What is involved in installing a free-standing electric oven range? My current oven just plugs into a big outlet in the wall. It's a giant three-pronged outlet. But all I need to do to get the oven to work (when it works) is to plug it into the outlet.  I am now ordering a new oven online, since the old one has broken. They offer an installation service, but money is tight and I don't want to buy it if not necessary.  I have people to help me lift the oven if it's just about lifting the oven, and people to take away the old oven. But will there be electrical issues to deal with, or will the new oven just have a plug and plug into the wall like the old one?

In most cases when you purchase a free-standing electric range, you'll be required to purchase the appliance cord separately.  The sales person should ask if you need a 3 or 4 prong cord, at the time of purchase.

NEC Article 250.140 Frames of Ranges and Clothes Dryers. requires 4 prong receptacles and appliance cords to be used in new installations, but allows 3 prong receptacles to be used  if the following conditions are met.

1) The supply circuit is 120/240-volt, single-phase, 3-wire; or 208Y/120-volt derived from a 3-phase, 4-wire, wye-connected system.

This will almost always be true in a residential setting.

(2) The grounded conductor is not smaller than 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum.

It's not likely your wire will not meet this condition (unless it's really old).

(3) The grounded conductor is insulated, or the grounded conductor is uninsulated and part of a Type SE service entrance cable and the branch circuit originates at the service equipment.

Again, the supply cable will almost always meet this condition in residential.

(4) Grounding contacts of receptacles furnished as part of the equipment are bonded to the equipment.

This just means that if there are receptacles on the range (I havn't seen this in many years), they must be bonded to the chassis (which should have been done by the manufacturer).

Plugging in a new electric range will not require the circuit to be brought up to current codes, so you should have no problem using a 3 prong appliance cord (in most situations).

It's a good idea to get somebody that has some experience with electrical work to install the cord, since improper installation can lead to injury, fire, and death. The basic idea is that you don't want to restrict conductivity in any way, so you'll want to make sure the terminals are tightened to the proper torque (a conductive paste is sometimes applied to insure adequate conductivity).

While you may be tempted to save a few bucks using the old appliance cord, this is usually not the best idea.  Over time the cord may become brittle or develop corrosion, which can both lead to increased resistance, which leads to excess heat buildup, which leads to failure and/or fire.  It's not worth the risk, spend the ~$20.00.

Make sure you read the manual before installing the range, and follow any and all manufacture instructions.


How to install a ceiling lamp that doesn't have holes I bought a floating lamp,

I started building everything, when I noted that the holder doesn't had any holes to fix it on the roof.

This are the "instructions":

Here you can see my issue :(

This is a close up to the PLASTIC holder, only a small hole which is to keep a cable floating

This is a picture from the inside of the holder

This is the hole of the cables:

You take up the cable to the right length using the bracket in your last picture. Then you can pull the conical cover up. When I've used these, there's always been either (i) a little plastic screw in the hole you can see at the bottom of picture 3 or (ii) some form of friction clip built into the point of the cone.


What is this old 1/16" thick floor-covering, and how do I remove it? We recently pulled up the carpet in our bedroom, and found this gray covering over the wood subfloor, which seems to be adhered to the wood with a black adhesive (some previous owner scraped away a small portion of the gray/black stuff off the wood, but it covers most of the floor). We are going to install new hardwood in this room, and we were told that we should remove the gray covering due to moisture getting trapped there.

First, any idea of what this might be, and what kind of adhesive? The house is older (built in 1928), but we don't have any idea when it was installed or what it is. It doesn't seem to feel quite like linoleum, and it's not that thick, maybe 1/16 of an inch. It appears to have stained with water spots in places.

Second, how should we go about removing it? Given the age of the house, I assume that it is likely that this substance contains asbestos; is there a safe way to remove it? Or, if it is too risky or too difficult to remove, is it possible to install hardwood flooring over this?

Like I said, some previous owner did try removing some of it, but only removed maybe 10 square feet, and may have given up after that. The lines around the removed spot are rough and jagged, looking like pulling up that portion wasn't easy.

Unless you have your heart set on using the wood floor under the old sheet goods I would cover it. As you suggest it may contain asbestos. I would use floor leveling compound, available at home centers to fill in the low spots where the old surface was removed. Then you can cover the entire floor with what ever material is suitable underlayment for your woodfloor be it floating,prefinished or solid wood.


replace fireplace switch with nest thermostat I have a fireplace wired up to a switch (simple off/on), and I want to throw a Nest thermostat on there.

It has a black and white wire coming out of the wall. I think the white goes to the W1 and the black goes to the RH?

I may have to run a common wire as well I read.

But is there any risk replacing the switch? Do I have my hook up correct?

You need both a transformer and a relay to do this

The Nest cannot switch a millivolt system on its own, even when supplied with 24VAC, as it has solid-state output switches instead of mechanical relays.  Hence, you'll need both a 24VAC transformer and a 24VAC fan relay in order to control your fireplace from your Nest.  The transformer secondary goes to Rh and C, while the relay coil is connected to W and C, and the relay contacts connect to the existing switch wires.


Why doesn't my dishwasher power on? I couple weeks ago, I had an electrician come in and remove two wires from two circuit breakers from the main panel. Those circuits power a sub panel across the basement. I found out that sub panel had a circuit breaker for the gas oven/stove and a circuit breaker for the dishwasher. I reconnected the wires to the two circuit breakers on the main panel.

The stove/oven works fine. The dishwasher doesn't turn on.

I bought a new dishwasher, because I thought there was a problem with the dishwasher, but the new dishwasher won't turn on either. I find it unlikely that the old dishwasher stops working at this time AND the new dishwasher doesn't power on, so I'm assuming it's a problem with the electricity.

I have a voltage tester, and it indicated that there was power going to the dishwasher. Would a dishwasher not turn on if there weren't enough amps? I plan on borrowing a multimeter from a friend today to check the amps going to the dishwasher. If there's not enough amps, would I have to run a new line to the dishwasher?

Thanks,
Jim

Edit:

I just tested the voltage and it came up with 8 - 11 volts. I checked the outlet next to me (on another circuit) to verify it was working correctly, and it showed 110.

Do I have to rewire?

I believe the electrician also disconnected another wire, from the neutral bus bar, in addition to the "two wires from two circuit breakers" you mentioned.

Follow the two you mentioned to where they exit the wall or the main panel and find a third there.  That (white) one is probably not connected to anything, but should be connected to the neutral bus bar.

Here is my rational:

Stoves use two hots.  Old stoves especially, only use two hots to operate.

Dishwashers need a hot and a neutral.

If the electrician disconnected a sub-panel, he probably did it all the way, not just the hots.  You should check for and reconnect an uninsulated ground conductor as well if its loose in the main panel.

If the neutral was not connected, the stove would work, and the dishwasher not.


Merging two water supply lines I am planning the remodel of a master bathroom that currently has a bathtub and separate but small shower stall.  I plan to enlarge the shower and do away with the bathtub altogether, leaving me with an extra set of 1/2" supply lines.  Should I just cap the extra set of lines, or would merging the two sets of 1/2" lines into a length of 3/4" or 1" pipe provide any advantage in terms of increased water flow/pressure to the new shower?  Assuming that the inputs on most shower valves are 1/2", I would probably have to use a reducer to mate the relatively short length of larger supply line back up with the valve.

If you are going forward with the remodel to the extent that you describe the walls will probably be open so you can see where the existing water lines are routed. Due the proximity the existing tub and small shower it is likely that they are plumbed from a common feed line anyway.

I would recommend that you remove the no longer needed branches in the line.

You did not specify but there is a possibility that you may need to reroute the water lines to accommodate the new shower location anyway so this is an opportunity to make a clean installation that minimizes the amount of piping runs.


Master bath faucet leaks when using other showers or when running dishwasher I have a master bathroom pretty much next to a second bathroom upstairs. Lately I noticed that when the 2nd bathroom shower is being used the master bathtub faucet leaks. I guess the same thing is happening when the dishwasher is running as well. What could be causing this or what can I do to stop it from happening?

Assuming you have an anti-scald mixing valve then it sounds like the seal (gasket) inside the bathtub faucet's cartridge could be compromised.
When the water pressure is full force (no other faucet diverting pressure) then the gasket is being sealed by the water pressure but as soon as a tap is opened then it alleviates enough pressure for the tub valve to fail.
You probably need to replace the cartridge in the tub faucet.
Even if it's not an anti-scald valve you need to investigate the gaskets inside the faucet.


Mounting Acoustic Foam in a rented flat I'm looking for a reversible way to mount my acoustic foam on the wall.

My current plan: using Sanitary Silicone from a cartridge.

This is in the hope that it would both stick easily and is relatively simple to remove in the future.

Is this a mistake? are there less damaging ways to do this?

I'm not sure how much weight this is, but if possible, I'd go with Command Adhesive strips. For example. (These are pretty common; just check Walmart or similar.) These are basically perfectly designed to avoid damage to rentals, and removal is simple. Each strip holds 4lb, so a quick weigh should tell you how many you'll need per foam piece. If you're worried about them attaching to the actual foam, remember that you can use more permenant methods to attach the strip to the foam. (Needle and thread could even create a mechanical attachment.)


Adding a pilot light to a light switch I want to add a pilot light to a light in my basement. I want to position the pilot light upstairs so when I'm upstairs I will know if the light has been left on in the basement. I'd like a recommendation on the simplest way to complete this.

Depending on your setup you may find it more convenient to do as Ed Beal suggests but instead of installing a pilot light put in a 3-way switch with pilot light. This way when you find out the basement light is on you don't have to walk downstairs to turn it off.

Remember that you will need enough conductors in the cable for the hot, neutral, travelers, and ground. And that you will have to swap out the switch downstairs for a three-way (no pilot).


