Where do you buy a whiteboard? I'm a math student, and I just entered grad school. I have a studio apartment, and there's one bigger-sized wall with no windows. I'd like to put a large whiteboard or chalkboard on it.

Where would you recommend I shop for such a thing? I have bought one for a previous apartment on Amazon, but perhaps it would be better/cheaper to avoid all the shipping hassle.

Once I have one, whom should I get to install it? (I have no experience with installing such things correctly, and I've just moved to a new city, so I don't really know anyone.)

You can make your own.  Otherwise, questions about where to buy stuff are not in scope for this site.

If one of the walls can be repainted and is otherwise suitable as a whiteboard, just paint it over with this.

More likely, as a renter, you can't modify the unit or paint it, so you'll have to buy a sheet of fiberboard, plywood, etc., hang it, and then paint it.


Testing for asbestos in vinyl or linoleum flooring sheet? I wonder if there are ways to tell if there are asbestos in vinyl or linoleum flooring sheet (not tiles). We removed them from our 1987 house and now we are a bit concerned.
From what I can gather, the vinyl flooring sheet if it had asbestos at all, would be in a separate paper backing. I don't recall seeing such a backing.
I also cannot find any definitive info on whether, or when, asbestos was banned from vinyl flooring products. I understand asbestos was banned from dry wall compounds and spray-able ceiling products in the late 70s.
Please advise.

A: Lab test is the only way.
B: In most parts of the civilized world, 1987 is VERY late for still having asbestos in any building product.
C: You already removed it, which means you already handled it and made whatever dust there was to be made. Can't put that genie back in the bottle. However, See item B, as well as know that chronic exposure is much more of an issue than a one-time short-term event in the asbestos risk profile.


Adding Recessed Lighting and Switches to Pull Chain Fan I currently have a ceiling fan with light in my living room.  It has no switch, and is controlled solely by pull chains.  I would like to add recessed lighting to the room, and I would like to add two switches: one for the fan, and a dimmer for the recessed lighting.  What is the simplest way of adding these two switches? A 3 wire switch loop? If so what is the proper wiring configuration.

You could probably get by running 14-3 wire from the box to a double gang box. Make the white wire your incoming hot, nut it to your two switches, wire switch #1 to the black, and finally switch #2 to the red. You can then attach the lights to your black at the box, and the fan to the red.

NEC recommends dropping a neutral to the box, however. If you can, get some  14/2/2 wire (4 line) and use the blue (or white-red stripe in some) to bring your hot in. Hook the white to the neutral and then nut it off in the switch box.


Can you do a dual flush conversion on a pull chain toilet? I am in the process of purchasing a new house that has a pull chain toilet. It is well water with city sewage. I really like the overhead tank pull chain style toilets as I had on in my house as a kid. I also have always wanted to be environmentally conscious and liked the idea of the dual flush toilets that have two flushes one is full tank the other is partial tank so you can choose which flush to use based on the type of waste you deposited.

Since there are many dual flush converters for most toilets I was wondering if there were any conversion kits to convert a pull chain style toilet to a dual flush one. Perhaps with two chains? Would a normal conversion kit allow this with some DIY modifications?

We just had a "dual" flush device fitted to our toilet that works based on how long you hold the lever down. For a short flush just pull and let go, for a "full" flush pull and hold.

It was one of these which seem to be designed for UK toilets so I don't know whether you'd be able to get one in the States.


Electric installation - find connected corrugated pipes We are moving to a new flat. This flat has many empty sockets in the walls. These sockets are connected using empty corrugated pipes, so one can put additional cables through them.

I want to use these empty sockets/pipes to put CAT 7a cables into the wall, with CAT 6a outlets in every room.

My question is: How do I find out from where to where those empty pipes go?

I already tried two things:

I tried to push a cable through them, and check where it comes out of the wall. This worked for some connections, but for many the cable gets stuck and I cannot find the other end of the pipe.
I also tried to put a thread with a bit of paper on it into the pipes, and suck them out somewhere else with a vacuum cleaner. This also worked for some connections, but I need to check every other pipe end in the flat to find the correct one. And it makes a lot of noise (the pipes resonate).

I thought of pumping some sort of smoke into a pipe using a compressor, and look where it comes out, but I have neither a compressor nor means to produce smoke in a safe way.

Any other ideas?

Edit: Here is a picture of one of the sockets, with the CAT 7a cables already put through them:

The basic tool for installing wiring in conduit is a fish tape

It's nothing more than a stiff strand of steel, plastic, or fiberglass made to push into conduits.  You push it through the conduit, tie your wires to the end of it, and pull it back through.

When you're not sure where the conduit goes, you will want a non-conductive fish tape - you don't know if it might come in contact with live wire, in an electrical panel, etc.


Can I make my stamped concrete a uniform color if there are pieces that are different colors? This is my front walkway. Originally this stamped concrete was installed and colored the same, but at one point the previous owners had to replace a section of it and the color job they tried wasn't even close to matching.

So now I have the old color, and the newer color that don't match, all of which is in need of a reseal job.

Is it possible to recolor all of them so that they match and everything looks uniform? What products would you recommend?

There are 3 options:

1) Solid Color Concrete Stain: Just like solid body stain for wood, this is provides a uniform color and should cover the two different color stains you have. However, many feel it looks too uniform. In fact, most complain that it looks "plastic". Stamped concrete should look like natural stone rather than painted stone.  (A good solid color concrete stain is made by Behr.)

2) Extreme Concrete Restore: This is a restoration Stain and is similar to Solid Color Concrete Stain, but works well for older concrete surfaces too. (Rustoleum makes a good product.)

3) Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain: This creates a more natural stone appearance. However, when it is applied over two different colored concrete stains (like yours,) the different colors will show. Therefore, you'll need to first match the two colors up first by staining (solid stain) one of the colors...probably the darker color.

Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain comes with two different colors of Stain. One is the base color and the other is the accent color. Natural stone is not uniform. Therefore you'll need to apply the accent Stain over the base color with a brush to make it look natural and not so "plastic". (It takes some practice.  But don't worry, if you don't get it right the first time, you can go over it and do it again...but the color will be slightly darker.) If the base color is a little light, you can apply a second coat to darken it.

If some of the Stain is newer or some is sealed, you may need to give it all an acid wash. That way the concrete will "take" the Semi-Transparent Stain more uniformly. (To check to see if the various sections of concrete are sealed, pour about 1/4 cup water on it and see if it puddles or soaks in. If it does not soak in within 2-3 minutes, then it is sealed.) There is no reason to remove the sealer, except to have the concrete all the same. If it's all sealed, I'd skip the acid wash.

Remember, making the concrete look like natural stone is more artistry than a procedure. It takes patience and practice. If it doesn't turn out and you're too frustrated to try it again, you can always use the Solid Color Concrete Stain. Option 3 is the most difficult, but gives the best appearance, when done correctly.


Rimless toilets, and "not suitable for installation with flush valves" We're looking to replace our old, cracked V&B Omnia Classic toilets with https://www.villeroy-boch.co.uk/bw/m/O.novo-Washdown-WC,-rimless--5660R0.html . The measurements of the important bits line up. Our old ones are not rimless, but these are. On the product page, it mentions:

DirectFlush. Sanitary porcelain. Also available in CeramicPlus. not suitable for installation with flush valves.

Does anybody know what "not suitable for installation with flush valves" means?

For what it's worth, our flush consists of:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00505EFFG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for the cistern

and

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0017VGWEO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for the flush panel.

So called V&B. The guy "simplified" the description, and stated that it's kind of been lost in translation; a lot of links on the English site even go to the German one. What not suitable for installation with flush valves means is that a cistern must be used that has a push button flush. He mentioned requiring high pressure, but that other flushing mechanisms using levers, direct mains, etc. will not work.

I mentioned our cistern does 3 / 6L for dual flush, and he mentioned that the installer can dial down the full flush to 4.5L, as that's all the Direct Flush systems need. A 6L shouldn't cause an issue as the V&B rimless flushes have a flat "rim" (well, they call it a ledge) that prevents splashing, and since water is released along the sides of the rim, extra water would merely be waste. Still recommended dialing it down to prevent water wastage.


How much current should I expect this motor to draw when it's running steadily? This fan lists its "Max. Amperage" as 3.2. I assume the motor draws that much when it's first turning on, then settles down to some lower current.  How much current should I expect it to draw when it's running steadily?

I ask because I want to know how a) how much this will cost me to run for a month continuously, and b) how much it will heat the space. I'm figuring that all the energy the motor draws gets swiftly converted into heat. Please correct me if I am thinking about this incorrectly.

You can't determine the actual amperage from the maximum. If the manufacturer did not provide this information (which is usual) your best bet is to use a device like a Kill-A-Watt (disclosure: I have no affiliation with this product nor have I ever used it, the name just stuck in my head). This device plugs into the wall and you plug the appliance into the device. It measures the amperage that the appliance draws.


Need to identify wires coming from external AC Unit idiot DIY'er here :P. I recently installed a smart thermostat and long story short; I removed the two wires from my furnace's board for the external air conditioning unit in the process. I was going to put them back today, but found that the Y and C wires that are coming from it are not standard colors, so I am absolutely unsure which is which. I tried to look up some information on which is which before just connecting them and I found a few stack exchange postings on which to connect where, but no concrete "this goes there" info.

I have a few pictures of the connector from the outside unit with the corresponding wires which i am trying to identify and I think that the combination that I am looking at is as follows (connector->low voltage wire):

Y wire = Yellow/Orange->White
C wire = Black->Red

Can someone just confirm that I am correct with this based on the pictures posted?

Connect one to Y and the other to C -- it actually doesn't matter which one is which

On an ordinary air conditioner like yours, the Y and C wires going off to the outdoor unit connect directly to the coil of the compressor contactor (basically, a big switch that is turned on and off by an electromagnet).  Since they carry 24VAC to the coil to turn it on when the thermostat calls for cooling, that coil is polarity-insensitive (it has to be to operate on AC, after all).

