Best way to fit a clothes washer under a counter The under the counter space for the washing machine in our laundry room is slightly too low for our washer. I can't push it in any further because the enclosure isn't perfectly square and the washing machine is too high.

I've already lowered the feet at the bottom to the lowest possible level. To make enough room, I'm thinking of shaving 1/2" or so from the plywood that between the countertop and the machine itself.
The floor is made of tile, and I could also pull out that tile to get the clearance I need, but I prefer to keep it in case of a leak.
Could I remove a layer from the wood under the granite countertop? Since it's already installed, I would have to do it upside down. I have a Dremel tool (with a router bit), a Dewalt Oscillating tool, an orbital sander, and I'm happy to rent something else if I need it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

I had the exact same problem and rather than removing the wood from under the counter, I totally removed the feet from the bottom of the washer and that gave me an extra 5/8". I put some thin furniture felt pads on the corners of the washer and it slid right into the space.
If that doesn't float your boat, the Dremel with a routing bit will be accurate but will take a lot of time whereas a belt sander will knock off the job fast.


Extending line using switch boxes as j-boxes? TLDR: can a light switch box be used as a j-box to extend a lead for a different circuitry?
I am removing a long section of a wall (shown with blue outline) and I need to rehouse some of the wiring of a circuit.
Right now I have a single lead coming from breaker box, through floor joists, into a 2-gang box (B) with light switches. Switch #1 powers under-the-cabinet lights, and switch #2 powers a kitchen fan. The same box also acts as a j-box for kitchen can light circuitry (actual switches for those are located elsewhere), and a range hood.
I am removing the under-the-cabinet lights, as well as the hood circuit, so I only need to power and switch the fan, and power the can light circuit. I will have a single switch (C) on the remaining section of that wall, but the lead is not long enough to reach it. The path from the breaker box for new wiring is a very difficult one so I'd rather not fish a new wire. But the existing lead can easily reach the 4-gang box (A) in a nearby wall/post.
Is it okay to use box A as a j-box to splice another run of 14/2 wire through ceiling joists to box C?
Thanks!

Yes, it's fine to repurpose a switch box just to house a splice.


Installing a shower flange in a subfloor I have just installed a new shower flange in a second story subfloor. There are a few small spaces/gaps around the flange that are open due to the hole in the subfloor being cut a little asymmetrical and a little too large in certain spots. However 90+ percent of the underside of the flange sits on solid subflooring. Should I silicon seal these gaps? A prefab shower pan will be installed over the subfloor and over the top of the flange (adhered to the subfloor with modified polymer thinset) and silicon sealed to the top of the shower flange around the bolts--so in theory moisture should never get to the subfloor and leak through the small gaps around the outside of the flange. My gut tells me to seal the gaps around the outside of the flange, but my concern is that in the event the seal between the top of the flange and the underside of the prefab shower pan ever leaks (not likely but you never know), the water would just get trapped and spread along the subfloor (if I seal those gaps) as opposed to draining through those holes, dropping down, and staining the drywall ceiling below. So should I fill in those gaps around the outside of the flange?

It probably doesn't matter much one way or the other since it's unlikely for water to get that far. I personally would not bother. Consider this: If water were to get that far, you would want to know about this and take action. If it's sealed, water could just sit there unnoticed, rotting out anything it touches.

If it leaked down and stained the ceiling, you would notice fairly soon and take measures to stop it. Stained drywall ceiling is way more easier to repair than a rotted subfloor.


Can I lay laminate flooring over top of existing linoleum? I'm interested in laying laminate flooring over the top of existing intact linoleum.  First, any problems with that?  Secondly, there are unfortunately also uneven spots under the linoleum that causes ridges which are discernable even as you walk across it.  I have gone as far as taking a level and running along the spots to see if I was just out of my mind.. nope.  Are these ridges something that I need to address or can I lay laminate over the top of them?  How can I go about leveling them if needed?  Self-leveling compound/concrete?

The answer to this is "look at the instructions for the laminate", and see what they say. If you have old-school hard laminate (like you find in schools/government buildings/grocery stores), then it's a nice hard surface and it is fine. If it is resilient flooring (kitchen vinyl), then the answer is read the instructions.

If you have big ridges, I'd probably just grind them down with an angle grinder.


How do I keep water from getting in and out of a dishwasher drain air gap? I have no idea what this is called, so I apologize for the vague title. If someone knows what it is, feel free to edit it.

When I turned on my dishwasher (just moved in), water started spewing from this thing. When I removed the cap, I found that it was really dirty and moldy. I'm guessing the previous owners never used the dish washer. I have two questions:

How do I keep water from getting into the silver cap and what is this thing for? There's an opening that allows water to get in when, for instance, I do the dishes.
Is there a valve that needs to be turned off to keep water from spewing out when I use the dishwasher?

Dishwasher drain airgap.

It's placed above maximum sink full water level to prevent siphoning grey-water from the sink into the dishwasher if the P-trap ever gets plugged and you try to empty a full sink.

If water is spewing or leaking from the overflow slots in the cover, either the outflow from the airgap into the sink drain has become clogged (especially if it is set up to discharge into the waste disposal unit, food crud buildup, bioslime growth) or the unit is defective and needs to be replaced.

Diagram on how the drain airgap functions.


How can I convert from an E11 socket to an E26 socket? Our church has halogen light fixtures with E11 sockets. We would like to convert these fixtures to accept E26 bulbs.

I am unable to find a direct adapter, is there any other way I can convert these sockets to E26, and are there any issues in doing so?

I'm pretty sure that no one makes such an adapter, it would be a risky proposition for a manufacturer for these reasons:

The mechanical stresses on the socket would be too great.  The adaptor would be too prone to breaking or to destroying the socket.  For an idea about why too much mass is not good for too small a socket, Pick up a full, 2-liter soda bottle only by the cap and try to hold it horizontally.
Many (but not all) E11 sockets are only rated for 50 watts or less.  The temptation to use a 60-watt, or larger bulb, in an E26 socket would be too great -- a big fire risk.

The largest E11 upsizing adapter I've seen is an E11 to E17.

The smart thing to do would be to replace the fixtures or continue to use only E11 bulbs.

But, if you really want to earn your spot on the Redneck Repairs Blog, you could use two adapters:  The E11 to E17 and then an E17 to E26 (NOT recommended).


How can one make a connection where flexibility is necessary despite the connection being exposed to physical damage? It seems that it is common practice in HVAC-land to use a LFNC whip to connect air conditioner condensing units to the house wiring.  However, as statueuphemism rightly points out, it is eminently conceivable that such a wiring connection would be considered "subject to physical damage" under the NEC from errant weed-whackers, mowers, etal.

Considering that there is no flexible wiring means that is allowed by the NEC for use when subject to physical damage, and the use of flexible wiring means to connect to the motor or appliance itself is a practical requirement for motors and motor-driven appliances due to vibration issues, how is one supposed to make these connections in a Code-compliant manner?

As far as I can tell:

Ensure the conduit is not subject to physical damage
Use  liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC) (as opposed to LFNC or LFNMC)

LFNC does seem to be commonly used, probably because it's cheaper, but LFMC is acceptable in this case as well and would stand up better to accidental physical damage.
One of the challenges is even if the electrical line is protected, the refrigerant lines also need to be protected. Commonly they are just two flexible copper lines, one wrapped with foam rubber insulation.

NEC 2011 through 2017:

Article 350
350.12 Uses Not Permitted
LFMC shall not be used as follows:
(1) Where subject to physical damage
350.30 Securing and Supporting
(A) Securely Fastened. LFMC shall be securely fastened in place by and approved means within 300mm (12 in.) of each box, cabinet, conduit body, or other conduit termination and shall be supported and secured at intervals not to exceed 1.4m (4.5 ft).
Exception No. 2: Where flexibility is necessary after installation, lengths from the last point where the raceway is securely fastened shall not exceed the following:
(1) 900 mm (3 ft) for metric designators 16 through 35 (trade sizes 1/2 through 1 1/4)

Article 440 is dedicated to Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Equipment but doesn't have any mention of physical connection requirements.

As originally stated, the highest chance of damage would come from lawn mowers and trimmers, so the best course of action would be to install the unit in such a way to avoid those things.
This could mean ensuring no grass or weeds grow around the unit by using concrete, gravel or pavers (be sure to use landscape fabric underneath):

Or mounting it on the wall, so it's high above the business end of lawn equipment:


Does this electric panel meet code and does the wiring from it meet NEC standards I have an apartment building, with a panel that supplies 2 different apartments.
Breaker #15 supplies all electricity to 2 bedrooms and a living room including lighting and electric outlets.
Breaker #2 supplies 1 bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen (kitchen has gas stove). The service to this panel is 100 amps.
Questions:

Does this panel meet current electrical code standards?

If it does not meet code, can I simply replace it with a code conforming panel or must I rewire all the wires going from each breaker to the electric outlets & lighting fixtures upstairs (something that I am trying to avoid because of the extensive cost). This panel is in the basement, and the apartments that it powers are on the 1st and 2nd floors.

Does the current electric code limit how many rooms can be supplied by a single circuit breaker. In other words must I run additional wires upstairs to the 2nd floor or is the #2 and #15 breaker setup enough to pass code inspection? This is a rental, thus I am trying to avoid excessive repairs and remodeling due to budget constraints.

There's a concept called grandfathering which says If the work was legal on the day it was installed, then when Code changes later, it's still legal. You're not required to  tear out a bunch of wiring every 3 years when Code is revised.
This gets into a lot of lawyering about when the work was done and what was legal then.  However we can safely pass judgment on things that were never legal.
There are at least 3 panels in this building.   If you look on the "main lugs" above the breakers, you see 2 wires tapped onto those lugs.

One set comes from another location containing a main breaker or main panel, which presumably limits current on these wires to 100A.
Then you have this panel, of course.
Then the other set of wires goes onward to yet another panel.

