How can I identify these small screws for my range hood lights? I have a "Inca HC Hilo 72" built-in range hood over my stove.  There are two small light bulbs in the hood, each one sitting in a bracket which is held in place by two small screws.  These screws are flat head with a Phillips drive.  The screws hold the bracket against another sheet metal part.

During bulb replacements, I've damaged these screw heads to the point where it's very hard to remove them.  I'd love to find a replacement screw (hopefully something other than Phillips) to replace them.

Snooping around the Faber web site gets this exploded view: http://www.faberonline.com/partslist/incahcssparts.pdf
but no identifying information about these tiny screws.

This photo shows the four screws and one of the light bulb brackets.

The screws are about 1/4" long (top of flat head to bottom), with a minor diameter of something like 5/64", and a thread count of something like 20-22 TPI.

Are these a standard screw size?  Can they be replaced with an easy-to-find screw, preferably without that cursed Phillips drive?

That diameter would be very close to a M2.5 at 1.993mm minor screw.  A hex head cap screw (AKA Allen head) could replace the Phillips.

Its also a bit smaller than an ANSI #4-40 at .0805inch  minor

You could try the approximate size and get the matching tap for the closest interference fit.


Is a rotary hammer with an impact energy of 2.7J suitable for household projects? How can I find if an impact energy of 2.7 J is enough for chiseling concrete slab ?
I am thinking about purchasing a Bosch GBH 240, which has an impact energy of 2.7J.
Please let me know if this rotary hammer has enough impact energy for chiseling an 10 cm concrete slab ?

I need this rotary hammer for jobs around the house, for example chiseling an 10cm concrete slab which has an area of about 0.25 sq meters, for drilling holes into concrete walls (6 to 12 mm diameter holes) and other things like that. I am in an renovation process in my house.

That is not a huge area to break up. I would say if it is not reenforced you should be able to drill a series of holes and break it up,

I might get a masonry blade for a skill saw and cut channels then a sharp smack with a hammer it will crack into blocks.

I have wedged the edge of 6” slab off the ground then used a lead cannon ball (down rigger lead ball 35 lbs) over my head and slammed onto the slab to break it up with no drilled holes or saw cuts. Concrete is very brittle if not supported.

A few drill holes will help to guide the breaks and then you have manageable sized blocks to work with And possibly reuse.
I have 3 or 4 hammer drills and to tell the truth they all work about the same except the hilti that is really not a drill / hammer drill but a hammer drill only. So if you purchase the Bosch you have a tool with multiple uses around the house, makes sense to me.


Is there some sort of formula to determine how many bricks I would need to build a completely new structure? I am looking to add a small ham shack to the property, so I contacted the city's planning department. They said that if the structure was ten feet at most and didn't exceed two hundred square feet in area, and it was kept at least six feet away from the main structure, and three feet away from any property lines, I should be able to carry this out without a permit.

I went over to this place called Mutual Materials where they have an assortment of bricks of different textures, concrete, stones, and other things used in masonry, including mortar for mixing.

When I asked the clerks there how much the bricks would cost, they told me that as a general rule of thumb, six bricks made one square foot. Well, I can see how laying six bricks vertically can make one foot, but I don't see how it would make a square foot unless one were to add five bricks on one side going horizontally, which would mean that you'd need thirty-six bricks in all to make a square-foot wall.

Can this be explained better? I found out that one brick costs $1.30, so if I can use something to know how much I'd be looking at, that would help a lot.

A standard brick is 8" x 2.25" x 3.5".  Ignore the 3.5" as that's how thick the wall will be.  8" * 2.25" is 18 sq. in.  A square foot is 144 sq. in. (12 * 12).  144 sq. in. divided by 18 sq. in. is 8.  But I left out the mortar.  It's possible that the mortar on six bricks is equal to about two bricks.

Another way of looking at this is that each brick is two thirds of a foot.  So you need a brick and a half to make a foot.  If you stack bricks four high, that's nine inches without mortar.  Add three quarters of an inch of mortar to each brick, and four bricks is exactly a foot.  Now, I think that three quarters of an inch is a bit much, but you also have sideways mortar that I didn't include.

Anyway, if we assume they know what they're talking about, you have one square foot of wall is six bricks.  If you want your wall to be seven feet high and ten feet wide, you need 7 * 10 * 6 = 420 bricks.  That's $546.

This answer did the same thing with four 8' tall 14' long walls and got a total of $3494.40.

I think that the confusion is that you were trying to make a cubic foot wall.  But that's not what they mean.  They mean that a square foot of wall surface takes six bricks.  So when looking at a piece of wall and measuring out a square with one foot to a side, you'll count about six bricks.  Roughly four rows of one and a half bricks each.


Electric Dryer Wiring I am moving laundry about 40' from current location.
I want to tie in to the existing dryer wiring which is 10 gauge.
Can I use 10 gauge wire to run 40' or should I use 8 gauge.

As long as the existing run is under 40' the additional length of 40' will not be a problem.  It is however very important to make sure the connections between the old run and the new are tight.


Installing a permeate pump on a manifold-style RO system I've got a Whirlpool WHER25 RO system. Recently I added a hot water dispenser to our kitchen sink as well and would like to route the RO product to it instead of running it off of unfiltered water. The hot water dispenser requires 30psi to operate properly. My RO product water is 42psi when the tank is full, but the pressure drops rapidly into the 20s when the tap is turned on. Currently the stock system looks like this:

To ensure I get the necessary pressure to the hot water dispenser, I'd like to install a permeate pump to bring up the tank pressure close to the 68psi going into the system. I've found out that's difficult with a WHER25 since it is a manifold system and I can't add tees willy nilly anywhere I'd like. I'd also still like to be able to use the post-filter as intended - when the product water is dispensed and not before going into the tank. This limits my options since most people with manifold systems relocate the tank to after the post filter.

I think I've come up with a solution using another automatic shutoff valve in a different place in the system. Does this look like it will work or am I going to end up breaking something? Not sure if I'm correct, but I think this should only allow water out of the tank when there's a significant drop in pressure on the product out line, like when the tap is opened or the hot water tank is filling.

Additionally, does anyone know where to get an automatic shutoff valve with 3/8" push fit or JACO connections for both the high and low side or am I going to be stuck with a bunch of reducers? The only one I can find is the Payne PWS-792Q, but I can't find a distributor offering it. If I am stuck with reducers will they ultimately end up limiting my pressure or throughput?

I'm not sure if I understand your drawing, but I think you're saying you want to add a pump on the product side to keep pressure above 42 psi. I don't believe this is going to work due to the shut off valves. I'm pretty sure that if you attempt this your RO will never turn on.

Here is how the ASV (automatic shut off valve)  works. The feed water is connected to the ASV on the indicated port, which goes to the membrane element.   Some are in and out in the same side, some are straight thru.

The product water somewhere after the check valve is hooked up to the other side. Inside is a diaphragm valve. When your tank is empty, this valve is forced open by the incoming pressure (for simplicity let's say 60psi). The ASV pressure is specified in ratios but a good one is 2/3.  So this means that when the product water reached 40psi the feed water will be shut off to the membrane. And of course the product water doesn't flow backwards due to the check valve. The physics of how this is done might be explained later. But that's how those work.   It should make sense why you can't just put a pump on the product water. You also just can't add air to the tank for a higher faucet pressure either.  The limiting factor is that 3 in our ASV 2/3 ratio.

But is there a solution: raise the feed pressure.

Membranes operate better on high pressure. They tend to last longer but more importantly its rejection rate is much higher than when run at line pressure.   But we have to get rid of our ASV, and substitute a couple of pressure switches; one high pressure switch for the product side and a low pressure switch for the feed side. The HP switch will turn the RO pump on and thus make water until it reaches its set pressure then turns the pump off and then stops making water.   The low pressure switch protects your pump in case your feed water pressure drops or if it gets no water at all.

What's the risk? Let's say your feed pressure is greatly lowered.  Maybe a fire in the neighborhood and the fire trucks are using all the water.  So your RO kicked off. But no big deal right.  Well after they removed their back flow preventer a bunch of contaminate was stirred up and plugged your pressure regulator. No water or low flow condition.

You don't notice and go to use your insta hot. It works fine, but all of a sudden you tank is empty and the heater burns up. This is a crazy example but you have to keep in mind that if something happens to the pump then your insta hot is in trouble.

What do I recommend?  Leave the insta hot on the soft water. And just use the RO for the faucet and icemaker.

Adding a pump is not all that uncommon the benefits are staggering but to retrofit one to a unit especially under counter had some major drawbacks: the pump will be noisy, and high pressure across old plastic spells flood.

The higher pressure switch had a range let's say 30-60psi but our tank pressure needs to be 28psi, so that the RO doesn't need to run very long to keep that switch closed.

Hope some of this helped.


Helicoil for plastic My automower have been opened too many times/with too much force, so the thread is gone some places.

Could I use some building silicone I'm the holes, or will it come out the next time I unscrew?

I think you're right that using silicone or some other filling compound would just come out after unscrewing a few times. Personally I'd look at replacing what I assume was a self-tapping screw with a metal thread screw and use a threaded insert such as the following:

So just drill out the hole a bit for a tight fit of the insert and add a little epoxy to hold it in place. Alternatively you could try to do a similar arrangement using a standard nut by drilling to a fairly shallow depth at the bottom at a diameter just large enough for the nut and using epoxy to hold it in place.


How can I insulate the inside of a fire escape door? At our office, we have a server room located on the southeast-ish side of our building, exiting onto a parking lot/loading dock area (a completely paved area with zero shade). The door is an emergency exit (made of steel I believe) with one of those bars you push to open the door. And the door is completely exposed to the sun for most of the day. The rest of the exterior wall is concrete. We keep that room closed because it contains sensitive hardware and some sensitive files.

