What could be causing my Lennox furnace to blow cool air? My Lennox outside furnace is blowing cool air, not hot even when the burner is lit. It takes  3 times longer to heat the house than it should. I just had the draft motor replace about a month ago and did not have this issue before then. The only thing I've noticed is that the fan that blows air into the house comes on at the same time the burner is. Shouldn't there be a delay to warm up the heat exchanger. It appears the temp in the house goes down before it goes up very slowly. Other than that everything appears to be working properly. unit has no problems lighting or anything like that. Help!!!

Before I get into this, I should say that if you paid a professional HVAC company to fix your furnace and they replaced the draft motor 1 month ago, you should call them and tell them they aren't finished yet.  If they told you it was fixed and it isn't then there should be a guarantee you can call them on, if there isn't than you should hire somebody else next time.  At least in the region I work, I don't know any legitimate outfits that don't guarantee what they do.

If I understand correctly, the blower is coming on at the same time that ignition occurs, and the air that comes out of the registers feels cool instead of warm?
If this is true, I suggest:
1.  Confirm that the burners are staying lit after ignition.
2.  If you have a meat thermometer, measure the temperature of air coming out of your registers and compare it to the temperature of your house (as shown on your thermostat), this number is your temperature rise and should be at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit but ideally closer to the 35-45 range.  The manufacturers spec. for this range will be printed on the model/serial label on the inside of the unit if you want to know the exact range you should be looking for.  If you don't have a meat thermometer then find the closest register to the unit (which should have the most heat/airflow) and feel if the air is warm, you might have to wait a few minutes.  If after 5-10 minutes you aren't getting a good temperature rise (or feeling enough heat come from the the registers) then move on to 3.
3.  go back to the unit and make sure the burners are still lit.  look at the flame where it enters the heat exchanger and make sure that the flame is burning blue, is a healthy size (this will vary depending on your unit, but you should be able to tell that its getting enough gas), and isn't flickering wildly or blowing back out of the burners instead of being sucked through the heat exchanger.  If the flame looks weak then you're having gas pressure issues, it could the valve or your actual fuel coming in.  If the flame is really distorted or blasting back out of the unit then you have 1 of 2 problems:
   a. your heat exchanger is cracked/corroded or

b. whoever installed your draft motor wired it in backwards.

If the burners have trouble staying lit, disconnect power to the unit, turn your thermostat off, then reconnect power to the unit, then turn your thermostat back up--in that order.  Watch the unit and note the sequence of operation, and at what point the burners go out.  I can walk you through troubleshooting that if it happens.  Also look at the circuit board for a blinking diagnostic light, not all of them have one, but if yours does, it will really help you pin down the issue.  The key is usually printed on the inside of door of the unit, or somewhere easily visible on the inside.
Good luck!


Opening and closing solenoid deadbolt with key I am starting a project to implement a "smart" lock for my door using Arduino nano, a solenoid deadbolt and a fingerprint reader.
Which on its own works fine, but the whole project will run on a battery and I would require a "failsafe" method to unlock the solenoid deadbolt with a key. How can a solenoid deadbolt be controlled with a key without any current?

The normal way is to not use a solenoid to operate the deadbolt but to open the striker plate on the other side. This is called an electric strike

That way you can use a conventional key operated bolt as a way to open the door when there is no electrical power.

You can buy these strikes for retrofitting to normal types of lock, both mortice locks and surface fitted locks.


What should we do about asbestos tape on heat ducts? My daughter just had a home inspection of a home from 1900 and there was asbestos tape noted on the seams of the duct work. What should we do?

And I am assuming it is not only on the visible ducts.  What is the danger with ducts between the walls that can't be seen, and what should we do about it?

In many jurisdictions, a plumber is allowed to remove a limited amount of asbestos pipe insulation or tape.

Or put on a mask, douse the whole thing with water, and cut it off.  Not rocket science here.


What kind of air conditioner system do I have? I know this site says 'DIY', but if this question belongs somewhere else, let me know which site is appropriate for this question. Thank you.

At the beginning of this month, I had a Coleman air conditioner installed and connected to the bottom of the furnace through some foam-covered pipe or coil. Also, I am totally blind. So, although I can feel some of the things that are obvious, some of the stuff, like the boxes on the side of the wall, I am not familiar with. What are these boxes used for? Can you open or lift the cover on each of them?
Also, is my air conditioner considered a package system, where the compressor, condenser, and evaporator are all stationed outside, or is it a split system, where only the compressor and condenser are outside, and the evaporator is inside the furnace?
Here's a video I took. Let me know if it is clear enough. If not, I'll take another one, and I'll try to include another one of the furnace.

Starting from the left, at the beginning of your video are:

Your Gas Meter
A weather-proof outdoor, In-Use, electrical outlet mounted on the wall. The plastic box has a cover with a clip on the bottom-right corner and opens upwards to allow access to 2 standard electrical outlets. This has nothing to do with your air conditioner.
The electrical disconnect for your air conditioner compressor, also mounted on the wall. This metal box has a clip at the bottom and also open upwards. There may be live electrical contacts inside so I wouldn't recommend opening it if you can't see what you're touching.
Your air conditioner's outdoor compressor and condenser unit. This is the large metal enclosure on the ground, vented all around, with a large fan on top under a circular wire screen.

Your air conditioner is a split system, with the compressor and condenser outside in the large box with the fan on top, and the evaporator inside with the furnace. They're linked together with the foam-covered pipes, which carry the refrigerant between the two halves of the system.

The end of your video just shows an empty space against the wall to the left of the gas meter below a window, with a ladder lying on the ground.


Should I install a plastic vapor barrier below the insulation between my ceiling and attic floor? I'm redoing the insulation in my attic the floor/ceiling cavity and then the ceiling of the attic. I have 2 rolls of plastic that is 15 ft by 150 ft just sitting around -- I've had it for years. Is it a good idea to put this in between the ceiling and the insulation then the floor on top without a barrier so that the insulation is free to release any moisture through the floor into the attic? Or is the plastic not a good idea in this situation?

Air sealing is more important than vapor sealing.  All assemblies (wall and ceiling) need to be able to dry out.  If you prevent air passage AND provide sufficient insulation to prevent condensation, you don't need or want an impervious layer.

Cables,plumbing vents, ducts and lighting fixtures are notorious sources for air leaks.  These can be stopped with many materials, including caulk, expanding foam and fire stop (special foam or mineral wool), as appropriate.


Can new construction recessed lights be installed in inaccessible ceilings? In California, does code allow me to install recessed lights in a ceiling which which be inaccessible once closed up? (Such as between floors)

I have seen it done many times but I was thinking that the can contains a junction box, but that box will be inaccessible once finished. Doesn't that create a code issue with an inaccessible junction?

Is there a specific code exception which allows it in this case? Or am I thinking about it incorrectly?

Yes -- the junction box of the recessed light must be accessible after installation per the design of the recessed light. The typical design I have seen to accomplish this is that the recessed light's "can" is attached to the recessed light's junction box by flexible cable. The "can" may then be pulled down after installation through the opening in the drywall to allow access to the junction box.

Here are some before and after pictures of a new construction recessed light I have left over from my remodel.


How do I make concrete out of mortar? I need white concrete for a countertop sample, but the only white concrete-like product is white mortar. If I just add an equal sized bag of gravel to the mortar, will it be close enough to use as concrete? If not, what else do I need to add, and at what proportions?

Mortar is similar to concrete in that they both contain Portland cement and sand. The 2 different ingredients are that mortar has hydrated lime and concrete has larger aggregates (stones). Using mortar in place of concrete isn't a good idea as the two have dissimilar compressive strengths. If you are only able to use the white mortar you may be able to make it concrete-like by adding a shovel full of Portland cement and than mix (1) shovel of gravel with (2) shovels of plaster sand and (1) shovel of mortar. The added Portland cement and sand may produce a strong enough mix, but the mortars' hydrated lime is the weak link. As been commented on, it may be easier to seek-out a pre-mixed white cement if possible and use dye for a brighter color. Look for concrete dye at your local building supply store. They should have several colors available including white. A pint is the typical liquid amount. Depending on the shade of white you desire (brilliant down to greyish white) you may need several pints. You will have to experiment with proportions to get the right shade of white, but as was pointed out in comments you may be using more dye than is cost effective if you want a "white" white.


How do I cap the wires in this electric smoke alarm? I want to cap these wires with a wire nut so that I can stuff them back up in the ceiling and install a regular, battery-powered smoke alarm.  What wires get capped and do I need to do anything with the ground wire seen up in the hole in the ceiling?

All three wires get capped separately with wire nuts.  You need to cap the neutral (white) wire because it can carry current from another part of the circuit.  Wrapping the nut in electrical tape is a good idea too.  They make nuts that are good for holding a single 12-gauge or 14-gauge wire (the ones I have are dark blue).

You don't need to do anything special with the ground wire, just be careful when you're pushing the other wires up into the box that you don't accidentally touch it to bare copper on one of the other wires.

Also remember that electrical junctions have to be accessible.  In your case, this would probably mean covering the hole in the ceiling with a blank face plate and installing the battery-powered detector somewhere else: I don't think you can use the base plate for the new detector as the cover.  I would also be concerned about drafts through that hole reducing the effectiveness of the detector.


How to estimate the load bearing of MDF plates on a wood/beam construction? I have a 2000mm x 1400mm x 15 mm MDF panel (green) which I want to use on a to be constructed high plane for a bed and some space around. The depth should be 1600mm. The room is not rectangular which is why there's a width in the back (3150mm) and one in the front (2730mm). The construction should carry 600kg which seems sane for a bed and activities happening in it. The construction is made from wood (solid strucutre wood/german Konstruktionsvollholz).

I calculated the dimensions for the beams (red) to be 60mm x 200mm (to carry 300kg each over 3150mm) based on values from static tables. Now I'd like to know how to figure out the number of joists (pink) to support the MDF panel which depends on the load bearing of the MDF between the joists. The dimension of the joists/crossbars is 60mm x 100mm since that's the smallest normed dimension which I can obtain locally. The number should be minimal in order to save money (ca. 10 € per joist for me) and be just optimal.

