Much higher energy use, maybe due to an old electrical heater? We had an 100% increase of power consumption last and this year.

It is mostly the night-tariff, which we now consume 27'000 kWh
The day-tariff is only around 2'500 kWh.

First we thought this may be due to our new computers, but then the day tariff would need to be high too.

So the only reason could be the electrical heater and water boiler.
Both of which are the same for at least the last 10 years, so it kinda doesn't make sense that it went up so much.

So my thought was, could it be that this year for example one rod in the electrical heater corroded which lead to higher resistance => More power draw?

Or do you have any other explanation?

Thanks!

So my thought was, could it be that this year for example one rod in the electrical heater corroded which lead to higher restistance => More power draw?

No. Higher resistance will reduce current draw. Thought experiment: disconnect the heater completely to create infinite resistance. Will the power consumed increase or decrease?

It's time for an energy audit. You can start by finding your energy meter and taking hourly readings or time how long it takes for the meter in increment by one or ten units. If these are consistent then you can switch off each circuit in turn and measure the change in timing.

Alternately you can get a power analyser with voltage and current probes and take measurements and log data for each load.


Foundation for retaining wall on a hardcore base? I'm looking to build a retaining wall 800mm (2.5ft) high and 225mm wide at the side of my house.

During the original construction groundworks, the ground around my house had to be raised up about 800mm for access purposes,100-200mm hardcore was used.

How deep into the hardcore do I need to go with my foundation and how deep does the concrete in the foundation need to be?

You need a good base for the wall to be stable so I would remove the hardcore and place the footing at least down to original compacted soil.

For the depth of the footing, if you mean the depth of the concrete, 225 mm is good. If you mean how far down in the soil, then either the depth of the footing (225 mm) or provide a decent sized width of footing on the soil retained side. There are two main items to address with the wall, overturning and sliding. The forces are minimal for a 800 mm tall wall assuming no surcharges and it's drained well so no hydrostatic loads. The sliding resistance has to come from somewhere. Some of it is soil friction. Some of it is resistance on the front of the footing from the soil. If the front of the footing is in hardcore then it will not provide much resistance. To increase friction you need weight. To get wait, you have the depth of soil on the retained side. Make the footing wider here by say 400 mm and this should be enough. This will also increase the resistance to overturning.

To get better numbers on sizes and what else to do would require doing a design.


Re-wiring plugged shop lights to LED panels DISCLAIMER: I am NOT even close to an electrician, but I like to think I am fairly intelligent and can follow directions well...

I am in the process of remodeling my basement. I have a suspended/drop ceiling and I plan on replacing the ceiling panels in it, track system covers, etc. The basement currently uses 4 fluorescent bulb shop lights (see picture). Each shop light is plugged in to an outlet in the ceiling joist and all are controlled by a single lightswitch.

I would like to replace these with 2x4 LED panel lights that will actually hang in the suspended ceiling. They are Cortelco 2x4ft LED Troffer Panels.

My Question: Should I just wire a plug onto the LED panels and be done with it or do I rewire to get rid of the outlets and make the lights hardwired?

Hard wire your new lights.

NEC 410.62 Cord Connected Lampholders and Luminaires
(C)Electric-Discharge and LED Luminaires
(1)Cord Connection Installation. A luminaire...shall be permitted to be cord connected provided...the cord is visible over its entire length except at terminations.


Why does flushing a toilet or running a clothes washer sometimes change shower temperature? Admittedly, this isn't something that is happening to me but I'm curious: I've heard that in some houses, flushing toilets or running a clothes washer sometimes changes the water temperature for people taking showers at the same time in the same house. Why is this?

This happens because water is diverted away from the shower to the toilet or washing machine.

What happens next will depend on the type of shower and it's age. Older, non thermostatic showers will be affected to a greater extent.

For an electric shower the flow of water through the shower will be reduced which will have the effect of heating it up further - though the thermostat should keep the effect to a minimum.

For a mixer shower it will depend on whether the cold water is reduced - in which case it will get hotter, or the hot water via the heater is reduced - in which case it will get colder. Again a thermostatic mixer should keep the effect to a minimum.

In any case you'll get a much reduced flow through the shower.

Power (pumped) showers shouldn't be so affected as the pump in the shower is controlling the flow rate.


Storing heavy weight on first floor I am renovating my house. I've come to the drywall stage. I would require around 40 sheets of sheetrock to be hung.

Each sheet is 58.8 lb and I'll be buying them together. I'm planning to store them by stacking them on four 2x4's in my living room (on the first floor) , which has a hard-wood floor. That's a total weight of 2352 lbs. Is this safe? Would there be any damage caused by this ?

Building code requirements normally require a minimum of around 30-40 pounds per square foot of live loading capacity for standard residential floors. Assuming they are stacked and laid flat (and the floor was built to code), a 4' by 8' section of floor should be designed bear somewhere between roughly 1000 to 1300 lbs of live loading.  Note that this is both the minimum and the average for a uniformly distributed load, so the bearing capacity along the walls will typically be substantially high.

That said - if you have the space, divide it into multiple stacks.  2352 lbs. comes out to 73.5 pounds per square foot. I'll usually stack them up standing against the walls in the rooms they'll be installed in.  Less carrying sheets around when you're hanging it, and unless the room is enormous you don't end up with huge piles anywhere.


Why does my HVAC begin vibrating and stop cooling at night? I am calling a HVAC technician since this is probably too complex a problem for me, but wanted to hear some possible diagnosis.

The symptoms are as follows:

The A/C is working well during the day (or so it seems).
For the past three nights however I wake up and it feels hot.
The thermostat reads 75°F and it is set at 72°F.
Most importantly a loud vibrating noise is coming from the basement and it is the HVAC unit. This has never happened during the day.
I shut off the AC and turn on the fan only and I still get the loud noise and vibration.
After an hour or so, I can hear liquid dripping inside the unit.

Anyone knows what might be the problem? What other information could be useful?

It sounds like your coils are freezing over. This could simply been the result of not changing your filter, or the coils need cleaning, so there isn't enough warm airflow over the coils. It's also possible that you're running the unit when it's too cold outside. If it gets below 60°F you should be opening your windows instead of running the AC.


How should I install a plywood subfloor that will be covered by granite tiles? I am replacing my entryway floor and I have removed the old mud bed. I'm left with planks perpendicular to the joists. However the room is defined at a 45 degrees angle from the joists, so the planks and the joists underneath them appear diagonal (it looks like an X).

I plan to install one layer of 3/4 inch plywood over the planks, and a layer of 1/2 inch plywood over the 3/4 inch plywood.

Along which direction should I install the plywood? If I install them along the directions of the room then they will be at a 45 degrees angle with the planks and the joist. I know that usually plywood are installed perpendicular to the joists but what about my case? Would this be ok?

When I screw the 1/2 inch plywood, should the deck screws only penetrate the planks or should they go through the planks and penetrate the joists as well?

Would like to put in a suggestion for either Schluter Ditra or Laticrete Strata-mat.

As uncoupling membranes, they effectively stiffen floors by unitizing the tile layer. For stone installation, Schluter recommends double layer of underlayment.  The second layer should be offset from the first layer, not following seams.  The second layer should only be attached to the first, not through to the framing.   The total thickness only has to be 3/4, but can be thicker as necessary for level matching.  The first layer should be at right angle to the joists, along the the long direction of the ply.

Ditra stone tile install

Ditra plywood install

excerpted from Ditra installation handbook


A proper tool for removing a PEX pipe from a fitting barb When a pinch crimp has to be removed and re-done, what is the proper tool to remove the PEX pipe from a barb after removing the clamp and cutting of the pipe?

I thought of using the PEX pipe cutter's blade but am afraid it would mar the ribs on the barb and cause a leak when it's subsequently re-used.

In my particular case I am using a 3/4 elbow like this with a PEX pipe which is white on the o/s and black on the i/s if it matters.

So if I had to undo and re-do this kind of connection, I would open one of the pinch rings and cut off the pipe, but don't know how to remove what's left under the former crimp:

I would use a utility knife to score the pipe. Or a pair of wire cutter pliers. Leave a little extra pipe on the end so you can grab it with the pliers and peel the pipe off.


Is it possible to paint concrete pavers I have a large paved area that I would like to replace with lawn. My plan is to use some of the pavers as a border.

They're plain concrete pavers (450x450mm) that look like this except about 20 years old:

I was thinking about painting them a nice cream colour.

Has anyone ever done anything like this?

Will the colour fade or chip?

Is there anything I should know about painting ground cover?

Rather than using paint, look at some of the dozens of dry concrete dyes. There are several methods to color concrete after it has cured. Acid wash is very effective.  Check out this web site:  http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/walkways/existingdecorativeconcretewalkways.html

There are also several other sites you can look at including Lowes, HD, and Sherwin Williams.

Concrete floor paints are easy and quick, but may require more maintenance and refinishing over time as compared to a stains. If your area is small and not subject to lots of traffic, paint may be a good choice.


Jumper wire on a light switch box and I'm not sure what else While painting the living room the light switch cover was off. None of the switches are using the green ground screw. There is a jumper wire between switches, on the hot side. All the green wires are twisted together. The  white wires are connected together off the switches.
I'm not sure what's going on. Or if it's safe. I'm in the US
Any help would be great.

The jumper between switches is fine, but you need to fix that grounding
The jumper carrying always-hot from switch to switch is considered normal practice in the US, but your switches need to be grounded, and because they're mounted to a plastic box, that must occur via ground wires as the switches can't pick up ground from the box.  So, you'll need to use a proper wirenut (one of the 8-port push-in units will definitely do the trick) to bundle all those grounding wires from your cables together with 12AWG grounding pigtails from the green switch grounding screws.


Electric baseboard heaters stuck on with digital thermostat I have two electric baseboard heaters in my house that are both controlled by a single digital programmable thermostat (King ESP-230). I believe each heater is 1500w so 3000w total. Twice now in the last year or so, it got really hot in my house when I realized the heaters weren't turning off at the specified temperature. The thermostat would be set around 65 degrees, and the house temperature would get up to around 75 degrees as shown on the thermostat itself.

