What can be used to fill a wide gap on a curved hearth? We just converted our fireplace back into a wood-burning one. When we discovered there was a matching hearth already under the carpet, it was suggested to us to cut it out and use it. Unfortunately, when the person doing the cutting started, he thought he was cutting around a border. He was actually cutting on the outside of carpet bar. Now we have this large gap around the hearth, and we aren't sure how to fix it. What can be put over the gap?

Although it may be a tad more complicated than plastic or vinyl, I would go with metal. Milled door sills are often produced in 80-100cm lengths (approx. 3'), either with screw holes or simply to be glued in place. You would have to cut it into short lengths with slightly angled ends; in essence you will be constructing a polygon instead of a circle. With a little searching, you will probably find a profile that combines well with the stone on one side, and carpet on the other.

The rationale behind using metal is to create a supplementary barrier for any sparks that may fly with the glass open (e.g. when stirring the fire) and roll on the stone. I would also think some bronze would fit in rather well with your fireplace and poker holder, though that is of course a matter of personal taste.


Can I have dimmable LEDs in a corded lamp? For a couple of bedside/reading lamps I want to use LEDs, but even the dimmest bulbs I've seen in the shops are about 250lm and still too bright for the purpose.

So I've come to consider a dimmer. The lamps are corded with the sockets well out of reach, so I'd like to install an inline dimmer on the cords like this one for example.

But I've been told you can't get trailing edge inline dimmers, so we're back to incandescent or halogen bulbs, which I'd rather avoid.

I've also seen LED bulbs with built in dimmers which can be operated by remote, but the only E14 type I've found is online and they look a bit shoddy.

So my question: What's a good solution for dimmable LEDs in a corded lamp?

Fitting is E14.

Edit: Seems you can get inline LED dimmers.

I don't think you need to consider leading or trailing edge at all. Incandescent dimmers are leading edge and government energy regulations (e.g. Energy Star) lead to broad compatibility with them.

Speaking for US products, personally, I have a Cree bulb running on a Lutron C*L (designed for CFL/LED compatibility) plug-in dimmer just fine. You can see from this list that even CFL/LED dimmers are leading edge, yet they are compatible.

I suggest checking the compatibility lists, looking for a LED marketed plug-in dimmer, and trying it out.


What are the differences between these two receptacles? Residential duplex outlets come in a variety of styles.
The two most common seem to be:

 and

Does it matter? Is the difference purely aesthetics, or is there any technical difference?

The outlet on the left will accept both 15 amp  and 20 and compatible

The outlet on the right is a 15 amp only outlet

The left is formally a: NEMA R5-20R

The right is formally a: NEMA R5-15R

The designation is for the pin pattern alone

The shape of the 'Square' vs. the 'Double D' outline is cosmetic only

The square shape is typically called 'Decora' - the word Decora is a trademark of Leviton. But it is used generically.

At this point, I think you can actually get more things in the Decora pattern footprint. GFI, Motion sensors, and other devices come in the Docra pattern, but are not seen often, if at all in the double d format.

Both of the devices you show are in a 'Single Gang' and 'Duplex' format.

'Gang' is a trade unit of measure (2.812" x 1.75") and 'Duplex' refers to the fact that there are two of them.

The 'NEMA' (knee-ma) is the acronym for National Electrical Manufactures Association. Lots of information, but being a standard, it lacks the symmetrical debates that occur with the NEC

http://www.nema.org


How do I connect a 1/2”BSP (F) Swivel inlet with a Quick Connect hose end? I want to connect this washing gun to a hose end (1/2") with a quick connect system. What connector do I need? Any links would be welcome!

For instance, would any of these work?

Ok I figured out your sizes the gun takes a 1/2” BSPM thread
Your link the male adapter 2.70 pound (your dollar? ) is the right one but there are 2 sizes FQCBM2 is a 1/2 BSP fitting so this should be the correct size.
I hope this gets you all set up it looks like it should from both descriptions.


Why must I hold the start button for my dryer to work? I moved into an apartment with an old dryer that had issues starting and getting the clothes very hot. I had to hold the start button in and the dryer would "ramp up" before it would start. Anyway, I bought a new dryer and hooked it up and it too requires the button to be held in until it ramps up and will then run. When a load of clothes is put in it, it tries to turn very slowly and will not start. Now for the voltage measurements:

at the 3 prong outlet:
240vac from leg to leg
120vac from each leg to neutral

at the breaker:
same measurements leg to leg
120vac from each leg to ground

The only other thing I noticed is that on one side of the breaker, the voltage jumped up to @180vac when I had someone hold in the start button on the dryer until it got started. Since V=IR, wouldn't that increase in voltage indicate that the current would decrease (assuming a steady resistance)? If the current going to the motor is decreasing, could that be the cause of the difficulty getting the motor to start and, if so, what could be causing this to happen?

Solved the problem.  Figured out that there was a potential between neutral and ground of 6v.  They weren't bonded at the box. Thanks for your help!


Can I hook up a dryer to the gas line in my kitchen that the stove in using? I recently moved and my sister gave me a washer and dryer.  It’s a gas dryer and I found out that my basement doesn’t have a gas line.  I have a gas line in the kitchen that the stove is using. Is it possible to safely get a splitter and run one hose to the stove and the other to the dryer?

You need to check your local codes. I wouldn't be running any hoses for any great distances. I'd extend the line with galvanized steel or black steel piping and tee off to the stove and dryer with shutoff valves. Many locations do not allow homeowners to install or modify their gas lines. Many gas companies will come out and hook up your new appliances for little or no cost and they'll also check the rest of your installation.


Better screws to mount shelving standards I really REALLY love the John Sterling Fast Mount Shelving system. I use it all over my house.
Presently I have been using #8 2-1/2" drywall Screws to attach the wall standards to the wall.
As of yet, I have had zero issues. I use these shelving systems for everything. My desk, bookshelves for my roleplaying book collection, wood storage, everything.
As I said, no issues... However, I have recently learned that these are not the best screws to use for this application considering the amount of shearing forces that this system places on the screws.
What would be a better alternative? I know that John Sterling sells a screw pack for these standards but they are overpriced and nearly impossible to find. I would like whatever suggestion I can get.
Also, learned that these standards use #10 screws not #8. So yeah Thank you in advance.
Here is a link to the standards on Menards so you can see what I am talking about.
John Sterling Fast Mount Wall Standards
And here are the screws that John Sterling sells for them.
John Sterling Fast Mount Wall Standard Wall Mounting Screws
Basically, I am looking for a readily available alternative to these screws to replace the drywall screws I am currently using.
EDIT: I am driving the screws into the studs. Just a clarification.

The factory screws look like #10 sheet metal screws with a flat head, just eyeballing it.  You will want screws the same size so that the head fits just-right in the hole, too big and they won't sit flush.  Sheet metal screws will be stronger than drywall screws, but wood screws or construction screws will be stronger than sheet metal screws.


Hiring an arborist for tree work I live in Florida and my neighbor has a huge live oak tree. It's beautiful and healthy tree. However, one of the main branch is overextending into my backyard hovering over my sunroom and I want to have it trimmed in case of hurricane damage.
I've decided to hire a tree company to do the work. While the main guy might have proper insurance and worker's comp..I'm worried about the other guys with him. How should I proceed to make sure I'll be protected in case of something goes wrong? Should I request to review each person's insurance and worker's comp coverage? Thanks.

a tree company
That's the key. When you hire a company, you get insurance information from that company. Ask for it. If they are reputable, they will gladly email it to you to seal the deal. I've done this a number of times. Any employees will be covered under the company's insurance policy.
(May vary outside the US, but you said Florida.)


Single pole light switch with live wire not terminating I'm trying to replace a regular single pole light switch with smart light switch and I find the black wire coming from source to the switch but it's not terminating, it goes up to the ceiling. I stopped here because this didn't make sense. Can I get help on what's going on here?

There's more stuff on this circuit

The black wire you see running off to the top of the box is an always-hot that simply powers more things on the circuit, such as receptacles or other lights, while the red wire going up is the switched-hot to the light fixture this switch controls.

Cut and splice the white wire to the neutral from the smart-switch -- you'll have 3 white wires under this nut.  Splice both black wires to the always-hot going into the smart switch.  Splice the switched-hot from the smart switch to the red wire.  Leave any 3-way or traveller terminals on the smart-switch capped-off or taped over.

As to the switch not fitting -- you'll have to finagle a single gang box extender (or a surface raceway starter box) into place and screw it to the box, then screw the switch to the extension.  If the extender or starter box is nonmetallic, then you'll have to pigtail the ground on the switch to a ground screw on the back of the box, as well.


Custom lighting switches I need a double (over/under) three way switch, preferrably rocker switch where both swiches have pilot lights.  Any manufacturer is fine.

single-gang duplex combo, 3-way/3-way rocker- no pilot light

NOTE: common terminology is- a "lighted" switch glows when the switch is off. A "pilot light" is an indicator that a switch is on.


How should I repair small tears in the kraft paper insulation caused while running a new water line? While installing new electrical and water drops my wire snake (and pipe deburer) poked though and tore the paper face of the insulation above my bathroom.  As this area is likely to see a lot of moisture, I' worried using masking tape, or a tape made out of a different barrier material like tyvek will provide an uneven penetrance and possible build up of water vapor in some areas.

Is there a proper way to tape or repair the barrier such that it still lets the room 'breath' properly while protecting from condensate?

Is there something more cost effective than Tyvek tape? and is that even appropriate over kraft paper?

Related: Should I repair the kraft paper vapor barrier after remodeling work?

Related: Is torn kraft paper vapor retarder in the attic a problem?

You're right that your bathroom will have a lot of moisture in it, but if that much gets through to your insulation you're not ventilating enough. Make sure you run your bath fan regularly and for long enough, and don't overthink the repair. Use any tape that will bond well to the craft paper, except not masking or duct tape. Neither have adhesives that are suitable for the long-term.


