Do I need to switch off A/C external breaker for winter? My home’s A/C has an external circuit breaker. Do I need to switch it off for the winter?

There is no need to switch off the external breaker serving the outside condensing unit. I have never done so in 40 years at our house. I have never heard of anyone doing so, and I have never heard it recommended. In our installation the external box adjacent to the condensing unit contains a double pole switch, not a breaker, but I only shut this off to service the unit. However, my experience is in the relatively warm winters of Dallas, Texas.


Would drilling a small hole through joist / sole plate cause structural problems? New home owner. I need to wire some ethernet and coax across the basement up into to the first floor wall. The perimeter wall is cinderblock, it is a twin and this is the shared wall. It looks framed. I believe I would want to go up through the sole plate? of the framed wall but there are two joists that run lengthwise across the basement that I can't get through very easily, there is a very little crack in the back of it I can scope up and can see what I believe is the first floor and not the sole plate.

Can I drill an angled hole through these joists and up into the wall behind the drywall or should I be worried about the structural integrity? Can I reinforce them? Looking for options.

Thanks

You can drill through the plate anywhere you want to.

Ideally don't put any notches in the top 2" or bottom 2" of the middle third of the joist span. You can put a notch on the right or left third of the span in the top of the joist up to a sixth of the joist depth. A sixth of the depth of a 2x10 is 1-1/2", do just don't go deeper than that.


The safety valve on boiler is really noisy I have this safety valve installed on cold water inlet of my boiler/water heater. When I turn on hot water tap but keep it around 30%-50% open this valve produces really loud noise, which travels through the pipes and is really annoying. The noise goes away when you fully open the warm water tap.

Given how the valve looks on the inside:

I think the problem is, the spring is faulty, and is vibrating in the low pressure.

Is this a common thing or should I replace the safety valve? I'm afraid replacing it won't solve the problem.

Sounds like calcium buildup on the valve gates. You might be able to clean it adequately, if you already have the ability to replace it.

If the springs were bad, I think you'd notice backflow leakage.


Is it possible to do a vinyl fence with differing colors on each side? So basically my neighbors want a plain white vinyl fence.  I think the two tone look is much nicer (white posts and rails but grey slat panels in the middle).
I've been looking for double sided slats where one side is white and one side is grey but can't seem to find anything... Seems like it would be a desirable product for more people than just me.
Do they make such a thing?  Or am I going to need to just try and paint the panels grey?  In that case, what's a good paint/technique to do this?
My neighbors already installed a section and it is blinding to look at, so I'm desperate for a solution.  Plain white is quite painful on the eyes, both aesthetically and physically painful from the sun's reflection.
Edit:
As a note, the plan was to split the cost with the neighbors.  I wanted grey, they wanted tan... We settled on white since it can go with either of our houses... However, the only thing I really agreed to so far was putting the fence on the property line... They went ahead and installed the fence without much more discussion or input... So I'm not technically on the hook for it cost-wise... Though I'll pay for my portion when I end up tying into it when I fence off our yard.
I can paint the inner panels grey to get the two tone look I want... Just not sure that would look very good.   I was hoping they had pre-made panels which are double sided.

Vinyl takes paint. Scuff-sand it with a green 3M Scotchbrite pad to give it some roughness for the paint to engage.
Then prime with alkyd enamel.  Roller and brush it carefully so you don’t throw or drip any on their side. I would use white primer such as Rustoleum 7780 so if you have boo-boos with the primer they won’t be obvious. Then a latex/emulsion topcoat is fine.  Latex is much easier to clean up!


Which lumber to use to rip my own molding? I need to rip some custom sized molding on my table saw.  Which is the best kind of lumber to use?  I imagine plain 1x Spruce-pine-fir (SPF) is not the best choice.

If you're in the Pacific Northwest, Hemlock is the wood of choice for soft-wood molding. Pine would have to be clear (knot-free) and fine-grain Douglas Fir is expensive and tougher on the shaper blades.


Which is the bare wire in a 12-3 gauge cable? What purpose does the bare wire in a 12-3 gauge cable serve?

The ground wire will not have any extra insulation, though it is usally wrapped in paper to seperate it from the other conductors.

12-3 NM (aka "Romex") cable will have a bare grounding wire, white neutral (grounded) wire, black hot (ungrounded) wire, and red hot (ungrounded) wire.

If you only see white, black and bare wire then it is actually 12-2 (the second number is the number of conductors, the ground wire is not included in this).

12-3 NM Cable


Identify a washing machine part - the exit port I'm trying to identify (= find the name for) a washing machine component.
Unfortunately, I don't have this part - I gave it to my landlord who is looking for a replacement.

It's basically the exit port for the washing machine water that connects to the drain hose.
It has two little hoses going into it, both connected to two electrical components that seem to be little motors, and a rudimentary filter. I'm guessing this either redirects the water back into the machine or out to the drain depending on the cycle stage.

Does anyone know what this is called so I can try and locate it online? Would this have a different name based on the brand of the washing machine?

I'm pretty sure this is the pump, but apparently on other machines the pump is near the fluff filter. In my case, it's at the back of the machine, connected to the exit hose.

The machine is an AEG Lavamat 40870

Appliance parts like are generally specific to the manufacturer and possibly model. My usual approach, which has served me well, is:

Find the manufacturer's service website.
Do a parts search there, based on the model # and part description. Ideally, check the existing part for a label.
If that doesn't work, look for a parts diagram of your model. Often these include part IDs expressly for the purpose of ordering replacements.
Based on the part number identified in step 2 or 3, search on google and ebay for the part. Usually you can find it from a third-party retailer for significantly less than ordering direct from the manufacturer.

You might also try a local appliance repair parts store -- they may be able to guide you to find the right part if they are familiar with your brand of appliance.


Garage Vent Intake/Exhast So I have a 1.5 car garage that seems to be sealed off, airflow wise pretty well. Any moisture from rain or snow just seems to sit and not evaporate at all or extremely slowly. Also, I dry out my hockey equipment in there and I'd like a way to vent the smell and moisture if possible.

I was able to purchase a 100CFM multi-port in-line fan, which allows for four 4" vent/port lines to attach to it. I plan on using 3 of the lines and using 4" plastic diffusers in the ceiling to vent the garage space. I will bring in fresh air into the garage via a decorative shutter that was placed on the exterior wall where I can place a shutter vent behind it. The 4" diffusers are said to cover 60 sq ft. although I'm not so concerned with the proper measurements, just looking for an inexpensive way to vent the garage better. I'll be installing an hourly timer switch in the wall so it will run for 2-4 hours then shut off.

I've outlined the general layout of the garage and where I'll be placing the vents in the ceiling. I just want to make sure I'll be placing the vents in the most optimal location to take advantage of the ventilation. I came up with a crude schematic and images of the fan and vents to give you an idea. Not sure if I should use the 4th port/vent in the fan or not with the setup I'm doing.

You probably don't need to add the fourth vent. If the fan is rated for 100cfm then 4 inlets will pull roughly 25cfm, 3 about 33cfm and so on. As long as the ducting for the 3 vents are of sufficient size and length to handle 33 cfm it should be just fine. I don't have my chart with me at the moment but a 4" pipe pulling 33 cfm should be good up to 25'. A larger outlet pipe will cut back on noise.


What sheen of paint is most commonly used by builders? I just built a half wall at the top of my stairs, and I need to blend it in with the existing wall.

The wall I'm blending in to is a wall in a stair well, so it's really tall and difficult for a typical homeowner to paint. Because of this, I'm guessing it has never been repainted.

It's white so matching color shouldn't be difficult, but I'm just not sure of the sheen.  I don't have the time to paint the whole wall right now, so I'm just going to blend in as best I can.

since I don't think it's ever been repainted, if I knew what builders typically used it would be helpful.  So what is the most common paint sheen used by builders?

This is in the northeastern United States.

I don't know your location, but in most residential jobs I've worked on the US east coast the wall finish is flat latex for walls, semi-gloss latex for doors, trims, baseboards, etc.


Are receptacle surge protectors a practical solution? After mounting my television on the wall, I would like to put a receptacle behind it so the power cord will be hidden.  While planning this I was trying to figure how to get a surge protector to be hidden behind the TV as well, then I came across a surge protection receptacle.

Has anybody used these before?  Are they worth the price?  Will I get acceptable surge protection from one of these?

They seem like a great idea if they actually work, I can't believe I have not seen these before.

EDIT:

An article from the Family Handyman says this about knowing when to replace the receptacle.

  Some types of surge protection receptacles (available at electrical supply houses and online retailers) have a signal to alert you when they’re no longer providing surge protection and need to be replaced (surge suppressors do wear out).

So I guess that's one thing to look for before buying one.

The number that I look for is in a surge suppressor is the energy or Joules rating, with the higher the better.  This one is rated for 720 J, which is middle-of-the-road.  You can find surge strips from about 200J to 4000J.

The thing with any modern TV is that you're probably going to be using a co-ax input for cable TV, and potentially an ethernet input too.  For that reason, I'd try to find something with protection for all three: power, co-ax and data.  Even if it does mean compromising on the aesthetics of your installation.

(FWIW, I use Belkin protectors on my equipment and have never had problems... but I do live in a low-lightning part of the world).


Slate roof removal for a shingle roof I am getting a new shingle roof to replace a slate roof. Would a new shingle roof need a different underlayment that the slate roof does not have?

Not from what I've seen. From the dozen of so slate roofs I've seen and had, they were all applied directly to flat tight seamed planking. Typically, only wood or other types of roofing that aren't waterproof and need to dry-out have a furring-strip or stepped off underlayment.

You'll just want to replace any rotted areas with new planking (best) or thickness matching plywood (i.e. 3/4" or 2-layers of 1/2"). Tar paper would go on top of that on a problem-free roof. If the eave decking is all rotted and therefore has been leaking, then you'll want Ice and Water underlayment over the eaves.


