Is it normal for a freestanding pergola to wobble a little bit? We built our first pergola (20'x 18' x 10' tall). We used cedar with 6 - 6x6 posts with 30-inch concrete footings attached with 1/2" J bolts to OWT/OZCO post bases. We have double 2x8 beams that span ~10ft with 2x6 rafters that span ~18ft and are connected with Simpson Hurricane Ties. Post to beam connections were made with 8-inch OWT timer bolts. I also put ~2ft braces up everywhere that I could. There were some issues with the patio not being level so I used some wood and stainless steel shims to ensure that the posts make good contact with the post bases and reduce any extra play.

On paper, I felt like everything seemed okay, and in a static situation or with light force the structure seems to be stable. The issue I noticed is that if I give it a hard push or if I try to rock it back and forth in the direction parallel with the rafters, the structure still wobbles a bit. It is pretty solid when you try to move it in the direction of the beams (this is the direction with 3 posts instead of 2) so I am not really worried about that.

We really like how it turned out but wanted to get other opinions on whether or not this would be considered safe. I don't want anyone to get hurt for the sake of my pride if we were to leave it alone.

Are there any suggestions on how to make it more sturdy? Would larger braces on the side with only 2 posts help? I also saw Simpson has some knee brace stabilizers and was thinking maybe those would work better than just the timber screws I used for the braces?

Edit: Adding photos of diagonal brace connections

Video of wobbling when forcefully shaking one of the posts: https://drive.google.com/open?id=15B0GaEV4My2gBfh_8d0WrulkR2FXMe2_

I think you've got several issues:

I don't think that the single screw holding each end of the bracing in place is sufficient.

You might consider adding a 2nd screw at each end of each diagonal brace.
I would put the 2nd screw at a different angle than the original (i.e. if the original lower screw is horizontal, add a 2nd screw at a 45° angle up).
This may help provide some additional stiffness. You may want to try one pair to see if that helps before doing all of them. (Or wait for someone to give a more authoritative answer instead of a guess/suggestion.)

Those hurricane clips look nice, but they provide minimal stiffness along the rafter direction.

A rafter tie like this would probably work better.
Image courtesy of Lowes.com. No endorsement implied or expressed
Yes, this one is ugly, but they make nice ones for visible work.
Adding a 2nd hurricane clip between the rafter and other joist may help improve the stiffness.

Unfortunately, I think the biggest issue is actually the most difficult to solve. I don't think that surface mounting the posts with those connectors is sufficient.

I took a look at the web-site for the brand you mentioned and they seem reasonably beefy, but they seem to be targeted more at railing posts than pergolas.
I mounted 2 short posts to my concrete steps with similar (though admittedly not as beefy) surface mounts and the posts wobbled horribly. I ended up removing them and half-lapping the post off the edge of the step and bolting it horizontally. Now it's rock solid.
I'd think you would have been better served by burying 1/3 of the post in concrete rather than trying to mount them on top. Unfortunately, this is a major rebuild at this point - hopefully someone will have a simpler solution.

Finally, it does appear from the video that there is a fair bit of wobble. How hard do you have to work to produce that wobble? Is it obviously evident from just casually leaning against a post, or do you have to put both hands on it and give it the ol' college try?

If you have to work hard to get that wiggle going, it may be sufficient to just leave it as is. If it wobbles like that from a stiff breeze blowing, then you'll probably want to do some strengthening.


How can I remove a burn mark on finished wood without replacing the piece entirely? Our new home has a wooden bathroom vanity with an obvious blackened burn mark on it below the mirror, perhaps from a candle burning too close for too long. What are some ways I can remove the mark? I though about sanding it down but it may look bad, any other options?

The vanity is wood lined with a tri-mirror set up in the center, the burn mark is along the bottom edge.

Go to a hardware store and get some good wood putty, filler or epoxy that can be molded and sanded.  Now sand out the burnt part of the molding.  Apply the putty in where you have sanded and have it roughly conform to the shape of your wood work.  Then let it dry to the time as shown on the manufacturer directions.  Now sand to match the rest of the molding.  Stain or paint to match.  Probably the hardest part is to match the stain, if it is stained.


replace load bearing post with steel column So I have a joist that stops short of a stairwell and doesn’t connect to the foundation and I’m going to move the supporting beam back 2 feet (it’s about an 8 ft run between the header and other supporting beams).  I’ve talked to a number of guys and they said the moving that 2 feet back won’t be dangerous.

So I’m installing an adjustable steel column to the 2x8 wooden joist and the fastening the post to the concrete.  1) can I use Tapcon Masonry Screws or do I need Tapcon Concrete screws?  2) what would be a sufficient length and diameter of screw 3)  Because this post is adjustable and I’m not pouring concrete over the top of it, do I need to do anything to “lock” it into place for code.

Here is a link to the column I’m purchasing:  https://www.menards.com/main/p-1444423416220-c-5725.htm?tid=3647805878147678020

Or would I be better off using a treated 4x4?  If that's the case, how can I fasten the 4x4 to the 2x8 joist?

The strongest possible thing to do would be dig down about 36 inches dump concrete in and put a footing in and a column before you put that beam in that'll suffice as a footing for the foundation to hold the floor. If you just throw a beam in you are supporting the entire floor with a beans sitting on 2 to 3 inches of concrete that's not quite strong enough


Standard 15A circuit breaker trips randomly under no load A few months ago I came home and turned on a light switch with no result.  Checked the breaker panel and found the a lighting circuit breaker tripped.  It reset with no issue.

A few days/weeks go by and the same thing happens again.  This time the breaker can't be reset.  Waiting a few hours or until next morning allows the breaker to be reset.  At the present time the breaker was able to be reset but after turning on lights on the circuit it popped again (can't definitively tie it to a particular light or switch).  I'm leaving it off.

Each time this has tripped no lights have been turned on and nothing has been plugged into the lone receptacle on the circuit.

I tightened the screws on the breaker at the panel, no joy.  I swapped the wire to a different 15A breaker and that tripped also, so I think the breaker is ok.

I checked the wiring and the connections at the only receptacle and that seem good.

I can check all the switches and see if the connections are tight and look for shorts there.

Items on the circuit: Fluorescent ceiling and closet lights, one receptacle, one exterior flood light with a motion detector.

Question: Does having a light switch off isolate the associated light fixture from the circuit for trouble shooting purposes or do I physically have to disconnect the wires at the light fixture to see if that fixture is causing a short?

Even though you call them CBs, I'm trusting that you know the difference between a plain breaker and a GFCI/AFCI.  If your breaker has a TEST button, this advice is no good.

The usual reason for this, particularly in a lighting circuit, is a ground hitting a hot wire/screw, typically on a switch - switches can shift when you operate them.  It's either hitting the bare ground wire in the box, or it's hitting the side of a metal box. *

So if you remember a flash or sudden failure when you operated a switch, that's the first place to look.

One thing we often see is people using backstab connections. Those are a lazy shortcut used by builders in a hurry, but they provide generally poor connections.  Those cause opens not shorts, so they aren't directly responsible for this. But it using backstabs means they didn't use the screws, and often the screws are left in the full, all-the-way-out** position.  These are much more likely to snag a ground wire or hit the side of the box.

Once the screws are down (preferably with the wires under them and tightened to torque), you can avert further trouble by wrapping electrical tape around the perimeter of the switch (or receptacle) so the screws are covered up.  I do that to make them safer to handle.

Another way hot wires trip is when they are wearing their "Daisy Dukes", that is, when the wire is stripped too much for the backstab, and leaving exposed conductor for a ground wire to find. That is bad workmanship, but then, so are backstabs generally :)

* Metal boxes are very much your friend.  They provide a better safety shield for the wiring, they conduct heat away from hotspots so they stay too cool to start a fire, and (annoying though this may be right now) they assure trips in cases like this instead of leaving a problem to smolder. We've had people tear them out and go plastic in cases like this, but that's just hiding the symptom.

** screws have a detent/stop to keep them captive.  It damages the threads to unscrew them any further.  For screw-to-clamp types, it will make the anvil fall off, and the receptacle is scrap at that point!


generator quits running I have a Coleman 6250 generator that has set idle for over 3 years.  It has compression.  I can start it with a little carb cleaner and keep it running with that, but as soon as I stop squirting it into the carb the engine dies.  I have pulled the carb and cleaned it.  The kill switch is working properly.  I drained the gas and put in new.  I cleaned the gas filter.
I'm not sure what else to do.  Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Steve

Seeing that it runs from spraying starting fluid directly into the carburetor this means that the ignition system is producing a spark and the compression system is moving the piston. Process of elimination shows that no fuel is reaching the carburetor (when you stop spraying fluid into carb the engine stops running. I would check the carburetor again. You didn't say if there was gas in the tank for three years, but fuel gets stale after a month. If left in the engine the fuel starts crystallizing and becomes less viscous (less fluid-like). The small orifices that the gas is moved through become blocked. Before a carb rebuild check on line to price a new one. Depending on the type and seller it may be easier and less expensive to buy a new one. To repair a clogged or dirty carburetor you will need to: purchase an appropriate rebuild kit,  remove it, disassemble it (separate plastic parts) and let the parts soak in a cleaning solution. Than its best to use compressed air to force air into any port and opening you see. Reassemble using the new parts from the rebuild kit.


How do I make the slab stable? The tiles/slabs I have outside my house are loose. So when I walk over them and step on the sides, the opposite side lifts up and its very awkward and dangerous. I would like to fix it properly on the ground. Please could any one tell whats the standard practice of fixing this type of issue. I have attached an image to show what i mean

The first thing that comes to mind is to:

Pick up all of the tiles
Excavate a few inches under where they were
Put some small gravel down and compact
Put some paver sand down and compact
Reinstall the tiles

Another way to go would be to lay a bed of mortar down over some gravel.  That would lock them in really nicely as well.


