Does the estimated cost of this plumbing repair seem excessive? My home was built in 1965. Recently, a slowly draining bathroom sink was found (on rotor-rooting) to be obstructed by soft mud, leading our plumber to conclude that drain pipe under foundation was broken. He proposed tunneling under foundation (about 40 feet, then to include 15 foot detour to include kitchen drain) , to replace all drain pipes from bathrooms/Kitchen to main drain, then install 8 piers to support foundation, then replace dirt and concrete over access area. Estimated cost of $48,000 seems excessive. Your thoughts?

I would never, under any circumstance allow someone to tunnel under my house.  Anyone in proposing this is a complete moron.  It's a drain pipe that is probably 6-10 inches wide.

The normal solution - which I have done 20+ times for clay pipes in my area - is to break apart the concrete above the drain pipe, dig it out, replace.  While we are inside we try to replace the drain line about 2 feet to the outside... this part is a b*tch - but point is digging up some home right by the foundation on the outside presents problems too.

If the first floor or basement is finished then you have to pull up carpet, go through tile, pull up wood floors - do whatever you need to do.  On the wall you might have to remove small sections temporarily.

So costs:

Digging 3 foot wide section above drain + kitchen area (not sure what the scope is there).  This can be done by two day laborers and a jackhammer in one day.  Let's say high end $800 - I will give you price that guys would be smiling about after in my area.
bin to throw away trash/concrete - $300
removal of walls (maybe just bottoms) - $500
actual plumbing work - 2K-3K
backfill of area and concrete work - 1-1.5K
flooring??? that is the big question - somewhere between $200 (carpet) and 4-5K
redoing walls - this depends too on how many and what the layout is - $500-3k

On low end maybe 8K and high end 15K.  And when I say low end that is a high first bid that would make contractor happy and 15K is spending a lot of flooring and wall finishes. I just replaced an old clay drain from last remodel.  This city let me do my own plumbing (some do some don't), the city had 3 inspection checks, I paid a crew for excavation and concrete work (I did nothing hard), it took 4 days, and costs me right at 3K for permits, materials, and crew.  We had to go about 50 feet from main stack to exit point - through two walls and a finished basement (carpet).

Now I want to mention something else that is becoming more popular in our area yet I have not used it because of costs.  There is technology where they can run a sleeve inside of existing pipes that creates a permanent solution.  I have been quoted around 8-10K for these and they just didn't make sense for the money because we can do it cheaper - in my area it is all basement so there usually isn't much cost beyond concrete removal and repair.  I am sure someone else on here can weigh in on this.

Another thing to think about too... Is if you are going to have this kind of work done I would really think hard about what else is under your house and do you need any other work done.  If you have electrical, other plumbing, hvac, whatever under there really think if you see any need to change or upgrade anything.  You don't want to do this every 5-10 years and once you get the process going, doing something extra now will be a fraction of the cost in the future.


Well pump short cycle diagnosis I've found a number of resources about short cycling, but none of them mention how to interpret the pressure meter.  In this case, it's a small tank that feeds a bathroom.  It used to work fine, now when you flush the toilet, the pump kicks on about once per second.  (It stays off when water isn't flowing, so there's no leak.)  At rest, the meter is around 60 (may not be exactly 60, but at an expected pressure), but when the water flows it dips down to 10.  The pump kicks in, the needle goes back to 60, pump kicks off, drops to 10 ... repeat.  What would cause those wild pressure swings?

Sounds Like: Waterlogged pressure tank, as per usual. No (or little) air, no (or little) pressure storage, since water does not compress.

With "modern" bladder-type tanks, that's usually a bladder failure, and usually time for a new tank. (In my personal experience, a tank with a replaceable bladder sounds nice, but does not pan out in practice: price of new bladder, no warranty, almost equal to new tank, 5 year warranty. The whole tank is easier to change out than the bladder in many cases.)

You can make a temporary kludge on most tanks by draining the tank, pumping it up (probably to 37 PSI assuming a normal 60/40 pressure switch - in any case 2-3 PSI below the "cut-in" or pump start pressure) and then turning the pump back on. This will buy you some time until that air bubble dissolves (what the bladders prevent, when intact) to get a new tank - or, rarely, very rarely, to find that this isn't the problem at all.

"Why the wild pressure swings?" With no air to act as a "spring" the pump pumps up to 60 and shuts off, but using a very small amount of water drops the pressure and the pump kicks on, then shuts off, then kicks on - this is, by the way, bad for the life of the pump, which is one reason to get this fixed as soon as possible. With the air acting as a spring, several gallons of water are expelled between 60 and (typically) 40 PSI, then several gallons of water are added as the pump runs, then several gallons of water are expelled again. With a seriously waterlogged tank, it might be more like a 1/4 gallon between 60 and 40 PSI, and it drops to 10 before the pump manages to get started.


Plumbing Manifold Use With a Tankless Hot Water Heater Due to the nature of a tankless hot water heater only heating water when it needs to (as opposed to having hot water on reserve), does a tankless water heater still work in a manifold system?

Specifically the PEX Manifolds that take an inlet of city water, an outlet of cold water to water heater, and a hot return from water heater.

I am not sure if water flow for hot is stopped when no outlet is requiring it in a home-run system, or if continuous heating would happen.

Yes, it still works. Unless a faucet or fixture is open, there is no water leaving the manifold. The heater is thus not running. When a faucet is in use, water flows through the manifold, causing water to flow through the heater and be heated.

A similar thing occurs with a tank heater. When no fixtures are on, the tank is full of water and it is heated. When a faucet is in use, water from the tank flows through the manifold to the faucet, and that water is replaced by cold water from the manifold. At some point, the thermostat turns on the heater in the tank.


New Garage floor paint I am having a home built. I would like to paint the garage floor with Behr Granite Grip. Since it is a new home can I just sand and paint it? Thank you.

From the provided product manual:

(Proper surface preparation is required.) All surfaces must be clean,
sound, dry and free of any dirt, oil, and grease. Uncoated Concrete or
Masonry Surfaces: Allow new surfaces to cure 30 days. Clean and etch
surface using a product such as a muriatic acid etcher (read and follow all
manufacturer’s label directions) to achieve a textured profile similar to 150
grit sandpaper. Previously Coated Surfaces: For a painted surface in sound
condition, use a product to clean and prepare the surface. If the coating is
failing or peeling, use a paint stripper to remove old coating or scrape/sand
down to a sound concrete surface. Scuff sand glossy surfaces. Clean and spot
etch any exposed concrete. Remove all dust with a damp cloth, allow to dry.


Replacing old fixtures, double wiring I am replacing old fixtures with LED's in a 1994 mobile home. In taking an old fixture down I find 2 black, 2 white and 1 ground.
The new LED has only one of each. There are 3 lights on one line. I wired the LED up as indicated by old wiring and the LED will not work. I put  the old fixture back up and it works fine.
What am I missing?

Thank you all for your comments. It was the new fixture. I bought 10 of them and the first one I installed was a dud. Naturally, I thought I did something wrong. Thanks again!


Fridge/freezer door keep closed Whenever I close the fridge door,the freezer door below pops open. Sometimes it closes by itself but equally it often stays open allowing the freezer to defrost.
I wondered if I could use magnets somehow to keep the freezer door closed.Any ideas?

The gasket on the freezer door actually has magnets in it.
Sounds like your gasket isn't making good contact with the door -- either replace the gasket or clean it, or make sure that the hinges are perfectly aligned.


Water coming through detached garage concrete floor We have a detached 1954 garage on a concrete slab. The slab is cracked in many places and we get water in it during a heavy rain. Or, during this rainy spring, there's almost always water in it. As it slopes away from the driveway and there's no drain inside I either squeegee it out or wait for it to go back down the cracks naturally.

Is there anything I can use to prevent this? I believe it's just coming up through the cracks, mainly towards the rear of the garage. The yard is clay and holds water, after more thinking and watching I don't believe it gets high enough for the sill plate to let water in, it's coming through the garage cracks. hydraulic cement? Some type of epoxy?.

]3

You need to remove the water before it gets to the garage floor level. Since you indicate that water in the backyard may be so high that you suspect water coming thorugh the sill plate (i.e. above slab floor level) nothing you do that does not address THAT will really work.

So, standard approach (surround the garage with a drain, including a trench drain on the front to prevent rain from coming off the driveway into it, if it "slopes away from the driveway") will probably not be sufficient, if the water in the backyard is rising higher than the floor level. Drains only work if they have somewhere to take the water.

As such, you may need to address drainage in the back yard, unless you want to get into something as expensive and extensive as raising the garage structure and pouring a new slab floor, at a higher level, with a different slope to it.


I have both a natural gas burner with baseboard heat and 6 Mitsubishi Mr. Slim units. Which would be less expensive to use for heating my house? I just purchased my house a few months ago. The house has both a 2 zone natural gas burner with baseboards for heat and 6 Mitsubishi Mr. Slim units that I can use for either A/C or heat. I am not sure which would be more efficient and less costly to use for heating my house this winter.

I started out using the Mr. Slims, but when it got colder I decided to shut them all down and use the gas burner. I just got my first bill since then and it was much higher than I was expecting. So I am now second guessing my decision.  Any insight that anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Thank you for your comment  Tester101. That partially answers my question. An HVAC professional that inspected my system told me that it would ALWAYS be better to use the Mr. Slims, and I found that hard to believe. So I was wondering if others would say the same on here.

You'd need to do some math. Namely the cost of the energy source * the amount of energy needed for each method. The amount of energy needed will depend on the efficiency of each heating method.

It's not an easy calculation by any means, but it's definitely not answerable without those details.

In general, Heat Pumps tend to be one of the more efficient option these days.


