Neutral wires are burning hot, saw an ember Removed the outlet and the three connected neutral wires were insanely hot. Have an extension cord running a heater, could it be the draw or do I just need a new outlet?

No, normal heating will not scorch the insulation and certainly won't make an glowing connection. I'd definitely disconnect that space heater before a fire starts and you probably ought to turn off that breaker to be safe.  Get it checked out, it could be nothing more than a loose connection, it could be something more complicated.


Fan switch on thermostat--on or auto If I leave my fan switch on "on" instead of "auto" and the temperature in the house reaches the desired temperature will the fan stay on and continue to push cool air out even though the thermostat turns the compressor off.

Yes, that's what "on" means.  It means the air handler will keep operating, even though nothing is heating or cooling the air.

Whether this is a good idea depends on how your system is setup and what is going on.

If you are getting thermal separation ceiling to floor or upstairs to downstairs or sunny to shady side, it can be helpful at evening things out.

One person on here a few weeks ago had a problem where one side of their house was much hotter. So they had their air conditioning re-"balanced". Now the side with the solar load got a lot more A/C; this also meant the other areas got a lot less.  With so much less air conditioned (dry) air, condensation started to occur.  "On" might have helped them with their problem.


Turning on any high-power device trips my RCD Today I turned on my water boiler, and all the lights in my apartment turned off. I opened the electricity box and saw the RCD was tripped. I turned it back on, but then it would trip again whenever the water boiler was running.

I cursed my luck because I figured I have to fix my water boiler.

I then turned on the drier, and after a few seconds the RCD tripped again. I turned the RCD back on, and later turned on the AC. After a few seconds, the RCD trips again.

Right now as I'm typing this, the RCD isn't tripping and the electricity is on, but no high-wattage device like the above three is running. Can I conclude that high wattage is what's causing the problem? Maybe the RCD is faulty and I need to replace a fuse or the entire thing? Or maybe the problem is entirely different? I'll be happy to hear your thoughts.

Somewhere in your electrical system you have leakage between neutral and ground.

All neutrals are connectd without fusing, so the very small voltage on neutral reaches all points in the neutral system. Current follows all paths in proportion to their conductivity (1/resistance) - the regular wired neutral is the dominant path, but some small amount of current uses the leakage between neutral and earth, and when your load is high, that current exceeds 30ma and SNAP!


What is the legal definition of a habitable space/room? I am confused as to what rooms are habitable rooms in regards to permitting. According to ASHI

  Habitable rooms are living, sleeping, eating and cooking rooms. Common terms for these rooms include living rooms, family rooms, dens, bedrooms, breakfast rooms, dining rooms and kitchens. ... Bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, storage rooms, equipment rooms and hallways are not habitable rooms.

An answer, to a different question of mine, suggest that calling a room a study or a kids playroom would make in not be considered a habitable space. To me a study seems a lot like a den. Is there a list of room names that are considered habitable. Is there a list of features that make a room be required to have all the other features of a habitable room?

You'll want to check with your local zoning people (city/county) for specifics on laws in your area, but this is what is required in Colorado.

This answer is specific to bedrooms, so I don't know what is code for other living spaces.

To be a legal bedroom, a closet is required.  Doors are optional.  Also, there needs to be an egress window and window well (if the room is below ground level) large enough for firefighters enter and exit easily, and the window well must be deep enough to be able to turn around with all their gear (specifically oxygen tanks on their backs).  I can get exact measurements for Colorado code, if desired.

Also, it is code in Colorado and good practice regardless - a Carbon Monoxide detector must be within 10 feet of every bedroom door in the house.  DO NOT buy the combo smoke/CO detectors.  These can do one thing or the other, but not both.  Carbon monoxide is a heavy gas and collects at floor level.  Smoke and heat typically rise to the ceiling.  These should be placed no more than 12 inches above the floor.  If you have a combo detector on the ceiling and it goes off, you'd already be incapacitated (probably dead) from the buildup of carbon monoxide.  (These combos are a serious pet peeve of mine, since people are basing their very existence on these working properly in an emergency.)

I hope this helps at least for your query on bedrooms.


Proper way to hang valance over kitchen window between cabinets What’s the proper was to hang a valance at the top of this window in the kitchen between cabinets? Will have horizontal blinds it covers. Tile backsplash runs up to the top of the cabinets. Window width is 35” including the 1/4 round that acts as the trim. About 4.5” on either side to the cabinets. Should the valance span to the cabinets or is that too far outside the edge of the window?  Keep it about 2” outside the window trim? I’m having a difficult time finding the “proper” way to set that up given my seemingly abnormal setup.

Valances usually sit on a couple of beefy L-brackets that are double screwed into the wall (preferably at wall studs or window header). Once the L-brackets are solid you literally just slide the valance with installed curtain or drape assembly onto them to then install a single screw through the top of the 'L'... so the valance can't slide off.

As far as width of the valance goes, it's up to you. I prefer the curtains/drapes to dictate the width and have them withdraw into their own pockets to pull back to the trim (maybe 2-inches in your case, depending upon hardware stacking). So, you don't have to fight them for tilt-in glass cleaning.


What options exist for replacing or upgrading heater radiators? I've got a hot water heating system in my home. Some rooms have baseboard radiators (recent ones), then other rooms have old radiator faces like this:

The heat isn't coming up so well in some of these older ones, so I got the face plates off to clean them out to see if it'll help. They're full of lint, hair, etc. After taking the faces off, I can see various parts of the copper piping have got the blue corrosion points on them to varying degrees. The house was built in the 50s, not sure if this is original piping.

I'm wondering what people would typically update these radiators to? Can you buy new ones that are the same size these days? If I were to replace these with baseboard radiators, then I'd have to build out the cut-out area in the wall where these much taller units are currently sitting. They are recessed into the wall.

Thanks

Cleaning the existing radiator is a good idea.  Now, before replacing with baseboard units, a couple things to consider.  You want roughly the same heat output rating (BTU/hr or similar), which may be difficult to calculate for the existing piping.  (Any new basebord finstock will have its rating on the packaging). Most likely you'll need a long-ish baseboard run to match the existing radiator's output.
Unless you have cosmetic objections to the existing radiators -- and keep in mind you can probably buy different covers, or re-paint the ones you have -- you might as well stick with what you have rather than rerouting the feed&return pipes to fit a baseboard run.
BTW,  if the wall behind the radiator is not insulated and preferable covered with reflective metal foil (to maximize directing heat into the room), you should do that.
edit
I looked up a few vendors of replacement covers. You will have to check the desired dimensions, of course.
improvementscatalog    shuttershack  .


Building a ledger for indoor use with with some cut to size 2 by 4s, should I stain or paint them? I'm builduig a ledger for indoor use (to support a work surface) with with some 2 by 4s cut to size, my question is, should I stain or paint them to protect them? for spills etc, or is staining indoor wood purely for cosmetic reasons?

A true wood stain does not build a "film" on the surface. It only changes the color of the porous wood fiber near the surface. You will want a film-forming finish if your goal is to make it easier to clean up spilled liquids. A paint will do this, but if you want to preserve the look of the wood, then 1 to 3 coats of a polyurethane based finish will also work well. Polyurethane is a clear, durable finish that is resistant to many chemicals and also to normal wear and tear.


Boiler heating extra zones Background: This is a new house, with a boiler system I'm not familiar with. Instead of zone valves, each zone has its own pump (4 zones). There is a fifth pump on the other side of the boiler. Not 100% sure on the controller, but it's a Taco 4 zone.

Problem: Some zones are getting heat without calling for it.
I could feel heat coming off the baseboards in the bedroom last night, and the room was extremely warm. The zone was indicating 72 at the thermostat, programmed to hold 66. Basement was 70, set to 66. Living room was 66, set to 66. Unsure on the 4th zone (didn't want to wake up the kiddo). Went down to boiler room, only the living room zone was calling for heat.

Where do I start with troubleshooting?

Edit: added diagram.
Each zone is using a circulation pump with an internal check valve. Possibly the check is bad? How to test that?

Additional issues identified: air vent is leaking and needs to be replaced. pressure tank reads 0 PSI and leaked water during read. Will try to recharge, but suspect bladder is shot.

Edit: Replaced air vent, so now I am free to start inspecting the zone circulation pumps. Also, the expansion tank actually has some pressure, but my pressure gauge can't read it. I thought it was leaking water, but it was just a few drips. I think it might be ok.

Assuming the thermostats are working, you may be getting residual heat once the thermostat turns off.

Do the pumps have speed controls? Many pumps have LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH settings. A lower setting may avoid spikes in temperature.

Also, many pumps have mixing valves near them that control the temperature of the water being sent to the radiators in that zone. If you have selective zones that are too hot, you may be able to temper (in this case, lower) the water going to that zone.


Can I run wire along a finished wall/ceiling in a basement? I want to add a light in the stairway to my basement:

Left side is a garage, right side is the basement with the other lights I'll need to tie into.  However, I don't see how I could run a wire up the right wall since the bottom of that wall is a steel beam with a duct next to it running along the wall:

Since this is a basement, I don't care about the solution being somewhat ugly.  Can I just run a wire from the ceiling, down the wall, through where the other wires are, above the beam?  Is that against code to run wire outside of a wall like that?  If I can't do that, what options do I have?  The light switch is right there (under the fire extinguisher) but I don't want to have to rip open drywall to run to it.

Here's where I will be connecting it:

Sure. Because the wire will be exposed, you'll need to use armored cable. Just screw clamps to the wall to secure it. Since there's yellow Romex in your picture, use 12/2 wire. You can surface mount metal boxes. Try to buy metal boxes that have clamps included.


How to stop a circular saw from locking? I've been using my new circular saw for about a week. Today while making a plunge cut it just locked. It didn't get stuck on anything inside the board and it consistently locked every time I tried to cut something with it afterwards. Is there anything I can do about that other than invoke the warranty?

Update
Problem solved. The nut holding the blade down was coming loose. I'm new to power saws and didn't even think to check that. :/
Next problem. I tightened the nut as tight as it goes. Is it normal to have to do this after every single cut?

