Building a "floating" platform I am planning to build a "floating" platform that needs to be able to hold at least 200kg (440 lb), the problem is, I can't attach it to three walls, as there is an exit on the third wall. My question is: is this possible, or would it have to have a pillar on the unsupported corner?
Here is a birds eye view with dimensions
Thanks,
Ben
EDIT: It's basically a floating bed, strain wise.

Wouldn't need to have a pillar. Would need at least a diagonal brace securely mounted to the wall framing. Unless, that is, you can build a boxed platform rigid enough to carry that stress without flex.

I'd use 3-5 heavy duty brackets like this.You'd barely be able to see them under your platform, leaving it with a floating appearance. Leave the end one 20-40cm from the end to help hide it visually.

I've built several such surfaces with good results using 2-1/2" lag screws. The brackets should ideally reach about 2/3 the way to the front or could be extended with structural top rails.

This question comes along regularly in various forms. Here are a few.

How can I support a desk without legs or brackets

How can I mount a desk on a wall with L-brackets?

How is a floating desk top supported against the wall?

DIY Floating Desk in New Build Home

What is the ideal method of supporting a 27" deep floating desk across 10 feet of wall?


Can I use #16 duplex wire extension to a 2800 watt chop-off cutter? Is it possible to use #16 wire as extension wire for 2800 watt cut-off machine?

Definitely dependent on voltage and cord length. All modern UL listed portable motor-driven tools have wire gauge/length specs. included in the owner's manual. If you do not have the manual you should be able to do an internet search and get one. When in doubt, use heavier wire: a voltage drop across a cord that is too long and/or lightweight will damage the electric motor; bye-bye cut-off saw.


Does an adapter exist that can convert a rotary tool in a oscillating multi-tool one? I saw in the Internet a power tool with a proprietary attachment system that can transform the power base in a drill, in a cutter, in a jig saw, in a multi-too and so on... more than 10 different tools.

Is it possible to convert the rotary motion of a normal angle grinder to an oscillationg motion of a multi-tool? Does a similar universal adapter exists?

There are no universal solutions.  All the powerheads are proprietary (as are the batteries/chargers)

An angle grinder is too fast, too heavy and too powerful for the precision that the oscillators provide, as a class.

Any combo you would jury rig in this fashion would not be worth the time, money and frustration.

I have the Rigid oscillator, and I think it's a bit heavy, vs the Fein single function, but I like the right angle impact driver for close quarters use

Good luck if you invent something, let us know.


Bathroom drainage: bath's water flooding shower I have a drainage problem in the bathroom.

So, after a bath, I drain the bath water into the bath sinkhole. But most of the bath water comes out of the shower sinkhole, flooding the shower and onto the bathroom floor!

Moreover, when I have a shower, the water floods quickly and it takes a very long time to drain!

I have taken photos, annotated, and attached them here. I hope the photos will help give you some idea of the drainage system.

I've tried clearing the blockage using a very long metal cable with a hook at the end (see attached), but this finds nothing and also it eventually hits something very solid and can't go any further (judging by the length, I think it's at the beginning of the piping outdoor - i.e., at the point where it exits the wall).

So, I suspect there's a lot of blockage in the piping outdoor (see the outdoor photo) rather than indoor.

Questions:

right now, how can I remove blockage I think is in the outdoor piping? If you look at the outdoor photo, you'll see there's a cap at one end, that I'd like to try and take out.  This I couldn't do as it seemed to be glued in. Do I need to try and turn it harder?  Then should I use the metal cable with hook to try and find blockage through this end along the outdoor wall?
what short term & long term, inexpensive & expensive solutions can you see to ensure there'll be no more blockage?
a plumber we've been using has recommended creating a separate piping from shower all the way to the "soil pipe about 8 metres from shower" (I think that means to the very end of the piping outdoor) and quoted £350 for the work.  I'm not convinced this would have stopped the blockage.  Plus, the outdoor piping is actually only 3 months old.  Very odd that it could block up so quickly.  What do you think?

UPDATE: another point I should share is that when I run the bath and keep the drain opens, the running water goes out ok without flooding the shower. It's only when I fill up the bath and then drain it when it floods the shower. I'm guessing this is because of a) the pressure a full bath has on the drainage system, b) the blockage isn't 100% - more like 90%.

I will really, really appreciate any comments and/or answers you may have. :-)

With many thanks,

Ben

Assuming this is a newly manifested problem in and otherwise regularly functional drain system, there are 2 things to do first:

Insert your snake into the plumbing system through the shower drain, not the tub (you will have less chance of coiling it up on itself) and measure how far it goes before it hits the hard stop.  In case you don't understand, you want to have the snake be rotating the whole time you move it through the pipe.  It's designed to auger its way along and create a spiral cutting action inside the pipe (If this is a manual snake, go and get a powered one or one that has a small shaft on it to be turned by a cordless drill). My first suspicion is that the hard stop you are feeling is the elbow on the outside wall where the bathroom drain plumbing exits the brick.  If the auger stops at that distance, you can just keep pushing while rotating to get it around the elbow.  Then you can see if you can clear anymore out of the pipe.
Since the above almost never works to get rid of a blockage like what you are describing, the next thing to do is remove the inspection cap.  It's probably just cemented into place.  Just cut it off in such a way that there is a small piece of pipe left for you to cement a new cap in when you are done.  This time, install one with a removable clean out plug or cap.  Once the cap is out, run your snake through the pipe as far as it will go and see if you can cut the clog out with the snake.  Don't be afraid to run it for 10 or 15 minutes to grind away at the inside of the drain and remove all accretions.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but I don't think you have enough slope on any of your drain lines - they almost look level - and this can lead to accretions in various areas.  That might explain why you are having issues.  It may have been installed by a dummy.  That could help to figure out why the problem is manifesting itself.   It's common for tubs to exhibit clogs only when draining a filled tub as the rate of flow of water is highest then.  You also might want to put some sealant around the pipes where they exit through the brick.  Very unprofessional.

If these two steps don't work, then it's time to get a plumber.  Get three quotes and pick the guy you like best - not the cheapest guy.


Furnace draft inducer switch tripping I have an older furnace and a brand new natural gas instant water heater that I installed. I only start this way because the furnace had one thing break last year, so I'm not sure if things on it are just starting to break or if the new water heater is causing issues.

This last winter the draft inducer pressure switch started tripping randomly. It's hard to tell exactly when it's tripping, but going into the crawl space and pushing in the sensor's reset button fixes it every time. This furnace vents into a chimney vent which also is the vent for the water heater (comes in about 4-5 ft higher than the furnace vent). I'm wondering if this water heater might vent at higher pressure and be tripping the furnace sensor.

Thanks!

they can not share one chimney vent because your old furnace vented thru metal sheet duct(high temp dry flue) , your hi-effiency water heater vented thru PVC 636 (wet flue)


Would insulation on my attic walls make it easier to keep my home cool? I recently moved into the attic and converted it into my bedroom. There was insulation on the floor but none on the walls which made it uncomfortable to live in considering its the summer. I got a 8000 BTU portable AC and it does a good enough job but I when the weather is 90+ it doesn't do that good of a job. would getting insulation on the walls of the attic make a difference or am I better off looking at alternatives? Thanks.
PS. I live in Pennsylvania

Yes, attic insulation will definitely help you. it has to work to reduce the transfer of heat from the roof into the attic spaces and down into the home. Proper attic insulation can reduce this heat transfer by up to 25% or more. attic insulation with an R-factor of at least 19 will help keep the hot attic air from heating your living space. Good luck :)


What is the process for power washing and staining a deck? I am planning to power wash my deck and stain it afterwards. But I am not quite sure the correct procedure for this process.

After power washing the deck, can I stain the deck immediately or should I wait some time?

Should I stain the deck first or apply the sealant first? Should there be any time gap between these two procedures?

Moreover, which kind of protective clothing should I wear when applying the stain and sealant?

The first step is to clean the deck.  A very simple and inexpensive method is to wet the deck, spray or scrub on a mixture of 1 cup TSP, 1/2 gal household bleach, and 2 gal water. Scrub it with a course, stiff broom. Then either rinse with a hose or power wash off before it dries completely on the surface. this works as good it not better than expensive deck cleaners. Note: When using a power washer, use a wide spray nozzle. Be careful not to be too aggressive with a power washer as it can damage the wood and leave divots.

Second, let the deck dry completely. This may take a day or two depending on weather conditions.

Third, apply deck stain.  You can use any good oil or modified oil based deck stain. You can choose from transparent, semi transparent or solid.  The most popular for older pressure treated decks is semi or solid.  For cedar or redwoods, transparent or semi is favored. Usually one coat is enough, but on very porous or softer woods, two coats may be required for a good even finish.

Application hint: apply stain with a 3/8" nap roller on a pole. Do three or four boards wide, then over-brush the area with a fairly stiff bristle brush to work the stain into the grain of the wood. You could also use a 1 or 2 gal pump sprayer to get the stain on fast, then over-brush.  A lot faster and easier than using a brush only.

You're done. There is no need to put a sealer over good grade stains. Never put a sealer on before you stain, as it will block the stain from penetrating and adhering to the wood.

Wait 24 hours before using your deck after staining.  Don't stain if there is rain or temps under 50F predicted within 12 to 24 hours.


How can I attach a top plate for a wall that falls between joists? I have a wall that I need to build to make a defined space for a laundry room.  I am running into 2 problems with my project:

I have a slanted ceiling, and
The wall will be going parallel to the joists.

I have read that I need to add nailing block to the ceiling; however (admittedly, looking for a short cut here), I was hoping maybe I could avoid cutting into the ceiling by accessing the attic above, installing the blocking, and then attaching the top plate (hopefully that is the right terminology) to the ceiling?  I think I can mud the wall, but the ceiling is textured, and I want to avoid having to re-texture as much as possible.

You plan is sound.  You really only need blocking every four feet or so, and at each end. The rigidity in your top plate will keep things from moving if it's securely attached to the blocking.

