LED landscape lighting. Adding one more fixture causing all to strobe I have installed outdoor landscape lighting ..my transformer is 300 watt  and I have only used 200 led watts so far..I go to add one more light and they all start to do strobe like effect.. ..I remove it and the other ones go back to normal...I am working with 150 feet of 12/2 wire....help please!

You are overloading the power supply.  The problem is, low voltage systems are susceptible to voltage drop over long distances -- and your LED lights have an ability to compensate for voltage drop by drawing more current.

The fact that you said "transformer" says you're dealing with a low voltage system.  It's actually an electronic power supply, because it's crowbar'ing - a protective circuit is shutting it down and then restarting/reclosing.  That is the blinking.    Generally those are either 12V or 24V.  They are rated in watts (300W) but to understand the problem we need to work with amps.  Wth 300W, a 12V supply is 25 amps capacity. A 24V supply is 12.5 amps.

Your 200W of load is 16.7A at 12V and 8.3 amps at 24V if voltage drop down wires was not a factor.  So let's look at the numbers, assuming that your lights are on average 100 feet down the wire.  (you can work it out individually per lamp, but it gets recursively complicated because these loads draw more current at lower voltages.)

At 12 volts

If it flowed 16.66 amps. your average 100' of 12 AWG wire (round trip) will have 5.8 volts of voltage drop (when using this voltage drop calculator, insert a big number for percentage loss permitted, otherwise it will tell you to use very big wire).  At 240V, nobody cares about 5.8 volts.  But at 12V it slaughters you - leaving only 6.2 volts for the light.  Now remember -- the LEDs will increase their current draw to still hit their 200W design target. 200 watts at 6.2 volts is 32.5 amps.  This exceeds the 25A limit of the 300W power supply.

Adding that last lamp on the string, especially at the far end where the voltage drop is the worst, was the straw that broke the camel's back.

At 24 volts

If it flowed 8.33 amps, your average 100' of 12 AWG wire (round trip) will have 2.88 volts drop, reducing voltage to 21.1.  Your lamps will increase their current draw in proportion, drawing 200W/21.1V or 9.47A.  But at this current flow, we must recalculate, and we find the voltage drop will be 3.3 volts. 200 watts at 20.7 volts is actually 9.66 amps. A few more cycles of recalculation and we approach about 9.8 amps at 20.4 volts.  The 300W power supply's capacity is 12.5 amps.  This is workable at 24 volts, but you are near the limits of the wire.  You are wasting 15% of your power making the wire warm, but it would be silly to run expensive 8 or 6 AWG wire.

How to fix it

You never got back to us about the model of lamp, but many LEDs (especially the kind that increase their current draw in this way) will work on both 12V and 24V.  That means the problem could be solved as easily as switching to a 24V power supply.

Another way would be to run 120V down the wire.  At that voltage, 200W is only 1.66A, which will transmit easily down 150' of 12 AWG.  Then, have local 12/24V supplies at each lamp or group of lamps.  12 or 14 AWG is fine for 12V if it isn't going very far.

P.S. if you think this is tough, try the guy who puts his 900-watt windmill 500' from his house. And wants to make 12V to charge batteries. 900W at 12V is 75 amps.  Go punch that into a voltage drop calculator and see what happens.  Upshot: they don't make wire thick enough! 12V is really hard to carry a distance. That's why AC won the war of the currents.


Adding an additional fixture to an existing three way switch Box one.
I'm doing a remodel and want to add a fixture to an existing three way, it would be a ton of work to reach the existing fixture or the three way switch that has the power supply in it's box.
My question is can I, or how do I add a fixture off the other switch location.
This is the exiting switch configuration. I want to add a light fixture off the switch on the right.

You can't.  Not with steam switches.
You will need to switcheroonie over to "smart switches" for this to work.
You will need smart switches that communicate either wirelessly or via powerline signaling. You won't have ANY spare traveler wires.
On the inter-switch 3-way cable, you will reassign all 3 wires to new jobs, which will be obvious.

White = neutral (smart switch and lamp need this)
Black = always-hot (hot at all times, the smart switch needs this)
Red = switched-hot (hot when the lamp is on)

Both lamp hots get attached to the switched-hot wire.
Both lamp neutrals get attached to neutral obviously.
One of the smart switches attaches to always-hot, switched-hot and neutral.
The other smart-switch attaches to always-hot and neutral.
Often the layout of the 3-way circuit dictates where the master must be - but not this time. You can have the master in either location here.


How can I extend an offset toilet flange when tiling? I am about to tile a bathroom floor. I was dry-fitting some concrete board when I realized I don't know how the toilet will reconnect once the floor is higher.

The old floor was a thin layer of vinyl adhered directly to the subfloor. The new floor will be roughly 1/8" thinset mortar + 1/4" concrete board + 1/8" thinset mortar + 1/4" tile. So almost 3/4" higher than the old floor.

The PVC toilet pipe is 4" interior, 5.25" exterior.

The bad news: it's an offset, something like this.

It had a broken metal flange permanently attached to it. I have already broken away the flange.

It looks like people who are tiling usually do one of two things. Sometimes they leave the old flange on the sub-floor, and use some extension system like Set-Rite to raise the height to a second flange.

Alternatively, they just install a flange on top of the tile, and some sort of gasketed pipe descends into the old, lower 4" PVC pipe.

But what about the offset? Because of it's angled, funnel-like shape, I can't just run another pipe into it, can I?

I feel like I should cut the PVC below the subfloor, and reinstall a new offset valve higher than the old one. But space is cramped beneath the floor, and I'm afraid I'll make things worse.

I saw some videos online about separating PVC with extreme heat, but I'm afraid of igniting my house or sewer gases (I have a septic tank) or both. I have minimal PVC experience.

What you are looking for is a riser also called extension flange. But considering you are able to get to the pipe below - you could just extend it to what you need, but cramped space and a crappy job - and possibly not being able to seal it properly well - could be really ...

Humor aside take a look at the links here I think you will find it to be easier.

I do believe they make spacer flanges in @ 1/2 and 3/4 inch increment.

See this link Extension Flange

There is more detailed information provided here for 4 options but extenders and spacers are straight forward and simple.


Which subcontractor installs 2" foam board at footings and on poured walls? Please, which sub installs the 2" foam board (northern climate) on footings and the poured concrete basement walls?  excavator, or cement contractor, insulation contractor or ?

Hubby and I are going to build a new house and want to know who to ask to do that part.

The concrete contractor does, it goes in over the gravel bed and under the poly moisture barrier and reinforcing wire or rebar. There also needs to be foam at the edge of the floor slab to create a thermal break between the foundation wall and floor slab.

Depending on your conditions, you may need drain tile under the slab too.


How do I remove this type of screw/nail (Cadet Heater FWC wall can) I am a newbie. I want to remove Cadet Heater wall can and patch up the drywall but it appears that the wall can is secured by 4 round flat screws on the side. I tried pliers but it's small and round so there is nothing to grab onto. What tool can I use to remove this stubborn wall can?

It is more than likely that those are large nails into the framing lumber to the side of the heater housing.

There would be a number of ways to remove those.

Use a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel to cut the head off the nail. Then you can use a nail set or punch to drive the remaining body of the nail further into the side stud to allow the housing to be removed.

Use a pry bar that has a nail puller slot. Pound that in under the nail head to get it to start coming out. It may be necessary to use a hammer and pound the metal near the nail head toward the side to free up just a little space under the nail head to let the pry bar get a bite.

A small to medium cold chisel and a sledge hammer can be used to chop the head off the nail. It is possible that the cold chisel may start to draw the nail out just enough that you could then remove it with the pry bar.

I am not promoting any particular brand of tools here. Just ones I've had good luck with working on this type of problem.


Can an interior wall be built over an existing heat/air vent allowing air in both rooms I am looking to build an interior wall in my master bedroom to creat a walk in closet.  The best placement for the wall hits directly in the center of a current heat/air

You want to make a closet in your master bedroom , to me that is a non load bearing wall(s). This won’t be hard you just cut the bottom plate where the vent hits and move it up a foot or so. Then a wall register on each side provides the same amount of heat or possible slightly more flow because of less restriction.
I put vents in large closets to help keep air movement and reduce the chance of mold and mildew in the closet. You don’t have to duct up to the vents as these are interior walls but I would seal that short stud bay at the bottom and top to keep the air directed in the bedroom closet area.


Restrictions on 45 on bottom of vertical Drain Main I'm getting ready to install a vertical 4" pipe to serve an upstairs bathroom and vent to the roof.  At the bottom, in the basement, I want to install 2 45 degree bends to get from the wall out into the middle of the basement.

Are there any restrictions on using a 45 at the middle of the stack or how long it can be?  I'd like to run 45 degrees for 16" then go to horizontal for a few feet before dropping the rest of the way to the basement floor.

2018 IPC states: (assuming you are under IPC code?)

SECTION 704 DRAINAGE PIPING INSTALLATION
704.1   Slope   of   horizontal   drainage   piping.  Horizontal drainage piping shall be installed in uniform alignment at uniform slopes. The slope of a horizontal drainage pipe shall be not less than that indicated in Table 704.1 except that where the  drainage piping is upstream of a  grease  interceptor,  the slope of the piping shall be not less than 1/4 inch per foot (2-percent slope).

TABLE 704.1 SLOPE OF HORIZONTAL DRAINAGE PIPE
(<2.5": 1/4" per foot)
(3-6" pipe: 1/8" per foot)
(>=8": 1/16" per foot)

a.  Slopes  for  piping  draining  to  a  grease  interceptor  shall  comply  with Section 704.1.

704.3 Connections to offsets and bases of stacks. Horizontal branches  shall  connect  to  the  bases  of  stacks  at  a  point located  not  less  than  10  times  the  diameter  of  the  drainage stack  downstream  from  the  stack.  Horizontal  branches  shall connect to horizontal stack offsets at a point located not less than 10 times the diameter of the drainage stack downstream from the upper stack."

