What is the black stain on my exterior brick, and how can I remove it? The brick wall above my apartment is blackened, what is it and is it possible to clean it?

The brick wall above my apartment is blackened, what is it?

It is caused by water leaking from that drainpipe. It is some form of mould that thrive in damp conditions.

  And is it possible to clean it?

Yes, a stiff-bristled brush and hard effort will make a big difference.

You can probably experiment with various chemicals, such as diluted bleach, to kill the mould.

If you do not repair the drainpipe, the problem will return in some months time, perhaps after winter or seasonal rain.

You can buy sealants that are intended for use on brick which prevent water penetration and which might help prevent this. They will alter the appearance of the brick though. This only works if the water is coming from the outside, not if the pipe with the leak is internal to the brickwork.


GFI frequently tripping I have a GFI receptacle in the garage that protects the bathrooms and outside receptacles, everything is three pronged.  Recently the circuit has been shutting off on a regular basis.  I thought I had found the problem in the outside outlet where the face was cracked so I replaced the outlet this seemed to fix it for a while.  No luck.  Next I checked the fish pond pumps, air pump was not working, replaced it, No luck. Next checked the water circulation pump had a faulty cord with burned insulation at the plug between line and common blades, replaced pump, No Luck.  Could all of these faults worn out the original GFI?  It is 30 years old and came with the house when new.  I read that GFIs don't like motors but the previous pump ran for two years before problems showed up.  Should I get a higher amperage GFI or replace it with the same type?

It's true GFCI's do go bad and will wear out over multiple trips. So replacing one after 30 years is a good idea since the replacement is not all that expensive. But lets say the replacement does not fix the problem.

So to start, let's look at how a GFCI works. It is a closed loop system unlike an overcurrent protection. It actually measures the current in the hot wire against the return current in the neutral and if it senses a slight difference. It acknowledges there is leakage in the circuit itself. Since it is not intelligent it can only assume that there is a problem and therefore it trips.

When we troubleshoot a GFCI. WE start by removing all loads attached to the device. Then if we reset the device and check to see if trips. If it does not trip then one or more of the pieces of equipment attached to the circuit has some sort of problem. If it does trip we know that the installed GFCI device and its circuit is the problem and you begin a step by step approach to investigate and locate the problem internal to the circuit itself.

Moisture is a big player in GFCI tripping and you don't need much. For example many times on a construction site after a rain, an extension cord with a very small crack or cut in the jacket, not the insulation, will absorb enough moisture into the fill material of the cord to trip a GFCI. Remove the cord and set it out in the sun to dry for a few hours and you will be able to plug it back in and it will work.

So remove all equipment from the circuit. Check all cordage and exterior devices for moisture and make sure they are in good condition, clean and dry. Pay attention to equipment cordage that is making contact with the earth. More than likely the problem will make itself apparent. Reset the GFCI, if it stays reset then plug each piece of equipment onto the circuit one at a time and check to see which pieces of equipment are tripped your device. Replace or repair any piece of equipment causing a trip.

Hope this helps.


How to open a stuck cellar door I have a door in my cellar that is stuck.  Of course, my tools are all on the other side of said door (but I guess my credit card isn't, so that is a plus).

It has no lock and I cannot run anything between the door frame and the door as it has a kind of right-angle shape to it (so the front bit of the door overhangs the frame).

It is also made of metal.  (honestly, I think the people that built this house were preparing for the apocalypse or something).

It is fairly cold outside (about -9 C) and hence the cellar is also not warm, my theory as to why it is stuck now runs into the realm of metal shrinking when it gets cold.

Irrespective of why, I need to get into that room, so does anyone have any idea what I should do?

I am thinking that my only option is to remove the hinges somehow but as you can see they are monsters, or trying to heat up the door (maybe pray for warmer weather but as I live in Austria, that will likely be some months off).

Update

I put a wrong comment on this question to Mikes. Sorry Mikes.  I performed some more investigation, using a Christmas card I tore two strips and ran them along the edge of the door (one from the bottom up and one from the top down) and they both stopped at the handle thingie.  I then turned the handle and tried to move the card - it did not move.  Hence I think the handle is not moving the triangular metal thingie in when it turns.

It is not flapping, however, which makes me think that removing the handle (something I think I can do with a kitchen knife and a pair of my wife's tweezers) will not help me - what do you think?

Instead I took an out of date roadside rescue service membership card and fashioned the following tool:

Here it is being tested on a door that is the same and thankfully open:

I noticed a small gap thus on the top of the door where I can slide it down:

The problem with this approach is that the tool is too thick to fit between the frame and the bit I have to push in!  Arrrggh.  It needs to be double-thickness because otherwise it will not be strong enough to push it in (I tested this).

I think, therefore, that I will go to the hardware store and see if I can get thin bit of metal bent into the shape I need.  I don't know if this will be possible.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

Here are the original photos of the situation:

Try a set of floor tile lifters that have a handle and strong suction cups on each end.  Here's a link.  http://www.amazon.com/Red-Double-Suction-Tile-Lifter/dp/B00HDP84SU

You may be able to do the same thing with a couple of plungers if you can get a good seal.  Good luck!


How can I repair a kitchen sink that is leaking from both the handle and the underneath cabinet? My kitchen sink is a single-handle, ball-type faucet. Lately it has been leaking from the base of the handle when the water is running, and when that happens water also drips beneath the sink.

Is it probable that replacing the valve kit and o-rings will solve both issues? If there are two things going on at the same time I might just call a handyman. But I know I can replace the valve since I've done it before.

Yes.  The standard repair kit includes two small O rings (and springs) for the ball as well as two (or four) large O rings for the shaft.  You're leaking from both sets of rings I think.

I recommend that you also add a little silicone lube so the ball moves freely on the rings.  Don't use oil or vaseline; they'll dissolve the neoprene rings.

This Danco kit for Delta faucets is typical for single arm sink faucets:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DANCO-Faucet-Repair-Kit-for-Delta-86970/203194028?N=5yc1vZc6ak


Is my HVAC system one or two transformer based? I have read Do I have one or two 24V transformers in HVAC control circuit, but as it appears I don't have two geographically separate units for A/C and heating, believe this to be a different question.

However I also bought the Nest E for installation, and hence need to know if this one transformer thermostat will work with my system.

Can you please take a look at the below images and let me know if this will be as simple as getting both cables to the same location (haven't discussed with my other half whether this new thermostat will be up, or downstairs) and hooking up control wires as the instructions state, using the wire attached to the R terminal in the thermostat set for heating for R, and cap the wire attached to the Rc terminal in the thermostat set for cooling (or vice versa)?

Below is the wiring to one of our thermostats (Set for heating):

Below is the wiring to the other thermostat (Set for cooling):

Below is where the cabling from each thermostat, and to each of the gas furnace and unit outside for electric cooling, cables converge: (The cable with the red wire wrapped around it goes to the outside box with a fan in it; the condenser? The other cables go up through inaccessible wall cavities to each thermostat, but without a continuity tester that can be used to test one wire going to different locations, assume that the cable with the blue and green wire wrapped around it at the back of this bundle is the one that goes to the heating thermostat, with the other to the cooling thermostat).

Below is the wiring block for the furnace:

The gas furnace is below a box with pipes coming from the outside cooling unit go into.

Your system only has 1 transformer, at the furnace

Given what we know (that the cable with the red wire back-wrapped at the junction point goes off to the outdoor unit), we can tell that the orange wire from that cable is tied into the Y connection (orange wire) from the cooling thermostat and the Y connection (yellow wire) to the furnace as well.

This means that the other (black?) wire from the cable to the outdoor unit must be connected to C for this to work in a one-transformer configuration, and indeed, it connects to the blue C wire going off to the furnace.  Furthermore, the red R wire from the furnace goes out to the red wires in both thermostat cables, which is also a sign you have a one-transformer system.


Is it safe to mount a TV below a window? I have a spot in my bedroom where I'd like to mount a tv.

There is a wall with two closets on each side with a 4' space between them. The space has a built in chest that swings open at the top, and then a window about 2 feet above the chest. There is an outlet between the window and the chest, so presumably there is at least one stud there.

I want to mount the tv so I can still use the chest, but I'm worried about the load on that little stud below the window. Anyone know if this would be safe?

Your two options are to attach the TV mount to one stud (try to hit the center of the stud) or mount a board to the wall that hits more than one stud and then attach the TV mount to that (or get a TV mount made to pick up more than one stud).

For larger TV's I would want to hit at least two studs.  I looked up a random 43" TV on Amazon and it's weight was listed as 17lbs.  Unless it's a very old flat TV, it's going to be pretty light, and one stud with a strong mount should be fine.

Use a stud finder to get a general idea of where the stud is.  Then take a small drill bit (1/16" is fine) and drill a series of test holes to find the exact center of the stud.

Picture from another question

Your window is higher, but the framing will be very similar.  The cripple stud under the window will be securely nailed into the sill plate.  That and the strength of the drywall will keep it from pulling out or moving.  When installed properly, studs and drywall are very strong.


How can I stack my toolboxes stably? I have two toolboxes that look like the picture below, with handles which lie down but still make a "bump" about a 1/2" high in the middle of the top so I can't make a stable stack when not in use.  I'm considering doing something to make up the height, a ridge along the ends of the bottom of the top one.  I was thinking maybe I'd epoxy a short length of 1/2" tubing.  Any thoughts?

In addition to the comment of adding feet to the bottoms by pop riveting rubber bumpers or cushions

and doing the same with 4 furniture cups. They are soft or hard plastic that you can fasten to the top top keep the newly aplied feet in place.


Should I reinforce the cupboard back before mounting it to the wall? I have a cupboard/shelf that is like a bookshelf with a back and sliding glass doors. It weighs 10kg without the glass and without anything in it.

I want to attach it to the wall and have read about that side of things, but I am worried about the cupboard back itself. Will it gradually get damaged by holding all its weight just on little screws?

