HOT prongs on 30A 240V electric dryer socket (10-30R Socket) I have an electric dryer (Samsung DV42H5000EW) and it is connected to a 30A (I believe it dual 30A as there are 2 arms that are connected to each other both saying 30A) 240V breaker.  The wall socket is a 10-30R connection at the dryer.  I believe 10-30R sockets require 240V if I am not mistaken.  The house was built maybe 10/15 years ago. I am guessing the wiring is still good and nothing wrong (that i have seen so far)

I am running some bitcoin/altcoin mining equipment from this wall socket when the dryer is not in use.  The equipment came with China GB2099 to C19 power cords.  They use 2100w.  I am in the USA so these cords will not work for me.

What I ended up doing is getting a 10-30P to L6-30R converter, and purchasing a L6-30P to C19 so that I can connect it to the mining equipment.

This works perfectly.  I can run one of the machines off of this all day with no issues.

I figured since it's 30A 240V I can technically run 2 of the 2100w machines on the same power outlet as I am below the 5760w (80% continuous load threshold).  I purchased a C20 to x2 C19 splitter so I could connect both machines. I ran it for 2 or 3 days with both of them running without any circuits popping or issues with the machines themselves.

My wife asked me to turn off the equipment so she could use the dryer.  When I did I noticed the plastic receptacle (10-30P) was warm to the touch as was the first 6 inches of the wire.  But both of the hot (Left/right) prongs on the 10-30P were HOT.  I could only touch them for a few seconds without having to take my fingers off.  The top/bottom prongs were just warm.  I checked the rest of the cables and nothing was hot/warm anywhere else.  Just on the 10-30P and first 6 inches of wire.

Once my wife was done with Laundry, I checked the 10-30P (for the laundry machine) and it was not warm at all. I reconnected the mining equipment and ran
both of the machines again for a few hours and checked the 10-30P.  Same thing.  Receptacle was warm but the hot prongs were HOT.

I let it cool down and connected it once again but only one of the machines this time for a few hours and the 10-30P was not warm and the prongs were barely warm.  I know the circuit can handle the load as I am well below the 80% threshold.

Do you think the wall socket (10-30R) needs to be replaced. The 10-30P to L6-30 connection?  Should I not be running this load on this socket/circuit?  Did I put myself in danger by running them both on the same circuit?

I am a little confused as to why it's getting so hot if it is rated to handle that load.  I figured I would try to get some help here before I call and pay an electrician.

Thanks in advance.

-- Edit

Thank y'all for the help. I instead opted to setup a co-location contract with a local data center that will provide the power/cooling/facilities at almost the same cost it was for me to run it in my garage. Safer and much more of a legitimate location for the equipment. I am having an electrician come out to replace that plug with the 14-30 like suggested. i did not know it was outdated.

The reason that certain sized wire must be used for a given amperage is because the wire gets hot when electricity is pulled through it.  That said, some equipment from China isn't known for complying to all the regulations we have, and the conductors in the adapters could be undersized.

Many conductors and connectors are rated for 75C, which is 167F, and certainly hot enough to burn you.  However I don't think anything that you can easily touch should get that hot while in use, so I would assume that something is wrong.  I would suspect the adapter first, but you should also measure the amount of current the equipment is using.  It could be pulling a lot more than you think (closer to 7000W) which would overheat an adapter that was probably meant for closer to 4000W.

If you wanted to tinker with the wall outlet, you can make sure the wire clamping screws are tight, and they have a good, solid connection.  The dryer works, and the computers work, so I don't think anything is "wrong" with the wiring itself.


Class 1 low voltage wiring in wall I am looking for an approved method to run class 1 low voltage wiring in a wall from jbox to jbox. What kind of cable and what kind of cable clamps are approved?

I have searched unsuccessfully for rated NM cable that contains just two 16 or 18ga. conductors. I've seen the MC luminary cable that contains two 14ga. conductors and two 16ga. low voltage wires, but this is a 3-way circuit so I need three 14ga. conductors. I would also rather not use MC cable unless it is my only option.

I did find a non-metallic wire sheath with a "UL Recognized" rating, so I could make my own cable from 16 ga. THHN wire, but would that be acceptable?

The rest of the installation is complete: there are 10 ceiling boxes connected by conduit, for dimmable LED lighting. I just need to run the wiring to the dimmer switches.

Ok, Class 1 wiring systems NEC article 725.49 (A) sizes and use and (B) Insulation which give you approved insulation for sizes 18 and 16. If it is 16 or larger you need to use Article 310. I would forget the 16 and use 14 nm instead. If you decide on 18 or 16 the equivalent to thhn would be tffn. Or I would check with whomever the manufacturer is and find out what they suggest.

Hope this helps


How to fix Samet SmartSlide desk drawer slider? Long story short, I yanked on a drawer too hard and it got displaced on the sliders, I ended up getting it off them completely, in the process some parts fell out and I believe the right slider is missing them now. Question is, how do I reassemble them back. I haven't been able to find any schematics online for those specific parts, only on how to install the sliders.

Pics of the sliders (right one is the damaged one) and the parts that I need to put back in:

You've got something better than a schematics, you've got a left side that's working. Take it out of the cabinet and do a forensic study on it. You should be able to put the right side back together. Good luck.


How to install a new pvc line on a fridge to an existing small plastic line? What do I need to get this going? a kit? first time installing or connecting myself.  any help will be great appreciated.  I have a pac lined tubing, but nothing else.

Most refrigerators come with either a 1/4" plastic or copper tube or a male hose thread (just like your garden hose spigot) inlet.

If you are connecting 1/4" tube to 1/4" tube, you need a compression coupling:

The inserts slide into the plastic tube to prevent it from collapsing when you tighten the fittings.

If you have a hose thread connector you will need an adapter:

The picture does not show the hose washer, you need that too.


How to make IN swing french doors OUT swing? So I want to buy this french patio door for my she shed & its an IN swing.  I will need to buy a door frame and want the doors to swing OUT.  Is this something that can be done?  The doors are $80 for both. The man building the shed does custom work, but I dont want to cause tons of extra work/expense.  Suggestions?  I can DIY to an extent with good instructions, depending! :) Each door has 3 hinges on them that would attach to frame & each have a door knob near center and one has a twist latch/bolt in center.

To do what you ask, is not a practical thing to do. First off, the inswing door panel is made differently than an outswing door since one has to be exposed to the weather directly and the other does not. Secondly the sill is configured differently too.
I have seen situations where an inswing door was simply turned around and set, removing the trim on the outside and setting back in place on the "new" outside. If this is done, it needs a small roof built over it to protect the top of the door and keep the weather from hitting the sill so rain does not simply roll in under the door


Mixing or blending diverse tile thinsets together I would like to know if it is ever an acceptable practice to mix or blend two diverse thinsets together, and under what circumstances one may resort to this practice (outside of desperation to finish a job in a shorter timeframe)?

Specifically, I'm interested in Laticrete 125 with Mapei Ultralite Mortar Pro, in any ratio, as this is what was done.

I commissioned my 1100 sq ft floor (on a post-tensioned concrete slab on the second floor of a condo) to be tiled with 18"x18" porcelain tiles using Laticrete 125. So far, all of the floor has been installed with 125, except it seems that in my ~70 sq ft master bathroom, the installer has diluted the Laticrete 125 with Mapei Ultralite Mortar Pro, in a ratio that appears to be 1/3 Laticrete to 2/3 Mapei, although I would say it was likely mixed a lot less scientifically than that. I believe this was done to save time, since he was unfamiliar with 125 and did not know how much coverage he would get up front, had not ordered enough 125 at the start of the job, and so he resorted to doing this without consulting his boss or me about it.

Also, it appears the trowel used in the bathroom has 1/4" notches, while the rest of the apartment was installed using a 1/2" notched trowel. My understanding is that 1/2" is recommended for use with these larger format tiles.

As an engineer, I realize that it is impossible to know for sure what any blend of products would do without proper testing, but I'm hoping there may either be someone who has experienced this before, or may know why it is either acceptable or never a good idea to do something like this, as I am not an expert, or even experienced in this area.

Thanks!

I'm hoping you haven't paid yet.

I don't think any manufacturer would consider this acceptable. (You could call their tech support just for laughs and see what they say.) At the end of the day, manufacturer's specifications are what matter.

So let's assume you have a sub-standard job. Off the top of my head, here's a few options:

1- tear it out and do over. (At the installer's expense.)

2- if they won't do over, on the premise that you didn't get what you paid for, pay them less. (Possibly a number approaching zero, given the risk of massive failure. If it went to court, I can't imagine that the installer would prevail.)

3- engage a different professional to fix everything and backcharge the first installer.

4- trust the installer when he insists that the job will be fine and functional. This approach requires that you actually believe you'll be able to find him in 6 months when the tiles fail.


Burying PEX Pipe in the ground Revised: September 27, 2020 @ 4:30 PM.
Background Information
This is an existing installation by a national builder. I had to dig up this section for another reason and found a PEX splice. I wanted to determine if I need to do something to better protect the PEX pipe before covering this backup.
Side Rant: It may have been installed by code, inspected and approved, but code is a minimum standard.  Sometimes minimum standard is fine. Sometimes, the inspector misses it or the installation is altered after inspection.
I may decide to buy the tools or decide to hire a plumber (if I can find one) with the correct tools to fix any problems before I re-bury the line. Let me be the judge of what is too expensive.

Questions

Does PEX pipe that is buried in the ground need to be protected? If so, how?

Does PEX pipe fittings / splices buried in the ground need to be protected? If so, how?

How should the PEX pipe be protected as it is going through the PVC sleeve penetrating the footing/foundation?  It appears that the PVC could cause chafing of the PEX over time via expansion / contraction process.

The writing on the PEX says, "Pure Flow". Is that PEX-B?

PEX Splice
The PEX Splice appears to be a plastic fitting with copper crimp rings.

Pureflow PEX Writing
Note: I noticed that as I was cleaning the pipe, the writing was coming off the PEX Pipe. The dirt was acting as sandpaper. So I have be very careful as I was cleaning the dirt away from the PEX so that I could get a good picture of the writing on the PEX.

