Where should I install a Pellet Stove to supplement my boiler? We are purchasing a pellet stove insert for our single floor 1200 sq. ft. home.  We are doing this to reduce our dependency on oil (hot water boiler), which we use to heat the house with baseboard hot water rads.  The home has a basement with a fireplace and a fireplace upstairs in the living room.  Both fireplaces are at the one end of the house and the bedrooms at the opposite end.  My concern is that if we put the insert upstairs we might get to hot in the living room and the bedroom/bathroom will be very cool.

My wife's concern is if we put the insert into the basement that we would not get the heat upstairs even if we put vents in the floor for the heat to escape into the living room.

If we put the insert upstairs I would like to put insulated duct work in the attic and move the heat from the living room to the back bedrooms/bathroom.  Is this an effective option for moving warm air from one end of the house to the other?

What are the best options here?  Any HVAC engineers out there that can answer this?

Have you considered putting in a wood furnace instead of a stove?  You can get models that incorporate a boiler, so with some clever plumbing you could use wood to heat the water going to the baseboard radiators.

And if you're not opposed to running some duct work, you could run the heat from the furnace to both floors.


New RV refrigerator sat outside in hot weather I purchased an RV Dometic refrigerator.  Before it was delivered, it sat outside for 48 hours in over 100 degree temperatures each day.  There was no packaging around the refrigerator.  Should I return it?

I would saw NO as an answer.
Why would you return a perfectly good refrigerator? The operating temps inside the compressor while running far exceed 100 degrees.
I know my RV when sitting in the sun the inside temps go beyond 100 if I forget to turn on the solar vent (a fan that is solar powered drawing in cool air pushing hot out).


Is it acceptable that a 15A circuit be branched to multiple rooms? From the circuit panel to my bedroom is a curcuit of 14 ga copper wire. Can you branch to multiple rooms such as to the hallway light or to another room, so that the same 15 amp breaker can be connected to other area of your house?

I also found that my bedroom circuit is connected to two other 15 amp breakers. I was shocked that they were all tied together. Is that allowable and should I try to undo that?

It's perfectly fine to have a single breaker service multiple areas of a house, and in fact, the code doesn't say too much about that beyond certain places require dedicated circuits (eg: kitchen counter outlets). The code limitation only comes from circuit load and the size of the breaker and wiring.

Practically speaking, it's nice to limit the scope of a single circuit.

For example, I try to do one of:

Single breaker controls all outlets/lights in one room only
Single breaker controls all outlets/lights in two or more rooms
All outlets in one room are controlled by two or more breakers, but those breakers don't control any other rooms.

I also generally try to keep lights and outlets on separate circuits, but that's not always practical. It is nice when a circuit breaker blows that the lights don't all turn off as well, and it makes working on things easier (you can either use the lights or plug in a light).

I personally find it dumb when one breaker controls part of the outlets/lights in one room, and part in another room or area, but there's nothing technically wrong with it. I dislike it because it's not intuitive, it's harder to shut off a room, and the breaker labels are really hard to write and understand. At best your breakers get labelled stupid things like "N wall, green bdrm + S Wall blue bdrm + Hall + Bathroom lights".


Need some assistance on replacing a light fixture I am attempting to replace my light fixture. This is a basic question but am I mounting the crossbar correctly?  I always thought the little holes were for the fixture to attach to.  Is that wrong?

Or should I be utilizing the small holes for the larger screws?

With the setup pictured I am having issues attaching the light through the key hole slots (step 4 in the manual attached) The screws seem to be too short.

Should I get longer screws or am I doing something incorrectly?

Below is the manual if that helps.

http://pdf.lowes.com/installationguides/822985510455_install.pdf

First of all make a couple of measurements.

Check the distance between the long screws as you have them set right now and compare to the distance between the key hole slots on the fixture base. They need to be the same.
Measure the depth from the panel that the keyhole slots are in to the top most rim of the fixture base. This distance needs to be a little less than the long screw head protrusion below the ceiling surface. The installation guide says that the protrusion needs to be about 1.2 inches. If screws are too short maybe you pre-installed them into the box holes too far .. or you will have to acquire longer screws.

Make sure to connect the GND wire from the fixture base to the bare wire safety ground wires in the electrical box.

The cross bar installation looks OK but it is not doing much for you.


Semi-permanent installation of 4x8 wall paneling suggestions? I'm in the process of redoing my home office.  I work from home and do a lot of brainstorming/design work so I'm wanting to put floor to ceiling dry erase boards along 2 walls.  I've decided on these melamine panels (http://m.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32-sq-ft-96-in-x-48-in-Hardboard-Thrifty-White-Tile-Board-HDDPTW48/205995949) but I don't really want to just glue them over the existing gypsum drywall.

This room will be an office for as long as I own the home but in the event I move, I would like to not create a nightmare for the new owners by attaching these with construction adhesive.

Without putting screws every few inches or fully framing these (would look terrible), are there any other mounting solutions that will keep these on the wall without sagging/ buckling?

Why not use a French cleat?

(link and image from Wikipedia)

One half could be glued or screwed to the back of the panel near the top, the other half screwed to the wall using toggles or other anchors. Only a few would be needed.

To add rigidity to the panels and eliminate bowing, additional plain strips could be glued horizontally to the middle and bottom of the panels.

If you are concerned about dislodging the panels or if they lean away from the wall at the bottom, you could pin them down with one or two screws at the bottom into light duty anchors (or toggles).

Removal and repair would be very quick and simple.


Is the washer's transmission broken? The drum spins fine during wash cycle. However, the agitator does not spin at all on my FEX831FS4 Frigidaire washer.

So, I removed the plastic agitator and inspected this rod on which the agitator goes on. The top of the rod can be spun freely by hand either direction.

Update to Jeff's answer

About solution #5. I believe the plastic agitator is fine. The teeth look square to me. Also the metal shaft does not appear to be spinning. I did experiment by putting a marker on shaft and it stayed in the same place. Here is a picture of agitator from the bottom:

About solution #2. I believe the belt is fine too. I recorded the belt spinning with high frame camera in both spin and agitate modes. The only difference I noticed was that the motor for each mode was spinning in the opposite directions.

Before getting to transmission I would like to rule out Solution #1. If I understand correctly then the drive block is the metal piece that sits between transmission shaft and plastic agitator. It somewhat wiggles up and down, but I noticed that if I turn drive block in either of directions then the thing drive block sits on (I assume transmission axle by peeking through the small gap?) turns together with it. Does this prove that drive block is fine too?

Does this confirm that the transmission is broken?

Here is a list of possible issues:

Solution 1:
Drive Block or Bell
The drive block connects the washer transmission to the agitator. If the drive block is worn out, the transmission shaft will still move back and forth, but the agitator will only move slightly or will not move at all. Inspect the drive block for damage. If the drive block is worn out, stripped, or damaged, replace it.

Solution 2:
Drive Belt
Inspect the drive belt to determine if it is broken or if it is loose on the pulleys. If the drive belt is broken or loose, replace it.

Solution 3:
Drive Motor (MOST LIKELY NOT YOUR ISSUE)
The drive motor might be defective. However, the drive motor is rarely at fault for this symptom. Before replacing the drive motor, first check all of the more commonly defective washer components. If none of those components are defective, consider replacing the drive motor. To determine if the drive motor is defective, first ensure that the motor is getting power. If the drive motor hums but doesn’t run, is noisy, or does not turn freely, replace it.

Solution 4:
Door Lock (MOST LIKELY NOT YOUR ISSUE)
The door lock secures the washer door shut during operation. Once the washer door is closed, the washer can begin operating. If the door lock is defective, the washer door will not latch properly. The door lock can fail either mechanically or electrically. Inspect the door lock for damage. If the door lock is damaged or does not latch properly, replace it. To determine if the door lock has failed electrically, use a multimeter to test each of the door lock switches for continuity.

Solution 5:
Agitator Assembly
The agitator might be damaged or stripped away where it connects to the drive system inside. To determine if the agitator is stripped inside remove it from the washer and inspect for damage or wear.

Solution 6:
Transmission
The washer transmission might be worn out or defective. Transmissions have gears in them that can fail causing the washer to not spin. However, this is almost never the case. Before replacing the transmission, first check all of the other more commonly defective parts.

Here are a few diagrams:


How to mount an odd mirror from Crate and Barrel I have a mirror that we got from Crate and Barrel, but the backside of the mirror is not flush so it sticks out from the wall (and looks weird).

Here is a picture of the backside.  You can see the mounting holes in the corners and that the mirror sticks out 3/4" from the back.

Any ideas???

don't do any of the above.  make a French cleat rail and mount it that way.  if you don't know what that is, google.  if you don't have the capacity or know how to do it, just ask your local carpenter to do it.  its cheap, fast and super secure


Issue with powering off an MK brand 32A MCB I have an MK consumer unit with the house ring main wired into a MK 5932s MCB ( https://www.mkelectric.com/en-gb/Products/CP/sentry/MCBsinglepole/MCBsinglepoletypeb/Pages/5932s.aspx )

Occasionally when switching the MCB into the off position the switch will move toward the off position but it seems to stop half way between the two. While in this state power is still flowing to the sockets.

If I give the MCB switch a hard push down and then push it fully up again I find that it does not always reset to the on position rather moves back inbetween the on and off positions.
This whole time the power remains on.

After some attempts it will reset correctly.

Initially I assumed it was a defect with the MCB but have confirmed that this isn't the case by switching the MCB over for a new one.

Any suggestions?

The handle moving to a central position is typically indicative of it having tripped and tripping when moving to Off, although not normal, is not unheard of. The part about this that is unacceptable is that it is not actually disconnecting when it does that. Regardless of whether you move the handle to Off or the breaker trips, it needs to disconnect and isolate. If your's is not doing that, it is seriously defective and needs immediate replacement.


Use existing light switch to also power bathroom exhaust fan? The builder of my house neglected to place an exhaust fan in my guest bathroom.  When I brought that to their attention, they replied that code only requires fans in bathrooms that don't have open-able windows.  But the lack of one in my guest bath has always bugged me, so I'd like to add one.

