Shower floor is in bad shape - what options do we have? We've asked for a quick estimate from the guy doing our laminate, and he said it's not worth it to re-grout. He also said there's no way to just remove the old tile, since the floor is slightly water damaged.

Short of ripping out everything, something he says will cost upwards of $2,000 + materials, do we have any other options here? We just want a clean shower floor.

I wouldn't recommend a quick-fix.  There's probably a fair amount of mold between the tile and the pan, and if that's the case, you don't want to attempt the fix yourself unless you're qualified for mold mitigation.


What size door jamb should I order for a non-standard wall thickness? So I have this 1961 year old House.

These days, when sheathing (plywood) is placed, it's placed directly on the structural studs, and nailed.

But my house has this strip of 11/16" wood placed across the 2 by 4 structural studs before the sheathing was installed. I have attached the picture. This strip of wood basically pushes the sheathing 11/16" away from the 2 by 4 wall studs.

on the first Picture, I am referring to the strip of wood that runs parallel to the ground. The second picture is closeup picture but flipped 90 degrees counterclockwise. But you can see the strip I am referring to.

So if I order a door with Jamb size of 4-9/16, will I still be OK? Or do I have to order custom? The door I plan to order comes with frame installation flange, and I want to keep that flange. So what do you all say? Thank you.

I'm not sure that I fully understand your situation, but from what I think you're describing, you should be able to inset one side of the door frame without the flange by 11/16 and add a spacer or "extension" to bring the frame's edge flush with the wall's surface--and then attach molding, etc. on top of that as usual.

I've done that with a garage door that I installed one time and lived in houses with non-standard thickness walls and that's how it was done on those too.


Can I straighten a 2x4 with just a planer? I never used a planer before so forgive my newbie question.
So if I have a bunch of rough 2x4's that have inconsistent sizes and may be a bit twisted, can I use an electric/cordless planer to make them straight? Like besides being flat, to have exact width and heights? Basically have them ready for gluing them together.

Or is it impossible and really need a tool like this (which is expensive):

?

In short, no. If your 2x4 is twisted or bowed, all planing it would do is cut the parts off that were not straight. You'd be left with something that would be unusable.

You don't need a fancy machine to straighten it, however. All you need is some room and some weights (i.e. bricks). Set it on a level surface with weight to hold it in place and weights to correct the curve. Eventually the board will straighten. It's time intensive, however.


Do I need to update the wiring in my bathroom to replace the gfci receptacle? I upgrading each of my receptacles to tamper resistant. The house was built in 1970. In the lower level bathroom it has a 15 amp gfci circuit receptacle and a 15 amp light switch.
According to Nec, bathroom today need 20 amps separate receptacle. Do I need to rewire it to comply?
What does the code say about older homes or can I switch out the 15 amp gfci bathroom receptacle with another 15 amp gfci?

Bathrooms frequently have high wattage appliances such has high-wattage hair dryers or space heaters.  And just because YOU don't have one of these, you might eventually have a guest that brings their own.

Plan for success, and comply with the code.  And make sure and get a good name brand GFCI, as there are Chinese knockoff's out there that are known to be bad.  I was having problems with my GFCI's in a new home, and when I pilled one out chd looked up the UL listing code, I discovered that the UL number was fake, and my new home had a half dozen fake gfci's... replacing them with properly certified Leviton's solved my gfci issues...

Of course complying with the code could mean you have to run a new wire, if your existing wire isn't to code.

My rule of thumb is "things are in the code for /good/ reason, and electrical is one area never to skimp on..."  If you skimp, you can cause a fire or death...  Don't do it!

Sure, you may be grandfathered in, so what?  the code is for safety, and many many lives are lost to grandfathered old wiring.  Just having an old outlet can cause a fire.  I'm a firm beliver of periodically replacing outlets that are subjected to heavy loads.  A hair dryer, space heater, microwave, toaster, window unit, etc...  All of these draw maximum current through the plug.  As the plug ages resistance goes up.  The resistance generates heat under max loads.  That heat softend the metal contacts, so that they have less spring pressure, as well as more surface corrosion.  With time the contacts can become bad enough to start getting hot, and eventually starting a fire in the wall, a fire that may take some time to notice until it is too late.

The bathroom outlets are among the ones most subject to current related wear, the next are in the kitchen, and everywhere you plug in the vacuum cleaner, or potentially a space heater.  All of those outlets should be replaced every 10 years or so if they get routine use.  The fact you have old wiring under an old code set is your first clue that your wiring is old enough to need upgrade/replacement for safety.


Is it OK to have a redundant path to earth? I have a home with separate flat on the grounds.  Our system, in South Africa, has 230V live and neutral, supplied by the national grid operator through a distribution board, via isolator. It then goes via the earth leakage detection isolator to various circuits.  We have a 4 ft earth spike outside the main building, driven into the ground, to which all the earth connections of the building are connected.

I extended and added a flat, supplying it using an 80A capable armour cable from the main house board. The shielding and earth wire for the armour cable is connected to earth at the main house distribution board bar and the flat distribution board bar to supply earth to the flat.

I want to add an earth spike at the flat and connect it to the earth bar in the flat's distribution board for redundancy.  Is this a good or a bad idea?  I asked on another forum and someone suggested it was bad... going into an explanation about ground loops and huge current... I gathered he is not an electrical engineer so I thought I'd ask here before I make any decisions.

Thanks in advance!

Go ahead and put the second earth electrode in

Since your neutral is isolated from earth at the flat, you can safely put an earth electrode at the flat and wire it to the earthing terminal bar at the flat's distribution board.  (This works irrespective of whether your distribution system is TN-C-S, TN-S, or TT.)

There are no concerns about ground loops here since the only currents that flow on earth wires are fault currents, and the ground itself is too poor of a conductor to carry those fault currents.


Staples in LVL beams: okay or to be avoided? I just added LVL to both sides of the carrying beam in my basement which was overloaded due to a 2nd story added. The original built-up beam was three 2x8 nailed together.  It was completely covered with 17 or so NM cables for half its length.  I pulled the staples and tie-wrapped them to the bottom of the joists until the LVL was added.

Now I have to put the wires somewhere. I ordered some Arlington CableWay (an overhead raceway) which looks very neat from pictures.  This will go on the bottom on the joists to half the length of the house and stop at my stairs which are attached to the beam at its midpoint.

I have 3 NM for the furnace, AC, and other that continued on past the stairs on the old beam.  The raceway is pretty expensive and I figured I wouldn't continue the raceway for 3 cables.  Even if I wanted to, the stairs are in the way and originally these 3 cables were run low on the beam under the attachment cleats for the stairs (a very narrow area) and then out the other side of the stairs where they shifted to a high point on the beam for the rest of the run.

Now for the question:
What's the opinion for stapling NM on LVL beams??  I ask because a friend told me about a case where stamped attachment plates with array of sharp points weakened the LVL. Of course this is a lot of "nails" in a small area as compared to stapling 3 cables.  But it made me think of the other half of the beam that had 17 cables stapled to it.  If I didn't order the raceway, it would mean driving a lot of staples into the new LVL.

Don't worry about staples in a beam. (These are beams that can have 3/4" holes bored in them -- at appropriate sizes/spacings, of course -- so a puncture would mean nothing.)

I suspect your friend's story was more about the holding power of the plate than weakening the LVL.

(edited to remove "substantial" and replace with 3/4" -- thanks SP)


Will electric in-floor heat be adequate in a converted barn? I'm thinking of buying a single-level barn conversion. It doesn't have any gas supply & has electric underfloor heating installed without any other heat source. As far as I'm aware it's installed throughout the building. It was renovated no more than 2 years ago so will be insulated to modern standards.

Will this be sufficient to heat the building if it's particularly cold? I'm in Hertfordshire, England.

I agree with Ed Beal, get the plans of the layout. Also, confirm if the building, slab or crawlspace was indeed insulated or everything was inspected & what Passes or Fails were issued. I'd also put a Contingency in the Agreement Of Sale that it must be found to be completely sound. You'd have an Electrician test what he can, even if it's just continuity readings.

If it doesn't or can't be checked out, then see what you might be allowed to use to assist, supplement or replace it with. Like: Electric Baseboards, Wood Stoves, Passive Solar, More or Better Insulation or Geo-Thermal Heat Pump.


Tips for removing drywall from bottom of closet header So about two years ago, I added a header to make my closets standard height, instead of being full 8' doors (which, even without doors, made the rooms look much more modern). Unfortunately, I made a rookie mistake on the first one I did, forgetting that drywall would add 1/2", and so the opening on one door is 80" (instead of standard 80.5").

I bought some sliding doors which I was hoping would fit: they have a small amount of room to adjust up/down, but unfortunately, it's not enough.

What I need to do is remove the drywall so I can mount the tracks directly to the 2x4 underneath, giving me the extra 1/2" clearance. What I didn't think of is that the metal corner bead would be in the way. I've taken out the drywall and scraped the paint/compound off the area I need to cut, so now I have this:

I tried cutting into the bead with a Dremel multi-max, but it's slow-going, and not really feasible for the whole thing (not to mention, I'll probably go through a ton of blades). I have another rotary tool (like a normal Dremel) with a cutting blade, but before I try it I figured I'd ask here to see if there are any better ideas (and I'm a bit worried about sparks from it).

I want to avoid damaging the actual corner, and certainly avoid doing any drywall finishing. There is a piece of trim that will cover the front cut (trim is 3/8" thick), and the back will be hidden behind the track itself.

So any suggestions?

Also, obviously I'll have to remove the screws. There MAY be a couple more under the part that's staying, I can't remember. Will this be a problem in the future without screws on the bottom edge?

Here's what the doors look like finished, in another room:

So to rule out a couple suggestions:

Custom doors (even just 1/2" shorter) were double the price, not worthwhile
I don't think I can get away with cutting them down. The edge is already pretty narrow, and even if I can get 3/8 or 1/2" off the bottom, it will probably look lopsided. Taking any from the top will require redoing all the sliding mount points, which I'm not sure is even possible, and is certainly more work than what I'm doing now

Follow up (after answered)

I ended up doing it with a cutting blade on a regular rotary tool.