My idea is that for n pink joists I can divide the capacity of 600kg by n and look a value up in a static table for the distance between joists for the MDF which I didn't find after a search engine search. I could then calculate the dimensions of the joists by dividing 600kg/n for the load balance of each joist and then search for a max. span value in the static table.

The space left of the MDF plate (supported by cyan joists) will be filled with OSB or MDF whose capacity I can then calculate based on the same recipe.

The connection between the red beams and pink joists is realized with shoes which aren't in the image. I assume they have no influence on the problem. The space between the cyan and red parts are based on my laziness in drawing/programming the image, they stand for matching connections.

The frame will be connected to wall/hold in position by the surrounding walls which can't bear loads, but will prevent any horizontal and diagonal movement.

Residential floors in Europe are designed to cope with (by default) either 2.0kN/m2 or a 2kN point load. [Reference: EN 1991-1-1 2002 Tables 6.1 and 6.2].

You are proposing 600kg (= 6kN) over 2m by 1.4m, giving 2.15kN/m2. Considering a normal bed sits on a floor, I'd say we don't need to design for higher loads than a normal floor.

18mm thick MDF floorboards are allowed to span 450mm; 22mm thick MDF floorboards are allowed to span 610mm. [Reference: southern-timber.co.uk] These spans are limited by deflection criteria rather than capacity criteria.

The deflection limit gives a proportional relationship between depth3 and span2. (I'll spare you the engineering equations unless you really care.) Assuming that 15mm MDF is still deflection-governed, and strength doesn't start to dominate, this gives a limiting span of 340mm.


Wiring new basement with DSL/Phone My phone/dsl system was installed with a CAT5e cable run to a central blue electrical box. The feed line was there connected to the four other cables that ran to the jacks in the house by crimping them all together with wire connectors.
I assume this was done by the builder or maybe Centurylink at some point. House was built in 2006.
I want to know if this is a reasonable practice to wire the rest of my basement or if there's a better way to connect the jacks to the utility box outside (patch panel or...)
I understand that I'm only going to be using one of these connections to hook up my router, but I wonder if the other wires that are not being used will cause any significant interference or problems with my internet connection.
It would be ideal to run a single cable to my modem location, but I want to maintain the flexibility of being able to put he router in different rooms and I want to keep the land line option intact.
Thank you

Yes, wire connectors, or multiple wires per screw terminal, are common for telephone connections.  It's unlikely the wiring you have will cause problems for your xDSL signal.  I wouldn't suggest re-configuring it until you try to activate your service and determine if you get satisfactory speed.  That way, you have a baseline reference before adding any jacks for your basement.
If the cable is CAT5e and connectors are RJ45, you could even use those for hard-wired Ethernet with the appropriate connectors.  In a larger home, that can be an advantage for multiple wireless access points, hard-wiring media streaming devices & game systems, etc.
For the above reason, you might think about re-terminating the cables with RJ45 connectors if you ever decide to put an Ethernet switch where the cables are simply wire-nutted together today.  You can wire up a small RJ45 patch panel as an ad-hoc splitter for continued telephone use (if anyone ever uses those again) or there are RJ45 splitters.


Porch light over heating and stopped working second light fixture I am by no means an electrician, but for my new light fixture I did follow the following schematic - How should I connect the ground wire for my light fixture?

The old fixture kept burning out the bulb so I replaced it with a nice https://www.lightingdirect.com/heath-zenith-hz-4300-4-light-360-degree-motion-activated-outdoor-flush-mount-ceiling-fixture/p2675820

Was working fine and please note I installed:

White to White
Black to Black
And ground to bare ground wire (Actually ran the ground wire around the screw, which I am not sure if that is correct)

Now after installation the light was working fine, but now a couple of months later the light is glowing on an off (poltergeist) and I took it down and there looks like some brown burn marks.  Is it time to call in an electrician?

I have thus turned out the light and not using till I get this resolved.  I do not need to burn down our home.

The problem was the light fixture.  The motion detector died.  Replaced at lowe's and all is good.


What could be wrong with gas fireplace that turns off when I turn it on? Pilot light is lit. When I turn it on, it starts up, normal amounts of flame. Then it turns a blue flame, and slowly disappears until even the pilot light goes out.

This was working not even 2 weeks ago, and to my knowledge, nothing has changed other than the temperature outside has dropped about 20 degrees.

My first guess would be the thermocouple is bad, or going bad.  The thermocouple is a small device that generates electricity from heat, they are used in gas furnaces and such to shut off the gas in case the pilot goes out (so gas doesn't continue to flow and fill the room).

I admit I'm no expert when it comes to gas fire places, but I had an old gas heater that displayed similar issues and it turned out replacing the thermocouple fixed the problem.  Besides they are usually fairly cheap (a couple dollars maybe), so it's a good place to start trouble shooting.


Adding sub panel in my basement I want to install a sub panel in my basement directly below my kitchen.  44 foot run to the main panel. Can I use 6/4 SOOW wire instead of AWG?  This panel will eventually have a transfer switch on it to work with a generator.  It will carry all of my kitchen, ( two freezers, microwave, coffee maker, toaster ) the basement sump pump and my propane furnace.  I intend to use a 60 amp sub panel with 8-10 available circuit breakers.  Also - this feed will be mounted on the face of a support beam that traverses the length of my basement.  What is the code-appropriate way to mount this cable on the face of that beam?  I intend to run this wire myself, then hire an electrician to do the actual connections on both ends.

AWG is the name of the wire size, e.g. you want to use 6 AWG wire.

SOOW is a cable type, however it is cordage and not allowed for building wiring.

You want NM-B or possibly UF-B.

It needs to be protected from physical damage, i.e. getting beaned by people moving furniture or carrying in a ladder or whatever.  If you must mount it on the face of the beam,  your best bet is to install it in EMT conduit, which provides physical protection.  However, at that point, you are better off running the EMT all the way from panel to panel, and then, using THHN individual wires in the pipe.  A neat side effect of this is you can run an extra 10 amps, so 70A.

If you lived in Wyoming and drove 85 mph every day, would you want 85 mph rated tires on your car?  Of course not, you don't want to be at safety redline all the time.   So do not get a "60A" panel.  Get more like a 125-200A panel that has plenty of spaces. Like huge numbers of spaces.  Like 30 spaces.

Get a Siemens main-lug panel. This will allow you to use this here transfer switch actually made by Siemens and is Tier 1 quality gear.  ($25 + two $10 breakers).

"But I don't need 30 spaces" -- oh, you just watch!

You will need 4 spaces for the above interlock
A kitchen requires about 8 circuits to be Code, so 8
Dedicated line for 2nd freezer (+1)
Sump pump (1)
Furnace MUST be on a dedicated circuit (1)
eventually you will want to put a lot more circuits so you have the option of having them on generator (10)

So wow, we're at 25 spaces just like that.


Whirlpool Duet parts identification The bellows on my Whirlpool Duet washer has split and I need to order a new one. It is a model WFW9151YW. When I look it up, various web sites give me different parts numbers for this, AP6020669, PS11753988, and W10290499.

I suspect that these are all then same part, but with different brand names on them - AP for Amana?

In any event, does anyone know for sure if the W10290499 is the right part? That's the only one I can find on the 'web for sale in Canada

If you believe everything you read on the innerwebs (which you shouldn't!!!), yes:

https://partsdr.com/part/w10381562-door-boot-seal/#model-WFW9151YW00


Are this subpanel's neutral and ground connected? I'm in BC, Canada. I recently moved into a place that has a subpanel for a suite. The subpanel is connected to a 60A breaker in the main service panel. There are 4 wires running in from the main panel.

My question is: The ground and neutral from the main panel are both connected to the bus that's being used for neutrals; is this incorrect in a subpanel?
The branch circuit grounds appear to all be connected to small bars at the back/side of the panel. I also don't understand how those bars are grounded but that's probably just my lack of knowledge.
I've posted some additional pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/FC3poMj.
(I've read of the poor reputation of Federal Pioneer Stab-lok so I plan to get this replaced anyway. I'm mostly just wondering if this is very wrong, or just "not great".)

It is wrong. The neutral and ground (from the supply feed) are connected and that's wrong. But what's worse is it doesn't appear to be bonded to the panel.  That means the grounds have no path back to the main panel.   You need to move the ground from the feed (the twisted silver wire) to one of the ground bars attached to the panel (don't bond the neutral to the panel ground). That would fix the worst of the mistakes here.  I also don't see any noalox compound on the aluminum wires, but it may be there, just not visible. Without noalox, Aluminum wires are subject to corrosion, which leads to bad connections, which leads to over-heating.
If you decide to fix this before replacing the panel, be sure to turn off power to it at the breaker in your main panel.


Covering sprayed attic insulation with plywood rather than drywall I have new spray foam insulation between 2x6" rafters, and I would like to cover it directly with plywood (for aesthetic reasons) rather than drywall.

Is that an issue with fire barrier code?

Here is the list of acceptable ignition and thermal barriers for spray foam: http://www.icc-es.org/News/Articles/AY126ThermalBarriersSPF2011-51811.pdf

In a nutshell, if the space will not be used as a living or storage space, you can cover the foam with 1/4" thick or thicker plywood. If the space will eventually be used as a living or storage area, you'll need to use 1/2" thick or thicker drywall, or a product or system certified and rated as equivalent in performance.

Let me also speak to the performance of your insulation. 2x6 rafters allow 5.5" of spray foam. 5.5" of closed-cell foam between the rafters will give that roof a total R-value of about R-35, which is slightly below code minimum in most places, but may be decent if it doesn't get too cold where you live. However 5.5" of open-cell foam between the rafters only gives the assembly barely R-19 which is pathetic, below code minimum everywhere, and will not yield impressive performance, not by a long shot. If the spray foam company used open-cell foam (and I suspect they did), it's worth it to cover the underside of the rafters with additional inexpensive insulation to salvage your attic's performance, especially if the space will not be used for living and you can afford the reduced headroom. Several inches of off-the-shelf EPS, XPS, or Polyiso foam boards can be easily and inexpensively fastened to the underside of the rafters, which will substantially boost the performance. For example just four inches of polyiso over 5.5" of open-cell foam will raise the total R-value to 45, more than doubling it! Then you would cover the foam boards with either plywood or drywall just like before, depending on the intended usage.


