How much solar can I get, and when/why would it require digging up the street? I recently got a couple of estimates for getting solar panels installed on our roof.  (I am in Southern California.)
The first installer recommended that we get 8kW of solar, and he said it would be no problem to install.
The second installer said that the maximum amount of solar we could get is 4kW.  He said that if we wanted more than 4kW of solar, this would require upgrading the wires from our house to the electric company (from 100 Amp to 200 Amp) and that doing so would be expensive and would require digging up the street to lay the new wires.
Any idea what the second installer is talking about?  I don't understand why that would be needed, because if electricity is flowing from the power company to us, the amperage shouldn't be any more than it is currently.  And if electricity is flowing from us to the power company, the amperage shouldn't be more than 33.3 Amps.  (8kW at 240V.)
Additional information:

Our utility is Southern California Edison.  (I called them to ask about this, but they said they know nothing about solar, and that we should consult with the installer.)

Both installers said that the breaker panel would need to be upgraded from 100A to 200A.  But only the second installer said that we would need to upgrade the connection to the utility (and thus dig up the street).  The first installer made it sound like our panel could have 200A internal capacity, and still just have a 100A connection to the utility.

Here is a picture of our panel.  (The breaker labeled "SPA" is actually the air conditioner.  The previous owners had a spa, but they removed it.  This breaker was unused, so when we had central air conditioning installed, we used the breaker for the air conditioning instead.)

Here is the label on the inside of the cover of the breaker panel:

You have 125A busses, so you don't need to replace your meter-main just to fit solar
As your loadcenter's labeling states, the busbars in the loadcenter are rated for 125A.  Applying the 120% rule from NEC 705.12(B)(3)(d) to your situation as your meter-main uses center-fed bussing instead of the normal end-fed configuration, we can feed 150A of power into the bus from both sources.  Given that you have a 100A main breaker to go with your 100A service from SCE, you have room for 80% of 50A, aka 40A or 9.6kW of solar, without having to make major hardware changes.
All the solar installer needs to do in your case, then, is replace the existing oven breaker with a BQC240250, landing the oven wires on the two outer poles and the solar feed-in on the two inner poles.
There are other things that you might wish to have done while someone's working in there
However, there are a few things that would be good to get out of the way while you have someone working in your panel.   Mostly, this consists of swapping the existing Challenger breakers for their Eaton BR counterparts (Challenger was tangled in several messes involving substandard electrical hardware, which leads people to cast aspersions on anything with their name on it, but the type C busbars are fine since they're a clone of the Bryant/Westinghouse design).
However, there is one more subtle swap I'd do, simply due to the congestion evident in your panel.  There is a BD1520 (Garage Front Lights/Outdoor Outlet Below Panel) and a BR120 (Laundry) near the top of your panel, and with a bit of swapping and consolidation, we can get a quadruplex breaker in there instead as well to provide a place to attach a future subpanel for more loads.  In particular, we'd need to replace one of the two A1515s (either Garage/F.A.U. or Plugs+Lights/Alarm) with a BD1520, swapping the Laundry circuit down to the new 20A pole in place of one of the 15A circuits.  Then, a wirenut and pigtail can be used to combine the serviceperson's receptacle at the panel with the Garage Front Lights circuit, putting them on one of the 15A poles of a BQC2502115 that replaces the BD1520 and BR120 near the top; the other 15A pole gets used for the 15A circuit that was displaced when we replaced one of the A1515s with the BD1520.
That way, you can have another 50A spare for a future feeder to a subpanel.  (You could do more, but you'd have to move circuits to the new subpanel to make room for the feeder breaker.  Barring that, you'd need to replace the existing local A/C disconnect with a 50A spa disconnect in order to preserve GFCI protection at the A/C as per the 2020 NEC, then remove the GFCI from the main panel, move the A/C feed to the 50A poles on the new quadruplex, and put a bigger feeder breaker in the hole the GFCI breaker left behind.  Anyone see why too-small panels are such a pain in the rear end?)


Diagnosing faulty ignition coil on lawn tractor Model: 13AM662F765 Engine Model: 283H07-0197-E1

I have an MTD lawn tractor, circa 2004, that hasn't been running quite right. The mower runs for about 10 minutes and suddenly stall. I would turn the key once and the engine would backfire. Turn the key again and it would start running again. After the initial stall, the mower only runs for a minute or two before stalling again. After running through some basic troubleshooting -- replacing spark plug, replacing fuel, checked fuel filter, checked air filter and few other things. I've finally arrived at the ignition coil and I believe it needs replaced. The spark at the plug appeared weak, so I tested the coil for continuity and didn't get a reading. I'm assuming that faulty wiring in the coil isn't producing the necessary spark.

It's several days later and I've since received a replacement coil. The new coil is much smaller, so I'm not sure this is the correct part. Tested the resistance on the new coil (10-12Ω). I decided to retest the old coil and this time got a reading of 4-6Ω. Why is there a difference in the resistance? Does it mean the old coil is faulty and the reason for the weak spark?

Replacement part: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Briggs-Stratton-Magneto-Armature-591459/205448695

It sounds like the coil goes open circuit when it gets hot. That's why you didn't get a reading when you tested it post-failure, but now you do.

I would say go ahead and install the coil. 15 years is plenty of time for the manufacturer to change the design of the coil, while still being compatible.


Is it reasonable to convert a general purpose motor and pump for a sump pump? TLDR: I have a 120V 1/4 HP general purpose motor with pump head attached (with female threaded connections for input and output).  Could I keep this pump/motor above ground and run PVC from the pump head input to the bottom of a sump tank?

I have drainage issues in my unfinished, dirt-floor basement - it is so damp down there to the point that the red clay soil is ALWAYS damp unless we have >1-month of no rain. I have been converting this space to a workshop (drill press, mitre saw, dust collection, mini lathe, hydraulic press, and storage of wood/metal materials).

I'm thinking of installing a sump pump as part of a solution/prevention.  I am also looking at the grading/slope around the house, drainage from roof, etc., but this question is specific to the sump pump.  I have seen the pedestal vs. submersed sump pumps, but I have never seen a completely external sump pump and motor.  I have several 120V motors with attached pump heads that I picked up extremely cheaply.  The motors are 1/4 HP and they're rated at 18GPM (gallons-per-minute)  I'd rather put one of these to use if I can rather than purchase a new pump.  I am considering keeping the motor and pump above ground, with a section of piping running down to the bottom of the sump collection tank. Does this sound feasible?  I can't seem to find anyone else doing this and was wondering why.  I usually find people hacking almost anything into a solution.

The pumps I have are basically a lower-duty variation of this:

Pumps where the pump mechanism (the impeller) is above the water line must be primed. So there is water in the impeller and no big airbubbles in the inlet pipe. If this is not the case then you can damage the pump.

You'll need a non-return valve at the inlet to prime it but if it leaks then you cannot keep the pump primed for any extended amount of time.

You could create a prime-on-demand mechanism where when you need to pump first a few gallons of water is used to prime the pump after which the pump can activate.

The cheaper solution is to run a shaft from the motor to the impeller (like a pedestal pump) or submerge the entire motor/pump. Only after taking precautions for waterproofing the wiring and ensuring adequate cooling.


Accessible electrical interface When wiring a room, it is customary to provide a central hub near the door, where all the wire joints occur.

Which is nice, but is still a nest of snakes to find out which is which in case of a problem. What I would immagine to be a cleaner solution, is a box with cover. When opened, it reveals joints, labels and ratings. An awesomely drawn sketch:

I am asking for either references to an existing device to facilite such setup, or reasons why that is a silly idea.

For what it's worth, in the United States, there are a couple problems with that method.

We have rules on "box fill" or how many wires are allowed in a box.  You have to run the proper numbers, but for a wild guess that's in the neighborhood, think 2 cubic inches per wire.  You might want to consider 120mm boxes since they allow about 40% more splices, but they're harder to get covers for.

You can't mix high-voltage and low-voltage in the same electrical box or conduit. For instance you see two boxes there, one's for high voltage, the other for low. If you distribute that around the room, you'll need 2 boxes everywhere.
It is illegal to cover up a junction box with construction work. Your tenant can park furniture in front of it.  But if you need a screwdriver or wrecking bar to get to the box cover - nope!  When you have a blank junction box like this, it tempts the homeowner to want to cover it up.
The ugly aesthetics of a blank cover can be solved by putting a receptacle there.  For some reason, blank covers offend, but receptacles are dismissed as a necessity.
You probably need a receptacle there anyway, since you must have them at certain intervals.  It's about the war on extension cords; presuming living-space appliances have 6' cords and kitchen appliances have 2' cords.  Many houses are grandfathered; this only applies to new builds and projects large enough to qualify as a "remodel".  I have only spent 2 years of my life in such houses.


Stapling wire during remodel? Probably a fairly silly question, but for peace of mind, when running/fishing wire behind drywall during a kitchen remodel, I obviously cannot staple the wire to studs unless I remove the drywall and/or cut out holes so I can reach in with pliers/hammer to get a staple in. Is it ok if the romex is floating/loose back there, and not stapled? This is for hardwired under cabinet lighting.

This is fine
Not stapling fished NM cables in remodel work is permitted by NEC 334.30(B) point 1:

(B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be
permitted to be unsupported where the cable:
(1) Is fished between access points through concealed spaces
in finished buildings or structures and supporting is
impracticable.

So, fish away, and don't worry about tearing up drywall to get staples in.


Furnace's contacts getting dirty The two copper wires inside our furnace, that are supposed to ignite the gas, get too dirty to do the job about twice a year... We then have to go there -- always at inopportune times -- remove two screws, pull the thing out and apply sandpaper.

Can anything be done to solve this problem once and for good (or, at least, for some years)?

Should I, for example, try to gold-plate the copper after cleaning it again with something like this? Or will the deposits simply settle on the gold just as they currently settle on the copper?

The device is a Peerless PureFire, about 9 years old. This is a "high efficiency" unit -- there is no "pilot light". Instead, the fuel (natural gas) is ignited by electrical spark.