PureFlow Water Systems Installation Manual - June 2009
Source: https://www.houseneeds.com/upload/pdf/viega-pexsystemmanual.pdf
`
I did a search and found "PureFlow Water Systems Installation Manual".

When direct burying PureFlow fittings, PEX Press fittings do not need to be wrapped; however, Brass PEX Crimp fittings do. When Brass PEX Crimp fittings are put in contact with ground soil by direct burial, it is the position of Viega, that these brass fittings and copper crimp rings be securely wrapped using self-fusing, fully cured silicone rubberlike tape with a minimum 0.020" thickness.

Contact a Viega representative for additional information on approved wrapping materials.

Viega PEX Water Systems Installation Manual -
Source: https://www.pexuniverse.com/uploads/literature/viega-pex-installation-manual.pdf

Viega PEX Crimp fittings (Eco Brass and Polymer) and their crimp rings shall be securely wrapped with tape meeting the following criteria for direct burial installations.

Self-fusing
Formaldehyde-free
Fully cured silicone tape
Minimum of 0.020" thickness

The wrap is available from Viega (part number 15320).

** Repair coupling tape (PN: 15320) **
Viega Website: https://www.viega.us/en/products/Catalog/Heating-and-Cooling-Systems/Heating-and-Cooling-Solutions/Couplings/Repair-coupling-tape-2890-4US.html
** Product Instructions - Viega PureFlow Coupling Repair Wrap **
Vendor instructions to using the "Coupling Repair Wrap": https://www.viega.us/content/dam/viega/aem_online_assets/download_assets/us/pihc_560939_1119_coupling_repair_wrap_enesfr.pdf
Note: Viega Wrap appears to be similar to the SharkBite Wrap idea provided in the "jwh20"'s answer below.
Costs
SharkBite - Non-Adhesive Multi-Purpose Silicone Wrap

HomeDepot: $13.98

Viega - Repair Coupling Tape for PEX Press Fittings (PN: 15320)

SupplyHouse.com: $22.39 - Out of Stock

Viega - 10 foot Coupling Silicone Tape (PN: 15320)

Ferguson: $29.09 - Out of Stock in my area

Yes, but be sure to bury it below the frost line and ensure that none of the backfill is large enough to puncture or damage the pipe.  A clean run of PEX is preferred but if you must use joints, follow the procedure from the manufacturer.
In the case of Sharkbite connectors, the manufacturer does support using them buried provided you follow their procedure:
Buried Sharkbite Connectors
I'll note that some prefer PEX crimp connectors for this application but if you don't have the tooling that can be cost prohibitive.


Should I be concerned if there is a small gap in the mortar when tiling? I recently had a room tiled and during the installation I had noticed the workers were putting a small empty space in the mortar underneath some tiles. They wanted to adjust the alignment of the tiles so they removed the mortar separating them and then pushed them horizontally. They told me that this was not a problem and that the tiles should resist despite the small gap below.

The problem is that now I'm wondering whether what they said was true or not.

The way I read your question is that due to some misalignment in the tiles, they were removed and some of the mortar was removed and the tiles replaced with a gap underneath. If the gap was filled when the tiles were pushed horizontally, you'll be fine. If a sizable gap remained, you could have a problem with the tile cracking if you step on it just right, heel to tile. Once the mortar has dried knock on the tile and listen for a hollow sound, which would indicate an air gap. Make sure you keep a number of extra tiles incase you do develop a problem.


Finding line and load when retrofitting a GFCI I want to replace a 2 prong outlet with a gfci on the most upstream receptacle. I have to find the line and the load. To find the line and the load do I put normal wire nuts on all of the wires, and turn the power on and see which hot one has electricity flowing?

Do I use wire nuts or lever nuts?

Does the line and the load matter if I want to protect everything downstream??

It matters on a GFCI that the line is from the breaker and the load is the downstream devices. A non contact tester can identify the hot when they are disconnected from the existing outlet make sure to get the hot and neutral from the same incoming cable wired to the line side then the downstream outlets on the load. As you install the outlets make sure to use the labels that say no equipment ground and you will be good to go.


Should a power drill or impact driver be used to drive screws? Pretty straight-forward. I thought it was absolutely normal and acceptable to use a power drill, with the appropriate bit(s), to drive a screw. However, there seem to be various opinions on the matter. Minus the possibility of laziness, should one only drive a screw with a screwdriver, or is a power drill or impact driver equally matched (and will they not be damaged)?

The main difference to pay attention to is a drill vs. a driver.

At the core, they are essentially the same in that they turn a bit.

A driver, however, also has a clutch. That's the key difference. With a drill, you want continuous power on the drill bit. However, with a driver, you want continuous power up to a point at which point you want to stop the power to avoid stripping the screw, over-driving or breaking the screw.

You can drive screws with a drill, you just have to be more careful to avoid the problems listed. And while you could drill a hole with a driver, I wouldn't advise it, as the clutch would make it a pain as it would slip as you go.

Ideally, you have both...for no other reason than you can keep the drill bit in the drill, and the driver bit in the driver, and not have to constantly swap bits as you drill pilot holes and add screws right behind it.

As for a "regular" driver vs. an impact driver, you use the latter when you need high-torque. A typical example would be construction screws where you may be screwing through 4x4 timber and the like.


How can I paint both sides of a door without waiting for each side to dry first? Problem
I am spraying 6 3-panel slabs. I am quite new at using an airless sprayer.
Need Advice
I am using a semi-gloss from Sherwin-Williams and would like to be able to spray both sides at the same time, without having to wait for the paint to dry and then flip the door over. Any pointers?

Remember the saying, "Haste makes waste". I understand the convenience and speed of hanging the doors so you can paint both sides at once with a sprayer. However, if you are looking for a smooth professional finish without runs, orange peel and loss of the millwork detail, painting them while hanging vertically will will not give you good results with standard latex paints. Shooting latex is not like shooting auto lacquer paint.

When painting doors, gravity is your friend, thus they really should be laid down on horses or supports with sharp stand-offs and done one side at a time.  This minimizes dripping and runs and allows paint to level before drying.

Spraying only will give you a bit of an orange peel effect and possibly flood details. Unless you are really good and are using a high quality sprayer with the proper nozzle, the coverage will be uneven. Spraying is a great method of getting a lot of area covered quickly and fairly evenly. Even us pros will overbrush quickly after spraying with a super soft Purdy XTRA-Glide or equivalent brush. This allows you to get into the details, smooth the finish, spread excess paint, even out the coverage and eliminate the orange peel effect.

When spraying latex enamels, thin them with 15 to 20% Flotrol. This will help the paint spray more smoothly with less jams and spits. When you over brush, it will also help the paint level better and give you more working time before it starts to tack.

You can still hang the doors to dry after doing one side. this will save space. Wait about 15 mins after you over brush to hang them so they won't develop runs. Depending on temp and humidity, you may be able to lay them back down on some sharp pointed supports to do the other side in about 4 hours.
Depending on whether they are bare wood or pre-primed doors, count on at least two coats. If they are bare wood, you will have to add in a sanding, priming, sand again, then two coats of paint.


Will termites come in with mulch I am hearing that termites come through mulch, is that true? What do you guys use as an alternative? I see some people use Pine straw mulch, will that help ?

I was concerned about this too. Not so much termites being in the mulch, but attracting them towards my house by surrounding it with delicious decaying wood that is often wet from watering.
I used rubber mulch that is made from recycled tires, which won't attract insects and looks reasonably close to regular mulch. Plus Recycling!
The main downside is that it gets SUPER hot in the summer. Enough to burn your hand while working in the garden bed in Texas summers.


Using Only 3 out of 4 wires on 220 wire run I have equipment that has 3 wires (red, black, green)
The wire run from the breaker box is 10-3 (red, black, green, white)
The equipment requires 220/240v.
I'm just wondering if it's OK to leave the white wire capped off at the outlet?
Basically I have a red & black hot tied to the red and black (respectively) and ground to ground. The white (which is tied to the ground in the circuit breaker box) is just capped off by itself at the equipment.
Is this good, or should I cut the white off in the breaker box which would essentially make my 10-3 run of wire a 10-2?

Go ahead and cap the unused white (neutral) wire off
Your plan to cap the unused white wire off is fine, and for the best even, as it'll leave it available in case someone else wishes to run a 4-wire appliance off this circuit in the future.


How do I stop an LED Troffer flickering problem? I am replacing 30 fluorescent troffer fixtures in my building with LED fixtures: Lithonia Lighting GTL Series Recessed Troffer LED. These fixtures have led strips, no bulbs. Using a standard switch, no dimmers. Dedicated breaker, no other devices in circuit. Wiring lights in series. Testing after each light added. First light test works normally. Added second light, still normal. After adding third light, all three lights flash on and off randomly, every 5 to 10 seconds. After adding fourth, fifth  and sixth lights, all lights flash on and off randomly, but at a faster rate, every 2 to 4 seconds.

So, your problem is that you are wiring lights in series.

This is not how you wire lights.

Single gets full voltage, works fine

Two in series, half voltage, apparently still works.

3 in series, 1/3 voltage, no worky.

4,5,6 in series, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 voltage, no worky worse.

You are outing yourself as perhaps not actually qualified to be replacing lights, if you don't know (and evidently did not research) to wire them in parallel, as they are meant to be, so that each light gets full voltage as intended.


Toilet water drains out slowly after flush My toilet flushes normally, but after the flush, the water drains out again slowly until the siphon suction breaks (this happens about 10-15 seconds after the flush).  This doesn't always happen -- I'd say 40% of the time.

I have had this happen on toilet models that have a vertical tube and not a flapper.  These are called no-flapper style.  Here is a link to a particular model: https://www.plumbingsupply.com/mansfieldtoiletparts-claro.html

The vertical tube looks sort of like an upside down trumpet, where it forms a seal at the base of the tank.  Two things can happen with these.  One is leaking at the bottom due to calcium buildup, that can be cleaned with vinegar and a toothbrush.  There is also a gasket that might need to be replaced.  The other is that the flush valve gets stuck on the part of the tube where the flush valve inserts.  Cleaning off the flush valve arm to make sure it is smooth and slippery, and doing the same to the part where the flush valve arm inserts, has helped.  But ultimately, what I ended up doing with these in the long run was to take the toilet apart and replace them with the flapper style.