Why would I have to continually reset my hot tubs heater? Trying to determine if I have a heater issue or maybe a sensor problem. Heater works and heats up the 2000 Grandee hot tub, but every few days it stops working. If I turn if off at breakers for a few minutes, and then press the reset button, it will begin heating again. So any suggestions?

We inherited a a hot tub with a house purchase, it was probably 10 years old. After a few months of use, it would sometimes trip the GFCI breaker during use.

I opened the access panel on the hot tub and opened up the control box and the heater unit itself had some corrosion hear the pressure switch.

I removed the corroded heater and replaced it with an aftermarket heater, like the one below. This solved my GFCI problem.  FYI, you'd need to buy the pressure switch separately, heavy gauge wire, and be comfortable installing such a device yourself. Or, buy it and hire an electrician to install it.


Temporarily cap PEX pipe while laying new flooring? I am remodeling a bathroom. We’re going to lay new tile and replace a vanity. This requires removing the toilet and old vanity. In order to remove the old vanity I need to cut the PEX piping attached to the shut off valves for the faucet.
I have PEX caps and cinch rings, do those hold well enough so I can turn the water back on for a few days until I can get the new vanity installed?

Yes, they should work fine.  Do you have the crimp tool?
Another option is to use a Sharkbite end cap.


Things to look for while entering the crawlspace of a house I'm considering buying? I'm going to examine the crawlspace under a house I'm considering buying.  What type of things should I look for? Here's my list so far:

Water, moisture, and dampness -- finding it's source.
Electrical lines -- their type and condition.
Foundation -- condition... cracks, signs of movement.
Wood condition -- signs of termites, wood rot, decay.

Anything else? Keep in mind that I'm a newbie. =)

And yes, we're having professional inspections done too.

-M

Some things we found under our crawl space that you can keep an eye out for:

Joist hangers weren't secured to code, not enough nails.
Insulation wasn't properly secured and was sagging.
If the crawlspace is part of an addition, make sure ducts and vents arn't coverd up and carry through to the exterior of the house. Make sure any vents aren't leaking air and flow is good.


Can an inspector require a specific grounding technique? I had been taking classes to become an electrician at one of the bigger community colleges in my area (specifically LBCC) and my brother had been doing some renovation on his own home and asked me to help out so I wired up the boxes and switches and receptacles and while we grounded the switches and receptacles we forgot to ground the metal boxes them selves and the inspection failed but my brother tells me that the inspector said we're not allowed to pigtail the grounds between the boxes and devices that we have to use a long ground wire loop it around the boxes ground screw then run it up to the ground screw on the device ... can he do that? this runs counter to what I was taught which is to pigtail the wires to the devices and ground screws

If you are taking training this can be found in the NEC section 90.4 "Enforcement" the second sentence states he is the legal jurisdiction having authority for the enforcement of the code and he has the responsibility for making interpretations of the rules, ...

So in answer to your question yes.

The only thing you could do is to appeal it to his employer (the city council or whomever) or try and reason with him. Personally I wouldn't try and tick him off.


Electric Bidet Toilet seat started tripping GFCI I have an electric bidet toilet seat that plugs into the GFCI outlet in my bathroom. After about 6 months it started tripping the GFCI instantly upon being plugged in.  Does this mean the toilet seat has an electrical problem?  If the toilet seat works on a non-GFCI outlet would it be safe to use one?  I am afraid of electrified water being shot at my rectum. Would the normal ground wire be enough to prevent any  danger?

It broke

My bet? The appliance is tripping the GFCI because the appliance has a ground fault.  Shocking, I know, right?  I'd have a qualified technician examine it for signs of what went wrong, or replace it outright if repair is not an option.


How can I re-use a hole in wall for ventilation? I'm renovating my bedroom and found that there's a hole in the wall beneath the wallpaper. It was plugged, but the stuff in it was old and crappy, so I took it out. Now I've got a 20x20cm (~7.9x7.9in) square hole in my wall that goes to the outside.

The simple solution would be to simply fill it with spray foam and be done with it, but I was wondering if maybe I could use it for additional ventilation. God knows it gets hot and stuffy in the summer. If I had an air conditioner, it'd be a perfect hole for the exhaust pipe, but I don't so...

Anyways, if I do keep it for ventilation, I'd also need to add some kind of door to it because I don't want more cold to come in the winter. I'd probably use a fan for the summer. I haven't seen anything like that though, nor do I know where to look. The local home improvement store employees were also at a loss.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I realize that this is a U.S. reference, but you may be able to find a wall exhaust fan locally similar to this.

You need to find a unit that is intended for exposure to the outdoors.  Also you may need a cover in the colder months if the unit you find does not have a self closing louver. The one depicted does.

If you use 110 voltage and 60cycles, you may be able to order something like this from the U.S. Otherwise, be sure that it matches your local electric supply.


Do two circuits on one receptacle require shared trip breakers? In California I have two separate circuits powering a single a single receptacle (such as for a dishwasher and disposal). This is not a MWBC.

Does current code require these circuits to be on shared trip breakers?

What if they are two separate receptacles in the same double gang box?

Yes, effectively.
Whether they are an MWBC or two separate circuits with their own neutral, same either way.  The fact that they are on the same yoke requires that they have the same shutoff.

210.7 Multiple Branch Circuits.
Where two or more branch circuits supply devices or equipment on the same yoke, a means to simultaneously disconnect the ungrounded conductors supplying those devices shall be provided at the point at which the branch circuits originate.

This concerns maintenance shutoff, not common trip.  They don't care if they trip together from an overload, GFCI or AFCI.  They care that if you plug a radio into one socket and flip breakers until the radio stops, you have de-energized the entire yoke.
You can accomplish this with listed handle ties, but since those are hard to find, we generally recommend you just use a 2-pole breaker.
However if it is wired as 2 separate circuits on 2 separate cables,  and AFCI or GFCI breakers are in use, then you must use two separate breakers with a handle tie.
If, on the other hand, they are separate yokes on the same box, then there's no special requirement.  The electrician is expected to check for that.  When putting 2 circuits in the same box, do watch your "box fill" (cubic inches) and use a larger box if need be.


Adding constant powered outlet to existing switched circuit My apologies if this has been asked before. I searched and did not see anything matching what I am looking to do.

I am wanting to add a camera to my front porch and the only power is from a porch light controlled by a switch on the ceiling, so it will be easy to add a box.  I want to keep the light on the switch but would like to add and box with an always on outlet to power the camera.

Can this be done?

It really depends on how the wiring was done.  If power goes first to the porch light then to the switch, there will be always-hot up in the light box.

If power goes first to the switch then to the light, then it's likely the switch interrupts power to the light.  In that case you will need to bypass the switch and do one of the following:

have the porch light operate on a photocell or motion sensor
abandon the porch light
go with any of a variety of smart-switch-control technologies that lets you put a receiver in the lamp base, and a transmitter in the switch location.  For instance the X10 system goes back to the 1980s. Or newer systems allow you to control the light from New Zealand with your phone.


how to best remove concrete splash from vinyl siding When our contractor poured the concrete for sidewalks and handicap ramp, concrete splashed onto the vinyl siding. Is there a product or way to remove this more easily than hand-scrubbing? Pressure washing did not work.

If [the concrete] has set, soaking the concrete with a strong
detergent solution helps loosen its adhesion so you can scrub or
scrape it off. Georgia-Pacific recommends mixing the following
ingredients to make a strong cleaning solution for vinyl siding:
1/3 cup detergent
2/3 cup trisodium phosphate
1 gallon water
Scrub with a soft-bristle brush or scrape with a plastic paint scraper. To
give the scraper more leverage, wedge it underneath a concrete deposit
and tap it with a hammer; this usually makes the concrete pop off.
If you have a concrete deposit that just won't budge, muriatic acid is sure to dissolve it. If, on the other
hand, the concrete is spread over too wide an area to make scraping,
scrubbing or washing by hand impractical, you can opt for a pressure
washer, but check the siding product warranty to be sure you won't
void it by pressure-washing. Both options should be considered last
resorts.
Using Muriatic Acid
Step 1 Put on goggles and rubber gloves to protect
yourself from the corrosive effects of muriatic acid. Mix one part
acid with three parts water in a bucket to create a 25 percent
solution.
Step 2 Test the acid solution before using it. It's safe for vinyl,
but your siding may not be 100 percent vinyl. If it's safe, spread it
liberally in the concrete with a natural-bristle paint brush. Don't
use a synthetic-bristle brush -- the acid dissolves the bristles.
Step 3 Allow the mixture to dissolve the concrete. It may take several
minutes, and you may have to apply more. As the concrete dissolves,
wash it off with a garden hose.
Step 4 Clean off the residue with a kitchen scouring pad. Use the pad
only after rinsing to avoid dissolving it in acid.
https://www.hunker.com/13415205/how-to-remove-dried-concrete-from-vinyl-siding


Federal Pioneer panel safety I just learned of safety issues with Federal Pioneer electrical panels. I have a house built in 2002/2003 (Canada) which has a Federal Pioneer panel, presumably of 2002 manufacture. Will it present the same hazard as older panels or would the safety issues present in older panels not exist in mine?

Meet Schneider Electric's red-headed stepchild

Since about the mid-1980s, Schneider Electric Canada has been the one responsible for the (re)design and manufacture of the Federal Pioneer Stab-Lok product line.  While reliable information on the Federal Pioneer product line is scarce, there has been evidence that Schneider Canada has acted to clean up the most egregrious design flaws with the Federal Pioneer Stab-Lok product line, mainly in the form of recalls of Stab-Lok breakers that appear to be of somewhat later designs than the original Federal Pacific type NA and show proper concern for electrical safety on the part of Schneider Canada.

