Does my toilet drain poorly because of bad venting? I have been in the house for about a year and the toilet has always had poor drainage. It doesn't overflow but there's hardly any suction at all when you flush it. The tub next to the toilet drains very slowly and will gradually fill up when using the faucet but just running the shower head it drains fast enough to keep up. Both are tied to the same drain line and I figure maybe there's a blockage somewhere. Btw, I replaced the toilet a few weeks ago and it made no difference. (reasons other than just drainage)
I had a plumber come out and they think that the venting was done improperly. The pipe on the left coming off the T is the vent and goes straight up through the roof. To the right, tying in just in front of the vent, goes to the bathtub.
I was quoted at $1200 plus materials to rearrange this. I'd prefer to keep that money in my pocket to fix other things and have no problem crawling in there myself to do the work. I'm just not sure exactly what their plan was to correct the placement of the pipes.
Here's what they wrote on the invoice:

Remove a section of the four inch main drain line into the crawl space area and tie in the drain and
the vent line separately so that it is no longer wet vented and. This conclusion was found due to having the customer flush
the toilet while I was on the roof to see what/ if any air was pushed through and it was minimal.

It's a common misconception, but blocked vents do not cause slow drains. If you Google it, you'll find lots of incorrect information that completely ignore the physical realities of how a vent operates. The purpose of a vent is to prevent the P-trap from being siphoned, it is not intended to help water go down the drain any faster - in fact, a properly vented fixture  will actually drain somewhat slower than a fixture with no vent.
People often talk about a vent in the context of an inverted soda bottle analogy, likening the vent to putting a hole in the opposite side of the bottle so the liquid doesn't slowly "glug" out of the mouth of the bottle. That analogy is nonsense, because there is no such thing as a plumbing fixture with only one entrance/exit like a soda bottle - water going down your pipes does not need to "switch places" with the air ahead of it. Every plumbing fixture ever made has a separate inlet and outlet, and is already open to the air  at the inlet side, allowing the air to follow the water down the pipes. Adding or removing a vent does not change that at all - it is not analogous to adding a second hole to a soda bottle, as it's actually adding a third opening to the already two-ended plumbing system. A blocked vent could potentially contribute to slow drainage if the inlet side is also blocked and cannot let air in, but in that case, it's really the blockage in the drainage pipe that's the issue, which is only exacerbated by the blocked vent. I can't imagine a situation where water can go down the drain, but air cannot.
As an experiment, you can pour water into a sloped pipe and watch it drain as fast as gravity will carry it. Now add a T and a vent somewhere along the pipe, pour the water in again, and see that the vent does not slow the water at all. In fact, plumbing without a vent will drain slightly faster, as water accelerating through the pipes "pulls" the water behind it. Although a vent slowing the drain may seem counterintuitive, it makes sense when you consider that the purpose of the vent in the first place to to prevent the pipes from emptying completely! You can watch a video of such an experiment here - in a realistic setup with a drain, trap, and vent, blocking the vent actually makes the basin drain faster.
Any air that needs to be pulled into the pipe can be pulled in from the inlet - a vent would only help in draining a toilet, for example, if the lid forms an airtight seal around the bowl. The vent is just there to prevent a suction effect that would siphon the P-trap. Your venting may be done improperly, and it may cause different problems with your plumbing, but it is not the primary culprit of a slow drain. If anything, a blocked vent would result in a drain that is faster and smellier (due to the siphoned P-trap). Look for a blockage in the drain pipe, not the vent.


What is a "JC type" light bulb? I have a desk lamp that uses G4 bi-pin light bulbs.

The socket is marked "JC G4 12V max 20W". I was wondering what the "JC" means, so I googled "JC G4" and indeed a lot of results show up, some with "JC type bi-pin" in the name.

However, I can't find what exactly is a "JC type" light bulb. I thought the "G4" already mechanically describes the light bulb.

JC : J From the word “Jod” – It means “Iodine” in German and indicates that it is a Halogen lamp.
C From the word “Cine” Indicates that the primary application for lamp is Cinema but can include Optics & Projection & Other Markets

This halogen bulb is a low voltage bulb, commonly found under counters, in desk lamps, or as accent lighting. This type of bulb can be be purchased in various low voltage amounts, ranging from 6 to 28 volts. This bulbs come in capsule shape and have two pins at the base of them. There are two different sizes, a G4, which is 4 millimeters between the pins on the base, and a GY6.35, measuring 6.35 millimeters between the pins on the base. Just like the J type bulbs, a JC halogen shouldn't come in contact with bare skin since it can damage the bulb.


How can I drill a 2" deep hole, 1/16" in diameter? Does a 2" (5 cm) cutting depth 1/16" (1.6 mm) drill bit even exist?  If not, is there any way for me to make this hole?  I'm drilling a fiberglass/foam sandwich if it matters, and I want to make a hundred holes. My cheap standard drill bits cut the fiberglass just fine, but are half the length I need. And yes, I'm aware that the reason they're kept short is so they don't break all the time.

This probably sounds weird – it's for installing a starlight ceiling effect in a fiberglass float tank.

A quick visit to a metalworking supplier website finds 3" long (overall length) ones with 1.7" cutting depth (presumably the flute depth, so for light-duty drilling if you "peck" (pull out to clear chips) when you get deep you could probably get it done. "Extended-Reach Drill Bits" A more extensive search might find a longer one. Buy them by the dozen, you probably will break some and they are usually cheaper that way.

A different metalworking supplier website has 6" and 12" OAL listed (under "aircraft drills" which the other site calls "Short-Flute Extended-Reach Drill Bits") but only 7/8" flutes, which would be a lot more pecking to get the chips out.


How to cut thick felt carpet pad? We are installing carpeting and purchased felt pad for it.  Using a utility knife, though, even changing the blades frequently, we are having a really hard time cutting it.

Is there a tool, technique, or better knife/blade that we should be using for felt carpet padding?

Take a 2x4 or other long straight edge, and stand on it to compress the pad and stabilize it, then use your utility knife to cut it.


Moving kitchen sink in slab foundation I'd like to expand my kitchen and install a pantry in the corner. In order to do that, I'd need to bump out my kitchen sink and counters by about 6-8 inches straight back into family room.

The sink/garbage disposal sits next to a dishwasher in an L-shaped counter. The sink faces the family room (and counter seating). The main drain pipe is in slab. Is it possible to bump out without cutting into slab and moving drain?

I know nothing about plumbing, but looking under the sink, it seems to me that all the p-trap and garbage disposal lines, etc., could be flipped to back side of main pipe that leads into slab. Since I'll be replacing the counter and cabinets with new ones, I could put access to the sink cabinet on back side as well as in front. (Considering removing carpet and going with tile, anyway.)

Or can it be done somehow and still maintain the p-trap in front? Or must I abandon this idea (or pay bucks to have main pipe moved via digging up slab).

This should be achievable by adding a horizontal run from p trap to the drain without digging into your foundation.  Horizontal runs must be downwardly sloping at 1/4" drop per 1' run to function properly.
Since it sounds like you are only moving 8 inches you shouldn't need to worry about adding a vent line.  These are sometimes required by code for long horizontal runs and help vent gases allowing for smooth drainage.
The p trap can be on the front or back.  Doesn't matter as long as it does not become an s trap or a double p trap.


How to have my house inspected for mold? I recently did a Google search for mold inspection and felt a bit overwhelmed by the results and conflicting advice.

I am asking because I am chronically ill and have recently been diagnosed with severe mold allergies.  I just started a five year allergy immunotherapy program, but I'd like to know what I can do right now in order to reduce my exposure to environmental allergens.  Nasal sprays help enormously, but I'm constantly suffering with fatigue, malaise, and now I'm getting a flaring up of tinnitus on one side, too.

It may or may not be relevant to point out that I have lived in my home for four years, it was built in 1982, and the previous occupant of the home was an elderly man who only did work on the house if it was absolutely broken.

By my Google search, I found that there are two routes I can go.  One way is to get a home test kit.  The ones I've seen only test suspect surfaces.  Critics say that these kits are useless and I'm inclined to agree because I'm concerned about what I am actually breathing.  (I have a gut feeling that it likely has to do with the ventilation downwind from the air filter, which does get changed regularly)

The other way is to call for a professional mold inspector.  This is even more confusing, with advice about inspectors advertising questionable credentials and charging a huge range of prices for services.  I have no idea how to tell who is a credible professional or how much I should expect to pay.

I also have no idea what to do with any test results.

I don't know what to do, but I want to get some actionable information.

I don’t like the self test kits either. Part of what you are hiring a testing agency for is 1) knowing what to test, 2) knowing how to take a “clean” test, 3) interpreting the test results, and 4) giving an estimate for abatement.

1) There are agencies that specialize in mold and some specialize in asbestos. If you suspect mold, I’d ask for their resume and then verify it. They will know where and what to test. Make sure they are bonded (ask the name and phone number of their bonding agency) and if they have worked for a local public agency like the school district, city, water board, county, etc. is a plus.

2) The containers must be “clean” and a sufficient amount of the sample suitable to test. The test samples are sent to an independent testing lab and will test for what the testing agency requests. BTW, it might not be your home. It could be furniture, clothing, car seats, etc.

3) The lab does not interpret the results. The agency will give a range of “acceptable” results. There is good and bad mold... not all mold needs to be removed.

4) Each test will cost about $25 - $35 each, where I live. The report (interpretation) will cost about $500 - $1800 depending on the number of “positive” results. The testing agency will be able to give an estimate of the cost of abatement based on quantity and location.

GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING. Make sure they give a start date and end date.

Oh, btw, if the report comes back positive and you don’t have 100% removed, you must include it your disclosure statement when you go to sell.


How often do I need to regrade the ground around my house? I'm a first time homeowner, and when we moved in we were told we'd need to regrade our house.  I am deciding whether doing it myself or hiring someone is a better decision, and the following list summarizes my considerations.

How often do I need to regrade the ground around my house?
If it's every year (yikes!) or even every few years, then I want to do it myself so I can save the money on contractors that I'll need to hire year after year.
If it's less frequently (every ~10 years) then I think it's in my budget to hire someone to do it.

