How many vents are required for drains under a slab and what locations? I'm working on a layout for plumbing under slab. Currently I'm only planning on venting the system using a single vent stack which will also house a clean-out. Will this pass inspection, or do I need to vent directly from each trap?

Update:

Part of the issue is I'm running into is that my plumbing is in the footing of my monolithic slab. Is there any issue with running some of the plumbing for the toilet in the slab to get it to the single vent?

Updated Awnser:

There are a few issues with your updated layout:

In a wet-vent, the toilet needs to be the last fixture connected (or be connected via a symmetrical fitting). Your updated sketch has the shower connecting downstream of the toilet. To fix this, you would need to install a 3" double tee (you don't need the wye and 45° as you can change from horizontal to vertical with a 90° but vertical to horizontal with two 45°s). One side would connect to the toilet and the other side would be bushed down for the shower. This is sometimes called a 'potty on the post'.
The vertical distance on the shower may exceed what your code allows, this would be addressed in the above revision as the p-trap would be moved up.

As far as installing pipe within the footing, that will depend on your local authority. Here we can do it if required so long as the pipe is wrapped in sill gasket (~1/8 thick foam wrap) to allow for some separation between the pipe and concrete.

Original Answer:

I would make a few changes:

Take a more direct route to the sink, eliminating some of the 45° fittings (this eliminates a lot of the tight turns and should be less likely to plug)
Combine the vertical sink and vent pipe into one 3" vertical pipe (creating a wet vent for all fixtures)
Eliminate the s-trap on the shower and use a p-trap

Here's a sketch of the above changes:

This would be to code in Canada but I'm not sure of where you live and any differences between codes. For the most part, codes in the USA are close to Canada with small differences and different terminology.

If this is the only plumbing in your house/building, there may be a code requirement that the vent stay 3" to roof as they typically call for one main vent of that size.


Layout method using concrete retaining wall block for angled wall I am planning to use the rectangular 12x4 retaining wall blocks as below

http://www.lowes.com/pd_357656-215-30732___?productId=3722166

This is because we like the design of this better than using trapezoid shape (not available locally for Tranquil color and special order is too expensive).

Now this block is good for 90 degree edges only.  For example:

How do I lay them out in below shape and angle? Without cutting the 4-in concrete?

Or do people leave the gaps in the front wider as it's getting closer to the corner like that?

I am open to any creative idea for that corner. I was thinking about creating a small square-looking seating column using 3x4 of the blocks to "mask" the adjustment in angle and gaps.

Thanks.

When it comes to cutting block, you don't need to cut it (but cutting a score can be helpful). Using a rock hammer (and perhaps a chisel) to break the rock is the way it's done.

The method for shaping rocks is kind of simple, but a video is a better way to describe it... so here's a few youtube videos about shaping rocks.

Flagstone (good info)

Rock hammer (more like what you're working with)

With a chisel

Otherwise (if you are adamantly opposed to breaking or shaping stone), you could build a form and pour a concrete joint (like in the shape of a Y). If that's the plan, I would probably start with this, then lay the rock.

Also, a suggestion to make it look a little better might be to make an exposed aggregate joint. There are several ways to accomplish that, but it's not really relevant here.


Can I extend a cable to add another outlet? I have a wire coming down out ceiling with 2 conductors--white wire black wire that powers an outlet. I am wondering, to add an outlet off this, can I just run the 2 wires to the top screws on neut and hot and add another old 2 wire cable to the two bottom screws and then land the end of that to add an outlet in my bath rm?

There's a light switch in there, a 2-conductor wire, but it won't power switch and outlet

It's easy and legal to retrofit a ground wire.

Since you have the walls off, get yourself some ground wire and run it back to the panel this circuit is served out of.   done.

Get  more knowledge, though

Take a few evenings to learn this craft properly.  Get a book that starts you at the beginning and works you through it.  That's one virtue of big-box home improvement stores, they have books.  So do libraries.  Find a book that speaks to you and read it recreationally. Learn more than you think you need to know.


What is this? (Something to do with water filtering?) I have the following thing in my basement and I'm not quite sure exactly what it is. I believe it has something to do with either hard water, or water filtration.

So my two questions would be:
1. What is it?
2. Can I get rid of it? (Or get a smaller version of it)?

That appears to be the regeneration controller for a water softening system. You can't get rid of it because all water softener systems need to be periodically regenerated (which basically amounts to flushing the system with water to carry away the absorbed minerals) to allow them to continue working.


How do I silence a creaking wooden spiral staircase? We have a spiral staircase with 14 closed wooden steps. Most steps creak when you put your weight on them (or take it off). The noise intensity depends on where exactly on the step you stand.

How can I silence this staircase?

I would prefer a non-intrusive solution that doesn't require a repaint. Beneath the staircase there is a walk-in cupboard/closet. I wouldn't mind if your solution makes the backside of the stairs look a bit ugly, since it's not in full view anyway.

The number one reason for creaking floors, staircases and furniture is they are assembled using regular nails. The problem with regular nails is the following.

When you put load onto any board in your assembled staircase the board bends slightly and this causes it to slightly pull the nails at the places where the board is connected to other parts. After this repeats for thousand times the nails remain slightly extended out of the part and so the board is no longer tightly attached.

Now every time you put load the board bends and the walls of the nail holes rub against the nails and this causes the creaking sound. When you remove the load the board restores its original form and the same rub-and-creak process repeats in reverse.

So the bottom line is you have to reassemble the staircase using some fasteners that withstand extreme alternating load. I had great success using wood screws for furniture. One answer to this question mentions that wood screws are brittle and so maybe less reliable and so you could use some advanced nails. Anyway you have to use fasteners with extreme resistance to pulling out.

You likely don't need to dissassemble the staircase completely. In most cases adding new fasteners or replacing old ones one-by-one will be sufficient.


Adding Ground Wire to Existing NEMA 10-30 socket I have a question about changing my 10-30 wall outlet to 14-30 for charging my EV. I thought it was a simple trip to Home Depot but it seems I may be not code compliant. I bought a Level 2, 20 amp charger, with a Nema 14-30p plug with a 25 foot cord. Clipper Creek LCS-25P level 2 charger. Reading the post below, and ArchonOSX's response in reference to the 2014 NEC, the code states a maximum cord size of 6 feet in a 250V circuit, I am clearly not compliant. So why do they sell these long EVSE chargers with these plugs? I am hoping the code has been updated. I am trying to utilize the unused garage dryer plug for my EVSE but since my garage is full of crap, I bought the larger cord length to plug my EV in the driveway.

In response to this post: Looking for or adding a ground to an existing NEMA 10-30 socket

The 625.44 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Connection. section B states ALL these conditions are to be met: B1. Can be 4-wire which is NEMA 14-30 B2. EVSE fastening B3. Six foot cord length and B4. Receptable location to avoid damage to cord.

It then ends with:

All other electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permanently wired and fastened in place to the supporting surface, a wall, a pole, or other structure. The electric vehicle supply equipment shall have no exposed live parts.

Can someone advise me if I should cut the cord length to 6 feet and move my EV into the garage? I may be forced to then have to buy the $1,000 wall unit and pay an electrician to install it.

I'm trying to save the planet but it's getting expensive!

This is my first post so apologies for the length of my query. Thank you for your patience and advice.

The cord lengths described in those documents involve the cord between the wall and the charger.  Looking at the item on the Web, it appears its cord is quite short, and certainly compliant.

The 25' cord you speak of is between the charger and the car, and that's a non-factor. NEC doesn't regulate that cord nearly as much, because it protected by the charger.  NEC never intended for you to need to park the car so its port is within 6' of the charger. That would make every public charging station illegal and impossible, for Pete's sake!

Retrofitting a ground wire is pretty straightforward. You can run it as a separate bare wire to any of

back to the panel the circuit is powered from
any junction box for any  other circuit that is grounded and comes out of that panel... however, the ground wire must be large enough, you need a 10 AWG ground, so a 12 AWG ground won't do.
any junction box fed by non-flexible metal conduit back to that panel
the Grounding Electrode System, i.e. The system of grounding wires that connect the service panel to the ground rod


After I plunged my toilet, there was a leak to the downstairs ceiling. Could this be a wax ring issue? It doesn't leak when I flush afterwards After I plunged my toilet, there was a leak to the downstairs ceiling. Could this be a wax ring issue?  It doesn't leak when I flush afterwards.

Yes, that could certainly be a wax seal issue. I've resealed a number of toilets after people had plunged them. It usually happens because the flange is installed below the finished floor so the compression on the seal is compromised. If the blockage is below the flange, the pressure exerted from the plunger can easily blow through the wax seal. You won't see a leak when you flush because the water is going down to the ceiling of the floor below. You should think about resealing that toilet as the problem probably won't fix itself. Check the position of the flange, it should be installed on top of the finished floor. There are flange extenders if needed. Good luck and stay safe out there.


Water coming in through weep holes during hard rain? One room in the front of our house leaks during a hard driving rain storms.  The leaks are at the top of the window and at the floor -- both locations which seem to correspond to locations of weep holes in the exterior brick veneer.

Here is a picture of where it leaks at the top of the window.

Here is a picture of the weep holes:

My question: is it possible the rain is being driven into the weep holes?  Or is this more likely clogged weep holes?  Or is this an issue with the way it was built?

Bonus question: This house has a 10 year structural warranty from the builder and we are in year 9.  Is this type of repair (to fix the exterior such that it stops leaking) the kind of thing that would be covered under such a warranty?

"is it possible the rain is being driven into the weep holes?"

yes, but the weep holes are supposed to be on the outside of a moisture barrier, so rain driven in still should not enter the house.

"is this more likely clogged weep holes?"

no, the holes are designed to "weep", and are difficult to completely clog.

"is this an issue with the way it was built?"

yes, I suspect a structural defect such as incorrectly installed flashing above the window or inadequate/incorrectly installed moisture barrier.

