How can I build a mantel around my fireplace? I am new to posting on this site but have been reading it for a while! My wife asked me to redo our fireplace mantel. When I got the drywall off I noticed that the studs are not exactly uniform. I want to install a VERY basic wood square mantel. Does anybody have suggestions on the best way to

build the mantel?
Attach it securely to the wall using the stud layout?

The studs:

The mantel I would like to build:

The studs are likely following a standard layout such as 16 inches on center (16 oc)  this is so that plywood/sheetrock will typically fall on a stud without the need to cut the 8 or 12 foot piece.  For your application, I would recommend (based on similar jobs in the past):

Inserting 2 x 4 blocks horizontally in between the vertical studs at the edge of the sheetrock and the edge of the insert  It looks as if three would be more than enough. Secure with framing nails or screws (screws would be practical in this application).  This will provide vertical anchor points for the vertical section of your wood surround.
Mark on the sheetrock the location of the studs for future location purposes
At this point you can secure the surround to the framing, or you can attach the backerboard for the tile to the framing and then attach the surround to the backer board.  In this case, attaching the surround directly to the framing may give a cleaner final look.  Typically surrounds are made to attach to a ledger board (basically a piece of wood secured to the framing), and the surround then rests on the ledger and is secured with trim nails, etc.
Attach your backer board for the tile.  (dura rock etc.)  Be sure to use screws about every 6 inces in the studs.  You want the backer to be as secure as possible in order to prevent future cracking.

Here is a link that shows a similar project, take a look at the ledger.  in most cases, guys will use a simple 2 x 4 for the ledger (Note, I have no affiliation with the link).

I would recommend taping the seams of the backer board with fiber tape, and and filling the tape with thinset when attaching the tile.

I hope this helps!


Most affordable/quick method to block light through windows? I've got a door pane and a few small windows I want to cover up but I'm not certain what tools exist.  Blinds and curtains require too much time and cost.  Are there any easy to use paper-type tool to quickly cover up to block light? It needs to be light too as I have no transportation access.

I have access to a Canadian Tire if that helps.

Edit: Anything a bit aesthetically pleasing that doesn't leave sticky traces?

Edit 2: To save time is there anything such as a self-stick sheets that doesn't leave residue?

Cardboard,

and tape.

Probably the cheapest option, as you can probably acquire the cardboard for free.


How do I fix my humidity problem in my home? I have an older home. Last year I didn't have this problem but this winter, to save money I keep my temperature a lot lower. I'm seeing a lot of condensation on the windows and now on my livingroom wall, water running down and mold forming. It also smells like mold in my home. Will purchasing a good dehumidifier help? I am also thinking of adjusting the humidifier on my furnace? Another issue may be that my bathroom doesn't have an exhaust fan but I can't afford to have one put in. I need the best, cheapest solution.

I'd start by adjusting the humidifier on the furnace. It sounds like you don't have to add any additional humidity to the air, so you could probably turn it down (or possibly off).

If you have a gas fired furnace, turning the heat up a bit could help. If the furnace does not have an air intake connected to the outside, the air used for combustion will be drawn in from outside.  During the winter, the cold outdoor air has very little moisture. When the cold dry air is drawn into the house, it will lower the humidity levels in the home. This is why loads of people have dry skin in the winter, and the reason humidifiers are installed in the first place.

If none of that helps, you might have to consider installing a dehumidifier, or some other form of HVAC system to remove the excess moisture.


Can I use a 40 lb propane tank just for my central heating? I want to know if I can use a 40 lb propane tank for my central heating.

I have not tried anything.  I don't want to put natural gas in, just want the propane gas. If someone can answer that, I want to know if is dangerous to connect my 40 lb propane gas tank just for my central heating.

You're question is vague and has a couple sub-questions, so let me offer a little Q&A:

Q: Are there any central heating furnaces that use propane?
A: Yes

Q: Can I convert an existing natural gas furnace to use propane?
A: Perhaps, but only with a manufactorer-approved adapter. Propane has more energy than natural gas does, so you must not just swap out the connection without checking.

Q: Can I use a high-pressure 40lb BBQ tank with central heating?
A: Most large-scale propane appliances will expect low-pressure propane, not the high-pressure that comes out of a BBQ-style tank. You may be able to get a regulator to step down the pressure.

Q: Will a 40-lb tank last a meaningful amount of time running heating for an entire house?
A: Probably not. A full 40lb tank of propane will have around 850kBTU, or around 8.5 therms. How much you use is going to vary based on all kinds of factors but the "average US home" (whatever that means) uses about 2 therms per day.


Replace or Skim drywall? I have a great inheritance from the previous owner who seemed to do everything super poorly, I have to skim coat over terrible texture but ran into this. It's bowing slightly away from the room above the header. Will sanding and skimming this over be enough or time to bust out the saw?

The crack will show back up in short time if you just skim coat over it. Id take a utility knife and cut out the crack (v notch).  When you do this the reason it cracked could reveal itself. It could be that the previous guy didn't tape properly. If that's the case fill up the cut out crack with hot mud. Tape it with all purpose mud (id use Fibafuse Tape). Then finishing coats use plus 3. However depending on what you find you might just need to replace a small section of drywall.


How do I install a water line for a refrigerator in a galley kitchen? My sink is on one side of my galley kitchen and the fridge is on the other. The living room doorway is between the water line to the sink and the fridge.  The house sits on a slab so there is no basement.

Can I run a line over the doorway?

Sure, the water is under pressure, it'll get there. As far as static pressure loss, the entrance and exit are all that matter, the in between makes no difference. Friction loss is an issue with long distances, but ice makers and dispensers have very low demand, so unless your house pressure is very low already, it shouldn't be an issue. The only real drawback would be the appearance if you have no convenient ways to disguise the run.


Will relocating my Central AC intake improve performance? Over this weekend, I have made a breakthrough scientific discovery that will likely change the world - hot air rises compared to cooler air! :)

My Central AC system has its intake at the ground level, and the ceilings are 8' - it's an older but remodeled house.

I have the space to reroute intake from the floor to the ceiling.  My idea: why have the AC unit pulling in the coolest air when it could be working on the warmest air instead?  And, additionally, that would be the logical flow direction, so this must be more efficient.  With its location it would be easy to construct, too.

My question is, just how much more efficient is this?  And do you have any tips on the routing?  I will be able to keep a wide radius on the new ducting and it will have at least 20x20 cross-section (equal to the intake).  Thanks!

Most forced-air HVAC systems in Residential are both heating and cooling.

What might be efficient in the summer will not be efficient in the winter.

So, where do you live and which do you use more?

If you live in Arizona you optimize for cooling but if you live in Minnesota you optimize for heating. Then you just deal with a less efficient system in the opposite season.

Re-routing your ductwork may be much less cost efficient than simply buying a newer AC unit with a higher SEER rating.

Make sure you think this all the way through before pulling the trigger on anything.

Good luck!


Replace a bathroom drop in sink with cut out of 15" x 24" Need to replace a bathroom drop in sink with cutout of 15" x 24". Have not found a sink that will fit those dimensions.  Any suggestions.
Thank you

Three options, if you can't find an off-the-shelf solution:

Different size sink

Depending on (a) the type of countertop and (b) location of cabinets and other constraints, you may be able to use a slightly larger sink and cut a bigger hole. I am less optimistic (unless you are ready/willing/able to replace the countertop) about using a smaller sink.

Custom sink

This is not necessarily as expensive as you might think. There are national companies (e.g., available directly or by special order in any Big Orange or Blue store) and also local suppliers. I have a countertop with integral sink from one of these companies (a local one, but via a Big Orange store for ordering/delivery). Look for "cultured marble" or "engineered stone" - euphemisms for "crushed stone mixed with resin", which can be formed into almost any shape/size and with a wide range of colors available. Ideal, in my opinion, for a bathroom, and much more easily (and inexpensively) customizable than natural stone. These companies will typically have standard sizes but since each order is custom (exact length on countertops, color selection, etc.) a custom sink is not out of the ordinary.

New Countertop with Integral Sink

Depending on dimensions, this may not be so expensive. Of course, if you already have a nice countertop in good condition then this may seem like a waste of money & material. But I think it is worth considering, especially in the same "cultured marble" as you might order for a sink by itself.


Edge considerations on mosaic staircase I'm renewing our old outdoor concrete staircase going to the garden. I've decided to install glass mosaic as surface finishing.  I've got advice from the specialized shop regarding water-proofness of the seams and appropriate bedding.

Now I'm wondering whether I should install a protective 'nose' profile on each step (embedded in the thinset at placing time).
Would the mosaic be resistant enough on it's own or should I consider some alu profile?

As illustration, here's a mosaic sheet resting on a step.

-kr, Gerard.

Absolutely.  Those tiny tiles will chip or pop off as soon as somebody smacks it with something.  I assume you are thinking of some nosing like this and where I live, I would certainly go with something with some grip.

Not knowing what kind of traffic the stairs get and what your climate is like (how often it freezes - how often they are wet), it's hard to make a more informed recommendation, but those thin small tiles will not take much abuse.


pvc windows constantly wet ...door handles dripping wet inside of premises I had windows fitted 6 years ago and still to this time  for ever wipe up puddles of water off all doors and windows ..plus its always draughty iv had insulation in walls roof and attic but its a no go its still cold u can feel wind blowing in in places on windows and doors I have had the company up and they say its natural so I have put tape on windows and around doors to see if that makes a difference to draught it did help ..water all I can do is put rags down or leave windows open 24/7 which is not  good

Where do you live? Almost sounds like a cold and wet place like Alaska or Canada.

On the draftiness: Sounds like the windows are poor quality or they were installed incorrectly. A good window that's installed right should be airtight. You can caulk around the edges where the window meets the drywall, and that should stop air leaks between the window and the surrounding wall. If air is coming in between the frame and the sliding sash, you can buy and apply stick-on compressible weatherstripping gaskets that will seal when the window is closed. That should help. Even ancient single pane wood windows with zero weatherstripping are often measurably improved by this change.