Considering the recent vintage of your panel, I would monitor it, preferably with periodic infrared camera inspections to catch failing connections.  Having an electrician familiar with Federal Pacific/Federal Pioneer design flaws take it apart and inspect its innards visually may be valuable as well -- they may be able to tell you if your panel has retained any of the "red flag" busbar design errors that contribute significantly to the fire hazard old Federal Pacific panels pose.  Furthermore, a panel that new is highly unlikely to be a "split bus" or "rule of six" design -- a panel with a single main disconnect is potentially less vulnerable to being rendered completely irrelevant due to common-trip jamming faults in two-pole branch breakers than the "rule of six" design was.

I do not recommend, however, any "testing" of branch circuit breakers, especially in-situ; the required fault currents to properly test a breaker's magnetic trip capability are highly hazardous in the case of a failure, and it is practically impossible to get a sufficiently accurate "calibrated short" in the field anyway.  Furthermore, breakers are rated for a limited number of cycles at their nameplate interrupting current -- after they reach this limit, replacement is required to guarantee maintenance of their interrupting capability.


How can I fix this gap between bookcases I made? I just built two bookcases to line the wall of a room in my house and apparently didn't build them square enough so, when I put them next to each other, I get this giant gap. (I think the one on the right is pretty square but the one on the left appears to lean to the left at the top.)

Any suggestions on how I can make this look better? The shelves are going to be sanded, spackled, caulked, and painted. One thought I had would be to remove the vertical strips of molding where the two bookcases meet (there is 3/4" square molding on all the edges) and make one custom piece that attaches to both. This piece would be wider at the top and taper at the bottom. Maybe that would look bad--I don't know. It also wouldn't address the gap on the top horizontal surface.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Swap their positions.

Place the bookcases so that they lean into each other instead of away from each other. This will eliminate the gap between the tops.

Bookcase contents are usually quite heavy. Once the cases are filled, you will probably find that you can force the bottoms together and the weight of the contents will distort the shape of the cases so the gap disappears.

If an unsightly gap remains visible then you will need to resort to a decorative molding.


How to repair walls which have two layers of wallboard? We have ordered new counter tops which will be installed over existing cabinets. We had the back splash demo-ed, and found there are 2 layers of 1/2" wall. What is the best way to repair and prep for new tile without adding two layers to the patches? Should we attach wood to the studs? Add 2 layers again?

I don't believe you have two layers there. I think that's what I had in my previous home, which is what I called hybrid drywall--a layer of 3/8" gypsum panels covered with about the same thickness of conventional plaster. The system was used in the 1950s as a transition between conventional lath-and-plaster and modern drywall.

In my case the gypsum panels were 18" high and had heavily rounded, fully wrapped edges. I really liked it since it was extremely tough from a daily living standpoint but still easy to cut with a keyhole saw, say for new electrical boxes.

I'd fur out your framing and install 1/2" drywall (or 5/8" for better stiffness, or cement board) flush with the original surface. I often used 1/8" hardboard or other furring and 5/8" drywall with good results, since the original wall was about 3/4" thick. It did vary somewhat, as plaster does, so check your thickness carefully. It's better to start slightly behind the original wall than to protrude beyond it and create a bump.

It's a good opportunity to flatten any wonky framing, so use a long straightedge horizontally on your furring to check plane before you install the drywall.


Is Reverse osmosis still necessary after whole house filter I have water softener and Whole house filter installed in the basement. Now that I am going to finish the basement, I need to plumb a line to the fridge to replace the saddle valve. Then I think that I can get a reverse osmosis system installed the basement and plumb lines to the sink and fridge.

Is reverse osmosis system redundant since I already have a whole house filter? The filter is a Whirlpool whole house system.

The whole house filtration system that you cite is a filter. The specs for this filter suggest that it removes chlorine and pharmaceuticals, so I think it's a carbon filter. It's possibly a good filter (there are variable levels of quality carbon filters) and it sounds like there's a timer that flushes/cleans it (that's convenient) but it is not an RO system. RO systems are very different from filters.

An RO system absorbs and removes dissolved ions (filters don't do that). Whether you need an RO system depends on what ions are dissolved in your water.

RO systems remove salts and other mineral things like silicates,
lead, and copper (etc.).
General filters remove debris like grit and clumps of microorganisms.
Carbon filters can remove organic molecules, like pharmaceuticals,
pesticides, gasoline, urea, and chloramines.

Edit- also, you mentioned that have a water softener, which replaces calcium with sodium. RO systems then remove sodium. Carbon filters don't remove sodium, nor calcium.


Replacing double light switch 4 black and one red I hear a popping from one of my old double switches. I opened it up to understand the wiring before replacing. I have 4 blacks and 1 red. I have attached pictures. One of the switches controls a light that is controlled by a different switch as well. That switch has a dimmer. The other switch is the only control for another light. How do I go about replacing this? Also, why do I have no ground included?

It looks like you have something like this.

The top switch is the three way and controls the light along with the other dimmer switch. The bottom one is is a single pole that controls a light by itself. You're going to want to buy a switch just like this and wire back the same. As long as you make sure the wires go back in the same positions, you'll be fine.
As someone mentioned, putting some tape around the wires as they are pulled off might help to identify them later. You can get different colors of electrical tape at a hardware store. Also important is to make sure the power is turned off to that switch before working on it to avoid being shocked.
When in doubt, call a professional.


Aluminium + copper wire Can I twist copper on legacy aluminium wire using regular wire nuts or do I need to procure aluminium wire? The wires coming into my switch box are too short and I would need to extend them.

Jumbo Pigtails are the answer here

Ordinarily, I'd recommend using AlumiConn lugs torqued to spec for a copper to aluminum pigtail job like yours; however, since your wires are already too short as-is, installing any sort of lug is going to be a pain in the arse.

So, your best bet is to install another (a single gang old work box should suffice, but run the box fill numbers to be sure) box "upcable" from where the culprit cable comes into the box, pull the old cable out of the old box, install it into the new box, strip back the jacket a bit, and terminate the ends of the old cables into AlumiConns.  You can then use some regular copper NM as a "jumbo pigtail" from the box with the AlumiConns in it to the existing switch box.  Put a blank cover on the new box, and you're set.


Roof Ventilation and Insulation - Midwest - Gable and Ridge vents only, no soffit vents I have a 1920's home in Ohio, and have NO soffit venting in the house.  There are 2 gable vents, with one small temp-controlled fan (set to turn on ~95 F or higher).  There is also a ridge vent.

The attic is unfinished, with some insulation on the attic floor and some sub flooring installed, but it's not perfect.  I can see light from outside in a few spaces, but they aren't "supposed" to be there =).

There is a lot of discussion on the net of soffit + gable + ridge, or gable only, but nothing about gable + ridge.

First off, with 2 gables and a ridge vent and this small fan, is this sufficient for airflow in the space?  I do not see any mold or moisture problems, but it gets incredibly hot and is very tough to cool my 2nd floor (attic is on 3rd floor).  In the summer, with AC on, I have a ~6-10 degree F differential between 1st and 2nd floor.  In the winter, heating the 2nd floor isn't so bad.

Because of this, I bought some thin R11 radiant insulation, it's basically aluminium foil wrapped on both sides of some really thin insulation.  My plan was to attach this stuff directly to my rafters, in order to keep the space cooler in the summer.  This would also leave a ~4" gap between the roof deck and the insulation, so if there IS any air flow there now, hopefully it would remain.

Is this going to cause any problems with my gables + ridge as it exists already?  Even without this insulation, do I have any existing problems I may want to try and take care of?

I do not plan to put soffit vents in and don't want to get that answer back =).

Thanks!

Here is your problem Gable Vents and Ridge Vents do not go together period.

Your Gable vents are acting as Inlet Air Ducts for your Ridge Vents.

So your air flow comes in through each gable and flows immediately to the closest air outlet the ridge vents NEAREST the gables.

So the Air flow in the center of the Attic is basically NON-EXISTENT . And the Actual cooling from Gable to ridge vent is very limited.

Either one or the other but not both.

So here are some options:

Option 1: Close your ridge vents.

Option 2: Close your Gables and Install Soffits (I know you don't want to hear that - keep reading though) - these would need to be properly installed - a soffit guide is best - so your insulation and critters do not block them.

Option 2 will allow you to get rid of your Electric Fan as well, saving you money on the electricity of the fan. As for how much difference Ridge Vents vs. Gable Vents I can not tell you if there is a savings or not a savings, getting that info is like getting an act of congress for something that matters.

With Option 2 you have direct line air flow from outside upwards to the roof all working by convection - $aving you $$ .

Now if you do this a vent here and there might be expensive and time consuming aside from calculating how many and what size .. Instead of doing that - they make Continuous Aluminum soffit that is pre-drilled/cut with holes. You basically lay it in like aluminum siding and it is very easy to install. When I was living in FL my house there had it. This type of soffit is inexpensive, it works great and as I said easy to install. I had to replace a couple 3 foot x 6" sheets; if my memory serves me right - I think it had cost me somewhere around $8.00 - I think it was so much cheaper than what I thought I had bought a couple extra with out skipping a beat. Probably a bit more expensive than that now - I went to a local metal soffit fabricator shop and purchased it.


Can I convert a wall lamp into a usb socket? I've recently moved house, and there is a wall lamp, see picture, which we never use, and i was wondering if i could put a usb socket there instead so i could charge bike lights and similar accessories.

Is this possible? Safe? Stupid? I have no clue, so any help would be appreciated.

While there are other options involving wiring, the safest option that does not involve an electrician is a light bulb to outlet adapter.  Here, the version for use in countries with Edison base A19 bulbs:

Someone else can add advice for other regions.  In the case of a USB socket a third prong is generally not required, though chargers in the UK generally have a plastic fake third prong anyway.


Can I use acrylic caulk around the bath? used acrylic caulk in my kitchen on backsplash and love, love it.  you just can't stain it.  want to use it around the bath instead of this rubbery stuff I had.  am i being wrong headed..?

Shouldn't be a problem. Keep in mind that unlike silicone, acrylic/latex caulk can (but doesn't always) dry out and crack over time, defeating its waterproofing capabilities, but it's definitely easier to apply and remove/replace.

Most "Kitchen and Bath" caulks are pure silicone, but many people simply use all-purpose siliconized latex caulk like this one:


rusty stains on tile in bathroom I've got a pretty old bathroom, and there are some rust-alike stains along the tiles seams. I guess this is normal in wet environments? Scrubbing off doesn't really help. What is usual way to fix it? Of course, I would not want to rip off tiles and install new, may be just putting some caulk would be sufficient?