Dryer Cord ground prong removal I have a Roper dryer and the cord that it has does not configure with the plug in on my wall. So I went to Home Depot and the guy that helped me handed me the cord he said I needed and when I got home I took a look at it and noticed that the cord he gave me was a 4 prong and my outlet is a 3 prong. Now my question is... I was told by some people that it is possible to remove the full circle prong and then use it as a 3 prong. Is that correct?

The 4-wire connection includes hot, hot, neutral, ground. The 3-wire connection includes hot, hot, neutral, but no ground. The basic premise is that older houses only had the 3-wire receptacles and since ground is essentially the same as neutral, and dryers are rarely moved/replaced, let the 3-wire connections continue to be used. However, when something goes wrong, having ground the same as neutral can be deadly.

Almost every dryer built in the past 30 years or so can be wired up 3-wire or 4-wire. If it is 3-wire, there is a jumper (short piece of wire and/or a screw in the right place) to connect ground and neutral. If it is switched to 4-wire, that piece of wire or screw is removed.

NEVER mess around with the actual plug. Either use a 3-wire plug with a 3-wire receptacle or, preferably, use a 4-wire plug with a 4-wire receptacle.

It is possible to replace a 3-wire receptacle with a safer 4-wire receptacle. However, the amount of work involved varies quite a bit depending on the particular situation:

Dryer receptacle near main panel - easy
Ground wire available, just not connected - easy
Metal conduit from receptacle to main panel - easy
None of the above - hard - need to run a new cable (all the wires) and/or a ground wire, or install GFCI protection instead of ground

There are a bunch of questions on DIY about this, such as How to tell if Nema outlets have been successfully brought up to code?


Why does hot water only run for 30 seconds in bathtub? In the bathroom of this rental is a tub with a shower diverter. It's an older setup with a hot & cold faucet and a center valve (one direction diverts to shower, the other to the tub faucet).

If I turn on only the hot water, I get hot water for 30-45 seconds, then it goes cold.  The water is heated by a stove oil fired boiler which also heats the building via radiators.

If I go to the bathroom sink, or to the kitchen sink and turn on only the hot water, I have hot, hot water for virtually as long as I keep the faucet on.

One additional issue is the water temperature is set way too high. At the kitchen faucet, I measured the temp, and after about 30 seconds, the water temp stabilizes at about 185 degrees.

Too high, seriously dangerous too high, but the landlord insists the boiler has to be set that high, or "there won't be any heat in the winter, and everyone will complain about THAT."

This same landlord also argues with me that insulating the supply pipes to the radiators 'wastes' the heat in the pipes, and has forbade me insulating them in our apartment, even though they are a serious safety issue.

I don't see how the high temp setting would cause only the bath tub to have limited hot water, but after seeing what the hot water did to the drain pipes in the third floor bathtub, right above our second story bathroom, I'm wondering if the 185' water has damaged the diverter. [We have a suspended ceiling in our bathroom. A leaky hot water faucet in the 3rd floor bath tub leaked 185' water into the PVC drain pipes, causing them to deform, then leak, then soak our fiberglass paneled ceiling, (like in a typical office), which then caved in at 6:00am one morning.]

He ended up paying me to fix the plumbing and ceiling, and in 40+ years of construction, I've never seen anything like it. I had to replace everything from the strainer on the tub to the junction with the 3" cast iron vertical drain. It was all distorted and melted from hot ass water.

Anyway, we have the 185' water, and still have to take cold showers most of the time because of this strange issue with the diverter in the tub.

I have tried every combination of adjustments, but can't figure out what's wrong.  When I take a shower, I've noticed I get MORE hot water, if I open the cold water faucet further, but at some point, it doesn't help.

Any ideas?  Wild guesses?  Could the 'clowns' have installed the diverter incorrectly?  It's been replaced in the last 5-10 years, from what I can tell.

Thanks

GeoD

You are pretty hardy if you can take a cold shower in NY in the winter or spring . . . or even summer. We have the exact same old fashioned tub/shower with old Price Pfister separate hot and cold valves with a diverter in the wall on a line between the hot and cold handles. I have taken this type of tub/shower valve apart and they are pretty simple. I do not see how any problem with the diverter could cause cold water to come from the hot water line. What do you get if you turn on the cold water valve and leave the hot valve shut?

Are the cold and hot pipes connected by an anti-scald device?

Some models of anti-scald mixing valve are designed to be placed at the output of the boiler, but others could be just upstream of the shower. The fact that the lavatory delivers hot water continuously as expected but the shower does not, could be due to the presence of a hidden mixing valve in the wall behind the shower. The scenario would be that the hot water is so hot that it drives the valve to the cold stop.

Try turning on the shower cold water valve first to a moderate or high flow and then metering in increasingly larger amounts of hot water to get to warm. Maybe a relatively high flow rate of cold water from the beginning will prevent the thermostatic mixing valve (if there is one) from being over heated and over driven to the cold stop.


What should be on my pre-purchase house self-inspection checklist? I’m looking at several homes and may purchase one, but realized that I’m probably missing important details when trying to identify potential money-pits. I have a simple checklist so I can save the time and money of hiring an inspector if there are obvious issues. I’ve filtered out a couple of options due to very blatant issues such as cracked foundations and mold, but know I’m missing others.

This is my simple checklist so far and what I currently look for:

Critical:

Roof - Damage / age
Foundation - Cracks
Electrical - Age
Termites/pests - Better ways to identify pests aside from nibbled corners and droppings?
Water damage / mold - residue on ceilings, baseboards, basement
Siding - peeling, gaps
Heating & Air - Does it work?
Pipes - Any obvious leaks
Gas lines - ?

Important, but less concerning:

Paint / Finishes - peeling, chips,
Appliances - Does it work?
Garage - None, covered, closed

Other considerations affecting home value

Crime
Schools
Shopping
Restaurants
Industrial

Questions:

What else am I missing and what should I look for?
What’s the expected cost-range to repair/replace professionally or can I reasonably DIY it for less in a worst case?

I’m a DIYer when able (and appropriate), but would like to know as much as possible when performing a preliminary inspection before spending resources on a professional who would tell me something I could have found out prior to inspection.

Congrats on your pending venture, a new home!
I am a certified Home Inspector and have a few ideas for you.

Actually, there are several items that a good home inspector is going to look at that are not on your list. Keep in mind that an inspector is going to be able to render an opinion on the condition of the systems and structure of the house.  Other items should include, chimneys, flashings, gutters, windows, screens, sills, exterior fixtures/lighting, attics, vent fans, proper wiring, GFIs, water heater/temp, heating systems, fireplace dampers, window operation, door operation and weather stripping, step and railing safety, and the list goes on. Extra inspections may include, radon, water, septic systems, wells,or pools.

If you want a good reference and sample checklists, I recommend the book The Complete Book of Home Inspection by Norman Becker, PE. There are several good books out there, but this one is simple and to the point.

When you do find a property that you want to make an offer on, be absolutely sure you include a contingency, or condition of sale, that calls for a professional home inspection, and that the inspection results meet with your approval. In other words, if any discrepancies or findings are in the report, you can get your deposit back and walk, or negotiate with the owner for a reduction in the amount of your offer to professionally repair the problems.

The average cost of an inspection in my area for a home under 4000Sq feet and less than 100 years old is about $350.00. Under no circumstances should you not have a professional inspection and the associated contingencies in your offer to purchase.  Once you make an offer, a DIY inspection is not legally enforceable, and you will have no recourse and unable to walk away with a refund of your earnest money deposit.


Abandoned lamp post wire causing breaker to trip We recently had a new lawn installed and the workers removed the lamp post and clipped the underground wire. Since then, a key breaker won't reset. That breaker is tied to our garage door, our front entry lights, our porch light and garage sconces and an outdoor receptacle, and a hall way light (don't ask me why they are all working off the same breaker). I've tried to find where the wire from the lamp post ties in, but no luck. No extra wires visible coming into the side receptacle or the porch light and not other obvious place where wires would pass through the wall.

Any ideas on where the builders might have tied the lamp post into the house current? It was built in the 1990s. Would they have run it under the foundation or driveway? The side receptacle is on the same side as the lamp post and line of sight. Sees that would be the obvious choice.

A fundamental rule of electrical installation is that every wire must terminate in a junction box that is accessible without taking apart any part of the building (obviously other than the junction box cover, receptacle, switch, lamp etc. which covers the junction box).

So you have to search.  Unfortunately the mere fact that a junction box has a live wire in it does not mean your wires aren't there.  Yours could be "passing through".  But if a box is inexplicably dead, it is certainly part of that circuit.  Follow the wires and/or follow your nose.

Another rule of electrical installation is that wires have two ends, and if you unhook one end, you must unhook the other end too.  They should have done that for you, to avoid this problem...


How to fix acidic smell from fridge/freezer? Started to smell a bad acidic smell coming from the bottom of my fridge.
This is the model: https://mcappliance.com/brands/magic-chef/4-5-cu-ft-compact-refrigerator-665679004973.html

Tried the cleaning methods of inside the fridge, baking soda etc.

I believe the cause is this strange flaked copper buildup on top of the motor.
I have no idea what this is or how to safely clean it.
The manual doesn't provide any knowledge about this part.
There doesn't appear to be any leaks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

The tray under your refrigerator is there to catch condensation is it goes through its normal operating cycles.

The water might building up and overflowing or other there is direct condensation in the other areas. The color and smell is from the typical things that grow in stagnant water (mold, etc) and can be cleaned up with the same normal cleaners. It probably got a foothold in the tray, and if the tray is not overflowing, then also got to the other wet locations easily from the tray colony.

This is then a typical household cleaning issue that you can approach as normal.

Things you can do to improve the situation: some water in the tray is normal so it's not an option to not have water there but we can make it unfriendly to the little buggies: put a few drops of chlorine bleach in the tray once in a while to keep it non-life supporting. Since there is an issue outside the tray, this indicates that your house might have a lot of moisture. If so, a (portable) dehumidifier can bring down the humidity to something more reasonable


Looking for a WATT-O-METER with specific features Recently I bought an OWL+USB WATT-O-METER and got very disappointed. Making a long story short, I'm looking for a device that will give me:

accurate readings
good software for data management
a watt-hour counter for 24 hour cycle - on the display monitor, very important.

