Freezer too warm - thermostat or leak? Frigidaire FRS26LR5CW0 side by side fridge/freezer.  Freezer side is cool, but not cold - things were slowly thawing and new stuff not freezing so I had to remove everything.  Fridge side is just cool enough to keep the food in it.

What I've done/checked:

Cleaned exterior front/back coils/compressor/kick plate.
Verified the exterior compressor fan works--Compressor comes on (i can hear it)
I removed interior back panel of freezer - the fan above the coils works, as well as the fan that blows from freezer into fridge (located on left rear Fridge wall).
When i first opened the back up, the freezer coils were frozen, but only the top 1-2 rows.  I believe the inlet line is the small diamater line - that line had a big block of ice formed on it, probably an inch thick.
I've defrosted and re-started and the inlet line (the small diameter) almost immediately frosts up, and within a couple of hours the first row is frosted up.  I let it run for 4 days and got another block of ice on the inlet line.

One strange thing i noticed - there was some kind of black tape/putty that was apparently on the inlet/small line that looked like it had melted and oozed down onto the coils.  not sure what it's purpose was...?

I also looked at defroster - this model has adaptive defrost control.  I found out how to trigger it with the door light switch.  When I do, the compressor & fans turn off.  I disconnected the defroster element and checked the connectors - they showed 114VAC, so looks like it's getting power.  I also checked the two ends of the elements w/ohm meter and it read zero ohms, so it would appear intact.

My questions:

Could the thermostat (small plastic thing that clips to the freezer coils) be defective causing the compressor not to run long enough?  It does cycle off, which seems strange since it's so warm.
Is there a way i can test it, or bypass it to force compressor to run continuously for a while to see if that resolves the problem?
I've read a lot online about all the coils freezing up, and blocking air flow/heat transfer - but why only top 1 or 2 rows freezing up?
I think the defroster was a red hearing (seems it could be the culprit if all the coils were freezing solid) but i'm curious how hot it should get as when i forced it on, it didn't seem to get warm at all

Thanks for your assistance,
Mike

Sounds like you're low on refrigerant. The sealed loop internal pressure has dropped low enough that all the evaporation is happening in the top two layers of the evaporator coil.

You could replace the refrigerant, but the question will remain: what caused the loss? I suggest that a qualified ($$, I know) repairman is your best chance at finding and repairing the leak.


How to properly relocate wiring on different circuits We're in the process of remodeling our kitchen and removing soffits around the perimeter of the room.  I've opened up a portion of it above our cooktop and refrigerator and wanted to get some advice on how to proceed.  As you can see, there are several NM cables that are on various circuits.  These wires need to be routed above through the joists.

When I splice the wires, is it recommended or required to have separate junction boxes for each cable?

You do not need a separate junction box for each line, nor do you need one per circuit. Unless you're strapped for space inside the box, one does just fine.

The National Electrical Code does say that the junction box has to be accessible "without removing any part of the building". So any junctions will need to be accessible through some sort of hole - normally covered by a simple faceplate. All the more reason to keep the number of boxes as small as possible.


Old wiring into appliance has 60V neutral to hot and 120 either to ground? I have an appliance (stove hood) and it is hooked up to wiring that supplied the previous stove hood.  It isn't working and the voltages measure 62 volts between neutral and hot, but 120 volts between neutral and ground.  It was working, and an electrician put the wires back in a box (they had been left hanging by the installer) and put the ground wire back in the wire nut to ground.

What is causing this?

Maybe hot miswired to neutral somewhere and your hot wire's connection is somewhere open and floating.

Panel      Fubar         Box

Hot --------.   -------- Hot                    <--.
             \                                     |
Neutral ----  '--------- Neutral     <--.          | 60V
                                        | 120V     |
Ground ----------------- Ground      <--'       <--'

The 60V is probably an induced "ghost voltage".

  Typically this voltage reading may be as high as 50% of the energized voltage in the same proximity.

If things change radically when you move the wires in in the box, it might be that you have a loose connection in a wirenut or similar, plus some goofy connections.

A low impedance meter (e.g. one with a "low-Z" setting) might help with the diagnosis. I think I'd be turning power off and remaking the connections in the box and at any places upstream toward the panel.


Updating old Lennox thermostat - wiring confusion I am trying to update my old Lennox thermostat to a Sensi smart thermostat. I checked the compatibility on the Sensi website and it appears to be a match except for this cluster of wires on the left side of the photo. I do have a heat pump—is that what these are for? The Sensi installation instructions don’t cover how to install for these. I have no experience with any of this so any advice would be appreciated.!

It appears that you have a thermostat that is designed to control a standard split-system heat pump. However, the wiring color code does not follow what I would call a conventional design. The control wiring for these heat pumps are fairly sophisticated.  You may want to consult a Lennox dealer for help.  Or a standard HVAC dealer for help with the control wiring.  Good Luck.


How to extend a concrete patio I am trying to extend my back patio like this

Eventually, I want to extend the full 18 feet, but for now I am planning to just do the 5 feet by 5.5 feet section in blue. This section will be attached to the existing patio and the house. My plan is this:

Dig out the existing ground by 8 inches deep. This will provide for a 4 inch gravel subbase and a 4 inch patio.
Pour the gravel subbase.
Use stakes and 2x4s to make the frame.
Put in the rebar grid.
Glue asphalt-impregnated fiber board to the existing patio and house to create an isolation joint.
Mix and pour cement.
Screed concrete and smooth out top with 2x4s.
Seal concrete.

My first question is this: Will I need to insert the rebar grid into the existing concrete and the house foundation? In other words, do I need a better connection between existing concrete and the new concrete or will the isolation joints be fine?

Also, is there anything that I am missing in this plan? Or is there anything that I should be aware of when taking on this project?

Thank you.

I would add rebar on that end and not leave the new slab independent. I would get a mat and dig a little more dirt out build your 5 foot pour. Let the mat run by three feet and is ready for the next section of pour and lock them together. And do each pour this way til done. The slab will be somewhat as one pour. And finish each end as an expansion joint.


Help getting switch working properly In our garage we have a switch that controlled a light in the ceiling for a small laundry room.  I have torn out that room and, in doing so, removed two lines coming down from the garage attic.  When I went up into the attic to pull up those two lines I found a junction box that included the line coming from the switch that was connected to the ceiling light and also to two other lines powering another ceiling light and two other switches on the other side of the garage.

I pulled the wiring from the box and disconnected it all (and didn't take a pic before doing so) so I could remove the new unneeded lines and intended to simply re-wire as found to return everything to working order.

However, after connecting all the blacks, all the neutrals, and all the ground, the switch that controlled the light in the laundry area no longer controls the light.  When the switch is in the off position, the ceiling light is on and stays on until I flip off the breaker.  The switches and ceiling light on the other side of the garage work properly.

I have tried multiple ways to re-wire the switch and the lines in the attic but to no avail, including installing a new single-pole switch.

I think the problem, in part, is related to the panel hot line and the hot wire on the line going into the ceiling/attic are pigtailed, which I think means that the line going into the ceiling is always powered on.

Appreciate any help you can provide...

With the hot being supplied at the ceiling fixture when you tied the hots and neutrals together you wired the light hot all the time. If the switch wiring was included when tying things together when you turn the switch on it should trip the breaker. To correct this the best practice is to wire the white going to the switch to the hot and Mark this white wire black or another color other than green, or gray. Next the black coming from the switch to the black on the light and the white on the light to the bundle of whites (not the white black already connected). This way the remarked white is easy to identify as an old style switch leg. If you pulled the old 12-2 or 14-2 with ground out you should pull a new 12 or 14 3 with ground as modern code requires a neutral at the switch location for smart switches. Then the always hot to the switch would be tied to the black hot from the panel to the switch and the red wire connected to the other side of the switch would be to the black of the light. Grounds connected together and whites connected together in the ceiling box. If not using a smart switch just cap it until it may be needed later.normaly Normaly red is used as the switched conductor by profesionals. This should get your light working and the other devices powered from this location. I just reviewed the photos again and you already have an x-3 with ground going to the switch but the wire is short, adding a junction box in the ceiling would allow some connections to be made then a short piece of wire to the old junction box to make these connections , I would check at the switch box to see if there is enough wire slack to make the switch connections if not an old work box can be added and another short section of wire added to make it to the switch. In a garage it would add 1 box that will be exposed and need a solid cover and 1 box in the ceiling that will need a cover but this way be cheaper and less work than pulling new conductors unless the walls are still open.


How to replace a double switch (single-pole and three-way) with separate switches? I have a switch with two switches controlling two lights:

One switch is a single-pole, the other is part of a three-way. I would like to split these into a double gang with separate switches. Here is the current wiring:

I put colored electrical tape on the wires, where the wires coming out of the same NM cable have the same color. I would assume the blue wires are for the three-way switch and the yellow and red wires are for the single-pole switch, but I'm not sure of that.
Here are the switches I want to replace it with:

I would guess I would put the three blue wires on the three-way switch (I think I can figure out where they each go), but then do I connect the yellow and red Black wires to the single-pole and then leave the yellow and red White wires as they are?
Here are some additional pictures of the switch:

If you're not sure how the terminals on a switch are used, the best thing to do is to unwire it and test the continuity between each pair of terminals, in each switch position.
In this case, you can be pretty confident about the two-way switch. You just need to find which terminal on the three-way is the common.
"...do I connect the yellow and red Black wires to the single-pole and then leave the yellow and red White wires as they are?"
Yes. Why would you think of doing anything else?


Hot water never reaches 2nd floor bath I recently purchased a house that was flipped (that was my first mistake) and the 2nd story bathroom was added altogether, and the shower has always leaked into my kitchen. Finally, 9 months, 4 people, and lots of money later, it is fixed. But now the problem is that I can't really get hot water to come through. My water heater is in the basement, so I expected it to take a little longer to get hot, but I just let it run and it was warm-ish for a minute but finally turned cold before ever getting to be as hot as I would like. The strange part is that both sinks in the same bathroom will get hot. My hot water heater is turned up as high as it will go. Any ideas? I have taken a shower up here a few times, just when my plumber would claim it was fixed, and I was able to get hot water then. However, that was a few months ago so it wasn't quite as cold outside then. Not sure if that's relevant. I'm pretty desperate to get a working shower on the same floor as my bedroom, so any advice is appreciated.

