Why do unused Refrigerator Appliances Grow Mold, while unused Cabinets and electronics don't? I have a refrigerator that I thoroughly cleaned out and washed with soap/baking soda, and let thoroughly dry. They always recommend to keep Doors Open for long term refrigerator storage.
This prevents mold and mildew growth even when unplugged.

My question, why does mold/mildew grow in Refrigerators unplugged,  but they do Not grow in closed cabinets or electronic interior equipment as much?

Do unplugged refrigerator plastics have tenacity to grow more mold?

https://www.kentstorage.com.au/how-to-store-a-refrigerator-in-storage

*Just fyi, after cleaning refrigerator, I left door open for few days to dry out, but I guess keeping doors open for Long Term is the question

They don't mean "Even when unplugged".  They mean "When unplugged".

Because refrigerators are wet inside, and refrigerator doors seal too well

Try putting 1/2 cup of water inside a cabinet, then bagging the outside of the cabinet door with plastic. You'll get mold inside that too.

The interior shell is not a hermetic seal.  It's just some cosmetic cowlings because white plastic is more attractive than galvanized metal and insulation fiber.  Moist air still moves around and through it, then condenses or freezes.

It's water in all those inaccessible spaces that is the problem.

After some number of months, that will eventually dry out.  And then, you can let the door close.


What diameter PVC conduit should I bury under my front yard? I'd like to run two 20A circuits to the other side of my front yard. I'll be using 12AWG THWN conductors, over a length of about 20 feet through PVC conduit buried at a depth of 18 inches.

What diameter conduit is appropriate for my application?

Code defines minimum sizes, based on fill percentage. Larger also meets code (by exceeding it.)

Anyone who has ever pulled a conduit at/near maximum fill % (40 for 3 or more wires in conduit longer than 24") can tell you it's not fun to do.

You have a short run across the yard, so the conduit expense is not a huge factor. In general, the conduit expense is always much, much less than the trench to put it in expense.

I would use schedule 80 PVC for a job like this; while it will mean finding your local electrical supply unless you have the oddest home cheapo I've never met (never seen sch. 80 at any of the ones near me, other than the odd sweep) it is far more robust than schedule 40. I would also use 1 inch - not because "code says you need it" (it does not) but because it is somewhat stronger and provides considerably more room than you require - and more room makes pulling wires easier. It also means you don't really have to define exactly what you are doing (so the absolute minimum size you need can be specified) because it's more than large enough for considerably more than you have stated no matter how you do what you've stated.

I would (but you don't need to) put in a second 1" conduit while the trench was there, if there was the remotest chance on the face of the planet that I might ever want to run phone, network (perhaps an outside wireless access point), garage door opener or any other sort of low voltage wiring to the location. See cost of conduit .vs. cost of trench again. But it's your call.

Finally, don't skip the "buried electric line below" warning tape in the top 6 inches of fill for the trench. Digsafe won't know your private line is there, so they won't mark it.


60 amp sub panel, 100 ft away from main panel. Grounding rod or not? Adding a 60amp sub panel (4breakers) on the 2nd floor for a dehumidification  system and some misc.  Running 100 feet of 6/3 wire.  I am assuming that I can use the ground wire in the 6/3 from that sub panel ground bar to the main panel ground bar. This is not in a separate building so I don’t think NEC requires grounding rods.
And if so does anyone know the limitation on the length of a ground wire if indeed a separate one is required for the panel itself.  Washington country Maryland.

Same building, just supply ground and neutral in appropriate sizes and separate, and be sure that ground and neutral are not bonded in the sub-panel.

6AWG copper (as a cable, which typically limits you to the 60C rating...) is maybe pushing it a bit depending how loaded that 60A panel is.


What are the plugged pipes on the outside of my roof staircase wall? There are also these pipes sticking out from the wall of my rental home. I guess they are either gas, water, or disconnected. Are they a common thing? Like for a sink?

The owner is coming later this week to check for a water leak. I need to know if he is going to scour the room near where these pipes are because it’s at least a day of cleaning if true.

yes, that's odd.

However, while they are copper pipe usually used for water lines, their location (outside, 'roof' area, stairway on other side indicating no ability to place a water related item there) suggest to me that they have another purpose.

I believe that these were ad-hock brackets to provide attachment and support of some object. My first guess would be a satellite dish.

No matter the old purpose, they do need to be water tight. However, that is an issue for your landlord and I don't think that you have any worries.


How to remove Schlage lever mechanism? I'm trying to remove a schlage lever on an interior door (there is no lock, only a latch). I've removed

the levers
the latch
the finish covers
two screws that connect the two halves of the lever mechanism

Now I'm left with what's left in the picture above. There doesn't seem to be any more accessible screws or release pins. There is a collar nut in the center. I don't seem to be able to turn it (perhaps it needs a special tool).

Ideas ?

You have to remove the retaining ring, by rotating it anticlockwise.

They make a specialized castle nut wrench for installing/removing them. You should be able to loosen it using a pair of pliers, or screw driver. Though it looks like there might be some damage to the threads, so it might take a bit of effort.

Notice right near the arrow in the image above, that there's a flat spot with no threads.  Place a slotted screwdriver against the ridge of the castle nut, and gently tap the end of the screw driver. Hopefully that will loosen the nut just enough, that you'll be able to get it off by hand.


Circuit breaker door shocked me. Static? I was switching through breakers to isolate outlets. I had the panel door open, stepped away, and when I walked back to touch the panel's DOOR, I got a static-like shock on my finger. I was wearing socks & rubbed across carpet before I touched it, so I'm wondering if this was a harmless static shock, or something faulty going on? It came straight from the door-- didn't even have a chance to touch a breaker. Left my hand a bit prickly, so I've been worried.

Like Captain Kirk said when he sensed a trap, "It's never a bad time for a battle-stations drill".

It's never a bad time to go through and thoroughly inspect your Grounding Electrode System to assure it's in good order.   You may have gotten blindsided by something like the water company severing your water pipe ground by inserting a plastic smart meter.


Is it ok to fasten a shower surround to Schluter Kerdi curb? I am doing a master bath remodel and installing a Schluter system for my shower.  How do I install the glass surround on the Kerdi curb?  The curb is more or less Styrofoam and I don't see how it can hold a screw. I am also worried about penetrating the membrane, but I understand I can waterproof the intrusions with Kerdifix.
I imagine that this sort of thing is done all the time (I can't see spending the money for Schluter and then using a shower curtain).  It must be ok to screw into the Schluter curb, right?

The kerdi curb won't hold your screws.  You can try putting a screw on a piece of scrap and you should be able to pull the screw out by hand.
It is designed to be used at the bottom of the shower door just to hold the tiles and good enough for a person to step on it.  The side hinge of  the shower door must be mounted to a stud.
Kerdi curb and boards are not substitute for the framing.  They are like drywall+kerdi membrane all in one to reduce installation time.
To seal the screw holes, drive the screw in half way, then squeeze some kerdi fix in there, and drive it all the way.


Use 2x4 Studs 90 Degrees from Normal I'm looking to put up some drywall in front of a concrete wall in my basement. Just for hanging things on, and to make the space nicer.

There are some pipes that run horizontal along the top of the concrete wall, about 2" away from it. Can I just turn my 2x4's 90 degrees and attach them to the wall that way? That's the only way they'd fit between the pipes and the concrete wall. I don't need the drywall to go all the way up to the ceiling, I'm fine with leaving it short to allow for the pipes.

Thanks for any help.

Jason

You certainly can. Just be aware that they won't be as rigid in the case that you hang heavy objects on them, such as cabinetry. You might consider putting one or two fasteners into the concrete through each stud, leaving an air space behind the stud. (You don't want untreated lumber in contact with masonry.)

Alternatively, built your wall  as you normally would and notch those studs around the pipe at the top. Use a 2x2 for a top plate behind the pipe. This will leave you with more robust framing and the ability to install full-size outlet boxes, etc.


How to Rewire Powered Switch Controlling Half Hot Switched Outlet to Power Outlet as Always On and Control/Power Recessed Lighting All:

I hope someone may enlighten me.  I have a switch with two lines running into it.  I believe the first to be power running from the breaker.  There are yellow (or white yellowed with age), black, and bare copper wires in this first line.  The second line has a yellow (or white yellowed with age), black, red and ground.  I believe that the second line travels to what is now a half hot switched outlet.

Within the outlet there are two lines entering.  The line from the switch entering into the outlet has yellow (or white yellowed with age), black, red and ground.  The red wire is connected to the switched outlet half, the black is connected to the other half of the outlet which is always on.

At the switch, the yellow wires (or white yellowed with age) are pigtailed.  The black wires are also pigtailed, but connected to the switch, as well.

At the outlet, the red are pigtailed.  The yellow wires (or white yellowed with age) are also pigtailed, but connected to the outlet as well.

It is my intention to install 4 recessed LED lights in the ceiling.  I was going to daisy chain all of the lights together and run that wire into the switch box.  I was going to install a dimmer light at the switch to control the lights, and I want the half hot outlet to be hot in both outlets at all times.  I no longer wish to control the outlet from the switch, but I want to continue providing it with power.

Please advise how and whether I am able to do this.  Any information would be helpful.  Thank you.

Simply cap off the red wire at the receptacle and the switch, using a twist-on wire connector. Then replace the receptacle with a new one, that doesn't have the tab broken between the ungrounded (hot) terminals. On the new receptacle, connect only the black, white, and ground wires.

Now the receptacle will always be hot, and the switch will be unused. This will allow you to use the switch for your new lights instead. Just connect the black wire going to your lights to the switch, and the white to the other white wires in the box.