On the moisture: getting condensation on the interior of your windows is a sign that the windows are poor insulators (R-3/U-0.33 or worse) and you have a lot of interior humidity. Because the windows are poor insulators, they're cold. When moist air hits a cold smooth surface, it condenses and turns into liquid water. To improve this state of affairs without replacing your windows with much more expensive higher quality triple-pane windows that do a much better job of controlling interior condensation, you can run a dehumidifier in winter, or you can install Low-E storm windows outside of the windows, or you can build airtight interior insulating shutters made out of foam board that completely cover the windows at night. But they would have to be airtight, sealed against the windows with gaskets. Otherwise moist air would get right past them and continue to condense on the windows.

Good luck.


Where should my furnace filter go in a Lennox G40UH24A045 series furnace (Merit)? I cannot find the filter and my furnace is not providing any heat.
The limit switch is working fine as is the flame sensor.
Diagnostic lights are: 1 slow bling 2 on
Any clues?
Thanks

Usually the filter is placed in the duct just ahead of the coils. Look for a “wingnut” that can be removed for access to the interior of the duct.


How should I vent this sink drain I'm helping a friend install a sink in a workshop that was added onto his house.
A previous owner installed a water line and a drain by boring through what appears to be the rim joist of the original house into the workshop but they did not vent it. I am reusing the holes they bored and want to vent the drain properly. My original plan was to install an AAV in the wall above the drain but after removing some of the stucco, it appears there is a stud directly above the drain pipe. The stud cavity to the right does not have enough room to fit the AAV box I picked out. I opened the stud cavity to the left and found that the drain goes through the end of the rim joist and has a sizeable amount of sill plate and framing above it. I am worried about notching/drilling through this part of the framing to accommodate a vent pipe.

What should I do? As far as I can tell, my options are:

Notch/drill through the sill plate and remaining part of the rim
joist to install the vent pipe/AAV + box in the left stud cavity.
Install the AAV in front of the wall. Is this even legal?
Install the AAV in
the crawlspace behind the wall. This would almost certainly be at a
height below the P-trap its venting and several feet away. Would this still be effective?

Do I have any other options?

Option 1 is fine. There's nothing load-bearing about the rim and plate at that location. I'd bring the wye up at 22-1/2 from plumb to move away from the stud.


Is the PF error on my microwave caused by the home or electric company? I'm asking this about my rental property. We've had several lightening storms in the past week and 1/2...one this morning that caused the electric to go out in the area of the rental property.

Last Thursday, the renters heard a loud screeching noise come from the oven when it was in use. It seemed to turn off and then oven read "4400" degrees and then changed to FOEO. It is a gas range and the burners were working fine, just not the oven. They reset the breaker and the display changed but it was still not correct. The next day, when they came home from work, the microwave and oven had a "PF" on the display. Both are working fine today. The appliances are original from 2009.

The Sunday before, their TV stopped working. It was an older TV so they aren't sure if it stopped working because of a power surge or if it was old. The cable company came out today and said the cable setup looked fine.

The electric company come out to check the outside of the house and they said all looked fine. They will be going out next week to check the grid.

Wondering if I should have an electrician come out to check the house. Could the problem be the breaker or wiring inside the house?

Also, any suggestions on how to protect the house and appliances from power surges? Can a surge protector be used on a microwave & oven?

If your appliances are regularly malfunctioning when there are lightning strikes it would be wise to consider installing breaker panel surge suppressor. Or a lightning rod. Or additional grounding bars.


Using regular water heater for hydronic radiators My house is old and has radiator heat, which is heated by a gas furnace from which the hot water is pumped through 7 radiators and back in. Hypothetically, and by no means would I ever want to do this to my system, if gas became unavailable in my area, would it be possible for me to adapt a regular electric water heater and mount a pump nearby to circulate water through the system like the present one does with gas?

Another way to ask is, what if I were designing a radiant hydronic floor heating system and my only source of energy were electric. I'm sure there are specialized heaters for that purpose that have a pump built in but, if I wanted to make my own (for experiment's sake), could I do it with a regular electric water heater and a pump?

At first thought, I don't see why not and I think the most complicated part would be designing a wiring control that works with the thermostat and connects the heater and the pump. I'm asking this primarily to understand the visceral concepts of heating and associated devices. Of course, unlike with a residential water heater that has open inlet for new water to come in, in this case it would have to be on a closed system which itself has a fill valve and a backflow adapter.

It's actually not uncommon to use a water heater for heating a well-insulated building (though an electric water heater is very UN-common, due to operating cost.) But....

This is not commonly done with radiators, which are typically designed to operate on 180F water. It is much more common with radiant floor heating, which can function quite well down at 100F water temperature in many cases.

The building must be well-insulated - the typical reason for using a hot water heater is the inability to get a "boiler" that's SMALL enough for the load of a well-insulated building. As designed, my shop will take about 30K BTUs/Hr to heat to 68F on a -20F "design day." (the minimum temperature used for the sizing the heating system.) A 100K BTU/Hr boiler would be massively oversized.

You need an expansion tank for a closed system, and you may need to use stainless steel pumps (rather than cast iron) if any part of the system allows oxygen to get in (non-oxygen barrier tubing, or an open system where the SAME water heater heats the floor AND the domestic hot water - in which case the floor tubing needs to be potable-water rated - not actually difficult to find in PEX tubing.)

Finally, if there is gas in your area now, it's stunningly unlikely to "become unavailable" in a future where you still have electricity. And if you are "heating with electricity" you really should be using a heat pump (in cold climates, a cold-climate air-to-air heat pump or a water-source/geothermal heat pump) since you get about 3 times the heat (depending on conditions and specific unit) for a given amount of electricity purchased. Heat pump water-heaters won't work without some other source of heat, as they are designed to operate from air that's 50F or more, typically.


Cut 2" square cube from top of wood post for 2"x2" wood rail? I would like attach a 2"x2" wood rail so that it's flush inside of the 4"x4" wood post, like in the drawing I've included.

My question is: how would I be able to cut out the 2" cube in the 4" wood post so that the 2" rail fits nice and flush in the wood post? What tools would I need and is it something that a novice wood DIY guy could do?

You could rough it out with a drill, maybe a router. Then tidy up the corners and edges with a chisel and mallet.

You could use a saw to establish the edges, then finish off with chisel and mallet.

Given that people such as Paul Sellers routinely cut blind mortices remarkably quickly using only a chisel and hammer, this could certainly be done that way too.


Fix leak in toilet drain pipe I have a leak in a toilet drain pipe that you can see below.

The horizontal brown line is where the leak is and it was caused by a metal support strap that was wrapped around the pipe.

Is patching the pipe with epoxy a possible long term solution?  Or should the pipe be replaced?

I definitely don't want to open up the ceiling again...

An epoxy patch is going to be a temporary fix and considering the amount of work you're going to have to go through to repair the ceiling, why not do it right?

Remove as much of the existing plumbing as you need to in order to get at "clean" ends, and then replace with new plumbing.


Ground wire blew off new light fixture I bought a new single-bulb light fixture. It's going in a small animal cage, so the wall plug comes in through the ceiling of the cage. I connected white to white, black to black, and green to a green grounding screw in the fixture.
When I plugged it in and switched it on, the light worked but withing a half-second there was a pop and the ground wire blew off. The light stayed on and works.
My questions:

1) What did I do wrong? I'm admittedly a real newbie on this.

2) Is it at all unsafe to keep running it now?

3) My first guess is that maybe some of the live wire (black or white) touched the ground? I have them all wound up in plastic wire connectors, but they are admittedly pretty close together where they come out of the plug. Is that a possible cause, and if so, would it be safe to strip some more of the green wire coming from the wall plug, connect that to the ground screw, and try again?

4) Am I about to electrocute myself and/or start a fire and therefore should cease and desist?

I don't see in the photos what type of plastic connectors you are using, but if they are the typical twist-on wire nuts, then the amount of exposed copper you have is much too long. As mentioned in the comments, it also looks like you've nicked the insulation on the hot (black) and ground (green) wires, right after they are separated out from the outer sheath. If that is true, you should cut it back to remove the damaged part. If that's absolutely impossible, what you should definitely not do (but some people might do this anyway....) is carefully cover the nicked portion with scotch 33 electrical tape (not cheap no-name brand).

It should be easy enough to figure out where the problem is: on the inside of the junction box, right over the screw mounting hole, it looks charred due to the arcing that happened. If the box is charred, there is going to be an equally charred wire that was on the other side of the arc.

Also, where it appears the arc occurred (right under a screw mount) could be a hint about what you might have done that caused this (did you drive a screw through there when installing the cover and inadvertently drill through a wire?).


why river stones needed close to foundation I often observe that some houses have a strip of lawn adjacent to the foundation removed, and replaced with pebbles, river stone or alike.

I understand this does not serve only decorative purpose. What is this for and how this is called?

Below is example I found on Internet:

Rock instead of plants or mulch keeps the foundation dry (or better so than plants or mulch than soak up the water and retain it)
Prevents grass and weeds from growing by a wall, if used with a barrier underneath, to make it easier for trimming without hitting the wall.
Prevents splashing up of dirt or mulch onto walls. I have a garden out by a shed that would splash up mud onto the wall of the shed during a storm, so I added a row of rock like this which stops it.
Similar to the first item, it overall allows better drainage so that water does not build up by the wall.

I'm not sure what this practice would be called, but it does have useful purposes and can look really nice when done right with nice rock.


Snake drain gun vs compressed gas drain gun vs liquid - which is better for what? I borrowed a powered snake style drain gun for some toilets and shower stalls, from an HVAC guy who said that liquid drain cleaners were next to useless. The short version is that the drain cleaner succeeded where the snake gun failed. After a while, I took a look online and saw some pneumatic drain guns powered by BB-gun style CO2 cartridges. Are any of these better than any other? If not, are any of these more appropriate to domestic drains?

