Water meter to a PVC pipe to a metal pipe. Why? I just looked at my water meter, and noticed something weird. The water goes into the meter (i.e., city water supply line) using a metal pipe. But then, the output of the meter is a PVC pipe, which goes into the ground. About 2 feet down the hill (my house is built on a downward hill), there is a metal pipe coming straight up out of the ground, which connects to a pressure reducing valve and then goes into the house.

I'm confused as to why a PVC pipe is used for that short distance between the water meter and the pressure reducing valve. My house uses copper pipes. Any thoughts why anyone might have done this? Thanks!

Besides the reasons given in the other answer (available or preferred material), there might be a problem related to corrosion and/or grounding/earthing which means to require an electrically separated pipe system for each building.

In the past, earthing/grounding via the provider's metal pipes was a common procedure, nowadays it may be even prohibited, i.e. a special ground rod/grounding system is necessary.


Can I tie into a three-phase #10 circuit with #12 wire? I'm working on an existing structure that was fitted to be a grocery store, so a majority of the junction boxes are 3 phase and above 240 volt service or higher. My problem is that there are two 120 volt junction boxes that connect to all the 120 volt outlets throughout the store.

There are already about 5 receptacles tied together in one box using 10 gauge wire. Do I need 10 gauge wire to tie into this pre-existing circuit or can I use 12 gauge cable or will it carry too much load?

Feeding common NEMA 5-15 receptacles (plural), the circuit (i.e. the breaker) must be 15A or 20A.  You may not put these receptacles on a 30A circuit (breaker)!

You're always allowed to use larger wire.  A 20A circuit calls for 12AWG wire minimum, but you may use 10AWG.

So most likely you must change the breaker serving the wires to 120V/20A, then extend with 12AWG wire.

Safety first

Be very wary of strange and dangerous voltages including 136V, 208V, 277V or 480V.  These voltages will be happy to kill you.  If you don't know what you're doing in commercial panels, get out of them and call an electrician.

Add more wire

Since you are commercial, and therefore in conduit, you always have the option to fish additional wires into the conduit. You can have up to 4 circuits per conduit without complications.  Pro tip: You have a choice of like 11 wire colors, so use colors different than those already there.


What might cause my dryer to trip the breaker labeled AC? I've checked all the main components except the motor for continuity and they all check out fine.

The AC breaker gets tripped and when flipped back on the dryer works. Dryer breaker has not tripped.

All parts are original except heating element, which is maybe 3-5 years old.

Dries fine when running and will finish the whole cycle. It will only run that one cylce, though, and as far as I know it trips the breaker when the load finishes.

Update 2016-02-12:
The breaker labeled dryer is definitely the breaker controlling power to the dryer. Turning it off stops power to the dryer. I'm not sure which part is connected to the AC breaker.

It's too cold right now to turn on the AC so I haven't tested whether it will go off when the AC breaker is off.

I've investigated more and found that the door switch is broken, so it is not always engaged. Could the switch being momentarily engaged and then disengaged cause the issue?

Sounds to me like someone crossed two wires coming from the AC and Dryer cables to the breakers. They are most likely both #10's and could easily be confused for each other.

Try shutting off the AC breaker and see if the Dryer runs with its breaker turned on. This sounds like what you said is happening in your question but just to double check try this test. If the Dryer doesn't run than than what happened is two wires are crossed to the two breakers. One is feeding the black on the AC and the Red on the dryer and the other is vice-versa.

Either way though, there is something wrong with the Dryer if it tripping a breaker. If you are not comfortable shutting down your main and working by flashlight in the panel with the cover off to straighten out the wiring then you should call an experienced electrician to check this out for you.

Also, you will probably have to call an appliance repairman unless you feel like getting into your dryer and working on that too.

Good luck with your project!


Alternative to tongue and groove adhesive for hardwood floor I'm installing an engineered hardwood product in my office, 5" Shaw Epic hardwood. It is tongue and groove, but not a click-lock type. For a floating installation, the tongues and grooves need to be glued together. There's a 20-second video of the installation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkn_qtL8snw.

I have a bit of a time crunch (I want the floor in before the carpet guys come in a few days) and I'm not sure I can get ahold of any proper tongue and groove adhesive in time. The folks at local hardware stores I've asked look at me funny and say they haven't seen non-click-lock hardwood in 5 or 10 years.

Can I use regular wood glue for this, instead of tongue and groove adhesive? If not, is there another easy-to-obtain alternative?

It will be installed on foam underlay over OSB over dimpled foundation membrane over concrete in my basement, if that matters.

This looks like a simple white wood glue. That should be no problem here. Do NOT use a polyurethane wood glue here like Gorilla glue, as that will expand out and cause a mess, as well as possibly push the boards apart.

If you are unsure if it will work, try some white wood glue on a test piece. It will dry within an hour.


Code compliance of running EMT on exterior of exposed chimney inside I am working on a 1920s era home with an exposed brick chimney inside. The chimney is not connected to a fireplace but is used to vent the water heater and furnace in the basement. I am currently moving a light switch on the main floor and the best place for it to be would be the outside wall of the chimney. I am wondering if it is a violation to mount a run of EMT from the attic along the chimney and mount the switch to the side in a box.

Your fine as long as you can properly mount it. Rock is not normally a smooth surface and a little hard to anchor to in a neat workmanlike manner.


Wiring for ceiling fan I'm trying to replace my ceiling fan and can't seem to figure out what wire is which ?

My house is 70 years old and it's a bit confusing.

EDIT from the comments:

Four outlets are connected as well as the porch light and the ceiling fan are on the circuit.

I have tools and I've replaced ceiling light fixtures before.

The problem I ran into with this one is that I didn't pay attention to where the wires were connected on the old ceiling fan.

It appears that the power to the box comes in on the left side of the pic in the box and the right side supplies the power to the ceiling fan.

Thanks for any help!

!

OK. Based on what you said about the black and white pigtails without wire nuts on them being the wires that were connected to the old fan, connect them to the white and black wires on your new fan. The box isn't grounded so you don't need to connect your green wire from the fan. Don't try to figure out where all the wires go. You can't determine that unless you start disconnecting them and take reading... and you do not want to do that.

The really bad news is that the box you want to install the fan on is not rated for a ceiling fan and needs to be replace with one that is.


How do I wire a new range to old wiring? I am replacing an in-wall oven with a oven/stove. The wiring in the wall is a 2 wire #6, and a ground wire. One of the wires has red arrows on it, the other solid black. (obviously 220V) and I traced them to the breaker box. Both the solid black and the black with red arrow both go into a 50 amp double breaker, and the ground wire goes to the grounding bar.

My stove has a three prong plug: red, black white and ground. With only two hot wires and no neutral coming from the wall, how do I wire the 2 hot and neutral?

You need to swap the cord on your range for a 3-pin range cord (NEMA 10-50) and configure the bonding jumper appropriately, then install a NEMA 10-50 receptacle for your stove.  (This is allowed for existing branch circuits, just not new ones.)


Why is Schedule 80 conduit not available at home improvement stores? Perhaps this is common knowledge, but I just found out that standard home improvement stores (HD, LO) do not carry Sch 80 conduit. I was always under impression that they would, and they even list it online, but it seems it is never available and cannot be ordered. That's also what staff at the store kinda confirmed, too (a funny thing was that the plumbing manager at LO thought that the electrical department would have a lot of stock...). They have some adapters and fittings that are SCH80, but no straight runs of conduit.
Does anyone know why that's the case? Seems like a pretty standard item to have. Just curious.

The big home improvement stores have elaborate systems in place to determine what sells in each store and figure out what products will bring the best return with the finite space they have for inventory.
There are lots of products that are very good or necessary that won't get a spot just because they are slow sellers.  Other retailers / wholesalers / distributors are set up to inventory more variety in specific categories.  So a local electrical supply will have things that are not as big of a seller.


Maximize fence post distance for wooden fence? We are putting a new wooden fence around our yard. We would like to run it quite close to an existing mature tree, but putting a post too close to the tree will seriously jeopardize its health. Our landscaper says he will put the posts no more than 6 feet apart due to wind in our area.

I am wondering if there is a technique using metal or steel posts instead of 4x4 wood that would let us get a 12-15 foot segment with metal posts on either side and maybe metal header, footer too.  Is such a thing possible and would it likely work?

Since your landscaper is concerned with wind, I am going to assume you are putting in a privacy fence. In that case, the height could dictate the spacing, if you are willing to put in a lower fence then you could increase post spacing, but 8ft spacing is typical. Also, the lower your fence the less deep the holes would need to be.

Another thing to consider is installation method, if professionals are installing your fence, then they may use an auger to drill the holes, which may damage your tree. However if they are truly professionals, then for the 2 posts closest to the tree, they could use a manual post hole digger, and dig as narrow a hole possible to minimize effect on the tree.

Lastly, if you were to consider another fence type such as a picket fence with narrow pickets, then you could minimize wind loading and increase post spacing.


Room above garage smells I live in Ottawa in 15 year old house. The room above garage smells like wet wool or rubber. I removed the carpet and a foam padding to examine. The padding and plywood smell as described above (rubber and/or wet wool). All other rooms also have the same carpet and padding but do not smell. Room has no sink or toilet. Garage is not heated but isolated with painted drywall as a ceiling. Garage does not smell. Plywood is dry. What can cause this smell? Should i replace the plywood? Any suggestions please.

If the smell remains after you have fully removed the old carpet and padding and you let the air circulate through room and the window by using a box fan or two then you may very well want to consider replacing the plywood as well.

The original problem could be caused by cold moist air rising from the garage into the living space above. It could even have been aggravated to some extent by car exhaust and other oil/paint/chemical usage in the garage by the former owner.

Before you put down new plywood you may want to investigate whether a vapor barrier under the plywood would be a reasonable thing to do. It may very well require a consultation with an expert in your region and such decision would also be dependent upon if there is already a barrier installed such as poly, foil backed insulation or even foil backed drywall on the garage ceiling.