Those wires are not service wires.  A service is what comes in straight off the meter.  Once it's past the main breaker, it is feeder.   And both panels - this and the next - share that 100A of feeder.  Daisy chaining panels like this is legal, except for...

The most obvious code violation is the double-tapping of those main lugs.  Can't do it. Those 2 wires need to go into a 3-void Polaris connector, then a same-size pigtail needs to come down to the lugs so there is only 1 wire per lug.
Your subpanel doesn't have any ground bar, but that's not unusual when you have a panel that is connected entirely with metal conduit or armored cable, since that metal shell covers the need for grounds.  I do see one ground wire that some epsilon-minus put on the neutral bar; that's not OK and must be dealt with.

To your questions:
#1. Does it meet current Code standards?  It doesn't have to.  It's grandfathered.
#2. Can I simply change a nonconforming panel? You wouldn't need to change the panel; unless you smuggled it in from a third world country, surely the panel is legal stock.  You might have to correct defects, like the double-tapped lugs.
#3. Does NEC limit number of rooms per breaker?  Not as you'd think.  NEC 2020 has requirements for a number of dedicated circuits.  2 dedicated kitchen receptacle circuits.  Dishwasher. Disposal. Built-in microwave.  1 dedicated bathroom recep circuit. 1 dedicated laundry room circuit.   Almost all of them are GFCI or AFCI, and the AFCI must be done at the breaker, unless the route to the first receptacle is in metal conduit.
I don't understand why you're saying that the work has to come up to modern Code.  It doesn't.  The only exception is if the work was done illegally (i.e. without a permit), at which point the city is at liberty to make you tear out all the illegal work (even if there is nothing wrong with it) and then make you pull a permit to re-do the work properly.  Since the permit would be this year, this year's Code would apply.
Lastly, as you have been cautioned, a landlord cannot DIY electrical on a rental unit.  All work must be done by a licensed electrician. It really doesn't matter what your financial situation is; you just can't do it.   That law is to prevent landlords from doing inferior work that puts others' lives in danger.  The logic is an owner-occupant has incentive to do the job properly: a landlord only has incentive to do the work as cheaply as possible.


thermostat assembly verification for electric oven (with pictures) I am diagnosing issue with my electric oven which does not engage heat element.

Basically it's thermostat (BA, BR, C) -> relays -> heat elements (2 top, 1 bottom). hardwired.

I disassemble the thermostat and want to confirm if assembly is correct for anyone that is familiar with these types of thermostats.

When I disassemble the thermostat the parts imploded due to spring release and didn't have enough time to view.

So I put back together based on best possible configuration, and came up with the following (pictures below).

However, I notice there is always continuity at the leads regardless of whether it's pressed or depressed.

Which doesn't seem right to me.
Should thermostat always be under load?

You can see two springs, when the knob is turned/pushed forward it pushes the bracket which is supposed to engage the contacts/leads at the black part of the box.

Does this look about correct to you?

Thanks for any feedback.

Fixed the issue by flipping over the bracket that hinges on the springs. now it open and closes correctly.

when it's correctly inserted there is a kind of "clicking" noise and the bracket moves with far less restrain.

basically it's the same as show in the pictures, the bracket with the "circle" indent in the middle needs to be flipped over. the springs then attach the same way.


What kind of hot water system is this? I have a basic question that will surely be very easy for anybody less awful at this kind of thing than me: this is an electric hot water system, right? What are the various inlets/outlets/valves?
(If it's relevant, this is in Sydney, Australia.)

Based on what I see, the green pipe is the hot out supply to the house as that is on the output of the temperature mitigating valve. The green cap can usually be adjusted - some need pulling out to allow movement (a safety feature to prevent accidental changes), take care if you want to change the temperature though, a usual maximum is 46 deg C but often they are set lower like 42 deg C.
The pipe coming to that mitigating valve is the cold supply which also is connected to the bottom of the tank ie the supply point.
The pipe further back to the right is from the pressure & temperature relief valve so that the tank is not damaged due to an excess of pressure or temperature.


Can I span 23 feet with doubled 2x8 floor joists? We are remodeling the first floor in our 2 flat.  We use it as a single family.  Tearing out a wall between kitchen and "second" bedroom from when it was originally built in 1926.  The current floor joists are 2x8 and span the 24 feet, but there is a wall mid way.  If we were to double up the joists to add additional support would that work?  These are 16" on center.  We have steel columns in the basement supporting the house.  Or do we need to do a header to support the second level?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

No, you cannot span 23 feet with conventional lumber, even doubled. It'll be as bouncy as a trampoline and won't meet code, and that's if you can find such lengths.

You'll need at least a 12" (nominal) I-joist or an engineered floor truss to span that far, or you'll need an LVL or steel beam midway.

None of us can offer more specific advice without a site visit, and most of us aren't engineers anyway. There's really no way around having a qualified local expert stop by.


What kind of super strong bonding agent would be useful to repair a stiletto heel? Fiancee broke her shoe I bought her. Gucci told me tough luck.  Cobbler told me it's unfixable.  Before I throw these way too expensive shoes in the trash, I figured I'd give it one shot to attempt a repair.  The metal post is still intact that runs down the center of the heel.

I'm considering drilling very small holes into the white part shown in the photo to increase the strength of the bonding agent.  Any suggestions on what to use?

If the cobbler told you it was unfixable, it's most likely unfixable. The picture you linked is too small to see much detail, but if you have a question about glue I always recommend This to That as a good place to look up what kind of glue to use.

But honestly, I don't think any glue is going to hold this in the way you want. The shoes are most likely dead. If they're expensive enough you can look at a home insurance claim, but I doubt that's a route you want to go!


How can I repair a chewed-through power cable? My puppy chewed the power plug off of my space heater, and I'd rather not buy a whole new space heater if I don't have to.  I went to the hardware store and found a plug rated for 125V and 15A.  The space heater cord is labeled for 300V, but the device says 120V and 1500W.  Will the plug be safe for the space heater?  Based on the wattage, it should only draw around 12.5A, but I don't know if it needs a certain amount of buffer in case it spikes high or anything like that.

Also: I have to chop off the chewed parts of the cord, and it was already a short cord begin with.  Is it possible to add in more cord so it's the same length as before?

By all common sense you should not try to splice an appliance cord to make it longer. What you should really do is to open up the appliance and remove the remaining chewed off chunck of cord. This may require you to free any type of cord retainers and / or strain reliefs.

Then a new cord of ratings same as the original should be installed in place of the old one. It can be very handy to purchase a ready made extension cord that has nice molded ends on it (rated properly of course) and cut the socket end off of it and use the remaining part to wire into the heater.

Sometimes you will find that inside the appliance the wires may be attached with some type of crimp on terminals. These types of terminals are generally available at hardware stores but if you cannot find exactly what you need check online at retailers such as Digikey or Mouser.


Choosing an appropriate general purpose HVLP gun for a 5.5 CFM @ 40 PSI Compressor I have an 8 gallon 125 PSI compressor that produces flow rates of 4.5 CFM @ 90 PSI and 5.5 CFM @ 40 PSI.  I would like to get a general purpose HVLP spray gun that will work with this compressor.

I would like to achieve as smooth a finish possible without orange peel artifacts.  My first project will be spraying clear coat on cabinets, but I will likely use it on other wood projects and smaller metal and plastic projects.  I do not plan on painting entire cars.

Other than the CFM rating on the gun, are there any other things that I should look for?

If I select a gun with a higher CFM rating than my compressor, what issues am I likely to run in to?

If your spraygun is too large for your compressor

If you selected a gun that draws more air than your compressor is capable of outputting then you'll be waiting for your compressor to catch up and you will be running your compressor more.

General things to keep in mind

The type of coatings you will be spraying: Different HVLP guns are designed for different types of coatings.
Nozzle/Tip size: The nozzle is one factor in controlling the spray pattern.  Different size nozzles are used for primers, clear-coats and stains.
Adjustability:  Controls for fan size, fan shape, air volume and material volume.
Setup and configuration: At minimum, you will need a regulator at your spray gun for fine tuning.  Moisture and other contaminants are also concern, so proper routing and filtration of the compressed air will help to reduce contaminants like oil and excess moisture.


Did Dulux sell "Designer's White"? The developers of my units gave the original owners (around 2001) some spec sheets for the finishes that explain the walls are painted with "Dulux Designers White Low Sheen Acrylic".

When I tried to buy some to match at my local paint shop, the assistant denied that was a colour, and sold me another (unmixed) Dulux white paint.

When I got home and googled it, I found several mentions of Dulux Designers White  e.g. Inspiration Point and Stylish Livable Spaces

However, none of the references are at Dulux.com so I am not sure if they are not all making mistakes (e.g. confusing Dulux with Solver Paints who have a colour by that name.

Should I believe the developers who say they used this paint colour, or the paint shop assistant who says Dulux never sold it?

TLDR: the information you quoted specifies a brand of paint, not a color.  Even if it did, it wouldn't be available or wouldn't match. Better off taking a 1" square sample to the store - they can match it.

Here's the problem.  Pigments are not stable.  Any paint formula is expressed in ratios of pigments. Pigments disappear, because they outlawed a toxic pigment, the company got merged into another company who consolidated pigments, they altered the pigment families to be compatible with another paint chemistry that company also sells, etc.

Formulas are a table of pigment types and amounts (within a particular pigment system).  Paint codes like 43-6010 or G3144 require looking in the book to see what the formula is.  Likewise those silly little names they give colors, like Plum Orange or Ratatouille.

And even if they still have the formula and pigments for "Firefly", old paint changes color.  It changes in the can, on the wall, and even on the drift card in the manufacturer's file.  Even if you got the right formula, it might only match under the outlet covers.

This pigment thing is a nightmare.  Paint manufacturers don't want to deal with consumers expecting them to match a paint code from years ago. So they all say the same thing: "bring us a sample, we'll match it."  And that, they can do.  The scanners are very good.