When buying a rental home after many years of our occupancy, is a home inspection still necessary? I lived in a rental home for around 8 years and am currently negotiating the cash purchase of it. Because I've lived here for so long and (this is my first home purchase),I'm very familiar with the condition of this house. Is a home inspection really necessary and a good idea? The home was built about 30 years ago. There are no visible signs of mold or termites, the interior is generally sound. Because its a condo the roof / outside isn't our responsibility to maintain. Internally, there are no signs of anything other than a few dry cracks here and there - no odd smells or otherwise.

I appreciate any suggestions on if it makes sense for us to still inspect the home we're buying? My logic is, we know the home so well b/c we've lived here so long - how much would inspector know beyond what we already know? If yes, should we go for a basic inspection or a thorough inspection for mold and termites as well?

Yes, unless you are an inspector yourself. Inspections often catch things owners don't know about. The owner may have maintained it meticulously, but he can only fix the problems he knows about. My home inspector caught a few safety issues like pitch of the exhaust from the water heater and a sharp edge around a flexible gas line in the fireplace. You should also plan on the house being inspected when you eventually try to sell it to someone. Inspections aren't expensive, but they can catch expensive issues. Mine noted the condition of some of the windows was poor and I was able to negotiate $2k off the selling price. When you have a home inspection, it gives you the power to negotiate a better deal for yourself.

As far as what level of inspection to get, I wouldn't hesitate to spend up to $200. So whatever that gets you, but that's just my opinion.

Since it is a condo, I'd also be concerned about the health of the condo association's finances. Is the roof on the building 20 years old? Have they collected and saved enough money to re-roof the structure or will they require an extra $15,000 from everyone next year?


Building code requiring rooms to have internal windows? I am staying at the Radisson in Colorado Springs this evening and I notice that some of the rooms, in an extension built about 15-20 years ago, have large security windows facing into the hallway. The rooms also have normal outdoor facing windows. At first I thought they must be offices, but in fact they are otherwise normal bedrooms. The hotel management says that when the extension was built the local code at the time required them to install windows facing the hallway. I cannot see what possible purpose this could have. Why would a building code require a bedroom to have a window facing into the house?

I guess my fear is that if I built a house in Colorado Springs, maybe they would require my bedrooms to have windows facing the interior which seems crazy.

In the cases where I've run I to something like this, the hotel originally had open walkways around the rooms -- allowing more light in, and probably cheaper to build -- which were later closed off with an outside wall to provide a sheltered approach to the rooms and to reduce energy needed to heat or cool the rooms. The windows were left in place because there was no pressing reason to pay the cost of redoing that wall.

I can't vouch for that having been true in this case, not having seen it and not knowing the building's history, but it seems more likely than a local code weirdity.

Remember, most hotel staff turns over fairly rapidly, up to and including managers. Odds of anyone actually remembering the reasons for anything done a decade ago are low... but odds of their admitting they don't know aren't much better.


What pressure rating should a replacement safety valve on a compressor have? The safety valve on my compressor is leaking air. I found plenty of places that have replacement valves and they look easy to replace. My question is how do I know which one to pick they all have a preset PSI. My compressor has an operating PSI of 115. I have found safety valves that are 100 and 125, I was assuming I needed one that was 115. A friend said that he'd expect I should go higher than the 115 so it wouldn't open the safety valve until higher than the operating pressure. Is this correct? What pressure should I be looking at?

Your friend is right. If the operating and safety pressures were the same (nominally, given tolerances), you'd likely have nuisance trips of the safety valve.

Enough safety factor is built into the tank that it's not a concern to be 10 psi higher with the safety valve. In fact, the tank is probably the same one used on higher-duty models, with the pressure being limited by the compressor motor's abilities.


What is the safest and quietest practical lightweight electric saw to cut 2x4 to use inside an apartment? I have a miter saw but that thing is loud. Same with the circular saw. Moreover, while the miter saw can be used on the ground with not even a table, the circular saw is too dangerous without a full workbench.

A table saw, even mini one, is too big, expensive, and also too loud. It needs to be handheld. Obviously, chainsaw is not the answer either.

Of course, the quietest is a simple hand saw. Unfortunately, it's also too much work and takes too long. I want something electric.

This brought me to the reciprocating saw. It could be used easily with a couple portable sawhorses or even just clamped to the table.

Handheld jigsaw might be the same.

For safety, of course awareness, alertness, glasses, earmuffs, gloves, and common sense will all be used. Still, some tools are less safe than others without a full workshop. I'm also thinking of building a small portable workbench.

I don't want to disturb the neighbors or cause any alerts with the apartment complex. So, what is the best, quietest, safest, and easiest electric saw to use to cut 2x4 without a full workshop or full work bench?

jigsaw.

but really i think you underestimate how easy it is to cut through dimensional lumber with a sharp handsaw.


Are the old A-head terminals for connecting to knob and tube wiring still compliant? I'm in the process of decommissioning the last active (hopefully) knob and tube circuit in my house (I'm in the U.S.).  The problem is that about 90% of the lighting in the house is on this circuit, and I won't have access to re-wire two rooms until I remodel them in the spring and there isn't any good way to get NM cable from those two rooms to the service box until the walls come down in a couple months.

Coincidentally, a friend of mine found a bunch of new old stock A-head connectors in a bag in his attic exactly like this one in my basement:

My understanding is that these are still allowable under NEC 300.16 and would give me an easy way to keep the 2 problem rooms live until I can finish replacing the circuit.  Am I correct that this is still legit?  If so, are there any issues with using NOS hardware for the splice?  I don't really want to disturb the old wiring that I'm not immediately replacing any more than I have to, so this seems like a better solution than a junction box.

The article you need to refer to is 394.
Here is an excerpt that applies to your situation.

II. Installation
394.10 Uses Permitted. Concealed knob-and-tube wiring shall be permitted to be installed in the hollow spaces of walls and ceilings, or in unfinished attics and roof spaces as provided by 394.23, only as follows:
(1) For extensions of existing installations
(2) Elsewhere by special permission

Many jurisdictions don't allow K & T unless it is a historical house. For your temporary situation, unless you are pulling a permit and getting inspected, extension of the existing system would seem reasonable.
You should replace it with a more modern grounded wiring method as soon as is practical though.
Happy New Year!


How can I soundproof my door? This is the kind of door I have.

But I don't know what's an effective way to soundproof it.

As much as possible I don't wanna spend much money that could reach $20 and above.

I don't have that much budget

Suspend a heavy rolled-up quilt (get it from a flea market or discount re-seller) above the door. When you are inside, unfurl the quilt so it covers the entire door and frame. probably your best option for the money you are willing to spend.


Removing a surface-mounted shop light In my garage, I have some surface-mounted (or flush-mounted) fluorescent shop lights.  I would like to replace them with LED shop lights, instead.

They are just plug-in lights, so the electrical part is no problem.  But where I am getting stuck is the mounting.  I can't figure out how to remove the old shop lights.

There are no visible screws anywhere, so there isn't anything obvious to unscrew.

The new lights mount by slipping over a screw head, and then sliding along a slot.  So, I thought maybe the old shop lights mounted that way, too. But I have tried sliding them, and they are very, very firmly attached in place.  They do not slide at all.

So, given that they don't want to slide, I'm assuming there must be some part of the fixture that opens up to reveal the screw heads, so that they can be unscrewed.  But I can't find any part of the fixture that seems to want to open or come off, when applying a moderate amount of force.

The fixture says that it is a Lights of America "LifeLite".

Any ideas on how these fixtures are mounted, and how I can remove them?  Thanks!

I know exactly that model and it's a cheapie!   Yes, that middle panel pops off easily, just get into the slot where the middle panel touches the edges and start prying.   It will pop right out.

This type doesn't have a ballast proper, just some discrete components placed in the end caps and the gutter you're about to expose.  Very hokey.  I do not believe it would play well with a plug-n-play LED tube.

You can of course gut that stuff and rewire it for direct wire LED tubes.  I recommend the kind of direct-wire that takes hot and neutral on opposite ends.   Those endcaps with the integral tombstones are pretty cheap, and I would not want to have 120V between the adjacent pins.


Culligan two stage softener problems I'm having a few issues with my softener, I'm sure it's an older Culligan, I'm just not sure what model number it is.

The problem's I am having are a leak just started from the two entries for the two gears in the pictures below. This should be easily fixable with an ORing replacement. This leaks only seems to happen while it's cycling through it's flush.

However, my bigger problem is the past week since this minor leak started, I've been smelling sulfur from my shower for the first few minutes of a shower. The blue salt tub isn't super full, but it's almost full, being about 6 inches short of the top of the white tube in the tub. I can't see any brine in the tub when I open the lid, so I don't see how that could cause it being low, I could be wrong.

I have noticed I am using a lot less salt the past few weeks, however, this could also be caused by a new whole house water filter I put in 4 or so weeks ago, I don't know.

Is there anything I should check, and is this worth trying to fix? Also where could I even begin to find it's model number, and then parts?

What else might be causing the sulfur if not the salt?

Your salt could be "bridged" - having solidified in a way that most of it does not contact the water, which would go with "can't see brine" and "using much less salt" as you describe. If you cannot dig down and find the brine, you may need to break that up. I got out of the habit of dumping in all the salt that would fit after I first experienced the joy of that problem.

In my personal experience, it was more cost effective to get a new softener than to repair my old softener. (Note - unrelated to salt bridging.) Your experience might vary, the problems I was having were different (valves would stick) and it was a very old model that nothing "modern" was willing to work with/fit (and the parts that might tediously have been re-used were not very expensive parts in a new setup.)

Moving to a "modern" system with a usage meter rather than timer-only regeneration may reduce your water and salt use somewhat (depends how predictable/consistent your water use is on whatever timescale the timer regenerates.) Those will track water use and then regenerate at night when the "softening capacity" is used up, rather than on a time-only basis without regard to water use. Or is that some sort of early mechanical use-meter?


