What affects the cost of a concrete driveway installation? We have an existing wraparound driveway, and with our daughters looking to get cars we're looking to add a few pads on the side for parking.  I called around to talk to different contractors, as well as posted on Craigslist.  Google tells me it should cost $7 - $10 installed, so I estimated a budget of $3k for approximately 300 square feet.
I've now received seven quotes.  Five of them fall between $5000 and $6600  ($16 - $22 / sqft).  One was $2500 and another was $1700 ($6 - $8 / sqft).  The numbers vary wildly, and I'm wondering why they're so different.  Specifically, my concerns are that because I don't understand what can cause the difference in cost:

I may miss that one contractor is using superior materials or techniques
I may miss communicating a part of the project scope that matters to the cost

In all cases I have communicated a need for minimum 4" thickness and 4000 psi concrete, as well as a need for them to haul away dirt after digging and finish/texture the driveway to match the existing.  What else may account for the wild variations in quotes?  I don't want to pay way more than I need to as money is tight, but I also don't want to end up with a maintenance headache a few years down the road.

As you've seen, prices vary widely.  That's why it's a good idea to shop around and ask for references.  Some operations just don't want to bother with small jobs like yours, so they quote you a high number in the hope that you'll pick someone else.  If you pick them, you pay for the "privilege".  Some quote low-ball prices and I'd be wary of them.  Yes, there are dishonest outfits.  They may use shoddy materials and do crappy work or they may have "unforseen" issues that will cost you more once the job is started.  You name the scam and there is a contractor who does it.
If if were me, I would look closely at those that are in the middle which is where things should cost.
Also, in most areas there are only a few concrete suppliers and their prices are usually quite close.  Call and ask their price per yard delivered for 4000 psi mix.  From that and the number of yards needed you should be able to estimate the concrete cost.


Microwave door interlock switch keeps failing I have a 1000W GE "over the range" microwave (model JVM3160RF) that is now about 3 years old.  Earlier this year, one of the interlock micro-switches failed (would not depress) which caused the breaker circuit to pop.  First only if you opened the door while cooking, then eventually as soon as the cook cycle was started.

So, I replaced the failed switch.  Then the circuit started blowing again maybe a month or two later.  We tried to always remember to "Stop/Cancel" rather than pull the door open in the middle of a cook cycle.  But the switch failed again.  I'm on I think the third or fourth failure now, the last of which has occurred within a week of replacing the switch.

Now here's something that perplexes me: in the GE Parts catalog items 127 and 129 are both "normally open" switches. They look identical but have different part numbers.  If you look at the zoomed in photo on each part's catalog page, they are both "K3WA" type that can easily be found on Amazon.

If I remember correctly, in at least 2 or 3 instances, the 128 part (middle, normally closed) switch has failed.  And one time the bottom 129 NO switch has failed.  Which switch ultimately fails may be irrelevant.  As Michael K pointed out, they are probably failing due to the high current burning them out.  The real question is why is the interlock shorting instead of simply stopping the cook cycle (the normal everyday behavior you expect when you open the door to stop the micro and get your hot food.)

Some posts have mentioned ability to adjust the position of the switch assembly.  As far as I can tell, there's no adjustment between the plastic frame and the chassis, nor in the individual switch positioning.

I've also looked for warped or deformed plastic which would allow something to be out of place.  Have not found anything suspicious there.

At this point I'm about ready to replace the microwave, although I am certain it should be fixable.  The worst part is we will have to tear out at least some cabinet trim in order to remove and replace the microwave which makes it an enormous hassle.  What can I do before I tear this microwave off the wall??

Related:

Microwave oven blows internal fuse when door is closed
How does a microwave door interlock work and is a DIY repair feasible?

So I noticed on part 125 the latchboard the latch "ramps" appeared to have worn down a bit which might cause the switches to not all flip in the appropriate sequence.  So I purchased and installed a replacement.

When I installed the new latchboard (and new relays) I made sure the latchboard was firmly screwed to the frame.  It's possible if the latchboard was loose (I need to unscrew and remove it to replace the relays) it might also cause problems.

I did this mid-November and thus far we've had no more blown fuses.  So fingers crossed!  I will edit this answer if the problem reappears.


Is there a way to fish a cable (network) using an existing one as a guide? Are there any devices that allow you to basically clip a wire to an existing wire in a wall and use it as a guide?   I had my house wired for networking, but that was before I upgraded to gigabit fiber.  I want to run the CAT6 cable from the fiber box up into my garage ceiling over to my network rack  across the garage, but not sure how to do it.   I've got access to the holes the installer used to run the cable the first time, and I can easily get from the modem to the existing wires, but I don't want to have to re-pull cable from my upstairs just to pull this cable through.    I thought about trying to use an existing wire as a guide, and fish new cable through, but only way i could think of that is to use maybea paperclip or something to attach to an existing wire, then use fiberglass rods to push the new cable along the path of the old one.

Is there an easier way to do this without using one wire to pull new wire through?

Edit:  Maybe I wasn't clear enough.  I don't have pictures at the moment, but I'm not trying to run new cable to existing outlets, I'm trying to using an existing cable (lets not call it ethernet, lets say it's a power cable or telelphone or coax or something to make it easier) as a guide for a different cable.

I have a 3 story house (garage, 1st, 2nd).   In one corner of my garage is a small 6U cabinet with router, core house switch, UPS.   In the other corner of my garage near my utility panel is my Fiber gateway from ATT.  Currently I have a cable strung along the ceiling running from the gateway to the 6U rack.  I  want to run this up through the garage ceiling and back down... but it's about 20FT away, through insulation.   In the middle of my garage, i have a small access hole my network installer used to help run the CAT6 cable from 1st and 2nd floors to the garage.   From this hole I can easily go about 8FT to where the gateway is, and another 18-20 ft to where the 6U rack is.   I basically want to thread new cable up into the ceiling from the modem, pull it over to where the bundle of other cables from 1st and 2nd floor come, and then join it to where the rack is.   I thought about undoing one of the 1st floor cables and using that, but that would mean pulling/terminating new cable to the first floor, just to act as a guide in the garage ceiling.  I was hoping for a tool or something to basically hook in at the ceiling hole, and then "push" along an existing wire to run the new garage line.

If pulling existing cable is the only viable option, I guess that's what it'll have to be, just trying not to yank anything existing out if I don't have to.

Fish Tape
A real (and "reel") fish tape is often the tool to use. Because it is flexible and very long (typically 25' or 50'), you can get a lot farther than just fiberglass rods. But it can be a pain to use, depending on the path.
Tape to old, pull new, pull back old
When you have (as I think you do) an existing cable that you want to keep and want to run a new cable in the same path:

Disconnect one end of the old cable
Tape the new cable to the old cable. Any strong tape (both tearing strength and adhesive strength) will do - the stronger the better.
Use the old cable to pull the new cable through to the destination.
Untape the new cable and pull through an additional complete length - i.e., the same length as you had to pull the first time.
Tape the middle of the new cable - which is a location that will become the starting point - to the end of the old cable.
Pull the new cable back down. You will now have the old & new cables in the right place.

If you think you will ever need to do this again - e.g., another parallel cable or a future upgrade - then instead of using one cable to pull another, use pull string:

Disconnect one end of the old cable
Tape the pull string to the old cable. Any strong tape (both tearing strength and adhesive strength) will do - the stronger the better.
Use the old cable to pull the pull string through to the destination.
Untape the pull string and pull through an additional complete length - i.e., the same length as you had to pull the first time.
Tape the middle of the pull string - which is a location that will become the starting point - to the end of the old cable.
Pull the pull string back down. The old cable will now be back in place.
Disconnect the pull string from the old cable.
Attach the end of the new cable to the pull string.
Pull the new cable through to the destination.
Cut the pull string and tie it up in the junction box or other accessible (but hidden is OK) location at both ends.

You now have a pull string that you can use the next time. To use it again, tie a new section of pull string to the old pull string and tape a new cable as well. After pulling through cut off the extra pull string and tie in place for the next time.


Extending a hard-to-access exhaust fan duct Just pulled out an old bathroom fan. It was screwed to a 12-inch-long piece of non-flexible duct (so it came out with the fan casing). The end of the duct is buried in the insulation up in the attic. I can reach it with my hand but cannot imagine wrapping duct tape around it when I replace the missing non-flexible duct with a flexible equivalent (or at least it will be really tricky). I don't have access to the attic.

Is there a "pro trick" or a snap-on of some sort I could use to attach the new flexible duct to non-flexible one, given the access constraints?

The diameter of the duct is 4 inches.

I don't know of a junction that would snap to an existing pipe.

However, with it being only a foot away, I think you could attach some flex and persistently stick small bits of foil tape around the joint. (Go the long way... not the circumference.) You may have to cut a few short nips in the flex to help you get it over the hard pipe.

Alternately, you could cut the ceiling, hard pipe it perfectly, then patch. (But nobody likes that... even drywallers.)


Is 18-gauge wire sold as lamp cord sufficient for replacing the cord on a vintage toaster marked 6 amps? I like my vintage toaster, but want to replace the cord.  I'd like to match the current cord, which is brown and cloth-wrapped.  Many lighting supply websites sell "parallel rayon-covered" cord that is 18-gauge 2-wire, but I haven't found a source of cord labeled for small appliances.  Will the lamp cord be sufficient?  The serial number plate on the toaster says
110-120V.-6A-NO.K-

Electrically that would be fine, but possibly not thermally.  Most toasters I've seen have cords marked that they're special high temperature wiring.  I believe this is needed because the heat from the elements will conduct back along the cord (copper is a great conductor of heat as well as electricity), and it's important for the insulation not to melt.  It looks like the term to search for is "HPN cord"
Here's some examples of cords that are listed for high heat applications:
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/extension-cords-and-power-strips/power-cords/30127
https://www.amazon.com/Power-cord-Heaters-Irons-Hardwired/dp/B000A8LL82


How to wire G9 socket base? I'm trying to replace broken lamp part, but have no idea how to wire G9 ceramic socket base like presented below. How to attach wires inside these little holes? Is there some additional parts - plugs maybe?

