What should I know before having bathroom fixtures installed? I recently removed the old towel rack in the bathroom (which was badly installed because it left huge holes inside and the rack was hanging and I had to literally tug it out, which took me ages!) and an old toilet roll paper holder. I filled up the holes with Selley's putty, sanded it and have painted both toilet and bathroom. Now I want to attach three fixtures: a rack, roll holder and a wooden rack above the toilet to hang a basket as a space saver. I am terrified it will not be drilled in properly and want some advice before I call a handyman. This way I can't be cheated out of $100 with a damaged wall and I know what is happening. Any advice would be good.

One wall is drywall with an external wall on the other side and the roll holder and rack need to be attached on drywall.

Sounds like you pulled out some butterfly anchors instead of unscrewing them, or even large molly type.

What I do in situations like this is to install a decorative BOARD behind the towel rack or toilet paper holder, on the surface of the drywall, which screws directly into studs. This can simply be a piece of 1X4 with routed or finished edges, or baseboard or crown molding in 3 inch or larger width, painted white or the wall color. If desired, continue around the room at a single height, making this look like a standard feature similar to the top of chair rail decoration.

Install this with screws long enough to reach into the studs behind the drywall, I typically use 3 inch long self drilling screws. If you don't want the screw heads to show, spackle over them or use caulk before painting. The baseboard or molding typically can be found in 3 inch or larger widths, cut to length as needed, providing enough room to install the racks or fixtures on it. The racks can then can screw into this. This eliminates any unsightly holes or bad patching that might be present, as the board goes right over them. Studs are typically 16 inches on center, use a stud finder to locate them. For the toilet paper holder, if the board is attached by screws into one stud firmly, and the other end is installed with butterfly anchors, it should never come off the wall.

The exception would be a block wall behind the drywall, which probably would have furring strips holding it up. You'd then be able to use a drill and concrete anchors with longer screws to hold up either the board, or the racks themselves.


Double oven lost all power including accessories New double oven is 4wire and manual allowed neutral and ground together for a 3 wire connection. Previous oven was installed using the same method. However the oven no longer turns on, including the lights. Wires were tested and are still “hot” I replaced the breaker (yes both are 40s). Connections are sound. I’m curious if issue can be the subpanel, which is fed with 3 wires and has the ground and neutrals bonded. I’ve read this can be an issue but also read it’s not an issue if the incoming line is 3 wire. Thoughts on possible causes?

The fourth wire (for both subpanel and oven) has everything to do with safety.  It will not impede an appliance from functioning.

What will break the appliance is certain wires breaking or losing contact.  Generally on ovens, the heaters are 240V (they use hot and hot) and the controls are 120V (they use one hot and neutral).  So when the controls go out, that calls into question one hot and neutral.

Losing one of the hots will only knock out the heating elements.

Losing the other hot will will cause everything to stop working if it is the particular hot that the 120V controls are using.  This is one of your possibilities.

Losing the neutral will cause everything to stop working.  (the heating elements could turn on if the controls worked, but the controls don't because they need neutral).   However, on a 3-wire oven, losing the neutral has a second problem: the controls are now seeking to return current via neutral, meaning they are "pulling neutral up to 120V".  That is a normal and harmless failure mode, except you bonded neutral and ground in the oven.  Which means this effect is also pulling the chassis of the oven to 120V, energizing it.  If you touch the oven and anything which is grounded, you will get shocked.  This is why we don't like 3-wire oven connections.

On the 3-wire subpanel, the same problem exists throughout the subpanel-served circuits.  If the neutral between subpanel and main panel has a problem, then similarly, it will light up every "ground" fed off the subpanel.  GFCI's can help reduce this risk.  But the most complete is retrofit a ground wire between main and subpanel, and then separate neutrals and grounds in the sub. (panel manufacturers sell separate ground bars, and you can detach neutral from the chassis of the panel).  Recent Electrical Codes have given very liberal permission to retrofit grounds.  You could also retrofit a ground to the oven and convert it to 4-wire.

So I would first start by checking loads on both poles of the subpanel. If one pole is good and the other bad, it is a bad hot wire before the subpanel.  If both sides have weird voltages (which add up to 240V) it's a bad neutral before the subpanel (dangerous!) If all other loads are good, then check hot and neutral connections both at the sub and at the oven. Be wary of the oven's chassis being potentially energized.


GFCI Did Not Trip - Outdoor Extension Cord Fell in Mud Outdoor GFCI with HD extension cord feeding Mosquito Magnet bug light (total load about 20W) fell to ground and was covered by water during storm.  Current proceeded to travel through side of cord socket/ receptacle and melted plastic body.  Eventually panel breaker tripped, but GFCI never did.
Thoughts???

GFCIs are not magic everything-fixers
It's like asking an ambulance crew "why didn't you arrest those graffiti artists?" "That's not what we do".
GFCIs do one specific task that is related to human safety, and they do it well.  They detect current leakage between the intended hot-neutral loop and anywhere else.  However they do nothing about any fault that stays inside the hot-neutral loop.
Hence their name, "Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor", which is ironic since they don't interact with ground at all.  It's presumed that the "anywhere else" must be ground.
Those other bailiwicks
It sounds like you had more of a "poor connection/arcing/overheat" problem.  That is more in the bailiwick of an AFCI.  (Arc Fault Circuit interruptor).  Those work by listening to the power line for that familiar "crinkle-crunch" sound of hooking up speakers with the amplifier turned on, or a shoddy headphone jack, etc.
You note also that the GFCI did not trip and the breaker did.  That's another thing GFCIs aren't.  Some people think if they put a 15A GFCI on a 20A circuit, they can extend from there with 15A wire and the GFCI will protect it. The opposite is true, 15A GFCIs are specifically rated for 20A pass-through. (because of a NEC technicality).


Is this a job for a crowbar? My home has these on all the basement windows. As a result, there's a significant hazard in case of fire.
From the pictures, are these just held in place by beefy nails.
Would a crowbar be the way to go to remove them or would it make more sense to just use a Dremel or saw to cut the bars off?
I suppose both could work, but I may be missing something.

I would say no don’t use a crowbar unless you are good at repairing/ replacing
brick work. I would grind the head off that or burn it off with a oxy-acetylene torch.
I have put anchors up and use a torch to make it look like a rivet. In doing this it makes the bolt impossible to pull without cutting the head off.
Expanding anchors are usually used so pulling may blow the bricks out then removal and replacement will be needed.
Those look like drive in anchors notice the pin in the center. Again grinding or cutting the head off is the only way to do it without the possibility of blowing the bricks out.


Is the drain cover in my shower sufficient? I bought a new house about a month ago. In the apartment that I moved from, I had a cheap rubber drain cover that seemed to work very well at preventing hair from getting into the drain, similar to this guy:

But the shower in my new house has a more permissive drain cover:

I'm pretty sure that more hair is going down the drain now than it was with the old solution, but hair still went down the drain with the old cover. I had a couple questions relating to this situation:

How worried should I be about hair going down the drain?
Should I replace the new drain cover, or add a secondary cover?
Will I just have to resign myself to unclogging the drain periodically irrespective of drain cover configuration?

Hair going down the drain is inevitable and no solution will completely prevent it.

Some drains can be replaced from above while others cannot. Unless you are having a chronic problem with clogging due to hair, I think you are making more work for yourself than necessary.  If you try to remove it and can't, or don't install the new one correctly you'll go from letting a bit of hair down the drain to a full-scale leak.

It's also not going to stop draining completely out of the blue; it will gradually start draining slower, so it's very unlikely that this will become an emergency one night.  I'd just wait and see. If you have a problem, then you'll obviously need to unclog it, otherwise, enjoy your shower and don't worry too much!


Can a 60" x 30" x 79" shower/tub fit through 36 door? I am looking at tub showers from Aquatic.  I don't see a lot of choices that offer shelves...but I am also budget shopping.  I found a couple I think I'd be happy with.

I'd like to get a one piece unit if it fits. I have standard 36" doors in my house.  I don't know for sure tub measurements but is the size the exterior dimension or interior?  I know 30" will fit through a 36" door barely unless the door is completely hinged 180 degrees and out of the opening.

They also offer the same model in 76" height and I don't understand what the difference in those 3 inches for height is all about?  Thanks!

Yes these should fit into any opening that is a half inch wider (tub measurements are for the outside).  However there are tubs that have a curvy outside shell or step-layers.  If your tub has something like this I would assume that extra width is not part of the tub width.  You can usually tell with a picture of the tub.

However we hardly ever bring tubs in via doors when doing a build.  We would simply just not nail in certain framing.  Then knock over the 2x4s, let the tub pass through (might do this for multiple walls and sometimes the only door we use is the front door), then nail up the framing after done.  This is just easier and keeps tub from being scratched up.


Repairing 1000W wall heater: Burnt cable, serious issue? European here. I'm repairing a simple 1000W wall heater (brand: BEHA) - about 10 years old. The heater itself is in good condition, but the thermostat panel (completely detachable) and its connections, less so. There is a power problem in which we have to wiggle the cables somewhat for it to power on. Taking a closer look, it seems one of the cables (the brown cable pictured below) has been having some heat issues. Notice the black, burnt color, and its oxidized (?) attachment.

My question; does this burnt cable suggest some serious issue, or is this normal for a 10 year old wall heater?

I'm suspecting it is causing the power problem, and plan to replace it and its attachment.

Thanks.

Looks to me like a simple poor termination. Pretty common unfortunately.

If you are replacing that harness (I also see damaged/nicked wire) then you should be fine considering the rest of the unit is in good shape.


Building a Swingset as a First Timer I’m planning on building swings for my kids according to this rough design that I came up with here.

Essentially it’s a very simple two posts, one crossbeam layout.  The posts of two 12 foot 4x6s on either side and one more 12 foot 4x6 across the top.  Side posts held together with two 2 foot sections of 4x6 anchored through all three pieces with two 12” 1/2 galvanized bolts.

Cross beam would sit on one of those two foot sections and in sandwiched between the two 12ft 4x6s on either side. ( Hope my description makes sense, I’ve included a crude drawing below which should help. )

My questions are.