Took a while, went through 1.5 blades, but got the job done.

I also had to build a small mount for the trim. The tracks for these doors have double-sided tape on one side, and the trim just sticks to it. Since the track in my case was recessed 1/2" under the drywall, there wasn't enough area left for the trim to mount to. I took some scrap metal I had, and cut several pieces that stick up 1/2" beyond the top of the trim, and then glued them to the trim using some construction adhesive (the trim is only 3/8" thick, and so not really viable to screw into), clamped it down and left it overnight. I then just used the double-sided tape to attach the metal bracks to the track, and then mounted the track+trim and it looks just like the rest of the doors.

Use an angle grinder with a diamond blade. If you don't own one it's an inexpensive but very worthwhile investment.


What's the difference in 'rollable' and 'normal' basecoat? We got our interior walls and ceilings plastered. Before painting the walls, we've been advised to use a primer / base coat ("voorstrijk" in Dutch)  to seal the walls and reduce the absorption of paint into the fresh gypsum.

There seem to be two varieties of voorstrijk: one that can be applied with rollers (more expensive), and one that can be applied with a brush (cheaper). I think using a roller is easier, but I'm not sure if it's worth the price difference.

What's the difference between these varieties? What makes the 'normal' variety unsuitable for application with a roller? Or conversely, can I just use the 'normal' variety with a roller?

I'm not familiar with a "roller" vs "brush" primer. The only thing I can assume here is that is that they're describing "new drywall" (example) vs normal primer (example), where the former is thinner and cheaper.

New drywall is porous and tends to absorb more paint as a result. New drywall primer is a thinner primer designed to fill those gaps and nothing else (i.e. it won't block stains, etc). I've used it with rollers and never had a problem.


In a crawl space how do i secure electric cables? In a crawl space, can I staple the electric 12/2 cable to the floor joist?

Current Code has a certain rule for running non metallic and simlar cables in craw spaces.

334.15(C) 2017 NEC Cables not smaller than #6/2 or #8/3 can be directly stabled to the lower edges. Smaller cables can be run through bored holes or running boards.

The running board solution is usually the easiest. The running board should be at least the height of the cable.


House Wrap on Cantilevered Overhang I have a cantilevered overhang on my second floor which I recently re-insulated.  In order to remove the old insulation, I had to remove the wood soffit and house wrap where the soffit was (the house has vinyl siding). Currently, I put up primed soffit with screws and caulk so that it was closed in, understanding that it could be a temporary solution. I'm assuming I need to replace the house wrap, if so, what is the best way to piece it together (I just cut it at the 90 degree angles)?

House wrap is important to stop moisture that might make it through the siding, driving rain, wind, siding sometimes cracks, the wrap will protect the plywood and help with wind pushing into the walls, when you put it back staple it on the tape the joints with the proper tape.eg; if it's typar then get typar tape.


Gosund Smart Dimmer Switch Not Turning on Light Just tried installing a Gosund Smart Dimmer Switch model number DS1.  This is a single pole installation.
First issue was that upon removing the old switch I had 4 wires, but 2 were twisted together and connected to the ground screw.

I'm assuming the ground and neutral had been put together?  I separated them and connected one to the ground wire and one to the neutral wire of the Gosund, flipped the breaker, and got nothing. So then I swapped the ground and neutral connection, turned the breaker on, and the Gosund switch's lights illuminated.

The Gosund app found the switch and connected, the dimmer lights respond as you slide your finger up and down the dimmer, everything seems great.
Except the light never actually comes on.  Manual operation or via the app, the light never comes on.
I have no idea how to proceed.

Don't experiment.
The first rule of electrical for novices is don't experiment. Don't just toss wires around hoping for a positive outcome.  The reason is simple: lots of combinations will work, but will kill you.  So stopping at the first one "that works" is Russian Roulette.
Nothing should be done without knowledge or reasonable expectation.  This requires skill and experience, and there's simply no substitute for that.   Fortunately you're here.
Now, this started with a cognitive bias: that since Gosund needs certain wires, surely they must be there.   Can't assume that.
The two wires that were previously joined need to be joined again.  They're not spares, they were already doing a job, and separating them broke that job.
Wires in the box
Cranking the gamma in Photoshop told me a bit about what's going on in the back of the box, but a flash photograph up close could be more helpful. (DO NOT disconnect and splay out every wire - generally every cable comes into a box anonymously, and the data about the function of the wires is stored in how they are hooked up.)
However it looks to me like this is a common 2-cable switch arrangement with supply coming into the switch, and the lamp on a spur.  That's good news for smart switches.   It looks to me like this is cloth-over-rubber wire, and you must watch that for aging/deterioration, and the maker went to some trouble to make one wire black-ish and the other white-ish.
So that aligns with the two white-ish wires being found already hooked together. I am appalled to see them on the ground screw of the switch, but there might be a reason for that - there may be a viable ground back to the panel, and they may have stolen it if they had a wire problem with the supply-side neutral.  Very dangerous but you can't fix stupid.
So my guess is the two "white" wires are neutral.  In a typical switch layout, they are already doing a job, so tied together they must remain.  A smart swiich neutral can be added to the pair.
Grounds
Safety ground wires are bare, green, or yellow with green stripe.  If you don't see that, then it's not a ground wire.  However, metal junction boxes, metal conduit and metal armored cable jacket can also be viable grounds.  Note these junction boxes are metal.
With metal conduit or metal jacketed cable, ground reaches the box via the fitting. With a ground wire into a metal box, proper procedure is to attach the ground wire to a screw in the back of the box. The metal box gets grounded first.
The metal box can pass ground to switches via the mounting screws and the metal yoke of the switch  (the wings that the screws go through).   Your switch appears to have a plastic yoke, that is a red-flag.  How did UL approve that?  Fair chance they didn't -- there's a lot of uber-cheap crud coming out of a certain Asian country, and they market the daylights out of it on Amazon.  Look for a UL, CSA or ETL mark with a file number. CE is usually fake, and FCC and RoHS are meaningless.  If it isn't approved, back it goes.
Note that you cannot pass ground to a receptacle via the screws, unless they are labeled "self-grounding" (which is all that means; grounding through screws OK)*.  In an older house like this, make a habit of using "self-grounding" receptacles.
What I would do
It looks like you either don't have a ground, or it's the metal box.  Most metal boxes have a hole tapped for a #10-32 screw, for grounds. Ground wires can be attached there if the box is grounded.
The neutral is the 2 wires tied togeher; neutral gets added.
Now you need to distinguish supply (always-hot) vs lamp (switched-hot). The good news is, guessing wrong here is safe.  So pick a black wire from the wall and hook smart-switch supply/Line to it.  If you got the right one, the smart switch powers up.   Since the smart switch has neutral, it doesn't need the lamp wire to be wired.
Then it's a victory lap to hook up the remaining wire.

* and certain other rare conditions you don't have.


Weather Resistant or GFCI outlet outside? I am putting an outlet under the eaves in my front yard to use for seasonal lighting.  I am connecting it to a breaker that is only powering 2 outside wall mounted lights.  The eaves are about 10 ft tall.  I also will install a weatherproof flip lid outlet cover.

My question is can I install a (Weather Resistant)WR outlet or does it have to be GFCI?

Reason I ask is because there is no outlet cover with 2 flip lids for GFCI because of the design, but there is one for the WR outlet.

They do make while-in-use covers that work with GFCI outlets. See, for example, this one at Home Depot (not an endorsement or recommendation, just an example). And, they do make WR GFCI receptacles, so you could do both. Pretty sure at least GFCI is required by the NEC.

Here is an example of a WR GFCI outlet.


How to fill holes in Hardwood Floor, Large, Medium, and Small The floors in this home are likely original from the 1920's. The lovely owners of the house before me did not care much as it was a rental, and we now have tons of paint and holes on and in the floors.

I'm going to refinish the floors because of the excess of scratches and paint marks. I'd love to be able to fix the holes as well.

From what I understand, the two options are to 1) use wood fill, 2) let poly fill the holes.

What is the best way to make holes such as the ones below look good?

Large:

Medium:

Small:

The only long term solution is to replace the boards. As others have mentioned, wood filler cracks out and in some cases looks like cat litter after a while. The reason is that the wood expands and contracts as the humidity changes between the seasons.

Replacing the boards is not as difficult as it seems, but the repairs will stick out unless you refinish that section of the floor. Theres a great 'this old house' video which demonstrates how to do this.

For the small gaps, the recommended solution, from a couple of floor refinishing professionals, was to leave them as character. Filling them will crack out, replacing them will be a ton of labor and may end up with the same cracks in the end - especially depending on what season you're in.


Are two prong metal space heaters safe? I've had this electric space heater for probably about twenty years.  Its one of those long and thin ones that does not have a fan.  It is a convectron by slant fin model cve 1500.  The plug is two prong and from what I can see completely made of metal (except for the cord and knob).  I use it everyday in my finished basement and it has served me well.  I'm not worried about fire since I'm always right there but I am concerned about electric shock.  Am I underestimating my risk?  Am I overestimating it?

Twenty years is not that old really. This will be a double-insulated appliance so grounding is not required. The male plug is probably polarized so keeping the correct polarity should be ensured. These things should keep the appliance from shocking anyone as long as everything is in sound condition.


