Do I need a new thermostat? This is my first winter in this home, just moved in this past July. So I get my electric bill and it's been running more than usual every since I moved in here. It wasn't too much more so I just paid it and brushed it off. Well this past month it was $456!! I've never had a bill higher than $125! I had noticed something just didn't seem "right" with heat pump/furnace/thermostat, one or a combo of the three.
The wall thermostat displays room temp and the set temp. So when I turn heat up the room temp # goes down (gets colder) and because of this my furnace constantly runs because room temp never goes up to set temp. When I turn set temp down to kick heat off the room temp # goes up (gets warmer).
So does anyone know, does this sound like I need a new thermostat?

Revised answer

OP appears to have a separate standalone electric furnace and a separate standalone air conditioner controlled by one common thermostat and possibly connected ductwork.

OP states that, despite the home being reasonably warm, the thermostat reads a cold temperature and the displayed reading drops when the furnace is on.

OP states that the electric bill is very high.

Recommendations to get by:

The thermostat may be affected by cold air being sucked through the wall from outdoors.  Stuff insulation in the wall behind the thermostat.  If that does not work, then a new thermostat may be needed.
Turn off the outdoor service disconnect to the outdoor A/C unit.  It should not be running during the winter no matter what.
Limit the warm air loss that is occurring through the ducts to the A/C unit outside.  If it has separate ducts from the furnace, cover the registers that go to the outdoor A/C.  If it shares the same ductwork then you might need to make some sheet metal dampers and install them.

Electric heat costs the same whether from an electric furnace or a portable space heater, but space heaters can be used to heat a small area compared to an electric furnace.  Since the bill is so high, the furnace duct work may be responsible for losing heat to outdoors.  OP may be better off switching to electric space heaters for now if not up to inspecting and making revisions to the duct work.   Just be careful to respect that portable electric heaters do pose a slight fire risk.

Alternatively, OP could switch to a portable propane heater rated for indoor use.   Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483828631&sr=8-2&keywords=Propane+Indoor+Heaters

At today’s energy prices in OP's situation, heating with propane should save money compared to heating directly with electricity.  If you go this route, only use a unit specifically designed for indoor residential use.

End of revised answer

Prior answer

OP's updated information shows he does not have a heat pump.  The information below is still applicable to heat pump owners.

Yes, if you have a heat pump then you do need a different model of thermostat and that might not be your only problem.

First, are you certain you have a heat pump and not just an air conditioner with an electric furnace??  I cannot see any thermostat connections to either the “O” or “B” terminals.  Either this system is mis-wired, or you have a simple air conditioner and not a heat pump.  Check the model number on the condenser outside to verify that it is a heat pump, or look through the top grill of the condenser for a reversing valve that looks like this:

If you don’t have one of these in the outdoor unit then you have a simple air conditioner.

Assuming it is a heat pump,  then you have a system with 15.4 KW electric backup heat.  The White-Rogers 1F78 is intended for a heat pump system without backup heat and according to the installation guide it lacks the circuitry to correctly control the backup.

An easy way to get eye-popping electric bills is to fire the electric backup heat and simultaneously activate the heat pump in air conditioning mode.  Depending on the condition of your system, that combination might even cool the house a little while the meter spins like a gyroscope.

For starters:

Disconnect the yellow wire from your thermostat – do that now.
Disconnect the white wire from the “Y” terminal and connect it to the “W” terminal.
Verify that the concealed sliding switch below the white sliders at the lower right quadrant of the thermostat is in position corresponding to “ELEC” (left).

These changes will disable your heat pump and leave the thermostat controlling the electric heat only, assuming the electric heat works without issue and assuming that the white wire is connected to the control relay for the electric heat, which is the standard convention.  Judging from the condition of the unit, my assumptions here may not be true for your system.
If these changes get you some warm air out of the registers when the existing thermostat calls for heat, then:

Identify the wire at the thermostat which connects to the reversing valve.  By convention, that should be the orange wire.
Get a proper heat pump thermostat that can handle electric backup heat.  Here is a reasonable basic model:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honeywell-5-2-Day-Programmable-Thermostat-with-Backlight-RTH6350D/202216464
Wire up the new thermostat according to the directions.  From your top photo it looks like you might have split power supplies on your system, so pay special attention to the Rh and Rc connections.

You will need to physically verify which wires run where.  The standard convention is:  R/Rh – 24vac furnace, G- Fan, Y – compressor, O – reversing valve, W/AUX – electric heat.  In your thermostat photo the brown wire appears to connect to Rc, which would mean your outdoor unit has its own 24vac transformer and brown is connected to the transformer outside.    That’s fairly unusual so you will need to verify that.  Describe what's there if you find something different.

If nothing else is actually broken, then those changes should get you going.

End of prior answer


What is the purpose of horizontal blocks on a bearing wall? In my basement, the bearing wall has horizontal blocks between each stud, similar to what you see in this picture:

.

There is one place on the wall where one of the blocks was removed to place an electrical box, and another in the bathroom rough-in to make space for the vent stack. What is the purpose of these pieces, and am I safe to remove one to place another electrical box?

Can't say for sure why they did it in your situation, without knowing a bit more details.

Typically blocking is installed to prevent framing members from twisting or warping, and to stiffen and add strength to the wall. Though it's also common to install blocking, where fire stops are required by code. Blocking can also provide an attachment point for cabinets, chair rail, counter tops, etc.  In walls where the studs are spaced further apart, blocking can provide support to the edge of the drywall between studs.

But again, this is all speculation without knowing more details about your situation.


Sink Hot Water Spigot Controls Shower Temperature I have a contractor here to redo my guest bath, which is in-between my main water line/hot water heater (tank) and my master bath. The master bath is on the farthest side of the house away from the main water line, while the guest bath is more towards the middle of the house.
The contractor just finished installing the new tub and the plumbing that connects to the tub. He just began putting up drywall today in preparation to do tile work tomorrow. My master bath seems to be the only problem in my house, but I can't test the under construction guest bathroom because nothing is hooked up right now.
The problem is that the master bath sink never gets hot water, and the master shower only gets hot water if the master bath sink's hot water spigot is turned on. When I have both turned on, the hot water spigot of the sink stays cold. As soon as I turn the hot water spigot off in the sink, the shower turns back to cold. I can almost control the hot water in the shower with the hot water spigot in the sink.
I tried running all of my spigots inside and out, then turning them off again just to try something but it didn't help. I even did it a second time. Any suggestions on what to do? I asked the contractor working on the bathroom if I should call a plumber, but he says he wants to come check it out tomorrow morning. Is there a chance that once the rest of the water can run to the guest bath again that things will get back to normal? Thank you for any assistance.

The issue was the mixing valve like was suggested in the comments. The contractor luckily listened to me and replaced it before starting the tile work. He said that he, "didn't think that was needed," and also said, "I am not a plumber". Thank you for all your help in the comments.


How can I stop an air leak behind a cabinet? A few days after buying our house, we noticed this lovely mess inside one of the kitchen cabinets. This is the cabinet next to the dishwasher, so I'm guessing there was a water leak at some point.

The floor of this small cabinet is partially rotted away, as is the back bottom of the cabinet. You can also see a pipe in the wall -- so it must have gotten into the drywall too.

There's a big draft when you open this cabinet, probably because they removed wet insulation. Should I try to squeeze a batt of insulation back there to address the air leak?

Possibly caused by some problem with the dish-washer?

It seems to be structurally sound enough. (maybe 40% strength, but "enough")

Fill the void with expanding foam and place a wooden panel in the lower part of the back (do no get in the way of the drawer) to keep the foam in while it cures, the foam will glue it in place forming a new back for that cupboard.


Using a 2 inch pipe to vent a bath fan Hello I'm looking to install a bathroom vent in a enclosed shower on a GFCI circuit breaker. I know its recommended to use something like a 4 inch vent to vent out the stated flow rate, but since it is not a very big space I would like to use a 2 inch pipe to vent it out and under my house where it is very ventilated.

I know I wont get the ventilation it says on the box but would there be any issues with using a smaller pipe?

There are probably no concerns in terms of safety. Keep in mind that the capacity of a 2" pipe isn't half that of a 4" pipe. It's one quarter the capacity. For that reason, it's going to be hardly worth your effort.


120 volt timer passes small amount of current when off 120 volt timer passes small amount of current when off.  It's on Christmas outdoor LED lighting.  The lights glow real dim when the timer goes to the off position.  Does it on two different timers.  Do I have a short in the lights or what might cause this?

This is a common issue with LED lights, and we have a few questions about in regards to normal light bulbs, but nothing I remember that is specifically about Christmas lights.

Plug in timers (and some smart switches, motion detector switches, lighted switches, etc) need to get power from somewhere so they can operate.  In the past, these devices have used the fact that incandescent bulbs need a ton of power to cheat the system a little bit.  Even when the device is off, it's running a very small current through the lights so it can power its internal circuits.

The problem is that LEDs will glow with even a minuscule amount of current, so this little trick that was invisible in the past, now shows up as glowing LEDs.  For Christmas lights, I would say it's no big deal, and just live with it.  It's not going to cause a problem.  They are cheap timers that are using a "vampire" method to steal power from the circuit.

If it's unacceptable, the only fix is to get a timer that says it will work with LEDs or a timer that is obviously powered by batteries.  These will use AAA or AA batteries.  A timer that only uses a coin cell is probably just using that battery for a timer backup and might still steal power from the lights.


My dehumidifier has an error margin of +/- 5% in the range 30%-90% How do I calculate the possible error at a certain RH?
Does this mean that it has a lower error at 40% than at 90% ?

In theory, "+/- 5% in range of 30%-90%" means that...

if you set the humidistat dial to 30%, it might actually be set to anywhere from 25% to 35%
if you set the humidistat dial to 90%, it might actually be set to anywhere from 85% to 95%

In reality, consumer humidistats generally aren't very precise (e.g. relatively less precise than most thermostats). Unless you have an absolute need for a precise humidity level, I'd just set it to what feels good and not worry too much about the absolute humidity level.