There are other types of igniters but a plating will not help. Contaminants build up on the electrodes and this reduces the ability to create the spark. Dust and smoke in the air are the big sources. Since you know it needs to be maintained 2x per year the best option is to preform “preventive maintenance” clean the contacts prior to the heating season and maybe 1/2 way through. If the electrodes are cleaned when the time is better for you it would not happen when you need heat. 2x a year is more often than I have normally experienced, you may need a service on your burner to make sure it is burning clean and not part of the problem, electrostatic air filters also help to filter out things that can pass through most furnace filters but these need regular cleaning also (some monthly during heating / cooling seasons).


Portable generator won't start Cliched story, I know: I didn't use the generator (4 Stroke Briggs & Stratton) for a long time, and when I tried it, it wouldn't start.

I'd pumped the gas out of the tank after I last used it, but I probably made the mistake of not running it to empty, so I figured that would be the problem.

Not that I really knew what I was doing, but I took apart the carb (not a full disassembly: just taking the cover off the bottom) and dumped out the gas that was there, and opened the shutoff to flush the remaining gas out. Closed it up, added gas and turned on the shutoff, and it caught and ran... for a second.

Tried this again (opening, flushing) a bunch of times more, but IIRC it maybe sputtered to life briefly once more.

I changed the spark plug. I also opened the air filter cover, opened the choke, and sprayed with carb cleaner. Closed the choke,started it up... and it ran for a second or two before sputtering out.

Each time I sprayed carb fluid in it would run for a second or two. If I acted quickly and sprayed more fluid in right after pulling the starter, it would keep running, though I didn't keep going this way for any extended period.

From this, I presumed it meant gas wasn't reaching the carburetor. I took the fuel line off where it met the carb, put the line into a gas can, and opened the shutoff, and fuel ran.

So gas is presumably reaching the carburetor from the tank. And if I'm able to sort-of run the generator (for a short time) by spraying carb cleaner into the air intake, something is reaching the cylinder.

But I'm stumped. Could it be that I'm consistently putting the carburetor together incorrectly? The only real loose part that had to be put back in place was a small spring.

As gasoline evaporates it leaves a gummy varnish in the carburetor

Gasoline sitting for three years in the float bowl of a carburetor will surely lead to some varnish.  The hydrocarbons evaporate from the fuel and oxygen acts as an oxidation catalyst changing the remaining components into other compounds leaving varnish in their wake.

Varnish will coat and clog the inside of the carburetor.  Float bowl, floats, needle and seat as well as any jets the were submerged in the gas.

Clean the inside of the carburetor

I would suggest at the very least you remove the carburetor and take the float bowl off.  Get some carb cleaner with the little red straw/hose that you can use to spray into jets and and orifices of the carburetor.  Let it sit, do it again and use a bowl to capture the runoff.  You can let the carb sit in the bowl for a bit if there are trouble spots.  Use a toothbrush.  Get a thin piece of copper wire you can stick into any jets to ensure they are not clogged.  Those are your real trouble areas.  Take your time.  Be thorough or you will have to do it again.

If you have some extra carb cleaner you can spray it around inside your fuel tank to clean that out a bit too.  Spending a little time on the gas tank will pay dividends.

Replace your fuel filter.  They are cheap.

If the engine runs with starter fluid, that means you have compression and spark.  The last piece is fuel delivery.  Focus on that and you will be victorious.

Best of luck.


What is a durable, child-safe finish for a child's cot? I recently purchased a flat packed cot for my soon to arrive baby. The wood is plain without any paint or varnish. How best should I finish off the wood on the cot in a way that is both durable and safe for the baby?

Most modern enamels (aka "oil paints" or "alkyd paints") cure fully in 14 days, at least according to the product data sheet provided for the Sherwin Williams paint I just used for my friend's kitchen cabinets. Either way, an oil or water based enamel will provide a much more durable and resilient finish than a latex will.

I would suggest sanding the wood with 220 grit sandpaper, applying a high quality primer compatible with the final finish that you choose, and then a high quality water-based or oil-based enamel paint. I've really liked the results I've gotten with Sherwin Williams Interior Water-Based Alkyd and Benjamin Moore Advance Water-borne Enamel paints. They are true enamels, but clean up with water. Again, be sure to use a compatible primer. According to the attached technical data sheets, the waterborne alkyd paints take 30 days to reach their full hardness.


What primer should we use on a previously painted concrete wall? We are preparing to prime and paint over previously painted interior concrete walls. The walls have oil residue (from an oil furnace) that is embedded in the rough surface and we were unable to fully clean it off.  What primer should we use to create both a good bond for the topcoat and prevent bleed-through of the oil residue?

You do not need to prime a previously painted concrete surface. The oil residue will cause adhesion problems with any surface coating, including "problem surface" primers. You need to use a detergent (or TSP) and warm water solution with a scrub brush and wash the oil residue off of the walls, then rinse clean. Then apply a high quality paint with top of the line applicators.


Phillips (non-dimmable) 60W LED bulbs breaking in the light fixture I replaced all of my light bulbs (CFL's) with Phillips 60W LEDs when they were on sale with coupons last October 2017.  They claim they will last 13+ years if used  4hours / day for 7 days a week.  6 months later.... they are flickering in the lights (overhead ceiling fixtures/no dimmers).  When I take a look, the bulb has separated where the metal socket and glass bulb meet -hanging off the insides of the bulb and the interior white coating is missing in spots.
Home Depot has given me my money back for some... but they cannot explain what is happening to them.  Phillips is asking for receipts - which I do not have anymore.  I am about to ramp up my discussion with Phillips - but wondered if anyone else has had similar issues?

Many LED lamps are designed to ONLY be used base down because the LED "driver" (the power supply board that is the equivalent of the ballast in a CFL lamp) must be able to dissipate the heat. It likely said so in small font on the packaging, but you didn't notice or didn't realize what that means. In some cases the mfr is less than forthright about that though, and a quick look at Phillips' site makes me think they are in that category. When used in things like overhead fans where the base is up AND the air cannot flow around it, the heat of the driver cannot escape to the surrounding air and the glue holding it all together separates.

Read this; very informative. https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/readers--choice-2013--toyota-s-killer-firmware--epic-apple-fails--raspberry-pi--more/4423570/That-60W-equivalent-LED--What-you-don-t-know--and-what-no-one-will-tell-you-


How do I replace an axe handle? I have an axe with a damaged handle that needs replacing, but I don't know how to do it. What tools and techniques should I use to get the job done?

You'll have a couple choices when replacing the handle, you can either get a good Hickory replacement handle like this,

or a Fiberglass handle like this.

Comparing handle types is beyond the scope of this answer.

Either way the repair starts the same way, by removing the old axe head. This will likely be the most difficult part of the job, as the handle was installed to not come out.  You may be able to drill out enough of the material, so the handle will easily slide out. You could also try removing the metal and wood wedges (reverse of install) to remove the head, but sometimes the wooden wedge is glued in so you may not be able to remove it.  If the old handle was fiberglass, it may be easier to purchase a new axe. Removing the old epoxy can be difficult, and time consuming.

Once you have the old handle removed, the installation of the new one is slightly different depending on the handle you've chosen.

Installing a Hickory (wood) handle:

It's best to buy a replacement handle that includes everything you'll need to install it, which will likely come with a notch already cut in the top of the handle (so you won't have to cut this yourself). If you can only find a handle with a wooden wedge and no metal wedges, the metal wedges are available separately.

Start by sliding the handle into the axe head.
Next put the wooden wedge into the slot at the top of the handle.
Tap the wedge in with a hammer.
Cut, file, or sand off the excess wedge (it does not have to be perfectly flush).
Tap the metal wedges in perpendicular to the wood wedge.
Go chop some wood.

Installing a Fiberglass handle:

When purchasing a fiberglass handle, try to find one that includes the epoxy. If you can only find handles, the epoxy kits are available separately.

When installing a fiberglass handle, you'll have to make sure the hole in the axe head is clean.  You can use sand paper, or a small round file to clean the hole before installation.

Start by wrapping the caulking cord (that came with the epoxy) around the handle where the bottom of the head will meet it.
Push the head onto the handle, making sure the caulking cord creates a good seal between the head and handle (or you'll get epoxy all over).
Mix up the epoxy, and pour it into the top of the ake head.
Store the axe vertically (top of axe up) so the epoxy does not leak out, for up to a week (follow directions on epoxy kit).
Go chop some wood.


Ceiling fan works with rheostat switch but not with single pole In my leased condo, all of the ceiling fans are on rheostat switches even though the fans have three speeds from pull chain. I wanted to swap rheostat from the master bedroom's fan out with switch dining light fixture, which has only simple on/off single pole. But when I tried the single pole switch from the dining room on ceiling fan, the fan will not work.  I've now confirmed this by trying a non-rheostat switch on another ceiling fan.  Why would the single pole not work?

Also, the ceiling fan with rheostat in the master bedroom has a noticeable hum.  I've read that dimmers on ceiling fans can sometime cause hum, so I hoped to solve that problem with single pole switch.

The MA-FQ4M dimmer doesn't dim its output directly -- it's designed to communicate over the powerline with a compatible canopy module instead, which is why it didn't dim your chandelier.  It shouldn't cause your fan to hum when used with the proper canopy module, though -- I'd suspect that your real problem is with the fan itself (perhaps the windings are slightly loose inside the fan motor or something like that).

As to why the fan didn't work with a single pole switch, I suspect it's because the canopy module wasn't seeing the right signals to turn the fan on.   Either that, or you simply goofed when you wired the switch.


Name of this blanking plug I am trying to find this blanking plug, for a cable outside. It's flat and plastic

I found this on eBay however it has a bit that sticks out for the cable however I don't need the bit that sticks into the hole and guides the cable in.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/x5-White-Plastic-Hole-Tidy-Wall-Grommet-Cover-Cable-Entry-Exit-CCTV-SKY-VIRGIN-/264463777668

Does that bit come off? Or is there another name for this blanking plug/grommet with just the flat cover?

Just cut off the bit if you don't need it. How do you plan on securing the grommet to the wall if you remove the bit?