Extending joists to reach a new beam. What code to review? I have spoken with a contractor about removing two load bearing walls (amongst other work).  The two load bearing walls are parallel but offset by two feet to provide space for a range/oven in the kitchen.  We discussed a somewhat goofy three-beam setup to manage this but it would sure be nice to have a single beam for the full span.  This beam would run roughly along the center of the house and there are presently joists running from each exterior wall and overlapping a foot or so over the to-be-removed wall.  Along with checking the point loads at the end, the joists above the to-be-removed walls would have to be extended to the new beam location from the existing load bearing wall location.  The shift is exactly two feet.

Where should I research code requirements for this?  The house is in Pennsylvania.  The contractor and their engineer would certainly confirm any final design but I would like to do some initial calculations to check plausibility.

Use beam sizing software. There are ones available for free.

All things can designed outside of the "code" which is what the "code" defaults too if it is not prescribed. We usually just have plans and beam calcs to match that all get approved by our building officials and are not "in" the code.

I am not an engineer and it is allowed in my jurisdiction. Other jurisdictions the beams must be calc'd by an engineer. Point is, you do not have to be confined to the prescribed "code" per se. You can "design" it


How can I repair this small hole in my basement floor? Last summer I noticed water coming up from my basement, always in the same spot. The rest of the basement is bone dry and we have french drains so I was baffled. This winter, I tore up the tile that was in that area, and lo and behold, I found a hole roughly the size of a golf ball. I am not able to confirm whether this is where the water is coming from because nothing is leaking in winter, but this is the exact spot water always pooled from, so I assume it is groundwater coming up.

We are recent owners of the house, so I have no idea how the hole got there. I want to fill it. Someone warned me about water pressure building up if I did that, but there is a large sump hole very close to this.

Here are some pictures with my finger for scale:

How do I fill this?

Your best bet is Hydraulic cement. There should be directions on the tin, but it boils down to clean the hole and fill it up. I'm partial to nitrile (or latex) gloves and stuffing it in by hand for something that size. The gloves because some people have skin reactions to cement; also you can throw the gloves away rather than rinsing cement down your drain.

If you do use your fingers to pack it in you'll still want a tool to flatten off the patch. Either a paint stirrer dragged sideways or putty knife should do nicely. It's not exactly the job you need a trowel for.

It sounds like you're right about the pressure, the water should migrate to the drain. If that hole was relieving enough pressure to buckle the floor I'd expect it to be gushing like you'd struck oil.


How long can a fireplace go without cleaning/inspection if it's never used? I have a gas fireplace that I have never used, nor planned to use.  Then we lost power on the coldest day I've ever seen here (gas furnace - check, electric blower - oops) and I'm kicking myself for not getting it swept and inspected.  So if I get it swept out but never start a fire, what would the maintenance interval be?

Theoretically you'll never have to get it cleaned or inspected again as you're not putting smoke, soot and damp air up it.

However, if you do get it back in working order you'd be better off to keep using it on a regular basis and then cleaned regularly too.


Is this drain configuration okay? This is in our bathroom vanity, sitting behind a U shaped drawer that the P-trap tucks into.  Kind of a loopy routing that looked almost like an S trap when I looked at it, but now I'm wondering if, with the long (about 7 inch) horizontal run after the p trap and before it turns down and makes the 180° turn, it's okay and just looks funny? The long lower section the enters the wall is about exactly 1/4" drop per foot, the whole thing looks more angled than it is in the photo because of the camera angle.

That trap is prone to siphoning.  Against code.

The critical trap arm length prevents the air path from the vent to the trap from being blocked.  If the air path is blocked then the trap can siphon.  The air path from the stack to your trap can be blocked given the weird 90s you have in that configuration.

See image B:

https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?attachments/fixture_arm-jpg.12270/


Rescue water damaged MDF door One of our vanity doors is in very bad shape after a leak some time ago. Now I'm trying to save it if possible. I've managed to sand away the very bad swells

However the bottom feels rather fluffy.

Can I just use any undercoat and paint it with any interior paint?

Any advice appreciated.

Everyone has already noted in the comments how and why MDF is not a good material to use around water or moisture and that you'll likely have future issues so that is not addressed in this answer. This answer is for the case that you still wish to go forward with your work, perhaps as a temporary fix.

  Can I just use any undercoat and paint it with any interior paint?

Because water is a no-go it is necessary to use an oil, alcohol, or lacquer based primer first and then, after sealing, you can use latex water based paint as desired.

Here is a couple of articles with other related information that might helpful

Refinishing MDF Cabinet Doors
How To: Paint MDF


How to seal this crack in plywood subfloor? I'm suspecting that this crack is causing squeaky noises when the region holds weight. What's the best way to seal this?

Well it would help to have more information, This looks like cement backer that was cut. not a crack created by normal movement. If it is a crack RUN OUT OF THE COUNTRY! Because cracks don't show up 1/8" wide and and are gone in this short distance. The noise problem could be caused by the structure., not being glued and screwed or just cheap construction. I am not sure it really needs to be filled and I am sure it is not the root cause of the squeak. If you or any one out there can develop a "crack in plywood " anything like this you would make the record books. But if it is just old vinyl glue that makes it look like backer the problem may be more screws are needed, maybe some shims from the bottom. But filling the cut won't help.


What type of header is needed for a door opening in load bearing concrete wall? I  have a walkout basement with a covered front porch 4'x 9', so the space under the porch is surrounded with concrete 9" walls.  I want to cut a door in the basement in the concrete wall, empty the gravel and other stuff from that space and turn the space into a storm shelter.  I will cut a small door in the 4' section which I enter through a closet.  The wall is load bearing as above it is a concrete slab, and 10' of brick.  What do I need to use for a header"?

Don't head off half cocked with internet advice and a 10" brick wall above. Hire a structural/civil engineer, and get an answer you can bet your house and/or life on - because you will be doing exactly that. Having got the advice, follow it carefully.

Given that you say "small door" your engineer might be able to give you a less painful solution by using a round-topped door that will act somewhat like an arch, for instance.


How do I search for a thermostat that has a delay before it turns on heating, rather than instantly turning on once the temperature drops by 1 degree? I bought a cheap thermostat which has an annoying problem: if I set it to 70 degrees, it will turn on the heating as soon as the temperature drops to 69 degrees and turn it off as soon as it increases to 70 degrees. This causes the heating to turn on and off every 15 minutes, which is annoying due to the initial fireplace sound being quite loud.
How do I find a thermostat that is smarter than that and waits for a bit before turning on/off? I.e. for a 70 degree setting, it would wait for the temperature to drop to 67 degrees, turn on heating, wait for the air to heat up to 73 degrees, then turn off. I believe there's a scientific term for such behavior in systems, but I can't seem to find it via Google.

If you only have a 2 wire thermostat it’s not the thermostat that needs to be changed. A “delay ON” relay would allow the firebox to get to temp by a set time but you don’t want wait for very long or there will be damage to the heat exchanger and trip the high temp safety (usually requires manual reset).
For gas furnaces that are loud on start up I have found this to be because the burners are dirty the chamber fills with gas and finally there is enough and whoosh it lights, this can even blow the pilot out in some cases.
Cleaning the burners or having them cleaned will usually eliminate the noise as the gas is lit as it enters (I have serviced quite a few gas furnaces and this is a common issue).
You may be able to service your furnace, open combustion usually have multiple burners that just lay in place with the furnace turned off and the gas off, reach in and lift the burner and slide to the Back they usually come out quite easily.
Next take a wire brush to the top of the burner (the trick is to point the burner down and wire brush then the rust falls on the ground) after brushing a light tap or 2 until no more crud falls out. Repeat with each burner.
The burner closest to the pilot is the most important and the pilot may be screwed to this burner. Remove screws and remove with some brands you have to remove one to the side because the pilot is in the way for direct removal, then put everything back turn on the power and gas and light the furnace if it has a pilot.
It will probably be much quieter lighting now.
If you have a hot surface igniter the same process has worked but make sure not to touch the igniter any finger oil can cause the hot surface element to crack and then it will need to be replaced.
For thermostats  that can adjust their “dead band” or “span” most are programmable that have settings +- for on or off like winter -1 for on and +2 for off I change mine for summer -2 for off +1 for off. Because this heels best to me.


Is there a simple way to retrofit an existing toilet with a top-mounted sink? I'm looking for a toilet with an integrated sink.  I've seen them on rare occasions: flushing the toilet activates the sink, which re-fills the toilet and tank using the water that drains through the integrated sink above the tank.

Is there a simple way to retrofit an existing toilet with a top-mounted sink?

If retrofitting one is not an option, is there a name for this that I can search for?

You are probably looking for something like this?  If you google "grey water toilet sink" you will get lots of results.


Are transition strips necessary in doorway for same level tile to tile? I removed the carpet in a room and now I am installing wood like ceramic tile. There is existing 12" by 12" ceramic tile in the hallway. Both Tiles are the same level. The wood-like is light brown and the existing ceramic in the hallway is beige.  Should I put a transition strip in the doorway or just join both tiles at the doorway where the carpet used to end.

There is no right or wrong answer to this as it depends on personal preference.
If it were me I would strongly consider not using a transition strip, to remove an additional element which would require extra work to install and maintain. A simple grout joint between the two tile types would probably be fine.


How can I convert switched receptacles to half switched receptacles? In my new house, I have two outlets which are both fully switch, and can be controlled by two different switches (three way of course). I would like to convert the outlets both to half switched, but if both cannot be done, my wife and I could settle with one. The problem is, I'm a bit confused on the wiring. I'm not a wiring expert, and haven't seen a three way switch set up like this, nor can I find a diagram similar. Pictures of both switches and both outlets are below.

