How can I fix my entry door that is not deep enough? I had my front door replace, I got the right measurment and the door fit, but it was not deep enough. Now from the inside the edges of the door do not even out with the wall. Is there a way I can fix that?

You can either purchase jamb extensions or make them yourself from 1x lumber.  Your exterior walls may be 2x6 construction and your door may be for 2x4 construction - which explains the situation your describe.

However, this is fairly common and an easy fix.  Contact the supplier from where you bought the door and see if the jamb extensions are available or have someone "rip" a 1x to the correct dimension and fasten it to the jamb with glue and finishing nails.  Then you can apply your interior casing (trim) to reduce drafts.


Do I need to use a waterproof sealant in my entryway? Do I need to use a waterproof sealant in my entryway, over the backerboard and under the porcelain tile or is the thinset adequate?  Sub floor is above grade, 3/4" plywood. thanks!

You will only need the backer board for your entry way. No other waterproofing needed. If it was your bathroom at the shower entrance, it would be a good idea, but since it will only be an occasional wetting from tracking in water or snow, and porcelain tile is impervious, it will handle it very well. You should seal your grout joints too, so the color remains, not getting changed by conditions over time


Nest 3rd generation UK Install Terminals 4, 5 and 6 are used to connect cables that switch your domestic hot water on or off Nest 3rd generation UK Install Terminals 4, 5 and 6 are used to connect cables that switch your domestic hot water on or off. Hi have my new nest 3rd gen installed heating is working great for radiators. Its the Hot water i'm stuck on. any help appreciated.

From the following documents it seems to me that 2 & 3 (common and call-for-heat) are used to provide power to the zone valve (which presumably then provides power to pump and boiler as in a conventional system)

This assumes you installed the Nest-display so that it repurposed the old 240V thermostat wiring for 12V power from the Nest Heat-Link unit (T1,T2).

You should check this with the installation manual supplied by Nest or using the online configuration tools on the Nest web-site.

Nest Thermostat Installation Guide
How to install your Nest Learning Thermostat


How to fix a small ceiling corner? I have a ceiling corner above the stairs that needs to be repaired.  It was previously drywall on the vertical, and finished ceiling on the horizontal.  We caused some damage early on that I covered up and further prevented with a piece of angled aluminium - 2" x 2" at a 90 degree angle that I cut to length and screwed in to cover the angle.

Is there a common way to cover and protect this corner?  I'm not against redoing the drywall but if there's an easy way to cover and protect this corner I'd probably go with that.

There are drywall/plaster corner protectors that are available for retail purchase and for commercial use. Basically they accomplish the same thing you did with your aluminum angle, except they are usually made of plastic. Other than that: plaster patch, sand smooth, plaster patch, sand smooth, ad nauseum...


Toilet Flange - Replace, Keep and Shim, or Something Else? I just installed new floor in my bathroom. I'm getting ready to install the new toilet, but I think I might have got some bad advice on how to handle the flange.
Currently I have a metal/PVC flange that's slightly bent in the back, but otherwise okay. I did not floor under the flange per the advice I received, so the flange is just floating. The top of the flange is between 1/4" and 1/2" above the finished floor. The flange looks like it would rest on the finished floor had I installed floor under it. It looks like the existing flange is glued to the outside the pipe.
Do I need to remove the flange? I think I could just shim under it to support it, but there isn't a lot of room. I could replace the flange, but that's a whole thing, and I'd still need to shim it since the floor doesn't come under the existing flange.
How would you recommend I solve this problem?

Morphed into an answer.
Patric : The bolt holes are 180 or directly across from each other you will notice the flange can be turned (at least when new) always use brass hardware.
steel will corrode and I have seen people break expensive toilets trying to get rusted bolts out. The light weight flange is strong enough to keep the pvc pipe in line with the toilet.
Old cast rings were thick and when replaced the new part goes inside the pipe and has some movement to align with the toilet (the style I use).
So as I have tried to convey,  The flange is to hold the pipe securely to the toilet thus preventing a leak. The wax seal, seals to the toilet primarily and a bit squishes out to the flange but enough to block sewer gas.  the flange Is for anchoring the seal not the seal itself. If exposed to urine water these cheap flanges would not last very long at all.
I have seen cases where a flange was two low because of tile added.
The old cast flange was still there but they used 2 wax rings to get it to seal and it worked for many years from what I could tell.
The avocado tile was a 70’s thing.
So I would not worry about a small dent just pre set the toilet and make sure the screw holes line up, squish the seal into the toilet but at the edges of the wax leave the center high, wipe the pipe and set the toilet snug the screws don’t over tighten or the toilet could crack and your done.


Bathroom Sink Handles - What are they called? One of the "handles" on my sink is broken (see photos below) and I would like to find a replacement part but I don't know what they are called in order to search for the right part.  They have threads and simply screw into the faucet so replacement will be a breeze if I can find the parts.  Any help with what they are called would be greatly appreciated.

Faucet handles or levers.

If you don't know the brand and model it can be very tricky to track these down.  Perhaps the best thing to do is to take the lever piece off and go to a plumbing supply store and see if they can match it.  The problem I have run into is that I get something that works but not exactly.  So then you have to buy two levers and even then it isn't exact and you just spent $20-30 on something that isn't exact.  (I have also ran into this when I had model #)

I have had this issue many many times on flips and I simply just replace with a good working faucet.  Yours for instance I could pick up for $10 at a salvage store near me.  You could order something online for $30-50 that is brand new.


Is there a building code for shower tile? (CA) The folks at Lowe's told me not to place tile on top of tile, but it seems like the shower in the home I just bought has 2 layers of tiles. Is there a code for that? Or just a "suggestion" not to have 2 layers of tile?

There is no code requirement/ restriction for installing tile over tile... for showers or otherwise.

However, there are many trade organizations in the construction industry that investigate, test, etc. products (i.e.: roofing, concrete, tile, paint, etc.) so that various materials are installed in the proper (most durable long-lasting) manner.

For tile, we follow the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).  They recommend various methods of installation for countertops, showers, retrofits, etc.

Check here: http://www.tcnatile.com/

I’d also verify recommended method of installation by the tile company of the actual tile you select.

I’m guessing they’d recommend you remove the old tile for lots of reasons, (i.e.: loose tile, bad grout, mold, lack of adhesion, incompatible tile, etc., but check out their recommendation.


Replace load bearing studs with 4x4 posts I would like to open up our dining room to our living room, but don't want to install an LVL due to a limited budget.

We decided to get creative. By simply removing the sheetrock, and using the existing studs as a frame for a built in open bookshelf, the rooms will feel connected but we will not alter the structure of our home.

My studs are 16" apart. I am wondering if I can safely increase this span slightly (say to 20"-24"), by replacing the studs with evenly spaced 4x4 posts.

Is this reasonable?

Studs are vertical.  They are present to transfer the weight from the top plates (which are the top pieces that frame the wall) to the bottom plates, all of which then gets transferred to the next level down.

Beams and top plates are similar in function but beams carry more load over a wider span, and usually rest on either solid walls (foundation walls) or columns - which are functionally the same as studs but further apart and stronger.

The spacing of studs or columns is determined by the relative beam strength of the to span - or distance - covered by the beam.

So - upgrading the studs to 4x4 isn't necessarily enough - in fact just doing that could potentially be devastating if you widen them and the top plate is not able to handle the wider span.  In all odds it WON'T be, but why take chances?

If you are going to widen the spacing of the studs, then I would recommend you basically build a door frame, where you have 2 2x6's installed vertically instead of the top plate (or under it), held up by 2 2x4s installed 20" apart.

That will more than compensate for any structural weakness otherwise created by the seemingly minor change.


Can I use a copper ground with aluminum hot and neutral? I want to put in two pedestal lamps at the beginning of my driveway, as well as a weatherproof outlet box. The total run from the outside panel is 30 ft. I want at least 30 amperes at the box. The wires will be in conduit.

Presently I have enough AL #6 wire for my hot & neutral (I already had the wire), but not enough for the ground. I do have some CU #10. Can I use it?

You can use the 10AWG copper for your EGC, provided the conductor is bare or insulated with a green or green + yellow stripes finish -- 250.118(A) doesn't say anything about not being able to use a grounding conductor made from a different metal than your circuit conductors:

  (1) A copper, aluminum, or copper-clad aluminum conductor. This conductor shall
  be solid or stranded; insulated, covered, or bare; and in the form of a wire or
  a busbar of any shape.

and Table 250.122 allows the use of 10AWG copper for the EGC of all circuits up to  60A in ampacity.  Since Table 310.15(B)(16) limits the ampacity of 6AWG aluminum THWN to 50A when in conduit, you'll be safe on that front.

HOWEVER, you must use receptacles of appropriate ampacity -- 15A receptacles are NOT allowed on 30 or 50A circuits!  This restriction comes from 210.21(B)(3) and the associated Table:

  Receptacle Ratings. Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more
  receptacles or outlets, receptacle ratings shall conform to the values listed
  in Table 210.21(B)(3), or, where rated higher than 50 amperes, the receptacle
  rating shall not be less than the branch-circuit rating.

Furthermore, you cannot run lighting in a dwelling unit occupancy off a 30A circuit -- this is prohibited by 210.23(B):

  30-Ampere Branch Circuits. A 30-ampere branch circuit shall be permitted
  to supply fixed lighting units with heavy-duty lampholders in other than a
  dwelling unit(s) or utilization equipment in any occupancy. A rating of any
  one cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment shall not exceed 80 percent
  of the branch-circuit ampere rating.

You'd need to install a weatherproof subpanel by your driveway with the 6AWG Al as a feeder to do this, following 312.2 for the enclosure:

  Damp and Wet Locations. In damp or wet locations, surface-type enclosures
  within the scope of this article shall be placed or equipped so as to prevent
  moisture or water from entering and accumulating within the cabinet or cutout
  box, and shall be mounted so there is at least 6-mm (1/4-in.) airspace between
  the enclosure and the wall or other supporting surface. Enclosures installed
  in wet locations shall be weatherproof. For enclosures in wet locations,
  raceways or cables entering above the level of uninsulated live parts shall
  use fittings listed for wet locations.