Why would a compact fluorescent lamp randomly turn off? I have a CFL in a desk lamp that I keep on for several hours every day. Recently, the CFL has been randomly turning off. There is no flickering before the CFL turns off like I am used to with incandescent bulbs when they are going bad. If I tap the lamp with my finger the bulb instantly turns on again.

Is this an indication that the bulb is going bad or that the lamp has a bad connection?

It's impossible to say for sure without inspecting the lamp, but it sounds like a bad CFL. Have you already checked to be sure that the bulb is screwed in securely?

You could use a multimeter to check for continuity through all of the wires to the socket (which can be difficult when trying to find an intermittent connection since digital multimeters displays don't update instantly, a meter with an audible continuity tone would be useful).

However, If this is a standard lamp with a screw-in CFL bulb, there's a simple test you can do that only costs a couple dollars (or may even be free if you have a spare CFL bulb in the house or can "borrow" one from a different lamp):

Put a new bulb in the lamp and see if it works.


Where can I get engineering info drafted for a custom header? We’re building a shop ourselves and keep failing the shear inspection because we don’t have the engineering results to send to the city engineer. He said our wood supplier should be able to draft that with some special software but they can’t apparently, so I need to figure out how to get that done.
The header is basically two 2x10 Douglas fir boards sandwiched between two 2x6 Douglas fir boards. I’m assuming they need to know the failure point and distribution over the 108” span, but I’m not certain.
Anyone know where I can get this information? I really appreciate your help!

The city wants design documentation stamped by a licensed Professional Engineer.  For off-the-shelf components the supplier may be able to provide a generic stamped design and as long as it's installed and assembled according to the plans, it will be acceptable.
But it you are building a structure with lumber or other piecemeal components, the design itself needs to be stamped.  No "special software" will cut it.  It needs to be an engineer licensed in your state.
For what you appear to be doing, basically building up a structural member from components, it will need to be analyzed and stamped before it will pass inspection.


Toilet flange concreted into floor, replacement? I've got a toilet on the concrete floor. The old flange has rusted and disintegrated at the hold down bolt slots. But the flange is actually cemented into the floor. I think my #1 option is to cut off the entire metal flange and then screw a more traditional PVC flanged into the floor. Is there another option I should consider?

You have several possibilities. My recommendation would be to cut the flange and install a new flange in side the cast pipe something like an oatey  43539  20$.

By cutting the old flange out this will allow the toilet at the same level as the previous one.

there are some thin metal repair flanges that fit over the existing cast but my experience with these is they do not last and cost 15$ the cost difference 5$.

I have also used a wire welder to repair a flange in the past where the flange was installed in the middle of a bend (directly welded no straight pipe at all) my option was to weld it up or cut the slab to repair and after grinding to clean metal I was able to weld it up sliding a piece of thick copper under it when done the copper slid out and I had a space to drill and tap new holes , so far this has held up for + 5 years.

There is always the least desirable option to cut the slab and replace using a fernco or “no hub” and change to plastic but the set and twist from oatey would be my option.


How should connect my light to the wires in these three cables? My house was built in 80s. I have a light fixture I want to mount with live (black)and neutral (white) and ground. Question is the two white wires bundled are neutral. The other 4 are confusing. 3 of the others have paint markings indicating they are hot and one black wire with no paint. I wired it wrong cause the light turns on but at the switch won’t turn off

You probably have a standard switch loop and a cable that goes out to another part of the circuit.
It's basically this with an extra cable coming in, which would simply be connected by color to the supply cable wires.

You'll have to do some sleuthing with your multi-meter to see what's what.


Converting a timer switch to basic switch I'm replacing an old timer switch to our closets and there is a blue, black and white wire attached to the old switch.  Do I need a three way switch or do I get a normal switch and cap the blue off?

To me it looks like your switch requires a neutral; if your new switch is a snap switch (aka regular light switch) cap the white wire off. The black and blue don’t matter on a snap switch and can be on either brass screw; one is hot the other is the load.


How much seam allowance should I have for drywall joints? When hanging drywall, how much distance should I allow for seams? Do pieces fit flush against each other, or do I leave a gap? This is for USA construction, in case there is some code for such consideration.

When hanging drywall material it is not necessary to leave a seam allowance between sheets. The main concern is to make sure that pieces fit up together without forcing into place. Forcing can cause edges to breakout and create an uneven surface when you come to do the taping.

I just also checked a SheetRock brand installation guide from USG for their gypsum wall board materials and they also are not recommending a "seam allowance".

On the other side of the fence you want to avoid leaving large gaps between sheets as well. These can be really problematic to get good results trying to bridge large gaps with tape and joint compound. My recommendation is to have no gaps larger than about 1/4 inch (5mm).

An exception can be made for certain types of joints that are to be trimmed over with edging. For example on an outside corner or in a banded door opening it can actually be an advantage to hold one corner of the drywall from the overlapping side as shown below. The space left makes it easier to line up the edging material on the corner when the walls and/or framing are not nice and true.


What kind of skylight would allow the most light and heat into my home? I live in Canada. I want to bring in more light as well as heat into the living space. I have a standard 8' ceiling. Are there any products that will allow the heat from the sun into the house as well as the light?

The bigger the skylight and the clearer the glazing, the more light. In your climate you are likely to lose more heat by conduction than you gain by radiation. You will need to get a skylight with insulating glazing of some sort. This reduces heat lost by conduction but still allows almost as much gain by radiation. The best solar gain is had by orienting the surface towards the winter sun, not the summer sun. At your latitude, this is closer to vertical than is practical for a skylight. A sort of "solar scoop" could be constructed, but you will likely lose more heat from the extra wall area than is gained by the increased angle.


Toilet noise after a flush After a flush, it whines and makes high pitched noises when filling tank up. Time for new stuff?

In some cases it may be rust scale or gravel in the valve , flushing the valve may fix it. Turn the supply off open the top of the fill valve some twist some have tabs. Remove the top put a glass or jar over the top and turn the water on, some tiles it is amazing how much grit comes out, turn the valve off reassemble and see if this fixed the problem it has worked for me many times.


How do we properly clean a tumble dryer? There were a couple of chocolates not removed from the pockets of my trousers when I threw it into the washing machine for a spin.

After the wash, I threw the trousers (among other clothes) into the tumble dryer for an hour and a half.

When I took out my clothes, the entire tumble dryer reeks of chocolate. I've cleared the filter of the tumble dryer (there were literally small broken pieces of chocolates and wrappers stuck there) but it seems as though most of the chocolate had melted onto the walls of the tumble drum. I suspect that some small broken chocolate pieces had even made their way into the gaps separating the tumble drum and the tumble box itself.

In short, the whole thing is in a mess.

What's the best way to properly clean a tumble dryer?

I would wipe down the inside of the dryer with soapy water to remove any chocolate that could come in contact with your clothes as this should prevent any of your clothes from picking up stains.

As for the chocolate that might have made its way past the drum, there's no easy way to remove this without disassembling the dryer, but I wouldn't really worry about it too much.  If you were to take apart your dryer, you'd likely find all sorts of debris in there.


Wiring a Z-Wave 3-way auxiliary with neutral from other switch? (w/ diagrams!) I found my question difficult to phrase, so I mocked the wiring diagram up in Photoshop.
I have a 3-way switch setup like so:

I am going to upgrade this to a Z-Wave enabled pair of 3-way switches with dimming, but both switches would require a neutral to function. Easy for switch #1, but since switch #2 is on a switch loop, it doesn't have a neutral available from the 12-3 I ran to it.

However, it is in a receptacle which has power for a different 3-way switch (to a different light) that is further along on the same circuit. What I want to know is, is it ok for me to draw power for the neutral from the line that feeds switch #3 (proposed wires illustrated in purple below)?

It SEEMS to me like that may be ok as it is just connecting to the same conductor at different places, but I would rather be safe than sorry and ask more knowledgeable folk before buying the product and just wiring it up.

Practically speaking, this arrangement should work without an issue, as everything is on the same circuit and a smart-switch isn't going to draw enough current to significantly heat a metal box by induction.  However, there are some very sticky Code-compliance issues involved with funky neutral routing -- the 300.3/300.20 mess is not at all clear, and if you have metal boxes, what you describe is technically a Code violation unless you modify the box to put a slot between the switch-loop cable and the incoming-power cable.

A plastic box, though, is immune to these sorts of issues...but the neutral not being in the same cable as the hot could still be seen as a 300.3 type of issue by the AHJ.  So, you're on the right track, but double-check with your local electrical inspectors to make sure that they won't ding you on this!

Of course, running a 12/4 instead of the 12/3 for the switch loop lets you run a neutral with the loop -- simply connect the switch loop's neutral to the smart switch, and then do not connect the incoming-power neutral to the switch loop's neutral in the loop-end box, or else you'll definitely be violating 300.3(B)/310.10(H) due to the inadvertently looped/paralleled neutral!

And while you're at it with the walls open -- run a 12/4 for the other switch loop -- the NEC has a requirement for the neutral to be present now, even if you aren't putting in a "smart switch" straight away.  (Just wirenut it off at the unused end if you want to keep the dumb switch there)


Transition from wood laminate to concrete 3/8" down What should I put down to transition  wood laminate to concrete floor 3/8" down?  Last owner did a DIY rehab it seems, and they just left a bare edge of the wood tile with a visible gap under it - looks tacky and I imagine is probably susceptible to problems.  I have a hardwood threshold but not dead set on using it - something thinner might make more sense given the step down.

Your run-of-the-mill reducer should do the job. This type usually comes with a steel channel that you'd anchor to the concrete, then you simply tap the piece in place.


How do I install a "Lite in the Box" (brand) faucet? I have a Lite In the Box kitchen faucet that provides two flexible supply tubes for attaching to water supply. These supply tubes have two o-rings on the faucet end and are attached last in the installation process since the mounting adapter is too small in diameter to allow the tubes to pass through. The pictures from the company web site show the tubes being installed last into the mounted faucet that must have been hand tightened.

Given this problem and no experience with supply tubes like these I want to be sure I understand the installation and that these sorts of tubes will not leak using the installation method. There is a requirement for an adapter to attach these tubes to the existing plumbing which is separate.

