Wiring ethernet cable from AT&T fiber Modem to a specific room I currently have internet service with At&t and interested in wiring an Ethernet connection into one of the rooms in the house (I will call this room1). I called At&t to ask how much it would cost to wiring just 1 line of Ethernet and it comes out to be ~&150.00. So I decide to do it myself.

Some background information. The house came pre-wired with Cat5e cables. All of these wires are bundle up in the attic. So, in each room, there is a Cat5e port. All of the jacks in the house are phone jacks, and the other ends in the attic are not terminated yet. Also, none of the ends in the attic is labeled, so I don't know which one ends up in which room.

Currently, the modem is sitting in the living right next to a phone jack. The only thing that it's connected to is the At&t fiber box outside the house.

So here are what I have done so far:
1) I changed out the phone plate and phone jack near the modem. I replaced it with an Ethernet keystone jack using a punch down tool and by following the TIA568B configuration.
2) I plug an Ethernet cable (Cat5e) from one of the Ethernet ports of the modem to the new Ethernet jack.
3) I went to the attic and terminate all of the Cat5e cables with rj45 connectors using TIA568B and a crimping tool.
4) I try to determine which cable is connected to the modem by plugging each of them into my laptop.

So far, none of the cable gives me an Ethernet signal. Before I went to the attic, I plugged an Ethernet from my laptop directly into the modem and was sure that it works. So where have I gone wrong? Why doesn't any of the cable giving me Ethernet signal when I plug it into my laptop?

Also, here is the rest of my plan, once I found which cable is from the living room (i.e., the cable that is plugged into the modem):
5) Connect the living room cable to the cable of room1 using an Ethernet keystone coupler.
NOTE: I am aware that most situation would have used a switch to do this step, but since I only need one Ethernet connection (we only use 1 desktop computer in the house), I decide to use the coupler instead. Is this reasoning incorrect?
6) Change the phone jack in room1 to an Ethernet jack. DONE!

So, beside not understanding why I do not find any signal from any cable in the attic, is there anything wrong with the process that I proposed?

Sorry for so may words, this is my first time doing this, so I try to make sure I am not doing something wrong.

Your basic plan is just fine. The key problem you are having is figuring out which cable is which. The secondary problem you may be having is making sure the jacks are wired correctly. There are tools designed specifically for both of these tasks. Pros get the good stuff. For a once-in-a-while use you can probably make do with the cheaper versions. A couple of specific examples:
Toner
That's "generate a tone and detect it", not "powder that goes in a laser printer" :-)
While you can buy a tone generator and a tone detector as separate items, normally you buy them together. Here is one I purchased recently, which I like because it is relatively inexpensive (so I don't get too upset if someone borrows it and breaks it) and it has "ends" for Ethernet, coax, phone, etc. so I can use it for any type of wiring job.

Cable Tester
There are plenty of these around. When I started in the network business, similar devices cost a few hundred dollars - and were worth every penny. I currently have a Klein Tools VDV LAN Scout Jr. Tester:

which includes one adapter for the remote end and gives very quick readings of the status of all 8 pins. There are plenty of others - e.g., some on Amazon for < $10, though some cheapies will last a long time, some will list a reasonable amount of time (1/5 the cost, 1/5 the lifetime and if you only need it once in a while that works great) and some hardly work at all. YMMV.


Power keeps cutting out to hot tub I have an outdoor Hydropool hot tub and have recently been having an issue with power.  It seems that periodically a build up of 'gunk' (my technical term for it) builds up around one of the electrical connections to the heater and eventually causes the breaker to trip.

In the past I have been able to fix the problem by simply disconnecting the wires and wiping away the gunk with some paper towel.  This typically happens only after quite intense rain storms but I'm not sure if it's related.

Is there a way to keep this from happening?  or is it a sign of something more significant going on that I should get checked out.

The fact that this "gunk" keeps building up is a sign that there is an underlying cause you've not found.

I'd get an electrician with hot tub experience to take a look. It might be something simple, but with electricity and water you don't want to get it wrong.


Running 12V Wire Behind Walls for a LED Stair Light? I'm interested in lighting a stairwell in my house using a red LED strip.

I have a nearby AC outlet and plan on using a typical 12V power supply from the AC outlet. I know that class 2 wire is typically used for 12V DC applications for running behind walls, but romex wire (Typically behind walls) is usually terminated at an outlet.

If I chose to run my class 2 wire behind the wall, does it have to be hardwired to the LEDs? Is there an outlet that is typically used for low voltage applications such as this?

What is the typical procedure for running wire to LED strips behind walls?

NOTE: This question is somewhat similar to (How can I mount an 12V transformer for LED lighting inside a wall?), but differs slightly in what I'm asking. I've read it, and it my transformer is in a remote serviceable area. My question is more about how exactly the class 2 cable is wired to the LEDs.

Honestly, I solder direct to the LED strips.  You have to be careful, because if you select wire that is too stiff, it can tear the pad off the printed circuit board. So I use stranded wire, erring on the side of "small".

Mind you, I do that soldering on the workbench, not on my knees.


Gas Range requires 120V 15A yet comes with a Nema 14-50 Plug I have a new stove (gas range) that comes with a Nema 14-50 plug.  This range should only be using electricity for the igniters and clock. The manual requires:

  A 120 volt, 60 Hz., AC only, 15-amp fused, electrical circuit is required.

Question 1. It is my understanding a 14-50R should provide 240V at 50A.  Please explain why the stove would only call out 120V.

Question 2. Before I run an 8ga drop to a 50A breaker, is there a simpler way to solve this problem using an existing 120V 15A outlet?

Edited for anyone else that runs across this:
The above quote was from the Sears manual.  The Kitchen Aid manual states:

  This range is manufactured with the neutral terminal connected to the cabinet. Use a 3-wire, UL listed, 40- or 50-amp power supply cord (pigtail) (see the following Range Rating chart). If local codes do not permit ground through the neutral, use a 4-wire power supply cord rated at 250 volts, 40 or 50 amps and investigated for use with ranges.

Further investigation of the stove yields electrical and gas heating components.  This looks like a combination gas range that will end up requiring Nema 14-50.

** A caution from Harper below, "Also it is extremely wrong and dangerous to bond neutral to chassis/cabinet. There's an exception in Code which allows it for older homes with the obsolete NEMA 10 receptacles prewired, but it should not be used with NEMA 14 connections. Neutral and ground must be kept separate everywhere, except one specific place in the main panel."

A 14-50 receptacle can be a 40A or 50A circuit (i.e. that fuse/breaker). If wired with 8 AWG cable, it can only be 40A.  The reason for this exception is 40A receptacles don't exist, because this chart is big enough already!

If you have a new stove that comes factory-wired with a 14-50, then they sold you an electric stove.  Edit: That's what you have.  Since the red wires aren't thick enough to support an all-electric range, my guess is only the oven is electric. As you say in comments, it's the broiler.

How does that work?  NEMA 14-50 supplies everything NEMA 5-15 can possibly supply.  In North America we use 240V AC (on L1 and L2), but with neutral (N) tapped in the middle of the 240V, and safety grounding biased to neutral.  (so each leg of 240V is only 120V from ground, making the power safer if you get bit).

Common NEMA 5-15 receptacles give L1 (or L2) and N, giving 120V, plus ground of course.
NEMA 14-50 receptacles give L1 and L2 and N, giving a smorgasboard of 120V or 240V. And ground, of course.  In an RV, the 14-50 feeds a subpanel.

My guess is your appliance doesn't actually need 50A of 240V.  It probably needs 15A or 20A - the manual (the real one) will tell.  However, this puts you in a real pickle because 120/240V split-phase isn't found in kitchens - you'll have to wire a circuit.  The default for a kitchen is a NEMA 14-50 receptacle with either a 40A or 50A (8 or 6 AWG) circuit.

If it can use a 20A circuit (NEMA 14-20) you can run that with 12 AWG wire and save a bit of coin, but no future range will be able to use that connection, because the standard for ranges is 40A or 50A (NEMA 14-50).  Also, building codes may require a NEMA 14-50 to power any future owner's stove.  I realize I'm spending your money, but even if I was spending my money I would pull 6/3 cable and the 14-50 receptacle, so I'm future-proof and don't have to worry about building codes.  The cost difference for the cable is small compared with the work/labor needed to pull it through the walls.  Not a job you want to do twice.

In this discussion we disregard the obsolete and dangerous NEMA 10, which is a throwback to the days before grounding. They don't force people with older homes to rewire, so appliance makers provide a scheme to connect new appliances to NEMA 10. This scheme is dangerous and has killed.  It's also unnecessary: rules changes make it easier than ever to change a NEMA 10 to 14: either retrofit a separate ground wire; or fit a GFCI breaker and a "No Equipment Ground" sticker. Easy peasy.

Speaking of that... your photo shows a strap between neutral and ground. That strap is only used in the NEMA 10 scheme and should be removed for any wiring scheme (NEMA 14, NEMA 5) that provides a real ground wire.

Now if you just don't care about the broiler, you can attach a NEMA 5-15 cord to the black, white and ground wires and you're done.  Do remove the neutral-ground strap!


Running appliances during a Power Outage My parents are elderly and live in an older house, late 50's. Their house is a ranch style about 1,250 square feet with a full basement.

They have a sump pump in their house and when it storms and power is lost they get water in their basement. When we were all younger we use to haul buckets of water up their basement stairs and dump outside. Carrying water up the stairs is no longer an option.

I know there is a sump pump that can be installed with a battery backup but my dad is wanting to power beyond the sump pump as last time when power was lost it was out for a few days. Therefore, he is wanting to generate power to run freezer, refrigerator, sump pump and a few lights. He is considering buying a gas generator and plugging it into an electric outlet in his house. I know nothing about electricity and concerned about their safety.

Can this be done?
Is this safe?
What must we know/do to help ensure this is safely handled.

How do we calculate how big of generator is necessary to operate these items AND we need to consider start up draw for these items because I understand that is higher than just normal running. Any suggestions on size of generator?

If this is possible, in the winter if power is lost due to an ice storm, could the furnace be connected to the generator for heat?

