What's the easiest way to cut a chunk out of a buried railroad tie? I'm in the process of digging holes for concrete piers (for a small deck - nothing fancy) and on my last hole I came across what appears to be an underground railroad tie (or some other huge piece of wood with a sticky tar on it).

Here's a picture:

I tried to just avoid the wood by moving the hole down a bit but then it becomes misaligned with the rest of the holes (which in turn messes up my plans for the deck foundation).

I don't relish the idea of having to re-dig 8 other holes just to workaround this.  Is there an easy way to cut into this piece of wood?  It's not associated with any large structure so cutting a piece out of it won't cause any structural issues in the surrounding area.

I tried using a simple chisel and that yielded little results.  I'm thinking perhaps a sawzall? Or chainsaw? Cutting in vertical lines... then chiseling that off?

I've used a sawzall type reciprocating saw with the 14" long demolition style blades for similar type wood removal in the ground.

Be prepared to replace the blade a few times as cutting into dirt can mess up the teeth after a while.

With the saw like this you should be able to cut completely through the old timber without having to do any chiseling in the hole. Just enlarge your hole enough to give access to permit cutting the wood back far enough so that it does not interfere with your pier form.


Where can I find a 5/16" end cap for a faucet diverter? I have a Delta kitchen faucent with a diverter shank that connects to a hose for a pullout sprayer. I am disconnecting it because I want to use the sprayer hole for a filtered water faucet. The problem is that the hose connects to the shank via a 5/16" fitting. I have disconnected the hose and need to find an end cap that will screw onto the shank.

I showed the hose to a plumber who happened to be at Home Depot (another customer, not a staff guy) and he says, "Oh, that's a standard 3/8" fitting", then I say, "No its 5/16th", then he says, "No such thing, its 3/8ths". Then we go over to the fittings and find a male 3/8" plug and sure enough its slightly too big for the hose. He's like "Damn, its 5/16th". So he directs me to a plumbing supply store. I go there. The guy is like "We have no 5/16th anything".

I have a lathe, do I need to get some hex rod and cut my own internal 5/16" diameter thread. I hope not because I hate cutting internal threads, especially into a blind hole. Please tell me there is somewhere I can get a 5/16" brass end cap. Note that an adapter will do just as well, because if I can get a 5/16" to 3/8" adapter, then I can use a 3/8" end cap, which Home Depot does have.

The problem here was using the right search terms. Based on Tester101's comment I tried some additional terms, especially "flare". Although I did not originally want a flare cap, it helped improve the search results enormously so I was able to find the right kind of suppies and narrow down to something that would work. Ultimately I got this:

5/16 Brass SAE 45 Degree Flare Tube Fitting Cap - 5-Pack


How can I insulate a finished 1 1/2 story space I have a 1 1/2 story portion on my house that has a finished office space and closet on one side.  The room has no insulation as I've done a little work and had to take some drywall off the outer wall and the unfinished crawl space had none either.  Because of this, it's hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.

I've created a simple diagram so you can see the profile of the space:

My question is if it is possible to insulate the room without having to tear down all the drywall? And if so, what would be the ideal way to do so?

EDIT:

My plan so far is to poke a hole in the ceiling of the finished space so I can hopefully crawl up there and use blown insulation to shoot it down between each rafter to fill up the ceilings and then fill up the walls by poking holes in between the studs.  In the end, the insulation would look like this:

Do I need to be concerned about moisture or will I create ice dams on the roof?  I don't have any vapor barriers or vents it seems.

You can do it outside, if you're planning any siding work. But, inside you could cut out (so you can reinstall it) a 1-foot or more slit across each wall & literally shove faced fiberglass batt insulation up to the top & down to the bottom.

This is tedious, but once you get a feel for it & in using a push stick, then it's not so bad. You can also do this with Rigid Foam Board insulation that's cut snug to the stud spacing. This is a little cleaner & easier but you'll need to put in 2 layers of 1.5" thick or 2" & 1" thick layers. You need that 1/2" dead air space for maximum insulation value with foam.


Water stain on unpainted ceiling I had a leak in my roof and now a water stain on my ceiling. My ceiling is not painted. Can I seal the stain with a primer and then cover it with thinned joint compound so it matches the color?

Old question but to answer it...

Yes you can seal it.   You cannot use regular paint or it might take 50 coats.   You need an oil based sealer to do this right.   That will still take 2-3 coats and you will be fine, and then add your paint over it (given it is appropriate to be installed over that sort of sealer/primer - if not you will need a latex prime in between).

There is little chance that drywall is compromised unless it has gotten wet for long periods of time.   Drywall is really really good at getting wet, drying and maintaining integrity.   The key with water is mold not the stability.


What is this weird splotchy dust growing under my table? I store a little swivel desk stool underneath my ping-pong table in the basement and I noticed one day that the cloth on the chair looked like it had round water stains. I then folded the table sides up and witnessed a constellation of dust on the underside (on both sides).

Photos:

I took several paper towels and cleaned it off. After cleaning, a faint imprint remains. It kind of has the consistency of spider webs. The dust invariably grows back in a few weeks.

I am simply curious as to what this is, because I've never seen dust in clusters like this (as opposed to a thin, uniform layer). I hope it is not mold or fungus. The room is relatively clean and I can't find this dust anywhere else in the room or under other tables. Why the ping-pong table?

I would check for sources of water leakage or excessive humidity in the room it appears to be some sort of mold and based on what you told me about what led to its appearance it sounds even more like some kind of mold.


What kind of damp do we have? We have a damp problem in a 1920s semi-detached house we moved into 8 weeks ago. We are not sure if it's a condensation problem, or penetration from the outside, or even rising damp on the ground floor. I have taken pictures of the affected areas:

The full set can be found here:

https://plus.google.com/photos/101677415577594240947/albums/6009137859251170033?authkey=CLWchYXqidbADg

The windows are all PVC which looks completely sealed - there don't appear to be any trickle vents. We do notice occasional condensation on the windows in the morning. We need to get the windows replaced with wooden-framed windows again (in accordance with local building preservation-area regulations - originally, this house had wooden-framed windows). Would doing this help? Is there anything we should look out for? Can we get trickle vents on wooden frames?

The walls do not have a cavity. I think there is just two layers of brick, with an external render. The external walls are often quite cold to the touch.

We tried to clean the affected areas with Auro Mould Eliminator a few weeks ago, but it's either been ineffective or it's just the stains that remain. We are going to repaint anyway, but before that, we want to take some preventative measures so that the problem doesn't come back and are looking for advice.

We have been suggested to get the external render of the house looked at in case there are cracks that water is coming in through and get it patched up. Searching around online, people advise getting dehumidifiers to help with condensation. Are there any other measures we can take?

Very interesting situation.  First off, replacing perfectly good vinyl windows is not going to help you from what I see on your pics. Simple weeping drains around windows is not going to help much with all the moisture I see on walls, ceilings and floor.

I would suggest you have someone come in with an infrared scanner and make a sweep of the building to determine areas where moisture may be coming from. If the water is coming in from outside through the roof, floor etc., infrared should be able to see it. knowing where the sources of moisture are will help you in making decisions on how to mitigate it.

If this problem is internal condensation, you may need to install some sort of ventilation system. Dehumidifiers certainly would help, but depending on the areas in the house creating the problem may be addressed with better ventilation.  Bathrooms, laundry are prime areas for excess moisture.

Since this condition is creating mildew and mold (seen in pics) , I think you should have some professional evaluation before the mold situation becomes a serious health issue.


Extending Internet to detached building I'd like to extend my home wifi to my detached garage.  I have decent signal outside the building, about 100' & 2 walls from the home wireless transmitter.  But now that I've put the steel siding up, I get nothing inside.  I'm thinking of mounting a high gain antenna like this: HAWKING HAO14SDP Hi-Gain 14dBi Outdoor Directional Antenna Kit on the outside of the building.

And then running the cable through the wall to some sort of repeater/extender/wireless access point.  But I'm not sure exactly what I need for the inside.  Maybe something like this: HAWKING HWREN2 Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Range Extender Pro, but take off one of the antennas and connect it to the external directional antenna?

It would be nice to have something wall or ceiling mounted, but I haven't found something like that with an external antenna connection.  Shop area totals about 1000ft^2.

Any suggestions?

edit: This looks like exactly what I need, but pricey, especially till I by the $70 outdoor antenna. Hawking Technology HAW2R1 Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Smart Repeater Pro

What about Powerline Networking?  Bear in mind, this would have to go through 1 or 2 subpanels, and some stuff I'll be using in the garage tends to be pretty electrically noisy.

Keep in mind that the feedline (coax cable) going from the access point to the external antenna will drop your signal strength. Here's a good quote from SuperUser on this topic:

"A common relatively inexpensive cable for short runs of WiFi antennas is LMR100. At 2.4 GHz (the common WiFi band), 15 feet of LMR100 will result in signal loss of about 6 dB. That's equivalent to dropping power to just 25% of what it was. (Each 3 dB = 50% gain or loss in power)"

If it looks like you would have to run a long feedline, an alternative is to use an outdoor access point. You'd place it on the outside of your garage, set it up as a wireless client, and wire it with ethernet to the access point inside the garage.


Garden light connected to main lounge light stopped working I have recently moved into a new property and all light fittings came with no shaders/were pretty basic. I have then proceeded to (safely) remove the light fitting of the living room, replaced it with a proper pendant lamp, and reattached it. It works well.

However, since doing this a floodlight in the garden (sensor activated, halogen) stopped working. The floodlight comes with a switch to turn it off completely, I checked it is in ON position and the bulb is not damaged (tested it on a different lamp).

The builders confirmed the circuit/cabling of the garden floodlight is connected to the one in the living room but refused to articulate any further.

A look at the living room light fitting shows the current situation:

To illustrate better, here are the cables getting IN the eight holes (pardon the terminology):

BLUE (to lightbulb) BLUE empty   empty BROWN BROWN    BLUE BROWN (to lightbulb)

There are also two spare cables, one blue, one brown, hanging forlornly by the side:

I half suspect these may be those giving electricity to the outdoor light, but as I have done enough damage with my first intervention, I turn to you for any indication of what may be wrong with this/where I should place those two leftover cables.