The wiring is as follows. Please note: I'm not 100% certain the order of each item in the circuit, so don't let my order in the list dictate the circuit.

Outlet 1:
Two sets of 2-Wire, one set of 3-Wire. The 3-Wire and one of the 2-Wires exit top, and the other 2-Wire Exits bottom. The bottom 2-Wire's white is connected to the other 2-Wire, and the 3-Wire's black. Outlet has whites from the top 2-Wire and the 3-Wire, Black from bottom 2-Wire, and the red of the 3-Wire. All Tabs are intact

Outlet 2: One 3-Wire, One 2-Wire. Black wires are connected, outlet has both whites, and the red alone on one side. All tabs are intact.

Switch 1: One 3-Wire, One 2-Wire. White wire from 2-wire is connected to black from 3-wire. Switch has Black from 2-wire, and both white and red from 3-wire

Switch 2: One 3-Wire

Can anyone help clear this up so we can make at least one outlet only half switched? Thanks so much!!

Outlet 1

Outlet 2

Switch 1

Switch 2

This is what your circuit looks like now.

Click for larger view

Start by turning the power off at the breaker, and verify power is off using a non-contact voltage tester.

When you look at the side of the receptacles, you'll see a small tab between the screw terminals.

Using a pair of pliers, break the tab off of the ungrounded (hot) side of the receptacles (the brass screw terminals side).

So your circuit will now look like this.

Click for larger view

If you left it like this the top half of the first receptacle would work with the switch, but the bottom half and the second switch would never have power.  Using a small bit of black wire and a twist-on wire connector, remove the red wire from the screw terminal and connect it to the black wire and the top screw terminal.  So your circuit looks like this.

Click for larger view

With the circuit like this the top half of both receptacles will be controlled by the switch, but the bottom will never be powered.  To make the bottom half of the receptacles work, you'll have to use a bit of black wire to connect constant power to the lower screw terminal of each receptacle. When you're done, your circuit will look like this.

Click for larger view

Finish up by remounting all devices, installing trim plates, and turning the circuit breaker back on. At this point the bottom half of the receptacles should always have power, and the top should be controlled by the switches.

If at any time during this project you feel uncomfortable, do not hesitate to contact a local licensed Electrician.

I'm just a guy on the internet, not a licensed Electrician.  Assumptions may have been made on the current wiring, based on your descriptions. Without being there, there is no way to be sure these assumptions are correct.  Please proceed with caution, and at your own risk.


Masonry bricks acceptable as pavers? Working on a plan for installing pavers for a small patio and drive way (sand over compacted gravel).  Found local source for really cheap masonry bricks (bricks with voids).  What issues would I run into down the line if I used these as patio and/or driveway pavers?

I think that they may not hold up to the load for a driveway, but they may work for the patio.  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I can't find anything on this online, which makes me think this is a dumb idea.

If your base is solid the bricks will be fine in both places. With that said I have done this and after several years of parking my heavy work van in the same area there was a noticeable indent along the tire path. I had ~4" of crushed rock or shale and then maybe 1/2" of sand, I put the holes up and seeded with drought resistant grass in them (I saw the idea in a magazine for more green spaces). I thought it looked nice but in the summer I had to water my driveway to keep it green.


Regulating voltage at end of 200 foot 120 V AC extension cable I am needing to drill some anchor bolts into concrete using an electric Hammer Drill (Electrical Rating 120VAC / 60Hz / 10A). I am working in a warehouse, and the worst case scenario, the furthest anchor point from a receptacle is 200 feet. In the past, I saw a company use a box that apparently bumped the voltage up (to regulate it) to account for the voltage drop. I have NO limitations here (other than distance) to consider when helping me.

What is that 'box' called. I searched the internet for regulators, but the only thing I could find was power inverters for vehicles. Can you please point me in the right direction. I am trying to avoid having to rent a generator like I did the last time...they're LOUD and exhaust fumes indoors is deadly.

To directly answer your question: what you want is a "voltage regulating transformer". Alternately, I have also seen the wording "voltage regulator converter transformer" - basically add "transformer" to the search terms you're already looking for.

The issue is, in order to counter the voltage drop, you need to start at a higher voltage, so you need a transformer before the regulator. Likely you will need a 240/120 V step down transformer (most common). In theory there could be a  110V/120V+ step up transformer that will do a slight step up before the regulator so the regulator can regulate it down - but I can't find a specific commercial device that does that. Hopefully there's a 240V plug available to you, as well.

That being said, you should take the comments that have been made into consideration. It's likely much cheaper to just get a thicker extension cord (especially consider you'll probably at least need a new 220 V cord for the transformer anyway). The bigger the conductor cross-section, the less voltage drop per foot you'll experience. You can do the calculations to figure out what size you need, I suspect 10 AWG as was suggested will probably be sufficient for 200 ft.


Should I add air ducts when finishing my basement or rely on space heaters? I am going have a finished basement of 1000 sq/ft which includes a theater room of 12X16. Currently I am in process of planning in stalling duct work to my basement.
I am thinking of not putting duct work in the theater room because in the winter we will only go to the basement for just watching movies. I don't want to turn up the thermostat upstairs to heat the whole basement and over heat the main living area, so instead I'm thinking of just using aspace heater in the theater room.
What are the pros & cons of using a space heater in the room instead of installing central heat, particularly in terms of electric bills ?
I don't have multiple zone in house.

Summary...  100% add the duct work.   It will be cheaper in long run, look better, and will increase resale value of the home.
Few things here:

Once you add those walls/ceilings (given it is not a drop ceiling) adding duct work will be very costly and messy.   This is sort of like running ethernet cable throughout the house, but air ducts probably have little chance of being under spec in your lifetime.   Adding a damper with access to manually turn it off and on is common.   (forgive the price here... usually about $15, just an example)

Most inspectors will not allow a place to be label "finished" without it being conditioned in all rooms.   This depends on where you live.   So what I am saying is... before you ask this question on here and research options - Have you asked your inspector?   I can't think of one place that would allow me to "finish" a basement (that's something I have done more than any project) and not require each room to be conditioned.   I have had some inspectors require that I condition (add ducts) to the unfinished areas if any of the basement is considered finished.    Yes I said that right - I have had to put ducts in unfinished storage or laundry room because I was getting the rest of basement signed off on.

It makes no sense to have 1000 sq feet done by space heaters.    That's just too big.   To do it right you would need a few faux fireplaces with their own safety and shutoff devices.   These would probably require special electrical.   Running ducts in an unfinished space is cheap.   Doing "nothing" sounds cheaper until it isn't.

Even if you ignore all of the above just do it for the resale value of the home.   If I were scoping out a home to buy I would notice the lack of duct work in a basement that size, would assume I would rip apart a lot to fix it and would adjust the price in my head.   Worse though is that I would assume other things weren't done right.   And even worse to the non-handyman is that the "fireplaces" or "heaters" probably make the finished area look a bit tacky.

Note: If someone were only finishing a small part of their basement - two small rooms (workout room + whatever) I could see the justification of not adding ducts as the bleeding of the heat would be costly and not efficient.   This probably gets into what % of the basement is being finished.   I think once you get over 60% or 500 sq ft the answer is probably yes you should.
Note to the note:  In the case above if you don't condition those two rooms, likely the city will not consider that finished space when you are selling the home, no matter how nice it looks.  (this also could be actual home square footage in a walk out basement)


How can I straighten twisted studs? I have a bunch of 2x4s that are twisted and warped. Is there a way to salvage them?

If the 2x4 is not too twisted, then you can probably just use a clamp or a block. Start by fastening one end of the stud in place, and then use one nail to fasten the other end. The nail should be placed such that one of the edges of the stud is centered (as it should be). The other edge (lets call it edge B) will not be on center until a clamp or block is used to straighten the stud. If edge B is off center such that it is closer to the adjacent stud, the a block should be inserted between the two studs. Once the stud is aligned with the appropriate center, nail it in! Or if edge B is further away from the adjacent stud, a bar clamp can be used to pull it back toward the center.

If the stud is very twisted, you can relieve much of the stress with boiling water. You will need to boil about 1-2 quarts of water. With the twisted stud in place, (3 nails in it) begin pressing/untwisting it with a block or clamp. After you have untwisted it partly, wrap a towel on the on the area (2 to 5 ft) with the most twisting and pour the boiling water onto the towel. Pour slowly allowing the hot water to contact and saturate the wood. After a few minutes continue to apply pressure with the block or clamp. It may take up to 10 minutes for the wood to begin to soften. Again, once the stud is aligned with the appropriate center, nail it in!

Note: boiling could soften the wood too much, and allow compression failure. Source: (http://www.primitiveways.com/bending.html). So, studs treated with boiling water should not be used for load bearing walls.


How do I mount a power strip to the smooth metal support structure of a banquet table? I bought a heavy-duty power strip from Walmart which I would like to mount to the metal support structure of a banquet table.

This is the power strip:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/49557487

This is the banquet table:
https://www.staples.com/product_1321933

There is a smooth metal surface along the under edge of the table to which adds mechanical support. It is roughly the same height as the power strip is wide and is a perfect place to hide the strip to be used for connecting a number of electronics.

The problem I have is that I don't know how to go about securing the strip. I tried 3M Scotch 30lb mounting tape:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/203405976

This worked OK for a while but the weight of the strip itself caused it to tilt over time until it finally detached from the adhesive. The adhesive held just fine to the table but was weak at bonding with the plastic of the strip.