What's weird is the red light that indicates the heaters are on, will be off. Here's a list of what I tried, the last item being the one that eventually fixed the problem:

Pushed the power switch on the thermostat itself to Off
Turned the temperature down to minimum
Shut off the heaters at the breaker, and turned back on
Pushed the Reset button on the thermostat, and set the day and time.

Only after setting the date and time after a reset did the heaters shut off. Does this just sound like I need to replace a thermostat that occasionally goes haywire, or could there be something wrong with the heater wiring that's causing the thermostat to mess up? Both times this happened, it was around 9pm on a Sunday evening, but I would imagine that's just a weird coincidence.

It sounds like the relay contacts are fused, this is not uncommon with loads that are constantly switched, the fact that the controlls are saying the relay is not being commanded on but it is heating points to the relay. (It could also be a solid state relay these usually short when they fail, then if there is enough current blow the junction open). The fix is a DIY get a replacement thermostat, turn the circuit breaker off, install the new stat and turn the power back on. I try to get thermostats that have a much larger rating than I need, make sure to add the ampacity of both heaters and get a thermostat that has at minimum this value (I will pay more for a 2x thermostat so it will last longer).


Is this mold or not? Mold or dirt? Leak for 6 months saturating this area.

From what I can tell from the photo, it looks more like rust than mould. I'd wash off the loose dirt first to be sure though.


Possible water leak under hardwood floor I recently moved in a used house, built in 2013. After moving in I discovered some minor damage on one of the floors next to a heating radiator. The damage with a first look seems minor and it's hard to notice. The floor is a bit swollen upwards and the wood has a different - worn out texture than the rest of the floor. Pushing it downwards appears to move slightly. I can't see anything out of order on the ceiling in the room right beneath.
My main question is if this seems to be an old damage or it is something that is ongoing and I need to address.
Attaching a few images:

And an overview of the damaged area:

I think your implied question is: How can I determine if this is an active problem or is a one-off from a previous incident?
Solving water issues often requires detective work. It's hard to tell from the pictures but from your description it sounds like minor water damage. The first step is to check for a logical source of the water. Remember, it's possible it occurred during or shortly after construction. The pictures show the damage to be mostly away from the wall. You might check for signs of a leak around the radiator but it's unlikely to be the issue unless there is floor damage close to it. The other possibility is a roof or skylight leak directly above that spot or even a potted plant that was over-watered at some point. With a skylight leak you may or may not see signs of moisture around the skylight - watch for drips during the next rain or snow event.
The important thing is to check for moisture currently present in the flooring. Often it's hard to tell without a two pin moisture meter. They're available at most home supply stores and aren't too expensive. That will give you an idea of how recently the problem occurred. If a meter shows no sign of unusual moisture content it will at least allow you some piece of mind. If there is moisture - keep detecting.


What's the appropriate range for the angle of a slide? I'm building a slide, but I can't find any information on what angles are safe yet fun.

What's the appropriate range of angles for a slide?

Per the Michigan State Handbook for Public
Playground Safety:

It is recommended that the average incline of a slide
chute be no more than 30 degrees. This can be measured
by determining that the height to length ratio (as shown
in Figure 18) does not exceed 0.577. No span on the
slide chute should have a slope greater than 50 degrees.

There is some other really good information in that booklet as well regarding the design of a slide.


Is it better to apply one thick or several thin layers of paint After hearing endless debates between my wife and myself, my son has decided to settle the question for his Science Fair project next year.  His experiment will determine whether one thick layer paint or several thinner layers of paint is more durable.

Using the tools available to a typical DIY'er, how can he apply a layer of paint with a consistent thickness?  Is there any reasonable way to make sure that the total thickness of the (say three) layers is the same as the one thick layer?

Science used to be considered an art... and I would bet that most scientists today would agree that it really is an art. I think that the best way to make sure it's nearly even is to use the same amount of paint over the same amount of area. In other words, use one cup of paint for each layer... or three cups of paint for one layer. Now most paint covers 600 sqft per gallon. So I would try spreading a cup of paint onto 36 square feet (that's 6 ft x 6 ft) and let nature run it's course (although it may take years). Alternatively you could try painting swatches of wood, and/or plastic, and or cloth, and/or aluminum, and/or any material.

Tips on painting and science:

Practice once or twice before starting.
If you start with a clean roller the first time, then start with a clean roller every time; or start with a used/precleaned roller... make sure that each painting job is handled "identically".
Purchase and use an accurate scale for weighing the paint and the roller (and maybe the swatch of wood). The idea is to make certain that each piece of wood gets the same amount of paint. But that's probably too tricky to get perfect. So, try to get it close, and record the actual amounts applied to the walls or swatches.
Make absolutely certain that the paint is very well mixed each time.
Record the weather conditions: sun, humidity, wind, time (at the time of painting, between coats, and over time as the wall or swatch is being weathered).
Subjecting different areas to different "accelerated" conditions will help fill out the results. In other words, allow some areas to age naturally, while other areas may be exposed to soil, or milk, or wet rags, and other areas could be solar irradiated, perhaps by adding reflectors. Other stressors might include an acid-wash treatment or a power washing every week. There should also be at least one section from each test that is kept from being exposed to any accelerating elements. Those would be the "control" sections for the experiment.
A time lapse camera (like for hunting) might be a good tool to have... once mounted it could be set to take a picture every day.
Replication is very important. For a good test, you would want at least four of each kind of "identical" test.
Consider the variety of paints and be write about why you chose to test whatever paint you test (any why not x, y, or z paint) and describe the kind of paint(s) with attention to details like the labeled application rate, color, composition, etc. Details might include: Gloss, Flat, Urthane, Oil, Acrylic, Latex, was primer used or recommended?, Aerosol, UV protection, Mildew resistant, Brand differences... it might be best to not mention any particular brand names, but you could mention relative price differences (which is information of value to most people).
Be sure to write the dates and identify/number the test articles on the swatches or wall (or on an attached tag), and keep a notebook with all the details and observations.


Is it safe to attach a bath screen to a steel stud behind tile? I'm putting a 13 kg screen up in my bathroom, which has tile and then plasterboard or drywall, not sure which. There is a metal girder, about 4 inches wide, that runs vertically up the wall, exactly where I need to attach the screen. Am I safe going through the metal stud and fixing the screen like that?

Thanks a lot

As long as there aren't any wires or plumbing in the area, because your entire drill bit length will plunge into the void & get whatever's there when the hole is complete. You can avoid the plunge with a Depth Stop, Depth Gauge or block of wood or 2 (screwed together & screws protruding outside the girder edges to prevent spin) on top of the girder to catch the drill. But, if all's clear then yep have at it.


Water coming out of shower head without using the diverter I installed a new faucet set in the shower, and when I turn on the water, without pulling the diverter up, water comes out of the shower head. The flow increases, when the knob is adjusted to the highest flow of the water out of the tub nozzle.

I used 1/2" CPVC from the valve body to the tub nozzle, and I am thinking there maybe too much back pressure there. I used CPVC because I do run hot water into the tub.

Will CPVC not allow enough water flow?

Will standard PVC work, without problems from the hot water, to the tub nozzle? The diverter appears to be working open and shut, as it should.

I have seen this many times where a flap of PFTE tape is covering some of the pipe creating the problem even a chunk in the diverter itself , most of the spigot and shower nipples I have installed have only been 1/2” pipe so I doubt it is the size of the pipe but an obstruction causing the issue. I might pull the spigot and slip a pice of 1/2” in and turn on and see if you still have the problem , then make sure nothing got stuck in the diverter and no excess tape is covering the ends of the threaded pieces (it could always be a bad diverter if not plugged) that’s why I would test with a clean pipe.


Insulate space above ceiling in 3 season room? I have a three season room attached to the house, built on a concrete pad.  There is no heat or a/c out to the room.

The ceiling is currently open and I can see the underside of the planked roof.

I'm planning to install some kind of ceiling.  Should the space between the ceiling and underside of the roof be insulated and should there be a moisture barrier?

The insulation will probably let you get more use out of that room.  Usually fiberglass between the rafters works pretty well.

You have to leave some space between the top of the fiberglass and the underside of the roof so that moisture can escape in that air space.  They make plastic baffles that keep this space open even if the insulation is too high or gets disturbed - good insurance.  There also has to be some ventilation at the top and bottom so air can flow in from outside at the bottom, flow up the space between the rafters, and out again from the top.

The vapor barrier depends on the local climate.  There are some differences of opinion on this subject, but if you're calling it a three season room, I am going to guess you're in a climate with cold dry winters and warm humid summers, and suggest insulation with a vapor barrier, installed with the vapor barrier down.


Baseboard heat - Installed and then drywall around I'm in a 1980s house that has baseboard heat. The baseboards are pretty beat up so was going to use a product like neatheat or baseboarder to cover.
When I started looking at the way that they were installed, the heating units themselves are 'sunk' into the wall... like they were installed, and then drywall was hung around them.
Have others seen this? (end caps are not able to be removed...the front piece can be removed on some units, but not others).
Will I be able to use any of these retrofit covers given how the drywall was installed?

I do not think that you will be able to use any of the products you mentioned since they both fit over the whole wall mounted baseboard enclosure. Your enclosure is installed as you said, with the drywall set on top of the enclosure so you do not have access to the back of the enclosure. I have only seen this type of installation done once before. I do not know the company that installed them that way but "what a mistake". You will probably be limited to either painting what you have or trying to buy new enclosures from the same manufacturer as those installed. Good luck in your search for a fix.


Why isn't my water heater heating after element and thermostat replacement? I have an A.O. Smith 50 gallon water heater I replaced the upper and lower thermostat and element and still not getting hot water I notice that if I close the valve on the hot water it will heat but after 2 minutes of the valve being open it won't heat again until I shut the hot water off again

Is the water running? If the water is running faster then it can heat up it will always be cold. Close the valve so it can heat up.