How does a water-heater know when to turn on? Now that it is getting colder, we have noticed that when we get home from work, our water is not that hot.  It was warm at best after a four-day trip.  The water heater is in an unheated basement, next to the furnace.  It's not freezing by any means.  After a shower or some dishes, it heats up fine and we have hot water.

It's a gas water heater.  My mental image of how it works is that the fire shuts off OK when the water heats the desired temp, but doesn't come back on until new cold water is introduced.  I would have guessed that it would be a normal thermostat.  If it is a thermostat, how do we set the temperature that the water heater that the fire come on at?

Or, can someone explain how this works in reality, and offer advice?

Yes, it's a thermostat, and there is usually a dial on the side of the tank, near the bottom, to adjust the temperature. More than likely, the water feels colder because it is traveling through uninsulated pipes and is losing much of its heat before it reaches the faucet. You can turn up the temperature of the tank, insulate the pipes (they make foam insulation that just slips over the pipe, just be sure to measure the diameter of your pipes so you get the right one), or both.

You should also consider flushing out any sediment from the bottom of the tank if it's been a while since you last did this. All you need to do is hook up a garden hose to the drain at the bottom of the tank (make sure it can take the warm water), run the other end to a floor drain or utility sink, and open the drain on the bottom of the heater. Make sure the water runs clear for a minute or two before closing the drain. To save on the gas, you can set the thermostat to only run the pilot light while you flush the sediment.


Replace light Switch with Zwave light switch I have two light switches which control the same light (is this known as a 3way connection?).  I would like to replace one of the switches with a Z-wave light switch so I can incorporate the light in some home automation scenes.

Can I do this by just replacing one of the existing light switches with a Z-wave enabled one? Do I need to look for a special 3-way Z-Wave light switch? Do such things exist?

I am handy, but definitely not an electrician.

Here is a picture of how the switch is currently wired:

Unfortunately, your 3-way switch install isn't compatible with Z-wave switches -- even if a 3-way Z-wave switch existed, all the Z-wave devices I know of require a neutral to function, and you don't have that.  Instead, you have an old-style switch loop where the white wire is retagged to be a traveler, hot, or switched hot instead of a neutral.


Do sandstone patio pavers/grout need to be sealed? I had an "expert" look at my patio (only 6m old) and recommend that I should have sealant applied to it to make it last.  I'd not heard of this before and googling is giving me mixed messages.  Since this guys job was selling/applying sealant then I'm concerned he might be a tad biased :-)

Its a sand stone pavers, not particularly expensive ones.

Some of my thoughts are:

Old building have sandstone paths that have been there hundreds of years and are doing fine - I doubt they were sealed?
Some websites suggest it will change the appearance of the slabs?
Some site also say you need to reseal after a few years - if you don't reseal will you just be back to if you hadn't sealed it, or is it a case of once you've done it once you have to keep going?
We were told not to use a power wash on the stones, but the sealant guy says you can do exactly that once sealed - so it is tough stuff sealant then?

Is it really something important to do (similar to say treating the wooden fence), or just a waste of money?

While it wouldn't necessarily hurt I see absolutely no need to do this.  I wouldn't bother.

Some websites suggest it will change the appearance of the slabs?  Sealant will change the appearance, this is neither inherently good or bad.  It will give it a more...wet look most likely, similar to waxing a floor or sealing wood.
Some site also say you need to reseal after a few years - if you don't reseal will you just be back to if you hadn't sealed it, or is it a case of once you've done it once you have to keep going?  Seal, like deck stain, will have to be redone every 2-3 years (give or take, depends on your climate and how much sun/moisture the sealer gets)
We were told not to use a power wash on the stones, but the sealant guy says you can do exactly that once sealed - so it is tough stuff sealant then?  As long as you do not use too much pressure you can power wash the stones, too much pressure could gouge the stones, even with sealer you would want to be careful of this, too much pressure would eat right through the sealer and stone.


What could cause my recessed light to not work? I replaced a flood light lightbulb in recessed light fixture, thinking the previous bulb had burned out, but that new bulb isn't working either. I've tried a regular lamp bulb to ensure my new floodlight bulb was actually "good" and I checked the fuse board to make sure that outlet hadn't been tripped. What other reasons would the light not turn on? the house is only 10 years old and there's no evident damage or anything wrong with the wiring in the recessed lighting.

Any number of things.

Most recessed light fixtures contain what is called a thermal cutout. These cut off the power to the light when the heat from the light exceeds the temperature rating of the fixture.  They go bad.
Sockets go bad
Switches go bad
Loose wire connections inside the fixture.
Loose wire connections behind the switch.
Loose wire connections feeding the switch from another source.
It is not uncommon for a wire staple to penetrate the wire and over time the wire burns up inside the wall.


What is this headless screw called? I need this screw for assembling my BabyBay baby cot.
In this manual, it is part number 1122.

In my neck of the woods it would be a "set screw". You may not find one with the exact cross pattern in the top (most are Allen or slotted), but it should still work. The important parameters are diameter and thread pitch.
I don't see those values specified in that document, so some trial-and-error may be required. If possible, take the part it engages to a hardware store and test with common screws for size, then look for a set screw with the same diameter and pitch. A properly-fitted screw will turn easily until it snugs against the surface below.


How tight should vinyl siding be against each other? We are having vinyl siding installed, replacing very dented and mangled aluminum siding.

We are concerned, after the builders have finished one section of the driveway, about the shadows of the siding laps. I understand that vinyl siding should be able to move from side to side in order to permit expansion/contraction, but should we be able to stick fingers in between the laps and pull apart the seams from each other (this is double dutch lap siding)?

There are a few laps that we feel are correctly tight together, and others that extend further out and cast small shadows. Should we be concerned about these seams?

That sounds like an excessive amount of space. Contact the manufacturer and get the installation instructions if they are doing it wrong it will void the warranty.


wet spots on inside of garage wall I have a simple cinder block garage. It is exposed on one side and adjacent to a neighbor's garage (6" gap) on the other.  The side adjacent to my neighbor shows some water spots on the inside of the wall, which become more prominent when it rains. I have attached several photos below, taken after a couple days of rain (although the spots never really clear, they just become more prominent after rain).

The garage is about 5 years old. For the first 4 years (before I owned it) my neighbor's garage did not have a gutter and therefore poured water onto that wall everytime it rained. When I first saw water spots inside my garage, about a year ago, I attributed it to the missing gutter. I spoke with my neighbor, and at my request he kindly installed a gutter April 2016.

The problem is that a year later I still see what appear to be water spots inside my garage. I would have assumed it was just efflorescence / staining, but the spots seem to be more prominent when it rains.

I checked the outside wall, and it actually seems drier than inside - so I think my neighbor's gutter is working fine. I considered that maybe my roof is leaking and pouring water into the wall, but I don't think so. The roof line hangs over the wall, so I am pretty sure I would see dripping into my garage in order for it to get in the wall (the roof line is perfectly dry, as far as I can tell).

There is a bit of pooling on the flat root, but very minor and the wet spots traverse the whole wall (not just the back corner where there is a little water on the roof).

The opposite wall, which is exposed, is completely dry inside and out.

Is anyone please able to explain what might be going on? What can I do to resolve this?

I see several problems:

1) Moisture in the joints not the cells:  If you look closely at the pictures, you'll see that moisture is penetrating at the mortar joints (vertical and horizontal). That means the cells are probably grouted solid (that's good), but they probably didn't grout the vertical joints (the space between the blocks). Masonry is VERY POURUS. When water penetrates the "face shell" of the masonry, it probably finds a void between the blocks and then runs down the wall and fills up the void or "wicks" through the wall an migrates into the garage. (I know, I saw the paint on the exterior too, but it's useless keeping water out, unless you use a "block filler" first. Once water is in, the paint is probably enough resistance to keep it from coming out...it's just easier to migrate towards the warmer side.)

2) Mortar joints:  Your close-up picture shows some of the mortar joints (vertical and horizontal) are not "struck" or "tooled". Striking or tooling does two things: a) compresses the mortar so it's more waterproof, and b) removes any extra mortar that may create a lip to catch water running down the wall.

3) Your front wall (or back wall...the one with the sledge hanging up) has the same issue, but minor. This would indicate that it's not getting the same amount of water on it. So, that means your neighbor's roof is still causing problems. Yes, the gutter was great, but not all water carefully goes into the gutter in a storm.

4) Your masonry wall extends about 3' above Your neighbor's gutter. From the inside, you can see that the "wet spots" start 2' down. The wall above the gutter seems dry inside...probably due to the drying effect and partly because it doesn't have enough water in the wall to fill up to that point.

Repair??  Hmmm...it's too narrow to work in, so I'd experiment with hanging a tarp in the gap. If it decreases the moisture spots, then you need to fill and paint the wall. (I'll loan you my 9 year old grandson, who is skinny enough to get in there...and still be able to get out.)

You could also experiment with drilling 1/4" holes near the bottom of the wall in a couple of the wettest spots to see if water runs out. It would be like a weep hole...but make sure water has a place to go, so it doesn't back up and flow into the hole. (Be prepared to fill the hole if things go bad.)


How to plug in a Philips Low Pressure Sodium Bulb using a Ballast I bought these 3 things on Amazon:
•   Leviton 8806 Bayonet Base, Keyless, HID, Glazed Porcelain Lampholder
•   Fulham WH2-120-C Workhorse Adaptable Ballast
•   Philips 327817 35-watt T15 SOX35 Low Pressure Sodium HID Light Bulb

I don’t know a ton about electricity or LPS bulbs but I need to safely plug this in to a regular 110V wall outlet. I’m not sure what the job of the ballast is, but I’m guessing I have to wire it into a power cable that will then plug into the wall. Am I right?