What are some good concrete and foundation books? I've done all sorts of home repairs and projects, but never concrete work. I've been looking for a good book to help me learn how to build concrete foundations for a home, and how to pour and finish concrete slabs.

I've come across 2 books on Amazon, but they all get bad reviews and seem to be poorly written, poorly organized, and missing information.

The books I've already found are:

Working with Concrete by Rick Arnold (considered to be the best option from what I've found)
Foundations & Concrete Work (For Pros by Pros) (seems to be missing a lot of info)

Does anyone have any recommendations on books for concrete work?

I cannot think of any good concrete books off the top of my head, sorry.

However, you listed two tasks that you wish to pursue, one of which I believe can be achieved well with book learning and the other which cannot.  As far as building concrete foundations goes the trick is in the forms.  I would look for books specifically geared toward concrete formwork.  If it is an existing house then your formwork is going to be significantly different from building forms in a meadow.  Again not sure if there are any books out there that will tell you the things that concrete contractors know from years of experience.

As far as finishing slabs goes I would like to offer a word of warning based on 20 years in the trades.  If you want it to look good and function the way it should you can't expect to learn the techniques involved without a lot of time and effort, not to mention a lot of ugly permanent concrete "test slabs." Hire a finisher if your slab is going to be more than 20' sq.  Here in the San Francisco Bay Area the cost of hiring a finishing expert is usually around $500/day or $300 for a fraction thereof.


Did I just ruin the flange on our toilet? The point where the elbow joint from our flushometer meets the toilet bowl has begun leaking (dripping, really) whenever we flush (so, whenever water passes through it). I jiggled it a bit and the elbow joint popped right out. So the connection seems to be an unthreaded pipe with a plastic gasket that slides into a threaded mounting ring (is that the right term?) that then threads onto the toilet. update: it's a slip joint nut

The gasket appears to be intact, so I think I can fix this by reinforcing the seal at the threading. I have a jar of pro-dope, a tube of durst pipe thread compound and a roll of what teflon tape.

Two questions:

Am I on the right track here? and Which should I use for the best seal?

PS. What is a flushometer? Ours is a Sloan Gem for a "back spud bowl" (vs. a "top spud bowl") -- it reaches the toilet via an elbow rather than a straight pipe. Our toilet is a ways out from the wall so the joint has been extended by about 8".

Update: not using the toilet wasn't really working for us so I took a stab at using pro-dope and re-assembling.

Here's the halfway point, after I unscrewed the mounting ring slip joint nut:

And the after:

You can kind of tell from the after image that the toilet and the flushometer aren't properly aligned so the elbow joint doesn't meet the toilet at a proper 90° angle.

That worked, but there was still a tiny bead of water making its way out with every flush. I thought I'd be clever and get someone stronger than I to tighten the mounting ring slip joint nut. Bad idea: as I was watching him tighten the mounting ring I could see the flange inlet spud assembly start to turn. We tried flushing again and tons of water came out all around the flange inlet spud assembly. So now my question is, do I have to replace the flange inlet spud assembly to fix this? We tried backing the mounting ring slip joint nut back out, but that didn't help.

You have probably damaged the seal between your toilet and the flange. This seal is usually formed by a wax ring that forms closely to the flange and toilet base when the toilet is installed. If you've moved the toilet significantly, you may have opened up a hole in this seal where water can leak when your toilet is draining.

It's sometimes possible to improve the seal by readjusting where you've positioned the toilet. But you probably won't have a good seal unless you fully remove the toilet, scrape out the existing wax ring, and re-seat the toilet using a new wax ring. This is definitely worth doing because a leaky wax ring can drip water into your subfloor for a long time, causing rot and other damage. Plus at the same time you can turn your flange and/or flushometer so you get a better fit between the flushometer and toilet.

You've probably only damaged the wax ring. However, if your toilet remained bolted to the flange while your friend turned it, it's possible you've damaged the seal between the flange and your drain. You should inspect that when you have the toilet up.

By the way, the fitting between your flushometer and toilet is a compression fitting. These are not designed to accommodate an angled installation -- for best results the nut needs to be perpendicular to the incoming pipe. You should try to straighten the joint, and also find a new plastic compression gasket to replace the existing worn one.


How can I secure NM cable to a metal stud? I use NM staples to secure NM cable to wood studs but I am unfamiliar with the options to secure NM cable directly to metal studs despite trying a number of different search terms. Would it be okay to substitute metal screws in place of the nails using plastic NM staples which come with nails or would that void the UL listing of the staples? Or, is there another recommended method? I know for horizontal runs I can go through the center of the stud (also, I believe that counts as supporting, but not securing as per NEC:2011 section 334.30). Also, for this case I need to secure and support a vertical run down from the ceiling to an electrical box.
The Preferred Solution will:

secure the wire to the edge of the metal stud. The back edge of the stud faces the cinderblock foundation of my house and there is an air gap between the stud and the foundation wall.

not involve wood or other organic materials since the wall is in a basement and I am trying to avoid materials that could potentially breed mold (moisture is currently well under control, but you never know what the future holds). E.g. Attach wood to the stud and then use NM staples to secure to the wood.

Code Reference:

334.30 Securing and Supporting.
Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or
similar fittings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable,
at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (41⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.)
of every outlet box, junction box, cabinet, or fitting. Flat cables
shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from
physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within
the raceway.

Cables do need to be secured, but as you surmise, stapes and other nailed retainers wont work. There is a discussion of how to attach cables to steel studs in a brochure put out by the Steel Framing Alliance. Included in that broader pamphlet is this advice:

  NM wire is not stapled to a CFS stud because the
  staples will not penetrate the steel. Instead, wires are held
  in place with wire ties fed through punchouts in the CFS or
  with mounted head cable ties which are cinched around
  wire bundles. Mounting hole or mounted head cable ties are
  specialized ties that have a ring at one end that serves for
  fastening the tie to a CFS component with a screw. Other
  specialized wire accessories are available to re-support wires,
  like cable supports and standoffs.

Cable fasteners such as these can be used

There are also a wide variety of cable ties that can be threaded through slots in the framing or have standoffs that can be screwed to the framing such asthis type

Search steel stud cable mount and steel stud cable tie. Big box stores tend not to have them, so you probably need to seek out a specialty shop or look online.

You also can use cable spacers that work on wood or metal studs (using a screw)

It is also extremely important that you use grommets when you feed NM cables through steel studs or you risk a serious chance of shorting them out.

 Images and links for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


Does C&M MX24 have a constant pilot light? In disputing the reading that our gas meter has in a usually empty property, British Gas are claiming that every boiler has a permanently lit pilot light. I'm pretty sure that isn't the case with some or even most modern combi's, and our C&M MX24 seems to be one that lights on demand as you can hear the spark generator. Am I correct that an MX24 should not be using gas when there is no heating demand?

There's no mention of a pilot light in the Installation, Operating and Servicing Instructions for Chaffoteaux and Maury's Minima MX2 24 FF NG

In particular, there's no mention of one in the parts list or fault-finding sections.

The circuit diagram shows a spark generator.

As you say, most modern boilers don't have a permanently-lit pilot-light.


Fixing hole in ceiling for recessed light after water damage I recently had to deal with a little water damage from a leak in the second floor bathroom.  The ceiling appears to be dried out after a few days of pushing air through it and the only real water damage occured around the edge of a recessed can light fixture just like this one

The problem is that while removing that can light to get to the water the wet drywall around the hole crumbled away.  Now the hole is too big for the can light. The flange around the edge of the fixture that should press against the ceiling almost fits right through.

What is the right way to go about fixing this?  Cut away a larger square of drywall, replace it and re-cut the hole for the can light? Is there something easier that doesn't involve taking out more of the ceiling?

I know I could just get larger bezels and hide it but I'd rather not replace all the bezels in the room. Plus the light doesn't fit very securely any more.

There are two issues: support and cosmetics.

For the support, you could remove the can, insert thin, long pieces of wood (something like a paint stirrer) in the space above the lip of the can, overlapping the newly opened area. I would put in two strips, opposite each other.

I would hold them in place by putting screws  upward through the solid area of drywall, one on each end. This should give more body to hold the can in place after filling the gaps.

For cosmetics (and some support around the new strips) I would use a hardening spackle (not taping compound or a lightweight filler) to fill below these new strips and build up the edge around the hole. Then, after drying, sand the whole thing smooth before inserting the can.


Upstairs room too hot - can I install a room-to-room fan to blow hot air back into the high-ceiling living room? I'm in a narrow, vertical, townhouse style three story house. My upstairs bedroom gets too hot, and downstairs gets too cold.

I found I could fix the downstairs problem by running the HVAC fan full time. I think it works because there are quite a few downstairs vents. The air intake and the thermostat are both on the second floor, and by leaving my fan running more air is mixed from the different floors.

However, my third floor consists of just a single bedroom and there's a single vent. The room is kind of "suspended" above my living room, which has a high ceiling.

What are my options for fixing the third floor problem? I wonder if I could install some kind of fan into the wall, that would blow hot air out of the third story bedroom and into the living room (as there's a shared wall), so it would pull cooler air up the stairs and into the bedroom. That way more mixing would occur and my room temperatures could average out.

Or is that a bad idea? Should I just hire someone to balance the vents?

It sounds like the living room is a very tall space.  It is normal for there to be significant thermal separation in such a tall room, befause heat wants to go up.  Tall rooms are a cultural indicator of wealth, which is one reason people like them; however the "wealth" part is that they cost more to heat.

It can help to have some sort of fan stirring the air.   It does not need to be a breezy blasty fan, who wants that in the winter, right?  It just needs to stir the air enough to prevent stagnation.  We have a 34,000 square foot 30' ceiling building with 3 fans stirring the air, it doesn't take a lot and you don't really feel them.