Thanks in advance for your time and information.

A word of warning though. You CANNOT just "plug the generator into an outlet", because 1) when you do that without isolating your house from the now dead utility lines, the power from the local generator will go backward and try to power up EVERYTHING on that line, which might KILL a line worker trying to fix it; and 2) WHEN (not if) the utility power comes back on and the generator is running without being isolated, it could damage the electrical system in the entire house AND fry the generator.

Hire a professional to install it correctly and per code using a "transfer switch" sytem of some sort. it doesn't need to be automatic if that's too expensive, but there MUST be something that meets code in the system. It's literally a matter of life and death.


Small nick on power cord from an electric alarm clock, and copper wiring exposed but intact I bought a vintage alarm clock and radio. It works perfectly, but it took me a day to discover that along the length of the cord, there is a small nick, which revealed a small bit of copper wire, which doesn't seem frayed at all.

The cord is unpolarized, and plugs into 120V AC without any transformer "box".

Before the nick was discovered, the clock ran perfectly for a day and a half before unplugging.

I bought a spool of 3M Super 88 electrical tape and thinking of wrapping it up.

Would that be enough, or would it be still unsafe?

That cable, as is, will tend to "bite people". It also has damage that could increase resistance there causing that spot in the cable to get hot.  Continued flexing will worsen the wire damage and the heating.

An electrical-tape repair will work temporarily, but I would not resell it like that.

The right way is take your time and find a gray power cord of very similar style, open up the clock and replace the cable.


What type of mortar should be used for small mortar repair on a 100 year old house? I've read that one should use a special type of mortar with old brick houses because they expand more - portland mortar vs soft lime.

The recommendation from the NY Landmarks Commission states:

  Use a soft, lime-rich mortar that will be elastic and allow for
  movement, which will help prevent spalling and breakage of historic
  brick due to expansion caused by water absorption.

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/pubs/App_Guide_Restoring_Arch_Features.pdf

I might possibly need to submit a permit to do this small repair.

If I need to repair some small sections of mortar to prevent water and ice getting in - should I use commercial regular mortar repair tubes or should I get an acrylic-based or some other special mortar repair product?  Is the section small enough that I don't need to worry about matching expansion rates and sand color?  It looks like this small section was already repaired more recently and doesn't have matching color mortar.  Was using the wrong type of mortar the reason it's cracked?

The cracks are not huge - pictures shown below.  Could I even use non-sanded grout repair material?

Cracks around mortar at knee level around the 1st-floor main exterior doorway (up a set of stoop stairs)

Front on shot of the cracks near doorway

Some mortar cracks between my house and the next adjoining house.
Should I use different mortar for the cracks between my house and the next door house?

With a facing I would clean all the loose out and mix some but I have the lime and bags of clean sand and pick up some fresh cement. Since you are new to this I would suggest a pre mixed repointing mix. It is a little more expensive than mixing it up your self. Pre mixed is basically Portland cement, clean fine sand, hydrated lime, and water, I will use an add mix it helps to seal but I don’t know if it is necessary, I started using addmix after learning how to tile.
The reason I asked about foundations is then a stronger type (n or s ) would be needed.
For exterior above grade any grade n, s or m will be fine. But purchasing a premix just go to a big box store and find the pre- mixed repointing bag. Add water according to the instructions better to start with not enough water and work up. There are acrylic? Premixed that you put on and let dry but I have not used these some one else may have advice on them.


How can I attach stainless steel utensils to aluminium posts? I am trying to attach aluminum posts to stainless steel eating utensils so that I can then screw the posts into my kitchen cabinets.  The directions said to use bonding glue, but I've tried JB Weld and Pro Line Fast Grab Premium Loctite, but neither work.  Would soldering be the answer or do I need to find someone to weld them?

You will have better luck brazing the stainless steel (which has nickel and chromium) to a brass or bronze post.  Brazing is a hotter form of soldering,  You might inquire if a jeweler would silver solder it for you.  Other wise, torches, special flux and special solder are needed.

A less expensive option would be a better grade of epoxy.  System 3 or some of the 3M industrial epoxies.  As Chris said, there must be a GOOD MECHANICAL fit first, the part shapes must align closely to allow the adhesive to bind.

On another note, you should try to abrade both parts in the contact area to give the adhesive a "toothing" point to grab.


Why is my furnace blowing cold air? My HEIL 7000 natural gas furnace has stopped working what are the most likely causes, and how to verify faulty parts?

Normal operation routine

Thermostat sends "need heat" signal.
Exhaust blower starts.
Electric sparker lights gas.
Once operating temperature is reached, circulation blower turns on.

Current operation routine

Thermostat sends "need heat" signal.
circulation blower turns on and blows cold air.

Things I have checked.

House has gas (hot water tank is working).
Followed reset procedure as described in owners manual.
Looked for obvious signs of electrical short/arcing (black marks, melted wire sheathing, etc)

Turned out to be the High Limit switch.  The switch had burnt out, which caused the burner not to fire.  Turns out when the limit switch senses the heat box is too hot, it shuts down the gas and forces the blower to continue so it will clear the excess heat. When the switch failed it always told the system that the furnace was over heated, so the burner would not come on and the blower would run constantly to try and clear the excess heat.

To trouble shoot this issue I used an ohm meter to test each sensor, to make sure it was open/closed as it should be.  Another way to test would have been to use jumpers to bypass the sensor all together, until the faulty sensor was located.


How do I fix a hot tap that doesn't turn on properly anymore? The hot tap on our bath seems to be getting harder and harder to turn on, to the point where now it only turns a tiny bit and hardly any water can get through. How do I fix this?
I've taken a couple of photos of the tap from above and below the fixture. If I have to remove the taps, how do I do this without flooding my house? There doesn't seem to be a convenient valve to switch this off under the bath, will I have to shut off all the water in the house?

How do I fix this?

You will need to disassemble and inspect/repair/replace the valve assembly

  how do I do this without flooding my house... will I have to shut off all the water in the house?

Your picture does not show where the flexible supply hoses originate, that would be the logical place to look for local shut-off valves. If you can't find or access local shut-off valves then YES, you will have to shut off the water to whichever side you will work on - hot, cold, or both/all.

Once the supply is shut off, you will remove the handle to access the valve assembly. There are literally hundreds of different brands/styles/types, but most are fairly intuitive to disassemble using common household tools. To repair/replace,your best bet will be to take pictures of the fixture and take those along with the handle/knob and valve assembly to a good plumbing supply shop.


PEX - Do not install tubing above or below septic tanks, leach fields, pits, or cesspools - why? I am reading the "Installation Manual for Viega PureFlow Water System" and on page 41 it states:

Do not install Viega PureFlow PEX tubing where soil is or may become contaminated with solvents, fuels or similar chemicals.

AND

Do not install tubing above or below septic tanks, leach fields, pits, or cesspools.

Why?
Source:
https://www.viega.us/content/dam/viega/aem_online_assets/download_assets/us/impf_724596_0820_pureflow_water_system.pdf

Basic cross-contamination protection. Same basic idea of not putting the latrine upstream of the drinking water intake, or more pithy sayings I can't say here as they refer to human food byproducts by pithy rude names.


When installing hardwood floors, should I use rosin paper, roofing felt, or nothing underneath? Why? I've installed hardwood floors, over top of OSB subfloor with a layer of roofing felt in between.  I copied this from the hardwood floor contractor who did a kitchen in my home once. He'd been in business for 20 years so I trusted him.  I think he said it was to prevent squeaks.

Is this true?

Does roofing felt used in this way also provide a vapor barrier, and if so, why is that important under hardwood?  I can understand why it would be useful on a roof.  I can understand why it would be useful for housewrap.  Under a floor?

I read elswhere that rosin paper was originally used to keep floors clean (protect from the dust from drywall finishing, for example), and make it easy to slide floorboards. That seems pretty minimally valuable. Do I care if my OSB gets dusty?  I usually shop-vac the OSB before laying down the floorboards, so is this really a benefit?  And using rosin paper to ease sliding boards during install?  Really?  I never noticed a problem sliding the boards. Is this because I'm really strong?  (not likely).  Maybe it's because I'm using OSB as a subfloor which is a pretty smooth surface? I can imagine using plywood as a subfloor, in the days before OSB, might/could cause hitches when sliding boards during installation.

Do either of these layers provide sound-deadening or anti-squeak qualities?  I figured the lack of squeaks was from using a sound, level subfloor, and installing the T&G tightly.

This question gets asked a lot in various DIY or even contrator forums.  The problem is, there doesn't seem to be a general convergence to a single answer.

OK here we go. First of all, the most common reasons for squeaky hardwood floors are age and installation over uneven subfloors, where any movement of wood on wood makes the sounds. Age becomes a factor when the subfloor ages, shrinks a bit making the nails holding the hardwood a bit loose. Adding either a layer of felt or rosin paper isolates the wood layers and helps to minimize squeaking  wood to wood. A lot of the squeaking on older floors are actually the nails moving in the subfloor, so today we use threaded nails, and for the most part and that solves that problem.  So in your case, it certainly can't hurt to use some paper.  Good luck.


Disassembling a bed frame Trying to take apart a bed frame. Does anyone have any idea on how to open these?
Thanks.

Just about the only thing you can do is turn the cam 1/4 turn at a time and keep trying to separate the joint. These are usually easy to lock and unlock is why they are used. But if they were over tightened ever or the wood was repaired or even wrong in size like from a factory defect, you could find yourself turning these things back and forth all day because they will only unlock in one specific "sweet spot".

I know these cams can be frustrating and even cause people to second guess clockwise,counter clockwise, lefty loosey-righty tightly and so on.


Well cloudy after heavy use? This may be a stupid question, but we recently installed a 17k gallon pool and used our well to fill it. Our water from the well to the house is now cloudy. It doesn't taste bad, just cloudy. I am assuming this may be normal and some sediment may have been disturbed because of the constant pumping. Our water was only cloudy once before and that is when we had it installed 3 years ago.

I wanted to use a water service, but it was cost prohibitive considering how far we live from the services.

Like I stated in my comment, the water cleared up after a 4 or 5 days. It has been fine ever since.