SInce you know hot water is making it to the 2nd floor, there are pretty much two possibilties.  One, as TPE suggested, is that you have a thermostatic shower valve that's not working -- or even a mixer valve that isn't opening on the hot-water side.  The other is that the shower is on a separate hot-water feed line from the sinks, and that this line is kinked, or has a cut-off valve somewhere that is shut or jammed (or is just letting a trickle of hot water through.

I fear that without being on-site none of us can tell what your plumbing "map" is.  My usual advice is to ask your friends who they have used and recommend for plumbing work, and explain in the same detail as you did here what's wrong.


Is this pipe in my basement floor intended for radon mitigation? This pipe emerges from the concrete slab floor in a corner of my house's full basement. I believe it's a 4" polyethylene sewer pipe (narrow walls, black interior, white exterior). I can't tell if it's perforated or not below the surface.

As you can see from the picture it goes down 4 feet. From that point it bends and appears to penetrate horizontally through the adjacent frost wall. (I know this from fiddling with a tape measure and a flashlight.)

When I uncapped it, I noticed that air seemed to be blowing out of the pipe into the house, and I wondered if it was connected to either of the mystery pipes that emerge from the ground at opposite corners on the outside of my house.

I eventually convinced myself that the pipe is connected to the nearer of the two exterior pipes. (I did this by putting a vacuum down the pipe inside the house and noticing that the nearer exterior pipe was sucking air when I turned on the vacuum.)

This is the layout:

Various contractors at the house have speculated about the pipe's purpose. Theories include:

It functioned temporarily during construction, after the house's electricity was connected, to run electrical wires from the house to a trailer outside that needed electricity. (The people who built the house lived in a temporary trailer outside while the house was under construction.)
It's for an illegal basement sink that would drain directly into the ground instead of running out to the septic system.
It's for radon reduction. A fan needs to be added above the interior pipe to pull air from beneath the basement floor, inside the frost wall. (But if so, why does it vent outside? Also, it seems to go through the frost wall immediately. I don't believe there is any perforated pipe beneath the slab inside the frost wall.)
It's for passive radon reduction. The air from beneath the basement floor, inside the frost wall, is intended to vent outside. (But if so, why would the pipe come up through the floor into the basement at all? And again, there doesn't seem to be much perforated pipe inside the frost wall.)
The exterior corner pipes were intended for roof gutters to drain into. (But if so, why plumb one through the frost wall and up into the basement?)

I am about to finish the basement room, and I intend to wall off access to the pipe. But I would like to know what it's for before I lose access to it forever.

Yes, your area is known for radon and it It looks like pipe is the rough-in for a radon system.

When we install radon piping, we install a series of perforated pipes embedded into gravel in the crawl space or under a slab-on-grade floor. We also provide a series of pipes in the ground around the exterior of the building too.

Usually the two systems are not connected, but work in tandem. The exterior pipe and gravel provide an inlet for air, so the interior pipe and gravel can exhaust the air under the building. However, the exterior gravel needs to be "connected" to the interior gravel (gravel under the building,) so air can be drawn through the gravel under building to purge the area.

The reason the two pipes seem to be connected is that the two gravel systems are connected.

However, the interior solid pipe (not perforated) needs to be extended through the attic and connected to an exhaust fan. (Often the interior pipe is extended through the attic/roof without an exhaust fan. If tests show radon has decreased, then we never install the exhaust fan.)


How should I tile under kitchen cabinets? I currently have tile on the floor of the kitchen that just butts up to my cabinets.  I plan to change the floors and also change the cabinets.  Is is best to rip out all the cabinets and tile, and then tile the entire floor? Afterwards, install the cabinets on top of the tile.  Or should retile just butting up to cabinets again?

Why would you want to tile first, then lay cabinets on top of the tile? This ensures two things:

The person in the future who wants merely to replace the tile while not touching the cabinets will be cursing your soul to eternity. Remember, this might be you cursing yourself, if for some reason it turns out you need (or merely really want) to replace the tile.
That you will spend more money on tile than you need to spend. Tile is expensive, so why throw money away underneath a large block of cabinets?

Place the cabinets first, then butt the tile against them. Yes, you will be cutting some tiles to fit. Tile cutters are not difficult to use.


Insulation from electric meter to panel is rotting The electric line in from my meter to my panel is rotting, or rather the insulation is.  See this picture (below).  Is there some product I can purchase to temporarily wrap it until I can get it completely replaced by an actual electrician?  I thought I had found a 3M product, Scotch cable jacket repair.  But not sure if that applies.

Any advice is appreciated.

I'd echo the previous suggestions. To directly answer, either electrical tape, or they make a butyl tape that is 4" wide and would cover faster (Gorilla makes an Outdoor tape). The purpose there is to protect from further UV degradation and moisture incursion, with minimal abrasion protection of the conductors and insulation inside.

For long term, yeah, that should be in a conduit to protect from damage and inadvertent contact, I'm surprised that is passed code. The sheathing isn't meant for UV exposure outside and needs to be minimally protected from that, but because it's technically in a traffic area, should have a conduit from the structure to the box. Not expensive on parts, PVC would likely be acceptable, but even rigid would be meager for that length of run. You should pull new wire, but as it will be enclosed in a conduit, you would use separate connectors rather than a bundle. (Technically you could reuse the wires if they reach once separated from the sheathing, if they pass code requirements.)

The expense and time is having it inspected, as it would likely involve a meter pull and the inspect before popping your meter back in, and power company would likely need to re-tag the meter. (Hard to tell from the pic. If that is off of a sub-panel off the side of the meter, with a main in-between, then you may be able to avoid the above.)

And in some municipalities, once you modify in any way, you could lose the grandfathering of the prior NEC under which it was installed. A licensed electrician for your area would be the best source of info on this, this is only unlicensed opinion from vary stale experience in electrical contracting.


Selecting proper tiles for the floor in the hall NB. I'm a total noob when it comes to home improvement so it's both fine and preferred to answer me like if I'm a retarded banana. Understanding my ignorance I have a lot of respect for the competence needed and I'm afraid of making choices that I'll regret later on. (I have a guy to help me but I'd like to understand what's going on and learn myself.)

In my hall, I'd like to put tiles and I can't decide between different parameters (specified below) because I don't understand the implications of the choice. Asking in the store lead to recommendation that is suspectedly pricey.

Color: I'd go for dark/black because the dirt won't show as easily as on bright tiles.
Filling: I'd go with bright one (but not too bright) to create some contrast and enhance the grid pattern.
Size: Here I'm stuck. What are pros and cons of large/medium/small tiles?
Format: Here I'm stuck. What are pros and cons of squares/rectangles?
Texture: Here I'm unsure. Personally, I'd prefer some uneven-ness but not abrasive. What is downside of that, if anything?
Pricing: I've been told that the price range is due to quality. But I'm not sure how it works. It's not that I'll be riding a horse with horseshoes on it. How fragile is a tile of lower quality?

The last item is the most confusing. I prefer to lower the cost, of course, but I definitely don't want to go and cheap myself into problems. Please advise. (The fact is that the cheapest tiles they had is around 10$ and others are around 25$-120$. And I kind of liked the cheapest the best...)

Firstly, make sure you buy a tile that is sold as a "floor tile". Some tiles are only suitable for walls (sold as "wall tiles") and won't survive the abrasion caused by being walked on. Most tiles are sold as "wall/floor tiles" and are suitable for either.

Colour. Go for whatever you fancy. This is basically a cosmetic decision. More expensive tiles should be less likely to stain, but it's difficult to know.
Filling. I assume you mean Grout? I.e. the thing that fills in between the tiles. Again this is mostly a cosmetic decision. But in terms of staining, grout is in general less durable than tile. A light grout on the floor is likely to darken over time. This may be an issue, as it'd discolour more in the more highly trafficked areas.
Size. Mainly cosmetic, but there are other considerations.

If your floor is deliberately not flat (mainly applies to shower cubicle floors rather than hallways) then smaller tiles can follow the curve much more easily than big ones.
If your floor is unintentionally not flat then big tiles require more care to lay well (a small angle change due to an imperfection, when extended over a long tile becomes a big vertical change, meaning adjacent tiles don't meet each other properly. This can be avoided by proper preparation before tiling.)
A good tiler should make sure that there is adhesive supporting the whole tile. Poor tilers who only dab adhesive onto part of the tile risk the unadhesived part being unsupported, leading to cracking when the unsupported part is loaded. With bigger distances on bigger tiles, this could be more of a problem. But, as said, with a good tiler it wouldn't be an issue anyway.

Format/ pattern of tile shape. Completely cosmetic.
Texture. If you buy perfectly smooth tiles, then any imperfection in tile laying is more obvious. If you have a bumpier tile, then imperfections in laying are less obvious. Also a smooth shiny tile shows up scratches, whereas a rough bumpy tile will tend to hide them.
Pricing. Your guess is as good as mine. Across every product of any type I've ever bought, I've hoped that more money means better quality. But it doesn't. Sure, there's some correlation, but it's impossible for me to say that because product A costs X times what product B costs that it'll last for Y times as long.


Troubleshooting faulty electric oven My electric oven is exhibiting the following symptoms:

Oven not heating up at all
Grill (Broil in American English?) not heating up at all
Fan is working OK
Power light doesn't come on, nor the light next to the temperature dial (that indicates the oven is yet to reach the selected temperature)
Light bulb inside the oven doesn't come on

The first thing I noticed was the light bulb inside the oven wasn't on whilst I was cooking, but the oven was working OK. But then the next day, it doesn't heat up at all or appear to be turning on at all (except the fan).

Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the problem? I would be nice to find the fault before calling out an engineer.