Any guidance or considerations that you can give me would be very helpful.

EDIT: here are some requested pictures.

Regrading isn't typically a recurrent necessity. It may be needed shortly after a home is built, and maybe again a few years later. However, eventually the soil becomes compacted to the same degree that the undisturbed adjacent soil is, and that's more or less the end of the story. Then it's a matter of whether rainwater flows adequately away from the foundation.

Simply put, it varies by home, depending on home age, roof design, soil type, contractor technique, climate, ant proliferation, and other factors. There are no rules of thumb or other guidelines.


ventilating mildew-prone walk-in shower I have a walk-in shower, roughly 2-1/2 x 5 ft, 7ft high, with a shower-curtained opening.  The mildew problem on the grout is pretty bad.   I've seen some good articles here on controlling mildew, but I also want to install a fan.  It'd be nice to not have to mess with the tile at all, and fortunately there is a hole in the ceiling for a 6" recessed-light can.   So I'm thinking this fan would fit there nicely:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Broan-1-5-Sone-70-CFM-White-Bathroom-Fan/1242821

It is rated for wet locations, as long as protected with GFCI.  I don't think the current recessed light is GFCI protected, but I can add that easily myself.   Accessing the area above the shower is going to be somewhat of a pain, but doable, though requiring some drywall repair.

My big question is about the fan exhaust: I don't want to run it to the outside, as it's going to chill the shower significantly, I fear.  So I'm thinking about running it into the neighboring bathroom area instead (an area with a dual-basin sink vanity, which is open to the MBR) or maybe just into the bedroom itself.   Is this a horrible idea ?  I figure most of that moisture ends up in the vanity area and bedroom anyhow, so maybe not so bad.   Though the fan exhaust is necessarily going to be just below the ceiling (since the shower ceiling is only 1ft lower than the other 8ft ceilings), unless I go to some heroic measures to have the vent come out lower somewhere.   Though I'm in the humid south, the house interior tends to be pretty dry, with the AC running a lot in the summer and wood heating in the winter.

Or do I just need to bite the bullet and figure out how to vent the fan to the outside without chilling the shower too badly ?

You should vent to the outside. Bathroom fans are exhaust fans, why would venting to outside chill the shower? Presumably the fan unit has a flapper to prevent cold air coming in when the fan is not on. When the fan is on it will be pulling air from under the bathroom door and through the HVAC vent if there is one in the bathroom.

I think normally the bathroom exhaust fan is in the ceiling of the shower outside the shower. If it is on a timer, running the fan for 15 or 30 minutes would dry the shower enough to prevent excessive mold.

If the grout has long established mold, you might have to use bleach on the grout and then seal it.


Can I split my electrical mains in two so I can have an independent meter in my outhouse? Can I have my electricity supply split into two, so that I can have an independent meter in my outhouse, from my existing supply?

Probably not, but typically the utility will simply supply multiple drops for you. If you wanted to have two meters, the split would have to occur before the meters. Not many utility companies would be thrilled with this, as unmetered taps would be a major concern.

Also if you split the service, you'll be limited by the ampacity of the supply conductors. So if you pay for a 100 ampere service, you'll be limited to 100 amperes for both buildings. Whereas if you were to get two service drops, you could use 100 amperes in each location.


how thin is the top layer of a mortar shower pan I am planning on building the top layer of my shower pan on top of a faulty old one.  assuming I remove the old mortar surrounding the drain and it leaves me a depression deeper then 2 inches.  how thick is the rest of the top mortar layer suppose to be?

The top layer should be 1 1/4″ to 1 1/2″ thick.
http://floorelf.com/how-to-create-a-shower-floor-part-4
it can be 3/4″, but it has to be reinforced with metal lath beneath it attached to the substrate(in the comment section from the same source)


What is the correct cord and plug for my forklift charger? I am installing a forklift charger in my shop. I have what appears to be a NEMA L16-20 receptacle wired to a 480v 20amp 3 phase breaker. I had expected the charger to ship with an appropriate cord and plug but it did not. I can get a plug to match the receptacle, but is the receptacle I have appropriate for this charger? What gauge and type of cord should I get?

Sure, there is a mating plug: you need a L16-20P.
The charger may not have come with a plug because it is built for different voltages/frequencies, meaning it is sold in other parts of the world that have different standards for their plugs and receptacles.
NEMA sets the standards for plugs in the US, which is where the L16-20p standard comes from. Other countries use different standards.
I missed the cord side of the question, if you use a hard service cord like SOOW or SJOOW a #12 or 12-4 SOOW/SJOOW would be what I would recommend.  This is because of the nameplate rating of  13.1 amps @480v and the point that chargers are considered a continuous load.


Can I use existing telephone wire as a pull for new cables? I am moving into a new home shortly, built in the 1990s, and it has telephone jacks with POTS wiring that I do not plan on using. Ideally, I would love to run twisted pair cabling where the telephone wire is now, and just change the faceplate and jacks.

Can I use the telephone wire to pull some new pull wire or even the Ethernet cable itself? I have heard that telephone wire might be stapled to the frame behind the wall, and wondered if anyone has experience with this.

It depends. If it was installed originally, it should be stapled, in which case you can't use it. If it was fished through the wall after the fact then yes you should be able to pull using it.

I would recommend pulling polyline first and then pulling the new cable through, along with another piece of polyline.

The cable will stretch and break if you pull to hard, and if it goes around hard bends it will very next to impossible to pull all the way through, so you might still end up needing to cut some access holes to use as pull points.


What is the best way to fill in the holes in aluminum siding? In about 2 weeks I'm doing a little cathartic destruction of a deck on the back of my house. The deck came with the house and has suffered YEARS of neglect, it's beyond repair, built incorrectly, and looks awful so OUT it goes !!

My problem is: Whoever built the deck bolted a 2x6 into the siding of the house to act as a joist for the floorboards. When I remove the 2x6 I'll have a few bolt sized holes in my siding. Winter is fast approaching and the last thing I need is snow getting into the holes, melting, refreezing and causing untold havoc on the interior.

My question is: What is the best way to fill in the holes in the Aluminum siding? I don't have any spare siding laying around so I can't replace the damaged pieces so I need to plug them somehow.

Do you have (or can you acquire) any pieces of aluminium or other non ferrous metal at all?

If so you could cut small squares that will fit over the holes, screw them over the hole using self tapping screws and seal round the edges of the patch. Painting would give it an extra layer of protection.

It might not look particularly pretty, but will do the job until you are able to replace the affected pieces.

Alternatively, some sort of mastic filler might work, but you'd have to check it adhered to aluminium otherwise it would just fall out. However, I think this would look worse than a patch.


Is it okay to have exposed 12/2 romex? I am outfitting a shed with an electrical system. The inside walls are currently unsheathed, and I do not plan to sheath them. I was not sure if I can install Romex directly stapled to the studs without wall sheathing. Is this okay or do I have to use conduit or armored cable?

Above 8’ it would be ok but below that 1/2” Sheetrock or wood panels, plywood , osb ect.


How can two different breakers both turn off the same circuit? I have a 40 yr old home with circuit breakers.  While looking for the breaker to turn off a circuit (I was replacing a light switch), I found that two breakers, on the same side of the bus, but separated by a few other breakers, both disconnect the circuit.  To be clear, I am telling you that I can turn off either one of these to kill the hot wire in the switch box.  The only thing I can think of here is that somehow one of the breakers is feeding the other.  I've never seen a circuit behave like this.

This is similar to the other thread on this site about "Two breakers switches control the same thing" except in my case, I have the opposite result: either of the two breakers will kill the circuit.

Is there any reason this may have been done on purpose?  Is this allowed by code?

That could be a split bus panel, meaning that there are two sets of power distribution buses.  It used to be allowed by something called the "6 handle rule" (which allowed up to six of them in a service panel) back when circuit breakers cost a small fortune.

They were wired like this:

And might look like this:
Note the gap in the breaker buses at center where there are no breakers, but you can see heavy black wires connecting to the right end of the secondary buses.

The cables from the meter connect at right (which would conventionally be the top of the panel) and feeds the six double breakers.  Five of them feed directly to heavy loads:  range, water heater, dryer, baseboard heaters, etc.  The top-left double ganged breaker feeds the second bus in the left half of the photo.

In this configuration, any circuit fed from the lower bus would be shut off if either its own breaker were switched off, or the feed breaker—which also shuts off almost everything in the building.


Why is my toilet constantly backing up? I've been in my new house for a few months now, and I end up plunging one of our two toilets about once a week - they tend to swap turns on which one gets to be finicky each week. Is there a more serious cause behind this, or do I just have 'crappy' (hehe) toilets? I don't know if it could be an issue with my septic system. The previous owners weren't too into home repair, so I have no idea if it's ever been pumped, but the house is only 7 years old.

While I have managed to refine my plunging technique to an art, I'd appreciate any advice that will let me take a break.

This sounds terribly obvious, but have you tried snaking it?

Depending how long the run is to your septic tank, you could have a blockage further from the toilets, at a point where the pipes join, and the plunger just gains you a little time by shoving crap into the other end of the "Y".


Why do a few of the LEDs in my lamp stay on at very dim light? Bough this lumiere for my room, but have one question. When I flip a switch on and on remote of the lamp OFF, most of LEDs turn off, but in first line of LEDs four of them dim out to like few percent and in last line of LEDs 4 of them dim out the same. So those two groups of four LEDs don't turn off when I use remote and wall switch is on. Is this normal? Minor electricity has to be there so I can switch on with remote so lamp stays in like a sleep mode?

This is slightly different than most of the LED-style questions asking about the dim glow but has the same cause, most likely.
The remote may be using a very small amount of current to maintain its functionality.  This small amount is enough to make some LED’s glow.
To eliminate the glow, a different remote that is compatible with LED’s will be needed, or in some cases, an incandescent lamp in one of the positions will do the trick.
We can not detect the tiny amount of power being used with an incandescent, but the LED’s are so efficient, they glow because of the remote power usage.


