Correct type of shower handle to use for valve that sticks out too far? I'm attempting to install a shower handle on an unfinished build. The problem I'm facing is the handle plate does not fit over the white pipe that is sticking out of the wall. Should that white portion be sticking out past the tile?

The handle I bought fits right over the valve, but it doesn't fit over the white pipe. Did I just buy the wrong type of handle, or is there some kind of plate adapter to work around this problem?

Edit: Here's a pic of the plate over the valve. This was the reason I made the assumption that the valve stuck out too far. I like the approach of taking the pic to a plumbing store to make sure I end up with the right type of handle.

What you are calling a white pipe is likely the body of the mixing valve. The installation as it is now looks carefully done: a nice circular hole, and a schluter kerdi seal around the hole (the orange plastic ring inside the hole). I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it sticks out to much. You probably just bought the wrong brand of handle.

You're best bet is to take this photo to a plumbing supplier and hope the can identify what brand of mixing valve you have.  Then you can order a handle and escutcheon (the cover plate) that fit your valve properly. I don't recognize the brand myself, I can only tell you it doesn't look like a Moen valve.


Shallow mailbox post hole I need to build a mailbox post (for two mailboxes) and have confirmed  underground power and data cables exist.
Unfortunately the plans don't specify the exact position or depth and it's likely the data cables are 300mm down. I don't have access to a metal detector.
Can I get away with 200mm concrete footings? With 50mm of gravel under the concrete?
I'm thinking of making wide shallow concrete footings, with steel bolts anchoring the posts. There will be two timber posts 300mm apart connected above ground with railings (planning to make it look like our fence).
Does this sound reasonable?

A post set in the normal way but with only 200 mm depth won't be very secure.
Call the underground utility locating/marking service, if one exists in your area, and then dig your post holes carefully. It may turn out that the buried lines do not conflict with your plan or that your plan can be adjusted to work around them.
You can definitely trade depth of the post for mass of the footing. A concrete slab sitting on the surface (no ground penetration at all) will support a very large mailbox. For example, cluster mailboxes like those below are commonly bolted to a section of flatwork. (image credit: https://kentonbrothers.com/generalinfo/cluster-mailboxes/)

Your "wide shallow concrete footings" sounds similar to this idea. If a large concrete surface at ground level doesn't suit you then you could put it below ground. Excavate a large but shallow hole nearly to the buried cables, pour a concrete slab (or place a precast concrete pad), attach posts, and then replace soil over it so that only the posts rise above ground.


Can I remove the water supply hose from this valve? I'm trying to install a T-connector to this valve but it looks like the hose isn't removable, although I'm not sure. Can someone take a look and verify?

NO, the tubing is part of the valve and not a seperate removeable piece. These valves were common (because they were cheap) a few decades ago. I have seen many where the tubing broke where it is connected to the valve, causing a suprise flood; be careful messing with it.

If you need to tee the line you will need to do it a different way. I recommend soldering a male pipe thread adapter directly to the copper, then using a threaded tee.


Can I power a lamp from both the switched and unswitched halves of a split outlet? I have a split socket power source(upper is on a wall switched and lower is full time power). My desire is to have a reading lamp come on and off with the other lights in the room with the wall switch, which would be as simple as plugging into the top socket. HOWEVER, ADDITIONALLY, I'd like to be able to use the reading light when the wall switch is off with an inline switch which would need to be plugged into the lower socket.  As a matter of fact, I can wire the 2 plugs to the lamp in the correct sequence to accomplish both desires.  MY QUESTION IS how much trouble am I in, if the lamp is powered on from the lower full time socket AND the switch on the wall gets turned on as well?????

You will probably be better off overall to keep things simpler than the scheme that you think that you want. Mixing up the wiring could be problematic as indicated in the comments of the two parts of the duplex outlets are on separate circuits.

A better way to get the type of operation that you desire is to turn to the modern smart technologies. One example would be to look at the Lutron Caseta line of smart lighting products. With this you could setup something as follows:

Replace the switch for the other lights with a Caseta smart switch.
Add a Caseta plugin light controller to the always powered outlet to give smart control for the plug in desk lamp.
Acquire two Caseta PICO remotes (small battery powered remotes).
Either use wall mount kits to install the PICOs at a convenient wall location OR get desktop pedestals for the two PICOs.
Pair the PICOs with the smart light switch and the plug in light controller to get the type of control you desire. As described in you question, you would likely pair one PICO just with the plug in light controller to give independent control of the desk lamp. Then pair the second PICO with both the smart light switch and the plug in lamp controller to achieve the ability to control both the lights and lamp from a single control point.

(Note that I have no affiliation with Lutron or Caseta products other than having fully smartized my home with these products).


Should I seal around the base of a bath/shower? I was planning on putting caulk around the base of my bath/shower, but I have been told by someone that it is preferable not to seal the bottom of a bath as it "prevents it from being able to breath" (which I assume, but don't know for sure, means they are saying any moisture under the unit will not be able to evaporate).

However, to me this seems counter-intuitive. If the bottom was sealed, that would prevent an obvious route for moisture to get under the unit.

The bath is fiber-glass, against a tiled wall which the shower head is mounted to. The flooring running to the edge of the base is linoleum.

Should I seal or shouldn't I?

I would caulk any joint between fiberglass and tile. Some pre-made fiberglass kits have ways to overlap and seal the joint, but that doesn't appear to be your situation. Water coming out of the shower will be much more significant than any moisture that makes it through the tiles and grout.

That said, if moisture eventually deteriorates the walls and tiles, the best option is to replace the wall and then use a waterproof membrane that prevents any moisture from getting to the wall.


Why place humidifer on cold air return I'm trying to understand why a whole house humidifier is placed on the cold air return where water is injected into the air flow and then it has to pass through a five inch filter before entering combustion area and hot air piping.
Would the filter not stop the condensation from going past it?
My own home has this and I'm lucky to ever get a humidity reading above 37% when it sounds like it's working constantly, I understood 40 % + is recommended. I just assumed the filter comes into play?

The biggest reason is probably "because that's where it fits."
It's true that warmer air can carry more grains of water than colder air can. That's a good physics-based reason for locating the humidifier on the supply air duct.
But lots of homes have an air conditioning evaporator sitting atop the furnace. Furnaces don't often get installed in a premium room; instead they end up stuffed in a closet somewhere that's lucky to have an 8 foot ceiling. Then the supply ducts have to remain below the floor joists, and the ducts are about a foot deep, and next thing you know there are only 7 feet of vertical height to fit the furnace and A/C into. There often isn't vertical space to accommodate a humidifier. Oh, and there are one or two ducts for the exhaust flue and maybe intake air too that come down in front of the furnace. And so on..
A return air duct, on the other hand, is often a large blank canvas. There is lots of unobstructed surface where the humidifier can be mounted. It might become routine to some installers to place a humidifier there "because that's how we always do it" even if there were room on the supply duct on a particular job.
A humidifier should be able to get the job done regardless of which duct it's installed on. If yours isn't, maybe you could ask a question about that.


How to prevent fridge freezer drain from freezing over? I have a Samsung fridge freezer, with fridge on the top. The drain pipe in the fridge that lets the condensation out freezes near the bottom (near the freezer part) and blocks after just 2 days since I defrosted it. So then the drain overflows and a big pool of water at the bottom of the fridge. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a way to fix it, or is it time for a new fridge?
EDIT:
The model is a Samsung RL26DCAS. The drain pipe that is causing the issue is pretty much inaccessible. You can access the end of the pipe from a removable panel on the back of the freezer. but the part of the pipe that is frozen is slightly higher than this, and the only way to access it would be to take a saw to the metal panel on the back. I will try and add a picture later if I can.

There should be a rubber drain line that goes from the bottom of the condensate tray in the back of the freezer (probably behind an access panel), out the bottom of the refig, to the drain pan that's under the refrig.  That drain line can get clogged with dust/dirt or spider webs.  When this happens, the water can't flow out of the freezer, backs up into the freezer, and freezes.
You need to get to that rubber drain tube and clear it out.  But first you have to get rid of the ice that's blocking it.
There should be information on line as to how to do this for your particular model refrigerator.  On some you can access this from the freezer comparment.  But on others you need to in through the back of the refrig to get to the drain line.
Added Picture
Here is picture from https://www.applianceblog.com, that shows the condensate pan on a typical Samsung freezer, showing the ice buildup that results from a clogged drain tube.  The drain tube comes out in the center (usually) of the pan that's covered in ice in that picture.


What size wire and breaker should I use for a small one bedroom cottage? Have a small one bedroom cottage. I need to install a subpanel in it. I have a two hundred amp panel 30 feet away. The only things I will power in the cottage are two can lights, six outlets, small window unit and a small refrigerator. What gauge wire should I run to the subpanel? Also what size breaker as the main should I use in the sub?

If I were you, I'd go as follows (assuming US split 240v)

Run 8 gauge THHN from your main panel to your subpanel (in buried conduit) and use a 50A breaker in the main. Run 4 wires so you get 240v and ground. Should be more than sufficient for anything you can throw at it and you can always expand if needed. Be sure to ground your panel to a grounding rod while you're at it.
Run your lights on a single 15A breaker. Makes adding lights easier, it's cheaper (14 gauge wire and 15A switches, and don't forget to add neutrals to the switch boxes!) and you won't be in the dark if you blow a breaker in the subpanel
Run a 15A breaker to a single dedicated outlet for your AC. It's overkill, but I'm assuming you have a 5k-6k BTU window unit. That's 6-7 amps, which is a lot to share with other outlets, even on 20A (especially with 2-3A for a fridge). If you ever decide to upsize, you have no worries about rewiring it either.
Run the rest of your outlets on one 20A circuit (12 gauge wire). Don't skimp and run them on 15A because you have a lot of 14 gauge wire. You'll regret it the first time you pop that 15A breaker.


