Should I use Pressure Treated Wood in a basement? Home inspector once told me my basement has a slightly high moisture reading.

No mold, dampness or musty smell.

I am building an entertainment built-in out of lumber and MDF.

Should I use pressure treated lumber where the wood will sit in contact with the concrete floor/foundation? The rest will be standard 2x4 lumber.

Most building codes require PT wood that will be in contact with basement concrete floors. So the bottom plate of a 2x4 wall and code requires the use of fasteners (galvanized) approved for use with PT wood.


Slight shock touching metal with wet hands In my house we get a low voltage shock when you touch metal with wet hands. We had a electrician in who told us it was a problem outside our house. He said it had to do with the transformer that fed power to our house. We called our electric company who told us that we need to do some thing inside the house. We did the back and forth a few times with the problem not solved. So we stopped. When the electrician was at our house he turned off the main that supplies power the house and went around the house with a voltage meter.  He found and recorded voltage still coming though in the metal. This tells me that it is a grounding problem. Any ideas?

Thanks for all the info. I found notes that my husband had when he was doing the back and forth with the electrician and power company. This is what the electrician told us, 'the transformer ( on the pole outside of the house ) needed to be checked because voltage was coming through the ground'. The power company told us ' the lighting rods attached to the neutral needed to be moved'. That did NOTHING. What I would really like to know is this true? I am tired of the very high electric bills and this NEEDS to be fixed.

At this point it is a guessing game. So I am going to guess you don't have a very good earth ground and this has nothing to do with high electric bills. But you will need an experienced electrician to confirm this because it is very dangerous for an inexperience person to go poking things like this. In a case like this experience is worth the money.


Neutral and ground seperation at a sub-panel Could someone explain to me why the neutral and ground bars are never bonded on a sub panel? It's my understanding that the reason they're separated is so that the current returning on the neutral doesn't cross over to the ground and return to the main panel. But if ground and neutral under normal circumstances don't shock you then why is it necessary to separate them in the sub-panel in the first place? Is it because there is the possibility of the current crossing over to the ground that a breaker might not register a spike in current and fail to trip?
Thanks for taking time to answer my questions.

We don't build the system for normal circumstances.  If we did, we wouldn't need circuit breakers, would we? :)
Ever hear of a "Lost Neutral" situation?  This is where neutral becomes loose or broken, and is no longer pegged in the middle at 0V between the two opposite 120V phases (or at 0V in between the three 230V phases in Europe).   Neutral is subject to a "tug-of-war" amongst the various phases - the more load on a phase, the harder it pulls.  This causes the weaker phase's voltage to go higher than spec, which often burns out equipment.
Suffice it to say, neutral is no longer at 0V, and could be as high as 120V or 230V if only a single appliance is turned on (or still functioning).
Now, what would happen if the ground was attached to that lost neutral, i.e. the chassis of all equipment?  Well that would be at a high voltage along with the neutral, and people would be getting nailed off switch plate cover screws.
That's... why you maintain ground separately at all points beyond the main disconnect.


How do I install a water line to my refrigerator? Recently bought a new refrigerator that has an ice maker and now I want to run a water line to the refrigerator (there is not one there right now).  The cold water line is pretty much right below the refrigerator in the basement so I can easily drill a hole behind the refrigerator to the basement.  Is there a simple way to attach to my currently exisitng cold water line (without requiring a plumber)?

They make "taps" specifically for that purpose - you can get them at home depot/lowes or probably any plumbing store.

They clamp on to an existing water line and have a sharp pin inside.  You attach a vinyl or flexible copper line to it and run it through the floor to the fridge.  Then you crank handle on the valve down and the pin punctures the copper water line and lets water into the valve.

When I did mine, I was a bit worried it would leak at first (they just look like something that wouldn't seal well) but haven't had any problems with it for well over a year now.


Have our worktops been fitted wrong? We had our laminate kitchen worktops fitted yesterday. The fitters were really friendly and gave us some other advice about our kitchen whilst fitting and we thought it was okay. But after they had left we noticed some problems.

There was one joint and a gap for a free-standing oven.

The first problem is that the corner isn't square

The corner units are at 90 degrees and the fitters responded this morning that the walls aren't straight so they couldn't fit a 90 degree corner. Our feeling is that the worktops could have been scribed to make the corner a right angle.

The second problem is that the overhang isn't even - ranging from 9mm to 27mm in different places. We've also got an uneven overhang next to the oven making there not enough room in one place and making it look very strange.

Thirdly, because the wall isn't flat we have large gaps (>10mm) at the back. The fitters at the time said we could make this up when we tiled and I believed him but now looking online it looks like they should have scribed the worktop into the wall.

On top of all this the join isn't done very well - it's not smooth i.e. there's a ridge along it and a large gap at the front has been filled with Colorfill joint sealant.

We've complained and they've said it's not their fault our walls aren't straight and we were happy with it when they were doing it. What do people think our options are? We haven't paid them yet!

You should have fixed the walls before they put up the counter tops up.  I understand the company's frustration with your set up.

However the real frustration should have been with the sales person or the person taking the measurements.  They should have noticed this and discussed possible solutions during the initial phase.

The fabricators/installers were basically screwed and the installers made the situation worse.  First I am sure your contract talks about an overhang.  Having a consistent overhang is part of any countertop installation.  This should be fixed.

However I do not think them scribing the entire back of the counter to fit your curvy wall is normal.  Again they missed this.  You are paying for a service and part of that is them being able to measure things.  (If no one came out to your house and you just sent in measurements though my opinion reverses)

If you just have drywall above countertops there is a solution... If it works in your kitchen you can.  Have them install counters with an consistent overhang.  Then you could add another layer of drywall -thickness determined on how much you need to notch in your worst spot (and you can notch existing drywall too).  Then you will cover drywall notch with backsplash.  If they gave you some 6 inch pieces of your counter material it would probably look great.

On the other issues... The 90 degree thing - tops don't need to be at 90 they need to match cabinets.  So again worry about the overhang consistency.  On the joins - they should be sanded properly.  There should be no ridge.  It would be normal to have a very small amount of filler.  The really good companies make it almost seamless and the bad ones have huge joins.

Focus on the front of the countertops.  Make sure they line up the same with all cabinets.  Mention that you will let them notch into your existing wall - help them out and give them options.  If they can scribe one straight line in the back - that might be an option too and combining that with notching might work without additional drywall.  Also I would really ask them about a matching backsplash since tiling might not cover a wide gap in the back.


Can I use epoxy resin to fix a metal hook to a uPVC door, to stop it blowing in the wind? I have a uPVC back door which often blows in the wind. I want to fix a hook and eye similar to this to the exterior surface so I can leave it open and clip it to the wall.
Will epoxy resin such as Araldite do this job? The door is about 22 sq ft and the max wind speed here is about 25 mph. Using the generic formula at WikiHow I get a wind load of about 70 pounds.
Say the gluing area of the hook is about 1 sq inch. Will a general-purpose epoxy do the job?

Yes, but I suspect it will not be strong enough to hold over the long-term.
I think I'd drill holes in the door and bolt the hook to the frame instead of trying to use adhesive or epoxy.
The best would be bolts through the entire thickness of the door with a washer and nut on the other side.  Next would be some self-tapping screws suitable for plastic (usually wood screws will do the trick here) but you'll have to be very careful to avoid stripping the plastic when tightening.


how to properly remove these cable connectors Do I twist or pull them off

I tried by hand and wasnt getting anywhere so next step is going to be the pliers and i just want to make sure im not breaking it.

In some (not all, depends on the crimp style) cases you can use pliers (or locking pliers such as vise-grip) to squeeze an "oval" or "flattened" crimp on the long axis, and that will open the hole enough that you can slip the wires out. If not, yes, you have to cut them off, as per the comment that @Steve should make into an answer.

If that does work, you still should plan on new connectors for whatever new wiring work you are doing, as "recrimping" used connectors is not very reliable.


How to keep bird away from leaving their droppings on the deck Recently, I keep finding the bird droppings on the deck. Are there any ways to keep bird from leaving their droppings on the deck? Besides, are there any good chemicals that can clean the bird droppings without affecting the deck paint? Thanks.

I have great luck with a motion activated sprinkler Something like this keeps the geese out of my pool, It should work for your deck also. Cleaning the stains may take a strong deck cleaner but not knowing the type of paint I would hose it off and try a little dish soap with a scrub brush to clean it off.


How do I connect a Class B vent to this heater When I moved in a two years ago this heater wasn't working. Turns out the tree roots crushed the gas line. When I did my patio I had a new gas line put in. The heater fires up and runs good. The prior owner removed the vent when he replaced the roof. I can't find an oval vent to connect to this. It's 3" high by approximately 4 1/2" wide. Do I bend a single wall 4" vent to fit and connect the Class B vent to the single wall or does someone make an oval vent?

A common way is with a single wall oval to round elbow. Then you use a listed adapter for joining single-wall vent to Type B round vent. Do not "squeeze" or "bend" a pipe, fitting, or adapter to make it fit.

Contrary to some things you might hear, gas fired appliance vent pipes and fittings must be fit for purpose and used according to code and manufacturers' instructions or you could have a fire or die from CO poisoning. There are all kinds of restrictions; length and slope of horizontal runs, number and degree of bends, requirements by space/area, passing through floors/walls/roof, height of vent stack, type of cap, etc. All the rules are there for a reason (usually the reason is that someone was injured or killed).


Do ceiling joists need to rest on cross beams? I am having a new home built by a national builder. They are framing now I see that ceiling joists in one area are not resting on a beam that divides two open rooms.

See the photo. The beam that runs in from the left side separates two open rooms. The room to the left of the beam has an 18' span. The room on the right side of the beam, has a 16' span. As you can see, the bottom rail (?) of the joists are not resting on the beam. Is this a structural issue I need to worry about?

The top rail of the joist is indirectly supported since it runs longer but I am not sure if this is enough. The same model is being built down the street and the same joists do rest on the beam, but only by about an inch.