How to water proof chipped concrete around garage door How do I water proof this cement wall around the garage door:

Can I use something like a polyurethane crack filler or something:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-PL-10-fl-oz-Polyurethane-Concrete-Crack-and-Masonry-Sealant-1618522/203156788?

Here is a closer look at the problem:

Thanks

The Loctite PL seal you want to use is good for a crack depth up half an inch according to its datasheet. Since this a window-like sill, if it was properly installed, it already has some kind of PU or similar foam under it to prevent water infiltration between it and the concrete. So, if the crack looks even more superficial than that half inch, you may get away with just plastering the surface of the crack with quick-set mortar.

There's no easy way to rigorously test crack depth here because any serious test setup (e.g. dye injection & core drilling) is just as involved as a deep crack repair, which would involve first sealing the surface with the aforementioned mortar and then injecting a PU foam deeper using injection ports. I don't suggest using this method until you have an actual leak (which insofar you didn't see).

Also, ultrasonic crack depth measurement (for which you can rent equipment) is fairly difficult to apply here because the crack is very close to edge of concrete and it is going to have to deal a other unknowns like whether the cavity under the sill is filled with some foam which has lots of air bubbles in it. You might as well take the sill off and take a look.


Why won't my furnace complete the startup sequence when powered by a portable generator? We recently had a power outage that lasted several days and the house was down to 41 degrees and expected power restore was several days in the future.

I purchased a 3500 watt (5250 starting watts) generator with the hopes to heat my house.

I only wanted to power the furnace and did not want to worry about having it connected to the house at all.  I purchased a single outlet and a plug and added them into the furnace line.   So when I want to plug in the furnace I first have to unplug it from the houses power and then hopefully plug it into my generator.

The Inducer fan kicks on, the ignition element heats up and the flames start.  Just before the blower fan kicks on the flames go out and the cycle starts over.

I am assuming I have 1 or 2 problems.

1) Grounding issue.
2) Dirty power

I would like to explore the grounding issue but am unable to find much on the internet that matches my symptoms (actually I am finding too much, but nothing that seems to fit exactly).  I do have a ground lead on my generator, where do I connect it to?  My house does have a few poles outside where things come in.  I do see a few green wires connected to a pole with a clamp.  can I connect my ground to that?   is there an easier way to test if this is it the problem first?   I've seen things about creating a neutral bonded ground plug and plugging it into a spare outlet on the generator but some reason shorting the neutral and ground didn't seem safe, but I am new to this.

If my issue is dirty power due to a cheap generator, am I out of luck?  Should I just sell the generator?

edit:
Furnace is about 20 years old.
Generator is not an inverter.
Furnace does not seem to have a method of delivering error codes.
Furnace works fine when I plug it back into the single outlet I added.

Many flame presence detectors use the relationship between Earth and one side of the Mains to sense a small current passing through the flame. If the voltage is not as expected, the flame presence / failure detection may not work.

So again, establishing the proper relationship between Mains and Earth is critical for proper operation.


Can I use a standard on-off switch for lights on a magnetic low voltage transformer? My closet has two magnetic low-voltage halogen fixtures and a regular halogen fixture wired to a pair of Lutron Maestro dimmers. The full-voltage halogen fixture has stopped working, and I measure about 96 volts AC from the bulb contacts when it's on. I am blaming the switches, which have been in place about fourteen years.
Can I replace them with regular three-way switches? I always want full brightness in the closet anyway.

Plain old mechanical switches are fine

Dimmers do funny things to the mains, so they are only compatible with what they say on the tin.  Plain old mechanical switches don't do funny things to the mains, they just turn them on and off.  So, a mechanical switch will work with any load up to its rating.


Pipe through Studs keeps freezing I have a hot and cold pipe that is located in an attic space above my garage that is accessible from the back side.  The problem is this pipes are running through the wall studs and keep freezing in cold weather.  I have this pipes insulated with pipe insulation as well as wall insulation and a second layer of wall insulation that runs over the studs. Is there any way to put some sort of heat tape on this pipe even though it runs through the walls?

Most garages have no insulation in outer walls or in the attic. If the pipes are exposed in the attic (especially near an outer wall), they might be freezing in that area.


Electric range stove burned black hot wire Ok. So my range has burned off one of the 2 black wires on the terminal block, which I'm assuming was due to a loose connection. My whirlpool range goes to a 50A breaker. There is 2 red  /1 white/ 2 black (10AWG/14AWG) hot wires . I was told to replace the black wire with a  #6 wire but I'm confused with finding the right wire. Most wires seem to be labelled as AWG. The burned cable says it's a 14 AWG cable so wouldn't I be looking for that instead of a #6 wire? Also the wire says it's rated for 150 c temperature but most wires aren't rated that high. I have a 14 AWG 90 c wire, would that be able to handle the heat of the range?

The #10 wire is too small coming from a 50 amp breaker. #10 or 10awg wire is only rated for 30 amps by code - this is why someone advised you to change to #6.

Just to make sure we are talking about the same wire, there should be #6 or #8 coming from the breaker to the range. If the wire that burned off is inside the range going to let's say an element or burner, then stay with the same size wire (high temp fixture wire).  Since you are talking about #14 I am guessing it goes to an element. The important thing about connections at elements is that you use connectors rated for high temp, for example many oven elements are male spade disconnect type connectors. Using a standard female crimp connector will have you back in there because the standard ones can not handle the heat. The ones I use on ovens are rated for 900f. So when replacing the wire if crimp connectors are used at the element use high temp ones or splice a piece on the existing wire using a high temp wire nut.


Remove floorboard glue from mitre saw I just bought a cheap Bosch mitre saw from eBay in pretty good working condition.

Only thing is that its covered in what I have been told is floorboard adhesive. Kind of light brown glue.

Its over all the metal and plastic.

Is there a solvent that won't harm the metal or plastic and tools I can use to remove it?

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Bosch-GCM-10S-Sliding-Mitre-Saw-Item-supplied-/222234264739?txnId=0

It is really difficult to remove adhesive from plastics as they bind. You may have luck with the blade.

For the blade, Heat and friction is probably your best bet.

Heat up the cutting blade with a blow torch, then use a chisel or scraper to remove the softened adhesive.

If that doesn't work you can use alcohol and scrape it off, but that could take a while.

Just remember to be safe. Heated metal can leave nasty burns, and slipping whilst scraping can cause damage to your skin.


What is the proper way to convert a pair of three-way (SPDT) switches into a single two-way (SPST) switch? I'm in the process of replacing some of the light switches in my house with smart switches, Wemo Light Switches in this case. I've had no problem with the replacement of my One-way switches (SPST I think), however I have a pair of Two-way switches (SPDT) that controls a single light fixture. As their documentation states

  Please note that the WeMo Light Switch is not compatible with lights controlled by more than one switch...

So it looks like my best option is to convert the Two-way switch into a One-way switch. I'm happy to lose one of the control points, however I'm not sure what the proper way to make this conversion is. I expect to a have a single smart switch controlling the system, that will replace both previous switches. Based on some wikipedia diagrams it looks like it is obvious path is to short circuit wires at the point where I remove one of the switches. However, seeminlty obvious isn't alwyas the right choice. How should a Single Pole Double Throw be converted to a Single Pull Single Throw?

Attaced are photos of the current wiring.

Switch "A" circled in to be removed

Wiring box "A"

Switch "B" to be replaced with smart switch

Use a smart switch capable of supporting a wireless remote, so when the AHJ flags you for failing to have requisite switches, you can just glue a wireless to the wall.

Black and white are currently travelers.  The red is switched-hot, which is awesome because it'll stay that.

Re-task black to be always-hot, by moving it in box A to the always-hot bundle on the wire nut.

Re-task white to be neutral, by moving it in box A to the same bundle of all-whites that the lamp uses.

At this point there are no wires on the upper switch in the duplex switch. Convert to a single switch.

Now install the smart switch in box "B".


Two Separate Electrical Services (Meters), Disconnecting One and Making Subpanel The property I've been renovating has two separate meters. One on the house and one on a detached garage that used to be an automotive shop. I recently upgraded the house to a 200amp service (has exterior disconnect and 4 slots available outside) and I want to disconnect the garage meter and connect it as a subpanel. Solely because the garage electric bill runs more than the house due to the second service cost. The garage panel is properly grounded with rods and I'll be running SER 4 strand cable from the main to the sub. I'll be unbonding the ground and neutral in the garage once it's a subpanel. Adding drip loops and anchors at each connection point. My question is best practice on running the cable. It'll be about an 80-95ft run and underground is not an option without cutting out a lot of concrete. The service line to the garage is overhead with three strands going into the weatherhead (hot, hot, neutral). I'd have to fish a ground in/out to connect to the 4 strand SER coming from the house. The house is rectangle with the panel on the SW corner and the garage located off the NE corner. I.e., the garage is on the opposite side of the main panel of the house.
My question is it's equally easy to run through the attic vs. the exterior/perimeter of the house. In the attic I can save some wire by running the diagonal, house exterior I'd have to follow both sides. If I run through the attic I can either exit through the roof or gable on the side nearest the garage weatherhead. Is there a benefit to either? If I exit the roof, do I need a weatherhead in the sense that I "splice" the cables? Meaning I run the SER in the conduit individually, then I splice from the garage weatherhead to this new weathehead (about 25ft overhead). OR do I keep the SER cable fully intact coming out of the weathehead and then splice at the garage weatherhead? What's the best practice for running about 25ft of SER overhead is basically what I'm asking. Spliced for the gap or unspliced, 2-2-2-4 Aluminum.
Other options?
Thank you

If you have 3 insulated conductors and the messenger (support cable is aluminum) the messenger is normally the ground.
Since you have a breaker inside the house you can enter the house and go through the attic. This may be both easier and a shorter run.
Make sure you are clear of any window openings  I think it is 3’ from them.
You are well above code requirements for height  so you are good there.


How can double swinging closet doors be installed? I have a coat closet that long ago had double sliding doors and now has no doors at all. I would like it to have double swinging doors, like french doors but without glass. I found a couple of pictures to prove that it has been done before, but they lack the detail necessary for me to reproduce the work.