The pairs of holes labelled "L" and "N" probably contain "stab" or push-fit connectors.

Try pushing a stripped wire into one of each and test.


Grounding on switch box Hi all. Firstly, awesome site - learning so much, thank you all!!!!

Mid-80's custom home in Florida. Changing out to some smart switches. Seems no ground in box, best I can tell? Was reading elsewhere here that it's possible box itself is grounded? I wasn't clear on how to check this? Appears to be metal box. If it IS grounded, what do I do with ground wire on new switch? Thanks again.

The box is grounded via conduit

The locknut on the right of your second photo along with the lack of ground wires and the doubled white wire running into the right-hand locknut all combine to say one thing: this is a conduit job, and since the box is metal and no ground wire is present, the conduit must be metal as well to provide the grounding path.

As a result, NEC 404.9(B) point 1 applies, rendering the switch yokes grounded:

  (B) Grounding. Snap switches, including dimmer and similar
  control switches, shall be connected to an equipment grounding conductor and shall provide a means to connect metal faceplates to the equipment grounding conductor, whether or not
  a metal faceplate is installed. Metal faceplates shall be
  grounded. Snap switches shall be considered to be part of an
  effective ground-fault current path if either of the following
  conditions is met:

  (1) The switch is mounted with metal screws to a metal box
  or metal cover that is connected to an equipment
  grounding conductor or to a nonmetallic box with integral means for connecting to an equipment grounding
  conductor.

  (2) An equipment grounding conductor or equipment bonding jumper is connected to an equipment grounding
  termination of the snap switch.

If your new switch provides a ground wire...

If your new switch has a ground wire on it, that can be terminated to a 10-32 machine screw threaded into the mating hole on the back of the box. (It's visible top right in the second photo, just to the left of a larger hole.)


What kind of light bulb is this? The only engraving on the bulb I can see says "NRJ8EE" but Google searching that brings up nothing.

Also, if we can't identify the bulb, is anyone able to tell if the fixture would be able to support an LED bulb with the same base?

As has already been stated High Intensity Discharge lamps only use a specific bulb and as the name implies, is energized under high voltage. Unless a new type of bulb is labeled for this type of lamp it would be wise to use an exact replacement bulb. I've noticed that LED lights have become increasingly more powerful (brighter) and inexpensive the past few years. If energy conservation (or frugality) is a priority it might be worth investigating if the present high energy using lamps should be replaced with the cooler emitting LED's. Here is a link you may find helpful, to one such lamp: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJPMD3K?keywords=security%20LED&qid=1443644066&ref_=sr_1_14&sr=8-14


remove burn from wooden table Hi I have a table that was burned from a hot pan and I'm wondering if anyone knows any solutions and roughly how much it would cost to remove the burn marks. I'm attaching photos you'll see the tiny black spots around the knot in the wood.

Basically you need to remove the burned wood. Sanding or planing the tabletop would be the most common method of doing that, followed by refinishing. Cost is both off-topic and highly variable (which is part of why it's off-topic - see the help) - not much if you are doing it yourself, considerably higher and highly variable if you are engaging someone else to do the work.


Is this wall on the second floor a load bearing wall? I am removing a small shower in my master bathroom in order to install a larger one.

I want to know if this wall is load bearing, I don't think so but i want to make sure.

There is no wall underneath it on the first floor.

[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/vWlzp.jpg

There's no wall directly below this one.
Only 2 of the 3 (visible) studs in this wall are full height.
This wall is 3 feet (max?) long and would only bear the weight of 2 or 3 rafters on one side of the ridge.

If this wall is bearing any load, it's because the studs were cut a fraction too long and were forced into place, slightly lifting the rafters above and, therefore taking some of their weight. It wasn't designed to do this and wasn't designed to be load bearing.

Note: I am not a structural engineer, so I cannot guarantee this answer 100%. Any failure or damage to your residence is the result of you taking advice from random strangers on the internet. However, I would pull it down in my own house without concern.


Crawlspace encapsulation This past weekend I recently had to fix the flooring of my family cottage. In a heavy-traffic side entryway, the plyboard floor was bending when you walked over it.

We opened up the floor to see what the issue was. The ends of the crossbeams in that section were rotted right through (6 in total). We had to cut them back to a another beam where they were not rotten and replace them.

While we were replacing them I had a look in the crawlspace and noticed significant moisture specifically under the washroom section (e.g. crossbeams sweating and dripping). Not sure why it's just that specific section, but the entryway to the washroom suffers the same issue when you walk over the flooring (bending) so we will most likely have to replace that part as well.

I'm wondering what can be done to fix the humidity issue. The cottage has small crawlspace vents all around. My father used to open them up every year and close them in the winter until a contractor told him not to a couple years back.

I have read a lot of articles and also some questions on this site about closing off the crawlspace vents and putting up vapor barrier on the dirt floor even on the walls up to the floor boards. Some people say that this is the best solution, others say that it is location and climate specific and may also be a bit overkill.

I was wondering if there were some knowledgeable people out there that can shine some light on a possible solution.

To give some context the cottage is located on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. Cold winters, hot summers, lots of insects/pests. The concrete foundation goes a couple feet above and below ground level with a dirt floor crawlspace. Cottage is probably over 40 years old with the crawlspace vents being open in Spring/Summer.

Venting the crawlspace is important. It helps to reduce moisture by allowing air to circulate and by equalizing the temperatures inside and out and thereby preventing condensation. I don't know about Ontario, but I'm in Ohio and I believe the building codes here (about the same climate) specify venting crawlspaces at specific ratios

  This is a good article which explains vented and non-vented
  crawlspaces and how they are supposed to work better than I can..

Open up the vents when it gets warm in the spring and close them back up in the fall when the air cools down. There are even automatic vents available that will do this on their own at appropriate temperatures without using electricity.

Additionally, you should probably install the plastic vapor barrier on the dirt floor and walls to keep out additional moisture (we do it here) and some screens over the vents would be good to keep insects and other uninvited guests out of there.


Fixing an unsealed drip tray So, when my air handler was installed, it seems like they didn't even bother properly connecting the drip tray. While the blower is on, I can feel air blowing out around the drip tray (downstream/after blower) and also air sucking in (upstream/before blower). It looks like they didn't even bother lining it up correctly, let alone taping it up.

Aside from the IAQ problems associated with mixing attic air and indoor air, this is a massive waste of energy. It probably wastes more energy than just keeping a window open year round. How do I fix this?

The air handler (I think) is too heavy to move by myself, so I can't just realign it. Is there an easy way to realign the drip tray?

It was installed many years ago, so I can't just call (the installer) back and tell them to fix it.

Taping it up is possible, but I ran out of tape after taping less than 1/4 of the way around.

Been there, done that.

That pan is called the secondary drip pan, and must be larger than the unit on all sides.  It should be open, and it should have either a drain that driips in an obvious place, like the center of the garage so you can be annoid by it and get it fixed.  If it has no drain, it should have an float switch that either triggers an alarm or turns the hvac unit off.

Don't tape the pan, find the leak and fix the leak.  The pan is supposed to be open.

Sometimes the air leak is where process tubing, and drain tubing exit the evaporator, and sometimes it is escaping from improperly sealed joints.

Seal the gaps around process tubing and pipes with a moldable rubbery sealant, I usually use a 3M brand that is sold as a tape with a backing that you peel off, build up the tape till it covers the gap, then press it against the bulkhead like putty,

For panel joints, use a good quality aluminum duct tape, then cover that with a coating of duct sealing mastic.  This is code in my area, everything is covered in mastic at every joint... in the trade the HVAC guys call it "pookie".  It white-ish or light grey putty that comes in tubes or tubs, and kind of looks like drywall mud...  But it isn't drywall mud, it has a rubber/latex component and is more like latex putty.  A panel joint is anywhere two panels meet, or two different object meet.  Like the joint between the two metal panels in your photos, that joint in my town would be taped and the tape covered in mastic.  The only place where you don't seal the panel is the vented cover to the furnace unit, /every/ other panel is completely sealed.  So servicing the unit requires the tech to cut the mastic, and reseal it when he is done.  The units were not designed for this, but most localities recognize that over time leaks develop in panel joints, so using tape and mastic prevents air leaks like you have right now.

I had this issue at my house.  One day I decided to service my coils, as the unit wasn't keeping up with the heat.  I expected the attic to be 140*f, but instead it was closer to 75*f...  Quite comfortable for an attic in the Texas summer.  I knew I was doing good as the attic heated up as I sealed the leaks.


Should I wait for my inverter alarm to know when my battery is discharging beyond safe level or should I shut down the loads sooner? I am using a flooded deep cycle lead acid 24v 450ah battery bank. I don't want to discharge them beyond safe levels so they can last longer. I don't know how to check the state of charge. I have a 3000 watt 24 volt 120v reliable electric pure sine wave inverter.

Get a hydrometer and learn how to use it for detailed analysis.

For less detailed analysis, if a lead acid bank is below 2.1 volts per cell (in use) the smart money is on cutting it off if you care about long life. So if your 12 or 24V bank actually reads 12 or 24 volts, you are probably dipping below a healthy discharge level.