How can I achieve a straight ridge line when taping a vaulted ceiling? I was just wondering if there are any tricks (special techniques) to taping a vaulted ceiling which is very high, like 16 feet?  I think it's too high for stilts.
It's new construction on a small house we've been building for ourselves.  I just finished putting up the drywall.  I have a scaffold which lets me access a very small portion of the ceiling at a time, but it is going to be difficult to do long runs.  Do you use a chalk line to make sure these lines are straight, for instance, when you can only do an inner corner maybe 6-8 ft at a time?  Or do you do long runs while getting on and off the scaffold moving it around quickly?

There's one key to remember when doing ceiling ridges and other obtuse angles: The planes of the ceiling determine the position of the corner line.
So, is your ceiling flat? If you run a straightedge across the small gap at the ridge to the other plane all along the ridge, does it draw a reasonably straight line? If so, you're golden. If not, you have some thinking to do, because the outcome will necessarily be a compromise. You can pull down some drywall and shim it, or you can carry on and hope you can fix it with mud.
To answer your specific question, you should be able to work one section at a time, abutting the tape for each section.
Here's how I'd approach it.

Prefill. Hangers rarely get those tricky ridges tightly closed, so you need to create a base for your tape. Skim the planes to fill the ridge gap from one side, and let that dry. Then do the other.
Once you have a naturally-positioned line, pre-fold your tape and lay it in. Work one side and then the other, just like for prefill.
Once that's all done and dry, see what you see. Look at it from one end, and look at it from all critical areas of the room. How does it look?
Make any adjustments. If you see a wiggle, fill the depression and taper it out. Use your widest knife or a skimming blade, pulling down from the ridge. Work the mud up slowly so you don't have to carve it back down by sanding.

I'm not a pro taper, but I've mud-dled my way through many jobs and have seen countless jobs done. That's the gist of it. If it looks good from the floor, it's good.


full size wood mantlet (5 in+) 12 inches away from the fireplace openings top? US - TX fire code TLDR, can I have a full size wood mantlet (5 in+) 12 inches away from the fireplace openings top?
I am reading the fire codes

Exposed combustible mantels or trim may be placed directly on the
masonry fireplace front surrounding the fireplace opening providing
such combustible materials are not placed within 6 inches (152 mm) of
a fireplace opening. Combustible material within 12 inches (306 mm) of
the fireplace opening shall not project more than 1/8 inch (3 mm) for
each 1-inch (25 mm) distance from such an opening.

Does this mean if I had a 3 inch mantel, which is pretty stubby, I would need 6 inches + 21 inches? 27 inches is massive. My fireplace top opening is at 37, and my ideal height (top) is 53 inches, maybe 49 inches off the ground. Or is it saying that I can have at most 6/8 inches unless its over a foot away? The wording is super confusing.

"Not within 6 inches"
"Within 12 inches, 1/8 inch projection per inch from the opening" So,
7 inches away, can stick out 7/8 inch
10 inches away, can stick out 1-1/4 inch
12 inches away, can stick out 1-1/2 inch
13 inches away, stick it out as far as you like.
Not confusing at all, IMHO.
TLDR: No you cannot have a 5 inch mantel 12 inches from the opening.


How to prepare new stucco, for a later heavy duty item attachment? I would like to hang a particular heavy duty hose reel on a wall that will be patched with stucco.  In other words, it's sheathing and studs right now.

I could wait until after the stucco is on, drill holes overly large, caulk, and insert a screw.  But can I do better?  Is there some form of stud that could be placed in the stucco or on the wall, that offers less risk of long term water barrier failure?

This is USA West Coast, 1938 stucco wood frame home.

Possibly 'Trex' block build-outs to stucco up against.  The blocks would set proud of the stucco finish surface a bit.  Secure the blocks  to the sheathing and on into a stud and or 2x4 backing.  I would cut an octagonal or diamond shaped block for appearance. Paint it the same color as the stucco.

Another option would be a pattern of threaded rod anchors. (Sammy) Fill the thread to keep clean.


How to test existing ethernet cable outlets? I moved into this 15 year old house about a year ago and there's a RJ45 wall jack in my office (2nd floor) and there's another one in the living room near TV. I'd assume there's planned in for TV to use Internet. I have not seen any other RJ45 jack anywhere else through the house.

So I plugged a cable from my router to the jack in my office, and I have no signal on the other end in the living room (I plugged a switch). I took out the wall cover plates on both jacks, and the they are the same type of Cat5e cables. Is there a easy way I can test these?

Your testing method seems reasonable and probably rules out continuity between those two drops. (The exception might be if your router or switch don't have Auto MDI-X sensing and you needed a crossover cable, but that's unlikely as most devices made in the past few years should figure that out automatically.)

So if these two drops aren't directly linked, where do they go? Most often these run to a basement, attic, or closet. Possibly (but not necessarily) wherever your home's telephone wiring terminates. As a first step, try to figure out where the lines go - perhaps you can find a common termination point and locate your router or switch there to supply the drops.

If visual inspection isn't working, you can use a tool called a wire tracer or tone-and-probe kit to track where the cables go in your walls. The tool has two pieces: a tone generator and a probe. You'll either plug the tone generator into an RJ45 port, or open up the drop and clip the tone generator to a wire in the ethernet cable. The toner generates a signal that flows through the cable, effectively using the cable as a radio broadcast antenna. The probe then picks up on this signal (usually a beep or siren type tone) and replays it. You can move the probe back and forth along your walls, and identify the path the cable is taking.

Tone and probe kits are not super cheap tools, but a basic comms-oriented one can be had online for around $25 (example). I have a cheap Harbor Freight one that I've gotten a surprising amount of use from in various wiring projects.


What kind of foundation should I use for this garden shed site location? I'm getting ready to prep the following section of ground for a 10 x 10 wood garden shed:

The actual shed itself will look something like this:

I can do some minor leveling but unfortunately large-scale leveling (such as completely removing the railroad ties, adding a retaining wall, and/or major ground removal) isn't in the budget.

So with that said, I'm wondering what the best foundation would be?  The manufacturer's instructions for the shed call for a simple base of treated wood directly on the ground but that doesn't seem like it would hold up in the long term.

I'm wondering if it would be appropriate to install concrete piers so everything is off the ground?

Here's a youtube example of what I'm considering doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY6H5Zv87SM

Update

As per request, here is the climate information for the area. Relatively mild. No snow.

I would definitely keep the wood off the ground if you want to keep the shed around for the long term.  If you do decide to install pier or something similar, I think you have a couple solutions depending on how permanent you want the shed.

Permanent

This question must be related to your earlier question about post anchors.  In fact I would do exactly what is shown, using an 8" or 12" sonotube with a post anchor for 4x or 6x lumber. Upsides: You'll have a very solid base and won't have to worry about it moving around when/if you decide to put in a retaining wall.  Downside: your shed isn't moving.

Non-Permanent

Standard pier blocks with built in Anchors should give you all the strength you need for less hassle and cost.  Upsides: You could conceivably move your shed if you needed to.  Cost is probably half as much for the foundation.  Downside: Disturbing the soil around the pier block could move the shed off level when/if you decide to put in a retaining wall.  Of course you could probably jack up the shed and re-level it.


How to wire a new Honeywell RTF6580WF thermostat to replace a Chronotherm IV? I have an old Honeywell Chronotherm IV thermostat that I am trying to replace with a Honeywell RTF6580WF wifi thermostat. I have a gas furnace and an air conditioner.

Wiring for Chronotherm IV (wires in all terminals but R):

D G B Y W RC R (with wire in RC and jumper from RC to R)

Note that the 'D' terminal above may actually be an 'O' -- it's not clearly marked.

RTF6580WF wiring:

K Y2 W2 G W C Y R Rc (with R-Rc jumper)

I'm not sure what to do with the old D wire (which might actually be a letter 'O' but its very hard to read) and the B wire, and I don't know which one is my C wire on the old thermostat. I know I need a C wire.

Make a list of all the terminals, and the color of the wire that connects to each.

Rc - Red
R - Jumper
W - White
etc.

Next turn the breaker off for the furnace, and/or switch off the serviceman switch for the furnace.  Then open the service panel on the furnace.  You should be able to locate the control board where these wires connect, which should tell you everything you need to know.


Why can I not find a 120V programmable 2-pole thermostat I'm wanting to connect a 120V wall heater to a programmable, 2-pole thermostat.  The difference between 1 vs. 2 poles involves whether or not the thermostat can truly, completely cut power or not.  With 2 poles, all power to the heater can be cut.  With 1, the "off setting" is really a very-lower power setting.

I can find 2-pole programmable thermostats that use 240V, but so far, have been unable to find the 2-pole arrangement for a 120V load.  It's a pure guess that this may because 120V heaters are easier to appear "off" due to lower heat output, but 240V heaters would draw twice the current and generate twice the heat so it might be more noticeable.  Still, its hard to believe it is only that reason that would prevent manufacturers like honeywell or cadet from making such a thermostat.

Does anyone know why a 2-pole, 120V programmable thermostat is next to impossible to find?  Is there some technical or design reason why they wouldn't work?

Of course if anyone knows where one might be found...that would be excellent!
I only need 24-hour programmability, not 7-day.  But I really would like the full-power cutoff of the 2-pole thermostats.

I hope this isn't too technical for home improvement section, as I've run into this as part of a home-improvement project.  Thanks.

UPDATE:
many ask or question my conception of single v. double pole thermostats.
I'm using a definition from a Cadet heating @ http://cadetheat.com/blog/faq-single-v-double-pole/.

  Double pole stats have a true off setting.  Single pole thermostats don't.

I've seen restatements of that definition on other sites and it seemed to be true for Honeywell thermostats as well. The manufacturer statements would seem to be definitive.  If they are not, I'd want to know why.

The problem with starting from a fallacy is that it leads no-where useful.

  The difference between 1 vs. 2 poles involves whether or not the thermostat can truly, completely cut power or not. With 2 poles, all power to the heater can be cut. With 1, the "off setting" is really a very-lower power setting.

