Does this electrical panel meet code? I'm finishing my attic and need to wire it (about 8 outlets and 14 LED recessed lights; also a half bath with GFCI outlet, fan, vanity light). I have gotten four electrician bids. Two said my existing 150 amp panel (installed in 1975) does not meet code and I need a heavy up to 200 amps. The third company said I just need a subpanel for the attic lights. The last one said my existing panel is fine.

I have attached photos of my panel. We will be adding two circuits (20 amp an 15 amp). Is it possible to tell from looking 1) whether it has the capacity for these breakers and 2) whether the panel itself meets code? The companies that said it needs to replaced told me that there is something wrong with the way the breakers are arranged.

You'll need to either change this out or fit a subpanel and separate main breaker

Your panel is of a mostly-obsolete configuration called a split bus panel that relies on the rule of six (see NEC 230.71 and 408.36)  to turn off power instead of having a single main disconnecting means.  This configuration (split bus with no single main disconnect) is no longer Code compliant, as it violates the provisions in NEC 408.36 Exception 1 that allow for rule-of-six panels to continue in service:

  Exception No.1: Individual protection shall not be required for a panelboard used as service equipment with
  multiple disconnecting means in accordance with 230.71.
  In panelboards protected by three or more main circuit
  breakers or sets of fuses, the circuit breakers or sets of
  fuses shall not supply a second bus structure within the
  same panelboard assembly.

Furthermore, your panel violates the rule of six itself, as while the Code limits the number of handle throws needed to turn off power to six, your panel needs eight throws to turn off all the power (the 3 two-pole breakers need to be turned off, as well as the 2 single pole breakers immediately below the 2-pole breakers on the left, the single pole breaker immediately below the 2 pole breaker on the right, and both halves of the single pole tandem/double-stuff breaker top right).

As a result of this, while it appears you have slots available, between the twistouts with the "DO NOT REMOVE" labels on them and the rule-of-six issues, you have no usable spaces in your panel for what you want to do.  The good news is that the breaker marked "main" on your panel only controls the lower bank of breakers (everything below the "main disconnect" labels), so while that lower bank can only draw 60A, the panel as a whole can draw the full 150A stated as your service ampacity.

While you're at it, you'll need to get rid of a few pieces of shelving

Some of the shelving surrounding the existing panel is problematic, too -- in fact, the shelves violate the NEC!  (Betcha you never figured a shelf could violate electrical codes, huh?)  In particular, you'll need to rip out the shelves above and below the panel, to about 8" from the edge of the panel each way, and preferably to 16-18" on at least one side -- on that side, you'll also want to trim the shelves in line with the panel back about 4-6".

This will rectify the ongoing violation of NEC 110.26(A) that exists with your current setup, as it requires an 78" high by 30" wide by 36" deep box in front of the panel, albeit not necessarily centered on it, to be kept clear so that neither you nor your electrician wind up swearing up a storm trying to work on the thing!  (The shelving directly above the panel also violates 110.26(E)(1) as it would be considered "equipment foreign to the electrical installation".)   Furthermore, the extra space off to one side provides room for a full-width subpanel to be fitted there, in case you go that route.

Now as to the details...

As I said earlier, you have two options to rectify this, namely:

Replacing the panel wholesale with one that has more spaces (likely a 200A unit downbreakered to 150A to give you flexibility in panel selection)
Installing a main breaker ahead of the existing panel and fitting a subpanel to provide the extra spaces needed.

Either way, I am going to assume that the 150A service is adequate (i.e. you don't need a "heavy-up" to 200A service).  I can determine that given nameplate current ratings for the A/C units (attic condenser and rooftop unit), but for now, that's beyond the scope of this answer.  (Provide it and I can add a section on the need for a "heavy up", or lack of need as the case very well may be.)

Replacing the panel wholesale

A 30-space panel, while technically not inadequate (if you could use spaces freely that is), is somewhat on the small side these days as branch circuits and electrical accessories proliferate and as AFCI requirements obsolete the use of tandem/double-stuff breakers.  I recommend a minimum of 42 spaces with 200 or 225A bussing and a 150A main breaker field fitted to match the service size (putting a smaller main breaker in a bigger panel is fine as long as the panel can accept it, just like having fat wire on a small breaker is no big deal); if you can get such without too much additional cost (the parts price premium is somewhere around $100-$200), 54 and 60 space loadcenters are worthwhile to look into now that it's been a full decade since the 2008 NEC cycle removed the 42-circuit restriction on branch circuit (aka "lighting and appliance") panelboards.  An added bonus to this approach is that all that will be needed for a "heavy up" to 200A will be running a fatter set of service wires and swapping the 150A main for a 200A one.

Fitting a subpanel

First off, in order to fit a subpanel alongside this panel, you'll need to  do the extra shelf-trimming described above to get at least 16" (a full stud bay's worth) of space on one side of the existing panel that the subpanel can be mounted into.

From there, you or your electrician will need a suitable main lug subpanel  and breakers to match (30 or 32 spaces/125A is the minimum I'd recommend here, but bigger is always better), a QO2125 125A, 2-pole breaker for the feeder breaker, some 1/0 Al XHHW-2 (say about 8-10' tops, so not much in the grand scheme of things), a RMC nipple of suitable size (preferably 2" trade size) to go through the stud between the two breaker panels, a second RMC nipple to provide ground between the new main breaker and the split-bus panel, and an enclosed circuit breaker (2 pole, 150A) to serve as a main breaker (I originally suggested a backfed main configuration, but the PK5RK hold-down kit required for that is incompatible with your panel.)

The new main breaker goes in-line with the existing main service-entrance cable -- it will be (with the power off) a "cut the cable and insert it in the middle" operation.  The cable from the new main breaker to the existing panel gets stuffed down a conduit nipple connecting the two enclosures, and the bonding screw in the existing panel is removed as well as the neutrals and grounds in the panel organized properly (perhaps with the aid of a PK18GTAL or PK23GTAL ground bar kit).  Finally, the subpanel is fed off the QO2125 using the XHHW-2 aluminum wire in the other RMC nipple mentioned.


How to convert this outdoor lamp box to GFCI receptacle? I want to install outdoor string lights and need a receptacle to plug them in. I have removed an existing outdoor wall light, which reveals the following shallow box (see picture).

The box is 3" in diameter and 3/4" deep. It's set in stucco and screwed into a stud. It can't be made deeper because of the stud. I'm willing to expand the diameter though if needed.

What sort of box do I need to put in its place so I can convert this to an outdoor GFCI receptacle?

UPDATE:

So I chipped out more of the stucco and installed a weatherproof box and weatherproof in-use cover. I'll patch up the stucco, of course. But it looks terrible. Sticks out way too far.

I may end up installing an LB connector similar to what's described in the following post and running conduit to elsewhere:
Is a splice permitted in a PVC conduit body?

Surface mount a weatherproof 4/O box extension over the top of your existing box and feed the wires through the back. Seal around the box where it meets the wall so water cannot get behind it.

Then install a weatherproof conversion cover, they are fairly new and I have only seen them on the internet. Then install a weatherproof receptacle cover and you are done!


Exhaust fan and light on same switch I want to add an exhaust fan to my bathroom. Do I run power from the light switch to power the fan or do I run power from the light box. Thanks as of now there is a single pole do i use a double pole switch?![enter image d)

Answer from the UK but the principles should apply wherever.

You usually want switched live, permanent live and neutral (+ earth) going to the fan via a three-pole isolating switch. The permanent live is optional but lets you use a fan with a timer or humidistat that runs even when the light is off. The switch allows you to work safely on the fan without turning off power to the entire house and lets you turn it off temporarily if the fan ever breaks while still being able to use the light. The isolator would typically be located high up on a wall or in the ceiling, out of reach of bumps and splashes, and less intrusive visually.


How can I fix my concrete front porch landing My front porch is concrete, but it's too far below the front door, so there is a landing. The landing is also concrete. However, this landing is not long enough (in the travel direction, IE when coming out of the house it's too short). It looks to be about 2 and a half feet (will measure when I get home), but the code is 3 feet. People stumble when going out my front door because of it.

I think it was up to code when the house was built, but it is not anymore.

So what would be the process to make this landing larger? I would like to build a new one with concrete. Do I have to chisel away and destroy the old landing first? Or could I just put a new form around the outside of it, put some kind of joint in place and pour new concrete?

If the existing landing and porch were poured together, there's probably rebar embedded in both. Breaking off the old landing without disturbing the porch below may be difficult. Plus you will need to add rebar to whatever new step you add and it would be best if it were embedded in the porch.

I doubt you'll have much luck just adding onto the depth and then skimming over the entire thing. Concrete shrinks a little as it dries and I just don't see this staying together for very long, and as soon as water gets in that crack then it's all over.

You may find it easier to highlight the step transition to make it more visible instead of tearing up your entire porch just to add 6" to the landing. E.g. maybe a door mat, some potted plants, or even installing a railing would help draw the eye to the transition.


How can I dress up a boring drop ceiling? I don't like the look of the standard drop ceiling tiles in my finished basement.  I'd like to replace them with something like the one picture below.  However, the cost of these is prohibitive given the size of my basement due to its size.

Alternatively, are there any ideas for updating the ceiling to make it look less boring and give it (at least the appearance) of more height?

I have seen basement ceilings done with scrap hardwood flooring that looked really good.  Not sure if you have to have the drop ceiling...


Dust proofing unfinished basement concrete floor My basement is unfinished and has a French drain. The bare cement floor is dusty and it tracks footprints all over my hardwood floors. I want to stop the dust from forming.

I have tried to find this dust proofer at Home Depot but no luck. They don't carry it. Neither does Lowes.

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/industrial-brands/concrete-saver/water-based-floor-coatings/5500-system-acrylic-dustproofer-floor-sealer

They suggested I use a water proof sealer. This seems strange because my floors don't seem wet or moist. Doing some research, some sites suggest a concrete sealer like this one from Behr.

http://m.behr.com/h5/mobile/en_US/product_details?page_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.behr.com%2Fconsumer%2Fproducts%2Ffloor-coatings-sealers-and-prep%2Fbehr-premium-wet-look-sealer-985

I'm a new home owner and this all new and confusing to me. Do I need to wet proof? A sealer? Or do I need to special order a dust proofer?