You absolutely should pursue repairs through the builder's warranty.


Do I have to obtain a permit if an electrician does the work? I'm looking at installing a new 220V outlet in my home garage.  My town requires a permit for any alteration to an electrical system. Typically, if a certified electrician installs this for me do I still need to obtain a permit and have an inspection done?

It depends on the deal you make with the Electrician.  It's common for the Electrician to get the permit, though not unheard of for it to be the homeowners responsibility. The only way to know for sure is to ask the Electrician, or read through the contract/estimate.

It's also typical that if the Electrician pulls the permit, the cost will be passed along to you. You'll likely see it in the estimate/bill, as Permit. You may also notice that the price the Electrician charges, is a bit higher than what the permit office charges. This is because the Electrician will likely bill you for the time they spend dealing with permit issues (filing, waiting in line, etc).


Risks of buying vacant lot for new home construction with existing but unused septic system? My wife and I are considering purchasing a vacant lot for a new home construction. One of the main advertised selling points of the lot is that it has an unused septic system (tank, distribution box, and leach field) that was installed for a planned prior construction that fell through (for financial reasons, we're told). We've obtained copies of the inspection from the installation and learned that the system is nearly ten years old.

Our builder and others we've spoken with think the land is a good value and that the existing system could save us a good chunk of money, but we're trying to better understand what risks are involved. What could go wrong with a septic system that's been sitting in the ground for nearly a decade without ever being used? How bad could the worst case be?

Finally, is there anything that could be reasonably done to inspect what's already been installed? Everyone we've talked to so far has suggested that looking up the inspection of the installation should be sufficient, and that they couldn't do much more since the system is in the ground. That's a little unsatisfying to us considering how long the system has been sitting there. Are we being paranoid, or have we just not talked to the right people yet?

Yes, you're being paranoid.

If it was installed correctly, there really isn't much of anything that will go wrong with it from sitting - most septic problems are from using the system and not maintaining it, leading to material that should have been pumped out getting into the drain field and clogging it. If it's not used, that won't happen. The materials do not degrade in the ground. (Orangburg pipe does degrade, but a system built circa 2004 is a good 30+ years removed from the end of Orangeburg - nasty, hateful stuff - basically tar-paper pipes.)

If you keep hunting you can probably find someone who will take your money to run an inspection camera into the pipes. If you like, you could dig up (or open the access manhole, if your area was moving into modern ideas 10 years ago and did not allow the access to be buried below-ground) the septic tank access - but DO NOT stick your head into even an unused septic tank - they can still collect/generate poisonous gases and should aways be treated as if they were, in fact going to kill you if you did that - use a flashlight & mirror on a stick, or hire a pro. If the system is accurately mapped, the distribution box could also be dug down to for a look. If it passed inspection 10 years ago, there's not likely to be much of anything to see in either place, though the tank at least should be looked into (Title V inspection may, in fact, be required before sale, even though it's unused as yet) just to make sure it hasn't shifted or something, and to be sure you know where the access is if it's not above-ground access (consider adding a riser and manhole cover if you have to dig to find the access.)

Don't be surprised if you find it full of water - rainwater seeps in and won't flow out until the liquid inside reaches the outlet level. 10 years allows for quite a bit of rain to fall.

If it was not installed with a particulate filter on the outlet, you might want to have one retrofitted before starting to use it. It may have been - 10 years ago those were starting to become standard in many locales.


How do I prevent shadowed areas when installing recessed lighting in a vaulted ceiling? I'm building a house, and it has a high vaulted ceiling in the kitchen.  I already bought recessed lights, but I'm worried that with the inclination of the ceiling, the light over the sink area won't be direct, and will create lot of shadows.

How can I install these light fixtures in this kind of ceiling so that I won't have shadowed areas?

You need to locate the fixtures so that the cone of light lands where you want it.   The bulbs (or fixtures if it's an integrated unit) should mention the angle of the beam (for example 30 degrees), and may have a chart showing the diameter of the light at different distances.  Use this to determine your fixture locations.

In a flat-ceilinged kitchen, recessed lights would be located so the center of the beam is around the front edge of the counter and the light reaches to the back.   In your case, you'll want to make sure that the counter is lit, and the light isn't coming from behind the person at the counter, creating shadows.   You may need to get trim kits that allow the light to be angled to compensate for the angle of the ceiling.

When remodeling our kitchen, I used Google Sketchup to make a scale drawing of the kitchen layout, and checked our planned fixture layout by adding a circle showing the coverage of each fixture's pattern; this was very useful in visualizing where we might have coverage issues.

Be sure to plan for some overlap between the beams, especially in work areas, as the light is weaker toward the outside of the pattern.

Edit: In addition to your recessed lights, you may want to consider task lighting for key areas, such as a pendant or other fixture above the sink, under-cabinet lights for work areas on your counters, and possibly over any eat-in area (counter, table, etc).   In addition to extra light when you need it, they give you the option to turn the main lighting off when you're not using the area for food prep.    The downside is that you can end up with a lot of light switches.


Wiring for smart switches Can anyone tell me what the blue and yellow wires are? I know the red is the hot. Is the blue or yellow wire a neutral wire?

Won't work.

From the 3-core cable, and from the fact that all wires of each cable go to 1 switch, it's perfectly clear that this is a 2-way (USA: 3-way) switch.

And further, it is the switch on a "spur" line.

In this location, those three wires will be 2 travelers and a switched-hot.  None of the wires are hot or neutral.  So it is not possible to add a smart-switch here,  except by greatly reconfiguring the entire circuit.

However, it may be practical to fit a smart-switch at the other 2-way location, depending on which wires are there.    If it, too, is a spur, then smart switches will require a dramatic reconfiguring of the whole circuit, and to help you there, you'll need to supply a lot more information about what is going on inside the other switch box and at the lamp.


AFCI trips immediately Out of no where, starting today, my Siemens AFCI breaker tripped. It trips immediately every time I attempt to reset it. Nothing has changed in my house. I turned off all light switches and unplugged everything on the circuit yet it still trips. The breaker is probably about 8 years old (when the house was completely rewired by the previous homeowner). Are these breakers known to fail or become overly sensitive as they age? What's the life expectancy of these breakers? Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks in advance.

**Update

I'm at a lost...I bought a new AFCI breaker (expensive) but before swapping it out, I confirmed that the issue still exists. Also, before swapping it out, I swapped the two circuits since the bedrooms are split between two 15amp AFCI breakers (1 that keeps tripping and the other remains closed; no issue). When I powered back up the house, the breaker stays closed (unlike the other breaker). When I went back up stair to turn a light on to test, the breaker would trip immediately (this happened two more times/resets). This is where it gets weird, after the third time, the breaker stopped tripping. Any thoughts?

There is an easy way to find out if your AFCI is bad. Disconnect the circuit but not the neutral from the breaker and see if it resets. If it does reset your AFCI is working and somewhere in your circuit you are getting an arc. Exactly where can take some work.

Employ the normal troubleshooting method of disconnecting half of the devices and see if the AFCI trips. The you take half of the half and try it again. Whether the AFCI trips or not tells you which direction to trace. No trip you add to the circuit. Yes trip you work toward the breaker. Eventually you will find the problem device. If that's a little hard to digest then just start at one end of the circuit and begin disconnecting fixtures one at a time until you find the problem.

Good luck.


How to repair a beam of structured 2x10s My house has a beam of 5 sistered 2x10s that are uneven.

The beam has joists resting on top of it to support the floor, and joist hangers on one side to support a lowered room.

Many of the members of this beam have fallen out (see pictures), and the joists resting on top of the fallen sections are causing the floor above to be uneven.

Is there a way to repair this beam?

The beam should be substantial enough. It's a bit baffling how poorly it was built, though. Were it my house, I'd jack up the beam and fasten it together properly. By doing so you should restore the straightness and rigidity that was originally intended.

Acquire a length of steel or wooden beam that's long enough to span from one post to the other and substantial enough to carry the load of the beam above. I assume that you have spot footings at the posts, but not between. Jacking between will probably crack your slab.
Place wooden blocks near each post, and span the temporary beam from one to the other. Run it diagonally from one side to the other so it falls below the upper beam where you need to place the jack.
Place a 10-ton or better bottle jack on the temporary beam below an intermediate member joint. Use a steel post or 6x6 wooden post with a pad block on top, centered right under the joint.
Using nails set into the underside of the original beam at each end, install a dryline (carpenter's string) some distance down (say 1").
With one or more helpers watching what's happening upstairs, slowly begin jacking the beam into position about 1/4" above the 1" target (string measurement 1-1/4"). This will allow some settling when you remove the jack. Ideally the beam members will slide back into position as you do so.
Drill for pairs of 1/2" carriage or hex bolts through the entire beam every 12 or 16", 2" from the top and bottom of the beam. Install the bolts with washers and nuts. Tighten well.
Begin to lower the jack, watching for excessive movement. If things really settle, leave a temporary post at that location while you do the others.
Move the jack and repeat for each location.

Notes:

Watch everything carefully as you work. There's potential here for damage to drywall/plaster, misalignment of doors, binding of plumbing, etc. Proceed slowly and inspect the effects of the movement regularly.
Be sure that you're happy with the results before drilling and installing the bolts. You don't want to have to repeat that work if you decide things won't work in the new  position.
It wouldn't hurt to have an experienced builder have a look at things before you begin. Maybe there's more going on than what you've noticed, and making this fix could be the wrong approach.


Spa pump wont run when in spa Spa pump motor won't run when its in the spa. I removed the pump and ran power to it and it runs fine. Also, with the pump removed, turned on spa jets and no problems. So, re-installed the pump and when turned on, I hear a buzzing sound for say 30 seconds and it trips the breaker. Any ideas please help, and thank you!

