easy to install.

Take your time, measure twice, cut once and when in doubt, step away and ask yourself "Is this work going to be worth the outcome".

Good luck and let us know how it goes!


Fan coil wiring problem with new thermostat I'm trying to upgrade to a new line voltage thermostat. The new thermostat has many more connections, including three fan speeds. My current system has a manual fan switch on the wall so all I need the thermostat to do is allow power to flow to the fan coil unit.
This diagram tries to show how the system is wired and a proposed new wiring. I propose this because I've tried attaching the heat and cool and neutral from the new thermostat to the R, and the black to the black. The white wire is capped at the thermostat and junction box ends, but I'm proposing to use that as the neutral connection at the thermostat and add it to the W to W current connection in the junction box. Any advice on whether this would work?

(source: blogspot.com)

Not sure what model equipment you're using, but it seems like the new thermostat requires a neutral connection.   If this is the case, you'll want to make the connections as follows:
At the Thermostat

Connect the black wire to the B terminal in your diagram.
Connect the white wire to the N or neutral terminal.
Connect the red wire to the Heat (and Cool if that's how it was on the old thermostat) terminal(s).

At the Junction Box

Connect the white wire from the cable going to the thermostat,  together with the other white wires in the box.


Toilet shutoff type identification The valve won't turn so I'm looking to replace it.
I think it's a sweat type but I'm looking for confirmation.
Is this a sweat or threaded valve?

Edit: Scraped pipe

Edit 2:

It is a sweated valve with a screw on attachment for the toilet connection.
Rather than try to remove it, I'd buy a second one; they are typically quite cheap. With a helper available, use a giant wrench to try and break the valve free.  If the valve breaks, turn off the water; if it moves, great.
If it doesn't break free, take the handle off and then take the packing / valve mechanism out by unscrewing the front hex net and removing the valve innards.   Replace them with the parts from the donor valve.
If you get lucky, you'll save the time necessary to desolder, clean, and re-solder a valve.


Why do I have multiple voltages, power spikes, and other issues with my electric service? I'm in an old house that has been mostly rewired in the last 15 years. I am in the USA so the power should be 110V, 220V but that is not the case. All day and night the power surges from 110V to 140V for about 6 seconds then back down again. If i unplug the 3 prong outlet from the 110V stove the power in the kitchen drops to 75V and the rest of the house goes to 170V. I tested the power coming up to the apartment and it  checked out perfect. When I tested the main lines coming into the breaker panel and one side is 110V and one is 140V. I pulled the main breaker and checked them again and there is no voltage at all coming into the box when the fuse is pulled. Everything I know from dealing with electric service says none of this should even work. Also I noticed a gas leak a couple weeks ago. The copper gas line was up against an old gas line and had arched a hole right through the copper. Not sure if that helps but any ideas at this point are welcome.

You have an open or compromised service neutral.

PLEASE call your power company immediately to have them check their connections.

It is also very possible you'll need an electrician to check/repair/replace the terminations in the meter pan.

I have to ask, do you own this house? If not then calling your landlord is your ONLY option.


Is it better to splice outlets into a run, or to run a branch? I have an electrical line running through the joists of a basement storage room.  It runs near an area where I’d like to put a couple of 2-gang outlets, but not immediately past.  I was thinking about rerouting the line to go past where I want the outlets, and splicing them into the line.

Is it better to splice in a junction box and run a branch off the existing line to the two new outlets, or would splicing the outlets into the existing run be better?  I’m starting to think the former would be better, since it lets me run whatever length of wires I need and I don’t have to worry about whatever’s downstream of the new outlets, but I figured I ask people more knowledgeable than I.

I tend to make splices in places that makes the best use of the wire and the least number of “junction only” boxes.

That said, there is no real difference as long as the wires are well anchored, the boxes are accessible. and the splices or devices are properly terminated. In your situation, one thing I might do is, since I need a box there anyway, actually have an extra outlet in the ceiling (but I am 6’5”). Use the same or larger wire size and there is no difference.


Is this wall board made of dangerous material? There's a room in my house that has walls made of a material that I've always thought was weird. It's not like normal drywall. Recently, I pulled up the base boards I got a better look at the bottom of the walls that had previously been covered by the base boards. I started wondering...How do I know if the walls are made of a safe material? I started thinking about it and am wondering if they could be made with asbestos.

The material is like an insulted board, made of some brown or black fibrous material, with a thin, wooden outer shell (like paper on drywall). It could be totally safe, I just don't know.

Is this a common type of wall board in older houses? Is it safe? I can't seem to find any resources to help me identify the kind/brand of wall board and whether or not it is safe. Can you provide some resources that will help me determine if this wall board is safe?

You can buy an inexpensive asbestos test kit if you're concerned.  One of my family members bought an old house and successfully used "asbestos test strips" from the local home warehouse store to determine that the floor tiles were asbestos.


Is there a problem with this service neutral? I've been having issues with lights flickering and unbalanced voltage on either leg and after some research it seems like it's a bad neutral somewhere. These are the service wires coming into the electrical panel. Could the browning(not sure if that's oxidation) affect the connection or would it be something farther down the line on the power companies side?

This is not a time to plod along with exhaustive diagnostics and cautious bug-hunting.  This is a time for swift action.
The fact that you are seeing low voltage on one leg and high voltage on the other is evidence enough.
Call the power company and report an outage
Because 95% chance the problem is on the part of the service drop that they own.


What's needed to add an Osram Lightify bulb to a Philips Hue installation I have started my experiments with Philips Hue with white bulbs, and so far it looks appealing. I would like to go on and add some more interesting bulbs, namely Osram Lightify Tunable White. Googling hasn't helped yet: Do I need to buy an Osram Bridge too, or can I pair an Osram bulb directly to the Philips Hue bridge?

Old outdated information about EU vs US firmware.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Hue/comments/42840b/howto_make_american_osram_lightify_bulbs/

The firmware is now combined into one compatible version.
Try this, several people report they work: https://recoveringappleholic.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/how-to-get-lightify-to-work-with-hue/

I believe @DanielGriscom was talking out of turn and sharing his thoughts that were based off poor assumptions rather than research.


Repairing/salvaging fan forced heater I have fan forced heater (Pelonis HF-1030TB) that recently starting giving off burning smells whenever I turned on the heat. I opened it and saw that one of the contacts was burnt. Can someone please help me suggest how to repair this, and if not, what parts are worth salvaging (or how to dispose off the heater properly so that it gets recycled/reused)?
The solution I have in mind is to just replaced the burnt contact (shown in picture below). If someone can tell me what type of contact this is, that would be great. If I repair female contact on the red wire, do I also need to do the same for the male contact (looks like it is glued to the white housing). Also, how do I prevent this from happening in the future?
Please let me know if clearer pictures would help
Any help is greatly appreciated!

OK, the female spade connector on the red wire is fried. If there's enough slack in that wire, you can cut off the connector and burnt wire. Go to an appliance repair store to get a match on the old connector. You could probably find similar ones at your home store but the ratings might not be the same and you'd also want a shrink tube. These connectors are crimped on so if you don't have a crimping tool buy one or have the repair guy at the store crimp it on and shrink the tube.
Now the bad news. It looks like the problem started in the white terminal block where the rivet is attached to the male connector. This is where the arcing started and heated up the entire connection. The inside of that block is probably damaged beyond repair and would have to be replaced too. Getting parts might be a problem.
If you decide to dump the whole thing, most counties/townships have local dumping stations where you can drop off old electrical appliances for recycling.


controlling a light fixture with a wireless switch I would like to add a light fixture in my basement workshop controlled by a switch in my first floor kitchen but without running new wiring.  Is there a wireless solution available?

There are numerous solutions.

One common approach is remote wireless switches coupled with matching receivers, such as the LevNet system. You hard wire a receiver near the load and mount a wireless (and in some cases batteryless) switch remotely. The distance the devices work is limited (usually 10 to 20 feet) and they tend to be expensive, in the $200+ range per circuit. These systems tend to be proprietary and usually only work with their own brand or a licensed affiliated brand.