Make and model is: Bush AE6BFS

I had the oven tested by a professional and the cause was the function control switch[1], which the knob is connected to. Looks like a connection inside of it had broken due to wear and tear. It's been replaced and the oven is now functioning as normal

[1] http://www.partmaster.co.uk/cooker-oven/ae6bfs-5400157560/oven-function-selector-switch/product.pl?pid=3262627&shop=bush&path=592111&refine=function+selector+switch&model_ref=2595974


Do I have a non-grounded light fixture? Is this a non-grounded light fixture? The copper ground is just bundled at the base of the chain and does not weave up the chain to the box like I have seen in pictures on this site. Is this dangerous and do I need to do something about it? I had wanted to just cut it as it looks bad but worried that this is a safety issue.

Yes, the fixture is currently not grounded, but it should be. The manufacturer has included a grounding wire because the fixture needs one to be safe and UL compliant.

Assuming there is a ground connection in the ceiling box (either a ground wire or a box grounded through an armored cable), this can be easily fixed. The power is turned off, the bare wire threaded through the chain, the canopy is lowered, and the wire is connected to a ground wire or grounded to the fixture box itself, and the canopy is replaced.

If this is an older home with no ground wiring, it may not be possible to ground the fixture. In that case, you are no safer or more at risk than our parents were before grounding became the standard. In that case, you may still wish to thread the wire up to the box. In that way, if you ever rewire the house or move the fixture to a location with a ground in the box, it is still intact. Just make sure the ground wire does not accidentally touch a live terminal in the box.

Your question sounds as if you have not had much expereince with wiring. If that is the case, you may want to enlist a more knowledgeable friend to help, or call a professional.


Split switched receptacles all stay hot regardless of switch position I have removed and verified the wiring and tab removal on all receptacles with no problems found.
Somewhere the red hot (switched) conductor and the black hot (un-switched) conductor must be bonded.
This condition exists in two separate rooms with a third room (on the same circuit as the problem two) functioning properly.  Both terminals on the switches test hot to ground regardless of switch position.
I can't think of other places to look.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Two things come to mind:

Make sure the switches are actually working by disconnecting the load wire and testing for voltage passing through or resistance between the terminals.
Verify that the red wire believed to be the switched hot at the outlet actually goes to the switch. Could do this by identifying which outlet is the first in the series, disconnect the red wire from that outlet, then confirm that toggling the switch causes the voltage on the wire to toggle.

After checking these you'll know whether the switch works properly and whether it controls the wire going to the first outlet in the series. This will help you isolate the problem to the switch itself (contacts welded closed), the space between the switch and first outlet (switch doesn't actually control those outlets, for example), or something in or beyond the series of outlets (the switched-hot is possibly backfed from same or another circuit somewhere).


50 amp plug on 30 amp circuit for dryer is there a safety problem using a 50 amp cord (labeled for range or dryer) for my dryer?  The circuit breaker for my dryer is a 30 amp.  My wall plug needs the configuration for the 50 amp, and my old dryer had the cord that fit into it.  My new dryer has the wrong configuration for the wall plug.  If I just go get a new cord that says "range or dryer) what would be the problem using it?

There should be either a NEMA 10-30R, or 14-30R receptacle where your dryer will plug in.

NEMA 10-30R

NEMA 14-30R

When you purchase an electric dryer, the store should also sell you a cord for the dryer.  Most times they'll ask you which you need, or they'll just have both on hand if they're installing the dryer for you.

If the installers (or you) simply installed the wrong cord, you should just be able to replace the cord with the proper one. You'll need to install either a NEMA 10-30P 3-wire cord, or NEMA 14-30P 4-wire cord depending on which receptacle is in your home.

If for some reason the dryer requires 50 amperes, instead of 30. You'll have to replace the breaker, the wiring from the breaker to the receptacle, and the receptacle.

If there's a NEMA 10-50R, or 14-50R receptacle installed in the home on a 30 ampere circuit. You should replace the receptacle with the proper one. Receptacles and plugs are configured in different ways, to prevent things from being plugged into an undersized (incorrectly sized) circuit.


Temporarily prevent a full toilet bowl from draining I want to fill the toilet bowl with water as high as I can and let the water sit without draining for up to 24 hours. Why? To let some (gentle) cleansers do their work. I've tried shutting off the water at the wall and refilling the bowl from a pitcher, but inevitably the water starts draining too soon. Ideas?

The toilet bowl can only hold water as high as the top of the porcelain inside of chamber 5 in the picture below, unless you do something to stop it:


How to fix an ineffective Extraction Fan setup in bathroom I have an existing IXL (Heat, light and Fan) setup in a small bathroom (12.14 meters cubed).  The air exchange rating of the fan meets the spec required for the room, it works and doesn't look that old.  I have held a piece of toilet paper up to the fan (with the lamps taken out) and it seems to get sucked so it suggests the fan is sucking air.  I took it out of the ceiling to look around for obstructions but nothing seems in the way between the outlet vent of the fan and the roof vent which is situated above the fan (it's a flat roof, so no attic space.

My question is  does there need to be ducting between the fan and the roof vent ?
The amount of space where the outlet vent feeds to is only a basketball or two in space (before there is insulation), however there is a path for the air to then go up the roof vent (though the path is not direct).

Also, just in terms of safety, whilst up there the cover to where the wires all fit in came off when lowering the fan - I have just put them back without putting the cover back on as this was getting too difficult and awkward to do.  does anyone know if this is reason to be concerned?

Thanks

There should be ducting the entire way. As it is moisture is able to collect on your insulation, lumber, etc. This can result in mold and rot.

That said, I doubt that your exhaust venting will be improved by installing full ducting. If airflow is poor it's likely due to a crudded up fan or weak fan motor. Check the fan for collected lint. Clean it thoroughly. You can often remove the fan cage and wash it separately with water.

Yes, the electrical connections must be in an approved, enclosed junction box. Should anything go awry the compartment can help contain sources of fire.


Treatment for wood under a Trex Deck Just moved into a 5 y/o house with a "maintainence free" Trex deck.  Underneath, it's supported by lumber as shown below

When it rains the water drips through the deck slats and leaves this green moss on the lumber.  I'm wondering a few things:

Does this lumber require any maintence?  Ie do I have to weather seal this every so often?
Does the green moss cause the wood to deteriorate faster?
Can this type of wood be pressure washed?  If so, does it need treatment after?

Thanks

That framing will last decades with no maintenance.  I just replaced the decking on my mother's 20-year-old pool deck which had not been well-maintained through the years.  The framing was all in good shape though the decking was rotted and warped.
With that said, if you want to wash it for cosmetic reasons, it won't hurt to do that.


Curtain to hide storage under stairs We store bikes and other unsightly things under stairs.

How would you go about putting a curtain with a drawstring in front?

Here's someone who did something similar: diydiva.net/2010/03/how-to-easy-fabric-curtains but the curtain there is not easily drawn.

For our home, we simply used a draping thread-curtain. The curtain is made of individual strings which we hang on the staircase itself. The strings will drape down and we cut the remaining threads according to the height that we require. Previously the storage underneath there was open and look a bit unsightly too. But with the "door" guests will not be too surprised like previously they had before.


What are the practical differences between 1/2" and 3/4" pipe between a water softener and water heater? I purchased a WaterBoss ProSeries water softener and plan to install it immediately before my water heater as described in this post.

The instructions for the water softener indicate that 3/4" pipe must be used between the water softener and the water heater. However, the existing pipe supplying the water heater (shown in blue) is 1/2".

Is there any reason I would need to step up to 3/4" between the softener and the heater?

I can't think of a reason, but I'm also a novice whose confidence is his weakness.

P.S. Bonus points if you read that last bit in Emperor Palpatine's voice.

Provided the line coming into your house from the city main is 3/4" and inside your house the line changes to 1/2" there would be a significant increase in flow rate and possible pressure when water demand is higher in your house.
Run a new 3/4" line to the softener as described.  They could require the extra flow rate when it regenerates (which could use ~25 gallons/~0.11 m3) when it does this.


Why are leads of primary and secondary plugs in step down transformer shorted? In the image above, one of the leads in the primary plug of the 220v-110v step-down transformer has continuity with all the leads in the secondary outlet lead using a tester (see arrow in blue). I'm not talking about ground, because the ground is connected to the casing, no problem. But I thought the primary and secondary winding of step-down transformers are isolated. Why is continuity test positive? This is tested with transformer off. I plan to connect the neutral/ground to one of the leads of the secondary, but won't this cause a problem? Note it's not an autotransformer.

This is either an autotransformer, or a regular transformer wired as an autotransformer, not an isolation transformer

The manufacturers of this transformer-unit most likely used an autotransformer, as all they are after is a voltage step-down, not isolation.  Even if they did use a two-winding transformer, they have wired it with a common neutral between the primary and secondary sides, which defeats any isolation provided by the transformer itself.  This is unlike an isolation transformer, which has no galvanic connection between current-carrying conductors on the primary and secondary sides.

The reason this is done is because it's less expensive (less copper) to make an autotransformer, and also less expensive (less insulation and testing) to make a step-down transformer than an isolation transformer.


Where's the capacitor usually located at the bottom back of fridge? This amateur warns to steer clear of capacitor. But he fails to indicate where it usually is? Can anyone indicate please?

This second pic doesn't answer my question, because the capacitor looks pulled out far from its USUAL location.

I know what capacitors are supposed to look like.

Most motor capacitors are physically attached to the compressor or under a plastic cover. You don’t mention why you are looking for it but it is usually attached on the compressor or close to it physically.


Building a 60x36 Barn/Tractor Garage/Shop - Question about Structural Integrity New here! I am a DIYer and I'm looking to build a shed/garage on my property. I designed the structure but am wanting to see if anyone can give me input on the integrity of my design. Basically I just want to make sure my roof wont fall in and my walls can take a decent wind load as I am in tornado country.