Patently false. Incorrect, wrong, and ignorant. A single pole switch. relay, or thermostat will cut all power to a 120V or 240V heater - the reason we don't use single poles for 240V heaters in the USA/Canada power system is only for an extra degree of safety, not because any power magically makes it through an open switch. If you use a single pole switch on a 240V heater in our system, the "switched off" heater would be at 120V relative to ground - it would still be firmly off, not dissipating any power, as no current is flowing, but it would present a slightly higher shock potential, or a much higher shock potential if someone were to open up its connections (believing it to be "off" at the thermostat) without shutting off the breaker for the circuit.

The reason you cannot find the item you seek is that your starting assumptions are incorrect, and there is no need for, and thus no market for, a 120V two-pole thermostat. Properly connected, the hot line is switched, and the neutral is not, and when the switch is open the entire heater is at approximately 0 volts with respect to ground, and thus there is no safety advantage to using a two-pole switch on a 120V heater.

This makes me think of James Thurber's Grandmother who was sure that electricity was leaking out of switched-on sockets with no bulbs in them...


Is chert a suitable base for a concrete driveway? I'm looking to extend my driveway to add additional parking spaces.  The area will be rougtly 20'x30'.  I've contacted a few contractors to get prices on material and labor.  Prior to calling contractors, my plan was to excavate 8" of soil, add 4" of compactable gravel as a base, build forms, pour and finish 4" of concrete.  The soil here is mostly clay and doesn't drain well.

Most contractors suggested similar.  One estimate that threw me was to use chert as the base.  The contractor claimed that crushed limestone is only 60% compactable, whereas chert is 100% compactable and less expensive.  During all my research, I've never read or heard this anywhere before.

So, is chert a suitable base for a concrete driveway?

I worked for a place that sold limestone base, and am familiar with DOT specs for roads and parking lots. I have two concerns with your proposal:

4" of sub+base is not enough if the soil doesn't drain well; you will get potholes within a couple years,especially if you park about the same place each day.  6" of limestone should handle cars, 8" should handle heavy trucks. A thick base might seem like a lot of extra up-front cost, but a strong foundation will not only eliminate future maintenance, it will result in a flatter less puddle/ice prone surface.
Use limestone, 100%. No contest. Chert isn't even anything particular; it could be a wide variety of minerals with no composition guarantees. Certain minerals called chert, like jasper, fracture smoothly and result in a weak matrix. Other chert minerals like flint are quite brittle and suffer from compaction. Limestone on the other hand is mostly calcium, one of the strongest and stablest minerals. Oyster shells are perhaps the best base material, but limestone is also mostly calcium and MUCH cheaper.

If you use properly-compacted limestone, in most climates, you can just hotmix the top and it will last 20+ years. Asphalt's bad rep is because people skimp on base. If you want concrete for aesthetics and don't have trucks, you won't need 4 full inches of it if you have a good base (6"+), so you can recover some cost there.

bottom line: I've seen parking lots fail before the painted lines wore off because of bad and insufficient base, resulting in the whole thing being redone. Compared to that kind of cost, "splurging" on 6" of the best base available is a long-term bargain. If you do go with chert, make sure it's very well compacted and use at least 8" before surfacing. Since you have to use less limestone to achieve the same level of quality, it might be more competitive than unit costs alone suggest.


Toilet full valve drips slightly when turning back on I turned the full valve on my loo off to unclog the toilet and as I go to turn clockwise to turn back on it drips slightly so bit worried to turn on in case I find myself with a big leak!!!:(
First home owner and just wondering if this is normal before I do turn back on.
TIA

I am with jack here a photo of the leak or a description would be helpful,

at the shutoff valve not the fill valve on the “crapper” itself.
 A leaky shutoff valve the valve stem packing may need a slight tightening, the nut below the handle, give it a 1/4 turn clockwise and see if the drip stops, this is common with older valves. Sometimes the valves need repacking but many times just tighten the packing nut will seal things up and last for years.


Squeeeeek-No-More-Floor-Repair-Kit stuck screw When inserting the joist finder screw, which is one of the components of the Squeeeeek-No-More-Floor-Repair-Kit, it got stuck midway so I can neither insert it nor remove it using a power drill. Does anyone have suggestions on how I can remove the Joist finder screw?

I was using the joist finder screw to find the joist on a carpeted floor. Recharging the power drill did not help.

The joist finder screw is the long screw with threads only on the end.  It has a hex head that chucks directly into the drill.

The joist finder screw is designed so that it will go through the subfloor and spin freely if there is no joist.  Once you find a spot where it does not spin freely, you have found a joist.  If there is no joist, you have to pull up on the drill to get the screw out.  I assume the screw isn't spinning freely.

If the screw is totally stuck and will not move, you have most likely ran into a nail embedded in the joist.  So, the good news is you found a joist.  To remove, grab the screw with a pair of vice lock pliers as close to the floor as possible.  If you just grab the head, it it likely to break as the shaft flexes and twists.  Tapping it with a hammer could help loosen it, but don't hit it hard enough to bend it.

Either the screw will break, or you will still not be able to turn it.  If all else fails, you will have to cut it off with a Dremel tool or other similar cut off tool.  If it comes to this, it will be hard to cut without leaving a mark on the carpet.  Protect the immediate area with masking tape (like a 1 square foot area).  The remaining shaft can be pounded flat with a hammer.


Are there any advantages to using metal post spikes set in concrete when building a privacy fence? My neighbor and I are considering alternatives to wood-in-concrete fence posts for a privacy fence that can have significant wind load in an area that gets up to -30 degree frosts in winter. The biggest drawback with wood-in-concrete posts is that the wood rots in the concrete.

He has a metal post spike that looks like this:

He is thinking we can set them in concrete, as it should last longer and should be easy to level. The spike part has the advantage that the wood is not in contact with the ground (or concrete) and has a chance to dry. Also, it's easier to change the wooden post eventually.

The disadvantage with the spikes is that they normally are sledge-hammered into the ground, and according to this account, it's tough to get them leveled this way. The wooden posts are shorter, but the spikes cost more than the length of the post that's saved (overall it's more expensive with spikes).

What other pros/cons do you see in this approach?

The main con is that since its designed to be driven down, the tapered tip will offer less torque, even set in concrete, than a post set to a similar depth.
Another consideration is frost heaving.  The bare adapter should not heave, but the combined concrete/adapter might, unless the pour goes below the frost line.  This can be mitigated with SONOtubes use.
I wonder if using 2 ez-mender, set in concrete, might not give a more stable base.

(from the website: "Post bases do not provide adequate resistance to prevent rotation about the base and therefore are not recommended for non-top-supported installations such as fences or unbraced carports")


Can I use particle board over wood plank flooring to smooth it out for laminate flooring? I need some help! I live in a prewar building, I am looking for a cheap and easy way to install a 10mm floating laminate floor. I ripped up the old carpet to find 1inch wood plank subfloor. The floor boards are squeaky and loose. I secured and tightened loose planks. I was told I need to add a 1/2" plywood subfloor over the plank floor in order to install laminate. I need this to be as inexpensive and easy as possible. Can I use particle board just to smooth out the floor in order to install a floating laminate floor? Would
That be less expensive and easier to install than plywood? I know I cannot install the laminate over the planks. I would hate to have to re carpet so any advice would be appreciated!!

I'd personally choose 1/2" OSB.  It's inexpensive, and ought to hold up reasonably well, even against limited moisture.  DO NOT USE particle board.  It swells way up and then DISSOLVES if it gets wet.


Replacing 2-prong outlets in basement - existing wiring has two hot wires, one neutral? I'm replacing the two-pronged outlets in my basement with 3-pronged grounded outlets in the United States (Illinois).  All the wiring is in metal conduit with metal conduit boxes, which are grounded to the breaker box (I checked with a multimeter from the hot slot to the metal box).  My goal is to wire all the 3-pronged outlets grounded to the metal conduit boxes, with a GFCI at the outlet closes to the breaker box (which I believe is proper code for a basement).
The metal conduit has three wires running through it: a red and a black, which are both hot, and a white, which is neutral - I tested all these with a multimeter at different outlets.  These outlets are all daisy-chained together, sharing a neutral white wire, but powered by the different red or black wires.
To further clarify, the red and black wires are not in a series daisy chain (to my eyes and testing). When I opened the circuit breaker box, both the red and the black wires had their own breaker switches, but the wires ran through the same conduit.
At first I thought this was just weird, but chocked it up to odd 1960's construction, or my own lack of knowledge.
But, it is causing issues: when I plug something in downstream of the GFCI (powered by black) in an outlet powered by red, the GFCI trips, so I can't use those outlets.
I was using a used GFCI outlet (bought at a secondhand construction materials store) - I bought a new one in case it is the outlet's fault, but haven't yet tried to install it.
Also note that the breaker isn't set up for 240V supply; there are no appliances in the house running 240V (we have natural gas).
I drew a picture which I hope helps illustrate my description better.  There is either a red or a black box around the outlets to show which color hot wire they are being powered by.

Thanks for looking!  I am an electrical layman but could provide more info/investigate further if needed!
EDIT
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
To clarify my wiring, here's a picture inside one of the outlet boxes:

Here is a picture of the breaker box.  I outlined which switches are connected to the hots, and typed in the amperage since the picture isn't great (20 amp circuit breakers):

Checking the neutral wire at one of the outlets on this branch is 14 ga, which has a 15-amp rating - is that typical?
Finally, here's a picture of an old circuit breaker that was sitting unplugged on top of the box:

It is a Square-D brand breaker, type QO I believe.
So, based on everyone's advice and the research I did, I think I need something like this:
QO Qwik-Gard 20 Amp 2-Pole GFCI Breaker

Could I get some feedback on that assessment?
Finally, after reviewing the electrical code, it appears GFCI circuits are required in just unfinished basements, due to potential wet conditions.  My basement is semi-finished (drywall , but exposed concrete & open ceilings), and not really wet.  Could I get away with a non-GFCI 20-amp circuit breaker?  It would save me about $70.  I'd rather not die, though.
Thanks again!