Clean mold/mildew from honed travertine tile in shower I put travertine tile into my shower over a year ago, grouted it, sealed it all really nicely, etc. To this day, the shower stays quite clean except for 1 or 2 tiles that must've been a little too porous. I didn't smear the sandless grout over the face of the tiles like I should have to fill in tiny holes but I did seal it twice before using it. Now I'm noticing some of the small pores in the niche bottom (it constantly has soap on it and is always wet, so no surprise there) and one random tile on the back wall are getting mold/mildew into them and I can't clean it out with a toothbrush or nylon brush. I want to get it cleaned before it gets worse so I can put grout into those tiles and re-seal again. The problem is I have no idea how to clean it. Regular nylon brushes don't seem to do anything at all. Is there a special fine-tooth brush or chemical I can use that will work?

2 household chemicals come to mind both work well for killing mold spores. House hold bleach and hydrogen peroxide. Both have the possibility of changing the color, I prefer hydrogen peroxide because it doesn't smell as bad. I learned about using Hydrogen peroxide when working at a hospital for a few years they would purchase stronger than the normal store bought type and add it to water then wipe the infected areas down. Since finding this out I have used a 3% solution to remove mold from carpet and spray directly on wooden surfaces with better results than bleach and less damage (discoloration) without the smell of bleach. The store bought Hydrogen Peroxide will work with a good saturation of porous surfaces.


How to repair concrete damage from pulling up nail strips When pulling up carpet installed on a concrete slab, the wooden nail strip tracks often pull up sections of concrete and some of the concrete flakes off. I want to install an engineered floor on this slab so would like to repair this first. The good thing is this is limited to the edges of the room but those missing flakes  could cause leveling problems. How would you best repair this? I was thinking of using some grout to smooth over these areas. Also would you fill in all the nail holes left behind?

Edit: By flakes I mean large chunks pulled up between the nails, some 5 inches long and 3 inches wide.

Those small dimples are unlikely to ever be a problem, but if you want peace of mind, get some vinyl repair patch material and skim it on with a wide putty knife or trowel.


Kenmore Power Miser 9 Water Heater turned off on its own and has become incredibly hard to reignite This week my 7 year old water heater turned off 3 times and it has become incredibly hard to reignite the pilot light.

Here are the observations:

When I press the red "RESET" button, I hear consistent hissing sound. Which probably means that gas to ignite pilot is getting there.
When I press the "IGNITE" button I see the spark. But 99% of the time the spark does not ignite gas.
May be a coincidence, but if pilot does light up and if I release the red RESET button too soon, the pilot light simply goes off. If I keep the red button pressed the pilot light keeps burning.
Another observation that may be a coincidence is that if pilot lit up and went out (as described in #3 when I release red button too soon), then I usually have to wait 1 hour or so before pilot ignites again.

Since ignition spark and gas appear to be there, then does this mean that lack of oxygen is preventing pilot from lighting up? Or could this still be something else? At one point I saw the burner light become orange, but it changed color back to blue.

It could be that the pilot orifice is partially obstructed. There are cleaning wires which can be inserted into the orifice to clear it. These are available at stores which service gas lights. To reach the orifice you might have to hold the wire with a pair of needle nose pliers or needle nose locking pliers.

Many camping stoves are supplied with a cleaner wire mounted on a light stamped steel handle.


What is the best way to repair and prevent cracking grout in a shower stall? The grout in my main shower has developed cracks. They started small but over time they have grown and there are actual crevices in the grout. I've been using my guest shower so as to not cause mold from water penetration, though it's possible there could be some underneath since I was using it for quite a while.

So basically, I want to know the proper way to fix the cracks and why they begun in the first place. Was the wrong type of grout used by the person who remodeled the shower? I can describe the grout as a very rough grit and brittle. Should I re-grout right over the old grout with the proper grout? What exactly is the proper grout for a tiled shower? Would it be easier to just touch it up with caulk of a similar color?

This is all assuming a complete re-do of the tile is not something I'd like to do at this moment in time, maybe in the next few years though. If you do feel that the possibility of mold underneath justifies a complete re-do right now, please elaborate on that if you can so I may consider it. There is no visible mold anywhere and I wouldn't suspect any other than the fact I know there are cracks and water must have penetrated for some length of time. Thanks for any advice.

This is combined problem. Firstly, your grouting material might not be suitable, but what is even bigger problem person who did ceramic tiles work did a poor job; distance between tiles is very, VERY big, and this is the reason why grouting has cracked. You should remove all of the old grouting with some appropriate tool; beware not to damage waterproofing layer because that would be the worst thing in the world. After removing grout clean thoroughly all the dents between tiles and then apply new grout. It wouldn't make sense for me to recommend you some specific grout because it varies from country to country (and continent to continent) but explain sails man or contractor your situation and ask for recommendation. So, what you would be telling them is that you need a grouting for bathroom floor; bathtub and that distance between tiles is bigger than it should be (measure the average) so you need grouting that will not crack.


Car in driveway is source of garage door opener interference It has been determined that the car parked in my shared driveway is interfering with 2 other condos. The garage door company is sure it is coming from my car which has been parked there for years. When I remove my car from the area everyone is able to use their remote. Hynundai has never heard of this and doesn’t know what to tell me. Anyone have a solution?

This may be caused by the air pressure sensors in your tires (TPMS). They operate at 315 MHz. Some garage door opener remotes operate at 315 MHz. If that's the case the troubleshooting procedures outlined above will not work because the sensors have their own internal battery. Although I would try disconnecting the battery first just because it's so easy to do and will rule out anything involved with the car electronics. If that doesn't do it then you can try removing the tires from the vehicle and get them far enough away from the garage door and see if that solves it. One tire might have a rogue sensor causing the problem.

I would also ask you neighbors to try new batteries in their remote so it sends out a stronger signal.


What size wire and conduit do I need to run to a subpanel in a garage? I have a 100 amp sub in garage fed by a 50 amp from main house panel. What size wire guage is needed and what size conduit? can it be PVC? I'm in Sonoma county Ca.

If you plan on replacing the 50 Amp breaker with a 100 Amp...

The minimum sized conductor is #3 THHN copper which includes the 2 hot legs and one neutral.
The minimum sized grounding conductor is #8 THHN insulated copper.
The minimum sized grounding electrode conductor (for ground rod) is #8 bare copper.
The minimum size conduit would be 1 1/2" using PVC schedule 80.

If you plan on keeping the 50 Amp breaker...

The minimum sized conductor is #8 THHN copper which includes the 2 hot legs and one neutral.
The minimum sized grounding conductor is #10 THHN insulated copper.
The minimum sized grounding electrode conductor (for ground rod) is #8 bare copper.
The minimum size conduit would be 1" using PVC schedule 80.

Notes

The above figures are based on a detached garage @ 100' or less distanced from the garage to the houses main panel. An additional ground rod is required for detached garages.  If the garage is not detached then an additional ground rod is not required.
If detached, the subpanel would require its own main breaker and the grounds and neutrals would need to be separated. Otherwise a main lug subpanel is fine but still need to separate the grounds from the neutrals.
The above examples are based off the National Electrical Code 2014.  Your jurisdiction may have other requirements.

References

Table 310.15(B)(16) Allowable Ampacities of Insulated Conductors.
Table 250.122 Minimum Sized Equipment Grounding Conductor.
Table 250.102 (C)(1) Main Bonding Jumper
Table C9 Conduit fill.


Dusk to dawn wiring for 2 lights How can I wire 2 dusk-to-dawn lights on one circuit so they work independently of each other?

Wiring the hot black wire and neutral white to each light will allow there sensors to control the lights for each fixture. Make sure the sensors are not pointed in the direction of the other light or there may be enough light from 1 fixture to turn the 2nd fixture off.


Merge 2 water line to increase pressure We have 2 water meters on our property; one for the main house and another for the guest house. We sometimes experience a drop in pressure if we use both showers plus any other fixtures at the same time in the main house. We only use the guest house periodically (when we have visitors) and there's only a .75 bath and a kitchen sink so it always has very strong water pressure. QUESTION: Can we T into the 1/2 line in the guest house and run a line over and T in to the the main house to boost pressure? Would we see any meaningful change by doing so? The expense would be mostly in the cost of the 8 or so ft of copper plus fittings.  Thanks a bunch for your response.

Your pressure drop issue is really a problem with flow capacity. You will not be changing or improving the flow capacity of your main house's plumbing system by tying in that 1/2" line from the guest house and will likely see zero improvement by doing so.

You would be better off trying other things:
Install low-flow water saving shower heads (this will help more than you think).

Check your water meter outlet size and ask your service provider to install a larger one if possible, then replace the main service line with larger pipe (I know, big job).

If you have a pressure regulator anywhere in the system, check it for proper operation. Raise the pressure setting if possible (check with city bldg. dept. for max allowed).


Updating baseboard radiator My house was built in the 50s and I believe the baseboard radiators are original. We just bought the house and I went to go clean them. I realized most of them are rusty and painted over making them really hard to open and clean. My intention was going to be to replace them with one of those modern covers however mine open up in a way that I can't seem to find any reference to on the internet. Has anyone ever seen a baseboard radiator like this. How that I'm cutting them all open are there other options I can consider for upgrading.

When I had it open the inside said Tuttle and Bailey.
As you can see when you open these up the whole thing comes off. There is a groove along the top that you slide it into and then it clamps into the clips screwed into the wall. The ones that I see can be modernized with a cover and usually still have the top attached near the slats while the front cover just comes off. Those also look a lot easier to clean.
Does anybody have any guidance on how I could replace these with more maintainable and aesthetically pleasing options.