You can search the IPC for other details here:
https://www.ci.independence.mo.us/userdocs/ComDev/2018%20INTL%20PLUMBING%20CODE.pdf


How do I repair a broken wooden door jamb? Is there a cheap and simple way to repair this damaged bedroom door jamb? The result should look nice, but need not be very strong.

Click any image for full size

First of all, some terminology.

What you want to replace is called the JAMB.

You can either replace the whole thing (prefered) or try and fit a smaller piece in to fix the broken area.

With a utility knife, score the paint on both sides of the STOP (The thin piece that stops the door when it is closed.

Pry it off with a small prybar, slot screw driver or whatever you can wedge underneath.

Remove the casing (The moulding, attached to the drywall surrounding the door and threshold if there is one)

Now you can get to the jamb.

Remove the jamb, and go to your lumberyard and get a piece of pine that approximates it in dimensions.  You'll probably have to have it planed to the right thickness, but you just might get lucky.  For about $1.00 a cut, you can usually get them to cut it to the appropriate width. Length you can handle yourself, even if you need to use hand tools. (Although, depending as to how the latch jamb connects to the upper jamb, you may need to mitre the end.

Now you replace the jamb, Nailing it where the stop will cover the nails, and chisel out the mortise for the catch plate.  You can usually just drill the holes for the bolt.

Replace the other pieces you took off with new nails.  -- TIP: Don't try and pry out the old nails from the head.  Grab them in a pair of vise-grips and pull the heads right through the molding.  It's a lot easier.

Paint.

You could also, instead of replacing the entire jamb, cut out the damaged section, and replace it with new, butting everything together.  However, even with careful sanding and gap filling, you will see the horizontal lines where it's joined.


Is it possible to get a magnetic mount to attach to my aluminum tablesaw base? I want to use a magnetic base and precision deflection meter with my tablesaw, which has aluminum instead of cast iron table, which means it is not a magnet-friendly material.  I'm wondering if anyone has ever succeed doing something like mounting rare earth magnets to the underside of their aluminum tablesaw deck, to get a magnetic attachment to work, or if they have found an alternative to precisely measure a tiny movement of the tablesaw fence that works for them?

I want to be able to do things, which might be IMPOSSIBLE with a portable-aluminum saw:  I saw a guy on youtube using one to reduce the size of his workpiece by a small amount. I want to be able to remove a small amount of material from a workpiece that is, say a few thousandths of an inch too wide.

I suspect from the comments that using a precision magnetic deflection meter is an exercise in futility in a saw like mine (Bosch 4100-09)

I'd suggest clamping a piece of steel in place temporarily -- or using a meter which references from one of the miter gauge slots -- or combining the two by getting a piece of steel made to fit comfortably in the miter gauge slot.

(I have a plastic fitting which lets me use a micrometer that way. I think I paid $10 for it at a woodworking supply shop.)


What is cinderblock? I live in the UK and have never heard of cinderblock, what is it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinderblock - easy way to describe this one. They're just concrete blocks that stack together (much like legos). They're held together with mortar like bricks. They're very common for foundation work in the US.


Abandoning wire in attic space I'm in the US, and I have three recessed lights daisy-chained from a switch, and I want to take the last one (#3) out of service. I'm lowering the ceiling in this area, so converting it to a junction box is not really an option. The inspector also made it clear that simply capping off the (energized) wires in this new void space is not allowable.

Each fixture has a built-in junction box. #2's box has the line coming in from #1, and another wire going to #3, all connected with wire nuts in the box. In box #2, I've disconnected the wire going to #3, wired everything back up and verified that #1 and #2 work and that the wires going to #3 are cold.

That leaves me with dead wire from a dead fixture (#3) going into a live junction box at #2. What more do I need to do? Can I cap off the now-dead wires in box #2 and leave everything in place?

As far as I know there is no code saying you cannot leave de-energized wires anywhere you want to. When the inspector said that "capping off the wires in this new void space is not allowable" he probably said it with the assumption that they would still be energized. I think it would still be responsible to label them with a tag saying something like "dead circuit, do not energize".

If I'm wrong then the Sparkys on this forum will surely correct me.


"Walk/Don't Walk" street sign wired into bathroom light I have a game room type area that has it's own bathroom.  Above the door to the bathroom I would like to place one of those "Walk/Don't Walk" street signs.  I would like the "Don't Walk" to be wired so that it comes on with the light in the bathroom.  I would like the "Walk" to come on when the light in the bathroom goes off.  I was thinking a two way switch could do this ... but now I'm thinking that it wouldn't work.  Do you know which kind of switch I would need?

A 2 ways switch should totally do it:

wire the common of the switch with the line cable
wire one of the switch ways to the bathroom light and the don't walk light
wire the other switch way to the walk light
wire all lights second wire to the neutral cable
if your walk/don't walk sign has a metal frame, wire it to the protective earth cable

Just ensure that:

the bathroom light and don't walk light are connected in parallel, not in series
your 2 ways switch is graded for the sum of your two lights (look at the number of watts on the bulbs)

You may want to add a second switch somewhere so the walk sign won't stay on 24/7 while the gaming room is empty (perhaps wiring everything to the main light switch off the gaming room?)

EDIT: I should add that, since it implies live electric current, YOU SHOULD HAVE A FULLY QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL CHECKING YOUR DESIGN BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, and CHECKING WHAT YOU'VE DONE BEFORE ANY CONNECTION TO YOUR POWER GRID! (depending where you live, this may be mandatory by law; if it's not, you should still do it)

Or in other words, you do as you want, but I'm not responsible if anything goes wrong after you followed instruction from "some guy on the internet".


How to clean cooling fins on already installed AC unit? I just installed my window AC unit and then opened it up to discover that the cooling fins have quite a bit of dust caked on it.  The dust looks sort of like papier mache and is sticking to the fins (a vacuum isn't pulling most of the dust off).  I think this happened last year when I wasn't able to clean the filter soon enough and a lot of dust got through and got stuck to the condensation on the fins.

How can I clean this without removing my AC unit?  Because of some undesirable features of the windows in my apartment, taking out and putting back in the AC unit is quite a laborious and time-consuming process.  I've used foam cleaner before, but only when the AC units weren't installed so that I could hose them down.  Are there foam cleaners I can use on an installed unit without making a mess?

I will usually use a cheap paint brush to work the dirt loose then use the vacuum. You may need to cut the bristles down to make the brush stiffer. They do make no rinse coil cleaner but usually only commercially available. Garden type air sprayers work well for rinsing the coil without making a mess. The coil should drain to the outside if it is installed right.


Terminating unused wire in breaker box I have an unused wire that used to be hooked up to the dryer breaker that is "hanging" in the breaker box. What is the correct way to terminate this wire? I don't want to cut it in case we want to use it in the future and I cant pull it out of the box because its ground wire is wrapped around all the other ground wires making it a pain to extract.

Thanks!

Leave the wire in place and Mark it for future use. The wire nuts are ok but I usually tape them on as a single wire can sometimes fall off.


Can uneven ACQ treatment be corrected on decorative objects? I bought some "pineapple" post caps made of treated pine. When they arrived, I was taken aback to see, rather than an overall greenish tinge, splotches and patches of green. As my plan has been to leave these unstained, I will probably have to send them back-- unless someone knows how to "fix" this problem? Additionally, what caused these caps to look like they have green splotchy paint on them?

Fresh Alkaline Copper Quaternary(ACQ) treatment leaves the wood very wet.  In a month of dry conditions (in the sun), they will dry out and be much less splotchy.  The green will eventually be gone, going to gray in 12-18 months.

I know you didn't want to stain, but consider a light 'cedar' tone to even things out, until the green fades.

Once dry (3-5 weeks), you can stain for a more even color (water or oil based, )

Part of the unevenness comes from a mix of end grain (very absorptive), face grain and knots (non absorptive).  Pre-treatment of the end grain (usually at the top of turnings) with a sanding sealer (25% finish, 75% solvent) will help the stain finish evenly.


Upgrade to Smart Switch for a Post Light? Our old (circa 1970) house has a post light out front. The switch is in an inconvenient location and is thus never used, so I thought I'd drop in a smart switch - a Belkin Wemo, in this case - to replace the old one and just put it on a sundown timer.

Here's the old switch:

Only one of the switches on there was actually active.

Per usual with this old house, all three of the wires connected to that switch were black so I have no idea which any of the wires were. The only one I marked with blue painter's tape was the the third switch which was screwed on below the other two, which were attached opposite each other up top.

Through the usual trial and error I have found two configurations which will power the smart switch on - basically swapping the "load" and "power" lines on the Wemo switch.

My problem is that neither configuration will light the bulb on the post light up. The LED bulb we had out there, which worked fine on the old switch, flickers on and off faintly. A halogen bulb I swapped in didn't light up at all.

So I'm not really sure how to proceed. I'm familiar with lights that either light up or don't, but a light that is sort of on but not really is a new one for me.

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. In case it makes any difference or would be useful, I do have a continuity tester.

Always use logic to solve electrical problems.  Uninformed trial and error will lead you to many combinations which will "work" but create a lethal condition, either immediately or by breaking the redundancy that keeps electrical safe, so a trivial/routine failure elsewhere that shouldn't create a hazard, now does.  The fact that you are connecting a switch white to a wall black says you should not be making guesses.

With 3 wires on a dual switch, one wire is "common" to both switches (and is typically supply, so it is always-hot).  This is identifyable from the labeling or obvious connecting metal on the old switch.

The other two wires are the switched-hots going to one light or another.

Now, since one of your switches "does nothing", the switched-hot wire associated with that switch can be eliminated.  It should be capped off, on the off-chance it is being backfed somewhere, and so it doesn't accidentally come in contact with a hot screw.

That leaves 2 wires.  One is always-hot, the other is switched-hot to the lamp.

However, the fact that the smart switch has a white pigtail tells us important things.  UL forces them to use certain colors for certain things:

Green, yellow-green or bare for ground
White or gray for neutral

Since the manufacturer could have easily used any wire color, we may infer the green wire MUST be safety ground, and the white wire MUST be neutral.  You must consult the instructions to see if those connections are mandatory.