The back of the strip has what appear to be two mounting holes in the form of a cross (one on each end) which I believe is meant for mounting:

I have no problem punching a hole in the metal frame to mount this but I don't know what tool would be required to perform this task. The metal appears to be 1/4" steel and has a lip on the bottom which would prevent me from using some kind of punch which must clamp flush with a piece of sheet metal.

What is the proper way to go about mounting this strip so that it is secure and won't fall off again but will allow removal for later transportation. Note that removal isn't as important but the strip does have a fuse and it would be useful to be able to easily swap it out if it does break at some point in the future.

Regardess of the intent of the cross, the metal endcap of the power strip has a hole shaped like a gourd (or like a male chicken and globes, if you have a dirty mind).

That is designed to be used with a screw mounting. The screw should be chosen so the head just fits through the larger diameter, but only the shaft fits in the slot.  Slide the screw head theough the hole, slide it down into the slot, then tighten the screw tight so it can't move.

Now only a firm sideward pull will dislodge it.  You can stop that by a cleverly placed additional screw.

If your steel is even 1/16", I would consider drilling and tapping the hole for the screw.


Well-pump gate valve replacement I am replacing some of the galvanized plumbing in our basement and shut of the main supply line pictured below. After cutting away some of the cold water line I have a steady stream of water (filled 5+ gallons so far) and I’ve opened up the water faucets on our second floor. I assumed it was coming from the gate valve, so I tried to tighten it a bit since it’s seemed a bit corroded. It turned a bit and started to turn a little easier after the initial torque—but now it just continues turning. I can hear the water sounds to shift from a varied subtle flow as I turn the valve. At one point it stops but then starts to trickle through again. Does this mean the valve is bad and needs replaced?
If so, will the water continue flowing after I cut away the pvc to remove the valve and attach a new one?

Does this mean the valve is bad and needs replaced?

YES- the symptoms you describe indicate a stripped or broken stem or gate:

  If so, will the water continue flowing after I cut away the pvc to remove the valve and attach a new one?

YES- in fact, you cannot repair or replace the valve unless you shut off the flow upstream. If you try, A LOT of water will flow.


What is causing cracking and creaking noises in the ceiling and walls? I've asked numerous people and no one has the slightest idea of what this can be.  I'm hoping y'all can maybe come up with ideas to help figure this out.

I moved to the condo three months ago.  For the past three months I've been using the heating and when sleeping in the master bedroom it's a very quiet environment.  About two weeks ago I turned on the air-conditioner for about 10 minutes and shut it down on a warm day.  When we went to sleep in the master bedroom there were loud crack noises coming from the ceiling and the walls around us.  This went on from the time we went to bed all the way until we woke up around 11AM.  I didn't turn on the AC for a while and it became silent in the master.  Just the other night I tested it out again by turning on the FAN for about 5 minutes.  Again, at night when we were trying to sleep, loud crack noises almost like you were lighting a firecracker or throwing a quarter against the ceiling.

You're saying that noise occurs when the AC is running. Is it possible that your AC's refrigerant line runs through or above your bedroom ceiling? If improperly installed, it may rub against structure when the line expands/contracts as its temperature changes, creating the noise.

It's also possible that a noise could come from air ducts in your ceiling/walls, but from your description the most likely culprit is thermal expansion/contraction of a metal pipe/tube rubbing against wood.


Drilling: what's underneath my subfloor? I have a squeaky floor and I'm trying to use a kit to screw the subfloor to the joists.  However, while drilling to find the joists I can go down less than an inch before the drill stops going down and instead makes a noise like I'm drilling into concrete.  The room I'm in is at ground level but there is basement below it.  Would there be any reason for a cement-like level under the subfloor?  How can I know if it's safe to fix the squeaks?

Update: I'm fairly new to home repair.  I just bought my first house a few months ago.  Anyway I pulled out a vent and didn't see anything too out of the ordinary.  It looks like there might be two subfloor layers, one particle board and one plywood.  It's possible I easily went through the particle board and I'm not used to how hard the plywood is.

Sounds like there could be some self-leveling concrete somewhere under there.

Self-leveling concrete is typically used to create a flat and smooth surface with a compressive strength similar to or higher than that of traditional concrete prior to installing interior floor coverings. Self-leveling concrete has increased in popularity as the degree of flatness and smoothness required for floor covering products has increased, with vinyl goods becoming thinner and floor tiles becoming larger, for example

It's possible the concrete is only in the low spots of the floor, so might not be visible (or extremely thin) at the vent you checked.
Since there's a basement underneath, if you can get access to the floor joists from below that might be a better way to stop squeaks.


Gas Fireplace: Is mesh screen panel in front of the glass necessary? Our 10 year old gas fireplace looks so much nicer without the wire mesh screen,  just the glass front. The glass seals to the face with 4 spring loaded clamps on the corners, and rope 'caulk'.  Is the mesh screen panel in front of the glass necessary? or is it just to give it the look of a spark screen ?

Without seeing a picture, I'm going to assume you're talking about the "safety screen" that now comes with most fireplaces.

It's necessary for manufactures to provide them, but whether you put it on or not is up to you. The intent of it is to stop small children from burning their skin on it if they get too close to the unit, but if there are no children in the house then it serves no point.


How do I remove polyethylene that's melted to a nylon carpet? The situation: some workmen put down a polyethylene drop cloth, and then set a halogen light on top of it. So now I have spots approximately 2" in diameter, where the former melted into the latter.

After reading Wikipedia, it appears that polyethylene has a melting point of approximately 250F, while nylon carpet material is 450+, so my current plan is to use paper towels and an iron. However, that's risky.

Are there any better solutions?

Using a household iron works, with caveats.

First: several sheets of paper towel between the iron and the carpet. These are here primarily to protect your iron (and your shirts!). I was hoping that it might also might be something that the plastic preferred to stick to, but that didn't happen.

Second: no steam, and set the heat on wool (about 1/2). I slowly worked my way up the heat dial: the synthetics settings weren't hot enough (as expected), the cotton setting (3/4) wasn't appreciably better, and the linen setting (full) made the plastic adhere more tightly to the carpet (fortunately, I tried this near the end, to get the last bits out, and it actually had the benefit of making them disappear).

The process: put the paper towels over the spot, then let the iron sit for 20-30 seconds. This will soften the plastic, such that it can be removed either by pinching between your fingers or using tweezers. Fingers are preferred, as tweezers tend to tear out small pieces. In retrospect, a dull knife (such as a table knife) would have been a good tool: it would go on bottom, pulling the plastic away, with a finger on top to apply pressure.


If I blow insulation everywhere in my attic except the door trap, will heat escape through it? I want to blow insulation into my attic. The door into my attic is on the floor and made up of a large board which doesn't have hinges. I have to push the door up and slide it over in order to gain access to the attic. That means when I blow in insulation, I can't blow any in on the door or in the area that I will slide the door over to.

Will this gap in insulation cause major hot or cold air loss? Are there alternatives to this?

You don't put blow in above the door.   Use batts or cut several layers poly board insulation to mimic slightly less than your attic cover.   4-5 layers will give you good coverage.

This will not provide a perfect barrier but is the recommended way of handling attic openings.bb


Steel beams for 22' interior clear span I am building a ceiling under an existing roof, covering an area of 22' x 28'. This rectangle will be supported at the two ends of the 22' run, as well as, optionally, one or possibly two ends of the 28'.

There will be about 2' of space between the ceiling and the roof, which will be used for storage of boxes, etc, and which I expect to be accessible by crawling.

Aside from the crawling person, the weights on this ceiling will vary, ranging between 0-40 pounds per square foot, with much of it empty aisles for access. I would say the average psf among the non-empty area would be much closer to 0 than to 40. However the total weight may reach several thousand lbs.

I have been looking at some steel beams to support this ceiling, to run horizontally inside the ceiling. I wonder if anyone has an idea off the top of their head what would be suitable. I wonder if I am in the right range with a product such as:

https://www.metalsdepot.com/steel-products/steel-beams
B1495 4" x 0.326" x 2.796" steel I-beam
or
https://www.metalsdepot.com/steel-products/steel-rectangle-tube
T142316 4 x 2 x 3/16 wall steel rectangular tube

It does seem like maybe the I beam would be more appropriate since the stress is concentrated on its single strong center rather than the two weaker sides of the rectangle.

The beams would be running the 22' span, and then perpendicular to them, running between them, would be 2x4 lumber attached to the beams with the standard hanging joist attachment mechanism.

I do want to try to optimize the cost here, as far as the number of beams / how far they are from each other vs their strength.

Can anyone refer me to exactly what mathematics I should be looking at for making a more precise calculation?

I am hoping to keep the height of the beams to 4" but willing to go up to 6" if necessary.

This will not be subject to any building codes or inspections.

I welcome any comments regarding this task.

Just a heads up, spanning 22' while being limited to 4-6" floor depth is extremely cost prohibitive. Deeper is always cheaper, but it sounds like you don't have the space to make this work as planned.

What's below this storage space you want to create? Can you legally reduce the head height by framing the floor lower? This would allow for more storage space as well as room for a deeper and more cost effective floor.

Option 1

Use one 22' long W8x48 steel beam down the center of your 22'x28' rectangle. This steel beam is 8.5" deep, plus a 1.5" deep wood nailer plate, plus 0.75" floor sheathing, means that the floor is 10.75" at the deepest point. Then use 2x10 joists spaced at 16" on center spanning 14' on each side of the steel beam.

You use top mount hangers connected to the wood nailer plate on top of the steel beam. The Simpson JB210A will work.

If you wanted to save some floor depth, you can skip the 1.5" deep wood nailer plate and field weld the top mount hangers directly to the steel beam's top flange. If you do this, use the Simpson LB210AZ hanger instead. Your floor would now be 10.0" at the deepest point, but in my opinion the extra work of field welding hangers isn't worth the 0.75" of depth that you'd save. (It might seem like I did the math wrong, but your deepest point is now your floor joists, not the steel beam.)