I plan to sweep, shop vac, and soap and water wash prior to application. Anything else I need to do?

I would recommend using ordinary concrete floor paint, NON-glossy, water-based. One common brand of that is the same brand as a "waterproofer" but the paint and the waterproofer are very different products (the waterproofer is a very thick glop that covers a very small area per gallon.)

Non-glossy means it's not slippery without having to add anything to make it non-slip. Waterbased means it's also not horribly stinky and it's easy to clean your brushes/rollers. It's also easy to recoat if the surface is ever stained or damaged.

Both of the products you have linked will leave you with a gray concrete color (since they are clear) and a surface that is slippery.

My personal preference is white, since it makes the area MUCH brighter by reflecting light. Gray and "terra-cotta red" seem to be more common choices for floors, but I find the white floor very nice (mind, I don't freak out about trying to keep it perfect.)

If you are "soap and water washing" before paint, rinse, rinse some more, and rinse again - then dry throughly before painting. Soap residue is not good for paint.


How to check a Quick connect control power transformer is working? I have a square D quick connect transformer in a control box system connect to the vacuum pump. The input supply for the primary side of the transformer is 220V. The output side is 110V. When i place the multimeter probe on the input side terminals, i get a voltage reading of 210V. When i do the same thing on the output side, i get 110V. This would suggest that the transformer is working alright. However, when i do the multimeter reading with respect to ground, the whole thing changes. I get a reading of 120V for the input terminals with respect to the ground and i get 0V for the output terminal with respect to ground. Do you think this is normal?
Then, i used a electric tester with the input supply on and the output terminals disconnected and open. In this case. i had light ON in both the input terminals. In the case of output terminals, the light was ON only on one of the terminal and not in the second one.
What do you think would be going wrong?

I have attached the picture of the circuit which consist of a relay, transformer and contactor (starter). It is a control box of a vacuum pump. There is a remote start/stop button outside which is used to start the pump. The problem is pump does not start after pressing the start button. However, if i manually push the contactor, it goes in and the pump starts. This indicates there is a problem in the control circuit  which consist of transformer and relay. Any guides on how should i troubleshoot the problem? I do not have a wiring diagram for this circuit.

Entirely normal.

On the input side, 240VAC (at least in US residential wiring) is center-tapped to yield two 120V legs relative to ground.. These are out of phase to each other, so if you use a phase-to-phase connection you get the full 240 relative to each other but if you use either phase relative to ground it's 120VAC. That's an easy way to make both voltages available for use in the home.

On the output side: Unless there is a reference connection tying one side of the transformer to ground, it is a completely ungrounded, "floating", circuit -- effectively, what you have there is an isolation transformer. Without a ground connection, there is no circuit through ground and hence no voltage, just as you don't read voltage when one of the probes is in mid-air. If you did ground one side, of course, that side would read 0 volts and the other would read as hot relative to ground.

Now you'll ask what the voltage relative to the incoming 220V should be. Without a ground on the output side that too is 0V since there's no circuit. With the output grounded, the result is going to depend on how much phase delay the transformer has introduced -- it's a big inductor, after all.


How can I insulate my fireplace when it's not in use? I have a wood burning fireplace insert, that is not currently being used.

Now that it's cold in my area (27F), I've noticed that there is quite a draft coming from the fireplace. How can I cover/insulate the fireplace to stop the draft?
Rules:

Must be wife approved (so not too ugly).
Must stop the draft.
Must be easily removable.
Must be safe when fireplace is in use.

I've seen solutions where a sewn blanket is hung over the fireplace, using hook and loop tape. I have my fears that the hook and loop tape would not fair so well while a fire is burning, but I'm not sure how hot the face of the fire box gets (since we've not had a fire yet).

Similar to @BMitch's answer, I used a magnetic cover to cover the vent below my fireplace.  We found this was the primary cool air leak for our fireplace and I bet it is yours too.  It works great, and is very simple to remove before starting a fire.  Since it is black like the fireplace, it is not even noticed.  I bought one from this site selling the exact size I needed and in black.

Here is my fireplace with it on and removed.


how to install the mounting bracket for ceiling fan I need to install a ceiling fan, but when I looked at the fan box to hang the mounting bracket, I cannot find the screw to hang it.

i have a metal mounting bracket which I like to screw to attached to fan box

The mounting screws and instructions you're looking for are staring you in the face

The fan bracket screws that go with the Arlington FB442 one-sided saddle box are pre-provisioned in the box, next to where the cable in your photo exits.  (You've started to back one out already, even.)  Once you have them out, you should be able to use them to screw the metal bracket that came with your fan into the two "pockets" just outside the sidewalls of the box that are pointed out by the arrows on the box that say "REMOVE SCREW, USE HERE", thus attaching the bracket to the same ceiling joist the fan box is mounted to.


Where do I caulk on the outside of leaky windows? Our house was built in 2016, shortly after moving in we noticed that all of our windows on the main floor leaked. The builder came, did something (I wasn't home), and all but one stopped leaking. It didn't leak often, so like a responsible homeowner, I am just getting to fixing it.
I inspected the leaking window and noticed there were gaps in the caulk between the board trim (see image below) and the window, so I re-caulked all the windows. Recently it rained, and now two windows leak (the one, and an additional one).

In the picture, we have vinyl siding, j-channel, board trim, window. I caulked between the board and the window. I am wondering if it shouldn't be caulked because the water has no were to escape if it gets behind the j-channel. thoughts?

Here is a picture of the water damage if it helps, the water oddly enough leaks on the same corner of all the windows, its always the left bottom corner.
Here are some additional pictures.

[I] noticed there were gaps in the caulk between the board trim (see image below) and the window, so I re-caulked all the windows

Gaps between the board and trim are normal. The standard way this is done is you have your siding in layers

Siding board (OSB)
House wrap (plastic or tar paper)
Window tar flashing (bottom)
Window
Tar flashing (sides and top, hopefully nested just under the wrap)
Siding

Caulk can improve on this some, but properly installed windows like this should not need much, if any, caulk. Any water that gets behind your siding should be channeled down to the ground.

My bet is the window was installed incorrectly. A common area builders like to cheat on is wrapping the house wrap over the edges of the sill. That can create a pathway for water to penetrate the house. Caulk can't fix that either, since water is getting behind your siding.

Your best bet is to pull the siding off next to the window and make sure it's layered properly. Check the bottom corners if you can, since you typically need extra wrap there.


Low Pressure From Shower Head Troubleshooting The water pressure from the shower head in one of my bathrooms is extremely low. The pressure coming out of the faucet of the bath is low as well. It has not always had this low pressure, it has decreased over time.

All other water sources in the house are fine. What are some possible steps for me to take to troubleshoot this problem? What are some possible fixes?

Start with the water pressure in general - is the pressure OK when you're filling the tub?  How about the sinks?

Assuming the pressure is OK when filling the tub, that means there's probably a blockage, either in the diverter, or in the shower head itself.  Try taking the shower head off - how's the flow?  Try replacing the shower head - it could be the old one is clogged (you can get a cheap shower head for a few bucks, and if the one you have is decent quality try soaking it in some CLR).


Diagnosing a suspected multi wire branch circuit Last week I lost power to my new garbage disposal. I opened the box to find this:

There are three cables coming in from the bottom. Two of these are somewhere downstream from the Panel, not too sure. The other goes to the garbage disposal.
There is a cable coming from the top, There previously was a switch that controlled the sink lamp. I wired its hot wire through a new switch, now it turns on my kitchen lights instead (The kitchen light already has two other switches that control them). It could have been my mistake.
I'm suspecting this is a MWBC but I'm not very experienced so I don't know how to identify and how to fix. It seems like there are two circuits from the breaker box involved. At the breaker box, the two circuits are not handle connected. How can I trace and diagnose each of the cables in this box?

Years ago handle ties were not required. They have been for decades , if you think it’s is a multi wire turn off both breakers verify both hots in your box are dead, you can open your breaker panel and most of the time NMB or Romex is used. There will be a red on 1 breaker a black on the other going to a cable with a ground and a neutral, that would be 100% verification.


What the best way to do site planning on a large wooded lot? I'm trying to layout the desired locations of buildings and fences on a new rural lot that's about 15 acres and heavily wooded. The plan is to have a section of woods cleared for the build sites (two houses with yards) and some room for gardening, but leave the rest of the lot wooded. We also need to plot out driveways. Given the lack of visibility, it's proving quite a challenge to figure out where a potential build site falls in relation to the rest of the lot. Much of it starts to look the same and you start to loose perspective out in the woods.

The goal is to figure out where everything will go, so I can direct the land clearing contractor to remove trees only in the locations necessary. (They charge by the day, rounded up to whole days, so getting it organized enough to do it all in one day will save a significant amount of money).

Assuming we don't want to buy the expensive equipment used by surveyors, what's a good process for planning out a lot when you have a lot of acreage and low visibility?

I was thinking it might be possible to do something that combines GPS coordinates from a cell phone or Garmin with a CAD drawing of the survey, but this seems like a lot of back and forth between the lot and my computer.

Before I reinvent the wheel, I thought I would see if anyone else has figured out a good process for laying out a site plan in a densely wooded area?

I would start with the county map of parcels and then get a Google maps aerial view.

Take those as PDFs and annotate them with your specified dimensions. Showing the driveways and building lots clearly overlayed on the county parcel map and aerial view.

You could also drive T-posts at specific points (surveyor's posts if you can find them) for the contractor to reference while working. GPS might not help since consumer level GPS is only accurate to within 5-10 feet. Not very accurate when locating a surveyor's post.

Lastly, be there on the day(s) they are working to verify they are doing what you want.

Good luck on your project!


How can I estimate costs for a renovation project? This is a general question about estimating costs that a contractor might charge for a job.