The stop

Normally a single door has a piece of stop molding around the frame on three sides to keep the door from swinging past the "closed" position. With double doors that lack a center column, there can only be a stop along two sides of the door. This means an accidental kick to the "free" corner of the door will put undesirable bending loads on the door. How is this normally solved? French doors have a central column attached to one of the doors, but that means one door must be opened first and that's undesirable for a small closet.

The hardware

An ordinary door lockset won't work here because both doors must have a handle. I have seen "dummy" handles that don't have a striker bolt. I think that'd work but if those are used, how does the door stay closed?

There is no reason you cannot have conventional double doors on a closet.

Bracing the Inside Corner

To solve the free corner issue, you can put a small stop, attached to the floor at the center point between the two doors. It needs to be wide enought to stop both doors (probably anything over 1 inch would do) and tall enough to catch the doors at the bottom (3/4 or 1 inch should do, and you want it as short as practical).

The simplist approach is to use ordinary domed door stops screwed into the floor inside the closet.  One could probably be placed to catch both doors.  These may be prone to a toe stub, but are probably the least likely to cause harm.

If you want to make your own stop, you could use a metal L channel or a wooden block screwed through the top into the floor. Metal is smaller, but may be more prone to hurt if you stub your toe against it. A small wooden block with sloped shoulders might be better. It only needs to be thick enough to hold up (maybe 3/4 inches). All exposed edges sould be slightly rounded with sandpaper to soften the edges for safety.

Latching

The simplist approach to holding the doors closed is to use magnetic latches.  You can put them at the top only or at the top and bottom. If you do put them on the bottom, put the latch on the door and the strike plate on the floor stopper (another reason to use a wooden stopper).

As an alternative, you could use a cabinet latch at the top.

Finally, you could use a button type latch set into the tops of each door and the door frame.  These are somewhat harder to install, but look more finished.

Handles

In each of these cases, you would use dummy handles or pulls to open the doors.


How to tell if a house is equipped for a gas stove I live in a townhouse. My electric range died, so I'm looking to replaec it with a gas stove. But how do I know if the house is already set up with the required pipes, etc.?

I suspect that I do have at least the gas tank and some pipes, because I have a gas fireplace. But I'm not sure where the gas tank is, and that's in the living room.

I've heard that I will need at least the pipes (to go all the way into the kitchen), and then an extension to plug it into my stove. But is this feasible for a ten-year old house? Is this going to be expensive?

Any house can be equipted to run a gas stove.  Some houses have gas service from the utility, others have on-site tanks.

If you already have gas service or some type of gas distribution in your house, then you can add a stove by having a licensed contractor run a line to your kitchen.  The process is similar to running new pipes or electrical circuits.  It is easier to do if the area under your kitchen is not finished, otherwise expect a lot of holes.  The cost will depend on the distance from the gas main and the complexity of the run.

Cost will also depend on where you live.  Just for an example, in Toronto, ON, Canada, it cost me $700 CAD to add hook-ups for my BBQ and stove. The BBQ run was outside while the stove run was done in my unfinished basement.

Make sure you contact a licensed installer/contractor.  Don't mess with gas yourself.


replumb leaning post 6 ft tall 4x4 PT post out of plumb by 1-3/8". Excellent condition. Years old. Set in cement. Rock solid in part because tree roots have encased the cement. Tree too valuable to risk damaging roots by removing old post and cement, or placing new post nearby.

I plan to replumb the post by crosscutting about 2/3 the way through the post at 12" above the top of the cement. This will weaken it enough to bend at the kerf. Once replumbed (past plumbed, actually, to balance out forces), scab on 30" length of 2x4 PT, fitted to the bend, on the side with the kerf.

Question is on which side of the post should the kerf be placed? on the "overhanging" side so that the kerf opens when bent plumb? or on the sloped side so that the kerf closes when plumbed?  Aesthetically doesn't matter.

EDIT: or maybe snap a plumb line from top to bottom, then saw off the "overhanging" 6 ft wedge, then scab it on to the sloping side.

Stronger if the kerf pinches, the reason being ...

Consider a post that is simply crosscut as mentioned (not reinforced with the 2x4 scab).  This weak point will fail much more easily when the post takes a load (bent) in the direction that opens the kerf, as opposed to the opposite direction.  This is because the post, when loaded in that direction, is vulnerable to splitting-out at the kerf.  When loaded in the opposite direction (that closes the kerf), the post is not vulnerable to splitting out, but would break due to tension failure.  Intuitively, it would take much less load to split out than to fracture under tension. If you don't trust my intuition, try this on a 2x4 to see which direction it more easily breaks.

Now consider a post that is crosscut and then reinforced with 2x4 scab as mentioned.  If the kerf was placed so that replumbing opened the kerf, then the post would be under a permanent partial load to split out.  If the kerf was placed so that replumbing closed the kerf, then the the post would be under a permanent partial negative load to split out, and under a permanent partial load for tension failure.  Intuitively, the later makes for a much stronger repair.

The theoretical kerf width required for the closed-kerf scenario is 4 * 1.375 / 60 = 0.092, or about 3/32".

Attach the 2x4 scab with numerous smaller fasteners (not in the same grain line) rather than a couple large fasteners.

As for option two, snapping a plumb line, the easier thing to do is cut a short piece of 2x4 that is 1-3/8" long, then  use it to space off one end of straight 6' 2x4 when screwing (or clamping) the 6 footer temporarily to the the post on the opposite side of the cut, then use an adjustable ripping T-guide (that came with the circular saw) to carry out a uniform width rip.  Make the rip top to bottom on one side, then bottom to top on the other, keeping the wide part of saw shoe on the post.  If the post is too thick for the rips to meet (6x6) complete the rip with a third pass using a sawzall.

In the end, I used the closed kerf method, and attached the trimmed-to-fit 2x4 scab with 12 torx head 3" screws and full caulk.  When hit with a fist, it vibrates just as the intact post did, like a tuning fork, though rigidity and strength are not the same. If I had to do it over again, I'd use the same approach.


Can I fill sagging spots in my driveway with asphalt and hot tar? We've had these sagging spots for about 10 years now. They're not getting any worse. Sure, we might get a new driveway in 10 years, but other than this, our driveway is in beautiful condition! They appear to be divots from parking something too heavy at some point.

It's the winter now and it's impossible to shovel around these things. A few years ago, we tried compacting some asphalt fill into it. It's like 2 inches deep, maximum. Of course the edge isn't going to feather nicely, and during snow removal, shovels get hung up on it. If you're walking with some force.. ouch, that hurts.

What I'm thinking of doing is first using the grinding wheel to remove some concrete, eliminating the need for a feathered edge. I'd trust it being more of a quality repair if I took maybe a quarter inch out of the concrete, and I could fill right to the top with tar. Feathering it is just asking for it to peel off. I would use a wire wheel (and full a face mask) to remove some of the asphalt chips we put down, giving the entire thing a good puddle shape to fill out. Then I want to stack two steel five gallon buckets with a brick spacer, cut a few holes in one, and set them up as a melter with my propane weed eater torch. Once liquid enough, I'd pour it down and use a few pieces of wood to smooth it out.

Does this sound like a safe and quality repair for a few years? Are there other methods you guys would recommend?

Existing Issue:

Proposed Fix:

You have divots in a concrete driveway.

I'd saw around the divot area, break it all out, and pour concrete, rather than anything to do with asphalt. Drill some holes in the edges and insert steel to tie the patch to the slab.

If following the "quick fix" fill-on-top approach, possibly thinset (tile cement) but trying to do anything with concrete in the winter is fraught with difficulty - you have to heat it up and keep it warm - if it freezes before it cures, it's toast.

My gut says that your quick fix with hot tar is going to be good for 6 months, at most. Additionally, it will complicate doing a good concrete repair later.


What kinds of wood are suitable for laser cutting? I want to know what kind of wood material should be used for a 60W laser cutter?
I would want to cut and engrave woods for my project. Looking for effects like these

Wood can be one of the most challenging materials to laser engrave. This is mainly due to the inconsistencies in wood. As you can see in the above video and images the engraving results can vary even with similar color wood types. Here are a list of qualities to look for in selecting wood for laser photo engraving. Ideally the wood will have a high resin content, be light in color, and will not have a coarse or heavy grain.

Laser Engraving Wood Comparison Video

Laser engravers work by burning into the wood; as the link notes, you'll want a wood with a high resin content so that the laser has something to "color". A soft wood such as Cedar, Pine or Spruce would be a good choice also as their "softer" and can be burned easily.


What danger/code violation is oversized breakers? I just got the results of a home inspection where they claim there is mismatched breakers and wires in my electrical panel.  Specifically, the range (40A breaker) and heat pump (50A).  He claims the wires are 30A.

Assuming this is true, is this a code violation (Nebraska)?  Or a safety issue?

-edit- adding more info here for future readers so they don't have to read all the comments.

The heat pump had been replaced within the last 2 years.  I called the company who installed it and they claim the heat pump installed only pulls 27A max but they would send an electrician out to swap the breaker that they missed.  When the electrician came, he discovered that the 2nd over-sized breaker was not for the range (range was on a 50A wire with 50A breaker) but instead it was on an unused circuit that lead to the newly installed furnace (capped inside the furnace housing, just there for "future expansion").  Both breakers ended up getting swapped for free.

Was the bozo that wired those circuits trying to burn your house down?

Assuming that the wires are 10AWG (i.e. 30A), this is a major problem indeed as the wires can overheat badly from excessive current draw before the breaker ever notices something is wrong!  Think of what a live toaster element inserted into your wall would do...

As to the Code, your issue violates 210.19(A)(1):

  (1) General. Branch-circuit conductors shall have an ampacity not less than the maximum load to be served. Conductors shall be sized to carry not less than the larger of
  210.19(A)(1)(a) or (b).

  (a) Where a branch circuit supplies continuous loads
  or any combination of continuous and noncontinuous loads,
  the minimum branch-circuit conductor size shall have an
  allowable ampacity not less than the noncontinuous load
  plus 125 percent of the continuous load.