Even within "makes" of paint, there are "models" of paint.  For instance Sherwin Williams makes good, better and best interior and exterior latex (we're not even talking glossy vs satin).  They make low-VOC formulations.  They also make alkyd enamels and 2-part epoxy garage floor paint. In the industrial world, a lot more.

From what you say from your spec sheet, it sounds like it gives only the make and model of paint.   That's to assure the homeowner a quality paint was used.  Nothing there sounds like a formula, nor a paint code, nor even a silly color name.

Even the "Designer's White" refers to a base, which is meant to be custom tinted at the store.  It is saying there's enough white pigment in the can already that you could paint it directly, and will require less custom pigment if your final goal is a soft, near-white pastel.  That is not true for the vivid-color bases, which have almost no pigment, to avoid washing out the bold oranges, blues or whatever that will later be added.

They are correct: there's no paint color code there.


Nero Mist granite countertop I'm in the process of choosing a material for a new kitchen counter.  One that I'm considering is a honed Nero Mist granite.  I'm trying to find out from someone who has the same type of granite how often they have to seal it.  I've read that some granite needs yearly sealing.  Concerning black granite, I've read that they don't need sealing as often.  However, that seems to be canceled out by another source which stated that honed granite often needs to be sealed more frequently that highly polished granite.  If you have this material, can you please let me know how it's holding up and how often you have to seal it?  Thanks!

I sealed some nearly black granite over 20 years ago and it never needed resealing. The first time food oil touched it , it made a mark in the granite. So I went to the dealer and he sold me a 500 ml bottle of a clear oil-like liquid. It worked great; it needed less than one ounce/sq.yd. ... Found it in my garage- PSI, premium silicon impregnator ( Lithofin brand), made in Germany.


Replace Circuit Breaker on Split Bus Panel I want to add a 50 amp 220V circuit breaker to my split bus panel to supply a welder. I have two options. One option is to use the empty slot (blue arrow) or replace the spare 220v breaker that is currently not doing anything (red arrow). If I understand correctly, both options will keep me in compliance with the 6 throw rule. The "problem" is that both option are above the split (dashed green line) and are always hot because I don't have a main disconnect. My questions are (1) how do I replace these circuit breakers safely and which option would be better (red arrow or blue arrow). Thanks.

6 of one, half dozen of the other on the red or blue arrow issue. You can plug a breaker in hot (assuming you know the proper safety precautions). I would probably swap out the unused one, just because the panel cover would not need to be altered (I'm lazy).

If you are uncomfortable working on live equipment, you can ask the utility to disconnect you (pull the meter). Generally that means they come out and do it one day, then come back and put it back in the next day. SOMETIMES you get lucky and they do it faster, but you can't count on it, so be prepared to have no power for a day. If you have one of the new "Smart Meters", they often have a remote disconnect capability so the utility simply sends it a signal to disconnect or reconnect, so it can be just minutes.


Splitting 240v circuit vs Y-adapter I've got an old dryer outlet in a 1 gang box with 10/3 Romex cable running to a 2-pole 30amp circuit breaker. I've converted the old laundry room into a server room. I want to get a bigger UPS that requires an L5-30R outlet. Since there is already 10/3 Romex run I have a few options.

1) Install an L14-30R and use a Y-adapter that breaks the two poles into two L5-30R outlets.

2) Install two L5-30R outlets, pigtailing the neutrals and grounds and split the two hot legs from the 10/3. This requires a new box and extra work but might be worth it long term.

3) Something smarter?

Thanks!

I think option two is better, and not that hard. Use a RACO 187 extension box https://platt.com/platt-electric-supply/4-Square-Boxes-Accessories-Extensions/Hubbell-Raco/187/product.aspx?zpid=0052108 . Option 3: You could have a qualified person replace the two pole breaker with one 30 and one 20 amp breaker with handle ties and use one L5-30 and a 5-15 or 5-20 with the above 187.


Just got quoted $5000 to service my HVAC system. Is this reasonable? I have a 15 year-old York heat pump that gave out at some point during the winter (not sure exactly when as it's a dual-fuel system and nobody noticed until higher than normal gas bills started showing up).  The outside unit does not run at all.  Now that it's spring time,  I called an HVAC company to get a quote on repairs before the summertime heat gets here.

The technician who examined the system said it's clear the system has been abused and was "running rough" for a lot of years.  He said the high-pressure safety switch had failed, and that the expansion valve and condenser fan motor all needed to be replaced.  Since the expansion valve and pressure switch are welded, the repairs would involve draining the whole system of refrigerant and refilling once it's been completed.

Here's a breakdown of what he quoted me:

Expansion valve (incl. draining and disposal of refrigerant): $2100
High-pressure safety switch: $630
Condenser fan motor: $640
Capacitor replacement: $230
Starting components: $190
"AC Re~New" (compressor oil?): $240
Duct cleaning: $475
Chemical coil cleaning: $100
New refrigerant (12lbs): $75

After tax and some miscellaneous small charges I didn't list here, the job is quoted at over $5000, which is almost half the cost of a new system!  That seems ridiculous to me.  Some of this stuff is pretty optional (but should be done anyway -- like the duct cleaning and coil cleaning).  But I'm inclined to believe him about the abuse.  We inherited this house from my mother who bought it 10 years ago and had basically trashed it.  The HVAC system was relatively new at the time (maybe 5-ish years), but I'm sure she's never had it serviced.  I would always replace the filter when I came to visit (I live 4 hours away), and it was always caked in dirt and cat hair when I did.  She said it went out a few years back, but she "knew a guy" that fixed it for her (she always knew a guy).

So maybe he's right about all the work.  Still, I've looked at a few forums and they seem to suggest that an expansion valve replacement should only cost around $500. Also the condenser fan only costs around ~$100 for the part and looks like something I could replace myself if I knew which one to buy, so $640 for that seems pretty egregious.  But I'm obviously no expert here.

Is this a reasonable estimate??

These questions are notoriously hard to answer because prices vary so much depending on location and house, but there is one answer that is correct for all of them:

Unless it's a small job, and you know how much it should cost, you need to get multiple estimates.  Wether it's the water pump on your car or an air conditioning compressor, get two or three estimates.  Anyone that doesn't want you to get another estimate or tries to pressure you into a sale is trying to cheat you.  It is standard practice to get multiple estimates on jobs that are this expensive, and the contractor should expect it.

Some repair people are good at inflating prices so that the cost of the repair comes within a certain range of just buying a new system.  They know what percentage they need to be at to make it seem like just getting a new one is the "smart" choice.  Multiple estimates are important because then they can compete on the actual repairs rather than scaring you into a bigger purchase.  Maybe your system is toast, and maybe something about the install makes it extra hard and expensive, but again, multiple estimates will show that as well.


Need advice with the removal of the soleplate WARNING: I know nothing about building houses. So feel free to teach me a thing or two.
We are removing the bathroom so that will an open space as part of the living room.
In red:
-> Sole plate within the red area will be removed
-> The stud on top of the Sole plate will also be removed
In green:
-> Sole plate will stay
-> header will be added
Is that okay if he removes that sole plate and stud marked in red to have an entrance from the living room area to the bathroom?
More images -> https://imgur.com/a/6tNmfJN
More images + video -> https://imgur.com/a/7YD7Qwx

The strategy of adding a header to replace one or more studs is appropriate, with one caveat: The header must be adequate to carry the load of the floor above as well as any roof that's bearing at that point, if those currently rest on that wall. The header must rest on "trimmer" studs, which aren't shown in your diagram, whether it's load-bearing or not.


HVAC Condensate Line P Trap I've consistently experienced issues with my AC. I won't get into all of the background, but I would like to know if the pictured condensate line is appropriately trapped. The vertical PVC pipe is not capped, and I assume that doesn't allow for the appropriate suction. Curious to hear additional input! Thanks in advance.

"Suction" is not desirable.
The main problem there is likely inadequate slope on the line coming straight out from the air handler, and/or inadequate slope on the leg to the air gap. The line across the top front appears to have adequate slope.
The actual trap is beyond the air gap, in larger diameter pipe.
In my biased opinion, the second major likely cause of problem is the use of small diameter pipes and sharp elbows rather than larger pipe and DWV sweeps for drainage plumbing. HVAC types are all about "it's just clear condensate, I can run a tiny pipe" and then they are shocked, just shocked when it clogs up (because that condensate comes from air, that has dust, that includes spores, and things grow...)
The open pipe stub (on top of the furnace) is probably intended to allow you to clean the vertical pipe, but given there's no access to clean the horizontal pipes, that is of limited benefit.
If you are actually asking about the open pipe on the P trap entrance, that's quite specifically to prevent suction from draining the trap and allowing sewer gas into the house. It's a "standpipe" forming an "Air Gap" and is utterly required. The P trap itself appears to be correctly installed to a drain line with a vent line extending upwards, though we can't tell if that drain line or vent line are clear and functioning. If you pour water into the standpipe it should drain away quickly, but water should remain in the lower part of the  trap when you stop pouring water in, not be sucked out into the drain.
Post-update Ugh. Well that was a sloppy hack job, as revealed by your latest/last picture - the vent line is not complete, and is venting sewer gas into your house. If there was an inspection of this work, the inspector should be fired and anything they passed should be re-inspected, and whoever did the work should be publicly shamed as well as being made to fix it to code. Or perhaps taken to court to force them to pay for someone actually competent to fix it to code. That open vent pipe inside the house on the smelly side of the trap is certainly the source of your sewer gas smell, and a code violation the size of a gigantic tortoise held up by 4 elephants...
It should either extend all the way through the roof, or connect to another vent line that goes all the way through the roof. Some might suggest a "Studor" vent also known as an AAV (air admittance valve.) I would not be among the "some" - those things fail, and your house stinks again, and you replace them, and they fail again - a vent through the roof works, reliably. Perhaps as a very temporary, quick stop-gap while you get the vent to the roof sorted.