Fireplace/brick foundation I'm rebuilding my garage and have planned to install a footer, full brick base, and full brick wall behind a wood burning stove.  I'm planning to have the "base" be mostly standard concrete block with standard all thread anchors in all the spaces to fully tie it into the original foundation(concrete slab).  This area is the thickest slab visible on the exterior, roughly 18" thick.  There are additional all thread tie ins where the block doesn't tie into the curve I'm desiring.  The brick for the wall and then some plus the stove have sat in this location for an extended period of time with zero issues.  What I CANNOT seem to nail down information wise is if a moisture barrier is required for brick adhered to an interior drywall, exterior painted wall.  I've found information about excessive and inappropriate usage of barriers causing rot long term.  I'm ready to set the form for the base foundation, but want to ensure longevity of construction.  I'm already planning on an air gap between the brick and the drywall nearest the stove, but above that high heat zone, have the brick touching the drywall(with most likely excessive anchor ties(I have 100 drywall anchors at 50lbs each for any gap missing a stud - and plan to have 6 ties for each level of brick for the wall roughly 3'from the corner, despite the studs(overkill, I'm aware))).  I attached a picture of the current state - but is a moisture barrier excessive overkill, and in danger of moisture trapping?, or is it considering all possibilities?  I DO live in the south, have high humidity most of the year, and have great air conditioning/heating installed creating a dramatic difference in temperature between indoor and outdoor temperature regardless of season.  This area will also be further reinforced with rebar enforced concrete piers in strategic places, including 3 at this corner.  Weight is a non issue - the studs are going to be doubled as well.  My real question is - moisture barrier or not?

If nothing is going to be making the bricks damp a moisture barrier should not be used behind them.

If it were to be a hanging garden instead of a firewall then yes, a barrier would then be a good idea.


Can One GFCI Serve Several Outlets The house was built in 1996 and one (1) service box breaker and one (1) GFCI located in one bathroom serves all three bathrooms including three (3) brick-mounted outdoor outlets. Can this single GFCI serve to pass inspection today or should I replace the three (3) outdoor outlets with GFCI's and appropriate box covers?

Should be no problem. As long as the downstream receptacles are wired off the LOAD side of the GFCI, they are protected.


How do I properly seal slate tile? We recently installed slate tile in our renovated bathroom. We have sealed it with a penetrating water-based sealant. Water still seams to soak in to the tile and little water spots on the tile are appearing (and staying) after two coats of sealer. My wife is not pleased. I am worried about the slate we will be putting in the shower walls. Will it just soak through? Any ideas?

p.s. If my wife is not pleased, I am not supposed to be pleased ;)

You likely need more coats of sealer.  Depending on the porousness of the tile and the quality of the sealer you may just need more to get the job done.

When you do the shower walls, I would follow these steps:

Make sure your wall is waterproof - good suggestions from @Shimon Rura.
Install your tiles.
Apply two thin coats of penetrating sealer.  Leave each coat on for at least 10 minutes before wiping off (or follow the instructions).
Grout the tiles, using sealer instead of water in the grout.
Clean the tiles very well, allow to dry.  Apply two more thin coats of finishing sealer.

If you're using the glossy sealer this might be a bit much.  I would use the clear penetrating kind for the pre-grout coats.

The pre-grout coats are not strictly necessary, but do serve two purposes.  The first is that if you have porous tile it will give you the extra protection you need.  The second is it makes cleaning up the grout easier if you're sloppy.  Adding sealer to the grout is supposed to help with bonding it to the thinset - not sure if that's true, but if you have extra on hand it works fine.


Is this wall load bearing? Blueprints and photos attached I would like to remove the highlighted wall on the second floor of my house in order to create a loft area.

Please help me identify if I'm dealing with a load bearing wall.

Disclaimer: I'm not a structural engineer, nor should you believe the word of a internet stranger. Contact a local structural engineer to take a look so you don't bring the house down.

A few details point to the wall visible in the photo being load bearing:

There is a beam in the open bit next to the wall. This implies something is worth supporting up there.
The sloped ceiling implies the roof is right above it. Roofs need supporting.
The blueprints mention a column in the corner instead of just letting them butt into each other. This is only needed when that column is supporting a load.
Finally the blueprints have that wall shaded like they have the outer walls while the other inner walls are blank. Outer walls are nearly always load bearing, while inner walls rarely are.

The walls around the closet are unlikely to be load bearing.


Can I use double sided tape to install carpet on a concrete floor? I'd like to put some indoor/outdoor carpet in a portion of my basement, however, I'd like to install it so that it's semi-permanent.  Meaning, I don't want to use glue, nor do I want to use tack strips.

I've seen some YouTube videos, and read various sources that say a double sided tape can be used. Can I use something like Shurtape DF 642 double coated cloth tape to hold the carpet down?

Should I expect this method to last weeks, months, years, decades, or centuries? When it does come time to remove/replace the carpet, will I be able to remove the tape from the concrete?

The area to be carpeted, is about 10'×10'.

Since it's in a basement, there's always a chance of moisture. Though this particular basement is typically dry.

There is a type of very strong double sided tape that you can find at a carpet supply house. However, that would be harder to remove from the floor when you decide to change the carpet (it's very very strong).

If it were me, I would use a product called "spray tack" also found at carpet supply shop. Or big box stores sell a similar product by 3M, it's just spray adhesive.

The real deal carpet supply house spray is much better, but either would do the trick. Spray just the floor for a quick bond, or spray the floor and back of carpet for more secure bond. Either way it will be easy to remove when/if you decide to remove it.


What could cause my sump pump to cycle on and off rapidly? I have a new condition with my sump pump.  It runs for a few minutes (like normal) and then it stops for a few seconds and runs for a few seconds over and over (maybe 10 times).  This happens every time the sump pump runs.  It has been doing this for the last couple months and I'm concerned that this is causing additional wear on the pump.  I installed a battery backup pump on the same outbound pipe last fall, but it has been running fine with that install for many months.

Any ideas on the cause or how to narrow down the cause?

I'm not a sump pump expert, but it sounds like perhaps your check valve isn't working properly. If it isn't closing fully then water in the pipe can drain back down into the sump when the pump stops. If enough water is able to drain back down then it would cause the pump to start again.

Assuming you actually have a check valve, it probably looks something like this:

The lower the check valve is installed, the less water will be able to drain back down.


How to remove baseboard installed behind hardwood floor? The hardwood floors in my house were installed after the baseboards so the lower 3/4 inch of the baseboards is covered.  This is real tongue and groove oak hardwood floors which I want to keep but the baseboards have to go because I'm redoing the walls.  Some of the baseboards are installed directly to the studs, some over drywall, all with 8d trim nails.  Half the nails are about the level of the top of the floor.  The wood floors is butted tight up against the baseboards which is part of why they need to go: no expansion gap.
I've been removing the baseboard by prying off the exposed part, pulling the nails with end cutters, then prying out the bottom part.  The baseboards are mostly white pine so they cut and split easily but it's still slow and I have to break up a lot of the wood with a hammer and chisel while trying to not to damage the floor.  Is there a better way?

A tool that may be very handy in this situation is an oscillating tool similar to this one:

Picture Source
Not trying to promote any one brand, although the above shown is a good one, there are many brands to choose from. One thing to note is that there are universal blade types and then some manufacturers have their own blade holding design. Highly suggested to select an oscillating tool that uses the universal blade style.
With the wood saw blade that is about 1 1/2" wide you can easily poke the blade and cut down at an angle into the space between the wall and hardwood floor to cut up the old molding into pieces. This should make removal far easier.
There are some blades that could be used to cut off nails as well. This could be handy for you to try to sneak the blade down behind the baseboard to cut off the nails flush with the wall. If you do use this strategy do note that quality blades for these tools are fairly pricey and nail cutting has a tendency to dull the blades much faster than when cutting just wood.


What's behind my plasterboard? We've just moved house, and I've never had to deal with plasterboard before.  I'm in the UK, and the house is about 10 years old.  My understanding was that behind the plasterboard would be a gap (maybe of an inch or so) and then the concrete blocks forming the inner layer of the outside wall (this question only relates to external walls) except for the places where there are studs.
Instead, in one bathroom, there is a small gap (maybe 10mm) and then a grey, fairly smooth surface.  I have no idea what this is, but it doesn't look like a breeze block.
In the other bathroom, there is a tiny gap (maybe 5mm) and then a layer of something white in colour.  I made the mistake of drilling into this; the hand-drill (I was paranoid about hitting a pipe) went in very easily, and from shining a torch down the hole, it seems long.  It seems, roughly, like a very low density plaster-like material, which is pretty thick.  Could this be a layer of some sort of solid insulation?  In this 2nd case, the tiny gap isn't enough room to allow the expanding fixtures I was hoping to use to expand: would it be okay to drill out this second layer a little to allow some more room?
(I have tried removing the plug fixtures to gain a look at some pre-existing holes, but I can't see much of interest I'm afraid.)
Edit: After some extensive Googling, I strongly suspect that what I found was a "thermal block", see for example: http://www.plasplugs.co.uk/fixings_thermal.html
This fits with the description given by the builders (found in an information pack left by the previous owner).  What I saw in the first bathroom is, I presume, the same stuff, but maybe with a different finish?  Anyway, I ended up putting normal rawl plugs into this, which I suspect is a mistake...
Update: I took some photos from my garage, which is part of the house, but not plaster-boarded.  Firstly, this is a shot of the blocks which form an internal wall between the garage and the house:

The smoothed out surface in the middle is what, I am 90% sure, I saw behind the plasterboard in the en suite bathroom.  The rest of the block is a normal breeze-block (so hard to drill into without a hammer-drill).
However, on the other two walls in the Garage (so against the outside, and against a further internal wall with the house) are, except for the lowest layer, thermal blocks:

I can push a drill bit about a cm into these!  The texture is exactly the same as what's behind the plasterboard in the main bathroom.
Questions: Why would the internal wall in the garage have normal blocks, but the external wall have thermal blocks?  Why would one bathroom have thermals and the en suite not?  (Both are external walls).

There are a few possibilities; without knowing more about the layout of the house makes it harder to say for sure.