1. Will the bolt plus support from the 2 foot sections of 4x6 that the cross beam will sit on be strong enough to support the beam and swinging children? Or do I need to consider notching?

2. With the design as calling for vertical posts, will that provide enough strength if I go down 3-4 feet with each of the side posts?

3. Any other tips for a first timer would be greatly appreciated!

4x6 is pretty rigid, and doubling them will help, you will need a deep footing though as there will be high repeated lateral forces on it.  3ft is probably not deep enough.

For this reason most swtngs have A-frame ends instead of plain verticals.


Framing an appliance opening in a load bearing wall? I bought a fridge that is much too deep (first time buying a new house/new appliances) and unfortunately the appliance place does not take exchanges or returns. I am considering recessing the fridge into the wall and framing a door would be practically what I would need to do. Everything is already finished including the cabinets that surround the fridge opening and I am hoping to not have to do anything too destructive. Working around/behind the cabinets would be ideal.

I've looked into putting door openings into load bearing walls and read about king studs/jack studs and their construction but am inexperienced in framing. I've also seen the charts on header size but just want to double check my numbers.

The fridge space is on the 1st floor of a 2 story home with a basement. The fridge would sit against an inner wall. The wall in question is framed by 2x6s and is one side of a set of stairs going to the second floor. The fridge is 36" wide. So if I am trying to figure out what I need to work with in terms of lumber and going of a building width of 36ft, I would need 2 2x8s for the header and 2 jack studs on each side of my span?

I understand I would also have to relocate the water line and outlet. Thanks in advance!

I see no problem with recessing this into the wall and if it gives you more fridge for the space, do it.

Things to think about:

Just overdo it.  Buy a 2x12 from big box, cut it into the three pieces you need, put two jack studs on each side and a king, 3 cripples on top.
I would try to keep the drywall on the other side
If you have electrical you should put it in armor to protect it.
If you have a water line, I would protect it up the wall to a point - lots of ways to do this.
Make sure your fridge will lay flat.  Since you are taking out a bottom plate, thinking that will be lower than floor.  You will have to fill this in with flooring or some other stable material that will not move when pushing fridge in our out.


What's the best kind of caulk that doesn't dry out or become tacky enough to gather dirt? I've used various caulks but have never found the magical one that neither dries out nor becomes sticky and tacky enough to attract dirt and dust. I know this stuff exists because all the caulked joints at a friend's house have this stuff, and it's amazing. It never dries out, but isn't tacky or sticky, so it isn't a dirt magnet. It's glassy smooth, yet pliable.

Anyone have an idea what this stuff is?

You must first look inside yourself, Grasshopper.

When is the time that which is still soft no longer welcomes the new into its grasp.

Come to me when you have the answer, and we will find peace within you.

Others have found the answer in GE Silicone II or similar.

Look to the  enormous orange beast to find samples on those backed with cardstock.

All in a family are similar. Yet families have the great range in size and color.

Seek, and you will find that which can satisfy your emptiness.


Match Paint Over Wall Repair I have an apartment with 5 rooms inside. I painted the whole studio five years ago. I didn't really use the room. I left the apartment closed. The paint on the wall now dried out, a little faded from the original color. Some parts are damaged but the whole studio still remains the same.

I've already fixed the damage and I'm finding it hard to match the paint to the existing color of the room. I don't want to repaint the whole studio. Do you know any way to do that?

Thank you for your time.

You may be able to have a paint store match if you bring them a chip of the existing color. I think it may need to be at least the the size of a quarter. I recommend calling first to verify.


How to replace difficult outside hose spigot handle? The outside of the house is vinyl siding. I have a hose spigot where it attaches to the pipe, that seam is below the vinyl siding. What's more, I can't get the screw off to remove the handle. It's an old brass spigot with a metal handle that looks like a wheel. I've tried using liquid wrench on it and tapping it, which didn't work. Using a torch to loosen it will not work as it's 2mm from the vinyl siding.

Anyone have any other ideas to replace the handle? The spigot works fine but the handle is broken. I have a new metal handle I just want to replace the hold handle.

Should I drill out the screw and replace it? What are the screw specs for the replacement screw?

Thank you.

EDIT: The screw for the spigot handle requires a flathead screwdriver. It must be ancient. House was built in the 1950s but I think the spigot is newer than that.

I also have an air compressor but no air tools for it. If that helps.

EDIT: Adding images of the outside spigot in question.

If you haven't stripped the screw head, they sell impact screw drivers for just such a situation. Like this one.

A tool like this allows you to strike the impact with a hammer while turning the screw. They use them for motorcycle cases with Phillips screws that otherwise would never come loose with hand pressure alone. It you could rent one for a few dollars it would save you some money.

Your next step is to drill out the screw and re-tap the faucet stem.

Good luck!


How to keep neutral silicone? So, I bought this neutral silicone tube to seal a couple of cracks. The tube of silicone is still half full. How do I store it?

Stick a deck or drywall screw in the hole.  Remove it from the applicator.

It will harden up.  When ready to use again, yank out the drywall screw.

Remember silicones have a finite shelf life of only a year, or maybe two if stored in ideal conditions. The worst thing you can possibly do to yourself is try to use a silicone sealant that is too old.  The problem isn't just it failing, but the huge mess of removing all of the faulty product so a new application has a chance!  Silicones are annoyingy hard to remove.

Because of this I am very shy about reusing old silicones unless I am very sure of their provenance.  It's not worth screwing up your project to save half of $5.


How can I increase deck board gap without removing the boards? My friends just bought a new house that has a deck that has gone mossy/moldy.  The sellers pressure washed the deck and replaced a few soft boards, but the real problem is that there isn’t enough gap between boards for good drainage

I’ve suggested lifting the deck boards and regapping them but with all of the other repairs to be made, my friend was considering running a circular saw down each gap and taking a little bit of wood off each board

Is there a shortcut way to do this?   I would think that a circular saw would leave a corner that’s more likely to split and splinter as it’s no longer rounded over, but a router would be a royal pain to keep straight the whole length of each board

I don’t even know if it’s nailed or screwed down, as it was buried in snow when I was last over there.  (I suspect it’d be easier to lift a nailed down deck than a screwed down one)

You could install three identical blades in your circular saw with the teeth staggered, then run that down the channel. The saw should follow the gap fairly well, but you'll want to brace the saw with a firm grip to prevent wobble and keep things looking very straight. This should get you about 5/16". Be sure to set the depth properly to avoid damaging your joists, and be aware of the increased tendency for kickback.

Find a roundover router bit with a small guide that just fits the gap, and run that down as well. If you're lucky you can just run once in each direction (this reduces fibrous texture with softwood). If the bit guide is too narrow you'll need to go both directions while in contact with each board.

I'd actually borrow or rent a random-orbit (plate style) floor sander and get things level beforehand. If the boards aren't perfectly flat with respect to each other your bullnose will vary quite a bit.


Is it allowed to connect 14 awg ground wire to 12 awg ground I have a 20 amp circuit and a 15 amp circuit coming together in a 2-gang box. I have to connect all the ground wires together. Is it ok that I am connecting 14 gauge wire to 12 gauge wire for the ground connections?

Assuming US here.

As long as there are both 12 gauge and 14 gauge grounds going back to the (same) electrical panel, that will be fine.  The reason for this, is that if something shorts out, it will take the "path of least resistance" to ground.  If there is at LEAST a 12 gauge and a 14 gauge path to ground, the 20 A and 15 A circuit will each have "big enough" paths to ground. (actually, now the path to ground is even bigger, assuming that the two circuits don't short at the same time).


Electrical wiring/grounding - continuity via metal junction box? Question about grounding in a metal junction box.

I have a 4x4 steel junction box, with 4 cables coming into it. 1 cable comes in from the main panel, 3 separate cables go out to 3 separate receptacles, for a total of 4 cables in the box. All cable is 14/2 NM-B.

I've got a bunch or Ideal In-Sure 4-port connectors that I've been using for various connections. (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ideal-34-Yellow-In-Sure-4-Port-Connector-100-Pack-30-1034P/202894312) They'll work fine for the 4 white wires and 4 black wires, but since I need to ground the box, I've got a total of 5 grounding wires that I need to connect (the 4 grounding wires coming into the box, plus the wire attached to the box's grounding screw).

So my question is this: Can I ground one of the grounding wires to the box via a grounding clip (which I happen to have a few of), and then connect the other 4 wires via the In-Sure connector? Is that sufficient for maintaining continuity? Does it satisfy NEC requirements?

Grounding wire from receptacle -> grounding clip -> body of junction box -> box's grounding screw -> (short) grounding wire -> In-Sure connector -> back to panel

The junction box is not in a location where rust should be an issue. And of course the grounding wire that I'll attach to the grounding clip will not be the one that's coming from the box's grounding screw.

[I know there are other ways I can properly ground everything, but ... well, I guess I'm just curious if this would code-compliant. If not, then I'll probably just twist all 5 wires together into a wire nut. I just don't like the fact that I can't see the quality of the connection within the wire nut, and I get suspicious when there are any more than 3 wires.]

There is nothing in Code that says that a metal box can't be part of the fault current path -- this is done all the time in systems that use AC, MCI-A, or metal conduit.  (Personally, I'd use a self-grounding receptacle to save the ground clip and pigtail for neatness' sake, even though it doesn't get scored against box fill.)

If you are curious, btw, look up NEC section 250.148.


How should I remove baking soda from my carpet? I had an issue with wet carpet in my room. I dried it using clothes and towels as much as I could but after that I put baking soda on it. Google seemed to suggest it was a good idea. I thought you could remove it easily by just vacumming it. But now i find the soda is actually stuck on the carpet. No matter how hard I try, it is impossible to vacumm it. I tried to use a a wooden comb or a scrub but it only had a mild effect. Can someone help me how I can remove this soda from the carpet. I live in rented accomodation so I am freaking out.

Someone said use vinegar with a cloth but I am scared now cos i dont wana complicate things further. thanks

If it's not vacuuming out, the issue may be with your vacuum. Check that the bag isn't full and that the brush doesn't need to be lowered for your carpet style.