The pictures attached show a 60x36 structure. 48x36 is garage and 12x24 is closed in shop. It's a single slope roof that starts at 14' at the front and goes to 8' at the back. Posts will be placed into the ground 4' minimum.

I am using 6x6's for the posts and sistered 2x12x12's for the beams that span 12'. I also added some 6x6 bracing along the outside walls to help. I plan on having a plywood roof with galvalume metal on top. Haven't decided on siding but I'm leaning towards a shiplap type siding.

But back to my original question, will this be structurally safe and sound. Is it overkill or do I need to add to it? Thank you in advance for your input!

If you want actual structural advice, hire an engineer licensed to practice in your location.

For plans that are already engineered for your location, particularly for "agricultural buildings" you might want to consult with your local agricultural extension website, where you might find several hundred choices.

The plans are commonly free (you already paid for them with your taxes) or very inexpensive. They are very likely to include details you have not thought of, and not to waste extra material where it does little or no good (a common failing of amateur building designers, often combined with failing to apply 10 cents worth of material where it will do five dollars worth of good.)

(note - I play amateur building designer, but I also read Dad's civil engineering books for fun, and have a pretty good idea when I should call in the pros, as well as a better than average knowledge of when & where to apply that 10 cents worth of material due to my reading.)


How to waterproof outdoor storage bench? I want to build a bench like this that can open on top to storage stuffs inside

Source: http://myoutdoorplans.com/bench/storage-bench-plans/

I will use composite decking boards (extra got left over) to build the outside. BUT how do prevent water from getting inside? I could make the top cover using outdoor plywood and put composite deck on top but that would be too heavy for the top to open up. Is it possible to use paper / flashing thing to put in the inside?

Thanks.

UPDATE

So I guess I am thinking about using this membrane but only all small 2x8 section:

Source: http://www.hometips.com/diy-how-to/create-waterproof-dry-space-under-deck.html

But this is Trex RainEscape which could be expensive. Can I use flashing paper or some membrane for tile or roof instead?

For the lid, you'll need to support the decking as frequently as it is supported on the deck itself.  If your deck joists run every 12" or 16", you'll need to replicate that or the lid will sag. The photo shows benches that are sixty inches long.  You diagram show one support in the middle, leaving a 30" span.  At summer temperatures, it will be sagging within a week even with zero use.


two appliances on one 220 breaker? I am trying to install a dryer at the far end of a large house. There is already a 220 circuit on a designated circuit running back there to operate a hot tub. The breaker box is full so no room to add another. Is there any way I can tap into that circuit at the far end of the house and run both the dryer and the hot tub? Can I swap out the 10 gauge wire that's there now with 8 gauge and/or increase the size of the breaker?  Thanks, Steve

First, a ground wire and neutral is mandatory for this setup. You cannot set up groundless, and you cannot "bootleg ground" off neutral as once was legal for dryers.  This is extra important because if a neutral wire has a problem, it will electrify the grounds - and that'll shock and drown people in the hot tub.

If the hot tub already requires a 30A breaker, you should convert it to cord-and-plug connection.  Use NEMA 14-30 and extend the circuit to serve both 14-30 receptacles.  Why?  No receptacles are allowed if any hardwired load is more than 50% of circuit capacity (as the hot tub certainly will be). BUT multiple receptacles are allowed on a 30A circuit.   Of course, running both at once will trip the breaker, but you know that.

If the hot tub uses a larger breaker, you must install a subpanel. However you will not need to upsize the wire run, unless you want to.

If you go the subpanel route, don't be tempted to install one that's "just large enough". That's how your panel got full in the first place, which is why you have this problem now. The cost differential for a larger panel is tiny a couple of pizzas.  You often hear me say "I hope the guy who bought that panel really enjoyed that latté" because it's that cheap, so it's a waste not to do it. Install a large subpanel (in terms of number of spaces) - a 30-space is not excessive. Then as convenient, move some existing circuits to it to free up space in your main.    A house should have a number of spaces in the 40's, so if you have a 16, a 30; if you have a 24, another 24.


What kind of gloves do I need for working around electrical wires? What kind of gloves could I wear before manipulating electric wires if I really want to be safe even after having turned off house electricity? And where to buy them?

If the electricity has been turned off, and you have confirmed it's off via a non-contact tester, multi-meter, or some other method, then you don't need gloves to protect yourself from electrocution - there should be no risk if you've actually confirmed it's off. I even go as far as to put a piece of tape over the breaker so someone doesn't walk by and flip it back on.

I sometimes wear gloves to protect my hands from scrapes and cuts - any work glove you find comfortable for the job should work.

As DA01 said in a comment, a glove that would protect you from shock would likely make working with the wire/cable we find in residential difficult. They do however make insulated tools which can be used when working on live gear. Best to just turn the power off and not worry.


What's going on with this chimney? Tore the walls off and found the chimney looking like this:

It's seen a lot of leaking as you can see from the streaks.  The exterior portion was rebuilt last year.  That horizontal crack running across the middle goes all the way around on all 4 sides.

The house is ~70 years old.  The attic got finished some time later.  Late 60s based on the wallpaper.  You can see some kids used to play up there before the chimney got walled up.  The chimney only sees natural gas exhaust now but I think there used to be an oil furnace.
Is the crack something to be worried about?  Any reason they covered the whole thing with mortar other than to hide problems?  The visible portion in the basement is exposed brick.

Normal settling cracks, would not be worried about it structurally.
But...
Is it sleeved? Is there a metal pipe inside the chimney?
Most municipalities now require you to sleeve a masonry chimney that is carrying CO2 or any other potentially dangerous gas that might leak into your house. Even if you can’t see the cracks, they are there. By running a metal pipe from the furnace or water heater to above the roof line, you ensure that gasses can’t leak out and circulate inside the structure.


How can I improve the insulation in the lower attic space? I live in a house with a finished attic.  There's a substantial upper attic (big enough to walk around) and there are also knee walls between the upstairs rooms and the lower attic.  There is ventilation at the bottom of the lower attic that connects to the upper attic.  I'm concerned that the ventilation is cooling the upper attic, causing a cold knee wall all around the upstairs.

Click for larger view

Our attic seems properly insulated for the most part, but one thing is missing: hardboard along the rafters to block off the insulation.  This would limit the amount of cold air circulating from the outside to the lower attic and it would also support the insulation.

insulate lower attic http://www.victoryremodelingidaho.com/Victory_Remodeling/Knee_wall_insul_files/attic_knee_wall.gif

Bringing any kind of hardboard into the lower attic will be tricky and tedious (the door is 3.5' tall and 2.5' wide).  What would be easiest and most effective to use in a space like this?

Also, our floor is tongue-and-groove that also serves as the ceiling for the downstairs.  There are holes in the surface (in the grooves or at knots) so warm air can pass from the downstairs directly into the lower attic.  Does it make sense to add a barrier to airflow on the floor?  What would I use?

Update: the lower attic area has 46 ft of wall and the rafters are 5' long in the lower attic.

I own a cape with two finished bedrooms upstairs. We have knee-walls like you, as well as a cap space above the rooms (your upper attic).

We had both the crawl spaces (lower attic) and cap insulated. At the time, we were told there are two types of attic insulation: hot roof and cold roof. In a hot roof, the insulation is attached against the roof between the rafters and the air in the attic is considered warm. On a cold roof, the floor of the attic is insulated, making a warm ceiling, and ventilation and circulation occur in the attic itself (air comes in through the soffit and rises to a ridge vent or other ventilation device).

Ventilation is important for your attic and roof, so you'll want to be careful what you block up.

In my house, we used blow in insulation on the floor of the cap, and we used batting and foam board in the crawl space. You'll want to setup a ripping station outside, and you'll cut the foam board into lengths that fir through your crawlspace door. You carry them in in pieces, nail them to the rafters with special nails, and then use insulating/foil tape to seal the seams.


Why do only some drill bits slip out my drill chuck? I have an adored drill/driver that has always struggled with some cheap bits I had from another kit.  Drilling into wood goes as planned, but then when pulling the bit back out of the wood, the bit always slips out of the chuck, even when I turn the mode to reverse. I always assumed it was the cheap bits, but after I purchased a very nice set of hex bits, I am experiencing the same issue. The confusing part of the situation is that fastener bits never come out. I just compared the base of the drill vs fastener bits and the inner neck of them seem to be slightly larger on the drill bits.  Could the ball bearings in the chuck not be getting a good enough bite?  This is such a small issue, but it is extremely annoying.  I don't think I have used the drill enough for wear.

Drills do not work in reverse
The reverse setting on the tool is for use with screws and bolts, and maybe for taps if you have a power-friendly tapping situation.  It is not for use with drills.
Drills are only made to go one way, ever.
When withdrawing a drill from a hole, you are to continue running the drill in the forward direction, and pull it out of the hole while it is spinning forward.  It is normal for the drill to start to bind as you pull it out.  The sharpened flutes of the drill will make short work of whatever is binding it.  The spiral will continue to pump material out of the hole.
If you run the drill backwards, there is no cutting edge there, and so cruft and debris tends to be plowed into the space between drill and the wall of the hole.  This quickly causes the drill to bind.
With the drill binding in the hole, pulling the tool out will cause the drill to come out of the "hex" quick release in your tool. It is not designed to firmly clamp the bit, it is designed for quick release of screw bits.
The drill would behave similarly  in a proper chuck, by the way, but a chuck has much more gripping power.


What does "adjacent to water pipes within 3 feet of grade" mean? Looking to see if I need to be careful using Termidor around water pipes and it says

Treatment of soil adjacent to water pipes within 3 feet of grade should only be done by the backfill method.

What does it mean to be "3 feet of grade" mean?  Does that mean I shouldn't use it anywhere near my water main or sewer pipe?
How does one measure a unit "foot of grade"?  If the ground is flat, what distance is that?

If your pipes are not buried deeper than 3 feet/900cm, you should use "the backfill method" only, in their vicinity, whatever that method is (I'll let you read the manual to figure out what that is.)