The internal wall in the garage might be constructed in normal blocks for fire performance reasons. (Without looking, I'm not sure about the fire performance of thermal/lighweight blocks). Also, normal blocks might have been used for structural reasons - for example if the wall is load-bearing (normal blocks generally have a higher compressive strength than thermal/lightweight blocks).

Likewise with the bathroom and en suite - there might be a difference for structural reasons.

Or there might be no firm reason for the difference at all, other than the builders using what they had available - it's not unusual for builders to use what they have as long as it meets any specific requirements for the particular element of the structure.


How can I protect items stored outdoors? Because of space limitations in our apartment, we need to store some items in the terrace. It is basically suitcases, baby stroller and box of books. There is a ceiling, so it wouldn't rain on it, but we are concerned about the cold, humidity, etc. We live in NY: cold winters, hot summers.

What would be advisable to create a good layer of protection?

Temperature is probably not a problem for the types of items you describe (assuming none contain any liquids). That is a good thing since it would be extremely difficult or expensive to keep them from the extremes in summer and winter in the northeast.

You should try to avoid extreme moisture changes. That means sealing in water impermeable containers. You might look at the large plastic bins offered in the big box stores, The edges can be sealed with duct tape (masking tape will dry out and crack). Larger items could be stored in plastic bags.  The construction grade trash bags are stronger than regular bags.  The tops can be knotted and then sealed with duct tape.

You might also consider putting in packets of dehumidifying materials.  These will absorb any existing moisture and help of there is a minor leak in the bags or bins.

These covering will also help keep snow out, but it would be good to arrange so that drifting snow does not sit on the items for a long time. If that were a risk, you might consider a small tarp (the blue/brown/silver plastic types) to put over the whole stack.  Shake snow off after the fall.


How to calculate sizing for treehouse footing? I would like to build a small free-standing treehouse without digging into ground and/or pouring concrete.

Here is what I have in mind:

It is, of course, for kids, so I don't think I need it to be able to support more than ~100kg (220lbs) with the reserve. I made it more wide than tall in order to reduce the instability, but what kind size poles I should need for to support both the overlying deck and house+roofing constructions + kids? [material is most probably pine for everything, as it is the only which is readily available, the blue timber is assumed to be pressure-treated]

The width of the house I had in mind around ~2.5m (8ft).

Hmmm...no digging in the ground and no concrete.

Sounds like the four perimeter beams will be your foundation. They’ll need to be treated for ground contact (pressure treated) as you indicate.

Your total load will be about 220 lbs. (Live Load) as you indicate, plus about 800 lbs. in lumber and material (Dead Load). I did not add snow load as I’d assume if there’s snow, then there’d be no “kid” load.

If you don’t remove the topsoil, your soil bearing value will be about 200 - 400 lbs. per square foot.

Assuming a total load of about 1,020 lbs. distributed at the perimeter: 13’ x 13’ x 4” wide beam for a footer allows a total footprint of about 17 square feet.

So, with a total load of 1,020 lbs. / 17 sq. Ft. = a soil bearing value of 60 lbs. per square foot for 4x beam footings.

Option 1: Use pre-cast square concrete footings at the corners. So, 4 - 16” x 16” footings will give you a footprint of about 7 square feet and a soil bearing value of about 145 lbs. per square foot, which is also very reasonable.


Can copper pipe support minor bends and creases? I have a male threaded adapter for steel pipe on a 3/4" copper pipe. When twisting an extension steel pipe on the fitting, I applied a bit too much force and that slightly bent and creased the copper pipe, which I mostly reverted with channel locks.
I tested it and there was no leaks but the crease is still visible if you look hard. I was wondering if this compromises the pipe to be more succeptible to leaking in the future.

copper is fairly soft stuff and a single crease-uncrease operation won't cause a leak by itself. but that piece is now weaker than the rest of the pipe so it may  be the first part to fail is the system is over-stressed.


Is there a safe way to splice multiple lamp fixtures on the same cord? I'd like to hang a string of paper lanterns.

One web site sells a lamp cord spliced for multiple bulb sockets:

http://www.paperlanternstore.com/bldosocokitf.html

It looks like SPT-2 lamp cord, spliced with an insulated terminal block.

Is it safe to use terminal blocks as a splice outside of a junction box?
Is it safe to hang the weight of the light fixture on this lamp cord & splice?

You might want to look into using something like this...

Designed for paper lanterns.

Notice that the weight of the lights are supported by the cable and the socket, not the junction itself.  The problem with the product you linked to, is the weight of the lights are supported by the junction (given that it's not mounted properly). Over time the weight (or accidental yanking) could cause the junction to separate, leading to a potential shock/fire hazard.


Help with smart thermostat wiring Installing an ecobee4 thermostat. Have a 2 stage furnace with ac. Had a Trane furnace installed couple years ago and just noticed it's jumpered between W1-W2. Old thermostat wire was only 4, apparently HVAC guy didn't want to pull a new one and just did this for the timed second stage. I will be running new wire and want it to run truly 2 stage. Question I have upon looking at everything is as I understand it the Y should be connected from thermostat, furnace control board, and outdoor ac unit. And the other ac  wire connected to the B/C on the furnace, which is also going to be connected to the new ecobee. This isn't how it currently is though. Currently the Y on the thermostat goes directly to the other wire on the ac unit not connected to B/C. Furnace board has no Y connected to it. Now everything works fine, ac in summer has been fine. Is this how I should run the new ecobee4? Does the Y on the furnace not need to be used? Thanks.

Most all the newer furnaces there will be a 'Y' terminal at the furnace.  However, this 'Y' terminal does nothing at the furnace location. On the board, it is a connection point only. Essentially, the Y signal originates at the thermostat, travels on the yellow wire, passes straight through the furnace out to the starting contactor at the A/C condenser. That contactor at the condenser also needs the B/C from the furnace.  These High tech thermostats will also need a common, B/C wire as well as the normal control wires.


How can I drain a two tank compressor? I have a 1.5 HP two tank compressor that I have to drain daily.

What is the most efficient trap to capture the water oil mixture as I drain it?

You don't fully open the drain. If you do, the air pressure will create a vortex and stop it from draining. Crack it open until it spits and starts coughing up air, then cut it back some until all it's doing is gurgling.

Repeat until you can't get it to gurgle anymore.

Pipe it with some flexible copper to a nearby drain for simplicity.


Electrician strangely cut and capped hot wire of receptacle Background: I recently moved into an apartment building in Canada (built in 1969). I don't know much about the electrical code, how grand-fathering works within it, etc., but I have an intermediate knowledge of household wiring.

Out of curiosity, I used a typical 3 light receptacle tester to double check the outlets. To my surprise, 7 of them had hot-neutral reversed. This didn't worry me much, because all of the devices I had plugged into them are small electronics with non-polarized 2 prong plugs (which trivially let you reverse hot and neutral). No big deal, I submitted a maintenance request, and had them fixed.

After the electrician came, 5 out of the 7 outlets were fixed, and two were completely non-functional (which were previously functioning but just reversed). I turned the power off and investigated for myself. I found the source of the issue: the hot wire for one of the outlets was cut and capped. The second non-functional outlet was downstream from this one, so that's why it wasn't working either.

Is that a dangling ground wire? Yep, sure is. But that's another question.

Shockingly (heh), the wall side of the wire is a short stub (which barely reached into the junction box) and isn't capped.

My question: what's going on here? Why would anybody ever do this? Is this just some total shitshow, or is there some intention I don't know about?

A long shot, but maybe:

Hot wire broke
Instead of fixing it, someone swapped hot & neutral elsewhere and then for the neutral (not hot since they were swapped earlier in the chain) tied it to ground (which to a simple tester will look the same)
Latest electrician tried to fix the problem for you but due to the broken hot, couldn't easily fix it, and due to laziness and/or limited budget (i.e., he knows the landlord won't want to pay for many hours of extra work), he didn't fix it, just made it as safe as he could easily do.

The real fix depends on the type of wiring:
Cables

Remove the junction box and possibly cut holes in the wall for access
See if there is enough slack somewhere to use the existing wire and if that doesn't work...
Replace the entire section of cable (not fun), or
Use an approved in wall (i.e., hidden) splice to add an extension to replace the broken wire (not fun, but not as bad as running a new cable)

Conduit

Identify the other end of the broken wire and disconnect it
Pull out the broken wire
Put in a new wire

With conduit this should be easy. However there may be additional locations to be opened up along the path of the wire in order to get it all the way through. YMMV.


What exactly is a wall void? A termite insecticide (fipronil) is not to be used indoors, except in wall voids.  If a hole was drilled in a baseboard or wall and the the foam was delivered through the wall, is this considered delivery to a wall void?

Yes, the void is the space inside the wall. It could be between joists in a wood wall or in the channels inside concrete blocks. It basically just means empty spaces in a wall.


Minimum Height for Vent Pipe Is there a minimum height for the the vent pipe circled in the image?

Yeah, the horizontal vent branch immediately to the upper left of your red circle cannot turn horizontal until it is a minimum of 6" above the flood rim of the fixture it is attached to or the highest fixture in a group that it is venting.

This will determine the length of the pipe you circled.

Good luck!


Is it safe to use Extension Cord to Power PC/Routers on already used circuit? Note: I have very little clue about electricity/circuits so I can only provide info on what I know.

The setup: In our upstairs bedroom we have two wall sockets on either side of the room, with two 3-pin plugs on each (UK Connectors). For the last couple of years we have had one desktop PC & monitor setup on one socket and a PC/dual monitor, Two-Routers, Media Server, Home Theatre PC and TV set up on the other side of the room.

The problem: The power stopped working for the socket powering the Routers/TV/PC/etc. We got an electrician in who couldn't find anything wrong with the fuse box or the sockets (we found there's another socket also on the same circuit not working). He said we would have to start pulling up the floorboards to find a junction box and at the moment, we really don't want to start doing something like that.