Clearly I would prefer not to add liquid drain cleaner, containing god-knows-what-all, to the municipal water supply even though I know the manufacturer and the city say it's safe. The only thing I haven't tried yet is the pneumatic gun. Can it replace liquid drain cleaner?

I haven't seen the drain guns for plumbing, only for HVAC condensation lines (for which a shop vac also does a pretty good job and has multiple uses). But a pneumatic drain gun is going to have a similar effect as a plunger, pushing out a clog as long as it's before or at the vent pipe, but not after. For anything after the vent pipe, you'll need a snake to physically remove it. Personally, I would save my money and just use a plunger. As for the chemical clog removers, they will kinda work as long as it's clogged and not a slow drain where all the chemical cleaner would pass through before impacting the clog.

That said, a snake, plunger, and many of the other clog removers are only going to create an opening in the drain. If you have a reoccurring problem with clogs, then you need a chemical cleaner that removes buildup from your pipes. If you have tried the liquid cleaners that remove buildup, multiple times, and still have a reoccurring issue, then make sure you're not putting anything down the drain that would cause a clog, like grease, oils, fats, salad dressings, etc. And if after all that, you're still having issues, I would suspect an issue with your drain pipes, e.g. an improper slope, undersized drain lines, improper venting, etc.


Best method to level 1x3 strapping to ceiling joists on a slope? I am trying to install drywall in a room with sloped ceiling joists.  The joists are roughly 30 inches on center, so I need to install 1x3 strapping in order to give me surface to screw the drywall to AND to provide a level surface for the drywall to sit on.

I've seen many tutorials on how to level/shim a flat ceiling, but have not seen a technique on how to level a SLOPED ceiling.

Do I need a laser level, chalk line, shims?  Or can I get away with a long level and some string?  Anyone who can sort of outline the process is appreciated!

This is less hard than you think. Last one I did was ~10x20, and it took about 4 hours. A laser is extremely helpful for this task, though I suppose you could do it with string and a bubble stick. (It is, however, too early in the morning for me to think my way through all that, so my instructions have frikkin' laser beams.)

Cross-strap the ceiling 16" OC with one small, smooth (like, 15g, 2" is good -- no spiral or ring shank) nail per joist intersection. Plan ahead for sheets of drywall.

Find your lowest spot. This is where everything is coming down to. Make a story stick (a couple of inches shorter than your low spot) and push it up to the low spot. Mark the laser location on the stick. (Mark the stick with "this way up" if you're having one of those days.)

Now, for every intersection, tap the strapping down so that your story stick mark matches the laser. Shim as you go, but don't put final nails/screws through yet.

Once the whole room is done, doublecheck with the story stick. You can be as precise as you want, but if you had, say, cabinetry and crown, then you'd want to be super accurate in those areas.

Snug the shims and nail or screw everything off. If you don't nail through the shims, you can make micro-adjustments afterwards. I've found that 2 nails per junction of 2-1/2" non-smooth sheathing nails are perfectly adequate to hold up the strapping and rock. Doublecheck if you want.

Slight ps, I use 1x4 to give a bit more wiggle room and allow for not-exactly-straight-stock. The upcharge is nominal.

Double ps, this assumes a ceiling only slightly out of level -- up to 1". On second read, I'm thinking there's a possibility that you're dealing with a very sloped ceiling that you're trying to flatten. ("Level" might have confused me, as it's a term with very specific meaning in my world.) If so, do all the cross-strapping and light nailing, then use a web of string to bring all the junctions to the right point.


How to finish wide gap in drywall at edge of ceiling I have a long narrow gap in the ceiling where it meets the wall. It is too big for plaster and tape, but too small (and uneven) to cut a piece of drywall.

Furthermore, unlike in this question, there is no wood to fill with plaster.

What is the best approach to fix this?

You could use a piece of inside corner bead and finish it like any other inside drywall corner:

A less aesthetic solution would be to cover the gap with a piece of wood trim and paint it to match the wall.


Porch swing Supports Trying to hang a porch swing but the overhead structure isnt conducive. Joists are all 2x6 that run perpendicular to the direction I need to hang the swing. I’m thinking of putting a couple 4x4s in between the joists and drilling into the 4x4s from below.  But Im concerned about ability of the 2x6s to bear the weight. Any thoughts on using face mounting joist hangers to hang a 4x4 (and in-turn the swing)?  And the best way to do it.  House is 98 yrs old so I dont want to screw anything up. Attached picture shows the overheas structure of the porch.  The red circles are the two points where I need to drill in from below.  Thanks for any assistance.

You need a structural analysis that considers the load on the roof, ceiling load, and the proposed swing load. Way too many variables to address here. If you can’t handle the structural analysis, you can do it the old fashioned way. Put a piece of plywood across the ceiling members and add 50 lbs and measure the deflection. Keep adding weight to 1.5 times the weight you plan on the swing. Don’t exceed 3/8” deflection at the center of the room.

My gut tells me that your roof won’t support the load without truss support to spread the load.


What is a good strategy to support this deck? I am planning a potential DIY job for a new deck that I want to put on my house.  This is roughly what I think we want

The house is roughly 36' long and the garage roughly 22'.  The door from the house is actually only about 15-16' from the outside corner and I want the deck to come about 11' down the back before the stairs come down from there.

The door is on the first level of the home above the rear exposed basement wall, so roughly 1 story high.  The house sits on a hill that slightly grades upwards towards the garage at roughly a 12/3 pitch, so the stairs will only be a half flight.

I am variable on how far outwards roughly I am comfortable with the deck extending from the house.

My question is, what would be the optimum layout for posts and beams to properly support this deck?  (Assuming that edges of the deck touching the building will be bolted to ledger boards)  I have built a simple square deck before but never anything with outside and inside corners and variable length.

Blue Dashed Line: Your 3-2x12 Beam

RED X: 6x6 Posts

D.Fir 2x10 @ 16" O.C. spanning 14' + 2' overhang past beam: 16' joists
Solid 2x10 Blocking mid-span
6x6 posts @ 12' O.C.

**post edited to match additional info from comments.*


How much weight can I hang on my cabinet doors? I want to mount shelves on the inside of the doors of my Ikea kitchen cabenets, to make better use of the space - as it is, the cabinets are too deep to see everything on the very deep shelves. However, I'm worried about damaging the hinges if I hang too much weight on the door.

This is the sort of thing I want to install:

The cabinet is tall, 70-ish inches, and the door is attached with three hinges that look like this:

This YouTube video shows a similar product being installed on cabinet doors with hinges that look a lot like mine, which gives me hope.

Here’s a typical loading chart based on height of door and number of hinges. See page 3 near the bottom.

http://downloads.cabinetparts.com/auto/SaliceGeneral.pdf

Notice there are heavy duty hinges too.

If the shelving is only 3” wide (deep) rather than 10” or so...that’s a clue too.


Best/Most Affordable Material to use for Long Rafter I am getting ready to put a new roof on our house (changing the structure and all) and I am wondering what the best and most affordable kind of lumber or material is for the job. I need to span a 26' distance with no supports except at both ends (we are using a structural ridge beam at the peek).

I have looked into dimensional lumber, but it isn't as affordable as I had hoped. I'm still unsure what size we will need, but it will likely either be 2x10s or 2x12s. The best price I have found on the 2x10s is $37.60 each and $46.27 each for the 2x12s (if you buy 100 or more). We will likely need around 80 rafters, so that adds up quickly.

Is there a better material to use besides dimensional lumber or is there are trick to getting better prices on it?

You may want to go with a TJI (truss joist) that is made by one of these companies (Weyerhaeuser, Georgia Pacific, etc.,). Unless you use a 2 lb foam in the rafter bays, you will need something 14" or taller to get enough insulation in the ceiling to meet code. Of coarse, this depends on the area you live in. Different regions have different R-value requirements.


How do you bend stair rails? How would you go about bending stair rails in order to get something like what is pictured below?

I'm asking out of curiosity, not because I plan to try this myself. My house, built circa 1900, has rails similar to this, as well as some other fancy curved woodwork, and I'm wondering how they made the wood curvy. The only information I can find about bending wood involves doing it with laminate strips and glue, but there is no sign that my house's woodwork was done that way.

They use a steam box and pre shaped forms. The wood is inserted into the box and sealed. Then steam is applied to one end of the box and allowed to escape from the other end. After removing, the lumber is worked around the form and clamped. Once set the finishing and shaping can start. It's a very old technique and saw large scale use in shipbuilding. I've seen guys do it in the field with a small steam box. It's pretty easy to work with. Some woods are better suited than others.


All toilets whining when refilling! I've seen lots of posts that speak of a single toilet whining, but one day, a few weeks ago, all of our toilets on the middle and upper floor (3 toilets) started whining when the tank is refilling.

If I turn on the cold water faucet next to the toilet (or the shower) the whining immediately stops!

So I thought this may be a water pressure issue. .. but our pressure doesn't seem to be very high. Anyone have any ideas?

Sounds like a pressure issue to me since multiple toilets and when you open the tap the noise stops. Unless plumbing work has just been done that could have debris plugging only the upstairs fill valves I would think your pressure has changed.


Ceiling light hole in Switzerland? How to fit a chandelier or other heavier light into Swiss ceiling? I have moved to a new apartment in Switzerland and it has these holes for the lights in the ceiling.
I cannot drill the ceiling as I am renting and any kind of modifications will have to be undone.
For now, as a temporary solution, I have hooked the sockets on the cables and screwed in the bulbs and there isn't enough weight, so it just hangs from wires, not elegant but it works as a temporary solution.