This is fine.  It's a wooden open web truss system.

The weight is transferred to the column at the one top point.  The lower bar and diagonal bracing are to prevent the top bar from sagging over a wide span.  The lower bar extends all the way to the wall so there is something for the ceiling drywall to screw into, but isn't supposed to rest on the column.

Here's the more familiar open web steel truss system that is used all the time in commercial buildings. Also called Composite Steel Floor Deck and Concrete Slab


Closet system to be installed - boards in the way I am new to DIY/home improvement, and I want to update my closet. There is a 2x4 going across the width of the back wall. It doesn't seem essential. Do builders usually add support beams across the middle of a closet or is this likely the remnants of an old shelf? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Those 2x4's are almost certainly the remnants of a previous shelf support and are certainly not structural elements.
You can safely remove them.


How to install ceiling light where there previously was none? I want to install ceiling lights in two upstairs bedrooms in my house.  There is a light-switch on the wall that turns power on and off to one of the electrical outlets.  I would be perfectly happy to re-use this switch and no longer switch the outlet on and off.

I believe that there is a small attic or crawl space above.

It sounds like I need to do three things:

1) Run wire from the light-switch to where the ceiling light is to be installed.

2) Install some sort of mounting bracket to hang the light from.

3) Mount the light on the bracket.

(3) seems very straight-forward, but I've never attempted to do anything with home electrical wiring beyond replacing a light-switch.

You've pretty much got it.  If you can twist wires with wire nuts and connect them to a switch you have the technical skills needed.  The hardest part is usually pulling the wire from the wall into the ceiling.

Get an "old work" ceiling/light box.  Cut a hole in the desired ceiling location, ensuring no joist will interfere with anchoring the old work box there.  (If you want to hang a ceiling fan or something heavy you'll need a joist-anchored box, which can be quite a pain to get into place unless you have easy access above.)
Pull/fish approved wire (no less than 14/2, assuming 15 amp service) from the switch box to the light box.
Wire and hang the light.
Turn off the circuit to the switch, then connect the new wire to the existing switch.

Remember: all wire has to be anchored to the work boxes, and all splices/connections made inside the work boxes.


Proper way to level a shed foundation on concrete patio I am building a shed from a kit.  The floor kit has a pretty standard 8x12 layout, but the instructions state that it should be leveled by setting it on 3 parallel treated 4x4s (runners), and that the 4x4s should be leveled by putting supports under the 4x4s about 4' apart.

The sample they show illustrates supporting the 4x4s setting on dirt, and they suggest stone blocks on the ground, 4 inch wood blocks above any blocks, then a bit of asphalt shingle, and finally the runners sit on the shingles.

I'm setting the deck on the concrete patio, shown here.  The low point is the top left, high point bottom right.  We do get water pooling on the patio in the rain but it does drain off within 24 hours.

When setting the treated runners on concrete should I still lift them off the concrete with blocks?  Can I just put pieces of shingle under them at the high point and use wood blocks + shingle to lift the other points to be level?

It's really all about water, and what will happen in the future.  Just leaving the blocks on the patio you'll have in short order debris against each 4x4, which over time will rot out even pressure treated.

I'd put down 1x concrete pavers to make some space, then the wood block/shingle to level it out.


Removing the vibration from a loud motor VIDEO showing my situation below... I have an electric heater in my garage and the fan motor is vibrating, resulting in a lot of noise. I noticed that if I press my finger against the back of the motor, the sound stops. So, I wedged a piece of wood between the back of the motor and the grate. This stopped the vibration, but I want a more longterm solution. Any ideas on ways I can permanently fix this issue?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lUYeknCoqg

It looks like the motor bracket isn't fastened down properly, which allows it to move. Or maybe it's the point where the motor attaches to the bracket. Turn off the fan, take off the grate, and examine it - maybe you just need to tighten some bolts (if you tighten them, and they work loose again, try putting Lock-Tite on the threads.)

If that doesn't fix it, just leave the piece of wood in place. But if you leave it in there long-term, you'll want to fasten it somehow so it doesn't slide down.


Why does my toilet's seal wear out so fast? The toilet in our only bathroom seems to go through drain seal about once a year.  The flange on the drain line is old, and broken in several places, but we're able to keep everything firmly in-place none-the-less.  We've tried both regular wax seals, and ones with reinforcing, both of which seem to fail much faster than designed.

Are there any good tips/tricks to getting the seal to last longer (more like the 10 years others get)?

Use two of the wax seals stacked on top of one another. It takes more squishing to set the toilet down, but the seal is a lot more resilient to shifting.

My plumber gave me this tip, and it seems to have worked the two times I used it.


Using UK switches in Slovakia I have checked Wikipedia to compare electricity in the UK vs Slovakia, see:

Country         PlugType    PlugStandard    Residential voltage Frequency   Comments
Slovakia        C, E        STN 34 4516                 230 V       50 Hz
United Kingdom  G[44]       BS 1363                 230 V[45]       50 Hz   Bathrooms may have shaver sockets

We can see the Frequency and the Voltage are the same. Obviously, I will not be using plugs as they are different.

Question: are the UK switches fully compatible with Slovakia?

More detail: the wiring is not in place yet, property is new built. I am planning to use dimmer switches for LED lights. The reason to use the UK products, they are surprisingly cheaper and have more varieties to choose from.

I have contacted the UK switch providers, and they keep saying there will be no warranty as they are not designed for EU. I am suspecting they are just playing safe not because products are not compatible.

I have also contacted Slovakia and the UK electricians, and cannot get a final answer, some say it is OK, some say it is not.

Any insight, suggestions?

Electrically they should be safe and function well. Both are EU member states - so standards are theoretically harmonised.

The problems may be that UK light switches are designed for use in UK back-boxes and patresses. The dimensions of the box and the location and dimensions/threads of the fixing screws (which are always included with UK switches) may be different to those used in Slovakia.

Labelling of connections in UK switches may be unfamiliar to Slovakian electricians (e.g. "Com", "L1" and "L2") but that should be a minor issue.


Would refilling an AC with refrigerant improve its performance after 8 years? I just got a little AC (8000 BTU). It works Ok, I guess its a bit small for the room (20m2) but even just bringing the temp down from 30C to 25C is enough of a difference to stop me from sweating.

I bought it second hand but it looks almost brand new, the previous owner used it for a few months and then had it in storage for 8 years. Question is though, how likely is it that some of the refrigerant has leaked over all those years? Would bringing it in for a refill likely make a difference?

I miss the winter and keep fantasizing of 16C.

how likely is it that some of the refrigerant has leaked over all
  those years?

Not very likely.

It's a pressurized system, so if you had a leak I would expect an 8 year period to be more than long enough for ALL the refrigerant to have escaped. There is a slight possibility of a seal partially failing and only letting refrigerant out when the unit is operating (pressure is greatly increased), but you would know pretty quickly - the cooling capacity would continue to decline as you use it, until it has little to no effect on the ambient air.

  Would bringing it in for a refill likely make a difference?

That depends on the current charge level. An under/over charged unit will not perform to the manufacturer's specifications. Not having any leaks doesn't necessarily mean the system has the correct charge in it. But it sounds like you're talking about a portable unit that has probably never had any maintenance performed on it (so it should still have the factory charge, which should be correct).


How can I repair damaged gloss of hardwood floor due to spilled scented oil? I spilled scented oil on my glossy hardwood floor and left it unattended for a few hours. After I cleaned up the spill, the spot had turned white. I researched online and found that applying a mixture of baking soda + linseed oil should take care of it. It definitely did bring the color back to brown but the spot has lost its glossiness. How can I restore the gloss?

It would be helpful to know what the floor was finished with. If it was factory finished, it was probably a lacquer finish. If it was a stick built hardwood and finished after install, it is probably urethane.  Regardless, if you gently sand the edges around the damaged area, you should be able to brush in some gloss oil based urethane.  Feather it out very thinly into the existing good finish.  It may not be perfect, but should come close.


Wiring 3 way switches I am thoroughly confused on this and looking for a wire diagram or some advice.  My father in law was trying to replace a switch that cracked and after attempting to install it and the lights not working he called me. I showed up to wires pulled out and no clue of how it was previously wired before when it was working. The situation is that there is two separate three way switches powering about 8 or 9 flood lights in his living room. Both switches have their own power source running into their gang box. The best I have gotten so far is getting one switch to basically be the “master switch”.  This switch works in the on and off position. When the switch is in the on position the other switch will work but when the “master switch” is in the off position the other switch has no control. Looking for help. Thanks

Just for reference: Here are the basics of how a 3-way is wired.  You need /3 cable.   And color-wise, all bets will be off.

I'll add more when you have more information for us.


Running Coax cable to the upper floor We are having AC installed in our new house and as a result we currently have two large ducts running against the wall of our dining room. The goal is to eventually have those concealed behind some dry wall (losing a small corner section of our dining room). But I'm thinking before doing that this would be a good opportunity to drop some cable from the upper floor (where I don't believe we have any jacks for cable TV) to the basement. We have cable internet and I intend to have my office of the upper floor, so I need internet access up there

Is this a good idea? The ducts end in a closest on the upper floor and I should (I think) be able to route cable to the master bedroom and the other upstairs bedroom (that I was planning on making my office). Should I use a conduit? If yes, what type? Is it a problem if it runs too close to the ducts? Should I run an ethernet cable instead (or as well) and keep the cable modem in the basement? If so, where would be the best place for the wireless router?

We will be transferring our cable service from our current residence to the new house when we move in and I strongly suspect the cable installer won't be too interested in running cable upstairs.

That is a great idea.  If there is space, run two large (1.5+ inch) conduits to make running new network cables, stereo audio, HDMI, and coax in the future easier.  Take care to minimize the number of bends in the conduit for easier use, and use large radius elbows if any elbow is needed.

Ducts and low voltage signals can be as close as you want.  In some commercial installations, cables are placed inside air ducts when it is the only access.