A few possibilities -

The pump is frozen but the motor works - The motor cannot turn the
pump.  With the motor off of the pump, the pump is difficult to turn. - Fix the pump
3 phase motor driven with just 2 of the legs - something is disconnected somewhere - I've had this issues with a loose/melted wire nut on a motor with large pump that had this same issue. - Fix wiring
The motor works without load, but is not able to work with load.  Testing is tricky - try other possibilities first - problem could be motor, but more likely the driving circuits.


THHN to NM-B wiring, Transition from External Piping Conduit to in wall junction box I am working on a project, In my own home, Permanently installing a Faux Fireplace, Shiplap, and some iron pipe shelves. The shelves are going to have built in lighting in the form of Edision Bulbs at the end of the pipe elbows as shown in Fuchsia circles. However, I am having a dilemma of how to attach the AC lines to the dimmer in the fireplace side to meet code.

There is not a lot of room in the iron piping so i don't want to use solid wire there. My proposal is to use Stranded THHN 14 awg in the pipe and then transition to NM-B Wire at a junction box just to the side of the pipe flange to the wall. Since the box is a couple inches away the THHN would be "free" in the wall for a few inches, however, I would put braiding or heatshrink over this portion. My question is this, is this up to code? If not, what can I do to connect this that will meet code?

In this renovation I will be removing some portions of the Sheetrock from the wall to add other additional outlets and conduit for HDMI cable in the walls. Then replacing the Sheetrock and putting the Shiplap boards in on top of that. All of this to say, I will have access to the interior of the wall if you have an idea that requires that.

The problem with a project like this is that the code doesn't really want you to get creative with line voltage power.  That's for good reasons:  there are a lot of potential hazards if you go afoul of the code.

The unprotected splice from THHN stranded to NM in the wall is a no-go.  You might be able to work something out with a box and cover that work with the pipe floor flange but you probably won't like the way it looks.

If the piping is seen as a home made non-listed light fixture, that's frowned upon.  If you look at the piping as a protective sleeve for NM cable - and run NM with jacket in the piping - it might fly, but it would still be in a gray area at best.  Then again considering the piping as part of the home's structure - that might fly, but you'll still probably need a box at the fixture.

If an inspector doesn't see it the way you do, you have a headache.

Grounding / bonding the piping is a real issue and screwing that up could create some pretty scary hazards.

There is a simple alternative.  If you're going to get creative, get creative with low voltage lighting, the hazards are drastically reduced, and the code requirements reflect this.  It goes from fuzzy gray area pain in the butt hurt somebody / start a fire worries, to do just about whatever you want and nobody cares.


Derating a dimmer when using LED lamps? I've run into a bit of a delema. I plan to install 16 Halo H7 recessed lights in the ceiling of a new home. They are technically rated at 75 watts because they have medium screw base sockets and can take 75 watt incandescent lamps. Normally, if I wanted to dim them, I would need a 1200 watt dimmer (75*16=1200).

But the dimable LED bulbs I intend to use are 5 watts each, so only an 80 watt dimmer would be required. The dimmer would need to be able to dim LEDs.

But I'm having a hard time finding an LED compatible dimmer that is rated for 1200 watts. (Probably because no one needs to put 240 fixtures on a single dimmer!)

I know that using a smaller LED dimmer would be safe and work fine for my application, but since this is new construction and must pass inspection, is there a code-complaint way to handle this scenario?

Is there a rule or exception that makes using a small dimmer in this case OK?  Can I write "max lamp size: 10 watts" inside each fixture to derate it? Or should I just put a toggle switch on the circuit and replace it with an LED dimmer after getting the CO?

This ceases to be a factor if you use dedicated LED luminaires which don't have sockets.   LEDs are so reliable, and they don't "burn out" like bulbs, that there is no reason to socket them and a lot of reasons not to - such as this.

This also opens the door to using more robust dimming controls like 0-10V, PWM or smart dimming. (The system you are currently angling for is "the old way of dimming" that is made for incandescents, and LEDs struggle to work properly because it works the exact opposite way LEDs do.)

If you really want to use those fixtures, you can switch their sockets to something like GU24 which do not support incandescents. However GU24 screw-in LEDs are notably more expensive.  Candelabra sockets are readily available in LED at no cost disadvantage, but incandescent candelabra bulbs are commonly 40W and can be found as large as 60W.

If you really, really, really want to support incandescents, then use 2 dimmers and call it a "feature". However, you have other problems. This with the dimmers consumes more than 50% of a 20A circuit's capacity, so it must be on a dedicated circuit that serves only hardwired loads and does not power any receptacles.  Like any continuous load, it must be derated 125% so this counts as 1500W toward hard circuit limits of 1800W (15A) or 2400W (20A).


Can I re-shim the strike side of my door jamb to make a 28" door fit? My old door was 27 3/4 inches. The new doors are sold in a standard 28" size. Instead of trying to cut a 1/4 inch of the door (I don't have a saw guide) I thought it would be easier to pull the trim off and just redo the strike side of the door. All I need are shims right? And a level ;)

Is it better to do this vs cutting it down a 1/4 inch since if anyone wants to replace the door again in the future they won't encounter this problem.

**** UPDATE****

After buying a hand plane for $10 at my local big box hardware store I started plane'ing the door, it was taking a while so out of stupidity I thought I would go ahead and use my Ryobi Circular saw to make the 1/4 inch cut.

This ended up being a miserable failure, the gap ended up being too large, what I really needed was 1/8". Instead of buying a $10 hand plane I would've been better off buying a guide for the saw, but 1/8 of an inch is still hard to cut.

Today I won for worst DIY mistake on 12/18/14. I'm no amateur, I remodeled an entire bathroom ripped up tile and put in new tile, new drywall, lights, and switches. I write all this so that anyone else who has an old house where the door size is off the standard please don't make the same mistake I did, just get a prehung door. If you have a modern house (maybe build within the last 20yrs) you can probably get something off the shelf and put it in without hassle.

Depends on how big of a gap that you have that is currently being shimmed but yes this would be the easiest thing to do.  I would make sure that you have at least 3/16" gap at all points before doing this.

Note:  Just to be clear you should be using the new jams in this door.  At the very least you need to use the hinge side but preferably both.  After you take out old jams (top can stay if it is going to cause a ton of work - and most of the time it doesn't) you install put the new ones in.


If I run CAT5/6 cables parallel to electrical cables, is it possible to shield the cables with copper tubes to stop interference? I'm remodeling my home and I wanted to hardwire some extensions of my ethernet near my 220v outlet, by near at least a foot away from it. I was wondering, would I be able block the interference if I layer the patch extensions with copper tubes and PVC tubes to prevent EMI from the 220v line? If not, what do I do?

You're hunting a snark.

People are constantly forgetting (or never learning) that network signals on Cat5e or Cat6 are differential twisted pair signals, which means that they are composed of a difference in voltage applied to one end of a pair of wires that are twisted together and received by looking at ONLY the difference in voltage on the receiving end. If an interfering voltage couples to the wires, it couples to both of them, resulting in a "common mode voltage" and has very little effect on the voltage difference between them. The twists also tend to make outside voltages nullify themselves when they try to couple. It actually works, quite well.

As such, while it is good practice to maintain separation, it is very rare to have any significant impact from 50 or 60 Hz powerlines on 100+ MHz network signals. I say that as a person who had miles of network cable (in 100 meter or less chunks) attached to switches that reported error rates. Many of those cables were, due to the realities of  installing new-fangled network into old buildings without ripping the old buildings to shreds, parallel to power wiring for long distances. Short of actual damage to a cable, the error counts were typically zero.

Given the opportunity in new construction, sure, put it in the next stud bay, (i.e. 16-24" separation) but foolishness like running it in copper pipe is foolishness (you can get foil-shielded cable instead of unshielded cable [FTP .vs. UTP cables,] or just run plain steel EMT conduit if you want to go there at all, and you don't NEED to, at least for "interference from powerlines") - I'm a big fan of EMT to prevent "interference from rodents" but that's a different issue.


How do I determine what max 3 way bulb will be safe in my lamp? I bought a lamp that has a metal shade. The sticker says max 60 watt but it clicks 3 times like a 3-way with the light coming on on the second click. How do I determine what max 3 way bulb will be safe?

If it says 60 watts max, then the maximum wattage bulb you can safely use is 60 watts. If you could find a 3-way incandescent bulb like a 20-40-60, that would be safe. But I've never seen one that small.

With such a low acceptable wattage, the lamp may have been designed with CFL or LED lamps in mind, you can get something like an 11-23-34 Watt CFL 3-way bulb that gives light equivalent to a 50-100-150W incandescent. That would be perfectly safe in this lamp,  assuming that it fits inside the "harp" or whatever holds the shade on.

3-way LED's are a little harder to find, but they do exist and they often are closer to a standard light bulb in size and shape, so they may fit better in your lamp.


Main 100 amp breaker reads 2 different volts What if on your main 100 amp breaker one side reads 123v and other side reads 117v? Does that mean my main is bad?

That’s not a big deal. There is probably a imbalance in the load on each line; at that small difference, I probably would not even try to rebalance.


What do I do with the neutral wire when there isn't a place for it? I'm trying to replace a 3 prong dryer cord with a 8 gauge wire. The control box has a three prong dryer wire that was originally connected to it. I don't have that type of outlet so I'd like to hook it directly to the 8 gauge wire which is already there and connected to a 50 amp breaker. My wire has a neutral but the wire I'm replacing did not. Not sure if I can cap the neutral, not hook either of them up. Stuck. Please help. Thanks

Electric dryers are typically designed to be protected by 30 ampere breakers, so I'm not sure why you would have a 50 ampere circuit. You'll want to check with the manufacturer to be sure what size overcurrent protection is required. If 30 ampere protection is required, you can simply swap the 50 amp breaker for a 30. Since the conductors are 8 AWG copper, there's no problem with using a 30 amp breaker instead of a 50.

