Can I use Schedule 40 PVC to protect a grounding electrode conductor where exposed to physical damage? Can I use Schedule 40 PVC to protect a 4 AWG grounding electrode conductor (wire from main panel to grounding electrode) where exposed to physical damage (a few feet between the panel and the ground rods)?

Per the section 250.64 of the 2014 NEC, it looks like I can use schedule 40 because it lists "rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC)" without specifying the schedule. In other sections of code, it is usually very specific about the use schedule 80 where wire is exposed to physical damage. Also, the inclusion of "cable armor" in section 250.64 as a means of protection from physical damage is a possible indicator that this section of code is relaxed since I otherwise understood cable armor to be prohibited for use where protection from physical damage is required (see heading "Question #3" in this answer).

Ideally, I would use EMT since I am most used to working with it when I need conduit or a raceway, however the additional requirements to bond metallic raceways at their termination for a grounding electrode conductor adds additional hassle/fittings that I would rather not deal with. Therefore, I am looking at the non-metallic conduit options and I am having a tougher time finding schedule 80 PVC in sizes less than 1 1/4" at local stores while schedule 40 PVC is plentiful in a variety of sizes.

  Below Quotation is from NFPA-70:2014; The 2014 National Electrical Code

  250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation.

  ...

  (B) Securing and Protection Against Physical Damage.
  Where exposed, a grounding electrode conductor or its enclosure
  shall be securely fastened to the surface on which it is
  carried. Grounding electrode conductors shall be permitted to
  be installed on or through framing members. A 4 AWG or
  larger copper or aluminum grounding electrode conductor
  shall be protected if exposed to physical damage. A 6 AWG
  grounding electrode conductor that is free from exposure to
  physical damage shall be permitted to be run along the surface
  of the building construction without metal covering or protection
  if it is securely fastened to the construction; otherwise, it
  shall be protected in rigid metal conduit RMC, intermediate
  metal conduit (IMC), rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC),
  reinforced thermosetting resin conduit (RTRC), electrical metallic
  tubing EMT, or cable armor. Grounding electrode conductors
  smaller than 6 AWG shall be protected in (RMC),
  IMC, PVC, RTRC, (EMT), or cable armor. Grounding electrode
  conductors and grounding electrode bonding jumpers
  shall not be required to comply with 300.5.

After some more research, the answer appears to be no. Per section 352.10(F) of the 2014 NEC and its informational note (quoted below), only schedule 80 is allowed where PVC is exposed to physical damage.

  Below Quotation is from NFPA-70:2014; The 2014 National Electrical Code

  352.10 Uses Permitted.

  ...

  (F) Exposed. PVC conduit shall be permitted for exposed
  work. PVC conduit used exposed in areas of physical damage
  shall be identified for the use.

  Informational Note: PVC Conduit, Type Schedule 80, is identified for areas of physical damage.


Was my mold issue handled properly? I hope we didn't screw this up. We're in a rental and there was mold (blackish/grayish spots but it didn't look fuzzy) on the bare sheetrock garage walls and near a dryer vented into the garage (fixed now) and seemingly from a now-fixed leak. Also same stain/spots under kitchen sink. Mngmnt refused to do a pro inspection and sent their handyman. He sprayed a bleach-based mold killer on at least some of it (I suspect not all of it), replaced 2 small sections of dry wall, painted Kilz basecoat over it and called it good. He did not ventilate the area, did not clean up the dead mold and now it's painted over. I am quite allergic to mold and on a steroid inhaler now due to living here. I feel worse the day after this work but it could be part of a cold and it may be anxiety over not knowing if what was done just made it worse. If money weren't an issue, we would have gotten a pro inspection and remediation. Will someone please tell me what the handyman did will at least contain the mold? We are thinking of fogging the whole house and even the ducting with Concrobium to coat and encapsulate the mold. I want to paint a Kilz latex over the base coat, too. We've got 10 more months on this lease and I am hoping not to be miserable or permanently sick from this. Any thoughts/opinions/ideas?

The most likely reason for you feeling worse is leftover dust from the work performed. That will include dust from the drywall, from sanding the filling and especially mold particles from the disturbed wall. The room may look clean, but replacing drywall will produce a lot of tiny dust particles that will settle everywhere and make an allergic person feel really bad until the dust is removed.

It might also be allergy to the new paint components and if that's the case then the paint has dried by this moment and you'll feel better.

So the number one thing is to clean the room thoroughly - wipe everything where the dust and mold particles may have settled at least twice.

As to painting over. Latex paint will form soft yet rather strong film that will bond and contain the mold for a while. If there's any amount of humidity and mold is indeed in the wall then mold will continue to grow and will likely resurface at some moment. However until that happens you can feel more or less safe - the dried paint is like soft plastic covering and containing everything.


Can I install a sink sprayer with a faucet not designed to support one? Is there a way to connect a sink sprayer to a Moen faucet that doesn't have an outlet to accommodate a sprayer? Is there some kind of in line adapter I can use or do I need to buy a whole new faucet?

Generally you want the sink sprayer attachment to be getting its water flow from the point after when the sink faucet has turned on the water and mixed the hot and cold to the desired temperature. That means you need a faucet that supports the sprayer attachment.

There is another safety factor involved with being able to shut off the pressurized water source with a nice metal faucet instead of depending on some cheap plastic thing to do that job. If you attach the sprayer device ahead of the faucet then you have the condition that if it breaks or a hose bursts you get water everywhere. On the other hand if the sprayer fails when connected after the faucet you can very quickly get the water shut off.

When you try to attach the sprayer ahead of the faucet you will either get all hot or all cold unless you installed a separate mixer valve. I suspect that by the time you got all through all of that it would cost as much or more than simply replacing the existing faucet with one that supports a sprayer attachment.


Water stains on ceiling I have some water stains on my ceiling as the picture shows below. I couldn't figure out if this is a roof leaking or the condensation in attic. Please help.

To me, it doesn't look like it's coming from above.  It looks like something splashed on the ceiling, or condensation formed on the ceiling.

If this is a bathroom or kitchen, try running the exhaust fan during showers and while cooking.

The only way to be sure it's not coming from above, is to get up in the attic and have a look around.


Going from 3 way switch to a regular switch The left of the image (light grey background) is what I have set up so far. The right is what's existing. I now realize there's no neutral to go to the regular switch from the 3 way switch since it gets used as hot.

My only idea would be to run 4 wire romex down from the second light fixture to the second 3 way switch. However that would be very difficult and I'd rather avoid it.

Simply I'm trying to wire the last light switch from the last 3 way switch but don't have a neutral wire at that point.

The right 3-way (center switch) has neither hot nor neutral.  The three wires present there are:

messenger 1
messenger 2
switched-hot.

Since you have neither hot nor neutral, that far 3-way is dead as far as feeding power off it.  You have to go back to the left 3-way.

You also have a problem there paralleling two 12-2's, despite what the illustration shows, you are not allowed to do that.

I would start the whole thing over with smart switches which use radio waves for 3-waying, and simply straight-line hot and neutral through all boxes.

Switch-1: Smart-switch master that supports radio comm with a powered (or battery) remote.
From switch 1 to lamp 1, black=always-hot, white=always-neutral, red=switched-hot.
Inside lamp 1: TOP 12-2 is passthru: black goes to always-hot, white goes to always-neutral.  BOTTOM 12-2: Black goes to switched-hot (red wire) and to lamp.  White goes to neutral and to lamp.
From lamp 1 to 2:  TOP 12-2: passthru hot and neutral.  BOTTOM 12-2: switched-hot and neutral for lamp 2 only.**
Inside lamp 2: TOP 12-2 passes through.  BOTTOM 12-2: black is switched-hot to lamp.  White is always-neutral to lamp only, do not parallel with top 12-2.
From lamp 2 to switch 2: black=always-hot, white=always-neutral, red=capped at both ends.
Switch 2: Appropriate smart-switch remote.
From switch 2 to switch 3: Black=always-hot, white=always-neutral.
Switch 3 and past: normal switch circuit.

** This arrangement is very important because it assures currents are equal in all cables.  You can't randomly parallel two 12-2's if you need 4 wires, the diagram you linked is wrong.


Need help understanding amperage ratings for panels and sub panels Im trying to understand the concept of amperage ratings for panels, and sub panels, but I'm not sure I have it figured out, sorry for any novice terminology.

I'm in America.  Grounds omitted for clarity.  Thanks!

Part 1:

Let's say I have a 100amp main service panel (two hots at 120v each and a neutral coming into it).

I install a 60amp double-pole breaker in my main.  (Lets say for ease of example that this is the only breaker in the main panel, aka nothing else is using electricity in the main panel.)

I run 6 gauge feeder wires (two hots, one neutral) from this 60amp double-pole breaker to a smaller 60amp panel, a few feet away.

This sub-panel has a 60amp main breaker.

Now I install four 20amp single pole breakers, all in line, so two on each leg.

Now lets say I install four total 20amp single outlet receptacles, 1 outlet per circuit (using 12 gauge wire).

I have four theoretical high powered devices and i plug one into each outlet and turn it on.  Each device continuously draws about 1,920 watts.  So in total i am drawing about 7,680 watts (four x 1,920 watts).

The 60amp sub-panel can handle this because it is less than 14,400 watts (60amp x 240v).  Is this the correct way to calculate this?

Now lets say i double up and install eight 20amp single pole breakers, and eight total 20amp single outlet receptacles, one on each circuit -- but now i also have eight total high-powered devices, and i plug one into each receptacles and turn them all on.

Each devices continuously draws about 1,920 watts.  So in total i am drawing about 15,360 watts (eight x 1,920 watts).

This would trip the breaker in the sub panel, because it is over the 14,400 watts (60amp x 240v) it can handle, correct?

If this is all correct, then I am wondering this:

Part 2:

In the first example, I installed four 20amp single-pole breakers, two on each leg.  But what if i install them all on one leg -- for instance, I leave a space between each breaker I install.

Now I run the same experiment -- one 20amp outlet on each circuit, four devices total, each plugged into one outlet.  Each device draws 1,920 watts, for a total of 7,680 watts (four x 1,920 watts).