This is very standard mixer tap setup. Basically you run the flexible piping through all the holes etc that you need to do to connect it to the main. You do this before you have fixed the mixer in place. Then, you feed the two small ends up through the mounting hole on the kitchen sink and screw them in.

There will be a long bolt with a slot for a flat-headed screwdriver. Make sure that is installed as well (tighten with a screwdriver so it's tight).

Then you put the mixer with the three attachments (the two flexible pipes and the threaded bolt) flush with the basin, and facing in the correct direction.

Then, using a tube spanner (available at any hardware store) you screw in a butterfly fitting and the nut from beneath. This will hold the mixer tight against the bench top. A tube wrench is important because otherwise it's typically impractical to do up the nut tightly, due to limited space and the length of the bolt.


Holes in basement floor We have a couple holes in our basement floor that I assume drain to the sewer, but they're not covered. A guy installing our water heater recommended covering them so we don't get sewer gas or something. We stuffed plastic bags partially down them for now, but wondering what a more long term solution would be.  Is it acceptable to fill them with concrete?  Are they there from a heater or something from a long time ago or do they stool serve a purpose? (The house was constructed in 1920.)

http://imgur.com/JfxjIOh

We want to at least level the floor, but do we need to leave this open?

We're in northern Minnesota if that matters.

To be on the safe side:

Contact a local plumber and request that he scope the drains.

Plumbers equipped with a snake camera can inspect the drains and tell you if there is any damage or blockage. I would highly recommend you go this route especially if you plan on finishing the basement.  Do not put a floor over these holes until you know for sure what they are.
If you want to try and DIY, call a local hardware store that rents out these drain cameras. The draw back is that since you do not have the experience, if you find something questionable you'll need to contact a plumber anyway.
If you are really set on finishing the floors and are going to do it despite recommendations here be sure to leave some sort of access door / trap door in the event of flooding.

Good luck.


Can I tie in bathroom vents with turbine roof vents? I want to vent my 2 bathroom fans into one of my roof
turbine vents.Can it be done and not pose a mold problem?

If you did this then the roof vent would no longer be venting the attic space and would only vent the bathroom. This would likely lead to higher temperatures in your attic which could result in a lower level of comfort in your home and reduce the lifespan of your roof.


Dangers of a Grounding Conductor I recently moved into a new apartment and I have a dog that roams the space freely, I was wondering if it was at all dangerous if he were to touch this grounding conductor from the electricity meters?

The copper rod looks like a grounding conductor, typically located outdoors amd pounded 8 feet into the earth.

In some juristictions newer code allows (or even prefers) the rebar frame within the foundation to be used as a source of ground instead; this conductor could be connected to that.

No current should pass through any grounding conductors under normal circumstances, but if there is a problem they can carry full line voltage, and current up to the limit of the breaker or fuse protecting the problem circuit.


Do I need a ground for a new 240 volt 20 amp circuit? I ran a new 240 volt circuit to operate some motorized equipment. The equipment has a 3 prong grounded 240 volt plug. My source however doesn't have a grounding strip. Would it be better to not connect the ground wire to anything on both ends.

My source is a dry transformer with a neutral but the neutral is not grounded. The building is a mower/ maintenance shed for a golf course built in the early 60's. The source to the building from the utility is 277y/480 volts mostly to run the irrigation pump. I think the building was added as an afterthought, therefore the dry transformer was added to provide power for outlets in the building. Two 480 legs and 1 supposed neutral provide power to the high side of the dry transformer. When I arrived on the scene, I discovered that the neutral is not used and is just floating. The secondary coils were paralleled to provide 120 volts only to the entire building. I since then have successfully split the coils and now have 120/240 to the whole building. So in answer to the question on grounding, I don't know if the main breaker at the meter has a good ground for the entire building or not because it is locked up(key issue?). At any rate, like I said the neutral on the secondary side of the dry transformer is not grounded and all individual 120 circuits going out from this panel have a hot leg and neutral only -no ground wires.

If you're in the United States, a grounding conductor is defiantly required for all new work.

If the system was installed before grounding was required, you're not required to update the system and add grounding when the code changes. However, if you add anything to the system after the code change, you must do so in a code compliant manner.  This might mean bringing the entire system up to current codes, or at least enough of it to allow the new work to be code compliant.

You might be able to simply install a proper grounding electrode at the building, and use that to ground the circuits on the secondary side of the transformer. You'll have to contact your local government to find out if that's adequate, and also to have the work inspected to insure it's done properly.


How to ground a plasma cutter Just bought a Zeny 50 plasma cutter and I've never used one before. I will be using it outside in a paved area. Where should I ground the big alligator cable? Should I stick a copper pipe into the ground and clip it to that?

The ground clamp should be connected to the (electrically conductive) workpiece that you're cutting.

Make sure you're wearing all the proper safety equipment (gloves, eye protection, flame retardant clothes, etc.).
Work in an area that prevents others from coming too close.
Work in an area away from flammable materials.
Make sure you are familiar with the operation of the equipment, and safety gear.
Have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Don't burn yourself or anybody else.


How should I mount a 10 ft 2x6 as a wall shelf? My living room has a wall with a 10-foot-wide alcove, which has a set of windows that share a Craftsman-kinda window trim with a 2x3 capitol - maybe not the correct term, but see picture.

I have a 10-foot-long 2x6 board to attach above this, as a shelf. (I think it goes better with the trim style than a 1x6 board). But that’s heavy obviously so what method is good to attach it to the wall? Brackets? Pocket screws?

The wall surface is probably 1 or 2 layers of drywall or that grainy, concrete-looking wall stuff that’s in the kitchen.

So, the good news is that you almost certainly have solid wood all above the window to fasten to. This makes it a good candidate for blind shelf supports. (Google, but rockler sells them...)

Alternately (and cheaper), you could have inverted L brackets. Paint the top legs wall color and you'll stop noticing them. Only your fussiest visitors would notice. It's up to you to decide how sturdy you need, but if you find that you haven't got enough to be comfortable, simply add a few more.


Why won't the fan run independently of the air conditioner? I have central air and heat, with a Nest thermostat. My system has Y, G, R, C and W wires coming out of it:

which are wired into my Nest like so:

In between, there is a splice where the C wire is spliced with electric and another wire runs from that splice back to the C hookup:

And then the other wires are spliced with a new set of the same color:

The heat and cooling work fine. I just can't get the fan to run on its own. What could be at fault and how can I diagnose it?

I would first try touching the R and G together at the thermostat board (the wires coming out of the wall) and seeing if the fan turns on.  If it does, then all the wiring is correct.  If it doesn't, then I would try to do the same thing with two short wires that have been attached to the thermostat control board R and G terminals.  If it still doesn't, then the problem is in the furnace.  If it does, then you have a loss of continuity somewhere between your thermostat and your furnace on the G wire (because the heat and A/C work, so the R works).  I don't have a Nest myself, but I know that not all thermostat systems make it obvious how to run the fan without cooling or heating.


How can I repair a ceiling fan that hums, but doesn't turn? The ceiling fan/light has power. The lights work, but the fan doesn't turn even though it hums.

Why is this, and how can I fix it?

I just wanted to post what worked for me. There are some common issues that can easily be fixed if you hear a hum but it does not spin.

The switch used to reverse the fan direction (not found on all fans, typically found on the side of the fan when present) is between the two settings. Move the switch to either of the two settings.

The bearing has seized. If you open the fan up, take the motor apart, there is a bearing that spins the fan. Spray that with some WD40 and it will fix the issue (this fixed it for me).

The fuse is gone. There will be a small fuse that needs replacing, this happens when the power gets too high for the fan.

The wires have become loose. Check to make sure that the soldering is secure at the ends of the wires to where they connect to the coils.

The motor is covered in dirt and dust. Take the motor apart and vacuum out all of the debris.

Hope this helps someone.


Can you trip a breaker from a different circuit? Update:

Thank you everybody for your input. Turns out, it had absolutely nothing to do with my shoddy wiring job (which I'll be cleaning up thanks to everybody's input). There was a switch on the opposite side of the hallway from my work that had a broken ground.

Background

I had a wall outlet wired like the one below. I wanted to move it over about 4 feet, so I bought some electrical wire and used it to extend the existing wire.

()

As you can see, it was two wires that needed to be extended.

Here's how I spliced the wires:

Basically, I twisted the bare wires together, then pigtailed them, wrapped each pair in electrical tape, then electrical taped the bigger white/yellow line pairs together.

I bought a new, standard duplex outlet and wired it up so that one extension wire was wired to the top outlets and one was wired to the bottom. I pig-tailed their grounds together with a third bare wire and connected the bare wire like this:

Problem

Everything was working fine for a few hours and suddenly a breaker on a different circuit tripped, shutting off the lights in the adjacent hallway. The new outlet that I had just installed still worked just fine.

Originally, I didn't break the metal break-off tab on the new outlet. While troubleshooting this, I broke it, still experienced the problem, and now the bottom plug doesn't work while the top one does.

I also tried swapping breakers to eliminate a bad breaker as the cause, but that didn't help, either.

Questions

Is it possible that my wiring job caused this other breaker to trip. If so, how?
If it is due to my wiring job, what can I do to fix it?

Edit - Panel Pics

I can't figure out the problem yet.  Here's what I do know. And I have to save it because I can't visit chat without losing this.

So even though this isn't an answer answer, I find when troubleshooting problem A, if there are unresolved issues B, C and D out there also, they complicate things in unexpected ways, making it much more difficult to be sure where the problem is.

The old junction box MUST remain

It is not legal to remove that junction box.  You are required to make all splices inside junction boxes, and cannot bury them inside walls (splices or junction boxes). Every junction box cover must be reachable without use of tools of any kind. You can make your extension splices inside the box, whether it has a blank cover or a receptacle.

It can have a blank cover, unless...

You need a receptacle within 6' of any point on a wall

You need to follow this wall its entire length between thresholds, (including around corners) and make sure there is still an outlet within 6' of every point along the wall.   So, within 6' of a threshold and every 12' thereafter.   This rule is because standard lamps and appliances have 6' cords, and you need to be able to route the cord hugging the wall (no cutting corners).