MultiWire Branch Circuit
What you have is a MultiWire Branch Circuit, or MWBC. That is a neat trick that lets you get double the total power, with only 50% more wire (3 wires instead of 2). If you look at your outlets, you should see that the tab on the hot side which normally connects the top and bottom receptacles has been removed. That separates them into two separate circuits as far as the hot wire, but they share the neutral on the other side. In fact, the neutral only carries the difference between the two hots instead of the sum of the two hots, provided the two breakers involved are on separate poles. You can verify that the two hots are on separate poles by checking the voltage between them. You should have a nominal voltage of 240V between the hots with 120V between each hot and neutral. If you get 0V between the two hots and 120V between each hot and neutral then you have a BIG problem.
CORRECTION Rereading your description, it appears that instead of a split in each duplex receptacle (tab removed) the split here is some duplex receptacles on one half of the MWBC and some on the other. The principle is the same and the GFCI issue is the same.
The trick to making an MWBC work is landing the two hots on opposite poles. A typical circuit breaker panel will alternate between the two poles. This allows for 240V breakers for hot water heaters, dryers and other large appliances. It also allows for an MWBC. Note that if the two hots are placed on two breakers that happen to be on the same pole (e.g., regular breakers but not next to each other or 2 1/2-size breakers that replaced one regular breaker) then you will end up with:

0V between the hots (not in and of itself a problem, but a symptom - and an easy way to check that an MWBC is correctly wired)
Current on neutral is sum instead of difference - this is the real problem as you could have 40A going on a 20A rated wire.

In addition, an MWBC must have common shutoff so that you can't turn off (in your example) the black wire to work on a receptacle without also turning off the red wire. When you turn off a breaker to work on a circuit, you normally are trying to get everything you might touch at the time to be dead - so turning off the pair of breakers at the same time is critical. Using a typical 240V breaker - which is really a pair of 120V breakers but designed to trip at the same time - is the easiest way to do that.
GFCI vs. MWBC
The problem with GFCI on MWBC is that GFCI depends on "all hot" == "all neutral". Since most ordinary 15A and 20A receptacles are NOT on MWBC, most (possible all) combination GFCI/receptacles do not support MWBC. One reason is that a typical duplex receptacle has room for 4 wires (not counting ground): incoming hot, incoming neutral, outgoing hot, outgoing neutral. But those same 4 connections can instead be used for incoming/outgoing hot 1, incoming/outgoing hot 2, incoming neutral, outgoing neutral - and you have a setup similar to that. That works because the incoming and outgoing wires (e.g., 2 wires for hot 1) can be connected together.
A GFCI can not have the incoming and outgoing wires connected together. A GFCI needs to compare the outgoing (usually called "LOAD" on a GFCI) hot and neutral. Mixing in the incoming power (from the panel) messes that up. So there just aren't enough connections to make an MWBC work.
However, there is a simple solution: Use a breaker instead. Replace the existing double-breaker (it should be a double-breaker, but it might be two separate breakers which is unsafe as noted above) with a double-breaker with GFCI. That is designed to handle an MWBC or any other 240V load and provide GFCI protection. It is a little different to hook up as it connects to neutral as well as the 2 hots, unlike a regular breaker that only connects to the hot wires. You must use the right type of breaker - post a picture of the existing breakers and the pros will figure out what you need.


GFCI install in old house My house was built in the 1940s and only part of the electrical has been upgraded. I am trying to replace an old outlet on my screened in porch with a weather resistant GFCI outlet but cannot get it to work. There are two sets of wires coming into the box, each has a black and white wire, no ground wire. Both black wires were connected to the black terminals on the old outlet and both white wires on the opposite side and everything worked fine. Using my multimeter, I found which black wire was the "hot" wire (line wire) and also determined the metal electrical box could act as a ground.

I connected a ground wire to the box and the other end to the ground terminal on the GFCI outlet. I connected my black hot wire to the hot wire terminal on the line side of my GFCI and then the white wire from the "hot" bundle to the neutral terminal of the GFCI on the line side. I then connected the black and white wires from the other bundle to the hot and neutral terminals on the load side of the GFCI (sorry I didn't take any pictures). Unfortunately the outlet doesn't work and neither do the electrical lights downstream of the outlet. I cannot reset the GFCI and cannot get anything to work in the outlets.

I did check the wires using my multimeter and with my red probe touching the hot wire, I will get a reading of 120 volts when touching the neutral terminals on my GFCI and the electrical box. But if I have my red probe touching the black wire on the load side of the GFCI, I won't get any voltage readings. Also, when I take the GFCI outlet out and replace it with the old outlet, it works again.

Does anyone know why I am having this issue? Am I wiring it incorrectly? Is the wiring of my house not correct? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

OK first of all you cannot determine whether the box is properly grounded just using a multimeter. The fact that it reads "0V" does not mean it is properly grounded. The only way to determine that would be to confirm that there is a proper ground wire all the way back to the panel, or to confirm that grounded armored cable is used. In your case I would just forget about the ground and disconnect it, you don't need a ground for a GFCI.

Second, try to get the GFCI outlet working without the downstream outlets hooked up to the LOAD side. If you can get the GFCI working by itself but it trips when you hook up the downstream wires, that probably means there is something downstream creating a ground fault and the GFCI is tripping (as it's supposed to). A common cause might be a neutral wire touching a metallic box or a "bootleg ground" where neutral and ground are connected.

If the GFCI doesn't work even on its own, it's probably defective.


Dimmer switch with ceiling fan instead of remote Is there any reason to use a remote control with a ceiling fan (that most come with), which requires a battery and can get lost, when a simple dimmer switch can be installed to regulate the speed? Is it, for some reason, bad to use a dimmer switch with a ceiling fan? This assumes the fan does have a separate wall switch and is not directly wired with a chain switch, like some old ones used to.

A brief taxonomy of fan controllers

Ceiling fan speed controllers come in a variety of flavors, but there are only a few general types in the market that provide more than On/Off control:

Receiverless wallbox -- your garden variety "Fan speed controller" that only controls fan speed.  All the control logic is found in the controller in the wallbox, and it expects to be wired to a fan only.  Controlling a light kit is done using a separate wire from the wallbox to the fan.
Receiver Wallbox -- high-end fan or fan/light controllers such as the Lutron Maestro.  These use a wallbox controller that communicates with a canopy-mounted receiver via the powerline between the wallbox and the fan.  They are in some ways the most flexible as they support multi-way control of both the fan and the light and also may support home automation, but handheld remotes are rare here.
Receiver Wireless -- your cheap "fan remote" that comes with a fan.  These also use a canopy-mounted receiver module, but it is purely RF-based using a proprietary RF protocol to communicate with the battery powered transmitter-remote.  Their cheapness means they don't support any fancy home automation functions or multi-way controls, and some only provide limited fan speed or light control compared to wallbox controllers.

...and why you shouldn't use a light dimmer to control a fan

Light dimmers are built to switch lights -- a lightbulb is a relatively benign load compared to a fan, at least as far as a dimmer's switching element (triac) is concerned.  This means that cheap dimmers are built using cheap triacs and minimal external snubbing, leaving them unprotected against accidental (premature) turn-on or worse due to what are called dI/dt and dV/dt effects.

Furthermore, a dimmer starts the lights at low coming from the off state.  This is fine for incandescent (or even CFL/LED) lightbulbs, as they don't care.  But, a motor that's managed through variable voltage needs to be brought up to speed after starting then slowed.

Fan speed controllers use more rugged triacs and extra snubber circuits to survive the dI/dt and dV/dt abuses imposed by driving a fan, and they also start the fan motor at maximum speed, then let you turn it down.


is fire alarm system conduit color clearly identified on NFPA or UFC? Inspector says that I have to use red emt conduit for fire alarm system. I want to prove that it doesn't specified in any standarts.

The only marking I am aware of is the branch circuit circuit breaker is required to be identified with RED, and the location of the OCPD is to be permanently identified at the fire alarm control panel NEC 2014 760.41 & 760.121. NFPA 72 is referenced in the commentary for 760.41 with the same information and no colored conduit requirement.


How large an area is needed to make a paint sprayer worth it? Clearly a paint sprayer cannot be beaten on a very large wall in an empty room when the ceiling is being painted the same as the wall.

Likewise in small rooms with carpets and furniture plus lots of windows the time take to mask everything is a lot greater than the time to paint with a paint brush (or roller).

I have never used a paint sprayer, what size area do I need to make it worthwhile?

This is one of those questions that really doesn't have a good answer.  I will comment on a couple of aspects.

A good quality airless sprayer is expensive. Even a basic model can cost $300 or more. A good pro model is $500 plus.

The small paint in the head types are iffy at best and don't do a good job if tilted at any severe angle, like when doing ceilings.  They are also very loud, vibrate a lot in your hand and are fatiguing to use. They typically only hold a pint to a quart of paint.

A good high pressure airless sprayer takes paint directly from the can 1 or 5 gal, and has hoses, 25ft to 50ft to the spray head. They also have interchangeable nozzles for different types of paints and stains and to control spray width.

If you are only doing a few rooms, I doubt it would be worth the investment to purchase one.  You may consider renting if the job is large enough.

Keep in mind, even though you can spray out a room or even do a whole house very fast with a sprayer, you still should over brush or roll to get a good finish. It does take some practice to get the feel of using a sprayer. I use one often and absolutely love it. I always have a second person to over roll immediately while the paint or primer is wet. It is extremely effective shooting PVA primer on new sheetrock before trim and floor coverings are are installed.


Paver patio inset from rough dug edge? I have dug out the rough patio shape down to the required depth. Not sure of one thing, should I inset the patio some measurement from the rough edge or can I lay the patio up against the rough edge? Accounting for square of course.

I'm asking because I don't know if I need to account for paver edging or if the edging can be placed on the outside of the rough area. Also, not sure if patios expand and contract so perhaps this may be another reason to give it some "breathing space."

Thanks!