Just like pesticide use, use of the equipment according to instructions is mandatory by law.

Grounds should be connected first, for perception reasons.  In the event of a wiring issue, this makes you focus on the actual wiring problem, instead of erroneously blaming the ground for failing somehow (not likely).  All grounds go together.

Neutrals connect only to that same circuit's neutral, not any other circuits'. This is usually straightforward if neutral is present.  Neutral will be present here.

Now we have narrowed this down to 2 wires from the wall and 2 wires from the switch.  Since all wires are hot, and the job of a switch is to connect them or not, experimentation is not harmful.  However a simple voltage tester will tell us the hot wire, and the switch's instructions will tell us the hot wire (coughblackcough).


Why would the condensing unit fan shut off but not the compressor? We have an allegiance 12 unit circa 2001, model 7a2024a100a3, the fan starts up and runs for about 5 minutes then shuts off, the compressor is still on and seems to build up a bit the "flush" or so it sounds, then build up again. I can turn the fan blades manually. When the fan stops we get warm air in house, when it runs it is cold.

Any help is appreciated

It fires up fine and then cycles through the fan working and not working [while the compressor is still on].

If it's NOT the capacitor, then the fan motor is kicking out on over heat via its integral thermal overload. You need a new fan motor (save the blades from the old one).

I don't bother with testing capacitors. Both fan and cap get swapped out on a 14yo unit. If it can start and run for a while, I highly doubt it's the cap, but you should replace that $5 item regardless. The bearings on the motor may be fine but that doesn't mean the windings are ok (failed windings will lead to thermal overload even though it 'works').

Most integral overload sensors reset themselves. That's why it comes and goes every five minutes.


Asbestos? In plaster? so we were taking down the plaster in our downstairs bathroom to put a sink as there was some previous damage and we got a bit doubtful about if it’s normal plaster or asbestos cement plaster or some sort.
we aren’t experienced at all with what’s asbestos and what’s not but we found some random website and sent them some pictures over text.
they said this is 99% asbestos (cement based) and said it’s £700 to come out and take samples then if it is they’ll have to do a full cleanup.
is this typical?
I don’t know if people can actually tell what’s asbestos and what isn’t but here are the pictures... any advice would be appreciated.
the house was built in the late 1950s.

We are based in the UK

sent them some pictures over text... they said this is 99% asbestos...

Immediately throw away the phone number and email address of this company because what they told you is poppycock. Without a lab analysis nobody can say whether or not that plaster contains asbestos, and certainly not what percent/volume or weight.
I have met insulation specialists, who work with various legacy materials on a daily basis, who have correctly predicted materials that were ACM (asbestos containing materials) but they will never wager on it and they certainly can't analyze content percentage by sight/feel/touch/smell/taste... it requires lab analysis.
While I agree with a comment that advised minimizing exposure, I disagree with a comparison to radiation. Asbestos is never acutely hazardous (as some types of radiation exposure are), but rather a chronic issue. In fact, the chief concern with asbestos is with repeated occupational exposure.


How should I connect a chandelier from France? I purchased a chandelier from France. The 3 wires are blue, yellow and brown, rather than the standard black, white, and ground.  How should I connect them?

If the device was wired using French conventions, the ground is yellow, blue is the neutral wire, and brown is the live wire (ref).

That said, the ground should be apparent by inspection.  Look at where the yellow (or green and yellow) wire goes.  It surely is attached directly to metal on the chandelier.

As for the other two wires, it doesn't matter electrically which is which:  a/c (alternating current) works forwards and backwards the same.  :-)  For electrical safety reasons, it is best to get them right.  That way if one unscrews a bulb while power is applied, it is harder to get a shock:  The power will be at the bottom of the socket.  With neutral and live reversed, the sides of the socket is energized relative to ground, so a casual bulb-swapper could get shocked.


How can I set up a removable stair railing? I need to install a handrail on a set of interior stairs.  I also need to be able to remove the handrail and balusters so that furniture can be taken up those stairs because of limited clearance. how can i attach the handrail and balusters to the upper and lower newel posts so that they are removable?

It looks similar to this except the knee wall meets the ceiling at the upper end:

After consultation with my master-carpenter-looking-over-my-shoulder, Dan, the following solution was arrived at:

1.The newel post - built up from 1x3 clear oak boards glued together. Two are full length, one is beveled (before gluing) to sit on top of angled knee wall. Attached by two lag bolts at base and one lag bolt into handrail.

2.Base - shoerail molding (with trough cut out to hold balusters)

runs up the angled knee wall. The shoerail is cut into two sections directly below the spot where the handrail meets the ceiling. This will allow the railing to be separated into an upper section, bounded by the base and top rail, and a lower section, bounded by the base and handrail. It is attached with 1 screw in the middle of the upper section between two balusters. The lower section is attached with two screws, also inserted between balusters.

3.Top - shoerail is also used at the top in the same manner as the base. Two screws hold the top shoerail to the ceiling (screwed directly into studs at the ceiling/stairwell edge).

4.Handrail - Standard handrail (with trough) held in place at newel by one lag bolt and at ceiling by one long screw upward into stud.

5.Balusters - These are toenailed into base shoerail and top shoerail. For extra strength, blausters are glued before nailing (Nailholes will be covered by fillet pieces).

6.Fillets - these are the filler strips put into the shoerail moldings top and bottom to lock in the balusters. They are nailed into place after the balusters are inserted in the shoerial. The fillet peices that sit over the attachment screws, top and bottom, are not nailed in, but held by small recessed screws so that the can be taken out.

All nailing was done with an 18 gauge nailgun.

Removal involves

a) unbolting the newel post,

b) removing the newel post,

c)removing the fillet pieces covering the screw holes in the base and top shoerails,

d) removing the two screws holding the lower shoerail base in place,

e) removing the upper handrail screw at the ceiling,

f) removing the lower handrail/base/baluster assembly,

g) removing the two screws holding the top rail,

h) removing the screw holding the upper section of the base rail,

i) removing the upper top/base/bauster assembly.


Tree root coming through concrete under shed A tree root has broken through in the corner of my girlfriend's shed slab. It's under a wooden shelving unit from IKEA and one slat if the shelf has been pried loose by the root.

What can I do about the root? Do I have to move the whole shed? Redo the concrete surface? Or can I somehow deal with the root in place?

You are going to have to dig under that slab, find the root and cut it off. Repair the slab with extra thickness. Pray it goes somewhere else next. She is going to appreciate your effort.  Happy Digging.  P.


Altering The Depth of a Kitchen Cabinet The cabinets in our kitchen were installed just prior to us moving into the house.  The cabinet above the fridge is deeper than the other cabinets so that it protrudes over the fridge.  This would be fine if they had also used an end panel to enclose the fridge.  Installing an end panel is not an option as the counter top and backsplash would not allow it to lay flush.

So, I want to either alter the depth of the cabinet to be flush with the other cabinets or simply replace the cabinet.  Considering that a new cabinet would be in the $150 price range, would it even be worth it to try to alter the existing one?

Would I need to disassemble the whole cabinet and cut the boards individually or would it be possible to use a sawzall or something else to shallow out the cabinet before reassembling the back panel.

I would honestly cut the back off that cabinet.  Recreate the backing on it and hang it up again so it is flush with the others.  That is the easiest way and will look the best.

Procedure:

remove doors
remove cabinet from wall - unscrew
carefully measure depth of other cabinets and scribe that depth around the entire perimeter of cabinet in question
cutout piece with circular saw - dremel might help too
carefully removing backing pieces from cut part
recreate backing to ensure integrity of hang (take a photo so you do it right) - this is probably the only difficult step but remember you can make mistakes because not much is showing
screw back on wall - might need to shim it so it is perfect with current cabinets
put doors back on


How can I install a kitchen drawer with only one side and no front beam? I've got a set of IKEA cabinets that have a place for a drawer that's currently just a cover:

I'd like to install a drawer here, but there's only a full cabinet wall on the right side. The left is open, and goes deep to the left:

The top surface there seems to be the underside of the granite countertops, so I don't think I can mount anything directly into there?

In addition, there's no support beam across the middle in the front where a bottom drawer support might go:

My question is, what are my reasonable options here for installing a drawer here? I imagine any of them would involve adding at least one piece of wood for support, but I'm not sure where would provide the best support for the weight of a drawer. I see a few options:

Install a piece of wood along the side, from front beam to back wall.
Install a piece of wood across the front middle, between the left beam and right wall. Then install wood from the front to back for support.

That said, I've never done something like this before, so there may be more options. In addition to where to add support, what would be the proper method to install these additional pieces of wood? Screws? Brackets?

Undermounts are the standard of the industry these days and most models don't require a side wall to support the drawer. Here's a pdf from Accuride that shows the rear hook you'll need (See page 3, figure 9), although Blum, Hettich, etc. all have there own version. The drawer will have to be made to the specs of the slides you purchase which will mean some rather serious woodworking, a pre-built drawer from a supplier, or you can get a drawer system like this. Good Luck!


How to get my exterior door to close when the interior door is also shut? Air pressure problem. We have a new porch and new composite front door which fits well and shuts without difficulty when the inner door is open. If the inner door is shut, the outer door will not close without great difficulty and a lot of pulling and banging. This is putting a strain on the handle and so we have resorted to having to leave the inner door open to be able to leave the house. The inner door is not a particularly air tight. I removed the draught proof tape on the inner door, to see if an increased gap would help but no improvement. I do not want to put a hole in my new exterior door. Can anyone suggest anything that might help? We are planning to replace the inner door soon as the existing inner door is damaged, so if there's anything we might be able to do with this door please could you let me know? Any helpful suggestions appreciated

Before concentrating on an air pressure solution, I would eliminate two other possibilities:

The handles on the inner and outer doors are interfering very slightly with each other.  Check the height of each handle above the sill, and the spacing between the two doors when closed;
The act of closing the inner door distorts the door frame slightly, shifting the outer door from the "fits well" category to the "fits with great difficulty" category...