Could this corrosion be caused by faulty ground wiring? What might cause slight corrosion atop a tankless water heater's copper topped element assembly?

I checked all the grounding and reconnected the two element assembly grounding wires and ensured proper tightening. Then, I checked the grounding wire from the tankless unit to my breaker box. I then switched this ground wire from the neutral bar to the grounded bar. There is absolutely no bonding/grounding to a water pipe! I cleaned off all the corrosion.

Could the loose ground wires have caused the corrosion? I began the grounding issue because I discovered a faint pale green stain in one bathroom sink and suspected electrolysis. I have a whole house water processing system installed. I called the manufacturer but, was placed on hold for over 20 minutes. I eventually hung up.

There are any number of things that could cause corrosion:
 - leaks or other water on the corroded surface
 - grounding or some other electrical field
 - ambient corrosive elements in the air (water, overspray from other projects)

I think you did the right thing by checking and fixing your grounds. That might not be the root cause, but it doesn't hurt to have everything properly grounded.

Does your water heater have a sacrificial anode? They can be somewhat tricky to inspect and replace but if its old and used up then corrosion might attack other parts.


If I use (2) 3/4" inlet PEX manifolds (hot/cold), do I need 1" PEX supply from the meter? I am replacing all the plumbing in my house and to the meter.  I will be using PEX.  I have manifolds for hot and cold with 3/4" inlets and 1/2" outlets at the valves.  Do I need to use 1" PEX tubing from the meter and split to (2) 3/4 to the manifolds?  I just want to eliminate pressure drops in the house as much as possible.

There are lots of factors, but the short answer is probably not.

Pressure loss is based upon distance and flow rate. 3/4" pex loses 20 psi per 100 ft at 10 GPM. That's quite a bit of loss, but typical city water pressure is 60-100 psi, and 10 GPM is a high flow rate for typical uses in a house (excluding lawn irrigation). How far is it from the meter to the manifold? From the manifold to fixtures? Are there more than 2 stories in the house? In typical scenarios you'll probably have less than 100 ft from meter to manifold, and maybe 10-40 ft from manifold to fixtures.

Most fixtures have flow limiters, like showers and sinks, or designs that limit flow, like ice makers, dish washers, and toilets. All of those will typically be limited to around 1-4 GPM. The only common appliances that will flow more than that are washing machines and hose bibbs. Even then, the 1/2" tubing running from the manifolds to the individual fixtures will limit flow. 100ft of 1/2" pex has a 40+ psi pressure drop at 6 GPM, limiting wide open flow to around 6-7 GPM. The 100 ft of 3/4" pipe feeding the manifold will only experience an 8 psi pressure drop with that 6 GPM wide open flow on one fixture.

If your manifold is next to your water heater, and there should be less than 10 ft of pipe between the cold manifold and the hot manifold, all 3/4", 8 psi of pressure drop on the cold side will lead to a similar 8-9 psi drop on the hot side, but you'll still have plenty of pressure on both hot and cold sides to feed a shower. So, start with 75 psi city supply, turn on a garden hose, and still have 67 psi cold and 66 psi hot at the manifolds.

Situations that would need larger line from the meter are very long runs, like 500 ft from meter to manifold, very large demand fixtures, like a sprinkler system that doesn't have its own line from the meter, or multiple branches from the main line where friction loss could add up. If you had a large house with 2 water heaters and separate manifolds far apart, a large demand at the first manifold combined with pressure losses getting to the second manifold could justify a larger main line.

There are also online calculators and estimators to size pipe based on fixture units or direct GPM flows if you want to really dive in or you have a unique scenario.


Can someone help me make sense of the wiring for these switches? I'm trying to replace 3 light switches with new ones.  Normally this is straight forward, but when I took the plate off, I was stumped.  (Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician, I'm a recently divorced single woman who can't afford to hire one, and I'm just trying to do whatever I can to spruce up this old heap of a house I just bought.)

The left switch (L) is a single pole switch that used to control a ceiling fan, but now it controls a chandelier.  There seems to be 2 wires connected to each screw on this one (one looped around the screw and one in the quickconnect hole). One of the wires comes off the switch on the right.

The center switch (C) is a 3 pole switch that controls two recessed lights.  This one looks pretty straight forward.

The right switch (R) is a single pole switch that controls two recessed lights.  One of the wires on this switch loops around and then continues on to the L switch, but I'm not sure why.

None of these old switches have a green ground screw. There are no white wires going to any of them.  But when I look back in the box, there are lots of copper and white bundles.  I can't tell where they go.  Are any of these switches grounded?

I was gifted some Levitron 3 way switches and was told that even for the single pole switches, a 3 way can be used with no problem.  I was able to replace C without any issue because it was a 3 way switch already, but it also didn't have multiple wires going to the same screw. But I can't figure out how to make L and R work. Also, the wiring I have seems too thick to use the quick connect holes in these new switches.

This house was built in 82 or 83, I think, but the original owner had some work done (converted garage to a room, then added another garage, etc).  I have no idea if these 3 switches are original.

First off -- using a 3 way to sub for a single pole is probably Code, but not the greatest idea

Electrically speaking, there's nothing wrong with using a 3-way (SPDT) switch to substitute for a standard (SPST) switch provided it's wired correctly (or else it simply won't work at all).  However, it can be quite confusing to folks who are expecting the switch to have ON/OFF labeling.

You are free to use your three-way switches as a substitute for single pole switches.  However, personally, I would play it safe here and get some matching single pole switches to go with your three-way switches to avoid confusion.  (Simply take one of the Leviton three-ways you were gifted to the local electrical supply house and ask them for the matching single pole switch.  Good spec-grade switches are most definitely worth the money, and are only a few bucks more than builder-grade trash that's the cheapest thing on the big-box shelf!)

The copper bundles should be ground, but whoever wired these switches fails at grounding

You'll need to use bare (or green, although bare pigtails are easier to get in some ways) pigtails from the green ground screws on your new switches to the bundle of bare wires in the back in order to ground them as per 404.9(B) of the NEC, as whoever wired the original switches forgot to put them in, and the plastic box that was used clearly doesn't do anything to provide your switches with a ground-fault current path.

Pigtails beat backstabs

Finally, it's better to pigtail multiple wires together to a single wire that goes to a terminal instead of using the backstab terminals, especially on cheap builder-grade switches as builder-grade backstabs are pretty bad at hanging onto wires.  This is doubly necessary in your case, as it appears that the wiring in your box is 12AWG, which the backstabs on your new switches won't accept.

Basically, you want to take the black wire that loops around its terminal on the right switch and goes to the left and wire-nut it with a short length of black wire as well as the other black wire that went to the terminal on the left switch that connected to that wire, and connect the other end of the short length of black wire to the corresponding terminal screw on the new left switch.  Repeat with the two wires that go to the other terminal on the left switch, another length of black wire, and another nut, then connect the other pigtail to the corresponding terminal screw on the new switch.

As to why that one wire was sent to two switches? It's the incoming hot feed for both the left and right switches in the box.

Finally, if you need a supply of wire for pigtails, some THHN/THWN dual rated wire will always work.  (Random wire might not meet Code by way of not being a type of wire found in NEC 310.104.)


Prevent deadbolt from turning? I am a renter, so I cannot change the locks or drill an additional deadbolt. I came across August Smart Lock today (https://www.amazon.com/August-Smart-Lock-Pro-generation/dp/B0765LFNM7), which sits on top of the handle of the existing deadbolt. I don't need (or want) any smart functionality, however, a device to lock the existing deadbolt from being turned with a key would be ideal.

Are there any purpose-built solutions for this? If not, any other contraptions I could build?

Thank you!

I don't think that gadget does that.  It certainly will allow you to override with an actual key.

Anyway, the thing you are looking for is a gadget that secures your door absolutely from the inside so nobody can unlock it.  That is not what a deadbolt does.  Deadbolts are designed to do that and also let people with keys through - that is the entire point of a "key-based" security system.

Now, either you have a seriously misplaced expectation of how door locks are supposed to work... or you have some sort of unique, special security problem that makes keys ineffective.  The answer to the second problem is "Try not to allow that to happen, and fix it immediately when it does."

That means if you lose control of your keys, change the keys ASAP so that the random or hostile person's keys no longer work.

Now you say you have a landlord.  It really sounds like you're trying to homebrew this without getting the landlord involved.  That's a mistake.  First, you have a legal obligation to tell him you lost control of a key.  Second, he is just as interested in the apartment's security as you are, because someone hostile to you is a direct threat to the apartment - the landlord fears kicked out drywall, smashed pipes to cause flooding, stolen appliances -- an angry guy can do a lot of damage to an apartment, way more than your deposit will ever cover. And that's on the landlord! (Well the bully will do it because it's on you legally, but landlords generally assume you'll be uncollectable.)

So get your landlord "in the loop" here.


Efficiency of having 2 heat pumps in my house I have a 2 story house and I want to replace our old window AC. I was initially thinking of replacing it by a single heat pump unit, but in order to get government funding, I would need to get one heat pump per floor.  I calculated that it would cost me around $1000 more to have the 2 units system and I was wondering if it would be worth it in the long run.

So, my question is : will cooling the house in summer and heating it in winter be more energy efficient with a 2 units system?

(currently, my house is heated by electric baseboard heaters and cooled by a 12 000 BTU window AC)

Without the performance curves, it's impossible to say, but in general, equipment is more efficient when it's not operating near either the maximum or minimum load, so yes, it's possible that two units, each operating at 40-70% of their rated capacity, could be more efficient than a single unit operating at >90% of its capacity.

This link is actually about computer power supplies, but it does illustrate how many performance curves look. Realistically, this should serve to illustrate proper sizing so normal operation is near peak efficiency with peak performance matching maximum anticipated load.


I want to install two dimmers on tied neutrals I want to install two dimmers that require neutrals. Currently, the box has 3 neutrals tied together. Could I split them up to use for each dimmer?