Would the 60amp breaker still be fine, or would it trip because all the circuits, and therefore devices, are on one leg?

Essentially I'm asking, would i still calculate the amount the breaker can handle by multiplying 60amp by 240v, or would i now have to multiply 60amp by 120v, which would only be 7,200 watts (less than the 7,680 watts my devices are drawing).

Thank you so much for your time!

Part 1:

100% correct.

Part 2:

The way I think about it is this:

A 60A two-pole breaker - e.g., like you have in a main panel for the feeder to a subpanel - is not exactly 60A @ 240V. Rather, it is 60A @ 120V x 2. Each pole can, in theory, trip independently, but with 240V loads they would always trip together. With unbalanced 120V loads - e.g., 4 x 20A all on one leg - you can indeed end up with one leg overloaded and trip even though the other side is OK.

Remember, you are not limiting "how much power can go through the cable", you are limiting "how much current can go through each individual wire". Each wire is limited to 60A of current, with the total power, in this example, either 60A x 120V per leg or 60A x 120V x 2 for the two 120V circuits or 60A x 240V for a 240V circuit. All of which in the end are exactly the same.

Your calculations and interpretations are basically correct, it just gets a little confusing along the way.

This all relates, of course, to two key things:

As much as reasonably possible, 120V loads should be split between the two legs so that you can make the best use of the available circuits/breakers/etc. There is another small advantage, though it doesn't make much real difference - the neutral current is the difference between the hots. If you have 50A x 120V then your neutral carries 50A as well. If you have 25A x 120V x 2 then your neutral does nothing at all!
Panels and subpanels can be oversubscribed. In your example, a 60A panel could easily have 8 x 20A - 4 x 20A on each leg (and actually quite a bit more than that). That means that in theory if you plugged full power devices into everything - heaters on every circuit all on at the same time - then you could easily trip that subpanel breaker (and the same goes for the 100A main). But sizing is based on realistic expectations - and there are formulas and guidelines to follow. But some simple examples:

If you have air conditioning and electric resistance heat then it is a pretty safe bet that you won't run them at the same time, so only one (the larger) really counts.
You may have a bunch of 15A or 20A receptacle circuits in various rooms. Except for the kitchen (where you could have toaster, coffee maker, etc. all at once) most of the time only a few receptacles are in use at a time and most of those will typically be lighting (very low power with LEDs, but even incandescent might be only a few hundred watts on a 15A circuit), cell phone chargers, TVs, etc. - which might use anywhere from a few watts to a few hundred watts each. The big exception is someone with a workshop full of power tools, but most people don't have that. So a 15A or 20A circuit might have 6 or more receptacles - and that's OK as long as you don't use them all for high-power devices at the same time.
Lighting circuits are typically 15A or 20A. But even in the past (incandescent), the amount of light needed was far less than the circuit capacity. Today with fluorescent or LED a lighting circuit might use 100W or less for a large room.

So adding up the total capacity of all the circuits is important but does not directly determine the subpanel or main panel size.

In addition, as I have learned from the pros here, while the breaker in the main panel for the feeder to your subpanel is sized to match the wire (and the wire is therefore sized to fit your actual needs since larger costs more), the main breaker in your subpanel functions as a convenience shutoff switch and therefore does not need to be the same size. Going with your original example, the subpanel could have a 60A breaker in the main panel feeding it but in the subpanel itself the main breaker could be 100A (or more!) and that's OK because the ultimate protection will be provided by the 60A breaker in the main panel. If you use 60A in both then there is no guarantee which breaker will trip first or if they will both trip at the same time.


Electricity power off in some bed rooms and back again regularly each night but breakers are still on Electricity power is off in some bed rooms regularly each night for about 20-60 minutes. Switches are still on. Our neighbors do not have this problem. I am not sure what causes this problem. Thanks!

This can be every thing from a failing supply to the home, knocking out 1 leg to a daisy chained set of outlets that has a bad connection.  First I would see if the problem is on multiple breakers if it is all odd or all even breakers get the power company involved because this would indicate a serious problem with your service. If it is only 1 breaker that the problem is associated with it can be a weak connection at the breaker but more likely in my experience is a daisy chained outlet that uses back stabs is failing or a loose wire nut / broken wire when the connection gets hot it opens. This is also a concern as there is usually arcing. If this is the case it can usually be traced to 1 outlet or junction in a box with an outlet or switch. When the power goes out work towards the service panel looking for the last place there is power. Once the first no power outlet is found the problem will be there or the outlet before it. With the breaker off pull the outlet and inspect the connections, if back stabs are used pulling the outlet can at times temporally fix the problem until a large load causes it to start failing again. I recommend replacing outlets that have had this issue because you don't know how much damage occoured inside. I use the screw connectors on outlets and switches because I have repaired hundreds of failed backstab outlets and switches over the years.


How much room does a fridge coil need to dissipate heat? I want to put a small bar fridge in the (rather large) kitchen cupboard under my sink to ultimately be used as a kegerator.

The fridge will be a custom free-standing insulated box (similar to this one) which uses the thermostat, compressor, cooling element, and rear coils from a standard 4ft3 bar fridge.  I measured the cupboard to be 28ft3.  The cupboard is not ventilated, but isn't sealed either.  It's opened pretty often, and the two big sinks might help conduct heat out of there.

What do you think? Will heat dissipation be a problem?

I can't say for sure whether your installation will work, but heat dissipation could be a problem. The fridge innards you plan to use were meant for a refrigerator that has free air exchange with the rest of the house. Sealing it up under a counter with no free air movement will hinder its performance. Refrigerators that are built for under-counter installation have the coils mounted on the bottom (with a grate in front of the coils) for this reason. You could try mounting the coils on the side or bottom of the cold box, closer to the open air of the kitchen, with a vent panel as Steven suggests.


How can I prevent my lawnmower from spreading red thatch? My lawn last year allegedly suffered from red thatch. I’ve since moved but want to know if my lawn mower could carry red thatch to my new lawn and, if so, how I can clean it properly to prevent spreading it?

1 cup (5% laundry) bleach to 1 gallon water is usually a good bet to kill most things. Use in a well ventilated area, and never mix ammonia and bleach. (Which you all should know already, but evidently some people still don't...)

With a lawnmower, getting the blade and underside clean enough to paint (remove all grass clippings - and hey, if you've gone that far, why not paint it!) will help immensely in not having residual clumps of stuff that might not have gotten bleached all the way through. Clean (but don't paint) the wheels/tires (if any) as well (evidently hover mowers are still out there, wheel-free.)

"Red Thread" seems to be a more common name (I get no results for "red thatch" other than "red thread" and "pink patch" results.) Both are fungal diseases. A bleach solution will kill fungus on non-porous surfaces (such as your mower's steel and plastic) but is less effective on porous surfaces (which would mostly be the "age of the mower old" buildup of impacted grass clippings, in lawnmowers.)

Sharpening the blade is also a good idea for prevention, as these diseases more easily attack damaged grass blades than ones that have been cut cleanly.


Can I enhance Wi-Fi with a parabolic reflector? I have a decommissioned satellite dish antenna and I’d like to get a stronger signals from nearby Wi-Fi source.
I could mount an antenna at the focal point of the dish, as long as the router allowed external antenna.
Would this conflict with modern routers that have beam forming technology?
Anyone ever try this?

Maybe, but there are lots of details about digital signal processing that are more complicated than just using a reflector.
Luckily, one of them is a simple off-the-shelf solution: your antenna. Most consumer wifi equipment uses an omni-directional antenna, so it can receive and send in any direction. For a fixed power you can imagine that some of your signal goes off in a direction you don't care about.
Instead your could try directional antennas (which may include a dish) and point then directly at their stationary target. A web search for "directional wifi antenna" will get you started.


How to build a brick wall on the front of a CMU retaining wall? My retaining wall is made of two parallel "walls".  One is made of 16x8x12 Concrete Masonry Units and the other will be 8x4x2 bricks.  The CMUs are to have mass to hold the hill, while 8x4x2 are to be pretty.  There is no nice foundation, so both are sitting on ground and things will eventually move.  Here is a visual:

I want to make sure that when 16x8x12 start moving, they will not make 8x4x2 bricks fall off.

The 8x4x2 is not built yet, the foundation is not made because I am doing it myself and it is very rocky.  The walls are retaining a hill.  The 16x8x12 bricks are not mortared.  The same bricks (16x8x12) held up the hill for >= 10 years, but ended up leaning and turning, resulting in non flat wall.  The wall itself is 2 walls meeting at a corner, each side being 288" (18 of 16x8x12).

The options thus far are:

Do nothing, and hope for best
Cement 8x4x2 bricks together
Cement 8x4x2 bricks together, and to the 16x8x12 wall
Put steel rods into 8x4x2 and 16x8x12 walls and bind the rods together
Other?

References:

16x8x12 CMUs - Ugly
8x4x2 Bricks - Nicer

Those aren't bricks. Those are CMUs (Concrete Masonry Units). They should have mortar in between the joints, but if not, it's likely filled with concrete. Is it cracked at all anywhere? If it's not cracked and it's been standing for 10 years, you're probably OK with it as is.

You could go ahead and build a brick wall in front of it as ChrisF points out, but that'd be a lot of work. I'd suggest alternative means of dressing up the existing wall:

face it with brick. Instead of full bricks, it's a thin brick that you apply like you would wall tile
face it with stone. There's some really great concrete based stone facing systems on the market today. Like the brick facing, you'd mortar it directly to the current wall
stain/paint it. Concrete stain and/or paint might be the best bang for the buck (and your back).
vines. Attach a wire mesh to the front. Plant vines above or below it and train them to use the mesh. This is the 'green' solution. ;)
wood. You could create an interesting trellis of some sorts and attach it to the face of the wall. Or even 'side' it with cedar.