If you're still having difficulty cleaning it, then I'd consider a carpet shampooing wet vac. They can be rented from a variety of stores and pull out a lot of dirt as they vacuum up the cleaning solution. They will leave the carpet damp so you'll want to avoid walking on it for a day if possible and circulate lots of air through the home to allow it to dry. I'd only do this after you have resolved any sources of other moisture in the carpet.


Gas line in contact with concrete - is this code compliant? I'm approaching the end of my initial builder warranty on my home and had a home inspection service come out and identify potential problems. One of the items identified is the natural gas line in this photo which serves an outdoor BBQ area. The gas line is inside the constructed cabinet for the BBQ.
The inspector identified that the gas line should not be in contact with the concrete and that the "duct" tape is not adequate. I assume the city building inspector would have noticed this if it was not to code but one can never be sure about such things. It's also possible the sub-contractor filled the concrete base after the gas line was inspected.
EDIT to respond to comment in an answer: It appears to be a carbon steel line but I don't know for sure. The area is protected from weather because it is in a cabinet built for a BBQ though I'm sure it could get wet under specific storm conditions.

I'm in Scottsdale, AZ and the home was completed in late 2019 and occupied in March, 2020.
I will report this to the builder as a warranty issue but wanted to know if this is or is not code compliant? Reference to the code either way would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: add additional photos of structure housing the gas line. The line is just inside and to the right of the access door:

Thanks

The only code I know around gas lines pertains to foundation walls/floor.   There it must be in a sleeve.   For this, it is certainly best practice (and actually easier to pour concrete with a sleeve).
This is really only an issue in your case if the gas line material is corrosive to water and may never be an issue at all if it is under something and never sees standing water.   What material is used for your lines?


Water tank and timer (UK) We recently moved into a small flat in the UK. For hot water we have an electric water tank with a main switch and electric timer:

I made the following experiments:

Main switch on / Timer on  – There is hot water
Main switch on / Timer off (by removing pins and setting manual mode to off) – There is hot water
Main switch off / Timer on – No hot water
Main switch off / Timer off – No hot water

It seems that the timer is not working or I don’t understand how it is supposed to work. We are on Economy 7 tariff (cheaper night energy) and I am looking for a ways to reduce our bill. For the first week with the hot water tank constantly on we had 84 kWh day energy. This seems a lot since we hadn’t yet used the electric heaters.

My questions are:

Is the electric timer supposed to work and the water to be heated
when the main switch is off?
Will it be more effective to keep the main switch always on (i.e.
the water tank constantly working, i guess it has a thermostat) or
it would be better to turn it on only for 2-3 hours per day?

Background on UK practice

In most detached houses in the UK, the hot water tank is primarily heated by hot-water from a gas or oil-fired boiler that also supplies heat to radiators for room heating. The boiler installation has it's own timer to control room-heating and hot-water. The electric immersion heater in the hot-water tank is only a backup system used when there is a problem with the (more cost-efficient) main boiler.

A thermostat on the hot-water tank is linked to the boiler timer and controls when the water is being heated to prevent wasting energy heating already hot water. The immersion heater isn't typically controlled by this thermostat. That's one reason why it is expensive to use.

Your home however may have a hot-water system that relies only on electric heating. In that case there would be no additional water connections to the hot-water tank for the heating coil - only a bottom infeed and top outfeed pipe.

Your timer

That timer looks suspiciously like a couple of plug in timers that I own. These are intended to be plugged into a normal 3-pin 13-amp power socket. It looks like some home-owner has rather crudely re-purposed the timer.

That sort of electro-mechanical timer needs constant power in order to keep time.

The pins go in two concentric rings of holes, one is an off ring and one is an on-ring
As the dial rotates, the inserted pin pass a switch and push it to either the on or to the off position. The override switch can be operated manually, but only when there isn't a pin at the switching position.

It might be one of these immersion-heater timers

I would remove this dangerous-looking lash-up (or pay an electrician to remove this) and install an appropriate timer designed for the purpose after reviewing the whole heating system and the need for thermostatic controls.


electrial with freezer outlet I have a default outlet that a small freezer is connected to. Everytime there is an electrial outage, my freezer defrosts. Is it possible to change to a regular outlet?

In my state having a freezer or refrigerator without a GFCI is acceptable in some states it is not.
There were some GFCI devices that required a reset with a power loss.
This is likely the problem.  A replacement GFCI receptacle would fix the problem (they were very unpopular for your exact problem).
A new GFCI usually only requires a reset when first powered up.
If you are in a state like Oregon that has an exception to the GFCI requirement for such cases I would install a non GFCI receptacle.
Make sure to turn the breaker off before replacing however you do it.


How can I find the square footage of an irregular driveway? I need to know the square footage of a long, curving private road with two irregularly shaped adjoining driveways.  I've printed out a bird's eye view of the property with Google, used the exact known dimensions of a house in the photo to establish the scale, then made measurements as best I can on the photo, which indicates the road total is about 6,000 square feet (the red box is about 235' wide and 300' tall):

Is some kind of online tool available that will give me a more accurate estimate?  For example, by outlining a region the tool will tell me the area?  Even a "pixel painting" program that lets me do a flood-fill then tells me the number of pixels used would work.

Approximately 9,800 square feet, assuming your drawing is accurate. I hastily colored in the image using MS Paint (not perfect, since JPG compression added a bunch of fuzzy grayscale values).

Then using MATLAB with the image processing toolbox:

width = 235; % establish scale parameters
height = 300;
img = imread('areatest.jpg'); % read image in
bwImg = im2bw(img,0.5); % convert from JPG to binary BW
% find black pixels, divide by total image area,
% and scale to square footage depicted in drawing:
dwArea = sum(sum(~bwImg))/numel(bwImg)*width*height;

You may be able to work this online, with the compile online website. However, I'm not sure if it can read in files from your hard drive.


How should I evaluate my central A/C to see if it's working properly? I was once told by a service tech that they evaluate how well the system is performing based on temperature difference between the the return and supply sides.  On our first really warm day (80 °F+), I measured the temperature in the supply duct at about 50 °F; at the time, the interior temp was about 78 °F, so the temperature drop was about 28 °F; the air coming off the compressor was about 105 °F.  Measurements were taken with an instant read thermometer, waiting for the reading to stabilize.

I don't have reason to believe that the system is not working correctly, but if it's moving toward needing servicing, I'd rather know sooner than later.

When the person you spoke to said to measure the "temperature difference between the return and supply sides". What they were talking about, is what's known as Delta T (of the evaporator).  It sounds like you took the first measurement in the proper place (or close to it), but not the second measurement.  The "supply side" refers to the air just after it passes through the evaporator, while "the return" is referring to the air going in to the evaporator.
You could also measure the Delta T of the condenser, but I'm not sure how useful that is. Simply measure the ambient air around the condensing unit, then measure the temperature of the air exiting the condensing unit.  The difference in these values is the Delta T of the condenser.
There are three values HVAC technicians typically use to evaluate a system. Superheat, subcooling, and the Delta T (of the evaporator).
Superheat
This is the number of degrees a vapor is above its saturation temperature (boiling point), at a particular pressure.
Calculate Superheat
To determine the superheat of a system:

Using a gauge, measure the pressure on the low side (suction) line.
Using a chart for the type of refrigerant, convert pressure to temperature [Saturation Temperature].
Using a thermometer, measure the temperature of the low side (suction) line [Line Temperature].
Calculate superheat [Line Temperature] - [Saturation Temperature]

At 75°F - 85°F ambient temperature, superheat should be 12-15°. Above 85°F ambient, superheat should be 8-12°. Check manufacturer documentation for recommended superheat values.
Superheat too high
If superheat is too high, it means that not enough coolant is entering the evaporator. This leads to poor refrigeration, and wasted energy.
Superheat too low
If superheat is too low, it means the evaporator is being flooded with coolant. This could lead to liquid refrigerant getting back to the compressor, which can be really bad.
Subcooling
This is when the liquid refrigerant is colder than the minimum temperature required to keep it from boiling.
Calculate Subcooling
To determine the subcooling of a system:

Using a gauge, measure the pressure on the high side (liquid) line.
Using a chart for the type of refrigerant, convert pressure to temperature [Saturation Temperature].
Using a thermometer, measure the temperature of the high side (liquid) line [Line Temperature].
Calculate subcooling [Saturation Temperature] - [Line Temperature]

Subcooling should typically be around 12-15°. Check manufacturers documentation for recommended subcooling.
Subcooling too high
If subcooling is too high, it means the condenser is flooded. This could lead to the compressor working too hard, and possibly being flooded with liquid refrigerant (which is really bad).
Subcooling too low
If subcooling is too low, the refrigerant can "flash" or boil before it reaches the evaporator. This will lead to the metering device not being able to properly meter the refrigerant, which leads to poor refrigeration.
Delta T
Knowing the change in temperature of the air moving through the evaporator can also be useful.
Calculate Delta T
To determine Delta T:

Measure the plenum air temperature about 12" from the evaporator.
Measure the return air temperature close to the unit.
Take the difference.

Typically, Delta T should be 15-18°F. Check manufacturers documentation for recommended Delta T range.
Delta T too low
This is usually caused by return air bypassing the coil. Make sure the evaporator is properly sealed to the unit. It can also be a symptom of low refrigerant, bad compressor valves, or a leaking reversing valve.
Delta T too high
This is commonly caused by low air flow across the coil. Make sure the filter is clean, and the fan is set to the proper speed (on multi-speed units).
Diagnosis using superheat and subcooling
Knowing only superheat, or subcooling is not enough. To figure out what's going on, you'll have to use both values.
High Superheat, Low Subcooling
This usually means the system is undercharged.
High Superheat, High Subcooling
This likely means there is a blockage in the system.
Low Superheat, High Subcooling
This usually means the system is overcharged.
Low Superheat, Low Subcooling
This usually means too much liquid is being fed to the evaporator. Likely a problem with the metering device.
All values are based on my current R22 system. Values may vary from system to system, always check manufacturer documentation.