How to fill / seal in-slab hvac ductwork? My house is built on a slab. Within the slab are "channels" which act as ducts for the HVAC system.

I assume it is partially lined with metal but based on photos from an HVAC-cleaner, it's hard to tell how far that metal goes from the registers.

Long term, I plan on re-routing all of my HVAC outside of this slab ductwork as it is extremely dirty, probably contaminated with all kinds of mold and insects, and essentially a big mess. This house was built over 60 years ago.

In the mean-time, I am about to re-do a single room's floor. It is currently concrete (carpet had been ripped up) but is going to be replaced by porcelain tile. This specific room is really close to the furnace (with a direct wall-vent a previous owner "cut in") so I am not concerned about its temperature.

I want to fill in, or otherwise seal off, the slab-duct and register in this room so I can tile over it. Long term, I want to do quit using all of my in-slab ducts.

Can I simply seal off the duct at this register? Or do I need to fill the entire duct in the slab in this room? What material (concrete/cement? specific type?) should I use in either case?

Thanks!

I would remove the register and pour ready-mix concrete into the channel to seal the old "ducts" and fill up the hole in the floor. Shouldn't cost you more then $20, if that.


Is it normal for actual temperature to be below target temperature during cold weather? I live in North Florida and the temperature seems to drop into the 30's maybe 10-15 days out of the year and the 20's maybe 2-5 times a year.  We had a few days where the highs were in the 30's this past week.  I noticed that my first floor seemed cooler and that the thermostat was showing 62-65 a few times while the target was 68.  The second floor was fine 67/67.  We were out of town the previous weekend and I had set the first floor to 55 because it was not very cold while we were gone.  Actual temp on first flow was 63 when we got back.  I'm not sure if it struggled the next few days to get to 68 because it was already down at 63 when extreme cold hit or if there is a bigger issue.  I also notice a lot of condensation on the inside of our double pane windows.  Does all of this sound normal?  The first floor system is a Carrier from circa 1996/1997.  I think it is a 10 SEER.  I think the same is true upstairs, but it is a smaller unit.  I believe both are heat pumps.  Appreciate any insight.

Update:  My wife just texted me a picture and the outside of our air compressor is completely frosted with ice.  It was not like this earlier in the week AFAIK.

Your heating system is sized for your house and climate.  At some outside temperature, it will reach a point where ANY SYSTEM, running all the time, cannot input enough heat to compensate for the heat exiting via the roof, walls and windows.
The rate of heat flow equation  is analogous to Ohms law  I = V/R   Take I a rate of heat loss, V as the Temperature difference on either side of the wall and R as the Thermal Resistance of the wall.  The greater the temperature difference, the faster you lose heat.  When you lose heat, the rate slows down and you reach an equilibrium.

A heating system able to maintain 65 degrees in the coldest weather you experience is probably adequate, but barely so.

Keep in mind that the ground itself also gets cold.  In prolonged cold snaps, such as we've had this winter, it is not surprising that you have a cold floor.  The ground might even have frozen underneath it.  This is not expected behaviour in Florida.

The fact that you're using heat pumps also comes into play.  We don't use them very much up here in Canada, because our winter temperatures are too low for them to work efficiently.  A heat pump is trying to suck the heat out of the outside air and dump it in the house (like a refrigerator running backwards).  The colder the outside temperature, the less efficient this is.


What is the yellow lever under my bathroom sink? I'm working on a bathroom faucet that has been dripping.  I turned off both shut-off valves (one to the hot and one to the cold).  However, I also noticed a yellow lever on a pipe that feeds into the cold water supply pipe. In other words, three pipes come from the bottom of the sink cabinet (the drain pipe exits through the side of the cabinet), two of them combine before they go to the cold water side.  One of those pipes has the usual shut-off valve but the other one has a yellow lever. It looks like the main shut-off valve near my water heater.  What is this yellow lever for?  Thanks for your help!

Figured it out!  The upstairs bathroom valve controls the outside spigot on the back of the house.  The valve in our master bathroom controls the outside spigot on the front of the house.  Thanks for all the help and comments.


Locating HVAC breaker in box I'm replacing my thermostat in the home but my breaker box does not identify which breaker.  How can I locate the breaker? Thanks

If you kill the power to the furnace and A/C you kill the power to the thermostat


Does a small concrete slab need control joints? I’m pouring a small slab for some pool equipment.  It will be 4’x8’x3.5”.  I expect little to no foot traffic, just a heater, pump, and chlorinator.  (Mabye foot traffic just when adding tablets)
Do I need a control joint in the middle?  Or do you think my slab is small enough to get away with nothing.
(I have minimal concrete experience in slabs... just things like post holes and filling blocks)

No. My rule of thumb (can't recall where my thumb got it from) is 12 feet/4meters before you really need a control joint.
Reinforcement is always a good idea.
This document has a great deal of vague handwaving, and on page 11 gets to a specific recommendation from the ACI of "24-36 times slab thickness" which in your case is 7-10.5 feet. that suggests that 0 or 1 control joint might be the right number (with the 1 making two 4 foot squares per another recommendation found in the same section of the document that the slab segments defined by joints be square or near square.)


What Kind of Hardwood Flooring Do I Have - Chicago Home Mid50's I'm beginning a kitchen renovation and the first thing I'm looking into is replacing the tile the previous owners had installed. My entire house is hardwood, possibly original (from 1954), aside from my kitchen which was redone as tile. The tile in the kitchen is a good 3/4" taller than hardwood in the adjoining room. I chipped off a small piece of tile to see what I was working with. There seems to be four layers, the subfloor, a layer of tar paper, a fiber backer board and then the tile.

Now the question I have is when I compared the portion of bare subfloor to my hardwood floors in the adjoining room, the hardwood part only seems to be ~1/8" thick!? What kind of Hardwood construction is this? If I wanted to put hardwood in my kitchen how would I go about matching the height with the room next to it?

Please see picture names for description of what they're showing.

What you have appears to be a red oak 2 1/4" strip floor. It will be 3/4" thick. The plywood you see will perhaps be 5/8" thick, and hopefully on a subfloor as well as the red oak. You will need to confirm all this, and can be easily done if you have an unfinished basement. Looking up from the basement on a 1950's era home you should see diagonal subfloor with the nails holding the finished floor poking through. If you see the underside of the oak flooring, then there is no subfloor and the task of replacing the floor gets a lot more dicey since the joists will be the only thing to walk on after the tile and plywood is pulled up. The subfloor should be there, if this was on the second floor, there would certainly be a bigger chance of no subfloor.


Do I need external rendering to protect my brick wall? My kitchen has been built with bricks, but external rendering has not been placed. Now it has been 17 years but nothing has happened, but I want to know if I need to externally render the wall? Could anything have happened to the brick wall since the rainy whether?

No, brick & its mortar will be fine for 100-years in the weather. You can absolutely Stucco it as well & that will last almost the same amount of time. But, unless the Stucco would be done to match the rest of the exterior, then don't bother. It's just another potential future problem.

However, you can treat the brickwork with a clear Masonry Sealer, only if the brick appears to be wet a day after being rained upon. I say that because the sealer would need to be re-painted every 5-years & you really don't want to add that constant maintenance unless & until you need to.


Bumped into a joist while drilling for a toggle bolt Uh oh. I've used two other toggle bolts to hang plants using a swag hook in this 2 sq foot area of my ceiling, and it never occurred to me that I might actually hit a joist. The one inch gap between the joist itself and the drywall is big enough that the wood screw bolt doesn't extend far enough to attach the hook. So, can't use the toggle, but can't use the bolt provided because it's too short. Any ideas? Attaching photo of swag hook to illustrate.

Running your 1/2" bit into the joist a ways may give you the clearance you need to get the toggler to expand.

Otherwise, I'd drill a hole in the joist slightly smaller than the toggle bolt, run that bolt (without the toggle wings) into the hook, and thread the bolt directly into the wood. It'll hold as well as the drywall would have if you keep it snug.

If that's not suitable, your local hardware store may have a longer version of the other (dual-thread) bolt.


Lost Nuetral - Turning Lights On Stops Others Flickering Today we had lights flickering, odd brown outs, and power surges. Problems would come and go. Called our power company. The man they sent determined we had lost our connection to the neutral.
Before calling, I tried my hand at determining if it was something in the house.  Discovered a really odd symptom.  The lights in the kitchen would be flickering, but when I turned on the basement lights, the kitchen lights would stop flickering. That's when I realized it was over my head. When I learned to wire ACs 40 years ago, increasing load shouldn't improve load on another circuit.
Any idea why that would happen? If I have another problem brewing, I'd like to know and get it fixed before it becomes something.
Both are on the old panel from the 80's.  As we can afford, we're moving things to the new panel.  The basement lights are fluorescent and one ballast probably needs replacing.  The kitchen lights are screw in LEDs.
Thanks
Update: Am satisfied with the answer. Thanks. And dimmers are way too high tech for this place. (Don't let it know about the WiFi.)

With a neutral, everything is forced to be split 50/50, regardless of load. When you have a lost neutral, your circuits that are normally ~ 120V can be anywhere between 0 V and 240 V.  The voltage on each side will float depending on the relative load of each side. Add more load and things could even out.
Some devices won't work well outside a narrow range - perhaps 100 V - 130 V. Many devices can handle a wide range for internationalization - e.g., 90 V - 250 V. But go too low, especially below 90 V, and a lot of devices simply won't work properly. Flickering lights would be the least of the problems. LED lights in particular will flicker if voltage is too low, unless (and sometimes even if) they are designed to be dimmer-compatible.


Suggestions on How to Remove Very Old Carpet Tape from Hardwood Floor The tape was double-sided mesh carpet tape. It has been under a runner in an entryway for about 20 years and is now just a dried mesh and whatever residue is left from the glue that was on the tape.  Can anyone suggest a method of removing the tape without doing damage to the floor?  Thanks!