It is unusual to need to retighten the nut. If one side of the nut is concave, ensure that side is against the blade.


How do I hang a new wooden gate so that it automatically stays closed when it is shut but also stays open at its maximum open span? I am building and hanging a new wooden double gate.  How do I construct and/or balance the gate so that when I open it completely, which is at 90 degrees, it will stay open but also when I close it, it stays closed?

Yes, I might put a self-locking latch so that when it is closed, it automatically catches and stays closed.   Is there another way to do this?  I plan to use a dead-bolt type lock, and would prefer that you not have to unlatch it to open the gate when not locked.

This is an double gate, where one gate door is 40" wide the other is only 20".  I'd like both sides to behave the same, staying open and closed.  I am not overly concerned about very windy days, where the wind might defeat a balanced system.

Here's an another way to look at what I am thinking:
(originally I was not thinking that the gate should move towards open, or closed, but I now see this as desirable).

For various reasons I am planning on using a hinge similar to this:
I might be persuaded not to do use this if it helped to achieve my desired outcome.

I could use gravity to make the gate stay closed by itself.  The trick is, I think, that I also want the gate door to stay open too, when I open it.

EDIT: Closer!   I find that there are weld-on hinges for chain-link fences that do this, and that they make "Rising Hinges" or "Lift Off Hinges" that do half the job.  Many of these are designed to use gravity to automatically close a door but all of them seem to sell only as wholesale items.

Related:
How can I make a door open or close depending on the door position? (good and useful answer here too),
How do I adjust a door so it doesn't swing on its own?
and How to keep door open or closed automatically?

If the hinges are on the same vertical line, then (as noted by @DA01) the hinge should stay wherever you leave it (absent wind, etc). If the hinges aren't vertically aligned, then the gate will want to swing towards a specific point. You can use this to solve your problem.

Imagine that the gate is swinging on a rod, and can go 360° around the rod. If the rod is vertical then you can put the gate anywhere you want and it will stay. However, if the rod is leaning towards a certain direction, then the gate will tend to swing until it is pointing in that direction (because the gate will be lower at that point).

What if you move the gate to the exact other side of the rod from where it wants to go? It will sit there, balanced. If you then move it in either direction it will continue to swing in that direction until it reaches its low point.

So, what you want to do with your gate is to align the hinges so that the hinge line leans away from the the middle of the gate's range (at 45°). That way the gate will tend to swing away from the 45° point, towards the nearer of 0° and 90°.

Edit: When you do this, you may have to readjust the position of the gate on its hinges in order to have the gate properly fit into its opening. But, once you adjust the post side of the hinges to get the right swing, changes to the gate side of the hinges won't affect the swing, so you won't have to readjust anything.


paintable silicone caulking at shower ceiling joint? Should we use paintable caulking at the joints of the shower surrounding tiled walls and ceiling (drywall ceiling)?

It doesn't really matter if the ceiling joints are caulked with silicone or not.   Silicone is used so that water does not enter.   Most good latex caulks would handle this joint just as well because there isn't direct water pressure - I understand you have steam and splashes.

My advice would be to use a latex caulk that matches ceiling color (hopefully white!) and not paint it.   Painting even paintable caulk will not last above a shower so why do it?  I also actually prefer latex here as I feel I can apply latex thinner and smoother in a corner leaving less chance for peeling in the future.   Silicone is just fine too just my preference - even when being careful you will smear silicone more and end up with larger lines more susceptible to damage later on.   (I used latex above my shower in current home and 8 years later looks brand new)


Shower in another room leaks when bath is running I have a free-standing bath in my bedroom and a separate shower stall in an adjacent room.

When we run hot water in the bath the shower head starts running-- not just a drip... more like moderate rain. This doesn't happen with cold water running in the bath. To be clear, this is not a shower/bath combo with diverter but two different faucets in separate rooms. The plumbing for both rooms was completed at the same time (about 8 years ago).

I'd be grateful for any ideas on what would cause this problem and how it could be fixed.

It may be due to a so-called 'power-shower': a little pump next to your loft tank that boosts the hot water pressure or just a well or thank pump that boosts pressure while water is in use.

If so, just check the gaskets in the leaking (hot-water) tap: maybe those are worn and cannot withstand the increased pressure or, if you have single-command handle, replace the inner cartridge.


Are the plastic covers where the plug is inserted remove able so a different color one can be used? I need to know if I can replace the plug cover not the plate, to change the color without having to remove the entire box?

There are cover plates which cover the receptacle and not just the surrounding space. I don't know if there are problems with them or not. They do cost more than a standard cover plate. There are different shapes of receptacles and one might have to get a cover which fits the type of receptacle one has.

In any case one never has to "change the entire box". The box is not visible when a cover plate is in place. The box is fastened to framing in the wall. What one might have to change is the receptacle inside the box. The receptacle is screwed to the box and has the wires attached to it.

The usual procedure for changing the color exposed to the room is to change the receptacle and its cover plate together. This may be what you meant by changing the entire box. If so, one shuts off the breaker to that circuit, removes the cover plate, unscrews the two screws holding the receptacle in the box, pulls out the receptacle, detaches the wires from the receptacle (usually by loosening screws) and the receptacle is free. Installing the new receptacle is just the reverse. This is a simple and straightforward procedure for an experienced DIYer, but for someone who has never done it it has pitfalls.


Can I use CPVC to make a solar water heaer? I have a shed in my backyard and I have installed a sink on the outside to clean up with.  I have run a cold water line to the sink, but would like to attach a "heated" line to the hot water side.  I have found a few projects on YOUTUBE about making a solar water heater and they used "black tubing", but never said what kind of black tubing. I know CPVC is used inside of building for hot and cold water applications, but will it withstand direct sunlight. Also know it will be painted black to help heat the water.  Thank you for any advice in advance.

Sunlight resistance is not a problem if you're going to be painting it anyway.
The real problem is temperature. You're not clear as to how you intend to design the system, but, unless you take specific measures to prevent overheating (e.g. by having a pump that turns on and flushes pipes periodically), pipes can get very hot. Solar heaters are traditionally copper, which can handle boiling water just fine. On the other hand, CPVC is only rated up to about 200 F. Maximum temperature varies depending on pressure and pipe dimensions, but, generally speaking, at 200 F, CPVC piping is barely strong enough to withstand normal water-main pressure. ("Hot water" inside your house is rarely hotter than 140 F.) Other plastics are as bad or even worse (e.g. ABS and PVC are both rated for lower temps than CPVC and PEX).
The link in the other answer suggests that PEX might handle 230 F, but it depends on your system (I don't see any pipe dimensions there).


What is the best way to drywall a basement staircase? We're going to be finishing our basement and one issue I have is how we will drywall the staircase.  Unfortunately the stairs are right against the concrete wall.  Should I simply put furring strips onto the concrete, hang the drywall against it, and use foam insulation between the strips?

With concrete, the concern is moisture.  Any furring strips should be pressure treated, and I've also seen good suggestions to use the foam barrier that you would typically use under a sill plate as an extra defense, e.g. this stuff (click the photo for the product page):

For pressure treated, make sure any nails are galvanized to avoid the chemical reaction that would eat normal nails. If you're using foam panel insulation, then seal any gaps on the sides. I'd also use a vapor barrier on top of the furring strips, behind the drywall. And finally, for the drywall, use something mold and moisture resistant to avoid future problems. Moist environments are also a good place to use the fiberglass mesh tape, instead of the paper tape, to finish the joints.


Will 12" studs work for a TV mount designed for 16" stud mounting? I've moved into a new location and I have 12" studs rather than the 16" studs my TV mount was designed for.  The TV mount comes with lag bolts (M8x55).  Getting the lag bolts and pilot holes drilled don't seem to be a problem; the mount is around 25 lbs and my TV is around 35 lbs.  I know that in a broader situation (e.g., 24" studs) I'd want a plywood backing behind the mount.  Am I correct that I shouldn't need one in this case with the studs being closer together as long as the lag bolts are correctly placed in the center of the studs?

You haven't told us what mount you're referring to, but most aren't designed for specific stud centers. Instead, they have a range of available mounting area (and many will accommodate 24" centers as well). It's very likely that your mount will work just fine on 12" centers.

You should be able to put a tape measure on the mount and verify. Can you position two bolts 12" apart? If so, the only question is whether you'll be able to mount the TV exactly where you want it, or if you'll have to shift to the side a bit.


Best way to secure loose flooring I have some loose flooring (I think it may be vinyl it's thin and has that plastic feel) that is sliding side to side and can easily be moved with my hand. I assume I can just glue it back down in some fashion but I'm not sure what product to use. I'm also not 100% sure what is under the  flooring so I want to make sure they work well together. Any advice is greatly appreciated this is in a bathroom next to a toilet.

Yes lots of folks overlay , I do in some cases not in others. You may get a construction adhesive to hold those in place. Some of the tiles have a peel and stick backing and that usually works well on vinyl but most say for dry locations, you said the wet look was built in so I might try a water resistant adhesive like liquid nails. It should not take very much you don’t want to make bulges or have it bleed up through the cracks before it drys. There are some silicone sealant / adhesives that should really stick well to the vinyl and once dry water won’t bother that type. I focus on moisture because in a bathroom that has been a majority of the issues I have found.


How do I repair and clean a loose, greasy washing machine drum? After washing some bulky items, my washing machine drum became loose and makes a loud, clanking noise on the spin cycle regardless of the size of the load. It feels as if the drum is almost detached. Since the drum broke, it deposits grease stains and residue on my laundry. My question is two-fold, as I think the problems are related:

How do I repair the drum, so that it doesn't continue to emit a loud, clanking noise?
How do I clean the drum, so that it no longer leaves grease stains and residue on my laundry?