Once that subpanel is in place, you could then use 14/2 w/ ground UF or USE cable rated for direct burial to run standard 15A branch circuits to the outlet box and light fixtures.

Either that, or just pull a bunch of THWN copper through the conduit (ensuring it's appropriately sized, of course), and run multiple branch circuits.  You'll need at least 2 in this approach -- 1 15A for the lighting, and another branch circuit of the appropriate size to feed your outlets.


Can I add copper wire led lights to existing 12V Landscape Light Transformer I have an existing 12V low voltage landscape lights set on a transformer.

I have a 66ft copper wire LEDs that came with a 5V adaptor. Does this have to be plugged in separately; or can i connect it to the existing 12V wiring  with some sort of an adapter?

If "some sort of an adapter" is a 5V voltage regulator which can accept 12V or more input, perhaps yes. If not, no, and more may be needed if either one is AC, not DC.

You may (quite probably) also overload the 12V adapter if it's matched to the current string of lights such that adding more load would exceed its capacity.

Simpler and safer to just run the 5V adapter to a plug.


How to decide if an old wood door is worth painting? I'd like to freshen up an old barn door, to make my lockdown productive.

It looks really bad, hasn't been taken care of in a long while, and I wonder if there is anything useful I can do, or if it is just too late.

What should I be looking at to determine this?

Follow-up answers:

Does the door still operate or is it merely decorative?

It still operates. As a matter of fact, the main reason I want to work on this door is to keep it operating for as long as possible.

There is some rot at the bottom, particularly on the right. Is that sturdy enough or does it need to be repaired to keep it from falling apart in use?

The door is actually two 1" (2.5cm) board, screwed together. Even at the worst point (bottom right in the first picture) there is plenty left, and it feels very sturdy.

Altough there is some wood of similar dimension (width and thickness, but shorter) laying around, I don't remotely have the skills to replace the boards myself, and rust melted the screws and bolts.

Do you want to paint it and hide all the patina or do you want to put a preservative/sealer on it just to keep it from falling apart more?

I think it looks kind of nice. It's been out there for 80 something years, my goal is to keep it going a bit more :)

Do you want to spiff up all the hardware or leave it rusty?

I would try to make it all better.

Is is too late?

No, I don't think so

What should I consider?

Does the door still operate or is it merely decorative?

i.e. will repairs to the mechanism be necessary? You may need to grease, repair or replace the wheels up top and/or fix up the rail it hangs from.
Or are you happy with it stuck open and you just want it to look nicer different?

There is some rot at the bottom, particularly on the right. Is that sturdy enough or does it need to be repaired to keep it from falling apart in use?

Do you have the skills necessary to repair the door if "freshening" it includes replacing the rotted wood?
Repair could involve replacing an entire board or just cutting off the rot and patching in a new piece.
Do you have extra old wood laying around that would match in width, thickness and general patina? Modern dimensional lumber probably will not match, especially in thickness.
Any new replacement lumber will look different, even if the whole thing is painted a solid color. They just won't have the same wear. You'd have to "distress" the new wood to make it look "right". (Using old wood that's in better condition would be the preferred option, in my opinion.)
Do you have access to a local lumber mill (that's open) that could supply you with lumber of the required dimensions?
Replacing entire boards (especially the two on the right-hand side of the pic) will involve removing the roller hardware and the handle. Can you get those bolts lose or are they rusted into one solid mass?

Do you want to paint it and hide all the patina or do you want to put a preservative/sealer on it just to keep it from falling apart more?

You will want need to scrape or gently (very gently at first - hard to tell what kind of condition those boards are in) power wash the wood to get all the loose dirt and gunk off of it before attempting to apply an sort of coating. If you don't, a preservative won't soak in very well, and a paint coat will just fall off in the next stiff breeze. i.e. you'll keep busy for now, but you'll be busy again next spring fixing up the mess you left behind.
Personally, I'd go with just a preservative or sealer to allow the patina to show through. Even this will change the color of the wood some, but it will have minimal effect in comparison to a stain or paint.
If you've got other painted wood on the barn and you paint this to match, that would make sense. Do you have, or can you get paint to match?

Do you want to spiff up all the hardware or leave it rusty?

I'd seriously consider hitting the metal work with a wire brush (drill powered, unless you're looking for a serious arm workout) to knock the heavy rust off, then paint it with a rust converter that will turn the oxidation into a protective coat. These are usually available in a variety of colors to coordinate with whatever color you choose to paint - I'd think just a simple black would look nice.
Converting the rust to a protective coat will definitely lengthen the life of the ironwork.
I'd include spiffing up the rail that it hangs from, too.
You could paint the iron work after applying the rust converter. Depends on taste and desired aesthetic, of course.


DIYer to skilled tradesperson What is the process a DIYer has to go through to become a skilled tradesperson?  Are the only options apprenticeships, or are there other paths to follow to learn a trade/become licensed?

What type of training does it take to become a general contractor?  Are there apprentice contractors?

A guy I know is a contractor, but his only qualifications were that he had a van and the money to print up some business cards.  Is this all it takes to be a contractor?

Vitaliy is basically correct. In most states trades such as plumbing, electrical, gas, oil burners, require a licence. The licence is usually broken down as an apprentice, journeyman then finally a master. Times will vary and requirements and tests vary by state. Specialized permits can only be pulled by masters in the trades. GC's pull the general permit for the structure.
A general contractor is usually someone that has a good working knowledge of several trades and good trustworthy sub-contractors.  Some states require a licence as a GC and proof of contractor liability insurance. I can tell you that fly by night contractors go by the boards quickly, one needs good skills in estimating, carpentry, problem solving, good credit, at least one million $$$ of liability insurance and the ability to communicate clearly with customers and understand exactly what the customer wants and needs. maybe most important is to be able to realistically tell customers what is possible in the budget allowed and never over promise. We all hear stories about unskilled and bad contractors. They may work for a while, but smart consumers will ask for financial and customer references, and a bad rep will put them out of business quickly. Miscalculate a job and you can lose big bucks, do a bad job and have to claim on your insurance and your insurance will be canceled.

Most GC's I know are pretty smart guys, good business smarts. They keep up on new products and methods. Lots of our suppliers have product seminars, trade shows and you will see the good guys at them learning to give a better product to the consumer.  The most important factor in being a good GC is experience. The more I see, the more complex the problem, the more I watch and learn from my subs, the better.  I have been doing general contracting for about 13 years now, and I still take time to watch shows like TOH, Holmes on Homes, Ask TOH. I find them a great source of new ideas and methods from some excellent teachers. I also enjoy being a pro member on This old House for pros website.  When I get a tough problem, I can turn to other guys for help and good advise.

I know this answer is a bit rambling, but the bottom line to becoming a successful GC is commitment, experience, knowledge, investment in good tools and people, and growing with a fast changing market.


Shower niche tile unfinished edge? I hired a construction company to remodel my master bath, they just completed the job and upon first glance it looked great and I blessed the work. After they left and I looked more closely, they have left a raw edge on the tile around both shower niches that were installed. Not only does this look terrible (note the barcode showing on one edge), it won't be waterproof as that raw edge will absorb water unless sealed in some way. What do I do?? Fix it myself? Call them back to cut out and correct the problem? Call a tile expert to fix? I have not yet paid the balance on the job.

That is not a professional job. Good thing you have not paid in full. That needs to be removed and redone properly with bull nose and polish the edges of the glass tile so they meet properly and not show such a wide grout joint to cover the edge of the rough cut glass tile. This is something THEY need to do. What I suggest is common practice that is done by professional tile setters. I hope they can do you justice.


Reposition a small displaced brick wall We backed a car (don't ask!) into the brick front wall of our porch. The porch is a waist-high brick enclosure built on a carport pad ages ago, with a framed and screened upper part, and a regular peaked roof on top. The brick wall runs from the corner of the porch to a doorway opening, about 6 ft. It separated at the corner, and slid 9 inches inward. There is a substantial brick shelf or seat on the inside side of the wall, adding to the bulk and weight of the wall. The only brick damage is at the corner, and most of that is simple separation. So, how do I move it back? I put a 4x4 against the base and whacked it 10 times or so with a 10-lb sledge, but it won't move that easily.

If you can get purchase on the wall with a rope and have a hitch on your car the poetic justice approach would be to attempt dragging it back into place. :-) But I expect this will just pull it off the carport pad and into your yard.

I suggest you contact a brickmason. From your description it sounds like there is a screened-in porch supported by that wall. You will need a mason to repair the wall or risk losing the porch. They might attempt to drag it in place and patch it but I doubt that. Most likely they demo the wall and build you a new one.


AFCI receptacles vs GFCI receptacles for non-grounded outlets I'm replacing a few 2-prong receptacles in an old house, and all these outlets do not have ground wires. Cost for rewiring is too much and I'm thinking about using GFCI / AFCI receptacles instead.
My understanding is that normal 3-prong receptacles are not safe to use without ground wires, but how about GFCI ones? Also are there cases that I should use AFCI receptacles instead of GFCI ones?