Why do all shower cubicles have open tops, and does it have to be this way? I have a small bathroom with a traditional 2 sided shower cubicle in one corner. Like all shower cubicles it has an open top. The bathroom has both an opening window and a working extractor fan.

If the first person to use the bathroom in the morning takes a shower, then bathroom quickly fills with steam and condensation forms on the walls (even with window open and extractor on). Anyone else who then uses the bathroom in the next half hour or so has to put up with a rather damp and unpleasant environment. (situation is probably exacerbated by location, I'm in northern Europe, the showers are hot, and the bathroom is cool - ideal conditions for condensation)

The extractor fan is in the bathroom ceiling above the shower cubicle, I can't help but think that if the cubicle was sealed (i.e. the walls went all the way up to the ceiling) then steam from the shower wouldn't get into the bathroom and the extractor fan would suck it all out before it had the chance to spread into the rest of the bathroom and condense on the walls/windows/floor.

Or am I missing something? Is there a good reason the walls of shower cubicles never reach the ceiling?

UPDATE - thanks for the suggestions about alternative ways of reducing condensation, but that's not really the focus of the question. Is there a good reason for shower cubicles being open at the top? The only thing this seems to do is to allow steam to escape into the bathroom, and condense everywhere. With a working extractor immediately above the shower why can't the cubicle be sealed? Maybe I have missed something? maybe there's an obvious reason that showers have to be open?

Showers don't have to be open. I've seen and worked on many that had walls to the ceiling.
I had a customer who had an open shower and inquired about closing it in because they had a breathing problem and wanted to breathe the steam. I enclosed it by adding two pieces of plexiglass mounted on top of the rails for the shower door and wall up to the ceiling.


Can a foundation be reused after fire damage? This might be slightly off topic here, but I thought I'd ask.
I had a friend of a friend lose his home during these devastating  fires in Oregon and California.  I am trying to help out and was wondering if the foundation is reusable or not.
Did the fire damage it and weaken it to the point of needing to be redone?
Or can it be re-used?  How to tell?

The answer cannot be determined from a photo.  Please consult a structural engineer who can inspect the foundation and determine if it's still suitable for building.
Yes, this will cost something but it's going to be far less expensive than building on a unsuitable foundation.  It's also likely that the AHJ is going to require that anyway before issuing a building permit.


How do I fix hole on wood siding? I installed a new outside light and took down the old light fixture. Now I have some holes on the wood siding. Some bigger area is about 1" to 1.5". What is the best way to patch them?

More info: the wood siding is clap board type with real wood about 1" thick.

Best way is to find some more of the same (or similar) material, clean out or expand the hole to make it easy to patch, cut the new material to match and glue it in.  Caulk if necessary and paint to match.


lennox furnace not working pilot light on but burner doesn't start lennox furnace, model # G20Q2E-75-C1, serial #6392H32332, pilot light lights, blower motor turns on, burner doesn't burn

Have you followed the Troubleshooting flow chart from the user manual?

Click for larger view

You'll probably want to start with this bit...

Specifically, if the unit hasn't started in a bit (over the summer), I'd try cleaning the area of the burner nearest the pilot.


Can I install a (probably ductless) range hood against brick? I'm thinking about making an offer on a 1930's house that needs a few improvements. The gas stove/range isn't situated against an exterior wall. Rather, it's placed against the back side of the brick chimney that separates the kitchen from the living room. There's no range hood and no duct.

There are no cabinets installed on the brick above the stove. There is, however, a smallish metal pot rack installed directly onto the brick.

Can I somehow fit this range with a hood, either ducted or ductless? Can I install such a hood directly onto the brick, on the back of the chimney? Pardon my ignorance, but are there ductless units that one can hang from the ceiling, and is there any reason why that wouldn't work for me?

There's no reason you can't install a hood on the brick, it will work fine. You need to buy one designed to hang on the wall, not the ceiling, and there's loads of choices either way. You can run a power line up from behind the range and hide it with a splashback. I highly recommend a splashback instead of having bare brick as it will be much easier to clean food off of.

As for ducting it completely depends on the construction of your home how possible it is to do, and how cosmetically pleasing you can make it. It's not possible to say without more detail.

Before making any decisions you should check your local building codes, some areas mandate you have to install a duct, others don't. Some mandate you can't have your range in certain places. It would stink to build your kitchen and then find out it's illegal!


Locating (and, more importantly, removing) mysterious foot smell? I've just purchased (and moved into) a new house. (New to me; the house was built in 1994). I noticed when I did my initial viewing was that a single spot in the living room seemed to have the smell of stinky feet. I just wrote it off as an unfortunate personal problem with the previous owner, but even after having the carpets cleaned and moving my stuff in, the smell is still there.

Any ideas how I can go about finding the source of the smell and getting rid of it?

I had an apartment once with a smell like that. It was kind of a mix between stinky feet and wet hay (much worse when wet like after cleaning). That turned out to be the cheap carpet padding they had used. Like you said, you would get used to it fast, but notice every time you walked into the room.

I had to have them replace the padding.


How do I tighten this toilet seat? I have a toilet seat that is loose, but can not work out how to tighten it. I looked under the fitting but there is no nut. It looks like the end of the bolt is designed not to turn.

All the work needs to be done on the top.

See that metal disk on the left in the picture of the top-side. Press it in and its partner, and remove the seat/lid (by lifting off).

Now remove the large (one inch-ish) covers that remain. Now you can see the top of the screw. Tighten screws.

Put everything back.

To align the pins, turn seat upside down, and try to align. This worked good enough for me. I had no trouble with alignment.


What, if anything, do I do to repair notched floor joists? I have been building for a long time, so I know where floor joists can be bored or notched without compromising their strength.  Unfortunately, I have a client whose floor joists were hacked at by someone who didn't know the rules.  Her floor joists were notched by someone installing electrical cabling IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPAN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE JOIST!!!!!! I know that I can reinforce the existing joists by sistering new joists to them, but I'm curious - is there any reason a carefully installed and glued patch wouldn't do the same trick?  It's been my experience that wood glue is stronger than the wood grain around the joint - at least as far as shear values are concerned.  But the end-grain to end-grain connection is where I worry that the glue would not hold up under tension.  Does anyone have an insight as to the efficacy of a patch?

Gluing a patch in place like as shown below will not add much to restoring the original strength of the joist.

If you were to attach a longer piece like shown in the second picture and glue this in place for the full length of the piece a whole lot more strength will be added to the joist.

Note that if the joist has started to sag down due to the inappropriately placed holes or notches you may want to try jacking the joist back into its original position before applying the glued on pieces.

The length of the piece that you would use is going to be dependent on an number of factors including the overall span if the joist and its top to bottom height. The material could be a variety of different things including 2x4, 2x2 or even strip of 3/4 inch plywood. You could also consider gluing on a strip on both sides of the joist. When gluing make sure to clamp the pieces to the side of the joist with good pressure to make sure the wood joints are tight.


Is there a way to cover a hole for cables that does not require a wall box? Is there a way to cover a hole for cables that does not require a wall box?

I expressly had a cable conduit installed in our TV nicho, but in the end, my equipment is up higher on the wall (above where the conduit starts). I want to run the cables through the wall, instead of having them hanging down. My plan was to drill a hole into the wall and run the cables down to the top of the cable conduit. I do not have the skills or equipment to install a wall box (and the wall is made entirely of 2x4's, to enable hanging a TV), and most of the wall cable covers I have found (the kinds with the pair of bristles) have tabs that stick into a wall box.

Are there any good options that simply screw into sheetrock, rather than install into a wall box?

These work nice. I use them often.

http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=850

You can use them with these:

http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&relate=1&p=885


How to keep the dust down when sawing indoors in the dead of winter? We are replacing our living room floor and it is so cold outside we are resorting to sawing the end pieces indoors.  What tricks have you found for keeping the sawdust under control?

A decent vac and dust collection will make a huge difference.

Many saws / tools have a vac connection and using this will collect most of the dust and will reduce the risk of blockages.


How high should I make my yurt platform? I am building the floor/platform for a 30' yurt. It's basically a deck.

30' diameter circle
pre-cast concrete pier blocks
4" x 6" pressure treated joists, 4' o.c.
1 1/8" tongue-and-groove plywood floor
2" rigid foam insulation panels between the joists

I can build it close to the ground by laying the joists directly in the pier blocks, like this:

Or I could raise it up on 4" x 4" pressure treated posts, perhaps 4' off the ground.

My site is pretty flat, but not perfectly level, so I would use short posts to compensate anyway, but my question is should I make it as low as possible, or raise it up?

A tall platform creates dry storage underneath, is easier to get in to to work (like a crawlspace). It also keeps the decking out of the foliage, so it doesn't stay moist & rot.

A short platform is less conspicuous (I want to blend in to the woods), requires fewer steps to enter, is more stable, and requires a little less material. It's also easier to assemble the yurt, since you can reach the high fasteners with a tall ladder.

I plan to wire for electricity, but no plumbing. I can fish appropriately durable wire under a low platform, but I'd need a little room if I wanted to staple the wires in place.

I could probably get as low as 18" off the ground, or as high as 48" up.

What else should I take in to account when deciding?

Other things that come to mind that you may want to check out before deciding on the height:

What are your local zoning laws?  You do not want to make something too high that violates some local code (although from your description of the platform this may not be an issue).
What type of clearance do you need (if any) above and around the platform?  Any low tree branches or wires you need to watch out for?
Make sure to take into account how it will appear from the street or back of your house or however someone would look at it.  What is the grade as someone approaches the structure?

Other than that you covered a good number of the items to consider when determining the height.  The deciding factor here appears to be how the final structure will look in your yard... and probably you want to minimize its size/appearance as much as possible.  See if you can position it just high enough to get air flow under the structure for ventilation (to keep it dry underneath) but no higher.


What's the best way to fix heavily stained white Ikea furniture? My daughter's white Ikea desk has many marker pen stains which I can't remove by scrubbing with sponge and soap. Is there a magic cleaning product out there that could do the trick?