As a result of this, it does not matter which wire in the air conditioner cable goes to Y and which goes to C, as long as one goes to Y and the other goes to C, and they're both hooked to the contactor coil on the other end.  So, go with your preference, or even flip a coin, when it comes to labeling!


What should I keep in mind for attic storage solutions for a small home with 14" rafter spacing? So our attic and our stuff in general is not serving us. Yes, we need to get rid of the stuff we don’t need. If we need anything up there then it is not down here because we need it seasonally (think Christmas tree) or occasional (think my mitre saw). Given the nature of what will be up there, our effort is guided by the following principles (by priority):

Cheap and Easy (we want absolute minimal time and energy spent on this, roughly three diaper change intervals is all we can spare -- yes, that has a huge standard dev)
Speed, Easy access to everything (so we don't have to move more than one box to see what we are looking for)
Transparency, we can get to what we need easily (so we will have a map of where things go)
Center Isle Clear, no items in the "hallway" (that is our downfall now, items in the central area block us from finding things)
Flexibility (when we get in hurry, we have to put things up quickly, so we don't want to over-optimize)
Minimalism (Let's not put it up there if we don't have 90% chance of using it in a year, can't buy it, or have a long term vision for it)

So I took some measurements, and played around in Sketchup and found that the key issue was how to make the sides useful and easily accessible. For example, the entire floor width was approximately 29 feet, but only 18 feet had a usable floor, meaning that I was ignoring roughly 40% of the total floor space. This 40% was the most important to use for storage since it is out of the center aisle. If I just incorporate this area, I calculated that I would gain roughly 25 ft^2 of surface area, multipled by the linear feet available which is 80 feet -- meaning we could have 75 cubic yards, exactly half of a semi truck's transportation volume.

Here is what I am thinking now:

Any thoughts greatly appreciated, but I am asking if this makes sense and:

Where to get storage containers as cost efficient as possible?
Are there any attic ventilation constraints (building science considerations) of putting stuff so close to the sides?
Whether it makes sense to use the 10 inches in the joists. I don't think so, because of the height of any box will prevent using that area?
Are there any systems that are inexpensive, but will save me lots of time?
Would installing lighting in the back greatly increase the ability to see where stuff is, maybe rope lighting or something?

The attic needs to be able to breath to reduce the heat buildup during the summer and prevent condensation and ice dams in the winter. So don't do anything that would block the air flow from the soffit to ridge vent, and don't place anything in direct contact with the roof. The result is that the rafters shouldn't have any storage items installed between them.

The next concern is floor load. If the attic wasn't originally installed with a floor, it's very possible it's not designed to support the load from a lot of storage. If you ignore this concern, I would make an effort to find any load bearing walls below and build the shelves directly on top of those.

For lighting, my preference is for a single bulb to light the attic space and then use a headlamp to look into the various crevices. But then I'm not up there often enough to make a more permanent solution worthwhile.

One last note, make sure any items you do store up there are capable of enduring the temperature and humidity swings, don't have batteries in them, etc.


New Circuit Faceless AFCI tripping with no load Most AFCI questions here revolve around existing circuits, and AFCI Circuit breakers, but my situation is a little different.

Here's the details:

Renovation to add a half bath and laundry room in the basement
2 of the 3 circuits require AFCI protection by code.  No circuits in the house have had AFCI up until this point
They do not make AFCI breakers for my panel, hence I have had to use faceless branch circuit AFCI's, connected as per the picture
One circuit is for lights and plugs, other circuit is dedicated for the washer
AFCI's both trip immediately when attempting to reset

Troubleshooting done:

Confirmed all wiring of the AFCI units
Found that grounding for the panel had been isolated by previous
renovations that put PVC Pipes between where it was connected to the
water main and where it actually goes into the ground (I have since
addressed this and I am running a bonding cable to the water main at
the entrance - I knew this needed to be done regardless...freaked me
out a little discovering that!!)
AFCI's still tripping with this grounding addressed
I have swapped AFCI units around, no change
I have tried them on other breakers, no change
These are completely separate and newly run circuits - No shared Neutrals
I have completely removed the loads (load conductors removed at the AFCI units) No change
I have shut down all the other circuits in the panel to see if there was possible arcing on other circuits that the AFCI units were seeing - No Change
Bypassing the AFCI's: Circuits appear to work just fine

Other useful info:

about 60% of my branch circuits are aluminum (built 1975)...slowly
working on removing these...
This is the main home panel, thus ground and Neutral are shared in the panel (However all branch circuits neutrals and grounds are run
into the panel separately)

I am at a loss now...I figured that fixing the panel grounding and removing the loads would have at least got me to a starting point, but no dice.

I'm still a little suspicious of the units themselves but I'm more suspicious of my house given that I have two AFCI's and they are behaving the same.

I'm a little reluctant to bring in an electrician just yet for fear I'm missing something obvious...but that will be my next call.

Any suggestions??

I thought I had the same problem with the Leviton AFRBF-T.  After doing some bench testing I found that you have to Fully depress the reset button and hold it down until the system inside actually resets (you will hear it reset with a loud click).


20 amp circuit for lighting San Bernardino Ca. area. 20 amp circuit #12 wire, Can I use this circuit for Lighting? On this circuit 5  20 amp outlets and 6 LED fixtures 50 watts each. One outlet will be used for a refrigerator.

Yes, you can. Although I'd watch what you use with these receptacles as you could easily trip the breaker with the refrigerator on there too.

Also, I doubt those LED lights are 50W. They're probably much lower unless each fixture is like a chandelier with multiple bulbs.


Help identify a mystery brass part along the water line What's the function of the brass piece along the water supply line. This is the supply line for a hydronic floor heating system. Something is malfunctioning and one of the possibilities is that I have an air pocket somewhere along the line. I'm wondering if this device is there to somehow release the air from the system.

As the "Spirovent" label should lead you to believe, yes, it's an automatic vent (albeit one that looks rather gunked up at the vent.)

This would appear to be the instructions for your device:http://www.spirotherm.com/sites/default/files/JR%20IOM-B.pdf

You should also look for manual vents along the loop at high points. This helps keep pockets from forming if working correctly, but does not remove the need for manual venting if the system was drained and refilled, had a leak, or otherwise has lots of air in it.


I am going to install a ceiling light. Our bedroom doesn't have an existing ceiling light. The switch controls the top plug in an outlet on the other side of the room for the lamp. I have been up in the attic already and can see the wire crossing the trusses and dropping down into the other wall. I want to keep the power at the outlet and splice in a connection for a fixture in the middle of the room. I am a construction plumber and have the tools I need, but need to know how to splice wire together properly. I've done other minor electrical work around our home but if anyone knows of anything else that might help, I'd like to know it. Thanks.
Shane

The problem with answering this is we don't know how it is wired.

If the hot enters the switch and leaves as a three-wire that switches the outlet with the red then it is it just a matter of cutting the wire in the attic, installing two junction boxes and reconnecting.  Then feeding out of one of the junction boxes to the new light off the red, white and green.
If the hot enters the outlet first and leaves as a two-wire (switch leg/loop) to the switch, then all you have in the attic is a switched hot with no neutral.  This is not good because the new light requires the switched hot plus a neutral.


How to clean feet of wooden chairs to replace felt pads- I am using and caring for a set of wooden chairs (hand-carved backs) belonging to a family member.I need to add new felt pads to the feet of most of these, as some have had old ones fall off (the remaining pads now crushed, means all must be changed on a chair).Last year I did this. However, some of the pads fell off as there was old adhesive and debris that prevented the new pads from adhering properly.
Today I tried sanding with 400 grain paper, but the adhesive on some of the feet is just too thick. I was thinking about something like Goo-Gone (citrus based) or Murphy's Oil Soap. However, these are very nice chairs with a lovely dark-red-brown color and shiny finish (don't know what kind of wood), and I don't want to change the color of the 'ankles' or risk a droplet running down the side that might burn away the darkness in a line on one of the legs after only seconds. I've searched a couple forums, but thought I'd expand my .SE network membership here.

The only thing I've found is that some people caution against using Murphy's on wood floors, and some advise it.

Because you have to deal with a lot of movement, I would suggest using a nail on glide instead of an adhesive one:


How do I shut off the water spigot to the outside? We recently bought a home built in 1970. The previous owner only used the home in the summer and drained the water every time he closed it down for the season. There is an outside water spigot and I spoke with the previous owner and he said he doesn't know how to turn it off for the winter. There are directions on the door that say to take a wrench and turn the screw that is 8" below the floor. I can't see the nut or screw even with a flashlight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We are now well into winter, and I am terrified of a pipe cracking. The water pipe is covered in a large heating coil. I don't have the money to call a plumber.

Assuming you're going to be in the house and it's going to be heated all winter, this should do.

Shut off water supply to house.  There is commonly a valve in the basement for this.
Open the water spigot outside.
Open any spigot or sink below it and let the water come out until it stops.
Close the water spigot outside and put one of those styrofoam covers on it from home depot.
Turn water back on to the house.


Single outlet resettable breaker? Basically I have an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) which has a 20amp plug and I know that the load on the UPS will NEVER exceed 15 amp (Bought it mainly because it can attach more battery units to it for extended runtime).

Anyway since I am moving to an apartment that does not have any 20amp outlet, and since I know that the load will NEVER exceed 15amp, I want to enforce this via a fuse/breaker inline or in the outlet so that it WILL trip before too much power is drawn from the outlet.

So I am wondering if such thing exist or if there is any recommendations here?

Get a 20A to 15A converter cable, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-1F515520-1-Foot-15-Amp-Adapter/dp/B00439KIF6

It is perfectly safe to plug a 20A device in to a 15A receptacle on a 15A breaker. If your device draws more than 15A, the breaker will trip. You can reset the breaker and try again, with a lower load. If you never exceed 15A draw, you'll be fine.

15A is a lot for a computer. You can use a Kill-A-Watt to measure your actual load, if you're curious.