TL;DR Install GFCI receptacles
Grounding, AFCI and GFCI perform three different, but complementary, functions.
Grounding takes care of a few different things, including providing a path for static electricity to get back to "ground" and enabling certain types of short circuits to complete in a way that will trip a circuit breaker. Grounding has been part of the basic design of residential wiring for a long time, but it is not critical when everything else works correctly. For grounding to work properly, it has to be installed in a particular way in the main panel and connected all the way to each device or receptacle.
AFCI protects against Arc Faults, which primarily means for protection. This includes certain types of problems that can be caused by loose wires, nails through wires, damaged insulation and other things. It is most effective when installed in (or near) the main panel so that it can protect against both wire damage and device problems.
GFCI protects against Ground Faults, which primarily means protection against serious injury and death. This is an imbalance between hot and neutral (or hot & hot on a 240V circuit). It is called "ground", but it actually does not require a ground connection to do its job. The key is that any electricity from hot that doesn't make its way to neutral must be going to someplace else. That someplace else is generically "ground" but may be: ground wire (ideal, safe), a person (not safe), a pet (not safe), exposed parts of equipment (not safe if they can be touched by a person), etc. The really great thing is that if the electricity would be going over a ground wire, but that ground wire doesn't exist, then it will go somewhere, and the GFCI will trip to stop that electricity.
The end result is that, in addition to its primary duty of protection against serious injury and death, a GFCI will effectively provide the protection that a ground wire would supply, even if the ground wire is not connected. So it is the cheap & easy way to convert from 2-wire to 3-wire receptacles. The way you do this is to install GFCI at the first receptacle in each chain, and any additional 2-wire receptacles can be replaced with 3-wire receptacles and marked as "GFCI protected, no ground". And you are safe.
In fact, you can install the GFCI protection in the breaker panel instead. That can be even easier to do, and less confusing (no need to figure out LINE vs. LOAD). Then you can replace all the 2-wire receptacles with 3-wire receptacles (and label them...). The catch is that generally speaking GFCI receptacles cost less than GFCI breakers and, depending on the type of panel and existing breakers, this may not be an option. GFCI receptacles are always an option.


how to plug a 3 phases oven from the panel I’m moving to an apartment and would like to plug in an oven, the agent told me it was 1 phase condo but when I look at the panel it seems to be 3 phases.

Is it 1 or 3 phases?
If 3 phases can I use a 3 phases oven?
Will new wiring be needed from the panel to the plug?

Here are pictures of the panel:

For your question 1:

That was a big label on the MCB circuit 415V Three Phase.
The main concerns are the agent, is he okay?

For question 2:

Yes you can if you know which cable for phase 1, 2, 3 (in this case RYB).
Check for an electrician to make a special plug or wiring especially for 3 phase system.

For question 3: already answered in no.2 answer


What is a "rigid surface"? Can someone explain as detailed as possible what, exactly, a rigid surface is?  The context in which I am inquiring is in regards to Green Glue.  It requires application between two rigid surfaces.  I am sure this is a global term that doesn't apply to just Green Glue.

Rigid means something that will hold its shape on its own.  Wood (except veneer), drywall, backer-board are all rigid.

A piece of thin paneling made from plastic/fiberglass would not probably count.

However, the definition is somewhat subjective.  In the context of Green Glue, I presume they want to ensure no movement between the layers.


Why is my clear pex tubing turning red/brown? I am noticing that the pex tubing in my home ( at the supply line) is turning to a brownish/reddish color.  The color fades as it spans out ( after 8ft or so) Is this normal or is this something that I should be concern about?  Please advise.

Areas that have high iron in the water will cause iron scale to build up on the inside of the pipe. Other possible causes if on city water is metal water pipe in the supply. Over time it may get darker and is not unusual. In the past it was not visible because the pipe was not transparent like PEX.


LED bulbs and LED dimmer I've read a lot about "not every LED bulb can be dimmed, always look for a "dimmable" feature".
The truth is none of the LED bulb here do have the "dimmable" feature written down in the packaging.
I have a cheap LED dimmer made by Philips, and I am wondering if I could dim an ordinary LED bulb with it. I don't know about how it works or whatever inside, there is 4 connection from there, 2 from mains and 2 to lamp. It only says 300W max, 230v.
Since LED bulbs is way expensive I am wondering if they could be dimmed just fine. Or will they buzz or don't work at all?

If the package does not say "dimmable" then it is not dimmable - it might dim and it might not, it might just burn out.

CREE in their print declares they work with most dimmers.
Philips bulbs are marked clearly on the package as well.
Other manufacturers like el-cheapos, they are cheap for a reason generally no dimming.

LED's have a frequency driver in them for the power output to "drive" the LED - so what happens is that frequency regulates the power for the LED.

SOME TRUTH'S ABOUT DIMMERS AND LED's.

Not all dimmers work with LED bulbs.
Dimmers will not necessarily work with all LED bulbs.
Not all LED bulbs are dimmable.

EDIT 4-30-2017

I have provided the links below for some of the products between Philips and Cree. My personal preference is Cree - they seem to be the all inclusive bulb - compatible with many dimmers, compatible in damp locations (i.e. Showers) and their warranty is EASY. I had a 100 Watter in my garage - it went out - I called them they asked for the model and sent me a replacement - done deal. I also have an older one my daughter dropped and the glass broke - well I trimmed up the glass to the base and use it in my mechanics drop light for working on the car.

Philips Dimmer Compatibility Sheet

Philips USA dimmable-led

Philips USA choose-a-bulb

creebulb.com/dimmers

CREE A-19

Cree Compatible Dimmers


HOT FEED ONLY 240v Thermostat I have 2 electric 240v baseboard heaters w a single pole thermostat fed by a single 12/2 cable always hot.
  Purchased Honeywell double pole mechanical replacement - do I need to run another 12/2 or can I have a constant 110 leg to the heaters? Junction box has wires for 2 baseboards, hot 240 supply and feed to thermostat, all 12/2 w ground.

You can use the Honeywell,  but you must put both poles in series. Only one pole is switched thermostatically, theother is switched mechanically(on off only).

So connect one wire of pole 1 to one wire of pole 2. Then connect the remaining wires to the ones coming from the wall.


Why did my house lights flicker when I was using kitchen appliances? I was cooking in the kitchen using bake function of an air fryer for 30 minutes. Turned on the microwave for 30. Power went off on other circuits, but stayed on in the bedrooms and bathrooms.
No breakers were tripped. I manually reset the affected circuits where the power went out. Instead of normal lights, I got orange color on the bulbs that lit up. If I overloaded the kitchen circuit, why did it affect some of the other, but not all, circuits?
What will the fix entail? Thanks.

It turned out not to be an overload, but a bad leg coming into the meter box. Apparently, with all the rain, water had seeped into the underground box (which eventually connects into the meter box), causing arcing. So one leg was 120, the other 20; half the house wasn’t getting power. Being a first-time homeowner, it never occurred to me to check the meter box. I unnecessarily hired an electrician to diagnose a problem that was the power company’s responsibility. The power company repairman told me that if the meter is blank or the numbers aren’t moving, then that’s the indicator it’s on the power company side. I feel the electrician should have noticed that before he opened up the meter and charged a diagnostic fee.


Do soft casters on rolling chars hurt hardwood floors? Or should I just get a floor mat? Obviously I'd rather have the soft casters, if they do the job, but if they don't it's not worth it. What should I do?

If they are the soft urethane ones like those that are used at roller skating rinks, should be fine.

Check out the chart here and note that for hardwood floors, the wheel type is a function of (your + chair's) weight.

declaration:  not affiliated, related, in hock to or friends with caster city


Are all switches in a 4-way circuit the same? I have a four way switch in the house (I assume that is the correct term, 4 switches all controling the same light; flipping any one of them toggles the light; no other lights are affected).

I am looking at the wiring diagram (this is an EU one for Belgium) and I see the following symbol for one of the switches:

But other switches have this symbol:

It would seem to me that on an n-way circuit all of the switches would have the same symbol since they all connected to the same number of other switches.

Is this true? Or is there something I don't understand?

If all the switches are the same, on the schematic (that is, the diagram not relating to the physical location of the switches, but just what is on each circuit), is it necessary to repeat the symbol or can you just write "x4"?

Note - these remarks are from a North American perspective, but I believe switching is done the same way in Europe.

Switch terminology can be confusing but once you understand it, it is pretty simple.

When there's just one switch controlling the lights, it's simple, just a plain switch, labelled ON in the up position, OFF in the down position.  Technically this plain switch is a single pole single throw (SPST) switch but that's not important, nobody uses that term for building wiring.  You turn the switch on, the lights turn on, turn the switch off, the lights turn off.

When you have more than one switch, you want any switch to "toggle" the lights at any time - if they're on, flip any switch and they turn off;  if they're off, flip any switch and they turn on.  As you'd expect, in multi switch circuits, switches are not labelled ON or OFF.

When there's two switches controlling the light, you use two three-way switches.  Flip either switch to toggle the lights.  The switches are called three way switches because they have three terminals to attach wires, not because there are three switches in the circuit.  (Technically a three-way switch is a single pole double throw switch (SPDT) switch but again that term isn't really used in building wiring in North America.  Everyone just calls them three-way switches.)

The wires between the two three-way switches are referred to as "travelers" and the other wire is referred to as the "common."  The diagram shows the logical arrangement of the source power, the switches, and the load.  The physical routing of the wiring may be much different depending how things are laid out.  There are also some special purpose three way circuits that are wired a little differently.

When there's three or more switches controlling the light, you use two three way switches and one or more four way switches.  Four way switches have four terminals.  A four way switch is a variant of a double pole double throw (DPDT) switch, but again that's not really important.

Note that you can have as many four-way switches as you want between the two three-ways at the ends.  You don't use five-way switches for four lights.  The position of the terminals on the switches also varies - you have to check the instructions or markings on the switch to determine how the travelers are connected.


Where to add C wire on this air handler? Thanks for helping me here.  I am adding a new wifi thermostat to my system but need to add a C wire directly to the air handler (system is a First Co air handler with hot water boiler for heat and separate condenser for A/C).  I've attached a wiring diagram.  Can I simply splice into the brown wire directly off the transformer without effecting anything else?

Yes, that should work. I'd prefer to make the splice at a terminal or an existing junction, but you can splice it in the middle of the wire just as well (as long as there's enough slack in the wire).