Is my furnace operating normally? I just moved into my house and I am wondering if this is normal for a furnace.

So I have my furnace set to 68 degrees. The temperature on the thermostat says 66 degrees. The furnace is on, but does not appear to be blowing warm air (I guess I would describe the air as not warm, but not cold).

So then I turn the furnace up to 71, and the thermostat still at 66 degrees. The air coming out of the vents is warm.

I have not tried this long enough to see what happens as the thermostat approaches 71 degrees.

Is this normal? As the temperature on the thermostat approaches its setting does the temperature of the air coming out of the vents decrease?

It sounds to me like you've got a two stage furnace.

Stage 1, low heat, just enough to maintain temperatures.  Won't produce warm air, just warm enough air - much more efficient than running full burn.

Stage 2, high heat, for when it's actually cold.  Produces WARM air intended to raise temps.  Less efficient than stage 1, but gets the house warm.  Stage 1 follows.

The alternative is a 1 stage furnace that's full on, full off, and thus must cycle on and off over and over again.


Check retaining wall drawing Wondering if I can have people's thoughts on this retaining wall I'm building. It's a mortared CMU wall with rebar 24" o.c. It's on a slope and it will have a concrete slab and a fence right above the backfill. Above we'll have a combination of foot traffic, outdoor dinning area, outdoor sitting area (with outdoor sectional), etc. Taking that into account, from the drawing does this look like it's a sound and strong enough wall to hold the conditions above? Thanks!!

There are too many unknowns to answer this question. What type of soil is there so a reasonable active pressure, passive pressure, and sliding resistance can be determined? What surcharge is on the 7" slab? How far from the face of slope is the wall located? What is the frost depth? What type of masonry? Grout? Mortar? Reinforcing?

This wall is high enough that a building permit and engineering is required. Do not attempt to design it yourself.  Without all the answers to the above questions, I already know whoever drew the detail is not qualified. The vertical reinforcing is too far apart, and it all should be located on the tension face (soil side) of the wall. There is also a need for horizontal reinforcing in the wall, and vertical and horizontal reinforcing in the footing key. Sorry, but spend the extra bucks to get it designed right.


What can I use to increase the height of my fence? A fire just burnt the back of my hedge fence so that now people in the street behind can see the inside of my garden (where my little girl plays) and even enter it.

My landlord is about to install wooden fences, probably of that kind. But I'm afraid a tiptoeing man will still be able to look over the fence and see inside the garden (sidenote: they're also incredibly flimsy hence not good for security, I don't really understand how this type of fence is the norm but whatever)

Is there any way to somehow put things on top of the fence to increase their height (for privacy)? Bonus question: any idea to increase security too?

"Lattice Fence Topper" + Clematis.

This is also a deterrent against intrusion - see example police advice

  Diamond design trellis as a topping to your fence, makes it much harder to gain a hand or foothold.  It is also difficult to climb over (especially if entwined with prickly or thorny climbing shrubs).

Maximum fence height depends on your local authority. In the UK, nothing more than 2m is generally allowed.


Tool to slice LED stripe lengthwise For a light setup, I need to use a particular model of led stripes.
Unfortunately, the stripe with the LED model I need has a width of 12mm (and is globally only available in that width), the mounting I need to use can fit only 10mm.
From an electronics point of view, I can safely cut 2mm off the stripe lengthwise, however this needs to be done precisely and must not vary (2.5mm would be too much).
What tool could I use to efficiently do this? I need to cut ~10-15m of LED stripes.
Edit: The stripe is not enclosed, it is the plain PCB-only type.
Edit 2: The stripe is flexible, with one centered 5050 LED, the cut needs to be done on one side.

If the LED strip is truely unobtainable in 10mm, then I'd be surprised.  Try checking other sources, like ebay and aliexpress etc.

If I was really stuck, then I would make a cutting block similar to those used to spiral-cut PET bottles into long strips.

You would want two razor blades mounted parallel and vertical, and a 12mm slot to guide the 12mm strip in straight.
-------------========= 1 mm waste strip
|   12mm     <--------------  10mm wide LED strip from the middle
|   wide                        This line is the 10mm output strip
|   LED      <--------------  Pull to the right by hand
-------------========= 1 mm waste strip
             .
             .
         Two razor blades in plan view, sharp edges point to the left.


Can I place a bathroom vent fan lower on a wall if I increase the CFM? I know it is ideal to mount a bathroom vent fan on the ceiling, or as high up the wall as possible (steam rises, right?). However, due to physical constraints of running the ductwork the only place I have to install it is about 2/3 of the way up the wall.

Will over-powering the fan, maybe with a 200+ CFM motor make up for this less than ideal placement?

If it matters, the run to the exterior is about 8-10 feet, possibly with a 1-2' drop across the run.

Also, if it matters. The main reason I am installing this now is that a member of my family likes to go in there and smoke with the door shut to keep the smoke away from the family. However, we just get hotboxed the second we open that door.  Humidity in that bathroom isn't really much of an issue.

I think you stand a good chance of being satisfied with 200+ cfm's.  Keep your venting duct-work full sized or larger, restrict the number of elbows. Make sure the termination does not restrict air flow.  And use a time delay timer that keeps the fan running after the smoker leaves for at least 15-minutes.


How can I reattach a kitchen cabinet door hinge with plastic dowels? I was hoping that maybe someone could give me some recommendations what to do with my kitchen cupboard door. It came off after a washing machine next to it started "walking" during the spinning cycle and as it was so intense and there was no room for it to move, it broke the door. It is a heavy 5KG door and is fixed using these plastic dovels (see pics).

Anything I can do to repair this?

I think a similar question has been answered before but I can't find it at the moment.

Open that hinge and unscrew the metal screws that are now holding the plastic plugs to the hinge.
Use 2-part epoxy to attach the plastic plugs into the craters in the cupboard side. Take care to get them located in exactly right position and flush with the surface. If necessary make a jig using scrap wood. Use clamps or a jig to hold everything in position until set.
Level the feet on the washing machine (one or more will have a hexagonal nut you turn to raise or lower that foot)
Ensure you always load the machine so that it doesn't get out of balance. Some machines have that sort of problem with part loads. Check the manual.
Accept that despite all the above, the material and fixing method are too weak for the stress you are applying
Add two additional hinges to the two that currently support the door. You can buy those hinges and you can also buy installation kits that include the appropriate sized forstner bits and jigs to align and locate the holes properly.


Do speaker wires need to be protected at exposed end-points? Ah the joys of new home ownership.

In preparing to prime/paint our family room ceilings, we took down some old (really old) speakers the previous owner had set up.  We're not planning to use them so we cut off the two-wire connection going to them.  As near as I can tell, the speaker wires aren't connected to anything else on the other end. I've looked all over the house and haven't seen any audio system whatsoever.

I'm paranoid though -- On the off-chance that they are connected to something else, do I need to do anything to them after this? Wrap the ends in electrical tape? Put wire nuts on them?

I realize the obvious solution would be to remove the wire's completely but I'm reluctant to do this yet as there is blown-in insulation in the attic and removing the wire and/or tracing them completely could be messy.

As for the speaker holes themselves, we're planning to keep them for now as we're considering using them later for recessed lighting.

Thoughts? Advice?

-M

Speaker wire is low voltage. Yes, a meter would tell if they were actually hot, but it surely would say no here anyway. If you are truly paranoid, then feel free to put wire nuts on them, or even easier is electrical tape. It can't hurt.

In fact, I have some speaker wire hanging around myself, left by the previous owners of the house. It comes out of a corner near our staircase. Since I have absolute knowledge that it dues nothing, I've just left it there. One day when we redo the carpet in our house, it will get torn out.


How can/should I repair this roof damage caused by a fallen tree limb? A recent rainstorm caused a heavy cypress tree branch to fall on my outdoor office/shed. Thankfully, the interior and underlying structure appears to have not sustained any damage however the asphalt shingles got dinged in three places:

Spot #1: Roof shingle cap ding:

Spot #2: Shingle in the middle of roof:

Spot #3: Shingle on rain drip edge:

I JUST finished the roof a few months ago and it's in otherwise fine shape so I'm reluctant to tear the whole thing up.  Is there anything I can do to patch the damaged area without having to incur a lot of cost?  As far as I can see, the underlayment is still intact.

All the shingles you have pictured need to be replaced. It is a matter of easing up the shingles far enough to gain access to the nails, pull them out without ripping the shingle(s) up, it will also require easing up the shingles above the damaged ones and pull THOSE nail out of the way too since they are going through the top of the next course down. Eventually the shingle will practically fall out and you can replace the shingle in reverse order.

If you are fortunate, the roof has not gotten hot enough to bond the shingles together. On 3 tab shingles the asphalt dabs that come with the shingle to bond the tabs of one row to another are easy to separate. The architectural shingles I replaced my 3 tab shingles with, the asphalt dabs were a different story. The three tab shingles popped up best while the roof was cool, while the architectural shingles needed a heat gun set to get the shingles really hot, but not so hot to melt them (the shingles), but enough to get the bond to release. I hope you do not have to go that route.

I use a ripping bar to ease the shingles up, I have not had any luck with any other style bar, unless I sharpened the edge a bit.


How can I mount a shelf above a closet door? I would like to mount a wall shelf above a closet door in a small bedroom.

I was thinking about using the Ikea Ekby shelf, which is 59" long (exactly the length of the sliding doors of the closet). I don't know anything about how the wall is made and how to properly reinforce the shelf. (Ideally, even to hide the brackets completely.)

What is the best way to find out how these closets are made behind the drywall?

I have a magnetic studs detector and I know for sure that there are vertical metal studs on both sides of the closet. It looks like there's also a (wooden?) horizontal beam right above it.

What's the best way to properly fix the shelf?

I did this once when I lived in an apartment and could not modify anything.

Since I had metal working and welding experience, I created a steel frame using 1 inch angle steel. Basically, it was a 'table' that stood inside the closet and it's dimensions where precisely the inside dimensions of the closet; ie; the legs were flush against the walls of the closet.