  (b) The minimum branch-circuit conductor size shall
  have an allowable ampacity not less than the maximum
  load to be served after the application of any adjustment or
  correction factors.

and 240.4 (the exceptions in A-G do not apply to your case):

  240.4 Protection of Conductors. Conductors, other than
  flexible cords, flexible cables, and fixture wires, shall be
  protected against overcurrent in accordance with their ampacities specified in 310.15, unless otherwise permitted or
  required in 240.4(A) through (G).


Is my NEMA 14-30R to NEMA L6-30R adapter safe? At our studio we have a NEMA 14-30R outlet used for our kiln. When not in use, we want to use another piece of equipment that has an L6-30P plug. I believe the equipment is rated at 8AMP 240V.

I built an adapter that has a 14-30P on one end and an L6-30R on the other, capping the neutral inside the L6-30R. In this way we can switch from one piece of equipment to the other without running a new line, guaranteeing mutually exclusive use of the circuit.

Is this configuration safe? Would I be better off pulling off the neutral pin from the 14-30P? Right now I just want to make sure no one is going to hurt themselves until we can find an appropriate solution although running a new circuit is not an option - maybe sub-panel with a switch between two outlets?

Your adapter is probably safe. However, I would have used a 3 conductor cable instead of a 4 conductor cable; that way there is no neutral to cap.

Another option would be to cut the plug off the end of the other piece of equipment and wire on the 14-30P.

A third option would be to wire up an 14-30 receptacle right next to the existing L6-30 receptacle, using the same circuit. As long as you are using only the kiln or the other equipment and not both at the same time, that's fine. If you really wanted to prevent both from operating at the same time, you could get a transfer switch, but that's probably overkill.


How to fix outdoor faucet drip when indoor shut off is off I just noticed that my outdoor faucet has a slow drip.  I checked the indoor shut off and it is closed tight.  What could be causing the problem and how would I fix it?  I don't know how long the drip has been happening -- I haven't used this particular faucet in years.

Replace the indoor shutoff, as it's obviously not closing all the way. Alternatively, if it's a gate valve, you could try repairing it. Though in my opinion, you might as well replace it. Replacing it with a ball valve, is usually a good choice.

You'll also want to replace the outdoor tap, as it's also not working. Again, you could possibly repair it, but it's probably just as easy to replace it. If you live in an area with freezing temperatures, you'll want to replace it with a frost-proof sillcock.


Do wires need covering when plastering? Many places say that you need to cover wires when plastering over them:

theiet.org/forum

  In a zone or not I would still steel cap the cables even if they were only TV Aerial cables.

and this

  IMO PVC capping is safer, as long as it's in the zone, as there is no chance of it becoming live.

and

  If clipping direct to a wall then reasonable protection is needed from the plasterers trowel.

There is diynot.com/forums:

  Capping of any sort is not required by the regs

and finally this

  Nothing wrong with plastering directly over the cables though. As said, the capping was more to prevent damage during plastering and although there is no direct mention if this in the regs, it was the intended purpose.

So some say that it is needed, some say it is worthless... Who is right? Do I need to cap the wires?

As I understand, the capping was used to protect cables from being sliced by a plasterer's trowel when wet plastering over them.

For the (nominal) cost of them, I'd use capping if the wall was to be wet plastered. (Plus, though it's not always easy, it does give you a chance to re-cable if that ever becomes required in the future).

If the wall was to be dry lined, I'd just clip the cables to the wall.

According to the wiring "regulations", capping is not sufficiently robust mechanical protection to avoid the need for RCD protection to the circuit.


Shower head on exterior wall - Insulation R-30 Rock Wool We are currently building our home in the Utah area that is within 30 min of Salt Lake City. Our homebuilder recently decided to place the shower head in our shower facing the door - needless to say that wasn't going to work for us(don't really want to clean up a puddle every time we take a shower). So our only other option, according to them is to place the shower head on the exterior wall and keep the valve on the interior wall. The home builder claims that they discussed with the insulation company on how to properly insulate the shower head pipe. The insulation company told them that if they used an R-30 Rock Wool batt behind the pipe that it would be completely fine. So a couple of questions for the community:

Does this sounds like a reasonable fix(in an area that has below 0 temps)? is it normal to place a R-30 batt behind a shower head?
If you run a shower head line from an interior wall to an exterior wall(probably 3 ft run) do you loose pressure?

I don’t know why you would need rock wool any r30 should work. As far as adding length and bends to the shower it should not matter. All shower heads have flow restriction built in so your limiting factor is the head itself


Should I install vapor barrier in my basement bathroom? I have a brick house built in the 1920s. I'm installing a bathroom basement based on an existing layout, but I'm trying to keep the "wet" side (mechanical room with hot water heater, etc.) physically separate from the "dry" side (scrapbook room, home office). The new bathroom will have a shower, whereas the old bathroom did not.

I'm installing a 2x4 stud wall between the bathroom and home office. The home office side will have mold resistant 1/2" drywall on the walls. The bathroom side will have concrete board covered with a water barrier (Kerdi, more than likely) and tile in the shower and FRP in the non-shower bathroom area. Of course, I'm also installing a fan and venting to remove moisture from the air after a shower.

My question, and I'm planning on installing bat insulation in the wall, is:

Should I put a vapor barrier on the home office side, or will this eventually trap moisture/condensation in the wall?

No, there's no need to install a vapor barrier between two conditioned spaces. The purpose of a vapor barrier is to prevent warm moist air from traveling through the insulation and condensing on the cooler side, which can easily happen in cold climates. With a conditioned space on both sides, you can allow any moisture in the air to pass through.

There's also no need for insulation except for sound proofing (fires can pass through doors, as can any heat). For sound, make sure your insulation is designed for that, and also consider a resilient channel or similar product that will keep the drywall physically separate from the studs, which is how many sounds travel through walls.


How to cut opening in double brick wall The external wall of my house is a double-thickness solid brick wall (i.e. about 210mm thick consisting of 100mm brick, 10mm mortar down the middle, then another 100mm brick).  I need to cut a new opening in this wall.  I've already removed some bricks to insert a lintel (or rather a pair of lintels, one on the inside and one on the outside), but removing the bricks by cutting the mortar out around them was very labour-intensive.  Is there an easy way to cut through a wall of this thickness with a straight vertical cut without spending a fortune on tools?

The "traditional" way to do it is, as you have suggested, to cut the bricks out by hand (and refit the cut bricks once you've done to give a tidy edge). It can be a time consuming job.

The more usual way to do it once the lintels are in place would be to use a disc cutter - usually a petrol driven one - (aka a rotary cutter or Stihl saw, after the common brand) with a diamond-tipped blade to cut through the bricks. This will make a lot of dust. You can get a water pack to reduce the dust (and cool the disc, reducing the wear on it), but it can still make for a messy operation, as the water will make the dust into a slurry that the disc will spray about.

You can hire the saws from pretty much any plant hire outlet, who will also hire the diamond tipped blades, charging you per milimetre (or half milimetre) of wear. That can be expensive though, so if you've a lot to do, it might be cheaper to buy the diamond-tipped disc from an independant supplier.

I've also seen what is basically a chainsaw with a diamond tipped chain for cutting through walls, etc, but I've not actually seen one used to comment as to how effective they are.

Don't forget that you should use eye, ear, and dust protection if you're doing work like this.


In what situation is a slant top register boot the preferred choice? I see them sold all over the place but when I search for information on them it is almost like they don't exist. In what situation does it make sense to choose that style of register boot?

The slanted boot makes it easier to install near a sharply pitched roof.  source

A slant top ceiling box provides an easy transition from round pipe or flexible duct to the air register near a sharply pitched roof. source


How often should clients look at the job site and talk to the contractor? During a major kitchen remodel that includes removing structural walls and pouring new foundation piers and extending the house, along with the typical re-plumbing and electrical work, how often should the client (me) be walking through the job site and talking to the general contractor? Should I ever be talking to the subcontractors, apart from being nice, or does everything go through the general contractor? What do contractors, and subcontractors, want from the client?

I'd be walking the site daily. This isn't a new building with major safety hazards. It's your home, and you should have free access outside work hours. Any hazards should be eliminated, marked, or secured by then.

I'd want to feel comfortable raising issues with the GC at his/her convenience. I'd recognize that my project is not their only one, and that they have limited attention split among several (or many) clients. Call or email and wait for a reply.

I would not address subcontractors directly other than sharing greetings in passing (while staying out of the way). That would be a violation of unwritten (or possibly written) protocol. You're paying your GC to do the negotiation and communication with the subs, and you'll cloud the water if you get in between. Also, as stated earlier, you shouldn't be on the job when they are.

My $.02, however biased it may be for having been both a GC and a sub as well as a customer at various times in life.

Other tips

Keep your crap out of the way. Few things frustrate a contractor more than having to work in confined spaces for no reason other than lack of consideration on the part of the customer.

Be courteous. The people working on your home will find it easy to not care about their level of quality if you give them reason. Conversely, treating them with respect is likely to earn extra care.

If you like, offer a cold drink or cookies or something now and then. This extends the being courteous thing to something approaching bribery, but really it just generates mutual good will. This is important when you're paying a pile of money for something you have to live with daily.


Killing mold IN drywall using Borax solution - what now? My family is renovating an apartment and someone thought there was mold inside some drywall that showed water stains from when there was a leak in upstairs apartment.

This person prepared a Borax water solution using 20 Mule Team Borax (supersaturated as there was still powder at the bottom after vigorous mixing), gouged some holes in the wall and sprayed the solution into the wall. Their plan was to kill the mold inside the wall and plaster over the gouges so as to save money by not hiring a mold-removal specialist and avoid replacing the drywall.

I am skeptical of this plan and turn to this community to ask:

Does this plan have any merit?
How can I tell if there really is mold in the wall?
How can I tell if the mold is all dead after the Borax solution was sprayed into the wall?
Will paint and plaster be enough to cover up any surviving mold and keep it contained in the dry wall?

