Comparison of dual function breakers brands This is a follow up to this breaker and panel selection question.

Apparently, there are gfci  failures, and differences between outlet and breaker protection. In particular, gfci breakers are not required to have the same (as much) functionality as gfci outlets.

So! Is there any documented comparison, between the different brands (Siemens, Eaton, Schneider,...), of  the quality/implemented functionality of arc, ground, and dual function, fault breakers? I have not seen any, but...

The only "documented" comparisons you will find will come from the manufacturers themselves comparing their products against the others, the value of which becomes immediately suspect. For the most part, UL listing dictates that they all follow the same basic rule and pass the same tests. Everything after that is opinion and people's opinions tend to be formed by their personal experiences. I have installed all of the major manufacturer's products and quite honestly, there isn't a hair's width difference in them in them from a hardware standpoint. The biggest differences come in the form of availability in your area and customer service, which will also vary by location. I would ask around at your available suppliers as to what they carry in stock then ask neighbors about their experiences in terms of customer service.

In my opinion the article on differences between GFCI breakers and GFCI receptacles is a little disingenuous. They refer to breakers not having to meet the same requirements, but then go on to say that one of those is the "line to load reversal" test. Swapping line and load is something that is impossible to do on a plug-in breaker! They also go on about the possible failure modes, but a breaker is ALREADY a disconnecting device, so there is no need to do a redundant test on its ability to disconnect.


What is the most effective way to destroy cockroach and centipede size pests? Possible Duplicate:
  What are some at-home options for pest control?

I know one way to kill cockroach but not centipedes would be to dip pieces of potato in boric acid put them around the house in mesh bags. A way to prevent those that crawl around the house would be to wipe the boric acid onto the floor since it would leave crystals of pesticide. Are there any more effective treatment for these?

Diatomaceous earth (DE) allegedly works very good on most bugs that have an exoskeleton similar to that of an ant or cockroach.  It cuts through their shell, exposing their gooey insides to the air.  Once exposed, they quickly dehydrate and die.

Diatomaceous earth for pool filters is somewhat poisonous, so you'll be looking for food-grade DE or some other form that is nonpoisonous.


Dewaxed shellac for knots I meant to seal the knots on my trim with dewaxed shellac/sealcoat before priming and painting to prevent bleedthrough, but I got ahead of myself and primed already. Will going over the primer with shellac still work to prevent bleeding, or do I need to sand and start over? I know the shellac will stick, I just don't know if it will do any good.

Sure.  The shellac makes a barrier that the tannins can't get through.  If you shellac over primer, it's still effective.  I have verified this through experience.

As a side note, an oil based primer (like Kilz Original) that blocks tannins by itself will, for most applications, be sufficient to block knots from bleading through.  It's also easy to sand out brush marks with the oil-based stuff.


what PEX fittings can I use with a Zurn PEX QickClamp Crimp Rings? I have Zurn crimp rings and the Zurn ratchet tool.  I was wondering what brass fitting I can use.  Do they need to be Zurn fittings or can they be any crimp fittings?

For example, can I use sharkbite crimp fittings? or do I need to use the Zurn crimp fittings?  They look very similar or I can't tell the difference.   Thanks for any help.

PEX labeled fittings are uniform (essentially). You can use any pex labeled fitting with any pex labeled tubing and any pex labeled crimp ring, provided they are all labeled for the same size tubing and the manufacturers literature shows as astm compliant. For ordinary residential remodeling you don't need to be concerned with pressure ratings of the assembly.
Note that PEX labeled components are for use with potable water only, unless otherwise noted in the manufacturers literature (I don't know of any exceptions but they may be out there).


Where is my Common Wire? I purchased a wifi thermostat and cannot located the common wire. My unit is old and is a Coleman 70 with no terminals inside labeling the wires.

As you can see in the second image, there is a blue wire that is not being used that goes to my thermostat. I am trying to use this as a common wire, I am just unable to determine where this wire connects to.

THank you for the help.

I've highlighted the C wire for you in the schematic.

And in the actual wiring


Suspending a chair lift swing from a single pole My wife's family used to run a ski area and she has one of the original 2-seater chair lifts when they replaced it with a bigger lift.
I recently refinished it as a gift to her and we we wanted to mount it in our yard similar to the picture I've attached.
I have two questions, any resources around the best size of steel tubing?  It looks like the picture maybe uses 3-4 inch, but couldn't find any info on wall thickness.
Also how far to sink it in the ground and how much concrete to use.  The lift is about 8 feet and with about 2 foot ground clearance The post itself will be about 10 feet above ground and then offset a couple feet.
I have someone willing to do all the fabrication for me, I just need to figure out how many additional feet the post should be to be stable in the ground.

May I suggest a slight alternative?  My preference is to avoid tossing the CM (center of gravity) way off from the submerged portion of the support pole.  How about fabbing a support like this. Perhaps increase the off-center vertical part's length if you want to "swing" without feet hitting the diagonal stretch.


Could running two 15 amp circuits of NM wire in parallel cause interference? I'm running some NM romex wire through conduit in a couple 20 ft. runs, two different 15 amp circuits - one for lights, one for outlets. Could running them parallel to each other in the same conduit cause interference or is this fine?

Interference usually happens with cheap electronic dimmers and fan controls are on the same circuit, with the light flickering when the fan control is activated.  Other than that, nothing much I know of in my 20+ years of electrical.


What adhesive would mate PLA and PVC? I have two fixtures, a PVC pipe and a (3D Printed) socket made out of PLA that I would like to mate. I made a trip to the hardware store and was intimidated by the selection the fact that most cautioned against using on plastics. What kind of adhesive (and I'm not picky to glue, putty, epoxy or cement etc) do I specifically need?

Beware that if in a use that is subject to plumbing code, your 3D printed item almost certainly will be a code violation.

The probable best bet (and I'm not guaranteeing success) would be a "Multipurpose plastic pipe glue" - go to the plumbing section, find the PVC pipe cement, don't buy that - look for the somewhat smaller stock of pipe cement that claims to work on PVC, ABS, and perhaps a few other variants of plastics - try that. Use PVC pipe cleaner and primer on the PVC side of the joint. Make some test joints and try to tear them apart after they have had a day or two to cure.

If, as I vaguely gather, PLA is essentially the most common form of hot glue, then judicious and careful use of a hot glue gun would be the other option that might work.


Can I connect an LED light fixture to a 240 volt oulet? My question: I'm replacing a metal halide fixture with a LED fixture.  The outlet is single phase 240V (split with no neutral).  Is it ok to connect the LED fixture to this outlet?  I'm asking because the voltage range on the fixture is 100V to 277V, but I'm not sure if the voltage has to be on a single wire with neutral or if it is ok to be split.

Thanks in advance.

Easy peasy, just hook it up to hot and hot. Doesn't matter which.

You are relying on the device having competent neutral-ground insulation, but it should, because if it did not, it would fail in any of these applications:

many European countries use Schuko or other reversible plugs.
GFCI cares about neutral-ground insulation
Philippine power works exactly like what you are doing

By the way if you plug it in use NEMA 6 plugs and sockets, never NEMA 5.

If one of the wires is white or light blue, that goes to a hot.  Tape it with black tape to mark it as a hot in this installation, so the next maintainer is not confused.

This type of device auto-ranges between 100V and 277V using switching power supply technology, same as most cell phone chargers and laptop power supplies.  100V is Japanese appliance power. 277V is American power in large institutions; it is one leg of 480V 3-phase "wye".  It will also play nice with American 120V, Brazil 127V and 220V, NYC 208V,  Africa 220, EU 230, UK 240 etc.


2x12 and 3/4" Play for stringer ledger? Scenario: attach 3 staircase stringers to floor i joists.

Problem: I joists have very few fastening points, about one nail per flange.

Would it be best to attach a 2x12 to the I joists (it will run perpendicular) so it would catch 3 I joists - and then nail or structural screw a piece of 3/4" plywood to the 2x12 for more strength.... Or .... Just attach 3/4" ply to I joists?

Also, using a 2x12 allows for the use of joist hangers, while plywood is too thin.

You could attach 2x material between the cords of the I-joist that the stairs will attach to.

Attach a piece on both sides and bolt them together through the web of the I-joist.

Then attach your joist hangers for the stairs to the 2x material in the middle of the joist.

The other option is to add an LVL sistered to the I-joist on the stairway side. Giving you plenty of material to attach to.

Good luck!


Concrete slopes away from drain Outside of my house the concrete slopes away from the drain causing the water to pool in a corner,any ideas to fix this ?

Add concrete (or asphalt patch) until the slope is to the drain,
or break out concrete, possibly lower the drain, and replace concrete broken
out with concrete that slopes properly to the drain.

A thin topcoat to correct the slope may not last for long, but it's easy to try for a start.

Breaking out and replacing will result in a thicker pour that's more likely to hold up through freeze/thaw cycles, if applicable to your location.


Trying to replace the stuff behind a bathroom knob, nothing was as expected from how-to's. Here's what we pulled out. What do we replace it with? We had a great deal of trouble with what seems to have been a stripped screw, eventually we were able to pull out the mechanism with pliers. Here is what we pulled out. It is unlike anything expected per any how to articles or videos we watched first. In particular, there is no hex nut that needed unscrewing to pull out a thing behind it using the shower valve socket wrench we'd bought.

We are just not sure what this is, what vocabulary to use to find out what we need to buy to replace it. We go to Lowes and ask for a... what?
Meanwhile, related issue, even though we have shut down the water in the house, there is still a constant drip coming through where this was attached to the plumbing system. So we believe we cannot turn the water back on or it will simply gush freely. Any idea why the water seems to be slowed to a trickle rather than shut completely off? We've got that thing shut tight as seems humanly possible. Is there likely to be anything we can do about it?

@Kris said nearly, precisely what I had planned to say. I'll break my answer down into 2 parts, as that is how you asked your question.
A. What is it and how to get a replacement part?
It does appear to be a shower valve cartridge. It will be helpful to have the following information on hand when you go to get help with the replacement part.

