How do I install this sump basin? I have 110 year old house.  The basement concrete floor was poured on the dirt and the sump well was an integral part of the floor. Thus the only way water got into the sump was across the floor. I just dug a 1' deep french drain along two inside walls and a much deeper sump well.  I'm getting ready to run pipes, tie them into the sump basin, etc.

The sump basin I bought is a lightweight, black corrugated plastic and I'm trying to figure out how to install it.  My questions are:

Does the basin need holes? Seems like it should have holes to accept
water down at 24" rather than wait until the water table reaches the
1' french drain
Do I place anything below the basin or inside it to support the pump
(washed stone, etc)
How do I pick an adequate pump? (there are 50-100 models on Home
depot's site)

You could certainly perforate the lower section of the sump basin with small holes (1/4 inch/6mm or less would be my preference, but some might go twice/3 times as large - depends in part what you are bedding it in)

Outside the basin, you'd want washed stone (depending on soil type, possibly filter fabric and washed stone)

Inside the basin, a concrete paver is a suitable pump support. Don't put anything else in there that would make cleaning more difficult.

In my personal experience, pick a submersible sump pump - all the ones I've met have been much more reliable than the pedestal style pumps. To get the most out of whatever pump you buy, don't cheap out on the pipe size - plastic pipe is cheap, no good reason to reduce 2 inch threads to 1-1/2 inch pipe, but I see it all the time - even 1 inch pipe; don't do that - stick with whatever size the outlet on the pump is for best efficiency. And make sure it discharges far enough away from the building - I've met quite a few that pump the same water in circles, from inside to outside, where it comes back inside, to be pumped back outside...

Also, run the pipe straight up as high as it needs to go from the pump, then slope it towards the drain at 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch per foot (or 10mm per meter.)

If you are concerned about pumping rate, you can either try to come up with some sort of test flow (difficult unless the weather cooperates) or simply mount the pump to one side, so that you can add a second pump a few inches higher (use two pavers) if the first proves inadequate when the rains come. If you already have a pump in the old sump, start with that and see how it does.


Connecting up washing machine I've connected up washing machines before but this time I'm confused. I have two lengths of pipe attached to the washing machine, one which is the input water pipe, and one which is the waste/output pipe.

On the wall the pipe at the top on the right has a washer covering the end and is ultimately connected to the cold tap on the sink,  I'm guessing that's where the input water comes from, but I can't see a tap connected to it (without removing the panel under the sink) and the sink adjacent works now. I'm concerned if I remove that water pressure will cover me with water! My only other thought would be the white tap under the sink?

Equally the one on the left is open so I'm guessing that's water coming out of the washing machine. Is that right?

The two things you are looking at are valves with missing handles, one for hot water and one for cold water (clothes washers generally use both: cold for "darks", warm for "colors", and hot for "whites").

The larger black pipe visible on the far left side of your picture looks like a drain line suitable for the dirty-water discharge from your machine.

The hot and cold valves need to be replaced. The one on the right (usually cold) probably has that cap on it because it leaks by, and neither can be operated properly in their current state. Replacement will necessitate turning off the supply upstream, finding that upstream location would be your first objective here. Also you need to assess that drain line as it looks like it is being utilized for something else right now (note the corrugated tubing inserted into it).


Installing Glass Mosaic Backsplash I'm installing a glass mosaic back splash. The tiles are 3/4 inch square and are mounted on a mesh of size 13 x 13 inches. They are 5/32 of an inch thick. I am having trouble with my technique to get good mortar coverage on the wall so the tiles stick well. What kind of trowel (v, notched) and what size would you recommend and would you flatten the ridges to get an even coat on the walls or would you leave the ridges in the mortar and put the tile on that? I am using a glass mosaic motor with a polymer.

When applying thinset, put it on in a flat coat first,, and lay it on thick, pressing it against the wall or floor. THEN go back at an angle and notch it, removing excess. This makes sure the thinset has good contact with the wall over the whole area and will bond well. Laying it on at an angle, so it's notched in one pass, doesn't spread the thinset over the wall nor press it into the wall as well as laying it flat first.

Use a V-notch trowel, definitely; A narrow U-notch will work in a pinch, and don't bother with square-notch; those are for laying floor tile mostly, where you need a lot of vertical play to create a level surface. If the mesh tile doesn't seem to be adhering well to the wall, you can try "back-buttering" the mesh with some more thinset, kind of like applying glue to both sides of a wood joint. Just don't damage the mesh or lose too many attached tiles. Don't be afraid to really lean in with pressure to get the tiles into that thinset; just don't pound on the tiles/wall too hard.


Is their some kind of device that can take a picture to locate where these leaks are located? Our house is a 4 level split model and within the guest room which is on the 2nd level (level above the basement) I hear a drips somewhere above the ceiling.    These drip sounds are located in 2 different locations above the ceiling.

Is their some kind of device that can take a picture to locate where these leaks are located so that we don't have to tear up the house to find the source of these leaks?

An infrared camera might be your best bet. They're quite expensive, but you might be able to find a place locally to rent one. You might also be able to find a local plumber or HVAC company that has one, and would be willing to come out and take a look for you. It might be worth it to pay a bit extra, to have somebody who knows how to use the equipment help you.


maximum height for stove receptacle I'm installing a stove receptacle on a wall that's partially below grade so the lower half of the wall is masonry, the upper half is normal studs, drywall, etc.   it would be easier to put the receptacle in the upper half of the wall where it might be slightly visible above the top of the stove (I need to measure how high).  The wire would would be coming down from the ceiling. Would this be considered a safety issue?  I'm thinking about grease fires, etc.

I suppose the normal position is more vulnerable to an over flow from a huge pot of water, but the breaker should stop that...

I can almost guaranty you that anything higher than 12-16", and lower than roughly 54", will be no good.

Ranges and ovens typically have very specific places that the receptacle can be placed. For a "standard" residential range down low behind the drawer is typically a good spot.

You can mount it above the backsplash/control panel, but what about mounting it to the floor right at the wall line? More than anything I'd check the documentation that comes with the range to be sure.

This is also assuming an electric range with a 50A plug/receptacle.


Why would a single electric receptacle stop working? A single receptacle suddenly stopped providing electricity in my living room.  It is not a GFCI.  The other outlets work fine and the circuit breaker didn't trip.  Any ideas?

Some possibilities:

it's controlled by a wall switch and you turned off the switch.
the receptacle is old and worn and no longer making a good connection to the plug.  The main symptom of this would be the plug being loose in the socket; it's unlikely to happen suddenly so you might have noticed it beforehand.
the receptacle was overloaded and got damaged.  You might see some visible signs of charring or smoking around the receptacle -- especially if you remove the cover plate and look inside the electrical box -- if this is the case.
a loose connection in the wiring has finally failed (this might be in a different part of the circuit).
it's on a completely different circuit from the other receptacles in the room.  If you're adding an outlet, the most convenient place to get power from may not be other points in the same room; it could be from an adjacent room's circuit, or even from a different floor in the house.

A non-contact voltage tester will help you find out if you're still getting power to that receptacle.  If so, replacing the receptacle will probably fix the problem.


How to secure a jack wall to an existing wall? I built the walls of my 12' x 12' shed before deciding what type of roof I wanted. Now I'm left with the problem of how to secure the roof to the lower walls. If I build a jack wall as shown below (image probably from this video), how would I secure the bottom plate of the jack wall to the top plate of the lower wall? I don't want the joint between the walls to be the weak link against wind.

You have to notch your roof rafters (birdsmouth) at the bottom and at the top so that the rafters can sit on the plates. You'll then nail from each side to secure it to wall plates. Familyhandyman has a diagram on what this is.

For the jack studs, you'll need a top and bottom plate for it so you can nail/screw the bottom plate to the top plate of the existing wall.

Once the siding, roof and rafters are put on it'll be secure. I live in a hurricane prone area and I built my shed similarly and it has so far withstood a few hurricanes.


Do electricians often/frequently interchange the color on the grounded leg when wiring switches? A recent comment on this question said that it was not unusual to see the grounded leg of a switched circuit being used as the switched leg, there was some agreement.

This seems a terrifying problem if true.

For me, this was learned in the first week of working in the trade.

I could never have passed a rough-in inspection for something like this the day after a hurricane, of a latrine, at a campground in Florida, where he was so drunk someone else had to drive the golf cart.

Does this really happen often?

I removed my answer that spoke of NEC 404.2(B) due to comments by a user that did not think that a citation of, what is law, in some jurisdictions, was relevent to the question. The argument could be made that this perspective is/was reasonable.

Not all grounded conductors are white, and not all white conductors are grounded conductors.

There's no problem using a white or gray wire as an ungrounded conductor, as long as the conductor is permanently reidentified.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection

  Article 200 Use and Identification of Grounded Conductors

  200.7 Use of Insulation of a White or Gray Color or
  with Three Continuous White Stripes.

  (C) Circuits of 50 Volts or More. The use of insulation
  that is white or gray or that has three continuous white or gray
  stripes for other than a grounded conductor for circuits
  of 50 volts or more shall be permitted only as in (1)
  and (2).

  (1) If part of a cable assembly that has the insulation permanently
  reidentified to indicate its use as an ungrounded
  conductor by marking tape, painting, or other
  effective means at its termination and at each location
  where the conductor is visible and accessible. Identification
  shall encircle the insulation and shall be a color
  other than white, gray, or green. If used for single-pole,
  3-way or 4-way switch loops, the reidentified conductor
  with white or gray insulation or three continuous
  white or gray stripes shall be used only for the supply
  to the switch, but not as a return conductor from the
  switch to the outlet.

There is a problem with switching the grounded conductor, but no problem switching a white conductor (as long as it's reidentified).

  Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use

  Article 404 Switches

  404.2 Switch Connections.

  (B) Grounded Conductors. Switches or circuit breakers
  shall not disconnect the grounded conductor of a circuit.