On hot days (like yesterday), that door gets hot - like, you can't touch it with your hand hot. And the server room gets uncomfortably warm as well, because we have this metal door radiating into the room. And occasionally, we have hardware issues as well - we have a "disaster-proof" NAS in there that overheats and shuts down (because it's insulated to protect against fire damage). We do have a dedicated air conditioner in there which can usually handle the heat, but once in a while it just gets overloaded.

I should note that the landlord will not permit major renovations, and that's probably not an expense we need right now. Also, this happens maybe two or three times a year, so it's not a huge issue, but it would be nice to correct if we can do it inexpensively. I have thought about perhaps sticking some fiberglass insulation to the inside of the door, but that's going to be ugly, kind of messy, and probably not something management will go for. Something like styrofoam might work as well, but I suspect actual styrofoam would not be an adequate insulator.

Is there something we can do to cheaply and easily insulate the inside of that door so it's not radiating so much heat into the room?

I think you only possible solution, that would not violate life/safety codes, would be to build a portico over the door outside to keep the sun off of it for as long as possible.

The other option is to paint the door exterior with a special heat reflective paint. It is designed to reflect a lot of the infrared energy away from the surface it is painted onto. I have put it on steel shipping containers used as site offices, it is highly effective. It has no effect if painted on the inside, it has to go on the exterior. So both options will likely require some interaction with your landlord.


Need help with wiring for bathroom fan I am trying to replace my bathroom fan. The old fan had a light, but I am replacing it with a basic fan with no light (Hampton Bay #BPT13-14MG).

The ceiling has two pipes that each have one white wire and one yellow wire. The new fan has two green, one white, and one black. I am not sure how to proceed at this point.

There is one switch on the wall that controlled both the fan and the light on the old unit.

Any help would be appreciated.

The old fan's bracket seems to be identical, so I'd just go ahead and continue the old one in service, rather than exchange an essentially identical piece.

The biggest problem you have is this fan is supplied with single-use stab connectors.  Once you stab, you can't un-stab.  So you need to get it right the first time, or just cut those stupid things off and use wire-nuts.

Clearly, one pipe is supply, and the other pipe is onward switched fan/light power to something else.  Since you're in conduit, the installer had more liberty to choose wire colors, and chose yellow when ordinarily someone would use black or red.  Don't worry too much about that.  But white is definitely neutral, regardless!

For now, get a plain receptacle. Pick one pipe, and attach the white to neutral and yellow to hot on the receptacle.  Plug something in there e.g. a night light.   Turn the breaker on, and see if the night light will light up.   If it does, you have identified supply.

Turn the power off and try the other pipe - same thing.  See if any switch makes that "night light" come on.  It's possible power is coming from both directions! Weird, unlikely, but we need to cross it off the list.

OK, so with the receptacle and night light lighting up off the fan/light switch, what now is broken??  I bet something that used to come on with that switch, has stopped doing so.  That is where that other pipe goes to.

Anyway, now mount the fan.  You most likely need to make a 3-way connection between the fan's white wire and the 2 white wires from the ceiling.  That stab connector won't do.  You'll need a wire-nut or a Wago lever connector.  (or stabs with more slots, but I do not like those, no I don't.)

Then, you'll (probably) need to do the same with the fan's black wire and the 2 yellow wires.  Again, use a wire-nut or a lever connector (looks like a stab connector but is locked/released by levers).

That should do it. As far as ground, the conduit is ground. When the fan is re-mounted to the bracket the conduits come in on, the steel case of the fan will be fastened to the bracket, and that will ground the fan.  You don't need to do anything with the 2 ground wires. You can leave them in their little stab connector.


Increasing subfloor thickness under new shower pan I ripped my old shower down to the studs and joists. The studs were rotten, the subfloor was rotten, and the top of the joists (in some places) were weak and rotten.

I plan on replacing some studs and sistering others. Joists I'll likely epoxy and sister before installing new subfloor. I'll be pouring a new concrete shower pan. The issue is that the previous subfloor was 1/2" ply over joists 17 1/2" OC - by my research, not enough support.

First, am I correct in determining 1/2" as not enough support ?

Second, since the surrounding framing and drain pipe are in place assuming a 1/2" subfloor, is my only recourse going to be to cut the base plates, take a 1/4" off the wall studs and extend the drain pipe ?

1/2" is a bit thin to span that distance, although it should not be a problem with a concrete slab above it.

If you are worried about it and need to use 1/2" sheathing for other reasons then just install 2x blocking perpendicular to the joist at a shorter distance on center, say 8"-12" O.C. in the area of concern.

As for the wall studs, we would typically leave the wall as is and shore it up from underneath with blocking, also installing blocking along edges of the new sheathing.  Therein the new sheathing would not run under the wall and the wall would be now supported by the blocking.


3-way switch not working properly I have a 3 way switch at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom that control the lights in the stairway/hall way.  The problem that I have is that you can only turn the lights on from the same switch that the lights were last turned off from.

I have looked at many websites and videos and haven't quite seen the setup that I have. The home is not that old (13 years). I am not the original owner but I suspect that the house was originally wired this way because when I took off the wall plate, I had to cut the paint away from the wall plate and the screws looked fairly new still.

Unlike everything that I have seen online, the junction box with the hot black wire has another cable that examples don't show. For the sake of this description, I'll name Cable #1 as the cable housing the hot black wire. It is a 14-2 cable. Cable #2 is a 14-3 wire houses the red wire. Cable #3 is another 14-2 cable. Anyway, here is what I found.

Switch 1 has the following connections:

All ground wires are connected together.

From 14-2 Cable #1 with the hot wire:
Hot Black wire connected to common screw.
White neutral is to another 14-2 Cable #3 and is connected to the black wire.

Cable #2 is a 14-3 wire:
Black and Red are connected to switch 1 gold terminals
The white is connected to the white wire from Cable #3

I do not know where Cable #3 is going. I am assuming it is to one of the light fixtures.

Switch 2

The black wire is connected to the common screw.
The red and white wires are connected to the gold terminals.

I have checked the voltage in switch 2 with the power on and switch one in the up position, I have 120v at the black and white screws with switch 2 in the up position. The red screw shows a voltage of about 60V. When I put switch 2 in the down position, the red screw now shows a voltage of 120V as well as the black common screw. The white now has very little current showing (about 3V).  When switch 1 is in the down position (so that current should flow through the red wire), there is no current at switch 2.

I tried disregarding Cable #3 and connected the white wires together from cables 1 and 2. This resulted in blowing the circuit.

Also, I have moved all of the wires around at switch 2. The effect was that the lights came on with the switch in the down position but I still could not turn the lights on at switch 1.

I know this is a lot of information. Perhaps, I should either call a pro or live with the way it is but, I wanted to try and figure this out.  Thanks for any help you can give.

This is a guess!!!
This is only a guess. Further investigation is needed to determine how the circuit is wired, and nothing further should be done until you have a complete understanding of the current wiring.
Based on your description, this is how I think it may be wired.

If this is indeed the case, then changing the wiring as follows, should get things working.

Notice I've swapped the black and white wires at Switch 2. I've also swapped the black and white wires from Cable #3, in the first switch box.  Finally, I've marked the white wire from Cable #2 at both ends, to indicate that it is being used as a ungrounded  (hot) conductor.
WARNING!!!
This answer is only a GUESS. You'll have to verify this wiring yourself, before making any changes. Trial-and-error wiring is not safe, and should never be done.
If you need further assistance once you have more information,  please comment on this answer. I will be happy to help you.


Calculating time constant for storage-tank water heater I was curious what the R-C time constant is, for a conventional storage-tank style electric water heater; I came up with an answer that seems very counter-intuitive.

("RC time constant" is the product of a resistance and capacitance, with the dimensions of time.  In that time, a given capacitance C is charged or discharged, through a given resistance R, about 63%.   For thermal systems, R can have the dimensions: degrees-F per btu per hour and C the dimensions: btu per degree-F).

For my 10 gal kitchen water heater, the surface area of the tank is about 8 sq-ft, and the insulation is about 8 sq-ft * degree-F per btu/hr (aka. R-8).   Thus the overall thermal resistance of the tank's envelope is about 1 degree-F per btu/hr.

The thermal "capacitance" is about 80 btu per degree-F (10 gals of water at 8 lbs per gallon, with a btu defined as the energy to raise one lb of water by a degree-F).

Thus the thermal R-C time constant is (1 degree-F per btu/hr) * (80 btu per degree-F), or 80 hours.  That means that in 3+ days, after losing power, the tank would still retain 37% of its heat (or cool only 63% of the way from its set temperature to ambient temperature).   Maybe that's right, but it seems pretty counterintuitive.   Am I calculating wrong somehow ?

Best I can tell, your math is right. I've never done thermal R-C calculations before, but what I got agrees with your numbers. Here's a plot of the temperature over 10 days if it started at 140°F and ambient temperature is 70°F:

Basically what this is saying is there is a lot of energy in water. It takes about 8 BTU to heat a gallon of water only one degree F. It only takes about 0.2 BTU to heat the same volume of air one degree F. It takes about 400 times more energy to heat water than air per unit volume. Since the heat is so concentrated in the water's volume, it's easier to insulate and keep warm because there is less surface area.

Here's the thing though, this model assumes a sphere of liquid completely separated by insulation from the environment. In reality, you're going to have pipes, other components and the water itself which will also dissipate heat into the environment affecting the final temperature.

Here's a related discussion on a Thermos bottle


Outlet/Switch screw terminals seem designed to prevent wire J-hook from being attached When attaching wires to the side screw terminals of an outlet or switch (i.e. device) I had learned to form a J-hook and slip it under the screw head with the hook orientation following the clockwise direction of the screw when tightened.

However I've noticed a lot of wiring devices now seem to be designed to prevent the J-hook from being looped over the screw. On the left side of the screw there is sufficient space to slip the correct wire gauge down under the screw head, but on the right side where the end of the J-hook would land is much narrower, this prevents the hook from being slipped over the screw head. It looks like this is by design.

O.K. so back the screw out enough to gain enough space on both sides of the screw head in order to slip the hook under. But when trying to back the screw out at some point turning the screw becomes extremely difficult, almost like it hit a limit by design. The amount of force needed to back out the screw to open enough space to slip the hook under the screw head on both sides of the screw head seems excessive.