And do the 2 white cables from the Lampholder connect to the Black & White cable on the ballast?

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

This is a bunch of random junk.

Stop buying things this way.  You can't just throw random electronic bits together and have them work.  But don't feel bad, this happens a lot. We get a steady stream of people buying random dimmers and smart switches and wanting to configure them 3-way to control some cheap LEDs they got off the bottom shelf of Walmart, or other equally random things.

School up

You just need to get some magazines, good "how I built it" sites on the Internet, or whatever, and read up on how others are doing what you are trying to do.   By the way, low pressure sodium is the best for some applications.

Buy used

From time to time, low-pressure sodium fixtures come up on the used market: Craigslist, eBay, etc.  See what you can find. Good chance though if you are trying to do home herb farming, the best lamps may be in high demand, especially now that many states have made one particular herb legal.


What size chain is typically used when hanging a porch swing? What size chain is typically used when hanging a porch swing?

A standard double loop chain is often used for porch swings.

Assuming three hefty occupants (~250 lbs each) and a 100 lb swing, you're up to a load of 850 lbs. If you use 4 lengths of chain to connect the swing, that's 212.5 lbs per chain. So you need at least 2/0 chain, which is rated to a working load of 255 lbs and an UTS of 1020 lbs.

EDIT: If you're a nerd/engineer like me, you can get more technical and take into account angle of the chains from vertical and normal acceleration from swinging. Then your equation comes to:

4*T*cos(Θ)-m*g=m*a where a=v^2/(l*cos(Θ))

or

T=m*((v^2/(l*cos(Θ)))+g)/(4*cos(Θ))

where

T is the tension per chain length using a total of 4 chains,
m is the total mass of the system,
a is normal acceleration,
l is the chain length,
v is maximum horizontal velocity you'll be reaching, and
Θ is the angle of the chains from the vertical

which will be a bit more than 255 lbs if you're swinging very fast, or have very short chains or a very wide swing. In that case, you may want to go with 3/0 chain.

Resource


How can I vent moisture from a small pump house? I have a small shed, 8x7, near the house that I use as a pump/filter house for a koi pond.  This building has a 7 foot deep basement made of cinder block which houses an open top settling tank, so humidity will be high.  The basement and main floor have a grate between them.  I was planning on having an air intake near the ceiling on the main floor and an inline fan in the basement to vent outside.  Is this backwards?  Do I need the intake coming into the basement and the fan exhausting from the main floor?  This building has R-19 insulated walls and R-30 ceiling.

Unless I am missing something, this seems a perfect application for an air-to-air heat exchanger.  Fully insulate the building, seal it up, and install the heat exchanger in a convenient location.  A blower through it could be controlled by a humidistat.

If winters are very cold, some supplemental heat might be needed inside the building unless there is quite a large mass of water.

A reasonably effective plate heat exchanger could be built by anyone with basic sheet metal experience.


Metal electrical box extenders I have a metal box and conduit outlet in my kitchen where a bar cabinet is going to be installed. I assume it would be way too much effort to rip out plaster and move the box to a new location, so I would rather just have the outlet inside of the bar for lighting purposes. Would I just need a metal extender for the box to extend the outlet into the back of cabinet? I assume non-metallic plastic extender is no good.

The National Electrical Code does not allow devices to sit back inside combustible material.
The pertinent article attention to the second paragraph:

314.20 Flush-Mounted Installations.  Installations within or behind a surface of concrete, tile, gypsum, plaster, or other noncombustible material, including boxes employing a flush-type cover or faceplate, shall be made so that the front edge of the box, plaster ring, extension ring, or listed extender will not be set back of the finished surface more than 6 mm (1∕4 in.).
Installations within a surface of wood or other combustible surface material, boxes, plaster rings, extension rings, or listed extenders shall extend to the finished surface or project therefrom.

They make cheap box extensions that are basically a piece of stamped metal with a slit in one side that can be installed without de-terminating the device. Just remove the receptacle, slip the conductors through the slit in the side and reinstall it flush with the surface.
Good luck!


Can I use a 1 1/2 vent for a toilet (3" drain) in CA (not a went vent, no other fixtures on it)? Most of the info I have on code implies this would be OK, but one item I have says that a 1 1/2 vent can only serve 8 "non-WC" fixture units.

In California, which is based on UPC, a 1-1/2" vent, properly installed, can vent a 3" toilet drain.

However, local codes can vary, so it's always a good idea to draw a diagram and get a permit, so they can inform you of any special rules or anything you may have missed.


Ceiling cracks appear and worsen over weeks. Self repair or professional? Background

We recently purchased a home built in mid-50s. At the time, no structural movement or displacement was noted by the home inspector. Over the last few weeks, there have been long cracks on the ceiling of a room appearing and worsening. We've had low temps averaging 40F (lowest 27F) and we keep the house 61F minimum at night.

The first crack that appeared was (A), then shortly after (C), and now (B) as of today. There is some evidence of previous repair (varying paint texture) for cracks (A) and (C), but not so much for (B). There are no cracks on the walls or elsewhere in the house.

Please see question after photos.

Approx locations from attic:

Ceiling:

Question

Is this symptomatic of a structural issue requiring a professional, or expected from an older home in low temperatures and remedied with DIY patching? If structural issue, what is the urgency (could it wait months)? Thank you!

There is visual evidence in photo A3 of one or more interior renovations constructed with less than workman-like quality.

Given the age of the house and what portions of the original construction remain, I it would be common for a house of this age to have had a load bearing wall perpendicular to the ceiling joists when originally constructed.

If there was previously an interior load bearing wall perpendicular to the ceiling joists, it's purpose would have been to reduce ceiling joist deflection. The cracking in the ceiling finish is symptomatic of deflection beyond the strength of the finish joints.

I recommend consulting a structural engineer familiar with residential projects of this scope. The condition is probably repairable given a reasonable budget, but it is necessary to first know what exactly needs to be repair.


Should the wiring to my recessed light have a strain relief and a ground wire connected? I had this can light installed by a contractor.
It was not attached to anything, just resting on top of a hole in the ceiling. The cable is not entering through the plastic grommets. There are no ground wires coming out of the cable. The ground wire in the box is attached to nothing.There was no cover over the junction box and the paper instructions are still inside the box.

Is this as messed up as it looks? The contractor doesn’t reply to my messages.

There's several problems here:

The ground wires seem to be missing. That looks like yellow Romex (12/2, with ground). You need to ground your light fixtures and the box (which is why the box has that ground wire)
They ran 2 wires into the same hole (normally you put one per hole)
The wires are simply electrically taped together
The rail should be attached to joists on both sides.

What they should have done was use a NM wire clamp to hold each wire in its own hole.

The clamp holds the wires firmly in place, and prevents the wires from rubbing against the metal box (which could cause a short, and potentially a fire)


How to remove combustion door for Kenmore Power Miser 9 water heater? I removed the two screws on the sides of the door and tubes coming out from controller. However, the combustion door still don't want to come off so that I could service thermocouple (I have seen how this is done for other water heaters and access was easy in those cases). There are no other obvious screws that I see on the doors.

I found this "PARTS ORDER LIST" (although mine water heater Model # is 153.330952).

It shows parts, but it really does not explicitly point what else could be preventing the doors from coming off.

Could it be that door gasket due to temperature is simply stuck and I need to apply some force to remove the doors (or pry with screw driver)?
Is the gasket [factory] glued by any chance?
Any other ideas how to get to thermocouple?

The door gasket was the one preventing doors from coming off. After prying carefully prying doors from all sides with screwdriver the doors came off.


Fixing holes in drywall using glue patches Is it ok to use glue patches to fix tiny holes in a drywall? I'm not sure if they will dry out or something. It's look ok to me right now and was very quick and easy to do. They're some kind of adhesive gum that you're able to shape.

There are many ways to hide small holes in Sheetrock and plaster. One is toothpaste as jsotola suggested but some land lords or slum lizards use black lights to find this as tooth paste many times has whiteners, these show up and my friend Got tired of finding crappy hidden fixes. For these small holes most of the time I would say he was an AZZ , then when I saw 1/2” and larger holes I started to understand!
A bit of joint compound pressed into the spot , maybe watered down a bit to fill the small void is legal and he cannot keep the deposit , but toothpaste he can be identified , my friend just got tired of crappy fixes and toothpaste = no refund of deposit. Just saying. A quart of premixed mud can fill hundreds of nail holes , fill the hole then wipe with a wet sponge. This is the best advice I can give after having several rentals and working for a friend in a college town.


Drywall screws for subfloor Are drywall screws suitable for attaching a 3/4" tongue-and-groove plywood subfloor?

In this case, joists are 16" O.C. and no glue will be used.

By "drywall screws", I think you are meaning 1 5/8" blued screws. I do not think that they would be a good choice. We usually shoot down plywood subflooring with 2 1/2" to 3" ring shank nails, however 2" to 2 1/2" decking screws work well, but just a lot more work. I would encourage you to use a little adhesive on top of the floor joists or strips of felt paper or Grace ice/water shield to avoid any squeaks later on.


Why does my gas water heater have two pairs of water connections? Why does my gas water heater have hot and cold water connections on the top of the tank and another set on the side of the tank?

1 set of connections for the sinks and one set for a water-based central heating system.

These systems are kept separated because the pipes and radiators used in such a central heating system is not meant for containing drinking water. (If you ever bled such a system you'd know from the smell alone)


Solar backup system, advice needed Here in South Africa we are experiencing frequent power blackouts, as I work from home on a small property (generators not an option) this is rather disruptive to my work as a programmer. So bearing this and the rapidly rising electricity prices in mind I need to find a solution.

I've searched already and found very similar questions, but most of them are centered on e.g. the US and give advice that won't work for here.
A few key differences.

1) There are no rebates here for installing solar

2) There is no 'grid tie' allowed - that is feeding back into the grid is not only not paid for but is illegal.

3) The blackouts - we experience and probably will for the next few years 'rolling blackouts' of 2 - 4 hours at various time intervals - almost always during daylight hours - due to power shortages.