Therefore -  should I just put screws through it into the wall studs? Should I reinforce the cupboard back where the screws go? Should I do some other thing?

The cupboard is second hand and appears to have been just attached directly to a wall with screws previously. The backing panel is better quality than cardboard, but not heavy wood.

It depends on whether the shelves are attached to the back of the cupboard or the sides. They are effectively transferring weight from the contents to their attachments, which is why most cupboards with shelves attached to sides have the sides attached to the walls using some form of bracket.

One way to ensure that the cupboard is supported properly is to attach a piece of lumber to the wall along the bottom of the cupboards, they then effective sit on it. This of course assumes you have the space to do this, and that the lumber will not look bad if viewing it from the bottom.

You can do the same thing towards the top of the back by having a piece of lumber that screws into the sides (from the back) and runs the length of the cupboard. This can then be screwed through from inside the cupboard to provide extra strength. The downside of this is that it will mean the cupboard will sit away from the wall the thickness of the lumber. You would also put this piece towards the top of the back of the cupboard, but usually not right at the top, although having at the top would not be a problem. There needs to be enough space to screw through.

Combined, the lumber below the cupboard supports the weight of the cupboard and contents, with the piece at the top preventing it from falling forward.


What is the proper way to run Category 6 underground? I'd like to run some Category 6 cabling underground, for a distance of about 120 ft, between a main home and a 2nd unit, for ethernet connectivity between the two homes. I've run Category 5 indoors before, but running Category 6 and underground is a new ballgame for me.

Is there a specific kind of Category 6 cabling I should use? I see a variety of specifications available here, but to be honest I'm not sure what specifications matter.
Can I simply run the cable through PVC pipe for most of the way?
I read that Category 6 needs special grounding?
Is there any major benefit to running more than one cable through the same ditch or pipe?
Are there any pitfalls I may not be aware of?

Cat6 is capable of very high speeds (by today's standards; hi 2021!), but only within a bunch of additional constraints over lower-speed cable.

Especially difficult is terminating the cable. When you untwist enough to terminate, it's easy to expose yourself to interference. Some people buy long, pre-terminated Cat6 and pull that, instead of pulling bulk cable, for this very reason. You'll need larger conduit if you take this approach.

Another difficulty is strains during the pull. If you tug hard to get around a corner, you can damage the cable enough to stop top speeds from working. Limiting the number of elbows, wide sweeps, conduit bodies, larger conduit, and having someone push while you pull all help.

You may decide that you don't need 10G speeds. In that case, save the money and pull Cat5e. Since you're running conduit, it's easy to upgrade later if you change your mind. It's a good idea to leave a pull string, but if you forget, just suck a new one through with a shop vac.

If there is any EMF in the same trench, a shielded cable will help. Ground the shielding at both ends.

If you are sure you need maximum speed, consider using fiber. You'd put a fiber-to-ethernet converter on each end. Very long runs and EMF are non-issues. Cost scales well with distance.

To make sure I've covered your questions:

Is there a specific kind of Category 6 cabling I should use?

Solid conductors, since these cables will be immobile. (Stranded is for wires that move often, like from your laptop to the wall.

Shielded is good for protecting against EMF, especially for long runs or if there is a power cable in the same trench.

Gel-filled cable protects against water intrusion that could cause corrosion.

Direct Burial cable has a tough jacket that can tolerate abrasion underground. If you're in conduit this matters less, but you might choose it anyway.

UV-resistant jacket is important if your wire comes out of the PVC where sunlight can get.

Can I simply run the cable through PVC pipe for most of the way?

Yes, and this is a good idea. Schedule 40 gray is the normal choice around here.

I read that Category 6 needs special grounding?

I dunno about that.

Is there any major benefit to running more than one cable through the same ditch or pipe?

You can run multiple low-voltage cables through the same conduit if you want, but don't put power cable in the same conduit as low-voltage. Use a large enough conduit that you can pull additional cables later.

Are there any pitfalls I may not be aware of?

Many, but I can't think of any more.

EDIT: Since power will be in the same trench, I recommend staking the conduits to their respective sides before filling, to make sure they keep a good foot space between them. I wish I had known to do that!

For future-proofing, consider installing an additional conduit. A contractor friend likes to install an extra 4" conduit, which can be used for a lot of stuff. Other people think he's nuts. I think they're both right. :-)


Turn off water supply but leaving heat burner on? If a house has a water heater for hot water, and a burner for heat (natural gas, baseboard heating). When one goes on vacation in winter and turn off water supply to avoid frozen pipes, should they leave the burner and heater ON? Won't that damage both because there's no water to the burner and heater anymore?

With the water turned off to standing pilot gas water heaters, I suggest leaving the controller in pilot; that way it can not turn on the burner and damage the tank. This also keeps the pilot running and those pesky little spiders that love to build nests in the tubing away; then, when you return, just turn it to the proper temp: no hassle having to relight the pilot. But you need to drain the pipes as no heat and water in the pipes can damage them.
If you have electronic ignition turn the control to off.
Since this is a recirculating heating system, though, I would suggest leaving the water in the system and turning it down. That will keep the pipes warm so breakage is not a problem unless your vacation is extended (a month or more, then draining makes more sense).


Why don't my CFL bulbs stay on in my ceiling light fixtures? I'm having a problem in my house with CFL bulbs staying on.  I have a two bulb ceiling light in the bedroom and a three bulb light in the bathroom.  In the bedroom, one of the bulbs goes out after being on for about one minute.  In the bathroom, one or two bulbs would go out in about a minute also.  If I put conventional bulbs in they stay lit.

I have found a vast difference in the quality of CFL lamps. It is possible you have a batch of bad bulbs. Some brands last for years, other several months. I would swap the bulbs so that one room has all bulbs that don't go out. Turn on the light and see if the problem persists. If the lights stay on replace the defective lamps.


How to determine if my house is continuing to settle? My house has settled a bit since it was built 100 years ago, especially the porches which aren't over the main foundation.

It seems to me that some doors have become harder to close over the past 2 years, which makes me wonder if the settling is ongoing.  I imagine I could, once per quarter or so, use a laser level to measure the total rise on a now-angled trim piece.  Is there a standard practice or better way?

If you really want to go there, you need something that will serve as a reliable reference, which I don't see a "now angled trim piece" as fulfilling. It's what's known as a benchmark, and should be something that does NOT move (so if you think the building is moving, you need a benchmark that's not connected to the building.) If you stick with things in the house you can see any relative movement, but only that. A chimney foundation is a typical "relative in-house point."

Realize also that porches are never (properly) built level or flat - they may indeed settle due to substandard foundation, but when properly built in the first place they have a drainage slope away from the house.

Typical things that are used for benchmarks are a pin in exposed bedrock, a bridge abutment or similar solid foundation, or a well casing. Something that is not annually moved by frost... Official benchmarks can be found on topographic maps (marked BM plus an elevation) and you will usually find a 3-4" round marker with a punchmark for the actual point in real life. But unless one happens to be near your house, you would probably just try to pick something that is near your house that would serve as a local benchmark to see if your house is moving.

I would in general agree that if it's got apparent motion at 100 years old, something above the foundation is more likely, unless the soil is in some way unstable under it.


Can I use a zero-waste reverse osmosis filter with a water softener? I have a zero-waste reverse osmosis system under my kitchen sink (a Watts ZRO-4 specifically, though there are other systems to which this applies) and my house is also pre-plumbed for a softener in my garage. From what I've read, the "zero waste" portion of this system means that it still has waste water (like any other RO), but just that it pushes it into the hot water line rather than down the drain as other systems do.

I'd like to install a softener in my garage, but since the RO has hookups into both the hot and cold under my sink (the hot is softened and the cold is non-softened), I just want to make sure I won't end up with salty water into my RO. If the system consumes hot water at all (or even if it doesn't maintain proper pressure into the hot water line when it's not discarding waste), it seems like this is a risk.

It sounds like the system only pushes waste into the hot water line and doesn't actually consume hot water during operation, but can anybody confirm that these two systems (zero-waste RO and softener) can operate together without any issues?

I own an RO system and it is fed solely with soft water.  The mineral content in soft water is less fouling to the RO membrane than my hard utility water, and the membrane lasts several times longer than it otherwise would.   I predict you will have no compatibility issues with your zero waste RO system circulating a small amount of water through your hot water loop.

That said, I am not a fan of the zero waste RO systems.  RO systems require regular maintenance and if the filters are not sanitized and changed regularly, the system can become fouled with bacterial slime.  With a zero waste system, that bacterial slime is recirculated into the whole house water supply instead of being flushed down the drain.

I prefer an electric booster pump or a permeate pump to reduce RO waste water:

These provide a more positive shut-off when the RO pressure tank is full, and although they are not zero waste, they do significantly save water over a basic system.


What type and size conductors and conduit should I use to feed a detached workshop? I'm planning to install a 100 amp sub panel in a new detached workshop in my backyard. I will run power from my home main 200 amp service panel which I have a dedicated 120/240v double pole 100 amp breaker already set up. Consumers in my workshop will be

6X linear fluorescent T5 light fixtures 11 amps
2x exterior wall pack lights 10 amps
Garage door opener 15 amps
AC/DC stick welding 50 amps
Air comp. 20 amps
Table saw 15 amps
Shop fan 15 amps
Bench grinder 15 amps
misc small AC power tools.

I anticipate approx 55-65 amps will be the most continuous current at any given time. The cable run distance from the 200 amp main service panel to the sub panel is 185ft. 110ft will be under ground and 75ft will be run inside my home through the attic. I would like to make this pull all in one with no splices.

My questions are

What type and size wire is suitable and meets Electric Metro code to run inside my home and also bury 24" in conduit?
What size and type conduit (PVC or galvanize) should I used for under ground and what is the NEC code for conduit above and below ground.

I don't know what the "Electro Metro" code is, nor do you mention your location, so keep in mind my answers are based on a US installation under the NEC.