(click to enlarge pictures)
However, in the near future, I plan to get proper lamps, and those will weigh more, so hanging them from cables is not an option, and I am not quite sure what sort of lights I can fit into these holes or how to do it, or where even to start (my first flat in Switzerland).
Does this kind of hole have a standard name so I could google more information myself?
Is there a standard mechanism that can be hooked into these to fit any kind of light or am limited in my choices?
How to fit a chandelier or other heavier lamp into Swiss ceiling hole fitting?

Finally, I have gathered all my courage and asked a colleague.
For these type of holes you use these:

They are called Lamp Claws.


How can I repair damaged shower enamel? I used liftoff sealant remover on my fiberglass shower and where it pooled in the corners it has eaten away the enamel. Is there anything I can coat it with to seal it again?

You could put enamel right back down again.  One common brand of alkyd enamel paint is Rustoleum, commonly referred to as an "oil paint".   You'd want to keep it dry days before and after the repair.

For a more durble repair, use a 2-part epoxy paint.   Those paint systems have a fairly high entry cost, so I wouldn't do it for that job alone.  But if you already have access to it relating to something else you do, it can't be beat.


Why shouldn't different types of bulbs be used in the same fixture? Why shouldn't different types of light bulbs(i.e. incandescent, LED, cfl) be used in the same fixture?

I read this under the CAUTIONS & WARNINGS section of the LED bulb packaging.

  ...Do not use in multi-bulb enclosed fixtures together with other bulb technologies (e.g. incandescent, halogen, CFL, etc.)...

I have followed this warning, but I would like to understand the reasoning behind it.

For a multi-bulb fixture the LED units do not want to be in the area where high heat is generated as would be the case with incandescent or especially with halogen bulbs.

CFLs have their own special considerations if they are used in situations with special types of lamp dimmers. Such special dimmers may not be compatible with LED lighting modules.

Another consideration comes in from the light quality and perception of what the lighted area looks like. LED lamps have a different light character than do other types of bulbs and mixing them together may be perceived as unpleasant in the extreme cases.


GFCI Won't rest. shows no LED Light but has power I have a GFCI outlet in the kitchen that shows no LED color status, cannot reset but still has power and downstream.  Also, I notice that when I plug my coffee maker on the upstream outlet between another working GFCI, when I press the reset button on the GFCI in question, I hear the coffee maker start to :jump start.  Is there a short or is it just a bad GFCI?

GFCI receptacles very rarely go bad. So before your run out, buy and replace a GFCI. First let's try and determine if it is bad GFCI or something else is wrong. First unplug every appliance and turn off every light on the circuit and see if the GFCI will reset. If it does reset then try plugging in and run every appliance and turn on every light one at a time. If any appliance trips the GFCI then your appliance is bad and it needs to be replaced. If turning your light on and the GFCI trips then the fixture is probably malfunctioning and needs to be repaired.

If the GFCI trips when no load is on it, then after you turn your power off, pull you receptacle out and disconnect the load side conductors of on the GFCI. Carefully turn your power on and see if your GFCI resets. If it does not reset then it may be bad, but if it does reset then you have a problem with you downstream wiring. Now you have to go through the entire circuit and check to see what is in failure.

That means you reconnect the load side conductors and remove each device in sequence and test to see when you get a trip. Once you get a trip you have isolated the problem and repairs need to be made.

It's really a step by step procedure, but it is also why when you call an electrical contractor they can't give you a set price since they don't know how long it will take find and repair the problem.

Hopefully it will just be a bad appliance or GFCI. Good luck.


Wet rated recessed light in shower Is it safe to install a wet rated recessed can/light in shower without gfci connection?  No fan, just led light.

I haven’t checked the 2020 code but I have never seen a requirement for a GFCI over a tub or shower stall for a listed wet location fixture! Others have stated it is required on other questions but the last home we did for our company last year had 2 bathrooms with wet location fixtures over a tub/shower and a shower passed inspection and the inspector did check the listing on the shower stall because he had not seen that type of fixture before all receptacles require GFCI protection in a bathroom including a receptacle integrated into a luminary but luminary’s only do not. In fact GFCI protection is only required if the manufacturers instruction required it.
I am sure some of the internet only electricians will downvote
Code reference 410.10.D & 208.a.1  in the code handbook the blue text also explains this.


Greenhouse wood foundation and frost heave I'm a novice constructing a 8x12' saltbox style green house made from recycled single pane windows in climate 5 & 4 Marine. It does get freezing here in winter with maybe an inch to three of snow a year.

I plan to half lap treated 6x6's with 2x6 sills leveled on gravel with rebar anchors. Since this is a permit less structure (< 200sqft in my county) I'm concerned about possible frost heave and want to know if this foundation is sufficient for such a structure. Would I need to find my frost depth and put in say, 4 or 6 sonotubes/pads to anchor my 6x6's?

The short answer is: No, don't worry about it.

Your building is basically a yard barn and no building code I have seen requires frost footings for a yard barn.

I live in a Zone 5 with plenty of freezing and snow and separate buildings like garages are only required to have a 12" slab on grade footing. Yard barns can be place right on the grass if you want. Although, most people scape off the topsoil and place gravel to level the barn and provide some moisture reduction.

I don't think your building is large enough to be affected by frost heave in any appreciable way.

All that said, if you are an ovebuilder and want this to be permanent then a deep sonotube footing in each corner would certainly keep it from going anywhere. Anchoring it to these footings would also give you some wind stability.

Good luck with your project!


Legality of hanging things outside your window? I have been thinking of hanging something outside my window. It occurred to me though that there are building codes. I am in a private home of my own but wondered to what extent building codes apply.

Any thoughts?

Nothing to do with building codes, unless you are hanging an addition to your house out the window.

Your own (single-family) home on your own lot (piece of land) - depends what you have (or don't) for a home-owner's association, or if your house is subject to some sort of restrictive covenant such as a historic preservation district.

A home that is part of a multiple-dwelling unit where you own the space in the building, but not the land - more likely to have some other rules and regulations impacting what you can do from your windows, in the interest of protecting other people.

Note that on your own property you still have an interest in protecting other people, but it comes mostly from the fact that they can sue you, so if you plan to hang something very dubious safety-wise out the window, your insurance company may decide that you are a bad risk and cancel your coverage or raise your rates.


electric fired gas fireplace I have a gas fireplace that is fired by an electrical thermostat .It will tick and tick and not fire up.Have to lower thermostat and raise repeatedly to get it to light .Any ideas why this is happening ?

The "tick-tick" is likely an electric ignitor (a unit with a standing pilot light would not normally tick like that). Sounds like the ignitor is not consistently producing a spark capable of igniting the gas. The unit would be equipped with a safety feature that would close the gas supply valve if no ignition was detected during the "ignite phase".

Check the condition and position of the ignitor assembly. If none of this sounds familiar to you, get a gas supply company representative to check it for you (they often will inspect, and sometimes repair, for free; they want you to use gas because that's how they make $$).


Can I use coaxial cable for a 600' network extension? I'd like to extend internet service to an outbuilding that is 600+ft from my house.   The distance is heavily wooded, so I think a wireless solution is a non-starter (but correct me if I'm wrong).

This ethernet expander looks like it could do it. The description claims it can support 100 Mbps over 1000ft, using VDSL.  (I don't need the full 100Mbps, but would like to have at  least 20Mbps or so).

They also claim it works with "copper phone wire".   It turns out that I have a lead on a long-enough spool of coax, for cheap or free.   I'm wondering how it would work with this device ?    I realize I need to wire it to RJ45 connectors at each end.   I  would probably just lay the line along the forest floor (the way I do with low-voltage wiring for landscape lights) where it just gets naturally buried by leaves and such.

You can, but it's a VERY poor solution. You've crossed into my professional sphere of operations.

Also, if using coax, get extenders that are intended to work over coax - twisted pair and coax are quite different. Both types of converters are made.

Even if the mere thought terrifies the heck out of you, fiber is the sensible solution  to this problem. It should not be terrifying. I have done long connections (using various, often expensive, adapters and line extenders) on coax, twisted pair and fiber. All three technologies will do the distance with appropriate converters at the ends (speed won't be great on either of the copper solutions though - perhaps 30-40 Mbit in my experience at those distances. Less with crappier electronics.) Only one of them will work consistently in the real world where lighting happens - that one will also work at gigabit (1000Mbit) or faster speeds.

Been there, done that, have the burnt hardware to show for it. Fiber has permitted calm to prevail when thunderstorms visit.

In most cases, rather than getting a "fiber media converter" you will be better served and out less money for a gigabit (or 10 gigbit if you are really need-for-speedy) switch with SFP (SFP+ for 10 gig) slot or slots. Two low-cost switches, SFPs and 200 meters of pre-terminated fiber will probably cost less than a pair of copper line extenders - two factors - one a simple issue of scale - there's a limited market for copper line extenders, while there's a vast market for Ethernet switches, SFPs and fiber - the second is that there's some specialized electronic voodoo going on in a good line extender, while the fiber system is stock-simple. Getting paid for your voodoo in a small market makes for a high price tag.

As for wireless, how much chainsawing are you willing to do? You don't need a huge hole to get 5 GHz through at 600 feet - 5 feet wide and high will do. Technically, that big at the mid-point and less going to each end will do (google Fresnel zone if interested in the details.) Shooting through trees is iffy, but shooting through a hole in the trees is not. If TRYING to shoot through trees without clearing a hole, your odds improve at 900 MHz, but the equipment is less common and more expensive than 5 GHz stuff for point to point.

The cable should be bonded to the electrical ground at the service entrance of each building. This should help with, but does not consistently prevent, in my experience, damage from lighting-induced surges. If you get a direct strike, nothing really survives that, but that is not common. Fiber has the advantage of being completely electrically isolated, as well as being  much faster connection. It's the best network surge protection money can buy...