The 1 inch steel angle iron was small enough not to interfere with the closet itself and were strong enough to support the shelf (two pieces of 1/2 inch thick plywood; each 1/2 the width of the closet so they can the inserted).

I made the steel frame so that it could be assembled using screws once its put inside the closet.

When I moved out of that apartment, I easily removed the shelf assembly and viola! I had a un-modified closet to return to the landlord.


Replacing shower valve cartridge; water supply I'm going to be replacing my shower valve cartridge and I was wondering about how to go about shutting off the water supply. I'll be shutting off the main line for the house; I assume I'll need to shut off the water heater hot water outlet as well. Do I need to shut off the water heater inlet, or take any other precautions to prevent build up of pressure, air getting into the system, et cetera?

Shutting off the water line at the entrance to your home should be good enough for most instances.

The only exception is if the water heater is above the location of the cartridge you are replacing; water might flow from the heater to your location.  To avoid burns, open a tap at a higher elevation and drain the line/tank or if you have shutoffs at the tank, close them.  If you are draining the tank, it would be best to turn off the gas or electricity to the heater to avoid damage to the tank and/or elements.

If you are still concerned, just turn off the tank.  Occasional shutoff to the water heater is not harmful.  But your tank should have a pressure relief valve to avoid over-pressure and damage.

Air in the waterlines is not harmful.  Open your taps and turn on the main and purge air from the system.

If you shut off the water heater, only turn it back on after you have purged air from the waterlines.

No matter which procedure you took above, it is very likely you disturbed scale on the inside of the supply lines and it will cloud your water.  Let the taps run for a few minutes to purge this as well.

Related:
Is it safe to shut off cold water entering water heater?


Feedback for cheap, compact electric heating faucets As an alternative to traditional tankless heaters, aliexpress sells a variety of cheap taps incorporating a heater, for example:

220V 3000W Instant Electric Faucet Tap Hot Water Heater

This looks too good to be true, looking at the compactness and at the price.
Hence I was wondering if anybody has any kind of opnion/feedback about such products, for example with respect to safety, durability, doing what they promise, or any aspect.

Thank you!

First, it's Alibaba, for Pete's sake. Do you even have to ask?

Even if we take this product seriously, I think it's too much heater crammed in too little space.  Either they're wildly sacrificing safety standards, or they are constricting flow down to a trickle.  Or both.

If such a thing were made by a reputable manufacturer such as Siemens, GE, Chromalox, etc., I would expect a plain faucet as a head-unit, and the guts of the machine to be under the sink.

3000W is certainly not enough energy budget to get a water flow you would consider "reasonable" at a sink faucet.  Go look up the flow vs temperature-rise data that is readily avaialable on the Web.  You'll see 3kw is not enough.


How can I connect a smart switch lead wire to a screw eye loop from the old switch? I have two black wires, one of them is a continuous wire with a small loop of bare wire which connects to a screw on the old switch.

My new Lutron on off switch has wires, not screws.

How do I connect to the continuous wire?

This loop method was a "trick" that was used in the past (and by some old-timers today, probably), but it's not something that an electrician would do now.  The solution is to cut that bare loop so its two wires and then bundle those two with the third wire from the new switch.  Because the wire is twisted, it's best to just cut off the looped section of wire and re-strip a fresh, clean section of wire before bundling them together.  Trying to straighten the loop could cause the wire to break off when tightening the wire nut on the bundle.

Oh, and be sure the power is off at the fuse/breaker before doing this, of course.


Add attic access in garage? I'm going to need access to the attic area of my house to run some cables. The current access is in a closet on the opposite end of the house; getting up there is a bit of a pain, and then I would have to traverse the length of the house by hopping from truss to truss. I'm thinking about adding an attic access in the garage to make things easier. Is there any reason (building code, security, ???) not to add an attic access in the garage?

If you cut an access hole from the garage to the house attic, remember there must be 1/2” gypsum board on the garage side of the access hatch to meet code.
If you put a small door in the wall, make sure it’s at least 1 3/8” thick, solid core and latches to meet code.


Best way to create a 2" wide * 6" deep channel in conrete I'm looking to run a PVC pipe from my new laundry room to the garage where the house main sewer pipe lies. How would a pro do it? I'm assuming a concrete saw and hammer drill will be in play....

Thanks

Cut both sides of the channel with the concrete saw and break and clear out the concrete between the cuts using a jackhammer with a wide chisel bit, don't mess around with a hammer drill.  Both tools are readily available at most tool rental places and should make relatively fast work of these cuts.  Make sure you get a saw that can do the depth of cut that you want.

If you are a little more adventurous and or experienced with a jackhammer you could do a shallower cut or skip the concrete saw altogether.  It won't make as clean of an edge, but will be much faster, and depending on your circumstances it can be good enough and be covered when pouring the new concrete to refill the trench.

You'll want to do a wet cut with the saw to keep the dust down and cool the blade.

Depending on the amount of rebar you are anticipating you may want an abrasive blade (better for rebar) rather than a normal diamond concrete cutting blade (will cut rebar but will wear down the blade if cutting a lot of it).  Depending on the rental place you may need to buy your own blade.

You might also want to consider making the cut wider than 2".  This will give you room to work if you need to make up joints or otherwise manipulate the pipe and will also allow you to put some horizontal rebar into the remaining concrete (this is where you use the hammer drill) to better tie your new concrete back into the existing structure.


Ceiling lamp wiring problem I'm trying to install a ceiling lamp in Canada and the lamp box has 3 insulated wires sticking out of it: black, red and white. I'm getting 120V between black and white and between red and white. I'm getting 0V between black and red. There's also an uninsulated wire inside the box and I'm assuming that's the ground.

There's a switch on the wall that's controlling the red/white combo. There's nothing controlling the black/white combo as far as I can tell. What's going on here?

The switch and box have never been used before since the house was built.

Pictures of the inside of the fixture box and switch box would be nice to confirm this, but based on your description it sounds like the installer wanted to be able to put a ceiling fan in this location.
In my parents' house they have a lot of ceiling fans wired this way - the fan is always on (and controlled by a pull cord) while the light is controlled by the wall switch.
The purpose of this arrangement is to make it easy to turn the light on and off while leaving the fan alone.

Since you are putting in only a light fixture, you should cap the black wire with a wire nut. For safety to prevent the nut from coming off you can tape the nut onto the wire with electrical tape (after screwing it properly to the wire; do not rely only on the tape to hold it there).

After capping the black, you should be able to hook up your fixture like this:

fixture black to house red
fixture white to house white
fixture green to house bare ground


Why do I have a coax splice behind this blank face plate? Behind this blank face plate is a coaxial cable. I already have a coaxial cable in the middle of this room that I use for cable.

I'd like to just push this into the wall and patch up the hole but I'm not sure if its used for anything.

It is likely a remnant from either the initial cable-pulling process, or that connected cable is an extension that was used to "move" the coax to that other point in the room that you mentioned.  I would see what happens if you disconnect it - does the coax stop working somewhere else in your house?  That's the surest way to find out what it is used for.
Since it is a connection, having the access box is handy if you ever need to tighten the connection / move the coax port back to this box.  I don't think there is any code requirement on having access in this instance, though, as it's a signal wire (low voltage) - not power. (as always, IANAL)


Neutral and Ground at a 30 amp oulet I have an old 30 amp  outlet that I was planning to reuse. There isn't a connection for a ground, but since I am connecting to a metal box, I now have  a connection between my neutral and ground. Should this cause a problem?

In your other question I commented that due to your peculiar setup and grandfathering, you are forced to tie neutral and ground in your service panel here in the barn. (Normally you wouldn't).

Do not tie it anywhere else!  Neutral is not ground!

Now, the socket in this picture is a NEMA 6-30.  NEMA 6-30 has a ground and does not have or need a neutral.  If that is the socket you want, you are all set.  That would be used for water heaters, A/C units, compressors, machine tools and other equipment that runs on a 240V single-phase motor or resistor heating (such as a drying kiln).

This looks like all new work, and I assume that is MC cable. If that cable has a ground wire, you need to use it and not just depend on the metal sheath for a ground path.

Now, if you are installing a NEMA 10-30 (neutral not ground), stop.  Do not use NEMA 10 for anything, it is obsolete and it is dangerous and illegal to install a new one.  If you have a dryer that has an existing NEMA 10 cord/plug, then install a NEMA 14 receptacle (4-pin) which includes neutral and ground.  Get the installation manual and follow the instructions for replacing the NEMA 10 cord with a NEMA 14 cord.  (you need to remove the bootleg strap from the machine).

If you are installing a NEMA 14 (or 10) here, and you need neutral, look in that MC cable for a white and red wire.  For neutral, you will need a cable that has black, white and red.  If that is not present in the cable, then you need to replace the cable run. There is no way to retrofit neutral.

By the way, in these drawings I show both hots as black.  Because they are interchangeable, it doesn't matter if they're swapped. The wire is red in the cable mainly because that's how cables are made.  In conduit, I would wire it with two blacks.


How much do accoustic tiles help? We have a particularly small room, about 12ft by 8ft,
we use it for boardgames and roleplaying games.

As is typical for these games,
discussion often gets heated,
getting louder and louder.

Someone suggested accoustic tiles,
which would absorb some of the sound,
reducing the feedback that made people get louder and louder.

They also found somewhere we can get them fairly cheap.

But do they actually work to decrease sound in the room?
Or are they only good when there is a very noticeable echo?
Do I need to fully cover the walls, or would scattering half a dozen (or more) have a noticeable effect?

It is hard to tell if there is a echo, as the room and thus the delay is small.
The walls are mostly plasterboard. so that should already be absorbing alot of sound (i would think)

I should mention:

The roof is unable to be coated in tiles as it has a painted mural on it.
The back wall is unable to be coated in tiles as it is covered by a book shelf. (The books should absorb the sound anyway, right?)
The Front wall is unable to be coated as it is a full hight and width window
The remaining two walls are about the be coated about 50% each as one has a whiteboard and the other a cork board.
Thus a smattering of acoustic tiles is all we could get.