Better quality battery operated equipment will disconnect itself, rather than depend on you checking the voltage and taking it off-line. But we have no idea what your inverter is since you have not told us, and if it's a lower-end model it may not have a very good behavior for when it "alarms." (Even with the model information it may be hard to know unless it happens to be a well-known quality model with good documentation. Cheap junk tends not to document the things that reveal it to be cheap junk.)

Much better quality battery operated equipment will record the number of amp*hours put in and taken out (and know how big the battery bank is) rather than using the voltage as a rough yardstick.

This website provides some more food for thought, but practical and perfect don't tend to get along well in real life battery bank use scenarios. i.e. you are unlikely to disconect it for 4 hours before checking the voltage, at least in normal use. Occasionally for better numbers when doing maintenance, perhaps.

...And voltage on the whole bank does not give you the detailed info that checking each cell will - if you don't have 12 individual 2 V batteries making up your bank, the only way to get that into is with a hydrometer.


How to insulate flat part of attic ceiling? I have a large (860 sq. ft.) attic that is uninsulated. I'm planning a project now to turn this into a TV room, so I'll need to insulate, run electrical, put up drywall, etc.

An insulation company will be insulation the roof slope behind the kneewalls, and I'll do the rest of the insulation, which will be the ceiling slope from the kneewall up to the collar ties, and the flat part of the ceiling. See attached sketch.

Code says the ceiling need to be R38. I have a plan for the slopes, which are 2x10s: fiberglass batts with 1" rigid board over it. (This won't get me up to R38 but I'm hoping it's close enough for the inspector.) But I'm not sure what I should do for the flat part of the ceiling--the collar ties are only 2x6s, so the R30 insulation won't fit within that space (it's thicker than 6"). But on the other hand, there will be plenty of space above that in the uninsulated top of the attic (which will be vented with gable vents). So can I just use those batts anyway, and have the insulation project above the collar ties? And can I lay additional batts on top to increase the R value? I don't want to come down any further into the attic living space (e.g., by adding rigid-board insulation under the drywall) because I want to maximize headroon.

You can certainly put the R30 batts in between the 2x6 collar ties, but it won't result in an R30 ceiling installation, due the thermal bridging of the collar ties and the resultant gap above them between the insulation batts.

I think abetter plan might be to stuff the 6" thick insulation in between collar ties as normal, then lay another layer of 6" thick insulation batts at right angles to and on top of the first course, thereby completely insulating the collar ties and eliminating the thermal bridge.

Also, don't forget to install rafter vents on the sloped portion of the wall so that air from the soffit can flow up to your roof vents and prevent moisture damage inside the attic.


Two shops, separate breakers I have two shops with electrical service each fed from a separate breaker at the box next to the meter. I am going to tear down one of the shops and need to abandon the service to it. How do I deal with the breaker for that shop?

First off, since you're working in your service equipment, I'd have the power company cut the power to your place for the duration if I were in your shoes (thanks to smart metering, many electric utilities can even do this remotely -- call them and ask).  You'll also need a pair of BRFP filler plates to blank out the opening in the box the breaker will no longer be occupying -- you can order these in at your local electrical supply house, and something (an appropriately-sized screw lug connector or four is ideal, although a thick wrap of electrical tape will do the job in a pinch) for insulating the ends of the feeder wires so they don't contact something else live in the box.

Once you have all the materials and the power cut -- remove the deadfront from the panel, then unscrew the terminals (two on the breaker, one on the neutral bar, and possibly one on the ground bar as well depending on the age of the feeder and how it is bonded) for the feeder wires in question and pull the wires out of the terminals, insulating their ends as you go.  Install the feeder plates into the deadfront openings corresponding to the removed breaker then reattach the deadfront.  Finally, have the power company turn the power back on.

If you don't want to fiddle with all this, of course, you could simply turn the breaker off, lock it in the "off" position to keep some knave from turning it on behind your back mid-demolition, and mark it clearly as "unused".


How can I remove moisture and odor from wall insulation? Backstory
There is a gap between the ground and the wall. Inside I can see the insulation that is there.
Problem
Unfortunately the pet made this insulation a temporary toilet so it has been peed upon a couple of times.
Trying to fix
I've removed the visible part of that insulation (by pulling it off as best as I can) and now there is this gap left, where the insulation is underneath.
I've sprayed the area couple of times with enzyme cleaners (including the gap with the insulation), it still smells weird inside. Can't really tell if its pee or insuline smell, if that's something.
Request for proper solution
How can I make sure that the smell is gone?
Should I fill the gap between the wall and the ground with some kind of filler?
Thank you

You’ll need to expose area, clean with bleach and let air out for a day before installing new insulation then  covering area.
Kind of hard to visualize w/ out photo.


Should I paint copper pipes exposed to nature? I'm using copper piping -- about 5 feet total -- externally, to make it easier to water the grass. In addition to copper pipes, the connectors and valves are brass (Sharkbite).
Should I prime/paint those metals, or will they be fine (not leaking) for many years as is, even if copper becomes green with patina?
I'm a bit concerned, that, if I undertake the painting once, I'll commit to redoing it again and again every few years...

I would not paint the copper. If you ever need to repair it, paint would be one more problem on making a good leak free connection. If you want to cover the pipe, use foam. Remember, copper water supply’s are quite common direct burial, the sun and elements won’t hurt it. I suggest insulation, if in a location that the temps drop below 27°F.
(Yes water freezes at 32°, but it takes time, in most locations 27°F is where damage to pipes starts as it takes ~4 hours at that temp to freeze your pipe.)


How noisy is a metal roof in the rain? We have two dormers (roughly 12x12 each) with a very low pitch roof (1:12, essentially flat). They've been roofed with rolled rubber for about 20 years but it's getting to be time to replace. This is in southern Michigan so all climate factors apply: heat, snow etc.

I'm considering replacing -- or just covering over -- the rubber with white metal for better heat control. (I assume there are metal roofs spec'd for low pitch.) But I'm concerned that this will make the bedrooms much noisier in the rain. How big an issue is this and would leaving the rubber in place mitigate it?

Aesthetics are not a concern because this roof is only visible from space. (-:

I live in a log home with metal gable roofs.  They're made of metal panels, overlapped and screwed though with gaskets etc., but no insulation beneath them (there's an attic).  The metal roof does indeed add noticeable noise in a rainstorm, but we find it actually soothing.  It's sort of a soft drumming noise, except in the worst storms.  More surprisingly, we hear the panels clank and pop all day long, as the sun heats different sections of them.  Again, not a bothersome sound, but even after 6 months in the house, we still remark on it frequently.


Effect of changing the size of a pipe I've had a couple questions above the sizing of a pipe, but I'm still a little confused and can't find an easy answer.

I'll use this image to get a representation of what I'm looking to have answered.

Sizes shouldn't matter, but if they were; we'll assume the small pipes are both 1/2" and the big pipe is just 3/4". What effect does it have on the water flow to increase the pipe size (into the center larger pipe)? And then what effect does it have on the flow to decrease the size?

The shape doesn't have to be a U like this; I just figured it'd knock out two birds with one stone. It simply represents an increase and then a decrease. You can treat them separately in the answers or as a whole if it does matter.

My general thoughts, from what I have been able to read through online, is that the pressure might slightly increase when going into the larger pipe or decrease when going down. Simply because of friction though - smaller pipe has more friction towards the water than the larger pipe. If this were one piece of plumbing, would the pressure out at the right be relatively the same as the pressure in at the left?

The other thing I see if the speed of the water. Increasing the pipe size slows down the water flow and decreasing the pipe size speeds it up? Again though, if it were one piece, would this balance out and the speed out would be like the speed in?

The velocity, flow rate, and pressure will be nearly identical at the inlet and outlet of that assembly.  The only difference will be energy lost while moving through the pipe, e.g. pressure drop due to resistance.


Need to hang 60 lb water heater on exterior stucco wall I need to hang a 60 lb tankless water heater on the back wall of my house located in California. The house was built in the 1940s and the exterior walls are stucco.
The mounting bracket on the water heater unfortunately does not span the 16 inches I would need to get it securely into two studs. I can get it into one stud, but without making a new bracket I would have to do one side into a stud and the other directly into the stucco. I don't think this house uses wood sheathing under the stucco, so it's probably the thick type embedded in wire mesh.
Is there a reliable anchor I can use to go into the stucco that would support at least half the 60 lb weight without pulling out? Keep in mind Southern California gets earthquakes now and then.

Yes- there are toggle bolts that can support 60#. The real issues is the stucco wall. Plus in earthquake area, the wall-mounted water heater should be mounted on solid support members.

A better way to mount the water heater is to have two horizonal wooden spans that are bolted to the studs behind the stucco wall with the proper size lag bolts into the studs.  The purpose of the second span which is below the first spand is to provide support to the bottom section of the tank since it is now 1 1/2" from the wall. The water brackets are screwed into the top horizontal span.
And alternate method is use a 3/4 plywood panel, the width would span the two available joist and additional width to where you want to hang the water heater.  The plywood would be mounted to the at the top and bottom of the plywood plate on the studs.  Brackets of water heater easily screwed into the plywood sheet.
My preference is the 2x4, because your screws for the bracket will have more backing to screw into.  With the plywood plate, only 3/4 of holding power.
Yes there are toggle bolts that will hold the weight, but would not recommend this in stucco for a suspended water heater.


Are single control faucets supposed to leak when pressed down? I have a faucet like the one shown in the below Fig.1.

The faucet does not leak under normal operation. But when I press downward with some force on the top of the handle, water overflows out the tops and sides of the crystal knob. All the faucets in the house behave the same way. But it's an old house. So they all might be bad.