Bad floating vinyl plank installation.How to fix half inch strip My mother passed away and we had a professional floor installation (supposedly). I went through most of the key points of the installation for the warranty. I did not tell him he needed to measure the width of the room and figure out if the first row needed to be cut lengthwise. We ended up with less than a half inch strip along the wall to maybe an half inch through the kitchen doorway. He glued it in place. I don't know if it's glued to the floor or just the adjacent plank. He apparently told my sister this was fine. I'm concerned that being in a doorway area it won't stay in place. I think he's responsible to fix it even if he has to take out the whole floor. Also he didn't mix the boards properly and there is a large patch of lighter boards in the dining room. What should we do? Is there a way to strip/cut the first row, slide the installation over and insert a wider row where the strip is?

You have learned the hard way to get references, and phone them.  You could probably take them to small claims court and win, but it would likely be more trouble than it's worth.  Short of that you can try:

Put your complaint in writing, with photographs.  Go see him, and say that you want this made right, at no additional charge.  Vinyl flooring locks easily enough that he should be able to relay the floor fairly quickly.
If you don't get satisfaction that way, put a complaint in with the BBB.

Note:  There are dinks out there who, when called out on a bad job, will make sure that there are going to be further problems with the job later.

I am not a lawyer.  The advice above is worth what you paid for it. Maybe less.

Normal practice at a doorway is to put down a transition strip.  This is a piece of moulding with a cross section of a short very wide T for equal heights transition, or a ramp down one side for floors of different heights.   The transition overlaps the floating floor and allows it to move.

Plank flooring is easy enough to do, and from your question you know something about it, you may find it easier to buy one more box, take up the floor and redo it yourself.


no more oil in cub cadet self propelled lawn mower Yea, I know, shame on me.
How do I clean the oil compartment if the oil is all burnt?

Here's what happened:
My mower started smoking and it occurred to me that I haven't changed the oil in a year. Checked the dipstick and sure enough it was pretty low.

I'll be making a trip to get some oil, but how do I get the old stuff out there? I'm not asking how to do an oil change, but rather should I try to clean the old stuff out there first? this is assuming there's not much oil left to siphon/pour out.

I can only think of two ways:

just pour the new one in and pray that it will keep on running till the manufacturer recommended oil change
pour new oil in and give it a small run (half an hour of mowing), hope the old oil gets diluted in the mean time and then do a real oil change?

I doubt that your real problem is burnt oil sitting in the engine - the most likely way for oil to be burnt and causing smoke in the exhaust is if the rings are bad and/or the cylinder is scored (possibly because of running too long without enough oil).

You can get a good sense of whether your engine is burning oil by checking the spark plug and looking for deposits or other fouling.

If you're really worried about the oil (i.e. if it's extremely dirty or diluted), change the oil (don't just top it off), then run the engine  long enough to warm it up, then change it again.

If the engine doesn't run well with new oil, an engine overhaul is probably your best bet (and usually not that hard to do with a single cylinder small engine if you can find an overhaul kit for it). If the cylinder is scored you might be able to have it bored if you can find an oversize piston and/or rings.


Are there any electro-osmosis damp proofing systems that work? I have a problem with rising damp in an old wall and am wondering if electro-osmosis damp proofing systems actually work to remedy this as they claim. The type of system I'm talking about consists of a wall-mounted electromagnetic field generator and a cathode in the ground. The system is supposed to cause the water to move back into the ground by reversing its polarity. This is an example of such system.

Naturally, I'm skeptical about the claimed efficiency of this, but I'm no expert. From googling, it seems that many (all?) electro-osmosis systems are useless, but they are of different configuration than the one described here. On the other hand, some people claim they work for them, but it's hard to evaluate if this is due to the actual system, or if there were other repairs involved.

Are these systems legit?

There are two sides to an answer for your question you must consider.
First, it is important that you properly identify the type of damp. Rising damp should not be mistaken by penetrating damp or condensation damp. For clear description, please have a look here: https://www.wisepropertycare.com/services/rising-damp/what-is-rising-damp/signs/

Secondly, electro-osmosis works, as far as the physical processes behind it. It is therefore industry-accepted. I can send you a study made for one such product. Electro-osmosis is used in various dehydration processes, such as sludge dehydration by a Japanese company Kurita, proving its efficiency.

It seems that negative reviews about this technology have two sources: one is wrong diagnosis of rising damp prior to instalation of electro-osmosis devices, and another is poor quality of the device or poor quality of its installation. Most electro-osmosis kits contain titanium anodes which must be drilled into the wall, which is handled unprofessionaly, weakens the end result. There are also completely non-intrusive devices on the market which are plugged into the socket and provide the same effect, i.e. repel water molecules from the walls and force them back into the soil. This French company provides such devices: http://build-innovation.com/en/

Hope this answer clarifies your doubt about electro-osmosis for rising damp.


Can I install a 60A main breaker in a load center rated for 125A? Following my previous question about feeding a sub-panel...

I have access to a new-in-box 125A load center, which is more current than I need, but the form factor is good. Can I drop to a 60A feeder wire and breaker setup without running into any obscure code-related incompatibilities? What additional hardware do I need to install the main breaker since this one is "Main Lugs Only"?

Yes you can get a 60A main breaker for this panel

Your panel uses what is known as a QOM1 main breaker frame size -- this is standard for Square-D panels up to 125A.  While an ordinary Homeline 60A breaker won't fit there, the good news is that Square-D does make a QOM60VH -- so simply install that into your panel as per the supplied instructions, and you'll be golden as far as your main breaker goes. (Some other panel makes would require you to use Harper's approach of using a backfed branch breaker for the main, instead.)

You'll also need a PK15GTAL ground bar or two, as this will be a subpanel instead of a main panel.


Appropriate fixing to lay joists on top of binders I am attempting to board out a portion of my attic space for basic domestic storage. Nothing very heavy, just Christmas decorations and the like.

The area I wish to board out is the span between two 8" x 3" timber binders, which themselves are supported at one end by a load bearing wall and at the other by an RSJ.

These binders support the ceiling of the floor below, which is attached to existing 3" x 2" joists. These joists are butted, and a structural engineer has advised they are not strong enough to support the new floor for storage.

The engineer advised instead laying new joists across the span on top of the binders.

What is the best way of attaching the joists to the binders?

I am aware of joist hangars which I could nail to the faces of the binders - but there are several inches of roof insulation sitting between the binders and running parallel to them. Attaching the joists via joist hangars would require lifting, cutting and relaying this insulation, and probably replacing at least some of it. I'd like to avoid this if possible.
I could attach the joists to the top face of the binders - but how best to do this? Could I use e.g. angle brackets (something like this) to support them? If not angle brackets then what is the appropriate fixing?

Finally, I should say that I've consulted the TRADA tables to determine that the dimensions, spacing and quality of the joists are appropriate for the load and the span.

Toenailing into the top of the beam would probably be adequate, if you use slight care until you get the floor fastened to the top of the joists. For a more robust attachement, a 2x6 or even a 1x6 attached to the ends of the joists (nailed into the ends) such that it overlaps the side of the binders with the extra inch will be quite robust. Serves the function of a "rim-joist." Some blocking between the joists at mid-span or third-points would likely be overkill, but is another approach to resist overturning.

I would recommend the above approach.

"hurricane ties" are a metal bracket that may be handier (and may cost less) than the two you mention. They nail to the face of the joist and the face of the binder. But probably overkill for an interior light storage floor. You should be able to install the shortest version of them by simply pushing the insulation down while you nail, and letting it spring back up once installed.


How do I know when my wooden floor has fully dried out post-flood? So I had a bit of a flood (tap overflowing) and the wooden floor in my house was under an inch of water for a few hours. It's drying out now, and is a bit warped but otherwise fine.  I need to wait until it's dry to assess the damage and move the furniture back downstairs, but what I don't know is how to tell when it's dried out.  What moisture content should the floor have?  What should I measure it with?

If I need to provide more details etc. then let me know.  All answers/links to relevant info will be much appreciated!

Get yourself a moisture meter ($30~) and test the floor at various points.

Wood is rarely COMPLETELY dry (as in no moisture at all) - but you definitely want a moisture content that compares to other wood in your house that was not flooded.

Example of a moisture meter


A light switch shows power going to it when in the off position A light switch shows power going into it when in the off position.  When switched on, the light comes on but the tester shows no power going into the switch.

it sounds like the switch was installed in the neutral,  that should be corrected.
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/518257/what-is-switched-neutral


How to wire a condensate pump safety switch? So, just got back from vacation to find much of my basement covered with a decent amount of water. Discovered my condensate pump stopped working (worn float) and overflowed for probably most of the week.

The pump has a safety overflow cut-off switch but it was never set up and so I finally did that (or tried at least) once I replaced the float and cleaned up the mess. Problem is the shut off does not appear to function. The pump is a Diversitech CP-22 with three terminals (com, run and alarm). I separated 2 yellow wires connecting the t-stat and outdoor unit and connected the t-stat wire to the provided lead wire to the com terminal at the pump and then connected the second lead wire from the run terminal at the pump to the yellow wire from the outdoor unit. Turned everything back on and all appears to work fine except the cut-off feature. T-stat calls for cool, condenser kicks on outside and house cools normally to set temp. The pump functions fine when full but when I tried to test the overflow feature by manually filling it with water faster than it could pump it out, the pump just overflowed and never shut the system off although the red alarm LED was lit up.

What did I do wrong here or could this be a faulty switch? The pump is at least 6 years old.

The correct wiring scheme for shutting down the AC completely is to break the 24v red wire (low voltage) coming from the t-stat bundle and then wire it in to the (COM) terminal of the pump. Then attach the second lead to the (RUN) terminal at the pump to the second red wire going to the control board/transformer.  The (ALARM) terminal of the pump is intended to attach an audible alarm device that would be tied into the red low voltage t-stat wire. The previous wiring scheme will also work but only shuts down the outside unit's compressor, however the fan will continue to run.


Using Dremel without motor brushes I've got a Dremel 4000 tool and its motor brushes ran out today. I was wondering if I can still use it without the brushes until I've got a replacement?

If you run a carbon brush motor on the metal springs, you'll destroy the commutator (part where the brushes contact the rotor.)

A GOOD hardware store or hobby shop may have brushes in stock you can purchase today, rather than awaiting delivery. Otherwise, if you are desperate to continue, buy another dremel (or similar), rather than destroying the one you have and THEN buying another. Either way you'll buy one, but one way you have two after your brushes come.