Plasterboard is quite reflective, actually.

Armstrong states that their "High Noise Reduction Coefficent" tiles absorb 70% or more of sound energy striking the surface. One version claims a NRC of 0.90, which would appear to imply 90% of sound energy absorbed. That probably is within a specific frequency range - I rather doubt the effectiveness of acoustic tile for low bass energy (musical) for instance. However, that probably smiles upon your application as it's likely weighted for human voices, given the typical use of the product.

As such, yes, they absorb sound, but check the NRC before investing in cheap acoustic tile, as it may not be inexpensive, just cheap, if the NRC is too low...


magnetic door stop for steel doors I have a refrigerator door that opens up and hits the window of a steel door. What is the best way to stop this? I have been looking at door stoppers but they all have screws to attach them which won't work in this case as I don't want to put screw holes in the steel door nor in my steel fridge. Is there such a thing as a magnet to attach to a door that can be used?

Yep, get any old magnet & glue or screw on a Super Ball. But, if this is recent or different from how the fridge started out, then your fridge's door stop(s) is shot. This thingy.

These come in all different shapes & sizes & can be on the top or bottom of the fridge's doors, they commonly break. They usually fatigue where that wing meets the tab going up & look like they've been torn. You'll need to either replace it or get another run out of it by swapping it with the other door (this only works with Side by Side fridges).

If after replacement the problem is fixed but it's still too close for comfort, then you can drill holes & add more metal. However, limiting the swing too much will interfere with drawer & shelf removal.


How can I repair fiberglass wallpaper with holes in it? I just bought a house that has fiberglass wallpaper in a couple of rooms.

In one of the rooms the wallpaper was not properly applied and it's full of little holes. From what I read it means not enough glue was applied when putting the wallpaper up.

Does anyone know if there is a way to fix or minimize the problem without having to redo the work?

I managed to get it looking good by filling the holes with paint and passing the brush over it a couple of times after it was painted, while drying. The fiberglass glued to the wall.

Hope it helps someone!


Adding ground to replacement sub panel We recently purchased a new home that has a 16 x 30 steel building in the back yard approximately 100ft from the main panel. The building has power run to it off a 60 amp breaker in the main panel. The current sub panel is an old fuse box that desperately needs an upgrade. It appears that at some point a previous owner started to upgrade the electrical but never finished. There are three #2 aluminum feeders 2 hot and one neutral but no ground. I am going to replace the sub panel with a new GE panel and want to know the proper way to add a ground. Can I just run #4 wire from the panel to two grounding rods outside of the building or do I need to run a new wire back to the main?

The big reason I'm asking is that if I am going to pull a new wire I'm going to end up redoing the whole feed with a larger wire so that I can run a 125 amp sub panel. The building will eventually become my new shop with power hungry equipment. If I can safely get it up and running now for a minimum of expense that would be great otherwise I will have to plan for the larger project. Thanks for the advice.

Shawn in New Orleans

Since it is an existing installation you don't need the ground wire until you upgrade it.

Your inspector may even allow you to use the 3-wire method with the new panel until you replace the wiring.

Fuse panels are not necessarily obsolete until they are no longer serviceable.

You could use it as-is unless you have the need for more than 60 amps right away. If it is working fine now don't be in a big hurry to spend your money.

Good luck!


Garage door won't close My garage door has randomly decided to not close. The door will close a few inches to a few feet before reversing. It may take 2 attempts of 10 until it will fully close. I have checked:

Sensors are properly aligned and cleaned.
Sensor wires are not cut or damaged from what I can see.
This happens with both the remote and wall mounted opener.
The light on the back of the motor blinks 4 times, which according to the manual is a sensor issue.
I have tried to adjust the down force with no luck.
If I manually close the garage, the garage door chain will run with no issue.

Does all of this mean that there is an issue with the actual door?

If I manually close the garage, the garage door chain will run with no issue.

Does this mean you detached the door from the drive?

  Does all of this mean that there is an issue with the actual door?

Not necessarily.

It could be the chain is fouled somehow, or that the door opener casing has shifted or loosened.

In my experience in the damp Pacific Northwet is that the (wooden) door has swollen with the onslaught of autumn rains and now binds slightly against the door frame.

To confirm this as the cause, raise and lower the door manually being careful not to push or pull the door into or away from the frame and see what parts might be touching.  If the door is large, a helper is quite useful.

Also, inspect the rails and roller guides to see if there is anything amiss.  Give all the parts a good firm wiggle to see if they might be shifting under the strain of the door moving.


Electrical in basement bathroom? I followed this diagram to wire up my exact same situation. Now? Two of the three switches don’t work. One switch works - but now it powers half of my basement. On? Half the basements is on. Off? Half the basements off.

I have four wires going into a 3 bucket gang box. One is 14-3 (red, Black, white, ground) that is going to the fan/light combo and the other 3 are 14-2  (black, white, ground).

I am trying to power the following:
-1 light for the vanity (14-2 w/ normal switch)
-1 light for the shower (14-2 w/ normal switch)
-1 fan/light combo (14-3 going to this on a three way switch)

Any ideas what the heck happened?

Wiring for 3 switch in a 3 gang box (1 switch is a switch with fan speed control)

Maybe I am just stating the obvious, but the diagram you have posted is correct. If you followed the diagram wiring scheme, then everything in your basement bathroom is working correctly.

This means that even though you tried to follow the diagram you have wired something incorrectly. You need to verify every conductor in you circuit and follow them through to find your error. You can safely do this with the power off and a continuity tester. It might help to have someone assist you. So check each wire and its path and location. I am guessing that somehow you have installed the power source conductor on the wrong post or posts. You can verify your source conductor with a voltmeter or non contact indicator.

One other thing that bothers me:

  1 fan/light combo (14-3 going to this on a three way switch)

You named the fan/light combo correctly, then called it a three way switch. A three way switch is not a fan/light combo. A fan /light combo is a single device that has dual single pole switching actions. One for the light and one for the switch. Just make sure you have the right device.

Good luck and stay safe.


Should my boiler be serviced annually? I have a oil-fueled boiler that provides steam heat in the winter and hot water all year. Should I have it inspected and serviced annually? If so, what should such a service entail?

One word......YES.

By a licensed burner technician.


Should I replace old drywall in closet before I tape? I am in currently in the process of finishing my master closet. Whoever started this project (one of the previous owners as the house is 70 years old) drywalled roughly 2/3rds of the walls/ceiling and did not tape any of it. I finished drywalling the rest of the space (lighter color drywall you can see in pictures is what I did. Brown paper is the existing drywall that was here already). Before I start taping and mudding all of it, I am wondering if I should rip the old drywall out and replace it with new drywall. Here are my main reasons for doing so:

The old drywall was installed with nails (I used screws on the new stuff) and those will eventually be visible with time/vibration.
It seems as though leftover/scrap pieces of drywall from other rooms were used for this closet as there are tons of small pieces of drywall used to cover the wall which results in a lot of seams that will need to be taped and mudded.
There was water damage to some of the drywall at some point due to a storm that damaged the roof. You can tell from the dark stains in various pictures. I know the roof has been fixed and there is no active water in the area and the stains are dry and likely will not create issues but still a concern I have.

Half of me is tempted to just replace the old drywall now rather than starting to mud and tape it just to see that it turn out poorly and I end up ripping it all out and replacing it anyway, and then having to tape and mud it all over again. The other half of me is telling myself that this is a closet and no one will spend that much time looking at the quality of the finish besides me obviously. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
I should also note that I am very handy but this was my first time putting drywall up and will be my first time mudding and taping drywall, if that changes the answer at all.

Nope. It'll finish up just like new drywall would. If the areas with water staining aren't soft they're not a concern, and whether you replace some of it to reduce seams is entirely up to you. Well done butt joints are as invisible as recessed seam joints.
I would consider adding some screws to help prevent nail pops by securing the sheets better, but not too long ago all drywall was installed with nails and it was never really a problem. We use screws now mostly for speed.
Do use a quality sealer/primer when you're done, though to ensure a uniform paint color and texture.


How can I clean silicone mastic stains from a bath-tub and tiles? I was redoing the silicone dilation around the bath-tub, using the silicone mastic from a tube. Unfortunately, I stained the tub and a tile with silicone. You cannot see it really, but they got quite slippery, which is obviously frowned upon.

I failed to clean them with abrasive cleaner, and trying to "clod it" by hands didn't help either (this works with acrylic mastic and I supposed the silicone one would be the same, is it not, though). How can I clean it off so that the surface becomes less slippery, as it was before?

Sometimes, I've had success with an eraser:

It won't damage tile, but results depend on how porous/grippy the tile surface is.

Amazon sells them, so should any local Office Supply or School Supply store.


Can I come off the meter box to add a 60 amp subpanel The service to our house is buried. The transformer sits beside our meter post. The 200 AMP service main panel is 130 ft from the meter post in the house. The unattached garage and workshop are 30 meters from the post in another direction.

I want to install a 60 AMP sub panel for the workshop/garage. Can I run it from the Meter box to the workshop/garage, or do I have to run from the main panel in the house? I'm planning to run 2-2-2-4 Black Stranded AL Quad Dyke URD Cable underground in a conduit.

Can I feed two panels from the same meter box?

Any help is appreciated.

Yes you can...

Your configuration is anticipated by NEC 230.40 Exception 3:

  Exception No.3: A single-family dwelling unit and its
  accessory structures shall be permitted to have one set of
  service-entrance conductors run to each from a single service drop, set of overhead service conductors, set of underground service conductors, or service lateral.

but you're making your life harder than it needs to be

Your problem, though, will be jamming that outsized URD cable down the conduit.  It has one more wire in it than you need (since you haven't hit a service disconnecting means yet, you don't need to separate ground from neutral for this run, and the panel in the garage will be a main panel), and running cables through conduits is a pain in the rump as a general rule, in addition to being rather wasteful of conduit fill.