Trying to mitre a finished panel but results are not great I have a kitchen cabinet that I need to [install a finished corner piece on][1]. I am planning on using the Ikea finished cover panels.

(for this I used a piece of scrap cover panel)

I used a table saw with a finishing blade, put tape around the panels to avoid scratches and also used 2 corner clamps to hold the pieces in. However, the finished result is less than ideal.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would agree with Isherwood and they can be tough. looking at the 2 pieces the angle of the blade is slightly off causing the difference in size.

The gauges on most home owner type table saws is a ball park, use a triangle square to set your blade angle not a small one one close to the size of your blade.
Carbide tips use a spacer at the bottom and you can get an exact 45 every time.

Making sure your fence is square. Clamp a pice of 6” x 1” to your miter slide with the gauge at zero and the saw blade at 90 cut the board using the standard right side and verify the leading and trailing edge are exactly the same length (mark the first edge then slide forward the 6” make sure they are the same) now switch to the left slide and repeat you are looking to verify the blade is true with the table. If both sides the tip ant tail of a 6” cut are true the blade is true with the table if it is not this can cause binding and uneven cuts depending on the side of the blade used.
The last step is to make sure your fence is true, I should have mentioned this on the first cut, if tour blade is true with the table cut a piece and make a mark at each end of the table, I actually used a sharp chisel to make these 2 marks permanent because I always use carbide blades when you set your fence measure from these points to verify the fence is parallel to the blade. This might sound like a lot to do but it is what it took to get a craftsman saw true enough to use on job sites and have results like our big saw.

When I was young my dad had a large table saw 14 or 16” for the cabinet shop this had precision guides and we still had gauge blocks to verify the blade was at the exact angle and the fence was geared at both ends so it was always square. The fence being off or the blade off a degree or so will show up on the end as you have. Use the above process and your cuts can end up exact.


Is a wire coiled around a post adequate for grounding light fixture bases? I was changing a light bulb in a ceiling light fixture. I unscrewed the nut and removed the glass cover. When I was replacing the bulb I noticed that there was a copper wire loosely coiled around the center rod (threaded at the bottom...that's where the nut goes for holding the glass cover)

I'm assuming that's the bare ground wire. Is that adequate grounding. Does the wire need to be attached via a screw clamp...similar to what you see in receptacles?

I saw this with a couple of other fixture bases around the house.

UPDATE

Here are pictures of two fixtures.

The one on the right looks like the wire is screwed in AND the remainder is coiled around the post.

The one on the left...don't know where that wire is coming from.

Is there an easy way to test for proper grounding?  I know that for receptacles I can plug in a device to tell me.

The wire from above in the left picture is most likely coming from the Romex that powers the fixture, maybe attached by wire nut to ground at the end of the Romex.

This fixture looks fairly modern but I can't see the wiring behind it so unless you pull it down some and look (fairly easy) this is not enough info to be sure.

To answer your question, no, coiling around the post is not adequate grounding.


Fixing a poor measurement of drywall toggle anchors I recently installed two metal drywall toggle anchors (similar to this. My measurements for these anchors turned out to be about 1/8th of an inch off, so they do not line up with the d-rings on the mirror I planned to hang. What methods can be used to fix this? If I can manage to get the toggle anchors out of the wall, can they be moved such a short distance with existing holes spackled and still hold? The anchors are rated at 100lbs and the mirror I am hanging is somewhere between 40-60lbs.

The structure of the wall is gone in the direct vicinity, so moving the anchors you have will not work, and spackle is more a replacement for the paper on the drywall, than the gypsum itself.

Most useful, I think:

Plan A: How to wire a picture, using 2 hooks. The hooks do not have to be level

https://www.flickr.com/photos/some_guy/16751622487/

Other Options:

mount a small piece of sturdy lumber, oak 1x2 molding (predrilled) would be fine  as parallel to the floor using the studs.

Drill for the screws to catch the d-ring on the mirror.

A low profile hook/bracket that you can screw into the anchor and 'swing' far enough to catch the d-ring on the mirror. A 45 degree angle on the hook will double the holding force on the anchor, so no more than that.

A loop of piece of picture hanging wire, quick link, modified simpson strong tie or the like is also valid here.

3.Get the anchors you have out of the wall

Cut (drywall saw, hacksaw blade, steak knife, ginsu or similar) the 1/8 over to where you need.

Get a couple of 'real' spring loaded toggle bolts, with the longest arms possible. You can get shorter screws if needed.

Build a washer 'sandwich' with the largest fender washer possible to go against the wall, as many normal size washers as needed to hook the d-ring, and then a larger washer against the toggle screw that will keep the d-ring from bumping/sliding off the front of the bolt.

With the exception of the washer closest to the screw head, they do not need to have the 'right' size hole in them, just enough to not fall through each other.

Expand, by cutting the hole in the wall just large to fit the toggle through.

Tighten as needed, and then get the mirror on the wall to prevent anyone from seeing the mess (I have this final activity down to a fine art.)


Bathroom faucet handle with no screws I need help trying to figure out how to remove this faucet handle. The handle went loose and you cant turn on the water, its rotates freely. I can unscrew that part of the handle but thats it. No idea how to remove the base to try to fix it. There are no visible screws.
Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

There is no doubt a larger sized nut and washer around a threaded part of the faucet body that clamps up under the bottom of the rear sink shelf. Once any water piping is removed the nut and washer can be removed and the faucet lifts out from the top.

On some there is just a washer and a retainer clip on the bottom side and then the skirt part of the faucet on the top screws onto the lower part and is tightened down from the top side.


Does a 3/8 valve instead of a 1/2 valve on a gas stove matter? I have a new GE stove.  The installer mistakenly used a 3/8 valve instead of a 1/2 valve as listed in the installation instructions and they don't want to change it because they say it doesn't make a difference in flame height/heat/performance. I called GE directly and they agree.

Is this correct or they just being lazy?

Thanks in advance.

As long as the oven only needs the output from 3/8" then there is no issue with this at all.  I would think that that 3/8" could supply any home oven (that's still a lot of gas) so I don't think there is an issue at all.  If the manufacturer agrees then there is no reason for you to worry about it.

Frankly the installer probably installed the shut-off that he normally installs for ovens.  Most ovens are fed with 3/8" or 1/4" so he might not even have had this on him at the time.

This is akin to having a 1" water line going to a bathroom shower and a plumber using a 3/4" shutoff for it.  There are almost no shower valves that can even take 3/4" of water and certainly not 1".  Lazy I don't know.   If your shower has inputs of 1/2" or less it doesn't matter.  Just like if your oven can only take in the output of X (which may be less than a 1/4" feed) then it doesn't matter.  It only matters if he installed it right.


How to know when a fixture needs to be re-caulked? I recently bought my first home, and am trying to be a good homeowner. I know that the bathtub, toilets, and sinks (anything else?) are supposed to be caulked well. I have no idea how long the current caulk has been there.  Nor do I know how to tell if it's still "good" or needs to be redone.

What should I look for to determine when it is time to go through the re-caulking process?

I'd replace the caulk if it begins to crack or shows signs of mold. Old caulk can be perfectly fine as long as it's not cracking and allowing water to penetrate. If there's a lot of movement in the structure, expect to need to replace the caulk more often.


Ceiling light turns on when outlet draws power, followed by power loss I am way out of my depth here. I just moved into a new townhouse and set up my home office in the guest bedroom. When I first tried to turn on my desktop (850w power supply) the computer would initially turn on and then loose power, I also noticed the lone ceiling light (a 3 bulb light fixture on a dimmer) would also turn on.  I went and tried my computer elsewhere in the house where it works flawlessly. All plugs in this bedroom produce the same result. I now notice that the same ceiling light glows, as if on the lowest dimmer setting, when I have my power strip plugged into the bed room wall (2 monitors a usb hub and a desk lamp) and the monitors are on. In addition when I am drawing power form the wall with the monitors on and I then go to turn on the ceiling light the whole thing browns out until I turn the light down low or off.
Any idea what I'm dealing with here? I know I need to contact my landlord but I don't even know what to tell him.

It is possible that the outlets in that room are all wired into the dimmer switch such that simple lamps plugged into the outlets can be dimmed. If this is the case computers and monitors will not function properly when plugged into a dimmer circuit.

The simple test you can try is to get a simple incandescent light (lamp, trouble light or night stand lamp) and plug it into each outlet in that room and see if it responds to the dimmer switch in a normal manner. If you get other results than dimmer behavior then that is a trigger event to get the landlord or apartment manager involved.


Installing new ceiling fan. Don't think there is a white (neutral) wire I purchased a new ceiling fan with a remote and installed it. I had three wires coming out of the plastic box in the ceiling. Black, bare and red or white.  The reason I am not sure if the wire is red or white is because of the following.

The wire is white but there is about ~6inches of tape on the end which is red.  When I took the cover off of the switch it also had the same red tape there as well. So I am not sure if this is an actual neutral white wire or if it is a red wire where the guy ran out of red wire and just taped both ends of a white wire in red. The house was built in 1985.

I followed the instructions as if it was a white wire.  I hooked up the black with the black, the green with the bare and the white to the white but I can not get the fan to turn on at all.  I have tried pairing the remote multiple times and dip switches are not an issue with this remote and receiver.

The only thing I wonder now is if the white wire is actually a red wire. If so why might I not see a white wire? Does anyone have any ideas?

It sounds like whoever installed it, used the neutral as a hot and the ground as a neutral.  Likely they wanted to control the fan and light separately, but only had two conductor cable between the switch and fixture.

If you're installing a remote, you'll only need the two conductors.

Without seeing what you have, this is what you might have to do.

Disconnect the white wire from the switch, and connect it to the grounded (neutral) conductor in the switch box.
Connect the bare grounding conductors in the switch box togther, making sure to disconnect any bare grounding wires that are attached to white grounding conductors.
Follow the instructions to install the new fan and remote.

in the ceiling box, connect white to white, black to black, and ground to ground.

This will mean one switch does nothing, while the other provides power to the remote. So you can swap out the double switch for a single one if you want.