This steel beam's end reaction is up to 9,000 pounds fully loaded, so you will need to verify your foundation can handle it, as well as the columns used to support it.

This is the most cost effective way to do this, but this steel beam alone weighs 1,056 pounds, so you're going to struggle to install it yourself.

Option 2

This is an expensive option, but you could use six W6x25 steel beams that are 22' long spaced 48" on center and framed with 4' long 2x4 joists spaced at 16" on center between the steel beams. If you field weld top mount hangers, and use 0.5" floor sheathing (32/16 APA span rating), the deepest part of your floor is 6.88". If you are okay with an additional 0.25" of depth, then space your 2x4s at 24" on center and use 0.75" floor sheathing (48/24 APA span rating).

The good part is that these W6x25 steel beams only weigh 550 pounds each, but the bad part is that your steel bill is going to be closer to $5,000 instead of $1,500 for the W8x48 option. I'll let you add up the cost of the lumber, and switching from 2x10s to 2x4s should give you a little bit of savings to offset the additional steel cost.

I'm not sure on your absolute height limitations, so hopefully it's worth the additional cost to save 3.12" to 3.87" of depth.

Option 3

If you absolutely need the minimum depth, and money is no object, you could also use seventeen 22' long W5x19 steel beams spaced at 19.2" on center, skip the wood floor joists, and install 0.59375" floor sheathing (40/20 APA span rating) without a wood nailer, you would have a 5.75" deep floor. This will cost close to $10,000 in steel, but each steel beam will only weigh 418 pounds so it might be easier to install yourself.

Option 4

If we change gears and stay away from steel beams, and go with LVLs instead. You could use 22' long 4 ply 1.75" x 7.25" 2.0E LVL spaced at 12" on center. This would still be about $7,500 in LVL, so not much cheaper. It'd be 7.75" deep, but much easier to install because each ply weights only 82 pounds, or about 330 pounds for the 4 ply beam after it's nailed together.

Edit:
Option 5

Oh, I assumed you were trying to add this to an existing structure. If the 22x28 structure isn't even built yet, then you have another option! Have the roof truss manufacturer build room in attic trusses or storage trusses to create this storage area up in the roof. 6 foot tall wood triangles are much stronger than 6 inch tall steel beams. You can even specify a deeper heel height and get a little more space by raising the roof and getting more space for insulation as a bonus.


Light bulb socket cover Where can I get a light bulb socket cover for my never used outside flood light sockets?  I don't use the light fixture, the flood lamps are too heavy to keep in the sockets as the fixture comes detached from the house.  I'm looking for a simple solution.  I have inside flood lamps but they don't fit properly in the sockets.  Thank you.

I've never seen a "plug" that completely covers the socket, but you can get a two-prong adapter like this that will fill in the Edison socket and only leave the two prongs opened.


broken wire in the wall? Thanks in advance for your help.
I have a run in a 20 year old house that is about half out.  about half the outlets and 2 overhead lights won't work.

After some troubleshooting, I took 40' of wire left over from an old job to jump from the last working outlet to what I think is the next, about 10 feet down.  So, twisted the Jump wire to the panel/working side and connected to the next outlet.  Lights and outlets worked throughout the circuit.

Disconnecting the jump wire and removing the first outlet altogether, I twisted the panel wires with the inside wires - basically just took out the outlet.  No voltage measured at the 2nd outlet ends - measured at the wires having disconnected the from the outlet. So, nothing in line but a splice.

My multi-meter is old/analog, and I couldn't 0 the ohms  But using the 40' as a baseline, it read "35" Ohms for just the 40 feet of wire.

Disconnected the inside wires from the panel wires, and used the jump wire to test continuity inside + jump wires twisted together. The white was about "70" and the black was very high - about 500. That was on the R1K setting.  Anything less than 1K doesn't measure, even probe to probe. So the numbers are probably only useful for relative purposes.

Ran scenarios inside black and outside white connected to panel - 0 V at the other end.  Outside black and inside white 120V.  Outside and outside 120V of course.  Inside and inside 0 V.  So, black doesn;t work.  Again, jumping the inside wires worked to light up the rest of the line.  However, even though O-Black and I-White measured 120V,  OBlack and IWhite did not reactivate the rest of the circuit.  Just the outside jump.

I don't want to just leave a wire running along the floor and I don't want to tear out the wall to replace the inside wire.  Suggestions please.

I have to stop you.

You're making a huge assumption that the dead outlets and the live ones must be "part of the same circuit", and that there's a wire in the wall between them, and that the wire is broken.  That's not what's happening at all.

First, wires breaking in walls is rare.  And second, a house - especially a 20-year-old house - is a multitude of circuits, 20, 30 or even 40.   It's almost certainly true that the "live" circuit you're splicing from, and the "dead" circuit you're splicing to, are totally different circuits.

  Ran scenarios inside black and outside white connected to panel - 0 V at the other end. Outside black and inside white 120V. Outside and outside 120V of course.

Wait.  If this was one circuit, how is the "inside" (you say the fed,  downline) neutral able to return power back to the panel????  It's disconnected, right?  No, if it gave the 120V reading, it must be connected back to the panel.  The answer is, it does go back to the main panel because it's a separate circuit with its own homerun back to the panel.  Then you say

  So, twisted the Jump wire to the panel/working side and connected to the next outlet. Lights and outlets worked throughout the circuit.

Yeah, because you were backfeeding.

You said it yourself: about half your house is dead.  About half your house.   And your house is many circuits.  What causes that, I wonder?  Read here about houses have 2 poles of power.

Yeah.  All the circuits on one pole are dead.

What's actually happening here is your red pole is dead from the power company. You had no idea what you were doing.  What you actually did was connect a hot from a "black" circuit to a hot from a "red" circuit -backfeeding not just that circuit, but the whole "red" bus! Making all of them hot (but in-phase when they're supposed to be out-of-phase, 120V loads don't care).  So that dead half of your house lit back up again.

This would fail once you drew more than 15-20A on the red side, because you're backfeeding through 15-20A breakers and they'll trip.

If the power company restored your power, your jumper would be connecting opposite poles, and KABOOM! Dead short, and breakers would trip.

You have too little knowledge.  If you want to learn the art, then borrow a book from the library and start reading about home electrical, and then get another, and then hang out here for awhile and read and ask questions.  You'll eventually get up to speed.  In the meantime, no more playing with electricity, K?

As for half your house being dead, call the power company and report an outage because that's what you have.  They'll fix it for free in a few hours typically (or tell you it ain't them, at which point it's electrician time).   Remember to roll back all these temporary connections before the power company lights you back up.


Taking Measurements for Driveway Project I'm a new DIYer and my first project is to cover my sand driveway with bluestone gravel. My question is how do I take measurements of driveway to determine how much gravel to buy? Thank you in advance for your help!

Measure the area of the driveway using a tape measure, walking wheel, or whatever is most appropriate for the size and layout of your driveway. If your driveway is rectangular, just multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in feet). If it's a more complicate shape, break it into smaller shapes that are rectangles, and add the area of each smaller shape together.

Take the area and multiply it by the depth of sand you wish to have, in inches. Divide that by 12, and the result is the number of cubic feet of sand you'll need. Divide that by 27 to get the number of cubic yards you'll need.

You'll probably want to add some fudge factor to account for measurement errors, the driveway edges not being straight, dips in the driveway, etc. How much depends on the size of your driveway, but 10% is probably a good starting point.


ceiling fan w/remote My porch lights are wired with 12-2. I want to control the ceiling fan, i.e. light and fan independent of other porch lights. I believe this requires running a 12-3, which I wont do. Having said that can I  still install/attach a wireless remote to the ceiling fan, granted the other lights will be left on but have ability to turn ceiling fan light on/off and or control fan with the remote realizing the other porch lights will remain on?
Or can I install a dimer switch to dim the other porch lights and control ceiling fan light /fan with remote?

Yes, you can purchase a remote control module that will allow you to independently control the fan and the light. Most modules only require a hot, neutral, and ground wire to operate.

Here's a wiring diagram from a random fan remote, installation guide (PDF).

The receiver gets power from the house wiring, then determines which leads to energized based on the buttons pressed on the remote.


How does Red Guard / waterproof relate to floating for tile? I'm going to tile my bathroom. I'm in the second story, but the surface is concrete. I live in a condo. I'm told you're supposed to use Red Guard. Do you Red Guard after you float, before you tile? Or, before you even start to float?

You use Redguard after the floor is prepped. You can do minor floating as in a thin layer of thinset to fill in an area that may have been overlooked while floating the bath floor the first time.

Being its a condo and the floor is concrete, the floor is either poured in place or precast panels set in place. That in mind, I can't see the floors being much out of whack that would make the floors difficult to get right. Worst case with a precast floor, you may have a joint where two precast slabs meet, that would be the most problematic. If there is two distinct levels then there is not enough grinding that will fix it, better to use a self leveling underlayment with their approved primer, the add the Redguard. You can still touch it up a bit with thinset if you feel it is needed.

The larger tile will take a LARGE notched trowel (1/2"X1/2")to set the floor. This itself will automatically build in some give and take. A level floor is good, but you can work with a floor that is all on the same plane. In other words, flat, no high spots, maybe just a little out of level, not much though.


When replacing non-grounding type receptacles is a GFCI receptacle required, or can any GFCI device be used? Under the NEC (it was 210(7)(d)(3), but appears to have moved around some), it is permissible to replace an ungrounded receptacle with a GFCI receptacle, then wire further ungrounded or non-grounded (i.e. a NEMA 5 without a ground wire hooked up) receptacles on the circuit to the load side of the GFCI, all in lieu of running a ground wire in order to replace the existing ungrounded receptacles with grounded receptacles.