Have pictures of the valve assembly handy to share; multiple angles, which might actually present a mfg's name
Have the cartridge and any trim you pulled off; often times the brand can be easily determined by the trim
The easiest place to start might be a big box store like Lowes, HD, etc.
A plumbing supply wholesaler can almost assuredly tell you without hardly blinking an eye. Just realize you cannot purchase anything if your not a business owner, contractor, or of the like

B. Why is there a slow trickle when the main is shut off?
Over time sediment buildup is common place from each time the city supply lines are worked on. This can cause a poor seal or scratches the rubber seat and prevents a complete seal from ever occurring. This is common and it happens because we are not in the habit of operating these valves regularly like we do a water faucet, nor would I really suggest doing it. You'd probably experience the same behavior if you've ever turned off a toilet or faucet supply valve to replace a supply line; near impossible to stop them from exhibiting a slow drip. Here are some steps you can take to fix the issue.

Shut the water off at the city junction (where the underground water meter is) and, if the valve type is like a hose bib and takes several turns to turn on/off, unscrew the handle assembly; the hex nut at the base of the stem beneath the handle. If it's a 90 degree ball valve, then there's something else wrong and would probably just replace the entire valve
Replace the seat gasket and reassemble

When turning the water back on from meter to house, make sure the home supply valve is in off position and turn the water back on about 1/8 turn per ~10-15 seconds. This will prevent shocking the system with a bunch of water pressure that hits a wall and causes pipe and joint ruptures.
For the house supply valve, put the shower valve back together and leave the trim off so you can verify no leaks at the repair site. Turn on a nearby sink to prevent a water surge to the system that would cause pipe and joint rupture; same as previously mentioned. Also turn the water on slowly, same as before. Then turn the sink off and check for leaks at the repair site. If no leaks, turn on all the faucets in the house to purge air and debris. Once the system is completely burped at each faucet, turn each one off and put the trim back on the shower valve. Congratulations, you finished repairing your shower valve!


In-cabinet power outlets flush with wall or cabinet? I have a couple of power outlets in my cabinets, one for a built-in microwave, the other for a countertop light. Should they be (1) flush with  the wall and have the opening in the cabinet cut out bigger so that a face plate can be installed resting on the wall or (2) flush with the cabinet, using an electrical box extension, so that the face plate rests on the cabinet?

The advantage of (1) is that it spares using box extensions but of (2) it preserves more of the structurally important horizontal boards in the back of the cabinet on the top and bottom but the advantage and it also looks more elegant.

The ruling factor is that the junction box must be made of an appropriate material.  Not particle board.

If you have a junction box inset into the wall so it's flush, and then you put 3/4" of wood material above it, and use the long outlet screws to mount through that, then effectively the junction box walls are wood.  So if things get sparking or molten-copper-dripping in there, it sets the wood on fire. Whee!

You may say "but they allow this with drywall!"  Drywall doesn't burn.  It's used as a firestop, actually.


Damp patch on the chimney wall I have a problem with condensation on the wall between my living room and the chimney and I would be grateful for suggestions as to how to tackle this.

Some background: when I bought my house the fireplaces had been removed and the chimneys capped. The chimneys have a vent on the outside wall, and as far as I can tell the chimneys are dry inside.

This was fine by me, but after a few years in the house I redecorated and removed the several layers of old wallpaper on the living room walls and just painted the walls - no wallpaper. Ever since then, if the weather turns warm and humid, especially after a cold spell (it rarely happens in summer), I get condensation on the wall where the chimney flue runs. This is really quite bad and produces a very noticable damp patch.

I'm pretty certain this is just condensation. I think the inside of the chimney gets cold because it's vented to the outside air, and because the wall between my room and the flue is only one brick thick the inside wall gets cold too. Add damp air and you get condensation on the cold bit of the wall.

I believe it's condensation because it doesn't happen when it rains or at all in the summer, only when the weather turns humid after it has been cold. Living as I do in the North-West of the UK that basically means any time in winter when a warm weather front blows in from the Atlantic! I suspect that it didn't happen before I redecorated because the several layers of old wallpaper were acting as an insulating layer so the inside surface didn't get cold enough for condensation to form.

At the moment I deal with it by just turning up the heating, which dries the wall pretty quickly. However it would be nice to have a proper solution but I have no idea what the solution would be. Maybe I should put some thick wallpaper on the wall to insulate it, as it was before I redecorated? Or maybe block off the outside vents and put vents on the inside wall so the air in the chimney doesn't get cold? I did wonder if the entire chimney could just be filled up with the stuff they use for cavity wall insulation, though I suspect that's a silly idea :-)

Response to comment:

Here is my attempt to illustrate what is happening:

The damp forms inside the house on the wall between the inside of the house and the inside of the chimney.

...This is one school of thought: seal the chimney to prevent air flow. By preventing air flow, you also prevent the flow of moisture the air carries with it, and the formation of condensation on the colder, interior face of the flue. FYI, the insulation you push up into the flue works simply because it blocks the flow of air; insulation 'warms' nothing. What it does is slow heat transfer from warmer to cooler areas.

The second school of thought is to increase air flow. The theory is that, with constant air flow, moisture that settles on the inner surfaces of the flue will be evaporated.

For this system to work, the flue has to pull in dryer, ambient air from a lower floor; this requires creating an opening below the damp area. This is the preferred method in Britain, for example.

Incidently, houses built in the US Northeast throughout the 1800s had just such an air circulation system built into their exterior walls. In old houses, you have a cavity between the brick and the plaster walls and that cavity extends from the basement to the attic. Air in the attic is heated and exits, creating a partial vacuum which draws air in the cavity upwards. As the air is drawn upwards through the wall, it is heated, which increases its capacity to absorb moisture. This wicking system removes moisture from the inside surface of the brickwork and prevents moisture setting into the lathe.


Hot water heating system: Renew or replace? Our home was built around 1963 and has Gas powered Hot water based heating, some portion of the house is floor heated and some with radiators emitting heat from hot water. The heater may be 10-12 years old. This is Lochinvar heater. Our inspector said this may be at its end of the life. Our house has central air conditioner and air conditioner handler is in attic up above the bedrooms.

This our third winter with this heater and broke three time already and spent ~800 USD for parts and labor.

Here are my questions,

Our system doesn't have mixing valve to cool down the water to certain level before it goes into the concrete floors. How dangerous/expensive this would be if this breaks?
If missing mixing valve is a problem and since I already spent ~800 USD for maintanance, should I wait for the boiler to die or should I proactively replace it with new one?
If I am going to replace it, are there any advantages to going air based heating? Is it feasible since our air conditioner handler is already in the attic? or should I stick with water based heating?

Thank you!

I understand, I am asking a lot of questions in one question, I am just afraid, breaking it up in smaller questions might not give the full picture.

In slab water temp should be around 100 degrees but that is just for efficiency. So if it has been running for 50 Years without one I am sure you are fine.
As long as there is no leaks in slab heating I would stick with it. In floor heating is becoming popular again. It is much more consistent quiet heat.


Filling in a sunken living room to level of other floors My sunken living room floor is concrete slab surrounded on two sides by higher concrete slabs at the level of the rest of the house. The other wall is a brick fireplace hearth. The wall opposite that is a sheetrock exterior wall. It is an area about 13' x 10' which is much too small for a "sunken" anything in my book and is just a hazard for an old woman (me) to fall into. One of the concrete side walls is the entryway at the front door and is far too narrow as well. I want to raise this floor to the level of the rest of the house and I have ceramic tile to do throughout the house. This area is about 6 inches deep. What is the best and possibly cheapest way to fill this in and level it off?

One way to raise the floor, and possibly the most reasonable cost wise, is to install what I would call sleeper joists sitting the top of the existing subfloor and than add new subfloor covering over those.

These "sleeper joists" would be installed as 2xX material on edge. This could be 2x6 planks spaced 16" apart. It may be necessary to rip the 2x6 planks to somewhat less than their native 5.5" width so that the subfloor and whatever flooring that you choose to put on top of that would match to the adjoining floor heights.


What kind of screw is this and how do I open it? These are screws all over my pc casing. I would like to open them but I dont know how, sorry for the bad quality picture, but I cant take a better one.

How do I open them?

EDIT:
As people have suggested I found the proper way to open some parts, they were hidden behind a big plastic cover, that was attached with many clickable sections. After open the cover there were the final screws I needed to open.

Red herring, those are not screws at all. They are rivets.  Rivets are permanent fasteners never meant to be undone, and are used in cases where welding would also be appropriate.  You wouldn't chisel off a weld, so don't chisel off a rivet.

Look elsewhere for the sanctioned/intended way to open up the case.


How can I best connect this metal gas flue pipe to the old asbestos cement chimney pipe? The asbestos cement pipe here can't be changed, but how can I make a robust fix for this junction to the a heater flue pipe?

The gas utility is suggesting flue tape, but that's crazy.  Tape won't last and when it is eventually torn off, bits of asbestos will just be released into the air.

The fit problem here is the old and newer pipes have different diameters.

What I did.  I purchased a new flexible elbow and borrowed a five blade HVAC crimper from my local Tool Library.

I carefully spray painted the transite asbestos flue pipe, just to make it a bit less powdery if touched. Then crimped the standard 5" pipe down to about 4.5", and sent it home with improvements to the straps holding the entire pipe up.  I wore a P100 purple mask the entire time.

This should hold things for now.  It's impractical to replace the pipe itself, but one day a heat pump or direct vent gas furnace will come, and this pipe will be obsolete.


Use a 50 amp / 240 volt outlet for car charger and snow melting system? We have a 50 amp / 240 volt outlet in our garage for an electric car charger.  We would like to use this power for snow melting our driveway in Massachusetts so as to avoid needing more power to be added to the house.  We would never charge the car and snow melt at the same moment of time.
   I would have thought there would be some sort of manual switch that would allow me to select between "charge car" and "snow melt," but one electrician said that if we attach the snow melter, we could never charge the car.  Each one is required to have its own dedicated circuit, and we would have to add power to the house.
   If this is the code?  Why?  Why can't I just be allowed to choose ?

To be clear, my existing setup is two  50amp breakers in a 100 amp subpanel dedicated for two electric cars.