You probably have a bad drum hub nut. This is a very common failure of a top load washing machine. Look up your model on a few of the any repair parts sites and locate the hub nut. I suggest replacing the all the parts in the process of the replacing the nut. Should be fairly inexpensive for the parts. The procedure usually involves removing the entire machine casing. Make sure you have the machine unplugged.
As far as cleaning, go ahead and use a simple green type product and clean the edges of the inner and outer tub.
If it is the transmission area, then you have a bigger problem. But I bet it is more likely the hub nut.


2 neutral wires to one connector I'm fitting a bathroom light which has live and neutral backstab connectors, both of which only accept a single wire. I need to connect two neutral wires though - the previous fitting had them both connected through a standard screw fitting.

Is there a standard way to handle this? If I connect the two neutrals using a three way connector along with another wire, and then connect that wire to the light, will it work or will I be burning down my house?

Do the backstabs accept 14 AWG only?  Are the bathroom receptacles on the circuit?  You cannot use the lamp, bathroom receptacles must be 20A and 14 AWG wire is not legal on 20A circuits.  If it has screws, use them - backstabs are bad news anyway.

Ok, so get a 6 inch length of correct size Romex.  Strip it down for the hot, neutral and ground wire.  Use those to connect to the single terminal on the lamp.   This seems like it makes things worse because now you have 3 black wires and 3 white wires to connect instead of only 2.   Get wire nuts or other type of splice connector which accommodates 3 wires.


Basement subfloor, how exactly should I do it? I am finishing a basement with my father and want to put in a subfloor. I know if there was ever enough water I would probably have to replace the floor anyways but want to give myself a couple inches more so to protect the expensive electronics I will have down there. There is also a sewer access port and two ground rods that stick ~ 2 inches above the concrete floor.

We were originally planning to lay down pressure treated 2x4's the tall way getting us over the two obstructions and build a plywood floor on top of it. After that we were going to build two small access panels in the floor should we ever need to get to them.

An uncle who is a carpenter stopped by this weekend and said if it was his basement he would not even bother building a subfloor. He said the basement was bone dry and it would be a waste. Even if we did get water it would be trapped in between the 2x4's with no way to get it out. The obstructions are in a corner so we would just box them in somehow going that direction.

This now puts me back to planning. I can't see a disadvantage to building a subfloor other than money and height though the ceiling down there is 8ft so height is not an issue.

What is the best way to build the basement subfloor?
I have seen other methods such as Dri-Core or Delta-FL also suggested. Ideally I would like to create channels so I could somewhat push water out should I ever have an issue. From concrete to carpet please advise me exactly what I need to do in-between.

I have tried several methods and the best one I have used it foam board on the bottom and 3/4 inch plywood over.  I would never lay down wood on the floor.  Not only will it rot but it will retain moisture.


Should whole house humidifier leak cold air in the summer? I've recently been learning a lot about sealing our HVAC ducts to improve system efficiency. On my mission to seal every accessible leak, I noticed my air conditioning/furnace cabinet joints were leaking quite a bit of air. I started sealing them all up, but noticed my attached humidifier was one of the biggest culprits of air leakage.
The operating manual says it draws in ambient air through a humidifier pad via a fan into the duct to distribute throughout the house (picture from manual attached). That makes sense, but it seems the same air inlet used during winter operation lets air out when trying to air condition the house. The manual doesn't mention any sort of "summer operating mode".
So my questions are:

Is there a way to prevent air leakage with this kind of unit (Honeywell HE300 if model-specific)?
Am I going to a pointless extreme by trying to seal every last cabinet leak?

Leaking duct work regularly costs users 10% when leaking into non conditioned air spaces but if the leak is totally enclosed within the living space envelope it really is not helping much.
Every air leak in an attic for example is saving $ if the leak is in the air handler closet it may save some but is not as effective as the attic.
As for humidifiers I like them to be easy access ultrasonic ones to verify they are working and Venturi ones to verify they have not plugged or are dribbling so for that reason I do not go crazy when sealing these up as I check mine several times a year.


How can I fix a patio with drainage problems? I would like to fix the problems that are show in the picture below. Basically when it rains the water pools near the corner of my house in the two areas circled in this picture. The result is that the water gets to the wall and due to concrete capillarity it goes up on the wall as you can see. It probably goes down in the basement as well, I still have to check the wall behind the drywall in that inside corner area.

I used the level to see if the patio is level in that area and it is not.
How do I fix this? Should I try to reset just the bricks for that area or should I go deeper and fix the layers under the patio?
Is there any less intrusive way to verify if the patio's bed was correctly graded?
Is there any way to add a membrane under the bricks in that area to prevent the water from getting to the wall?

Click for larger image

Two questions:  1) Where does the water come from? And, 2) Where else could you send it?

First thought is that you may need to do some grading and/or install some sort of french drain system to help that water run off to somewhere else... or perhaps intercept it before it gets 'cornered' if possible.  Also, those edgings around the patio appear to stand a bit above the level of the patio itself... if I'm seeing that right that can't be helping.

Hard to say much more without a broader sense of the lay of the land.  Again, the water needs to go somewhere, and that's the first decision.

far as the low spots in the patio themselves that may just be the result of some settling if the material beneath wasn't perfectly compacted.  So you might pull up the low-lying bricks and tamp in some additional sand to get those spots up to grade.  You might also consider a narrow gutter around the edge to catch water and direct it somewhere away from your wall.  Again, much depends on the overall grading of your lot.


how to fix blade wobble in circular saw The blade on my Skilsaw model 5150 wobbles quite a bit.  I can tell the wobble is coming from the shaft itself.  (I can grab the shaft and wiggle it around quite a bit --- the result of the "looseness" in the shaft is about a 3/16" wobble on the rim of a 7-1/4" blade.)

I found this diagram:  http://www.ereplacementparts.com/skil-5150-type-f012515000-714-circular-saw-parts-c-130_160_831.html, but I can't tell what part is supposed to keep the shaft from wobbling.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

If you're sure it's the shaft that's loose, and not a misalignment in the blade attachment, then it's most likely one of the bearings supporting the shaft that's bad. Check for play in the bearing flange (Component 36). If that's solid, then check the bearing sleeve (component 13). Unfortunately if it's the armature that's damaged (component 3), then you're better off buying a new saw.


Upgrading to GFCI, and the outlet box isn’t screwed into anything I’m attempting to upgrade an old two prong outlet to GFCI, and all was going well until one of the outlet boxes turned out to not be secured to a stud or anything. As best as I can tell, it looks like they screwed everything into place, shoved it into the hole in the ball, and then slapped a bunch of plaster over the tabs of the outlet and the box to hold it in place.
So I scraped the plaster off the screws holding the outlet in place to remove it, removed the old two-pronged outlet, hooked up the wires onto the GFCI outlet, and then attempted to shove the outlet back in the box. However, when I did that, the remaining plaster holding it in place broke free, and now it’s just floating free and held in place by nothing. There’s no stud on either side of the box to screw into. What’s my best option here to secure this old box?

The solution is probably what's known as an 'old work junction box'.
As an example, this: old work box. (No endorsement implied.)


What type of screws and rawl plugs should I use? I have a a framed canvas picture that I need to hang on a the wall. It is about 3 foot in height and 2 foot wide.

The wall is made of solid brick but has been boarded over with plasterboard and then plastered and painted.

What type of plugs should I use for this? Also what length screws? I was thinking they would have to be fairly long, maybe 50-60mm, to fix in to the brick?

I am assuming that this will require at least 2 screws to be fixed to the wall securely.

3 feet high, 2 feet wide. Can't weigh more than 30-40 pounds, and that's on the high side. I personally think you can get away with one good anchor. Once you go to 2, you want to have them dead level with each other, or you'll have to battle the alignment monster.

Get a 1/4 lag bolt shield and a 1 3/4" long lag bolt, get the proper sized masonry drill bit (it will be specified on the packaging) and make sure that you account for the depth of the plaster when you drill. Probably should drill a total of 1 5/8ths deep from the surface of the wall. Then tap the shield in as far as you can get it and tighten the lag down. Just leave a small gap between the plaster and the bolt head when you tighten it. Then hang the string right in that gap. That should be good up to about a hundred pounds WITH safety factor applied. Failure point is about 200 I believe, over 4x what I'm assuming the weight is.

I just realized you're metric. I don't know enough about metric lag bolts and thread sizes to convert what I've said, but perhaps you can get the gist of it.


Meaning of flickering light on outlet tester What does it mean when a gfci outlet tester shows the following light combination;

Bright "open ground" light and a dim/flickering "open neutral" light. I understand the open ground as there is no grounding wire, but I don't understand the dim open neutral.

Thank you

Outlet testers indicate status by the combination of lights – “Correct” is just a combination of the two yellow/amber lights for “open ground” and “open neutral”. So yours is actually flickering between the “correct” and “open ground” states, meaning there is some sort of ground connection, just a very poor/unreliable one that shouldn’t be used.

This article from the Circuit Detective has an explanation of all the possible combinations of lights on a typical outlet tester, including dim/flickering ones.


Advice on re-grouting this shower The caulking in my shower was starting to grow some mould so I have removed it and discovered the grout in the corners of the shower where two walls meet or where floor meets wall are in bad shape or entirely missing.

I am also a bit concerned by the fact that there doesn't appear to be anything immediately behind this grout in the corner. This was originally installed by the builder and the home is only 10 years old and it is a reputable builder. I haven't had any known leaks from this shower. I think I can see some concrete backer board against the wall but I'm not even sure what to apply the grout to at this point. Any advice on whether this appears normal or how to go about re-grouting would be appreciated.

I'm also looking for tips on how to remove grout along the tile between the floor and wall without damaging the wall tile.

I would venture to guess that originally the shower had a properly waterproofed substrate; the common inspector's test requires plugging the drain and filling the pan with water for a period, checking for water level change.

There may be concern now, because cracked and failing grout can be a sign of movement (there are, however, other possible causes of this). I grouted my shower 23 years ago and the grout looks practically the same as the day it was done, so something is up.

If you have confidence, and you should have some due to the fact that you have not noticed any leaks, you could carefully scrape/grind out the remaining grout from the entire area and regrout. I have had some success using a combination of utility knife (get extra blades) and grout saw, and you don't have to remove all the old grout but try to get a channel at least 3/16" deep.