I want to know what my electricity consumption is in 24hr without calculating anything, so it should have a feature that shows this information on the monitor.

Can someone recommend a proper device?

I personally use an APC with the free management software for my computer...

Most of their Back-UPS® line of products have the ability to connect to a computer and monitor your input/output power.  Some of them, like the APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1300 that I use, even offer an LCD display to see the current stats without a computer . The computer software these UPSs use is free at no additional cost, so you are only paying for the actual unit.  If you wanted to use this as a whole house solution, there are some detailed solutions out there, such as this one.  It all depends on home much you wish to invest into such a product, and what you intend to accomplish...


My water heater pilot turns off after about an hour I light the pilot on my water heater, turn the knob to on and the burner ignites and heats water.  When the burner shuts off, the pilot light goes out.

About two years ago the water line above the water heater was leaking badly.  My husband would not fix it nor let me call a plumber.  My sons finally replaced the leaking pipe.  After that we had this continual problem.  One of my sons replaced the thermocouple.

So what we do is light the pilot, turn the knob to on, the burner ignites and heats the water for maybe an hour, depending I think on the temperature of the water.  If we want a full tub of hot water or to be able to use the dishwasher, we have to relight the pilot a few times to go through the cycle of the burner flaring to life and heating some of the water.  Just one cycle is not enough to get hot enough water to start with to run the dishwasher.  So to get a full tub of warm/hot water, if I didn't light the pilot at all that day, I have to light the pilot a few times over an hour or two, I start filling the tub, then go down to the basement and relight the pilot one last time.  By the time the tub is full, the water coming out of the faucet is lukewarm.

A thermocouple makes 30 mv power by a temperature differential across the tip of the thermocouple which contains 2 dissimilar metals.
If the entire tip is hot,there is no temperature differential thus no power made or  not enough power will be made.A thousand millivolts = 1 volt,so a thermocouple's 30 mv
is about 1/33 of 1 volt,a AA battery has 1.5 volts which is 1,500 mv,as you can see the amount of power made is very small, consequently it does not take much to affect the ability to maintain the pilot light. Many think that putting the entire tip of the thermocouple into the pilot flame makes more power, exactly the opposite will happen.
A temperature differential must exist across the tip, in other words the base will be a cold junction  and the tip a hot junction and this will create a tiny bit of power (30mv),
If the entire tip is hot no power or insufficient power will be made to power the tiny electromagnet in the gas valve that holds open the pilot valve after we have depressed it's button and lit it then held it closed for a minute or so.


Gold-standard drill make? Craftsman:wrenches as BLANK:power drills

What is the gold-standard power drill make? For general purposes/light carpentry.

Generally speaking any manufacturer can make a high-quality drill if they want. Large manufacturers often do not because the number they would sell would be so small as to make no difference to their balance sheet.

Milwaukee makes good "contractor-quality" drills, like their "magnum" 1/2" drill, that you can find in trade shops.

There are two premium tool makers: Fein and Festool. Their tools cost 2 to 3 times what a Milwaukee costs. The differences, which are mostly convenience features, in my opinion do not justify the extra expense.

Note that you can "upgrade" a standard drill like a Milwaukee by taking it apart and replacing and aligning the bearings. A typical drill will have 3 rotary bearings. You can replace those bearing with much more expensive bearings and make sure that the alignment is perfect. You can always pay a machinist to do the same thing. Prepare to spend thousands.


Can I place a subpanel next to a water pipe? My main panel is full so I need to install a sub panel, the issue is the water main comes in right next to it:

I don't think I can install a panel directly to the left (subpanel A) because the water pipe below would restrict access to it, but that would be the most convenient location.  Alternatively, could it be installed to the right of the pex pipe (subpanel B) if I put a wall similar to the one the main panel is on?

The code requires a 30" wide 36" deep working space in front of the panel which can be measured from either edge of the panel. The vertical pipe would likely not be an issue, but for location A the horizontal stuff on the floor would be.

You can mount directly to the concrete if you have the tools, but that creates difficulty securing the cables where they leave the panel.

You may need to consider how you local Authority Having Jurisdiction interprets the NEC section prohibiting using NM cable were subject to physical damage. Some jurisdictions have adopted specific local codes that specify everything less than 7 or 8 feet is considered subject to damage. The areas you show your subpanel options are lower than your service panel, and may cross the line in your AHJ's opinion.


Will keeping a GFCI tripped increase its lifespan? [USA] I have recently replaced the receptacles in my house with tamper-resistant ones, including the GFCIs.

The GFCIs are the new auto-self-test type (Pass & Seymour 1597TR and 2097TR models). Some of these are in places where they will rarely be used.

I have read on here that GFCIs have a limited lifespan, and will eventually fail a self-test and need replacing. My question is: would keeping those rarely-used GFCIs in a “tripped” state keep them from aging, so that they last longer?

Note that the circuits would still be live, so the red LED would be lit. They would be reset only when it is necessary to use them.

Is there any benefit to tripping a GFCI receptacle when it's not in use?

Does big current draw make GFCI outlets go bad?

I'd say you're over-optimizing. You only need 1 GFCI outlet on a circuit, and it'll last about 10 years. That's around $2/year. That's if GFCI outlets degrade from simply being attached to power; the second linked question indicates that heavy loads and similar usage causes the wear and tear.


Red wire in ceiling box: traveler or smoke alarm interconnect? I have an electrical box in the ceiling, currently with all the wires capped and a blank faceplate over it. Two cables coming in, both with four conductors (black, white, red, and bare).

I don't know whether the red is meant to be a traveler for a three-way switch, or an interconnect for smoke alarms. The weird part is that this particular breaker already has both: all the smoke alarms in the house plus a hallway light controlled by two switches. (Other three-way switches in the house use a red wire as the traveler.)

Is there a good way to tell which it is? I'd like to put a smoke alarm there, but obviously I can only do that if this isn't controlled by a switch and interconnects with the other alarms.

The house was built in 2002, if that helps.

I was able to come up with two approaches

This requires a 9V battery, a wire-leads 9V battery snap (like one you'd find in an old transistor radio or such), and your smoke alarms to have battery backup.

First, turn off the breaker.  Then, take a 9V battery snap and wire it red on snap to red wire and black on snap to white wire, then snap a 9V battery in.  If it's the interconnect wire, your smoke detectors should start going off like crazy as soon as you snap the battery in.  If it's a traveller, or your smoke alarms don't have a battery backup, nothing will happen.  Just remember to disconnect the battery snap before turning the breaker back on!

This requires a multimeter and that your smoke alarms have a TEST button that sets off the whole shebang, or some of that "canned smoke" used for smoke alarm testing.

Have a helper trigger the detectors with either the TEST button or the canned smoke while you measure the DC voltage from red to white -- if it's the interconnect wire, you should see 9V DC there while the alarms are going off.


Sill plates (thresholds) before floor tiles or otherwise? The contractor wants to install the granite sill plates now and later have the tiles installed. I heard from one granite fellow that the sill plates should be last.

Is there any advantage for going one route or another? I would like to have the sills already installed and be done with it, but I also don't want gaps between the sill and the tile.

In terms of the general process it's acceptable to do it threshold(sill plate) first but there may be specifics to the situation that we're not aware of. Contractors are primarily concerned with pushing the project along to keep pace, but occasionally to do that you have to do things out of sequence. An example would be, if the threshold is available but the tile isn't in yet, a contractor would be tempted to set the thresholds first. This might make it look like progress is being made but it could ultimately make your tile guys job a lot more difficult. If the guy contracted to do the tile work wants to do it a particular way, I would trust his/her judgement unless the contractor can produce a very compelling reason not to. In the end (however they do it) if the finished product isn't satisfactory it's on them to make it right.


Why does my laptop charger make a spark when plugged in? From time to time (not always but often enough) when I plug my laptop's charger in the wall outlet it makes a spark (even if I use different outlets it's the same).

Why does it do this? Is this a normal behavior? Is it not? Can this damage the charger, laptop or electrical installation? Is it safe?

I'm in Europe. Electrical outlet gives 220V/50Hz (from a pretty old aluminum electrical installation) while the charger is a 65W AC Adapter with 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 1.5A input and a 19.5V, 3.34A output.

It can indeed be "normal" for a small brief spark to be seen or heard, when plugging in or removing a plug.
Plugging in.
Electricity desperately wants to get home, and will go to extreme measures to do so. Inside your receptacle electricity waits, patiently biding its time.  As you bring the plug closer to the receptacle, the electricity can see a way home and gets really excited.  Once the plug gets close enough, the resistance of the air is no longer great enough, and the electricity is able to jump the gap.  As the electricity jumps the gap, it shows its excitement by releasing light and sound.
Pulling the plug
Similarly, when something is plugged in, the electricity is running through the circuit on it's way home.  As you pull the plug, some of the electricity makes a last-ditch effort to get home. Again it jumps the gap, and releases the familiar excitement light and sound.
Safety
This type of arcing happens; to some extent, in every electrical appliance that connects and disconnects an electrical circuit.  The points at which the arc contacts do suffer a small amount of damage, but can typically withstand many arcs without failure. Devices that consistently see larger than normal arcing, typically employ some form of arc suppression or protection. For example, circuit breakers commonly have some form of arc suppression, or protection.
When to worry

If the arcing is continuous, even when the plug is inserted fully
The arcing occurs when nothing is plugged in, or being plugged in or unplugged.
The spark is large (in brightness, sound, duration, and/or length).

Precautions

Keep flammable objects away (curtains, furniture, petrol, etc.)

Further reading:
Electric arc
Electrical breakdown


Power 240 v ac light from two power sources I have existing led lighting in my garage 240 v ac which operates from a pull switch. My garage door opener provides a facility to power a light with 240 v ac as well. What if any additional circuitry, if any, would I need to add if I connect the garage door opener to the same light to cover the situation where both supplied power at the same time?