A plastic putty knife can often remove residue if it isn't too sticky. In a pinch, an old plastic credit card can also work. If the surface finish is weak, it may lift with the residue.


can someone disarm our ADT alarm system by removing the cable? We have an ADT alarm system , the other night I heard a neibor saying he could disarm our alarm system .. he tried telling someone ells how to do it .. said it was the 3rd cable to the right or the internet , and tv cable.
is this true? .. and , would he have to have access to the basement to do so? .. also .. if disconnected will it set off the alarm.
we are scared now that he will enter our home.

When an alarm trips, it can send out one or more of three types of alerts:

local - an audible alarm rings at the property
direct police connection - when the alarm rings, it goes off in the police station itself (rare)
central station - an alarm goes to the alarm monitoring company, which then alerts the police in certain circumstances (such as no one answers or fails to give a password following a callback to the house).

Some alarm setups are local only, some remote (police or central station) only, and some are both.

Two things control whether the alarm will go out:

is there power?
is there a connection to the monitor (if any)

Almost all serious alarms have battery backup to ensure that, even if the power is cut, the basic alarm system is still functional. If there is no battery backup, cutting power lines will nullify the alarm.

Local: Assuming power, AC or battery, a local alarm will ring upon intrusion, regardless of whether cables are cut.

Remote: Connections to police or central stations are most often handled through conventional telephone lines.  These may be landline connections or cable/internet connections (if phone service is via the cable system or other internet provider).

Even if power is cut, landline telephone service is often still active, since landlines have their own power feed. But if the telephone line is cut, the signal cannot go out.

Cable/internet phone, on the other hand, relies on modems that need AC power. If power is cut, cable phone does not work. If the cable line is cut, this would also prevent a signal going out.

Cellular remote: Some alarm systems offer a cellular connection. This is like having a dedicated cellphone built into the alarm system. These systems function even if the landline or cable line is cut. They will continue to function even if the AC power is cut (assuming a battery backup, which would be standard on a cellular type setup).

Whether your system would survive a wire attack depends on the type of system you have. Only a cellular based system with a battery backup can withstand all attacks on the wires that feed a property.  But many systems will detect a disruption of power or telephone connection, make a call to the owner to see if there is a problem, and alert authorities of the monitor does not get satisfactory assurances. The level of security is a function of how much you are willing to pay and how concerned you are about various levels of risk, and the particular protocols of the alarm monitoring service.


Should we contact a professional to handle our bathroom repair? Our upstairs bathroom is leaking to the ceiling drywall in our downstairs dining room.  The toilet and the tub need to be fixed. We need to take up the tile, floor board, maybe tub and fix it all. Then replace the flooring, retile and fix the ceiling. My husband thinks he can go it alone. I'm a little leery. Should we call a pro?

If you are doing it solely to save money, then it's probably not a good idea. If you are ready to spend time to learn how to do it and enjoy diy, then there's no reason calling a "pro".


Tub Faucet Sticks Out From Wall. How do I fix it? My bathtub faucet sticks out from the wall so far that you can see the hole in the tile where the pipe comes out.

I am a bit perplexed on how to fix this issue.  I have an access hole on the other side and I see that the half clamp that was holding the faucet's pipe is broken.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough room to install another half clamp, which is required to be hammered in.  I've tried ones that screw into the top of the 2x4 that the pipe was attached to, but the clamp's holes wouldn't line up with the 2x4.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would cut two pieces of wood to fit, that can squeeze in there and hold the pipe where you want it. Test the fit and then put construction adhesive on them to hold them in place.


How can I insulate the floor of a room above a porch? I've been searching around for an answer or pointers on this for a while, it's possible I'm using the wrong phrases when searching!

I have a UK 1930's built semi-detached house, Streetview pic before it was repainted:

The room over the porch has always been quite cold and I was looking at insulating the floor of it using rockwool or similar. Construction of this ceiling is lath and plaster, ~300mm separated joists and standard floor boards.

My only worry is how best to go about doing this, there are a couple of cables in the floor which go to outside lights, from what I've read, any insulation should go under these which is fine. My main questions are, do I need a moisture barrier underneath, am I better off with loosefill instead of rockwool and is there anything else I should be concerned about before doing this?

Actually, since you are primarily concerned with heating conditions, the vapour barrier goes on the warm side of insulation, meaning right up against the sub floor boards. This is to keep moisture from the house from condensing in the cooler insulation. Outside moisture would not condense in the insulation as it should always be warmer than the dew point of the outside air, though in the UK it may often be a close call.

Loose fill generally provides a more complete insulation job, filling the whole space completely. Batt insulation is much easier for DIY work. Even if you access from below, loose fill may be possible. You could actually install loose fill by cutting a hole in each joist bay, instead of removing the ceiling. The main problem is you have no way to verify the void was completely filled. It is highly dependent on the skill of the installer. It also negates the ability to place a vapour barrier, but depending on the flooring system, it may not be a serious issue. In your case though, it is probably an issue.

If any recessed lights are in this space, if they are not rated for placement in insulation, they will need to be replaced. If you go in from the ceiling, it will be hard to get a good vapour barrier. Just do the best you can, sealing it well to each joist. You'll have to allow the joists to be part of the barrier. It may be worth spraying them with a quick latex primer coat to help make a better barrier.


Do local building codes/regulations control where to locate a gas meter and responsibility for moving it? I live in California and attempted to earthquake retrofit my foundation but the contractors cannot enter the crawl space under my home to access the foundation because Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) gas meter blocks access (it sits right smack in front of the crawl space entrance).

I called PG&E and they said they followed all requirements when installing the gas meters and now I have to pay to have them moved a foot or two away.

Who would I call to confirm that the local/city/state/federal laws allow (or don't allow) gas meters to block access to foundation under the house?

Do the codes/laws/regulations say who is responsible if the meters have to be moved?

Any ideas what I can do?

Building departments usually rely on a nationally recognized model code. In California at the time your house was probably built, this was likely the Uniform Building Code published by the International Council of Building Officials. I don't have any old UBC references, but the current International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings which has in part superceded it has an entry related to under floor access that is very much like what appeared in older UBC codes.

  R408.4 Access. Access shall be provided to all under-floor spaces. Access openings through the floor shall be a minimum of 18 inches by
  24 inches (457 mm by 610 mm). Openings through a perimeter wall shall
  be not less than 16 inches by 24 inches (407 mm by 610 mm). When any
  portion of the through-wall access is below grade, an areaway not less
  than 16 inches by 24 inches (407 mm by 610 mm) shall be provided. The
  bottom of the areaway shall be below the threshold of the access
  opening. Through wall access openings shall not be located under a
  door to the residence. See Section M1305.1.4 for access requirements
  where mechanical equipment is located under floors.

It seems a reasonable person would say placing an immovable object in front of this access would violate the intent of the code, but this sounds like it will devolve into a legalistic pissing match where legal assistance could be required to get your way. This could end up costing more than simply paying to move the meter.


Prewarming for tankless waterheater I have a tankless water heater that is just a little bit to small for our new house - the temperature rise isn't quite enough for the winter months. Our basement is big and relatively warm so I struck on the idea of using a prewarmer, either in the form of a radiator (think automotive radiator, say off a F150 size truck) plumbed in before the water heater or a 100 feet of pex coiled in a 55 gallon drum filled with water.

How should I proceed?

The typical way to pre-warm water is to install a standard tank water heater before the tankless, but leave it turned off.

Using an automotive radiator is a terrible idea. You don't want to connect something not designed for potable water to your plumbing. That's just asking for trouble.

The pex idea is interesting. The only reason that I can think that this wouldn't work is that 100 feet of pex introduces quite a pressure loss. Put a meter on the end to make sure you have enough pressure going in to your water heater. If you have the stuff to do that, you can try it out. But I wouldn't buy 100 feet of pex just to do it.

Using a tank water heater has a couple of advantages over the pex-in-a-bucket-of-water idea:

If your tankless water heater has a problem, you can just turn on the tank water heater.
You get pre-warmed water for much longer with a tank than your 100 feet of pex.

With the pex solution, most of the heat transfer is going to occur when the water is sitting in the 100 foot coil. When the water is flowing, heat transfer from the bucket water to the water in the coil is going to be minimal. So once you empty the coil, your pre-warmed water is gone.
With the tank water heater, the room temperature water in the tank will mix with the incoming cold water. You get a very slow gradual drop in temperature, but it doesn't drop suddenly after a few minutes like the pex solution would.

If you ever have your water shut off, you've got a whole tank of water available for you to use.


Can a ceiling fan be installed on a box with only one black and one white wire? I purchased a used ceiling fan. We noticed the ceiling fan only had 2 wires...a black and white.  When we took down the existing fan. We noticed there were only 2 wires in the ceiling box...black and white.  I have read there are suppose to be 3 or 4 wires, but neither the fan nor ceiling box has that many.  Also the ceiling fan had a remote, but the person lost it.  Can we still install the ceiling fan with only 2 black and 2 white wires and can a remote still be used with it? And if we can, how do we wire it ?]

Yes.

But it depends how your house is wired.

Some houses have a light switch on the wall, which controls the fan or fan/light together.  In that case there would only be 2 wires - switched hot and neutral.
Some houses have 2 light switches on the wall, for the fan, and light, separately.  Then you would see 3 wires - fan-switched-hot, light-switched-hot, and a neutral.
Some houses have no light switch at all, and the fan needs to be switched off at the fan.  They have only 2 wires - always-hot and neutral.

In the last case, your choices are: use a switch on the fan; use a wireless remote that's part of the fan; or a special control module that mounts in the fan shroud and talks to a remote control (typically installed at a light switch).


Kitchen faucet only gets lukewarm, never gets hot Recently my kitchen faucet will only become warm but never hot. Both water valves are completely opened. Every other faucet in the home get hot and work properly.
Any ideas?

I would recommend that you start by unscrewing your hot line, of course close the valve first. Then open the valve into a large bucket to make sure you have sufficient pressure and flow and hot water. If everything is good then you probably have a block in the line from the valve to the faucet or you have a bad faucet. Sometimes faucets get plugged or the a lever doesn’t open fully. Good luck.


Why does my tester not indicate voltage when a light switch is on? I am not understanding this behavior, and I'm hoping that someone with a lot more experience with wiring than I have will know immediately what's going on.