Thank you for any help!

Edit: I am in the UK.

You mentioned the outdoor light is on a sensor, which means it just needs a constant supply of power and handles switching itself. If this cable hanging down is in fact the supply to the outdoor light then connect the blue cable into one of the far left block of 3 (that also has an existing blue cable connected) and the brown into the central blocks (in your picture it has 2 brown connections). In a ceiling rose the two blocks of 3 are the constant supply and the single block of 2 is for the switched supply. So you will effectively be providing a constant supply to wherever this cable is going.

If the garden light still doesn't work then unplug it and get someone in, it may have been unplugged for a reason!


How were 240V (split phase) appliances safely fused before 2 pole breakers? With split phase - (2 x 120VAC)  - any 240VAC appliance makes use of a 2 pole circuit breaker such that if one phase trips the other phase is also disconnected.
When fuses were used - seems like only 1 phase would trip - either due to a short to ground or that differences between real world fuses.
Given the technology of the time - was this simply an acceptable risk?

For overcurrent faults, it was simply considered an acceptable risk in most cases...
For many 240V and 120/240V devices, such as large appliances and heaters, the risk of the device being still "live" if an overcurrent fault was present was considered acceptable then, as the fault would not be fed power from the other leg.  The only case where it could be is if the circuit had multiple loads of different voltages (L-L, L-N, L-L-N, 3P/3P+N) on it, and that situation is generally rare, even today.
Also, as Ed mentions, controls for single-phase 240V heaters and such often only switched one hot wire.  This was, and is, acceptable because the control means isn't considered a disconnect in this case, and may not even have an "off" position or function to begin with.
...but in the cases where it wasn't, it was dealt with differently
However, the above logic fails to hold for one very important class of devices, albeit a class not found often in houses: polyphase motors.  In a three-phase motor circuit, if a single phase fuse blows due to a fault, the motor will continue to run on the remaining phases, drawing more current from them while back-energizing the fault in the fashion of a rotary phase converter.  Worse yet, the types of fuses commonly used then were not as refined as today's models, and thus could not be as easily sized to provide overload protection for a stalled motor.
Enter the electrical circuit protection device that no residential electrician ever sees: the motor overload relay.  These devices are sensitive overload (but not short-circuit) protectors that break the control circuit when opened, and are connected in series with the motor's control contactor and a manual disconnecting means in industrial applications that use separately protected motors, forming a motor starter stack.  The motor control centers found in plants and other industrial-ish buildings consist of "buckets" that contain a motor starter and local control devices for that motor; a more sophisticated system might have a cable running off to a PLC or control panel for the machinery that motor is part of.
Because these devices are set for the specific motor they are used with, they can be set up to be much more protective than fuses were back then.  Poly-phase overloads also provide a common-trip type of functionality that opens the control contact when an overload is sensed in any phase, thus disconnecting the motor entirely and preventing "single phasing" as could happen with fuse-only protection schemes.  In addition, the controls on such a motor would be set up for an "undervoltage release" that prevents the motor from restarting automatically if the power "blips" out, preventing injurious surprises from unexpected machine restarts and further mitigating against single-phasing of the motor from a blown fuse.
Note that domestic "bare motor" applications, and just about all appliances, use motors that have the thermal protector built into the motor, which is why you don't see such elaborate motor protection and control setups in homes and appliances.  A few very old setups may have used manual motor starters, which are essentially a combination of a lightswitch and an overload coil that can turn the lightswitch off if the connected motor is overloaded.  These are rarely used, though, as they do not provide any facility for automatic or remote control of the motor in question.
Disconnecting was handled via pullouts or safety switches
Of course, none of this helps you when you're trying to turn the darn thing OFF to work on it, or change a blown fuse for that matter.  This requires an all-pole switching means to be present at the fuses, and this took the form of either a pullout disconnect or a fusible safety switch.  Both are still made and used today, even, despite the ubiquity of circuit breakers nowadays.
Pullouts are easy
Pullout disconnects are simple devices at heart, consisting of a line and a load set of switch jaws, mounted to an insulating base and connected by a pullout plug that contains mating sets of blades connected either by busbars or by fuseholders + cartridge fuses.  The base has sidewalls that guide the plug in and out as it's installed and removed, resulting in a simple, inexpensive, yet surprisingly reliable disconnect for low-usage applications.  This is part of why they have persisted to this day for air conditioner maintenance disconnects, but their low cost and ease of procurement also are good for applications such as branch-circuit disconnecting for outbuildings.
If you're wondering where all those old knife switches went, though...
The other type of fused switch commonly used in light-to-medium duty applications (I'm omitting heavy-duty creatures like bolted pressure switches from this discussion) is what is called an enclosed safety switch, or simply "safety switch" for short.  They are the direct descendants of the old, open-blade mains knife-switches of Victorian days, simply with the blades wrapped in a box that has an operating handle on the outside, hence the name "safety switch" since you can't poke their conducting bits with your finger unless you make a concerted effort to do so.  You can still buy them, as well; while they are more expensive than a pullout switch, they are available with much higher current ratings, and in a variety of enclosure types, allowing their use in a wide variety of commercial and industrial applications.


Removed one kitchen cabinet others will be fine? I will be remodeling my kitchen later this year.  Right now, there was a sale on the refrigerator I wanted so I ordered it.  I had to remove the cabinet above where the refrigerator will go due to the new height.

The cabinet directly next to the refrigerator cabinet was attached to it via two small nails.  All cabinets are screwed through the drywall into cinder block.

There is no way that those two little nails are the make or break for the load the adjacent cabinet is under, right?  The picture shows the nails.  My understanding of joining the cabinets, while I'm sure it may distribute some load, is to square things up.

You are correct, the only purpose of the two nails were to align the cabinet edges together.  The screws in the back panel is what holds the cabinet up and provide the load support.


Roof ticking noise during daytime I’ve moved into a new place that was built end of last year and have been hearing ticking noises (upstairs only) throughout the day at random times. Heating or cooling is switched off. I’ve uploaded two short clips to hopefully illustrate the issue. The issue seem to happen the most during the day, but - not as loud - has also recently started happening early in the morning (1am - 3am) which has woken me up a couple of times.

Does anyone know where this might be coming from and how to fix it?

[1] https://youtu.be/k1C-IIxmIug

[2] https://youtu.be/q0maBMKaUk4

At 2am, this is almost certainly the roof itself (or the gutters) cooling down overnight and contracting.  Ticking during the day would be the roof expanding in the heat.

A 13C temperature range is quite enough to do this.

There probably isn't a fix.  If it is a gutter you might be able to lubricate where it passes through the brackets.


How to repaint old spindles I hired contractors and they recommended using tremclad semi gloss to repaint my stairs but unfortunately it's leaving a really ugly look. They are saying it's because there's urethane on the spindles, which is why we can see all the imperfections.

I've asked the team to give me time to do some research as I'm not satisfied with the result of tremclad on the spindles. I would like to get white spindles with a smooth finish and not see any of the old orange.

May I ask what steps should we be taking, I did not see any sanding was done. Should we sand everything and prime and then paint? Not quite sure what to do, any assistance would be greatly appreciated

At this point in the game I think your best bet will be to get some paint and finish remover and brush it on to the spindles and remove everything. Then you can sand, prime and paint.  T would have thought that the contractors would have known what would happen if you used the Tremclad over urethane. i must be old school because I hate to see finished wood painted over. Good luck.


How to build up height of concrete wall to use as beam support for deck I have two concrete walls on either side of a proposed deck area.  In the middle of the span I have some concrete columns that will support a beam for a deck.  My proposed deck design has 2x12s sitting on the concrete walls and attached with 2x12 joists to the center beam that rests on the columns.  The height of the walls is ~6" lower than the columns.
How should I build up the concrete wall to support the 2x12s at the same height as the center columns?
If it was 1.5" lower than the columns then I would put down a sill gasket, epoxy in some anchor bolts and put a plate down and have 2x12s sit on it.  With it 6" lower I have to build up 5.5 inches.
Ideas?
Maybe I put down a plate, anchor bolt it, add two 2x members cut to 4" high, top it with another plate to make a box for the 2x12s to sit on and have the anchor bolt high enough that I bolt the top of the box to the concrete.
Concrete walls are level and flat.  I'll plan for a 2% slope from the top of the plan view to the bottom - away from the house.  This deck is self supported and does not tie into the house.
Attached a sketch of the plan view of the structure.  Ignore the first level deck

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
                               |  |  |
      6" gap                   |  |  |
      ______                   |  |  |                       ______
     |      | <-- concrete     |  |  |<-- 2x12 beam         |      |
     |      |     wall         |  |  |                      |      |
     |      |                  |__|__|                      |      |

Your final suggestion is probably the simplest, but you don't need to run anchor bolts all the way from the top of the sleeper beam. You also don't need a top plate. Just bold down the plate, then fasten the other two beam components to it.
 ___________________________

 ___________________________
    |  |  |
    |  |  |
    |  |  |
   _|__|__|_
  |_________|

If you'd rater keep the space over the beam open for airflow or light or whatever, you can probably find an elevated post/beam support that will reach that far and not break the bank. Then you could put in a flush beam, like the one at the center of your current plan.

 ___________________________
     |  |  |
     |  |  |
    ||  |  ||
 ___||__|__||______________
       ||
       ||
   ____||___
  |_________|

You'd need to install supports at intervals that suit the beam size and load.


How do I find the water main entry point to my house? My house has no apparent main water line shut off valve. Usually one would find a shut off valve right near where the water main entered the house structure. At my current house I have never been able to determine where the water main entry point is located.