Most likely, you would be keeping those neutrals together, and also adding the dimmer neutrals to that group so they are all together.  That would be a configuration one would expect:

neutral from the supply (service panel, consumer unit etc.)
neutral to lamp 1
neutral to lamp 2
neutral to dimmer 1
neutral to dimmer 2

Generally, neutrals stay together.  But not always.  One place they don't is GFCI outlets.


water purifier choices and installation I am tasked by my wife with installing a water purifier underneath my kitchen sink, and I came across this little toy on Amazon, it looks good but the faucet seemed extra to me, 'cause I have one and it's already in place (see the pictures below, it's connected to a heater installed in the under-sink cabinet).

I am wondering, if I can use the existing faucet and its infrastructure such as the pipe, etc, just replace heater with the purifier filter sets. Will it work? It seems a easier job for me than drilling a hole on the counter-top and doing an overhaul.

Sure, so long as you can make the pipe fit a faucet designed for hot water should work just fine with cold water.


Troubleshooting outdoor electrical outlet I bought a new house and noticed the outdoor electrical outlets are not working. I checked the electrical panel and all the switches are on (the outdoor outlets are labelled on the panel and I turned them off, then on without success). The outdoor lights are working. None of my two outdoor electrical outlets has a reset button (is this normal?).

I don't have much knowledge in electricity, is there anything else I can check before calling an electrician?

If there is no GFCI on the outside outlet it likely is chained off of a GFCI outlet inside.  The first thing to look for would be any other outlets inside, probably but not necessarily near where the outside wire enters the building.

There may instead be just a GFCI (without the outlets) somewhere inside.


Strange Light Switch Wiring Question So I am trying to replace an old light switch that has 3 actual switches on it. The top and bottom switch control normal 2-way switches that control one fixture. The middle one is a 3-way switch controlling a fixture. The problem is, the top and bottom switches say they are 3-way on the light switch and the whole thing is wired really strangely.

What I'd like to do is eliminate the 3-way and put in a double toggle normal switch. Any idea how to decipher the current wiring, shown below, and accomplish what I'm looking for? Let me know if you need to see anything else.

Thanks in advance!

Further information is obviously needed here.  Maybe this can help you at least find out what the crap is going on how it is currently wired.  Don't unhook anything yet because it needs to still be working for this.  Here's how I would approach this "discovery phase" of your project.

First the stuff needed:

A tester or meter capable of showing whether a wire is energized or not.  The simplest blinky light on a stick that tells you which christmas bulb has killed your whole string might do the trick, as long as you can be sure the other wires don't interfere with its operation.  If you can probe the metal conductor of each wire without disconnecting anything, then a cheap multimeter would be your best bet.
Something to label each wire with.  Think small flags of masking tape and a pen to write on them - a pen that won't smear. (Important.  Trust.)
Paper or pad to take notes and keep track.  Use pen from above. Or hey, use pencil, get a marker.  You do you, friend.

Steps:

0.  Step zero, Test your test. If you're using a multimeter to probe voltage, make sure your probes are in the correct positions, and your meter is in the correct mode and range (AC, Volts, 200, for example).

Then test known a known live against a known ground, like a 3-conductor outlet's ground conductor.  (For polarized outlet, you can use the larger of the two slots, which is neutral, as ground.)  For sanity's sake, trust me.  Make sure you can get a correct reading of live to the ground reference you'll be using.

If you're using a bulb tester or other non-contact voltage detection, make sure you can independently detect wires when some switches are on.

Only then proceed below, otherwise you might risk zapping the ever living crap experiencing some serious frustration. This way you can be confident your testing is sane, you can trust your ground reference is not live, and you can trust your results.

Actual (non-zero) steps to test the switches :

Identify Live.  With all switches turned fully off, test which wires are energized.
Label as "HOT" all wires which are energized.  Hopefully these are your red ones, but you can't know until you test.  Sometimes the last guy in there didn't even know either, don't assume anything. Especially if your brother fixed it last time.  If they are not simply "both of the black ones" consider finding a highlighter or something else super obvious for those labels.
Turn the first switch to the first position.
Identify with the tester/meter every wire that becomes live.  Test every wire, even if you've gotten it already in a different switch position.
Label each energized wire if you haven't already.  ("A, B, C..." is what I use but it's up to you.  "Donkey, tomato, granite... " is equally valid.)
On the notepad, record for each energized wire: 1) The switch(es) and its position(s) when it is live, and 2) the thing that it turns on (porch light, outlet, etc)
Advance the switch to the next position.  If you're done with the switch, turn it off, turn the next switch to the first non-off position,
Go back to step 4 if you haven't run out of switch positions. If you're done, you're done.
You'll now have a methodically produced set of labeled wires, and a reference sheet for what they power.  Armed with this knowledge you will be able to hook up each one to the live through your new switches.

Except ...

IF: you find that more than one switch energizes a single wire AND/OR the link between two switches is controlled by any of the switch positions (instead of always being live or always being neutral) THEN: well tough cookies! hahaha I'm sorry but those cases are beyond this answer.

Although this answer only applies to a one-to-one mapping of switch positions to wires energized, in other cases you will still already have crucial information to dig further into it.

I hope this helps!  It's my basic method for approaching all kinds of unknown wiring arrangements.

Cheers.


Dealing with tar on old railway sleepers In my garden there is a wall that was been constructed from old wooden railway sleepers.  Several of these seem to be leaking tar which has then coated them, and in warm weather the tar becomes almost liquid and is easily transferred to clothing and skin.

Since I live in rented accommodation my options are obviously limited, but is there any treatment I could apply that would seal in the tar and prevent it from coming off the wood and onto my toddler?

(I have no idea what to tag this as, so please feel free to edit)

It's coal-tar creosote, which is hazardous to your child's health and most likely carcinogenic.

I'd get rid of them completely and replace them with something else.  Wear gloves, yadda, yadda.


20 amp circuit breaker failed to trip I had an electrician install a dedicated  20 amp GFCI duplex outlet and 20 amp circuit breaker (both customer supplied) two years ago. The outlet is directly below the panel box. Just this month, I mistakenly operated a 12 amp vacuum cleaner, a 12.5 amp space heater (on max heat), a 1/2 amp fan (on max speed, an air purifier, and three LED lamps, at the same time, out of that outlet for a few minutes. That’s 26 amps, or 130% of the rated current.

According to Waytek’s Table of “trip time versus percentage of rated current”, it should’ve tripped somewhere between 100 seconds (one min 40 secs) and 1000 seconds (16 mins 40 secs). That’s too big a range for me. And the chart was too hard to interpret for me. In any case, it did not trip. How long should it have taken before tripping?

Infinite time.

Your 12 amp vacuum cleaner is probably labeled according to the maximum current it can draw (to be sure, look at its electrical specifications rather than the big marketing label some manufacturers put on the front to make the vacuum sound powerful).  It is unlikely that it was actually drawing 12 amps at that particular time.  If it was drawing say 8 amps, maybe the total load was closer to 22-23 amps.

If the total load was about 10-15% over the circuit breaker rating, it is expected that it would not trip.  Circuit breakers are rated for the current they will definitely allow for an unlimited period, and there is some tolerance on top of that depending on the ambient temperature (the hotter the breaker is, the lower the tolerance above labeled current will be).  We can assume the ambient temperature was less than 20C since you were using the space heater, and this gives roughly a 5% "bonus" to the current before the breaker trips.

If for some reason you want to make sure 22 amps cannot be drawn on that circuit, you should probably install a 15 amp circuit breaker instead.  But since this is recent work done by an electrician and the outlet is near the breaker, it's unlikely a cause for concern.  But do make sure the power strip plugged into the outlet is rated for 20 amps as well (or that you are using two separate strips with their own 15 amp breakers).


Wood filler or glue for small fracture after nailing? I stupidly neglected to pre-drill a hole before nailing into a thin bit of wood, causing a small (hairline, inch each way) split.

I believe it needs only a cosmetic repair - and it would be hard to clamp, putting me off expanding glues.

The nail needs to stay in place, but not be glued in place.

Should I use filler, or glue?

If the nail is holding this thin piece in place I would use wood glue over filler, filler may not hold the split together where wood glue would.


Protecting CSST Through Studs - Are there no off-the-shelf solutions? I am having a hard time meeting the protection requirements outlined in the manufacturer's specifications. I'm installing HomeFlex CSST in California - California's plumbing code defers to the manufacturer for most of the installation requirements for CSST.

HomeFlex requires that horizontal runs through studs have 5" of protection on either side of each stud through which it passes (when it is within 2" of the edge, inevitable when dealing with 2x4s). However, HomeFlex does not provide a branded product to accomplish this (which is generally preferred, as mixing/matching brands in the same CSST install is usually a show-stopper for inspections), and I am unable to find anything of sufficient dimensions @ 16 gauge hardened steel that meet the requirements for protecting CSST.

At this point, the only 2 options I can see to meet the requirements established by HomeFlex, are to either fabricate my own striker plates or to find the odd-sized 1-1/4" steel pipe that is noted as an acceptable alternative, and cut it to 11-1/2" lengths (5" + 1-1/2" + 5"). Are these really my only options (other than ripping it out and using black pipe)? What are others doing to address this requirement?

Here's the relevant part of the documentation (full doc is here):

Update: I have found some products on the horizon from other CSST manufacturers (namely Gastite), however these, made by any brand, do not appear to be yet available for sale from anywhere:

The manufacturer's installation manual describes the plate that can be used, and even includes the part number.

Which is available at Home Depot, and Amazon.

It also says in the Protection section of the document "For tubing routed horizontally between studs, striker plates should be installed at each stud, and Flexible Protective Conduit, or other approved conduit, should be installed across the entire length of the run." (see point 4 below), and "schedule 40 steel pipe has been found acceptable by CSA International for puncture protection.". So you could always use schedule 40 steel pipe to protect the pipe. Just cut the pipe in 12" sections, and install the tubing in the pipe where it passes through studs.


Can I just add air to an air-over-water pressure tank? We have an older well system in a house that we purchased this summer.  The information that I have found on the web assumes that there are some valves in the system that I don't have, for instance allowing me to drain the tank or bypass the water softener.