Installing sliding door into a larger rough opening I currently have a single door french door leading onto my deck, which has rotted a bit and I need to replace it. I wanted to go with a sliding door to replace but, but there's a slight difference in size. The rough opening of my current door is 63x82 and most sliders are 60x80. I figured I could just use some 2x4s and 1x4s make the opening the correct size and just get slightly wider trim. Is that ok to do with an exterior door? Is there anything I'm not thinking of or any gotchas I might've missed?

Thanks for any advice, this is my first time dealing with an exterior door, so I want to make sure I'm not an idiot.

Yes you can put a smaller door in, going smaller is easier because the header is already there, make sure when you frame your smaller door to leave a little room and make sure it is square x measure from corner to corner. I have helped a bunch of friends that made their opening exact and could not get the new window / door in because it was not exact or there opening was not square.
Extra wide trim on the outside can look like an expensive upgrade some don’t have a clue why we would do that.


How can I get concrete out of ground? I had a huge play structure when the kids were little that I donated to a church camp. When they picked it up they just cut the brackets at the ground and left the concrete and 6 inch U brackets there. I am having a shed installed and there are 12 of these in the ground that I can't get out. I have tried to shovel dirt away and pry out but can barely get them to move. It was 32 feet high so they are large. Any ideas would be welcome. I don't want to get ground wet because the shed is going there but only have 2 days to get all these out and after 3 hours working on 1 figured I needed to ask for advice. It's super hard ground with roots running thru from a tree that ran thru the middle of the structure.

If they had a 32' play structure resting on top of them and they had 6" U brackets I'm guessing the footings are at least a foot in diameter? Maybe more? Keep in mind that even if you could dig the entire thing out of the ground it's going to weigh hundreds of pounds. Unless you have some heavy equipment to pull them out you're going to have some trouble moving them. There isn't any chance you can use them as a base for the shed, is there? If not, and you absolutely have to get them out, you might look into hiring an excavating contractor to do it. It's hard to make suggestions without seeing exactly what you're dealing with, but it sounds like an excessive amount of work to do by hand.


Should I replace old wooden siding with brick? I'll say first, that this isn't a question about DIY, but more about the idea and whether we should go through with it.

We bought our first house last year, and in the Spring this year, we are planning some exterior work.  The front (first-floor) of the house is wooden (T1-11 or something like that), the second-story is wooden (more similar to vinyl in the horizontal plank-approach) and the rest of the house is stucco.

Our idea, right now, is to have the second-story, sides, and back of the house done in vinyl, but do the front of the first-story in brick (real brick, I should add).

The house is going on 40 years old, is it worth it to go this route?  The other houses in the neighborhood are very similar to what we want, not what we have, so we wouldn't be going above-and-beyond the neighborhood.  Will it actually add value to the house to go with brick?  We're pretty set on the vinyl around the rest of the house, but is the brick worth it?  I'm not concerned (too much) about the extra cost of the brick, as long as it adds some value to the house in the end.

Adding a brick facade to the lower front of your house may not be as easy as you may think. Your contractor may have issues with installing a footing to support the weight and proper backing to attach the brick ties, not to mention building out all the window and door jams to match the new depth.  This could be a very expensive change.

As far as adding value; value is in the eyes of the beholder when it comes to cosmetic choices. A brick veneer will not have the same value as a structural brick wall. Exterior sidings do not command as much value as a new bathroom or kitchen would. The question you have to ask yourself is, "Would a new buyer want to spend the additional $$$ on a brick veneer as opposed to traditional matching siding?" Don't get me wrong, curb appeal is very important, but the style of siding is rarely the "WOW" factor that drives a substantial increased value. Having a clean and neat exterior appearance is the first step in getting folks to walk through the front door with a positive attitude. What people see the first minute once in the door makes all the difference with perceived value.


Light fixture killing Smart LED Bulbs I live in a an older building in a studio apartment. I bought five Sylvania Smart+ LED Lights, one for each fixture. There's a cheap lamp, an overhead fan/light combo, and a kitchen light fixture with space for 3 bulbs. I bought bulbs for the lamp and overhead fan over a year ago, and all have worked perfectly.

The kitchen fixture has killed four or five bulbs. The "smart" parts eventually just stop working and they revert back to normal bulbs most of the time. One bulb stopped displaying red before losing connectivity, and one or two bulbs died completely. I've lost count at this point. At first, I would keep the glass bulbs over the lights, but after 2 or 3 broke I took them off and left them off, thinking it might be a heat issue. The overhead fan has had a glass cover on for over a year with no issues.

One thing I noticed is that the bulbs get extremely hot when on in the kitchen fixture - my laser temperature reader pegged the base of the kitchen light figure bulbs at ~190F (Edit: this was probably not right, they don't seem to be hotter than my other, consistently working bulbs). Could this light fixture be killing the bulbs? There were standard incandescent bulbs in the fixture for over a year with no issues.

Note: Not a duplicate of this question, that question had bulbs that were recalled and which stopped outputting light.

official product page

Did you check to make sure the bulbs were rated to be used base up? Not all of them are.


Composting "in-place"? I have some bare patches under trees. I've taken some of the fall leaves and covered up the bare ground and exposed roots already. I would like to put some soil and shade tolerant plants in these areas but I'll need soil to do so.

Is it possible (or wise) to set up a small compost pile directly over the bare patches where I want soil? Seems like it would save some hassle since I can just compost right where I'm going to want it.

Why do you want dirt? Grass under trees is common in yards, but uncommon in the wild.

In the wild, things compost at the base of trees all the time. The best mulch for a tree is its own droppings + the droppings of the plants that like to grow under it. (e.g. ferns under cedars, salal under douglas fir).

You can also just add a mulch around the tree. It holds in moisture and protects the soil. My favorite is shavings from a planer at the local wooden boat school. Peeing on the mulch provides nitrogen that helps break down the mulch and release its nutrients in to the soil, which the tree will like.


Best way to attach trellis to brick What is the correct way to attach a wooden trellis to brick? Should the mounting bolts (screws?) go into the brick or into the mortar between the bricks? What is the best practice?

If it matters and to be clear, the trellis will be attached to multiple pressure treated wood 'footings' at the base (I'm thinking deck rails which are available precut at HD) buried a few feet into the ground. So the PT footings at the base will bear much of the load. But of course the trellis still needs to be attached to the brick.

The trellis needs to be proud (i.e. in front of) the brick by a few inches for purposes of the climbing rose I will plant at the base (ventilation etc.). So my thinking is to cut a few PT wood blocks, attach them to the brick at strategic points, and then attach the trellis to the PT blocks.

I would use something like a long pan-head Tapcon (maybe a 2.25") with a stainless steel spacer. The Tapcon can grip the masonry, and 1" stainless steel spacers are fairly ubiquitous at your local big box hardware store.

Assuming you don't have a hammer drill, buy a normal drill masonry bit. These tend to work better going into brick rather than the masonry, but I would experiment and see which goes in better. If the Tapcon has trouble gripping the hole, break a toothpick in half and stick it in before putting the screw in.


How do I lubricate these spring loaded hinges? Some of my cupboards have these spring loaded hinges, and they have started making an horrendous noise.

They look like this:

How do I lubricate these hinges? Do I need to open them up? I'm afraid that if I open the wrong screw, putting them back together would be difficult.

If dry graphite is problematic to apply you can also find it suspended in a liquid for use in locks. Lightweight oil or volatile lubricants flow into the lock leaving the suspended graphite behind when they evaporate. (Dry graphite, if you haven't had a reason to use it before, is also very easy to "shoot" by squeezing the tube. It's a very fine powder.)

A trip to the local hardware store will be a big help since you can see all of your options. "Zoom spout turbine oil" is probably not primarily used on turbines; I think people like the long, flexible tube.


What material should I use for a custom, do-it-yourself desk for my home office? I am currently remodeling my office, a converted formal dining room, and I am stuck on what material to use for the desktop.

Currently I have a 1" thick Cherry Veneer particle board that is 6' wide x 30" deep.

I want to increase the depth slightly (I like to rest my elbows on the desk while gaming) and am finding it hard to decide on a good material for a 36" depth that has an attractive finish. I would be happiest with a black veneer on the top (non-shine).

Any suggestions, or even places to purchase or order in Orange, CA would be awesome.

I am not shy in building one either, if anyone has any suggestions on the construction of a strong top.

Perhaps kitchen worktop is the way to go - plenty of choices in finish, thickness and size. Durable and hardwearing, too.


How should I accommodate thinner replacement deck boards? I have a deck on the house that is currently nominal 2x4 of various species. (the previous owners had no taste). I want to replace the surface with Ipe wood. It comes as nominal 5/4 x 6 which is a better look IMO.  The problem is how to make up for the smaller dimension?

Seriously, is ripping a bunch of 1/2 inch strips the professional way to go?
Would you paint the strips to keep moisture out?
I suppose I could use some of the PT that we pull up to make this shim, right?

A few edits to address the questions in the comments.

Yes i want the good wood called Ipe.
no the concern is not the stability of the floor, the joists are 24" or less
the concern is how it looks / behaves under the threshold of the slider doors and where the siding meets the deck.
yes I have been formatting the paragraph to look / read better, but it just keeps clumping it all together.   uurgh...

A couple things the past few days....

2x Ipe is cost prohibitive, double the cost of the 5/4 Ipe.  However Ipe is the way to go. Therefore we're thinking of putting a 1/2 inch shim on joists or putting a 'sister' joist that is 1/2 inch proud.  We need the decking level to be the same after the thinner board.  If there were a gap or even a filler bit under the doors and siding it would look like a mistake.  There are 12 doors that meet the decking.

One pro suggested rubber flashing to help hold the 1/2" shim in place and bonus shed the water.  Explain again why you wouldn't do this?  How else to support doors?