Rough opening is too small for sliding patio doors Just before installing a sliding glass patio door today in our self-built home, we measured the rough opening and it is 1-3/4 inch too short for the height of the slider. (The slider is 6 feet wide by 6 feet 6 inches tall.) How this happened is anyone's guess. At any rate, we have two choices (I think):
A. We completely remove the header and the cripples above it, reduce the height of the cripples by 1-3/4 inch, and use shims and a 2x6 piece cut to fit in under the left and right sides of the header on the jack studs to increase the height of the rough opening by the necessary amount.
Or,
B. We use a Sawzall to cut off the bottom 1-3/4 inch of the header across its length.
Problems we see with both fixes:
A. This is a load-bearing roof-end wall. Even if we work fast, there is the potential for sagging once the security and strength of that header is completely removed from the framing. Can we possibly hold it up with temporary framing while we do what we need to do before replacing the header in its new position? Use a wall jack? (We don't have a wall jack.)
B. We used three 2x10s with 1/2 inch plywood sandwiched between to create the header. Taking 1-3/4 inch away from the header will, in essence, create a 7-1/2 inch header. Is that strong enough over the six foot width of the door to sufficiently support the roof?
There could absolutely be another fix we're not seeing...we're not builders by trade.

You’re better to go with Option C which you haven’t thought of. Those jack studs will need to be replaced as well.  Not sure about the codes where you’re at, but I’m not aware of any region that would allow you to scab on to the top of the jacks to fill in the gap between them and the header.  Everywhere I’ve built in my 25+ years in the industry requires a solid mechanical connection between the header and bottom plate, which is also sistered to the king studs.
You’ll need to build a temporary wall as close to the opening as possible to carry the weight while you work. Then remove the header and both jacks, and redo everything to be the right height.
In the future, you’re better off making rough openings taller when you’re not sure about the needs of a particular door or window.  You can even put your header all the way up to the top plate and have your cripples come down to a 2x4 (or 2x6 depending on your studs) nailer.  Either way you do it, the header carries the load across the door/window.


Mounting TV on Plywood over Window I need to mount a TV over my window. It is a 70" TV and weighs 96 lbs. I was thinking of using the framing of the window, there are 2 studs that are 54" apart. I included a diagram of my idea but I am not sure if this idea is going to work. I was thinking of filling the gap between the windows with some wood and drill the plywood over that onto the 2 studs. Then drill the TV Mount onto the plywood.

Are the studs too far apart with no support in the middle? Is this idea feasible? If so, how thick does the plywood need to be? What kind of hardware do I need, lag bolts, screws, etc...? How many do I need to drill into each stud? Any help would be much appreciated.

You do not want to cover over the window with a TV. First of all there is the glare point that  Paulster2 points out. That alone should make you take stock of this situation and see what a bad idea this is. However there are a number of additional considerations as well.

Windows have a role of safety exit possibility if you ever get caught trapped in a room during a fire. This for both outbound escape and for inbound access by emergency personnel.
There is a reason windows are added to a house. Obviously it is to allow light in so that the room does not look like a cave.

If you have no usable wall space to mount the TV then get your self a console table. These do not have to be that expensive and you can even get them with an integrated post assembly that permits mounting the TV bracket with tilt and swivel capability. Best with this approach is you can move it around if your change your TV room layout or go off to a different house.

Talking about moving. Say you did move after you had mounted a TV over a window. Think of the mess in the window trim that would need repairing before you could sell.

Lastly, putting a TV over a window is just weird.


Why did power temporarily go out on one circuit? Been trying to fix a circuit at my mother's house. Her place had some really old wiring along with newer. The circuit with the problem is the older wiring. She said she had electric heater plugged in and she saw a spark and the power went out like the breaker was tripped but at the breaker box all was good. I checked each breaker for 120 and they all were good.
Spent a day and could not get power to come back to that circuit. Later that night we were relaxing and the power decided to come back on. I have moved wiring and all kinds of stuff to try to see if there was a short but so far I can't make it do that again. Last night I turned on light and it flashed and now is off again.
I changed the switch the first day so it's not that. But this is the old wiring with the metal around the wire. Would think I could make it do it again my moving wire if it was a short right? I'm going to go over the whole circuit very carefully today. My outlet tester said it has a open ground.

There's only one solution, and that's to trace the circuit and examine every connection. You have a loose screw or a broken wire somewhere that's arcing and losing contact. That's where fires start.
I would take the opportunity to replace the devices where they're more than a few years old (both switches and outlets wear out), and make sure you have a good understanding of how to make connections safe. Don't use the stab-type connectors that some devices offer. Use the screws with good loops and use pigtails where necessary.
If you do that and the problem doesn't resolve you'll have to assume a broken or damaged wire in some concealed location.
Be sure to do some reading on house wiring first. Your confusion over the definition of a short demonstrates a lack of basic knowledge. You don't want to make the problem worse with incorrect technique. Or get professional help.


How can I tell if I have a carbide tipped blade? I bought a miter saw about six years ago, and haven't used it that much over the years - however, I have worn all of the labeling off of the blade, leaving no trace of the manufacturer, blade type, or whether or not it is carbide tipped or not.

I now have a need to cut aluminum, which necessitates the use of a carbide tipped blade.  Is there any way I can determine by looking at the blade itself if it is a carbide tipped blade, i.e. are all carbide tipped blades in a special shape or color or something like that?

Is there any way I can determine by looking at the blade itself if it is a carbide tipped blade

As keshlam pointed out

  If the blade is carbide-tipped, each tooth will have a piece of carbide brazed/welded to the point of the tooth. That should be distinguishable to the naked eye, or with a magnifying glass if you're one of us whose close focus is no longer very good.

At date of writing, I do not know of any other commonly-encountered type of blade that could be easily confused with this.

This answer Community Wiki as it is based on other people's comments


Water heater inlet corrosion after 4 years? Installer claims they did everything right Similar to this question, I've got severe corrosion on my 4 year old water heater inlet. I was having the heater flushed when this was discovered, and the person flushing it said it was caused by the installer not using a dialectric nipple.

So I contacted the installer, who claims that the copper flex is dielectric so a dielectric nipple is not needed. Is this possibly true? If so, what else could have caused it?

It would be great to know if the original installer is being honest. If they are, I'll have them do the work to fix it. If not, I'll find a new plumber/plumbing company.

My educated guess without being there is that the flex connector joint was not installed correctly or is just leaking. I never liked this type of installation since it was made for the novice and not a professional. I always used hard copper and a non-lead solder containing silver. I also never used galvanized piping, just brass fittings and copper tubing. Whoever installed this did a sloppy, non-professional job.


How do I connect my new chandelier? I would like to connect a new chandelier to the ceiling of my bedroom. The ceiling box has two cables:

black, white, ground - none of these is hot
black, white, red, ground - black on this cable is hot (120 V to ground)

The hot on cable 2 is not controlled from any wall switch (it seems as if it used to have a ceiling fan/light before). It is hot all the time; each switch checked in the house-none controls the power on this hot cable in the ceiling box.

OK, now there is also a wall switch in the same room that seem to be dead. It has three cables (each has black, white, and ground) and none of them is powered.

black, white, ground - none of these is hot (entering the switch box from the above)
black, white, ground - none of these is hot (entering the switch box from the above)
black, white, ground - none of these is hot (entering the switch box from the below)

Cable 3 in the wall switch seems to be the same as cable 1 in the ceiling box (checked the resistance - 0.5 ohm on 1 and 3 probed, and 0.5 ohm when white on 1 and 3 probed)

I am wondering if I can utilize this dead wall switch to control the ceiling box power (and my new chandelier) without laying out additional cables inside the walls.

For example, I was thinking about using white (neutral) on cable 1 to bring hot to the wall switch (connect hot on cable 2 and white on cable 1) which would bring the hot down to the wall switch through 1-3, connect to the switch, and then bring the hot back to the ceiling box through the same cable 1/3). Then I would use black from 1 and white from 2 to power the chandelier.

Possible or is there any other more "professional" solution?

The core of your question is a standard wiring scenario: You have the hot coming through the load and the switch at the end.  Your proposed wiring is correct.  Diagrams are easy to find online, e.g.,

Of course you should be wary of cables (4) and (5): If they are properly terminated in the work box you can leave them.  If they are wired into the switch right now you should disconnect them until you find something else in the house that is not receiving power but should, and then remember that you now have a hot in that junction box you can tap.


Will a board blocking my air conditioning break it? I have a central air-conditioning system in my rented flat. There is on massive machine on my balcony which blows out hot air when the air-conditioning is in use. The hot air is so powerful that it can hit you in the face from 2 meters away. I needed for some reason to block the hot air from blowing into the balcony so I put a wooden board in front of it and on the right hand side. Its only heat outlet therefore is on the left hand side. So to draw it out for you the machine is mounted on the wall. About 4 inches to the right there is a wooden board. About 8 inches in front of where it blows  the hot air there is another board. To its left there is open air. The boards are getting very hot when the air-conditioning is on.

Will the air-conditioning break because it is too hot and the air isnt finding the left path to escape?

Is there something I can put in front of the machine to direct the blown air to the left and not straight at the boards?

It's pretty hard to say without knowing more.  The general idea is that the fan that's blowing hot air at you is supposed to be drawing cool air through a series of fins.  The fins are full of hot liquid, and the cool air blowing through the fins draws heat from that hot liquid.  Then it exhausts that now heated air.

So it should be drawing in ambient ("normal") air and exhausting heated air.  As a broad generalization, exhaust air is noticeably warm, but not so hot that you can't stand it on your skin.  One situation that can occur is the intake and exhaust air can be so close together, or be in such an enclosed/confined area that the heated exhaust air gets pulled in as intake air, gets heated again, and exhausted as even hotter air.  And then pulled in and heated again, etc.  This condition makes the unit very inefficient, and if it's bad enough, it can even be dangerous.

It's a matter of degree, so if the discharge air at your unit is so hot that you can't stand it, then there's probably a fair measure of this unwanted exhaust/intake air recirculation going on with your unit.

I said all that to say this:  You're fine to deflect the hot discharge air in any way that you wish, as long as you don't cause (or worsen) a case of exhaust/intake air recirculation.