There are a couple of other valves I left out, but they are not helpful, they just allow you to shut things off before or after a component so I left them off the diagram.

The pressure switch is set at 40/80 psi and the pressure tank is probably 75% full of water based on the line of condensation on the outside of the tank.

The directions I have found talk about draining the system, then pressurizing it to 25psi, then turning on the pump and flushing the system at a point before the water softener.  I cannot do that since I don't have any points to drain from and I cannot get any water out to the system before it hits the house or an outside irrigation hose bib.

My plan is to turn off the pump, attach air compressor and open a faucet, so that I can basically replace water in the tank with air and stop when the tank is 30% full at 40psi.   Then I would turn the pump back on and hopefully be good to go.

This is the way it feel like the system is intended to work, is that the case?   Or is there a better technique that I should be using?

Edit #1: In response to the comments I don't think that I have an X-Y problem here, clearly I have a waterlogged pressure tank and I am trying to fix that in order to reduce the rate my well pump is cycling at.  I know the what, I am uncertain of the how in the case of my older system.

@jsotola I don't want to sound pedantic, but I'll explain it for anyone else who might have similar questions.  The purpose of the pressure tank is to smooth out the operation of the well pump, so pump will compress the air in the tank up to 80 psi and then when you open the tap the air pressure is what actually pushed the water out or the pipe.  Then when the pressure drops to 40psi the pump will turn back on to repressurize the tank back up to 80 psi.  If we have 1 gallon of air at 40 psi, then at 80 psi that same air will only take up .57 gallons, so in the case of my 40 gallon tank having 25% air at 40psi means that the tank will only store 5-6 gallons of water.  If I start at 70% air then the tank would store 16 gallons of water and the pump would cycle significantly less.

The reason I was suggesting 70% was that I did not know if the pressure switch had to stay submerged.

Edit #2:  Here is a picture of the tank in question.  It is one of the old ones with no membrane.

Edit #3:  I’ll start with the embarrassing news, when I got into this process I realized that there was a hose bib mounted right next to the ball valve. It was covered in black goo and blended in with the permanganate container, but this made flushing the tank more practical.

Before that I had been filling the tank via the Schrader valve and it was making progress. But then I noticed the valve I had missed before.  So I, just drained the whole tank at that point.

I pressurized it to 37psi then turned the pump back on, everything filled up nicely. I then opened up the valve and flushed the system for a while.

This is a graph of the pump activity before and after the process:

The pump is cycling much more infrequently. I guesstimate that I am losing about 20 gallons of water an hour, so that is my next issue to resolve.

If you have a fitting you can connect a compressor to, you don't even need to turn the pump off - pressure from the compressor should keep the pump from turning on.

I'd strongly suggest, when funds and time permit, some replumbing to put in valves you lack and considering a bladder-type tank, but for cheap and quick, if somewhat of a hassle, just draw down water until you get near 40 (but not so near as to turn the pump on) and pump up to 80 with the compressor, repeat as needed or until you have the water level you want for now. You will be repeating, given a non-bladder tank and evidently no or malfunctioning (common) venturi (aka micronizer?) valve to automatically add air. So if you don't plan on changing the tank, plan on making it easy to connect the compressor. I'd use a quick-connect coupling. Do make sure the compressor you use for this is "oil-free" - your drinking water supply could get nasty with an oiled compressor adding air (and just a bit of compressor oil) to it.

The pressure switch does not need to be submerged, by the way. It senses pressure, and does not care (or know) if it's sensing air pressure or water pressure. The "standard drill" for bladder tanks is 3 psi below the cut-in pressure when empty, i.e. 37 PSI in your case (however, it's not a bladder tank). But given no place to flush from (other than shut all water uses off, pump to shutoff, then flush from outside hose connection, which will help with the tank debris, but not anything in the pipes to the softener) and no basic filter ahead of the softener, adding air without fully draining is probably safer, since it will stir up less debris.


Subfeed Lugs for GE Powermark Plus Loadcenter Do plug-in subfeed lugs exist that are rated for use with a GE Powermark Plus loadcenter? I have a circa 1980s TM2020R Mod 1 loadcenter that is fully populated with THQP breakers and was planning on adding an adjacent loadcenter for additional space. I was hoping to use THLK2200 subfeed lugs to feed that panel, but documentation states that the THLK2200 can only be used with Powermark Gold loadcenters.

If subfeed lugs are not an option, are the expensive/hard to find TQDL/THQDL breakers my only options for a >125A feeder to a subpanel?

Thanks!

Paralleling subfeed lug blocks is an option...

While the THLK2200 indeed is only supported by PowerMark Gold loadcenters, there is nothing that prohibits one from putting subfeed lug blocks (as opposed to actual breakers) in parallel, provided they support attaching large enough wires (1/0 or larger), and the attached wiring obeys the NEC rules for parallel conductors, namely that the wires must all be the same length, use the same kind of wire, and be derated appropriately if they're in the same conduit.  This lets us use a pair of THLK2125s to get 200A total out of this panel, despite the lack of a single 200A subfeed lug block that'll do the job.

Furthermore, one can also use subfeed lug blocks to backfeed a panel provided they are held down with the appropriate retainer kits, just as one would do with a backfed main or generator breaker.  This allows us to come up with a way to handle the length-matching issue without undue difficulty, given that your panel does not have any global restrictions on stab ampacity given on its label.

Of course, you'll need neutral lugs to match, and for this, we'll use a 286A8894G1 add-on neutral lug kit, mounted to the left-hand inboard neutral lug position at the top (the "tab" there), along with the existing 2/0 lug at the right-hand inboard position.  The two subfeed lug blocks, then displace the existing breakers at the top of the existing panel, going across (these breakers will have to move no matter what, since your panel only permits T(H)QDL breakers to be fitted in the top four full-width spaces).

As to the feeder itself...

For the feeder, we can easily get 6 1/0 Al (or even 2/0 Al if you want some extra safety margin in case something comes undone) XHHW-2 wires in a 2" rigid nipple fitted between the two loadcenters, coming out the bottom of one side of the existing panel and going into the bottom of the adjacent side of the new panel.  You'll want to order a single length of XHHW-2 Al wire for this and cut and tape it yourself (black, red, white is fine) so that you can ensure that you have equal lengths of wire and that everything is correctly phase taped so you don't accidentally short something out by way of mixing your wires up.  The conduit nipple, then, serves as the grounding path between the two enclosures; you'll need to make sure that the locknuts are made up tightly for this, and that any paint on the insides of the boxes around the locknut contact areas is removed.

...and the choice of loadcenter

We already know that we'll need a 200A or 225A NEMA 3R (outdoor/weatherproof), main lug loadcenter for this new panel.  The only question left, then, is a matter of spaces, and for that you'll want to go as big as you can get.  If you're sticking with GE, this means using a TLM4020RCU or perhaps a TLM4225RCU; however, this limits you to 42 spaces, with no way to migrate breakers from the old loadcenter to the new since neither of those panels can accept half-width (double-stuff, THQP) breakers.

With these panels, you'll want to leave them configured as main lug, but leave the normal main lugs unused. Instead, you'll want to fit another pair of THLK2125s in the topmost set of spaces, going across, held down by a THQLRK4 backfeed retainer kit (one retainer kit holds down both subfeed lug blocks).

The incoming feeder neutrals, then, land on both neutral lugs in the new panel, one per lug, and a TGK42 ground bar will need to be fitted to the new panel as it's a subpanel.  You'll also need to be careful when wiring up the new panel to make sure that both wires connected to the A leg in the first panel connect to the A leg in the second panel, and likewise with the B leg, lest you create a 240V short that the main breaker in your existing panel will tell you about with no shortage of urgency when you try to turn the power back on!

If you don't want to go through this hassle, though...

If you find the above process to be too much of a hassle, though, there is a way to get a 200A breaker for your panel, it just takes a bit of cleverness and understanding of corporate parentage.  You see, GE has a subsidiary known as Midwest Electric that makes RV pedestals, metering equipment, and such; what's not as commonly known is that this equipment uses GE breakers, despite the fact that they have their own breaker part numbers.  So, as far as I can tell, the Midwest CB2200B should be equivalent to a TQDL21200, and somewhat more available as well (KSCdirect has the former for about $300 at the time of this writing).

With this, we can use the same 2" nipple to the new panel, but a somewhat more conventional feeder consisting of two 250kcmil Al hots, run from the lugs on the new feeder breaker to the main lugs on the new panel and a pair of 1/0 or 2/0 Al neutrals, run from the top set of neutral lugs (with a 286A8894G1 fitted to the inner left-hand neutral lug mounting position, again) on the existing panel to the neutral lugs on the new panel.  In this case, phase taping isn't critical, but it's still important to make the paralleled neutrals the same length!  (Your panel apparently can't accept the larger neutral add-a-lugs for some reason, based on its labeling, and I can't find any instructions that say otherwise.)


Removing Price Pfister widespread bath sink outlet Model WL8-5 (mfg 2005) I'm replacing a Price Pfister widespread faucet. I have removed the handles, but cannot figure out how to remove the center outlet. A tag on the hot valve says the model is WL8-50??. The last two characters are smudged but resemble 03, 08, 0P, 93, etc.
There is a brass t-connector/mixer connected to the center piece, and there are two hex shaped items: one on the bottom of the t-connector and one next to the sink surface (see photos).
I haven't seen any set screws, but undersink is a tight fit for me.
How do I get this thing out!

That whole tee piece needs to come off, then there is a hex shaped nut under it that holds the spout assembly to the sink. It's often a 2-person job because the force needed to remove the tee piece and nut after its been on there so long can cause the spout itself to turn.
So... someone needs to hold the spout up top while another removes the plug (which looks like it has been wrenched on and drilled into) then the tee piece. Then the nut needs to be removed. It's a tough jog and a variety of tools (Channellocks, pipe wrench, hammer to tap with, plumber's sockets, etc.) are helpful. Also helpful would be to soak it with penetrating oil first. I will warn you that it would not be uncommon if destructive means were necessary...