If, by chance, you have no insulation in the attic you could install blocking from below. Cut some 3" by 8" slots in the drywall inside the wall line for access, and insert the blocks through there. Install them either spanning the slot or adjacent to it.


Spa bath pump sizing We're slowly renovating our 90~100 year old house and when we get to the bathroom we intend to install a spa bath. Not a large spa/jacuzzi, just a bath. Most of those we've seen so far come with a pump that quite frankly leaves a lot to be desired. We want something that will massage our muscles, not something similar to a can of beans. At the same time we don't want to be blowing off the jets or pipework or having to choke the pump because it's too powerful.

Is there some information or a web site that can assist us in determining a suitable pump size for a given application?

Are you planning to build an entirely custom bath unit? Or modify an existing product?

Most jetted tub manufacturers I've come across explicitly require certain pumps and void warranties if third-party pumps are used.  For example, American Standard brand has the following in their installation doc:

  Do not make modifications to the
  whirlpool system or remove pump from
  factory mounting. This could adversely
  affect the safety and performance of
  the whirlpool and void the warranty

I'd check with the manufacturer first before going down this route.  If they do support it, they could probably make appropriate recommendations.


How can I prevent the lines from showing through when painting paneling? We put two coats of mud in cracks of paneling, then we primed it.
Then we put two coats of Ultra Behr paint and the lines are still coming through

When you say "paneling", do you mean imitation wood paneling with grooves cut in to simulate boards?. If so, it is hard to fill those grooves. I have used Bondo auto body filler but it requires a good bit of work. Properly applied and sanded, the grooves will be invisible.


Proper way of permanently fixing a heavy utensils drawer with "hanger" rail? In my kitchen, all our drawers appear to use a wooden rail "hanger" (at the top of the drawer) to slide in and out:

The problem is our utensil drawer is probably one of the heaviest, and it finally gave out, so I replaced it with a new rail and hanger kit from local home improvement store. However now, a month or so later, the drawer "drops down" when pushed in all the way, and the hanger seems to be worn down quite a bit:

I could replace the hanger again, but it seems like something is inherently wrong here. I'm guessing the wood/plastic hanger system isn't quite meant for a heavy utensil drawer, and there's some better solution? A general contractor wanted an enormous sum to even come take a look, so I'm hoping you kind folks might have some advice. Thanks!

If the drawer doesn't fall on the trip to the back limit, it would indicate that the plastic hanger is doing fine until it reaches the end of the support rod. Perhaps you'll find unusual wear on the far end of the rod.

As an option, consider to reverse the hanger clip so that it is on the inside of the drawer, shifting the hang point clear of the (possibly) failed rod end.

If you have a makerspace in your area, you may also find you can have a modified hanger created on a 3D printer. Using PETG (stronger than PLA or ABS), you could have a longer hanger clip (front to back) or a more narrow closure at the top to prevent the drop-out.

If you can find a second clip, attach one to the inside of the drawer and one to the outside, although that may not be as effective as a modified version.

Consider also to apply some wood paste wax to the rod surfaces to reduce the wear on the plastic.


how common are "burned outlets" that are old? We just bought a house that was built in 1941.

There are a few exterior outlets near the base of the house (for outdoor tools) that do not work. I have tested them with a multimeter and there is no power, and the circuit breaker appears fine.

I think the outlets are extremely old because they are not GFCI outlets and they are exterior, and I am told that GFCIs are code for all exterior (Water facing) outlets. So, likely they predate code.

When researching this problem I found the link: http://removeandreplace.com/2015/02/10/no-power-to-outlets-in-one-room-or-wall-how-to-troubleshoot/

This link mentions a concept of "burned outlets". I do notice that there is a brownish hue on the outlet (it is not obvious) and I attributed this to being old or rust as it is exterior.

So, is the best path forward to kill the mains and try to replace this with a new GFCI outlet? Do outlets really just stop working with no other circuit or wiring problems?

Exterior outlets on a home this old may be more recent additions and still be older than the code requirement for GFCI's. I would power down the circuit pull the outlets and inspect the wiring. With external outlets that are not sealed and have "in use" covers or "extra duty" covers water gets in the outlets and they corrode. The in use covers have a cover that allows the outlet to be used while keeping rain out. If all the outlets are on 1 circuit you may find one has failed and the others are daisy chained, not receiving power from the point of failure. The other possibility is, I used to install switches on exterior outlets to allow holiday lighting to be turned off (there may be a switch some place that has killed the power to them).


Why do my LED lights turn on for split second when I turn ceiling fan on/off when i turn on/off fan, i see my LED lights are on for a split second. is it because of bad wiring? my issue is very similar
exact same issue which i found on other post

any idea why they are turn on for split second? thanks in advance

LEDs need ***very**** little power compared to other kinds of lights. A weak induced current from an adjacent circuit being turned on or off could well be enough to get a momentary flash from them. If this is the only problem you're seeing, I recommend just ignoring it.


Which way should my joists run for a tray ceiling? I'm getting ready to frame in a tray ceiling in my closet. The dimensions are 70" x 30".

I was thinking about just using one 2x6 joist that spans the entire length (70") of the trey ceiling right down the middle and then adding two 2x4 nailers along the sides.

Is this the right way to go or would it be better for me to have multiple 2x6 joists that span the shorter width of 30".

There won't be anything too heavy being supported, just 2 light fixtures.

Here's a photo of how I was thinking about doing it:

If it was me, I'd do 30" joists... they math with less waste out of 8' sticks, and the structure will be more substantial if you walk on it in the attic.

My only hesitation is about the light from above in the picture. Is there a chase for a skylight that you haven't mentioned? If so, design for that, rather than anything else.


LEDs flicker but Halogen works fine Moved into an apartment that has MR16 bulbs on the ceiling. A total of 7.
Replaced them with 5W Leds and it started flickering.
If I use one halogen and 6 LEDs, it doesn't flicker and works fine.
The lights have a dimmer switch but i don't want to use it or I keep it on full brightness only. The LEDs are non dimmable.
Please advise how to correct the problem.

Should i search for a daylight halogen and use that in one socket to avoid the flickering.
Should I call the electrician and disconnect the dimmer?
Any other solution

Option 2 is the cleanest solution to your problem, since "non-dimmable" LEDs hate dimmers and behave strangely with them, as many dimmers do not bypass themselves even at "full" brightness.
I have an LED compatible dimmer and dimmable LEDs where I replaced the dimmer with  a switch simply because the dimmer was causing an irritating audible noise in some of the LEDs that a switch did not. It also kept them from getting quite as bright as they could, and had an annoying 1/2 second delay when switched on.
I doubt you'll find a Halogen that will match the color of your LEDs, but if you can stand having one bulb look different it saves the cost of the electrician, especially if this is a rental.


Would there be a problem installing 20A switches on a 15A circuit? I've installed 20A switches on 15A circuits before, namely on the circuit supplying my kitchen lights. It was primarily to take advantage of the side-clamp wiring available on these beefier switches instead of the curl-and-screw flavor of side-wiring, or the push-in wiring, that you normally see on 15A S/P switches.

A friend of mine says that having a switch of higher capacity than the branch circuit breaker can cause the breaker to trip. I say he's full of it; a switch is a switch, and a 20A S/P will just be beefier than a 15A. As long as it's rated for at least the amperage draw of the circuit, you're fine, IMO.

Thoughts?

On a related note, does the same apply to outlets? He may be confusing using a 20A switch and using a 20A outlet; the outlet, unlike the switch, supports plugging in appliances that will draw >15A, and if you do, that WILL trip the breaker (though as 20A outlets support plugging in parallel-bladed 15A appliances, if you KNOW the branch is 15A and don't try to plug in a T-bladed plug, you're still OK).

You are correct on both counts:

There is no problem with using a 20A switch on a 15A circuit, as the breaker will trip and protect the switch from over-current.

Using a 15A switch on a 20A circuit is potentially dangerous though: the circuit may draw up to 20A, but the switch will be overloaded at that point which may cause it to overheat/melt/start a fire.
Really this is the same as wiring: you can use larger wires (with higher current ratings) but not smaller wires

A 20A outlet is not allowed on a 15A circuit. It's not really "dangerous" since the breaker will (should) trip at 15A anyway, but it is bad to knowingly install it this way.


What are the allowable ways to wire a kitchen range hood? (USA) What are the allowable options for wiring a kitchen range hood?

I had my rough-in inspection this week and was intending to have the range hood plug into receptacle behind it. This recep would have been on the same circuit as the other kitchen countertop receptacles.

The inspector said that I either needed to be move it to a dedicated circuit OR put it on the lighting circuit. However he may not have realized I was going to have it plugged in vs. hardwired.

Trying to systematically understand the rules, of the following what is (not) permissible?

Range hood hardwired ...

on dedicated circuit
on same circuit with other kitchen receps
on some other circuit such as kitchen lights

Range hood with cord & plug ...

on dedicated circuit
on same circuit with other kitchen receps

Any options I have missed?

Also: among the valid choices if there are important considerations to decide among them that would be good to know also. I've read about potential future usage being one concern, such as adding a microwave to the same wiring point later (though in my case we have a separate spot for that).

Many thanks!

TL;DR: Put it on its own circuit or on a lighting circuit, but never on a kitchen receptacle circuit

Your options here are to put it on its own circuit (always works, but takes up panel space) or to put it on a lighting circuit (always works for hardwired hoods, may work for cord-and-plug connected hoods, ask your inspector for details).

Putting it on a kitchen receptacle circuit won't work

A receptacle within a cabinet and/or presumably greater than 5.5' off the ground falls outside the ambit of NEC 210.52 altogether, due to points 3 and 4 in NEC 210.52 proper:

  210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets. This section
  provides requirements for 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets. The receptacles required by this section shall be in
  addition to any receptacle that is:

  (1) Part of a luminaire or appliance, or

  (2) Controlled by a wall switch in accordance with
  210.70(A)(1), Exception No. 1, or

  (3) Located within cabinets or cupboards, or

  (4) Located more than 1.7 m (5 1∕2 ft) above the floor

As a result of this, it would violate NEC 210.52(B)(2) to place the range hood receptacle on a kitchen receptacle circuit, as Exception 2 does not apply to most hoods (the hood would have to be an integral part of the range for the exception to be usable):

  (B) Small Appliances.