The rough cut is not dug out to the exact measurement of the finish patio dimension.  So you would not be laying pavers againt the edge of the roughcut.  You still need the space to make laying the last row easy.  After the pavers are laid, you just backfill the roughcut.

While you do not have to do this. the last row is laid in concrete to lock all the pavers in. Some of the concret is allowed to go up the side of the last row but still beneath the surface.  The other methods is to use commercial paver retainers which uses long spikes to hold the retainer strips in place. This prevents the pavers  over time from creeping outward leaving large gaps.  You would have seen this on older patios where the edge rows become uneven or moved outward where a blocking barrier was not used.


Honeywell Mercury Themostat 3 Wire, replace with Digital/Programmable? Have an old Honeywell thermostat (house is 17 years old). Wondering if I can replace it with a newer Digital or Programmable one?

Here are some pictures of it.

What your options for replacement are (easily) depends on what your wiring is.

I find it odd that you claim it's getting inaccurate, but perhaps they built them better 50 years ago than 20 - all the 50-60 year old ones I have work as good as new, but those are the "classic round" version. They actually are subtly adjustable if needed, though non-subtle attempts can screw them up. They are sidelined at the moment, but in reserve in case of need.

Anyway, for a two wire setup the easy digital/programmable solution is to get a digital/programmable that uses batteries - I have a couple of examples of these in my view between home and work, and the older one eats batteries a lot slower than the newer one.

The fancy/expensive/prone to becoming obsolete so you need a new expensive - "Smart" thermostats (or hacking portals into your house) generally require a wire upgrade to supply the power they want. I'm obviously not a fan, but many people do seem to love them. Some of those people are not living in your house...


well pump pressure range too much from highest to lowest I have a new pump installed that is made for kicking on and off with one gallon tank (according to installer). Basically no storage tank needed. However, in pursuing an intermittent problem I had already installed a new big tank. My question is this: can I reduce the on/off limits to within 3 or 4 psi of each other? I am getting really low pressure just before it finally kicks on the pump. Seems like if the new pump was designed to work within a much tighter range, I'd should take advantage of that. I think the installer set the new pump to match the old style tank unnecessarily. He did say there is a computer board that would have to be added if I were to go to the "on demand" protocol the pump was designed to meet. Still...

Your water storage/pressure/booster tank could be low on pressure. I would check it out and make sure it is set for the proper psi as the pump. 50psi pump cut off out mean the tank should have 50psi in it when full. Ideally a tank should be a mix of about 50 air and 50 water. If you have trouble with this, your newer tank could have a bladder or balloon issue.


Outlets and switches I changed the outlets and the switches for looks in two rooms. I copied same wiring same position from old to the new outlet, or light switch. Figures, not that hard. Tested - everything, outlets good but the light switch stopped controlling the outlet (the one job it has). So I try with the switch of the wires (red and orange) nothing happens. I switch the wires around (red and orange). The light switch doesn’t work. Then I decide to check my outlet so I open it and decide to change the red and pink on that figuring it might fix the switch, there is a white one looped but I don’t touch that). I try the light switch, still not working, outlet tests “open ground”.  I switch back the outlet red and pink  to original position and then I change the switch ones and the switch doesn’t work and the outlet is still showing “open ground. I then assume since the only ones are those two between the connected outlets and switches in the room, I decide to switch the what in our inspection tested as reversed hot/neg ... to make it amongst the switch an “open ground” testing one, however, this ones wires are all sorts of colors but red and orange. Images attached. Waiting for ideas and questions. Please help me fix this.

If the problem is the receptacle in the picture, you have to remove the factory installed jumper (brass connection) that is between the 2 screws in the bottom picture. with the jumper removed, each terminal is separate so 1 is constant on and the other is controlled by the switch.


What is this symbol, showing a wavy line crossed by an arrow? What is the following electrical symbol, used in the EU?

From here:

I don't know whether the EU assigns a special meaning to that symbol but the wavy line means "AC power" and the diagonal arrow means "adjustable" or "variable". So, given this is a wireless switch, that output is the switched hot line. The outer "N" and "L" terminals are the neutral and hot supply connections, respectively, and the inner "N" is the neutral output connection.


Do I need a sump pump in my new construction sump pump pit? My builder put in a sump pump pit per code, I assume, and both the builder and my contractor say that I do not need a sump pump cause my pit should never overflow because I have a walk out basement.  The pit currently has standing water in it at the top level of the 3 drain tile pipes in the pit.

I recently used a submersible pump to pump the water out of the pit to see what would happen.  Well, the water took 40 minutes to come out of the pit and then when I turned off the pump, the water would fill back up within 3 to 4 minutes back to the pipe level.  However, it was not coming in from the pipes but from around the bottom of the pipes.  The water level before now has always been steady right at the top of the pipes even with the spring thaw and the rain we have got over the 5 months of building until now.

I have a few questions:

Should I install a pump to make sure I never have an issue?
Should I be worried of how the water is coming in around the pipes and not through the pipes?
Is there anything else I should to check and make sure the builder installed everything correctly so I can get it fixed now?

Sounds like your water table is right at that pipe level.  I have a higher water table when it rains so my basin gets filled frequently  (which then turns the pump on every 30 mins roughly. ) Be safe and keep the pump. Also talk to your neighbors and see if they have sump pumps.


How can you paint tile? Our bathroom is out of the 70's and the wife doesn't care for the colors. Remodeling is out of the question for now. Is there something I can use to paint over that ceramic tile so we can at least get a color she likes better?

I should clarify, the tile is on the wall no shower.

They make paint specifically for tile. It's typically an epoxy based paint.


Door newly out of plane - just winter weather or bad framing? My front door is out of plane - the top left corner does not sit completely in the frame. The funny thing is this is brand new. We've lived in the house for two years and it just started this winter. That makes me wonder - is this something where I should be readjusting the hinges as is typically the case with out of plane doors, or is this something that's a result of winter weather that will resolve itself in a couple weeks? I don't want to change the hinges and then have it be too tight when the spring comes!

Most units are prehung. If the mortises on the jam and door look perfect and fit precisely, it is usually a prehung.  Unless the situation is intolerable, I'd give it a while and let conditions change before making drastic changes to the door or hinge sets. I suspect possible settling or drastic humidity or temperature  related expansion to the frame. You should also check to assure all the hung screw are snug. If you have a good 6 foot level, you can compare plumb between the door and frame on both sides to determine if a side has moved or lay the level against the door and look for any bow, gaps etc.   An other test is to remove the door (just remove hinge pins) and check that it has not warped by laying it on a known flat surface and look for gaps or rocking indicating that the door may have warped. Sometimes very hard to see a small wain by eye when hung.


What type of plastic is best for outdoor usage? What type of plastic is best for outdoor usage? Like resistant to constant sunlight and water exposure and strong enough. It will be used to encolse part of (small size bird) aviary. Also please specify how much thickness will be enough for it.

Corrugated roofing panels, either clear polycarbonate or fiberglass skylight panels, should do the job. I'd put more trust in the light/weather resistance of fiberglass than polycarbonate, but both are readily available.


What is the official definition of first-hour delivery of hot water tanks? I am looking at getting a new hot water tank. In deciding between a 40 gallon and a 50 gallon, I discovered that the 40 gallon has a higher first-hour delivery rating than the 50 gallon (see this spec sheet). I got curious and am doing the math on how this works, but I'm having trouble finding a precise, official, technical definition of the first-hour delivery rating. The closest thing I can find is this Rheem / RUUD Technical Service document:

    First Hour Rating

    The calculated amount of hot water a fully heated water heater can deliver in the first hour period. The output on a water heater is normally given in gallons per hour at a 100°F temperature rise. It is the quantity of water that the heater will deliver at 140°F, when the cold start temperature is 40°F. All water heaters are stamped with this output rating in gallons per hour.

I have come across other sources that say it's how much hot water the tank can deliver in a certain temperature range above the inlet temperature in an hour starting from a fully-recovered state, but I can't find those references back now.

Can anyone provide an official, technical reference for this?

Update: Here's another possibility:

  The First Hour Rating (FHR) in gallons, is determined by running a Department of Energy specified test with the outlet temperature of 125°F (+/- 5°F). A draw of three gallons per minute starts and then discontinues once the hot water outlet temperature drops 15°F. The water heater is then allowed to recover and the process continues repeatedly until one hour elapses. The sum of the amount of hot water drawn during the test is the First Hour Rating

From the energy.gov page on sizing water heaters:

To properly size a storage water heater for your home -- including a heat pump water heater with a tank -- use the water heater's first hour rating. The first hour rating is the number of gallons of hot water the heater can supply per hour (starting with a tank full of hot water). It depends on the tank capacity, source of heat (burner or element), and the size of the burner or element.
The EnergyGuide label lists the first hour rating in the top left corner as "Capacity (first hour rating)." The Federal Trade Commission requires an EnergyGuide label on all new conventional storage water heaters but not on heat pump water heaters. Product literature from a manufacturer may also provide the first hour rating. Look for water heater models with a first hour rating that matches within 1 or 2 gallons of your peak hour demand -- the daily peak 1-hour hot water demand for your home.

If you want the gory details (such as the outlet temperature of 125°F used in the tests), by the way, you can find them in 10 CFR 430, Subpart B, Appendix E, section 5.3.


Murray Universal breaker I have a 50 year old Murray box that will not take the current circuit breakers. I need to find out how to order or find the number for a 4 pole 20/30/30/20 breaker that will fit the old style box or universal version with the deeper cutout on the plugin back?

The 20/30/30/20 (called a "quad" breaker) is created by coupling two tandem or "twin" breakers; a 20/30 and a 30/20.  In older panels twins will only fit in certain slots, because there were limits to the total number of circuits you could have in those panels. So only a few of the slots allowed the use of twins. On the directory sheet, usually glued to the inside of the door of the panel, there will be a difference in the way the breaker slots are shown, indicating which ones will accept twins.

The slots that will accept twins will also accept full space breakers, but not the other way around. So one thing you can do is to check your directory to see which slots you can use and if they have full size breakers in them, move those to other slots and open up the slots that will accept the twins/quad.