As for laying the cable (of whatever type) on the forest floor, good luck with that. Rodents with teeth... I'd strongly suggest looking for a possible 5 foot hole through the trees, and chainsaw half a dozen if needed to make it, rather than flaking cable on the ground. Try a bright light at one end and looking from the other end in the dark.


preparing bathroom wall for tiling I am planning to tile my bathroom wall and removed the old vanity and the old wall panels which partly covered the wall. But, the condition of the wall is not good and I wonder what is the best option to make the wall in a good condition. The photo of the wall is shown below.

I see two issues. The first issue is that the plastering in the painted area was poorly done -- the area is uneven. The second issue is that I am not sure whether I can directly attach the tiles to the part where the wall panels were attached (the brown part in the photos).

Given this wall condition, what would you recommend to make the wall smooth? The possible options I am considering are

(a) removing the old wall and attaching a new wall (if sanding or skimcoating is too much work)

(b) attaching a new wall over the old wall

(c) thoroughly sanding the plastered wall

(d) re-skimcoat the entire wall

This is my first job of tiling and any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

It is not uncommon to see tiles glued straight onto plaster or wallboard but it is not a good practice, IMO. Even if you were to pursue that method, you would have problems due to the glossy painted area (tiles won't stick) and the uneven areas (tiles won't lay flat).

I would recommend either taking down the entire wall surface and replacing it with tile backerboard (best), or scraping/sanding it as flat as possible and adding a layer of nice new flat backerboard (you could use the thinner 1/4" board in this case).

If this is an area that gets wet (shower/tub area), there are additional steps/considerations needed to ensure no future water damage.


How can I drive a screw with an impact drill? I bought a Bosch PSB 650 RE Impact Drill and I have some question about how to use it for driving screws. I know it's not its primary function but for a few screws here and there it should work. I have a magnetic adapter with a bit perfect for the screws, the drill has a variable speed control on the handle and by pressing the switch button deeper I increase the speed of rotation.

So here's my concern,

I tested with a screw, I pressed the switch button gently and it started to screw about half way then the screwing stopped, the drill sounded like it was spinning but it didn't had the power to insert the screw further. I pressed a little harder still the same, It sounded like it was turning but it didn't. To screw more I had to press harder on the handle to increase the speed and then it screwed all the way.

Is this a problem or this is how it should behave? Can the drill get damaged while it's working but not screwing cause it doesn't have enough power?

That is how it should work.  The drill is designed so that less pressure on the trigger means less power to the drill.  It could damage the driver if you were to keep it in that state of trying to turn and failing for an extremely extended period, but not if its momentary like you describe.

In short - good question but you're worrying too much. :)

Oh - yes - by the way - actually this is what it was designed for - exactly so.  It's designed to apply torque to bolts and screws and drill bits.


Suitability of flexible metallic conduit serving as ground EDIT:  The attached photo is the most easily accessible example of the conduit used in the entire house.  This shows the conduit attached to the garbage disposal with the previously mentioned 3/4 set screw connector.  Not shown is the wire contained inside.  However, the wire is just loose insulated conductors that have a fairly large amount of play and in some cases, slack where you can pull additional wire out of the conduit up to a point. It doesn't look to me like that would be possible with the conductors in an armored cable.

All of the outlets in our house test as being properly wired (i.e. include the presence of ground).  The house is wired with 12ga THHN pulled through flexible metal conduit.  However, ground conductors are not present anywhere. Thus, each jbox is grounded only by its connection to ground through the conduit.

My concern is, although there may be electrical continuity to ground via the flexible conduit, the electrical connection at each jbox must be rather poor since the conduit is physically connected only by a set screw.  Said another way, I really have to question the ability of the conduit to carry any significant fault currents.

I suppose if all the circuits in the house were on GFCI breakers, a crappy ground wouldn't be much of a safety issue since the ground could certainly carry enough current for the breaker to detect the current mismatch and trip.  Since that isn't the case, it seem to me that any path to ground needs to carry enough current to be able to trip a regular 20 amp breaker in a timely manner.

Are there any significant safety concerns with this method of grounding, and/or should I consider having ground conductors pulled or, I suppose, having the house rewired with new 12/2 (or 12/3 for the multi-wire branches)?

Re-pulling through installed flex is a nightmare. If you do, keep in mind that new-style dimers require a neutral. -EMT fittings? I'm guessing there's no red bushing either.

Flexible conduit used as ground? - InterNACHI Inspection Forum:

  "In general FMC or flexible metal conduit is limited to 6' in length when used as an EGC (equipment grounding conductor). Since this is an old installation it's likely grandfathered in, however by modern standards it's could be considered ungrounded even though all of the components of the system are metallic. Is the stuff in the photo actually FMC or is it old AC (BX) cable?"

  250.118

  (5) Listed flexible metal conduit meeting all the following conditions:

  a. The conduit is terminated in listed fittings.

  b. The circuit conductors contained in the conduit are protected by overcurrent devices rated at 20 amperes or less.

  c. The combined length of flexible metal conduit and flexible metallic tubing and liquidtight flexible metal conduit in the same ground return path does not exceed 1.8 m (6 ft). (does not include AC)

  d. Where used to connect equipment where flexibility is necessary after installation, an equipment grounding conductor shall be installed.

Non-Armored Cable flexible runs more than 6 feet need a ground wire.

said by nunya, at dslreports.com, +1'ed by Speedy Petey:

  Most BX is neither safe or acceptable for use as an equipment grounding conductor. Only BX which includes a bonding wire or bonding strip may be used as ground. Most "BX" style AC cable installed in the 30's-60's does not have the required strip.

  Using BX as a ground is extremely dangerous, because it is not a low impedance path to ground. Rather than clearing a fault, the spiral jacket (especially in places where it might have some corrosion) will heat up like a toaster element.
  I've witnessed this several times. The cable clamps in the original boxes also were not typically listed for use as a grounding electrode conductor.


What is the purpose of a sump pump? If you have a sump pump in your house/basement, does it mean you have (or potentially could have) a flooding problem?

Yes, generally you'll have a sump pump if the water table could reasonably rise to the level of the bottom of the basement.

The sump pump is most often used in combination with a drainage system around the foundation that directs water into a "sump pit".  The sump pump then pumps water out of the sump pit once it rises to a certain level.  If you have city sewer service, the water is usually pumped into the sewer system.  If not, it's usually just pumped up through a PVC pipe and out into the yard.


How do I open this light fixture? Please tell me how to open it up to change the light bulb.

This is my friends room and I am a million miles away to help her.

She said, she try to twist the plastic rim but to no avail.

I think there is clip or the white dome can be twisted out.

Please provide some instructions on how to remove it.

Click here to see original uncropped image

Really looks like mine.  Have someone to hold the metal surrounding in place while you turn the glass dome counter-clock wise for a quarter of a circle. The metal edge is in one piece and screwed to the electrical outlet.  I know this post has been online since 2 years, without any answers, although it has 406 views.  So I guess 406 persons do have that same fixture. I hope it help to next 406 persons...  and surely me in a couple of years when it will time to change the light bulb again and will have forget (again) how to do it...


Safe to use electrical tape on cracked microwave light socket? I recently purchased a house with an over-the-stove microwave and discovered the two lights under the microwave (above the range) were blown out. When I went to change the light bulbs, I found the light bulbs were gone but the bases were still in the sockets. The plastic covers for the sockets also were broken. After removing the hardware, taking out the metal light bulb bases from the sockets and looking up the replacement parts based on the microwave model number, I found the replacements sockets are like $84 each! (A new, same-model microwave is $300.)

https://www.midwestapplianceparts.com/5304424251-wci-p-frigidaire-light-socket
After getting the light bulb bases out of the sockets, I put in new 40W appliance bulbs, wrapped the sockets in electrical tape and re-installed everything. It works fine, but it does get hot, and I'm worried that the tape will melt if the lights are left on too long. Is that a legitimate concern? If it is, is there any way of fixing the sockets that I have? Or should I bite the bullet and buy new sockets? The microwave itself works fine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Instead of the tape (or on top of the tape) add a couple of nylon cable ties. Speaking of microwave bulbs, years ago my Kenmore microwave had a burned-out small halogen bulb that was integral to a similar base as yours - no threads, just glued in. No replacement was avaiIable. I broke away the bad bulb and soldered in a standard small halogen. Has worked well for years.


What’s the best way to connect my 3/4” gas line to my 3/8” grill hose? I just had a natural gas line installed in the outside wall of my house.   It has a valve and a female 3/4” connector.   My natural gas grill has a hose with a 3/8” connector.   How can I best connect these?

I saw silver male-to-male fittings going from 3/4” to 1/2”.  Big box stores didn’t have 3/4 to 3/8.  Is there such a thing?   An old guy at the store told me a need a bunch of black iron pipes strung together to achieve the reduction but couldn’t explain why.  He seemed dubious about a simple double threaded connector.   I’d rather not have 7” of lead pipe sticking straight out of the wall if I can avoid it.

My intent is to only have the gas on when using the grill and turn off the supply valve when the grill is not in use (ie most of the time)

Thoughts?

Here's the 3/4" connector (gas line) from the house w/valve:

Here's the threaded 3/8" connector for the hose on the grill:

Just found this from a company selling brewer's supplies:

The thread sizes match what I need but...  Does that mean it's OK to use for natural gas???  Doesn't mention what it's made from.  My existing connectors both seem to be brass.

I had the exact same size gas pipe connector and hose connector.
I ended up using one adapter.
I located it on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008E5CIMQ


Hillman "Deck Plus" lag screws I'm re-planking my deck and shoring up some of the substructure while I'm in there. The beams are side-mounted to the posts like this (from dca 6):

This is obviously non-ideal, but is impractical to replace. I'm spot-checking the existing lag bolts and am finding some surface rust (not bad after 30 years), so in an abundance of caution I'm going to replace them with new ones.