Also solar and especially batteries are very expensive here and I definitely can't afford a complete off grid system up front, and would probably want to buy any system I do get in pieces.

So here are my needs in order of priority:

1 - I need to get my critical systems for work: computers/routers etc. onto battery power with enough juice to last at least 2 hours ASAP the solar portion can be added on later.

2 - I would like to power at least that part of the system with solar, this will help offset my power costs and also increase the length of power outage I can go through should things get worse.

3 - I would like to be able to use any excess power to offset the costs of the rest of my household items, and possibly add more solar in future to cover more of it, but only want to generate around 80% as any excess generation would go to waste (can't feed back into grid) - and I don't want to waste money on batteries I don't need.

Below is roughly what I think a system that best fits my situation is like.

So a few questions:

1- Any recommendations on where you would change/improve/modify this system to get better value for money, improve safety, improve efficiency or otherwise improve on it somehow?

2 - How to stop the feedback into grid?

3 - What can I use for the 'splitter' portion to ensure that power goes first to the critical system and that only excess goes to the non critical stuff?

4 - At the 'combine' portion, how do I ensure that the non-grid power is favoured first before the grid power (when both are available)

5 - How can I ensure that charge controller only takes from the AC if batteries are below a certain level, do some charge controllers already have this feature or do I need an other component for that?

6 - Given that routers, computers etc. all run DC internally would it be worthwhile looking at having them all draw directly from the battery to avoid the cost and efficiency loss of the inverter - or is it not worth the hassle?

I think there are two levels of Battery backup here, First you can do a full move into Solar. in which case you would need a LOT of changes to your current setup (energy efficient devices, LED Light Bulbs, Solar Geyser, LED PC Screens, LED TV, Alternatives to tumble-dryer, gas stove etc. )  I dont think its as easy as spending lots of money on a solar implementation.

In terms of your PC Issue, a nice, relatively cheap option would be to only backup your pc equipment. I am in the process of doing that with my Modem, Router, Switches (all 9v). Laptop and two Screens (LED 19v). I will use a simple DC Charge controller and Fail-over circuit (HERE) and then will have a LION batterypack made up specifically for the two 19v screens, The laptop will just get an extra-size battery

Otherwise the alternative is just to go the route of a large UPS, But I am trying to use source voltage current to avoid the need for a pure sine wave converter (since my pc and monitors are really sensitive to different wave patterns) - for that reason, I would like to get everything on DC...

This is not an implemented solution, but I am in the process of designing (also in RSA). so a good (cheap) solution would be great


Trane humidifier control switch replacement The control switch that came with bypass humidifier installed with my Trane heat pump started acting up - only turns humidifier water on when I turn the dial all the way to max. I'm thinking I need to replace it. It seems to have only 2 contacts, so my guess is I can just buy any other control switch, like this one and put it in instead:

https://smile.amazon.com/Aprilaire-4655-Manual-Humidistat/dp/B002VNEZX2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1479092706&sr=8-3&keywords=humidifier+control+switch

Am I right, or there's more to it?

thanks

Replaced control switch, everything works great.


How do I join two cables outside so that they're safe and kept dry? I have a new pond with a pump but the cable on the pump is far too short. I have some similar cable which will do the job to extend the length. My only concern is the junction outside. I need to make it dry and safe. What recommendations do people have? Can you buy a junction box that is suitable for outside use? If this helps I live in the UK.

Electricity is a funny thing and different applications apply for various situations.
THis is UK/EU/US/Asia/Africa.. its all the same.

If you are running a low voltage cable 0-48Volts DC/AC

then you can use a pvc outdoor joiner (the screw caps have a rubber seal on them to prevent moisture from entering)

If you are running high voltage (110AC/240AC)

single phase then using a resin joiner is recommended!

You might be tempted to do something like this (this example is of low voltage coax,tv,internet, etc) and is not recommended for outside situations at all! over time water will get in.

That was undergorund application,

you can also use these above ground,

Notice the rubber seals- that is very important!


TV signal high but quality dips I have a small issue with my TV signal.

My TV signal strength is always 80%
But my TV signal quality dips for a few seconds about 3-5 times an hour.
It generally dips from 100% to 60%.

What would cause this?

With antennas there are a lot of check boxes to tick. First it has to be installed and adjusted properly. Most TV antennas are directional and need to be pointed toward the TV station. If they are not pointed in the correct direction the signal will degrade.

Next the connection from the antenna to the house is important. The two common methods are ladder line or coaxial cable (75ohm). Ladder line was all the rage back in the day. Ladder line is a flat cable, about a 1/2 in across, with the two conductors on the outside. Ladder line is very prone to interference. If your house has ladder line then an upgrade to coaxial is needed. If the house already has coaxial cable, then how old is it? Old cable can degrade the signal.

Once inside the house, how long is the run to the TV? The longer the run the more signal you will lose. Are there any splitters? Splitters degrade the signal, particularly if nothing is connected to the second output (this is called unterminated). Replace any splitters with unions, or even better run a new uninterrupted cable.

Interference can be an issue. Does the antenna cable run next to anything in the house like a sump pump or a furnace. It's possible that when something kicks on it is interfering with the signal. Does any event coincide with the lower signal? Re route the cable away from any such device.

If everything else fails an amplifier could do the trick. When choosing an amplifier make sure it is rated for the frequencies that you are interested in you area. An amplifier right next to the antenna is best but difficult to install because it necessitates running power wires up to the roof. An amplifier in the house right where the wire comes in is the next best option.

This list of stuff is just scratching the surface but enough to get you started.


Why is there no neutral in a switch box? I'm a bit confused about the wiring in a light switch that I changed. I am accustomed to seeing black (hot), white (neutral) and green/bare (ground).

This box has TWO black, a red, and a green. No white! So, I connected the two black together in a wire nut and connected the hot (black) wire on the switch to wire nut. Then I ran the red to the bottom screw. And the green to ground.

It works, but where is the neutral?

Up until just a few years ago, the neutral was not required at a switch location.

A standard switch loop consisted of the hot feed to the switch, the switched return leg, and a ground wire. With non-metallic cable you have a black wire, a white wire, and a bare wire for ground. The National Electrical Code requires that the feed to the switch be the white wire re-identified as any other color but white or gray. So, with cable, you would then have a black wire, another black wire (a white wire with black tape on it since that is what the electrician carries all the time), and the bare ground wire.

If you had conduit running to the switch box then they would just pull two black wires for the switch loop, and a green for ground.

The Code now requires a neutral at most switch locations which is usually a white wire but could also be gray. This was not the case when your wiring was installed and is still not required if the installation uses conduit.

So, your switch box most likely had one black for a hot feed, another black for return to a load (fan, light etc.), and a red for return to aother load. And of course the green ground wire.

It will work the way you have it but one of the wires is extra.

Good luck!


only hot water is wanted? I have a switch near my  boiler (apt) for turning on my heating,
Above that I have a standered switch for heating water only.
This system was installed 10 years ago, everything was working, until
yesterday my wife turned on switch for hot water only but rads are now heating up.
Hope someone can help

If your heating system is anything vaguely like a Honeywell S-plan, It is possible that you have a zone valve stuck open.

I would check the zone valve. Older ones had a small lever whose position indicates if they are closed or open.

If necessary, you can replace the motorized part without undoing the plumbing joints.


What is the working load limit of a 18-foot 4x6 pine beam? Can you give me the load limit on a 4x6 pine board 18' long used for a swing set?  Thank you

Assuming it’s “Lodgepole Pine” (Idaho Pine and Ponderosa Pine is slightly less) and it’s grade is a No. 2 and better (no loose or missing knotholes), then a 4x6 spanning 18’ will support about 105 lbs. loaded at the mid-span (slightly higher if it’s loaded at third points or further from the center point).


Does intex pool need to be bonded? Im installing an intex pool 24ft by 52inches. Im reading pools over 42 inches need to be bonded. Also people are saying because of that intex pools need to be bonded.
Two things, 1) the original filter is double insulated. And the second one i just purchased is an intex sand filter with gfci built in and doesn't have a bonding port nor says anything about bonding.
The intex pool frame has plastic on each tube where it inserts into the other, and a plastic pin to hold in place. So the frame to my knowledge is not a complete conductor of electricity, so in my perspective, bonding the frame at 4 points seems improper. Does the frame still need to be bonded given the setup?
Also if the frame doesn't need it, does the water and ladder need to be? If so, do i still need to create a halo of copper wire around the pool?
Pictures:

I ended up just leaving it for now with the double insulated filter. But I did put a GFCI circuit breaker, and GFCI receptacle. Passed inspection fine.


garbage disposal unit sinktop flange is being very stubborn and won't come away I am replacing a garbage disposal unit in the kitchen. Everything is off but the flange, and I am getting very frustrated. I need to replace the sink flange as it doesn't fit the new unit I'm replacing the old unit with. But ... I cannot get the sink flange to loosen up, the plumbers putty is being very stubborn. Is there any way I can get that flange to come off without damaging the sink?
Thanks for your time.

I had good luck removing a stubborn strainer once with a propane torch, heating the flange portion that sticks below the sink, then tapping at it occasionally with a hammer.

If you use a mapp gas torch, be aware that sucker will heat up fast. Try to stick to propane if you don't use mapp torches much.

Also, keep a close eye on things. You may not be fighting plumbers putty at all. Might be silicone in there from a past repair, or diy install.


Can I pour a concrete footing on very wet base material? I'm ready to pour a concrete footer for a small retaining wall.  The footer will be 8' x 1' x 6".

I spread and, with a plate compactor, compacted 6" of crush and run which will be below the concrete footer.  It rained all day yesterday. I had a 10x10 pop-up canopy over the area, but it still managed to get wet.

When I walk on the gravel it is noticeably squishy and shifts with my weight.

Is it OK to pour the concrete on this, or should I wait until it is more stable and re-compact?

I'd wait. You said a footer for a retaining wall. If the wall is 4' high or more and only holding back earth (no car or house surcharge,) then the footing should be about 3' wide. Also, the rebar should be on the side of the wall closest to the earth.