As for balancing the vents, you don't need to hire a guy to work the little knob that closes the vent upstairs. You can do that yourself and just use trial/error - every time, bump it less distance than you did before, eventually you will settle on balanced.  If your vent does not have a knob, get one that does.

Brace yourself for this: the vent setting that works in winter won't work in summer when the A/C is running.  You'll have to change it, probably opening upstairs 100% and partially closing downstairs vents.


Half my breaker panel went out and the other half when turned on has AFCI light I got home last night and about half the lights and appliances were out.

The breakers were not tripped and turning them on didn't help. Some breaker circuits had electricity, and some didn't. The distribution seemed pretty random. For the breakers that did have electricity, the AFCI light was on in the breaker panel.

Unplugging almost everything also didn't help.

What might be wrong? Do I need an electrician?

I called an electrician and it's usually a problem with the electricity provider (PG&E in our case). We called them, they sent a tech, and it was fixed the next day.

This answer also shared similar causes: https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/58744/104493


Should I add another gable vent to my attic? I have a long house with a 3 sq foot gable vent on the east end.  I have two 6 ft long roof vents in the middle and I want to know if I should install another gable vent at the west end to increase airflow.

You need to consider airflow paths. Adding random vents is not always a good idea, as it can reduce flow from other parts of the system. Adding gable vents to a soffit/ridge vent system will likely reduce flow from the edges of the space.

If you have good soffit ventilation, do not add more gable vents. Instead, add ridge venting. If the soffits are solid, gable vents could be a good idea.


Mini split minimal pipe length Quick question - my LG mini split manual says that I need a minimal of 10’ from the indoor unit to the branch box.  My question is do I include the 1-1.5’ piping that comes with the indoor evaporator? Or do I measure from flare to flare?  Seems to me I need 10 minus the length included so I just need to add 9 or so, but I heard otherwise elsewhere.
Thanks

I would call the support line to verify the length. The unit is precharged with refrigerant and too short a line set will cause an overcharge condition.
Overcharge can cause icing of the system and shorten the service life.
Worst case, make a loop close to the compressor. A loop helps reduce vibrations transmitted through the line set when the length is short.


Hanging a 45lbs mirror to drywall What is the best way to hang a 45lbs mirror (Ikea Hovet) to the wall?
I'm   new to this and attempted to use a flip toggle but I had the wrong size screw. I've since figured out that I need a #8 screw but I'm wondering if it needs to be a particular length?
I have #8 that is 1 1/4" with some screw in anchors that sat 25lbs horizontally 63lbs vertically. Would this anchor and screw combo work for me?
Ideally how long of a screw would I need for this weight?
thank you!

Toggle bolts and Ez screw in anchors can be used if the studs don’t Line up where you want. Static vertical loads on sheetrock walls are what Ez anchors or self drilling anchors are really good at holding.
Make you use the correct sized and type (plastic or metal anchors).
I prefer Ez anchors in the rentals as they are less work to repair when new renters move in (unscrew them and patch the hole) verses drilling some types out or pushing through and having to fix a much larger hole.
I have no affiliation with Ez anchors or self drilling anchors but have used them in my own home and rentals. There are small and large sized anchors make to use the appropriate one for the load being supported.


using water based sealer with oil based stain I read somewhere that the stain and the sealer should be of the same base. Oil based or water based. They should not be mixed.

Is there truth to this? If so, what will happen?
Are both combinations bad or can you do oil on water or vise versa?

As with paint -- the best philosophy is to stick with oil-oil, water-water, or oil over water.

However, it's is not a 100% rule. It is possible to apply water-based sealer over oil-based stain IF, and only IF, the stain was given more than adequate time to dry (days, not hours). That said, it is very possible that you can still have issues with bleeding or peeling.

So, for my money, I'd rather not risk it just to save a few bucks.


Re-using lag bolt holes? Can holes in wood studs that previously held lag bolts be re-used with lag bolts of the same diameter or will this not hold safely?

More detail:
I have a piece of fitness equipment mounted to wood studs in my garage. It needs to support ~350lbs of weight. The equipment needs to be removed and replaced. Can the replacement go back into the same holes or will new ones need to be drilled? I cannot use larger diameter lag bolts since they will not fit through the mounting holes on the fitness equipment.

Possibly irrelevant:
It is a Rogue 3x3 Strip used to hold a Matador lite dip station. Since the load is very heavy, I used poplar boards as stringers to distribute the load across 3 studs. The strip has 4 holes for lag bolts so a total of 12 lag bolts were used. Unfortunately, one of the lag bolts broke off in the wall as it was being tightened. It was in the middle, directly anchoring the strip. In order to get it out, I'm pretty sure I need to remove everything to gain access to the hole and extract it.

The important thing when reusing holes for lag bolts (or screws in general) in a material that the screw will cut threads in (i.e. wood, but also applies more generally to any material much softer than the screw being driven) is to turn the bolt backwards (counterclockwise for a normal right hand thread) until you feel it "drop in" to the existing thread - then start turning forwards. That way you are following the existing thread in the wood to reinstall the screw, not starting to cut a new thread just a bit off from that one and reducing the strength & holding power of the wood.


How should I replace this rotten window header? Here I have a corner bathroom. Left wall is exterior. My “header/top plate” is rotten. I am able to put my finger through it.
I have never come across a window header that doubles as a wall top plate, but here we are. I am bracing the rafters and attempting to remove the header. It is double 2x4. Staggered at the left corner obviously.
I would like to downsize the window without dropping it. Would this be a viable option in the future? For now I am just replacing the rotted stuff. New kings, new header etc. Exterior is diagonal 1x8 plank with asbestos and vinyl siding.
Could I replace the header now, without modification in the future? Is there a minimum distance I would have to drop it?
Everything else I have encountered in this house is built very... odd. So why not this? Has anyone seen this in the past?

You can put in a header and change the window later.
I would say that header is two small for the span to start with so installing a narrower window with new cripples will be better from the looks of it.
Make sure to provide enough support, even though the wood is rotten it can be surprising how much support it still provides.
If using wet wood remember it shrinks, this is a place where I want dry wood on a repair so shrinkage won’t be a problem.


How close can light be to exposed insulation? I am mounting a few of those porcelain light lamp sockets in my basement between a few joists. The joists are exposed in my basement and one of places I was going to mount one has insulation batting between the joists. If I am mounting the metal ceiling box to a 2x4 between the joist can I just push the 2x4 up into the insulation and then mount the metal box and porcelain socket. I am using LED light bulbs. Am I creating a fire hazard or am I good?

You are good.  Even with normal bulbs this is fine.


Replacing an electric range with a gas range I want to replace an electric range with a new gas range and i am wondering about combustion air and venting requirements.
The location of the range is next to a utility room where furnace and hot water heater are located. There are two existing fresh air inlets, one near the floor, the other near the ceiling.
I am planning to tie into the existing gas line to add a short run of piping for the new gas range.
What do i need to do in order to comply with 2015 IRC?

So far as I know, residential ranges and ovens do not require venting to the outside, only commercial locations (restaurants etc.). You might WANT to do so to get smells / cooking smoke out of the house, but it is not required. In that case, you can likely fit your over-the-stove microwave oven with a pass-through vent that would go through ducting and out the roof. DO NOT use the same venting you have for your utility room, those are different venting requirements and you do not want cooking grease venting into that room.
As to the gas pipe (although I agree, should have been a separate question), we cannot answer that from afar. Pipe size, pressure and requirements for the stove and oven are details that make a difference. Professional plumbers have calculation methods for determining that. SOMETIMES a cooperative gas utility will help you out with that because after all, they LIKE selling you more gas. If so, then yes, you can tee into an existing gas line to feed a new appliance. But be forewarned, if you have never run gas lines before and learned how to do it from someone with experience, it's not something I recommend for novices. Mistakes can be deadly.


Can I rest cement posts directly on the bedrock to build a structure for a large shed? So I live in Canada, where winters are cold, and where there's not much soil above the bedrock. I would like to build a sturdy structure for an existing "shed" (in fact a 100-year old former stable or something) that's about 4m by 5m (12'x 15') and that's kind of collapsing. Currently, there's no real structure to speak of: it's only 2-inch thick boards piled up and nailed together, with small posts (like 2x4s) in the corners, resting on slabs of cement or something, each one about half as big as a basketball.

There's only about 60 cm of soil above the (granit) bedrock, and I was considering pouring concrete "posts" to rest directly on the bedrock, then using them as a basis for my structure (placing a metal plate on top that I can put a wood post on). My neighbour says that in the spring the meltwater will accumulate over the bedrock and may damage the concrete posts. Also, I would guess the ground probably freezes down to the bedrock in winter.

Any thoughts about this? alternative solutions? Note that I don't want to take the shed apart because it's 100-year-old wood and I think I would inflict substantial damage to it.

Piles to bedrock (essentially what you are proposing, albeit with really short piles) is an excellent foundation. I'd suggest drilling some holes in the rock so you can pin (with steel rebar) the base of the concrete post/pile into the bedrock.

I don't think you'll have any issues with the freezing - it will happen, but the bedrock isn't going anywhere, and the building set on piles set on bedrock won't, either.


What could cause unexpected high water usage? An apartment water meter has been running high for the last three months for no apparent reason. It's now about 3,000 gallons higher than normal. The meter registers slow continuous usage - even though no fixtures or appliances are active. There are no signs of water leaking into the walls or floors.

Two professional plumbers have checked for problems with no success.  We double checked toilets - the usual suspects - but one plumber determined that shutting off the HW feed to the HW Heater stops the meter.  So I believe it's in the HW side of the apartment.

The only HW fixtures are only a couple of sinks, a shower, a dishwasher, and a clothes washer. All look fine.