It's also a good idea to buy a spare set of brushes so you have a set on hand the NEXT time this happens - when you install them, order another set of spares - that way you never have to wait for delivery to get up and running again.


Extra unattached copper line under bathroom sink So the bathroom sink has three lines underneath, all with shutoffs. Hot, cold, and another cold line.  The second cold line is unused and older (it's copper, appears to be 3/8).  Edit for clarification: yes, all three lines have shutoff valves installed.

If this was the kitchen, I would be thinking refrigerator or filter line.  But this is underneath the bathroom sink. Why would there by a third line in the bathroom?

I want to cap it off, stick it back into the wall, and patch over the hole. Any reason I shouldn't?

If there's a valve, then turn it off and remove the pipe. If you're concerned the valve will leak, then shutoff the water to that line, remove the valve and cap the pipe there (or replace any T's with a straight fitting).

Leaving the pipe and capping the thin refrigerator line will be difficult and error prone, and you're still left with a valve and two places that may leak.


Can I put insulation under roof between joists I bought an old home.  There is new blown in insulation on the floor of the attic.  The attic will not be a bedroom BUT will eventually be a kid's playroom.  My plan is this:

Build a subfloor over the blown in insulation.
Put batts between the joists under the roof.
Put drywall up on the underside of the roof so the kids don't see or touch the insulation.

It won't be anything special - thick plywood floors with a rug and unfinished drywall for the roof (building a very short wall from the roof down to the floor so I don't have to drywall into the corners where the roof and floor meet.

But I keep reading that you're not suppose to put insulation under/against the roof.  There are no leaks, it's a relatively new roof.  I want to put some insulation along the ceiling/walls of the play area because we are in an area that will get cold and hot enough that kids won't want to be up there.

But what are my options if I keep reading about not putting it against the roof?  And do I need to leave a gap for the soffits if I do this?

As heat (vapor) escapes up through the ceiling and insulation in the joist space, it turns from vapor to liquid when it reaches its “Dew Point”.  (You can google Dew Point. )

That moisture (liquid) will cause dryrot and mold if it is not dried out. The easiest way (and customary way) to dry this moisture out is by ventilating the space between the insulation and roof sheathing.

In order for ventilation to work, it has been determined that you need a 1” air space between the insulation and the roof sheathing. (See ICC Code R806.3.) Also, cross ventilation is recommend (soffit vents on both sides of your house or gable end vents).

The amount of venting is 1/150th of the area of the attic, unless you install not less than 40% and not more than 50% in the top one-half of the attic (gable vents or ridge vents) See ICC R806.2, then it can be reduced to 1/300th the area vented.

After you install the insulation in between the roof joists, the existing blown in insulation in the ceiling will not help thermal resistance. (However, it will provide sound control between floors.)


Can I use a GFCI on an ungrounded 2-wire circuit at the terminus? I mistakenly ran 18ga twin lead through plastic conduit out to power 12 volt lights. Never hooked up.  Now I want to power a .68 amp 120V pump on a water feature. Too many 90 degree elbows to be able to pull and replace the wire, I believe.

I read in my 1999 electical manual that I can safely use a GFCI on this ungrounded circuit at the terminus.

I want to make sure this is OK.
What about making a separate ground via a earth rod at the terminus?

Don't want to create a hazard for anyone of course, but I am trying to avoid having to but a new 12V pump and transformer or running all new service to the location.

TIA

The wire needs to be designed to handle the capacity of the circuit it's attached to, not the device that is plugged in. Otherwise, if anything is plugged into the end, or if there is a short, that draws more power, but not in excess of the circuit breaker, you would have a fire risk. I don't have a copy of the NEC, but to the best of my knowledge, in the US, a 15 amp circuit needs a 14 gauge wire, a 20 amp circuit requires a 12 gauge, and a 30 amp circuit requires a 10 gauge. Therefore, your 18 gauge wire is insufficient to attach to any standard circuit breakers that I've seen.

To answer your second question, you could install a separate ground for the other end of the connection and wire a gfci to that, assuming that the existing wiring were adequate for the circuit.

To fix the conduit, I would eliminate any sharp 90 degree turns and if it runs over a long enough distance, break the run by going up to an access panel.


Tie lighting on Knob and Tube to a low voltage (12v) system? I have an old stone 18th C. Pennsylvania farm house.  In several rooms, wall sconces were installed when the house was first electrified - with knob & tube wiring. The knob and tube wired to old outlets are being rewired with romex to handle modern heavier loads.  But for the sconces, I wanted to explore the possibility of connecting the knob & tube wiring from a low voltage 12v source.

Questions:

I imagine 12 volt is safer than 120 volt.  I have read here elsewhere that NFPA70 (National Electic Code) does not exclude use of knob & tube, but that some insurance companies will not insure a house with active knob & tube.  I wonder how an insurance underwriter would react to the use of old knob & tube for 12v lighting only?
Would a 12v system work with K&T wiring? And old sconces?

The NEC, except for a few exceptions, doesn't really concern itself with anything under 50V. There used to be some commercial showroom lighting that actually did what you are talking about back in the 90's, but I never saw any of it applied to residential.

I would make sure of a few things before I did it.
1. Make sure the transition from 120V to 12V was code compliant.
2. Make sure that whatever you are installing is an approved system for your use.
3. I would still talk to your AHJ and get their input before doing anything.

Hope this helps and good luck.


How should I attach a deck on the corner of my house? I am building a deck on a part of my house where it will go up agianst two sides of the house (see picture).  I know I'll have a ledger on the longer side of the deck (below the two windows) but do I also want to attach the deck to the side of the house with the sliding door? If so How should I?

I'm not a fan of ledgers, ever.

You can place a beam 3ft out from the house, cantilever the joists over the beam (secure them to the beam with hurricane ties) and wrap the joist ends with a rim joist.  Make the structure within 3/4" of the house.

Do a double rim joist in front of the doorwall side.


How do I diagnose a thermostat and HVAC that intermittently doesn't respond? My gas heater for the whole house does not follow the thermostat settings on some mornings. I have set it to 70 degrees at 6 am but now it is still 60 at 8 am. This happens weekly once or so and seems to be in the mornings only. Other timer settings seem to work fine.

I have already changed the thermostat to eliminate that possibility. I am just looking for some possible pointers before calling someone to take a look at this.

Is it possible that the pilot light/ignition does not trigger sometimes? If so, is that an easy fix?

Check the pressure valve - we have been having this exact problem; my father took one of the hoses off of one of the pressure valves (mine has 2) - blew into it to clear a blockage and it worked fine again.

Last week when this first happened, the technician did the same thing, so blowing on the hose looks like a temporary fix (although they blamed it on the thermostat, which isn't the case)

The difference being my furnace is a 9 month old Lennox SLP98V...

If theres a problem with the pressure valve, it can prevent the burners to light up or stay on. In our case, the furnace would rev up as if it were gonna turn on, but then die. it would try this about every 5 minutes.

Hope it helps. I'm about to flip out on my install guy.

-Mario


How would I mount a laundry drying rack that doesn't line up with the studs? Drying rack is going on the wall in the laundry room.  It is 24" wide, studs are 16".  Well one option would be to mount two rails on the studs, and mount the rack to the rails.  Maybe use 1x2 furring strips.  Not sure how finished this would look, or how much I care given it's in the laundry room.
Looking for other ideas or options. Sometimes I am not always sure what products are out there that can help. Thanks.
Worth noting, the rack comes with drywall screws for mounting, but I think with all of the loading and unloading, that is doomed to fail.

A picture would be helpful, but here's my recommendation.

Attach a long piece of wood to both of the studs and then attach the drying rack to that piece of wood. Could be a fun project to add a nice finish to the wood too.

Use a french cleat. These come pre-made in all sorts of different sizes. However, you can make one from 3/4" plywood (birch would look best, but is pricier), or a nice 1x3 piece of pine. just cut it lengthwise with a table saw or circular saw at a 45 degree angle.

The french cleat can span the entire length between two studs (where you can add more for different designs), or just on that single stud. These things are incredibly strong. I have a 8" french cleat holding my bike on the wall.

I would choose the prior two before drywall screws, but those are an option too. You may want to invest in some better drywall screws that have a higher load capacity than the ones that came with it.


What adapter do I need to connect this shower hose to valve? I bought this valve which I believe is 1/2" IPS:

And I have shower hose that according to Home Depot compatibility board is "1/4 brass pipe" (or "3/8 brass pipe" with the adapter I have).

What adapter do I need to connect that hose to the valve? I guess I am confused how "brass pipe" standard is being called outside Home Depot.

There are countless plumbing adapters made for the seemingly infinite number of combinations a person might want to connect. It's nice when we can find a single fitting that does exactly what was needed, but a home center like Home Depot carries a relatively small selection of adapters. A person can almost always make a given connection by using a combination of two or more in-stock parts. It is not viewed as wrong, improper, nor unprofessional to use a combination of whatever is available to get the job done.

It would be great if you could find a reducing coupling -- that's a part which is female threaded on both sides, but one side is threaded smaller than the other. Sometimes called a bell reducer.

If you can't find a reducer of the right size then try for a reducer where at least the large side fits (ie 1/2 IPS to fit your valve). Failing that, get an ordinary coupler. In both cases you can use a bushing to reduce the final size to match the thread of your hose.

I can't quite tell, but it looks as if the hose has a female connection. I have on occasion seen male-to-male adapters of different sizes. You might be able to find one of these that fits your hose and steps up to, or closer to, the 1/2 target size (and then finish the connection with a coupler). If not then just use a regular nipple if needed.


Will an old oak tree close to my house cause problems? I'm considering buying a 45 year old house. The house is in good condition, and has a big old oak tree 15 or 20 feet from the back of the house. It's a beautiful tree, clearly as old as the house, but I'm concerned the proximity of the tree could threaten the house foundation or lead to roach infestations. Will this tree cause trouble?

The house is in the southeastern United States. Of course I'd get a home inspection before buying, but I'm too curious to wait.