Help me to find C wire GV1 - ZONE 1 VALVE
GV2 - ZONE 2 VALVE
Y1 - YELLOW WIRE 1
Y2 - YELLOW WIRE 2
R1 - RED WIRE 1
R2- RED WIRE 2

TT1 - ZONE 1 THERMOSTAT
TT2 - ZONE 2 THERMOSTAT
R RED WIRE
W WHITE WIRE
B BLUE WIRE

BOILER TX TRANSFORMER
R RED WIRE
B BLUE WIRE
G GREEN WIRE
W WHITE WIRE

We recently replaced old water boiler heater with new one(williamson) and I took the opportunity to fish new thermostat cable as well(replaced 2 conductor with 5). But my plumber is saying, I still can't use new Wi-Fi thermostat with it and it won't be efficient. I assuming that we wish to finish this job and move on to next one. So can someone please help me to find C wire for Honeywell thermostat. I have attached the current wiring picture with post. If you need any additional details please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Here are few more pictures.

In picture you can see green and blue coming to gas control. Yellow is not used and looped back, while white and red is going to outside transformer which is in other side connected to emergency switch.

Can't upload anymore pics to the post. :(

Wiring harness from right side
TSTAT
DAMPER

Update#3
Boiler make and model
http://www.williamson-thermoflo.com/sites/default/files/field-file/gwa_manual.pdf
 model GWA 175
Valve - Honeywell make

You might be in luck, but it depends on how the Honeywell thermostat works.  I know Ecobee3 lets you power the thermostat using the Rc and C terminals, but I'm not sure if Honeywell does the same. However, this solution might still work, even if the Honeywell is not the same as an EcoBee3.

If you look at the documentation for the boiler, you'll see this.

Which shows that the boiler exposes additional wiring, that's intended specifically for powering a thermostat.

You can see these two wires in the photo of your boiler.

If the Honeywell can be powered using Rc and C, then here's what you'll have to do.

Install an 18 AWG (at least) 2-wire (at least) cable between the boiler and the thermostat(s).
Connect one of the wires to the wire labeled R in the boiler (as highlighted above).
Connect the other wire to the wire labeled C in the boiler (as highlighted above).
At the thermostat, remove the jumper between R and Rc.
Connect the wire that is connected to the R wire in the boiler, to the Rc terminal on the thermostat base.
Connect the wire that is connected to the C wire in the boiler, to the C terminal on the thermostat base.
Connect the other thermostat wires as they were on the old thermostat.

If the Honeywell thermostat cannot be powered using Rc and C, then you may still be able to get it working.  Follow the same procedure as above, but do not connect the wire between the R wire in the boiler and the Rc terminal at the thermostat. Also, leave the jumper in place between R and Rc.  This may or may not work, depending on how the system is currently wired.


Can the knock test tell you whether a stud is wood or metal? I'm thinking about wall mounting a television, so I've used a stud finder to locate several studs in my wall. Out of curiosity, I knocked on the wall in several places to see if I could hear the difference between hollow and studded areas. To my surprise, when knocking directly over the studs, there seems to be a metallic ringing sound.

Is it actually possible to hear this with a steel stud, or am I deluding myself? The wall in question is plaster, if it matters.

I suppose it's possible although I've never noticed it myself. Although now that I think about it, every time I've worked with steel its been in an industrial setting (hospitals, etc.) which means it was covered with sound mat.

If you want to know for sure, take rare a earth magnet and run it across the area. If it doesn't stick, well non evidence is not evidence as they say. But if it does, you know it's not wood:) Go horizontal till you get a hit (if you get one) then go up and down a bit to make sure you're not just hitting a screw.


I can’t stop a tail pipe leak after installing in bathroom sink I installed a new faucet and tail pipe in a bathroom sink. It leaks where the tail pipe collar connects under the sink. I have done this type of bathroom faucet replacement probably 6 or 7 times over the years, so I know you can under tighten and over tighten the collar under the sink - the rubber gasket can get out of wack if you tighten the collar too much. But even knowimg that I can not get it to stop leaking right there. I have dismantled all of it a couple times, reapplied a rope of plumbers putty each time up top, made sure the new rubber gasket is inserted properly, tightened it down, and it still leaks.
I have no other ideas and it is getting frustrating. Yes I could call a professional out but I feel like I am so close. Plus I have to do the other sink’s faucet next (it’s a double sink countertop). Any ideas?

From the photo it looks like the tailpipe is misaligned with the hole in the sink (collar offset to the right so that it overhangs the sealing surface of the sink on the right and barely covers it on the left). This is quite a common issue and if the offset is bad enough, the gasket won't even have anything to seal against on the left side and instead the collar will just force that part of the gasket into the hole.
This issue can also be made much worse if the gasket is a bit too small for the collar and the hole. I'm used to the outer diameter of the gasket being at least about the same as the outer diameter of the collar.
Try realigning it to see if you can improve the situation. If the only way to get the collar and the hole aligned is to tilt the tailpipe, it's likely you'll get another leak due to the two sealing surfaces not being parallel (so that when the collar is tightened just enough for one side, the other side still has a big gaping hole). If that happens, just use a thick-ish gasket of the "spongy rubber" variety, which tends to compensate for these issues much better than solid rubber gaskets.
A good way to look for leaks is to tighten the collar just lightly (so that it doesn't fall off and the gasket is held in place), get a strong light source (a powerful flashlight or something) and shine it down the sink. If you see any light shining through anywhere near the gasket, that's where a leak will likely occur once you tighten properly.


Is it the control board or is it the induction fan? I've got an older Goodman (GME80905CXAB) that doesn't seem to heat. Blower motor turns on just fine for cool but not at all when there's a call for heat. I can confirm ~120 volts are going into the board from the transformer but I'm getting nothing for voltage from the board to the induction fan. Getting ~27 volts from the thermostat.
Seems like an issue with continuity but I'm not an electrician!
Is this likely to be an issue with the board?

It's likely the control board
Since the inducer motor's winding is still intact (as we know from it reading a low resistance), and no voltage makes it there, we can be pretty sure that your control board's failed; either it's not sequencing the inducer motor, or the relay that the board uses to the turn the inducer on and off has failed.  Either way, generic replacement control boards are available for most reasonably modern furnaces these days, so a decent HVAC tech should be able to get the furnace up and running in no time.


How should I connect two beams to a post at a corner? I'm constructing a 15'x20' screened porch. I've completed work up to the footings, posts, ledger, and joists. I'm now ready to install 4x4 posts around the perimeter which will hold 2x4 bottom plate, two 2x8 to form the header beam, and a 2x4 top plate.

My question is two-fold. First, what is the best height of the posts for an open feel? I'm guessing 8' posts should work for a screened porch but I'm not sure if this is the industry standard or not.

Second, I'm not sure how to install the bottom plate and 2x8 header beam in the corner of the porch. When installing the main support posts and beams I was working with 6x6 posts and was able to notch them and place the beams in the notches. However, with the 4x4 posts for the roof I'm not going to have the adequate spacing for notching.

I have seen some examples where the corners will have two posts butted together so is can fully support the header beam coming from each direction. Not sure this is best or not.

I've searched all over for a diagram example but haven't been able to find one. Any help you can provide is appreciated.

UPDATE

This question is for rough framing that will be covered with finishing materials. I'm using Simpson strong ties for the post base and non-corner post tops. This framing is to support a gabled roof with a 4/12 pitch.

Beams typically rest on their posts or trimmer studs. This case is no different, really, and there's no rule that says you have to have a chunk of post running up the height of the beams. I'd miter the beams at a 45 degree angle so that each rests on half the post. Screw them together well and toenail them into the post. It'll look something like this:

8 feet is a typical room height (92-5/8" precut studs with 3 two-by plates), and that's what's normally used for porches as well. Your situation may call for something else, though. It depends on may things.


How to fix deadbolt lever that doesn't lock or unlock the deadbolt I have a Bold deadlock on the front door of my apartment (I'm not sure exactly which model it is but it looks basically like this: http://boldlocksupply.com/premium-cylinder-deadbolt-d-8-gold/). A few days ago, all of a sudden the lever for the deadbolt stopped locking or unlocking the deadbolt- the lever turns (seemingly without any resistance) but doesn't actually move the bolt. I have tried tightening and loosening all the screws on the deadbolt but they don't seem to have an effect. The key still moves the deadbolt just fine (but if someone locked the deadbolt from the outside I would be trapped inside) as the lever on the inside is not working.
What is actually happening inside the lock to cause this? Is this something I can fix myself?

There's a rod (usually flat steel) that connects the throw lever to the bolt. It's probably broken. (Or maybe, less likely, the connection between the lever and the rod has stripped.)
So, yes, you can take the lock apart and see. You can probably reassemble the lock (and lock your door) without the rod while you take the part to a lock specialist.


How do I properly align an outdoor light fixture? I was trying to install an outdoor light this afternoon. Unfortunately the outlet box is interfering with the mounting bracket. I looked around at a few different lights and it looks like I would have the same issue with them as well.

The mounting holes in the outlet box are horizontal. It appears the installation instructions are expecting these mounting holes to be at an angle. The screws that mount to the light fixture are too long and are hitting the outlet box. Does the outlet box need to be rotated, or am I missing something obvious?

Here are the light fixture installation instructions.

The mounting bracket is designed so that you can rotate the fixture, no matter how the outlet box is mounted.

The mounting bracket screws hold the lower portion of the bracket securely in place. Before securing the lower portion, be sure to insert the longer fixture screws. They need to face outward so that you can secure the hex nuts to them. If you thread the hex nuts down onto the fixture screws, the screws won't fall off while you are securing the lock nuts. See Figure 2...


Non-destructive test to determine 110V electrical in backyard pipes? I have 3 plastic pipes in my backyard and one (two?) of them have 110V lines in them. All wires - hot, neutral and potentially ground are inside the pipe so I can't just use a clamp meter / current transformer. Image below, you can see two white PVC pipes and one grey PVC pipe.

Without destroying the outer PVC pipes, how can I determine which plastic pipes are carrying the real 110V circuits and which ones are just empty? I can turn on the hot tub at the end of the circuit to start/stop electricity. I also have basic tools like voltmeters and a clamp meter.