However, grout is porous and will not help over the long term if the pan is compromised. I feel that you should do everything possible to ensure there are no leaks. Slow seeping pan leaks can be difficult to detect, until the floor drops out from under you or a ceiling above falls in your chiles relleno. Even if it means having to open up a wall or ceiling for inspection hole(s), it will be cheaper to patch drywall than to repair the damage of a long-term pan leak.


My electric oven runs 200C too hot. What can I do? I have a fairly new (2011-ish) electric oven by Amica which has been running about 200 °C too hot. I can't find a thing in the manuals about re-calibration, though I have read in the past that it's possible to calibrate it without having to call in the troops for repair.

What should I be looking for? Or, is this something that simply should be handled by the pros?

I'd suggest searching the web for Amica maintenance instructions for your model. If there are recalibrations available at all, that's where you'll find the instructions.

Normally, a service tech would just swap out the electronics and/or sensor, since if it's drifted this far there's no guarantee that it won't do other Bad Things some time soon.


Electric water heater leaks around the top, how do I fix it? My water heater is leaking from the top around the copper fittings.  It seems to be filled to capacity.

Will adjusting my pressure relief valve stop my water heater from leaking? I turned the main water valve off. I also opened the faucet near bottom of tank to drain.

Water heaters do not live forever. Start shopping.

While it is possible that you have a leaky fitting near the water heater, (which could be fixed) the most common cause for a leaky water heater is that the water heater itself has started to fail, and the only option there is replacement, as the corroded tank is not a replaceable part.

Depending where you are, there are some pretty good deals on more-efficient water heaters available in some areas.

Most temperature and pressure relief valves are not adjustable, and in any case the pressure inside should just be the water pressure of your house, so if you could lower the relief pressure, it would leak all the time.


Split system system, power consumption, Australia Can someone please explain to me how power consumption works on my split system unit?
I had a read of the main unit outside and it says:

"Maximum input-2.32kW/10.2A"
Capacity:
"Cooling- 4.40-4.40kW"
"Heating- 5.50-5.50kW"
Current:
"Cooling - 5.6-5.4A
"Heating - 6.7-6.5A
Power input:
"Cooling - 1.20-1.20kW
"Heating - 1.47-1.47kW

What I am trying to understand is what am I using when the unit is just idling along and what am I using when the unit is pumping hard to heat/cool? What impact would a 5kW solar system have on it with a theoretical maximum sunlight for 7 hours?

The maximum power that the unit uses is 1.20kW for cooling and 1.47kW for heating, although Assuming that your unit is a modern "inverter" style then the power consumption will be reduced if less cooling/heating is required.  Even if it isn't an inverter then the compressor still cycles on/off to maintain the set temperature.

For simplicity, let's say you set the thermostat as low as it can go and the unit runs non-stop for an hour; your unit will consume 1.20kWh of electricity (1.47kWh if it was heating) - The price of a kWh will be on your electricity bill; depending on your tariff, time of day may also affect the price.

The output of your solar system will depend on where in Australia you are located, its orientation, roof angle and any shading, but 3-4kWh per kW is a reasonable figure to achieve, so a 5kW system should output at least 15Kwh per day.  Over 7 hours this works out at a little more than 2kWh per hour, which would cover the operation of your AC.  You can get a better idea of your proposed system's output using an online calculator such as this one

The "capacity" figures refer to the heating and cooling capacity of the system.

Air conditioners are actually a "heat pump" they move heat from inside to outside (cooling) or outside to inside (heating).  Heat pumps can move more heat than the energy they consume.  The ratio of energy moved to energy consumed is the EER or coefficient of performance (COP) - You will see this value quoted on the spec sheet of any system.

From EnergyRating.gov.au

  How can the capacity output of an air conditioner be greater than the
  power input?

  For air conditioners, the measure of energy efficiency is
  the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) for cooling and the Coefficient of
  Performance (COP) for heating. The EER and COP are defined as the
  capacity output divided by the power input. This is achieved by the
  use of a refrigeration heat pump which collects internal heat and
  moves it outside when in cooling mode, or collects ambient heat from
  outside and moves it inside when in heating mode. The apparent
  efficiency of heat pumps is high as they can move much more low grade
  energy in the form of heat than the electrical energy they require.

As a result, despite their reputation for being energy hogs, air conditioning units are much more efficient than other forms of electric heating.  A 1kW bar heater (or fan heater) will use 1kW of electricity to produce 1kW of heat while your AC unit gives you 3.74kW of heat for the same 1kW of electricity in.


How to clean up spilled paint on carpet? My drunken roommate came home last night and knocked a whole can of paint all over the carpet.  I just found it this morning, half-dry.  I scooped most of it up, but there's still the bottom layer seeped into the carpet.

What's the best way to clean the paint off the carpet?

Update:

The top of the can says

  Premium plus int satin enamel - Custom color match - Pastel base
  (7500)

That's pretty much it, except the color (A mix of Lamp black, yellow oxid, and thalo green).

So I bought some cheap carpet cleaner from the local grocery store and started dabbing.  With a rag soaked in cold water (my roommate also used a sponge, which may actually work better), I made sure to keep the carpet area wet.  I spent about 2 hours dabbing at the carpet, spraying the carpet cleaner every so often.  After a couple of dabs, I could tell the rag wouldn't pick up any more of the wet paint, so I would carry it to the sink, wring it out, and start dabbing again.

This seemed to work, for the most part!  The stain is hardly noticeable, and is still getting better as I continue to spray and dab when I have time.  It may be a little more work than expected, but it's better than replacing the carpet.

Some tips:

Make sure the paint stays wet in the beginning.  You want the rag to soak it up, and it won't absorb the paint if the paint is dry.
Try not to scrub too hard.  When I tried scrubbing, the paint would spread outside of the original drop zone.  Dabbing is better.
Don't leave a paint can on the carpet.  Ever.


Maytag MLG2000AWW sporadically trips the GFCI when setting the dryer timer. When rotating the dryer timer knob, the GFCI outlet trips. It usually happens when the pointer is near the Presscare area of the knob. It will never trip ar any other time. I checked the GFCI with a tester and it shows it is good.

Have the dryer serviced or replaced

Your dryer probably has a ground fault (my bet: the timer motor).  A skilled electrician or appliance technician armed with an insulation resistance tester could probably find it given a bit of time, or if you don't want to take any chances with the ability of a tech to fix it, replacement is always an option.


Light Switch Won't Turn Light Off The other day, out of the blue, a light switch would not turn the light associated with it off.  I flicked the switch up and down about a dozen times and the light would not turn off.

I'm a complete novice and don't know where to start.  I took the light switch cover off to see if anything obvious jumped out at me, but no luck.

Thanks...

When a working switch ceases to be able to turn a light off, it is almost always a bad switch.

Turn the power off at the circuit breaker.
Remove the switch cover.
Take a picture of how the wires connect to the switch
Remove the old switch
Replace with the same type of switch, matching wires
Put cover back on
Turn power back on

This assumes that only one switch controls the light. As noted in the comment by @topshot, if there are other switches in the circuit, such as a 3-way or 4-way setup, one of the other switches could be the problem.

That said, the comment by @AndrewMorton is good advice. Most of us became comfortable working with electricity by observing and asking questions (in person) of someone who knew a lot more than us. If you can get a friend to assist who knows even a bit about electricity, it would be a good idea. And never take on any risky task when no one else is around to call for the ambulance.


how do I protect a new engineered wood floor from sofa wheels I'm getting a new engineered wood floor fitted next week and have an existing sofa with castor wheels at each corner. What's the best protection from damaging the floor? I don't want to put a mat under the sofa.

There are numerous types of furniture cups to cushion a floor against castors and legs.

Or you could just remove the castors.

 Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


How do I add weatherproof exterior soffit lights? I want to add exterior soffit lights to my house and use Philips Hue br30 bulbs in them.

I would like a suggestions a weatherproof can and trim that might work for my scenario.

You do NOT need "waterproof" recessed lights. Most can/trim combinations are damp location rated, which is what under a soffit is.

You could use a shower rated trim, but that would be completely unnecessary, restrict the light considerably, and collect bugs like no tomorrow.


What's the difference between three phase 240 V and standard household 240 V? I don't understand the difference between household 240 and 3 phase 240. Isn't household 240 just two 120 phases, making 240V two-phase? If so, wouldn't three phase just be 360v? How, then, is there 240 and 480v three phase? Does each conductor carry the full voltage?

Input Phase Angle and number of transformers needed. For High-Delta, type of transformer.

All voltages below are expressed in RMS Average, not Peak...

I find it really hard to refer to Split-Phase as Residential or "House" Power. It is used in business where you're not running a lot of heavy motorized equipment. 240VAC Split Phase is produced off a single phase input transformer with center tapped secondary, producing for output, a single phase across the 240V outer terminals and two 120V legs with phases 180 degrees apart. Centertap is an effective ground (Neutral) at 0V potential and each leg is +120VAC and -120VAC respectively for the full voltage of 240V.

If you view the waveform on an oscilloscope, you will see a single sine wave (single phase) when measuring between Line 1 and Line 2 (below) at 240VAC RMS. Measuring between Line 1 and Neutral will show a single sine wave at 120VAC RMS, measuring between Line 2 and Neutral will show a single sine wave at 120VAC RMS equal and opposite to the L1-Neutral wave (180 degree phase shift)

Three Phase has three separate circuits with phases 120 Degrees apart. You need three separate transformers, one for each phase. The primary on each is fed with a single phase and produces an output of a single phase on 208 (Y) or 240 (Delta) VAC. Depending on whether the circuit is Wye or Delta, you can have multiple voltages. Each phase-pair carries the full voltage. On Wye with Neutral, the voltage between the phase and Neutral will be slightly less than three-fifths of (it's one-third of the square root of 3, for electronics geeks) the voltage between each phase leg. On Delta, you only have each phase available with no Neutral.