Can't tell from looking at the picture you posted but it looks like a finned tube hot water baseboard unit. Do you heat your house with a hot water boiler and if not can you elaborate. If I am right and that is a hot water unit, the installer recessed the enclosure into the wall and mounted it directly onto the wall studs. I never liked that type of installation and would prefer the unit to be mounted on top of the finished wall.
Finned tube baseboard has aluminum fins, usually 4-5 per inch slid on a copper tube. Looking at the picture it looks like the fins could use a good cleaning with a shop vac and a very soft brush. The fins are very delicate and sharp so be careful. As far as the outer cover you could refinish as you wish. As far as replacing them, that would be a major project probably left to an HVAC company.


How to fix spotting caused by spray on acrylic sealer? My wife sanded, primed, painted, put vinyl stickers on and then attempted to seal an old coffee table for use in our kid's playroom. Unfortunately, the Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer caused spotting on the vinyl stickers and painted surface. Is there some way to fix the damage done by the acrylic sealer that doesn't involve starting the project over?

When in doubt scuff sand and try again. Its not a for sure fix but it's a zero investment gamble. Just sand it lightly with 220 - 320 (i like these foam backed sanding pads) until the spots disappear (hopefully) then clean thoroughly with a tack cloth or micro-fiber cloth and spray it again. If if works great, if not your not out any thing because you would have needed to sand it down and start over anyway. Good Luck!


Is a 12-in diameter tree stable enough to support a tree house? I plan to build a tree house by bolting two (2) 2x6 on the side of this 12-in diameter tree:

I don't know what tree it is and in the process of asking here:

https://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/46951/what-tree-is-this-with-reddish-body

The tree seems stable but I don't know how it will behave during strong wind. We don't have extreme weather in Seattle but I could see the pine trees moving in strong winds.

So should I bold the platform of the tree house into this tree? Or it is better just to build 4 foot and support the play house and have this tree in the middle (make a hole for it)?

Thanks.

UPDATE 1

I "feel" a bit unsafe to rely on this tree. So I was thinking of doing this:

Basically the structure will have 4 legs. The tree is in the middle.

As requested, The reddish color makes me want to ask if it is madrone, does it shed it’s bark? ,Are the leaves mid size thick or leathery and almost feel waxy? If this is what it is I would not use it for support. Madrone is very hard and cracks and splits easily, it is a large one but I would verify the type before trying to use as it might work for now but the next storm in the PNW and the tree may break apart.


Safe way to remove paint from ground wire? I'm addressing an item on our house's inspection report where a GFCI outlet had been ungrounded. I turned off power at the breaker box, popped the outlet cover off and found the ground wire neatly tucked into the corner. When I pulled it out, I saw paint covering the ground as shown below:

From what I've researched so far, I should not attach the ground as-is, since the paint interferes with the metal-to-metal contact. Would using a chemical stripper be the best way to remove the paint? If not, what should I use?

Just some sand paper will be fine. You don't want to use a chemical stripper as it may interact poorly with the copper.


How do I remove dried gorilla glue from stainless steel sink Sink

I tried to unstop a bottle of glue and left in sink
Now can't get it up.

Abrasion.

Sandpaper, steel wool, non-woven abrasive pad (better known as the brand name  Scotchbrite® in many places.) Also Bon-Ami cleanser, Lava soap, etc.


How to fix toilet with multiple leaks Here is the inside of our toilet tank:

Not sure what that "yellow thing" on the top is, but I believe that's the main culprit to focus on. For now, I'll call it the yellow thing.

When the water supply is running full bore, water seems to be leaking out of the top of that yellow thing, where the "cap" (or whatever it is) is. This causes the toilet to sound like its "running continuously", or refilling continuously. Meaning, its never quiet and just constantly makes that sound that a toilet makes when its tank is refilling with water.

So a few days ago I shut off that water supply line, just because the running noise was driving us crazy and I didn't really have any time to look into the issue.

Despite the fact that I shut the water supply off, we've still been able to use the toilet in those last few days! Not sure if that's normal, but is not what I was expecting! However, as you can see, the water line is pretty low. So perhaps we just haven't flushed it enough times (since it's been turned off) to fully drain it.

But now that the water supply line is shut off, and the water in the tank is low, the bottom of that yellow thing drips constantly and is driving us crazy.

Clearly we have at least 1 leak here. I'm worried that we have a leak not only in that yellow thing (again, whatever it is) but perhaps also in our water supply line valve. How else would water be constantly dripping into the tank when the supply line is shut off?

Either way, any ideas as to what is going on here and how to fix our toilet? The desired end result is normal toilet functioning, with the supply line turned off and with it not "running continuously". Thanks in advance!

Sounds like you need to replace the flush valve and possibly the shut off valve.

If you believe you have the water shut off, and you still have a drip, then the shutoff valve is corroded enough to jam before it is fully off.

The flush valve is pretty obviously malfunctioning.

Replace both of these and you should be back to normal.

Good luck!


New bathtub isn't square Im trying to install a tub in a new 60 x 30 inch alcove. The tub is fitting in and is flush with the existing wall but now I'm not sure how to make the transition between the wall which would be painted, the side of the tub and the tile surround. Second issue is that the new tub is not square, It is flush at the top but out and proud of the wall by 3/4 of an inch at the bottom. I sent an email to American standard to see if that's normal but have not heard back.

Take it back as defective if it's not to stated specs. Trying to wedge the bottom flush until the floor goes in could crack the finish, if it's just bent out & not actually braced out. If the back wall isn't load bearing, you can plane or cut those studs back, plumbing re-alignment shouldn't be a big deal. Or, add another drywall layer to the foreground wall & make up the remainder with the tile layer. Or. just add tile edging with an ogee type edge.


Water flooding out of "Sink Erator/Dishwasher Air Gap I have a problem with waste water flooding up through the sink erator and all over the kitchen counter, each time the dishwasher is used.  I have taken to placing a rag about the erator and capping the whole thing with an upside down glass measuring cup to direct the water to flow only into the sink.  Is this a simple fix or should I consult a plumber??

There is a clog somewhere. Sounds like your dishwasher drain line goes into your disposal which sometimes causes issues. It sounds like the water is coming out of the air gap on top of your sink. If the water is also coming up through the disposal the blockage is in your drain somewhere after the disposal in the P trap or waste line. If the water is only coming out of the aerator up on the back of the sink you probably have a block in the DW drain line between the aerator and the disposal. This could be a kink in the line or a debris blockage. If so, this is not a hard fix. Check for kinks first. Something may have been shoved up against the line under the sink and kinked it. If you don't see a kink you need to disconnect the line from the side of the disposal and clean any debris you might find out of the line.The debris could be anywhere between the aerator and the disposal. If it's up near the aerator it may be a difficult to reach but I'm pretty sure that will solve your problem.


What is a correct Amp for your RCD? If i am running my panel board with the 60Amps MCB.
Does my RCD needs to be also rated at 60A?

Nah, it should be OK if the RCD is rated more.  There are 2 different jobs being done here:

Overcurrent detection (at 60 amp setting) - the MCB does that
Ground fault/Residual Current detection at any current - the RCD does that

The RCD might also do overcurrent protection, but if it does, it's redundant.

So yeah, perfectly safe to use an 80 amp RCD. It can certainly handle any current a 60A MCB will let through.

Obviously a 30A RCD doesn't have the internal wiring to survive 60A going through it, so that's a no-go.


Why is there a vent on the ductwork coming right from the furnace? Why is there a vent on the ductwork coming right from the furnace? I have a typical furnace for a 1400sqft house in Michigan. I also have central air which runs through the same duct work. There is a separate room in the basement for the furnace, hot water tank and workshop area. No one ever spends much time in that room if any. Should I leave the vent open for both heat and air conditioning or should it be open for one/closed for the other? Please let me know. Thank you

Furnace installers and/or home owners will put a register in the duct work to provide some heat in the winter to that area. The number of these supply registers is determined by the typical use and desired temperature of this area. I recommend that all basements should have at least 2 supply registers and 1 return register in the basement/equipment area just to keep that area slightly warm and the air fresh. If you are going to finish that area to be used as living space, then more supply and returns will be needed. Also you may want to close the supply registers in the summer when using the A/C since cold air is heavy and will move to the lowest level in the house. Keeping the register you originally inquired about either open or closed would be your choice.


Can I use a secondary thermostat as a timer for my air conditioning system? I want to install a timer on a split air conditioning unit to accommodate my energy plan hours. Too many people change the thermostat.

Could another thermostat be used at the pump, controlling one of the 24 volt lines just as a timer?

Yes, it is just that easy.

You will need a timer with a 'dry contact' or relay output.

If you take power from the pump, remember it is (likely) 240 volts.

Removing power from the pump will not remove power from the emergency heat strips, or from the fan.

Removing power from the pump may, or may not, turn off the reserving valve (Heat mode / Cooling mode) in the pump.


Want to know how hex bit shank works and the history behind it's design I have tried to search this in google but I haven't found a complete explanation, so I ask this here. I also have read other answers related with hex bit socket, but it still not satisfied.

How the mechanism in screwdriver hold the hex bit? The specific part that I'm asking is the groove area in the bottom part of this image:

I have screwdriver like in this image:

I noticed that the bits and the screwdriver bar (that have notches in its side) all have 1/4 inch size. Also, the screwdriver can hold the bit from the first image securely. And when I browse the cordless screwdriver and impact drivers, all have the same 1/4 inch hex chunk.

There is an article in Wikipedia about Hex shank, but it doesn't explain about the groove part of the bits, and what the history behind its design.

I'd like to know the mechanism inside the screwdriver to do this. I also want to know the history of why we stick with 1/4 inch size. While in the wrench, we had 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, and 1/2 inch male square head:

I'm going to throw out some opinions here that I don't have hard evidence to back up in form of citations.

The Wikipedia article you liked kind of mentions this, but the reason hex shank (6 sides) is a thing is most likely because drills normally have chucks with 3 jaws.  A shank with 6 sides is a natural result of that.