But the bathroom is only "ganged" for the lightswitch that it presently needs.  (And, the feeder from the circuit panel enters at that switch.)  Would it be permissible to tie the exhaust fan into the switched side of that gang box, or am I required to give the fan a dedicated switch of its own?

You can use the switch to operate both the fan and light, if you so choose.  In fact, this is a common feature in single user public restrooms.   As long as the switch and wiring are rated for the amount of current, which unless you get a huge fan, it should be.

If you have the ability to install a new cable (or pull an extra wire, if the wires happen to be in conduit), you could use a device that has two switches that fit in a single gang box.  Which would allow you to control each device separately.


Two light switches do not work I recently changed a timer out in 3 switch "bank". In changing out the timer I accidently touched the Common from the timer to another light switch. It short circuited. Since that time the timer works fine but the other two switches in the "bank" do not work. I have checked the breaker and it DID NOT trip. Di9d I burn something out in the wall? And is there danger of fire. I changed out the switch that was touched by the Common still nothing> Thanks for any help.

Some tripped breakers do not appear tripped - they don't flip all the way to OFF. Try flipping off and then back on again all breakers you think might be the one.


Blowing in Wool Insulation We bought a house in Northern Arctic Minnesota last summer. After outrageous propane consumption this last winter I decided to check out the insulation in the attic. This summer a leak developed and drywall ended up in our bedroom. After realizing that there was no access to the attic, I made a hole in the gable and found extreme heat. We have since replaced the roofing and a ridge vent. I also have installed a thermostatically controlled fan in the gable. While up there I found that there was only one layer of fiberglass batting... It was white?? Never seen the white stuff before. It has R-30 marked on it and 10".. It has settled to around 7"...

Anyhow, the recommended R-value for our region is R-49 to R-60... The local lumber yard has a great sale on "Blowing Wool Insulation". Retail $35 down to $19 with rebate and sale. So, I picked up 30 bags.I am considering blowing in at an R-30 value over the R-30 batting that is already in there. Should give me the recommended R-60.

I am an amateur and am thinking about getting someone with experience to blow it in. However, if it is a no-brainer, I would like to do it myself.??

Also, I was wondering if I have to do anything special around the soffits/vents (perforated for venting) inside?

There is an older part of the house (early 1900s) with about 7 inches of blown-in cellulose. Can I just blow in some of the wool over it?

Thanks for any advice...

My house had the white ( fiberglas ) blown in 20 years ago.  It was a nasty job with full coveralls ,mask, headcover and a trailer mounted blower unit. How would you do it ?  I had covered some soffits with pieces foam board an supposedly the operator tried not to cover the rest.


Why would I lose water pressure in my house for several months after running the outside faucets? After using the water outside, the water pressure in my house goes way down. When we flush the toilet you can hear whistling in the pipes and sometimes bubbling like you would after the water has been turned off. We do not have a water pump so I know it is not that. The only thing I can think is that when we use the water outside it pulls some of the water from the pipes in the house and puts bubbles in them. But I don't know exactly how to fix it. Most of the time it just fixes itself after about a month or two, but I really don't want to wait that long to get my water pressure back.

I am on city/county water. There is no well. I am not sure what my pipes are made of but I think they are pvc. I live in a trailer and I know that the pipes under my trailer are pvc. The pipes coming to the house are about 13 years old.  Please let me know if this helps.

Where would I check to see if it is a bad pressure regulator? Would that be on the water meter?

that when we use the water outside it pulls some of the water from the
  pipes in the house and puts bubbles in them.

I'm not quite seeing the bizarre method by which this would take a month to clear out, but I think I see at least part of the problem - probably something like a defective vacuum breaker on the exterior faucet is somehow doing exactly that - putting air in your pipes.

If that air remains trapped for some reason (weird configuration of the pipes) it could result in a situation where you have a section of pipe with a trapped air bubble and a little bit of water running in it. This is not particularly common, in my experience - normally air in the pipes comes very noisily out the faucet the first time you turn it on - but to get your symptoms I have to speculate that somehow it stays trapped, and then over the course of a month of using the water with lousy water pressure, it's gradually dissolving the air into the water and carrying it out of the pipe, until finally the bubble is gone and you get normal pressure.

Mind you, it's also bizarre enough that it could be some other thing, but this would fit the air bubbles heard and the month-long recovery. And it may well mean that there is something else wrong for it to be able to happen in the first place, but I can't quite picture what that might be.

You might try removing an aerator on one of your faucets (reduces the restriction there, will let the water run faster) to see if that will help "burp" the air out faster. i.e., you'd see & hear bubbles coming out of the faucet if it was working - don't just leave it off for a month - if it doesn't work in a few minutes, it's not going to help.


Should carbon monoxide detectors be installed in rooms containing gas appliances? This might be 2 questions so I can separate it into two if needed.

I want to put a CO detector in two places of my home (kitchen and garage).  However, the instructions that came with the CO detector said not to put it in there.

In the kitchen, I have a gas stove.  I also want to put one in the garage because of the water heater.

I was reading the instructions for the CO detector.  It said not to put one in either of these rooms.  It doesn't state any exceptions (water heater/gas stove) so I don't know if it saying not to install it in these rooms is with or without the presence of these appliances.

Should I install detectors in these rooms or not?

No, you don't want to install CO detectors in the kitchen or garage, or too close to any gas-burning appliance.

You want CO detectors if you have gas appliances, but (somewhat ironically) you don't want to place the detectors close to those appliances. This is to reduce the number of false positives you get from the detector.

CO detectors should be placed on each level of the house, in each bedroom or just outside the doors if two or more bedrooms are close to each other.


Toilet flushes just fine. But the bathroom sink is backed up This is probably a simple fix for someone in the know, but I'm no plumber.  Anyway, my problem is simply a backed up bathroom sink, gurgling up every time I flush the toilet.  Toilet flushes just fine.   But the bathroom sink is backed up.  Any suggestions?

The U bend or "P" trap below the sink may be plugged with hair and soap scum causing it to back up. when you flush the toilet the gurgling could be caused from the slight vacuum the water running down the pipe when you flush. The drain stopper in the sink is usually a place hair and soap get stuck also.

Place a bucket under the pipe and dissemble the trap. It's usually not very difficult. The water will run into the bucket. Clean out the U and, if you can see hair stuck in the stopper, the shaft that pushes it up and down can be unscrewed and removed. Then the hair usually falls out. Reassemble and see if everything drains.

The plug could be a few feet further down if this did not work but a inexpensive hand snake of 15-25' put down the pipe after the u bend of the sink would clear the plug if the "P" trap was not the problem.

This repair is something every home owner should try and it will save hundreds over the years instead of calling a plummer. Here is a link to a nice hand snake There are cheaper and more expensive ones available. If taken care of they do last decades. Good luck on your first plumbing job.


What should I do with an unused C wire when installing a thermostat? Replacing a Carrier programmable with a Honeywell RTH6350D1000. Carrier had blue/gray wire in the C connector. Honeywell does not have a C connector. In install book "Advanced" wiring it says to ignore the c wire.

You can either cap the wire with a twist-on wire connector (or similar device), or clip the uninsulated portion of the wire off. Once the uninsulated portion of the wire is covered, you can just tuck it away.

To be extra safe, you can disconnect the other end of the wire from the furnace.


Midway Neutral disconnects whole house supply We have pretty good electrical wiring as an electronics hardware lecturer has recently changed certain wiring. Recently at one switch box in the mid-point of the house electrical wiring, when a neutral wire was disconnected, the whole house electrical supply got disconnected for a reason I don't understand.
And, whenever a small load is connected, the voltage drops, lights dim, and certain devices like the TV stop working!

Can anyone diagnose the problem? Some friend suggested a loose contact with the neutral. Could this be the culprit?

You have a broken neutral, and that is an emergency.  Stop using anything right now that is downstream of that neutral break and having voltage problems!!!

Those appliances meant for 120V could see 240V, and appliances made for 230V could see 400V.  This could fry them and start a fire.

Seriously.  Now!

Then go back and thoroughly go through all your wiring, especially anything that guy touched, and find that neutral problem and fix it.


Is low voltage resulting in overcharging me for electricity? I notice I have low voltage in my home. I understand the standard is supposed to be 117 volts to the house and the nominal rating is 110 per pole or 220 total.

My house current consistently measures below this. My house is very close to the pole.

Is the meter only measuring actual current that I get, or does it assume a certain voltage and then measure a higher amount of current than was used if the voltage is different than the assumed voltage?

A standard kWh meter measures both current and voltage directly, so no, don't worry about it -- it will compute correct usage no matter what the mains voltage does.


How do I nail plywood to flat roof framing? I am putting some 3/4 plywood on top of 2x6 framing joists on my flat garage roof. The framing is spaced 16oc. I figured that I place 4x8 plywood sheets in such way that their short edge will be resting on joists. The entire roof is 17 1/2' X 10 1/2' so it requires about 7 sheets total.

That brings up 2 questions:

Do I need to space sheets from each other and from concrete walls of the garage? I heard that 8d nails used as spacers between sheets work well for it.
How do I nail those edges? I mean - there would be only 3/4" (not even counting spacers) under the edge. Do I just nail so close to the edge? Will it work? Should I put nails at the edge toward the center of the joist or just straight down?

First concideration, I would encourage you to use a T&G roof sheathing such as AdvanTec instead of standard CDX plywood. This will give you a better fit and not have to worry about spacing gaps in the plywood. The price is comparable, so there is no cost advantage to using regular plywood.

The sheathing should be secured with 6d galv ring shank nails at apx 8" spacing. 1 5/8" coated drywall screws are great, but more time consuming to install. Don't use non galv common nails, as they tend to back out after a few years.

If your sheathing fits properly on the joists with 3/4" overlay, nailing straight down is fine as long as you bite into solid wood. A slight angle towards the joist is OK  as long as the heads of the nails or screws don't protrude above the sheathing. Protruding nails can damage your roofing material, assuming you are not planning on using a layer of Grace Ice and Water shield under your final roofing materials.