If we hook up an oscilloscope to each of the line terminals, we see the following waveform, three independent power paths, 120 degrees phase shifted which when applied to a three phase motor, provide a rotating vortex magnetic field which makes 3 phase motors self-starting without the requirement of a start capacitor, start winding or other method of kludging in a phase shifted winding to provide the rotational force to start the motor spinning.

Wye and Delta typically have one Pole Pig per phase (three transformers). On a Wye 480VAC system, the voltage between each phase and Neutral is 277VAC. Transformer secondary electrical schematics below to show how each transformer set is hooked up to derive the connection scheme. You can hook a single phase motor up on L1-L2, L2-L3 or L3-L1 for single phase current (balance necessary on loading between phases) or apply L1-L2-L3 to the proper therminals of a three phase motor.

On the US power grid, also is used the High-Leg Delta transformer circuit which allows for multiple voltages. Voltage between each Leg produces 240VAC, voltage between the Center Tap and the high leg gives 208VAC Single Phase and voltage between each low leg and the center tap is essentially a Split Phase circuit with 120V from each respective leg to Neutral (residential power tap - grin). High-Leg Delta power is only available in 120/208/240, and is not put in any longer as Wye circuits are preferred instead for their relative simplicity and improved load balancing


Does Landing At Bottom of Small Staircase Need to be 36" Long Does international building code require a 36" landing at the bottom of a small staircase? I see it mentioned all over the internet that it's required for a large staircase, but am unable to find if there's an exception for a smaller staircase.

Assuming you're doing residential work, the 2012 IRC specifies (source):

  R311.7.6 Landings for stairways. There shall be a floor or landing at the top and bottom of each stairway. The minimum width
  perpendicular to the direction of travel shall be no less than the width of the flight served. Landings of shapes other than square or
  rectangular shall be permitted provided the depth at the walk line and the total area is not less than that of a quarter circle with a
  radius equal to the required landing width. Where the stairway has a straight run, the minimum depth in the direction of travel
  shall be not less than 36 inches (914 mm).

  Exception: A floor or landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs, including stairs in an
  enclosed garage, provided a door does not swing over the stairs.

So yes, your landing depth would need to be at least 36" or the width of your staircase, whichever is greater. The listed exception isn't relevant as it only applies to the top of the stairs, not the bottom. I don't know if this has changed in more recent versions of the IRC; also, your house might not be subject to the same rules, so check with your local inspector.


Sediment on side of water heater? Here's an image of my hot water heater that's been knocking fairly hard. Does this give anyone an idea of what was done to this? It looks to me as if someone tried to remove the heating element, in the center, and water poured out, putting sediment down the side of it.

Would this mean someone tried to clean it out? Or replace the elements? Or what?

This looks very similar to something I encountered recently. Back a few months ago my water heater started kicking its breaker for no apparent reason. I figured it was just some random occurrence at the time so I ignored it for a few weeks and just kept resetting the breaker (A very bad idea, but I was busy). Then one day I heard water running in the water heater closet. fortunately for me, the previous owner of my house had installed a drain pan under the water heater because water was pouring down the side of the heater from one of the covers.

Apparently, this had been going on for some time because it had built up a mineral deposit like the one in your picture. It turned out that the heating element had completely corroded away to the point where water was leaking through what was left of it. That was why the breaker had started to trip because it had started shorting out when what was left of the element tried to turn on. I ended up replacing not only the element but the anode in the water heater as well.

If you are the do-it-yourself type I would suggest draining the water heater and pulling the heating element to see what condition it is in. Be sure you cut power to the water heater before you do any work on it. If the element is corroded you can get a replacement element at most hardware stores. Whatever you do, don't ignore it like I did. You could run into a real problem if it starts leaking and your water heater isn't equipped with a drain pan like mine was.


3 way switches with switch load at each end I’m trying to figure out how/if I can make this 3 way light wiring work. I have two boxes with two 3 way switches in them with 14-3 wire running between them. Each box has a load wire from a different set of lights with 14-2 wire.  Power from a 14-2 wire enters in to the right box. Having a switch load at each end is confusing me so I may have a wire wrong somewhere.  Thanks for your help.

You have two totally separate 3-way switch complexes, right next to each other. They are totally separate and must be isolated from each other.  Each uses a different wiring diagram.   It will be VERY confusing.

In cases like this, I rely on colored tape. Get a 5-pack of colored tape and get ready to mark some wires.   The first rule of marking wires is mark both ends of the wire at the same time.  The second rule is when you mark a wire, that is its color now.  The third rule is you cannot mark a colored wire white, i.e. A colored wire cannot be made a neutral.

I prefer black for supply hot, red for switched hot to a lamp, yellow for a set of travelers (they are interchangeable), and blue for a second set of travelers.

On each of the 14/2 spurs to the lamp, mark the black wire with RED tape. It is now a red wire.

On your 14/3 cables between switch boxes:

One cable gets wire colors of yellow, yellow and red.  Yes, 2 wires with the same color.
The other gets colors blue, blue, white.

In the right box, pigtail 2 wires off the black supply.  They each go to the common (black screw) on a 3-way.

In the right box, the "traveler" terminals (brass screws) on the 3-ways:  one 3-way gets both yellow wires.  The other 3-way gets both blue wires.

In the left box, one 3-way gets red on its common screw and both yellows on its two traveler screws (brass). That 3-way is done.

Also in the left box, land both blues on the traveler screws of the other 3-way.

Nut all white wires together in both boxes.

Nut both red wires together in the right box.  That box should be done.

In the other box, one red wire still dangles, and one 3-way screw is unused.   Use it for that.

And we're done. Whew!


Can thinned water based polyurethane be used for blotch control? And if so, what to use as a thinner (water?) and in what proportions and how to apply?

My specific problem: I have some unfinished pine 1x4s (an aquarium stand) I need to stain for color and cover with a top coat for water protection. I have a can of wb polyurethane (varathane diamond finish) and a can of varathane water based stain. Naive stain application shows uneven absorbtion. Using 1:3 poly:water as a sealer improves things a bit, but still not ideal. The goal here is to get a decent finish without using another product as a conditioner (I have more poly than I can use for this project already)

In a word: no. Okay you can in theory, but there's no guarantees. There are three schools of thought when it comes to conditioning.

Flood your conditioner on, wipe off the excess, and then stain before the solvent (water in your case) dries.
Apply the conditioner evenly, repeatedly reapplying as dry spots appear until you have a perfectly uniform saturation, then let it dry overnight. Once cured, scuff sand very carefully to remove and conditioner left of the surface. Then stain.
Shellac. Don't worry about shellac, it's a whole other bag of problems.

To do number one you would have to introduce more water into the wood than I would say is advisable, more water = more grain raising, more warping, and the finish may start to fail to bind together which would completely defeat the purpose. Not to mention water dries so quickly you'll have trouble keeping things in solution long enough to work properly if it's a big piece.

You could in theory shoot for number two, but it is a technique that takes some practice and you'd be adapting methods from the world of oil based to work with water-based products which will take some experimenting. Basically you'd need to find just the right amount of dilution so that your poly behaves itself, in oil based it's about 2 to 1 mineral spirits to varnish (typically).

To be honest, this is kind of a lot of time and effort to avoid buying a $20 can of conditioner and your results will be far from a sure thing. Here's an article on conditioning with an emphasis on water based products that may help sell you on the benefits of a true conditioner. Wood Whisperer. Good Luck!


Water Problem on Patio After I spotted some water settling on patio, I removed some cement tiles and found a crack in the 16 year old slab of poured cement. Water was flowing up from beneath the slab. There's a little hill behind a retaining wall at the end of the patio.

The water is clear and odorless. I checked everywhere for possible leaking pipes, turn off water supply for 3 days, but the flow did not change.

I think it's ground water. What can I do?

I'm sure the water is from "ground water". That is to say, it's from the water table being pushed up from the adjacent hillside. During the wet season, hillsides get saturated and will cause lower level water tables to rise.

An easy fix is to add a "french drain" between your patio and the hillside. Just dig a trench about 8" to 12" below the bottom of the patio slab. Install a 3" perforated pipe on about 3" of gravel (drain rock, not crushed rock, because you want water to flow through the rock and enter the perf pipe.) Then fill up the trench with more rock. (If you want it to last longer, you could line the trench...bottom, sides and top...with filter fabric.) Make sure you "daylight" the end of the perf pipe. That is to say, extend the pipe to a location that will allow the water to run out. Make sure the pipe is level or slopes down to the exit slightly.

The reason you are experiencing this now is because something has changed. Somebody uphill from you has changed a waterway or diverted some water towards you...


What is this kind of door lock called in English? Would it be called "overlap door lock"?
Instead of being installed inside the door, it is screwed outside of the door.

These are usually called "rim locks" in North America and the UK. Maybe different elsewhere.


How do I remove a thick layer of paint from tiles? One of the previous owners of our new flat thought it'd be a good idea to paint the tiles in the toilet -- twice!

We've been using a paint scratcher to remove the paint

The problem: This takes too long (~120 tiles) and is tiring (as you need to use quite a bit of force and you take an inconvenient angle).

Thus we tried chemicals: Hydrochloric acid (no effect at all), graffiti remover (worked a bit, but generally made things messier/stickier).

I'm sure there is something we haven't thought of yet and gets the job done in a faster, less work intensive way.

Uh, yeah, and how do I get the paint out of the seam?

Try a heat gun, it will soften the paint and allow you to scrape it off more gently. Be sure to follow instructions for proper ventilation and material safety especially if there's any possibility of lead paint.

However, unless you're particularly in love with those tiles, tearing down and re-tiling will likely give you a better result in less time.


Garage Wiring: No Voltage With a Load The power recently went out in my garage. When I went to the garage and flipped on the light, there was a small spark from within the switch box (where the wires enter the garage) and then no power. Note that my garage was built in 1950, and the wiring is a bit scabby. The garage breaker is a 15A that is in a sub-panel in my basement.