A 3-prong dryer cord typically uses a NEMA 10-30 plug, which has two "hot" and one neutral prong. So I'm not sure why your setup wouldn't have a neutral.

3-prong dryer cords do not have a grounding prong. When using a 3-prong cord, the dryers chassis is bonded to the neutral via a bonding strip/wire. There should be instructions for this in the manufacturer's documentation, or on a label on the unit.

If you're running all new wire for this circuit, I'd recommend that you (or you may be required to) install four conductors instead of only three. This will allow you to have two "hot", a neutral, and a grounding conductor. You'll then follow the manufacturer's installation instructions for a 4-prong cord.


Solutions for a difficult-to-reach shut-off valve To access the shut-off valve in my condo, I need to physically enter the crawlspace and squeeze through a knee wall, all the while avoiding ductwork, cables, and other pipes. The photo below is taken from the crawlspace access hatch. The valve is probably about three feet from the opening, so well out of arms' reach.
The condo is rented part of the year, so I would like to make a way to easily shut off water to the whole unit in case of a leak, or if plumbing repairs are needed. I can't expect renters to enter this space and shutoff the water, meaning any leak would last as long is it took a plumber to come out. There is an outdoor shutoff, but it's under a sealed manhole cover in a row of unlabeled shutoffs for the other units.
Here are solutions I've considered:

Create a second way to access the valve in the floor directly above it. This would be under a staircase, so would still require some crawling, but would be significantly more accessible.
Remove the valve and insert some elbows and additional tubing so that it could be relocated right inside the existing crawlspace access hatch. To do this I would have to pay the water utility to shut the water off in the street, in order to be able to move the existing valve.
Add a second, redundant valve, downstream from the existing one (so I don't need to call/pay the utility).
Relocate the brackets holding the tubing and try to pull it to the access (the tubing is all pex). Given location of the studs and ductwork, I'm not sure if I could even get it close enough.
Replace the valve with an electrically-controlled valve. These are expensive and wouldn't work during a power outage.
Rotate the valve (is this possible?) so it faces the opening, then set up some sort of stop tap key to engage the valve. I could zip-tie the key to the valve and run it through a bracket in the framing so it would always be in the right spot.

Would any of these ideas work? Are there others I'm not considering?

crip659 is correct.
I vote for option #2.
You do not have to have the water utility shut off the water for option 2.
Turn off the valve, cut into the line on the house side of the existing valve, (not the city supply side). Add your elbows, piping and a 1/4 turn valve, then tie it back in to the line. Open the first valve   and then your new 1/4 turn valve  and you are good.


Why is a previously wet light fixture now getting dimmer? A leak resulted in the light fixture in the ceiling of my laundry room getting wet. Despite being dry now, the light gets noticeably dimmer each time it's turned on. I am trying to keep it off until I know what to do but I sometimes forget and turn it on out of habit. It's so dim now it's almost out. Can this fixture be saved or should it be replaced. The fixture takes 2 standard 25 watt bulbs. The house and its wiring are 15 years old.

I would replace it.

However, replacing it means turning the power off to that circuit and removing the fixture completely from the wiring after using a tester/multimeter to confirm power is off at the fixture connections. That gives you an opportunity to disassemble the removed fixture as far as you can and look for corrosion and dirt. It might be possible to clean it up and remove any corrosion.


Portable Indoor Airconditioner not cooling -- let's discuss possible reasons (and solutions) I have a portable indoor airconditioner (LG LP1311BXR 13,000 BTU).

I bought it refurbished from Walmart 2 years ago. It worked beautifully until recently.

Symptoms:

The fan, compressor seem to be working.
It cools ever so slightly, but not strongly (i.e. the air coming out is slightly cooler than room temperature.
It is vented fine, no blockage in the exhaust system.

What are the potential causes?

I'm thinking it's low on refrigerant / freon. Can you think of anything else?

What are the possible solutions?

Call a repair-person, obviously. But I bought it for only $250. Is it worth it to call someone who's likely to charge me a lot of money to fix it?
Would it be possible to add refrigerant myself? Is this something I should take on? (I'm reasonably handy.)

If it's not an obvious mechanical failure, it could be (a) a problem with the controls or (b) a refrigerant leak.

Symptoms of control problems would be the compressor not turning on or not staying on. You should be able to hear it turn on/off distinct from the fan; if you aren't hearing that, then it may be repairable by replacement of a thermostat or the unit's control board.

A refrigerant leak would be likely if the compressor and fans are running fine, but it's not cooling. One sign of this would be constant running of the compressor. In a partial leak, you may find that a section of the coil is freezing over. Maybe you saw that last year?

If it's a refrigerant problem, the system could potentially be recharged. This is not a DIY job as the refrigerant chemicals are environmentally and personally dangerous, and require special equipment to recharge. You could try calling some appliance repair shops to see if they would do this repair.


How can I cut regularly spaced 45 degree grooves in a piece of wood? I'm making a coat rack to hang behind a door, but there isn't room room for a hanger between the door and the wall when the door is opened so it's parallel to the wall.  My solution to this is to have the hangers align on a 45 degree angle between the door and the wall.  So I need a way to make a bunch of regularly-spaced, parallel grooves in a bar of wood which will act as my hanger bar.  Here's a rough pic of what I want to make:

I'm hoping to avoid the "table saw a bunch of times where you want the groove and then chip/chisel the remaining wood out" technique because it doesn't seem like that will give me nice, neat grooves easily.  I'd love to find a way to use a router (I have a small portable router table if that will help) to do this, but I can't think of a way to produce a bunch of exactly parallel grooves.  Anyone have any ideas?

You could use a router set in a router table, with a crosscut sled set at 45 degrees.

Building a jig with a "pin" that fits into the previously cut groove, will make sure all the grooves are cut an equal distance apart.  The "pin" will be attached to the sled in some way, and will sit against the edge of the work piece for the first cut.  After the first cut, the "pin" will sit in the groove produced by the first cut. The board is then lifted and moved, so that the "pin" sits in the most recently cut groove. This process is repeated the length of the work piece.

I'd make a jig similar to this.


Outbuilding branched from LOAD side of GFCI I’m usually not this guy, but I’d love to outline my plan and get opinions of what the red flags might be.
My treehouse is almost done.  It started as a primitive shelter, but is becoming more of a tiny house as I get further along.  And it’s time to upgrade from the undersized extension cord that is feeding the wiring.
Currently all power is 125’ away, coming from a “temporary” service pole with no main disconnect. It has four 20AMP circuits, two with GFCI receptacles on the panel and two GFCI receptacles in weather boxes coming out the bottom.
My buddy gave me some 6/2 AWG with ground UF wire that I hope to use that in the trench.  But I’m not ready to put in a sub-panel because I want to do it myself and—-there being no main disconnect on the panel—-I can’t see a safe way to do that without having the power company do a physical disconnect (which would mean permitting, and more attention to the treehouse, yada yada yada).
So my plan is to bury the 6/2 as well as another singular 6AWG UF (for the other hot) so that if my needs change and I can decide to put in the sub without digging anything up.
In the meantime I would connect just the 6/2 to the LOAD side of one of the external GFCI, giving me 20amps to use on the two receptacles I have wired in the treehouse.  It’s just for a mini fridge and toaster oven and to run my 12V DC lights through a power supply.  I would connect the ground to the GFCI as well as to the rod I pounded in at the base of the treehouse.
Obviously splicing 6AWG onto a GFCI load side is one odd challenge, and I’m wondering if this is the same or better or worse than just running a smaller gauge UF cable in the trench instead, or in addition to the #6 and just leaving the 6 buried but unconnected.
Regardless there will be a disconnect where the power enters the treehouse.
Anyway, hopefully that paints a picture.  Please tell me where I’m being stupid.
Thanks!

10 ga copper would be quite adequate for a 20A feed if purchasing wire for the job. 12 ga would do for most purposes. 125 feet at 20a (or 16A continuous) is not that bad a run, particularly if you don't get hung up on the 3% guideline (not rule, unless Canada, I guess.) Given "the work of digging the trench" and the cost of conduit (once) for options to pull wire out and in if/when needs change, I will, as usual, advocate for conduit.
Bury the 6/2 UF if you want to "because it's free" and you're digging a trench (and junction box splice it to smaller conductors at the ends, a few feet of 10 or 12 ga won't bother the overall voltage drop at 20A) and put in empty conduit (or conduits) for "whatever comes next." Or fill the conduit to run more than one of your 4 circuits out there. You can change the splice connections to 6Ga if you ever up this to a larger feed, but that wire will (practically) be limited to 120V - just think of it as a 120V circuit only, or two if you have 250 feet of it to make a double run as completely separate circuits.
Don't try to put the UF in conduit - it requires a huge conduit and is not practical (nor easy to get into the conduit.) Use THWN in conduit.


What are my options for framing a thicker than average piece of artwork? I have a piece of signed TV artwork that is mounted in cardboard frame aprox 1cm deep, that i want to hang on the wall. I've had a look round and most of the frames i've found aren't deep enough to fit the piece in.

What are my options for framing and hanging thick artwork?

1cm isn't really "deep" for artwork. You won't find a photograph frame to fit it, but pretty much any frame for a canvas will be deep enough. You should be able to find these in arts / crafts stores that have a lot of frames. Often department stores will have only photo frames, so you'll probably have to look in more specialized shops.

Otherwise, any frame shop will have a ton of frame styles they can custom size for you. This will be a more expensive option, but you can get the artwork installed in the frame you select with very little work on your part.


How to fix small holes/separation in caulk around bathtub? I'm sure this is a relatively simple task but I've never done it before and want to make sure I get it right. There are some holes/separation appearing in the caulk between the bathtub and the wall around it. Here is a picture:

What would be the most appropriate way to fix this? Can I "patch" the holes with caulk or do I really need to remove what's there now and reapply? What type of caulk do I need? How do I make sure there is not moisture being sealed in? Also, what is the name of this type of material covering the wall around the inside of the tub/shower area? It feels thin and kind of plastic-y. I tried to describe it to someone and realized that I do not know what it's called.