Use the electric field, imbalanced, into your multimeter. Make a metal pickup, wrap halfway around (so you are likely to have imbalanced Efields, even if +-120 is inside.

Signal strength? Assume 1cm distance between wire and external metal pickup. Assume pickup is 4cm (wrapped halfway around) and 10cm long. Assume air is your dielectric. We'll use the parallel-plate model of capacitance.

C = Eo * Er * Area/Distance

C = 9e-12 * 1(air) * 4cm * 10cm/1cm

C = 9e-12Farad/meter * 40 cm * (1meter/100cm)

C = 9e-12 * 40/100 = 9e-12 * 0.4 ~~ 4pF

We know Q = C * V, and differentiated with constant C, we get I = C * dV/dT

dV/dt = 377 radian/second[60Hz] * 120VACrms * 1.414 ~~~ 60,000 volts/second

I = C * dV/dT = 4e-12 * 60,000 = 240 e-12+3 = 240 e-9 = 0.24 uA.

Across a 10Meg Ohm DVM Rin, that 0.24uA produces 2.4 volts AC.

So, summary use a 4cm by 10cm piece of metal, to which you get a clean metal-contact (copper foil is good, whereas aluminum foil instantly oxides) with one wire of you meter.

Now, you need "ground" of the other meter lead.


What is a UFCL brand circuit? I'm shopping for a combination vent fan/light for a bathroom, and some of the ones I've found state this:

  UL Listed for use over bathtubs and
  showers when connected to a GFCI
  protected branch circuit. 7 1/8" high
  housing, 4" round duct connector. Not
  for use over cooking surfaces. U.L.
  rated. If placed over bath or showers
  must be installed on a UFCL brand
  circuit.

What exactly is a "UFCL brand circuit"? I'm quite familiar with a GFCI protected circuit - is that just another term for the same thing?

My guess is that it stands for Uniform Fire Code Listed and means that all components in the circuit have been tested to conform to the Uniform Fire Code, i.e. NFPA 1.  (I'm extrapolating from a UL or cULus listing meaning that a product has been tested to the appropriate UL standard.)  Since the National Electrical Code is part of the NFPA standards, that would imply that the circuit must meet requirements for a bathroom circuit, i.e. GFCI protection.

They would be called out separately in their literature because UL and the NFPA are separate, independent, organizations.


Does it violate NEC to run an AC adapter's low-voltage output cable through a wall? I want to mount an IP camera in a room. The power outlet and Ethernet ports are near the floor and I want to mount the camera near the ceiling. I was thinking of cutting through the wall at the top and bottom and adding a recessed low voltage cable plate. I read that it is against code to run high voltage power wires through the wall, but the power wire I'm planning to run is an AC adapter on one end, lowering the actual wire voltage to a handful of volts. Is that allowed?

There's a better solution to this problem

Most low-voltage wall adapter outputs for low-powered ITE such as an IP camera qualify as Class II power circuits under the NEC, which means that Article 725 applies to the situation you propose.  However, the wire used for wall adapter output cables is not legal to stuff into the wall in the way you are proposing, as it's not a listed UL/NEC type CL2 or CL3 cable as required by NEC 725.135(A) and (M) (instead, it's some AWM type, at least on the adapter I had laying around handy).

So, you have two options at this point:

Run a CL2 cable through the wall

The perhaps-simplest way to do this would be to run a listed CL2 or CM cable through the wall -- two-conductor thermostat or in-wall speaker wire works, although you'll need to get jacketed cable instead of the normal unjacketed-pair stuff in order to comply fully with 725.139(E).  At each end point, you'd terminate it to a dual binding post or dual banana jack wallplate (you can get modular wallplates that can be set up this way -- look at the Leviton QuickPort line for one of many example).  You'd then chop the AC adapter's output cable in two, fit banana plugs to the chopped/stripped ends, and plug them in in the appropriate places, minding polarity of course.

Just make sure that the low voltage plate is on a separate bracket or box from the 120VAC, or that a listed divider separates the 120VAC gang from the low voltage gang.

Do it the old fashioned way

The "old fashioned way" is to use a proper Chapter 3 wiring method such as NM (Romex) cable (note, NOT flexible cord, or else it's as many lashes from an extension cord as it takes to acknowledge that NEC 400.8 is true, wise, and holy!) to run 120V power from a nearby circuit to a new receptacle located near the camera's home, which then can have the AC adapter run to it.

You'll of course want to turn off and figure out the circuit you plan to use for this, and use proper splicing and cable securement techniques.  Also, the power cable can't share a junction box with the Ethernet cable unless you shove a listed divider between two separate gangs, one for the Ethernet side and the other for the 120VAC side.


Dryer connection changes from 10-3 with ground to 10-3 without ground The previous homeowner did some electrical work to upgrade the dryer outlet to a 4-prong receptacle along with new 10-3 wiring. It was all brand new and looked copacetic.

I'm thinking of moving the dryer receptacle, so I traced the wire from the outlet back to the panel. I noticed a J-box along the way where the new cable converts from a 10-3, with ground, to a 10-3, without ground (Without ground must have been the original house wiring). The ground of the new cable was tied to the grounding post of the metal J-box, but nothing was grounding the box. The two hots and neutral are just tied and capped, but nothing is tied to the ground wire going to the dryer.

Essentially it is completely ignoring the ground. Should I bond the neutrals to the grounding wire? Should I continue to ignore the ground?

I know what you are all going to say... I should run a brand new 10-3 all the way back to the panel... but that stuff is EXPENSIVE.

What a fiasco.  That was very bad work.

Unless the ungrounded 10/3 is running inside steel conduit all the way back to the panel, in which case the steel conduit is the ground, and the work is complete.  However running cable inside conduit is the work of a dullard.

The good news is it sounds like the ungrounded 10-3 is quite old work, making it grandfathered.  As such, you are allowed to retrofit a ground wire.  It must be 10 AWG, can follow any practical route, and must go back to either

the panel the circuit is powered out of,
a junction box served by another circuit served by that panel whih has a #10 or larger ground wire back to the panel, or
somewhere along the Grounding Electrode System: the bare wires from the panel to the ground rods/water pipe.


Replacing Dimmable Halogen Spot light with LED dimmable or non Dimmable LED spotlights I have old fashion dimmable halogen spotlight mounted on my ceiling, and I would like to replace them with LED spot lights.

My questions are:

Would I have to replace the existing transformers to use dimmable LED spotlights?
If so, would I also have to replace the existing transformers if I chose instead to use non-dimmable LED spotlights?

I've replaced low voltage halogens with LED equivalent and had no issues with dimming.  But, this is not always the case.  I've had to take back a whole case because they had interference with radio signals.

Call the manufacturer and ask them.  That's what we all do when we don't know.


My new pool pump has a high PSI and bubbles are in the water. How can I repair it? I recently had someone resurface my pool. During the resurfacing, they noted that the skimmer was not holding pressure per their test (long story short, these guys weren't 100% reliable and wanted a 3rd party's opinion).

After filling up the pool, the old pool pump (discontinued model) wouldn't prime. I installed a Hayward Super Pump and attached CPVC/PVC valves around it. Initially, it was observed that the PSI gauge would shoot and float to around 30 PSI and there were some bubbles coming out of the jets. The skimmer seemed to have an extremely small amount of suction alongside the pool jets to the point where it was unnoticeable to most. Water was still flowing through the pump though.

I've already run an in-scent test around the outer piping to identify if any air was being leaked into the pool without anything being obvious. I also shut off multiple paths via the diverters to see if anything caused the pressure to stabilize. Sometimes there were minor 5 PSI fluctuations. For the most part, the PSI remained at 25-30.

My biggest fear is that I have an underground piping leak causing air to get into the system. My theory is there's a leak between the pool suction and the pool pump.

Any guidance to an assisted answer or anything I can try would be helpful. I did already try to blow out the lines with a shop vacuum to check if there was any debris blocking the water flow. It seems that the air went through the pipes just find and shot the water up wherever appropriate.

2 hp is WAY too big for that system. That looks like a 90 sq ft cartridge filter (C-900) which can handle up to 90 GPM when clean but that is extreme. 25-30 PSI is probably not out of the "normal" range for 2 hp. You don't say how many gallons the pool is but that should determine the size of the pump. You get far more efficiency and better filtration with a slower flow. General rule of thumb is smaller pump, larger filter. More power is not good when talking about pool pumps. In addition, it looks like your piping is 1 1/2" PVC. You can only force so much water thru that small of a pipe. Think of trying to blow a mouthful of water thru a soda straw. You will encounter pretty substantial resistance. That's a small version of your pool pump...that resistance, called "head pressure" or "friction loss" converts to PSI at the pressure gauge.

The real solution is to downsize the pump. If you don't want to spend the money since this one is new, you can refit it with a smaller impeller, maybe a 1 hp impeller. For a Super Pump (with the square lid) that would be SPX2607C. If it's a round lid, then it's a Super II and would call for an SPX3007C.

PS Air in the system generally lowers pressure, not raises it.


What kind of spider web is this - and how do I get rid of it? This web is in the corner of our house.

I see that there is funnel-web spider that lives in Arizona, but not any in Kentucky that look like this.

Is this the harmless North American version, or one done by the venomous Australian variety? How can I tell (short of finding the spider)?

Here's what I found from the Univ of Kentucky';s Ag school site: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/spiders/funnel/funnel.htm

  Funnel weavers and grass spiders build funnel-shaped webs close to the ground.  The spider hides in the narrow end of this funnel, which is usually protected by leaves or rocks.  When an insect, spider, or other small creature crosses the wide end of the funnel, the spider feels the vibration and rushes out to grab the prey.  Funnel weaver and grass spiders are incredibly quick, and can dash from the protected part of their web to the other end at lightning speed.  These spiders are common in many Kentucky habitats, including lawns and on the forest floor.

  Funnel weaver and grass spiders are beneficial predators.  They very rarely leave their webs, so they don't often enter homes.  They will only bite if provoked, and are not considered dangerous.