Instead, I'd suggest running a trio of #6 copper THHN/THWNs (black, black, white) through a fat conduit (2" Schedule 80 PVC is what I'd use in your shoes).  This makes upgrading to a bigger service to the garage easy (compared to digging up a direct bury cable or pulling wires out of an overstuffed conduit), and also won't leave you tearing your hair out trying to get a reliable termination on AA-1350 (yes, URD is still "old tech" aluminum) wires.

Last but not least

Since you are running to a separate structure, you'll need to put in a grounding electrode system at the garage (2 rods 8' apart, with 6AWG bare copper going rod-rod-panel, always works).  This is needed to make sure that a nearby lightning strike doesn't completely fry the contents of the garage.


Non IKEA dishwasher for IKEA Metod system I have a kitchen finished with IKEA Metod system and a narrow, 45 cm wide non-IKEA dishwasher. Apparently the IKEA dishwasher front does not fit the typical dishwasher - Metod front's dimensions are 45x80 cm, while recommended ones for a typical dishwasher are 45x(71 - 75) cm. If you follow the dishwasher's manual and mount the Metod front on in, you will not be able to open it (see the image).

There are two recommended solutions:

cut the IKEA front in two pieces and mount them in a way where one is static and the other one is attached to the door. I don't want to do it due to aesthetics.
replace dishwasher with IKEA one - they have a sophisticated hinge system where front slides up while opening door. I would like to avoid this solution if possible, because IKEA's dishwasher is very expensive and really noisy in compare with competition.

I tried my luck with a DIY solution using drawer slides - I attached them to the dishwasher and front. I had to pull up the door while opening and it was kind of working. The biggest issue was that you had to be aware of it - if you didn't pull up and hit the bottom of dishwasher like in the middle picture, you would destroy the "construction". It happened twice. Recently, after the third assembly since October, one slide bent and it all fell apart. I gave up this solution.

I have a second flat which I want to decorate and rent. I am prepared to do "dishwasher transplantation" and get myself a new one. The question is:

Do you have an experience in non-ikea dishwasher with IKEA Metod system? If so, how should I mount a Metod front on a 45 cm non-IKEA dishwasher?

Good news - Ikea came up with the solution by itself. Recently (about one week ago here in Poland) they've released a hinge system that supports all non-ikea dishwasher. It's based on a sliders which you attach to the front of dishwasher. It costs around 22 euro and works like magic :)

Iggy, Dmoore, thank you for your answers.

Iggy, removing bottom kick plate didn't work because front panel hit the extendable legs which obviously couldn't be removed.

DMoore, this solution might work but it's quite pricy - around 1/4 of a dishwasher.


How to clean a really dirty and dusty attic? I have an unfinished attic that is full of old pieces of wood from the previous roof, it's full of dust, wood dust, other stuff, probably some lead dust, etc. there are also old boxes, a TV, and other random things.

What is the best way to clean it? I want to minimize kicking up the dust.

Picking up all the pieces of wood and bagging it is probably easy. I will probably create dust clouds, still. :)

Is it okay to spray with water to keep dust down? Do I need to worry about getting the wood wet?

Vacuuming is out of question right? (Unless I have a super long vacuum hose so that the unit can stay out of the attic while I vacuum)

Any suggestions of how to clean while minimizing kicking up dust?

I'd go with sweeping compound.  It's a kind of sticky granular product that you can get from janitorial stores.  It's used for sweeping areas like warehouses that kicking up too much dust is a concern.  Follow the instructions on the packaging and dust will stick to the sweeping compound rather than becoming a haze in the air.


Patches on my california basement wall I'm seeing large patches on my California basement wall.
It is a tiny basement that is common in Los Angeles area. The basement is in the middle of the house, so it is quite far from the perimeter. The patch seems a little moist and the wall material seems to have dissolved a little as can be seen by the white powder and the texture of the wall

What is causing it? What can be done to prevent it from getting worse? Is it a big concern?

Thank you!

What your seeing is called efflorescence which are mineral deposits from moisture which sometimes seeps through exterior walls. Even though the basement walls may be inset from  the main level water will migrate through soil layers. It appears that the other side of that wall is in contact with compacted soil. Even if it was water-proofed during construction moisture can sometimes seep through.
I don't think it looks serious. It would be different if water was obvious or pooling on the interior. At this point you can treat the interior walls with water-proofing material such as Drylok or Flex Seal. Although it might solve the efflorescence issue it won't keep moisture from seeping into the wall from the soil. The other option is to excavate the exterior of the wall and treat it with water-proofing which would be labor-intensive or prohibitively expensive.
As I indicated I would try to keep exterior groundwater away from the foundation and if the efflorescence is a major concern for you can treat the wall with an interior water-proofing product.


What is the cheapest wood or wood-like material strong enough for books? I would like to create wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a room, to hold several thousand books. The shelves for the larger books is in a grid like this, with vertical columns like in this picture:

Since it is many books, some being heavy, it needs to be strong, but as lots of material is needed, it should be cheap. It will be covered with paint and mounted directly to the wall framing. It shouldn't be as cheap a solution as found in this question What is the cheapest/easiest way to make bookshelves?, as it still needs to look like wooden panels covered in paint.

The 3 ft-wide bookshelf in my workplace collapsed as that was made of particle board, while supporting 30 three-hundred page textbooks, so I think this material might be unsuited.

What is a strong cheap wood or product that if painted looks like a plank of wood, that is really cheap, yet strong enough for holding a large quantity of books and won't bow?

The most important factor is the unsupported length of your shelf.

This represents a beam of length L supported at both ends (A,B) with a force applied in the middle (F):

The lowercase "f" represents how much your shelf will bend, ie, how ugly it'll look once books are placed on it.

With uniform load (fixed amount of weight per unit of shelf length), f is proportional to L^4, ie the fourth power of L. This means, for a fixed material and thickness, a shelf that is twice as long, loaded with twice as many books since it is double the length, will bend 16 times more !

This is why a short shelf, like about 40cm as pictured in your question, can be made of pretty much anything, even the cheapest 18mm thick particle board, OSB, whatever. It will stay straight.

But a 80cm shelf, like in IKEA BILLY, has a 16x times harder job... And 80cm IKEA shelves, which are made mostly of as much air as possible, and as little sawdust and glue as they can get away with... they do bend. For a 80cm shelf loaded with heavy books I'd definitely not recommend particle board. The IKEA BILLY one in my living room looks quite bendy. I'll probably replace it with plywood some day.

In summary, don't blame particle board for your 3 ft shelf collapsing, instead blame a wrong use of particle board. 3 ft is too long. It would be fine for storing clothes, but not tightly packed books.

If you want to make a shelf like in your photo, with "boxes" about 40-50cm wide, which is about half as long as 3 ft, then... you can use pretty much any material you want and the deciding factor will be cost and how easy it is to make a nice finish. If you want a 3 ft shelf which can carry heavy books, then the deciding factor will be material strength, and you'll likely end up with 20mm plywood.


Best way to remove sani-tred paint from basement walls About ten years ago I used sani-tred to waterproof my basement walls they were new construction bare cinder block at the time. I have had some water filtration over the years not a lot but enough to leave a puddle in the corners after very heavy rain. I also have mold trapped between the layers of the paint. I tried to remove the paint which is a liquid polyurethane with power washer 35000 psi and chemical stripper with very poor results. Was thinking maybe sandblasting or dry ice would work? I would like to get the wall bare again and try to seal any leaks with hydraulic cement. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would try a Muriatic acid and water solution. I know the Acid will etch the Block just not sure how well it will remove the sani-tred.
I would start with a 10% acid solution and work up from there. Usually I do this to floors prior to painting.  If I need to make the surface rough for better bond for tile it works also.
I have used mixtures up to 30% depending on how aggressive I want to etch the cement. You will need fresh air in a basement as the fumes can get quite strong. Remember to always add acid to water and use rubber gloves to protect your hands. All pool supply stores will carry Muriatic acid and most home improvement carry it. It is not that expensive for a gallon to give it a try.


How to unstick my light switch? I was messing around trying to change a light fixture and the circuit breaker for the house tripped open. I reset the circuit breaker, fixed it correctly and everything else is working. But the light switch will not turn off now. It just springs constantly to the on position and there is no click when manually you hold the switch into the off position. I assume it is stuck, is this a job for a total novice when it comes to these things? Any easy answers?

The switch was probably damaged by a short circuit caused by wiring your fixture incorrectly.

So - how do you fix?

Step 1:  Turn off the fuse/breaker that was blown/tripped when you caused the short

Step 2:  Remove the face plate for the broken switch

Step 3:  Remove the screws that anchor the switch in the electrical box.  Do not remove any wires.

Step 4:  Study the switch and make careful note of where each wire connects.  The old switch should have markings on it that indicate things like "hot", "neutral" and "ground".  Take some sticky labels like mailing labels and write down each connection on a label and stick that label on the wire before you remove it from the switch.

Step 5:  After you've labelled all the wires and removed the switch, take it to your local hardware store and buy a replacement.

Step 6:  Come home and reconnect the wires exactly as they were before.

Step 7:  Mount the switch in the box.  Replace the face plate.  Turn on the power in the fuse/breaker box.


Toilet supply line/tube sprays water from below the coupling nut My toilet tank was leaking rust and water, so I replaced the three bolts at the bottom of the tank.

But when I replaced the supply line/tube, the new supply line/tube sprays water from below the coupling nut. See the picture.

How do I correctly install the supply tube?

Thank you in advance.

Remove the supply flex and make sure there is not an old rubber cone washer squished up into the fill valve, leftover from the old supply line.

Inspect the new line while it is unattached to ensure the washer/gasket/o-ring is in place and undamaged.

Reattach using minimal torque, hand-tight should be enough (with maybe just a bit extra on it with pliers...), do not over-tighten.