Allen key bolts vs Phillips head make a difference? I received a metal bed frame without the bolts. The directions have the sizes used in hardware list.
I went to hardware store but they didn’t have M6 bolts with hex head as shown. The sales associate suggested Phillips head. I can only screw them in so far. I thought maybe that’s why they use Allen wrench in directions for more leverage. I found Allen wrench shaped device with Phillips head but could only get one all the way in using it. The rest are stripping the head.
Do I need to find bolts with the hex head instead and use an Allen wrench, or do I need to drill the holes bigger, or is it the material of the screw?

A Phillips head bolt can be more difficult to drive tight than one with an Allen (or hex) head, because the screwdriver will easily slip out of the screw when resistance increases. The way the hex key fits in to an Allen bolt will prevent it from slipping.
However, NoSparksPlease's comment about thread pitch is probably your main issue. Looking for an M6 bolt is only half the battle. You have to have the right pitch and length, as well. If the thread pitch is right, you shouldn't run into nearly as much resistance to driving the screw and a Phillips head should do the job.


Peerless Boiler proper pressure causing flushing sound? Our radiant heat boiler tends to "flush" very loudly every night. It seems to go on for awhile too. We have three zones and I think it just happens with the one zone in our bedroom. From my understanding, this may be caused by low pressure. First, could this be a cause of this flushing or running sound in the radiators? If so, what should the pressure be or does this vary? According to our gauge the pressure is at about 25psi.

I would like to get some idea of what the issue could be before we call in someone to look at it and fix the problem. Thanks.

Air trapped in the lines. There is usually an automatic air vent in the system but not always. It should be mounted to an "air scoop" or air separator which may also connect the expansion tank. Though that setup can vary. One name brand air vent is the Hy-Vent. If you don't have one, you should have one installed. If you are handy, install it yourself.

And this could be a sign of bigger problems as air doesn't magically appear in a hot water system. Have you noticed any water on/near the boiler? Your expansion tank diaphragm could have failed and air has leaked into your lines. You can test that with with a tire gauge as the fitting is the same as a car tire and is under a cap on the opposite end of the pipe. CAUTION! Let the system cool down a bit before you do this otherwise you might get sprayed with scalding water.

Another thing to check for is leaks around the baseboards and piping. That could be admitting air into the system.


Fitting sheetrock(plasterboard) to a ceiling, to be taped and skimmed. Should the joints be tightly butted, or leave a gap, of what size? I'm fitting square edge 1/2" sheetrock to a ceiling. I've not been able to find any best practice for how this should be fitted.
When the plasterer comes to skim it, some mud will squish through the mesh tape into the gap between the boards. Should the boards be butted tightly together to minimise the length of the tape/mud bridge between them? This also minimises the amount of wet mud below the board surface, that will presumably shrink as it dries.
Should I aim for a 1/16" or even a 1/8" gap between the boards, to encourage a 'fill' of the joint, thus perhaps stiffening the joint between the boards, helping to prevent any movement and the possible development of hair-line cracks? There is now even more wetness below the surface which could exacerbate shrinkage issues.
If I do aim for a significant gap between the boards, is it worth filling this gap with either mud or caulk and allow to dry well before the plasterer skims? This would stiffen the joint, and reduce the amount of wet mud below the tape.
I probably can get a tight joint between the papered long edges of the boards, but with cutting irregularities, that's going to be less possible on any cut ends.

Tight.  Sheetrock doesn't "move" like wood does. Fit it as tight as you can, but don't go overboard on the labor.   I've seen some pretty sloppy jobs of hanging rock that got muudded and taped and turned out OK. Problem is sometimes if the gaps are too large, the mud eventually shrinks  and they open up and you get some cracks.   Best practice is as tight and clean as possible when hanging rock.


Can a wifi thermostat to control milivolt operated fireplace? Have a propane gas fireplace, controlled by a hand held remote control thermostat. Wish to install a wall mounted wifi controlled thermostat, heat only. Seems that all available thermostats operate with a 24V system and I have been told that my fireplace requires a milivolt system. How do I resolve this problem. It is a country home which I only visit occasionally during the winter.

No problem.

First, the furnace must be designed to have an external millivolt thermostat.   A millivolt thermostat is a very simple creature, it has 2 wires going to it, and it shunts those to call for heat.

Second, the smart 'stat will need a 24V power supply.  This is available from any $15 thermostat transformer, such as many designed to mount in junction box knockouts or on the cover of a junction box.  The 24V wires go to R and C on the smart 'stat.  It goes without saying, this smart stat will not work with the power out.

The smart 'stat cannot directly talk to the millivolt furnace.  However since a millivolt 'stat simply shunts the two wires, a relay can be used to shunt those same two wires.  The NO contacts of the relay go to those two wires.   The coil winding of the relay goes to W and C on the smart 'stat.

And that's it.

Now one more thing.  A wonderful feature of most millivolt furnaces is that they are able to run normally when the AC power is knocked out.  It's the difference between shelter in place, or needing a hotel room.  ** Now, the smart stat will lose its 24VAC when the AC power fails, so it will not be able to command the relay to turn on.   For that reason, leave an analog millivolt stat in parallel with the relay.  Set it to 40F so it stays out of the way, then when you need it, you can set it to your desired temp and it will shunt the wires and make the furnace kick.

** Difference between your pipes freezing or not.   (As if anyone would install a millivolt furnace in the snowbelt, ha ha, they are all used in Florida and California of course.  You can't even buy them in the snowbelt, nobody carries them and your HVAC guy doesn't know what they are).


Should I filter polluted outside air as it comes through my window or clean it inside the room? Situation:

apartment of 42m², ground level, recent from 2013
humidity is 40%
apartment near a big city, in the suburbs
near freeways
we have a very good air handler with 2 extraction systems: one in the kitchen one in the bathroom
we have 2 windows which have an opening on their top parts, they blow air inside the apartment
these openings are like these https://dekorplast.com/en/products/windows/wentylacja/

What's happening:

in the evening it smells pollution. It smells like something being burned nearby.
Our throats are sore in the mornings
it smells stronger in the winter (I guess, some people heat with wood which increases pollution)

--> we need something to clean the air if we wanna live longer than 40
What I did:

I bought some standard HEPA filters on the Internet
I cut them
and I put them flat against the air inlet on both my windows:

I removed the plastic cover

Then I flatten the HEPA filter against the window frame on top of the air holes

And then I put back the plastic cover on top of the HEPA filter

That way my HEPA filters stay in place and they filter 100% of the incoming air

What happened using this rigged system:

The HEPA filters got black sooth in them after a couple days
It doesn't smell burned in the apartment anymore. If I open the windows, it still does smell like something being burned outside.
Unfiltered air still gets in the apartment, but much more slowly
We don't have sore throats in the mornings

My question
--> Because I wonder if the "Air purifiers" are useful. Please read my analysis below.
My wife and I, we thought maybe we should buy an "Air purifier".
There are many on the market with many different prices. We know and that's not the issue/point here.
However...
When I think a little... on how purifiers work...
They have a fan that pulls air in, they filter it using a (often custom) HEPA filter + carbon filter, and then it goes back into the room as clean air.
WHICH MEANS
That one must let the crappy air in first, so that the purifier cleans it then.
We have to trust that the purifier is strong enough that it sucks air in faster than the crappy outside air has time to deposit inside, and faster that it could reach our lungs.
Correct?
But since these air purifiers do not plug on the air inlets nor cover them, they will never filter 100% of the outside air coming in.
Still some 'unpurified' air will somehow flow in and move outside of the purifier's reach.
Contrary to my simple rigged way, which does cover the inlet air and which hence cleans 100% of the foul air.
So my idea is to buy these custom HEPA filters from some air purifier sellers, and just stuff them under my window cover thingy. Problem solved, in my view.
But... am I correct?
Did I miss something?
Pretty much, I believe air purifiers are useless unless they are connected to the air inlets and covers them. Which isn't the case.
Am I right?

You have the right idea. Since you have the inverse of most situations, where your outdoor air is more polluted than indoors, you should filter incoming air. Then, since not all air will be cleaned (such as through doorways), an indoor air purifier is still a good idea.


Can you re-shape an internal brick wall feature? We have a horrible 70s style brick feature in our living room which eats into the room space and really dates the room. My OH is reluctant to remove it. There is a gas fire installed into the brick work and we suspect the gas fire in the dining room shares pipes with the one in the living room. What I'd like to do is at least re-shape (and maybe paint) the brick feature in the lounge from an upside down triangle _/ to a more rectangular |_| look.

Is it possible to cut bricks away from a feature like this and how would I do this?

All help much appreciated - Thanks

Warning

The process of modifying gas piping and combustion vent components requires technical expertise to avoid serious life safety hazards both during construction and future operation of the appliance.

Broad Answer

Given the willingness to devote sufficient resources in the forms of money and time, virtually all construction projects within the bounds of physics are possible. Determining what constitutes sufficient resources beforehand is really the rub for renovation projects  Without xrays it's hard to know what is behind the wall even when you're standing in front of it.

Over the internet it's even harder because there is less information available and the context is left to the imagination. The inverted 'V' could be entirely non-structural brick veneer and contain nothing more than a gas vent, or it could be a critical seismic component of a multi-story building and have both fire sprinkler pipes and a main electrical bus running through it.

The former requires fewer resources. The latter requires somewhat more.

Whether this is a do it yourself project depends on your capabilities and resources.


Minka havenworth fan with tx and rx My ceiling fan has this for a wiring diagram. I have black, white, red and a ground wire in my ceiling. Should I be attaching the green/yellow to the red or the ground?

Green/Yellow is always ground

Green/Yellow so happens to be the international color code for protective earthing (grounding) wires; as thus, the NEC designates it as reserved for that purpose, too, even more so than plain green wire is!

So, connect the green/yellow wire to the ground wire, and cap the red wire off.  Also, make sure there's a wall-switch-controlled light somewhere in the room!


