Can/should I replace this 50A breaker with a 15A breaker? I'm the recent owner of a 27yr old house.  I'm looking to find more power for the basement that I'm finishing.  There's a 50A circuit going to one of the outdoor AC units - but the info sticker on that unit says it should be connected to a 15A breaker only (if I'm reading it right).

The 50A breaker is in the 2nd image - top left.

The question is - can I just replace the 50A breaker w/ a 15A (double one) and leave the heavy gauge wire in place?  If so, is this a simple swap?

Alternatively, I'd prefer to actually run that 50A to a subpanel & use that to split the basement into 3 zones, but if I did that I don't know how I'd power the A/C, since it requires 2 slots (and the entire panel is full).

why not use the 50 amp for sub panel then come off the sub panel and feed the AC with 15 amp. You would then have 35 amps for basement circuits.


Why would a drinking water dispenser on a sink have drainage lines? I recently bought a house and have a slight leak under my kitchen sink.  Was trying to figure out where it was coming from this morning so I could fix it, when I found something that makes no sense to me.

There is a filtered water dispenser on sink, on the right  which has two drainage lines coming out of it underneath  that feed into the drainage pipe from the dishwasher

I'm really confused by this. I don't understand why it would need one drainage line, let alone two.  What am I missing here?

I found a good explanation at:
http://www.purewateroccasional.net/hwairgapfaucet.html

The filter (possibly Reverse Osmosis) part has a drain pipe.
But it doesn't go directly to the drain.
Goes up to the tap base, where it dribbles in the open air (the "air gap") and back down through the other pipe to drain away.

If the second drain line becomes blocked, this "air gap" can leak.
Not sure if the possible leak would only occur when the tap is in use.


How to fix wobbly table/improve stability? i want to fix my table so it doesn't wobbly sideway. it's a little annoying because when i move sligthly my monitor goes shaky because of the wobbly. i try to use using this "white thing" and it help to stabilize but, still need improvement.
thank you and if you have solution please give the picture to for example.
english is not my native languange sorry if there are mispelled word.

You want your table to be more rigid.  Triangles make things rigid.  The white things you added are shelf brackets and they're basically small triangles.  Larger more triangular triangles will have a better effect.  There may also be existing fasteners on the table you can tighten


How can I attach a metal frame with pre-drilled 3/8" holes to a hardwood table top? I'd like to attach a 1 1/8" thick table made of beech to a metal frame.

The metal frame normally attaches to a particle board top through 3/8" holes. An outer piece of plastic is first inserted into the particle board through the hole in the frame, and a thin plastic pin exerts pressure to create a lock.

How can I attach a metal frame with pre-drilled 3/8" holes to a hardwood table top? I'd like not to drill matching 3/8" holes in the wood, and use hardware to do the coupling instead. Just using wood screws with a flange will require that I rely on tightening to keep the top from sliding sideways.

Update

Potential Solutions:

Use a wood screw and a washer. To avoid sliding the screws must then be tightened hard, perhaps more than the wood can handle for long.
Drill a 3/8" hole and use the same plug-and-pin technique. The large hole is needed to secure a frame to particle board, but it's an unsavoury solution for real wood because it introduces an unnecessary weakness.
Use a wood screw, a washer, and some kind of jacket. The cylindrical jacket would be 3/8" on the outside, exactly the same depth (height) as the frame, and have a hole that matches the wood screw. What is such a jacket called at the hardware store?
Thanks to WoodAirGrille's thoughts, "all I need" is to drill a hole through a wood plug, but that's beyond my ability.

If I understand correctly, your concern is that the 3/8" holes in the frame would require a pretty large diameter screw in order to have a snug fit when you screw down the table top.  Since you are dealing with Beech instead of particleboard, you want to use traditional screws instead of the pressure plugs.  If this is correct, I can offer the following thoughts:

Using the frame as a template, it is reasonable to drill 3/8" Holes in the top and use the pressure plugs that came with it.

You could buy a large 3/8 diameter screw or lag bolt.  Just be sure to pre-drill you pilot hole large enough so you don't crack the top.

You can drill pilot holes in the top and screw it down with bugle head wood screws. (AKA flat head screws, AKA flush head screws, AKA countersink screws)  The cone shape of the head of the screw will center the screw in the hole and prevent the smaller shaft of the screw from wiggling around inside the larger diameter hole.

You could cut off the bottom part of the plastic pressure plug so that the length is the same as the thickness of the frame.  You could then insert the plug in the frame, drill your pilot holes, and use the plug as a spacer inside the 3/8" hole to keep you screws from wiggling around.

In any case, be sure you use a good quality, high strength screw.  A cheap screw (drywall screws especially) may snap off when you are tightening them in beech.

Hope that is helpful, good luck with your project!


Upgrading electrical when re-doing siding & code question I'm thinking about re-siding a house within a next year or two. It is 2-unit house, 3 floors. The third floor outlets do not have ground. Can electric wires be ran under the siding? Is this common and/or up to code?

Alternative is to 'snake' wires but that will require a lot of dry-wall destruction.

You can't run it directly under the siding.

However, depending on how much siding you will remove during the process, it could be easier/cleaner to cut through the exterior sheathing to run new wiring. The cuts you make in the sheathing only have to be sealed against airflow and ambient moisture, unlike drywall which has to look good, too. There is much less work needed to repair exterior sheathing.


Sourcing and installing a stainless steel backsplash I recently replaced an over-the-range microwave with a hood.  Since the hood is about half the height of the microwave, this left a ~15" gap between the preexisting tile backsplash and the start of the hood.  Instead of trying to match tile to the existing backsplash, I am thinking of filling the gap with a piece of stainless steel.  I have a few questions:

There were some extraneous holes (~5" square) in the drywall behind the microwave.  I don't think they served a purpose (it's not like there was a junction box there or anything; that's in the cabinet above).  Do I need to patch any of those holes, or is it sufficient just to cover them by the metal plate?
The hood manufacturer sells an accompanying backsplash plate, however, (a) it costs upwards of US$200, which seems very expensive for a ~15"x30" piece of metal, and (b) the size it comes in is too big, so I'd have to cut it down to size.  Therefore, I am thinking of finding a cheaper piece of sheet-metal and cutting that down.  For what type of metal should I look?  Could I get a reasonably nicely finished piece of metal from a local metal shop?
In the event that I need to cut the sheetmetal to size myself, what's the best way to do that?  Am I better off just getting a local metal shop to do it?
I've read in a few places that one should glue the steel to the underlying drywall, however, some other instructions simply say to drill it to a stud.  Is glueing really necessary?  If so, what type of adhesive should I use?

Don't bother patching the holes in the drywall.
Backsplashes are usually 304 stainless steel. In the US, you could order that from onlinemetals.com. (No, I don't work for them. I recently replaced my range hood and have the same problem as you.)
You should get a metal shop to cut the metal with a jump shear. It is very unlikely that you can get a nice edge for less money using hand shears or a jigsaw.
I'm not sure about the glue. My old backsplash has some kind of adhesive padding behind it. I'll probably try Liquid Nails LN-203.


Wood heating - Problems with power failures. Need some advice My sister uses wood heating in here house.

Her heating system has temperature control but of course does not work without electricity.

If electricity goes off the temperature can grow uncontrollably. It has some safety valves and stuff but it is still a danger.

When light goes off my brother-in-law must take all the wood out. This is annoying doing the day and dangerous during the night as they don't know if the power goes off.

They are thinking of a generator:

a small one is affordable but you need to power it manually when the light goes off. If it happens at night it's still a problem.
an automatic one that goes on by itself is very expensive.
maybe something in between those two but couldn't find anything.

I was also thinking of an UPS but that usually allows you to power down your systems safely; it doesn't last long (1h tops !!??). And at night it's still a problem.

The safest thing I can think of is to have some power failure alarm in place that starts "to scream" if power goes off (at night they will awake everybody in the house).

What are really my options here? Any advice is welcomed.

You can find all types of power failure alarms online, with a simple search. One such device from Reliance Controls, is the PowerOUT!™

  The PowerOUT!™ is a power failure light, power failure alarm and a
  portable 6-hour LED flashlight. When plugged into a standard 15A, 120V
  outlet, the PowerOUT!™ will sound an audible alarm and illuminate three
  super-bright LEDs when your home's electricity fails. It can be
  unplugged and, using the three-way slide switch, the alarm can be
  silenced and the PowerOUT!™ can be used as a handheld flashlight that
  will provide up to six hours of cumulative light. The PowerOUT!™ is CSA
  Certified for the US and Canada and powered by a permanently installed
  NiMH rechargeable battery.

I have never used this product, and do not recommend or endorse the use of this product. This is simply an example of one such device that exists on the market today.

If you're simply looking for a way to be alerted if the power goes out, a device like this might be a simple cheap solution.


Install air admittance valve to solve musty smell (sewer gas)? I bought a new house about a month ago, and have since noticed some plumbing issues in the laundry room:

laundry tub drains slowly
occasional "musty" smell, which seems to come from the drains

I did some research online and found that lack of drain ventilation could cause both of these problems. So I checked the plumbing and it looks like both the washing machine and adjacent wash basin drain into the same pipe. As far as I can tell, there is no ventilation on these drains (photo below); it looks like a stacked pair of S-traps.

The laundry room is in a little addition at the back of the house. So I probably cannot tie this back in to the main house venting stack without a lot of work. I gather the simplest solution is to locally install an air admittance valve (AAV). Does that sound like a reasonable approach here?

If so, am I on the right track with one of these:

http://www.rona.ca/en/air-admittance-valve
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000H5SLWM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A23X8TYK8IHNZF

My plan is to remove the upper S-trap. Then install a sanitary T, going to: AAV (top) and P-trap (horizontal). Does that sound right?

The washing machine sends water into that drain under quite a bit of pressure and you want air moving freely through the pipe. You would be better off if you could run a new vent pipe up that wall and out the roof, or you could go as high as possible then out through the wall, presuming it isn't too close to a door or window that opens (since sewer gases exit the vent pipe on a regular basis).