Is it possible to use a single wire smoke alarm with an alarm system? I'm in the process of installing an alarm system that supports 2 or 4 wire low voltage fire alarms.

The house is wired with high voltage single wire smoke alarms.

As I understand it, there are relays that can wire into the circuit and either act as the sender or receiver for low or high voltage accessory devices like pull switches or lighting. An example device is referenced here.

As I also understand it, these relays cannot be used to wire into alarm panels.

So my question: What is the reasoning behind not allowing this? Is it just because multi-wire detectors support zoning, or is it actually dangerous to do this?

Are there devices that exist that do allow me to do this, or do I need to switch detectors?

Such connections are not UL, CSA, or NFPA rated because the alarm panel cannot supervise the smoke alarm circuit.  2 and 4 wire low voltage alarm circuit are supervised and report more to the alarm panel than simply an alarm condition. For example, if properly wired, damaged wiring or missing detectors will cause a trouble condition.

You can physically do what your wondering (use the relay between 120v smoke alarms and an alarm panel).  Only an alarm condition can be detected (not low battery as the 120v detectors have).

In a previous version of this answer I didn't say it the best, but as @gregmac points out in a comment, if you do this for your own benefit fine.  Don't ask your insurance company for the discount given for a listed monitored fire protection system, because this is not an approved method.

The smoke detector manufacturers such as Firex and BRK do make such relays available to activate other devices such as strobes or exit lighting (not to be confused with an "EXIT" light in a commercial or multi-family building), but not for means of UL or CSA rated alarm reporting.


Wiring in a new light fixture and switch to existing switches? Sorry for the silly question. It seems so basic to me. I have dealt with 12v DC car/computer wiring since I was a kid, but have finally purchased a house. Residential wiring is kind of just screwing me up and I feel like I might be overthinking things, so pardon my potentially confusing question.
I have a 3-switch panel next to a closet. Only two of the three switches are being used, leaving the third switch unwired. Each switch is wired to its own fluorescent light fixture in my drop ceiling. I want to add a light fixture (just a single standard 60w light bulb) to this unused switch.
However, I am getting a little confused. I pulled the switch cover plate off and it appears that there are two, sheathed, three-wire feeds coming into the switch box (hope that makes sense, don't know the proper term for the wiring). Each switch is wired to its own wire set.
Grounds are left disconnected (as opposed to the switch itself). Hots go to the hot terminal, and whites go to the neutral terminal on the switch.
I believe the switches are wired like in the following diagram:

First, what's the terminology for this sort of wiring? Second, is it possible to add my light fixture to the unused switch by piggy backing off of the hot wire? I was considering this, but I am a little confused. Can this be done? Or does there need to be a connection to a main neutral wire?
With my drop ceiling, it should be pretty simple to rewire the other light fixtures but if I can avoid it, that would be nice. Thanks!

There are no neutrals here.
That's exceedingly important to understand about a switch loop (extremely common, no longer to current codes, but perfectly fine in older codes, so you will find them in every moderately aged house.)
Given your 12V experience you probably think of colors as being fixed things - this is not quite true in household AC wiring.
The "sheathed, 3-wire feeds" are 2 wire cables (the grounds are not counted in residential cables. So a 14/2 or 12/2 cable has a black, a white and a bare  - 3 wires, but it's a /2 cable.) A wire is a single conductor, a cable is multiple wires bundled in an outer sheath.
Modern code would require a /3 cable to the switch location (black, white, red, bare) but you don't have to change the cable to "modern code" unless you are remodeling (changing a switch is not remodeling.) That is "grandfathered" meaning it met code at the time it was installed.
However: adding a cable to an unwired switch IS going to require using a /3 cable from someplace that does have unswitched hot and neutral, or two /2 cables (with white as neutral in both) if the place the power comes from (unswitched hot) is not the place the light (switched hot) will be.
The white wires to the switches are hot. They should be (but rarely are) marked with red or black tape or paint to indicated that they are hot. The black wires from the switches are switched hot.
There is no neutral anywhere in the switch box. Typical arrangement is that power comes to (one of) the lights, and at that light you will find a white wire (that should be, but often is not, remarked red or black) connected to a black wire from the power feed leading to the switch location. The black wire in the same cable will then connect to the black wire from the light, and the white wire from the power feed will connect to the white wire from the light. The cable with the white connected to the feed's black will lead to your switch location.
Thus, power flows from the source, to the switch, back from the switch, through the load, and back to the source.


Internal walls supported by rotten wood We've an old house from 1890 and are replacing rotten and wood worm eaten beams and floors.

But, whilst doing this we've found that the internal walls have been built on top of planks of wood placed on top of the foundations ... this has also rotted, but has been so compressed from the weight of the walks and the upstairs flat that they don't look like they're going anywhere!

Is there some kind of treatment I can use that may strengthen the edges of these compressed planks to strengthen what's most exposed to stop any more deterioration and crumbling away?

I'll try and include a photo as an example.

Thanks,
Tim!

small section of wood supporting walls

My guess about these planks are that a builder made outer walls (that are carrying the loads) first, as well as interior support walls (if any present) and then laid a wooden floor. Just then, he(she?) managed to place internal walls that were not for supportive matters (dividing into rooms) on this floor. Years passed, loads made under-wall-planks to go deeper, while floor lasted on the same level. (all that I said was assuming that builder knew better; I'm afraid that past-technologies and construction commons were less sophisticated)

No matter what was the reason, it will be nice to do something about that. Leaving this as it is may or may not cause any problems in a near future, but making a reconstruction with that good access is tempting to solve this now.
Aloysius Defenestrate put an advice in his comment about wood consolidation epoxies. It may work, though I would hesitate to use it if the plank can be accessed to water/is totally rotten. Still, given a proper support from epoxy producer, it can be worthwhile.
Another way of 'replacing' that plank (or what is left of it) is putting concrete instead of it. It is something done in monuments or to make a less-harming change within older buildings' structure. You can replace the plank with concrete partially, say - by 20cm of plank per 1m of a wall. The wall will lose some of it's support (for a short time), but I guess it will handle that at ease. After some 1-2 weeks make another 20cm replace and so on. It's best if done by a specialist and I would advise consulting these distances (20cm replace per 1m of a wall), but I think that it will make this repair more solid.


A dimmer onto a circuit that controls the top receptacle of 2 plugs and also two led pot lights? I'm wondering if, because the light switch turns on and off the top receptacle on a wall plug,  can you still install a dimmer on this circuit?

Thanks
 j-bob8

NEC prohibits standards receptacles from being on dimmed circuits. Lutron makes a dimmable receptacle that ordinary plugs will not go into, but which is designed to be on a dimmed circuit. If you actually want to plug something into the dimmed receptacle, they sell a custom plug that you can wire yourself.

If you don't actually care about making a dimmable receptacle, there's nothing as far as I know that prohibits you from capping (or if the dimmed circuit runs through the receptacle box, joining together) the dimmed conductor in the box and just replacing it with a standard duplex receptacle powered by the non-dimmed circuit already present there. The end result is that you have two pot lights on your dimmer on a circuit that happens to run through but does nothing to your receptacle box.


How do I remove calcification from a screw head? I have two screws holding on the metal disc covering the shower drain.  Neither appears to be stripped.  I would like to remove these screws to clean out the drain.

The problem is that the screwdriver won't go into the slots.  I think there's some calcium buildup on the screw heads.  I tried lightly scratching it with my screwdriver, but the stuff is really on there.  I don't want to strip the screws by forcing too hard.

Is there a quick way to dissolve the calcium off the screw heads?  Hoping that I don't need to go out and buy a jug of CLR for something so small.

Most of the time you can chisel it out with a scratch awl and a utility knife. You will dull the blade of the knife, but that's why they are replaceable. I also would use my $2 awl, not the heirloom one with the rosewood handle.


Can I use shiplap for shelving? I'm looking at different shelving options and I really like the look of this shiplap wood. I'd like to use it for shelving by connecting two of them together widthwise to make a shelf that is approximately 12" in depth. I'm unsure about this for 2 reasons:

I don't know how strong the shelf would be (my brackets will be 16" apart)

I'm not sure how I can attach the pieces together (would glue be enough?)

The entire depth of the shiplap would be supported by brackets so the joint doesn't need to be super strong.

With brackets 16" apart your lap joint would not need to be super strong.
You could just use a good quality wood glue.
Do all your cuts first and then glue the boards together and place on the brackets.
Use an appropriate length screw from the underside of the bracket to secure the shelf to the bracket to keep if from moving around.


Creating my own coffered ceilings, whats the best material to use for the frame? SO I am creating my own coffered ceilings by creating a grid which I will attach to the ceiling.  Then I will nail/glue crown moldings onto this grid to create my coffered ceilings.  Now I've made a mockup of my grid for testing purposes using MDF and it all seems nice and stable.

Ive never done anything like this before so Im wondering if Im making a horrible mistake and these ceilings will begin to breakdown having used MDF, or if I should use something else?

I chose MDF because it seems relativly light in weight which seemed like a good idea since I am nailing these up to the ceiling

Thank you!

I would think MDF would hold up fine in a dry climate controlled space. The length of the pieces and method of attachment to the ceiling will affect long-term tendency to sag.

I would try to keep the frame lengths relatively short and employ a robust attachment method (nails into joists along with construction adhesive?)


Hole in wall behind and around plug socket (England, UK) – do I need an electrician to fix? A socket in our bedroom seems to have been installed poorly in the first place. On one side, it seems quite secure – the screw is going into a rawlplug at the back that's securely anchored. But on the other side there is nothing for the screw to go into, just a big hole. The hole extends around the edges of the socket this side too.
I suspect I could fix this myself using pre-mixed filler (though please let me know if there's a better way!)
However, my main question is – Am I allowed to do this myself in the UK (England, to be precise), as it's around an electric socket?
Is this the kind of thing I'd need to call in a certified electrician to do, to avoid invalidating house insurance etc? To be clear, I don't think there's any actual wiring work needed, just the filling.
(This looks superficially similar to Repairing wall around a plug socket but the hole is deeper and also it's the safety/legal aspect I'm most interested in.)