  Exception: A switch or circuit breaker shall be permitted
  to disconnect a grounded circuit conductor where all circuit
  conductors are disconnected simultaneously, or where
  the device is arranged so that the grounded conductor cannot
  be disconnected until all the ungrounded conductors of
  the circuit have been disconnected.

Before the introduction of 404.2(C), two wire switch loops were common. Since a two wire cable only has a black and white wire (and ground sometimes), the white wire had to be reidentified and used as an ungrounded conductor.


How to place engineered hardwood against rough fireplace hearth? We are going to replace the carpet in our living room with engineered hardwood flooring. We’ve installed the flooring elsewhere in our home so that part isn’t a problem.
The problem is what do we do against the rock hearth?
Everywhere else we’ve installed flooring there is baseboard or hardwood quarter round (kitchen).
Can’t do baseboard around the hearth. Does quarter round that matches the floor work?

Use a transition "tee" molding used for setting between 2 different runs of floor. One edge can be shaped to conform to the stone, it will match the color of the floor you choose and will give the required movement the flooring needs. It will look, in my opinion, less conspicuous once in place. That is if it is a floating installation. If it is a glue or nail down, scribe to fit it tight, that's all you will need to do.


How should this circuit be properly grounded? I am hiring an electrician to do the work so my question is more for my education and helping me ask the proper questions to the perspective contractors.

Purchased a condo recently and want to put in some recessed lights.  The condo has a subpanel in the laundry room with the main service panel in a common area on the main floor.  All the current wiring is run in metal conduit, I presume that it's THHN wiring. The subpanel has a neutral bar that's not bonded to the panel.  The panel is grounded via a grounding wire that I would presume runs to the main service panel.  There is no ground bus within the service panel.

So, my question.  For the new recessed lights (6" LEDs), can one run nonmetallic sheathed cable (NM cable) not in conduit?  Or must this be THHN in conduit.  If one runs NM cable (again, not in conduit) would you install a ground bar in the sub panel to bond the romNM cable ground to it, or can the NM cable ground be bonded to the metal electrical gang box (ground clip?) that the switch will be in?  In this case the switch for the new lights could go into an existing metal gang box (where there is currently a switch for a ceiling fan).  This box has metal conduit back to the sub panel.  So from the panel, NM cable to the existing switch box, from there NM cable to the recessed lights.  I am wondering if this is possible, would one / should one install a ground bus in the panel or bond ground to the existing switch box.

I hope this makes sense and I just didn't completely confuse everyone.

I will do my best here.
I take it the reason you are asking about using NM wire is to save money?
Purchasing NM is much cheaper. You can still run NM inside the conduct if there is
room left. So if your conduit is  3/4 inch. you maybe able to pull 14/2 wire through with Lube.

Your subpanel would need a separate ground bus since the conduct is considered the (Ground)
By installing a Ground bus and using the NM 14/2 or 12/2 you must connect the Neutral and Ground separate as for the panel is not bonded. I believe the term is floating ground and neutral. Your Subpanel is connected to your Building since it is not Bonded. The question i have is why is your panel has only 1 bus bar? There should be 2 one for the Neutral and the other for the Ground. Your subpanel should have 1 Aluminum service line that contains 2 hots leads and 1 neutral and 1 ground. The other question i have is the service line coming from the Main Panel inside metal conduct as well?
The gang boxes are grounded by the Conduct, but I would recommend you put a Pig Tail in the box.


What should I use to wash the walls in my kitchen prior to repainting them? I am repainting the walls in my kitchen.   I am sure grease has accumulated.  The instructions say to "wash the walls", but do not say what with.

Should I use vinegar, Clorox, Tide, ...?

I would use a grout sponge that has a course side.  What you use depends on how dirty the walls are and can range from soap to bleach.  There isn't a perfect solution because soap is fine in most cases (dawn or something similar).


How to prevent odor in clay pots, resulting due to drinking water storage? We use clay pots to store drinking water in summers. Clay pots keep the water cool.

The water lasts for 2 days and then I wash the pot with soap and fill the water again. There is no tight lid for the pot, just a normal steel plate is used to cover its mouth.

Lately I have felt some kind of odor in the water there.

Any hints?

Your best bet is to use a solution to kill the bacteria that might be living in the pot. This happens with steel / aluminum water containers as well, in my experience, so never fear!

According to the official Clorox blog:

  It is good your daycare is using bleach for disinfecting, and now you can pass along some information to help them use it correctly!  The ¼ cup per gallon dilution they use is more standard as a bleach pre-soak for bleachable fabrics that are heavily soiled or for fabrics that need to be disinfected.  It is actually not strong enough to disinfect hard surfaces.  Instead, to disinfect furniture and hard, non-porous toys, the correct dilution is ¾ Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  You are also correct to note that they should be measuring a full gallon of water that the ¾ cup is then added to, a 1:21 dilution.  Items need to have contact with this disinfecting solution for 5 minutes, and then should be rinsed thoroughly and allowed to air dry.

However, the blog also indicates that porous surfaces (I assume your clay is porous) are NOT safe for bleach!

  For mopping floors (ceramic tile, vinyl, linoleum—not marble or other porous surfaces that aren’t safe for bleach), mix up a solution of ¾ cup bleach added to 1 gallon of water.  For disinfecting, wipe or wash the floor, then apply the bleach solution and let stand for 5 minutes.  Rinse well and air dry.  Also, be sure the area is well ventilated while you are working.

Instead, I would use hydrogen peroxide. It's inexpensive, readily available at drugstores, and it's a weak acid. The pharmacist should be able to help you dilute it properly, if necessary, though it likely won't be; drugstore hydrogen peroxide is a 3% dilution, and it breaks down in sunlight anyway. In addition, it is much stronger when mixed with vinegar, which most folks have in their homes anyway. Remember: ACID TO WATER!


How do I attach a shelf to a plaster wall invisibly? Following this question: How can I attach two pieces of wood in an invisible way?

I have another - what would be a good way to attach a shelf to a plaster wall, if it is completely supported (i.e. the attachment needs to withstand pulling or shear)?

I don't know if it matters, but the shelf will be next to a wall on two sides.

What about a floating shelf. You wouldn't be able to put much load on it on a partition wall though.

Here's a good Step by Step on How to Build Floating Shelves from The Family Handyman


Heat pump only running above 35 degrees We have just moved into a house with a Lennox XP17 heat pump.  It has two stages of electric heat strips in addition to the heat pump.

In observing the power bill, I have been astonished at the rate we are going through kWh.  I did some more research last night to see if everything is working right, and in the process I discovered that the outdoor unit wasn't running, at all.  Yet the air coming out of the vents was very warm, which explained the power consumption.  It was about 20 degrees outside last night.

The thermostat (a plain Jane Honeywell non-programmable) only shows "Heat on" and gives no indication that the aux stages are running.  Emergency Heat is not on.

I suspected a wiring issue but when I switch to emergency heat, same result.

I checked the thermostat setups too, it is set correctly as a heat pump.  Surely HVAC manufacturers and installers don't still think that heat pumps are not efficient below 35 F.  Is this a setting on the heat pump or on the air handler, or is this a thermostat problem?

The Lennox XP17 series is certainly capable of operating at lower outdoor temperatures than 35F with reasonable efficiency.  The extended performance tables on these units are published by Lennox at the following url:

http://tech.lennoxintl.com/C03e7o14l/UfSSOXTazc/ehb_xp17_1512.pdf

Beginning on page 16, they list performance information for different indoor/outdoor combinations.  For most combinations, the designed performance of the unit at an outdoor air temperature of 17F is about 60% of the full rated capacity.

One likely cause of the problem you describe is that your unit is equipped with an optional outdoor thermostat kit which is set much too conservatively (Lennox Part 56A87 or similar).  This part is often used to automatically disable the outdoor unit during extremely cold temperatures and it is usually located somewhere in the control section of the outdoor condenser.


How can I build a wall mounted adjustable height desk? There has already been some excellent discussion here and elsewhere about adjustable height desks, but I think I'll bring a bit of a new twist to the question.

I want to rebuild a bedroom into an office. I intend on placing in-wall bookshelves around the entire room, excluding where the windows are. Here I'd like to use the window frame as "runners" of a sort for an adjustable height desk. I'm thinking of using a pulley system to make all of this happen.

I've included a graphic with front and side views of how I imagine this might look, but it isn't entirely clear that the pulley system I'm envisioning would be triangular...but in any case, I'm open to other suggestions as well.

My main concern is the ability to adjust the height significantly (e.g. a few feet) and for the underside to be sufficiently clear to use my folding recumbent bike should I so desire...or perhaps even a treadmill.

one simple answer and one complex answer...

first: is to use twin slot shelving to create a large, adjustable shelf/desk.. where you could quite easily create a light duty desk. I have an image, however the shelf in the picture is too small to be a desk, i have personally used a heavy duty version as my desk (safely holding one desktop pc, CRT screen and printer)

Second, is to use some sort of linear drive where you have the shelf run up and down some form of runner (or drawer slide)..  this would be something close to the screw jacks that are used to jack up your car at the service station. - probably  a little too complicated for use as a desk.


Mounting something to stud-less plaster exterior wall I have a wood cabinet that I am redoing (painting and changing door hardware and removed interior shelving) to use as a TV enclosure in my family room. The house was built in 1940 and has plaster walls. My plan was to mount the cabinet into the wall stud and then mount the TV (20 lbs) to the back of the cabinet which is 1/2 inch VC plywood. However I cannot find a stud in this small section of wall. I’ve read that sometimes small wall sections against a masonry exterior might not have a stud. I’m using a magnetic studfinder (studpop) and I can’t find any stud.  What’s an alternative way to do this?