I have a large renovation project that I am considering. This project is clearly beyond my abilities. Before I start calling contractors for estimates I want to come up with an approximate estimate on my own.

Is there anything like a common worksheet, standard hourly rate, or comparison shopping tool that might help me?

I am intentionally not describing my project as I am seeking a general tool, guide, or process rather than something for just this job.

My goal is to find out if this is a $1000 job, a $5000 job, or a $15000 job so that I can have my finances somewhat in order before I get professional estimates. I do not want to waste my time or a contractors time if the job is an order of magnitude more expensive than I think it is!

Estimating isn't an exact science and it is only accurate when you know exactly what materials are needed and the number of man hours needed to complete the job. The most accurate estimates are determined by itemizing all the material cost and amounts, man-hours and labor rates, costs for subcontractors and finally overhead and profit. The material costs can be figured by seeing a blue print or knowing what is to be done. You may have a more difficult time knowing what to calculate for overhead and profit. So depending on were you reside and the contractor it would be safe to assume a mark-up of 20-40% of the total costs for material and labor.


Is it a problem that PEX emerging from the walls is floppy I'm working on a bathroom remodel (necessitated by a failing sub-floor, but that is neither here nor there), and PEX has been recommended either to completely replace the affected plumbing or at least for any pipes that have to be moved.

That means, for instance, providing the toilet supply in PEX.

I've got the pipe, I've got the tools, I've got the connectors, and I've got a very uncomfortable feeling from the idea of that hose coming through the wall to the cut-off valve being able to flop around like a dead fish: I'm used to PVC or galvanized steel piping which provides a reasonably solid base for that value.

Am I overreacting or is there some trick I should know for mounting this in a solid way?

You need a pex stub-out bracket that attaches to the studs:

And a 90 pex support that attaches to the bracket:

It would be nice to have a sleeve and a escutcheon:

Your PEX will still be a little wobbly, but connecting it directly to the toilet valve is considered by many to a better solution than using a copper stub-out, because there is no fitting behind the wall.  Anyway, PEX is pretty tough.


How would you add baseboard trim to an angled wall? We have a set of stairs that lead to our basement.  I've made the space underneath in to a small closet. It's been enclosed with drywall.   The floor is a continuation of tile from the laundry room.  I am in the process of adding baseboard trim but the back wall is angled.

Here's a side view:

I'm not sure what to do about the area circled in red, because it it angled right down to the floor. How would that area be trimmed out?

One possibility I am considering is running the trim board vertical like this:

But I am unsure if this would work.

Update

Both answers below are good.  I am going to use a combination of both and build a small backstop (create some dead space) and then run the trim vertically.

I'd get a 2 x 4, trim it to fit the length and height of your trim piece and screw it in.

The horizontal lines are the piece of trim that will run along the outside of the staircase.


Why does my garage still have power when the house main is shut off? I still have power in my garage.. I cant figure out why I still have power  on. It's a new garage built on to the house.

To me it sounds like your true main disconnect is at the meter location. My farm has this same setup, I have a 200 amp breaker that feeds the house panel, I have a 125 amp breaker that feeds my shop panel and a 3rd that used to feed a mobile home that was here for a few years. To turn the power off to my shop I have to open the panel below my power meter to access the breakers. Some have the breakers on a side access door but this is where you should find your disconnect since turning off your main did not kill the power. Unless of course you have a second meter but that would show up on your power bill as a 2nd service.


Where is electrical trench measured from on slope? My pool is about 7ft from fence, and i need to dig a trench about 70ft long. About 10ft (will bring pvc at 45 degree angle to fence and out 45 deg to other side of pool) will run along fence and the land abruptly slopes by fenced area to keep the dirt off the fence.

The slope starts about a foot away from fence, right where I would like to start the trench. Im debating hand digging, but I would like to get the smaller 18inch deep trencher .. so im wondering if i am able to run a board to help keep trencher straight, what would be reference to measure for depth? The higher side or low side of soil?

I ask mostly because if i needed to go deeper a ditch witchis much too big, and I am using pvc conduit so I will need to dig the rest otherwise. I figure with the 18inch trencher i can use my 15lb digging bar to smash down the extra inch so 18 inches measures from top of conduit. But now im wondering how the slope will play into this.

Picture:

The depth of the trench is measured from the final grade above the conduit.  So It would be measured from a point right above the conduit, which would be about the average of the slope.  However, most inspectors aren't going to ding you for an inch or two. In fact, most inspectors don't even measure, unless it looks too shallow.


Should I put in a sub-panel to add breakers to an older home? I’m renovating my kitchen in a century home. It has already been updated with newer wire, but many shortcuts had been taken by the previous owner. I plan to replace the old wire throughout and add the many missing outlets required by code (that were not added by prior owner). The main breaker panel is pretty much full and in a difficult place from which to run new circuits.

I’m thinking of running a feeder circuit to a new panel that would be closer to the kitchen. I have full access to the kitchen from the basement below it.

What are your thoughts on this? Are there any hidden considerations when doing this?

Thanks for your input.

Sorry about that.  Additional information:

The main panel is 220, so relatively new.
The kitchen is 20’x15’. It only has 6 outlets, one light and one oven outlet. I plan on putting in an island with multiple outlets, pot lights and the number of required outlets to meet code. I will also be relocating the location of the oven, so that will need rerouting.
I have two slots open and would expect to have at least another when the existing one for the kitchen would be replaced with the new panel.

I generally like to avoid replacing main panels outright, because it's a big job that is not DIY friendly and starts a slippery slide of red tape. You need the power turned off. The PoCo won't turn back on without inspector sign-off. The city wants 10 other things added to project scope.  With all the rigmarole it'll be a week, mostly waiting on others. The city won't let you live there with no power for a week. They'll insist on a temporary AC power drop and porta-johns.  A subpanel has a much smaller scope by nature.

Since you are remodeling your kitchen, you cannot rely on just the circuits that are there (so many people think that, it's amazing!)  You will need to go full NEC 2017 rigmarole which calls for at least 8 spaces - more if you like the chef!   Mandatory is typically 2 countertop circuits, dishwasher and disposal, range (2-pole), microwave and (optional, but you really want this!) refrigerator on non-GFCI.   However the chef would very much appreciate 1 circuit per receptacle.  Unfortunately the way kitchen appliances are sized, you can't use 2 on the same circuit without a breaker trip. One per recep works the best.

My rules of thumb

If I'm starting anew, I want a 42-space panel.  Why not more?  Because of panel pricing: adding extra spaces is dirt cheap up til 42, then it goes ballistic.  (that's because the old pre-2014 rules were "only 42 spaces allowed" and the market hasn't caught up yet.)

Now if I have a house with a panel already, and it's a competent modern panel, then my viewpoint is "add a subpanel".  At that point I will want 45-55 spaces between the old panel and the new one.  A "space" is what a twin breaker takes up.  After all, you will have 2-6 spaces used up by the breakers that connect the panels.  So if you currently have a 16 space, I'll add a 30.  A 24, I'll add a 24.  Etc.

My brand priorities are: if you plan a generator, then a Siemens main-lug panel. Otherwise a panel in the same lineage as your existing panel (i.e. Siemens for Murray, Eaton BR for Challenger) so it'll use the same breakers... unless it's Square D QO, then give a hard think if you really want to keep spending 50% extra for your breakers. (It's a fantastic panel but pricey).

Double-stuff breakers. Plan to never use them.  If the existing panel is full of em, you want enough new spaces to let them all be singles.  You can't use them because AFCI and GFCI breakers require a full space, they are mandatory in some cases, and are smart in any case.  There are also some "trick" breakers that take a full space.*

Extra spaces are your best friend. I get very nervous in a house with only 6 spare spaces. Many modern conveniences gobble up spaces 2 at a time. You don't want to have that conversation "No, you can't have a whole-house surge/tanning bed/generator/EVSE because there's no space in the panel".  I like to finish a subpanel job with 50% of spaces free.

A couple things to watch out for.

Look at your original panel for something called "Thru lugs".  These are extra lugs typically on the bottom (surely on the opposite of the main breaker) which allow you to attach wires directly to the main bus. (and switched on/off by the main breaker).  This is for extending to subpanels, so use 'em if you got 'em! The wire must be sized for the main breaker.

FPE and Zinsco panels are dangerous firestarters; the problem is the breakers don't trip and the bus stabs start fires.  The main breakers are often alright, so if they have thru-lugs you may be able to use them and simply move all the circuits to a subpanel next to this panel.  You cannot use a subpanel in the normal way (with a feed breaker) because competent FPE and Zinsco breakers are not available at any price; the new ones are worse than the dangerous originals!

If your panel is Pushmatic, and it has thru-lugs, you're all set. Original/legacy Pushmatic breakers and buses are fine.  But like FPE/Zinsco, you cannot obtain competent new breakers at any price: the ones currently in stores are worse than the FPE/Zinscos! But you know, Pushmatic uses bolted bus "stabs" (certainly the safest type) so getting a subfeed lug kit may be possible: an adapter that takes you from a bolted stab to a lug.

The "Rule of Six" aka "Split-Bus" panel. This is a panel that has an area of 4-12 spaces marked "Main Breakers" plural.  One of the "main breakers" feeds the rest of the panel.  In this case, put a subpanel right next to this panel, and at your leisure, move circuits to this new panel.  The endgame goal being to have exactly one breaker in the "Main Breakers" area, which feeds the sub.  Now it's a "Rule of One" panel lol, which removes the safety issue relating to Rule of Six.

* At a "Maker" show I saw a product that warns you if you left your oven on. Raspberry pi, clamp-on CT, and it pushes a notification to your phone.  I said "The app needs a button to trip the breaker remotely." They were stunned at the idea.  I said "Have an electrician replace the oven breaker with a shunt-trip breaker. Signal that with a 24 volt pulse, and SNAP!"  A great example of one you can't get in double-stuff.


Old Mobile Home Electrical Repair Going to start by describing the mess that I found.

Symptom: 220VAC Hot water heater not heating.