Barring that, however, you should certainly put an AAV on this. I've had a plumbing inspector approve exactly this kind of setup for a washing machine drain on a remodel. The inspector required 4 feet of vertical pipe between the AAV and the wye that tied it into the drain pipe, though.

Your diagram may not be intended to be to scale, but I'd say you definitely want the AAV higher than what you're showing. I certainly wouldn't try to get away with putting the AAV under the sink.


Built a shelf out of 2x4s but some braces do not meet, will they hold? I paid someone else to build this basic shelf for me because i'm no carpenter, but i'm a little concerned about it's integrity because it will be holding aquariums. It's a frame of 2x4s with enough 2x4 braces running from front to back for the tanks to sit on, each brace is screwed in to the frame at the front and back with two screws. The problem is that half of the braces were short so there are 1/4th inch gaps instead of them fitting flush against the frame. Will they be able to hold 225 lb tanks like this? Or is there a way I could try to reinforce the braces?
The mending plates were added when I pointed out that I was concerned about the gaps.

Edit: More pictures. One the top shelf all but the 2nd horizontal board from the left has the gap.

He also added this scrap piece on here when I told him I wasn't comfortable with the corner of this tank floating.

I paid someone else to build this basic shelf for me because i'm no carpenter,

Unfortunately, I am afraid the person that built this isn't either.

There is a major weak point - the screws into the end grain of the cross pieces could just tear out of the wood.  The gaps are not really the problem.

There are a lot of stronger options for the joint but most of them would involve starting from scratch, which would probably be best.

If you want to salvage this, you might find a bracket that makes it strong enough.  I don't think it's ideal but the Simpson FBFZ for example might work:


What to use to fill holes in floor tile in kitchen We just did a final walkthrough for a house we should close on in a few days.  The kitchen has tile flooring.  There are some holes in several of the tiles.  The holes aren't too deep, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.  Luckily no cracks in the tile from whatever created the hole.  I was wondering what can we use to fill in the holes.

The things I googled all appear to be for bathroom/shower tiles (can post a link if needed) and not kitchen floor tiles.  I don't want to buy the wrong thing because I mis-interpreted what I'm reading/seeing.  Thanks.

EDIT: Here's a couple photos.

Are these screw holes? What material is the tile? A picture would be helpful too.

But generally speaking, you can use anything that won't look ridiculous. The tile should be well supported aside from the little hole, so there isn't a structural concern. There isn't a significant water infiltration concern on a kitchen floor. So it's really just about what will blend visually:

Grout will adhere well and cure hard. Probably the best choice for blending with a stone tile.
Caulk is easy to apply. Won't be as durable as grout but probably OK in the middle of a tile. If you're looking to match a glossy surface (like a white porcelain) this is a good choice. I'd recommend using a silicone or polyurethane based caulk here; latex/acrylic painter's caulk wouldn't stand up to much foot traffic.
For the most durable but most expensive and difficult fix, go for a color-matched epoxy. This is the sort of thing countertop installers use at joints, and can be gotten or mixed in a big range of colors.

If you are seeing a caulk that's a decent color match, I'd probably start there. It'll run you like $5-10 a tube and if it sucks you can scrape it out and try something else. I wouldn't worry about kitchen/bathroom/whatever type, as these differences mostly have to do with microbial resistance additives and other stuff that isn't really significant if you're not caulking around a shower or sink.


Effective alternative to water-resistant barrier behind siding? First off, this question is a spin-off of this question which I asked recently.  Summary:  We have several buildings throughout our condo association that do not have WRB.  As the answer in the linked question suggests, getting WRB installed is absolutely critical.  However, it may be that we are going to have to eat the costs of installing WRB where it does not exist as the contractor may not be liable.  This is going to cost our association well into the tens of thousands I am sure and will put everyone in the community in quite a financial pinch.

Therefore, I am researching possible alternatives that will yield an acceptable degree of effectiveness in preventing water penetration.  I'd prefer a permanent solution if one exists, not something that requires yearly maintenance like caulking.

The short answer is that there isn't an alternative that will yield an acceptable degree of effectiveness.  Vinyl siding is not intended to create a moisture barrier, and attempting to create a moisture barrier with it could potentially exacerbate the problem by trapping water underneath it.  This is almost always specified in the installation instructions (and almost always required by code). For example, in from the CertainTeed Vinyl Siding Installation Guide (my emphasis):

  Vinyl siding is an exterior cladding; it is not a complete weather
  resistant barrier. Before applying siding, make certain the substrate
  is watertight. In order to be protected from precipitation, the
  substrate may need to be properly flashed around areas such as
  windows, doors, other openings and corners so as to shed water  to the
  exterior. See page 45 for proper flashing around windows.  The siding
  alone is not meant to be a watertight barrier.

Caulking only the J-channel is also not sufficient to prevent water infiltration. If you examine vinyl siding closly you'll notice that the bottoms of most siding pieces have drain holes, and runs longer 16` (depending on the manufactured length) will have unsealed lap joints.

If you seal all of these openings, you will likely still have issues. Vinyl siding is designed to allow air to move behind it to allow moisture out from between the vapor barrier and the siding.  Sealing it enough that it forms a water barrier would create a moisture trap behind it that could potentially be as bad as not sealing it.

Finally, vinyl siding is hung fairly loose because it expands and contracts quite a bit.  This means that you can either seal it well enough that the seals won't break due to expansion (which will make it buckle and warp) or allow expansion and contraction (which will break your seals and provide areas for water ingress).

Any "solution" is basically just going to mask the underlying problem or make it worse.  I'd say at this point it's a matter of weighing the long term consequences of not fixing the issue (mold, insects, rot, structural failure) with the short term costs.


Wiring an outside outlet I have Cedar Siding and would like to tap into a inside outlet and put a outside outlet on the siding.. Can I use a plastic old box and but in siding or do I need to use a metal box and have it on the outside of siding? Yes I know it has to be sealed..

Sealed in this case is weatherproof, save your sanity and use something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Taymac-1-Gang-Horizontal-or-Vertical-Mount-Weatherproof-While-in-Use-Cover-Kit-MKG410C/202284520?N=5yc1vZca29

But feel free to recess it into your house.


Bare Wood Window Sill Stinks Bad So I've been redoing my window sills. Basically I smashed out tile sills and replaced with routered wood sills. There are maybe 15 in the house. I have not had time yet to prime any of them, so for the last 5 months they've been exposed wood.

Recently I noticed a foul smelling odor in my master bedroom. After some investigation I realized it was coming from the wooden window sill closest to my bed. I figured that something died in the wall so I called a pest control guy; he assured me nothing dead is happening and the smell is not decaying animal. He also went under the house to confirm (off grade home).

Thinking that the smell may be coming from outside, last weekend I caulked the sills in the master bedroom to seal the open air between the sill and wall. The smell remains, and seems to be directly on the one wooden sill (but no others).

The best way that I can describe the smell is a sneeze when you have a sinus infection. It smells a bit like death and is musty, and it is playing all hell with my allergies.

I'm thinking about priming the sills tonight to see if that helps, but can anyone tell me what is going on here?

Since you have isolated it to one particular sill maybe you should simply replace it again. In five months that sill may have gotten wet and activated some fungus that has been latent in the wood. I think replacement is the best piece of mind as well because if you just try to cover up the smell you will always be wary of that fact and be stressed by it.


How to fix a threaded toilet shutoff valve? This valve is leaking from the area shown.

I tried unscrewing the valve but it wouldn't budge. The pipe it's connected to is 60 years old, so I need to be gentle.
What's the safest way to take it off?

Option B is to change the stem.
Most valves I've seen have a single nut that holds the stem in, but this one has two. Tightening the second nut shown by the arrow eliminated the leak but then the handle won't turn at all.

Which stem do I need to replace the one I have?

Looks like it says "BRASS" on it, I'd guess American Brass. Identify your stem, here.

It may not leak anymore if you have tightened it, but now you need to loosen it a little to let it operate. I appreciate your need to be gentile, but I'd swap the entire valve out. One thing though, is that nipple NPT? It kinda looks like machine thread.

Safest way to take it off is to 'back-it-up' by using a pipe wrench on the nipple and an adjustable wrench on the valve. If you collapse the nipple with a pipe wench, it was about time to swap it all out anyway.

Backing it up, keeps the tension between the nipple and the valve, and doesn't let the rest of the piping spin.

Don't care, just want it to work and not leak: lock it down in the 'on' position.

Small leaks plug themselves. Relieve some of the tension on the packing nut, put a pan under it and see if it stops in a few days.


Help to remove handles from leaky bathroom faucet I have a leaky bathroom faucet. There are no screws on the sides of the handle or escutcheon. I cannot figure out how to pry off the top without causing some damage. Maybe someone can look at the picture I've attached and make a suggestion on how best I can fix this thing?

Usually with that type you pry off the cap on the top and find a screw underneath which holds the handle to the stem of the valve. Probably you pry off the entire cap but it could be only the white center.


How do I add support blocking for a floating sink (when the wall framing is metal studs)? I'm installing a floating sink and think I need to install blocking between the studs. I would normally open the drywall at the correct height and use a 2x6 between the studs. But this is going into a high-rise condo building and the studs are metal (not wood)... is there an alternate solution?
Also, if the wall is tiled, is the additional behind-the-wall support needed? or should the tile and mortar on top of the drywall be sufficient support?

You can install wood blocking between metal studs, but you'll have to open up more of the wall to attach them (you obviously can't toe nail them). Notch the block so it fits into the channels in the studs, then just attach it with screws going through the studs.

I wouldn't hang a sink on tile without some sort of additional support.  Even if the tile were strong enough to hold it, it would provide a point of leverage against the wall that could introduce flexing.


How do I seal a crack in flex pipe for a lawn sprinkler system? I have an underground rubber hose with an one inch crack in it.  I am hoping I could just seal it, but I don't know what to use and I don't want to make it worse.