A second approach is the wireless hub type system, such as the Wink system. These use an open protocol, such as Zigbee, that can link numerous devices, including single bulbs. The control may be dedicated or can work on a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer. The cost of the hub may run from $50 to several hundred dollars, but the remote devices are often fairly cheap. Introductory specials have featured two smart bulbs and a basic hub for $50. Unlike proprietary systems, you can often mix devices from various manufacturers.

If you search for wireless switches and wireless hubs you will find a number of choices.


How to build a wooden ladder for a loft bed? I want to build a five foot ladder for my 6 ft loft bed that's being cut down to 4ft tall because it's too close to my ceiling. My bed is going to be in front of my window which is on my shortest wall.

How do I build a ladder to meet these requirements?

A nice ladder can be built similar to the following. Use 1x4 sized material and bore holes through it to accept closet pole for rungs. Select the angle of the vertical rails to suit your space and desired usage preferences. Rung spacing should be even - but not too close together.

Ladder can be simply screwed through the side rail of the bed into the edge of the vertical ladder rail.


Should the flue always be open in a gas fireplace? I have a victorian fireplace with a modern gas fire installed. The fire place has a hatch at the top to open/close the chimney, which the fitters have connected to a wire to force it to be fully open constantly. However, it loses a lot of heat through this. I believe it is partly ventilated from underneath. How much should this kind of hatch be open? can I close it completely? Can I close it and have a CO monitor? Surely as long as this is OK there is nothing to worry about?

Your flue should always be open when the fireplace is operating.  It is a fire and smoke risk to close the flue while the fire is lit.

When not burning, the flue should be closed to prevent heat loss.


Can I use the fridge still without plumbing in water,model Electrolux ERES31800W Can I still use the fridge on model Electrolux ERES31800W,without having to plumb in the water?

In general, plumbing water to a fridge is only required in order to use the ice maker and water dispensing features. You can use it as a fridge with just electricity connected.

Typically, there is an easy way to shut off the ice maker. If you don't have water connected you should do that in order to reduce possible wear on electric valves and other parts. You may also be able to disconnect and temporarily remove the ice maker so you can use the space it would take for other purposes.


How do I correctly wire this lighted switch to provide power down the line? I've gotten in over my head!

I just the Leviton lighted switches like the one in the pic shown for our bathrooms. There's just something so nice about the small light it gives off when it's the middle of the night!

That said, it's not fully working! :) I've been able to figure out witch wire is HOT from the breaker box and I also know which wire is the load out to the lights this switch controls.

There's a third line that WHEN I hook up to the screw that's on a side by itself DOES power up the light in the switch. But, there is another room of lights down past this switch that will NOT work when I'm wired up this way.

I have found that if a bypass the single side screw and patch to the hot line coming in, the other bathroom lights up just fine!

I am guessing that I don't have netural connected correctly, so I am not making a complete circut without the other room. But, it's beyond me at this point!

If you are looking for the neutral to attach to it, there is a big bunch of neutrals in the back. Add a short white wire to that wirenut and connect that to the silver screw.

To provide power to the next lights you need to take a short black wire and pigtail that along with the black to the next load and the black from the breaker. Then use the short black wire to connect to the switch.


Is there a pressure activated water valve I would like to buy a pressure activated water valve (for irrigation), so that when the water pressure is above P1, the valve will turn on, and when water pressure drops below P2, the valve will shut off. Does anybody know any product that would serve this purpose? Thank you.

What you are looking for is generally called a Spring loaded Check Valve.  A spring presses against a ball which seals the line. Flow only occurs when the pressure can overcome the force of the spring.   But that only gives you a single pressure to work with.

See Check Valve for an overview


Framing a wall over a carpeted floor I have a carpeted basement.  There is both pad and carpet over concrete.  There is a section I want to wall off and turn into a bedroom, it will not be load bearing.

I would prefer not to have to pull up the carpet to anchor the frame into the floor.  Would you recommend nailing through the carpet?  Will it be sturdy enough?

The follow on question to that is will baseboards go in over the carpet effectively or will they look off?

No, I would not recommend nailing through carpet. Whether or not you prefer to, cutting the carpet and pad and removing them (under the wall) is the only right way to do this job.

Baseboards on top of carpet will look like baseboards on top of carpet. If that's not how the rest of the baseboards are done, they will indeed look "off;" especially in the corners where the two types come together.


Can I mount kitchen island countertop supports to the cabinet back panel? I'm finishing up my kitchen island and have a 36" deep piece of laminate top. It overhangs 12" on the back of the two 33" wide base cabinets.

I know it is common practice to install L brackets to support the overhang, but that means the bracket is screwing into the thin particle wood backing the cabinets have. Is this sufficient? Is there a better way as Norm Abram would say?

I saw online some marble cantilever supports that work in a way that they run across the entire top of the cabinet base making it so the weight of that area counters the 12" overhang.  They require notching out the back of the base cabinet just enough so the bracket sits flush with the rest of the surface.  These seem both expensive and maybe not made for a laminate style countertop.

Corbels are commonly used (as opposed to L-brackets), and they should work fine with your cabinet panel, assuming appropriate screws are used. Most of the force applied is in shear (up and down).

You could also install a sheet of 3/4" BC plywood onto your cabinet (nicer side down), and lay the laminate top onto that. The plywood should fit neatly inside the laminate top's edge lip, and it will provide more than enough strength for your small overhang while maintaining a floating appearance.


Can a 120v pool timer be used on a two-wire 240v circuit? I am replacing an Intermatic mechanical T104 single circuit timer with a new Intermatic P1353ME unit that can control 3 individual equipment items in addition to the timer clock.

Each of the three circuits can control either 120v or 240v equipment items independent of the timer power source. Can this timer be used with existing 240V, 20 amp, 2 wire plus ground power feed from the panel?

I plan to use this 20 amp circuit to power three equipment items at 240v.  Total load is below the 80% load for the 20 amp circuit.

With an existing 2 wire dedicated 240v circuit, what leg is considered "Line" and what leg is considered "Load"?

This timer can be hooked up to your 220V, 20 AMP, 2 wire plus ground circuit from the panel. Since you don't have a neutral you won't be able to ever run any 120V equipment unless you change your wiring. This timer have the ability to switch both hots on a single 220V load but not on three separate equipment items. You'll only be able to switch one hot on each piece of equipment. The other hot will always be connected to a load wire.

With your 220V circuit, the two hot legs from the panel will be your line 1 and line 2.  Your wires from your three pieces of equipment will be your load 1 and load 2  for each piece.


Is this a "fill" valve and how do I use it? Is the valve in the picture a fill valve? And if so, does its use require loosening the screw at the top?

That is the drain valve, and yes the screw on top opens or closes the valve.

Normally a water heater is filled using the normal supply piping on top, by opening the shutoff valves and opening some hot water taps to release any air trapped in the system.


What type of electric heating system is the most energy efficient? I am about to buy a flat that hasn't got any central heating system.
There's no way to use gas heating.

The only way to produce heat is by converting Electricity.

The flat at the moment has some electrical panels mounted close to the windows, but I don't see it as an efficient solution.

I am considering heated floors, but I am interested in hearing from you.
I want to use the heating method  that is energy efficient / calorific power balance.

100% of electricity is converted to energy is true. But what is the energy used for? Generate heat, as in resistive heating? All of the electricity is converted to heat, sounds efficient. But you can do better. You can use your electric energy to move heat obtained for free from somewhere else. In other words, a heat pump is more efficient than resistive heat. The source of free heat can be the air, the ground, or even ground water. How the heat that is moved into your house is distributed can vary. You can blow heated air around, or you can move heated fluid around. The heated fluid can give up its heat at radiators, or base board heaters, or into your floor.

There's many options, but you should get heat by moving it rather than causing resistive wires to give it up.