Otherwise, I'm thinking of repainting it. In this case, I have very limited budget so I would sand it then apply two coats of my wall paint (this one). Would that look decent? If not, how could I make it better without spending too much? (the main, top part of the desk where we write should look and feel perfectly smooth as before)

Isopropyl alcohol, "rubbing alcohol", will remove most "permanent" markers (e.g. Sharpie brand markers), but may be ineffective on ballpoint pen marks, depending on the ink formulation. For this purpose, don't bother using anything less pure than the commonly available 91%, with 99% being preferred. At 70% concentration it's commonly not effective.

For marking which was recently applied, the marks will usually be removed quickly and completely. Some surfaces, particularly if the writing has been present for an extended time or if the surface is not smooth, may need considerable rubbing or scrubbing (e.g. with a toothbrush, to get some agitation in nooks and crannies), and/or may need to have the isopropyl alcohol sit on the surface for a time alcohol (e.g. with a paper towel dampened by isopropyl alcohol).

There are also stronger removers available from retail. The product "Goof Off" is particularly effective to remove a wide variety of substances, including ink, but will damage some surfaces (e.g. it will partially melt some plastics). If you consider using it, you should test it on an unobtrusive location to see if it causes damage.

Wall paint seems like a terrible idea, will not be as smooth, and will get marked up again. I'd tend towards being happy that your daughter is making art and not worry so much about things being pristine and unmarked.


Carpet badly burned, do I need to replace the whole thing? My carpet was badly burned by a heat lamp. Bad enough that the room started to fill with smoke. The burn is about 8 inches in diameter. The entire room is about 13'x 14'. Is it possible to just replace the burned portion or should I just replace all the carpet in the room?

Edit: The burn is in the top left of the room about 18" from the left and 8" from the top. Also, after cutting the burned carpet away we discovered that the it had also burned through the wood floor underneath.

Also while I have your attention: Smoke alarms have an expiration date. My smoke alarms were past their expiration date and DID NOT ALERT US. Check your smoke alarms and replace the ones that are expired.

It is possible to replace a section of carpet if you have a piece that is large enough. To tell the truth you will be able to see the section in most cases, to see other splices look at the doorways that have carpet you can usually see a line, sometimes the “grain” of the carpet is wrong so it even shows worse.

If you have a large enough pice and want to try you can rent an seaming iron (or buy one for ~50$,  seaming tape will also be needed, the place I used to rent my iron from usually had tape for .50 per foot.

Once you have your scrap, iron and tape a good sharp razor knife is needed cut your hole out. Place the scrap over the hole and rotate it 90 deg and see if one orientation looks better. Cut the scrap pice for a very tight fit.
Cut 4 strips of the seaming tape longer than the sides,

Heat the iron make sure to have a place to set it as the hot glue will mess up the carpet between pieces.
Make sure to do the most visible strip first and do the strip that will be least visible last.
Place the first strip of tape under the first edge overlapping on the back side, place the hot iron on the tape it will take a second to heat the glue but you are also heating the back of the carpet. Start pulling the iron until it reached the end pressing the carpet into the glue. Pull iron out set on tray. Wait for that to cool.
Once that is cool put another strip under and repeat, let cool, then repeat making sure to let each section cool before moving on until done.

As I said you may always see the spot but if you do a good job others may not notice it, don’t over vacuum this area it will look slightly different for a while but the beater bar on a vacuum can cause a runner, clip them if you see them at just slightly below the average height.

If you take this on let us know how it turns out. And good luck.


No Electricity To One Room One room of my home has no electricity.  There are no GFCI outlets in the "chain" of things, and the breaker for this room is not flipped.

I have tried to flip the breaker, then turn it back on and nothing.  What other things would I need to check to determine why there is no power in this room?

EDIT
A Ubiquiti Access point was added to the room for better wifi coverage, but that is the only 'change' in the past 8 months that has taken place in that room.  All outlet wiring runs behind the wall,

I have this Klein Tester - should i pull out the outlet and check for 'hot' wires?  I have checked all outlets with this Klein Outlet Tester and no lights turn on.

EDIT 2
As suggested in one of the answers, I checked the last outlet on the chain (I checked the last two as I wasn't 100% sure which one was last) and visibly didn't see anything that looked awry.
I checked the first outlet on the chain and this one is using a backstab.  It has 3 wires, 2 connected to the screws on the side and one connected to the backstab for both the black and white wires.

What is still throwing me is even if I use the non contact tester and check the wires connecting to this receptacle, none of the wires are still showing up as hot.  And I am 99% certain this is the first receptacle in the chain.  Should I test the breaker in the box to see if that is the culprit? (if yes, will the voltometer I have work for that)

EDIT 3
After using the pen tester to test the breaker it is lighting up red, (all the fuses were lighting up red) which would mean that the breaker has power and the issue is downstream, correct? (like stated in comments maybe a junction box that is either a in the crawlspace or somewhere in the walls...how the world do I trace that?)

The pen looking tester should light up on the smaller hole (if the ground is down it will be on the right, the outlet tester won’t work if the hot is open someplace).
The pen is called a non contact tester (it sometimes gives false positives).
What I usually find is the circuit was overloaded or heavily loaded and a back-stab connection failed (as in, 90% chance that's it), after that, it could be that a wire nut is loose, a broken wire, or a bad wire in the panel.
I start by working my way back to the breaker panel, identifying all the dead receptacles. If I find one that seems to be on that circuit that is working, I turn off the breaker; if it turns off you will be close.
A failure in a daisy chain is always at the last working or first non-working device. Remember that a receptacle could be on the other side of the wall, yet on the same circuit.
Identify the last working receptacle or switch, pull that out, and look for a loose wire or burned insulation as a bad connection may damage the insulation or burn the wire off on either the hot or the neutral. If you don’t see anything, put the last working one back in and turn the breaker back on. If everything starts working and back stabs were used, the failure will happen again; use the screw terminals or replace the receptacle.
If it is still dead, turn the breaker off and check the first non working receptacle as it will be in one of these 2 places +98% of the time. Broken wires from nails are rare but possible or a loose pigtail in those locations can also happen, but bad backstabs are so common that you will find this advice hundreds of times on this site.


How should I arrange artificial logs, and should they become sooty? There is a chimney powered by natural gas:

I'm using fake woodchops which are made of some sort of cooked clay. I have two problems:

I don't know what is the proper way to arrange fake woodchops on top of fire. Is there a proper way of structuring them on fire?
Fake woodchops got black color on them after just a few hours of being used. Is something wrong with chimney? I noticed chimney is affecting things around it like wall and glass by turning their color to black. Might chimney be too smokey? Is there a solution for that?

Real wood goes black as well - products of combustion commonly called soot.

If the device is set properly then there will be some, but if there seems to be a lot then get the device checked.


Low-voltage cabling through ceiling? Up to code? I'm making a CCTV / Router "space", and was thinking of just drilling a hole in the ceiling and installing a gang box on the attic side of the ceiling. Are there any codes that refer to this kind of work? Perhaps this violate any codes? (I'm in FL just in case) To make it clear, no line power will be in this junction box.. I'll leave that installation to an electrician.

For low voltage (CCTV, Cat6, coax, audio, etc.) you can use a boxless bracket like this.

Your local Code could be anything so you should check that out with your municipality and state authorities.

Good luck!


Raising Level Of Concrete Floor to Equal Existing Tile In The Same Room We would like to install vinyl luxury planks in our dining room.  We have removed the 20 year old carpet, padding and tacking strips so that the concrete slab is exposed.  The room was laid out with a ceramic tile pathway from the front door through the dining room and into the kitchen and we want to lay the lvp over the entire area without the removing all of the tiles.  How should we raise up the concrete slab side of the room to meet the tile floor so that we can lay the lvp in the entire room?  We will face the same situation with the entry way and our living room as well.

You could flood the non-tile area with Self Leveling Compound.  This is often done for glue down hardwood floor installs - not cheap or easy but can be done.
That said I'd sooner just use a rotary hammer with a tile removal blade and pull all the tile than go through the expense and labor of flooding with SLC.


Why is my air conditioner running when the house is below the set temperature? We recently had a whole new system installed for HVAC.

We had a lennox furnace with dehumidifier and UV thing, along with the exterior lennox condenser for A/C.

We have the iComfort S30 thermostat, and have the temperature set to:

Temperature: Heat to 68, Cool to 75
   Humidity:    Humidify at 45%, Dehumidify at 60%
   Humidification Control Center: NORMAL operation
   Dew Point:   Off

However, I live in Michigan, and the outside humidity is around 68-79% on average. Now, the temperature in my house is currently 67 degrees. It is around 76 outside. The A/C is running, well it seems like it is - since the dehumidifier is running. The screen says the current humidity is 68%.

So even though the temp is WAY below what our cool-to temp is set to, it is still chilling the house to that akin of a freezer. Not only is it monstrously uncomfortable to live in, it is also going to drain my bank account.

What do we do?

It sounds like the system is not actually "cooling". It sounds like it trying to dehumidify. An A/C system actually is a dehumidifier by its design. If the Temp of the residence is satisfied, and the A/C is still running, try turning up the humidistat higher. if the system turns off and returns to normal, then that is the issue. if it keeps running, then you will need to call a tech to come look at the system.