One more thing is to keep water in the tub when you caulk until the caulk dries. It's a pain to work this way, but flex in the floor under the tub when there's weight in it can help open up a gap in the caulk over time if it was caulked with no weight in the tub. Given that your caulk is doing a critical job it shouldn't have to do means you don't want to miss a trick. You definitely do not want water getting behind or under the tub. It creates a superb natural habitat for mold and rot. Long term, it would be best to install a tub surround (or equivalent) that correctly overlaps the lip of the tub.


converting single pane windows to double pane I have wooden, single-pane (1/8" glass), double-hung windows on my house which have held up well considering they are nearly 70 years old.  But, I don't want to put a lot of money into the house and I'm also good with my hands and have tools.  I'm able to cut precise strips of wood like poplar and also paint them and have my own brad nailer etc.

I live in Central Texas where the temps can go up to 105deg F and down to 20deg F.  Sometimes within 24 hours :)

My questions are:

Overall what is the feasibility of converting these single pane windows to double-pane windows?  From a labor standpoint this is really not that hard.  Nor expensive!
If I did this what would the optimal air gap be?
What type of "glass" should I use and would more exotic glasses really make a difference?
What percentage savings might I realize?  (I guess measured in energy flow per hour given a specific temperature gradient)

I've done this myself and I can relay my experiences. Doing this over the average of the two years I looked at about 10% difference in my heating bill. I replaced the windows with 1/4 glass with a 1/2 inch gap. My method was to use the original wood molding to rest the first replacement window on. I used glazing fasteners and then filled all gaps with silicon caulk. This was after insuring that the wooden window frame was is good shape and free from rot, defects, and loose joints. ANY air that pass through will be a problem for more reasons than just your bills.

After setting the first pane I surrounded that pane with 1/2 by 1/2 inch oak stained the same as the interior of the windows.I set this trim in a bed of wet silicone at the corner of the first pane of glass and brad nailed it into the window frame. I then set the second pane of glass using fasteners and silicone. It has worked really well except for one window where the joint failed and allowed moisture into the air space between the two. One moisture is in there you'll have to undo all the work and start over. Like wise only the interior window will be easily replaceable, if something breaks the exterior pane you'll likewise have to tear it all apart. For me its worth it.

I have a 118 year old home and I like my old double pane windows. Aluminum windows on this house would be a crime.


Surge Protector shows 'L' & 'N' reverse and 'N' open I just shifted to new house and I plugged in the surge protector that I use for my PC into one of the sockets.

The socket switch was off, while the main circuit was on (main power). And the surge protector shows three lights - indicating L and N reverse; and Open Neutral.

Then I plugged the surge protector in all sockets in my house and all shows the same status. This indicator shows the same status irrespective is the socket switch whether OFF or ON

Is it normal?
Should I avoid using appliances? (until corrected)

L and N reverse; and Open Neutral  ... Is it normal?

No.

  Should I avoid using appliances?(untill corrected)

I would make getting this properly diagnosed and fixed a top priority.


ACE900 KBD prepaid electricity meter - no power on second circuit I just bought a flat in Scotland, which has ACE900 KBD electric meter.  Naturally, the mains power into the flat goes into the meter, from which there are two live outputs feeding two consumer units - one covers all the standard stuff (lights, outlets, power shower, etc) and the other smaller CU covering the electrical heating (there is no gas in the building, so everything is electric).
While lights, outlets, etc work, there is no power going into the secondary circuit and thus there is no heating in the flat. This is bad, considering the climate in Scotland.
Ideally, I wish I could sort it out myself, of course. I know my way around electricity and can deal with most of the usual stuff, however the meter is sealed and obviously I am not allowed to break the seal. So, is this something that is controlled from the outside or do I need to call the power company to come sort this out?

Your supplier needs to turn the Economy 7 output on. They can probably do this via an update the next time you top up with the key.
And you need to register a new account with the supplier anyway to ensure you aren't being charged for any debt or outstanding balance of the previous occupant.


Determining health risks associated with carpets I've read about the health risks posed by molds, but how can one determine the risks posed by existing carpeting? Are there some testing kits for allergen and bacterial levels?

This is not the carpets vs. hardwood floor question, but rather trying to determine if carpeting might be the culprit for respiratory problems experienced in a residence.

I think you need to know what you're looking for. Testing for mold is about all you can do, without sending samples off to a lab. $200 (homeallergentesting.com) is an expensive way to be told: yes, you own a cat.

If it's new carpet, it may still be offgassing.
If it's old carpet, especially a previous owner's, toss it without a second thought.

Disclaimer: I've never 'tested for' anything. I just proceed with the solution as if it were the problem (and my solution to anything wrong with installed carpet is putting it in the dumpster, where it belonged in the first place).


Garage gable fan proper installation I want to add a gable fan in my garage to help cool it and help to let out the humidity in the winter. My garage doesn't have a high peak, so there is about 24" of height at the peak on the gable and about 12" between the 2x4 vertical supports. It would seem that I would need to cut out a support in order to fit in a fan. Is this correct and what is the proper way to support the roof if a 2x4 needs to be removed in order to fit in the fan? Would it make more sense to do a roof mounted fan instead?

I hate adding anything to the roof, it just gives a place to leak.

That truss you need to cut is non-structural. It’s made similar to a truss, so it will match the pitch, etc. Often carpenters will build a wall to match the pitch.

Therefore, yes, you can cut into that wall, cut through the middle 2x4 web (flat stud) and install a vent. (Make sure you don’t cut the roof joists.) However, I’d add a 2x4 around the opening to stiffen the area where the vent will be installed.

However, I’d verify that that side of your house is not the windward side. (I’d prefer the leeward side.) Wind driven rain could push through the vent causing multiple problems.


what kind of bug is doing these holes? holes are popping up in walls and ceilings of both bedrooms

looks like the nails/screws that hold the drywall is popping. It's quite common especially with houses on shifting soils. If they are screws then run another screw next to/above or below then fill with spackel.


How can I attach a pipe to a flat surface? What type of fitting is used to attach a pipe to a flat surface such as a barrel or other container?

The reason I ask is because I have built a tray out of sheet metal that is intended to contain plants. I now need to tap a drainage pipe into the bottom of it for the excess water.

I haven't seen one for a small diameter pipe, but what you're looking for is some type of drain flange:

The top is wider to hold it in the opening, the rubber washer is below to seal the connection, and then you use a metal washer and a nut to tighten it to the surface.

With a small diameter pipe, you can improvise this with a threaded pipe and a second nut (pardon the ascii art, this is a cross section view):

                        |     |
                nut  ===|     |===
      rubber washer ....|     |....
  surface --------------|     |--------------
       metal washer ....|     |....
                nut  ===|     |===
                        |drain|
                        |     |

The downside of the improvised version is the nut and threaded pipe will sit up a bit from the bottom, so this doesn't work as well if you need it to drain completely to the bottom.


Replacing a dimmer switch to a normal switch I have 4 switches on my switch board. One regular switch and three dimmer switches. I need to swap one of the dimmer switch with the regular switch

I have a dimmer switch which has three wires. one green (connected to copper wire) and two black wires. The regular switch has one red, one black and a copper wire. It would have been easy if it was a like to like wire setup but I have no idea how to replace it. Please help me.

Pictures can be found here : Pictures (first image is the dimmer switch, second picture is the regular switch. I need to swap them. If it's difficult to swap It's okay if I just convert the dimmer to a regular switch)

Red's just another hot(-ish)

For the switch going to where the dimmer was:

Green wire to green screw
Each of the free black wires to a brass screw (the switch doesn't care)

For the dimmer going to where the switch was:

Bare wire to the green screw (the screw that was hooked to the green wire)
Black wire to one of the brass screws
Red wire to the other brass screw

If the dimmer doesn't like it, switch the black and red wires around -- this shouldn't be an issue for a regular dimmer though.


Can 3 circuts share junction box? I have a 14/2 (one circuit) and a 14/3 (two circuits), both Romex NM, coming into a regular steel handy box (2x4") and continuing on from there via outdoor cables (UF cable ?). Am I compliant with the NEC, considering it's three circuits and a total of 6 capped splices? It all fits in but you couldn't fit a smidge more.

Short answer is you are way undersized on your box and it does not meet the National Electrical Code. Here's why:

Table 314.16(A) of the NEC does not list handyboxes for sizing but I am going to estimate they are the same size as a standard devices box of 2" deep. That would probably be generous. So, that would be about 10 cubic inches volume. The table says you can put 5 #14 wires in them. However, the code requires you to count each wire entering a box from outside once so when you make a splice it gets counted twice (314.16(B)(1)).

So, your example would be 10 wires total (5 in and 5 out) plus the ground for 11 wires (the grounds only get counted once no matter how many you have (314.16(B)(1)). Table 314.16(B) shows #14 wire needs 2.00 cubic inches per wire so you would need a box of 22 cubic inches.

Back to Table 314.16(A) and you would need a 4" square box 2 ⅛" deep or a 4 11/16" 1 ¼" deep box.

Happy Day!


Will supported 2x8s or unsupported 2x12s added to existing joists result in higher rigidity? Background: I have a kitchen supported with 2x8s 16" o/c over a 13' 3" span. I want to install a 12x24 tile floor, so that much deflection is just not going to work.

Question: I have 2 options I am considering. The first is to sister the 2x8s with another 2x8 so that both would be supported at both ends. The second is to sister the 2x8s with 2x12s but the 2x12 would not be supported on either end as they can't fit between the beam and the floor.

Which one will add more rigidity to the floor?

Side question: Which is more rigid one 2x12 or two 2x8s sistered?

Side answer - beam stiffness goes as depth cubed, width directly.

12 cubed is 1726, 8 cubed is 512

So 2x12 is 1726 .vs. 2x(512) for 2 2x8. roughly 1.7 times stiffer, that is.