Galvanized is what appear to be recommended, with stainless steel being preferred if you have the budget. However, what about the Hillman Deck Plus lag line? The only information I can find on them is their own marketing material claiming they are 2x more corrosion resistant than galvanized. Is this legit? Or should I stick with Galvanized or stainless steel?

This video shows retrofit steel plate fasteners to strengthen the connections you have (at 3 min): connection of beam to post


Error code UE on Kenmore Elite Front Load Model 79641162410 Have a Kenmore Elite Front Load model 79641162410.   Throws error code UE every wash cycle.  Wash cycles take > 6 hours to complete with multiple manual re-balances required.

My first examination found nothing obviously wrong.  Washer is well maintained, clean, level, and draining properly.   The user is a non-profit animal shelter and their wash loads consist of large numbers of (really nasty) towels and blankets.   As such this washer is being used for heavier duty than it was really intended for, but its no different than washing a load of towels at home.  The washer should be able to do it.

I have scoured the internet for solutions and found that this is an extremely common problem but no one seems to have a clear solution. In particular the most common cause - too small of a wash load - clearly is not the problem in this particular case.    Also the problem began relatively recently.  The washer had given satisfactory service for 6 months after being bought used before it began having this problem.

I am considering that the problem could be with the balance weights or the shock absorbers.  Can anyone describe how the balance weight system works on this washer?  Are there any known cases of failure of the balance weights or shock absorbers?

Any known fixes to this problem?   Can anyone advise on the possibility of turning down the unbalance sensitivity to allow a bit more vibration before it attempts to re-balance?

Another possibility is the shipping bolts were not removed before operation.  From the Owner's Manual:

  To prevent internal damage during transport, the washer is equipped
  with four shipping bolts and plastic retainers.

  IMPORTANT:

  These shipping bolts and retainers MUST NOT be removed until just before moving the washer into its final position.
  These bolts and retainers MUST be removed before operating the washer.
  Failure to remove shipping bolts and retainers may cause severe vibration and noise, which can lead to permanent damage to the washer.


How to fix hose bib? I have four hoses at my house and they all failed over the winter and started flooding the house. I'm going to fix them one at a time.
I've unscrewed the first one and pulled out this:

I expected this piece to have a hole in it, but it seems solid. I don't have the slightest clue by what principle it opens and closes the flow of water.
I then cut a hole in the ceiling and found this:

The brick is about 2 feet away so I'm not really able to reach it. I would appreciate any advice on the steps I should take to fix this problem.
Edit: to answer the questions asked in the comments:
The hose was not attached. I live in Philadelphia and I believe it got below freezing, There is no insulation in that crawl space. There is no rupture in the stem. I'm not even sure where the water was coming from but I'll investigate by carefully turning the water on.
UPDATE: Video of the leak.
UPDATE 2: Managed to disconnect the pex and pull out the assembly. The following is a picture of the rupture. To me, it looks like they used type M copper, doesn't it? I thought that M was against code.

You are looking at a sillcock. The piece you removed goes into a larger pipe and the actual valve is at the end of the pipe, inside the house. When you turn on the water, the valve at the end opens up and water flows through the pipe and out.
You should be able to remove and replace the entire assembly simply by turning the outside spigot counterclockwise and getting one the same size. You might be able to get replacement parts from a plumbing supply store.
The below picture illustrates a normal spigot and then a sillcock installation.


How can i fix my wobbly table? I have finally entered the world of DIY and built a desk based on the design of a coffee table we bought. Unfortunately it wobbles from front to back as you are sitting at it to the extent I can't really work at it and am concerned I'll weaken it further. Think the issue is where the top of the legs are screwed horizontally into a horizontal piece that sits beneath and across the top boards and is screwed vertically up into these (I.e. the legs are not directly attached to the top boards). Would a diagonal support at each corner from the leg into the cross board help do you Think? Any suggestions much appreciated!!

Yes, put some panels or diagonal  bracing behind those end shelves.
eg: bottom of left rear leg to top of left front leg, and the same on the right.


Can you place a support header in the ceiling? I am opening up a pass-through in my home and, ideally, the pass-through would open up all the way to the ceiling.

It is a load bearing wall, so it will need a header. A contractor told me it is possible to put the header in the ceiling so the pass-through is open all the way to the ceiling.

This doesn't make sense to me. How would the header support the joists if it is in the ceiling? Is this actually possible?

A "flush beam" is on plane at the bottom with the joists it supports. The joists will typically be supported in one of two ways:

Using steel joist hangers attached to the beam:

source

By resting on the beam with an engineered bearing point protrusion, often consisting of a doubled 2x4 top chord or single upright top chord.

source


Locating HVAC Breaker To Replace Thermostat I'm looking to install a smart thermostat in a single family home built in 1997 (southern California). My issue is that I cant seem to locate the breaker for the HVAC equipment. I was only able to find a single panel for the house and there is a 50A 2-pole switch labeled 'A/C', but after shutting off that circuit I can still run the air conditioner and heater (I'm not 100% certain the air conditioner was still pumping out cold air as I didn't wait long enough, but there was a draft on the vents. When I ran the heater I could again feel the draft and smell the hot air). The only other 2-pole switches are labeled dryer and oven (30A and 20A respectively; and I'm inclined to believe them but I didn't test with those breakers switched off yet). I noticed there is a 'pullout disconnect' on the outdoor AC unit, but my understanding is that is just a manual disconnect for servicing and isn't meant to be a breaker for the circuit? (if you haven't noticed yet, I'm not all that knowledgeable when it comes to this stuff). There appears to be another panel located just under the gas meter (or as part of the gas meter) that's adjacent to the breaker panel, but it's locked (although the lock doesn't look official - I may just cut the lock to see what's behind the panel). I was hoping to avoid flipping the breakers blindly, and I'd be surprised if the HVAC equipment was running on one of the other breakers as they don't seem to have the capacity.

I'll mention that the thermostat wiring has a jumper between Rc and Rh (C, W, Y, and G all wired). I think there is a backup battery in the existing thermostat but my understanding is that all components will receive power from the transformer that's feeding Rh, which should correspond to a switch on the breaker (or is it universal that Rh is fed from the HVAC equipment running on a higher capacity circuit)? I'm guessing that's just a control circuit so it doesn't need to draw 240V@50A and so it's probably running through one of the smaller 1-pole breakers? Maybe the AC unit was disabled when I flipped the switch but the control circuit, fan and heater are running through different breakers? If this is the case, I'd only need to find the breaker responsible for Rh i.e. with Rh off, I can safely swap out the thermostat?

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

It looks like the large 50A 2-pole breaker does control the outside AC unit, but doesn't affect the heat or the fan. I ended up walking through the breakers to find a 15A 1-pole breaker that stopped the fan and shut off the thermostat. Thanks for the comments!


Can I add a junction box in my attic to ease congestion in a ceiling box? I have an existing ceiling junction box feeding a ceiling fan (with lights) that I'm replacing with a flush mount ceiling fan (no lights) and plan to add four recessed lights controlled by a separate switch.  The ceiling junction box currently has four 14/2 cables in it.  (One feeding power in, two taking power to ceiling junction boxes in adjacent rooms and one is the switch loop for the fan.)
I need to add a cable for another switch for the recessed lights so rather than cram a 5th cable in an already crowded box I was planning on installing an attic accessible junction box on the joist next to the existing box.  I'd move all the connections to this box (Power in, two cables feeding other boxes, new cable to the fan/recessed light switches.)
Assuming I use appropriate boxes, connectors, grounding, etc., are there any obvious flaws / concerns with this approach?

Assuming your attic is accessible via a persistent access panel, that's fine. There's no difference between that and, say, having a light and switch up there.
Just be sure to run the cables in such a way that they aren't prone to damage from foot traffic, and fasten (staple) to code (generally every four feet and within 12" of boxes).
That said, if your box is standard round and 2-1/8" deep you can have five cables coming in. You'd be at max with ten #14 wires, but with a little planning and careful laying-in it would fit.


Is there a safe and compliant way to run consumer UPS power through house wiring to an outlet? I would like to remove an existing cable from the breaker panel, that feeds a single home run outlet, and wire it to a consumer UPS that I will locate near the panel, through a junction box.
Questions:

To join the power cord from the UPS to the junction box can I put a NEMA 5-15 inlet on the box and use a consumer power cord?
Instead of a NEMA inlet (a) could I do it with an IEC C14 inlet?  (b) could I just insert a consumer power cord into the box with strain relief and splice wires inside the box?  This would all be on the surface near the breaker panel, nothing inside walls but also no conduits.
As a further optional step, if the junction box additionally is fed raw power and I add a switch to bypass the UPS, can I just switch the hot or must the neutrals be switched too?  The grounds?  I assume the UPS input and output grounds are bonded but I don't know about the neutrals.  The inlet hot would never be connected to the raw power hot, but is there still any unacceptable danger in this arrangement?

This question is instructive but the answers focus on the practicality of running new cable from room to room.  My situation is to use existing, to-code, wiring from the basement to the room, and adds the idea of switching to raw power.

Yes.
You can run an isolated electrical line, using normal in-wall wiring methods, from a single inlet to outlets.
The inlet will need to be in the NEMA family.  A C13 inlet won't cut it for at least 2 reasons off the top of my head: first it lacks the necessary ampacity, and second it is voltage-agnostic, and the inlet needs to be keyed to reject a power source of the wrong voltage.
As far as having a built-in switch, same rules apply as for a generator.  You must have exactly one neutral-ground bond in the entire system.  Not zero, not two. ("two" is its own special kind of 'bad').  If the power source bonds neutral and ground, then you must switch neutral.  If it does not, then you must not.
The best bet is to switch neutral, but not bond neutral around the switch - have the isolated circuit draw neutral only from the switch.  These types of switches are expensive, so I'd just do cord-and-plug myself.
You would never have a reason to switch safety ground.


How do I prevent water from getting in my landscape spotlight extension cord If I plug a two prong outdoor spotlight into a three prong grounded extension cord would water getting into the empty hole in the three prong cause the circuit to trip?