How to fix a joist that has been cut out I’m doing renovations in an old kitchen. I removed the ceiling as it was damaged, old and nasty. I found that when some prior owner renovated the bath above, they cut into the joists to add plumbing. The cuts are minor to cut right through in places. They did a poor job of attempting to scab a 3 foot section of 2x8 for support on one joist (the cut through one) and nothing on the other 3 joists. ( I guess I shouldnt worry, they only installed a large tub above the 4 joists they compromised!!!!)
The joists are 2” x 8” x 18” long (a full 2”x 8”, not 1.5” x 7.5”). The cuts are about 1 foot from the wall.
Four joists have been compromised.
What I am looking for is a solution to re-support them.
My initial thought was to build a header that would run below the 4 joists that would be supported by two studs on each end (there is a door in the wall below this point, so I couldn’t have studs all along the header). I’d prefer not to do this solution as the header would cause problems with cupboards.
My other thought was to remove the plumbing, scab 6 foot lengths of 2x8 to the existing joists using bolts then add the plumbing back in. I’d still have a concern with this as 4-5 inch holes would still be needed for the toilet drain. What if I were to scab 2 2x8s on each side of the joist?
Other options?
Hopefully the pictures below will help show the situation.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
(The wiring will be removed and done right!)

Solution depends on what the other joists look like.  The joist before the one that has almost nothing left at the bottom could be ok.
The typical thing to do here would be to cut the joist that has nothing left, double block between the two side joists and sister those two sides joists so they are doubles and pickup the load from the cut joist.  The cut joist area then just becomes an opening in the floor structure.
You could certainly build a wall with a header below to support the joist past the cut area.  Height of header depends on span and if you are putting a door below it you are limited with door heights.
An structural engineer could probably prescribe something simpler.  I had a somewhat similar situation with 18' overspan joists and they were able to prescribe 3/4" ply on each side 18" past each edge of the cut.  My joist had a notch at the top but was mid span so the loading and stresses are different than your case.
I wonder if you could do something similar but girdle the joist and have the new joist scabs extend down an additional 3" and block the inside of the girdle.  You'd loose 3" of ceiling height for the girdle area but if you are putting up upper cabinets in this area you could probably just custom make the cabinets or have some kind of crown trim detail to hide the lowered portion or if this is a limited room just have the ceiling in this one room slightly lower.
Any solution outside of a support wall or doubling would require a structural engineer.


Dew point in basement I have 17°C in the basement and 70% relative humidity. I have calculated a dew point is an 11°C.
But what does this dew point mean in practice? I have read a definition, however, I don't really understand it.
Does this mean if I bring in the basement an object which has lower than 11°C, the condense will start to show up around this object?
Does this mean if my walls would have 11°C the water would start to create on them?
I can not understand how we can cool the air temperature to 11°C if we have 17°C degrees. Then the temperature would no longer be 17°C, but 11C and if it would have 11, then the dew point would have a different value. I really don't get the concept. Thanks.

The "dew point" is that combination of temperature and humidity where dew starts to form.  It does this because the lower the temperature of the air the less humidity is can hold.
In your case you measured a temperature of 17C and 70% RH, as long as your temperature stays above the dew point no liquid will condense out.  You will note that as the temperature decreases the RH will rise until it reaches 100% at the dew point.  Now the air is 100% saturated with water and any additional reduction of temperature will force water out of the air.
The question of where is difficult to predict.  It usually doesn't "rain" in a home or basement so wherever the coldest spot is, like your concrete wall or a metal post is where you will see the water first.  If the temperature continues dropping more and more water will condense out.

Does this mean if I bring in the basement an object which has lower
than 11°C, the condense will start to show up around this object?

Probably.  If the object cools the air around it to below 11C it may condense or even freeze onto the surface of the object.

Does this mean if my walls would have 11°C the water would start to
create on them?

Almost certainly!

I can not understand how we can cool the air temperature to 11°C if we
have 17°C degrees. Then the temperature would no longer be 17°C, but
11C and if it would have 11, then the dew point would have a different
value. I really don't get the concept. Thanks.

The dew point doesn't change until the amount of water in the air changes.  Part of the problem in a home is that the moisture content as well as the temperature are dynamic.  Generally you want to avoid conditions that approach the dew point so that you don't get moisture damage, mildew, mold, etc.


Why hot without neutral going downstream I have an outlet for the air conditioner, not GFCI.
I purchased a GFCI outlet (Leiviton GFWT2) to replace it (the outlet was old, with marks and painting).
Upon opening, to my surprise, there are two hots and no neutral. The neutral is connected to ground with a short wire, to make the outlet work. It has been working like that for years.
I researched about these two hots. One is hot from a (most likely) dedicated breaker labeled "AC", but was not used (!). Turning on the "AC" breaker, brings power to that hot end. No other outlet in the whole apartment is affected by this "AC" breaker, only this hot end (and it was off all this time). The other one is also hot but coming from another circuit breaker labeled "Living Outlets". This "Living Outlets" hot end was the one installed in this AC receptacle (and neutral connected to ground as I said previously).
Questions:

I assume this was a totally wrong installation, correct? You can't just connect neutral to ground (even though it works).
To make it worse, I have no idea why two hots ended up there. If there was one already, and it is working (the "AC" circuit breaker), why did they put another hot there (from the "Living Outlets" breaker). Any idea? Since there is no neutral anyway, the "AC" circuit breaker seems to have been a better option since it's dedicated.
I read that a GFCI outlet might be OK to be installed in this case (with no neutral wire available) - is that right? If this is correct, what would be the correct way to "connect" the neutral?
If I misunderstood about the GFCI outlet with no neutral available, then the only option is to bring the neutral all the way from the breaker? Because as far as I know I can't take a neutral from a nearby outlet, it has to be a neutral from the same circuit (either "AC" or "Living Outlet" breakers). I would rather not "extend" the Living Outlet circuit to the AC (even though this is how it was working). To make it worse, pulling any new wire would be a headache because conduits seem to be on their accepted limit already. Would require a full rewire probably.

Picture of box (sorry you don't see much, but I assure you there is only one conduit arriving, with two red wires; I added label so I know from which circuit is each wire):

Picture of the outlet, neutral side (you see the wire connecting it to ground):

Thank you!

It sounds like at one time this was a 240v circuit but it’s not now and you need a proper neutral.
Get some white or gray paint, or tape and coat both ends of the old cloth braid.
In the panel move the wire from the breaker to the ground buss (if a newer panel and the grounds and neutrals are separated to the white or grounded buss).
Then use the neutral at the receptacle. Break loose the neutral to ground jumper at the receptacle.
Connect the receptacle green screw to the box with a jumper wire or if self grounding receptacle the screw and box contact is all that is required.
These changes will make it much safer than using the conduit for a return path.


which layer of rigid foam should i caulk when insulating rim joist? I am insulating my rim joists with rigid foam board in a manner similar to that described on the familyhandyman's website.

I am considering adding a second layer of foam board to get closer to the neighborhood of R20, which I've seen recommended for rim joists.  I am wondering where would be best to caulk - after the first layer, second layer, or both?

Given that the caulk's purpose is to stop air flow, it would seem unnecessary to have two layers of it, but I am including "both" as an option in case you want to argue for it.

I can't really think of a difference between applying after the first layer of insulation or the second...can you?

I would caulk on both of them. The purpose of the caulk it to prevent air leaks and convection, and not sealing both will reduce the effectiveness of the insulation a bit.


How do I get more shower flow volume? We just moved from our old house which had great shower pressure to our new house which is pretty pathetic. I'm trying to figure out what/where the problem is.

The old house was built about 40 years ago and has plumbing fixtures from about 15 years ago. The showerhead is about 25 years old and is awesome (named Country Club). This house has 2 - 55 gallon hot water heaters (I have 3 daughters).

The new house is brand new so all plumbing & fixtures are new. This house has a Rinnai tankless hot water heater (model RL75).

At both houses I set the pressure regulator at the max. At both houses using a RainBird pressure gauge I get 80psi on the ground floor faucet at the old house and 81psi at the new house. On the second floor shower I get 76psi at the old house and 75psi at the new house. So that appears equivalent.

Please note all measurements below are off the pipe out the wall, not the shower head.

The problem appears to be two things.

First, with the shower head off, the old house shower delivers 5gal/min (hot) while the new house it's 2.86gal/min (warm) & 2.67gal/min (hot). The warm/hot is setting the Rinnai to 106/140 and setting the valve to the middle/mostly hot.

And at the new house the ground floor outside faucet only delivers 3.43gal/min.

Why such a difference in water delivered? The pressure is the same. In both cases nothing else was using water at the time. And the fixtures all use 1/2" lines so even if it's 3/4" up to the fixture, it's 1/2" from there. So shouldn't both be delivering the same volume?

Second problem. At the old house I would put the valve pretty much even between hot & cold to shower. At the new house, with the Rinnai set to 140, I still have it about 90% of the way to full hot.

So what is my main problem? I think the first problem is getting 5gal/min. As the outdoor faucet doesn't hit that I don't think the hot water heater is a part of that problem. But what/why/how do we not get that when the pressure is the same?

And then do I need a hot water heater that can deliver 5 gal/min at 140 to have the shower be half hot/half cold to get the full pressure?

Edit: As one of the comments pointed out, my question is really how do I increase the volume. And one thing I don't understand, if 2 1/2" pipes both have the same pressure, shouldn't they deliver the same volume?

Update: With the shower head on I get exactly 2 gal/min while the shower head is spec-ed at 2.5 gal/min. And what I want is a shower that pushes me against the wall. One of my greatest joys is a super hot shower that blasts me.

I would suspect you have a two fold problem.
1: Your tankless water heaters ability to heat and deliver water - GP/m.
2: Your city pressure (indicated by your outdoor faucet) - not sure if you tested that with the faucet removed or still attached;  Just because you have a certain amount of pressure from the city does not mean you have the same flow rate. Your flow rate might be different as in GP/m's supplied at X pressure.

Item 2 is what I would examine - check with your municipality to see if there is a flow rate restriction of some kind (what is their spec for flow rate at what pressure), or perhaps your house water supply valve is not open all the way.


Blower motor turns on before furnace heats up all the way I have a Honeywell furnace and when it starts the exhaust fan kicks on then the flame starts (it's a propane furnace) it warms up between 30 seconds to a minute then the main blower kicks on but it blows out cold air for about 3 to 4 minutes before it starts to blow out warm air and about 6 minutes before it gets hot.  I'm wondering if there is a regulatory or resister that is bad it has been wasting a lot of propane running like this.