  (1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling unit, the
  two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits
  required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered
  by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.

  Exception No. 1: In addition to the required receptacles specified by
  210.52, switched receptacles supplied from a general-purpose branch
  circuit as defined in 210.70(A)(1), Exception No. 1, shall be permitted.

  Exception No. 2: In addition to the required receptacles specified by
  210.52, a receptacle outlet to serve a specific appliance shall be permitted to be supplied from an individual branch circuit rated 15 amperes or greater.

  (2) No Other Outlets. The two or more small-appliance
  branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall have no other
  outlets.

  Exception No. 1: A receptacle installed solely for the electrical supply to
  and support of an electric clock in any of the rooms specified in
  210.52(B)(1).

  Exception No. 2: Receptacles installed to provide power for supplemental equipment and lighting on gas-fired ranges, ovens, or counter-mounted cooking units.

Plugging it into a receptacle on a lighting circuit may or may not work, your inspector has to make a call on that

This option falls outside of NEC 422.16(B)(4) point 5:

  (4) Range Hoods. Range hoods shall be permitted to be cord-and-plug-connected with a flexible cord identified as suitable
  for use on range hoods in the installation instructions of the
  appliance manufacturer, where all of the following conditions
  are met:

  (1) The flexible cord is terminated with a grounding-type
  attachment plug.

  Exception: A listed range hood distinctly marked to identify it as protected by a system of double insulation shall not be required to be terminated with a grounding-type attachment plug.

  (2) The length of the cord is not less than 450 mm (18 in.)
  and not over 1.2 m (4 ft).

  (3) Receptacles are located to protect against physical
  damage to the flexible cord.

  (4) The receptacle is accessible.

  (5) The receptacle is supplied by an individual branch
  circuit.

However, since NEC 422.16(B)(4) says "shall be permitted", it basically means that the inspector must allow a cord-and-plug connected range hood that meets the parameters given, but may allow one that falls outside it; given that most reasonably-sized domestic range hoods draw less than 7.5A, having them share a branch circuit with other devices won't run afoul of 210.23(A):

  (A) 15- and 20-Ampere Branch Circuits. A 15- or 20-ampere
  branch circuit shall be permitted to supply lighting units or
  other utilization equipment, or a combination of both, and
  shall comply with 210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2).

  Exception: The small-appliance branch circuits, laundry branch
  circuits, and bathroom branch circuits required in a dwelling unit(s) by
  210.11(C)(1), (C)(2), and (C)(3) shall supply only the receptacle
  outlets specified in that section.

  (1) Cord-and-Plug-Connected Equipment Not Fastened in
  Place. The rating of any one cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place shall not exceed
  80 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating.

  (2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating
  of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere
  rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization
  equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

This means that hardwiring them to a lighting circuit is also a viable option, provided your hood supports a hardwired connection. If I were to  cord-and-plug connect a hood to a lighting circuit, by the way, I would use a single receptacle instead of a duplex receptacle -- this makes clear that this is a dedicated receptacle for a single appliance, not a general purpose receptacle to plug whatever into.

Other hood tips

One of the biggest mistakes made with range hoods is oversizing -- even a "commercial" range in a residence doesn't need a commercial-sized hood capable of sucking well in excess of 500cfm of air out of the house.  Keep in mind that a commercial range hood is being used 6-12 hours a day, with the cooking appliance(s) under it being used continuously during that time, and has to meet OSHA standards for exposure to cooking smoke during that entire time because a line cook in a restaurant is exposed to that day-in, day-out, while your house has none of these issues to contend with.

Furthermore, a range hood that size needs special consideration regarding make-up air to avoid hazardous backdrafting of atmospheric combustion appliances in even a modestly tight house.  As a result, it's much better to use a smaller hood fan (200-300cfm is fine) with a hood system that has good capture efficiency and low static pressure loss in the ductwork than a larger hood with poor capture efficiency.


240 volt 20amp outlet I have a NEMA 6-20 240 volt 20amp single outlet.  It has three wire connections on it.  Two hot and one ground. There is a four conductor (including ground) romex cable coming out of the box. What is done with the neutral white wire?  I don't think it is used.  Should it be disconnected at the service panel?

A NEMA 6-20 does not require a neutral. The devil is in the details. A NAMA 6-20 configuration is for a 240V, single voltage connection. If it were to have a neutral the configuration would be a dual voltage NEMA 14-20, 20A 120/240V.

If you don't need the neutral you can simply wire nut it off and leave it in the box.


How to fit vents in a roof The home we have just brought has no vents in its tiled roof; therefore it is getting a lot of condensation in the loft.

So how do I fit vents?

Do the vent you fix from the inside (rather than putting in venting tiles) work well enough?

A gable louver might be a good option if you don't want to mess with the tiled roof.


Can I use mortar to fill channels in a concrete floor? I recently had central heating installed in my 2 bedroom ground floor maisonette. We installed all the pipes in the channels which we dug in the concrete floor. I have covered all the pipes with insulation and now it is the time for refilling the channels and then covering all the floor with laminate/wood flooring.

I have cut some pipe insulation and fit them to the pipe just to keep some space for expansion and contraction; I am planning to put some sand (dried sand used for driveways) in the channels, say 2cm, and then fill them up with mortar.

My question is can I use mortar to fill the channels?

How wide are the channels? Mortar is ok for smaller areas less than 3/4" any bigger than this I would want to use fine aggregate cement (not just sand as in Mortar).


How and when to finish a Cedar or redwood fence? My neighbor and I are putting up a fence between our properties. We will use either Cedar or Redwood.  The fence will have vertical boards on both sides bc we want both of the fence surfaces to look nice from our respective properties.

My question is should we finish/treat the fence AFTER it is installed or treat the wood before it is installed?

Also after it ages how do I treat the wood? Note: There will be faces that are 'hidden'... the back sides of the faces that we see from our properties.

Even if you treat before install and get all sides, later down you will have to just treat the visible portion, unless you plan to pull the fence down and retreat then put back up....in my opinion, too much work.


Why won't propane come out of my nearly-new propane tank? I bought a new propane tank (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bernzomatic-20-lb-Empty-Propane-Tank-309791/202034840) and had it filled up, then used it on two separate days to fuel a weed burner torch. Worked fine. The last use was last Sunday, just a few days ago. I went to fire up the weed burner again today and nothing came out of the tank. No gas, and no hissing sound when the valve is first opened. I can open the valve all the way and stick my nose right against the tank's outlet and I don't smell any gas coming out at all.

There's clearly propane still in there because the tank's heavy and I can both hear and feel it sloshing around if I give the tank a shake. What could be the problem?

Open the tank supply valve very slowly and make sure the weed burner valve is closed when you do it. I mean if you think you are opening it slowly you are still opening it too fast. Some of these newer tanks have a safety feature that cuts back on flow if high flow is detected.

You may also have a tank with a defective valve, if the above method does not work, take it and exchange it for a different tank at one of those places that will trade a filled tank for an empty.

It could also be your weed burner valve, a lot of those weed burners are lame Chinese pieces of crap. Try it on an alternate appliance like a camp stove or BBQ.


How to wire ground when the sub-panel is Plug-On Neutral I need to install a sub-panel in my home. Both the main panel and the sub panel are in the same building. I purchased a Square D Homeline Indoor Plug-On Neutral panel (Model # HOM2040M100PCVP) for this. I plan on using aluminum 2-2-2-4 cable to feed this 100Amp sub-panel from the main panel.
When I got the new sub-panel home, I discovered that the panel is designed to place the neutral and ground on the same bus bar.  Since this is a sub-panel, I understand that I need to isolate the ground from the neutral. I've purchased two Square D ground bars (Model # PK23GTACP) for this.
The question is, how do I attach the #4 service ground cable to the sub-panel? Is there some kind of special clamp to attach the service ground cable to the panel body?

Install a ground lug in the panel, something like this one, or use a kit like this one. Just remember, like you said, that the neutral bar has to be isolated from the panel. It'll be on plastic/insulating stand-offs.


covering a baseboard heater gap and fire hazard I noticed a mouse crawl up behind a baseboard heater. I unmounted the heater and found large holes in the wall. exposing styrofoam insulation.
is it a fire hazard to cover the holes with 1/4 inch galvanized mesh.  the heater will touch the mesh and the mesh is close to the styrofoam.
I have also considered filling the gap with greatstuff fireblock foam, however I have the same concern with the heater being close to or touching the fireblock foam.
Would speckle with mesh beca good option?
Any advice is appreciated.

I would not mount an electric baseboard heater on wire mesh.  Baseboard heaters have UL listings for installation and I doubt wire mesh is acceptable.
That wire mesh could heat up and catch the drywall paper on fire (or any paper that falls behind the unit.) The heating element is held out (away from) from the metal baseboard heater enclosure for a reason.
I’d seal the openings with plaster. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it’s going to be covered.


bbq island against retaining wall Retaining wall is about 10' high at the highest point. I want to build a bbq island along the wall, brick oven is at the end of the island. It had to be at a 45 deg. angle because it's much deeper then the countertop.

Plan is for contractors to pour a level concrete pad to build the bbq island on, but I don't know how close the structure should be to the wall.

Too much of a gap will put the front of the island in the way of the patio door.

Current design leaves a 2.5" gap between bottom of island and wall. At the top of the island, the gap would be atleast 1 ft, because the wall isn't vertical, it slopes away from the island like all retaining walls.

But, there's no way I could finish the back of the island with 2.5" gap at the bottom. Maybe build the back of the island out of concrete block, leave it unfinished, then the remaining sides/internal structure would be metal studs, backer board and finished with stone?

Any tips or ideas?