Maybe I can post some pictures later but I have 3 very large oaks next to my house - one is absolutely huge and 10 feet away.  There are tons of limbs directly over my roof.  Do I care?  Not really.  I asked my insurance company and they don't care nor do they offer discounts for trimming them back.

Pros:

Tons of shade when you are out
Definitely lower energy costs in the summer
Protects roof and cars from hail and harsh weather
I have a 15 year old roof that looks half its age
burglars scared of spooky trees leave my house alone
have sticks to burn in backyard fire pit
once the leaves come in the sun isn't blinding in the morning

Cons:

branches, squirrels, and acorns hit the roof in late summer and fall
pollen
acorn residue in gutters (I have a guard so leaves don't get in)
I might have to pay someone in the future to cut something... almost 10 years here and haven't but I could at some point
leaves... I mulch them up as it sheds.  Not a ton of extra work but a little.

Things not mentioned:

roaches... huh?  Never had a roach in my house.
foundation issues... the house would have already had issues.  I would consider an older tree a minor threat to a patio area.
other bugs...  Never had any sort of bug/termite issue at my house.  I have 3 huge trees near my house and about 25 more in yard.

I would consider it only a plus given two things.  First that the tree is in good condition.  You don't need a pro for this unless you think it is iffy.  Second if there is a branch that is a little too big for the tree creeping over the house.


Possible to ground-fault protect both legs of a MWBC with two single-pole breakers? To get a MWBC working, with both legs GF protected, I installed 2 Single Pole GFI breakers, on adjacent slots, with a handle-tie. Since there are 2 lugs for Neutral wires, and only one neutral coming in, I used two pieces of white 12 awg to wire nut to the neutral coming in.

It doesn't work, trips as soon as it's flipped on.

I even opened the circuit at the first box, (so i kknow it's not an actual ground-fault) and it still trips, even though neither leg of the circuit could possible be conducting at all!

I was told I could use 2 single-pole breakers w/ handle tie to get both legs of the circuit GF protected, but this appears to not be the case. Am I wiring it wrong? Also, how is it possible for them to both trip when neither is conducting?

Never gonna work. Sorry, but even if you might be able to get one at a time to work, GFCI on MWBC is based on the breaker comparing "all hot" to "all neutral". Two electrically separate breakers simply can't do that. The handle tie requirement satisfies the general MWBC safety issue of making sure that if one is off for maintenance then the other is off as well. Options:

Double GFCI breaker
Two single regular breakers with handle tie and install single GFCI where needed at point of use (e.g., kitchen or bathroom).

GFCI is perfectly effective at point of use. AFCI is best at breaker or very close to it.


Can I drill a hole in PVC conduit body to run a coax cable? I need to install a new grounding rod at my house and will be running the grounding conductor through an LB body and PVC conduit down to the ground.
But I also need to run a new coax cable into the house nearby, so I'm wondering whether I can drill a hole in the conduit body, install a feed-through bushing, and run the coax into the house through the same conduit? (I'd loop the coax and weather-seal it on the outside, of course).

If there is a cubic inch listing on the conduit body it may be possible.
You still have to meet the wire fill requirements the CGB or clamp, x multiplier for the largest wire size has to be added to the total count of wires cubic inch.
This is the same as modifying a  listed J Box.
Your AHJ may not allow but if it has a stamped volume code has nothing stopping it.
If it is not stamped then it is not allowed to splice or modify. (Conduit body’s don’t have a approved size chart like boxes do).
Outside a cgb (cord grip bushing) that seals / clamps the wire would be required. Inside standard 2 screw clamps are ok.


How to clean water softer salt tank without disconnecting? About 6mo ago, I replaced my 20+yo water softener with a Morton M34 model (resin tank inside salt tank).

When I disconnected the old one, I put all the salt from it in a box in my laundry room instead of disposing it.  Well, a couple weeks ago I had the brilliant idea to reuse that old salt (bad idea).  Now there is 6+in of "salt silt" in the bottom of the tank plus lots of brown floaties in the water.

I've let the salt level go down to as far as it will go on it's own and I would like to clean the rest of the "silt" out and start fresh but I can't reach the bottom of the tank to get it out.

I would prefer to not have to disconnect it and tip onto it's side if at all possible.

Ideas?

Try triggering several regeneration cycles. This may flush some of the material out. After that a wet vacuum to suck everything that is left. Added as an answer.


How to make custom concrete brick? I would like to make a custom brick for a decorative purpose.  It will be painted so the material is not important, meaning it doesn't have to be a clay brick, could be concrete like cinder blocks.  I can make my mold very easily but I am unsure about the mix to put in.  These instructions are for clay bricks and require a long time of curing them in the sun, and I have neither time nor sun at my disposal.

If I were to pour my brick with some cement-based material (like concrete), what ingredients and ratios should I mix and how is that the mix (if any) different from a regular concrete mix? Also, is there a way to make a clay brick faster than the instructions submitted, since I need only one I could cook it in my kitchen oven for example? While concrete is acceptable, clay would be slightly preferred if not much harder to work with.

If purely decorative, plaster-of-Paris (aka gypsum paster) sets quickly, takes detail from molds well, and paints well.

The brick link you provided is for "sun-dried mud brick" or "adobe" (more or less) - I suspect plaster would be at least as strong as that. Normal clay brick is kiln fired (your home oven won't do it, but odds are there's a potter or 3 in your town with kilns.) Any clay brick requires some drying time (or it will crack if dried too swiftly) unless it is pressed (at very high pressure) from dry powdered clay.

Brickmaking link


paint a fiberglass tub We're going to be redoing our bathroom and, unfortunately, there's no room in the budget for a new tub.  Is there a way we could paint the tub and, if so, how would I go about doing that?

There are numerous DIY epoxy products for refinishing fiberglass tubs. The quality of the resulting finish can vary widely, with best results when properly preparing the existing surface and following the manufacturer's' instructions exactly (and using only top quality application tools).

This is one brand (not an endorsement): Klasskote


How can I wirelessly duplicate a lighting switch I have a ceiling light in my kitchen, which is nice to make the room well-lit but not convenient for actually doing kitchen work (the light is in the middle of the room, so when I stand near a working surface, my body casts shadow on the surface).

I want to add under-cabinet LEDs to light the surfaces, but I'd rather not add another switch. Best if I can install them in such way that they're controlled by the same switch as the main light. This switch is an on-off switch that is only wired to the middle of the ceiling.

I'm looking for a wireless switch that can turn the under-cabinet lighting on and off according to the main lighting, without replacing its switch. I.e., that the wireless transmitter will be activated by the main lighting circuit being closed and open.

Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

What you really want is a switched-hot and matching neutral to power the undercabinet lighting from.  Well, they're right there at the switch box, since that's where power comes in at.  Using a pigtail and wire nut to tap the switched-hot, and tapping the neutral at the existing junction, going off into a /2 cable to the LED undercabinet lights, and that's all that's needed.  No need to fuss with wireless switches or any of that, just a cable (or surface raceway/trunking with wires in it if running a cable through the wall isn't an option) from point A to point B.


What’s the purpose of a black rubber ring near the bottom of a drain body? I’ve purchased a new bathroom sink faucet on Amazon, and I’ve installed the set. But I’m puzzled by a rubber ring near the bottom of the drain body that came with the set. I couldn’t figure out what it’s made for. The second picture shows that I’ve removed it (did not install). Does anybody know what it does?

In the picture above, I was pointing at the o-ring near the bottom of the drain tube (not ring A nor B) it’s the same o-ring I’m holding in picture 2

Ring labeled "A":

Multi-function tapered rubber gasket that centers the drain assembly in the bottom sink hole, cushions the clamping action of the nut that secures the drain assembly, and seals the lower hole (most sinks have an overflow drain-hole and channel cast into the body of the sink that leads to the space between the upper main drain-hole and the lower main drain-hole, overflow liquid enters the drain assembly through small holes in the drain assembly within that space).

Ring labeled "B":

This is a plastic (sometimes metal or fiber) friction ring; contradicting it's name, it prevents friction between the nut and the rubber gasket above so you can firmly tighten the nut without the nut grabbing and twisting/turning the rubber gasket.


What type of clothing is required when working around asbestos? I find myself exploring environments rich in Asbestos, the specific type of asbestos appears to be both pipes and potentially the cladding around them (steam pipes etc), occasionally broken sheets as well. From time to time I'm required to crawl through these types of environments and there is a large amount of dust kicked up in the process. I'm not sure exactly what type of dust this is but since there are numerous warning signs about asbestos in the area I'm fairly certain at least a portion of it is hazardous.

I'm familiar with using respirators with P2/P2N filters however I'm unsure about clothing requirements.

1) If I were to do the above in general-day-to-day clothing and get dust/fibers in my clothing, will thoroughly washing remove the fibers? Do any potential remaining fibers pose a health risk? How can I tell if there are any fibers in my clothes?

2) How do you know when to replace respirator filters (I'm thinking of the face masks with dual cartridges)?

Check out this PDF from the Australian government (assuming the +61 in your profile means OZ)

Pages 29 and 30 deal with personal protective equipment. (PDF pages 42-43 AND WHY CAN"T ANY MAKE PDF page numbers work!!!)

Asbestos Removal Guidlines

I'll highlight this line:  The laundering of contaminated protective clothing in workers’ homes is strictly prohibited.

Generally though, this is a workplace safety issue, and I'd contact the Ministry of Labour.


Which limit switch controls the blower motor on my furnace? My blower motor isn't shutting off after my heat shuts off, causing it to blow cold air into my house.  I suspect that the fan limit switch is bad, but the furnace has at least four limit switches.  Are these all tied to the blower motor?  I'm not sure which ones I should check for the fan limit switch.  I'm confident it isn't the thermostat as I swapped it out with another one and had the same issue.  It continues to run even after I put the thermostat in the off position.

Your control board's likely shot
On a newer furnace like yours, the fan limit/thermostat function is performed by the control board and its onboard fan relay.  This means that a continuously running blower is generally the fault of the fan relay getting welded shut, or occasionally something else failing inside the control board's logic.  Either way, replacing the control board should cure the issue.