How can I stop a running toilet? I have a really weird issue: my toilet is running water, but it's not in the tank. It seems like there's a neverending small flow of water entering the bowl of the toilet from the left side of the bowl. How can I stop this "leak?"

When you can avoid using the toilet for a bit, put a little food coloring in the tank. If the water in the bowl changes color after an hour or so, the flapper isn't sealing properly and should be replaced. If the water is still clear but you see a flow of water, the fill valve isn't fully closing and water is entering via the line attached to the overflow tube. Typically, if I go through the trouble of replacing either of these, I replace the entire innards of the toilet.


What does "1 Gang", "2 Gang", and so forth mean when talking about electrical boxes? What does a "1 Gang" mean when talking about electrical boxes?

Example: CARLON 1-Gang Metal Adjustable Electrical Box (Lowes.com)

It refers to the width of the box.  A 1-gang box is wide enough for a switch or duplex receptacle.  The idea is that you can "gang" up electrical components in the box.

One gang

Two gang

Three gang

X gang

Common sizes


Bathroom light not working but extractor fan is My bathroom light is not working but the extractor fan via the same cord fitting is. I replaced the cord fitting and checked there's current running through both wires when it is turned on.

I then checked the transformer in the halway which controls power to the light and fan. I checked with a voltage screwdriver and it picks up voltage to both the fan wires when the light is switched on but only the brown wire on the light, not the blue wire.

I asume there's an issue with the transformer as, is it easy to fix? It looks like an old model so not sure I could get a replacement, it says 'vent axia selv 12' on the outside.

Thanks

SELV 12 means it is a 12-volt device.

Your "voltage screwdriver" is not suitable for testing low voltages like this.

The wiring should be as follows

Note this shows a main bathroom-light as well as a low-voltage light inside the fan unit.

Your pull-cord switch operates at 240VAC.

The Transformer does not supply power to the main bathroom-light. Only to the SELV light inside the fan-unit (where applicable).

The usual reason for lights not lighting is that the light-bulb needs replacing. You don't say whether you have replaced the bulb or tested it.

You can check the 12v connections using a more suitable voltage tester (with a 12V capability but safe for 240VAC)


How is a floating desk top supported against the wall? Example of a floating desk top (courtesy of Phil Curtis):

With increased height, it'd be one of simplest standing desk designs, and I am planning to do this at home. But, I am not sure how exactly the desk top (i.e., the wooden board) is supported against the wall.

As you can see, the design isn't using any heavy-duty shelf brackets, or any apparent support beneath. How can this be accomplished?

(FYI, mine is going to be larger, around double the size of the desk top you are seeing in the picture.)

You would need to mount wooden strips along the walls that screw into the studs. Then the desktop sits on top of those strips and is fastened from the underside to the strips.

To achieve a more sleek look you could also consider the use of some lengths of aluminum angle iron that is screwed into the studs and into the bottom side of the desk surface.

Either type of mounting strip could be painted to match the wall to make it much less noticeable.

You will want to get this mounting strip along as many edges as possible and into as many studs as possible. Cantilever forces due to the open out side corner of the desk can be significant so make sure of two key things:

Make sure that the desk top material itself can withstand the
cantilever forces without a lot of flex and breakage. (Unsupported
thin particle board would not be a good choice).
Make sure that fasteners used up into the bottom of the desk surface
get a good bite into the material.

Here is a picture showing a cross section of the wall and desk showing how the aluminum angle stock would be applied. You would likely want to use screws into the studs that are a bit longer than what I showed.


what would be the highest temp limit switch i can run on a colman 3800a816 furnace Put in new 150 degree switches but it seems to not be hot enough would it be ok to go with 200degree or what would you suggest

NO.
You should only replace the high limit switch with an identical replacement. If the limit is opening, there's a problem that needs to be addressed.  Figure out why the furnace is overheating, and fix that problem.
Dirty filters, or restricted air flow, are the most common problems.


Grounding Wire to copper pipe for cable I'm working on renovating my basement, but first am replacing all of my existing copper pipes with modern CPVC to eliminate the constant leak headache since we are on a well.

Last night I found this wire grounding that appears to be for my cable.

Would someone be able to answer a few questions for me?

Is this technically out of code?
Should this be done external to my home?
Since I am removing my copper water lines, what is the alternate replacement for this grounding wire?

One option would be to see if you could move that connection to a location where you have grounding available easily. That is just a COAX cable, for TV service or internet, via satellite or cable. It can be mounted anywhere along the line run, but preferably as close to the beginning of the run, or at least prior to any device connections. The installer found a copper pipe and just grounded there. As for the comment of leave this as is, if you disconnect the pipes before and after, then it is no longer a ground connection.


How to find underground cavities below properry? I purchased land in an area that was near a former mine. From geological maps, I see the official location of the mine is several blocks away from my property, however, locals told me there were rumors the miners made illegal tunnels. Is there any way I can "scan" the ground to identify if there is any mine shaft under the property that could lead to a sinkhole?

Yes, aerial photography is still used to find archaeological sites.
But if the tunnels are too deep they will not show up.
The resolution of the camera used and the height are also important factors.


Can a dryer exhaust through PVC in a slab? I have a single story home in California, with a concrete slab foundation and a laundry room located in the hallway. The dryer vent connection is just a PVC pipe running down into the slab, and then in the front of our home, there is a 90 degree PVC bend that spits out the exhaust (and sometimes some lint):

Now, I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not how dryer vents should work. Seeing as I can't really dig up the slab or anything crazy, should I:

a) Continue using this vent, if it's safe to do so? If so, should I put a screen or something to keep critters/bugs out?
b) Hire a contractor/handyman and run a new vent through the wall/attic, and out to the side of the house somewhere?

The duct is supposed to be smooth walled metal 4" in diameter, unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. So, you should probably not be using PVC.

International Residential Code 2012
Chapter 15 Exhaust Systems
Section M1502 Clothes Dryer Exhaust
M1502.1 General. Clothes dryers shall be exhausted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
M1502.4 Dryer exhaust ducts. Dryer exhaust ducts shall conform to the requirements of Sections M1502.4.1 through M1502.4.6.
M1502.4.1 Material and size. Exhaust ducts shall have a smooth interior finish and be constructed of metal having a minimum thickness of 0.0157 inches (0.3950 mm) (No. 28 gage). The duct shall be 4 inches (102 mm) nominal in diameter.

NOTE: I'm not familiar with California building code, or local amendments that may exist. IRC is a common building code, and lots of other building codes use similar standards.


How can I wire this replacement bathroom extractor fan? My old bathroom extractor fan motor burned out, so I got a new one to replace it, I was trying to wire it up earlier and I've hit a bit of a snag... I don't seem to have enough cables.

The old extractor fan appears to be a Vent-Axia Solo Low Voltage Ventilation Fan (had to google image search as I couldn't find a model number on it), but it only had 2 cables going into it, a brown and a blue.

The new fan that was bought to replace it is a MANROSE VXF100H from B&Q which appears to require 3 cables to work (Neutral, Switched Live & Permanent Live). Does anyone know how to wire it up with only two cables? or what I can do to add a third cable and make this thing work?

If indeed the old assembly was a low voltage fan there is likely to be a transformer located nearby that stepped the AC line voltage down to the low voltage required by the fan.

On the other hand the fan that you mentioned as the replacement appears to be one powered from a 220-240V AC 50Hz power line source. The data sheet I found was here.

It would not work to connect the new line powered fan to low voltage wiring. So if your old fan was indeed a low voltage unit you have some significant re-wiring to do.

The three wires that you describe for the new fan need to be wired to a switched power line for the manual turn on/off. The neutral connection is clearly the return path for the current from the fan. The third wire which is the "always powered" should be connected to the same AC source that is in front of the switch for the switched circuit. This always on power connection implies that your new fan has some additional capability such as a humidity sensor circuit that can run the fan when the bathroom humidity is high even when the normal switched circuit is turned off. (Note that locating the humidity sensor needs to be done with care. If there is too much air flow from the fan being drawn across the sensor it may not register the humidity level correctly).