Why do these devices have different wire clearances on either side of the screw head and why does backing the screw out seem to hit a limit?

Do I have a misunderstanding of how to attach a wire the side terminals of a device?

Yes.  Those misfeatures are actually features. They are designed to help you keep the wire captive and in the right place.

First, there is a hook designed to hook the existing wire  (i.e. the short on the right side) to help you make the J-hook more than 180 degrees to make it captive on the screw. The idea is now, you don't need to use a needle nose pliers to make that final over-180 bend. This won't make any sense if you're making the J-hook too short to benefit from this feature.

Second, it helps keep the wires "trapped" under the screw, so you don't have it slip out from under and fail to notice it if you are working quickly.

This "Trapping" is especially helpful when using stranded wire, which tends to squish around and fray when tightened.  I use a lot of stranded wire, and those things are a godsend.  As the screw gets nearer to bottom, these gates will fully entrap the wire so it can't frizz out of the hole. You still need to give the strands a really sincere twist, but it helps.


Any idea what parts were replaced on my water softener? I bought a Hague WaterMax 63BAQ used water softener about two years ago. I had a local plumber offer to install it in exchange for some computer work. Once it was installed for a day, it started making a clicking noise and the digital display would say 'Home Not Found'. I unplugged it and let it sit for a few years.

I'm not questioning the diagnosis - just very curious as to what parts it looks like were replaced. Does anyone know what these are?

Appears to be the Brine Valve Housing and the Drive Gear, looking at the manual.

Hague WaterMax 60 Series Owners Manual - Hague Quality Water  -- Page 34, parts 4 and 11


Graywater overflow plumbing… which design to choose? I'm working on replumbing my utility room and I'm adding a graywater system. Local codes are remarkably permissive but require an overflow to the sewer/septic system in case of graywater blockage or backup. I've come up with two designs and would like some input.

Design 1:

This design conserves fall for the graywater distribution plumbing (always a good thing) but I wonder if the overflow would be able to keep up with a really large flow. I'm pretty sure that putting the valve before the trap won't be a problem since the graywater distribution plumbing won't have any sewer gasses, but please correct me if this is wrong. My idea was to bypass the trap entirely to prevent the sewer gasses from using the overflow plumbing as a path back in the house.

Design 2:

This design squanders some fall for the graywater distribution plumbing but looks like it offers a more robust overflow control solution.

Which one of these seems more sensible, and/or what about either of them might need changing?

1 is better (so long as that valve has essentially no restriction). Otherwise you might need some height above the valve to keep the flow happy.

In version 2, turn the tee on the greywater line around so it goes where the overflow would go, and put in a trap (currently it allows sewer gas to vent into the greywater plumbing.) In fact, if the valve does what I expect, it forces septic venting into the greywater plumbing. So, not good.


Replacing damaged shingles In a recent storm a few shingles were damaged and need to be replaced, so I figured this might be a good question for the site.

What's the proper procedure for replacing single asphalt shingles?

Fairly simple process.  Remove any and all damaged shingles so you are back to good firmly secured, making a block area to be replaced.  Start at the bottom, using exact same size/color shingles.  Put a few daps of blind roofing cement or roofing sealer (caulking tube type) along the old sealing tabs of the lowest existing shingles. (located just above the tab slots). Lay and nail the new shingles going up until you get to last course.  You will have to lift and pull the nails on the top border of existing shingles so you can insert the top of the new shingle under it and get a few nails in them. Now add a few more daps of sealer, lay the tabs down over your new shingles and replace the nails holding up the tabs of the next tier.  put a few daps of sealer and just lay the tabs back down.  Along the sides, you may have to do a few under slides, but use the same procedure as you would at the top.  Good Luck. BTW, shouldn't your homeowner's insurance be covering this fix, along with the interior damage?


How do I take a live wire off of a two way switch? if I know how to take the live wire off then my job is easier.

Never, ever, work on live electrical wires.

Turn the power off at the breaker/fuse. You should have a voltage detector to verify the power really is off, like one of these:


Should I move these shelf supports? I have just installed these cool black iron pipe for shelf brackets on an office wall. The wall is 3/4” pine 7.5” wide.
Each pipe is attached with 4 #10 screws 1.25 long.

Each board is attached to framing at the top plate and at purlins as indicated. The tape indicates where studs are.

I did not attach directly to studs because it made for odd spacing on these 98”  shelves.

I have been questioned about the decision not to attach on studs over strength of shelf concerns.

Is there any reason to think these supports will be inadequate as installed?

Shelves are for books and will be 1” thick pine boards 11.5” wide. Supports are 23”  on center.

Should I move the supports to the stud location?

Attaching to the studs would be best practice but you already have them up and they are "relatively" strong

BUT

I would had one toggle anchor to to each bracket on the upper most hole just for good measure and peace of mind.


What type of furnace vent pipe is this? I need to extend my furnace vent pipe up 2 foot above the ridge of my roof to comply with IBC. So I need to couple this pipe somehow and extend it up. Any idea what type of pipe this is and how I would extend it?

Asbestos. (lgam.info/asbestos-cement-pipe)

You'd need cast couplings: (ebay, Smith Blair Industrial Ad)


A/C outside pipe leaking water I have 2 a/c units. One for upstairs and other for downstairs. I have 4 outside pipes for both a/c s. 2 pipes, one upper and one lower are on each side of house. My upstairs a/c unit isn’t cooling and noted water dripping out of one of the lower pipes outside. No visible water leakage noted inside of home. What could this mean?
Thanks!

Air conditioning by nature produces water.  As air is cooled it can’t hold as much water, the result is condensation.  It’s the same thing that happens on the outside of a glass of icy cold beverage on a hot day.  Air conditioners make a lot of condensation,  depending on the size of the unit and humidity in your area it could be a gallon an hour.

Normally this water leaves the air conditioner through a drain hose, that drain into your houses normal drain/sewer pipes. When the drain hose gets plugged the air conditioner will literally overflow.  If is an attic mounted unit the whole air conditioner will be installed in a secondary drain pan so that when the unit itself overflows the pan will catch the water to prevent it from damaging the ceiling in the room below the air conditioner.   The secondary drain usually goes outside so that the homeowner will realize something is wrong.

However, should that secondary drain run slowly, because it to is plugged up, then the drain pan will fill with water and overflow (damaging the ceiling in the room below).  So as final protection they add a float switch to the drain pan so that when it fills with water it will shut down the cooling (stopping the unit from pulling water out of the air) to prevent water damage.

What plugs up these drains? Dirt, gunk, algae, attic insulation all combine over time and create a plug that keeps the water from flowing.

The shorter story is your air conditioner needs maintenance and cleaning.


What are the black spots on my basement ceiling? My house is one year new construction. I didn't use the dehumidifier at the basement until one month ago I realized the basement was damp and there were some mold on the wood frame on the basement ceiling(not serious, already cleaned). I also noticed there are many black spots on the plywood on my basement ceiling and the plywood behind the electrical panel, they don't look like mold to me, but I am not sure. Can someone please tell me what are these black spots? I am concerned they might be mold.

As you can see the factory prints information on each sheet during the manufacturing process.

Occasionally there is an error and ink is splattered during the time the sheet is passing through the conveyor getting trimmed,stamped,edges painted,etc...

Looking at your first picture we see the pattern of black spots stops at the joint between two sheets. That assured me that this is not a case of mold growing.


What exactly is a "deep" (or "shallow") scratch on a vitrified floor? I have scratches on my floor made by a sofa having been dragged.

Since I am not a native English speaker, I apologize for the clumsy description of my floor, there is certainly a right word for it I do not know.

This is a floor made of long panels with the following structure:

The base layer is some kind of hard amalgamate, the wooden one is supposed to be real wood (in one piece, not reconstructed) and the protective layer is what is called in France "vitrification", some kind of polish to protect and harden the floor.

When reading about the techniques to fix such a scratch, most of them make the distinction between "deep" and "shallow" scratches. What does this mean in practice?

The difference is in the solutions: some call for wooden paste + sanding + the protective layer (for the deep scratches) and some other just suggest to rub with wax.

How would you rate the depth of this scratch? (this is the same scratch under different angles,  sorry I do not have a camera with a macro lens or anything to actually measure the depth of the scratch)

Shallow would be just a scratch in the protective layer.

Deep is into the wood layer, and that looks likely from your pictures.


How can I paint galvanized metal? I often have metal gates galvanized and are required to give the final product a coat of paint.

As is known about galvanized metal, the zinc begins to oxidize with the air and creates the flaky powder which repulses the paint thereby flaking off the paint.

I have been told many things about galvanizing and how to paint / prepare for painting and was wondering if there is a generally accepted best practice here. What i have heard is the following:

you need to wait at least a month to get the galvanized layer to oxidise, then paint
you need to prepare the surface with a mild acid to remove oils (either vinegar or galvanized metal cleaner)
do not use oil based paints (either primer or paints) since the oil does not adhere to the coating
paint first with an etch primer which will etch and bond to the surface, then paint
forget primers and just apply two coats of acrylic paint which bonds well to the surface.

I guess, as with any paint application surface preparation is key, just interested to know what the professionals do here.

This is an answer from yesterday in another question thread:

  Priming and Painting Galvanized Metal, condensed from KILZ.com, other manufacturers also make specific paints and primers for galvanized metal.

  The galvanizing process, which is designed to prevent rust, leaves an oily film that can prevent coating adhesion. The zinc in galvanized metal can produce a milky “white rust” (which is common when it has weathered) that must be removed with a stiff brush or abrasive pad, prior to coating. It’s necessary to remove the oily film that can prevent coating adhesion with a water-based cleaner/degreaser.