I gather I could theoretically have four 50 amp breakers where I now have two: two for the electric cars, and two for the snow melters. It would all be legal, if I got two generator interlock kits and each one pairs two of the 50 amp circuits, insuring that I could never use more than 100 amps at a time.  Is that the idea?

Any reason why these interlocks couldn't be placed by the existing 100amp subpanel (shown here in the photo)?

Straight up, this is a hard sell

First, EVSE's require a dedicated circuit.  NEC 210.17.

Second, a 50A circuit can only serve one thing - NEC 210.23.  So it cannot serve a hardwired driveway melter and also an EVSE receptacle.  So that's right out.

Third, NEC 625.42 says the EVSE can be cord-and-plug connected if all are true:
1) it's part of a listed system
2) The receptacle <= 50A
3) It's cord connected to facilitate a) ready removal for interchange, b) maintenance and repair, or c) repositioning of the EVSE
4) Cord length <= 6 feet
5) Receptacles located to avoid physical damage to cord.

I think item 3 will be a hard sell.

So you're trying to argue that you should get an exception to the dedicated circuit rule (NEC 210.17); this outlet isn't an EVSE outlet -- it's a general purpose outlet that sometimes (wink, nudge) has a level 2 EVSE plugged into it.  Hmmmm.  That'll be an interesting sell to the AHJ.  AHJ==your local inspector; the one that you pull the permit from.

The other prong of your argument, then, is that it's somehow reasonable for the driveway melter to be cord-and-plug-connected.  In practice, that means it comes to a junction box, which then has a cord or inlet.  This doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it also absolutely requires the melter to call out a 50A breaker in its installation instructions.  If the melter is looking for a 20A-40A breaker, no deal because the breakers don't match.

However, it would sell as a subpanel

If you convert this 50A circuit so it serves a subpanel instead of an EVSE, different deal.  The subpanel does not need a "main breaker" if it's in the same building as it's served from.

In the subpanel you have a 50A breaker for the EVSE, and a ??A breaker for the driveway melter.  That solves the breaker size problem.

Here's an interesting fact.  Nothing in Code prohibits you from misusing a "generator interlock kit" to interlock any two random branch-circuit breakers, just for the chuckles.  Only one can be on at a time. Go with either a Siemens/Murray panel or a Square D "QO".  Use Siemens' ECSBPK02 interlock ($30), or a Square D's QO2DTI interlock ($25).

Now we open an ugly chapter: Provisioning.  The feeder cable must be provisioned to be able to suppor--- Oh, wait. You've got an interlock there, don't you? Well, then. Nevermind.


Direct Burial Data cable I need recommendations for a data cable that allows you to use it with direct burial. I am thinking CATA 5e.

Thank you!

There are no rules stating you can or cannot use any type of ethernet cable with UF wire. Technically, you can just lay ethernet cable on the ground, under the ground, or drape it from the trees. Keep in mind that if you don't protect your wire, it will degrade over time.

I'd recommend using a conduit with ethernet cable, buried at a reasonable depth and sealed at each mating point with pipe cement. You cannot run line voltage in this conduit, just so you know, but will be future proof if you want to add another line or use coax or fiber.

The UF wire you're talking about would be for carrying power and should be installed according to electrical code, probably 18" below grade. It would also require connections be made on either end for supplying and using the power.


What guidelines exist for the number of screws needed to attach two pieces of wood? Are there any guidelines or rules of thumb for how many screws I should use when screwing two pieces of wood together?

For example if I have a 2cm x 10cm plank I want to screw onto a 10cm x 10cm post. Then how many screws should I use and is there an optimal pattern the screws should be placed in?

I don't know if there's something for screws in wood, as wood's a rather strange material.

For bolts into steel, however, there's the AISC Manual (no prices listed, but expect it to be in the $300+ range); there used to be a separate book on joints, so you could calculate the strength based on the size of the fastener, bolt pattern, etc.  There was also a section for calculating the strength of different weld patterns.

Now, the rules for the optimal strengthy are going to be similar -- further apart will support a greater moment, so when the contact patch is a square, you want the first two to be in opposing corners.  If using four, fill all of the corners.  However, because it's wood, you have a chance of spliting, so you don't want to go too close to the edges.  (if you have to; pre-drill).

The other thing to remember is that with screws and bolts, the fasteners shouldn't be taking the full load -- they're pulling the structural material together, so that the load's transfered as friction ... this means if you see a gap between the two pieces, you need more fasteners.  If you have a really large contact patch, drop another screw in the middle.


How do I improve Pergola Stability? The deck is nearly finished but I have a small structural problem with the pergola.  A left or right force near the top of the pergola (such a a tall person leaning on the post) leads to a bit of noticeable wobble.  Everything is rock solid at the deck level, and there is no wobble in the in/out direction. The span is 12' from post to post.  The beam is 2x6 cedar, with 2" x 2" notches where the pergola joists connect with a six inch screw coming in from the top.

I'm thinking up putting 2x6 cedar diagonals at the posts to the beam, connecting at the first pergola joist on each side (20" from post) at a 45 degree angle.  Does this sound like the right thing to do?  Is 20" enough?  The next joist would be at 40" from the post, and would come down too low.

[(http://i.stack.imgur.com/rstJD.jpg)

This is an exaggerated view of the flex.

RESOLUTION:
I've added one 2x6 45 degree brace in the upper right corner.  It stabilized it significantly.  I'll put up the other side when time allows.

FINISHED: Rock Solid now.

The pergola is much like a stick framed house--the framing itself resists vertical forces (gravity) but in and of itself, has no resistance to shear forces (side to side). For a house to stand up on its own, the sides need to be braced against shear forces...typically that's done with plywood sheathing. Barring that, diagonal bracing can be used.

On the pergola, since it's attached to the house, the house is acting as shear resistance on 3 sides of your pergola, but the front is the weak spot, as you've found out.

Some potential options:

sink the front two posts into the ground several feet and surround with concrete (typically you'd want 1/3 of the post in the ground
add diagonal bracing. 45 degrees is the strongest but for the pergola, likely not a requirement. If 45 degrees brings the braces too low, you could consider a different angle. Or make it an architectural detail...perhaps bringing the braces on the outside of the posts (extending the top beam)
metal reinforcement. Pick up some metal L-plates. The bigger the better and attach them to the post and beam.
add a railing to that side of the deck and diagonal brace that (tensioned cables, wood panels, diagonal rails, etc.)
add tensioned metal cables diagonally between the tops of the two posts. Not sure you could enough of an angle to make that work or not, though.
add diagonal bracing to the TOP of the trellis. Create a giant 'x' using wood beams or, again, possibly tensioned cables. That will transfer the horizontal shear forces on the front back to the ledger and house.

You will have to do something, though. Even a 'wiggle' of a couple of inches will cause problems over time as the wind rocks it back and forth. The hardware may not fail but eventually the wood where the hardware connects the members will fail with wear over time.

Of the options I listed, I'd probably start by getting some large L plates. It's likely the least expensive option and you can hide them fairly easy on the inside of the posts and beams. Alternatively, you might be able to use some heavy duty metal shelf brackets. As a bonus, you might find some with some architectural detail that will look nice.

PS: After re-reading your question, I have a few structural concerns:

you state your beam is a 2x6 with 2" notches. The notches means your beam is really just a 2x4. While there isn't much of a load (just the joists) a 2x4 can't really support any force without noticeable defection over time. I'd be worried that in a decent storm, there could be enough force to eventually snap it. That would be worse-case. Best case, though, I think it'll just start sagging after a season or two and look ugly. I'd consider under-mounting an un-notched 2x8 or even 2x10. As a bonus, that can help with resisting some shear force.
I can't tell if the house-side is actually connected to the house. You do have 2 posts back there so now I'm thinking this is maybe a free-standing pergola. If that is the case, then you have no shear force resistance on any of the 4 sides--so you'll need to apply whatever solution to all four sides if that is the case. [EDIT: I just saw your comment in the other answer, the back is, indeed, a ledger. So disregard this one]
you mentioned that you attached the beam to the posts with a screw. Note that a) screws have very little shear force resistance (compared to bolts, plates or even nails) and b) one screw isn't going to cut it. If it's truly being held with one screw on both ends, they could snap quite easily with minimal force. Simpson hardware and/or through- or lag- bolts should be used to make those connections.

Again, these are all assumptions so apologies if you've already accounted for those issues--but if not, please do consult local codes. I'm concerned that the structure is way under-built and a good wind storm can send large pieces of wood flying in every direction--dangerous to your home and anyone in the vicinity.


Using tile in moving house I would like to put a tile surround 18" up around a tub.  I have discovered that that while the walls are vertical, the floor is not level.  Indeed one end of the bathroom is 2 inches higher than the other, if my black and decker laser level is to be believed.  (Hmm.  Check that.)

In a couple places the drywall has cracked, so the room has moved since the was drywalled 30 years ago.

I have visions of tiles (6" ceramic) popping of the wall if the house continues to shift.

I'm consdiering hanging a sheet of something by 2 screw at the top edge, with a couple washers behind the sheet as spaces, then using a dollop of silicon seal at the bottom edge. The spacers at the top allow for a reasonable thickness, and attaching tile to the sheet.

The idea is that this sheet is now decoupled from the house movement and can in essence float.

Is this workable?

When installing tile, use Flexbond mortar and admix instead of water. This mortar with the admix creates a very strong chemical bond in the mortar and then equally strong mechanical bond to the hardibacker board.

This combo is designed to install tile over wood or other flooring that might have "flex." Very effective installation wherever mild instability is a concern.


What are my options for running cable from surface-mount sub-panel in garage? I'm building a new garage, mostly on my own. I hired an electrician to run cable and install a sub-panel, which was completed yesterday. Today it passed inspection. Next step is running cable for lights, switches, and outlets, which I will be doing myself.