As with any product installation you really need to carefully follow any instructions on the data sheet included with the new fan from the manufacturer. Use the information given here as a general guidance but make sure you understand specifically what you have in hand and the existing situation. If you are still unsure of the details then it may be best to call in a professional electrician.


Resources for repairing double swing door (center pin style) My Google skills have failed me in my task today - I have a double swing cafe-style door between my living room and kitchen that the top pin has become loose on - it appears to me the door is sitting low overall, as it also drags slightly at the threshold.
Alas, I don't actually know what this style of hinge is called, other than it is not the widely-available spring load saloon style I am familiar with - but, It's really kind of a nice door, and I'd love it to work again.
Images of the door, and the top and bottom hinges (click to enlarge):

Anybody got a nice video somewhere of how to adjust, or even assemble/disassemble these? Thanks!

Looks like you should be able to pry down this circular plate and the door will be released.
Shove a screwdriver in there or a spackle knife. You'll want to support the door as upright as possible when doing this because the lateral force on the pin is immense.


Advice needed replacing 45 year old spigot I have to replace an old spigot which leaks from the threads when hose is attached.

My question - is there any way of knowing how it is attached to its 1/2" copper supply tube.  Sweated or threaded connection
On the basement side the copper tube leading to it goes into  wood siding surrounded by caulk.  I have attached closeups of the spigot and it appears there are two nails securing it to the aluminum siding The sides of the spigot adjacent to the nails have a flat area which might be for a wrench.
I just want to make sure because that I dont break the copper tubing in the basement if  I attempt to rotate the spigot  off with a wrench.

Any help with this would be appreciated

enter image description here

As you mentioned, the fact that spigot has two flats in front of the flange (for a smooth jaw wrench such as a crescent wrench or monkey wrench (but not a pipe wrench (serrated jaws) which would squeeze the brass spigot, possibly deforming the threaded fitting on the pipe)) suggests it is has female threads.

It is likely that there is some play in the pipes.  Remove the two nails and it might pull out 1/2", affording a view behind the flange.

However, even if it is threaded at the spigot, its risky putting a wrench only on the spigot.  Those threads might be very tight, whereas a sweated connection some where under the house could be weak.  Thus two wrenches are required, one on the spigot and one on the pipe side.

Alternatively, you could buy a small adapter to mount onto the spigot long-term with plumbers paste or teflon tape or whatever stops the leak, then attach the hose when needed to the spigot.  For example, one kind of adapter would be a quick-connect. Another type would be a splitter. Another type would be a swivel union. Another type would be an antisiphon coupler.


What length of screws to use over 3/4" plywood What length of screw should be used when screwing 3/4" plywood subfloor to the decking underneath, in preparation for a new sheet vinyl floor?

If it were me and i was going to put additional underlayment down on top of the new 3/4 ply, i would use at least 2 1/2" screws and do my best to find the floor joists below. if you are using the new ply directly as underlayment i would use 1 1/2 screws to attach to decking.


Single pole switch with lighting "zones"? Somewhat of a challenge...

I'm going from a single light to recessed lighting in my studio condo.
There is a single pole switch that this single light is currently connected to.

I'm going to install about 10 recessed lights, but; I want only 5 lights to turn on when I press XYZ button and all lights to turn on when I press ABC button.

My main challenge here is with this switch, it's housed in a concrete wall with hard drawn solid copper 10AWG wires, so there's no options for rewiring anything, all wiring goes into in a concrete wall and ceiling.

Is there anything I can use to control an array of 10 different lights with an immovable/modifiable single pole switch?

My idea was to leave the single pole switch as is with the dimmer, and have some kind of wireless routing panel in the closet that would allow me to then switch between the lighting "zones" (if that's what they're called) using a wireless switch installed "next to" the current switch. I see Lutron makes some interesting products, but I'm not sure which will do what I need, or the less expensive alternatives. Expense isn't a serious issue here, but I'm not trying to spend $4000-$6000 on a solution.

Does anyone have any idea what I should be searching for, or the proper name of what I'm looking for to make this work?

Thank you in advance for your help

This can be done with wireless smart bulbs (or fixtures) and a remote switch in place of your current light switch.  I'm going to describe how to do it with the Phillips Hue series, since I'm more familiar with them, but other brands will probably work just as well.

For the lights themselves, if you have not already bought the fixtures, you can get Hue recessed fixtures with built-in communication and dimming capability, and you'll never have to change a bulb.

If you already have fixtures, you can simply add smart bulbs to them, but make sure they fit and will cool adequately!

Then, to control it at the location of your current light switch, install a wall-mounted remote.

For your current light switch, you can either leave it in place as a way to disable the whole system, or remove and bypass it to supply the Hue fixtures with always-on power and let them turn themselves on and off remotely (recommended if you want to use any other smart features, like timer on/off, or google home/alexa connectivity).  If you remove the current switch, you can install the remote over the top of a cover plate.  Otherwise, you can install the remote on the wall next to the current switch.

Lastly, you will need a Hue hub to tie it all together.  You can place this wherever you want -- it need not be on the same circuit as the lights.  This will also give you voice control of the lights.

You can learn more about the Hue line here.  Again, I don't mean this as a specific endorsement -- Hue are popular and capable, but not the cheapest, and there are competitors that are also well regarded.


Exterior plywood vs sealed plywood So I'm laying vinyl in a bathroom which is currently just floorboarded. From my research, I understand that I should screw down 5.5mm exterior grade plyboard (exterior grade because of the water) before laying the vinyl which is fine.
My problem lies in actually sourcing this exterior plywood. My understanding is that what makes exterior grade plywood exterior grade is the waterproof glue used between the layers. Yet upon googling, most of the links I am seeing don't mention anything about the glue used, and further state that to be used externally the plywood must be sealed! Seeing this I can't help but think i could buy bog standard plywood and seal it myself to the same effect. So my question is:
Is there anything specific i should be looking for (i.e some standard, or something else)? I've seen the standard EN636-2 thrown around a lot. Ideally the ply should be as cheap as possible, seeing as it won't be visible anyway (will be under the vinyl).
Or can I buy general purpose plywood, and seal it to the same effect?

"Exterior grade" is confusing. The fact is that much of the plywood you encounter already is exterior grade, which (as you've stated) just refers to the adhesive used to bond the plies. It has nothing to do with wood preservation, for example. CDX is the rough grade I'd encounter in the U.S. for this purpose. The 'X' implies exterior adhesive.
Sealing plywood to achieve the same effect probably isn't a good approach. For one thing it'll change how your mortar bonds. For another, it isn't reliable as you'll be puncturing it with a hundred screws.


Best way to splice together 20/22 gauge wiring? We have some holiday lights that had wiring snipped it seems and wondering what others have done to permanently splice 22 gauge wiring (fed from 3.5V plug).

Update:  On one set I have soldered the two segments together via gas stove (yes this worked well and it is one unit unless I break out scissors.  Which I guess I will have to do since you need to put on the crimper or whatever connector.  Guess I can redo once one of these is already on one side since it has power unit on one end and street light on another.

3M Scotchlok's would work for this application.  They too would require a trip to a store, but the nice part is you don't need to strip the wire as they are self-piercing.  They can connect two or three wires, and are filled with a sealant to provide moisture resistance.

They are typically used for Telco wiring, but support wire gauge from 26-19AWG.


Can I apply grout over grout to change the color? We grouted tile on counter tops and glass tile backsplash last night and the grout looks white and it was supposed to be a tan color. Can I grout over it with a darker coloured grout?

The short answer is no, not without removing the grout that has already been applied, and that is a truly miserable exercise.

The link in the comment from Niall is your best bet.  Sealer/stain.


What would cause my shower water to start hot and then, after a minute, settle on warm water? I am a UK homeowner with a residence we describe as "new build" (made in the last 8 years, timber frame etc).

The boiler is on the ground floor in the kitchen.  It is gas heated from the main gas line supplied to the house.  On the first floor I have a shower which is plumbed directly into the bath taps.