Why would a motion sensor cause the light to flicker? I recently installed a motion sensor light and was called back because the light was "flickering" at half brightness rather than staying on brightly.  I tested the power and found good voltage, but when I put my tester to ohm meter and touched the white wire and the conduit, it showed that there is a connection between the two.  At the panel there is no separation between the ground buss bar and the Neutral bus barr.  Touching the two with ohm meter shows the same as when I touch the neutral and the conduit--a direct path between the two.  I am unsure if there is a ground fault that caused the light to act that way, or if it is a bad motion detector.  I bypassed the motion detector and wired the black and white wires I installed directly to the lights and they work fine.  I wonder if the motion sensor is not turning itself off completely, or if there are more significant problems.  I tested other outlets in the house with the ohm meter.  I put one pin into the large neutral slot of the outlet and the other pin to the conduit or metal jct box and found the same connection between the neutral side of the outlet and the conduit.

I’ve solved the problem once and for all without adding resistance (load) which defeat the purpose of energy saving. All i did is add a AC/AC relay in between the supply and the load to siphon any stray current and delay effect which causes the flickering. you can see attached picture


Safe heater options for small cabin with no electric I'm trying to set up a safe heater for an 8'x20' cabin. The cabin is based on a standard steel container. I want one that doesn't require electric, and exhausts any fumes to the outside. I'm in the process of insulating at R9. This is in Missouri to give you an idea of the temperatures involved. It was 16F this morning, but I probably wouldn't be using the cabin if it were much colder.

I have access to a wood stove, but that's really too big and hot. I have a catalytic heater, but that requires leaving a window open because of the use of oxygen.

An ideal soluton, if I could find it, would be a very small kerosene heater that would install on one wall, or better yet, like a window air conditioning unit. The heat would go inside, but the fumes outside. I haven't yet seen anything like that. I have seen a larger kerosene heater in an old Maine house that sat on the floor and exhausted through the wall, so a smaller, wall-mounted version of that is what I'm envisioning.

I want to avoid fire hazards and fumes. It could be kerosene, or some alternative.

There's an absolutely fantastic heater called a wall furnace.  It is a proper furnace that mounts in a wall, and is either one-sided or two-sided.  You could mount a 2-sided unit on an interior joist wall.  Or you could mount a 1-sided unit on an exterior wall by spacing it out from the wall 4", this would let you put a jog in the stack pipe and penetrate the wall instead of the roof.  (I hate roof pens, especially on containers which have irregular roofs).

A slight variation is the floor furnace which mounts below the floor in a grating.

They typically are sized for 25,000 to 50,000 BTU and intended to heat an entire, modest sized California or Florida home of 500-1200sf (depending on how well insulated it is).

They use a millivolt thermostat, which means a thermopile (Peltier device) right on top of the pilot light, creating just enough power to operate the propane solenoid valve.  The pilot must run 24x7.  They come set up for methane, but can be jetted for propane.

Exhaust is straight up, via convection. Most are not "direct vent" and rely on some draft in the building to fuel them. Keep in mind there is no electricity to force air through the combustion chamber, so the airflow can't be too convoluted.

You cannot find these in the snowbelt.  This is absolutely daft, because the furnaces they do have in the snowbelt all absolutely need AC power, and AC power fails a lot during the winter, often for days at a time.  I would want one of these at least as a backup.   It would also make a wonderful auxiliary heat for a heat pump system.

Combined with a modest but carefully designed DC battery/solar system, you could be toasty warm and watching Netflix while your neighbors are futzing with generators.


What can I use as an alternative for an underwriter's knot? I want to hang a vertical pendant, but what do I do to prevent the wire from pulling through?  The vertical cord is a hard nylon that can carry the vertical load of the pendant, and the hole in the pendant is small enough for only the wire to pass through. If I make an underwriter's knot, the wire will not slip through and the pendant will hold.

But what is an alternative for this knot, as making it from the hard cord is rather difficult?

If it is a fairly lightweight fixture, you could try a zip tie or two around the cord.  This may not work depending on how hard the cord is and how heavy the lamp is.  But I have used them with light weight pendants and cords that had some flex so the zip tie could squish the sheath a bit to keep it from slipping.

Another option, if there is enough space, is to use a Waterproof Cable Gland they tighten onto the cord and depending on the cord material may not slip.  But there may not be enough space for one.  I seem to recall having a pendant light once that had something like this built into it to allow the height to be adjusted.


How to install Kitchen Cabinets on a Drywall? I have 2 Kitchen cabinets, each 50 CM on 80 CM, they weigh about 10 KG (maybe more? not sure).
I wanted to hang them on the wall but just discovered it's a drywall, and seems pretty thin.
It is a 120 CM wide niche that I have in my kitchen (like an inward gap),
on the left side there's a concrete wall, but on the right once again drywall.
I've heard something about a Rail that might support them (attaching it to the concrete), but I'm not sure how relevant it is when the other side is also drywall.
Any ideas?
These cabinets are suppose to be above a Sink, so I can't think of many alternatives for them, ideas in that direction would help as well.

When installing cabinets, the "go-to" method is to "hang" them on a rail that you install first. The idea is that the rail, being much lighter and less bulky, is easier to put in place, get level, and then screw into the studs. Sometimes it's just one rail, sometimes two; depends on the cabinet system. The rail should be securely screwed into every stud along its length, to provide a solid anchor for the cabinet's weight.

Then, the cabinets will have a complimenting hanger hardware that will allow the cabinet to hang on the rail(s). That's enough to support the weight of the cabinets and what they hold, but you should still secure the cabinets to the rail, and thus to the wall, with screws through the backing and/or the back edge of the cabinet side panels. Again, how this works depends on the cabinet system; most cabinets have a pretty flimsy backing, but pre-drilled holes to put screws into the rails behind. Then, you put some trim around the back to hide any gap caused by the rail hardware, and you're done.


LED lighting question I have a chandelier that takes 5 25w candelabra based bulbs. It does not put out enough lumens based on using incandescent bulbs. I figured I would then purchase LEDs that use much less wattage but put out a lot more lumens. I bought two different brands to compare the light quality/ color. I like a bulb that is soft white in the 3000k region and not another brand that was at 2700k. My problem arises that when I install the 3000k bulbs only 3 sockets work. I can install an incandescent in the other two and they work fine. It's not the bulbs I've rotated and it's always the same 2 sockets. When trying the 2700k bulbs if I install all 5 they barely turn on at all. Incredibly dim, if I remove one, and it doesn't matter which the remaining 4 come on at full brightness.  I am currently running the 4 2700k with a 25w incandescent and not a fan of the warm color. Is there any way to get all 5 LEDs working?

Thanks

Scott

It sounds like the line voltage is low.  I have had this issue before with some cheaper and counterfeit bulbs from China.  Check your line voltage at the socket (the thing the bulb screws into) and see how much of a drop it has from, say, a nearby outlet.  You can then get a general idea of how much voltage drop the 4 LED bulbs are causing in total.  What happens is that the little inverter type power supply board in the LED is really fussy in the cheapies, and if the voltage at the junction box is already low (old house, end of a trunk , other loads in line, etc.), the voltage is too low to run five, but just enough to run 4.  you can sometimes see this if you take a high frame rate HD video (70fps and higher) of 1 led bulb installed, and then with 1 less than the number that is stops working at (5 in your case, so 4 for you).  Then playback the videos on a player at slow speed.  You will see a flicker with 4, but no flicker with just 1.  T322his is due to the driver voltage being just sufficient with 4 lights, but too low with 5.

If you have a dimmer, try all 5 without the dimmer.  If that works, you either need a magnetic driver type dimmer or you have non dimmable bulbs.  If it doesn't work, your line voltage is too low and it simply won't work.  And remember, this is all assuming you have checked for shorts, bridging, etc in the fixture, wiring and sockets.


How should I connect mains wires to those in my exterior light? I have an old 500W halogen PIR floodlight secured to an outside wall. It currently has mains wiring coming out the wall and terminating inside the floodlight.
The floodlight has been broken for a while now and I've recently removed it and bought a 50W LED replacement which comes with its own length of wiring. My question is how should I connect the existing mains wire coming out of the wall to the cable coming out of the new floodlight? My initial thought was strip connectors and a junction box, but perhaps solder and heat shrink would be better for outdoors?

All connections should be made inside an enclosure with access to it. It could be even the fixture itself. You may use a connection box approved by your local electrical authority.
For connecting two or more wires use existing practice by electricians in your area. In North America we typically use wire nuts. Soldering is not the best practice if you are not experienced in that. Bad soldering may cause oxidation and loss of contact over time, especially outdoors. Other connecting methods require less qualification and effort.


Ceiling fan light dims up and down continuously I have a 13 year old hunter ceiling fan with a remote that dims the lights and turns them on and off. The fan works fine but the light just started to dim up and down continuously on its own. Anyone else have a similar issue. How’d you fix it?

Remote Problem
Take the battery out of the remote and see if the problem goes away. If it does, try a fresh battery. If the problem comes back then you can try cleaning the contacts under the buttons or get a new remote.


SE Cable and maximum number of bends I'm working on running some SE cable from a breaker box to a new 220V 14-50R receptacle. The old receptacle was not located within the area specified by our new electric range.

I am using TYPE SE STYLE R with four 6 AWG AL wires. One wire is an unshielded ground, the others have XHHW-2 insulation. One question I have is related to the number of bends allowed in the cable. In my earlier readings of various articles I thought I saw something about a limit in the number of bends. But at that time things were very foggy to me as opposed to being just a bit foggy now.
Here are a couple of pictures from different perspectives.
]3

A reason for two of the bends is to accommodate a cable clamp which I think must be within 12 inches of where the cable enters an electrical box.
The only way I could see having the clamp and reducing the number of bends is add another 2x4 which I think would then put the clamp more in line with the straight line routing of the cable.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance.
Jim

The NEC does not restrict the number of bends on SE cable. Raceway methods restrict bends to limit stress on wire being pulled through  the raceway.


DIY machinist drilling problem I have a metal part of a bandsaw that had a machine screw head break off. I drilled a hole and used an extraction bit and it also broke off. Due to poorly executed attempts to drill again (so I can tap it), the surface is now irregular enough that the bit (and chuck) of my drill press wobbles out of place. I thought I might melt the surface to level it out, but the Propane torch I bought doesn't seem to get hot enough (after 3 minutes of leaving the flame on the metal). I contacted a couple machine shops and they aren't interested in this tiny job. Any suggestions on how I can get a centered hole drilled in this thing? Also, should I be trying to drill a larger hole than was there, since the integrity of a same size hole would be affected by the previous hole?