  Prime the surface with a water-based primer. Since oil-based primers can interact with the zinc in galvanized metal, causing premature peeling, always use a water-based primer when painting galvanized metal. KILZ® 2 Primer is an excellent choice when priming and painting exterior galvanized metal. It will grip to the metal surface and provide a better surface for the paint to adhere.

  todayshomeowner.com/how-to-paint-a-galvanized-metal-door


How do I repair damage to the plaster on my bedroom ceiling? I have noticed that the ceiling plaster in my front bedroom seems to be crumbling off and the ceiling around where it is coming off feels spongy.  My house is a mid terrace over 100 years old I guess.  What could be causing this and is it something to worry about?  I hope it isn't too expensive to fix. It seems to be the ceiling towards the front of the bedroom towards the window.  Certain parts along that side feel spongy and the plaster is falling off.

If the ceiling feels spongy anywhere at all, some sort of deterioration has occurred.  The most common cause is moisture seepage—whether from leaky plumbing, roofing, or pets—but plaster deterioration can also occur from sustained high temperature (120 °F/49 °C) as is common above an enclosed light fixture or electrical junction box carrying a heavy electrical load.

Decay could also be caused by certain pests like cockroaches, fleas, or larger critter's waste.

The first step to fixing it is to stop whatever is causing the problem.  Then assess what needs to be done.

Wall and ceiling work is somewhat expensive if you hire someone to do it, but it is quite inexpensive if you do it yourself.  Even if you don't know what you are doing and have to (re)do it four times, that will still be less expensive than hiring a pro.  For a head start, visit your local Home Depot the next time they have a sheetrock demo.  Or search for "sheetrock repair" on Youtube.

If investigation or repair require tearing down the ceiling, the price can escalate if you see something else you want to do:   rewire, insulate, reroute plumbing, redo siding, etc.  Frankly, the add-ons are the most difficult (financially and emotionally) aspects of such projects.


size sub panel needed for mini house I have 400 amp service in a 3800 square-foot home. I ran 100 amp to a garage.  I want to build a mini-home that will require approximately 130amps in appliances, etc. What size sub-panel do I need?

The mini house will  have:

stove 40 amp
water heater 18.75 amp
stackable washer dryer 30 amp
heat pump 8.87 amp
dishwasher 20 amp
fridge 8.5 amp
microwave/hood 15 amp
lights & outlets

That's why I figured 130 amps. The load in the main house should be able to handle a 100 to 150 amp sub panel. Need help deciding what size I should use.

I ran your loads through a calculator and it spit out a main panel load of 66 amps.  That tells me you are probably alright.  But I am concerned you are not talking about heat pump emergency heat.  Heat pumps do not work in very cold temperatures, that's where emergency heat comes in. I note this building doesn't have any gas.

So while I think it'll work at 100A, I'd feel more comfortable seeing 150A because I worry that there are things you've left out.   So that's where I am with feeder.

As far as your subpanel size, there are 2 things we're concerned with.

Number of spaces in the panel

The usual mistake is to consider only panel ampacity and get a panel that is much too small (in spaces).  Remember, you have an all-electric house, which means a lot of 240V (2-pole, double-sized) breakers. You need the same number of electric appliances as a bigger house, they just have smaller numbers on the breaker.  So even a 30-space panel would be scary-small.  I would aim for 40-space.

There's a scam out there called "Circuits" - such as a panel that is 20-space/40-circuit. That relies on breakers that are now illegal - panel makers shouldn't be making these claims anymore, but they are.  By "Illegal" I mean a 40-"circuit" panel relies on very few of them being AFCI/GFCI or common-trip -- and in fact, most of them must be!

Ampacity of the panel

The amp rating of the subpanel itself is flexible.  It only needs to be greater or equal to the supply breaker. So if your supply breaker is 100A, then you can use a 100A, 125, 150, 200 or 225A subpanel.

Because it is an outbuilding not connected by a breezeway, your house will need its own main disconnect switch.  The easiest/cheapest way to get that is select a panel with a main breaker.  Again, any size will do >= the feed breaker size.

If you think "I'll get them the same size so the nearby breaker will trip first", unfortunately it does not work that way. It's a coin-flip  which one will trip first, unless it is raining and you are dressed for bed, then it will be the far one obviously.


One transfer switch, two main panels Can a single manual transfer switch be wired to two main panels (both from same meter but they do not feed each other)? Specifically, if desired breakers cannot be consolidated into one panel and there is only going to be one 10-circuit transfer switch -- can new #12 wires be added/spliced into the existing black, red, white and ground wires coming out of transfer switch harness to extend their length so that some of them run to the second panel? Particularly, is it ok to have the neutral and ground wires from the single transfer switch be spliced so that they attach to the neutral/ground bars in both panels?

OK, so a) you have 400A class service, or some other good reason to have dual main panels with dual main breakers.  And, you are ready to install a fairly large electrical box right next to them. And c) you are OK routing wires or cables from both main panels to this new third box.  Those are all the ingredients we need to succeed.
But send it back. It's the wrong thing.
And way overpriced and very limiting, compared to what we're about to do.
Honestly, it's usually the wrong thing, because the inherent design of those boxes was a 1970s-tier "hack". Generator salesmen love 'em because they feel like they're sending you home with something "that'll work on any panel" - but they are thinking of obsolescent panels like Zinsco or Pushmatic, where there is simply not an option for a proper full-panel interlock.
Today, the problem is this old hack doesn't play well with modern panels, like your dual panels, AFCI, GFCI, power monitoring, or any of the neat stuff Leviton is doing with their smart panels.  In fact they cannot provide AFCI protection and don't provide GFCI either (unless the generator does, but who wants the entire house tripping out)? If AFCI/GFCI is mandatory, it's mandatory in generator mode too.
Either of the methods below will take care for those problems, and happen for around $100 give or take - certainly not $500.
Option 1: Get a full-panel interlock for one panel ($60-100)
based on your photo on DIYchatroom, you'd need to retrofit main breakers ($100) into these panels to implement this option. However, this would be the easiest thing to do, and these quite-new panels definitely have interlocks available for them.
Normally, when you have dual main panels, it's because of 300+ amp service that is simply too big to economically do on one panel.  That is fine as long as the panels are next to each other. (main disconnects must all be in one place).
However, the usual way to set up dual panels is to put your BIG loads (on-demand water heater, or the #1 application, heat pump emergency heat) into one of the panels -- and all your normal residential loads (receps, lights, etc.) in the other panel.  Typically these loads are far too big to ever be able to power from a generator, it doesn't make sense to do that.  So you "write off" the big-load panel.
So that makes generator layout very simple: you only need to support one panel.  Put the usual whole-panel generator interlock into that panel, and you're all set.
If your loads are scattered all over both panels, my advice is to correct that.  If it's possible to simply re-route the Romex cable, that's great.  However, if not, you can use the "old" panel as a splice box, and carry over hot and neutral to the new panel. You must bring over both the hot and the neutral as a pair. You cannot leave neutral in the old panel; it MUST come over to the new panel.  However, you can leave safety ground in the old panel.   Neutral is not ground.
If you need to do several circuits, the best way to do this is with one or several conduit runs between the panels. It's possible to install acceptable conduits without removing a panel from the wall.
Option 2: New subpanel with generator interlock. ($90-120)
Like we say around here, "Think BIG" about panel size.  A modest 24-space panel will switch 20 AFCI circuits or 40 plain ones between utility and generator. The problem, as you know, is you don't use many loads at once but they are scattered on many circuits. By using a whole panel as an interlock, you can support a large number of circuits.
We recommend spending a few lattés on a size bump to 30 or even 40 spaces.  Nobody ever came on here saying "I want to add a circuit but I left myself plenty of spaces, what do I do?"  But the line is around the block of people who chintzed out on panel size and regret it.
You get a panel either with a main breaker and factory-made generator interlock kit, main-lug/no-lug and you fit two 2-pole breakers with an interlock between them.  These are are back-fed, one by utility and one from the generator inlet (which can be anywhere you please; in-wall UF cable is cheaper than heavy generator cord and a darn sight more convenient.)
At that point, you move any circuits you want on generator out of your regular panel into the new panel - as said above, using conduit if able, and both hot and neutral wires must come over together.
If any of the "to be brought over" circuits are on AFCI or GFCI breakers, take close note of the make of the breakers.  Choose your gen subpanel so the existing breakers are legal in it (generally, don't cross brands; they will seem to fit but will burn up the bus bars).  That way you can just move your valuable breakers to the new panel and save $40-60 each.
On regular breakers I'm not so worried, they're typically $5-ish.
Yeah, but you really, really want to save that panel
--Why?  They ripped you off. And it won't even function with your AFCI breakers, and problems like that will just keep biting you: it'll be the path of pain. Don't fall victim to inertia or "the fallacy of sunk costs" Even if you can't return it, unused/complete transfer switches sell pretty well on eBay/Craigslist. It will fetch a fair bit more than the above solutions cost: you'll be cash ahead!
But OK.
The transfer switch can only serve circuits in one panel.   Reliance tech support can't "waive" this requirement; it's in NEC 110.3(B).  When UL approves equipment like this, they also approve the instructions and labeling. UL only approved the device for uses according to the instructions and labeling; they didn't even test it otherwise. The companion law is 110.3(B) which says you must obey those (approved) instructions and labeling.  The switch is only approved to support 1 panel, and that's the end of the discussion.
So, you need to choose 1 panel, and move circuits from the other panel to it.  That is a straightforward matter, and I discuss it at length in option 1.
It's OK to have wire-nut splices inside a service panel, and it's OK to use a panel as a splice box for unrelated circuits. So you can lift a circuit off its breaker and neutral, and extend its hot(s) and neutral together to the other panel.
In the other panel, the neutral lands on that neutral bar, and the hot(s) go to their new breaker there.   Yes, it matters to move the neutral wire.  That's what all this is about.
The hot(s) and neutral for a given circuit must be in the same cable (back to 300.3 again).
With cables, I would just run them the 3 inches straight across, I wouldn't bother going out the top or bottom.
When I have panels side by side (and I do), I like to include conduit "tunnels" between the 2 panels; several of them in fact.  However, the hot(s) and neutral for any given circuit must go through the same tunnel.    If a cable has enough wire length to make it through a conduit tunnel to the other panel, go for it.