The water from the bath tap is exceptionally hot and to run a bath can be scalding and require cold water...but the shower (rainfall showerhead) starts hot but then retreats to being merely warm at it's highest setting.  Warm is the highest temperature it can muster.

What causes this and can it be fixed?

You have a regulator in the faucet or shower head that keeps the water below scalding for safety purposes. You can adjust it by either removing the faucet knob adjusting the safety feature or removing the shower head and adjusting it's safety feature.


Finding "C" wire on old heat pump HVAC unit I am wanting to replace my old round mercury filled Honeywell thermostat with a new wifi smart Honeywell thermostat, the only problems is I don't have a "C" wire on my current thermostat and need help finding my "c" wire. I looked at my wiring diagram and it appears to me that the "c" wire is just not being used. I have attached a picture with blue arrow pointing to what I feel is the "c" wire on the wiring diagram and what i feel is the "c" wire in the actual wiring. I am hoping that someone with more HVAC experience can verify this.

The highlighted wire is NOT the C wire.

If you read Note 3 it says "Transformer factory wired for 240 volts. Use red and blue leads for 208 volt applications".  The only time you'd use that blue wire, is if the system feeding the furnace was a 208 volt electrical system.

If you look at the other side of the transformer in the schematic (labeled 24V), you'll see two yellow wires.  One is R, while the other is C.


Cutting door w/ chipboard center Okay I bought a door from Habitat Restore. The men there told me what I was buying was a solid oak wood door. I wanted solid wood door because house has odd sized door (31 & a quarters inch wide by 72). Figured w/ solid wood door would be no problem cutting it down to size needed. After husband went to cut door to width it was found to have chipboard core. Not sure if door is usable now...it seems it would have been better to get hollow core door from YouTube videos watched as all you have to do is replace wood piece inside. Cant hardly find anything on cutting chipboard core door. Is it salvageable w/ it no longer having solid wood piece on side? Can only return for in store credit & doubt they will take after being cut.

I'd suggest you chuck the door. Chipboard won't hold hinge screws well, nor will it make an attractive surface for the strike side.

If you were desperate to use this door, you could cut a channel in the chipboard edge and insert/glue a 2" piece of solid wood. Getting a really clean surface inside the channel would be hard.

At 31-1/4, you're pretty close to a 32" door, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding something appropriate.

For what it's worth, many in the door industry call this kind of door "solid core". I'd give volunteers at the Restore a little leeway for getting the description wrong.


How to clean insulation foam residue off metal How can I clean insulation foam ("Great Stuff" from Home Depot) off sheet metal ?

Moisture-cured polyurethane foam (e.g. Dow Great Stuff), once cured, is just about impossible to remove by solvents or chemicals. Your only solution is mechanical removal (sanding, cutting, sandblasting, scraping, wire wheel, explosives, etc). Your choice of which depends on the substrate, the environs, and whether you're angling for a Darwin Award.


Neighbor's furnace exhaust My neighbor's house sits 20ft from mine.  Their furnace exhausts out the side of their house about 3 ft above the ground.  The exhaust is blowing onto the side of my house and into the attic vent.  Their furnace is a newly installed unit.  Is this dangerous or can it damage my house?

The water vapor is slightly acidic but not enough to damage plant life in my experience.  At 20’ horizontal and then 7-8’ up the carbon monoxide should be well diluted  but this is probably what you notice,
almost all of the systems I have installed exhaust to the roof the one that was in a wall was at 9’ , but that may be a requirement for my area as it was specified on the prints.

The one thing I would question is if the moisture stream is actually hitting your house?  if it is ask them to install a 45 or 90 to direct the moisture to the ground as horizontal moisture acidic or not could cause issues.


How can I connect a faucet adapter to a non-standard faucet without leaks? I have a brand new countertop dishwasher with a faucet adapter that connects the faucet with a hose going into the dishwasher. Both my faucet and the faucet adapter are double threaded (inside and outside) but the sizes of the threads on my faucet are not compatible.

I have gone to Home Depot and tried various size adapters, which seem to come in the sizes 3/4,55/64, and 15/16 inch (increasing order). My sink is between a 55/64 and a 15/16, and the faucet adapter is 15/16 inch.

So given that a direct fit isn't possible, what is the best way to make the connection? I have tried thread seal tape  but I can't get a fit tight enough. Will super glue help, or is there something better to make the connection? (I'll need to remove the adapter when I move out.)

Take the aerator from your faucet and the adapter from your dishwasher to a plumbing supply store. They will have a bigger selection of sizes. It is possible you have an unusual faucet that HomeDepot doesn't carry. Do not use superglue. If you do anything to alter the fixture you could be responsible for replaceing it when you leave.


What kind of lighting to buy when there is no previous installed to use as a reference? When moving to a new house and there are no lightbulbs/lights etc how do we know what kind of lighting we should buy?
Is this something standard?
And how do we decide on what is the best type in terms of power consumption (i.e. cheaper)?

You should be able to install any off the (local) shelf armature, connect the wires and mount it to the wall/ceiling.

If you want power efficiency then you should prefer LED lighting which are currently some of the more efficient lighting solutions.

One of the factors to take into account is how much light it needs to emit and where it needs to go. A single 100W incandescent bulb in a large hall is not going to cut it.

If you are wondering which bulbs to put into existing armatures then it's very likely a standard connector. For mains that is an edison base or bayonet mount in the UK.


Removing '70's carpeting from outdoor cement stairs I have a mid-century ranch house in the Seattle area (moisty, mossy). A previous owner decided to apply green "outdoor" carpet to the stairs and back step.

I give the carpet credit for lasting maybe 35 years, but it has deteriorated to the point where it is peeling off and a danger to anyone who uses the stairs.

I want to remove the carpet entirely, but it is glued down and is putting up a fight against mere pulling.

Question: Can anyone recommend a way to remove the carpet before someone gets hurt? A bio-friendly solvent to help get rid of the glue? Soaking the carpet in water? Some kind of scraping tool perhaps?

There really is no easy way, this will require mechanical removal. Try starting with a long-handled floor scraper:

Then you will likely need to remove residual adhesive with a razor scraper:

images stolen shamelessly from ubiquitous internet search engine


What could be causing my GFCI outlet to trip? I have a GFCI outlet in my garage that keeps shutting off. I have unplugged all utilities from it and it still trips off. I replaced it with another GFCI outlet. When I hooked up that new outlet it has a green light on it indicating that it is hooked up but the outlet and the circuit it is on no longer has power. I put the old one back on and it worked for a couple of months then as I added Christmas lights to the circuit it started tripping off again. I again took off all the lights and appliances to it and it still trips off.
Any suggestions on how to correct this issue?

GFCI outlets break.  They don't last very long.     I recommend replace it with a regular outlet and put a GFCI breaker in the panel.   They are way more user friendly and cheaper.


What could be causing our shower fixture to not work properly? All of the sudden, we can't turn our Symmons shower fixture to 12 o'clock.  It stops around 10 o'clock in it's off position now.  We've noticed that when we turn the shower on lately it makes a really loud noise in the wall and it almost has a delayed start to the water flow.  What could be going on?

The only things that have happened lately is that we used our gas heat for the first time of the season and we had our boiler cleaned.  Not sure if any of this has anything to do with it.

It sounds like when you serviced your boiler that some how or another some debris got into your water lines. It could actually just be some buildup that was already in the pipes that got broken free when the other work was going on. In any case this particulate has gotten into the inner workings of your shower faucet.

You should be able to shut off the water supply and then disassemble the shower faucet so that you can get it cleaned out inside. There is a possibility that the rubber seals inside the faucet got torn and thus would need replacement as well. It is hard to offer specific advice on how to disassemble the faucet without knowing what make and model that it is. My experience is that most of them become pretty obvious how to take them apart once the knob and face plate are removed.


How do I create a curved surface drain out of concrete? I have a barn and a pump house (10x16) structure that are within 3 feet of each other, built in 1910.  The barn's foundation is field-stone, mostly exposed on the side of the pump-house. There is a basement to the barn.