  Grass Spiders are very common in Kentucky.  We have several species, but they are all virtually identical in appearance and behavior.

Seems to fit your description.


What is this end part called? What adapter do I need to attach a tank? What is this end part called? What adapter do I need to attach a tank?

That is called a flare fitting. It mates to a roughly cone shaped fitting (usually on a valve) which makes a metal on metal seal with pressure when the nut is screwed down on threads on the fitting. No tape or pipe dope needed or would do any good. The flared tubing is soft copper.

The size would be the OD of the copper tubing which looks like 1/2 inch or 3/8 inch.


an old shed has wiring I just wanted to confirm any safety hazards or possible fixes. I moved into a home that has 12/2 gauge wire going under the house to a shed on the other side of the house, so it's stretching the 12/2 wire about 20 foot and it's ran in some PVC piping. In the shed itself there is a GFCI weatherized receptacle protecting 2 other 20A receptacles and a light switch with fixture.

I guess my question is, is the 12/2 gauge wire going to harm any power tools in the shed that use 15A? This is because it is stretched farther than recommended and ran in PVC pipe.

It also has a 20 amp breaker, I'm concerned about the length of the 12/2 wire and no breaker panel in the shed as a shut off, I guess the GFCI is a shut off, but how dangerous is this , and should I run new 10/2 wire

You haven't said how long the cable is, so you might want to punch your numbers into a voltage drop calculator and see what you get for voltage drop.

Your power tools that have a 15A plug are likely only 12A, so use those numbers.  Most likely you are fine.

You are using "Romex" informally to describe all jacketed multiconductor cable. There are a variety of types and some of them are correct for wet locations, and others are not.  You need to be using a "wet location rated" type for the section that is outdoors.

It is a fact of life that any conduit installed outdoors will most likely be full of water at least some of the time. That is why to use wet-location cable, it is made for that.


Constructionmethods for wallmounting on brittle brick wall I rent a small flat in an old building. Since the walls are pretty brittle. Bricks are far apart, mortar has bigger stones then usual, so drilling can be difficult.

This is why the dowels are not sticking in the wall.

I thought about drilling downwards, to add a downward force to hold the dowel in the wall. Is there a better way?

Brittle and old walls can be like a chocolate box... Drilling downwards doesn't help very much, in these walls the wall plugs and screws just behave like nails: they resist almost not at all to pulling forces.

Depending on how bad it actually is, you may need to do one or more of the following (maybe even different strategies depending on where in the wall you drill. Ever hanged a kitchen on a wall built out of post-war rubble?):

Use a smaller sized drill to make the plug a really tight fit
reinforce the plug with quickset cement/mortar or construction glue prior to screwing the screw in
take some matches (without heads) or toothpicks (with one pokey end removed) and hammer them in between the wall plug and the wall before screwing something in
after drilling, use a product that gets soaked up into the wall and acts as a reinforcing primer/glue

For big holes/heavy weights there are commercial systems available that will help with glue reinforcement.

Of course you can always do the last resort and do it like people did before they invented the wall plug:

poke a big hole into the wall, mortar in a piece of wood, screw to the wood.

Whatever you do, in these walls you have to massively derate the manufacturers specifications on load bearing abilities of the wall plugs.


Applying joint compound over old and dirty drywall The previous owner of this house put drywall up but didn't finish the walls. It looks like the drywall has been there for years and it's quite dirty. My question is: Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to just clean the walls off then tape and mud them up?

You don't even need to clean anything unless the soiling is greasy or would otherwise inhibit bonding. In fact, you risk damaging the unprotected paper surface of the drywall.

I'd do your taping and use a good stain-blocking primer/sealer over it all.


Can a bathroom outlet be wired to a GFCI in another bathroom I live in a fairly new, less than 10 year old, rental complex.

The outlet in one bathroom is not a GFCI, but is wired to a GFCI in another bathroom -- the two bathrooms do not share a wall.

Is that legal?

Also in kitchen, two GFCI outlets are wired to each other, such that if one on left trips, the one on right also stops working.  Is this legal?

From the National Electrical Code

210.11(C)(3) Bathroom Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least one 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets.
Exception: Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same bathroom shall be permitted to be supplied in accordance with 210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2).

So, you can supply multiple bathrooms with this circuit as long as it has no other equipment or outlets on the circuit except receptacles.
The kitchen receptacle fed downstream off of another GFCI receptacle is a waste of a good GFCI as Ed Beal said but is not a violation of the code.


How is lead soundproofing installed in walls being renovated? I am doing a renovation that will involve taking down walls--replacing drywall in some cases with new drywall and in others with tile (in the bathroom). As long as I am taking apart the walls, I would like to install sound proofing.

Soundproofing generally consists of 3 layers, a layer of lead about 0.25" thick sandwiched between two porous sheets which are usually either plywood or gypsum board/drywall. It is also possible to have a 2-ply soundproofing where the lead sheet is affixed to a single porous layer.

So, in terms of installing this, the normal recommendation I see is that the sound proofing be used as the wall itself, so you just screw the soundproofing into the studs, just like normal drywall. The only problem with this is that if a 3-layer solution is being used, then the wall will be much thicker than normal, so that might affect the way electrical cutouts are made.

The other option would be to make 16" panels that would fit between the studs. In this case, the question would be how the panels are attached to the studs. Also, since the electrical will use EMT conduit, there is the problem of trying to install the sound proofing panels in a way that will not conflict with the EMT and water pipes, which might require extra wide walls.

Does anybody have experience with this kind of installation and can comment on best practices?

Well, what we ended up doing is cutting the sheets into pieces that fit into the bays between the joists. So, the cross section looks like this:

An acoustic caulk was used between the sound proofing layer and the joist flanges.

The result was very effective. There is no sound transmission between the two rooms through the floor. It also made the floor much more stable. I can jump up and down on the floor, no vibration at all.


How can I determine the manufacturer of my diverter? I'm currently experiencing the same situation as this post:how-do-i-prevent-this-bath-faucet-from-leaking-while-the-shower-is-running My bath faucet's lever to redirect the water to overhead shower does not fully stop the water.

My plumber is having a difficult time determining the manufacturer to be able to order the nozzle. What are some ways to determine the maker of the nozzle?

Asking since I can't just replace it with the standard chrome or brushed metal ones. My current nozzle is gold-plated (or gold-painted) and the wife would like its replacement to match. Therefore, I need to know the maker to be able to order the part.

Finding the manufacturer/model could be difficult.  Is This close enough?  Or
This?


How do I avoid condensation issues with an insulated garage roof? Yesterday it was raining (slight overexaggeration of course) :-) inside my garage...  Hood of the car was covered with nasty orange water spots.  It's an attached garage.  There's no garage "ceiling" (or attic above) as such, it goes all the way up to the roof.  The water was primarily coming from the very peak, but you could see water running partway down the slope.  There's fiberglass insulation attached to the inside of the roof and the backing of the stuff up near the peak appears to be quite wet.  It's worse over by the outside/cold wall, not bad at all over by the inside/warm wall.

I figured I had a bad roof leak that just finally soaked through (actually hadn't rained in the preceding 24 hours, but before that, we did have a nice soaking all day rain.  Was unable to see anything that looked bad at all, so I called out one of the more highly regarded local roofers.

He spent some time looking around.  His comment was that the roof doesn't look very old at all (I've only been there a year, so I don't know for sure) and is still in very good shape.  He also mentioned that if it was leaking, I should have seen it within an hour or 2 of the rain starting (not 24 hours after it stopped).  We did have a very dramatic temperature swing from 20 degrees up to 70 degrees over the last couple of days though.  His thought (based on prior experiences with similar setups) was that it was condensation from having the insulation attached to the roof itself.  I did not have (or did not notice) the same problem last year, but we didn't have any crazy temperature swings like this either.

So, the plan is to try to find a ladder long enough to get up there and see what I can see.  Also, to monitor it during the next rain just to make sure I don't have some freak huge leak in a perfect looking, probably relatively new roof.  :-)

If it truly is the insulation/condensation issue, then how do I go about insulating this garage space?  My water meter is in there, so I don't want it to get too cold (especially since I'm on a vented crawl and we can see -15 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit in the Winter).

Based on your comment I think what you will need to do is replace the insulation.

As I said in my comment condensation is caused when warm moist air hits a cold surface, be it a window or roof. If your insulation was sound then this would prevent this happening, but it sounds like it letting the air through to the roof.

I'm reluctant to suggest what to replace it with as I haven't seen the roof - so it might be worth getting someone in to quote for the job and ask them what they intend to do.

If you do decide to replace then putting a semi-permeable membrane up as well will help keep the moisture off the cold surfaces.


Remove ceiling lamp holder to change light bulb I have a ceiling lamp (shown in attached picture) mounted in my bathroom. I want to remove the lid and change the light bulb inside and replace the lid. However, I am struggling to remove it.
There are three black holders (clamps). One of them feels like a spring plugged in and has an arrow pointing outward. I tried pulling it out but it doesn’t release the grip on the lid. The other two black clamps don’t budge either. I tried rotating it, applying pressure to the center to life the glass a bit higher but nothing seems to work. Anybody have any ideas? I live in Germany and presumably this was purchased in Ikea but i can’t find the product in their website.

The arrow on the clip can also indicate that the glass diffuser should be pushed in the direction of the arrow.

That would cause the diffuser to disengage from the other two clips.


What is the best way to strip woodchip wallpaper? I spent a large proportion of a (glorious) Sunday stripping a relatively small area of woodchip wallpaper from my spare room in an ongoing war to banish the stuff from my house.

I have a good steamer which is helping matters along, but due to five layers of paint and the fact that paper is very waterproof its not been easy.

Does anyone have any tips on ways in which this process can be sped along? We're having the whole room skimmed when I'm done, so I'm unconcerned about the state of the plaster behind when I'm done. It's already in quite a mess anyway, hence the skimming!

Unfortunately stripping woodchip can be a long, arduous process.