Wanting to support my shed loft I bought a 10x20 wood lofted shed. One loft is just 4 feet wide and the other is 8 feet.
I’m wanting to use the 8’ loft for totes and other storage but it’s already starting to bow underneath it a bit. Now I wish I’d ordered it with the 2x6s instead of the 2x4s but didn’t think about it then.
I was thinking of maybe a couple 2x4s propping the bottom up 4’ from the back but didn’t know if that’s best or would be enough.
Any suggestions are welcome.

In the same situation ( 8' span) , I glued and screwed 5/8 plywood to the bottom of the 2 X 4 s. Making something like a wide flange beam. It worked as even some furniture was stored up there ( about 7' to the peak). Plywood ,not OSB or particle board.


Painting vs Painting and Primer So I have a question regarding paint vs paint and primer.

I have been painting my house, and admittedly, I have not been using primer. The baseboards, however, are a darker color, and painting them white has taken several coats (somespots up to 4 coats) to get the old color to cover. I have gone through a lot of white paint because of this.

My question is, if I use primer now on the baseboards, will the tint be off because of the primer underneath as opposed to just the original paint color and paint? I'd hate to have to reprime and paint all the baseboards I have done up to this point, but if priming them first and then repainting them is what needs to be done, then I will do so. If I can get away with just priming what's left, and painting the white over the primer without a noticeable tint difference, then I will do that.

Also, what is the best color primer to use with white? I was thinking like that light grey primer, but I am not sure the white would cover that very well. I was also thinking white primer, but I think it would be hard to tell the difference between what's painted already and what's only primered (even more so on second coats).

I rarely use primer on previously-painted walls unless the existing finish is suspect with regard to bonding. It's a disaster to have paint come loose due to incompatibility.

The right primer color when doing dramatic color change is usually whatever gets you close to your final color. You want whatever underlies your topcoat to have minimal effect on the color you selected. That said, sometimes a base coat can affect the topcoat in desirable ways, such as making the color deeper or more rich. That usually applies to bold colors, though, and gray (or custom-tinted) primer is often appropriate.

You ask about changing approaches mid-stream. That is a potential concern, but you'll have to try it and see. If the primer approximates what the first coat of paint did, it may not be noticeable.

When painting white over white primer, it's usually not as difficult as you might think to see what you're doing. Wet paint has a gloss, dry paint usually has more sheen than primer, and the color is rarely that close anyway. Use good lighting, good technique, and it shouldn't be a problem.


Why is my refrigerator's water dispenser so slow? I purchased a home that was vacant for over a year.  I replaced the filter, but the water flow was SOOOO slow.  It took about 6 minutes to fill up a liter. Also the ice cubes were hallow and wispy.  I checked the water pressure going into the unit and it was excellent.

I read online that if you removed the o rings, the water would move faster.  After paying someone to blow out the lines in and out of the unit, I found no difference, so I removed both of the o rings, one at a time.  Removing one did nothing.  Now my flow is GREAT, but I notice a funny taste in the water.  Is it not filtering the water without them??  I need advice...I don't want unhealthy water or it at a SNAILs pace.  Ann

After replacing the water inlet valve and the water filter in my refrigerator, the water flow was still very slow with no improvement.  So, I took out the water filter, shined a flash light into where the water filter goes, and found some plastic wrapping (trash)...apparently from the nozzle at the end of the water filter that inadvertently didn't get removed before inserting a filter. After "fishing out" the plastic with a wire, I inserted my water filter and bingo...the problem solved.


Replace G24q-1 (4-pins) with a B22 Bayonet Having recently moved house, I've noticed that the majority of the lighting upstairs is running CFLs using a type of connection that I am unfamiliar with (research says it's a G24q-1 cap but see photos below).

I'm looking to replace these with standard B22 Bayonet caps. However, since I'm unfamiliar with the G24q-1 cap I wanted to make sure that my approach is sound.

Here is the current configuration of what I believe to be a G24q-1

and a closeup of what I believe to be a G24q-1 cap that is currently fitted

and here is the B22 Bayonet cap I have bought that I wish to fit

Now, my question is do I simply remove the existing base and fit the pendant in its place. Ensuring that all wires match up to where they are in the current arrangement (3/7 and 4/8) in the first picture?

G24q-1 bulbs do not take mains voltage

I agree that the 8-terminal block is the standard UK mains splice. However, there must be a ballast or driver circuit between the mains connection and the G24q socket.

You must account for that before you can rewire.

My concern is that they may simply be using common UK wiring kit to extend from an external ballast to this location.  That would be reasonable to do if they use a ballast that can support 2+ lamps.

This is an incandescent socket. Be careful!

A basic tenet of design is that fixtures not made for incandescents must not have sockets which could possibly take incandescents.

Even if you are enlightened enough to use efficient LEDs, the person who comes after you may slap in an incandescent.   At that point, the bulb is making much more heat than the fixture was ever designed to accommodate, and you can start a fire.

The bayonet socket you want to install will take incandescents.

I can't see the rest of the fixture,  but make sure it is listed and rated for incandescents.

If it is not, and  you want to fit LED bulbs, choose a socket type that only supports LEDs and not incandescents.  Or change to a fixture that is appropriate for incandescents.


How can I control this electronic door release with an Arduino? I am planning on fitting this GK311-1224 ANSI Release to a door and using a simple switch and Arduino as triggers.

Are there any examples of a typical installation for a lock like this.

That lock is simple: give it 12 or 24 volts and it opens. You will want to wire it through a relay as an Arduino won't be able to drive it directly.


Accessible gas pipe union I have an 8x8 opening in a wall with a small panel door and currently it holds the supply gas pipe valve for the house. The pipe then exits the wall and becomes exposed in a room. I would like to make the room part semi modular so that I can detach it easily on one end so I can remove if need to (for painting etc.)

Where you see a tee, I would like to put a reusable union so that I can untwist it there and the other end (2nd picture) can be removed with a wrench.

Is it okay (by the code and/or best practice) to have a reusable union for gas pipe, which can be dangerous if loose/leaking, behind a service panel entrance?

Unions are not allowed behind walls. If your wall is removable then it is more like furniture or painting. For example. A screwed on panel for a furnace room door is okay. There is a union at the furnace. So it is okay.


Cheapest way of adapting G1/4 sensor to 1/2" NPT I'm in the research stage of building an RO system for an RV, relatively cheaply. I live in the U.S.

The membrane housing has 1/2" FNPT for water intake, and I would like to connect a pressure sensor to the intake. The cheapest pressure sensors seem to be on ebay, but they are all male G1/4. It also needs to handle occasional salt water.

What is the cheapest way to adapt G1/4 to a U.S. standard so that I can find or order parts? Big thank you!

O.P. here. I found NPT sensors on ebay for $8 more than BSPP sensors. The amount of money to adapt BSPP to NPT would cost more.

BSPP Sensor Method #1:

Tee     | SS304 | 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" NPT Female        | ~$ 3.00 | Amazon
Adapter | SS304 | 1/2" NPT Male -> 1/2" BSPP Male      |  $11.66 | Ebay
Adapter | SS304 | 1/2" BSPP Female -> 1/4 BSPP Female  |  $12.20 | Ebay
Sensor  | SS304 | 1/4 BSPP Male                        |  $11.20 | Ebay
                                                    Total $38.06

BSPP Sensor Method #2:

Tee     | SS304 | 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" NPT Female        | ~$ 3.00 | Amazon
Adapter | SS304 | 1/2" NPT Male -> 3/8" NPT Female     |  $ 5.00 | Grainger
Adapter | SS304 | 3/8" NPT Male -> 1/4 BSPP Female     |  $15.00 | koolance.com
Sensor  | SS304 | 1/4 BSPP Male                        |  $11.20 | Ebay
                                                    Total $34.20

NPT Sensor:

Tee     | SS304 | 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" NPT Female        | ~$ 3.00 | Amazon
Adapter | SS304 | 1/2" NPT Male -> 1/8" NPT Female     |  $ 5.00 | Grainger
Sensor  | SS304 | 1/8" NPT Male                        |  $20.00 | Ebay
                                                    Total $28.00


Why would my bathtub spout stop leaking after fixing a water pressure issue? Something strange happened in my bathroom. For a few days the tub spout was leaking non-stop. During that time the water pressure had been low and there was no hot water. I thought that the leak was coincidentally due to a bad valve seat or washer.

However, once the water temp and pressure issues were fixed, the leak went away.

Anyone have any ideas how something like this can happen?

Its evidently a pressure balanced valve. Most single handle valves are today.


Add a GFCI protected outdoor outlet I have a GFCI outlet in my garage. When it trips it shuts off the power to the light switch and another outlet on the same wall. I want to add an outdoor outlet on the outside of that wall in between the light switch and the other outlet. Would it be GFCI protected? Does an outdoor outlet need a GFCI plug?

Would it be GFCI protected?

It would be if you install it properly, by splicing off the load side of the GFCI in the garage, or off of the light switch or the 'other outlet' you mentioned.

  Does an outdoor outlet need a GFCI plug?

No. It needs a receptacle (not a plug).

That receptacle should have GFCI protection.  That requirement does not mean you have to install an outlet with GFCI buttons outside.  In fact that's a bad idea because those buttons won't weather well.

But if you provide power to the new outside outlet VIA splicing into the load side of an indoor GFCI outlet, or GFCI-protected circuit, a plain old cheap outlet will be perfectly GFCI protected outside.


I'm not sure what kind of thermostat I can use -- two wires, red/beige? and a millivolt thermostat I've been wanting to upgrade my thermostat to a smart one -- I only have an in-floor furnace, so the utility isn't super necessary, but I'd like to have a smart thermostat anyway (so I can turn my heat on as I'm making my way home).