You can "haunch" the ends of the 2x12 to 8 inches - it should be done as a taper, not as a notch - 45 degrees, not 90 degrees - it's actually stronger that way, which is a bit counter-intuitive).

Joist hangers may offer other options to retain full depth to the ends.


Can a light circuit be split out of the ceiling fan? I have 2 ceiling fan boxes wired (and properly anchored to a beam), with 12-3 wire and separately switched. Obviously the intention was for somebody to eventually hang 2 fans with integrated lights and allow the lights and fans to be controlled independently of each other (i.e. 2 lights on one switch, 2 fans on the other). I don't want to use lights on the fans and instead would like to install separate lights physically separate from the fans. The idea being to run new 12-2 wire from the fan box, using the switched red to power the fans and connecting the black on the new wire to the switched black in the fan box to power the lights and connecting the neutral in the box to the neutral of the new wire and likewise for ground. Assuming if this is allowed that I wouldn't need to use 12-3 and carry around the unused switched red.

Can I do that and still meet code, or do I need to run a brand new circuit for the lights? I'm not at home at the moment, and I'm assuming the red and black hot wire are both on the same phase since I don't recall there being a double-ganged breaker or having to switch them off individually when I tested them a couple weeks ago.

The reasons I'd like to avoid a new cable are:

The switches are on an exterior concrete block wall with a solid concrete header directly above them (Florida standard construction)
There are horizontal stiffeners in the walls making it even more difficult to fish through the walls
The installation is on the opposite side of the house from the attic access (far), the roof is constructed with trusses (difficult to move through) and I think I mentioned Florida (attic temperatures regularly exceed 140°F)

Otherwise, I'd happily fish a new cable through the walls and attic.

This is usually fine, just watch out for box fill

Adding extra lights to the light side of a fan+light circuit is fine.  The only real limit on how much you can add here (until you get to circuit ampacity, that is), is the watt rating of what controls the lights; this isn't an issue for switches, but can be a problem if there's a dimmer or combination light/fan control involved in the circuit.

The only other issue you can run into is box fill in the fan box; this isn't an issue for crossbar or saddle type fan boxes, but pancake boxes have essentially no usable fill, so if your fans are mounted to pancake boxes, you may have to change the box you're tapping power off at out for a different type, or tap power at the switch if switched-light-hot and neutral are both available there.


Multipoint water heater using real 1/2" pipe A multipoint water healer is connected using flexible hose. This has 1/2" in the connector only but very tiny inner hose (less than 1/4"). What would happen if you use real 1/2" or even 3/4" inner diameter pipes all throughout? Has anyone tried it? How is the flow rate and water pressure?

That would depend a great deal on what the internal passages of the particular device are.
If they are tightly restricted to control water flow and permit adequate contact time for heating, less restrictive piping to and fro will make almost no difference. You can assume this is likely the case if the sort of hoses used are either supplied with the heater or specified by the maker of the heater, which might be the first thing you'll want to check.
If they are not particularly restricted, water would flow faster/have less pressure drop, but as a result either the heater will consume more energy as it will be heating more water, or the water will not get as hot if flow is faster than what the heater can fully heat with faster flow.


How far out of square is too far? What is a good margin of error on the diagonals for a 5x10 foot, square wood foundation? I have about 1/2" discrepancy on the diagonals.
(for a shed).

I would say it's a little more than what's normally considered OK, but it isn't going to make the shed collapse or anything like that.  It's going to make for gaps in the corners, trim might not fit quite right, stuff like that, but probably not an issue for a home built shed.

I would weigh the aggravation of fixing it against the aggravation of working around it, and correct it if I could without major surgery.


Sharing a receptacle box 220v with a 3 wire and 4 wire appliance I have a 60amp 220v run from a sub-panel. The run is a four wire run (2 hots, 1 neutral, 1 ground). The appliances are an air compressor and a welder. The compressor only requires a 3 wire setup because of it’s magnetic motor. The welder will use 4 wires. I’d like to setup the wiring on both appliances with a plug on each so that I can connect one at a time to a receptacle as needed.

For the compressor, I’d get a 3 wire plug and for the welder, I’d get a 4 wire plug. With that said, how do I setup a receptacle that has a 4 wire run to accommodate both a 3 wire plug and a 4 wire plug at a time?

Any thoughts on what I can do here without running a separate run for each appliance?

In a code free world, you would need a 4 wire receptacle and two plugs to match. You'd wire the welder with four wires as needed and wire the compressor with the three wires in the other plug and not connect the terminal for the fourth wire.
I don't think you can't do this. You shouldn't jury rig plugs and outlets like this. The other major problem is the 60 amp breaker. If either one of your pieces of equipment failed, they burn up before your 60 amp breaker tripped. They would literally have no protection.  Do this right and run two circuits, protecting them individually. If this run is in conduit, running two circuits would not be that difficult.


How can I plug my portable generator into a "wall outlet"? Ok, before everyone starts immediately telling me "NO" let me explain.  I bought a new house last year and the original owner had installed a brown wall outlet in the garage.  Now, there are also 2 brown outlets in the house.  They are different than every other outlet in the house and according to the home inspector have no power that goes to them.  1 of the outlets is behind the fridge and the other is in the hall.  According to the directions in the garage the brown outlet in the garage is where you plug in a generator and it feeds power to the otherwise "dead" outlets indoors.  My problem is how do you plug the generator into the wall outlet?  Can you buy a power cord with 2 male ends?  Also where would I even go to get it?  There is no risk of "backfeeding" because these outlets are not wired into the rest of the home wiring.

You should replace the garage outlet with an inlet, such as this (Amazon, as an example).

This way, you can use a standard male-female cord, either a standard extension cord or one made with the correct gauge of SO cord [Thanks, @EdBeal]. You avoid using a male-male cord which is so dangerous.


Suggestions for a kitchen layout for my house? We have just started to renovate our newly bought apartment. It is part of a very nice old building located in the center of Granada Spain.

The apartment is approx 120m2 and we are in the process of a major renovation (tear down walls, build new, new floor with radiation, new doors, new windows, new bathrooms, new kitchen etc.).

The apartment will look like this when walls have been removed and reconstructed:

At the moment the kitchen (large room in center of 3D illustration above) layout are giving us some problems. We are a family with three young children at the age of 2, 0 and 0 (the last two are twins). We wish for the kitchen to be the "social" room where we will spend the most of our time when we are together. We do not wish that the family is split up while one is working in the kitchen. This also goes when we have guests, i.e. we would like to have a “bar” where the guests can hang out while we are preparing the dinner for example.

The room has one window and also gets light from the salon/dining room (we plan to put a glass door between the dining room and kitchen) so it is a quite light room. The ceiling is high (approx 3100cm). We want a large fridge and a stand-up freezer. The oven and microwave should preferable be in “chest” height. We also prefer lots of working and storage space, and we want it to be a open room (not a “cramped” feeling).

At the moment we have this idea:

Can also be seen here: floorplanner view

On the back wall, over the table in 1800cm height, we plan to place closets.

Some pictures of the apartment with other design ideas for the kitchen which we are discussing can be seen here (last six pictures for ideas for kitchen):
Google album

Any input would be very appreciated as we need to take decisions latest this week...

P.s. Sorry for my english, am obviously not a native english speaker - I do better in danish and spanish ;o)

My neighbors had a similar long, narrow kitchen to work with.

They decided to go with a long island down the middle, with the 'work triangle' on one side (fridge at the end of the island, sink and stove along the exterior wall of the house).

The advantage is that people can be cooking on one side (there's enough space for someone to pass behind someone else working, although they might need to coordinate if they're moving a hot pot or a tray out of the oven), while people who are just there to socialize can stay on the other side, out of the way.  Or, they can even help out with chopping stuff up, if you need some extra hands.

The last few feet of the center island doesn't have cabinets under it, it just has a central support, so they can get 5 stools around it (two on each side, one in the middle), where the kids can sit when doing their homework, or the family can sit there for breakfast or dinner.  (there's another table in the kitchen, but the kids (2,5,10) prefer sitting at the counter)

...

The kitchen planner they met with insisted they didn't have enough space for a central island, but she was insistent that she wanted one, and the kitchen deigner finally relented.

I'll see if I can get some pictures and measurements, so we can see how it compares to the size you're dealing with.


Floor frame for 8' wide shed is 3" too wide on either side I'm currently building an 8' x 13.5' shed with a loft. Here is what it is supposed to look like (according to the plan):

For a few reasons, the floor frame is too wide. I poured the piers slightly wide, and I couldn't find post-to-beam connectors for 6" posts to double 2x, so I used 6" to triple 2x.
I have already installed joists and blocking as shown in the picture above.
The 13.5'-long beams are each composed of three built-up 2xs. The distance between the outer edges of the innermost 2xs is 8':

I assumed I'd be fine to build my 8'-wide shed on that red space and have a two-2x "lip" running along the sides of the shed. My next step would therefore be to screw 4x8 plywood subfloor so that it covered the innermost 2xs only.
However I'm wondering if this is safe. As I build up, will the load still be distributed laterally across the beam?
I'm hesitant to build to the full width because my materials were ordered with the 8' dimension in mind. I think building to the outer edge of the second 2x on both sides (total width 8'3") would be as far as I could go without pieces coming up short.
I don't need a building permit for something of this size, so I'm not worried about an inspection, just about structural integrity.

structurally it looks ok. (assuming you'rte going to fill that 3/4" gap or put blocking in there)
8'x13'5 was going to take 4 sheets of plywood sheet 8'5x13'5 is still going to take 4 sheets.
Either use the off-cuts to fill the ends or join sheets end to end


Stove Temperature Control broken I have a (Simpson Mercury) electric stove - and 2 of the 4 elements do not work properly. They heat up, but it is not possible to set the appropriate temperature for them - they are either on or off.