What Cause Hum from Electric Oven after Replacing Wire and Ring Connector to Broil Element? What Cause Hum from Electric Oven after Replacing Wire and Ring Connector to Broil Element?

After the wire melted at the connector to the broil element, I replaced the 16 gauge wire and 22-18 high-temperature ring connector with 14 gauge wire and a 16-14 high-temperature ring connector.  Now there is a low-volume hum from the oven when the broiler is on, no hum in bake mode.  The broiler works and the wire and connectors appear OK.

What causes the hum?  How do I fix it?  Is it safe to use the broiler while it hums?

The oven is the one in:

Wire Melts at Connector to Broil Element on Electric Oven

Electric oven: Bake and Broil not Working

electric oven bake element gets warm but does not get hot

Hums usually occur when the items or conductors you replaced or repaired are not remounted properly and vibrate while activated. Try checking out all of your connections and see if everything is mounted tight enough.

Good luck


How to flush all the water lines in your house I live in a small (1-traffic-light) town in upstate NY. Some local village water officials accidentally cracked a water main (feeding water to the entire area) and so the Department of Health had to step in and issue a "Boil Water Alert" because the water could be contaminated.

The alert was in effect for almost a week (!!!!) and is now lifted. The village is recommending to everyone that they "flush out all water lines in [our houses]" to get rid of any potentially contaminated water.

Any ideas how I could do this properly? I have two young kids in the house and want to go by the book, for their sake. My wife thinks this is just as easy as running all the sinks and showers in the house for a few minutes. But...

Is it really just a few minutes? Or should we run everything for longer? We have a 98-gallon water heater.
Also, speaking of the water heater, doesn't that store hot water in some kind of separate compartment/tank than the cold water? If so, how do I flush out the hot water? Do I just run hot water?!?

I'm a software engineer, so by definition, I'm probably overthinking this. But I would feel just awful if one of my sons got really sick because of some laziness on my part.

You could just run the water for as long as you think it would take. Probably would have to run the hot until the water runs cold, then a little longer. This would basically ensure the water heater is cleared and the piping before it. The cold wouldn't have to be ran as long, but your goal is to still clear the pipes out.

The best way to know that you've got all new water, and flush the house; is to shut off the main valve and then go to the lowest operable plumbing point in your house.

Like my water heater is in my basement and it's drain valve at the bottom is the lowest point in the house as the main water line comes in above this. So, because of gravity, most of the water in the house would drain out of this. If your heater isn't the lowest though, just search for the lowest drainage point.

Again just shut off the main valve so no new water will enter the system yet. If you go the route of through the heater, make sure to flip it's breaker. Go turn on all sink handles too, both hot and cold, so that air can be brought into the piping and released when the water comes back on.

Once it stops draining, your house is now 90+% empty. Close the valve back, (flip the heater's power back on), and turn back on the main water. You'll hear rumbling and such from the sinks that you opened as the air clears the lines. Once the water starts flowing from them like normal and there are no more sounds coming from the pipe, you're clear. You could run them for another minute or two (take a cold shower) for that last little bit of water that could have been left in the pipes.

This doesn't work any better than just running the water for an hour or however long as far as cleaning the system, but it could save you some water and you'll know when it's done.

Last, if the home or plumbing supplies are older, you might have flakes of rust and such from your pipes show up in the aerators or the sinks. Might not, but just remember this in the possibility that you're getting low pressure afterwards.


Adding stud wall in garage I am in the process of utilising the rear half of my detached garage for a hobby room. We have a pitched roof, so joists are 600mm centres.

I have read a few previous question/answers...I take it that using the 12.5mm fire resistant board for the ceiling and dividing wall is worth it for a number of reasons.

In terms of the dividing wall, what is the better option for timber? 50 x 75 or 50 x 100?

Also, do I need to have a 'step' in the door way to cover regs?

Your code may be different but on this side of the pond the thinner lumber would be ok as it is not a load bearing wall. A hobby room also is not a living space so it may not require fire resistant wall board. I would check with the local building code enforcement to make sure I was doing it to code.


Can you make your own epoxy grout? I've been using it but it's very expensive. The grout powder appears to be normal grout... could I just combine it with some sort of epoxy mix?

echo Michael.  I've used Laticrete's SpectraLock..  There's a lot of engineering there to allow water based haze removal (OK, you do need to add white vinegar, very cheap and non-toxic).  Spectralock installation

Off-the-shelf epoxy is going to require a solvent based haze removal (usually lacquer thinner, acetone, or alcohol)..  much more hazardous (indoors you'll need an organic respirator) and adds to the cost.  Checkout West Systems how to use instructions and videos.

Its doable, but...how many experimental batches are needed to verify proper resin/hardner.filler(grout) ingredient mixes so you get a mix that looks and performs like you want..  There goes your savings..

In the business of grouting tile?  might be worth it.  Doing a one off for a kitchen/bath..  buy a product backed by a warranty, videos, other users (like John Bridges' forum).


71 gallon water heater doesn't maintain hot water Hoping someone can give me some thoughts on what might be going on here so I can be a bit more informed when I call a plumber.

Situation is, we got our water heater replaced a few years back and ever since this has been an issue. It's more noticeable when it's cold outside it seems, but still seems to be a year round problem. Whenever we  use hot water, we basically run out of it within minutes. In order to get an acceptable amount of hot water (enough to take a 10 minute shower), we literally have to prime the water first. By that I mean I have to turn on the hot water, let it run for a couple of minutes, then turn it off and wait 20 minutes. Then when we go to use the hot water again we'll get hot water for a respectable amount of time. Now I am fairly ignorant to all this, but it seems a 71 gallon hot water heater should be capable of holding enough water to not need to be primed like this. I should be able to take a 30 minute shower, let alone 10 without running out. My shower this morning was decently warm for maybe 2 minutes before it was just warm-ish.

So if anyone can give me some ideas on what might be going on I would appreciate it. We've just put up with this for some years assuming perhaps it was some eco friendly thing. Like the system doesn't maintain much hot water in the tank so it's not always running and only heats water up when you start to use it? I hope that isn't the case though and even so, I should be able to get more hot water out of it. Any help?

UPDATE Sorry everyone, I meant to tell you all that the water heater was gas. The pilot light is lit. I don't recall the specific model though I can look that up if people think it will help. I have actually turned up the thermostat on it above the default and when the water heater is putting out hot water, it can be very hot. Too hot. But again, that requires us to prime it before we get any decent amount of hot water out.

UPDATE 2 Looked it up, I believe this is the model info if that helps anyone: State Select: High Output. Model number: GS675XRRS 300

This happened to me when the water heater in a rental house was replaced by the landlord's "handyman".   Check that the cold inlet and hot outlet pipes on the heater weren't installed backwards.

The inlet should have a tube so that the cold water enters at the bottom of the heater.  The outlet should pull from the top.  That way the cold water pushes most of the 71 gallons of hot water out of the heater.  If you hook it up backwards, the cold and hot mixes immediately, and quickly becomes lukewarm.


Venting Two Bathroom Fans to Single Roof Vent Can I have two different exhaust fans in the same bathroom on the same switch. ?  (I.E.  on/off at the same time, both ducting to a y-adapter attached to a single roof vent opening).
One fan uses 4" duct and the other a 6" duct, but I was going to use a Y-adapter that is 4" on all three openings and use 6" > 4" reducer for the larger fan duct.
I get different answers from everyone that has looked at it!
Thanks!

on/off at the same time

Problem ?: NO.
No problem with having two fixtures on the same switch. As long as the combined amp ratings of the fans (and anything else on the same circuit) is below the amp rating  of the circuit breaker.

both ducting to a y-adapter attached to a single roof vent opening

Problem ?: Maybe.
Maybe. When bathroom fans are controlled by separate switches it is not allowed to have them share the same duct because one fan will push the humid air from one bathroom to the other bathroom. Will that be the case with both fans on at the same time? All things being equal, fans CFM's, length of ducts, size of ducts it may not be a "problem".
With different size ducts and different fans i can see one causing the other to not work efficiently. (This is speculation on my part, an HVAC tech is the proper person to ask.)
My gut feeling is it is not a good idea.


Leaky bathroom faucet - can't find screw on handle Hoping to get help with fixing a leaky faucet in my bathroom. It is dripping at about a drop per second. The water is cold, so I believe it is the cold handle that is the issue (is that an appropriate assumption?)

I was watching YouTube videos for assistance and the first step seems always to remove the handle to investigate the issue. The immediate problem is that I can't figure out how to remove the handle. I do not see a screw anywhere and I cannot find the type or model of the faucet. Below are some pictures. Any advice?

Thank you.

grab the round base right below the handle that turns the water on and twist ccw to   unscrew the faucet. this is a moen faucet. however, I have the same faucet in my bathroom. I called moen for parts and they said that most parts are not available since they discontinued production of this faucet. iF YOU ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNER of the faucet and can prove it they will send you a new faucet at no charge if the parts needed are not available.


Methods of bug-proofing outdoor lights I just attempted to replace an outdoor light fixture on my porch. When I unscrewed it, a couple of spiders and gnats ran/flew away from under the light fixture.

I'm very new to home repair, so I have no idea whether or not I should be concerned about the fact that bugs could get in there. Bugs are going to be outdoors, of course, but there are places you don't want them, and I feel like a hole in your porch that leads God-knows-where is one of those places. I don't plan on replacing these fixtures again for a long time, so I'd like to do it right the first time.

Is there something I can/should do to prevent bugs from getting up underneath the fixture? Should I caulk around the base of the fixture, maybe? Or is it just an unavoidable thing that shouldn't bother me?

EDIT:
As requested, here's a picture of the fixture in question.

If you see indications of a sloppy installation such as a hole being cut too large there may be some steps you can take, but otherwise I'd probably just leave it alone. (Though it would be useful if you could post a picture or at least describe what type of light fixture it is.)

Bugs are going to get into all sorts of places regardless of what you do. Even indoor, fully-enclosed light fixtures in my house get bugs in them. It's not a big deal to clean them out when you notice they need it.