I believe I have a millivolt system -- as I have a Honeywell TS812A1007, which is a millivolt controller. I've read online that it is possible to uprade to a smart thermostat, but that I'll need something like a 24VAC Transformer

Below is the back of my thermostat:

My questions is: is this 24VAC Transformer something I can just add on to where the thermostat lives (i.e., is it just a need for power to the thermostat) -- or do all of my options involve adding a new wire from my furnace? I've got a hunch that snaking a new wire up to the thermostat from the furnace will be the most difficult/expensive part, so if I can just run a plug to the new thermostat and have it use that + the 2 existing wires, then this won't be too difficult.

I've been trying to make sense of the thermostat schematics people have posted, but I am very novice at electricity/wiring (and by novice, I mean I got a C in high school physics and that's the extent of my expertise).

The Honeywell TS812A-1007 is a heating only, 24 volt thermostat, not a millivolt thermostat. The millivolt one is a different part number. If you have a volt meter, turn the thermostat all the way down and check the voltage across the 2 wire connections; you should get 24 volts. If you don't have a volt meter, look at the gas valve on the furnace. It should tell you the voltage required for that valve. If you need to change the wires to upgrade the thermostat it is not that hard, but you may be better off getting an HVAC guy in since they snake wires all the time.


How can I clean calcium deposits off my mirror? I live in Denmark and water is containing high amounts of calcium so my bathroom mirror has all these white spots which are so hard to remove, any ideas for a dissolver or something?

Here is a little known secret, don't tell anyone!!!!  "Bar Keepers Friend"  powered cleaner works miracles with fogged, rain stained and calcium covered glass.  It contains acyclic acid and a mirco fine abrasive. It cleans glass, head light lenses  and fiberglass like crazy and give you a very smooth polished finish. you can also use it with a buffing wheel or by hand. You can find this product at most any grocery store.


wireless ceiling fans with low voltage I am troubleshooting some electrical issues on three different ceiling fans in my upstairs bedrooms. All three are wireless Harbor Breeze ceiling fans. They all have the same issues but at varying levels. issues include:

dimness
fan run slower than it should
flickering

I measured the house power and I get 118-120v on all three boxes. So I then measured the voltage from the light output(blue wire) on each unit. the readings are as follows:

1st light: 90v - dimness, flickering
2nd light: 103v - slight dimness, flickering
3rd light: 50v - This guy just barely works

All of the wire nuts are tight and they are wired correctly. I have the same ceiling fan in my living room and it doesnt have any issues. I measure the light output on it and it reads 110v which I would expect to be normal.

What would cause this issue with three or four different voltage readings? I cant imagine that I would have three defective ceiling fans. With the house voltage reading normal could there still be an issue else where in the circuit? The last two fans are on the same breaker, but the first one is on its own.

Here is an example of the ceiling fan wiring:

Your problems could be with the remote control receiver unit. These have power control circuitry inside that allows for on/off control of the fan and light and possibly speed control for the fan and dimming for the light. As with any electronic circuitry connected to the power line these can be damaged by a surge or serious spike on the power line.

One common cause of spikes and surges in some areas is thunder storms with accompanying lightening. You may want to look into swapping out one of these receiver units with a new one to see if it corrects the problem.

Note that this type of unit is permanently connected to the AC mains exposing it to storm surges all the time. In some instances the fan/light fixture may be wired up through a switch to shut it off. In cases where the switch is off during a storm it could account why some units escaped damage whilst others have failed.


Can someone identify this fan switch (PHOTO) This fan switch has become unresponsive.  Looking to figure out whether it needs a battery or is self-powered.  Would be great to get a make/model ID, manual or simply an answer on how to address.  Thanks.

It's a Progress Lighting in-wall remote.

It's designed for places that only have a single circuit between the switch and the fan/light combo. Constant power is fed directly thru the switch to the fan. There is stand-alone a receiver module in the fan canopy.  The "switch" send wireless remote signals just like a handheld remote would.


How can I attach to drywall with aluminum studs? First, how can I find the studs? My normal and good stud finders are mostly baffled. Second, what should I use to anchor into them? I'm thinking some sort of self-expanding toggle bolt?

In North America, studs are usually installed 16" on centre, regardless of whether wood or metal studs are used.  (Commercial interior walls may have different spacing.)  If you can't find the stud with your stud finder, look for a plug or switch on the wall - they will be attached to one side of the stud and then start from there.

Just use normal fine-thread drywall screws.  Drywall screws are available in coarse thread for wood studs, and fine thread for metal studs.

PS: Are you sure the studs are aluminum?  All metals studs that I have seen are galvanized steel.


How feasible is it to reuse the bricks when rebuilding a wall? I knocked down a wall (drove into it). I have had two builders along to quote for repairing this wall.

One builder says that he can reuse the bricks to rebuild the wall. The other says that there is no way he could reuse the bricks and will need to buy a new set of bricks.

I would prefer to reuse the bricks if possible because it is a lot cheaper and by reusing the bricks means they will blend in with the rest of the wall better. But obviously if reusing the bricks means it will be a shoddy job, it would be better to go with new.

So, which is it? How good a wall can you make with second hand bricks?

When someone says something isn't feasible, they usually mean "I don't have the skills", or "I can't do this cost effectively", or simply "the job looks unpleasant. Of course bricks can be reused if they're not disintegrating. It's simply a matter of whether you really want to pay for that outcome.

That said, it's probably not cheaper to reuse the bricks. Bricks are cheap. Time spent disassembling and cleaning bricks isn't (if you're paying someone else to do it). The reason you'd reuse them isn't cost, but outcome. New bricks obviously don't look the same as old ones.

The answer to your question, at its essence, is yes. You can reuse bricks. Humans have done it for centuries.

P.S. I love that you posted the damage to the wall and the car.


Do I still have a mouse problem? Last saturday I was prepping some food when I see this little creature dash across the floor past me carrying a tiny piece of cardboard, on further inspection around the house I found a couple of very old mice droppings in the living room and a couple under the sink, here was my action plan:

bought a Victor Electric trap with peanut butter placed adjacent to the fridge.
Bought an ultrasonic sound repeller for the bedroom
4 sticky traps around the stove back and access to the counter top.
called exterminator and checked the poison traps (the one under the sink had been recently gnawed significantly.
Turned the bedroom, kitchen, living room and spare room top to bottom (no evidence or droppings found)
Dog food bag has been on the floor since forever, and no evidence of gnawing or other signs.

I am checking the kitchen twice a day, but no luck with the traps and no droppings since and no gnawing. Should I assume the issue has resolved it self with the lack of evidence and gnawing to the poison? or remain vigilant with my numerous traps.

Please help!

You've taken some good precautionary steps to eradicate the vermin from your house. But I'd like to suggest and comment on some of the tasks. The first job you should accomplish is to stop the rodent's point of entry. This can be done by walking the exterior perimeter of your house. Points of entry include: conduit penetrating the wall, air vents with holes in the grate, door bottoms with no weather striping, appliance exhaust vents (dryers, water heaters, furnaces, etc.), siding that has pulled away from the wall framing, eave openings with no screening, soffit boards that have warped or rotted. Remember a rodent can flatten its body to the point it can squeeze through an opening a third of it's size! And once it establishes itself inside it will continually gnaw at the opening to enlarge it. If you find an entry point you can plug it with steel wool, compacting it tightly into the gap. Vermin won't gnaw into the steel fibers. Once you have stopped their access you should next work on dispatching the furry pest. And the best and only way is to trap; be it glue ,snap, cage or electric is up to you. Sticky traps work most of the time. If you position them along the baseboards were the possible route of the vermin is increases a successful catch. It would be wise and helpful not to use poisoned bait of any kind due to the chance of poisoning a non-target animal or the chance of a pet getting into and ingesting the bait. Trapping assures you have a 'confirmed kill'. It also means not having to trace a rotting carcass some were in the wall. Lastly the audible repellents, from my experience, are a gimmick that can not be substantiated with any scientific proof other than what the manufacturer claims. Good luck and good hunting.


Backwater valves, furnace drains, and vent pipes I'm having a house built and I got a picture of the drain pipes in the basement prior to pouring the slab, and it looks like this:

The left blue circle is a floor drain for the furnace, the right blue circle is an unused 3-inch stack, the left red circle is a 2-inch vent, and the right red circle is a backwater sleeve.  The line drains toward the top of the picture and out to the sewer.

The builder installed a furnace and placed it such that it didn't cover any of these pipes:

The placement of the furnace would have blocked a wall I want to put in to finish the basement later, so I asked the builder to move the furnace, which they did.  However, as you can see in the next picture, the furnace is now covering the two red-circled pipes which were cut and capped, and the builder modified the unused stack to make it a 2-inch pipe:

I asked the builder about this and was told that the backwater sleeve didn't need to be exposed, the vent pipe was cut and capped, and the unused stack is now going to be used to vent the drain, which is why they modified it with 2-inch PVC so it can have an air admittance valve installed later.

My questions are:

Now that the backwater sleeve is covered by the furnace, how in the world am I going to service it if needed?  How often do backwater valves need maintenance or replacement?
Can the vent exist in the new location?  Doesn't it have to be between the furnace drain and the backwater sleeve?  If it's on the other side of the backwater valve, doesn't that mean there's no venting for the drain when the valve is closed?  Will the water move through the pipe?

1) Recommendations vary from inspecting every 3 months to every 1 year. You're checking for any debris that might prevent the valve from closing if water does come up the drain backwards. If a furnace is on top of the access point, you won't be able to inspect it.

2) The vent pipe must be within a certain distance of the drain trap, determined by the size of the drain pipe. Section 906.1 of the IPC states that for a 2" pipe, your vent needs to be located within 8 feet of the trap. Just eyeballing your setup, it looks like it's possibly OK. However, your locale may have adopted modifications to the code, so you'll need to check with your inspector to ensure that it meets code.

That said, please make sure that your inspector is aware of the changes. The plumbing had to be approved before the slab was poured, and the HVAC contractor knew it wasn't going to get a second look. If the inspector gets another chance to review it, changes may be required.

Good luck!