Cause Discovered: 1 phase missing in main panel. Upon investigation I discovered that the main feeder to this trailer was a temporary 50 AMP plug style connector. Someone had installed a 100 amp panel and main breaker inside the home. The plug had been been exposed to over-current and one of the prongs as well as half of the receptacle was completely destroyed.

Action Taken: Turned off the main breaker at the pole. 100 amp breaker feeding 1/0 (maybe 2/0) Aluminum conductors in Schedule 40 PVC conduit to the 220 VAC Receptical box.

Weather was getting cold and owner needed to move in within days. Due to limited time we had to rebuild ASAP.

Repairs Made.

Replaced 100 AMP main breaker inside Mobile home with 50 amp Breaker suitable for the temporary cable that was stamped 50 amps. It has a rubberized outside with molded plug and inside has 4 color coded conductors. It says it is rated for 50 amps and mobile home and RV use etc.

The plug and receptical were destroyed and the box was in bad shape. I could get new receptical but could not get a new cable with molded plug on short notice. I could get a new all weather box with a 40 amp 3 phase GFCI Breaker. I decided to go that way. Originally the temporary 50 amp cable came out of the plug (about 1 foot away from the trailer). Went under the ground (No conduit) for 2 feet under the skirt then up above ground and runs about 6 feet under the trailer. Then up inside the trailer to the main panel inside. Due to time constraints we removed the old box and receptical. Also cut off the molded plug that was destroyed. Conductors and insulation was in good shape so I installed it into the new all weather box with the GFCI (50 Amps). I left it going to the trailer the same way. Direct buried for 1-2 feet until it gets under the skirt. Then above ground and up into the main panel with the new 50 amp main I put in. I tested it at full load and also tested the GFCI. it works excellent even with the branches off. My only concern is that I did not have time to bury a conduit for the 50 amp "temporary" cable. Does it have to have one? The way I read the NEC (08) is yes it does if it is permanent. Also...I read I have to bury it all the way to where it comes up to go into the main panel inside the trailer. Is that correct? I think it is a sprig project either way. Just want to know if I can get away with leaving it the way it is due to being only 50 Amps and already in a cable as opposed to individual conductors.

Thank You

What type of cord are you using? I have never seen a type of cord that it is rated for direct burial.

Article 550.10 is pretty clear regarding mobile home power cords but it is at the beginning of the Code that states you need to follow all listing, labeling, and manufacturer's instructions.

  110.3(B) Installation and Use. Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling.

According to the Code, you only need conduit where the cord is exposed to damage, passes through walls or floors, (or where buried because it is not listed / labeled for direct burial).

  550.10(G) Protected. Where the cord passes through walls or floors, it shall be protected by means of conduits and bushings or equivalent.

I would just pass the cord through the skirt and not worry about burying it, or install some PVC from directly under the panel inside to the power pedestal and pull the cord into that. You could use a bushing to pass up into the mobile home. It should already have the bushing if it was wired right from the factory.

Good luck in the spring!


Drywall stored leaning, now bent I've had a contractor doing work at my house for months now. All the while, they had drywall waiting to install, leaning against a wall.

Now the drywall has an obvious bend to it due to being stored in such a way. Should I tell them to get new drywall, or will it mount fully flat?

That depends on the bend... too much and it will crack, otherwise it naturally flexes anyway.


Do I need to "protect" low voltage cables that are run through an insulated wall? I'm planning to run speaker cables from a new outlet at an uninsulated wall to a new outlet at an insulated wall.  I've already run Cat5e and coaxial cable to the uninsulated wall, and am comfortable with the process.  However I have a concern with the similar task of running cable through an insulated wall.

Other than installing a low-voltage box at the outlet, do I need to protect the cable that will snake through the wall/insulation in any way?  I have a concern that the cables and their slack will pose a fire hazard since they will either run through the insulation or between the insulation and drywall in an untidy fashion (i.e. not secured to joists/studs for new work).  Should I run the cables through a plastic tube/conduit for extra safety?

The speaker cable is CL2-rated, so perhaps my concern is unwarranted.

If your wall is closed up then you don't have to worry about it.  It looks like class 2 wire is rated to go into walls.  Only use wire that is rated to be in the walls for uses like what you have.  The only things to worry about with class 2 or class 3 wiring is:

Class 2/3 should never be used in the same electrical box (without a low voltage divider or in the same conduit with your house wiring.
Class 2/3 should be kept at least 10" away from house wiring. Try to run in a separate bay.
Remember when crossing house wiring with class 2/3 it should be at 90 degrees.

If your wall is open then if you can spare the money for ENT or smurf tube (bendable, corrugated, PVC that is usually blue) then that will give your wiring more protection.  It is sold in 10ft lengths or 100ft coils.  You can run low-voltage class 2/3 or regular house wiring, but not at the same time.  It will also give the transmission that is carried on the class 2/3 less interference when around house wiring.


Can you identify the model of this faucet? I know the make is American Standard.  It has a spray handle, and is 5 years old or less.  I need to buy O-rings for it, and want to be sure I'm getting the right ones.

You say you need "o-rings" but not specifically what part is the issue. If you take the part(s) to a good plumbing shop (a "good plumbing shop" is specifically a different thing from a big-box retailer) I would bet they can find what you need. The model number will be of little to no assistance to them, they know the parts by sight.

American Standard has manufactured literally hundreds of different faucets over the recent years, and regardless of the model number many of the parts are common.

The closest in American Standard's current catalog looks like this:


When NOT to use GFI outlets Recently renovated a kitchen, including adding 2 GFI outlets: one by the sink and one on the opposite wall near stove.  City inspector ordered that the one by the sink be removed.  What reason would the city have to require the expense of removing a GFI outlet?

2011 code has nothing on the subject. However it is clear the purpose of the rules therein is to keep you from draping cords across sinks.  That seems like a very good idea.

Code requires outlets anywhere there's a 12" or wider section of countertop - because that space will inevitably draw a coffeemaker or George Foreman.  It's possible the inspector is seeing an outlet over a space less than 12" wide, and saying "Well, you'll never put anything there, you'll end up draping cords across the sink to another place (which might be shy of outlets)."

Code also requires a GFCI for any countertop outlet (210.8a6), and near any sink anywhere (210.8a7).  That means he definitely does NOT mean to have an unprotected outlet there.  If an outlet is allowed at all, it must be GFCI protected, whether by GFCI outlet, being daisy-chained from the LOAD terminals of another GFCI outlet, or a GFCI breaker in your service panel.

It's also possible he's telling you "dummy, this outlet feeds from the other one, just daisy chain it off the LOAD terminals of the first GFCI and no need for this one."  But that is merely economy, and the inspector wouldn't have a stake in that.


Wiring a 220 outlet- can I use a 15 amp outlet with my 20 amp breaker? Or should I get a replacement 15 amp breaker? I'm trying to wire an outlet for my lathe.  The manufacturer recommends a 15 amp breaker. I am planning to run 10 gauge wire approximately 25' to the outlet where I can plug in my lathe. The motor is rated at 8 amps.  I currently have an empty 20 amp breaker for 220 in my box. Here are a few pics of what I'm thinking of using.

The first is the plug for the lathe:

The second is the motor specs of the lathe:

Would the following 20 amp outlet work for this?

I've wired 110 but never 220. Also BTW it has a phase converter allowing it to run off 1 phase.

You may know that on 120V circuits, you are allowed to use 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit.  This is a special exception that only applies to 15A receptacles only on 20A circuits.

The Code says nothing about voltage.. You can use exactly the same exception on a 240V 20A circuit. You are free to use 15A or 20A receptacles (NEMA 6-15 or 6-20).

If you use a 20A receptacle (NEMA 6-20), the 15A plug will fit in it just fine.  They are keyed to do that.   (Just the same way as 120V NEMA 5-20 sockets will accept the common NEMA 5-15 plugs.)

There is only one gotcha: if there is only one socket in the whole circuit, the socket size must match the breaker size.  So if you use a NEMA 6-15 on your 20A circuit, make sure it's the usual twin-socket receptacle, don't use a one-eye.


Is there a benefit to having a switch control an outlet? In my house  there is a switch in every room that controls an outlet.  I’ve asked my electrician to remove that so that the outlet is always on.
He says it’s safer to have a “control switch” but I can’t think of a good reason why.
What am I missing?

It's in the Building and Electrical Codes
You may have noticed that you can walk into a room that you've never been in before, and reach for a light switch, your hand has a really good chance of finding it.  It's almost like magic, and it's so universal that people take it for granted.
Actually, it's no accident.  It's required by both the electrical and the building codes. Every room must have a light, and the light must be operated in a switch located at -- well, your hand knows.
Here's another non-accident. Ever go up a stairway, go the first couple of steps and then your feet just know what to do?  That's because of a rule that says on a stairway, every step's rise and run must be identical.  This is what happens if it's not.
This is one of literally a thousand rules in the Building Codes designed to keep people safe.
A switched receptacle is allowed as a substitute for an overhead light
Normally, Codes require that the light switch operate an overhead light or other built-in lights - sconces, cove lighting, etc.  However, builders lobbied to get an exception to allow a switched receptacle instead -- on the presumption that someone would plug a floor lamp into that receptacle, and be contented with that as the room light, and switch the light only at the switch.
The reason builders wanted this is, it's cheaper.
Of course, this is a bad plan for exactly the reasons you are observing - #1 people will switch the light off at the light, and #2 it renders the receptacle unusable as a plain receptacle.  This is especially bad with the consumer electronics revolution, where people have an exponentially increasing number of things to plug in other than lamps.
Unfortunately, you only have 2 options for eliminating the receptacles.

If the wiring permits, convert the receptacle to a half-switched -- meaning one of the 2 sockets will be switched by the light, and the other will not.
Install an overhead light, sconces, cove lighting etc. hardwired into the room, and rewire the circuit so the switch operates the overhead light instead of the receptacle.  The overhead light will satisfy the Code requirements for a functional room light.