Is it possible to silver braze steel parts printed by a 3D printer? Is it possible to silver braze steel parts printed by 3D printer?

If yes, are there some special procedures to be taken, or different materials to be used as filler or flux?

I think because bronze is added into the part matrix, it will be more braze/solder-able than stainless steel alone.  It should also lower the temp solder needed to get a good bond.

The trick will be to get the part hot enough to flow the solder without deforming the sintered matrix

I would use the slightly hotter MAPP gas (over propane) for the lower temp silvers.  If you need the harder silver, you may have to step up to acetylene-air. here's a typical light brazing setup (minus the gas bottle, of course.  That's a local ).  After that, propane-oxygen and then Acetylene-ox

There are a range of silver solders with different melting termeratures.  In general, the higher temps are stronger.  The fluxes are matched to the solder.  There are silvers with the flux bonded to the outside.

Silver solder pastes (several pastes) with the flux mixed in are nice to "reflow" solder with.  You assembly the joint with a minimum of paste, heat until it reflows(melts).

Stick and wire solder involves fluxing the parts, heating until the flux flows and the (usually water) liquid boils off.  Solder is immediatiatly added  with heat applied until the solder flows and wicks around the parts.  Immediately remove heat and let cool without disturbing the joint.  Applying the solder too soon will result in a lumpy "cold" joint with little strength.  Practice on scrap first.

Cleaning of the joint is usually done with mildly acidic sulfpheric solution or pickling solution

Eye Goggles, gloves, ventilation (flux smoke) and a small bottle of co2 fire extinguisher would be advisable.

None of the product references constitute an endorsement, they are listed to show a "typical".


Which are the hot wires and is there a ground present in my recessed light? This light fixture was capped and has two white lines pigged tailed together with a single orange line wrapped around, two orange lines pigged tailed together, two yellow lines pigged tailed together.  There are recessed lighting adjacent to this fixture and the switch box contains a separate switch for the recessed lighting and one for this ceiling fixture.
The fixture that we plan to attach has traditional white, black, and ground.
There does not appear to be a ground wire in the ceiling fixture.
How do I determine what the "hot" line is that I would connect to the black line of the new fixture?

It looks like a metal box, with yellow and orange wires it is probably a commercial installation using conduit and the box is the ground in that case.
Commercial or building requiring conduit because of the location the colored wires are the hots. White and gray are neutral, green is for ground and every other color is for hot.
A condo above 3 stories and some single family homes in locations like Chicago require wiring in conduit.
You will need to identify the color that is switched it may be the orange twisted around the white, I would verify at the switch.
If the orange is on a switch put the black on the orange and white with white. The fixture can be grounded by adding a screw to the mounting plate or box by adding a machine screw (grounding screws are supposed to be green and are usually 10-32 on the box I have seen 8-32 and 6-32 on the mounting ring these are usually shipped with those screws in them.


Backup sump pump discharge too big After living in a house for a year, I noticed my backup sump pump discharge pipe is 1 1/2", but then changes to 2" before it goes outside.  It changes to 2" about 2/3 up the vertical section.  The pump runs OK when tested but I'm worried in case of a real emergency that it'll burn out quick.

Am I being paranoid?  Has anyone seen a battery backup pump with a 2" discharge?

I fail to see a problem here. Increasing the discharge pipe diameter does not increase the load on the pump. Unless you have a pump manual that specifically forbids this (which seems very unlikely) relax and stop worrying about it - or worry about the battery running out, which is far more likely to be a problem in any extended power outage.

If you have such an unlikely manual, replace the pipe that offends you/it.


How can I color/style match concrete patch to old sidewalk? See image As you can see, I attempted patching an old spalling concrete sidewalk with premix concrete patching product. I was very disappointed with the results. The color isn't remotely close to the existing sidewalk and it did not trowel out as smooth as I'd hoped. My question is first, how should I remove the failed patch attempt? And how can I get a better match to the existing?

It doesn't have to be perfect. I thought about mixing actual concrete, patching, and then pushing in sand and pea gravel at the top to try to replicate the texture and color. Would that work?

Your repair will never match... perfectly.

Your first question: How to remove the bad repair? It will be difficult and you won’t be able to remove it all. I’d start with a chisel and try a grinder when it is low enough that the marks can be covered during the repair.

I’d consider cutting that entire section out and replacing it with a new pour...especially if the walk is in an important location, like a front walk.

Second question: How to repair? I’ve seen concrete repair by “old-timers” who take great pride in matching color and texture. However, they don’t match it perfectly.

If you want to try, I’d: 1) find a place to experiment so you can pour 8-9 small samples until you get it acceptable, (you’ll need to wait until it dries...28 days between samples,) 2) use concrete coloring and mix it into your mix, 3) find a sufficient amount of rocks that match in size, color, etc.

You will need to hand place the rocks to the same spacing, depth, etc. as the existing.

It’s more “art” than production. It takes a lot of time and patience.


Convert SE panel from two 100 amp breakers to a single 200 amp breaker I'm installing a 200 amp automatic transfer switch but my main service entrance is a combo meter box that breaks out into two 100 amp since there are two subpanels downstream. I'm thinking of combining the hots from both of these breakers using a couple of Morris Products 97643 Multi-Cable Connectors to feed the ATS.

After the ATS I will go back to a dual 100 amp panel to feed the existing subpanels. I'm wondering if there is a better way other than upgrading the combo meter box?
Here is an image of the main combo panel:

No, you definitely can't do that with this meter-main!  You have several choices.
Put only one panel on the ATS
This is the normal approach to this problem.  You pick one panel and make it the ATS-operated panel. Any critical loads in the other panel, you reroute them.
You can also put the other panel on a MTS (manually operated interlock) and those are $100-ish for most panels.
Two ATS's, one for each panel
This is also allowed though at higher cost and complexity, of course.
An ATS that stacks under the electric meter.
Some ATS's have a funny plate that fits between the meter pan and the meter, thus switching the entire service.  That type of ATS will work very well in this instance.
Replace the meter-main with something appropriate
Into the trash goes both the meter and the dual main breaker apparatus. Then you fit a meter-main designed to support an ATS, or a plain meter feeding the ATS which then feeds a 200A panel which has the two 100A breakers in it.


Natural gas line sizing with generator addition I am looking at installing a standby generator that uses ~320cfh of natural gas.  My utility company said I will have to have a bigger meter installed as I already have ~250cfh of potential usage with everything else on.

It's a little unclear to me as to whether I'll need a new pipe run from the curb stop to the house.  It measures about 1.6 inches OD, with the meter about 50 feet from the road, and has 1/4 psi inlet pressure.  Looks to be made of HDPE or something similar.  I see some conflicting information online regarding this but I think I'm in the clear.  Thoughts?  Are there standards for this type of pipe to let me know what the ID likely is?

Natural gas is conveniently 1000 btus per hour per cubic foot per hour so 320 cfh =320 mbtu/h. Your gas line with a 1.6" outside diameter is an 1-1/4" I.D. pipe. At 50' it will be capable of delivering 561 mbtu/h or 561cf/h

Here's a reference

Perfection pipe calculator

This chart is rated with a 6" water column and your 1/4 psi is 7" water column so 561 is slightly underrated from what you'll actually be getting.

Edit

It seems the chart you're looking at is using a derated figure for natural gas' calorific value.

From the link provided

From a google search

Most charts I've ever seen use the calorific value from the google sherch pictured above.

I can only guess that that from your link they are going with the lowest quality refined gas available. I'm going to read the whole link later because I'm curious. It may be for "wet gas" but they are got rid of that stuff in the 70's through better refining processes.


Is this gap at the base of my wall allowing water to enter? My apartment is at the ground floor of a 4-floor building. Between the walls of the building and the ground, there is empty space:

It is sufficiently wide to insert a palm, and from the outside, it seems quite deep.

I did not think that it is problematic, but in the last winter, there was humidity and mould on the inner walls near the floor, and I thought that maybe the cause is that rain-water go below the building, and then sift up into the walls.

What can I about this?

That's not the wall, exactly, but the stucco finish on the wall. I think I see the brick or block sub-structure behind it.

If that's the case, the stucco is not supposed to go into the ground. It's an above-grade finish, like most siding would be. Drainage away from the building is handled by proper grading (slope, surface material) and rain gutters, among other things.

Since this is apparently a rental, and since filling that gap probably won't solve the issue, you need to bring it up to the property owner. If they won't address the problem, investigate your legal recourse or consider finding alternative habitation.


How to unswitch a junction box so it is always on? I have a single switch that controls two outdoor lights:

Lamp by my front door.
Lamp by my garage door.

I’d like to have #2 always be on so I can install a motion controlled flood light while keeping #1 controlled by the switch. How can I go about this? Thanks!

To answer your specific question requires you remove the cover plate from the switch, take a photo of the wiring, and post it here.

If your wiring is unfavorable, consider a wireless switch.  Newer versions of these use the kinetic energy of flipping the switch to power the switch, so no batteries and no restrictions on placement.

You could also put the "switch controlled" light on a timer, so it goes off automatically after a few minutes.  This lets you use the switch as originally desired, and also gives you a chance to control the motion light (many of which take a quick flip of the switch to mean 'stay on forever').

In general for anyone wiring an outdoor switch and light, strongly consider running 12/3 or 14/3 wire, even if the light is supposed to be switched.  This means running an extra "hot" wire for future use.


Suggestion to "Networkify" a dumb USB Security Camera Some background:

I live in a small condo complex where we're having an issue with our collective back yard getting an unsightly amount of uncollected dog turds. The HOA board decided to put up a camera to help catch the "pooper-no-scoopers". One of the members went out and got a camera that's USB powered & stores its video on a 32gb micro SD card. (THIS) and I installed it for them as a favour.