It sounds like there is no back box on that socket.  Sockets aren't normally screwed directly to walls, but to back boxes that are fitted into the wall.
If there is nothing flammable behind the socket, then that's not actually dangerous.  If there is flammable material, then the socket really should be re-fitted with a back box.
Legally, you can do simple repairs on your own electrics if you are competent to do so.  There is no specific definition of what "competent" is.  I have no way to tell if you are competent to do the work, so the decision is really up to you.


Should I install external basement insulation that does not extend above ground? Question : Is there a way to calculate energy savings for external, 2inch insulation on basement walls that does not extend above the soil surface, leaving the top couple feet of foundation wall exposed to air.

Background:
I am having my basement foundation walls waterproofed externally.  The contractor is offering to provide external insulation for what seems like a reasonable price, and according so some research, there are some advantages to doing this externally if you have the opportunity.  Some sources also suggest that the payoff is rather quick, 2~5 years (but did not state what assumptions were behind that).

The hesitation comes from the fact that what is under discussion is cutting the foam board short of the top of the soil.  Basically if we wanted it to go all the way up (as would be ideal) I'd need a different contractor to tie into the siding and protect the exposed insulation.  Currently there is about 2.5ft of exposed block below the start of the siding, which is the norm for this neighborhood.  I do know that a large part of the value of the insulation comes from the top few feet below the soil and the part exposed to the air.

I do not plan on finishing my basement in the near term or trying to keep it the same temperature as the rest of the house.  House is small (850sq foot bungalo), in lower Michigan.

Rather than go to the trouble and expense of tying external insulation from below ground to the siding, I'd let them stop with the below ground insulation.  It at least will add a little extra R value.

Then, since your basement is unfinished, but you do use it, I'd go ahead and add additional insulation on the inside of the house* - from the ceiling on down, at least to several feet below the external ground level if not all the way down.  (Those extra few feet won't do much on the bottom but they will help some and they won't cost much more...)

*Making sure that any other potential water issues have been dealt with

The key thing with insulation is to get a continuous thermal break.  Even a small gap in the insulation can allow huge amounts of energy loss, and since you are running heat downstairs, while I don't know precisely how to calculate the long term savings, there will be one, and more importantly, your basement will be much more comfortable for year round use.


What should I do about a switch that feels warm and arcs when toggled? When I was turning off ligths last night on my way to bed, I noticed a switch that was quite warm. I flicked it off and on noticed that it was arcing (blue, sometimes organge flash/spark behind the wall plate). I took off the cover, took out the switch and noticed that the black insultation around one of the wires connected to the switch had melted a little.

not sure whether this is related but . . . That switch is for some overhead lights in the kitchen - one fixture that hangs over the island and another set of pot lights. The lights in the fixture are halogen (4). Both the bulbs in the fixture and the pot lights seem to blow often. We've in the house since June 2013 and I've probably replaced 6-8 pot lights and 4 or 5 of the halogen bulbs for the fixture.

It's good that you found this, in the worst case, this situation can lead to an electrical fire.

Check Connections

First thing to do is turn off the power, and check all the mechanical connections at the switch. If this is aluminum wiring please comment and I'll update the post, as there are other considerations if so.

Are there wires doubled up on a screw (they should not be)? Is any of the wiring loose? The wire should be wrapped around the screw or connected to the pigtails using wire connectors (depending on type of switch) like this:

Check for overloading

Calculate the total current draw on this circuit (controlled by the switch) by adding up the wattage of each bulb. This must not exceed the rating of the circuit, switch and wiring.

Most single pole switches are rated at 15A (1800W at 120V) but older ones may be less. Dimmer switches are also often less, often at 600W.

If you calculate more than 1400W, post a comment and I'll add some additional detail to consider about overall circuit loading and wire sizes.

Replace switch

If the switch is particularly old or feels loose or "mushy", simply replace it with a new one.

I'd actually replace it no matter what, since it's shown signs of overheating which could at least mean it's been damaged (even if the switch itself wasn't the initial cause).

You might also consider 'spec' or 'commercial' grade which are slightly more expensive but are much higher quality and will last much longer.


Defiant security light installed..Motion senser flashes red But no lights I just purchased a new Defiant model# DFI 5852 BK security light to replace an older one. After installation..the motion sensor flashes red but lights do not come on..Tried adjusting sensitivity, & Test modes, No change..

The sensor flashing red is telling you that the sensor sees you.  It's not turning on because only a fool would turn the lights on in broad daylight.  Yes, it knows it is broad daylight because it also has a light sensor.

If it is in fact night, then you have an unusual amount of artificial lighting in the area, and that is fooling the sensor.  However, most sensors have a learning feature if you leave the system energized 24x7, and after a couple day/night cycles it will learn what normal light levels are here.

If you cut power to the sensor, you will wipe its memory and it will have to start the learning process all over again.  So don't do that.


How can I run 2" plumbing vents under windows in a 2x4 wall? I have new construction with 4" drain and 2x4 exterior walls. I am building a detached shop/living quarters with 2x4 walls and all plumbing is in one exterior wall.

how would you run it? :)
are cripples considered load bearing and does the 60% rule if doubled apply?
can i go thru 3 cripples and then wrap around the king/jack studs?  code says you can drill thru 2 on load bearing so question 2 is key. I could cut the window shorter and take bathtub vent straight up if needed I guess.
if tying in vent lines on the horizontal how much angle required? just thought of this - can probably lookup myself.

I have no idea what im not asking. sorry.

There is a reason why nearly all "plumbing walls" are located in the interior of the house, in a non-load-bearing wall. This is the reason.
You've got a bearing citrus tree, and you're talking about exterior 2x4 walls, so I'm going to assume that you're in the southern hemisphere in someplace with mild winters. That's relevant, because the applicable codes will likely be different.
Don't bother trying to tie all the vents together by going sideways in the the wall. Instead, tie the close ones together, and then try to get the rest together in the attic space. It looks like the tub and toilet vents could merge and go right in the photo. You might want to add another solid stud in the right-side gap right of the window, after installing the vertical vent.


Cat5e signal when coiled up I have a CCTV camera which is PoE, and an NVR. I already have two cameras connected fine, and have been trying to add a third today.

All the cameras are the same. The cable is Cat5e outdoor.

I've made up two lengths, 1.5m and 18m, the first for testing and the second will be actually used for this camera.

Both cables pass with all 8 lights on the cable tester.

The 1.5m cable works, the camera connects to the NVR.

The 18m cable does not work, the NVR can't see the camera.

I've re-crimped the 18m cable several times, which always passes the cable tester.

With the 18m cable, I know the camera has power, because you can hear a slight 'click' inside when it switches from normal to night vision.

So I can only assume that the 18m cable have signal issues, and not power issues.

Might I have signal issues because the cable is coiled up on the floor, so each part of the cable is right next to lots of other parts of the cable..??

Here's both ends of the 18m cable:

I routinely test POE network devices with 50m or more of coiled up cable attached to them, particularly when sorting out a new install (it gets to pass the first tests all coiled up before we run it out to the proposed location and test it, then run the final cable through the building.) So coiling is not the issue.

The photos leave it a little vague, but the second one looks like you might have white/green and white/blue mixed up.


How to run data cable in an attic with blown fiberglass insulation I was wanting to rerun some Ethernet cable in my home. There is no Ethernet running to my living room which I want for my smart TV. For the time being, I have to run a cable from my office room to my TV and it just lays on the floor.

I also want to move some cables because I want to take an existing cable from my master bedroom, and run it to the living room. This cable goes outside to the DMARC. These walls are adjacent so it would just be a matter of pulling the cable up and dropping it down the correct wall. Doing this would allow my router to be in a more central location of the home.

However, I have one problem. I only have an attic, and it looks like this...

How on Earth do I go about rerunning cable through that mess? Do I just try to disturb the least amount of insulation? Do I make paths along where I need to go and then put the insulation back once I'm done? This almost seems like more work than it's worth, but it's something I really want to do.

Blown fiberglass is fairly easy to move aside and replace once the work is done. Do your best to fluff and level it, and try to avoid disrupting areas of high slope, as they'll be more difficult to restore. Where you can, simply staple the cable to the roof truss members rather than dropping it in the insulation. The less you compress it the better.

Be sure to wear a simple dust mask to avoid half a day of coughing afterward. There's a lot of atmospheric dust on top of that already irritating material.


Lightswitch: does the arrow over tilde represent "common" and how should it be wired This question relates to wiring a dimmer switch.

What does the symbol next to L2 represent? I assume from looking at other switches that this is the "common" connection.

Should i wire the switch as follows:

Do NOT wire it that way.

This PDF shows the proper way to wire that type of dimmer.

Single dimmer switch:

Dimmer with a second switch:


How can I replace a 3-way light switch with a motion sensor? I'm trying to replace one of the three-way light switches in my garage with a motion sensor.  But I'm confused by the wires on the existing switch.  I thought the hot wire goes to the black screw labeled "common" but instead the existing switch looks like this:

black screw/common = red wire
brass colored screw on same side = black wire
brass colored screw on other side =  red wire
4th screw = bare copper wire (I assume this is the ground)

My new switch has

black = hot
white = neutral
red = primary load
green = ground
blue = ?

Which wires should I connect on the new switch?

Wiring diagram for Leviton PR180 3-Way Wall Mount Occupancy Sensor.


Lightswitch to Outside Light/GCFI Issues Novice.. but have figured out most of my house lighting issues to date without much help. This one is baffling me though..

I have a lightswitch that turns off/on an outdoor light. I purchased a new outdoor light that has a GCFI outlet and my hope was to plug in a security camera and leave the lightswitch turned on at all times to power both the light and the camera... but it's not working as expected so seeking some help.