There's a good cleaning solution for this called CLR (US) - it stands for Calcium-Lime-Rust. This will dissolve rust and hard water spots in showers, if you do indeed have rust.

You mentioned scrubbing doesn't help, if you haven't tried CLR I would do that next. Otherwise, you're probably looking at re-grouting.

It is possible to caulk these seams and that may work, but they're intended to be grouted. Caulk is not a good permanent solution here. Grout can be removed with a cutting/grinding tool, and it's relatively easy to apply. Color matching the existing grout may be difficult


Should I repair or replace a wheezing circular saw? I have a hand-me-down Craftsman circular saw that is probably from the 1970s. It mostly works fine, but makes a grinding wheezing noise when decelerating after power has been cut (finger taken off trigger). Knowing my dad, if there were multiple 7 1/4" Craftsman saws available at the time, this was the cheapest one. Is it wiser to just replace it, or is it worth repairing? If it's time to replace it, what are your thoughts on corded vs. battery?

Repairing small hand tools is rarely economically feasible (even thought the thought of built in obsolescence/landfill overload is distressing).

It sounds like a bad bearing, but the cost of the labor involved in changing would probably exceed the cost of a new saw.

I would get a new one.

Cordless tools are great, even in a shop. But circular saws need a good deal of power, and most cordless ones are seriously underpowered. Unless you will be away from outlets a good deal or limited to a few cuts in light materials, I would opt for a corded circular saw.


Is it code legal to mark neutrals that actually are neutral? USA/NEC question,  Another recent question has a white wire which is marked with tape, but is actually a neutral.  So what?

Suppose you have 4 neutrals running in a raceway, and you need to distinguish them because they go to different things: one goes to a MWBC lighting circuit, another to outlets which need a GFCI breaker, etc.

So you put different color tape on each neutral.

Is that allowed?

Citations in NEC would be appreciated.

Identifying Multiple Neutrals To Its Own Branch Circuit
The best way to do this is to use wire numbering stick-on labels, which solves the whole "what color can I use" question.  Each current carrying conductor of a single branch circuit is tagged with the SAME number. For example, all the  current carrying conductors of the branch circuit "kitchen lights" are tagged with the number "5".

To make even better, the numbering system corresponds to the breaker location.
Here is a pic of a panel I did recently.


Magnetic lock does not lock We have a magnetic lock on the front door of our apartment building. From time to time it stops working - it just doesn't lock the door. It seems as it doesn't have power or is somehow turned off because the little light on the button for unlocking it from the inside is not lit. The box with the power suppply inside is locked and I think nobody from the building has a key for it (only the company which installed the door has a key). However, yesterday I found the door propped up with a small rock in order not to close. This was done by a dentist in the building so she doesn't have to click the button from her consulting room everytime a patient comes in.

Is there a possibiliy that she did something and turned the system off? Could it have broken because it had stayed open for hours?

The box with the power supply inside which can't be opened (I hope).

The magnetic part of the lock. The green thing on the magnets is something sticky. I think it wasn't cleaned good enough when unboxing the lock.

The back part of the lock. Everything seems connected.

Magnetic locks are set up in one of two modes: 1) fail safe, or 2) fail secure. Sounds like yours is “fail safe”.

1) Fail safe mode allows the door to open when the electricity goes out. We use this mode in apartments, commercial buildings, etc.

2) Fail secure mode locks the door and prohibits access when he electricity goes out. We use this mode in jails, etc.

It appears you have a circuit breaker that is very sensitive or overloaded, which is causing the circuit to trip and making the magnetic lock go into “fail safe” mode...leaving the door unlocked and open.

One means of fixing your problem is to add a battery backup.


How to clean hair and junk off an auger? Afterusing an auger/snake to clean out the pipes from a shower, the tip is usually disgusting, with a large clot of hair inextricably entangled into the tip. Is there a trick to clean this thing? I used to "unwrap" the hair from the spiral tip (the boring gimlet), but frankly that takes like 10 minutes and is really gross. I have considered burning it after it dries, but...gross.

Or maybe I should use a different type of auger? All the ones I've bought at Home Depot type stores have the boring gimlet. It's the following, but with a huge tangle of stinkhair wrapped all up in there:

I always let mine dry and then take it out back and put the torch to it. It does leave some residue, which is very easily and quickly removed with a wire brush.


Long straight cracks in the ceiling In several places in the ceiling of my 1986-built bungalow, there are long straight cracks running along the ceiling.

What's causing them?
Should I be concerned?
How can I stop it from increasing?
How can I repair the damage already done?

Thanks

What's causing them?

The building settling.

Should I be concerned?

Not really.

How can I stop it from increasing?

You can't, but improper climate control (swings in temperature and humidity levels throughout the house) will make it worse.

How can I repair the damage already done?

I'd use fiberglass tape and joint compound (chemically setting plaster; not water soluble top coat). The non-textured ceiling would be easy. The textured one needs to be repaired in the same way and then re-textured or the entire ceiling completely de-textured with a skim coat.

I'm guessing it was originally textured with a textured roller.

Another option is to caulk and paint it every time it redevelops. It's definitely worth a shot at this easy method, to see how long you can get away with just a coat of paint. You might want to widen the crack (with a painter's tool; a 5in1) so that it fills with paint/caulk and doesn't just make a bridge over the gap (that would crack again guaranteed, very soon).


New install of toilet and it slightly rocks front to back, not sideways installed new toilet and flange in concrete basement floor but on top of tile. Toilet rocks slightly back and forth, not sideways but front to back. Did I maybe not get flange tight against tile ? What might I check for? no problem removing as It has not been used yet. Thanks

There are plastic wedges designed to stop rocking of toilets. Don't try to stop the rocking by tightening the floor bolts.


What are steps to take to resolve a frequently clogging toilet? Here's the situation:
Conventional toilet flushes liquids with some TP just fine.  Everything works and looks exactly as expected.  It flushes effectively with a nice swirl.
But when someone makes magic happen, resulting in solids in the toilet, it requires aggressive plunging more than half the time.  After plunging, it works fine until someone makes magic happen again, at which time it usually requires more plunging.
Once it is plunged, the flushing looks completely normal again.  There is no "slow flush" indicating an obstruction in the drain line.  Sinks on the same drain line work as expected without any clogs.
The toilet and pipes are all about 15 years old and have had consistent, but moderate, use.  This problem has only been going on for about a year.
I have done some research, and many sites recommend a "main line cleaner" like Green Gobbler.  Given that after plunging, the toilet drains fine, I'm not sure if such a cleaner will actually help.  After all, there does not seem to be a large obstruction.  Also, with over 15 meters/yards of drain line, it seems questionable if even a gallon of such a substance would make sufficient contact with enough of the pipe for a long enough duration to have a significant effect.
How does I proceed to resolve this issue?

Often it is an issue of some hard item (like a tooth brush or a comb) stuck at the floor flange, especially if someone used one of the self centering funnel type of wax ring https://amzn.to/2ImIVAd rather than a bare ring https://amzn.to/2Ixn8Wo .


How do I connect the spare C wire to the old Lennox system (model # lennox g12q4-110)? I am trying to install my Ecobee3 now. After finishing the connections, Ecobee did not power up. I did some reading and I believe the C-wire, though it is available is not connected to the power at the furnace-end (see the picture where you can find the blue standalone wire). Can you please suggest where/how I connect the C-wire in my furnace (model # lennox g12q4-110) to supply power to the Thermostat? Thank you very much for your help in advance.

I have this exact same furnace (30+ years old) and very similar messy nest of wiring. As user76730 noted the yellow on the 24V side of the transformer is the key. In your photos, this is the left most wire nut that is pointing up with 2 yellow wires and a green attached. I had a spare blue thermostat wire from my old Honeywell mercury blob setup that was completely unused and just wrapped back in the wall. Hooking that up to the yellow bundle and then the C terminal on the thermostat is working like a charm. I have a Nest E with just the R and W, and it was power stealing badly. Now it runs very smoothly.


Offgrid L14-30 connector to solar generator I have a small off-grid cabin in the woods that I recently purchased.  The previous owner had a L14-30 generator connector installed on the outside of the cabin and wired it with normal 120v outlets 4 light sockets I plan to put LED bulbs in. I camp up there maybe once a month and wouldn't use much power; just the lights and maybe charge a laptop to watch a movie, so was looking at getting a solar generator kit (something like the GoalZero Yeti).

What I haven't found is a battery backup system with a L14-30 connector; all the ones i've found so far just have normal 3 prong 5-15 connectors.  Can I use a 5-15 to L14-30 connector adapter to run the cabin?  Picts of my inlet box connector and circuit breaker box below.

If there are no 240V loads (seems likely) and if your inverter package has an appropriate output breaker to protect itself from overload (since the panel is clearly going to be able to draw far more than the inverter supplies) you should be fine, but you're almost certainly going to need a custom-made cable, not a pre-purchased adapter.

The L14-30 has hot1, hot2, neutral and ground. A 5-15 has hot, neutral, and ground. The expected voltage between hot1 and hot 2 is 240 volts. If there are only 120V loads, you can connect both hots on the L14-30 to the single hot on the 5-15 and it will work, up to the point that the inverter overloads (not too likely if your loads are as described, but then someone plugs in a coffeemaker or hairdryer.)

As the breakers are currently arranged, feeding only one of the two hots would leave half your circuits without power.

Most of your more serious off-grid inverters will happily supply 240VAC, and don't come with a receptacle at all, as they expect to be hard-wired. If you are going to connect a tiny inverter and keep the loads tiny, it should work with an adapter made as described.

I strongly suspect that you can do a lot better (cost wise) with a built system than the pre-packaged one.


How to find stud when magnets indicate there's one present, but can't find it with a drill I've got a wall that I'm trying to mount a relatively heavy painting on (~25lbs), and am trying to use magnets to locate the stud. Here's where they stick:

I've tried to drill into where I expect the stud to be, but I'm not hitting anything past the drywall when using a standard 5/64 drill bit:

What can be the reason for this, and how can I find the actual stud?

p.s. My suspicion is that these are metal studs, because the magnets are are attracted to the whole of the stud column, but especially stick to those two spots, but I don't know if this has any bearing on things.