Where we're at now:

It's been a few days and turns out, it is a significant chore to manually plug it in to computer and check it every day. Basically, someone has to unplug the camera from the USB-wall-plug adapter and stick it into his laptop, grab the files, and plug it back in to power.

Extra hassle since it only retains about 8 hours' worth of video.

Where we want to be:

I'm thinking we can potentially put something between the power and the camera to let it act like a network drive, potentially allowing us to access it from the internet (password protected of course). I'd like to just hook it in to the wifi of the unit that's powering the camera itself.

Would like some suggestions of maybe a device that could do this, bonus points if it could survive being on a (covered) patio?

(And before anyone asks/lectures, we have signs up already informing the general public that CCTV is in use :) ).

As I understand there is an USB option on the camera. The easiest solution I can think of is connecting it on a raspberry pi which you can connect to you wireless network and retrieve the data daily.

You can check out this totorial https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-webcam-server/ where they are doing the stuff you want to achieve.


Is there such thing as a 4-way dimmer? I have a 4-way switch I want to replace with a dimmer. I understand I can put the dimmer at one of the other 3-way switches, but they're more out of the way.  Does such a device exist? If not, what are my other options?

I've used Smart Home's Insteon switches to do this.  The switches are a bit pricey, but work well.  You don't need to rewire the entire house, just replace individual switches as you need to.  One of the additional benefits is that you don't need to constrain yourself to how the original switches were wired up.  If you want to control a particular light that wasn't originally wired up as a three-way, its easy to do.  One thing that I did was add control of the outside lights to a tabletop controller next to my bed.  That way I can turn on the spotlights without going downstairs.


2-part door for raised patio (horizontal and vertical) with tiles possible? I have a patio that is raised on meter off the ground. On a side of it there are stairs that lead to a storage room. I would like to build a door for this opening from two parts

a 1-meter high horizontal door that swings to the left (as you look
down the stairs)
a vertical door that is level with the existing         tiles made
(out of metal probably)

The horizontal door will have a locking mechanism and it will have a lip that holds the vertical door closed: if you close the vertical one first and then close and lock the horizontal one, it will hold them both securely closed. Until you open the horizontal door the vertical one cannot be raised.

Questions:

Having a metal surface, can i put tiles on the vertical door so it
will look like the rest of the patio door ? If yes, can you point me
in the right direction with a product type or name?
Is there a kind of hinge i can put on the bottom of the vertical door
so it is not visible from above?
are there any good reasons I should not do this?

Having tiles on the metal doors would increase it's weight a lot, but I can build a counter-weight inside the stairs area that would be almost the same weight as the door, requiring very little effort to raise it.

I thought about building the vertical door with a few U-shaped arms on the side it will connect with the floor. A leg of the U will be welded to the metal door and the other one to a hinge connected to the ceiling of the stairs. When swinging the door up the U will be on a side, allowing the door to move while hiding the patio floor (less things to trip is always a good thing, right? and it would look a lot better)

(Please forgive my english, I probably used a few wrong names for things, it is not my first language and I used google translate to find a few words related to constructions)

Thank you kindly for your time and any advice

Edit 1:
I found this image while searching for U-shaped hinges to add as an example. Another option would be to have the two pieces welded together and make the door swing up like this suitcase (the left part of the image: the part that swings up would be the door) but I'm even more worried about the total weight of the door.

Edit2:
Added sketch for the ideal door, seen from the side, in the closed an opened state. The blue arm would be inside the stairwell

black - door with arm
red - hinge
blue - counter-weight arm
yellow -  counter-weight

Your idea is possible. It will take as you may know already, a custom metal fabricator who is certified, to build to insure all welds will hold up under the weight of the assembly, since it will weigh hundreds of pounds. Using aluminum to make the base, sealed bearings in proper housings for the pivots. Counterbalance filled with lead to ease its operation, and solution to help lower the door in place to keep it from slamming down, like a gas filled piston and rod, like a shock absorber. an aluminum mesh, spot welded in many places to give a way for the tile to bond to the plate that makes the face of the door, with a perimeter angle to dress up the edge so you do not see all the layers at the edge of the door. With all this done, it will need to be powder coated to keep the contact with cement based products separated, so it will not corrode. Your biggest problem will be with your counter balance. When the door raises, it will drop in front of the door. It may be better to use springs or electric lift mechanism, or hydraulics. I made a small sketch to see how it acts together with a counterbalance.

This is by no means a complete sketch, it is missing reinforcements, the hinge pivot is off,etc. Just a picture study on feasibility.

In my opinion a lift system like that is on the rear gates of SUV's is a good way to go, although, should one of them fail....


Looking for a volume control valve for an under the sink water purifier Since I am into plumbing these days I would like to fix one problem that has been pestering us for quite a while now. I installed an under the sing water purifier (This Guy,  RainFresh SST Mode). The water is coming out way too fast, some times splashing over the counter if you fully open the tap (it has its own tap)
Is there any way to control the volume  for this thing ?(I guess this is the problem)  Opening the tap more or less seems to do the thing but you need to pay attention and the pressure is just to much and you can't always get it right so the water splashes all over the place.
Here is the diagram, the only difference in my case is that I have a shutoff valve on the 1/2" pipe and then right on top of it I have a 5/8x3/8x5/8 compression tee that branches out the 3/8 line for the water purifier and also goes to the regular cold water tap using a hose
So I guess I need something that can be either attached inline to the 3/8 pipe that feeds the purifier or replace the T with one that has a turn off valve on the 3/8 line, I just can't find the part

Add a 1/4 turn valve on the line to the filter and just  keep it partially closed.  You can use a push to connect valve.
Bonus: You can close that valve to change the filter without shutting down water to the other fixture.

Photo from Mosquitomax.com


grounding outlets and old wiring Background:
I recently moved into a house in the western US built in the late 1950's. Most of the receptacles are two prong and don't have any ground wire running to them. I would like to have three-prong outlets so that I can plug in modern appliances and devices and so that things are as safe as possible.
From what I've read, including here, some of my options are put circuits on GFCI's and labeling them "no equipment ground" (either a GFCI receptacle at the beginning of a circuit, or use a GFCI breaker), run a separate ground wire to the receptacles, or pull a new wire to all the receptacles.
As I understand it the GFCI option is just as safe as having an earth ground except for two issues: 1) surge protectors (or surge protection inside grounded equipment) can't function without the ground, and 2) I may be hunting around to reset GFCI receptacles more than in a house with fewer GFCIs.
Edit: The service and main panel have been updated relatively recently (I don't know exactly when, but I'm fairly certain within the last 20 years) with 200A service and modern looking GE main panel.
Plan
I'm thinking of putting most outlets in the house on GFCI circuits and running new (grounded) wiring to a few outlets where there will be electronics with surge protectors or three-prong cords.
This is a picture of the panel. There's a service panel outside that feeds this panel (with a 150 A breaker I believe) and directly feeds the outside AC compressor.

Questions:

Does this seem like a bad idea? Reasons are to avoid tearing up too many walls/ceilings and/or the cost of lots of electrician time if it comes to that.
One electrician I talked to recommended pulling all new wire, not just because that's more time for his guys but "because your house is due for a rewire anyway" (this was over the phone, he hadn't seen it, just based on the age of the house). I understand the original wiring could be brittle/not the greatest (it's cloth-covered NM as far as I know), but does that sound right? I can't say I've heard "due for a rewire" before like it's a scheduled maintenance issue.

Your plan is solid and well thought out in my opinion.
The one thing that may give you problems with GFCI receptacles is wire fill and box size. GFCI receptacles are big and sometimes a real bugger to get in some locations just be aware of this but I prefer GFCI’s locally even when they are tight.
You don’t have to pull a ground for every circuit back to the service panel you can run 1 ground from the panel to a central location and splice other grounds from there to your receptacles, this method is allowed as long as the circuits all come from the same panel. This is a fairly new change and makes running new grounds much easier.
Replacing the wire is it needed? I have worked on much older homes that the old cloth was in surprisingly good shape, where we run into issues many times is the service panel or lack of a modern panel.
There are some panels I will only remove there are a couple of brands like FPE stablock (federal pacific) another brand Zinsco if in good shape I recommend replacement but will still work on these. Anything with screw in fuses I recommend upgrading to a modern panel and other panels that the companies went out of business and we cannot get GFCI or AFCI breakers.
So if your wiring is in good condition is it required to be replaced? The answer is no knob and tube wiring is still allowed but if you can afford it it can be just as easy in many cases to pull new wire compared to just a ground wire.
If the wiring is in poor shape electricians have ways of working with it but trying to keep from pulling new wire thinking that will save $ cost more in time.
If you can find a electrician that is good with replacing old wiring you may find only small patches are need at mid wall or that’s what I do to minimize the patching and that may be needed to bring the grounds to the circuits with surge protection.
If you can post clear photos of your service panel we can advise you on that also.


Any reason *not* to put electric oven on GFCI breaker? I want to tap my electric oven's existing circuit to add a NEMA 6-15 outlet in my kitchen for a 240v kettle (the oven is rated at 21 amps and the breaker is 40 amps, so I think I should be OK adding my 12amp kettle.)
My understanding is that since it is 240v, I'm not required to have GFCI protection on that outlet but since it is a) in a kitchen, b 24" from my sink c) I'm plugging a kettle full of water into it, I'd feel a lot safer, especially at that voltage, if it was on a GFCI. As far as I know, my only option at 240v is a GFCI breaker rather than at the receptacle.
So, is there any downside (other than cost) to just swapping the whole 40 amp breaker for a GFCI breaker and running my electric oven on a GFCI all the time?
EDIT: to clarify, here's what I'm picturing and my current breaker box. The first electrician I talked to already pointed out the oven's current breaker is mis-matched and should be replaced with GE breaker. He said he could do it, but said something like "you sure you want to run the stove [oven] on the GFI?" which made me wonder if there was some downside to that?