How should I terminate water heater drain pan? I have a water heater drain pan installed and I'd like to terminate it as close to code as is possible. The pan/water heater is currently in a closet that barely fits the pan. So unfortunately, there is no way I can fit an indirect waste receptor. The water heater is also at ground level, so I don't know how I can get it to terminate outside above 6 inches.

Currently, it goes into the crawlspace. I could either tap it into the bathtub drain before the p-trap or terminate it outside but it'd basically be at ground level. Which of these is best to implement and why/why not? I'm also open to other ideas if anyone has any.

What kind of house is it? You mentioned the crawlspace...If it's a modular you could tie it into the main waste line down there as long as you built a trap in between the pan and the waste line.  If that's not an option, going into the bath drain is viable if you can easily access it.... Nothing there would violate code. Also, they make small automatic water pumps that will trigger and pump water up to 20' or higher, in that case route it into your laundry drain.


Is solvent fitted 2” pvc safe for use with drinking water? I have a 500 gal outdoor drinking water storage barrel, that I want to attach a hydrant to (the hand operated type)

Yes I know the water will need to be disinfected after pulling it from the barrel. I have a Berkey filter and a big stove for this.

Bear in mind that NO HOT WATER WILL TOUCH THE PIPE, and I will shield the pipe from the sun.

My question is, if I run 2 in pvc fittings and pipe to the hydrant, using solvent glue, will any chemicals leach into the water?

Also I have seen 2” pipe that is marked drain/waste/vent only. But I understand this is only because they don’t want it hitting hot water. If only cold water touches the pipe is it safe to drink from?

Is cpvc a better choice? Can I find it in 2in fittings?

If folks answering can provide references, that’d be even “awesomer” :-)

PVC is safe to use for drinking water. In fact it is getting tough to find non plastic means for water delivery at a reasonable cost. PVC & CPVC have been used for many decades larger sizes that city water systems use have o ring or rubber seals this allows the pipe some flex but I don't think rubber starts being used until 4" . is it safe yes, follow the instructions so it can cure. Since it is only cold water you don't need cpvc that was designed for hot water. You would never use ABS drain wast only on a supply and that may be what is causing the confusion.


How to stop a screaming pellet stove? I'm having trouble thinking of how else to describe the sound that our pellet stove is making.  It is a piercingly high pitched sound that appears to come from the blower.

Here's a video with plenty of awful audio (in the video I'm poking around the back of the stove, not around the blower on the far side).

Here's some more hints concerning this sound:

The sound started this afternoon when we restarted the stove after it had burned out.
This has happened once before and continued for a couple days.  It went away after I cleaned and vacuumed the stove out.  Sadly, that doesn't seem to have fixed the problem this time.  It was not clear why the sound went away last time - I never had any kind of 'aha' moment - the sound just went away.
For the first 30-90 seconds of running, the stove is quiet and doesn't make this sound.
Turning the stove on and off has no effect.
It really does seem like the sound is emitting from the blower/fan.

Fans always have cheap bearings and that is what they sound like when they go.

You probably need to replace the blower.


What brand is this faucet? I need a replacement handle for this faucet, but I don't know the brand. Any info would be appreciated.

Looks like a KWC (Swiss), possibly of the Domo or Systema lines. Here's a replacement sprayer (for reference only). Judging by the poor web presence it's probably from before or around the turn of the century.


Old drills randomly starts slow and rattling (if at all) My grandfather gave me two old drills, as he does not use them anymore. The drills are the AEG 800W Powermatic RL (SB2E-801RL) and the SKIL 1473H2. They suffer from the same problem, although the AEG slightly more than the other. When pulling the trigger, they sometimes give their full speed as supposed to, but other times they start slower, and/or they start rattling, if at all. Then, suddenly (while keeping the trigger pressed) they might step up to a higher speed. It then keeps the speed if it is the maximum speed. If not, it might receive another speed boost a short moment later, until it reaches the maximum speed, but it does not slow down unless releasing the trigger. The behaviour happens more frequently when holding the drill sideways. The frequency of the problem does not seem to be affected by choosing the rotational direction of the drill head, or the instructed velocity. Although, for low commanded velocities, it more frequently remains stuck.
Since they are completely different models while suffering from the same problem, it makes me think that this is a side affect of their old age, which as far as I know is the only property they have in common. But, what exactly causes it, and can it be fixed?
My first guess is that this is caused by old rusted and/or worn down brushes of the motor, but to my understanding this should simply lower the power and efficiency of the drills as a whole, and not induce strange step-up behaviour. So far, I haven't been able to find someone who has experienced the same behaviour with one of their (old) drills.

Update: the answer and comments convinced me to check out the brushes after all, starting with the AEG. The brushes were more easily accessible than I thought. Upon inspectation however I didn't see anything wrong. They didn't seem worn out given that they were spring loaded with at least 1cm more of travel, and their surfaces looked smooth and did not show rust. Nevertheless, I cleaned them from all the dust and carefully polished the tips,ever so lightly (perhaps not enough), with the hope that this would solve the problem. Unfortunately though, it didn't. The performance did not seem to be improved in any way. Below attached some pictures.

JJM your understanding of how motor brushes work is lacking some practical experience.  For less than 20$ you can probably have both running like new and gain the experience.
Holding the motor at an angle may cause speed changes. Bumping the motor can get them going or kill them.
I looked for AGE brushes and a video came up , easy to change , 2 screws remove the black grip and the brushes are right there.
Some brushes when the wear through damage the armature. Pulling the brushes is usually not difficult and on some models down right simple so please check them or they will be yet another thing for the trash.
Some skill motors
Removing a plastic disk that is screwed in and pulling the brush takes a few seconds other models opening the case and pulling the brush may take a few minutes. Most brush sets can be found for under 12$ and some for as little as 2.50$ for a pair.
I would encourage you to at least try before the armature is damaged and you might find the motor preforms like it should. And you learn a new skill that is rapidly being lost.


Okay to route central vacuum pipe on home exterior? I'm going to install a central vacuum system and it would be easiest and most convenient to run the pipe out the side of the garage, run along the exterior side of the house, and then directly through the side of the house to service two bedrooms on the lowest floor.

That side of the house is a 6 foot alley between 2 houses, and the alley is completely sealed off and unused by people in either residence.  So, there would be no aesthetic impact to the neighbor whatsoever.  Indeed, both houses already have a lot of electrical conduit, network and coax cables mounted externally on the sides of the house in that alley.

This house is in Southern California, so condensation should not be an issue and in any event, the pipe could be wrapped if necessary.

More generally, what building codes govern?  This is LA County, California.

Central vacuum pipe is thin-walled, so be sure to protect it from impact by kids, trash bins, etc. Direct sunlight will exacerbate this over time. Consider painting it to prevent UV damage.

Otherwise, I can think of no concerns aside from the aesthetic implications.


Mineral wool on top of fiberglass. Density and compression A while back I asked about adding my 1.5" thick pieces of mineral wool insulation batts ontop of my 12" thick fiberglass I am installing in my attic.  As I have began doing this, I am seeing that the fiberglass is so fluffy that throwing on the 1.5" thick batts weighs the fiberglass down an inch or more.  There is no way this insulation will not settle if it squishes that easily.  Am I doing more harm than good with the extra layer?  This 12" insulation is 10" at best.

Even though the fiberglass is getting slightly compacted by the mineral wool on top; the minor R-value that may be lost to compaction is easily outweighed by the increased R-value of the extra mineral wool. The only adjustment that could be made (and it is a laborious one) is to increase the height of the joists so they are above the fiberglass and support the mineral wool. Just to be sure the mineral wool is being installed at right angle to the fiberglass?


Is there something wrong with this energy efficient window? There appears to be moisture build up for a single window in a room. Cant tell if its inside or outside the insulation layer.

This is a double panel window (filled with argon gas).

Condensation between the glass on multi-pane windows means the seal is compromised and the inert gas between the panes has escaped. So, yes... something is wrong.


Will three pairs of 12' 2x4 lumber provide a safe work platform for one person? I need to build a temp. floor over my basement steps which is a 9' opening, so I can do ceiling repairs where an old chimney pipe was pulled long ago. If I fasten 6- 2x4x12 together in pairs and place them on the side with plywood on top, how much weight can it support? Would a 200 lb man be safe to work on that structure

No I am asking if 6- 12ft two by fours fastened in pairs sitting on their sides for more strength, not laying flat or stacked, under a piece of 8' long by 3'wide plywood spanning over top of a 9 foot open stairwell held at each end by over lapping the existing upper floor, would it be strong enough to hold the person without breaking and dropping them 15 extra foot down the basement steps which would then be under the newly built temp floor area. The person will be trying to reach the ceiling on the upper 2nd floor for repairs. That 2nd floor ceiling is over the top of the basement stairwell opening. I don't believe ladders coming up out of the basement on steps would be any safer then building a temp floor piece over top of the stair opening on the 2nd floor. The question was would double 2x4's hold the weight of a man reaching up over his head toward the 2nd floor ceiling to work and not drop him down two stories? How much load could be safely held up by 6 pieces of wood/plywood?  I am simply building a removable floor section. Can you picture a floor laying on top of an existing floor at each end while there is a 9 ft long opening under this 12ft floor piece?

Long story short: don't do it.

Some of the most dangerous words you'll ever hear:  "Aww, that ain't going nowhere."  Over the years I have seen a lot of mishaps with homebuilt contraptions.

I am still not super clear even after you added to your description, I get the gist but the details are very important and you're way short on details for my taste.  It sounds like you're building a scaffold or temporary floor over your basement opening to work on the ceiling above.  You're going to build it with doubled 2x4 joists spanning 9'.  Assuming the width of the stairwell is about 3' they'll be about 18" apart.