There are probably king/jack studs on each side of the window plus a sill and a header. Your magnetic stud finder might not be strong enough to go through the plaster. They're good for finding drywall screws covered by joint compound but that's about it. So you either buy a more expensive stud finder or start drilling really small holes hoping to find the studs.

Will the cabinet only be supported by the screws into the wall or will it also have legs? You can always use toggle bolts through the cabinet and through your wall.


What do you call a DIY AC plug? This may the dumbest question ever, but I'm trying to replace the AC plug on a small appliance (it's European but voltage-switchable and I'm using it in the US), and I don't know what to call those replacement plugs (i.e. I can't find one on Amazon). I just need a two-prong US male AC plug that has e.g. screw terminals I can wire to inside the shell. I know I've seen such things, so my search terms must be wrong. Can anyone help?

(N.B. Not looking for a plug adapter. Want to actually replace the one on the cord.)

A quick search for "replacement plug" on Amazon gives me a few hits like this:

Leviton 101-P 2 Wire Plug, Light Duty, Polarized, Brown
Coleman Cable 05984 Replacement


Finding where the C "Common" wire should be in my heating unit I'm trying to understand where the common wire would be from my system's wiring diagram. The thermostat itself only has the R and W connected.
Is my understanding correct that it would be the wire leading to 'earth' from the transformer in the below diagram?

Any help or info is much appreciated.

Your system has no "C" wire brought out to the connector.  This is not uncommon as many systems don't.  If you need a "C" wire, you'll want to connect it here:


Should I remove old wood glue before reinstalling a board on a table, and how? We have a coffee table we made with four 2x4 planks stained and glued to a tabletop.  About a year later, one of the planks had loosed so I ripped it off and I was planning to reapply the wood glue and clamp it back in place.  There is a bunch of dried wood glue on the bottom of the wood and some on the tabletop as well.  The glue is very hard and it's thick in some places.

Do I need to remove this dried glue before adhering it with more wood glue?  It is very hard and it's thick in some places, so I'm concerned it would not lay evenly.

If it does need to be removed what is the best method to do that?  Is there a solvent I should use?  Or is there a tool I should use it scrape it?

The glue is Elmers but I'm not sure if it is Wood Glue or Wood Glue Max.

Photos

If you want to use wood glue again, I'd remove the old glue. You'll get a stronger bond if you apply glue to clean wood. A belt sander would do a nice job.

If you're ok using urethane glue or project adhesive, the only concern is whether the replaced board will sit above the others. Otherwise I'd have no problem bonding to the old glue if it appears solid.

You could also run some countersunk flat-head screws of appropriate length in from underneath to assure the security of the boards.


How should I repair damaged enamel in a clothes washer? We have noticed recently that when clothes are left in the washer for more than the "usual" waiting time that they sometimes pick up rust spots. On inspection of the wash tub, I found that several of the drain holes have small rusty patches breaking through the enamel at their edges. This photo shows a typical example (you might want to click through and then view it at its largest size):

I'd rather not replace the functional (but admittedly older) washer at this time, and so am wondering what approaches to repair of the enamel surface and removal of the rust might be practical?

Those covers are usually sprayed with dry paint, that is heated and cured in an over to give the best protection. So a DIY fix will only solve it temporoary.

First of all you need to get rid of the "cancer" which is not always easy.

With some coarse sand paper 100/200 grit lightly loosen scratch the affected area.(lightly no need to apply great force)

Then use water sand paper 300-600grit to prepare the surface or to repair it after coats. You don't need to use it with water, using it dry is OK but will not last long. Normal paper is fine, as long as its fine.

Get some corrosion remover (be careful as this is acid and can bleach your clothes, burn your skin and/or damage other surface) so best to this out side. Usually it takes 2 to 4 hours for the rust to be removed. The higher the concentrated the acid is the faster it will work. It will also bubble and smell weird, like rotten eggs in some cases. SO again keep it outside.

Now a common mistake is to clean it with water. Do not do that. Do not clean it at all just let it evaporate and dry.

Now the best is to use a Primer to seal the metal again. And then just for looks you want white enamel on top of that.

TIPS

Once you have applied the etching primer to the area do not let it dry 100%. Apply the enamel aerosol on top before the recomemeded drying time to maximise bonding effect of the two paints.

You don't have to use enamel, etching primer is more than enough to seal the metal!

After using the rust remover. You can wipe clean the areas around the before rusted places with alcohol wipes to remove any grease, dirt so that all the paint binds properly. Also make sure you have scratched the original paint slightly (very very lightly not to the metal) so the etching primer has something to bond to. But make sure it is clean.
Painting over al larger section will be better instead of working with a small fiddly  bit.
Once again, its important to keep the are to be painted grease free.
It is highly likely you will get drip effect form using too much paint. Dont try to fix it. just leave it to dry and sand it down slightly if it bothers you. Trying to fix it while its wet will make it worse.
Do this outside on nice warm day, wear gloves, a mask and old clothes. Keep out of reach of children especially the rust remover.


Can you disconnect and reconnect a gas flex pipe? I installed a new dryer last week and, in doing so, purchases a new flex pipe as they say you should never re-use the old one.

I now need to make some adjustments to the flooring so need to pull the dryer out fully and to do that, I need to disconnect the flex pipe.

Can I disconnect then reconnect when done?

I assume I can, but you are nearly always told to always use a new flex pipe every time you're doing a new install. I assume that's to just not use a decade-old pipe rather than the fact that they can't be reused at all.

(These seems like a dumb question now that I read it outloud...)

International Fuel Gas code prohibits the reuse of any Pipe, fittings, valves, or other materials.

International Fuel Gas Code 2012
Chapter 4 Gas Piping Installations
Section 403 Piping Materials
403.2 Used materials. Pipe, fittings, valves and other materials shall not be used again except where they are free of foreign materials and have been ascertained to be adequate for the service intended.

It also specifies not to reuse them in the installation instructions.

DO NOT reuse connectors, fittings and valves;  they are designed for use on
original installation only. Removal of connector and additional handling may
damage connector making it unsafe for reuse.

Overall this is to help prevent leaks caused by dirt, debris, and damage that may prevent good connections. In this specific case, it's because the threads on the fittings involved  are actually mashed together when the connection is made. This type of connection does not require pipe dope (which it also mentions in the installation instructions), since the seal is created when the threads get squished together. See the National Pipe Thread Fuel (NPTF) section of this answer for more detail.
Usually when replacing these type of fittings ("hoses"), you'll have to replace right back to the black pipe.  If you have a valve with a flare end that the fitting ("hose") connects to, you'll want to replace the valve and fitting ("hose"). If there's an adapter with the flare, you'll replace the adapter and fitting ("hose"). Make sure you clean the threads of the black pipe really well, to insure there's no foreign material in the threads, before you connect the new fittings.
You might also have to replace the flare fitting on the dryer as well.
The other problem with these fittings; though usually only fittings that have been in use for some time, is that they can actually be damaged when they are removed.  Sometimes the threaded nut doesn't spin, and the pipe actually ends up twisting.  This can cause damage to the pipe, and so it should not be reused in this case.


Removing cracked grout without damaging tile and granite How and what tools would I need to remove grout without damaging the tile backsplash and granite countertop. The cabinet has settled and crack appears on the whole length of the countertop was installed 10 yrs ago.

No tool.
Since the grout has not broken and just has a crack, it would be more appropriate to add a thin bead of caulk over this section (silicone or matching latex).
You can take the grout out and regrout, however it will crack again.
I prefer grouting - and then caulking later after cracking - in these areas.   The reason is with a larger gap you have to apply more caulk and it fails quicker and harder to maintain.   It might seem like why grout and have it fail.   Well because it takes 20 seconds to grout it and cracking isn't really a failure for a backsplash... more cosmetic.


Extend dryer termination away from condensing unit How can I extend my dryer's exhaust vent away from my A.C. condensing unit using the existing outlet?

It currently looks like the picture below. I don't know if the vent going through the wall is connected with the cover on the outside or not.

Remove the vent cover, attach some rigid duct work, run along the house a few feet, put the vent cover on the end of the run. Make sure the end of the new run is lower than the exit point, so that moisture/condensation will never run inside.

BTW, make sure the ductwork inside is rigid. If it isn't replace that too.


How do I stop a countertop soap dispenser from leaking? I have a countertop soap dispenser.  It is a Blanco 911-375 Alta Soap/Lotion Dispenser, Satin Nickel Finish filled with Seventh Generation brand dish soap.  For the high-end-quality brand name, it shouldn't be producing external soap clumps like a piece of junk might.  Also, the white tube part (see the photos) does not maintain an attachment to the metal head; when I pull the pump head up, it disconnects from the white tube.

I am waiting to hear back from the manufacturer (Blanco) for advice, but aside from removing the soap and stopping using it, what are my alternatives to prevent this thing from leaking soap?  I have tried diluting the soap in the soap receptacle with water, but that didn't do much.

Photos of scenario (click each for larger):

So it appears to be leaking at the connection of the white plastic pump to the metal dispensing spout? The first issue to check is to make sure the liquid soap has not congealed inside the metal spout. Soak it in hot water and then gently probe the opening with a soft blunt object to break away any mineral or crust deposits. Next, reconnect the white pump to the spout. Make sure it is fully seated and securely in place. If it can be removed easily by hand it won't dispense and leak soap. Before you try to use it for liquid soap fill a container  large enough to submerse the spout and pump under warm water. Work the pump slowly a few times. After 3-4 pumps you should see water jetting from the spout end. Position the spout above the water line while keeping the pump pick-up (suction) end submersed. Pumping should now produce copious squirts of water from only the spout end. Place the unit back into place while leaving any water inside the pump. Push the knob until soap appears with no leakage.


Will installing a 2inch fitting in a 3 inch water line decrease water pressure? We share a well with our neighborhood.  The neighbors want to install a 2-inch meter on the 3-inch supply line, because the 2-inch meter is less expensive.  I think it will decrease the water pressure.  They say it won't.  Who is right?  I don't want to have to pay for this and then have to pay for re-doing it when it causes more problems!