Between the buildings, there is a concrete surface drain that is cracked.  The cracks run roughly for 4 or 5 feet at the low end of the drain, and all along where the concrete meets the base of the barn foundation wall.

A decent little stream of water comes in the basement where floor (slab) meets wall in a heavy sustained rain.  Exposing the foundation would mean breaking up the 6" concrete for 20' & digging down 2 or 3 feet.

I thought I'd try just getting the water away first by fixing the existing surface drain, but it's really broken up.

So to replace it, how do I get the concrete to be concave in the center as they constructed it?

Concrete is an wonderfully easy product to shape.  For your scenario, all you really need is make a form for the concrete that matches the concavity of your drain, and to set it in place when you place the concrete.

It's not clear when you say curved if the drain itself curves along its length or if by curve you refer to the concave portion of the drain.

If your drain is basically straight with a concave portion, the problem is very easy - PVC drain pipe of the appropriate diameter, plugged tight with rags and capped off with duct tape will do the trick nicely.

If your drain itself curves, you'll have to get more creative in making a form - possibly shaping one from wood.

Regardless of the shape, in this scenario you will want to suspend the form from above, so build a series of wooden supports and put hooks in the top of the form in a clean straight line and tie each hook to a frame so that the form hangs ROUGLY halfway into the trough when the frame is set over it.

You must also make sure that the form is lowest wherever the water is to exit the trough and highest at the trough's ends, so that water will flow properly in the trough.  A 1/8" drop per linear foot of trough should suffice.

What you want is a form that from its end looks like this picture, and which has the slightest tilt to it to make the water run downhill in the trough in the proper places.

(Ground - brown, frame - red, form - grey, black - line suspending form to frame)

Once your form is ready, move it out of the way, mix your concrete and fill the trough up until the concrete is high enough that the form will set down into it some.  Make sure there are no air gaps in the concrete so far.

Put the form in place, carefully making sure it settles into the concrete to the proper depth (ie: the suspending wire is taut).  Now fill the rest of the trough's sides with concrete until its just level with the soil.

Wait until the concrete begins to set.  When you can push on the concrete with your finger and not easily make a dent, remove the form, and use a wet sponge to clean up the edges where you removed it.

Viola - a concrete drain with concave drain channel!


TV mounting with long reach I'm looking to mount my LCD TV (26" Sony Bravia) in an alcove next to a chimney breast. I'd we view the TV from the other side of the chimney breast, so the mounting will need to allow the TV to come out from the wall far enough that we can rotate it 90 degrees such that it's at right angles to the wall of the alcove and viewable at the other end of the room. Plenty of TV mounts appear to offer the articulation to do this, but I'm having difficulty finding a mount that will allow the TV to come out far enough for it to fully rotate the 90 degrees without touching the chimney breast. By my calculations the reach needed is around 59cm. Can anyone recommend a mount with this kind of reach, or, failing that, an alternative mounting approach that might achieve the same effect?

I've had good experience with large articulating mounts from monoprice.com.  And they're pretty inexpensive.


Old house, old windows. Ways to save on gas this winter? We have an old tudor revival house in the Pacific Northwest. Our winters are mildly warm, but long. Our old house had insulation blown into the walls which may have done something... but the windows are still big, single pane leaded things, and there are a lot of them.

For about 5 months over the last winter we were footing $300/month bills to keep the place decently warm. We'd like an option that will be cost effective over another two winters, if not this winter.

Ripping them out and installing new windows all around is too ambitious.
Wrapping them in plastic is not possible because the plaster is sort of set around the sill in a quasi-adobe way/
Is throwing on storm windows a good middle-of-the-road option?

I estimate we can do some if not all of them for less than $2K. Will that reduce drafts and heat loss? Would it pay off in the long run? And lastly, is it worth it to hire a contractor for a second eye and/or to measure out/order/install the storms at the turn of Autumn?

You should have a thermography of your house to address where major leaks are (leaky windows and thermal bridges at least).
Best option, if you don't want to replace all windows, is, at least, to have the ones you already have, at least for north north/east side double-glazed.
Another effective, and not as expensive as double glazing, thing that help is insulating your roof from outside, if attic i living space, or just put some centimetres of insulation on attic's floor. Also you can go haunting for draughts and seal them with silicone.


How can I repair small holes in vinyl siding? Can I caulk small holes in vinyl siding? The holes were made by the installation of an old antennae. If so, what type(s) of caulk would be suitable?

If your vinyl siding has a color to it, there are one part polyurethane caulks available like Sikaflex that can be ordered online that should match your color, at least a close match so it does not stick out too bad. If the siding is white, well, that is available right off the shelf. Clean up is with mineral spirits and it will last a real long time. It does not have to be Sikaflex either, there are other brands of one part urethane caulk out there too.


How can I trim 1/8 off the bottom of an installed cabinet? I tried to replace an over the range microwave today. My kitchen has a cabinet over the microwave and a tile backsplash behind the range. Thus, I have a 16 1/4” vertical space for the new microwave. Unfortunately my new microwave is 16 3/8” tall. The mounting bracket is already installed flush with the top of the tile. The wall is brick, so I really don’t want to have to move the bracket.

Is there a relatively easy way to trim 1/8 inch off of the cabinet? The front face is oak and I’m good with both a plane and a chisel, so that’s easy. It’s the plywood sides and back I’m worried about.

With my interpretation of your circumstances, I feel the tool for this task would be an oscillating multi-tool, found just about everywhere.

The attached blade in the photo may be the one you'd use, although the semi-circular one would give you a smoother entry. They cut relatively slowly allowing for precise control. You'd be able to build a shim under the cabinet to keep the blade in the desired position vertically as you run it over the areas to be cut.

Depending on the clearance you have, you should be able to get all the way to the corners (the blade can be mounted in various angles) or have to take the chisel to break the hold-outs clear.


Load bearing wall or not? I have a 10ft wall that spans only a third of the width of the house but is perpendicular to the 20' long 2x10s below it. One end of the wall could transfer load to the foundational wall but the rest is out over the joists with no columns or supports below. This 20' span has a beam 3' from the foundational wall and spans 15' to the next carry beam. Functionally, this wall could offer support for the floor (2x10 joists as well) of the dormer above but it only spans 2/3 the width of said dormer. It has no wall below nor directly above and the studs do not line up with any of the joists below. There's nothing special about the framing either, no double plates or studs. Any insight?

Yes, the new plan really helps. Let’s call North going up. So, I see the basement bearing walls/beams run East-West and is on the South side of the stairs.

So, 2x10 joists at 16” on center will support say live load (people and furniture) of 40 lbs. per square foot plus a dead load (framing, ducts, etc.) of 10 - 14 lbs. per square foot, depending on the species and grade of lumber. This is perfect for current Code compliance.

However, the joists in the 2nd floor sitting room appears to span much further than that if you remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

The risk to removing this wall is that the floor will sag and crack the ceiling in the kitchen and dining room...or worse, the 2x10’s are spliced over this wall and they will fail.

So, you’ll need to do a little more investigation. On the 2nd floor, what is the distance from the South wall of the stair to the South exterior wall?


How much concrete is required to anchor down a gazebo? My wife and I bought a put-it-together-yourself gazebo from a hardware/outdoor type store (think Home Depot or Big Lots type of place).  It is rectangular gazebo (10'(w) x 12'(l) x 10'(h)) with a cloth roof and sides.  The box of parts says it all weighs about 130 lbs (60 kg).

I'm trying to figure out how to anchor this down.  The instruction manual is one of those look-at-the-picture-and-guess-how-it-goes-together deals.  The only thing it shows is "put stake in ground".  Each corner has a small base plate with holes for 4 stakes.  Each stake is an 6-ish inch long L-shaped stake with "threads" on them (they look like threads on a screw except they are wide, something like 1/8 of an inch or so).