What height/ distance from ceiling or above surfaces would be good for uplighting/ scone wall lamp? So in Houston, I had an Uplighting Floor lamp like this with a 3 way/ mode 110 W bulb. The lighting was not as jarring as a office CFL tube but perfectly bright for all that I needed to do in my room/ my desk.

Fast forward to here (Asia), there's no space for a floor lamp so to replicate the above I started looking for same or similar lighting but couldn't find conical uplight wall lamps.

The next best thing was this semi spherical / circular up lighting in subtle frosted look.

3rd too busy & don't like color

Question:

What kind of height positioning / distance range would be good for them? Man/ max. And why?

Room height; 10 ft Ceiling if I remember correctly.

5 inch x 1 ft false ceiling / PoP on Alum framing on all 4 sides of room, is to act as space for concealed wiring.

You're first consideration should be glare. Typically we try and set the best lighting above,slightly behind and on the right hand side of the head. This gives best lighting for reading or using a computer screen (for a right hander anyway). I have never seen a height requirement for a sconce from a reference source like the AIA. other than keep it away from head banging or a shoulder breaker. A fire egress would keep it above 7'4". In this case its not an egress so I would say use your best discretion.

Hope this helps


Cutting Wood Siding in Place I am replacing a bathroom window with one that is slightly bigger than the original.  I will need to trim the length of the existing wood siding a few inches to match the trim of the rest of the house but would like to do it in place.  I am worried about damaging the substrate if I use my skill saw.  Does anyone have a method for doing this safely?

Set the depth of the blade on your circular saw to be just deep enough to cut through the siding. Err on the side of slightly too shallow, and come back with a chisel, utility knife, or handsaw to finish.

If your circular saw's base plate is not long enough to sit across two planks of siding, you could fashion a jig to hold it. The jig could have a long base so it sat across 3 or 4 planks of siding. The jig just needs to be a long piece of plywood with simple stops on the 4 sides; the stops would hold the saw's base plate in place.


Bathroom Toilet + Shower Venting Fitting Question Is this acceptable layout and appropriate fittings to use for the bathroom toilet on the left and shower on the right? Or would you replace any fitting and rearrange layout?

Nice picture - looks correct to me. The vent is for sure close enough.


Want to know if we can make the window size of a bay window larger? I'm not sure if enough of the framing has been exposed in these photos to answer this question, but thought I would give it a try. I have more photos I can add, but I can only seem to put one in?

We have one last window to replace in our home, the front room bay window. We would like to make any of these three windows wider if possible, particularly the two smaller side windows.

On the side of every window there is a double set of 2 x 4's.

We are wondering where there is 2 on each side of the small windows and then another two on the side of the large window, can any of those be changed to just one 2x4 so the window could be a bit wider? Or does each one need to be there for strength and support? It doesn't look like there are individual headers above each window.

If you look in the photo showing the exposed framing in the top left corner of the smaller window you can see at the king stud and two jack studs and the large header. That header runs right across the entire set of windows. The house was built 30 years ago if that helps with the answer.

Thanks!

No, no and again NO.  Not the way you suggest it, anyway.

This is an exterior wall.  It is therefore a load bearing wall.  Those two 2x4s (called jack studs) support the header over the window.

The weight of the rest of the house above the window is protected by the header, which in turn transfers the force to the two jack studs (as in they jack up the house) carry that weight to the underlying structure.  If you remove one of the jack studs, too much force may be transferred to the other one, causing it to bow or even possibly fail.  Either scenario translates to having weight of the wall above the house coming to rest on the window itself - and that is a BAD THING (TM).

If you wish to restructure for a larger opening properly, you must open the wall up further and relocate the king and jack studs, and install a longer (and possibly wider) header as well.  Otherwise you can cause many tens of thousands of dollars of damage to your house.

Do not fiddle lightly with structure.


Is it required to electrically ground rebar in an exterior concrete slab? I'm looking for information / references on when exactly it is required to ground / bond the steel reinforcement in an exterior concrete pad, and how to do so. The pad I'm planning is for a hot tub / spa in the USA / NY. I am not planning a plastic vapor barrier under the slab so it will be directly in contact with the earth (concrete over gravel over sub-soil).
Initially I was skeptical that grounding the rebar/mesh is necessary since concrete on the ground is literally grounded already. But I get that sometimes bonding is needed to avoid a potential difference and I would like to be safe & follow code.
The most detail I've read so far is quoted below but doesn't cite any code references or other qualifications about when / where its needed.
Extract from forum post noted above:

In my area, this is required.
Technically, the metal in the concrete is "bonded" rather than
grounded.
The nuts and bolts procedure is to connect, and provide access to, a
ground wire to the metal mesh or rebar within the slab - this wire
will be connected to the common bonding point within the spa once it
is installed.
...
To the common bonding point there are a number of wires from / to
various locations / items, including but not limited to:

Metal frame of the unit

Motor frames within the unit.

Metal piping from within the unit.

Metal within the pad.

Any other metal within 5' of the spa - downspouts, metallic conduit, gas piping, water piping, handrails, etc.

A ground wire going to the ground bar of the panel which serves to supply the power for the spa. Could be the SEP or a sub-panel.

(https://www.finehomebuilding.com/forum/concrete-pad-for-spa)

You need to bond the rebar (note the difference!)
The issue at hand here isn't that the rebar is way out at some voltage far above the "earth potential", whatever that means, but that that the slab and rebar can have a potential on it that's different from the potential of some other nearby conductive object (such as some part of the spa/hot tub).  This potential difference means that someone touching the conductive object while standing on the slab will complete the circuit and equalize the potential between the two objects, getting "bit" in the process.
To keep your hot tub setup from growing shocky teeth, all the non-current-carrying metal parts, as well as that in-slab rebar, need to be bonded together and to the hot tub's central bonding point (located at the hot tub pump most likely) with  #8 copper.  The NEC will let you omit this bonding for self-contained hot tubs that are listed, labeled, and identified for outdoor use without bonding and have rims greater than 28" above all perimeter surfaces within 30" of the perimeter of the hot tub, but I would call it a wise investment to at least have a bonding provision in the slab, in case a future hot tub that gets put in requires the slab to be bonded.


Are large radiators supposed to be colder? I have a radiator in my room which is downstairs. It is a large radiators, almost 2 meters across.

It is 10 degrees colder than the other radiators in the house (mine is 37 others are 47, tested with an infrared thermometer).

I'm trying to make it hotter, any ideas? Are larger radiators colder?

Extra information:

Radiator is colder at bottom than top (so I don't think it needs
bleeding)
The in and out valves are both turned up all the way
It is downstairs so I wouldn't have thought it was the pressure?

You don't think it needs bleeding - but have you tried? 99.9% of the time, that is the problem with water-type radiators and low heat delivery; lack of flow due to trapped air bubbles.

As a general rule, larger radiators do make more effective use of lower temperature water, but that does not seem to be your situation since you are evidently looking for more heat.

A noticeable stratification of the water temperature is not a good sign that things are circulating effectively, so I would draw the opposite conclusion that you have.


What can I do if I need another gang in a junction box but there isn't space in the wall? I have a dual gang junction box installed in a space between 2 studs in the wall. I want to add swap the box for a 3-gang box to add another switch for a ceiling fan, however when I took the cover plate off I found that it is nailed directly to studs on both sides. Is there anything I can do to replace it with a bigger box? The wall is exterior and possibly load bearing.

I looked into replacing the 2 current switches with duplex switches, however, one of the lights is an LED (Cree BA21) and its wired on a 3-way dimmer, the Lutron Maestro C+L dimmer along with the corresponding companion dimmer. There doesn't seem to be a dual dimmer for this light in the 3-way configuration (although I could give up the companion 3-way switch).

The only one I could find is the Lutron Skylark dual S2-L, however, it looks funny and I would lose the 3-way. Are there any other options?

Edit: The switch I want to add is for a fan/light so basically another duplex switch.

If there are studs at either end of a two gang switch box, that means they are approximately 4 inches apart.  A three gang requires 6 inches.

A switch box is usually about 3.5 inches high; with thickness that means turned sideways, it will fit in a dual ganged space.  So you have room for 20 switches if you want:

(from here)


Faucet cartridge identification I've asked around at local stores and they had no idea what it was.

A ceramic part in the valve broke so I can't just pick up a generic o-ring.

The stem has 16 teeth and 0.4" 0.365" diameter.
The valve is 5 inches long.

I found a brand on the sinks that are the same style. The company that made the faucet appears to be Harden. The style of the cartridge has similarities to others I'm seeing online for Harden.

The part appears to be "harden 185"


Should my outdoor spigot be attached to the foundation? On the picture attached, is it a correct way of garden faucet installation? In this case it is drilled through the wall and the pipe goes in the basement where attached with the rest of the in-house pipeline.

But what I mean, isn't it supposed to be set on the concrete part of the basement (you can see the concrete part below the faucet, where the siding finishes)?

No. It isn't necessarily supposed to be attached to or bored through the foundation. Most spigots mount adjacent to where the plumbing travels through the joist cavity. It's simpler from a construction standpoint and puts the spigot at a more usable level. If that isn't an option due to the structure's layout, it could pass through the foundation but should be insulated with a foam sleeve and kept out of contact with the concrete.

That said, you sometimes see a trim block behind the faucet instead of just squished siding. With vinyl siding, though, economy often wins the day.


What is the correct way to attach a receptacle to a metal face plate? 4" metal face plates and box are very common for exposed wiring. Receptacles connect to the face plate instead of to the box, which is different than in a house. The face plate comes with a few screws and nuts for this purpose.

It's possible to attach the recep with 2 screws and nuts at the top and bottom (red arrow) or a single screw in the middle (blue arrow). Which is the best way?

(click for full-size)

What you have there is called an RS (for raised steel) cover, which attaches to a 1900 or 11-B box. Since the 1900 box provides no support for the wiring devices, you really should be attaching them using the screws and nuts that come with the RS cover, in addition to the center screw. Don't forget to ground the box as well, using a green ground screw.