Pass a bent piece of stiff wire into one of the holes and use it to feel around inside the wall nearby.


Wall paint bubbling on edge of window from lack of insulation, how to fix? Window and walls were done only a month ago. The only time it rained was once this week. What are these big blobs and could it be because of the light rain? Should I leave them or fix? Could it be because the window is pressed on the wall too much? I cant pop it with my fingers, and they not that squishy, the bubbled area is intact.

The bubbles right below the window rubber seal. I can see some dirt trapped in there, probably seaped through from outside.

opposite side, exterior, there is a gap between uPVC window and concrete, thats the way it was installed. no rubber seal like in the interior side. Could that be it? Would a rubber seal prevent the moisture?

Even if i were to repaint, it would be impossible seeing that the bubbles are coming from under the window where i cant reach. I read i could use a hypodermic needle and stick glue in there to make it stick, is that true?

What are these big blobs

Moisture has lifted the paint off the wall

  and could it be because of the light rain?

Yes.

  Should I leave them or fix?

Fix.

  Could it be because the window is pressed on the wall too much?

No.

  no rubber seal like in the interior side. Could that be it?

Yes.

  Would a rubber seal prevent the moisture?

Any kind of exterior seal or sealant would. E.g. builders silicone, mastic etc. Before sealing it is necessary to remove any dirt and loose paint etc.

  I read I could use a hypodermic needle and stick glue in there to make [bubbled paint] stick, is that true?

No.

Well you could, but it is unlikely to do any good. It is also likely to take longer than removing the loose paint, sanding and repainting.

A well-made window opening has a sill that slopes outwards so that rain doesn't pool against the window. Your window opening may be badly constructed.


Hardware (clamp and/or spacers) to mount a horizontal pipe to a roof? Related question: What is this called (adjustable angle pipe footplate)?

After posting that previous question, I began to think that there's likely both a cheaper, and sturdier way to accomplish what I'm after.

Here's a sketch of the plan. The gray lines represent the garage. The red and blue lines represent a tarp canopy frame that will be built with 1 3/8" chain link fence pipe and steel brackets.

The blue line represents the pipe that I'd like to mount to my roof. It would run horizontally. A simple pipe clamp would likely work, but I'd like to get some space between that blue pipe and the roof to allow some air flow (and water, of course, as it needs to reach the gutter).

Is there some sort of sealable roof flange that would give me 6" or so to work with in height that would allow for a pipe clamp to be bolted to the top of it?

EDIT:

If I had to invent something, this is what I was thinking. Essentially a reinforced angle bracket with mounting holes that can be covered by a shingle and a mounting hole in the air that one could bold a pipe clamp to.

Since this seems to be a temporary canopy, messing around with the roof's integrity (by adding a few attachments) is probably not desirable:  it will cause premature aging of the roof and increase the probability of a leak.  Obviously it can be done, for example solar panels on a roof, but that adds ongoing maintenance to make sure the fastening system is rain proof.

Why not mount the frame under the eaves?  Unless the roof joists are far apart, it probably isn't necessary to run a pipe across.  Instead, fasten each horizontal pipe from the canopy's top to a roof joist (if they are exposed) or to a hefty screw.  If the gutter is in the way, then just use some baling wire between the pipe and the screw.


Are there advantages / uses to having disk and belt sander surfaces? On a tool like a Delta 31-300, what is the advantage of having a disk sanding surface as well as a belt sanding surface?  When would you decide to use one or the other?

An advantage of the disk over the belt is that you can control how aggressive the sanding is by moving the point of contact between the edge of the disk (where the speed is highest) and the middle (where it is lowest).  The downside of the disk sander (pun intended) is you can only safely use the half of the disk that is pushing the work down onto the table.  This means the disk works well for fairing convex curves.  (If you need to sand concave shapes, you need yet another machine, a spindle sander.)

For smoothing long edges, the belt sander is better since you can work the full width of the belt.  It would depend on the machine, but generally belts should be easier to change than adhesive disks.

Finally, by having the dual purpose machine you can set up both a coarse grit on the disk sander, and a finer grit on the belt sander to avoid having to change belts on a belt-only sander.


Is it safe to build a drop down table to a wooden wall? I have a wooden wall (I just moved in, so I don't know which wood) 6cm thick.
I want to build an IKEA Norbo drop down table (https://www.ikea.com/de/de/p/norbo-wandklapptisch-birke-80091713/). The weight of the table is 8.33kg.

Is it safe to build this table to the wall? I'm worried the wall is not strong enough and it breaks. And if it is safe, which type of screws should I use? It will be used as a kitchen table, mainly for cutting ingredients.

Ideally you would follow the manufacturer's directions for mounting the drop down table to the wall. Also consider that the flat rail that is against the wall just under the table top area would be best if it could be screwed into the studs in the wall and not just through some thin wall board material.

This table at 79cm wide should be wide enough that the support board can span at least two studs in the wall. You may need to adjust the mount location in order to achieve that.


How to install a 4-wire a/c & fan thermostat with only 3 wires My home currently has a central a/c unit which is controlled from an 3-wire old mercury switch thermostat. I want to replace it with a newer Honeywell that requires 4 wires.

The existing thermostat a Green, White and Red wire. The new thermostat requires and additional Yellow wire.

I tried lots of combinations, but nothing worked properly, yet with the old thermostat, I can turn on the a/c, or just the circulating fan.

Any suggestions?

Replace the old thermostat wire bundle with a new bundle with 4+ wires, or
Return the new thermostat you have and obtain a wireless version instead.  (Examples:  Honeywell YTH 6320, Venstar T1100—or the Honeywell RTH 7600 needs only two wires.)

The first suggestion might be very difficult.  You may have to tear off sheetrock, or do many tricky bits of drilling and coaxing wire through.  Or, if there is a short distance between thermostat and heat plant, it could be as easy as pie if the wire is not tacked inside the wall.


What thickness, size, and quality plywood is required for an aviary floor? 12'L x 5'D x8'H size aviary needs what thickness plywood to hold human weight. Aviary floor is slightly elevated from the ground. Also, please specify how many floor joists it needs to hold the weight perfectly.

A standard residential flooring panel is combination subfloor-underlayment with a 16 inch span rating and with tongue and groove edges. This is usually a 5/8 or 19/32 inch thickness. Thus the joists are spaced on 16 inch centers. The joist size cannot be determined from the information provided.

That is just a starting point. Bird droppings are very corrosive and can quickly degrade such floor panels. You should not only consider a thicker panel, but some sort of topping much more resistant to bird droppings.


Should I use concrete for a 2" square metal fence post? I recently moved into a new home in upstate New York which has a fence around the backyard. The fence is made out of some kind of metal and the fence posts are about 2" square. One of the fence posts had risen a few inches since it was first installed due to frost heave. It had been set in a concrete footing and the whole footing had risen. I have dug out and removed the concrete (by my estimates it had gone down 33±3") and now have a roughly 40" deep hole approximately 9" in diameter. The fence post itself only goes about 20" into the ground.

I haven't been able to find a solid answer on the frost line up here, but my plan was to dig down to around 42", place an 8" cardboard tube form, and fill it with four 50lb bags of quickrete and set the post in the footing.

My concerns are:

1) is this enough? I never want to have to dig out this concrete footing again, so if I'm going to use concrete, I want to make sure this is the right way to go. I'm using a clamshell post hole digger and at 40" deep it's getting harder to go any further.

2) is this overkill? Given it's only a 2" post going ~20" into the ground, would I be better off just setting it in gravel or crushed rock or something and tamping some dirt on top? Even if it heaves out of the ground again, it would be much easier to dig down and fix than if I had to dig out the 42" concrete footing.

Here are a couple pictures of the fence and post:

Eight months later, here is my answer and update:

I called the my town's building division and determined the frost line for my region is 48". It wasn't possible for me to dig below 48", so I dug to the frost line and instead of using cement, I filled the hole with pea gravel (roughly three 0.5 cu ft bags), tamped it down with a 2x4, and topped with some of the soil I had removed when digging. My thought is the pea gravel will allow draingage, while still providing enough support for my narrow fence post. This might not work for larger posts.

So far, the fence post has been very sturdy and having gone through one winter, has not risen. I will report back if I find any issues with my solution, but so far, I'm satisfied with it.


Why won't my washer spin even though it still agitates? I have a Kenmore 80 series washer and it recently stopped spinning and agitating and I found out it was the coupler. So I changed that and it start to work again, normally. After a week or two it stopped spinning during spin cycle, but it still agitates. I did some research and tests and this is what I came up with over the past two days:

The coupler is fine
The pump isn't clogged. It spins fine and drains fine.
The lid switch works perfectly
While the agitator is spinning, I can stop it by holding it with my hand from making a rotation forward or backwards. I couldn't do that before
I can spin the tub with my hands with about 5-10lbs of resistance.
The clutch under the tub doesn't spin during spin cycle.
When I change speed settings(medium to low or to high) for the agitator, the speed doesn't change.

From doing searching I think that it could possibly be the Gearcase/Transmission, the Tub Hub, or the Belt, if it has one and that is as much as I know.

Please help me figure this problem out. Its pretty annoying not having a working washer :/

I'm not completely sure how the drive elements connect up on this. I know there is no belt. Gear box seems very unlikely. You should examine how the agitator attaches to the drive shaft below the top cap of the agitator. Sounds like it's slipping, and if that's the case, it may not be able to spin either. If it works differently than I think, it could be the clutch slipping. To get to the clutch is major surgery. You'd have to remove the agitator and would discover any slipping parts here on your way to the clutch any way.


Are T-8 lights and T-12 lights safely interchangeable? I have a fixture that came with T-12 lights. Is it safe to use T-8 bulbs instead?

You are meant to replace the ballast on old T12s, reusing the old G13 base and enclosure.  There are numerous retrofit and upgrade kits available.