Being an engineer (but not the kind that deals with structures or anything) I'm trying to figure out if staking into the dirt is sufficient or if I need something like concrete to anchor this down.  I'm also trying to not over-engineer this.  My biggest concern it that if I don't anchor this down sufficiently, I'll have a gazebo trying to make a forceful entry into my kitchen one day.

So my question has a couple (related) parts:

Is anchoring into the dirt sufficient?
If not, would concrete be a good way to anchor it?  If so, how much per foot do I need to use?

My initial thought was to put one to two 50 lb bags of concrete mix in a hole at each corner.  I've never done concrete by myself before (aside from digging holes for it with my dad when I was younger) so this is all somewhat new territory for me.

First, I should disclose that I voted to close as opinion-based. The answer depends almost entirely on your tolerance for risk and your effort/cost budget. Anyway, here are my thoughts.

A structure of that lightweight design doesn't call for concrete. It'll be torn apart by high wind before it'll pull out good soil anchors.
The anchors that came with the kit don't sound adequate. I'd purchase some larger screw-type soil anchors that penetrate at least 10 inches and have good bite.
If your organic soil is very deep, consider digging through it and installing the anchors into the subsoil. Use chain or wire rope to extend the loops and connect the gazebo to that.


Disconnecting a gas stove (New Zealand) We are having a new gas stove delivered and I consulted a gas fitter to get the old one disconnected (so the delivery people can take it away) and come fit the new one.
The gas fitter surprised me when he said I could disconnect it myself, as there is a safety valve built in that would cut off the flow automatically (should be multi pronged apparently) - but I would need someone to come connect the new appliance (I've checked the relevant NZ websites and I can confirm that a gas fitter is required to fit a new appliance, but cant find anything on the legalities of disconnecting an existing appliance).
The problem is, I'm not confident in identifying the valve to disconnect now I've pulled the stove out - I think I know which one it is, but I need someone to confirm it please.
This is the connection on the floor to the main gas supply:

That connection looks like it can be twisted and disconnected without issue, so thats my likely candidate.
This is the actual connection at the stove, at the other end of that black pipe:

Nothing there looks easy to disconnect, so I have no likely candidates there.
Am I right in thinking the safety valve is the one in the first picture at the main supply connection?

With a little more research and a better photo of the floor connection, it turns out that the floor connection had the mark “BS669”, which means its a bayoneted valve that auto-seals on disconnection.
Took a deep breath, disconnected it and ... Im still here with no uncontrolled gas release.  Valve did its job.


What is the proper way to bring power to this pump? I purchased this pump to transfer water from a holding tank in a self remodeled travel trailer up to the sink. The pump is an "on demand" style where it will pump pressure in the water line up against a closed faucet. A pressure switch on the pump cuts off the power when the pressure limit is reached. When the faucet is opened the pressure drops and the pump starts up to deliver water flow to the sink.

The motor on the pump operates on 120VAC. As you can see the wires to the pump are discrete wires including the hot wire path through the pressure switch.

My question is about the proper way to wire up and deliver AC power to this type of unit?

The wire on the pump is not rated to be exposed or cord connected.

You will need to mount the pump inside an enclosure such as a Hoffman box or equivalent.

Then you can terminate a raceway or cable to the enclosure and the wiring will be protected inside.

Since RV's are covered by the National Electrical Code, this will satisfy the NEC.

Good luck!


Best way to air seal, vapor seal, and insulate exterior wall in old house? I have a 90-year old house in Seattle.  Exterior walls are constructed as follows: lath and plaster, uninsulated 2x4 stud bays, plank sheathing, cedar clapboard, 1" foil-faced styrofoam, vinyl siding.  The house leaks like a sieve, and costs a mint to heat.  I can't seem to find consensus on how to approach updating and weatherizing a house like this, though.  What's the best way to seal the drafts, add insulation, and manage any moisture moving through the wall?  Ideally, I'd like to keep the existing lath and plaster as most of it is in decent shape.  I would like to ditch the vinyl and re-side with clapboard.

Provided you don't have knob-and-tube wiring, this one is easy. Remove the vinyl siding, cut holes through the EPS foam and the sheathing at the top of each stud bay, and inject dense-packed cellulose into the empty stud bays. Should be pretty cheap and help a ton. I wouldn't use retrofit-style non-expanding foam. It'll be more expensive, highly flammable, and some people have allergic reactions to it once it's installed. Then add as much additional EPS foam over the existing stuff as you want. XPS foam, Polyiso foam, or rigid mineral wool will also do fine. Then install 3/4" thick vertical furring strips (usually 1x3s) over that exterior insulation to form a drainage channel (important since you're in a rainy climate), and then nail your new siding of choice to the furring strips.

If you do have knob-and-tube wiring, you need to keep the stud bays empty until you have it entirely replaced with modern cable.


Why would my kitchen ceiling fixture not have any current? Last weekend, my kitchen ceiling fixture stopped working. It's a fluorescent fixture, and since the house is about 20 years old, I figured that ballast had gone bad. I went to the nearest home improvement store, grabbed a new one, and installed it.

No light.

As I mentioned, the house is 20 years old, and I've had to replace the occasional light switch and receptacle, so I thought that perhaps one of the two switches that control the light had gone bad. So I replaced them.

Still no light.

I next remembered that sometimes my GFCI would trip and cause issues on non-GFCI circuits. I made sure the GFCI outlets were working, reset it just in case.

Still no lights.

I've now pulled the new fixture out, and using a multitester, see I have essentially no current.

What could the problem be?

I didn't have enough time yesterday to type up a proper answer, but I wanted you to have at least some information. For completeness, first my initial response.

Either the breaker has failed or there's a bad connection somewhere along the line. Check for voltage at the breaker and in each box along the line, the last box with voltage has a bad connection, probably one those push in connectors.

Based on your response, it sounds like the problem could be in one of the porch light connections where the power should continue on to the kitchen lighting. Which leads into your point to point question.

The wiring does loop back to the breaker, but not in the way you think, unless you have war time British ring wiring. Other than ring wiring, all conventional wiring is either linear or tree organized with pairs of wires (plus ground hopefully) making each run between boxes. Current runs up one wire, usually black in the US and brown elsewhere, and back along the neutral, usually white in US and blue elsewhere. In other words, the out and back is achieved in the same cable with a wire pair, not by separate cables. Assuming conventional non-metallic (romex) cabling.

Actually, alternating current doesn't go anywhere, it vibrates back and forth, but the direct current model serves conceptually to ensure power and neutral connections are properly maintained. Since circuit layouts can be almost anything, without a wiring diagram, only methodical checking of various wires in each box will reveal the actual layout. It's usually a safe assumption that the layout is roughly efficient in wire use, you're unlikely to see runs double back on itself without good reason.

Since the porch lights work on the same breaker and are fine, yes the breaker itself can be eliminated as a problem. It is possible the power connection that has failed is located in the breaker panel though, as two separate lines out of the same breaker could be possible, though somewhat unusual.

With that background, you should try to locate where the power runs from the porch lights to the kitchen lights. It may be from the switch or the light, or it may be a branch farther back towards the breaker. There may also be another box for something else between the porch and kitchen lights. You will need to guess at the probable layout to have any hope of locating the bad connection without testing the entire circuit. Wires typically run from closest box to closest box. Don't forget switches in two different rooms can be only inches apart for wiring, the boxes only happen to open into different rooms.

Also verify the power comes from elsewhere to the switch and not to the light. If there are only two wires, one cable at the switch, the power is coming through the light first, where you will find at least two cables and four wires. Unfortunately, there are also layouts involving three wire (plus ground) cables where where the power comes from is ambiguous.

A lot of talk for all you really are trying to do is find the other end of the wire which should have voltage but doesn't. Unfortunately, finding it is either a lucky guess or being thorough and methodical. I wish I could help more, but I can't be there to help you, but I am here fairly regularly if not frequently if you have any more questions. Good luck.


Best way to protect a new fence from weather before it can be stained I just installed a new fence and now it's supposed to rain every day for 10 straight days.  Woohoo!!