Floor joists connection to eaves Apologies if this is a duplicate.

I'm attempting to floor my loft space.  It currently has 47mm x 75mm ceiling joists, not enough for a floor.  I am going to add something like 47mm x 200mm along side each existing ceiling joist, resting on the existing brickwork.

I am not going to be sistering these together, the existing joists are old and already bowed.  I may perhaps bracket them together in the centre span to avoid any more sag on the old joists.  The old joists used to have vertical planks nailed to the rafters above to achieve this, but they have since degraded.

The problem I have is this: I have flush eaves, so the vertical space over the outer brick skin (at the eaves) is limited and certainly not enough to accommodate an 8 inch square joist end.  Are there any specialist joist extension plates (steel) I can use to rest on the brickwork, or is it safe to cut a triangle off the end of the joist without affecting the shearing resistance?

Extremely crude drawing:

Update: I have followed this question on here:

How do I fit a joist in this small space?

After reading the question and all the comments, I have to add a few things.

If in fact what you have are trusses not joists, then you need to know if they are load rated for a floor. Even if the space is only for storage, a rating of 60 to 80 pounds per sq ft is required. Storage can often become a heavier load that a person just walking on the floor.  Also if they are trusses, then the horizontal 2X4 or whatever is used is called a collar tie, not a joist. The key here is find the load bearing surface and size the new joists for the span. In this application with a limited support area will involve the height of the joist end supported. Often a ledger and post may be needed to bear the weight of the joist end. What is needed to really answer the question are accurate dimensions of vertical angle area above the supporting wall, span of the proposed floor etc.  The trusses in this question are probably designed to carry a roof load only, not a live load from a floor. Practically speaking, often sistered joists to collars will carry substantial loads, but the real question is how much and will they meet your local codes. A real concern is the fact that you have an existing ceiling, and any flex from weight above will effect it.

My advice is to get your facts, measurements, and a professional opinion together before you do anything. Photos would help, but without doing the span math etc., no one can give you a viable solution from the info we have.


Does a thin tandem 2x15amp breaker draw 15 or 30 amps for a panel load calculation? I've multiple thin tandem breakers in my new home, and I suspect the panel is overloaded.
Does a 2x15 amp thin tandem breaker add 30amps or 15amps for a panel load calculation? I suspect 30, but I want to make sure.

No.  The breakers have no effect whatsoever on the panel load calculation.
Because load calculations do not work that way.
Load calculations are based on house square footage and major electrical appliances.  Adding a Tesla EVSE has an effect.  Adding an addition has an effect.  Fewer vs more receptacle/lighting branch circuits has no effect.
Think about it. Suppose you buy a house and you find all the bedrooms and living room and outdoor outlets sharing 1 circuit.  However, the builder actually ran 7 homeruns for all these; they just landed them all on the same breaker.   It's an effortless job to split them all out, so you just get 6 more breakers. Now each has a breaker.  Did you change the load calculation on the house or panel?  Does the house now have more square footage? Did you add any major appliances?  No, not at all. It's the same house with the same loads.  There are just more breakers behind the loads.
Or, you build a house to NEC minimums with 1 recep circuit for all 3 bathrooms.  I build the same house, but because Harper, I wire 2 dedicated 20A circuits per bathroom.  Yours all fits in a 24-space panel, I installed dual 40s.  Our square footage and major appliances are identical.  Are our load calculations different? NO.

The only thing that double-stuff breaker is relevant to is stab limits.  That's 30A worth of stab load, so across from it can't be more than a 95A breaker if it's the usual 125A stab limit.


How can I cut the tiles outside of the cabinet? I want to replace the tiles in my kitchen but I don't want to redo all the cabinets.

Some tiles are partially underneath the cabinets, so I suppose I need to cut the portion exposed outside of the cabinets before peeling them off.

I am not even sure what's the materials of my "tiles"... they don't look like real tiles. They are kind of soft and appear to stick onto the floor.

Are there such tools?

You can just cut the tile off at the edge of the cabinet toe board and along cabinet ends. Particularly for vinyl tile as others have suggested. However keep in mind that when you come with new flooring that simply butts up to the edge of the cabinet toe board and along the ends of the cabinets you may then have to add some additional molding over the edge of the new flooring.

This molding would be necessary to hold down the edge of new flooring (particularly important if you are coming with new tile or single sheet vinyl) and it will cover the edge seam for aesthetics.


What is expectation for plumber doing finishing work in bathroom? Last year I worked out a fair price with my plumber to do all the rough-in plumbing for our basement build out that included rough in plumbing work to pass rough-in inspection and it included a return trip to do the finishing work before the final inspection.

I assumed this meant I would provide the fixtures/faucets/valves etc and he would install and hook it all up. When we spoke on the phone, he made it seem like he was expecting me to install all of the faucets and handles and he was simply going to be connecting their pipes to the bottom of the already in-place faucets/handles.

Is this the normal expectation, or should I be leaning on him to install the faucets and handles as well?

I thought this was a bit short but.
It should have been spelled out in the contract. A good price usually means the homeowner doing some of the easy stuff. So if it is not covered in the contract the good price was you doing some of the work.
As I have been a licensed and bonded contractor I may lean a bit to there side. But there are some real crooks out there and they need to be put out of business.
This sounds like a mis understanding, and I am sure he will do all the work for a few $ more.


Is it possible for the black wire to be hot but to create reverse polarity in a GFCI? Is it possible for a black wire to be hot, but to cause reverse polarity in a GFCI when it's connected to the brass screw?

A no-contact voltage tester shows that the black wire is hot. The white wire and ground wires do not trigger the voltage tester at all.

Yet, when I connect the black wire to the brass screw on a new GFCI receptacle, and the white wire to the silver screw, and the ground wire to green, the polarity is reversed. The no-contact tester shows that the large slot on the receptacle is hot, while the small slot does not trigger the tester.

I've tested with multiple GFCIs, so it's not a case of a bad receptacle.

Likewise, putting a different, LED contact tester across the white wire and ground wire will cause the tester to light up. Putting it across the black wire and ground wire does nothing.

How is this possible?

As I've said elsewhere on this site, I find no-contact voltage testers to be unreliable. I've seen both false positives and false negatives with mine, especially in the presence of multiple conductors, some of which are hot. The only thing I would use a no-contact voltage tester for is to confirm a condition I already know, and even then I would only use it to test if an entire circuit is live or not, not individual conductors.

If you are getting confusing readings, the first thing I would do is use a proper multimeter to get reliable voltages, then you can go from there.

But to answer your question: no, the GFCI should not be reversing the polarity of the circuit. Are you sure you're wiring up the GFCI correctly? Most (all?) GFCI outlets have different "LINE" and "LOAD" terminals, which are you using?


How do I safely and cleanly remove sealant from a plastic bath? I really need to replace the sealant around the bath, but I want to do a good job of removing the old stuff first.

The bath is a plastic one, and the walls are tiled.

What's the best way to get the old stuff off without leaving any residue or damage, so that fresh sealant can be applied?

You might have to resort to good old fashioned elbow grease.

The sealant should come off the tiles the easiest, both mechanically by scraping with a plastic edge - the flat edge of an adhesive spreader should be suitable, and if necessary chemically (though I'm not 100% certain what you can use) as the glazed surface will hard to damage.

The plastic bath might cause more problems. I'd start with rubbing or scraping with the plastic edge - but take a lot more care. Chemicals are more likely to damage the surface too. You could try using a plastic safe cleaner.


Replace handles/locks on Novoferm garage door We've got a Novoferm Canopy garage door, which has a plastic D-handle like this one:

(Photo taken from this site.)

While certainly functional, it's not very appealing visually.  The door itself is Rosewood and cheap plastic on it looks rather out-of-place.  I know I can get a different colour handle, but I'd like to get a brass handle/lock combination plate, something similar to this one:

(Photo taken from this site.)

Or maybe this one:

(Picture taken from this site.)

(I know these photos are for different type doors - they are for demonstration purposes only, to show what I am after.)

Yet, I can't find any handle specifically mentioning that they'd be compatible.  Does anyone know of any compatible handles/locks/etc that I could use to replace the handle the door came with?

I am comfortable with any required work - however there should be no visible holes left in the door.

In case somebody is looking to do the same... I contacted Novoferm - and they do have something similar to what I need.  They offered me the product below (the images are their original - and they apologised for the quality). It's a bit on the expensive side, but it's very similar to what I am looking for.

They quoted me the price of £75 plus £5.50 P&P.  Part number is 80349003.


What underlay is used for installing pool tiles Is it concrete? (i.e. cement and water)
Is it some kind of special caulk?
Is it something else?

You are going to use pool plaster to build up the area, modified thinset to apply the tiles and epoxy grout to grout the area.

Additional info -

Your pool will generally have a pool plaster for the "liner" (what you feel).  It could however have a ton of products - example is pebbletech - for this.  It really depends on how nice your pool is.   Pool plaster is generally made of concrete, sand, and quartz.  There are other combos and there is premade combos too.  If you are doing your whole pool then you can choose whatever you want - each will have their own characteristics.  If you have a question on this I would ask it on its own since you will get a lot of different views/help.

If you are doing patchwork then you will need to try to match up the characteristics of current "lining".  This will take practice/guesswork and maybe bringing in a little experience.

For the tile section at the top of the pool you generally want to buy tile that curve towards the pool bottom so there is a smooth transition or you will need to feather up to the tile area with a thicker amount of plaster (they sell very expensive "pool tile" for this).  This will create an indention to apply your thinset and tile.  And you will basically tile as you would a shower.

I would use a modified thinset that is best suited for the type of tile (a lot of pools use porcelain) you are using.  Note that under your tile should be sealed with pool plaster.  So the tile is really just decorative.  This is where there are differences in showers and pools.  Using tiles on the top ledge or steps in pools should be used to provide a nice surface/decorative - not as any sort of moisture barrier.