Why does it have to be at a 45 degree angle? At the angle, you have a hole behind the counter where debris could get caught and become messy and a potential fire hazard. If you want the angle for aesthetic reasons, you should have a way to get back there and clean it out. As for the back side..that is up to you. If it won't be seen, then it won't matter. If you are worried about heat or something/someone getting inside it from behind, then use brick, stone, whatever. As for the floor under the oven area, pour extra concrete or use patio pavers. Its all about how it will look to you. I would also leave some room between the wall and island in case you need to repair either the island or the wall in the future.


Powering multiple switches from one switch I had 1 switch going to 1 light on my porch.  I want to add a couple more decorative lights and I want to add a couple of switches on the porch itself so I don't have to keep opening the door to turn them off or on as needed.  Can I use the switch in the house currently to provide power to these multiple switches on the porch?

As usual, hate to say it, but "it depends".  There are essentially 2 popular ways to connect switches for fixtures:

Provide power to the fixture and run a "switch loop" to the switch.  If that's the case, no you'll have to get power for your outdoor switches elsewhere. (see last paragraph for exception).

If power is provided to the switch first and then a switched cable goes to the fixture, then yes, that can be done.

I ALWAYS run power to the switches first and NEVER use switch loops, there are just too many devices now (smart switches, timers, etc.) that need a bit of power and they don't work with an old school switch loop unless it was wired with 14/3 or 12/3, which is currently code for switch loop.


Botched grounding in receptacle junction boxes Background: I recently moved into an apartment building in Canada (built in 1969). I don't know much about the electrical code, how grand-fathering works within it, etc., but I have an intermediate knowledge of household wiring.

Some previous electrical shenanigans raised my suspicions and induced me to do some investigation in my new apartment's electrical work.

My first observation: none of my receptacles' junction boxes have grounding wires going into them. I figure that's a byproduct of the age of this building. My circuit tester doesn't complain about an open ground. I've read that electrical cable conduit could be used to provide grounding, so I figure that must be what's going on. Is this correct?

Second observation: None of the receptacles' junction boxes have grounding screw terminals. Instead, a knockout cover was punched out on one side, and used to improvise a clamp that holds down a short ground wire.

Seeing that made my jaw drop. There's barely no mechanical retention here. I was able to pull that cable loose with practically no tension at all.

So my questions:

There's no way that's legit, right?
Is is possible that the building is grand-fathered onto old electrical code rules, and doesn't need to provide proper grounding?

The conduit's fine...but that ground wire sure isn't

While a properly installed conduit system provides quite solid grounding performance, the pigtail from the receptacle isn't what I'd call an acceptable level of workmanship by any stretch of the imagination.  I would get a proper 10-32 grounding screw and use it to attach the pigtail to the ground hole in the back of the box if I were in your shoes.


what can i do with this old weird tub combo? I am replacing this old tub/shower combo with a built in tub for the ceiling...can i just take out the entire upper tub & framing and drywall like a normal shower? I've never seen this before.

It's not really weird.   It was actually a pretty big trend starting in the early 60s through early 80s.   The fully enclosed combo kits.   Easy to install.   Waterproof out of the box (unless you really flubbed the install).   Don't have to do a lot of work to install it and they last forever!
So here is the deal.   You don't know what is above the shower.   You need to open that front part of the wall up above the shower and shine a flashlight in there to scop out what is there.

Either it is full of hvac, electrical, plumbing and will require a bit of work to move that stuff around.   Good new here is that the drop seems rather big so if there is stuff in this section you could surely condense it if you don't want to totally move it.

Or someone got the current kit and decided to lower the ceiling to make the kit fit perfect.   If this is the case good news for you.   You probably can take out that entire box and redrywall the ceiling and be done with it (might have some minor electrical going through it).


Why is there an oily substance on the connector in my circuit breaker? I have a circuit breaker panel with 2 supply wires (2.5-4mm2 400V). I noticed that there is some oily substance dripping out of the supply contact of my circuit breaker. What is this substance and is it dangerous? The circuit breaker does not trip.
Because I live in a rather old building where the heating does not work well I often rely on electrical heaters, so I use much electricity, but the circuit breaker never trips. It is also a model without residual current circuit breaker.
It is more or less this model...

Sometime a dielectric grease is applied to the connections of a circuit breakers when they are installed, and it can appear to be dripping from the wires..

diy.stackexchange.com/questions/146945/…
Courtesy of Ed Beal And Isherwood

If this is it, leave it in place and don't worry it is supposed to be there.


How do I install a receptacle in the soffit? I'd like to add a receptacle (for x-mas decorations etc) in the soffit of my house. I'd prefer flush-mounted so it's the least visible possible. It will be wired to a switch (timer) inside the house; I may end up running 14/3 to it so there's also constant power.

What type of box should I use? What type of cover? Any other requirements to meet NEC?

You'll be working in a "damp" location, so you'll want to prevent moisture from entering or accumulating within the box.  Since there's not likely to be moisture above the box, you probably won't have to worry about protecting the back side of the box.  Because of this, you can probably get away with any type of box.  When I did this, I used a weatherproof box and conduit.

National Electrical Code (NEC) calls for a cover that is weatherproof when a plug is not inserted for damp locations, however, I always use an "in-use" style cover on outside installations.  I used this weatherproof expandable in-use cover which accordions out up to 3 1/2" when in use, and keeps a relatively low profile when not in use.

Obviously, you'll need ground-fault circuit protection. This can be provided either by a GFCI breaker, or GFCI receptacle.


Mounting a relay socket to a junction box? How can I mount a relay socket (such as this one) to a junction box with a blank cover in a way that:

complies with the 2014 NEC
won't surprise the next electrician working on the circuit (as I suspect mounting it to the cover plate would)
allows wiring to be connected without having to "stuff" the socket into the box with wires already attached
and allows the relay to be replaced without having to detach the socket from the box?

(This is not quite a dupe of my other relay mounting question as this question deals with socket type relays while the previous one dealt with chassis mount relays, which shouldn't be used directly in mains wiring because they're not fully UL listed for standalone service.)

The base you show is ~1" and page 8 here:
http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/722224.pdf
Shows a standard relay at just over 2".

It should fit just fine in a 4" deep screw cover junction box if you mount the base to the bottom of the box. Don't mount it to the cover.

However, if you plan to use a time delay relay or some other type then check the dimensions before you buy your jbox.

Depending on your application, you might consider a solid state relay such as this:
http://www.amazon.com/AC-AC-80-280VAC-24-380VAC-SSR-40AA-Solid/dp/B00976EJXC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447848272&sr=8-1&keywords=AC+relay

It is only 1.5" high so could be mounted in a 2 ⅛" deep 4" or 4-11/16 box.
Happy Day!


Impact sprinkler-increasing spray distance as it sprays Is there an adjustment on impact sprinkler that you can make where it increases the distance as it sprays going  from a short radius to long radius and then back to short radius to long radius and repeating this pattern?

If you tilt the mounting post, you can spray a roughly elliptical pattern. (The sprinkler head will be at one of the foci.)

If this doesn't meet your needs, you can place two or more sprinklers very close together, set to non-overlapping arcs and different radii.


Why are adjacent breakers for unrelated circuits ganged? I'm looking at electric panels in some newer residences and seeing something confusing: Circuit breakers that are adjacent to each other, but that cover unrelated circuits, are ganged, as shown below.  By "unrelated circuits" I mean circuits that have no reason to trip or switch together.  For example, "Master Bed Lights" and "Living Room Outlets" are adjacent and ganged.  So are "Bath GFCIs" and "Office Outlets."  (And then there are a few adjacent breakers that are not ganged.)

Is there some code or other reason for ganging unrelated breakers like this?

They are Multi-Wire Branch Circuits

This is a wiring strategy that depends on North America's system of having "neutral in the middle" of 240V, giving two legs of 120V.

A circuit can be wired so that it brings out both legs, giving a single circuit which is effectively two 120V circuits which share a neutral and ground.

This provides a savings in wire, at the cost of complicating use of GFCI and AFCI devices.

This makes even more sense when the outlets are far from the panel, both for the savings and because MWBCs have less voltage drop than single circuits. It appears this builder also gave you a wire size bump above the mandatory #14/15A... allowing 20A breakers; single 12/3 was cheaper than dual 14/2. And more useful, nuisance trips notwithstanding.

Breakering an MWBC

Since it is in fact one circuit, it needs one maintenance shutoff.  Otherwise, a person might plug a radio into one half of the circuit, flip off breakers until the radio goes silent, declare the circuit "cold", and then go get nailed by the other half of the circuit.  For this same reason, 2 independent circuits need to be handle-tied when they service the same receptacle. Who checks both sockets??

What it does not need is common trip.  Note that these are actual, proper 2-pole breakers; those have internal mechanisms which guarantee common-trip, which is appropriate for dryers and ranges.  On a MWBC, it's perfectly acceptable to use two independent breakers and a factory Handle-tie (not a nail).  Handle-ties do not guarantee common trip, but realistically, it will probably happen. So don't waste money switching.

If you do any work with MWBCs, you need to follow some special rules, such as pigtailing neutrals instead of using a receptacle as a splice block.

It shouldn't be an inconvenience

Because you shouldn't be tripping breakers much.  If you are, then the root problem is a lack of a sense of how much load a circuit can support. Review the labeling of each appliance to see how much it draws in amps.  And know which outlets are on which circuits. (I'll grant you, distinguishing half-circuits can be a challenge when dealing with MWBCs).

The off-chance

J.. suggested this might be a case of "builder just had a few extra 2-poles lying around".  I consider that highly unlikely. I suspect they're all MWBC for the same reason, e.g. distance. However, if you're comfortable groping around in a live panel, we can test that. And we'll ignore grounds, which are green, yellow-green or bare.

Pick a double breaker. Follow the two hot wires back to where they enter the panel.  If they enter one cable containing one neutral, it's MWBC.  If they enter one single conduit pipe, see if every hot has its own neutral - they should be paired with tape or sleeving.   You can only exclude it from being MWBC if you can confirm both hots have their own separate partner neutral.