The stain guys can't come out for 5 weeks.  And the fence is not supposed to be stained for at least 2 weeks.  Right now my poor expensive new fence is soaking up rain water.  I'm worried these downpours are going to destroy my new fence.

Is there anything I can do to protect my fence from getting destroyed in the meantime?

Fence Notes:

8ft cedar, board on board
Has a top cap, double trim, and washer head screws
126 linear feet of unstained fence.

Cedar does not need to be stained, if you don't mind it weathering to gray; that's part of the point of using cedar.

Or you can stain it after it has dried out a bit.

No rush.


Can microwave with convection replace an actual oven? Maybe this belongs on seasoned advice....

I live in a townhouse with a small kitchen and I am wondering if something like this KitchenAid item implies that it can be used as a microwave and as a conventional oven where you would bake things.

I understand the space inside it is limited but as my kitchen is very small if it can serve both roles, that would be a life saver.

Yes, this could replace an actual oven, because it is an actual oven.

According to the specs on the website you linked to, the convection element is completely separate from the microwave element. There is a "microwave mode" and an "oven mode."

The only negative I see is that the heating element is 1600 watts. That's not a lot for that size oven. Toaster ovens typically run 1000W-1500W, and full size ovens run as much as 2400W. That being said, it just means it might take a little longer to warm up. It's not that big of a deal. And with the convection happening, heat will fill the cavity just fine. It just might take a little longer.


How can I figure out where power is coming from in 4-way switch wiring? My 4-way switches work correctly.  I would like help figuring out where the power is coming in from and where the light fixture is (at the end, after a certain switch, etc.)  I'm also trying to understand what is happening in this electrical box where "switch B" is housed--there are 4 cables entering the box.  The green line represents the white wire.

Cable 3 goes to switch A.
Cable 4 goes to switch C.
Cable 1 goes to the lamp.
Hot is being supplied to the entire works by the one of the black wires at switch C.
Neutral is supplied by cable #2.

Supplying hot and neutral in separate locations like that is bizarre and not code legal.


What type Mortor should I use? I am building a fire pit in my backyard. I have poured a 6 inch thick concrete foundation and want to install concrete pavers on top of the concrete base. I have been unable to find any recommendations for the best type mortar to use. What type mortar should be used for laying concrete pavers on a new concrete patio?

No Mortar for the pavers, you'd lay the pavers on a 1/2" to 1" bed of sand & sweep either that same sand or the below special Perma-Sand into the paver joints. This, allows for the constant movement & drainage. Mortared or not you'll need a perimeter retainer of, at least, 1/2" tall.

If you insist on Mortaring the pavers, & having cracks, then use a Type-S Mortar, this would also be used for the Fire Pit's red or decorative brick. The Fire Pit needs a Fire Brick interior Mortared with High Heat Cement.


Wire brackets blocking circuit brakers from tripping I set my oven to self clean. When it was complete it would not light up. I checked the breaker and found a wire bracket blocking the trip. This type of bracket was also on my other bigger appliance breakers....except my AC. . I am wondering if the bracket should have been removed when the breaker panel was operational. The panel was installed 18 months ago.

The bracket is show in the photo. It does not link the switches it acts as a block.

As Tyson pointed out modern breakers are "Trip Free" meaning they can trip even if their handles are locked on.

The "wire bracket" you refer to is a breaker handle lock that is used just to keep people from inadvertently turning a breaker on or off that you want to stay off or on.

I put one on my sump pump circuit. There should also be one on your smoke detector circuit.


How can I be sure a wire is truly neutral? Most sites I find tell me how to distinguish the neutral wire from the live wire. Basically, you find the one that has current and the other one is neutral. That's all fine and dandy when you only have 2 wires. What if there are three or more? Sure it's usually the white one, but when 3-way and 4-way switches are concerned or if you just don't trust the previous electrician, how can I be sure that a particular wire is truly neutral and not just a traveller, for example.

For example in the following image, the neutral wire ends at the light fixture and for the sake of newer Z-Wave switches neither of those switch boxes has a neutral wire. So if I open a box and see a bunch of wires apart from identifying which one is live, how can I verify without a shadow of a doubt which of the others is truly neutral if there even is one?

Please don't assume this is the wiring I have. This is only an example to help clarify what I am asking.

Furthermore, if any particular wire is indistinguishable from neutral, then why does it matter which one I connect to the Z-wave neutral terminal. I know it does matter.

In each case you have to stop and figure out the topology of the wiring you are working on.  I totally get that you're just trying to install smart switches and then get on with your day. But you can't just wing it because you're in a hurry.

In fact, you should figure out the topology of your wiring and develop a plan for wiring the smart switches before you buy the smart switches, and the topology should be pretty much determining your choice of smart switch product.

Take this example.

You open up both 3-way switches and see, voila, that they only have one cable are therefore both switch loops.  Power does not enter either switch box.
You open up the lamp - aha! Power enters here.
You use a voltage tester to see that the black wire on the right switch is always-hot in all switch positions.  Therefore it is the always-hot and so  you know which cable it is up in the light box.
You can see the wires attached to the brass screws are messengers, white and red.  You tag both of them with yellow tape on both ends, both in the switch box and up on the light box.  (which is why step 3 was important).
On the left switch, you can see which two wires on the brass screws, those are messengers, again you mark those with yellow tape on both ends.
You deduce the left switch is switched-hot, so you mark that orange.

Now you have accounted for all the wires, and you have an understanding of that circuit.  Now you know neutral is not present in either switch box, and always-hot is present only in the right box.

This forces you to a new approach.   You redesignate ALL black wires to be always-hot (line), ALL white wires to be real neutral, the right-side red wire to be switched-hot (load), and the left side red wire gets capped off and disused.  This, then, dictates which smart switches to buy: it calls for a 3-way master that takes line, neutral and load; and a 3-way remote that communicates wirelessly to the master. Such as Insteon.

As you get more experience, this becomes easier and faster, but the first couple times you just have to grind it out.


Joining MDF shelf to extend length of spare pieces I have some spare MDF Bullnose Shelving that are 39" combined. I need to build a 32" shelf in a closet space. I will use MDF cleats to support the shelf. Is it possible to combine these for building the closet shelf?
I don't have a biscuit tool. I have a handheld router (if that helps). I think I could use a support bracket in the middle (made with MDF), but I do not like this option because it would consume space that could be used for storage.
Please advise!

You'd need to add substantial rigidity and strength via dowels or other means of connection. It's not a material that tolerates bending stress well. The effort to do it properly probably isn't worth the cost of a new 6' or 8' shelf board.
If you were to precisely drill for say six 1/4" x 4" hardwood dowels and liberally apply wood glue to everything it would probably hold fairly well.
Otherwise you need to support it either with a bracket at the joint or lengthwise rails of some sort.


What's the best practice for non-90 degree corners on drywall / plasterboard? I am putting up some drywall in my basement which has been tanked out. I'm using metal C-Stud to keep the plasterboard away from the walls.

Am just about to board round the bay window and wanted some advice on how to manage the angles to make sure I get a nice sharp finish.

External 90 degree corners are fine, as I can just put corner skim beads on. However, how do I do the following (see diagram):

A. Internal 90 degree corners  I have seen various methods - mainly in the US using paper tape. Is this standard practice in the UK? I'm using scrim tape for the butt joints. Would I use this for an internal corner too? Have heard it can be a pain to put up in corners.

B. Internal non-90 degree corners I presume whatever I do for A will work for B too? Also, should I bevel / chamfer the edge of the board to get a tight joint at B?

C. External non-90 degree corners What should I do at C. to get a neat edge? Edge beads on the topmost sheet of drywall?

Use scrim tape on both 90 degree and non-90 degree internal corners. I've never had a problem with it in internal corners, though I don't do much plastering.

You can use skim beads on non-90 degree external corners; it might help to squash them out to open further and better fit the profile of the corner.

Don't forget to scrim tape the straight board joints too in order to help prevent cracking in the future.