I have two 1940s-era fabric-clad wires attached to a simple two-pole on/off toggle switch in the wall. There's no ground wire. The switch controls a light on the wall.

I know which breaker in the basement controls it. I can flip the breaker off and then test the wires for power with a voltage tester, and see that it's dead.

So, with the power enabled:

When the light switch is in the OFF position, if I touch the tester prongs to the wires, the tester lights up.

When the switch is in the ON position, if I touch the tester prongs to the wires, the tester does not light up.

That is counterintuitive to me, so I flipped the breaker off,  reversed the wires on the switch, and turned power back on.

But the behavior remains the same.

Why does turning the switch ON cut the circuit?

If you consider this simplified diagram, showing a light & switch, with the switch in the off position on the left, and in the on position on the right:

When the switch is OFF, its contacts are open - preventing current from flowing through the circuit to the light bulb.
When the switch is ON, its contacts are closed - allowing current to flow through the light bulb.

Your "voltage tester" is measuring voltage, not current.
When the switch is on the ON/closed position, your "voltage tester" measures 0V across the switch because that is exactly the case - a closed switch is a short-circuit and even though there may well be current flowing through it, there is no voltage across it.

If you were to put your "voltage tester" across the light bulb instead, you would find exactly the opposite case.
With the switch OFF/open there will be 0V across the light bulb and when the switch is ON/closed you will measure a voltage across the light bulb.


Is it a bad idea to cool a room on the second floor by pumping air from the basement? In the basement, we have a temperature of 17 Celsius in summer time. On the 2nd floor it's about 28 Celsius. I thought of transporting the cool air to the 2nd floor, by attaching flexible tubes together and putting a fan every meter. The tube's diameter would be about 20cm.

I am sure this is only a bad idea, i don't know which downsides this idea could be and I am sure you guys now a better way.

I've had that idea before too... it seems very tempting to get "free" cooling by simply moving air from the cooler basement to the hot upper floors.

I've never tried it, but some problems with this idea might be:

It takes energy to move air, which will turn into extra heat in the cold air. Since you have to raise the cold air several meters, you'll be pushing against natural convection. The temperature coming out of the top of the stack will be somewhat warmer than the temperature in your basement.
Since the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides isn't that great (think about how cold the output of an air conditioner can be), you'll have to move a lot of air to make any sort of noticeable difference. This will make problem #1 worse - moving more air means more energy.
Any air you remove from the basement will have to be replaced by air coming in from somewhere. This air will be warmer, and depending on your climate, may have significant humidity. When the warm air comes into the basement and cools off, its percent relative humidity increases. This process happens naturally all the time, but you'll be accelerating it with your fan. If you already have basement moisture problems, this will make them worse - and it might make moisture problems happen if you don't already have them.

Oh, and one other important thing just in case it applies to your particular situation: in the very unlikely event of a fire in your basement, this air duct could easily become a chimney that pipes hot combustion gases straight up to the upper floors. As those hot gases leave, fresh cold air will tend to rush in and feed the fire, making the fire worse. This is why building codes typically require firestop protection in basement ceilings around fire-prone areas (such as your furnace). Definitely don't do this if the inlet for your duct is near your furnace or any other possible source of fire!


How to extend my washing machine standpipe? I need to extend my standpipe so that it's higher than my washing machine drum height.

I need it to be about 24" taller than it currently is. I'm not experienced doing any plumbing work beyond installing a new shower head.

I've included photos of the current state of my standpipe.

I'm renting an apartment, so I'd prefer a solution that could be reversible if needed.

That should be easy. Start by figuring out how much additional height you need. Use a pipe wrench to loosen the faceted collar at the top of the trap, and the standpipe should just pull up and out of that fitting. Take it to a store and tell them you need a piece the same size but however-much longer. You may have to get something a bit longer than that and have the store cut it down, or use a hacksaw to cut it down yourself. Slide the new pipe into place, and use the wrench to tighten the collar of the slip-joint again to seal the connection.

(Depending on how it goes, you may need to repack the slip-joint to get a good seal. That isn't difficult either -- remove the ring entirely, wrap some rope packing around the pipe just above the junction (or install a new packing washer, depending on the age of the hardware), slip the ring back over the tube and tighten it onto the threads; doing so compresses the packing and makes the joint waterproof.)


Can I hook up an ice maker with a 1/4" plastic pipe to my garden hose faucet easily? Just got my hubby a new ice maker and it has a 1/4" water line.  Thing is it is going in the garage and needs to run off of the garden hose faucet.   Is there an adapter that I can use to run the hose faucet to the ice maker?   Do I need to install any copper tubing?

Thank you!

Barbara

Yes, it can be done.  It make take more than one adapter in sequence to get from the 3/4" hose connection to the 1/4" plastic tube.  Any plumbing department in a decent hardware or home-improvement store will likely have them.

The hose connector threads are different from standard American "NPT" pipe threads.  You'll need to go from the 3/4" hose thread on the faucet, to 3/4" NPT thread, and from there it may take one or more reducers to get down to a 1/4" compression fitting that the ice maker wants.

Alternatively, there may also be some adapters in the irrigation and sprinkler pipe section, that can go from the 3/4" hose connector to 1/4" tubing using barbed push-on connectors.  Something used for drip-irrigation for plants may have the right sizes.


Looking for ideas on how to attach piece of wood to eye bolt Sorry if some terms are sounding weird, I have no idea how those things are called in English :/

Intention: I have a piece of wood (a thick stick for instance) and some eye bold sticking out of a wall. Now I would like to place said piece of wood on top of it and lock it in position.
Here are some pictures of a test:

The bolts are already in the wall. I cannot thread the wood through the eye and since it will be placed in our living room it should look good.

Things I've tried

Cable ties -> look terrible but are strong
Plastic thread -> you see the picture? :) Looks odd, not very stable, fishing threading would be more stable but visually still not great
Metal hose clamp: Sturdy, looks still not that great but diameter of the eye bolt hole requires a smaller clamp width, small clamp width results typically in a smaller clamp diameter (too small for the wood)
Bolt through the wood -> wood to thin to bear the weight

Hiding the fastening will be considered, but I am looking for something that looks cool

I'd cut a strip of aluminium or similar sheet metal, fit it around the wooden rod and clamp it to the eye-bolt using a separate nut and bolt that pass through holes in the clamping strip and through the eye of the eye bolt.

If I didn't like to look of the bolt I'd see if I could find a large enough rivet or other type of fastener.


Add combo (switch and outlet) with only two wires out of wall for the current light) I probably have this diagram for my project. Or problem.

Facts:

a) only 2 wires out of wall, B & W;

b) switch ON, lights ON

Ceiling electrical box:

One black and one white connects to the ceiling light fixture.

Project: I need to add a combo switch/outlet

UPDATE after suggestions

Grey= Neutral
Is this right?
If it is, it seems to me receptacle will be ON at all times, right?

Your first diagram shows a switch loop.

Neutral and hot wires arrive at the light box, the neutral stays in that box, while only the hot is sent to the switch box (customary using white with black marking), and returns with the (customary) black wire, which is now a "switched hot".

If you want an outlet at the switch box, you need to bring a neutral from the light box. A customary way would be to wire a 14/3 or 12/3 from the light box to the switch box:
- white neutral
- black hot
- red switched hot (returns from the switch and connects to the light fixture black).

You can then decide wether you want this outlet to be always hot, or if you want the outlet to be switched.

The wire gauge depends on the breaker size. 15A breaker requires 14 gauge or bigger. 20A breaker requires 12 gouger bigger.


duct tape upvc conservatory leaks I have an old conservatory that is white upvc. Along the joints across the roof it leaks. I want to know if I can stop these leaks by putting tape like this along the joins inside (not outside) (it would be stuck to the white upvc either side of the leak, across the join): "https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gorilla-Tape-Range-Black-Clear-Silver-Tough-Wide-Handy-White-Mounting/360993674393?var=630333846760&epid=1339840406&hash=item540ce65499:m:mRURLaUN70-STe0IQPIMrAg".

To be clear, I'm not concerned with how it looks, or how long it lasts, just so that it lasts for the rest of the winter. I have tried sealant in the past and all that does is redirect the leak further along. I'm hoping that tape will fully seal it. It's not a huge leak, just many pinprick leaks along a 3m join.

For a temporary fix gorilla tape would be my choice. Make sure the area that you are going to seal is wiped clean prior to putting the tape up. Since there is no real pressure the tape should hold on the inside to stop the leak.


Capping off a single (large) wire? I have a five-conductor 2 AWG cable (three phases, neutral, and ground) connected into a 22.5 kVA (i.e., very big and dangerous) power supply. This is being used for research relating to ground faults, so the points at which the system is grounded are carefully controlled, and the ground wire is not connected to the power supply, though it does need to be present (even if it didn't, it's a five-conductor cable and we can't exactly pull one of the conductors out without unreasonable force that would risk damaging the other conductors).

So the question is this: how can I safely terminate this single 2 AWG wire in a manner that keeps it well-insulated from the power supply chassis? I was thinking of using a wire nut to just cap off the single wire, but there don't seem to be any designed to take a 2 AWG wire. Is there a keyword I can use to search for these?

Edit: also of note is that this is a ground wire and will be at ground potential, it just can't be connected to ground here. The other cables at the power supply output are carrying no more than 600 V (actually, the power supply might only go up to 500 V) so there's no high voltage that risks multi-centimeter arcs or corona discharge or anything.

Here is one possibility- "cold shrink" silicone insulator. Check the voltage rating for whatever type you are looking at.

You pull on the end of the coiled plastic and it unravels, leaving the silicone cap to shrink onto the end of the wire.


Sockets burn out on light fixture I have a ceiling fixture that uses three 40w candelabra-base bulbs. It was burning out bulbs frequently (about one per month). Over time, two sockets were not working (confirmed with a meter test) and I rewired the fixture with a three socket harness. After a few months, a bulb blew out and when I changed the bulb, found the socket wasn't working. Any thoughts on what could be causing this and how to fix?

By "meter test", I assume you mean a voltage reading from side to base contacts. By "rewired" I assume replaced?