The light switch gang has the following wires (see first pic):
- Ground Wires
- White wires (pretty sure these are neutral as a newer home - they are pigtailed off and not currently used)
- Two black wires (I've attached them both to the lightswitch)

The outside gang has three wires (see second pic):
- Black (Hot)
- White (not sure if this is a neutral or 'load' wire)
- Ground

The outside GCFI light has the following wires (see third and fourth pic):
- one black, one white and one ground cable going to the bottom of the outlet
- one black, one white cable going from the outlet to the light

How do I wire this all up? I initially had it as follows but its not working:
- for lightswitch, I just had the two black wires and ground connect to the lightswitch itself (I tried swapping the nut that each black cable was on but didn't seem to fix anything)
- for outside light, I connected the ground/black/white cables from the bottom of the gcfi switch to the same colored cables coming from the outside gang.

Thanks!

You can see the pics here:
https://www.doityourself.com/forum/electrical-ac-dc/616391-lightswitch-outside-light-gcfi-issues.html#post2834393

The load is at the top of the photo this is where the wires to the light go. The line is at the bottom of the outlet this is your incoming hot and neutral.

Why is there black heat shrink on the whites at the GFCI the black on the white is designating the white as a switch leg and it should always be hot, if you put it on take it off.

With switched circuits a switch leg is where the power comes into the lamp not a switch. We use a cable black white to run down to the switch, the white is connected to the black hot so the white is always hot and marked with tape , marker or any means to designate it as the hot. The black is then the switched hot.

Only having 2 cables at the outlet make sure the load goes to the lamp and the line is the incoming power.

With the photos my guess you switched line and load and that won’t work.


backer board mystery There seems to be a split between those who say the backer board should go over the tub flange and those who say it should go above. Those who say over say so for drainage. Those who say above seem to suggest because of the surrounding drywall plane.

The tile expert forums go with it over the flange; seemingly the general contractor forums suggest above. Most forums suggests a vapor barrier even with Hardi Backer.

How does a person make the right decision with so many conflicting viewpoints? I know in other posts, the two options are covered; however, little is discussed with regard to the problem of going over the tub flange causing the drywall plane to be uneven. Shimming for example over 1/4" would seem to be a problem blending the CPU board with the drywall. How is that done successfully?

If the bathtub flange is too proud of the studs to allow the backer board to fit acceptably, the studs should be shimmed out so they are even with the flange.  If the manufacturer of the tub says so (and they probably do), the backer board should go over the flange.  Find (or make) some wood strips of suitable thickness, and glue or staple them to the studs above the tub flange.


Finding a stud in a highrise appartment I would like to install my xpole in my apartment but I am unable to find the stud in the ceiling.  According to my stud finder the entire ceiling is metal.  Can anyone help?  I am in a 24 story concrete highrise.

Thanks so much!!

Your ceiling drywall is probably not directly attached to any structural members.  It is pretty common in newer multistory buildings to put sound damping resilient channel between the two.  And there is only enough structural support for the drywall/lights and not any additional loads.


Newbie: wiring a light switch I am not a diy person but I'm trying to replace a light switch.
I bought a non contact voltage tester and a new single pole switch.
When I took the plate off and pulled the switch out it appears the ground wire ( if I know what I'm looking at is going from one switch into the other. After looking at some YouTube videos I'm a bit confused with the setup. The switch I'm trying to replace is on the left side it operates only the light in my master bedroom The switch next to it is a three-way switch that operates a hall light.
Before I start to replace the switch is this setup correct?
I have a ceiling fan light that doesn't work with the remote or the switch I'm not even sure if a faulty switch would cause that issue but I thought I would start there. Using my non-contact voltage tester the switch is getting power. I've turned the power off at the breaker and I'm ready to replace the switch but I was a little bit confused when I saw the way it was wired is this normal?

Attached photos.

I do not see a ground wire although that is possible, a ground is normally a bare copper in residential wiring and it would be attached to a green screw that is normally part of the metal mounting yoke.
I believe I see a black with some white paint crossing from one switch to the other this should be a hot.
Since you have a red wire I would follow that back to the cable it enters the box in if there is a black wire in that cable it probably also goes to the fan I regularly wire rooms like that so a fan light combo can have 2 switches letting us know more about the wiring will provide better answers.
Ground to 2 switches totally normal green or bare copper is normal.
A white coming to the switch that has power all the time this is called a switch leg the white is getting the power from the ceiling fixture and it is hot.
If you have a white hot all the time then the red and black should go back to the same fixture and they control the light or fan.
White is normally neutral but in a switch leg it is always hot required by code.


How to take the sandpaper off of a Makita palm sander I need to know how to take the old sandpaper off a palm sander (Makita model B04553).
It is not mine so I am unsure, but there are four latches that I have lifted, thinking that it will loosen and slide out.

How do I get this paper off?

Release the paper-clamp latches.  There will be one or two latches on both sides of the sander.  For that model, they probably look like this (note the 2 red arrows, showing the release motion):

Pull the folded-over edges, of the sandpaper, out from under the clamps.

That model may use velcro paper, so expect that you might have to peel the sandpaper off of the base plate.

Replace with the same style and size (length/width) of paper.  Assemble in reverse order.  Pre-creasing the folded edges works best for getting the edge under the clamps.

You can find manuals at http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Service/ServiceCenters.aspx.
Here is a manual for a similar palm sander (pdf) (AKA "Finishing Sander").


GFCI to light not working I put a gfci outlet in my front yard for use during christmas time for lights and such. i ran it to on my front porch light so it only turns on when my front porch light is on. i also added to the gfci a light about 20 feet away so that it lights up a dark area. I turned my breaker on and the gfci works but the light doesn't turn on. why is this happening? Ive tested and reset the gfci. unfortunately it got too dark to work on the wires. what could be the problem as to why there is no light going to the light post?

It turns out that the OP's problem was caused by a loose connection that slipped out when he attempted to fit the light fixture to its pole, as per his comment:

  Thank you guys for the help it turned out the black wires weren't touching they somehow slipped out when i pushed the light on the pole


Splicing or not on the 12v side of a halogen lighting system I've concluded that the WH1601-E6A transformer in a light fixture has expired, and ordered a replacement. The 12v wires coming out of the transformer are wired as follows: there a crimp-ons on the ends of the 12V wires, and these slide into spaces where a hex-keyed screw clamps down on them. I'm assuming I should repeat thjs by finding some corresponding crimp fittings; the alternative would be to cut and splice the existing wires to the wires coming out of the old transformer.

You should be able to find a good assortment of the crimp on terminals at any hardware or auto parts store. From your description it sounds like your terminal looks like this:

If you do not have the appropriate tool to crimp the terminals onto the wire you can purchase one at the same location that you get the terminals. A low cost crimp tool will likely look very similar to:


High efficiency gas furnace part name I'm looking for the name of the plastic piece that is labeled #2 in the attached picture.
The condensate goes into the plastic box and then overflows into a tube that goes to the sump.
I'm having the hardest time finding the name of the piece.

To me your parts names are:

condensate pump
condensate drain assembly
discharge hose for condensate pump

The drain assembly is different than the ones I have used and in some cases I don’t use OEM parts because of the cost when a standard off the shelf part can be made or purchased for much less.


Winterize my lawn mower I have a Toro self propelled lawn mower that I am getting ready to put away for the season.  The manual says to run it until empty then put some oil in the spark plug chamber.  I read an article that states you should not drain the but instead fill up with fresh fuel that has stabilizer added.  Thoughts or recommendations?

http://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/lawn-mower-storage-why-draining-fuel-tank-mistake

The "article" you linked to is written by the manufacturer of STA-BIL, a brand of fuel stabilizer. So I would take the entire thing with an enormous grain of salt.

I don't see how you can go wrong following the advice of the lawn mower manufactorer. Personally for my small engines I switch to stabilized fuel sometime in the fall so that it works its way through all the hoses and into the engine, then when I'm done for the year I run it dry. That way virtually all the fuel is gone and whatever is left should have stabilizer in it.


What material to use to close a too wide wire tunnel? During the cold days I noticed a little draft coming from the light switch next to my house door. Removing the switch revealed that the tunnel for the cables was widened to fit the cables for the electric strike control right next to it. The hole measures about 1/2" in diameter.

Is there a preferred way of closing this? By default I would either use the silicone caulk I have still around or get some expanding foam. As I am no electrician I do not know how accessible one should keep those wires. (Silicone caulk would be easier to remove as foam as far as my experience goes.)

Here's a picture

Sealing around wires and cables is usually a job for Duct Seal.

I'm not sure of the availability of this outside the United States, but I imagine it or a similar product is available in most places.

Duct seal never hardens, so it can be removed, move, reshaped, and reused. It also will not react with the wire/cable in any way, which often a requirement in building and electrical codes.


Octagonal Electrical Box Wire Capacity The wiring for a bathroom light and a receptacle are in a 3.5 x 1-1/2 in. octagon electrical box. Is this the correct size for this number of wires? There are 3 blacks, 3 whites, 1 red, and 3 grounds. It's a 15 amp circuit. I'm not sure whether the gauge is 14 or 12. The wires in the bushing on the side of the box are Romex. The other wire is 50 yrs old. The house is in the USA.  I've read some fill charts on-line, but I don't understand them as there are various increases/decreases in the conductor count for certain situations.

Correction: The box is 3.5 in., not 4 in.

A random check of a manufacturer shows 3-1/2 x 1-1/2 octagon boxes are 11.8 cubic inches. It may also be stamped on your box.    You need:

1 wire unit for all the grounds
4 wire units for your hots
3 wire units for your neutrals
1 wire unit for the internal clamp
2 wire units if a receptacle is inset into that box.  If the item is surface mount, 0 wire units.

Total 8 wire units.  A wire unit takes 2.0 cubic inches for 14AWG and 2.25 cubic inches for 12 AWG.   So that's 18 or 20.25 cubic inches.    Your box has 11.8?

You have a few options.