What we want to do: Buy an extension cord (most likely 8m/10m) to route around the room to provide power to the PC and Routers from the socket currently functioning. My worry, and this is a huge worry, is that if we run an extension cord from this socket we will have too much running on the single circuit with two computers, three monitors, two internet routers at minimum...

Is this dangerous? I know you're not supposed to use extension cords permanently but we don't want to be ripping up carpets until we move out in a year/two years, when it makes more sense. But, if using an extension cord in this situation is likely to overload the working circuit or worse, set on fire, it ain't good.

Without knowing the specifics of your wiring, you should be just fine running all of that and more from a single outlet.  On one 15amp outlet I have running all at once a PC, PS3, 120watt AV receiver, and an LCD TV -- you'll be fine!  If you do overload that circuit the breaker will trip or the fuse will blow, and you'll lose power to that outlet.

I would get a more competent electrician out to figure out what is going on with that outlet though.


What screws to use to hang bathroom mirror cabinet? I have bought a bathroom mirror cabinet which has a mirror on the front door. The door has hinges on its left. There are 4 screw holes on the back near the corners. The box did not come with any screws.
What size screws do I buy to hang this and how do I ensure that the cabinet is levelled when I try to hang it? I guess I will have to drill holes that are about the size of the screws and put in some plastic stuff to hold the screws in place as well right?
I really don't know where to start with this.

Really, any wood-thread screw that penetrates your framing (studs) at least an inch will do fine. Depending on the back panel construction you may want to use countersunk flat-head screws or pan-head screws. (You wouldn't countersink screws in a very thin back panel.)
If you have steel studs you'll need a sheet metal screw, and I'd use a few more (six rather than four, say).
Drill through the back rails if your cabinet has them, otherwise drill fairly near the top and bottom panels. Putting screws toward the vertical center can lead to sagging when the back panel bows. Don't use the pre-drilled holes unless they align over studs or you use hollow-wall anchors designed for the type of load you're installing.
Try to be aware of what plumbing and electrical hardware may be in your walls and avoid damaging it.
Use a bubble level or a tape measure (from the floor, wall, or ceiling) to set it level.


How do I slope a patio toward one of its corners? I have a rectangular patio which I would like to drain toward one of its corners. Is there any subtlety that the installer needs to know in order to create a proper grade for this? Do you need to install your pavers in a specific way?

I have seen this a lot done in Downtown Toronto where pavers where installed on walk ways and the walkway was installed to allow disabled people to go on or off the walkway with their carts. I have also seen it in large areas around buildings that where built on slopes

I need to do something less complicated than the above, something like in the picture below.

For low-cost leveling, use flexible plastic tubing and fill it with water and food coloring. This will allow you to level the forms at each corner, or, in this case, to an offset of your choosing.


Bedroom 10 degrees colder than rest of floor! I'm at my wits end. I just moved into a new (for me) 2 story house (1998) that has some weird heating issues.
The house is about 3200 sqft the upstairs is heated by a furnace located in the attic. its an Amana AMH80453ax 2 stage variable speed gas furnace. there are 4 bedrooms upstairs all supplied by this furnace.

Here is the issue: Our master bedroom is regularly 10 degrees colder than the set thermostat temperature and the rest of the upstairs. BUT not all the time. This is with all the doors open between rooms. A few other important notes -- Our bonus room is on the 2nd floor and is heated by the downstairs unit. This room is regularly 5 degrees warmer than the stated thermostat. The downstairs furnace is a self contained A/C/Furnace outside and the duct work is in the crawl space. I live in Tennessee. Also, based on my amateur analysis the air coming out of the vents upstairs is not very warm and normally "feel" of low volume. I have checked the duct work several times and it seems to be fine without any leaks/ no dampers blocking the flow. Clean filter. The master bedroom is not over the garage or has attic stairs. The windows are the same in this room as the rest of the house.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Variation of the temperature from room to room that is different from the thermostat is a basic fact of operational behavior. you will have to get used to some variation!!

It is possible to even out the differences by changing how much of the heated air gets to each room. This is usually done by using vent controls on each room to permit more or less air into each space. Sometimes there are also vent pipe dampers or diverters that can be adjusted as well. A balancing exercise is usually an iterative process that takes time and patience.

A well balanced system will only stay that way if the same conditions apply as when the balancing was done. Some of these conditions would include outside air temperature, state of window coverings, whether doors are open, closed or partly ajar and if windows remain in the same state (closed or open).

Note that a system balanced for heating can take an entirely different set of adjustments to optimize for cooling during warmer parts of the year.

So as you can see you could try making small gradual changes in your setup. Try closing off more of the the vents that feed into the area where the thermostat is located and open those in the colder room a bit if not already fully open. Remember - iterative process.


Power fluctuates enough to make bedroom fan almost turn off It's been happening a while. Lights flicker throughout house and my bedroom fan slows down a lot, kind of like when my ex used to bear down on her hair straightener. I mainly notice it when I go to bed, often times kind of late. Any thoughts? The fan is plugged into a power strip. It has fallen a few times. Haven't bought a new one yet to see of it's causing all of this.

That's a power supply problem, and a serious one.  If it is happening all over the house, and if any appliances will cause it, then it's a "lost neutral" -most likely on the power company's side of the meter.   That is their problem and they should fix it for free.   Call them and report an outage, since it is as serious as an outage.  Don't delay, either - this should be fixed right away before it does serious damage,


Multiple HDMI to Coax Converter I have 3 - 75 inch TVs throughout the house and I want to connect these to RF Coax so that I can select a channel to watch like channel 3 on one TV and channel 4 on the other two.  The idea is each channel would be fed from a laptop to some type of hdmi to coax converter.  These exist for a single channel but I haven’t seen a multiple channel encoder/converter yet.
Issue 1. How do I get multiple channels onto the coax?
Issue 2. How do I control the laptop remotely without cross affecting the others?

Preface: this is going to be expensive and likely not valuable to anyone else, since it is non-standard.
First, I would do away with the Coax part of your idea. You're talking about encoding multiple channels of HD video onto a single coax line. Cable and satellite companies do this with expensive equipment with compression. HDMI has literally 20 pins, you can't just do this simply and electrically. HDMI over Cat5e has some compression and might be useful to you, especially with my next suggestion:
If you're not putting all the signal on one cable, how do you do it? Multiple cables. Modern TVs have ~3 HDMI inputs and switching between them is simple like changing channels. If you're talking about 3 different video signals and 3 TVs, you're looking at 9 cables crosslinked like this:

Obviously, the more TVs and the more video source "channels" you have, the more complicated this will be. This also requires HDMI splitters and multiple cables run from your sources to your TVs. On the upside, you can run this with off-the-shelf hardware and full HDMI resolution.
Controlling your laptops could be as straightforward as a remote software on a tablet near each TV that you use instead of/in addition to a TV remote.
Having said all this, the proper and much cheaper way to do this is using the built-in "smart TV" software on each television, and if that's obsolete or not present (older televisions) to upgrade with a "streaming stick" device such as Chromecast, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, or other. For around $50 per TV, these will tune into any number of online streams and save you the cost of laptops, wire runs, adapters, et al. You can control the streaming of most of these from a smartphone or tablet (and the same smartphone/tablet can control whichever TV you happen to be at) making this solution superior in many ways to your proposal.


Why do the lights on my newly installed ceiling fan flick on and then off immediately? We just installed our new ceiling fan with lights. The fan works fine but the light will flick on and then off again immediately. We took it back down and reinstalled it, ensuring that all wires were connected properly, but still the issue has not been resolved.

How do we fix this?

I had the same problem. It is the wattage limiting black box that is bad if you used the bulbs that came with it and it doesn't work.  I am an electrician so I found it to be a simple fix.

Turn off power at the switch. Open the bottom of the fan where you plugged the light in. You are basically going to bypass the little black box that goes into the lights. Mine had a red, blue and white wire going to the black box. Cut or unsplice the 3 wires as close as you can to the black box and remove the black box. Splice the white wire going to the light to the white wire that came from the selector fan switch back together. Then splice the red wire from the plug-in connector to the black wire going to the lights. This will solve your problem.

You can also get a new black box if you want the wattage limiting feature still. I am an electrician of 15 years and I don't see the point of it as my fan only takes small bulbs anyways. If you do remove this black box do not put in bulbs that will add up to over 190 watts together.

Good luck


Can you tile over blueboard? I'm doing a bathroom remodel and want to tile the entire bathroom (not just the bath/wet area) floor to ceiling.

My contractor used concrete board in the bath area (which sounds good), but used blueboard in the non-bath area. He says the blueboard should be good enough for tiling from floor to ceiling, even with heavy porcelain tile. Is this true? Would you recommend just using concrete board throughout?

Tile will hold up fine on the blue board / green board in areas that are not wet. in the 50's it was common to install tile on regular sheetrock in bath / shower areas. I saw many jobs that lasted 20-30 years before the sheetrock failed in wet areas but in dry areas it last longer (than wet areas)and is less expensive to install.


Electrical wiring capped with wire connectors exposed to weather: bad idea? I noticed what appears to be electrical wiring exposed at the peak of the gable end of our office. I don't have any way to know if there's current flowing to those wires.

Is that a problem?  I assume that it isn't a good long-term thing, but I guess I can't actually back that up. Anybody?

FYI any exposed conductors should be protected and covered no matter where they occur. Especially if the exposed wiring is on an exterior where the insulation is exposed to a more severe environment.


can a dishwasher be installed 17 feet from sink? Due to the issues with my kitchen cabinet layout, I can't have my Bosch dishwasher installed next to the sink. The only place where the dishwasher can fit into is the cabinet that's 17 feet away from the sink, but Bosch said the drain hose can be extended up to 12 feet.
Is 17 ft too far in this case? How damaging it could be if the dishwasher is installed too far from the sink?

You can put the dishwasher wherever you want.
You will have to provide it with water and a drain that meets code - and it's not at all likely that you can run 17 feet to join the sink drain while meeting code. So you'll have to arrange plumbing to serve the water input and drain output needs of the dishwasher where you want to put it, independent of the sink.