PVC conduit is fine for the whole run, and the easiest BY FAR. You can use Schedule 40 for any and all parts, buried or exposed but not subject to damage. Areas like where it emerges from the ground outside you'd need to use Sch80.
Again, 18" deep (to the top of the pipe) is fine for any residential installations. Table 300.5 is the NEC section for this.

Personally I'd go with #2AL for cost savings and 1-1/4" pipe. Since you'll have a mix of 120V and 240V loads you can run one #2, one #3 or 4 neutral, and a #6 ground. They do sell 100A MHF (mobile home feeder) cable that has this combination already grouped together. Remember, this type of wire/cable cannot be run exposed. You'd have to run the conduit completely from point to point.
You could also run the conduit to a big box in the house then change over to #2SER cable, but this takes some skill and knowledge to make the change over and splice.

I'd put this on an 80 or 90A feeder breaker in the main panel.


How do I seal the bottom plate along my foundation? I have a "steps" in the foundation where there are slim but visible openings to the outside. My questions are; How do I seal this? From the outside/inside? What product do I use?

Edit: Picture of complete wall

The framing should have been installed with foam known as sill seal. If it wasn't, you could use any caulk such as silicone to seal against air and insect intrusion.

I'm a bit confused why I see drywall directly against masonry like that. Normally you have energy walls built inside the foundation, and the framing laps past on to the upper wall, such that the entire wall is adequately insulated and a vapor barrier is applied. The combination of all these things usually results in a completely sealed wall.


Is soldering copper to aluminum wire allowed under NEC? Another question made me curious, does the NEC allow copper wire to be joined to aluminum wire by soldering?

You mean like a rattail or Western Union splice, Al-Cu?
Your first problem is that soldering in general is so alien that an AHJ is likely to reject it out of hand, even if it were all Cu.  The ruling would likely be "You can solder if you can show how every other splicing method is impracticable".
But when it comes to Cu-Al splicing...

NEC 110.14 Electrical Connections. Because of different characteristics of dissimilar metals, devices such as pressure terminal or pressure splicing connectors and soldering lugs shall be identified for the material of the conductor and shall be properly installed and used. Conductors of dissimilar metals shall not be intermixed in a terminal or splicing connector where physical contact occurs between dissimilar conductors (such as copper and aluminum, copper and copper-clad aluminum, or aluminum and copper-clad aluminum), unless the device is identified for the purpose and conditions of use.
(B) Splices. Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified for the use; or by brazing, welding, or soldering with a fusible metal or alloy. Soldered splices shall first be spliced or joined so as to be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then be soldered.

The sections I put in bold are in contradiction with each other.   110.14(B) requires direct contact between the Cu and Al wires, yet 110.14 forbids it.
The path to soldering is plainly identified in 110.14 with "soldering lugs".


Sink drain plumbing pipes won't connect I'm installing a new sink and as its visible from the picture the pipes are not aligned and sink pipe is not long enough as well. The pipe coming out of the wall is pretty solid so I didn't try pulling it out trying to align the pipes, as well I can bring the sink base a bit closer to the wall, but that will still be not enough to insert the drain pipe. Is there anything i could use as a connection/adapter between these two? Thanks!

While they are not the most correct way to alleviate your problem, check your favorite home center/big box store for a "flexible tail piece extension". The ideal method would be to remove and realign your current drain. While the flexible drains work they are more prone to clogging due to the accordion like walls of the pipe.


Can I support 6x6" deck posts on 10" diameter poured concrete footings? I am building a new 13x10 deck. So far I have the ledger board in place, and yesterday I finished building 3 concrete footings, 9 ft away from the ledger board. I use tubing, 36 inch deep with gravel on the bottom (30 inch tube+ 6 inch gravel, as per city requirement).
The problem is that there were no 12" tube anywhere to be found so I decided to go with the 10" tubes. Now I will be mounting 6x6 posts (j-bolt + Simpson post bracket).
In terms of load, the 2x8 joists will span 9 ft and sit on the beam (double 2x10) + 1 ft cantilever.
I read that either 10 or 12in diameter tubing are fine, but now when I place the 6x6 post on them they seem so small. Did I just mess up the footings size? If so, is there a fix that doesn't involve demolishing the 3 pillars?

Summary - the post size seems questionable. Even at 12", it might have been insufficient. It depends very much on your soil type.
The remainder of this answer is a huge estimate based on lots of assumptions.

For something like a residential deck the reason the size of a footing is important is not because of the strength of the concrete itself, but because of how much soil is directly below it (*). Soil is much weaker than concrete and the concrete footing has to transfer the weight of the deck to the soil, spreading that weight out over a large enough area that it won't gradually sink or move in some way.
We can make some broad assumptions to try and analyze your footings.
For a residential deck in the US (not sure where you are) I think 50 pounds-per-square-foot  (psf) of deck surface is a typical design value. This estimate is supposed to include the weight of the structure plus any occupants, furniture, etc.

A 13x10 deck is 130 square feet (sqft) in total
130 sqft x 50 psf = 6500 pounds

So where does all this weight go? Diagram shows a top-view of the deck, divided into sections. One half towards the ledger, the other half further divided into regions around the posts. These areas estimate how the weight will be distributed.

Assume half the weight of the deck is taken by the house ledger, leaving 3250 lbs for the posts (actually if the deck overhangs the posts they would take a bit more).
The 3 posts won't split the weight evenly: area B = A + C, therefore post B will take the most weight. Assuming A = C then we have A + B + C = A + (A + C) + C = 4A = 3250. So A = C = 812.5 and B takes about 1625 lbs.
A 10" post has an area of π r2 = 3.14 * 5 * 5 = 78.5 sq inches = about 0.55  square feet.
(If the post were 12", then you'd have 113 sq inches = 0.8 sq ft)
Dividing the weight per post by the post's area, you get:
1625 lbs / 0.55 sq ft = 2955 lbs/sqft for post B.
(Using 12" posts, B would have taken 2030 lbs/sqft).
It comes down to what kind of soil you have whether this is OK or not:

Clay: 1,500-2,000 lbs/sqft
Sand: 2,000-3,000 lbs/sqft
Gravel: 3,000-5,000 lbs/sqft
Bedrock or solid rock: "unlimited" (?)

(reference for soil values: https://www.timbertown.com/building-a-deck-on-different-types-of-soil/)
The question doesn't have enough information to assess this further.

Probably you should discuss this with your local code enforcement official. They should know what would be acceptable, typically.
If you do need to make changes, one option is adding one or more additional posts in between A-B and B-C. This would spread out the load.

(*) Concrete might have a strength of like 5000 pounds per square inch. This means it is 1000-2000 times stronger than typical soils.


Is a plug with a repaired ground prong safe? my grounded cord lost the ground prong,  I drilled it out and replaced it with a prong which is the same size and length and epoxied it.  It fits precisely in the outlets.  Is it safe?

No, that's not safe, Epoxy will not make a strong conductive bond to the ground wire in the plug. While the replacement prong may good contact in the outlet, you also need to be sure that it will make good contact to the ground wire in the plug. A simple multimeter test may show that it's connected right now, but the wire and/or replacement prong may shift over time, making the extension cord unsafe due to the lack of a ground connection.

Instead, replace the whole plug with a replacement plug, such as this Heavy-Duty 3-Wire Replacement Male Electrical Plug (there are many other varieties or replacement plugs available):


Is there a mechanism to prevent a door from closing violently? The door is heavy and people usually put a lot of force to close it, resulting in a violent shock, and the noise that comes with it.  Is there a way to prevent the shock, without having a door that is hard to move. I was thinking of something like a door closer, but I don't want the door to resist when it's fully open.

Is there something to would put a certain amount of resistance when the door is ajar?

Yes, they tend to just be called Door Closers. They have a spring and a damper (oil or pneumatic) to slow the closing. They look like this:

Taken from http://www.doorstuff.co.uk/door-closers.php


Which drywall edges to overlap I had a door and frame that's been removed.  I then cut out a "box" if you will into the opening. I need to drywall the edges around this opening. The width is about 3-4" (the width of an inside door)

What is the right way to overlap my cuts of drywall for the inside and outside corners? (Or does it even matter?) I've tried to demonstrate the edges in the crude drawing below. The one on the left for example has the left side edge going up further and the horizontal piece butts up to it vs the right picture where the horizontal piece has the overlap edge and the vertical piece butts up to it

Doesn't matter a bit.

The main time you need to think about how corners work is when the backing studs are different width. (If, for instance, you only have 1" of stud to attach to on one side of a corner, and 3-1/2" on the other side of the corner, you'll want to have the drywall sitting fully on that inch.)


How to adjust Ives Rota Closer The door to our garage has an Ives Rota Closer.  In the past the door has always swung shut on its own, however today our daughter was pulling the door open (a bit too far I think) and now it suddenly seems to have lost its "pull" and the door no longer closes on its own.

There is no model number or other information on the closer except for the words "To adjust / Push up & turn" and an arrow pointing down to a short cylinder of some sort which comes out of the bottom and which is slotted for a negative screwdriver. But when I barely press up on it the cylinder goes all the way inside and only slowly comes out again.  There appears to be some kind of lubricant on it as well.  I have tried turning the cylinder with a screwdriver with and without pushing the cylinder up into the barrel but there is almost no resistance to turning and it doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I haven't been able to find any kind of manual for this device, but obviously wants to be adjusted, so what am I doing wrong in trying?

Here is a picture of the device:

Odds seem excellent that it was  coiled spring closer, and the spring (having been overstressed by wide opening, and/or simply from old age) is now snapped, so "adjusting it" won't happen. Replace, with any suitable door closer (ie, it need not be this particular type, if it's hard to find, which seems likely)

Here's some info, though it does not directly confirm or deny my suspicions: http://www.epivots.com/mpowr-mp-800.aspx


How Many Amps Is this breaker? I am trying to figure out how many amps this box has. Top left breaker is 50amp and top right is 30amp. I want to put an xray machine on this that requires 100amps at its max. Do you think its possible?