Does this faucet need to be repaired? Or is it working as designed?

Fig.1. Single control faucet: water comes out the top and sides of knob when knob is pressed down

No, the faucet should not leak like you describe when moderate pressure is applied directly straight into the faucet knob. Excessive force there is a possibility that it would leak unless you broke it first in which case you would likely have a gusher to deal with.

There are seals onside this type of faucet assembly that can get worn, old and hard and even crack with age and use. When the seals start to fail it can leak in various ways under multiple use scenarios. Sometimes it is simply a process that the seals need some lubricated with food grade petroleum jelly. But in most leak situations like you describe you would have to turn off the water source and take the faucet apart so that the seals and maybe even the ball valve can be replaced.


Missing cap on ceiling sprinkler I found this sprinkler head in the ceiling of my new place with a cover cap missing - later I found the cap in a drawer.

How would I go about replacing this? Is there a way to attach the original cap? Do I need to get a professional to take a look? I'm afraid of accidentally setting the sprinkler off.

I was in total agreement with Ecnerwal, that those bumps were to hold it in wall board. Finding this picture tells a different story: (notice the bumps and the threaded insert)

My best guess is that up in the ceiling somewhere, is the rest of the part; those bumps thread into it, or you can just push (see, 4.a). Be gentle with it, those are 50 bucks.

Again, I agree with E, don't touch it unless you own the building. Even then, you might want to call in whomever has the service contract for it.


Brand New 2 Stories House vibrates when it's windy I had a house built a year ago and ever since I've moved in, when it's really windy outside the second floor of the house vibrates. At night I can feel the bed move. It's making me very nervous and I'm not sure what should I do. Just to mention that on the back side of the house there is an open field so when the wind is strong it really hits the house hard.

Please let me know your recommendations.

Thank you

Complain to your builder (try to have them visit on a windy day) and ask what they can or will do about it.

The next step is probably:

Plant trees to provide a windbreak. Without knowing where you are, a general suggestion would be something fast-growing but not, perhaps, the tree you'd love to have mixed with trees that grow slower and have more desirable properties - hybrid poplars being a prime example of the first type - they grow fast, and you probably won't mind cutting them down when the other trees grow more and fill in - but they do grow fast.

If you have a high budget I suppose you could try building a fence high enough to impact the wind on the second story, but that's an expensive proposition. Fencing for windbreak should be about 25-50% open, not solid; a solid fence diverts it up, and the air currents downwind can be worse than without a fence - a partially-open fence (or tree branches) slows it down more effectively.

Farm-oriented but fairly understandable wind mitigation info from Purdue.

An example of a large commercial wind fence.


Do I have to replace my expansion tank, or can it be drained? I have no heating. My plumber tells me that my expansion tank has water in it and should not be hot and therefore needs replacing (expensive job). is this true. Can the water not be drained out?

Greenstar highflow 440 combi boiler

I have a gas hot water base board system with an expansion tank. The tank has a drain valve to which I can attach a garden hose. I drain the tank at the beginning of the heating system and check it on occasion. If the gas boiler pressure rises quickly then the expansion tank probably needs draining. I may drain mine once over the winter. I don't understand why your expansion tank does not have a means of draining but if it is fairly good condition I think it would be much easier to install one than replace the tank. If you go with replacement get one with a way to drain it.


What conduit can I use to run 240v cable along outside of house, main to sub (San Francisco)? Question: What type of conduit can I use to run 50' of 8/3 cable from main breaker panel to spa sub panel along the outside wall of my house to get a 240v circuit to my Spa?

Let's start with your options. First if you are running underground it would be PVC or direct burial cable type UF. Second if you are running above ground it would be any conduit system approved for such use. The most common PVC, Emt, nonmetallic flexible conduit commonly known as Carflex, and pvc coated metallic conduit commonly known as Sealtite. Or any combination of the above.

Personally I would run EMT with WT stainless steel connectors and couplings. Then transfer over to some type of flex to connect to your panel. Also I would suggest that if you are running conduit I would use 3-#8 w/ #10G THWN or Xhhw conductors instead of an 8/3 NM cable. It would be less expensive and since you are running conduit no extra protection is needed.


Questions about Heating/Cooling, ducting Little back story - A while ago, I had a contractor out and in passing complained about how cold my house is in the winter (brick, no real insulation) -- brilliantly, he says "well, yea, your furnace is in the front of the house, and it’s what? 60 feet at least to that addition?  No wonder you're not getting any heat back there" ... I'll be damned what a great idea.

Earlier this week, I finally had my furnace moved to a far more central location in the house ... actually it's as centered as humanly possible without being in the middle of a walk way.  The vents in the middle of the house, of course blasts air, the rear of the house a little more but the front ... not NEARLY as much, you can barely feel it -- this concerned me quite a bit (I was wondering if I had made a mistake).  Anyway, last night I turned it on for the first time "let’s see how this baby works" -- it went from 64' to 70 in under 45 minutes (!!!!! <-- me excited).  What really confused me is the front of the house was just as warm as the rest.  This defies logic.

Maybe there's no real answer, but I'm really curious how this works and if I should worry about improving the ducting to the front so the flow is more balanced or just leave it alone?

If it works to your satisfaction (that is, if it heats the house properly), then leave it alone. There are a LOT of factors in this, including:
length of individual duct runs
openings between rooms (door or no door, closed or open if door)
sizes of rooms
placement of vents in the rooms
placement of the return vents

I'm no HVAC guy, but I know enough to know that if it's working, DON'T mess with it further.


What solvent will dilute urethane glue? What is the solvent that will dilute the non-cyanoacrylate clear Gorilla Glue?

Acetone or denatured alcohol will dilute and dissolve liquid urethane glue. However, they may not work on hardened glue. There are no practically-available solvents for that. You're left with mechanical removal of the crusty material.
More on that


Can a boiler water feed / pressure relief valve be repaired? I am a homeowner trying to troubleshoot my hot water boiler system (Winkler Gas Boiler).  I noticed recently that my boiler is reading zero pressure.  The combination fill & pressure relief valve (at least I think thats what it is - pictured below) is producing a slight hissing sound (from the nut on the top left with the green around it) and water drips constantly from the overflow pipe (none of this seems to change when the system is running except that more water is released).  The system seems to be heating fine, but I am concerned with constantly losing water and adding more freshwater to the system...

In the above picture, the automatic water feed line is on the left, the steel pipe at the bottom of the valve is the overflow pipe, and the copper pipe on the right extends to the boiler.  The green copper oxide has been on the fill valve for some time (indicating water leakage?), but the boiler would previously hold pressure and not drain so much water.

I am wondering if I need to replace the combination fill/relief valve altogether or if I can repair it?  It seems that the nut on the top left (with the green around it) is leaking slightly (producing the green and slight hissing sound), and am wondering if I can loosen it and use thread sealant to stop the leak.  I know that I don't want to seal the relief valve and cause an explosion, but would tightening that particular nut do that?  The nut is completely closed on top and doesn't look like it's designed to release pressure - also it seems like the other side of the pressure relief valve (top right section with the small handle) would be where excess pressure is released...

I'm not sure if this nut leaking would cause my problems, but figured it would worth asking.  Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Aaron

The short answer: you should replace the relief valve.

The long answer: In general, you should not attempt to repair any pressure relief valve. This valve is the only over-pressure safety in the system.  This should only open if there is a blockage in the system (causing a pressure buildup), or if filling the system with a faulty pressure reducing valve.

Normally these valves fail due to calcium build up on the interior, which is hard to avoid without having a water softening system installed.

I would recommend changing out both the pressure relief valve, and the pressure reducing valve, as it appears to have quite a bit of calcium build up as well (and may have a small leak). To have both replaced would generally cost in the range of $200 to $500, depending if you replaced them yourself or not.  If there are no other leaks or issues with the system, changing both of these valves will solve your zero-pressure issue.


Insulation and vapor barriers behind Corian/Greenboard shower walls I've got a small bathroom that I am working on repairing/refinishing.

I've removed the existing (leaky) shower and base and am replacing them with Corian-like materials (Kohler's Choreograph for the walls and Avonite for the base).

One wall is on an exterior wall of the house. The other is indoors facing the living room.

The insulation I'd like to install (UltraTouch Denim) is unfaced. Do I need to put some poly up to serve as a vapor barrier behind the Greenboard that is going to go behind the walls, or is the Greenboard/Choreograph going to combine with it to form a moisture sandwich?

I'm in Southern Wisconsin, so we get cold winters and hot, humid summers (though I suppose the shower will provide more moisture than anything.

According to a local kitchen/bath remodeling company, current code recently changed in my area to specify no vapor barrier behind the solid-surface install.


Can I reduce the size of my hot water heater vent or direct the vent out the exterior (house has high efficiency furnace)? The shower in my master bath is tiny.  When I removed some dry wall to see if I could widen it, I found a large ~10" round vent running through the space(must be the furnace). Now that I have a high efficiency furnace it seems I no longer need such a large vent since only the hot water heater uses it. I think the furnace installers inserted a chimney liner to reduce the draw. If I could get by with a 4" or so vent pipe, I would be able to expand the wall by 5" inches or more (not sure if there are code restrictions on how close framing can get to a gas vent). Another idea is to vent the hot water heater out the exterior of the house, but I"m not sure if this is even possible.

This is one of those questions that is very difficult to answer properly with the info given. Although it sounds like you may be able to downsize the vent/flue because to the change over to a high efficiency furnace, there are lots of considerations depending on the exact equipment you have. The water heater is a different application as well.