I would stay with 2 X lumber instead of 5/4 "decking". that will solve your dimension problem .  Regular 2 X lumber is twice as strong, twice as stiff and lasts much longer, compared to 5/4 decking. My deck is 2 X 6 , 25 years old and I have made a few repairs. The community pool has some 5/4 decking ,it has been replaced twice in that same time and does not look so good right now. More objectively ,the strength is proportional to the cube of the thickness; that cube is 3.38 for 2 X lumber and for 5/4 the cube is 1.95, so not quite 2 : 1 difference. Update- I went to the pool today ,5/ 23, a new deck had been put on during the winter ,so 3 decks in about 25 years. But, this time someone got smart and put in 2 X lumber instead of 5/4.


Why are only 2 of the 14 posts in my radiator heating up? I recently changed from oil heat to gas. All the radiators work in my 2 story home except for one on the first floor, which heats 2 out of the 14 posts. I changed the valve, which didn't work. Then I took it apart and ran water through it and the water went through it OK. When I put it back together, still only 2 of the 14 posts were heating up.

What could be wrong and how do I fix it?

I am assuming it is a steam system? Verify that the radiator is installed with a slight pitch, the inlet pipe side should be slightly lower than the exit. If there is a vent installed you should hear a hiss as the steam forces the air out and lets the steam in. The hiss should stop when the steam reaches the vent.  If you can remove the air vent and shake it, you should hear a rattle that is normal. You can clean them by soaking in CLR to remove the scale or just replace it. They cost about $15 at the big box store.


Axle with Square Edges and Round ends? This is a picture of the underside of my weed whacker/eater.  I'm wanting to purchase the "socket" which connects to the Axle below.  But I'm not sure what you would call this part.  Can someone help me out ?  Thanks in Advance, Patrick

Edit to clarify - Just the small part that would fit directly around the Axle.

"Socket":

If you are talking about the part foremost in your image then a quality adjustable spanner (with parallel faces) is what I use, with an open end spanner on the flats on the shaft which will be below the cable device held on by that nut.


Wiring a 4-way switch I just finished resolving an issue I had with a 4-way switch setup but I have a question. I know which end the power starts at but when I get to the 4-way switch, I don't know which bundle is incoming and which one is outgoing. I would have thought it would make a difference since one half of the 4-way switch says In and one half says Out, but I've tried the incoming and outgoing wires in both sets of screws and the switch works fine either way, which was a little surprising. Is this to be expected or does it really matter how the In and Out wires are connected to the 4-way switch. If it matters, I guess I'll need to figure that out somehow, but right now, everything is working.
Thanks, Ed

In and Out doesn't matter on a 4-way

A four-way (reversing) switch doesn't care about which way it "points" in the circuit -- the functionality works the same nonetheless.  It's no different in spirit than swapping the terminals on a single pole switch, even.


UPS on multi-wire branch circuit I have a 2-pole 30amp breaker which feeds a multi-branch circuit consisting of 2x L5-30R's. I was wondering if there are any issues with running a 120v 30amp UPS on one of the L5-30R's? The other L5-30R would be feeding a standard 30amp PDU.
I just want to make sure the smarts in the UPS won't flipout because of the multi-branch circuit.
UPS: https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/product/ups/new-smart-app-sinewave/pr3000rt2un/

The UPS has no way of knowing if it's on a MWBC or not. Once you get down to a 120V feed, it looks the same from the receptacle.
Therefore, the UPS can't see anything to flip out about.


How do easements work with gas lines on new construction? I have a gas line (2" polyethylene main) going down my long (1/2 mile long) driveway. Half-way down, it splits to serve the neighbor and myself, each of us being another 1/4 mile apart and the end of the line. The neighbor's line follows a fence line and is more less not a concern of mine. My line (assuming it is "mine"?) takes off toward my house through my yard / field for 1/4 mile and terminates at my garage where the meter is. This is North Western Energy, and Montana.
I see no easements whatsoever on the property except for the electrical lines further away, which I eliminated (meter now at the boundary):

Is it typical for your property to have a gas-main, and have no easements?
Defacto easement: When I had the utility company extend the line to the house, do they have an easement automatically right up to the house? Maybe I didn't read the small print...

Depending on the answer to these questions, I have legal questions which I will reserve for another SE.

Below is some info from a typical natural gas utility. From reviewing this, I gather (at least with this utility) that they are very familiar with the complications related to this type of arrangement and have implemented specific safeguards to protect them from any liability stemming from disputes.

Is it typical for your property to have a gas-main, and have no easements?

YES, for normal "single-lateral" residential service arrangements; however, they have a defacto easement in that you agree to always allow access to their equipment which includes everything from the street main up to and including the meter.

Defacto easement: When I had the utility company extend the line to the house, do they have an easement automatically right up to the house? Maybe I didn't read the small print...

YES, they have a "defacto easement" up to and including the meter.
NOTE- for your situation (Cross Lot Branch Service) it is likely that there is an actual easement that was obtained from you and/or your neighbor (or previous owners) to allow the shared line to cross both properties.


Should I use 14/2 Romex or Armored Cable between plaster attic ceiling and exterior roof? I am running wire for some recessed lights in my finished attic. It is a typical gable roof; the interior is plastered with 2x6 joists. Im curious to know if running Romex in the ceiling between the joists is ok. There is the occasional nail coming through the roof and wondering if this could be an issue. Also, if we ever put a new roof on the house, there could be a stray nail that nicks the Romex. The other alternative is Armored Cable which would be a huge pain...

The National Electrical Code requires you to maintain 1 ¼" spacing back from the edges of framing members.

  *300.4 Protection Against Physical Damage. Where sub-
  ject to physical damage, conductors, raceways, and cables
  shall be protected.

  (A) Cables and Raceways Through Wood Members.

  (1) Bored Holes. In both exposed and concealed locations,
  where a cable or raceway-type wiring method is installed
  through bored holes in joists, rafters, or wood members,
  holes shall be bored so that the edge of the hole is not less
  than 32 mm (1 ¼") from the nearest edge of the wood
  member. Where this distance cannot be maintained, the
  cable or raceway shall be protected from penetration by
  screws or nails by a steel plate(s) or bushing(s), at least
  1.6 mm (1/16" in.) thick, and of appropriate length and width
  installed to cover the area of the wiring.

  Exception No. 1: Steel plates shall not be required to
  protect rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit,
  rigid nonmetallic conduit, or electrical metallic tubing.

  Exception No. 2: A listed and marked steel plate less than
  1.6 mm (1/16" in.) thick that provides equal or better protec-
  tion against nail or screw penetration shall be permitted.

So if you drill through the center of your 2x6" rafters you are complying with the NEC.

However, if you are worried about future damage to your wiring from roofers, you could use armored cable. But if a responsible, licensed, insured roofer is hired they should use the proper length nails and there shouldn't be any threat to you cables.

If you really want to overbuild it use rigid pipe and wire and rest easy when the roofers come.


How to quantify the extent of this water damage? I caused my washer to leak over the weekend by not replacing the filter tight enough after removing it for cleaning. Lucky for me, I was home, noticed water building up in the washer pan, and was able to stop the leak and suck it up with a wet/dry vac. Unlucky for me, we still ended up with the pictured water damage in the kitchen ceiling below the washer.

I plan to pull out the washer and inspect the pan this weekend. I suspect is it cracked, or possibly -- since it was installed by the seller as one of the items required by our home inspector -- the drain may not actually be connected to anything?

But in the meantime, should I be worried about the resulting damage? It consists of the long stained line and the stained "splat", and several shorter stained lines outside the picture. I can't imagine that much water got in there, but I have no way to tell that without removing part of the ceiling. Should I be concerned about mold, or just apply a stain blocker, repaint and forget about it?

One thing in your favor is you're not in a hot humid area and you have a better chance of the water from  one-time leak to dry up without mold growing.  The long  stained line you're talking about is a drywall seam that has been damaged due to the water. You should think about peeling the tape off and re-taping it as it won't cure itself. Any areas that have water stains should be wiped down with vinegar as a precaution as it's a great mildew/mold killer and it will soak into the material and kill mold below the surface. After the repairs are finished, prime, repaint and hope for the best outcome. Good luck.


What's the easiest way to reframe a portion of a wall with minimal disturbance to the electrical lines? I'm in the process of remodeling a bathroom and need to re-frame a portion of the wall that had water/termite damage.  The wood work itself shouldn't be too hard but there are romex lines running through the bottom of it:

I really don't want to run new lines all the way from the breaker box.  What's the easiest way handle electrical here?  I was originally thinking:

1) Shut off power.

2) Cut line and remove the both ends from the funky wall.

3) Fix the wall/frame.

4) Drill holes and reinsert the wire

5) Add a junction box and reconnect the wires.

The first issue though is that I don't think there's enough slack here.

So does that mean that I'll have to cut the wire and replace at least replace the part from the cut to the bathroom light, switch, etc?

The best way to deal with this, since you have the walls open, is to turn off the power and then find the nearby electrical boxes where these wires terminate and un-string the wires back out through your framing area. After new framing is in place then drill new holes for the wires and re-string them back to their destinations.

In some instances these wires will just be passing by the area where the walls are open but not terminate in any boxes in the open wall area. In this case life gets all that much more complicated. There are several strategies to deal with the latter, none of which are particularly good ones.

1 - You can notch the new studs to let the wires pass by. This requires extra care to protect the wires including the placement of nail / screw stopper plates over the notches.

2 - Cut the wires near the center. Then you could choose to add some new outlets to that wall and use the electrical boxes behind the outlets as splice points to support adding the new length of wiring needed to bridge the circuits back together.


What tools do I need to cut flexible metallic conduit? I need to cut 3/8" flexible metallic conduit and am looking for suggestions on how to cut it (i.e. Conduit Tubing cutter, hacksaw). How do you smooth the edges that were just cut?

I have a 7 foot piece without wires and want to cut it to size to 4.5 feet. This is a first for me in cutting this. I need smooth ends for attachment to an outlet and an outside receptacle.

There are a number of ways to cut flexible metallic conduit (FMC), or cables made with interlocking armor, such as MC, AC, or old style BX.

The first thing to do is take a look at the stuff and see that it's a spiral construction - the edges of the spiral strip interlock.  You want to cut across the spiral strip.