In construction you usually use span tables to determine the distance you can span with lumber.  You can do engineering calculations but that's a lot more work, and error prone.  Your scaffold / temporary floor won't be constructed like a real permanent floor so they don't really apply, but they still shed some light.  Here's a link to some span tables, they are not hard to find online:

https://up.codes/s/allowable-ceiling-joist-spans

Now 2x4's are never used as floor joists any more, so the span tables for floor joists don't help, they start at 2x6's.  However 2x4's are still used for ceiling joists, and ceiling joists support attic floors.  The span tables for an attic with limited storage allow right around 9' of span for 2x4's spaced 16" on center, depending on the grade of wood.  So with doubled 2x4's, I really don't think a 200 pound man on a ladder is going to snap them.

However I still think it's a bad idea because I don't think snapping the lumber is the main danger here.  I think the most likely trouble is fastening this temporary floor / scaffold to the permanent structure securely and safely.  You haven't discussed this at all.  With the heights involved just about any accident that happens will be a serious accident, so I would not attempt this.

If you google "stairway ladder" and "stairway scaffold" you'll see that there are lots of options available to do this kind of work without trying to build something yourself.


Best way to cover basement tiles containing asbestos I have a deteriorating tile floor in my basment, and I suspect that the tiles are VAT(Vinyl asbestos tiles). Regardless of the content of the floors, the deteriorating state of the tiles means I want to cover over it. I have heard of various products that can be used to make a self-leveling floor (i.e. self leveling concrete), but I do not have much knowledge of said products nor have I ever used them. I have heard that some of these products cure (harden) very quickly which might pose a challenge as I am trying to DIY an entire basement floor.

The basement itself is approximately 600 sqft. There are some areas which I would like to cordon off prior to putting any sort of product down. For example, I would want to cordon off the sump pump pit. There may be other areas that I am not thinking of which I would not want to cover with any product.

Ultimately, the question is what is the best (or a sufficient) product to use for DIY tile encapsulaion. Also, what is the best DIY strategy for using said product? It is worth noting that I would like for the covering to be level when it is done, in case I want to lay a flooring material over top of the new surface.

Thanks.

adrex feather finish, is what i use to encapsulate asbestos tile and old cut back adhesive. just be sure skim it thick enough. It appear ppl don't like my ardex answer, well let me explain further.
FLOOR LEVELER is not the best choice for your situation becuase, its likely that the asbestos tile are bonded to the older black adhesive. The tiles are easy to pop off that glue, that means its good odds the floor leveler will begin to break apart, now you have a crunchy floor. Using a highly modified skim coat give more flex ability and better adhesion. Floor leveler can work a lot of the time but you have to adjust to the job conditions. In this case its a gamble using a floor level if tiles aren't well bonded. You will spend alot of time and money to give your self a 50/50 shot it fails. Adex is less cost, time, and is absolutely rated for this very thing. Leveler needs a primer coat and its likely that tiles filthy and have some kind of finish added to it. The prep needed to insure a good bond can't be done because it will disturb the old floor. You being the home owner mean you can take out a certain amount, where i live its only 15sqft but may be different where you live. Its worth calling a abatement company to find out. Work the with what the job gives you, their all different.


Condensation though vent We bought an underground house (bunker). After installing bathroom ceiling vent fan we have condensation dripping from fan. Due to using existing duct work that runs up through 9 inches of concrete with around 4ft of soil on top of that. Is there anything that can be done to stop the condensation?
Thank you

I call it the “coke bottle effect”. It’s what happens when you take a coke bottle out of the refrigerator. The cold bottle will produce condensation when it meets with the warm room air.

In your case, the warm (probably moist) air from your bathroom is vented up to the cooler outside air. When the two meet and you reach the Dew Point, condensation is created by turning the warm moist air back to a liquid and runs down into your house.

One way of solving this problem is to insulate the duct and install a backdraft damper at the roof that seals the vent pipe.

When you installed the ceiling fan it probably came with a backdraft damper. This keeps all the air in the vent pipe at the OUTSIDE temperature. You want the air in the vent pipe kept at your INDOOR temperature.

I suspect you live in a cooler climate.


Can I oil a squeaking tap? I have a tap with one handle for hot and cold water (not sure how to call it, it looks like the picture)

It worked good for about 2.5 years. But now, its handle became hard to turn and it makes squeaking sound when the handle is turned.

I wanted to oil it, but haven't found any hole where to put the oil.

How can I fix this?

Oil's no good, water will wash it away, use silicone grease.  You may be able to grease it up without taking it apart. Turn the water off, then lift the handle all the way up. Put a bit of grease on housing exposed when the handle is lifted, use a cotton swab to get into the gaps. Exercise the handle up and down and see if that gets rid of the squeak. If that doesn't work you are going to have to take it apart (look for an explosion diagram of your faucet online), take lots of photos and keep the parts in plastic containers to make sure you don't lose anything. Check the condition of the washers as worn washers may cause binding, hence a squeak. When putting it back together grease the parts that rub against one another as you go. Don't go overboard on the grease, a little goes a long way.

One word of caution: before taking anything apart it's important to realize that you may not be able to get it together again, and may require that you replace the faucet entirely. Some units are not meant to be maintained, may have plastic pieces that break and you can't get them back together, or may have proprietary washers or other parts that you can't buy replacements for. If it's broken already then you lose nothing by trying of course.


How should the top edge of an asphalt shed-type roof be finished? Our contemporary house has a shed roof that is finished with a layer of aluminum flashing nailed through the top course of shingles.   The flashing turns down and just covers the top edge of the fascia board.

This doesn't seem to have caused any problems (it's about 12 years old), but I know that most roofs don't have exposed nails -- they are usually covered by the next course of shingles, which doesn't exist in this case.

Is this a standard technique for this type of roof?

Edit: Add pictures taken from the ground - the two higher roof lines are the ones I'm questioning.

A closer look at the higher one.   You can see the flashing turning down over the top edge of the fascia; it goes over the top and sits on top of the top course of shingles; it appears to have a layer of roofing cement under it.

That's at the PEAK of a shed roof, true? If that's the case, what you have amounts to a ridge cap, but nobody I know of manufactures premade ridge caps for shed roofs (too many different possibilities, not enough market), so the builder used "drip edge" or flat flashing (bent around the peak) to function as a ridge cap.

There really aren't very many good alternatives to that situation, so what they did is actually pretty common on the peaks of shed roofs. They really SHOULD have tarred over the nail heads, though.


How can I prevent objects from falling into the gap behind my freestanding range? We just had a new freestanding electric range installed at our house this morning. My wife called me after it was installed and told me that the new power cord plug is thicker than our old one, causing a gap of 2 to 3 inches between the range and the wall. This post on another forum has photos of a similar situation.

We keep several small items on the counter right by the range. We are worried they may get knocked into the gap. Is anyone aware of a way to prevent objects from falling into this gap?

Normally there are two options, though it sounds like you just replaced the range and haven't made any other changes, so you might only have one.

If its the plug sticking out that is the issue, then either yourself or an electrician (depending on your skill level) can change out the outlet for a recessed outlet. Whether you can do this will depend on a lot of things, like what is behind or in the wall.

The other option that is more common when installing new counters is to cut a thin piece of the counter top to go behind the stove. You would also need to support the piece, and again, the type of material will dictate how much support is needed; laminate is a lot lighter than granite, for example.


Is denim insulation more inviting to packrats? I'm deciding what kind of insulation to use in a new detached home office.  Packrats are a major problem in my area.  It's a constant battle to keep them out of the floor insulation in my house.

Is denim insulation more inviting than fiberglass to packrats and other pests?  Or to put it another way, is fiberglass a deterrent?

To add to the other answers; Mice seem to like fiberglass.  I have found nests in my grill, and under a rain barrel that were made from fiberglass they've managed to collect out of my house.  Mice have managed to get into my basement and nest in the fiberglass batts on the basement ceiling many times over the years.

I try to air seal the foundation sill area when I can.  I feel that if they can sense the warm air leaking they will try harder to find a way in. PestBlock (mentioned by KCasper) is a new product.  I've bought a can.

I've been told that regular expanding foam is not something that rodents have trouble chewing through. Another technique is to stuff steel wool in the crack and foam that in.  Rodents don't like chewing on steel wool.


Best way, if needed, to dehumidify storage room? We are building a new garage with apt above and storage room at the back in Houston TX. It's replacing a small garage with back storage room which was very poorly constructed and had major moisture issues.

Trying to figure the best way to keep the new storage room dry. Initially thought of using a humidity sensing exhaust vent on the exterior wall but then realized it would just end up sucking in outside makeup air which might be even more humid than the exhausted air.

Can think of three possible solutions but looking for guidance/opinions.

Use a dehumidifier. Possible cons:

Would have to drain thru the wall since we would not be in the room every day.
Might not work during the couple of months that temps are in the 30-40s.
Takes up storage space.

Use thru wall AC unit. Possible cons:

More expensive.
Cooling vacant room.
Still have trouble during cooler months.

Run a AC duct down thru bedroom closet and thru garage ceiling to storage room.

Long duct run just for storage.
Additional cost and possible issues with general contractor due to changing plans.
Would need it's own return also wouldn't it?

Any other solutions? Is this even necessary? We're a bit paranoid as the previous storage had {and our house as well actually has} moisture issues.

We could just do nothing and see what the RH level is but then we'd be responsible for the whole install cost.  If we decide before I can probably get at least some of it covered in the original construction contract.

Thanks!

I think a small dehumidifier in the storage room would be the best choice. If the temp is two low for a dehumidifier to work I would think maybe putting DriZair pots like the link shows would work. We use Drizair in our motor home when we are not using it and we only have problems if we forget to put the crystals in every month or so.


Door Does Not Close Properly I have a door in my home to one of the bedrooms, that will not "catch" when you close it.  If you lift up on the doorknob then it "catches" and will remain shut.

I was curious, if I put a "stronger" screw in the top of the door hold (or maybe 3) would this "lift" the door enough that you no longer have to lift the door to close it?

Or is the issue deeper than that and adding a new screw or two would have no benefit?