No, that sounds like it's running correctly. If you want to adjust the timing, you can install an On Delay Timer on your circulation fan. You can use the ICM251 Fan Blower Control - Dual On/Off Delay Timer. It has an Adjustable Time Delay, and a 20 amp 120 volt relay built in. The On delay lets air reach proper level prior to energizing fan, and the off delay purges ducts of residual air to increase efficiency.


Building a table with outlets My couch is covering both the outlets on the wall in my living room.  I found a great idea on Pinterest to solve my problem, and I am looking to modify it a bit.  See pictures:

The blog on which this was originally posted is no longer up, but the basic premise was to cut an extension cord and strip and expose the wires; I would certainly do this with a grounded extension cord.

I would like to use this idea and put 2 outlets on top of the table and an outlet at each end of the table, daisy chaining them together.  I am thinking should put a GFCI outlet at the beginning of the circuit.

So my questions:  Is 4 outlets too much to plug into a single outlet?  Are there any other considerations I am not thinking of?

That blog certainly should have taken down; terrible, dangerous work. First, obviously, providing grounded NEMA 5-15 receptacles when the plug is 1-15. (a water-protected GFCI would eliminate the electrocution hazard at least.)  Also the cord is too light, and there's not proper strain relief.

How circuit protection works

Imagine you plug two 1500W (12.5 amp) heaters into a 20A circuit.  That's 25A and the wires will slowly overheat.  The circuit breaker, internally, will also slowly overheat.  After 5-15 minutes, the breaker will trip.  This will happen before the wires get dangerously hot -- assuming they are the correct 12 AWG wires!

Trick is, there's an idiom within the Electrical Code that a 15 amp receptacle can be on either a 15A or 20A circuit breaker.  You aim to put a NEMA 5-15 plug on the furniture.  That means it could be plugged into a 20A circuit.  You aim to provide multiple NEMA 5-15 receptacles.  So the user (you can't count on this being you) - could plug two 1500W heaters, as above.   Or he could plug in two 1200W (10A) loads and the breaker would not trip -- and your cordage needs to handle that!

That means your cordage will need to be 12 AWG, as well as any internal wiring within the furniture.  You can use stapled Romex, or THHN running within plastic or metal conduit.  The conduit would be more professional IMO.

Correct cordage

The blog example doesn't have a cordage problem, but just for reference, here's what you can't do: use Romex or loose wires.  You need special multi-conductor cable called cordage which is sold at electrical supply houses, with or without a NEMA 5-15 connector cast into the end.  As he did, you can lop an extension cord (presuming it is listed to be cordage; one would expect!)

Cordage doesn't seem special when half your appliances have cords.  But it really is special.

Strain relief

Strain relief is another thing you take for granted because every appliance has it.  But it's very important to prevent chafing or cutting damage from the cord being pulled on.

You can see where the blogger is using a cheapie plastic residential junction box.  Those boxes aren't strong enough to provide proper strain relief, and are not designed for it. (when I say "cheapie" I mean in construction, not in cost.)  A much better choice -- at least, for the first box where the cordage goes in -- is an all-steel stamped box.  It has proper knockouts which can accept quality strain reliefs.

GFCI doesn't hurt

I also agree with Ecnerwal's comment that because of the flat horizontal receptacles, the furniture itself should incorporate GFCI protection.  It's likely to be plugged into a living room which will have, at most, AFCI protection.  AFCI protects against arcs, not electrocutions.

If you have face-up outlets, they should be fed off the LOAD side of a GFCI which is not itself a face-up outlet.  A tripped GFCI still has hot parts inside it, and if the GFCI outlet itself gets soaked wet, its protection is not sufficient.


How can I install a curtain rod so that it doesn't slide on the mounting brackets when opening and closing the curtains? I am hoping to install some drapes in our bedroom. In my experience, the curtain rod always slides into itself or over the mounting hardware while I am opening or closing the curtains. Is there a way I can mount it so that it stays static while I open and close the drapes?

Typically curtain rod brackets will have a Set Screw, which is used to prevent the rod from moving.

If your bracket does not have a set screw, check to see if there is a hole where one should be.

If you have a hole but no screw, you'll have to find a screw that will fit in the hole.  Make sure it's a Machine Screw with a flat end (not pointy), so it will work properly. Finding the proper size screw might be a bit of a challenge, so it's probably a good idea to take the bracket with you to the hardware store.
If you don't have a hole for a set screw; or any other mechanism to prevent the rod from moving, you might be able to add your own.  Doing so will require a drill motor, the proper drill bit, a center punch (if the bracket is metal),and a tap.


How well does ceiling paint double as closet paint? I understand that the interior of closets needs to be white, or just off-white, so one can see the colors of clothing, etc.

I also understand that semi-gloss will enhance visibility by reflecting more light, even in the closets with interior lights.

But do I need to maintain yet another supply line of paint "interior semi-gloss white enamel paint", or can the cans for painting the ceiling ("ceiling paint, ultra pure white") have a second use as closet paint?

I'm reluctant to experiment and find out—because my first attempt at doubling the use of a can, "all-in-one primer and sealer", turned out to be a rather poor choice. The inside of the closets becomes far too dull, and more than one layer is needed to cover what is underneath.

"Scrubability" is not a factor. I'll assume that if something gets spilled, it warrants washing and repainting.

i hate to break it to you, but closets are usually left with ceiling paint all over them.  its not for the reason of "seeing the colours of your clothes" (thats a good one that i havent heard before), its because when a builder puts paint on, its with a gun.  if you dont mask the inside of the closet, you save time and money.  ceiling paint is pretty tough, hides imperfections in the drywall (very common in closets), and most importantly, is cheaper than wall paint.

builders dont use semigloss anywhere unless the customer specifically requests it (and pays the difference in finishing and painting costs) because semigloss highlights imperfections, whereas flats or eggshells minimize them.

its all about the dollarino


How do I float 3/4" plywood sheets over above grade concrete without nailing, screwing or gluing to the slab? I have solid 3/4" oak hardwood strip that I am looking to nail into the 3/4" plywood that I bought for subflooring. I made this purchase over the pre-made systems because this is the greenest plywood I could find and I am very sensitive to some of the adhesives (VOCs, Urea-Formaldehyde etc...) used in lower grade products. The problem is these are plain old 4x8 sheets that do not have and sort of mechanism to fit together. I cannot nail or glue to the concrete since it is a condo. I was hoping a good underlayment will sort of hold things in place (Wishful thinking I know). I need a scheme to get the plywood down so I can finish my floor.

The concrete is lightweight concrete. I also do not want to pursue a staggered and stacked plywood scheme since I am already adding 1.5" of height to the floor.

Can I just lay the plywood down? Also how big an expansion gap do I need for the plywood subfloor? Is it possible to cut my own groves into the side? Could I maybe staple them together? In the videos I have seen to just tap the boards together.

you can just rabbet each sheet with a halflap type edge (i would make it about 2 inches wide), then glue and screw through both to attach the system together.  a little more work than usual, but relatively simple once you get going. you can build a simple jig for your circular saw out of plywood to ensure it all lines up properly.  if you drill the upper lip on the edge, the screw will suck the joint up and tight.

FYI, if you are going to float ply over a slab, lay down and tape seal a poly vapour (6mil or heavier) barrier before you put down the ply.  this will prevent moisture from being absorbed by the subfloor and oak and avoid rot and warpage.


How can I hang a large mirror on an uneven (warped?) wall? I'm in the process of trying to assemble an exercise room in my home. Of the four walls, only one is continuous without any windows or doors so I've chosen to make it the 'mirror wall' and fill the length of it with mirrors. As the wall is 12' long, I can perfectly fit 4x 36x60" mirrors in portrait orientation.

These are borderless mirrors and are supported by screw-in clips on the top and bottom. They are being mounted to drywall.

I mounted the first mirror without any trouble, but when hanging the second I was frustrated by the difficulty in getting the top/bottom corners of the second mirror to align with the first. I then realized that the wall was slightly warped (I don't know a better term) such that when looking at the edge of the first mirror, it first appeared that the mirror was bowing out away from the wall, but I then recognized that the wall itself was bowing away from the mirror. I simply mounted the second mirror as close to perfectly as I could and moved on.

My problem now is the third mirror. This section of the wall is so warped that if I hold an inflexible object against it horizontally (such as a level), it will rock back and forth and I am unable to get the leftmost and rightmost corners of the object to lay flat at the same time. I haven't measured the curvature of the wall, but I'd estimate that it's curving maybe 5 degrees. I tried mounting the third mirror in spite of this flaw and due to rigidity of the mirror, if I slid it into the left 'clip', it would not fit into the right 'clip'. I tried to force it into position and the strain was so great that it ripped one clip straight out of the drywall.

Without completely removing and fixing the wall, is there any way for me to secure these mirrors while still keeping them borderless/frameless? If they were mounted in a frame, I could just use framing wire (unsure of the proper name) so that the mirror itself would not be affixed to the wall and it would instead be freehanging, but I don't think that is an option in the absence of a frame. I was considering somehow raising the rightmost clip by cutting a very small piece of wood to act as a spacer between the drywall and the clip, bringing it into alignment with the leftmost clip, but determining the thickness of the wood seems tricky.

I'd simply install washers behind the clips to act as standoffs. Be sure your screws are long and stout enough. Use washers as needed to create a small gap behind the mirrors at all mounting points, allowing alignment between mirrors.

This could create a visual bounce/jiggle effect if the mirrors aren't stiff enough. Use balls of poster putty or other flexible material at several places across the backs of the mirrors to act as anchor supports. This will also provide structural support in the event of an accidental collision.


White spirit vs. meths vs. IPA for cleaning/preparing surfaces White spirit (aka mineral spirits or mineral turps in the US), methylated spirits (aka denatured alcohol in the US), and isopropyl alcohol are each used for preparing surfaces, or removing oily residues.
Other than 'whichever is to hand' or 'the cheapest', is there any reason to prefer one over the other for this application?