The hot water is working but the radiators will not heat up! We have a Utica Boiler model number SFH4150WT and we are receiving hot water but the radiators do not heat up!!. We tried bleeding the radiators, they only heated up a little bit but after about 5 min went back to being cold. The pipes by the furnace heat up but not the radiators upstairs. I read the pressure and it is below 5 psi. This all started after a radiator pipe broke in the garage but we fixed that too and still no luck! Any help would be great I have a 2 year old in the house and I don't want her to suffer any longer. Thank you

You did not give enough information (see my comment). But here is a guess for you anyway:

5 PSI is equivalent to 11.5feet of water. To me that means your radiators are filled to that height above the gauge and no more. (i.e. if the boiler is in the basement probably only the bottom of the radiator has water.) So no wonder they are cold - there is no water in them to carry heat.

But this is just a guess.


Strange intermittent popping sound from floorboards I hear a strange sound from the floorboards. I made a recording of it which you can hear here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1idaOVQx1O4OhvbT2lnnJm-lqSgdSJrQJ/view?usp=sharing
Here is what I know about the sound:

It happens only at night (which makes it specially annoying since it disturbs my sleep and makes it harder to diagnose).
It happens at irregular intervals. Sometimes I will go hours without hearing it and sometimes I will hear it several times in a minute.
It comes from a part of the floor which has loose floorboards.
It comes from a part of the floor next to the heater.

I have a wooden floor. What could be causing this sound?

Like Kris said it's most likely:
Expansion and contraction due to fluctuating   temperatures and humidity levels.
There are several options to address this:
If you own the house, and want "a squeek free floor" hire it out to a local handyman.
Otherwise you will play chase the squeek for weeks with a mix of screws, nails, glue and braces.
If you don't own the property, call the owner.


Sun joe mower: how to fix blade How to fix the blade ? Not sure I am missing a bolt or screw. Sun joe electric wired lawn mower
The picture shows the mower, the blade and a cap which fits. But if I just put the cap, it will come off

The central bolt and washers in the correct order are used to hold the blade to the mounting plate.  The pins on the mounting plate, some of which may be broken in your case, fit into the off center holes on the blade so that the bolt need only keep the blade pinned to the plate and the pins support the torque.  Inspect carefully.  If you have missing or broken pins, your mounting plate or mower need to be repaired or replaced.


How can I screw a small threaded rod in a bigger hole? I have a M6 x 1 hollow threaded rod, which I want to screw into a metal block (which I obtained from an old dysfunctional machine of the same type). The metal block's hole (its an un-threaded hole) in which the threaded rod is suppose to fit has 7.85 mm inner diameter.

I was thinking of using helical inserts, but the product's outer diameter is 7.95 mm which is slightly bigger than the metal block's hole, but nonetheless makes it useless in terms of tapping metal block's hole. My application requires that the part work properly up to a temperature of 300 F. Is there any way to do this without having to completely machine a new metal block?

Sure. You tap (or drill out and tap) the larger hole for a convenient thread size, and use an M6 threaded insert with that thread size (from personal experience, I suggest not using the helical type unless you have to - if there is no space constraint, a larger-outside-thread solid insert holds up better.)

M6x1 with an outer of M10x1.5 seems to be a common solid insert size that should work with the constraints you've mentioned, in "drill out and tap" mode.

If you have a different mindset or set of tools, you can also weld the existing hole up, redrill and tap for M6 - most folks don't go there first, as getting a good fill on a small hole is tricky - but again, you can drill it out larger first if that is the problem, or drill it out larger and weld in a plug.


What is the purpose of a watt regulator in my ceiling fan? The lights on my harbor breeze fan stopped working this morning. When I came home from work, I got the ladder and took down the lights. I don't have a multimeter but I saw that there is this Watt Regulator (pic below) in the fan. I traced the wires and it seems that this may have been the culprit. I snipped the wires, got some wire nuts, and wired directly into the 120V circuit. Ta-da! Lights are back and fan is working normal.

Question is : What is the purpose of this watt regulator? Why do some fans include it?

Here's the real story:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/residential/ceiling_fans.html

As required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established test procedures and energy conservation standards for ceiling fans and for ceiling fan light kits.

Ceiling fan light kits with any other socket type including but not limited to candelabra screw base sockets, intermediate screw-base sockets, 2-pin halogen sockets, and bayonet sockets manufactured on or after January 1, 2009, shall not be capable of operating with lamps that total more than 190 watts and must be packaged with lamps that together total 190 watts or less. DOE indicated in a January 11, 2007, final rule that it recognizes that manufacturers may choose to follow one of several possible design pathways to ensure that the light kit is not capable of operating with lamps that total more than 190 watts.

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EERE-2006-TP-0121-0003

DOE is interpreting the 190-watt limit on power consumption for certain ceiling fan light kits as a design requirement. This approach will require that manufacturers incorporate some measure such as a fuse, circuit breaker or current-limiting device to ensure the light kit is not capable of operating with a lamp or lamps totaling more than 190 watts.


Why is my electric circuit breaker tripping? For the past 4 days our circuit breaker has tripped several times a day. On the box each fuse thing is labeled i.e. "Upstairs lights", "upstairs sockets" etc. Now normally if we have had a blown fuse on something, say my hairdryer, it has only tripped my bedroom, but this time it has tripped the whole breaker. None of the individual fuse things are switched off but the main dial is in the off position and you need to turn this to on for system to come back on.  I can't seem to see what's setting it off; I haven't found a pattern to when it goes.

Based on your confirmation that the main breaker is tripping, and your description here:

  I have switched the individual fuses that are labeled emersion switch (as we don't have one) cooker unit (this only works the clock on the gas cooker) and down stairs lights off , the power so far is staying on but if I put any off these on the whole breaker trips.

This tells me that you do not have an overload situation.  There is a short, and/or one or more faulty breakers possibly including the main breaker.

Even an experienced DIY'er with electrical knowledge would probably contact an electrician at this point.  If there is a potential problem with the main breaker then it is best to get professional help.


is it ok to peel paper from faced fiberglass batt insulation? An above grade portion (wood framing) of my basement walls (in unfinished furnace room) is currently insulated with faced R19 fiberglass batts .  It is very drafty because the batts dont fit perfectly and the wall is not air sealed behind the insulation. I also understand that it is supposed to be covered with drywall to prevent combustion.

I am undertaking a diy project to correctly air seal it and reinsulate it.  The approach i have in mind is to glue rigid foam board to the wall, and use great stuff to fill around it.  Then i want to reapply the fiberglass on top of the foam board.

I have read that the paper should be removed to prevent a double vapor barrier since the foam board will be air sealed up against the wall. Is it ok /necessary to remove the paper from the fiberglass batts and leave it exposed in the furnace room after doing the air sealing as above?  Does this present a hazard?  Is it better to replace the fiberglass insulation with something else assuming i dont want to drywall my furnace room?

Thanks

i have attached a (bad) photo of what the walls look like right now:

You're asking two questions:

Is it ok?
Yes, it's ok. There's no substantial difference between the resulting fiberglass batt and a new, unfaced batt aside from marginally less fiberglass due to what pulls off with the paper. The batts may want to pull out as you remove the paper, so it might make sense to simply do it on the floor and reinstall backward so you have a cleaner face exposed to the room.

Is it necessary?
Your plan is sound: Don't have more than one vapor barrier.


Is a splice permitted in a PVC conduit body? I'm talking about something like this Type LB Conduit Body

Depends.

If the conductors are 6 AWG or smaller.
There is enough free space.
It's not a short radius conduit body.
The volume is durably and legibly marked by the manufacturer.

Only then can the conduit body contain splices.
In your specific case, I don't see the volume listed in the specifications section on the Home Depot page. So you'd have to check the fitting itself, to determine if the manufacturer has marked the volume. You didn't say what size wires you're pulling, so I can't answer that definitively. You also didn't mention the number of conductors, so it's impossible for me to do the fill calculations.
The Codez

National Electrical Code 2014
ARTICLE 314 Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes; Conduit Bodies; Fittings; and Handhole Enclosures
II. Installation
314.16 Number of Conductors in Outlet, Device, and Junction Boxes, and Conduit Bodies. Boxes and conduit bodies shall be of an approved size to provide free space for all enclosed conductors. In no case shall the volume of the box, as calculated in 314.16(A), be less than the fill calculation as calculated in 314.16(B). The minimum volume for conduit bodies shall be as calculated in 314.16(C).
(C) Conduit Bodies.
(1) General. Conduit bodies enclosing 6 AWG conductors or smaller, other than short-radius conduit bodies as described in 314.16(C)(2), shall have a cross-sectional area not less than twice the cross-sectional area of the largest conduit or tubing to which they can be attached. The maximum number of conductors permitted shall be the maximum number permitted by Table 1 of Chapter 9 for the conduit or tubing to which it is attached.
(2) With Splices, Taps, or Devices. Only those conduit bodies that are durably and legibly marked by the manufacturer with their volume shall be permitted to contain splices, taps, or devices. The maximum number of conductors shall be calculated in accordance with 314.16(B). Conduit bodies shall be supported in a rigid and secure manner.
(3) Short radius conduit bodies. Conduit bodies such as capped elbows and service-entrance elbows that enclose conductors 6 AWG or smaller, and are only intended to enable the installation of the raceway and the contained conductors, shall not contain splices, taps, or devices and shall be of sufficient size to provide free space for all conductors enclosed in the conduit body.

Examples of short radius conduit bodies
Capped Elbow

Box Fill Calculation
For each current carrying conductor that terminates within the box, you'll add 1. So if you're pulling one ungrounded (hot) conductor, one grounded (neutral), and one grounding conductor. If you want to splice within the box, the calculation would look like this.

Ungrounded (hot)        1
Ungrounded (hot)        1
Grounded (neutral)      1
Grounded (neutral)      1
--------------------------
                        4

If grounding conductors are used, you'll add 1.

Current Carying         4
Grounding               1
--------------------------
                        5

Once you have the conductor count, you'll use Table 314.16(B) to determine the required volume.