To answer your question, water getting into the ground terminal of your extension cord will not trip the GFCI. If water gets into that hole though, it will probably get into the hot or neutral slot and that will trip the GFCI. Get a light with a longer cord or use some of the power cords you see in stores at Christmas time (see below). most come with covers and although not meant for year round use, they usually are.


Can a ceiling fan brace/box be in direct contact with insulation? New work.

Installing a ceiling fan in unfinished basement room.

Can a ceiling fan brace/box be in direct contact with batt insulation? I know recessed light housings can't, unless they're IC rated.

The ceiling fan electrical box would not generate any heat in normal operation. It should be fine to have it in contact with insulating batts.


Slow water drainage, then air bubbles from shower drain I tried loads of things that may clear a blocked shower drain (store-bought liquids, vinegar+baking soda, running hot water through) over the past months, but the water still drains very slowly. After a minute of shower you would stand in 3-5cm of water.
When I remove the shower head and stick the tube in the drain (and turn on hot water on max strength), after like a minute or two I start to see air bubbles coming up and then after a while the water suddenly drains. Still, when I start showering again, the same old problem comes back.
Do you have any idea what could be the problem? Could it be that the blockage is somewhere further down the system (the apartment I rent is on the 4th floor)? Is it fixable by myself or need to call a professional?

There's a very good chance it's caused by a blockage from a lower unit. You could try running a snake down your shower drain to see if you could clear the obstruction. Other than that, since it's a rental let the landlord know about this as other units might be affected. He should be the one to call the professional, not you.


Cutting slots in delrin on table saw I have a table saw that can accommodate a 3/8" dado stack.

I need to cut 3/4" wide x 3/8" deep dados in a 3/4" thick delrin sheet. The table saw is the only tool I have that can really do something like that.

What kind of blades do I need and can I stack them?

It's a 10" blade at 5000 rpm, is that speed appropriate for cutting delrin? How fast should I feed it? I'm prepared to trim sloppy edges I just don't want the saw to bind.

Most (not all) dado sets run a bit smaller (you might use an 8" on a 10" saw)

You'll want to feed pretty fast to avoid melting.

This page suggests a sawing tooth speed of 1600-2600 feet per minute for Delrin (acetal homopolymer). That would require about a 2" diameter sawblade at 5000 RPM if my math is up to snuff. A 10" blade at 5000 RPM is 13,089 feet per minute. A 6" dado set (if you can find one to fit) is 7,853 FPM. 2" (which I've never seen in tablesaw blades, and most saws would not get above the table, I think) is 2,617 FPM.

You may want to find another method/tool.


How to fix cracked bathroom tiles? Only two of the tiles are cracked and one portion of grout chipping away (first picture). I think it's because the surface is uneven and poor cushioning. I know people would ideally rip open the whole thing and relevel and lay new tile, but I can't afford that right now. Is there a more economical way to fix this issue and prevent the tiles from cracking in the future?

Those two tiles have cracked edge to edge so they are probably done cracking and because of tile distancing, shouldn't affect the next ones. You could clean the tiles, and get some almond colored caulk and try to blend it into the cracks to help hide the cracks.
Did the tile installer leave any spare tiles for you?


How do I use a headboard intended to mount on a wall onto a bed frame instead? I bought a headboard online without realising that it does not have legs. It's just an carved wooden plank that has holes on the back for it to be hung on a wall. I live in an apartment and I do not want to drill holes into the wall for it and I can't seem to find a bracket and bed frame that would help me attach it to the bed frame instead. Does anyone have any leads to which kind of bed frame/bracket I could use for this?

(source)

You either screw it, or the legs you're going to add to it, to this (where it looks like a bracket on the end there).


How to Fill A Deep Driveway Crack? I have some deep but thin cracks in a driveway. (Pictures below).
I also have a trowl patch and crack filler bottle from Home Depot.
Which (if any) would be most appropriate for filling these cracks? (This driveway wasn't maintained for at least a decade, and sees occasional snow (it's on Long Island, NY)
Materials

Cracks:

Tree Root Causing Crack:

The shadow of the tree.
Your photo captures the shadow of the big tree next to your driveway. It is kind of artistic in that way.  You are interested in the crack but that crack is because of the tree and the presence of the tree is in the photo.  There is a big root right under the crack, lifting it up.
If you don't like the crack that root will need to go and that will take some doing.
I would like to see the tree.  There are beautiful trees in NY and I bet it is a wonder even though it has made a crack.   If you would add a picture of the tree I would appreciate it.


A.C. compressor fan not coming on It started with the thermostat not going in on only fan. That night i go to turn the AC on and the condenser fan wouldn't come on so I took a stick moved the blades and it started . i thought its the capacitor . a day latter the thermostat still won't go in fan on only but if turn the A.C. ON it comes through the vents so the fan turns on in a.c. but not fan on only.  but the compressor isn't coming on and I couldn't get it to start with a stick this time is it still the capacitor. compress isn't kicking on now either I have a package unit I think is a York but u cant just got look up model or serial numbers ...this Is what igot xyph1324adae model number serial number # (s)nob7420559
When I used a stick to turn the blades the other day everything worked now just the air Handel fan is running in A.C. model

The capacitor could be the culprit.
They tend to be rather cheap.
You might be able to remove it, take it to an HVAC store, present it to them, and they will find a match.

Bring your ac unit's serial/model number just in case.
But the sticker on the capacitor should be enough for them to figure it out.
The last one I had to buy cost me like $8.

Some voltmeters can read those capacitors and tell you what they read as, which you can then compare to the sticker.
But at the cheap price it usually cost for one of them, it is probably just as easy to replace it.

Keep in mind, usually, both the compressor and fan motors use the capacitor to start up. Considering you lost both of them, and they worked earlier with the push of the fan, I would think you are on the right path and it might indeed be the capacitor.

However, you could test the contactor too, by pulling out a volt meter, and turning on the system, or pressing the reset button if your contactor has one, and then measuring for voltage.

connect one test probe to a neutral or ground somewhere, and the other to the side of the contactor where the wires lead to your pump or motor etc.

If you are not getting power there either, contactors are also cheap (bought my last one for like $20), you could bring that with you to the HVAC store as well and have them sell you a new one.
Probably easy enough to do both, just to refresh some of the electrical components inside.

FYI, the thing in the left side of the pictures, that has writing on it but is upside down, (says Siemens on it), I believe that is your contactor.
one side says L1  - L2   , and the other side says T1  - T2

The T1 - T2 side of the contactor is where power should come out if the unit is turned on. The L1  - L2 side is usually always hot and comes from the breaker.

You should be able to touch a multimeter probe to the casing/ground, or neutral. and the other probe to the T1 or T2 connection on that contactor and get 120volts or something else.

If the thermostat is set to Cool and is "on" and there is no power at the contactor, but the thermostat seems to be working, I would think most likely your contactor went kaput as well.


What products will make installation of subway tile over laminate backsplash successful? I am updating my parents 1946 home (it has been remodeled & updated before but not kitchen counters) and want to change the look of original worn laminate counter & backsplash (bright yellow with tan and brown "boomerange" lines). I want to use new laminate on the surface of the counter (that should pose no problem) and put subway tile on the backsplash.  Everything I read says remove vertical laminate surface and replace with backerboard.  Problem is there is both a window (centered on length of backsplash) and a door that have molding covering the edge of the laminate. Molding is sure to be destroyed in the process (remember, 1946 wood) and this pattern of molding is no longer available (all the rest of the molding in house wouldn't match). So, I think since the backsplash will not be taking a lot of wear, it should be possible to just put up the tiles with some really good prep.  Question is, how, what products work best, is it feasible? I have spent hours online and have read both that it IS possible and that it is NOT possible.  Area to be covered is 8' long and only 14 1/2" high and is under wall cabinets.  Thanks for any input!

Hire a competent finish carpenter to remove the trim. Then proceed as "everything you read says" - remove laminate and apply backerboard. 1946 trim is probably better-quality wood than anything you can buy today, and it won't have been glued on with polyurethane either...


Replacing GFCI 120V with 125v? I've got a very old house, almost 200 years. I'd like to replace the outdated GFCI outlet in my bathroom with a new one. The current outlet is labeled 15A 120V.

I grabbed a new outlet from Home Depot at 15A 125V and wired it up exactly as the original was. After all was said and done, there was no power coming from the outlet, My guess is that there was not enough juice to reset the breaker inside.

I know this is an issue, when i purchased the house and requested GFCI outlets in the kitchen, the change wasn't made because we have a non standard electricity setup and TR outlets were put in instead. I've looked all over but can't find any 15A 120V GFCI outlets anywhere. Am I stuck with this one forever?

120v and 125v outlets are nominally identical. You must have something miswired, or you have a rare faulty unit. Be sure you have power connected to the LINE side. Manufacturers try to make that hard to do by mistake, but you know how us humans are.


What am I missing when blowing out water from my sprinkler system? I am trying to blow out my sprinkler lines and I put together an adapter to connect the air compressor to the faucet pictured below.  The air compressor was charged to 140PSI, and then I turned on a zone and opened the air compressor valve to 40PSI (into the faucet).  But as far as I could tell, nothing was happening as far as water getting discharged from the system.  It appeared that all of the air was flowing out of the pressure vacuum breaker.

The past couple of years I have hired someone to blow out the sprinkler lines and I know they attach to that faucet.  I also know that when they are clearing the water from the system the sprinkler heads popup and the water discharges from them.   So what am I doing wrong?

EDIT (2010-12-28):
I am not sure why I was not able to blow out the lines through the pressure vacuum breaker (I imagine it is not sealing correctly as said by @gregmac is his answer) so I ended up installing a new valve beyond the PVB which is where I attached the air compressor.

My guess would be that there is something wrong with the backflow preventer.