In your particular case, I think it would be wise to bring in a qualified HVAC tech to analyze the situation and give you a safe plan ideal for your needs and location. Never cut corners when fire and poisonous gas hazards can result.  Good Luck


Is it possible to use a router to cut a slot in aluminum? I need to cut a 1/4 inch slot in 1/4 inch inch thick aluminum.  I currently have

A drill press
A router in a router table
Carbide bits for the router

My current plant is to drill the beginning and ending holes of the slot in the aluminum with the drill press.  Once the holes are drilled I intend to use the router with a 1/4 straight bit to connect the starting and ending holes to form the slot.

My question - has anyone ever done anything like this before, and if so, did it work?  Is it dangerous to health and tools?

I have used wood tools (mitre saws, circular saws) to cut aluminum with no ill effects to either the equipment or the work piece. Just don't try to take too big of a bite with the router. You don't mention the depth of your cut. Make multiple passes if it's more than 1/4 inch.

Proceed slowly and wear your safety equipment.


Minimum length of concrete fasteners to floor and ceiling to attach a wall? I want to attach a wall, of 7-9.2cm thickness, on ceiling and floor. Drywall with wood frame done for living  apartment in a block of flat: 42mm x 66mm woods form the wood frame where 13mm drywalls attached on both sides. Some wood frames are 70mm thick while others 92mm.

Recommedations conflict for fasteners: 120mm fine, 120mm too long, 100mm good -- not wanting fastener to go into neighbour side in a block of flat. The fasteners are needed to be attached to the floor and ceiling. The floor and ceiling are concrete.

How to determine the minimum length for a concrete fastener to build a wall?

First you have to think about what you need from the fasteners:

shear strength
pullout strength

Then you have to think about what you have to anchor into:

thickness of concrete in floors and ceilings
strength (PSI rating) of concrete

Then you can select an anchor / fastener with the strength you need, given the embedment possible and the strength of the concrete.

For this application, I'd bet that 1/2" expansion anchors or drop-in anchors would work, they require 2" embedment (about 5 cm).


Long lasting structures: a comparison How long does each composite hold given that the structures are built in the northern hemisphere e.g scandinavia. If not known, perhaps a prediction could be made.

Rebar cage + concrete: 100 years.

Rebar cage + stone* + poured concrete: ?

Stone* + poured concrete: ?

Stone* + mortar: ?

Rebar cage + stone* + mortar: ?

*stone = Granite, quartzite or sandstone

Motivation

Imagine I want to build a structure/house that will last for a thousand years, or close to it. Why? Because given the effort and the amount of money spent on the building I want it to last, even if I sell it.

The top three things that decide a building's longevity are:

The roof
The roof
The roof

So, if you are serious about this, there are two ways to go.

Invent a 1000 year roof

Good luck.   Nobody has figured out that one.   Well, cavers have.

Make a structure that will last 900 years after the roof fails.

This is the fun one!  Heck, it's be worthy of a doctorate thesis.

When the roof fails, make the rest of the structure stable enough that the next guy can just put another roof on it.

Fortunately you're in Europe, where there are thousands of ruins to study, so you have lots of examples of what has worked in the past.   You can blend this with the latest fabrication tech.

By the way, concrete does not have a 100 year life.  There is 2000 year old concrete out there.  The biggest problem in concrete is the use of steel reinforcing rod, which oxidizes when exposed to water and expands when it oxidizes.  This causes a "jacking effect" which greatly worsens water leakage and ultimately shatters the concrete structure.  There are other re-rod materials which do not do that, they are not used because they are more expensive.


Benefit to running electric wires through walls vs attic/basement? 1-story house We're planning on getting some updates to the electric wiring in our house. Installing more wall outlets, removing some knob & tube in the attic, installing GFCI outlets in required places, and generally getting things up to code (or closer to code).

The house is a 1925 bungalow, 1-story, with an unfinished attic and basement. Plaster walls. No plans to finish the basement at any point; it's used only for storage, work space, etc. All the wiring in the basement is easy to access - no ceiling. A bit less easy to access in the attic, due to insulation. Current wiring is a mix of knob & tube in the walls and attic (yes, possible fire hazard with the insulation), conduit and NM in the basement.

I realize that some of the wiring needs to run through the attic (we have 2 ceiling fans, 1 bath fan, and 2 overhead lights), but for the rest of it, can I have it all run in the basement, or as much as possible, and keep it out of the walls, except when directly underneath a switch/outlet/fixture? I'm not planning on doing the work myself, but I like the idea of being able to see it all, for maintenance and safety reasons, even if it means more linear feet of cable. That's a trade-off I'd be willing to make, if cost were the only factor.

Are there other factors to consider?

All the old knob & tube in the walls and attic would be disconnected and left in place.

Doing the downstairs wiring in the basement is usually the way to go for the first floor, it's almost always easier to work in an unfinished basement than an attic.

If you can find someone that's experienced with homes with this older style of architecture everyone will be happier.


LED bulbs in chandelier periodically all blink at once Edit for clarity- The bulbs are not flickering or flashing. They periodically (> 10 minute intervals) turn off and then on in unison.

I have a chandelier with 5 bulbs. I recently replaced all 5 60w incandescent bulbs with 40w equivalent Philips LEDs. The chandelier is on a dimmer.  The bulbs work fine but after about 10 or 15 minutes, all 5 bulbs blink once at the same time. Then there will be another long pause and it will happen again. Rinse. Repeat.

I thought it might be the dimmer which is about 25 years old so I replaced it with a new Leviton slider dimmer(LED compatible). The same thing just happened again. The only common element to the five bulbs is the dimmer switch, right? There are no electronics in the chandelier.

What else could cause them all to act in unison?

You need to install a new dimmer that is specifically qualified for use with LED type bulbs.

One common work around that you can use in the mean time to stop the blinking and flashing is to temporarily re-install one of the incandescent bulbs.


Can I connect the exhaust vent from my range hood to the existing ceiling exhaust fan vent? I recently bought a condo that I discovered after the fact to have a "Recirculating Range Hood" over my gas stove. My smoke alarm consistently sounds off when I cook.

My HOA has denied multiple requests to install a exhaust system that will vent to my patio because I can't make a new hole in the stucco wall inside my partially enclosed patio.

I have a small room connected to my kitchen that has a ceiling exhaust fan that expels onto the patio. The gas dryer also has an independent exhaust line that vents to the patio as well.

Is there anything wrong with taking the ceiling exhaust in my laundry room and rerouting it about 10 feet to my kitchen to use as a range hood exhaust?

Your condo violates Code and is unsafe, and your HOA consists of idiots

First off -- your condo's existing setup, with a recirculating hood over a domestic gas appliance, is quite clearly a Code violation and a flagrant safety hazard, as IFGC 503.3 strictly prohibits the recirculation of gas appliance exhaust due to the unacceptable CO buildup that would otherwise occur:

  503.3 Design and construction Venting systems shall be designed and constructed so as to convey all flue and vent gases to the outdoors.

Second, that ceiling exhaust in the laundry room likely was installed to service the dwelling unit -- you'd need to replace that ventilation system in order to reuse the existing exterior penetration for the range hood duct, and that leaves you back where you started.

However, if you can have an engineer analyze your ventilation situation as per Chapter 4 of the IMC and determine that the vent fan in the laundry room is indeed not necessary to provide Code-compliant ventilation to the dwelling unit as a whole, then you can disconnect the ductwork from the laundry room vent fan and reuse that penetration for the range hood, provided that the duct meets the conditions given in IMC 505.1 for domestic range hood ducts:

  505.1 Domestic systems Where domestic range hoods and domestic appliances equipped with downdraft exhaust are located within dwelling units, such hoods and appliances shall discharge to the outdoors through sheet metal ducts constructed of galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum or copper.  Such ducts shall have smooth inner walls, shall be air tight, shall be equipped with a backdraft damper, and shall be independent of all other exhaust systems.


boiler cuts off at different temperatures for domestic hot water and radiant heating When there is a call for heat from the house thermostat, the controller in the well of the boiler, which is set to 180F, shuts the boiler off when the boiler temp reaches 190F according to the pressure gauge (or sooner if the thermostat stops calling for heat).  I'm told a 10-degree variation is acceptable.

Yesterday, I replaced the Amtrol expansion tank because it had dripped a few drops of water down at the schrader valve, and I had been told that this meant the bladder inside had failed.

The system was off for several hours, during which time several showers were taken by family members. So the domestic hot water tank was cool when I turned the system back on.

It was a fairly warm day, and I had pushed the thermostat in the house down below 50F, and so only the domestic hot-water tank's aquastat was calling for heat. The aquastat was wired (not by me, but by the installers some years ago) to the main controller via a transformer.

The boiler did not shut off until the pressure/temp gauge read 215F. Shouldn't the 180F controller setting trump the aquastat's continued call for heat?

First of all "because I was told" is a very bad reason to replace something.   Next, the house thermostat has nothing to do with this problem.   Finally, the hot water tank has nothing more than its own thermostat, so it can't control the boiler temperature.

The high-cut temperature relay may broken or the boiler's thermostat is failing.  It's also quite possible that after replacing the expansion tank, you failed to completely bleed the heating system, leading to large air bubbles and quite possibly a failure of the boiler thermostat sensor to be able to read the temperature of the water at the location of the external thermometer you're reading.