How long will a treated post last in the ground? The power company says I can put my permanent service entrance on a 6" x 6" pressure treated post. My friend suggested I consider a metal post sunk in concrete, for greater longevity.

How long should I expect a treated post to last in the ground?

Here's the diagram the power company gives:

A PT post will last a long time in concrete, maybe 5 to 10 years in soil alone.  I suggest you embed the post in concrete, trowel a peak around the post so water runs off, and don't let the PT post come in contact with the ground.

If you find the RV posts I mentioned earlier, they are steel, treated and when put in concrete will last 25 years or more.


Ice In Radon Mitigation System I have a fan powered radon mitigation system installed in my house.  It was installed in 2016 and I have not had any issues with it until this winter.   I live in northern Iowa where we have been getting some unusually extreme temperature variations this winter (10F - 55F on some days).

I believe the system is exhausting warm moist air which is then freezing within the 4" exhaust pipe.  As the pipe heats above freezing, this ice releases and falls into the exhaust fan.  This causes some extreme noises (Much like marbles in a blender) until the ice has been chopped to small enough pieces by the fan to fall further under the slab.

The installer claims that the fan is designed for this, but I have to think that this happening on a daily basis will shorten the life of the fan (Not to mention the whole house panic when this happens in the middle of the night (Due to loud noise)).

What are my options to prevent this ice from making noise and destroying my radon fan?

Note: Basement has no water issues, and radon manometer shows normal readings.

Maybe you could splice in some sort of 45 degree sanitary tee at that curve right above the fan?  That way, when the ice falls down the pipe, it gets caught. Maybe also some kind of filter there to restrict airflow but allow water to melt out on warm days.


Large hole in porcelain kitchen sink - is it fixable? My wife dropped a cutting board in the sink today and we ended up with quite a large hole. I believe the sink is porcelain. This is not ideal as she was planning on doing a lot of holiday cooking. I’ve found a lot  on repairing dents or small holes, but it’s unclear if those solutions would work for something this big. Is this repairable and if so how would I go about doing this? We’re fine if the color is a bit off.

I think for a temporary fix you could use a good two-part epoxy. I don't consider it a DIY thing to completely restore a sink like that, but there are companies that refresh bathtubs. I'm not sure what they apply would be robust enough for a sink, though.

From the look of the nearby chips and the crack extending from the new damage, that sink has served its useful life and should be replaced. That's usually not an overly complicated project and tends to bring new life to a kitchen workspace.


How do I put a fluorescent light on a motion sensor? I have a couple closets in my basement that I have outfitted with a fluorescent light attached to a motion sensor (this one).  The idea was that when you open the closet door, the light comes on automatically (and turns off automatically when you close it).

The first problem I ran into was trying to use a light with an electronic ballast, which didn't work at all.  After reading the instructions I found that you have to use a light with a magnetic ballast.

So, i replaced the light with one that has a a magnetic ballast, and now it comes on just fine when the door is opened.  After closing the door and waiting a minute or so the light should turn off.  But instead of turning off it just begins to flicker very rapidly.

Any one have any ideas about what might be causing that or what I might have done wrong?  Or any personal experience with fluorescent lights that will work with a motion sensor?

I thought about just using an incandescent light instead, but seems that code doesn't allow incandescent lights in closets.

Assuming you're talking about motion sensors like this:

Switches like that need power. They can work by trickling current through incandescents if hooked up like a normal single-throw switch (in series with feed going to lights). If the switch has 4 wires (hot, return, switched, and ground) then you can hook them all up and it will power itself using it's own hot + return. In that case, it shouldn't have to trickle power through the light's circuit, and fluorescents should be able to turn off.


Solar inverter installation A reputed solar installer is telling me that I can install more than 20 A worth of solar on a 100 A Main Service Panel (MSP) which has 100 A busbar rating only. According to him it can be accomplished by installing a subpanel which is rated more than 100 A in its busbar rating but I am not clear - how can a sub-panel have more amperes for its busbar when its feeder is only 100 A?

So according to this scenario, I can have 140 A busbar linked to 100 A MSP (and 100 A busbar in MSP) and 40 A of this is for Solar and 100 A is for existing household needs/appliances/ac etc. Having 40 A reserved for solar allows a larger inverter to be installed therefore more panels and higher kW.

Is it possible/How does this work ? I am not an electrical engineer so I don't understand all nuisances.

Yes, he's right.

Imagine this scenario.  You happen to be "going to town" - air conditioner is cycled on, dryer running, water heater heating and range/oven has the works turned on.  That's 30+30+30+50 = 140 amps* of power from the large appliances.

You are only served by mains power.  OK, the 100A main breaker snaps to protect the bus-bars in the panel.

You are served by mains + solar.  Your house draws 95 amps from the mains, and 45 amps from the solar+inverter (it's a sunny day).  The 100A main breaker does not trip.  The 50A solar breaker does not trip.  You have 140A moving on that panel with 100A buses.

Now, if the breakers are cleverly arranged (e.g. solar at the bottom, other loads stacked on the left side, sides don't matter) you might still get away with it, with the solar serving the bottom breakers and the mains serving the top breakers - no point along the bus flowing more than 100A.  But Code doesn't assume such a happy configuration.  Hence the requirement.

Move this over into a subpanel with 200A buses, and now 100A of mains can come through from the mains panel (use a subfeed lug "breaker"), and 50A can come off the solar panels, and still cheerfully power 150A of stuff in this 200A-bussed panel.  Happy dappy.

* I'm speaking apocryphally. Most appliances must be provisioned for 125% of their actual draw.  Take 24A x 125% = 30A.  Appliance builders intentionally size their appliances to just snake under that requirement, so your A/C, water heater, and dryer probably have a 23A load. Realistically 23+23+23+50 (ranges aren't thus derated since they don't expect you to use all spots continuously), so 119 A, etc.


Outside Frost Proof Spigot sprays water I have a frost proof outside spigot. When I hook the hose to it, as much water comes out near the front of the spigot (not the top) as comes out of the end of the hose. What is wrong with it? Do I need to call a plumber and have the whole thing replaced?

Sounds like it has a vacuum-breaker, and the vacuum-breaker valve/disc is stuck or failed.

Or, depending on what you mean for the leak location, the packing on the valve stem is loose or needs to be replaced.


Thermostat wiring splice I need to relocate a thermostat and have the additional wire needed but I am not sure of the ideal way to "join" the cable sections.

Will using wire nuts and zip tie be good enough?

A butt splice connector, or twist-on wire connector would be fine. Just make sure you use connectors that are designed for the size, and number of wires being connected.

Technically, you should probably either pull all new wiring, so that it's continuous from HVAC to thermostat. Or put the connections in a junction box, that is left accessible.


Can a sub-panel have a larger main breaker than the feeder breaker in the main panel? I have a weird setup that I'm trying to configure, but I'm only 90% certain of my logic (and with electrical items I want to be 100%).

I have a new 400A meter/main combo unit with 1 built-in (supplied) 200A breaker to provide power to a 200A subfeed panel.

The same main box has spaces for up to 8 additional circuits for either additional subfeed panels (high current) or regular circuits (15A-40A).
Here's the Siemens schematic.

The subfeed panel I'm using comes equipped from Siemens with a 225A main shutoff. Siemens schematic

My question is this: Can I leave the existing 225A main shutoff at the subfeed panel even though the max current for the upstream feed is 200A?

Basically, I bought the panel that has larger capacity and it came with a larger main (225A); however, the circuits in use are spec'd for 200A and that's why the upstream (from the meter/panel main) is 200A.

My thought is, just as with everything else, the smallest number will win, but the 225A physical shutoff (while not even strictly necessary because there's a physical upstream shutoff) provides an easier way to kill the power locally vs going outside.

Anything wrong with my logic/plan?

Thanks!

You are fine.

The 200 amp breaker in the main panel will protect the wires leading to the sub. The main breaker in the sub is not strictly necessary, except as a local shutoff. You could as easily use a sub designed with no main, feeding directly to the bus bars.

The only requirement in this context is that the feeder breaker be sized to protect the feed wires and the sub panel itself.


Is Black & Decker's "Codes for Homeowners" (3rd edition, 2015) a useful resource? Is the Black & Decker "Codes for Homeowners" worth buying as a home improvement reference work?

Yes, but in at least one instance, the text and the graphic are completely wrong, so be cautious. On pp. 40-41, the book indicates that you must have a smoke alarm "within 3 horizontal feet of the door of a bathroom containing a tub or shower." The actual code (in California, at least) requires that no smoke detector be any closer than 3 feet--to prevent false alarms from steam. (CA Residential Code chapter 3, section R314). A pretty serious misinterpretation.


Two 20 amp circuit breakers installed with copper wire bridge We hired an electrician to Power a steam humidifier and when I opened the electrical panel I was surprised to see two 20 amp circuit breakers next to each other with a copper wire through the on/off switch connecting both breakers and ensuring both were moved on and off together. I have only seen dual switches with a common "bridge" to both that come that way from the manufacturer.

Why would the electrician install it this way and is this a safe feature in the panel...?

The nail/wire is not a legal handle tie, but a proper electrical supply who deals in that brand will cheerfully sell you one for $3 - or as Ed Beal points out, anyone will sell you a 2-pole breaker for $9.  Whether that is legal: It depends.

If the breakers are powering device(s) that use both 120V and 240V (classically ovens (for the light) and dryers (for the motor)), then that device requires common-trip.  Handle-ties cannot provide common trip.  Only a 2-pole breaker can do that.

If the breakers are powering a variety of loads, every single one of which is a 120V-to-neutral load, or every single one is 240V-only (no neutral: water heater, A/C, EV charger), then common trip is not required; you need common maintenance shutoff.  That is what a handle-tie does.  But you need to use the proper one that is UL listed for the breaker type.


Removed old vanity and installed new vanity and there is limited space to install new P-trap As noted, I have installed the new vanity, and the space between the new sink drain and the wall is very limited (4.5 inches to center of the new sink drain). I thought I could just go on the other side of the wall and cut off what I needed to allow enough space...but the other side of the wall is a 90 degree bend. Now I have to come up with a totally different solution to still provide the trap. Looking for options.
I thought maybe I could install a t-junction and cap off one end so I would at least have a straight connection on the other side of the wall, providing me the precious additional room I need for the trap.