If you do try to seal them off, make sure you're not creating a fire hazard in the process. Some gaps may be desirable to allow heat to escape, and certain materials may catch fire when in close proximity to a hot light bulb.


Can I use solvent based paint on waterborne primer? I have some solvent based paint left (Sikkens Rubbol AZ), but the wood panel I want to paint with had been prepared with a waterborne primer (Sikkens Rubbol Primer BL). It doesn't have to last forever, and it's only for indoor use.

Are there any issues with using a solvent based paint on a waterborne primer?

Not a problem.  I have used any cheap water based paint as a primer.  Primer has two functions.  Seal the surface so you use less of the high price spread, and give tooth to the surface for the finish coat to stick.  You don't have to keep it all waterbase or all oil base, unless the paint can directions are specific.


Cedar beveled siding does not seem to be overlapped and nailed properly Until I decided to replace a couple of ~16-inch long, beveled-siding from exterior I have never given thought on the width of the exposed face. On my house, the exposed face of the cedar siding measures 4". When I removed the old pieces, I noticed that they are 5-1/2" wide (actual size.) My replacement pieces were also 5-1/2" wide. This means that overlap between the beveled pieces are 1-1/2". And the nails were put ¾" to 1" above the bottom of the planks. This means that nail goes through the overlapping piece under, and most likely cracks it.
At the beginning I did not make anything of it, since I had no clue. However, when I did Google search, I have realized that every website recommends that nails should not go through the bottom piece but slightly over it. Now, with the current overlap size of 1-1/2" and where the nails are put, that is not possible. I have big house and all the exposed faces measure 4" or slightly narrower to 3-3/4". The house is 30 years old.
I am wondering if the builders did it wrong from the beginning, or installation instructions changed in the past 30 years. I have some other cracked beveled siding which are as long as 14 ft long. I just wanted to get an opinion before I start my repairs. Should I overlap them as it's (ignore if it cracks) or should I cut the siding to a narrower size so that nail does not pierce the plank underneath. Or Should I put the nails slightly higher than 1-1/2 inch from the bottom of the plank, to avoid the the plank under. Thank you.

The short answer is that it just isn't that critical. There will still be enough unpierced lap to provide weather resistance, and the sliver that cracks off the top edge usually doesn't result in a problem. In a rare case the wood grain angles down far enough that the crack shows, but that's not likely.
Longer answers involve the need for wood siding to have a little room to move and flex with seasonal changes, but that describes an ideal that isn't at all critical. I've owned homes sided with cedar lap for decades (some of which I installed decades ago; I'm in one now) and it has been an issue that the top edge was nailed exactly zero times.


Insulating Behind Completed Kitchen Cabinets Recently moved into a new home that had just been renovated. The kitchen looks complete, but now that we are here we have started to notice things. In there it is always cold and drafty, and I know why now. The cabinets are all in and finished but in each of the corners there is a hole/opening to the empty space behind. I just found this out today when I looked under.

More photos
The openings are similar on both. One is 8" and 6" long and the other is 8" and 7" but just one picture to show the limited room. You have about 2" from the outter edge to the start of the floor piece - where you can reach in. Also, it is about 21" deep to touch the back of the drywall/gaps from the edge of the opening. It is about 8-9" to the corner parts underneath too. So not a lot of space to work with to fix the insulation/draft issues.
I am not sure why it wasn't all drywalled, but its not there and that allows to see the missing insulation. From the outside you can't see anything. The house was built in 1880 and is double layer brick, stucco and recently vinyl sided. Tearing up the cabinets and replacing the kitchen essentially to do it properly is not an option.
So, what to do? Thanks in advance.

Without a do-over, it seems like the best you could do is address the convective loss (the flow of heat out, or cold in, via those openings).
I'm curious how much improvement you'd have by just taking some unfaced fiberglass insulation and stuffing it into the opening, maybe enough to partially fill the area just up from the opening, but the less compressed, the better.
The gaps look too big to try closed cell spray foam, otherwise that would be my next suggestion.


How do you shim the frame of a sliding patio door from one side only (from outside) The previous owner remodeled the kitchen and he put drywall from inside over the sides of the door and then he painted. I just replaced the door and now I have to align it, level it plumb it and square it

In order to do that I have to use shims but I can only insert them from outside while most of the references I checked show the shimming done from both sides

Is there a way to do proper shimming from one side only? (One way to do it is to use shims from outside to measure what you need (thickness) and them remove them and use a table saw to cut strips as per your needs

Any other ideas?

I ended up stacking two shims and inserting them from the accessible side.
the secret is to guess the right thickness that the side that is not accessible to you can take. After that you remove the two shims, you trim them and you put them back


Can I combine two 12-2 cables to serve a NEMA 10-30 socket for dryer? By remodeling my bedroom, I discovered my current tub is using 240v 20A, which are powered by two 12-2 cable. As an update, I don't want a this fancy tub, and also want to add a dryer in my bedroom. However, considering that my bedroom is on second floor and the panel is in the basement, it needs to cut so many thing to run a regular 10-3 wire upstairs. I though of a short cut to use those two 12-2 wire to create a 240V 30A socket which doesn't need a neutral.
So please correct me if I'm wrong. For a dryer which doesn't need a neutral wire in most case (NEMA 10-30 doesn't have neutral), and by the code to run 30A need 10gauge wire. (However most dryer only need 22.5A, as 5400w), I can combine two 12 gauge wire equivalent to 9 gauge in size. I can use each 12-2 cable as one 10 gauge wire to each pole of the NEMA10-30 socket to form a 240V.
Please tell me any danger might happen, or why not to do thing such like this.
Otherwise I can only get a NEMA 6-15 socket which only supports 240V 20A to some smaller ventless dryer which I don't want.
Also, I know code won't allow something like this. But to run a new wire would cost $5000+, which I just want to know are there any risk other than code.

Are you trying to break a record for "most code violations"?  Code exist for a reason, the reason is safety.  Tech is supposed to serve us, not kill us.
Your entire logic is that "Code is a bunch of nonsense legalese" simply because you don't understand it.  No, every rule has a safety reason.
Further, you have a bunch of beliefs that are wrong.  And all your beliefs happen to support your plan.  Coincidence? Not. You are "making these facts up" to justify what you want you do. That's the road to perdition.
NEMA 10-30 receptacles haven't been legal for 30 years.
Old ones that were installed properly prior to 1990 are grandfathered (you don't need to rip them out) but you're certainly not allowed to install any new ones.   All dryers which might plug into a NEMA 10-30 are required to use a 14-30 today, and all are able to do that.
NEMA 10-30 has a neutral. Not a ground.
Neutral is not ground.
The whole problem with NEMA 10-30 is it doesn't have a ground.  That pin you think is ground is actually neutral.
All the dryers you think don't need neutral, actually do need neutral.   They are using an archaic exception in Code that allows plugging them into legacy NEMA 10-30 sockets if the socket was installed over 30 years ago.
The reason usual/cheap dryers need neutral is they have 120V tumble motor and controls.  I don't know why they don't just make those 240V, SMH, but that would cost $10 more, and we can't have that!!  They also use electric resistive heat strips to dry the clothes, which is the most expensive and inefficient way to do that thing.  Cheap to buy, expensive to run.
If you want hot-hot-ground, use NEMA 6. But most dryers can't use that.
For instance your 12/2 cable could support a NEMA 6-20 recep, which indeed may be able to feed certain high-tech dryers such as the condensing types you don't like for some reason.  (perhaps you do not pay the electric bill).
It doesn't cost $5000 to run a branch circuit.  5000 pesos, maybe.
Paralleling is right out.
It requires special equipment on the supply side that is specifically UL-listed for paralleling. That means it needs to meet the safety regs in the UL White Book also.  Also paralleling is not allowed below #1/0 wire size (125A), and realistically nobody does it below 4/0 (200A). So you simply won't find appropriate equipment, nor would you want to pay for it if you could.


Should I use Teflon tape or pipe dope when connecting PVC to metal? I am in the process of repairing PVC pipe, which was broken due to freezing. I'll be connecting the PVC pipe to a metal check valve.  Should I use Teflon tape or pipe dope when connecting PVC to metal?

This is what my plumbing supply house sold me to attach a 3 inch PVC threaded fitting into cast iron pipe.


Can I use an LED bulb in a incandescent only fixture? I'm considering buying a Home Easy ceiling rose, as my light switch is in awkward place and I'm unable to move it. I have an LED bulb in the correct socket, and this manual says you can't use fluorescent bulbs, only incandescent. However it makes no mention of LED bulbs. Is it safe to use an LED bulb in such a socket?

There are a few reasons you might not want to use an LED bulb in a fixture:

If the fixture is dimmable and the LED bulb is not, the bulb may flicker or not come on.
If the fixture is enclosed, an LED bulb may overheat. (LED bulbs generate much less heat than incandescents, but they do generate some... and they're a lot more sensitive to overheating). Some LED bulbs say they're OK in enclosed fixtures.
LED bulbs are often larger (even if the mount is the same), so an LED might not fit.
If the fixture or circuit runs a small amount of current through the bulb at all times, this can cause a LED bulb to stay lit. This is usually an issue with light switches that have some electronics in them and don't have their own neutral (e.g. a timer or night light). I can't really tell what's going on with your fixture, but this might be the reason.


Removing side panel from dishwasher for part replacement - general advice I am trying to replace a part (the dish rack holder) in an old Candy dishwasher (CDW 250). I have the replacement part, but it seems that replacing it will require removing the left panel. Unfortunately, I can't find an appropriate service manual or any information on disassembling the panel. It is a metal panel which has a lip at the top, back and front. It has four screws which are visible without removing any other parts, two at the front and two at the back. Removing these loosens the panel slightly, but it is clearly held in elsewhere, possibly on top. The top of the dishwasher is just a piece of plastic which can be pulled off, so there may be more screws there.

I was wondering if there are any standard ways such a panel would be held in, places I should look for screws, and ways I should try to pull it off once loose. I assume that the standard stages for dismantling the machine would be to remove the plastic parts, then the metal panels, but maybe I'm missing something.

I've had the machine for almost 20 years and it works fine apart from the drawer holder, so I'd like to be able to fix this without damaging the machine.