Sizing Ground wire for 200AFeeder to House Im moving my service entrance from my house to a shop 75' away (in Tucson AZ, with TEP). The new service will be 400A (well 320/400) with the shop eating 200A and a backfeed to the house underground to its original panel (but moving the feed from overhead wire to underground).  This panel will have the ground bus and neutrals separated with 4 wires feeding the unit:
350 KCMIL AL for the HOTs, a 4/0 AL for the Neutral (using the 70% rule) and a #6 cu ground wire.
The wires are suitable for direct burial, but i'm encasing them in conduit anyways and burying at 36" depth.
So the question is:  the 6AWG Cu looks tiny compared to the massive current carrying conductors.  Did I interpret the NEC code incorrectly?
Here is the Result:  main Box with 4 wires for each feeder 350 350 4/0 and #6

No, you're interpreting the Code correctly
Table 250.122 in the NEC is what governs equipment grounding conductors, and for a feeder with a 200A maximum breaker ahead of it, it requires a 6AWG copper wire, which is what you are installing.  This is because the grounding conductor only has to carry current long enough for the breaker to trip; in normal operation, there should be 0 current on it, as opposed to the hots and neutral, which have to sing for their supper, 24/7/365.
Note that this is a different table from the table that's used to size grounding electrode conductors such as those going off to your ground rods.  Your 2AWG Cu GEC is a trifle undersized for 600 kcmil Al service conductors according to Table 250.66, which'd require 1/0AWG Cu for that application; however, since you're dealing only with ground rods and not a water pipe or miscellaneous electrode, NEC 250.66(A) kicks in and says that a 6AWG conductor is all that's needed.  (A concrete-encased electrode would fall under 250.66(B) which only requires a 4AWG conductor, and ground rings require no more than a 2AWG as NEC 250.66(C) requires the GEC to be no larger than the ring conductor, which is required to be 2AWG minimum by 250.52(A)(4).)


Framing Advice - Removing Shower Opening Finishing up demo on our master bathroom and working towards plans to get it all back together. Located on the top floor of our split level, over the laundry room.

The existing entry to the shower was fully tiled, floated over metal lath. The shower ceiling was built down approx. 12" from the bathroom ceiling and it felt like a tiled bomb shelter.

The ideal plan is to remove the entry completely and have the ceiling and walls flush into the shower area.

My question is - the shower opening looks to be framed out as a load bearing opening. Is the case?

This wall runs parallel to the joists above (attic). The wall is not centered directly under one of the joists, but is running just next to one. There is a drop ceiling below this bathroom, and nothing in the ceiling indicates to me that it's bearing - it is not over another wall or over a joist.

My hope would be to have everything flush in the end and that would require only a couple new studs to finish out corners in the long run.

I'm 99% sure it was framed this way for the tile installation... but better safe than sorry.

With your joist direction following the same without support it is probably built for a door. With a door and no header the wall may wobble a bit as many shower doors are glass and heavy. I was taught to always put a header in for a door for that reason. If you are not going to have a door and want it open to the ceiling I would do it. Depending on the depth and spray a shower curtain can span the opening with an expanding rod if needed. Opening up the area (this also held ventilation and may reduce mold growth as your extractor fan can pull the steam out.


Gas water heater turn off the gas valve and water, but leave the thermostat at low level, will this cause some issue? GAS water heater, I turn off the gas valve and water, but leave the thermostat at low level, didn’t turn it off. I will back the house in 10 days, Will this cause any issue?

Assuming everything's in good working order, then no problem. Turning off the gas killed the pilot and stopped the water heater from doing anything by the thermocouple.

However, based on your comments you may have bigger problems than a few wasted dollars from leaving the water heater running. It seems you shut the heat off to the house as well when you left and are worried about the water heater possibly freezing.

The water heater would be the last thing to freeze in being such a big and thick column of water. But yes, it could freeze after all of your other plumbing.

You must winterize properly to avoid damage to everything or just turn things down so they only maintain easier lower temperatures.


Why don't HVAC service people want to use outdoor temperature sensors to increase efficiency? Here in central Virginia, most houses use heat pumps with electric auxiliary heat.  I have inquired with several different contractors about installing outdoor thermostats on my units to 1) disable the use of auxiliary heat above a set outdoor temperature and/or 2) stop the outdoor compressor from running below a set outdoor temperature.  No one I talk to thinks it a good idea or they have not done it before.

Looking at the schematics and examining the current wiring it seems fairly simple and the parts are very cheap.   It seems like running the compressor when it's too cold to do its job and running the expensive electric heat strips when the compressor is much more efficient and able to do the job just seem like a lot of wasted energy.

There are manufacturers that make outdoor thermostat controls that are designed to do exactly what I am looking for and can be purchased at my local HVAC supply. (one Example :TPI # LRD100A)

My question is why wouldn't you want to do this?  Are there downsides that I'm not seeing? (besides possible personal comfort)

When a heat pump is installed it should be set up to turn on the electric heat strips when it drops below the point where the heat pump is more efficient.  This is calculated on the units performance which should be specified based on the predicted (Charted) lowest anticipated temperature for your area.  If it is using the compressor it will defrost either according to a time schedule or, on more efficient models, when it senses the outdoor coil is too cold and needs to be defrosted.  When it does this, it turns off the outdoor fan and reverses the flow of refrigerant into cooling mode.  It activates the heat strips to keep the air inside running warm.  When it reaches a set temperature or after a set period of time, it will change back into heating mode.
    They showed us this in my Residential HVAC Technician Class last year. Should do everything you want it to. All in one universal replacement heat pump defrost controller with included sensors can be set up for demand or timed defrosts. https://climate.emerson.com/documents/47d01u-843-universal-heat-pump-defrost-control-specs-en-us-1569854.pdf About $81 on Amazon.


Is there a lighting code restricting where lights can be placed? I am having a new home built in New Brighton, MN, USA. We went over the plans on where we would like our lights, outlets, switches to be placed throughout the home. I asked them to place a light in a different position in the storage area of the garage.

See the image below. The red X's indicate where the lights are currently placed. A few months ago I asked them to move the red X in the storage area closer to the main part of the garage (where the blue X is located). At first, no one objected to this plan. However, we just did a walk through of the home before they install the drywall. I was told that they cannot move the light because of "code".

I've tried searching but cannot find any code restricting where lights can be placed. Does anyone know of such code for my area or in general?

I don't know of any restrictions off the top of my head other than in closets and bathrooms. I would make them show you the code reference sounds like someone missed the change and is two lazy to do it they way you wanted it.


Are these shingles properly installed? I just had the shingles on my roof replaced with BP Everest 42 shingles. The old shingles were removed, new flashing, waterproof underlaying, etc was installed. My concern is really in the final product: it just doesn't look that great to me (or my wife, who actually thought this was the old roof still and they hadn't finished).

You'll probably have to view the zoomed in images to see it, but to me it looks kind of uneven and wavy, with the edges butted together at strange places.

Is this actually a poor job, and poor enough that I should bring it up as an issue, or am I just being overly critical? I haven't talked to anyone from the company yet as they just finished; I just want some other opinions first as I'll be a non-roofer arguing with a professional.

Looking at the photos provided, I don’t see anything that qualifies as a bad job. My guess is that if they’re newly laid shingles they probably just need to be exposed to some more sunlight/heat so they lay down properly, but that’s perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.


How can I prevent rain from dripping off the roof rake edge? Recently I have noticed that about 1-2’ from where the roof would drain into the gutter, water is dripping over the edge of the house on the side. What would cause that to happen? Nowhere else around the house does it do this.

That is not unusual if you live in an area where the wind /rain are blowing at an angle to the home. Even with no real wind it can happen and a photo would be helpful. It may be a slight difference in the stagger of the shingles or possibly the overhang has a slight sway or droop there we usually leave a bit of an overhang on the sides and I probably would not worry , but a photo might reveal an issue that we can point to.


Can a range hood vent have a 90 degree bend and vent out the wall? I know I need to check my local codes before proceeding with this. that will be done but I first wanted to ask this community for advice.

i'm going to have my kitchen gutted to the studs in a couple weeks and the walls will be open. the kitchen has vaulted ceilings and a recirculating range hood (currently). I would like to install a vent that goes outside as I will be installing a LP gas range.

the wall where the vent would be goes up about 14ft. to the roof. there is also a skylight directly above the area where the range is leaving very little, if any room for an exhaust vent.

what I would like to do is installed a box shaped vent between the studs in the wall going up about 5-6ft. then exiting 90-degrees out.

i've seen similar 90-degree gas exhausts on houses in the area. Then again, I do live in the mountains though where many people do not get permits and have things checked out.

So my question is:
Is it safer/better to have a straight vent through the roof? Or is a 90-degree exhaust through the wall acceptable?

In general, yes an exhaust vent (or any vent) can turn corners.  But there are many other factors to consider.

Different vent materials or dimensions resist air differently.  Different ways of turning corners resist air differently.  The best place to start looking for info on this is the vent installation manual.  It will talk about different ways to construct vents, what types of ducting corners can be used, and what size of ducting you need.  It will talk about how many feet of vent the blower can push through, and how many feet to count a corner as (typically 5').

So you know, the shallow box vents have poor airflow.  And you have to consider getting through the top-plate of the wall, which would create a huge weak point.  When we built our kitchen I was hoping for in-wall ducting.  Instead, the installers had to put a 10" circular duct up through the middle of the cabinet above the stove.


Are easy-rekey locks reliable? I want to replace an old deadbolt and handle on my front door, and most of the replacement sets at big-box home improvement stores are the easy-rekey kind. Kwikset's SmartKey seems better executed than Schlage's SecureKey, because you can rekeyable it yourself without having to cut a special key. An employee at Lowe's said Schlage is discontinuing this feature altogether, so I think it's best to avoid those.

My concern is that I've seen lots of discussion online about these Kwikset locks being unreliable. Some people say they are easily picked, and some say the locks spontaneously rekey themselves and leave people locked out.