Warning

This answer is a guess based on past experience, and the limited information you've provided.  If you provide more information, we'll be able to provide more accurate answers. If you're unsure about what's going on, don't be afraid to contact an Electrician.


Wiring 2 pull chain operated lights in series How do I wire 2 pull chain operated lights in series from the same single power source so that both lights are powered and will work independently. There will be no other switch on the line and power source is coming from a nearby power outlet.

You will not be wiring the two light fixtures in series. In fact you will be wiring them up in parallel from a single power feed. Since the power feed is always on make sure to have the breaker off before attempting to do any connections.

The pull chains on each light assembly will allow independent control of each light.


Two black wire and no white wire I'm installing 6 halo daisy chain to an old light switch.  The house was built around 1947. The current power is starting from the switch to the 1st light housing and the wiring is connected from 1st to 2nd housing and 2nd housing to 3rd housing, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6.   Do I need to close the circuit back from the end of my daisy connection.  Do I make my un hot black wire a neutral wire?  Not sure what to do.

One very basic thing to wrap your head around is that the loads in power circuits are all in parallel;  circuits are generally completed through loads such as say a light bulb or a cord and plug device like a toaster or a TV or a computer power supply.  On 120V household branch circuits the power goes out on a hot, through a load, and returns on a neutral.  All the lights on your daisy chain are in parallel, not in series.

If your switch box has just two wires, it's not a hot and a neutral; if you closed a switch with hot on one terminal and neutral on the other, it would make a dead short and the circuit breaker would trip immediately (hopefully!).
 A regular switch has constant hot on one side of the switch, and a switched hot on the other.  If there's just two wires in the switch box, its a switch loop.

Given the age of your house don't make any assumptions about the wiring color code.  This is good advice even with modern wiring, you never know what the last person may have done, or done wrong.  But older wiring systems simply didn't color code the way modern systems do.

If you have to identify a neutral, it can be tricky.  In modern house wiring, switching the neutral is a no-no;  in the old days it was standard practice.  They used to use some complicated circuits for switch wiring.


How do I clear a drain pipe clogged with dried soap? I think we have a clog of dried soap in our pipes, past the U-bend and down the pipes from upstairs to the drain at ground level.

How do I clear them?

Moving water, preferably hot. If you can get a small flow that
doesn't back up then it will dissolve away easily.
Environmentally safe degreaser/cleaner, I prefer Simple Green
Baking soda and vinegar, it will clean almost any small clog. With something that dissolves easily like soap, the extra air bubbles produced will help getting it clean with less passes as well.


What is the purpose of this outside air return in my utility room? Curious what the purpose of this duct is and whether I can close it off. It goes directly outside.

I was planning to convert this room to an office. The furnace and hot water heater are a few feet away from this opening. Today is our first cold day (26 degrees and snowing in MT) and I can feel the cold air beneath the opening.

furnace and hot water heater are a few feet away

Combustion air intake which is necessary on an insulated and sealed buiding.

Otherwise negative pressure prevents combustion gasses from going up the stack. In the case of any carbon monoxide content, this condition can be deadly.

Partition the furnace and water heater off so they're not part of the office.


What is the right adhesive to use with PVC interior paneling and trim? We purchased interior PVC paneling and baseboard for a project. We are unsure as to which adhesive is best to bond it to both a mortar and sheetrock surface.  We received conflicting answers to our question at the store we purchased it from. Does anyone have personal experience with this product that can answer this question definitively?

There is a product

Roberts cove moulding adhesive - I am sure there are other things better and worse.

Something I consider critical for the project is a Cove shozzle, again a roberts product - it fits on a caulking tube of the stuff, well i guess anyone's product in a caulk tube, and spreads it out wide, so you do not get the kind of squish out, or one thick line of the stuff on the moulding.


How to scribe a circle in the ground...without access to the middle point? I want to mark the ground with spray paint and wooden stakes in a nice 25 ft radius circle. The simple way would be to drive a narrow stake in the ground at the center point, tie a 25 ft string to it, and drive the stakes anywhere the string is pulled out.
The problem is, I don't have access to the middle point currently...there are some big rocks there. I do have access to the areas where I will be drawing the spray paint though and quite a bit of space around.
Is there some other simple means of drawing the circle, without having access to the center?

No, center point isn't accessible...there is stuff in the way...I'm going to move that stuff later, when I can rent the equipment.
I'd prefer the circle be fairly accurate, about as accurate I could get had I used a center string...maybe within a 1/4 (?) of accuracy.

If the ground is perfectly level, then you don't need access to the middle of the circle, you just some point directly above it, and then a longer string traces the shape of a cone as you draw your circle.
As you said that you need more precision than having a person just stand on the rocks and hold the string, you will need build some sort of structure to hold the end of your string stable above the rocks.
You could:

Use three stiff pieces of wood or pipe to make a tripod that goes over / around the rocks.  Tie a loop on one end of your string so it fits around where the three pieces join, and then mark the string where it comes to one edge of your circle

If you're going over something that's relatively long, you may want to build two supports on either side, to hold a pole with the string tied to the middle of the pole.  But in this case, you'll have some problems where the supports interfere with the string, unless your center pole is larger than the diameter of the circle you're attempting to draw.

In the second case, the pole needs to be really stiff, and the string securely fastened to the pole, or you're not going to end up with a perfect circle.


My first home network Cat 5e, fiber 1 gig internet Thank you for taking the time and reading this, I hope you can give me a green light on my plans here!?

I am getting fiber internet and wanted to set it up the following way. Please let me know if that works and feel free to suggest a different way.

Fiber comes to the detached garage.
cat 5e from the box to a 5 way 1gig switch (unmanaged)
  port 1 - to the house
  port 2 - (already have) apple airport express with audio for sound in the garage
  port 3,4,5, for potential IP cam/NVR

In the house
cat 5e from the garage to the router/wifi from Xfinity C3000A - should do a great job!?
to another 8way switch (unmanaged)
  port 1 - to the apple tv
  port 2 - mango console
  port 3 - upstairs with Time capsule/wifi if needed
  port 4-8 open for IP Cameras/other rooms if needed

Questions:

if I have the cable from the street to the garage with switch and then in the house much later the router/wifi that should still work, right? Since ethernet goes both ways??
In general, please let me know a better way if you got one.

Thank you so much in advance. I'll start working on this tomorrow.

Although it is true that Ethernet is bidirectional, it is still necessary that the packets from your fiber bridge reach the router before going to your other devices (and visa versa). This is because one of the functions of your router is to take the devices on your network and represent them to the outside Internet as a single device (actually multiple IP addresses as a single) using a protocol called NAT. Your network provider is probably expecting to see a single device (IP address) only and the router “fools” it.

Now because a single physical network can carry multiple logical networks through IP subnetting, it is possible to use a single cable between your garage and house and still run the packets to the router first. However, since this requires proper configuration of your local network and could require reconfiguration in the future if your provider’s configuration changes, I don’t recommend it to someone without knowledge of networking. It also requires an addition unmanaged switch at the router.

Assuming you need the router in the house, due to WiFi range limitations, I’d suggest that you run two CAT5E (or better) cables between the garage and house: one from your fiber bridge to the router WAN/Internet port and one back from a router LAN port to the switch.


Bracing a rain barrel platform I'm following these plans for a rain barrel platform: http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/outdoors/structures/how-to-build-a-rainbarrel-platform

There is a step "bolster the legs" where they suggest a horizontal piece of 2x4 across each leg.  Why this configuration (good image here:  ) and not triangular braces in the corners?

Depending on how deeply you've set those posts, the braces you show may not be adding any significant amount of rigidity. Diagonal bracing would be better, but may be overkill.

My 5'-high  platform for two rain barrels (with posts sunk 3' deep) has no braces on the thin ends, and has diagonals only to provide more support to the middle of the longer sides. And frankly those might not be needed since the structural framing of the top is 2x6'es on edge, with the long sides half-lapped into the 4x4 uprights and everything tied together with serious hardware (which I admit is installed in triplets.) Starting its third year, rock-solid despite carrying up to 1400 pounds of static load at times. (Plus 200 of dynamic load when I climb up to adjust things.)

Wood's strong stuff. Amateurs (including myself) are as likely to overdesign as underdesign. I looked at a number of designs on the web, applied my own experience as a volunteer framer, and settled for what seemed not-unreasonable overdesign. ("Anyone can build a bridge. You need engineering to build one that's strong enough at minimum cost." I applied rule of thumb and then threw money at the problem.)


How do I take down an internal wall tied into a load bearing wall? I'm looking for some advice on whether something I want to do is sensible and any potential risks.

Background:

Between my dining room and utility room at some time there must have been a doorway. Inside my utility room I have a small (4 ft high) brick wall that comes out of the profile of the existing wall that separates these two rooms. There is no load on top of the utility room wall and seems largely useless apart from it takes up space in the utility room. What I would like to do is remove this wall. However on closer inspection what I can see is that the brickwork is tied into the existing wall that runs along these two rooms. This wall is load bearing far as I can see. The way it is tied in is that every so often half a brick is in the existing wall and the other half into the brick work for the wall into the utility room. I think its about 8 bricks in total that are tied in out of the 100 or so bricks that make this wall up.

What I want to do:

If I was to take down the utility room wall and used an angle grinder to cut the bricks that are tied in would this be OK ? Essentially I leave the half that is tied into the load bearing wall in place. I could then repair any damaged cement work as well.

I think your plan is correct.

I would speculate that the brick wall was the exterior wall at some point, and that construction is similar to modern veneer brick exteriors, where a freestanding masonry wall is 'tied' into the interior structure, mainly for support (the interior house supports the exterior veneer wall from sway).  Your setup uses bricks for tiebacks; currently, galvanized brick ties are nailed to the structure.  A single wythe of common bricks is rarely structural, being inherently unstable as the wall rises.


Are there any QO boxes with the neutral screws along the breakers like the Homeline? I am having my panel replaced with a panel that has more real estate as well as having my Knob and Tube replaced.