If I've understood correctly, you want the existing lighting to turn either when the pull switch is activated or when the door opener is activated.

To accomplish this use a relay. The relay's coil would be powered by the door opener and the relay's switch terminals would connect to the terminals of the existing switch. In this way the light will be powered from its existing source whenever the pull switch or the relay (or both) are activated. The relay protects against a variety of bad results that could occur if the door opener output had been connected directly to the pull switch or lighting.

You'll have to choose a relay with appropriate voltage and current specs, and consider local requirements and customs to choose a junction box to contain the relay and wiring. I'd suggest that the relay should be located as near to the pull switch as possible.


Will Interlock aluminum tile prevent ice damming on a roof? Background - I have a house with a standard shingle roof. Living in New England, my neighbors and I have had issues with ice damming. 2 of my nearby neighbors have replaced roofs over the last year, and this past winter, they were out with ladders pulling snow off the roof. And they told me they still have ice damming.

There is a product called Interlock, an aluminum tile that connects to its neighbor on all 4 sides. While it's about double the cost of the asphalt shingle roof, it looks like a potential solution to our awful New England weather.

Before we make a decision, I'm hoping to find either confirmation this will solve our issues or a better solution. Happy to update with any missing details. (Note, we met with the salesman today, and should have referrals to local homes that have had this installed in the recent few years)

Edit - I understand the comments regarding the nature of damming. When there's snow on roof, but the outside temperature rises to say, 40F, the attic, well vented, is 40F as well. The snow touching the roof has the opportunity to melt, and this is the cycle causing the damming. So my quest has moved towards finding a physical barrier impervious to the effect of this cycle.

Aside from the roofing material described above, I was considering insulating the attic. Instead of insulating between main house and attic, to use closed cell foam insulation sprayed on to attic ceiling, which would keep roof cold far better than current method.

No, interlocking tiles will not prevent nor prevent the damage caused by ice dams.

Ice dams are caused by a combination of bad ceiling (attic) insulation and the freeze - thaw effect. Ice dams create a water-like slush that backs up under the shingles (and building paper) and then leaks into the house. So, unless those interlocking tiles are water tight, then they'll leak.

If you have adequate insulation AND adequate attic vents, then I'd check the perimeter of the insulation in the attic. If the insulation has expanded "up" and blocked the venting process, then it defeats the venting process and allows heat to escape up to the roof...which creates ice dams.

I'd stick my head up in the attic and see if you can see light shining in around the perimeter. If not, you need to add insulation baffles.


Replacing Light Switch / Extra Wire I am trying to replace a light switch and am a little confused at the addition of what appears to be an extra wire:

Current switch wiring:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c58qw5wbno20qhr/IMG_4160.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hmfouqxblht1eiz/IMG_4159.JPG?dl=0

New switch I want to replace it with:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9114mvee5v13pyb/IMG_4161.JPG?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/elsxlqvw61vhvv0/IMG_4162.JPG?dl=0

This switch does control a light that is also controlled at 2 other light switches in the house, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

The switch next to this one was previously a dimmer but I have already removed that!

How do I hook this up if I only have 2 brass screws on the new one?

The existing switch is a three way switch, and the new one is not.  You’ll need to get a three-way switch to replace it.


Can I disconnect a dishwasher from a GFI and leave the circuit otherwise intact? my dishwasher is wired into a GFI outlet under my sink. Can I remove the wires that go to the dishwasher and leave the other wires intact to use the GFI outlet ?

So your Dish washer is wired through as a load or wired in parallel and down line from the GFCI ?

Just curious your reason why you want to do this? Perhaps there might be another issue you have and your resolution might need some additional information so you can accomplish all your goals correctly ?

Now after those questions the answers based on just disconnecting the washer.

Yes you can un-wire the dish washer from the GFCI as long as nothing unusual was done in the initial wiring. In other words the GFCI must be up-line from the dish washer as one would expect in a proper installation.

If the installation was not proper you can still do what you want, but will need to rework your wiring to the GFCI.


Leak from the pipe in the basement that connects to kitchen sink Everytime kitchen sink water is used it leaks through in the basement (shown in the picture below). I wonder if that can be fixed by applying silicon around or it's something bigger of an issue that might require professional.

Update 1
I followed up on suggestions from feedback and confirmed that it's leaking from the original place. Also tried putting pressure on the pipe to see if water can leak more. When applying pressure like this (see the second picture attached) the leak stops. That might mean that there is crack in the pipe? Silicon can be a solution albeit temporary one, right?

Your drain might be backing up , a 1-1/2 or 2” sink dumping into a 4” drain should not have any back pressure . I see your arrows but can not tell why it would leak there , I would try a silicone sealer . If there is not a vent close to the sink this could cause issues but at the point where the size jumps would be a new one for me. If you run water for a few minutes will the leak get worse?  How long after turning off the water will that spot leak?  If it leaks for a while after stopping the water flow I would want to run a snake down the drain and see if it is backing up.

Added per op request;
On fernco or no hub rubber connectors I regularly use silicone sealant (cast iron and concrete always) I would loosen the pipe clamps move the hub and clean it the I would add some silicone and retighten the clamps.  This will help seal the rubber for the life of the coupling.


How can I reduce heat transfer around my window unit air conditioners? I have three old window units in my house and they function as my A/C. I am concerned about the amount of heat seeping into the house and cool air leaking out around the A/C units themselves. They're not fitted to the windows, and we have to use the accordion style panels to prevent drafts, but they're not air tight or very good at insulating.

How can I reduce heat transfer around my window unit air conditioners?

Two things come to mind:

Heat loss occurs much more rapidly when airflow is involved.  So do whatever you can to seal all those gaps.  Buy some compressible foam insulation (about 1" wide) and use it to make a tighter fit around the air conditioners.
Those accordion things don't seem to have much R-value.  Buy some rigid foam insulation and cut it to fit snugly behind the accordion.  You could even use some of those compressible foam strips to get an even tighter fit.


How to seal concrete panel garage I have a garage made from cast concrete panels. The gaps between the panels and at the bottom have clearly had an attempt at waterproofing in the past but it has failed, so now I get standing water when it rains.
What would you recommend to seal the gaps between and below the panels?

Probably won't get the garage perfectly sealed since the door is at the bottom of a slope and there's no drain, but hopefully I can improve it a bit.

clean with high-pressure water jet, allow to dry,
Seal with a neurtral-cure silicone after fitting a backer-rod to keep the silicone depth within the acceptable range (consult the silicone packaging).


Is NEC code for non-metallic cable applicable now that I've installed an attic ladder? Just installed an attic ladder. I've read this: What is the proper 'per code' method for running nonmetallic sheathed cable above a ceiling in the attic?

So my attic is now "accessible" and thus:

  (A) Where Run Across the Top of Floor Joists. Where run across the top
  of floor joists, or within 2.1 m (7 ft) of floor or floor joists
  across the face of rafters or studding, in attics and roof spaces that
  are accessible, the cable shall be protected by substantial guard
  strips that are at least as high as the cable.

I find this rather strange. Most of my attic would require a small child in order to access and even then he/she would be on their hands and knees; and some places are downright inaccessible due to supporting 2x4's .etc. Does this essentially mean that any cable run across the joists needs a guard strip? I find that rather crazy - I can understand in the heavily trafficked areas where storage will be.

I would say no.

The rule is likely for attics that can be readily accessed. For instance, some houses have an access door (think closet door) in the top level of the house that leads into the attic. If someone can just open a door and go in, it's accessible (but it's probably also decked, lest someone open it and fall downstairs).

I bought a brand new house not long ago and there was an attic access panel in the ceiling of the garage (the HVAC unit was up there so it would be silly to have it sealed). None of the wires in the attic were protected because it was still difficult to get up there. Even after adding attic stairs, it wasn't something that you could "just go into". I doubt they could have passed inspections if code had meant "cannot be accessed by anyone", which would probably be a code violation in most areas.


White and Rodgers programable thermostat Every Monday morning, 12:00 a.m. my heat goes on to 70*.  It is not programmed to go on.  It does this automatically. It stays at 70* until it is programmed to go down and runs properly until the next Monday incident.  I can't find the problem.  Help.

The specifics vary between brands & models, but it is typical for a programmable thermostat to have 4 setpoints per day (time & temperature) with the setpoints either for weekend (Saturday & Sunday the same) and weekday (Monday through Friday) or each individual day of the week. Some thermostats give both options.
Since this happens specifically Monday 12:00am, it sounds like when the thermostat was programmed that the first Monday setpoint was missed. Note that many computerized systems (programmable thermostats being a simple example) actually start with Monday - see ISO week day for more details. This means that "first setpoint on Monday" may actually be "very first setpoint in the thermostat".
In any case, the solution is to step through the programming routine for every setting of every day. In a worst case scenario (bug in the thermostat firmware that makes it always reset at 12:00 Monday with no option to change the temperature - extremely unlikely), set the desired temperature for 12:15am Monday (most thermostats I have seen use a 15-minute increment) and you will essentially solve the problem.


How should I connect a new outlet with two pairs of wires? I have a kitchen outlet that stopped working. I"m in the process of replacing it. I've discarded the old outlet. I purchased a Hubbell duplex receptacle. It has brass screws on the left side with a split circuit tab between them and 2 silver screws with a split circuit tab on the right side.

Do I wire the 2 black wires onto  the brass screws and the two white wires onto the silver screws? My test light indicated that only 1 of the black wires is hot.

Yes, wire the black wires to the brass screws and the whites to the silver screws. The black wire that is not hot is feeding a receptacle downstream and being fed by the wire that is hot via the receptacle. Do not remove the tabs on the outlet in this case.

If it's a direct replacement, when in doubt wire the new one the same as the old one and you'll be fine. If you have any doubts as to the connection, post up a few pics.