The way we've found best is to

work in small(ish) areas
score the area with a knife
run a scraper across the surface to knock out some of the chips

The last two expose some of the paper and give a route for the steam to enter.

Then steam this area and scrape again - but don't expect to get all the paper off first (or even second) time. Then steam the area again but don't scrape - leave the area to soak as you move onto the next area.

Then go back to the first area after 5-10 minutes and repeat.


Converting two lights from one switch to one light from one switch? I have two vertically mounted light bars on either side of bathroom mirror operated from one switch.  Renovating room and now wish to have one horizontal light bar over the mirror.
I would appreciate any assistance wiring this change.

Thanks
Randy

Look in the holes the wires come from, one of the has 2 sets of wires coming in, one set to the switch and one to the other side.

Disconnect the one to the other side and cap it off. Then just use the wire from the switch to power the new bar. The hole on the other side you can cap of the wires and leave a cover plate in place.

It is possible that 2 sets of wires leave from the switch to both sides, then you disconnect one set and use the other to power the bar (again capping off the unused wires).

Instead of capping off the wires you would remove them entirely leaving just the set to power the bar and patch the holes in the wall; though that usually requires access to the space behind it.


Why do I have a vent stack if none of my fixtures are vented? As far as I can tell, none of my plumbing fixtures are vented. I have a double-sink in the kitchen, but no vent pipe. My washroom (photo here) similarly has an s-trap. Same thing on my washing machine and drain basin (photo).

I can see a large black pipe poking out of my roof, just about where the drain lines are going into the floor. So I assume I have a main vent stack, but what does it do in my case? Why do I have a main vent stack if none of my fixtures are vented?

If it helps to identify typical construction methods, my house is about 80 years old and located in Toronto, Canada.

Your system is almost certainly vented. Plumbing vents provide a path for sewer gases to escape so they don't bubble up through the P traps into your house under pressure (the sewer gases will expand and exert greater than atmospheric pressure), and the vents also keep water pressure from siphoning your traps dry, which would create an easy natural path for sewer gases to infiltrate your home.

So the comment about "wet venting" is right on target. As long as the combination of pipe diameter, the slope of the pipe and the distance between the trap and the vent ensure that the pipe doesn't run full of water (creating a siphon), a single downstream vent can be just fine.


Adjusting speed of a kitchen range hood motor I have a range hood in my kitchen that moves air from a 6 in pipe reduced down to a 4 in pipe. This causes air flow turbulence which makes the operation noisy and inefficient. I'm thinking that if i can reduce the speed of the blower motor the hood would work more efficiently and quietly. The blower motor is 190 watts, has 3 preset speeds and is 120v/60hz. Is there a way to lower the preset speeds?

Simply put replace the 4" pipe with 6" pipe. 4" pipe is just too small for a range hood. This is going to be the only realistic way to make your range hood more efficient.

To put this into perspective....

The air movement volume is based upon cross sectional area.
The 4" pipe cross sectional area is 12.56 square inches.
The 6" pipe cross sectional area is 28.27 square inches.
The 6" pipe can thus handle more than twice as much air flow
Bends, corners and outside vent covers for 4" pipe are going to be much restrictive than corresponding 6" components.

So do the job right rather than making a science project out of modifying your range hood motor speeds!!


changing electrical plugs I'm planning on buying a solder iron from ebay, the device has a US plug but it uses 220V-240V
I know US outlets only uses 110V.
What I want to know is just because they change the plug to a american plug is it safe to use?
Will changing the plug automatically convert it to 110 V?

Don't buy anything mains on eBay

Anything that plugs into mains power should have been certified by a competent testing lab, such as Underwriter's Laboratories (UL), ETL/Intertek, or CSA.  Note that CE is not a testing lab.

The Chinese make what can best be described as sh** a junkstream of extremely low-quality, dangerous garbage.  They would never waste the testing fee to send it to UL to get listed; they're deliberately breaking every rule in the UL White Book with regards to product safety. In fact, they usually don't fake a UL stamp; they put the CE stamp, which is a meaningless mark intended for products in Europe (where even there it's a voluntary mark; the company swears it self-inspected.)

This ... junkstream can be seen on full display on a site called alibaba.com, and you see the prices are preposterously low. This is because they are essentially counterfeit items.   They are also sold at retail at AliExpress.com. and also by enterprising marketers (most of them in China) who buy up lots of these items and list them on eBay.   At much, much higher prices.

They'll buy a $2 knockoff of a $30 item, and list it for $21 because if they listed the item for $5, people would instantly realize it's a fake.

The markup is so stupid high that they don't care about returns.

Those marketers also list them on a flea market called Amazon Marketplace, which is sneakily mixed into regular Amazon listings. (under the "Buy" button they say "Sold by XXXXXX" instead of Amazon). Amazon also allows them to dropship into Amazon's warehouse, in which case they say "...and fulfilled by Amazon" and ship with Prime.  Watch out.

Most countries in the world use 220V.  These cheap factories on Alibaba may not want to make a 120V version of their 220V junk, but if you order in large enough quantity, they'll happily slap a USA 120V plug on it.  And the marketers are too stupid to realize it's not that simple.

Now granted, eBay and Amazon have everything for sale, and that does include bona-fide parts.  So yes, it's possible to find the real McCoy, but you have to know exactly what you're looking for, and it's the very height of caveat emptor.  Buyer beware!

The US also has 220V if you need it

If you have a bona-fide 220V item, that's actually doable. The US has plugs and sockets for that, and they're a different shape so you can't accidentally plug one into the other.  You wouldn't do that just to save money on a cheap soldering iron; you'd do that to use a special or exotic piece of equipment, like that perfect coffee machine.


Using a heater and toaster oven trips the breaker. Can an electrician fix this? Using a heater and a toaster oven together, both about 1500w each, trips the breaker. It seems both are on the same circuit. Moving either appliance to a different location is not really an option.
Can an electrician do something so that this load can be handled? I want to get an idea of his work.. what will he do?

There is something you can do:  Do not turn on both appliances at the same time!

This is relatively straightforward for the combination of a heater and toaster.  Unless you are a toast making factory, the toaster runs like 3 minutes per day.  During that time, turn off the heater.


Waterproofing between wall and new sink vanity We just installed a new sink vanity and there's a roughly 1 inch gap between the bottom of our mirror and the top of the sink where the wall is exposed. We'd like to protect the wall back there from moisture. What's the best way to do this? PVC trim? a backsplash of some sort? Not entirely worried about design aesthetics-- just want it to be waterproof.

Yep, PVC trim, Accent-strip Tile, Slices of a 12x12 (whatever size you desire) Tile or a sliver of Granite would probably be the best and not be problematic with future cleanings removing a finish or paint.

Or, you may want to reverse your thinking and frame around the entire mirror with a decorative PVC molding. This assumes the mirror is gapped all of the way around for the best look.


What methods exist for filtering air to alleviate allergies? I've found out that I have an allergy, especially for the mold. I live in a very wet climate, so it's a problem.

I was given advice to buy this AIRFREE E60 air purifier. But now I'm interested to know if there are any alternatives? How can I clean the air in my bedroom (~11 square meters) from the mold?

If mold is an issue in your house I'm not sure a furnace filter is really going to help, even a HEPA filter as all it will do is filter the air passing through the filter; it won't do anything to prevent the mold spores from entering the air where they are growing.

Generally the best solution to mold issues is to solve the moisture issue.  If you have any leaks (roof, pipes, etc.) then you need to fix those otherwise you'll never stop the mold growth.

If it is caused by high humidity then a dehumidifier would probably be a good investment.   Air conditioners dehumidify as part of their operation, so if you don't already have one it might be worth looking into adding one, alternatively if you already have one and it's not doing enough, a stand-alone dehumidifier can be used.


Will a dimmable LED allow me to shine a light similar in intensity to a candleflame? I've become rather attached to the dimmable lights in my home, but I'm thinking about upgrading with dimmable LED bulbs as the incandescent ones are becoming less available.
I know that it will be a considerable investment of time and money (more-so time) to upgrade, so I wanted to ask if the hardware can do what I want.
Basically, I use my dimmer-switches to turn down the intensity of the lights in the bedroom and bathroom to somewhere near that of a single candleflame so that I can go about my business getting ready for bed and make night-time trips to the bathroom with minimal exposure to light.
I'm wondering if this is possible with dimmable LED bulbs without experiencing flickering or the like.

Here's what I did:

I went to a certain big box store known for its 'Treasure Hunt' atmosphere and, pre-pandemic, free samples

I bought a 'feit electric dimmer switch 2 pack'

I installed them. It was really easy, though it does require a neutral.

I purchased the a large box of 'feit electric soft white led dimmable bulbs.  The new ones light up to the base (similar to the old incandescent bulbs and look much better).  Conveniently, my local utility was subsidizing them, so I think that they were really cheap.

Here's a similar product: https://www.feit.com/product/800-lumen-2700k-dimmable-led-8/
Total cost was less than $50, and I think that some of these parts have gotten cheaper since.
Note:  I've reliability issues with the LED bulbs with the plastic bases -- perhaps my fixtures are too hot, but I find that they often flicker or crack and die.
On another note:  I have a few boxes of incandescent bulbs that I'd be happy to get rid of -- I run a bunch of hallway lights 24/7, and installing LED lights is a huge win, even over compact fluorescent.


Does 5V DC power supply require Ground wire? I got this 5V DC 8A power supply for some 5V LED strips.  For the AC input connections it has Line, Neutral, and Ground (numbers 1, 2, and 3 in attached image).

My question:  For the 120V AC input is the Ground required or optional?

This project (power supply and LED strips) will be installed indoors.

Amazon link to the power supply.

Ground connection is a safety feature, and should be connected.

If something breaks internally in the power supply or wiring which causes the case to be energized, the ground connection means it'll blow the breaker/fuse and power will be shut off.

Without it, the case can become energized with no indication anything is wrong until someone touches it (at which point they can be electrocuted).


How do I wire a two tube ballast to a single tube fixture? I am replacing a ballast for a single tube. The new ballast I purchased is designed for two tubes but states that it is also compatible with a single (more powerful) tube corresponding exactly to what I need.