From my understanding of the Wisconsin Electrical Code (which generally follows NEC 2017), I have three options:

Run 2" PVC conduit from the top of the sub-panel up to the ceiling (either straight up, or use two 45 degree elbows to enter the wall cavity and run up through the top plate). Run all cables through this conduit into the ceiling, then distribute from there.
Run each cable through its own knock-out in the top of the panel, with a clamp. Drill holes in the plywood to feed the cables behind, and up through the cavity (I'll need to extend the plywood the rest of the way to the ceiling). Cables will need to be stacked and stapled along the center of the studs, within 6" of the panel, then every 24". Drill a hole through the double top plate to bring the cables into the ceiling, then distribute from there.
Same as (2), but instead of using knock-outs on the top of the panel, use knock-outs on the back.

Are these options correct? Are there other, better solutions I've missed? Any missing/wrong details?

Details which may be important:

I will not install drywall at this time, but plan to at some unknown future date. Wiring must meet code for open wall cavities, but also allow the possibility of adding insulation and drywall in the future.
This is a small detached garage which will mostly be used for storage (no welders or any other sort of two-phase load).
I opted for surface mount so I can insulate behind the panel later on.

I'm amending this answer to correct a misconception.

There is nothing wrong with this installation

I realize there's a trend these days in society where people want to destroy or conceal all utility space.  As if they're shameful or something.  Fine, then, go be Amish. For the rest of us... utilities are a miracle.

Surface mount is particularly correct for a garage, because stuff in garages changes - that's precisely why you got such a large panel and surface mounted it in the first place.  Since the garage is utility space, burying the panel in a wall is just dumb.

The problem, really, is the Code requirements to physically protect wire/cable from damage.  And this is where you've "split the switch".  You adopted the surface mount/accessible/maintainable philosophy which is correct, except you are still "married to" concealed wiring methods (NM/Romex) which rely on the walls for physical protection.

The pro way to proceed from here is multiple conduits. (Because of the "4 circuits per conduit" rule). Normally I'd run 1/2" or 3/4" conduit, but this is where that NM/Romex wiring method gets in the way.  Cable takes a lot of room in conduit, because it's treated as a single wire of the widest dimension (since it twists).  So NM-B cable is 0.40" wide as far as conduit fill is concerned, and that requires fat conduit.

Keep splitting the switch: run a hybrid THHN/Romex setup

One very elegant answer is to run several smallish conduit (1/2" or 3/4") to locations of your choosing, and proceed from those locations with normal Romex/NM. The box becomes like a "mini panel" - you don't have to reach the panel with the Romex, only one of these boxes.

Inside the pipe, use wires made for pipe - THHN individual wires.  This is a fantastic way to work, as the individual stranded wires are flexible and supple, not the gator-wrestling of working with Romex (can you imagine trying to thread Romex through a hole in a stud!?  Ha ha, who would put up with that?)  You do have to "do the pipe-fitting" to get the conduit up there in the first place, but the wiring is easy street.

And from a novice's perspective, it's easy to fit the pipe, check it out, shoot photos/have it inspected, revisit if needed, and have the physical installation be perfect.  Then add the wires, which is straightforward work.

A 1/2" conduit can fit 4 common circuits (that's the max anyway due to thermal limits) and 3/4" can fit big stuff (and other circuits too).  Metal conduit also serves as the ground "wire" so no need for wires proper.

EMT metal conduit is also a great way to deal with outlets or devices that are "right next to the panel" e.g. on the same piece of plywood.  A short EMT nipple, steel junction box, two THHN wires and you're done!

On certain upgrade-friendly runs, run conduit/THHN all the way

Especially if you wind up walling the wiring off behind drywall.

You would do this where you might have a variety of shop tools, e.g. a saw that you might upgrade to a 240V saw someday, or an EVSE (go big on that conduit - Tesla chargers can draw 80A!) Then, upgrading the wires to that location will be a snap.

Working with the Romex

Your method #2 will require a way to guard the NM cable as it exits the panel and goes in to the plywood.

Your method #3 will require special cable clamps that can affix from one side (since you can't access the backside).  My concern is the cable clamp won't work properly unless the hole-behind is larger than the knockout, and how can you accomplish that??? (I imagine 10 minutes of grinding with a Dremel or something).

I think you have the right idea with the conduit.  There's only one snag: You're only allowed 4 circuits in a conduit before a thermal derate becomes necessary.  The thermal derate means bumping one wire size for 5-10 circuits in the same conduit, and two wire sizes for 11-20 circuits.

The cure to this is to run multiple smaller conduits.  NM-B cable in conduit takes a lot of space, though, as it counts as a single wire of the wide dimension.

14-2  NM-B is 0.36" across.  14-3 NM-B is only 0.31" across (it's basically round).
12-2 NM-B is 0.40" across.   12-3 NM-B is 0.37" across (again rounder).

Punch those numbers under "custom" in a conduit fill calculator and it'll tell you what pipe sizes will work. Generally it looks like 1-1/4" is the "univeral donor" and 1" will work with three /3 or #14 (since those are smaller).


My upstairs bathroom fans don't vent properly, how should I handle this? I just noticed this weekend that neither of my upstairs bathrooms exhaust fans vent properly.  I hear the sound of the fan, but as google has told me, when I put toilet paper on the fan it doesn't stick.  I'm worried that I'll end up with problems if they don't properly ventilate.

So my question is, is this something I could reasonably fix myself?  If so, what should be my plan of attack?

Otherwise I'll just hire somebody

Pull the cover: inspect the fan to see if it is full of lint or debris, you may simply need to clean it.

While you're there: Get the model number of the fan and verify that it has the correct CFM for the size bathroom it is installed in.

If it is under rated, consider replacing the fan with one that is more powerful; some decent fans start as low as 50$ but you also need to consider the noise level that these inexpensive high CFM fans produce.

Troubleshooting:

Pull the cover verify the fan is free of debris
turn on the fan
ensure that the fan can spin freely
turn the fan off - does it stop spinning immediately? (If yes replace the fan, No continue)
turn the fan back on
locate the exhaust vent outside and ensure the vent can open freely
ensure that there is no debris preventing the fan from exhausting the air from the bathroom.
do you feel any air flowing out from the exhaust? (If no, you may have a disconnect or blockage in the system, a snake camera can quickly confirm what is going on, if there is nothing blocking the vent, replace the fan)

FANS
If you have 2 fans in the same room, it would be good to verify if they are sharing the exhaust vent; if this is the case, it may be part of the problem as they both could be fighting for ventilation making them less effective.


The 5 amp fuse on my AC/Heater control board blows when I put the setting to heat The 5 amp fuse on my control board blows as soon as you ask for heat.  With a good fuse in the AC work fine and you can switch the fan from Auto to Fan on with no problem.

As soon as you request heat the fuse blows and when I try to run the fan to on nothing happens.

I read on-line to jump the W and R on the control board and see if the fuse would blow or if the heater would kick on so I did that.  The exhaust motor kicked on then the gas ignited and after a few minutes so did the fan and I had heat.

I assumed it was the low voltage wiring from the wall t-stat to the control board so I got new wire and ran up to the attic.  I even installed a new t-stat.  Exact same problem.  AC works fine but as soon a I switch to heat the fuse blows.  Any help would be appreciated.

On the furnace control board again jumper the red to the white.  Everything OK?  Now, on the new stat wire, disconnect the Stat completely.  Now at the stat location twist together the red and the white. Does the fuse now hold.  The furnace should start.  If this is the case, you are doing something wrong when you are connecting the stat. Happy hunting and Good Luck.


how do I disinfect a well with plain bleach What is the procedure for disinfecting a well ?  is a dug / shallow well different than a drilled well?

How much bleach to use and what dilute?

Well is 138 feet from top of casing, 128.76 Gal of water in well, pump is 10 feet from bottom of well and water is 50 feet from top of casing. Put in 1998, stopped use 2004.

1)             Use common household bleach as the chlorine source for
  disinfection.

  [Bleach products usually contain 5 to 6 percent chlorine.  For the
  disinfection procedure to be effective, the pH (acidity) of the well
  water should be between 6 to 7.5.  If it is not in this range, then a
  well treatment professional experienced in disinfection of high pH
  water should be consulted to adjust the pH and maintain it in the
  correct range during the disinfection process.

  2)             Find the total depth of water in the well.

  [For example - If the well is drilled to 200 feet and the water level
  is 50 feet down from the top, then there is a 150 feet depth of water
  in the well]

  3)             Determine how many gallons of water are stored in the
  vertical column of the well.  Once you know depth you can work out the
  gallons.  (See Table 1 for specific  Water Volumes)

  Well diameter gallons per foot of well gallons in 100 feet

  4-inch 0.65   65

  6-inch 1.47 147

  8-inch 2.61 261

  [NOTE - disinfection is not feasible for large-diameter dug wells]

  4)             Work out how much bleach will be needed:  For every 50
  gallons of water in the well use one quart of laundry bleach - (4
  quarts in a gallon).  Do not use excessive amounts of bleach - more is
  not more effective.

  [In most cases, one gallon of bleach will disinfect 200 gallons of
  well water at a chlorine concentration between 200 to 300 ppm (parts
  per million)]

  [NOTE - Bleach loses strength in its container over time, Check the
  “sell by date” and use bleach that is less than three months old.  Use
  unscented bleach to avoid adding unneeded chemicals to the water (It
  is usually less expensive too)]

  5)             For best results the bleach should be combined with
  water before adding it to the well.

  [By reducing the concentration there is less chance of corrosion of
  the cables and pipes in the well.  The greater volume of water helps
  get the chlorine mixed in the well column.]

  [NOTE: - Do not mix chlorine solutions with other cleaning products,
  including ammonia, because toxic gases will be created.

  6)             Make the Chlorine-Water Mixture by filling a five
  gallon bucket with water and adding about one quart of bleach.  Pour
  the mixture into the well and repeat until the right amount of bleach
  has been added to the well (see #4 above).

  7)             Remove the well cap and pour the mixture directly down
  inside the well casing.

  [NOTE - Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses to protect skin and eyes
  from splashes.  Spills contacting the body should be rinsed
  immediately and thoroughly with fresh water.]

  8)             Recirculate the water in the well by running water with
  a hose back into the well for 30 minutes.

  [This will help draw the Chlorine-Water Mixture down the well and will
  wash the “dry” portion of the well casing or drilled hole above the
  water table more thoroughly.]