This opposes a similar raised cover called a mud ring, which provides the support that you would get from an ordinary rough in box. In that case, you'd be attaching a typical trim to the wiring device using just the center hole.


How can I determine which is the neutral wire in an old house light box? I went to wire the replacement ceiling fan and discovered the colors of the house wiring to not be identifiable.

They both look white. On the other hand they both look black. How can I determine which is the white common wire? I have access to a cheap multimeter if needed.

Plug a modern (polarity-enforced) extension cord into a nearby outlet. Set your multimeter to 200V AC (or something just above line voltage where you are). Touch the negative probe to the neutral (wide in the US) slot of your cord, and the positive probe to each of the wires in your light box. Only the hot should show voltage near line-level. (The neutral may show residual or induced voltage at a much lower level.)


Triple 2x4 beam post bowing away from foundation wall We have a fairly new home (2007). I noticed a strange issue that has to be fixed. The pictures below show 3 stacked 2x4's holding up a laminated beam; the 2x4's are bowing out. This is the only stack that is bowing out because the nail holding it to the concrete has come out. I need some advice on how to proceed before trying my idea.

My thoughts are to get a 1/2" concrete anchor to attach it to the wall. But do I need to jack up the beam?

Edit: I measured 105.5" on both ends of the beam to the floor.

That's possibly just humidity warpage and not due to load stress. That nail wasn't intended as a structural component. It probably just held the post up until there was something on it. At any rate, no, you don't need to jack up the beam. That amount of bend results in approximately 0.0" of settling in the beam.

I'd watch it and see if it moves any more. If you're worried, run some concrete anchors in. The problem is that you can't drill for typical expansion anchors since the lumber is in the way. You'll need to use something with concrete-ready threads.

Another option would be a steel U-strap bolted directly to the concrete.


What's the best way to seal around this faucet? This faucet is not hooked up to a live pipe, but it still sticks out the side of my 110 year old house. The siding is fiber cement containing asbestos (and no, I'm not worried about working with it).

What's the best way to seal it up so water can't get in the house? There is some expanding foam insulation inside the house around the pipe where it leaves the house already.

faucet http://plk.webimages.s3.amazonaws.com/faucet.JPG

I like clear silicone caulk for this kind of job.

It will remain flexible after curing, so if the pipe gets bumped or moved around it won't break or crack like expanding foam.  And the clear caulk won't stand out since it cures to a translucent light grey color which is similar to the siding.


Fixing a timer control knob on a microwave The timer control does not  register the proper time when we turn the knob. Can this be "home" fixed or not? Thanks for your help.

There are 3 possibilities:
Internal Timer Mechanism
If it is the internal timer mechanism - i.e., the electronics that respond to your mechanical turning of the knob - then it is likely not worth fixing.
Shaft
The timer knob slides onto a shaft. Typically that shaft will be metal, though in some cases it is plastic. If that shaft is deformed such that a "good" knob does not turn the shaft, then you are also likely out of luck - not worth fixing.
Knob
Fortunately, most of the time the problem is the knob itself. A typical inexpensive control knob will have a D-shaped hole that fits tightly over a D-shaped shaft. Over time, either the plastic "D" in the knob will erode, or a straight piece of plastic or metal that turns a circle into a "D" will break. The knobs are replaceable, and they don't have to match the name or color or style - the only parts that matter are  the size of the shaft and the total diameter of the knob. Google replace d knob for plenty of options. Many of us who grew up before every TV had a digital remote control (and before we could order replacement knobs on Amazon) remember having a pair of pliers on top of the TV with the broken knob to change channels.


how to remove some small rocks at the bottom of a 4' vertical water pipe 2 1/2" diameter? Two small rocks about 1" are blocking access to main water shutoff valve in 4-5' vertical pipe about 2 1/2" in diameter. Need to snag them! pipe is outside residence.

Try sucking them out with a vacuum cleaner, preferably a wet vac. Most of them  have hoses that will fit down a 2 1/2" pipe. Good luck


Why doesn't my air conditioner fan come on when the condenser starts? I have a York heat pump…the condenser is coming on but the blower motor isn't. Model# F6FP030H06T3XH. My blower motor doesn't come on but the condenser does when cooling is called for. Relay is good...motor is good...transformer is good...I am getting 24v on G at control board...motor does nothing. Any ideas?

Mark and remove the wires from R and G. Add a jumper wire across R and G. You should hear a click (that's the relay on the board) and the motor should start. If not check your capacitor (little oval device attached to this blower housing) be very careful as capacitors can give you a massive shock even when powered down. They are essentially high capacity, quick charge/discharge batteries. The rating printed on it should be around 5-10 micro farads. The reading on your multimeter should be within 1 of the printed value. Also check for power output of 120v on the fan terminal (most likely low cool with G jumpered High cool with Y jumpered) on the board with your other lead to ground. No 120v on the high or low cool terminal with R jumpered to G, your board is fried. Yes 120v your capacitor or motor is fried if the cap is good and the motor is bad change the cap and motor together.

There are elements to this diagnostic that are potentially harmful and should not be done by the average DIYer. Hopefully it's the cap. Easy and cheap fix.


How can I increase the friction on the surface of PVC pipe? So, I have sort of an odd question - I need a coating (or something) that will increase the friction on a CPVC pipe as much as possible.

Specifically, I rigged some CPVC pipe to mount a light from my bicycle rack (I am a commuter.)

However, the PVC pipe is apparently not a standard size of bicycle tubing, and even as tight as I can get it the light tends to slide around a bit.

Would some sort of rubberized coating work?

(I suppose I could put some inntertube on there, but I suspect stretching it tightly reduces the friction if provides.)

Most bike clamps come with rubber « inserts » for exactly that reason - inner tube cut to fit will work, but consider roughening the pipe surface with glass paper.


Why disconnecting one outlet kills power in other outlets? I am having trouble connecting a switch to a switched outlet. When wires on the outlet are disconnected like in the picture below, the power disappears in all outlets in the same room as well as in some downstairs.

When both of the black wires on the outlet are connected to its lower half and the red outlet wire is connected to the upper half, both halves get 120V no matter what position the switch is in. A continuity test shows that both red (1) and black (2) wires from the outlet each connect to wires 1 and 2 like they connect with each other somewhere inside the house. Is it supposed to be like that? When I run a continuity test on the other black outlet wire (3), I don't find any wire in the switch that would connect to it. Also, that wire is not hot.

What I want is the lower half of the outlet to be always hot and the upper part to be controlled by the switch as I have wired a ceiling fixture to the upper half. What is the proper wiring to accomplish this?

The evidence gleaned from your question and the conversation in comments strongly suggests that the shorting bar between the top and bottom half of a "partial switched outlet" has not been removed. If it has been already removed from the outlet that you have open then there is a strong possibility that there is another switched outlet on that circuit.
The cable in the switch box with the red wire may very well daisy chain to another outlet box before eventually terminating at the outlet box that you have open. Check all other outlets on that circuit to see if you find a box with the red wire cable both entering and leaving the box. Good chance that the shorting bar at that location has not been removed.


Is my RCD Breaker faulty? Every 2 weeks my main RCD trips and it wont reset. After an hour it will allow me to reset it and its fine for 2 weeks.

The main RCD has a short spur to another mini RCD board that was installed 10 years ago to power the extension. The Main breaker on this mini board trips but the individual lights/ring main RCDs on this mini board don't trip. This next circuit powers my kitchen which has integral fridge, freezer, cooker and dishwasher so I am unable to find the plugs to disconnect them but I'm thinking perhaps its not a faulty appliance as the individual ring main and lighting RCDs never trip just the main breaker to the extension.

Is my RCD faulty? I can't afford an electrician so I only want to get an electrician if its something I can't fix myself and most of the time there is no fault for them to assess.

RCD will trip on a ground fault. Sometimes an older refrigerator or garbage disposal will cause them to trip.
Since it appears to have a cycle it may be a defrost setting in the refrigerator causing the fault.
It is possible the breaker itself is faulty but I would expect a more random tripping if this was the case.
Are there any other appliances that have a “cycle” if not try changing the temp in the refrigerator, colder might make it trip more often warmer less often if it is the defrost cycle.


What to be done about cut I-joists? Cut is in lower flange above load bearing point I am a first time homebuyer in the due diligence phase with this house. We identified in the crawlspace that a few of the I-joists had been cut, looks like with a reciprocating saw, for unknown reasons.  Directly above this point, the fireplace has begun to separate from the wall (1/4-3/8th inch on one side).  Our home inspection report acknowledges the issue, and we have asked the sellers to hire an engineer to approve or fix this before we will proceed.

Any idea why the builders would have done this?
Does this strike you as a significant risk to us in the short or long term?
What would it require (and cost) to fix three of these permanently, assuming the sellers are unwilling to work with us?
What's worst case scenario?

There are three joists like this in a row, one is pictured below. The home was built in 2013. It's in North Carolina, if climate is of concern.

I would hire a structural engineer and ask him to inspect the house before buying.


Changing bulb in a pinhole downlight I recently moved in to a flat and need to replace some blown bulbs. From internet searches, the fittings appear to be "fixed pinhole downlights", but I cannot find any details on how to remove the cover to change the bulb.

The fittings look like this:

The slot is too narrow to fit the bulb through, and twisting / sliding the cover does nothing. Pulling downwards causes the whole fitting (including the bulb) to move; I dare not pull too much in case this isn't the right way to remove it and I damage something or make it difficult to put back.

As suspected by Ecnerwal and JACK, pulling down with moderate force eventually released the whole fitting, which was being held in place with sprung fins. It did result in a bit of the ceiling plaster coming down as dust in the process, but it seems to be the way it is expected to work. Pushing back up caused it to latch back in place.


Is wiring a 240 volt heater from a sub panel different from wiring it to the main panel? Since the neutral and ground are isolated in a sub panel, is wiring a 240 volt heater from a sub panel different from wiring it to the main panel?