The force from the earth will push on the wall and will make the wall and footer ROTATE about the footing. If this soil under the footing is soft, it will compact the soil and cause the wall to lean.

By the way, don't forget to install a perf pipe at or near the bottom of the footing encased in drain rock.


How to remove glass from old door and replace it with wood? I have an old door that has glass panels and is covered with an ugly coating of white film. I would like to replace it with a wooden door. the problem is the door is a custom size and I can't just buy a new standard sized door. My plan is to remove the glass panels and replace them with wood, then paint the whole door to a nice brown wooden color.
What is the best way to remove the glass? After that, how should i replace the holes with wood? (having the old wood in the door and the new wooden inserts line up with the same width is not important)
Door with the glass panels:

Close up picture of the glass panel and the plastic film covering the door

What is the best way to remove the glass?

It looks like the glass is held in by 1/4-round wood molding, so I would do this:

score the paint around the molding with a knife, both where it meets the glass and where it meets the door rabbet/rebate
use a variety of small tools (e.g. small prybar, cat's paw, hammer, putty knife, etc.) to remove all molding around the glass
carefully look for and pull any glass retaining clips (if any) around the perimeter of the glass, and any glazing putty that may be there (typically the glass pane would be bedded in putty prior to installation of the molding)
remove glass pane carefully
thoroughly clean and prep the rabbet/rebate to prepare it for wood panel install

how should i replace the holes with wood?

cut a piece of "A" grade exterior 3/8" plywood to size
install in a similar fashion to how the glass was installed but no putty required and use brand new paint-grade 1/4-round molding that fits the reveal left after the plywood is inserted


Bathroom Sink Doesn't Drain (It ISN'T Blocked) I'm not a plumber but I recently changed the seal between the wall and the drain pipe. Now the water drains extremely slowly from the sink.

If I move the drain pipe to allow air in between the seal, the sink starts to drain (but some water escapes from the seal). Is there some particular procedure that I haven't followed that allows air through??

Assuming the waste line is still at the proper angle (it does need to have  slight decline or gravity won't work for you):

It sounds to me as if you have an airflow problem in the vent stack.  There must have been some reason you changed the connection between the drain and the waste stubout?  Was something slow before that?  Or was there a leak?  It's possible something (leaves, dirt) got blown in through the top of the vent stack.  Or perhaps it got jostled somehow.  If you had positive or negative pressure building up in the pipes due to a lack of airflow, that might have been causing other problems.

Waste lines need to be attached to a waste vent in order to maintain neutral air pressure in the pipes so that the water will flow out due to gravity.  Otherwise as the waste water flows in it puts pressure on the air in front of it, which pushes back against the water...causing it to drain slowly or not at all.

Typically the sink waste line is connected to the toilet waste line and that is connected to the vent stack.  If you don't have a slow toilet as well, perhaps you have just enough venting to handle the toilet flow but not enough to handle the sink.

If you are in a single family home, the vent stack is probably up on the roof.  I believe universal code is or used to be that the vent stack has to be within 5 feet of the waste pipe, so look directly above wherever your slow sink is.  You need to go up there with a flashlight and see if you can find any blockages at the top of the vent stack (leaves, dirt, other junk).  Towards the top you can stick any kind of long pole in there and try to dislodge any partial blockage.  If there is a blockage farther down then can also run a garden hose up there, feed it down through the vent, turn on the water and try to blast out any blockage, which should just go back down and into the sewer.

If that doesn't work something might have put a kink or something in the vent pipe and you're probably going to have to call a pro unless you want to start cutting into the wall to get access.


switching out a heat/cool only thermostat to one with "auto" feature I have a Honeywell deluxe programmable thermostat with a sub-base...

Sub-base: 32207415-011/0008
Model: T8602D2000

The terminals that are used currently are: R W Y G (RC and O are not used)

My question is, are the wires that I have available sufficient to change to a thermostat that has the "auto" feature?

Yes, the wires you describe are sufficient for an auto-changeover thermostat.  In fact, The Honeywell T8602D series already includes both an AUTO fan setting and an AUTO changeover setting.  See page 7 of the manual posted on the Honeywell website:

https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/68-0000s/68-0164.pdf


Running circuit and generator hookup in same conduit? I need to add both a 120v (probably 20a) circuit as well as generator hookup (120v 30a) to my backyard. The 120v circuit will be used for landscape lighting, that sort of thing. The generator hookup will be wired to a weatherproof outlet at the back of house, and a manual transfer switch (adjacent to the main 200a load center) in the garage to run stuff like a fridge, lights, select outlets, etc..

House is block construction on stem wall, so I will be surface mounting sch80 conduit on the exterior, run is approx 60-70 feet. With conduit derating I'm looking at probably 6AWG for the generator hookup. While I only have a 120v genset now, I was going to future proof and run 3 conductors for when I go 240v. Of course any ampacity for 120v will be plenty for 240v. The other circuit is probably going to be 10 or 12AWG copper.

My question is can I share the ground between these or will that be unsafe from a line/generator isolation standpoint? Im assuming sharing neutrals is big no-no. Is running in the same conduit problematic? I assume if sharing ground is fine, then same conduit is okay.

Any other wisdom also appreciated.

NB - I am well aware of the dangers of generators to linespeople, and it will be appropriately permitted/inspected.

Edit: if I go 240, it would be to run AC. I have a 2 ton unit.

Generator only would be for emergencies like hurricanes (I live in FL), so don't need an automatic unit.

I'm down with better quality components, what do you suggest I look at?

Thanks.

Sharing the EGC is fine

No matter how many circuits you run in a single raceway, you only need one equipment grounding conductor for the whole lot (unless you require redundant or isolated grounding conductors, of course).  This is implied by 250.122(C):

  (C) Multiple Circuits. Where a single equipment grounding
  conductor is run with multiple circuits in the same raceway,
  cable, or cable tray, it shall be sized for the largest overcurrent
  device protecting conductors in the raceway, cable, or cable
  tray. Equipment grounding conductors installed in cable trays
  shall meet the minimum requirements of 392.10(B)(1)(c).

For your use case, a single 8AWG EGC (adequate for all circuits up to 100A) is sufficient here.  Note that this conductor must be a wire in the setup described below as it serves as the separately derived system's grounding electrode conductor as per 250.30(A)(4) and the Exception to 250.121 in addition to being the equipment grounding conductor for both circuits, and the ground wire from the transfer switch to the main panel must likewise be an 8AWG wire.

Derates aren't too big a deal here either

Given that we can guarantee that there are only 4 current-carrying conductors (generator L/L1, generator N/L2, landscape lights L, landscape lights N), we can operate at an 80% derate from the 90°C column in Table 310.15(B)(16), allowing 6AWG THHN to carry 60A, more than you will need for just about any generator you want to use.

Conduit sizing

Given all this, and your (not unreasonable) desire to use Schedule 80 PVC for this wiring run, our 6 conductors (3 6AWG THHNs to make sure we have enough room for a 240V generator hookup, an 8AWG bare ground for the lot, and 2 12AWG THHNs for the landscape lights) add up to 127mm2 of fill.  A 1" Schedule 80 provides 178mm2 of fill, but I would go up to 1.25" here which gives us a nice, generous 320mm2 of fill in order to avoid having to call in a pro to rescue a botched pull job.

As to transfer setups

You are on the right track with breaking your standby loads out into a separate panel -- this allows the use of inexpensive interlocked-breaker type manual transfer switches instead of loadcenter interlock kits (which limit flexibility) or select circuit manual transfer switches (which are awkward and hokey).  It also reduces the size of the equipment required compared to service entrance transfer setups (which are a far too common occurrence with ATSes).

Given all this, I would recommend either an Eaton CH10GEN5050(R)SN if you want a prepackaged solution, or the combination of a suitable main lug Eaton CH loadcenter with a matching "Type A" Eaton CH generator interlock cover, two Eaton CH350SW breakers for the interlocked mains, and Eaton CH branch breakers if you wish to build something up yourself and can get the CH350SW (its production status is a bit questionable at the moment).  If neither of these are an option, a Reliance Controls XRR1006D(R) (or XRR1006C if you want wattmeters for the generator) with suitable 1" wide branch breakers (HOM, QP, or BR, but not THQL or CL) can be substituted instead.  Of course, you'll need a suitable inlet box for plugging your generator in outside as well -- either a L5-20 inlet for 120V only, a L14-30 inlet for 240V 30A, or a CS6365/CS6375 inlet for 240V 50A.

What makes these three solutions special is that they provide a switched neutral between the utility and generator sides of the system, allowing the generator N-G bond to stay intact.  Practically, this means that just about any generator out there can be used plug-and-play with a suitable generator cord instead of having to fiddle around with the generator to pull the neutral-ground bond out of it, as most generators ship with their neutral-ground bond installed for portable standalone use, such as on jobsites.

Other residential transfer setups do not switch the neutral, which requires pulling the neutral-ground bond from the generator to avoid a paralleled bond that can falsely trip GFCI or many AFCI breakers and pose a safety hazard due to current on grounding conductors.

Other notes

You'll need a preprinted warning placard at your inlet in accordance with NEC 702.7(C) that specifies whether your system uses a bonded-neutral or a floating-neutral generator, as follows:

                          WARNING:
            FOR CONNECTION OF A SEPARATELY DERIVED
                 (BONDED NEUTRAL) SYSTEM ONLY

or

                          WARNING:
           FOR CONNECTION OF A NONSEPARATELY DERIVED
                (FLOATING NEUTRAL) SYSTEM ONLY

depending on what you have.  You will also need a label on your main panel specifying where the generator inlet is, as per 702.10(A) -- this could be incorporated into the panel directory, though.  More importantly though, your main panel will need a preprinted warning label or placard, conforming to NEC 702.10(B), warning that disconnecting the EGC to the generator will cause the generator to lose its grounding electrode connection as well, as follows:

                         WARNING
              SHOCK HAZARD EXISTS IF GROUNDING
          ELECTRODE CONDUCTOR OR BONDING JUMPER
          CONNECTION IN THIS EQUIPMENT IS REMOVED
           WHILE ALTERNATE SOURCE(S) IS ENERGIZED.