Now that you have two hot-neutral pairs you think are singletons, one more test.  Look at circuits 5 and 6 - those are GFCI or possibly AFCI breakers.  They have zero tolerance of misconfigured neutrals. So put one of your singletons on them (either pull the original load off, or just put both there temporarily).  Put loads on both of your "supposedly separate" circuits. If the GFCI/AFCI holds, you're good.


Replacing Dimmer Switch I am trying to replace a dimmer switch with a standard on off switch. The current dimmer has 2 black wires connected to it but no ground. Do I just unscrew the black wires, remove dimmer, and attach the same black wires back to the new switch?

Yes, but if there is a ground wire in the box, you should attach it to the ground screw on the switch.

If there is no ground wire, but the box is metal, you should connect a ground wire from the switch to a screw put into one of the threaded holes in the back of the box, or use a ground clip placed on the edge of the box.

If there is no ground wire and the box is plastic, you can ignore it.


Does it make sense to build a false wall at the back of a shower bay and what do I need to concern myself with if doing this? I tore apart my master bathroom down to the drywall/subfloor (studs in some places).  It had a 35 year old 1 piece blue fiberglass surround in it (had to cut it up into many pieces to get it out the door).

My plan was to replace it with a newer 3 or 4 piece surround.  However, I've run into a bit of a snag.

my shower bay looks like this:

As you can see, the existing shower drain is centered along the front edge of the shower.  I've come to realize that it was done this way because there is a joist running 16in from the back wall.  Everything I've found in big box (HD/Lowes/Menards) have the shower drain 17in from the back wall (48x34 showers) either directly in the middle or centered front to back along the short sides.  I could move the drain to just about anywhere EXCEPT along that line because there is a joist running right there.

Am I doomed to replace this with a custom shower pan?  What other options do I have?

-edit-  I just thought of a solution (as the title suggests) that I'd like to run past the masses here.

As you can see in the pics, I have ~5-6in at the front of the bay to work with.  The alcove is 39in deep (not counting drywall width) and it appears the standard depth for 48in width showers is only 34in deep.  If I were to frame out a false wall in the back of the shower bay that would essentially move the shower out an extra 3.5in and that should be enough to run my drain right along that joist...right?

For example:

It can't be that easy right?  What am I missing here?

Absolutely, why not? A simple stud wall would do. Just make sure that the wall is going to stand up to any possible water ingress by using concrete tile backer rather than any kind of plasterboard, taping the joints and sealing everything. To me, it seems like common sense to build your enclosure around the complexities of waste water pipe routing.

EDIT: I think what you refer to as drywall is what I refer to as plasterboard. Either way, you don't want it in a shower, unless you're doing to tank it.


Which steel is stronger: Cold rolled, hot rolled, or stainless? I need a 1/4" x 1 1/2" x 80" steel flat bar.  I will omit the details of what I need it for because this question is basically asking which composition yields a stronger steel.

www.discountsteel.com has a wide variety of steel bars, but I am not sure how to read the ratings regarding tensil strength and hardness.  Here are all the products:

Stainless Steel
Cold Rolled Steel
Hot Rolled Steel

If you click the ASTM material Specifications tab at the bottom of the pages and scroll to the bottom, you will see mechanical data for which I have the following questions:

First off, what is "minimum tensil strength"?  The stainless steel 304 has a minimum of 75, but the hot rolled and cold rolled appear to have ranges of 58-80 and 55-70 respectively.  Why does stainless have a single number and the others have ranges?  Why does it says minimum?  Does a higher number mean stronger steel?

What is minimum yield strength?

Second is the hardness scale which uses the Rockwell scale which I've looked into a bit.  The stainless rating for 304 is 88, but the rating for hot-rolled is B76.  For cold-rolled, it seems to be broken into two:  Hot rolled is B67-B80 and cold drawn is B80-B90.  This confuses me even more because this looks like the steel is cold rolled hot rolled?  Why is the stainless rating just 88 while the others seem to be a range and use the B scale?  Does stainless just default to a scale since it's just represented by a raw number?

OK, a few definitions:

Yield strength is the amount of force required to cause the steel to yield, which means permanently deform (i.e. permanently stretch).

Tensile strength (a.k.a. "ultimate strength") is the amount of force required to cause the steel to actually break. This will be equal to or greater than the yield strength.

Minimum just means that the steel will be at least that strong.

Hardness is a measure of how resistant the steel is to scratching and denting. For structural usage it's probably not important, but would be important if you were looking for a durable finish, e.g. a workbench top or a tool bearing point.

Stiffness (you didn't ask about this, but it's another way of looking at the strength of a material) is a measure of how much something deflects when you put a force on it. Steel alloys tend to be pretty similar in this regard.

As you can see, "strongest" doesn't really have a specific definition, it depends on what you're looking for.

Here's an analogy for the difference between yield and tensile strength:
Imagine you have a spring. You pull on it a little, and when you let go it returns to its original shape. This is "elastic deformation", and no damage has been done. Now you pull hard on the spring and it doesn't return to it's original shape anymore. The material has yielded and you have "plastic deformation". This may or may not be considered "failure", depending on the application. Now pull really hard and the spring breaks. That's the ultimate strength. Clearly the spring has failed now.

As for the ranges: "steel" is a non-specific name for several alloys and it can be made in several grades, hence the ranges you've found. The material is usually designated with an alloy number. "Cold rolled" and "hot rolled" are methods for shaping the steel, and don't really tell you anything about the strength.

I should also point out that all of these properties that I've mentioned are for the steel material itself. If you want to know the behavior of an actual piece of steel, you need to know both its material and it's shape.


What is this strange device? Today I found this strange device which seems like a DIY construction to me and I wanted to know what it is and what it does. It is connected to the lightning rod and it is also grounded to many points. Also, the thick black wire is going straight to an apartment. It is located near the lightning rod at the rooftop of the apartment building that I live. So can someone recognize this?

PS. I had more photos but I couldn't upload them cause of reputation restriction.

This is most likely some type of homebuilt radio antenna such as used in amateur radio.

The “lightning rod” — which, note, is not actually directly grounded as a lightning rod was, but appears to be insulated from the ground or roof — is one antenna element.
The connections to ground serve as the other antenna element.
The “thick black wire” is coaxial cable for carrying the RF signals between the antenna and the radio receiver or transceiver.
The glass and copper device visible inside the box looks like a vacuum variable capacitor, which can be used as part of a matching network to match the electrical characteristics of the antenna to those of the cable. I can't tell from the photo what else might be in the box (which is presumably there to keep rain off).

It looks like it could have been built a lot less messily, but its maker may have other priorities or not want to spend money on better tools and parts.

Further questions on amateur radio and radio technology in general are welcome over at Amateur Radio Stack Exchange!


Material containing asbestos in Toronto apartment I'm moving to a new building in Toronto, and received this letter:

  In 2005, the Ontario government introduced a new regulation under the
  Occupational Health and Safety Act regulating the management of
  asbestos in construction projects and building and repair operations,
  Ontario Regulation 278/05 – Asbestos on Construction Projects and in
  Building and Repair Operations (“O. Reg. 278/05”). This regulation
  updated requirements with respect to asbestos-containing materials
  (ACM) in Ontario, including requirements for the responsible
  management of ACMs in buildings. On November 1, 2007, certain new
  requirements become applicable.

  To ensure compliance with the requirements, [apartment building]
  retained a well-known environmental consulting firm ("Great West
  Life") to provide advice and conduct asbestos-containing materials
  (“ACM”) surveys. The purpose of the surveys are to identify any ACM
  and, if identified, manage it in accordance with O. Reg. 278/05.

  ACMs were commonly used in building construction, particularly prior
  to 1986, because of the unique characteristics of asbestos, including
  strength, heat resistance and chemical resistance. We are advised by
  our environmental consulting firm that it is only ACMs that are in
  poor condition, “friable” (i.e. material that can be crumbled,
  pulverized or powdered), mishandled or mismanaged that represent a
  potential exposure risk. Accordingly, the aim of a formal
  identification and management program is to ensure that existing ACM
  that are left in place are not allowed to deteriorate or be handled in
  a way that will create that risk. This letter will service as
  notification that ACM may be present in your suite.

  The property is inspected annually to determine if any ACM requires
  removal. If removal is required, qualified technicians are brought in
  to complete the removal. It is also important that you seek and obtain
  [apartment building]’s approval if you intend to undertake or arrange
  any maintenance or renovation work that may disturb materials such as
  floor tiles and plaster. We also require that you provide this
  information to any other person in possession of, or occupying any
  portion of your unit.

I don't know how strict the regulations are in Ontario, and they couldn't tell me where exactly and in what quantity the asbestos was present in the building. It's a building built in the 70's to my knowledge, and it's a high rise apartment (around 25 floors).

My question is, is this a cause for concern, or are the regulations/compliance in Ontario good enough that I can rest assured the asbestos is sealed and not a danger to health? Or is it just a legal cover, and there's still a risk present that it's not inspected or maintained properly (or it's common to ignore/violate this regulation in a place like Toronto)?

I'd really like to move into this place, but if there's more than 1% chance that there might be exposed asbestos in the unit, that is too high a risk to take in my opinion.

It's certainly concerning if they can't tell you where the asbestos is given that they conducted a survey. If they're unwilling to disclose it you're not going to be able to make an educated decision. That being said, asbestos is only harmful if you breathe in the fibers. That means that plaster is safe since the fibers are trapped in the plaster itself and covered with paint. The same idea applies to tiles, which generally don't abrade enough to become airborne.

There's a chance it isn't even in that suite. Asbestos was a popular covering for pipes and boilers at one point. Around here some of them were simply sprayed over with something to encapsulate it. Again, without the survey there's no way to tell.

For whatever it's worth, asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which is fairly common. That's not to say it isn't dangerous, but you do take a non-zero risk of being exposed by going outdoors. At much lower concentrations and much less frequency than in buildings, but you still can't ever be sure to have had a 0% chance of exposure.