Can I use lag bolts when mounting heavy shelf units through 2 layer drywall? First time posting here, as I haven't been able to find this specific question answered anywhere.

I'm a novice and halfway through a garage storage project, and just discovered that I have double-layer drywall, 1.25 inches of gypsum from surface-to-stud.  The wall-mounted shelf units I designed (now on their 3rd redesign) are 48" wide and heavy, built mostly with 2" x 10"s. I want them to be solid enough to support a few hundred lbs each.  The shelves are structurally solid, but I'm concerned about mounting them.

I planned to use 3/8" x 4" lag bolts to mount the cleats through the drywall into the stud.  4" bolt - 1.5" cleat - 0.5" (assumed)drywall would leave 2" threaded into the stud.  I'm concerned now that with the lag bolts basically unsupported through 1.25" of drywall between the cleat and the stud, the bolts may fail under enough weight.  I've researched shear-strength for lag bolts, but does that strength rating take into account an unsupported section in the middle of the bolt?

The wall is framed with standard 16" spacing between studs, and the house was built in 2006.  The highest shelf will be 70" off the ground, and the garage ceiling is 14' high.  I'm hesitant to use lag bolts any thicker than 3/8" for the sake of not chewing through a third of the width of the studs.

I'm necro posting this only because it's a top result in Google, but contains an important misunderstanding about how connectors such as screws and bolts are designed to work. There is some important information missing.

Imagine a 2x10 laying on the ground.
Beneath the 2x10 is some drywall.
Six large men, each 200lbs, are standing on the 2x10.
Your task is to push the 2x10 width-wise across the floor, with 1,200 pounds pressing it down into the drywall.

The six large men are the lag screws.  Torquing the bolts down presses the wood against the drywall.  That's what primarily prevents it from the sliding down the wall. Not the bending strength of the fastener, but friction between the wood and the wall, caused by the fasteners pressing the wood into the wall.

Returning to the 2x10 on the floor image, consider if there were 8 layers of drywall on the floor, then the wood and 1200 pounds pressing the wood down.  It's easy to see that the drywall thickness doesn't matter.  What matters is the pressure of the fastener pressing the wood against the wall.


what impact tools are needed for subfloor in the basement? I would like to know if there are any impact tools that I need to make the subfloor permanent or stable to avoid sound later. I don't want to use DRIcore for this matter.

I helped finish a basement 2 years ago with what I thought was the best carpeted floor I have walked on.

Steps

Make sure floor is flat.  It doesn't have to be perfectly flat but pretty close.  Level doesn't matter that much.  A slight pitch to basement drain is fine.  Do not level this pitch.  You should be "leveling" things because of buckling, big cracks, "steps"...
Lay down 1" rigid foam sheets - the bigger the better.
Tape the seams.
3/4 inch playwood on top of foam - the bigger the better.  Lay it staggered so there isn't a giant seam.
Predrill about 8 holes in each piece of plywood (3-2-3).
Predrill 1/4" countersink holes - tapcon screw won't sink on their own.
Drill tapcon screws into concrete floor.  The screws should be about 3 inches long - 1" foam + 3/4" plywook + 1" in the concrete (1/4" for misc gapping) - you can use 2 3/4 if you want too.  I would not go longer than 3 inches though - you do not want to have issues screwing these in.  The depth is just to keep the plywood flat not to keep it from moving.  Laying the sheets right next to each other should do that.

You can lay carpet or engineered hardwood on this.  Provides a thermal break, a way for water to escape, and is virtually noise free.  Some people will say you don need the tapcon screws.  You do.  I have personally seen a short period of moisture make 3/4" plywood curl up in a basement after it has been down for years.


Can I replace a 15 ampere circuit breaker with a 20 ampere breaker? When I plug-in a conventional heating pad or a hair dryer into any bedroom duplex, the lights dim; and/or trips the circuit breaker. The home is of new construction-- placed in service 31 Dec 2013. My question is: Can I safely replace the existing 15 AMP Breaker with that of a 20 AMP? . . . the service cable is of 14 Gauge Copper Conductor.

No!

The only safe way to increase the circuit's capacity is by replacing the wire with one of adequate gauge.  For 20 amps, 12 AWG copper is adequate for up to about 100 feet.

If you simply replace the breaker, the wire can overheat and ignite the building from inside the walls.

To resolve the dimming issue, check that the outlet is in good condition and that the wires are securely fastened and not showing any signs of overheating:  blackening or loss of the copper shininess.  Also, check the end of the wire inside the service panel, both neutral and "hot" (black) wire.  If those are okay, set the appliances to a lower wattage setting or replace them with lower wattage models.


Can I use the built in vacuum system for ventilation I have an old house which has been updated but it doesn't have great ventilation in the finished basement and often smells a bit musty and damp

There are no leaks and the drainage system has recently been updated

I have used a dehumidifier and that helped

I have considered getting a hunidex system
Or putting in an hvac but that would mean holes and ducts and dust

Then I renembered we have a built in vacuum which had openings on every floor and which we never use

How about taking the central vacuum out and just replacing it with a system to gently suck out air which I could then pump out through a pipe out if the house

Does that make sense ?
Does such a device exist ?

Thanks +++ for any advice

Taking air out of the house like that would mean getting more fresh air into the house. A little would be good. A lot could result in drafts in strange places as the air would come in from wherever it can. The effect would likely be uneven as some areas, perhaps with leaky doors/windows, would get a lot of fresh air and others would get almost none.

In addition, the air coming in would be as hot/cold and humid as the outside. That would help feel less musty but not necessarily less damp or feel "good".

A quick search finds that central vacuum typically uses 2" ductwork where HVAC typically 6" or larger. That being said, perhaps an inventive HVAC tech. could come up with a solution to use the central vacuum ductwork for an HVAC system. Or possibly a mixture - use traditional HVAC ductwork for the easiest runs (and/or the rooms that need it the most, like the kitchen) and use the central vacuum ductwork for the rest.


What can I fill my deck beam trench with to prevent standing water? I am in the process of building a multi level deck where the second level would be low to grade.
As such, i had to dig some trenches (about 10-12" deep) as part of the beams will be below grade.
My issue is that since the ground is full of clay, this will cause a drainage issue within the trench whenever there is hard rain (see attached picture).
What can I fill this trench with to prevent standing water as well as not impact the beams from any heaving?

You will need to dig these trenches deep enough so that the supports for your deck are situated BELOW the frost line for your area.  No amount of fill or drainage will be sufficient since it's the freezing of the moisture in the ground that causes frost heave.
Get in touch with your local building codes department and get their specifications for how deep things should be in your area.
I'm also not clear what you're doing here with this trench.  Generally decks are supported by piers which would be a lot less excavation than what you're doing.
If you actually intend the beams for your deck to be below grade, I think you're going to have issues.  You should probably rethink your plans here if it's not possible to excavate the area and grade it so that water drains away from the area.


What type of hardware was used for these fence gates? I would like to build a gate like the ones below. What hardware do I have to buy for this?

First one is a small pipe inside a large pipe, perhaps with some actual bearings, perhaps not.

Second one is just hinges mounted at the corner of the wooden post.


How can we get maximum life of a water well? If we found a water well, how can we get the life time of a water well. Is it possible, I could not found the answer on internet search.

Since you are asking about a very old well in your comment , how long can a well last? There are water wells still in use today from biblical times.
If they are deep enough and have not been contaminated by surface water or things being dumped in them the well will last as long as there is water.
You would want to have a sample tested to make sure the water is safe to drink but if the water is good I would use it without question.


How should I reinforce this slide from my deck? I recently bought a house that has an attached deck in fairly poor shape, so I will be replacing it in the next year or so. Until then, my children want to play on a spiral slide that is attached to the deck, but it wobbles quite a bit as they move around on it.
I want to replace the two 2x4 posts at the bottom exit, which should improve stability a little; but it seems some kind of post or pole supporting the second turn would help also and be fairly easy to bury and then attach to the bolts that hold the slide together.
What's a cost-effective way to do this? I searched for spiral slide supports from playground equipment suppliers but couldn't find anything that looks like it would work here.

I would build a simple landing for the slide exit, either behind or in front of the exit face. The platform should be staked into the ground at multiple points to prevent shifting. By securing the slide exit most movement will be eliminated.
The problem with your mid-point post strategy is that it's difficult to make such a post laterally rigid. Ground is soft (even with a concrete base), and posts flex as well. You might end up with a rather unpleasant twitch rather than a gentle jiggle by eliminating just part of the movement. A better strategy would be to triangulate to the deck rim using rigid poles, but I just don't think it's necessary.


Hot and Neutral on Same Circuit Breaker I just installed a new GFCI and it keeps shutting off even though I connected it properly.
I traced the wires and found that the neutral was connected to the same Circuit Breaker as the hot. WHY? And how can I fix this so my GFCI will work?

You'll need a 20A GFCI breaker for this

What you are looking at there is a 240V circuit on a two-pole breaker; both the black and white wires are hots, but from opposite legs of your service (one pulls one way, the other pulls the other way), which is why connecting them both to the LINE HOT on the GFCI receptacle tripped the breaker (as it should have, to stop the game of electrical tug-of-war you inadvertently created).

As a result, you can't use a GFCI receptacle on this circuit at all, as 240V GFCI receptacles simply are not made; instead, you need to use the correct GFCI circuit breaker for your panel to provide protection to a regular (non-GFCI) 240V receptacle of the correct configuration (and a Sharpie, black electrical tape, or the likes to remark that white wire in your picture as a hot wire).

And by the way, the correct receptacle for your application is a NEMA 6-20T; if the receptacle there already wasn't a NEMA 6, it'll need to be replaced with one, lest you leave a 240V boobytrap for the next poor bloke who has to service this circuit!