However: does this permission extend to replacing the branch circuit overcurrent protection device with a GFCI-type circuit breaker (or a CAFCI breaker that provides ground fault protection for personnel)?  Or can only GFCI receptacles be used for this retrofit? The NEC's verbiage does not make mention of breaker-type GFCIs...

The NEC simply states "where supplied through a ground-fault circuit interrupter" in this instance, so you can achieve this either by a GFI receptacle, a faceless GFI device, or a GFI breaker.

You cannot however use an AFCI breaker, unless it is one of the new (and rare) AFCI/GFCI breakers. Good luck finding one though. I find one Siemens on Amazon and that's about it.

See "(c)" below.

From the 2011 NEC:

  406.4 General Installation Requirements

  Receptacle outlets shall be located in branch circuits in accordance
  with Part III of Article 210. General installation requirements shall
  be in accordance with 406.4(A) through (F).

  (D) Replacements.

  Replacement of receptacles shall comply with 406.4(D)(1) through
  (D)(6), as applicable.

  (2) Non–Grounding-Type Receptacles.

  Where attachment to an equipment grounding conductor does not exist in
  the receptacle enclosure, the installation shall comply with
  (D)(2)(a), (D)(2)(b), or (D)(2)(c).

  (a) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
  replaced with another non–grounding-type receptacle(s).

  (b) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
  replaced with a ground-fault circuit interrupter-type of
  receptacle(s). These receptacles shall be marked “No Equipment
  Ground.” An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected from
  the ground-fault circuit-interrupter-type receptacle to any outlet
  supplied from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter receptacle.

  (c) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be
  replaced with a grounding-type receptacle(s) where supplied through a
  ground-fault circuit interrupter. Grounding-type receptacles supplied
  through the ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be marked “GFCI
  Protected” and “No Equipment Ground.” An equipment grounding conductor
  shall not be connected between the grounding-type receptacles.


What type of crawlspace setup do I have? New home owner here - I’m working on sealing the furnace ducts that run through our crawlspace. Previous owner used silver duct tape and not the proper mastic or UL approves aluminum tape. Long story short - I realized there are ducts in our crawl that actually blow heated air into the crawlspace. We don’t have AC, just a furnace (located in Pacific Northwest).

Is this normal? None of the ducts have insulation either, that was going to be my next task but now I’m questioning if it needs to be done? No insulation under the flooring or on the concrete slab. (Single story ranch home - approx 1500sq ft with a 3.5 ft tall crawlspace)

I have seen this done in our area to keep the pipes from freezing and the floors from being cold. On the homes that do this they usually plug the foundation vents for the winter. Many years ago electric heat was super cheap so this option was less expensive than insulating everything. Most places have gone back and insulated the floors and pipes then closed off the duct to save on heating cost


How do I install a light socket in the middle of a power line with a switch? I am replacing a light fixture in the middle of a circuit. Power flows into the fixture from the circuit breaker and out of the fixture to other lights and whatnot. There's also a switch attached. I thought I hooked everything back together properly, but when I switched the circuit back on at the breaker, the light turned on even though the switch was off. When I turned the switch on, it tripped the circuit. I attempted to make a diagram (minus grounding wires which are also connected). What did I do wrong and how do I fix it?

You put the switch and the light fixture both between hot & neutral, effectively parallel to each other. That makes the light always on and the switch creates a short between hot & neutral - correctly tripping the breaker.
What you have is a switch loop. They are confusing at first but actually quite simple.
Light switches are normally wired in the "middle" of the hot wire between the power source and the light. The way you do that with a switch loop is as follows:

Black from power (hot) connects (yes this will seem strange) to the white wire going to the switch. It bypasses the light fixture.
White from power (neutral) connects to the silver screw on the light fixture.
Black from the switch goes to the brass screw on the light fixture. This is called switched hot.

This uses the same wires you already have, just arranged slightly differently. Plus you need one more wire nut to connect the black power wire to the white switch wire.
In order to avoid future confusion, you should put colored electrical tape (not green or white) near both ends of that white switch loop wire to indicate that it is a hot wire.

As noted in a comment on the question, you may want to preemptively replace the switch as it may have been damaged by arcing from shorting. If you do that (or if you replace it sometime later for any other reason), keep in mind that a traditional switch loop does not have neutral. That rules out many, but not all, options for timers, lighted switches, dimmers, smart switches, etc. If you put in anything other than a simple switch, make sure that it does not require neutral.


Install exterior window trim without puncturing nailing fins When installing exterior window trim (just some 1" x 4" boards), how do you fasten them to the house without hitting the windows nailing fin and weather proofing material on top of them?

For example, a vinyl window is installed into the frame with nails or screws through a fin that has holes in it. This sits on the exterior side of the frame. Then you put tape over it. I imagine when installing the exterior trim boards, you don't want to puncture the fin or the tape, but then I don't see how you can install the trim because the fin is at least 1" and the tape more like 4", but the trim board is only 4" wide.

Personally, we regard flashing tape as self-healing, to an extent. At least, to the extent that we don't worry about a few finish nails going through it.

See, that tape and those fins are really just to deter condensation, not full-blown rain leaks. A couple pin-holes are acceptable.


What are good uses for tandem (double-stuff) breakers? Pretty much all of the advice regarding panels here revolves around the idea of heavily oversizing your breaker panel to avoid running out of spaces and to avoid needing tandem breakers. Especially given new AFCI requirements for pretty much everything except dedicated loads, it seems like tandem breakers are decreasingly useful.

Are there any particularly good applications for tandem (or double-stuff) breakers, including triplex and quad breakers?

As an example, I have a solar setup backfeeding a 20A 2-pole breaker. I also have a solar production monitor that requires a 2-pole breaker, mostly to sense voltage to accurately track power. It seems reasonable, given the related nature of the two, that I could save two spaces in my panel and put both the inverters and the monitor on a quad breaker (2 2-pole breakers in 2 spaces).

Similarly, I have and electric cooktop and wall oven. I can get quad breakers with 20A/40A setups that would replace the 20A 2-pole and 40A 2-pole currently serving the oven and cooktop, respectively. As another related set of loads, this seems like it could be a reasonable use for these style of breakers.

I understand that panel space can be a reason to use duplex, triplex, or quad breakers, but I am specifically asking about situations in which you do have ample panel space.

No, in fact if you don't NEED to use them, you should not. All breakers give off heat and cramming more breakers into a space not designed to handle that heat leads to things overheating.

Most panels now have to specifically ALLOW you to use tandem breakers and will LIMIT the number of them that you can use. This came about years ago because before that, people were overloading their panels and the heat was causing breaker failures and fires. So the designation is called "CTL", short for Circuit Total Limitation and all panels made since 1965 must now have that on the label IF you can install CTL listed tandem breakers. What that means is that in the mechanical workings of the panel and/or how the breakers attach to the bus (everyone does it differently), there are only a few spots where you can plug in CTL listed tandem breakers, because there is some sort of "rejection" clip or feature that prevents them from being installed anywhere else.

Unfortunately, a LOT of the breaker mfrs have not changed their basic designs since the 1960s, so if you manage to find breakers that are NOT CTL listed, that means they don't have the rejection feature and you can install them willy-nilly in the manner that caused the fire issues in the first place. As a general rule, you can't buy those breakers as new in hardware stores, but the internet has made this something that people can do again, even though they should not, and the issues are rearing their ugly heads once again. Inspectors will nail you on that if they see it in your panel, but that only happens when you take out a permit for something.


Circuit requirements add up to more than 200 amps? We are remodeling our 2,750 sqft 4-bedroom home to add two basement studio units. The home is 1910s and I'm rewiring the 200-amp panel as I go along, and trying to plan circuits wisely to leave enough spare capacity and circuit breakers for the new units. But my initial back of the envelope calculation shows I'm already out of room based on current code requirements (I'm even leaving lighting circuits off for simplicity):

Upstairs (100 amps)

20 amps AFCI for Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 2 (<10 receptacles total)
20 amps AFCI for Bedroom 3 and Bedroom 4 (<10 receptacles total)
20 amps GFCI for Bathroom 1 upstairs
20 amps GFCI for Bathroom 2 upstairs
20 amps for Washer / gas Dryer

Downstairs (40 amps)

20 amps GFCI for hallway powder room
20 amps AFCI for Living/Dining (<10 receptacles total)

Kitchen (110 amps)

20 amps GFCI Kitchen countertops 1
20 amps GFCI Kitchen countertops 2
20 amps AFCI Fridge (2014 NEC)
20 amps shared Dishwasher/Disposal
20 amps Microwave
10 amps (maybe) for gas range/oven, if it needs its own circuit

Basement Appliances (30 amps)

15 amps for gas furnace
15 amps for gas tankless water heater

...and that's 280 amps already, and I have even thought about lighting!

New requirements

2nd laundry room (approx. 200sqft)
Central AC unit(s) (don't have currently but will add for tenants)
Receptacles/Lighting/Kitchen for two studios (approx. 500sqft each)

Wondering if I'm doing something wrong here, I considered backing up to doing a load calculation but I think the rules above for dedicated circuits are straight NEC and the guidance on receptacle count (assume 1.5amp per receptacle) is pretty common from what I've seen in my searching.

[EDITS]

Thanks for all questions/comments. Multiple commenters identified my biggest misunderstanding, which was equating capacity with usage, and assuming once the circuit breakers added to 200 amp I had to stop adding circuits. It appears I have to look into subscription/oversubscription, and more importantly plan for branch circuits/subpanels to identify my larger issue, which is a lack of space on the panel for all these separate circuits.