Thank you to those who have responded.  It looks like I was right, but the other neighbors went out and bought the 2 inch.  Oh well.  I guess we will have to buy a pump and tank for ourselves because I doubt relying on gravity to supply enough pressure is going to work any more.  I didn't realize it was only $39!  Sometimes you love your neighbors, sometimes you don't!

Reducing the pipe diameter from 3" to 2" will not decrease the static pressure in the down stream pipes if all valves are closed and no water is flowing.

The restriction to 2" will cause a decrease in flow rate to the down stream piping assuming that the head pressure in the 3" line in front of the meter stays the same as with the original 3" meter.

If your water usage at any given time is quite a bit less than the flow rate available through the 2" restriction then you will not notice a great decrease in delivered pressure. However if the demand flow rate approaches the capacity of the 2" restriction you will start to see a pressure drop off at the outlets due to the head pressure trying to push more water through the meter than can flow due to the smaller 2" size.

My recommendation - If your pump setup is configured for multi-family service with 3" piping then go with the 3" meter.


Ceiling fan wiring switch question Recently, I was replacing a fan switch at the ceiling fan on an older ceiling fan. While I had the power off, I decided to try to correct some wiring at the wall switches. The light switch at wall worked fine. The fan switch is one of those round ones where you turn it to the right or left to adjust fan speed and turn to the left to turn off.  What was happening here was the fan speed was not being changed, but the light would brighten/dim and then cut off when you turned the knob a certain direction.  The fan and light switches are in separate boxes. The fan switch has 4 wires coming in (from House, to ceiling fan, to light switch, blue wire from ceiling fan to control light.  Based on the behavior of fan switch, I believe the wiring was as follows
1. Black Home wire, Black wire from fan switch, Black Fan wired together
2. Black Light and Black Wire from fan switch wired together.
3. White Home and Blue wire wired together.
4. White to fan and and White Light wired together
5. Grounds wired together. This is an older switch, so no ground from fan switch itself.

To correct and make fans switch work properly, shouldn't the black Fan wire from #1 been swapped with Black Light wire from #2?

While the observed behavior does not correspond with your conjectured wiring  description -- it does correspond with your suggestion that the fan and light switches were interchanged. Based on your diagram, the following wiring should work:

Black from house nuts with White to the light switch (tag this wire with a piece of electrical tape!) and one of the Blacks on the fan switch.
White from house nuts with White to fan.
Other Black on fan switch nuts with Black to fan.
Black to light switch nuts with Blue to fan.
And of course, all the grounds together.

Last but not least -- I suspect the Blue (probably actually red, but w/e) wire to the fan and the White wire to the fan were swapped at the fan from your description -- the behavior in your description would have the fan running all the time with both switches controlling the light. You'll want to fix that while you're changing the wiring in the fan switch box -- the best way to do so is to go into the fan box and switch the blue and white wires if white isn't to white and red or whatever isn't hooked up to blue.


Do I have to staple romex to the studs behind the wall? Possible Duplicate:
  Do I really have to fasten interior-wall electrical wire to a stud to keep it from moving?

I have some plaster walls in my house and I am attempting to add an outlet to one of the rooms.  Basically I plan to fish some romex from the attic into one of the rooms (behind a plaster wall) and add a box / outlet from there.  My only concern is making sure that the job is up to code.  Do I have to staple the romex to the studs behind the wall, etc. or is it OK to just let it hang down.

Obviously I want to avoid having to knock holes in the wall, but overall safety is my primary concern so I'd be happy to do it if it means not burning down my house because i was being lazy.

It's not up to code to leave the wire free. Stapling it to the center of the stud ensures that a nail for something like a picture won't hit the wire (as long as you know this code and don't try to drive a long nail right next to a stud). No one but yourself is likely to ever know this is wrong, and given the age of the home, it's sure to have a lot of other code violations under today's codes since they change over time.

So to answer your question, my recommendation is to install the staples near the top plate, the J-box, and every 3 feet or so in the middle. But I wouldn't lose much sleep if I heard that someone didn't do this in your situation. Just make sure you don't have any hidden junction boxes or connections made outside of a box since that would be a much bigger issue. And also, don't overload any circuits by adding too many outlets.


What is this cable popping out of my lawn? There's a black cable cutting diagonally across one side of my front lawn (askew to my house, not going towards it, also not going towards the local electric transformer or my neighbor's house). The roots of a large tree seem to be pushing it out of the ground. I called Miss Utility last month and left a message but they never called back.
What is it, and what should I do about it?

It appears to be COAX cable and it's almost certainly your (or your neighbors) CATV (i.e. Cable TV) line.  These are often placed near trees and they get pushed up as the tree grows.  That one is very exposed.  I'd put in a service call to my provider and request it be buried properly.


Can I use a separate 24V transformer with an Ecobee 3 and an Aube relay? I've purchased an Ecobee 3 Lite smart thermostat which requires 3.5 VA to operate but I'm using an Aube RC840T-240 electric heating relay with 24 V transformer which only provides 1.2 VA.

Can I purchase a separate 120V (to connect to a different circuit or outlet) to 24 V transformer and use that to provide enough power for the thermostat?  If so, how would I wire my thermostat?  (The Aube relay/transformer provides R, W, and C wires so what would I connect from the Aube and from the external transformer?)

This is A-OK

Wire R and W from the relay box to Rh and W/W1 on the Ecobee, while leaving the relay's C terminal unused.  Then wire the secondary of the separate transformer to Rc and C on the Ecobee.  The Ecobee will figure all the rest out by itself, running off of the separate transformer on Rc while switching power from Rh to W to control the heat.

P.S. any standard 24VAC HVAC transformer will do here.


Side spacing inside laundry bay I'm making a stacked laundry bay and would like it to be as narrow as possible. Are there minimum spacing requirements for the sides of the stack? I would like 2" each side between the machines and the wall. Any reason to give it more?

I will have service panel entrances on each side of the bay to reach for every hookup so I won't need to get behind the stack from the up front once they are placed inside. And there will be no door to the bay, just a curtain hanging from the ceiling.

Download the installation manual for the machines you're getting and it should give you all the details.


Light with 3 way switch does not work. Need help! I have a 3 way switch with Source at First Switch and Light Between (same as below diagram)

I opened light fixture to pained the wall and after putting the light it did not work. I have tried following the wiring diagram but still does not work.

To ensure if my light fixture is good - when i plug it it outlet then it turns on.

To troubleshoot I even took out light fixture and tried attaching to source hot and neutral wire but light still does not work. when checking hot wire with multimeter it shows 122 volts with ground but show 0 with neutral wire.

I am not sure what I am missing and where to start as when direct connection of light fixture with source wire does not work then hooking up switches is also not working as expected.

Can someone help diagnose this? Its been like this since last few weeks me being little lazy.

Any help is appreciated.

The wiring diagram at the top of this page belongs to do-it-yourself-help.com. The original can be found here: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/3_way_switch_wiring.html

Adding picture of boxes :
Switch1:
Light box:
Switch2:

Here's your problem.  Up in the light box, you don't know which of those /3 cables goes to switch box 1 vs switch box 2. So here's what I would do...

... after buying a multi-color 5-pack of electrical tape for about $3 because we are going to color-code everything:  neutral=white... always-hot=black... switched-hot=red... travelers=yellow or some other color.  There are always 2 travelers in a cable, they do the same thing, they are interchangeable, so code them the same color. "Two marked the same color" is pretty distinctive, as we are usually trying to make wires different colors.

Install 3-way switch #1.

Start by nutting the two white wires in box #1 to each other. Those are actual-neutral, and need no markings.
Note the /2 cable (the one without a red wire). That can only be supply.  Its black wire goes to the COMMON terminal of the 3-way, this is the one with the black screw.  Don't think about position, look at screw color.
Two wires remain, the red and black from the 3-way. Those will be travelers so tape them both yellow. These go onto the two brass screws on the 3-way.

We are done in this location, so you can reinstall the switch.  Next: Figure out which cable is which up-top.

Cap off all the wires, and go to town with a voltage detector.  If you find one cable is hot and the other is not, you are done with this section.
If you don't have a voltage detector, use the lamp as one.  Shut off power, pick one cable and attach the lamp to its white and red wires.
If the switch makes the lamp turn on and off, you found cable #1.
If not, try the other cable.

Mark cable #1 and tape the black and red wires both yellow, since they are the other end of those wires you marked earlier.  Always mark both ends of a wire the same.  It's downhill from here.  Turn the power off.

Let's think about the yet-undiscovered wires.  There are two ends of /3 cables - one in the lamp box and one in switch #2.  These can only be the opposite ends of the same cable.

Most people want their lamps connected to switched-hot, otherwise it defeats the purpose of switches.  Switched-hot is red.  We'll make the other two travelers.  That's black and white.  Mark both ends of the black and white wires with yellow tape.

Fit the 3-way in the far box, with both yellow travelers again going to the brass screws, and the common (red wire) going to the black screw.  Do the work carefully, and we are done here.  You can close up the box.

Back up in the lamp box, nut together as follows:

a yellow to a yellow (doesn't matter which**)
the other yellow to the other yellow
Neutral (the only white, thanks to our remarkings) to lamp neutral (white or sometimes blue)
Switched-hot (the only red) to lamp's black, red or brown (whichever).

Power up, test, should be done.

** Now if you have OCD, and want "both 3-ways down" to be lamp off like I do, and it isn't that way, then go up in the lamp box and swap yellows.  Done.


Best material to seal fireplace door gaps for irregular stone fireplace? I have a stone fireplace and just installed a new door. But there's gaps because the stone is irregular. I tried using fireplace cement from the inside but it's hard to get in there and keeps falling out.

Is there any better material I can use? Some kind of sealant that won't burn up?