Wood creaking sound (intermittent, but persistent), how to finally put it to rest Last year, we bought a house built in 1986. Over the past year, I've been able to identify a single (and I do meant SINGLE) knocking sound which generally repeats every 20-60 seconds until I go to search for it.
I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the structure, and presume my body weight & position, but that's where it gets strange. I hear it when I wake up in the morning. It does happen sometimes when I lay down for bed, or sometimes in the middle of the night. But as you might be gravitating to, I hear it when I am in bed. If I stand up, I still hear it. As soon as I start walking to go find it, it stops.
Now is it a critter? No. We have cats, but no matter, my wife or daughter can go look for it rustling through the house and basement, and outside and it continues for them, but all they have ever identified is that they think it comes from the heat vents in the basement under our room. It doesn't. Heat, AC, nothing, moving pipes, turning the system off, it happens when it wants to in all of the above. I have also moved and or secured the pipes/vents to no avail.
It's not something I can really call a contractor in for as it doesn't always happen when I go sit on the bed. It happens at all seasons and weather conditions.
Now, given that I can be in bed to instigate this sound, I've tried moving (and not moving) to promote its occurrence or cause it to cease but it does not. Therefore, I can lay in bed for hours, and not move a muscle, and listen to it for hours, every 10s, 20s, 120s, etc. a single "pop" or "knock"
I am trying to capture the sound on a recording so I can share it. But consider this: take a #2 pencil and wrap it against a 2x4... but do it lightly, e.g., drop a #2 pencil on a piece of paper on a carpeted floor - that is a great replication of the sound.
I'd like ideas of what it can be, and how to catch/isolate it, so I can finally wake up to a silent morning. :)
I really do believe it's structural (which is why I mentioned the year built) and think its a support beam moving on a nail or plywood, but as aforementioned, it happens with me completely still, and I cant instigate it, so why would it be the same repetitious sound endlessly....
Here is some photos of the suspect area:
Basement under bedroom, where clicking is heard
UPDATE (11/7/2018):
At the link above I just uploaded a video file with the noise. There is 1 (maybe two) heater unit click noises, you can distinctly tell them apart from the ones that sound wooden. (listen for the sound of a drop of water, or pencil tapping). Also, and this is potentially attributable to the "intermittency" of it all, is today is a windy day, and no one is in my bedroom. I just cannot isolate the noise well enough to locate it.

You say it's not your ducts, but I just listened to your video and I've heard that sound before, it's the sound of expanding metal uptight against wood and slipping.  The fact that there's a similar noise coming directly from the vents at times just means that it's coming from hangers that are having trouble holding onto your duct work, some of which has padding between in and the ducts preventing the resonating tinny sound, where as in other places it's not dampened and thus you hear it along the duct.

It's clearly not a critter so it's better off just left alone.

Loosing some hangers may actually be the solution.

Similarly, changing how fast your hvac system heats up / cools can help you troubleshoot. Open all the registers in your house and take note of how often you hear your noise. Now on a day with similar temperature and humidity try the same test with only one register open.  If lower airflow means less noise then reducing your your blower fan speed should help and vice versa.

Other fixes to try if it's still bothering you:

If the sound is relatively new (you've lived in the house before and this is the first season where it's been a problem) you can try to tighten down or loosen all screws and hangers related to the duct.

If the sound has been there for almost as long as you've had the house, you can try adding rubber or plastic spacers to your hangers and anywhere else the duct-work might be in contact with the wood.

However, my guess is that your particular noise is buried inside an inaccessible part of your house, else you probably would of pinpointed the cause of the problem. Thus the next most reliable solution aside from ripping out and replacing all the duct work with properly insulated circular ducting, or a different kind of HVAC system is to add an acoustic duct liner.

If it were my house

If I was experiencing the same sounds those ducts also carry AC, i'd just wrap the exposed duct-work with neoprene insulation to prevent sweating and reverberation of the sounds and the next time I change the flooring add an acoustic padding.

Similarly, I might try reducing with the blower fan speed depending on how accessible that is.

If you are rich and can afford to pay for quiet:

If I were rich, I'd just remove the entire central air system and replace it with a ductless mini-split heat pump system. Not only will this eliminate the noise, but you'll have:

Better zone control.
A large space in your basement freed up where your furnace and control system currently is.
No unsightly ducts running though your basement and taking up
space in your walls if you ever choose to finish off your basement.


Can I glue two 1" solid oak treads to make one 2" tread? I am licensed floor contractor in the state of California. I am installing  solid oak treads in open steps in stairs 2"x12"x43", because open steps over 39" wide must be over 1 1/2" thick. But, 2" solid oak treads are not available at my local supplier; they are only available in 1" thick treads.

Can I glue two 1" treads to make one 2" tread and be within code?

If so, how would I do this?

why dont you just buy 10/4 rough sawn oak and plane it down to 2"?  this is a totally normal day for most staircase guys.  i am kind of surprised you are asking this question.


Water pump that will not block water in case of power loss I have in my house installed a water mist fire protection system. Currently it is connected directly to the main water system, which is of lower pressure than the nozzles are designed for.

I would like to add a pump and an expansion/pressure tank to increase the pressure.

My question is what kind of water pump can I use for this? It is an absolutely requirement that it will not significantly reduce the pressure or amount of water flowing through it in case of missing electricity. How well will centrifugal pumps let water flow through without power?

A battery backed solution that turns on/off a bypass path in case of power loss might be acceptable, but my initial thought is that this is added complexity and something that could fail so I think I would prefer not to have that.

Since the normal use case will be that the pump starts once to fill the tank and then never start again, power consumption and efficiency are of no relevance.

A simple solution would be to install a full sized bypass with a check valve, which ties in downstream of the pressure tank. This would allow full system flow in the case of pump failure. You could then use a pump of whatever type fits your needs most efficiently and effectively, and would need not be concerned about flow restriction through the pump.

You do not mention the nozzle activation mechanism but we must assume that the heads are closed unless opened due to fire melting a fusible/frangible element at the head(s) or other mechanical means. So... under static conditions the system would remain at the pressure held by the tank diaphragm, which would be above mains pressure (because it was pumped). Upon opening/activation of a spray nozzle then the tank would deliver until pressure drops enough for mains pressure to then lift the check valve and flow into the system, around the pump and tank assembly.

sorry for crude drawing of bypass with check valve


Can I change a 1-gang electrical box to a 2-gang electrical box? I live in a house built in the 50's in Maryland, US.  Each bedroom contains 4 electrical outlets - configured in two 1-gang electrical boxes on opposing walls.  However, with all the modern appliances, we really need more electrical outlets available in these bedrooms.

At this time, I don't want to open up the walls to install additional 1-gang boxes per modern building codes, but I know I'll have to at some point.

It's a 20A circuit. Can I just change out the current 1-gang electrical boxes for 2-gang electrical boxes?

As long as you keep your current consumption under the rating for the circuit, that's completely OK.  Getting the old boxes out will be tricky, but can be done without too much damage to the surrounding drywall; if the old box is mounted to a stud, it may be easier for you to cut the nails than trying to pull them out.  You'll probably have to use a remodeling box anyway, so the old nails won't get in the way.

Depending on your local codes, you may or may not be allowed to do the work yourself -- check with your city (or whatever authority applies) to be sure.


Correct wiring of 4-wire cooktop to 3-wire 240V supply I have a new cooktop with 4 wires (see pic) - black, red, white and bare.  The 240V supply cable has black, white and bare.  I measured ~250V across the supply black & white (no load).

The instructions for the cooktop aren’t clear to me ( - shown below). They seem to indicate connecting white and bare (neural & ground), which doesn’t seem right.

My assumption is that in orange supply that black is live/hot, white is neutral and bare is ground.
Update: now wondering if perhaps white is the other hot leg and there is no neutral (would explain why I measure 240V between black & white supply cable)

What should I connect to what?

Thanks!

(Building on a ton of comments)

Your cooktop needs two hots + neutral + ground.

Your supply cable has two hots + ground. That is a problem.

The cooktop instructions allow for two hots + neutral, using the neutral for neutral + ground together. This is supposed to be only for old installations (i.e., grandfathered), which is (a) not recommended for safety reasons and (b) likely not allowed in your case anyway. Not an option.

There is, often, an allowed fix (again, supposed for old installations only, but it is safe). That is to retrofit a ground from elsewhere. But that only works if you have two hots + neutral and are missing ground. But you have two hots + ground, and that means the third wire is not insulated (and if it were insulated, it would be green, which is a ground-only color). Not an option.

Unlike ground, you can't pull a neutral from another circuit. That would run the risk of overloading that neutral - and neutrals are not protected by breakers like hots are. Not an option.

I only see 2 options:

Switch for a 240 V only cooktop.
Run a new cable that includes two hots, neutral and ground. Maybe you can run a cable the ugly way - up to the ceiling (i.e., through cabinets) and along the ceiling around to wherever the breakers are? Or use the old cable (depending on how it was installed) to pull a new cable in to replace it.


Privacy Fence: Is this minimalist design efficient? I'm planning on putting up a 6ft privacy fence for the first time.  I've done quite a bit of research but I'm still rather new to it.  I have a concept but it's quite minimal.  What I'm looking to figure out is whether this design is sturdy and will withstand the test of time.

For materials, here's what I've decided to use:

For Posts: 4x4x8 treated pine (rated for ground contact)

For Boards: 2x4x8 treated pine (I'm on the fence with this one - pun intended)  This is where most of my uncertainty lies.  I've considered doing a couple of different combinations.

Combo1: 1x(2x6 kick-board), 2x(2x4 board)

Combo2: 3x(2x4 board)

Combo3: 1x(2x6 kick-board), 3x(2x4 board)

My biggest consideration for this is price though.  I want quality but I don't want to over-engineer.

For Pickets: 6ft Cedar (from Menards or Lowes or ?)

Method: I'll be burying the 8ft posts about 2.5 feet down (below the frost line).  I plan to line the hole bottoms with gravel and cement the posts in.  I'm still uncertain on whether to bring the cement above ground or cover it up with dirt.  The latter is certainly more appealing to the eye, but the first is more functional.  Not sure which is better.