If you didn't have that situation before, the old situation may be grandfathered (legal now since it was legal when installed or modified). The rule with grandfathering is you can't make things worse.  So if any area of the wall lost coverage because of the move, then you need to retain the receptacle at the old position.  (You can still have the new one).

Mechanical execution of work

The lower picture looks perfectly proper. Wires must be 6" long past the cable clamp, and stick out 3" beyond the wall surface; don't get any shorter than that.

2 circuits or not?

If the first photo is of your actual box, it indicates that all wires are feeding the same socket of the receptacle.  That means we can exclude "2 circuits" or "split switched outlet".  For sure, the two blacks in the old photo are spliced to each other via the outlet.  Ditto the two whites.

This means only one circuit is in play (assuming there are not wiring defects elsewhere) and you only needed one cable, not two, to extend this circuit.  The other cable is superfluous.  At the old box, all blacks can be joined at the old box with a wire nut, and all whites ditto.  That will also reduce wire fill count to a sensible number.

If you need a receptacle at the old box, either avoid using the receptacle as a splice and use a pigtail to attach to the receptacle.  Or use a "screw-to-clamp" type receptacle which gives four wire points per side.   Do not use backstabs (as in first picture), because backstabs cause nuisance problems, with opens or arc faults; but also, backstabs can't work with 12 AWG wire, which is your yellow cable there.

The box must be large enough

For instance it appears your old box will have

four 14 AWG wires (judging by the backstabs) which take 2.00 cubic inches each
four 12 AWG wires, 2.25 c.i. Each
Pigtails are free
a bunch of grounds (which count as 1 of the largest wire) so 2.25 c.i.
cable clamps (which count as 1 of the largest wire) so 2.25 c.i.
if you have a receptacle, 2 of the largest wire connected to it.  (4.50 c.i. If yellow jacket #12 wire is involved, otherwise 4.00 if using #14 pigtails.

If you need more cubic inches, before grabbing the claw bar, google "surface conduit starter box".  It's for launching surface conduit out of a flushmount box, but if you only use it for cubic inches, I won't tell :)


Washer & dryer lost power after the main breaker tripped Some background. I am in a mobile home trailer type thing (not RV, this is stationary) in a mobile home park.  Yesterday the main breaker tripped. This house has one on the inside in the electrical panel, and one on the outside rated 100A - the 100A tripped.

I'm not sure what caused it, we had our dryer going, swamp cooler and TV/lights, etc.  Nothing we haven't done before.  Anyway, it tripped and I reset it, things were fine, except our washer & dryer aren't getting power.  They are on two different circuits, which I have tried resetting the breakers for with no luck.

The dryer has the special plug that I can't actually test, but the washer runs off of a normal outlet that I confirmed wasn't powering anything else, so for the washer at least I have ruled out a mechanical failure.  I have also reset the 100A breaker outside the house again with no luck.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can tell you to help diagnose this problem.

I have another album with some detailed pictures with the panel off, maybe someone can spot some damage?

Looks like the breaker labeled "Clothes Washer" is tripped. Turn it all the way to the OFF position, then back ON.

When breakers trip, the handle doesn't always flip all the way to the OFF position.  Depending on the manufacturer, they typically flip to a "tripped" position that's somewhere between ON and OFF.  If you push the tripped breaker handle towards the ON position, you'll feel that it's not solidly in the ON position.

To reset a tripped breaker, you often have to shut it off, then back on.

The dryer breaker doesn't look tripped, but try turning it off and back on.

NOTES:

The giant gaping hole in the main panel, should be covered with an appropriate filler plate.


What kind of glue can I use to attach a laminated poster to a wood frame? I have a 50" x 36" laminated poster that has a propensity to curl. One copy of it curled so much that it bent the foamcore on which it was mounted. I decided to mount a different copy of it on a wood frame that I built. (The frame has four verticals and two horizontals, and is made of 3/4" square-cross-section sections of wood.) The frame is slightly smaller in both dimensions than the laminated poster. I would like to glue the poster to this frame, and hang the frame on the wall.

My question is what sort of glue to use that will bond the surface of the laminate (without damaging it) to the wood. I don't know what kind of plastic the laminate is made from.

UPDATE

Here is a picture of the frame overlaid on the poster (map). Obviously I plan to attach it to the rear :-)

If this poster has potential value either sentimental or monetary I would reccomend framing it like you would a photograph. Based on the size I would use lexan /plexiglass to cover it. The problem with using glue is the wood will expand and contract with humidity changes, the poster will stay the same size. This will result in buckles when the wood shrinks or the adhesive will pull away as the wood expands.


Stuck padlock without key - its attachements to the door seem stuck, how could I remove it? I recently lost the key to the padlock for the door in the garage. This was installed by the previous owner. Don't have a duplicate of the key and could not find the original I've lost.

So I tried padlock picking after watching some videos, it looks like padlock picking requires some minimum training / skills, some feeling, sense of doing it right.
I tried to use wrenches to damage/break the padlock, but I have very small space to operate, after 10 / 15 minutes of trying, I gave up, could not find a proper position for both wrench to get enough force ( like you can see , there is not so much space between the door and the things in the circle in red ).
I tried removing these things attached ( circle in red on the photo ) which keep the padlock, the door, and the wall fixed together. But for some reason they would not totally come out my way ? Like if they were not entirely straight, with some angle that makes them stuck or something. Not sure if I have tried hard enough on both at the same time. But it looked really stuck at some point.
I thought of borrowing or renting a grinder, but I would like to avoid that - would be a last solution.
What could be done ? Could you tell just by looking at the photo ?
Any help / advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

A set of bolt-cutters of an appropriate size should be able to cut that shackle without too much trouble.  It appears to be a relatively cheap lock.
Alternatively you could also easily cut either or both of the eyes that the lock is holding.  Those are just bent mild steel.


Can I break up stones and overlay soil to grow lawn? Ideally I would like to have this an all-grass yard. I am looking out a window of the house and can't add soil on top or the grade would point towards the foundation. All these rocks are 3-6 feet from the house.

I was wondering if I could fix it by breaking up the first 4 inches of all the rocks and cover with soil. Would I need more than 4 inches, less? I would drill into them using masonry bits and drop in some of that expanding foam stuff and remove the excess slowly over time. There are about 10 more rocks not shown. Could this be done DIY over the course of a spring/summer/fall? Would it even work? Better options?

I don't think that expanding foam stuff will split granite.  (Looks like granite in your pix)

To directly answer your question:  If you can break up the rocks, then go for it.  I think you need 6" to lay decent grass.  Normally grass will send roots several feet deep.  The areas where there is thin soil over rock will turn brown earlier in the summer, tend to grow more slowly, be more sensitive to over/under fertilization.

So:  If you can, remove the rocks completely.

Your pic looks like some of them are flat rocks that were laid in place.  If so, buy a rock bar (think 6 foot long straight prybar) and sink it into the ground beside one, put another rock as a fulcrum and pry.

The narrow one sticking out further back I suspect is the upper edge of a chunk of bedrock.  While you might be able to remove it, I suspect it's more work than it's worth.  How about putting a ring of earth around it for a flower bed.


Led fan light flashes when off Hi I installed a fan light in my bedroom. The wiring diagram was simple just add an extra wire. Tap into the live wire before the switch and run it out of the fan control into the port provided on the fan. It all works fine. However all night the led light flashes. About every 5 minutes even though it's turned off.
What is wrong. Tia

The answer likely is get a better bulb.

I couldn’t follow your installation description exactly, but the “fan control” and the bulb are not compatible with each other.  The control leaks a little bit of current when it’s “off”, that builds up in the bulb and dissipates with a flash.

Pick a name brand (Phillips, GE, etc) bulb that is labeled as “dimmable” (even if you aren’t dimming).  This caliber of bulb quality should solve the problem.  The electronics or driver that coverts voltage for the LEDs is just too cheaply/poorly made in the bulb that you have, it’s fine for circuits with physical switches, your “fan control” isn’t a physical switch tho, it’s an electronic switch that leaks trace current thru the bulb.


Less than 24 volts on the thermostat C wire We have a brand new air handler at work, but the thermostat is mounted on a wall next to a server/computer room which is always warmer than the rest of the office.  I want to install a thermostat that allows for the use of a remote sensor.

The C wire is hooked up at the air handler, but is snipped short at the thermostat.  There is plenty of slack for me to add more wire.

The voltage between R and C is only 15-16 volts.  The air conditioner and gas furnace work perfectly fine.  Is this lower amount of voltage alright for use with a modern thermostat that requires the 24 volts flow on the C wire back to the air handler board?

Update:

Model: N8MSN0701716A
Supply Voltage: 18 to 30 Vac or 750 mV

I don't think the thermostat will work with the current wiring setup.

I have 28 volts between the R and Y terminals, but 15 between R and C; at the thermostat.  I don't see a splice of any sort with the C wire, but who knows in the walls or in the drop ceiling between floors.  The Y terminal is spliced at the air handler before it enters the Y terminal on the board.  I would have expected the voltage drop to be between R and Y, not R and C.

Think twice before you do that, and talk to your sysadmin.  Do not do anything which would compromise the cooling in the server room.

If you don't like the balance, consider "portable air conditioner" units which dump the cool into the server room and the waste heat into the office space.  We had a big industrial unit, and it worked rather nicely.  Now they exist as consumer grade units for a few hundred dollars, so you could get 3 or 4, and only lose a little cooling if one fails.


LED bulbs failing alongside fluorescent tubes I have four LED GU10 lamps in pendant fittings on the same circuit with six fluorescent tubes in my workshop, all 240 V mains. I have noticed high failure rate in the LED bulbs.
I think this could be because of an interaction with the fluorescent tubes.
Should they be on separate circuits, or do I just have a batch of poor quality LED bulbs?