They apparently forgot to draw the wiring diagram for the single tube setup though. The only diagram I have is for two tubes and seems to be typical:

             Power Switch    +--------------------------+
 Line 1 (H) o----/ ----------|Black    Dual Tube     Red|-----------+
 Line 2 (N) o----------------|White      Rapid       Red|--------+  |
                       +-----|Yellow     Start      Blue|-----+  |  |
                       |  +--|Yellow    Ballast     Blue|--+  |  |  |
                       |  |  +-------------+------------+  |  |  |  |
                       |  |                |               |  |  |  |
                       |  |       Grounded | Reflector     |  |  |  |
                       |  |      ----------+----------     |  |  |  |
                       |  |    .----------------------.    |  |  |  |
                       |  +----|-     Fluorescent    -|----+  |  |  |
                       |  |    | )      Tube 1      ( |       |  |  |
                       +-------|-       bipin        -|-------+  |  |
                       |  |    '----------------------'          |  |
                       |  |    .----------------------.          |  |
                       |  +----|-     Fluorescent    -|----------+  |
                       |       | )      Tube 2      ( |             |
                       +-------|-       bipin        -|-------------+
                               '----------------------'

How do I convert this to a single tube?

EDIT I'm doing this from memory and don't have a ballast to look at so I checked a manufacturer bulletin.  I was wrong in the beginning so I edited it out.


How should I attach the grounding conductor for a replacement switch? I'm attempting to replace an old Leviton light switch with a new Lutron dimmer switch that connects to our house's Wink system. The old switch had 3 black wires attached to the light switch and no ground wire.

Old switch:

New switch:

Other reference picture:

Upon further investigation, the box appears to be grounded itself. There is a bare copper wire screwed to the back of the box.

Pictures:

Since it appears the old switch was grounded via the box, can I just ignore the grounding wire on the new switch and let it work the same way?

All the pics are hosted in an album here for easy viewing as well.

You would be best advised to shut off all live power feed to this box. Then pull the existing bare copper GND wires out of the back of the box and add an additional bare copper wire pigtail to the bunch. Then reattach to the box with the proper green grounding screw.

The new pigtail will get wire nutted to the green wire on your new dimmer switch using an appropriate green twist on wire nut.


Do I need bracing for 12"x55" shelves? I am installing new shelves in my pantry, 12" x 55" with walls on three sides.  The shelving material is laminate over particleboard.  Considering how heavy a shelf full of canned goods is, can I get away with just using 1" nailers on all three walls to rest the shelves on, or do I need L brackets in the middle as additional support?

55 inches is a rather long span for a 12 inch wide shelf that is supported on the ends and back side by the wall. One way that you could provide some more support for the shelves would be to add some center front supports for the shelves working up from the floor to the top shelf.


How to use LED lighting strip on ceiling? In our living room, we have a single ceiling rose in the centre of the ceiling with a boring light fitting on it.  I'd love to replace this with 4 led strips (about 2m each) running from the centre to the corners, ideally of the colour-changing sort.

My question is how can I fit this in a way that looks ok and is safe?  I'd ideally like a circular thingy where the light fitting is, that contains the transformer and colour controller, and has the light strips coming out of it, but I can't find any such thing on the internet.  Is my quest doomed to failure?

While I doubt you'll find anything built and marketed as exactly what you are asking for, you can certainly find suitable electrical boxes to connect and contain things safely, and then do what you need to satisfy an "appearance shroud" over them. Probably the best bet for the appearance shroud would be a simple light fixture (not to be lit - simply to cover "ugly" junction boxes)


Popup outlet on kitchen island - is it against building codes? California I've seen these small round popup outlets.

I spoke with a contractor we have doing a remodel of our kitchen and he said it would violate building codes. Didn't even give me a chance to show him what I was talking about. So I was just hoping to get a 2nd opinion with someone who's knowledgeable about california building codes (specifically san mateo county) as to if something like this is ok or violates some code?

Thanks

This would not violate the NEC, which I think Ca uses.
Your building dept can tell you what electrical codes your area follows.

Possibly your contractor thought you were referring to the receptacles being face-up. That would be a violation of the NEC for a kitchen counter receptacle.

The main stipulation would be that they would need to be GFI protected by an upstream GFI device or breaker, and that it is hard wired.


Range hood fan quit working but started working again For the past year I've been doing most of the cooking and a lot more home cooking than we ever have done--probably involving more grease and cooking oils than before. A few weeks ago, the range hood fan quit blowing--it only hums when I push the button.
The outdoor temperature here had dropped to 20F a few weeks ago and I'm wondering if, perhaps, there was a grease build up on the motor causing it to gum up. Now that it's consistently stayed at a daytime temperature of 50 to 60F, is it possible that it's helped free the motor?
Last night, it started working and I let it run for a few minutes. This morning it's still working. I put a service call in two weeks ago and the appointment is for tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I should cancel it.
This question is about freeing the motor to run, if possible, and nothing else.

Yes, cold weather and hardened, cold grease buildup can conspire to stop your fan from starting.
That's "the answer to the question you asked."
The fact that you have enough grease buildup to keep the fan from starting when it's cold means that it needs to be cleaned, and possibly lubricated. That can be a DIY job, or a different, specialized contractor (most restaurants are required to have their hoods cleaned several times a year by a specialist contractor in hood-cleaning.)
It's almost certainly NOT the "fan motor replacement contractor's" job, unless they are more of a generalized hood-vent service contractor. Even if the one company does it, it would likely be two different workers with jobs that intersect but don't overlap.


How to lubricate a buzzing fan? I bought a little mini fridge (ok, it's actually one of those wine cooler thingies) that buzzes loudly.

Took it apart and discovered the source of the problem: a little fan in there, similar to the type you'd find in a desktop computer. Applied some WD-40, bam, problem solved.

However, a few months later and it's buzzing louder than ever. Apparently WD-40 was the wrong oil to use.

  [Never put WD-40 in] any electric motor, even if the rotor is stuck
  from filthy dried-up lubricant!  It not only removes any remaining
  lube, but it can melt coil wires (the lightly-coated copper wires
  twisted up in electric motors) and cause an electrical short. New fan
  motor!

What can I do this time around to keep it lubricated and quiet?

WD-40 is a penetrating oil and corrosion preventative. As a lubricant, it is quite short term as it tends to evaporate.

And the lubrication type for an electric motor depends on the type of bearing.

Ball bearings require grease. Flush the bearing with solvent to clean out the old gunk and pack with a light bearing grease.

Oilite style sleeve bearings require oil with a viscosity in the SAE 10 to SAE 30 weight range. You can find what you need as Sewing Machine Oil or Supco Turbine Oil.

And if it's a regular muffin fan motor, I'd just replace it with a quality ball bearing fan. They come in common sizes and thicknesses. They often used plastic sleeve bearings and once the bearings have started to howl, the holes in them have gone oval shaped and it's an exercise in futility to make it go away by oiling.


Main panel neutral to ground There is a log for a number for copper wire  to the neutral lug is that connected to the ground? The number 4 is going to the grounding electrode outside

if this is your main panel not a sub yes you can


How do I make a deck glossy? I went to Home Depot and Sherwin Williams and I was unable to find a deck stain that looked like the shiny blondish color of the following image:

At Sherwin Williams they said that their stains were all matte.

Does anyone make glossy stains that are appropriate for decks?

Would it be appropriate to just use a matte stain and then go over it with some sort of glaze? I have a gallon of Shield-Crete which is supposed to make cement shiny. Could I use that over the top of a matte stain?

Ideally it'd be great if someone could just point me to a place online to buy a glossy blond stain like the one in the image. I've googled for a while, but nothing seems quite like that.

The other answers not withstanding, please keep in mind that a glossy finish will probably be more slippery when it is wet (maybe even when it is still dry). This  may be why you are having a hard time finding a glossy deck finish. I think you will find that surfaces that are great for traction and safety (rougher, sandpaper like) will be the exact opposite of what you need for a great gloss finish and vise-versa.


Can I use a stairwell ceiling fan to save energy? We have a two story house, with a small ceiling fan mounted above the main stairway.

The house has separate thermostats for heating/cooling the upstairs and downstairs.

During the day, we spend 90% of the time downstairs. At night, everyone sleeps upstairs.

Given this setup, can we use the ceiling fan to save energy and/or make the house more comfortable throughout the day? How should we use the fan differently during the day and night? During summer and winter?

I'd love to be able to turn down the thermostats to save a few bucks, or to make the house feel more comfortable.

Much like DA01 said, a ceiling fan generally acts to circulate air within a particular space of the home. This evens out the temperature of the air in the room by preventing "stratification" (where the air settles into noticeable "layers" so it's warmer at head height than at the floor), and also provides an illusion that the air is cooler by constantly blowing away the "bubble" of insulating warm air that your warm-blooded body will maintain around itself (also speeding evaporation of sweat).

Unlike your forced-air ventilation, the ability of a ceiling fan, or any non-ducted fan, to "push" a column of air into a different area is limited by the buffering effect that the standing air will have on the air pushed by the fan. A forced-air system uses ducts, within which air ideally only moves in one direction; supply vents carry conditioned (heated/cooled) air out to the home, while one or more returns draw in the air that will be heated/cooled. This generally forces the air to move in a large loop through your home from supply ducts to returns through the rooms.

A ceiling fan or other "open-air" ventilation doesn't have these ducts; the air that is pushed forward by the fan must be replaced by air moving within the same space as the pushed air. This conflicting movement of air creates eddies that reduce the effect of the fan as you move further from it. Within an enclosed space like a room, this effect isn't so bad, but trying to move air through a hallway, or up or down a staircase, will not be effective.

Your dual-zone HVAC is your best tool for achieving the proper temperature on each floor of your home. You'll just have to remember that warm air rises, cool air descends, so in warm weather your upstairs A/C will have to work harder, because it will be losing some of the cool air it produces to the downstairs area and will receive the warm air from both floors. The opposite is true in winter; the downstairs heater will effectively be heating both floors, and will have to work harder to heat the downstairs as all the cool air will work its way down.