This illustration shows the cut you want on old style BX cable, but the idea is just the same:

The simplest, fastest, most consistent way is with a specialty tool made by Seatek, the Roto-split:

The screw on the underside of the tool clamps the armor in place.  The crank handle turns a little circular metal cutting saw blade that cuts the spiral. There is a set screw that adjusts to limit the depth of cut.  You squeeze the handle to press the wheel down, crank, and stop when you get through the high part of the spiral strip.

You don't have to get all the way through the spiral, if you get most of the way through, you'll be able to untwist to separate, or bend the cable to pull apart at the cut, and untwist.

You can make the same cut the rotosplit makes with a hacksaw, but it's a little tricky holding the flexible cable in place while you make that cut.  But in the OP's case with just one cut to make, you could hold the piece in a vice or otherwise clamp it and carefully make the cut.

Another method works with nothing more than a pair of diagonal cutters / dikes.
 You bend the cable just sharply enough that the interlocking edges pull apart, then untwist to further separate the strip.  You can then clip the strip where it's pulled apart.

This is fast but a little sloppy - the armor will be a little mangled, you'll need to tidy up the cut ends by trimming off the mangled bit.  Luckily you'll have the right tool for the trimming handy, same set of dikes.  Personally I don't like this method with MC or AC cables, because occasionally you'll nick the insulation of the wires inside.  If I have to do more than a few cuts, I get the Roto-split.

No matter how you make your cut, the process leaves a very sharp edge on the metal close to the wires - too close for comfort.  The connectors used with FMC / MC / AC are often designed so that once the fitting is in place the wires don't contact the edge of the armor.  They also make anti-short bushings, little plastic split bushings that slide on the end of the armor:

Some consider anti-short bushings optional or unnecessary, I am in the camp that considers them required every single time, unless you're using screw in connectors, which are no longer popular, but provide the best possible protection for the wires:


Can I reuse the existing cement backer board when replacing tile in a shower? I have removed the tile carefully - still working on removing all of the tile cement.  Can I refloat the existing cement board and install tile on it?  Also, what is the best material to float the wall with?

Assuming that it hasn't been flexed or otherwise damaged so much that its rigidity is compromised, sure. I also assume that either you have as water barrier behind or are relying on a good tile job for moisture management. The cement board isn't usually a substantial part of the moisture envelope.

I'd use the same thinset mortar you plan on using for your tile to skim the surface. (or, if you're using mastic, get some thinset mortar).


What is causing toilet supply water leaks above the coupling nut? In my toilet, when the shut off water valve is open:

Water leaks above the coupling nut:

If I close the supply water valve and the tank is full, there is no leakage.  What could be causing the water leakage?  The water supply line is less than a year old.  I also taped the connection where the coupling nut screw over and it is still leaking.

Is it possible that the water supply line is broken at the nut?  Should I get a new one?  The supply line I have has a plastic nut and is flexible.

Solution:

There was actually a hairline crack in the plastic tube that comes out of the tank to the outside.  The plastic pipe was replaced with a brass one to fix the issue.

The washer under the nut is probably leaking and the easiest/best solution's would to be replace the pipe.

Why

The reason it only leaks when you have the supply on is that there is no significant back pressure on the fittings from the tank as the tank has an air gap and the filler is at the top of the tank not submerged at the bottom ( which would cause back pressure)

P.S. DON'T use mutigrips, use a spanner or shifting spanner, on a plastic nut (or even brass) you can deform the nut by the crushing force of the mutigrips as you tighten the nut.


Should I insulate my attic with a hot or cold roof? I'm turning my 3rd floor attic into a usable space.  It's a hip roof, 25' x 23', with one dormer.  We just had new asphalt singles put on it and it was about 12 foot of ridge vent on the dormer / peak. The rafters are 6 inch actual.

Should I build a hot or cold roof?

If I go cold, I would have to install soffit vents (circular ones), baffles, and drill through a lot of rafters to make air ways to the ridge vent. (I didn't know about hip roof ridge vents before we had the roof re-shingled). Then I would only have room for 4 or 5" insulation.

If I go hot, I could get 2 layers of 3" 4x8 rigid foam board cut to size and seal the gaps with great stuff. This seems much easier than the spray foam kits and easier than the cold roof option.

This project is all DIY, and I don't want to add depth to the rafters and lose attic space. I've heard a cold roof can add lifetime to your shingles, but I've also heard that it doesn't matter. For energy savings I've heard that sealing and more R value is the way to go.

Oh what a shame you already did the roof. That would have been a perfect opportunity to add rigid foam insulation boards above the roof sheathing.

A vented roof is definitely better from the perspective of shingle life and moisture resistance, but with such shallow rafters and an unwillingness to lose any ceiling height, that's not an option. If you go with a vented roof, you will need to use 3-4" or so of rafter depth for the ventilation channels (depending on roof pitch; lower pitch requires deeper channels), giving you not much room to work with for insulation between the rafters. If you are unwilling to reduce the ceiling height by installing foam or mineral wool boards across them, then the room will be very uncomfortable as a result.

Your best bet at this point is to get someone to apply a full 6 inches of closed-cell spray foam to the underside of the roof deck between the rafters. This stuff is R-7, so you'd wind up with nominal R-42 between the rafters, which isn't bad. Taking into account the thermal bridging of the rafters, the actual performance would be more like R-37--not terrible, but not great. If you go the spray foam route, hire it out. The DIY kits wind up being about as expensive as hiring out the job in most locales. If you thought the upcharge to add foam to the roofing job was high, wait till you see what the spray costs. Expect $9-14 per square foot of attic space.

You can try doing this yourself with cut-to-size foam and Great Stuff filling the entire faster bays; this is referred to as "cut-and-cobble." You will definitely save money, but it is a messy, time-consuming, un-fun, thankless job, and it is more difficult to get a perfect air seal (which is absolutely required) with this approach than with spray foam. Furthermore, the R-value you'll achieve will be lower because there is no R-7 rigid foam commonly available. XPS is R-5 (yielding a whole-roof R-value of R-26) and polyiso is R-6.5 when it's hot but R-4.5 when it's cold (yielding a whole-roof R-value of between R24 and R-34 depending on the temperature).

I strongly recommend accepting a 3" loss in ceiling height and putting polyiso under the rafters. If you can live with that, you can detail the polyiso as your air barrier by taping all the seams with housewrap tape. Then then fill the whole rafter bays with cheap cellulose, which is hydroscopic so it will help wick water away from the roof deck if it does get wet. This should yield you a whole-roof R-value of R-39. Then cover that in drywall. You can do it all yourself and it won't break the bank. To improve the R-value, just add more inches of polyiso under the rafters; each extra inch will add another R-6.5. The cost difference between this and 6" of spray foam should be dramatic--maybe 5x cheaper or more.


What is the proper way to leave unused nonmetallic sheathed cable inside walls or ceilings? The question pretty much sums it up. I nailed through a live wire in my ceiling. Rather than splice it and install a jbox, I ran a new run to the outlet. However, I took a slightly different route that did not require any additional cuts into the drywall.

I will be leaving the dead run in the ceiling. Are there any guidelines or code I need to follow to still be within compliance? For example, do a cut the wire ends clean?  Tape them up and label them? Also, do I need to remove the dead wire from the outlet box or can that be cut and/or taped up?

There's nothing in National Electrical Code about removing abandoned electrical cable.  If it's communication, television, radio,  etc. cable, you have to remove the accessible portion of the cables.  If it's wire in a raceway (conduit, cables trays, etc.), you do have to remove it.

Connecting the ungrounded (hot), grounded (neutral), and grounding conductors together is a common practice (one which I've recommended before). However, it relies on the breaker functioning properly, in the event the line is ever energized in the future.  The safer practice is to cap each wire separately, and label the wires as abandoned at both ends.


Can I install a trip lever drain on a new tub that doesn’t currently use one? I have a brand new tub. How can I tell if I can install a trip style drain? Right now we are just using a plug and the faceplate doesn’t have a lever. I was reading online that these drains aren’t always compatible.

If you don't mind cutting into the floor and wall to replace the drain system in place now, you sure can install any kind you like. Some might even have the proper diameter vent tube and you could drop the drain system in without much fuss. It all depends on what you want to tackle.


Is there a piece of equipment that protects against vibration? I'm doing a lot of work with a Sawzall reciprocating saw and the vibrations are very uncomfortable. After about 30 seconds, I have to stop because my arms are itchy from vibrating too much.

In addition to being uncomfortable, I'm also concerned that it may do long term damage.

Is there any type of PPE (personal protection equipment) that protects against vibrations or makes it more comfortable to work with tools that vibrate a lot?

I believe you are using the tool wrong. With a sawsall I have seen many people try and hold the saw in place, I am a big guy 6'5" and close to 300lbs and I could do this for a few minutes but prefer to use the guard to stop the tool from pulling my arms around. Push the guard up to the work and don't try to feed two fast or it will push back. When properly cutting it takes very little effort to hold the tool in place and let it do the cutting. If you do not use the guard to keep the tool from moving the sawsall is putting your arms through what it would take to cut using a hack saw. Keep the saw tight to the work and let it do the work.


Will blown in insulation help in this situation? I'm in the process of renovation of a 1945 house. Originally built with a flat roof, tar and gravel. At some point a gable roof was constructed over the original flat roof. Space between the ceilings and flat roof is 10  inches, there is insulation in that space ,about 2 inches of paper backed fiberglass. I would like to add more insulation with out removing the existing ceilings. My plan was to blow in cellulose on top of the tar/gravel roof. Does this make sense.

I'd blow cellulose into the 10' space, from above.  I'd worry about moisture and rodent problems with cellulose between the old tar & gravel and the rafters.  The tar & gravel makes for a moisture barrier you don't really want.

Check your venting in this attic space, and consider a humidity controlled fan.
You probably have K&T wiring in the 10' space, if so see https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/20279/5960


I am relocating a sink. Can I leave the original plumbing in place and cap it? I am relocating a sink and I am rotating the tub (actually replacing the tub with a shower) in position and it will cover the area under which I have the drain for the current sink
Should I remove it prior to this or I can leave it where it is and cap it and hide it in the wall ?