This is the design I had in mind, although I do have a few questions.  I know that kick-boards are important, but wouldn't they also serve a structural purpose?  If I did a kickboard in say, 4" or 6", couldn't I get away with only have 2 addition 2x4 boards in the middle and top of the posts?  In this picture below, they have a kick-board in addition to three 2x4 boards.  To me that seems excessive but I'm wondering.

So in terms of the general design, type of wood used and planned methods, is this a good design?  With proper maintenance, I'd like this fence to last a minimum of 30 years.  I think it should for what it is.

For 30 years, assuming concrete, I'd go with un-boxed metal u-channel posts.   I'd put bevels on the rails. A 45 degree bevel on the top. It should slant away from the pickets  to shed water and dirt away from the pickets. And a 15 degree drip-edge bevel on the bottom to keep the water from running back towards the pickets. I'd get full inch rough sawn air-dried pickets from a saw mill, not the 9/16" pickets from big boxes, though there is something to be said for more rails and thin pickets.

And since price/labor is a function of the number of pieces, I'd use (2) 2x6's for the rails instead of (3+) 2x4's.


Garage door opener remotes suddenly open incorrect door Both my remotes stopped working today. The wired wall button still opens the door. If I click my remote button multiple times, it opens the other garage door.

Both openers are craftsman and the one with the non-working remotes at least 10 years old, the other is over 16 years old.  The remotes have worked fine up until today.

Any clue as to what is going on? I've seen answers about interference and replacing the remotes. But, if the remote does not work, why would it now open the other door?  Thanks in advance for your help.

Has some one changed the codes? Match the remote to the operator setting, or reset both.


Anode rod debris on bottom of tank I replaced the anode rod on my water heater, when I looked down after draining, I could see pieces of the old rod lying in the bottom of the tank. The old rod clearly had bits broken off from the core rod. Perhaps using the impact gun even shook some loose. Is this debris in the bottom of the tank detrimental now? From a corrosion standpoint?

It is detrimental the same way as sediments that will work their way through the pipes and create blockages in shut-off values and clog up the aerators filters in the faucets.  You just replaced the rod,  Continue with a deep flush of the tank and remove the sediments from the bottom of the tank.  There are YouTube video on how to do a deep flush but it consists of:
1. Put hot water on pilot or vacation mode
2. Shut of the water at the top of the heater
3. Drain the tank
4. Open water valve at the top of tank with drain faucet still open.
5. Run for about 5 minutes or until water is clear and no sediments is flowing out
6. Close drain faucet
7. After tank fills, turn gas back to your normal setting

On "Corrosion standpoint?"  If any magnesium  or aluminum broke off, it will continue to perform its duty of rusting first, same as if it was still on the rod.


Help wiring an old HVAC blower to use as a shop fan I replaced my old HVAC system and a friend suggested asking the HVAC company to leave the fan unit to use as a shop fan.
I thought it would be a simple task to add a plug to the motor and off it would go (or rather on...).
I've tried wiring black-black, white-white (there are multiple blacks & whites) with no luck. I appreciate your time!
Here are some relevant pictures.

To me that looks like an ECM motor -- an "electronically commutated motor" or "brushless DC motor." This is a newer motor technology with a variety of benefits.. at the cost of being more complex. These motors can't run directly from a power source; they require a control system to operate. The good news is that yours appears to have that controller built into the motor.
Based on what I see in the wiring diagram I'd suggest keeping that PCB in the circuit too. It appears the PCB provides a convenient way of "programming" the controller's behavior -- things like how fast it should spin (implied the the choices of AC/HP size and AC/HP CFM adjust) and how soon it should come on and how long it should stay on (ON/OFF delay).
I've not had the pleasure (?) of working on one of these motors myself, but from what I can gather online (and considering there's no 230 V connection shown to your PCB), all those control signals are probably 24 V ac signals. It's possible you could have damaged the controller by connecting 120 V between pairs of black and white wires, but.. it's also possible the internal control was engineered to survive that kind of mistreatment. Though you probably could connect 24 V ac to some of the wires on plug 4 and get results, it seems much easier to keep and use the PCB.
Try feeding the motor and the transformer 230 V (or 240) on the black and yellow wires and put a jumper between the R and the G terminals. Be prepared to wait up to 30 seconds depending on how that ON/OFF delay setting works. If you get a response from the fan in these conditions you could experiment with the other programmable settings for CFM, delay, etc.


Can power outlets and HDMI wall-jacks be installed with right-angle bends to accommodate very thin walls? I have a very thin wall, about 2 inches thick. See photo below.
(This is the podium at a historic chapel.)
The wall might be solid wood? I'm not certain.

There is a crawl-space underneath the sub-floor, so it is very easy to gain access underneath for wiring and jack installation.
We need to install a power outlet AND an HDMI jack here.
Obviously, the easiest solution is to just put the jacks in the floor, facing upwards.
The problem is, this is an area with high foot-traffic.
The jacks WILL get stepped on regularly, which can a) break the jacks and b) become a serious trip-hazard, even when nothing is plugged in.
So we'd like to see if there is any possible way we could drill into this thin wood wall, and install the jacks in the wall, with the cables running immediately downwards into the crawlspace below.
Right-angle HDMI adapters are readily available, but we obviously need to avoid the extra connection if possible (to preserve a higher-quality signal).

Is it possible to get female HDMI cable ends with right-angles AND the ability to crimp onto your own loose cable and install into a faceplate?
I haven't been able to find any on Google, as of yet - but I don't really know where to look.
And then there's also the power outlet.
Most power outlets are too thick to fit inside such a thin wall.
Is there a way to get power outlets that are designed for extremely thin wall spaces?
I'd like to avoid having a box sticking out of the wall, again, because of trip hazards.
(Also because it's ugly.)

If you have access under the wall, could you put a brass floor plate on the floor and eliminate the hassle of the wall?
If you installed something like this, it could be flush with the carpet. You could easily plug in when needed and not worry about it being a tripping hazard.


Do I need to remove a 2 inch screw I dropped down the toilet waste pipe? I replaced my bathroom floor and installed a new toilet. By accident I dropped a 2 inch brass screw down the flange waste pipe. Before I caulk everything up, I thought I’d check to see if it would be OK (would it wash down_ or should I attempt to remove it? If so, how would I do this - it seemed to have slid a number of feet down past a join and since it is brass, I can’t use a magnet to try to extract it. Would it wash down with waste or cause a blockage later on?

It will wash down with the waste. The 2" screw in a 3 or 4" pipe should be of no concern....


Driving vehicles on newly poured concrete For reasons entirely unrelated to quality of their work I've lost faith in the company that just poured a concrete slab at the (only) entrance to my property.

I am unaware of the details of the mix but the description on the quote was "dig down 150mm compact hard fill then box up with 150mm boxing lay steel mesh and pour 20mpa 20mm concrete with a broom finish"

I was assured that this would be adequate, even with trucks going on the concrete (this would be a fairly regular occurance)

I live in Auckland, and its late spring, meaning the temperatures vary between about  8c and 18c, and 50-80% humidity at the moment.

Before getting the job done, I discussed timings with the contractor and was  advised it would be OK to drive my cars over it 2 days after he finished pouring. After an additional day I could drive a light van over it, and trucks could drive over it 14 days after it was poured.   It has now been 2 days since it was poured - but the contractor has not yet come back to cut joints in the concrete.  Nonetheless he has again confirmed its OK to drive on it.

I have just taken measurements of the slab, and if I am reading it correctly - I'm not sure I am - it is between 150mm and 170mm high at various points.  Somewhat concerning however is the low placement of the bit of mesh that is sticking out at the end as per this picture:

I have the following questions - and would appreciate any insights -

Is it really OK to drive on the concrete after only 2 days (I've done some reading online, and have some doubts ), on the other hand, I'm not sure how long I can delay it being driven over due to obligations to others.
Am I correct in my belief that the concrete will further strengthen by in the order of 25% over the next 12 hours, and is this significant ?
If I drive over concrete which is still in the early stages of curing/setting and it doesn't visibly crack, am I weakening the eventual strength of the concrete ?
If I drive on it prior to joints being cut am I more likely to damage it?
Is the placement of the mesh a concern ?

Is it really OK to drive on the concrete after only 2 days? No. Even if control joints were cut, the concrete is at a fraction of its ultimate strength (maybe 15-30%, depending on several factors). You run a high risk of breaking it at other locations.

Will the slab further strengthen by in the order of 25% over the next 12 hours?Maybe, but that's 25% of the current cure extent, which could still be a minor fraction of the ultimate strength. Cure rates depend on many things, from mix to water content to weather to after-pour care. The cure amount does grow substantially over the first few days, but it's folly to take guesses. Give it at least a week (ideally two) if at all possible.

If I drive over concrete which is still in the early stages of curing/setting and it doesn't visibly crack, am I weakening the eventual strength of the concrete? Cracks due to vehicle traffic are usually apparent right away, but it is possible that you'll crack it and not know it until dirt starts to accumulate on the line or it opens further. If it doesn't crack, it's probably not weakened in any substantial way.

If I drive on the slab prior to joints being cut am I more likely to damage it? No, but it is more likely that you'll end up with crooked (uncontrolled) cracks, which are ugly.

Is the placement of the mesh a concern? Yep. It should've been pulled up into the center third of the slab's thickness as the pour occurred. It's possible that what you see there is an anomaly, but it's not a good sign.


How do I fix a couch with a protruding spring? I have a fairly nice couch, about 8 years old, but just today I noticed that there was a sharp protrusion coming out the side. It has not yet punctured the fabric, but it seems like a strong wind might cause it to do so.

I turned the couch over, and pulled out some of the fabric staples so I could get a look in there, and I do see a straight piece of metal heading out the side and causing the protrusion. It's the same kind of metal as the springs, though like I said, it's straight, not coiled, which would lead me to suspect that it is supposed to be in that general area. Though obviously it shouldn't be protruding, so I wonder if it got "dislocated" so to speak.