I have a house that has a lower level that is on a slab level with my garage. The other 2/3 or the house is built over a crawl space. I have checked the crawl space and found no water line entry points there. It is not possible to see where the water lines are routed in my house because they are all embedded in walls and ceilings that are covered over with drywall. Even my garage area, furnace area, water heater area and laundry room are all finished over with drywall. Thus I have no idea where the source point for my water lines is located.

It is possible the water main comes up through the slab of the lower level of the house and immediately goes up into a wall where it is hidden away from view. It is equally possible that the line enters below ground level at the periphery of the house and not findable unless I decided to dig a deep moat all around my house.

Currently if I want to shut off all the water in my house I have to use a T-bar handle to shut it off by the street near the water meter. This would be a less than ideal situation in the case of a water leak emergency. It is just not feasible to expect family members to be able to find the T-bar handle and run out to the street to turn off the water. For this reason I want to find the water main entry point and install a proper shut-off valve.

I am looking for suggestions about how to go about finding the water main entry point to the house. And hopefully there is a suitable method that works without having to rip down tons of drywall.

* Some Added Comments *

The water meter is out by the street under a concrete cover about six inches from the curb.

The water meter is at the extreme corner of the lot to the side of the driveway away from the house.

The water company's input ends about about six inches over the edge of the curb!!

The house was built in ~1987.

* UPDATE *
I have found the water main entry point!! This was located a few weeks ago when I replaced some iron pipe risers out of the top of the water heater that had corroded so bad that a small leak had started. The gas fired water heater sits in the back corner of an alcove off the side of the garage. (The forced air furnace is also in this alcove). As you can imagine it is a rather tight fit in this alcove. I found that the water main is a 3/4" copper pipe that comes up through the concrete slab floor under the rear part of the water heater. It has an immediate 90 degree elbow that aims the water line toward an inside wall where it pokes into the wall through drywall.

Here is a rough diagram of the layout.

I will be working at opening the wall behind the water heater and installing a shut off valve there. Unfortunately it has to wait till a day when I can stay home from work and have the city utility folks come out and shut off the water main. I tried to shut off the water main with my T-bar handle but something is clearly wrong with the valve because it does not turn the water off when rotated either direction. I was able to move the valve through 90 degrees of rotation but no luck stopping the flow of the water.

Everybody wants to save money
Builders and utility companies are not in the business of wasting money, which means the main line will be as straight and as short as possible.  This is a big help to you, since it will narrow your search.  Walk out to the curb shut off, and look back at your house.  Try to determine the straightest, shortest path between the curb shutoff and the house.  Now you'll have a general idea of where the line enters the home.
Trace the line
In most cases utilities bury a tracer wire in the trench above utility lines, to make the lines are easier to locate later.  If you call 811 (assuming you are in the US, though I believe this service is offered in other areas as well), they should be able to send somebody out to locate the line for you. This will show you the approximate path the line takes to the house.
Don't let pipes freeze
Because it's a water line, it will likely enter your house below the frost line.  If you can determine the frost depth in your area, you'll have a more targeted area to search.
People are idiots
It's not uncommon for people to do dumb things, especially when they don't know how dumb they are.  Water meters and shutoffs are ugly, and nobody wants them in their newly remodeled living space. It's possible that your valve has been walled up, and you'll have to remove some finish material to find it.  Look in closets, and keep an eye out for access panels.
If only you had X-ray eyes
There are a few tools that can help you search a wall where you suspect the valve might be. A stud finder should be able to locate pipes in the walls, depending on the stud finder you buy.  A metal detector will find anything metal, so that could also come in handy.  If you've got a bunch of cash to throw around, a thermal camera may be able to actually see the pipe through the wall.
Where does service enter?
After reading the update to the question, and then reading through building code.  It seems that it may be possible that there is not a shutoff valve where the line enters the building.

International Residential Code 2009
P2903.9.1 Service valve. Each dwelling unit shall be provided with an accessible main shutoff valve near the entrance of the water
service. The valve shall be of a full-open type having nominal
restriction to flow, with provision for drainage such as a bleed
orifice or installation of a separate drain valve. Additionally, the
water service shall be valved at the curb or property line in
accordance with local requirements.

According to this, there must be a shutoff valve "near the entrance of the service". However, in most cases the water meter has to be near the "entrance of the service" too.  In your case, it may be that the "entrance of the service" is at the property line, and not at the building. So there may actually be no shutoff valve inside the house.


How can I mount an electrical box to exterior foam board? I am trying to replace an exterior light fixture next to my home's main entry way:

The original light was mounted to a low-profile bracket that was mounted directly to the PVC "box" shown in the picture.  The new light fixture isn't deep enough to fit over the low profile bracket, so I cut a hole big enough for an octagonal box.  From the foam to the face of the PVC box is 1.5" so the box fits perfectly.

The problem I am facing is that there apparently is no sheathing behind this foam material (can someone tell me what this material is called?) so there is no way for me to securely fasten the junction box.

I've done some test holes to try and find a stud somewhere in this area but I haven't found any.  The PVC trim piece is also securely attached to the wall underneath the siding so I can't remove it.

I've also tried a few different types of anchors (mostly rated for drywall) which don't work (they spin freely once sufficient torque is applied).

I'm at a loss, but I'm hoping someone can tell me how to securely attach the electrical box.

That is called fan-fold insulation. Typical for under vinyl siding in older homes.

Very surprising that there is no sheathing, but not unheard of. What I would do is get a round cut-in style fixture box and mount it directly to the vinyl block. This seems like your only option, apart from removing some siding and replacing the vinyl block with a fixture box style piece from Arlington Industries.

or

http://www.aifittings.com/catalog/siding-mounting-blocks/siding-mounting-block/


How do I remove a 3-way switch? I am taking a non bearing wall down that has electrical work in it, including a 3 way switch for a single light. I want to disconnect this switch so the other one works. How do I do this?

You will have to trace the wires.
You can look at How exactly does a 3-way switch work?.
You should replace the remaining 3 way with a regular single switch and wire it normally to the light fixture.


Is it a problem to have PEX manifold outlets adapted from 1/2 to 3/4? A contractor has installed my 3/4 inlet, 1/2 outlet manifold using 3/4 tubing on the outlets. He used a few inches of 1/2 pex to connect the outlet tubes to the manifold.

This seems odd, but I’m not sure what the impact will be. Will this be noticeable?

If 1/2 PEX would have been large enough to do the runs but the contractor used 3/4 instead, then:

he (you?) paid the higher per-foot cost on the larger tube and paid for each adapter
the tube holds more water, so if this is a hot water run, it'll take comparatively longer for the hot water to arrive at the fixture.

If the runs really do merit the use of 3/4 PEX, then:

there's a bit of a flow restriction at that undersize manifold which results in more pressure loss than you might otherwise have had, but if this is in an average home, it probably won't be noticeable.

In the world of plumbing there are endless permutations of fittings and size combinations that could be made, and a great many that actually are available. Sometimes exactly the right purpose-made fitting isn't used (in other words, an "odd" combination of adapters/sizes are substituted as on your job) because the plumber decides to get it done with whatever he actually has on the truck today.


How do I fix a large piece of drywall not matching up on a ceiling repair? I removed and replaced an approximately 5'x6' drywall piece in the ceiling. On the butt joints, I used some OSB backer board to join them between floor joists. I knew this might be a problem, specifically with how low the joist block is to it (see previous question: Within code, can I notch a joist block?).
I hung a piece, then tried tightening down on the "high" (where the new drywall replacement piece drops below the existing piece) and ended up crumbling the repair piece in a few spots. I unscrewed it all and removed the piece, cut a new piece and reinstalled. It looks a little better but in one corner next to the problem area with the joist block, the butt joint can't "suck up" anymore due to the block there. I can slightly push near the high corner on the new drywall but it feels like it's stressing too much and that a screw (instead of the surface area of my palm) would cause it to crumble. This is only an issue in this one corner as all other joints are either recessed or flush so after multiple hot mud and finishing mud it'll be easier to handle.
The max overhand is 1/4" and after some quick searching I found a post that said it can be smoothed out with mudding but it may take several feet. Will it take "feet" to spread a 1/4" join to look flat??? Obviously, I want to minimize feathering multiple feet and retexture.

Below is the answer...  But to fix this properly you have to take down
that piece of drywall and give us pictures.   Whatever is behind there
is the issue.   You short-cutted this install and left yourself with
way more work than it should be.   You have not installed proper
backing for this piece or adjoining pieces.   Now you want short-cuts
for your short-cut when taking this piece down and putting backing is
30-45 minutes + scrapwood - NOT OSB!  Also take a look at my last
point (about the texture), as this should be addressed before you
install this piece.

The protrusion or dip in the ceiling is not what concerns me.   The issue is you have no screws in your corners and that your screw schedule is rather random.
Your corners have to be screwed in.   Nothing to screw it in... then put wood up there to make it happen.   This is not negotiable as all of your work will turn to cracks if these corners aren't secure.

If the drywall next to it is missing backing now you need to fix that too.   You cannot float two pieces of drywall next to each other in a ceiling.
The depth issue is due to the lack of backing and bad screw schedule.   Once you fix that, sure it won't be perfect but won't be as bad either.

The other big issue, you are not duplicating that texture and that texture will make it hard to mud/tape the seams.   This is a much bigger issue than your drywall sticking out.


Damaged steel wire armoured cable There is a steel wire armoured cable (SWA) in my back garden that was put there by the previous owner. One end leads to the fuse board but is currently disconnected. The other end is loose at the edge of the lawn (with about 10m to spare), appearing from under the tarmac drive. The idea was to bury it under the grass, leading to the shed down the lawn a little bit - but that bit was never completed.

The cable was then damaged (see pic) just past the point where it appears from under the tarmac - the previous owner said the lawnmower had hit it. I'm also a little concerned that the plastic coating might be a little stiffer now than it was, although it is probably not too bad. There is a standard concrete kerb that the cable will do under right at the point of the damage to the cable.

I can't see any copper wire in the damage - it looks as if the inner insulation is intact, but I can see it.

I'm wondering what would now be the best way to repair the cable in order to lead it to the shed?