Does Homeowner's Insurance Typically Cover A Broken Well? My well is horizontally fed through a wall in my foundation.  It recently rained a lot and I believe the pipe that feeds my well has been cracked.  I had to cut the power to my well pump in order to stop water rushing out of a basement wall.  I am estimating this will be an extremely expensive fix; so my question is this, does homeowner's insurance often cover this type of situation?

As a side note, in regards to the severity: my basement was completely flooded with water, but I've soaked most of it up and pushed the remainder down the sump.

The only person who will know for sure what your home owners policy covers will be your insurance agent. Best we could do is guess. I honestly have no idea.

As far as the expense of repair, it depends on how much of the labor you can do yourself. Excavators aren't exactly cheap to rent, but they aren't thousands of dollars either. Pipe itself is usually fairly cheap, unless it's large diameter copper.


Just bought old house, only some plugs are grounded please help me! I am a first time home buyer and i just bought an older home. I have been researching  the web for an answer about grounding. On my first and second floor i have very few grounded plugs, my home inspector tested the 3 prong outlets and they are in fact NOT grounded. Two are, one in the kitchen and one in one of the two bedrooms.  On the second floor none were grounded.  It has a finished basement  and all the plugs down there are grounded. The breaker box in the basement is newer, 2001. I am having trouble finding an electrician  to come in with me and look into it further right now as I have not moved in yet. Am I screwed? Is it a good sign that at least some on the first floor are grounded? Is it a big deal that the second floor is not grounded at all? Also, are these GFIC outlets I keep reading about a good alternative? I would only want maybe 4 installed throughout the 1st and 2nd floor. As I do not think I want to rewire the house right now. I am concerned with protecting high end appliances and family.
Thoughts  please?
Thank you.

Good you're asking now.  So much has changed in the last few years. (Really, no joke).

Why do we want grounds?

Grounding was a frantic attempt to solve several problems from human-made electricity.  At the time the only protective devices were overcurrent protection, in the form of fuses or breakers.

Wired "ground" is pegged to neutral and earth in one place. Neutral is the return for human-made electricity.  Earth is the return for natural electricity.

Arcing across loose connections or damaged wire causing house fires.  The hope was it would arc to ground instead, giving a very high-current path which trips the overcurrent device.
People being shocked by wayward current trying to return to source via water pipes or the earth.  Providing a very high-conductance path back to source should divert almost all fault current, and again hopefully trip the overcurrent device.

It helped with natural electricity too, which wanted to get back to its source which is earth.  External tower antennas were already grounded, but some lightning energy would make it down the signal wire to the radio or TV. It was discovered grounding those would help stop fires by giving lightning a good path back to its natural source.  The same applied when they found new electronics were vulnerable to shuffle-feet-on-carpet static electricity, now called ESD.

What changed

For shock hazards, GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor) aka RCD (Residual Current Device) became established over the last 30 years. This trips on differential currents.  In theory, all the current going down the hot should return on the neutral - currents should be equal.  If not, current is traveling a third path in what's called a ground fault. That could be through a human.  A

GFCI can only detect a fault in its zone of protection, which is all the premises wiring downstream of the GFCI.  Europe protects the whole house with one RCD, but uses a weak 30ma threshold - which will still allow you to be stunnned and then fall or drown. That's why America uses the 8ma threshold, one circuit at a time because 8ma is too sensitive for a whole house.

For fires from arcing faults, AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interruptor) have become affordable this decade.  They contain a small control computer which does acoustical analysis of the power line, listening for the telltale sounds of *arcing - if you've ever hooked up speakers while the stereo is on, you know the sounds.  Its zone of protection is all downstream wires and a little bit upstream (it can hear arcing nearby).

Electrical fires are the #5 cause of house fires and the #3 cause of fatal house fires.

GFCI and AFCI breakers (and even GFCI+AFCI Combos) can be had for any modern panel - not Pushmatics (handle those by adding a modern subpanel), FPE or Zinsco (both of which are dangerous and should be immediately replaced!)

Third and also important, in the 2014 NEC (effective 2015-16), they greatly liberalized the rules for retrofitting grounds.  Now you can run just a ground wire to almost anywhere that needs a ground.  Ground paths can be combined for all circuits out of a panel, as long as each point gets a thick enough ground path. Install the 10AWG backbone first to major appliances, then all the 12AWG grounds to the nearest 10AWG place, then 14s to the nearest 10 or 12.  What's new is they made it easy.

You cannot use building steel or water pipes or the grounding electrode system  for the grounding path, the destination is the ground bar in the panel.

 Problem                    Weak solution          Strong solution

 Human shock             Ground or 30ma GFCI          8ma GFCI
 Fires from arcing       Ground or 30ma GFCI            AFCI
 Lightning                        -                    Ground
 ESD                              -                    Ground

To protect your family

You can now see that burning all your money pulling new cables is the wrong thing to do, a waste of funds needed elsewhere.

AFCI+GFCI are the place to start.

It would be a waste of money to spend $40 on an AFCI breaker and then $20 on each of its six receptacles for GFCI+receptacle combo devices.  As discussed, GFCI's and AFCI's cast a "zone of protection" to all devices downstream on that circuit, including the wiring.  A $50 combo/dual-mode GFCI+AFCI breaker will protect all outlets on that circuit, including hardwired outlets. The outlets need to be marked "GFCI protected" and if applicable "No equipment ground". If you don't like the ugly stickers that come with GFCI devices, you may use your own marking methods, I like white P-touch labels on white covers.

GFCI "receptacle" combo devices are almost always installed wastefully, even by pros - wasting money and forfeiting protection that is available.  Don't use them unless you really bone up on how the "downstream protection" works, that is the essence of the devices.

Now if you have equipment that you want to protect from static electricity, you can retrofit grounds to that location.  Retrofitting grounds and fitting AFCI and/or GFCI are orthogonal and can be done independently without impacting each other.

The dryer and range

These should be on your "ground it" list because Code specifically allows a very ugly method of connecting dryers and ranges without a ground using the toxic NEMA 10 plugs: bootlegging ground from the neutral wire.  That's all grand until the neutral wire develops a flaw: when you turn on the dryer or open the oven door, it electrifies the chassis at 120V.  The correct fix is the modern NEMA 14 type plugs, and jumpering the dryer/range to separate neutral and ground.    A GFCI breaker will be an effective substitute, but expensive.


How does a gas water heater thermostat and gas valve work? I have a (fairly standard) natural gas water heater that is only hooked up to a water supply line and gas - no electric. I'm wondering how the thermostat is able to open/close the gas valve without electric?

Based on some Googling, I've found that the thermostat itself is a thermistor, which provides variable resistance based on temperature. That implies some electric current coming from somewhere. But where? And what provides the actual energy to open/close the gas valve?

Haven't been able to find this anywhere...

There are three things with "thermo" that you need to be aware of. Thermistor, Thermocouple, and Thermopile.

You know what a thermistor is.  A Thermocouple generates voltage when its heated, and the voltage varies with the heat.  A Thermopile is a collection of thermocouples (in a single package) that generates more voltage.

So, the voltage to open the valves comes from thermocouples and the heat comes from a pilot light.

You know how when you light a water heater you have to hold down that button for a long time to get it to stay on?  Well the button manually opens the pilot light valve and you have to hold it on long enough for the thermopile to heat up and take over the job.  Once it's up to heat, it keeps the pilot light valve open and provides voltage for the other controls.  Also, if the pilot light goes out, voltage drops, and all the valves remain safely closed until it is re-lit.


Sanded Grout in Stone Tile Floor Keeps Disintegrating Our house has a stone tile kitchen floor installed by a previous owner. Since we bought the home 15 years ago, we've had a problem with the grout between the tiles crumbling in certain places. I learned shortly after we bought the house that the grout had been recently repaired in spots. There were issues within the first few years we owned it, which I repaired myself with sanded grout. It crumbled again, so I brought in a professional to do it a few years back. Once again, there are portions of the floor where the grout has crumbled and worn away.

Since these repairs were done by different people with different materials over the years, I'm thinking that the problem is with the floor itself. Perhaps it shifts just enough in certain places to cause the grout to break up.

Is that a reasonable hypothesis? If so, how would I go about making a repair that will last more than a couple of years? Can (or should) I put some kind of metal separators between the tiles to keep them from shifting?

I suppose another way to determine subfloor setup, is if you have a transition to another floor. You could look there. But I suspect the subfloor is not thick enough, allowing the tile to move, causing the grout to crumble. You could try a non-sanded grout, or a siliconized grout.


How do I find where mice are entering my house? So the house I just finished remodeling, and am now living in, has a small mouse problem.  We have caught a couple of mice, and suspect there may be more.  Catching the mice does little good, if more mice are just walking on in.  I have walked around the entire house, and have found no voids > 1/4" in diameter.  There were a few smaller voids (no larger than 1/8") around entry points for wiring/plumbing, which I filled with expanding foam.  My question now is- how do I find where the mice are entering the house?  Any tips?

Sprinkle flour or talcum powder on the floor.  Mice will leave tracks in the powder, eventually revealing entry points or nests.  You don't have to blanket the entire floor, just near the walls/borders of the rooms, and "as needed" until you have the evidence you seek.  Keep in mind that their typical range is 12-20 feet from their nest.

Look for mouse droppings.

Use an ultraviolet light to find urine stains.

Use light. If you can make the room dark, look for sunlight shining through cracks from outside.  Or, wait until dark and shine a light through possible cracks, either from inside or outside, and have an assistant on the other side alert you to any light shining through.

Watch for drafts. If you're in a cold climate such as Minnesota, wait until it is -20 degrees Fahrenheit, so that you can feel the cold air blasting through the mouse hole.  (That's how I found an entry point recently.  The cold air was flowing into a basement crevice such that I could see a spider web waving in the air.  Turns out there was a crack where an addition had been put on the house.  This was confirmed by shining a light as described above.)