You can cap it, but you have to use an ABS glue cap, not pressure fitted coloured caps.
If you are cutting anything back, past any T or Y connectors, make sure you do not sever the dry-vent connection to the rest of the plumbing.


Electrical socket working for washer but not sump pump My washing machine is below grade, so is dependent on a sump pump. both appliances have been plugged into the same 3 prong duplex outlet, for years.  The sump pump stopped working, and after cleaning it, and some basic trouble shooting I moved the sump pump to the outlet the washer had been in. Presto!  it powered right up.
 But then I tried the washer plugged into the outlet that no longer runs the sump pump, and was surprised that the washer runs fine, in either outlet.
Easy solution, swap them but no! Because the shape of one plug is elongated and can't fit in the configuration that would supply power to both.
I'm tempted to by a little extension and make it work but entirely unsure if the issue might indicate something dangerous, like the ground not working.
Any ideas? Should I replace the whole socket?
Thanks!

Yes you should replace the socket. If there are any signs of heat damage on the plugs then you should replace those too.

It sounds like the contacts in the socket are going bad and are just about making contact with one plug and not the other. Socket contacts that are only just about making contact are not a good thing.


Does primer normally separate in to different colors, or is this mold growing in it? I have two five gallon buckets of Sherwin Williams PVA Drywall Primer & Sealer which is about a year and a half old. One is a partial bucket and the other is sealed and has never been opened.
I just opened them and they both have two small colored areas separated and floating near the top.  One is orange and the other is green:

I assumed that it was mold when I opened the partial bucket, but when the unused bucket had it too, I started to wonder if this was normal.
Is this primer bad or can it be used like it is?

Primer-unbdercoat often has a higher pigment content than topcoat paint, this helps it cover marked surfaces better. usually the pigments are a combionation of carbon black and titanium oxide white.

When left to stand the different pigments will separate at different rates giving a mottled result like you show above.  just give it a really good stir. Not ten laps with a popsicle stick, a it'll take a really good stir to mix the settled pigment back into the resin.  I use a bent wire in an electric drill.


Horizontal lines on ceiling, roof leaking My bedroom's ceiling has been leaking (more like dripping) when it's raining or snow melting, and I highly doubt that the old TV satellite dish caused the roof leaking. (Pic 1)
What troubles me more  is that I noticed there is another spot with thin horizontal lines on the ceiling and it’s right above where I usually sit and work. (Pic 2)
I have an inclined roof and the leaking spot  is located slightly higher than pic 2's spot.
Can anyone tell me what might be the cause of this kind of line?
the dark spot is caused by my phone's camera

Ecnerwal is spot on.
While you figure out how to fix this poke a few holes through the ceiling and place a bucket underneath so the water can get through. It may seem worse initially but remember the water has to go somewhere. If it isn't coming through the ceiling then it's soaking into the drywall and insulation and the extra weight might bring the entire ceiling down to say nothing of damaging even more.
Jonathan


Gas fireplace doesn’t turn on when cold We have a Lennox gas fireplace that’s about 10 years old and we live in New England. We have the thermostat set to turn off the unit overnight and back in at 6am. Often it doesn’t turn on even though the thermostat triggers on.

During the day after the room is warm, the thermostat and fireplace seems to work ok, turning on and off to hold the temp. In the morning to turn it on properly, I open the control panel and flick the switch to “on” and then “thermostat” and then it lights up. If I then turn off the thermostat, it goes off. It I turn the thermostat on after that, the fireplace works.

It seems that after the unit has been off for a while, or if it gets cold (the room gets to around 64 degrees), the unit doesn’t work in thermostat mode. Occasionally it does work, though.

Please let me know if you have troubleshooting ideas.

With a millivolt control valve your problem may be in the timer that shuts it down at night. You said it was a thermostat but not all thermostats are millivolt compatible. If it worked correctly and just recently started having problems I would suggest replacing the thermostat as it sounds like the contacts are becoming pitted or carbon fouled and that is probably why it is intermittent.


Using a multimeter to check for problems in electric sockets I have a MUT-830 multimeter. I would like to use it to do a basic saftey check of the electric sockets in my  home. Specifically, I want to verify that:

there is grounding,
the resistance is not too high (so that the socket should not get too hot).

How can I do this?

To check grounding and polarity a simple outlet tester like this would be a better tool for the DIY home owner. This type of tester will show if the outlets are grounded and can test GFCI breakers by pushing the button. With home wiring checking the resistance is not a very good test because there may be a low resistance with an unloaded circuit but under load the resistance can increase (ohm meters do not work on live circuits). you can also check the voltage on a circuit but if unloaded the same problem can arise with a circuit with no load you may see 120 volts but then a load the voltage can drop significantly. Making sure not to over load outlets (not adding power strips) and running circuits below 80% of there rated capacity is all that is needed in most homes.


Circuit rewired to accept 5th receptacle I rewired a simple circuit to accept a 5th receptacle. All five receptacles worked fine until I used an appliance and had difficulty removing the plug. Now two of the receptacles do not work, but the other three do work. What could be the reason why two receptacles do not work and three do work in a closed circuit. Shouldn't it be all or nothing?

If the the AC power wires are connected to the receptacle using poke-in type connections then it is the possible source of your problem.

The string of receptacles are wired in a string. The AC feed starts at one end and feeds the first. Then another run of wire daisy chains to the second receptacle. This repeats to the last one in the string.

If you are using the poke in style terminations for the wires do know that the poke in lock mechanism inside the receptacle is fabricated out of the same piece of metal as that which engages the ends that you inserted into the outlet. If you had difficulty pulling out a plug it may have deformed the metal contact in such way that the poke-in lock on one of the wires has disengaged the wire and is not longer making a connection. All the downstream outlets that depended upon that wire will no longer be powered.

It is also possible that the hard to remove plug caused an improperly installed poke-in wire to slip out with just the flex of the contact as you tried removing the plug.

If this is the likely description of your problem it may be necessary to replace the problem outlet.

Many here also consider the poke-in style of wire terminations on outlets and switches to be crap. It is far better to use the screws supplied on the side of outlets to connect the wires.


How can I join an exhaust vent and an existing duct that aren't aligned? I'm replacing the over the range microwave in my house, and the new microwave's exhaust vent does not align with the existing ductwork and hole in the wall for the exhaust - neither vertically nor horizontally. I'm unsure of the best way to solve this issue.
Complicating the issue is that the place where the new hole would be placed is centered on a stud. The left side of the duct is very close to or in contact with the stud.
This is an interior wall. The duct work runs up to the roof of the house.
What are my options here? I'm not sure how I could get the air flowing into the existing ductwork.

You may need a custom fabricated part in that configuration.
Alternatively, how do you feel about the microwave venting vertically? If you sacrifice cabinet space you can use a flexible connector inside the cabinet and may be able to use off the shelf parts


Boiler Combi 24 pressure indicator always point to 0 I have a Boiler Combi 24 (UK) and this morning I just noticed that the pressure indicator is pointing to 0. However everything is working fine, I have heating and hot water.

Usually when the pressure is at 0 the boiler indicates (Failure) and there is no heating / hot water..

I have tried to reset the Boiler but no luck
I have tried draining the boiler, once all the water got out the Boiler indicates Failure, which is fine, and then I have open the looping thing to make the pressure go up. It did go up because the boiler started working again but the pressure indicator is still stuck at 0.

Can someone explain me why the indicator is always at 0 ? Is it broken ? Is there something stuck in the pipes ?

(Note that 5 days ago I had a new shower installed in my bathroom and some plumbing work was done in there, not sure if that can help debugging the situation)

Here's the bottom of the boiler, with the meter:

Here's a closeup of the meter:

Take a close look at the needle of the meter:

There's a pin at about 7 o'clock on the dial that the needle would rest against if it were reading zero. But, the needle isn't against that pin; it either jumped the pin and is reading about negative 0.5 bar (pretty unlikely), or it's actually beyond the top of the range and reading about 4.8 bar (more likely).

Looking at the manual for your heater, and at the diagram for the connections at the bottom of your heater, that meter is on the heating circuit. The manual gives a maximum operating pressure of 2.5 bar (the safety valve is set to go at 3 bar). If the meter is accurate, then the safety valve has failed and your heating circuit is running at dangerous pressures. It's actually more likely that the meter is broken, and the needle is just hanging straight down due to gravity. Hard to tell without more information.


What type of wire should I use to repair a toaster oven? The connector from one of the leads from my toaster oven's power supply to the top heating element broke off.  The wire is too short to just add a new connector, so I need to replace the wire.

The wire was different than others I had seen as it had a knit, fabric-like insulation rather than rubber or silicone.

What kind of wire can I use to replace the broken one, and where can I buy it?  Or, are temperatures in the side of the oven, where the wiring and control circuits live not that high and regular lead wire will work?

That "knit, fabric-like insulation" indicates high temperature wire. Amazon sells it, or if you're foolish like me, you can salvage pieces from old, burnt out electric drip-style coffee makers.