Instead of trying to mix the air between floors, you might actually have better luck trying to prevent the two zones from exchanging air, using a door, curtain or other insulating break at the top of the upstairs staircase. By doing this, you reduce the amount of cool air that the upstairs will lose and the amount of warm air it will gain. This will allow the upstairs zone to cool its own space without also having to cool the downstairs, and vice-versa for heating in winter. Of course, this will only work if you have separate air returns for upstairs and down; if you only have one air return, then air will be actively pulled toward that return, wherever it is, and regardless of what's in the way.


What type of contractor would I hire to level a concrete floor? I am doing some renovations, and I've recently uncovered an original concrete floor that I would like to have leveled for carpet to be installed. It's currently sloped from level with the adjoining floor to about 2 inches below the joining floor. I'm guessing it will need some type of self leveling concrete material. I would prefer to have a professional take care of it, I'm just not sure who to contact.

I feel that you should dive a bit deeper and resolve the root cause of your problem. 2" of subsidence seems to indicate a bit more work than simply using a self leveling material, you have support/foundation problems. Consult a professional foundation remediation contractor to see if you can get an idea of what the cause is. I would hate to see you "level" it only to have it rise or subside again, undoing your work and money.


Recurring banging in water pipes, cured by draining system When I turn off the cold taps in my house there is a loud banging noise from behind the wall in the downstairs bathroom (which is where the cold water supply enters the house).  This started happening some months ago now and I can't think of anything that happened plumbing-wise just before it started.

Anyway, I found that I can temporarily fix this 'water hammer' by turning off the water supply where it comes into the house and then draining the cold water system by running all the downstairs taps.  When they run dry I turn the water back on at the main stop-tap and the banging noise is gone!

After a few days the banging starts to happen again - quietly at first but growing to the loud banging again after about a week.

What could this be?

EDITS:

My guess is that this has been caused by some bracket (or similar) that was holding a pipe behind a wooden wall coming loose.  I'd much rather fix the cause and to install an arrestor in an appropriate place I'd have to mess with the wall anyway I think.

The only thing I can remember happening around the time this began was some very windy weather.  When I heard the first bangs one night I assumed it might have been something banging in the neighbour's garage, which shares a wall with my bathroom.

It's called "water hammer", and it's caused by the physical momentum of the water in the pipes being dissipated when the flow stops suddenly.

By draining the system, you're creating an air bubble somewhere in your plumbing that provides a cushion for the momentum, eliminating the banging, but this bubble is leaking away somehow, which causes the banging to resume.

A permanent cure would be to connect the bottom end of a vertical pipe that's a few feet long to a point near the service entrance in your home. Make sure the pipe is full of air and cap off the top end permanently. This will provide a permanent air bubble that should eliminate the banging for good.


Dryer is making a terrible sound Recently our dryer started making terrible noises. It sounds to me like a belt is broken, but it makes a grinding sound when turning. The noise is not constant. There is a strong burnt smell immediately after the noise starts.

https://youtu.be/7dFhoAvAqYg

The video shows my quandry. I would appreciate any help with the next troubleshooting steps.

The dryer is an NED7200TW Dryer and is several years old, probably 3 or 4.

This video might help a lot: https://youtu.be/7ErPT_QowkM
And this one might be very helpful as well (video of the motor running): https://youtu.be/hnVzpQQIvKo

Tim

After having a professional look at it, one of the wheels needed grease and the pulley was considered to be bad. The part cost $10 online, but the estimate to repair was $295.


Where is the best place to put a light on basement stairs? The stairs leading to my unfinished basement are a bit dark.  I'd like to add a simple light fixture to brighten them but I don't know the best place to put it to minimize shadows and glare.  Above the door?  In the ceiling?  At the foot of the stairs?  On the wall?  I've searched the web for a while and I can find code about when you need a light and where the switches need to be but can't find a best practice for fixture placement.

A couple of can lights like bib suggests is the most common way.

An alternative idea would be to install LED strip lights, like the ones designed to replace fluorescent tube lights. If you put in two of the 4 foot variety, you could evenly light the entire staircase.


How to open NM box knockouts? I've found the knockouts in NM boxes hard to fully open. I've had trouble with both Carlon boxes and Madison Smart Boxes. The plastic molded to make the knockout is very resistant to actually being knocked out.

My current approach is to whack the knockout with a hammer's claw. This generally busts the knockout pieces apart, but it doesn't remove them. They often remain so tight together still that forcing the cable in is very difficult and I worry about damaging the cable sheathing. Grabbing the "arms" of the knockout with pliers and pulling and twisting generally just crushes off a little bit, rather than wrestling out the entire chunk that's in the way.

Sheathing damage was a major problem when trying to push old, brittle rag wiring through the knockout: it was stripping the brittle insulation off the wires rather than admitting them into the box. My solution there was to drill through the knockout arms to get them out of the way, but this was a major pain, and the burning plastic smell generated by the rotating drill bit was not encouraging.

What's the "right way" to fully open these molded knockouts?

The knockouts on plastic boxes are not designed to be removed completely. Rather, they are kinda like trap doors and some pressure against the NM cable helps keep it from slipping back out of the box. In your case, if you have old fabric covered cable, you really should be using boxes with a 1/2" screw type cable clamp. If you insist on using the plastic boxes, then you will have to use a screwdriver and hammer to knock the square door in first, then grab the flap with a pair of linesmen pliers and twist it until it separates from the box.  I guarantee that is going to leave a ragged edge that may still abrade your cable. These plastic boxes were never designed for old degrading cable.  BTW, I was the factory rep for Carlon Inc, manufactures of plastic boxes, many years ago, so I have a bit of background.


Suspect water heater is using too much gas Not sure if this sounds reasonable, but I think the 8 year old gas water heater in the place I just moved into last month is using more gas than it should be.

Gas meter recorded 50 therms used last month which seems like twice as much as a 50gal 38,000 BTU water heater should be using (the tag on it estimates 258 therms anually, i.e. 21.5/month).

There doesn't seem to be an obvious leak anywhere. None of the exposed gas lines, (including exterior lines) are leaking. Both me and a tech from the gas company did a bubble test when he was here for the initial inspection upon move in. I've also tested by turning everything off and monitored the meter after a few hours, and it didn't move.

The only thing that has been running is a water heater and a dryer, everything else has is powered off and has the valve shut off to it (pool heater, bbq, furnace). The dryer I brought in from my last place, and has been operating as usual. It's only been run for about 2.5 hours in a month.

Other than the water heater leaking somewhere besides an exposed gas line/nut (I haven't detected a smell), I'm not sure what could be causing the excessive gas usage. Can they use more gas as they get older and start to fail?

Any ideas on other obvious things to check or will I need a plumber to narrow this one down?

It might be a small leak or several very small leaks.  I had a leak in my Philadelphia home for years and had no clue.  During remodel, I replaced the gas pipes (same appliances), and my gas bill unexpectedly went down by $50 for the summer months.  A bubble test will not do.  Obtain a real gas leak tester, and thoroughly and methodically test each joint.


Why are my LED lights glowing? I've got a metal ceiling light chandelier thing which takes 4*G9 bulbs.  I recently replaced the halogens with LEDs (specifically, http://ecotradeuk.co.uk/index.php/product/lumilife-5-watt-g9-led-bulb/)

The weird thing is, when the lights are switched off, the LEDs emit a very soft glow (but the Halogens didn't).  Does that mean something is wrong with my wiring?

I'm in the UK, and the light is serviced by 2 switches.  Also, if I turn off the main circuit breaker for the lighting, they do stop glowing.

You have something else in the circuit that uses a small amount of power and which bypasses the switch.

A smart-switch of some sort will do this but there are other devices that also do this, for example a switch illuminator (so you can find it in the dark)

The issue here is that, at switch locations you generally do not have neutral present. Just live and switched live (and earth). So the illuminator cannot be wired in parallel but mus be in series with the lighting circuit. When you turn the switch on, it turns the illuminator off because the switch shorts the illuminator so that there is no longer a potential difference across it.

These things pass a very small current, at lower voltage, through the rest of the circuit. This is insufficient to make incandescent or halogen bulbs glow, but is enough for some LED driver circuits to start to work.


Low Faucet Flow Both Hot and Cold -- Aerator Clogged The water just trickles out of my bathroom faucet regardless if I turn on the hot or cold water.

It looks like this:

https://youtu.be/McQUTBu9RM8

I took out the aerator, and this black stuff came out:

It was like black sand. When I took out and cleaned the aerator, I still get low flow.

It looks like this:

https://youtu.be/A_CvX9NefZo

I'm thinking that replacing the faucet is the quickest way to fix this. Any tips appreciated.

You have sediment in your pipes.

Replacing the valve will not fix this.

Try thoroughly flushing your lines through faucets that don't have aerators. Such as, the outside hose valves and utility sinks. Remove the aerators from other valves and flush those lines too.

Then see if you get better flow.

Good luck!


Should cement be placed under concrete slabs for driveways or is sand enough? I am about to get my driveway full slabbed using normal concrete slabs like below (i will be using rectangle slabs as opposed to square).

The builders that came to give me an estimate said it would be best if cement was placed under the slabs so they stay together.  I was just wondering if this was common practice?  Is it better to have concrete as opposed to just sand or even soil?

You do not want to just place the concrete tiles on native ground soil. A proper installation would be to dig out the native soil down to a solid base. Then lay in a layer of crushed rock to aid in water drainage. Directly under the concrete tiles would be some sand that makes it possible to level and even out the tile installation.

With the correct materials that are properly packed in and if the water drainage from the area is implemented correctly an installation should stand up well without adding concrete under the tiles. But keep in mind that they will move around if there is winter frost action, an unstable base soil, very large vehicles driving over them or if there is a regular flow of water over and between the tiles down into the base materials. This movement can be mitigated by placing concrete under the tiles but there is a tendency to make this layer fairly thin and this can still crack and allow tile movements.