NOTE: You'll always base the calculation off the largest conductor used. so if you have a #14 grounded (neutral) and a #12 ungrounded (hot), you'll use 2.25 because of the #12.  If you're using grounding conductors that are a different size than the current carrying conductors, you'll multiply them separately (#12 hot, #12 neutral, #14 ground = 2 x 2.25 + 1 x 2.00).
14 AWG
If the largest conductor used is 14 AWG, you'll multiply the conductor count by 2.00 according to Table 314.16(B).
`5 * 2.00 = 10.00'
Which means the box must have a volume of at least 10 cubic inches, if you want to splice within it.
12 AWG
If the largest conductor used is 12 AWG, you'll multiply the conductor count by 2.25.
5 * 2.25 = 11.25
So in this case, the box must have a volume of at least 11.25 cubic inches.
3 Ungrounded (hot) Conductors
If you were pulling 3 ungrounded (hot) conductors, the calculations would look like this.

Ungrounded (hot)        1
Ungrounded (hot)        1
Ungrounded (hot)        1
Ungrounded (hot)        1
Grounded (neutral)      1
Grounded (neutral)      1
Grounding               1
--------------------------
                        7

14 AWG
7 * 2.00 = 14 cubic inches
12 AWG
7 * 2.25 = 15.75 cubic inches


Can I build a wall directly underneath a steel basement beam? I'm framing an interior wall in my basement. There is a load bearing steel beam that runs length of the home. Can I build my wall to run parallel underneath the beam about 16 feet and secure it?

Yes, that's quite normal. Since the beam bears the load, it's a simple non-bearing wall.


What is this pipe coming from the basement wall? Trying to figure out what this pipe is for coming out of our basement wall. House was built around 1980. We purchased about 4 years ago. Home has well and septic. Well pump and pressure tank is nearby.
This pipe has never had anything connected to it since we purchased the home. When it rains, water drains out of the lower pipe. Last night it rained about 2” and filled the ice cream pail.
The upper pipe remains bone dry. I pushed a rod in the top pipe around 30” and didn’t feel a ridge or anything.
Trying to figure out what it is, where it may go and can I cap both the upper and lower pipes and let it fill with water so it stops draining into the house?
Any thoughts?
Thanks everyone
Joe

It appears to be abandoned hard pipe for your well. I used to run hard pipe to the well head and convert to poly at the cap so the jet or foot can be pulled up. Someone may have changed to submersible as I did in my current home because submersible pumps are much more efficient, when doing this they may have abandoned the original plumbing as it was easier than removal. I would cap them so they don’t drip. They can be cut off and plugged but if they don’t bother you you may want to leave them in place just capped.


Is a large change in radon test results normal? I am selling my home in Georgia and just had a Radon test result of 7.0 as part of the buyer's inspection. When I moved in 10 years ago the test result was only .9. Is this much change normal or should I question the result?

You can get the test re-done, they generally aren't very expensive, but avoid the home testing kits, they aren't as reliable, and any buyer will probably have the test done themselves anyway professionally. It is a significant jump, it definitely crosses the threshold of "safe" and "needs correction". Any smart buyer will want you to correct a value this high, too. A test result >= 4 pCi/L warrants some kind of radon abatement according the the EPA.


Can I wire a 3 phase plasma cutter to single phase power? I bought a plasma cutter at an auction, at the time I had no idea it was 3 phase, I checked on a rotary phase converter, and it is around 1200 to 1400 dollars, I could but a new plasma cutter for the cost of the converter, but I'm told the cutter I have cuts up to one inch material, the smaller cutters cut 1/4 inch material, Plus I have NO IDEA if this thing actually functions, so I need a way to test the waters before buying something that I may not be able to use.

The 3-phase plasma cutter is not going to work on a single phase type connection. You will need to provision for a 3-phase power source - whether that be via a special power entry drop to your shop from the power company or via a power converter that you install (such as a rotary type that you mentioned).

As far as testing the waters with the 3-phase plasma cutter before you go about buying things you should look into finding a shop that repairs and services equipment such as this. They will most likely already have a commercial 3-phase service and for a fee you can ask them to do a service inspection of the unit you bought. That fee could very well be worth while because you may additionally learn some things about this cutter and become aware if some other parts need replacement or you need some additional accessories.


Is a 200 amp panel adequate for my needs? I'm looking for feedback on my plan before I begin the panel replacement, so thanks for your input. I already have a permit and am allowed to do all the work myself as long as it passes 2014 NEC code upon inspection.

My primary goal is to remove the 60 yr old aluminum wire and replace with copper and upgrade the panel box replacing all breakers as every current breaker is some weird double breaker that has two flip switches and two circuits in every slot on the box. Not enough room in current box if removing all doubles for singles.

I'm done running new wire throughout the house and ready to shove the new home run wires to the new box, this is where i have uncertainty as I'm trying to future proof. I anticipate a second HVAC for the second floor (i live in the south and this is the standard now for getting the upstairs below 85 in summer). Thus, future box would have about 15 20AMP breakers, 4 50 AMP breakers (HVAC) 3 30 AMP (tankless water heater) one stove at 40 AMP and dryer at 30 AMP. (presently have 1 30 for tank water heater and a 70/50 for hvac, which is oversight from hvac replacement done last summer and should be 50/50). I have a 200 AMP service presently, if i require more the local company will run a second 200AMP line to the house.

Questions:

My Amperage total in these breakers is way over 200, i understand not all are used simultaneously such as AC/Heat, etc, but should i consider the upgrade to 400?
the HVAC and water heater are all in the crawlspace (in this area my crawlspace is 7ft tall with plenty of access space), I think it would be wise to run 1 25 ft #6 wire from the panel (or second 200 AMP service) using a 100AMP breaker and create a subpanel (or second panel entirely with service upgrade) then run #6 CU  wire to the HVAC and water heater, this would be 10-15ft for each. This excludes the second floor airflow handler that would eventually be in the attic- that is going to be directly above the main panel and would likely run it through that panel to keep wire distance shortest.
What am I overlooking?

---UPDATE---

Based on feedback, further research and opening up my panel box. I'm thinking I'll consider not replacing the panel as i have a 200 30/42 box, but several of these tandem breakers are not in proper slots so I can fix that while ripping out all the AL wire and putting in new breakers and CU- I may do away with most of them as they're unneeded if i do the subpanel. I still think a sub panel is a good idea given all the big stuff is centralized - even though that means a flipped breaker would be under the house...

New question, last time i was in the box replacing a breaker that was shooting sparks into the house i thought my main lines were copper, they clearly are not. an electrician friend thinks they look fine, but should i consider a CU replacement all the way to the meter?

on the left is my trial/error breaker description, on the right is a hole patch from previous owner, not sure what the reason was

First, the aluminum wire

In the 1960s, owing to a copper shortage, they rushed to market aluminum wire made from transmission line alloys, for 15-30A branch circuits.  Electricians used it with common receptacles and switches listed for Cu-only, and in the rush, nothing was properly tested. On top of that, the work was often badly performed because housing booms tend to draw from the bottom of the barrel skillwise.  I hardly need to tell you how that went: the things you saw were indeed your house almost burning down, and they were due to arcing.   There are two good fixes:

Tear it all out -- kill it with fire before it kills you with fire.
Feed it from AFCI breakers, which will detect and trip on arc faults before they melt insulation. Then at leisure move through the house, and either tear it out, or clean up all the terminations of every wire, using CO-ALR rated receptacles/switches and Alumiconns instead of wire nuts.

As a backgrounder, copper has been commercially viable since 9000 BC, aluminum since 1950 thanks to smelting processes which use electricity.  Obviously Al arrived in an electrical system long built-out and with pre-existing stock of gear made for Cu-only.  The AA-1350 alloy, developed for steel-core transmission lines not small-wire terminations, was also a problem.  All done in a rush.

Regardless, it can be argued that Cu is the bad actor because it doesn't have a good elasticity range and likes to work-harden.  Al wire on Cu lugs doesn't work, but Cu wire on Al lugs works fine - as seen on Alumiconns, CO/ALR receptacles, and the lugs on your panel.  You need to get the torques right because of dissimilar metal expansion/contraction rates.  The right torque lets the Al flex and spring back as Cu changes size.

The new AA-8000 alloys are safe for 15-30A branch circuit wiring, but I won't use it because the inspector hates it, the buyer hates it, there's no cost savings, and it's too oddball.  Like a lot of people, I start looking at Al for 60A+ (#4-), the larger, the more likely.

Needed service

As I look at your numbers, first, on-demand water heat, awesome. Even better if it's several units near point of use, because then you're not paying or waiting for hot water to cross the house.  It's common for all-electric houses in the snowbelt to have 400A service.

I don't understand 4x50A for air conditioning. This seems like both too little and too much for a heat pump, the pump proper doesn't need 50 and the emergency heat usually needs more than 50.  Critical issue is which will be used at the same time. If you need to run 4x50A at once, you're gonna need a second service.

Subpanel

I think a subpanel is a great idea and I would go 200 or 225A. Stay with QO if you like, great commercial-tier panel type.  I would confer with the power company about where to locate this if it's to be the future main panel for a second service (keeping in mind one option is to put the main breaker outside as part of the meter pan, and feed this as a subpanel).  Set it up so you can do both:

For now, feed it with as you plan, a 100A or 125A breaker and correct size wire.
later, make it the "main" panel of the second service.

Spaces: You say nine 2-pole breakers (seems low, but alright, 18 spaces) plus you say 15 singles (but I count 18 singles in your panel already with the double-stuff's).

Using double-stuff breakers is bad news, especially on a panel with 3/4" wide breakers.  Most circuits are or will require AFCI or GFCI (and you want AFCI on any AL branch circuits).  Those don't come in double-stuff, not even on 1" breakers.

Now we're at 36 spaces optimistically, you have 30 now.  I would recommend at least a 30 space subpanel but given the small cost delta, I'd go 40 or 42.   40 is not unreasonable for a 200A service.

Existing panel

As far as the existing fat 200A aluminum wires, The lugs are aluminum. I would call the power company, have them pull the meter, inspect them at all ends for deterioration, clean 'em up, use the No-Ox.