I'd suggest you see about getting a copy of the survey. Maybe put in a call to the city and see if they're obligated to give you one.


What kind of four wire connector is this? Would someone be able to identify this four wire connector (red/black/green/white)? It's behind a blank panel on a wall adjacent to a light switch. I believe there's a second one in the wall cavity.

My guess would be that it's some proprietary connector for a 3-way switch where you attach all the wires to the connect then just plug it into the switch.

They could also be audio related - there are two speakers in the ceiling and when I bought the house the former owner said this is where the speaker wires were. There are also two wires on the outdoor wall between screws (that may have been for outdoor speaker mounts.)

In the wall cavity there are some Ethernet cables and other unidentified wires. If they're electrical wires I assume it's not to code given that there's no box containing everything.

Audio would make sense since the wires are white-black-white-black. That would match up to the two speakers you talked about.

Any line-voltage wires for switches or dimmers would have to be in an electrical box, so that leaves us with low-voltage and media cables as options (or a very bad electrician!).

I was looking around at home audio equipment and I noticed that 4-conductor in-wall speaker wire follows the same color pattern of Red-black-green-white that your connector has.

Although I don't know exactly what this connector is for, home audio seems very, very likely.


Need help identifying "pre-stripped" Phillips screw I am trying to remove some screws with some very annoying heads.  The screws look like a regular Phillips head but have the center rounded out.  This makes a normal Phillps head screwdriver slip as if the screw was already stripped.
I am looking for the correct bit to remove this, as I would like to reuse the screws later.  That failing, has anyone had success removing screws with similar "pre-stripped" heads?
I have included an additional photo of another screw "as delivered." This close up shows the center of the head is square, with facets inside the square part of the head. For added context, every screw on the piece of furniture in question has the same head. If it is the result of stripping, the manufacturer was very thorough.

The top looks like a Pozidrive or Supadrive and the bottom looks like a Quadrex to me.
If those don't work, you can always cut a flat blade slot for a protruding screw and remove it that way. If that doesn't work, particularly for the top screw which looks actually stripped, get a screw extractor and take it out that way.  Always try first without drilling and if you drill be careful not to cut the head off the shaft. For one stripped screw I absolutely could not afford to break, I stopped trying to turn it before it was stripped bald and used PL4OO to glue my screwdriver into the screw.
If you don't need to free the hole, if a screw is soft enough to strip, it's soft enough to drill the head off.  For large lag bolt type screws, you can even drill a pilot hole and reclaim the hole by drilling the screw out with increasing sized bits, but these are extremely likely to come out with a screw remover.


Wiring for recessed lighting through ceiling with floor trusses I have a finished basement that I'd like to add recessed lighting to. Instead of solid joists in the ceiling, I have floor trusses. In a way, this is good because I don't have to drill holes in the joists in hard-to-reach places. But my concern is that the trusses are held together by nailing plates that might have sharp edges.

The image below gives an idea what's behind the drywall on the ceiling. Is it safe to fish Romex through the trusses near these plates, or should I use metal clad cable instead? Or is there some better way to mitigate the risk? This is a residence in Western PA

There's another wrinkle here as well. The junction boxes for the ceiling lights that I'd like to tap into for power to the new recessed lights are all plastic. If I understand correctly, armored cable can't be attached to plastic boxes. So if using armored cable is the best way to mitigate the risk posed by the nailing plates, how do I transition to it from the Romex that goes to the existing ceiling penetrations?

I was waiting for our resident sparkies to chime in, but they're either busy or are also short on good answers. So...

I think that this situation is really no different from any fish job... think it through and don't yank. There are always hazards to your cable when fishing blind. If you find yourself pulling against a lot of friction, back up and start over. It definitely helps prevent friction and binding to have an assistant feed cable while you pull.

I've pulled at least a few miles of cable, and the most damage I've seen from sheet metal gussets like those is a partial-thickness shave of the outer sheathing on the cable. I've had worse damage from pulling through wood stud bores around a corner. In the case of the gussets in that photo, all corners are over lumber, so it's unlikely that you'd get a full-grab puncture.

So, yeah. Work carefully, pay attention, and hope for the best.


What are the risks of sending low-current neutral through the ground wire? I have an existing switch that controls an outlet.  I'd like to replace it with a smart-home switch, which requires a neutral wire to power the switch itself.  However, there is no neutral wire at the switch.  It's infeasible to run a new wire because the switch wasn't run with conduit, and I'm not willing to tear up my walls.

It's my understanding that I could use ground as neutral for low power applications such as this.  Are there any risks, either safety or electrical reliability of doing so?

Yes there are risks to safety.

If anything interupts the ground conductor that leads back to the service entrance, suddenly your switch is energizing the ground on that circuit, so anything connected to it is also going to be energized (i.e. a printer that has a grounded metal chassis suddenly has a live metal chassis).

You guess that this is only a few milliamps, but do you know under all operating conditions that this is the case? Just 10mA is enough current to cause muscular paralysis -- and 100mA is fatal.

You may think that "well yeah, but it would take multiple bad things to happen for this to be a safety hazard"... but you're already doing one of the bad things it would take, so you're one conductor away from a very unsafe situation.

There are some smart switches rated for use without a neutral (but they generally only work with incandescent lamps).

Since you're just controlling a receptacle, the easiest thing to do is use a plug-in lamp or appliance module.

But if you were controlling a ceiling light fixture, you could use an in-line switch module that wires in at the lamp fixture itself instead of at the switch:

You could keep the switch on all the time to supply "line" to the lamp fixture, and use the existing neutral at that fixture, then let the switch module control power to the lamp. Then you can use a batttery operated wall switch to control the lamp module.


Will the existing supply wire for my 60A subpanel be adequate for a 100A subpanel? We recently moved into a older home and there is a garage detached from the house about 100 feet from main breaker box. There is a electrical panel under the meter (outside of home) with a 60 amp breaker that feeds the garage. I was wondering if anyone knew how to identify the electrical wire running from 60 amp breaker to sub panel in barn/garage?

I want to upgrade to 100 amps and thought there might be a chance that the wire already ran the 100 feet would be rated for the boost in amperage. Also, what wire would be ideal, copper and aluminum, for running new 100 amp service line 100 feet to detached barn/garage?

Thanks,
Josh A.

To identify the wire gauge, the best way might be to take the cover off of the breaker box (advise to do this with power off for safety, but power can be left on - proceed at your own risk) and see if there are any indications on the wire sheathing.  If there isn't, use a guide like to identify the gauge of wire.

As for copper vs. aluminum wire, aluminum might be cheaper in larger sizes. However, aluminum requires some special anti-oxident joint compound when you make connections with aluminum wire (see Ideal no-alox for an example of this stuff).  If you don't use the compound, its possible that the connections will fail over time.

EDIT: Using the info you provided in the comments, and the wire voltage drop calculator at http://www.southwire.com/support/voltage-drop-calculator.htm, assuming:
 - Single Phase 240V
 - Direct Burial
 - no more than 3% voltage drop
 - 2 AWG aluminum wire
Your wire gauge will allow you to maximum run somewhere in the 75-80 amp range.  I wouldn't go all the way to 100 amps, but 60 amp service should work.  You'll need 1 AWG wire to run 100 amps safely that distance.


Power connected to dishwasher isn't tied into breaker panel - now what? I'm in the process of ripping up old tile from a house we just bought, and started to take out our old dishwasher today. During the process I noticed it's hardwired from the wall.

I went and flipped every breaker in the panel (we haven't had a chance to verify the labels just yet), and went back to the dishwasher. It's at this point I decided to be paranoid (which happens a lot when I'm dealing with stuff I know very little about), and drove back to our current home to grab my voltage detector. Seemed overkill, but it's only a couple minutes away, and I'd prefer to not die.

I come back, place the detector at the dishwasher, and to my surprise the detector goes off like crazy. The wires are still hot.

What do I do now? How can I kill the power to this cord? Do I need to call in an electrician to.. "fix" this somehow?

Here are a couple of ideas. Usually there is a service panel on the outside of the house, this is where the main service line connects to the home. There should be a few breakers in there, but they are typically only for the bigger circuits. At my house for example, there are breakers in the outside panel for the range/oven, dryer, air conditioner, and one that goes to my main circuit panel inside. The inside breaker box is where all the breakers for lights and outlets inside are. Some homes get a second panel added inside when they run out of space on the primary panel. So I'd try to see if you have another circuit panel inside, or check in your outside panel to see if there is a circuit there that will shutoff the dishwasher circuit.


Water in kitchen sink smells Started happening about 3 weeks ago.
I have run the HOT water, put it in a glass and waited a couple of minutes: NO SMELL.
I ran the cold water and put it in a glass and waited...NO SMELL

I have a septic and well water
Husband has cleaned the pipe under kitchen sink..there was nothing there

Can you help ?
Jan

Sounds like the anode rod in your water heater needs to be replaced.

Possibly with an aluminum/zinc alloy rod instead of magnesium or aluminum.
This is the chepest fix.

Many claim the an all plastic water heater (e.g Rheem's Marathon) cures this problem since it doesn't have the anode rod that metal water heaters have.


Fixing skirting board with adhesive I want to use adhesive to put a couple of skirting boards, mainly because I have no idea where the electric cables are running and I don't want to take a chance.

I have been advised to use "Alcolin Skirting Board Adhesive", http://www.alcolin.com/diy-products/wall-and-floor/skirting-board-adhesive

I have ~2.7m long boards and the wall are fairly straight and painted.

My Question is, how good are those adhesive? Will I be able to nail things in them for example, (like cables or whatever).
Will it work for a month and then start to fall apart slowly?

I know that screws are ultimately better, but are adhesives not as good an option?

Thanks

UPDATE

I ended up using the adhesive and it worked great, even on the long boards.

But remember:

My walls are concrete, and clean
My walls are straight as an arrow, (no weird holes or angles).
It took 24hrs for the adhesive to cure properly, (not 1hr as claimed by the manufacturer).