Is it worth trying to seal it or are these kind of cracks unfix-able?

I was thinking of using contact cement to close it and maybe reinforce it with this waterproof epoxy putty I found.

Since you already have to dig it up to fix it, don't bother trying to repair the crack. Cut out and replace the damaged section of pipe. Use a coupling suitable for the type of pipe you are working with and that is rated for burial.


How do I appropriately/safely connect multiple power tools to a 20-amp outlet? I've got a collection of power tools in my garage, most of which are connected to a 15-amp circuit, that is also shared with all the exterior power outlets.  So, if I'm using the mitre saw, tablesaw, bandsaw, dust collector, etc. etc. while my wife is pressure washing the deck out back, it trips the breaker, and leads to much cursing.

Fortunately, there is another outlet in the garage, which I guess is intended for a freezer?  It has a single NEMA 5-20R(?) receptacle.  And, at Lowes I was able to find a nice long 20-amp extension cord (very thick and yellow, with one of the flat pins vertical and the other one horizontal):

Using that, I've been hot swapping that between machines and that has essentially solved the original problem.

But the hot swapping is rather annoying.  What I would love is to connect a power bar or splitter to the extension cord, so I can connect several machines to the same circuit.  But so far I've not been able to find 20-amp power bars or splitters.  Do such things even exist?

Assuming no, the next most obvious option would be to just use a standard 15-amp power strip.  But is that safe?

The answer to your last question is "Yes", it is perfectly fine to use a 15 amp plug strip on a 20 amp circuit like you have. That is why the slots on the receptacle go both horizontal and vertical. I'd suggest a plug strip with it's own 15 amp resetable breaker built in. That will protect your lower amp tools.

The second issue would be to build your own multiple outlet strip with a two gang handy box and two 20 amp duplex receptacles and a length of 12 AWG or 10 AWG SO or SVT cable terminated with a 20 amp plug.


Soundproofing my bedroom door What are the ways that I can use to soundproof my door so as whenever it closes it gives the maximum possible sound reduction (depending on the door, I know walls etc play a big part as-well but currently I cannot do anything about those). What I want is sound not getting instead of not getting out but I suppose you cannot have one without the other.

Short of replacing it with a sealed, sound-proof door, I suppose you could throw some foam on it e.g. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002F78UI/ref=cm_cd_asin_ and make sure gaps around the door are sealed; there are kits e.g. http://www.acousticalsolutions.com/door-seal-kits or something simpler to install like http://www.audimutesoundproofing.com/door-seal-kit.aspx. If you don't seal the gaps anything you do to the door will have minimal effect.

You may also be able to get some relief by just hanging some thick fabric over the door. Make sure it covers the entire door frame plus some, and all the way down the floor. It could act is a baffle of sorts, although I would not expect too much.

If sound is coming through the walls or vents, don't be surprised if you can still hear most of it.


Replacing kitchen faucet hose in tight space with nonstandard plumbing? I can't remove the hose from underneath...
What sort of faucet house connection is this, and how do I remove it?

Looking up at base of faucet:

At least the left two hoses are screw-on fittings.  The right one looks like it has a threaded fitting at the top, but may be a push and turn connection at the hose.  It's hard to tell from the picture.  The screw-on fittings should come apart by turning the nut.  However, it also looks like there may be some crud that could be locking things up, especially on the middle hose.

I wouldn't use the typical solvent-based products (like Liquid Wrench or WD-40), on water lines.  It might help to stick a few drops of CLR on the threads, wait awhile for it to soak in, and add more.  Give it some time to dissolve any corrosion and minerals.

Use a wrench on the faucet side of the pipe to keep that from twisting and a wrench on the nut to turn the nut.  Start with the most accessible hose and get that out of the way to make it easier to work on the next hose.  You can get some leverage by positioning the wrenches "one face" apart, wrapping your hands around both, and then squeezing them together.


How level should a new floor be? How out-of-level or out-of-plane does a floor need to be before it is noticeable?

Many of the houses I've lived in have floors that are out-of-level, visible to the naked eye. At what point does that happen?

(I realize that rigid flooring materials like tile need a floor that is in-plane, but that's not my concern here.)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The larger the room, it easier it is to visually pick up on a level problem.  I tend to be a bit of a fuss budget, but I can usually pick up on a 10 foot span that is much more than 1/4 to 3/8 inch off level. This is a pretty objective observation that would be more pronounced to a trained eye than a casual observer.


Can I have four 120V circuits on a Quadplex breaker? I am in the process of renovating my kitchen. My house finished construction in 1969 and has Murray branded circuit breaker panel with Murray breakers (not sure if panel and breakers are original). To my understanding, almost all the breakers in the panel are Quadplex, with the exception of a regular 240V breaker of the AC that I had installed when I moved in.
Can a Quadplex breaker be used for 4 separate 120V circuits? I ask because I know that it can be used for 2 240V circuits. If it can, do I have to use MWBC on the two 240V, or can I make four individual circuits from the breaker?
Thanks!

It's vitally important you know what a MWBC is and how to recognize one, when you are doing things with existing circuits and quads/2-poles.  Placing both legs of an MWBC on the same pole Is Very Bad and can start a house fire.
That said, yes, 2-pole breakers in general can be used for two independent circuits.
However, in renovations you typically need to build to modern Code.  It's very common for people to do a reno and go "Aw, I'll just re-task the original wires that came here".  Nuh-uh.  Your kitchen reno needs to comply with modern Code, and that includes wiring, and that includes AFCI/GFCI breakers as required.   And where AFCI/GFCI breakers are required, that precludes use of double-stuff breakers.  Which is going to be a problem in a tight panel.   Code says "too bad; upsize or subpanel".
And yeah, that may be a good idea.  If you can find a suitable mounting point (e.g. facing a pathway so that nobody ever blocks the working space), adding a subpanel to the kitchen reno makes a lot of sense.  A well-powered kitchen needs 8 circuits or so. That lets you remove all existing kitchen circuits from the overstuffed main panel and substitute with just 1 2-pole.
Now, we strongly recommend wildly oversizing any panel; so if you just heard "8-space panel" what we meant you to hear was "30-space panel".  Spaces are dirt cheap when you're buying the panel.  And they save you a fortune later when you need to add spaces.
Not lightly do I spend your money, but please - spend $60 extra on another 20-30 spaces. It's the best investment you can make in electrical, bar none.


What type of snake is this? Not 100% this is the right place to ask, but... since I was working on my shed and found this little guy, figured it would fit best in Home Improvement...

Anyways... I'm taking my shed apart (since it's already falling apart and I want to re-build it) and I found this little guy. Anyone know what kind of snake this is? I'm in Southern Delaware:

If the underside is white or lighter, its a black rat snake. This could could be a black king snake, but it would be weird. My money is with black rat snake or eastern rat snake. This snake is not venomous.

It matches the pattern and has white inbetween the scales, so I believe it to inbetween youth and adult phases. This decribes the faint white pattern.

I would let it go, it's obviously busy keeping other pests from staying around.


How can I insulate the floor to prevent sound from travelling through it? I live in a top floor flat (apartment), and have a real problem with sound travelling from the flat beneath me. The worst sound is either bass from a TV, or voices.

I paid a company a few years ago to install 'sound insulation', which they applied by means of an expandable foam which they sprayed between the joists.

I really don't believe that this had any affect at all, which was very disappointing as I paid a lot of money for this service.

It's very difficult to tell where the sound is coming from, i.e. I can't tell if it's riding up the walls, or coming through the floor.

On my floor, I have large joists with expandable foam between them, then floorboards, then plywood, then carpet underlay, then carpet.

Is there anything further I can do? or do I have to pay to get my neighbour's ceiling (beneath my floor) insulated in some way.

There is also the complication that there are eaves around the edge of my flat, so it's difficult to put insulation down across the whole floor (without removing the eaves walls) and I also can't tell if the sound might be travelling up into the eaves and coming through the walls.

Don't mean to be a jerk, but I would get a (white) noise maker. Its a simple, practical solution for an apartment.


how to attach a door handle onto wall I need a light duty rail in my kitchen to hang cleaning clothes just near the sink. After doing my market research, I saw a door handle with a suitable shape, something similar to this:

However it requires screwing from the other side; from my neighbor's flat and with a very long screw, theoretically speaking.

Is there an easy way to attach such a door handle onto kitchen tiles? If it required one screw, it could be done with a plug and a hanger bolt, however I need two points of attachment and the handle cannot be disassembled.

You may want to look into towel bars. They are typically designed with one piece that screws into a wall, using an appropriate screw (into a stud or masonry) or anchor + screw (into a hollow wall) and then a second piece that slips over the part in the wall and tightens with a screw around the edge.

However, it you are really set on a handle that only screws in from behind (which is typical of cabinet and drawer handles), then you can:

Cut a piece of wood a couple inches tall and slightly wider than the handle
Paint the wood to match the tile or contrast with it, depending on the tile, trim, cabinets, etc. of the kitchen. Easier to paint the wood before installation than after installation.
Attach the handle to the wood, as if it were a drawer/cabinet front
Locate two studs and use screws to attach the wood to the wall, or use appropriate heavy-duty anchors + screws to attach the wood to the wall.


streaks in polyurethane finish on freshly stained farm table I applied too much polyurethane finish on newly stained wood farm table while applying third coat. I tried sanding with 220 grit and applying a 4th coat but there are still very visible streaks.  Should I sand and coat again or do I have to strip and stain over?

I would go to a finer grit after the 220. Yes you need to sand until it is SMOOTH. Do you have a random orbit sander? Wipe on poly (50/50 poly and thinner) is a good way to go. The coats are thinner so you need 2 or3 more. Brushing works well but with a GOOD brush or a foam brush.


Trane Air Handler GAT2A0C48S41SAA Create "C" Wire Can someone please Tell me the Best way to Create a "C" Wire for a WiFi thermostat Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat (RTH9580WF). I currently have a Trane thermostat TCONT602AF22MA. Please... Thanks Joe
I'm a retired USAF SMSgt and I'm trying to save Money.