Many thanks,
Ian

It would be best to cut out the damaged section and replace it with a suitable gel-filled junction box (or two junction boxes and a new bit, if there isn't any slack).

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/WKSH506W.html
or
https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SWJK1.html

may be suitable.

Your cable size is 3 x 6mm2 copper.


Is the rating of the electrical household entry per phase or total? I have what is rated by the electric company as a 200A entry into the house, but use a limited amount (largest draws are my HW tank, oven and Heat Pump).  Recently, I was looking at upgrading some heating elements for my HVAC and I realized that I need to calculate an additional 60A for the elements.  So I checked my entry to ensure that I had a 200A fuse there and was surprised to find only 130A.

However, I have the old style fuse cutoffs - with a dedicated fuse per phase.  Each phase has a 130A fuse on it.

Does that mean then that I actually have a 260A rating on my entry at the moment? (ie: up to 130A/phase?)

Further, I have a SquareD subpanel with a 120A master breaker on it.  Does that imply 120A total draw to the entire panel, or 120A/phase?

The overall service is 130A@240V -- each service leg is 130A@120V.  The same rule applies to the subpanel.  (I.e. you can hang twice as much 120V load off of it as you can 240V load, but not both at the same time -- a given amount of ampacity provides twice the power at 240V than it does at 120V, IOW.)

Also, you may wish to swap those fuses for 125A fuses if the extra 5A don't matter to you -- 125A is a standard North American fuse rating, while 130A isn't, so finding replacements for blown fuses is likely to be...much more annoying.


rotten wood between concrete slabs of floor When prepping the floor to tile, I came across what appears to be old wood siding between 2 solid concrete slabs in a doorway.It is about a half inch wide a d runs the width of the opening. A quickcrete patch had been over the wood that came up while scraping the floor. What should I do? Try digging as much out as possible and then add concrete into gap in stages?

Yes, that's exactly what you want to do. I've found that drilling holes, 1/2" since your wood is that thick, into the piece of wood can break it lose and make it easier to remove. Get as much out as possible and then fill in with your Quikrete.


Can I add insulation to my attic and put down plywood so I can walk around more easily? My house was built in 1992. There are currently faced batts of fiberglass and a few inches of white blown-in insulation that is both scattered in some areas (mostly over the master bedroom from ceiling fan insulation and replacing the bathroom exhaust fan).
In my ideal world, I want to put down plywood for walking paths to areas where I need to do maintenance - bathroom exhaust fans and above ceiling electrical. Even better would be using some of the space for storage of holiday decorations and other low use stuff.
I am just outside Chicago, so nothing that could freeze would be in the space.

Can I install plywood (probably 3/4 to be safe - I weigh around 250) over the existing insulation?

I think (will need to verify) that this might compress the backed fiberglass.  Will that cause any issues?

I want to add more insulation when this is all done.  I assume (possibly incorrectly!) that I can add insulation  on top of the plywood I install.  I have not decided if I want to use more faced batts or blown in, I am leaning toward batts as the blown in seems to VERY messy.

I found a reference to loft flooring legs, but I don't see them available in the US, only the UK. Attic Dek flooring looks to be more expensive than what I want, but it also looks like it would not interfere with R value of insulation. I would just have to be VERY sure where it is when I use it for walking.
I found 'Attic Decking Kit for a Storage Floor Above Deep Attic Insulation (8ft X 8ft Kit)', which looks like loft flooring legs, but is $200 for an 8X8 setup. Does anyone have experience with this? For storage it would be lighter boxes, under 50 pounds each for sure.

Is there a better way to do this? The access routes would only be used on occasion, but the storage area would be used most of the year.

Lay rigid insulation boards on the joists and top them with plywood.
The compressive strength of the insulation boards will be plenty for storing whatever you can carry up there. The load will be spread across the joists. It's unlikely that your ceiling will collapse under the weight of a few boxes but if you're planning to put anything heavy up there, you do need to consider the construction of the building in more detail.
Rigid insulation boards will insulate about four times better than the same thickness of fiberglass insulation which means you can use 2 or 3" thick boards. Lookup R-values if you're interested.

Remove enough of the existing insulation to expose the top of the
ceiling joists.
Put down rigid foam boards on top of the joists (I'm
familiar with Kingspan and Celotex in the UK).
Tape the boards with
foil tape to keep them together and stop draughts.
Top the
insulation boards with plywood or chipboard.
Screw the plywood sheets together with short strips of wood to avoid them slipping apart from each other and leaving gaps or find some way of pinning them in place around the edges. (I didn't do this at home and they've shifted a bit).
Use the fiberglass
insulation that you removed to top up the insulation in the rest of the attic (where you didn't lay the rigid boards).

I've done this in our house in the central part of our attic. The problem we had was getting the boards (insulation and chipboard) through the small hatch but yours may be different. For the chipboard, I bought narrow tongue-and-groove "loft boards" designed for this purpose but for the insulation I had to slice it in half on one side and snap it back on itself to be able to get it into place; then I taped it back together.
I haven't yet needed to get to any of the electrics underneath. Some of the wires were rerouted around the edge and the bathroom fan is away under the eaves with hardly any headroom so still accessible under the mineral wool insulation.


Air Filter size for (new to me) home HVAC My wife and I just purchased / moved into a new house and I was going through each of the systems and found the HVAC filter, it was literally destroyed (it had filled with crap and crushed itself in half. So essentially we had no filter.).

So I want to replace obviously, and reading up on filters it seems a MERV 11 or 13 would be perfect, I was also reading that a thicker filter can work better while not impacting air flow as much, so I was hoping to go with something in the 4"-5" range like this.

Here is where I am confused, the ductwork must be custom, there is a sliding door made of just bent tin.

So I open that up, and find the broken down filter, which is marked as 20x20x1. However I have a feeling that either one or both of these are true:
1. They used the wrong type of air filter
2. I can use a thicker air filter

Reasons being:
- the actual hole going into the furnace is 10" H x ~19.5" W
- There is a (what I assume is retention tab) tab about 5.25" off the hole wall, making me think that I can use a filter of ~5" depth.

Here are all the measurements

And a picture of the filter cavity interior

Finally, while I don't think it matters, this is the furnace model:

( It's carrier 58CVA135---16122 )

My questions then are:
1. What size filter should I be using?
2. And is a thicker filter best for this setup?

I really appreciate any help! Scratching my head on this one.

I do not believe that that large hole shown in the next to the bottom picture is for a filter. If you look to the left side of the picture that grey wavy item is probably the filter. To access the filter you will probably have to remove the bottom furnace door. You could also have a filter mounted in the bottom of the furnace.  I have no idea what that access hole is for but it probably is not for a filter or electronic air cleaner. I am sure glad the person that installed that return drop duct never worked for me. It may be a good idea to have a reputable HVAC company inspect the whole furnace and duct installation and correct any deficiencies. my 2 cents


Removing years old grout from drywall in kitchen I'm about to get new cabinets and countertops for my kitchen. I've removed the old cabinets and countertops, but unfortunately the previous owners had a nasty tile countertop and it looks like grout made its way to the wall. My question is, do I just cut the drywall out and replace the section, or is there a smarter way to remove this grout? Note: when the new countertops are put in, this grout would be visible.

Personally I'd just scrape it off with a putty knife.  If there are any dig and deep gouges after that step repair with spackle.  Then give it a skim coat of drywall compound, sand, and repaint.

Basically what you suggested except not actually new drywall, the steps are the same tho.


How much ventilation space does a refrigerator need? The person who built our refrigerator cabinet box only left 1" for ventilation at the top of the refrigerator.  Is this enough space for proper ventilation?  There is a 1" gap on either side, and a 4" gap in the back (due to a narrow heating duct going up the wall behind it).

This entirely depends on the refrigerator and where the coils and fans are.
Older refrigerators were cooled with fins on the back, and depended on convection (heat rising).  The heat of the coils would draw air through the lower grille, up the back, and over the top.  A modern unit might do all it's cooling with a fan pushing heat out at the front bottom plate.

Samsung's current models require 1" on top, half inch each side.  See : http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00021650/21818/Y/RB197ABPN/XAA

Keep in mind your cabinet is now built to fit just one size refrigerator: just hope that size is available in fifteen years when your current model is no longer repairable due to planned obsolescence.  Front venting units are also somewhat less efficient, all other factors held constant.

It's common to have the cabinet above the fridge a bit less deep than the others, to allow for airflow.


Electric Radiant heating Vs Hydronic - What can I get? I have a carport that was closed in to become a 3rd bedroom in our house.  It has a low ceiling of approx 8 or 9ft.  I gutted the whole room so it's down to the slab right now.

I'm in the process of getting an on demand water heater (Navien CH240) for my house for my radiant floor and domestic water.  I already have radiant floor heating in the original part of the house but want to add it in the carport area.

My question, would I be better off getting an electrical 120sqft heating pad from build direct (everwarm) for $1200 and hook that up, or should I tie into the new navien combi unit and add another zone of hydronic heating for my 11x17 room in the carport.  That would make my radiant floor heating area 1400 sq ft, and with 2 adults in the house we're not as worried about pressure so really a question of ease of installation and cost.

And also, since the ceiling is so low, if i were to choose a system, which one would require less floor room (ie. subfloor, ect.)

Thanks.

After checking what type of instant water heater that is - since it's gas-fired, your operating cost will be MUCH lower with gas providing the heat than with electric resistance heat. Perhaps 30% (not 30% less, unless you have remarkably low electric rates and high gas rates) - typically near 30% of the cost of running electric resistance heat, for the same heat output.

Electric can be a shade thinner, but it's on the order of 1/4" .vs. 1/2". In either case, you should build an insulated floor on the slab unless the carport slab was insulated (very unlikley) or you'll be trying to heat the outdoors via an uninsulated slab, so the effective difference in height is none, really. Depending what you want for a floor, lay 2" XPS (extruded polystyrene insulation) and embed your tubes in gypsum cement or something like that on top of it, or buy pre-grooved subflooring to drop tubes into (and then pay attention where not to drive nails, or just don't choose a nailed down flooring.) There are a number of common systems for adding radiant heat on top of an existing floor.