NO this plan has no merit, spraying the borax water solution in a hole would only get some, if any of the mold and you would be guesting anyway. If your house was on fire would you drill holes in the walls and spray water at the holes and hope?
The only way to check for mold is to open up the wall and testing spots that look suspicious.(If you really think that there is mold, you will need to have on a mask, googles, gloves,and full suit when opening up the wall, just to be on the safe side.) If the test show black mold you need have a specialist get rid of it.
See number 2.
Your question leads me to believe that you think that the borax is not going to work, but to answer your question NO. If there is mold and you do not get it all out, it can come back. Mold needs to be removed and drywall replaced. Black mold need to be remove by a specialist, and then you can drywall.


Delineation between drywall and cementboard This is the sink/dishwasher bay for my basement apartment. There will be a bottom and a top cabinet, corresponding approximately to below and above the green line. I want to put tile on the wall around, approximately where you can see the cement/backer board between the two green lines.

I understand that, in situations where drywall meets cement board, you typically want to overflow drywall onto where the tiles will be as the tiles can go on drywall but it's hard to emulate a smooth surface of a drywall wall on cement board.

However, this is a little different because there will be no visible delineation, i.e. everywhere where there are no cabinets, there will be tile. So my reasoning was that by reversing the rule from the previous paragraph, I can avoid having to tape join the two substrates. However that introduces the problem of uneven transition between the two (I think the backer board is 3/8" and drywall is 1/2").

In this particular case, is it okay if the cement board overflows the drywall (green line) or should the drywall overflow on the tile substrate (as though the cabinets went below and above the red line), as is normally done?

I see no problem at all with your plan, even if there's a 1/8" thickness variation. That's not enough to tilt your cabinets substantially out of plumb. If it's a concern you can always shim behind the cabinets, since any resulting gap will be covered by the tile.


Connecting to system ground for equipment ground Some previous owner of my house installed new lighting and receptacles in the attached garage, and these are all wired with 14/2 NM cable with ground on a 15A circuit that is otherwise ungrounded elsewhere in the house.
I eventually traced the origin of the new wiring portion back to a buried junction box in the garage wall, which has a separate ground wire joining with the original ungrounded hot and neutral to feed the new portion of the wiring. This ground wire appears to have at one point been connected to some plumbing, but I found the other end and it is no longer connected to anything.
It just so happens that I had the electrical panel replaced when I moved in, and my electrician ran a new system ground wire (bare copper) exposed along the same interior wall in the garage where the buried junction box is, on its way to the grounding rod. I'm planning to remove this buried box and instead install a larger box for a nearby outlet that is just upstream of it, and to relocate the connections into there.
In addition to replacing this outlet with a GFCI receptacle, I was thinking that while in the process I could restore the ground for this portion of the circuit by connecting a new grounding wire up to the nearby system ground. It would be trivial to get a wire from the box to the system ground, but a much bigger deal to get a separate ground wire all the way back to the panel, and a much bigger deal to replace the original ungrounded cabling all the way back to the panel.
I've found in other questions here that the most recent NEC says that you can provide a ground to circuit A by taking it from circuit B, as long as they both come from the same panel. But I'm not sure about this situation. There is only one panel involved, and I have verified that there is continuity between the neutral in the box and the system ground that I'm hoping to use.

Is this an acceptable thing to do? Are there any downsides/risks?
If it's OK, what would be the correct hardware to use to connect a 12 AWG wire to the middle of the 6 (I think) AWG system ground wire?

Yes, in 2014 the Retrofit Ground rules were greatly liberalized to allow exactly what you're talking about.  Retrofitting a ground to the Grounding Electrode Conductor (the run between panel and ground rods/Ufer/water main clamp) is specifically allowed.
You cannot sever or cut the Grounding Electrode Conductor. You will need to clamp onto it with a split bolt etc.


Why does my home's power fade and surge when I plug things in? I live in Texas.  I ran 300 ft of aluminum electric direct-bury 4-4-2 from the pole on street to my new home. The pole is metered and yes, I had my utility's blessing to do so.

Everything worked perfectly for 6 months, but now suddenly if I plug anything (lamp, heater, charger ) in my lights dim, or sometimes if I plug in elsewhere things get very bright or plug in heaters work better or worse depending.

There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it.

I have undone and redone every receptacle to be sure.
I installed 50 amp breakers in every slot of box on house to try to solve this problem to no avail. (I have never once tripped a breaker ever)
I haven’t been able to put up sheetrock because I don’t want to have to remove it.

Call your UTILITY now on their EMERGENCY NUMBER

Your service neutral is going bad.  This is a power outage even though it doesn't appear so -- the fluctuations in light and heat you see are because the 0V reference mark for all your 120V outlets is no longer acting as such, resulting in outlets getting higher and lower voltages depending on what else is plugged in.  There's a good chance some things will eventually catch on fire if you keep this up

And please put properly rated breakers back in, so you aren't playing with fire for any longer than you already have been!  Whoever told you to do what you did with your breakers knows nothing about electricity, and should not be treated as a reliable source of electrical advice ever again!


Attach aluminum tube securely to base without welding/soldering? How can I securely attach 4-ft x 1" aluminum tube to an aluminum base without having to solder/welding or glue? The aluminum base is 1/8" thick.

The tubes are open on both sides, but they can be closed. I can also drill, but I want to avoid welding.

Welding aluminum is much more expensive than the cost of the base and tube combined.

Thanks.

I would use an aluminum safety rail floor flange.

Something like this Hollaender 45-5 square floor flange:


How would I tell if a dealer sold me a refurbished appliance as new? I've got a DOA fridge that I'm having to have a service tech come look at a second time. The dealer I bought it from has been accused of selling refurbished items as new in the past. How would a person actually go about finding that information out?

I noticed this stamp on the back. Do you suppose I'm getting excited about nothing?

Completely new appliances come with packing materials. Everything from the box to the instructions sealed in a plastic bag. Stainless surfaces will have protective plastic films that are removed after delivery and installation. Shipping blocks and moveable parts taped so that they do not move while being transported.


Are replacement kitchen sprayers fairly interchangeable? Well, first house break-down of the year happened about 6 hours into 2013...  The wife grabbed the kitchen sink sprayer and snapped the lever off of it.  No leak, but it doesn't work anymore.  Am I going to be able to find a compatible replacement sprayer in the local store, or do I have to go back to the manufacturer?  Wondering if these are all a standard design (like toilet guts seem to be)...

For the most part hardware stores will carry universal side sprayers, that can be used to replace broken sprayers from nearly all manufacturers.  You might come across a proprietary side sprayer from time to time, but chances are a universal replacement will work.  You may not find a sprayer that matches the look and design of the broken sprayer exactly, but a replacement should attach and function without problems.

Keep in mind, this only applies to side sprays.

If you break the pull down sprayer, you'll likely have to get a replacement from the manufacturer.


How do i waterproof the joists under my bathroom floor? How do I waterproof the joists under my bathroom floor?

I recently decided to replace the floor tiles in my bathroom and found that there had been a leak under the shower.  This has meant that the bathroom T&G chip boards have rotted away because of water damage and need to be replaced.

I have also noticed that the floor joists have a little bit of wet rot because of the leak.  This has been addressed by using Ronseal Wet Rot wood hardener and filler on the joists.

I want to know if i should and how i should protect the joists against future leaks?  The 2 options that i have seen after doing a little research are:

Cover top of joist with flashing tape such as Bostik flashband
Paint top of joist with black bitumen

Should i do any of these or would this introduce further problems? Do i have any other options?

I've never seen or heard of this being done.

Water in a bathroon should never make it to the studs or supports in any significant supply such that it actually creates or promotes damage or rot.

The appropriate solution is to remove/stop the water source that caused the damage before it gets that far/in the first place. The flooring choices is most important in these cases. Protecting the joists wont hurt them, but is most likely wasteful from a time/cost=reward/value perspective. Spend the time and money on quality water supply, drain, and routing (removal/protective, like caulk, grout, etc) components.


Solar Water Heater Exchanger Removal, Glycol Removal I have an old Reynolds Solar Hot Water Heater and would like to uninstall/remove it safely. All my solar panels were removed years ago but the tank is still here. COLD and HOT lines leading to solar water heater already CUT/DISCONNECTED. I want to uninstall everything correctly and prevent any glycol spraying all over the place.

First picture 1 & 2 were connected to solar panels and have the glycol in them. 3 is the HOT and 4 is the COLD water supply. Zoom in picture of where the lines meet the tank.

Red pump is the glycol (antifreeze), gold pump is for the water. Expansion tank is grey, and the valve with the looking glass is also glycol.

The IN and OUT valves are linked inline with the glycol and water pumps

Have the T&P relief valve followed by the black steel cylinder in bottom left corner used by heat exchanger

Lastly I have the drain valve at the very bottom of my water heater

Model diagram I found that uses similar plumbing (2 pumps, steel reservoir, glycol, minus the expansion tank)

SHUT DOWN PROCEDURE: (taken from their manual)
Depending on the requirement, not every step needs to be followed.
1. Unplug the controller.
2. If required, attach a hose to the System Drain
Valve.
3. Open the System Drain Valve and drain HTF to
a container if it has a propylene glycol additive. If
not, discharge the HTF to a drain or ground.
!!!CAUTION: SYSTEM HTF CAN BE HOT!!!
4. Close the System Drain Valve.

Steps I am planning on doing in the following order:

Attach hose to drain relief valve at bottom of water heater and
evacuate all the water
Pull lever on T&P valve to release excess pressure or water remnants
Release all pressure in Expansion tank by depressing the schrader
valve
??? Attach hose to the OUT fitting of the glycol and turn the knob
to open up the system and drain into bucket. Dispose of chemicals properly. ???
Disconnect pipes 1, 2, 3, 4 with pipe wrench from the water heater
tank

EDIT: For #4 step, is that the correct method? I've seen refrigerators and car ac systems use a vacuum to evacuate the glycol, preventing it from releasing into the atmosphere (assuming it's toxic: polyethylene glycol). Do plumbers usually use a vacuum or just a hose + bucket? Again, want to avoid spraying water/glycol all over the place when disconnecting everything. Am I missing any safety steps? I want the system to be bone dry and depressurized.