The obvious candidate would be the HW Heater excess Temperature and Pressure safety valve - the "T&P" valve.  But the outflow tube from that valve is bone dry.

One plumber suspects the meter.  Could a water meter malfunction behave differently depending on whether the valve to the HW Heater is open or closed?

I'm starting to wonder if some fool connected the ice maker to the HW line. What could it be?  Any suggestions to isolate the culprit?

Finally resolved this one.  It surprised everyone.  The apartment had a HW Expansion Tank (required by code) but no check valve (the building has one, but individual units don't).

It turns out water was flowing through the meter into the HW expansion tank, then flowing back out - no net water consumption, just a few ounces of water cycling into and out of the expansion tank with changes in pressure. 3,000 gallons a month is about 9 ounces a minute.

But the water meter only advances in one direction, so it accumulated as usage.  We installed a check valve and the problem was corrected.

Wow.


Ceiling Fan light enclosure - CFL only lights We have a few ceiling fans at home with an enclosed lighting. There's a sticker inside it saying 2X20W max, CFL lights only. What is the reason they are restricted to CFL light only? I tried putting some LED lights on it and it seems to work fine (10.5W and 9W LED lights).
The base of the LED lights is significantly hotter but everything else seems to be same temperature as CFL lights. Am i doing something wrong if i put LED lights with the "CFL only" restriction?

Thanks

Typically the reason for the low wattage rating is because of small gauge wire used in the fixture that would not be rated for much higher wattage/current draw required by 40 or 60 watt incandescent bulbs. Incandescent or halogen bulbs burn much hotter and in an enclosed space can fail prematurely. As far as using LED bulbs, they should work fine. The draw is very low and the heat is not much more than CFLs. I have been using LED bulbs in enclosed fixtures for a few years now with no problems.


Lutron Caseta smart dimmer with Pico remote in 4-way switch set up I would like to install a lutron caseta smart dimmer switch in a four way switch line that has two 4-way switches and the obvious two three-way switches. I want to put the dimmer in place of one of the two 4-way switches, and I will put remotes in the place of the other three switches. I am not entirely sure how to close the loop to just make a single switch set up. Here are some pictures of the actual switches with which I am working.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6eq6gpG6uLyXHLnM9

The pictures that you link to do not provide enough data to be able to give you specific guidance. Basically all that can be seen from those pictures is which switches are 3-way and which are 4-way. Oh and in addition where crappy back-stab connections are used. Additional pictures would clearly show the back inside of the electrical boxes so that the incoming and outgoing cables in each location could be checked to visualize the way the circuits interconnect between the four locations.

I really recommend that you install the actual dimmer at the location of where one of the end point 3-way switches are located. Ideally you will select the location where there is a neutral wire located so that you can use the Caseta dimmer that has the neutral connection. (I know that there are Caseta models that will work without the neutral connection but with the use of the neutral gives you more freedom on the types of lights that you can control).

From  your pictures I can infer that your four way switches are using both black and white colored wires to act as travellers. This is a strong indication that there is not a neutral connection run through the 4-way switch box locations. If a neutral was present it would be far more likely that the wire pairs connected to the 4-way switches would be black and red (or some other color that is not white).

The above observation is the reason that you want to study the 3-way switch locations carefully to see which location has a neutral present. If the power feed is coming to this switching circuit from one of the electrical boxes where the lights are located it is possible that neither 3-way switch box will have a neutral.

On the other hand if one of your switch locations is in an electrical box that already has two or three switch units then there is a high degree of possibility that this electrical box has the power and neutral feed coming into that box.

You should not really have to care what location that you place the actual smart switch from a usability perspective. Any of the other locations will have the Pico remotes and once installed and paired with the smart switch they provide the same level of functionality from any one of your current four switch locations.

The Caseta installation instructions will show how they recommend that you bundle the traveler connections in each electrical box to allow bypass across the two 4-way switch locations. I suggest reading through this multiple times to get a good understanding of how this will work. Also if you do not fully understand how conventional 3-way and 4-way switches work in a multi-switch arrangement I would also strongly recommend spending some time researching that subject. It will give you a much better basis to understand the Caseta smart switch installation instructions.


Will piece of Acrylic sag? I am in the planning stage of a table project and have a question about a piece of acrylic. I intend to use a 3' x 3' square piece of acrylic that is 0.236" thick as the center.  Would a 1" lip on all edges be enough to prevent this large acrylic sheet from sagging in the middle?  Is there any way to calculate the thickness I need?

Commenters are right: Everything sags under its own weight. The question is how much you'll tolerate.

There are simple formulas for the deflection of simple structures like this. For a uniformly loaded square plate with simply supported edges,

.

And for a plate with clamped edges,

,

where d is maximum deflection, W is the load, L is the length of a side, E is the elastic modulus and t is the thickness.

Your acrylic is uniformly loaded by its own weight. For now let's ignore extra deflection caused by poking fingers. Since you might attach your acrylic square to the rest of the table somehow, its actual deflection will probably be between these two numbers.

Let's do the worst case, where there is no overhang and you're supporting the acrylic right at the edges:

W = 1.18 g/cc * (36 in)^2 * 0.236 in * 9.81 m/s^2 = 58 N

L = 36 in = 0.9144 m

E = 2.6 GPa

t = 0.236 in = 6 mm

For supported edges d = 3.8 mm, for clamped edges d = 1.2 mm.

To a decent approximation, leaving a one-inch border just changes 36 in to 34 in:

W = 1.18 g/cc * (34 in)^2 * 0.236 in * 9.81 m/s^2 = 51.8 N

L = 34 in = 0.8636 m

For supported edges d = 3.0 mm, for clamped edges d = 0.9 mm.


Trying to remove a single handle shower faucet with stripped out set screw I'm trying to remove a shower faucet handle, but the set screw seems to be stripped out. Honestly, it looks to me like there isn't much if any of the screw left for an extractor bit to grab hold of, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm seeing things correctly (see pictures below). Any advice?

I assume you want to replace the faucet.

Options:

Drill it out.  You don't care if you wreck the stem of the valve.
Drill and try an extractor.  I usually never can find one the right size.  I have a set.  Somewhere.
Once your pretty sure that it's not holding the handle on, you may need additional persuasion to get the handle off.

Start off with a low viscosity lubricant, such as bolt-out.  Caution may change the colour of grout.
The handle may be cemented on with calcium/magnesium carbonates (what makes water hard) Soaking in passivated muriatic acid may release it.  This will take hours to days.  Caution:  Review safe acid handling.
If the handle is metal you can try heating it with a heat gun.  If the valve itself is plastic this may make life more difficult.
If you decide to to pry it off, protect the wall with a couple of chunks of 2x4.  Run them horizontally and pry from above and below.  If working alone, you can hold them in place temporarily with duct tape. A 2 foot chunk will span standard stud spacing.  This, I think will minimize any flexing of the wall which might crack tile or grout.
A better way may be to rig something using puller jaws and a a slide hammer.

In response to a comment:  Turn off the water, and have your replacement parts ready.   Depending on how cheap the contractor who built the house was, there may or may not be individual shutoffs for the shower or just hte bathroom.  I've done many repairs that required shutting off water the entire house.  As a result of this, my first step in a repair is to add additional shut off valves.  (I live a 40 minute drive from the nearest big box store.  Few repairs are done without at least two trips to the store.  Being without water all day isn't a win.  I now keep a couple of quarter turn ball valves in 1/2" solder ends (since I have a copper plumbed house) on hand so I can start with that.)


What is this type of hinge called? I am refurbishing a small cabinet and the door has this type of hinge. However, the peg was broken off of one of them and I can't seem to find a replacement.
What is this type of hinge called?

This site is not normally a shopping helper site but I took a look to see if it that style of peg hinge popped up as a common type. (I have seen these in the past believe it or not). Most of the typical suppliers to cabinet makers (Rockler, Woodcraft, McFeeleys) do not appear to carry hinges like that.

The closest I could find (and it may work for you) is a metal peg style shelf support.

Metal shelf support pegs are available in many of the big box stores and online at places including Amazon.

Edit:
Rockler does offer a similar type of hinge that may be adaptable to your application. These have the advantage in that there is some adjustability of the door alignment and the doors are easily removable.


Product & technique recommendation to trim this door So I had a new retaining wall built for the walkout from my basement, and there is a small gap (about an inch) between between the door frame and the wall. Currently it is filled with spray foam that's about 20 years old.
Quite clearly this looks crap, and is a poor choice for winter proofing. My current plan is to remove the old spray foam and replace with fresh product, then apply a veneer of mortar between the wall and doorframe. Also thinking about putting some basic white trim over the exposed section.
So my question is, if this was your house what product(s) would you use and how would you trim the door? I'm in Ontario, Canada.

Purchase a 1" thick by 3 1/2" wide PVC trim to go around the 3 sides of the door. Ripping to width were it fit to a proper set back from the edge of the jamb in all areas below the masonry cap of the walls. In essence, trimming in out in a typical fashion the way interior doors are trimmed.

A thinner trim would work but the thicker trim allows the back side that meets the rough wall to be cut out so it goes over the irregular surface. With care the edge that will meet the door jam will remain full thickness, keeping that joint looking as clean as allowable, provided the conditions you are working with.

I would use PVC over the choice of wood since it is impervious to rot.


How should I rewire this situation? In my dinning room, I have this:

There is a wire run going up through the floor from the basement. It then goes outside the wall, around a stud (or studs, I'm can't tell there is more than one), back into the wall, and down to the switch. It then runs up to a ceiling fixture, and then up to the 2nd floor where it powers one light fixture and one outlet.

It looks like the previous owner did this because there is an air duct directly below the switch and they wanted to avoid it. There was a drop ceiling in this room, so that wire was hidden above the ceiling.