What breaker size and wire gauge should I use for a new garage outlet circuit? I would like to add some much-needed electrical outlets in my garage. As of right now it seems like the power that's going to the garage door opener and the garage light is also on the same line as some kitchen lights and some bedroom lights and Outlets. I feel like that circuit is already pushed to its maximum and would like to install a new circuit breaker and run a new line and pull the Garage items off of their old line and attach them onto a new one including my four new Outlets. I have pretty good electrical skills although that is not my profession. Just wondering what size breaker I need to install as well as is there a specific Gauge that I need to use from the breaker out. I'm using 14 2 on my Outlets that I'm adding.

For reference I've moved my washer and dryer about 3 months ago and I rewired a new wire to the breaker myself so I have a pretty good idea of how to do it just not sure of the specific sizes to use. I have several open areas for new circuit breakers.

You didn't mention what type of equipment you'll be using, nor did you mention if it was an attached or detached garage.  Without a bit more detail, it's not possible to give an accurate answer. As a general guideline, you'd use 12 AWG copper conductors with a 20 ampere breaker, and 14 AWG copper conductors with a 15 ampere breaker.  Since the receptacles are in a garage, they'll have to be GFCI protected. This protection can be provided by a GFCI receptacle, or a GFCI breaker.

If you're going to be using multiple pieces of equipment that draw a lot of power, you might want to consider running a 20 ampere multi-wire branch circuit. If you have any locations where you'd use multiple high draw items together (e.g. saw and dust collection), you could install a double gang box with two duplex receptacles. Feeding each receptacle with a separate leg of the circuit, will allow you to use two high draw items without tripping the breaker.

Since it's a garage, I'd install a single 20 ampere circuit at the very least. A 15 ampere circuit would be fine for lighting, but you'll find it quite limiting when/if you start plugging in tools/equipment.


Swag hooks in drywall ceiling, steel frame house I want to hang some Moroccan decór lanterns. Would swag hooks work? The house has a steel frame, so I can't use a stud. It would be just drywall. I'm not sure the total weight of all the lanterns together. They're probably 1-2lbs, if that, and I have about 5 with a few hanging candle holders (tea light). One I think is heavier though. Any ideas/suggestions?

The hook that you are using is not the issue - how it is secured in the dry wall is. I am guessing your lanterns are probably 4 lbs - you can check by standing on a scale with a lantern and then getting on the scale with out the lantern and subtract, the difference will be the lantern weight.

Something like this should do it, you will notice the grip mechanism that fits above the drywall - screw in type swags do not have the necessary grip and weight distribution to hold that kind of weight and also handle the lantern being touched or moved.

If you perform a search you might look for Toggle Wings or Toggle Bolts.
Added above to the answer per comments. 6-19-2018

https://www.amazon.com/BBTO-Totally-Ceiling-Hardware-Installation/dp/B0792Y4SGB/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1522997013&sr=1-1&keywords=BBTO-Totally-Ceiling-Hardware-Installation


24v from a double circuit outlet I have split circuit outlets: the red hot wire goes to the outlets on the left, and the black hot wire goes to outlets on the right. The red/black probably-hot wires are controlled by different circuit breakers in the panel. Both outlets share the same white neutral wire, and ground wire.

1) If I turn both circuit breakers off, I measure 0V from both outlets.

2) When I turn on one of them, I get 117V from outlet and 24V from the other (and 65V between the 2 hot wires.)

Is 24V normal? Should I expect 0V, when one of the circuit breakers is off?

Anytime a dead wire runs parallel to a hot one, it will pick up phantom voltage.   You can see it with a rather sensitive voltmeter like a modern DVM, but it won't do any useful work.   In other words this is an issue with your voltmeter.  Stick a dollar-store nightlight in each outlet and that will eliminate the phantoms.

The bigger problem is this shared neutral.   Neutrals do not have circuit breakers.  Two hots on the same neutral can overload the neutral, and I notice some scorch marks and heat damage on that neutral wire.

The only way "sharing a neutral" can work is a special arrangement called a multi-wire branch circuit (MWBC).  Each hot is on a different "leg" of 240V, and the neutral only carries the difference in currents.   Becuase of numerous mishaps relating to shared neutrals, Code now requires you install MWBCs in a way that guarantees they are wired to opposite poles.  Such as using either a 2-pole 240V breaker or two adjacent breakers with listed, approved handle ties.  I can tell you are not to modern Code on that, because you can turn each side off individually.

The most common mistake with MWBCs is using duplex/tandem breakers, or half-width breaker arrangements which put both breakers on the same pole. This guarantees a neutral overload situation.


Should I resurface these kitchen cabinets or throw away? I have these old kitchen cabinets and I cannot tell what wood it is. It seem "light" on the weight. No damage or anything.

Should I make it look nicer with some new paint and decoration (how)? Or is it just not worth it and throw away is better (which I do have budget to replace)?

The countertop is definitely not worth it as it's just wood (fake granite).

It really depends on the quality and condition of the cabinet boxes themselves and what you want to do.  If they are decent cabinets and you just want to change color, you can just paint them if they are in good condition.  The lifespan of painting depends a lot on the quality of the paint job.

If you want something more choices, like a wood grain, that can be achieved too through refacing.  I would only recommend this if you have good cabinet boxes underneath.  Wood cabinets from a custom shop or high end production cabinets would be worth keeping.  You can order veneers that can be adhered to the frames and sides and doors, drawer fronts and drawer boxes can be ordered from a number of online suppliers and the process is not too difficult if you take your time and pay attention to details.  The prices range widely depending mostly on what you want.

If it turns out the boxes are cheap production particleboard cabinets, then you would probably be just as well off replacing them especially since you are replacing the top as well.

Hope that helps and good luck with your project!


Gap between sash frame and pane of single-hung window sash - DIY-able? Short background: we have a single-hung window in our living room that opens sideways, and it is noticeably hard to open. I noticed recently that the lock side of the moving sash's frame seems to have been bent away from the pane of glass, probably by someone attempting to open the window by pulling on that side instead of the side closest to the frame. The window still locks when closed, but the sash doesn't have to be forced into place to get the lock to line up, so the gap remains even when the window is closed and locked, introducing drafts.

Obviously this is something that needs to be fixed, so my not-incredibly-efficient HVAC system doesn't have to work any harder than it needs to. The question is, is this a DIY-able job? I've never taken a sash out of a window before, much less disassembled a sash (as I presume I'd need to do to straighten the bent portion). Obviously if I break the window that's an expensive call to a glazier; it's a pretty big window especially for being a single pane. But, if it's possible to get the window apart easily, I should be able to get the glass out and set it aside while I pound the sash frame back into shape.

There's also the question of how the window can be closed and locked without this gap causing a problem due to the change in dimension. I'm concerned that if I straighten the sash, when I put it back in I'll simply be moving the gap over to the other side of the sash, because the window won't fully seat in the closed position in order to lock it. That could be as simple as the window's weatherproofing has degraded and I need to replace it while I'm at it, but it could also open up a whole new can of worms with regard to this window's installation, which I wouldn't have the time, money or knowledge to fix properly.

Pics when I can upload them (I'm currently at work).

EDIT:

Just to update everyone on the status of this, I was able to remove the sash from the window frame and take it apart to look. The problem turned out to be that someone else had done this before me, possibly to replace the pane, and when putting the sash back together had not properly seated the gasket that goes between the pane and sash. The gasket had been forced back into the sash frame along a part of this edge of the sash, and that in turn created pressure forcing the frame away from the pane. Removing this edge of the sash, properly seating the gasket on the pane and then putting the sash frame piece back on made everything line up again, and of course, no more gap anywhere; turns out the slot the locking tab had been fitting into was not designed for it, so with the sash squared again the locking tab fit into the groove it was supposed to. Still a bit sticky when opening it, but in a 30-year-old house some of this is to be expected, and it's much better than it had been.

Is it DIYable? Yes. No. Maybe?

You may find that you start the job, everything works out just right, and you complete the work in record time and under budget.  More likely, you'll run into a bunch of unforeseen problems, take 5 times as long as you'd expect, and end up way over budget.

The best way to tackle DIY work that you are not sure about, is to have the resources available to quickly fix mistakes.  In your situation, it might be a good idea to purchase a replacement window before you begin. If you damage the old window beyond repair, you'll simply have to install the new one. On the other hand, if the repair works out, you can return the new window you purchased.

It also never hurts to have somebody with knowledge in the type of work you're doing, so if you run into trouble they can offer guidance.

If you come across something you are really not comfortable with, there are always professionals available to do the work for you. You might also be surprised that they charge less than you might think (not always the case, but does happen).


When cutting nails with dremel, can sparks be dangerous? I'm preparing the ceiling in my basement for painting, which means cutting off a ton of nails from the flooring above. I started cutting using my Dremel with the reinforced cutting wheel, but it would shower sparks against the floor joists and ceiling. Are these sparks hot enough to be a fire danger? What are some alternatives?

Cutting metal with an abrasive disk will always cause sparks, but they are so small that each spark (which is actually a very hot piece of abrasive or metal) doesn't contain much energy.  They typically can't burn your skin unless you concentrate them in one spot, and will not burn wood or other materials.

If you happen to have a gas can or oily rags or other highly flammable material, you should be careful but typical building materials shouldn't cause a concern.  Wear a hat to protect your hair (it can singe) and a face mask or good fitting safety glasses to protect your eyes.

The alternative would be to use something like a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade (basically a powered hack-saw).  This would probably put too much force on the nails and might cause them to loosen or even rise slightly.  It's also a heavier tool and would be harder to use.


Tile uneven fireplace hearth concrete I remodel my fireplace and the hearth was poured concrete over:

I plan to install tiles over the 3 sides

However the surface is not even and not 90 degree

You can see the bumps from previous concrete which is not possible to remove at this point unless I use a grinder, which will cause a dust mess in our living room.