Add a box extension, a 1-1/2" extension would solve your space problem. Nobody cares which holes the wires come in, I never use knockouts in extensions because then it's hard to remove.
Put a second nearby box to offload some of the wires.
Convert to a 4" square box (21 cu. in.) with a mud ring (? cu. in.)giving a face similar to a 3-1/2" octagon box.  This may also help you address your depth problem mentioned in the other post.  It's ridiculously easy to change boxes since all your wires are flexible and terminate in the box.  (by "ridiculously" I'm contrasting it with thru wires which must be pulled, steel conduit, substituting a wider box so you have to cut the conduit, and doing it 21 feet in the air in a boom lift!)


Light fixture won't turn on With the main breaker on (which reads 120 volts) I'm only reading 98 volts at the light switch, and light will not turn on. FYI the main breaker is 150ft from the light switch. Is 98 volts enough to operate a 120 volt light?

98 volts is a significant drop over 150 ft. This likely indicates a failing connection, possibly arcing. Arcing is fire risk and you should only have a breaker on to help locate the fault, otherwise leave it off until corrected. To locate the fault, check every junction between the breaker and switch for the voltage drop, loose wires, or blackening of the wires.

For the light, 98 volts will usually be enough to see some light on most fixtures, particularly incandescent lights. What's missing is how many amps are moving through the wires. You can read phantom voltage from wiring running in close proximity, or a slight voltage from arcing, but with few amps. Without both, the light will not work.


Soundproofing on partywall I've just fitted a layer of polystyrene, wood batterns 2x2 with Rockwall infill and layer of acoustic plasterboard then plastered over. All sealed with soundproof sealant. Spoken word reduced through party wall but banging doors and wood wardrobe doors no difference. What else can I try?

There are two kinds of “sound control” problems: 1) air borne sounds, and 2) impact sounds.

1) Air borne sounds (talking, tv, etc.) is the easiest to control and it looks like you’ve solved that issue.

2) Impact sound (closing doors, heels clicking on floor from walking, etc.) is much harder to control. Impact sound travels through building materials (floor joists, wallboard, etc.) much faster and much more efficiently.

In order to control impact sound, you need to isolate the surrounding material. Some of these problems are “built in” and cannot be resolved easily (or cheaply).

We try to 1) stop floor joists and underlayment from extending under a party wall, 2) provide separate party walls between rooms, and 3) stop roof joists from crossing from room to room.

Obviously it’s too late for those techniques, so now you need to consider techniques for each individual problem.

For doors, I’d try: 1) provide rubber bumpers on jambs, 2) provide weatherstripping to cushion the door when closing, and 3) add closer to control speed of door closing.


The hotplate light on my stove Why won't the hotplate light on my stove turn off even though the hotplates are turned off.  Is there an electrical fault.  I have tried turning the power off and on but the light still comes on.

That is probably normal (with a small possibility of being a defect).  The hot indicator is precisely that, and is designed to turn off only after all spots have definitely cooled.

And it may not know when that is, because it may be a simple timer, rather than a temperature sensor.  And it may be designed for worst case, i.e. A pot left on the burner for quite some time after it's shut off, and thus retaining a lot of heat.

You might think the light would only come on when power is switched to the burner.  But the above feature is cheap to add, and provides a big safety improvement, so it wouldn't surprise me if a standards body like NFPA or UL made it a requirement.  Of course that feature is also more complex, so more likely to malfunction.


wire nut alternative I added onto my home and had to wire it myself (except the breaker box) to save money.  I have a number of connections inside plastic boxes in the attic where I used wire nuts to connect 3 to 5 14 gauge wires together.  Wire nuts keep slipping out by themselves and a light or outlet will stop working.  Then I have to climb into attic, track down the box and redo it.  It there a better way than wire nuts to keep these wires safely and securely together...something more like the Sharkbite plumbing connectors or maybe a little device on which the incoming power wire  could come in one end and be crimped and the other 2 or 3 or 4 wires get crimped into the other end?

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

Carlin

You are possibly using the wrong size wirenut for the number and size of wires you are connecting, or simply installing them incorrectly.

"Saving money" is a dubious justification for tackling electrical work if you are not up to the task - the money you "save" can easily cost you a good deal more when your work fails in a more dramatic fashion and burns the house down or injures/kills someone. You could hire an electrician to go over your self-installed wiring and make sure it was correct, and odds are excellent that no more wirenuts would fall off after that.

There are "push-in" wire connector blocks made and listed now. I'm not personally a fan of them, but they are made and listed.

i.e. See this image from Ideal Industries (not endorsing or associated, just using the image as an example)


Insulating between floors? I have a "modern" UK house (approx. 15 years old, built as cheaply as possible, a wooden house with a brick shell). If it is cold outside and I heat the ground floor to the minimum I would like, then the first floor is warmer than I would like and the 2nd floor in particular is too warm.

I have installed a door to the stairwell on the ground floor and do not heat it much, so on the 1st floor it is markedly cooler than the rooms and on the second floor it is certainly no hotter.

The heating system is wet radiators with individual thermostats. When the problem is there, it is there with thermostats turned off on the second floor and set low or off on the 1st floor. Much of the problem is likely caused by the level of "insulation" being unbalanced between the ground floor with large conservatory style skylights and the other floors (see picture on related question).

Before starting on a new roof and windows for part of the house, I would like to see if insulation between the ground floor and 1st floor could help, either bonded to the ground floor ceiling or something blown with little or no adhesive into in the spaces between the load bearing joists.

Is that feasible? Would there be any pitfalls, could it be done with minimal intrusion?

Balancing your heating system would be the first step be it duct or radiant. You should have some mode of control as in dampers or balancing valves respectively. If it's forced air start by shutting down completely the second floor closing off the first floor and leaving the main ground floor open. The case with radiant should be relatively simple assuming valves are installed simply close the valves where there is too much heat. Keep in mind that the heating system knows nothing of the layout of your house it only knows what the thermostat can tell it so everything when it comes to balancing has to be centered around the thermostat.


Removing old sealant from wood I was reading up that different finishes can be removed with different chemicals (paint thinner, alcohol, etc) based on the finish. Is there any way to identify what this finish on the wood in the back of my house may be. It was most likely put up in the 1950s, its peeling. I would like to remove it, and probably just paint over the wood white. Is there any way to identify the best way of removing this, with out buying different chemical removers to try each one?

Few more pictures here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WzkvpcRnDbMFwF6x8

If it's outside, I'd say it's more than likely some kind of varnish. I think you'd need a "chemical stripper" (there are "green" ones these days: https://www.homedepot.com/p/EZ-Strip-32-oz-Paint-and-Varnish-Stripper-ESA-700/205725398).

The equation is basically:

Remove shellac with alcohol
Remove lacquer with lacquer thinner
Remove everything else with stripper


Conduit for future sprinker system before sidewalk pour Our street is getting new water mains and they've pulled up the sidewalks which will eventually be replaced.

I don't have plans for a sprinker system but am thinking I can't pass up putting an empty pipe or conduit under ground before they pour the new sidewalk. I envision an pipe a foot or so longer on each side than the sidewalk buried with the ends taped shut. I'll of course keep a written record of where they are.

What pipe/conduit should I use and how deep should I go? Right now they're filling the 6 foot trench with sand than then topping with a few inches of gravel.

The correct answer depends on a number of variables related to the size of the space and your future landscaping plans. If time permits, you should sketch out a landscaping plan and consult with an irrigation planner to ascertain in-ground requirements according to planned design and water supply.

If time does not permit, follow advice of @Platinum Goose and overbuild with 2" PVC, which would allow you to feed smaller pipes and/or wires through. I would put in at least two (one each end) and glue caps which could be cut off later, as suggested by @Jim Stewart.


Where do I connect a C wire in an old Furnace? I am hoping to be able to upgrade to a smart thermostat but unfortunately my furnace doesn't have the "easy" option with an obvious C terminal.

My furnace is OLD but it actually has the full 5 wires pulled to it although only 4 of them are in use/connected.  All 4 are attached to the appropriately marked terminal at the Thermostat (see picture) but then it's a bit of a rats nest at the furnace so I am trying to figure out where the C wire would go to make the smart thermostat work.

Is there another wire I can piggy back off of at the furnace to bring the necessary power to the smart thermostat?  Does anything in these pictures give you any idea where to attach the blue/C wire at the furnace?  Any help you can offer would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance and feel free to respond if you need a better look at anything from these pictures.

[![Solution?][5]][5]

[5]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/CD5si.jpg

So I am assuming the wire you want to use as a common is the blue wire. Of course you are going to connect the blue to the C terminal at the new t'stat. Now you have to ground your blue wire at the furnace, but in order for you to get it to work you will also have to make sure your one conductor of your 24V transformer is grounded also. The power (red) conductor is attached to the ungrounded side of the transformer and your blue is attached to the grounded side.

You need to verify that the transformer grounded. There is usually a schematic on the door of the furnace that will show you where it is done. If that is not there then you need to trace out the wiring to see if you can find it. If it is not grounded then you will have to ground it yourself. I really can't tell you how since I am not on site.

There is one other option. Most t'stats do not need a common if the stat has a battery back up. The stat will just run off of the batteries and you will need to change it out every six months to a year. You might want to check with the manufacturers help line to make sure it has that capability.

Hope this helps.


Getting 200 amp from 2 different 100 amp service This is for my shop - i have 2 units with separate meters - each unit getting 100 amp service. Each unit has its own electric panel. Now what i want to do is to pull two 100 amp circuit from each panel - and joining them parallel to a 200 Amp Disconnect. From the Disconnect it goes to my equipment which needs 175 Amp power. Here is a drawing.

Does this make sense? Is this doable. Basically connecting 2 power source in parallel. We learn back in engineering - voltage remains same but current doubles.  Any thoughts or comment.

Illegal, and impossible at any sane cost

Paralleling is, for all practical purposes of interest to you, illegal in mains wiring. Even when it is done owing to ampacity needs, it uses special equipment on the line side which renders it useless for anything like this.