The official word for the USA is:

  Based on [Department of Energy] analysis... most T12 lamps are too inefficient to meet the
  [current] standards and can no longer be manufactured for distribution
  in commerce after July 14, 2012. In addition, if a consumer replaces
  an existing T12 system with a more-efficient T8 or T5 diameter system,
  he or she may need to purchase a new ballast or fixture. Even with
  this additional cost, however, DOE has determined that increasing the
  energy conservation standards will save consumers money overall.
  http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/appliance_standards/residential/pdfs/general_service_fluorescent_factsheet.pdf

Mixing the two bulbs types is chancy: it might work out great for you, but probably not.  Many of the old ballasts are pretty bad anyway: the new ones in this case really are better.  Old ballasts are likely magnetic and might hum.  They may have PCB chemicals, and they have a reputation for getting hot and even igniting.

Note: retrofit kits make sense in commercial applications.  For your one fixture, it may be cheaper to buy an entirely new one.

2017 Update: The cool kids are all using LED instead.  As before the hookup options are still bewildering (single ended, far side terminated, ballast bypass, ballast compatible).  As before, the same G13 base and fixture can be preserved.


What tools and techniques are required to bend wood? I am trying to achieve this curved wood look as pictured below. I am interested in knowing what tools I need or if I need a particular kind of wood. (I am referring to the white curved section)

That is a very expensive podium, probably has a cost in the 20K range.  You can do laminated wood and then cut into the curve (very expensive as it takes a large amount of high quality wood) or you can try some cheaper options using plywood.

If you only need to do a slight curve, thin plywood has a lot of flex in it.  Just nail/screw it onto a frame.  If you need a tighter curve than what the plywood will allow there are a couple of options.  If only one face will show, you can in essence thin the plywood further by using kerfs.  Look up a guide on google and find one you are comfortable with.  Another option is using steam to soften the glue in the plywood which then will allow a tighter bend.


disposal discharge pipe is not long enough I installed a new sink disposal, and got to the last step before realizing the discharge pipe does reach. What do I do next?

No need to rebuild the entire assembly! It's a simple fix, you just need a couple parts from the plumbing shop. All you need is a short flanged tailpiece (see below) and a slip-joint elbow (see below).

Use the metal retainer and gasket that came with the disposer on the flanged tailpiece after you have cut it to fit. Insert the tailpiece into the elbow after it has been cut to fit... voila!


What type of trellis do I want to build for fruit bearing vines on the south side of the house? I'm looking at holding up to a ton of vines on a 2 story trellis on including covering up the chimney on the side of the house, in order to keep a lot of summer heat off the house, and was wondering what type I should build, and to stand up to the weight during the summer.

The choice comes down to personal preference, how much you want to spend and the amount of upkeep. For a large heavy vine(s) like you describe I would go with wrought iron. It will last decades with no real maintenance. It is also one of the more expensive ways to go but in the long run it is worth the cost in my opinion.


What screwdriver I should use for this screw head? I am trying to unscrew the screw head you see in the picture.  It is from the kitchen faucet handle.
From looking online, it is usually a hex screw head. I tried a hex-key wrench, it didn't work, and tried every tool I have that could fit with no luck.
I am clueless, which one to use. Appreciate any help. Thanks!

It appears that the hex sides of that screw head have been rounded off due to the use of an ill-fitting hex wrench. A metric and an SAE hex wrench will both fit in there, but the use of the wrong one, while it feels like it fits properly, can be just loose enough that if the set screw is corroded in a bit, the wrench can slip and round over the edges.
You will need a screw extractor, like this:

Image courtesy of Lowes.com. No endorsement of brand or vendor intended or implied.
You insert this into a drill and run the drill in reverse. The extractor has a reverse thread that drills into the head of the screw and also turns the screw to back it out.
For the small added expense (and probably near impossibility of finding them individually), I'd suggest that you purchase a set of 3-5 extractors. That will help ensure you have the proper size for this screw, and you'll have a variety for future use. Note that these should work on nearly any screw with any type of screw head - slotted, Phillips, Torx, or other - not just the hex head of your set screw.
Once you have it out, you'll need to take it back to the hardware store/home-improvement center to buy an exact match (thread & length) replacement. As much work as you put into getting it out, you don't want to reinsert it and have to do it again...


Is my 2-gang switch box over-full with 5 cables? I am installing a dimmer, and I thought there were a lot of wires in this box. It looks like there are 5 cables into a 2-gang box.

I tried to draw a little diagram and attach a photo to make it clearer. Is this over-full, or normal?  Was thinking the dimmer will throw off more heat and this may be unsafe. All the neutrals are wired together,  as are the hots, but since the backside of the dimmer is so much larger, there is no room for this all to fit. Wires are 12 AWG.

My questions:

Is this normal or overloaded?
Can I remove some of the inputs and how?
Should I just make a new box next to it and install the dimmer there?

I am a little new at the electrical thing, but I've installed a bunch of lighting/switches successfully before.

Thanks for any help.

Your wires and devices need 18x2.25 = 40.5 cubic inches.

What you have there is a 4x4 square metal box.  If it's 1-1/2" deep it'll be 21 cubic inches.  Otherwise I'd expect to see a cubic inch number stamped onto it. There's also a 2-gang mud ring of, well, it sure ain't 19.5 cubic inches!

Note that the mud ring does not come all the way out to the wall surface.  It is quite shy of that.  This is improper installation, so you need to replace the mud ring anyway.  So replace the mud ring with one of the correct height, even if it doesn't have enough cubic inches.  We have one more trick.

Lastly, you can obtain a surface conduit starter box e.g. Legrand Wiremold.  That will provide some additional cubic inches (depending on its height).

If you get the statutorially needed cubic inches, you should have enough room for the dimmers.


Taking a long time for oil primer to dry I have a problem in that I have a lot of interior painting to do and in some cases it is holding up carpentry because I want to prime, for example, baseboards before installing them. However, after priming with an oil-based paint, I need to sand but I can't sand because the oil primer is rubbery and will tear out if I sand it. I have heard that it is supposed to "cure" and then will sand to a powder, but the problem is that it looks like it may take weeks before it dries that much and it is holding up the whole project. How do I deal with this problem?

24 hours is normal

The problem is, people who have only painted with latex paint have funny expectations about drying.

Painting, and then sanding, in the same workday, is out of the question. 8 hours of dry isn't going to cut it for any alkyd, if the next step is to sand or switch from prime to topcoat.

If it's taking more than 8 hours to get tack-free, or if it's taking longer than 24 hours to be sandable, you may be dealing with adverse conditions such as low temperature or poor air circulation.  You need to change the air periodically because it will saturate with the paint solvents, and that slows drying. (just like high humidity slows drying of water).  If your conditions are good, the next step is to talk to your paint supplier, because some paints are extra slow - they may have quick-dry additives available, to bring them into a "24 hours to sand" expectation.

By the way, "curing" is a red herring. For 1-part paints, curing takes months or even  years.  If it won't sand, it's not even dry.

Use primer for priming

In my experience, alkyd primers dry much faster than alkyd topcoats, which is why I'm surprised you're having a problem with primer. If you're actually painting a topcoat, and relying on some advertising claim that the paint is its own primer, yeah, that's a lie. That's always a lie. You'll never see a pro painter doing that.

At the risk of stating the obvious, read the instructions

I think that's actually a law: it can do environmental damage, so you must use the product consistent with its instructions or labeling. A careful read of the paint-can fine print is essential, and if the fine print says "See instruction booklet" (as my 2-part paints do, as there isn't enough room on the label for critical warnings and also instructions), then you need to do that.  Not reading the instructions is the surest way to have mis-set expectations and a failed application.

Also note that it is likely the instructions will call out certain "re-coat windows" which you have to hit. This is because of the (superior) nature of alkyd paints.   You generally have two recoat windows: between X and Y hours (when the paint is dry enough to be stable yet soft enough to chemically bond to the next coat); and beyond Z hours (when chemically bonding is no longer possible, but the paint is nice and hard so it can be scuff-sanded so the next coat can mechanically bond).  Adverse conditions can warp those numbers; conditions for slow drying extend them, etc.

Chemical bonding has superior performance to mechanical bonding. If you've ever seen paint layers separate, that is someone relying on a mechanical bond and failing to do proper surface prep by scuff-sanding and cleaning.


Is wire arcing a potential danger? I have a cable running along my basement ceiling. There is a cord connection (looks like an extension added to it) but where they connect is all metal (it looks like an AUX jack). There is slack in the cable and the metal connection point was on top of an HVAC duct and when I walked by it I heard like a white noise and it was sparking!! I'm freaked out and have no idea if this is dangerous and what would cause it to spark and I'm scared to touch that wire now. I moved it off the duct but now I have no idea what to do. Any answers would help.

Was the air handler running? Metal duct’s should be grounded but sometimes are not.
I have seen metal trunk ducting build up large static charges. In one case it was about every 12 seconds there was a snap quite loud.  The charge was building up and discharging to a water pipe.

The white noise could be the close proximity of the cable to the duct so the charge is building up quickly and discharging. This will be the case only if the air handler is running.

I would want to verify if it is static charges building that the duct gets grounded large static charges can hurt like &$%#.

If the charge is there without air flow I would be checking the electrical system (grounding, possible only ground the water pipe replaced with plastic) OR if there is a voltage on the cable.  The cable should be grounded at an inter system bonding point but if the main ground has failed this could have a floating voltage.


How do I build a French drain? There's a shed near the side of the house with a roof that's pitched to shoot water at the house's foundation.  That side of the house also has no gutters.  There's a very slight grade to send water towards the front of the house.  House is brick veneer, on-slab.

How can I build a drainage system to carry water away from the foundation?

Here is a pretty quick explanation.

Starting from where the water will enter the drain and ending where the water will flow out, dig a ditch that's about 10 inches deep and 6 inches wide. Keep in mind that you will need to dig deeper if your starting point slopes upward.

Lay about 2 inches of rock into the trench before placing the pipe lengthwise into the ditch.

Cover the pipe with another layer of rocks, again about 2 inches.

Fill in the remaining space with soil and then plant some grass.