If there are no slots left in your panel that allow twins, then you have to either replace the panel, or add a "sub panel".


Is there a way to trace water pipes through walls? I recently purchased my house and I am trying to find my internal valve to turn on my external faucet.

Unfortunately the previous owner put in a bathroom in over where the water line enters the house and it also covers the area where the external faucet enters the house.

I'm about to go making holes in the bathroom's drywall and ceiling to find the valve.

I would like some advice for tracing the water pipe so that I may avoid any obvious pitfalls and any advice for when I cut into the drywall for repairing it afterwards. (or maybe I'm going about this the wrong way)

I was lucky and had limited access to the ceiling space that the pipe was running through by opening air ducts and pushing the vents up and out of the way. Using a webcam, a long usb cable and flashlight I managed to scope out the pipe in the space and trace it back to where it joined up to the main water line. Eventually I found the valve through pure chance. It was located inside of a wall stud and underneath a crossbeam rendering it all but invisible.


How can I safely reinforce my garage trusses to support ceiling drywall and insulation? Recently bought a home that came with a double detached garage. The garage is older, perhaps from the 70s? It uses what looks like an early adoption of a truss framed roof. The trusses look like they might have been built on-site, using a variation of queen-post (fan?).

Problem

The previous owner mistakenly decided to store various items across the trusses, causing sag. The sag is visible from on the apex of the roof from end-to-end (bowed), and between the ends of individual trusses (sagging in the middle).

When the previous owner moved out, they removed the junk, and I can see that the problem has corrected itself fairly substantially. I am concerned that if I just strap up drywall, that I will be applying more load that what the trusses were meant for, inevitably making the problem of sagging and distortion worse.

Question

What should I do to prevent this from getting worse?
How can I introduce sufficient strength into the trusses and related
structure to allow for drywall and insulation to be added safely?

Ideas

Jack up the centre of the trusses, then reinforce each bottom chord with a 2x4 that spans the entire width of the garage.
Jack up the centre, reinforce (as above), and also replace any wood strapping  with steel mending plates, hurricane ties, etc.)
Leave it as is, strap up drywall, pray to the gods.

Photos

Yes you can fix your roof, but there are many issues you’ll need to address.

First, you’ll need to understand that trying to “fix” this monster is difficult because the species, grade, size of nails, etc. are not known. Obviously the builder didn’t know or understand basic construction because, 1) minimal garage door header, 2) no window header, 3) truss web members not continuous, etc.

A simple solution is to GENTLY and SLOWLY jack up the center of each truss and install 2 diagonal web chords at the center of each truss connecting them from the isolated ends of the existing web member up to the peak of the roof. (I’d jack it up to same height as original, NOT higher than original.) I’d use similar 1x4 boards that the builder used and nail them with similar number of nails at each end. (Do not use steel straps because it’s too complicated for me to figure out if the web member will be in tension or compression.)

Securing the web member to the bottom chord should be adjacent to the end of the closest web member (the isolated web member). I’d be careful not to split the bottom chord. (The bottom chord will end up with a bunch of nails in close proximity to each other and will naturally want to split the bottom chord.)

However, a bigger problem is nailing the new web member to the ridge (peak of the truss) and there will be 2 members nailed in this location.

Then, SLOWLY allow the trusses down.

This “repair” will keep the trusses from sagging. One good thing about wood construction is that “failures” occur slowly and with a crack or split in the wood. (As opposed to concrete failures that can occur with “a bang”. (I.e.: FIU bridge collapse a few months ago.)

So, I’d monitor the new nailing joints for a few MONTHS especially if you live where there’s snow. Monitoring to me means making a journal and write down a weekly date and then measure the distance from the bottom of each truss to the floor for EACH truss AND visually check each end of each new web member and pay particular attention to splitting chord members. If it splits...run.


How can I clean the glass door on my fireplace? I tried crumpled up newspaper but that was a joke. Are there any good techniques for doing this?  Mine is totally covered with creosote right now and I can barely see through it.

This is going to sound bogus but I just got this tip the other day from a friend and it worked great on my woodstove.  Take a wet paper towel and dip it into some cool ashes from inside the fireplace, just enough to get a thin coating of ashes on the wet towel.  Then scrub the glass with the wet towel.  Within a few seconds you'll see even the toughest creosote start to disappear.  I usually finish with a dry paper towel just to get it really sparkling.  I don't know how or why this works, but I suppose it's probably some combination of abrasion and a dissolving action.  It really is amazing.

Just FYI, if your glass is totally covered in creosote, it probably means your fireplace isn't burning hot enough, and/or you're burning too much sappy wood like pine, and/or you're burning wood that's not properly seasoned.  The creosote on your glass is also being deposited on the inside of your chimney, which is bad.  Pine can be burned but needs to be well seasoned and ideally should be mixed with seasoned hardwood.


What can we do about a separate drain from our washing machine to our septic system that has failed? Our contractor put our washing machine drain in our yard separate from our septic system. However, it is plugged up and failed. We need a solution without putting in a whole new drain.

What can we do?

Don't auger it. Trust me, that won't fix the problem.

I had exactly the same thing happen at my own house a couple of weeks ago, only mine made it for nearly twenty years before it developed problems. In my case, I knew that the drywell was "somewhere" in the back yard, nothing else except that it had to be lower than the exit pipe through the wall.

So... I dug. I found one partially-collapsed pipe (inappropriate installation), one gradual bend (flexible pipe) that had completely clogged solid with detergent (from the previous owners, since we only use liquid detergent), and a collapsed lid on the drywell itself... besides only one tiny (24" long) leach field from the drywell.

None of this could have been in any way helped with an auger, although (since I knew I'd be digging up the rest of it anyway) I did auger a little in a couple of places, just to temporarily relieve backpressure on the drain plumbing inside the house. Augering "downward" from that detergent-clogged bend only pushed the detergent clog down toward the drywell - I later dug it out of the drywell along with some twenty gallons of crushed rock and the remains of the lid. Augering "upward" from that bend only knocked loose the detergent clog, dumping it into my hands.

Augering ONLY pushes the problem FURTHER down the line, it DOES NOT remove it. The only thing augering CAN remove is hair, because that hair wraps around the auger.

Had I not dug up the drywell, discovered the collapsed lid, and had to empty it out... that detergent clog I augered "downwards" would have eventually worked its way into that tiny leach field, where it would have been an even worse problem.

I found no need whatever to put in a whole new drain. I DID patch the partially-collapsed spot, and I DID replace the drywell lid, and right now I'm in the process of laying in an additional 10' of leach field in the hopes that, since 24" served for 20 years, 144" will hopefully last for the rest of our lives. Note that I DID NOT dig up the entire system, only the spots that needed digging to expose problems.

My first exploratory hole was 23' out from the house because I knew I could feed 23' of measuring tape into the pipe before it stopped. I also knew the angle from perpendicular-to-the-wall because I could SEE it in the remaining 2' of measuring tape... so that first exploratory hole (where I found collapsed pipe) ended up being only 24" square, hand-dug with a shovel. The second exploratory pit, which is where I found the clogged bend, was another 12' further out - also hand-dug with a shovel.

I did rent a backhoe ($250US/24 hours) to dig the trench for my additional leach field. I may be crazy, but I'm not NUTS.

If your drywell - or the plumbing leading to it - is clogged, you need to determine where the clog is, dig up THAT SPOT, determine the cause of the clog, and devise a means of correcting the problem. You may find something collapsed, you may find a wad of "something" that SHOULD NOT be pushed further, you may possibly even find that your drywell or its leach field is insufficient given your soil type and depth.

Oh, yes. I should also mention that the first half of this drywell's life was prior to our ownership, and that the previous owner had a nasty "puppy farm" here, and that PART of the contents of the drywell and leach field was very old dog manure and doghair (the drywell also served a floor drain in one indoor kennel). I poured half a box of Rid-X (locally available brand, not an endorsement, other brands work equally well) into the drywell to digest the remaining manure & doghair... and that DID help a lot, changing the greywater from solid black to translucent blue-grey.


What type of bolt has a shoulder portion above and unthreaded region below threads? I have a couple Rex folding lounge chairs:

However, during my move one of the bolts connecting the base to the side came loose and was lost. I took out the one from the other side and I've never seen something like it and I'm not sure where to find a replacement. It has larger diameter shoulder portion above the threads and a narrow. unthreaded region below the threads. It's got a low profile slotted pan head. The narrower lower unthreaded region runs up and down in a groove in the leg when the chair folds/unfolds.

Here is a picture of the bolt:

What is this called? Anyone know where to order one?

You are not going to find this on a shelf, you may get one from the manufacturer of the chair, if you talk nice and beg. Otherwise the chance is slim.

I would get a pan or philister head machine screw with the threaded portion about 1" longer than the screw pictured is over all. Chuck 3/4" of the threaded end in a drill and crank it down. Turn on the drill, keep it steady and run a file to grind off the threads exposed beyond the drill chuck to smooth the shank like the one in the picture. Since the screw is longer than needed and the drill damaged the end of the threads to hold it while it was spinning, cut it off and soften the corners like the original.

The drawing I referred to earlier


Can I insulate flat roof using this method? I just wonder if I can insulate my flat roof in northern India by following steps as under:

Apply a cover of Bitumen

Cover it with polythene (for water proofing)

Lay used cement bags on polythene (LDPE bags will give thermal insulation.)
Cover with soil.
Lay tiles over it.

The traditional method used here is

I just wonder if I can insulate my roof by following steps as under:

Apply a cover of Bitumen
Cover with soil.
Lay tiles over it.

Certainly seems like it should be some improvement over the traditional method - how much is not clear, since the bags will presumably pack down and lose most of the insulating air spaces under soil pressure, but even "more or less solid" LDPE would be a slight thermal improvement over soil, if you have access to a lot of cement bags.

A rigid foam insulation (or foamcrete) would be more effective in this application, but presumably expensive or hard to source locally.