I opened up the wall, and the wiring is brought in and split in two branches: one to the outside receptacle, and one to the lights + a receptacle.

The hot is connected to 3 other wires (via wire nut), one to the light switch, one in parallel to the lighting (or receptacle...I'm not too sure), and one to the out door receptacle.

The Neutral is connected to 2 other wires (via a wire nut), one to the lighting and one to the out door receptacle.

The ground is grounded directly to the light switch body.

I have found that there is correct voltage between the hot and the Neutral only when:
1) There is no load on the out door receptacle
2) The lighting Neutral is not in contact with the garage service neutral

Basically, the voltage is only correct if the entrance Neutral has no load on it from either branch. When there is a load, the voltage goes to zero.

Does anybody know what's going on?

Ok ,you megged it's you know more than most home owners.

This sounds like a broken conductor.

With a light load everything works. Add a few amps and the arc separates the wires. You have megged it so you know it is not going to ground. The only other problem that I have seen like this is from "back stabs" or broken conductors.

With the age of your home I would look for a broken wire in an outlet that daisy chains to the next outlet.

That or a problem in the panel.

After reading everything again your Fluke meter may be the problem with "leakage" or "phantom" voltages. I can say this as a profesional that uses many diferent models of fluke meters & meggers.

Very high impeadance meters will show a normal voltage with no real coper to copper connection.

Some times  the voltage is from leakage on solid state electronics. Other times I have found moisture & dust enough to cause phantom voltages. Once a load is on the circuit the voltage is gone.


Bedroom/Bathroom Rewiring Design In Oregon:

I am remodeling our master bedroom/bathroom, and moving the location of the bathroom, hence I need to rewire everything.

The house was built in 1989 in the following manner:

20 amp circuit supplying bathroom GFis for two bathrooms (including master)
15 amp circuit providing bedroom receptacles and lighting, and bathroom lighting and fan (no heater).

I want to keep this same design, but I am uncertain if the fan will need a separate circuit from the bedroom receptacles?

Also, I want to add an outdoor receptacle and outdoor light to the bedroom receptacle circuit with the GFI outlet in the receptacle.  Is this allowed to tee into this circuit?

With bathrooms, Code now gives you two forks in the road.

One 20A circuit can power only bathroom receptacles in any number of bathrooms, but absolutely nothing other than bathroom receptacles. Hardwired loads in the bathrooms (lighting, fan) must be powered by other household circuits.
One 20A circuit must power one bathroom only, but can power receptacles and hardwired loads in that same bathroom only. This circuit cannot power anything in any other room.  However, hardwired loads in that bathroom could be powered by other household circuits.

Rewire time is a great time to address problems like, as Jim Stewart says, breakers tripping when Mom and daughter try to run hair dryers at once.   Honestly, I wouldn't even consider it excessive to supply two 20A receptacle circuits, so the occupant of that bathroom can run a curler and hair dryer at once.  This could even be done with a single 12/3 cable using our old friend the MWBC.

As far as extending the bedroom circuit outside, that is fine.  However I learned not to leave expensive electronic things outdoors. That includes GFCIs.  I would fit a cheaper indoor-rated GFCI+receptacle inside the bedroom at whichever location you tap for the outside extension.  Hang the cable to the outdoor receptacle off the LOAD terminals of that GFCI.  Then, fit a plain receptacle outdoors.  It won't deteriorate nearly as fast, and when it does, it's $2.


In a secondary panel, are grounding and neutral bus bars required on each side of the hot bus bars? In a secondary panel (not a service panel), the grounded (neutral) bus bar is to be kept isolated from the grounding conductors (250.24(A)(5)). In article 408, the code has this to say...

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use
Article 408 Switchboards, Switchgear, and Panelboards.
408.3 Support and Arrangement of Busbars and Conductors.
(D) Terminals. In switchboards , switchgear and panelboards,
load terminals for field wiring, including grounded
circuit conductor load terminals and connections to the
equipment grounding conductor bus for load equipment
grounding conductors, shall be so located that it is not
necessary to reach across or beyond an uninsulated ungrounded
line bus in order to make connections.

In a panel like the one below, where there's a grounding bus bar on one side of the panel and a grounded (neutral) on the other. It's easy to terminate all the neutrals at one bar, and all the grounds at the other. However, does 408.3(D) mean that there should actually be a grounding and grounded bus bar on each side of the panel?

Should the panel actually look like this?

I think you may be over-thinking this. You can make a connection on either bus without reaching across an ungrounded bus in that panel.

The ground and neutral bars are so located as to give you free access to them without have to reach around or near an energized bus. You could stand to the right or left to make your connections without reaching across the phase bus.

In a larger piece of switchgear, the phase conductor bus should be located further in and the ground and neutral bars closer to the access panel not the other way around.

I think that is the intent of the code.


Do I need to remove remaining wallpaper backing before painting? This is my first project ever. I am removing old wallpaper from a small bathroom.  Most of the wallpaper was already curling up so the top layer was easy to remove.  On some of the wall I have realized the backing is stuck on the brown spots of the wall. Do I need to remove the backing from this portion? I'm afraid of damaging the wall further. Do I need to fill in these spots before get to the painting phase?

Thank you.

Those "brown spots" are the inside of your drywall's surface paper. You're actually pulling off the surface of the drywall (which is the gray you see adjacent to the brown). It's not a total disaster, but normally you'd use a little moisture to dissolve the adhesive and gently scrape it off.

Since you're going to paint, you'll need to do a few things for a favorable outcome:

Finish cleaning up the wallpaper to a reasonable extent. It doesn't have to be perfect since you'll need to skim things anyway. Use a putty knife to scrape away any remaining loose paper.
Roll on a drywall sealer or PVA primer. This will stabilize the exposed paper and provide a better substrate for repairs. Let that dry well.
Skim the walls with joint compound using a large taping knife or steel trowel. Apply several light applications as needed. Each should be very thin. You're not "spackling" or "plastering" here. You're just skimming. Think of it as applying a coat of paint only.
Sand lightly with a drywall screen or other large sanding block. Don't use a small block as it'll result in waviness. It's ok if some paper comes back through. Press lightly and use long strokes in multiple directions. If necessary, repeat steps 3 and 4.
Prime again and paint.


Can I retrofit ground to a two wire outlet from a nearby grounded outlet? This is in my garage. I am trying to add a second circuit in order to be able to run the dust collector and the table saw at the same time. I did run them on the existing circuit with no load and the breaker did not trip but I want o be on the safe side.

There is one circuit that enters the garage right where you see the GFI power outlet. I extended that to a workbench that I have to the left of the door on the left side (conduit not shown) and to the right to feed the garage door lift and to add one more power outlet also connected with a wire run through plastic conduit. This circuit is grounded.

Now I have wiring coming into the garage from the porch then it is run as seen down to the bottom level of the first garage front light. The cable goes into the wall outside to feed that light bulb and then it comes back it goes above the garage door opening and it lands on the other side of the garage door (not pictured) to feed the other garage door light (extreme right of the picture)
The above are on a 15A circuit that has a on/off switch in the house.

Can I run a ground wire from the power outlet that is next to the new power outlet that I want to add (highlighted in blue)?

..all my regular circuits are 15A ..

Retrofitting grounds is only allowed on old work.  For instance if you have an old circuit where you have already retrofitted ground, and you want to extend a new outlet off of it, you must use 12/2 w/ground cable. Meaning ground is included in the new cable.

Yes, I don't see any problem tapping another circuit for that ground, so long as it's fed out of the same panel and the ground wire is equal or larger than is ordinarily required for this outlet.

If you're just fitting an outlet where a switch or lamp was, then you can do that, provided you have the needed wires available.  You can continue using the ground you retrofitted.


Removing kitchen sink drain pipe from behind a wall I'm replacing an old galvanized pipe from my kitchen drain to the basement.  The drain pipe corroded a couple feet down the line and is leaking.  I'd like to replace the entire run from the sink to the sewer with PVC.

The sink drain runs into a wall behind the cabinets and then straight down into the basement.

I don't know how to remove the section in the wall without cutting into the back of my fancy-ish new-ish cabinets and taking out drywall.

It looks like there's a nut right on the wall. If I remove that nut should I just be able to pull the pipe down into the basement?

As you suspect, if the drain is plumbed correctly, there is a vent pipe extending above the drain connection inside the wall. The connector is probably a wye, and there is no way to free the pipe without opening the wall.


How to check the power capabilities of a house? I'm planning a wedding, and the current plan is to have it at my fiancée's aunt's house, which has a large avocado orchard in the back.  We love the space, but it just occurred to me: I'm not entirely sure her house can handle the power drain of the DJ, lights, decorations, rented bathrooms, etc.

I have basically zero experience with this sort of thing, but I find myself needing to check the power capabilities of this house.  I have a vague notion that the information I need will be near the breaker box, but what specifically should I be looking for?  And what information (wattage, voltage, etc) will I need to get from my DJ and such, to total up and compare to the house's capability?

Go to the main breaker box and find the main breaker, or "Service Disconnect". It will be separated from the other breakers, and perhaps even in a different box.

The number on the breaker, eg "100" is the max number of amps that your box is wired for (Of course, you would need to distribute your load appropriately.

Have you looked into renting a large generator for the day?


How to keep self cleaning oven from damaging things? I would like to know some tips/opinions on the self cleaning function of an oven.

Can it possibly hurt the oven's own circuitry?
what is a good way from preventing surrounding from getting damaged (cabinets, micro, whatever)?  Last time I used it my cabinets fronts got scorched - turned them from white to light yellow.
are there any settings on the oven that help for the self cleaning?

what is a good way from preventing surrounding from getting damaged
  (cabinets, micro, whatever)? Last time I used it my cabinets fronts
  got scorched - turned them from white to light yellow.

To prevent the surroundings from getting damaged, I place two box window fans in front of the oven on the floor about 2 feet away, and table fan on the counter blowing behind.


What nominal lumber size is 11/16? If I am seeking lumber that has an actual thickness of 11/16", what nominal size (e.g. nominal for 3/4" actual is 1x...) should I be looking for? I need it for a window trim.