Edit: You can see the part [here][1]. It is 2 5/8" long. The one I have is steel; the potential replacement is not exactly the same shape and appears to be soft metal. It would be over $50. (I've spent about $40 so far trying to fix it.) The problem area is the rightmost screw hole in the photo, which is currently filled with metal from the top to about 80% of the depth of the original hole. There is no access to it from the other side. (The bit would have to cut through metal on the far side of the bit and air on the near.)

First try to determine if the piece is a solid piece of steel or a casting, sometimes referred to as potmetal. Over heating a casting can turn it to a brittle paperweight The broken extractor bit is likely to hard to drill out. If you have access to the opposite side try to drill a small hole and drive the broken extractor out with a punch. Once the broken bit is removed drill and tap it for a larger screw, install a heli-coil or a nutsert.


Installing an adjustable deck post support-what is the correct way to install the support? I am trying to install these in freshly poured concrete (sonotubes)
What is the correct way to install the support and what are the pros and cons for each one of them

The other option is this. I like the first option more but the support does not seem to be designed to work that way. I think that the tube that the screw slides in will allow water to get into concrete

You seem to be asking about the orientation of the threaded socket. The lower the height of the bracket, the better for stability. This favors the first option. Also, with the first option you don't have to drill for anchor bolts. I'd only use the second option if you need the height for some reason.

If you're worried about water you could fill the socket with grease or silicone caulk.


What type of Anode rod should I get for my water heater? It's time to replace my anode rod and I'm not sure what type I should get (Magnesium, Aluminum, Combination, or Powered). I have a well and use a water softener. I have a high iron content (orange stains in toilet tanks and in showers) and I've just started adding rust-remover pellets to the softener. There is also a very slight rotten-egg smell to the water. I don't think the anode has been changed in many years. What type of anode rod should I get?

It depends on how much you want to spend, how old your water heater is and what kind of water you have. The aluminum rods are usually the cheapest followed by magnesium. The combination rods I don't have much faith in as the least noble metal is eaten away first. powered rods that will last a lifetime are very expensive due to the platinum wire used. Your water is high in mineral content the Iron and possibly sulfur (rotten egg smell) so Magnesium would be the most cost effective. (with Low mineral content Aluminum would be the way I would go). I did have a P wire system on a metal boat instead of anodes it worked well and I no longer had to change out several a year but a water heater I think P wire systems are overkill on a home system.
Make sure to turn off the water heater and flush it when installing the new anode this may help reduce the smell. Water heaters tend to last for ~10 years some 15+ so if you are at the upper end of the life scale you may want to go with the cheaper anode. Once the damage is done there is no way to reverse it.


How do I properly feed coax through an outside wall? I would like to add a new cable outlet to an outside wall and wanted to find out what kind of drill bit is needed to drill through and feed the coax cable as well as anything else to be mindful of. Comcast wanted $70 for a new outlet installation ($30 install, $40 tech visit), so I figured I could do it myself. The part that I'm most unfamiliar with is how to properly weather seal it. The outside just has vinyl siding and there's no electrical outlets nearby.

So far, I think I need the following

Coax Cable
Coax Cable Wall Plate
Long drill bit
Add a 3-way Cable Splitter to cable box
Weather sealer?

After following Tester101's answer, here is a detailed step-by-step with pictures of how I fed the cable.

Shopping list

 Low voltage bracket $1.30
 Premium Waterproof Silicone 2.8 oz $3.98
 Leviton 1-Gang Midway CATV Wall Plate - White $2.79
 Milwaukee 3/8 in. x 18 in. Bellhanger Bit $12.47
 Coaxial Cable Feed-Through Bushing - White $1.97 (comes in 2 pack)
 RG-6 Twist-On F-Connectors $5.48

Sub-total $27.99

You may also need:

RG6 cable (if you don't have any lying around it's $0.29/foot at Home Depot)
3-way cable splitter $6.97

Tools required

Drill
Universal Cable Jacket Stripper $4.88
Dry-wall saw (or something for cutting a hole into the drywall)

Prep work

I used some brown packaging paper, cut a piece out for the corner and taped it using painter's tape in the area that will be worked on

On the outside, the cable will go into the cable box which is conveniently located about 2 feet away.

Step 1

I picked a spot that was in between the door frame and opposite wall to start drilling, about a foot above the ground.

Comes out clean on the outside. You'll want to leave the bit sticking out so you can feed the coax back inside.

Step 2

I took some existing cable and cut one of the ends, exposing the inside wire for better handling when feeding it back through the wall.

Step 3

I fed through the exposed end of the coax from the inside of the cable box so that the end with a connector can be added to the splitter.

At this point, you may need to add the 3-way splitter if you don't want to replace an existing connection.

Step 4

Before we feed the coax cable back inside, slide the plastic bushing onto the coax cable.

It's time to tape the cable to the bit to feed back inside.

Step 5

Using electrical tape, tape the coax cable to the bit.

Pull the drill bit back thus pulling the cable through the wall.

Step 6

Press the plastic bushing into the outside wall. You may need to enlarge the hole slightly to push through the bushing.

Step 7

Cut the drywall and fasten the low voltage bracket.

Step 8

Strip the coax cable and fold the wire shielding against the outer insulation.

Push the connector onto the coax cable and twist the connector until the connector is firmly sealed with approximately 1/8" of center conductor protruding from the connector.

Step 9

Connect the coax to the back of the wall plate.

Step 10

Secure the wall plate to the bracket.

Step 11

Using a screw driver, I bent the coax to ensure it bends down as it enters the plastic bushing. Use the cable manufacturer's minimum bend radius to bend the cable to insure you don't damage it. I then used the silicone around the bushing as well as around the coax.


Possible electrical wiring paths are blocked *everywhere* by glulam posts. What to do? The extension to our house is built to earthquake standards, so there are 10x10 posts and beams everywhere. We can't find a path to feed the 12AWG to the subpanel. If we go down, we just run into the same problem on the ground floor. Can't go up because it's a flat roof. Any ideas?

Also look into the Conduit wiring method.  This allows you to put up to four circuits (or even more with a wire size bump) into a single hole/pipe, instead of only one or two cables.

This works because you are fitting individual wires into a pipe, instead of a sheathed cable containing multiple wires, so you don't have the bulk of the sheath, packing and grounds.  All the circuits in a pipe can share a ground, and if the pipe is metal, it can be the ground.


Will adding a half-bath impact the water pressure in the existing bathrooms? It’s ranch w/full basement. Adding 1/2 bath, so a toilet/sink. Doing it all myself and going smoothly. Above the bathroom are the baths on the main floor which has 1/2 copper. Is the water pressure impact anything to be concerned with? I imagine pressure loss will be noticed if the bath on the main floor is being used at the same time the new basement bath is. Is there any particular/better area to tap into? Thank you

The pressure will be the same as you have now, if you notice a change when somebody flushes or used a sink that same effect will be there. Stay with the 1/2” pipe and you should be fine, most fixtures have flow restrictions built into them so a 1/2” line will be sufficient. Depending on where you tap the lines, the pressure drop could be more noticeable. For example if tapped close to the water heater then run to the new 1/2 bath would have the least effect compared to tapping the line for the existing bath 50’ away because of the total volume and length of pipe, but the effect of using 2 faucets at the same time depends on the flow. A bathtub usually has the highest flow where toilets, showers and sinks have relatively low flow rates.


How to Get Light Cover Off! I've tried turning, and the light cover is loose but no matter how much I turn it, it is not coming off. Any help/tips would be appreciated.

It likely has a spring / pressure / snap connector and is not a screw on type of fitting. We can tell that it's not a screw on since it's the same no matter how much or what direction you turn it. Try carefully prying it to one side or the other from the top of the light cover while holding the light base so to not put force on the connection of the fixture to the wall. More than likely it will just pop out. Don't be shy with the force, it might take a little, while of course being careful not to break or damage anything


Ceiling Fan capacitor question I am trying to replace my capactitor in my ceiling fan, because the blades do not  spin but I do hear a humming sound. When I opened it  up. I have 2 capacitors

The first capacitor is smaller and has 3 wires and is rated 4uf 250V
Red
White
White

The second capacitor has 3 wires and is rated 5uf 470 1/2W and 6uf 470 1/2W
Gray
Purple
Brown

My question is I CANNOT find ANY matching capacitors online! Does anyone know what other kind of capacitor I can use?

EDIT: To clarify lets say I buy these two capacitors, how exactly would I wire this? I couldn't find matching capacitors online

Yes they are speed control capacitors.

For clarification as another poster pointed out - one is for speed settings (4.5uf with resistors - aka RC network) the other 5uf is a run or start capacitor.
The link below is a package with 3 capacitors built in - note it does not have the RC network for the speed control but has your 5uf - 250Volt you can use for the start/run capacitor, it might work to replace both of your units - there are others that have these 3 capacitors with 5 wires as well making it easier to install.

Capacitor 4.5uf/5uf/6uf

other Ceiling Fan Capacitors


Replacing a toggle dimmer switch with a regular light switch I am replacing a dimmer switch with a regular switch. The dimmer switch controlled a chandelier light that I just replaced with a ceiling fan. There is also another switch that controlled the light, it is not a dimmer, it is a regular type.

Do I need a three way switch, and how do I wire it up?

As the others have said, you need a 3-way switch.

The copper colored screw on your old dimmer is your "common" screw. The other two are your travelers.

The new switch will have similarly color schemed screws. Typically black for the "com" and brass for the two travelers.


What is the best position for a French drain between a wall and a patio? Below is the layout of my patio and the context

The patio settled and now moisture collects at the base of the wall causing efflorescence on it and small cracks in the cement coating at the base of the wall. These creack seem to be always wet ...