Combi boiler doesn't realise it's already lit I have an Ariston Eurocombi (A23).
The problem is it doesn't realise the flame is lit. When I start it up and cause demand (run hot tap or turn on heating) it fires up the flame correctly, however, you can hear the igniter still clicking away. After about 7 seconds of this (flame working correctly, but igniter clicking) the boiler then shuts itself down and lights up the "Ignition failure" light. I can press the reset button but the same thing just happens again.

I don't think the problem is related to over-heating because if I leave it alone for a few hours, then try running hot water again, the problem is still there. However, If I turn it off, and off at the wall, then wait for at least an hour or so, I can get it to work again for about 1/2 an hour.

I assume the problem is either with whatever detects the flame is lit, or the board that responds to that sensor.

Any suggestions for how to diagnose (or better still, fix) the problem?

Thanks,
Matt

I believe it is fairly normal for the igniter to continue to fire for several seconds after ignition, I guess this is because it takes a while for the flame sensor to heat up - and probably also for performance/safety reasons.

Boilers have a flame-sensor, it sounds like your has failed. You can buy replacements.

I think this is a job most people leave to a boiler service technician, you need special tools (e.g. multimeter with microamp range) to check those sensors.

Gas appliance repair is safety critical, probably best left to those with training and experience.

19 = "detection electrode"
20 = ignition electrodes.
See manual

A07 = flame detector.
A09 = flame detection circuit.
A10 = flame indicator LED - I'd check this is "on" after 5 seconds of successful ignition.

Don't rule out other causes, boilers shut themselves down for lots of reasons, maybe the flue is iced up or the water pump isn't operating.

The manual contains a troubleshooting flowchart and a parts list that includes the flame sensor.


Weight bearing glass furniture I've seen some furniture (beds, tables, media units) that are made of wood but sit on glass legs. See this bed with glass legs.

The glass legs are usually rectangular and appears to be double thickness, fitted vertically.

I was wondered about making something similar and slotting a piece of glass into the bottom of a wooden frame sounds relatively easy

But I would like some advice on the type of glass to use. I presume double thickness is best and toughened glass.

Wondered if anyone had any experience of using glass in this way?

Thanks.

Actually, those are absolutely Tempered Glass, Standard Glass has no lateral stability. And, any glass within 18" of the floor, legally, must be tempered glass regardless of thickness. I've had no breakage problems with glass tables in the past that had taller right angled legs of this rectangular fashion. Glass table tops slide around so you don't stress & break the glass.

But, I don't like that bed setup at all, especially on carpet! Each corner should have 2-pieces to make a corner of glass in order to provide full resistance to both the X & Y axis movements. Sleeping & tossing & turning are one thing, but sex done right is another.

Before I clicked the link, I expected specialty 1-thick wall glass tubes or boxes with metal rods or tubes through them...flanged black or galvanized iron pipe & fittings, painted to whatever you want. Where to get thick walled glass I wouldn't know, but I'd just box-in the legs with small tempered panels siliconed together, being a faux support.


What mortar should I use for 8x10 and mosaic wall tile? I will be tiling a tub/shower area using 8x10 ceramic tile with glass mosaic tile accent rows.

I see about half a dozen varieties of thin-set on the market:

Weights:
 - 25lb
 - 50lb

Types:
 - fortified
 - standard
 - flexbond

About every combination of the weights and types you can imagine is available.

What is the right thinset for my installation?

Color
This is the easy one.  If you're going to use dark grout, you can use grey thin-set. If your grout is a light color, or you're installing glass tile or a porous stone, use white thin-set. If you use grey thin-set with light grout, glass, or porous stone, the color may show through.
To modify, or not to modify
In most cases, you'll want to use some form of modified thin-set.  Unmodified thin-sets are typically only used by professionals, and are modified at the time of mixing (using the pros secret recipe).
Standard
This is the economy thin-set. It will work well in most situations, and is a bit easier on the wallet. It should not be used with impervious materials such as glass, and porcelain.
Fortified
A fortified thinset like VersaBond®, is an "all-purpose" thin-set and an excellent choice for DIYers.  It will provide a good bond between just about any tile and substrate you can use, and it's good for floors, walls, and counter tops.
Flexbond
Flexbond is a polymer modified thin-set. It is a good choice when working with porcelain or glass tile, or when tiling over a plywood subfloor.  It provides a bit of extra flexibility, which can prevent cracking in some situations.
How much to buy
First you'll have to determine the square footage, of the area you'll be tiling.  I'll use a tub surround with 2 walls 3' wide, one wall 5' wide, and tile 6' up each wall as an example.
The total length = 3' + 3' + 5' = 11'
height = 6'
sqft = 11' * 6' = 66 sqft.

I usually estimate that a 50lbs bag of thin-set will cover about 60sqft, so in my example I'll need 1 50lbs and 1 25lbs bag of thin-set.  Don't worry, if you overbuy you can always return the 25lbs bag when you're done (just don't open it, unless you need it).
How much to mix
The bag of thin-set should list the Pot Life, which tells you how long the thin-set is good for once it's mixed and in a bucket.  You want to mix only enough thin-set that you'll be able to use in this amount of time.  This will depend on how fast you work, so you'll have to experiment to figure out what works best for you.
How much to spread
The bag should also list the Open Time, and Adjustment Time. Open time, is how long the thin-set can sit on the substrate after being troweled. Adjustment time is the amount of time after laying the tile, that the tile can be adjusted. In most cases you'll want to ignore these numbers, and simply spread only what you can use in 5-10 minutes.  Again, this will depend on how fast you work, so you'll have to figure it out as you go.
Trowel Size
You want to make sure you get 100% coverage under tiles, which may require back-buttering on larger tiles. You also want to use a bit thicker mortar bed when setting floor tiles, since floor tiles may be subject to more abuse.  This trowel guide from JAMO Inc., is a good baseline for which trowel to use.

Though you may find that you have to make slight adjustments, depending on the thin-set and tile you're working with.


How can I replace patio cover columns? My patio cover has wood columns (that support the over hang) that actually go into the ground and are rotten.   I really need to fix this but not sure how to go about it.   It has 4 columns.   I'm assuming they need to be on concrete and the wood out of the ground.   Please help.

Under no circumstances wooden columns should be placed on the ground. Connection between ground and column should be small metal element like this:

It would be best if you could make small concrete foundation which would be connected with this metal element with some anchor bolts


Can I oil a push button light switch? I have a circa 1920 push-button light switch which sticks occasionally.  The push buttons move fine, but sometimes the blade switch inside doesn't flip unless the button is pressed very hard.  I'd hate to replace this, because this antique switch has a more solid feel than replicas I've used.  Is there a safe lubricant for mains power the switches?
And yes, I plan to remove the paint. :)

Edit:
I would take it apart to clean, but the screws have been sealed by some kind of resin.

Oil, no. Lubricate, yes. Common oils have multiple problems for electrical devices, the worst of which is possible flammability. You can get specific electrical "contact lubricant" for this though. It is usually not sold in hardware stores, you may have to order it on-line and the smallest package will be a lot more than you need, but don't substitute. And to those who will tell you "WD-40", that is NOT a good lubricant, despite what people think. It's main purpose is as a water displacement agent, in fact that's what the "WD" stands for (Water Displacer, attempt #40 is where the name came from). As a lube, it only lasts a couple of weeks before it breaks down and evaporates.
And NEVER apply any lubricant to an energized device.


Are either of these tools suitable for tightening the pipe union nut underneath a bath? I'm having trouble tightening the pipe union nuts on some new bath taps I've fitted at my mum's house. I got everything out OK, and (because the previous plumber had put the hot tap on the right rather than the left) I used flexible pipes to connect the taps to the pipes so I could cross them over to put the hot on the left. I chose push fit connectors for this part because of the limited access and those connections went on with out a hitch.

In case I've got the terminology wrong the above is a diagram of a typical tap installation with the offending nut highlighted.

The union nuts at the tap are causing me problems because of the restricted access and limited space. I can't get enough purchase to tighten them using any of the wrenches I already own.

Do I need a "Jaw dropper plumbing wrench":

The description reads:

  For tightening taps without isolating the water supply. Adjustable jaws allow for access to both the pipe union nut and the tap back nut with the same spanner.

Or a "Telescopic basin wrench":

I think that it is the jaw dropper wrench but I've never heard of those before. I have heard of a basin wrench but always assumed that they were for tightening or loosening the nuts on the plug hole. So before I buy something I really only need for one job I ought to make sure I get the right tool.

Looking at the diagram, I believe you want a basin wrench. It's designed exactly for these bolts in these tight conditions. And the next time you go to replace a sink, you'll be glad to already own one. That said, I've never heard of, nor seen a jaw dropper plumbing wrench, so I was hoping that someone with more plumbing experience would chime in.


How can I avoid overflowing the water pan while defrosting my fridge? I have a Samsung manual defrost refrigerator. Usually after a month's running ice builds up a lot. So I just defrost, but after doing so the water pan overflows a lot. Is there any way in which the drain can be avoided?

Our fridge's auto defrost when out and we had a solid chunk of thick ice that we had to manually defrost before the repair man could do anything, he suggested we put quite a few towels in the freezer as well as the fridge  part. it soaked up pretty much all the water from the melted ice and we got our fridge fixed a couple days later. maybe put some towels in the fridge and under your pan. it'll make LESS of a mess anyways ;). Hope this helps, good luck.


Should I notch 4x4 post for 2x8 porch beams? I am going to build an 8x8 porch roof with two 4x4 posts as the support,  with single 2x8 beams for the front and sides.

Would it be a good idea to notch the 4x4 posts at the top to support the two intersecting 2x8s?