Currently I have an older 24 Circuit/Spot Square D QO box. I would like to reuse some of the newer breakers in this box in the new box.

I would like to go with Square D again as from what I have read their reputation is very good and I like the plug on neutral.

I have read the QO boxes are more the Cadillac of boxes and the Homelines are not as good.

The issue I see though is, the Homeline boxes have the screw terminal for the neutral bus along the height of the box next to the breakers. This seems like a great feature for wire management and trace-ability.

The other advantage I see with this neutral bus is that circuit can easily be switched to CAFI as the neutral is already there and can just be moved to the breaker without having to splice the shortened neutral at the top neutral bus and extend it down.

The one feature I have seen in the QO line is the Qwik Grip. Again this seems like an amazing feature for adding circuits and manageability.

My question is:
Are there any QO boxes out there that have the neutral screws along the breakers like the Homeline?
From any experience, is having the neutral bus run along the breakers an advantage as I mentioned above?

Can anyone point me to a QO box with Qwik Grip and neutral bus along the breakers?

As it turns out, you can get what you want, but it's an extra piece

The QO and Homeline loadcenters use different designs for their plug-on neutrals.  The QO design has the screw terminals up against the mains while the neutral busbar extending down the breakers is plug-on only, while the Homeline plug-on neutral bars provide screw holes along their length.  Furthermore, the QO's bigger brother (the NQ) doesn't have any support for plug-on neutrals at all (this limits you to 60 slots, vs the 84 available in NQ).

However, someone at Square-D was thoughtful, because they make what are called neutral extension kits for the QO loadcenter line.  You'll need to order these from a supply house that stocks Square-D stuff (part numbers are QONK1 through QONK4 depending on how long you want the extension bars to be), but if you can get one of these kits in, this will give you something close to what you want, with extra neutral bars running alongside the breakers in the gutter.


Can I use a USA GFCI Intex Pool pump in New Zealand I have imported an Intex salt system for use on a locally purchased intex pool. when I received it , the plug is a GFCI plug with a test and reset button on it.  the pump is a 230w pump. I purchased a 1000w step down transformer that appears to have a 3 wire configuration.

Still no power. Do I need a specific GFCI outlet or something?  Excuse my ignorance.

Thanks
Martin

For future readers:

NO: US motors are 60Hz, while NZ are 50Hz (your new pump will run 27% slower). Even if you transform the voltage, that will not ensure that other electronics work as designed.


Replacing garbage disposal w/ straight pipe. What to do with the wire? I'm removing a busted garbage disposal from under the sink and replacing it with straight pipe. I think I can manage this part of the job, but I don't know what to do with the wire. I mean the wire that was hardwired to the garbage disposal. It comes out of a hole in the back of the under-sink cabinet.
Thanks for any help,
Derek

Just terminate it in a junction box with a blank cover
Simply attach a junction box (a "handy box" with the appropriate cable clamp will do) to a nearby piece of cabinet frame, then terminate the cable into the box via the cableclamp, land the bare wire on the ground screw in the box, and terminate the remaining wires individually with wirenuts.  Finish this off with a blank box cover, turn the circuit back on, and you're done!


Why does this wall in my basement have so many vents? I have a wall at the foot of my stairs that has 3 vents in about 5 ft of wall. One of them ducts straight to the HVAC system, the other two just open into the unfinished storage/utility (furnace, water heater) room on the other side. I'm curious as to why they built it with so many vents.

The high one is your return to HVAC. The small one down low is the supply from HVAC. (This arrangement could be reversed depending on your climate.)

The low large one is probably a "makeup air" vent, which allows combustion in the utility room to draw fresh air for its needs. It could also just be ventilation to prevent staleness.


Lid lock for outdoor chest I'm building an outdoor chest out of wood (frame) and PVC sheet (sides), it is approx 2 1/2 ft wide, 1 1/2 ft deep, 1 ft high. The box opens from the top like a toy chest, blanket trunk, etc. I need a lock for the top (lid). I'd like the lid and associated lock to be appropriate for exterior conditions (e.g., rain), not require a key (a combination lock, ideally digital or some form of keyless entry), and lock when the lid is closed (i.e., not require the user to actually lock the chest, it is locked whenever the top is closed). All of these characteristics are very important, especially that the lock engages whenever the lid is closed and requires no additional actions by the user. I've been looking at a few options but none of them quite meet my needs. Cam locks and mortise chest locks are either for interior use or require the lock to be engaged (rather than locking as soon as the lid is closed). Rarely do I see a lock that is not keyed. Can anyone assist?

Maybe look for some hardware for truck boxes?  They typically have the 'shut and go' feature, are rainproof, and lockable or not...

https://www.buyersproducts.com/catalog/truck-and-trailer-hardware-14/latches-445


Radiator Fins in Hot Water Baseboard - Basic Question Pretty basic question.  I moved into an apartment that I love but have discovered the hot water baseboard is not providing enough heat.  FYI, I am on the second floor of a two story building.  There are two apartments (including mine) above a restaurant.  From what I can glean, the two apartments share a Navien 'instant hot water' type of system.  Last year when I moved in, mid-winter I said the heat was bad and they sent a plumber to check the Navien.  When that was deemed ok, they closed the case and I just didn't have the energy to fight them.  But here we are again....winter officially starts on Monday!  Anyway the boys next door share the same problem so I have volunteered to lead the efforts.  So before I contact management again I want to feel like I have a handle on the issue - which is why I am here. The windows are shot; no question.  I can feel the cold when I stand next to them.  But the landlord ain't going to drop $$$ this year into those I'm quite sure, so I am left with boosting the heat from the baseboards.
So when I investigated further I noticed that slightly less than 50% of the pipe in the baseboard was surrounded by 'fins' - just bare pipe.  (The apartment has been here for decades and while the Navien system is new,I have know idea when the baseboards(fins) were installed. Looks like one can buy 2' sections of fins from Home Depot (see link below?) for ~ $55 each.
Here is the question: My living room has 28' of baseboard but 14' of fin coverage.  If I suggest that we buy (7) 2' sections (~$400 with self-install) - is that the best solution?  It would seem obvious that it should help but how much? I am definitely no engineer. Both me and the boys next door are pretty hardy but on cold nights it sucks to come home to an apartment that maxes out at ~ 65 degrees; both our thermostats are set to ~ 80 degrees but it has no effect. The windows are the real answer but the fins are probably more $$$ doable but is it the right move?
Sorry for the long write up.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Best, Peter
Fab-Tek Fins for 3/4" pipe

This is a frame challenge - the problem isn't so much how to fix the heating system, which I suspect will be far from a DIY job, but rather how to improve the comfort level in the apartments.
You have a identified a likely real source of the problem: the windows are very drafty so warm air leaks out/cold air leaks in faster than the heating system can heat the room.
Replacing windows is generally very expensive.
Insulating the windows is generally very inexpensive. My recommendation is something like this:

There are plenty of kits of this type available. Basically they have a plastic film, a frame (e.g., special tape that you put around the edges) of some sort and you use a hair dryer to heat-shrink the plastic to fit.
This is not a perfect solution. But it can work fairly well because (a) if positioned correctly it can cover over actual cracks (e.g., window doesn't close 100%) and (b) the dead air between the plastic and the window glass acts as an insulator. It is easily removable, so if your landlord won't pay for it then you can do it yourself and be able to remove it when you leave (not to reuse, just to avoid a damage deposit). It is clear, so you still get light through the windows.
Your landlord should be willing to pay for this, because if it gets the apartments to the point where the heat does not have to run 24/7, that will have immediate payback on the gas/electric/oil bill, in addition to providing you with a more comfortable place to live.


Using a 4-wire machine with a 3-wire receptacle? I've got 3 machines for my shop that are currently wired with a 12-3 4-wire NEMA 14-50 plug. Each machine uses only 15 amps at 240v, so how much power it uses is not a factor here with my question. My 3 wall outlets are NEMA 6-30 wired with 10-2 wire each on their own circuit (of course.) So my question is what do I do with the neutral wire when re-wiring these machines' plugs to 6-30? Just cap it?

Cordage is the wire used in cords.  In cordage, the numbering includes the ground wire (unlike in-wall building cables).  So 12/3 cordage is black white ground. If you are running 240V then it is incapable of supporting a neutral wire, since the white must be used for the second hot.  Feel free to mark the white wire with red tape.  When connecting it to a NEMA 6, hook it up straight.  When hooking it to NEMA 14, don't connect anything to the neutral lug.

If your equipment is using 12/3 in-wall building cable (e.g. Romex, NM, UF, etc.) then remove it and go to the local electrical supply and get proper cordage.  You can also buy cordage with the plug you want already premolded onto the end. Or obtain an extension cord whose cable has correct ratings for cordage, and lop off the bits you don't need.

As far as I know, it's legal to put a 30A plug on a 15A device, and on this forum we've visited that question a few times and nobody's come up with a code cite saying it's not allowed.  Just the same if building it from scratch, I would've gone NEMA 6-20 simply because the parts are significantly less expensive. Given where you are now, you could price it both ways and see:

6-30 plug vs
6-20 plug, 6-20 receptacle and 20A breaker.


Can I adjust my blinds for both ventilation and privacy? I like fresh air so I usually open the window a little and keep the blinds to the angle that I think nobody can see me from outside.

Today I feel very upset because I found out everybody can see me from the outside. I didn't know this about for two years.

Questions:

Is there any alternative solution that could satisfy my need for both ventilation and privacy?
Will it help if I replace the blinds in that window with big wood blinds?

I live in the U.S.

If your room is upstairs, have your blinds tilted upwards; the opposite if downstairs.  At night, turn on your lights and slant your blind the way you like and go outside and see how little you can see (if at all).  Having bigger blinds will make it so there are fewer gaps but still the angle is the main issue.

I doubt if the neighbors really pay too much attention unless they are very nosy.  If you are doing your best to close the blinds and they still are annoyed, that is their problem.