Inside the unit, you should find a transformer. On the secondary side of the transformer (low voltage side) you should see a red wire attached to one terminal, and blue attached to the other.  The terminal with the blue wire will also have a green with yellow strip wire, which attaches to the chassis.  The blue wire is the C wire.

Using a multimeter set to AC volts, you should measure about 24 volts between the red and blue wires.
Connect a wire between the blue wire terminal on the transformer, and the C terminal on the thermostat.  That should get you up and running.


Flange recommendation needed. Old flange rusted. New floor higher than older pvc pipe lip I recently removed the tile and a toilet for a bathroom reno to discover that the flange was completely rusted and the tile had been installed directly on the plywood subfloor. I removed the old flange with a Drenmel.

I need to install 1/4 inch cement board and then tile so my floor level will be raised by at least a half an inch. Which will be higher than the lip of old PVC flange rim(sorry I don’t know what that piece is called)

Can anyone please advise what the correct product would work as a replacement flange? I was thinking the Sioux Chief Push Tite or something similar. But I’m unsure if I can install those products with the pvc portion of the old flange (that lip the metal ring sits under) still connected to the PVC sewer pipe.   All of the videos and diagrams I have seen install directly into the straight sewer pipe.

See attached pic

If you need the extra height, just install a replacement flange that fits inside the existing pipe. There's both screw-tightening (where tightening bolts pushes a rubber gasket out to lock in place)

(Response to edit)

If you can get underneath (as your new picture depicts), you can avoid using an insert flange entirely. Cut the pipe off somewhere below, add a regular flange to a new pipe and just add a new coupler to attach the new to the old. Easier (and cheaper) than an insert.


I'm getting a fake short on my fuse tripping GFCI I recently went to change an outlet to a GFCI (It was the first in the line)
After I installed it (as I have done dozens of times) and It kept tripping.  I replaced the outlet thinking it was faulty, but the outlet kept tripping.
I got my volt meter out and tested continuity between the hot and neutral and found they were indeed touching.  Keep in mind the old outlet worked fine.
This outlet is the first in the line for the whole upstairs (which is a terrible 1950's design).  So I unplugged everything in every outlet upstairs.  I found that a set of computer speakers tested positive for a short between the hot and neutral.
This struck me odd because it did not trip the Fuse, or short any other device.  Since I couldn't add the GFCI I just replaced the old outlet with a normal duplex.  And everything is working fine as it has for years.
Part 1: So why are the speakers tripping the GFCI and causing a "short" but not tripping the actual Fuse or causing irregularities with anything else that is plugged in?
Part 2: Even after I unplugged the Speakers the GFCI kept tripping with nothing in any outlet and the hot and neutral stopped testing positive for a short.  Any thoughts?  (The GFCI was tested to be fully operational)
I'm an electronic fan boy, so I appreciate in depth responses down to the electrical components on the PCB.
Thank you for your help,

Gfci’s trip at aprox  5 ma your fuse is 15 or 20 amp so this small leakage would not be enough to blow a fuse or trip a breaker and the issue could have been there for years.
1950 wiring is usually cloth wrapped and the insulation can be in bad shape.
Measuring resistance on a plug in device will not tell you if it is the problem many devices that have motors or transformers will show close to a short across the blades that plug i. this is a dc value, ac values are many times this reading.
The leakage also has to be to ground or not running through the hot and neutral. Once the imbalance is ~5ma the GFCI trips and is referred to as a ground fault because some place in the circuit current is leaking or shorting to ground.
How to trouble shoot a ground fault with nothing plugged in, first you could remove the wires off the “load” terminals this will verify the GFCI is working when you press test and reset. If that works re connect the load to the GFCI.
the next step count how many outlets are fed by the GFCI (any outside lights?)
Cut the number in half and with the power off inspect the wiring at that receptacle. If you don’t find any problems some times I will pull the hot and cap it then see if the circuit will hold. If the circuit trips we start working back towards the GFCI if it holds we work towards the end of the run each time cutting the total in half and repeating the inspection until the fault is found.
If no fault is found again verify outside lighting or receptacles, a little water in a outside receptacle won’t trip a fuse or breaker but will trip a GFCI.
I usually narrow it down to the segment of wire or receptacle in 4 cycles by using this 1/2 cut rule and working to the fault. After verifying that the GFCI holds without a load.
Remember anything on the circuit can cause the fault your lights could be fed for the room or outside as I mentioned. If you see more wires in a box than just the feed from the last device and the cable going to the next run that could indicate a branch in your circuit to another location and outside fixtures have been the culprit many times for me.


how to install 1 single pole and 1 2 pole GFCI breakers with common #12 neutral I have a 15 amp breaker to my pool light and a 20 amp 2 pole breaker to the pool pump both using a common #12 neutral.  How do I wire GFCI breakers to replace existing breakers?  Wires are underground and can not be changed/added.  #12 wires are aluminum.

I find it highly improbable that these circuits were wired with /4 cable back in the age when people were using aluminum.  So I will proceed assuming that there is a 12AL/2 cable for the 240V-only pool pump, and a 12AL/2 cable for the pool light/recep.

12 AWG Aluminum wire requires a 15A breaker. Using a 20A breaker is out of the question. This will be ample for lights/recep and a 1-horse 240V motor.

I would use a common, 120V, dual-mode AFCI+GFCI breaker on the 12AL/2 cable for the pool light/recep.  That's done and dusted; any GFCI receps on that circuit which are outside can be replaced with plain outlets and used indoors etc. In fact they should be replaced with plain CO-ALR outlets; because most GFCI outlets do not support aluminum wire.

The reason to use AFCI is the aluminum wire. Small gauge aluminum has a history of problems, but 90% of that is because of using inappropriate receptacles which are not rated for aluminum (or, hastily rated for aluminum with inadequate testing, e.g. "AL-CU" per the 1970s; the R in CO-ALR stands for "revised"). The AFCI takes care of that.

A 240V, 2-pole GFCI breaker (about $80) goes on the other cable to the pool pump.  The breaker  pigtail goes to the neutral bus, but the neutral terminal on the breaker is unused.

All aluminum connections should either land on CO-ALR receptacles or switches; or on Alumiconn (mini lug connectors).  If able, a CO-ALR recep makes two aluminum-copper splices and it's cheaper than an Alumiconn. I'm not sure they make 220V receptacles in CO-ALR.

If the pool pump for any reason has tapped the neutral of the other circuit, you will need to remove that. A normal pool pump does not need it.  If yours is a 120V pool pump, you'll need to rewire that other circuit as 120V instead of 220V, but I doubt that.


System to charge 24V lead-acid battery from a 12V lead-acid battery Our garage has no mains connection, but it does have a 12V leisure battery charged from a solar panel, connected to an inverter to produce 240V AC. That mainly gets used for charging a mobility scooter that's kept in the garage overnight, and the mobility scooter runs off a 24V battery.

The current setup – converting the nominal 12V DC to 240V AC then back to (approximately) 24V DC to charge the scooter battery – seems grossly inefficient to me. It seems like it should be possible to set up a charging system that converts from 12V DC straight to 24V DC. But I'm utterly failing to find a sensible way to achieve that. What would I need to charge the 24V battery from the 12V one without converting to AC as an intermediate step? Or is it just A Bad Idea for some reason I haven't spotted?

Ideally I'd like the 24V system to be some sort of intelligent charging system, i.e. adjusting the charging voltage and current according to the battery voltage. I'd also vastly prefer to not need to rewire the scooter batteries from the 24V series layout to a 12V parallel layout.

It seems like it should be possible to set up a charging system that converts from 12V DC straight to 24V DC.

yes,  "possible".  You would do it with a DC-DC boost converter.  you can look up types of dc converters on the web.  At this level you basically take 12v @ 10 amps and turn it into 24v @ 5 amps, then you would just need some higher vdc than your battery to make current flow into the battery to effectively charge it (until you overcharge, cook, and ruin the battery).

  Ideally I'd like the 24V system to be some sort of intelligent charging system

with that you are likely going to look for a smart charger sold that will output 24vdc.  The typical smart chargers I think everyone is aware of are for 12vdc.  And for 12v it is not 12.0 vdc that the typical lead acid battery is, at 100% charge is about 12.65vdc and varies with temperature.  The battery at 12.20 volts is around 50% discharged, and at 12.0 volts is actually dead (not enough power left in it to be useful).  That would correlate with a 24vdc battery however the math goes, something like 2.1 volts per cell in the battery, and some differences between lead-acid vs AGM vs gel battery types.  The "smart" charger usually takes care of all that.

  converting the nominal 12V DC to 240V AC then back to (approximately) 24V DC to charge the scooter battery – seems grossly inefficient to me

yes from a strictly power usage perspective.  There will be however much inefficiency of the inverter from 12vdc to 120vac, and however from 120vdc to 24vdc smart charging.  But in terms of cost and availability of equipment to accomplish this based on having only solar panel output, it is not "grossly" inefficient.  And if you did the math for how much KWHr's are used in charging vs what is wasted from inefficiency it would be pennies on your power bill.

Any smart charger you would be buying is going to plug into 120vac.  I seriously doubt someone is making a smart charger that runs off 12vdc (solar panel output?) then smart charges a 24vdc battery.  If u asked this in the electrical engineering section someone would probably tell you what IC's to solder together to accomplish a simplistic regulated battery charging device.


What is this thing inside ceilling? I am trying to figure out whether wall is load bearing or not.
I am in 2nd floor of 3 storey condominium building.

To figure out which way joists run, I cut rectangle in ceilling near the wall. I can see metal piece behind ceilling drywall as shown in first picture ( along the side of rectangle, facing  bottom right corner of picture). That is definitely not duct work. I placed my cellphone inside and took its picture along it's length.  (2nd picture)

I did find 2x4 or 2x6 running parallel to the wall, around 24 inch away but its wider side is facing toward sky. Is that joist ? I thought joists are placed wider side facing sideways and shorter side facing sky.