Can't put a 15/20A recep on a 40A breaker
Any device in there would have, effectively, no circuit breaker protection at all.  Because the 40A breaker would be so far above likely practical short-out currents that it would not notice if the appliance burst into flame.  Rulewise:

210.21(b)(3) says on a 40A circuit, only 40A or 50A receps can be used.  (because NEMA never defined a standard for a 40A recep). It also says 15A receps can only be used on 15A and 20A circuits.

Next, 210.21(B)(2) says the recep loads can't exceed 80% of circuit ampacity.

Another rule says you can't have any receptacles at all on a circuit with hardwired loads making up more than 50% of breaker capacity.

Wait. Isn't the GFCI a circuit breaker too?
Nope. Actually the very opposite: 15A GFCIs are designed by the factory to safely allow 20 amps of passthrough - that's a UL requirement because 15A receps are allowed on 20A circuits.  So in reality, the GFCI has no idea what current is coming through it (only current difference) and will carry an overload right up until the point it bursts into flame.  GFCIs (and breakers for that matter) are not magic everything-fixers.
Your best bet is probably run a new kitchen circuit
One option is a multi-wire branch circuit. (MWBC).   That is a cable with 2 hots and a shared neutral.  I see at least 2 red wires in that panel, so it's possible you already have a kitchen MWBC, that would be neat because you could just convert it. But troublingly, it does not have handle-tied breakers.  On a GE panel, even that is not enough; any MWBC must use a 2-pole breaker!  (part of the reason for handle-ties is that forces the breakers onto opposite poles, an essential MWBC requirement; but that doesn't work in GE's half-width breaker design.  Only a 2-pole breaker is keyed/notched to only fit where it belongs.)
With the MWBC, you can put both 120V and 240V sockets on it.  One company even makes a combo 120/240V socket - one of each on a common-shaped duplex receptacle!
So if there isn't a kitchen MWBC, you could run one.  That will give you both additional 120V outlets and also 240V outlet(s).  This MWBC could replace your existing kitchen circuits if they are 20A breakered.
As far as GFCI, I don't see a sink nearby.  Unless the latest Code requires it, you may be able to dodge the GFCI requirement.  If you must go GFCI, it must be at the breaker. Definitely do the MWBC and definitely go 20A with multiple recep sockets, since you're sinking a lot of coin into that, so might as well get maximum bang for the buck.
That panel has serious issues
Somehow the panel's dead-front has disappeared.  I don't understand how that's possible, but what should not be possible is for curious fingers to touch any of the panel guts... or for that matter, for an arcing fire inside the panel to get out of the panel through gaping holes in the front cover.
I would talk to a GE dealer about getting the correct dead-front for that panel.  If that is not feasible, that panel is *grossly under-sized) for a house, so maybe it's time to replace it with a 40-space panel.


What size of posts do I need for an 8' by 10' woodshed? I need to build a simple fire wood storage shed with roof, size of shed 8 x 10 ft.. I will use some concrete blocks for footing, and 2x8 for framing. My question is what size of posts I should consider for such shed, 4x4 or 6x6?

Either will work. They'll both hold up a conventional roof of that size without issue. Your concern is more a matter of diagonal bracing, especially if the posts won't be in the ground.


Asbestos cleaning and removing Situation is a sticky one for sure. My father did renovation downstairs all on his own because he is a big money saver. He decided that it would be a great idea to completely remove all the old 12x12 floor tiles with a scraper, underneath is a black mastic that is flat and not sticky. He hasn't covered over the mastic yet. He also decided to remove all of the ceiling tiles as well. This renovation happened 4 or 5 months ago (I was never there during any of the renovation). I confronted him about the mess he could have potentially done and he smiled and said he was 60 years old anyways and he isn't really too concerned about it. However, I am concerned because I stayed there for a few weeks this last month, while visiting him and brought all my clothes and bedding over and even used his washer/dryer. My questions are these. 1. Assuming the floor tile and black mastic have asbestos would they be friable? 2. Assuming the ceiling tile had asbestos would that be friable? 3. I've been exposed by staying there several weeks. All the renovation happened in the basement and I stayed 2 stories upstairs not going anywhere near it. But still am concerned because hvac furnace, obviously. At this point, I believe my bedding is pretty much toast, and I only washed and dried a few outfits in the washer/dryer. But still my clothes were hung up inside the spare bedroom, so they could have been exposed as well. In addition, I wore those clothes in my vehicle, so would I need to replace the vehicle as well? I know it's a bit overboard, but these are actual questions that someone must think about. Perhaps over the top xD I will note that I had nothing to do with the renovation. Also, it's worth noting that he has had friends and family over (even spending the night), what would be their risk?

And finally, from what I learned. An air test in home is like 700 to 1200 bucks that I don't have. I would assume there is some sort of government testing in the area? Or does anyone know of an alternate or cheaper route? Hopefully someone with experience in the field might be able to shed some light here.

Thanks!

Your initial response was pure alarmism

Note that there is just one person that won a lawsuit for mesothelioma based on a 67 day exposure on board a ship.  That is considered a short exposure to cause a problem.  That's sixty seven days of intensive exposure on a ship.

This is like freaking out because someone snuck into your room and smoked cigarettes all night, exposing you to second hand smoke.

Yes, second hand smoke is dangerous.  To a degree.  But not like that.


Installed new 3 way switch, now lights are still dim when switch is off I installed this switch, to an existing 3 way switch setup that worked just fine (no dimming present). I wanted the automation, thus the programmable switch.

This is setup on outside lights for the garage and porch. The porch has a CFL, and on the side of the garage door (3 of these LED's on each side).

The very strange thing is, the switch works like it should, both lights turn on, BUT when I turn the switch off (on either wall switch) the LED's just dim, they don't turn all the way off - see pics. What would cause this?

Wall switch is OFF

Wall switch is ON

The switch specification calls for a minimum load of 40 watts (see page 2 of this).  Apparently it does not draw power for itself directly from the source, but relies on current flowing through it to power the electronics.

This review expresses one user's frustration with trying to use it with LED lights.

Alas, the solutions are not wonderful:

Add an incandescent or halogen bulb to the circuit, or
Replace the switch with one rated for 0 watts minimum.

An incandescent will shunt most of the current when the switch is "off" so that the other bulbs will be dark without the incandescent being visibly "on".


How safe are electric faucet water heater? I would like to buy one of those electric faucet water heaters for my parents.
But I'm very concerned about if they are even safe to use and some questions came into my mind:

how is the internal wiring shielded from the water?

how dangerous would it be if the cables which goes to the heating element get in contact with the water?

why are they (as far as I know) only available in China and not at my local hardware store in Germany?

(maybe off topic but is it even legal to install/use them, also regarding to insurance?)

I would consider them unsafe for the U.S. market for 2 possibly 3 reasons. First it is not U.L. listed this means it has not passed normal testing for being used in the U.S.
Next, it comes with a different style plug so the first thing you would do to use it is modify it electrically so you could use it.
Another item is it has metric plumbing, this may not be a big safety thing but you may have trouble adapting this to your parents plumbing. If a failure it may just leak or flood an area of the home.
With these issues I would check a plumbing store or big box store they may have something similar that probably will cost more but would be listed for use here thus be legal. I was thinking the country plugs this comes with are on a different standard than we are so I found the voltage is 220 so you will probably need that brought to the location as most outlets in North America are 120v.


Should basement staircase door have a passage or privacy knob? I am replacing a door knob on first level that opens to staircase to the basement. Should this door have a passage or privacy knob?
Thanks!

You can install either by code....in fact you don’t even need a door.
However, a landing is required at the top of those stairs, if the door swings outward over the stairs. (See ICC R311.5.4) If that’s the case and no landing is provided, I’d put a “keyed lock set” on that door so no one accidentally uses the door, until you can fix the door swing or just remove the door. (No door...no landing required.)


50's poured foundation without exterior form? I had a couple basement contractors out to look at putting in an egress window. One of them said he expected it to be harder than normal on my house, because builders in my area in the 50s didn't use an external form on the first pour of the basement wall so that the foundation wall is probably kind of bell shaped on the outside making it really thick near the bottom. The other contractor didn't mention anything about it.
It wouldn't shock me; they cut every other possible corner. But I can't find anything online about builders doing this. The ground is frozen right now so I can't dig down and find out for sure, but this could make a substantial difference in the feasibility of the project.
Has anyone else heard of this?

It seems unlikely. Concrete is expensive, and has always been.
Formwork is reusable, and you don't waste twice as much concrete pouring the foundation if you use formwork. In most areas, the dirt will not stay put well enough to pour a wall directly against dirt.
It's possible, but does not seem terribly likely. Then again, most egress windows are not all that low in the wall, so if it was "the first pour" (footing, which is below floor level) it should have no interaction with your window - at which point I'd be thinking "hmm, is this contractor setting me up for an upcharge?"


Do I need to insulate exposed foundation in my garage? I have a 2 story split-foyer ranch.  The bedrooms upstairs are above the garage and noticeably colder than the rest of the house (I live in Connecticut so winters get pretty cold).

There's no climate control in the garage, and the garage is partially underground on one side and entirely underground on the other (house is built into a hill).  The foundation is exposed on both sides, bare concrete probably 4 feet high and sticking into the garage about 1-2 feet.

The garage doors are insulated and weather sealed, and I have two windows on the side of the garage that's partially above ground.  The ceiling is finished so I can't see what kind of insulation we have between the garage and the floors above.  I do know that sound doesn't carry very well, except for things hitting the surface (or vibrating like the garage door opener).

Obviously it'll be colder in the garage than in the house, but I'm looking for ways to keep it a little warmer than it is now.  I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to put insulation on the exposed foundation.  I suspect not, since the cement floor of the garage will also be pulling heat out.

Any other suggestions for quick things to check for heat loss from a garage?

Rooms above garages are often done improperly. It's amazing, because it really isn't all that difficult, but a lot of people seem to mess it up.

Unfortunately, there's no "easy" way: You're going to have to remove some drywall to inspect and see how the insulation in the ceiling is done. There may or may not be a gap in the space, depending on how the ceiling was done. Even just taking the temperature above the insulation in that space will tell you a lot (above the insulation, it should be close to room temperature).