I have been an avid recycler in the Portland, Oregon, area for decades.  Portland is no slouch when it comes to environmental awareness and concerns.

After replacing my auto's antifreeze mixture, I had nearly two gallons (eight litres) that I didn't know what to do with.  So I stored it in the original anti-freeze gallon jugs and forgot about them.  After like five years, I had an accumulation of over eight gallons of ethylene glycol solution needing disposal.

I finally called the regional recycling authority about what to do with it.  Their answer was, for small quantities (less than 55 gallons), the city sewer system would appropriately deal with it.  Just flush it down the drain.

Of the various glycols, ethylene is not the first choice for solar heating systems due to its relatively fast breakdown rate.

More likely, your system uses either monopropylene glycol (1,2 propanediol, more commonly known as propylene glycol) or trimethylene glycol (1,3 propanediol) a bio-derived, thermally stable glycol. Unlike typical 1,3 propanediol, which is derived from oil or natural gas, the bio-derived “green” glycol is produced from corn sugar.  [reference]  Both of those are non-toxic and can also be flushed down the drain.


What is this noise in my water pipes? I can hear what sounds like pressure building and then it stops.  It's almost like the sound of water being turned on but there is no water running.  Sometimes it's louder then others and the length of time varies but it is never longer then a minute.

I have city water through my township and there is a gauge in the basement hooked to the mainline.  When the noise occurs I can see the pressure build to almost 100 psi and then it just releases.  This happens multiple times throughout the day.

I have tried bleeding the pipes thinking that there is air in them but that didn't seem to help.  Also the water flow is normal and never fluctuates.  I am at a loss for what to do.

I can call a plumber but I am almost certain that it won't happen while they are hear and I am not paying top dollar for someone to stand around and wait.  The last plumber I asked said it was a leaky toilet and gave me a hack to determine which one but neither seem to have a problem.

It might be your water heater relief valve discharging when the line pressure gets too high. It's there to relieve pressure in the tank if the water gets too hot, but will also act on high pressure. Generally the outlet of that valve is plumbed to go directly into a drain, so you never see any water flowing.


The top A/C drain in my attic is leaking. Why? My dad told me that the top A/C drain (we have bottom and top A/C drains) was leaking, and he wanted me to find out why it is happening. Our A/C system is from Ruud. So what is causing the the top drain to leak?

On many air handlers, there are two drain outlets.  The lower drain hole is the "regular" drain that is typically hooked into the house's drain pipes somewhere.  You don't see it working - it just silently drains out the condensate water.

The upper hole is an overflow.  It's normally routed to a pipe that will drain out of the eaves of the house or another visible location.  When you see this dripping, you know the main drain is clogged.  This secondary drain can also be fitted with a switch that cuts power to the A/C so the overflowing drain doesn't damage anything.

So, the answer is that the lower, normal drain is clogged, probably with some mold/mildew that collects on the side of the pipe.  If the water is flowing at all, bleach or a mild drain cleaner can be used to try and break it loose.  If there is no water flow, compressed air into the pipe (carefully) can be a good option.


Random tripping at house DB not at complex DB We live in a community setup where a main feeder cable comes in from the street (city supply) and then is split up to each housing unit (blue on sketch). Between this point where the electricity is distributed and each housing unit there is a supply cable that then terminates into the house DB.

Now that you have some background - the cable indicated as yellow on the sketch was very slightly damaged during excavation. The earth leakage in the blue distribution tripped though. A repair was done on the yellow cable - resin join kit. However the distribution board in the housing unit trips randomly.

My question is two fold, if the cable still had damage where would the trip occur at the blue earth leakage or at the housing unit? Is there any way to test where the fault is causing the trip?

Thanks for your time.

You probably need to submit more detail to get a complete answer to your problem, but I will try and answer from the information you have given up to this point.

First I can't think of a situation or reason how an problem upstream would trip a downstream breaker. So the trip would occur at the main distribution area or just fault out or burn up at the original damage.

Second the you need to have an ammeter and check the amount of current flow at the breaker tripping in house DB.

Now here are some questions you need to answer to get further information.
Which breaker is tripping in house DB?
Is it the main or one of the branch circuits?
Did you have breakers tripping before the repair?
How old is your system?
Has anyone tested the voltage at each phase and the neutral to ground (disconnected)?

Hope this helps


How do I best build up concrete driveway where it meets the basement foundation of house? Our driveway slightly slopes into our basement foundation wall, causing water to stand in that area.  We don't want to simply add cement to this area to elevate it one or two inches because of our concern that the thin layer will eventually crack up, and that the new layer won't bond properly to the old layer.  What is the proper method to correct this problem?

You are correct about the thin layer of concrete not working.  The best way to fix it would be to cut and break out that area and raise it with packed dirt and then pour a new 4" slab.  Preferably giving the water another place to flow like off to the yard.


One cable, two circuits, 240V, Germany I am remodeling my kitchen and the wiring that was ran for the cooktop/oven is shown in the included picture; 3 hot, 1 neutral, and a ground. Is it possible to split the 5 wires into two separate circuits, sharing the ground wire? I'd replace the current 3 pole breaker, link below, with 2 separate breakers. Sorry the links are to German webpages but the amperage/volts is easy to find. Thanks for any assistance.

Current Breaker (3 x 16A)
http://www.elektro-wandelt.de/Hager-MBN316-LS-Automat-3polig-B-16A.html

Cooktop (2 x 16A or 1 x 32A) according to Ikea website.

Oven (Minimum required fuse: 13 A) according to Ikea website.

I'm presuming here that your service is three-phase "wye" with 230V between each phase and neutral.  First, let me say on behalf of all Americans how jealous we are.

I can't see the Ikea link, but I'm guessing the cooktop is listed (certified) to be connected to two separate phases like this.  It's common for EU homes to be served by two phases; getting all three is kinda nice.

I don't know German Code but from a North American perspective... Why change the breaker? You need 16A circuit protection on each leg, and you have it.  Connect the stove to two legs, and the oven to the third. Done.

Now you have what is called, in North American parlance, a "multi-wire branch circuit" or MWBC.

Yes, all sides of the circuit will trip together.   That's mandatory in the USA for a good reason: to protect repair personnel.  The breaker functions as a shut-off switch, and the rule is the shut-off switch must shut off all legs at once.  That way a repairman isn't caught unaware that part of the MWBC is still energized.

The 13A requirement for the oven is a peculiar number.  13A is a commonly used fuse or circuit breaker value in the UK.  I don't know if the oven will be alright with a 16A circuit breaker, I'd check with the manufacturer.  I would imagine so, since they engineered it to sell to all of Europe.


How do I cut a hole through vinyl siding? I would like to ventilate my bathroom fan to the exterior of my attic and outside. We have vinyl siding. What is the proper way to cut a hole in the siding?

I have a 4" hole saw for the wood.

Cutting the vinyl siding is easy. A hole saw, tin snips, etc, will slice right through it. When we cut with a circular saw, we often install the blade backwards to minimize ripping and tearing of the vinyl. That said, the hole is the least of your effort. You need to be sure the weather stripping and siding itself is properly done to keep the siding water tight. See this answer for a full description of how to handle the tyvek, installing J-channel around the opening, and remove/reinstall the siding. One important consideration is that vinyl siding expands and contracts, so you don't want to make a fixed hole that fixes the siding to the house, otherwise you'll risk warping and buckling.


Coating for whiteboard I want to make a whiteboard using hardboard. I understand it works pretty well, but if you leave marker on it for a while, it could become hard to erase.

I'm hoping therefore to try an experiment where I coat some small sections of hardboard with various coatings, draw on each section, then see which one erases best after a week.

What are some coatings I should try for each test section of board? Furniture lacquer? Nail polish?

For home use, I generally scribble on glass -- usually my bathroom mirror.


Why are my water/radiator pipes whistling when I shut down the heating system? With winter coming up, I started to heat the house and for the first time the radiator pipes are starting to whistle when I heat and then shut down the system. I have a big house and I need to shut down the heating system regularly if I do not want to blow out my budget. I went in the basement to inspect the system and I saw that the bottom of my boiler is leaking: could this be the reason why the pipes are whistling or is the issue coming from an another source?

You might have air in the pipework to the radiators. You can bleed air from the system's heating circuit (usually a bleed valve is present at the highest point in the pipework)

and from individual radiators.

Details vary depending on which side of the planet you are standing.


New light fixture - grounding wire connection I'm trying to install a new light fixture for the first time in my life. I'm not sure what to do with the grounding wires, especially since the old fixture didn't have one. The directions
Do I connect the 2 grounding wires (one from the fixture,which is bare copper, one from the box) together?
Or, do I connect the box grounding wire to the green grounding screw on the fixture plate?
Or, do I connect the fixture grounding wire to the green grounding screw on the fixture plate?

Generally speaking, all grounds can be bundled. You want the fixture, any metal boxes and conduit, and any switches all connected to the grounding conductor.

In your case, bundle or chain them all together in the simplest and most secure manner available. Don't put more than one wire under a screw, and use appropriately-sized nuts where needed.

Use short lengths of wire to make jumps from screws to nuts, or from nuts to other nuts. As element11 said in a comment,

  This is what is known as pigtailing. If you have multiple grounding
  wires, take a short 4-6" piece of ground wire and connect it to the
  screw terminal in the box. Then use a wire nut to connect this wire to
  all other grounds that enter the box, such as the fixture ground and
  the ground wire going back to the panel.


Where do I connect the green wire on my dishwasher? I'm installing a new dishwasher and the dishwasher itself has the black, white and green wire, the power supply  (which is coming out of the floor of the house) doesn't have a green wire it has a black wire and white wire. What do I do with the green wire that is coming from the dishwasher junction box?

The flex is your grounding path, so cap off the green wire

In your situation, the metal conduit (flex, then rigid/EMT) is serving as the equipment grounding path, via the conduit fitting going into a 1/2" knockout (KO) on the dishwasher junction box, so you don't have a ground wire coming in.  This means you can simply cap the green ground wire off; if that's not satisfactory for some reason, you can use a grounding locknut instead of the existing locknut on the fitting, then attach the green wire to the screw on the grounding locknut.