Directly on the other side of this wall, very close to that switch is a switch on another circuit. That circuit powers the kitchen light (a small, 2 bulb affair), a gas stove, and one outlet near the counter.

Not evident in this picture is the fact that my baseboards are a good 6" wide. Also, the walls are plaster. Obviously I have a few holes to patch no matter what, but I want to be absolutely sure of my plan before any other holes are made.

To me, it looks like there are a few options, and I'm not sure what is the best one:

Move the run over a few feet, which would it stick it beside the air duct (I think there's about 1/2" between the duct and the adjacent stud. Is it safe for them to be so close?)
Leave the run as is, move Lord Duckington from his throne, cut away the plaster between the two hole, drill holes in the studs and feed said wire through it, fix mess (I think this wall is load bearing, so this might be a bad idea).
Re-wire so that this run is getting its power from the circuit on the wall behind it. They don't have much on them, so I think combining them is probably safe. In this case, would it be safe to have a few inches of romex going from one box to the next and just connect everything with wire nuts?
Pull off the baseboards, drill a new hole in the floor, and move the box a 6 inches to the left (not sure if the lath is behind the baseboards or not).
Move

As a novice to electrical work, how should I approach this problem?

EDIT: I have completed this project. I ended up pulling off the baseboard and drilling a hole through the floor, then patching those holes. This was surprisingly less difficult than I thought it would be. The responses were a big help, both in information and getting the confidence to actually complete it!

Move the run over a few feet, which would it stick it beside the air duct (I think there's about 1/2" between the duct and the adjacent stud. Is it safe for them to be so close?)

There is nothing I see in the NEC that puts restrictions on running electrical line near HVAC as long as it meets other code requirements.  It must be properly anchored to the structure, meaning that when it is run it should be anchored or stapled to the wall studs.  HVAC does not count.  In absolutely NO circumstances should you ever run electric line INSIDE of HVAC!

  Leave the run as is, move Lord Duckington from his throne, cut away the plaster between the two hole, drill holes in the studs and feed said wire through it, fix mess (I think this wall is load bearing, so this might be a bad idea).

A small hole for electrical line in the middle of the stud will not affect the load bearing capacity of the wall by any meaningful amount.  This is safe and probably the best option.

  Re-wire so that this run is getting its power from the circuit on the wall behind it. They don't have much on them, so I think combining them is probably safe. In this case, would it be safe to have a few inches of romex going from one box to the next and just connect everything with wire nuts?

This is another option and would probably involve less plaster patching when you are done.  The only thing you should make sure of is if the lead line is coming to the switch box.  If the power is coming to the receptacle or luminaire rather than the switch then this will not work.  Make sure to wire everything properly in parallel if you do this.

  Pull off the baseboards, drill a new hole in the floor, and move the box a 6 inches to the left (not sure if the lath is behind the baseboards or not).

If you feel that there is enough room there not taken up by the HVAC system then sure, you could rerun it this way from the basement.  In fact, with your tall baseboard you can hide the plaster damage and fishtape it up to the new outlet location.  Again, please make sure that there isn't a vent running up that wall stud going to upstairs, which seems likely from your photo.

  Move

Lord Duckington I am sure doesn't approve.


Eliminating a 3 way switch In my living room is a ceiling light controlled by 3 switches within the living room. Two switches are 3-way and one switch is a 4-way. I would like to completely eliminate one of the 3-ways from the circuit. I would also like to use the existing 4-way as a 3-way if that is possible unless replacing it with a 3-way switch is recommended. The goal is to utilize two 3-way switches for the ceiling light. Regarding the 3-way switch that I want to eliminate, I will keep it intact and use it for the fireplace. Can I keep power to that switch in that gang box?  That is another project.

Start out by removing the 3-way you want to eliminate. Connect the wire from the black screw terminal or common to one of the two travelers that were connected to the 3-way; wire nut the other traveler. Now remove the 4-way switch and connect the two travelers from the 3-way you're keeping to the new 3-way you'll be installing there. You don't want to keep the 4-way there. Mark the two travelers with yellow tape. Take the wire you previously connected to the wire from the common terminal of the eliminated 3-way to the new 3-way black screw or common. Wire nut the other old traveler.

The vacated switch box will still have power if the common that was there was hot. If it's not, then the other original 3-way will have the hot and you can eliminate that 3-way if it works for you by following the same procedure

Again, this is how to do it but you have to make sure you're not in violation of code.


Stair tread partial repair Apologies, but I currently do not have pictures.

The stairwell in my house is carpeted, but has visible hardwood for any tread that overhangs wider than the stairwell hallway.  Think bottom few stairs are wider, to accommodate railing and posts.

The bottom stair, which the railing support post is mounted to, has what feels to be a 4x4 chuck broken dead center, on the edge of the step.

We are getting new carpet in soon.  What I'm hoping is, if it's a small enough piece, is to just fix that section with either supporting that piece or buying some wood of similiar thickness and securing it.

I'm thinking of adding some wood against the riser on the inside, and also having some wood blocks screwed to the intact stair tread, and the broken tread, to stabilize it and provide some support. I have yet to cut the old carpet to look into the damage.

My question is mainly, is this type of repair a good idea?  Carpet is going back over this step, so i'm not worried about cosmetics.  I just want it to be safe and last at least a good 5-10 years.

Yes, this type of repair can certainly be done with good results.

Remove the carpet and cut away all compromised wood. Now fasten cleats under the edges of the cuts wherever support is available, lapping under the remaining tread and into the repair area, using screws and heavy-duty construction adhesive. Drop in your repair piece and fasten it the same way. Once the adhesive is cured it'll be as one board.

Also take the opportunity to add screws and adhesive to any accessible points of contact between boards. This will stiffen the stairs and prevent noise.


How can I seal a mouse hole with a refrigerator water line running through it? I've traced my mouse problems back to a large hole in the wall behind my fridge.  The problem is, there's a line running through it--I assume it's the water line, as there is a black power cord plugging the fridge into the wall elsewhere.  How can I seal this hole without messing with the water line?  I have "Great Stuff" gaps and cracks sealant spray--will that work?  Pictures attached of hole.  Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Whooooaaaa!
Leaking refrigerator lines are the #1 cause for house damage.   They are usually on the main floor, in an expensive area of the house, and once they start leaking water just pours out.
So mouse issue is one thing.   A mouse issue (they bite EVERYTHING) next to a fridge water line - disaster waiting to happen.   Ticking time bomb.
You are going to do a 2 for 1.   Have less of a chance for water issues and get rid of that hole.
Step 1 - Buy a fridge shutoff valve

Step 2 - Take out drywall and install  valve
You need to cut out a small rectangle - 12x18"ish.   Put Shutoff valve on a stud, attach it.   Put water line into the valve - test it.   Replace drywall over it.
Step 3 - Basic mud and tape and plug back line to fridge.
It's behind a fridge so you don't have to be perfect.
So hole is gone and your fridge line meets modern plumbing code.


LED T8 tubes overheating? Last fall (around mid-October), I installed two LED tube lights in a fluorescent fixture--since there were three lights total, it had two LEDs and one fluorescent bulb. A few days ago, I started running into an issue where all three lights in the fixture (not just the LEDs) would suddenly turn off and not turn back on for several hours. I've tried switching around the bulbs and tried running it with just the two LEDs, but with no luck. When I have just the one fluorescent tube in the fixture, though, it works fine.
LED tubes are Philips UniversalFit; fluorescent tube is 32W/48 T8, and the fixture says "use only T8 32W MAX lamps." Ballast is Class P electronic. Based on a cursory Google search it appears that the LED bulbs may be causing the ballast to overheat and disconnect--but if this is the case, I'm not sure why it would take several months to appear.
I live in an apartment, going ballast-free isn't really an option; I'm limited to plug-and-play LEDs. Any suggestions or insights as to what may be going on would be most welcome!

I agree; it sounds like a blown ballast to me. As Ed Beal suggests, if the ballast is rapid-start (2 wires per tube end) the imbalance of some LEDs some real fluorescent may have caused it undue stress.  Or perhaps the ballast was starting to get marginal on its own, and using LEDs forestalled the problem until it deteriorated more.
I'd roll it back to real fluorescent and see if that takes care of it; if it does, happy dappy.  Today's real fluorescents are superb in color quality, and electronic ballasts take care of the rest of the undesirable qualities of "That 70's Fluorescent".  So no need to go LED if it works at that point.
Note that T8 real fluorescent tubes will not work on T12 ballasts or vice versa. They may "half-work" with bad side effects, and will stress out the ballast.


Do channels overlap in multiple remote controls for outlets? My dad just bought remote controlled outlets, which operate at 433.92mhz. The remote has four channels that can be used to control different outlets. Now what happens if I myself, buy a second set? Will the second remote have the same channels and thus interfere with the other remote?

This seems like a pretty basic question, but I must not be very good at googling, because I couldn't seem to find an answer. So does anybody out here now more about this and how to deal with several remotes in such an environment. My dad would be playing around with them closer than 30 meters, so would they interfere and if so, how could we deal with the situation?

The product is the HE808SF switch set from Home Easy. Here you can find some of its specs. HE844 from elro(pdf) is the remote control.

From the manufacturers manual that you provided, individual receivers can be "linked" to 1 of the 4 buttons on the transmitter.  This gives you the option to assign multiple receivers to a single button.  The Master button turns on/off all linked devices.

Linking is how the transmitter stores unique IDs in the EEPROM which maps the transmitters buttons to the corresponding receiver(s).

You should not have any problems with cross-communication with your dad's remote or receivers.

You may have a rare problem with signal collision if both transmitters are being used at the same time and are within close proximity.  This might result in neither working at all until one or the other has stop transmitting.