"1 inch" with an additional trip through the planer - ie, it's not stock. For that matter, what is "stock" for various sizes varies with vendor, over time, etc. - the place I used to get hardwood in central NY planed 4/4 to 13/16" unless you asked for a different thickness, so 3/4 would not be "stock" there.

With rare exceptions any lumber thinner than 1 inch is made by planing from 1 inch (actually "4/4 rough") in practice. A well equipped lumberyard (not home cheapo) can custom-plane it for a nominal fee, otherwise you are going to need access to a planer to get this size.


What type of wall construction is shown in these pictures? These photos were taken through a small hole in the wall of a house. They are of the inside of the cavity. The hole they were taken through is at a height of about 60cm from the internal ground floor level. The left of the photos is the inside of the outer leaf of the external wall of the house.

What kind of construction am I looking at? How was this wall constructed and what materials is in likely to be made from? What features of the wall do these photos show? Is there anything unusual in them?

Looking to the right, along the wall:

Looking up and to the right along the wall:

Looking steeply up and a bit to the right:

Picture of the inside of the wall in the corner of another room. The bottom 10cm of the plaster has been removed. The left is the external wall and the right is an internal wall (the corner is rounded!):

Detail of the internal surface of the base of the external wall. The hole shown in the picture was found when the plaster was removed, metal can be seen in the hole (it is not the same hole that the other photos were taken through, it is in a different room):

What I think you're looking at is cast, reinforced concrete construction for the external structure, with an airspace and then a cementitious "mud" or adobe with lathe ... and then a final coat of plaster.

The horizontal lines on the inside of the exterior wall comes from the pieces of wood that were used to make the form. It'd be helpful to have a picture of the outside of the house.

On the inside, the metal (or possibly a plastic or fiber lathe -- it is REALLY difficult to tell from the supplied pictures) was attached to the rebar sticking out from the wall, and then the mud or adobe was forced through it into a smooth surface a few inches thick. This could have been done to a smooth finish and stained or painted, or it could have had tile or some other material applied to it, or it could have been finished with plaster or stucco. The plaster/stucco may have been a later addition.

A similar construction today would be applying metal studs to a concrete foundation home and then putting Durock or another cementboard over it, and either finishing over it with tile, stucco, or plaster. However, cementitious mud is still extremely common as a surface to tile over for showers or floors and especially for floors is considered superior to cementboard.

This kind of construction is common in african and middle eastern homes. In fact, these pictures mirror things I've seen it in pictures of home renovations from Morocco. I imagine that any area with a similar climate would have similar construction. In most of Europe and US (or any non-arid climate) this would be very uncommon construction and would be horribly prone to mold, although it's possible that this kind of construction could have been done for a steam bath or shower in a building with foundation walls either partially or fully made out of cast concrete ... I'm thinking sauna in a basement or similar.


Is this cord bend ok on electric range? Will this be okay for a 40 amp range? The box was set a little too low. I wasn't sure if they bend what cause any issues.

I'm not certain what guage that wire is but many manufacturers will cite a minimum bend radius.
It may or may not be code compliance wherever you are in the world.
I suspect that wire has a minimum bend radius between 1 and 2 inches.
You can achieve that most easily by just rotating the receptacle. The wire will tail upwards, which will look strange, but it will be behind the range so as long as you can maintain the clearance required, you'll be fine.


Can p-trap be installed higher than drain entry? I have p-trap entry in drain at 16" above the floor. However, vanity that I got has lower drawer which has top at about the same height. There is also about 4" clearance behind drawer.
I was told that the only way to install p-trap would be to cut back of the drawer.

So I wonder if it's really the case. Can't drain entry be just raised with some additional elbow so p-trap enters it 6" higher?
Any other options? Is it possible, for example, to install p-trap sideways so it fits into those 4" behind drawer?

As long as the p-trap is lower than the drainage from the basin then you can install it. It can also be lower than your exit pipe you need to drain into
You attach the p-trap directly to the drainage and manuever the p-traps exits into you existing drain.
It is not ideal to have the p-trap below the the exit drain because water gravity has to force the water out instead of it flowing downwards naturally. They both work and have seen it many times. But essentially anything below already creates its own p-trap- so using another is redundant.
If the p-trap is to tricky just create your own loop from pvc
For ease of manageability you can use a flexible waste connector pipe from the p-trap to your drain pipe.

Some twisted to fit p-trap

Small pcv p-trap

A sideways p-trap is useless, you might as well connect it straight line.

Theory of a p-trap

You might want to look into s-traps also


What material is my damaged kitchen ceiling made of and how should I repair it? I have a house built in the 1950's, 3 bedroom brick ranch in Michigan.

I had a leak in my roof, which over a period of time caused the kitchen ceiling to start to fall apart, peel, and show water stains on the material underneath that.

I have fixed/replaced the roof, and am now looking to fix the kitchen ceiling. If possible, I'm willing to do the work myself, but only if I can find good instructional videos that walk me through the process.

I was trying to lookup videos this evening, but I'm not sure what materials these are. It looks as though there's some kind of drywall or cement fiberboard, then some kind of mud/plaster/compound, then paint.

This is a closeup that shows the rough material underneath (cement board?), and a bit of a side view of the next two layers.

This is the same view, but zoomed out a little

https://imgur.com/WFXyHqC

This view shows another spot where the middle white layer hasn't peeled away yet, just the paint layer seems to have peeled.

https://imgur.com/GYbw3n8

The next two pictures are a little more zoomed out to show the size of the area that I am dealing with

https://imgur.com/dEdNi0U

https://imgur.com/G54ZZLV

If anyone could point me in the right direction as far as what materials these are, and a general idea of how complex the project would be to fix it, or what i can search for to find an instructional video, i would greatly appreciate it.

Looks like basic plaster with a skim coat, which has released due to the moisture. The only question is whether you have wood lath base or gypsum panels.

I'd use a putty knife to scrape away all the lose coating material. Skim with modern joint compound to achieve a flat finish. Prime and paint. The scope of the individual steps is too broad to lay out in an answer here. There's plenty of information to be found.

If the plaster itself has lost its integrity, you'll need to cut out the affected area, replace it with drywall (shimmed down flush), tape, prime, paint. It'll be a mess because all your insulation will fall out. Here's hoping you can avoid that. Plaster is pretty tough and may have tolerated the moisture.


What is a good exterior wall composition for a wood frame house with pine chink siding in a moderate climate? I'm designing a house for myself that will be built in northern Georgia (USA). The climate is moderate, with lows in the 20's during the coldest part of winter.

The house will be framed with 2x6's, and have stained pine chink siding on the exterior. I plan to use fiberglass batts in the cavities between 2x6 studs, which will have an R rating of 18-21.

In between the pine chink siding and the framing, however, there are lots of options, and lots of conflicting information about what is or isn't good practice.

Can someone please advise me on what a good "stack" of materials should be for an exterior wall in this type of construction and climate?

Some specific questions:

Plywood Sheathing - Should a plywood sheathing be used over the studs? If so, CDX or OSB and what thickness? Some sources say when using horizontal wood siding, the siding provides the lateral support and wood sheathing is not necessary. Some say CDX is a waste of money, while others say OSB will rot.
Solid Foam Insulation - Should solid foam insulation sheets be used in addition to the fiberglass batts? Over the studs or over the wood sheathing? Does it glue on? How thick should it be?
House Wrap - (Or similar) does this go over the studs, over the wood sheathing, over the foam insulation, or over the standoffs?
Stand offs - Some websites recommend using 1x3 standoffs between the wall and the outer siding layer to allow air flow from bottom to top inside the wall. Does these standoffs attach through the solid foam and through the sheathing? Should this be done over every stud (16" oc), or less frequently?
Ventilation - If using standoffs to allow ventilation, what do you do at the bottom to finish off the wall so there's not a hole underneath? What does the opening at the top vent into, the attic?

As a forenote, I'll be cribbing heavily from BSI-001, BSI-061, BSI-068, and BSI-086 for this answer.  Also, 2x6 studs are good, especially when used in conjunction with the rest of the advanced framing package -- whoda thunk you could get more wall for less wood?  However, I'd switch to rockwool for the cavity batts instead of fiberglass -- you get less sagging, a bit more R-value per inch, and easier handling to boot as the stuff doesn't flop all over the place on you.  Finally, use latex paint for the interior wall finish, never an alkyd paint, and never vinyl wallpaper (spoiler: vinyl wallpaper is a very effective vapor barrier on the wrong side of the wall, leading to mold-manufacturing condensation in the summer).  Now that the rest of your wall is out of the way, we can address the stuff you are asking about.

Sheathing

The exterior sheathing performs multiple functions in a typical stick-built wall assembly:

It serves to resist shear and racking loads on the wall
It provides a uniform surface for the barrier layers, if it is not taped to serve as a barrier layer itself
It often helps control vapor even if it is not a barrier layer in its own right
It also helps resist penetration (piercing) of the wall (by windblown debris in a storm, for instance)

Plywood is excellent at all four of these functions, which is why it is traditionally used for wall sheathing.  Wood boards can be used instead, but we're talking 1x8 boards mounted diagonally here as a dedicated sheathing layer, not your cladding, which is always separate.  Good OSB can also be good, but you need to be a bit more careful with it as it will rot if it stays wet -- in a good wall, it works well, but it's less tolerant of oopsies like the arrival of some nitwit interior designer who's obsessed with vinyl wallpaper.  Maximizing oops tolerance is possible, but requires going to glass-faced gypsum board exterior sheathing (the yellow stuff you see used over steel studs in commercial work), which sacrifices some of the penetration (puncture) resistance you get with OSB, plywood, or boards, but gains you the ability to do a vapor permeable wall assembly, through and through.