I understand you drawing. It is not using single point projection, as many of us learnd in drafting.  It is OK! IMHO (in my humble opinion) I would not use a 4x4 to sit a front & side rail 2x8 on top of, with no notch (not great) or a notch (worse). If this is for a porch, correct?  You are going from a burried concrete pier, or a precast concrete pier, going up 1-3 feet?  I would use no less than a 6x6 or 8x8 with no notch.  Go to the top of the 2x8's and use at least 3 - 5/8" diameter bolts. No counter sinking either, but use carriage bolts. They have the button top, with a square shank, then the bol. Get bolts 1" longer than you need, only drill to the bolt size.  That will require a spade bit with an extension. Using a 3/8 to 1/2" chuck drill. Notching a 4x4 only gives you 2x4 + 2x2 to hang your joists on. With a 2x2 vertical support.  I'm a MORE is never wrong, kind of builder.  I've been at for 50 years.


Protect Old Deck Posts In Soil I have a deck about 16x16' and about 4' high. It has 3 8x8" posts cemented into the ground. I am guessing they have been there since the house was built in 1990.

The posts are cemented in and currently have 1-2" of soil around them. The cement is no longer visible. I can scrape off some of the outer post pretty easily likely due to rot and moisture.

What can I do to protect them from rotting further?

Two things: dig down to the abutment of the post to the concrete post slab. Pressure wash it or clean it off good. Coat it with roofers repair coating (such as EP Henry) -- in the old days they used creosote. OR, use a rubber coating like Flex Seal Liquid, Dip, or a rubber roofers product like Carlisle. Coat 6-8 inches above the terra-line where the dirt might meet the wood in the future OR up to where you are visually comfortable. It's black and not particularity pretty. Also: you can treat the wood (even if it pressure treated ground rated) with an over-the-counter wood preservative the same as commercially used in the pressure treatment process, a borate for example, such as Bora-care -- apply with a pump sprayer. This is a bug treatment essentially and a wood preservative.


How to install deck railing post sleeves on these posts? When I bought my house, the deck was in poor shape. Enough to pass inspection, but the deck boards have not been sealed or washed in years. There are way too many splintering and cracked boards. I decided it would be better and easier just to cover as much as possible with Trex. I purchased a rail kit along with the Trex 4 x 4 sleeves (so the lattice and rails will be removed).
I was wondering how I could get composite post sleeves to fit over these posts. Can I forgo sleeving these posts and attach the aluminum directly? How can I make this work without it looking terrible or causing any safety issues? I am concerned that cutting the sleeve might pose a safety issue down the line.

Making some dangerous assumptions here...
You'll be removing everything between the posts so that you can slip the sleeve over the top, then reattach everything, right?
While you've got it all apart, take 2 of your post covers and cut one complete side off so that you've got a U shape and slip it on by pressing toward the house. You will likely have to cut each remaining side individually to fit exactly against the house to have a nice, flush finished look.
On the post in the 2nd picture, you can probably slip the sleeve between the wood and the vinyl siding so it won't have to be a perfect cut, just long enough to cover the gap.
On the post in the 1st picture, you'll want to scrape the paint off so you've got a nice surface on that (currently) white trim, then scribe the post cover to fit nice and snug up against it.
Once you've got each of the modified post covers fitting the way you want, run a bead of construction adhesive (like Liquid Nails™ - check the label to ensure it's compatible with wood and your cover material) on each inside edge of your cover, then slip it on and probably apply a couple of clamps until the adhesive is set.
Finish by reinstalling all the railing between the newly covered posts.


Temporarily attach wood or vinyl flooring to a stage I'm currently working on designing a theatre set. Our director would like a portion of the stage to be white. We have a limited run & as such don't have the time to paint the parts of the stage white (from black) & repaint before we need to get out.

Instead, we plan to lay down a thin piece of wood painted white or white lino. I have 2 questions:

Is there a recommended type of wood to use?
How can we attach wood/lino to the stage without damaging the stage?

We managed to do by purchasing a roll of white vinyl dance floor from Harlequin and attaching it to the stage using floor tape. It was relatively easy to lay - we cut it using a Stanley knife and with ~10 students attached it to the floor over about an hour.
Our choice was primarily driven by budget, time constraints and limited woodworking experience - it was a project for a Uni opera society - but the vinyl worked great for us! if we were to do it again, the only thing I'd change would be taking more time to attach it to ensure it's completely flat.


Why did they hammer nails in half way and bent them over to secure supports? In my 1950s house they hammered nails in half way and bent them over to secure the supports to the beam.  Why was this technique used?

The nail heads aren't big enough for the holes. At that time carpenters didn't enjoy the vast array of fasteners and installation tools that we do today, so they may have used what was available at the moment. It did the job, right?

~ or ~

The carpenter had intended to replace them with lag screws and forgot.

~ or ~

There's something sensitive to puncture behind the surface of that lumber. It looks like a standard beam, but it's hard to say from my house.


Wiring diagram to split one circuit for ceiling lights in multiple rooms? I would like to replace some Knob & Tube wiring in my attic.

Currently, the ceiling lights in most of our rooms are all on a single circuit and are branched using many knob & tube soldered junctions.

When I replace this lighting with NM cable, I would like to run a single cable into a junction box and then branch into three cables running to the lights in three different rooms. The junction box would be large enough to accommodate wires comfortably. The cable would be standard NM-cable 2 or 3 conductor with ground, and every light and switch box would contain a hot, neutral & ground.

Does code allow multiple lights to be wired onto the same circuit, in a "star" type of topology? To illustrate what I mean, here is a crude wiring diagram.

(This diagram is by no means complete-- It doesn't list all the switches, etc. I'm just trying to illustrate my question.)

I don't see any problems with this, and I would think this is done all the time. However I've checked 8 different home electrical books and I've looked online, and I still cannot find any example wiring diagrams showing this layout.

A star topology is fine, but you don't need to route packets with power. Choose a layout that uses the least amount of cable. There's no reason to do anything else. All the lights may be on the same circuit. The fact your diagram has two nearly parallel lines going to the upper lights tells me this is not the most efficient. You should carry power to the upper right light from the upper left instead of coming from the junction box.

Similarly, if the run from the upper right switch to lower right light is shorter than junction box to light, that would be a better layout. BTW, where's the switch for the left light?

You basically just need to run two conductors everywhere, and in addition a third conductor for when you need to carry power through next to a switch leg. If a light or switch is at the end of a run, you do not need the third conductor.

For example, if you were to run power from the upper right switch to lower right light as suggested, the run from upper right light to upper right switch needs to be 3 conductors to carry power through along with the switch leg. From upper right switch to lower right light is 2 conductor because no switch leg is there, The run from lower right light to lower right switch may also be 2 conductor because the switch is at the end of a run and power is not needed further on.


What size hole do I need for cementing in 2.4m 120mm pine fence posts into clay soil? I'm putting up a new fence (first time doing this), I'm using treated pine posts, 2.4m by 120mm diameter. I want to cement them in, the soil is heavy clay, very little top soil.

How deep/wide a hole should I create? I'm planning to hire an auger so need to know sizing.

Thanks

Depends on frost depth, height, and strength requirements of fence.

We generally drill 8" holes for a 3.5" square post 6" below frost depth or 30" deep in our area.  Minimum depth if frost depth is not an issue I would say is 18" for a heavy clay.  Deeper is better than wider.  This is for fences upwards of 6' high.  Higher fences we would probably set a deeper minimum post depth.

If we had a 120mm round, we would probably stick with the 8" diameter hole, but if it was 120mm square, we might up size to 10" diameter to ensure enough concrete around the post for it to stay intact.

If we needed more lateral strength, we would up size the hole diameter if we did not go any deeper.

For holes that layout cannot be adjusted and are not in the center, we enlarge the hole as needed to make sure there is adequate concrete surrounding the post.


Chlorinate hot water heater I left town for a week and now have a hot water heater that's been sitting and apparently breeding bacteria resulting in an abundance of hydrogen sulfide.  It stinks really bad.

I tried emptying it and there was some slight improvement but after 24 hours the stink is back.

I'm now thinking about chlorinating it. Various articles I've read suggest draining a bit of water, removing the anode rod and pouring the bleach in there.  I have a different idea and was hoping for some feedback about whether or not this will work and any potential factors to consider.

Immediately before the water heater I have a small 10" sediment filter housing.  Can I simply pour the bleach in there and run the hot water to draw the bleach into the water heater?  It seems like a simple enough approach but as I wasn't able to find anything online about doing it this way, I'm feeling a bit tentative.

If I were to add chlorine to a water heater I would add it through the anode port, this would be a good time to verify that the anode is still serviceable. After letting the treated water sit I would flush through the closest hot water faucet and once the majority of the strong chlorine is gone flush all the hot taps to prevent chlorine poisoning. My well guy told me of a family that saw him bleach the well and did not realize he flushed the well for 3 hours after waiting 3 hours. Almost killed 2 or 3 of them. So be careful and flush the tank until almost no smell.


Is there a proper amount of chainsaw tension Is there a proper amount of tension I should keep the chain on my chainsaw?

I currently like to have it more loose than tight.

Thnx

Why yes, there is. Consult the owners manual (in paper or on-line), and it will tell you what that is and how to measure it on your particular saw.

Too tight causes excessive heat and wear.

Too loose can cause the chain to jump off the bar and result in an accident.


Subpanel installation breaker size: is it big enough? I have a 220v 15amp compressor and 220v 15amp pressure washer. I have an attached garage that doesn't have 220v service. My main panel is full. I've installed a sub panel in the garage.

Feeding it I have #6/3. At the main panel I have installed a subpanel and have one 60 amp 2 pole breaker for for the garage subpanel (essentially daisy chaining the panels). Being that my main panel is full I needed to make room on the main. There is a dual pole 30 amp breaker for our steam shower steam generator. I plan to move that circuit to the subpanel and install a 60 amp breaker dual pole to feed the sub.

So I have two subs daisy chained off the main: 60 amp dual pole breaker on main >>>>> sub 1(circuit 1: 30 amp 2 pole steam gen circuit 2: 60 amp breaker 2 pole to Garage sub) >>>>> sub 2(circuit 1: 15 amp dual pole for compressor circuit 2: 15 amp 2 pole for pressure washer).