No, as long as you land the ground wire on the ground bus of course -- but that's a caveat when wiring anything to a subpanel.  (I'd run it using /3 NM so that there's a neutral run to the heater in case it's needed for outlets on a baseboard setup or something like that...and in that case, you also have to remember to land the neutral wire on the neutral bus, but again, that's just like any other circuit.)

The hots hook up just like any other 220V circuit.


What might be wrong with my sewage ejector pump? I'm trying to get my sewage ejector pump in my basement working as it used to.

The problem is when it runs water pumped from it gushes up the water softener's outlet drain. I thought the vent was clogged (a dedicated vent ran out of the side of the house, with an elbow on top to curve it down) but I ran water down it yesterday with the hose and the water seemed to make it all the way to the pit, didn't back out of the vent or anything.

Here's a picture of the drain setup:

I didn't include a picture of the line from the pump because it is between the concrete and interior wall seen at the left of the picture, and I couldn't get a very good picture.

As far as viewing the actual pump, it is underneath a wooden platform that is screwed in the basement bathroom, and I haven't accessed it. It really shouldn't be clogged though, the bathroom hardly gets used, and this has happened in the past week or so. However the pump does run occasionally because some water from the sink/dishwasher above makes it into the pit despite the bathroom it not being used, which is another, less pressing issue but it might be relevant.

The pump is an Everbilt ESE50W-HD if relevant, not giving us trouble until recently, came with the house we bought a year ago. Any advice is appreciated, really thought it was just an issue with the vent.

Edit:

Is it possible that it also relies on the main vent stack that extends out of the roof starting at the right of the picture? I would think an issue with that would present problems with drains in general so I expected it to be localized to this one vent or if not the vent the pump itself. Also the septic tank should not be full as it was emptied last year and there are no other indications of this such as the upstairs toilet backing up (there is no alarm).

If it has been working fine and this is a new problem then it seems like your waste line is plugged. Basically what's happening is your pump is pumping the waste and because it will not go through the waste line it's going up the water softener drain. The fact that water drains into the pit really isn't relevant. Also the upstairs toilet may tap into the waste line after the blockage, which is why that toilet works fine. If the vent is plugged it may cause some draining issues but no draining issues if the waste being pumped out. From the picture it looks like you have a good spot to put in a clean out so you can rod the waste line.


Can interior and exterior lights be on the same circuit breaker? Can I put them on the same circuit or do I need separate circuits?

Yes, interior and exterior lights can be on the same circuit. The same circuit breaker that works for my family room also works for my porch.

And yes, GFCI and non-GFCI can also be on the same circuit. Typically they recommend that the GFCI outlet is the first receptacle connected to a circuit so if it trips, it cuts off power to the rest of the circuit since current will not travel through the neutral to the other leads.


Mesh tape for butted drywall joints I am interviewing drywall finishers and one guy told me he wants to use mesh tape for all butted joint and paper only for inner corners. I am skeptical because all my previous finishers used paper for butted joints (in addition to corners) and used mesh only basically for special situations, such as bigger holes. I hear that mesh is less strong.
Is it okay to use mesh tape for butted joints and will it result in a weaker joint?

Mesh tape is all I've used for this century and I've never had a failure. Tape is nothing but a scab. Strength means nothing and to depend upon tape to do any other work means that your other work is flawed garbage.
The ONLY thing you MUST INSIST, is that ANY and ALL installers and/or finishers locate butt joints only over studs or equally sized blocking. If you install drywall right, then it quite literally doesn't matter what tape or mud is used. FACT.


replacing a light switch with a dimmer I am replacing a single 3 light track style fixture in our kitchen with an Ikea track that will better light the space.  Opening the switch box up this afternoon I saw that the wiring is a little unfamiliar to what I am used to.  All of the Whites are tied together and the Black is strung along the bottom of a few of the switches (it's a 5 switch box).  The top of the switch in question is a red line. Metering the terminals of the Ikea track I get 0 volts and 120 volts as one would expect with a switch.   When installing the dimmer switch (a single pole 2 black wire, one ground dimmer), I attached the black wire from the old switch to the bottom black dimmer wire, and the red wire from the old switch to the top black wire on the dimmer.  Turn on the breaker and the off position works dandy, but the dimmer goes from around 90 volts to 93 volts only.  I have no idea what to do!

thanks!

Adrian in Richmond, VA

The multimeter may be off trying to accurately measure an AC voltage that ends up looking like chopped AC cycles.

There is a good possibility though that no load on a triac switch of the dimmer could look like an AC waveform of full voltage to the relatively high impedance of the multimeter input if the dimmer design has a resistor/capacitor snubber circuit across the triac. The diagram below shows the typical snubber configuration used (R2 and C2). R2 is commonly a resistor of a couple hundred ohms in series with the capacitor. When the triac is OFF the snubber circuit will be able to pass the AC waveform through when a meter with an typical input impedance of 20K to 50K ohms is used across the open lamp terminals.


Surface mount power outlet under kitchen sink Can I surface mount a power outlet under the kitchen sink?  Or does it have to be a box that sits on the surface of the cabinet wall?

In the US under the NEC:

A receptacle or other box in a sink base or other cabinet can be either surface mount or flush. There is no requirement or restriction for either.


How should I prepare a concrete slab for plank porcelain tiles? I have several questions about laying plank porcelain tile on a concrete slab.
First do I need to get 100% of the glue from the concrete floor, there are small spots and patches here and there that still have a very thin layer on it.  I used glue remover to get as much as I could off.
Secondly there is paint spots on the floor from when the house was first built, do I have to remove 100% of this material, I scrapped and scrapped and I am getting tire of it.  There are also spots left from when I sprayed texture, does this have to remove 100%.

My final question is should I should I use self leveling concrete on the slab, I notice when I poured water on the floor there where some low spots, what is acceptable and what isn't?

You should try to get things that have height off your floor.  A little glue stained on your floor, paint, stuff like that - won't hurt anything.  The thinset will bind to that just as good as the concrete.   So you want to make sure anything sticking up is scraped and anything that is loose.

Leveling is not a must.  Most basements slant towards the drain.  Whether you level your basement is based on:

How big the tiles are.  The bigger the tiles the more level the basement needs to be. If you were doing mosaics you could handle any slant.
Whether you care about drainage.  You may want to keep the slant on a basement predisposed to have water issues.
How good of a tiler you are.  If you don't have experience tiling, a floor far from flat can be really challenging.  You basically have to use different amounts of thinset to even out your tiles.  I have seen this turn into a disaster for some.  Definitely takes some planning.


Bathroom sink overflow clogged Once when a bathroom sink drain is cleared so that it drains properly, would that also take care of the sink overflow slots at the top??

Normally the overflows do not plug up so it should have cleared the problem. the Best way to find out is plug the basin and fill until it is draining into the overflows. If it doesn't back up in a few seconds after starting to run in the overflow your system is working properly.


Can you identify the brand of this window? Six months ago I moved to this house built in 2007 and now I notice some issues with a window. I suspect the window is still under warranty but I don't have the name of the manufacturer. The construction company doesn't exist anymore so there's no way of contacting them. Someone mentioned that it was likely to be Milgard but I called them and they had no records of any window in this address. I took some photos in hopes that someone might be able to recognize the brand.

Click any photo for full size

A Google search of 280 series windows led me to Diamond Window and Door. It is a long shot but might be a place to start.


What is the best way to bridge a huge gap between hardwood and tile? I removed a load bearing wall between a small kitchen and tiny dining room. My problem is that I have a giant gap to fill in where the old wall was. The house was built in 1950 and sits above a crawl space. As depicted there is no underlayment where the original oak flooring is installed. The original framing was all "true 2x4" so new lumber doesn't quite do the trick.
The tiled area is about 3/8 higher than the wood and after filling the gap it will need a reducing transition installed. I do have 6" accent tile to cover the gap once the 1"deep x 4.5 wide gap has been filled in. The wood floor was resurfaced 4 years ago and the ends are all different lengths adjoining the gap.
I do have a table saw buried in the garage behind everything and no I couldn't cut a straight line with a circular saw if my life depended on it. At the moment the ends are not finished but merely four 2x4s stacked upright screwed together supporting the beam. I have a preexisting passageway 30" wide at one end that I intend to cover over with the trim tile so it is consistent over the length of the opening.  Additional photos would have simplified my explanation but I was only able to upload 1 photo.
For a temporary measure I used a 1x4 to prevent turned ankles but now that the kitchen portion is tiled I need to come up with a permanent fix to level it out with the kitchen. I've got 21 linear feet to cover.
I've considered plywood + hardy backer + mortar / Masonite and fill to tile level with Quickcrete using foam rope against the hardwood side.

Updated based on revisions to the question.
The way I see it you have two options, neither of which is nearly as complicated as your proposed solution.

Install a tile accent row with a beveled or bullnose edge or reducing edger (metal trim). This could be from leftover original tile or something else. 1/2" cement board on the subfloor boards will be enough of a filler to bring the new tile level with the existing. Grout to the existing tile.

____  _______________
____||_______________\ ________________
____||________________|__________________
 ^             ^             ^
existing   new backer    existing wood
  tile      & tile           floor

Install a hardwood strip with a beveled edge, stained to match the existing floor. This could be ripped from a 1x6, then set in construction adhesive and attached with a few finish nails. Optionally rabbet a small distance to overlay the existing wood floor, creating a clean transition line and covering any rough edges. Keep this minimal to keep it robust. I picture it like so:

____  __________________
____||                __\________________
____||________________|__________________
 ^             ^             ^
existing    transition    existing wood
  tile        strip         floor

If you have more specific questions about either approach, go ahead and ask.


above ground pool on slightly sloped driveway We are wanting to get an above ground pool that is approx 20'w x52"deep.  Our yard is not really level enough to use so we are thinking we could possibly set it up in our driveway.  It seems level to the eye but of course it is sloped enough to allow water to drain to the back yard. Is there some kind of platform that could be built or what do you suggest??