How to insulate register boot? The county inspector dinged me on a couple of things for my bonus room renovation.  One of these things is wrapping the register boots (endpoints) in insulation.  I've seen registers with this insulation already installed, but he mentions that batted insulation is fine.  The reason for this is to supposedly reduce the condensation leaking outside the boot and onto the wooden frame, joist, and sheetrock.  Any idea what you folks do to accomplish this?  I have some old R-6 flex duct insulation and some foil tape and was planning to wrap the batt around the boot and tape it up with foil tape.

You're thinking about this too much. The goal is to reduce air contact with the metal. Simply get yourself some R-11 or R-13 fiberglass batts and pack the joist or ceiling space loosely around each vent component. Condensation is greatly reduced by doing so, and your obligation is fulfilled.


How to connect 2 hot wire to a 2 pole MCB? how can i connect 2 hot wires to a 2 pole MCB? What is the output of 2 pole MCB ? Will it be the same as 2 hot wire output or can connect to a LIVE and NEUTRAL terminal?

The output of an MCB is indicated by voltmeter testing.  I'm serious.  That's what Code says, you're not allowed to guess at voltages, you must measure.  Because a MCB goes into a panelboard aka loadcenter aka service panel, and the voltage depends on how it is wired.

I'm planning to install a 2-pole Square D QO panel next week where one pole will be neutral because of a peculiar requirement.

Europeans in North America, or anything having to do with the Philippines, is likely to have this issue as well, and it will vary depending on where you are in the Philippines.  That is one place you cannot make assumptions.


Cheater vent from Behind Toilet I would like to place a cheater vent (aav) behind the toilet. I just want to make sure this arrangement will work properly. Most of the vented toilet arrangements I see show the vent being downstream of the toilet. The Main toilet drain is actually 30 deg. from the toilet to meet the main waste drain in that direction. Is this arrangement ok? Or should I wait till the toilet drain crosses under the adjacent wall and run the vent there. That would have the toilet working without a vent for about 4'.

I will have a box with a vent that is accessible from the wall inside the bathroom. The vent wont be enclosed with in the wall. I want to be able to perform maintenance on the valve if required. Sorry, I didn't draw that part of the system.

AAV’s are legal in my location but they cannot be used inside walls. I usually put one in the sink cabinet as high up as I can get it that works fof the sink shower quite well and ok for the toilet.


Is this a well constructed roof? Just took a closer look at the ridge of my roof and noticed that the angle between the ridge and virtually all the rafters is quite sloppy. Is that a problem is that the way these joints are supposed to look?

These gaps are a normal occurrence when the framing dries out after cutting and setting in place.

As long as the rafter is tight at the top, you should have no concerns.


Electrical circuit breakers, how do I check I had a 15 Amp GFIC/AFIC circuit breaker replaced. Everything is wired correctly. How do I test that the new one is not defective ? Lights still don't work.

The only accurate test for a GFCI or AFCI is the built in test button on the breaker/device.

Anything else is convenient, but not completely accurate.

I have a suspicion that the circuit didn't work so you simply replaced the breaker, without troubleshooting to see if that was the actual problem. Most likely you have a problem with the circuit wiring or devices.


Is it acceptable to remove some of the metal box enclosure for the electrical breakers? A contractor removed the FRONT of the metal box encasing the circuit breakers. He started building a floor to ceiling wood enclosure (plywood in front), with a cut-out to reach the breakers.  I don't know what he intended to cover the opening with. Surely the front of the metal box cannot fit there - ?

What I originally asked:  Isn't this against code?  From what I can find (not the actual code), I understand the metal enclosure is for safety (to contain sparking) and because the door must be fire rated. And I don't know where the grounding wire would otherwise go.

Now I'm understanding from the answer received that the front of the box must be put back on to meet NEC code. I also found NFPA codes - beginning at 408.30 for electrical panels.

So this enclosure thing is not going to work, right?

The National Electrical Code is the reference in most of North America.  It's a reference but let's read it front-to-back anyway.
Let's skip the formalities: Cover... disclaimers... index... credits...  Article 90 is about applicability (it applies to you)... Article 100 definitions... Ah. The meat starts at Article 110..
We immediately hit all this in the first half-page.

ARTICLE 110   --  Requirements for Electrical Installations
110.2 Approval. The conductors and equipment required or permitted by this Code shall be acceptable only if approved.
110.3(B) Installation and Use.  Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling.

This item was tested by Underwriter's Laboratories (UL).  The manufacturer submitted instructions for how the equipment is to be used, and UL safety-tested it in those conditions only.  They tested it for fire safety, performance and product safety.  As such, uses beyond the instructions are illegal.
That's the answer. You cannot alter an electrical panel unless the instructions tell you to.
There's another rule that says you can't cover up electrical junction boxes, by the way -- that's another specialty of interior designers incompetent in their craft.
The real problem here
The incompetent designer is nothing but the symptom of a core problem today.
The latest fad is to eradicate all utility space.  Utility spaces are seen as dirty or undesired, as if it's shameful to admit that your house actually does run on electricity.
These utility spaces are for your house to work.  That "unsightly" unfinished basement is what makes it possible for you (via your electrician or plumber) to fix a problem in an hour instead of spending a day busting up drywall and praying you're not busting up the wrong stuff for no reason, then having to re-drywall and repaint (and the paint aged so it no longer matches, so now you have to repaint the whole room).
Paying an electrician to patch drywall is like paying a lawyer to cut hair.
I lived in old Victorians.  There, hard plumbing to the tub was an afterthought.  The Victorians didn't trust it, so they made a "hatch" for easy access to the spigot and valves (later, mixer and diverter).  The hatch is tastefully trimmed in the Victorian way.  This makes changing the entire spigot/mixer/diverter a 30 minute job.  Now, some interior designer, eager to come up with easy ways to justify his fee, would say "get rid of that useless cabinet-to-nowhere". Sure. And now changing the spigot is so hard that you can't do it prophylactically anymore as a $50 "test fix".
Were the Victorians opposed to "gussying up"?  One guess.

I gotta fever, and the only prescription is more gingerbread!
The Victorians had panache, and still respected the value of utility space. You should hire a designer who can too.


Replacing a ceiling fan with light kit on 3-way circuit How do I wire a replacement ceiling fan on a 3-way circuit? I have four supply wires; red, white, black and ground. Do I just hook it up the way the old fan was wired or is there any rewiring i need to do in the fan itself? The old fan was wired; ground to ground, black to black, white to white and red to blue.
The wall switches are two 3-way switches with the fan in the middle. The switches supply power to the fan then you control the light and fan with the pull strings on the fan itself.
Thanks for any help!

Black is fan , red is light. In other words.,black to black ., red to blue, white to white, ground/bare to green. it will still be a three way and use pull chains individually when power is supplied to the fan.


Canexel warping - How to evaluate the risk, cost of maintenance and cost of replacement? Here's the situation, we are interested into buying this home for our new family but there seems to be an issue with the siding. It's hard for me to evaluate the risk of it. I mean, should I negotiate down the price with the sellers? Does this hide something I'd better assert before buying? Is this normal?:

In other words, what would be your course of action base on those photos? The house has been built in 2003. The only thing i'm sure of is that I'll need to redo the sealing (this is fine by me).

Thanks

I think Canexel is something that's only available in Canada, so I cannot speak to the siding itself. Also (being from the states) I don't know much about the process of purchasing a home up there either. But here's what I would do if I were buying this home. It looks to me like the siding was laid over furring strips, and the installer probably cheaped out and didn't lay the proper number of strips down to prevent overlap or warping. Laying furring strips is a common practice here in the US under siding (typically vinyl which has a lot more flex - less so over hardie or wood because those are easier to offset for the most part). Since this is a purchase I would have the current homeowner repair before signing. It's common in the US to have repairs done as part of negotiating the contract. Again, I don't know what Canexel is so that material may factor into it as well. Best of luck!


Electric box for kitchen island cabinets What kind of electrical box can be used in a kitchen island cabinet for a single duplex receptacle, where there is no structural members to attach an electrical box to? Here is a picture of the old box that was there, but I cannot find this kind of box anywhere. The box was inserted from the outside of the cabinet into a very precise sized hole, and the metal bracket attached via a screw in the center put pressure against the inside of the cabinet to keep the box in place.

The cabinet now has an outer panel attached to it (seen below from overhead with the drawer pulled out of the way, white is the panel, brown is the cabinet wall) and so the cabinet wall is thicker, about 1 3/8":

What sort of electrical box can I use to replace the old box given the thickness and the lack of structural support? It needs to be able to clamp FMC. Single 12-2 cable.

The box in your picture is called an "old work box". They still manufacture similar boxes, and they also make old work boxes with even more robust attachment methods. link to one of the many manufacturers. Link to old work bracket.


How to fix a leaking faucet aerator I removed the aerator on my kitchen faucet and attached a hose for a time and cleaned the aerator.  Now I cannot get the original one to screw back into the place without it leaking (well spraying mostly).  Any suggestions on ways or tools to get an aerator firmly back in place?

Is there any chance you've cross-threaded it?  If you're sure it's not cross-threaded, then I'd check for a missing washer or O-ring.  It may have blown out of the aerator when you were backflushing it with the hose.


What eats all the electrons -- or -- understanding household power consumption In January, our electric bill shows 1685 kWh. In February, 1259 kWh.

The bill shows usage back a year, it does seem as if heating season consumes a lot more power than the rest of the year, in spite of our central AC.

Heat is oil-fired hot water, has 5 zones, one of which is just pushing water to heat the hot-water tank next to the furnace. Could there be a problem with a pump?

Almost none of the lighting is incandescent, it's a mixture of CF and LED. Ovens in kitchen are electric. I don't run a woodshop, or a printing press, or and other electric machinery of note. And I don't bake that much.

How could I go about learning something about what's consuming power? We probably used more of the heating system in January (it was cold, and we were home with an injured member of the household) -- but still, even 'usual' level seems high.

What I did was contact my electricity supply and said "send me one of those energy monitor thingies free pronto"

Some months later it arrived.

I clipped the wireless current sensor around the main line/hot between meter and main-panel (consumer unit), inserted some batteries into the wireless transmitter and I was then able to see on the receiver/display unit how the power changed as I turned various things on and off.