Most likely, the air inlet valve is not sealing properly. When pressurized from the side marked "normal flow" (which is where your tap is), it should open the check valve, and also force the air inlet valve shut.

It's probably a rubber gasket, and might be worn out and need to be replaced, or maybe something is physically holding it open. Try pushing on it to see if you can get it to close all the way. Some silicon grease around the gasket will help it form a good seal and prolong the life of the gasket.


How can I prevent my washing machine's drain hose from detaching from the pipe? We just moved into a new rental house, and have had some immediate problems with the washer.

Yesterday, during the 2nd load we'd run, the drain hose detached from the standpipe and unloaded the whole load's worth of water onto the floor. Here is a picture of what it was hooked into (not very pretty):

That's a bunch of duct tape attached to a PVC pipe.

I'm wondering how should I proceed in diagnosing and fixing what the problem is here.

Aren't you supposed to leave an air gap in this connection? It seems like the previous fixer tried to make it air-tight. Could that be the problem?

Or could it be blockage in the drain pipe that could cause some buildup of pressure? Or maybe the hose just...fell out? (Seems unlikely with all the duct tape)

Any ideas on how to diagnose what's happening and proceed would be greatly appreciated! It would be awesome to get back to washing our clothes.

Thanks!

It's possible that it just fell out.  Repeated heat/cool cycles plus the force of the water exiting the hose could have broken the bond to the duct tape.

The duct tape could be serving two purposes.

To hold the hose into the drain pipe.  Judging by the amount of tape this may not be the first time it has happened.
If there is no trap in the drain line, the duct tape could be a DIY attempt to block sewer gas from escaping.


Wiring a Sauna heater I was wondering about the correct way to wire a 240V sauna heater/thermostat in a sauna I have built.

From the heater I have a black, white, and bare wire. The black and white connect to separate terminals on the thermostat switch, the bare goes to the ground nut.

Under the house is a 120V/240V GFCI. From that I have a Black(hot), Red(hot), White(neutral), and bare wire. I figured I will connect one of each hot wires to the heater's black/white wires via the thermostat switch. The bare wire will go to the ground nut. I was wondering what happens with the white wire in this case?

I've read it is bad practice to tie the neutral to the ground so what do I do with it?

If your sauna heater is a 240 volt heater, you don't need the grounded (neutral) conductor. You can simply cap it off using a twist-on wire connector, or other approved means.


Name for wooden board that supports fascia, drip edge, soffit, and gutter? QUESTION

What is the name of the wooden beam that supports fascia, drip edge, soffit, and gutter?  The nomenclature is important because it is hard (if not impossible) to Google anything without knowing what it is called.

CONTEXT

A contractor has accepted gutter replacement, however, several wooden boards have begun rotting.  The beam must be replaced before installing the gutter.

I am trying to look up or estimate  the labor replacement cost per linear foot to replace said wooden beam in zip code 32084.  Ideally there would be a calculator for the exercise.

I am trying to gain a sense of what it costs to have a craftsman to perform the task, I may be inclined to DIY-it if the estimates are high enough.

I am new at this: any guidance, lessons-learned, pitfalls to avoid are appreciated.

Front of building:

Rear of building:

What you see exposed in that picture is the fascia board. There is usually a fascia cover board on most homes as well. However, your fascia is covered with siding. I would recommend determining what is actually causing the rot and repairing that first. I see a huge issue in your photos. Your shingle overhang is way too short in places. It appears that some places have no overhang at all. Your shingles need to hang at least 1/2"-3/4" past the drip edge. When shingles are not hanging past the drip edge, the water will simply run over and under the drip edge and into your fascia material below.


Trane heat pump compressor and outside fan do not start after being idle Trane 4dcy4060a  in heat mode,  after being idle for a while the thermostat calls for heat - the indoor fan starts but the compressor and outside fan do not.  initially  (a couple months ago) i could push on the contactor and the unit would run and keep running and the problem occurred maybe once or twice a week - mostly when the weather is 30 - 35.   recently the contactor would not stay closed - no voltage on the coil.  I determined that if i tap the high pressure cutoff switch the unit starts up and keeps running- until next time this happens.   It has become more frequent - and is now happening more frequently  - almost daily.  if I tap the high temp switch when it is not running it will run for maybe 15 seconds and stop; then tapping the high pressure switch starts it and it keeps running.  Is the problem the high pressure cutoff is faulty or could there be some other problem?  seems odd it would be open when the unit has been idle.

I think I know what is going on (mostly).  the unit was running hot and it sometimes tripped when it stopped he overpressure or had a pressure spike as it turned off which tripped it.  I suspect the switch does not untrip once the unit sits and the pressure drops. tapping the switch reset it.  The reason the unit was running hot is that over time a mold/moss/dust layer had grown over most of the air handler; this was plugging the gaps between the fins and severely reducing the heat transfer efficiency.   I cleaned this off 5 days ago and thus far have not had to tap the high pressure switch.  One thing I cannot explain is that in my initial troubleshooting tapping the high temperature cutoff switch also started the unit but it only ran about 15 seconds and shut down; then tapping high pressure switch would start it.


Philips Hue dimmer switch detailed manual I have bought a couple of Philips Hue white sets, including two dimmer switches, and started playing with them and various compatible apps. Normally, a dimmer indicates the command transfer by a green built-in LED. However, After some playing, I noticed that one of the dimmers occasionally shows a red light with the built-in LED. What does it mean? The Philips user manual only explains how to mount the dimmer to the wall.

P.S. Would be great if someone with high reputation could create a philips-hue tag.

Instead of a manual Philips Hue uses a web based trouble shooter. I can only imagine it's because of constant updates to their system. A printed manual would become obsolete in a matter of months. This is going to be a common trend as our world continues to go more and more online. https://www2.meethue.com/support They also have a YouTube channel with a set of instructional videos but I don't recall exactly what it was called.


Can I hang a swing from 2 by 8 roof beams? I have a deck where the roof overhang goes out about 5-6 feet. I'd like to hang a porch swing from the roof beams. I'm looking at three person swing (similar to this model). The adults in the house weigh approx 260 lbs, so I would expect a load of no more than 600-700 lbs in total. Image of beams below.

The roof overhang is built on 2x8 beams. I am thinking that I could drill aligned holes the length of the swing (plus a beam on either side), then put a metal pipe of some type through the holes and hang the swing from that. Is this a good idea, or am I at risk of damaging the roof beams? If so, any suggestions as to how to do this?

The problem with the pipe idea is that unless you're going to run it at an angle, you'd never be able to get a pipe through several consecutive rafters.

You may actually be OK with lag screws - a properly installed 3/8 lag screw  should provide an enormous amount of withdrawal resistance.  Here's a sample chart from Masco:1

I wouldn't be horribly concerned about the roof members, as long as you are attaching where they have full thickness and minimize the distance of the cantilever.

Your most likely points of failure are going to be the chains (see this answer), or the hardware on the swing itself. In general, working with rated fasteners installed they way they were intended to be used is a better idea than "winging it".

Note that I have no idea of the condition or construction quality of where you intend to hang your swing to, and I am not a structural engineer.

1 Not to be taken as a product endorsement or as representative of other similar products. You will always want to check the ratings of the hardware that you actually intend to install.


How to remove broken hinge which is stuck inside There is a broken hinge which is stuck:

To compare, a good hinge is removed easily like this:

I tried to remove broken hinge with a hammer, however it is stuck very firmly. Is there any method to remove the broken hinge? The rust makes removal harder.

That style of hinge is generally made from a pair of metal cups and a piece of round bar.

It definitely looks like a good candidate for heat. There will be damage done to the surrounding paint. Either warm the top piece with a torch, or cut the whole thing off and weld in a new hinge. It looks as if there's welding to be done there anyway to re-attach the hinge to the door.

If a torch isn't available but a welder is, and if you'd really rather not cut off the lower piece of hinge, then you could weld a couple beads up the exterior of the top portion and grind them off later. As an added bonus such beads might give better grip to the locking pliers you'd want to use to grab and twist the hot hinge.


Use of combination CAFCI and GFCI breakers instead of recepticles I am about to begin a project that will include one or two new circuit for outdoor lights and receptacles attached to the main building. I will probably installing a new home run line from the panel for this circuit.

Is there any reason not to use a combination CAFCI/GFCI breaker instead of specialized receptacles, other than price (which is fairly inconsequential for one or two circuits)?

If these breakers are used, am I free to use all standard receptacles downstream (with appropriate outdoor covers as applicable)?

There are no shared neutrals planned for these circuits.

Nuisance trips are generally easier to reset at a receptacle than in the breaker box.


How to cut glass mosaic tile that's already installed? I need extra outlets in my kitchen and in order to install a bigger junction box, I need to cut the glass tile that's already installed. Is it feasible and, if so, what's the most effective tool to use?

I would probably start with an oscillating tool equipped with a diamond-tipped blade.  That will allow you to make plunge cuts through the glass tile pretty easily:


Should you chemically treat wood that is outside and under a roof? My friend said yesterday that houses that are built with birch don't need to be chemically treated.

The wood what is now 50 years old has dark dots on the surface, but it seems to be strong. The wood is exposed to a litte water, since it is used only for those parts under the roof.

I have thought before that the wood would rot inside during such long periods of time. There may however be some fungi on the material, since the dark dots are very evident on the surface of the wood. Is it dangerous to build houses without chemically treated wood?

No it is not dangerous to build houses with treated wood.    However treated wood will need different braces and fasteners to prevent rust.  Also treated wood has a lower load rating than non treated.

Wood is chemically treated for moisture resistance or for fire prevention.  If your house doesn't have excessive moisture or fire issues it probably does not have chemically treated lumber.

Also the black dots you describe seems like Artillery fungus to me.  This is a very very slow moving fungus that makes its way through wood.  I don't think it matters if the wood was chemically treated or not.   If it were my house I would scrape the fungus off and clean the area.