  9)             To disinfect the household plumbing first turn off the
  electric or gas supply to the hot water heater.  Turn on all the
  faucets, shower heads, clothes washers, dish washers and outside
  faucets, etc. until there is a chlorine smell at each location.

  [NOTE - If you have water conditioning equipment check the owners
  manual to see if it is sensitive to chlorination. All equipment in the
  water system should be disinfected because it may serve as a safe
  haven from which the bacteria may reinfect the system.]

  10)         Leave the Chlorine-Water Mixture in the plumbing system
  and well for 12 to 24 hours before removing the chlorinated water.

  [NOTE - During the disinfection process, the well water should not be
  used for consumption, so make plans for essential water needs before
  you begin the disinfection process!]

  11)         Remove the chlorinated water from the well by running the
  pump and leading a hose from outside faucets to a safe area.

  [Don’t put the chlorine solution into a septic system or in a creek or
  pond where it may kill fish. Flowers and vegetables may be affected by
  chlorinated water.]

  12)         When the chlorine odor has gone the well flushing is
  complete.

  [If you have difficulty smelling the chlorine odor a swimming pool
  chlorine test kit can indicate whether or not there is chlorine
  remaining in the well water.]

  13)         Once the chlorine has been removed from the well water,
  the indoor plumbing may be flushed out to the septic or sewer system
  to remove the chlorinated water.

  [Re-energize the hot water heater. The water supply should now be
  bacteria free.]

  14)         Wait about 5 to 10 days before resampling the water supply
  and testing for bacteria.

  [If bacteria are still present, repeat the process.  It may take
  several treatments to remove long-established bacteria colonies.  If
  the problem persists, contact a professional familiar with
  microbiological contamination in wells.]

  15)         Repeat testing in three months to confirm treatment
  success, and then test annually.

https://agwt.org/content/water-well-disinfection-procedure


How do I hard wire new oven to existing wires? I need to connect new replacement GE double wall oven wires to house wires where old oven wires were connected.  Existing house wires are:  black, red, white, and
bare copper.  New oven has black, red, and  the white/copper wires are clamped together.  How do I connect the oven white/copper clamped wires with the house white and copper wires?  Power is off at box.  Verified wires from house are dead.  Thank you!

Remove the clamp -- cut off the clamped end and restrip the neutral if you have to

If the clamp is too tight, you may have to cut off the clamp and then strip the insulation from the cut end of the neutral.  This is mentioned in step 8A of the install instructions for your oven:

  Free the neutral (white) lead from being restrained to any other
  wires. If necessary, cut the neutral (white) lead and then re-strip
  it to expose the proper length of conductor.

From there, it's a matter of attaching like to like with the wirenuts -- red goes to red, black to black, white to white, and bare to bare + the box ground pigtail (bare or green) if there is one.  If there isn't a box ground pigtail and the box is made from metal -- get a bag of 'em and screw the screw-end into the screw-hole in the box, then nut the wire-end in with the bare wires.


How thoroughly should I scrape paint from cement basement wall before insulating? I'm going to finish one corner of my basement and want to insulate the two adjoining exterior walls so that the space will stay warm in the winter. The wall was painted a few years ago and the paint is peeling in places. I plan to scrape these sections to ensure the adhesive sticks well when I add XPS insulation boards. My intent is that the XPS insulation act as a vapor barrier.

Is it necessary to scrape away all of the paint, or will removing the loose flakes be sufficient?

After the insulation I'll add a stud wall right against the XPS, with batt insulation in between the studs, and drywall over that.

The home is 100 years old but a poured foundation was added at a later date. It is a shallow basement with no drains. We've had a wet winter but this corner has stayed dry (some seepage in another area due to an ice dam outside which I remedied).

It sounds like the adhesive only has to hold long enough to build the stud wall, and from then on the wall will be essentially holding the XPS in place. Similar to how batt insulation isn't attached and is just essentially sitting in between studs.
So I wouldn't spend more than a few minutes removing paint.
However, if the paint could later turn into "mold food" in your sometimes damp basement, then you might want to spend more time and remove it more thoroughly (unless it's already an anti-mold paint).

Possibly related Q mentioning anti-mold paint: How can I paint over mold to prevent it from coming back again?
Might be worth considering, when XPS could act as a vapor retarder / air barrier when taped


Query: 2 cables in 1 junction box Please see image A below. Previously attached was a 3-bulb fixture. I have replaced it with a 4-spotlight bar successfully by copying the previous wire configuration.

Lacking the background, the cable and wire configuration confuse me.

Please see image B below,. The old fixture had 3 live wires and 3 neutral wires running from it. These were connected to 2 cables from the junction box. One cable had 1L, 1N and 1G. The other seems to have those and an extra red (greater gauge perhaps?)

Inside the junction box, the 2 blacks were tied together and remain detached. And the 2 whites were tied together and connected to the 3 whites on the fixture (total 5 whites). Then there's the red.

It seems that the fixture is using the red (as the live?) from 1 cable and combining neutrals. Then joining the 2 black wires from these cables to form a closed loop. I believe the 2 ground wires were connected too.

If the above is correct, why was this necessary? Was it a load/consumption issue or a method to future-proof in case of expansion? What is the red wire's purpose - where does it originate from? Were the 2 blacks also live?

Insight would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: This is Canada. House was built in 1990.

What you have there is a perfectly standard, and to modern code, switch loop.  And every wire is where it belongs.

  It seems that the fixture is using the red (as the live?) from 1 cable...
  If the above is correct, why was this necessary?  What is the red wire's purpose - where does it originate from? Were the 2 blacks also live?

You're puzzled at why if the red is live, why are the blacks there too?  Let me ask you this: how does the light know when to be on, and when to be off? Do you want this light to be on at all times?

That's right.  You need a "hot" wire that is on, only when you want the light on.   That is called the switched-hot and that just gave it away. Ideally, it's nice if switched-hot is red.

Now where do you suppose the switch gets hotness from?  It's not magic.  It gets it from another wire, that is always-hot.  The switch either connects always-hot to switched-hot, or it does not. Always-hot is usually black.

What about neutral?  Neutral returns the current to source.  (sorta like hydraulics, you plumb a return pipe, or you'll get a huge oily mess all over your shop floor.)  The lamp needs neutral, it goes between switched-hot and neutral just as you see.  Code requires neutral be white (or gray, but you'll never see that).

Now you are thinking.  Wait.  Why does a switch need neutral?  That switch doesn't.  But if you ever change it to a smart switch, it will, and accommodating those is a 2011 Code requirement. Switch loops must be /3 cable:

neutral must be white
always-hot is conventionally black
switched-hot is red because it's possible here.

And as it works out, this box is perfectly color coded, the colors always match the functions.  That is often not possible (though it's always fair game to color-code wires with tape).

The lamp doesn't need always-hot, so it just passes on through.   The left /2 cable brings power in, the right /3 cable to the switch is a spur.


Stopping / braking rope in pulley system I am trying to hang my aluminum canoe in my garage.  I previously purchased this canoe hoist, which was a piece of junk.

So I decided to build my own pulley system following the same layout as the above product using pulleys and rope with working weight limits > 1200lbs.

PROBLEM : I cannot find a way to brake the rope once I have had it hoisted.  I need to get it as close to the ceiling as possible and when I try to go that last 5 inches, I simply can't brake the rope long enough for me to tie it off.

QUESTION : Where can I get a brake on my pulley (like the amazon product) or is there some other clever way to brake the rope on my pulley system?

EDIT
I should clarify that I have a place to tie it off on the garage wall.  When I hoist the canoe, I must do it from a ladder because the canoe itself gets in the way of the rope on the pulley.  So I need a way to brake the rope while standing on the ladder and the brake needs to be near the pulley.  I have a hook that I tie it off on the ceiling too, but in the process of trying to tie it off the canoe slips a couple of inches, putting it in the way of my garage door.

If the canoe is getting in the way, can you not put a second pulley wheel with the cord over it off to the side so you can pull the cord from the ground? Then you can just use a standard cleat.


Using Quietrock drywall AND Rockwool Sound Insulation? How much additional noise reduction can I get by combining Rockwool sound insulation with QuietRock drywall? Or does one render the other moot?
I'm looking to add some noise reduction to an unfinished garage workshop with a goal of lessening the noise from my power tools. Those were the two products I came across that seem to be readily available for DIYers.
I've realized sound proofing is a complex topic and there are a ton of variables to consider (stud spacing, doors, windows, sealing, etc. etc. etc). My goal is to make incremental improvements towards noise reduction and to disturb my neighbors less whilst enjoying my woodworking hobby more.
Thanks!

As you have noted too, sound proofing is a complex topic. Some published success stories are based on questionable data, others are based on specific cases, typically a basement / home theatre, or maybe a music room.
Sound proofing is expensive in terms of labour and materials, making it difficult to attempt by trial and error.
If your case falls clearly within the conditions for established practices, then those practices are your best bet.
I have found that rockwool provides mostly attenuation along its length and less laterally. It's great for stopping noise travel in joist spaces and other boxes, but less effective through it's mere 3 inches of thickness. Despite these reservations, stopping noise travel has an overall benefit, even in a wall, as noise entered at a weak spot in the wall (crack, outlet box, coupled vibration) does not travel to exit at another weak spot in the wall into an adjacent room. However, this is not your use case.
Your use case involves mostly higher frequencies, not drum-thumps or foot drops, and they emanate from any wall or window into the open.
Luckily higher frequencies are much easier absorbed or reflected.
If your intent is to sound proof an isolated out-building (garage) for the benefit of the neighbourhood whilst enjoying woodworking, there are a few easy steps you can take:

Make sure your inside walls are solid (crack & gap free) and heavy on the inside (e.g. double 5/8 drywall, mudded and sealed). This contains the sound by reflection.

Apply absorbing materials to the inside of the noisy space: it absorbs the sound as it reflects off surfaces, and will reduce the amount of high frequency noise emanating from the garage, no matter where the absorption is placed. You can even apply noise absorbing pads to the ceiling where it is least likely to collect saw dust. Best to use fire-retardant materials or pads.