The extendable bits you show with the small notches are only good in very low force situations.  I have a driver with a bit like that and it never gets used because when I really need to press on a screw, the bit slips into the handle.  The small notches are designed so that a metal ring can tighten around the shank in the grooves to hold the bit.  The grooves are small, so it can only support so much weight.

The larger round groove in the hex shank is made to hold the bit from slipping in or out and the deepness of the groove means it can support much more weight.  The circular profile allows locking to be done with a thick ball bearing rather than a thin metal ring.  Ball bearing locking mechanisms are found in many well made padlocks because of their simplicity and ability to resist very strong forces.

Ball bearing locking mechanism from LockLab

The 1/4" diameter is based on the typical torque these tools are used at.  Cordless drills are the main users of hex shank, and then driving screws is the main end goal.  Screws have a maximum torque they can accept before breaking, and the drill obviously has a maximum force it can apply.  It's arguable that todays technology can over-torque a 1/4" shank, but in the past a cordless drill just wasn't that strong.  Anything thicker would be overkill for the common task at hand.


Do all wires on basement walls have to be in conduit? I need to know if, when a basement is unfinished and an outlet is on the wall, is it required to put all wires in conduit?

2005 NEC
ARTICLE 334 Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable: Types NM, NMC,
and NMS
334.15 Exposed Work.
(C) In Unfinished Basements.
Where cable is run
at angles with joists in unfinished basements, it shall be permissible
to secure cables not smaller than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors
directly to the lower edges of the joists. Smaller cables shall be run
either through bored holes in joists or on running boards. NM cable
used on a wall of an unfinished basement shall be permitted to be
installed in a listed conduit or tubing.

So basically if the cable is on the ceiling, it does not require conduit. If the cable is run along walls, it requires some form of protection. This protection can be conduit, or some other form of protection. You could use a scrap piece of 2x4, for example. Simply attach the 2x4 to the joist, and then attach the cable and box to the 2x4 (following proper NEC procedures of course).
When running cables on the ceiling, only 6/2 and 8/3 (and larger) NM cable can be run along the bottom of joists (perpendicular to joists). Smaller cable must run through bored holes (following 2005 NEC 300.4), or along running boards (boards that run perpendicular to joists e.g. main support beams). When installing cable on the ceiling that runs parallel to the joists, you can attach the cable to the face of the joist (as per NEC 300.4(D)).
As always, check your local codes before installing cable as your location may not follow NEC 2005.


Connecting ABS at <22.5 degree angle? I’m trying to get my plumbing vents up into my roof joist bays. They’ll run halfway up the house until they hit a beam. I’m then going to level off the vents so they dip below the beam and connect perpendicular. They will be a soffit next to the beam to hide them.

The catch is that to angle them below the joists and maintain the proper 1/4”/ft slope, I need an angle of around 15 degrees. The smallest elbow angles I can find are 22.5.

Questions:

1) do they make elbows with smaller angles than 22.5?

2) is there a different type of connector I should look for?

3) would it be ok to use two 90 degree elbows connected horizontally? I could achieve any angle with those but do end up with a lot of 90 angles in my vents. Is that ok?

My standard procedure for dealing with shallow angle bends when none of the prefab sizes are right, is two of them.

Obviously you can get the bend you want with two 90's; my point is this works with shallower angles too.  You simply have the bends in different planes, so they add up to the correct angle in a third plane.


When cutting wood do you add the width of the blade after the line mark? Im new to using a circular saw and would like to improve my accuracy, If I have a blade that is 2mm thick do I add this on after the current line that I have marked and then cut down that? Thanks

A circular saw isn't a super precise cutting tool so you'll want to keep that in mind.  Lining the notch on the shoe is not going to give you super accurate cuts.  Its fine for framing but may not be for other tasks.

To me a cutting guide is the best way to improve your accuracy.  They are very cheap and easy to make, and they speed up your work quite a bit.

Here's a link to one of many how-to's:  making a cutting guide

If you make your marks on the waste side of the measurement, you can quickly and easily line up the guide to the edge of the mark, and get a pretty darn close to perfect cut quick and easy.


Can insulation batts run on top of wall studs? Our house has vaulted ceilings, and the attic space contains three walls that are shared with living space (bedroom and living room). The attic sides of these walls have batts of insulation on them, which makes sense, but the way it's installed seems odd. The lengths of insulation are run horizontally across the studs, and the paper backing is stapled to the studs. In all cases there is a gap at the top which would let cold air in (i.e. between the insulation and the drywall), so I don't understand how this arrangement is doing much good. Is this is a reasonable installation, or should I change it?

(In addition to wanting this to be done properly if it's not already, I'm interested in reducing a low frequency hum from the whole-house fan. One of the walls seems to resonate. My hope was that insulation running vertically between the studs, right up against the wall, would help in that regard. The fan is hanging from the rafters, as shown below.)

You're pretty much right. Having potential airflow between the insulation and the drywall does hamper the effectiveness of the insulation. Likewise, having the fiberglass exposed allows more airflow through it, which also impacts its effectiveness.

Now, the air in attics tends to be relatively still (except when that attic fan of yours is running, of course), so neither factor renders the insulation completely useless (after all, we regularly use loose fill insulation in attics), but it does mean the actual R value of the assembly is quite a bit lower than the rating on the fiberglass batts.


How much weight can lagbolts hold, or how can I support this piece of slate on a wall? I am hanging a 42"x60" piece of 1/4" slate on a plaster wall. I am planning on using three 1/4" lag bolts through an oak 1x4 with a rabbet. Can you confirm that this is a good plan?
The top will be held with another piece of 1x4 but I am not as concerned about it.
(EDIT TO ADD: three bolts because that is how many studs I have. they are about 16" on center)

Edit to add final photo:

Shear strength of the hardware isn't going to be a real concern. A single 1/4" Grade 5 lag bolt, in a configuration like this, will fail at roughly 13,000 lbs. Even 1/8" lag screws (well down into "numbered" screw sizes) will have a shear strength of over 3,000 pounds. Your piece of slate, if its density and dimensions are fairly regular for the species of stone, will weigh about 65 lbs with the measurements you gave, so a single 1/4" bolt will withstand 200 times the load that you intend to apply across three of them.

What's more important is the cantilever load of the mount and the resulting force trying to rip the bolt straight out of the wood. As BrownRedHawk says, a typical rule of thumb for screw-in-stud mountings is about 300 pounds per bolt to rip the mount straight out of the studs. This isn't much of a concern with your design either, as the mount will hold the slate flush to the wall and so the amount of cantilever force is minimal. If you were trying to hold the slate out from the wall a certain distance, that would make the bottom corner of the mount into a lever arm applying the torque of the slate bearing down on the extended mount, which would be considerable at just a few inches of offset from the wall.

Just use graded hardware, so you know it'll stand up to a minimum load. Also, use screws, not nails, in the upper mount. The tear-out strength for a nail, even a helical-threaded one, is much, much lower than a screw, and short of a full tear-out load they're more likely to work themselves out over time. You're right, the yield strength of these screws are highly unlikely to be tested, but you might as well use the same hardware as for the lower mount for a uniform look.


How can I use a 120v generator to power both legs of my electrical panel? I was recently gifted a Champion brand, 3550 watt, 120 v generator.  I had intended on hooking it up to my electrical panel via generator plug inlet box and interlock kit, but after doing some research I've come to realize I've got a complex problem.
In theory, I could rig something up to jumper the single hot into two separate hots and power both legs of my panel.  But, I have several MWBCs in my house, and my understanding is that would create a situation where I am overloading the shared neutral because the generator is only producing a single phase of 120v power.  Is this correct?
What are my options, other than trying to exchange or sell for a 240 v generator?
Thanks!

Yes! That is correct.  Well done with  the MWBC investigation.
The cheap/fast answer is simple: Since you are familiar with MWBC, it is safe for you to rearrange your loads to place all your critical loads on one phase. For instance, that would mean powering only 1/2 of any MWBC.  Attach the 2-pole generator breaker in  the usual way, but only connect your "hot" to one leg.
For the sole purpose of researching which leg a load is on, it is OK to temporarily pull 1 wire off a 2-pole MWBC breaker, or defeat the handle-ties.  Just put it back when you're done :)
In fact make sure they are handle-tied while you are in there.


How to mount multiple mirrors on a wall I have eight 30x30cm mirrors that needed to be mounted side by side on a wall.
I tried different types of adhesives, but the result was not good, mainly because the wall is not smooth.
Are there any good ways to mount these mirrors on the wall?
I am thinking of using Unframed Bathroom Mirror kits, but these apply to one huge mirror.

If you've ever watch a pro install mirror walls, they have a bucket of construction adhesive, made for mirrors, and they put a glob on each corner of the mirror and a glob in the center. They then place it on the wall and push. They will stick even if the wall isn't smooth and they can be adjusted if the wall is uneven. You'll need to support the bottom row with clips or a 1x2 fastened to the wall.


Poplar helicopter seeds stuck in deck gaps The gaps in my deck are routinely jammed with "helicopter" poplar seeds, which lodge with the hard seed just above the gap.  The "blade" of the seed anchors them so firmly that no blower or pressure washer can dislodge many of them.  The only way to get them out is to scrape them with a hook-like blade.

Is there any decking style or installation method that is immune to this problem?  (I'm not sure if the "obvious" solution of installing the planks with 1/4" gaps is good.)

Use a butter knife and push them through the gaps


How long can I leave a recently cleaned deck without stain? I have cleaned my deck and was planning on staining it. My problem is the weather is calling for rain everyday for the next 2 weeks.  How long will my deck be ok without stain?

Most stains manufacturers recommend a moisture content that measures less than 18-15%, bellow that you are safe to stain. Usually 2 days with no rain is enough.

If you want to be sure, you can always buy a wood moisture meter, you can find some cheap ones for around 25$ at your local hardware store or on Amazon.


Is there anything that common house ants won't burrow through? I have an ant problem and have gone on a never-ending quest to seal off all their points of entry.  Believe it or not, I have been surprisingly successful due to how they lead me right back to their entrance, but now I am losing hope.