That is a “top hat” rail for attaching Sheetrock. You can see the screw in the pic there should be more. Top hat may be a trade name. But that’s what we called them. Kinda like a metal stud but not as big.


Do I need to level the outdoor AC cooling unit? I've read somewhere that the outdoor AC unit needs to be leveled. My outdoor unit is a bit slanted due to the floor not being completely flat (pic below). However, I don't see any obvious structural issues. Is this something I need to correct? Perhaps by sticking a small piece of wood on one side?

It should be as level as possible. The previous posts make good mention of rubber mat 6x6" squares and careful approach to only tip the unit as little as possible not to kink any lines. If you don't hire a professional and aren't confident by yourself to address the issue, having a second person watch the lines while you tip can save much potential trouble. Previous information from these posts also generate ambiguity over the importance of having the unit level in regards to the compressor. Leveling the unit will terminate any ambiguity. An additional concern not previously adressed is the compressor and/or fan bearings. An off level unit will put additional unintended mechanical stress/strain on these rotating components long-term. Therefore for best performance and longevity of your unit, level it and take special precautions in the process.


Electrical wiring methods , Acceptable or Not-Acceptable I came across newer Residential Remodel, in Southern California, where All work is alleged to have been properly Permitted by local jurisdiction" including electrical-system wiring for garage-door opener and a bathroom' s ventilation fan that backs into an interior' s hallway closet, see pics.  My question is the wiring' s type and / or wiring method are acceptable or done in accordance to common construction practice?

Above 8’ the Romex or nmb can be exposed , the only thing I see not 100% is the staple with the wire sideways.  It could be 14-3 and round wire but the other pieces look flat so other than that it would meet minimum code but not a nice job that’s for sure. You don’t show the cable going in the garage door opener or light if there are clamps that would be the only thing left to check. We can’t see if there is a nail plate in that notched ceiling joist maybe that could be a violation where the wire goes in between or is it just going through the Sheetrock then it would be ok. The fan box ?
Edit
The Romex should be nailed within 12” but I think my early thought about a nail plate may be wrong as it goes through the ceiling and someone put mudd over it. If it was stapled there it may have been ok.


4-Way light system controled by just one dimmer On a 4-way light system can just one of the 3-way or 4-way switches be replaced with a 3-way or 4-way dimmer switch to dim the lights that will maintain the setting of dimness when the other switches are turned on? Just one master dimmer that maintains its setting regardless of which switch turn on the lights.

For standard switches, that is true.  Only one of the switches can be a dimmer (it needs to be a 3-way type) and the other switches are conventional on/off 3- way and 4-way switches. Each of the non-dimming switches turn the lights on at the level set by the dimmer switch. But to change level, you need to go to the dimmer.

There are more sophisticated systems that use a master and slaves. In these systems, each switch can turn on and off the lights at a preset level, or they can override that setting and each control brightness. These switches need to be a matched set, require neutral wires as well as hot, and cost a good bit more than conventional.


Exchange bathroom fan I moved to the new condo and found that fan works loud.

The sound meter showed that the noise level during operation of central ventilation (without fan) is between 46 and 49 dB (it is the average data for 15 minutes with silence in all rooms). During the night the noise seems very "loud".

The installed fan is Épurair EP100 G (or EP100G2V (2 speed)). Based on the characteristic of Épurair EP100 G, the sones should be 0.8 (the fan is rated at 0.8 sone, which equals 32 dB).

Verification by the sound meter showed that the noise level of installed fan is between 46 and 49 dB. Sins an 1 sone is equivalent to 40 dB, I can assume that the noise level of  Épurair EP100 G2V is around 1.15-1.2 sones. I do not understand this discrepancy (0.8 is in technical characteristics and 1.2 sones are in reality). That seems a bit loud, doesn't it?

May I ask you: which Panasonic model will be fit for replacement of EP100G2V (2 speed)? 2 speed, because the fan is making airflow for the whole condo (breaker for slow speed is in the room), but for using the bathroom is another breaker in the bathroom who makes a speed up.

I found one Panasonic model: Panasonic FV-08-11VF5 Whisperfit EZ Retrofit fan. Is it good for change old one(Épurair EP100 G2V).

The Panasonic fans are an excellent choice.  They are quiet and very efficient.  Broan/Nutone also makes excellent products.  I would recommend the new low sone models. Bath fans have a definite life expectancy. As they get older the bearing in the motor dry out and the noise level go up, up, up.  Either of these would make a good replacement; minor ceiling modifications may be necessary.  Be sure to vent it to the out of doors.  Because of the low sone quality of the new fans, I doubt the the reduced speed feature will be necessary. I would not recommend trying to incorporate the reduced speed switch with the new fan.  It probably would not be compatible.


Do I need planning permission to build a roof terrace over a flat roof in the UK? We're thinking of building a roof terrace on the flat roof at the rear of a property. The property is in the UK and is not in a conservation area.

Do we need to seek planning permission to do this? If so, how likely is it to be difficult and is there anything we can do to smooth the way?

You will need to seek planning permission for roof terrace.  The main reason is that it can overlook the neighbours on either side.  If you had solid walls on either side and you wanted to go straight back that is likely to be ok.

Still as always best to check with you local authority to confirm.


Is it likely that there is lead in the varnish of my old 1930's hardwood floor? I have recently uncovered an old (and presumably original circa 1930) hardwood floor in the hallway of my house. Over the past couple of weeks I have been cleaning and sanding it in order to re-varnish (or most likely wax) it.

I have not been taking any special precautions about when sanding the floor, over and above using a face mask, gloves. It was my understanding that old paint used to have lead in it, but that old varnish didn't. Is this the case?

Is it likely that there is lead in the varnish of my old 1930's hardwood floor?

This page from Stanford University states:

  Presume all paints and varnishes applied before 1980 contain lead including finishes on old toys, furniture and playground equipment.

Therefore you should take precautions when removing the old material.

However, most of the risk from lead is due to the long term exposure to the paint, so the precautions you have been taking should be adequate.


Removing broken screw from electrical box How can I remove a broken screw from an electrical box? I have added a picture below.

I was attempting to replace the outdoor outlet, as I described in this question. I was using a brand new screw that came with a GFCI outlet. It screwed in to a point, but then seized up. In my effort to force it in, I broke the screw.

Once I get the screw out, how can I prevent this from happening with the next screw?

There is a fair amount of rust built up as well. Is there any way to remove the rust to make the screws go in and out easier?

While the rust was not helping, it shouldn't offer enough resistance to break a new screw. More likely the box threads either did not match the screw or the threads were damaged. I doubt you can get a screw extractor that small, so you'll need to drill out the broken screw. The proper drill size is ideally just a bit smaller than the root diameter (measured across the bottoms of the threads) of the screw. Try to drill accurately to not damage the box threads any more than they are.

It may take some fiddling with an awl to get all the screw bits out, or sometimes the cylinder comes out more or less intact. You may wish to treat the rust with  rust converter just to reduce its spread, it will not inhibit the next step.

To install a new screw that will not bind, obtain a self-tapping screw to anchor the outlet. Ideally it should match the threads of the outlet screws, but honestly any similar sized screw will work since it will be the final anchoring screw and can be reused any number of times into the future for future replacements or other service work. Use generous amounts of penetrating oil when installing the screw.

(I'm pleased to see the 'gap' I saw in your other picture was not due to an odd sized box, but due to the edge of the material beyond the box. Just what material is the edge we are seeing? Just curious, doesn't really matter.)


Dimmer and switch connected to outlet to always hot I have a dimmer + switch that is connected to an outlet on the other side of the room. That outlet is where I'd like to plug in my TV, and using that outlet specifically makes a buzzing sound come out of the TV. So, I'd like to wire it to be always hot and replace the faceplate with a dummy plate.

Picture is attached.

My understanding is that I can take out the two black wires that go into the switch, use a wire nut to connect them, and I'm good. What do I do with the ground (green) wire? The dummy plate won't have anything metal to connect it to.

Simply nut off the green pigtail by itself

Since there's nothing for the ground pigtail to connect to once the dimmer is replaced by a blank faceplate, simply cap it off with a wirenut.

That dimmer should not have been there to begin with

Dimming a standard wall receptacle violates NEC 404.14(E):

  (E) Dimmer Switches. General-use dimmer switches shall
  be used only to control permanently installed incandescent luminaires unless listed for the control of other loads and
  installed accordingly.

and 406.15:

  406.15 Dimmer-Controlled Receptacles. A receptacle supplying lighting loads shall not be connected to a dimmer
  unless the plug/receptacle combination is a nonstandard
  configuration type that is specifically listed and identified
  for each such unique combination.

Your TV is taking a dim view of being dimmed

The dimmer is also what is responsible for the buzzing sound coming out of your TV due to the mains waveform being modified by the dimmer, even at its maximum setting.


Can I install Insulation board in the interior wall with House wrap on the exterior I am insulating a shed as a wine cooler. I have house wrap on the outside. I will install unfaced batt insulation between studs. Can I then install foam insulation board under the drywall? I am concerned if the vapor barrier of the Insulation board may cause a double vapor barrier problem?

I am in Northern CA, and cooling the inside. So I believe the vapor barrier on the outside is correct. I just do not understand if the addition on the insulation board with foil will cause an issue.

That foil is probably a vapor barrier, if the foamboard isn't already

Most foamboard is made from what is called closed cell foam; this provides it with adequate rigidity, but also makes it largely impermeable to moisture, atop being an effective air barrier when taped properly at the seams.  Even if your foamboard itself wasn't a vapor barrier, the foil facing on it certainly is!

I would take off the housewrap and put the foam board on the outside instead

Generally, board-type continuous insulations are put on the outside of the studs instead of using a "housewrap" type vapor barrier in order to prevent condensation inside the cavity; this also means they are between the sheathing and the cladding, which helps keep them away from being an interior-space fire hazard.