You say an X-Ray machine? To be honest if you can afford one of those you need a certified electrical to install it. Otherwise, poof - Something will burn and insurance (assuming you got some?) is out the door!

100A machine, assuming 220Volt, that is 22Killowats typical rating! Assuming the machine runs at 220volts, it could run at 500volts or 1000volts?

As the comments suggest its really difficult by just looking at the wires.

My guess is that the central bars are separate phases on which the breakers draw power from, at 220 volts, without extra information there is no way to tell. The top left and right rails are neutral rails because they are split, but even ground/earth rails can be split and joined somewhere else. We really need to see the bigger picture here.

Because this is an commercial device, by what it looks like running in a domestic environment, the safe answer will be No. You cannot connect the XRAY machine into that panel.

You should find out the maximum rating of the current phase/phases you got there and or apply for a new phase if needed. But even if they are more that sub panel just simply cannot handle 100A@220Volts using those power rails, long term load could be disastrous. Typically you will need a dedicated sub panel for to supply such a device.


Any recommendations for smoke detectors with wireless remote alarms? I would like to put a smoke detector in my attached garage and barn, with a wireless/remote signal with a a receiver inside the house.

So far I have found this one

I am assuming that with that one, you buy some number of them (maybe 2 or 3 in my case) and they all broadcast to each other?

Are there any other similar products that you have experience using?

I have First Alert Onelink in my home. It has a voice notification that indicates the location of the module activated to all other modules. (I have 4 in my home) There are hard-wired and battery powered units. They also use a photoelectric smoke sensor that reduces nuisance alarms from normal smoke or steam.

I personally don't know about the barn issue or the wireless range; but they have quite a few options among the models on the First Alert site.


Why does my house water pressure rise higher than the regulator setting? I have the water pressure regulator set at 60psi. I sometimes see the pressure at 70psi or higher. I have a new regulator but don’t know why the pressure rises.  I do have an expansion tank on the hot water heater that is less than a year old. Thought?

The regulator keeps the incoming pressure to 60.
The issue you are seeing is probably caused after using hot water , the cold water in the hw tank is at 60 and now being heated so the pressure rises.

To prove this to yourself if the pressure is at 70 open a cold water tap for a few seconds, now the pressure is at 60, if the water in the hot water tank is heated there will be no change in pressure (not much anyway).
Next go run a hot bath or at least 5 gallons of hot water with the faucets off at first your pressure will be 60 but over the next 1/2 hour or so as the water reaches temp it will go up to 70 as you have observed.
This is normal and with that small swing I would say your system is working perfectly.


What preparation of the substrate needs to be done after removing a tile and prior to installing the new tile A contractor really made a mess of our bathroom installation, and we are now trying to correct it.
Any advice as to the following procedure would be very much appreciated:

the old tile is removed, and all the old adhesive under is also be removed
a slurry of base coat( a primer which is cement based) and a bonding liquid mixed in the ration 5 kg base coat : 2,5 Lt bonding liquid, is applied.
wait 24 hours
apply adhesive and stick on the tiles. Carefully wipe away excess adhesive from the spaces between the tiles and the surfaces of the tiles
wait 24 hours
Apply grout
wait 2 hours - allow grout to set
wipe away excess grout
wait 24 hours
Apply grout sealer

I think your "slurry mix" is a floor leveler? Is that corect? Your pouring a slurry to level the floor. That would be the correct procedure to prepare a rough surface for tile
After it hardens tile installation can begin. You want to use a thin set adhesive to bond the tile to the surface. Thin set is mixed with water and /or an acrylic admixture (for resiliency) than troweled (notched). Tiles are pressed and set accordingly. Wipe away any squeezed-out thin set with a damp sponge.
When troweling grout into joints do so at a 45 degree angle to the
tile joint. work 3' x 3' areas (or whatever is comfortable). Wait for the grout to stiffen or when you wipe a moistened sponge across the grout joint it stays in place. Rinse frequently and wipe gently.
When you see a haze develop on the tile surface you need to wipe it with a dry rag or cheese cloth. Don't let it sit or it will be a real problem to remove.
That's the short answer on tile installation. It's more difficult than it looks and is best to have someone who's knowledgeable with installing it to be present.


Can I wire a Pump Start Relay to an outdoor GFCI outlet? I have an existing outdoor GFCI outlet. Can I wire a pump relay to the existing outlet, and put another GFCI outlet after the relay? The goal is to have the second outlet only powered when the relay is "switched on."

Background:
I've got a tank that is collecting rainwater. I'm wanting to use that water to feed some raised beds using an opensprinkler pi (OSpi). I want to use the OSpi to activate a pump start relay, which would then give power to the outlet and turn the pump on (pump is activated when hit with power, no on/off switch). I already have a pump that has a three-prong plug, and I'd like to keep that intact if possible, hence to wiring the outlet.

Setup:
-Dedicated circuit on a 20A breaker
-Existing outdoor GFCI outlet on the previously mentioned circuit
-All outlets are/will be housed in weather resistant bubble enclosures (like this)
-Pump Start relay comes with/will be housed in weatherproof enclosure
-Pump and sprinkler valves will also be in weatherproof housings/covered

Proposed Design/Wiring Diagram

Link to the above image can be found here: https://i.imgur.com/pia2Zry.png

This is why GFCIs have LOAD terminals

A receptacle-type GFCI has two sets of terminals: LINE and LOAD.  The use of the LINE terminals is simple -- these are where power is applied to the GFCI.  The LOAD terminals, though, are interesting -- they are effectively a third receptacle on the back of the GFCI, only implemented using screw terminals or backstabs instead of normal NEMA receptacle contacts.  In other words, they extend GFCI protection to whatever is connected to them.

So, you can connect the wires feeding power to your pump start relay box (hot + neutral) to the LOAD terminals on the existing GFCI.  This way, you don't need to put in another GFCI, just a standard receptacle, and you don't have to worry about oddities that might be caused by the second GFCI having power cut to it on a regular basis.  Just remember to put one of those "GFCI PROTECTED" stickers on the regular outlet that you're wiring up to the pump start box if you do this!


Will gently hammering thumbtacks into my wall help them stay better? So I'm thinking about fake-upholstering a wall in my bedroom in my apartment to create a focal wall without having to paint. I don't want to drill holes 'cause I'll be moving out of there in like 9 months, so I figure I'll just thumbtack the fabric to the wall, hiding the tacks.

Would hammering in the thumbtacks/pushpins into the wall gently help these thumbtacks stay in the wall better? If not, what will? I know that not moving or re-tacking the thumbtack will help it stay, but any other suggestions would be awesome.

The thumb tacks will hold best if they go straight in to the wall without wiggling. If they move back and forth as they're going in, they'll create a larger hole from which they could more easily be pulled. If you can push the tacks all the way in without side to side movement without using a hammer, then there's no advantage to using one. If the hammer allows you to push them in more easily, push them in straighter, or if you can't push them in all the way without a hammer, then the hammer would be better.


PVC leak under slab in outdoor waterfall feature I've searched the internet for a solution to my problem and I can't find anything that even references a potential fix.  Maybe one doesn't even exist, but I have to try, right?  So, here is my problem.  I have an outdoor man-made waterfall.  Of course, to get the waterfall to work, you need a sump pump and a pipe going back to the top to continue with the waterfall.  One winter I must not have winterized the return pipe well enough and a crack happened that now drains the water from the system in a matter of days. I need a fix that doesn't involve tearing up the ground to replace the portion of the damaged pipe.  Something akin to how you might fix a leaking radiator with pepper or egg yolks.  If anyone here knows of a product or home remedy that would work on this problem I would be grateful.  Thanks in advance for any help.

If you can get to both ends of that pipe, then I would slide a flexible pipe inside the broken one and connect to that...


Can I use 6" hook and loop disks with a 5" sander? A friend just gave me over a hundred 6" flat hook and loop disks. The only problem is, I've got a 5" orbital sander with dust collection which uses perforated sanding disks. Can I use these together with a little sticking off the edge? My only concern is that the sander somehow uses airflow for cooling its motor and bearings. Will this affect my sander's performance?

The holes on the discs may not line up with the ones in the base--if they don't, you'll have to be careful. As you say it will interfere with air flow, which will affect cooling, sanding, and sawdust removal. I'm not sure whether it's enough to damage the tool, unless maybe if you're sanding for hours, but the results may not be as good..

If you do use them, I would recommend cutting off the excess edge--it can dig into your piece and leave marks.


What is the purpose of the valve between these two pipes? I saw an interesting arrangement of pipes and valves in a house I visited. These are hot water pipes, the two vertical pipes connect to a radiator. What is the purpose of the valve between the two vertical pipes? I don't see how this could do anything useful, given the horizontal pipe that directly connects everything.

It is a bypass valve meant to be opened when the other two valves are closed.

The horizontal pipe above is connected using two diverter tees:

In a one-pipe system, each diverter tee restricts flow to direct a portion of the hot water through the local radiator and then return that flow back to the main line.  If the radiator in this room were shut off using only the vertical ball valves without opening the horizontal bypass valve, then the water flow would be restricted for the entire system, hurting heat delivery to the rest of the house.


How to seal straight-thread faucet shank / nipple to the faucet? I have a faucet which requires installation of a separate threaded 'shank' or nipple which acts as both the water supply inlet and also is used to anchor the faucet to the sink deck. These are supplied as separate parts to allow for varying thickness of countertops.

(Shown in the photo below - one male end of the shank goes into the faucet body, the other end protrudes through the sink and is fastened tight with the nut & washer).

These shanks have a 1/2" IPS straight thread. They are not NPT tapered. So I was expecting to use a rubber O-ring or washer when screwing them into the faucet. However there is no 'seat' or other surface in the faucet where such a part could go. It would literally just get lost inside the body of the faucet (before the valve).

I had thought the golden rule was that tapered threads require sealant (or tape) and straight threads require a washer/o-ring. But this faucet seems to allow for neither. The instructions with the faucet don't say.