Heat will expand the socket base. Pull the base tabs down to create a tighter contact. Using sandpaper, scuff the bulb ends that meet the contact. Bad connections create higher amperage draw, which yields more heat, thus burn-out.

Again, I'm assuming that all wires are connected internally and are very secure with proper wire nuts.  Good luck.


Attic door panel chain pulled off If the attic door panel has a locking machanism and the pull chain has been pulled off, is there anyway to get the door open without damaging or replacing the door?

The 3 dots on the left side are the lock, and the hole to the right of those 3 dots is where the pull chain was.

Is there anyway to get the door open without damaging or replacing the door?

Yes, drill out the heads of the three carriage bolts and then replace them after you re-attach a new chain.

Good luck!


Light flickers when turned off and power disconnected Last night I started smelling what seemed to be burning plastic.  Simultaneously I noticed that an overhead light was flickering sporadically even with the power turned off.  I went to the switch and found two simple switches.  the hot wire comes into a other  light switch and is then chained to the light switch in question. After unhooking the hot wire completely from the switch the light was still found to be flickering intermittently.  Of note the light was only turning on some of the time when the connection was made at the switch.  I currently have the power turned off at the breaker and awaiting guidance!

This is serious business. This is a parallel arcing fault, meaning it is not arcing across a gap, but arcing between a hot conductor and an appliance conductor, effectively bypassing the switch.

I would expect to see/feel the damaged area, because it will be warm to the touch.

It is a hazardous situation because it is quite likely to start a fire.  To avoid these, try using an AFCI breaker in the panel.


When is it necessary to paint a wooden fascia (barge) board? Context: a Florida roof and gutter is to be replaced, however the fascia wood was rotten and replaced.  The plan is to be covered by aluminum fascia and has a drip edge.

When does it make sense to paint the wood boards?
Does it make sense to paint if Aluminum fascia is to be nailed to the board?

The goal is to have the building ready for the gutter craftsman.

Exposed wood must always be sealed in some fashion unless it's chemically treated or of a species that's rot-resistant (cedar, teak, etc.). Even then it tends to preserve the aesthetics of wood to paint, oil, or varnish it.

Metal fascia is commonly installed right over "subfascia" (raw SPF 2x6 lumber).
If everything is installed correctly it should never see water.


What pressure should I aim for when setting a pressure reducing valve? Since the time I moved into my house, I've had problems with water hammer. More recently, I've had some faucets start to leak. I also noticed that after showers/baths, the hot water would surge when the sink faucet was turned on.
After installing water hammer arrestors, and securing all the plumbing. I have reduced, but not eliminated the hammer.  As for the surging water after a large hot water demand. I recognized that, as a symptom of a failed expansion tank.
In the process of replacing the tank, I took a water pressure reading in order to charge the tank. When I got a reading of 85 psi, I was slightly concerned.  Especially when the instructions for the expansion tank, said not to charge the tank over 80 psi. Of course I went directly to the code books, and discovered that codes call for a PRV for pressures over 80 psi.

International Residential Code 2012
Chapter 29 Water Supply and Distribution
Section P2903 Water-Supply System
P2903.3.1 Maximum pressure.
The static water pressure shall be not greater than 80 psi (551 kPa). When main pressure exceeds 80 psi (551 kPa), an approved pressure-reducing valve conforming to ASSE 1003 or CSA B356 shall be installed on the domestic water branch main or riser at the connection to the water-service pipe.

International Plumbing Code 2012
Chapter 6 Water Supply and Distribution
Section 604 Design of Building Water Distribution System
604.8 Water pressure reducing valve or regulator.
Where water pressure within a building exceeds 80 psi (552 kPa) static, an approved water-pressure reducing valve conforming to ASSE 1003 or CSA B356 with strainer shall be installed to reduce the pressure in the building water distribution piping to not greater than 80 psi (552 kPa) static.

To make a long story short, I'm installing a pressure reducing valve (PRV). However, I'm not sure where I should set it. I've gotten used to the high pressure, and I'm afraid lowering it will be disappointing. At the same time, eliminating water hammer, and not worrying about damaging fixtures would be a good thing.
I've searched the internet, and found recommendations anywhere from 40 to 80 psi. Family Handyman says that "... 45 to 55 psi is ideal.". I've also found that most PRVs come preset to 50-55 psi. Other sources say that anything over 60 psi, may cause damage to the plumbing system. IRC requires pressure to be above 40 psi, so I know I want to be above that.

P2903.3 Minimum pressure.
The static water pressure (as determined by the local water authority) at the building entrance for either public or private water service shall be not less than 40 psi (276 kPa).

What pressure should I set the pressure reducing valve to?

Assuming metal pipe, I'd set it to about 60, because that's a good compromise between too-high pressure and disappointingly little pressure. That's what most well pumps I've seen are set for, and significantly less than most municipal water systems (I've seen one city water system that delivered 125psi to the house). Much lower than 60psi and you'll be frustrated by the slow flow.

With resilient (not PVC/CPVC) plastic pipe, I'd go a little lower than that because unlike metal pipe, which has very strong, secure connections, plastic pipe has only clamp-over-plastic-over-barb connections, which can fail more easily than metal pipe. With PVC/CPVC, I'd go even lower because it gets brittle with age.


Using 15 amp thermostat on a 20 amp circuit I've seen this question about receptacles, but what about thermostats? My house in Washington state has really old mechanical thermostats that don't have their rating specified anywhere, but judging by 12 AWG wire they are 20 amps (all wiring in the circuit is 12 AWG, too, and the breaker is 20 amps). The thermostats I want to replace them with are rated 15 amps. There are total of 3 heaters (in 3 rooms, 1 thermostat per heater) in the circuit, each draw less than 10 amps and total draw should be around 14 amps.
Can I use 15 amp thermostat in circuit with 20 amp breaker?

You cannot compare this question to the allowance of a 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit. This is apples to oranges.

You can have as many 15A switches, thermostats, controls, etc, on a 20A circuit, provided the load each item is controlling is within its own rating.

So you can have a 15A thermostat, controlling a 10A load, on a 20A circuit.


Orange material in grout lines - need help to identify Having recently moved into a new (resale) house, I looked closely at the grout lines on one of the tiled shower floors and noticed many small gaps in the grout lines with an unidentified orange material in the gaps. I've attached a picture.

Obviously this grout is not in good condition and needs to be replaced; however, does anyone know what the orange material in the grout lines is? It appears to be coming from underneath and is raised into the gaps between the tiles, so occupies some of the cavity where the grout would normally go.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Looks like schluter ditra waterproofing membrane.

Amazon describes it:

  This universal underlayment specifically designed for ceramic and stone tile eliminates the main cause of cracking in your tile installation. Tile and stone are rigid materials and are, therefore, sensitive to stresses originating in the sub floor. This uncoupling membrane allows independent movement between the sub floor and the finished surface, thereby neutralizing these stresses. Exclusively designed for ceramic and stone tile Waterproofs and allows moisture in the substrate to evaporate Replaces backerboard or a second layer of plywood 1/8 in. thick makes transitioning to other surfaces simple Ideal for interior and exterior tile and stone installations Easy to install

Below is an image of tile being installed over ditra using thinset mortar. This is as far as your installation progressed. Your floor was not grouted after the tiles were set.

I recommend scrubbing and rinsing thoroughly using a wet vac to remove water. Allow floor to dry well then grout with appropriate product.


rewire ventilation fan to use pull chain instead of wall switch I'm converting part of an unfinished space to make a darkroom. I'm installing a bathroom ventilation fan over the sink but there is no convenient place to install a switch for the fan. I purchased a pull-chain switch and would like to install this in the ceiling next to the fan, as a pull-chain dangling above the sink would be a far more convenient way to turn the fan on and off. I'm just not sure if this will be safe electrically. Are there any issues I need to consider?

The switch must be in a listed and labeled enclosure, or the switch itself must have a built-in enclosure. The switch should also be rated for the voltage, and current, to which it will be subjected.

You'll also want to make sure the switch is attached in such a way, that normal use will not rip it from the enclosure. Pull chains can be subjected to a lot of abuse.


Pergola : Can I use 4 - 6x6 post, with 2x10 beams sandwitching 6x6 post for 17ftx17ft Planning to use 4 - 6x6 post, with 2x10 beams sandwitching 6x6 post for 17ftx17ft.

Using 2x6 rafter with 2x2 slats.

Has anyone created 17x17 pergola with 4 posts - any input and suggestion to achieve this is appreciated.

Assuming the pergola is a “lattice” type roof and not a “solid” roof, (because you mentioned 2x2 slats,) the total load on any one side would be about 1.5 psf for 2x6’s 24” o.c. plus 2.0 psf for 2x2’s 6” o.c. For a total load of about 3.5 psf.

So, the total load on the 2x10’s would be about 3.5 psf x 17’/2 = about 30 plf.

Depending on the species and grade of 2x10’s, one 2x10 spanning 17’ will support about 60 plf. So, two 2x10’s spanning 17’ will support about 120 plf, which indicates your support beams are grossly oversized.

Connection of the 2x10’s to the 6x6’s can be with 3 - 16d, which will support about 100 lbs. each nail.

Of major concern is how the 6x6’s will be supported and stay plumb.


What is the dry time where can you pressure test a DWV system after glueing? I just pressure tested my system and found a leak in some old connections. So I removed them and added some piping. The dry time for use is 2 hours. Is it the same for pressure testing to 5psi?

The manufacturer of the solvent should have a specification on the container but if not specific, I'd go by the "dry time for use".
Keep in mind that a DWV pipe is unlikely to experience 5 psi under normal use so you don't want to test too soon and risk blowing your joints apart.


Would removing the back-board of cupboards help against mould/mold? Would removing the back-board of cupboards help against mould/mold?

In our new (to us) semi-basement flat we have a relatively small condensation problem, generally behind  cupboards... kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and wardrobes.

I'm thinking of removing the back boards for all of them, for the following reasons..

1 They are mould contaminated already

2 Not knowing if the last clean is working is worrying, this way it can be monitored easily

3 New mould can be attacked immediately, without having to move/dismantle anything

4 More air can circulate

Downsides...?