Is it worth buying one of these locks, or am I better off with a "standard" lock? I don't especially care about being able to rekey the lock myself, I just want a good quality lock that I can install myself.

I think you answered your own question... "I don't especially care about being able to rekey the lock myself".  If you don't want this feature, don't pay for it.  Pick up a good sturdy lock from a trusted manufacturer, that has the features you want.

If you want to use the same key for all the doors in your house, you may be better off buying new locks for all the doors.  Most hardware stores carry sets of locks; where you'll get 2 knobs and 2 dead bolts that all use the same key, so you can set up 2 doors to use the same key. You may be able to get sets for more than 2 doors, but they might prove more difficult to find.


Installing an air gap in a concrete countertop I am remodeling my kitchen; pretty much all of the work except for installing a granite countertop. I am putting in a dishwasher (kitchen previously did not have one) and I would prefer to install an air gap whether or not the local codes require it. However, of the models I looked at on-line, only one discussed mounting support, and it couldn't be mounted on material thicker than 1.25". The countertop people will drill any holes I need for the faucet, etc., I just need to know how to actually fasten one of these things to a 2" thick surface. Any advice on brands that might be made especially for this, or any tricks for extending the fastenings that come with air gaps?

To install faucets or air gaps in thick countertops, simply bore a wide hole (2 1/2 - 3 inches) from the bottom of the countertop halfway through or so.  In your case, they'd have to bore a wide hole at least 3/4 inches up from the bottom.  The hole just needs to be wide enough to provide room to secure the nut.

In concrete countertops, the forms are made with holes pre-cast wide at the bottom and narrow at the top.


How can I pull up tack strips nailed to concrete? I am pulling up carpet and putting down a floating, vinyl plank floor in a three-season room built on slap.  The tack strips are nailed into the concrete.  I see How to repair concrete damage from pulling up nail strips but am looking for advice on the easiest way to get the tack strips up to begin with.  Any thoughts?

Jim and Taylor are correct.

Use a small pry par because it is not as thick and will get under the tack strip better. Hold the the long straight part or the pry bar and place the curved end so that the but is against the floor and the wedge part is up against the tack strip directly in front of the nail. Whack the the curved part of the pry bar with a hammer, it usually only takes one or two hits to pop up the nail.

It helps to hold the bar at an angle so the bar goes under the strip and to  not hit to hard, sometimes you can drive the end of the bar into the wall or trim if you get to aggressive.

Do not pry up once the nail is free as this will splinter or break the strip at the next nail location, just continue whacking all the nails and when you get them all the whole tack strip will be free and easy to dispose of.


Thermostat for heating and cooling I have   oil fired baseboard heating and a separate AC system. Currently I have two older thermostats installed. I'd like to replace with a single unit, however I can't locate any thermostat that allows me to disable the fan which I need to do if I'm heating the house.
All the thermostats I can find only allow for either the fan being in AUTO or ON.
Any suggestions?

Simply set your thermostat to "fossil" or "gas/oil" mode
Most thermostats out there support what you describe, as it turns out, as gas furnaces control their blower automatically by default, and only use the G terminal as an override to turn the blower on when the system is otherwise not running.  So, simply set your thermostat of choice to "fossil" or "gas/oil", and you'll be set.
(If you're having trouble finding the option, check the installer's manual for your thermostat.  Older electronic 'stats had a small switch inside that set this, while newer ones have a software option instead.)


Flush lever for toilet How do you fix a flush handle that will not push down?  It will not move.  The toilet will flush if I remove the lid and pull up on the chain.

I suggested above in the comments section that you should be posting a picture of the inside part of the flush lever for evaluation. That said if the lever does not want to move then there are two good possibilities here, both of which will likely require replacement of the lever assembly with a new generic unit.

The first possibility is that the current non-functioning lever is all made out of metal and has been in the tank for literally ages. Many times the rotation point where the lever assembly passes through the wall of the water tank builds up deposits and/or corrosion to the point that the lever can no longer be moved. Another possibility is that the fastening nut that holds the lever in place has come loose and allowed the collar in the hole to turn. The collar usually has a built on stop that limits how far the lever can be moved. If this collar turns then the limit stop may be what is keeping the lever from turning.

The other possibility, which is much more common on more recent day toilet installations, is that the flush lever assembly is made all or partially out of plastic. These have the advantage is being less susceptible to the corrosion problem but can have problems of their own. These can also have problems with the turning collar issue if there is a bad match between the collar size and the typical square hole through the water tank wall. Plastic assemblies can break which is often caused by the plastic getting old and brittle. Breakage can manifest itself in the rotating part of the lever mount and prevent proper operation.


Do I need a sub-panel near my hot tub? I am getting a hot tub soon and need to pre wire it myself. This is my first house so I’m still learning all the electrical stuff.
When I was in the process of building, I requested the builder to put in a 240V connection in the backyard. It’s on its own breaker in the main panel in the garage (picture below). My question is, do I need to buy a sub panel box outside?
I already have a small box out there with the wires needed (pic below). If I do need a sub panel, what do I go with? The main breaker is 60 amps but the hot tub requires 50. I know I can either wire straight from the box provided if my main breaker is GFCI or sub panel with a GFCI switch. If I have to go with the latter what do I need? Thanks in advance.

Normally wiring like this could go into a GFCI disconnect and directly into a prewired hot tub. If you purchased individual parts, then you would go to a sub panel adding separate GFCI breakers for the heater and motor, etc..
Unfortunately the wiring provided is only good for 240 Volt,30 Amps. Two 30 Amp breakers do not equal a 60 Amp service.  It will not handle a hot tub the needs 50 Amps. You might be able to get a hot tub that only requires a 30 Amp circuit. If you do get a hot tub that requires a 50 Amp service, then you'll have to get larger wire run from your main panel to the hot tub and get a 50 Amp breaker.


Using receptacle mounting screws for ground connection I will soon be adding some outdoor wiring using weatherproof metal boxes and EMT conduit. I noticed when I was playing around with a multimeter that without a ground conductor between a receptacle and the box the receptacle ground terminal still read 0Ω to the box. I realized that the ground screw on the receptacle connects to the receptacle frame, which is fastened to the metal box, providing a ground pathway (as seen here).

If my EMT/metal boxes are grounded, do I need to pigtail ground conductors from the box to the receptacle, or can I use the mounting screws and frame to provide grounding?

You cannot use the mounting screws as a grounding path.

However, you can use hard metal-metal contact between the receptacle yoke and the grounded steel box.  For this, the yoke mounting screws have to bottom all the way down hard.   Here's what doesn't work:

the yoke doesn't bottom all the way because its ears are catching the edge of drywall or finish, which is the normal way receptacles are installed
there is paint on the box or yoke (make sure to mask it before rolling the walls!)
most receptacles come with the mounting screws "held captive" on the yoke by those little squares of paper/plastic. Those are insulators and prevent good grounding.

Boxes or yokes with special spring contacts are only good if listed as such: i.e. their instructions specifically say that's OK.

It doesn't matter if the grounding path "meggers out" OK at the moment.  That could change over time, or as someone is pushing a plug in or pulling it out.


How can I support both floor joists and roof trusses while I replace wall framing below? I have a wall with some termite damage near the tops of the studs and into the top plates. The wall is external front of the house. Wall is in blue in the diagram below. It supports the floor above, which has its rafters depicted in red. However, the roof (trusses?) also meet  the top of this external wall, and I think they may be bearing load there. I know if I simply needed to support the rafters, I would place my support inside of the wall and do my work. However, since the roof truss lands there as well, I would think that would also need to be supported. Any idea how this is typically done?

General questions are 1) How do I know if the truss is load bearing on the external walls as opposed the upstairs kneewalls (or both)? and question 2) How do I support the truss if they are load bearing.

An additional note about what I am calling the truss, these do sit on a kneewall upstairs in this cape cod style home, and then near the top (where the upstairs cieling/attic is) there is a cross member forming a sort of A shape.

Picture below

Assuming full access to both sides of the wall, I'd look at installing a temporary beam or wall tight to the inside face of the wall framing. It's a safe bet that you'll catch some of the truss heel there. It won't take much to carry the load for a short term, and you can rework the framing from the outside.

If the truss heels don't extend inside the wall, you may need to leg up from the beam/wall to the trusses. Simply screwing legs to the sides of the trusses would probably do, depending on the roof structure as a whole.

All this depends on factors that I don't have information about, though, some of which I've mentioned.


How to fix broken plug My neighbors landscaper has totally mutilated the cleanout plug between our yards that connect to each other. Can I use a brass plug in the ABS pipe, or should I use ABS to ABS. (4" pipe) whatever I use will be a flush plug.

I think a brass plug is an excellent choice. It is all the same threads.


What kind and size of AC do I need for an enclosed garage workshop? I am building a workshop / equipment room (computer workbench, hosting servers and network equipment) in my garage. The room will be fully insulated 8'x 12'. Since I'm running some heat producing computers 24/7, it will become an oven if I don't install some kind of AC unit.

I was considering installing a split system air conditioner, but I don't know what size to buy, or other attributes to consider. Because of the room will be sealed with heat producing computers, it will heat up quickly, but because the room is small, it should cool down quickly as well. I would think this would cause the AC to go on and off every 10 to 15 minutes, which might be hard on it over time.

This will be located in the North Texas area, so it can get pretty humid depending on the time of the year. I will be running an upwards of 4 servers and 3 workstations, and a few network appliances at all times. All-together, this may run up to 2,500 watts.

What type and rating of AC would be best for my workshop / equipment room?