Thanks

the best way to this is with fiberglass gasketing, sometimes called door rope.  its just a fiberglass rope.  you get some hi-temperature sealant for same, inject into the area it is to fill so that it covers stone and the metal assembly.  then, rub it all over the rope (cut to the right length ahead of time) and then simply squeeze into the gap.  different diameters might need to be used, but usually one will do.  tape off all adjacent areas and where gloves as the sealant is quite gooey and makes a big mess.  wipe the area off with acetone after to clean up prior to removing the tape

http://www.mcmaster.com/#high-temperature-seals/=103j65h

http://www.mcmaster.com/#high-temperature-sealants/=103j5zd

they will sell something similar at your local big box building store


Advise on proper placement of floor threshold I have just widened my kitchen by two feet.  As well I removed a small 45 degree wall and straightened out the doorway into the bedroom.  As you can see in the Before Image, the threshold between the vinyl and parquet floors followed the 45 degree line.

Here's the "before" plan:

Here's the after plan:

In the new layout, my wife and I disagree as to where the new vinyl floor should end.  My choice is red line in image AFTER and my wife is partial to where the green line is placed.

Opinions on this would be appreciated.

Okay but, you still owe her a dinner & flowers you know. Any gloating will blacklist your butt & mine for years. I have to agree with your red line. As a normal & accepted by family, friends & neighbors practice. The transition should happen only at the room's opening, not some horribly disfigured hallway.

The vinyl is the oddball & is surrounded by parquet, so sorry but the parquet wins 3 to 1, literally. Now, the green isn't bad. But for me, it's in the wrong place. I would've possibly gone for the green if it were pulled back to the other end of the living room's passage way, where the hall & each room had a full threshold surrounding the vinyl. But really, it still wouldn't make sense & the vinyl would be just plain grotesque.


Why don't segmental retaining walls need any piers or anchoring below grade? I have built two soldier pile retaining walls (where you slot the boards between I-Beams you sink into the ground) with good success - but that success was due to:

sinking the piles at least their above ground height (ie. 5 feet above and 5 feet below)
very generous "deadmen" going backwards under the retained material

But now ... we have a much bigger wall to build - 80 feet long and running from 4 feet tall out to a corner that is 12-13 feet tall.  Soil samples show 8 feet of "creeping" soils and our wall engineers tell us they want us 9 feet PAST the creeping, so a 12 foot corner requires a 12+17 (let's call it 30) foot H beam.  And that's just one of them ...

So that's getting really expensive and complicated and the engineering firm said to just forget the soldier pile wall and switch to a segmental retaining wall - just the plain old versa-lock pre-fab blocks that everyone uses (although we'll probably use "big blocks" that are 200-500 pounds each ...

My question is this:

Apparently a segmental retaining wall is placed right on grade.  As simple as that.  You just level your grade and start stacking.

That sounds great, but I don't understand how that can be that simple ... if we have creeping soils and we need to go 9 feet past them and everyone (including myself) is scared to death of not drilling pier holes deep enough ... how can we go from that to just tossing them right on grade and calling it a day ?

Why won't the grade move just like the creeping soils move ?  Why won't the combined weight of all that wall (which will probably be canted backward 10-15 degrees ?) push the soil underneath down and out ?

What am I missing here ?  When we switch to building with concrete legos, basically, why do we suddenly not care at all about the dirt underneath the wall ?

Thank you.

The soil below the wall is only supporting the weight of the wall. The segmental block will have layers of geo fabric every 8" or so. Basically there is not lateral force on the wall. Since no lateral the foundation is simple, and the weight of the those big blocks is nearly the same of the soil that used to be there, bad soil has some 1000-1500 psf capacity.

You have an engineering firm, talk to them. They will talk to you about these forces for free, we actually get excited to!


Just installed natural gas fire pit and now getting a whistling sound Just installed  fire pit and now getting a whistling sound in the house when fire pit on full range .I'm going to explain what type of pipe and size of pipe..... 4 years ago decided to build a outdoor kitchen during my construction had 1/2inch pipe coming out of my home so I tapped into that using flex tube to black pipe and made connection to bbq worked flawless... and now I was able to build an a fire pit ...now on this construction project I tapped into the existing  1/2 inch pipe from my Bbq .... so what I did was run a tee down with 2 turn off valves ... one valve ging bbq and the other going to the fire pit
All this is 1/2 pipe till after  the tee split fron there it goes 3/4 flex tube to 3/4inch green gas pipe roughly going out 15feet to my 4x6 fire pit .... the burner is a 3feet by 10inch wide .
Not sure if this is normal operation , can someone please explain in if this is okay or will I some professional help in this.
Thank you .

I'm assuming when you say "flex tube", you're talking about a flexible gas connector like this.

If so, the whistle could be caused by this connector. You should be able to find "Whistle-free", or "non-whistle" gas connectors, if you search the internet.  The other option, is to use rigid plumbing the whole way.

As d.george points out, you'll want to check the manufacturers documentation for the fire pit burner, to determine if the gas plumbing is properly sized.  1/2" is usually only good for a single appliance. You'll likely have problems if you run the BBQ, and the fire pit at the same time.


Replacing two-plug outlet with one plug + one guidelight I am replacing a two receptacle outlet in a hallway with a newer Leviton outlet-guidelight combination. I noticed that the outlet box has two wires coming in, both with one hot/one neutral. The new device I'm installing only takes one wire. As it is now in the picture below, I do not get current from the receptacle when the breaker is switched on. This is true for the other outlets on the circuit. Is it possible to wire the device so that it only uses the one wire?

The old receptacle connected the wires together internally, so you'll have to do it external to the device now.

Using a twist-on wire connector (or similar), connect both the whites together with a short piece of scrap wire of the same color and size. Then connect the other end of the scrap piece of wire, to the silver "neutral" terminal on the new device.

This is known as a "pigtail", and is a common method for joining multiple wires to a single terminal.

Do the same with the black ("hot") wires, connecting the pigtail to the brass colored screw terminal on the device.

Finally follow the same procedure with the grounding conductors, attaching the pigtail to the green screw terminal.


Wire colours reversed on switch I've just installed a new (1 way, ceiling pull cord) switch in my bathroom since the old one broke. When I came to change it, it was not wired the way I expected with the live into the COM terminal and the 'neutral' into the L1 terminal (it had a black wire into the COM and red into L1 (old UK wiring colours)). I decided to copy this wiring on the new switch despite the standard being red to COM and black to L1.

My main question is, does it even matter if it's wrong (and has been wrong on the old switch for years)? Intuitively on a single switch it doesn't seem like it should matter.

Dumb switches care not

A simple, dumb SPST light switch cares not which end is "line" and which end is "load".  In fact, in North America, the two live terminals on a basic light switch are not distinguishable from each other!  The labeling on your switch is probably a matter of convention, to keep with how more complex switches (such as multi-way switches) and lighting controls are labeled.


Voltage detected on ceiling light no matter the switch is on or off I just moved into a new apartment and I would like to install simple ceiling light. As shown in the picture, there are two wires outside the ceiling, a blue one and a red one.

The light switch button is on the wall. When I install light in other rooms, if I switch off by pressing the power button on the wall, the electricity tester does not beep at all. Only when I switch on the power, the electricity tester makes an audible beep. But for the wires in this room, no matter the light switch is on or not, the my test makes a beep all the time, as shown in the picture.

Now I have the following questions:

What could be the potential problems? Some wires are connected improperly?
When I install a bulb to the light fixture (the black thing in the picture), the bulb doesn't light up? Why? As I said, there is always voltage detected, but why doesn't the bulb light up? I've checked the bulb is in good condition.

Switched Neutral
It could be a symptom of a "switched neutral", where the switch interrupts the grounded (neutral) conductor instead of the ungrounded (hot) conductor.  In this case the bulb would turn on and off with the switch, but the socket would always show as hot.
To test:

WARNING: This procedure requires working on energized circuits. If you don't feel comfortable, or lack the knowledge or tools to do so, please contact a local licensed Electrician.

Use a voltmeter/multimeter to measure AC line voltage.
Take a measurement between the contact at the bottom of the socket, and a known good ground (possibly grounding conductors in the box).
Take a measurement between the threaded contact within the socket, and a known good ground.
Flip the switch, and repeat steps 2 and 3.

With the switch OFF, both measurements should be 0 VAC. If you're measuring line voltage at the socket when the switch is off, it's likely you have a switched neutral situation.
With the switch ON, the measurement from step 2 should be line voltage. If you get 0 volts in step 2, and line voltage in step 3. That means the socket leads are reversed.
Phantom Voltage
It could be the meter is picking up phantom (induced) voltage. This type of voltage could be picked up by a non-contact voltage tested, or a high impedance voltmeter (common for digital multimeters). The voltage could be induced by other electrical lines, which are in close proximity to the switched conductor.
To test:

WARNING: This procedure requires working on energized circuits. If you don't feel comfortable, or lack the knowledge or tools to do so, please contact a local licensed Electrician.

Use a low impedance volt/multimeter to measure the voltage across the socket.

If there's phantom voltage, the low impedance meter will not pick it up.


How do I choose a recessed alarm contact switch? With so many window and door recessed contact switches, how does one decide the best one for the application?

I was leaning towards Ademco 3/8" Diameter Miniature Press Fit Magnetic Contact, for both windows and doors mainly because it provides (in a "stubby" profile):

  1-1/4" the largest gap of any mini 3/8" contact

I'm assuming this would help in preventing false alarms due to minor gaps between the contacts.

However, here is just a short example of the additional recessed contacts options available:

Stubby with Rare Earth Magnet

Short/Stubby

Standard or Long

When would I choose one over another?

I'm looking at doing the same thing in my house later this year. But, I want to emphasis that drilling through your windows/window frame can void your warranty. If these are new windows, you'll want to have that warranty in place just as an "what if" happens in the near future. You'll have to refer to your warranty documentation to see if drilling will void your warranty.