My question is: Is the breaker for sub 1 off the main big enough? 60 amp is the biggest stab-lok NC breaker - going to 100 amp would require a NA breaker which is bigger in physical size and require some panel reconfiguring.

Using a 60 amp breaker is fine. The breaker serving a panel does not have to be larger than the total of the breakers in the panel; it has to be appropriately sized for the load. I doubt you'll be using the steam generator, compressor and pressure washer at the same time, so you'll be fine.


How should I mount a sliding closet door track? I'm looking for input on my intended plan of action.

I'm drywalling a room, closet included.  The closet track is to be mounted on a crossbeam running the width of the closet.  The crossbeam is actually two 2x4s that have been sandwiched (not right together, about 1/4 inch apart, but thoroughly attached & shimmed).

I believe I'm supposed to attach the track to the outer beam, then cover the track with some ornamental moulding.  Is this the correct method?

What can I do (if anything) about the other, inner (as in, towards the closet) beam?  Should I drywall that 1.5" space?  What's the standard practice?

Why not trim out the door like you normally would?

Install a frame in the opening.

Install casing around the opening.

Then mount your track to the upper part of the door frame.


New floor up to new cabinets already installed or under? New construction home I purchased a new construction home through a commercial builder. I will be closing on the house in a few weeks and opted to do the hardwood floor myself to save some money.

I did upgrade the cabinets and I am happy with the current counter tops. I would prefer to have the floor go under the cabinets but the cabinets have to be in along with an linoleum floor to close on the house.

I don't want a sloppy job on a brand new home with trim all around the baseboard of the cabinets.  I was considering pulling out the cabinets to do the job right,  or putting the floor up to the toe kick with a proper gap but putting another toe kick in front to cover the gap cleanly.

I am willing to spend the extra time for the best appearance but without destroying the cabinets or countertops I have.  If I were to take out the cabinets what issues could I run into?  I know the countertop which is a laminated countertop is glued to the wall, will this be hard to separate and reuse without destroying it?  Will the upper cabinets need to be raised the difference of the height of the floor thickness when the cabinets are put on top of the floor?

If I were to lead the floor up to the baseboard what are my options to make it look the best? There is a register vent in the toe kick that is flush with the current floor, what is the best way to relocate this higher? Can I just move it up a little or do I need to add some duct work to prevent cool/warm air from blowing on the exposed hardwood floor near the bottom of the register?

Also, can I lay the hardwood floor directly over the linoleum?  I would hate to have to remove all that. Would anything else need to go between the hardwood and linoleum if so?

This is my first time doing something like this, so all information is helpful.  Thanks!

Your Builder's a knot-hole, he should've figured in the wood floor for you. Don't mess the cabinets nor countertop, it shouldn't be glued to anything, knot-holes. This means no need to do anything with the uppers. But, do put the flooring under removable things, if there's room for it. Like, Refrigerator, Range, & even Dishwasher, easier future servicing. The vent can just slide up with a top cut, glue the cut-out piece to the vent hole's old bottom.

Now then, you might luck out with the toe-kick that's already there, for the new floor & the vent. If the toe-kick is solid & has no seams below each cabinet. Then, it was applied after the cabinets & can be pried off or even un-clipped, trimmed & reinstalled on top of the new floor, trim the top edge. You can also do this with many per cabinet toe-kicks too, if they're topically applied & not Ikea-like cam-lock nor bracket applied. Some Trim Saws could possibly cut the toe-kick that tight to the floor too.


If I use a waterproof membrane, do I have to use tile? if I use Aqua Defense or Redguard to waterproof my shower can I just paint a natural color on the floor, or do I have to put tile down.  What kind of paint could I use that would not peel up

You cannot use redgard or aqua defense as the final coat.  (says this in their product info)  Over time standing on them, dropping things or whatever would cause weak points or holes.  They are meant to have some type of hard surface on top of them for protection - stone, tile, plastic, and so on.

Paint would not help at all.  Any type of paint that got wet would eventually lose binding to the material.  Also paint wouldn't help with the above issues.


How aggressive should one be with replacing aged steel pipes in a Norfolk VA brick house? I'm house-sitting my son's house that he just bought. It is at least middle aged and I'm concerned that it is a hidden cost. The exterior is red brick and the plumbing, as far as I can tell, is all steel pipe under the house and all behind brick walls.

I'm concerned that he has or will have a rusted through pipe under there and there is no way to get to it except removing the brick walls. Even if it isn't leaking, I'm sure the pipes are compromised and if one rusts through no one will know about it.

What should he do? Remove enough brick to get under the house and replace it all with PEX?

It depends on the water , steel can last a very long time in some waters, so doing nothing unless there is a problem is an option. Find out from neighbors ( with steel pipe) if there have been problems. If any is accessible , a piece of pipe could be removed and examined  as an indication of the whole system but opening an old pipe connection can easily make problems. Pipe wall thicknesses are measured routinely in industry  with ultrasonics but it would be expensive to hire an inspection company.


Refrigerator is warm but freezer stays cool I have a Frigidaire top freezer refrigerator. The freezer is fine, however it freezes up and blocks the vent, preventing cool air from circulating into the refrigerator section: Pic attached is freezer interior:

Problems:

Ice builds up on back panel of the freezer.
Air vent into fridge gets blocked by this ice.
Fridge doesn't cool down.

A few things I have tried:

Defrost heater is reading 35 ohms.
I have noticed the fridge enter its defrost cycle throughout the day.
Manually turning the mechanical defrost timer does send the unit into defrost.
When I trigger the defrost, the heater does warm up and glows red.
Ventilation fan is working.

What could be the problem here, or what should I check for?

The thermostat should be okay, since it turns on the heater once the defrost cycle is on. There is no problem with the defrost heater. The only other thing that could be the problem is the defrost timer. However it does activate the defrost cycle throughout the day that I've noticed. Could it still be faulty?

three main points come to mind (in this order):

Door seal(s): even though you may think the door is closed all the way, a weak magnet or bad seal will cause this problem EVERYTIME. Try the "dollar bill" trick: place a dollar bill in the area around the door seal and do a full series of tests the full perimeter of the door. The dollar bill should be held in place by the door seal when closed and should require effort to pull it out. If it is "easy" anywhere, then the seal is poor and moisture is getting in greatly accelerating frost buildup
Air fan: While you identify the fan is working, is it working properly? The motor itself can be marginal, running poorly, or not at all, check contacts and wiring, and also confirm the bearings are firm but the blades spin freely. Also (and this is critical), ensure the supply and return ducts are not blocked. Make sure they are fully defrosted, and clean. Any food, mold, plastic bags, etc are removed and do not store products in front of or blocking the ducts
Refrigerant cycling: if there is a flow issue (pinched lines etc) or too low refrigerant, the unit can be cycling on and off or never off, either way allowing the ice buildup, but this is usually only found in old or damaged units. Try setting the freezer to its warmest acceptable level, and make sure it is cycling off vs. running 24/7

As noted in the other answer, but amplifying it a bit further, make sure that if the unit has a defrost tray that it has water in it - it is possible the ductwork is bloxked by plastic debris or mold/food. Make sure all tubing is free and clear


Identify type of circuit breaker My house came with a main panel that supports this type of circuit breaker.

However, I am unable to find that type at the store and the breaker doesn't say what type it is. I thought it might be CH (as it's certainly thinner than BR) but it's not. Here are its comparisons with CH (on the right and below, respectively):

Can you identify it so I know what to search for to get new ones?

I can see a SquareD logo on the side, and the red indicator window on the front makes it look like a Square D QO 20-Amp Single-Pole Circuit Breaker, model #QO120CP:

The overall shape of the breaker and orientation of the contacts on the back seem to match your breaker.


Will adding a french drain and sealing the wall be sufficient to waterproof a basement? I am going to attempt to waterproof the basement from the exterior. It is a new development that water is getting in the basement through the window wells and a crack in the wall.

I am hoping I can dig a 18" - 24" deep french drain around this wall and seal the wall with a sealant.

Would this be sufficient?

If the crack is visible from inside, you could use an expanding polyurethane foam kit. I've used one from RadonSeal in the past (http://www.radonseal.com/crack-injection/diy-injection.htm) and had great results. You can also inject the crack from outside if that's easier. I'd also check grading (is soil sloped away from the house?) and drainage (no close downspouts, etc) outside to make sure any easy water sources are taken care of.


Using existing outdoor outlet to run underground supply to fountain [![I would like to run a 25' underground uf cable to power a fountain.  The closest outdoor GFI outlet is pictured below.

As the existing outlet is flush with the aluminum siding, I would like to update this outdoor receptacle
Can I get one that is made to  attach to the old type flush box?

Weatherproof extension ring is the part you’re looking for.

They are available in various forms, make certain the model you choose has knockouts.

Sleeve the UF cable in PVC conduit to get it from that point to underground.  Since your box is horizontal mount you’ll need an LL or LR or 90 to get from the knockout down into the ground.


Gurgling Noise from Sink Our upstairs bathroom has a toilet, tub and sink. The sink drains very quickly, but starting a couple of seconds after it empties there is a gurgling sound (blub blub blub...) that lasts several seconds. I can even feel it when I hold the pipe below the sink. Consider these facts:

The tub does not gurgle after it drains and the toilet does not gurgle after it is flushed (I tested by shutting off the supply before flushing so the refill noise wouldn't interfere).
Two separate plumbers have snaked the sink line and declared it clear.
Someone went onto the roof to run water through the vent pipe and it appeared clear.
One of the plumbers went on the roof to snake the vent pipe. It went all the way down to where it met water when we ran the sink. There was no blockage found. When I look at the roof, I see two vent pipes, one with a narrower diameter - I think the plumber may have said that was just for the sink.

Despite the above, the gurgling persists. The plumbers have no explanation but they both told me that it's nothing to worry about.