Not even close

Look at how service panels work. There are actually two Poles, L1 and L2.  Since you are dealing in 120V loads, you can pull 200A off each of them.

A 240V load like a house air conditioner pulls off both at once.  You have none, however.

Aside from the 120V issue, you are supposed to radically oversubscribe panels. A family will use the power a family wants to use, how the circuits are subdivided will not affect demand.

The purpose of breakers is to protect wiring. If you subdivide a circuit, say, into 3 circuits, each set of wiring needs its own circuit protector (breaker). That's all that is.  And Codes have required a lot of circuit division of late, which is why each bathroom and bedroom requires its own circuit and you are putting 6 circuits in a kitchen.

Tom rewired his kitchen from three 15A circuits to twenty 20A circuits, even provided 2 separate circuits on each countertop receptacle. From the panel it looks like a leap from 45A to 400A, but Tom's wife doesn't know that.  She might raise her usage from 30A to 40A as she learns not to be skittish about breaker trips, but that's all.

A lot of your general-use circuits are dedicated circuits with almost no load on them. Fridge, gas range, gas furnace, gas water heater, lighting circuits... These might draw an amp or two yet you are figuring 15-20A for each.  This is just the nature of satisfying modern codes, which do a lot of subdividing circuits that would've been combined before. A lot of European homes have 6 breakers.

One thing we do not oversubscribe is big 240V loads that are likely to be on at the same time (i.e. Not electric heat and A/C).

Another type we do not oversubscribe is loads we plan to run 24x7, e.g. A Bitcoin miner will buy a house and (if he listens to me) will spread the servers around the house so the existing 30A A/C can cool it.  If he is putting twenty 10A servers around the house, he has to make sure they are balanced 10 on each pole, and provision a full 100A for them, plus the 30A A/C.

In other words we think about the loads that are likely to be on at once, worst case, and fudge in a safety factor.

Make it legal

This studio subdivision, are these mancave/art studio, or do you even have the sparkle in your eye of renting these units out? If the latter, get to the city permit agency and have a lengthy talk about subdivision - if it is legally possible and what utility divisions are required to do it.  For instance you will need separate panels for the studios, because the tenant must be able to reset his own breakers without having to call you.   And they may need to be (or be easily rearranged into) main panels with their own meter. That's code saying that, not my opinion.

My opinion is, existing units often have these ganky arrangements where a tenant has to call maintenance to reset a breaker, or get into tense fights with landlords over excessive use.  Those are terrible which is why they've been written out of most codes today.  Just last week we had a landlord in here who evicted her tenant due to excessive electricity use, then admitted the electricity use did not drop after the tenant left, and said "surely it can't be my ________" which it most certainly was.  The landlord was a complete ____ obviously, but the landlording business turns people into that.   Good meters make good tenants.

And now is the time to be fitting that stuff, it will be much harder later.  Aside from the obvious, once the units become rental units, the work must be done by a licensed professional.  The moment of it becoming a rental unit is an important detail that defines how much you can DIY.


outlet next to breaker box My breaker box is surface mounted in my garage.  I want to install an outlet right next to it by running a conduit nipple out the side of the breaker box to the new outlet box.  I then want to run NM from that outlet box in conduit up the wall and through the ceiling (conduit for protection and get me through the ceiling).  From there I will take the NM across the attic (no conduit needed) to another wall then down through the ceiling and down the wall in conduit to a second outlet box.

Will this be within code?  Am I allow to come out the side of the breaker box?

Go ahead -- although you may have to run THHN through the nipple from the panel

Coming out the side of a panelboard is a nothingburger under the NEC under most cases.  The reason why you're confused is you're thinking this whole assembly is a protective sleeve under the 312.5(C) exception, which requires the sleeve come out the top, when it really isn't as the receptacle box interrupts it.

The easiest way to dispel any confusion is to use short lengths of THHN in the nipple for the home run, if you will, and then run the NM from the first receptacle up the sleeve from the receptacle box to wherever it needs to go.  This bypasses 312.5(C) and its rather limiting exception altogether.

Just remember to use a conduit-to-NM transition fitting (EMT-to-NM transition fittings are standard parts) on the free ends of the conduit sleeves.


How to wall-mount this whiteboard Trying to mount a 1/2" thick white board (2' tall, 8' wide) on this brick wall. The challenge is doing so with these electrical tubes in the way (they come about 1.5" off the wall). Any suggestions?

I'm sure there's some bracket or strategy that can be used, just can't seem to figure it out.

Bonus points: a removable mount of some kind!

Just mount a couple 2x4's horizontally on the wall with whatever anchor you prefer, and mount the white board to the 2x4's.  A regular 2x4 is 1-1/2" thick.  The 2x4's will get you just over the conduit as long as you can avoid the set screws on the coupling.  If you need to go a little thicker, you could screw a strip of plywood on top of the 2x4's to add another 1/2" or 3/4".


building a new house, I beams and floor joists different height I have one section of the first floor with I beam engineered lumber 11-7/8" joists to span 20 foot area of a 20x20 room, so we have some open space in the basement. The other part of the house has 2x10 floor joists, so this is making the floor height different and it needs to be the same height on the first floor so the hardwood flooring can be installed.
Can I use joist hangers nailed to sill plates for the I beams and drop the joists down inside the foundation wall to give them the same height as the 2x10s?

The framer is supposed to start on Friday, by the way.

The answer to your question is yes, you can drop the joist lower into the basement via different means depending on construction method.

Although typically in most basements the joist do not hang inside the foundation wall; they either sit on top of framed basement walls which can be easily lowered in height given basement walls typically have every stud cut to reconcile an uneven floor; or they sit on top of the foundation wall and the foundation wall would need dropped in the area of the deeper joist.

As a general rule, we avoid supporting things by ledgers if we have the option of sitting on top of something.

Another option that may not be of much expense is to raise the depth of the other joist to 11-7/8"; a plus is using a minimum strength 11-7/8" I-joist would give you a very stiff floor compared to the 2x10's.  It would also simplify the framing a bit to have a cohesive floor depth throughout the main level.


Drywall Painting: Do I need to keep priming here? I am painting a room where the previous paint job was not very good.  You can see brush marks from a great distance, it got all over the trim, and the paint looked watered down (thanks builders).  It was an earthy portabello color and it was flat paint.  I am going to paint over it with Sherwin Williams Duration (Satin) in another earthy color (earthy green instead of brown).  I probably have enough for 2 coats.

First I tried to sand the walls but could not get them smooth, after about 5-6 hours of sanding I gave up and applied a coat of tinted Sherwin Williams multi-purpose latex primer.  I can see both the brush strokes left by the builders and new brush strokes and roller marks left by me.  Sanding it with low grain sponge isn't really helping the situation.  Also the single coat of primer can still show a hint of the previous paint in a few spaces.

My question is that if I apply my 2 coats of Duration over this primer job using proper painting techniques (I have been doing my research so I don't make the same mistakes I made with the primer again with the actual paint), will it likely cover up the mistakes?  What should I do here?

When you say you can see the brush marks, do you mean that they're actually irregularly surfaced?  I mean - are we talking just a visual effect or an actual difference in the depth of the paint?

If the latter, do a skim coat with lightweight joint compound and when it dries, either lightly sand OR smooth with a large, slightly damp sponge, then apply primer.

As for your own brush strokes - orient the roller so the roller bar leads your motion.  If you're moving right, put the bar on the right.  If you're moving left, put the bar on the left.  The most pressure will be on the roller bar side, so keeping that side on the "front" of your motion will mean the lighter touch side (the back) will smooth out the uneven strokes as you pass over it again.

Now if its not a real issue with texture, just that your seams are obvious - then just prime it again with a good HEAVY primer, using the proper brush techniques, and you'll be fine. :)


Watt's the best way to run a new ground to my garage? To keep this concise, here are the facts:

This is an old house, with a lot of 2-prong outlets. The garage is fed off a 20A breaker (which is not grounded).
I'm finishing the garage. I don't plan on this being a living space, but want to have outlets for lite project work, etc. This circuit really needs to be grounded, especially with the cement floor, etc.
So far, I've replaced the socket that this circuit feeds off with a GFCI (with no ground). I've fed six 3-prong outlets off of this on the walls of the garage, but I still need an actual ground.
The garage is on an exterior wall, which contains a metal natural gas inlet line.

I'm considering installing a new ground electrode outside of the exterior wall, running a conductor through the hole and attaching this to the ground wire in the circuit. Is this a viable strategy that will fix my grounding problems on this circuit?

What you need isn't a ground rod -- it's an EGC (ground wire) run back to the rest of the grounding system, so that current can use it as a safety return to the neutral/ground bond in the main panel.

Fortunately, under the 2014 NEC -- you can run your new ground wire to a suitably sized branch circuit ground, as well as to the equipment ground conductor system, or to the main panel.  It can also follow any route you wish -- as it's a safety-drain of sorts, it doesn't have to be routed with the other circuit conductors.


Gas Line? Vent Line attached to valve? So moved into house, has gas for furnace and dryer. It seems that this is a gas line for the range, what I do not understand is the smaller pipe leaving the valve and off behind the wall. could it close loop or just vent? Havent tried to pill out from wall, it is an exterior wall Brick home, does not protrude to the outside.
Has electric range, but if this is gas the new range will be gas.
Thanks in advance

The flare fitting seems to indicate that it is gas supply tubing that leads to an appliance of some sort. It must lead to a gas dryer, gas cooker, gas grill, gas water heater, or gas fireplace (or did at one time). The valve is OFF, so there should be no harm disconnecting the old line and using the line to supply whatever you want; obviously whatever it leads (or led) to is not in service.