The Ademco 3/8" Diameter Miniature Press Fit Magnetic Contact looks pretty standard. Just to be on the cautious side, you can always measure your frame to see if you have enough space. Otherwise, I see no issues with installing these on your door and the frame. Also, I've seen them installed on the top of the door or the side of the door. That's your call.

You may want to re-consider and utilize non-recessed/surface mounted contact switches for your windows and its frame. First of all, research more about your windows. If they contain spring mechanisms in the inside of the window or the window frame, then you will not be able to drill a hole. Otherwise, if there are no physical obstructions, then you can normally drill the required diameter near the bottom of the window. You want to make sure that the hole is covered and not exposed to the outside environment. If exposed, you could use some sealant to protect the contacts. Also, if your windows are double-hung, you'll need contacts installed at the top and the bottom of the window. You can connect the two contacts in a series so that you don't have to run two sets of wire to the control panel.

All the recessed options you provided are for different scenarios of windows/doors. Normally, regular sized contacts are used except where these sensors may be too large to fit the door or window frame. Stubby contacts would be used in such occassion. The stubby/earth magnet contacts are great for window applications because of the size of the magnet (depending on your window type, you may not need to drill into your window to fit the magnet).


Angle grinder 4 1/2" diamond blade with 7/8 in. with 5/8 in. insert included -what is the insert for? I have a 4 1/2" angle grinder and I bought this blade because I need to cut some concrete bricks for my patio.
With the blade I received a small disk that fits in the hole of the diamond disk and it seems to be some sort of adapter so that the blade can match the size of the arbor.
When I tried to attach the blade that seemed to be the only way to attach it (by using this small disk) but when it did not really work, the blade did not seem to attach firmly to the arbor even after I tightened the screw that was supposed to press both the blade and the adapter (the piece with three small wholes in the picture)
I am talking about the yellow disk labeled "Adapter" below. (I represented this based on what I remember about it, I don't have the tool in front of me)

What am I doing wrong?
Edit: I have checked and indeed if you flip the nut then the nut presses on the disk. If the nut is not flipped the nut pressed on the adapter. The nut in this last mentioned position is used when you have a recessed blade that you use angled for grinding.
The adapter is needed to center the blade on the arbor BUT it has not role in in the tightening mechanism that keeps the blade in place. That it the role of the nut if it is flipped

Depending on the thickness of the blade, you flip the locking nut over. Also, it may or may not need the adapter for different disks.


Connecting electric hob in Germany I bought this induction hob (that sits on the table top), and I need to connect it to the wires.

The problem is that there are 5 wires, the hob came with a cable that joined 4 wires into 2 pairs at the end. That cable was too short so I switched it to a longer one (same thickness, same color coding).

Here is what the manual has to say on wiring:

The built-in cable had the cables arranged in the first arrangement (32A 1N ~)

The socket in the wall looks like this:

Seeing the slight damage, and knowing that another socket in my apartment has intermittent working issues (I'll deal with that separately), I wanted to make sure that my hob won't blow up when I connect it, so I took a cheap chinese multimeter and measured the voltage on each of the pairs.
And there I was, in shock:

Blue - Brown = 230V
Brown - Gray = 150V
Brown - Black = 90V
Black - Gray = 60V
Blue - Gray = 60V
Blue - Black = 120V

So no other situation is applicable other than the first one (32A 1N ~). Except that I have a problem with that, since my main switches that I guess are for this circuit are rated at 25A, so I guess that if I'll ever use them at 30A, they will automatically switch off, so I can't use my hob properly this way.

So I have the following questions:

What's going on? Why does my cheap multimeter measure 230V on one pair, and ludicrous values (60V) on others?
What would happen if I connect every wire to its respective color (thus possibly getting 60V instead of 220-240V)?
Are the automatic switches so sensitive that they do turn off at exactly 25A? Or can they go higher than their rating?
Is it possible that wires from 2 different switches converge into the same color? (in the photo you can see 2 blue wires, 2 brown wires, and 2 striped wires, so maybe I have 2x25A)

Update and solution: it seems like the brown+blue pair have 2 wires, which means that they are connected to 2 switches: of which either is at least 16 amps. So I got my hob connected to 32 amps, completely ignoring the other 2 wires.


How can I repair these rusty electrical connections? When I turn on my air conditioner at the thermostat the vents kick on but nothing outside.  Also the last time that it worked it took a few minutes to get going and was pretty loud.  I checked the electric all the way from the breaker box to the outside fuse box for the air conditioner and everything was good.

The unit is about 3-4 years old.  When I took off the side panel I noticed a lot of rust and found that some of the electric tabs were ready to fall off.

Here are some pictures:

There was a yellow wired that just crumbled when I touched it.   I am guessing that was the culprit but could be any or all.

So questions are...

Is this a normal amount of rust for the inside of an air conditioner after a few years?  The outside looks brand new, it sits under and overhang, and the area where the compressor is looks brand new.

All of the connections to both of these pieces is heavily rusted.  What is the suggestion to fix?  Where can I buy the items and all that good stuff?  I am good with electric, just have never used caps or worked on air conditioner.

And lastly - how can I keep this thing from rusting out so fast in the future?

I would strongly encourage you to replace this unit (the Siemens component, not the entire AC) and replace the ends to those electrical wires. Simply put if the rust situation is that terrible I wouldn't be at all surprised if the integrity of the unit is already compromised, i.e. ready to fail you at any time. Your yellow wire is almost certainly why it's not working now, but it's a pain to fix it, and then have to fix it again only a few days/weeks later.

This is not a normal amount of rust; a great deal of humidity is getting to it, more than usual. I'm a Florida resident who had a 12 year old AC unit at one point that had been through a number of hurricanes and tropical storms, and it was only slightly oxidized, no rust. (Though I had to regularly open it for service because for whatever reason ants loved to commit suicide by throwing their bodies in between the electrical contacts)

To fix the rust you'll need to find where it's getting exposed to so much humidity from. Likely a seal or gasket is bad. You can either replace the broken seal/gasket or there are after-market products used as essentially spray on sealants. I recommend fixing it properly and replacing whatever seal or gasket is broken, but in a pinch squirting some sealant into the location that's leaking (with the AC OFF and given enough time to dry) will resolve minor leaks (depending on the severity).


Breaker being tripped - Oven or wiring? Recently, our oven was left on all day, and sometime during the day it tripped the breaker.

Now, whenever the oven is used (only for heating pizza, so 10-15 minute timeframe), the breaker trips during the preheat phase. If I reset the breaker, the oven functions normally.

Is this more likely to be a wiring problem, or an oven problem? Is there any danger in using the oven after resetting the breaker?

Clarification - The stove top (ceramic elementless) works fine. It also functioned normally previous to it being left on for an extended period. The home was built in the late 90's, and while the stove is a newer model, it was there when we purchased the home in 2010, so I do not know the provenance.

It is only when the oven is used that the breaker trips. I will have it checked, however.

Stop and get things checked out!!!

The breaker is there as a safety protection device - not as a minor inconvenience. If the breaker is tripping there is an overload or short circuit some place that needs to be addressed. Electrical safety issues are nothing to mess around with. You could get severely shocked or killed as a result of an electrical fault. Call in a qualified electrician today to evaluate the situation and help with the proper fix.

The problem could be any one of the following:

oven
oven power plug
wiring feeding power to the oven
circuit breaker in the main junction box


How to replace a Jacuzzi bathtub faucet I have moderate plumbing skills.

What is the procedure for replacing a leaking Jacuzzi bathtub faucet?

Mine is similar to the picture. I DO NOT want to break through the tile to get to the bottom components.

Can this be replaced from above?    Is breaking tile the only option?

There is no way to replace this from the top.   You have to access it from the side/bottom.  The tub will be glued/screwed in somehow and there will be no way to lift it.  Furthermore, the faucet is most likely soldered into place on rigid copper pipes.  These do not have flexible hoses like a regular bathroom sink faucet.

If there is something wrong with the faucet and it needs repair, feel free to ask another question about that.  Also, you may be able to get a new trim kit for the faucet to make it look newer without replacing the valves.


How do I install a bathroom wall light? I live in a small, newly built flat in London. The walls are plasterboard. In our bathroom, the only lights are two halogen down lighters on the ceiling. I would like to install two new lights on the wall either side of the mirror.

To make things harder, I don't want to go upstairs and ask the guy who lives there to pull up his carpet.

Is this something I can attempt myself? How do I get the wire from the ceiling light across the ceiling and down the wall to the new lights?

Added: I own this flat. The lights are proper bathroom lights, from a bathroom shop. They are not within reach of the shower, but they are obviously within reach of the sink. There is no actual bath in the room.

Please don't be distracted by the fact that this is in a bathroom. Really I would like to know how to get the wires from the ceiling light to the wall light.

One thing I've been surprised at doing my house is that getting a plasterer is easier and cheaper than you might have thought. So, be brave.

Take down the bits of ceiling and wall that are in the way, drill proper holes in the joists and noggins for the cable runs and lay the cable in. Wire up the other end of the cable, then tape over the ends of the cable where the wall lights will go.

Next get some plasterboard -- B+Q usefully sell it in half-size sheets that fit in a car -- cut to the size of your holes (with little holes for your cables), and nail to the joists in the ceiling and the noggins in the wall. Don't worry too much if there's a few mm around the gap, it doesn't need to to be too precise.

Then have a plasterer put a "skim coat" over the top of the lot. He or she may even say it's cheaper and easier for them to do the whole ceiling or the whole wall. Stand back open-mouthed while they do the lot in a few minutes!

Oh, and I'd take @Tim Baker's suggestion of picking up the power from the switch. Given that you're in the UK, if the wiring was done in the last forty years this is going to be a pull switch on the ceiling, no?