Are the GU10 lights embedded in the ceiling as downlights? Most downlights haven't been redesigned to use LED's vs halogens and therefore have no air circulation since the hot bit (LED and driver electronics) are withing the ceiling cavity. This trapped heat wasn't a problem for halogens but are a massive issue for solid state electronics with high temperatures causing premature death. The reason why the fluorescent  tubes haven't failed is because of their higher surface area and the fact they are surface mounted on the wall rather than in the wall and therefore stay cooler.
This problem is compounded by manufacturers using the same heatsink for the their entire range of GU10's regardless of wattage. 2W to 6.5W all have the same heatsink area since it's cheaper for the manufacturer to bulk order one part rather than 3 to 5 different sizes. Therefore the 6.5W GU10 bulbs often fail much sooner as they get much hotter.
My suggestion would be to buy bulbs with a long warranty (some have 5 yrs like the Philips LEDspot ExpertColor GU10) and just ask for replacements when they inevitably go bang. Other options are installing more downlights and using 2W bulbs rather than 5W bulbs which should last longer and produce the same amount of light or using downlights designed for LED's with a greater heatsink area on the hot end - these are sadly rare.
EDIT: Pendant fittings also have a similar issue to downlights if there is no air circulation. Here is an engineering approach to the problem but I doubt it would please any any interior designers. The principle is the same though - heat is the enemy (Although massively simplified you can blame Arrhenius for this fact).
Ensure your pendant has adequate air circulation.


How should I seal a 2 inch gap between my driveway and garage slab? First time posting. I was caulking the 2in wide x 16ft long gap between my driveway and garage yesterday and I screwed it up. I cleared most debris out then put play sand as a base. Then I put foam backer in there but I suppose it wasn't deep enough. It was taking a lot of bottles of caulk to fill the gap. Now the foam backer has risen to the top of most of it. Its basically a covered caulk rope.

Should I just rip out the foam backer and place a new one in there lower down as a I can? Then put new caulk on top. Will I even be able to do that at this point? I was trying to get away with not using as much caulk but it looks like that backfired.

Any advice is welcomed. Thanks!

I'm not sure caulk is the right approach in the first place for a gap of two inches. There are commercial products that do a good job (seen in cases such as pre-cast building walls), but you'd need the appropriate applicator tool and large quantity of material. Typical caulks are only suitable for gaps of up to half an inch or an inch, depending on the product. I'd be surprised if any claim usefulness to two inches.

I think I'd use asphalt patch mix. Clean out the channel to 3" of depth, rinse and compact with water, and install using a suitable tamping tool (a sledge hammer and 2x4 on end to set, flat to finish).

If both of your slabs are concrete, consider renting a diamond saw, cutting the channel to 12" or so, and pouring a proper slab segment with a few bags of ready-mix.


wire size for a 150 amp sub panel from a 150 amp breaker added to a 400 amp main panel I have a 400 amp Siemens main panel it has a 200 Amp breaker to the house and a secondary 150 amp breaker added to run power to a metal building approximately  150 feet from the main. what size wire should i use to compete this? Also grounding the panel to the building and to the ground rod what size wire would be adequate? And can i use a bolt to run thru the base rail of the building to complete the ground for this?

For your 150' run depends on whether or not you use Copper or Aluminum (aluminum being cheaper).
You would need

Copper        1/0 @75 degrees C or better 90 degree c
Aluminum  3/0 @75 degrees C or better 90 degree c

http://www.cerrowire.com/ampacity-charts

Grounding Panel to the building - the following article gives a more complete answer than I should write here.

https://fyi.uwex.edu/mrec/files/2011/04/W4.-Biesterveld-NEC-grounding-MREC2010.pdf

NEC code section 250 should be of some help to you.


Why does a GFCI breaker trip when another breaker is accessed? I just bought a new house, and on the first day there realized a breaker was tripping. It is one of only two GFCI breakers in the box. It's 20 amp with a bedroom/bathroom on it. I tested every outlet on that circuit to make sure they were wired correctly, and they were. I reset the breaker and thought it was fixed.

Long story short, as it kept tripping and I kept investigating, I realized that it trips whenever something is plugged in to a circuit controlled by another breaker (one with my back porch, family room, and bar top outlets on it). Within the breaker box they are on top of each other: the GFCI that trips is above the regular breaker that seems to be causing the tripping. Only the GFCI trips, not the regular circuit breaker.

What would you all suggest?

From the description, it sounds like the neutral may be shared between the two circuits, which you can't do with a GFCI. The GFCI is looking for an imbalance of current on the hot and neutral lines, so if the neutral is shared with another circuit, there will be some current returning on the neutral that did not go out on the hot.

If you can trace the circuit and find the connection between the neutrals on the two circuits, and isolate them, that would be the easiest and cheapest fix. If the neutral is shared via a multiwire branch circuit from the breaker and can't be split, you can change the gfci breaker to a standard breaker and install a gfci outlet after the neutral splits for the two branches. And I'm also seeing two pole gfci breakers which would allow you to replace the two breakers with one that provides gfci coverage to both circuits and should handle the shared neutral, which may be a good fall back option if you can't locate the shared neutral.


Intermittently losing power in one leg of a Zinsco Panel I am 90% sure I am losing power to one leg.  Unfortunatelly, I have not had an outage since I discovered that three breakers on the same leg were un-tripped and losing power (5.7v on each). I initially thought it was one "bad" breaker and after power returned I cut the main breaker, removed the wire which looked good, scraped to get shiny copper, applied a dab of DE-OX and reattached.  All of the wire screws are tight and the box looks good. After the power went out a third time  I checked the internet more thoroughly for multiple breakers losing power.   It may be my service line shown in the attached photo which I should fix as I get severe salt air.  Is it likley to be the service line?  I need to do a little more research before I try to check continuity between the frayed service line and the problem power leg.    Any additional comments.  Thanks

First off, look at your weatherhead.  That funny little gooseneck the powerlines go to. There's a crimp there on each wire.  The crimp, and everything between the crimp and the pole, is the power company's bailiwick.

You can't really measure there, but you can measure at the top (line side) of the main breaker.

Turn off the main breaker to prevent crosstalk and feedback from influencing results.   Now measure

From Hot L1 to Hot L2 (should be 240V)
From Hot L1 to Neutral (should be 120V)
From Hot L2 to Neutral (should be 120V)

If that is solid, then turn your main breaker back on, and turn off all breakers that are 240V, or handle-tied, or have a red wire going to them.  (Zinsco is unique in that a "duplex" double-stuff breaker can actually be a 240V breaker; that is the only panel capable of that trick.)  240V loads will contaminate test results, because they are a resistance between the two poles.

Now, check the numbers again.

If you see the 240V number being less than 240V, that is a lost hot wire.  If you see any 120V numbers being above 120V, that is a lost neutral.  You can limp along with a lost hot, but a lost neutral is a true emergency.   Turn everything off ASAP!

If you see any lost wires, call the power company and report an outage.

We have field reports of the power company discouraging people from reporting outages, by cross-examining you with questions like "Do your lights work"; their job is to screen stupid people to avoid false service calls.  If the above tests prove an outage, then you need to "lie" your way past the gatekeeper and get the truck out there.  It's not a lie: the outage is real, it really is in their bailiwick, and your lights really are out because you tripped the breakers to prevent damage.

When the truck is out, be sure to point out this damage  you show here.  I have a feeling the pole-top splice may be in equally deplorable condition, and if it looks bad, the lineman could potentially fix it, call the job done and drive away, leaving this one unnoticed.  Don't let that happen.  Meanwhile stay away from it.


How to fix a sewer pipe leak in a prefab concrete floor My house is built with prefab concrete slabs for walls and floors. These have been prefabricated with most of the plumbing and electricity tubes pre- installed inside the concrete.

While redoing the bathroom I drilled an 8mm hole right through one of these sewer pipes in the ceiling (I think it must be PVC since the part coming out of the ceiling is PVC). On the floor above we have a washing-machine and two bedroom sinks connected to this pipe (all pipes are inside the floor). If we open any of these taps, the water comes through the hole.

How can I fix this? Do I really have to break away the concrete or could I get away with plugging the hole with silicone kit (being careful not to block the pipe above with excessive kit). Would it become a problem if the concrete keeps getting wet near the leak?

If I really have to remove the concrete, how should I do it? I guess that when I use a jackhammer it would only cause more cracks and leaks in the pipes?

Another option might be to saw the large PVC pipe, and try to fix the leak from the inside of the pipe, maybe with polyester or some epoxy type of product?

Edit: the pipe appears to be about 55 mm deep inside the concrete and is about 80 mm in diameter. The floor/ceiling is at least 200 mm thick (rough guess).

Edit 2: After talking to a professional contractor, his advice was to use some kind of chemical plug with two components. I don't know what the components are but it did sound convincing, and I'm willing to give it a shot if it saves me breaking up the whole cealing (which I can always do afterwards if it turns out to be a flop). He'll be doing it for me next week if I agree (special tools are needed, so it would not be economical to do it myself).

You're not going to like the answer, but the way to properly fix this for good is to break up the concrete, cut out and replace the damaged section of pipe.

There are a variety of ways you could break this up.  A sledge hammer, a hammer and chisel, a SDS drill with a chisel bit, or a larger chisel like a Brute.  If you have a ton of time on your hands, you could use a standard hammer drill and drill tons of little holes around the area to remove and then break it up with a smaller hammer and chisel.  The concrete should not crack outside of the immediate area you are working on. As for the pipe, yes you might damage it further but you need to replace a section anyways.

Once repaired you would add new concrete and replace the finish (hard to tell from the pic).

Any other fix is unlikely to be permanent or without compromise.


How to fix a (bathroom) door that keeps swinging closed? What is the best way of fixing a door that keeps swinging closed?

My bathroom door won't stay in the "full open position", which is becoming more than an annoyance.

The problem became worse recently. My 9-year-old nephew was going to use the bathroom and I could hear him slamming the door a couple times trying to get it to close. After that I found a small piece of wood on the floor. It was a thin piece of wood, like part of one of those paddle sticks used to stir pain. I don't know if that was put somewhere (maybe near the hinges?) by the contractors at some point to prevent the door to swing closed.

Regardless of that mysterious piece of wood, what would be the best (by Do-It-Yourself standards) way of fixing a door that keeps swinging closed?