CanI use existing 110v conduit for adding new 220v outlet in basement? I live in the Chicago area. I'm adding a new 220v outlet to a corner of my basement (for a 3000W sauna heater).
The basement is finished so putting in new conduit above the ceiling would be challenging.
Am I able/allowed to use existing conduit with 110v and add in new wires for the 220V?

The conduit fill and how many current carrying conductors would be the issue.
If there is less than 4 current carrying conductors for this conduit adding 2 more will not be a problem with derating standard 75 degree wire and components.
If the fill will allow this could be code compliant.
more than 6 and the derating schedule or fill may be at the limit.
It is ok to run 240v circuits in the same pipe with 120. A 120v circuit has 2 current carrying conductors hot and neutral, a 240v circuit has 2 carrying conductors hot and hot.


100 A GFCI breaker feeding a sub panel main lug I have an outdoor sub panel that is a 100 A main lug. It is fed from the main panel by a regular 100A 2 pole breaker. I have several things that will be fed off the sub panel for a swimming pool that will need to be GFCI protected for obvious reasons. Can I just switch out the 100 A breaker for a 100A GFCI breaker at the main panel so that all of the circuits that would run off of the regular breakers in the sub panel will be GFCI protected or is this too much discrepancy for a GFCI to trip when it should?

Yeah, if you can find one.

I've never noticed any GFCI breakers on the market that large, but other than that, your concept is sound.

The only issue with putting a lot of stuff on a single GFCI breaker is sometimes, you can have enough devices each with a tiny amount of leakage to add up to enough to trip the GFCI.  However that probably won't be an issue here.

I'll add one thing.  Now that the common panel is 200-225A (with some 320/400s), when people add subpanels, they often go 100A "because why not? It's only a few dollars more." I applaud forward thinking, but this may help us with the GFCI problem.  I have trouble imagining an actual need for 100A at a pool panel.  If 60A service will suffice, you can leave the 100A wire and the 100A subpanel just as it is, and change the breaker in the main panel to 60A.  (you'll need to pigtail the feeder as the wires won't fit on a 60A breaker).  Why would you do this?  60A GFCI breakers are readily available. Bada bing!


Can I replace my draft inducer blower with a model of a slightly different speed? My furnaces draft inducer blower sounds like a snow blower running, so I set out to replace it.  Finding a replacement part proved difficult, but I found a site advertising a compatible part and purchased it online.

My current blower runs at 2800/3200 RPM and is rated for 1/30 HP.  The new unit is 2300/3000RPM and 1/25 HP.  Otherwise, the two units are identical size, layout, etc.

Can I use the new blower as a replacement and is there anything I need to watch out for, such as the pressure sensors?

I found this statement from the manufacture (Fasco) of my old and replacement part:

  The blower is designed to produce a certain amount of air-flow measured
  in CFM (cubic feet per minute). The airflow in some furnaces is needed to
  create a specific amount of vacuum at the vacuum tap mentioned above. If the
  replacement blower is not the exact one needed but “looks close,” it may
  produce a lesser vacuum at the vacuum tap. This may not allow the furnace to
  operate since the furnace will not think the induced draft blower is operating

So the answer is, it depends on if the replacement part will generate enough CFM to trigger the pressure switches.  In my case, the replacement is slightly more powerful (higher HP), but runs slightly slower (RPM).

Happy to report that in my case, the new motor did indeed work correctly.


Can a Paver Sitting wall be put on a Paver Patio I have a paver patio that was put in my backyard 16x20.  I was wondering if I would be okay to install a sitting wall made out of pavers on top of the paver patio that is already there?  I know it is custom to build a wall on the ground with a standard paver base (gravel, stone) but since that was already done for the patio can I install the walls directly on the existing pavers?  Would I need to create any support for the wall other than adhesive?

FYI I live in Ohio so I will be experiencing freeze/thaw.

Well chances are you can build a wall. If your patio was built right, it was placed on the proper amount of gravel. You would likely know if it was built on gravel if the patio is 5+ years old and it has not heaved much. As long as you are not building a wall higher than 4 or 5 layers, there should be plenty of strength. You should not need any other support for a shorter (5 layer) wall besides masonry construction adhesive between each layer.


What materials do we need to run gas line to laundry room? Purchased three bedroom slab ranch home. House has natural gas furnace, stove and hot water tank. There is a dedicated laundry room that has only electrical outlets for washing machine and dryer. Want to run gas line from furnace/hot water tank gas line to laundry room. What materials will we need to accomplish this task? Also, can we use flexible tubing for the gas line? Thank you.

My last house had gas plumbing where the homeowner ran a new line from the water heater line to the laundry room. It was red-tagged as unsafe.

I strongly recommend that you hire out this job; it's one of those "if you have to ask, you shouldn't be doing it" situations. Gas plumbing isn't one of those things that you can mess up and then fix later without any danger or problems.


New residential service installation 200 amp california I am running a 490' underground new service for a 200 amp, I was told to run one line of 4 aught, and two lines of 2 aught, aluminum wire. In a 3" sched. 40 pvc conduit, 18" inches deep in the trench.  Will this work for this type of install.

The trench is not 18" deep.  The trench is 22" deep.  The cover over top of the conduit is 18" per Code.

I would bump to Sched 80 conduit for the curves and entrances and exits, because it can stand some physical abuse.

You must lay the conduit in the ground, all complete, before pulling any wires into it. Assembling the conduit around the wires is illegal. It will be a very formidable pull.

Before committing to conduit, consider theft.  Any goober could chain your wires to a bumper hitch and drive away, dragging all 500' out of the conduit.  Whereas pulling it from 24" direct burial, the cable would snap.

Aluminum is the ONLY wire to consider for this. It is an excellent conductor, and in service and feeder wires, it performs just fine.  Honestly if you went to the distributor and asked for this in copper, it'd be fun to see that on hidden camera! Their eyes would light up with dollar signs, and then they'd need to special order it.

Make triple darn sure it's 490 feet. 500' is a standard wire spool size, and you really, really don't want to buy wire and find out it's 501'.  Count your conduit sticks carefully and measure three times.  On the upside, you get the whole-spool discount, so there's that.

Voltage drop is serious business. On a very long run like that, you lose a bit of voltage.  You can compensate by making the wires larger.  But we shouldn't do that lightly.  Let's go through it step by step.

The absolute minimum wire size which is mandatory

You are provisioning 200A service.  Thanks to 310.15(B)(7), we get a favorable "derate" on the wire size - we only need wire good for 83% of the 200A, or 166A.  In conduit, we get to size wires off the 75C column of the chart, so that brings us to 4/0 aluminum wire, at naturally 180 amps.

The "I was told" person has downsized your neutral. That's really decided by the provisioning of your particular loads, but I believe downsizing neutral to 2/0 is not unreasonable if  you have a lot of 240V loads.

So the minimum size, if we completely ignore voltage drop, is two 4/0 and one 2/0.  (as usual, the "I was told" person gets the facts wrong.)  Boy, I'm glad  you didn't buy the wire yet.

Now we need to think about voltage drop.

Look. I'll be the first person to roll my eyes and say "pshaw" when someone rants about big wire upsizing and 3%.  3% is not a rule, it's a wire salesman's dream.  And my rule of thumb is don't worry about it until you're at about 200'.  However, yeah. You need to worry about it.

So go to any handy-dandy voltage drop calculator, and first, change that 3% to 5% limit.  Or 6% if you're not overly fond of your tenants :)

Now, consider the current you'll actually be drawing on a regular basis.  For God's sake don't put 200A in there.  You're required to derate your loads to 125%, so the most you could ever plan on putting on a 200A service is 160A.  But realistically, you have to look at the actual nameplate numbers on the large appliances you expect to use simultaneously (e.g. NOT A/C and heater; and if you're running an electric oven, the house heater will be working less).

So you have to "play". And see what the chart tells you.

My usual calc is broken, but I tried it on another calc.  If you're running the service to the wall at continuous absolute limit (160 amps) and don't bump the wire and stay with 4/0, then your voltage drop is 5.05%.   If you bump wire one size to "250 kcmil" that cuts it down to 4.27%.  But again, that's at redline, so that better be uncommon.

Crunch with a somewhat more realistic 100A, and we get 3.16% drop, which nobody would have a problem with (except wire salesmen)... if we do 1 wire size bump to 250 kcmil, then you're at 2.67% drop.

Mind you, pulling 100A@240V, your electric bill will roll by at $3 per hour.

So I would do either

4/0, 4/0, 2/0, 4   -- or--
250kcmil, 250kcmil, 3/0, 2

with the last number being an aluminum ground wire.  If  you install receptacles at the meter point, or tap power in any way at the meter point (e.g. to an outbuilding), I would direct-bury the ground wire also, because you'll need it if you do those things.  If you stay in conduit, you could always add it later, though fishing an extra wire into such a very long run can be challenging.  Price it and decide.


Dish washer drain hose routing I've installed one dishwasher (from scratch, there wasn't one there before). The dish washer was right next to the kitchen sink and running the drain hose was easy. From the bottom, big loop as high as I could get it and then to the garbage disposal.

Now I'm making a plan to install another dish washer (again from scratch and without one being there before). This time the dishwasher is going to be about 10 feet from the kitchen sink.

My Question:

With this set up what is the best way to run the drain hose?

Run it low all the way and then put in the big loop or run it high all the way and then just connect it to the garbage disposal?

You want to make the run as high as possible early on and here's why.

If you mount it low, then the water comes off the pump with a lot of energy, runs along (losing energy) and then has to climb a hill. This means that you have a potential backwash situation and you have a LOT of water sitting in the drain line. I found this comment from Bosch to be helpful

  The high loop in the drain hose of your dishwasher is to keep water from settling in the hose if it were hanging down any lower or horizontally. This keeps the drain hose dried out and keeps any odors from backing up into the dishwasher.

So I would run the drain line high and then slope it down so can drain and stay empty and dry. The less water you have standing in the line, the better.