What are the downsides of not having back to cupboards? Are they necessary, structrural or in any way important that I just don-t know about?

They are structural, but if you leave the mounting rails at top and bottom, the middle could be opened, if the cabinet have a normal load.

A full back helps resist racking.  Its less important if several cabinets are attached together as a group.

Of course, exterior water intrusion is your real culprit and the best focus during the spring: downspouts and reversed grade toward house are the two most common causes.


Can a wall hung toilet in a basement be tied into existing drain from upper level or does it require dedicated drain? Can a wall hung toilet in a basement be tied into existing drain from upper level or does it require dedicated drain

Provided that the connection does not require waste to flow upwards, yes typically. However, checking that the waste pipes and septic system if present can handle the additional fixture is still necessary.


Getting rid of a Chalkboard Wall Around 4 years ago, we painted a chalkboard for our 1-year-old kid. She loved it and did all sorts of artwork on it. Now she is 5 years old and doesn't want the chalkboard anymore in her room.
I tried to scrape it off using sandpaper and a Dremel power tool (MM 50) to powersand it.
On a suggestion from a home improvement store, I painted the Killz Latex based Primer over the blackboard. I cleaned the blackboard with a wet rag dipped in Dish Detergent and water, before applying the primer. I let the primer dry overnight. Now it looks like this.
I am planning to paint the entire wall with VALSPAR https://www.valspar.com/en/products/interior-paints-primers/signature-interior-paint-primer
Should I do a few more coats of the primer before applying the paint? How can I hide the blackboard completely?

I would give it  a good sanding with 100 grit paper and then 220 grit paper.
I would then give it two coats of a shellac based primer, it is very good at covering or hiding dark colors and stains that may otherwise bleed through other primers and paints. It is a very thin product and you may think that is not hiding the black board, but just because you can still see some black does not mean that it is not providing a sealed coating.
I would then give it coat of a good bonding primer, these are thicker and formulated to bond well to stubborn surfaces.
Now you have a nice primed surface that you can paint with any type of paint you wish.


Electric Water Heaters: Tank vs Tankless (Instant On) Energy Usage? I've been told that a tankless electric water heater is enormously more expensive than a tank water.  I have a 50 gallon water heater that I must replace.  I have a friend who is a plumber telling me that I would pay 2-3 times more for electricity with a tankless water heater, but what I've been reading doesn't seem that it would be more.

Does anyone have any experience with an electric tankless water heater that would do at least 7 GPM (2 bathroom home; don't need it for washer or dish washer)?  What kind of an electric bill differential are you seeing?

...in a modern tanked heater with modern levels of insulation, and people actually using hot water from time to time, standby losses are microscopic .vs. use. So a tankless electric is a very expensive electrical installation (huge power draw needs huge wiring and often a service upgrade to support something like 3X 40A breakers) that might save 1-3% on heating water.

If you want to save money on heating water, consider a tanked heat pump water heater - there you can get some serious efficiency that actually applies to the hot water you use. Unless you heat your house with electric resistance heat, it's a win even in the winter, (your heating source heats the air that the heat pump removes heat from to heat the water) and in the summer it helps keep the house cool "for free."


How weather resistant are Fire Bricks? I’d like to build an outdoor cooking area and use wood as fuel.  This area would be an elevated platform, 2-2.5 feet off the ground and about 6 square feet in surface area, to use with a grate and/or cast iron cookware.  I planned to line the combustion area with fire brick.

This area will be exposed to the weather (e.g. sun, rain, snow, ice, freezing temps(0F/-18C)).  I would like to use this in all seasons.  I'm worried about moisture and heating wet/frozen bricks along with the freeze thaw cycle.

The fire brick I see in my area stores are geared toward fireplaces and wood stoves.

How well does fire brick stand up to the elements?
Will it last for more than a year or two?
Is there an alternate?

Normally fire brick is not exposed to weather. The fire brick is only used to line the interior of fireplace and the chimney. Actual fire brick is more expensive than ordinary brick. I expect fire brick would be as weather resistant as regular brick unless you mean a porous insulating brick which would absorb water.


Do tub drains of the same diameter ever have different thread-per-inch counts? My tub's drain flange has had the little cross piece inside it broken out, which means I cannot screw a grid drain into it.  Right now, it's totally open and an invitation for my toddler to drop stuff down.  Not to mention lots of hair, etc.

I believe I need to replace the drain flange and put a grid drain on top of that (I want a grid drain like a shower instead of a typical tub stopper).

"Drain flange" terminology from this image.

I have measured the diameter across the drain at just under 2" which I believe means a pipe thread size of 1.5" (from http://www.plumbingsupply.com/pipethreadsizing.html).  However, I thought I remember learning that drains may be either coarse or fine threaded.

Before removing existing drain flange, is there any way to know if it is coarse or fine threaded, or are all 1.5" drains the same as far as thread count goes?  I want to be sure to order the correct part, whether I do the work or hire a plumber.

I have never come across flanges that weren't compatible, and haven't seen manufacturers specify TPI on their kits or replacement parts.  There are plenty of oddball pieces here and there but upon coming across those (on rare occasions), I'd be replacing the entire assembly.

There is really no way to know the TPI without removing the flange, but chances are you will be dealing with coarse threads.


Defeating hardwood-marring kids and dogs by using hardwood that's already marred (distressed) I want to replace carpet with hardwood, but have a dog and a kid, and have heard horror stories of them scratching and marring the pretty surface. So I'm considering a different approach: buying inexpensive "tavern grade" flooring that's already got character and scratches and holes and stuff. They way when they mess it up, you won't even notice! I've got a few samples of some nice tavern-grade oak and it looks like this:

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? Will my plan work? Also, they're charging $2.59/square foot for this. Does that seem like a reasonable price?

Finally, the subfloor is a slab so I'm considering doing a glue-down install so I don't have to build a plywood subfloor, which would add considerably to floor height and make transitions to the other tile and carpet areas awkward.

Before anyone asks, I haven't found anything engineered that I like the look of. Handscraped stuff looks fake, and most of the wirebrushed floors are too light or dark to work in the space. That said, if anyone knows where you can pick up some wirebrushed butterscotch oak with a wear layer of at least 2mm, that would pretty much be ideal.

Not only have I installed a few tavern grade floors but I bought both from build-direct.

I think some people are confused.  This is not engineered.  You will have a LOT of variety.  So you better like all of the character or you will throw literally half out and any savings will be out the window.

As far as holding up to kids and dogs I would do a thorough scratch test.  Really you are testing the top coat.  Take a hammer to it, a screwdriver, and put on some heels and dig them in.  Whenever doing a floor from build-direct we get at least 5 samples and go over the durability of each before purchase.  I am very surprised at the the variance, especially with the engineered.

For the wood you picked out, it requires nail down.  Which means you will need to put down a subfloor.  There are hardwoods that you can glue down to concrete subfloor but most "home" subfloors are not smoothed enough to support this type of install - which is mainly for apartment buildings.  You would need to take pictures of your subfloor to know for sure.  Anyway I certainly wouldn't plan on doing an "odd" install with tavern/utility grade.

I am not sure what type of dog you have but I am guessing you have one that would scratch a wood floor.  So I would suggest that you take the engineered flooring out of the equation.  Which means you can float vinyl planks - there are some that look a lot like the Jasper you want or you need to get the subfloor put in.


Is it possible to notch framing studs for installing conduit w/out structure collapsing? I have a garage which is a simple structure - 4 walls, garage door, and a normal door. The structure is framed as one would expect, studs 16 inches apart. I want to put some extra wood paneling as an inside wall in order to make it look nicer, however I see that on one wall, I have a long electrical conduit (EMT) running half the length of the wall that I would have to move. The conduit is attached on the outside of the studs (interior to the garage space itself).

My question is, since these studs all together bear the weight of the roof, is it okay to cut a half inch notch to run conduit? I don't have much experience with this and I just want to make sure I won't weaken the structure so that it collapses. I live in Chicago so I have strong winds.

The rule is that the studs in any exterior or load-bearing wall may be notched, but no deeper than 25% of the width of the stud, or a hole no bigger than 40% of the width of the stud may be bored in it (you could pass the conduit or cable through the stud). There's an exception that you can notch 60% of the depth if the stud is doubled and no more than two successive studs are notched that deeply. Non-load-bearing studs can be notched up to 40% of the depth of the stud.

Also, you cannot notch the side of the studs that structural sheathing/plywood is affixed to (see shear walls).

Here's the seemingly relevant International Building Code section:

  R602.6 Drilling and notching - studs. Any stud in an exterior wall or
  bearing partition may be cut or notched to a depth not exceeding 25
  percent of its width. Studs in nonbearing partitions may be notched to
  a depth not to exceed 40 percent of a single stud width. Any stud may
  be bored or drilled, provided that the diameter of the resulting hole
  is no greater than 40 percent of the stud width, the edge of the hole
  is no closer than 5/8 inch (15.9 mm) to the edge of the stud, and the
  hole is not located in the same section as a cut or notch. See Figures
  R602.6(1) and R602.6(2).

  Exceptions:

  A stud may be bored to a diameter not exceeding 60 percent of its width, provided that such studs located in exterior walls or bearing
  partitions are doubled and that not more than two successive studs are
  bored.
  Approved stud shoes may be used when installed in accordance with the manufacturers recommendation. R602.6.1 Drilling and notching of
  top plate. When piping or ductwork is placed in or partly in an
  exterior wall or interior load-bearingwall, necessitating cutting,
  drilling or notching of the top plate by more than 50 percent of its
  width, a galvanized metal tie of not less than 0.054 inches thick
  (1.37mm) (16ga) and 11/2 inches (38mm) wide shall be fastened to each
  plate across and to each side of the opening with not less than eight
  16d nails at each side or equivalent. See Figure R602.6.1.

  Exception: When the entire side of the wall with the notch or cut is covered by wood structural panel sheathing

Is this EMT (metal conduit)?  I would consider putting protective metal nail plates over the notches, as well. If it isn't metal conduit, I'm pretty sure you have to use those plates.