General advice: you need the service manual that has exploded diagrams of every replaceable part (which is what this is), not the user's or the installer's.


Oil burner runs for at least one cycle then safety locks out I have an older Slant Fin Liberty oil furnace that safeties out sometime around 4 hours. It seems to be intermittent because I have seen it do more than one cycle. The recent history on it is about a month ago I changed the electrodes, nozzle and filter. It was running fine until a couple of days ago. I noticed pressing the reset caused it to kick right back on and appear to run normally for several hours.  What should I look for to troubleshoot this? We did get oil delivered. Maybe something with the fuel?

UPDATE 1:

I noticed this morning when I reset it, it fired then quit. I could hear the electrodes zapping. I had to reset it an addtional time after it quit. I'll pull the filter and check the flow later this morning.

UPDATE 2:

Added a video to demonstrate what I am dealing with. Please watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2T1W_llnz4

I wanted to share the additional steps I took to troubleshoot the issue and describe what was ultimately causing the issue. The problem comes down to a weak and short spark.  I was able to test the spark and witness that it was very quick and dim. I replaced the transformer and the protector relay. I likely did not have to replace the protector relay but figured it could not hurt. A retest with the new components showed a strong spark. Now I am back in business and should not have to worry about either of those components for years to come.


How can I attach modern fixture to knob & tube wiring? I have a modern external light fixture that needs to be attached to an existing exterior electrical 'box'. The older parts of the house have knob & tube wiring and there is evidence of gas plumbing for lighting before the knob & tube was installed. Here, i think but am not certain, it appears as if the knob & tube comes into a 'box' around an old gas line (see photo) but I may be mistaken.

The instructions say to attach:

white to white
black to black
exposed wire to ground

but all i have are two old wires wrapped in what appears to be cloth. the cloth has become quite brittle.

So, how does one go about, safely, installing the new fixture?

Edit: More pictures as requested:

Use a NCVT (non-contact voltage tester) and see which of the two wires alarms when the switch is on. That will be your black/hot wire. If both of the wires alarm, stop, do not pass go, something else is wrong.

For the ground, you don't have one. The safest thing to do is run a whole new wire back to the panel. Anything else is "less than safest".


Red wire in place of C-WIRE? I just moved into a new home and was trying to connect my Ecobee thermostat. I know it requires a C-wire. I found the wire wrapped around the others in the previous thermostat, which didn't require one. When I connected it to the Ecobee, however, it did not show the display. Assuming then that it was an issue of the C-wire not being connected, I went into the attic and looked at the wiring. Sure enough, the blue wire is there, bit wrapped around the others, not connected. I looked where it should be connected and found that there is a second red wire connected there. My question is, can I connect the blue wire (C-wire) to the same terminal that the red is connected to? It seems like I should be able to.

Yeah, go ahead

If you look at the Y terminal on your control module, you will notice that the pressure plate under that terminal screw is already clamping two wires, one to each side.  So, this means that you are safe to slide the stripped end of your blue wire under the free side of the C terminal screw's pressure plate and call it good!


Nails holding drywall The upstairs of my house was remodeled before I bought it. The whole house used to be plaster and lath but the upstairs is now drywall. The upstairs drywall has needed some minor repairs ever since I've moved in.

What I've noticed is that the majority of the blemishes that need to be repaired are nails. It is as though the nails are popping the joint compound off the walls and ceiling. Further, it looks like the drywall is actually held in with nails.

Is it common to attach drywall with nails?

Should I pull the nails and replace them with screws before fixing the blemishes?

It was common. Now most drywall is screwed, which leads to much fewer pops.

The usual fix is to screw between the popped nails (and a few more may pop as the board is pulled tight). Then pull and patch the popped nails.


Reverse Osmosis Tank Not Filling After Filter Change I just replaced my RO filters and now my tank is empty and not filling. I detached the supply line to the tank and NO water came out aside from an initial spray so I'm not sure what the issue is. The pressure in the tank is around 7psi. I'm not sure what the canister on the right is, I'm guessing it's for extra water storage.
First pic is before I did anything and the others are after I changed the filters.

I can only think of two things to check and the first I hate to even ask. 1) did you forget to open the valve at the top of the tank? 2) Check to make sure none of the tubing became crimped or pinched anywhere. Unless you removed more connections than needed, system flow should not have changed but here is diagram of system (you may have one more filter in line with the charcoal filter) http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/installation-diagram-4-5-stg.asp


Electric apartment sockets catching on fire I live in an apartment building, within the past year 4 of my sockets sparked and then caught on fire for a few seconds. The apartment manager claims there’s nothing wrong with the sockets because the maintenance man said the reader reads fine. What could be the reason my sockets keep sparking, catching fire and then blowing out my electronics. As long as the socket reader reads green as in good the apartment says theres no problem.

I'm not an electrical master, but I know this: outlets catching fire is NOT normal, ever. Furthermore, the apartment manager sounds like a real weasel. Outlets only cost a few dollars - in the face of a known fire risk, why waste time claiming nothing is wrong? Just replace the suspect part. You don't need an electrician, you need a new landlord.

That said, I understand sometimes people have reasons they can't move. At the very least, you should keep a fire extinguisher handy!

First of all, you do have a problem, so don't let anyone tell you everything is fine. Get an electrician of your own in there if you have to. This is a safety issue; life has no price tag.

Now, here are some questions I can think of that will help a professional figure out your problem:

Is it the same outlet that caught fire 4 times, or different
ones?
Has the outlet that caught fire been replaced, only to have
the new one in the same location also catch fire?
What is plugged into the outlets that catch fire? Is it always the same appliances
causing problems?
How many appliances are plugged in to the problem outlets?
Do any of the outlets seem loose?

If new outlets keep catching fire after you replace them, it could be a wiring issue, not an outlet issue.

If the outlets are seeing heavy current draw, from many appliances or a few big ones, it could be that the breaker on that circuit is too big for the associated wiring. An oversized breaker would allow more current through than the wires could handle. This could cause overheating.

If the outlets seem loose (and even if they don't) it could be that the wiring inside the  box, behind the outlet, is shorting out and causing sparks. I had GFI outlet that tripped all the time - I eventually discovered one of the terminals was arcing against the inside of the box.


Is it possible to create a drywall ceiling around pipes? I have a basement which I want to soundproof using drywall but I have a problem with some pipes in the ceiling that run around the corners. I want to maximize the space in the room after soundproofing so I wanted to know if it is possible to do something like this. (please see image, the circles are the pipes in the corners)

You could build a soffit out of 2x4s (or 2x2s) and screws. Once it is complete, you can wrap it in drywall like any other wall. The boards that touch the external wall may need to by pressure treated (check your local codes).


How should laminate flooring be secured next to brick? I want to install laminate flooring in a family room that has a brick fireplace. Part of the laminate would be directly next to the brick base of the fireplace. What kind of base-board or base-piece would I use to secure the edge of the laminate against the fireplace?

-M

When we did this, we purchased edging to match the laminate.  The edging snaps into a channel, which can be attached to the floor - either glued or screwed, depending on the sub floor.

I found after a couple of years the edging came up a bit, but a bit of glue in the channel fixed that.


In a solidly grounded wye service, is an open neutral an emergency? Open neutrals in 120/240V North American split phase services are considered an emergency due to the fire and equipment damage hazard unbalanced legs pose.  However, there are residential buildings (both single and multiple unit) that use three phase wye electrical services instead of split phase.

In these setups, is an open service neutral still an electrical emergency worthy of an immediate callout to the electrical utility, or is there something about three phase wye power vs. split phase that makes an open neutral less of a hazard?

Yes, the open neutral is still dangerous in that situation for the same reason, the voltage on one leg will rise as high as 208V, and current will travel on the grounds.


Can push-in wire connectors handle 20 amp circuits? Can push in connections handle 20 amp circuits?  The box claims that 22 to 12 gauge wire can fit, but little else. Sorry if this is a silly query.

As long as it is rated for it, it can handle it.  I use these IDEAL push connectors ALL THE TIME.


Re-use circuit breaker handle tie? I have a double pole 30 amp breaker controlling a 230 volt load that I need to replace.  I cannot obtain one at this moment; perhaps tomorrow but maybe next week.

Either way, I have two good used 30 amp breakers that I could put in place of the 30 amp double pole.

Will it be okay for me to do this if I take the tie bar off of the old breaker and re-use it?

I have already pulled the tie bar off and have the two breakers ready to go.  Hoping that this will be okay!

For this to work, the two single breakers must pull power off each bus leg to give you 240VAC. If they pull off the same leg, you only get 120VAC (parallel feed). Check to make sure they use alternate bus connections when they're side-by-side.

If the breaker handles have a hole, I've seen a cut nail used to link them. They must be linked so both legs shut off for the obvious reason.


Built in cabinet spacing Is 6” too much for a spacer between these 30x12 cabinets.

My wife and I can’t decide.

We’re putting bookshelf on top.

UPDATED**FINAL PRODUCT

That looks perfectly fine.

Two notes:

I would put a block on the back and the front. Since the cabinets are not screwed to each other you need to join them. This is as simple is a 6" inch piece screwed to wall then maybe one screw from each cabinet into it. On the front I would try to get two screws that are a few inches apart for each cabinet (would look for scrap 2x8).
I am assuming you will have a surface for your bookcase? The gap shouldn't really affect it either way as you should be getting some screws into those two walls (given your bookcase is in one piece, not two small bookcases).

Aesthetics-wise looks normal. Probably wouldn't even think about it if there were doors on it but unless you had these things custom made that look is about as good as it gets. I think you would be the only person that even realizes there is a gap (you can make this a functional hiding spot too).


emery cloth or sandpaper to remove corrosion I'm considering to replace a stop-and-waste valve in the basement, where copper pipes are installed. So I need to clean the corrosion off the pipe. My question is if I could use fine-grained sandpaper instead of emery cloth (since I see it is normally recommended), is there a big difference between the two?

Thanks.

Sure. Emery cloth is better able to handle moisture and repeated flex due to scrubbing. Otherwise, they'll both do the job.