How can I drill through small thin hardened steel wrenches? I have a couple wrenches that came with my mini air powered die grinder.  I want to put a hole into the top so that I can attach a wire or string so I don't lose them.
I used a punch to put a dimple into the wrench.  I am trying to drill a pretty small hole maybe a bit bitter than 1/8".  I put a cobalt drill bit into my drill press but it just doesn't seem to make any progress.  I don't have a cutting liquid - was thinking of getting one.  The wrenches are probably 1/8" thick.
Any other thoughts?  What are the best bits for drill metal? What type do they use in heavy industry to drill through hard metal?  Carbide?  I probably have the drill press going too fast but I got it used and have never adjusted the speed.  Given the size of the hole I am trying to drill it just seems like I shouldn't need the perfect setup to get a hole.
I adjusted the drill press speed to 620 rpm ( the slowest it can go - it was set at 3100 ) and I tried using a new cobalt bit with some spit on the wrench I had not previously tried to drill but it didn't seem to make any more progress than my previous attempt.  I have some cutting oil and the HI-Molybdenum M7 Drill Bit Set on order so either I'll give those  a try or next up I might try diamond or carbide bits.
I tried cutting oil - oatey 30201 -, setting the drill press at 3100 rpm, using a new cobalt bit, using a new spot and apply significant downward force - ending up breaking the bit.
I used my MAP torch to heat one of the wrenches to red hot and let it cool over night.  The next day I used the same 3100, new cobalt bit, cutting oil and similar force.  The drill bit went through !  You can see the line of the heat on the wrench.  I didn't get around to trying a few of the other options yet.  I'll probably give the diamond option a try on the wrench I haven't heated.  Nice to have more than one trick in my bag.
Thanks for all the suggestions!  I feel like I used a bit from each answer.

With a sharp drill, oil and patience, or with carbide. But Why make a hole?


should I split the water tanks for harvested rain water and ground water Water become challenging source in my native (Tamilnadu, India). While I build new home, it makes me think about saving the rainwater.

Ground water(borewell) is the only water source for us. This also having chance to dry on summer. So I like to use the rain water in efficient way.

Is it good to mix the ground and rain water? or should have two separate water storing tanks(underground). Which one is cost effective?

I was thinking to use the two tanks for two different purpose.

Rain water (After basic filtering)

Toilet
Washing
Terrace Garden
Kitchen Sink

Ground water

Drinking (Purified)
Both
Cooking

Needless to say, I also plan to save the good water from kitchen sink(double sink method) and purifier waste water in barrel for ground garden plants.

So please advice me?

Rain water has (practically) no electrolytes. We've all heard that rainwater is acidic, but realistically, that is only relevant on a larger, ecological scale (tons of slightly acidic water will cause erosion). More importantly, rainwater will contain nitrates, oils, and other organic chemicals, and rainwater will contain lots of microorganisms, which will be difficult to filter out with an ordinary (ground-water) filtration system. Common ground-water filters are between 5 and 20 microns. Filtering water is extremely helpful for removing bacteria, but the water is still not sterile. Holding the rainwater may allow growth of bacteria, if the rainwater is "nutrient" rich.

The earth filters out nutrients and bacteria. It's not a perfect system, but groundwater is drinkable (usually after basic filtering). Rainwater should not be poured directly into ground water. Keeping the systems isolated would keep contamination minimalized. In terms of cost, try to think of this as rainwater will pollute the groundwater and could possibly ruin the well. Rainwater treatment can make it potable/drinkable, but I would reserve that option for the worst case scenario unless you have a good treatment system.

At a minimum, rainwater treatment (to make it potable) should include coarse and fine (5 micron) filtration, chlorine and UV sterilization, and carbon filtration.

I would do this:

Rain water (in order of priority)

Toilet

Garden

Outdoor hose

Ground water (in order of priority)

Drinking (Purified)

Cooking

Kitchen Sink

Washing Dishes

Bathing

Laundry

The list is prioritized such that if groundwater is low, then laundry could be done with rainwater. If things get bad, you could use rainwater for bathing. I would try to avoid washing dishes and cooking with rainwater. I would drink rainwater if my life depended on it.


Fastening plastic to metal I have a thin piece of plastic (1mm thick) to be attached onto a metal cabinet door, in which a screw hole will be drilled. I'm hoping to use a small screw for this (~3-4mm long). Is M3 adequate for the job? Any M3? I thought about using PC screws, but they're a bit chunky.

Any help will be appreciated.

You cannot screw into a sheet metal very effectively. It would be far better to use a small bolt with a nut on the back. Alternatively a rivet could be used.

Tape or adhesive is normally how placards are attached to filing cabinets.

A simple approach is to use rubber cement. Rubber cement will securely attach the plastic and comes off easily if you need to remove it.


Why did plumber pour oil in sump water? I live in a condo building, and the sump pump in the basement was running water constantly for several days. When the plumber was contacted, he said to call the Village and have the water tested for flouride to determine if there is a leak in a pipe. When the representatives from the Village came, they said we need a new sump pump. So, the plumber installed a new sump pump, and then, I was told that he poured oil in the sump water, and said that we need to pour oil in the water every six months. A Village representative  came after the sump pump was installed, and when he discovered there was oil in the sump water, he was furious, and said that they don't want oil in the pipes. Before we call the plumber to tell him that the Village said not to pour oil in the water, has anyone else heard that this is a recommended practice?

I've heard of using a layer of oil to prevent evaporation or discourage mosquitoes or things like that... but that requires levels be set so the oil stays above the pump inlet at all times, and it assumes that some loss of oil into the exhaust is OK (which is one reason it might need replacing).

If the town said no, I'd say it's a reasonable position for them to take, and the plumber should know the actual rules... so I think it's worth telling him that there was an objection and asking him to explain why he recommended it.


How to repair thin concrete deck cover I recently bought a house with a deck that has what appears to be a thin layer of concrete over wire mesh over wooden (2x6 or similar) beams.

A friend mentioned that he figures the concrete was not poured on thick enough, which is the reason there are tiny cracks forming all down it. The cracks are letting in rainwater and there is a spot where the wood underneath rot a little.

The dark spot you see here is an impression left when I stood on it where rainwater pooled, where there is the rot. (That's the only rot I'm aware of).

I've seen suggestions all over to use Quickcrete or epoxy for cracks in concrete, but the context is always a thick slab of concrete with cracks a half inch wide or more. That's not what I have.

I have an estimate to replace the deck for $4k, but I'd rather not spend it if I don't have to.

What do I do about cracks so tiny on concrete this thin?

(I'm not really concerned about it looking pretty.)

Updates

It's a dry warm climate except for the winter rainy season which was very significant this year. The temperature rarely dips below 32f. The deck is almost a story up over dirt and the A/C and entry to crawl space.

You need a flexible seal Quickcrete will only crack again. A urethane calking would be your best bet to seal the cracks, urethane will flex and maintain a seal (you have 2 forms of flexing one from weight and walking on the deck and the 2nd from expansion heating and cooling) urethane sealant or caulking is the best product to use in this case to seal the cracks and there are colored types that may be a better match for your surface.


Concrete porches pulling away from home and cracking I have an 1940'sish home with old concrete porches (x3) they are cracking, chipping, and pulling away from the home. Would I be able to repair them? If not could I build a deck over them (wooden)? I would prefer to build stairs for the time being as I am low on funds for a deck so that would be the best option, would that be possible? They are not solid concrete, filled in with cinder blocks and rocks.
thank you!

No, you cannot repair them. If a large concrete structure is falling apart, it means the foundation is not good. Putting a deck over it to hide the disaster is probably a good idea. Obviously, you should make footings below the frost line for your deck, unless you want the same thing to happen to it.

Personally I would probably build the deck and then sell the house and try to distract potential buyers as much as possible.


How can I replace a board in floating wood floor? I have a condo with a concrete subfloor so I floated an engineered wood floor above it. It's not a "click-lock" floor, it's a glued T&G install.

A contractor recently did some work in the unit and damaged one of the boards. How can I replace a single board in the middle of the floor for a floating installation?

You'd have to treat it like a hardwood floor t&g repair:

Run a circular saw down one side, staying away from seam at least
the thickness of the tongue, with depth set to board thickness.
Repeat #1 along the other side.
Connect the top and bottom cuts across the board, either with a chisel or OMT (Oscillating multi tool).
Carefully cut into corners to free the 4 border pieces, as necessary.  They may just pry out.
Trim the bottom half of the groove off. (I like to use a table saw and fence).  You should be able to wedge it in with the tongue intact, though a small bottom bevel might assist it.
Sparingly glue along edges of existing tongues and the new board edges and weight it down, as necessary.


How can I hang a skateboard deck on the wall? I have a Skateboard deck and I'd like to hang it on the wall. Analog to hanging a frame on the wall.

I've thinking about it but I have no idea on how to do it. Firstly I was thinking to suspend it, but I think it's not elegant enough.
If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Are the holes for the truck already drilled? If so, a long enough screw with a block of wood used as a spacer to clear the kicktail(s) would let you mount it almost invisibly. (I'm assuming you want to show off the underside of the deck)


steel windows diy design+construction I would like your suggestions/experience/opinions on designing steel windows+patio doors, using hollow sections (RHS as they call them) and angle sections.
The window style I have in mind (but can not afford to buy and transport to my country) are the iconic Crittall windows.

(first image was taken from here, second image from here)

Alas! Crittall use a special steel section which they manufacture themselves and I can not find in the market here. So I have to use steel sections which I can find in my country: angles, tees and hollow sections:

As far as aesthetics are concerned, my main worry is "thin sight-line", i.e. the frame to be thin, maybe a width of 30mm.

I have solved (i think) life-expectancy and maintenance issues as I intend to bath-galvanise them and then (optionally) powder paint them to give them a nice gloss color and life expectancy (maintenance free) of 20 years at least, if not 50!

The welding will be undertaken by a professional.

My main problem is air-tightness. It is easy to design on paper but in practice I do not know how efficient it will be.

Basically I follow the rule that when closed, the frame of a window should 'kiss'/'push against' the steel case (screwed on the wall) at two different places. Thus air trying to get inside the house must by-pass two obstacles/seals/weatherstrips.

I also intend to 'glue' (somehow, or even screw) on the steel frame rubber/insulation foam/seals (weatherstrip they call it) - something which aluminium and crittall windows do very well because their sections have been designed to have a channel where the rubber seal goes in and stays there without need of glue or screw. Glueing on metal is probably a nightmare.

The basic idea can be seen from these crittall drawings:
http://www.crittall-windows.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/HOMELIGHT-DG-WEB-DOWNLOAD-11-15.pdf

There will be two types.

1) Opening out, 'casement' windows, height 2m, width of each pane 0.6m.
They will be hinged on the sides, top and bottom. Here is a drawing of the
side-section (i hope it makes sense):

2) Swivel or vertical pivot type. The hinges will be at the middle of the window frame, top+bottom. Sorry no drawing for this.