Two years ago, I filled in a fracture in my concrete slab with Quikrete caulk.  It kept the ants from coming in up until now when they figured out that they can burrow through it.  Now I'm considering giving up and just moving to ant traps =.

I don't know what type of ants these are, but I don't think they're the big, black carpenter ants.  They're also not those microscopic, orange ants.  They're the ones in between, the ones you see skittering around on the sidewalk.  I'd say they could fit through a hole of a small button.

BTW, while I am technically asking how to get rid of ants, I am specifically asking about seals/caulks/materials that ants cannot/do not burrow through because my goal is to seal off all the points of entry that matter so they stay away from my cat's food dish.

The best treatment is to remove the things that attract the ants. If that is your cat's food dish I suspect that eventually, no matter how many cracks you seal up, that the ants will figure out how to come around the end of the slab and over to what they find attractive as a food source.

So maybe you want to start a regimen with your cat. Put down its food for say half an hour at each feeding and then take it up. Cats can learn to eat on a schedule. But at the same time they will also remind you of the schedule each and every day.


how to correct a crooked joint of brick veneer and drywall Installed brick veneer around a fireplace but failed to put a guideline where it met the gype wall.  The line is slightly crooked... any ideas to hide this?  If I rip out the bricks on the edge and reset them in a straight line, I'm wondering if the mortar will have a different color than the rest of the wall given that it comes from another batch.

I pulled some of the bricks off from the bottom and the top and reset them to give it a more even appearance.  There wasn't any problem with the mortar being from different batches, you can't tell once it is dry.


How do I treat / maintain IKEA Platta wood patio tiles? Over a year ago we put a good sized set of IKEA Platta deck tiles on our patio. After exposure to the elements, they are now dis-coloring and becoming a bit 'rough'.

What exactly do I need to do to get them back into shape?

These tiles are made of Acacia wood, which is OK for outdoor use, but must be re-oiled every year.

Here is my suggestion for yearly maintenance:

To smooth out the roughness, hand sand with a high grit sandpaper (I would avoid using a power sander)
Thoroughly clean the area using a stiff bristle brush and water, with a small amount of a mild detergent soap
Allow the deck to dry completely
Apply a light coat of tung oil with a paintbrush, wait 30 minutes, and wipe the excess off with a clean cloth.


How do I test the functionality of a sump pump? There is a sump pump in the basement, in a basin, with a power cord going into it, and a pipe going out of it.  How can I test the various kinds of functionality of this setup?

I can put a bucket of water into the sump and see if the pump starts - I suppose that tests the float switch, etc.  How low should the water level in the sump be before it turns off?

But how do I actually test that it is doing its job of keeping water out of where it's "not supposed to be"?

There are typically "sliders" or some sort of adjustment that mark the "start" and "stop" (or "high" and "low") water levels.

Generally there's no minimum low-water level other than you want to make sure that there is always water covering the pump intake (so it doesn't suck air).

The "high" mark just needs to be low enough that water never gets out of the sump.  If you have a "high water" alarm (and you should), make sure the "high" mark is low enough that it doesn't trigger by accident.

Other than that, the further apart they are spaced, the less frequently it will turn on and the less wear on the pump (start-up is the most stressful time).  Too close together and any backwash down the output pipe could cause it to turn back on again in an endless cycle.

For testing, dumping buckets of water down is fine, as is using a hose to fill it.  You just want to make sure that it turns on and off within the limits described above.


Pre-made rain cap for plumbing vent? (Preventing rust-through of galvanized pipe in the walls) Are pre-made rain caps made for plumbing waste vents?

My house was built 1938 with galvanized DWV pipes which have a series of elbows before reaching the roof. All such elbows retain a certain amount of rain or dew water.  I quite incidentally discovered one elbow is paper thin at the bottom:

The run is more or less sloped.
See also:
Covering / Cap over DWV vent pipe
This is 1.5 inch pipe.

I used a quick and very cheap solution, taking a standard plastic elbow and jamming it on to form a vent cap:

This will not affect vent operation, but will keep a large fraction of the rainwater out of the pipe, potentially extending the pipe lifetime by a few decades.  This also has a presumably minor benefit of keeping rainwater out of the sewer.


Parging foundation in Rain We are looking to buy a house. The Home Insurance has given us a month to parge the outside foundation in some spots. It is late March and we will get the keys in early April. Is it possible to parge the outside foundation if it is a rainy, wet spring?

There are no issues if you are using mortar.  In fact medium temps and a little dampness is no big deal and will allow the mortar to cure slower resulting in a stronger bond.  I am not saying that you do this in a heavy rain but no need for tents unless it is monsoon season there.

However if you are using some sort of epoxy the walls need to be very dry and again tents won't help because you would have to keep ground water out too.  Then you would need to do this after 4-5 dry days and sometimes even more - all depends on ground water drainage around house.


How do I determine why all outlets on a breaker stopped working, but the hot-grounds are still 120V? Edit: Is there a way to find an open neutral between the working breaker and the first nonworking outlet without cutting open the wall. It is a pretty straight shot between the 2 with no junction boxes or known splices between.
3 outlets on 1 breaker,  all hot-ground = 120V, neutral-hot and neutral-ground register nothing using a Sperry voltage tester ET6204. Using Ideal circuit tester 61-035, all 3 lights light up in all 3 outlets (top and bottom).
I identified which outlet is first. Breaker hot-neutral is 120V.
A window was recently replaced near the first outlet in the line. Electrical line runs barely under window in wall. Window attachment screws are in wall very near outlet.
What am I looking for and could a window screw have caused the issue?

Sounds like you have an open (i.e. broken or loose/disconnected) neutral wire.


Are SDS drills metric, standard or all the same? Can I buy SDS drills (or à drill machine) in the USA and use it with an European bought machine (or drills)?
Is the SDS "connection" the same in Europe as it is in the US?

Sorry for the language, I hope you understand

There are three different SDS sizes: SDS plus, SDS top and SDS max.  You must match your tool type to the bits.  Within a given tool type (SDS plus, say), the tool side is the same.

They are available in both inch and metric sizes (on the cutting end).

Wikipedia article on SDS shanks

SDS-plus, SDS-Top and SDS-max. respectively:


How do I wire a 240 Volt 500 Watt baseboard heater? Do I run 12-2 wire to a wall thermostat and heater off a 20 amp breaker? Does the black and white wire go to a double pole breaker?

It is safe to assume you mean 500 watt and not 500 amp.

Yes, you should run 12/2 cable from a double-pole 20A breaker to the thermostat and then from there to the heater. This is the easiest way to run this circuit.
Be sure to re-mark the white wire to a "hot" color with tape or easier yet a permanent marker. Use a color like red, blue or black.

Be sure to use a double-pole line-voltage thermostat.


How to calculate the maximum safe load on a horizontal wooden beam? I am thinking of constructing a wooden bed/desk/roof/shed/ship/bridge/rocket

How can I calculate the maximum load a rectangular horizontal wooden beam of dimensions L x H x W can safely support if the beam is adequately supported at both ends?

assuming worst case - load concentrated at center
for commonly available types of wood (e.g. Spruce)

There are lots of span calculators available online, which help you determine what size lumber to use in home or deck construction.  For example

http://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/reversecalc

and

http://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/spancalc

You could try to figure out what the live loads and dead loads for the bed are and go from there.

Shortcut - I might try to get by with 2x4's spaced 2' or less apart if they run side to side across a single mattress,  but I'd want 2x6's if they run long ways, or for a full or larger.


Water Pressure question and pipe sizing I recently ran some 3/4id poly pipe from my house about 300ft down a slight hill to my shop and garden area. I was not able to tie directly in to the underground pipe in the yard because my pressure regulator is under my house and I do not have a good way to get pipe out of the house underground. my solution was the put an irrigation valve box near a wall spigot and run a short, heavy duty hose from the wall to the valve box to feed the pipe. the inside pvc feeding the spigot I used is 1/2in. My issue with my flow at the garden is my flow, not the pressure. when I let pressure off and timed filling a 5 gallon bucket I calculated my volume to 4.2 gallons per minute, and my drip irrigation system will draw about 5.3 gallons per minute. My main question is trying to locate the bottleneck. its it mostly likely to be the 1/2 pvc pipe in the house? if so I can run a dedicated 3/4 line from closer to the house incoming line to the spigot, or would that cause the spigot to be a bottleneck? any help here would be greatly appreciated.

300 feet of 3/4 poly is, itself, a restriction. That's a very long run for pipe that small.
Adding a section of 1/2 PVC doesn't help, but unless it's quite a long section, the 300 feet of 3/4 dominates the total dynamic head (which is what limits your flow.)
Is your incoming pressure so high that it would burst the pipe? If not, skipping the path through the PRV and house might be the easiest solution, as there would be more pressure head to start with, and you can put a garden hose or irrigation pressure reducer (quite inexpensive) at the end of the line, if needed.


Temporary push button power switch I'm building a remote button to flush a toilet and I need a temporary power switch - something that will run 120V for say 3 to 10 seconds....

I have googled extensively and have not found anything...anyone have a solution?

correction, power is 12v - motor I'm using is DC and I have a transformer.

Also, I found what I need: "timed delay relay".

The timed delay relay will power a motor that lifts the flush handle and then shuts off.  Like a piston crank shaft.

I will update with a DIY when/if I finish this.

You could reduce the timing on one of these:

and add a double pole switch.


Load bearing wall & shelving suggestions As you can see by photo, I’ve wttached these “uprights” to a load bearing wall, hoping to have room for work bench and cabinet and tv underneath when done. Focusing on just the shelf right now- the top of this shelf where I will store kids clothes, yard tools and, some furniture parts. Ignore the clutter under the shelf as thats all temporary.

I got excited and attached to wall but am now questioning whether whether it’s safe to have this much pull on a load bearing wall. Therefore, looking for suggestions to secure so it stands on its own, and is just attached to wall.