Warp resistance of plywood vs solid SPF lumber I need to fabricate a small wooden masking platform that will serve to reduce the gaps between radiator pipe holes in the floor and the floor itself. Basically, the gaps are more than what pleases the eye and, now that I know exactly where the pipes are going, I can stencil out a hole projection on a piece of wood that is about 1" x 10" x 10" so that, when it goes on the floor, it closes some of the gap between the pipes and the holes. Basically, I am doing the same thing that an escutcheon would do but I can't use escutcheons because the pipes are too close to one another.

Since this wooden plate will be nailed to the floor and there will be presence of heat nearby, what is the best choice of wood-like material to cut this piece? The clear choices are SPF lumber (cut a piece out of a 1x12) and smooth plywood. I would prefer to not use OSB as it has a rough surface. The most critical aspect is the material's warping resistance, obviously I would like something that will not warp under the presence of heat over time.

Plywood is inherently more stable than solid wood due to having been constructed in layers with grain at alternating right angles. Specifically, plywood with many thin layers will be more stable, and hardwoods will typically move less than softwoods.

I'd consider BC grade (commonly found at lumber suppliers) to be a minimum standard of quality for this purpose. You could look to a specialty supplier for thin-veneer hardwood plywood for maximum stability.


Is the operation of a hard-start domestic water pump improved by the addition of an external soft-start controller? I have a ½ HP 115V/230V 1PH 60Hz water pump (inside my house) that starts and stops hard.  It is connected to a simple on/off pressure switch.  The noise at startup is jarring.  The quarter-turn ball valve shutoff between the supply and the pump has now sprung a leak twice (first on the output side, now on the input side) which leads me to believe there is at least some water hammer effect in play when the pump cuts out (there is now a tiny jet of water for 1-2 seconds from the input-side leak when the pump cuts out, otherwise a steady drip).  The water supply coming in to the whole system is probably at around 5 PSI from a shallow well via several hundred feet of 1½" ABS pipe.
Here's an attempt at a visual representation of the configuration:
  shallow dug well
         ↓
  200-300' 1½" ABS
         ↓
  ball-valve shut-off
         ↓
    check valve
         ↓
  ½ HP water pump
         ↓
  /---------------------------------\
  ↓                  ↓              ↓
20 G pressure tank   ↓              ↓
                     ↓              ↓
         1" cold water manifold     ↓
                                    ↓
                       1½" outdoor supply line
                                    ↓
                           ball-valve shutoff
                                    ↓
                           frost-free spigots

Are these problems that would be alleviated by a soft start water pump?  If so, can the current pump be adapted to a soft start system or is a pump that is natively soft start required?

I would say a soft start controller would not change the problem I have many booster pumps and the only thing a soft start would be good for would be throttling the pump. Centrifugal pumps create a large hammer action in how they work.
A expansion tank may be your best option. The quality of the valve may also be the issue I can warn you I had a irrigation pump that when throttled to 45hz with a VFD (can be used as a soft start) that frequency would tear up 4” irrigation lines I could run fine from 50 up to 70 hz and had no problems (below 40hz the motor would over heat)
There is cavitation at start up on the pump this is normal but a soft start won’t stop that. Some water filters can not be used without a pressure tank or expansion tank as the vibrations tear them apart.
I did see the comment on the water hammer arrestor that may work but I would think a 2-3 gallon expansion/pressure tank would solve the issue better than a electronic method.
I thought I should add most 120/240v pumps are capacitor start with a centrifugal clutch pulling them in. A soft start in this case would probably overheat the motor they are designed to spin up quickly and change windings or the cap depending on the type.


What is the best way to trim edges off of hardwood floor where wall was removed? I have removed a wall from a closet that was backed up against another closet to make it a walk in. I would like to run hardwood perpendicular to the current pattern in the gap where the wall was.

I will need to trim the uneven ends on the existing flooring to get a clean finish, what is the best way to to this? I was thinking a circular saw...
Also how can I clean the black off the existing floor after trimming?
Is this even a good idea? Thanks for the feedback.

I would probably also go for the circular saw.
Make sure to use a variable depth circular saw and to set it to the same thickness as the existing floor boards, so you only trim them and nothing beneath them.
Then for the last pieces next to the wall where the circular blade won't reach you could use a hammer and a chisel to knock the last bit off.

As to the blackness:
Assuming you'll want to have the "filling" boards blend in with the existing floors, I'd advise to sand the whole floor and re-varnish/wax the floor.
The blackness is most likely dirt or a moisture stain that has built up over the years, when sanding give these spots special attention to make sure you sand them off but just make sure not to go too deep.
My parents have a rosewood floor and once every couple of years they sand the whole floor and apply new wax to it, afterwards it looks brand new.


could there be lead in the wood sealant on my 1930s table? I tested the badly peeling paint on my table and it came up negative for lead.  HOwever, the surface under the paint, which seems to be wood with some sort of sealant, tests positive.  It is a thin layer barely covering the color of the wood and is in perfect condition.  can i remove the paint and repaint it?

It's possible. Lead acetate was a common drying agent used both to accelerate the cure times of clear varnishes and to chemically produce boiled linseed oil. Given the table vintage there's a high chance that any clear film finish is actually lacquer, which can be removed easily with lacquer thinner. I'd test a small section and see. (Shellac is another popular sealant, but it seems unlikely it would contain lead. In any case, shellac dissolves readily in alcohol.) With any luck you can simply wash if off with the appropriate solvent once the paint is gone.

If all of the paint doesn't scrape off easily your best bet is going with a chemical stripper and taking it all down to the wood. A couple of brands use sheets of paper that keep everything together, which is ideal for dealing with lead. You should definitely avoid heat guns, because lead compounds tend to vaporize at low temperatures. (Hence the use as a drying agent.)


Maestro Lighting Switch Wiring I am trying to replace an old dimmer switch in our kitchen with a Maestro Lutron dimmer switch.  The issue I'm having is one of the boxes contains both the hot line and the light.  I can get the system to work with the dimmer and a final switch but I cannot figure out how to get the existing 4 way switch wired in correctly.
The wiring diagram looks as follows:

I'm using the MACL-153MLH (https://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/0301629b.pdf) switch.
The FAQ leads me to believe that I cannot use a mechanical 4 way switch in this configuration.  (https://www.lutron.com/en-us/pages/supportcenter/support.aspx?modelNumber=MACL-153MLH&gqid=1120&qid=1125)
Their diagram for installation has the line and the load on opposite ends of the circuit.  Is this possible to install?

Yes, it's possible to rearrange things to fit what you want
The trick to this is that while Lutron's diagram shows line and load on opposite ends of the circuit, nothing stops you from wrapping that load wire back around to the first box then connecting to the existing load wire there.  So, given that you have /3 going down the spur and starting with the master dimmer at the garage:

The garage dimmer ground connects to any existing grounding wires
Line-in at the garage goes to black on the garage dimmer
White (taped black) on the spur cable (going down to the dining room + office) goes to blue on the garage dimmer
Black on the spur cable goes to brass on the garage dimmer
Red on the spur cable gets connected to the load wire
And the white wires from the line and load cables connect to each other, but not to the taped/flagged white wire in the spur cable

Moving onto fitting a remote at the four-way location (dining room) now:

The remote's ground gets connected to the existing grounding wires, as one'd expect
The two red wires get nutted together
The two black-taped white wires get nutted together and to a pigtail to the blue screw on the remote
The black wire from the garage side of the four-way goes to the black screw on the remote
And the black wire from the office side of the four-way goes to the brass screw on the remote

Finally, fitting the remote at the office is simple:

The ground wire on the remote here gets connected as-expected
The red wire goes to the brass screw
The taped/flagged white wire goes to the blue screw
And the black wire goes to the black screw


Removing or replacing a post supporting a bolted joint in a long glue lam beam We bought a home to remodel - and taking down a wall we found that our gluelam beam is actually two different beams, held together with some steel and bolts, and supported by a 4x6 vertical timber. We don't think this was a part of the original design - but don't hate it enough to pay for engineering to replace the beam with one single piece...

So... any ideas on what we could do? Steel post of much smaller dimension?

Any creative ideas are appreciated!

You have a lot going on at that point in your roof. I would strongly recommend you get a civil engineer to have a look if you are considering removing the post.

If you only want to replace the post with a steel column, that would be simple. You can google the strength of a wood column in the dimensions you have and select a similar or stronger steel pole.

From the picture I can confirm that it is a load bearing pillar, the beam that stretches from the windows toward the 4 x 6 vertical timber is transferring it's load to the timber.


What should I check after my kitchen cabinets are resurfaced? I will be getting my kitchen cabinets resurfaced soon and was wondering when the job is done, what I should check to ensure that the job was well done?

In terms of the look, if it looks good to you, it is good. In a more empirical sense, in our finishing room we look for consistency/homogeneity of color, evenness of sheen, texture, and uniformity of application among other things (depending on the specifics of the finishing formula). One way to see problems that don't immediately jump out at you is to look across the piece into a soft, raking light. Defects in the film that you never noticed will scream out loud. Having said all that, the most important aspect of a refinishing job is its long term durability. Unfortunately I don't know of any way to definitively tell when a finish will fail prematurely just by looking at it. There may be indications in the general workmanship that might speak to the professionalism of the guys doing the work (runs and sags, orange peel, over-spray, etc. etc.) but that's not a guarantee. Not to mention that if you're seeing these things, the work is already done and therefore the damage is already done. I would suggest looking for these red flags before the work begins:

The vibe: Typically when you contact a company to do work like this, the process begins by them sending out an envoy (often the owner/operator) to come and asses the situation and give you the homeowner an idea of what to expect in regards to time frame, budget, and start date. If you get a bad vibe during this meeting, that's a red flag. Trust your gut. Also if you're taking bids and one of them is half the price of the others, it is not a bargain it is a red flag.
Appearances can be revealing: A crew that shows up wearing nice uniforms (even if they're just matching t-shirts and painters overalls) in lettered company vehicles is a crew that has it's collective poop in a group. On the other hand if the workmen, or worse yet the boss, show up dressed shabbily in a battered junker vehicles, that's a red flag. Guys that are good at this make a descent living and they tend to invest that back into their company. If they look like they're near poverty there's probably a reason for that.
Investigation of the preparation: When your crew is done prepping the site, you should be impressed (maybe even stunned) with the thoroughness and tidiness of the masking/tarping job. It should look like a patient prepped for surgery. If the masking paper is haphazardly applied and your floor is tarped off with old bed sheets, that's a rouge drapeau. That's "red flag" in french.