You won't be able to (economically) build a platform to set the pool on -- water weighs a lot! Supposing that pool is round and 20 feet diameter, when filled to 50" depth it would contain about 9800 gallons and weigh almost 82000 pounds. A truckload of sand leveled on top of the driveway is probably the only way you'd make a "platform" to support this weight.

Figure out just how out-of-level your driveway actually is by constructing a water level. You'll need a garden hose and a bucket. Using the hose, fill the bucket with water. When it is full, keeping the hose end immersed in the water at all times, disconnect the hose from the faucet and carry the bucket to the high end of the driveway. Carry the disconnected end of the hose to the low end of the driveway. Slowly move that end of the hose vertically, up and down until you see the water inside rise up to the mouth of the hose without spilling over. Finally, measure the height of the water in the bucket (above the driveway surface) and the height of the water in the mouth of the hose. The difference in these two figures is the difference in elevation across the driveway.

If the slope is only a few inches you can probably just set up the pool out of level and it'll be fine. One side of the pool just won't be as deep as the other. I'm not sure how steep is too steep, but I can tell you that I set up my own above ground pool maybe 2 inches out of level and everything worked out fine.

One other thing.. I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but consider safety. You don't want neighbor kids coming along, sneaking into the pool, and having an accident (drowning, for example). You may be taking a big risk in erecting a pool outside of a fenced yard.


Is it normal for MY lights to briefly dim when my NEIGHBOR is using a power saw? I think that when my neighbor uses a contractor-grade miter saw, my overhead light in my office dims slightly for a brief amount of time (half a second) and then returns to normal brightness.  Is this normal? Shouldn't power to my house be relatively isolated from other usage in the neighborhood?  It's not a huge deal - just a little annoying.

The dimming lights is caused by voltage dropping.  This could definitely happen from others in your neighbourhood turning on large loads.  Typically anywhere from a few houses to an entire block will share one transformer, so you are pretty much directly sharing the power with them.

If this happens frequently, contact your utility company.  They will be able to check if your neighbourhood needs upgrades to maintain a stable voltage.


Can I paint over a stain on a laminated cabinet? I got a stain on my bathroom cabinet that won't come out.  It is a laminated wall cabinet.  Can I paint over this?

Most any surface can be painted with the proper prep and paint. Before I can recommend the right product, can you answer these questions:

What kind of laminate do you have?  White foil, melamine, Formica, wood veneer?

What is it stained with?


Can I use a wall tile on the floor? I came across ceramic wall tiles that I really want to use for my bathroom, but I can't find the perfect floor tile that matches. Can I use the wall tile as a floor tile? Here's a  link (might be a blurry) picture of it: http://i.imgur.com/aBlxVwE.jpg

I want to use the grey one (top one) on the floor. The tiles are not smooth, so I don't think they'll be slippery. Are there other factors? Can wall tiles generally be used as floor tiles?

ONLY IF... the floor surface is well-prepared (1/2" cement board minimum), the tiles have a thick enough body (some wall tiles have a very thin body, and are unsuitable for floor tiles because they're so fragile), and are made up of a material (my favorite is red clay) suitable for compressive loading (your heeled shoes, or high heels), your mortaring work is IMPECCABLE, and your tile-laying technique is excellent.


How to remove nails with heads cut off? Yes, I know I can go to the big box store and buy lumber. That is not the point of this question.

I have some boards that have the nail heads removed, leaving the nail flush with the surface of the board. The boards come from pallets where apparently they used a sawsall or cutoff blade to reconstruct the pallets several times:

Side view:

Close up view:

After prying them out, I see tiny wires around the outside (my guess is to actually prevent removal ... what are these nails called?):

https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/27821/81954 gives some hints on how to remove nails, but relies upon the head being somewhat close to the surface. But in this case, the heads are sheared or sawed off flush with the surface.

Since this is for shop use (not fine furniture), and I don't need to preserve the whole width of the board (but do want to preserve the length), I have been cutting a notch into the wood about 1/4" deep, and chiseling the wood out just enough to get a ViceGrip around the nail, and then slowly prying up the nail and ViceGrip with a long crowbar. I can subsequently rip off the edge of the what is left over of the board and reuse most of the board.

Here is a view of the result after I've pryed out the nail:

That works but is time consuming.

Is there a tool that would both dig into the wood and around the nail, and have enough gripping force (similer to what I can get with the ViceGrip) to allow me to then pry out the nail?  The "Nail Jack" style of tools are close but they don't have the toggle-bolt gripping action of a ViceGrip and lack a way to hammer the chisel edges into the wood deeply enough to grip the headless nail body.

How to remove these nails (no access to head)? seems like it would be applicable, but it is not.

Once we bought an old pallet factory, so I really got to "see how the sausage is made".

Pallets are made in extremely, extremely high production because the typical corporate customer orders thousands and pays about $6 each for them.  There are also an infinite number of pallet sizes and styles, though most fit a 40x48 footprint.  These two requirements force the industry into extreme levels of automation with CNC machines and very high production gang nailers.

As such, the nails are not really recognizable as nails in the normal way.  They are a very heavy industrial version of power nailer nails, made in very long chains with wires spot-welded to the nails.  They are made to not break and not jam, because that stops production.  When driven the bits of wire just get driven too.  They have a spiral shank and have virtually no head, being one-shotted in by sheer pneumatic or electrohydraulic force.  (The air system was surprisingly lightweight, so I suspect the latter; the machines took copious amounts of 480V.)

Being woodworkers, we evaluated the wood since there was a fair bit of it laying around never nailed.  The wood used in pallets is positively awful.  It is the junkiest of junk hardwood.  Cleaning it up in a jointer and planer was not worth the blade wear and did not produce anything we would call good lumber.

As such I see no point in cleaning up the wood. Just use it rough, and then you don't need to remove the nails.

Also in the future when you want to salvage pallets, pry the deck board about 1/4" off the stringer then tap the deck board back down.  The nail should pop up with head exposed.


What is this red sediment inside our sink aerator? Does anyone know what this red slime/gunk is inside our sink aerator? Besides replacing the aerators, is there anything else we should do?

The red sediment is in the aerator of the sink and one of our bathrooms (but not the other). A few weeks ago, when I was running the the bathroom sink, the water stopped, sputtered, and then turned red/brown before running clear again. When I looked at the aerator I noticed a lot of red gunk trapped there. Today, we noticed the same red gunk in the kitchen sink aerator (but we don't recall a similar issue with red/brown water here). Thanks!

My guess is it's from some of the renovations in the building. They probably changed a sink or two and dislodged some rust from an old pipe. The rust with some pipe dope and clog up the aerators. Just clean the ones you have. This is a very common problem when changing faucets in multi-occupancy buildings.


Can duct tape be used to mark neutral wires? Hello I’m in search of code requirements as they relate to the use of duct tape for marking the neutral conductor in the service panel.  My understanding is this is a code violation as duct tape is a conductor and also degrades with time but I’m not able to locate the code. Please see attached photo and provide any code specifics you might know.  Thank you!!

We can always go for the old chestnuts.  They're on page 1 and 2.

  110.2 Approval. The conductors and equipment required or permitted by this Code shall be acceptable only if approved.

  110.3 Examination, Identification, Installation, and Use
  of Equipment.

  (A) Examination. In judging equipment, considerations
  such as the following shall be evaluated:
  (l) Suitability for installation and use in conformity with
  the provisions of this Code
  (4) Electrical insulation
  (5) Heating effects under normal conditions of use and also
  under abnormal conditions likely to arise in service

  (B) Installation and Use. Listed or labeled equipment
  shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions
  included in the listing or labeling.

  110.12 Mechanical Execution of Work. Electrical equipment
  shall be installed in a neat and workmanlike manner.

There's also a problem with the gray/silver color.

  200.7(C) Circuits of 50 volts or more.  The use of insulation
  that is white or gray or that has three continuous white
  stripes for other than a neutral for circuits of
  50 volts or more shall be permitted only as in (l) and (2).
  (1) If part of a cable assembly that has the insulation permanently
  reidentified to indicate its use as a hot by marking tape, painting, or other
  effective means at its termination and at each location
  where the conductor is visible and accessible. Identification
  shall encircle the insulation and shall be a color
  other than white, gray, or green.
  (2) [pertains to cordage only]


How often should heat strip turn on for a heat pump unit? I have noticed my heating bill is higher than my cooling bill now that I have installed a Heat Pump. I am trying to find a way to reduce this winter cost but am not sure how often electrical heat strips should run, if at all.

I have never selected the "emergency heating" setting for my unit, its always in standard heating when in operation. I am in a CA climate which rarely ever drops below freezing so I was expecting the heat strips to never come on. Was hoping to find a way to permanently turn off the heat strips but don't want to risk damaging the unit.

I heard from a
source that
"it is best to increase your heat setting by only two degrees at a time to prevent your auxiliary heat from operating." But unless your coil is in danger of freezing, why would your heat strips ever need to come on? Basically, even during ideal conditions where outside temperature is above freezing, "emergency heat" is NOT used, and your only heating by two degrees F, should the heat strips still run for X hours a day during the heating season to maintain proper HP operation?

I've been told that a properly sized heat pump should run almost non-stop during the days that the temperatures are the normal low for the season and area.  Any lower than the normal seasonal lows would kick the strips on.


What's the proper procedure for replacing ungrounded circuits? I have a house that has several ungrounded circuits that uses the older 2 wire romex (pvc insulation, black woven jacket).

I'd love to have AFCI protected circuits for the bedrooms, and grounded outlets for some other rooms, but I don't want to have somebody rip the old cable that runs horizontally between the outlet boxes (also don't want to attempt that myself).