The only way to inter-tie two supplies is with some sort of airgapping which assures energy flow is one way always, and provides isolation.  Think of it as "magic diodes that work on AC".  M-G sets with overrunning clutches, or railway-style substations where you feed an ungrounded transformer then rectify to DC and run your machine off the DC bus. Any of these would be prohibitively expensive, of course.

The path of least resistance (heh) is to have the conversation with the power company. You need to do this anyway, as you cannot simply slap a 175A load on their line without permission.  Their supply lines and equipment are simply not factored for a load that large!  Most houses take 1kw (4A) on average, and they absolutely rely on residential loads being intermittent.

Expect a lot of things to come out of this conversation, such as 480V - you could run your load off three #6 wires instead of two #0000's..

Also did you remember the 125% derate?


What is this device I found in my HVAC duct? I was looking through my HVAC ducts with a camera and found this device attached to the side of a floor joist. It is about 2-3 feet from the air return vent. What is it?

It’s some form of the DSC surface siren.  It may have a built in siren driver or it may be “speaker only”.  They are typically used with home alarm systems.

These have been private labeled over time by various national alarm companies.

They are not rated for use in a return air duct, nor allowed by any code.  Unfortunately there are many in ducts just like yours is.


How do I connect to a ground wire with no ends? Story time:

I'm trying to put a new fan in my bedroom where previously there was only a light-fixture. When I take off the light fixture, the light is connected to a brown wire (instead of black) and two white wires twisted together. There is no evident ground wire.

As I start looking closer, I see a bit of electrical tape. So I take the tape off. It appears to be 3 thick copper wires (I assume my missing ground wires) crimped together and cutoff just below the crimp. The electrical tape was covering the 'nub' that this crimping created.

My question is, how can I attach the fan's grounding wire to this setup? Can I just wrap the wire around one of the copper wires and wrap the thing in electrical tape?

Edit: Added Image:

Thanks for the picture.  I have dealt with this many times.  It looks as though there is just enough slack in those ground wires to remove the copper crimp used there (forget what these are called) and add a ground wirenut.  The ground wirenut's are green and have a hole in the top to allow a new or existing ground wire to continue out.

So in your case....

remove the crimp with a pair of diagonal pliers
get a peice of spare ground wire several inches long
put the new piece in the top of the ground wire nut and push it in so it sticks to just about the base
twist the wirenut to the existing three ground lines, tying all 4 grounds together (the 3 existing and the new one coming out the top)
Connect the new ground line coming out the top of the wire nut to your fan


What is this ridge inside my toilet flange? Do I need to replace it? Does this toilet flange need to be replaced? There is a weird gap within the pipe and I can't tell if its because the flange needs replacement or normal.

It looks like you have a standard toilet flange, but it's attached to a 3" pipe instead of a 4" (that's what the 4x3 on top means). It could also be a "push fit" flange that you push into the drain pipe to replace an older flange. I admit this looks weird, because I would expect the inside lip to be sloped downward so sewage can't sit on top.

The flange itself is low, but appears to be in good shape. I wouldn't replace it just because of the lip. It looks like that's standard to all the Charlotte 4x3 flanges I've seen.


Painted Wall Demolition Today, as I was walking through campus, I saw a cart full of wall debris. It must be some demolition going on in a building. I noticed one side of the pieces were of a different color. The pieces were like rocks yet the surface were smooth so it might not be paint. It could be tiles attached to rock.

My question is, would demolition of painted wall be done in a special way so that paint dust (with lead) does not spread? Or do people really just smash them and let dust float?

"would demolition of painted wall be done in a special way so that paint dust (with lead) does not spread?"

YES, if a professional contractor is performing the work they will have the materials checked for the presence of lead and either take appropriate measures to protect their workers and the public (if they have the expertise, equipment, and license required), or subcontract with a specialty outfit for lead abatement.

NO, if this is a substandard, unscrupulous, or ignorant contractor; or if there is no regulatory driver for such considerations in your part of the world.


What could cause staining in a toilet bowl? I have one toilet that works fine, but the bottom of the bowl looks like those you see in gasoline station restrooms.  I can scrub it with a toilet brush and a dose of bleach and most of it clears up, but the bottom still looks stained.  Is it that the china has gotten old and is retaining stains?  A woman told me that it is because of the wax ring, but I doubt that.  I was thinking may a paint store would have an epoxy that would fix the stain.   Would that be the way to go?

Many times older toilets have been cleaned with harsh chemicals that damages the surface. It ends up being cheaper and will look better to replace the toilet than dry it out clean coat let coating dry and find it needs a repeat in a couple of months.


Any tips for painting in high humidity? There is a 2 inch square where the paint ripped off above the shower.  Drywall underneath looks fine, so my plan is to scrape, prime, paint (just a patch job).  It's the only shower in that house and it's going to be used every day.  What steps can I take to speed up dry time and keep the paint from bubbling?  What is a reasonable dry time in an environment like that?

Latex paint takes about 24-36 hours to cure in normal/optimal (50%) humidity environments, and longer to dry if your humidity is higher. The easiest way to bring down household humidity in the summer is to leave your A/C cranked down. Your air conditioner will remove humidity from the air.

First, ensure that any patching you do has dried thoroughly. Prime the day before you paint. Put a fan on it and make sure that you don't use the shower for about six to 12 hours after priming.

Don't use the shower for at least 12 hours after you paint. Then keep the room ventilated (which might mean showering with the door open and a fan blowing drier air in), and keep your A/C turned down so that your relative humidity stays lower.


HVAC / Furnace Evaporator unit in attic leaking cold air We have an A/C (and heat) unit in the attic with force air ducts going to the ceilings in the rooms. I was in the attic today when the A/C turned on. I felt cold air come on my leg when I was near the unit. I looked carefully to see that air is leaking near the copper tubes coming out of the unit near the evaporator area.
I took pictures and marked the area where cold air seemed to be coming out in red. Is that normal? Should I somehow seal it with perhaps rubber seals sold in the market or improvise something?
Thanks for your help.

I would pack a chunk of insulation in there , I usually use a soft putty that stays soft incase the unit requires servicing but air leaks in an I heated space add up to $ quickly. I bet you can find a chunk or 2 in an attic.


Installing permanent support column in the basement I'm redoing a basement after flooding and just found this little hack.

Apparently previous owner removed permanent support post for some reason and then at some point installed this temporary jack post and covered it up with dry-wall (Im guessing so house would pass inspection).

What do I do to properly solve this?

It's not bad at all actually, the drywall chunk above the column's cover isn't even crushed. For as new as your lumber is this is just for stability to guard against sag & not a truly critical component. The floor isn't cracked so it's still hitting the footer, I'd just check for plumb to see if a new concrete filled column could or should land back in the circle.

Otherwise, it's really not a huge deal. Check for a sag in the beam, then see if you can get the screw up another 1/4" or more without cracking ceilings or walls upstairs. You don't really want to lift anything too much (wait 10 to 20-minutes after every 1/4" for the house to catch up, there will be creaking & moaning, but you do want to be able to back the column down after the beam's supported at straight or level.

You'll want a 4x4 (2-1 on each side) or 2-2x4's screwed together on each side of the column at that new height or higher if it goes up without growing or any problems. Cap the 2x4's with 2-2x6 chunks (screwed together & criss-crossed grain to avoid splitting) to make sure you're supporting the entire beam. Do the same at the bottom of the 2x4's with TWO 3-foot or longer 2x8's (10's or 12's, the wider the better) to spread any load & avoid cracking outside of the footer zone. Get the 2x4's close to the support to stay within the footer zone as much as you can while still being able to spin the column down with a bar through the pole holes & go get a new concrete filled column (adjustable is best) as well as a 1/4" or better steel plates for the column top & bottom at a metal (wrought or ornamental iron) shop as layers of thin metal won't do anything.

The metal shop might offer a welded-on cup or ring for the post's top & bottom, but not really needed once the column's loaded. If you're not happy with house sounds while raising, then do a 1/4" per day until you're level & doors are back to beautifully even gaps & floor squeaks are gone...no reason to rush this with all of the other work you can do down there while the house rejuvenates itself.


Can you 2 gang 240v receptacles I have 220 running to my irrigation pump drawing from my pond.  I want to add aeration.  Can I gang 220?

If it is 15A or 20A, You can have as many 220V outlets as you want, single or double receptacle.   Except you cannot have them in certain rooms of a home.

You can use 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit, as long as there is more than one receptacle in the circuit.

So just change this  to this  and done.


Drilling through drywall, hitting mystery object I am trying to put some anchors into the drywall so I have something to bracket a bookcase to.  They don't have to hold much weight, just stop it from swaying during an earthquake.

I've tried several spots, and whatever I use (nail, drill) goes through the drywall at the rate you'd expect, and then after about 3/4", BAM, hits a sudden resistance.

Since I've already mapped out the studs I'm not sure what I'm hitting here...

Below is what I know:

4th floor, apartment
Other side of wall is unknown, though, could be
bathroom.
Building re-built in the last 16mos due to fire.
Stud finder indicates studs, though not consistently.  They appear to be
16" apart.
The four blue tape marks in the center are areas where
the stud finder indicated.
Additional images at:
http://imgur.com/a/FrEyc

As it turns out, the reason all holes in this wall were running into something beyond the drywall is soundproofing.

The back of the drywall is laminated with another wood-like material to reduce sound-transfer since another apartment shares this wall.

It is safe to drill through, and beyond it is the normal insulation-filled void you would expect.

Can make studfinders have difficulties though.


2-pole 30 amp breaker into two individual 120 receptacles? So i have a single 30 amp 240 volt dryer plug that is fed from this 2 pole 30 amp breaker. It has a breaker tie so it throws together. If i wanted to remove the plug and put quad 20 amp receptacles (two different circuits using each hot that I currently have in the box.) is this possible? I can remove the breaker tie, so it wouldn’t throw together, but with it sharing a neutral and being 30 amp breakers, I’m not sure if i can put the 20 amp receptacles.