I'd be interested in any opinions about what may be causing the noise and whether based on your similar experience it needs addressing with something not already done. Could this have anything to do with the underground sewer pipe? If so, why would only one plumbing fixture be affected?

It is nothing to be worried about, the vent that prevents the tub and toilet gurgling  is probably down stream from the sink. When the sink drains it blocks the vent and creates the vacuum that sucks air from the sink trap (the glug glug you hear)  there are ways to reduce or possibly eliminate the noise by adding an air admittance valve under the sink counter but these can cause problems if not properly installed or if they get gunk in them.
So if you want to eliminate the noise look up air admittance valve (there are some answers here that even have photos)
The noise won’t hurt anything and doesn’t have anything to do with the pipe in the ground , just the vent, if you allow the sink to drain slowly it won’t make the noise in most cases.


Making a switched plug hot all the time My house was built in the 70s so most of my outlets are on a switch in which the bottom is always hot and the tops are controlled by the switch.

I'm installing recessed lighting and I'm going to use the switch the outlets are on for the lights. While doing that I"m going to install new outlets throughout the room and I want them to be wired hot all the time now.

The red wire in the picture is the switch wire, I have tested it via meter to confirm. Both outlets are wired a little different with one have 3 neutrals and the other only having 2 so I'm a confused on how to wire the new outlets in leaving them hot on top and bottom.

PS: the outlet with 3 neutrals is jumpered for power

Thanks!!!!

If you're installing new outlets, simply wire nut the switched hot wires off, tape it, and jamb it into the back of the box.

Neutrals stay, they aren't switched.

Btw, that third white wire stabbed in below the red is not a neutral, it's the switched hot running to another receptacle. Always be sure to use a tester before identifying wires, color is not a good indicator of a wire's purpose.


Is a shop-vac adequate for discarding the greenish water on top of the pool cover? My pool has the winter cover on. The water underneath, I am hoping, is clean. But the water on top of the cover is quite dirty.

What kind of pump should I use for discarding this water before opening the pool? I've seen some "wet/dry shop vac" type of pumps at local stores. Is any of these adequate? Will they fail if a few leaves enter along with the water?

It would be nice to have that pump double as garage sweeper (pour water, vacuum the water with the dirt from the garage floor), and so it would be nice if a shop-vac will fit the bill.

Another option is to use the winterizing pump, which I don't have. Though I may get it if I gather the courage to winterize myself. When winterizing the pool, a fairly strong pump is needed to clear water from the pipes, and I'm assuming that such a pump could also see double-use to vacuum the spring-time dirty water, but I'm not sure if using such a pump on the polluted water would make it contaminate the pool before winterizing.

A wet/dry shop vac should be great for this, and it will be a useful tool for the rest of the year as well.  The main limitation is going to be the amount of water you can "pump" before emptying the vac.  You'll be limited to 5-10 gallons at a time depending on what you buy.

Leaves or any other dirt or trash will be fine.  As long as it can fit through the nozzle and the hose, the vac will happily suck it up.  I've used mine to suck water out of a hole when doing an irrigation repair and to clean up a major water spill in the house.

Follow all instructions for wet use.  Normally the filter will need to be removed.  Also, clean the vac immediately and let it dry when you are done.  Old, dirty water gets moldy and nasty very quickly and can make the vac smell bad for the rest of its life.


How can I pour a concrete floor/slab with two levels? I am pouring a slab for a concrete floor for an 1800 sq foot house and would like the bathroom area to be about 3/8" lower than the rest so I can tile it and wind up with the floor and seams that are level throughout
once the tile is laid in the depressed area.  How can I do this?

I'd pour the slab, leaving a 'hole' where the bath will be. Essentially, you will make a hole in the slab using forms.

After the slab sets, remove the forms, come back and pour your slightly-lower slab in the hole that was left.

Ideally, use some rebar in the original pour to tie in the new slab for the bath.

Alternatively, maybe consider pouring it all flat and use a transition strip between the concrete outside the bath and the slightly raised tile.

Alternative option 2: if the whole house is going to be polished concrete, why not the bath too? Maybe stain the bath concrete a different color?


Troubleshooting GFCI Outlet Tripping Recently, the GFCI outlet that "powers" our back patio has started tripping. Initially, I thought the outlet was old since this only started recently (and we use our patio regularly), so I replaced it with a new one, but it still trips -- sometimes within seconds, sometimes after 10 minutes or so.

Downstream from the GFCI are two outdoor ceiling fans and three standard outlets. I've unplugged everything from the outlets and switched the fans and lights on the ceiling fans off. However, the GFCI still trips.

All three outlets + GFCI outlet have bubble covers on them.

Wiring runs like this:

Breaker --> light switch (inside) --> GFCI outlet (outside) --> 3 outlets / 2 fans

(All outdoor wires are run through PVC or metal conduit.)

At this point, my guess is that I have a short somewhere. Question is: is there a best way to troubleshoot this? I'd rather not have to take down the fans to determine if they're the cause, but if that's what I have to do, so be it. Also, is there an obvious reason why the trip sometimes happens immediately but sometimes after a few minutes?

My plan is to disconnect the load lines from the GFCI and see if it still trips. My assumption, however, is that it won't and I'll have to work down the line to see where the fault is.

Breaker --> light switch (inside) --> GFCI outlet (outside) --> 3 outlets / 2 fans

It is either the GFCI outlet itself (doubtful, because you replaced it) or one of the 3 outlets or 2 fans. "10 minutes or so" isn't the greatest for troubleshooting, but not too bad. Your choices for troubleshooting are "one at a time" or "binary". I would go for "binary" if you can. This is also "divide and conquer".

Find an (approximate) midpoint if there is a chain from GFCI to the 3 outlets and 2 fans, and disconnect the wires there and see if the problem still occurs. If it does, then you know which 1/2 has the problem (unless there is more than one problem!) and can divide further.

or

Disconnect (and cap for safety with wire nuts) wires going to 1/2 the devices and see if the problem still occurs. If it does, then you know which 1/2 has the problem (unless there is more than one problem!) and can divide further.

Which method will be easier depends on whether the devices are in more of a "chain" or a "star" configuration.


How to handle unattached ground wires in boiler fusebox/control panel (sub-panel?)? I don't have enough of an understanding of HVAC to know if the pictured boiler fuse box is considered a control panel or a sub-panel - but some wiring issues there lead me to needing to understand more about this setup - and how to handle the unattached ground wires.

Notice at the mid-left and mid-right there are two grounding wires that are not bonded to anything. One is the NM cable with bare copper that runs to the boiler on-off metal switch box - where it is bonded at that end in the cable clamp. The other is the green wire coming out of the block-like device [transformer].

That same unidentified device [transformer] seems to have it's hot and neutral wires reversed at the ceramic fuse block: the white wire tests "hot" with tick tester, same as another black wire terminated there.

Both the cables that feed this fuse box (20 A), and the devices below it (pump relays?)(15 A), are old "BX" and do not appear to contain any bonding strip. The junction boxes they originate from are bonded to grounding wires that run back to the main panel box.

That ceramic block that holds two 15 A fuses appears to isolate the neutrals from any ground connections in the box - if they'd been connected. As it is, it appears the only grounding means is via the armor of the BX cables.

So how should I handle the unattached ground wires?

If anyone is open to discussing the control panel at the bottom of the box I'd love to add some more pictures and also ask about that. Even a link to a resource that educates about a setup like this would be appreciated.

Add a ground screw and land the ground wires there

I'd use a self-tapping ground screw (Garvin GSST or equivalent -- these are different from regular sheet-metal screws in that they use a fine-pitch (32tpi) thread instead of the 16tpi coarse pitch thread normally found on a sheet metal screw) into the back of the box to provide a grounding point, then land the loose ground wires there.  The fact that it's only grounded via the BX armor is not great, but it's better than floating altogether....


No signal when cabling a female wall plate I'm cabling a new part of my home and I tried to create 2 ports on my wall. To summarize my installation (schema at the end), I have my internet access downstair. I installed a netgear switch upstairs to connect my equipements there. Then from this switch I connected 2 cables which are running inside the wall to my house other part. Both cables are arriving at the same place to create 2 ethernet port.

If I connect to my cable to this kind of connector shown on the image, and then I'm connecting my computer to the female port, my computer has no connection, and the ethernet port is not event flashing.

Note: When cabling this connector I invert green and orange to correspond to the other end of my cable which is using T568A. However I did try T568B to be sure it wasn't the problem.

However If I use a male connector instead of the female one, and I plug it directly in my computer it works. I'm currently writing from the wifi provided by a router connected to this male connector.

I even tried to reproduce the wall cable with another cable running from my computer, to a female ethernet port as shown, itself connected to a switch, connected to the internet access modem. And it also worked fine. I did it to be certain I was clipping the right ethernet wire into the right socket.

So I have no clue at the moment why it is not working. I connected my cable to the female port several time this morning being carefull about how I connect it.

Here is a schema of what I tried if it can help. I ordered an ethernet tester to be even more certain I didn't screw up while connecting something.

Schema notes :

A and B at the beginning of the cable are for the connection used (T568A/B)
The cable number indicates which cable i used again
The switch used in all 3 tests is the same

Edit to show how I wired a jack to test if I'm wiring it correctly :

The solution :
The tester I ordered finally arrived, and it showed me my mistake. The plug on my cable 2 on my schema was in the wrong order (8->1 instead of 1->8). And instead of starting fresh I reproduced my error each time I created a new plug

Never strip wires like that for a jack. It is very easy to short them together inside when you close the jack.

You also should have a cable tester that tests every wire individually. The best one I've ever used costs less than $10 (US). It has a series of lights 8 lights and tests each wire one at a time to make sure the connection is good. If you test your cables, you will see exactly what is wrong with them.

As noted in the comments, you must have a punchdown tool or use "toolless" jacks. This kind of jack is designed to crimp the wires into the terminals using pressure from closing the cover. I use these all the time - they cost only a few cents more, and they are much easier.