My questions:

1) Do you have any comments/suggestions about the air-tightness of the design in the image attached?

2) Do you have any suggestions on how to implement the vertical pivot window type (using the same RHS, flat and angles as with the openout window) as far as air-tightness is concerned. Suggestions about the hinge?

3) From the drawing you can see a wooden frame at the inside of the window securing the glasspane against the exterior steel angle. This wood will be screwed onto the steel frame. What do you think as far as safety is concerned?

4) What is the best way to secure the weatherstrips/seals onto the metal frame?

Notes:

1) glass will be double-glazed 5mm+18mm airgap+6mm, weighting about 30Kg/m2, so for a 2m x 0.6m window, the total weight will be 45Kg plus, say, 10Kg of steel=55Kg.

2) The windows will imitate the crittall look of horizontal splits every 30cm by using a one-piece glass pane and then welding on the outside thin pieces of metal horizontally.

I have given only an outline of the project, if you need clarification let me know.

thanking you in advance,

bliako

The windows in the top photo are actually doors. They are aluminum, probably a custom extrusion.

You will have a VERY heavy window. Your opening mechanism will need to account for that, as well as the structure which supports the hinges.

The windows in the lower photo are actually made of steel T-section.  Yes, they are welded.  The glass is glazed in using traditional putty glazing (on the outside of the building, very impressive!) However I would use a quality silicone, and a great deal less of it.

You get sealing by designing for gravity and using rubber gaskets. Trying to do it with steel fitting tightly is going to create windows which bind, get stuck, and are sensitive to tram problems.  You won't knock the window out of tram, but the window frame? You betcha.

I don't like the screw-in plywood.  You are dealing with heavy windows and it will not hold unless you use a lot of screws.  I would go with metal for that. Tolerances should be not too critical since you should glue in the windows with a quality silicone caulk.  Caulk has no shelf life, it is garbage after a year or so, so don't use old stock.

Designing windows well is an iterative design. The best aren't good because they're smart.  They're good because they've made mistakes, learned, made more, learned, repeat.


Whole home humidifier suspected of causing water softener problems We moved into our house last summer. The water in our area is pretty hard, so we have a water softener for the house. The water softener has an impeller attached to it to meter the water and regenerate after a certain amount of water is used. Our furnace also has a humidifier attached to it, which is fed by post-water-softener water.

After the weather started getting cold last year, we turned on the humidifier. We then started having problems with our water softener - it was being used up before it was time to regenerate. After a few weeks I realized the humidifier might be at fault and shut it off. The water softener problem went away.

I suspect that the trickle of water used by the softener was not enough to turn the impeller attached to the softener, and over the course of multiple days might have consumed numerous gallons of softened water (I'm not sure how much the humidifier actually uses).

So, the questions:

Could this indeed be the problem?
Is there a solution for this?
Could there possibly be another cause?

I could move the water source for the humidifier to be before the water softener, but then the humidifier may get gunked up over time. However, the softener water seemed to crust up the humidifier's insert with salt, so ...

I should also mention that about a month ago we had to have the stuff inside the softener changed and the valve overhauled - it hadn't had maintenance for probably 15 years. The impeller would be this old, too.

I think you've hit it on the nail. The humidifier takes a slow trickle of water, too slow to turn that impeller. This leaves the softener thinking no water is being used, when actually lots of water (over time) is being used. Eventually the media becomes saturated long before the softener decides to regenerate it.

Ion-exchange water softeners absorb calcium and magnesium and replace it with sodium. So, it seems likely that your humidifier will get gunked up no matter which side of the softener you connect it.

Edit: Is there a way to externally and electrically trigger a softener recycle? If so, then perhaps you can have a timer driven by the humidifier that, once every other day of humidifier runtime, triggers a recycle. Make sure that the softener does NOT perpetually recycle if the timer stops at just the wrong moment.


Looking for termites when thinking about buying a house I'm buying a house in an area where termites are a serious problem. I know most people are honest but most is not all. When I'm with a Realtor, at a showing of a house that I'm thinking of putting an offer on, how can I tell if there is a serious, obvious termite problem? I realize I can't tell for sure without a professional but strong signs or ways to "estimate" would be helpful.

I know there are other posts about checking for termites but they all assume that you already own the house. I will not have so much time or freedom to look around.

Other than learning how to look for exterior telltale signs of termite damage, such as spent casings and holes in the wood or in the ground, you need to write in a contingency on your offer to purchase for a complete home inspection and/or an additional pest inspection.

As mentioned above in the comments, hire your own home inspector and/or pest control specialist. DO NOT succumb to the pressure of Realtors to use their favorite inspectors. Find inspectors that truly work for the person that hires them, you! If you are not trained in building construction, inspection, or pest control, do not attempt to evaluate the condition of a home on your own.

Some Home Inspectors, such as myself, offer screening inspections. This is a simple walk through (apx 1 hour) and initial evaluation of a house before one even makes an offer. This type of inspection is not as comprehensive as a full inspection that can take 2 to 4 hours in home and documents all the aspects of the house, rather it is an hour spent looking for obvious major flaws or situations that will help you determine if you actually want to consider placing an offer. Once you have found a house you are serious about, this screening inspection is usually much cheaper than a full inspection, but since the inspector should be acting as your advocate, can advise you if there are any major issues that would influence your decision to make an offer or not.  For the hundred bucks or so, it can be a huge time saver, allow you to make a more realistic offer, and give you a better feeling of confidence about the home you are making an offer on.   Good Luck.


Is it safe to run power up to attic and back down to another outlet? I installed a behind tv wall hole so i can plug my tv in.  Now in trying to decide how to run power to it but I'm not an electrician.  I know that you can wire an outlet off of an existing one, but is it safe to run the cable up to the attic and back down a stud over?  The issue is that the closest existing outlet is one stud over from my new outlet.  I figured if i could just run it up and over, i could easily supply power to this new outlet.  Rather than running it to a junction or something (again, not an electrician).

There's nothing wrong with this

It's A-OK to run a cable up through the top plate to the attic and back down to the next stud bay as long as the cable is run properly (1.5" setback from the edge of the studs, and run stapled to the top plate in the attic).


Carrier Weathermaker 9200 Humidifier Ecobee blows 3amp fuse I have a Carrier weathermaker 9200 with a bypass humidifier attached. I just moved into this house a year ago and the humidifier never worked with the humidistat. I tested the solenoid by putting a 24V transformer directly on it from my sons rechargable car and that worked. It opened and water started flowing. I thought maybe it had bad humidistat since nothing happens when I turn the knob. just hear a little click. Since the house already had an ecobee I figured I could use that to control the humidifier. Ran a wire to the ACC+ on the ecobee. Connected the other end to the solenoid. Then ran the other end of the solenoid to the COM on the control board. Not sure if that is correct because everything I look up says C terminal but there isn't a C terminal only COM. Reconfigured ecobee to add humidifier as 1 wire ACC+.  When I turn everything back on and start the humidifier from the app the 3 amp fuse blows. It happened twice so I guess I have it wired wrong. I currently have it disconnected. Looking for help.  Thanks,
Jeff
Updated: Added Schematic and ecobee connections and furnace control connections. Humidifier is a Carrier humcclbp2417 with A2012-2118 Solenoid.

The solenoid went bad and was blowing the fuse. Replaced solenoid and humidifier works now.


How Does A Refrigerator Determine When The Water Filter Needs To Be Replaced? I have a new GE refrigerator with a water filter with a capacity of 170 gallons.  I use less than 0.5 pints of water per day.  At this rate, the filter should last at least 2720 days.  However, after about six months of use the water filter replacement indicator light shows that I need to replace the filter.  This is my first refrigerator with a water filter.
EDIT
Prior to this refrigerator water filter, I have never used any kind of water filter.
I have never had a problem with odor or taste of the water.  The water has a light brown color for a few hours after water is flushed through the fire hydrant near my house.
END EDIT
How does the refrigerator determine when the water filter needs to be replaced?
What issues could I encounter if I do not replace the filter?
Refrigerator model GSE25GGHKCC
Filter XWF

The replacement cycle is clock based not usage based, so if your usage is below average you can probably extend the interval to almost a year, but as Ed mentions, they can begin to introduce problems if left unchanged too long.   (Early fridges with water and ice had NO filtration)


Hoisting and securing 5 gallon bucket vegetable planter 25 feet up I have a light availability issue in my garden.  To compound that it is in a very small area so diseases and pests tend to hit everything at once.

I want to try lifting a couple self watering 5 gallon bucket planters up on a rope I have tied between two trees, at about 25 feet over the ground.

The rope is a nylon / polyester blend rated at 280 lbs and apparently very resistant to weathering, etc.  If this works this season I plan to replace this piece with a (much more $$$) metal rope.  But for one season I was thinking this should work.

I put some O shaped rings on this line, running from tree to tree, loosely bound in place with a zip tie to prevent it blowing up and down.  Through this O ring I threaded a 100 ft piece of paracord rated at 100 lbs.  On one end is the bucket.  On the other end I pull.

This process turned out to be a LOT more difficult than I expected.  I got the bucket about 5 feet in the air and realized I needed to change something.

I am going to try using a pulley on the O-ring instead of just threading it through -- I think friction is making me pull harder than I should have to.

I am also planning on tying it down to a heavy-ish log with an anchor screwed into it.  What I don't want to happen is for this bucket to come crashing down unexpectedly (it wouldn't kill anyone because it is hanging over the rest of my garden, but it would do a lot of damage); but also I need to raise and lower it on a regular basis to refill the water and harvest whatever from it.

If I am going about this in a foolish way please let me know.  I don't have much experience with this sort of thing.

You haven't given yourself a mechanical advantage here. If you attach a pulley to the bucket, then bring the line back up, you will only need to pull half as hard (but the operation will require more rope of course). Yes, reduce friction at the top with a pulley as well, if you can.

Picture stolen shamelessly from the internet