I have never used Alcolin, I usually use Henery's for "mop boards" & cove base the adhesives are really good. If you want to remove them you usually do a lot of damage to the sheet rock / or take chunks of plaster out. The adhesives will last as long as the board or wall do. Once they set I think tacking a cord on it will be fine if allowed by local code. No worries about the adhesive falling apart usually the wall or inexpensive trim breaks down first.


Does FENSA certificate prove that bay window meets structural requirements? I am in the process of buying a house. One concern raised by the surveyor was that the replacement plastic bay window frames may not be adequate to carry the load of the wall (the original wooden frames would have carried this load). The local search shows that the works were carried out by a FENSA certified window person. Does FENSA have anything to do with structural standards, or is it more to do with thermal performance standards?

The FENSA website says:

  FENSA covers the replacement of external windows, doors, roof windows
  and roof lights against the relevant Building Regulations in domestic
  properties on the original foot print of the property where the use or
  size of rooms have not been altered.

And Approved Document A is titled "Building regulation in England covering the structural elements of a building".

So in theory a FENSA certificate should guarantee that the new windows won't cause any structural issues (in addition to not falling out and hurting someone, providing adequate insulation, etc).
In practice, it's quite possible that the installer (or building control officer) didn't do their job correctly and that the certificate is meaningless.
More likely is that the surveyor raised a concern to cover themselves, just in case.

The houses I'm familiar with all have lintels above the windows and the window frames themselves aren't structural. You might start by asking the surveyor for further details. If they're not in a position to provide more information, the safest thing to do is commission another surveyor or structural engineer to look specifically at this problem (and any other concerns that were raised) and provide an official report that you can provide to your lender or insurer if required.


Air conditioning unit sitting on the ground We've lived in our house 11 years.  Our air conditioning (condenser) unit, the big boxy thing sitting outside, is not sitting on a concrete slab.  It's just sitting on the ground and we noticed this spring that water was pooling and it was actually sitting in several inches of water.  Them more I think about it, the angrier I get that the inspector didn't catch this 11 years ago.  I've read that mounting it on the house is the best solution but that's not an option.  What do I need to do (get a concrete slab poured for it to sit on and check yearly that it's level?) and who do I call to help (an electrician?) I obviously don't know what I'm doing so any help is appreciated.

Code requires outdoor condensers be installed on a reasonably level surface raised at least 3 inches above ground level.  If water pools in the lower part of the unit during cold weather and then freezes, the condenser coils can be damaged by ice expansion and that will often end the life of the unit, although the outdoor condenser can sometimes be replaced.

As Tester101 said, there are prefab pads made for this and if you can raise your unit without damaging any lines that are connected then you may be able to do this without an A/C technician.  Great care must be taken not to kink or break the refrigerant lines if you attempt this.  Otherwise, you will need an A/C contractor to recover the old refrigerant and disconnect and temporarily cap the lines; and then after you install an acceptable pad the A/C contractor will need to install a new refrigerant dryer, reconnect the lines, purge the lines with nitrogen, evacuate the system to a deep vacuum, and correctly recharge the system with new refrigerant.  If everything goes well this is around a half-day of work (not including installation of a new pad).

By Request:

2009 Uniform Mechanical Code 1106.2 "Supports and Anchorage" last paragraph:

  A compressor or portion of a condensing unit supported from the ground
  shall rest on a concrete or other approved base extending not less
  than three (3) inches (76mm) above the adjoining ground level.

Admittedly, this language does not use the phrase "reasonably level" and it is not the most current version.


What are the sheets typically found in the back of cheap MDF cabinets made of? What are the sheets typically found in the back of cheap MDF cabinets made of?
They're usually 1/8" or smaller.
I broke one and want to replace it, but not sure where to go or what to ask for.

The backs if low cost shelf units like that are made of several different materials. If the shelf came as a put-together kit in a box it most likely had a back that had a fold or two. These are usually made of cardboard with one side printed with a fake wood grain image on it.

Other ones that came as a whole back piece will typically be a product made of pressed wood fiber (similar to a Masonite product or other pressed board). These will come with one side printed or colored to match the shelf if one side is exposed to view when the shelf is in use. In some cases where the the unit is more of a cabinet the back will just be a plain brown or tan color.

The back shown in your picture, being white in color, looks to be a melamine covered hardboard. This is still a pressed wood fiber product but is harder and more similar to a tempered Masonite type product. If you do not care if the back is white or not you could replace the back with the tempered type hardboard. It will usually be a dark brown color, typically comes in a 4'x8' sheet and is easily cut with a circular power saw or a hand saw.


Changing 3 way switch to a half 3-way switch half outlet, missing a neutral I'm attempting to swap out a 3-way switch for a half 3-way switch / half outlet single gang receptacle.

I've got the three way switch working (I believe it was incorrectly wired to begin with), but the outlet does not work and there is no neutral. Is there anything I can do?

Here is a photo while I was in the middle of wiring it up (ground not connected).

Most three-way switch circuits from homes of the 20th century will not have a neutral at the switch box.

The white wire should be reidentified as blue or another color. It is either the hot feed to the 3-way circuit or the switched leg to the lights.

The only way to have a receptacle at this location is to add another 2 wire cable from a source having an actual neutral.

Good luck!


Dryer venting problem I own a home built in 2003.  The laundry room is in the middle of the house, but also adjacent to the garage, I live in Florida.

The dryer venting system is close to the floor, turns, 90 degrees, goes straight up, and into the attic.  In the attic it does a 45 degree bed and travels directly to the roof.  The vent is somewhere between 18 and 20 feet long.

I have had a long history of dryers lasting only a short time.  I typically get about 2-3 years out of a dryer.  The last dryer that died, I took apart and the dryer had all kinds of lint on the internal parts.  My prejudice is that since the vent does not work very well, the lint gets blown back into the dryer, and kills it.

BTW, I regularly clean the dryer vent with one of those brush, drill and extension flexible pole things.  I clean it about every 6 months and just did it the other day.

So my current dryer is acting up.  When vented to the duct, clothes will dry after about 4 or 5 70 minute cycles.  When I vent directly into the garage, the clothes dry in about 50 mins.  (This is done by running the flexible hose from the dryer through a door open to the garage.)

What can be done here?  Should I redo the duct through the roof?  Should I pursue venting directly into the garage?  Who is qualified to do this kind of work?  I don't think I can pull this one off myself.

Again, we live in Florida so it has not been bad leaving the door to the garage open as it has been pretty cool, but in the summer this would stress our AC unit and run up our electric bill.

Add both a secondary lint trap and a dryer duct booster fan. Fantech and Tjernlund are a couple brands to help you start your search.

Also, replacing any easily accessible flexible duct with rigid ducts can help prevent lint from building up.

Finally, check that the exhaust louver/vent cap outside isn't filled with lint too. Sometimes contractors use dual use intake/exhaust vents and forget to take the intake screen/mesh/filter out that is used to keep bugs from flying inside when used as an intake.


Retrofit ground wire from water main ground I am replacing an old oven.  It is currently wired with 3 wire (AL SE cable) and has no dedicated ground run.  I would like to install a proper 4 wire outlet for the new range.
Am I allowed to use the ground run already existing into my house that is grounding the water system as pictured?
If so, what would be the proper way to attach the new ground wire to this run?

Yes, you are allowed to retrofit ground for a range, and that is top of the list of important ones to retrofit.
You can indeed  retrofit ground to the Grounding Electrode Conductor, which is the (typically bare) copper wire that runs between the service panel and the grounding rods/water pipe.
The typical way to do that splice is with a "split bolt" which is a bolt-and-nut with a slot cut down the bolt; you put it around both wires and then run down the nut to whatever the instructions say.  Tight enough to clamp, not tight enough to shear the GEC clean off (that would really, really suck because you'd have to run a whole new one; splices not allowed in a GEC).
I would give the GEC a spit-shine and polish with a bit of steel wool or green Scotchbrite pad, so the surface it'll contact is shiny. Don't use it for food afterwards, that green copper oxide is not super healthy.


How can I properly support a raised concrete patio? I am planning on building a raised concrete patio. I would like to build the perimeter of block and fill it with stone and then cap it in concrete to be finished with blue stone later.  The patio will be about 3 ft off the ground and jogs in and out but basically 40 ft long and about 12 ft wide.

I plan to hook #2 re bar into the top of the block and fill the blocks with concrete. Is the stone fill enough support for the concrete ?  If not how far can I span it before I need another block wall for support.

I built a home once that had a 10 ft x 10 ft sun room filled with stone from the basement footings to the main floor and capped in concrete.  It seemed to work well.  Does anyone see a problem with this?

FWIW, that's technically called a "raised patio" rather than a deck. At 40' long, your challenge will be to prevent cracking...so I'd count on putting in expansion joints.

If you want to ensure a solid base, you need to use crushed rock and add it layer-by-layer mechanically compacting each layer before adding the next. That's going to be some work to get up to 12", but certainly doable. You'll likely raise it in 3-4 layers.

At that point, you're essentially building a slab-on-grade foundation. So you shouldn't need any actual foundation walls.

All that said, check with local code first!

Note, however, that if you're ultimately capping with stone, you really don't need all that concrete on top. You need a retaining wall to retain the layers of compacted rock, but you can then place the stone right on top of that on top of a layer of sand.


How can I fix a squeaky hardwood floor in a small hallway? Trying to fix squeaky hardwood floor in small hallway, think joists run parallel to floorboards on sides, near or under the walls on either side, can't find any with stud finder that run at 90 degree angle to floor.

Any ideas what to do?

I know about those kits with the scored screws that snap off, but will they work if just screwed into subfloor?

I'm going to skip over the likelihood of this parallel joist situation actually being true (I have a deep mis-trust of stud finders), and attempt to just answer your question.

Answer part 1 - can any of this floor (+ subfloor) come up without causing damage/serious inconvenience to you or the property?  If so, then I would strongly suggest pulling up a couple of boards and having a look around.  I (unfortunately) had to do this in an old bathroom because we needed to move a sink, and after tearing up some plywood subfloor and 3 floorboards found a half-disintegrated joist holding up one end of the room.