A lot of DIYers use "regular" porcelain/granite tile (I would not use marble or ceramic and I would make sure the porcelain I use has a low absorption rate) and can buy everything from a big box.  The hardest part is making sure the tile plus thinset depth is close to the depth of the adjoining plaster - for pool steps you don't have to worry about this.

And if you are replacing tile a lot of the stuff should be kind of set up for you.  You will damage some of the plaster when chipping out the old thinset.  You might have to make some repairs - I guess if the repairs are behind tile your plaster type is less important as long as it bonds.  Also you will need to match up the old tile thickness to the new tile thickness.  If you go with a new "thicker" tile it could create a lot of work because you may only have so much plaster you can get rid of before you hit the concrete base.  In general almost all pools with a tile layer on the top sides have a "lip".  You won't match it up exactly.  But you want to make sure that it isn't dangerous - as far as people scraping themselves.  And with a larger lip there is more upward force that could be put on the tile - causing more needed repairs down the road.


Where to get solid aluminum "battery" replacement cylinders? I once saw an ingenious setup while doing work for a state agency.  A contractor created a "black box" that contained a Canon camera in it for photographs that normally needed batteries in both it and the flash.  Instead they used solid aluminum cylinders that were crafted to be of identical size of AA and AAA batteries that then had nodes attached on one of the batteries so as to pass voltage on into the device through through a wire that was attached through a small hole drilled into the casing.

Ever since I saw this I realized just how much trouble I could save myself if I could find a handy source for these battery "replacements" and then just wire up the devices according to their electrical needs.  As a matter of fact, I've managed to do this for 9v rectangular batteries already with stock components.

I have quite a few devices that remain at fixed positions and so there's absolutely no reason to really use batteries in reality for them.

Any idea on where I could obtain such battery "plugs" vs having to go to a machine shop to have them turned out?

NOTE: The thought has crossed my mind about using aluminum foil or foil tape and just turning existing batteries into conduits without having to get solid battery shaped replacements, but I worry about corrosion and various other problems with leakage, etc. I don't know if covering the battery nodes with electrical tape to insulate them first would be enough to keep the battery from eventually decomposing, etc., but I have reservations here...

Why are you making them out of metal???   Make them out of wood.  Much easier to find a wood lathe than a metal lathe.

Just cut it about 2mm short on the active ends, predrill a small hole, sink 2 washers and a wood screw, and attach the wire between the washers. With screw, washers and wire, it's the same height as an AA.

Beware drywall and deck screws with insulating coatings.  Brass screws are a good choice.


Do I have to turn off "everything" when replacing thermostats? I am about to replace my two thermostats. There's a lot of switches on the "control panel" (litterally) for my heating system and I am not familiar with procedures and afraid to turn something off that won't come on again properly. Maybe I only need to turn some of it off? See picture below.

You should turn off the breaker/fuse that powers the furnace as you could accidentally short circuit the 24V transformer when installing the new thermostat.  If this ever did happen there is usually a 5A fuse on the circuit board you can replace.


Are directTV dishes energized in some way? Are directTV dishes usually energized in some way?

I was recently at my grandmothers house installing an over the air digital tv antenna. I decided to use the same coax cable that originally ran to her directTV dish.

I first unplugged the DirecTV receiver then checked other rooms in the house for receivers.

I then looked around for where the coax plugs entered the house.  The installer had drilled through the walls in each room and run the cable on the outside.

When I climbed the ladder to remove the old dish I was mildly, but quite irritatingly, shocked.  Any time i put my hand back on the bolt I continued to receive this mild shock.

I then went inside the house and turned off the main breaker.  Came back out and absolutely no shock.

Is this a symptom of a grounding problem of some type?  I have touched a live 120V lead before, and it was a SIGNIFICANTLY worse shock.

Any ideas?  Also let me know if this question should be retitled.

Yes, satellite dishes are frequently powered by DC current over the coax connection. The DC power comes from a "line power inserter" which will attach somewhere to the coax before it reaches the TV's. It may be a single connection or a splitter as well, but either design will connect to an outlet.

Edit: As others have mentioned in the comments below, the injector may also be built into your set top box.


How to verify that resistive load thermostat is dead I have an electric heater, connected to a resistive load thermostat (240V). Yesterday we found the thermostat apparently totally dead (display off, etc). I've checked the breaker, of course. (There is no battery in this type of thermostat.)
The thermostat is wired like this:

I have a decent multimeter. How can I verify that this is indeed a problem with the thermostat and not possibly with something else (ex. power supply, wiring to heater, or the heater itself). If it's relevant, the heater is a simple convection electric heater with no controls.
Thank you!
UPDATE: Finally, it turns out that the (certified!) electrician completely botched the wiring the heater itself. When I opened up that junction, the wire just popped right out. I connected it properly and securely, and the problem appears to be resolved.

I would test the system as follows:

Turn of power at the breaker/fuse box
Disconnect the two wirenuts going to the wires coming from the wall.
Directly connect together those two wires, using a wirenut.
Restore power at the breaker/fuse box.

If the heater comes on at full power, then the problem must be the thermostat. If the heater doesn't come on or at low power, then the problem is elsewhere. For example, if the heater element has failed open, then no power can flow and the thermostat would not get power.
After testing, be sure to disconnect power at the breaker/fuse box. Do not try to use the breaker as a switch as most are not rated to be operated many times.


How to lay heat cable (de-icing cable)? The issue I'm having is that ice builds up on the lower roof, creating a dam. The upper attic is double insulated, but is exposed to sun throughout the day. The lower roof (next to the sidewall) only sees sunlight for an hour or two very late in the day. So, the upper roof experiences some melt due to the sun and drops to the lower roof where it freezes creating a large dam against the sidewall. Eventually the ice backs up into the seams causing water entry into the interior.

Everything is insulated well, so I think I need to install de-icing cable along the upper edge, along the sidewall, and a bit at the bottom. See photo below - does this make sense, or is there a better way to lay it? Or are there other alternatives to avoid this issue?

My other consideration, is doing a piece of metal roofing (flashing) along the side wall, where the meltwater  falls on the lower roof.

Instead of cable, put a gutter on the upper roof with a down spout directing the runoff past the edge of the lower roof.


Does building insulation wear out and have to be replaced? First, a little back-story.  I've been having trouble with the air-conditioning system in my south-Texas apartment home for almost two months so far this summer.  The apartment manager has been sending their "A/C Certified" (the certification a whole separate thing to be skeptical about) technicians to my apartment.  On each occasion that a technician comes to my home, he wants to just glance at it and tell me there's nothing wrong in spite of my explanation.  I nearly have to poke him with a stick to get him to give it more than a cursory examination even after I explain that the indoor temperature tops 80 degree Fahrenheit every day.

However, one of the technicians observed that there was an area above the living room where the insulation above the ceiling is missing (I confirmed this observation), and so the apartment manager called for an outside contractor to come service it.

He came to my apartment and told me that not only was a section of insulation missing, but that all the insulation above my apartment was old and needed to be replaced.  I am very skeptical of this claim because I've never heard of such a thing, and also I never had any trouble with the temperature in the winter time.  The apartment manager has not had time to act upon his recommendation AFAIK, but it sounds to me like we're being taken for a ride.

I've never heard of such a thing as building insulation needing to be replaced when it reaches a certain age.  Personally, I've nearly given up hope on the situation and have begun making plans to move my family to a new home.

My question:

Therefore, my question: is building insulation a thing that wears out and must be replaced eventually in order for my apartment home to stay cool in the summertime?

Insulation will degrade over time. However, we're talking about decades, not months or even a few years. Even blown fiber or cellulose insulation should provide a good R-value for as long as the house is structurally sound; if you need to vacuum out and re-blow or re-lay insulation, chances are the house needs a LOT more work than that.

What is probably happening is exactly what BMitch said; keeping a place warm in the winter is easier than keeping it cool in summer. All the external heat sources such as solar gain that help you out in winter work against you in summer. Heat is also easy to come by; everything in your house that consumes electricity, natural gas, or food produces heat, by the second law of thermodynamics (no system in the universe can operate at 100% efficiency). Taking heat out of air is harder, because those same laws are now working counter to your goal, adding heat back in even to the system that is providing the cooling.

I'm from Texas, so I know a few things about heat. Here are some tips:

The best you can do with your average residential Freon evaporative system is about 30 degrees less than the outside air. The radiator in your exterior unit can, at its very best, only reduce the temperature of the compressed coolant to that of the outside air, then when the coolant is allowed to expand into a gas in your evaporator coil, the cooling effect of the state change produceas a delta of about 30*. So, if it's 105* outside, your best efforts inside will only get you to about 75*. Knowing that up front will allow you to adjust your expectations. You can go cooler than that, but most methods will require a second "piggyback" system that uses the air cooled by your main system to cool its compressor coil, which increases your energy cost per degree.
By the ideal gas laws, a given volume of air takes up less space and has lower pressure when cooled. This means your A/C, by taking a volume of warm air and cooling it, will give your house's interior a slightly lower air pressure than the outside, which will cause outside air to be drawn into the house anywhere it can get in. This makes a good weather seal, and keeping your doors and windows closed during the heat of the day, critical to keeping your house cool.
Anything that outside air can touch directly will conduct heat from the outdoors in. So, make sure every exterior surface of your home is well-insulated. Double-pane insulated windows can be an expensive retrofit, but they do quite a bit to help out in both summer and winter.
After the outside ambient air temperaure, solar gain is the next biggest source of heat gain in your house. Depending on the shade from trees around your house and the size of your windows, it may even be the primary concern. Solar screens on the outside of all windows are a must; without blocking out all light, they reduce the incoming infrared rays to drastically reduce solar gain. Horizontal blinds for windows and vertical blinds for patio and panel doors are also must-haves; in addition to blocking sunlight, they also give you a little R-value by trapping the air warmed by the windows between the window and the blind slats. Skylights look good and reduce your lighting bill, but they are designed to let in the sun, which lets in heat; consider a tint or screen. You can also make a removable radiant shade for windows you don't mind covering completely, by sandwiching a layer of aluminum foil between two layers of corrugated cardboard, with an appropriate decorative covering inside and out, then use some retaining brackets around the window frame to keep it against the glass. The foil, even behind the cardboard, will reflect heat back outside, without the tacky look of just plastering aluminum foil to the window, and the cardboard will give you a little R-value.
Stay low. Heat rises, so your upstairs will be warmer than your downstairs even if you have dual-zone HVAC. A lot of houses down here, especially newer ones, have the master bedroom on the first floor of a two- or three-story house, primarily for this benefit (it also helps the homeowners out as they get older; they can have the same two-story house they raised their kids in, without needing to climb stairs to get to bed).
You will be surprised how well a ceiling fan works to keep you cool even if the interior of your home is edging toward 80. The fan circulates air, which helps in two ways: it mixes the standing ait in the room with the air coming from the vents to provide a more consistent temperature throughout the room, and more importantly, the movement of air takes away the "heat bubble" that your body naturally builds around itself, and moves air against any sweat on your skin which speeds evaporation and cooling. However, it doesn't help much when you're out of the room, so only run the fans in rooms you're occupying.
Instead of fighting the sun over every inch of your home, consider using it to help you out. Solar water heaters and full-on solar generator panels use the free energy from the sun to lower the amount of energy you need to draw from your utilities. Because they soak up this energy, they also provide a little R-value over the areas they cover. They can be expensive though, and you'll have big expensive glass panels just waiting to be damaged in the next hailstorm; make sure your homeowners' insurance will cover solar panels in these cases.
Learn to acclimate yourself from season to season. Bumping up your thermostat to 76 vs 72 in summer, dressing cool and hydrating with cold drinks, just like setting it to 68 in the winter, boiling some tea and putting on a sweater, will save you more money than all these tips put together.