As you can see there is a raised deck on the patio and the main problem with this is that the excavation needed for a french drain will reach the base of the 4x4s that support the deck platform.
The french drain will be installed under the patio like in the picture below and after that the pavers will be reset

At this point I have two choices:
1) dig along the wall and stop when I reach the first 4x4
2) dig 2 feet away from the wall and go all the way under deck to the garage

Which solution would you recommend?

The area between the deck and the garage has no water problems
For a full size picture click here

If you're going to pull up pavers to install a french drain, you might as well just pull up all the pavers and get the slope correct instead.

A well laid patio should naturally shed water via its pitch. The ideal solution is to pull up the pavers, re-grade the base layer (should be sand directly under the pavers) and then lay it all back down...perhaps with a slightly exaggerated pitch this time.

If you insist on a drain, I wouldn't bother with a french drain and instead consider a surface drain:

It'd be a lot easier to install.


Why is my furnace limit tripping? My furnace is tripping the high limit.  It is a Downflow Payne 90+ have replaced the limit switch. I pulled the blower door off and checked all vents to ensure they are open and it still short cycles.  I also changed the speed on the blower and checked gas pressure.  I'm stumped!  Does anyone have any ideas as to what's going on?

The only way the plenum can get hot enough to hit the high limit is lack of air flow.
Open all registers and dampers and take the filter out.
If it still gets too hot your central air "A"
coil may be plugged with dirt.


What is reason for valve Wondering why there is a copper line under our sink connecting the hot and cold lines. It also has a standard ball valve located in the middle of it.

The previous owner was using it as either an improvised water tempering device, or to use the cold water line for a hot water circulating pump.

Either situation only makes sense if the ball valve has an internal check valve. A check valve only allows water to flow in one direction. It will probably say that it is a check valve on the ball valve, also showing an arrow showing which way it allows water to flow.

If it only allows flow towards the hot line, then it's a improvised water tempering device. If you only open the valve a little bit, you can make your hot water a little less hot to prevent scalding.

If it only allows flow towards the cold line, then it's for the hot water circulating pump. You can circulate the hot water so that you don't have to run the hot water for a long time for it to get hot, and often people use the cold water line for the return loop back to the water heater.


What tool(s) should I use to make a hole in a wall and then put a screw in? I am doing some work in the kitchen and have purchased a metal bar to which I'm planning to hang some utensils. To mount the metal bar, I am required to make some holes on my kitchen wall and put some screws in them to hold the bar.

This is my kitchen wall:

This is part of the mounting instructions of the bar:

From research I have come across the terms percussion drill, impact driver, screwdriver, but I am confused as to which ones I should buy for what I need.

Keeping in mind that I am beginner (just got my first apartment!), what would be the minimum equipment necessary for me to be able to drill holes into walls and to drive screws into them ?.

Like StrongBad mentioned, it depends on what your walls are made of. If you're in the US, they're most likely drywall on top of wood studs, in which case you either drive screws directly into the studs, or use anchors to secure the screws in the drywall itself. Studs are the best option, but they rarely line up with where you'd want them to be. For a kitchen utensil rack, anchors should be fine.

Tools: depending on the anchor type you choose, you'll probably need a drill (as an apartment-owner, a 12 or 18V cordless drill/driver combo will be invaluable) with a drill bit to drill the hole that the anchor goes into, and a Phillips-head screwdriver (or screwdriver bits for your drill) to drive the screw into the anchor.


My toilet seat is loose My toilet seat has been loose for a few weeks now. I would like to fix it. I am unable to access the area where the screws are. I have attached some photos to show how I am unable to access the toilet.

Here's your problem right here.

There'll be a vertical screw going straight down through the porcelain toilet bowl.  If you follow that imaginary vertical line, you'll find some sort of recess or pocket providing access to the "nut" on the bottom.
Expect a plastic cartoon version of a nut that is designed to be tightened by hand; it's normal for those pockets to be confined enough to make it hard to get tools in there.  Or if not the pocket, the working space lol.   Sometimes the nuts get sticky and need some persuading, but improvise what you need - I've used a huge 1-1/8" hex socket that fit over the plastic nut, I've used pliers, etc.
DO NOT go down to the hardware store and get actual metal nuts of that same thread.  The cartoon nut is plastic for a reason; using metal hardware will easily crack the porcelain and then you need a new toilet. Been there, done that (the guy before me had selected metal hardware; I just tightened it without thinking).
Now you're saying "I know about that loose nut; I choose not to fix it and want to fix the problem I stated" -- but they're related.  One is causing the other.


How to handle air condenser with garage addition I'm planning a garage addition onto my house and want to know what the best way to handle existing A/C condenser units that are there is.

The current setup is as follows (with the C's being the condenser units):

     |
     |
     |-----------------+
     |                 |
     | C               |
     |                 |
     | C               |
House|                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

Obviously the condensers cannot be within the proposed garage so, I've come up with two ideas on how to handle them:

Move the condenser units to the back of the new garage:

     |
     |  C   C
     |-----------------+
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
House|                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

Build the Garage around the units:

     |
     |
     | - - +-----------+
     |     |           |
     | C   |           |
     |     |           |
     | C   |           |
House|     |           |
     |-----+           |
     |                 |
     |                 |
     | Proposed Garage |
     |-----------------+
     |
-----+

I'm currently kinda leaning towards option 2 as I know moving those condenser units will be expensive (and because moving them towards the back of the house would put them right under windows that may make those rooms louder). I'm imagining having the roof continue over the section that contains the units but attaching ducting to the output of the units to direct the hot air either up through the roof or out the back wall, whichever the HOA will allow and then having an air intake louver on the back wall to allow ambient temperature air to come into the area.

Other considerations I've thought of are about the clearances around the units and future maintenance so I'd leave a considerable gap on the right side there to allow people/new units to get in to both units.

My main questions for option 2 are:

Does an exhaust duct like I'm talking about even exist? I found some 18" ducting which would be big enough, but when I search for ducting specifically for outdoor units I only find stuff for window units.
Would having them in that enclosed space reduce their lifespan and/or make them less efficient even though the hot air is being exhausted far away from the air intake (I'm thinking because there's slightly more resistance to the airflow through it now due to the duct and louvers).

My main questions for option 1 are:

Has anyone actually moved existing A/C units before and how expensive would it be to do so here?
If I were to move them, what would be the order of operations for that since the concrete pad this is all going on needs to be leveled and the wall they would connect to in option 1 wouldn't be build yet?

Moving the condensers to the back of the garage is not a hard job but it takes time. The refrigerant is pumped into the condenser and the valves closed. The line set is cut and extended, the line set should be purged with nitrogen while being sweated back together normally a gross leak check under pressure.
 the line set is pulled to a vacuum recommended 500um or below, and leak checked again.
Depending on your state electrical code you may need a electrician to move the service disconnect and possibly add a 120v receptacle (this can be added to the back of the garage also when it is wired. Once everything is connected power the unit up and a final leak check and probably top off the Refrigerant.

Moving the condensers would be much cheaper than making the cut out in the wall and having them in an enclosed area like that would hurt their efficiency.
Have I done this yes both for additions and installing the condenser further away from bedroom walls where the noise was bothering the owner.  It’s a full days work with a pre made pad and no leaks in the system many may do it over 2 days. The wild card can be getting the system pumped back down.

The cost of building around the condensers will far exceed the cost of moving them, after their useful service life is over trying to install a new unit in that cut out may just get you laughed at and cost many times the original cost to move.


Tried repairing a broken lamp and it's weirdly dim - high resistance in wire? Neighbours threw out a gorgeous lamp, which had broken by the socket becoming disconnected from the wires. My housemate brought it home, and I tried rewiring it. Following an internet tutorial, I figured out which wire was hot and which was ground (necessary since I want to put LED bulbs in) and then wired the socket back in. Voila, it works... sort of!
The lights are really dim - subjectively like at most 10% as bright as they are in a different lamp. Tried both LED and CFL.
So I figured maybe I can finally put my engineering degree to use and bought a multimeter. Sure enough, resistance through the bulbs seems to be about 2 milliohms, but from the plug to the socket, about 300-500 milliohms. That would explain why the circuit is mostly not lighting up the bulb!
(Come to think of it, this would also explain why, when I tried testing which wire was hot and which was ground using a coin cell battery and a tiny standalone 5V LED, it worked with just battery & LED, but not when I tried to run the circuit through the lamp wire.)
...but what do I do about it? What's a likely source of the issue? I suppose maybe we could keep the lamp fixture and completely replace the wire & footswitch...

Likely is a bad switch, or a bad connection.
Unlikely is "high resistance wire"
And if you are planning to "put your engineering degree to use" please learn the difference in line connected items between "neutral" (Grounded) and "ground" (Grounding - safety ground - whole different thing.)
Your safest bet if low on real world experience is to rewire it as low-voltage DC. That way if you spork it up nobody gets hurt. Far too many internet tutorials are terrible, and if you don't know enough it's hard to sort the terrible form the good, and terrible can be quite unsafe...


Electrical wiring in ceiling junction box I removed a light fixture in ceiling and trying to install ceiling fan. When I removed fixture I see 4 sets of wires in box and trying to figure out how to connect fan.

Three of the black wires are pigtailed to one of the white wires. All the grounds are connected together. This leaves 3 white wires that were together and a single black wire.

I did not take a picture but thought old fixture had white wire connected to 3 other white wires and black wire connected to single black wire, leaving the set of 3 black and single white pigtailed as was.

When I connect my blue and black fan wire to single black and white fan wire to 3 white wires (and ground to ground) fan does not work and circuit trips in breaker box.

Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong or need to test (if I need to go and get a meter to do some testing).

Any help is much appreciated.

You don't say otherwise so we assume the light fixture worked, and it was wired correctly. The 3 whites joined together are neutrals and the white neutral lead on the fan is to be connected to them.

Presumably the lone black was connected to the light and must be the switched hot coming from a wall switch. Connect this to the black lead of the fan.

Does the fan have a light kit? If so, and if there is not a separate switch for the light, then connect the (probab) blue light lead to the lone black as well. You would have to control the light with the pull chain.

Connect the ground lead of the fan (which may be green or green w/ yellow stripe) to the set of bare copper wires.

FYI the white wire in the nut with the three blacks is the line hot (always hot) going to the wall switch that will control the fan. The lone black wire will be in the same cable as this white and is the switched hot referred to above. This cable (W, B, gnd) forms what is called a switch loop. The other black wires are taking the line hot to other fixtures on this circuit.


Hardwood floor - how to avoid different levels between rooms We removed travertine tile from the kitchen to extend hardwood floors through out the house.  Underneath the travertine was plywood on top of the 1x6s. Can we also remove the plywood and lay the hardwoods directly on the subfloor? I'd like to avoid transitions and different levels between the rooms.

Was the plywood and 1x6 both on top of the subfloor?  If this is the case and the subfloor is solid and at least 3/4" I don't see why not. Just make sure to resecure and replace any damaged areas cause this can cause squeaking and affect the performance of the finished product. Remember to let the wood acclimate 4 to 7 days before installing. Use a moisture barrier and leave the proper expansion gap around perimeter and fixed objects.


how to repair leaking water main So here's the situation. I've got a water main that is gravity fed from a spring into a cistern in my basement (and from there pumped to a pressure tank and the house). The main, black plastic and presumably either 1" or 1 1/4" HDPE is leaking somewhere very close to the stone foundation wall. I'm guessing that abrasion by movement of the stones over time or even during the initial installation by the previous owner maybe caused this. In any event, it's causing water to slowly seep through that section of the foundation and into my dirt basement.

Would like to avoid digging right near the stone foundation as well as disturbing the foundation in any way. That would be both costly and risky.

I've come up with what I think might be a decent plan - dig out farther away, maybe 20 feet from the foundation, and feed a new narrower pipe (with OD < ID of current pipe through the old one. This has the advantage of using the old one as a protective sleeve to prevent further damage. The disadvantage would be a slight decrease in pressure of the main, but because of the cistern I dont think this is a problem (probably why the cistern was used to begin with).

Here's a schematic :

My questions are:

good idea of bad idea?
Do I use HDPE or PEX as the replacement material? Depending on the current pipe ID I may be forced to use PEX since it looks like HDPE is hard to find in narrow diameters.
How to i make the best possible connection? I can't quite figure out the best way to join HDPE to PEX... would they both use similarly sized barb fittings and clamp rings? Would compression fittings be better?

Overall, your plan to run PEX inside the HDPE and connecting them is acceptable.

However, I would not try to jury-rig fittings together. It sounds like you are trying to find a fitting designed for PEX that just happens to "fit" the HDPE, or vice-versa. This is a recipe for mechanical failure. After putting in all this work, the last thing you will want to do is dig it up again for another repair.

Instead I would find a plumbing supply house (not a big box store) and ask them about the proper fittings that are rated for direct burial, or the right way to bury a proper fitting.

You should seriously consider running PEX the entire way. How far are you from the spring? Running some steel cable down the HDPE first and then pulling the PEX all the way through may be a better fix.


Insulating small area in attic-like space I recently moved into (am renting) a new place and have set up a desk in an attic like space. It's overall not an ideal setup but I have limited financial resources. The issue I am facing right now is that, because this is an attic like space, it is getting rather cold in here and I fear that this may make the desk unusable in the winter months. My goal is to insulate the small area around the desk so that I can continue to use it during the winter.

I mentioned that the space I am in is an attic like space because, although having many of the features of an attic, is really an entire additional floor of the house together with what would typically be an attic (maybe whoever constructed it ran out of money to finish). That is there are no interior walls or ceilings and the space is only separated by the exterior walls from the outside. The exterior walls are also not properly insulated (some parts are, but most aren't). Because of this it is already getting rather cold up here despite the outside temperature only dropping into the 40s.

What I am looking to do is to insulate the area around my desk, about 10x10 feet. I have a 1500 Watt radiator and plan on using that to provide heat, but doing this without trapping the air and separating it from the rest of the space has proven to be pointless.

Important aspects of a solution to this problem are that:

it be cheap. Although I can potentially throw a few hundred dollars at this I would prefer not to. Again, I have limited financial resources.
it not be excessively permanent. As I mentioned, I am renting this place so I pretty much have to run this solution by my landlord anyway and I have a feeling they'll not be too happy at the idea of me making significant changes to this space. I will also have to completely remove the thing next spring, as I will likely have the opposite problem during the summer.
it be simple. This only needs to trap the air enough that a simple heater will be more effective.

More information about the space in question:

Two adjacent walls of the space feature vertical wooden beams about a foot and a half apart. From what I can tell the space between the beams should have insulation, but does not.
About eight feet above the space are similar horizontal wooden beams, also about 18 inches apart. I assume this is where a ceiling would be been built had the space ever been finished.

My initial idea was to simply get blue tarps and attach them to the various beams using cable ties or something similar. This would be rather cheap and simple, but I am unconvinced that it would provide the necessary insulation. Maybe someone with more knowledge on this can correct me.

What is the best way to keep this small area warm?

One possible solution maybe to construct walls from 2" thick, R-10, foam insulation board. You might be able to make it rigid enough using 3" drywall screws and duct tape. (and perhaps Gorilla glue(?)). If this proves not to be strong enough, you can use some cheap strip furring to add strength.  R-10 will certainly not be sufficient if your low outside temps drop and remain in the 20s or worse.

The foam board is NOT cheap however. It'll probably cost you around $250-300 for that (10 sheets 4x8 @ ~$25-30ea.). You might can even use one of the sheets as a door--with duct tape 'hinges'. (if that doesn't work well, you can just fashion some handles to it and remove/replace as a door entry way.).

It you are running computer equipment in the area, that will reduce your heating needs if you leave the equipment running. Good luck.


Extending the "feet" of wire shelves for uneven surfaces I'm installing a number of wire shelves in a garage, but the feet don't adjust far enough to compensate for the slope.  Aside from bricks or other shims, what are my options for leveling these shelves?

In my case these are split sleeve wire shelves from InterMetro.  The factory feet are 3/8" 16 pitch UNC coarse with very little adjustment room:

Metro does not seem to sell an appropriate foot leveler.

But a common carriage bolt will fit just fine.  The rounded head compensates for the slope far better than the flat factory foot, and you can file the raised numbers off easily:

Or find a 3/8" 16 pitch "Combination Leg Equalizer" such as the Rockler #24315, which will spread the load more evenly:


How can I remove these stainless steel scratches? I'm trying to fix a repair gone awry. I noticed some scratches on my stainless steel range of unknown origin. Things like cookware never touch that part of the stove, and I never use abrasive cleaners on it, but I digress. I want them gone.

Did some research and most DIY guides and products say to apply a mild abrasive (scotch brite is common) with the grain until it buffs out. Bob Vila here said to use a microfiber cloth with barkeepers friend, which I had.

I followed his guide but (to my shock) it made it far worse! Here's the after. You can see the original scratches going up and down across the grain:

Yikes! What happened? What can I do?

I can't tell from the picture, but ideally, if you can remove that piece and work on it freely, here's what you can do:

Use a scotch brite pad and uniformly create scratches (the trick is to always always go in the same direction). This pad here is commonly used to mimic #4 finish in stainless steel. You can also go to heavier / coarser pads.

If you actually have gouges, and assuming you have access to an orbital sander, like this one (example), you would use a heavier grit pad to blend in all the scratches, then gradually go to a finer grit, 600 / 800 or so, to make all the scratches disappear. Then you can, if you want, put a grain on it again with the scotch brite pad.

To finish it up, you can clean the stainless steel with stainless steel cleaner and polish.


Adding exhaust fan to existing single light switch I have added an exhaust fan in bathroom to an existing single light switch that operates one light.  I'd like the switch to turn the light and the fan on together.  The existing switch has one feed of 14-2.  I ran a second new 14-2 from the switch box to the new fan and hooked up to the switch.  When switch was on, the light came on but not the fan.  When the switch was off the light went off but the fan came on.  I'm wondering if I should have run my new wire from the light's wiring to the fan instead of from the light switch?

You should extend the wiring from the light, not the switch. There should be two wires on your light fixture, one grounded (neutral), and one ungrounded (hot) conductor that's controlled by the switch. Extend those wires to the fan, along with a grounding conductor. That will allow the switch to control both the light, and the fan simultaneously.


When do splitting deck supports become a problem? Preface - this house is located in China, where permits and contractor certifications are not a thing, and there is basically no legal remedy for compensation over shoddy work.

Last year we had this deck put in by a local team. The large posts (4) are 155~165mm square, and 3160 to 3310mm tall (the driveway has a minor slope). The smaller posts (2) are 80~85mm square.

This year large cracks have developed in most of the posts. The cracks are mostly 15 to 20mm in depth, but some run as deep as 50mm. They occur on multiple sides of the posts and tend to run more than half of the height of each post.

We are unable to locate the original contractor. We brought in another local last week and he said:

they're fine, don't worry about it
I could stick some glue in the cracks if it would make you feel better
I guess I could put bolts through the posts if you're still not happy

I know nothing about carpentry, but I do understand frost-wedging. Our climate here features 3 to 4 months each winter continuously below 0 Celsius, so when I see those cracks I get very nervous with winter on the way.

Assuming these cracks ARE a problem, my initial reaction was that short of replacing them outright, some sort of steel banding would be a reasonable solution. I'm not keen on adding MORE holes unless the bolts are affixed to large external pressure plates but he wasn't going to do that.

Is this a problem? If not, will it become one soon?

Full album with additional photos: https://imgur.com/a/JEfrx

It is rather common for posts of that sort to develop cracks like that if they were cut from logs and then installed without being kiln dried. Even kiln dried timbers can develop cracks along the long grain but that will happen to a lesser extent.

Cracks like that appear when timbers dry out in an uneven manner. They should not greatly affect the vertical support strength of the posts. You can watch them and if one post also begins to warp or twist then you would want to get it replaced.


Seem to have a voltage problem after reconnecting meter box - how to troubleshoot? I replaced the wire from the meter box up to the service connection because it was damaged last winter when a tree pulled the wire from the house - although the service man said it was still sound the outside casing was ripped in a few places and should be replace someday. (since we were having the house sided I thought that would be a good time to do it)
Had a disconnect put up a new wire. But now the light seem to flicker more when the water pump comes on and when we start the microwave after a few seconds it sounds like it drops in power.
I tried not to tighten the lugs too much - said 50lb torque and did that - the clamps didn't look dirty but I also didn't clean them - where should I start. - will cost to have another disconnect.

I should have tightened them more -- looks like 100lb not 50lb


Do I need a wire clamp where a cable exits a wall? I have this cable running out of the wall in my garage to a light bulb. I'm looking to upgrade my garage lighting to actually be shop lights. I want to rerun the cable so that it comes out of the wall into an electrical box. The new cable will come out of the box into nonmetallic liquidtight conduit which will run to the center of the garage ceiling terminating at an outlet. The roof of the garage is unfinished.
I attached some images so you can see what it looks like right now. The wire currently just goes from the wall through a joist to a light socket.
My question is do I need to use a wire clamp for the wire coming out of the wall or can I just screw the box to the wire with the punch out over the wire coming out of the wall.
This is what I mean by clamp.

Here are pictures of the wire coming out of the wall to the light socket.

No, you don't use those where wires enter a wall.
Those clamps are used when the wire is transitioning into a box or panel.  The purpose is to protect the wire from the relatively sharp edges of the box/panel and to prevent undesired movement after installation.


What sort of tape adheres best to painted drywall? I have a painted drywall ceiling and want to stick some low-density stuff onto it (things like rope, plastic, maybe some strips of wood). The stuff I stick on would not have a footprint that goes beyond the tape surface, but it might extend a few centimeters down into the room. I want some tape that would stay stuck for a long time with minimal shifting. I'm thinking of an indoor heated room in the US Midwest. Not sure what kind of paint/drywall.

Umm... this is odd. Usually the question is "what kind of tape comes off of drywall"! Darn near anything will stick to painted drywall far better than you'd want it to.

Masking tape will likely hold reasonably well, but may not support much weight and will dry out and fall off after a couple of years.

Duck tape (the generic cloth-backed stuff, not specifically the brand name) will hold a reasonable amount of weight and will last for years.

Duct tape (the aluminum/foil backed stuff specifically designed for duct work) probably won't hold as well as it does to to galvanized steel ducts

Gaffer's tape will hold about as well as duck tape and will, generally, come off cleanly, but will leave marks after a couple of years. (Ask me how I know)

Electrical tape probably won't hold all that well or support all that much weight.

Double-sided carpet tape will probably do the job quite nicely especially if the wall is pretty smooth.

Double-sided foam-backed tape may hold pretty well, especially if either the surface of the wall or item to be mounted is rough/textured.


Can I piggyback off a hard-wired dishwasher circuit for a disposal? I'm working on upgrading the kitchen and wanted to add a garbage disposal. Currently there is an outlet under the sink were the DW is hardwired to, can I add an outlet by splicing off the feed and secure the cables with some wire nuts and create a new outlet for the garbage disposal adjacent to the dishwashers hardwired splice box?

I've included what the wiring looks like in both the DW splice box, and the outlet opposite to the sink.

Should I just disconnect the DW and make an outlet for both using the same supply line?

The other option is there is an outlet on the wall opposite to the sink that I can maybe splice off, but I think it feeds the Dishwasher at the current time so I don't know if it will make a difference?

I appreciate any suggestions you guys might have

Dishwasher-disposal "outlet box"

Dishwasher "outlet box", one of the flexible metal conduits feeds to the DW, the other goes to supply

The two red and brown wires go to the switch+fuse you see in the first photo, and that disconnects the dishwasher. Can I just replace this with dual 20A GFCI outlets for the dishwasher and garbage disposal?

Below, this is the receptacle in the plug opposite to the sink. My concern is, can this handle adding another splice of wires for a new outlet dedicated to the garbage disposal?

https://imgur.com/a/y6VK8Zz

If the undersink cabinet has a door, you don't need GFCI as of 2017 in letter. That from the horse's mouth.  You also don't need it in spirit if the appliances are hardwired and grounded.

Here's what I see.

Dishwashers are a heavy draw because they heat water or dishes (to dry them). As such, the dishwasher takes more than 50% of circuit capacity and cannot be on the same circuit with any receptacles.

Further, the dishwasher and disposal require more than 20A of power to be provisioned to them, so they cannot share a 20A circuit.  Fortunately, the builder thoughtfully provided an MWBC.

Option 1 is a Code win; if GFCIs are required option 1A or 1B win. The rest have issues.

Don't sweat the lack of grounds; it's carried in the metal conduit*.  Also, don't sweat weird wire colors because Toto, we're not in cables anymore.  This is conduit where we get to use colors freely to distinguish circuits and functions.  Grounds are green, neutrals are white or grey, and everything else is hot. No remarking.

It is clear that your locality has high wiring standards. Note a) the EMT conduit (at far back of big-view image, b) armored conduit or wire whips to the dishwasher, c) swerving out of their way to place the box right there, and d) the expensive hoozit-we-don't-know-what-that-is.  (it's a disconnect switch and a fuse).  This indicates that local Code amendments set a high standard.  No answer should ignore or armwave this. Things are so well grounded that I don't honestly see a need for GFCI.  Ground > GFCI in hardwired stuff like this.

The right pipe goes to the dishwasher.  The left pipe comes from supply, and has 2 hot wires and 1 neutral.  Further, since this 4x4 box is surface mounted and we can see all the back-face knockouts are intact, so the purple wire definitely does not exit the box: it stops right here. Why?

Now it's exceedingly common to place both dishwasher and disposal on a Multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC).  That is 2 hots and a neutral on opposite poles, sharing a neutral. That provides effectively a dedicated circuit for each appliance.  Without a doubt, that is what we're looking at: the bog-standard MWBC for dishwasher/disposal. They threw the purple wire in the pipe because it was easy (another class act).

Normally dishwasher/disposal MWBCs are done with /3 cable. This being conduit, you could easily "un-MWBC it" simply by adding a gray neutral wire to the pipe so purple has its own neutral.

Since you seem to need a recep, I recommend you fast-forward to option 1, which I inserted in an edit.  Do not consider option 3: It violates Code.

Option 1: Use the MWBC to add a receptacle (optional: GFCI). Cost: $7 + $20 for GFCI

OK, so reading comments I gather you can't hardwire the disposal, because you have no plan for switching the disposal (seriously? The builder didn't conduit in the disposal switch? No blank plates next to the sink? Didja check them to see if there's a purple wire? I fully expected the purple wire to be switched.)  And you plan to use a wireless smart switch to switch the disposal.  Yeah, you're gonna need a recep for that, so you can yank it out when it malfunctions. But, you cannot disrupt the protective equipment which the dishwasher does require. So here's how we do that.

We get another box mounted just to the right of the existing box.  Same thing: 4" square steel box, 1-1/2" deep, and a short conduit nipple, at least 1/4" long (the boxes need that much room so the mud rings don't collide).   We knock out a 1/2" knockout on the existing box and a corresponding knockout on the new box, and fit up the conduit nipple, as we'll pass wires through it.

We pass through 2 wires: Purple (extending off the purple-as-is), and white (extending off the shared white).  If you don't have those colors, use black/white; I don't really care, just make sure neutral is white and hot isn't.

Now, we get a 1-gang mud ring, exactly like the mud ring on the existing box.  (if you plan a GFCI recep, use a taller mud ring - you'll thank me later, and don't use a domed cover!!)  Purple and white feed the new receptacle.

Here, the GFCI recep costs you $20. I checked and it is legal to have under a counter, and this location won't have the usual problem of having to pull out all the cleaning supplies to reset it.

Note that we have not disturbed the dishwasher hookup in any way, except to add our white to its bundle.

Now, back in the service panel, find the dishwasher breaker and also find the breaker that controls the purple wire.  If they're already handle-tied, you're all set.  Otherwise pop the service panel cover, and place them adjacent (they should be already) and add a listed handle-tie for that breaker type.  If you don't want to call up 6 electrical supply houses trying to find that handle-tie, then just put both on a 2-pole 240V breaker of the correct make for your panel.  15A if #14 wire, 15A or 20A if #12 wire.  This 2-pole breaker is not to be confused with a duplex; a 2-pole will have its handles tied.

You can also feel free to implement either the 2-pole GFCI as per option 2(A), or the separation of neutrals as per option 2(B). Whatever floats your boat.

Option 2: Use the MWBC to hardwire everything. Cost: $10-20. No GFCI needed, but $60-80 if you want that.

Knock another 1/2" side knockout off this box, and bring the garbage disposal power into this box hardwired.  Honestly, I would remove the disposal's flexible cord, and use an armored cable "wire whip" or MC conduit, because that seems to be Code in your town, and your town has a lot of weird Code, and it's "good" weird.  Either way, make sure the grounding is absolutely tip-top.

The garbage disposal takes hot off purple, neutral off the existing neutral bundle, and ground off a pigtail off the ground screw already in the box.  Leave the dishwasher wiring the heck alone, we don't know why it's that way, but it's probably a local Code requirement. Whatevs.

Now, finish up as per option 1's "back in  the panel".

Yeah, but I really want GFCI for some reason

You didn't ask about GFCI protection. Others are saying you need it.  I don't agree you need it if it's hardwired.  NFPA itself doesn't agree that you need it if cord-and-plug connected, since there's a cabinet door here (right?) But it can be added.  We'll need about $60 to do it this way.

Option 2 (a): GFCI at the breaker: $80. Feed this multi-wire branch circuit with an $80 GFCI breaker and yer done.   I see no need for AFCI on circuits entirely to metal appliances fed by metal conduit, so skip it unless the government holds a gun to your head.

Option 2 (b): Split the neutrals: $60 by fishing a gray neutral THHN wire to be the purple's partner. (amusingly, purple/gray is my preferred wire color pair for GFCI-protected circuits).**  Place the purple/gray on a $40 GFCI breaker.  The disposal taps the purple gray instead of the white, obviously.

Option 2 (c): Dual GFCI receptacles here: $50+time, but the dishwasher stays hardwired.  The dishwasher GFCI is a deadfront, and is placed behind. This will require a conversation with the AHJ to figure out how to replace the functionality of that fuse/switch: if the breaker is 20A and the fuse is 15A, maybe it's as easy as change the breaker to 15A, wouldn't that be nice?  The switch functionality will be covered by the GFCI's "test" button.
Ready? Get about a 1-1/2" deep 2-gang mud ring/extension for this 4" steel box.  Do not use a domed cover. (better: change the box to 4-11/16" first). You need the cubic inches, as a practical matter because GFCIs are fat.  Make sure your two GFCIs will fit inside this mud ring extension (that'll be a tricky shop).
Dual GFCI receps (the dishwasher GFCI is a deadfront): on the LINE side, one hot to each GFCI. Neutral splits to both (pigtail it).  On the LOAD side, the dishwasher hot+neutral goes to the brown GFCI.  The disposal hot+neutral goes to the purple GFCI.
Get a right-sized steel 2-gang Decora cover plate (coz those grow on trees) and yer done.
This is NOT me going "nudge, wink, plug the disposal into a socket on the purple GFCI wink wink". Hrm, eh, why not. It's probably Code illegal here, but easy to correct, just slap in a wire whip. Anyway congrats, we saved $20 versus option 1(a), just took a parts bug-hunt and fitment nightmare!

Option 3: Hulk! Smash! The codebook.  Cost: $45 + consequences

Which we're considering because OP wants cord-and-plug connections, and everyone else (except NFPA) is saying GFCI.

Yank the dishwasher's wire whip out of the junction box, fill the hole with a 1/2" blanking plate (about 20 cents at the hardware store). Use some dark, unspeakable hillbilly magic (surely involving incantations like "To heck with NFPA" and setting a codebook on fire), to attach a plug to a wire whip with solid-core or few-stranded wires in it that no plug is UL-listed to accept.

Then implement dual GFCI receps, as discussed in option 1(c) but attach nothing to LOAD. Or if you are less ... dedicated..., you could just fit a GFCI breaker and plain receps in a common 2-gang mud ring or domed cover of any depth.  (plain receps work fine on domed covers; GFCIs do not).

Now, plug in the jank-ass dishwasher plug into the back recep (so it's less likely to be seen or touched), and the disposal into the front recep so it's on a separate circuit.

We're also ignoring whatever Code requirement put that thing-doo-hicker-we-don't-know-what-is there.

Oh, that last socket

Noting your additional pictures of a box, first, that box is missing a knockout, so you better go get a 1/2" (or is it 3/4?) knockout cover and bap it in there.  Grope around for any other missing KOs and fill them too.

It looks like red and orange are your two kitchen receptacle circuits.  You need those. Those are only for kitchen receps and a clock. Those are required by Code.  "oh, but my installation predates the requirement for 2 kitchen recep circuits", grandfathering is not a license to make things worse.  So adding a disposal to kitchen countertop circuits is no-go.

Also, that recep needs a ground screw.  Receps cannot ground through the mounting screws (switches can) and  they need a wired ground unless their yoke contacts the metal box hard, clean and flush.  Yours sits proud of the box, which is painted, and has those little squares capturing the screws, which also block good contact.   The back of the box should have a hole tapped #10-32, and they sell green ground screws (with or without pigtails) that are just for that.

I'm a little troubled to not see markings on the neutrals nor bundling of hot+neutral to show which goes with which, but this is from the pre-GFCI age when it did not matter, so people were slack on it.

* (whether that's legal or wise is off-topic for this answer, but the issue can be mooted as it's easy to pull a ground wire into conduit).

** If you want to stick with white THHN, then mark each white wire with brown or purple tape near each end.  (That does not convert it to a hot wire; that type of remarking is only allowed in premade cables).  Meanwhile in conduit, identifying partner wires is mandatory:  brown, purple, white-brown and white-purple in conduit is clearly providing the mandatory pair identification.


Roofing : Pros and cons of re-roofing or re-layering I am considering changing my roof which is 28 years old. I was quoted a total new roof at $9K and a re-layering (putting second layer over the first one) at $6K.

Any comments on what is the downside for the re-layer option?

Do not relayer. Here are some of the reasons.

The added layer adds needless extra weight to the roof.
Second and third layer shingles do not last as long as a new base layer.
The added layer will never lay as flat as a base layer and creates more chances for pockets to form where water can backup under the shingles.
Full rip off and replacement allows for inspection of roof boards / sheathing and replacement if necessary.
Full replacement allows for much better re-do of the flashing. Relayering generally makes a total mess of the flashing trying to add new on top of old and inviting new leaks.


Wiring a Smart Wall Switch I’m considering on buying a Xiaomi smart wall switch but I had to consider the neutral or no neutral switch which led to me opening my wall switch to check. Which got me even confused...

May I know how do I determine which wires are which (live, neutral, earth) and why are there 2 wires connected together?

Don't hook stuff like this to mains wiring.  This product is not listed by BSI, TUV, CSA, UL or any reputable testing lab.  As such it may not be legal to install.

A quick peruse of the brand says that they don't even bother faking a CE stamp, CE being not a testing lab at all, but a mere promise of self-certification, that is meaningless unless the seller is a bricks-and-mortar manufacturer or importer with substantial physical presence in the EU.  If Siemens builds it in Germany, CE means something. If Siemens imports it to their warehouse in Rotterdam and then ships pallets to Wickes, then CE means something because Siemens is the importer. Anything having to do with Alibaba, Banggood, eBay, or Amazon Marketplace, they are doing that to evade safety regs: you're the importer.

So no, leave those products behind, unless they run on batteries.


Would cork flooring underlayment help with vibration dampening in a sub floor? Related question: HE Front End Washer vibrations on wood floors: any tried-and-true solutions?

In hopes of being able to keep our new front-end HE washer (which we like) I've decided to bite the bullet and reinforce the floor underneath.

The plan:

add blocking between joists underneath (crawl space access)
glue+screw subfloor to joists
glue+screw additional layer of plywood to subfloor to stiffen everything.

Question:

Would adding a layer of cork underlayment between the subfloor and additional layer of plywood be of any benefit (or detriment?)

The theory is that it might add a bit of decoupling between layers to reduce vibration migration into the framing.

Does my theory hold any water?

BTW, we're thinking of putting tile on the floor when finished. Figuring that it may also add another level of 'stiffening' to the floor sandwich (using larger 1x2' tiles)

I don't have any experience to say for sure one way or the other (except that I've not had any notable vibration problems with my front load HE washer on the first floor, which is just sheet vinyl on 3/4" plywood, near the end of the joists). But what I'd think you want is basically the same thing that that you want when you're soundproofing a floor; you don't want vibrations at the top to transmit elsewhere.

When soundproofing, what you really want is a sandwich of plywood, underlayment, plywood. So roughly what you're suggesting. Cork can work well, though rubber underlayments generally perform much better at the same thickness. You lose a lot of the benefit if you screw the top layer to the lower layer, though - you want the layers glued together, without anything hard bridging across the soft layer.


How can we repair cracked and broken concrete around a sewer stack in the basement floor? Last summer we had a sewer smell and an epidemic of sewer flies in the basement. There was no backup of water or sewage to indicate a blockage - just an odor and a lot of pforish flies. We called a plumbing company which sent someone out to rout the main drainpipe and examine it with a camera. Although there were no cracks detected in the pipe, he said there were "rocks" in the line and recommended bringing in a jetter.  The next day the drain was jetted. Immediately afterward the plumbing contractor said we needed to excavate the entire drainpipe, out to the street (tearing out walls, paneling, putting a hole in the foundation, etc.) at a minimum cost of $20K. We decided to wait to see what effect the jetting had. Meanwhile, the plumber left in a huff saying, "Don't have any big parties." We noticed that the concrete around the stack in the basement was cracked as a result of the vibration from the routing and jetting and the floor around the drain was seeping as a result. We removed the cracked concrete from around the stack. How do we fill the gap between the floor and the stack? The house is about 85 years old, as are the other homes in our historic neighborhood. I can attach a photograph

The right way to do it is dig out and repour the concrete in the area.  This isn't that hard or expensive.

If you want just a stopgap until you decide what you are doing with your main line then you could get a bucket of hydraulic cement and patch over the existing concrete.  The cracked concrete should not be affecting your stack - hopefully - so this is really a different issue than your plumbing problem.


How to sand plaster corner using oscillating tool? I'm fitting a blackout blind and the width of the opening of the window recess at the top narrows over at the the final 4 cm or so (1.6") by a maximum of perhaps 2.5 mm (1/10 th of an inch).  The bulge outwards of the plaster is bigger the closer to the top of the wall you get, so more needs sanding off at the top than the bottom of that 4 cm section -- the 2.5 mm or so is the most is the most it bulges out at the top.  I'm not sure of the material under the plaster, but the building is of late 1930s concrete construction.

The blind runs in tracks that attach to thin battens that will be glued and nailed to the plaster.

So that the battens that the vertical blind tracks will sit in are straight and so a gap is not left between the battens and the wall, I need to make the vertical wall straight.  So I need to remove a roughly wedge-shaped piece of plaster material of max 2.5 mm thickness over that top 4 cm of wall, with at least the same width as the batten, which is around 4.5 cm.

I certainly don't need it perfect but I'd like to make the finished job look reasonably neat.

I'm assuming the best way to do this will be by sanding using an oscillating tool.  Am I correct, and if so what's the best way to go about it?  For example, what sort of attachment (shape/material etc.) would be best suited, how can I achieve the straight edge I'm trying to get, and do I risk losing big chunks of plaster and giving myself a bigger job?

I would forget about power tools and get a 1" chisel. Trace out the area with pencil and shave out the area with the chisel. You're talking about a very small area so it shouldn't take long. Afterwards, smooth out with a sanding block. As always, wear a dust mask when sanding.