I don't think your situation will be the same (water damage less likely in a hallway), but if it isn't obvious where to screw in to stop the squeaking this should help you out.

Answer part 2 - you aren't likely to get much long-term improvement from just screwing through to the subloor.  A long term fix will require knowing where those joists are (parallel or otherwise!)

Addendum
In an older property of mine, we regularly encountered the situation where a joist would be located directly underneath an internal wall, making affixing the boards to them pretty difficult.  If you can't find recognizable joists close to the walls - this could be why.  We solved that one by sistering another joist to it to give us something to screw into.


How to remove downlight with mouse trap clips See attached pic. I have downlights like this in my apartment. I don't know how to get at the mouse trap clips. I can pull down on the downlight at the seal with the roof but then I need to flick the clips on the left and right up. How can I do this? With a thin knife maybe?

I believe you just need to pull harder - mouse trap implies spring loaded, and you need to pull until they fold back up into the position they would have been in to be installed.


What's in my mystery box? I recently moved into a new house, and as part of trying to understand (at a basic level) how everything is wired and plumbed together I've come across a metal box, on the wall of my kitchen. What is likely to be in it, and how can I get in to check? None of my tools seem to be able to open the 'screws'.

My kitchen has been converted from the garage. It's not clear how long the box has been there. It might be from when it was a garage.

I've been searching for the control unit of the house alarm, but not found it yet. Could it be in the box, and is that why it's metal and hard to get into?

Thanks,
Andrew

Looks to be a #2 square head driver. The box looks to be PVC metal from the edge overhang and probably contains branch circuits for the kitchen.  Or could be something different like a housing for low voltage cables.


Is it possible to use my window A/C unit without actually installing it in the wall? So, here's the dilemma.  I want to install a window unit in my garage.  I know how to do this, but my wife isn't supportive of the idea because we are trying to sell the house currently.  Anyways, rather than fighting this never-ending battle with her, I'm trying to see if I can somehow still use my window unit without actually cutting a hole in the wall, etc.

An idea that I had was to figure out somehow how to route the exhaust to outside.  This is obviously an issue because I would need an opening somewhere in my garage.

Is it possible to use my window A/C unit in my garage without actually installing it in the wall?

You may be able to rig up something whether the compressor-side air intake and exhaust are piped outside, but the efficiency will be low and you may risk burning out the compressor by working it too hard.

If you want something you can install in a small opening, you might consider wheeled portable AC units which come with a flexible duct.

If you're still determined to try it, note that window AC units have two sets of air intake & exhaust:

the "inside" side that takes air from inside (usually through a large filter on the front), cools it, and blows it back inside
the "outside" side that takes air from outside, heats it (with the heat removed from the cool side) and blows it out the back.

On a typical window AC unit the "outside" air comes in through vents on the side and top of the unit and is blown out the coils at the back. So you will need to make sure both of those parts are getting the airflow they need. And they can't be the same duct, or else you will just get super hot air recirculating through the unit.


Is a ridge beam necessary for a small shed roof? I am planning a 12x8 shed and looking at frame designs on the web. I see a mix of ideas out there that are all presumably just as good as the next. One inconsistency I see is that some roofs have a ridge beam while others have the rafters standing alone.

For a shed this small does it really matter? I plan on using tin on top of OSB for the roof so I imagine it would be sturdy enough anyway.

A ridge board isn't a "beam", per se. It's often just a nice way to bring the rafters together. A proper beam would have a supporting post at each end.

You don't need a ridge beam, but you do need a way to keep the walls from spreading. This can be accomplished with "collar ties", boards spanning the shed at ceiling height, or with large gussets further up the rafter slope. One collar tie would be enough in your case.

I built my 12x10 shed by using 4' by ~18" OSB gussets at the peak of each 2x4 rafter set, essentially resulting in a truss, which proved very solid:

Source: http://halbergengineering.blogspot.com/2010/10/structural-engineering-for-minnesota.html


Replacing two fence posts within a 32" span I had to dig out two badly rotted fence posts with cracked concrete. These are roughly 2' deep to accommodate a 4' post. These are so close that I'm really wondering what to do about this middle section.
Would you:

Set the posts, leaving the dirt that’s between, and filling over top and connecting with concrete
Dig out the dirt between and fill the whole thing with concrete, setting the posts with a single concrete pour
Fill the whole thing with dirt, tamp it down, and then dig two new clean holes, filling each with concrete
None of those, ya goober!

I ended up going with the first option since it was indeed the easiest, and when these need to be replaced, it'll be easier to break up than an entirely solid footing.


Water heater on pilot so I moved into a new apartment last month. The water wasn't very hot so we thought it was just because the weather has been getting cold. Turns out the water heater has only been on pilot, so the water wasn't getting hot. Does this mean that the water heater was leaking case because the water was only luke warm? We didn't smell any gas.

Many gas appliances have a "Pilot mode" where they will just burn a pilot light, and ignore the thermostat setting. Typically a 3-position control reading "Off-Pilot-On" and it sounds like yours is probably of that type and was in "pilot."

Turning this into a hunt for a gas leak is just plain illogical.

Almost certainly what the tech flipped from "Pilot" to "on" (and was internally laughing all the way to the bank about.)


question about main vs load Is it legal to have 100 amp main and have a total of 185 amp breakers on one side and 140 on the other?  My daughter had a fire in her attic and was told the main didn't match the load.

Its perfectly normal for the main breaker to be smaller than the sum of all the breakers.  This is fine, because its rare that you would turn on your electric stove, dishwasher, hot tub, central air, electric furnace, dryer, fridge, and arc welder all at the same time.

Now, its quite possible that the electric service was undersized for today's use, but that should have tripped the main breaker.  A fire could be caused by a lose connection, which creates resistance, which generates heat.  Or a bad breaker that failed to properly trip.  Or undersized wires, where someone put a larger breaker than the wires were meant for - the modern equivalent of replacing a fuse with a penny.

Aluminum wiring has also been known to cause fires if it wasn't properly installed and maintained.  It can be used safely, but is harder to do right than copper wire.


How to properly frame/finish "trimless" interior doors? I decided to try a couple of "trimless" interior doors in my add-on room, like  this pic.  No trim, no cut, line etc.  Just smooth drywall up to the actual door opening.
It turned out pretty well, but the problem is that I'm not sure the proper way to do it.  I just ripped the trim off some cheap standard interior pre-hung doors, installed the frames in the rough openings, and butted the drywall up to it, filling in with mud as needed to achieve the smooth edge.
The problem is, obviously, that some of them are cracking where the mud is very thin on the wood door frame, and doesn't stick to the wood very well. When the door gets slammed or slightly flexes the frame due to use, it creates cracks.
Can anyone enlighten me to the correct way to achieve this effect to prevent it from cracking?
Thanks!

If you look at the documentation for a commercial "trimless" door jamb kit you'll see that there's an integrated flange that creates a positive connection between the jamb and the wall. This mostly eliminates the kind of impact movement you've experienced.

The flange also acts as a taping bead, avoiding the interaction of joint compound and wood, which usually isn't a good combination.

You could probably retrofit a metal strip to serve the same purpose. Pre-formed steel found at a building supply store might work well to overlap and partially wrap the jamb. You could probably have a siding shop bend you some metal that perfectly fits your jambs. You'd then need to cut out for the hinge mortises.

Or, if your jambs are very securely fastened to the framing, and the framing is solid, try taping the joint properly with paper or fiberglass mesh. No joint should ever be finished with joint compound alone.


Can I get my house assessed with my rebuilt deck not up to code We're in the midst of rebuilding our old (cedar) deck and replacing with composite. The decking itself is done, as are the stairs from the top level to the lower level, but we haven't finished the railing, so we haven't had our final inspection from the city yet.

I'd love to get my house reassessed since home prices have risen dramatically in my area since I bought, and I should be able to get my PMI cancelled based on the assessment.

How big of a problem is a deck that isn't up to code yet? We did pull permits for the construction with the city. FWIW, we have about 25K of wiggle room between our realtor's estimate of what we'd assess at and what we need in order to have PMI cancelled.

That should not be a problem at all, particularly since your construction is in process with a permit. The most likely effect would be a lowering of the assessment based on an estimate of what it would take to get it up to code if you stopped construction at this stage, and railing plus finishing touches shouldn't add all that much.

Technically you can even sell a house that not only fails code in a few items but is even unable to be occupied (e.g. major plumbing problems or structurally unsafe) though obviously an assessment in such a case would be quite a bit lower. An assessment is not a code review (neither is a home inspection which gets into far more detail than an assessment), it is just a professional estimate of value based on comparable homes and the general attributes of your home.


Fine tuning the location of an office chair on thick carpets Rolling an office chair to one's home is problematic. You do want the comfort and flexibility, but the carpet is thick. If you don't use a carpet protector, it's only a matter of time until the carpet will wear out.

Putting a carpet protector, even one of the very thick variety, only helps with thinner carpets. If your carpet is thick, or it has some cushion padding underneath, you're still in trouble. The wheels sink and it becomes impossible to adjust the chair by small amounts in any direction. The wheels just fall back to where they left an imprint. (From experience, I know that these imprints will eventually crack the carpet protector, but then it's not meant to last indefinitely).

Hence I'm starting to think that a 5ftx4ft thin wooden board would do the trick. It would both protect the carpet and it would allow the wheels to roll. But that solution will look terrible in any home office, no matter how rustic the rest of the room.

How do you keep an office chair smoothly rolling, including the ability to fine tuning its location, on a thick carpet that you'd like to protect?

Go to your local plastics shop and get a quarter-inch polycarbonate plexi. They are usually clear, but you might find smoke or bronze. Bring a drawing of the T-shape that office units have. They will cut it and round the edges.
It is about the same cost as an office supply model, but you can customize it to match your office.
By the way, my home office chair stays in its dimples and I just rotate to get in or out. It took some fine-tuning to get the exact location.