Can’t tie into ceiling because ceiling/roofing system is butt joints with steel gussets - not meant to be pulled on.

Will take uprights down if there’s no other way- hate to waste as I spent a lot of time getting the joinery right and they were expensive.

That is one heck of a shelf! The top of the wall has a top plate. Remove the lower 45 degree legs and fasten them to the top of the outer corners of the shelf. Use 3" wood screws. Then attach the 45 degree legs to the top of the wall where the ceiling meets it. This is the reverse of what you have now. I cant tell from the photo but make sure the rear shelf board against the wall has screws through it that enters studs. All of the other excess wood is overkill.

This will free up all the space below the shelf and provide a boundary of sorts for the items you plan to store.  Don't worry, you couldn't possibly affect that wall with this shelf. The shelf would give before the wall would even budge.


Can an escutcheon be mounted without the valve body plate? The previous owners of the house never had the plumber install the plate on the valve body that the escutcheon would mount to.  Instead they tiled right to the valve body cover:

The replacement American Standard trim kit has a screw-less escutcheon. Any ideas how how I could mount the escutcheon? The hole for the plate are right on the edge of the tile so i could not drill a hole in the tile

You could get a pressure sensitive double stick tape to hold it in place while the clear caulk that is used to fix it in place cures.

The tape I refer to has a foam layer in the middle, so multiple layers can be used to hold it in place if needed.


How should I finish basement walls with half-height blanket insulation in place? I have a newly constructed home In the Northern Part of Ohio and am planning on working to finish my basement.  The summers a warm and humid and the winters are quite cold and dry.  I have a walkout basement and the grade is sloped significantly away from my foundation.  I have not had any water issues, and my sump pump never runs.  I know this question has been somewhat addressed before, but I can't find anything that specifically addresses my situation.  I have that wall blanket installed on my foundation walls, but on parts of them, the blanket is only covering half of the wall.  What should I do about finishing the bottom half?  Here is a picture for reference.

The blanket's providing almost nothing, so get rid of it (in that placement) and grind its fasteners down to flush with the wall. Research and testing has determined that a rigid board insulation (some sort of foam or rock wool, which requires a vapor barrier) tight against any exterior wall and those joist bays above the wall are the only way to go.

That way, you're minimizing and even eliminating any place for water vapor to collect and warming the exterior wall to avoid water vapor from condensing. Once that convection layer (no less than 1-inch thick) of rigid insulation is on or just rested into place, then the old fluffy insulations can go on top along with a stud wall.

Though, more rigid insulation is most beneficial. Any stud wall, in your non-load bearing situation, can then be comprised of as little as 1"x2" furring type members or regular dimensional lumber laid flat...to save floor space. And actually, you'll get the biggest benefit from insulating the ceiling. Being able to finally hold heat or cold in the room, may make you question whether to finish the walls or to just strip and repaint them...start with the ceiling, you'll be surprised and may be done a whole lot faster and easier (no new electrical requirements to satisfy).


How can I paint walls properly without sanding due to possiblity of lead based paint? My husband and I are buying our first home. During the inspection, our inspector said there could be lead-based paint (due to the age of the house) under the several layers of existing paint, and although nothing is chipped or flaking, NOT to sand the walls (the sellers don't know if lead paint exists under the current paint, and I'd rather not sand the walls and take chances). To save money, we want to repaint the interior ourselves and I'm not quite sure how to do it properly without sanding the walls first. The walls are in good condition, with no holes or cracks, and are a cream color, and we intend to paint over it with another light color, but don't want it to look like we cut corners. What's the best way to paint over the existing paint and still have good results without sanding?

If the walls are in good condition then why would you even have to anticipate sanding?

Prepare the surfaces by cleaning them well using a bucket of hot water and TSP (trisodium phosphate) cleaner. Make sure to wear protective rubber gloves. This will get years of dirt and gunk off the walls to make it a good place for new paint to adhere. The TSP will even help to dull glossy surfaces.

I have also found that the cleaner "409" will also help to dull especially glossy paint surfaces but they do also produce products especially for the purpose.


Replacing a ceiling register cover I was replacing an old ceiling register cover in my house but I found the screw hole on one side of the opening is kind of loose. Is there a way to patch up the mount point so the cover is fully supported?

Break the (non-ignition) end of a balsa-wood kitchen matchstick into the screw hole, then thread the screw into the hole. This will compress the matchstick and provide a snug fit for the screw.


Is it safe to split a NEMA 10-50 receptacle? Is it safe to split a NEMA 10-50 receptacle to a range to add a pair of 5-15 GFCI receptacles?

Unfortunately, I am currently renting, and the homeowner refuses to allow any work to be done.  I have lots of experience in wiring things the right away, but I am not a licensed electrician.  I really don't want to do this, but I don't really see much of a choice.  I'm wondering if it can be done safely.

The main floor of my house only has two circuits to run four window air conditioners, 2 desktop computers, heat lamps for 2 reptiles, ceiling fans, microwave, air fryer, Keurig, fridge, etc.  We trip a breaker several times a day.  The biggest problem is the computers losing all unsaved work.  I've thought about getting a UPS for them, but it charging its battery after every outage could just make things worse.  We were tripping breakers several times a week even before we started using the air conditioners.

We only trip breakers when someone is using the microwave, air fryer, or Keurig.  If I could add a circuit or two to the kitchen, we'd be all set.  The Frigidaire fef389cfsk range uses a NEMA 10-50 on a dedicated 50a breaker.  I'd like to move the 120v kitchen appliances to that 120/240 circuit.  We don't use the oven in the summer anyway, but we do still use one of the burners.

Since the 10-50 does not have a grounding conductor, I'm thinking I should use a pair of 15a GFCI receptacles, since GFCIs are rated to run safely without a ground.  I would take a standard 10-50 range cord, run it to a 10-50 receptacle for the range to connect to, then to a pair of 15a circuit breakers, and finally into a pair of GFCI receptacles (one for each ungrounded conductor) mounted in a metal box.  So this would be a custom-built plug-in adapter.  I would not be making any changes to the range or the existing wiring.

My biggest concern is the metal frame of the oven.  If the oven was wired correctly, it will be bonded to the grounded conductor.  The same conductor that just 6' away the microwave would now be using as a current-carrying conductor.  I'm assuming the range already uses the grounded conductor as a current-carrying conductor for its lights, clock, timer, etc., but those are all minor loads.  The reason ranges are being switched to four-wire cords, instead of three, is so the frame is not bonded to the grounded conductor, but only to a separate grounding conductor.  I just don't have enough experience jury-rigging something like this to know if that is a real problem or a theoretical one, or if there is another problem I'm missing.

Better ideas are always welcome.

Thank you.

The grounding/GFCI scheme sounds plausible. However, you still have a big problem that the 15A receptacles will be on a 50A breaker. They must be on 15A or 20A breakers. Anything larger and you risk a problem of an appliance fault that doesn't cause a ground fault but results in 2X overcurrent (i.e., 30A or possibly more) never tripping a breaker and instead causing a fire from overheated wiring.

In addition, there are code issues with removing and/or piggybacking on the range circuit. But ignoring that (e.g., if you simply unplugged the range and heated everything in the microwave) you still have the true safety issue of 15A/20A receptacles on a 50A circuit breaker.


20amp 12/2 wire with 14/2 switch? Installing  new bathroom heater/fan combo which requires a dedicated 20amp circuit. I got that 12/2 wire ran direct to the breaker.... the problem is the fan that was existing had a switch that I was planning on reusing for this new one. Only it is 14/2 wire, is it ok to run from the junction box in the new heater/fan the main power which will be the 12/2 AND the 14/2 for the existing switch?

No, this is not OK. All the wire on the circuit must match or exceed the breaker size based on the type of circuit it is.


Door handle not opening fully (not retracting door latch) I have taken apart the handle to try and fix it. The issue is I cannot physically turn the door handle enough to retract the latch. Can I fix this?

Just wanted to close this question. Ultimately, I ended up replacing the door handles. Trying to fix the components was just too time consuming for me, personally.


Repair/replacement of overdrilled wall After taking down one of those cantilever "invisible fixing" Ikea LACK shelves, I discovered that there were twice as many holes in the wall as required and all of them were enlarged and ruined (the wallplugs were very small and cheap). The wall is an interior one and it is a fairly thin coat of plaster over what appears to be fairly soft cement-like material. The underlying material around and between the holes is so damaged you can pick it out with a finger.

This means that at each end there are eight very closely spaced holes and a group of 4 in the middle. The wall is now unusable for shelf fixing in this area as there's hardly any plaster left, and the plaster around the area is flaking off:

I know I could clean the holes out, fill them with filler, sand and paint (the room will be repainted anyway soon), but I am concerned that this will leave fairly large hidden weak spots in the wall. Is it better to chop out the affected areas of wall, back to solid material and fill in with something stronger than filler?

EDIT: It's a 1930's house, and I suspect the wall is original. I haven't found any brick so far but there is some hard grey cement-like material behind the plaster that seems pretty solid. This is the best photo I can get down the hole after raking out the worst of the loose material (the "island" between the four leftmost holes collapsed, leaving one big one!)

I see no benefit to cutting a section out of the wall before patching it up. You don't say how old your house is, but in the houses I've lived in that are nearing 100 years or so, the plaster can weaken to the point you can pull it apart with your fingers if you damage the surface somewhere.

If that is indeed a coat of plaster/insulation on top of the structure of the wall, nowhere will be load bearing and you will want to drill into further the brick/breezeblocks/studs anyway.

Filler will work for those holes. If though after cleaning the loose bits away you are really worried they may be too large for filler, when I have large sections to fill I:

Clean the area with a wire brush.
Fill out with typical multipurpose/'one-coat' plaster.
Then a thin layer or two of pre-mixed finishing plaster, sanding in between.*

After painting it's invisible no matter what the damage.