Also the wire ran to the current box with the 30 amp plug is 10 guage, not sure if that would be fine with 20 amp receptacles?

The lack of a separate safety ground is a show-stopper.  In fact, this circuit is unsafe, obsolete, and has been illegal in new construction for over 20  years - it is legal because it is grandfathered.

Regardless of whether you ever power something else here, the best thing you can do is search for an existing ground, and if absent, retrofit a #10 ground wire to this receptacle and change it to a NEMA 14-30 type recep (and the dryer to a NEMA 14-30 cord, while removing the onboard neutral-ground strap on the dryer).

Full stop.

You should do that, seriously.  And then let 24 hours go by.

Once that is done and in your rear-view mirror...

Then, since there's already a ground here (it's not like you're adding the ground today), you can go three different ways to power your NEMA 5-15 plug-in loads.

You can fit a "Subpanel" here.  Powered off that nice 4-wire feed, it can then have a subsidiary 30A breaker for the dryer as well as 15/20A breakers for your various 120V loads.  That would be four breakers to get the most out of your 30A feed.
You can get a PDU (Power Distribution Unit) with a NEMA 14-30 cord.  The PDU acts like a subpanel in terms of breakering.
You can remove that fat receptacle from the wall, and replace it with two normal NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 dual receptacles, with appropriate cover plate.  But then, you will need to change the circuit breaker to 20A.  Now, to wire the receptacles, you split with pigtails the grounds to both receptacles.  You split with pigtails the netural to both receptacles. Black goes to one recep hot, red to the other.

Can't I just both retrofit the ground and convert the receptacles in one day?   No. Since these new receps are effectively new work, it would need to be done to new-work standard with new cable homeruns, and you wouldn't be allowed to retrofit ground.  You would only be able to exploit a retrofit-grounded dryer circuit if it was already like that.


2 breakers - should they work as one? I have a circuit with 2 15 amp breakers. They don’t act, individually they both have to be shut off to shut off the circuits. Am I looking for an outlet with two devices?  Example switch and outlet?
The breakers used to break individually, but something happened in the circuit to join the breaker, I have replaced the breaker but the problem is still there.  I think it maybe somewhere in the house joining the two circuits, but how do I troubleshoot it. I flipped the two circuits and found all the outlets and lights that are on those circuits, but I thought one outlet might be common to both circuits and shorting them together. It is a house in the state of Washington.

Assuming this is in the USA, 120V system, there are generally two possibilities:

240V circuit

A dryer, range, air conditioner or other large appliance will use a 240V circuit, which will be implemented in the breaker panel as a pair of breakers - one on each "leg". However, that is normally for 30A or more. I can't think of any reasons to bother with 240V that wouldn't also use more power. So 15A x 2 is much more likely to be...

MultiWire Branch Circuit MWBC

This uses two breakers, each controlling a single hot wire and sharing a neutral. The breakers need to be tied together for common shutoff. Because US wiring does not normally have breakers on the neutral wire, without common shutoff you could turn off the breaker on one circuit in order to work on it but if there is any usage of the second circuit then there would be current flowing through the shared neutral wire, which would be a major safety hazard.

Where are MWBCs?

They could be anywhere. A typical use is to have one hot power the top receptacle and the other hot power the bottom receptacle in a series of duplex receptacles. But really they could be anywhere (including receptacles, lights, etc.) and, from the perspective of the person using the receptacle (plugging in a toaster or radio or vacuum cleaner or whatever) it looks and functions no differently than an ordinary circuit.


Are Record and Stanley brand smoothing plane blades interchangeable? Need a new blade for an old RECORD 04 2" smoothing plane.
Is there any significant difference between RECORD and STANLEY plane blades for similar size models
STANLEY blades LOOK similar but I'm just wondering - would they be interchangeable

They should be interchangeable.

You can buy a VERITAS PM-V11 BLADE FOR STANLEY & RECORD PLANES 2" which suggests the Stanley and Record designs are both very close to the original Leonard Bailey design.

Hock tools say *"Our 3/32" thick blades ... will fit 99.9% of Stanley and Record style planes with no modifications other than a simple frog adjustment."

For a different sized plane Paul Sellers wrote

  Any 2 3/8″ iron, cap iron and lever cap will fit the No6. Stanley and Record will be interchangeable. It may end up costing you more than buying a complete No6 plane in the end though.

(my emphasis).


Water pump as air pump or vacuum pump Can I use a water pump as a vacuum or air pump? Will it damage it or will it simply not work?

Also can I use a water pump to completely dry a tank that was filled with water

You cannot use a water pump to pump air. A water pump is designed to move fluid with a viscosity and density that is 1000 times greater than air. The water pump needs the lubrication and cooling of the water passing through it to keep it from overheating. Running a water pump dry will ruin it in short order. Also it will not effectively pump air.


What is the best place to put a dehumidifier? I just got a  50 pint dehumidifier for my house and I would like to know where would be the best place to put it. The first floor is about ~ 950 sqft. A little drawing to show the floor plan:

When I use my wood stove the basement humidity drops to ~35% while upstairs it stays above 45-50%; temperature on the first floor is about 20-21 °C and basement about 25-27 °C.

When not using it, the humidity downstairs is 45-50% and upstairs 50-55%. Temperature on the first floor is ~18-19 °C and basement about 17-18 °C.

I'm thinking of putting it upstairs close to the stair or to put it downstairs under the hole (kind of air vent) in the floor, the dehumidifier has a fan that pushes air up.

I live in Canada and temperatures can drop to under -20 °C and currently I can see condensation in the windows if the humidity is above 50% and outside it's under 4 °C.

Humid air rises and warm air that can carry more moisture rises.  Cooking adds moisture to the air.  All else being equal, the dehumidifier has a easier job removing moisture from cooler air with a higher relative humidity.

I would place the unit upstairs in the central location with good air circulation, nearer to the kitchen and away from any heat sources.  The location also needs to be consistently warm enough that the dehumidifier will not collect frost or cycle off on its low temperature limit.


How to match this wall texture I'm having trouble matching this drywall texture:

Would appreciate help on this.

Thanks!

That's known as a "knockdown" texture, as it's sprayed on the wall and later "knocked down" with a wide taping knife.

Exactly how it's done is beyond the scope of this answer, but here are some resources.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/drywall/ceiling-texture/how-to-apply-knock-down-texture/view-all
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/install-knockdown-texture-drywall-surface-21287.html


Can I use a 18AWG wire to connect a low current (LED) light to the ceiling? I bought a LED ceiling light with the following specifications:

Wattage: 15W
Voltage: 100-240V AC
Current: 73mA

The product doesn't come with cables, and the instructions say "use a cable that meets safety regulation".

Question
Is it safe (according to regulation) to use a 18AWG stranded wire with the following specifications to connect the lamp to the ceiling?

18AWG wire (150 strands of 0.08mm tinned copper wire)
Nominal Voltage: 600V
Bear Current: 7.5A

Update
According to this table of AWG wire sizes, the ampacity of an 18AWG wire is 10A (60C), and the fusing current is 83A (10s).
And here's the answer from the manufacturer (LePro UK):

I just installed 7 lights of an identical type.  Here are my thoughts:
First 18ga wire is adequate. !8 AWG is normally considered adequate for 10 amps in lighting circuits. You should not bury that wire under anything, as it is designed for free air use.  But for one fixture, drawing less than an Amp, it will not get warm.
Second, the connector on the light is firm, but designed for 14ga solid copper wire.  Stranded wires may not have the requisite stiffness to properly insert into the connector, and there is the risk you could have a "hair" of wire separating from the strand, which could cause a problem (short).
They do not have a provision for ground wires, and since everything is plastic except the mounting bracket, I simply tied my ground to the metal mounting bracket.
Note for anyone else, to mount these lights in a box, I found it necessary to drill an additional hole in the mounting brackets.  They appear to be designed for non-US markets, and while they will work fine, some things, such as hole spacing, are not ideal for mounting on common US boxes.
How are you planning on mounting this, and running the wire to it?


Foundation cracks in new home construction North Texas I am currently building a house in north Frisco and I noticed a some cracks from the middle of the foundation and they go down to the side as see in the pictures. I have not yet contacted the builder as I am trying to get more info on the issue to be able to respond. Are these common and should I be alarmed? I had scheduled a private inspector for the pre sheetrock inspection and I may have to schedule an inspection for this as well. Thank you all in advance!

Other pictures: https://ibb.co/8dwsDwz
https://ibb.co/qCv2Lfs
https://ibb.co/7KjZKmb
https://ibb.co/pdF63vf
https://ibb.co/KLj8vrB
https://ibb.co/X2nTgjR
https://ibb.co/SxDJCXV
https://ibb.co/9HQLRh3

I would be concerned with the through thickness cracks ; at least have an independent inspector look at it. My son had a KB  home ( cable tension slab) in Round Rock , the cracks did not show up for a couple years but then no one would write a mortgage on the home. He was able to find a buyer that did not need a mortgage.


Most cost and time efficient way to sound dampen exterior wall with drywall So in new construction here...

I want to sound deaden bedroom walls from outside noise.  Traffic, storms, loud people, etc.  I know I can't achieve 100% due to a window.  (I have plans to make a foam insert for that when desired for extra quiet-ness)  Ideally I would just do 1/2" drywall - green glue - 1/2" drywall.  If I do this, my premade window jambs will be about 1/4" short of reaching the plane of my drywall.  Is there a better way that does not require 1" to 1-1/8" thick drywall?

Better insulation between the studs helps a lot. You've probably got or your builder is spec'ing fiberglass, which isn't great for sound dampening. Upgrade to mineral wool. Also, a layer of rigid foam or preferably mineral wool on the outside of the wall--covering the plywood or OSB sheathing--will help a lot too.

Better windows also help, if you haven't bought them yet. Triple pane makes a difference vs double-pane.

If everything is already built, then obviously all of those options are fairly disruptive, and increasing the thickness of the drywall on the interior side is a decent approach.