The additional benefit of the inside-absorption approach is that any small exhausts or other small venting passages are no longer critical elements in the sound proofing.
It also makes for a more pleasant working space.


How to install wood board & batten shutters on wood siding? Do I leave a gap between shutter and window trim? I know I predrill the holes, but not sure if it should be in the batten or each vertical board.

Your first question is a matter of aesthetics and is up to you. However, I tend to like to leave air gaps so moisture doesn't linger after rain. I'd even be inclined to use short standoff tubes to keep the shutters off the siding.

The second partly depends on the construction of the shutters, but two screws in each of the calling battens should do. If they're very heavy shutters or of questionable build integrity you should explain that in your post.


Replace old receptacle/switch combination with a GFCI/switch combination I'd like to replace an old receptacle/switch combination with a new GFCI/switch combination.  The old outlet was always hot, and the switch controlled power to a second (outdoor) receptacle.  I need that outdoor receptacle to be protected by the new GFCI.
There are only three wires in the gang box:

Black wire - was connected to the old Outlet/Switch on a screw labeled "Common".
Red wire - connected on the opposite side of the black wire, on the top (switch) half.
White wire - connected on the opposite side of the black wire, on the bottom (outlet) half.

With only these three wires, can I replace this old receptacle/switch combination with a "Leviton GFSW1-W Self-Test SmartlockPro Slim GFCI Combination Switch Tamper-Resistant Receptacle"?
If yes, how would it be wired?

Given the wire topology you have there, it ain't gonna happen.
There is no way to protect another recep with only 3 wires coming into the box.  You need a minimum of 4: unprotected supply Hot and Neutral, and protected-zone Hot and Neutral.
You can install that GFCI+recep+switch combo, but you won't be able to use the LOAD terminals for anything, and the only socket that will be protected will be the one right there.


Can't seem to find solution for vinyl tube to copper tube connection Its been 6 months and I can't quite seem to find the parts I need for this.

I Need to attach a 1/2" OD (5/8" ID) tube to a 3/4" Copper Hydronic Baseboard Element. One end the Element is enlarged to connect to another copper pipe.

What I would like to do is find out what tools I need and what parts I need to connect the two together, preferably with quick connect fittings or whatever will not require expensive tools.

I'm using a 6" Baseboard Element to passively cool a large computer system, which appears to be work beautifully, but my current solution is not very good. It currently runs at about 2PSI and 5GPM, the pump is rated to 50PSI - so I'm reasonably certain there shouldn't be any flow problems.

Can you guys help me out? I have not worked much with plumbing, and I can't seem to find barbed reducer that will fit straight up. I also don't have a clue where to look for parts.

Your most likely solution is to create the connector you need with two pieces - one to go from PEX (assuming that's what you have since Vinyl is not an approved plumbing material) to copper and one to go from 1/2" to 3/4".

When working with copper you generally have to sweat (aka solder) fittings, or less frequently screw them together (generally that's for end point connections like drop ears).

Lets start with what you need:

For your PEX connector, get a 1/2" to 3/4" PEX to female pipe thread connector (FPTC)

and a 3/4" - 3/4" copper male threaded adapter

Be sure to get the copper adapter that will fit over the end of your copper pipe as some adapters are sized to fit inside other fittings while others are sized to receive pipe.  Test fit them in the store.

You will need to solder the 3/4" copper to the male threaded adapter.  See this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doqoEJJOdYA

Note: 3-4 seconds of solder is too long.  Notice how much solder drips off of his fitting in that video.  That solder is molten metal and it will land on something.  1 second is plenty - you're looking for somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2" of solder to melt and vanish into the fitting.

Allow that fitting to cool completely (use a damp cloth to speed the process), then wrap silicone tape around the male threads.  Wrap in the direction of the threads, and only put about 2 layers of silicone over the threads.

Now very tightly screw the female to pex adapter onto the male threads.  Make this fitting as tight as you can using two wrenches - one to hold the pipe steady and the other to tighten the fitting.

Finally insert your pex tube firmly into the sharkbite fitting of your female connector.


What should I do if the pressure is too high in a home water pressure increasing system? Hi I have two well x trols and a large water storage tank. This system was put in before I bought the house 2 years ago and it it supposed to increase the water pressure in the home. The problem is the ball cock valve broke and the large water tank started overflowing. Then I noticed the pressure gauge on the water pump showing over 100 PSI. is the water from the mains coming in at too high a pressure? What do I do?

I am including some pictures to show the situation. I dont know the flow of water. I do see a pressure valve between the storage tank and the pressure pump.

I think my first step in sorting this out would be to positively identify the feed from the supply main, shut it off at the main, cut this whole business out at least temporarily, and connect the house to the main without all this "stuff."

If, as appears to be the case, the pressure from the main is being reduced before it's increased, something is just plain odd, and it costs a lot of electricity to be that odd, not to mention the complexity. Put a pressure gauge on it and see what you actually have for pressure before concerning yourself too much with this mess.

An alternate possibility is that this is supposed to isolate the house from times when the supply of water is not there at all - in which case it's a poor job of designing a system for that purpose, IMHO. Does your water utility fail to provide water on a regular basis?


Excessive Water Running Alert (Left the Hose On) We are designing a rain water collection system involving 27,500 gallons of tank storage that will serve to replace a dried up well for the whole house needs.

Accidentally leaving a hose running happens (especially with kids :).  We are looking for a monitoring device/system that will alert if the tank pumps are running excessively (more than the normal flushing of toilets and doing laundry and filling horse troughs).  It would be a shame to accidentally empty those tanks of precious New Mexico rainwater.

Any ideas or thoughts?

Thank you,

Kevin

What you are looking for is a remote water level monitoring system. It is all up to cost on how elaborate of a system you want. Here is the google search.


thermostat c wire question I am looking to install a new thermostat that will require a C wire. I have a single stage A/C unit and my current thermostat has Rc, G, and Y wires. There is also an unused blue wire which I traced to the A/C unit electrical panel - it is not connected to anything. My problem is - the guys that installed my A/C were kind of "half ass" and there is no easy way for me to just connect the unused blue wire in the A/C electrical panel. The unused blue wire is wrapped around the brown wire.

You should be able to see onto the board where the rest of the wires connect and find the "C" terminal. It likely already has something connected going to one of the many wire nuts (and yeah, that is pretty sloppy).

You can test for sure using a multimeter. Set it to measure AC voltage, and then between the Rc (or Rh) and C wire you will see around 24VAC.

Once you've traced C and verified it, connect it up to your blue wire. Do yourself (and anyone who works on this in the future) a huge favour and label each wire at the thermostat before you put it back in the wall.


How do I fix a garage door opener light that loosens in its socket? The light on my garage door opener keeps getting loose in the light socket, causing it to not work. Giving it a slight turn to tighten it fixes it temporarily, but it comes loose again within a week or so. I'm assuming it's the vibration of the opener that's causing the problem.

How can I prevent the light bulb from coming loose in the socket?

First unplug the opener. Now look in the light socket. See if the small metal tab at the bottom is nearly flat. Carefully pull it up a little bit so it applys more spring tension to the bulb. Also, they used to sell "rough service" Incandescent bulbs for openers, but I have had OK luck with compact fluorescents.


I live in the Northeast area of the US, and my emergency heat on my furnace/ac is broken. Can I get thru the winter months without fixing it? I live in the Northeast area of the US, and my emergency heat on my furnace/ac is broken. Can I get thru the winter months without fixing it?

I would call in an HVAC company that is versed in heat pump repair. Since we do not know what is wrong with the electric back up heat we can only guess. The problem may be as simple as a bad sequencing relay, broken or loose wire, or a bad heat strip. Instead of being cold, I would get it serviced.


Outside electric panel, does it require another housing? We are upgrading the electric panel.  The current one is attached to the outside of the house. The new one will be in the same place but will be a bigger panel and supports 200 Amps. Do I need to protect the panel in any way from the elements?  Is the metal panel enclosure adequate enough?

Will it benefit from additional protection?

You will need an outdoor-rated panel enclosure for this task (NEMA 3R is typical vs. the NEMA 1 rating on an indoor panel).  Most major manufacturers (I know Square-D and Eaton do this) provide panelboards in NEMA 3R enclosures as standard catalog items in their light-duty panelboard lines.


Does the head of a pump depend on pipe diameter? I understand that the head of a pump is the distance water can be moved upwards. This page mentions a few things the head depends on, but does not mention pipe diameter. So since it seems logical to me, does head also depend on the pipe diameter, ignoring changes in friction?

What you are looking at is really just the static lift height. The Total Dynamic Head (TDH) is what you need to look at when sizing a pump. For a well pump, to simplify:

TDH = Static Lift Head + Pressure Head + Friction Loss

So to answer your question: pipe diameter directly affects friction loss, which largely influences TDH.

You can get charts that show friction loss for different materials of pipes (I can only find ones on commercial sites so I won't link them), but the smaller the pipe, the higher the friction loss. Fittings also introduce friction loss, and there are charts that show equivalent distance each fitting adds (for example, a 1" elbow is equivalent to +7' of pipe).

As an example of how diameter affects TDH, to get 12 GPM with 200' of pipe with a vertical rise of 80':

Diameter     TDH
--------     ---
3/4"         159'
1"           99'
1 1/2"       83'
2"           81'

There are many TDH calculators that simplify all of this (again, I won't link since I can only find commercial sites), and that's the easy way to figure this out.


Shall I keep windows and blinds open during hot summer days? On a summer day with at 36 degrees Celsius, in a room with no air conditioner but only a ceiling fan, and with windows facing north and east, which of the following can I do to make the room feel less hot:

open or close windows

pull down or up the blinds on the windows

I guess that both heat and some wind (although not cool air) can come in through the windows.
Thanks.

Freeman's comment is exactly right.  The optimum approach depends on delta temperature, humidity, breezes, how long the sun shines directly into a window, etc.
Get a couple thermometers (and humidity monitors if you can) and record the variation from dawn to dusk for several days with windows closed, several with windows open, etc.
If your area cools down nicely at night, then be sure to keep windows open all night, then close them up in the AM to preserve the cool air in the room, for example.