Here is a pretty good video, which also shows it's a good idea to add a clean-out.
They also say you should not use flexible corrugated perforated plastic drain pipe, because it cannot be cleaned like rigid pvc can be.


In CLAY soil, looking for best method to set wood fence posts? I am getting ready to install a wood fence.  My problem is I have soil that is mostly clay.  What is the best method to install posts in poor draining clay, giving me the best longevity?

When I redid my fence 2 years ago, I went with PostMaster metal posts (http://contractors.masterhalco.com/Contract.nsf/woodpostmaster). They weren't substantially more than a good PT post at Home Depot. You can also easily wrap them with a picket so you don't see metal.

I dug the holes about 30" deep, then just drove the posts into the dirt til they were the right height - much easier than cutting them. You could put a couple inches of pea gravel in the hole, but I just did concrete. My hope is that even if I have to rebuild the fence in 20 years, I'll never have to replace the posts.


Adding recessed lights to existing ceiling fan connection I replaced an old ceiling fan in my sons room that had a light fixture and dimmer switch.  The new ceiling fan only operates with a remote that it came with.  No pull strings for the light or fan.  I also want to add a couple of recessed lights so he gets more light as the fan light fixture does not give off much light.

Currently I have a armored electrical cable in the ceiling with Red/Black/White.  The new ceiling fan remote receiver has red/white cable on one side and on the other, blue, black, white.  I ran romex cable to the recessed cans and attached them together matching the white/black/and bare.  I have the cable for the recessed lights in the same ceiling hole for the the fan ready.  How do I make the connection so that the recessed lights work with a dimmer switch and the fan and fan light work with the remote it came with?  We will used the recessed lighting and fan 99% of the time, and rarely use the fan light.

In the switch box, I see the armored red joined with the black from the electrical panel run.  The armored black is by itself currently as I took off the old dimmer switch.   And the armored white is joined with the other white from the electrical panel run.

This is a picture of my switch box. The black/red/white on the right side are the armored cable to ceiling fan.

At the Light

Connect the white wire that leads to the recessed lights, and the white wire from the fan/light to the white wire in the ceiling box.
Connect the the black from the recessed lights, to the black ungrounded (hot) wire that's controlled by the dimmer.
Connect the red wire from the fan/light, to the red ungrounded (hot) wire that is not controlled by the dimmer.
Connect all the grounding conductors.

At the switch

Connect the LINE wire (probably black, but depends on manufacturer) from the dimmer, in with the black wire from the feeder cable.
Connect the black wire from the armored cable, to the switched (probably red) wire from the dimmer.
Connect the ground wire from the dimmer, with the other grounds in the box.

This should allow the dimmer to control the recessed lights, and the remote to control the fan/light.
Of course this assumes that power comes to the switch first, and one of the wires in the cable is always hot.
Based on the info you've provided, it should look something like this.

According to the documentation for the dimmer, the black lead is LINE and the red lead is LOAD.


Faucet-mount filter thread/size incompatibility I am trying to install a Culligan FM-25 filter onto a faucet, and it does not seem to fit. I am able to screw on the filter, but it is not secure, and water bubbles/sprays out the top. It appears that the faucet head is too long (or has too many threads)? I know that my filter can accommodate 55/64"-27 M faucet spouts. If the filter at least partly screws onto the faucet, then isn't the faucet 55/64"-27 M as well? I can't find any examples of thread spacings other than 27 threads per inch for 55/64, so I'm assuming the faucet size is also 55/64"-27 M (but I could be wrong).
I have a picture of the faucet head as well as one of the water filter and aerator that I've removed from the faucet. As you can see, the aerator appears to be much deeper than the filter mount. Not only is there an unthreaded region above the threads, but I can count 4 visible levels of threading above the washer, whereas only 3 levels are visible on the mount of my filter.

If the faucet and filter are both 55/64", and yet the two are incompatible, I have no idea how to fix this, because surely there aren't any 55/64"-27 <-> 55/64"-27 adapters out there. I suppose I could try joining two adapters together, but it would probably make the end of the faucet too low.
Edit, possibilities:

Threading of faucet is something like 24 per inch but same width, hence allowing me to screw on the filter, at least partially, but prevents a good seal.
Width is slightly different (not sure if this is possible)
Somehow faucet having too many threads prevents attachment of my filter

In the case of the first possibility, what thread size is the same width as 55/64"-27 M, but has <27 threads per inch?

It turned out that the faucet end and the filter were both 55/64-27. I was able to confirm this when 13/16 and 15/16 both did not fit. The lesson is that if it screws on, it's probably the same size. The various faucet sizes are different enough that they won't be able to thread onto each other.
But why was the filter not fitting well despite the threading compatibility? I studied my filter closely. You thread it onto a faucet by turning a metal ring. It's my belief that the ring needs some sort of flange on the faucet to brace against in order to seal correctly. As you can see in the original pictures, th current faucet head consists only of threads.
The solution I took was to use two adapters. First, a 55/64-27 F to 15/16-24 F adapter onto the faucet. Then, a 15/16-24 M to 55/64-27 M adapter onto the first adapter. Then finally the filter. In the picture below, the M/M adapter is not really visible, but it connects the filter to the first adapter. Prior to buying the 55/64-27 F to 15/16-24 F adapter, I thought that I might be able to thread the adapter in reverse (the larger side facing up) so that it could provide a flange on the faucet that I could twist the filter's ring against, but that did not work; not enough room.


Wire a bathroom fan and light so the light always controls the fan, but the fan can be operated independantly from the light I have a bathroom light fixture and a fan that are currently both independently controlled by their own switches. I'd like to wire it (preferably without having to go into the attic to change the current wiring...asbestos insulation) such that when the light comes on, the fan also comes on, but the fan can be operated independently.
Truth Table of desired effect
+--------------+------------+-------+-----+
| Light Switch | Fan Switch | Light | Fan |
+--------------+------------+-------+-----+
| Off          | Off        | Off   | Off |
| Off          | On         | Off   | On  |
| On           | Off        | On    | On  |
| On           | On         | On    | On  |
+--------------+------------+-------+-----+

The current wiring is like this for both switches.

I was thinking that there has to be some way to wire the switches together with 3 or 4-way switches in order to acheive the desired effect, but I am having trouble coming up with a solution. Thoughts?

You could do that with a double pole switch and a single pole normal switch.  Wire the hot to both of the line side poles on the double pole switch as well as to the single pole switch.
Wire both the fan and the light to individual poles on switched side of the double pole switch.  Then run a jumper from the pole that controls the fan on the double pole switch to the switched side of the single pole switch.  All the neutrals and grounds stay connected as they are. Don't get confused with a 3-way or 4-way switch, those are different animals.  You may have to go to an electrical supply house to get a true double pole wall switch.
I could provide a diagram if you want.   But I want to post this quickly to beat out the big 3!  LOL  Competition for points here is fierce!  LOL

Carl asked me to provide more info.  This what I have time for right now. If others wanted to contribute a better diagram, that's welcome.


ground wire to two switches I just installed two Lutron Caseta switches in a 2-gang switch box. When I opened the box, I was expecting to find a separate ground wire to each switch. However, what I found was a single ground wire that was looped over the green screw on switch #1 and then connected to the green screw on switch #2. This wire was tied into a bundle of ground wires from the loads and from the source that was tied together with a wire nut.
When I installed the new switches, I tied the green wire from new switch #2 to the end of the ground wire (with a wire nut), and I tied the green wire from new switch #1 into the bundle of ground wires that was pigtailed together.
Was this OK?
UPDATE: The ground wire bundle was actually connected with a butt splice wire nut, and the single wire coming out of the end was the long wire that went to the two switches. After I installed the new switches, I just tied the long wire and the two greens from the switches with a wire nut.
Based on @KH's comment I also realized the wire nut holding all the neutrals was too small, so I added a pigtail using the short yellow 14 AWG wire that came with the Lutron starter kit, moved one of the original neutrals into it, and added the two whites from the switches.
I'm pretty confident all of this was OK but feel free to comment. Here's a photo of the new setup:

All grounds should be connected together. You can make pigtails from box screw, each switch and connect it all together with feeder ground. If you using wire nuts, they have different sizes and capacity usually written on package. Just choose properly size, it is going with number.


Is there a problem with this toilet flange or flange installation? We have had all sorts of problems with our toilet (the builder and plumber have been out five times). Leaking issues, toilet rocking back and forth, wax rings installed incorrectly.

My question is, does this toilet flange look ok? On the left and right sides, it bulges up...is this normal? Does anything else look defective with it (does it look installed at the proper level)?

Flush with the finished floor is optimal, so it looks OK in that regard.

The warp is a bit concerning, it looks like someone forced it down over a bump or protrusion or maybe over tightened the toilet to it and damaged it (although it would be expected that the toilet itself would break under that amount of stress).

  Leaking issues, toilet rocking back and forth

These things point to a loose flange, loose toilet attachment, or lame application of wax seal. Have you grabbed the flange and pulled on it a bit to ensure it is attached to the pipe and floor properly? I can't see any fasteners in any of the many available bolt holes provided to secure the flange to the floor (although it may be the angle of your pic).

I try to use only cast iron flanges because I have seen many plastic and thin steel ones break. Maybe it's time to call a reputable licensed local plumber (instead of the builder or his "plumber") and bill the builder for whatever repairs the plumber ends up making.


Can I run wiring into the right side of my panel, but wire to a breaker on the left side? I'm adding a circuit in my basement. The wires run to the right of my panel, but I'm out of slots on the right side of my panel. Can I tap into the box on the right, and run the hot wire to a breaker on the left? Or do I need to run the cable around the outside of the box and tap into the left side so the wires don't cross inside the panel?

Yes, of course you can. The ample margins on all sides between the breaker area and the wall of the panel is considered a type of raceway, and is precisely for that purpose.

What you cannot do is route conductors across the area where breakers are supposed to go.

There are those who say you should nip the wires back smartly so the panel is very neat.  That is nonsense.  Leave yourself enough length that you can move breakers around if you need to.  While some consider the extra wire length to be ugly, what I consider ugly is yellow wire-nuts all over the place because someone cut wires too short.

Do not coil extra wire (you don't need that much extra) or you will accidentally create an electromagnet.