To clarify, the door closes well and stays closed. But when you leave it open, no matter the angle (sometimes even with the "full opened" angle/position), it slowly goes almost to the "closed" position. It doesn't shut closed by itself. It remains ajar, which is what increases our chances of us bumping into it.

You described two problems. One, the door not latching closed easily; two, the door swinging closed by itself. These may or may not be related. ...

1) If the latch and latch hole in the frame do not line up horizontally, then you may need to adjust the position of the latch hole and/or file the hole in the metal latch guide to enlarge it slightly. A Dremmel or similar tool is very handy for this repair.

2) If the latch and latch hole in the frame do not line up vertically, then the two problems can likely be fixed with shims behind the middle and the upper or lower hinges, depending on whether the door latch needs to move up or down.

2a) If you shim to where the latch works but the door is still moving by itself you can put a hammer to the hinge pins to give them a slight bend - they can handle a pretty good blow and the bend is barely noticeable. This will put a small amount of resistance in the hinges to keep the door open.


Is it safe to pour concrete and use mortar in freezing weather? I have a 1947 cape (Cape Cod style home) in New England.  The basement egress walls which are made of unfilled cinder blocks and run parallel to the house under the porch are caving in.  I thus have to have them broken up and have new walls built--of cinder blocks, rebar, and filled with concrete, layer by layer.

Because of the freezing weather, I had thought that I should wait until spring or summer to have this done.  However, one person I have spoken to has told me that there is no need to wait for the spring thaw.  Because of the headache of the current egress collapsing, I am very wary of anything that could weaken the new walls, and so am uncomfortable with the idea of pouring the concrete for the egress walls in the winter.  I have read that it is possible to pour in freezing weather, but the process seems rather elaborate and uncertain.

So, my question:  Is it generally a bad idea to pour concrete in freezing weather?  Should a rebuild such as this be done after the threat of a freeze? As to freezing weather, it's difficult to predict how cold it may get, as it's been a warm winter.  It will get as low as 16 degrees F this week during the late night and early morning hours, but in past years has gotten much colder than that, and may this year.

Yes, you can pour concrete in freezing weather, but it’s complicated.

First of all, you’re talking about “grouting” cinder blocks, not pouring concrete.

There are many sites you can Google for “cold weather concreting”. I’d stay with a site that refers to ACI standards. Here’s one:

https://www.concrete.org/Portals/0/Files/PDF/University/306R-16_excerpt.pdf

Many of the procedures for cold weather concreting is the same as for mortar and grouting AND may require a “tent” over the work area so you can heat the work space.

I would only attempt this with an experienced cold weather concrete contractor. I’d also review procedures with him so you both have a clear understanding of what is expected by the contractor if: 1) the weather turns colder than normal, 2) time delay maintenance of construction site waiting for weather to change, 3) costs for extreme cold weather delay, etc.

I’d also define the lowest temperature the contractor can work in and who will monitor the site to verify compliance with: A) thawing of ground (if you’re pouring on ground), B) maintaining air temperature around work site during work and curing period, C) maintaining drum temperature, etc.

As you can see, it is possible to work in cold weather, but it’s expensive AND risky. The contractor knows he’ll be working slower and doing less than working in warmer temperatures...so he’ll increase his cost to account for the risks. You may want to wait for better weather.


How can I remove adhesive/glue from bricks? My wife and I bought our home 2 years ago and we recently had water damage in our basement. After getting a sump pump and drain installed, we decided to redo the basement which includes a fireplace. The previous owners of our property decided that it would be cool to cover their fireplace with mirrors (I don't recommend doing this). I was able to remove the mirrors but the bricks are left with adhesive/glue residue.
What is the best way to remove adhesive from bricks? I tried a few different chemical solutions that yielded no results.
I was able to scrape off some of the glue with a putty knife but the brick is left with 'light' spots and the wall would look like a dalmatian (light spots at random intervals). Is it better to sand down the entire fireplace so that the color is consistent? What's the best way to sand brick?

Yeah, that's a tough one. You don't want to damage the brick, but the adhesive has already done that.
What I would suggest would be an angle grinder to flatten the adhesive, and then painting the bricks. If painting them all isn't ideal (i.e. you want bricks, not a painted wall), pick some brick-like colors and paint the ones that are damaged. As long as the paint is matte, it shouldn't be terribly noticeable in the room. People will chalk the color variations up to the brick schema.


Installing window a/c unit Recently we enclosed our garage and finished it off into a bedroom, but it is not cooling well. Since window a/c units are not allowed to be exposed on the exterior of my home, I am considering installing a window a/c unit that I already have to a wall that has an attached storage closet with concrete floors. Therefore, the backside of the window unit would be in this closet. I could put a bucket underneath to catch the condensation and empty regularly.

I'm not sure if this should be a concern, but there is an electric water heater in this same closet that would be about 14' away. Does anyone know if this is a safety concern or am I ok to move forward with this project?

Thank you for your consideration.

Once you jam that closet full of heat, the head pressure will start to climb on the A/C unit. Then the unit will start to go out on high limit.  Then it will just die. The butt end of a wall air conditioner cannot be installed in an enclosed space.


How to finish room with protruding concrete ledge/foundation? I am finishing a basement room and have a concrete ledge which is part of the foundation. It protrudes into the room about 2.5 inches and is about 6 inches high. This ledge is the result of a particular way of pouring the foundation which results (as I am told) in higher ceilings in the basement, but leaves this rather annoying ledge. (See photos).

Apparently there are multiple ways of working with this type of thing, which I learned from looking at similar homes in my neighborhood: Some people frame the walls inside the ledge completely, effectively shrinking the finished room by that amount; others have framed up to the window sill height and created a shelf in the room at that height.

I've chosen to maximize space in the room and finished the walls above the ledge intending to create an exaggerated baseboard around the concrete ledge. However, exactly how to do that is proving difficult.

First, the concrete thickness (protrusion into the room) is not consistent. It's 2.5 inches in the middle, but is nearly 2.75 at one end and 2.25 at the other. Whatever I cover it with will have to compensate. The height of 6 inches is fairly consistent.

Next the concrete is not smooth, there are many small protrusions which will have to be worked around or removed with a chisel or hammer.

Finally, I'd like to have a small measure of insulation so that the room is isolated from the cold concrete.

So, I've come up with two ideas that might work:

A. Use an adhesive to attach dense insulating foam, about 1/2 thick, to top and side of ledge. Attach MDF to these surfaces using adhesive, and router the corner to a rounded edge. Prime and paint.
B. Rip some 2x4's to a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness and attach to ledge face every 16 inches, using concrete anchors. The thickness of the 2x4 would vary so that the end result is square with the room and makes up for the irregular shape of the concrete. Attach MDF to these. Fill air gaps with expanding foam insulation. Finish MDF with with a routered corner, prime and paint.

I'm not sure if there is a better or common way of building around such concrete ledges. The heart of the question: Is there a recommended way to build around a concrete ledge like this?

Factoids that may or may not matter:

The basement is at ground level.
The room is 11 ft. by 9.5 ft. (105 sq. ft.) The ledge is only on two exterior sides.
The flooring will be laminate.
The existing walls are insulated, framed, and already have finished drywall with texture and primer.

Update:

I decided to go with plan "A" and thought I would post an in-progress picture. Thanks for the suggestions and tips.

Update:

For those interested, here are some pictures several years later. I installed cabinets and notched the bottom/back to install flush with the wall. It protrudes inside the cabinet, but not overly so. Notching was quite a bit of work. The ledge doubles as a footrest. ;)

We had an almost identical situation in a former garage that we refinished to be an office. Our contractor suggested this and we liked the result: he installed a piece of wood about an inch out from the concrete, putting insulation between them and keeping the wood a consistent and level height - a little higher than the concrete. I can't remember if it was pink fluffy insulation or spray stuff. Then a shelf about 6 inches out from the wall - nice and level by being a bit up from the concrete and supported by the vertical wood, and there's insulation under the shelf too. The whole thing is a good looking clear pine and is well varnished.

Looking from the side gives an idea of the distance from the wall:

The shelf runs around the entire room and is remarkably useful for something so low. It hides all the lumpy bumpy aspects of the concrete and while it's not something you see everywhere, no-one has ever mentioned it so it can't be that unusual.


Can I insulate PEX pipe in a crawlspace with fiberglass insulation? I have PEX pipe hung under the floor joists in my crawl space. I am inclined to cut fiberglass wall insulation R-14 into strips and run it under the pipe.That will encase it as the floors are well insulated. (R-19 above the PEX & R-14 below) Would that be as effective - less effective - more effective than putting foam insulation around the exposed sections of PEX ?( I really don't want to pull the hangers that attach the pipe to the joists)  The cost of insulating this was would be negligible but I don't want to create any moisture problems? The crawl space has a good vapor barrier on the ground. the insulation in the joists has no paper backing.

Should work fine-ish. Use more UN-Faced insulation to avoid moisture problems.

It's only fine-ish (rather than fine) because the pipe is more than halfway through the total insulation, leaving it somewhat subject to freezing if it gets cold in the crawlspace.


What is the recommended thinset when tiling over concrete? I am about to start tiling a concrete area of my home about 220 sq feet. I was wondering if there is any specific type of thinset I should be using for a concrete surface. The tiles will be 12x12" ceramic tiles.

I use this type of Flexbond for concrete applications - well most applications.  This will isolate cracks up to 1/16th of an inch.  Also this stuff really bonds well to concrete.  I know that you can buy that $10 bag but I wouldn't skimp on the thinset.  I can say I have done a lot of tiling and not a crack yet (knock on concrete).

Also want to mention that I end up doing a lot of glass mosaic patterns (even in floors) and this stuff (get the white for glass) works great.


Is it possible to install a 1/2" collet on my palm router? I initially bought a router (this router) for some door hinge mortising.  Now I need to route a few 1"x1" channels in some MDF.  The 1" x 1 1/4" bit I need has a 1/2" shaft, but the collet on my router is only 1/4".  Here are my questions:

Can I get a new collet that supports a larger bit?
If I can, should I?  I guess I am thinking about torque and my router's engine here.

If I can, should I?

I'm guessing that your idea is to make a single pass with the router set to a depth of 1".