Insulation in the basement underneath of my fireplace I have a gas fireplace that bumps out from the side of the house. It is always been drafty and super cold in the winter, today I went down and pulled down the one piece of batt insulation that was there and there's about two foot Gap behind it, this was also the fact with the two rafters next to it, as well as a hole in the floor underneath the fire place and a hole in the side of the house where you can see siding. I assume there used to be a external vent for the different fireplace. So I did proceed to fill the void with fiberglass batt insulation and the two holes along with finishing all the rafters that whole side of my house which was missing some. Was it bad for me to have fiberglass insulation in this void under my fireplace?

These areas have always been notorious for being under insulated.  Filling the areas with fiberglass should be fine.  We spray foam the entire area under fireplace bump outs.  This keeps the drafts and cold weather out.


How to repair this torn gutter? I recently had a large truck back into the aluminum gutter on my garage and tear it open. What is the easiest way to repair this damage, please?

Replacing the whole gutter seems like overkill, but maybe attempting a patch is not feasible?

From the tear it looks like aluminum. I'd bend all the pieces back into the original shape and then fill in the cracks and skim coat the area with some J B Weld. This stuff works great. It can be sanded to smooth it out and then painted to match your gutter and is completely resistant to water.


Dishwasher doesn't remove all the soap My dishwasher cleans the cups and plates well, but it doesn't remove all the soap.  For example, If I pour water into a cup that was cleaned by the dishwasher than soap bubbles start to form.  I would say that there is a medium-small layer of soap on the cups and plates.  Also, I decreased the amount of soap from the recommended amount, but still no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix this?

General suggestions:

use powdered soaps (not liquid)
make sure you are using a rinse aid (jet-dry)
make sure you aren't using 'too much' soap
run the dishes through a cycle with vinegar added to the dishwasher
look on the dish soap aisle for some powered 'soap scum' removal powders that you can adde to the dish soap. It's often a citric-based product in powder form


How do I temporarily protect a flat roof until a permanent fix can be made? I recently discovered there's a corner of my flat roof that was poorly installed and has lead to a leak and some rotting. So far there are no signs of interior damage but it will likely be several weeks to a couple months until I can get a proper repair done.
Any thoughts on the best way to temporarily cover the problem area in a way that can be easily removed later?
I've considered getting some plastic sheeting and taping it to the vinyl siding, but I'm not sure what tape I could use that will stick and also not be a pain to get off.

You'll need some plastic sheeting (reinforced, ideally, as in a medium-weight tarp or mesh-embedded poly), and you'll need some lumber. 1x4s and 2x4s in eight- to twelve-foot lengths would be good. Even better if they roughly match the width of your sheeting roll or tarp.

Roll out a length of sheeting that's as long as the slope of your roof plus 6 feet.

At one end, roll a board into the sheeting for three wraps. Keep it neat and tight.

Lay another board over the wraps and screw it to the wrapped board, sandwiching the sheeting.

Do the same at the other end. The result should be leave you with the roof dimension plus about 16" between the wrapped boards.

Drape this assembly over the roof, with the lumber hanging off the high and low edges of the roof. It should be completely flat so as to not catch water anywhere. The dropped ends shouldn't be so long as to sway in the wind and cause damage or lift. Shorten the assembly if needed.

If needed, repeat this process and install additional runs with a 2-3 foot lap on the side.

Lay lumber down the edges of the runs, stapling from below to keep it from sliding off the roof. It's critical to keep the wind from lifting the edges. If that happens the whole thing becomes a parachute.
         <-- slope direction -->
      ___________________________________________ <---- lumber on edges
   __|___________________________________________|__    (stapled to sheet)
 _|  ---------------------------------------------  |_
| | |                       ^-- roof              | | |
|_| |<-- fascia or wall                           | |_| <-- wrapped lumber


Sticking a wooden frame to a mirror I have a bathroom that needs to be gutted and re-done, but for now it has a mirror attached to the wall and someone has stuck wood around it that is supposed to look like barn wood. It is very thin and finished on one side and gives the look of a frame around it, which improves the appearance even though it doesn't go with the house.

The problem is that the top board falls off. It is obvious that a previous owner has used wood glue to try to glue it up, but it has fallen down.

When company is coming, like this weekend, we typically use high adhesive duct tape and I make a loop like we did in grade school. I do this the length of the board and stick it to the mirror. For some reason, this has worked decreasingly over the last couple of years and now it will only hold for a couple of hours. (Maybe the age of the tape? Can't figure that out.)

Does anyone have a suggestion how I can attach this thing and keep it up so that it will look presentable until we get around to remodeling?

Clear silicone caulk or project adhesive (in marble-sized dabs at intervals--tape in place for 12 hours)
Double-sided foam mounting tape
Hot glue
Trim nails (into framing, not just drywall)


What is the right type of contractor to fix slightly damaged house siding corner Sorry if I'm using incorrect terminology.

A car slightly damaged a corner of the house siding and I'm not sure what type of contractor should take a look into that. I need to make sure that it's properly fixed and sealed so that the moisture doesn't build up inside in the future.

It looks like few new materials will be needed, so I would search for a recommended handyman in your area.

You could also call a siding and roofing contractor, but I would expect this to be much more expensive than a handyman.  If siding needed replacement, this would probably be less hassle.


Using a VESA mount across a 30" gap I'm considering mounting my TV in a location where there is ~30" between studs (because there's a window there).
Would it be okay to use a VESA mount such as
this one
across such a gap?
Or is it important to have screws in the studs near the point where the TV rests on the mount beam?

When in doubt, RTFM:
StarTech Low-Profile TV Wall Mount - Tilting Manual
Product dimensions page clearly shows min 300 mm to max 810 mm.
30" = 762mm
300 < 762 < 810
That works. You're good to go!
Oops. As pointed out by OP, that is for the VESA bracket. The wall bracket is actually wider than that, 985mm. You can't go all the way to the edge, but based on the diagram, the usable holes on the wall bracket are clearly wider than the 810mm of the VESA bracket. So that still works out OK.


Does a non-functional whole-house humidifier affect air quality in my home? I installed a Honeywell Humidifier 18 years ago and it was never cleaned and stopped working 10 years ago.

Does this non working humidifier affect the quality of the air in the winter? Should we clean it or replace it altogether?

If you've disconnected or turned off the water there should be no ill effects from an air quality standpoint.

One consideration is slightly reduced efficiency from obstruction of airflow. I don't recall how those things interfere with the duct, but if they protrude they could introduce very slight resistance to flow with no benefit.


Outlet inside a wall behind TV I purchased a TV for our bathroom remodel that is to be flush mounted in the wall - my question is can I install an outlet inside the wall to power the unit. It would be accessible if I lift the tv (it is gravity seated - no bolts - just lift it up to pull tv off wall).

So since code is that it must be accessible without demolition - would this be within code?

Here is a picture of what it looks like installed and a link to the install instructions which are vague at best.

[Watervue TV install][3]

Should be no problem, as long as the box and everything else is installed according to code. Since it's in the bathroom, GFCI protection is required.


Alternatives to signal on power for home automation systems (such as UBP) - low-voltage circuits, wireless...? I am kind of averse to using signal on power for home automation systems such as UBP as this seems to be shared with the outside world (I read somewhere that the signal can travel as far as the transformer and back).

What happens if my neighbour decided to use a similar system (I live in a very urban area)? Any possibility their system might interfere with mine? Any possibility an outsider could potentially take advantage of this?

Those questions prompt me to think that there have to be other kinds of systems out there. Such as alternative circuitry for controls (some low voltage thing, maybe even Ethernet, though that seems like overkill) or wireless systems (but again is this overkill?).

Any pointers to DIY resources or commercial solutions would be truly helpful.

X10 (and other power line communications) signals can travel back up to the transformer, and they can interfere with other systems which are connected to that same transformer.  You can purchase a "signal blocker" to prevent the signal from making it back up the line, but these will typically need to be installed in the breaker panel (which may or may not be DIY for you).

In general, most new home automation products use wireless transmission protocols.  There are several standards out there, but the main players are Insteon, Z-Wave, and Zigbee.  More or less, these options are very similar.  They are low power RF protocols, centered around a "mesh network" scheme.  All nodes can transmit and receive commands, and signals can be re-broadcast to other nodes which may be out of range of the original signal.