Given all that, go with a a good grade of OSB if you are cost-conscious and not terribly concerned about fire performance; if all the OSB around is cheap stuff, then go with the plywood -- the wood boards pose a compatibility issue for adhered or fluid applied barrier systems.  If you were going for a masonry or steel stud structural wall, then I'd go to the gypsum in a heartbeat -- it's less common with wood structural walls, but is still a good option if you want to spring for the premium approach or are like me and are a bit paranoid about fire.  The glass-faced gypsum board simply will not burn, for that matter, which is a good thing in your case.

Air/Water Barrier (Housewrap)

This is actually the next layer out in the wall -- unless you're using air/vapor impermeable foamboard insulation that serves as the barrier itself when taped, it must be applied directly to the sheathing.  Taped OSB or even taped plywood provides a good air barrier, but OSB especially needs to be protected from moisture ingress by a water resistive layer that's at least somewhat vapor open (look for about 10-20 perms).  Given that, you might as well just use a suitable WRB layer -- modern self-adhered or fluid applied products perform well for both functions, and don't have problems with blowing off or getting holes punched in them.

Exterior Insulation

While foamboard is an option for exterior insulation here, I'd recommend using rockwool here to provide a degree of fire protection to the readily cookable stuff (WRB, sheathing, studs, interior) on the inside.  You'll want plenty of the stuff, too -- considering you're using 2x6s for the studs, 6" of exterior insulation is going to put you into good territory regarding the overall R-value considering that exterior insulation is continuous, and thus counts for more R-value, inch for inch, than cavity insulation does.

Furring

A half-inch metal hat channel provides adequate air gap for most claddings (save for masonry veneers) that have been properly prepared.  Also, it won't catch on fire even if the siding's a roaring bonfire.  It's not as nice from a structural engineering perspective as 1x2s on the flat for furring, but it'll do the job considering that you're using a fairly lightweight cladding.  Attach these on your stud centers\ with long fasteners through the insulation to the studs -- that's the only way they'll do their job, considering they have to run vertically in order to allow air and water flow vertically through the assembly.

Speaking of the siding, I'd have used fiber-cement instead of the pine simply because fiber-cement won't burn.  However, the pine siding is probably OK for your case as long as your landscaping is appropriate (i.e. won't let a forest fire easily reach the house).  Make sure to back-prime the siding though to avoid reservoir cladding woes!

Ventilation (and a bit of flashing while we're at it)

The bottom of the gap needs to be detailed with welded wire mesh to allow water to get out and air to get in while thwarting the entrance of critters (not that they enjoy rockwool, that is).  You'll want to flash the bottom of the rockwool under the inside of the wire mesh so that water can drain out cleanly, as well -- this flashing detail also helps protect against critter intrusions, and needs to terminate to the foundation wall in order to do that.  (It's far more important if you decide to go with foamboard BTW -- ants will happily gnaw through your foam to find the wet spots in it and then proceed to chill out there, and furry, squeaky critters will gnaw on well, almost anything they can.)

As to the top? I'd detail it with a similar welded-wire-mesh vent to the outside -- this prevents a stack-effect coupling of the wall-space to the attic-space.  It also works with unvented roofs, which are a definite option in your climate.


Why won't primer adhere to my walls? We are finally (after 12 years!) getting to painting the last room in our home.  It was originally painted with builder's paint, but being a "spare" room, we weren't in a rush to repaint.  The room is on the 2nd floor, as are the other bedrooms, and there has never been any moisture or leakage problems.  We purchased Kilz primer and it won't adhere to the ceiling or walls!  It peels off as you apply it!  What do you suggest?  This is getting expensive and very frustrating.  We had no issues with any of the other rooms.

Both answers so far are correct to a point. Older oil based enamels can be very difficult to cover. NOTE OF CAUTION, many older enamels contain LEAD and should not be sanded without first testing for lead and if positive,  proper precautions taken. Lead testing kits can be purchased at most paint departments. Read the directions carefully, but they are really quite easy to use and are very accurate if used properly.

As mentioned, cleaning the walls is very important. Use TSP and scrub with something like Scotchbrite pads or green scrubbies. Use an oil based primer or sometimes pigmented shellac (Bulls Eye Primer) works well. If you still have an adhesion problem, there are liquid sandpaper prep liquids available that are good to use if you have lead based paint or high gloss finishes. They are kinda nasty to use, stink and are caustic, so follow the directions carefully and wear protective eye wear and gloves.  If the surface tests negative for lead, sanding may be the best way to prep the surface. Using a DA sander with 100 to 150 grit paper, then cleaning the surface should do the trick.  Be careful and Good luck.


Can I remove blocking to level floor and sister this joist? I'm replacing hardwood flooring but the subfloor isn't flat. In the area above this picture, I can slide two fingers under a 6 foot framing level that's laying perpendicular to the joists. That spot, where the sag is the worst (circled in red). To level the floor, I'm anticipating buying a temporary screwjack to raise the offending joist about a half to 3/4 of an inch, then sistering it across the entire span, then removing the screwjack. As you can see the staggered blocking (yellow arrow) interferes along the span, and there is another block on the opposite side. Can I simply remove these blockings?

I'm also interested in alternative ideas for fixing the sag. I've read of shimming with roofing shingles but that strikes me as adding quite a lot of weight.

Yes, you can remove the blocking. Blocking is NOT structural.

Blocking is only used to keep structural members plumb so they don’t lay over to one side when “fully” loaded.

Actually, blocking is not required until the structural member gets to a ratio of 6:1 (i.e.: 2x12, etc.) (See IRC R502.7.1)


How much indoor condensation is too much? We recently bought a 1939 wooden house in California. I don't know if the windows are original but they sure aren't new. We're in a pretty mild climate, so we might get a morning frost from time to time but that is as cold as it gets. We keep the thermostat around 63° (17°) during the day and off entirely at night -- the sellers' thermostat was broken and wouldn't move off 70° (21℃) so I'm guessing they kept the house a lot warmer.

I've noticed that in the morning all of our windows are fogged. That seems to clear over the day and we don't get pooling or drips. So I'm wondering if we need to do more to reduce the humidity?

I read this question, about exterior condensation:
How much condensation is okay on storm windows?

But I'm concerned about indoor condensation.

If the windows are original to the house and are single pane and not insulated glass units, you are going to have a lot of condensation on the inside on cold days. If it only fogs and don't run off, I consider that normal for non-insulated glass.


Are non-GFCI outlets that are downstream of a GFCI outlet ground fault protected if they are fed from the GFCI outlet's load side? Are non-GFCI outlets that are downstream of a GFCI outlet ground fault protected if they are fed from the GFCI outlet's load side?

If those non-GFCI downstream outlets were not fed from the GFCI outlet's load side but rather just had their hot, neutral and ground wires spliced to those feeding the GFCI outlet, would the effect be the same as if there was no GFCI outlet on the circuit at all?

Yes, that is the entire purpose of the load terminals of the GFCI.  You can imagine that the protection element of the GFCI extends both to its receptacles, and then just imagine the load pair as another "receptacle".

As to the second part, yes, if you just connect the terminals together "before" the GFCI protection is in place, the GFCI will have no effect - remember, it can only sense problems on its own receptacles and its load terminals.


Is it okay to use construction adhesive to install an interior door on concrete wall? I have a 1B1B apartment, for which I want to install an interior door at the entrance of the living room and convert it into a separate room. Please see the picture below for reference.
The wall is concrete and it takes a lot of effort to make holes in it, So I am thinking if it is okay to just use construction adhesive to attach the door to the wall.
The opening is about 1/2'' wider than the door on each side. So my plan is glue a wood frame on the wall, and attach the door to the wood frame. But I am not quite sure whether construction adhesive is strong enough to do this job. Can anybody give some suggestions?

The short answer is that yes, construction adhesive alone could do the job, but it's unlikely to save you time or effort. Some caveats...

The opening would need to be just the right size and shape, or you'd need to come up with fillers. That means more joints to be glued and more points of failure. The effort involved would probably add up to more than just using shims and concrete screws.
Your walls aren't just concrete. They're also paint. Unless you scrape down to bare concrete you're relying on the bond of that paint to withstand the jarring forces of slamming doors.
Speaking of slamming... if your door is heavy or gets abused, the adhesive could fail over time.
Construction adhesive is very messy, and it doesn't come off. It's solvent-based and will be permanent on any rough or porous surface it touches. You'd need to mask the surrounding walls and floor to protect them.
You'll need to brace the whole works while the adhesive sets (around a day), and in the perfect position for margins between the jamb and the slab. Errors at this stage aren't easily fixed.


What paint should I use to paint front door? Why using Urethane in paint? What paint should I use to paint front door? The paint would go on two surfaces: steel or aluminum (door) and frame (wood). The door appears to have been painted previously with Comex Flex Glow (Acrylic Enamel).

A colleague of mine was telling me that I should use “Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel” (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&urlLangId=-1&productId=312501&urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=11051#data-sheet). I have painted my house and garage door with Sherwin Williams Emerald Siding Flat/Satin. I was planning to use the same paint Sherwin Williams Emerald Siding Satin to paint the door.

What is so special about Urethane? Why "Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel" would be better? Would I be able to use “Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel” on top of the Acrylic Enamel? Should I just continue with the paint I used for siding and garage door?

The world of paint is confusing... Thank you for the help!

The world of paint is intentionally made confusing by people trying to sell you stuff.   (a lot like the world of investing.)

One of their favorite tricks is taking buzzwords from better paints, and finding the minimum possible way to legally use those words in their product.   Like spar varnish - it's for spars.  Or Epoxy, which is 2-part by definition - as is Polyurethane -- Imron, Nason, Interlux and Awlgrip are examples of bona-fide 2-part polyurethane paints. Your car and any commercial jet is painted with it.  They work because the cure happens in-situ, at full strength and without the need for air or moisture to cure.

Any 1-part paint is simply already-cured epoxy or urethane, ground up and mixed into the paint.  The material is tough and does help - but not near as much as the real deal.

They won't sell you actual 2-part urethanes or epoxies because the B-part is a toxic immune system irritant until cured.  It requires careful mixing and extreme "moon suit" grade protection when spraying. (brushing is safe.) They will sell you 2-part garage floor paint because nobody sprays that.