There are two main problems: 1. I don't actually know where it should go (or how it should get there), and 2. it's really quite difficult to get at. I can see it, behind a piece of wood, but I can't fit my hand in there. How can I fix this?

Here's a picture of the problem:

And here are two views from underneath/inside the couch:

One of your spring wires is slipping sideways and poking your upholstery. The spring wires are held to the sinuous springs by metal clips; apparently that wire's clips are loose and are allowing the spring wire to get out of place. (Has someone been jumping on your couch?)

Your first step is to get access to the underside of the couch. Yes, you have to take off the dust cover fabric that covers the bottom of your couch and keeps your cats from hiding there, but there's nothing to be done.

With the dust cover off, you can try to slide the spring wire back into place. My guess is that's going to be very difficult, as those clips are pretty strong (although apparently not strong enough), but if it works then good on you. If not, then you'll have to cut the excess spring wire off, close to the nearest sinuous spring. The wire is quite hard (much harder than copper wire), so you'll need a good pair of cutters to handle it, otherwise you'll damage the cutters.

Now, you need to tighten the metal clips on that wire, and probably on all the wires unless you mind risking another wire going walkabout. Here, you'll need a strong pair of pliers or vice-grips. The goal is to prevent that spring wire from sliding further.

Finally, reattach the dust cover (which doesn't need to look good, unless your guests are in the habit of lifting up and examining the bottom of your couch).


Can you fix scratches in Little Tykes furniture? Little Tykes has thick plastic furniture and toys.  Is there a way to make them look new?  Buff, fill, what?

Buffing followed by acid etch (to restore texture).  Overall a pretty rough job.  You'll want to check the plastic type (found next to a 'recycling' symbol usually) for additional guidance.  LDPE is common.  Some people use heat guns, but for maximum potential entertainment value why not try a blowtorch?  LDPE is actually pretty hard to set on fire.


Is this switch a three-way? I am replacing these two switches and not positive how the right switch is wired. The left switch is the only switch that runs to our porch light and the right switch is the only switch that run to the interior room light. It looks like it is a three way switch, but I am not sure since each of those switches operate as single pole switches.

Second question, even though the switch is grounded to the box, how can I tell if the box is actually grounded?

It looks like it is a three way switch, but I am not sure

It isn't. What I see is

That seems fairly straightforward to me

The black wires are permanent line (live/hot/phase)
The red wires are switched line (live/hot/phase)
The white wires are neutral
The green wire is a ground (earth) bond between switch housing and metal wall-box

So, I don't see a three-way arrangement (two switches controlling one light)

Whether the use of colours is compliant with local code (regulations) depends on where this is located and when it was installed.

Sorry for the horrible diagram, I must find a better tool than MS-Windows-Paint!

As bib pointed out in a comment, my diagram omits one black wire from the left switch to the bottom left (room light) cable. I conjecture that this may have been to provide power to something like a ceiling fan with a separate pull-switch built into the hub - but that's just a guess on my part.

  how can I tell if the box is actually grounded?

It probably isn't, unless there is a connection to the back-box we can't see (perhaps to the outer metal sheath of an amoured cable.

You can test this with a multimeter and, with all power to the building turned off and verified off, measure resistance between metal-back box and the white wires. If the resistance is low there is a ground connection between back-box and the neutral-ground bond near the main incomer or main panel.


Old brick foundation walls, 125 years, need repointing and/or plaster finish. What is best method and materials to resurface these old bricks? My 125 year old house has old brick foundation which is exposed in the basement.  I would like to plaster but don't want to do the complete three stage plaster job; the grout is deteriorated in many places and may be too fragile to attach wire lath.  I have heard of a product that is a pre-mixed renovating plaster, but I don't know if such a product will work.  Any suggestions?

This Old House's website advises getting a sample of the current plaster and mortar to s lab so you can get them accurately matched, if I remember correctly. They seemed to be saying that it was important that the brick and mortar be matched to each other, tho I'm not sure why..


Is it possible to use the ice maker on a refrigerator without a water supply line? Our department just moved physical locations.  We were able to bring the fridge from our previous break room, but our new location does not have a water line anywhere nearby for the ice maker.  The simple solution, of course, is to just use ice cube trays, but I would really like it to be constantly producing ice (not have to rely on coworkers to refill the trays).

My thought is to get a 1-2 gallon container, and hook the water line into the bottom and then set it on top of the fridge.  This way you can refill it in large quantities at once, rather than tray by tray.  The container would be clear, to see the water level and to see if it needs to be cleaned, and with a lid to keep out dust.  With the container sitting above the fridge, gravity should provide sufficient pressure to supply the maker with water.

Would such a system work?  Does anybody see any potential problems with setting up something like this?  Are there any better alternatives?

Well I don't know what your budget is, but you could go ahead and get a keg and a compressed air tank and hook it up to the refrigerator! Easy 100psi, it'll make you 15 gallons of ice before refilling the keg (With water. The keg is to be filled with water. In case anyone missed that.)

Anyways now I have an awesome idea to use a fridge as a keg tap, if only I was in college where that'd be necessary.

Parts would be:

1 gallon compressor, for example:

http://www.amazon.com/Senco-PC1010-1-Horsepower-1-Gallon-Compressor/dp/B0000AQK78/
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D55140-1-Gallon-Trim-Compressor/dp/B000HZJMFM/

3 to 5 gallon keg, for example:

http://www.homebrewing.org/3-Gallon-Ball-Lock-Keg-W-Metal-Handles_p_3431.html
http://www.homebrewing.org/5-Gallon-Ball-Lock-Keg-W-Metal-Handles_p_3430.html

Barbed Liquid disconnect - http://www.homebrewing.org/Beer-Ball-Lock-Disconnect-Barbed_p_2915.html
Barbed Gas disconnect - http://www.homebrewing.org/Gas-Ball-Lock-White-Disconnect-Barbed_p_2916.html
Some food-safe 60psi tubing

Really easy version: Buy an entire homebrewing kit including tank and just put water in instead of beer, hook output up to fridge input.

Easy version: Set regulator of the compressor to 50psi, connect hose directly to barbs of gas in port of the keg. Hook the output port up to the fridge input.

Hard version: Find a used compressor. Experiment with tightening the pressure switch until it turns off at 50psi. Remove compressor motor/pump assembly from tank, hook previous tank input up directly to keg, then keg output to fridge input.


Can a 208-230/460 blower motor be wired for 220 plug This is my motor

I have this blower fan squirrel cage thing and is belt driven by this 3 phase motor and I just want to know if it is possible to wire to plug in my shop wall outlet? If so I probably won’t do it myself but will at least keep until I can find someone to do it.

$600 solution

You can fit a phase converter, which will take single-phase 240V power and synthesize 240V 3-phase delta (by creating the phantom third phase electronically).

$400 solution

You can replace the entire motor with any bog-standard 240V single-phase 5 horsepower motor that is 3450 RPM.


How to fix a part of a washed out asphalt driveway? This is what a washed out part looks like:

and (same spot, from the front):

from looking at fixing potholes online, it seems like filling it with a paver base and topping it with a couple inches of backtop repair might work, but I am not sure whether those work for the area this large.

What would be a recommended way of fixing this? I understand that repaving the whole driveway would fix it, but I'd like to see whether spending 35 times less and fixing it myself is also an option.

That doesn't look "washed out", as in storm damage. It looks disintegrated due to age or an inadequate base. The only right fix is excavation, installation of a suitable base, and reapplication of asphalt. Anything short of that will come apart again fairly quickly.

You wouldn't necessarily need to replace the entire driveway if this is the only troublesome area, but it looks to me like it was laid on soil that's at least partially organic.


Leak in basement - should I be concerned? I recently moved into a brand new apartment building. I have a ground floor duplex (downstairs is below ground) and shortly after moving in I noticed there was something leaking into the wall downstairs. It seemed to happen only after heavy rains so after some investigation they determined that they needed to replace the water drainage system outside the building. They finished that and now are replacing the drywall & insulation downstairs - basically tearing up drywall a couple feet at a time and feeling the insulation and if it's wet they're tearing it out and replacing.

My question is: how concerned should I be about this? They assured me there's no reason to worry about mold because of the materials used (something about special drywall for basements) but obviously it's in their interest to do as little as possible. I also noticed some water damage (brown edges) on the floor (flat tile or maybe it's a tile-looking laminate?) right where it meets the wall - should I be concerned that the floor (or baseboards I suppose) I'm walking on is deteriorating? I'm out of my element and I'm not sure I can trust what management says because there's a bit of a conflict of interest.

As requested; It sounds like they are doing it correctly. Repairing the drainage issue first. Since they are replacing the Sheetrock (possibly with green board) rather than plain Sheetrock they are going above and beyond in my opinion. If the flooring was slightly discolored but dried and there is no mold it two will probably be fine. If it was sewage I would be concerned but rain water not so much. It sounds like they are doing a good job and there is nothing to be worried about.


uneven terracotta work arounds for Furniture So in another post I asked how I can solve my uneven tiles + lippage.  unfortunately it sounds like I cannot grind them flatter with a rotary floor buffer/polisher, due to the terracotta.

how can I create some even surfaces on it?  I want to build some boxes or stands that are level, and place the various pieces of furniture on them.  Options?  Do I use sand bags?

Here's an example piece of furniture I want to have level :

The simplest way to install cabinets on an uneven floor is to construct a platform with 2 x 4 lumber. This is best when all or most of you cabinets will be located along the same walls. If you construct the platform so the 2x's are oriented "face-down" (not on edge) there will be more head room on top of the cabinet. Once the platform is in place level it with shims starting at the lowest point on the floor.


Need more torque for driving screws I put up some shelves at the weekend, and had a tough time driving the screws into the wall plugs (drilled a 6 mm hole in the masonry, then used brown wall plugs and #8 screws). I got there in the end, but not without lots of effort and blisters on my screwdriver hand.

Is there a way of getting more torque for jobs like this? I have an electric screwdriver, but it wouldn’t get any purchase on the screws. Seems like some sort of ratchet arm would be perfect, as long as I could still put enough pressure on it in the direction of the screw to keep the bit engaged. I’ve also seen T-handle screwdrivers, and drivers with a hex addition to the shaft so you can get extra torque with a spanner. What’s best?