Last but not least, you will need to ensure that all connections are torqued to manufacturer specifications with an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver as per NEC 110.14(D).


Why do I get brush marks with oil-based polyurethane? I’m trying to refinish the above table but having problems with streaking polyurethane.  Using Minwax Fast Drying. The process has been as follows; sand, stain and applied poly using a Purdy brush for oil and following the directions on can.   The brush left terrible brush marks.

Waited the recommended time and lightly sanded until smooth with no visible marks and put another coat. Looked terrible. I’ve tried recommended foam brush, tried rub on method by diluting poly with mineral spirits and the last attempt was with 100% Lambswool applicator. As you can see in pic still looks bad.

Could it have something to do with the way I’m sanding. Used a dewalt sander starting with 80 grit sandpaper and ending with 220. Although on the last few coats I used 320 and 400 doing a hand sanding  just don’t know where to go from here other than Starting the process over. We bought a sprayer today hoping that would help.

All suggestions welcomed
If you enlarge photo may can see better. This was taken in garage and only half of table is getting full natural light

My hunch is that you're applying too light a coat and/or working with it too long. I've used Minwax poly many times, and it's almost miraculous how it flows to a smooth finish. It should look very glossy after you brush it on, and you shouldn't work it longer than necessary. Your final lap should be within a minute or two of application.

I tend to apply fairly heavy, then work it out to the point where it doesn't run. Get off it as soon as that's done to give the surface skin time to flatten itself out. Any brush work done once the poly starts to set will remain.

Note that I never sand beyond 150 or 220 grit, depending on what I have on hand. Polyurethane spans that texture just fine.


How should I landscape my yard to make my home more efficient? At some point in the future, I plan on owning a home and I would like to use landscaping to improve both the appearance and energy efficiency of the property. I have heard that the right landscaping design can actually pay for itself in energy savings and property values, so I am looking for advice on:

the best places to plant those trees for summer shade without blocking precious winter light
the best location (distance from house) for a wind break
ways to combine the two

The question isn't region-specific, but let's assume the house is in the Rocky Mountain West of the USA.

To make sure you get light in the winter, you need a deciduous tree (one that loses its leaves in the winter) planted on the southern side of your home (where the sun's rays are the strongest for people in the northern hemisphere). Pay special attention to the size the tree with grow to when mature, both in height and in width of the canopy. I'd recommend playing it well outside of the canopy's reach from your home to protect not only your siding, but also your foundation from roots that will travel often twice the range of the canopy.

Take special care to check for buried utility lines and place your tree away from any of them. You also want to be sure it is not too close to a sewer line, since the roots have a habit of growing into and clogging sewer pipes.

Finally, realize that a tree will add beauty and natural energy efficiency, but it will also add to the maintenance of your home, particularly from leaves clogging the gutters, and falling branches. If your only goal is energy efficiency, you may be better off upgrading to energy efficient windows and sealing any drafts.


black wire coming into house? I recently was looking around my house and finally realized the black wires (with some pins to help secure them to the side of the house accordingly) that were running here and there on my house that were going through the wall were my electrical outlets.

I have to ask, is this a common practice and should I try to do something to change or fix this?

I always had the understanding it (the electrical wires) should have been inside the walls or on the inside of the house.

Did I just buy the house without realizing whoever initially installed the wiring just did the cheap-thing?

Is this compliant with safety code? I'm in Washington State, USA.

Thanks for feedback.

From your description, I would say they are Coaxial cable for cable or satellite tv. Some installers will put them next to an electrical outlet from the outside of the home because you will generally need to power a set-top box. If you look inside the house next to an electrical outlet, where this black wire seems to go into the house from outside, and have this or something similar:

then it is coaxial cable. Sometimes you will find just a short wire hanging out of the wall here. It is all up to the installer.


Refrigerator should be away from LPG cylinder. Why? In India (and probably other parts of the world) there's general advice regarding refrigerator positioning. It is suggested that we keep the refrigerator away from the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder. Can anyone explain what exactly is the risk if it's kept in close proximity?

Update - This question is not about a LPG refrigerator. The LPG cylinder is connected separately to a hob or burner and the refrigerator is a regular electric one.

Recently at an acquaintance's residence, a suspected gas leak from the cylinder, caused an explosion and ripped off the doors of a 2-door refrigerator. There weren't any other signs of damage or burns as extensive as what happened to the refrigerator. We're trying to figure out how the gas leak outside a sealed refrigerator caused this.

If you are talking about a Refrigerator that runs on LP gas the tank needs to be away from the fridge because the fridge has an open flame inside, on a hot day it is possible that the LP tank can vent and release some gas, also when filling or changing tanks their is a small loss of gas, the open flame could ignite the gas and this is the reason the fridge should be separated.


Rattling sound from heating pipes I keep on hearing a rattling sound like metal banging from 1 section of pipe in my hydronic heating system, I tried bleeding but no improvement.  Thanks

A lot of radiators on hot water heat systems, if not, should have what is called a coin vent. These are located at the high points of each radiator. If you do not have these, you need to have them installed. Otherwise you will not remove all the air in the lines and will always have noise in your piping and it will cut down on the efficiency of the unit.


Turning water off to house for a vacation, does furnace need to go off as well? I am going away for a week, I want to shut off all water to my home. I have an oil furnace, with a separate water boiler (connected to the oil furnace - there is no gas in the house). It is summer in my area. Do I need to turn my furnace or water boiler off? What could go wrong if I leave the furnace / boiler on?

Thanks

If the water is shut, should water level drop, e.g. if an outside faucet were turned on, it's likely a water heater or boiler would be damaged.

If plumbing is sound, I'd not shut the water for just one week in summer, since it's unlikely pipes would freeze. For a long-term winter vacation, if turning off heat, you'd need to drain the plumbing, dish- and clothes-washer, flush toilets, put potable antifreeze in drains, etc.


Pipe Size from well to house I'm new to owning a house with a well and am looking to clean up piping and well equipment as it is all from the 70's and I'm experiencing strong sulfur smells in my water.

From the specs I've gathered my well is 1/2 HP about 80' deep in the well with static water level at 14'.

Pipe from the pump is 1" poly however by the time it makes it to my utility room under the slab the pipe goes down to 3/4" in copper.

is 3/4" inlet sufficient to up-size my existing 40-gallon pressure tank to an 80 gallon? I will probably be staying with 40/60 pressure switch.

Thanks in advance!

I lived in a house 20 years ago that had your exact installation. I lived there for 24 years and had no problem with water flow or water pressure. Since I do plumbing I thought I could improve water flow, big mistake, all that time wasted. It worked fine with or without my tinkering. The sulphur smell is probably iron. Have your water tested; Home Depot and Lowes have test kits. You take a sample and send it to a company. I would also get a second opinion from a local water softner co. Also ask your neighbors if they have the same water smell and ask how they addressed it. I had to get an iron filter and a softner from Culligan. The salesman was from the same town and had a great reputation. I was well pleased.


Plastering: Solutions to a cornice that has fallen off I went into a room today and saw that this had happened to the cornice.

I have no plastering experience but some general DIY experience. Is it feasible to plaster it oneself, and if so what tools should I use?

I am also interested to know what would cause this sort of thing to happen. Is there a risk that it could happen again?

What would happen if I just left that area unplastered for 4 months? The reason I ask is that this house is being renovated in 4 months anyway, and so it would be convenient if I could leave things until then.

What would happen if I just left that area unplastered for 4 months?

It would look exactly like it does in your photo, i.e. a bit ugly.

You could paint the exposed orange plaster to make it slightly less ugly.

  Is it feasible to plaster it oneself, and if so what tools should I use?

Just take the cornice off the floor and reattach it with high strength grab adhesive and/or with nails. 5 minutes and done, and it looks less ugly than currently.

Depending on where your personal balance is for effort/ugliness you can either leave it like that, or try and use filler to hide the nail holes and sort out where the corners meet (they're never perfect) / make good the bashed corner.

Or you might even want to go and buy a new piece of the cornice which doesn't have a bashed corner, and mitre it to fit etc. But given you're considering just leaving it without doing anything at all, this is probably more effort than you'll find worth it.


plaster boarding an existing ceiling and locating pipes and electrics Hi I have located the joist with no problems. I now need advice on how to avoid putting my drywall screws into pipework or electric cable as I screw through the plasterboard.

Thank you in advance

Find the joist at each end and snap a chalk line so you know where to put your screws. The national electric code requires wires to be 1-1/4 away from the edges so you should be fine putting screws in along the line. If you hit a spot the screw wont go in there may be a metal plate protecting the wires that are two close and sheetrock screws will not punch through the plates if there or metal pipe.


What are those resin filled holes on outside walls I was looking at a house and couldn't help but notice that literally all the external bricks were covered by small holes, most of them filled with what looks like a kind of resin:

I'm new to the country (Australia) and I've never seen anything like that. It's definitely not caused by frost, since the minimal temperature in winter is about 8° C (46° F) and nobody I asked remember having seen snow in the area.

Many people told me they had already seen this, but no one was able to tell me what it was.

My questions are:

What is this?
Is this a risk for the house on the long term?
Is there something to do or to worry about it?

I suspect that the material is a lot closer to glass than resin, and is part of the "look" of this particular style of brick - that is, it came out of the brick kiln that way.

It might or might not be manganese. One of the potters I know is prone to using a light clay with manganese, which does get brown specks, but they are smaller - however, that's "pottery clay" not "brick clay" and perhaps they are smaller due to using smaller bits of manganese. Otherwise very similar in "look."

Closest I've found in a quick look is "light ironspot" - still looking for a decent picture. Name would suggest iron ore rather than manganese for a material.

In short, nothing to worry about.


Drywall mud differences for taping, or gaps? Just wanting to hear a second opinion besides from friends.  Are there any preferred products to use for taping versus filling screws and holes or gaps between sheets because framing is not square?  I am familiar with the general purpose mud and then something like easy sand 90 that comes in a bag.