It is normal to cut the drainage end of the trap tube to fit.
They come long and are intended to be trimmed to fit - that's the "male" part of the slip joint normally found on the output of the trap - similar joints and trimming are typically found between the sink tailpiece and the trap entrance, though specific cases vary.
There's also typically a range of motion from twisting the trap horizontally.


How to remove a concrete-filled, steel bollard I have a set of permanent, steel bollards set into a small concrete slab that I need to remove, in order make room to build a small structure.  The steel is 1/4" thick, and the bollards themselves are open on top and filled to the rim with concrete.

I'm looking for suggestions on the best way (cheapest + quickest) to accomplish this.  At the moment, the best idea I have come up with is using a blowtorch and sledgehammer.

For those of you who need a picture, this attached picture is about as close to what I'm dealing with as I can find.

Thanks for your help.

Use (if you can fit it on) or replicate the function of a "lally column cutter" - I suspect replicate the function will be the better bet - use a cutoff disk in an angle grinder to score a line around the base of the steel (not a piddly little score, ideally - deepish, but it need not hit concrete) and then smack the top of the column. Enjoy the power of "stress concentration" as the steel snaps at the score-line, and the concrete will go with it.

Be sure that your new structure provides adequate protection to whatever you are building a structure over (I'm gathering the hydrant is an example, not the actual thing) if being plowed into by a vehicle remains an issue; which presumably is why there are bollards there in the first place.


Paint chipping too easily on trim and jambs I've painted my trim and jambs the same color using a Matte paint (perhaps not the best call).  It's about a few days old and it's already chipping.  Granted we just got the carpet put down which likely did a fair amount of contact but it seems like it's chipping too easily.

Is there anything I can do to make it stronger or more chip resistant?  Could I put a different type of paint like a semi-gloss on the jambs and not have it look too radically different?  The paint is Behr mid-grade so it's not horrible paint. I did a light sanding with 220 (perhaps could have done a better job), and the boards were pre-primed

This was the trim/baseboard:  http://www.menards.com/main/doors-windows-millwork/moulding/all-unfinished-mouldings/base-moulding/7-16-x-3-1-4-primed-pine-ranch-base-wm723/p-1444424218714.htm

Thoughts?

Chipping is not a problem of the finish (gloss, semi-gloss, or flat) of the paint. It's a problem of (lack of, or incorrect) preparation of the surface the paint is not sticking to. If the actual application of paint is the majority of work in painting something, you're probably doing it wrong; preparation is the majority of the work, and what the result depends on in pretty much all cases.

Your pre-primed trim may have been exposed to a number of things in its travels between priming at the factory and you putting it in place - those surface contaminants need to be removed. This might involve washing/rinsing it (and then letting it dry fully) as well as sanding it.

Giving truly adequate drying/curing time and conditions before exposing to abuse is also a factor - humid air (given your location and the season there being summer) can drastically affect paint cure times, and "not coming off on your fingers" (i.e., surface dry) and "fully cured" are two very different states, with the "fully cured" state taking considerably more time to arrive at.


Clean foam residue off windows In a new construction home, when we moved in there is this residue on the interior window framing. This is not spray insulation, but looks like there was some type of foam on the windows itself during shipping (?)

We've tried several things to get this gunk off - goof off, goo gone, acetone, etc.

The builder at one point said they might have to just replace the windows or try some special type of paint. I don't think they are going to come through on this.

See the photo below. There was some actual foam there at some point we mostly scrapped off - if I recall correctly, it was more like upholstery foam then some construction foam in touch and appearance. We also see this in a few other spots on this set of windows, but this is the biggest, uggliest area.

That is most likely expandable foam that is used to seal air spaces. It has VERY sticky and can even bound with some plastics. It is very hard or impossible to completely remove and it will likely either need to be replaced or some cover-up applied (I have not heard of this or know of what could be done)

Your builder almost surely wants you to just go away. What do they have to gain from fixing it? Your future business? It is VERY common for contractors and builders to ignore you unless you continue to press HARD. This should be addressed by them, after all, you paid for this to be correct and you did not receive a credit for this poor condition, you should NOT HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. If they start a pattern of vagueness / no commitment or give a longer time frame before they can address it (pretty much anything other than doing it now) then they are putting you off hoping that you will give up. Don't give up. Get legal help if you need to.


Can a low-flow shower head cause a leak behind the wall? The short question is this: would a low-flow shower head cause some kind of increase in pressure to the water supply pipes that would cause a rupture and leak?

The longer story is this: I removed a previous stationary shower head and replaced it with this hand-held shower head (http://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-Propel-5-Spray-4-5-in-Hand-Shower-in-Chrome-26040/300676251). There was nothing unusual about the installation, it worked fine and there were no visible leaks.

About two weeks of daily use later the hot water to that bathtub faucet and only that bathtub faucet stopped working. A plumber came out and replaced the cartridge inside the handle (http://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-Posi-Temp-Pressure-Balanced-Shower-Cartridge-1222/202059049) saying that sometimes the temperature regulator inside the cartridge stops working, just one of those things.

Hot water had returned, we went back to daily use. About 4 days later we heard water behind the wall and found our downstairs bathroom below the shower in question was flooding from the ceiling. We turned off the main water and waited for the plumber to come back out.

He found that the cold water supply line to the shower handle was leaking significantly at a solder point. His initial diagnosis was whoever installed the line had done a bad job soldering the pipe and it had finally given out. He cut out the pipe and replaced it with his own, presumably superior, soldering job.

After he was done, as he was using the shower head to clean out the tub he mentioned how much he hated these kinds of shower heads because they restrict the flow of water so much, and that since "that pressure has to go somewhere" the new shower head was likely the cause of both the cartridge replacement issue and the later leak.

I would agree the shower head does not put out the most impressive pressure, but it doesn't seem anemic or problematic. I can't understand how a restrictive shower head could ruin a scald protector or supply line. Is this actually a thing? Should I look to replace my shower head, or was he just looking for something to be the cause that wasn't him? If not the shower head, could the cartridge be doing something that would cause the pipe to leak?

This is a fun question. I feel your plight and frustration. The answer is multi-point.

The TLDR version: Yes, a restrictive component upstream from your faucet control and the spicket can introduce the conditions needed for a leak between those two points.

When the faucet itself was off however, all of the water pressure in the home in the pipe is pushing on all sides of the pipe's and faucet's inner surfaces. Home water pressures can be about 60 psi (different codes in different places), but this PSI is regulated by a regulator on your main water supply. All the water in your home is restricted to whatever this is set at.

Now, when you open a faucet, you are giving that water a place to go. Think path of least resistance. The water goes there, but unless the pipes it is going through are too small (like a refrigerator water line) that water will come out at 60psi.

Suffice it to say for the example, the pipe between your shower handle and the shower head can handle say 40psi…. when you open the faucet, with no head, all 40 psi (nearly all), blasts out into the tub. Now put your thumb on it, and some MORE pressure pushes on the pipe sidewalls, while less than 40 comes out. Now put a low flow head on it, and even less.

So yes — if a pipe was weak to begin with, it can start leaking. Now, as far as the cold supply leaking because of the new head? BALONEY. Because when the water is OFF, it is seeing all of the pressure at those connections.

What is most likely the issue with the leak and the faulty faucet (I assert…) is that the act of you touching the shower head pipe had more vibrational impact on the overall piping installation. Also, calcium or other water impurities built up in the pipes may have broken free. This could be what caused the water mixer to "seize up" and also could be what weakened the pipes more than they were before you started the task.

How old is the house? These things do happen. Also, the plumber (while not at any fault), also jostled these connections, and he is right, if the job was lacking in quality, then everything you experienced could happen.


Can ductless air conditioning+heat pumps work well on floors that have doors closed? Our home is a split level, with 5 floors - basement, den, kitchen, bedroom, master. Each of those floors is mostly open EXCEPT the bedroom floor, which is 4 separate rooms.

A HVAC contractor we got a quote from recommended a ductless system+heat pump with 3 indoor units. One on the kitchen floor, one on the bedroom floor, and one in the master.

What I don't understand is how a single unit on the bedroom floor would effectively heat or cool all 4 rooms on that floor. Most of those rooms have their doors closed all of the time, which would greatly hamper air circulation (and therefore temperature circulation). With the current AC, each floor has a vent, so it's not a big deal. But I don't understand how it would work with ductless.

Can a ductless system effectively cool a floor with multiple rooms if the rooms have their doors closed most of the time?

With the doors closed and no evaporator in the room how is the cooling going to get into the room. In short it will not work with natural flow and the doors closed. On my 1930's home we have a 3 zone currently. The living room and the kitchen/ dining and the the master each have a unit. The other 2 bed rooms only get cooling / heat when the doors are open but since these only get used when relatives or grand kids are here we have not put a second unit in. I may add a second unit on the other side of the house for the 2 bedrooms and a small office but at this point it is not needed because we heated with wood for so many years we are used to having our doors open and that saves because we still use partial wood most of the winter as I am getting lazy LOL.


Convert Front Door Entry Mailbox to a Front & Rear Door Entry Mailbox I need to convert a regular MEDIUM size STEEL mailbox with only one streetside  entry door to place mail in & to take mail out.  I'm trying to figure out how to remove the backside of the mailbox so I can add a rear door facing the sidewalk.
 So far I've had no luck finding a MEDIUM size steel mailbox that has both front & rear door entries.

How would I remove the backside of a STEEL mailbox so I can add a rear door?

What you're going to want to do is this:

That back of the mail box is going to be crimped on in such a way that it can't be removed without cutting the back of the mailbox off.  This would leave sharp edges, so you could round those off and then attempt to re-use the back as a makeshift door, or you could just get another mailbox and use the door from it.