I attempted to take apart some other old faucets to see how this was done, but the shanks were impossible to unscrew.

So - how can I seal these parts?

(Note - the faucet happens to be a Whitehaus WHFS9813-12-C.)

The scenario you've described is not ideal. The faucet was manufactured to a sub-optimal design. In this case, you must either select a different faucet, or improvise. Chicago Faucet has been using this same type of design on their wall and deck faucets for many years. They use an adhesive on their straight threads from the factory.

@DaveInCaz suggested you use a thread sealant. I would recommend an anerobic pipe thread sealant. Allow the nipple to cure into the faucet before attempting to connect your supply lines to the nipples. The torque you apply to tighten the supply line to each nipple could break the seal between the nipple and the faucet if you don't.

Your alternate choice is to select a different faucet.


DCS RGU-366 Oven will no longer heat I have:
DCS RGU 366-N oven
What happened:
Wife ran oven with the door slightly open, heating up all control knobs.
Symptoms:

Oven will no longer heat up.
Ring-light for oven knob no longer lights up.

I checked:

Gas supply: OK
Electrical Power: OK
Stove burners work, including Stove control knobs and lights.
When turning up oven temperature, the relais clicks ON and OFF as I set it higher or lower.

What should I be replacing for this oven, to repair it? There was a schematic on the back of the oven, as depicted below.

Specification Label:

UPDATE:
I removed the front panel, and then removed the over temperature control knob, depicted below:

I used the Ohm Meter to check that the relais indeed closes and opens as I set the temperature. I am going to assume that unit is still good.
I also have this part, which I suspect is the "Stalled Fan Thermostat?"

I'd check that and the High Temp Cutout as well
Assuming the "ring light" is either the Oven Heating or the Oven Ready light (or both), I'd check both the Stalled Fan cutout and the High Temp cutout (which will look similar to the cutout you have) to make sure that they have continuity.  If they're both working, though, I'd send for a new oven thermostat at that point.


Blower shut off but the AC unit ran for 20-30 minutes afterward Last night I turned my AC down a couple degrees before going to bed. The AC was running at the time, so when I set the temp below the current temp, the blower turned off. After getting in bed, however, I could still hear the hum of the AC unit outside. I went outside to be sure. From the thermostat I turned the blower to manual, and sure enough, cold air came from the vent. I turned the blower off, the AC continued to run...

I then turned the thermostat from 'cool' to off. Still, the AC kept running. I wan't really sure what to do because it was 11pm. I unplugged and plugged back in the thermostat. Still it continued running...

Eventually, maybe 20-30 minutes after initially adjusting the temp, the unit finally shut down. I turned the thermostat back to cool, now set to 78 degrees, well above the current temp. The next morning I turned the temp down, the systems came on as usual, and after a few minutes, shut down as usual -- twice before I left for work.

Is this a one-off thing? Should I have the system serviced?

Also, the AC is on the interruptable circuit, but the light was green (circuit open) when this was all happening.

Any ideas? Thanks.

It was a sticky relay. I should have just hit the AC unit and the relay probably would have un-stuck, but only to have gotten stuck again later. I could have just cleaned the relay too, but I had the HVAC guy replace it with a new one he had on the truck.


How to diagnose a lightswitch that appears to do nothing Recently purchased property in the US, built in 1956. One bedroom has a lightswitch by the door that seems like it should control the ceiling fixture, but it doesn't. The ceiling fixture is a fan (with a remote, if it matters) and the fan can be turned on and off via the remote regardless of the switch position. So the ceiling fixture is always powered. I've also tested all of the outlets in the room and none of them are controlled by the switch. My questions:

Where do I go from here? I've been hesitant to pull the switch out of the wall to investigate because I don't know for sure what circuit it's on. I suppose I could just turn off the whole house to investigate safely, but I'm still not totally sure what I'm looking for.

My leading theories are that either the switch itself is faulty and stuck on, or the previous owner did some kind of bypass when the fan was installed.

Any thoughts on this?
UPDATE: Didn't have a ton of time last night to investigate, but I checked both plugs on all the outlets in the room, none seem tied to the switch. Still could be the tab. Removed the cover from the switch and at first glance it seems normal-ish. There's wiring in the box, and it connects to the switch. This is 1950s wiring so it's not super obvious at a glance which wire is which. I'll have to pull the switch out to tell more.
UPDATE Again: Found the breaker. The circuit contains quite a few things:

the bedroom ceiling fixture in question
all the outlets in the bedroom
a hallway ceiling light nearby
a bathroom ceiling light nearby
a GFCI outlet in the bathroom

The hallway and bathroom lights on the circuit have light switches that work correctly. The bedroom fixture is the only one stuck on. What's weird is it appears to be wired as a 3-way, see the pic. Bonus terrible rotted 1950's wiring insulation included. Am I interpreting that wiring wrong? Why does it look like a 3-way, but doesn't operate as a 3-way with any other switches? Anyway, next step is to check the receptacles on the circuit for any switched ones.
Although I'm beginning to suspect the switch is simply bypassed at the fan, apparently that is more common than I realized.

A switch is required by code in most places for most rooms - that way you automatically know how to easily turn on the light. But code does not (generally) mandate a particular lighting method, so many builders don't bother to put in the light fixture and just connect the switch to a receptacle for the homeowner to plug in a lamp. One of the first things I did after moving into my house (and I was not the first owner - people just don't realize they can change things, I guess) was to have ceiling lights installed in the bedrooms and connect the existing switches to them and disconnect the switches from the receptacles.
Three likely possibilities:

The switch was disconnected from whatever it originally switched. This could be an originally switched receptacle or it could be the ceiling fixture - e.g., to always be able to use the remote and not have a problem of being unable to turn it on with the remote because somebody had turned off the switch. If that's the case then if you open the switch you will either find no wires connected to the switch (i.e., disconnected from the switch and now bypassing the switch) or wires connected to the switch but none of them with any power (i.e., a non-contact voltage tester will show nothing on any of the wires).

The switch is supposed to control half of a receptacle. The receptacle was replaced at some time (to fix a broken receptacle, or for a different color to match new paint, or whatever) and the tab connecting the top & bottom hot screws was not removed.

The switch is supposed to control an entire receptacle. The wiring was redone at the receptacle at some time in order to make the receptacle always hot but the switch wires were left in place.


GFCI won't reset, charges neutral when wired up I have a single GFCI outlet on it's own circuit in a bathroom. When the breaker is on and outlet isn't wired, the hot has current (using a probe tester) and neutral and ground do not. When I hook up the GFCI and turn the breaker on, the hot and neutral have current, ground does not, but the GFCI won't reset and power devices plugged into it. I have tried 4 different GFCI outlets and know that at least two of them are functional as they work when hooked up to other wiring. There is nothing else on this circuit, and I don't have any idea what might be causing this. Please help!

In your case the neutral wire is broken.

It is rather unusual for wires  to break by themselves, so most likely the problem is at a termination. We can exclude this location, that leaves the service panel.

The neutral wire isn't becoming magically energized when you connect a GFCI to it. The GFCI uses some electricity for its own functions and returns it to the neutral wire. With the neutral broken there is nowhere for that voltage to go, so it stays on the neutral wire, lifting it to 120 volts. The same thing would happen if you used a regular receptacle and a night light.

No receptacle will work at this location until you fix the neutral.


Can I connect two phases on a single phase inverter? At home we have three 127v AC power supply, 120° from one another. I want to install grid tied PV array, and the project approved by the electrical company displays a single phase inverter connected to two out of the three phases available at home (I guess I'll have to choose the phase with higher load or something like that). The inverter in question is this one.

The problem is: nowhere in the manufacturer's manual such weird configuration seems advised. It is explicitly stated that it is a single phase device, and I must connect L, N and PE on the AC side of the inverter, which I take L to be the phase, N the neutral, an PE the ground (which is shorted to the neutral inside the electric box at home). I assume the project advises to connect ground to PE, phase 1 to L, phase 2 to N, and leave phase 3 out.

How is this supposed to work? Only one phase will be powered by the inverter and the other will be used simply as reference? Can it damage the equipment? Is such installation common?

Looks fine to me.    Consult with the manufacturer to assure the machine is internally built to be able to accept line wire on the "N" terminal.  I expect it will be -- they couldn't sell any in North America/Colombia if not.

You have 3-phase "wye" power, Brazilian style.  A single-phase load could either go corner-neutral (127V) or go corner-corner (220V).

When you're backfeeding into the grid at a small scale, the same applies to feeds as loads.  Since you can attach a single-phase 220V load to A-B, you can also attach a single-phase backfeed there.

It does not matter to which phases your house's loads are attached, because you know of course that a grid-tied solar inverter is totally incapable of creating power for your local use during power outages.  That is not what grid-tied inverters do.  If you want that ability, things get  more complicated.


What kind of wall switch is needed for a natural gas fireplace to ignite consistently? When we moved in, our natural gas fireplace worked well: Flick the switch & it would ignite.

Years later, it started acting erratically: Sometimes, the switch worked, other times, no luck.  We'd try turning the switch off & on again a few times ("Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off & on again?") and occasionally that would get it going.

Most recently, the workaround hasn't, & the burners fail to ignite 100% of the time. The pilot is fine.

Knowing the fireplace doesn't use the house power (we could use it even during an outage), I figured the voltage was low enough for me to troubleshoot. I disconnected the switch and tried to turn on the fireplace by carefully joining the conductors. This worked 100% of the time. So, I believed the fireplace was OK and decided the switch needed to be replaced.

Since I had it open already, I immediately installed a spare switch I had lying around. This worked well at first, turning the fireplace on & off 100% of the time on that first day. However, the next day, it was acting up again and failing most of the time.

I'm thinking it worked that first day since I'd warmed up the fireplace by connecting the wires, and subsequent attempts that immediately followed, using the new switch, could take advantage of the higher starting heat that generated just enough voltage.  However, once the fireplace cooled to the pilot-only ambient temperature the next day, it wasn't enough voltage.