Illegal power connection, how should I handle this situation? I saw a yellow (old flat style) extension cord wired to a power pole way above the meter and then the cord dropped to the front of the structure and was wired to the base of an unmounted porch light.

There is a massive droop in the cord that put it at about 4 ft from the ground before rising again to the fixture (exaggerated drip loop) - the occupants regularly duck under the cord bump it as they navigate around the trailer to carry out normal tasks.

Legalities and codes aside, how do I convince these people that they are in serious danger with every item they plug in?

I know they power a water pump, stove, fridge, microwave, 2 tvs and various other lights and appliances from information shared in the course of normal interaction (I have never been inside but as the lightweight gauge of that wire is constantly on my mind, anytime one of the occupants mention an appliance or various outlets in the trailer that have just "stopped" working, I get overwhelmed with fear). I do not want to alienate the people or let on that I realize their power hookup is not as it should be (a mixture of fear for retaliation as they obviously do not have a high enough regard for the law to have the power hooked up). I did mention the wire in passing one day asked what it was and was told "oh it was that way when we moved in", so I did not pursue it at that time.

My gut is in knots over this. My silence could result in 2 young wet behind the ears young adults die. and maybe it is possible they are ignorant enough to not realize the actual danger they may be in. I am looking for suggestions to enlighten them and encourage a remedy that does not ruin the rest of their lives being in jail or debt from fines, but I fear their actual lives are in the balance.

Clearly you are concerned but it is not your job to fix everyone.

So even if they have a house fire tonight it is not your fault.

The best thing to do is to get someone with authority to take a look.

Here in the US we feel safe enough to call police.  They are always concerned about safety.

But here in the US nobody would ever do that, at least not in the cities.

So wherever you are I'd bet you can figure out the best place to call.

I would suggest the power company.   Or the fire department.

All you would have to do is ID yourself as a concerned neighbor and repeat over the phone what you have written here.


How should I fill in pits in a concrete floor so I can install laminate? I have these holes in the concrete floor, and I want to install laminate floor. What can I do to fill in these holes to get a nice level surface.

You don't need to fill pits of that size. The laminate floor will easily span that no problem.


How can I upgrade a sub-panel without upgrading the three-conductor supply? I have a sub panel in my detached garage. I wanted to change the sub panel. I found that it is a 3 wire feed, neutral, and 2 hot, no ground. The panel is connected to the metal conduit coming in from the floor, but the conduit ends  when it reaches the basement in the house about 60’ away. It does not connect to the main panel. It doesn’t seem to be properly grounded.

How can I change the panel properly with out pulling a new 4 wire to the garage from the main?

Assuming your conduit is continuous from your basement to your subpanel, your best option is to use it as your ground path.  Metal conduit is an excellent ground conductor, and can easily handle hundreds of amps, even when a little rusty.

Buy a conduit ground clamp, such as this one:

(Image courtesy of Home Depot)

Then, run an appropriately sized green or bare copper wire from the end of the conduit in your basement to your service panel, or any point along your grounding electrode system.  This will complete the ground path from your subpanel back to your main panel.

Now, to complete the conversion, shut off the breaker feeding your subpanel, and remove the neutral-ground bond that's likely in there.  This may require moving neutral and ground wires onto separate buses if they're currently mixed.

If you're not sure the conduit is continuous (i.e. it might transition to plasitc somewhere underground), you can now test that with a multimeter and an extension cord:  Plug it into any regular outlet in the house, walk to the subpanel in the garage, and test for continuity between the round ground pin of that extension cord and the metal conduit going into your subpanel.  If it has continuity, you're good to go.  If not, now pull another ground wire through the conduit and connect it at the subpanel and main panel/grounding electrode system (but still leave the conduit clamp connected as well -- it's good to bond conduit to ground even if it isn't serving as a ground path).


Can I run the ground wire without conduit to sub panel in the same building First, thanks for all the excellent advice on this site.

While wiring an auxiliary heat strip to the 125A sub panel in my basement, I noticed that the sub panel does not have a grounding wire from the main panel. The main panel is 25 feet away in the basement. I would like to add the ground wire. The neutral bar on the sub panel is not bonded; I will add the grounding bar. I am in North Carolina. Here are my questions:

Can I run the grounding wire on it's own zip tied to the whip carrying the hot and neutral wires (I cannot pull any wires through the whip as it is pre-made)?
I'm planning on using #6 wire. Is that sufficient for the 125A sub panel?

In turn:

Yes, you can run the grounding wire on its own as per NEC 250.130(C) point 5.  Also, since you are using a #6 wire, it can be run unprotected as per 250.120(C), although Bare Armored Ground cable may be a better bet to keep dimwits with wire cutters at bay.  However, zip-tying the new grounding conductor to the existing feeder cable is a violation of 300.11(C).  You're better off simply fishing the wire where it needs to go, or having it take its own route to the panel.
Yes, 6 AWG copper wire is an adequate grounding conductor for a 125A subpanel -- in fact, 6 AWG copper is good all the way up to 200A.  However, if you had aluminum or copper-clad wire instead, you'd need a 4AWG wire for the job.


How can I block air flow into floor joists in knee wall attic? I purchased an 55 year old two story home.  Upstairs there is a knee wall attic space.  There is air coming into the joist area and out of the pot lights downstairs.  I can feel the cold breeze with my hand and i can see the pot lights when i look between the joists in the knee wall attic area.

What is is the best way to block the airflow?

I think the proper solution to this is to use an air-tight recessed can and trim; this would however require replacing the fixture.  The complexity of this depends on how accessible it is from above (I don't know of any air-tight rework fixtures).  You cannot safely add insulation around the light due to the heat build up.


How can I conceal the underside of roof sheathing with protruding roofing nails? I just had a new roof done and as you can see, they used long nails which protruded through the plywood and splintered the wood. I cannot afford to have someone scrape and paint the whole underside of the carport. Can I just have someone spray the whole thing as a quick fix?

I had the same situation one time and the carpenters just put a sheathing over it to hide everything.  The sheathing was no thicker that wood paneling and finished very nicely after painting.


Leaky epoxied sink drain The sink drain pipe was changed to ABS (previously metal), but it leaks at the point where it joins the drain in the wall.

Teflon tape was added on the ABS pipe where the washer contacts it (and possibly on the wall drain pipe threads, but I'm not sure). Then some kind of epoxy was applied on the the wall drain pipe and over the nut. It still leaks (badly).

How to fix this mess?

EDIT:
I chiseled off the epoxy and removed the ABS pipe. Now it's clear the nipple, if that's what it is, is severely corroded (see image below) and is most likely the cause of the leak.

How do I remove the nipple, which is really solidly stuck and seems like it will easily get crushed? A Youtube video suggested carefully cutting a tab into the top of the nipple and squeezing it into an oval shape to "easily" unscrew and remove it. Recommended?

Also, assuming I get the nipple out... what should I replace it with? Another galvanized steel nipple or something else?

Epoxied drain pipe:

Exposed corroded nipple:

I think you probably know what you need to do... remove ALL that crap. Sloppy glues and putties never work with plumbing. It needs to be repaired the proper way.

The application of that epoxy has complicated this job. Your mission is to remove all the epoxy so you can see what you are dealing with.

The typical connection at that point: the plastic tube slides into a threaded 1 1/2" galvanized steel nipple (nipple is term for short pipe threaded both ends). A 1/1/2" slip-joint nut and washer on the plastic tube thread to the pipe to effect a seal.

There is a chance that:

the epoxy cannot be removed without complete destruction of all parts, this would require replacing everything
you can get the fittings apart only to find that the threads on the 1 1/2" nipple are damaged, this requires nipple replacement.
the galvanized nipple is so corroded it falls apart in your hands, leaving the threaded part in the wall; replace nipple after special operation to remove broken part still in the wall.

All the scenarios above (and many other things that could go wrong) can be remedied using special tool/procedures/parts/tricks. Taking pictures and bringing parts/pieces to a good plumbing shop will help tremendously. IMO you should not even waste your time at the big-box stores.

.


How do I remove a bolt that's stuck in a ceiling junction box? I cannot get the bolt off the screw in a ceiling junction box. The junction box is damaged and I need to replace it to be able to put in a new one so I can rehang the ceiling fan. It's time for summer here in Arizona and I really need to replace this fan that fell!

While cutting off the bolt is definitely a good way to handle this situation. Here are a few things to try, before you take the destructive route. It also sounds like we might be having a bit of trouble with terminology, so I'll start with some definitions.

As you can see, the bolt is the bit that looks like a screw, while the nut is the bob that twists on to the bolt.
With that out of the way, let's look at some ways to remove a nut from a bolt.
Lube
Give the nut and bolt a health dose of penetrating oil, and let it soak for a few minutes (see manufacturers instructions). The oil should work its way in to the threads of the nut and bolt, and possibly lubricate the connection allowing the nut to spin free.
Put pressure on the bolt head
If you can get a flat head screwdriver, or other flat object behind (under) the nut, try prying while you turn the nut with pliers or a socket.  The downward pressure will pull the bolt head against whatever it's resting on, which may prevent it from rotating with the nut.
Pull and twist
Try using a pair of slip joint, tongue-and-grove, lineman's, or other pliers to pull and twist the nut.  This follows the same idea as the previous method, which is that the downward force will prevent the bolt from rotating and allow the nut to spin free.
Spin the bolt, not the nut
If there is enough of the bolt available below the nut (and you can get a small saw in the area), you can try to cut a notch in the bottom of the bolt. This will allow you to use a flat head screwdriver to turn the bolt, while you hold the nut stationary with a pair of pliers.
Hold the bolt steady
If you can grab hold of the bolt, you may be able to prevent it from rotating while you twist the nut off.  In your case, it doesn't look like you can grab the bottom of the bolt, but you might be able to grab the top.  First you'll have to remove the knockout at the back of the box.

Next use a pair of right angle needle nose pliers, to reach up through the knockout hole and try to hold the bolt stationary.