Insteon - This is a proprietary protocol, designed to address the shortcomings of X-10 Basically a hybrid between X-10 and a full wireless solution.  Signals are broadcast wirelessly, and also over the power line.  There is support in the protocol for data encryption, but in general it is not supported by the hardware.  Without the encryption, commands can be intercepted and spoofed by an attacker.  You also have the same powerline problems that are present in X-10.

Z-Wave - This is also a proprietary protocol, but is completely wireless.  There is no encryption of the transmitted data.

Zigbee - This is a standards based (IEEE 802.15.4-2003) wireless protocol.  It uses an encrypted communications channel to communicate between nodes (AES 128 bit).  Generally speaking, this is the most secure of the 3.

All of these protocols are relatively widespread, with several companies producing controllers and modules which support one (or more) of them.

Given that you seem to be concerned about the security of your automation system, I would likely choose either a Zigbee system or an X-10 system with a signal blocker installed.  The X-10 system will likely be cheaper, but depending on the hardware you purchase and your specific electrical setup, the system may or may not be completely reliable.


What is involved in bleeding air from a multi residential hot water baseboard heating system installed in 1965? Residents are complaining of banging in the hot water baseboard heating system in our multi-residential building built in 1965. How difficult/involved is it to bleed the pipes? Does it have to be done in each of the living units or can it be done at a central location?? Does this require a licensed plumber or could a Council member do it? Should bleeding be done as annual maintenance?

Bleeding a water based central heating system is a DIY job anyone can do.

Find the bleed valves and crack each one open a bit (only one at a time though you don't want flooding). You should be hearing a hiss as air is pushed out. At some point water will get pushed out, careful it can be hot if the system is on, which is your sign to shut the valve again. If the hissing stops (no air is getting pushed out any more) then that means the systems needs more water.

Air will tend to collect at high points in the line. If there is any thought put into the system those areas will have bleed valves. Your best bet is to bleed from all of them regularly (once a year is fine).


Is there such a thing as a DIY heat pump or mini split I wanted to ask this question to the community.

Is there a legal way to install a mini split or heat pump without having an EPA license? I have seen similar questions asked several times or questions on how to charge systems with the common answer stating a license is needed.

I am not asking about brands or “work arounds” but a legal way for a home owner to install their own heat pump / mini split system in the U.S.

Edit added
I figured I would leave this open until I can add a bounty (no correct answers yet) I am doing this for community knowledge as I just had a class on how to repair DIY installs (I do have universal 608 and 609 licenses) This is not a trick question , the EPA requires licenses to charge the line sets even on R410 but the no soldering is getting close , and I do mean NO EPA license required to set these split systems up that a home owner can do (ok electrical license may be required in some locations to connect the power) this may help others as I have said a license is required quite a few times

Yes, there is. The problem is that a mini-split is, after all, split.  That means the pipes between compressor and evaporator are custom fit and routed through your house.  Obviously, you can't fill the pipes until after they are fit.  So if the fluid is freon, yeah, you're gonna need a license.

However that's not the only way to do it.

Entire Freon cycle outside

In this scenario, we have a complete unit that sits on a pad outside. It contains all the Freon machinery, pre-filled from the factory.  It makes cold water, which is piped into your house and run through a radiator (one made to deal with condensate). Then the warm water goes back out to be chilled again.  You can have as many registers as you want.

This is called an "air to water heat pump system".

Instead of water, you use antifreeze, not for in-use times, but for the winter so you don't have to drain it.

Outside unit, containing all the freon. The inside unit is simple.

Split Freon cycle

This is the mini-split you are familiar with. Put the Freon condenser outside and the evaporator outside, with custom fit plumbing between carrying the freon. Freon must be added, so must be installed by pro's.

Entire Freon cycle inside

This is a factory-built box, with the Freon pre-charged, that sits inside the room being cooled.  The box gives cold air and hot water.  You plumb the hot water outside, let it cool through passive radiators, and return it to be heated again.

Science fiction? No, there's one of these 10 feet away from me right now.

These systems are called "water-sourced heat pumps". In a small residential system you would use antifreeze, so it doesn't break pipes in winter.

Inside unit, containing all the freon. The outside unit is simple. This thing is loud, by the way.

Most of these systems can actually reverse to be heat pumps.  In that case, when it is too cold outside for the heat pump to work, one choice is to bypass the outside radiator and run it through a fuel-fired water heater instead. That's cheaper than resistive electric "emergency heat".  Or you could interchange with groundwater, which is always at a moderate temperature.

Alternate refrigerants

Manufacturers are starting to tinker with "alternate" refrigerants, probably to get around the environmental hazard and licensure of CHC/FHC/CFC Freons. One promotes "environmentally friendly CO2"... amusing, but that actually is reasonable since it will be captured inside a coolant loop for the next 20 years, not emitted on a regular basis.

Amazingly, they're re-branding CO2 as R-744.  Next thing you know, they'll patent it and we'll have to pay a license fee to exhale!


Where ceiling meets wall. How do you complete drywall corners. Having issues with space between ceilings and walls.  Any suggestions or tips.

Use drywall corner bead for corners (embedded metal with tape, without tape, and nylon as well) because you might hit them and this protects the drywall corners. Use seam tape for the ceiling to wall. It will have a split down the middle where you can fold it in half. Cut your strip (I always go slightly longer then trim when the first layer is dry) fold in half, mud, press and smooth. Just like the seams between the drywall panels on the wall or ceiling.


How should a replacement outlet be wired? I have a non-GFI 15A kitchen electrical outlet that stopped working and I went to replace it, ground white and black where it should be, but dead.

I tested black wire and it reads 120. Is it possible it is daisy chained and needs to have both white and black attached on hot side separately?

I could have sworn, when I took old one out, each wire was connected to their respective side.

Please advise, thank you.

Since you measured 120v you probably have an open neutral. I find open wiring most often when back stabs are used. A back stab is the push in type of connection. I don’t like back stabs and think they should be illegal but have made many house payments fixing them. The problem is usually on the last working outlet or first non working outlet. Bathrooms and kitchens have this problem quite often other than that space heaters will usually cause the problem. It could be a broken wire or a wire that came out of the nut but that is rare compared to bad back stabs. Also don’t assume a non contact voltage tester is correct and you have 120v it could be a phantom voltage on a circuit that was turned off at the breaker. Note as others have said you had the wires correct with black wire on the brass colored screw , white wire on the silver screw and bare copper or green insulation going to the green screw. If you put white and black on the same side it would have tripped the breaker if the breaker was tripped you need to turn it fully off and then on to reset it.


remedying ceiling fan horror-show In the course of doing some other work, I came across this poor installation of a ceiling fan.  This was done when my house was originally wired by "professional" electricians, and presumably inspected under some version of the NEC, while being constructed in North Carolina in 1987-88.

As you can see, they simply lag-screwed the fan to the ceiling framing (a piece of 2x8 between two joists).   The fan canopy trim (removed for photo) encapsulated the wiring from underneath, but above it was directly exposed to the wood and virtually in contact with it.  A 14/3 cable was passed through a hole in the 2x8.

Obviously this is an egregious code violation and I must install a fan-rated ceiling box.  But I'm not sure how to connect the fan to the box.  Its mounting system is very different than the usual ball-and-socket system I've see in recent years.  A pin between two brackets (sticking up from the fan housing) holds a rubber bushing of sorts.  A u-bolt type thing (kinda like an upside-down "omega") wraps under that bushing and is lagged to the wood.

I could:

Just screw the u-bolt into the fan box as usual, except the spacing between the lag screws is 2-1/2" which won't match holes on any fan box of which I'm aware (probably will use Raco #295 "pancake" box).
Remove the fan, screw the box to the wood, and then re-attach the fan just as it was before, with the lag screws passing through holes I'd drill in the box.  I believe that with metal boxes it may be acceptable to have metal passing from the inside to the outside of the box.   OTOH, I'm making a modification to a listed box.
Hope the manufacturer can help me with an old-stock mounting bracket of some kind.   But the fan is 30+ years old.  It's one of those old Hunter ones with a heavy cast-iron housing, so I hate to simply replace it.

TL;DR: That is a Hunter Original Hanger Bracket, which consists of a rubber bushing and U bolt rocker assembly. Your option #2, drill box and attach through, is the correct installation: you just need a drillable box.

That hanger design is (a) meant to work with an outlet box and (b) to be mounted directly to the joist. Huh? How does this work? Here is an image of the original installation instruction:

Per those instructions, the installer is meant to drill through the box, attaching the lag screws into the joist behind the box. Modern boxes may not accommodate that drilling, but I believe an older Bell round box would work:

If you want this code compliant for today, you can't alter the box, so you can't install this as it was meant to be: thus replacing the fan is the only compliant choice. If you want something safer, but not modern code compliant, hunt down a vintage box or have one fabricated or "just make one work": the important points safety-wise are (a) getting the wires in a box and (b) securing the fan to the joist.

Those are solid fans. I would keep it if possible.

Note I am not affiliated with either of those eBay sellers linked to the images.


Handles without springs: strong door latches Our internal doors use old Edwardian door handles. However, the handles don't have a spring. The latch we have doesn't have enough strength to work the handle (they sag).

I've tried searching for "strong door latches", but this seems to focus on security and buying a more expensive latch at our local shop doesn't solve the issue either.

So what latch should I use when the handles do not have springs?

The key (no pun intended) phrase to search for is "double sprung". I couldn't find these latches at any of my local DIY stores, so I ordered online.


Will gfci receptacles trip before a gfci breaker on same circuit A 2nd floor bathroom I am remodeling has receptacles protected by gfci breaker in the panel which is in the basement.

A previous contractor put gfci receptacles at two locations over vanity.

Is there a good reason for having these receptacles gfci’d?  For example would the receptacle trip and prevent the breaker from tripping?

That may be nice since it would prevent a trek down 2 flights of stairs to reset it.

Is that sound reasoning?

Edit:  I double checked and the breaker is a gfci not an afci.