EDIT
The strike plate is maybe a 1/4 inch too high.  None of the hinges appear to be loose or lower than they should be, however if I lift the door at the hinges I can hear the door raise, which would signify that a hinge is loose, would just need to find a way to determine which one and on which side (door or frame)

There is a way to tweak the hinges to move the door up or down, but its for small amounts like 1/16", not 1/4". It's better to just move the strike plate. However, if the door is sagging 1/4", then the top of the door must be sagging down from the header jamb and leaves a giant gap between the top of door and jamb. Also, the top edge of the door must be rubbing badly against the jamb. If this is occurring, you'll want to re-secure hinges (re-tighten all screws) and re-plumb the door.

Best way to move strike plate is to chisel the jamb out to receive the strike plate and then reset the strike plate. I'd also cut a small piece of wood,the amount you moved the strike plate down (1/4"), and glue it into frame to match rest of frame. (Then do a little touch-up of paint or stain to match rest of frame.)

The hinge should not be loose enough to pick it up 1/4" or so. Re-screw all the hinges down tight before you move the strike plate.


How do I make a remote controlled fan turn on with the light switch? I have installed the fan, the remote works perfectly but when you turn the light switch on the fan does not light up you have to find the remote and use that to turn on the light
Help???

And this is why I hate remote controlled fans.

You have two options: One remove the switch and replace with a one gang remote for the brand of fan you have.  Example, this one.

The other, which is my preferred, is to hardwire the fan by removing the remote unit.  If the ceiling box was already wired for ceiling fans with two separate switched hots then all you need to do is change the switches for ones designed to control the fan speed.  If you only have a single switched hot, can you replace the switch and remote unit with a wired remote like this one.  This will transmit the light/fan control over the power wire to the fan unit.


Install Dimmer Switch in Old House My house is circa 1910 and I dont really know how old the wiring is in it.  I am trying to swap a 3 way light switch with a 3 way dimmer (Lutron CL Dimmer). I killed the power and pulled the switch out. I expected 4 wires and I only saw 3.  One was green and it looked like the other two were black.  Does anyone know how to connect my 4 wire dimmer to the 3 wires?  I expect the green is the ground, are the other two the travelers?

So it sounds like you have the wrong number of wires for your switch to have ever worked properly by your description, from the way that I read it.

SO I will try to understand. When you took off your three way switch was there three screws with three wires going to it? Plus perhaps your box is metal and has a bare ground screw at the back, or a bare ground somewhere as well as the other three wires?

Your house is really old but should have had an electrical upgrade. So I am assuming your cable has a separate, bare ground screw?

I am trying to see if perhaps the insulated(?) green wire you see is actually just a traveller for some sort of reason. And maybe there is another wire for the ground in the box.

Not knowing when your house was re wired last (since I am sure you do not have knob and tube) is making me wonder what the cables have inside them.

Could you please state what was on the original three way switch? Because those should be the wires you use for your new switch. I just want to make sure your bonded (grounded for simpler terms) properly.


Does oil-based polyurethane have any residual toxicity past setting? Oil-based polyurethane reportedly has some toxicity during application, but it is easier to apply and provides a superior finish compared to water-based polyurethane.

This means that while I may get away with not using a mask while applying a water-based polyurethane, I should never think of applying oil-based polyurethane unless I'm properly (NIOHS) masked. Whether I'm applying one or the other, there should be ample air circulation.

My question is: Does oil-based polyurethane have any toxicity once it has set? If a bedroom remains vacant for one week with the windows open for the week, is there any subsequent risk from inhaling the vapors, especially during long winters when the heating system will just circulate the same air?

There are many discussions on this to be found. The bottom line is that any product has a parabolic curve of off-gassing over time. It reaches extremely small quantities after a few days of suitable curing conditions, and is almost at zero after a few weeks. Very few people would detect substantial odor after that.

I finished my office desktop with oil-based poly last fall. It was cured for long-term contact after about 2 days, but I could smell it for a few weeks. I don't notice it anymore a few months later. Your mileage may vary and depends largely on your personal definition of "toxicity".


Can one pane of a double pane window be safely removed? Recently I asked Is there a way to remove condensation and clean inside a double pane window? The answer appears to be "no", at least not without resorting to very dangerous chemicals.

Two of the windows in my house with failed seals are on an unheated porch.   For these windows, I don't see any reason why I need to have double panes.  I don't need the insulation that the double panes provide.

I'm thinking that I could just remove one of the panes. Is it possible to safely remove one of the two panes? What technique should I use?

If I do so, should I remove the inner our outer pane?

The two windows in question are fixed windows (they don't open).   They were installed when the house was built 20 years ago.  They are above a sliding door, so they are fairly high off the ground.   The gap between the panes appears to be about 1/2 inch.

I have successfully and very gingerly broken the interior side of a double pane window and removed the shards and chips with pliers and fingers--again, gingerly.  The stain/fog inside had made them look unattractive and blurred the view. I hit carefully with a hammer in a lower corner, and started pulling from there.  However, the inside of the outer pane--which remained--had lots of stain on it.  It took a while, but with lots of rubbing, even with SOS pad plus vinegar plus kitchen soap, most came off.  I had to remove the wood trim to get to it, but the frame from the window remained.  I put the wood trim back, did a little careful wood dough filler, and it looks as good as new (if you don't look too closely).  Cost:  0


Is there a way to remove rust from behind a shower fixture? I have rust starting from seemingly behind a shower fixture. Possibly something I did, but possibly some rust that was bound to happen eventually.

What's the first step in a situation like this? It hasn't gotten much worse since it got to this stage, but of course rust always gets worse. I was recommended to scrub the area with a limescale/rust remover solution but I think the fixture has to come off, then a scrub down/sandback and then seal again somehow.

First to clean it there are several commercially available cleaning products that are based on mild acids. One such is caller "CLR" (for Calcium Lime and Rust) which is not an endorsement, just an example. If the tile is ceramic, it should not harm it. Once the rust stains are gone, you should focus on why something is rusting. I can't tell from the photo what that fixture is. A grab bar of some sort? Was it designed to be mounted in a shower area? if so, it must have been cheap because they used steel, which will ALWAYS rust eventually. Sometimes people put a chrome plating on it to make it appear nice, but that never lasts. It also could be that you mounted it with steel screws, a no-no in a shower, and they are rusting BEHIND that device to where the rust is just leaking out. Either way, whatever is steel in there must be replaced with something that is brass or stainless steel, otherwise it will just happen again. When it is rusting, it is also failing and will eventually just break off.


Ecobee install with AC system disconnected My house which was purchased from a bank (foreclosure) was originally wired with both central air and heater (forced air). But when the previous owner left, he took the air conditioning unit. The heating unit (a furnace forced air in the attic) stayed. No modification was made to the wiring as far as I know.  Currently the existing thermostat has difficulty with some settings especially cool/fan (ends up blowing hot air) and heating up the house.

I am ready to switch the existing thermostat to Ecobee 3 lite and wonder if there is anything I should change in the thermostat wiring now that the AC unit is no longer connected.

For now the only wires that are needed are Rh, W and C. The G terminal operates the fan. It sounds like you don't want to be operating the fan. You can simply connect the G terminal and use the fan at your discretion. Leave the Y terminal disconnected. If and when you want A/C you simply pull the stat off the wall connect Y and reinitialize the ecobee. When they start they check what wires are connected, and if you have a wire connected to it that doesn't go anywhere it may cause minor problems for the ecobee.

In regards to the A/C replacement referring to Jim Stewart's comment. A new air conditioner will be using 410a refrigerant. You don't want to reuse the old copper lines because

Lines used on r22 are not compatible with 410a
If the old unit was 410a, the lines need to be sealed from atmosphere when disconnected.
Flush kits are available to clean the lines (I would never use one, I always replace the lines)

So the cost of replacing it would be very close to the cost of a new installation. The electrical has been run. But it may not be done right.


How can I easily verify that appliance housings are grounded properly? I'm looking for an easy way to verify that the metal casing of appliances are grounded, such as a range, without needing to disconnect and pull them out.
If I use a multimeter set to continuity and place one probe on a wall plate screw (that I know for sure is grounded), and the other probe to the metal frame, is this a safe way to check that there is a complete ground connection that meets at the panel? I know this won't verify that the wiring is sufficient, but just checking for a complete connection right now.
The meter itself, on continuity mode, puts out about 0.12mA and 0.5volts.
Thanks for any comments.

With a range or dryer in particular, you have to pull it out and look.  Many ranges are groundless, and bootleg the chassis of the machine to the neutral wire.  This is exactly as dangerous as you'd expect, and has a body count - but most cases are mis-reported as incorrect wiring, when in fact the wiring was correct but simply broke.
This bootlegging ground of ranges and dryers is so common because from the 1960s til 1994, it was actually legal lol.
Other than that, disconnect all other loads on the circuit, then disconnect hot and neutral from the source.  Now measure resistance from the apparent ground to a known good ground.  You have to disconnect hot and neutral so you can cross off any "bootlegging ground" as ranges and dryers often do.
While such a "measured ground" is fine and dandy for the 5ma needed to trip a GFCI, it is not acceptable as an honest safety ground that might need to sink 200 amps or more.  For that, nothing less than physical inspection will do.


How do I balance a ceiling fan? About a year ago I installed a new ceiling fan in my living room and when it was installed it was balanced nicely, but it has a little wobble.

How do I bring it back in to balance?

Most new fans comes with a balance kit. It includes a heavy clip and a set of stick-on weights.  If you don't have the balance kit you can buy one at a big-box home improvement store.

First, run the fan at each speed to
see where it wobbles worst.
Put the
clip on one of the blades near the
middle and run the fan at that speed.
Check if the wobble improves or
worsens.
Repeat the process with each blade,
and narrow it down to the blade that
gives the most improvement.
Now, try moving the weight towards
    the tip of the blade and down to the
    hub, testing each time you move to
    locate the sweet spot.
Finally, attach the weight at that
sweet
    spot.