Does anyone know if I need to simply replace the elements or if there is a thermostat which needs to be replaced ?

All electric stoves have thermostats that control the heat to the burners. If the burner doesn't cycle on and off when set to 3 or 4 to control the heat then the thermostat is not working properly.


How would you fix this wooden cottage's leaky walls? I have an old prefab cottage made of wood.

its walls have become leaky. When it rains sideways (happens a lot because we're so close to the sea), water seeps in from in between the beams, and through the knotholes.

This is, of course, ruining the wood inside and I need to do something.

The weather conditions here are extreme: in summer, there is zero rain, and temperatures can reach up to 40°C (104°F). In winter, there are rare but intense rainfalls. I guess the nearby sea makes the air very salty.

I have considered - and discarded - a number of options, but of course I'm open to being corrected! I am really out of my depth here.

Varnish it - the most obvious solution I guess, and would take care of the leaks, but that'd have to be sanded down every couple years, right? I'd like to avoid that as it would be a lot of work. Especially since with our extreme weather, the cycle is going to be very short.
Use silicone to fix the leaks directly - I've been told that might not hold together well, and silicone that can withstand the sun is extremely expensive around here. It could be hundreds of Euros to do the job.
Plaster the walls - an interesting option as it would also add a little bit of insulation (it gets mercilessly hot in the cottage during the summer), but I've never done this before, it seems tough to do and it would of course alter the look of the building.

Obviously, I'd like the solution to be as cheap as possible, and as long-lasting as possible.

What would you do?

Try not to go too cheap - if you do this right you may save a lot on not having to sort out dehumidification off-grid, as I assume this is the same building, and if you fix the walls getting wet you won't need that, or at least not nearly as much of it. What dehumidification options don't require a lot of electricity?

Unless you have a great desire to preserve the exterior look, I'd strongly consider wrapping another layer around this - whether it's "plastering" "stuccoing" "rendering" "Exterior Insulation and Finish System" (high-tech stucco with more insulation) or just framing up a new wooden wall level with or just past the ends of the interlocking wall logs. If going with wood framing, be sure place an air barrier ("housewrap") below the new siding layer that will block liquid water but permit vapor to pass.

Look up "Larsen truss" for one relatively low-cost and DIY friendly method of framing a new insulation cavity and non-structural (not holding the roof up) wall onto an existing structural wall.

Or you could just shingle it - traditional (and durable/effective, thus the tradition) for seaside houses around here, but you may have difficulty finding cedar shingles in your local area...is there such a thing as wall tile like the roofing tiles a that are more common there than here? Or perhaps you get shiploads of cedar shingles from Canada?


Should gloves be worn when working with concrete to prevent it from coming in contact with skin? I was told recently that concrete is slightly corrosive.

Should gloves be worn when using concrete or is it fine to handle concrete as long as its not done on a regular basis?

Cement (the active component of concrete) is a base (an alkali) that can be irritating to skin. It is not very strong and should not be a problem on all but sensitive skin, if the exposure is short or intermittent. It could be very irritating to eyes and nasal passages if there is a lot of exposure.

Gloves are not a bad idea (e.g., disposable nitrile) but concrete pourers and DIYers handle all the time with little ill effect (again, for short exposure).


How can I connect a sink, dishwasher, and laundry pump all to one drain? My drain pipe in my unfinished basement is close to the ceiling which makes it hard to change things. I know that the drain in my basement is wrong right now and I am trying to fix it. I only have one attachment of ABS (1 1/2") to the main cast iron drain pipe and adding another one isn't really an option. I have a kitchen sink with a dishwasher attached to it and a basement laundry tub pump that all needs to be attached to the same drain. The laundry tub pump says that it does not need to be vented or have a trap. I have posted pictures of two options that I am thinking of. What is the best way to do this?

You need have to have a vent between the washer and kitchen drain and you can't have a running trap in the pipe like that either, I know codes are different all over the U.S. but this is the way we would have to do it according to southeastern builders/plumbing code, been a master plumber for 18 years. Not sure if my drawing is going to post but you need a combo for the ks drain and a combo for washer drain, with a trap and pro vent above the trap on a make shift vent terminated wherever you cab access it in the future. Good luck


Conductive coating for aluminium What would be the best conductive coating for aluminium for good electrical contact and that isn't too expensive ?

The goal is to use aluminium as conductive busbar and would like to avoid the formation of aluminium oxide.

One I found that could perhaps work is the IRIDITE® 14-2 Chromate Coating

Bus bar in a house? I doubt it would be code compliant, at least not here in North America.

Aluminum bus bars used in switchgear and panels are tin plated to guard against corrosion. Connections to aluminum devices are coated with Nolox compound.


How to cover an open/exposed wire fast and safe for a long period? I have a 3 pin socket on the wall that is broken and I'm going to fix it. And while at that, I also want to fix the wall (re-cement it and paint it again). After I dismantle the socket, the 3 wires will become exposed. Is there any special tool to cover it? I search in the web but found no such thing or even if there is I don't know what it is called. I'm imagining something like a non electrical-conducting clip that's sold cheaply so that I can buy as many as I want and cover every exposed wire when I'm working my thing. The reason I what such thing is:

I don't want to power off the whole house electricity because I
might need to use some of my electrical tool (corded drill etc from
another power outlet).
Using insulation tape (not sure if this is the right word) is time
consuming (wrap and unwrap it) and will lead to sticky hand.
There are kids/people in the house and I might need to get to the
store in case I need to buy something.

I'm thinking of creating it myself by getting an unused tyre tube. Cut 2 pieces of 1cm x 1cm from it. And then glued each of it to each of the jaw of a plastic clip used for clothes hanging.

So my question is, do such thing exist cheaply for mass/bulk buying? If it doesn't, is the one I'm trying to create myself is safe enough? I lack science understanding and I only know that rubber doesn't conduct electricity. Also I'm very scared when doing electrical stuff because even using a test pen to test for electrical current sometimes I can feel heat or static. Thanks.

What you want to do is terminate the wires in the junction box using Wire Nuts.  Simply thread them on to the end of the exposed wire, and you need not worry about live wires touching, kids getting zapped, etc.  You should turn off the branch circuit in question (via a circuit breaker or removing a fuse) while removing the outlet and putting on the wire nuts.

If you need to have the box open for a more extended period of time, get a flat cover plate for the junction box (put on the wire nuts, tuck the wire back in the box, attach the cover plate).


Why does my humidifier not come on when heat is on? Our HVAC setup includes a humidifier, but the control board seems to activate it only when the fan is on without heat/cool. Here's how I got to that conclusion:

I hooked up my multimeter to the transformer that connects to the wires going to the humidistat, on the 24V side, so I can see whether it is getting a signal
When I use the thermostat to switch the heat on (which includes the fan), there's no signal to the humidifier
When I use the thermostat to switch on only the fan, without heating or cooling, there's a signal to the humidifier and it works

I'm thinking this isn't right, but correct me if I'm wrong. Can anyone help me troubleshoot why it won't come on when the heater is on?
Other background
We moved in earlier this year and haven't used the humidifier until now. We don't know anything about who installed it, but there was a spare solenoid laying around, so it's my guess that the last owners also tried to fix it. We fixed that portion though and now it does do its job when the control board actually sends a signal.

I found the problem while getting the wiring diagram. I'm posting my answer in case someone else comes across a similar problem.
Why it didn't work right
The humidifier was wired into the EAC terminal. This terminal only becomes active over a certain RPM and so the humidifier was only coming on when activating the fan manually, or when the heat hits stage 2. During testing the heat didn't hit stage two, so I didn't realize this.
Where it should be connected
I solved it by wiring the humidifier through the appropriate humidifier terminals on the circuit board. They were located immediately next to the EAC, and they looked the same, but the HVAC installation instructions pointed out that (in contrast to the EAC terminals) these are "dry contacts". So it didn't work just switching over switching the single wire that was in the EAC terminal.
"Dry contacts"
I was unfamiliar with "dry contacts" and online descriptions were confusing to me. As far as I understand it now, it basically means it's not a hot/neutral pair of terminals. It helped me to simply think of it as an on/off switch operated by the circuit board, which is why I had to split one of the wires to the humidifier and insert the terminals in series.
My installation manual's wiring diagram

Now it's working the way I want to: the humidistat gets voltage whenever the heat and the fan are on.


How can I remove a coffee stain from carpet? Recently a cup of coffee was spilled on the carpeting of our home. We tried to get the stain out with a chemical solvent to no avail, and called in the experts. Unfortunately due to our preprocessing, the professional carpet cleaners made little headway in removing the stain.

The carpet is off-white, and now we have a light-brown spot about 1ft x 2ft at the base of a staircase. The whole house is carpeted with the same material and we'd really like to avoid replacing all of it.

What options are out there in terms of minimizing the stain?

If the pros couldn't do much, It sounds like the stain is there for good. Some suggestions:

small throw rug/welcome mat. Just cover it up!
bring in a pro to swap that bit of carpet with maybe something in a closet, or just a far corner.  A good carpet pro should be able to seam it all back together.
dye the entire carpet a shade or two darker. I know such services exist, though I have not used them and can't vouch for them.


Product recommendations for clearing a drain connected to a septic system? Our shower drain appears to be clogged and is draining slowly.  What product can I use to safely clear the drain without damaging our septic system?

According to Drano's site (http://www.drano.com/unclog-drain/), they're septic safe but I'm still a little skeptical...

-M

I stay away from chemical solutions all together.

I have had reasonably good luck with using a drain snare to snag most of the hair in my tub drain.  Every few months, I will shoot one down the drain if I see it getting a little slow.  This will normally clear things up without any further intervention.

When that fails, I usually move towards using a hand crank drain auger.  This will allow you to get further down and (usually) past the trap.

If that fails, then there is something more serious going on, and pouring a bunch of caustic chemicals down the drain isn't going to help the situation (especially if you need to eventually open up the pipe to inspect further).