They'll both trip

Both GFCIs will see the ground fault and react the same way to it, snapping off at the same time.

When you go to reset the receptacle, it will be dead.  You will need to go down to the basement to reset the GFCI breaker, and then, the GFCI outlet will have a chance of being reset.

The contractor did it to correct a code violation

Bathrooms can use all sorts of outlets, but they must be GFCI protected.   A GFCI breaker is a perfectly fine way to do that.  However, any outlet protected by an upline device must have a sticker that says "GFCI Protected".

The home inspector came in and saw no GFCI device and no sticker, so wrote it up as a Code violation.  The seller or Realtor, in a rush to get the house sold, called in a contractor and said "Fix this!"

The mortal of the story is Put stickers on your GFCI receps.

A lot of moro^Htals believe that all GFCI devices are receptacles, and when someone says GFCI they mean receptacle.  So in their rush to fix it, the message got passed to the contractor "No GFCI in the bathroom, 2 receps" which the contractor took to mean "no GFCI receptacles". The contractor may not have been a qualified electrician who would have known better.  Or maybe the markup was just better on 2 GFCI receps than 2 stickers.

Regardless, they have played a "Yo dawg" joke on you.


Jenn Air dishwasher not circulating water properly Model JDB4000AWS dishwasher fills and cycles ok but the water does not circulate as it should and dishes are not clean. I removed and cleaned all of the interior parts down to the food chopper blade at the bottom and put it back together but it still doesn't work. I ran the field service test by pressing "Heavy Wash" 5 times and then start and that came back ok.

Here is what the User Guide has to say...

  Troubleshooting

  Spots and stains on dishes

  Spotting and filming on dishes

  Is your water hard, or is there a high mineral content in your water?
  Conditioning the final rinse water with a liquid rinse aid  helps
  eliminate spotting and filming. Keep the rinse aid  dispenser filled.
  Always use a high-temp option.  Is the water temperature too low? For
  best dishwashing results,  water should be 120°F (49°C) as it enters
  the dishwasher. Did you use the correct amount of effective detergent?
  Use  recommended dishwasher detergents only. Do not use less  than 1
  tbs (15 g) per load. Detergent must be fresh to be  effective. Heavy
  soil and/or hard water generally require extra  detergent.

  Silica film or etching (silica film is a milky, rainbow-colored deposit; etching is a cloudy film)

  Sometimes there is a water/chemical reaction with certain  types of
  glassware. This is usually caused by some  combination of soft or
  softened water, alkaline washing  solutions, insufficient rinsing,
  overloading the dishwasher, and  the heat of drying. It might not be
  possible to avoid the  problem, except by hand washing.  To slow this
  process use a minimum amount of detergent but  not less than 1 tbs (15
  g) per load. Use a liquid rinse aid and  underload the dishwasher to
  allow thorough rinsing. Silica film  and etching are permanent and
  cannot be removed.

  White spots on cookware with nonstick finish

  Has the dishwasher detergent removed cookware seasoning?  Reseason
  cookware after washing it in the dishwasher.

  Brown stains on dishes and dishwasher interior

  Does your water have high iron content? Rewash dishes using  1-3 tsp
  (5-15 mL) of citric acid crystals added to the main wash  section of
  the detergent dispenser. Do not use detergent.  Follow with a Normal
  wash cycle with detergent. If treatment is  needed more often than
  every other month, the installation of  an iron removal unit is
  recommended.

  Black or gray marks on dishes

  Are aluminum items rubbing dishes during washing?  Disposable aluminum
  items can break down in the dishwasher  and cause marking. Hand wash
  these items. Remove  aluminum markings by using a mild abrasive
  cleaner.

  Orange stains on plastic dishes or dishwasher interior

  Are large amounts of tomato-based foods on dishes placed in  the
  dishwasher? It may be necessary to use a stain removal  product to
  remove stains from your dishwasher. Stains will not  affect dishwasher
  performance

  Dishes are not completely clean

  Food soil left on the dishes

  Is the dishwasher loaded correctly?  Can the spray arm rotate freely?
  Did you choose the cycle that describes the most difficult soil in
  your dishwasher? If you have some items with heavier soils,  use a
  heavier cycle. Did you use the correct amount of fresh detergent? Use
  recommended dishwasher detergents only. Do not use less  than 1 tbs
  (15 g) per load. Detergent must be fresh to be  effective. Heavy soil
  and/or hard water generally require extra  detergent. Is detergent
  still in the detergent cup? Use fresh detergent only.  Do not block
  the detergent dispenser. Is the water temperature too low? For best
  dishwashing results,  water should be 120°F (49°C) as it enters the
  dishwasher.

  Dish Washer Care

  Cleaning the Dishwasher

  Clean the exterior of the dishwasher with a soft, damp cloth and
  mild detergent. If your dishwasher has a stainless steel exterior, a
  stainless steel cleaner is recommended.

  NOTE: Do not clean the dishwasher interior until it has cooled.

  Clean the interior of the dishwasher, with a paste of powdered
  dishwasher detergent and water or use liquid dishwasher detergent
  on a damp sponge to clean the cooled-down interior.
  A white vinegar rinse may remove white spots and film. Vinegar is
  an acid, and using it too often could damage your dishwasher.
  Put 2 cups (500 mL) white vinegar in a glass or dishwasher-safe
  measuring cup on the bottom rack. Run the dishwasher through a
  complete washing cycle using an air-dry or an energy-saving dry
  option. Do not use detergent. Vinegar will mix with the wash water

  Periodically clean the coarse
  filter cup located on the floor of
  the dishwasher drawer. Remove
  collected particles from the
  coarse filter cup.

  IMPORTANT: Do not start the
  dishwasher until the coarse filter
  cup is securely in place and
  flush with the coarse filter plate.
  Doing so may damage the
  dishwasher motor and/or spray
  arm.

  Cleaning the Coarse Filter Cup

  Pull drawer out to its full extension. Remove rack inserts from
  rack and set aside.
  To remove the coarse filter cup, unscrew the small cap, turning
  in a counterclockwise motion. Lift and remove the coarse filter
  cup out of the drawer.
  Empty the cup of hard objects and food soil. Rinse cup under
  hot water.
  Place the coarse filter cup back into the coarse filter plate and
  tighten the cap, turning in a clockwise motion. Make sure the
  coarse filter cup is flush with the coarse filter plate.
  Replace the rack inserts.
  Make sure spray arm rotates freely

  If you have a drain air gap,
  check and clean it if the
  dishwasher isn't draining
  well.

Have you tried all of this?

Is the dishwasher draining properly?

You might want to make a call to technical support, or a local appliance repair person.


Proper subfloor for hardwood in a renovation I'm doing some work on the 2nd floor of a 1955 cape.  The subfloor is 3/4" tongue and groove planks and there are 3/4" (maybe 5/8") fir plywood sheets installed over that.  The sheets are... odd... They are a strange size (not 4x8), a couple look like they were stolen from the green monster, and they are very squeaky which I think is because they are very tightly butted against each other.

The room is very short already and I wanted to gain back as much height as possible by removing the plywood and installing hardwood over the planks instead.  The planks under this sub-floor seem to be in good condition.  They have minimal cupping.  But some are installed a bit far apart from one another, and they are oriented the same direction that I want to lay the hardwood.

So here are the restrictions:

I want as much ceiling height as possible.
I want to install the hardwood the same direction as the planks
I don't want to the floor to be as squeaky as it is.

So, should I:

Just keep this floor and install hardwood over it (since I likely need some plywood subfloor anyway because of the orientation problem).

Would using deck screws get rid of the squeaking, or is the problem because the sheets are installed too close to one another?

If I remove the floor and install something else, can I use something thinner since I already have a strong subfloor (the planks)?
Is it really a big deal to install hardwood over planks running in the same direction?

I would not install the hardwood flooring directly to the 3/4" sub flooring. (BTW at just 3/4" thickness that subfloor is made of boards and not planks as you indicate). A board subfloor is not, in my opinion, sturdy enough to result in a solid floor nor does it provide a decent hold for the flooring nails.

Even if the subfloor was satisfactory you do not want to lay down the new flooring in the same direction as the subfloor. One particular reason being is that any changes in those subfloor boards (cupping) will telegraph right through to the new flooring boards above. Another reason is that a nail row for the parallel flooring can land right on the space between the subfloor boards and have virtually no retention.

You did not indicate how thick your new hardwood flooring will be but if it is some of the newfangled type of engineered material that is not very thick you have all the more reason to not install directly on that board subfloor.

I installed 3/4" tongue and groove hardwood flooring on top of quality 5/8" plywood that was in turn installed over 1 1/2" tongue and groove subfloor planking. The plywood was screwed down using decking screws every 5 inches across the sheets and every 4 inches at the seams. The hardwood flooring was fastened down with hardened spiral flooring nails that were 2" long and pre-drilled through the tongue entry of the flooring. The result was an very solid floor that has no squeaks even after going on 7 years.


Can I use 6/3 NM-B cable for a 120v 20 amp circuit? I just removed a hot tub spa from my backyard.  I am wondering if I might be able to use the 6/3 cable for an outdoor electrical outlet?

Could I change the breaker to a 120v 20 amp breaker.  Then attach a UL outlet to the other end?

Thanks for any advice,
~Jeremy

P.S. I am in Oregon, USA

Sure, you're always allowed to use oversize wire.  You are designating the circuit 20A, you could use anything 12 gauge and up.  This is absolutely fine, there is nothing wrong with this, in fact it's a good idea if it's a long run and copper is no object.

You just have to contend with physical issues: the outlet (and possibly the breaker) is not listed to accept 6 gauge wire.  Just pigtail the outlet with 12ga wire and use a connector listed to join 12ga wire to 6ga wire such as Ideal 76B (their red wire-nut).

I don't think you'll have box fill issues for one outlet, but you'll have to start thinking about that if you branch off any more wires.  Outdoor boxes are often larger than indoor ones.  If you're not using the existing box, you'll want to use at least a 2-gang box that's deep - most outdoor boxes should suffice. Thanks Speedy.