How can I prevent water seeping up into my carpet? I have a 300 year old cottage, and the carpet seems to have water marks on it around the edge. It smells badly. I am wondering if the water is coming up through the flooring. I have taken part of the carpet up and it seems to be some sort of cement there, but I cannot see any actual places of deteriation in the cement part. Should I ask a professional to come and look at it? What type of contractor would deal with this sort of thing?

I am an older lady (widow), and I have no idea what I am doing. I'd appreciate any help you can provide!

I'm guessing you're in the UK, right? If so, the cause is probably rising damp. Likely your cottage has no damp-proof course between the foundation and the floor and walls. So moisture is simply constantly trying to push its way into your house.

The true solution is to radically improve the waterproofing and drainage of the cottage. This is probably not a DIY job; you'll need to hire professionals. In the UK there are a lot of people who can do this kind of work.

A cheaper solution would be to remove the carpet (bad choice for a non-waterproofed foundation in a wet and rainy climate) and replace it with something that's immune to the effects of moisture, like ceramic tile or stone. But damp-proofing the foundation is really the right solution.


Least complex solution connecting 20lb propane tank to 1/2" male NPT through a twin-stage regulator I have a furnace equipped with 1/2" pipe for gas supply. The protruding pipe is male npt. The 10KBtu wall furnace expects 11-13" w.c. Are there solutions out there that go from a 20lb propane tank on one end to the 1/2" npt on the other? I'll just use a 3/8" adaptor to 1/2" if needed, since it seems like everything out there is 3/8".

I want to have 10' of hose or so and a twin-stage regulator to 11" w.c.

The barbecue regulators are all you need with the appropriate adapter. Usually on a crimped barbecue reg the output side is a female flare fitting. So you'd need a 1/2 npt x I think 3/8 flare.


Polyurethane on hardwood floor dilemma We were on our third coat of water based polyurethane on my hardwood floor and ran out. I went and grabbed a can and when I started putting it on I noticed a difference. It was oil based. The area now looks completely different. It's like a 4 by 6 foot area. Should I try to sand it off?  We've come so far, I would have to hire a professional at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

You have a few options:

Don't put any more Brand B on.  Go get more Brand A and finish the rest of the floor.  After it has all cured, place a 5' x 7' area rug over the Brand B area.
Continue with Brand B over the rest of the floor.  Yes, it will look different than you originally expected, but at least it will seem like it is supposed to be that way.  Who knows?  In time you may prefer the accidental finish.
Rent a floor sander and either strip off the Brand B area, or the whole floor.  With the former, you could get lucky and be able to re-polyurethane the one section to match.  If so, stop.  But odds are you'll never get it to look seamless.  So either use one of the methods above, or strip the whole floor.


Can I install 125 AMP rated sub-panel when the need is 60 AMPS I have to add an outdoor sub panel rated 60 AMPs and I need at least 8 spaces for breakers.  I am not finding this anywhere unless I buy a 125 AMP rated breaker box.  Is it acceptable to install a 125 AMP rated panel when the need is only 60 AMPs.  I have 200 AMPS service in the house and have space for a 60 AMP breaker in my main panel

Please install a bigger box!!!

Your box definitely should exceed minimums in this area: Number of spaces.   Listen, there's always a future project, there's always another load.   The out-of-pocket cost for a larger panel is very small (especially when you consider other factors, as we're about to).  But the regrets and unnecessary expense when you run out of spaces is a rather expensive affair.

As such we very strongly recommend you wildly oversize your panels.  You need 8 spaces? Consider nothing less than 24 spaces.  All of our panels here have plenty of extra space (except an 8-space Pushmatic that's a nightmare) and that's the way we like it.  I myself would go 30-space.

I mean "space" not "circuit" - you see a lot of 20 space/40 circuit panels - that's only a 20-space.

You wouldn't drive 85 mph on 85 mph-rated tires, would you?

Suppose you lived in Nevada where posted limits are 80 mph. Yeah, you'll want the 115 or 130 mph tires I think :)

The same applies to service panel amp ratings.  You wouldn't run 60A on a 60A box, would you?  Of course not, you want some safety headroom.  So 125A or even 200A is perfectly reasonable.  It's a "limit" thing, not a "mandatory match" thing.

This also ties into the "spaces" problem because I gather you were feeling stifled with only 8 spaces.  As well you should!  You are at liberty to get as large a panel as you want.

You need a main breaker there!

To be more precise, you need a main disconnect switch.  But the cheapest most practical way to get that is to use a box with a main breaker.

Now I happen to know none of the 8-space panels on the market include a main breaker. So setting up one of those "straight" would be a code violation.  If there are 6 or fewer throws, "no main breaker" can be legal, but never with 8.

You might skate by the "Rule of Six" if two of your breakers are 2-pole. However that "paints you into a corner" of being unable to add a seventh throw in the future.  And you know you will!

Voltage drop - yikes

Obviously, voltage drop will be a big problem.  At 2 AWG wire and 48A draw (figuring for 80% of your 60A breaker that you seem happy with), your voltage drop will be 7.04%, which is high even by my standards.

That would not be acceptable in Canada or in a Tim Horton's restaurant.  In Canada you'd be required to use 4/0 AL wire, which is ridiculous in my opinion, eh?

I haven't priced 600' of that stuff but I'm sure I will not like the price.

By the way, if you aren't in Canada, you are allowed to breaker the feed breaker for whatever the wire limits are, e.g. 90A for #2 aluminum.

Transformers!

Like I say, I haven't priced the fat wire, but it may be worth looking at transformers for the long haul.   The wire is good for 600V (and 600V transformers are readily available in Canada), but around the States 480V is more likely to be findable cheap used.  If you're buying new transformers then price 600V.

In this case, you use 2 transformers back to back, 480V-jumpered primaries facing each other.  This steps up the transmission voltage to 480V.  Now, the wire gets a lot thinner (for the same voltage drop).

If you do it Canada-style, holding voltage drop to a firm 3% at 80% of rated current, then #4 aluminum will suffice, eh? From 4/0 down to #4, that's the power of transformers for 'ya!  If you don't mind that 7% drop from your original proposal, are you sitting down?  #8 aluminum or #10 copper gets it home.

So transformers let you drop 6-8 numerical sizes. More if they are 600V transformers.

However, I would recommend #6 aluminum at that point, giving a very acceptable 4.29% drop at 48A practical draw (80% of breaker trip).

You probably won't push the wire to its thermal limits.  The reason is the transformers are a limiting factor also.  I'm imagining you get 15 KVA transformers which will limit you to 60A@240V total throughput and you'd have to breaker for that at the supply side to protect the transformer.  You might get a better deal on used 25 KVA transformers, which would let you got 100A @ 240V.  If that's the plan, a bump to #4 Al wire might be called for.

Obviously transformers are not free, but they make the wire a lot thinner, so you have to crunch the numbers and see what you get.


Can I back feed my panel with a lower amp breaker than the service inlet? I believe I can run my whole house off my current generator 3500W/4000Max if I don't use the electric stove and oven. The generator subpanel has power meters for both legs, which, even when my oil burner and fridge are running, never indicates higher than about 1500W load.

I currently have a generator subpanel fed by (A)60A breaker w/ 6AWG wire in main panel and (B)L14-30 input with 10AWG feeder from 3500W/4000Max Generator. I'd like to remove the generator feed from the subpanel, and rather backfeed a 30A breaker on the main panel with the same 10AWG feeder. I haven't looked for an appropriate main breaker interlock for my panel, but I am aware that I will need one for this application.

Other than the obvious "you can't run your house off 30A", is there any code reason that the main panel can't be backfed by an interlocked breaker?

If you have an interlock it would be legal to run your home off your generator. The only issue I can see would be if two much stuff was turned on it could overload your generator.


Do long roof overhangs influence ice dam formation? This is my first winter in my current house in northeast USA with lots of snow. There is a ~2ft overhang on the roof all around the house (for better or worse, as noted in another question with pics of roof). As I smack large icicles off the edge of the eaves to avoid them getting too big/heavy/hazardous, I wonder if we'll have ice dams at this house.

The attic could use more insulation and ventilation but it does have some, so that has me on the lookout for ice dams. So far we have tons of snow accumulating on the roof (including the peak) and icicles but no visible bulks of ice on the gutters/roof edge.

I'm wondering how the long overhangs would affect ice dam formation. One thought is that if an ice dam forms and water is sitting above it, the overhang could be damaged (and the rest of the roof due to the weight) but I'd expect water would not dam far up enough to go into the house/walls. Another thought experiment tells me that the overhanging 2ft of roof will be far colder than the rest of the roof (being exposed to outside air beneath it rather than attic air), which could lead to very large and heavy ice dams?

Looking for some expertise/experienced views on this. Thanks in advance.

Longer overhangs could impact ice dam formation, but it does not seem to be a significant factor. As this page from the University of Minnesota outlines, heat loss through the roof is the big contributing factor. They even go further and say that air leakages around light fixtures and such on the ceiling of the top story are the biggest culprits. Nowhere on that page is the size of the roof eaves even mentioned.

Longer eaves could increase the size of the ice dams, possibly preventing or delaying damage to the structure of the house. Or the water may freeze before it reaches the edge of the roof, as if the eaves were shorter. It probably depends on the temperature differential on the roof and how cold it is outside.

In any case, icicles are a sign of heat loss through the roof, and corrective action is advised. It may be as simple as adding insulation in the attic, but may involve sealing up areas around light fixtures, moving exhaust ducts (e.g., driers), using fireplaces less, etc.


Garbage disposal not turning on with on/off switch. Water in sink draining in dishwasher. My garbage disposal is not coming on and water from the sink is draining in the dishwasher. Do I need an electrician?

Your Garbage Disposal and drain is backed up.

The garbage disposal is jammed and the overload has probably tripped.

Look into the disposal with a bright flash light and you will find it probably needs to be cleaned out. With the unit off - clean it out.  You might also want to clean the U shaped pipe - called a trap that is under your sink - it is VERY easy and if you do a you tube search How to Clean P-Trap- you can watch a video on how easy it is to do.