Change the meter-panel run to Cu if it's really going to bother you.  Copper on an aluminum lug will work if you get the torques right.

What am I overlooking?   See the two large wires landed on the neutral lug and dissimilar metals to boot?  That is illegal, a recipe for disaster, and a lost neutral can do far more damage than a lost hot.  If the stranded Cu cable is your wire to your grounding electrode, that should go to your ground bus.  If you absolutely need both wires to land there, then get the correct lug for this, which has voids for 2 wires.

Nope. Try

Src GALCO

It sounds like you prefer running 6 AWG wire.  Paralleling is absolutely not allowed, you cannot run two #6's for 100A instead of one #1Al or #3Cu. If you want to keep your heavy-wire runs to a minimum, don't be bashful about putting the subpanel right next to the main panel. That is completely kosher.

For a short run, I'd be inclined to use copper (damn the dissimilar metals) because it will flex easier and be less likely to unclip the breaker.


How to Install a Techno Flange I recently had some plumbing work done on my house but still need to install a toilet after I finish tiling the floor.

We were left with the following flange and a toilet drain pipe sticking about 3 inches above the floor. http://www.ipscorp.com/plumbing/watertite/closetflanges/technoflange

How do you install this type of flange? The drain pipe fits inside the flange, is that the way it should be?

Also, the flange should ideally sit on top of the tile, correct?

Anything else I should know? Thank you!

It is made to glue to 3" or 4" drain pipe. I can't tell for sure but it looks like it glues over 3" or into 4".

You need to make sure the flange and glue are compatible with your pipe. If the pipe is white it is probably PVC, make sure you have the PVC flange and glue. If your pipe is black it is ABS, make sure you have...blah, blah, blah.

The flange may be set to rest on top of the finished floor or flush with the finished floor. It needs to be secured to the floor as well (note the screw holes). It might be easiest to glue it on and fasten it to the sub-floor with stainless screws, then tile up to it. The tile won't need to be perfect because the toilet should hide the immediate area.


Can a 110v 3-wire thermostat be hooked up to a 110v 2-wire condo setup? My condo that was built in 1968 has an old thermostat(rheostat type) which supplies 2 thick gauge black wires of which one is live and the other isn't. This regulator is hooked up to a blower unit(fan) which is connected to a central ventilation system that brings hot or cold air to it. In attempting to upgrade to a programmable thermostat type, how would a single pole King Model ESP120-R that runs on 110v which has a set of red, black and white wires be connected to my unit's 2-wire setup?

The King Model ESP120-R is not compatible with your wiring.  The third wire is the neutral, which this electronic thermostat requires to be operable.  Your original thermostat functions as a temperature controlled switch, connecting or disconnecting the heat without any need for externally supplied power.  Either you need a new replacement thermostat that also uses no separately supplied power, or you need to have your wiring altered.


Fresh Air Vent to run only when system is on An unusual problem for sure and my HVAC contractor (or anyone else in the business) has not been able to figure out a solution. I thought I would reach out to a larger group of experts that may know a bit more.
Simple goal: to have the fresh air intake be turned on ONLY when the AC/Heat/Fan modes are engaged. NOT a preset time per hour, and NOT run the fan to make up time that the system was not running. Very simply, when the HVAC fan is running, the fresh air damper opens.
Currently using a the April Aire controller/damper connected from an outside air source to the return plenum. A Lennox Pure Air system with the 20x25x5 carbon Marv16 filter was also included in the new HVAC system, as were new ducting.
The reasons for this are a bit more complex, for the outside air in the front of house, especially during the evenings is contaminated from a nearby septic system venting to atmosphere. These noxious chemicals accumulate in concentration at a lower section in the front of our house and infiltrate the home through the window vents, facia board gaps and entry door. Although the attempt of using the fresh air system was to "pressurize" the house, it is clearly insufficient to overcome the leaking of the system in the attic (BTW, that passed the HERS test, and I was told ALL HVAC systems "leak").
The chemical off-gassing has not yet been deemed above legal standards, although the concentrated effect that makes it way into our house makes your nose run, and irritates your throat and lungs. Just uncomfortable to breath. When the evenings were warm, outside the home is just horrible. Without legal council, and lots of $$$$, we are screwed. So it may be just better to resolve the issue through strategic ventilation. Mold testing shows no mold.
By using the fresh air intake ONLY when the system is running, it minimizes the negative pressure caused by the HVAC and reduces the bad air being drawn in. The furnace is an Amana AMES800804BU. The board has connections for an external humidifier (24V) and electronic air cleaner (120v), however after review of the circuit, it would appear these are always on connections and not on when the system fan is running. Connecting a relay to the FAN call from the thermostat will work for fan mode, but will do nothing for AC or HEAT where the fan runs at a different speed.
I have several decades of experience with mechanical engineering and machine design.
Thank you.

The easiest way is to install the fresh air intake on the return side of your system. That way it sucks in when running and then is filtered, simple and inexpensive. If you want a self powered system again it is easy enough to put a pressure switch or vane flow switch in the duct so the system only turns on when the air handler is running. This is simple stuff.  Your hvac should know about both systems as they are common as safety’s.


How would I secure a pex shut off valve to the stud in the wall interior? This 3/4 in. Brass PEX Barb x Barb Ball Valve will be my main shut off valve in my house. It will be in an interior wall behind a wall panel.

How can I secure this valve within the wall so it doesn't move around when the valve is turned on & off?

Generally you would just secure the PEX with some pipe clams near the valve and that would be good enough. The valve just hangs there in mine and I usually grab a pipe with one hand when I turn it.


How do I add an outdoor GFCI outlet to an existing indoor 2 wire outlet with no ground? Indoor outlet does not have a ground wire but the outdoor outlet does.

If you were replacing an existing two-wire receptacle you could do that with a GFCI without an equipment ground.
However since you are adding a new receptacle, I believe that is covered by this article of the National Electrical Code:

250.130(C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following:
(1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50
(2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor
(3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates
(4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure
(5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure

So, basically you have to run an Equipment Ground back the main panel unless you can attach to the grounding electrode or grounding electrode conductor along the way.
Good luck and stay safe!


Should I install a moisture barrier before installing engineered hardwood in a partial basement? I am thinking about using a 6 mil poly and a thicker sound/water barrier to make walking on the floors a bit softer. I plan to tape (or use silicon) as a means to seal moisture.

My question is, is it a good strategy to completely seal the floor like this? Judging by my crawlspace (which is sealed with 6mil poly), droplets gather underneath. Wouldn't the same happen for my insulation under the hardwood? Would it damage the concrete?

Use a combined moisture & sound deadening barrier like Roberts Unison 2-in-1.  I put this under my engineered bamboo floor.  It was an easy install and works great.


Why do only some DSL ports work for internet in my house? I recently tried moving my modem from the ground level to the second floor, where I just put in a PC in my office. I have 3 phone jacks upstairs (2 in the guest room and 1 in my bedroom), but it would be much more convenient to run an ethernet cable to the PC if the modem were in the guest room.

Unfortunately, neither of the phone jacks in the guest room work. One blinks green on the DSL light, but the internet light never comes on. The other jack gives the DSL light a solid red.

For whatever reason, the phone jack in my room works just fine (DSL light turns solid green, internet light comes on). I've done some preliminary Googling but haven't been able to come up with a solution, even though I've seen similar posts. I have no phone filters (no landline to hook up), and no splitters.

Any insight would be much appreciated!

Have you tested that the problematic jacks are actually wired to your house's phone system? Just take a land phone and plug it in - do you get dial tone?

If you're not getting a dial tone, these jacks are disconnected. Perhaps they were wired to a second line that is no longer active, or simply cut during some other project. To fix that, you'd need to reattach them, tracing the cables and re-connecting them to your main phone service lines.

If the jacks work for phone but not DSL, there may be a DSL filter installed between your main phone line and those jacks. These can be wired inline somewhere, or even built into the phone jacks themselves. Check the jacks first - do they have DSL-related labels? Can you remove the cover and look inside to see if a filter is there? Perhaps they are connected to another jack that has a DSL filter.

If the filter is wired in elsewhere, you would need to trace the wires from jack to your main phone service termination point to confirm.

EDIT: if you don't have active phone service, you probably won't be able to test with the phone/dial tone method. Instead, you can try a tone & probe kit or test voltage on the lines to see if they're connected to your house phone system. Although I'd still try a land-phone test as it's entirely possible you are supplied with a dial tone even if you can't make or receive calls.


is there a way prevent backflow from my sink? I have a downstairs condo with plumbing issues.  I get re-occuring backflow out of my sink that looks to be my neighbors sewage from their kitchen sink (we share sink lines down to the main drain).  Worse of all once this starts occuring I get continual backflow of the neighbors sewage directly out into my sink which can flood my kitchen until the lines get cleared by a plumbing machine. Plumber says whatever the issue is its beyond the pipes in my unit.
So my question is, is there something I can reasonably do to atleast prevent massive backflow out of my kitchen sink when this occurs?

In the UK, we can get 'HepVo' waterless valves which are intended to be used instead of a P-trap.  These - the manufacturer claims - are good resisting high backflow pressures.  If you installed one of these or a similar non-return valve, it would prevent the flooding.

You'd still have the root problem - and your sink would not drain when the pipes are blocked - but at least you'd not get waste water in your sink.

You should encourage your neighbours to make sure that their own kitchen waste is properly vented and running freely too.  It might be that a bit of preemptive chemical maintenance (by them and/or you) on a routine basis would keep problems at bay for longer.


What is the laziest way I can build a non-structural, non-aesthetic cinder block wall to contain compost? I have a ton of brush that I used to burn, but I recently bought a chipper/shredder and want a spot to compost it along with grass clippings and greens. I also have 3 tons of CMUs that are just sitting here, removed from an ugly garden fence.