Adding a switch to a light circuit I have a workshop with a single switch that turns on and off two sets of lights. The first set is a row of spots and the second, at the other end of the room, is a fluorescent strip light. The wiring  to the lighting is part accessible and runs on the top of wooden beams from which the lights are attached. The switch is fixed in a wall. Is it possible to put a second switch in that will turn off the spots? So I have the original switch that turns all on and off and then a secondary switch (mounted on the beam where the wiring is accessible) that turns on/off the spots and leaves the strip light on?

There are a couple of ways to do what you want.

The gist is basically intersecting the spot light but allowing the power to not be interrupted when the existing switch is turned on.  Simple enough.  I've added two possible scenarios of how it might be wired.   The spare neutral is required by code, but only if the ceiling is closed off and not accessible.  It can be capped or taped off inside the switch box.


How to fix paint after patching holes in the wall? My wife and I are first time homeowners and are doing a lot of stuff for the first time. We removed some shelves from a wall that left some larger holes, so we got spackle and sealed them up. We painted once over the spots, then again to try to get a consistent color, but even after that, we have two problems:

1) I don't think we sanded enough spackle down, leaving bumps on the wall.

2) The color of the repainting does not match the rest of the wall, even though it's the exact same paint as when the wall was painted 4 years ago.

So...
 - Should we sand down again to try to get rid of excess spackle, or is this too late now that we've repainted?
- How do we get a color match here? Should we try to repaint a third time? Or should we repaint the whole wall? How do we ensure when we repaint it's all a consistent color (do we need to paint white or prime first)?

See pics:

First off, you need to get those patches even with the rest of the wall and that's hard to do if you rely on sanding them down. get a mud knife larger that the patch so you can even them out with one swipe. As far as the orange peel effect, I've had great luck running a small nap roller lightly over the mud after it's had a short time to stiffen up. Then roller prime and roller paint. Good luck


How to uninstall this tricky P trap? I have trouble replacing this kind of P trap as shown in the Figure below.

Different from a normal P trap (e.g., here https://i.stack.imgur.com/W7MWn.jpg ), threre is no such "wrench stuff".

I marked the joints in the figure with red color. The joints can be rotated, but I just can't remove it. Or do I just need more muscle power to remove it by force?

So how to uninstall this P trap?

You indicate that the fittings will spin, but not unscrew. That indicates to me that they are some sort of a "snap" fitting that goes on, but either has to have a special tool to remove or has to be cut off.

You say you're REPLACING the trap. In that case, using a hacksaw* to cut it out is probably the simplest and most expedient method of removal.

HOWEVER - If you cut the drain tail-piece (the one you're holding on to), it's quite likely that you will not have enough pipe left to attach a new, standard screw-on trap to. To that end, I'd suggest that you also purchase a new tail piece for your sink with the expectation that you'll have to replace it. Keep your receipt and return it if you end up not needing to replace it.

An alternative would be to hacksaw through the fitting along the length of the pipe to cut it open and allow you to spread it so you can remove the trap. You might need to make 2 cuts, to cut the fitting in half so you can simply lift each part of the fitting off. This will preserve the full length of the drain tail-piece, but will probably be a more difficult cut to make. You may be able to make the 2 cuts roughly 1/4 - 1/3 the pipe circumference from each other and stretch the fitting the rest of the way to get it off if you can't get to the back side to make them 1/2 circumference apart. Of course, if the fitting is rotating freely, make one cut, spin it 1/2 way around, then make the other cut.

*I keep seeing "HACK" on the pipe, just above your thumb and keep thinking that's a hint. :D


Return air balancing I have a 3 level townhouse, there is a damper controlling flow to each floor. My main concern is the number of vents on my upper level. One master bedroom (with bath), 2 smaller bedrooms, and another bath. The return air is in the hall. There is one vent in each smaller bed room and one in the hall bath. Then there are 2 in master bath, 1 in walk in closet in master, 4 smaller vents in master, and 1 giant vent in the master. As you can imagine with 8+ vents in the master and only 3 in the other upper areas, most of the air goes to the master. It is freezing in the summer and toasty in the Winter. The air pressure keeps the master door closed if it isn't held open.
I can easily see where all the vent lines are coming from from the attic. What I've been wondering is if the large vent in the master is supposed to have been connected to the return. The vent it self looks like it should be a return grille and it is positioned closest to the door.
Do my suspicions sound correct? Has it been installed wrong? Could I pinch it off to see the difference without much issue to my air handler? Would it be best to have it attached as it's own return air for the master bedroom?

I have seen more than a few homes that the systems don’t work properly with the doors closed.
With as many registers in that “suite” there should be a return I would consider blocking the duct at the trunk and moving it to the return. This will change the flow to the room ant you may find adjusting dampers or registers is needed.
Having a dedicated return sounds like it was designed that way and the installers blew it.


How much expansion space is need for solid oak flooring? I have purchased Bruce 3/4" solid oak flooring and I am looking for some guidance with respect to expansion space.  This is standard tongue and groove flooring that will be nailed down.  This is also an above grade installation, on a wooden subfloor, in the Saint Louis Missouri region.

Unfortunately, the manufacturers website does not have an installation guide for my product. (I submitted a question asking for one, but who knows if/when they will respond.)  And the recommendations for their other products vary greatly, and are not very specific for the ones that appear to be similar. So am asking for some general "rule of thumb" guidance.

Going with the boards, I could have runs up to 48' long.  There is one doorway where we could add a T-molding as we transition between rooms, but that only takes about 10' off the total length.

Across the board, my longest run is about 24', with ~half of it being in a hallway where board lengths will be shorter.

The packaging has one reference to standoff distance on the starting run, which indicates they want a 3/4" expansion gap at the walls.

My core question is whether I need to try to add some additional expansion gap, either at the wall or in the run, to account for the dimensions I am working with and local climate?

3/4" gap all around has been the norm that I have seen on old house installs. If the drywall is high enough to make that gap to the framing all the better. That way the gap could be bigger and the base will still cover if you choose to not have shoe mold as many new installs nowadays go that way.

The biggest issue for solid wood floors over a large area is getting the wood acclimated. This usually means leaving the flooring in the environment in which it will be laid for 2 weeks. In the get it done now mentality of today, that never happens. then it is a matter of making sure the wood is within an acceptable range of moisture content that is compatible with the subfloor. If you can get or have a moisture meter, that will tell you what you need.

If you are coming out of a heating season, you home will be really dry, somewhere as low as 2-4% Moisture content (MC) Material as it comes from the suppliers, as long as it has not set in a warehouse for a long time, is supposed to be about 6% MC. This is not a bad difference. Usually if the floor is within 2% of the subfloor, there will be no issue. During the summertime the humidity will increase the MC to perhaps as much as 10%. Still the wood flooring needs to match this closely or it will try to swell rapidly to match the MC of the subfloor. Buckling may occur.

If it all goes in at the same MC or close it will all move together and have minimal issue. If the wood does swell up too much, that is what the gap on the long edges are all about, insurance. The ends to not need the same concern, then length of the floor only changes ever so slightly as the MC changes. In my experience ther has been no other need to make any other accomodation for expansion than the gap at the walls, no "T" strips needed.


Drafty windows on sides - how to seal? I have windows that were poorly installed -- the outer frame isn't square and therefore there are some uneven gaps where a cold draft comes in. I live in New England, so this is a problem for us. I've read about many solutions, such as using foam, but that will be too wide, I think.

I'm posting a photo that shows the gap -- you can see a small gap, about 1/8", to the right of the fuzzy material. Whatever I put in there needs with withstand the rubbing of the window going up and down. I want to find a solution that fills that gap as opposed to using a film over the entire window.

Please let me know if there are products that could solve this draft issue.

Get some felt weather stripping, the "fuzzy material". It comes in many thicknesses at your home stores. It has a self adhesive strip that you can fasten to the frame opposite the fuzzy material on the window. So you'll have fuzzy material rubbing against fuzzy material. That should seal the gap and give you a warm and fuzzy feeling... Good luck.


new crawl space access? My homes previous owner had built an addition to the home which then made the crawl space access inside the home. I wanted to seal that off and then create a new exterior crawl space access. But I dont know where to start. Are there regulations on exterior accesses? Who do I call to do this kind of job?

Most of the jurisdictions in the U.S. use a version of the International Residential Code published by the International Code Council (ICC). You can call your local Building Code office to confirm the minimum requirement and if you need to purchase a Permit.
The Code requires crawl spaces through the exterior perimeter wall shall be 16” x 24”. (See ICC R408.3) The code doesn’t indicate which way the 16” is required, vertical or horizontal. If the opening extends below grade, then you’ll need to provide an opening like a window well too.
Most exterior walls are load bearing, so you’ll need to reinforce the floor with a header for the part that rests on the opening. However, if you choose a side of your house that has floor joists running parallel to the opening rather than perpendicular, you may be able to skip the header.
I’d contact a local carpenter or general contractor to do the work. (Make sure they are licensed in your jurisdictions.) If you don’t know of a good contractor, I’d contact a local architect and ask for a recommendation.


How to transition two different types of roof so there is no rain leaking between them? Below are some renders of an unfinished structure I've made to protect a stack of wood next to an existing shed.

It's made of a very simple frame with a pin-and-hole fastening setup at the ends that attaches to the existing shed's support structure. The cube is just a representation of the shed, but the two dangling pieces (just touching the shed) are actual cutaways of the support structure of the shed that the frame is being fastened to.

I intend on covering the frame in sail fabric, but then I'm not sure how to transition the asphalt roof of the shed to sail fabric so that the rain going down the slope of the shed's roof doesn't fall off before it gets to the canvas roof. Looking for ideas.

Cover the shed as well as the lean-to. Get a piece of sail cloth big enough to cover the shed, as well as the lean-to. Rain hit cloth, rain hit ground. Shed dry, wood dry.