How can I get rid of bumps and other damage? I have these two tables that are very hard to replace, so I want to fix them instead. The problem is that they have scratches, bumps and I don't even know what else. What is the best way to fix them, preferably with products that can be purchased from Amazon or something.

Here are some pictures:

That looks to be particle/press board (basically glued together sawdust which is pressed into a flat board) covered with a laminate (might be melamine), which is not very friendly when it comes to repairing. The wood itself tends to crumble when messed with. The "bumps" are where moisture has gotten to the particle board under the laminate surface.

The best you will be able to do would be to either live with the bumps or try to carefully plane them down using a "cheese grater" plane, then sand out all nicks scratches and bare spots to blend. Fine sand the entire top and clean thoroughly with mineral spirits. Use a "difficult surface" primer like BIN, then coat with a quality high gloss paint. use a professional grade brush or it will look like crap. All products mentioned are available from Amazon.


Help understanding the wiring of this switch My bathroom currently has a single light switch connected to a single vanity light. I was assuming that was the only thing on the circuit. The only other thing in the room is a GFCI outlet that appears to be completely independent of the switch and light. The switch doesn't control the outlet and the breaker on the outlet will occasionally trip and disable the outlet without affecting the light.

I just finished adding a fan in the ceiling. It has one set of wires for the fan (black & white) and a second set for the associated light (blue & white).

I EXPECTED the wiring of the current single switch to be a black (hot) entering, a black (load) leaving to the vanity light, and a white coming back from the vanity light connected to the white paired with the hot wire. I thought adding new switches for the fan and new light would be as simple as splitting the existing hot to enter each switch, connecting the load of each switch to the black (or blue) of the corresponding device, and nutting all the whites together.

But when I opened it up I found this:

So instead of the 2 lines I was expecting (one line in and one line out to the vanity light) I have 3. I'll call them UL (upper left), UR (upper right) and B (bottom).

I'm not sure whether UR or B are the "line in". Both are connected to the hot side of the switch. It looks like UL is the one running to the vanity light since it's connected to the load side. And all the whites are just nutted together.

My interpretation:

Either UR or B is the line in, and the other one is providing power to another switch or outlet somewhere. (Even though I can't figure out what else it could possibly be connected to. Nothing else seems to shut off when I flip that breaker.)  So I should still be good with my original plan. 2 new switches. The hot sides of all three switches connected to each other + UR black and B black. The load of the first switch remains connected to UL. The loads of the other 2 switches are connected to fan (black) and light (blue). The whites from the 3 existing lines + the fan and the new light should all be nutted together. The grounds from all 5 lines should be nutted together.

I'm pretty sure that's right (and typing this up has straightened it out a bit in my head as usual). I would feel better about proceeding if someone could confirm though. Thanks for any input!

I think you're correct that either the upper right or the bottom are the line in. If you disconnect at the nut and probe, you'd be able to figure out which is hot. (Not that it really matters... you simply need to ensure that they're connected when you re-do everything.) Be safe when testing energized circuits.

You should consider a more elegant power feed to the existing switch by bringing pigtails off the nutted-together blacks. (And it's better to not use the backstab in switches, as they did on yours.)

Is this-all supposed to go back into the existing 1 gang box with a double switch? I haven't done the calculations, but my gut says you'll exceed the fill rules. I suspect a 2 gang box would be fine, but do the math.


Steps to renovate uneven oak tiled Parquetry on cement? I have Romanoff oak parquetry on the floors, new one shown here with 160mm tiles. The floor is uneven. The old parquetry in the pictures has become a bit dark that I want to polish besides filling the hole with new parquetry tiles. The photos below show the hole, filling the earlier kitchen island, which I now want to have as open space.

where you can see that current parquetry is perfectly aligned as shown by laser, also in vertical way.

The size of the area is 2m2, taking 80 new tiles (4 x 20), surrounded by already installed parquetry. The exact size for the backer board is 0.64m x 3.2m (=4*0.16 x 20*0.16) i.e. 2.048m2 -- BUT the problem is that the middle-layer cement is not even, it is 1cm in other end while 2cm in other end. Only backer board available is even quality of 2cm thickness which would require grinding about 1cm concrete.

I have identified the following steps:

I. straighten up the underlying concrete with a spirit level and sanding/grinding? How coarse does the underlying floor stay for the glue to attach to it later?

II. installation of some other type of floor between the cement and the parquetry

II.1. install noise-cancellation floor if needed

II.2. the floor has 1cm cement on the other end, 2cm cement at the other end and everything in-between between 1cm and 2cm -- so floor is not nicely levelled horizontally.

III. using 2-phase glue to install parquetry to the extra layer

IV. sand the installed floor and the old floor to make it on the same level

where the hardest part is probably II because we cannot use ready-made concreate layers, the backer board get thinner on the other end and the market seems to have only 2cm backer boards available.

How to renovate the old parquetry with a hole in the old parquetry?

There may be a better ways of doing this but I could see either laying down backer board of the thickness needed to make the parquetry the same height as the existing. You'll want to lay the backer board in a bed of thinset and a few concrete screws. Or depending on the size of area you may be able to get away with pouring self-leveling concrete mortar to the desire thickness and then the parquetry. The existing concrete will need some prep to get it to adhere well.


Power a 20A device from 15A circuits? If I need ~20A to power a device, but all the available circuits in the building are 15A tops, would I be able to power said device? Perhaps using a UPS and some tomfoolery?

[Can I power a 20A load when available circuits are 15A]

There is no way to provide a continous 20A from one 15A circuit.

This is due to

The principle of conservation of energy.
Safety rules aimed at preventing your house/building burning down.

  Even if I can pull from two separate 15A feeds?

In most jurisdictions, there is no legal way to combine circuits to provide more power to a single load.

The correct way to deal with this is to run a new circuit back to the main panel using wire sized for the load.

See also:

How to combine in phase 120VAC 15A 60 Hz feeds on a pair of outdoor GFCI outlets?
Can I substitute two wires for one heavier-gauge wire?
Can two 30 ampere circuits be combined in an outlet?

All of which essentially say no.


Rewiring Outdoor Light to Switched Outlet (half hot, half not) I have an outdoor light that's currently controlled via a light switch inside the house, that I would like to convert into a switched outlet (half hot, half controlled via the existing light switch).

However, I'm not sure if it's even possible... I opened up the outdoor light and there are three wires coming from the wall (black, white and ground).  Each of these wires have a pigtail with another wire added that is then connected to the outdoor light.

Advice appreciated!

As you may have suspected, you would need four wires to have a half-switched and half-hot outlet.  Ground, Neutral, Hot and Switched Hot.  So, you could replace the light with an outlet, but it would have to be all switched or all hot (remove the light switch).

This day and age, you could use a regular outlet and then plug in an outdoor wifi switch to it and use that to switch something while the other receptacle always has power.


How do you remove rust stains from bathroom sink? I have two rust colored stains on my bathroom vanity.  I've tried baking soda & lemon juice, Mr. Clean Eraser, CLR, Lime away, Barkeeper's Friend, etc. with no success.  Any other ideas on how to remove them?

Of note: These were already here when I purchased my home, so I do not know the cause.

I'd stick with CLR or vinegar : use plumber's putty to make a ring and make a small pool.  Hydrogen peroxide would be another choice (not concurrently, with ANY of the other choices)

Its location suggests a leaky soap dispenser.

Solid surface materials can be sanded (starting at 220) and then up through the grits (320, 400, 600), finishing with auto body rubbing compound then polishing compound.


How to find leak in washing machine? My Bosch WAS32783SN washing machine that is 7 years old, and often I get Error F-23, which according to this list is

  F23 is flood protection in base of machine activated. Pull machine forward onto a towel, pivot if 45 degrees forward onto the front feet (ie lift back feet of the floor about a foot) If water runs out from under the machine this will prove this. You will find that the machine will probably work ok now, but you will have to trace the leak of it will reoccur. likely causes are tear in door seal, leaky inlet valve, blocked dispenser inlet or as simple as something was caught in door on previous cycle allowing water to run down the front of the unit and into the base.

which could be the case, as tilting it does fix the problem and a bit of water is coming out.

Question

So the big question is, how can I figure out where the leak is coming from?

There is some water leak inside your appliance.

You can diagnose it carefully. First statically, then you can try to observe the problem when the appliance is running.

Ensure being safe - check your loose clothes, long hair, gloves or jewellery, the following operation is at your own risk.
Remove the covers of the washing machine, so you can see inside, but keep everything plugged in.

rear cover
top cover (optional)

This is only for observation. Do not touch anything inside.

Pour some water into open door, then inspect the bottom of the appliance case for accumulating water (use torch to see better). If the water starts appearing, skip to the last step below.
Start the washing cycle (can be without load, without detergent).
Using bright torch, inspect the bottom of the appliance case for accumulating water and try to identify location where the water comes in. (Do not get close, do not touch, stay in safe distance, just observe.)
If you got an idea, end the cycle, drain the water, unplug the machine completely and continue with regular repair/replacement of the defective part. If you did not get an idea, then this is probably beyond your DIY capabilities and call repair service.


bridge tap and internet connection? we have a problem with our internet connection. it is not stable and not as fast as it can be...
Our provider suggested we contact an electrician to " break" (?) The bridge tap. According to him, it can help.
Before I contact an electrician, I wish to understand a little bit about that and to be sure it makes sense?
Thank you for your help!

The bridge tap basically just means that you have your DSL modem connected to a pair of phone wires that also branches off to (probably) other jacks in your home. All of those jacks are "bridged" together. This could literally be crimped or twisted connections inside your walls, or you might have a wiring closet with more structure, such as all the wires screwed down to posts on a bus.  This is presuming that you're not on a party line and don't have law enforcement or a nosy neighbor physically tapping your phone line (humor?).

Have you recently plugged anything else into any other phone jacks in your home? If you have, then unplug it and see if your performance improves.