I can use existing plumbing lines to make a bathroom and why the black pipes are inside the white pipes I can use existing plumbing lines to make a bathroom and why black pipes are inside white pipes

Expanding on Ed's answer. When drainlines are encased in concrete the sleeve protects them from damage during construction. There's usually a lot of equipment or heavy material being moved around and you don't want them damaged. They're tough to repair if broken at the floorline.


How should I wire / connect a new ceiling light to this ceiling junction box? UPDATED CEILING JUNCTION BOX PHOTO PROVIDED.
I’m wondering if I can ask for some assistance in installing a new ceiling light to an unused (blank plate)ceiling junction box. The light switch in the room has 3 unused switches.
This is the light fixture which is pretty standard.

There is a black, white and copper wire.
When I removed the ceiling junction cap, this is where I am puzzled.

There are 6 wires capped.
2 separate whites with double wires.
1 black with double wire.
1 red double wire.
1 orange single wire
1 green multiple wires.
The orange wire is from the side hole.
The red wire comes from the bottom 2 holes.
1 white comes from bottom right and middle hole.
1 white comes from bottom right and top left hole.
The black comes from bottom right and top left hole.
The green comes from side hole and bottom left hole.
I guess all these wires are due to the 3 switches in the room?
I first wired the fixture copper wire to the green ground screw on the mount not shown here.
Then wired the junction double black to fixture black, and 1 junction double white to the fixture white. The light turned on but won’t turn off from any of the 3 switches.  Changing to the 2nd double white to fixture white resulted in the same, with light on and unable to turn off.  So either whites to the fixture white is unable to allow the light to shut off.
How should I actually be wiring this so that the light turns on and off according to the switch.
I hope I explained the ceiling wires properly.
Any help is much appreciated.

Do you have a non contact voltage tester? Or volt meter? I would test the single brown to see if it is switched.
This may work like the single brown and single white, taking white to the white  to the fixture  and the brown to black the bare copper goes to the green.
Would be my first shot at it the black tape on the brown would be the hot going down to the switch the way I wire in conduit the tape is to remind me where the hot is.  If you have a tester or meter I would check the brown to verify it is switched but if not make the connections with the breaker off and give it a try.


Are black deposits on the interior of copper water pipes a health concern? I tried to install a new water heater at home. When I removed the old pipes, I found there's a black deposit in the interior of my copper pipes (both cold water pipe to water heater and hot water pipe from water heater). I tried to rinse it out and used bleach, but the black layer on the interior of the pipe did not come off. Do I need to replace all the pipes in my home, are there health issues that associates with this?

You may notice a rotten egg odor from the water from time to time if the sulfur content is high enough. Bacteria in the water convert sulfur compounds into hydrogen sulfide which reacts with the copper to form a coating of copper sulfide.

There are no set limits on how much sulfur can be in the water. It's naturally occurring and not considered to be a primary water contaminant.

If you are having problems with slime, stained clothes or rotten egg odor, chlorination can reduce the bacterial action that produces hydrogen sulfide. Chlorination will cause the sulfur to precipitate out of the water which you will now have to filter to remove the particles.

Excessive sulfur content in water has a laxative effect, probably the only reason to worry about it. Lower content is basically an added nutrient. Hydrogen sulfide gas in quantity is a poison, but since it's smelly and you haven't mentioned it, the quantity is likely a non-issue.

As to the pipes, it sounds like your problem is a stable black copper sulfide tarnish that has low solubility in water (unlike copper sulfate which readily dissolves and is toxic). New copper will quickly acquire the same coating from the hydrogen sulfide (which will also tarnish silver).


GFCI pops when the heater comes on Just wired a new heater like this and the GFCI pops when the heater comes on. Can someone explain to me why this is happening?

Everything downstream of the GFCI has to be connected to both the Hot and Neutral from the Load side of the GFCI. The way you've wired it,  when the heater kicks on, current is flowing from the Load side of the GFCI through the heater and back to the panel without returning through the GFCI's neutral connection, so the GFCI sees an imbalance and trips.

I don't think there's any way to use a 120V outlet GFCI to protect a 240V load, to do that, you'd need an appropriately sized  double pole GFCI breaker in the panel.

As far as I know, fixed loads like heaters need to be on a dedicated circuit, and it is not permitted to split 240V legs from a single circuit to feed both a fixed 240V appliance and 120V outlets (you can use 2 legs and a neutral in a multiwire branch circuit to feed 120V outlets, but I don't think that same circuit can be used to feed a fixed 240V appliance).

For code compliance (and safety), you should remove the outlets from your circuit and only drive the 240VAC heater from it.


What could be causing one circuit out, no breakers thrown, and other lights to flicker? We've recently had what looks like 1 circuit in the kitchen go out, affecting 2 outlets. I checked the circuit breaker panel and none are thrown. A couple other nearby lights have flickered several times in nearby rooms. Same with the garage door when I opened it. The weather has recently gotten warmer and more humid so the AC is running more, but I don't see a correlation between AC running and lights flickering. We just got back a couple days ago from being gone a week. While we were gone a couple rounds of strong thunderstorms went through. Must have knocked out the power because some of the clocks were reset, including the microwave, which is near the outlets that are out. But the stove's clock was not reset.

Any idea what's causing this?

I did a search here for flickering lights and have read a couple other questions and answers. Unfortunately I don't have any equipment to test things.

OK, at first I thought bad back-stab connection at a receptacle, but since this is affecting several places in the house with obviously several varied circuits I would all but guaranty you have a bad line in to your service. This could be anywhere from the connections at the utility pole, to the connections at the top of your house, to inside the meter pan, to the connections to the main breaker in your panel.

Typically this is NOT something for a DIY to troubleshoot. PLEASE call in a qualified electrician to check it out. You may want to contact your utility first, they may send someone out for free to check their side of things.


How can I fix a shower faucet valve where hot and cold suddenly reversed? We have one of those faucets with one handle which first goes to cold and then progresses to hot as you go further from off. Or, at least, it used to be that way. We went on vacation, had someone staying in the house, and, weirdly, when we came back, the situation was reversed: it goes to hot right when opened up, and then to cold past that. What's more, hot is about 5% of the range right at the beginning, with most of the rest of the dial just being cold, cold, cold.

Our housesitter says she has no idea that anything happened, and that seems reasonable... but, for whatever reason, something must of have twisted inside, although I'm not sure what or how.

We've finally gotten tired of this and wanted to fix it. I contacted a plumber, and he said that they'd come, take a look, and then drive to the neighboring town to see if the plumbing supply has the right part — all on the clock. I don't want to argue about the business model there, but, really, we just can't afford the risk of an open-ended trip like that.

So....

Any idea what's going on?
Is this something I can fix?
If not, is there some way I can identify the part that might be needed, so that the plumber (or I!) could preorder and just bring the right part in the first place?

Here's a picture of the valve / cartridge:

There are no obvious model or serial numbers or any identifying parts.

Is it possible that the little plastic toothed parts are just slipped in some way? I didn't want to mess too much for fear of making things worse.

if it is a MOEN Faucet just remove the handle from the stem & turn the stem 180deg. & re-install the handle & all should be back to normal again ... Hope this cures it!


How do I eliminate stagnant water caused by central A/C draining outside? So I just moved into a new house in NC that I am renting. The house has central A/C which is great, but because there is no basement so there is no basement drain. So the A/C expels the water into the backyard.

The place where the water is expelled from the A/C creates small stagnant pool of water which is making for a heck of a mosquito problem.

I could fill in the hole, spread the water out, and that will be fine in the short term. This issue will continue unless I can think of a solution. The hose that expels the water is near to the ground, so a sizable rain barrel seems out of the question.

You'll want to create a small leach pit, which will allow the water to drain into the ground.

Start by digging a hole about 12-18" deep (depending on your soil), Next fill the bottom of the hole (about half the hole) with crushed stone (loosely compacted).  Fill the rest of the hole to about 1" from the top with sand, then finish with a nice decorative stone. If the soil is typically very moist (i.e. you get a lot of rain), you can skip the sand and fill the hole all the way up with crushed stone, and then top with decorative stone.  Another option would be to top the hole off with something like this

So you'll follow the same procedure as above, but rather than filling the second half of the hole with sand/stone you'll put in a drain pipe like this.

The whole idea here is to have the water leach into the ground, without forming a puddle where mosquitoes and other things can breed.

If you do this and still find that the water is pooling, you'll have to take more drastic steps.  The best option from there would be to install a French Drain, and connect the drain line from the AC unit to it.  There are already some questions that deal with french drains, so if it comes to that you should have no trouble finding out how to do it (how do i build a french drain).

You could also buy a small leach pit, but this might be overkill for your situation.

You'll bury this in the ground surrounded by 3/4" - 1 1/2" crushed stone, then connect the AC unit drain to the lower inlet pipe (the upper pipe is a vent). Before you drop it in the hole, remember to remove the small hole knockouts (to allow leaching). This will require a larger hole, and again may be over kill for your situation.


Where can I find replacement double action hinges for an old, heavy door? I live in a Victorian-era house in Philadelphia. We have a double hung door into the kitchen and one of the hinges has completely given way. I need to find replacements but I'm having some problems finding the right replacement.
Here is a photo of the original hinge, and there are more online:

It appears that newer hinges have a slightly different design. Notice how the original folds compared to the one I linked to.

The door I'm hanging is about 1 1/4" thick.

Van Dyke's Restorers has lots of options, a little pricey but sometimes it is the only source


remove protruding brick on LR chimney In our living room over the firebox we would like to hand a flat screen TV.  The design of the brick is a Running or Stretcher bond but it has 4 brick protruding from it.  Specifically About one third of the way above the fire box on the outside wall there is
Centered on one side two brick with their "header edges" protruding, half a brick width from the wall and then another one third up the wall, centered on the other side there is the same.  My question is how to best remove the parts of these four brick protruding and flatten the wall ?  home built in late 1970's

I would not break or cut the bricks, someday you (or someone else) may want to move the TV and have a wall that is still aesthetically pleasing. Cut or chiseled bricks just won't look right.

Use wood (or some other material) blocks to "fur" the wall out. In other words, mount the TV off of the wall the same distance that the bricks protrude.