Should additional coats of polyurethane be applied after removing roughness? Why did polyurethane make wood feel coarse?

In reference to the above thread...

If the first suggested solution seems to work to solve the coarseness issue, i.e. "polishing" the rough areas with brown paper, would we also need to add another coat of poly after doing so?

My parter and I are debating the issue.

(Note: The poly currently on there is a triple thick varthane, which is water based. We applied one coat per the instructions on the can. My question is in regards to having to do an addition coat after polishing, when I believed the project to be finished.)

In my view, by using the brown paper we are only removing a very small amount of the poly, the extra, or rough areas, and the stained pine wood underneath is still protected and sealed. Am I correct?

Yes, the usual routine is to use steel wool or similar to smooth the results of the first coat, which raises grain in the wood. This will dull the finish. Then additional coats are applied, which don't tend to have the same effect, and which restore the luster of the finish.

Two coats is considered the bare minimum by most folks. You could potentially buff a single coat to something satisfactory, but in my experience you'll have dry spots and a very thin protective layer with that approach.


How to wire a light , switch and receptacle The light gets hit by power first, then the single pole switch, and lastly the receptacle.

I wire this to my knowledge but only get 98v at max out of the end(receptacle).

I have the wire like this: http://www.buildmyowncabin.com/electrical/wiring-switch-power-into-light.html

And the receptacle onto the switch being the end of circuit.

In the diagram you link to there is no neutral in the switch box so you cannot start there to wire a receptacle. You would need 3-wire romex + gnd (black, white, red, gnd) to a carry a neutral from the line cable in the fixture box to the switch box. You would use B for the always hot, R for the switched hot, W for the neutral.

EDIT
There are several ways to power this receptacle using standard ordinary wiring but you cannot start from the switch if is wired as in the diagram because there is no neutral there.

One way would be to run another cable (2-wire + gnd) from the ceiling box to the receptacle. This would go in the attic to the top plate above the receptacle where you would drill a hole and run the cable down to the receptacle box. The box currently there would have been removed, the wire pulled through the opening and into an "old work" box and the box inserted into the hole. Then install the receptacle. The cable you have right now from the switch to the receptacle would be cut at both ends and abandoned in the wall or pull it out if you can.

Another way would be to run a new cable (3-wire + gnd) from the fixture box to the switch. This would allow you to have a neutral in the switch box which your existing cable to the receptacle would connect to. This may be easier than the first choice.


Am I required to use footings when building a deck or can I just have the posts resting on the ground? (Wisconsin) I want to build a deck for my house but I don't really want to dig holes and pour concrete for the footings. Can I just build the deck on ground level using something like this to support the posts?

The location is in Wisconsin. The deck wouldn't be more than 2-3 feet off the ground at any point. Also, The deck would be free-standing and not directly attached to the house.

So I was able to get confirmation on an answer from a local building inspector. As per Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 321.15(2)(f)

  (f) Deck footings. Decks attached to dwellings and detached decks which serve an exit shall be supported on a structural system designed to transmit and safely distribute the loads to the soil. Footings shall be sized to not exceed the allowable material stresses. The bearing area shall be at least equal to the area required to transfer the loads to the supporting soil without exceeding the bearing values of the soil.

SPS 321.15(2)(f)

So in essence, if there is a door that leads onto the deck it must have proper footings in the ground (as explained to me).


Drywall around 10x10 electrical box I have a roughly 14" * 14" hole in my ceiling, after an electrician put a junction box there. The box is a flush 10x10 box, and I want to be able to remove the lid later. The lid right now is close to flush to the bottom finished side of the 1/2" drywall. I don't have a lot of experience with drywall, and I'm especially puzzled on how to make a nice transition to this box (which does not have a mud ring). I could cut back the sheetrock a bit on each side to expose half of the joists. Would you recommend one large piece of drywall with a hole cut for the box?

You need a flush mount cover for that box

What your electrician did was install a standard NEMA 1 (indoor) enclosure/pull box there, and these by and large come by default set up to be surface mounted with their back to a wall, for use in industrial applications and utility spaces.  However, for a finished application, you need to fit a flush mount cover of the correct size to the box instead of the stock surface mounted cover.  It looks like you'll also have to unmount and remount the box, with the breaker for that circuit or circuits off, so that it is actually flush with the finished surface, instead of being recessed slightly, as the flush cover won't fit properly otherwise.


Need help installing new ceiling light There are only two wires coming out of ceiling, both are black and only one reads there is power. I need to install a new ceiling light fixture but don’t know what to do.

The one that reads power gets the black (or brown) wire.  The one that does not gets the white wire.

If it's on 24x7 at this point, you accidentally made a mess and it will take more to untangle it.


Do the house plans contain the info about the material? I'm planning to build a home addition and I'd like to know if the construction drawings will contain the information of what material the walls need to be built?

I have some experience in building a house but not so much in getting paperwork around it.
I'd like to build with AAC blocks. Do I also need to get an architect who understands what it is and how to design the plans? Or the architect will only draw the borders and the materials are up to me?

I worry if in the process I will change my mind, i.e. I decide to use ICF instead of AAC and I will need new blueprints and approvals. I reside in USA, oh.

In this example I don't see any information on the material used:

Will depend on what your local building code requires.  Some jurisdictions will require that you hire an architect or have the plan engineered in order to meet building/renovation requirements.  Your best bet is to reach out to a building official in your area that can direct you to what your building plan will require.

Most plans you find on the internet are designed to utilize wood platform framing.  I haven't come across many 'canned' plan sites that are designed for ICF or or AAC blocks.  This is where you may need to reach out to a building designer  or architect that is familiar with those building materials.

If you're really ambitious, study the latest International Residential Code, and that can guide you on what you will need to provide on your construction documents.

Also, some building departments may not care the form or method the plan is developed in or on.  As long as they know what you're going to build, with what materials, dimensions, etc.


Is this water damage, dry rot, or just old age? I purchased a 60 year old house last year and a few months ago I noticed an odd wavy pattern in the paint just above the floor trim.  The wood floor was also noticeably darker in that area, so I decided to pull back the quarter round and see what was going on.

Click for larger view

This wall is on the outside corner of the house.  I have not noticed any dampness/water in the plaster wall or on the floor up to this point.  The wood that came off when I pulled back the quarter round is dry, very light and crumbles when I break it apart.

I'm currently planning a bathroom reno, and I'm wondering if this is something that needs to take priority.

This looks like a slow water leak, over a time, perhaps caused by:

Ice dam
gutter overflow
improper flashing near window.
damaged roofing

Is there access below this spot?  You will likely have apparent sub-floor damage.

Its good news that the area is dry now.  Perhaps a roof replacement fixed the source.  At a minimum, you should expose that stud bay side-to-side and 12" high, until you find solid, undamaged base plate and no stud damage.


How do I shim a steel structure? I need to affix my steel stringers to a concrete beam. Since the beam was poorly executed, it is not plumb.

On this piece I will weld some 5 mm thick plate on the backing, that will have holes for bolting in the concrete

I think that I will have to shim almost 12 mm on the top and 3 mm on the bottom.

What is the best way to so it?

Steel shims if shimming steel and concrete - either with holes that you bolt through, or tack weld them in place. To the extent that you can use "fewer, thicker" shims rather than more thinner ones, do that. Paint, galvanizing, or "cold galvanizing" (zinc-loaded paint) may be advisable to limit/reduce rusting over time.

The other solution, though it's not usually referred to as "shimming" would be to use mortar/grout to correct the concrete beam surface for good bearing of the steel in correct orientation.


How do you weatherproof a light switch? I have a switch that I would like to put in a workshop in a potentially damp location. It's not going to be outside in the rain, but it's entirely possible that at some point water might get splashed near it.

What's the best way to make this safe? I can't find any outdoor-rated switches like "WR" rated outlets, which was my first thought. Should I put an outdoor recepticle cover over it, like this? I'm not sure if the screw holes will line up in the right place. Or is there some other way to make this switch as safe as possible?

(Bonus question: if I don't want to put a GFCI breaker in my distribution panel, can I just use the load terminals on a GFCI outlet and use that to protect the switch & light?)

If National Electrical Code applies, here's what it has to say...

National Electrical Code 2011
Article 404 Switches
404.4 Damp or Wet Locations. A surface-mounted switch or circuit breaker in a damp or wet location shall be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure or cabinet that shall comply with 312.2. A flush-mounted switch or circuit breaker in a damp or wet location shall be equipped with a weatherproof cover. Switches shall not be installed within wet locations in tub or shower spaces unless installed as part of a listed tub or shower assembly.

Which means that if the box containing the switch is not mounted inside the wall, you'll need a weatherproof box.

Once the switch is mounted in the box, you'll need a weatherproof cover.  You'll have a couple options here. You can get one with a flip up lid, where the cover has to be flipped up before the switch can be toggled.

There are also covers available that completely encase the switch, and have an external lever that is used to toggle the switch.

Bonus
Yes, you can supply a switch from the Load side of a GFCI receptacle to provide GFCI protection to the switch.


Insulating basement - foam walls or pour floor first? Basement is unfinished, 100 year old house. Basement floor is dirt and various crumbling sections of old concrete.  Walls are rubble and cement and above grade brick.

I'm planning on leveling the floor with tamped gravel, putting down foam board, radiant tubing and then pouring concrete and then probably tile. Walls will be foamed with closed cell foam.

Foam company said to do the floor first, but I think you'd want to foam first and pour the concrete to the wall edge and the foam will provide expansion for the floor.

But I really don't know and maybe it doesn't matter.

Any ideas?

Ok, considering the comments below, here's my order of operations:  This would create a fully thermal-sealed basement:

Lay down gravel in the basement to level it. Tamp that down, mechanically.
Lay down vapor barrier and then Foam board on the gravel basement floor, probably 3 inch.
FOAM THE WALLS - connects all the way down to foam board.
Wall mount the manifolds for radiant
Lay down the radiant tube (wire mesh attached or template board attached)
Pour concrete floor
Install the boiler(s)

Unless you plan on allowing your basement slab to experience extreme temperature swings, expansion isn't really an issue.