There's several ways you can use the two mailboxes to make one double-ender, so that bit of creativity is up to you.  I'd probably cut the back 40% off of each one and join the fronts to end up with a slightly longer "limo" mailbox.

I see what you mean about finding a "medium" double door box.  They also have replacement doors that are made for bricked in mailboxes that might work for this, but they seem very expensive for what they are.


How can I clean my screened porch? First time home-owner in south east Ohio. My home has a North facing porch with wooden floors, and screened windows. The screens face into a very wooded area, and there is a walk-out to a patio directly beneath the porch.

A few months after moving in and winter ended, I started to see an increasing amount of bugs coming in through the porch if I left the door open, so I stapled fine mesh screen to the bottom of the porch between each cross-member. This has helped nearly eliminate bugs coming in, but I still have an issue with the floor boards of the porch being extremely dusty all the time. I have used a deck brush with hose attachment, and scrubbed only to find after drying the floors still appear dusty.

I have also tried cleaning the screens as best I can, thinking that maybe during a rain storm any dust and pollen on the screens may be getting washed into the porch.

I'm not sure what type of wood the floor boards, and walls are made of, but would it be an okay idea to try a pressure washer on the floors, or would there be a better option?
After cleaning the floors, should I apply some type of treatment to them to help prevent further build-up?

The curse of living in a wooded area. A pressure cleaner is a great way to clean your wood outdoor floor. Afterwards a stain sealer is a good finishing touch. This won't cure the dust but will sure look nice. A word of caution... stick with a pressure washer with about 1500 psi, you don't want to blast out the wood pulp.


How to mount handrail to drywall over concrete Any help how to hang the railing back up on the stairway.  It is townhouse wall with drywall and concrete behind it.

You can drill holes into the concrete with bits made for concrete. Depending on how dense the concrete is you can sometimes do this with a regular drill. (This takes some patience, it's not like drilling into wood. Don't push too hard or you'll break the bit. Just have patience) If the concrete is too dense, a hammer drill may be necessary. And yes they have concrete anchors. They also have special screws made for concrete that don't require anchors.

Another idea would be to put a railing on the other side. Not a hand rail. A railing that attaches to the floor instead of the wall.


Dart in the radiator... How do I fix it without replacing the radiator? So I was playing darts with my friend, and below the dartboard is a radiator.

Anyway long story short the dart went into the radiator and now water is spraying everywhere out of it. I managed to turn the radiator off with some mole grips (the taps were gone just the metal knobs sticking up) and stop the water flow but I'm not sure how to fix the hole. The hole is about 1mm diameter. The dart went in really deep as well.

This is what the radiator looks like:

How do I fix the hole? I'm in the UK. The radiator is painted as well.

I'm house sitting for a friend so replacing the radiator etc isn't an option.

If the radiator is constructed of a material to which solder will adhere (copper, steel, tin), you can scrape away some of the paint surrounding the hole. Because you've turned off the water, careful application of heat, flux and solder will seal off the hole on a permanent basis. Conventional copper plumbing is assembled with solder in a similar manner. A hole as small as one millimeter is easily bridged with solder and will not blow out under household water pressure.

As noted in other comments, discuss this with the owner prior to scraping paint. Obviously, when done, clean the area and repaint.


Crooked (Not Parallel with Wall) Electrical Receptacle I recently replaced an electrical receptacle.  It was old and the device box was also recessed.  So, I added the 1-Gang Outlet Box Spacer Extenders from Home Depot.  Now, the receptacle is held tightly in place by the device box rather than against the drywall with a space in between.  However, this has revealed that the device box was not mountedparallel with the drywall and the receptacle appears crooked (see photo below).  I was thinking of shimming the device box on the side connected to the stud but that would only increase the angle.  Does anyone have any suggestions for fixing this angle so that the receptacle and the drywall are parallel?

I find that i can usually manipulate them into alignment.

The  tabs on the outlet that the screws go through attaching the outlet to the box are made of somewhat malleable  metal.

Turn the breaker off to the circuit so there is not ANY power to the box. You should use a non-contact voltage tester to insure that there is no power in the box to any wires.

Take off the cover plate. I can usually just grab the outlet with my fingers, i reach in as far as i can and try to push the back of the outlet to one side or the other.

In your case you would push the back left side to the right.

Sometimes they are stubborn and do not move easily or i can not get a good finger hold so i carefully use a pair of adjustable pliers or a small pry bar to push the back to the side. ( remember the power should be OFF ) Be careful to not crush/crack the outlet.

It may take little fiddling but you can straighten it out.


Box in knob and tube wiring between ceiling and cellulose? I know that code says no cellulose insulation with knob and tube wiring because of possible heat build up. I also know that evidence of it causing fires because of this is scarce and a few states allow cellulose if an electrician says it's in good shape.

As I air seal the attic before adding insulation there are about 10 knob and tube wires running above the kitchen ceiling, which is attic floor behind a kneewall. They were covered in blown fiberglass for probably the last 24 years.

I am having 2 different electricians come to give their recommendation and/or estimate of it it should be changed. However, since the wires come up an outside wall that's had spray foam for 8 years, go across the attic floor for about 10 feet and then disappear under a finished floor I don't see how replacing them is really that possible.

I'm going to see what the electricians say but I'm wondering about putting a piece of drywall a couple of inches above the wires, and boxing in the sides as well. That way it would be just like they are in an empty wall cavity except for the fact that there is insulation on one side and it's a ceiling cavity instead.

Thoughts?

Code doesn't say that anymore,  at least not in WA and OR.

Serious study was done on the question  of whether blown insulation on K&T was really having an impact on house fires.  The studies determined it was not.  And so states have been rescinding their laws against blown insulation with K&T.

Of course AFCI is a magic bullet that intercepts many wiring faults, and I would put it on any K&T.

Sometimes K&T has problems with neutrals being crossed among several hots -- that was Wrong then, just as it is wrong now.  However MWBC is a method where two hots share 1 neutral, and that was legal then, and it's legal now.  The hots simply must be put on opposite poles, and the breakrs handle tied. Regardless, some of the newest AFCIs don't care about shared neutrals, but apparently only from certain makers.

If the house has blown insulation, you might downbreaker one size, merely out of an abundance of caution.

Other than that, I would continue to use it indefinitely.


Why does my washing machine shift around while operating? My washing machine shifts around slightly during the entire washing procedure. It doesn't move that obvious that I could tell what part of the washing procedure makes it do this. However, the obvious reason may be the spinning cycle.

My theory is that the washing machine tries to walk "downhill" and/or follows its balancing point. It shifts a bit to the left and comes forward slightly. Therefore, I thought that I can fix this by elevating the front left a bit and maybe the back left a little less than the front left.

Before I test this theory and maybe waste my time I thought I'd ask if this is true. Or where should I elevate the washing machine?

EDIT: I might add that the problem started after moving to my new apartment. Therefore, I think that it's not a factor of wearing out, but something like an installation alignment that I need to make. Since the bathroom was refurbished before I moved in, I might also deal with tiles that are still in motion and I simply have to expect to readjust the washing machine.

The current status is that it somehow "danced" itself into a position where it seems to be stable. So at this time I'm not supposed to push it too hard...

So this has turned into a theoretical "what-to-do-if"-kind of question. Is my actual question or rather assumption valid?

Yes, your washing machine should be level and all legs should be squarely on the floor.  If it's not, you'll have unbalanced forces acting on it as the drum spins.  During the spin cycle, these forces are much larger because of the higher spin speeds and will make it "walk".

You'll need a spirit level to balance the washer.  There's usually a gap between the top plate and the side plate of the washer that you can rest the level in to measure the front-to-back tilt.  For the side-to-side tilt, generally just put the level on the top of the washer.  You may have lock-nuts on the legs: if so, loosen them with a wrench before trying to adjust the washer, and tighten them afterwards.  Raise or lower the legs until all four are solidly on the floor; the washer should not rock at all.  If you have to move the washer to adjust it, remember to check it once it's back in its place.


Sink Smell and Slimy P-Trap I have a sink which emits an odor from the drain.  I checked the p-trap and there was a pretty nasty buildup of black slime in it.  I'm cleaning that out, but find it strange that just this one drain has this problem.  Another right next to it is fine.  The drain with the problem is the highest drain in the house.  The vent for these drains seems to be fine, but sometimes I do smell the same odor coming from it.  Any ideas on the cause of the slimy buildup in the p-trap?

Being the highest drain might cause a bit more water to be sucked out of the trap causing some odor to get past the remaining water. If it's a bathroom sink, they're prone to gross buildups due to soap scum, toothpaste, shaving cream and whatever. I have a brush from an aquarium that I run down my bathroom drain and trap regularly and it has helped a lot.


Is it safe to use a string of lights with one shattered I have a string of bulb lights but today I accidentally shattered one of the bulbs on the string. Is it still safe to plug it into a plug if all the other bulbs are fine? (meaning they're not shattered)

It is not safe if the string is of incandescent bulbs, because there will be exposed line voltage in the broken bulb.

In that case, remove the broken bulb and plug it in. If the string lights (it.has parallel wiring; usual for large screw-in bulbs), then you're fine. If it does not light, you will need to replace the bulb (it has series wiring, usual for small push-in bulbs).

If the string works without the bulb and you don't intend to replace it, wrap electrical tape (or whatever plastic or cloth you have available) over the socket so nobody can accidentally put a finger into it.

LED strings may or may not have safe low voltage, depending on how they were designed.


Cutting back of pedestal We have poorly fitting pedestal sink in powder room, because the pedestal has hole in bottom that doesn’t line up with pipes coming through floor. Is there a way to cut away the bottom porcelain hole to make an entirely open horseshoe at bottom? This would allow a little play for pipes.
Thank you.

Porcelain isn't terribly difficult to cut with the right abrasive tools, but you'd be left with a much more fragile base. Any bump by a rigid object is likely to crack it badly without that lateral support.

I'd definitely cut out only what's needed for your pipes and leave a substantial crossbeam at the rear.