I want to make a 3 walled container for the compost, sort of like you'd see at a gravel yard. The back wall the tallest, and the other sides slanted down. I'll likely push the compost against the back wall, then when I mix up the compost, I'll just rake it flat and shovel it back into the back.

What's the laziest way I can build this with what I already have so that it doesn't fall over in 5 years or develop other issues?

I was thinking I want to do a 10 inch gravel footing and dry stack the CMUs. Maybe I'll fill a few with concrete, but that would require mixing concrete - maybe I'd rather fill them with really coarse gravel.  I'll likely cut some of the CMU's diagonally with a diamond grinder so I can get a nice straight taper down and cover the CMUs with some cap blocks.

I don't know about mortar, because the CMUs are dirty. I don't know if it'll stick, and I don't know about how long it would take to clean them. I suppose kissing them with a grinding wheel would do the trick if it comes down to it, but I don't really feel like learning how to mortar anything either.

Dry stacking and filling with rebar and concrete sounds like a great idea. Pretty easy and brainless.


AWG NEUTRAL 15A GFCI? Connecting a new 240V 30A fused disconnect to a mini-split AC requiring 20A protection. The new disconnect includes a duplex 15A GFCI outlet. Existing breaker at service entrance location is 2 pole 30A wired as 10/2 with ground. I will place 20A fuses in the disconnect to satisfy the AC unit. Is it permissible to run a 12AWG neutral from the service entrance (where the 2 pole 30A is located) to the GFCI neutral and protect the 120V outlet with one of the 20 A legs?

No. This setup will not work.

You cannot add a loose neutral or hot wire to a cable like that.

If the mini-split absolutely requires neutral, then your only play is to replace the entire cable with 10/3 or 12/3.

If you are madly in love with that GFCI recep and cost is No Object,  then replace the entire cable with 10/3 or 12/3.

Otherwise you don't need or want that disconnect.  Get a simple one with no recep.

Honestly you are probably better off keeping the fused disconnect you already have... and changing the breaker in the service entrance location to 20A.  When multiple devices provide overcurrent protection is in a chain like this, only one of them needs to be the correct value.  The others can be larger.

So your existing 30A fused disconnect can continue in service if you simply change the panel breaker to 20A.  It no longer functions as overcurrent protection, simply as a disconnect.  But that's fine.


3 prong range outlet I wired a 3 prong range outlet using 8/2 wire. I had a black insulated, white insulated, and a bare single strand copper wire. In the outlet I wired the black wire to one hot side and the white wire to the other hot side. I wired the bare copper wire to the neutral prong. For the breaker I used a 2 phase 40amp breaker and wire the black wire to one side and the white wire to the other side. I then wired the bare copper to the ground bar ( not the neutral). Is this correct or should I redo it in a different manner?

For an old installation, there are some "shortcuts" grandfathered in, but even those are based on "no ground but have a neutral". You have the opposite - and much worse - problem of "no neutral but have a ground".

Rip out the 8/2 and put 8/3 in place. That will give you two hots (typically black & red), neutral (white) and ground (bare or green).
Replace the 3-prong outlet with a 4-prong outlet NEMA 14-50. This has connections for 2 hots, neutral, ground.
Replace the 3-prong cord with a 4-prong cord. You will likely have to make a small change inside the range to separate ground and neutral.

What you have right now is unsafe on many levels. It happens to work because on a typical range the neutral carries relatively little current most of the time. But it violates code in several ways:

White should not be hot.
Ground and neutral should be separate.
Neutral should be white or gray, and definitely never bare.
New installations should always use a 4-prong outlet.


How can I finish off a three gang switch with one switch missing? I removed one switch from a three gang switchbox. I simply don't need it. All the wires to that switch have been trimmed and taped off and the same at the opposite end of those wires.

Now, what can I do to finish off the outside of that switch? The simple solution would be to plaster over the vacant third of the box and put a double gang cover on the outside. Am I breaking any codes if I do that? If so what's a decent alternative?

This is in Canada.

I can't speak to the codes portion of your question, however my husband has been changing out our builder's outlets to z-wave since we moved in.

As long as your wires are capped off (I'll assume tapped off is the same thing) how about putting on a 3-gang switch plate with 1 blocked?

Hubs did this recently with a 2-gang. It leaves all the wires accessible behind the plate should you need/want access to them for a future project while still closing off/shutting down the area that's not longer in use.


How to clean portland cement off bricks? We moved into a brick house not too long ago. There are a few areas that were renovated at some point and the mason did a poor job. It looks like  some cement was put in after the bricks were laid and was smeared over the faces of the bricks. It's unsightly and doesn't match the adjacent areas where the work wasn't done. How can I clean this up?

dirty bricks on the left, clean older bricks on the right, beyond the railing.

There is a product called Sure Klean® that is used nowadays. I am sure there are other brands out there too. Muriatic acid used to be used, at least it was when I was a masons helper, but I think Its availability is regulated. Sure-Klean has it, just in small amounts I guess.

It needs to be diluted and protection worn, it pretty caustic stuff, so read the directions for use, and protect areas you do not want affected


What could be causing a dripping noise in the ceiling? There is a dripping noise coming from the vent in the ceiling, but no drip has been detected.  It comes and goes.  We are still using air conditioning in Louisiana.  Could it be the result of cycling with the ac unit?

You sure it's a drip and not just the ducts popping from expansion and contraction? Post a video with sound. Generally one doesn't start opening walls until a leak is confirmed. Apply presser to the register when it's making this noise, if it stops it is just your ducts popping. To high of a velocity across the coil could carry water into the ductwork, but this probably isn't your problem if the offending register is any great amount of distance from the unit.


crawlspace insulation I have crawlspace with an earth floor. it is approx. 24" from the ground to the floor joist. I have  6 mil poly on the ground. I have vents that will be opened in the summer and closed during the winter. There are no heating or a/c ductwork in the crawlspace and the water lines are insulated to keep condensation from being a problem. What is the thought on installing insulation between the joist and if so what is the best type of insulation to use to keep it from keep insulation from hanging down over a period of time.

When I've done this in the past, I've put in fiberglass between the floor joists, and then covered it with sheets of extruded polystyrene insulation board (XPS) to add a bit more R value and keep it in place.  If you're worried about critters chewing around, you can do the same thing with thin plywood or fiberglass reinforced plastic panels.


Changing the window in an exterior door We were given a new fibreglass door but it is RH instead of LH.  How do we change the window so it will be facing the right direction?

I think I understand what you are after... Is what you are saying is that the out side of the door is now on the inside and vice-versa?  Many Fiberglass doors do look the same on both sides and have decoritive windows that look different from the inside verses the outside.  If this is the case the window should be held in the door with a series of philips head screws. you should be able to unscrew the window and turn it around.  Sometimes the screws are covered with little plastic buttons that match the plastic frame molding that is around the window, just pry them out and you should be able to reverse the window.


Are all rectangular outlets, switches, and plates the same dimensions and interchangeable? Do I need to make sure my switches, plates, and outlets are from the same manufacturer or can I mix and match? I'm referring to the rectangular decora-style and wasn't sure if there'd be slight differences in size between brands.

Some examples:

Leviton Decora switch
Cooper Wiring wall plate
Emerson fan control
Lutron outlet

Are these all the same dimensions?

Yes, all "Decora" style devices share the same cover plate opening, within a couple of thousandths of an inch (+/-.005" or so). GFCI receptacles also fit this description, as well as many dimmers, timers and "smart switches".

For instance the opening on a Hubbell plate is 1.312"x2.625", while these Leviton are slightly different, but all within a reasonable spec to be called the same.


Should I keep my 5-year-old electric tank heater as a storage unit if I am about to install a new gas tankless heater? A plumber recently told me that its perfectly common to keep the old 40 gallon tank water heater in series with a new tankless water heater.
The motivation is to decrease the time it takes to get hot water to a faucet. And also to then have endless hot water once it gets there.
As I understand  it, the tankless pumps hot water into the cold water inlet of the tank heater, and that in turn pumps out to the house via its hot outlet. The hot water either waits in the tank (which adds heat to keep temp constant) or passes through if a faucet is.
Heating happens in the tankless unit, and is maintained in the tank unit until use.
Does this make sense to do?

Your core concern is the amount of time it takes between opening the hot faucet and getting water that is actually hot.  This plan will do nothing for that.
The delay is caused by the volume of water (inventory) that is in the pipe in between the water heater and the faucet.  That pipe is exposed to ambient? Outside? air, and has cooled off. That water must be physically pushed out of the pipe by hot water. It's like a big plunger.
You can figure out the inventory of water in the pipe by taking its interior cross section x its length.  For instance 50' of 1/2" pipe* contains 0.57 gallons of (now cold) water. Going out a 1.5 GPM low flow showerhead, it will take 23 seconds for that to vamonos.
The cure is to make the pipe routing more direct, smallify it, or move the heater closer to the faucet. Each step down in pipe size reduces pipe volume by about half (and thus wait time) - however, too small and that restricts flow too much.
Restricting flow can actually help tanklesses, because a major customer-satisfaction issue with tankless is when the customer draws water faster than the tankless is able to heat it satisfactorily, so they get tepid water - and the customer does not understand the technology, so they refuse to do the one thing that'll fix it -- to reduce flow rate. So they reach impasse and blame it on the tankless.
Note that a tankless->tank arrangement will only make this problem worse, because the tanked heater will assure the first 40 gallons is OK, then will put a 40-gallon "delay" between action and consequence. So as hard as it is already for customers to connect "reducing flow" to "increasing temperature", this "40 gallon delay" will be far more confusing.  I would expect bizarre customer-satisfaction issues with this.
Putting the tankless after the tank would mean you can ignore flow rate issues until the tank empties, as the tankless will not operate at all.  Once the tank goes tepid, the tankless will be doing "all the heavy lifting", and then flow rate will affect heat. Again, very complicated, you shouldn't have to take a training class to understand your water heater.

* 1/2" squared x pi/4 = 0.2 square inches or 0.00137 square feet.... x 50' = 0.06 square feet.... x 8.33 gal/sq.ft. = 0.569 gal.