Drafts in that space are absolutely killer, it means there is a direct source of outside air. Black on the insulation is a good sign of airflow, indicating drafts.

Basically, if the ceiling space isn't totally sealed, the only thing you can do is turn the garage into a conditioned space (very expensive, in terms of both construction costs and ongoing energy costs), and even then, if the problem is between the insulation and sub-floor, it won't help.

What should be there at a minimum is a continuous vapour barrier, with a layer of insulation on top. The vapour barrier should be sealed to the subfloor or the vapour barrier from the walls above. The insulation should go all the way around the edge (in the headers), so the insulation is continuous from the floors up to the subfloor. There should absolutely be no drafts, exposed concrete, or anything directly connected to the outside that is uninsulated.

The best way (in my opinion) to seal this space is to use closed-cell spray foam, and form a continuous seal across the bottom of the entire subfloor. This gives you great insulation, no drafts, and acts as a vapour barrier as well (vapour barrier is not needed in this case -- though some building inspectors still don't understand this, so check your local codes). It also is better at ensuring fumes from vehicles in the garage can't get into your living space (in theory, vapour barrier prevents this as well, but 6mil vapour barrier is easier to puncture than a couple inches of hardened foam).

Though you may be able to find something obvious and fix it, be prepared that there's a possibility that the only "fix" is going to be to completely tear down the ceiling of the garage and re-do it properly.

If you're going to spend money and time on this, do it right.


Old GE Fridge Wattage So we have a GE Refrigerator that's around 35-40 years old. Purchases between 1983-1985.
The fridge has not died yet. Yes i know, GE makes amazing stuff. And i was really thinking about replacing it with something much more energy efficient.

My problem is I can't find ANY model or serial numbers, or any kind of documentation of any kind. I own a kill-a-watt meter, but the plug is in a position that I can't reach, and I'm unwilling to shift around the entire area to get an accurate reading of how many watts this fridge is taking on a daily basis.

My question is, does anyone have a ball park estimate on what refrigerators from this time period took in wattage. Is it really worth replacing the unit even though it's still working?

I can take a picture of the fridge if it's needed.
ps. This is a secondary fridge, and I'm planning on replacing it with a $500 GE fridge current being sold at a local hardware store.

Even if someone had the specifications (and that supposes that you had the model number), those specifications would be for the new-out-of-the-box performance, not after four decades of service.

And given that the equipment is at least a decade older than Energy Star and more than two before it was expanded to general home appliances, the odds of those specifications containing meaningful real-world energy utilization information, is pretty close to zero.


Will greenboard retard mold growth? I have had problems with mold in my kitchen behind the sink cabinet a couple of times. I have gutted the sink cabinet, the drywall behind it and the lazy susan area, leaving the countertop in place. The countertop is new and I don't want to break it. I want to replace the drywall  with a mold retardant surface. That is why I want to know what greenboard is before I rebuild the cabinet under the sink.

Greenboard is sheetrock where the paper is water resistant (but not necessarily water proof). A better alternative to greenboard is to use a paperless sheetrock product like Densarmor, which uses a fiberglass backing rather than paper (it's the paper that mold likes).

Note that these products aren't designed for wet applications, however. At best, they are designed for areas that 'are sometimes damp'. If you have mold issues under your sink, the problem is water. You have a leak somewhere. That has to be fixed. Replacing the sheetrock--even with one of these other products is just a bandaid and the problem will return if the leak isn't fixed.


Siemens Panel Main Circuit Breaker Teardown Ready for use:

What do you usually put in the screw nut so it can't loosen? I'm afraid all purpose general glue (alongside breaker in picture) may not stop it. If I put epoxy. It may be unremovable and can't screw it if needed in the future. Would a single mighty bond glue compound stop it (but this is supposed to be put between two materials). Any other idea? It's 1/8 in size and couldn't find any tiny locknut for it.

After teardown of the Westinghouse Breaker and handling it for a day at office during break removing the parts and putting them back again and again. It gave me courage to finally initiate teardown of the Siemens Load Center main circuit breaker (especially when no one can offer any clue what could be wrong with it and no teardown of it anywhere in the net).

I spent more than an hour in the evening removing the 4 mini-bolts manually so in case the defective is not mechanical or serious, I could still use it (the casing is not glued and there are only the 4 mini pins holding all of them together). So it's not technically a teardown but repair. I found out the problem. First youtube video of the internal parts and illustrations:

https://youtu.be/oQHDxviWRI4

It's just a typical circuit breaker internal components. Nothing unique. The source of the problem why you need to push it a bit more for the latching to be made is due to housing dimension tolerance. Compared to other breakers where the latching is made 75%. In the Siemens. It is 90% before the spring hatches it to make full contact. So slight housing misalignment need you to push it a bit more (and it is only in one of the breaker (remember it is two pole so has 2 separate unit). No problems with the bi-metallic strips or catch mechanism.

I assembled it back and will put it in service since nothing wrong with it. I checked dozen times the mechanical parts and orientation is same as original (with many photos taken in different stages of the teardown. My question is. What do you call this tiny pin-bolt? I can replace it with 4 thin long screws locking the breaker in place (by gluing the 4 nuts so they won't loosen or even epoxy it, isn't it?)  What did you do?

old message:

I just made teardown of a Westinghouse breaker and became so familiar with all the mechanisms I can take all things apart and assemble the inside.

Using the Westinghouse breaker teardown as sample. I couldn't extrapolate what is wrong with the Siemens.

I couldn't return the item. It costs $45. And a new one cost $85 shipped. So I need to know if what could possibly be wrong with the Siemens. Doesn't it use a standard latching mechanism? Any illustration of what mechanism it could be using?

Is this really defective?

In this even newer video.

https://youtu.be/tCqGNRzIMO0

I can consistently make it stay latched by pushing it after it is in the on position. Listen to the "click" after I turned it on (in first and second attempt, increase the volume of your speaker so you can obviously hear the click). In third attempt, I didn't push it so it returned. At 4th try I pushed it with a click and it stayed latched. Can't you consider it as tolerance? What mechanism inside the breaker is exactly involved, any idea?

earlier update.

I found out you need to slightly push the lever in so it can stay in on position. See this youtube video:

https://youtu.be/fTo2acI93XM

In the first and second attempt. I didn't push the lever so it returns to OFF position. In the third attempt. I need to push it gently down so it can be in On position. Is this normal, or is the subpanel breaker slightly defective? I have handled many other breakers and it doesn't have this behavior.

original post.

I bought a new subpanel, and the main breaker is already defective (brand Siemens). It can't be switched open (even isolated on piece of paper like in the picture). It returned to close position immediately. Usually what are the parts inside that get broken easily even without any use? Anyone has tear down such to see what is defective inside?

Send the breaker back (as a warranty return), get some main lugs instead

This breaker is clearly NFG, and thus needs to be sent back under Siemens' warranty (it's a 1-year warranty, but that should do the trick for an infant mortal like this one).  While you're at it, what you want for a subpanel sitting right next to the main isn't a main breaker, but a set of main lugs instead -- the correct part for your panel will be a Siemens ECMLK125 kit.

This is because the busbars on such a panel are an extension of the feeder, so they are protected by the feeder breaker as the feeder tap rules aren't in play here, and the upstream and downstream panels are in the same building, so the downstream panel does not need to provide a master shutoff switch for power to its circuits.


When setting fence posts, does the post need to go to bottom of the concrete? FYI, Previous answers were 50/50 (going back 10y).
WHEN SETTING A POST IN A ROUND CONCRETE FORM:
..1.. Some answers said the post must touch gravel at the bottom for drainage,
..2.. the other 50% said the opposite (that the post bottom would wick up water and rot).
Is this relevant for metal too (rusting instead of rotting)?
If the post does not need to go to the bottom of the form:
[Since the concrete form will go down about 5-feet], can I cheat (to get more post height) by setting the post only about 2-feet in the concrete?   With either wood or galvanized?
Now I’m wondering if some locations might commonly have water in the bottom of a post hole, and dry areas might drain as some claim?
:-)

I have to upvote the question as it looks like you have done some reading.
With wooden posts I usually do put rock in the hole first but all of my posts are set prior to the concrete being added so that may be the reason some say put the post on rock, I use the rock to prevent the concrete from mixing with the dirt in the bottom of the hole. If in heavy clay there will be water down in the bottom and rock or concrete won’t stop that it will be wet.
As far as metal it depends on the job a long line of posts I will have preset just as the wooden posts but for just a few I might pour the concrete first and then set the post or anchor plate.
Can you get a little extra height using the cement as part of the post? Not really.
Ok you can get a little maybe a foot but not 2’ as your example. Concrete has no sheer strength I have seen folks try do do exactly what you are asking at the coast to have the concrete break below the ground and allow the fence to be pushed over.
I thought the posts would break at the ground level before the concrete but I have seen this several times in high wind areas with sandy soil. So if in a coastal area and you want a 6’ fence don’t skimp and buy 8’ posts go with the 10’ it may even be a code requirement in some areas.
If you have really good soil it may work fine to get a little extra height but be cautious about wind loading and your soil type you don’t want to put a lot of $ and work in to have a few posts fail and cause a lot of repair work.


best choice of material for exterior window casing I installed fiberglass new construction windows 15 years ago on the front of the house. I used finger-jointed casing around the windows that measure about 1-1/2" square to fill the cavity around the window. The tops and sides are pristine, but the bottom pieces are crumbling! The eaves protect all of the upper wall and casing, but the lower wall takes a tremendous beating from rain and sun. Bottom line, I'm looking for a material that will hold up better. Thinking vinyl, but not seeing those dimensions without building it up. Starting to think about some sort of vinyl or composite wood decking that I could rip. Any ideas? thx!

Your best choice would be something made from PVC sold in the trim section of any usual big box home improvement store.  Or you could use a heavily treated wood like "Armour" wood that has a higher resistance to rot which is also sold in most stores.  Also make sure to use proper flashing behind the trim.☺