This particular unit display current usage and lets you look at averages for prior days/weeks/months but if you actually want to spend your own hard-earned money, you can buy energy monitors you can plug into a PC and do data logging, graphing etc.


How can I remove the wires from this lamp holder? The wire on my lamp is too short, so I'm trying to replace it. The fitting/fixture (what's the correct term?) however doesn't play nice: I can't see the correct way to remove the old wire (and still be able to insert the new one).

I'm not seeing any screws at all, so it must be some sort of clip thing. I'm not too comfortable applying too much pressure to the plastic, as it might bend/break, before I know I have the correct point to insert my screwdriver.

Some shots (I can provide more obviously):

I think I found the mechanism: There's a small hole to insert a screwdriver or something, which kinda keeps the wire in place. One of the wires required a bit more force then the other, that's why I was confused, but this seems to do the trick:


What should I do with a double gang box if I no longer need two separate switches? We're relocating our TV to a side of our living room that has a power outlet controlled by a wall switch.  The switch is part of a double gang box (1 switch controls the porch light, the other controls the outlet). I don't want people to accidentally turn off the electronics if they hit the wrong switch but I'm not sure what the right method would be to address this.  It's a trivial issue so I'd like to avoid spending too much time on it.

What are the recommended options here?

I'm surprised that the switch controls the entire outlet -- generally in that setup (in North America at least), the switch only controls one plug, and the other plug is constant power. In that case of course, the answer is to use a power bar. It may even be worth checking in the plug to see if there is constant power available. You may be able to fix the wiring to work as I've described.

If you can't fix the problem at the plug, then remove the switch, connect the wires together with a wire nut, and then install a duplex faceplate with a blank. The only way I know of to do this is to use the "decora" style blanks, and then either a duplex decora plate, or a combination toggle/decora plate.


Is there a replacement mailbox lock that is more pry-resistant? The communal curbside mailboxes at my townhouse frequently are pried open. (The unit is a Salsbury Industries, Aluminum 3504ASU Surface Mounted Vertical Mailbox with 4 Doors and USPS Access).
I know the lock on my personal box can be replaced, as I replaced it after an earlier pry-open damaged the latch.
Is there a type of latch that is more resistant to prying that could be swapped in? Or is the problem the metal of the door being too flexible? There are tons of supposedly more secure boxes available online, but I'm hoping for a fix that could be applied individually, and it seems that would mean reinforcing the door or improving the lock.

I believe you're going to find that the lock itself is not the weak link in this mailbox product.  The doors are thin Aluminum and I believe are easily pried open with a standard screwdriver or similar tool.  You can replace the lock with a high-security version if there is such a product available for this model, and you still will not solve the problem.
I have a couple of suggestions, however:

There are higher security mailbox systems available from numerous vendors.  These are more expensive that what you have but having your mail stolen can also be quite expensive.  So replace the current flimsy unit with a better one to discourage opportunistic theft.
Relocating to a more visible location, adding lighting, enclosing the mailboxes in a structure that only residents and the USPS have access to might be helpful.


faucet (grohe arden?) leak. how do i remove the handle, get to the O ring Got a 2 handle bathroom faucet that seems to be leaking. I think it is a Grohe Arden (I am not the original owner of the house and the faucet is over 10 yrs old). The only place I can see Grohe written is on the aerator. Anyway, I am trying to get the handle off and get to the O ring. How do I do that. I have attached an image of the faucet. A newbie to this kind of stuff.

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The little dome shaped item on the top of the handle is a cover. You can carefully pry it off and there will be a screw in there. Remove the screw and the handle will come off.


Water from bathroom faucet smells like rotten eggs The sink is in the powder room on the main floor of our house. When I turn the water on it is fine for a few seconds then it smells horribly for about 3-4 more seconds then it is back to normal. It is the only water in the house that smells, so it's not the water coming into the house. I checked the drain and trap and they are clean and have no odor.  I poured water from my kitchen sink down the drain of the powder room and didn't get the odor. So I know the odor isn't coming from the drain or overflow. I plugged the drain and ran the water for about ten seconds and once again got the smelly water. The water in the basin did continue to smell, so I know it is the water coming out of the faucet that smells bad, and not the drain. It doesn't seem to matter if I use hot or cold water. The sink is the closest one to the water heater, if that could make a difference. I'm just not sure where to go from here.

A rotten egg smell in water is usually from high sulfer content in the water.  Not unheard of in very hard water. Where it could possibly be coming from in the pipe perplexes me though. The fact that it only comes out one faucet is odd.  If both the hot and cold smell bad at only that faucet and no other than the problem must be in the faucet itself, since if it was in the water heater all the hot water in the house would smell and the hot and cold pipes are 2 different pipes until they get passed the supply lines below the sink.

I would shut off the water below the sink, open the valves to drain out any water that might be sitting in the pipe and then see if the faucet outlet itself smells odd.  If there is a screen at the mouth of the faucet remove it and see if there is debris inside.

This is hardly an answer but I'd target the faucet or something trapped inside it as the problem.

Love to hear what the problem ends up being.


Hissing noise coming from light fixture I have a light fixture in my bedroom with three 60 watt LEDs in it. I can hear a loud hissing noise coming from each light. I'm almost positive it's because there is just too much power flowing into the lights. How do I reduce the power running into the light bulbs?

A few side notes:

The switch its connected to is a brand new Lutron dimmer, specifically made for leds.
There use to be a ceiling fan where the light ballast is, which is possibly why there's way to much power running to it for just three 60 watt bulbs.

This noise is not from the bulb, it is from the LED driver. Each LED driver (it is a small circuit board usually inside the bulb, sometimes also called LED ballast) has an inductor inside (bunch of wire wound on a ferrite core). During operation, the current via this inductor rapidly appears and disappears. If the circuit is using cheap parts or is improperly designed, this may cause noise (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_noise for more details).

The core problem is that your driver is not good enough -- maybe engineer made a mistake, maybe the factory did not put enough epoxy on the coils. The only easy way to fix it to to replace the driver.

There is a small chance that your problem is incompatibility between the dimmer and the driver, but in this case noise should disappear as you turn the brightness to maximum.


What's the best way to deal with the floor of a shed with water infiltration? I have an old carriage house on my property, probably over a century old, which sits on what is now the lowest part of my property.  As a result, water runs back into it along the driveway (which also has grade issues).  The shed currently has a dirt floor because of all the topsoil that has washed back into it.
I want to rehab this shed to make it more usable, but I don't have the money to do what really needs to be done, which is to tear it all down, do all the dirtwork to get drainage headed out to the street and away from my structures, and build a new building.  In lieu of that, I want to make the best use of the building with the minimal restoration I can get away with.
To that end, I have shoveled all the dirt out of one side of the shed to reveal the concrete underneath and assess what I can do with it.

In the photo, you can observe the depth at which the concrete blocks were revealed.  I would guess (I didn't measure) that at the lowest point, there was 10-12 inches of sediment on top of the concrete.  In other places, not nearly so much.  Clearly, the floor is very uneven.
What I'd like to do is build additional walls on along that support beam in the middle and across the front on this side where I'm working to create a closed-in storage room that would be safer from the elements and my dog and thieves.  What can I do to make a suitable floor that would allow me to build a couple of walls and make this a secured barn-like room?
My current thought is to use gravel to create a level underlayment up to the highest point of the concrete, and then use 8x16" concrete blocks on top as the actual floor.  In my thinking, that would allow water to infiltrate without causing further damage, but would also provide a strong support for a floor.
Is that a terrible idea?  Is there anything better I can do at a low cost?

I would start by digging a trench and filling with gravel / small stones to direct the water away as much as possible.
Did that at the back of my property - started at 6" deep and went to 12" as it needs a small slope. directed the water into an existing drain and it worked a treat. Only took 2 afternoons of digging and measuring the slope.
Edit: if the property is the lowest part of the surrounding land then another possibility is to dig a soakaway to help the drainage. Any method of reducing the amount of water to deal with at the building will help.


Making a ridge for a tile roof - Any cheap way? I'm making a shed, with a roof made of cement tiles. I'm trying to be as cheap as possible, but still making it as nice as I can. Most materials are salvaged from here or there, or bought second-hand.

I managed to find exactly the tiles model I wanted, for cheap, but it is very difficult to find the corresponding ridge tiles this way. And those are very expensive if I buy them new (to get the 11 ridge tiles I need, I'll have to pay more than the price I paid for the ~140 standard tiles I got - call me stingy, but that annoys me).

So, I was wondering if there were any cheap way to solve this. Here are some options I was considering:

Making a dome all along the ridge, just with cement mortar. But I'm afraid it will crack. And it will probably be a bit difficult to have a nice-looking result.
Using different kind of tiles. I can easily find some standard curved-shape clay tiles (something like this) for cheap, and seal them with cement. To me, it looks similar to the ridge tiles, but I'm not sure it can be used as such.
Something else?

Here is the details of what I currently have:

And, for information, a link to the documentation of the tile model I used (sorry, it's in French).

I think standard half-round tiles, if large enough, would be your best bet, other than "having saved all this money on the roof tiles, I can afford to put on the correct ridge tiles, even if it feels like a lot of money, comparatively."

Third way would be casting your own.


How can I stop the loud banging sound in my water pipes when using my clothes washer? We just bought a townhome and every time we use the LG Front loading washing machine there is a loud bang throughout the pipe system.  I checked the back and there are already 2 water hammer arrestors (Size AA) installed on the inlet to the washing machine's hot and colt water intakes.  When I checked the water pressure of the cold water it was at 80psi.  Does the banging have something to do with the water pressure or could I need bigger Water Hammer Arrestors?  We are on a municipal water supply.

You may need to replace the arrestors.. they do fail eventually.  Also even with them in place there may be poorly secured pipes that bang around.  Try to find them and secure them properly.


Compound mortise and tenon joints on corners (ie. legs of a table) I am playing around with the idea of doing a workbench that can be disassembled, using pinned mortise and tenon joints. I haven't found anything that could be used where two spans meet at a corner (leg) and be able to pin each one with a removeable pin.