I looked at this question before but it is not applicable in my case:

How To Level Uneven Fireplace Hearth Concrete?

Questions:

Option 1: Should I try to use mortar and smooth out the surface and make it 90 degree as possible?

Option 2: Or should I just go ahead and install tiles with thinset and try to make the tiles as level and as 90 degree as possible by adjusting the thinset amount?

Both are difficult but it would be nice if I can do Option 2. However, I may end up not making the whole thing even / smooth and it will be a mess at the end.

Thought?

Should I try to use mortar and smooth out the surface and make it 90 degree as possible?

NO- any such patch would be likely to adhere unsuccessfully and would crack and come loose.

  ...install tiles with thinset and try to make the tiles as level and as 90 degree as possible by adjusting the thinset amount?

YES- it should be fairly easy to run thick with your thinset, or back-butter the tiles to build it up.
However, I question the need to do so.


Do I need to upgrade my service/panel to be able to have a ground? When I purchased this house built in 1967, I was aware that some of the outlets weren't grounded. The previous owner had grounded some of the boxes, but an electrician had told him he needed to rewire the house if he wanted to ground everything.

In a separate issue, I've noticed this winter how inefficient the house is in terms of R-value, and I'm thinking about redoing the attic insulation. My thought was that I might as well begin the rewiring job at the same time since I could run a lot of the wire while the insulation is out.

This is what I saw when I opened the box (it appears to have a history--and looks pretty unsafe):

Will I need to upgrade the main service entering the panel? It looks like only two hot wires coming in with a coil of what I guess is a neutral, but I'm not an electrician.

Thanks!

Update:

Update 2:

OK first, the panel has a lot of "double-stuff" breakers (2 breakers in one space or 4 breakers in 2 spaces).

The breaker in 3/4 (right side, top 2 spaces/4 breakers)

Take a careful note of the double-stuff(s) in spaces 3 and 4.  Treat those 2 breakers like one quad breaker, keep them together or better, tape them together.  Move them together as a unit.  Note the red wire.  That red wire has a partner black, and that partner must be above the red wire on that same "quad breaker".   This will put them on opposite poles, which is essential to not overloading the neutral.

Further, that quad/double-double cannot be there.  Look at the drawing on the panel sticker; it's a fair bit confusing, but your panel has 12 spaces in 6 rows, and each row has a black dot on the sticker drawing.  The bottom 4 dots have the thing where it splits into 2 breakers (e.g. 19 and 20) but breakers 3 and 4 do not have that.   That is telling you double-stuff breakers are not allowed in the top 2 of 6 rows - exactly where breaker 3/4 is.

So you need to take the bottom 2 right-side breakers out (the normal ones), and depending on available wire length either move the quadplex/double-double that we've been discussing to those 2 spaces, or move the whole column of breakers down.  Then, refit the pulled normal breakers in positions 3/4.   That will take care of the "double-stuffs in illegal locations" problem.

NEC 1965 legislated "CTL" rules that breakers and panels must have keying/locking to make that mistake impossible. But it typically takes 2-3 years for NEC revisions to get approved by state, so it probably slipped in under the wire. Or they used non-CTL breakers which were prevalant at the time.  GE used CTL to totally redesign how they do double-stuff breakers; so you will not be able to source a replacement for these double-stuffs. DO NOT use a BR, HOM or Siemens here!!!

Time to think new panel.

But you don't need to replace the whole panel.  You can fork out to a subpanel, keeping the original main breaker and using this existing panel as a hub feeding the subpanels.  That lets you DIY the subpanel work without having to deal with the fact that the wire before the main breaker is always-hot.

Not least, this panel is laughably small for any home; I like to see homes have 40 spaces.  If you are adding a subpanel, I like to see around 48 total spaces, so a 40-space or two 18s would be a good addition.  If you have any aspirations to a generator or a modern on-power-failure power system, Siemens is a particularly good choice due to cheap generator interlocks.  There's no point staying in GE since few of your breakers will fit a modern GE panel.

Another strategy is to put a bigger subpanel positioned (with consultation with your power company) so they could easily put a larger service drop on the new location. In case you ever want to upgrade electric service.

There is no limit on subpanel size; you can use a 225A subpanel with 100A main service.  The subpanel must be >= the breaker feeding it.

So that is what I would do with this panel; slowly convert it to simply a feeder to subpanel(s).  You'll need something to fill the empty holes as  you move branch circuits out; just use the old breakers for that.

All subpanels connect 4 wires: two hots, neutral and separate ground from the main to the subpanel. Grounds and neutrals are separated in the subpanel.

Grounding

First, your panel needs a ground bar of its own. YOu might try contacting an electrical supply house that is a GE dealer and see if they have a ground bar that will bolt up to this panel in existing holes.   All grounds should go to the ground bar, including the main Grounding Electrode, and then there should be a heavy wire (heaviest that will fit in the holes, copper) connecting the neutral bar to the ground bar.  It's a nice bonus if you can get a clamp meter around that wire; it's very useful for diagnosis.

Now, your panel will need a grounding electrode system.  That should be a typically bare wire from the grounding bar to a water pipe, ground rods, or an UFER ground buried in the concrete.  Water pipes are fallen out of favor because of the water company's penchant for replacing them with smart meters made out of plastic.  Now two ground rods are required (unless you pay for a test that costs more than a second ground rod). The UFER ground is still the best option, but it must be planned before the foundation pour.


How far should the recessed lights be from 24” kitchen cabinets? Most of the info on the web calls for lights to be centered at the counter’s edge. However, my upper cabinets are going to be 24” deep - basically matching the counter.
The upper cabinets, as well as the range hood will have an led lighting, so lighting for counters is not a huge issue. It’s mostly to light the immediate area of the cooking area. There will also be a soffit right above the cabinets, that is housing duct work. The soffit is stepping out another 1.5-2” from the cabinets edge.
In front of this area (about 40” from the counter) there is also an island that will have its own recessed lighting.
How far should I place the lights from the upper cabinets’ edge?

Although code is not a limiting factor the light density will be.
Based on homes I have built and redecorated I would have under cabinet lighting at the stove top, and a light above at each end shining down on the fridge and oven.
Then 2 or 3 in-line at the island. The actual spacing depends on the fixture themselves.
Some recessed lights have a narrow beam some are quite wide. I tend to split the width of the oven and fridge in this case and mount the fixture centered and 1/2 the with of the opening away from the cabinets.
With this method any openings at the bottom or top have light. If two close the bottom shelves are dark, and the cabinets reflect the light away from where it is needed. Two far away the upper shelves are dark and you have shadows when standing there looking.


Basement toilet Gurgling I just bought this house. The toilet in the basement water jumps a d gurgles whenever the toilet upstairs is flushed. All fixtures, including the gurgling basement toilet flush/drain good. I also looked into the main cleanout into the main pipe leaving the house and the water is leaving fast and is not pooling up. This problem appears to have existed a long time because I can see the radiator by the basement toilet rusted from water splash.

Sounds like a problem in the venting.  I don't grok drain venting well enough to know if it's the upstairs toilet or the downstairs one that's not properly vented (maybe both), but the rush of air getting pushed ahead of the flush needs to go somewhere, and that's what the vent stack is for.  If the vent is clogged or nonexistant, the air will find the outlet it can (in this case, the downstairs toilet).


TV wall mount problem. (Studs too far apart) I bought a full motion wall mount to fix 49" tv to wall. Instructions for mount specify must be fixed to studs. Studs are too far apart where I want it to go. Is there a safe way to fix or should I start looking for another place to hang tv?

The best way to deal with this problem is to first mount a suitable piece of 3/4" plywood on the wall such that it spans to studs where it can be securely attached. The TV mount can then be mounted to the plywood using suitable screws that go into properly sized pilot holes. Note that face screwing into the plywood provides an excellent and strong mount point.

You may want to paint the plywood with primer and then a color to match the wall before affixing the TV mount.

Note that if the far distance of the stud spacing is due to trying to mount the TV over a fireplace then you should totally reconsider mounting the TV there. The main issue being that the best ergonomic placement of the TV is to locate it at eye level when you are sitting in front of it. Having to look up at the TV, even if it is tilted downwards, is a pain in the neck. (literally!). There is also consideration of what heat from a fireplace may do the sensitive electronics and plastics of the TV unit.


Best way to lay vinyl in this room My biggest problem is that the bottom of the cabinet are so close to the ground, I may only get 1mm clearance so it's difficult to slide vinyl sheet in.  The cabinet in picture 2 can easily be removed and perhaps I can mark the cabinet legs out and cut holes however the cabinet in picture 3, I cannot even pull it out because it is hitting the floor so would probably struggle to push vinyl under it and removing it seems more work than its worth.

I know, the best way would be to remove all remaining cabinets and if need be raise the tops surfaces and sink at the end, but that sounds like a lot of work.

So am wondering how to get vinyl in one piece of possible in the whole kitchen.

I guess this cannot be done unless every time to a side shelf(the standing parts that support table tops and cabinet shelves) I have to cut the shape out as though I was sliding the sheet forward and then add the shape in at the end and silicone any gaps?

Instead of wrestling the sheet in and cutting as I go, if I just measured the whole kitchen and cut parts out such as where the shelves are standing then tried to slot it in place, would that work?

Anyway please advice how might it be best to get a vinyl sheet in this hole kitchen bearing in mind I probably won't want to take all cabinets apart more than what I've done and it seems impossible to slide the sheet under the legs as there is not enough clearance.

Do it properly, remove the worktop, remaing cupboards, then level the floor surface.

Put down the new vinyl in one piece where it will fit to the perimeter properly.

Refit the cupboards and make sure all are level and square. Then re-fitting the worktop will be easy.

I dropped a long worktop by 2” - made all the cuts after removing the top and it went back on with no problem.