It's common to create thermal breaks where beneficial to energy efficiency, but that could simply be a strip of 3/4" foam around the bottom. You don't say how thick your wall insulation will be, but that's probably too much of a gap for the slab.


Replace fluorescent bathroom light with an LED (PL26E/H/841/LED)? I'm replacing my bathroom compact, horizontal fluorescent light bulbs in my bathroom fan. It is a 4-pin light hooked up to a ballast.

I have purchased an LED replacement from Home Depot. Specifically, product PL26E/H/841/LED who's spec sheet is here. No where in the spec sheet or on the product packaging, does it mention anything about a ballast (bypass or not). And since the spec sheet doesn't mention amps, I'll mention here that the light unit has printed on it: 12W and 560mA

Based on my light replacement attempts, can you tell me where I'm going wrong? Is 120 volts too much for this LED?

First attempt

I simply took out the old bulb, put in the LED, and turned it on. Nothing happened, so I consulted the internet and found out I may need to bypass the ballast. Here is a diagram I made and believe to be accurate for the wiring with the ballast.

Second attempt

I rewired the light and bypassed the ballast by following these instructions. Below are some pictures of the wiring now; yes, I need to cap off the exposed ballast wires circled at some point for safety. When plugging in a brand new light (not the same as attempt #1) and turning it on, it flashed at immediately shutoff. I believe I fried the light. Here is a recording I took when flipping the switch, https://1drv.ms/v/s!AqnRNsI_hCkxlIMzM1ujTclqgd66Ag.

Note, from the picture below, you will notice an extra white and red wire going into the lowest terminal/connector. These wires are for another small light bulb in my unit; this bulb works without issue.

Ballast:

The spec sheet specifies Plug and play.  That means you do not replace the ballast.  The opposite is "direct wire", which is where you do.

If it were a direct-wire unit, it would specify which pins to wire to.

The spec sheet also explains why it failed initially, in the upper right it says "Feit Electric".  You can tell from the errors on the data sheet they're just an importer of goods they buy across the ocean.

Seriously, though, it needs the ballast to be working.  I have a feeling the ballast was defective.  Regardless, it's finished, now that you cut the wires so close. (I have to imagine you kinda knew it was defective).  Toss it in the trash (it's electronic, no PCB).  Save the screws/nuts that hold it down though.  You may need them badly, and finding random matches at the hardware store is no fun.

At this point you have 4 options:

find a direct-wire LED that fits in that connector (good luck)
replace the ballast and get a plug-n-play LED or actual fluorescent tube
rework the fixture to use a different style of connector that is good for LEDs
replace the fixture

As for the probably-fried one, take it back to HD, tell them it's defective, get your money back, and stop shopping there. This kind of wild misapplication always traces back to big-box stores.

From now on, deal with real electrical and lighting supply houses.  They sell to contractors who want the best price on products that won't generate service calls.


How do I open attic A/C unit to perform maintenance? I live in metropolitan Houston, Texas (note: high humidity), and this concerns a home I recently purchased. I have a heater (furnace) and blower unit installed in the attic, which is typical for many homes in Texas.

I do DIY maintenance on our home, but I am not extremely familiar with A/C DIY. I noticed what could be a little mold forming on the outside of the box portion on the right. Edit: After doing some more research, I am almost certain that this section of the A/C unit is where the evaporator coil is located, as there appears to be two lines entering the top of the unit, one of which is a copper refrigerant line.

Here is a close up of the suspected mold (the drain pan, which also suggests the evaporator coil is located in this section of the A/C unit, is located on the bottom of the image):

I would like to inspect the inside of the evaporator coil box to perform maintenance and inspect for mold, but it seems to me that it is sealed by some sort of white sealant and a bit of duct tape (tape is not an issue, but the sealant is).

Do I just use a utility knife to cut the edges and open it up? And, if I do that and need to re-seal it, what do I use to do so?

Do not just cut into the insulation board to inspect. At the most you might end up cutting some tape to free an access panel, but the main homeowner access is for replacement of the filter and that probably does not (and should not) have tape over it that has to be cut.

My Carrier furnace and a/c evap coils are vertical so I am not familiar with a horizontal system. There will be a sheet metal access panel that slides up or to the side about 1/2 inch and then is released allowing it to be pulled out. Or there may be twist locks which free the panel. Do you know where the filter is? It could be that someone sealed the edges of the filter access panel with duct tape (or the metalized tape), but most likely the filter access panel will not be sealed with tape. Do you know how to change the filter on this unit?

I personally from your picture do not see mold. I do see rust on the bottom and this is somewhat concerning, but I don't see mold.

I am not familiar with this Honeywell switch on the top, but even in Houston (I live in Dallas) I don't think that one would need the blower fan to be on all the time. Google the override switch and see what you can find about the function.

Edit See http://yourhome.honeywell.com/en/products/ventilation/fresh-air-ventilation-system-y8150 It appears that this is for a fresh air addition to the conditioned air stream. I don't have such a system, but I have to wonder if this is will work in Houston because the humidity is so high there and the winter climate is so mild.


What could be causing the light in my basement to heat up and turn off? I have installed 8 lights in the basement.   It is pretty straight forward parallel wiring into each junction box.  the last one of the 8 just ends, obviously, as no other light is needed so no wires come out of that junction.

Now,  they all work great and turn on but the last one in the bunch is getting hot and turns off (dim) after about 30 seconds... then after about 10 seconds lights again.  and so on.

Should I be looking for something specific or maybe that light is defective?

They are LED downlights from Lithonia Lighting.

First check the Bulb as it is the easiest thing to check.  Next would to verify the wiring to the fixture.  And last, check the fixture itself.  Since it looks like what you have is a fixture/bulb, you might need to move it to another location and see if it exhibits the same behavior.


What are the advantages of various bathtub materials? We're going to be putting in a new tub, and I'm not sure what to get. Cast iron? Enameled steel? Acrylic?

My concern with the cast iron (other than lugging it up the stairs) is the rust problem.

How well does acrylic hold up?

Cast iron tubs are very heavy and expensive.  Rust is not a problem with cast iron tubs as long as the enamel top layer is intact (if you get a chip in it, you can get enamel repair kits).  My wife did not like the old cast iron tub in our bathroom because it was cold when standing in it during a shower and made bath water get cold fast.  Evidently she was not taking baths in the “cast iron method” which is to put super-hot water into the bathtub and allow the heat to transfer into the tub, this will cool the water down but keep it at a reasonable temperature longer (in theory at least, YMMV).

Enameled steel it basically a cheaper version of the cast iron, it is a lighter because the metal is much thinner. I doubt the “hot bath trick” described above for cast iron tubs will work in a steel tub.  Like cast iron tubs, you should not have to worry about a steel tub rusting or cracking.

Acrylic (plastic) tubs come in a different quality levels.  Some are really cheap, thin plastic that have the potential to crack over time (particularly if they are poorly supported/improperly installed).  However some acrylic tubs use thicker stronger plastic (often with fiber glass embedded for tensile strength) that are very sturdy.

I recently had to make this decision; we replaced our cast iron tub with plastic Kohler model.  I knew I did not want to lug a cast iron tub up to the 2nd story.  I thought about a steel tub but they are still 120-150 pounds.  I was worried about getting a cheap plastic one that would break so I settled on a $700 plastic Kohler tub that is pretty thick.


Garage Door safety sensor Two questions:

1) Are garage door safety sensors required or just highly recommended?

2) I currently do not have them, and think that I want to add them. In my previous house my kids kept smacking into them with their bikes, toys, etc. and knocking them out of alignment and it was always a pain to have to recalibrate them. I would have to do this frequently. Are there different kinds that are either more resistant to this or easier to align?

The sensors are needed because automatic garage doors without them (or with malfunctioning ones) can and do kill people, including children.

If your current opener has no photo-beam sensor, you should toss a 2x4 on the flat side on the floor and close the door - if it does not stop and reverse by itself when it hits the 2x4, then it also lacks (or is ignoring, or is massively misadjusted) the required pressure sensor reverse. The most likely cost-effective solution to that (other than adjusting) would be a whole new opener. The fact that your opener operates at all without photo-sensors is also an argument in favor of a new opener.

I had a main control board go bad after a nearby lightning strike which was causing the opener to try and drive the door through the floor - not a "fail safe" design on that one. You should check (and if needed, adjust) the safety systems at least twice a year, and any time the thing seems to be behaving oddly.

As for the kids smacking into the sensors, you can box the sensors into a more protected situation - and they do not HAVE to be mounted on the tracks - they can be mounted on the walls (the beam goes a little further, but the sensor is not hanging in space.)


Do plastic sheds require a foundation? Do I need a foundation for this type of shed, or can I just put it on level ground?

The assembly instructions state:

  Recommended surfaces for installation include cement or treated wood deck style surfaces.

So it should be installed on a level platform of some kind that will support the weight of the shed and its contents.

It wouldn't be a good idea just to use level ground as you'll have problems with moisture, rodents etc (as Eric Petroelje points out in his comment). You may well also find that the shed will sink unevenly into the ground making it difficult, if not impossible to use.


What are Automatic Garage Door Options for a Garage with a Low Ceiling Clearance? I have a tuck under single car garage in my bungalow that currently has carriage doors that have seen better days.

I would like to replace the carriage doors with an automatic (and insulated) door, however, everything I've seen seems to require a minimum of 7" of clearance between the top of the door opening and the ceiling of the garage.  My garage only has 5" of clearance.

Does anyone have experience with garage door solutions that will work for this small amount of available clearance?

One of the custom door manufacturers should be able to make you something.  Yes, it's not a typical application being that small, but there's no major issues in the design.  Doors are assembled from panels, so they can select the right size and quantity.  Track frequently has to be cut down to fit anyways.  Custom springs are no big deal (a surprising percentage of what's out there is custom).

However, you're not going to be able to walk into a local big box hardware place and pickup off the shelf components to DIY.