Is it safe to change an Indian 16A to 250 V round pin plug to a UK 3 pin 13 Amp as used in 220-240 V Kenya I brought an Indian clothes drier to Kenya.  Technical Specifications
Motor Rating (Watts)125:  Heater Rating (Kw)1.8:  Power Supply 220V Single Phase, 50 Hz; Voltage Range 220+10%. I want to change the plug to a UK style 3 pin 13 amp plug as used in Kenya (Kenya power is on 220-240 single phase 50 Hz) Using a Watts to amps converter (125 w at 240 amp) it comes out well within 13 amps. Is it therefore safe to just change the plugs (assuming I wire it up properly!!)

So motor is 125W, heater is 1800W, add those together we get 1925W.

Pump, controls etc may add a little but it should still be well within what a 13A plug can supply.

I have no idea what wiring in kenya is like though. It's not unheard of in some countries for power circuits to be rated lower than the sockets on said circuits.


I have two unconnected drain lines in the kitchen. If I start using one, can I just put a stopper on the other? There is a 3/8" drain line by my refrigerator. I hooked up a reverse osmosis filter to the refrigerator which drains through the 3/8" line. Lo and behold, as soon as it started draining, I discovered that water was coming out of another 3/8" drain line under my kitchen sink.

Is it okay to simply put a stopper on the 3/8" drain line under my sink and still have my filter draining through the other line?

It sounds to me like you don't have two unconnected drain lines, you have ONE drain line that starts at the fridge and ends at the sink.

If you stopper the sink end its just going to fill up the drain line and back up into the filter.

You need to install a tie in for the 3/8" line under the sink before the trap.  Do not hook it in to the main drain after the trap or you'll allow sewer gases into your filter.


Tilt and turn door brushes against the reveal My door is getting a little old, 10 years, and the side of the door began to brush against the reveal (around the upper half). Searching a bit a came to the conclusion that I have to adjust the screw on the picture:

I tried clockwise (not sure whether this is the way turn in order to bring the door towards the hinge), initially it moved hard, but after it became easy. Now I can easily twist the screw in both direction. But I can twist in both direction 5-10 turns, nothing happens, the brushing problem remains.

So I do not know, whether I am twisting the proper screw, and why is it moving so easy. Maybe it got broken?

Please help me how can I adjust the door.

After you've turned the adjuster more than a small number of times, consider to grasp firmly the door and attempt to move it up and down. If there is paint or rust on the moving parts, they may have become bonded and require outside force (you) to move in the manner desired.


Best tool to cut 4mm thick straining wire I need to cut several 1.5m hoops of 4mm thick galvanised steel wire.
What's the best tool to do this at a decent pace?

A common bolt cutter would do well, assuming solid wire and not stranded:

A more dedicated cable shears would be easier and make cleaner cuts, but it's likely much more expensive:


Is it safe and legal to replace an extension cord plug end? Accidentally I cut my extension cord with the hedge trimmers in a tight spot.
Normally I would just rewire it with a new end from the hardware store.
However, a friend told me that repaired cords are illegal.

Are repaired extension cords covered by building codes (such as NEMA)?

Are repaired extension cords covered by safety codes or guidelines from major organizations (e.g UL, OSHA, etc.)?

Replacement cord ends are not illegal for home use in the USA. They are, however, disallowed by some jobsite governing organizations (OSHA, for example) in certain situations.

Just make sure you're familiar with the fundamentals of electricity and know how to make good electrical and mechanical connections. (The cable jacket should usually extend into the plug and be retained by its clamp.)


Carrier Furnace 58STX110-14122 fan starts the first time, but fails to start at subsequent calls for heat On a Carrier Furnace model #58STX110-14122, when the initial call for heat comes on, everything works just fine in the following order:

Thermostat sends a call for heat
Draft Inducer motor kicks on
The Hot Surface Igniter stick warms up
Gas flow begins and burners light up
After a short delay, the blower fan runs and hot air comes through the outlet registers

Now, after the thermostat temperature is realized, the system turns off (fan is in auto) and when the next call for heat comes on, all of the above steps happen except for the last one - where the blower fan does start spinning and instead produces a groaning sound. Attempts to prod it with a wooden stick do not work either. It seems stuck in place. This lack of airflow causes the system to throw error code #33 - LIMIT CIRCUIT FAULT, which turns into lockout #13 - LIMIT CIRCUIT LOCKOUT since the blower doesn't turn on.

I tried replacing the oval shaped 'motor run capacitor', but the system still exhibits the same behavior as above. Resetting the system and turning it on will get the system working properly for the first time as above.

Any pointers are appreciated as I am at my wits' end here!!

Turned out it was a bad blower motor. Replacing it was the solution.


Why did a failing water heater emit an electrical burning odor? Our electric water heater seems to have burned out, but the breaker didn't flip off. My husband smelled an acrid burning smell in the house and traced it to the water heater, which is in the bathroom. He turned off the breaker. There had been signs the heater was failing and we had a new one on order -- age, rust drips on the outside of the heater, having to turn the hot water up during a shower. He couldn't find anything that looked like it had burned and the smell still lingers in the bathroom. He put a new heater in yesterday and it works fine. We're wondering what would have caused the burning smell and should we still be looking for the cause? Any suggestions?

Electric water heaters have 2 components that can fail and cause the burned smell. The thermostat is constantly opening and closing electrical contacts after years of operating the contacts get eroded and cause a higher resistance then they heat up and arc this is probably what happened the breaker won't trip in this case because it is not drawing any more amperage but the heat generated is at the contacts not in the rod and thus the smell. The other common failure is the fire rod itself they crack from heat cycling and short out this will normally trip the breaker but not always if they just open. The rod failure is usually in the tank so no smell is usually associated with this failure but the wiring and thermostat can smell warm due to the excess current if it shorted.


Neutral and Live both hot when switch is turned off. How do I connect my new light? I'm attempting to swap out a ceiling light in a 100 year old house.  I have found what appears to be 3 hot (black) wires bound to one of the previously installed light's wires, and 1 hot (black) wire bound to another wire in the lamp.
There is only one switch that controls this light.  The previous installation works properly, in terms of turning the light on and off.  After pulling the switch out, it would appear there is a hot (black) and a neutral (white) attached to this switch.
With the switch in the Off position, the light turns off and my no contact voltage meter reads both the group of 3 black wires, and the single black wire as hot.  With the switch in the On position, the light turns on, the group of 3 reads as having power, while the lone black wire has no power.
How should I attach my new light?

The way you describe it, the receptacle has:

one hot and one neutral (single wire) when switch is on
two hot (single and triple) when switch is off

That would be functional (as in the light would turn on and off correctly), but dangerous (all the time) by modern standards.
The light would go between the three black wires and the single black wire. (two hots: no current, light's off) (one hot, one neutral: current, light's on)
It is possible there simply was a miswire at some point between neutral and hot.
Given the current state, if the ceiling light is high enough to not be a shocking hazard and you don't feel like fixing it all, all I can offer is:
Turn off the main breaker at the panel? That would turn off electricity to the whole house/unit. Use your cell phone flashlight to connect the ceiling light (or sunlight).
The only alternative is to identify where the miswire is and bring it all up to code, but that would be more effort.


mesh net to help keep crawlspace insulation from sagging Is it practical to install netting for crawlspace insulation to help keep loose insulation in place? If so how is it fastened to the floor joist and where can I find the netting?

I had to insulate a crawlspace with joists at 24" on center, no-one seemed to have insulation hangers that length locally, and there was some urgency about getting it done. I had some 1" roofing nails and a ball of mason twine. I started in one corner, drove a nail part-way into the first joist a foot or so from the end and tied the end of the string to it, then drove the nail the rest of the way. I then went to the next joist, drove a nail part-way, looped the string around it, pulled it tight, and drove the nail home. I proceeded like this across the space, then repeated the process a couple of feet further along the joists. I went back and forth like this until I got to the far end of the house. The building inspector approved it, and the insulation was all still in place five years later when I went under there again. I would have used insulation hangers if I had been able to find the length I needed at the time, though.


Why don't my Radiators get hot? When I turn on my heat, the pump attached to the boiler comes on but the pipes don't get hot and the radiators never do either.

I've bled them and believe they are hot water radiators (since there is a pump), so from what I understand sludge shouldn't be an issue.

We ended up bleeding the radiators, upping the pressure, and replacing the thermocouple.

After all of that, we discovered that flames had been shooting out of the front of the boiler and melted half of the valve, messing up the electronics for the pilot light.

We ended up replacing the entire boiler since it was 35 years old anyway, but the reason for the issue was the messed up valve.


Repairing a break in threaded water pipe joint buried in wall First of all, I'm from Europe, so please forgive me if things I'm about to explain seem foreign to your part of the world.

Yesterday, I noticed that one of the two valves (the hot water one) under my bathroom sink was leaking very slightly. My first instinct (not so bright, as it turned out) was to attempt to slightly tighten it. That made the matter worse.

After closing off the main supply valve and taking the valve out, I saw that the joint in the wall had developed a break:

Mind you, this is not a dry wall - it's a brick and mortar wall, which means replacing this will be a mess. Because of unfortunate positioning of the joint, it would require removal of 4 tiles and a fair amount of demolishing to free up enough room around the joint and adjacent pipe. I'd desperately like to avoid this, but I'm afraid I probably won't be able to.

Still, I'm asking international DIY-ers here: is there a realistic way to seal this break without having to replace the whole joint?

The fitting in the wall is similar to one of these:

Wow, that is a big problem. 2 possible fixes come to mind:

Buy some "x-pando" pipe joint compound. You can "google" the term to see where you can purchase it. I used it for years to seal bad pipe threads and for situations similar to yours. It is a powder you mix, put on the threads like pipe dope, screw the fitting in and wait till it sets up; follow directions on the can. As it sets up it will expand slightly.
If that does not work go to a pipe shop, take a 6 inch long brass pipe nipple and have them add 2 or 3 extra threads to that nipple. Use x-pando again and the extra threads may allow you to insert the nipple farther into the joint past the crack. If neither of these ideas work call a plumber or get out your demolition tools.