You get more issues by bodging one step then having to bodge the next and the next than doing it properly in the first place.


door knob for thick interiour door I'm considering making a well insulated interior door and need to understand the door thickness implications for the getting a door knob.  The door could be upto 3" thick - less if getting a door knob becomes a problem.  I'd like to use a cheap off the shelf knob - possibly adding extensions.

A standard lockset could be inset into the face of the door, so that 95% has full insulation.  You will also need to consider hinge screw locations in the edge of the door.


How do I remove a stuck sink soap dispenser? I have a Blanco 440045 Alta soap dispenser that is broken. I want to
remove it from my sink.

Unfortunately the piece highlighted in the image is stuck due to years of moisture and cannot easily be unscrewed. It seems impossible to remove the dispenser unless this piece is unscrewed or I cut through the main body piece of the dispenser.

What is the name of this piece?
Is there a tool I can use to unscrew this? Unfortunately it is completely round so I don't think a basin or socket wrench will work.
Would a hack saw or oscillating tool be able to cut through the threaded main body piece (which should allow me to remove the dispenser)?

Thanks for your suggestions.

I would use pipe pliers and if they fail then I would look to cut the threaded portion with a saw of some type.

In the past I have cut similar items in constricted areas by just using a hacksaw blade wrapped in a cloth to protect the fingers - slow slow progress but got there...


How can I extend this clothes washer drain pipe to reach the sink? Installing a new washer, I found the drain hose is too short to reach the sink it will drain into. The old washer had the drain hose coming out of the right side of the appliance but this one has the hose coming out of the left side.

There is a standpipe in the ground in front of the washer, but it has much too little vertical drop to be used for the washer. So, I need to get the washer draining into the sink as the last one did.

How can I extend the washer's drain hose without it leaking? Turning the water on only during a wash will help avoid any bad leaks, and beneath the drain hose is just concrete in a utility room that is very dry most of the time (low humidity, moisture seeps into floors only during big snowmelts) so some leaking is not catastrophic - still I'd rather set this up so it works properly by design.

The major challenge I see is the washer drain hose being horizontal when I extend it fully. Horizontal pipe couplings seem more prone to leak to my non-expert intuition. If I coupled the washer's hose with an extension vertically, it would add a significant amount of turns and length to the overall drain hose.

Here's the setup:

Washer and sink. Washer's drain hose starts on far end of washer.

Here's the far end of the washer, where its drain hose starts.

Here's a close up of the drain hose reaching toward the sink.

Another close up of the washer's drain hose. Note that it is semi soft, especially at the end of the hose.

Can I just find a rubber hose that has a diameter large enough to contain the washer's hose, then insert the washer's hose ~1 inch into the larger diameter extension, and clamp them together using a hose clamp?

Order an extra long washer drain hose.
Since your drain exits into a laundry sink there should not be concerns about flow restrictions. Be sure to secure the end in the sink as these washers push a lot of water very fast.

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Washing-Machine-Drain-Discharge/dp/B071G3HDL3


How to insulate around kitchen cabinet cut outs for outlet and propane line access? New home, builder cut out kitchen cabinet holes for electric outlet and propane line to gas cooktop. Toe kick heating vents below kitchen cabinets now blow warm air out through these cut outs. Any suggested solutions? Thanks.

The ideal installation would have ducting below the cabinet base to bring the forced air out the front rather than pressurizing the entire space below the cabinet base. I expect very few contractors actually do this. You wouldn't have noticed the leakage going up around into and through the adjacent cabinets; these cutouts only highlight the problem. Depending upon your position as far as contract, warranty, or other leverage you may have with the builder, you might or might not be able to get them to correct this. It would be intensive work, though -- requiring some demolition of the floor of the one cabinet, or else disassembly of the countertop to allow removal of the cabinet unit.

The most realistic/likely resolution is that you make the best of the situation on your own with minimally invasive work. The simplest methods won't look like high-class craftsmanship -- fortunately it's hidden in a cabinet.

You could seal around the outlet by pressing in some foam -- backer rod, for example. Or inject spray foam (I'd suggest the low-expansion door and window type here). The vertical cut-out for the gas pipe could be sealed to the wall in the same way.

The hole through the floor is more tricky. An escutcheon from the plumbing department can help dress up the area immediately around the pipe but it won't be large enough to cover the entire area. It may be easiest to fashion a piece of sheet metal into a two-part cover to fit around the pipe. Small pieces of sheet metal can be found in a home center as duct work in the HVAC aisle or mending/splicing plates in the hardware/building department.


Help me identify neutral, hot, traveller wire from 3 way switch I'd like to replace my kitchen ceiling light switches with smart switches.

Currently there are 2 switches controlling the lights, one in kitchen and one next to stairs. But I failed to identify the neutral, hot and traveler wires.

The 3-way smart switches I bought comes in pair of two units. Each unit has 1 ground, 1 neutral, 1 load out and 2 travellers, as shown below:

The switch in the kitchen has 4 wires connected: AAA,BBB,CCC,DDD:

The switch in the stairway has 3 wires connected: HHH,KKK,SSS:

I first replaced only the stairway switch like so:

SSS = neutral, HHH = load, KKK = 1 of the traveler ---> didn't work

Then I tried to keep stairway switch as-is (original), and only replaced the kitchen switch. I tried:

AAA and BBB = traveller, CCC = load, DDD = neutral --> didn't work

AAA and BBB = traveller, DDD = load, CCC = neutral --> didn't work

I'm very confused.. could anyone help me identify AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, HHH, KKK, SSS wires? Any help is appreciated! Thanks

The pair is not compatible with your wiring.

There are a variety of 3-way arrangements, with either a) power, switches and lamp in sequence, b) one switch on a spur, c) both switches on a spur, or d) both switches on separate spurs.  This set is designed only to work in the first case, and you have the second case.

There are plenty of quality 3-way smart switches that will do the job you want done. They will mount in the first location. They will either leave the normal 3-way in the second location, or put a special matching smart switch "remote".

Send it back

This is cheap Chinese junk that has failed to pass any safety testing. As such it violates NEC 110.2, which requires equipment to be approved.  In practice this means approved by a competent, actual testing lab such as UL.  I'm sorry if you paid a lot for it, but they've been preying rather hard of late on the naïve, and they find it easier to fool people if they set prices nearer to proper equipment.

The usual mark of junkery is a very prominent marking which is totally wrong.  Usually this is the CE mark, sometimes CCC, both almost always faked; but here they don't even bother, and lead with an FCC mark. FCC only pertains to the likelihood of its radio emissions, which certainly is not what your inspector is looking for.

Your actual wiring

I see 5 cables in this box. 1-4 across the top left to right, and 5 on the bottom.  Cables are multiple wires inside a sheath.

Cable 1 -> 3-way circuit to remote (spur) 3-way switch.   Wires are

White - Traveler 1 (CCC and SSS)  yellow
Red - Traveler 2 (DDD and HHH)   yellow
Black - switched-hot to lamp  blue

Cable 2 -> Lamp controlled by 3-way switch.

Black - switched-hot to lamp (KKK) blue
White - actual neutral

Cable 3 -> Lamp controlled by other switch

Black - switched-hot to lamp red
White - actual neutral

Cable 4 -> Power (supply or onward, don't care which)

Black - always hot (BBB and AAA)
White - actual neutral

Cable 5 -> Power (supply or onward, don't care which)

Black - always hot (BBB and AAA)
White - actual neutral

The remote switch has exactly the same "Cable 1" with same wire functions.

The italic word is the color I would mark the wire if it were me. I like making my job easy. Marking thusly would cause the cables herein to be actually color-coded to function.


Only one wire to chandelier We purchased a new chandelier for our kitchen last year and never for around to installing it. Today we opened the box and realized there is only one wire on the light plus one green screw that we assumed is for the ground wire from the box.
We’ve never seen this before and all of the lights we’ve previously installed had at least 2-3 wires. We’re not master electricians but something seems amiss.
Id love to install it but I’m worried it might be unsafe.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[![enter image description here][2]][2]
[2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/f5xhf.jpg![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sn54x.jpg)

Install the chains to the light and to the mounting plate. Then weave the three wires through the chain up into the mounting plate. Connect the ground wire from the light to the ground from the mounting plate to the ground from the ceiling. Then connect black to black and white to white.


Sharing a Ground Conductor Between Multiple Circuits I'm thinking about running circuits for lights and an infrared heater to a patio. The heater is a 6000 W unit with two individually controlled tubes – I'm thinking this will start off in 12/2/2 NM-B and then transition in a J box to THWN 3/4 PVC when it leaves the house for a short underground run to the arbor over the patio. The lighting will be a single duplex outlet in a weatherproof box on the arbor for a string of LED lamps. The run will be 12/2 or 14/2 NM-B to the J box and run with the heating circuit in the 3/4 PVC as THWN.
My understanding is that in the PVC I could (maybe even should) pull a single 12 AWG conductor as a shared ground for all three circuits.
So, my question in what happens at the J box? There will be three EGC conductors there: one from the 12/2/2, one from the 12/2 (or 14/2), and the one shared by the circuits as they run through the conduit. Should they all be tied together in the J box? Or should the ground coming from the conduit be spliced to the 12/2/2 ground, ignoring the ground from the lighting circuit? Or something else entirely?
The, related perhaps, question that nags in the back of my mind is "what about ground loops?" Would tying all three grounds together create a potential ground loop (assuming that the NM-B grounds are connected to the ground bus at the panel as well)?

So you're paralleling two separate runs - a 12/2/2 and a 14/2 - from the panel, to a J-box. Beyond that they run as THHN wires in conduit.
You're concerned because you've been well-trained that cables and conduits should be tree topology not loops or bubbles - and there's a bubble between the 12/2/2 and the 14/2.   Good sense.
And that sense is particularly astute when it comes to neutrals.  You must be very careful to keep neutrals identified and segregated so each neutral is identified with its partner hot.
Remember that in individual wires (e.g. in conduit), no remarking is allowed for function: you can't re-mark white wires to be hot.  Which means... blue tape on a white wire does NOT make it hot; it only makes it "the neutral for the blue circuit".
However, with grounds, the more the merrier.  Keep in mind ordinary service current travels on neutral.  Safety ground is for nothing but ground fault current, which is expected to be abnormal and transient.
"Ground loop" is a term-of-art relating to audio engineering, and the impacts of having audio equipment powered by an AC source in the audible range.   It's also used by airplane pilots to describe the airplane doing an accidental "donut" because they forgot crosswinds can affect the airplane even when rolling on the ground.