Then after cleaning them you can Reset the overload button which is usually located on the side of the Garbage disposal (red button looks like a writing PENs push button) and try to run it.

All this should take you about 30 minutes including the video..


interior of dryer is scratching clothes Several of my nice dry fit shirts have come out of the dryer with snags on them recently. Upon inspection, there are many sharp edges on the inside of my dryer. I think what happened was that a pocketknife recently was in my pants during a dryer cycle and it caused all kinds of dings and scratches to the inside of my dryer, which makes total sense.

So the question is how do I fix this? The drum/inner tub is all scratched up, on the back and probably the front door as well. But otherwise the dryer works perfectly well. I would prefer to not have to purchase a new dryer but I also cannot keep putting my clothes through torture and at least partially ruining several of them just to get them dry.  Please help!!!

Thanks!

You did not mention the material of the drum so I assume it is not Stainless Steel.

  Are you sure of the problem - because sometimes the lining around the
  drum at the opening itself wears and allows clothes to get snagged
  between drum and frame.

If it really is the drum you could replace the drum with a new drum, or Replace the dryer with a unit that has a Stainless Steel tub. I know it is a bit more $$ wise but things like knives and such are not going to simply cut into it.


Is there an easy way to measure the height of a tree? I'm looking to get an antenna installed for Internet service that will need to clear some trees on my neighbor's property because it requires a clear line of sight to work.

I really don't trust my estimating skills enough to plunk down money on a utility pole that might be too short or too tall. And climbing the tree with a tape measure (in my neighbors yard) is a bit intrusive and dangerous.

Is there a clever way that I can get a reasonably close (within 5' or so) estimate of the height of the tree other than eyeballing it?

I thought about putting together a bunch of 10' runs of PVC pipe and holding it up against the tree, but that is going to get pretty unwieldy by about 30' and the trees are at least that tall.

My other thought is to break out my old Trig textbooks and use the angle/distance to tree, but it seems like it would be pretty hard to judge the angle correctly, maybe with a laser pointer or something?

Any other ideas?

Find a stick the same length as your arm. Hold your arm out straight and level with the stick pointing straight up (90° to your outstretched arm). Walk forward/backward until the tip of the stick coincides with the top of the tree. Your feet are now at approximately the same distance from the tree as it is high.  (For a more precise approximation, back up by the additional distance of the height of your arm above the ground.)  The relationship is true only if the tree is significantly taller than you are, and the ground is relatively level.  Time-tested logger method. Simple.


A/C blower does not work after a power surge My outside unit works but my inside unit does nit turn on, its a bryant a/c system. On the unit it says the circuit board is built into the blower motor. The transformer buzzes. Can I replace the circuit board without replacing the blower motor?

Which facts are known about that power surge? Lightning stroke, switching activities in the provider's net? If there is a proof of liability, it could be an insurance case.

A voltage surge could have destroyed the surge protectors and/or the related fuses. Power has to be disconnected, line capacitors have to be discharged before any work. The exchange of those most probable soldered parts should be no big issue if some basic electr(on)ic knowledge is available.


Why would an old fridge trip a circuit breaker? I recently got an old fridge from a friend for use as a fermentation fridge for my homebrewed beer. The reason they were getting rid of it was because it was working fine, however it wouldn't cool below 8C, and they were quoted a few hundred dollars to fix the problem. However despite not cooling particularly low, the form given to them by the repairman has a box which is ticked which indicates that it has been tested and is in compliance with some sort of Australian/New Zealand standard, indicating that there can't be terribly much wrong with it.

We took the fridge over to my house, and after leaving it for a day or two upright (since we had to put it on its side to transport it), I turned it on. It immediately tripped the circuit breakers. As soon as I tried to switch the breaker back on, it tripped again. However I persisted, and after a few attempts to turn the breaker back to the on position, it stayed there and the fridge began to cool.

The problem here is that I need to use an external temperature controller to switch the fridge on and off in order to maintain the temperature I need to ferment my beer (roughly 16-20C). This presents a problem, since turning the fridge on and off will trip the circuit breakers.

I've tried moving the fridge to a different circuit, but that didn't solve things. I'm reasonably sure that the circuit I moved it to (the one for my garage) has nothing else on it, or at least whatever else is on it was switched off when I tested it.

Does this issue sound like something that's easily fixed, and are there any common causes for this sort of issue? Could it be simply high inrush current due to the age of the fridge? Could it be solved using some sort of inrush current limiter? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

I have a homebrew chest freezer in the garage, and a very understanding wife.

I am going to guess the problem is that the fridge has a 'freon' leak.

This leads to lack of oil in the freon line to lubricate the compressor. Which causes the compressor to overheat, and then a high temp thermostat opens.

The unit cools down, the thermostat resets, and it starts back up again.

The magic temp for overheating the compressor happens to be 8C inside of the fridge.

The reason for the breaker tripping immediately the first few times was from the compressor trying to start. Even though you gave it a couple of days, because of the leak, there is just not enough oil, in the right places, to start right up.

I am guessing the fix is easy for an appliance guy, a bit of dye to find the leak, solder over it, and recharge.

Best of luck to you and your lager.


Dimplex SCx175l Water Cylinder - T&P valve leaking Here is a video of the issue
I've just moved into a flat and after hand-washing some dishes this water cylinder (Dimplex SCx175l) began 'draining' very loudly -- I let it go for about 30 minutes before turning off the main water shut off valve.
I am assuming this is a problem with the T&P valve so I'm wondering if it is safe to turn the water back on or if I should call out a professional to solve the issue.
Thanks,
Jack

I have replaced the T & P valve in a gas water heater , no big deal just a good wrench. Mine was easier than yours because my outflow pipe went straight down to a floor drain ( concrete basement ). Also mine was just a slow drip leak . Because you need to turn your water off , it may be faster to call a plumber.


laundry room fluorescent lights dim and flickering Starting  about a week ago, the fluorescent lights in my laundry room became dim and flickering. I bought two tubes from lowes (F40KB-ECO 48", I don't think that's relevant but anyway), put them on, problem not solved.

Could it be a ballast problem? I can only guess 'cause I don't know how to further diagnose. Can anyone suggest?

These pictures might help:

Updated, after fitting two tubes into the inside slots as suggested, first it appeared to work fine with bright light:

then I turned off the light and turned it on again, it kind of worked but the light seemed less bright.

You have a real fluorescent fixture of stout construction.  This is a good thing. You can do anything with this, convert to LED, convert to T8 or keep T12.

The fixture has two ballasts, you showed a picture of one.  It is an old magnetic ballast, which may flicker and run poorly in cold weather.  One ballast powers the inside tubes, the other ballast powers the outer tubes.  The ballasts are not designed to power a single tube, you need 2 good tubes in a pair.

The ballast has 2 yellow, 2 red and 2 blue wires, which is the usual wiring for rapid-start or programmed-start ballasts.  It can be replaced with same.  By the way, black and white are power.

If it is cold (under 45F), that would explain the observed poor performance.  Old ballasts do not like cold, and flicker worse as a result. If not that, I suspect one or both of your ballasts are failing.

What I would do (what I usually do)

I would upgrade the unit to electronic ballasts (so it Just Works in the cold and doesn't flicker) and get some very good 90+ CRI tubes so that the color (of what the light is lighting up) is simply amazing.   I would consider upgrading to T8 tubes, which require a T8 ballast.  Those will fit in this fixture, but the ballast must match the tube, so they must be changed together.

I'd shop for a rapid-start or programmed-start ballast either for F40T12 tubes or for F32T8 tubes, 2-lamp, from a reputable vendor (Advance, Sylvania, or my favorite, GE).  These will have the same 2 yellow, 2 red, 2 blue wiring scheme - if you see only red and blue, wrong thing. Also beware 277V ballasts, though 120-277V is fine. It's OK if they're "used" pulls from new fixtures, even if they have short wires.

I'd buy a pack of blue wire-nuts.

Then I'd cut the circuit breaker to that fixture,  cut the wires off the  old ballasts immediately at the ballasts (that's my code for "this ballast is defective, do not reuse") and swap in the new ballasts. Splice yellow to yellow, blue to blue, etc. with the wire nuts.

Finally I'd look for some 90+ CRI tubes in the color temperature you want.  I don't know if you realize it, but you selected 3000k color temperature (comparable to halogen). That's fine if you want it.  You will have wider selection if you switch to T8, as T12 is being deprecated.


Why would a 5-amp refrigerator need a 20 amp circuit? I'm re-wiring my kitchen and I'm taking notes on the load of all the appliances and lighting, etc.  I noticed the following about my refrigerator:

It states a 20A circuit requirement, but why?  The stated load doesn't come anywhere close to the allowed load even on a 10A circuit, let alone a 15A circuit.  Can refrigerators have really big spikes in load or something?  And if so, wouldn't one want the breaker to trip?

Motors often have a surge load at startup which is much higher than their running load. If they've gone to the trouble of specifying this, I highly recommend taking their word for it.


Can a recessed IC-rated housing be in contact with nonmetallic sheathed cable? I have recently installed 8 of these 5 inch insulation contact rated remodler housings in my kitchen.  Two of the holes I made were close to an existing nonmetallic sheathed cable (NM) running through the ceiling, and I believe that the outside of the housing may be in direct contact with the NM cable.

Is this going to be an issue (i.e. do I have to be worried about the NM cable melting and starting a fire), or am I okay because the housing is IC-rated?  In case it matters I plan on using 75 watt halogen bulbs in the housings.

I also placed the housing in contact with the paper facing of the insulation in the ceiling, but I assume this will not be a problem since the housing is IC-rated, correct?

Some approved insulations (such as polystyrene) have a lower heat rating than standard NM cable. Since all conventional insulations can touch an IC rated fixture, cable should be no problem.


Replacing Electric Cooktop 30A #10 Wire (manual says needs #8 wire) Really struggling to find a 30A electric cooktop, most of them are 40A and we have the Jenn Air JEC9530 that is running on two #10 wires to a double 30A breaker.

I finally found a cooktop that says it only requires 30A, but the manual says it must be run on #8 wire.