Should I use caulk or wood putty and paint to fill nail holes on trim? I'm installing painted MDF crown molding, and I wasnt sure which method for covering nail holes is technically correct. Is using caulk considered a shortcut? Or is filling in the holes with wood putty and then painting only for the super perfectionist with too much time on their hands? I already filled in some of the holes with caulk, and I can't really see them when standing on the floor. My only concern is that it will reflect light differently since the paint is semi-gloss.

The key criteria for me is the size of the holes.  If you used brads, then I have no problem with using caulk, especially on baseboards.  The only possible downside is if you leave a fingerprint in it.  You have to have eagle eyes to pick out a small hole like that.

With crown molding though, I'd plan on a lightweight spackle.  Mostly because of the cost and effort you already put in installing it, might as well finish it nicely.  Vinyl spackle works great, but again if the holes are small, just about anything made by DAP works fine.  If you find yourself with a large hole, bondo (auto filler) does amazing things.  Or you can use painter's putty, glazing, just about anything can be made to look really good.  Sand and touch-up as needed.


Powering 5 foot section of LED flexible light strip with AA batteries I need to light traveling show cases with no AC power available. How do I hook up LED flexible light strips to AA batteries. (I bought 20 led per foot reels and 40 led per foot reels. Single color, not RGB) Can't seem to find a AA or AAA battery holder to hook/solder LED lights to. Plenty of AC to DC converters, but not useful in my situation. Thought about buying battery operated 20 foot, LED string lights, discarding the string lights and using the battery holder contraption for my 5 foot section of LED light strips. Just don't know if that could harm the flexible light strips or give them enough power. Are there any setups like this I can buy?

You can get any number of configurations of AA battery holders. Mouser Electronics, an online electronics distributor has a whole page of them in their catalogue at AA Cell Holders Page from types that can accommodate 1 cell all the way up to 10 cells. Here are a few representative pictures of the ones available.

These are available with solder tabs, wire pigtails or snap fitting connections.


Why the price differential between a cheap hammer and an expensive one? Went to my local DIY store last week to get a hammer (somehow managed to lose my tried and tested hammer over the winter).

I had a rough idea a new hammer was going to cost me £10 to £15. When I saw their range I saw prices of £35 to £55.

Just before fainting on the spot, I saw their cheaper items on a lower shelf and picked up a hammer for £9.

My nine quid hammer is nice and solid and heavy and isn't going to wear out or fall apart. But now I'm curious. How does an item as basic, durable and uncomplicated as a hammer vary so much in price? And what are the pros getting for their fifty odd quid?

All the hammers on show had the same shape, size and similar kinds of handles.

The range is actually broader than that. You can get a Stiletto for about $200 US.

The difference between the cheap one and the expensive one depends. Cheaper ones may have handles that go into a head, while more expensive ones may have a cast handle that extends all the way to the base of the grip. Some of the ones that are more expensive and just have a head attached to a handle will actually be made out of composite materials that are designed to absorb the force of repeated nailings.

Cheaper handles that are one cast piece will generally be made out of brittle or light-duty metal. This will not be your father's hammer, and might (literally) shatter if you hit something too hard or wrong with it.

Personally, I never buy cheap tools. They always let me down... or worse, injure me. All of my hammers are Estwing brand with the rubber shock reduction grip. It's worth the money for an expensive hammer if you ever plan to use it all day. Otherwise, a cheap one is fine, just be careful what you hit with it lest the handle crack.


Excessive Pool Pump Current Usage A Florida HOA electric bill doubles from $200 to $400 per month.  Powered items for the pool comprise LED lighting and a pool pump.  The electric circuit is for the pool.

Is it reasonable to start the investigation with the pool pump as the culprit?

If the pump is the culprit, what conclusions can one make regarding the excessive use of current?

Definitely check into this. I've found many times that the timer for the pump is at fault. It's supposed to run about 8 hours a day and I've found them running around the clock. The timer motor can also run sporadically, sometimes turning off as it should, other times not doing so.  If the timer is set for multiple on/off sessions, one of the off tabs could be missing. A clogged or dirty filter can also affect operation but not doubling it.


How do I remove this stubborn ceiling light fixture? Please check the photograph of the light fixture.  All the bulbs have gone out and I cannot get the glass out to replace them. I unscrewed the decorative thing at the bottom. After that I unscrewed another bolt with washer but the glass is not moving. I'm not sure what to do after that. I'm trying to move the decorative thing on top of glass also, but it's moving at all.

The light fixture should have come loose after loosening that nut.

Try the following:

Get a step ladder or ladder and place it directly bellow the light.
Get on the ladder :)
Determine if the fixture is 2 separate pieces or 1 whole piece (glass + gold decorative ring)
Carefully grab the light fixture with both hands and firmly turn the light fixture a few degrees in either direction. Be careful as the glass from the light fixture should come free.

If it does not it could be stuck ceiling due to paint or grime as someone mentioned in the comments.

If this is the case, try being a little more aggressive in your rotation, again being careful as it can slide free.


Is this 6 circuits inside a Raceway that calls for 50% deratement? Here is pic of the 3 panels. The third right most is a 2nd disconnect (150A going to the 125A main breaker at main panel at middle with 38mm^2 wire). I will need to downgrade the 150A breaker in 3rd stand alone panel as during overload, the 38mm^2 would melt first before the breaker trips. We have these mismatches because in the Philippines, all contractors apply at city hall using simple fake electrical plans (in the plan it's only 22mm^2 main feeder used and no aircons), then after permit released, the contractors change all details and since there is no inspection, they always get away with it).

This is permanent as I won't put any raceway so no problem about S bends, etc. isn't it? We never have inspection.

This is all covered in normal usage:

consider the following connections:

The above subpanel is connected to the right main panel only 3 inches away:

Do you consider it as 6 circuits inside a Raceway? Is it not a Raceway is when there is a PVC tube (with wires inside it). But when they just converge into an opening and diverse again. Then it is not technically called a Raceway right?

The NEC doesn't impose a derate until you get to 24"

NEC 310.15(B)(3)(a) (essentially replicated for you in PEC 3.10.1.15(b)(2)) does not impose any derating factors for raceways (nipples, really) shorter than 600mm (24"), such as yours:

  (a) More than Three Current-Carrying Conductors. Where the
  number of current-carrying conductors in a raceway or cable
  exceeds three, or where single conductors or multiconductor
  cables are installed without maintaining spacing for a continuous length longer than 600 mm (24 in.) and are not installed
  in raceways, the allowable ampacity of each conductor shall be
  reduced as shown in Table 310.15(B)(3)(a). Each current-carrying conductor of a paralleled set of conductors shall be
  counted as a current-carrying conductor.

So, you do not need to worry about this derate for your application, since the raceway routing would need to be quite convoluted to exceed 24".

However, you have two problems here

First off, the normal sequence of events is that the raceway is installed first and wires then pulled through it -- this avoids causing inordinate damage to wire insulation by gouging it with the ends of raceway sections or the edges of boxes. You'll need to very carefully pull the wires back inside the subpanel box for now until you have the raceway installed.

Furthermore, and more importantly, you have a problem here -- surface mounting the subpanel put you in a situation where the raceway needs to make an offset bend ("dog leg" or "S-bend") to get from a knockout in one panel to a knockout in the other.  This is especially troublesome for you for two reasons:

Conduit bends have a quite wide radius, especially for fat conduit like the 3" you are using
Conduit bodies (including L bodies and pull elbows) must be openable without removing finish materials, just like you cannot drywall over a junction box

Furthermore, that giant 3" nipple is going to cause issues if you flush-mount the subpanel (due to the fact that it will split any stud in the way clean in half).  The idea of bringing it in via the front of the main panel doesn't work either, because that'd cause merry heck if the main panel's deadfront had to be removed later for servicing (in fact, I'd call it a violation of NEC 314.22's Exception).


AC UNIT Breaker size I am installing a new breaker for my AC unit.
My Ac unit says 20A max
My emergency shut off near the AC unit says 60A

So what size breaker should i use ?

The breaker is sized for the protection of the wire and device. The disconnect must be sized larger than the current flowing through so that it doesn't burn up, but is just a switch.

If the AC unit says that it's breaker should be a max of 20A, then use a 20A breaker.

However, just to be clear, you can't change out the breaker to match the unit if the wire sizes are still too small. Since it says to use a 20A, the wires should be 12 gauge or larger. Any smaller and they could burn up before the breaker would trip.


Cleaning bathroom tiles affected with hard water stains The walls in my bathroom have been badly affected by hard water.

The tiles have not been cleaned in the last ten years (please do not ask me why). Last year, the water supply in our locality was upgraded, and now we get soft water devoid of excess iron.

Cleaning these tiles is a very big problem. I've already tried all commercial chemicals which advertise effective cleaning of tiles, but with no positive results. Youtube remedies like using vinegar and baking soda have also yielded no results.

The only option I'm left with us using concentrated acid, but I don't want to use it, because it'll destroy the colour of the tiles completely.

Any idea how I can clean the tiles without acid?

It needs to be something with acid in it like CLR or Whink. Read instructions thoroughly!!!!


Insulate ceiling, walls, or garage door? I live in Ohio and have created a golf stimulator in my attached garage. The garage typically stays around 10 degrees warmer than the outside without wall insulation except the interior wall.

I can raise the temperature with a 4000 watt electric heater another 20 degrees. The ceiling and walls are all finished with drywall.

What will provide better heat retention?  Insulating the walls would be a big project; one that I want to avoid. I weather stripped the exterior garage door and that helped quite a bit. I suspect the priority should be the ceiling, then the door.

Insulating a garage door is really quite easy.  There are kits on the market here in the UK but I just used cellotex (foam sheet) because I had some lying around.  A steel door has even less insulation value than a drywall-lined ceiling.

I'd do the door first as the least effort to get a noticable return.