(Usual disclaimers apply: be careful mucking about with power in the bathroom, it makes sense [and is required by the Building Regs] for a circuit that's going to a wet area to be protected by an RCD.)


Fixing very old, very undersized ceiling joists I own a 24x60' uninsulated building that's about 100 years old. The roof is matched 2x4 rafters (no ridge board) with 2x4 ceiling joist (technically rafter ties I guess). As you can imagine, the joists are sagging quite substantially. Previous owners have tried to fix it with a mix of various methods. I want it fixed one and for all because I'm planning on drywalling and insulating the building.
I don’t think I can put in bigger joist because there would be no room to fit them at the top plate. Definitely not the 2x12's that would be required. I'd really rather not put in posts and beam because the ceiling is only 8' high.
My thought is to jack a joist straight, sister a 4’ 2x4 to it in the middle, tie the now straight joist to a strongback. Would this provide enough support to hold the sag out and support drywall and insulation?

You have several challenges when adding many thousands of lbs. of weight to a roof system like that (which almost certainly wasn't designed with that use in mind):

The ceiling joists aren't up to the task, as you know. The only real fix for this over a 24' span is to tie them to the rafters, which leads us to the next problem...
The rafters are barely adequate as they are. If you now hang the weight of a gypsum ceiling on them they'll soon be looking like your ceiling joists do, or they'll just give up the ghost. Unless...
You replicate a modern engineered truss with V-webbing and adequate gussets at all connections. They'd look about like this when done:

source
Note that gussets must be fastened properly--those spiky steel plates cannot be simply pounded into place. They're not designed for that. If you were to screw or nail plywood gussets on, they'd need to be robust enough. Wood isn't as strong as steel, so you need a larger panel of suitable thickness.
As to your strongback proposal... a strongback stiffens things by sharing load across several attached members and keeps them on plane. It does not hold them up. You'd have to install a beam that spans the 60' down the center of your building while carrying nearly all the weight of your insulation and drywall.
I strongly urge you to get a local expert on scene. This is a project that could get dangerous in a hurry if not done well. Good luck.


Changing radiators to radiant wall heating In my bedroom/study I have only a radiator as heating. The problem is that the water flow is controlled by the thermostat in the living. This means that around wintertime my room has a big change in temperature. It is hard to control the heating of my room and because I use my bedroom also as a study I spend a lot of time in it. The problem is that once the temperature in the living in 20°c the thermostat stop the heating of the radiators and so it stops the heating of my room. That way sometimes my room only achieve a poor 14°C which is not comfortable to use as a study. But If I turn up the radiator in my room higher, there is a chance (it only happens a few times) that it reaches 21-22°C which is to hot for me to sleep.

I thought about a solution: if I changed the radiator (most of it is just heating air in stead of giving radiant heat) into a radiant heating system, it could solve my problem. I was thinking about a system like a 'heat wall', that's where they placed heated water lines against the wall and then place cob over it. But that system is designed for low temperature heating systems, in which the water is far less hot than it is when used for radiators. But I think that if I make like an extra cob wall of like 20 cm thick, I could store some of that hot water heat for when the thermostats stops the hot water circulation. That way the hot water used for the radiator would not result in an extreme hot wall surface, but it would result in a buffering radiant heating wall.

I was wondering if this idea can work or if there will be major issues. My idea for the moment is: replace the radiator by a water pipe network and then put cob around it. Or is there a better way to do it?

Changing the delivery method in the room does not address the (evident) actual problem of having the space controlled by a thermostat in a different room which does not track well with it.

Radiant wall can be a nice setup, but it is also very slow to respond, so you will probably make the disconnect between the living room thermostat and the bedroom worse, not better.

Unless you have a major desire to try radiant wall, simply splitting the heating into more circuits (a bit more pipe, and valves or pumps, and another thermostat) will solve the problem you describe reliably and with less disruption to the house, and for less cost, by isolating the bedroom heat to a circuit controlled by a thermostat in the bedroom.

If you do have a desire to try radiant wall, you will still want to separate the heating loops, and the radiant wall loop should probably also have a control to reduce the temperature in that loop (it's a common item - "injection circulator" is one term, there are also valves to achieve the same end) basically the fluid in the wall is running around a loop that is connected to the loop from the heat source, but only enough hot fluid from the heat source is added to the loop to maintain the lower temperature suitable for the radiant loop, rather than running the full flow of high-temperature fluid through the radiant loop.


Running romex in 20" attic space using pipe hangers My drywall ceiling is attached to 2x6 joists 16" OC.   Then, a 10" air gap above these joists are the 2x6 rafters 32" OC, for my flat roof just above.   Even though the home is 1955, I have knob & tube throughout this attic space which I'd like to replace.   Also, I'd like to improve the current insulation which is blown-in cellulose only about 4" deep (you can see the ceiling joists if I pop my head up).

I'm thinking of installing some 3" pipe hangers such as below, on the underside of the rafters, to help with running 12/2 NM-B romex cables for now and in the future.  I'd put one above the light fixture and one near the attic access hatch (for each room).

QUESTIONS:

Is there a better/standard option rather than these pipe hangers to
accomplish my goal?
Am I overthinking this and I should just let the romex be buried
by the new/additional blown-in insulation?

Pic of my "attic"

Footnote:  The new wire which replaces the k&t will be run from the basement below, where the main panel is, and only switch-to-light wires will be in the attic.  And I'll leave the old k&t in place, but disconnected.

Footnote 2:   I'm very tempted to completely rip off the ceiling drywall and do batt insulation or spray foam, but I fear the cost/time will be prohibitive.

As mentioned in a comment, those are not listed to be used for electrical cables. If you are just running one cable in one run, just use regular NM cable staples like these:

If you are running multiple cables and would like to save some time, you can use "stackers" like these:

If you added another 2x4 to the side of the members that run perpendicular to your joists, you could also just use that as a raceway and run your cables in there.

Edit: To answer the second part of your question, it will be fine for the cables to be in the blow-in insulation. If you think you will be doing lots of work up there and changing things around later, you might to have the cable up higher so you can find them easier later. But that is personal preference.

You may also want to look at this question, it goes over the requirements for additional protection if the cables are in an accessible attic (vs one without access).


Is there a list of status codes for Maytag Bravos Quiet Series 300? The Maytag Bravos Quiet Series 300 washing machine has a display. It displays codes sometimes. Is there a list of status codes?

From the Maytag Bravos® Use & Care Guide (PDF)

Code        Reason
LF          Washer is taking too long to fill
Ld          Washer is taking too long to drain
uL          Unbalanced load
oL          Overload
Sd          Suds detected
lid         Lid open
HC          Hot and cold supplies reversed
dL          Door/lid cannot lock
dU          Door/lid cannot unlock
Fd          Factory Default
F_ _        Fault code

If the machine is showing one of the fault codes, you'll have to contact Maytag. The list of fault codes is probably not publicly published, and is likely only available to Maytag service people.


Fiberglass batts: how to cover the exposed paper? I need to install fiberglass batts under my (raised) house. I have read that the paper should generally face the warm side, so it depends on where one lives. I live in South Louisiana, so I plan to place the batts with the paper facing outside. But there are clear instructions on the cover of the insulation packs that say that the paper should not be left exposed, so it will need to be covered, but with what?

At the least i would cover it with 1/4" plywood. At the most I would cover it with 4X8 sheets of cement board. Depending on the moisture present under the home, would temper the choice further.


How to avoid using door trim I have installed a new pre-hung door that needs to blend in with the surrounding wall. The door is a flat slab and will be painted the same as the wall. I don't want to use door trim as I need a flat look. How do I conceal the gap between the frame and the door jamb? I could use plaster but I think it will crack over time.

I'm going to take a stab at this one, though I've never tried this for something large like a door frame.

Go get some self-adhesive fiberglass drywall tape and cover the area to be blended. Mud the seam, sand and repeat until smooth and the surface is blended with the wall.  Prime and paint to match.

Alternatively, you could try peeling the paper off some scrap drywall and gluing it to the wall, and then doing the same as above with drywall compound.

I think these will help prevent it from cracking.  You'll want to make sure the door frame is well secured to minimize any "give" that would crack it.


Who is the right professional to call for drainage issues? I've got some concerns about the drainage on our property and want to consult with a professional about.  The problems, I'm not sure what kind of professional to call.

To provide some context, here's the issues I'm concerned about:

During heavy rains, our back yard becomes a wading pool.  This water accumulates up against the stucco of the house, but I've not noticed any penetration into the crawlspace (yet).  There is a drain system that is able to keep up with normal rain volume, but it's unclear where it drains to.
In the front yard, there appears to be erosion that has created a hollow area under a corner of our concrete driveway and the sidewalk.

I'd like someone to take a look at both situations and see if there's an overarching problem or if the drain system is broken and causing the erosion.  We've also got some settling in the garage (large crack in concrete floor) that makes me wonder if the drainage problems are related to that.  The drain line potentially runs next to the garage.

All the searching I've done to figure out who to call has yielded landscapers that would happily do work for me, but I'm not sure if they'd be able to investigate completely rather than just addressing the visible problems.  Is a structural engineer the right person to call in?  Someone else?

As others have suggested, a good excavator or even a landscape contractor might be able to find relatively simple ways to alter the landscape of your yard so that water will naturally flow away from the home.

Civil engineer would be your best bet but they are also expensive enough that I see them as the last ditch effort if other measures have been failing.  Typically experienced landscape contractors or excavators can figure out where the water is flowing during a rainstorm and divert it away from the house with a bit of digging.

French Drains

While water may not be seeping into your foundation right now, having all of that water pool next to the house is inviting problems.  Reagrdless of landscaping, it is a good idea to install french drains around the perimeter of your house if you know that rain water is inevitably flowing towards your home.