Is it OK to paint MDF only with primer? I am working on a garage cabinet project and I used MDF as the material. I used a white primer for 2 coats and I like the result already. Can I leave it like this or I have to paint it with a proper paint? Basically can primer be used as paint?

There's no reason you can't leave it as-is as long as you are happy with the appearance.  A lot of new homes in large developments don't have much more on the walls either.

You could have also used a primer/paint combo product and not have to apply any additional layers at all.


What are these metal flaps protruding from my garage’s concrete sidewall? I'm planning phase to re-finish my concrete garage floor with epoxy. I noticed around the base of the floor there are flaps of what is thin sheet metal painted over by the previous owner.

What are these flaps and can they be trimmed to be flush with the wall? I’m not sure if they’re something important such as flashing or termite barriers for example.
UPDATE 10/09/2020: Added more photos below.

It looks like a lead or aluminum damp proof course between the nib wall and the framing.
If that's what it is it can be trimmed, as DPC only needs to be between the concrete and the wood.


New plaster over top of exposed horsehair plaster in Bathroom I've taken wainscoting off of my bathroom wall that seems to have been around since the house was built (1900). Under one of the walls is an exposed horsehair plaster that was done right up against the brick/studs. The plaster is very uneven as it looks like the wainscoting was used to cover it up directly and there's no finish/sealer on it. It seems to have taken some moisture damage as well as it's powdery and crumbles to the touch.

I'm looking to basically fill in what the wainscoting was covering up so I'll need to even it up with the board above it. It's not a very thick layer but because it's uneven, some parts will be thicker. I can't put greenboard drywall in because there's a gas line going up through the plaster (see red rectangle image below) and the drywall will stick too far out to line up with the window trim/sill.

Will I be able apply plaster directly or will this need to all be ripped out? Can I get away with putting up a mesh? What kind of plaster considerations should I take into account considering it's a bathroom?

[

Yep, you can plaster right onto everything. The Horsehair is in what's called the Brown Coat. The Brown Coat makes up almost all of the depth with the plaster just being the very minor finish. It's all quite moisture resistant too, like the rest below (no drywall can be trusted).

So, while the Brown coat's still moist where it meets the old plaster face, you'll need to scrape that down at the seam to leave room for the plaster. The Brown Coat stuff is cheap and leaving it low for more plaster is perfectly fine.

Though, for such a small room, I think you'd do much better by Tapconing (masonry screws) or Thin-Setting (Tiling compound) Cement-board (readily available in 1/4" thickness) to either fully bare walls or 2 Thin-setted layers of Cement-board where the wainscoting was.


Connection for range hood from 8" circular to 10"x3.5" rectangular I am installing a new range hood for our kitchen. The duct exhaust at the top is 8" circular, but our old vent to outside is 10"x3.5" rectangular. I see what we could usually use a register boot but there is not enough space between the exhaust and the vent. The wall vent is just 1-2inches above the exhaust vent flange.

Is there a different HVAC part I could use? Could I build my own from metal or ductboard?

thanks

We found an HVAC guy to build it from photos and measurements. With a bit of nudging, it went in after I cut the right whole in the box.


How do I put legs on a curved surface? I cut an oak tree in half (image below, but with the rough bark on the outside!) and want to make a seat.
The legs are the problem.
I've made a few attempts (like short 2x4's, etc), but I can't make a stable chair.
I can't really make a solid connection to the rounded bark side.

Get some thick stock, maybe a few heavy branches from the tree, and drill a 1.5" hole saw into the end of each leg about two inches deep. then with a regular saw, cut around the outside two inches from the end until the outer part falls out and you're left with a 1.5" round stud out the end of the leg. Then drill a 1.5" hole in the seat and insert the leg into the hole. You'll have to file the peg a bit to get it into the hole.
I'm assuming you don't have access to a wood turning lathe.


Outdoor Outlet Non-GFCI Downstream of GFCI Can I run a non-gfci outlet outside if it is downstream from a GFCI outlet on the same circuit?

Yes, you can do that, using the LOAD side of the GFCI.

But not only can you do it, it is actually a very good idea. That is because GFCI includes sensitive electronics not in a regular receptacle. Keeping a GFCI clean and dry and temperature controlled will likely make it last much longer than it would outside.


Is there a good way to add a rebar-type concrete encased grounding electrode AFTER the slab is in? My workshop project has a 1200 sqft slab with 40 cu-yards of concrete! and 900 lbs of rebar in it.  Unfortunately, I didn't set up to put in a proper concrete encased grounding connection...
is there any way to do this after the fact?  ( I cant actually get to any of the exposed rebar as its all got at least 2" of concrete on it per code)
I do have a "normal" earth ground consisting of an 8' piece of 5/8 copper rod buried at 36" in the dirt outside the foundation and tied in with #2 Cu wire... And my water comes in via PVC, so that's not tied in...
I cant be the first person to finish the slab before I got the electrical planned fully...

Basically not without chiseling (or drilling and chiseling) in to find rebar (and it would have to be a 20 foot chunk unless it was all tied properly for use as a ground even though you forgot that part at the time.) Covered by 2" concrete is not actually inaccessible, particularly if the concrete is relatively fresh/green. You can do that, and patch where you chisel out, or you can drive a few extra ground rods (one more will technically do, but they are not that expensive...)
Note if you have (code acceptably, but practically dubious) buried your rod horizontally at 3 feet, do consider actually driving it and any friends you give it in. I have 5 driven from the bottom of a 3 foot trench (so they go down to 11 feet) myself. My concrete contractor ignored local code and did not provide a ground connection as is required in all new concrete foundations here.


Is it necessary to fully cure plaster if covering if with a layer of joint compound before paint? So I have a wall that I had to replaster.  Usually, what I do with plaster walls is, because I am never happy with the smoothness of plaster alone, apply blue lightweight drywall joint compound and sand it before painting, that way a plaster wall looks as smooth as drywall.

Now, I know the theory that lime-based plasters (which is exactly what I use) requires up to a month or longer to cure and should not be painted before.  What I am not sure is how things change if joint compound is applied:  does the plaster need to cure on open air regardless of paint or is it just bad to put paint directly on plaster before it is cured?  Because the latter case would not apply if there is a layer of drywall mud between the plaster and paint.

The curing process for lime plaster (Calcium Hydroxide) involves the plaster absorbing and reacting with Carbon Dioxide in the air to form Calcium Carbonate.

Therefore no air impermeable material should be applied to it for the length of the cure, about 3 months.  Applying joint compound over it will prevent the curing process, with or without paint.

See: http://www.buildnaturally.com/EDucate/Articles/Lime.htm


How can I put a picture frame on the floor I'm putting some picture frames in a photographer's studio. I will hang some of these frames in the wall, but I would like to have some of these on the floor, this way:

The problem is: there's some wind circulating in there, and the frames keep falling. I also want to be able to move them around, so I'm not fixing their tops to the wall.

What are some nice ways to accomplish that?

I would get a roll of self adhesive Velcro. Put a horizontal stripe on the wall and then a small piece on the back of the picture. When you want to move pull out slide over and restick.


Good resources to learn about Home Automation I'm looking to automate my home but know nothing about HA. What are some good resources to learn both the beginner stuff and more advanced topics.

There's no definitive resource on the topic or at least I could not find one (and I spent couple of months heavily involved in HA during one of my projects).

Get started with the Wikipedia article on HA. This gives you overview of what is what and gives you a good starting point. Then proceed to familiarise yourself with technology out there like X10, UPB, Z-Wave, etc etc.

From there you will be able to start to judge the prices of different technologies as well as find resources on specific tech/protocol/brand which seems to be a little more common than broad scope resources. In terms of sourcing the components, eBay as always is a good starting point. I ordered a few things from New Zealand because availability here is shocking. Though always be aware of country differences (voltages, frequencies, etc.)

I hope this helps you to get started. And I will definitely keep an eye on answers here - maybe I have missed something too.


Two mysterious white thermostat wires in an unfinished wall outlet near the floor -- what? About 10 years ago, our house's builder added a small room above the garage. Since they left in a rush, they left an unfinished wall outlet located 1' above the floor.

For 10 years, we ignored it. Today, I got curious and realized they're not power wires, but two identical white wires labelled as:

CAROL 20 AWG TYPE CL2 E60233-LN

From Google, these are thermostat wires! But, our other thermostats (one on each floor, including this one) use 4-6 wires, of all different colors, not two identical white wires. And, this thermostat would be 1' above the floor: not too ideal.

Are these actually thermostat wires?
Any reason why thermostat wires would be low to the ground?
Any way to determine what exactly this thermostat would control? This floor already has its own thermostat.

We had noticed this room has poor temperature control (always 20F higher or 20F lower than all other rooms); we just assumed it was poor insulation. Could these weird thermostat wires be the missing link?

These wires could be from any low voltage system. Some definite possibilities, besides a thermostat, include:

Doorbell
Security System (aka Burglar Alarm) - each sensor typically uses two wires
Telephone - unlikely because normally telephone wires will be in pairs (or groups of pairs) within a cable rather than individual wires

These may actually be cables containing multiple wires. I couldn't (easily) find an answer for this specific wire - plenty of people selling it but not with very clear descriptions. Strip the white covering off and see what the wires look like inside and post a picture. If there are multiple wires then the colors and/or type of wires may help narrow down the possibilities.

The trick is finding the other end. I would check around any breaker panels, telephone panel (aka Network Interface), security system (if you have one), doorbells (if you have any), etc. Look anywhere that has a lot of wires to see if there is a pair of unused wires/cables that match this pair.