Once you've got a good hold of the bolt, you should be able to spin the nut free.
Cut the bolt
By this time if the bolt has yet to shed its nut, you're probably adequately frustrated. So now it's time to take out some of that frustration, and cut the bolt.


ceiling fixture wires meant to change a lightbulb and the whole light
fixture came down. was confused and didnt pay attention when i took out a wire. any help really appreciated. from the ceiling i see 1 black and 1 white wire connected and 2 brown wires. on the fixture one black and one white, which were connected to the brown ones im guessing. i wasnt thinking and jumped the gun. whats the easiest way to figure this out? thanks in advance

Looks like a typical switch loop, where you have a power cable coming into the box, and another cable acts as an out and back in, though the switch, for the hot leg.

Connect the black and white of your fixture to the two whites in either configuration. (Technically, the white coming back from the switch is your "hot", so connect that to black if you know which is which. It should've been labelled by the installer.)


Is it possible to use a scaffold ladder as access to loft? I am looking for affordable, safe access to the 7'x 7' sleeping loft we are soon to build and came across a scaffolding ladder with handrails for under $100.
Is this a crazy idea or a viable option?
This will be in a concrete block 7'x 15' concrete block shed
Any thoughts/ideas appreciated. I attached an example image of the stair.

This appears to be in a separate building, a shed, and would not qualify for a living space, unless it has all the other amenities. If OP use "building a loft in the shed", would this be any different than building a wooden ladder to the loft area?

If the item has the height to your loft, It looks good to me.


Use a solar light inside I have a solar light with motion detection that works fine outside.  I'd like to know if I can use it inside as well.  I want to place it on the windowsill of my clerestory window so that it charges during the day from sunlight.  And at night I want it to turn on when it detects motion.

But what's not working is that the photoresistor, or whatever, is not detecting that the room lights are on at night presumably due to its location high on the ceiling.  And so motion at night when the lights are on triggers the light on.

Is there a way to either improve the light sensitivity?  Or, can I put a timer on the light somehow, so that the motion detection is switched off until 11 pm when the kitchen lights are usually ( but not always ) off.

I'm not wanting this light to replace the room lights.  I just want it to light up when people enter the room so that they don't need to switch the lights on just to do something briefly.

Edit: I think I know what the problem might be.  The light detection appears to be on the solar panel side which is facing outside to the sun, and not to the room lights.  So, at night time it doesn't sense the room lights are on.

Supplementary Question: Can I solve the problem by putting in a 5V photo switch like this one between one of the two wires to the LEDs?

The red and black wires look like power to the LEDs which is at the top of the picture, and the brown and blue wires are I presume from the photosensor.

Actually what you seem to desire is a motion activated light switch. I have one of these for a water closet - seems I would forget from time to time to turn the light off in that room; when I had traveled for a week or two - I would get that aargh! thought. So I bought and installed a motion activated light switch - I had the option to run it in normal mode or motion mode - works like a charm.
Take a look here:

http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Pages/Sensors/Sensors.aspx

EDIT 7-8-2018
Just to clarify: You desire the room lights to operate automatically when people enter the room EXCEPT when there is sunlight or enough light in the room already?
If this is the case Look no further a simple solution exists already See my link below ~

Leviton Motion Activated Wall Switch with Ambient Day/Night Light Hold Off Sensor
Leviton LED  Motion Activated Wall Switch with Ambient Day/Night sensor

If perhaps you need a 3-way I am sure if you contact leviton product support they can provide you with options for your needs.

By your Edit of my post - I can see the above assumption is not what
you want - you are only concerned about these solar lights turning on
and off and the other normal mains room lights - don't matter one bit,
you don't care if they are manual automatic or otherwise - you just
want to add these additional solar lights - like big night lights if
you will. That being the case you have only one route - and that is
below - to use an interrupter for Day/Night but set for the lighting
in your room , the big issue is you need it to keep the lights on when
you have just the solar LED's but not allow the lights to be on when
room lighting is sufficient.  A small window between somewhat lighted
and lighted - you will need to play with the setting on such a device
for optimum - do not be surprised if it takes time to adjust it there
and different conditions make it harder (also in time dust collects on
sensors).

If you really desire to have those Solar Lights - you can use something this GEM in a 5V version: GEREE DC 12V Light Control Switch The Photoresistor Plus Relay Module Photosensitive Sensor.

https://www.amazon.com/GEREE-Control-Switch-Photoresistor-Photosensitive/dp/B01FXFMQRQ/

Be sure to use the Control lines to interrupt the Lighting Circuit of those LED's and not the Photocells circuit, after all you just want the lights to be off when the room lights are on. You do not want any additional complexity in the detection circuits. This unit is pretty versatile - it is adjustable and can be mounted internal to your lights, except the sensor of course has to show up somewhere facing the room lights.


Mouse infestation cleanup advice We had/have a bad mouse infestation. It appears they setup shop in the attic, but then moved into the interior of our home :(.

Example attic:

Example interior (under stove, eating the couch!, basement floor)

Finished basement (drop ceiling, insulation shots)

We've set snap traps throughout the house and poison in the attic - we haven't seen fresh signs in about 2 weeks. We've deep cleaned the interior of the home with bleach, and had professional carpet and upholstery cleaners come out. We've gone through absolutely everything in the house looking for any signs, and cleaned out everything. I've gone through the exterior of the home and put in copper mesh in any openings.

My question... what "should I do" about the hard to clean areas (e.g. attic, basement drop ceiling, contaminated insulation, etc.)?

In your opinion should I have professional cleaners come in? I feel like if I contact a professional wildlife cleanup service they will tell me that it needs to be cleaned up, because that's how they get paid. In my eyes this whole mess looks horrible, and I feel like everything needs to be pulled out and removed. I'd love to hear an unbiased opinion (not emotional from me, and financially motivated from a pro).

Thank you!

This is really a subjective question, as every person has a different tolerance for risk and "ickyness". Mice can carry bacteria that cause respiratory ailments, and the notion of feces in one's home is unpleasant.

Personally, I'd vaccuum all hard surfaces with a HEPA filter installed and call it a day. The bits in the attic insulation are there to stay unless you were to completely replace it, and that's a fool's errand, in my opinion. It's likely that there will be more at some point anyway, and if anyone is in the attic they should be wearing respiration protection.

Good luck.


Lawnmower stopped working after the outlet it was plugged into bent I was mowing the lawn with my electric corded lawnmower and went as far as I could with the cord. Unfortunately this put pressure on the outlet (which was already a little wobbly) causing it to partially bend out of the socket and the lawnmower suddenly stopped working. I tried plugging it in different outlets and it still does not work. I also made sure that the extension cord was not the problem by testing it and seeing that it works with other devices.

Based on this limited information, what do you think the problem may be? Did I fry the engine?

Check your breaker box.  If you have a kicked breaker, you may have pulled a wire loose, which caused a short, which kicked the breaker.  The second outlet may be on the same circuit.   Do not reset the circuit until the short is fixed.
You may have broken a wire in the lawnmower's cord, probably near the plug.


Should smoke alarms be on AFCI circuit? I'm migrating my smoke alarms from the main panel to a generator-backed-up subpanel so I'll have fire protection during a power outage. I'm simultaneously replacing the old smoke detectors.

I read that smoke detectors should be on an AFCI protected circuit, but the instruction manuals for both my Kidde Firex Smoke Alarm and my Kidde Firex Heat Alarm say:

  The appropriate power source is 120 Volt AC Single Phase supplied from a non-switchable circuit which is not protected by a ground fault interrupter.

My Siemens Combination Type Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter breaker says

  Detects line-to-neutral, line-to-ground and series arcs!

Does that mean it's a "ground-fault interrupter" so I shouldn't use it with the alarms?

You can have them on an AFCI circuit if you like. Newer codes would require it, but if they are not on an AFCI now you do not need to add one just because you are moving the circuit the generator panel.

No, newer "combination AFCI" breaker are NOT combination AFCI/GFCI breakers. It means they detect parallel and series arc faults.


How can I remove rust from a washing machine cabinet and protect against future corrosion? The edges of body of the washing machine near the detergent dispenser & just above the front door is getting rusted.

I have tried cleaning it with rough & smooth emery paper. Also applied potato covered with salt. Then painted the affected area.

The problem still persists. Please help

Since no one has addressed the real problem here, recurring rust, I will. Your rust keeps coming back because it is rusting from the inside out, plain and simple. It may not seem like it at first, but from my experience, if and when you clean rust and seal the surface, but the rust keeps coming back, that's because it's rusting from the inside out. You need to inspect the inside of your machine and its internal structure and look for any internal leaks. Once you identify the internal problem and resolve it, then you can again clean the rust and seal the surface because there is no internal rust that will come through again.
I hope this helps.


How can I reattach an HVAC duct that came loose below the floor? I just moved into a new house and found that couple of floor ducts have fallen off in the space below. They were screwed from below to keep it in place and I am not sure how to fix it back again to my floor. Can someone please help me with this.

The tiny screws have obviously failed so you'll need to re-fasten the flange to the subfloor.
It looks like a 6 inch duct so if you can reach the duct with your hand then do this:
Permanent fix

Bring the duct back up to the hole
Drill a hole through your floor and through the flange around the duct

Make sure these holes will be covered by the register
2 holes at minimum; one at opposing ends of the flange. You want 4? Go for it!
The holes need to be big enough for a toggle bolt. The toggle bolt instructions should advise on a hole size

Insert a toggle bolt through the hole and tighten it until it holds properly

Toggle bolts are usually pretty long so you may wish to shop around for shorter ones or carefully hacksaw the longer ones
If your hole is too big and the head of the bolt falls through the floor then you can remove the v-wing, add a washer, replace the v-wing, and try again. Or drill a new hole of course =)

Put your register back in place and enjoy your heating/cooling

Temporary fix as requested in the comments
Instead of toggle bolts you could:

Buy some all-purpose construction adhesive such as Loctite-Power-Grab-Express
Apply it to the flange
Bring the duct up to the floor hole
Drill regular screws through the floor and into the flange
Put your register back in place and convince (lie to) yourself that you will return at some point to do this properly with toggle bolts =)

Since you have to go to the store to buy the construction adhesive anyways then why not just buy the toggle bolts and drill bit instead? It will take the same amount of time and you'll know it's done properly.