Hope this helps, cheers!


Can i use a water heater as my source for the in floor Pex tubing system? I installed Pex tubing in concrete in 2 areas, both garage floors. I have been told 2 things.... one is that it will require a boiler, two, that a hot water tank will do the job. Cost is a huge factor here when compared. I am willing to try the hot water tank as it is a fraction of the cost and can use it on another property if not successful. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

It's all about heat load.

A very well insulated building may have a heat load so low that most boilers would be operating very inefficently to meet the load - sitting idle most of the time, even on "design days" when the heat load is at the greatest due to the outside temperature being the lowest temperature designed for (thus, "design day.")

As a practical example, I have a radiant floor system installed in a building with a design-day load of 30-36,000 BTU/hr. A typical "small" boiler is 100,000 BTU/hr, so it would be in standby 2/3 of the time even on that coldest day (which is typically for no more than a week, and not every year.) A water heater can be more closely matched to the load, simply because they are available in smaller sizes.

As for tank .vs. no tank, it's largely irrelevant - there are inefficient and efficient versions of both (and much of the hype for tankless heaters being "more efficient" due to no standby losses falls down in houses where hot water is actually used, at modern insulation levels which lower standby losses; especially considering greater complexity and maintenance expense that is often associated with tankless.) A common example (and commonly used for radiant heat) of an efficient tank type is the polaris, at something like 95% efficient and a condensing design.

If you have a larger heat load, an efficient condensing boiler might be a better choice - that has to to with the whole building construction, not the heat delivery method.


Do I need concrete footings for a free-standing deck I want to build a free-standing deck (no ledger board) which is only about 6 inch over the ground. The deck size is  22 X 14. After that I'm planning to put a metal permanent patio cover (20 X 14 x 10) with fiber panels on top . The metal construction of the patio cover will be attached directly to the wooden deck. The local code for the deck is 8 inch wide and at least 36 inch deep for the footings.

My questions are:

Do I need to do the concrete footings required by the code to install free standing ground deck?
Do I need to do the concrete footings for an extra support for the deck since the patio cover will be installed on top of the deck?

If code calls for footings, you need them for code compliance, at minimum. Typically code-compliant footings increase the odds that the deck remains level over time.

You will also want them (or more than the minimum) for resisting uplift if you are going to attach a roof (think of it as a sail or kite, when the wind blows.) As such a "mushroom" or pad type footing (where there's a concrete column/post and at the bottom of it there is a larger diameter pad) will help to resist uplift - be sure to use adequate reinforcing steel to hold it all together and tie in your anchor bolts.


Can I use existing wiring for installing an OTR Microwave? We are looking at installing an over the range microwave in our house but I have a few questions concerning the electrical hookup before we pull the trigger and get one.

Currently there is a range hood above our stove. I took it down and there is an electrical cable coming directly out of the wall into the hood. I know that it is advised that an OTR microwave be on its own dedicated circuit (or something like that) from anything else.

However, I’m not entirely sure if it is or not. I’ve narrowed down which breaker it’s on and I’ve attached an image below. The stove is on the same one. Does that mean I will not be able to use that wiring? I’m mainly confused by the circle with two slashes in it afterward, does that mean anything specific?

Edit: sorry for the sideways image. Stack exchange rotates the image when I upload it for some reason.

You should be fine

If this breaker truly is only serving the hood (I'd double check that with a plug-in radio in each of the kitchen outlets with this breaker off), then you'll be fine with putting the microwave/hood on there.  If there are kitchen outlets on this breaker, then I would limit the input (nameplate) power of the microwave/hood to 1.2kW (which will mean a relatively small microwave) to avoid violating NEC 210.23(A)(2):

  (2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating
  of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere
  rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization
  equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

As to that symbol...

The two-parallel-lines-in-a-circle symbol you see on your loadcenter's directory label, by the way, is the standard symbol used to denote a receptacle on North American electrical floorplans.


Refrigerator on GFCI is tripping other AFCI breakers in the house This is going to sound really weird, but it has been going on for 6 years and the electricians that wired our house spent multiple days trying to figure it out before we found it was definitely the fridge, but no idea what or why.
When we open the door on our fridge (a 6 yr old Whirlpool model #WRF736SDAM11 French Door) it occasionally trips another AFCI circuit in our house. The circuit it trips used to jump all over the place, but is pretty consistent on which breaker it throws these days. The electricians went over all of the lines that were tied to the fridge, and to the other breakers that were tripping, but found no faults. They replaced outlets, breakers, switches, the lot with no result. It only happens when opening the door of the fridge.
I've read that the LED driver in this fridge could cause line noise, but I'm not sure how to verify that, and if so, how to go about resolving it. The fridge itself never trips the GFCI circuit it is on.

Because it happens when you open the door, it is more than likely caused by the light.
There seems to be a known issue affecting your Whirlpool WRF736SDAM11 refrigerator.

Under limited, varying circumstances, the LED Driver Board may produce signal noise which can produce a false trip of an AFCI breaker.
Correction: After verifying the refrigerator is supplied by an AFCI breaker, order Service Kit #W10810444 and install in accordance with instructions supplied with kit. Note: AFCI breakers are different than GFCI breakers. GFCI breakers are not affected. AFCI breakers are typically labeled “Arc Fault” (Figure 1) or “AFCI” (Figure 2) on the breaker face and have a test button.

Service Pointer - W10806461 (Tripping of AFCI Breakers) (pdf)
As for the whereabouts of the mentioned Service Kit #W10810444  - I've not been able to find an image for what it actually is. It is described as CORD-POWER but it will need to be something more to actually solve your problem. (some ebay results are just a simple wire cord - don't buy that). here's a link to one for sale and another
Alternatively, you might be able to fix it by unplugging the LED in the fridge. This might not work - especially if the LED driver isn't actually on the same chip - but if it fixes your issue, you can be sure that your issue is related to the LED driver. If you are in a bind, you could just put a battery powered motion sensing light in the fridge to replace the built in one - not elegant but doable.
Noise from electronics tripping AFCI breakers is rather common. I visited the Square D (Schneider) facility ~6 years ago. They had a room full of household electrical loads (ceiling fans, sump pumps, TVs) to test their breakers with. They said they once went to a guy's house and bought the $5,000 TV from him that was tripping his breaker so they could fix the issue and test improvements to the breaker design.
That is to say one option is to replace the AFCI circuit breaker - they likely have a new and improved revision that won't be affected by the LED driver in your fridge. If you want, contact the manufacture of the breaker and inquire whether they can offer you a replacement, discount coupon or other resolution.


Efficiently heating an unfinished basement room My basement is almost completely finished except for a 180 sqft room. This room is right next to a utility space containing a high efficiency Lennox furnace. This photo is looking into the utility space from the room I plan to finish:

I'm planning to remodel/finish the room to be used as a home office and close off the furnace space, but I need a way to heat the room (cold long winters here in MT).

I thought about underfloor electric radiant heat, but it's expensive and not nearly as efficient as my furnace.

Given that the furnace is so close and accessible, is it possible to add a separate zone off the furnace to a single vent near the flow? Or any better ideas?

Yes, assuming your furnace is adequately sized to also heat this additional space, it should be fairly easy to add ductwork that serves it. Controlling it as an independent zone may be more complicated: because it's a small room, if it's calling for heat when the rest of your home is not, your system might be significantly overpowered for that zone. That would mean too much heat and too much airflow trying to go to a smaller space. There are solutions for this (multi-stage furnaces, bypass dampers, etc.) but they add cost and complexity.

To judge the capacity, calculate the heat load for your home and for this potential added room. Ideally, you can work out the details of how much airflow you'll need to this room and what size ducting would deliver that. You will get more airflow here because you're so close to the blower.

If the system is powerful enough, you can add supply and return ventilation to serve this room to an existing zone. You can use a manual damper on the supply vent to shut off this area if you're not planning to use it for a while. The downside here is that if the room is cold and you want it warmed up, you'll have to warm up the rest of your house too.

Other options to consider:

Electric heating. Expensive to operate, but cheap to install, heats up fast, and provides great room-level control. Electric baseboard is the standard option but you can also do an electric heater with a blower or even under-floor electric heat.
Electric heat/cool systems. If you're likely to want cooling in this room in summers, mini-split systems are available that can heat (air source heat pump) and cool. That might not be a great option for you because air source heat pumps don't work well in very cold outdoor temperatures.
No built-in heating. You can heat a small room fairly effectively with a plug-in electric heater when you need it. You'll likely get a lot of residual heat from the furnace nearby. Maybe once the room is insulated you will be content with a $20 plug-in heater and a warm sweater?
Single-room heaters using other fuels. You can get wall-mounted gas heaters, maybe even kerosene or wood pellets. You can get a wood stove.

Lots of options. The key question may be how you use it. If you're using it frequently, adding the room to an existing heating zone is probably best. If you're using it rarely, electric baseboard is a solid overall option.


How does a water meter affect the continuity of a grounding electrode system when a jumper is present? 250.53(D)(1) Continuity. Continuity of the grounding path or the
  bonding connection to interior piping shall not rely on water
  meters or filtering devices and similar equipment.

  250.68(C) Grounding Electrode Connections. Grounding electrode conductors and bonding jumpers shall be permitted to be connected at the following locations and used to extend the connection to an electrode(s): [ROP 5–138]
  (1) Interior metal water piping located not more than 1.52 m (5 ft) from the point of entrance to the building shall be permitted to be used as a conductor to interconnect electrodes that are part of the grounding electrode system.