What kind of switch, exactly, should I be getting to fix this? I checked our big-box hardware stores but their switches all seem rated for typical 120V+ use.  I spotted thermostats in the fireplace section, yet no switches. Where, generally speaking, might I find what I'm looking for? I'd prefer just a wall switch, and I don't want to call somebody in to fix this.

The thermopile in your fireplace puts out millivolts, nothing near the 120V the light switch was designed for.  It's probably just a matter of finding a switch with a low enough on resistance.  A generic low voltage switch from a electronics store, or ripped out of a toy, would probably do it (for example a 12V SPST).  Really here the smaller the better, but beware of anything too cheap as that may put you down the wrong path again.

There are some fireplace specific forums which could help, particularly with a model number given.  An example is http://www.hearth.com/talk/ .  The above image is from "Discover Circuits Magazine (December 2009 Issue 4)", which has a guide on this exact topic along with a clever booster solution from one "Mr. Wily Widget".  Find it over at http://www.discovercircuits.com/dc-mag/Issue_4/pg-7.htm

You can also try cleaning the thermopile which may have crust of soot.  Measure the voltage between those two exposed wires to see if your cleaning makes an improvement.


How large of a hole can I fill with putty in cedar siding? I have cedar siding and I've noticed some smaller holes.  I've taken a chisel and verified that the hole is properly cleaned.  There was some decayed wood, but I'm down to the hard stuff.  Here's my question:  how big does a hole have to get before I have to trade out the outdoor-rated wood putty for an actual piece of wood?  Dime? Quarter? Silver Dollar?

It will depend on the type of product being used to fill the hole - some are better suited to small holes while others can handle larger holes.  Products that don't (or resist) shrinking will be better for larger holes where the shrinking would be more noticable and might result in cracks.

Check out the products at your local home center and read the labels to find a product best suited to your needs.

As for taking size of the hole into consideration, both the diameter and depth are important to consider.  A long shallow scratch will be easier to fill than a smaller but deep hole.


Wiring a subpanel next to main in finished wall I'm putting in a 100A subpanel next to the 200A main to add some more outlets for the garage. The walls are finished and the main is flush mounted in the wall so I plan to do the same with the subpanel.

Since it's for 100A and my breaker says it's for 75C wire I'm planning to use 3AWG CU for the hots and neutral. I couldn't find the NEC code for it, but I keep reading I can use 8AWG for the ground (would love some confirmation of that).

The wire distance will be about 32" plus excess for routing because there will just be one 16" OC stud bay in between the two panels. I think I can get away with 5 feet of wire, but plan to measure it out and may need 6.

My question is, if I want to run the wire in the wall, are my only options to get something like SER 3-3-3-5 cable and route that through the studs, or get separate THHN wires and ground and somehow put conduit in the studs (notching them and adding a nail plate)? Home Depot has both, but THHN is cheaper (assuming I have enough conduit already). Also, if I use THHN, it's okay if all 3 wires are black right (nothing in code says the neutral needs to be white)? That's all Home Depot carries for 3AWG copper.

Your ground wire qualifies as an EGC, use table 250.122, #8 is good for 100A. Conduit would not require nail plate protection (300.4(A)(2) ex.1). You can phase tape wires #4 and larger (200.6).


How can I control two lights together at one switch location and independently at two other locations? I want to install a couple lights above our night stands. Pendants or wall sconces; kind of irrelevant. I have been searching about getting these wired on a four-way circuit with all three switches having the ability to dim using Meastro switches. I am wondering if it is possible to wire these so there is a switch by the entrance to the room and two switches on each side of the bed. The switch at the entrance would turn both lights on and the switches on the sides of the bed would turn their respective side light on/off independently from the other side? I’d like to use these to light the room on entry as well as have the ability to just turn my side light on without bothering my wife. Almost like a double three way switch but the double switch always throws both lights on. Hope this is a clear enough explaination.

You can't do what you hope with conventional switches. The logic is too complex. You'd have to look to smart switch options, and even then it may not be practically feasible. (How do you override the bedside switches with the doorway switch in both on and off states?)

I'd do conventional three-ways for each light and just have two switches at the doorway, maybe using a dual single-gang switch set. You can then be sure to have independent dimming as well, probably at the bedside.


Stuck building craftsman style coffee table I'm attempting to build (and learn at the same time) a craftsman / arts and crafts style coffee table. It's a smaller project to learn on, before I start taking on more complex projects. I've made some good progress so far, building everything out of oak. The legs are built out of quarter sawn oak planks, using a lock-miter router bit to get them to all have the correct face looking outwards.

I've hit a couple of major snags, and the project has stalled for quite a while, but I'd like to get back into it. The snags are with the hole in the cross rail through which the shelf on the bottom of the table passes through (see second image), and the holes in the legs into which the cross rail passes through. I've attached my sketchup drawings for reference, the first is the picture of the whole table, and the second is of the specific areas where I'm stalled.

The specific issue that I'm having is how to make the holes in the wood, and have them come out square. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a dedicated mortising machine (and I'm not sure that would be the answer anyway). I do have a drill press with a mortising attachment, which worked really well for some of the other (smaller) holes that I had to make.

I started the hole on one cross rail with the drill press and the mortising bit, but it didn't come out square (if you can imaging drilling a small square hole, moving the piece down a bit, drilling the next hole, and repeating until the dimensions of the hole are complete, that's what I did). The edges are all very jagged, and I'm having a very difficult time getting them smooth.

How does one usually make these sorts of holes? I'm hesitant to keep going and screw up more parts of the table.

You're cutting a mortise.  The classic method is to drill a succession of overlapping holes, using a bit that's approximately the width of your desired mortise.  You then clean it up/square it up with a (SHARP!) wood chisel.

Youtube it and you can see it being done.

I would advise you one small thing:  I wouldn't run a mortise and tenon joint through the middle of a hollow leg.  I'd fill the hollow part with wood, at least at the point that the tenon will penetrate.


Did I cause problems removing outlet? I removed an electrical outlet by simply disconnecting three wires (ground, hot, and common) and isolating the end of each wire with electrical tape. I have covered the hole and finished the paint work. Now I noticed that a few switches and outlets on another floor of the house stopped working (my non contact voltage detector shows outlets are hot, but connected devices don't work). How can I tell if what I did caused the problem?

You disconnected wires that were hot, wrapped them with electrical tape, and buried them in the wall after removing the junction box. You're not allowed to do that.

You can't terminate live wires anywhere but a box.

So you have 3 choices.

Follow the cable to wherever it goes, positively identify that it that same cable, and remove it from there also, pulling the entire cable out of the wall (or at least, as much as it's possible to remove).  That permanently removes the cable from service.
Route the cable to a place where you can put a junction box, bring them into the box nice-n-legal with appropriate cable clamps, secure them, and then put a blank junction box cover on it.  Or a recep if you want.
Use a Tyco style in-wall splice to extend the cable to somewhere you actually do want a receptacle, fit a box there, and fit a recep there.  This may help with the next part.

Every point on a wall must be within 6' of a recep

(that means following the wall and rounding corners, but not crossing thresholds; presuming the person will lay the appliance cord along the wall perimeter.  Standard cords are 6' long).   So what can happen when you remove a recep higgledy-piggledy, is now you leave a significant part of your wall inaccessible to any receptacle.  That's a code violation.

It is even a code violation if your site is grandfathered to before that was a requirement: you're not allowed to make things worse.

As far as the other circuits breaking

I think there's more to this story.  I think there were more wires than the ones you have mentioned.


Can PoE cause interference with neighboring non-PoE Ethernet cables? I plan on upgrading my home Wireless Access Point in the near future and rather than running an extension cord to the location I was thinking about getting a WAP that supports Power Over Ethernet.

My concern is, since there is DC flowing thru the cable, will it cause interference with neighboring non-PoE Ethernet cables?

The PoE cable path will run parallel in a bundle to several Ethernet cables and cross another bundle of Ethernet cables.

No, not a bit. Twisted pair cables are HIGHLY resistant to interference pickup. Furthermore, DC does not cause interference, since it is basically an unchanging current, so there's no change in magnetic fields from it to cause interference (other than when turned on, and off - and the twisted pair cables will reject that interference by design, anyway.)

I have many bundles of cables including POE cables in my work role. Interference is not a factor.


Are these black marks near an electrical box signs of an electrical problem that I should be concerned about? My garage has an electrical box with no receptacle in it, just wire-nutted wires. It came this way when I bought the house.

A non-contact voltage tester shows that the black wires are hot. I was about to shut off the breaker and install a receptacle in the box, but then I noticed the black marks around it which almost look like burn marks.

Should I be concerned that these marks tell the story of an electrical problem in the past, perhaps hinting that there's a good reason why there's no receptacle hooked up right now?

That does look as if it could be soot. The wires themselves don't look damaged (melted, charred).

So there may have been some kind of appliance or device plugged into an outlet there, which failed and caught on fire, which presumably also damaged the receptacle. Or the receptacle itself may have failed and started smoking. In either case, the receptacle was never replaced, possibly just because it wasn't convenient or the previous owner never got around to it, or didn't know how.

There wasn't necessarily an overcurrent condition. But if there was, it could have been due to all kinds of transient conditions.

However, there's also a chance that the overcurrent was due to something like a floating neutral in your panel, which can be really dangerous. As in appliances spontaneously catching on fire or blowing up, and so on.

Do you have any electrical problems anywhere else in the house?

The wires in this box are connected straight through, which indicates that you probably have healthy receptacles further "downstream," in which case there's no reason why this box should be a problem with a new receptacle in it.

For peace of mind, you may want to hire an electrician to check things out all the way back to your service panel, to make sure that all of the connections are tight and you don't have any intermittent failures (like a cracked wire that carries enough current 90% of the time, but then overheats and moves causing voltage fluctuations).