Even without other devices plugged into the extension jacks, a "bridge tap" can cause reflections echoing around on the wires which can interfere with the performance of your DSL modem.

What they're really telling you to do is to have a single, unbranched, dedicated phone line for your DSL modem (2 twisted wires technically, but I'd just think of it as a single thin phone cable).

An electrician or knowledgeable friend could help you with this. This is low-voltage, so the installer doesn't really have to be a licensed electrician unless your locality requires it.


Home Alarm System Wire Box Placement I have a new home construction and the home alarm system is being installed.  I would like recommendations on the placement of the System Box.  I'm thinking in a closet, and mounted on the wall up high near ceiling (10' Ceiling).  My thoughts are if a burglar was to attempt to tamper with the box it would be difficult to get to it that high.  Does anyone have any other suggestions or recommendations?

Thank you Miles

Generally the location is a mix of what is easiest to cable to, some locations may be more difficult to get access to.

Also then what is the most secure location and also an area that looks the best.

So say if it was a business the alarm panel typically may go in somewhere like the safe room, comms room or a services riser. Domestic installs typically go in robes or cupboards.

So considerations are:

Making it less available to any possible intruders either when they
have broken in or if they are casing somewhere. If they intend to try
to tamper with it make it harder for them to get to and to know about
and find in the first place.
Making it more secure or harder to get to by putting it in a more
secure location, physically secure such as in a room with a strong
door, better quality locks or so on. Also in an area with electronic
security such as being in a room with sensors so they will set off
detectors before they are even in front of the panel. Panels do
typically have tamper detection however there are often ways around
it, so this is where it being covered by a sensor applies.
Realistically putting it somewhere that is actually possible to
cable, some installs may be extremely difficult to do certain locations.
Aesthetics wise, installing it somewhere unobtrusive where you are
not looking at an ugly box all the time.
Somewhere it can actually be worked on by a tech, generally
will not be worked on often but sometimes you get locations where the
panel is put somewhere extremely difficult to find (like a  hot dusty
roof space) or get access to (such as you can't even get the door
open). This will hamper any technician working on it.

It's always a compromise of some sort between these points, your suggested location sounds fairly typical so would likely be a good bet.


Mounting bracket best practice for cabinet against wall I just received a (nearly) floor to ceiling Wayfair cabinet that needs to be mounted to the wall to stay secure so it won't tip over. At this point, I installed a 90 degree metal bracket with 2 screws on the top and bottom of the right side (you can barely see a bit of the bottom bracket on the right side of the first picture a few inches above the baseboard).
The right-side brackets have one screw dead center in the middle of a stud, and the other screw in a 75 lb rated drywall anchor. I do not believe there is a stud at a convenient location on the left between the wall and the cabinet.
I have about 45-50mm of clearance on the left side, and of course I can further secure it by getting a ladder and putting more angle mounting brackets on top. I have a good 12-18" of clearance on the top before hitting the ceiling.
The bottom of the cabinet cannot be perfectly flush with the wall because it has baseboard behind it, but the top is being held flush with the wall by the right-hand mounting brackets.
When I try to wiggle the right side of the cabinet, I get zero movement at all with a good strong tug - it's very secure. When I try to wiggle the left side of the cabinet, it easily flops around. I'm worried too much movement might pull out the screws securing the right-hand brackets to the cabinet.
What type of brackets should I buy and where should I put them?
I do not live in an earthquake prone area, and this just needs to be good enough for a home job, not a commercial building.

On top of the cabinet wherever the closest stud is to the left is probably good and if you have wide stud spacing an anchor on the far left side of the top instead or in addition.  Note that drywall anchors will feel stiff and strong up to the point where they fail.


What type of window trim go on top of stucco and how? My design drawing has a simple trim around window but my contractor did not ask me and applied stucco around the window. Now I can only add the trim on top of stucco. I want to make sure the trim is weather resistant and its application should not subject the stucco wall to leakage.

I would like to know what is the best material for window trim on stucco? Is HardiTrim (HZ10, 1" x 3.5") too heavy to be placed on stucco?

You can use wood molding on top of stucco. I had the exact same situation as you describe and I did the following:

use a mortar scraper or similar tool to smooth rough stucco in the area where molding is to be installed

drill mounting holes in molding and countersink
mark stucco at mounting hole locations and drill and install plastic plug anchors, filling anchor holes with weatherproof caulk prior to tapping in anchors.
install molding with screws that sit flush (countersink), fill plastic anchors and molding holes with weatherproof caulk first.
cover countersunk screw heads with exterior spackle and sand smooth.
use paintable caulk all around molding perimeter.
prime and paint


Is it code to have electrical wire going no where? I have a wall open in the center of my house.  I am going to run some 14-2 up it and and to about 5 feet from my panel, leaving plenty of extra wire to hook up in a few months.  On the other end I am going to just leave about 30 extra feet in the attic.  Is this code?

I will be installing pot lights on the main floor in 2-3 months and want to run this before I close up the wall this week.

Yes. It's legal.

Obligatory characters so the answer can be submitted


Identifying Dusk to Dawn Floodlight with 'Modern Light sensors' The context is a set of outdoor Florida stairs.

This post indicates:

The light sensor is obsolete

Modern light sensors "learn".  It takes them a day or two to learn "This is as bright as it gets" and "this is as dark as it gets", but once it does so, it will correctly switch the dusk-to-dawn lighting.  However it loses the memory if you switch power off to it.

Question

When shopping, how do I identify such a modern light sensor (preferably integrated in a fixture)?   Are products labeled in such a way to identify such sensors?

I am looking at both of your posts. To start I don't think you will find what you looking for integrated in a fixture. I think the best method to control your lighting the way you are asking would be to use a sunset to sunrise timer. Such as this one https://www.intermatic.com/-/media/inRiver/10202-9209.ashx/HB880R%20Instructions%20EN.

Note that this particular one is an Intermatic or you could use a Tork or any other reliable manufacturer. It comes with the ability to set times and it will adjust through the year to come on and of at a predetermined time just after sunset and just before sunrise, and it has battery back up. Also note it says it is for a tungsten load so you might connect it up to a pilot relay like a RIB (Relay in a Box). If you do it this way you can series in a motion detector or photocell or any other control device and it should work fairly well. It is not likely that you will find these items in a retail outlet. You can purchase it from an industrial supplier like Grainger or McMaster Carr. You might also be able to order it through an electrical wholesaler if they sell to the public or you have an account with them.

Other than that the only other method I know of is to use a building automation system like Lithonia's Big Blue Box and they do have photocells that detect footcandle levels but you have to have a microprocessor and software to control it. That may be more money than you want to spend since I know a base package is somewhere around $2,500.00 and you still need to have the technical expertise to program it and maintain it.

Any way look around the Inertmatic site and see what you can find. Good Luck.


Finding the "C" Wire on old Honeywell L8048G Controller/Relay Need to add a "C" Wire for an older Honeywell L8048G Controller with built-in 24V transformer in order to connect an Ecobee3 thermostat.  Attached is a copy of my current wiring diagram (pre-Ecobee3 install).  Would I connect my common wire up to the thermostat to the "blue" wire connected to terminal "T"?

Or, do I need to solder a lead to the back of the board; purchase an external 24V transformer; or, purchase a Fast-Stat Common Maker?  The Ecobee seems to power up sometimes with the blue wire connected to it, and other times it appears "dead".

Please review current wiring and let me know if this is correct to the Taco valves and thermostat, and what my best solution is for getting a common wire to the Ecobee replacement thermostat.  Thank you.

It’s possible you don’t need a C (common neutral) wire when installing your Ecobee3. Check out the guide on using the Power Extension Kit that comes with your new thermostat: https://www.ecobee.com/faq/i-do-not-have-a-c-wire-or-common-wire-can-i-install-ecobee-residential-thermostats/


How can I change the hinge side on an LG LBN10551PV refrigerator? I have an LG LBN10551PV apartment fridge. I ordered it with the door hinge on the wrong side (left) and would like to put it on the right. The instruction manual describes how to do this, and I've gotten to the final step, which is to attach the top hinge:

  Then install the upper hinge (27) supplied in the refrigerator package placing the dowel into the appropriate upper hole in the door of the refrigeration compartment (A).

The top hinge plate clearly has a left and right hand version, and (short of flipping it over in the fourth dimension) there's no way of making it work on the other side. Here's what I have:
and here's what I need (the following is a dramatization):
.

(I had Sears deliver it and they didn't include extras from the packaging. I've checked through and behind all of the freezer drawers and all of the compartments within the fridge and there's nothing there.)

Both LG customer support and Sears Parts Direct are telling me that I can just use the existing top hinge, but I've tried everything I can think of to make it work and it just won't. Any suggestions on what to try next?

I called LG electronics at 1 (800) 243-0000 and went through the phone tree to the parts department. I was connected to their West Coast (US) distributor and finally got a call back. The part is on its way.

The moral of the story is the parts distributor knows more about the fridge than the email support person at LG.


Sliding Door Frame Slightly Bent Towards Center I recently moved into a new house and have noticed that the sliding door frame slightly bends toward the inside of the house.

If you open the door and stand perpendicular to the door in the door opening, the edges of the frame (where the door slides into) look similar to 2 right parenthesis.
))

Sliding the door in, it kind of gets stuck on the inside bend, but it is easy to push through it
)|)

I will share real picture below. The parenthesis just give an exaggerated idea of the shape because it is hard to see in the picture/video.

Is this a structural problem? Is there a way to straighten it out? Can I just leave it as-is?

Video: https://youtu.be/-oW9U2vsUl8

Picture:

All the suggestions in the comment section are valid. If adjusting the jamb screws doesn't solve the problem, you will need to remove the trim to inspect how the door frame was shimmed. A gap in the location you showed indicates a lack of back support or over tightened screws. You may need to add shims to eliminate the gap.