You need to match the solvent to the type of material you trying to remove. Fundamentally there are polar and nonpolar molecules. Water and denatured alcohol are polar and mineral spirits is nonpolar. Oils are nonpolar, which is why oil and water don't mix. So to clean up an oily surface, you need mineral spirits. Somehow some dishwashing liquids also work (like Dawn).
YES...I know there is a LOT more to this subject, but just trying to answer the OP's question without going overboard.


Polystyrene scent in bedroom I want to store boardgames on the top of the wardrobe in my bedroom. Unfortunately, there are a few screw and wooden lists on the top of it, which makes it impossible to store anything on the otherwise flat-top wardrobe.

To fix it, I bought a polystyrene plate, which I want to put on the top of the wardrobe (so the screws and lists just digs into the polystyrene instead).

My issue is: The polystyrene plate which I bought from the local DIY retailer smells pretty chemically, so I am unsure whether it would be wise to place it in a bedroom, which usually has its doors and windows closed at night (so the ventilation isn't the best while I sleep). I figured to begin with that I could use polystyrene safely, since it is used for food-packaging, etc.

My question is thus: Is the scent from polystyrene hazardous and is it temporary (since food-packaging does not smell)? Also in case it is dangerous, are there some variation of polystyrene plates, which I can use in my bedroom? (Perhaps the ones I bought was bad for this, since they were low-priced products bought at some DIY centre).

New plastic off-gasses. Leave it in your car for a week, most of it will go away.

None of it is good, and yes, food containers do leach into food.

Polystyrene less than most, but you're not getting heavily processed polystyrene foam, which stopped off-gassing while it was still "sand" in the railcar, before it reached the foaming plant.  You are getting solid polystyrene like is used in model airplanes.


Electrical outlet right above bench I'm adding a built-in dining nook, something like http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZ_anvQj-Y4/UIJGonO14dI/AAAAAAAAGsc/70ULoHUcjvw/s640/kitchen_nook.jpg but with cabinets as base.

It covers an electrical outlet on the wall and I'm thinking to move it up a foot, so it sits on the wall higher than the bench. It's relatively an easy relocation, but I'm concerned if there's any hazards as this is a seating area and it will be right behind their back.

I can alternatively move it to the bottom or side, but this has its own complications, and if just moving it up is ok from a safety/regulations concern, I'd rather do that.

Moving it up a foot doesn't violate any codes to my knowledge.  Sure it is in a awkward location but as long as it is grounded correctly and is using a tamper resistant receptacle, there should NOT be any concerns for shock.

As another option, with builtin cabinets the wall outlet requirement is omitted so if possible you could disconnect the circuit from where it is being fed from as long as it does not feed other outlets, or even blank it off with a decorative blank cover.


Ceiling light fitting activate by sensor wall switch I have installed a motion sensor in the kitchen, replacing the original light switch. I have a ceiling light fixture, which has six two pin Halogen GU 10 bulbs fitted and I replaced these with six LED bulbs.  They worked fine until after a few minutes when they began to flash rapidly. Is there anything I can add to the light fitting to stop this happening or do I put up with the original Halogen bulbs?  The Halogen bulbs are 40 watts each but the LED ones are only 3 watts each. Thanks!

Not all motion sensors are LED-friendly. More than likely, that's your culprit.

Reinstall the manual switch and see if they work.


Where to find Adapter for E-11 or E-14 to E-26 light socket I used to be able to by 200W Halogens for standard fixtures locally.  These were great for my porchlight (which could take the heat), because they lit my entire yard without me having to install more lights or replace the fixture.

I haven't been able to find 200W Halogens lately for standard (E-26) fixtures, but I have found them for both E11 and E14.  Is there an adapter which can be used to adapt these to a standard socket?  Is there anything (other than the heat) which I should worry about in using the E11 or E14 this way?

You can buy 250W Medium Base PAR38 bulbs at 1000bulbs.

You should be able to find the adapter relatively easily online if you still want to go that route.


what is the most effective way to grout between ROUGH, SMALL stones? (picture) This is my first tile job ever and I'm ready to grout.  I used white 3" x 6" Daltile ceramic subway tile, and also an accent from Whispering Cliffs Mosaic Stone tile. I have attached two pictures:

I am confident in my ability to grout the white ceramic part of the shower, but my big concern is that a) I'm not going to get all of the grout off the surface of the accent and/or b) whatever cleaning method I use on the rough stones, if it effectively cleans the stones' surface, it will compromise the integrity of the grout around it.

After a decent amount of searching, I didn't find anything that really addressed small rough stones like this.  What is the correct and most effective sequence for this?

P.S. Excuse the many questions, but this is all related to the best sequence: 1) would it be advisable to tape off and do the accent section separately 2) I'm not afraid to use muratic acid, if that would help; any concerns if I use this? -- Thanks

-- UPDATE - DONE --

So, I followed the accepted answer, doing it in sections, except that I saved the stone for last (I taped it off with blue easy-release tape by 3M).  Picture is below.  Main thing to remember: STAY WITH IT, KEEP CLEANING AND TWEAKING.  I used UNSANDED grout, sanded would have been very hard for the varying gap joints (some less than 1/16").  I then realized the stone is quartz which is non-porous, so I gulped hard and coated the whole thing with grout and pushed it in.  The next step was a lot of sponging starting with the rough side, squeezing and then using the smooth side.  A lot of dabbing got the stone completely like original.  If I have to I'll use muratic acid, but looks like I saved some money by not using grout release.

Here is the finished job:

I would use a grout bag:

Your technique will be similar to that used when "tuck pointing" brick (look it up). Because your grout lines appear to be too narrow, instead of a brick mortar jointer (see pic below) I would customize a finishing tool or maybe use a narrow grout float.

You will definitely need sanded grout (make sure the joint width and depth does not exceed that recommended by the grout manufacturer), or maybe even a coarser aggregate mortar (check with a decorative stone supplier or good tile shop in your area).
Use several sponge buckets (dirty, clean, cleaner) and wring often when sponging, changing water frequently.

Do not fear a mild acid wash to remove residual grout haze, muriatic is what we generally use on stone and brick (test on a leftover stone sample prior to using to ensure no dramatic reaction/discoloration).

My Sequence:

1) Do the whole top section first, including finish sponging. If you must stop, at least finish a wall and stop at a corner.

2) Do the whole stone section second, including finish sponging. If you must stop, at least finish a wall and stop at a corner.

3) Do the whole bottom section last, including finish sponging. If you must stop, at least finish a wall and stop at a corner.

4) Wash and/or acid wash haze in one operation after the grout has set (refer to grout maker's recommendation for appropriate time prior to washing).

I dig your design, it is going to be beautiful.

P.S.- You're gonna need a lot of grout.


Corner crack moved 0.1mm 6 weeks after fitting crack monitor I found this plaster corner crack between two external walls after removing wallpaper. I fitted an Avongard crack monitor 6 weeks ago which hasn't shown any movement until now.

The left wall in the photo has now moved inwards by 0.1mm. There's no sign of cracking on the external brickwork.

I'm assuming this isn't normal and would have cracked if it had been replastered.

Is getting a surveyor in the best option now?

Additional details:

Foundation type: concrete slab
Climate: South East England. Currently 12c/54f
House age: 1970s

Photo taken 6 weeks ago after being glued to the wall with epoxy

A tenth of a millimeter over six weeks is an incredibly small motion. That's less than a millimeter per year, IF you assume that the motion continues at the same rate. But, you even state in your question that the motion has been intermittent. Plus, the the wallpaper you removed was apparently not torn, which suggests that there hasn't been a lot of movement in the long run.

Unless your house is completely built of steel, it will swell and shrink with changes in humidity, and in any case it will do so with changes in temperature. It's likely made of different materials, each with their own response to temperature and humidity, which means you'll inevitably have differential movement, with cracks opening and closing. That's just what houses do.

Unless there's some concerning information that you haven't shared, I wouldn't worry about it.


Is this half wall with spindles load-bearing? In the second picture the blue line shows the top plate for the half wall with spindles and the red highlights a beam of 2x12's.
I'm not sure if it is clear but the half wall ends at a 2x6 that has been added to beam.
Would it be safe to remove the spindles altogether?
If I need support can it be done from above?

It's difficult to see exactly how this is framed, but...The 2x framing directly below your blue line appears to be the top plate of the wall with spindles in it.  That wall appears to be supporting attic/ceiling framing members.  The perpendicular members (2x6?) appear to be bearing on the spindle wall, and not spanning over.  That leads me to believe that the spindles cannot be removed, without some means of reinforcing.
With some additional information you might be able to tell how best to make it work.  You might be able to replace the spindle wall with a beam in the attic space, spanning from the 2x12 beam to the next load bearing wall at the other end of the spindle wall. You could possibly use joist hangers to frame the perpendicular 2x6 members into the face of the new beam.  All of this would need to be designed for the appropriate loads.  That is just conceptually how I would approach it. But it really is necessary to get a better view of the framing.  Too much is concealed by insulation, to make a confident judgement.


This cinderblock outbuilding's windows and doors were covered by metal siding. How can I turn them back into windows and doors? There's an old cinderblock outbuilding on the property I'm under contract for, probably built in the 1960s. It had many doors and Windows, but most of them were covered when the previous owner of the property "renovated" the outbuildings by replacing their roofs and throwing siding up over the exterior.
What tools and processes should I use to turn these into functioning doors and windows again?
For example:

Can I just cut a hole through the metal and wood bits, or do I need to take down the siding entirely and start anew?
If I am to cut a hole, what tools and processes would I need to cut the hole?
If I am to cut a hole, do I need to finish the edges of the cut hole with some kind of sills or trim?
If I am to cut a hole, how can I make sure water doesn't come in through the doors and windows?