With regards to the two above quotes from the NEC 2014, how does the existence of a jumper across the water meter affect the continuity of the grounding electrode system? In particular, my grounding electrode conductor is terminated approximately four and a half feet from the point of entrance of the interior metal water piping to the building (satisfying the five foot requirement), but the water meter is approximately two feet from the point of entrance. I understand that the issue with the water meter is in the event that it needs to be serviced, a path of continuity might be compromised. In my case, this path would still exist due to the existence of a jumper, but does it matter that the jumper is a separate wire from the main grounding electrode conductor?

In other words, do I need to run an entirely new grounding electrode conductor?

The grounding electrode is only required to be 8' and buried 2-1/2' deep for a pipe or rod. The conductor is required to be continuous as you note but you stopped reading prior to the 4 exceptions 250.64.C.1 through 4.  But the pipe is the electrode.
 With many home owners having to replace old galvinised pipe a problem has started when the old pipe is removed and replaced with plastic. I have had to drive new rods where ther was no longer 8' of pipe in the ground. This can cause problems especially if there are no other grounds (driven or Ufer) the most common. If you are concerned about the quality of your ground it is fairly easy to drive a new rod close to your panel and run a #6 copper conductor to the service. Many older homes the water main was the only ground. Adding a driven rod or pipe can only help if located close to the service.


How do I use precision screwdrivers? I am talking about those small and narrow screwdrivers with a thin handle. I can't get a tight enough grip on the handle to generate enough torque to remove a small screw. Do I have to use something else with it?

Use a pair of pliers to grab the screwdriver, and while applying downward force to the screwdriver (so it doesn't slip and strip your screws), carefully apply pressure using the pliers.


Wires barely fit in gang box, is this okay? If not, where to get deeper boxes? What to do when the wires barely fit in the box? We got them to fit with a lot of fusing, but I'm not sure if that's okay or not. Lots of smushing down and the outlet covers don't fit flush on some. My concern is twofold - that getting all the wiring in there as fiddly and bent to make it fit will somehow make a dangerous situation. And if we just did it outright wrong and that's why it's not fitting.

Part of the problem: using GFCI outlets, surface mounted PVC and plastic boxes because this is in a wet location and I couldn't find any other boxes that were appropriate. 20amp circuit, so the wiring was fairly stiff.

Specifics: Big project this weekend to wire a fish room. As it is to be around water, went with pvc and plastic gang boxes and gfi on each outlet (at a wince-worthy expense) With the help of a friend who is not an electrician but has done a lot of cabling and electrical work, we installed 2 20amp circuit breakers in an empty panel, and 11 boxes with 22 GFI outlets using romex 12 gauge. I think this was the first time he worked with 12 gauge wiring though. We were actually able to make most of them fit, but there is a lot of wire in each box, and some of the outlets are sitting at odd angles because of the way the wire was put in there.

It might be fine, and with some more finessing get the ones at angles in there the rest of the way. But I want to verify it's okay, and if its not, figure out where and how to get deeper boxes to be used in a wet area. (I did see plenty of deeper boxes but not in an area that was meant to be surface mounted and weather resistant).

One option is to use a single gang mud ring for double gang box.
you can get metal or plastic ones.


Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping? Every time I switch on one specific circuit breaker, the residual-current device (RCD) switches off. I've disconnected every device that's on the group, and even took out all light bulbs, but the problem doesn't go away.

I think there are two options now, either there's something wrong with the circuit breaker, or with the wiring (there are three other groups that share the RCD, but I have no problem with those, so I think the RCD is OK).

Are there other options, and how do I find out where my problem is?

(I know next to nothing about electrical wiring, so I hope I got the terms right.)

First choice:  Call a licensed electrician.
Second choice: Find all the outlets and lights which are affected by the breaker.  Start with the one closest to the panel.  Open them all up and visually inspect.  If nothing is seen, turn on the breaker with everything opened up - does it still trip. Sometimes movement in the boxes will re-position wires and remove a short.
If you still have a problem, start removing sections from the circuit - i.e., disconnect them from the line. Start in the middle - check breaker if no more tripping your problem is down line from that point.  Get the idea?


Deck Joist Hanging Options I am trying to design a replacement deck for my home. Local regulations require IRC 2015 and the area is designated SDC D2. The surface height of my deck will be ~8' 8" above grade and there is a cement patio under the deck.

In DCA6 page 11, it shows that "Joist on Beam" and "Joist hung from Beam" are allowed. I'm trying to preserve as much headroom on the patio as possible and have chosen to hang the joists. Do the top of the joists have to lay in the same horizontal plane as the top of the beams as shown in DCA6 or can I set the joists lower so the decking will line up with the top of the beams?

Using the middle figure concerns me that water and moisture retention may cause rotting where the decking lies on top of the beam. Are there other concerns in leaving the beam exposed as decking surface?

Yes, by code you can raise the top of the beam to be at the top of the decking. However, 1) it will give you a “pattern” on your deck that you probably won’t like, 2) you’ll need to strap the two sides together, because you’re relying on withdrawal to keep the deck together. Usually we run the decking across the beams and then the decking acts as a “strap” too.

Also, having the top of your “built-up” beam exposed will allow moisture to lay between the members and cause dryrot. Having the deck on top of you “built-up” beam will “protect” the members and keep moisture out.

Where you live with seismic D2 requirements, you’ll need diagonal braces (especially that high in the air) and the code now requires a minimum of 2 hangers like this to attach to the house:

http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/ssttoolbox/sonpfljoja/F-DECKCODE17-p019.pdf

Also, consider using stainless steel hangers with either pressure treated or cedar or redwood lumber for longevity.


What are these controls attached to my boiler for? If it matters, I live in Ireland. We have an oil boiler powering a two zone hot water radiator heating system and a separate electric hot water tank for tap water.

Outside our house in the corner of our property we have a fenced in area. Inside that is a small metal box. I can remove one side of that box to access the boiler. When I look inside the box, up in one of the corners is this set of controls.

I assume the dial controls the temperature the boiler heats the water to, but what is the push button for? Please note, it is not the "reset" button, which is located on the boiler itself and glows red when the boiler pilot light is unlit.

Any ideas?

This is a thermostat (or aquastat) that regulates the temperature in your boiler. Appears to be an IMIT TLSC model. Here's a similar product on amazon.

According to the instructions below, that button is a manual overheat reset. This thermostat has redundant controls - a dial you can turn (set 0-90C), but also a safety shutoff, designed to turn off at a temp just above the dial's maximum (90-110C according the instruction sheet below). That way if the dial-operated controls get stuck on somehow, there is an extra check to avoid overheating your boiler. (Overheating the boiler is bad because it creates pressure, leading to leaks or explosion.)

The button is usually covered by a removable plastic cover, which appears to have been removed here.

It's possible you also have a reset control located elsewhere on the boiler, e.g. on your oil burner. A reset control on the burner would cut off fuel to prevent overheating. The pictured thermostat's control would cut off the electrical signal to run the burner. These systems are not entirely redundant - you're protected against a wider range of failures by having both.


Should I be worried about radon while I live on the 9th floor? I've recently heard of this threat to our health and I'm trying to educate myself on how to best protect myself and my family from it. I've been living for the past few years in a rented apartment in an old 16 story building (50-60 years old) and I'm not planing on moving anytime soon, so I'd like to find out how pressing it is for me to spend money on radon testing. Any information on this matter is welcome, thank you for your time!

Threats to health can be scary.  But in this case, you'll want to keep on learning about radon.  Learn what it is, exactly; learn where it's found in terms of what part of the building, and how it's mitigated.

The upshot is I've never heard of a radon mitigation system on the second floor, least of all the 9th!  You have more to fear from wildfire.


How do I reverse erosion which is lowering earth around fence posts? Erosion has exposed several fence posts behind the back yard.

I've considered building a retaining wall, buying dirt and filling the area in then growing some ground cover, or eventually rebuilding the fence and digging the posts deeper. All of these are large, expensive projects that I can't afford for some time, so I thought I'd ask for some ideas.

What would you do with this fence if it were in your back yard?

Looks like that hill is mostly bare dirt. So, that's going to be a problem.

You've already mentioned two options: retaining wall and ground cover. If you can't do the retaining wall, I'd start with the ground cover. Find out if there are some hardy local native plants that will spread to cover and hold the earth together on that hillside for you.

If the erosion is primarily weather (rain) you could consider the ground cover along with some sort of physical barriers as well...perhaps pretreated timbers running horizontally down the side of the hill staked in. This would be a form of DIY geogrid.


How to install GFCI combo switch and outlet with only 2 wires I had a combo GFCI outlet and switch that went bad in my bathroom. The outlet worked even if the light wasn’t on. I bought a new GFCI combo switch and outlet. I had  several  electricians come to install. No one has been able to get both to work, only the light worked, not the outlet. I had another electrician come out yesterday and he did some moving of wires and now the light does not turn off at all.

This has been an ongoing problem for the past 3 years. I was looking while he was working on it and he said there should be more wires, not only a black and white. I don’t know what else to do. I have an old house that has old wiring. Looking for some suggestions  and help.

Here is a picture of the original on the right and the new combo outlet and switch, no one knows what the wires on the back are for

Please post a photo of wires coming from the wall.
In my opinion your former switch was RCD outlet + unprotected switch, newer is RCD outlet + RCD protected switch. The difference is that the neutral coming from the light should be connected to the 'load' side of your GFCI when with older setup this wasn't needed.

To have it work you should:
1> pigtail one of the black wire with the black coming from the light fixture
2> connect together the black feed from the panel to the black wire TOGETHER with the other black wire coming from the switch (2 wires in one screw)
3> connect the two whites (one coming from the panel and one from the light fixture) to the other terminal of the outlet (2 wires in one screw)

If you have more than 4 wires coming to the switch, the third pair serves the other outlets in the room and should be connected to the LOAD side of the outlet (to the screws protected by the tape).