I had a bit of a play around in Sketchup today and below is what I came up with - but I really want to know if this method would weaken the joins to the point where it's not worth doing?

The idea is that the pin on the end of the component on the right would pin the component on the left, therefore to assemble you would first slide the tenon on the left in, then the tenon on the right, then the pin through the tenon on the right to hold it all in place. Disassembly would be in the exact reverse.

Note that the pin to go through the hole on the component on the right is missing, but would have to be something that was either wedged or other to ensure it didn't move.

Also note that these will be 2x4 hardwood, for strength considerations.

I'd be worried about the wood splitting, especially in the beam on the right. That's only an inch or so of material to hold it firm.

If you disassemble the workbench then the largest piece will be the surface so you only need to keep the rest smaller than that. So I suggest assembling the short side permanently.

Then you can use a dado joint to attach the long beams and use a through dowel to be able to put a wedge in.


Is a power adapter with a loose prong safe to use? ok so while moving my couch I accidentally unplugged my adapter plug in a rough way and now one prong is messed up as seen in the picture it's shorter now and can be pushed up and down is this safe to use ?  can it be repaired the broken prong can't seem to stay in place

There are several risks here. The first three I can think of are:

If the prong is pushed too far into the case it may touch other parts causing a short circuit, possibly putting line voltage on the output. Ideally it would be designed internally to prevent this possibility, but you don't know.
If the prong is also able to be pulled out, then unplugging the adapter could leave the prong in the outlet, resulting in live exposed metal.
Plugging it in might work but make poor contact, resulting in overheating at the plug (probably not) or intermittent operation.

It is unlikely that the adapter can be repaired adequately. Instead, purchase a replacement of the same voltage, current, polarity, and output plug type.


30a rv box from main panel The 200a main disconnect is mounted under the meter on the power pole. It has spaces for 8 breakers and a neutral bus bar. The only ground I see is from a rod at the base of the pole to the meter. I've run 50' of #8 2wireuf from the 30a rv pedestal to the main in PVC conduit. The neutral and ground are separated at the pedestal. I intend to put the neural and ground on the single bus bar. The question is do I run #4 bare from the existing rod to the neutral bus bar in the main and put in 2 at the pedestal.

As this is at the main it would be fine to have both your neutral and ground on the same buss. an RV “park” doesn’t require an additional grounding electrode NEC 551.75.b
However 1 out of 3 of the counties I work in requires a supplemental ground at the pedestal as this a residential hookup not a park.

Make sure to have your box 2 feet off the ground or more but not over 6’6”.


What is a good technique to remove a glued-in mirror without access to its edges? http://imgur.com/MKkZfSZ

I'm trying to get this mirror out without making a total mess of the surrounding drywall. Any best practices?

3 possibilities that I can see.

Tape every square inch of it and just start smashing. Wear serious eye protection and a face shield, gauntlet gloves, heavy clothing, head covering, ... in short, don't have any exposed skin.
Tape, protect yourself (as above), and try to get a pry bar under the edges. You'll need to do a bit of drywall repair, but you might get lucky and not have a pile of shards.
Buy (rent?) a specialty suction cup slide puller. (This is scary at the best of times and probably unavailable at normal rental...) Edit to add youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQne8Caw1LI


Where exactly does backer board need to reside in a bathroom? I'm a little confused on where exactly backer board needs to reside in a bathroom.  I know it needs to immediately cover the walls that the shower/bathtub face, but what about the rest of the walls in the bathroom? Is backer board needed everywhere in a bathroom?

Backer board, HardieBacker, or cement board is used on any surface that is to be tiled.


How important is carpet warranty when determining which to pick? I have a quote, one from a big name national store and one from a local carpet store, the specs i.e. face weight, thread twist, density, etc are exactly the same, both are made from nylon, etc.  However, one has a 25/15/15 warranty while the other has 10/7/7.  And both are comparable in price.

My questions are:

  How is it possible the warranties are so different if all other stats are equal.
  How much difference does the longer warranty make in terms of
  quality of carpet?

From what I understand, carpet warranties are all but useless. They have so many conditions that it is effectively impossible to actually make a warranty claim. For example:

You must have your carpet cleaned professionally every 16-24 months. You need to produce receipts showing a professional company came to clean this frequently since installation
Stain resistant warranties not covering non-food/beverage stains, such as caused by animals or cleaners
Other limitations on stain warranties, like "there can be some slight loss of stain resistance in high-traffic areas such as stairs (and hallways, in front of doors). The warranty excludes any residual stains that my occur in those areas."
Warranty may only cover replacement of the affected area (so say a 5x8 area is affected, they'll just cut out and replace that bit), and may not even be 100% - apparently they can degrade, so after say 3 years, they'll only cover 60% of the cost. They won't replace your entire carpet because there's a problem in one small area.
Warranty may not cover labor after some period of time. Worse, you may be forced to use a specific installer at whatever rates they charge (thanks, shirlock)

I have no direct experience trying to get warranty on it, but because of all of this, I would put very little faith in the warranty numbers. If you can never effectively never file a warranty claim, they may as well offer a 25 year or even lifetime warranty. What's it matter - if you were 2 months late having your carpet cleaned 4 years ago: warranty voided.


Should I replace the neutral wire that I accidentally cut in a Romex cable when installing a new outlet? So I'm installing a new outlet in my home. There's an existing Romex cable that goes up the wall into my attic above the new outlet. When I was stripping the wire to go in the box, I accidentally severed the neutral white wire.

I was able to get the sheathed wire into the junction box by about an inch and reattach the white wire with a twist-on cap inside the box. Is this OK or do I need to replace the entire cable?

Is it easier to replace the cable now than later?
Do you wish you were able to make that wirenut connection better?
Did you install the receptacle to use for a heavy electrical load,
dedicated or not?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions, replace the cable.


How do I deal with Particle Board Subfloors and Hardwood Flooring? The house I recently purchased, built in 1973, has particle board subfloors.  To clarify, this is not OSB and this is not just a particle board overlay over plywood -- the entire subfloor is 3/4" particle board (looks like oatmeal).

There are several issues with this subfloor: the floors are creaky and warped in places and I've been strongly advised not to install hardwood floors over particle board, as they cannot hold nails and will deteriorate if water is spilled.  I purchased hardwood floors (pre-finished 3/4").  Now I need to either 1.  remove the particle board or 2. nail plywood over the particle board.  I'm opting to remove it because with option "2" I'll end up with undesirable height differences in places.

The problem with removing it is the existing subfloor runs under the interior walls, so once I cut it out and add new, there won't be any support where it overlaps the joists.  Additionally, if the interior wall is not sitting on a joist, it could drop.  This problem also occurs for doors and closets.  To solve this I could install blocking, but then this could get very labor intensive.  Another option is to cut along the joist and leave a margin of particle board along the walls.  I could leave particle board in the closets since there is no load there.

Another component to this problem is in the kitchen.  The previous seller put in new cabinetry and granite counter tops.  I don't really want to tear out the cabinets due to the expense.  I could cut the subfloor out around the cabinet but then have the problem of what is supporting the cabinets (parallel with joists).

I'd appreciate to hear from anyone that has ideas on the best way to proceed.

If possible, try framing out the edges. I would remove all of the existing sub floor (since it is particle board) and then add addition framing along the edges as needed for the new plywood.  In cases where you can't meet a joist, go perpindicular and create a nice foundation for the floor to attach too.

I would make sure the floor has a firm foundation.  It might be extra work to do it, but I would take those extra steps if possible.


Gaps created by cement-board being further that the bathtub-lip when tiling? My installation: Cement-board = over the bathtup lip.

There's one-two spots where the cement-board is not not flush with the bathtub lip creating gaps behind few tiles are supposed to be.
Can i just apply more Thinset mortar at those spots to compensate ?
It's not huge, but just enough to bother me because it ain't flat.
Thank you

Andrew

Either your way or Ed Beal's are fine & do work. You just don't want any voids or unsupported portions of tile to avoid impact cracking or breaking. Back-buttering & going to a wider trowel notch should do it. But otherwise, mark your layout if you fill-in, to make sure you're actually filling to the row's edge.


Particle board subfloor - cover with additional plywood/osb for luxury vinyl plank flooring? A friend of mine just purchased a 1 story house and we spent the weekend tearing out the old crappy carpet / vinyl flooring. The subfloor underneath it is particle board rather than plywood/OSB. The subfloor seems to be in good condition and goes over a crawl space, with the only issue being furniture, etc "shaking" a bit when walking around. The home inspector said putting an additional layer of sub-flooring over top should help solidify everything. We plan on installing luxury vinyl plank flooring.
-Is it worth putting an additional sub-floor on top?
-What would be better for this application - plywood or osb?
-Would 1/4" be sufficient or what would the recommended thickness be?
-Should we follow the same seam pattern on the existing particle board subfloor or overlap the seams?

particle boards don’t tolerate well humidity so remove them if your place can get humid. They will fail and whatever you put of top of them won’t be properly supported.
For subfloor, both plywood and OSB will work fine.  Many use OSB because it is much cheaper and the appearance is not a factor.
If you plan on stacking boards, always overlap the seams for more stability.  Align the seam near the center of the board above.
If you put a board on top of the existing PB, make sure you take in consideration that you floor is now raised. For example, you might have to trim around door casing.
1/4 board is okay if there is another board under it.  Certain not good enough if they are directly on top of the frame.  They will flex.


Convert Three-Way to Single Switch and Add Smart Switch Would like some feedback/instruction on converting a three-way to single switch and then install a "smart" switch that requires LINE, LOAD & NEUTRAL.

Current Configuration:

( Switch A ) has (2) black wires and (1) red wire. + ground

BLACK silver screw                RED silver screw
      black screw               BLACK black screw

( Switch B ) has (1) black wire (1) red wire and (1) white wire. + ground

BLACK silver screw
WHITE black screw                RED silver screw

Have REMOVED BOTH SWITCHES and have capped off all of the wires.

With the BREAKER TURNED ON and the SWITCHES REMOVED:
.

( Switch A ) black wire that WAS connected on the bottom right black screw is HOT.