As far as legality, you are closing your blinds and what you do behind closed doors is your business.

All the best.


Attaching a 2 x 4 to a door frame I am trying to find a way to add a pullup bar to my home gym. Ordinarily the pullup bar contraption goes over and through the door frame, but the door frames we have go all the way up to the ceiling so this does not work. I am looking for a way to add a 2 x 4 or something similar to the door frame in order to make this work. Obviously I have no clue how to do this. As I am a renter I do not want to cut out a piece of the door frame in order to notch the bar (or 2 x 4) in. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I should do? Note the door does not actually close so I would entertain anything up to and including the removal of the door.

I googled online and cannot find anything that gives me any ideas.

Example pull up
https://www.target.com/p/perfect-fitness-multi-gym/-/A-79786741?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Sports%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Sports&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9003433&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIne6EzqXI6AIVxZ6zCh3WdQ69EAQYAyABEgI3lvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

How about a bar that fastens to the door frame? See below. Two knobs screw into the door frame and the adjustable bar fits over them.

https://www.wish.com/product/55f7ec5f74135f27949f81f3?from_ad=goog_shopping&_display_country_code=US&_force_currency_code=USD&pid=googleadwords_int&c=%7BcampaignId%7D&ad_cid=55f7ec5f74135f27949f81f3&ad_cc=US&ad_curr=USD&ad_price=13.00&campaign_id=7203534630&gclid=CjwKCAjw95D0BRBFEiwAcO1KDHImYeLqPzXFHZlrqodUTA905VhaDoh9enymz1sFbED6Ia14VsjuPRoCv-MQAvD_BwE&hide_login_modal=true&share=web

Or just get two 1" pipe flanges and the appropriate length of threaded 1" pipe. Screw the flanges on to each end of the pipe and screw them into the door frame.


Switching door hinges to other side I'd like to reposition my door/hinges so it opens from the other side (and swings in the opposite direction).

Is it just a matter of installing hinges on the opposite side of the door frame and re-installing?

Thank you for any advice!

Nicole

Several things to check:

Do you have sufficient frame depth on the other side to install a door there?  As you can see, the door currently closes against a thin strip of wood along the top and vertical sides of the frame. You need just as much depth on the far side as the door thickness to be able to mount there.
Draw a picture for yourself of how the hinges must mount for whichever way the door is going to swing on the far side. You may have to chisel out new hinge recesses along the door edge -- and of course in any case have to chisel recesses in the far side of the door frame, along with a new recess for the latch mechanism.
If this door has a locking knob, make sure you can fully reverse it (or not, depending on which side you want to lock).

And finally, for aesthetic reasons, you'll have to do some patching/ filling of the latch and hinge recesses in the door frame on the current side.


Replacing a existing slab door from house to garage Can I replace the existing slab door from house to garage that is 1 3/4" thick with a door that is same size but only 1 3/8" thick? If so, what modifications do I need to make to the door frame if any?

You do not want to replace a 1 3/4 inch door (which is presumably a solid core door) with a 1 3/8 door of any type. The reason is that fire codes require a door with a fire break rating between the house and the garage. Fire break doors are generally 1 3/4" thick for standard doors.

Many homes now days may even use a steel clad door in this application instead of just a solid wood door.


I have a Champion 120V generator, I want to use it to plug into a preinstalled/wired 240volt split phase outlet I have a new champion generator, 120volt at 20 to 30amp. The previous home owner had  the same unit but 240 volt. The home has a professionally installed system for power backup but has a 4 pin 240 volt outlet as per photo.
My question is, can I adapt my unit to the 240 volt system which I think is split phase because it also runs a 1.5HP well pump motor?

Nope, no chance.
You can't get there from here.
The only way to do it involves some wild back-flips with a 5 KVA 120/240V transformer, but those are $400+.  (you can occasionally get a find on Craigslist, but even then, the price will be greater than the price diff between this one and the generator you need.)
So back it goes.... if the well is a priority.
If it's not a priority, then maybe we can hook this up, but we'll need to see a much more detailed look at your generator interlock or transfer switch equipment, and how the panel is wired.


Pressure revief valve - where to locate? To protect an unvented hot water tank on a central heating system should the pressure relief valve be installed on the inlet or the outlet pipework?

What is the best practice basically.

In my area, temperature/pressure valves are required on all storage type domestic and production water tanks and must be installed in the top or near the top of the tank. Pressure relief valves that do not respond to temperature  are required on all other heat producing boilers such as hot water heating and steam boilers.  To answer your question, more information is needed about the system and the tanks actual use.


Is it ok to use AAV with sanitary T or other T I am wondering if someone can weigh in on the use of sanitary Ts or other types of Ts (non-comboYs) in conjunction with AAVs on small bathroom sinks. If we turn to Table 706.3, it seems clear that a sanitary T cannot be used for a horizontal to horizontal or a vertical to horizontal transition. And yet, all AAV manufacturers publish a picture like this:

This seems like a violation as the sani-T is on its back, but the use is so pervasive and being suggested by the manufacturers themselves, it makes me think I am not interpreting the code correctly. Does this not count as a transition? Is there an exception?

You're are quoting chapter 7 with the table you provided but chapter 7 is titled "Connections Between Drainage Piping and Fittings".  I'd think Chapter 9, Vents, would apply here instead.  Chapter 9 doesn't have a list of prohibited fittings that I could find, but does specify size of pipe and distance and placement of the vent connection.  As long as you follow those guidelines I think you are good.  (Also, UPC explicitly allows a Sanitary Tee to be used to connect a vent to a horizontal drain line and most would say is the more stringent standard)


Is my sink trap too high? Hello I renovated my kitchen and had plumbing moved and replaced.  Didn’t really think about the height of the waste pipe before cabinets sink and countertop went in.  With new sink and disposal installed, I’m afraid my p-trap is too high in order to line up with the waste drain.  This is what I did in the attached picture.  Is anything wrong with my setup?

Thanks everyone for your responses so far.  I’ve attached a slightly better pic which shows where the waste pipe is.  I will get dimensions once I get back tonight.  Nothing is glued yet so I can’t say it’s leaking.  I was hoping I could get some advice before it gets glued.

With the new photo your trap appears to be perfect.
I find that traps have a fairly large operating range the important thing is that they hold water and yours will hold enough water to prevent sewer gas from backing up into the home. If you are having any issues let us know but with the air admittance valve and your setup I don’t see any problems.


Are these sloppy cuts and gaps normal around roof vents? Got a new roof last fall in southeastern Idaho. I didn't notice until this week that the shingles are cut sloppily around most of the vents (see pictures).

Should I coat the bad seams with a can of roof repair/black pitch, or are they normal and I don't need to do anything?

That's not too sloppy. Under that shingle should be the vent, tar paper, and perhaps the top of the next layer of shingles. Since this is right next to your ridge, there won't be much water coming down the roof to this joint, so the risk of any leak around the vent is very small.


Is it bad to have the bottom of a baseboard heater covered? I live in an apartment with baseboard heaters. As the temperature outside gets colder so does my apartment. The thermostat is set high enough, but it just doesn't reach that temperature. When it's warmer outside the inside temp is fine.

The pipe is hot on one end and gets cooler the farther along you go. It's almost room temperature by the time it gets to the end.

The bottom of the baseboard heater is covered by wooden baseboard. There is no gap between the floor and the heater.

Is the fact that there's no gap there enough to stop my apartment from getting warm? Are there styles of baseboard heater where there wouldn't be a gap?

Baseboard heaters work largely by convection--the heating of air by the radiator fins causes a rising action, and a low pressure zone below. That zone must be replenished. Ideally, open space below allows a "chimney effect" to occur.

However, since you say that the downstream end of the pipe is room temperature, all available heat is already being extracted, and therefore no efficiency stands to be gained.

I'd test that, though, to be sure. Take an accurate temperature reading at the downstream end of the system, and if it's more than about ten degrees above ambient you have more heat available to be released with better airflow.

If you can't get the property owner to assist, a small fan directed at the heater would provide adequate airflow to extract additional heat during very cold spells.


How can I fix a garage door motor that runs but doesn't move the chain? I have a Craftsman 1/2 HP garage door opener. It's always been a little finicky, but tonight it stopped working. In the middle of going up as tonight, the door halted, leaving a gap between the door and the ground. I got out of the car, squeezed under the door and realized the motor was still running. My wife pushed the door opener a few more times, but the door wouldn't move despite the motor responding. I pulled the release on the door and opened it all the way. I realized parking the car in the garage would be a hassle, since I would have the open the door manually again. So I just closed the garage with the chain disengaged.

The motor will start and stop in response to button pushes like it is supposed to - normally the first push starts it in one direction, the 2nd reverses the direction and the 3rd will stop the motor. However, the chain has completely stopped moving (and by extension, so has the door). This causes the motor to run for an extensive period of time before it seems to timeout and give up. The chain and door connector assembly haven't budged since.

I've not worked on garage doors before, but I have a degree in Computer/Electrical Engineering. I've never studied to be an electrician or anything, so I'm well aware there are a lot of things I don't know about this. But generally speaking, is this the type of thing I could potentially fix myself? Or is it more likely the whole unit is shot and I should just call a repairman up front?

I know I have the manual around here somewhere, I'll keep looking for it and list exact part numbers if I find it.

Update: I popped the sprocket protector off just like in the video form Steven's answer and the chain is still firmly attached. When the motor is running, you can clearly see the shaft and sprocket are not moving at all, not even jerking when starting or stopping, like something had locked up the shaft.

It sounds like the chain might not be on the sprocket that drives it.  Get up on a ladder and look at the top of the unit. You should be able to easily see if the chain is off the sprocket.  Try running the opener while you are up there too.

If the chain has come off you will need to loosen the chain tension, place the chain back over the sprocket and tighten it to the correct tension. Your user manual should have details on how to perform this but usually there is a screw you adjust on the trolley that controls the tension. Make sure to disconnect your door from the trolley before you do this.

Here's  YouTube video that shows the process.