My recommendation, if you want a driveway that will stand up to these stresses, would be to not use these tiles at all. Instead put down the crushed rock base and sand as a base. Then place in heavy duty wire mesh AND rebar in both directions in a manner that it ends up in the concrete as opposed to laying on the sand. Pour concrete to a good thickness (using 2x6 forms is far better than using 2x4 forms). Once the concrete is poured and being finished there are any number of techniques that can be used to make it look less like a slab. The simplest would be to surface groove it to look similar to the tiles. Other techniques include embedding brick borders, pebble surface finish, or even brick like patterning rolled into the surface. The latter is often done with the concrete dyed a reddish color.


Adding a C Wire for my new thermostat I just bought a thermostat that needs a c wire. I ran a 18/5 wire, but where do I connect the c wire to?

Here is a picture of the back of the board.

You'd have to inspect the green PCB and add a terminal or solder on a wire to get a C connection on this board -- it doesn't have a terminal ready for you to use.

Pull it from the housing and look at the copper traces going between the thermostat terminal block and the transformer. From one of the T1, the T2, and the T3 terminals there'll be a trace going back to one of the pins below the transformer. That's the R terminal. The other low-voltage pin on the transformer is the C terminal. Its trace will probably lead to the coils of the three relays.

Take care that you don't choose one of the line voltage terminals on the transformer! Follow the traces from transformer pins back to the line voltage terminals at the bottom -- those transformer pins aren't the one you want.

Edit: with the photo of the rear of the board now included in the question, the circuit can easily be traced. I've marked the area on the rear of the board where mains voltage exists in orange -- keep your wiring clear of these. The R and C circuits are also marked.

The C circuit passes to the front of the board via the leg of a resistor. I suggest that you solder your wire on the top side partially so it's easily visible when somebody looks at this board again, and partially so it's easy to verify that it is keeping clear of the uninsulated mains solder points all over the back side. Also note that the white wires are currently connected to the R terminals. It might make sense to swap the reds and whites.

Passing your new C wire through a pair of holes will help relieve strain on the solder joint. Take care not to hit any of the traces while drilling the holes. It's probably easiest to choose the location if you drill from the back side of the board above the trace marked C.


Where do you hook up a neutral wire to in a D/pole thermostat? I am installing a D/pole thermostat to a 5000w 240v Garage heater using 10/3 wire and a 30amp d/pole breaker.. question is.. where do hook up the neutral (white) wire too in the thermostat box

A standard 240v heater with no electronics dosent require a neutral the load is pure 240v. All you need are the red, blacks (hots) and the equipment ground. If you had 120v controls you would need the neutral but your thermostat dosent require the neutral so I would cap it at both ends and label it in the panel in case you want to add a fancy controller in the future.


Decorative ceiling junction box cover I know the junction box cannot be permanently covered, but I am looking for ideas for decorative covers. we are taking down a stairwell light fixture and just want to cover it up with something other than the plain round plates.

There are numerous approaches.

The simplest is paint. If a blank cover and its screws are painted to match the wall, the box will recede in appearance.

Similarly, if the wall is wallpapered, you can wrap the blank cover with paper, gluing down a slight margin of the paper to the underside of the cover. Paint the heads of screws a color close to the paper's tone.

You can buy medallions or rosettes (meant for centers of ceilings) that can be glued to a blank cover.

If you search for ceiling medallions, you can find hundreds of styles, although many of them are pierced for electrical wires.

 Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


What units are the clutch settings on a drill? I have tried looking around the internet for an answer - but I can only find articles that explain what the clutch on a drill does.

I am very familiar not only with what they do but also with how they operate.  I have always wondered, however, what the units for the numbers are.  They don't seem to be anything standard.

My drill has a max torque of 725lbf-in. I have tried converting that into all of the different units for torque I can find, but none of them result in a 24 (my max torque setting), or anything in that range.

The clutch on a drill or a driver is a very imprecise thing. It just has multiple settings (24 in your case) and often a separate "drill" setting which disables the clutch. Manufacturers don't specify actual torque values for the clutch settings. So the bottom line is you have a black box with 24 settings that gradually increase the torque after reaching which the chuck is disconnected from the motor and you hear the repetitive clicking sound and perhaps you have a "drill" setting with which there's no disconnection.


Why do the wires to my dryer's thermostat keep burning off? I have a Kenmore/Whirlpool dryer that a week ago stopped working.  The motor and timing would work, but there was no heat produced. I disassembled the entire dryer and vacuumed and brushed every nook and cranny of lint.
I ordered an entire set of thermostats, including a heating element. When I opened the back of the dryer, I noticed one of the leads to the running thermostat was burned off and the thermostat was charred and deformed. I tested the thermostat for continuity and it read OK. I respliced the wire and still no heat. I tested all the other thermostats and heater coils, including the motor switch and they all passed. I even went as far as testing the timer, which was also OK. I had a hard time believing the molten thermostat wasn't defective when everything I read said that if it has continuity.
Finally, I gave in and replaced only the charred thermostat and it worked. A few days later, the dryer stopped working again, Same problem. I open the dryer and retested all the thermostats and heater. Everything was OK. I also tested the leads at the main circuit breaker and the leads to the dryer.
Figuring at least one of the other thermostats has a false positive, I replaced them all, including the main fuse. It worked again and I thought I conquered the problem. Today, I did a load and found my clothes still damp. I turned on the dryer waited a few seconds and again, no heat.
The obvious question is, what can be possibly be wrong? I never replaced the heating coils, but there was no need to. The only thing I could remotely see wrong was some fine soot on the heating element wires on one side. Could this be a hot spot? I was also puzzled by how the dryer thermostats never read bad. Yes, I did disconnect one of the leads. Obviously, the troubleshooting steps are wrong.
I am at my wits end and a new dryer is out of the question. This dryer worked well for at least two decades and I am determind to solve this problem.
EDIT 2
Since I my last edit, which has been a few years, I have replaced various components in the dryer, including thermostats, wires, etc. I discovered there were burn marks on the wire terminals and the component it lead to. The failure was fairly consistent and wondered why it keeps happening.  Lo and behold, the terminals I was using were insulated crimp terminals and it was increasing the resistance of the wire causing it to burn out. I never suspected it because there was no apparent melting of the plastic insulator. I wanted to use non-insulated terminals, but they were very difficult to find and removing the insulation from the terminal connector made an unreliable connection.
EDIT 1
I opened the dryer and tested all of the thermostats and one of the new ones installed above the coils failed. It had no continuity. I replaced it and now it works. What could be causing the thermostats to fail? I should also add that the ducts are totally clean and unobstructed.
My guess is that the replacement parts are of shoddy quality. They were very cheap compared to the ones at Sears.  $18 for all thermostats and a fuse versus $29 for just the one that was bad. I am worried that that there may be an electrical problem, venting problem (no changes) or the coil is overheating.


What are the consequences of allowing paint to freeze? Insulating and heating my garage sounds like a pain. What are the consequences of simply allowing water-based latex paint to freeze in the winter? Is it ruined forever or does it just need tons of extra mixing in the spring?

I have an idea for you. Instead of insulating and heating the entire garage to save a few gallons of paint, perhaps you could build a small insulated paint locker. Build a box or cabinet large enough to store all your paints. Insulate the inside with some 2 inch rigid foam or R-11 blanket insulation and put some foam weather stripping around the insulated door or cover to make it fairly air tight.  You could then install a low wattage light bulb as a source of heat. Honeywell makes an inexpensive plug=in/plug outlet feed thermostat that would work fantastic in this application.  I use one for running three 40 watt clamp-on light fixtures in the engine compartment of my boat.  The thermostat can be set to turn on the lights when the temp lowers to 35 to 40F and turn off at 40 to 50F. You set it to keep the locker above freezing. I wish I was good at drawing pics with the puter, but a good design would be to mount your lights and thermostat at the very bottom of the locker with a venting or wire shelf just above, so the heat rises in the locker and the bulbs are protected from getting bumped by paint cans. I'm sure you could build the whole project for under $100. The bonus is that something like this would be very cheap to run all winter.


Non-sanding solution to get old pen markings out of wood? My wife and I have a toddler who is ready to graduate to a big boy bed, and her parent's handed us down a twin bed that they've had in storage for years (woo hoo).

The problem with it is that someone drew all over a section of it with pen (probably a Bic pen, or similar):

My wife says this stain has to go, and wants me to sand the entire bed so that, when re-finished, it all looks the same color/etc. Not my ideal weekend: I envision the sanding being a 10 - 12 hours job, minimum.

If it helps with a solution, this wood is maple.

Before I lose an entire weekend to sanding a 20-yr old bed, I have to ask: is there any solution under the sun (besides buying a new bed) to getting rid of this pen stain, that (ideally) doesn't involve any sanding, but at the very least only requires me to sand this one area? Requirements:

Minimum amount of work for me
Entire bed frame looks contiguous/the same (no eye sore patch where the stain used to be)
Safe/eco-friendly/non-toxic solution (my 2 year old son is sleeping on this thing and could be gnawing on the wooden frame for all I know)

Thanks for any ideas/solutions!

unlikely, since ball-point pen will also have dented the surface so the pen mark is lower that the rest of the wood stain.  Paint-thinner will dissolve some pen-inks, but of course it'll also remove the finish on the wood.

how about a covering?  Pick some interesting fabric, a think layer of batting, and upholster it??


What type of material should be used for sole plates on screened in porch? I'm following along in a guide to installing a screened in porch and the following photo is shown.

The instructions are 'Secure sole plates to the patio or porch floor using construction adhesive and appropriate mechanical fasteners'

What kind of material is this? Is it just a composite 2x4?

I've heard of ScreenTight screening kits, but they aren't available nearby... are there any other screening kits that you would suggest?

Could be composite material.  Pressure treated 2x4 would work.  An adhesive with the appropriate fasteners will anchor it well.

Don't know of other kits besides screentight.  I would check your local home stores and online.  You can roll your own but the end result may not be as taut as you'd like.

Good luck.