Would this be a proper procedure for replacing ungrounded circuits?
I was thinking something like:

Disconnect old circuit
Take out old boxes, put bigger rework boxes in (current boxes are small)
Drill new hole up from basement under boxes
Fish wire up, secure in box with tab/clamp and with staple in basement*
Connect each outlet run for the room together with a junction box*
Run to panel*

*Assuming proper support according to 334.30

I also had a question with regards to NEC 334.30(B)(2):

  334.30 Securing and Supporting Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or
  similar ﬁttings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable,
  at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (4 1⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.)
  of every outlet box. junction box, cabinet, or ﬁtting. Flat cables
  shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from
  physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within
  the raceway.

  (A) Horizontal Runs Through Holes and Notches. In other than
  vertical runs, cables  installed in accordance with 300.4 shall be
  considered to be supported and secured where such support does not
  exceed 1.4-m (4 1⁄2-ft) intervals and the nonmetallic-sheathed cable
  is securely fastened in place by an approved means within 300 mm (12
  in.) of each box, cabinet, conduit body, or other nonmetallicsheathed
  cable termination.

  FPN: See 314.17(C) for support where nonmetallic boxes are used

  (B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable:

  (1) Is ﬁshed between access points through concealed spaces in ﬁnished
  buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.

  (2) Is not more than 1.4 m (4 1 ⁄2 ft) from the last point of cable
  support to the point of connection to a luminaire or other piece of
  electrical equipment and the cable and point of connection are within
  an accessible ceiling

Does 334.30(B) allow for this type of installation?
Would 334.30(B) allow for a fished dropwire from an attic, with an unsupported vertical "run" of more than 4.5 feet down to an outlet box?

I seem to recall (not from a handy chunk of code, just from talking with an electrician I work with sometimes) that abandoning wire is generally a no-no (not sure if that applies when  it's inaccessible and impractical to remove, which might make the exception.)

Fishing wires up or down exterior walls that have insulation in them will be potentially frustrating, to say the least.

334.30(B)(1) would appear to allow this, and 334.30(B)(2) only says it applies in accessible ceiling spaces. 334.30(B)(1) (an inaccessible, impractical to support space in an existing finished structure that wire is fished through) appears to apply, without a specific length limit. But they don't get a lot of points for clarity.

If you are opening up to put in larger boxes, you may be able to staple the ends of the cables before you set the box (reaching through the box hole.) Doing so won't really buy much though, since that end will be supported at the box. You definitely want to fish the wire before you set the new box.


Why am I getting shocked when my breaker and switch is off? I've recently added power to an outbuilding and wired in a light circuit. While adding another light fixture, the wire broke at the fixture so I was rewiring it. With the switch and breaker off, as I was connecting the wires to the fixture, I was shocked. I measured before the shock and after, no voltage. It's happened several times while rewiring the same fixture. (added) Not sure if I touch neutral but definitely felt it on the hot wire.

Here's how I'm wired. Switch is switching hot line. The ground is not used as there is no connector for it (simple light bulb fixture). Lights are in parallel. Other light fixture has an LED light in it.

Why is this happening, and why is it intermittent?

I've attached a picture of the layout (sorry, it's pretty crude)

Might be this.

This is called a multi-wire branch circuit, common on US split-phase though it can occur on any multi-phase-with-neutral service.  Multiple phases or poles share a neutral, the neutral carries only differential current.

It has special rules and you see why.

Neutrals must be pigtailed, for the same reason as grounds - removing a device must not interrupt the neutral wire for other legs of the MWBC.
The breakers must be handle tied -- the issue is not common trip (overcurrent on one leg is no reason to shut off the other leg) -- but rather, to assure maintenance shut-off will shut off all legs. Even with neutrals pigtailed, a fault in the neutral wire will cause any leg to energize all other legs.


Light switch wiring rats nest Fixing some switches and adding Wifi switches to a home I just bought.  I pulled out some old style switches from this box and added 2 WiFi switches plus a 3 way paddle on the right.  I believe a 3-way switch was on the right before since it controls a light controlled by one other switch down the hall(might’ve been the middle switch though.. idk).  Anyhow, I’ve managed to get the two WiFi switches working like I want them to but I’ve got a smattering of leftover wires and can’t get my 3-way to power it’s light no matter what I try.  What am I missing in this rats nest?

This is a long slog, but it's straightforward. You have at least 7 cables.  The 3-way circuit and 3 switches can explain 5 of them at most.

Don't unhook anything else.

First, since you know there's one of a pair of 3-way switches here, Romex Cable #1, the /3 cable, can be positively identified as being for the 3-way circuit, since nothing else would work.  Fortunately we see its white wire join four other black wires, so white is being used to send always-hot to the other 3-way.  The other two wires (red and black) are travelers.  Mark them both with yellow tape so they can be easily recognized as travelers.  The common terminal on this 3-way switch must therefore go to the lamp.  That would be a cable where the white joins other whites, but the black is in search of this 3-way switch.  It looks like you have that exact situation on Romex #4.

Romex cable #7 and #6 both have their hots going to a wire-nut (the one with the 3-way white).  That means one of them is supply, and the other one takes power onward to another point-of-use. It doesn't really matter which one is which.

Romex cable #5 black seems to go to the smart switch on the left, so presumably it goes to the lamp controlled by the left smart switch.

Romex Cables #2 and #3 have their neutrals going into the big bundle. Then, I can't quite tell, but it appears they have their hots joined together with a pigtail, which is then nutted onto the left smart switch.   If this smart switch controls 2 lights, then this explains all the cables.

If the two installed switches are working, then all you have left to do is wire the /3 switch, yellows to brass, and solo black wire from #4 to black.


Roof Flashing to Brick Wall: Leaks I have an addition that is attatched to a brick exterior wall, and it appears that the copper counterflashing has come loose from the roof, and is now causing a leak inside the addition.  Is it acceptable to put some type of roofing adhesive to stick the counterflashing back in place?

What kind of adhesive should I use? Its hovering right around freezing here but may get up into the low 50s soon.

Do I need some other mechanical fastener to hold the counterflashing on?

Your flashing will need to be fastened in place with something. I made 3 sketches the illustrate hopefully on of the ways to reset your flashing back in place.

The first of three labeled, "Not good" ids the least desirable way to set flashing to a wall but it is done everywhere. It is simply a piece of metal liad to the wall and held in place with masonry nails and caulked. Hot and cold weather will make the caulk fail when the metal buckles between nails.

The second is "good", the flashing is turned into a deep cut mortar joint (about 1")and nails are placed so the head of the nail laps over the bend edge (about 3/4") to hold the flashing in place. With the rigidity created by the bent corner and the nail not penetrating the flashing, the metal can move more freely when the temps change. In both cases mentioned already I have seen nails rust or fall out or both, in time.

The third, to me is the best, it has its down side but there are no nails to rust. I have seen this on old roofs I helped redo and was impressed how well it worked, using wood shims. It is the same procedure as the second sketch but no nails are used. The technique is, 2 cedar shims are used, in each spot, cut to allow the whole shim to fit in the joint with the metal. They are laid one on top of the other, points together, and driven so they snug in place as they slide by each other with in the joint. Needless to say the shims need to be cut to 3/4" wide to fit behind the surface of the brick or drive wider ones in then cut off the excess an caulk the joint, covering the shim, actually that is much simpler.

The caulk to use is made by many manufacturers, OSI, Geocel, Locktite and others, all have a caulk that is rated to do what you need. The big box stores will have them on hand, or even your local small hardware stores will carry the line of caulk you need. It is just roofing caulk, see that it has a warranty long enough to last the lifetime of your roof.


How do you correctly pull the steel wire and crimp so it's tight enough for turnbuckle? So I'm installing wire between two 4x4 wooden posts. I've done two but it seems to take forever, so I know there's a more efficient way.

Here's what I'm doing:

The wire's plastic-coated, so I remove about 5" of plastic coating and crimp one side (where the eye screw is).
I take the reel and go to the other post, with the turnbuckle.
I reach the other post and I pull the wire (without bending it) to know the distance from the eye screw to the turnbuckle, say 30ft for example.

I add about 7" (for the crimp) and cut the wire. Then I remove the plastic and put the wire through the crimp.

The difficult part is pulling the wire so it's as tight as possible, holding the crimp so that it doesn't move, and then trying to use the very heavy and very uncomfortable swaging tool.

At the end, I'm able to crimp the sleeve, but the wire's sagging. The turnbuckle tightens it a bit, but it could be tighter.

Is there an easier way? I was considering buying a tool that I can use to pull the wire, but I don't know.

Without photographs or sketches, this is going to be more of a general answer than a precise solution. Focusing on the loose end, you have the cable passing through the sleeve, around the eyebolt and back through the sleeve, with the aforementioned seven inches extending.

I would use a simple ground wire clamp attached to the loose end, to add an extension of the same cable. This extension reaches to a location of some stability, a tree, a stake, the next post in line. The extension is reusable, not wasted.

Place a lever at the base of the stable post and attach the extension as low to the lever pivot as possible and as low as practical. Too low means insufficient travel, too high means insufficient force.

As the lever is pulled away from the loose end eyebolt, it will tension the extension cable and the original cable. Tie off the top of the lever to maintain tension (or use an assistant) while securing the sleeve with the tool.


Is there a window or portable AC system I can use with an awning window? My bedroom gets ridiculously hot and I taped tin foil over the window. It didn't help much. I'm thinking of getting an air conditioner but the ledge on the window is small and the window doesn't open very much. I was looking at the portable air conditioners on Amazon and wonder, how do they work? Does the hot air get ejected through a hose that I could put out the window?

My window opens like this one so I take it a window AC is out of the question?

Window unit air conditioners rely less on the ledge and more on the window itself to keep from falling.  The unit is surrounded by a frame.  You carefully set the unit in the window with the frame tilted forward some towards you.  You then lower the window until the A/C frame can rest on the frame of the window itself.

Portable air conditioners usually (as I understand it) have an exhaust hose that you use to vent the hot air outside.   You could put this hose out the window - but you'll want to make sure the rest of the opening is blocked off so as to not allow outside air back in while you're pumping out the hot air.