Marking the edges of the siding and use a circular saw with a high tooth count carbide blade. I have cut hundreds of feet of metal both ferrous and aluminum with a circular saw. The hard part here will be extending your openings and making wider looking walls but it can be done. Best to pull all the trim so you have the max opening and make 1 cut, put new trim (jambs and sills) then a finish piece around to cover.
A tip, once I pull the trim inside, I drill holes at the corners then I cut the opening 1/2” wider than the holes. The trim fits easily in the hole and the exterior trim around covers the small gap.


Can a regular rasp be used to enlarge a hole in concrete? I need to enlarge a few holes from 40mm to 50mm in a cinder block wall and in a concrete beam.

Chiseling will do much damage and need patching, can I rasp it with a wood rasp?

The metal on a wood rasp would be way to soft to make any type of dent in the concrete.  The only thing you will do is destroy the rasp.

You should use a roto hammer with the proper sized bit to widen the hole.


Do power strip switches provide the same protection as circuit breakers? Do power strip switches serve the same kind of protection a breaker do? How are they different?
I'm designing a small switchboard for my desk / workbench, in order to have better cable management and convenient outlet access. I estimate all of the equipment used together wont exceed 5 A. For that usage I want to add a current limiting switch and I think I can get a 5A (maybe less?) breaker switch from the hardware store.
My question is, does a power strip switch would add some meaningful protection if installed downstream the breaker? (I do not think that switch would trip on 5A, as most strips are rated 12A or so) Would it make sense to hack such a switch to add it to my switchboard?
I have never had a power strip tripping although I'm a regular user. I have read that they have a limited amount of events they can handle after which you basically end up with a overly complicated extension cord. Most p.s. packaging states they protect against "spikes", but I'm not sure what that refers to.
Some project details:
I never use all the equipment at the same time but I want to safely tuck most of the cables safely and not need to unplug them every time. I'm thinking of about 10 receptacles, most of them with a dedicated switch and possibly a pilot light (an indicator of whether the outlet is powered). The panel would be accessible near my desktop / workbench, bolted to a cabinet. (Main usage: Programming work on weekdays, small electronics hobbyist projects and toy repairing on weekends and free time.) Some outlets would be covered and a couple of them accessible for quickly (un)plugging tools.
My concern is someone else may turn all the switches on or plug in some other equipment in there (For example a hairdryer rated 1350 watts, or a clothes iron rated 1200 watt. A person not knowing the purpose of a conveniently placed outlet.)
I'm planing on using 3 conductor wire, about 2 meters long due to cable routing, to bolt the switchboard to a cabinet near the wall outlet. I do not want to use as thick wire as most power strips have because such cable is difficult to bend and manage neatly. I will use the proper cable gauge depending on the confirmed load rating of my device collection. The main cable would be routed around the back of a cabinet.
This won't be used near water.
The equipment I plan on using here:

2 Laptop switching power adaptors.
2 Cell/tablet chargers rated 0.35A
1 Radio Cassette Recorder (Boombox)
3 Other low power music devices (speakers and such)
1 Hot glue gun (temporary)
1 Soldering iron (40Watt, temporary)

I'm not in the USA but rather in Central America. Here we use 120 V (I have measured it to range 110-127 in normal circumstances). Here most homes and buildings use only plain breakers and switches/outlets, i.e. no GFCI or similar, so they are not easily available from hardware stores. Buying electrical equipment from internet is frowned upon and being here delivery cost would not be worthy.
I live in a 3 year old apartment building and have never had an electrical mishap within the building complex but we have very frequent power outages.

This is what you are looking for in a design your power strip outlet that has all the functionality you are looking for.  I do not believe you could purchase the individual components to build this yourself for the price.  The product I found shows how it is put together if you want to look for all the parts yourself.
For the 5A breaker (fuse) on each outlet, I don't believe you will find that in any power strip.
Even with shipping to Central America, the price would still seem to be reasonable.
You could buy two of these and have 14 outlets available.  Link to the Tripp Lite 7 Oulets

Another way is to purchase a power switch with surge protection and add the lighted switch to the back of the strip.  This way the switches can be position on top and the outlets are now against the wall facing down.  You can also add the 5A reset button on the strip to limit the max current flow to 5A.  There are also circular button on/off, but none I seen that are lighted.  The circular ones are easier to fabricate, as you are only drilling a hole, not have to use a punch out to make a rectangle opening for the switch.
See example below of how to do this.  The switches have to be installed on the side of the outlet.  There would be very little space behind the outlets.


How can I close off a toilet drain in a concrete floor I want to remove the toilet and turn the bathroom into a laundry room.

How can I close off the drain?

Expanding drain plug, fits into inside diameter of pipe than expands to seal when the nut is tightened.


Installing new 2-wire (Single Pole) Thermostats - how to install when there are 3 wires in wall? I am changing the old analog thermostats around my home with new "smart" thermostats. More specifically, I am installing some Sinope TH1124ZB thermostats. Everything was going swimmingly until I popped open my bathroom thermostat to find the 2 wire thermostat connected to 3 wires in the wall. I don't know the proper terms, but the thermostat red wire was connected to 2 black wires from the wall, and the black thermostat wire was connected to another black wire coming from the wall.
I assumed that the extra 3rd wire controlled the fan for the heater in the bathroom. When I turned up knob in the old thermostat, a fan would turn on. I think I have a fan forced convecting baseboard heater in the bathroom.
Is it safe to replicate this connection with my new thermostat? The very sparse installation guide only shows how to replace existing 2 wire thermostats connecting to 2 wires, and I can't find the right search terms to google to find an example with 2-wire single pole thermostats connecting to 3 wires.

The thermostat is really just a switch that opens and closes (that is, turns power on and turns power off) when the temperature changes.  The wiring in your picture would likely indicate one supply switching what ever is downstream on two wires.  That's consistent with your setup, where it's set to switch the heater and the fan together.
It's important that the thermostat be rated for the current and power use of the loads that it switches.  You'd want to be very careful that your new thermostat can handle at least as much as the one you're replacing (assuming the original was sized correctly).
But if the switching the two devices was OK before, it should be OK with the new thermostat installed - it's a simple two wire device and although the logic controlling it may be more sophisticated it, ultimately it's function is exactly the same:  it's opening and closing a switch.
It doesn't matter which of the two black wires from the thermostat you connect to the single wire, and which to the other two.  The important thing is you keep the two that are under the tan wire nut with the red lead from the old thermostat together.


Will charred polyurethane cedar deter termites? Live in the south and planning an outdoor kitchen that has a fireplace charcoal grill and smoker. Looking to store cherry, peach and apple wood next to it I'd like to deter termites as best as possible because they are common around here.
My research has pointed out that wood should not be placed on the ground, atleast 8" off and some of have suggested metal but I was curious if I build a cedar wood rack, torch till blacken and polyurethane all of the cedar will that be enough to store wood?

I doubt it and even if it did, you would have to basically make charcoal out of it to make sure there is nothing "edible" left.
The gold-standard for termite protection is to break ground contact.  I'll recommend a concrete or brick "foundation" for your storage rack which could then transition to wood for aesthetics.  If you are hyper-sensitive about your wood, use termite guards on top of the masonry before you transition to wood.  Termite guards are just steel, usually galvanized, and serve to further make the path from the ground (where the termites live) to the wood (where they eat) more tortuous.


What is the right way to run ethernet wiring and electrical wiring in a house? Im currently planning to build a 2nd floor in my home, I already know how to do the electrical wiring design according to the norm, however im wondering if its possible to run the ethernet cables together with the electrical ones, common sesnse says no due to posible noise from the AC lines, however the ethernet works with digital signals so im still wondering if its possible or shouls be done , but i would like to hear some opinions about the topic

I will install little server room in the second floor, in order to have conectivity, IP cameras and a DVR in the near future, everything will be using PoE

If your only question is in regards to pulling CATx cables near Romex/NM cable, then you need not worry as long as you cross your electrical cables at right angles. This will minimize the chance of any noise being introduced.

You should not pull Ethernet cables right next to and parallel to your electrical cables.


What type of tool is an "extension"? According to this WikiHow article, one of tools needed to change a spark plug is "an extension."  Is this a type of wrench?

The tool referred to is an accessory for a ratchet/socket wrench setup. It simply allows one to access fasteners that are inside deep holes.
It has a female square drive on one end--this connects to the ratchet; and a male square drive on the other end--this connects to the socket.
Extensions of various lengths

Ratchet with Extension and Socket in place


Why might our washing machine cause our clothes to smell damp when dry? Recently we've noticed that our clothes smell damp once dried.  It doesn't matter if we tumble-dry them, hang them outside or hang them indoors.  This leads me to believe it's our washing machine.  We don't leave clothes in the washing machine long after the cycle is complete.

The washing machine waste pipe is plumbed into the waste pipes under the sink in the kitchen, on the house-side of the trap.  I've had the trap off and the washing machine's waste pipe and there doesn't seem to be a cause for the smell.  I reckon it's inside the washing machine (I've checked and cleaned the washing machine filter).

What other things can I check for the cause of the smell?  Are there products I can put through the machine to eradicate it or could there be corrosion inside that means I need to buy a new machine?

Is your washing machine front-loading? I know some (many?) front-loaders have mildew problems because water gets trapped around the seal. Cleaning the seal and leaving the door open when not in use may help.


Replacing Insulating blanket around oven (patching grease spill) I accidentally spilled some oil on the stove which seeped down below the top.  The oil is now in the insulating blanket that surrounds the oven and caught fire while a burner was on.  Can I buy new insulating material, cut out this patch and replace it?  Any help appreciated.

edit:  can I use this product to patch it?
https://www.amazon.com/Ceramic-Insulation-Ceramics-CM-Ceramics-Instructions/dp/B015GD0QCW/ref=pd_cp_60_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G3MA4QEVGWZ0CFCYCDKX

You'll have to find the right material, as this is certainly high-temperature insulation and you don't want to have a new fire. Where to find that insulation is off-topic here, but once it's in hand it doesn't look like replacing that small section will be too bad a job (certainly less work than you've already put in).