One last thing, after studying the picture, that gray material may not be concrete. It may be dried plumbers putty. Get a small chisel, old screw driver or some sharp tool, and a hammer and chip at it. If it falls apart it may be dried plumbers putty and not concrete. If it's not concrete you may be in luck to just replace the faucet more easily.


Installing GFCI into a box that feeds two other outlets I have a kitchen that has three countertop outlets all on the same branch circuit, and no GFCIs as the house was built prior to that code requirement. My plan was to replace the "first" outlet in the chain with a GFCI and have the other two outlets come off the load terminals so that way all three outlets were covered via the usual setup. Other than having to sort out which was the "first" one in the chain, no big problem.

To my surprise once I pulled off the covers, the setup is slightly different: the power from the panel goes to one outlet, and then it has two "forks" that branch to the other two outlets. So one outlet has three 12/2 cables coming in, two of which go to the other outlets. I suspect this is because one of the outlets was installed later and it meant running less cable. It happens that the receptacle that's doing the branching is wired with backstabs only -- three hots and three neutrals adding up to six wires being backstabbed into it. (The wisdom of that I won't question here...)

Looking at the instruction sheet for the Leviton GFCI to see if there were any hints for this sort of a setup, instead it simply says:

  DO NOT install the GFCI receptacle in an electrical box containing (a) more than four wires (not including grounding wires) or (b) cables with more than two wires (not including the ground wire). Contact a qualified electrician if either (a) or (b) is true.

So why the "don't do this"? Is this just a "this isn't the easy case and the lawyers didn't want to get sued" or is there some code problem here? My plan was just to pigtail the two loads feeding the other outlets together and attach that to the load terminals of the GFCI. The only particular problems I can think of is either the box just getting too full to work with, or in this case since these are 20A small appliance circuits that a 12 gauge pigtail wire is also required.

Update: So the box appears to be stamped as 16 cubic inches, which means this was far to small even for the existing install. The box does appear deeper than the rest of the kitchen outlets but it's not crazy deep. Ultimately the plan was to replace that box with one to add a switch for a garbage disposal circuit, so I'll probably defer the GFCI install and let the electrician handle that one...and make sure they get an extra deep box.

You are correct the number of wires for box fill is limited by code. I would be feeding the GFCI on the line side and pigtail the load with #12 wire. You are kind of stuck with what you have it’s going to be a tight fit hopefully it is a deep box. I have replaced boxes that were two small with old work boxes and in some cases used a 4 square box with a single device mud ring, this provides the most room but requires a bit of Sheetrock work to close it back up. Each box has the cubic inches allowed stamped on it. To calculate how much you need it’s 2.25 for #12 wire, we only count 1 ground the 3 hot,  the 3 neutrals is 7 a 2x for the the receptacle 9  plus if the box has clamps another for a grand total of 10 x 2.25  so the box would need to be 22.5 cu inches to meet code. Hope that helps I believe this is the reason they say no more because standard boxes are not that large and a GFCI device is larger than most receptacles but the same full calculation is used.


Help me find a replacement vent Have a wood burning fireplace and the chimney has an air intake vent.  The vent has seen better days but not sure what to ask for at the local stores. See photo

[ update ]
After getting up in the attic to see where this vent connects to, it does in fact seem to be a fresh air intake for the woodburning fireplace.

That's an outside air intake.  It's purpose is to allow air in but keep critters and debris from entering.  They make these specifically for this purpose but a common use is to take a DRYER vent that has a screen, remove the flapper (which would prevent air from entering) and use that as the intake.

You should find either at your local home supply store.


Can I install a dishwasher in the former oven location? Would I be able to replace my oven with a dishwasher in the same space without anything going wrong. The space is not to far from the sink.

As far as I know, there's no reason you can't put a dishwasher just about anywhere you like in a kitchen.  It's usually next to the sink because it makes sense to put it there, as well as reduces the amount of plumbing necessary for the kitchen.

Practicality issues aside, there's a fair bit of extra work involved to do this.
 Everything below assumes a USA location with regard to electrical.  The rest should be fairly universal.

You'll have to run water lines from the sink over to the oven space to supply the dishwasher.
If your oven is gas, electric is fairly easy, as both the dishwasher and the oven use 120V, however, you'll have to properly deal with moving the gas line to the new oven location.
If the oven is electric you'll have more electric work, as the 240V oven line has to be safely moved to wherever your oven is going, and a 120V line will need to be run to the dishwasher.  Note that, if you opt to use the plug-in method of powering your dishwasher, you cannot have the plug behind the dishwasher as you can with an oven.
In either case, it's best to move the circuit or outlet the dishwasher was on previously to the new location, as dishwashers are supposed to have their own dedicated circuit.
You'll need to replace the section of countertop that will be missing once the oven is moved.  For best appearances, you may need to replace the smaller sections on either side of the oven with one large section.
I don't think you specifically need to remove the microwave/hood vent from over the range, but it may look odd.  If you do, you may wish to replace the wall cabinets above the now-dishwasher with full-height ones (also not explicitly necessary as far as I know, but again it may look odd).

Overall, I'd venture if you're in the middle of doing a full kitchen remodel (as in, a cabinets-fully-removed level of remodeling), it's as good a time as any to rearrange the layout.  Otherwise, it may be more time, effort, and money than it's worth.


Can I install a sink with a drain pipe that's 21" off the floor? We are trying to install a bathroom sink.  They had a step up to go into he small area where they apparently had a sink. They had replaced this tiny bathroom for a closet, but we are trying to place a sink again.  The drain pipe is 21 inches high.  Can we still mount a sink without having drainage problems?  What do we have to do?  Vilma and Joe

If I'm understanding correctly, your drain pipe is coming out of the wall 21" from the ground?

That's fine, provided you can connect it to the sink properly.

Vanity height is anywhere from 29" to 36". The old "standard height" was 32", however often new construction uses kitchen height or "comfort height" at 36".

A typical bathroom sink basin is from 5 to 9" deep.

A side view of the drain connection looks like this:

So if you have a 32" high vanity, with a 7" deep sink (outside dimension), that gives you about 4" for the tail piece connections, which is somewhat tight but should be enough room.

If you go to a 36" high vanity, you can do a deeper sink.

This doesn't directly answer your question about having drainage problems, however. What I'd be concerned about there is venting. For 1 1/2" pipe, there must be a vent within 3.5' of the trap:

I'm not sure what the status of your project is (eg, if you have access inside the walls to verify the plumbing), but it's easier to validate and fix this problem if necessary before you install a cabinet, sink, tile, paint, etc.


Furnace keeps kicking off and on My furnace runs for a few min then flickers and shuts off and then the system recycles and it fires back up and the process repeats over and over and over etc....

I had a similar problem in which the furnace would start its pre-purge cycle, and then shut off.  The root cause was a broken solder joint on the controller circuit board, which I was able to see with strong reading glasses, and later repair by myself.
Try wiggling the low voltage electrical cables when your furnace acts up.  If you find an intermittent contact, it could be due to one or more broken solder joints.


Cracks in Walk-out Basement Slab I just built a home with a walk-out basement.  The floors in the basement are not covered with flooring yet. Superior walls were put up 1st.  The cement was poured late May 2017 as 1 slab and it's approximately 1900 sq ft. I don't know if they used rebar, because I wasn't there when they poured the concrete.

The concrete did not have cracks in it for about 4 months while the rest of the house was being built.  I discovered that the builder did not put the plumbing for the kitchen as per the plans.  He had to break up some of the concrete to correct the plumbing.

After they moved the plumbing and filled it again, cracks showed up and they go from where they filled it to 2 of the walls.  I would say that they are about 1/8th inch wide now.  They started out as hairline, but have gotten bigger over the past few months.

Of course, they need to be fixed before I lay down the flooring.
Any suggestions specifically on what the builder needs to do to make it right?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Adding picture of the fix where builder cracked concrete to move plumbing.  He had put the pipe too close to the perimeter cabinet walls.  It was for the sink in the island.

The cracks in your slab have nothing to do with the plumbing repair. Slabs crack. Period. Typically the only question is how the cracks are managed. The slab should've been cut to create control joints, or "zip strips" should've been worked into the surface to direct where cracks occur.

Now, if you have regular movement in the slab, that's a matter of poor compaction, excess unaddressed groundwater, or something else. That's a bigger problem that you'll need to discuss with the builder.

If there's no movement, and depending on your choice of flooring, this isn't an issue. If you're going with ceramic tile, the installer will need to deal with the cracks appropriately. Other types of flooring will simply span over the cracks.


Sealing the top of an appliance trap I have a washing machine which is plumbed into the drain with a standard sort of appliance trap:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mcalpine-appliance-trap-40mm-white/81714

There's a nozzle for the appliance, an outlet connector which clamps onto the waste pipe, a P-trap, and a sink connector on the top.

The only thing is, i don't have a sink!

Well, not right next to the washing machine, at least. So currently, i have the sink connector open to the air. Most of the time, this is fine, but if the washing machine drains a particularly foamy load of water, then the foam shoots up out of the top, and spills all over the place.

Can i somehow seal the top of the trap? Is there a blanking plug which will fit this?

I had a look, but all the plugs i could find are for the connectors which joins to other bits of pipe, not the connector which joins to the sink, which seems to be different. The sink connector is a plain pipe with a threaded nut around it; the dimensions are:

Internal diameter of pipe 33.8 mm
External diameter of pipe 41.2 mm
Internal diameter of nut thread 45.5 mm

Is there something which will fit this?

Normally, in the absence of a laundry sink to route your drain to, a standpipe is used. There are pre-made standpipes available for purchase but I prefer to fashion my own out of larger diameter plastic pipe (PVC or ABS).

The standpipe is designed to hold the large volume of discharged water until it can drain down through the trap. Although there are devices you can buy to seal them up, I do not recommend it as drain siphon issues can come into play.