The following image is a typical installation.  The drain itself is typically a trench running a couple of feet typically from the house and going down below the frost line.  You want the drain pipe to be deep enough that it will be below the frost line so that water flowing inside the pipe will not freeze and crack it.  The frost line differs by region, obviously colder climates have a deeper frost line.

The holes allow water to flow down or up into the pipe, while the pipe running at a slight downward slope will take the water and flow it away from the house in another direction.  It typically sits on a thin bed of gravel and the trench is filled with gravel rather than soil as water will more easily flow down through to the drain pipe if the trench is filled with gravel rather than soil.  Soil will also potentially clog the drain making it ineffective.  For aesthetic reasons, sod can be placed over top or you can do something clever like make a rock garden.

If you are a masochist and thoroughly enjoy pain, then you can grab a shovel and dig the trench, but for those of us who are lazy and like excuses to play with complicated equipment, you can rent a backhoe for a day and turn a week long digging job into a 2 hour weekend job.  When digging however, be extremely careful about the location of underground utilities:

Water lines
Gas lines
Sewer lines
Electrical conduit
Cable and telephone lines.

Make sure to identify where these come into the house and approximate their location and depth in relation to where you intend to dig your trench.  If any of them are close then it is probably best to call a professional just to be safe.

Gutters and Downspouts

Another possiblity could simply be that your gutter downspouts are draining too close to the house, or are draining into storm drains that have become clogged.

The following is an example of a downspout draining too close to the foundation.

Many times this can be fixed rather easily, by extending the downspout horizontally away from the house, or channelling it far enough away that it has somewhere to flow other than down your foundation walls.  Check out your local hardware store because there is a number of ways to effectively and cheaply handle this.

Also it is a good idea to check your gutters regularly for clogs.  A clog can prevent water from flowing from your gutters to your downspouts, causing it to pour over the edge or sometimes down the side of the house.  This is also something to check for.

Downspouts can also sometimes flow into an underground drain, which can sometimes be the source of the problem.  This drain typically will be a storm drain that flows away from the house or to a public storm drain.  These can sometimes become clogged causing water to not flow properly away from the house.  Most landscape contractors can easily help unclog such drains if you suspect that this might be the case.

This should give you some ideas of things to look into or try before contacting a civil engineer, as the fix might be more manageable and less complicated than you think.  And as far as a sinkhole swallowing your house, I have only ever heard of that happening because of a house sitting on top of a collapsed coal mine.  If you live in a heavily mined area then your municipality probably has maps that will show whether your house sits overtop of an old mine.  I wouldn't personally worry about this.  The cracks in your foundation might be from the ground settling or moving slightly from excessive soil saturation.


Under sink drain vent odors I work in maintenance at a home for abused, neglected, etc children. We have 20 bathroom sinks (4 sinks per house with 5 houses) this facility was built 6 years ago. All the sinks use an under sink vent, not vented thru the roof. Recently some of the bathrooms have developed an odor which gets stronger the closer you get to the vent. Can these vents be cleaned out somehow or should I just replace them as odors arise?

Sometimes these charity facilities have work "donated" to them, and it might not be the most experienced plumber, electrician, or whatever doing the job.  You might want to get a trusted, experienced plumber to look over the install to make sure there's not something fundamentally wrong.

That said, and assuming the vents are installed correctly, the design of your particular vent will determine if it can be cleaned or not.  In a lot of cases a plumber would just replace the vent because it's not worth their time to try and clean it, and hope it still works.  If you're a full time maintenance person at the facility (or a DIY'er), you have time to try and clean them and then replace if they don't work since you're there all the time any way (no trip charges, driving, etc).

For instance, in this article, the guy just replaces the vent because it was so nasty, but maybe he could have soaked it for an hour and scrubbed it out.  Or maybe he just knew it would never work right because he'd done it before...

Short version:  Try to clean them if you think it's worth it, but you might just have to replace it anyway.


Can I install an under-mount sink in an existing Formica counter? I am slightly remodeling my kitchen (on a slim budget).  Because I cannot afford granite countertops, I've decided to use the countertop makeover kits on the Formica that are available and make it LOOK like granite.  The kitchen sink that I have can be mounted either under or over, and is currently over.  I'd like to have it mounted under.  Is that a huge undertaking or even possible?  The faucet fixtures are part of the sink itself.  I've held off on doing the counter top transformation until I can discern whether the sink can be undermounted.

If the substrate under the formica (which is a thin veneer) is particle board, you must do something about the exposed edge of particleboard around the hole that they originally cut to put the sink into.  Not only is it ugly, but it will suck up water and expand and disintegrate.

There are kits to glue a curbing over this edge that purport to waterproof it. I am VERY leery that such a thing can work over the long term.  Water just gets in - that's its job.

Your fixtures must be mounted through an apron of the sink that extends to the back?  They would remain so, and just extend up from below counter level (there is probably no countertop underneath them now.  If you look underneath, you will probably see that the hole for the sink goes back further than the fixtures).  This will create a cleaning nightmare :(

The hole will probably need to be neatened up (it's probably not a nice even shape) and it is probably a bit bigger than it needs to be.  The sink will be held to the underside of the counter by clips that screw into the countertop from underneath, and you will use silicone on the rim of the sink before lifting it into place to provide a seal (and probably run a fillet around the joint after it's in place, wiping the excess away with your finger).

It sounds like a lot of work, and a lot of things that can go wrong.  I'd suggest just keeping it overmount.


How to remove construction adhesive from concrete? We removed a wooden dance floor that was glued to concrete with liquid nails.  How do I remove the liquid nails that is all over the concrete floor?  Has anyone had success with heat, mineral spirits or any other remover product?

Removing glue from any surface is a thankless task.  You will not be able to return the floor to an as-built state.  You're going to have to cover it with something.

You're going to have to dissolve it and scrape it.  And it's going to be a heck of job.

Some expert google-fu has yielded Baby Oil as a potential solvent.  Other suggestions were mineral oil.

However, I think a better solution would be to get a floor sander with a grinding pad and sand it off.  Remember to wear a dust mask.


What is the best way to remove cigarette smoke smell from a house? We're buying a house from previous owners that were smokers. The house still smells of smoke even with no furniture or upholstery in it. We plan to replace all the carpet with wood flooring. We're hoping that will do the trick. But our realtor indicated that it might also need to be repainted and possibly primed with something like Kilz too. I'm just trying to get an idea of what we're in for.

I know you're removing the carpets, but shampooing them will get rid of a lot of the lingering smell.  You may need to do it more than once; if so, make sure to let them dry completely in between.  After they're dry, vacuum them with a HEPA filter to remove dust or smoke particles that you might have dislodged while shampooing.

Smoke will have settled on all the surfaces in the house, so you should definitely think about repainting the walls and ceilings.  Clean them thoroughly first using Trisodium phosphate (TSP).  The Kilz that your realtor recommends is both a sealer and a primer; it will seal in any stains and smells and provide a good base to paint on.

Other surfaces should be cleaned too: kitchen or bathroom floors, doors, windows, countertops, etc.

Finally, just airing the house out will help some: open all the windows and have fans pulling fresh air into the house.  You'll need good ventilation while painting, so you should be doing a lot of this anyway.


How do I determine the correct tile trim depth? I'm installing some large format (406mm x 406mm) 12mm travertine tiles on some walls in a bathroom. I'd like to finish some exposed tile edges within some aluminium tile trim. However, I'm unsure which depth of trim to go for. Clearly it'll need to be at least 12mm but I have no idea how thick the adhesive will be after bedding the tile down. The adhesive is 'Vitra marble and stone select' and the recommended trowel notch size is U9 or E10. What would be an appropriate trim depth so that I can have the surface of the tile level with the trim?

I would experiment a bit using some cutoffs and a steel combination ruler.  Try to figure the average float percentage, I would expect 10-30% of the notch height for tiles that large.

The depth of mud under tile is variable, mostly based on the wall flatness and somewhat based on tile size.  You have to float enough to bridge and give full support, more so with a natural stone tile like travertine.

Your edge profile will look best and protect best if its as flat to the wall as possible.


Do you need to balance radiators in a sealed system Considering the pro cans cons of moving form an open vented central heating & hot water system to a sealed pressurised system

One question I have do you still need to balance radiators in a sealed system or not ?

nothing changes in heating between the 2 systems


How warm can power cables get while still being Ok? I built a little man cave outside of the house. The whole thing is being fed by a single 20m wire, not sure what gauge, its just the one I had.

With all the electrical stuff turned on at the same time (computer, projector, ac, fridge, ventilation, lights) the combined power draw should be ~2.5kW. While its all on, I can feel the main cable being somewhat warm-ish, almost body temperature. Is that Ok?

Doesn't have to last forever, I have plans for next summer for some upgrades and am probably going to switch it out then anyways.

Most circuit breakers, wire, and equipment are designed to operate up to 75°C which is 167°F.

Normally, they are not that hot, but if they are fully loaded they could become hot enough that you don't want to hold on to them for very long.

Body temperature is pretty cool for a cable operating with a reasonable load on it.

I would not worry until it burns your hand to touch it.


How can I make wooden stairs slip-proof? My wife loves the idea of removing our stair carpet and putting bold/bright wallpaper on the vertical faces (risers)...

...but we're concerned that the horizontal parts (treads) would be much more slippery as plain wood, compared to carpet. With a 4yr old in the house, and my wife being so accident-prone, I think we need some sort of anti-slip.

I am not sure if it is possible to cover every single tread with a seperate piece of carpet. It might be difficult to secure the outer edge under the lip.

Perhaps paint each step, and sprinkle on sand/sugar whilst still wet? This would leave a textured surface, quite rough.

Perhaps glue thin strips of rubber along each tread?

A few options.

1 - Grip/tread tape (easy/cheap but maybe ugly):

2 - Rubber treads (modern/industrial look):

3 - 'tread/grip' additive for paint (easiest to 'blend in' to decor):

3b - DIY 'tread/grip' additive: