Install backsplash before upgrading countertops The granite countertops I'm considering for future kitchen plans are 3cm in thickness, it is my understanding they are mounted flat onto the tops of the cabinets, as I presume my existing laminate ones are.

My current backsplash area is prepped and ready for tile.

Can I go ahead and tile the backsplash accounting for enough room for the future countertops/caulking so that my newly installed drywall is protected from grease/water/stains?

The countertop installers acted like this isn't as uncommon as I thought it'd be. They said occasionally they can use 2cm countertops or cut a bit of the tiling off if need-be.

Sure, but it leaves you open to a less perfect fit. Backsplashes have much more flexibility of position than a granite top, so the latter should really be installed first. You don't want anyone trying to cut tile after it's installed. That sounds like a risky proposition with respect to quality.

I'd prime and paint your drywall and wait.


Closing Letter question I had a construction company build my new home. It went quickly smoothly and I was happy with the process.
There were just a couple of minor fixes to be done after closing (two months ago) which have since been completed. The builder now wants me to sign off on the post-closing letter stating that the two items have been done.
However, I have since found more items to take care of. E.g., the fridge does not dispense water and there is no gap between a bathroom toilet seat and the adjacent wall. The toilet tank is essentially pressed against the back wall. So if you move on the seat, the movement generates noise as the tank rubs against the drywall. The model home had this done correctly.
Are these newly discovered items something that should be followed up on with the warranty department of the company or should I hold off on signing the post-closing letter and essentially do not let the builder get off the hook?
EDIT 1: picture of the toilet seat

It probably depends a lot on what your contract with them says.
If there was a "punch list" period during which you were to report issues and they were to fix them, and that time period has passed, then it's probably time to sign and let the warranty department handle it.
If there was no such period, then I'd contact them and very nicely indicate that there are a few new issues that you've discovered that you'd like to have squared away before signing off on an otherwise fantastic house. (i.e. be really nice about it, and they're likely to keep you high on the priority list, be angry about it and they'll drag their feet.)


Cannot change shower temperature - Cartridge issue? My shower was remodeled prior to me purchasing the house, it has one lever that controls the water flow and then a knob that controls the temperature. Well, you can turn that knob as much as you want in any direction and the temperature won't change (luckily it's on a decent temperature).

Unfortunately it does not appear that the valve is some standard brand but seems to be Cifial from the googling I have done so it's not like Home Depot is going to have parts. I think I found a replacement cartridge (see link below) but before I drop $141 I would like to have some sort of idea that the cartridge is the likely culprit.

Does replacing the cartridge sound like the right place to start or is there something else I am not aware of that could be causing this?

https://www.fdsupply.com/item/p099-4256/cifial-cartridges/

Here is a picture of the valve that controls the temperature:

Yes, these do fail.
I have one almost identical to yours and have had to replace the cartridge a few times in 15 years.


How do I build a fence with zero experience? I've never built a fence or have never done any outdoor construction. I'm pretty handy and do most of my interior maintenance. I have a total of 780 feet where I need to put up a fence. I'm still undecided if I want to build a wall of cinder blocks or an actual fence. I'm in Florida so the fence needs to be sturdy for high wind storms. This is why I am considering a wall instead.

However, pricing is a factor. Fence or wall, they are both pricey since this is to cover a 1.24 acre property. Obviously, wall/cinder would be more expensive but fence or wall, they are both $20k+ to do at minimum not counting anything in the front yet. That cost is for aluminum fencing with labor but I don't want to go aluminum and want privacy. With materials, time, patience and some friends, I figured we can build something solid and elegant. I just don't know where to get started.

For the sake of this post, lets just go with a wall. The cost here will be invested in materials but not labor even though time is money. With that said, here are some questions:

What appropriate tools should I purchase for a job like this?
Considering I'll be doing more outdoor work in the future like
pavers, asphalt and concrete, the investment in the right tools would
be great. Cost of materials and tools would probably be A LOT less
expensive than paying someone to do the work.
How do I get started considering I have never done this?
Any good docs/sites that have step by step guides on how to properly dig, rebar, etc?

I have a pickup truck so renting heavy machinery from my local Home Depot isn't an issue either. I also have a trailer to haul materials as well.

For what its worth, my property is flat so I won't need to change elevation when building a property wall. If this sounds more trouble than what it's worth, my second option would be a wooden fence by horizontally placed rather than vertical. Only the posts would be vertical, obviously.

Thanks in advance

Does the fence need to be solid for privacy? If not, consider a chain-link fence. You set the poles, unroll the fencing along and attach it to the poles with wire clips, then if you want to avoid having it sag, you run a pipe or just a thick wire along the top through eyes on the tops of the poles. When you get to the end, you rent a come-along fence puller to pull it all tight. Done. Wind goes right through it.

If you want privacy, you can buy slats that slip into the chain links. Not terribly attractive, but effective and easy to implement.


How to repair a hole in exterior concrete foundation We have had this hole in our exterior foundation for a few years. The way we discovered it was that water was leaking into our basement finished room, and when I looked outside, I discovered this hole in a corner where the porch foundation and the house foundation meet. It is now the size of a peach. We have dealt with it temporarily by covering the whole area with tarp and duct tape, and have never had any water in the basement since then.

My question is, how do we repair a hole that is empty behind it? There is some sort of crawl space underneath the porch (porch is concrete). Here is a picture of the hole:

We are somewhat novices at DIY - I can build furniture fairly easily, but concrete is something new to me. Thanks for your help!

You need to clean up that area and fill it up with gravel. Compact it the best you can shoving the gravel down and to the back. When you're a few inches from the hole pour in cement. Pour in enough so it's a few inches above the hole and then slope it down away from the hole to deflect water from there. Fixing the gutter problem, maybe adding another downspout, should be done too. Good luck


How can I remove this fastener? This is from a serving tray in bamboo, whose legs won't stay tucked in when I transport it. I thought I might try to do something with these screws, but... how do I unscrew them?

That is a rivet. You have to drill rivets out to remove them.


Ideas for fixing 8cm gap between laminate and wall I intentionally left a 8cm gap between laminate and a wall because there was an uneven wood beam in the concrete along the wall. I had the same problem in another room and I just put laminate over the bump and seems OK, so I think leaving the gap was a mistake.

Is there any way to fill that gap so that it ends up being same level as the rest of the floor. Ideally without a transition piece that sticks out of the floor (like a t mold).
For example, one solution would be to glue many 8cm short laminate planks and effectively lengthen the existing pieces. But I'm afraid it won't look nice and moreover some of the ends of the existing pieces are not perfectly straight as they were cut.

If your floors have their seams lined-up like the diagram (very wrong), it looks quite bad already so adding a bunch of scraps on the end won't hurt. The best solution is to literally start over & use as many of the old pieces in the manufacturer's instructions followed new & proper floors...that have at least 3 rows laid as a dry fit so you don't have any pieces shorter than 30cm.

Each row of planks has its butt seams offset from the next row & at least the same for a third row before you repeat. One main reason for this is exactly your situation here. Be careful & conscious with your measurements & cut 1 board at a time...do I leave the line, cut-out the line or split the line.

With varied lengths meeting the wall you can custom cut & even scribe each piece's end for a flawless fit or common very minor manufacturer's gap. Also, any ridges, popped nail heads, splintered subfloor faces, heavy paint or glue deposits, etc. should all be flattened, leveled, sanded, chiseled & removed prior to installing the new floor.


Is it necessary to replace a furnace when replacing the air conditioner? When replacing a central Air Conditioner is it also necessary to replace the furnace,which is part of a forced air system. Thanks

Bob, the coil unit (evaporator) in your air handling section is the only part that needs to be changed. With new units this may mean a new sheet metal frame to house the new evaporator coil but I find many furnaces out last at least 1-2 AC units.

Don't let them talk you into cleaning and reusing the coil or line set if it is a R12/R22 refrigerant type as it's almost impossible to get all the old oil out and then your new unit will have a much shorter life.


How do I fix a heavily rusted garburator? I have an INsinkerator that I never used for years as I hate it.  I tested it out the other day and it no longer works as it appears heavily rusted over due to non-use. I tried the red re-set button, but it wouldn't work. I would hear a low hum and it would pop back out.  I found an allen key and tried turning it from the bottom with no success (seemed super stuck).

Is this fixable?  Is there any way to remove the rust that is safe?  Or am I better off replacing it?

Thanks.

Replace the thing. New ones are not excessively expensive.

Attempts at repair are likely to be a futile exercise. The reason is that old disposers often corrode right through the lower portion of the casing and there really is no good way to repair that.


What are "backstab" receptacles/outlets? Several questions and answers on the site mention electrical outlets or receptacles with "backstab" holes (just a short while ago, here). I'm sure people in the US find that description to be obvious, but for the benefit of those of us from other countries, can someone give the definition and perhaps an illustration of a "backstab hole" vs "non-backstab hole"?

If I understand correctly, "backstabbed" receptacles are such that:

Have holes in the wall-facing side,
into which you push a wire, and
the wire is held by the pressure of metal plate pushing against it - a bit like a spring.

You may also find them referred to as "back-wire" or "quick-wire" receptacles.
important: "backstabbed" receptables are notorious for low reliability, and specifically, the tendency to overheat, arc and melt. Many suggest avoiding or replacing them.
Illustration of how such holes may look like from the back:

and here is a comparison between a clamping-based (on the right) and a "back-stab" mechanism (on the left):

There's a longer treatment of back-stabbing on Quora.com:
What does it mean when an electrical outlet is backstabbed


Is there any way to fix a hinge pulled out of particle board cabinet door? I hit my head on the open door cabinet over the sink, yet again, and slammed the door shut in anger.  Adding insult to injury, the whole hinge pulled out of the particle board and took a big chunk of the door with it: Photo of damage

Is there any way to fix it?  I know these are terrible cabinets, but replacing them isn't in the plans.

Particle board is generally pretty glue-able. Apply wood glue to the raw particle board and clamp the two pieces together overnight.


Can I use cement accelerator to decrease setup time of modified thinset I am installing larger format Porcelain Tile (18"x18") over ditra on a plywood subfloor. I do not want to use unmodified thinset like they recommend. The TCNA says modified in their installation handbook and with my experience modified is best for tiles and that's how I do it, but I am looking for a better way of cutting the setup time of modified thinset on top of a vapor barrier type product. Rapidset has been suggested but as many of you know it can be a really big pain to work with.

I am looking into a cement mix accelerator from homedepot and I am wondering if cement accelerators would be a good way to cut the setup time so I can grout within about 12 hours.

It is obvious that there is a large concern about getting air to your thinset.  The problem that you have is that there is too much variance in the equation to properly answer this.  Porcelain plus Ditra will cause quite a barrier but there is also airflow of the room and temperature.

The problem isn't the use of the accelerator, it is the effectiveness of it and how it might effect the outcome.  I have used accelerators for thinset before and have had mixed results.  Well since I didn't live in the houses I am not sure about the results but on at least 2 jobs my crew used accelerators and the thinset became brittle to the floor upon drying.  I would personally never use them and for tile that large I would give it 3-4 days.  But I am risk adverse especially when the risk I am taking is mitigated by me doing "nothing" for a couple of days.

I think your concrete accelerator will work - as far as drying faster.  However will it cure faster or cause an issue with the cure.  I think that will be product/chemical dependent and has to do with the ratios you are using.  Someone may have a better answer than mine but they would have to have tested specific products and ratios and give you their experience - not thinking you will get that but who knows.


Can I add a second disconnect main breaker load panel from the meter trough? I am wanting to run power to my new shed and I am thinking of running 10-3 with no ground at a distance of 82 feet so that if in the future I  maybe be using 220 volts. My new load center would have its own main breaker rated at 100amps would be at the inside of the shed. I currently have a 200amp load center in my basement which is not using all of the circuits in the 200amp panel. I will be installing a ground rod at the shed and the cable will be inside of schedule 40 1" conduit buried from the house to the shed. The local power company here has never checked my meter seal in the 12 years I have lived here, I know this for certain as it has been broken since I moved into the home 12 years ago and we had a tree that took out our power for 1 week and tore the weatherhead and meter socket off of the home and nothing was ever done about the seal being broken. I have on several occasions removed the meter to power the home with a very large generator for weeks when a storm has come through downing trees and power lines. I am wondering if this is a good practice for adding power to my shed or do I need to go another route? Thank you for any comments or advice to what I am proposing to do!

Years ago 3 wire was ok but since the 99 code if memory serves, 4 wire is required, no additional ground rod is required on a connected structure but a separate structure requires an additional ground rod. I have wired quite a few connected and separate buildings including my personal residences since this time.

Removing the meter will protect from back feeding but would not be a normal code compliant method of using a generator
A 10-3 feeder will only provide 30 amps of power no mater what size the sub panel is.

The best plan is to have a code compliant transfer switch or interlock kit. I know several people that have been back charged for years because of new wiring and a cut seal. They went back to the date on the wire and said the owner modified the meter that was out of calibration. I was only able to help the 1 home owner that I had cut the seal and made a new connection. Back then I had seals but they did not match the electric company’s data so they went back to the date on the wires + 10 years prior, I just replaced the panel with a better quality , permitted, the other 2 had to pay thousands, so don’t think you are getting away with anything and any changes if not permitted and done by a electrician. In the old days I had several sets of seals given to me by the power companies, I put the tag numbers on receipts and permit cards that I did.
I would not want to make a change without making sure my customer is protected, it used to never be questioned, but after having seen several people get thousands of dollars back charges for changes (and I doubt they messed with the meter) were charged because the seal was broken and the date they could prove a change was made. Hope this helps but after seeing this I would be careful and not try and cheat because someone may cheat you in the long run.


How to seal HVAC ducts running through old window to addition? My house has a small addition that was added by the previous owners.  They ran the HVAC ducts through an old window and some of the block:

The rectangular section in the window should be easy enough to seal with some plywood, but how about around the ducts and the blocks?  My first thought was wood and spray foam, but I have read that spray foam is a no-no near HVAC ducts.

I need to seal this in a way that I can still get access to the crawlspace as this is the only way in.

Two other jobs that I already know about and are related to this problem:

The crawlspace walls and floor need to be sealed properly. This allows bad air and radon to enter the crawlspace area.
The ducts in the crawlspace need to be cleaned, sealed with mastic and insulated.  I'm working on this now.

assumptions from what's in  your photo:

1)  it looks like the right side of the opening is your access, and the ducts are rigidly installed.

2) the crawlspace looks unheated, as the ducts seem to be insulated, and the fact that you mention radon must mean you have an actively vented (fan) crawlspace to evacuate any radon gas (along with a radon alarm in the living space of the basement adjacent).  I personally don't have any experience with radon tight building, but certain municipalities in Ontario have this as an issue, so its covered in the provincial building code.

if that's correct here's what you can do.

1)  build an airtight, removeable access door and frame assembly to give you access.  you can find this on youtube I am sure, or just copy the way an attic access works.

2)  on the ductwork runs, build a bigger pipe around them so that you have a 1" gap between the heated duct and the slip pipe.  you can wrap a piece of galvanized steel flashing around them, overlapping the ends by approx. 3".  use galvanized steel, not aluminum, to prevent galvanic corrosion.

3)  stuff fiberglass insulation into the gap between the pipes (not too compactly) and seal the ends with fiberglass cord sized to match the gap (1 in gap needs 1" cord.

4)  tape the end of the pipe over with vapour barrier and adhere to the slip and the duct. now you have an airtight insulated joint that can expand and contract and won't cause corrosion on the duct pipe.

5)  fill the gaps between the slip pipe and everything else with spray foam. fill the gaps from both the cold side and the warm to trap a dead air space between the foam fields. now you have a vapour proof insulation mass that will keep your heat in.

6)  THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.  go through all the pipe insulation on the cold side and make sure that all the insulation is in good shape and that the vapour barrier is completely intact.  remember, extra insulation on vent pipes does nothing but save you money and headache when it comes to crawlspace hvac ducting.

now you have a giant section, half access panel, half bulkhead, all of it airtight, insulated and radon-tight.

done


too much moisture in concrete slab We had vinyl floor installed a year ago that is now coming up.  The installer said he will replace with another floor as soon as we find out where the moisture is coming from.  We had a plumber do tests and he found no leaks and the foundation contractor said there were no drainage issues or cracks in the foundation.  I am at a loss as to who else to contact about this problem or what it could be.  The house is only 4 years old.

what you might consider doing rather than searching for a mysterious leak is to install a raised floor on top of the concrete. This is simply a frame work of treated lumber fabricated on the concrete. To solve the moisture issue a sheet of plastic is installed between the treated lumber and the old concrete floor. If you are installing a sheet floor covering you will need to cover the treated lumber with tongue and grooved plywood. This suggestion will only work if moisture is minimal. If you have standing water the source of the leak must be found and repaired. This solution is for a floor that is damp, but not wet.


What to do with white neutral wire? I am installing an electric cooktop that has black and red conductor wires (plus the ground wire). However, the circuit line has black, red and white wires.

Since there isn't a matching white wire in the cooktop can I safely cap the stranded white wire in the circuit line?

Thanks.

Yes. The white wire is simply there in case the device also required 120 volts. as it sounds like the device is straight 240 volts, the white wire is not needed.  Cap it using a twist-on wire connector, or other approved means.


Need help removing bolt and nuts from a mailbox I'm not really handy, and so this is the first time doing something like this. I have a 15+ year old mailbox which is fastened to a metal post by four quite rusted bolts and nuts on the side. The bolts are of the slot types, so I thought it would be a simple as unscrewing them with a screwdriver. Unfortunately, the nut (which is a bit thinner/smaller than a standard nut) also turns with the bolt.

I've tried to do the things suggested in this question (using a wrench/pliers), but haven't had luck so far; holding down the nut while turning the bolt head just makes the screwdriver slip out of the slot.

I've applied some lubricant, but no dice either.

I don't have access to any power tools like a drill either, and I wouldn't be sure what to look for in a store. Any other suggestions?

Spray it with a bit of penetrating oil, then sit back and wait for a bit (a beer or two ought to do it).  Then try loosening the bolt again. Repeat until the bolts are out, or you're too drunk to care.


How can I repair a ground-fault? I'm hooking up a new GFCI in a remodeled bathroom, replacing an older one.  There are two outlets following on the circuit.  The GFCI works fine, but as soon as I would plug a light into the next outlet, it would trip.  Another thread suggested checking between Ground/Common/Hot wires to make sure there wasn't a short, and sure enough, I'm showing continuity between the ground and common wires.  My question is, does this mean I have to run new wires, put in a new box, or is there a simpler solution?

The best thing to do is replace the defective wiring. Disconnect the load side of the GFCI and at all downstream junctions. Then check for neutral/ground continuity on each segment of the wiring. Once you locate the segment that shows continuity, search for a short location inside the junction box, and failing that, replace that part of the circuit.

Short of that, depending on your situation, you may not need to wire the following outlets to the GFCI load (e.g. if they are not in the bathroom). You could pigtail the load connection to the line side of the GFCI so that the downstream devices are not protected. If they need protection, they can each have their own GFCI installed, again, only wiring to the line side of the GFCI.


"Connect the ground wire from the branch circuit to the ground screw"? This is what the directions say for my new pendant light. Both the (metal) box and the fixture have ground wires. The diagram didn't show how exactly to connect the wire to the ground screw (located on the mounting bracket). Do I wrap part of the ground wire from the box around the screw and then wire nut it to the fixture ground wire? Or does it mean I should connect the fixture & box ground wires and then pigtail to the screw?? Want to do this safely. Any help here is appreciated.

That's an excellent question and it can be quite confusing.
If you're using a plastic box, it won't have a ground screw, just connect the two ground wires together.
If you're using a metal box, there will be a ground screw. In this case, your idea will work just fine.
You could also wire a "pig-tail". That would be the ground wire coming in with the rest of the power supply cable, the ground wire from the fixture, and an extra piece of bare ground wire all held together with a wire nut. Then, the other end of the extra wire goes to the ground screw.
Either way you choose to connect to the ground screw, be sure you wrap the wire around the screw clockwise so that the wire gets pulled into the screw as you tighten the screw. If you wrap it counterclockwise, it will get pushed out from under the screw as it tightens.


Detaching large ceramic tile without breaking it Do I have any chance of lifting the tiles you see in the pictures without breaking them?

You can tell from the picture what I tried and how it went!

I have had (some) success using the following technique:

using a utility knife or grout saw, remove as much grout as you can
using a narrow margin trowel (see pic) with a hammer, carefully tap the trowel under the tile in as many places as you can. This breaks up the mortar somewhat. Do not use any leveraging type action until you have tapped the trowel under the tile around as much of the perimeter as possible
carefully start using leverage with a wide margin trowel in various spots around the tile until it (hopefully) pops free in one piece


How do I deal with 3" subfloor overhang and extreme joist notch I have two distinct problems I found after removing a replacement piece of subfloor that a previous owner had cut and put in to place.

First is there is a very large notch (12") created in a joist so that a shower drain pipe could be set on it which causes a lack of support at one edge of my replacement piece of subfloor.

The second problem is, there's about a 2.5' section of the subfloor that will overhang the closest joist about 3", right at the edge of the wall. The problem is, the shower water supply and drain pipes run right under the wall base plate and along the closest joist keeping me from being able to sister the joist to add support.

The questions are:

1) Is having a 3" overhang at the edge and corner for that 2.5' (which will be under the new shower and up to about where the adjacent toilet sits, but not behind the toilet) be a problem, especially since I'm going to be laying tile over it?

2) If #1 is a problem (I suspect it is), is there any way to add support to this for the subfloor?

3) How do I fix such a large notch? Can I just sister a joist (with a smaller notch in for the pipe to it to add support?

I'm not opposed to having a structural engineer come in to devise a way of fixing it if needed, but with the current situation, they are not available around my area and probably won't be fore a while. I'd like to fix it myself if possible (and legal) otherwise I'll just have to close up the bathroom and wait until I can get someone.

1) Is having a 3" overhang at the edge and corner for that 2.5' (which will be under the new shower and up to about where the adjacent toilet sits, but not behind the toilet) be a problem, especially since I'm going to be laying tile over it?

For tile, probably since any movement could crack the tile or grout

  2) If #1 is a problem (I suspect it is), is there any way to add support to this for the subfloor?

I would attach a metal angle iron to the -face- of the wall bottom plate with the top of the bottom piece at the right height to support the sheathing where it hits the wall. Strength isn't much of an issue, you're just stiffening things up so the size of the angle is not really that important, anything that you find at a local hardware store that you can't bend by hand will be fine. Normally, we'd frame in with wood but that is very tricky here

  3) How do I fix such a large notch? Can I just sister a joist (with a smaller notch in for the pipe to it to add support?

Gaa, dang plumber, they just don't care. That joist is not supported the normal load as the others are, because it is located so close to the wall so isn't supporting the full dead load as if it was fully space, also there is no way that the live load can occur right next to the wall. The issue is compression, since the cut is on top. This is good, better than if at the bottom where the wood is in tension. Unless the joist and floor feels bouncy, it's probably ok. The joist will move (deflect) before the load causes a failure. If you replace the plywood tightly, it will provide a lot of the resistance to compression that was removed when the joist was cut.

FWIW, I'm a structural engineer.


How to remove a ceiling light when nut turns but doesn't unscrew and globe doesnt turn? Help! Trying to replace light bulbs. The nut turns but it doesnt unscrew off, tried w40 and nothing happens. Cant turn the glass globe due to the awkward shape of the light fixture.

Pull down hard and then turn the nut (perhaps use locking pliers)

what has probably happened is that a different nut at the top has loosened and is spinning freely along with the shaft, while the bottom nut has frozen up.

pulling down will increase friction with the nut and hopefully allow it to unscrew.


Self drilling masonry screws? It’s true. I’m telling you I’ve seen them. It’s a masonry screw with the typical triangular tip seen on all masonry drill bits. I saw them in the van of one of the utility companies here in town and was blown away. I went to Fastenal and they didn’t have them. I googled it a little bit and couldn’t find anything. Does anyone know what I’m talking about and where I can buy these things? I’m sure they’re expensive but it’s worth to me to be able to skip the pre drilling step altogether.

you probably saw something like this

these are for metal, not masonary


Main floor fireplace protruding into basement I am finish the basement in my house built in 1926. Underneath the main level fireplace there is an angled section which is what I assume is for the ashes to fall down into a small door in the basement wall for ash collection. A portion of that angled section is below the bottom of the joists, and to the inside of the new framing.

My question is, can I notch the 2x4s (see photos and video) so the ceiling drywall can lie flush? Or are they load bearing and I should cut the drywall around them leaving some rather aesthetically unpleasant blemishes.

Yes you can notch them.  No I wouldn't pour ashes down the basement anymore with wood walls.

A better option is just get rid of vent so someone doesn't accidentally use it.  I would close it from above and just take out the pieces.  We might need to know more about how it is made though.


Stain-grade wood repair for door mullion? One of our dogs apparently had a teething problem while we were out working in the garden, and decided to work it out on the wooden door's mullion. The mullion has been rather decreased in the process. I have no problem sanding it back down to shape, then sanding the entire door down and refinishing it; I'd planned to anyway. The problem is that I need to fill these gaps and restore the contours first, and it needs to be more durable than your standard Elmers or Minwax wood filler, which I feel will just flake off.

Painting is probably not an option as we're renting (I'd just use bondo if it was an option) and the landlord was proud of the (horrible) refinishing job she'd done on the door recently.

I've attached two photos to show the damage. They don't show it well -- what you should know is that there's probably at least 1/8" of wood removed in some areas, especially the bottom right of the first image.

Unfortunately, I'll be surprised if you can effect a very successful repair.  Restoring the outer corners like those is tricky at best.  And having it stained only makes it worse, since the wood grain will be easily visible.

Most likely any attempt to repair will make it worse looking not better.  I'd opt for something low-impact, such as a scratch-cover product like Olde English, which essentially re-stains the now-exposed wood fibers.  It at least conceals the bright colors of the underlying wood and makes the damage a little less noticeable.

But ultimately I'd confess to your landlord and let her decide how best to proceed.  It's her door, and her call.


Is my 4-way switch replacement job safe and up to code? I recently replaced a 4-way light switch setup with a smart dimmer setup (GE Enbrighten 14294 and GE Add-On 12723) and wanted to check wanted to check that everything I did was safe and up to code (Georgia, USA).

The original setup was wired like this (I think.  It didn't occur to me to take a picture at the time):

When I replaced the switches, I wired it like this:

Everything works perfectly.  I just wanted to make sure I'm not going to burn my house down.  There are a couple things that jumped out at me:

The ground wire isn't connected to the 4-way switch.  It wasn't in the original configuration either, and it's crimped and cut too short to reach the terminal.  Now that I'm using a smart switch with a neutral connection, is it dangerous to not have a ground connection?
Is using the red wire as the traveler appropriate?  I know code is sometimes strict about what colors can be used for what purpose.
The black wire is still there, but no longer connected to anything.  I've capped it off with wire nuts, but is there anything else I need to do?

Yeah, that looks right to me,  the remotes only need neutral and comms.  I presume the master puts only enough power on that comms wire to let the remotes power up, and uses that same wire for comms.  Good design, leave it to GE.


Widening load bearing door 4" & retaining existing header I'm converting a 1/2 bathroom into a laundry room & needing to replace the 24" door with a 28" door, so standard 27" washer/dryer units can be installed.

There are currently some trim pieces along the drywall sides used to fasten drywall, these can be removed or trimmed down some to gain some space. Doing this will allow the king & jack studs to be moved 4" wider to fit a 28" door.

The Question: can I just replace & widen the bottom 2x4 on the header to the jack studs versus removing & widening the entire header?

If needed, I could also install cripple studs in the 2" spaces now created with widening.

That 2 x 12 is over engineered.  I'm guessing this is an older house, built when large dimensional lumber was much cheaper.

First, See this question Proper size of header to support new door in load bearing wall?

It looks like you can conservatively get away with 2 2x6's on edge for the header, and some cripple studs to fill the empty space (Ignore text on img) -

I'm still trying to figure out how you're getting four inches in there without moving that wall stud at the far right of the picture.


Squeaky stairs, fix from below? I have some squeaky stairs going from the 1st to 2nd floor.  Below them is the stairs going down to the basement but the ceiling of the basement is drywalled (not very well).  I'm having some work done in the basement that will require some drywalling and my question is: should I take this opportunity to remove the drywall above the basement stairs, fix the main stairs from underneath, and have the contractor fix the ceiling?  Or should I just try to fix the stairs from above?  Would love any thoughts!

Thanks.

I repaired my poorly-build stairs in just this manner recently. Here's what I did after removing the drywall:

Run a bead of high quality construction adhesive along all joints and laps. Every point of contact between stringers, risers, and treads should have one or two beads, depending on access. Use a protected finger or tool to press the bead into the corners and gaps, spreading it and enhancing contact.
If the stairs are at all springy, add 2x4 or 2x6 lumber to the stringers. You could even add two members to the center stringer. Use construction adhesive and 2-1/2" gold construction screws.

The result is a stone-solid staircase with no noise whatsoever. If you have any noises remaining after allowing a night for the glue to set up, tackle them on an individual basis. Chances are more glue and maybe some shims will do the trick.

Reinstalling drywall on the underside is trivial for your hangers. I doubt that they'd even upcharge for it, especially if they bid to tape that area anyway.


How can I move a very heavy top window I live in a very old school (as in it was a high school) building turned condo.

I have four windows in the standard top pane, bottom pane double sash configuration. Each pane is about 3 feet wide, 4 feet tall and weights far more than it should. The bottom pane does tilt in towards the condo and the top has two securing locks in each top corner. In all of these windows, the locks are not both locked, and cold air is leaking in, increasing our heating bill.

So far, I've tried to lift the top sash on my own and was unable, as well as got 4 friends who were unable.

I'm wondering does anyone know of a good way to lift the top sash enough to lock it back in place? I'm thinking along the lines of a car jack system, but no jack is 4 feet tall (that I can get a hold of).

You would not need to have a jack to be able to lift something up. Through the use of some pieces of framing material (such as common 2x4's as they are called here in the USA) you can pry and lift things with relative ease by the mechanical advantage of a lever. Cut the vertical piece to just the right length for the application and then with the help of at least one of those four friends you may be able to get the upper window into place.

Some things to think about with this.

1) The window may actually be stuck in its frame and unable to move. The wood over the years could have swelled and locked the window in place.

2) Coats of paint applied to the window and the frame may have locked in the window as well and thus not be movable at all -- unless the paint was all removed first.

3) If you do try the lever bar approach shown in my picture make sure to apply the pressure to the window near the frame under the side rail of the window. To apply in the middle away from the rails will put undue pressure on the glass and could result in breakage and / or personal injury.

4) Applying excessive pressure in one spot, either on the window itself or on the sill area below can damage the wood. This would be especially true for windows that are made of softer type woods like pine.

5) When using a lever scheme take the time to plan out the activity and how it will be setup. Without careful setup and applying pressure to the lever in the correct direction you could cause the fulcrum board to kick out sideways and pose a danger to either yourself, the window glass, something outside or someone below the window area.


Removing/re-seating threaded rod for cabinet leg I bought some cabinet legs along with 90 degree mounting plates from Ebay (I know, what was I expecting)...

2 of the legs are good, threads seated correctly, 1 is a little off but I can live with it; however there is 1 leg that is completely off, so much so that when screwed into the plate it looks like I'd bought the angled versions!

I have made an approximate measurement using photoshop of about 7 degrees off, but attached it seems much more!

My question is: What would be the best way to go about removing and reinserting correctly? I'm assuming the pilot hole will be drilled at right angles.

I have tried getting my pair of needle nose pliers on it as they are the best thing I currently have to hand, but they just appear to slip off. As expected, this is locked in tight :-(

Would it be worth me cutting a notch into the thread to try and get a flat head screwdriver in there?

Technically that is threaded rod not a threaded insert. A threaded insert would be an insert with threads to accept a threaded rod or machine screw.

Get two nuts that fit the threads, thread the first nut on far enough that you can get the second nut on.  Using two  open ended wrenches  ( or adjustable wrenches will work ) tighten one nut up very tight against the other, I.E. turn the bottom nut counter clockwise as you turn the top nut clockwise. This will lock them together, now you can use one wrench on the bottom nut to try and back out the threaded rod. The two nuts locked will not back off the rod it will try to turn the rod.

  I have tried getting my pair of needle nose pliers on it as they are
  the best thing I currently have to hand, but they just appear to slip
  off.

As you have found out, needle nose pliers are not the correct tool for removing nuts, they will not give you enough grip to accomplish this task.

It may be glued in or very tight so you may need to secure the leg in vise or clamp it to a table top, protect it by wrapping it with something.

  I'm assuming the pilot hole will be drilled at right angles.

If the rod is at an angle ( not the correct angle ) then the hole itself is at an angle.

Once/if you get it out you will need to fill the hole with a dowel and glue so you can drill a new straight hole or put in a threaded insert, sized correctly, to accept the threaded rod.


How do I fix a plastic gate that will not close when hot? We recently bought a house with a gate between the driveway and back yard.  In the mornings and evenings, the gate opens and closes with minimal rubbing between the latch on the post and the latch plate on the gate.  After the sun  shines on the gate for several hours, the latch plate on the gate collides with the latch on the post, and will not close.

Here is a picture of the gate:

Total height of the posts is roughly 6 ft.  The ground height is different on each side of the gate, so precise length of the posts is different.  Width of the gate is 48 1/2".

I am guessing heat makes the gate expand.

The latch post is screwed to the detached garage.  The gate post is mounted firmly in the ground.  There is a cable with a turnbuckle going diagonally across the door.  If I tighten the turnbuckle the door gets more clearance, but then the latch is too high to close.  The hinges have an adjustment to bring the door closer to the gate post, but at the top the hinge is already colliding with the hinge screws.

The bottom hinge screws have 1/8" to 1/4" inch clearance.

The previous owner apparently tried to fix it by jamming a log between the gate post and the walkway:

The log is wedged in pretty tight, and no play.  I can get the gate to close by pushing it away from the latch, but all the movement is flex in the post, rather than movement in the ground.

What is the best way to fix this?

Things that have occurred to me are:

Swap out the hinge screws for flat head screws and hope that the extra 1/8" is enough.
Try to brace the posts at the top.  Not sure how to do that in an attractive way.
Dig out the gate post and re-set it to get better clearance (a lot of work)
Disassemble the gate and trim 1/4" to 1/8", then reassemble (Not sure how much work is involved.  I have not worked with vinyl fencing before).
Try hammering the log in farther (inelegant, might break the post, but simple if it works)

There is a pretty sizeable gap within the hinges themselves.  I would definitely swap out those screws for flat head screws (and probably countersink the hinge while I have it off).  Then remove as much gap as necessary with adjustment, assuming you can remove enough.  That's what the adjustment is for, so that's the best and cheapest fix if there is enough play.


Adapter for small 1/4" ratchet screwdriver to take Leatherman bit tips I have a small ratcheting screwdriver as seen here, and a Leatherman multi-tool. I have also bought the Leatherman bit accessory pack that contains roughly 40 different bits.

I use both my ratchet and multi-tool a lot, typically for different things. However, on occasion, I noticed some tasks need the Leatherman, because only it has that specific bit. The draw back though, is I lose the ratcheting leverage. So for this type of niche task, I think it would be beneficial to buy an adapter that would allow my small ratchet to accept Leatherman bits. Leatherman bits are flat, rectangular bits, I have included a picture for reference.

Question: What kind of adapter do I need to buy to have my small 1/4" hex bit driver ratchet to accept Leatherman flat bits?

The Leatherman bits are standard hex sized only flattened.  They should fit in any standard hex that is open or deep enough for the double sided bits to fit.

However be warned, without the custom sided attachment to grip the long thin side, the reduced surface area is more likely to round off the bits or the tool under significant torque.

Although Leatherman apparently doesn't think it's a problem as their bit extenders have a standard hex on the end and show it holding these bits.


What kind of screws are used for plywood subflooring? I have removed the old bathroom lino and cleaned the parts that adhered to the floor. I want to screw down the existing plywood subfloor because the nails are old (45yrs) and sparse.

What kind of screws should I use and how close together should they be?

It should be noted that the above linked screw is a sheetrock screw, not a subfloor or underlayment screw, which you will probably find in real life labeled something like "deck screw" if you're working on the cheap.

Sheetrock screws are brittle and prone to breaking under the flexing/shifting of a floor. DO NOT USE sheetrock screws.

My apologies to the OP for not viewing this page 18 months earlier.

If you're installing tile, or doing anything involving concrete (like self leveler), you'll want to look into screws that are alkali resistant. The cement board that you'll grout to the latex primered (better bonding, moisture barrier) subfloor will also be attached with these screws, and the fiberglass tape you'll use to "mud" the seams between the cement board (just like installing drywall) will also be of an alkali resistant variety. In both cases of subflooring and cement board, leave a 1/16" gap between sheets for building shift/expansion.

One final note, if you're adding plywood subflooring over an existing subfloor, screw the original sub to the joists anywhere it's loose, and screw the new sub to the old sub but NOT to the joists. This will help the floor float during the inevitable expansion and contraction of temperature and humidity swings.


Choosing a well filter for household use I need help with selecting the appropriate equipment to filter well water in the US for rural household use.
Current situation:

Greensand iron and hydrogen sulfide filter that has failed. Installed
about 10 years ago.
Local company that installed it claims they don't support it.
Water discolors everything orange.
There is a slight odor, but I don't know if it's caused by hydrogen
sulfide, iron or something else.
Septic tank withing 100 feet of well.
Cattle are as close as 50 feet of well, but usually are more then 500 feet away.
The adjacent property where the cattle graze (15+ acres) is sprayed
with something that smells like fertilizer.

Requirements:

At a minimum, filter iron and be safe for drinking.

Solution must be modular to allow for other types of filtration to be added inline.

Cost less than $1,500.00.

Cost less than $250 for yearly maintenance.

Should be obvious when system needs maintenance before filtration failure occurs.

Should be DIY installable.

Should be made by a reputable company that provide good US support after purchase.

Filters should be certified by a reputable third party organization.

I also need:

A recommendation for water test kits to determine the type of iron,
iron ppm and general water chemistry to ensure safe drinking water.
Help in determining the well pump flow rate and water pressure.

I've spoken to a few water filtration companies, both local and far. They all require a salesperson to come out, which is not going to happen now. Additionally, getting them to provide the total cost of the system has proven difficult. They only mention needing two maintenance items for $200 a year only to admit after repeated questioning that the system is going to cost between $4,500 - $5,000 installed.
Can anyone help ?

Your cost restriction may not be easily met with my recommendation, but it's close. The DIY portion also requires that one be capable of managing PVC plumbing connections, which isn't particularly difficult.
I have a chlorine injection water treatment system that the local plumbing supply house would have installed for US$3000, but sold me the components for about US$1800.

The above image from Clean Water Store shows the routing of pipes and components necessary to assemble such a system. The diagram is slightly different from my installation, only in that the injection port is between the pressure tank and the settling tank. It's called a contact tank in the image.
The incoming water has chlorine injected from the "Stenner pump" which may be a brand name. Not shown in the image is a flow switch, which engages the pump when water is being used by the house. The injection volume is adjustable. Chlorine and water is in the solution tank.
The combined chlorine and water then "rests" in the contact tank. Some of the iron (most of the iron) will react with the chlorine (rust never sleeps) and settles to the bottom. The remaining iron will still be dissolved in the water.
The chlorine is removed by the carbon filter. One adjusts the chlorine injection so that the water exiting the carbon filter has no chlorine level. Pool test strips are useful for this testing.
Not shown in the diagram but present in my system is the water softener/conditioner, which will additionally remove some iron.
I have a pair of cartridge filters after the softener which are installed as pure white and when replaced every three months are iron-brown.
I can occasionally taste a bit of iron, but rarely is there any hydrogen sulfide smell, unless there's a failure somewhere in the system. It's necessary to check the solution tank periodically and refill it. The injection valve frequently collects iron deposits and has to be replaced. Both expenses fall into your US$250 limitation, although it was necessary to purchase the injection valve "duckbill" online to get a decent price. I believe it was six or seven dollars online compared to nearly thirty at the local supply house. I replace them every four months to avoid the nuisance of waiting for a failure.


How to add a ceiling light to existing ceiling light in same room that has two wall switches? Our hallway has one small ceiling light that is controlled by either of two wall switches at opposite ends of the hallway. I want to add an additional light fixture toward the other end of the hall & have both switches control both lights. Thanks.

There will be a pair of conductors coming into the light box, one of which is the switched hot. You can tie into those to add another light either in the light box or in the switch box at the other end of that cable.

Be sure you have an understanding of box-fill regulations, connection techniques, etc. before you make any changes. For further assistance, show a diagram of the current situation.


5/16 pex to 1/4 to 1/2 for ice maker outlet box I currently have a 5/16 pex line running from my reverse osmosis filter under my sink to my refrigerator under the floor through the basement and up to a little opening in the wall behind the refrigerator.  This has worked nicely for the past year that I've owned the house, but now I'm getting a new fridge and plan to install an ice maker outlet box in the wall.  It has a 1/2 inch push connector, so my question is if it will be fine to couple the 5/16 line to a 5/16-1/4 reducer and then connect the 1/4 to a 1/4-1/2 reducer that will push into the ice maker outlet box.  It's not very practical for me to try to run a new line for a variety of reason, so I want to leave that 5/16 in place if possible.

Adapting the size will work fine as long as there is enough flow to fill. some units are on timers and if the flow is low this reduces the quantity of ice made with each batch. I have found fridges connected with saddle valves and a tiny orifice of only 1/16" was sufficient until the tiny orifice in the piercing screw got plugged. I don't like saddle valves because in my experiance they always leak. I usually add a double outlet valve or a t and a shutoff where I tap the water line in case the line to the fridge gets kinked. My wife is OCD with cleaning and the fridge regularly gets pulled out for cleaning and has pulled the line loose in the past so a shutoff at the point of connection is mandatory at my house and a good idea every place else.


Can this joist support be replaced with plywood? The attic above my garage has several of these horizontal support beams across the ceiling joists, I assume to keep them from bowing. I’d like to put down plywood across the whole floor without these because they’re a tripping hazard.

Are these supporting pieces necessary? Can they be replaced by plywood and still keep the joists from bowing?

Just to clarify, I’m not referring to the beams holding up the roof, just the non-load-bearing ones.

They seem to be 2x8, spanded out to the max,with strong backs added to help the frame.Witch is fine for a ceiling joist,to only handle ceiling load. Now you take the strong backs off weaken ceiling joist frame. Want to add plywood more weight.and you make them floor joist,if any load or a room is added due to span you may be under sized. If 2x10 and short span maybe fine .2x12  16 inches on center ,I would say your fine.  After finding out you have a 20 foot span .2x12  24 on center changes things they are spanded out to the max.and strong backs added to help them . Adding plywood and taking out strong back not a good idea. Not a good spot to store stuff.


Removal of rusted bolt remains I recently moved into a new house. Within days, a PVC double-glazed window handle snapped. To replace it I tried removing the two bolts securing it. One came out fine, the other head sheared off surprisingly easily exposing a rusty thread.

To remove the thread, firstly I soaked what I could in copious amounts of WD40 and let that  set in daily for a couple of days. Then I tried using pliers to rotate the thread but due to the fitting couldn't get a good grip.

Secondly I got a carbon steel screw extractor set. The first hole I drilled was quite small. The smaller extractor lost its thread before the bolt started to move. The second pilot hole I drilled let in the larger size. It gripped into the bolt but after some give the bolt instead broke along the pilot hole I drilled. You can see that rust had started to eat through part of the bolt, which you can just about see in the image.

I need to remove the last few mm of the screw without damaging the hole in the window frame so I can replace the handle. Any advice?

I have had the same problem and it can go several different ways.

After realizing the extractor method was not going to work, I resolved to drill it out all the way through and try to chase the threads with the same size tap, to use the same size screw as the original. This has worked, and it has not. It has on occasion, because the hole I drilled was off center a bit, the tap would get the old threads to move, but because of the off centeredness the old threads jammed the tap. That is tedious at best to get through... I also have went the next size up and drilled out the old threads and retapped to the next size up. In some cases going to metric because it "was that just big enough" to get new threads but not so big it messed with the size of the screw head and change things there.

I failed to mention that when drilling out the old screw, combined with the heat generated and the WD40 used, also as typically done when the last bit of metal has drilled through, how the bit grabs the hole and wants to twist the drill out of your hand (with larger holes) or sometime snaps the bit, the short threaded section will dislodge and come out of the bottom of the original tapped hole. That could be good, that could be bad, depending on how easy it is to get the drill back out of the remaining screw.

Now back on track, If all else fails and your framing is wood around the window, run a long enough wood screw with the right sized head and profile to match the others if need be, and get you solid anchoring in the framing under the window jamb.


adding watts to a circuit I have two 500 watt base board heaters on a circuit that is controlled by two 30 amp circuit breakers "tied together". What would be your suggested max. wattage that I could add in the form of another base board heater?

You have a 30A 240V breaker (pair tied together) so this is a 240V circuit. You have 2X 500W on it now, or a load of 4.2 amps. You can add 9 more 500w heaters without violating the derated (80% capacity) load for heating circuits (which are considered as continuous use, i.e. more than 3 hours likely)

You can run a maximum of 5760 watts on this circuit (as derated properly.) In 500 Watt chunks that only gets you 11 - if you have some other combination that adds up to 5760 or less, you can run that combination.

This does assume that the wire is correctly sized for the breaker - such as 10 AWG copper or larger (size, smaller gauge number.)


Is it safe to put a radiator pipe through a load-bearing brick wall? I am getting a new radiator installed to replace an old ones. The pipes came from room next door and existing pipes were unsightly, partly because they came through bottom of joist/floor/bottom of skirting.

I asked installer to install new pipes directly through wall to then be used with corner valves to give neat finish with pipes not really visible.

But installer said not safe to install through solid wall. Is he correct and if so can it be done safely, by casing the pipe as it goes through within something else?

I see no reason why the location through the wall cannot be changed to bring the feed water to the radiator.  A good sleeve for this situation would probable be two pipe sized larger of Sch 40 iron pipe.


Adding bug screen to 3/4 PVC I have a 3/4 inch PVC line that is draining from my water heater pan through an exterior wall. I want to add some bug screen to it so that no roaches or other unwanted pests crawl up it. From what I have seen online, I have to buy a massive amount of bug screen and figure out how to attach it. Is there any other way to insect proof a PVC pipe besides having to buy so much bug screen? If not, what is the best way to attach bug screen to an exterior PVC pipe?

Bunch the screen over the end of the pipe bent back along the nearby sides of the pipe, Then secure in place with a suitably sized screw gear clamp.

Picture Source


Earth clamp material for copper pipe I have a copper water pipe i want to connect to earth. I bought some pipe earth clamps but I’m suspicious that maybe the material they’re made from is not suitable and will result in galvanic corrosion. The clamps are:
Strap: Stainless steel
Clamp body: Phosphour Bronze with zinc plating

Both the clamp body and strap will be in contact with the pipe. From what i can tell, copper doesn’t like to be in contact with stainless steel or zinc.
Is this correct? What material should the clamps be made from?

Are you considering passing a constant current through the clamp in a wet environment?

BTW, these have been the standard "go to" clamp for this purpose for more years than I know of, and I have not seen one where galvanic corrosion has made a hole in the copper pipe.

In the UK, all copper pipes have to be bonded including gas pipe supply as well. The clamps are as you describe, with an aluminum label about 2" by 1" with an embossed warning that it is for earth bonding - can't remember the actual text but probably easy to find : google...

Fit it, making sure the copper is clean, free from paint etc otherwise the paint is an insulator.


What type of screws/anchors to fasten a closer to a steel door What are some proper screws or anchors to use for affixing something to a steel walk-in door?
The example for this question will be attaching an automatic closer to an exterior steel door. The door is a typical residential steel walk-in door, which is "hollow" (foam core) and made of a rather thin-gauge of steel: 24 gauge = 1/40" = 0.0209 inch = 0.53 mm.
Here's a cutaway-view of an example steel door:

(Image from provia.com)
The steel being so thin creates a problem. The door closer in question came with machine screws and tells the installer to use a 12-24 tap, which I found odd. Maybe they expect a thicker gauge of steel? I used my tap and the screws stayed in for a few months, but someone tried pulling the door closed faster than the closer allowed  and the resistance from the closer caused the top screw holes to blow-out. The bottom ones are nearly ruined as well.

I would use anchors of some sort, but I can't seem to find any that are made to work on such an incredibly thin surface. Most anchors I see have a minimum thickness of 1/8 inch, and even then I would question them:

(Image from yindigoarya.com)

The only anchors I see that claim to be for "hollow-doors" are this type, but they seem to be made for hollow wood doors commonly used for closets and such. They don't seem right for this job:

(Image from homedepot.com)
Maybe they just don't make anchors for this type of thing?
I was thinking I could use "thicker" threaded screws like wood screws. I'm not sure how much that will help here. I worry it will just blow out the hole again and leave a larger hole behind. Plus, a rather thick wood screw would be needed since the holes are already wide.
What's a safe way to fasten this closer to reduce the risk of blowing out the holes even worse?

Any type of threaded screw will eventually pull out. I'd think about using some bolt and cap nuts. You'd have to drill right through the door and can probably use the same holes on one side. I'd think about adding a few washers on each side for a little extra strength.


Why is my furnace blowing hot air outside? So I have been having trouble heating my home.  I noticed today that there is a vent blowing hot air outside. It is not the return, chimney or venting. Any ideas other that the builder thought we should all play our part in global climate control?

All gas furnaces require a flue to exhaust carbon monoxide outdoors, the reason modern units require a fan to do it is due to  the circuitous design of modern heat exchangers that extract more heat from the unit before exhausting it outdoors, natural  venting will no longer happen if the induced draft motor is not running, So much heat is removed these days they can be vented using PVC flue rather than metal and  moisture condenses making an acidic condensate that is drained just like the AC condensate is.
It is normal,if it were not so you would/ could die by operating the unit in that condition.


What are my options for resurfacing or repainting my old concrete steps? My front steps are very old.  The paint was chipping off so I used a chemical paint stripper to remove it.  I also used a pressure washer to get the rest of it off.

I would like to stain the steps but they do not have an even surface.  It looks like parts of it were patched with something because those parts are a lighter color.

Should I just prime and paint it white again?
Is there something to use to even it out and then use stain?
I've heard about epoxy but is it hard to use?  And can you stain over it?

You can't stain over epoxy. Epoxy paint/concrete (epoxy=2 stage, mix the stages, chemical cure) coating is a very resilient and good choice, but is expensive and more difficult to work with, and will wear about the same as a one-step paint in an outdoor environment.

Otherwise, choose something like a high-hide masonry primer and paint it -- or choose a one-step masonry paint. Don't just use your average latex house paint.

Behr makes a good one-step masonry paint. I haven't used an epoxy, but they're most common indoors (in garages) -- Only ones that I personally have seen/used outdoors are very expensive combinations intended for traction in marine environments. My favorite paint company, Benjamin Moore, makes a primer and paint combination. The primer affixes to the concrete and then the paint adheres to the primer. I personally believe that a high grade paint and primer combination is the longest lasting solution. Your local Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paint store will guide you to the best application for your location and climate.

Regarding patching, see this post: Is it possible to patch concrete stairs? -- Basically, you can re-coat the entire stair set in cement and dye that, but it will chip off.

And regarding primer or paints for concrete, see this post: Do I realliy need to use primer when painting an unfinished concrete floor?


Gravel and Cement Use for Chain Link Fence I've seen different recommendations online so I'm looking for some clarification. I'm building a 4' tall chain link fence.

1) Do the terminal and line posts need 4" of base gravel in the post holes? I understand the need to do this for wood posts so they don't rot, but I don't know the reasoning for the galvanized steel posts. Some sources say you need the gravel.

2) Do the line posts need cement? I know the terminal posts need it, and most sources state that the line posts should have it too, but I've seen it both ways.

3) The fence I'm installing is replacing an old rotted wood fence. The previous owner had soil against the wood fence in some spots, which created a 6" drop from one side of the fence, to the other. Should I flatten this area, or should I just install the fence in the same spot as the old one? See drawing below for clarification.

The point of the gravel is not just for rot prevention.  You want to dig down below the frost line, first and foremost, so that any water below the post won't freeze and heave the post out of position.

The gravel below the post allows water a place to pool until it eventually drains away completely.  If you put the concrete directly in the ground then water could gather around the concrete at or above the frost level and cause heaving to the side.  Having that extra drainage helps prevent that.

So in general it's a good idea to put gravel in ALL your holes.  Critical?  Not necessarily.

Your last question - kinda hard to visualize and definitely on a different topic from the first two. You may want to split that part out to a new question.


Why is the circuit shorting after connecting a new light fixture? Working on a project that another contractor left halfway through. All the demo was complete when I came to site, now I'm 90% done, and just reconnecting new fixtures/plates ect(I did no electric work while there, just put up some new sheetrock, ceiling texture and paint.) 1 box was left bare without a switch, as well as one light fixture disconnected when I arrived originally. The previous guy taped together a group of 5 or so white wires and 5 or so black wires, and one white wire was left desperate. It all looked weird and bunched up but I assumed white to white black to black ground to ground must be this white wire. Hook It up, hook up a light switch, flip the breaker back on and the light is on, but the new switch doesn't work. Not receiving the signal. Okay, call the homeowner, confirm the missing box was a switch for the light, she said no it was a flat plate. Flip the breaker off, disconnect the switch. Put it back on and go to flip the switch that she says is the one for the overhead I was installing, and the thing shorts the whole upstairs. I'm lost, I really hope all this detail helps because I have no idea and don't want to call an electrician just for a fixture

Every white wire is not a neutral. If you see an "extra" white, you should not connect it to a bundle of whites (which are neutrals) in the box. The extra white must have been a hot -- either switched hot or an always hot. If you know which white was originally not connected, then disconnect it from the other whites.

The previous guy probably also improperly connected a black to a group of other blacks. The proper connections might be to leave the white disconnected in the box with electrical tape over the end. Or the proper connection might be to connect this extra white to a certain one of the blacks. This might restore the circuit to functioning, but at this point it would be for the best to call an electrician.


What's the right size pipe to buy for gas supply for this furnace? I'm trying to figure out the right pipe to buy for a direct vent wall furnace. The instructions show 3/8 inch npt, and also say that the gas inlet is 1/2 inch. When I measure the gas inlet it appears to be about 3/4 inch. I'm attaching pictures of the instructions and the gas Inlet to show what I mean.
It's an Empire Heating Systems furnace, DV210SGXLP-1.

I could use some explanation of what the numbers mean.

Generally, the bigger the better. Assuming you already have gas, you should match what you have already installed. The size shown is the minimum for each of the 2 gases, Propane vs Natural Gas. You can use a pipe nipple/reducer to reduce the size of the valve inlet as needed. As for the other numbers, BTU is the heating factor (British Thermal Unit), higher number means it will heat a larger space, or a smaller one faster. The dimensions are used for the place you plan to install the furnace. Your gas valve is 1/2"ID(Inside Diameter), your measurement is 3/4"OD(Outside Diameter). So a 1/2" ID NPT(National Pipe Thread) is what you need at the valve, however, up to the valve you can plumb 3/4"ID. If you are doing a new install from the meter, best to go with the 3/4" in case you plan to upgrade in the future or add additional gas appliances.


Ground Jump Cable attached to White on GFCI Receptacle? Just bought a home, and going through minor electrical issues.
The guest bathroom GFCI wasn't working. According to the prev. owner's labels in the fuse box, there is a single 20A breaker that services ONLY that receptacle, and it's tripped, and will not reset.
So, I pulled off the wallplate and see that the ground is connected, but there is also a jumper connecting the ground screw to the white neutral... HUH???

My first instinct was just to wire it up correctly... but I wanted to check to see if this was actually indicating a larger issue before I go messing around.
Maybe this was a temporary solution for something that they never got back to?
Maybe the breaker is bad, and this (I guess?) would just make sure any wayward electricity goes to ground until the breaker could be replaced?
Thoughts?

The ground being tied to the neutral is a code violation and should be removed. If the GFCI has power and will not reset after that it has failed and needs to be replaced. They are designed to fail in a safe or off position.


Screws in my base moulding I just hired an electrician to add electrical outlets to our older house. We decided to add our outlets to the base moulding because our house is an older lath and plaster construction.

When the electrician reattached the base moulding, he appeared to use screws to attach the base moulding vs. using nails. Not only that, he appeared to damage the quarter round moulding in the process. See attached picture.

Is this normal? Or did my electrician really mess up?

Thanks in advance for any experience and insights that people can provide!

Your electrician is not a finish carpenter. Nobody competent would screw base like that.

All is not lost, however. Just make sure the screw heads are sunk below the surface of the wood. Get some wood filler/spackle (anything will do). Sand flat. Refill if you have divots. Prime. Paint.

It looks like the cap on the base was either attached badly or not attached at all. Do it over to match the line it had before. Caulk that gap before paint and it'll all be fine.


Why do my new dimmable CFL bulbs hum? I just spent $100 upgrading our dining room lighting from regular incandescent bulbs with a dimmer switch to a CFL friendly dimmer switch with specifically marked dimming capable CFL bulbs.

At full power, they work fine.  5 x 60W equivalent bulbs put the room into "OH MY GOD I'M BLIND" mode quite nicely.

But slide the dimmer just a little bit and BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ an annoying hum comes from the bulbs.

On top of that - the fully dim setting only goes from totally blinding light to about full daylight mode.

Before I totally trash this setup and go back to my nice, warm, DIM incandescent bulbs, is it possible something is wrong with my setup?  Maybe my hot and neutral are backwards?  (Old old wiring, can't tell which is which w/o trial and error...)

It looks like CFL bulbs are difficult to dim.

  A dimmer typically reduces the effective voltage, which decreases
  current to the bulb. The science behind fluorescents just isn't meant
  to work that way, explained Paul McLellan with eLightBulbs, a division
  of Service Lighting, a Maple Grove, Minn., lighting supply company.

  It can cause dimmer switches, or the ballast, to buzz. It can even
  affect other electronic devices nearby, such as radios. The distortion
  can even go so far as to cause flickering in the light bulb itself.
  Occasionally, you may be able to dim by 30 to 40 percent without any
  adverse reactions.

  "We have looked at around 20 different brands and although some of
  them get close, the science is not yet there," McLellan said. "We do
  hear of some success, however, usually with high-quality, brand-name
  bulbs and dimmer switches." Sometimes it's a matter of finding which
  brand of bulbs works with specific dimmer switches. You may need to
  change the dimmer.

  Remember, not all compact fluorescents are designed to work with
  dimmers, but CFLs made for dimmers are available. You can use regular
  compact fluorescent bulbs with dimmer switches, but doing so can
  shorten bulb life and nullify the bulb's warranty."

Taken from CFL Dimming Article


Wiring for EV charger in garage I currently have a 240 40 amp charging unit in my garage for my electric car. I believe the wire is 4 gauge; the charging unit plugs in rather then being directly hard wired. The unit is on a 50 amp breaker. The Chevy Volt might draw 13 amps.

I am now buying another electric car and am wondering if the charging unit can be set up using the same wire, but putting in a 100 amp breaker? I could imagine tying into the existing 240 volt plug with another charging unit side-by-side. If this were 120 v lamps it seems that it would be easy to set up another plug in parallel.

Clearly I'm not an electrician but I would like to think this through before I bring a professional into the project. Any good ideas?

The plug metaphor doesn't work, because these loads are quite large.  50A circuits can't have 2 outlets. EVSE's can't share circuits. And a 50A appliance needs a 50A breaker to protect it from internal shorts -- if it had a 90A internal short, the 100A breaker wouldn't protect it!

The circuit breaker must match the load(s).

As discussed, each EVSE must have a circuit breaker dedicated to it, and the breaker must be the appropriate size for the EVSE according to its specs and docs.  Chevy Volts either use a Level 1 13A/120V charger... or a Level 2 32A/240V charger.  Neither of those wants a 50A breaker. Hot-dogging this stuff is not appropriate.

You're always allowed to use a larger wire than is required, so a #4 wire on a 20A circuit is absolutely fine, provided the breaker is 20A and the socket is 20A.

The breaker must protect the wire. (and the loads).

The largest breaker you can use is decided by the wire.  We have tables for that, namely 310.15(B)(16).   That is based on wire size, wire type (indicating temperature allowed, 60C vs 75C), and copper vs aluminum.

For instance #4 aluminum THWN-2 in conduit is allowed 65A, which you can round up to a 70A breaker.

However, still, the breaker is also limited by the load; e.g. a Level 2 Chevy Volt charger needs a 40A breaker.

The reason is the 125% derate required for EVSEs and other continuous loads.  You must provision 125% of the actual current draw.  That is why the Volt Level 2 charger is 32A.  125% of 32A is 40A, a common breaker size.

Subpanel is how you solve this.

You can run  the wire right up to its 310.15(b)(16) limit if you have it feed a subpanel.   Then, in the subpanel, you install breakers appropriate for each EVSE.

We recommend lots and lots of spaces in the subpanel, because spaces are cheap, and running out of spaces is a stupid, expensive problem.  So you take our advice and get a 16-space panel with 125A busing.  Take that 70A example.  That's more than 70A so that's fine.

Then, you install breakers.  You install a 40A/240V breaker for your existing Chevy Volt Level 2 EVSE, and a 20A/120V breaker for your level 1 EVSE and general tools.  You get the Tesla, and it wants a 50A/240V breaker, so you fit that also.

Now, the 70A breaker in the main panel protects the #4Al wire in the walls, and also protects the 125A busing in the subpanel.  Each EVSE breaker protects its individual EVSE.


Is it feasible to cover low-pile carpet with a 1/4" subfloor and vinyl tile in a kitchen? Scenario: I'm the owner of a multi-unit 2 story apartment. The people living up and down are cousins to each other and are in the process of switching apartments -- long story, don't ask. The upstairs tenants have already moved down but the downstairs tenants have yet to move up, so the top is vacant for a few more weeks.

The lower unit's kitchen has nice vinyl tile that's easy to clean, that the tenants like and are used to, while the upper's kitchen has commercial very low-pile carpet which helps with sound. Kids running around make reducing any low-end sound a priority. The lower unit people have requested similar tile for the upstairs for easy cleaning, but I don't want to get rid of carpet for the aforesaid reason.

The sound on the high end of the scale between units is not a current problem, it's the footsteps/running thuds I would want to keep minimized, which no doubt may be higher with just tile over pine. The rest of the unit will remain carpeted.

There is tongue & groove pine below the carpet. There's very little "give" on the carpet. Can I sandwich the carpet in with quarter-inch subfloor, screwed down well, topped with vinyl? (This is the part where you say yes, ha.)

I may use no-glue tile or tile squares with silicone adhesive. I'm not concerned about absolute perfection in performance/looks for this. If it's not OK to sandwich the carpet, I don't want to put down expensive soundproofing stuff and would tell the tenant to live with carpet.

Seems the only reason not to sandwich would be if a future 300lb'er would jump around cracking the subfloor, but they are all small people.

I think you will regret leaving old carpet on the floor and covering it up. If you are willing to spend $$$ on plywood, why not spend those same $$$ on some foam underlayment for a solid vinyl locking plank floor? The foam is a decent sound deadener, water-proof and resists mold and mildew.

Old carpeting, even a low nap commercial type will hold moisture, breed mold and odors. One bad spill, pet accident, etc will become a smelly problem.

Rip it out and do it right, you won't regret it.


Completely removing/hiding wall switches My wife and I recently bought a house from people who built it in 2005 (literally -- the guy was in home construction half a century), and they did some "interesting" things.  One choice I'm trying to undo involves wall switches for ceiling fans.  We're replacing the 5 ceiling fans, and all the models we'll use have a remote, so they don't need wall switches.  One ceiling fan has 6 wall switches(!), three for the motor and three for the light in the fan.  Three fans have two switches (one fan, one light), but there isn't even a light in the fan.  We'd be willing to keep one switch as a master off switch for the new fan, but I would really like to get rid of the rest.

How do I make them completely disappear?  In some locations, the fan switches share a box with another switch (which will stay), and in others the box has only fan switches.  But in all cases, I'm faced with the chore of trying to do a "perfect" drywall job in a highly visible place or using some kind of blank plate, which is only marginally better than having dead switches all over the house.

Frankly, rather than tackle this, I'm tempted to just leave the blasted switches throughout the house.

Suggestions, anyone?

A perfect drywall job isn't an option, as you're not allowed to cover junction boxes or otherwise render them inaccessible.

In the case of those switches which share a box with switches for other lights, you can find partial blank plates. However, these won't accomplish your goal of cleaning up the walls.

In all cases you can nut the broken circuit legs together in a permanent fashion, but again, this alone doesn't accomplish your goal.

Unless you can access the wire routes to completely remove the wiring back to the upstream box, you're more or less out of luck.


Is the skim coating on my ceiling ok? I just bought a new apartment and have ceilings that were covered why what seems like concrete popcorn. My contractor didn't scrape away the "popcorn" and is skim coating over it. While the skim coating is not finished yet, it already has cracks all over the ceiling (see pictures). I mentioned this to my husband who is travelling, and he told me he had noticed a crack and pointed it out to the contractor who said the job wasn't done and they would recoat over it and sand the whole ceiling down.
Is this normal? It just doesn't sit right with me.

Well, this is thicker than a skim coat, but it's normal.  The compound will contract somewhat as it dries.  The normal and correct procedure here calls for multiple coats.  It is time consuming, but the only way to do it.  At any rate, inconsistencies will certainly exist between coats.  Its the final coat and finish that is important.  If this were supposedly a finished job, that would be a problem.  But this is just a work in progress and I wouldn't worry.  The only possible concern would be in the first pic.  That kind of does look like a crack which may indicate poor adhesion.  But it is hard to see.  The second pic looks like normal shrinkage of a somewhat thick coat.


is this due to termites? any idea what's causing the wood to turn to sawdust? Pics below.

I had this gouge on some wood paneling. The area inside the gouge seemed to be crumbling, and there was always a pool of sawdust below it. I covered it up with some caulk (brown caulk). And after a long time, today, I again noticed some sawdust below it.

2 Questions:

what are your thoughts on what's causing it?
what are your suggestions on fixing this? (e.g. if it's termites, then please suggest any ways you know of to get rid of termites --- professional help, or DIY)

Update: House is located in mid-west USA, on the 44N latitude.

Not termites , may be something called "powder post beetles" ( which I have never seen).  Carpenter ants leave coarser sawdust.
You should check it out.


How do I wire a duplex outlet from a switch/outlet combo? The power comes first through a switch/outlet combo and I need to it take further down to a duplex outlet. The switch will control half the outlet and the other half will always be hot. This is intended to control a garbage disposal (On - Off) from the counter top while the dishwasher stays powered.

If you want to have power always on to a box that is downstream of a switch, you'll need to use 3-conductor cable between the switch and split the hot side of the outlet.

At the outlet, break off the tab on the hot side only between the top and bottom outlet.  Wire the red conductor to one of the hot screws, the black conductor to the other one, and then the white to the other side of the outlet.

At the switch/outlet, you'll need to wire the incoming black wire to one of the hot screws, and the outgoing black wire (to the 3 condutor cable) to the other hot screw.  The outgoing red wire (the one controlled by the switch) goes on the neutral side of the switch, and the incoming white wire gets wire-nutted together to the neutral side of the outlet along with the  outgoing white wire (from the 3 conductor cable)

Be sure to ground all outlets and switches as well.

With this setup the bottom outlet on the second receptacle, and the outlet on the combo device will always be hot. The top outlet on the second receptacle, will be controlled by the switch.


Is there a globally recommended "hardness" setting for a water softener? On a Morton System Saver, there's a setting labelled hardness, but no clear indication as to what setting is "recommended" -- or even whether this setting is the desired "output" or "input" hardness (hardness to compensate for). The instructions simply instruct the user to "adjust the hardness setting" as necessary.

My UX intuition would suggest that this is the desired "output hardness." My CS intuition suggests that this is a compensation level. And neither intuition has a clue what "normal" would be.

Is there a "normal" value I can set to get water that leaves minimal deposits but still lets you rinse the soap off your hands easily? Or, do I need to get the water tested and set the hardness according to the test results?

The setting is the "input hardness". The zeolite matrix resin (the part that does the water softening) will nearly completely soften the water until it runs out of sodium. The resin in the tank is good for a certain amount of "hardness" (measured in grains), probably in the range 10,000-50,000 grains. The setting is used to calculate when the resin will need to be refreshed (by measuring the quantity of water delivered, or using your estimated water usage).

If you input too low of a hardness, you'll have softened water for a while, then you will start to transition to unsoftened water. At some point, the unit will refresh itself, and you'll have soft water again.

If you input too high of a hardness, it'll refresh too often, wasting water and salt.

There's no "standard" hardness, it really depends on your water source. As an example, where I am in Indiana, it is about 18 grains/gallon of Calcium. If you have iron in the water, that must be factored into the hardness, usually at a rate of 4 grains per ppm of iron.

If you use municipal water, they probably publish the specifications of the water you receive. If you have a well, then you should have your water tested, preferably using a titration method (the paper strips work very poorly for measuring hardness).


Sump is sealed for radon remediation and doesn't drain water. What can I do for water drainage? Yesterday our 80 gallon water heater (less than 5 years old) ruptured - flooding our basement. Situated right next to the water heater is our sump - but it didn't do 1 ounce of its job, because it is sealed for radon remediation.

Any suggestions on how I can achieve both water drainage into a sump plus radon remediation?

Put a surface pump at the lowest portion of the basement? That should keep the flood down to an inch or so; not perfect but better.

(You could build up some sort of basin around the mechanicals so they have their own "sump" sitting on top of the slab... but Murphy's Law says that the next failure is going to be somewhere else in the system.)


Safe wrapping for fiberglass around pipes? If I wrap pipes with fiberglass for insulation but I'm worried about the health risks of exposed fiberglass, is there something that I could wrap around the fiberglass? If so, what and why?

Yes, and much easier. Specially made foam insulation for pipes is readily available in many diameters and literally just snaps over the pipes via a slit in the tube.  Then there is plastic covering glue that you pull off once you have the insulation over the pipe.  Pull the plastic, squeeze it together and wa la you have an insulated pipe. I posted an image for 1/2" pipe, but it's available in many sizes.


Is it safe to leave live wires in a fan assembly? I had an electrician install a new bathroom ventilator fan in my wall. This is connected to the overhead lights in the bathroom and runs on a timer. Unfortunately the fan is faulty and can't be allowed to run.

I've removed the three wires leading into the fan and cut them straight across. Is this a safe enough way to leave things? Is there any risk of electrical problems/fire?

No, this is not safe. Those wires should be disconnect where they originate, at the overhead lights. If a new fan is to be installed, the proper electrical box should be installed as these wires seem to come right through the drywall ceiling. With the power off, fold each wire over and tape with electrical tape until you can disconnect them from the light fixture.


Wiring two receptacles to an existing one I have a 40 year old house. There is a receptacle in the garage that has two sets of wires coming into the box. One set is black, white and neutral. The other set is black, white, red and neutral.  If this receptacle is switched, I don’t know from where. I wanted to replace the receptacle but mixed up the wiring. I don’t need it to be switched.  How do I rewire the receptacle with both sets of wires?
I also wanted to use this receptacle to add two additional receptacles outside the garage.  When I rewired the receptacle, the circuit breaker trips right away. I found that another circuit breaker seems to be connected with it.  I am now having to switch circuit breaker 1 off and circuit breaker 2 on. If I want to use the receptacle I’m working on, I have to reverse the on/off between circuit breakers 1 and 2.
Could you please tell me how I should wire the original outlet and add the two outside outlet wiring

Normally when there is a switched receptacle only 1 of the 2 are switched. The cable that is black , white, red & ground.
the white is neutral Silver screw . the red goes to the switched hot Brass in color.
the tab between the top and bottom is broken on the hot side or the side that has the red and black wire.
The black wire normally always hot Is on the other brass connector.  The second cable is usually black to black , white to white and bare copper to bare copper.
This is how it would be wired when the power is going to the switch from the panel then the extra cable black white feeds another receptacle, to add another non switched receptacle tie to the black white ground.
If the room doesn’t have a light fixture controlled by a switch you need to keep the switched receptacle for code compliance.


Refrigerator Ice Maker I have an Frigidaire side by side refrigerator with a built in ice maker.  I was in the midst of moving and unable to hook up the water line for over a week.  My wife says it used to make a sound every once in a while but it no longer does so.  Does anyone know if I damaged it by not having a water line connected?

If no water line is connected then it will not make ice. The making of ice is the sounds your wife heard, so that's why she no longer hears anything. It does no harm to have it disconnected and once you reconnect it, it should begin producing ice again.


Drill holes in very tight space I need to drill a couple of holes in a very tight space. Material is stainless steel and shape is "Π".

I need to drill one hole on each inner wall to attach a springbar on it but it can't be done with a normal drill. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I am attaching a couple of pictures to make understanding easier.

Find someone with a dentist drill.  Should have a small enough head to fit in your space.


Samsung RF266 refrigerator not cooling - Fan making noise We have a Samsung RF266 refrigerator that has started on make funny noises. More like fan noise. It has something called to twin cooling technology similar this image.

There is evidence of ice buildup inside the refrigerator particularity around vent holes indicated by the red marking in the picture.

Also recently we have observed some of the food is starting to go bad.

Anything thought on what might be the cause.

I've had this issue before with Samsung refrigerators.  The sound of the fan is usually it hitting against an ice build-up, which means no air-circulation, which means no cooling.  The best solution to try first is to do a complete defrost (unplug the fridge and leave the doors open for 72 hours, removing any ice build-up that you can see/find).  This worked for my fridge.


Replacing 2-prong outlet - existing wiring has two neutral wires, one hot? This is going to sound like a duplicate question but it's actually reversed.
We live in a house built in the 1960's (in the US). We have metal conduit throughout and surprisingly a ground wire that is terminated at each electrical box. Many of the outlets were 2-prong, and I've been replacing them with 3-prong.
I came across one outlet today that confused me. Instead of the standard 4 wires coming in, I only saw 3. And to make things stranger, it was 2 neutrals (white) and one hot (red) attached to a 2-prong screw terminal duplex-X receptacle (all 4 holes are T-shaped). Also it is a switched outlet.
Has anyone ever seen something like this? Is there a way to convert this to a 3-prong receptacle?

First, the outlet is just a red herring; it is just an older style of outlet.
There’s more going on in this box than you know
Note the extra black wires that you haven’t discussed at all.
What’s actually happening is that one black-white pair is delivering power from supply. The other black-white pair is delivering power onward to another point-of-use.
The red is delivering power to this outlet, with the white as neutral.  That means one of (at least) two things:

The outlet is, or was, switched.  And the red wire is (or was) coming back from the switch to deliver switched-hot to the outlet.  Perhaps it’s been wired to bypass the switch and be permanently on.

The circuit is a Multi-wire branch circuit or MWBC, with this outlet receiving one 120V “leg” of the circuit, and the black onward wires are the other 120V “leg”.  However there’s at least one defect with this setup: in an MWBC you are not allowed to use a device to splice the shared neutral.  It must be pigtailed.

It’s normally allowed to use the 2 screws on a (non-tab-broken) outlet as a splice point.  However that is not allowed in MWBCs.
Fortunately, you don’t need to care.  Just use a red wire-nut to join the 2 existing white wires to a short pigtail, and connect that to the new outlet.


240V outlet not working, reading 120V on each leg, 0V between legs I have a woodworking shop with 3 - 240V outlets. I recently had some electrical work done in the house and now one of the outlets doesn't work. Testing the 2 working outlets (see below) I get 120V between ground and both legs and 240V between the two legs. But if I test the non-working outlet I do not get the 240V between the legs. Is this something I could fix easily or should I get an electrician to come back out and fix it?

Edit:
Electrical panel, I switched the two 240V circuits off to better highlight which circuits I'm talking about. The bottom right breakers go to a second panel...

Edit 2:
Dead panel and info sheet. Sadly it looks like the info sheet needs some updating.

Hmmm.  Are the working and non-working outlets on different circuits? If so, it sounds like your alleged "electrician" put the 2 hot wires for the non-working outlet on the same phase. If so, I'd have a different qualified electrician check out his other work.
To fix this, if the non-working outlet hots are on the same phase, you need to move one to an opposite phase. In fact, if that's the case, it's a major screw-up.  Both hots on a 240 volt circuit need to be on the same double pole breaker. Lots of speculation on my part here. Pictures of the panel with the cover removed would help. I probably should have posted this as a comment, but I had too much to say!


Assessing water damage to wood beneath bathroom Some tiles are coming up from our bathroom floor. I haven’t yet taken off the thinset mortar to assess if there’s any damage but I went beneath the house and found a good bit of wet wood. How bad does this look from first glance?

I've seen a lot worse. There doesn't appear to be any mold. I'd rip the thinset up to the extent of the loose tiles and the water staining below as soon as possible and start the drying out process. When the drying is complete, you'll be in a better position to judge for damage. If you caught it fast, you'll probably be OK. Once dried, you might think about spraying some white vinegar on the wood to kill any mold/mildew that might be thinking about growing.


Rolling platform to support 4000lb I have 4000lbs of fasteners that I want to put on a rolling "flat". I have tons of pine 2x6. The dimensions would be 3'x8'. The platform is 3/4" plywood.
I have four wheels that can handle that capacity (one in each corner).
Would anyone please offer suggestions on framing this?
How many planks to run lengthwise (8') to support such weight?

I would frame it like a heavy-duty wall. Each side beam needs to support 2000 lbs. I calculate that three 2 x 6's are required on each side.

16 inch spacing of joists should be sufficient, use 12" to be more conservative.

And if you want it to be really strong, put plywood on both sides.

And I agree with Ecnerwal's comment, this thing will be a dangerous beast.