What's the preferred product for filling the horizontal seams before taping?  And is it best to fill the gaps first, let that set up, then apply another thin coat with the tape embedded?

Fill large gaps with Joint Compound.  Fill small seam crevices with Joint Compound and apply Seam Tape with joint Compound.  Keep Joint Compound below finish "grade" because it is difficult to sand.

Cover over the Joint Compound with Topping Coumpound which, is easily sanded and faired.


Wire break diagnosis help I am diagnosing my well line electrics. I have a non-contact voltage detector. At about 10" from the box, it shows live, and after that dead. Oddly, on the other side of the wire, the live signal extends perhaps another 8" past that, then dies. Visual inspection reveals an intact sheathing. Everything upstream checks out with the tester. When the breaker is shut off, everything goes dead, so it appears not to be secondary wire interference.
How common is a wire break in (I believe) 12/2 cable. It's 220V for a submersible well pump.
Any help is appreciated. Shall I cut the wire at the break and install a junction?
Is there an easier test without cutting the cable?

As guy that did this trade all his working life, I can DEFINITELY tell you that these proximity / non contact voltage detectors ARE NOT to be depended upon 100%.

They have their place and time, and they are to be treated as such. I have a Fluke™ Volt Alert 1AC-A II and while it's a great tester, it definitely is not the "End-All" of testers and it cannot ever be replaced by a wired / probe / lead tester.

I use these proximity testers for "quick and dirty" GENERAL testing purposes.

Get yourself a Fluke™ T5-1000 from Home Depot or Lowe's


Can I use coax outlets for cable modem? I recently moved into a home where each room has a coaxial wall plate. My ISP provides internet through a cable modem, where unfortunately the cable input is in a non-ideal location. Next to that cable input from my ISP, there is a wall plate where I could connect the coax cable.

If I did that, would I be able to connect my cable modem from another room's wall plate? How could I go about testing the connections?

I unfortunately don't have access to the original owners and can't find out how they did it.

Here's the caveat with old coaxial cable. If this is an older house, it might have cable already, but it's probably RG-59. This is from back in the days of analog signals, well before we were sending digital signals down them. If you have a satellite dish, you'll note they need RG-6 or better.

What's the difference? Shielding

Now, it's possible there's no interference on those old lines. In which case, stick your modem on and everything should be fine. Your modem should have a web interface and it should tell you the signal strength the modem is getting. Hook a computer to it and then hook the cable up. If you don't get enough signal, you might need to do some work (or call the cable company and have them do it for you, although they might charge you for that).

If you need more signal, here's some tips

Find the main splitter. It might be in the attic, in the basement (if you have one), or is sometimes outside. All your coax will tie into it. With a multi-port setup they probably have a serial splitter. They should have labels saying things like -3.5dB. Your room might be connected to one that says something like -7dB. Make sure it's on one of the smallest dB loss ports. If not, replace it with either another multi-connector (one that has minimal loss) or just get a double-male and connect them together.
Make a new run with better shielding. You should be able to find RG-6 readily, and probably RG-6 quad shield as well. This would eliminate a lot of signal loss back to the cable connection point. You can buy non-compression ends for this as well, if you don't want to invest in a coax end tool.


What is this metal cylinder with a connected wire that i found in my apparement I live in a rental appartement in Sweden, newly renovated, and just above the floor, on the wall, I found a plastic housing. When I removed the housing I found a rather thick, dense, metal cylinder with a non-isolated wire conneted to it that dissapears into the wall. I have no clue what it is.

My initial guess was some sort of sensor (temperature, humidity) but I already have another wireless temperature sensor in my apparement installed by the land-lord. The cylinder does not feel hollow, but rather dense. These is a text around the bottom of the cylinder reading "SWEDEN 1511 T1" and something that looks like a logo (////A or NNA or MWA or something similair)

Does anybody know what this is and if it dangerous to chew on it (mainly thinking about my 6 month old child...)?

Since I have no clue what this is I have a rather hard time putting relevant tags.

That is remote sensor and capillary tube for a nearby radiator or radiant floor circuit's actuator "thermostat".

Example product: Danfoss RA2972 https://store.danfoss.com/en/Heating-and-District-Energy/Radiator-Thermostats/Radiator-Sensors/Room-sensor-mTRV/RA-2000-Sensors/p/013G2972 the product pictures does not show the tube between the actuator and the sensing bulb.

I've no idea whether the gas/liquid filling of the capillary system is harmful or not.


Can I replace two light switches with a single light switch? In my basement family room I have two sets of track lighting on either sides of the room. Each set is controlled by it's own dimmer switch, and both dimmer switches are in the same box in the wall.

They are on the same circuit, but power is wired directly to the light, then a single 12/2 wire goes to the light switch. Power doesn't come into the light switch and then out to the lights (which is how I prefer to wire new lights).

The question is, how can I convert these two dimmer switches to a single light switch? I have doubts that I can just tie the blacks together and whites together, then run them through the switch. Wouldn't that be doubling the power going through the switch?

This explanation assumes you are trying to control both sets of lights at the same time and not independently.

If they are on the same circuit, having separate hot wires to each switch is really redundant. The return wires from the switches are not.

There is no problem ganging both lighting fixtures on the same switch so long as the switch is rated for the power the fixtures draw. Most modern dimmers are rated 150, 300, 600 or 1000 watts. You need to make sure that the two fixtures, added together, are somewhat lower than the switch rating. If not, your gonna need a bigger switch!

All you need to do is hook one of the hot lines to the switch and cap the other hot line with a wirenut.  Then pigtail both of the two switched lines (that return to the fixtures) to the switch output side. Do be sure to attach ground, for safety and to reduce the chance of random hum.

All of this assumes that the dimmers are suitable to the type of lighting (special dimmers are needed for many CFL and LED bulbs), that they are single pole (not three way), and there is no special feature requiring a neutral.

SUPPLEMENT

As Tester101 needs to regularly remind me, current code calls for a neutral wire at all switches. You have an extra wire in the switch box (the redundant hot) that could be converted to a neutral if you ever need it. You would need to switch it over at the fixture to the neutral white line, mark it at the fixture to show it is neutral (e.g., with white tape) and mark it at the switch box as neutral (also white tape).


How to solve new condensation in bathroom exhaust fan ducts? We live in New Orleans in a two story, 95 year old stucco house.  When we renovated 10 years ago, we put over 30 recessed can lights in the upstairs ceiling.  Those openings in an older leaky house—coupled with a poorly insulated attic—caused us to have terrible condensation problems upstairs in the hot humid months between May and October.

Every ceiling opening had moisture and mildew.  Our smoke alarms filled with water, and our hallway walls and ceiling would drip water in the early morning.

It took us some time (and the input of some smart people) to figure out the issue, but in the last year we have made several changes: our HVAC system has been completely redesigned and we made the decision to spray foam the attic (a fairly new option for Gulf coast states).  Our condensation problems have been resolved and we have a comfortable, dry house.  Going from consistent 65-75% relative humidity in the summer to the low 50s—which is low for New Orleans!  The attic is now pleasant as well, just a few degrees warmer than the house.

Just as we were ready to move back in, we discovered both bathroom fan exhaust ducts, as well as the gas dryer duct—all upstairs—have been filling with condensation.  (The exhaust vent in the powder room downstairs is fine.)  This is a new thing.

The guest bathroom duct and the dryer duct (both about 3-5' runs) travel horizontally and exhaust out the side of the house. The bath goes through the attic, the dryer through an inside closet.  The master bath exhausts go upward diagonally through the attic to the roof about 5-7'.  We then installed an additional damper within each bathroom duct (in addition to the damper that is part of the fan unit) and insulated the ducts.  The problem reduced somewhat (the bathroom ceiling no longer has condensation around the grill), but when the fans are turned on, water comes pouring out.

We have talked to a few HVAC companies and mechanical engineers and all acknowledge they are seeing more of this recently and are not sure what is causing it, nor how to solve it beyond what we have already done.  We definitely have a tighter, drier house.  But we have not really been able to achieve positive pressure.  Not without spray foaming the crawlspace under the house, an option with a lot of potential problems for us.

Our HVAC company thinks the bathrooms could exhaust into the HVAC system or even the attic itself without problems, but given our history with moisture issues, I am leery.  Another idea has been to install an electrically controlled damper that works in sync with the exhaust fan and is not dependent on the air flow. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Given all the experts that have looked at this first hand, I am hesitant to suggest a hypothesis based on other situations I have seen.  Also I live in a dry climate, so forgive me if I miss something obvious to everyone who is actually there in New Orleans.

As you know, condensation is the result of warm humid air contacting a cooler surface which is below the dew point.  From your description, you probably have slightly negative static pressure in your house and warm humid make-up air is being sucked through particular exhaust vents that connect to the outside.  That the problem became less severe when additional dampers and insulation were installed supports this hypothesis.  Unfortunately, short of a completely air-tight seal, warm humid air will continue to infiltrate through these paths as long as there is negative static pressure in the house.  Even a slow rate of warm humid air infiltration will eventually make every cool surface in its path wet.

The central blower on a system naturally makes slightly negative pressure in a house due to imperfect ducts that leak in spaces that are not open to the return(s) of the system (under the house, for example).  Any air that leaks out in such locations must be made up somewhere else, in this case by pulling a little outside air in through your bathroom exhausts.  The same situation occurs if the structure is somewhat leaky and the bathroom exhaust ducts are relatively close to the system return.  Return air flows via the path of least resistance and it may be easier to draw some air from a nearby bathroom exhaust than to draw 100% of the air from the far reaches of a house if remote supply air can more easily leak to the outdoors.

A relatively easy fix could be to give the return on your central air handler a controlled path for make-up air.  For example, you could duct a small outside air inlet directly to the return of your central unit, adjacent to the main return with a balancing damper so you can make final adjustments.  The outside air duct should probably be taped or sealed as well as insulated from the cooler temperature of the house.  It would also need to be small enough not overwhelm the main return or affect your energy consumption too adversely.  With a little make-up air provided directly to the unit from outside, your blower should stop sucking make-up air through your bathroom and dryer ducts.