How can I trace wires from a ceiling box to find the power source? I have a dead wire in ceiling box. I've looked at all boxes in walls around the area and found no problems. Breakers are good. How can I trace that wire and find where it is tied into? I don't have attic access at all so that is my problem.

I recently had to trace every wire in my house to figure out what the heck was going on with my kitchen and dining room circuits.

For the purpose I ended up buying Sperry's Wire Tracker. I think I paid about $50 for it. It has a base unit and a pen. The base unit has two alligator clips that you clip on to a wire you are tracing. It works best if you are tracing two wires that go to the same place for reasons I will detail in a second, but you can clip just one clip to one wire if necessary. Turn off the power, obviously.

Turn on the base unit, then hold down the button on the pen. The base unit uses the wires as an antenna for a radio signal which the pen receives. It will beep if the pen is close to a wire in the same circuit, though the signal attenuates strongly at each junction. It is strong enough to penetrate drywall, but I had the best luck by pointing it at various fictures and switches. You will get a lot of false positives, though, as other wires will resonate with the signal. When you have a candidate wire, touch the metal tip of the pen to the bare wnd of the wire. If it really is on the circuit, the beeping will get louder and clearer. If it's not, it will get staticky.

Remember where I said it's best if you can clip two wires? If you clip, say, the hot and neutral, and then you are at the next branch on that circuit so that you are looking at the other end of both wires, when you touch the two wires together the signal will stop entirely. This is a great positive affirmation that you have the right wires.

Edit: Here's an Amazon link. About $40.


min temperature to store an unused refrigerator I have a brand new fridge that I am currently storing in my garage as we are going to sell our house/move. Is there any danger for the fridge to be stored in an environment where temperature can go below freezing?

Yes, there could be a little harm.

For starters, your water supply to the refrigerator could freeze. A fix for this would be to insulate the water lines and getting a line heating strip:

This would be run right along side your water line, or wrapped around the water line, and would prevent the water from freezing inside the line. This is very common with water drains in refrigeration systems during defrost mode.

Other than the water supply to the refrigerator, there is no real harm outside of whatever your contents would be inside of the refrigerator, may freeze as well. If the ambient temperature is colder than the temperature inside of the refrigerator - then the refrigerator would not refrigerate since the thermostat would be satisfied.

Mechanically that wouldn't pose a problem. However, it wouldn't prevent items within the refrigerator from also freezing.

If you aren't going to power the refrigerator at all, then blow some air through the water fixtures to ensure there is no water still inside the water supply of the refrigerator itself. That will ensure nothing freezes and bursts within the refrigerator.

If you aren't going to store anything you don't care about being refrigerated inside the refrigerator whenever it is turned off, then there is nothing foreseeable that could harm your refrigerator when being stored within your garage, freezing temperatures or not.

However, there is another thing, in terms of refrigerators, to consider: mold growth. It is not advisable to store a refrigerator with the door closed - and not running - for long periods of time due to the growth of mold inside the refrigerator.

If that isn't a concern of yours, then you can clean out mold growth inside of your refrigerator by submerging a clean rag into baking soda cleanser and wring it out. Wipe the entire refrigerator and freezer out with the baking soda cleanser. Do not use bleach!


GFCI tripping for separate circuit I just installed a gfci outlet, and its tripping when a 3way switch on a separate breaker is turned on

Some background:

I have two separate circuit breakers, when they are turned off, the following correctly happens:

Breaker #1) Shuts off most everything in Garage (No power to GFCI outlet)

Breaker #2) Shuts off most everything in Living Room (No power to 3-way lightswitches, or the single outlet they control)

The problem scenario:

If I have breakers #1 and #2 turned on at the same time, and have something plugged into the single outlet (controlled by 3way switch on breaker #2), the GFCI trips on breaker #1.

Any thoughts on what may be occurring or next steps to diagnose the issue?

Crossed neutrals can be fixed depending on where they are crossed.

Start in your main panel. You will need to open the panel. WARNING, there is lethal voltage in there, if you aren't sure of what you are doing in the panel, hire a professional.

Look at both the breakers in question. Follow the hot wire from each breaker and find its corresponding neutral. Where the hot leaves the panel a neutral should enter. Does each breaker have its own neutral? If yes we can move on. If no, you have a common neutral and you should call a professional to fix it or start a new question because you have something that needs to be fixed.

Since we have two neutrals we now need to figure out where they got tied together. You will need to go to every box that either of these circuits passes thru one at a time.

Shut off the circuit whose outlets are closest to your breaker panel (call it circuit 1). Go to each box, you will need to open it up and check for voltage on all the hots going in and out of the box. If you find a hot circuit, confirm that it is circuit 2 by turning it off and checking again. Once we find the hot circuit look at the neutrals in the box they are probably all tied together. That is your problem.

With both circuits off, you will need to figure out which neutrals go to which circuit, and separate them. To be clear when you are done, all neutrals need to have a path back to your main panel.

Good Luck


How to clean dried wood stain from paint brush? I left my wood stain brush Uncleaned and now it is all dry. How do I clean that mess? Trying to paint for the first time, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

You don't.

Once paint dries on a brush, it is uncleanable. Into the trash it goes.

Even if you soaked it in paint stripper and spent hours working it through the brush, you'd never get the dried paint out of the heel of the brush, nor out of the fine areas on the end of the bristles.   It would never paint right again.

I don't consider that to be any big deal, since I paint a lot in epoxies and 2-part urethanes.  The brush is a total loss every time, because it would take $10 worth of the exotic solvent to rinse out a brush that is definitely not worth $10.


What kind of backing should I use for a glass mosaic backsplash? I want to install a glass mosaic backsplash. These are a bunch of small square tiles of different colors on a mesh. Each meash measures 13 x 13. They are so thin, that I want to put some plywood or 1/4 inch tile backer board over the drywall first because my wall is uneven and I'm afraid some gaps will show between the countertop and the wall. My question is is it OK to use 1/4 plywood for the backer or should I use hardibacker or something like that? Someone told me the plywood would expand and contract too much with temperature changes. Someone else also told me that backer board is overkill because its not a wet application and its not a floor. I'm also worried about what the glass tiles would stick best too.

Here are some good points against using plywood, the source is talking about tiling a floor but most of the points are valid for walls as well.

In my opinion it's better to go the "overkill" route, then have to redo the job in the future because something didn't turn out right.

The cost difference between plywood and cement board is negligible, so your not going to save any money using plywood (unless you already have it).

Do the job right and use cement board, when you don't have any problems and you can enjoy the tile for years to come you will never regret the decision.


Clean vent-less washer-dryer I have read some questions about cleaning the dryer (1, 2, and 3) but all answers deal with dryers with a venting system.

Mine, however, has no venting tube. Moreover, it is a washer-dryer (AEG, if the brand is needed).

Every time I use it I clean the filters, but the inside is not really accessible, nor the manual refers about cleaning it. My concern is about the grid you see on the right.

How can I properly clean it without harming it?

I use an 18" piece of 3/4" rubber automotive heater hose to get to places like that. I slip or force one end of the hose into the hose to the vacuum cleaner and vacuum with the open end of the rubber hose. Be careful you do not damage some delicate heat transfer fins in your appliance.


Who can I ask to install a 30 amp rated range on a 30 amp circuit (not as easy as it sounds) I realize there are lots of similar questions, and I've read most of them. Thanks in advance for advice on this particular flavor.

In my home I have a (broken) dual fuel range. It's installed on a 30 amp circuit with a 30 amp breaker and NEMA 14-30 plug.

I'm trying to buy a new dual fuel range. I looked at a model which on its website says it requires a 30 amp connection. To confirm it would work on the kitchen circuit I have, I did the following:

I read the manufacturer's installation instructions. They say "A cord kit rated at 120 / 240 volt 30 amp minimum is required. A 50 amp range cord is not recommended"
I emailed the manufacturer directly. The response was unhelpful, it quoted the instructions back at me ("You will see that the Volts/Hertz/Amps are: 208/240Volts / 60 Hz / 30 Amps")
Our salesman at the local-not-bigbox appliance store talked to the regional rep for the manufacturer, who confirmed we could use the new range on a 30 amp circuit.

So far so good, right? Unfortunately, the local-not-bigbox appliance store has an installation team who won't install the range because they say I have a "dryer" outlet, and they will only install a range with a "range" cord and plug. The salesman has told me I can either change the outlet at the wall to match the "range" plug, or buy the range and have someone else install it.

I have a couple questions:

Is the installation team right? Is there a difference between the dryer and range receptacles that's more than "30 amp" vs. "50 amp"? In other words, do I have to use a "range cord" on a range no matter what the circuit rating is (and related - does that mean my house was built not to code)?
What's the right answer on installing a new range from a safety point of view? Is it to use a 30 amp cord with "dryer" plug? Is it to change the wall outlet? Or should I give up and buy a gas range?
Who is the right professional to ask for help? So far I've called a couple local installers who have all told me I should call an electrician to change the wall receptacle. Is it time to call an electrician or time to find a more understanding installer?

Thanks for any help.

The appliance installers are not electricians.  They are refusing to install only because it's not what they're used to, and they don't know why it's different.    They gave you bad instructions: You cannot install a 50A range socket on this circuit.  It is illegal to do that because socket sizes must match the circuit/breaker size.  Even if the wiring in the walls really was 8 or 6 AWG, the breaker is 30A so the socket must be as well.

Given that the manufacturer's instructions say to use a 30A cord, and plug into the socket, that is the Word From On High.  If it specifically calls out "do not use a 40/50A range cord", that too is gospel.  It is mandatory to obey the instructions and labeling of an appliance.

The NEMA 14 type connector is definitely the right thing.  Don't let them talk you into installing the old 3-prong NEMA 10.