I do not know what I should do, the electric line for my cooktop runs from my kitchen through the foundation all the way to (who knows where) before finally ending up in the breaker box on the far side of the garage wall.

Edit: I just looked at the serial plate for the JEC9530 and it says 7.5kW which should be a 40amp breaker right?  Yet it's running on a dual 30A breaker with #10 wire...

Edit 2: We are looking at two cooktops, G9CE3065XB or LCE3010SB.  I found a manual that states the G9CE3065XB will run on a 30A breaker fused at both ends but the manual still says #8 wire.   Here's a link to that manual, search for G9CE3065 https://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/81/816870c8-4d4b-431b-916f-6ad03d647630.pdf

Cooking appliances are a bit weird

The NEC treats household electric cooking appliances (ranges, cooktops, ovens) somewhat differently due to their rather uneven loads.  This starts in section and table 220.55 of the NEC, which applies an 80% demand factor to the load of a single household cooking appliance rated not more than 8.75kW.  As a result, your JEC9530's nameplate rating gets this factor applied to it, causing it to be considered a 6kW cooktop for the purposes of load calculations, as 220.14(B) invokes 220.55, and 220.10 invokes 220.14 in turn.

From here, we divide by 240V to get 25A for the maximum demand load of the cooktop, then apply 210.19(A)(3) to allow us to use 10AWG wire and a 30A breaker, as the conductors only need to be large enough to serve the load, with no 125% continuous load adjustment in sight.


How crooked can you crimp pex rings? I had to add a supply valve for my refrigerator in my house. It's my first time working with pex. I added some Pex B to my existing Viega cold water line and used copper crimp rings with the appropriate tool. All of my crimps were checked with a go/nogo  gauge.

My concern is that one of the crimps (the bottom one) is slightly off centered from the front as you can see from the image. I have no leaks in the system and it's working great so far, but I was curious if it warrants a re-crimp or if it will hold just fine if it's holding now.

I'd prefer to not have to re-crimp it, because there's only so much extra pex pipe under there and I'd prefer to not add too much complexity by adding another coupling to put some new line in and re-crimp the tee.

Your crimp ring looks good to me as well. It takes a lot of crooked to make a pex fitting leak. I've only managed a leaking pex fitting once, but I'd say if you're more than about 10 degrees off, you risk leaking.

However, for future reference, when I'm working in tight spaces where I'm concerned I might cause a leak, I use sharkbite fittings. While they are expensive, they are easy to add on and do not need a crimp tool. Sometimes it is difficult to get these large crimpers in small spaces and crimp straight. The cost of the fitting is well worth it if you prevent a leak.


Can I replace one of the units in a stackable washer/dryer combo? We have two individual units and the washer needs to be replaced but not the dryer.  One appliance store said I have to buy both washer and dryer/two new units.  If the dimensions are the same or as long as the washer is bigger than the dryer, is there a reason I have to buy a new dryer?  Are you able to mix brands or not wise?

You need a bracket to mount the dryer on the washer. The mounting holes are non-standard, so you'll either need to ensure that the manufacturer(s) make such a bracket, make one yourself (or get it made by someone), or mount a shelf in your closet and slide the dryer on that, or otherwise support the dryer without using the washer.


How do I wire a new fan that I'm replacing We are replacing old fan with a new fan

The wall switches:

1 switch for the light in the fan

1 switch for the Fan

1 switch for the fireplace which is not used

The wires that come out of the ceiling are:

1-Bare wire

2-Green Wire

3-Black Wire

4-Red Wire

5-White Wire

The New fan has the following Wires:

1-Blue Wire

2-Black Wire

3-White Wire

4-Green Wire ( This wire is screw into the base of the fan so I assume it's a ground)

How do I hook up the new Fan?

Is the extra wire from the ceiling for the Fire place?

The bare wire coming from the ceiling is the grounding conductor, and should be connected as described in the manufacturers installation instructions that came with the fan.

The green wire is also a grounding conductor, and should be connected in a similar fashion as the bare wire.

The white wire is the grounded (neutral) conductor, and should be connected to the white wire on the fan using a twist-on wire connector (or other approved means).

The black wire is a switched ungrounded (hot) conductor, and will be energized when one of the switches is closed (on).  This should be connected to either the black (fan) or blue (lights) wire on the fan, depending on which function you want this switch to control.

The red wire is a switched ungrounded (hot) conductor, and will be energized when one of the switches is closed (on).  This should be connected to either the black (fan) or blue (lights) wire on the fan, depending on which function you want this switch to control.

WARNING: Since I'm not there, I can't be 100% sure this answer is correct. I'm basing this on common installations, but there are no guarantees this is wired in a common way.

One foolproof method, is to connect the new fan exactly as the old fan was connected.


thermostat wiring: pick terminals that have wires connected in case of my home ac thermostat,  wires are directly connected to O, W, G, RH. There are jumper cables between RC and Rh, Y and W. I want to install the new thermostat. How should i select wires in step "install thermostat" step in video at minutes 1.15?

In the attached picture, the letter are in order O,B,Y,W,G,RH,RC

[! Below is a Heat pumps 24 volt control circuits.You need to see the low voltage terminals at the air handler to know what is wired to what, very often the corresponding wire colors are not used for their colors purpose.
The jumper between Yellow and white on your thermostat for instance,will run the heat strips every time the heat mode is energized unfortunately it will also energize the heat strips in the Cool mode as well because Heat pumps use the compressor in both the Heat and the  Cool modes.
The O terminal on your thermostat goes to the reversing valve which makes the unit go into Heat mode.
Red is the 24 volt hot leg,
Jumping Red to White you get heat strips.
Jumping Red to Yellow the compressor is energized for Cool mode.
Jumping Red to Orange energizes the reversing valve for Heat mode
Jumping Red to Green energizes the fan circuit
Common is the neutral leg of the 24 volt power, It is called Common cause every 24 volt circuit returns to Common to complete the 24 volt circuit.
Common is only required to the thermostat is the thermostat is powered by the 24 volts from the air handler, some thermostats are battery powered,
You can jumper Red to any terminal except Common , that will be a direct short like laying a wrench across a car batteries posts, never connect Red to Common Some thermostats use the 24 volts to power it.
[]1


how to compare wood post to steel post I was going to buy some 4x4 timber for veranda posts. However I have some steel posts 65x65x2mm.
I wonder how would one calculate what size steel post can be substituted for the timber post?

There are many variables with the steel supports 1) type of steel, 2) grade of steel, etc. and with the wood supports: 1) species, 2) grade, etc.
I’ll use A36 structural steel and SPF No.1 grade wood for comparison.
A 2 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 8’ high square structural tubing can support about 28 kips (28,000 lbs.) in axial (vertical) load.
A 4x4x8’ high wood post can support about 9 kips of axial load.
If you’re thinking of a different type of loading, please advise.


How often should the red fibre body washer be replaced in a tap? Should the red fibre body washer be replaced as well when you disassemble a tap to replace the tape valve and "O" ring as a convenient mean to update all the wearable parts or do they last much longer (someone indicated to me that they could last for decades) and I should only replace them when there is a need to do so?

Whenever they leak. If it's loose & just pops out there's no harm in replacing it, assuming you have a replacement. If it's solid & seems possibly part of a cartridge then leave it until the cartridge needs replacing...they either don't turn off completely or they turn off before you hit the stop.


Can someone explain this wiring configuration to me? See my previous question for more detail on my household's bizarre wiring. Three of my bedrooms have dimmer switches connected to outlets and ceiling fans, which is electrically unsafe and just horrible practice, so I have been replacing the switches with toggle switches. The first bedroom only had two wires and a ground coming into the switch box, so it was an easy change. In the second bedroom, things are a bit more complicated, as you can see here.

This is probably hard to see, so let me describe it. There are two cables coming into the box, one from above and one from below. Both cables have white, red, and black wires, and a bare ground. The two grounds are wired together, as are the two white wires. Not pictured out of frame is the dimmer switch, which is connected across the black and red wires.

This is what is confusing to me. The black wires and the red wires from both cables are connected together as well, and the switch is connected across the black and red wires from both cables. I would imagine the wiring like this is set up so maybe the overhead lights and the fan can be controlled separately, which would definitely be nice to be able to do, but I can't figure out how that would work.

Let me state that again, all of the wires from the two cables are connected directly together. The switch connects two wires in the same cable. Can someone give me a sense of what might be going on here?

Edit: Doing some testing with my ohmmeter, the black wires are connected to the always on outlets, and the red wires are connected to the switched outlets and the lights in the ceiling fan. I separated out the red wire bundles, and the same wire (from the lower cable) connects to both the switched outlets and the lights in the ceiling fan. So I'm not even sure what the upper cable is for.

They are buses

Hang onto your hat.  This is one of the few times wire color codes actually mean something.   In this case (not often repeated):

Black is always-hot
Red is switched-hot
White is neutral (well, that actually is fairly common)

All those wires have simply been bussed to all locations.  Remember

Supply needs always-hot and neutral
Dumb switches need always-hot and switched-hot (but neutral must be present)
Smart switches need all 3
Lamps need switched-hot and neutral
Split receptacles need all 3

Here's a drawing I did of a bussed arrangement for sharing motion sensors.  It's exactly the same deal.

Nevermind my error with the ground wires.  You get the idea.


How to shine a dull mark on granite worktop? I have a scratch on a black granite worktop which I have buffed away with a Dremel polishing piece and some 2000 grit sandpaper, however the area has lost its shine/lustre compared to the rest of the granite.

The scratch is gone and the affected area is completely smooth but it looks a little grey compared to the original surface - see the following photo:

The affected area is about 1cm in length so is relatively small. How can I restore the shine to this area?

Countertops to my knowledge are polished to 3000G and polished with flowing water using special equipment. I have made my own tops and finished the edges using dry polishing pads, and I have seen a minor difference. Your biggest difference you may see is the dull surface from the sealer being removed from your polishing.
Find yourself a silicone based, color enhancing stone sealer, and it may do just what you need.