Lots of variable to consider:  1)  Climate in your area, 2) insulation level of building, number of servers and their size, 3) occasional use or 24/7 (BTC mining? or?) 4) occupied or not.   Google lets their server rooms run as hot a 95 degrees F.    https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/03/23/too-hot-for-humans-but-google-servers-keep-humming So while that's way to hot for ppl, it's OK for servers, at least the kind they use.  Here is a link to a calculator for heat load.        https://www.enviromon.net/advanced-server-btu-calculator/

Depending upon your climate, you might get by with just moving a lot of air from outside to cool the room. Google runs the Belgium server farm with no chillers.


Should I install fiberglass batts underneath my existing blown fiberglass? I have loose fill fiberglass insulation in my attic (picture below).  I was thinking about upgrading the insulation because, from what I've read, this is one of the least effective insulation types.

I was thinking about buying pink fiberglass rolls, clearing the loose fill out of the joist bays, putting the rolls down, then putting the loose fill back over top.

1) Is that a good strategy or should I be doing something else or using a different type of insulation?

2) If I buy the rolls, should I buy faced with a vapor barrier, or unfaced?  The loose fill currently has no vapor barrier.  It just sits on top of the drywall.

3) Is the cost of doing this really worth the difference in your energy bill?

Whatever gave you the idea that blown fiberglass is substantially less effective than batts? Though the R-value of batts is 25-30% better, you simply account for that with increased depth.

The inadvertent gaps and voids that batts will leave you with after fitting around countless roof framing members surely negate any benefit versus simply adding more blown fiberglass. The only thing you should consider doing is increasing the depth, should it be inadequate.

Also, you can't simply move and replace the fiberglass. To be effective (and not clumped or matted) it needs to be blown in. That means hauling it down to a blower and cycling it through. Not worth it.

I'm in Minnesota (winters routinely to -30F) and blown fiberglass is by far the most common professionally-installed attic insulation. Cellulose is probably more common for homeowner jobs, but they're similar in the end.


Fix wobbly storage shelf I just built this storage rack for my basement out of 2x4s and plywood. It is relatively stable but does have some front to back wobble. More than I would like. Is there a way to increase the stability of the unit? I've read something about adding diagonal braces but am unsure how exactly that would work. Any help would be much appreciated.

Most things we build are rectangular, and rectangular structures are prone to racking, which is illustrated in this drawing of a deck, but the same problem affects your rectangular shelves:

As you see a structure can collapse due to racking if the joints flex without tearing apart.

There are various ways to counter racking.  Other shapes, like triangles and trapezoids, are not prone to racking.  In the picture, by adding knee braces, you attach the rectangle to triangles, which are not prone to racking.

Another way is to make joints that are not as flexible, it looks like the vertical boards in the front of your shelf are attached in a way that won't flex and allow your shelf to rack left to right.

Another way to prevent racking is to attach a sheet over the rectangle.  For example, if you attached plywood over the sides of your shelf unit, there's no way it could rack front to back.  The sheathing doesn't have to cover the whole side.  You could add gussets - just a triangle of plywood in the four corners - and make the shelf nice and solid.


Washing machine agitator not turning The agitator barrel is not snapping into the agitator base. Hence it is not turning. How do I get the agitator barrel to snap into the agitator base. Whirlpool Washer LSQ8000LQ1

after reading a ton of threads on agitators, watching videos, and speaking with livesupport and appliance repair people, i verified that the 7/16" agitator hold down bolt  holds the upper agitator onto the lower agitator.

i removed the bolt from the lower agitator and didn't find any washers.  i found something resembling a metal washer so i put a rubber washer then the metal washer over it.  i put the cam kit on top then put the bolt back in and it held the upper agitator on the lower agitator.    the washing machine works again!


soldering pipe with mapp gas I am trying to open up some solder joints on a 1/2" residential cold water line, and I am having trouble doing so. I am using a propane torch, and I confirmed that the pipe was evacuated. My brother says that some plumbers use solder with a higher melting point and MAPP gas. Is this true? The concept of this seems like a bad idea for so many reasons and I'm concerned about burning a hole in my pipe. I also don't like the idea of using a much dirtier gas indoors. Is MAPP gas the way to go, or should I try something else?

If it is copper pipe and was indeed soldered (using a tin-lead alloy or a more modern lead-free solder), then propane should work okay.  However, MAPP (originally methylacetylene-propadiene propane but now stabilized liquefied petroleum gas with propylene) will heat faster and, with a common sense caution, not melt the pipe.  That is, don't heat the pipe until it is yellow hot; red or orange is fine.

If the pipe was brazed with silver solder, which is common in HVAC systems, propane is not enough:  you have to use MAPP to get it hot enough to work.

Propane and MAPP both burn completely.  You need not worry about the exhaust:  in all cases the result is water vapor and carbon dioxide.  Just like when animals exhale.


Leaking corrugated metal roof I have a place that has a corrugated metal roof under a wood deck. It's a pretty large area, maybe 40' x 40'. When it rains, water leaks through some of the nails.

The deck boards are not nailed directly to the metal roof. The decking is attached to a frame built over the top of the roof. I'm guessing I need to remove all of the deck boards and patch the metal roof under the frame.

What would be the simplest way to stop the leaking?

Carefully pull the suspect nails (or all the nails) with a small pry bar or "cat's paw" and replace with new corrugated roofing nails like these:

Or, if appearance is not important, smear a big glob of roof patch over the existing nails' heads.


How can I tile over a floor where hardwood is attached directly to joists? My condo building in Boston was built in 1905, and converted from a hotel in the 1950's. Repairing some damaged hardwood in the livingroom the contractor found that the hardwood was nailed directly to the joists, no subfloor of any kind. A surprise!

At the opposite end, a hallway has a sloping floor, side to side, which I would like to correct. I am loathe to try to 'match' the color of the original with new (nailed to sistered, leveled joists), and don't have the height necessary to add subfloor plus new topping (tile or wood) as the front door swings over the sloping floor, one on each side.

The question: I have thought of pretending the hardwood floor is the subfloor, shimming it with purlins every two inches (yes, correct), and screwing concrete board to that and then setting tile. (I think I have height just for that, but not for subfloor, floor, backerboard, then tile.) Do-able?

I'm guessing this is a terrible idea, but it's all I can think of. I can shave the closet door (on the downslope side) but not the other door, which is the front door to the unit, is metal, and can't be easily altered. I'd love to bring up the original hardwood, sister the joists to level, then put the wood back down, but I suspect I will lose a lot in the process and don't want it to look like a patch job.

Suggestions, even brickbats cheerfully accepted. (Note: area is an entrance hallway, about 12'x4', sagging in the middle and level at both ends, and typical of older buildings in the area. 5th floor, can't "jack up" the building.)

Not doable at all.

Old houses have 3/4'' thick wood planks as subfloor, not 8x4 sheets of plywood like today's houses, so I would say that it's ok to consider your hardwood floor the subfloor. That's if you're putting another wood floor on top.

However, for the purpose of tiling you need an additional layer of plywood to reduce deflection that will cause the grout to crack eventually. And on top of that you would install your cement board. The cement board itself provides no structural support and is only used as a decoupling between a wood subfloor and the tiles, so the lateral movement of the wood is not going to cause the tiles to pull up. You can always use a durock membrane to reduce thickness, but you still need a floor that will not deflect.

If you really want to do this right you would take out the old floor down to the joist and install some OSB and then do what you want...


How do I mount the new work electrical boxes with the nail-in flange? I have to install several electrical boxes for outlets, switches, and fixtures before installing some drywall.  The boxes I have look like this:

The distance between the front of the mounting flange and the front of the box is about 7/16", but of course I'm going to use 1/2" drywall.  So two questions:

The box will end up sunken into the wall by 1/16" or so...will that matter?
The flange itself is about 1/16" thick...will this make a bump or other problem under the drywall?

The place where these boxes are going is just wide enough for a 2-gang box to fit (I need to use some 2-gang boxes too, have ones like in the pic with the same mounting flange), so this kind of box is going to make things a lot easier than using the kind with the two nails since there's no way I could get a hammer in there to drive the nails.  I could drive screws through the sides of the boxes into the studs, but I always find it hard to keep the boxes at the proper depth when I do that.

The 1/16" difference is not a problem. You are allowed up to 1/4" difference. The slight recess is much preferable to the box edge standing proud. Since nothing ever lines up precisely at this level of construction, better to err a little low than a little high.

The flange thickness is also not a problem. It will push the wallboard outwards a bit, but the resulting bulge will occur over a substantial distance, so it will not be discernible to the naked eye. It's similar to the slight bulge when the ends of wallboards are butted on ceilings and then taped over. There is an obvious bulge if you place a straight edge on it. But once everything is finished, an unaided eye cannot see it except with unusually oblique lighting.

These sort of boxes are a great solution to tight installations.


What connector should I use to connect LED light / driver to mains? I've just got some LED spots to go in a small cloakroom. What connector should I use to connect them to the mains? The mains wires to the driver are tiny (about 20AWG).

Is there are recommended connector for these, or should I just use Choc-blocks?

I'd use wire nuts to attach those to standard lamp cord, and put a standard plug at the other end...


100 amp main with not enough ground slots i have a 100 amp main panel. it was put in in the 70's; i was wondering if it is ok to add a small box  to put a new ground bus bar in to run all the grounds to because the box is bar very small and there are not enough slots in the boxes small bus

You should be able to purchase an additional grounding bar at the local big box home improvement, or a local electrical supply shop.  You should be able to install the bar in your panel without too much trouble.

Without more detail about your equipment, it's difficult to be more specific than that.