To clarify when the black wire is disconnected from the switch it is HOT.

When this same black wire is connected to the switch it is NOT HOT.

( Switch A ) red wire that was connected on the top right silver screw is HOT.

( Switch A ) black wire that was connected on the top left silver screw is COLD.
.

( Switch B ) black wire is HOT

( Switch B ) white wire is HOT [so this appears not to be neutral]???

( Switch B ) red wire is HOT.

.

The breaker feeds two other lights on different switches. These lights remain on with ( Switch A & Switch B ) removed.

There appears to be a NEUTRAL in both gang boxes.

Thanks for your time.

The first picture is ( Switch A ) [middle switch] is the one that is being replaced / removed.  (wires removed)

The second picture is where ( Switch B ) was.

The first switch, what remains of it, is ( Switch B )

This is left side of ( Switch A )

This is right side of ( Switch A )

Clarification of when wires are hot or not:

When the BLACK wire is disconnected from the right bottom of ( Switch A ) it is HOT.

When this same BLACK wire is connected to the switch it is NOT HOT.

( Switch B ) has been removed and testing wires without connected to it.

When ( Switch A ) is in the ON position ( Switch B ) RED wire hot  BLACK wire cold WHITE wire hot

When ( Switch A ) is in the OFF position ( Switch B ) RED wire  cold BLACK wire cold  WHITE wire hot

Island Light Box Below

IF cables are coming into the box from the direction of their associated switches then ( Switch B ) would be entering the box, out of view, at the top of photo and ( Switch A ) would be coming in at the back hole, in view.

3 Gang Box For kitchen recessed / kitchen island / mud room light

The middle one is for the kitchen island light.  WHITE wires are nutted together, see behind switch.

You don't have the neutral you think you do

This particular light was wired as a spurred three-way switch off of an old-style switch loop, so you actually do not have a neutral at either switch box, despite the white wires being present in both.  In your case, we can tell white is the always-hot wire at both switch locations, even, from the fact that it's the white wire nutted to the bundle of black wires in the light box.

From there, we know that the black wire in the cable from the light to switch A is the switched-hot, and that the black and red wires in the cable between switch A and switch B were the travellers in your old setup.  Since there's no neutral in all this, and the Insteon 2477D requires a neutral to work (i.e. power the smarts inside), we can't use that part here by itself.

Never fear, though! Insteon to the rescue!

However, since you are working in the wonderfully flexible system that is Insteon, there is a way to get what you want, simply by adding some more parts. You will need an Insteon In-lineLinc™ Dimmer module (model 2475DA1) for this, in addition to the dimmers you already have.

Once you have the correct pieces for this job, you'll need to rewire things as follows, starting with the fixture box:

All the fixture-box blacks get nutted to each other and to the in-line dimmer's black (LINE) wire (but not the fixture's black wire! otherwise, the light will simply be on all the time)
All the fixture-box whites get nutted to each other, the in-line dimmer's white (NEUTRAL) wire, and the fixture's neutral wire
The bare (GROUND) wire from the in-line dimmer gets nutted to the existing bare pigtail from the box and the fixture's bare ground wire
The fixture's black wire, finally, gets nutted to the red (LOAD) wire from the in-line dimmer

At this point, we move on to the first switch box, where the dimmer that replaces switch A needs to be wired as a 3-way secondary controller:

The two black wires that went to switch A get nutted to each other and to the black (LINE) wire on the first dimmer
The two white wires associated with the switch A circuit that are nutted to each other need to have the white (NEUTRAL) wire from the first dimmer nutted in with them
The bare ground wire that went to switch A needs to be nutted to the bare (GROUND) wire from the first dimmer
The red wire that went to switch A and the red (LOAD) wire on the first dimmer both need to be capped off individually, as neither wire is used in this configuration

Now that we have switch A done, we can button up that switch box and move onto wiring switch B as an Insteon 3-way secondary as well:

The black wire that went to switch B gets nutted to the black (LINE) wire on the second dimmer
The white wire that went to switch B gets nutted to the white (NEUTRAL) wire on the second dimmer
The bare ground wire that went to switch B gets nutted to the bare (GROUND) wire on the second dimmer
And, finally, the red wire that went to switch B and the red (LOAD) wire on the second dimmer both need to be capped off individually, as again, neither wire is used in this configuration.

Now, you can button switch B's box up, turn the breaker on, and set to work configuring the Insteon links so that the two wall dimmers are linked to each other (in a 3-way cross-link) and to the in-line dimmer module (so that it can receive commands from both dimmers).  Once the Insteon links are configured, you can turn the breaker off again, put the ceiling fixture back up, turn the breaker on, and enjoy your multi-way dimming setup!


Installing an insignia connect smart switch to three black wires and a bundle of three white wires I have the configuration coming to my new smart switch. The smart switch requires a line wire, load wire, and neutral wire. I originally connected my manual light switch as seen in the picture, but when I tried this set up with my smart switch, nothing happens. First question: what is the group of three white wires capped together? Second: would the group of two black (mind the white stuff) wires capped together coming from my wall be the neutral and the single black wire the line wire?

On the smart switch the black is the line, blue is the load, white is the neutral, and green is the ground (which i do not have).

The group of 3 white wires is your neutral bundle.  Add the white wire from the new switch to it.

The group of two blacks is probably hot and a feed thru, connect both with the black from the switch.

Connect the remaining black (likely your load) to the blue wire.

Ground to ground.  And I bet you have it in the back of the box. (The house looks new enough)


Can I cut the recessed lighting housing rails to make them fit in joists 12" apart? I have this guy -- I got new work since the drywall was removed.

Can I cut the excess rail (past the nail) so it fits the joists, which are 12" apart?
Or does that mean they're isn't enough space and I need to go smaller?

You can trim the rails so they will fit in a tighter space. Look close there are usually indents in the metal to help with cutting and snapping the rail to a shorter length. This is part of a normal install.


What do I do with a 1 11/16" gap when installing a new pre-hung door? I am replacing a door with a pre-hung door including the jamb. The old door was 29 11/16" wide. The new pre-hung door is 28".  Is this too big of a gap?  Should I make it plumb on one side and make up the difference on the other side? Other threads suggest making up space on the handle side, but this is more space than than what other people were asking about. The trim is 2 1/2" so the gap would be covered.

I assume you have a two piece split jamb pre-hung door. It's expected that these will be smaller than the rough opening, you need room to make the door plumb and level. Here's the install steps off the top of my head and my own personal best practice:

Check your width of the rough opening to ensure the trim will cover any gaps left, this is the main concern with the width. If the gap is over an inch, you can add a plywood filler strip to the side opposite of the hinges. A 3/4" to 1" gap is useful for adjusting plumb.
Check the plumb of the rough opening to determine if the door needs to sit on one side or another, and if it needs to be pulled out from the top. The first priority is to roughly identify where the top hinge needs to be to allow the rest of the door to remain plumb and level.
Separate the two parts of the door (along the split jamb) and set aside the half without the door attached.
Place the door in the rough opening, add shims to the top to make it level, and screw the top of the door into the header with trim head screws through the shims.
Check the hinge side of the jamb for plumb in both directions (side to side and in/out) with a long level or a plumb bob, add shims near the hinges where necessary (often installers will try to get the hinge side as tight to the rough framing as possible) and screw the jamb through the shims into the jack stud. You'll want a few screws near the top hinge for stability. Work from the top to the bottom of the hinge side of the door, double checking for plumb as you go.
Close the door, add shims until the gap between the door and jamb is even. You can double check for level, but the priority on this side is a consistent gap. You want to door to strike the stop at the same time on the top, middle, and bottom. Screw the jamb through the shims into the jack stud from top to bottom, double checking the gap between the door and jamb/stop as you go.
Cut off any shims that protrude past the finished wall surface.
Insert the second half of the split jamb. Finish nail through the stop to hold it in place, add a few trim head screws where your shims were located. This piece carries no load, so you don't need much.
Finish nail through the trim on both sides of the door to hold it tight to the wall surface.
Spackle, caulk, and paint.
Install door knob, strike plate, and any other hardware.


Why is hot-ground reading a different voltage from neutral-ground? I recently replaced a 20a simplex receptacle with a new 20a simplex Decora receptacle.  I checked everything at the new 20a receptacle with a multimeter and here are the results:

Power on

Hot to neutral = 126.8
Hot to ground = 128.9
Ground to neutral = 4.764

Power off

Hot to neutral = 12.28
Hot to ground = 11.08
Ground to neutral = 5.535

Is this a phantom voltage or is this indicative as a loose neutral?

Other things:

receptacle is self grounding (brass clip on the "tongue," so I removed the insulators from the screws
receptacle is in a wiremold surface mount box
there is 14awg THNN running behind the 20a receptacle in raceway to an ungrounded receptacle
the ungrounded receptacle is on a circuit with four other receptacles and two ceiling fixtures (one pendant, one DC ceiling fan)
the aforementioned circuit (before the raceway connection) lacks a ground wire but I assume is grounded through conduit because I have verified conduit running behind the plaster with my own eyes (also every other outlet I've checked has an equal reading hot-ground and hot-neutral)

With both of the circuits off, the 20a receptacle reads:

Hot to neutral = 4.623
Hot to ground = 4.536
Ground to neutral = 0.107

The ungrounded outlet reads: 0.034

It's strange how these forums meant for getting answers to Qs so rarely just. get. a. direct. answer.
your question:
"Is this a phantom voltage or is this indicative as a loose neutral?"
Answer: Most likely just a "phantom" voltage.
More info: There's a lot that could account for those few volts. Most consumer grade meters have some level of error, not much, but enough to contribute to reading a few volts. Most branch circuits deriving from a building power system in a condo complex will have a higher degree of "noise" for lack of [not really lack of, Just no point in getting technical or trying to "flex" as many do on these sites] a better word, moreso say than a single family home. Also branch circuits of long distance from their source of power have what is called voltage drop and this can develop a small usually harmless voltage between the neutral and ground.
TLDR: I would not worry about the readings you're getting at all.