If you disconnect the wirenuts, only one of the black wires should be live, and it should only show current when connected to one of the white (grounded/neutral) wires, and it should also show current when connected to one of the ground wires. Those would be the three wires that lead back "upstream" to your service panel. The other wires carry current on to additional outlets. In both cases (grounded and grounding, or neutral and ground) the current should be a steady 120 volts give or take a few volts, with or without a load on the circuit.


Will an AC compressor work upside down? If an AC system is designed to keep liquid refrigerant out of the compressor, will the compressor be ok if installed upside down? It should only be dealing with gaseous refrigerant, but I don't know if there is something in the pump design where orientation matters. I know if you invert something like a complete window AC unit and try to run it, things will go boom when liquid hits the pump.

No, a typical fixed-use AC compressor will NOT work properly in any orientation but upright.

Most designed have a sealed can containing the compressor itself with an electric motor driving a crankshaft to which a connecting rod is attached which drives the pump.  The bottom of the can is filled with lubricating oil for the bearings on the shaft and connecting rod.

If you invert the unit the oil will go to what is normally the top of the can and will not lubricate the mechanicals properly.

Here is a diagram that shows the basic layout of the parts:

AC compressor diagram


Is drywall installer trying to pull one over on us? Our drywall installer tells us that we need to prime the walls before his finisher can fix the MANY issues with their finishing work so far. I can’t find any information that suggests this is normal practice. Is this guy screwing with us?

I'd say it's a little from column A and a little from column B.

A good drywaller will get the finish to a point of being pretty darn good before primer. A bright light shone sideways on the wall shows where work is needed.

That said, primer shows all the little (emphasis: they should be little) flaws that the painter usually touches up.

So, I'd suggest you try and get him to do his best before paint. If you're concerned about the job being finished, holding partial payment back is common. Don't be punitive, but don't make it such a trivial sum that he can write you off.


What type of paint to recoat a ceramic tile hearth? The hearth in front of my newly retiled fireplace (which was described in a DIY blog) needs repainting to complete the job.

The hearth is made up of 6x6 ceramic tiles that have a well adhered coat of paint (or more likely several coats) over both the tiles and the grout. The surface is satin and has only a few small areas that have been worn through. There is no flaking.

I plan to wire brush any loose paint, sand lightly and wipe clean.

The Question: What type of paint is best to stand up to the scuffing of shoes, logs and fireplace tools, and to withstand a bit of heat (near the firebox edge) and the possible occasional flying cinder?

I like the hardness of enamels.  Oil based trim paint or the newer water borne oils are quite tough.


Adding Siemens Whole House SPD to Pseudo neutral Siemens GFCI Harper taught me how to connect the following and it's working perfectly. From (related to) the post
Connecting a Pseudo-Neutral to Pig Tail of GFCI
where I only have 240v black and red line of the US ac power in the Philippines and the Siemens GFCI has 120v circuitry. So Harper suggested an autotransformer with neutral to power it and worked flawlessly.

Harper, etc. Can I add the following to the above?

I mean the Neutral and Ground will be connected to the autotransformer centertapped output with the 2 Hot connected to the autotransformer input? This is to avoid surges damaging the sensitive GFCI circuitry (the internal MOV may not be enough).

Note I can easily use the Siemens First Surge by simply shorting the ground/neutral leads and not connecting it to anything and just connecting the two hots. No alarm sounded and the Siemens First Surge works without error.

But this won't offer the L-N protection mode with lower VPR (600) instead of L-L of 900v VPR (related to Let-through voltage). Hence I need to use 120v protection mode too by connecting the neutral/ground of the Siemens First Surge to the autotransformer neutral lead (which powers the Siemens GFCI breaker circuitry).

Remember when I warned you not to get tempted to use the pseudo-neutral for anything else?   This.

This is exactly the sort of "scope creep" I'm talking about.  "Oh, I've got another thing that needs neutral, I'll just grab it from there". Nuh-uh. No way.

See, the GFCI uses neutral only for its  own internal power, it's a tiny load.  The surge suppressor doesn't use neutral for internal power, it uses it to suppress surges on the neutral: it aims to flow hundreds of amps down the neutral.

That would vaporize the tiny transformer.

It's also possible the surge suppressor has some lights on it.  Those are probably to indicate faults such as a lost pole or lost neutral. The latter being particularly dangerous in North America, but a big nothingburger in your part of the Philippines.

(To our readers, the Philippines is in the midst if a transition between North American 120/240V and European 230V.  The first step of the process was deleting center neutral. Those neighborhoods get 2 legs of power, neither one near ground. This is unlike Europe, where one of the legs of power is neutral and thus near ground.)

The simple fact is, surge suppression in the Philippines is a difficult problem. At first glance, Euro style surge suppressors are a better fit, because they only protect surges on 2 poles.  However, Euro units expect there to be a neutral that is near ground, so they may not br a good application.

Indigenous units actually built for the Philippines would be the best choice.  Otherwise you have two options, and I would consult with the factory:

hook the surge suppressor's neutral and ground to your earthing system.
if the suppressor can stand 240V across hot-neutral, wire both hots to one leg of power and neutral to the other leg of power. But I would not do that without factory consultation.

Keep in mind, you are seeing the spec call out a higher voltage across the 240V wires because it should be that way for 240V.  You can't outsmart the factory, they are pretty smart.


Obscure 4-way shower faucet cartridge Where can I get a 4-way shower faucet cartridge? I need one that's 42mm, and Amazon only has 40 or 45mm.

Cartridges (and most every other part...) for shower valves are specific to brand and model. You can't just go looking for a part the way you are thinking you can. It has to be designed to fit your valve exactly. You need to hunt by brand and model...


Can the water heater be damaged if the gas has been shut off? Can the water heater be damaged if the gas has been turned off for a period of time?

That depends. If the water heater in question has a pilot light, as opposed to an igniter, then probably not, but if there is an igniter and not a pilot light, the fuse for the igniter could blow as the igniter tries to light a nonexistent gas flow. As far as physical damage to the water heater itself, I don't see how. A fuse is a pretty minor fix. And if you turn the thermostat all the way down, you shouldn't have to worry about the fuse either.


Why would my house be so humid even when the A/C is running? I live in Florida which this year has been particularly hot and humid. However, a while back I noticed mold in my closet and a very musty smell in my living room.
Actually I even found mold growing on a wooden chair in my bedroom.

About 4 or 5 years ago I replace my central a/c with a hi efficiency SEER 18+.

Unable to locate any leaks which might be responsible I purchased a 70 pt dehumidifier which has run constantly.  when I first turned on the dehumidifier, I read that the  existing humidity was over 70%
Is this normal, or are their other factors at play?  My house is 1700 sf (with high ceilings and the a/c is 3 ton.

A few theories as to what might be going on:

You have bad ductwork with few returns. If that's the case, you're just not moving enough air to dehumidify every room.
Your AC unit is oversized. And oversized AC unit will cool the air very fast and then shut off. The problem with that is if the AC unit is only running for short periods, it's not given enough time to properly dehumidify the air.
You have massive air leaks in the house. Maybe as simple as an open door or window. Maybe more complex like no insulation or air barriers in the walls.
You have a massive water leak in the house. Leaking foundation/crawlspace, leaking pluming in the wall, roof leak, etc.

A 1700sf isn't a huge house, so I have a hunch a 3 ton unit is simply too big for your particular house. On average, do you know how often the AC kicks on and for how long? Do you know if they did proper calculations on your house before sizing the unit?


How big is a framed opening for a door relative to the finished door opening width? How much space should be allowed between studs to allow for a door?

For example, if the finished door has a 30" opening, then what should be the distance between the framing studs that enclose the door?

Normally rough opening is 2 inches larger then the nominal door size. This leaves approximately 1/4" on each side for shimming to plumb.

Some carpenters prefer 2-1/2", leaving a 1/2" gap for shimming. In case framing isn't very precise (say when using unskilled volunteer labor), 1/4" can sometimes be inadequate.


Tear out regular mesh Fiba tape in tub setting? I recently used mesh tape on all cement board corners on a tub area I’m about to tile.  I didn’t realize there was mesh tape specifically designed for cement board. I just used the regular stuff for drywall and got everything finished and ready for tile using my thin set. It looks good and feels sturdy, but am I going to have major long-term consequences with the tape itself breaking down? This is a tub area, not shower, and it’s not going to be highly used.

Do I need to chisel it all out and redo those corners with the alkali resistant mesh tape? Or am I probably good?

Long term consequences? Yes. The thinset mortar and the backerboard will release alkali when exposed to moisture and over time that will deteriorate the fiberglass resins in the tape. Major consequence? Meh... the tape is there to reinforce the corners and edges against minor shifting in the house structure so that it doesn't result in straining the mortar, leading to cracks and dislodging of the tiles. If it's a tub area, only the lower areas will likely see enough moisture contact to affect the alkali release, so then the rest of the tape in the corners is still going to aid in keeping it all together. And besides, you may not get a lot of shifting of the structure anyway. Not everyone even uses tape at all!


Can I join different flooring to cover a height gap? 3/4 of my kitchen has tiles in it the other 1/4 has no tiles, just the concrete underneath so there is a height difference.
You may wonder why I don't take the tiles out and level everything but its complicated and most importantly I hope to move out of here soon so don't need a great floor.
Anyway I have some spare vinyl lying around may use that for 1/4 of the room and will get new sheet for the other 3/4.
It maybe the case that the sheets need to be joined at an angle due to the height difference.  Can you use the standard way to seam to accomplish this or will it come off or just be an ok job?  As I say doesn't need to be perfect job just functional until I get out in some months.
Also if the flooring is going at angle does that mean it will rip over time, how can I prevent this(without leveling the subfloor as I don't want to if possible)?

No you can't.   Well you can but you wouldn't be doing anything right.   There isn't a suitable transition piece that would hold up to use for tile to vinyl transition at an angle.   Actually the only way you can do angles is going from carpet to tile or tile to tile and while those work they aren't pretty and could be dangerous.