For your project, I would not recommend the single-pass approach in MDF, or any analogous material for that matter, even with a 1/2" shank router bit with spiral flutes designed to clear the shavings out of the dado.

Instead I heartily suggest making several passes at increasing depths, removing perhaps 1/4" of depth or less on each pass.  For this, a 1/4" shank 1" diameter carbide bit would be adequate if you dropped the bit into the collet as deeply as functional, perhaps pulling it out a ways, if necessary, for the final pass.

Better yet, hog out the bulk of each of the channels in several passes with a 3/8" or 1/2" diameter router bit, then make a final pass at full depth with your (still super-sharp) 1" diameter router bit to obtain your precise width and depth.

Hope this helps.

FWIW: I'd skip the rectangular tubing and router approach.  I'd use flat stock and cut wide kerfs that are 1" deep using a long strait-edge clamped in place and a skill saw with a heavy (thick) blade that will cut wide kerfs (e.g. 1/8" wide kerfs).

FWIW #2:  Whether you use lengths of tubing or flat stock, your door will still be prone to warping, even if you embed lengths of metal stock in multiple orientations.  To counteract the tendency to warp, you'd need to embed a rectangular metal frame.  ... or don't embed anything: use lockset hardware similar to that which is used with French doors.  That hardware will secure your door at the top and bottom, keeping it flat.

FWIW #2a: If you don't believe FWIW#2, prove it to yourself by gluing some bamboo skewers in the pattern of your choice to a sheet of heavy paper.  Once dry, you'll find that the paper is quite flexible (warp-able) even without bending the bamboo skewers.


How much weight can a floating floor tolerate? I'm considering laminate floor for my kitchen and dining room.  I ran into a site that says "don't put the laminate under counters, as it will pinch and keep the laminate from expansion and contraction.
How much weight will it float with?
We have LOTS of bookcases in our house.  Nearly every wall has at least one, and often two.  My office has 3 book cases and 2 filing cabinets.
Room 1: Kitchen
Kitchen:  South wall has two 4 foot wide counter sections, stove and fridge.
4 foot aisle
9 foot long island containing two drawer units, a door unit, sink, and dishwasher.
6 foot aisle
Wall with bookcase, pot shelves, and a 5 foot low cabinet with a counter top slab on top with microwave and small industrial mixer.
Room 2: Living room
Two 8 foot high book cases full loaded (hardbound books) separated by 18 feet length wise planks between.
Room 3. Dining room
Hutch (base and shelves) and two 4 foot book cases on one wall, two 3 foot book cases on the other side, and a 400 pound 3" thick wood slab dining table.  laminate parallels the sides.
It occurs to me that for borderline conditions:

A: do not use an attached underlayment. Friction between the smooth laminate bottom and the underlayment is likely to be lower than the friction between underlayment and sub floor.

Use of a dry lubricant, such as talcum powder or graphite between the underlayment and the laminate.

Use an underlayment that has a sealed surface (but breathable) that is smooth.
Or do I need to reconsider and not use any form of floating floor?

Let's not reinvent the wheel here. No need to lubricate your floor. The key is that every room should allow movement on both axes. You wouldn't want to pin the flooring under cabinets because they're often installed on opposing walls.

Regarding your bookcases... If they're not built-in units, don't worry about it. Folks use heavy furniture, aquariums, etc. on floating floors all the time. If the floor can move elsewhere it's probably fine.

Be sure to acclimate the flooring well. Even one pinned side along with severe moisture or temperature change could cause problems.


Installing cardboard deflectors (baffles) in attic Goal

I need to install 75 cardboard deflectors (baffles) in my attic. I need to do this so that the cellulose does not go into my soffits.

Current Setup

I brought myself up three sheets of 2x10 plywood planks that I will setup for me to lay on. The attic  currently contains insulation batts with an R 5.9 value. It is quite low and that is why I'm going to fill my attic up with 14 inches of cellulose.

I have a head lamp and some staples to help with the insulation.

Problem

My issue is I am not sure if I should remove the existing pink insulation in order for me to staple the baffle and then put it back to its place... Or can I just set my cardboard flush / on top of the existing batt and staple it to the attic joist so that it is a flush fit?

Also, there doesn't seem to be much room at all, how in hell do I get in there and install the baffle? I'll be laying on my stomach of course, but it seems that my head will be blocking my body from being able to play around in there.

Any suggestions?

The baffles should go in between the rafters against the inside of the roof boards. They should extend from the lower soffit end, centered between the rafters, as far up as you expect the insulation to fill in.

Your description about the existing fiberglass insulation batts seems to imply that these are installed between the attic rafters. If that is indeed the case I guess you would have to remove those before installing the baffles. If those batts are currently installed all the way up to the top of the rafters then you should remove some of that so that the upper end of your baffles are open to the cold air space where the air above the added cellulose insulation can circulate and travel out through your roof vents, gable vents and/or ridge vents.

The whole idea of the baffles is to allow for there to be a free path for air to pass from the soffit (which should have adequate vents itself) up along under the roof material and pass out through the upper area vents as described above.


Cutting a hole in asbestos/cement siding I'm thinking of buying a house. The outside is covered with asbestos siding. The house was built in the 1920s, but I have no idea how old the siding is.

I know that this stuff is supposed to be safe as long as it's not crumbling, but at some point I might want to make holes in it (to add a kitchen or bathroom vent, or maybe even add a window). Using grinding tools seems like exactly the thing you're not supposed to do, but what other options are there?

I've worked in the asbestos regulation industry for years and I can tell you that it's easy to go overboard with hysteria and fear. As the homeowner, you're entitled (within limits) to do what you want with your asbestos as long as you don't endanger others by causing an air pollution hazard or waste disposal issue.

That being said, carefully grinding a hole through a few asbestos shingles is not going to be problem if you contain dust within a simple plastic enclosure, or a stream of water. Pretend you're working in an archaeology museum and you MUST keep dust to an absolute minimum. After that, just bag your material and throw it out with your regular waste. You are entitled to certain minimums after which you must treat these materials like hazwaste.

Check with local municipal regs beforehand. They're likely on a website.


Hot air gun / paint stripper for melting plastic I'm not sure if this is the right kind of question for this site, but I thought that people here are more likely to know the answer.

I'm looking for a hot air gun in order to melt plastic - mostly acetate, but perhaps thicker materials later on - such that it crumples up, or perhaps even burns very slightly. This is for artistic projects such as building sets. I'm not sure exactly what type of tool is needed for this, as craft shop hot air guns tend to be for tasks such as embossing, and probably aren't hot enough. On the other hand, I'm worried that a paint stripper might be far too hot. Perhaps even a simple hair dryer would do the job?!

Some of these tools describe their temperature - is this generally the temperature of the element, or of the air at the nozzle? A device with a variable temperature setting would be good, but I need to know roughly what range I'm looking for.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

While the lower end hotair guns often only have one or two settings, the more expensive models offer variable increments (I've seen units that do 50 degrees and a commenter mentioned 10 degrees; each model will be different so review the specs).  The temperature spec gives the output temperature.

Start low and increase the temperature as needed to melt the plastic.  Do this in a well vented area as the fumes can be toxic.


Combining multiple electrical runs into a single wire I have a warehouse-type space with 14' ceilings, and am updating the electrical for my workshop. Right now, I've got four workbenches that I move and reconfigure depending on what I'm working on for a particular project. Each workbench has 20A of power (each one has one of those 4' multi-outlet power strips), which I'm currently supplying via extension cords from nearby outlets.

In a perfect world, I want to get these cable runs off the floor and use a ceiling drop to distribute power. At the moment, I've got 4 lines running to a box in the ceiling, and was about to hardwire some 25' entension cords (with strain relief, of course) for the drops. However, short of zip-tying a mess of cords or wires together, is there any way to combine these four separate circuits into a single cable, then breaking them out into four separate curcuits again at the bottom? It'd be awesome if I could just wire four 12/3 runs into a 2 or 3 gauge cable, then magically redirect the electrons to one of four 12/3 edison outlets at the other end. But I don't suspect that exists. :)

I suggest doing exactly what TechShop does.  They hang conduit in the ceiling, and above each expected workspace area is a 120/240V twist-lock power connector.  From that, a cord drops down supplying power to the workbench. (In their case a 4-outlet box dangle on strain reliefs giving two 120V circuits in an MWBC configuration.)  I have to believe that arrangement is code legal, since the facility is tip-top and generally a class act, and it leases space from Ford.

You say "warehouse type space" which means commercial rules may apply, mandating conduit not Romex.  Be careful here, conduits can only hold 9 current-carrying conductors (hots or neutrals, except neutrals don't count in MWBCs) before you must derate amp capacity or use larger wire. That's because a stack of tightly packed wires at rating make a fair bit of heat. If I expect to be near limit, I'll hang 2 conduits instead of 1.


How to clean fireplace grout? Please see the attached photos. I'm not sure what is even in the grout but it appears stained green-brown with mildew maybe? I used an electric power drill grout brush attachment (see picture) with vinegar to no avail. Do I need to go out and buy a dremel?


What should I do about a gap between a quartz countertop and backsplash? I had new quartz kitchen counters installed yesterday. On one side by the cooktop there is no gap between the counter and backslash. The other side, by and behind the sink, was left with a gap between the counter and backslash! One side looks great and other looks unfinished!

My concern is that water can spill easily from the faucets to that area and seep   behind into the gap and cause water damage or mold to grow in the pine wood cabinet below.

How do I resolve the gap issue? Should I grout the gap using a color close to the (tan) quartz? Should I caulk it with kitchen/bathroom caulk? Or using clear, or white, preferably tan, silicone to fill gap? I would have to then do all lines between the counter and backslash in all areas to accomplish a consistent look: would that be OK?

Did the countertop installers also install the backsplash? If so call them back and have them correct the issue. That seam should be sealed for appearance and to prevent any water from getting in there.

If the backsplash was already there it could be that they did a poor job leveling that section of countertop or the backsplash wasn't level.

Either way, call them in to look at it and correct it. Might just need to run a bead of caulk and they'll have the right color to work with the stone you selected.