(It might be that I was using wall plugs that were too big, but the screws went in eventually, and I’m pleased with how secure they seem.)

drilled a 6 mm hole in the masonry, then used brown wall plugs and #8 screws

Your hole was too small and the screw was the wrong size or type. A #8 screw has a 4mm diameter.

  Brown wall plugs fit into a hole made by a 7mm drill bit and are for screw sizes 10 - 14

Plug            Hole            Screw
Colour          Size            Size
------          ----            -----
Yellow          5mm             4 - 8
Red             6mm             6 - 10
Brown           7mm             10 - 14
Blue           10mm             14 - 18

Note: the above screw sizes are traditional size or screw-gauge. If you drill metric holes, you might be buying metric screws, where the size is the major diameter of the threaded part in mm.

If you can't drive the screw using a normal hand-held screwdriver, then something is wrong and you are at risk of shearing the screw or damaging the head. Using more force is not the right answer.


What can I use to form concrete countertops longer than 8 feet? Building a concrete counter top 4x10 and cannot fine a sheet of melamine 10 feet long anywhere. Anyone know where I could get a piece? I’d rather not joint to eliminate a seam

Use plywood as your base with a seam, then Formica (plastic laminate) as your base layer in contact with your concrete. You can get Formica cheap because you don't care what it looks like and there is always some pattern that isn't selling and they want to get rid of, you'll make them happy to take it.


What latch would work best for a front/top opening chest? I'm building a chest (about 3' wide, 2' deep, 2' tall) where the front folds up over the top (270 degrees), then the front/top fold again to the back (another 270 degrees).  I need to know how best to latch it closed.

I'd like the latch to be spring loaded.  It does not need to lock.  I would like it to latch itself when the chest is closed, rather than needing to pull the spring back then move the front into place.

I was thinking of something along the lines of a laptop lid, where there's a hook that latches itself when closed, and a lever to slide the hook out of the way so it can open.  The catch plate would be on the bottom, and it would latch when the top/front is put down (rather than the front being swung into place alone).  I wasn't able to find anything like it online, probably because I have no idea what it's called.

The other idea I had would be to use something like a door latch on both bottom corners, which would latch when the front is swung into place.  Instead of a knob, you would slide the latch open.  Like this but furniture quality.

I really do not want something industrial/utility looking like this.

Can you help me locate something like what I'm looking for (or something better I haven't thought of)?

(I don't know much about hardware terminology, so please forgive me...)

Sounds like you want something like a tambour door lock like this:

You can find it here.


Floating commercial dance floor over concrete I'm involved in the laying of a floating commercial dance floor over concrete.  It needs to last 10-15 years.

The plan is to glue a layer of pressure treated wood directly to the concrete. On top of that will be a layer of 2" thick neoprene.  And on top of that will be two layers of plywood screwed to each other only, otherwise floating.

Can pressure treated wood be glued directly to the concrete or is it necessary to place a barrier between the treated wood and the concrete?

If I were doing the floor and not knowing what the manufacturer recommends the last thing I am doing is putting PT wood in there.  The PT wood needs to dry and will bring moisture to the plywood.  I know there is a lot of weight involved but I would worry about warping.

I would just swap out the PT wood for rigid foam insulation sheets - 2 inch variety.   You can get really large sheets at the big boxes in the US.  This will taking care of minor moisture issues and offer an escape route out.  Also it might give the dance floor a slight bounce.


Are backflow preventers for irrigation required to be lead-free if the upstream source is a potable water system? In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act is a backflow preventer, such as this pressure vacuum breaker (that contains lead), required to be lead-free? I am confused by section 300g-6 which prohibits the use of non lead-free fixtures in "any public water system". Does this mean it must be completely isolated from the public water system, or just that no downstream system can be used for human consumption?

Relevant text from the Safe Drinking Water Act:

  § 300g–6. Prohibition on use of lead pipes, solder, and flux

  a) In general

  (1) Prohibitions

  (A) In general

  No person may use any pipe,
  any pipe or plumbing fitting or fixture, any solder, or any flux,
  after June 19, 1986, in the installation or repair of—

    (i) any public water system; or

    (ii) any plumbing in a residential or nonresidential facility providing water for human consumption

  that is not lead free (within the meaning of subsection (d) of this section).

The interpretation of statutes and laws (which are often deliberately inexact and/or vague) happens in court when an entity protests a citation or complaint, or when the regulatory authority decides or is compelled to deliver an interpretation. Until one of these happens, it is up to you to interpret as well as you can. You should think of it this way: "how would a majority of average right-minded persons interpret this?"

My interpretation (whatever it is worth) is that the device is located on a line that is not "providing water for human consumption"; additionally, the device is specifically designed to prevent water from flowing back towards systems that are "providing water for human consumption". Also, this product is specifically designed for use in irrigation systems...


Confused by extra wire on Legrand dimmer Replacing 3 dimmers and one single pole switch in a 4 gang setup with Legrand dimmers and a Single Pole switch.

Original wiring by licensed electrician.

Existing dimmers have R,B,R/W(Not connected)and ground wires.

The Legrand products are frame grounded, eliminating the ground wire for each dimmer. The Legrand dimmers have wires labeled Common (B), Neutral (W), 3-Way (R) and I-Pole (R).

I understand the wiring except for the I-Pole wire. The existing setup does not provide an extra wire going to each dimmer. What do I do, if anything, with the I-Pole wire?

Common = LINE, 1-Pole = LOAD

For your new dimmers in a single pole installation, the Common wire connects to the LINE side wiring (whatever wires the old dimmer's black wire connected to, most likely), while the 1-Pole wire connects to the LOAD side wiring (whatever wire the old dimmer's red wire connected to, most likely).  The 3-Way wire is left unused/insulated, just like the red/white wire on the old dimmer, and the Neutral wire is bundled in with the rest of the neutral wires in the back of the box.  Note that on the Legrand adorne line, the frame has a ground wire that must be connected to the box ground wires in order to ground the dimmer properly; simply connect it to whatever ground wire was grounding the old dimmer.


raise floor level and floor over cavity, is there a better solution? We have had two walls removed to open into an extension (340x320cm) and to add french doors to the extension.
We face 2 issues:

The dining room floor is at a slightly lower level to the kitchen
either side of the now gone wall.
The floor does not reach the door
because of the cavity. (And also its slightly lower level than the door)

My thinking is to lay 22mm chipboard sheets over the dining room floor and screw them into the subfloor boards. Where these reach the door my thinking is have them overhang the cavity as it is only a small gap they should be ok anchored into the existing floor?

Is there a better approach?

Photos:

I'm not sure what "chipboard" is, but your plan is ok if you use a structural sheet material (OSB or plywood). The span across the wall void is wide enough that you should find a way to support the sheet at the far side, though, or it's likely to flex a fair bit.


Can I move my washer and dryer 10 feet to the right? My basement is being renovated, and I'd like to have my washer and dryer moved about 10 feet to the right of their current location.  They would still be against the same wall, just further down.  The laundry sink that was originally there was removed as it was not needed (plus that room is now going to be a guest room), but the plumbing for the laundry sink is still there.

Is it possible to use that plumbing from the laundry sink, and extend the water pipes and drainage ten feet over?  Currently there are no walls.

Yes, it's probably not overly difficult.

Water lines

Water lines are pretty easy, just extend them over or run them from a new location. Don't leave dead-legs (or dead-ends), so depending on where you're coming from you should cut and cap the lines as close to the supply as possible, eg 1" away. Dead-legs don't have much water movement, so can become harbours for bacteria which will then get into the rest of the plumbing system.

Waste lines

With waste/drain lines, there are a couple more concerns. You need to move both the vent line and drain line over separately, as vents must be connected within 5 or 6' (depending on 1 1/4 or 1 1/2" line, respectively) of the trap.

You also need to ensure all the waste pipes run downhill towards the drain, and there are no places for water to pool (except for in the trap, of course).

Dryer vent

You want to minimize the distance the dryer vent goes, to minimize the resistance. The less resistance, the harder the air will blow, and the less chances for lint to get stuck and clog it up (which can lead to a fire). The best course of action may be to close up the old hole and make a new one, close as possible to the dryer. I prefer to use 4" solid smooth duct lines whenever possible, and the semi-rigid lines after that in walls, if needed.

Don't put the tin-foil-like lines in the wall (it's okay for the final hookup between the dryer and the wall, but that's it), and don't use the white plastic junk whatsoever.

Electrical

You'll need a dedicated 220V circuit for the dryer, and then another circuit for the washer and plugs in the room. You can probably extend the existing dryer outlet by converting the existing receptacle into a junction (with blank faceplate) but of course it depends on what you are doing with that space after. All junction points must be accessible.

NEC 210.50(C) states the washer outlets must be GFCI-protected if within 6' of the top of the laundry tub. In my laundry room, there's one circuit for a couple outlets including the washer -- the first one is a GFCI outlet, and the rest are connected on the load side so they're all GFCI-protected. I'd recommend just doing something similar, it's not at all difficult and much safer if there's ever water on the floor, etc.

Floor Drain

I don't believe there are any specific code requirements for floor drains for a laundry room, but there may be specific requirements in your local building code (check with your planning office). Either way, it's something you should think about. Washer lines and washer valves do sometimes leak, and can cause a fairly big mess. Having a floor drain in the room will help minimize the damage if this ever happens. It may not be worthwhile to dig up the floor to put one in there, but at least be aware of the path the water would have to take to get to the drain (eg, does it have to go out into another finished room, across the carpet, and turn a couple corners before it gets to the drain?).

Insulation

Since these lines are often installed on an exterior wall, you'll want to think about insulation for them. The picture above is actually from my laundry room. I did spray-foam insulation on the basement walls, and though you can't see in that picture, there is a gap between the framing and the walls: most of the basement it's about 1", but on that section it is closer to 2", just to be sure the pipes are not in the cold zone.