How should I affix a flat horizontal object to a vertical chain? I have a wooden plank (like a flat swing seat) and a hanging chain (or two, like a swing). Instead of screwing an eye into the plank I want the chain to continue downwards through a hole in the plank, so that its height on the chain can be adjusted and other things can hang farther down the chain. Is there hardware designed specifically for this purpose, or a good combination of common hardware to accomplish this?

The naive approach is to just put a bolt through the chain, below the plank, at the appropriate height, possibly with some washers around the chain to sit between the plank and the side of the bolt.

My biggest worry with this approach is how the bolt will interact with the other hanging chain link that passes through the same chain link that the bolt passes through.


How to hang modern fixture over old square recessed box? I purchased a home built in 1958 and a few rooms have these square recessed light boxes. I would like to hang a larger diameter modern flush-mount fixture over them, but I'm not sure what the way to do that is. Should I remove the box completely and then mount a ceiling electrical box like this in its place? I'm worried there will be a large hole in the ceiling to have to fill. Thanks!

If that was installed in 1958, the wire may or may not have PVC insulation. If it's the old rubber insulation, it's going to be brittle. Bending the wires could crack and compromise the insulation.

Also, it's virtually guaranteed that there is no ground wire in that fixture. You should check local electrical code to make sure that replacing the fixture doesn't require you to bring the whole circuit up to code with new wire. If it does, code requires a grounding wire everywhere, every metal fixture must be grounded, and you'll have to have a neutral in the switch box.

Personally, I would be looking to pull new wire to that spot, rip and replace the ceiling box, and enjoy the confidence that I didn't create a fire or electrocution hazard. That is unless I could inspect the existing wire and the underlying box without damaging it, and gain an assurance that the existing wire will be safe and will reach appropriately into the new ceiling box. You can't make splices inside walls. If the wires aren't long enough, they have to be spliced in a junction box. (There are devices for splicing NM cable inside walls, but I doubt they're approved for use with 60 year old wire that isn't constructed with modern materials).


Safer Diatomaceous Earth, safe to sleep in home with it? I Just Bought the safer brand of diatomaceous earth, which is not the food grade version i believe. Im trying to use it to get rid of centipedes in the house i just moved into. This seems to be the only thing i could find while googling it for 2 days. I plan on spreading this all throughout the home living room, bedrooms, basement, bathroom, everywhere.. so my question is, will it be okay to be in and sleep in the home while this is spread throughout? Also do i vacuum it up after 48 hours?

The danger when handling diatomaceous earth is the dust you don't want to breathe it once it is deposited it settles and there is no more risk until time to vacuum it up. Some swimming pool filters use diatomaceous earth to improve the filter efficiency when pouring it it is best to use a dust mask, I have used it weekly for many years. You don't need the food grade / more expensive type and you can sleep well knowing this is much safer than pesticides in your home, it helps get rid of all kinds of creepy crawlys and can be left indefinatly without negative health risks.


Light switch using only black wires - Incoming whites terminate together in box - New timer switch requires white neutral I want to replace a simple single pole light switch with a timer switch, which requires red, black, white, and ground. The existing switch is in a triple box, where all three switches have only blacks connected. It looks like all of the whites coming in terminate in the box with a single wire nut.

A similar question was posted about 7 years ago here, at Is it normal to have a light switch setup using only the hot wire?, except the OP wasn't putting in a timer. He/she just wanted to know if the new switch should "follow the original wiring."

In my case, I can't follow the original wiring, because I need a white. (I refer you to the original post because it has a picture of what my box looks like.

So, with a box like this, can I (and how can I) install a timer switch that needs a white?

Many thanks!

I am assuming that there is a bundle of neutrals (the white wires) in the box. First determine which is the line side (hot) conductor and which is the load (switch leg) conductor on the existing switch. This is important since you are installing a time and the Hot must be on the correct lead. First connect the Ground (bare or green) conductor to the timer. Now you connect the Hot to the correct lead (probably the black) and then the Switch leg to the proper lead (probably the red). All that is left should be the  connection of the neutral unscrew the wirenut attached to the bundle of white wires, add a pigtail and attached it to the proper location on the timer.

I am assuming you are using safe practices by never trying to connect or splice wires will the breaker is hot. First identify then kill the circuit then splice and connect.

I am not sure you know what a pigtail is so here is an illustration.

Godd luck and stay safe.


How can I remove a granite countertop from a wooden vanity? I recently purchased an inexpensive bath vanity from the Home Labyrinth. It included a low-end granite top that is not properly sized for my bathroom. Unexpectedly, out of the box, the granite is sealed to the wooden top of the unassembled vanity. I really like this vanity's wooden cabinets, but I need to replace the granite with a custom cut size and color.

Is there a good way to separate the granite from the wooden vanity without damaging the wood or the granite? The two pieces are very tightly fitted together. I can't seem to squeeze a utility knife between them. Is there a good strategy for separating granite away from a wooden cabinet? Is this something that a granite specialist could handle easily?

I'm starting to think that a sledge hammer might be the only way.

You'll have to get it started somewhere, but a thin wire wrapped on a handle at each end (as for cutting cheese) will normally cut things off if glued with something reasonable (ie, silicone or similar.)

If they epoxied it in place, it's going to be much more difficult. Heat would be my first approach in that case, hoping the stuff softens, or turns out to be hot glue rather than epoxy.


Bathroom floor sealer What sealer can I use for upstairs bathroom floor I have ceramic tile and it’s leaking on kitchen ceiling. I want a seal between tile and baseboard.

I imagine you're talking about the bit of splashing that can easily occur, especially when children are coming out of the bath or shower.

Someone happened to mention to me just yesterday his point of view about this.  He recommended bathroom caulk.  I've seen this in the DIY stores.  You can either get a squeeze tube and just squeeze as you go, or get the rigid cylinder that goes into a caulking gun.

After you squeeze it out, you can smooth it out with a damp finger.  (You can wear rubber gloves if you wish.)


Unable to screw completely into plug/anchor I am attaching curtain rail holders into a wall for installing a door curtain.  I have drilled four holes (two for each bracket) with diameter 6 mm and depth 50 mm, in a wall which appears to have ~12 mm plaster followed by brick or concrete (I was only able to continue drilling beyond 12 mm with a hammer drill).  I bought these anchors into the hole, but when I try to insert the screws, the first bit works fine but I am unable to screw them in completely; as I progress there is more and more force required to continue screwing, but for the last 5 mm I am damaging the head rather than making the screw enter.  When I insert the screw into the anchor outside the wall, it goes in almost completely but breaks open the end of the anchor and widens it.  Inside the wall there is no space for it to do so; I suspect this is why I can't strew them in completely?  The anchor package illustrates a hammer (apparently it is a "hammer-in plug") but part of the curtain rail holder is in the way, so we can't completely hammer it in either.

Do I have the right anchors/plugs and screws for this job?  Initially I had the hole 6 mm wide and 40 mm deep.  Based on advice I deepened it, now it is 6 mm wide and 50 mm deep.  Does it need to be wider than 6 mm?

Dimensions:

Mounting bracket, inner diameter: 4.81 mm
Screw cylinder (smooth part): 4.29 mm
Screw head: 8.8 mm
Plug: 5.82 mm
Plug head: 9.32 mm
Plug with screw inside (outside wall) expands to: 9.2 mm

I was using the wrong kind of plugs/screws.  The plugs I was using were hammer-in plugs and the screws correspondingly.  Those were not designed for the task.

I bought this package of plugs and screws instead and now all is good.


Need to install board and batten wood shutters to my brick house. What items do I need to do this how do I do it? I need to install wood board and batten shutters on my brick home and need to know what all I need to do it and how to do it. Thanks

I used to work for www.timberlane.com  check out their hardware catalog for install ideas.  You might even be able to call and pick a salesperson's brain for install advice.  Especially if you need to buy hardware.  Brick can be tricky and I'm sure you don't want to do it twice.

And please don't down vote for suggesting experienced help.  There are a lot of questions like, "do you want to close your shutters" that make this a nuanced answer.  Even the offset of the trim around your window could change how it is installled.


Humming Ceiling Fans I have two Harbor Breeze 52in. Builders Series Ceiling Fans.   Under normal operation these fans are smooth and quiet.  However, during power outages like we've had recently, I use a Devilbiss 6000 watt emergency generator that is wired into my house circuitry.  When using the generator these same two fans hum extremely loud.  They are so noisy that we don't use them and use a tower floor fan instead.

Why are these fans so noisy when using the generator?  Everything else in the house works normally when powered by the generator and I have it wired and connected according to manufacturers and local code specs.

The power output from normal generators is actually pretty noisy, it is not a regular sine wave like you get from the power company, and may have high frequency harmonics. According to one source I found, total harmonic distortion (THD) from a generator can be >15%, where normally acceptable THD is 5-6%.

Here's an animation from wikipedia, showing a normal sine wave, and then the effect harmonics have on the overall signal:

In an AC motor (simplified explanation) the sine wave directly runs the magnets in the motor, causing it to spin. The harmonics effectively reverse the polarity of the magnets mid-rotation - it's as if you're flicking back and forth between forward/reverse hundreds of times a second. I believe this is what causes the hum.

As for why your tower fan works, hard to say. The motor design may be less susceptible to the effects of harmonics, it may have electronics built into it, or they may be DC motors.

So the solutions:

Don't run your fans while on generator power
Use a power conditioner after the generator (which may or may not help, depending on the quality of the incoming power)
Get an "inverter generator". They are more expensive, but produce a pure sine wave output, and are more efficient because they are capable of lowering their speed to match the load