-

EDIT: TDHofstetter makes a good point. I can't assume thats plaster over brick from two photos. From experience though, what may seem like an extra hour or so digging back to solid material to do the best job possible, can quickly turn into a whole weekend replacing 2/3rds of your wall! If the wall is otherwise fine, and unless you know you are going to want to mount something to that area, I would still suggest filling it and coming back to it when you need to.

Someone might offer better advice if we knew the structure of the wall though, could you maybe drill further in to see how deep this layer goes, and what, if anything, is behind it?


3/4" compression coupling leaking for alpine burnham U.S. boiler My 3/4" compression coupler, which is attached between the alpine burnham boiler's condensate trap stub and the pvc pipe that takes condensate to the neutralizer is leaking. I replaced this compression coupler with a new 3/4" COTS coupler hoping the leak would subside; unfortunately the issue still persists. The leak appears to be happening from the point of contact between the trap stub and compression coupler. Is there a particular coupler that I should use instead of the COTS I can get from any hardware store?
One thing I noticed is the compression coupler's gasket on the condensate trap stub does not sit snug and on the other side(PVC pipe to the neutralizer), the gasket appears to be snug.
Any recommendation is greatly appreciated.

If it is leaking at the point I highlighted in the photo below.  The drain stub is most likely not a 3/4 PVC pipe or is designed for a different type of coupler.  You would need to check that it is a smooth 3/4 PVC pipe exiting the boiler or is it a barb that requires a push on and locking clamp.
Just to clarify where the leak is and ask for more details on where the leak is.  See questions and requests in the picture below:

Edited to add additional information:
From your new pictures, it appears that the original drainpipe coming out of the boiler has been modified and is no longer a 3/4" PVC pipe. See diagram from manual below:

Your current connection as shown in your third picture appears to be a soft connection hose.  You would have to open the front panel and see how that clear hose is connected to the trap.  You might be able to connect a 3/4" PVC pipe in the trap area come out the outlet hole and match up to your Compression coupler.
A view of the pipe inside the trap area might help us provide a better answer on how to repair the leak.
You at least know why it is leaking.

Added details on how to fix the leak or make a connection.
As stated earlier, the draintrap pipe and validated by your new picture indicates that the drainpipe is a soft push-on hose.  From your picture of the trap in the boiler, the type of hose clamps used for connections (marked in the picture) shows that the trap and piping is a soft but stiff hose.  A compression coupler will not be able to assert enough pressure on the hose to prevent a leak.

Below is one way to provide a better connection to the soft hose from the boiler.

Insert a short ½” PVC pipe into the hose from the boiler and secure with a wire or ring clamp.
Attach a  ¾”-1/2” PVC reducing couple to the end of the ½” pipe
Attach a short ¾” pipe to the other end of the reducing coupler (long enough to reach the union.
Attach the other end of the union to the existing ¾” PVC pipe.


My light won’t turn off We are trying to replace a lamp but the switch won’t turn it off. The old lamp had 3 cables but the new just has 2. The old lamp had a blue connected to the red. We tried different combinations (addind the red with the black and the red with the white) but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? (See photos below)

Thanks!

Experimentation (trying combinations) is a rather bad idea. It can seem expedient at the time, but the nature of electrical is that there are many combinations which will work but will kill you. You should pause and research instead.

There are other wires in the back of the box.  Those should be left alone.

Dimmer

I see a dimmer.  Not every lamp is compatible with every dimmer, but every dimmer is designed to work with incandescent bulbs. You can't solve two problems at once, no matter how good you think you are. I would suggest substituting a simple $1 bare light bulb holder there with an incandescent light. The purpose is to figure out which wires are the correct ones, and confirm they do work.  Then you can try the other light and troubleshoot its problem.  There are "incandescent simulator" devices such as the Lutron LUT-MLC which can be wired in parallel with LED etc. lamps to help them work better with old dimmers.

Ground and neutral

The first thing we know about any electrical installtation is that there may be safety grounding.  That is always green, green/yellow, bare, or the exposed metal of the boxes and parts.  These always go together, and they are never anything else.

The second thing we know about any lamp is it needs a neutral wire (to return current to source). Neutral is not ground.  North American color codes for neutral are white or gray  (generally white).

There is a white coming out from the ceiling, and a white on the lamp. Connect them. Neutral is done and dusted.

All other wires are "hot" of one kind or another, and there are no further rules defining which hot is which.

Hots

Now what remains are 2 wires from the ceiling. These wires were not  connected before.  You never connect wires from the wall/ceiling to each other if they weren't before, because they have different functions (otherwise the person would not spend the money on the extra wire).  That means one wire will be used, and the other will be capped off.

The other wire on the lamp obviously needs to connect to something for the lamp to work.  We can't connect it to both remaining ceiling wires as discussed.  So we connect to one or the other.

Typically there are two wires either because a) there are 2 switches separately controlling two aspects of the light/fan, or b) there is a switched-hot and an always-hot up there for some reason (e.g. a light on a switch but a fan on a pull chain).   You can only connect the lamp to one or the other, as discussed.

Since they are both hot wires (not white or green) and the remaining lamp wire is hot, now we are ready for experimentation.

Generally, in case b), people prefer the color codes of black for always-hot and red for switched-hot. That is not required; there are no color codes except for the ones mentioned for neutral and ground.    I would give red a try and see if it works.   If that doesn't work, the only other choice is black.


What is a good barrier between grout and wood? A side of a tile flooring project abuts a strip of wood. How should I handle the side where the tile meets the wood so the wood won't absorb all the water from the grout?

You may not want to grout that joint.  Caulking (using a matching color with the grout) may be the better solution.  This way it will not crack as the wood expands and contracts over time with temp/humidity changes.


How many bolted faults can a residential circuit breaker withstand? A friend told me I should change my 20 amp breaker after one bolted fault. Is this necessary? During testing of the tread mill that caused the breaker to trip it has successfully tripped two more times so I'm suspicious of my friend's advice.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop is rather unanswerable. How many faults are they built to withstand and still be functional, should I swap them out after X # of faults, and are they more likely to fail-dangerous if they're old and abused?

According to the UL, a breaker must safely clear its maximum current twice and still be functional. This is a manufacturing standard; not really your concern unless yours broke after the first fault.

CBs are built to always fail-safe. An older breaker that seems to nuisance trip more often than it should might be grounds for replacement and it's probably the easiest way to see if there is something funny going on but there's no reason to arbitrarily replace them after a few faults. Several thousand faults? you'd better check what's going on and that breaker goes in the garbage on principle.

I'm unaware of any UL testing that seeks to show a reset count limit. I'd assume the possibility of a fail-on state is negligible or it wouldn't be UL'ed. IME, when they break they just don't reset anymore. - Find me an un-safe one and we'll go sue 'em for all they've got.


How to connect sink, dishwasher and washing machine with single water supply? I am mounting kitchen and in my new apartment I found this kind of water supply tap. I am not sure how I can connect it with all three sink, dishwasher and washing machine.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks :-)

I find it's best to assume the last guy had the same problem you are now having, and what you see is his solution.

It looks like it was factory made as a double tap, with an outlet on top and bottom, and the top one was never used (or his fitting did not need tape).  From the bottom tap, the last guy put a splitter on it, to get 2 outlets from the one tap (while strangly not using the upper tap at all).

Behold 3 taps for you.

I don't think this is a tub/shower diverter, the valve angle is wrong, and that would be rather strange since there's no hot/cold mixer and it would be out-of-place in this location.


new drywall adjacent to existing wall I have installed some drywall on a door frame that sits adjacent to an existing wall.
It ended up with the new wall not properly aligned with the existing wall as seen in attached pictures.
Any ideas on how I can address the same.
My intention is to create a seamless finish with the existing wall / new drywall
Thoughts / ideas appreciated.

It's going to be very difficult to get a good finish using drywall compound slathered on thickly.
I recommend that you remove the drywall you installed and re-frame or shim the doorframe out so that once you place the drywall it will be right in line with the existing drywall.
That should leave you with just a seam to be taped and make finishing it much simpler.


what should I use to cover a table made out of a broken bookcase? I'm working with a friend who is trying to make a kitchen table (i.e to use for eating) from a bookcase which broke.
We're trying to do it as low-budget as possible (he's in a lot of debt right now).
The bookcase is made up of a type of WPC. Each piece is about 2cm thick. It has a very thin plastic or vinyl cover on the top, bottom and the exposed side of the shelf (the one you would see when looking at the shelves in the bookcase). The other three sides of the shelves- the parts that would be against the bookcase when the shelf was in place- have no cover at all.
For this project, we're basically planning on attaching 4 shelves to form a rectangle, via a couple of wooden slats underneath these shelves. Then we'll attach a couple of legs underneath it to prop it up. (The goal here is cheap and functional, not aesthetic!)
The question we have is what we should do to cover the top of the table to seal it.
As mentioned, there are 4 shelves next to each other which means there are cracks between each one. And some of the surfaces in the cracks don't even have a vinyl covering, so if anything spills it will get absorbed into the WPC. And frankly, we want to seal the cracks so nothing gets caught there anyway- it's a recipe for microbes.
We're debating getting a thin sheet of thick plastic to put down on top and attach. But if we drill the plastic in, we now have holes around the screws where things could seep in.
Someone recommended that we attach the thick plastic by first applying a layer of silicon to the table. Someone else said to skip the plastic and just apply silicon. A third person said to just apply shellac- not silicon- to the whole thing, but a fourth person said the shellac will drip through the cracks and won't be thick enough to seal the cracks.
We're getting quite confused by these possibilities. We don't have experience with any of these, nor do we have any of the above on hand to try out. We'll obviously buy what we need to use, but we're trying to keep this as low cost as possible.
What's the best (cheapest, easiest, effective) way to seal the table top to make it useable as a kitchen table, disregarding aesthetics?

Your most "microbe resistant" option would be what you already thought of: a thin plastic sheet. Just glue it down with contact cement, rather than drilling and screwing, if you are worried about the screw holes (I would not be so worried about the screw holes myself...)