Can water be pumped from an unused well to a home site? I am having some land subdivided to build on, and the orig property has 2 wells, one which is not being used. If it is viable, how would I get water from that well to my house, to avoid digging another well? I would first check with the proper authority to be sure of the legality and than notify the present property owner (if any) of course, before any work was attempted.

One method would be to subdivide in such a way that you own the well - kinda like a gerrymandered congressional district. The other would be some form of right-of-way - but that does veer off into legal questions we don't address here, so I won't go there. But that assumes many things about its worth that we don't know; Many of which you probably don't, either.

In many cases the presence of two wells on a property, one unused, indicates that the (apparent) "spare" was the first, unsuccessful, well and is disused for a good reason.

Depending on how far the well is from your building site, the cost of trenching and supplying power to the pump can greatly exceed the cost of a new well. Trenches are not cheap, and neither is wire, especially if it has to be large wire because it's a long run. There are many good reasons to keep the connection to the well short and sweet (I kinda liked the house that actually had it in a small extension of the basement, though that can be somewhat difficult to arrange.) If it's a long way from the well to the house there are many more things that can go wrong, simply due to the length of the run providing more access to modes of failure.

To get to the meat of your question, in practical terms, assuming the legalities we don't get into are covered, and the well is worth anything (that's a big one) you have a long trench dug to a depth below (ideally well below) frost line and install pipe (possibly of a larger diameter than you might otherwise use due to length of run) and wires or conduit, and wires in conduit (also possibly of a larger diameter than you might otherwise use due to length of run.) You connect those pipes and wires to the pump in the well on one end, and your plumbing and electrical supply on the other. Backfill with sand for at least a foot, and place tape over the wires indicating Buried Electrical Line Below - refill to within 6" of the surface and place another line of BELB tape just below the surface, then fill to grade.


OK to attach Tyvek or any breathable membrane directly to studs? I'm building a garden room and I want to attach a breathable membrane directly to the exterior side of my studs using staples and then cover it in some sort of exterior grade plywood sheathing, which will be the finished surface (painted of course).

Are there any issues in doing this as most applications I see have the breather membrane attached to OSB and then cross battered and cladded.

I'm not an expert on this but based on what I know about breathable membranes in building construction I don't think you would want to have the membrane on the interior side of the OSB or plywood sheeting. I'm also not sure why you would want to do that.
The problem is that these membranes are water-proof but vapor-permeable. With the OSB between the membrane and the weather you're probably going to have moisture issues and probably mold/mildew problems in the OSB or plywood. So you'd be defeating one of the main advantages of the membrane.

I believe you want to make sure it's attached to the exterior side of the OSB.

Edit
I'm responding to your comment in my answer so I can include a picture.
Most exterior cladding or siding allows air to circulate under it to solve this problem.

If you install plywood in place of siding over the membrane I do think you will still have the moisture issue. You need a space for air circulation.

Second edit

If you attach the membrane to the studs and then cross-batten over the membrane and into the studs and then the plywood/OSB that would give you room for air circulation but structurally I see it causing problems since I don't see the membrane having the structural integrity to properly support the plywood/OSB.


How can I paint over an existing paint design without making it permanent? We have a baby on the way. We are currently designing the nursery. The room currently has a diamond-shaped pattern that we'd like to keep, since it is unique and cool looking, plus it came that way when we purchased the house. The problem is, we are doing a 'Winnie the Pooh' theme nursery. We wanted to do a green grass with blue sky landscape on that wall. However, as stated, we don't want to paint over it. We are afraid of using plain white wallpaper and painting on it, because a lot of times when removing wall paper, it will tear or damage the wall/paint it was glued to. I've found 'temporary' or 'removable' wallpaper, but its way too pricey for our budget. We considered white wall panels or even dry wall, but didn't seem like a good idea.

Is there anything TEMPORARY we can install over the existing wall/paint, that can be removed down the road without damaging or ruining the existing wall paint/design? Some type of material we can paint and that would be sturdy (as it will be the main focal wall behind the crib). Any ideas of materials we can use to cover the existing wall so we can paint over it, or some other temporary solution that wont ruin the original wall would be appreciated. I've scoured over the internet with no answers as of yet, besides the VERY expensive removable wallpaper.

Some ideas

hang up fabric?
go to a large format printer (sign shop) and print banners and hang those?
get $10 shower panelling from Home Depot and tack those up on the wall (and paint on those)
don't bother with a 'theme' for the baby's room. I know a lot of people like to do it, but it's a lot of work, the kid doesn't really care, and they grow out of it really fast. That and for a lot of people, the baby ends up sleeping in the parents room anyways.


How to hang a chair from the ceiling joists (with attic access) I'm planning on hanging a chair from the ceiling. From what I can tell the best method is to add a crosspiece above multiple joists, and mount the chair to that using an eye bolt.

The problem with that is that there is a reasonably large distance between the eye, and the crosspiece.

I can't find a suitable eyebolt (rated to carry a load) that is long enough to cover the space needed. The longest I've found is 225mm overall (so about 207mm ceiling to top of beam). I would need one at least 300mm long overall,

Is this a suitable method, and do eye bolts of the required length exist that will carry the load?

Don't use an eye bolt! Anyone who swings in the chair, especially in a circular motion, will take the bolt right out of the nut, through the joist, and into the floor. How do I know? Because both of my kids managed to do this with two different hanging chairs.
There is a part which can be described as such:

A steel plate that attaches to the joist through drywall with four bolts. In the center of the plate is a swivel hook, to which you attach a latch.

The swivel part ensures that the swinging motion is localized and doesn't move an eye bolt, allowing it to unscrew itself.


Making a Smart Mirror I know I can buy a smart mirror already finished for around $80, but I think building one myself will be an interesting project.

That being said, I read somewhere (this may not have been a dependable source) that a two-way mirror should be used for this because it is transparent UNLESS an opaque black material is behind it, then it just looks like an actual mirror.  Would a two-way mirror behave the way I explained above or should I use a different material for a smart mirror?

Yes, a two-way mirror works the way you explained.

In more detail, a mirror is a thin sheet of a reflective metal.  This is usually supported by being attached to a piece of glass (and often protected by being covered on the back), but the actual mirror is the metal layer.

A two-way mirror reflects some proportion of the light, and lets the remainder through.  If it is placed between a brightly lit room and a dark room, it looks transparent in the dark room (showing the light room), and reflective in the light room (also showing the light room).

If you put a two-way mirror over a display, the mirror will look reflective when the display is off, but show the the display (if it is bright enough) when it is on.


Disable electrical outlet I need to get rid of this outlet for a wall bed installation.

From what I gather to disable the outlet..

turn power off from main panel
disconnect the wires from the outlet
use copper twist-on wire connectors to connect the 2 black wires together and 2 white wires together.
push it all back in there and seal it up.

My questions are

did I miss anything? I would rather do this myself if it's a small job without need for an electrician
What should I do with the single ground wire? leave it uncovered and shove it back there anyhow?
[unrelated] why are outlets designed to stick out?

You cannot permanently cover over the box, it must remain "accessible".  Unless of course, you find the other ends of these cables and disconnect them. But then I suspect some things would stop working, as it looks like this feeds power through to the rest of the circuit.


Toilet tank dripping water condensation I have a toilet which has water condensing on the outside of the tank and then dripping down onto the floor.  No, the tank is definitely not leaking.

This is weather related, as this always happens on somewhat warmer days (i.e. > 70 F) and when we have no HVAC running (i.e. < 90 F), so our windows are open and there is some humidity in the air.

Obviously the cold water in the tank is causing the condensation to occur on the outside.

Can anyone recommend a solution to this problem, other than placing buckets behind the toilet?  How do I keep my floor from getting wet every spring and fall?

A cheap solution is to increase airflow around the toilet. Place a small fan where it's directed toward the tank. By increasing the rate of evaporation less dew will form.

There are insulated tanks available which have foam linings. You may be able to find one compatible with your stool.

The converse of a tank insulated on the interior would be to wrap the tank with something that would insulate, such as a fabric. You could fit a towel or cloth around the tank and fasten it at the rear.

Otherwise, if your plumbing is accessible, you could tee a hot water line into your cold water toilet supply and, by way of a valve, deliver a small amount of hot water to the toilet, raising the temperature. You'd just have to get it above the dew point, which is rarely over 75F.


Can I do anything to make my gas oven better? I am trying to bake bread, and the recipe calls for heating the oven at 500 degrees, but my oven can only reached 450- 460, can i do anything to make it reach higher temperatures ?

Is it safe to make it reach higher temperatures? The oven will contain metals, chemical coatings, seals, glass, and so on, and therefor the construction of it may only be safe for a certain temperature. Over heating it may make the materials expand too much, damage the seals, and heat adjoining units and cause extra damage (worse case scenario = house fire). I would suggest cooking for little longer at lower temperatures.


Can you use a 50 A GFI spa box on a 40 A circuit? I have a new spa and I am having trouble finding a 40 A spa box.

Yes, that’s totally fine.
Because the spa box is downline of a 40A breaker, it could be a 400A spa box for all it matters; it won’t be able to draw more than 40A.
I bet your car has 112 mph tires.  That doesn’t mean you have to actually drive 112 mph :)  The panel limit is just an absolute max, like a redline.  You can feed a 125A panel off a 60A breaker etc.
That’s why they don’t make 40A spa panels; there’s no need. 50A spa panels cover the necessity.


How can I connect a timer to my bathroom exhaust fan? I have a bathroom fan, but it only runs when the light is on (i.e. no delay). The fan itself is really good, but it should really run on after (I think this might be part of the Building Regulations here in UK).

I don't want to replace the fan, so was wondering if you can just get the timer unit to attach in-line somewhere.

I've checked and the wiring is there for the permanent live as well as switched live, so am kind of hoping it will be simple!

I'm not sure about the UK, but in the US we have in-wall timer units that are often used for this purpose. Like this Maestro timer from Lutron.