The easiest way to get with the is to flatten the area by the transition and let the rest of the kitchen run at a gradual angle.   There are a ton of ways you can transition this setup and you will probably just end up with a simple U channel metal strip - where the butt side is against tile and vinyl inserted into U.

The other option is just to tile the who thing and use some kind of border tile to do the transition - again could be a trip hazard and isn't really right.   If you are selling the house soon it seems kind of dumb spending time to do something wrong when others will make you pay for it in the sale price.


How can I determine circuit breaker requirements for an electric range? I recently had a new range installed and when an electrician was visiting, he pointed out that the circuit was over capacity because the range was rated at 12.2KW at 240V.  He said 12,200 W / 240 V = 51A minimum.

However, I told him that the specs and installation guide state that the range only needs a 40A circuit and the manufacturer confirmed that this isn't a mistake.

So what gives?  Is the equation the electrician is using incorrect?

One of my favorite code sections, which basically says RTFM...

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Article 110 Requirements for Electrical Installations

  I. General

  110.3 Examination, Identification, Installation and Use of Equipment.

  (B) Installation and Use. Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling.

If the installation manual says that 40 ampere overcurrent protection is required, then 40 ampere overcurrent protection is all that's required.

Extra Reading.

If you read further through the code, you'll get to article 422. There you'll find 422.10, which says.

  Article 422 Appliances

  II. Installation

  422.10 Branch Circuit Rating.

  (A) Individual Circuits. ...
  ... Branch circuits and branch circuit conductors for household ranges and cooking appliances shall be permitted to be in accordance with Table 220.55 and shall be sized in accordance with 210.19(A)(3).

This says that instead of simply using the rated values directly, you can use values found in these other code sections instead. If you look at Table 220.55, you'll find that if you only have 1 range, you can use 8 kW instead of the rated 12 kW.

  Article 220 Branch Circuit, Feeder, and Service Calculations

  III. Feeder and Service Load Calculations

  220.55 Electric Ranges and Other Cooking Appliances — Dwelling Unit(s). The load for household electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, and other household cooking appliances individually rated in excess of 1 3/4 kW shall be permitted to be calculated in accordance with Table 220.55. Kilovolt-amperes(kVA) shall be considered equivalent to kilowatts (kW) for loads calculated under this section.

This means that you'd only have a demand of 33.33 amperes.

8000 W / 240 V = 33.33 A

However, we also have to take 210.19(A)(3) into account, which says...

  Article 210 Branch Circuits

  II. Branch-Circuit Ratings

  210.19 Conductors -- Minimum Ampacity and Size.

  (A) Branch Circuits Not More Than 600 Volts.

  (3) Household Ranges and Cooking Appliances. Branch circuit conductors supplying household ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, and other household cooking appliances shall have an ampacity not less than the rating of the branch circuit and not less than the maximum load to be served. For ranges of 8 3/4 kW or more rating, the minimum branch-circuit rating shall be 40 amperes.

This means that since you have a range with a rating more than 8 3/4 kW, the minimum circuit rating is 40 amperes.  So despite the fact that you used Table 220.55 to calculate a rating of 33.33 amperes, the circuit cannot be less than 40 amperes.  Therefore, you'll install conductors rated for 40 amperes, and a 40 ampere overcurrent device.


Will new bottom plates in basement allow radon penetration? I am getting ready to finish my basement.  I can use Tapcons or a Ramset to attach the bottom plates of the walls to the concrete slab with drain tile underneath.  Will these holes from the screws or nails allow radon in?

If you have radon, it's already likely getting in--concrete is permeable. So adding a small nail hole isn't going to change anything. Also note that tapcons don't actually penetrate all the way through the slab.

If you have radon, you need to get a radon remediation system installed. This will put a hole in your slab so the radon has a place to go (and then it's vented out the roof).


How can I remove laminate flooring from an oddly shaped hallway without destroying it? I have a locking laminate floor that runs continuously through two large rooms and down a narrow hallway.  The boards run length-wise down the hallway, and through the large room--the hallway "rows" are 40' long in total--20' in the hallway, 20' in the large room.  When looking at the overall floor the hallway is in the middle of the rows.

The hallway flooring suffered some water damage along one side.  I need to remove it, replace the padding underneath, and replace the laminate portions which are warped.

Here's a rough diagram of the full floor.  Each "|" represents a laminate piece--there are no transitions.  In reality the pieces are staggered.

   ||| < this is the hallway flooring
   |||
   ||| |||||
   ||| |||||
||||||||||||
||||||||||
||||||||
||||||||

And here's a photo of the hallway.  The sections I need to remove and replace are outlined.

My question is how to remove the flooring from just the hallway.  Ideally I'd be able to remove it non-destructively and leave the main floor undisturbed so that I can reinstall the hallway flooring.

I understand I'll need to cut some of the pieces to remove them at the junction of the two rooms, but will I be able to reinstall new pieces using the locking mechanism--or will the only option be to trim and glue in the pieces at the junction of the rooms?

Any advice, tips, our thoughts would be appreciated!

The rule of thumb is, "last pieces down are the first and easiest to remove".
If the hallway was the last to be laid, it will be an easy pull. That would be the first that needs to pull up. Remove the shoe mold, remove the damaged flooring, you may need to remove some that is not damaged to easily remove it all. Once you see how the first few pieces come up the rest will be easy. It will only be easy to remove in a given direction only. If the room to the right was done last then the removal will need to start with a saw cut at the opening. The replacement may take a glued joint or transition strip to change the direction of the "lay" of the floor.


How should I add a rail on a carpeted stairway that's open on one side? I'm buying a house with carpeted stairs leading into the basement.  Attached is a picture of it.  I have very little skill when it comes to home improvement.  What's the easiest and most economical way to put a railing on these stairs?  Is there a good tutorial online?  As I mentioned above, these stairs are carpeted. I would not want to ruin the stair carpet in the process.

You'll have to cut the carpet to attach the railing properly. Go grab the latest newstand issue of Fine Homebuilding. They have a full article on it:

(Not affiliated with the magazine in any-way other than I am a fan and find it to be the best construction magazine out there)

Also, heads up that this will likely be caught on an inspection and/or appraisal. The current homeowners may be required to do this to even get a mortgage approved.


Is there a tool shaped like a thin-bladed putty knife but with a rubber blade and spongelike surface? Sorry if this is a duplicate, thanks in advance!

I am trying to clean up under the rim of my toilet near where the jets are, and I can't reach a finger or rigid brush up there.

There may be a better way, but does anyone know whether there is a tool like the one described in the subject line above? I am looking for something that I could reach through the narrow slit between the rim and wall of the toilet, then scrape across the surface.

Thank you!

This sounds like a disposable foam paint brush

  Images and links are illustrative only, not an endorsement of goods or sources


Do retrofit ground wires need to be run in conduit? I'm moving my water heater to another corner of the room it is in, to allow for more usable space in the room. However, the grounding wire is only 14 ga instead of the required 10, and it's not in the same cable as the power conductors. I need to upgrade the ground wire or run a new 10/2 w/ground cable, but I'm not sure which will be simpler.

This answer about grounding an oven receptacle states that you can use "any achievable route" to retrofit a ground. Does that mean you can run THHN outside of conduit, even though you'd normally never be allowed to?

Conduit or armor is only needed in certain cases

Retrofitted equipment grounding conductors (i.e. grounding conductors not run alongside the circuit conductors) only need the protection of conduit or cable armor if they are smaller than 6AWG and run exposed or otherwise subject to physical damage.   This is laid out in NEC 250.120(C):

  (C) Equipment Grounding Conductors Smaller Than 6 AWG.
  Where not routed with circuit conductors as permitted in
  250.130(C) and 250.134(B) Exception No. 2, equipment
  grounding conductors smaller than 6 AWG shall be protected
  from physical damage by an identified raceway or cable armor
  unless installed within hollow spaces of the framing members
  of buildings or structures and where not subject to physical
  damage.

Normally, unless you're dealing with particularly egregrious physical damage exposures, the armor on a Bare Armored Ground cable should suffice; upsizing the wire to 6AWG is also a suitable approach in many cases.


Forced air heating air inlet in crawl space The air inlet for my electric forced air heating is a small vent on the duct in the crawl space.

Although the crawl space is sealed with a concrete floor and heated (ie insulation is around the outside) it seems wrong to be taking the 'fresh' air from a dusty unused crawl space and blowing that around the house.

Does this make any sense? Should I block this vent, if so do I need to fit another and where?

For heating I like to have an intake at the lowest part of the house to pull out the cold air.  This may very well be in or near that crawlspace.  If it has a filter, then I wouldn't worry about dust.  Just be sure you're replacing the filter regularly.  However, I would want to know how fresh air gets into that crawlspace.  If it's sealed off, then you are hurting the performance of your heating system.  Otherwise, your intake is effectively where ever the opening to the crawlspace is.

When possible, it's nice to have a short path between the return vent and the blower unit.  In addition to less cost of materials, you have less distance you are forcing the blower to suck the air through, and therefore more efficiency.


Primer advice for wall unit I want to paint these two black storage wall units. I’m not sure if it’s oil-based paint.
Is this Zinnser 1-2-3 Bullseye primer suitable to cover the wall units?
What kind of paint type recommendations exist for book-shelf type units. We want a simple plain white. Latex? Enamel?

Use enamel. Latex is too soft for book shelves. Using the right primer is also important and this depends on the material you are trying to paint. You don't want the paint to be removed by placing things on the shelves, so the bond to the base material needs to be strong. I don't think the primer you pictured is an appropriate primer for the job. The primer needs to be as hard as the topcoat or you get cracking in the topcoat. It's a little funny that the Rustoleum website has a video of someone painting a book shelf using that primer. I can't tell you the number of times that I've seen things stuck to shelves because the wrong paint was used. That primer even states that it's flexible... AKA too soft for book shelves.