Wiring a ceiling light fixture. Too many ceiling wires! I have one bundle which includes 4 (old black wires) and one bundle which includes 3 (old black wires) and finally I have one wire by itself which appears fairly new. How do I identify my black/white and ground wire to hang my ceiling fixture?
Please Help!!!

If it isn't labelled, and isn't color coded, you will need to use a meter and do a lot of experimentation with the switches and circuit breakers to figure out what's going on. This is somewhere between annoying, messy, and dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

If you need to ask this question I STRONGLY recommend that you bring in someone more experienced to deal with this. You are not looking at a homeowner-friendly situation.


Can I insulate my soffit vents in the garage for the winter? So I recently had a new 30x24 detached garage built and intend to leave it mostly unfinished. I live in Iowa and we have pretty cold winters here, which will be coming soon, and I'm looking for a low-cost way to provide enough insulation to allow me to heat my garage when I want to do some work in it during the winter. I have a 5,000 W electric garage heater installed, but it has no chance in keeping up with the winter as the garage is now. The garage was installed with no roof vents, but all of the soffits are vented.

I've already installed fiberglass insulation on all of the walls and my concern is now the ceiling. I may drywall the ceiling at some point in the future, but definitely not this year. My questions is the best low-cost and fast way to provide at least a reasonable amount of insulation in the ceiling area. Can I insulate the soffits to try to reduce the amount of air/draft that comes in through the soffits, at least for the cold months? I figure this would be a cheap and easy solution, but I'm not sure if it would solve the problem or is a good idea. Alternatively, would it provide much of a benefit to install vapor barrier on the ceiling and then leave the soffit vents open (so the roof area would be vented).

Again, I'm not looking for a super insulated garage, I just need something that I can work in and heat on occasion. Right now every time the wind blows half of my heat is lost from the air coming in through the soffit vents.

Definitely close off the ceiling rather than plugging the vents, IMHO.

The "fanfold" insulation [typically 1/4" X 4ft X 50 ft - R1 possibly some thicker versions available, on a quick look around - thicker would of course be higher R-value, as well] intended for use under siding (and sometimes roofing) might be another option, in larger sheets (less joints to seal.) More than just vapor barrier...and it might support more serious insulation (just not too much) above it.

I presume that you recognize and accept that until you do drywall over it, this (or vapor barrier, or XPS sheets, etc...even exposed fiberglass, to an extent) is a fire hazard. In a similar situation, I'm putting my effort towards getting the drywall on the ceiling so I can insulate the heck out of the ceiling - a 5000W heater does not go very far, otherwise. Specifically, 5KW * 3413 btu/kWh = 17065 btu/hr (input) - .vs. 720 sqft (30x24) of R1 (1 Hr x sq-ft x degree F/BTU) ceiling would only net you 23.7 degrees (F) (17065/720) above outside ambient if that were the ONLY place heat was lost (floor, walls, doors all infinitely insulating, and zero air exchange - obviously an incorrect assumption - just illustrating the point.)

If the walls are 8 ft high, amounting to 864 sq ft, plus the 720 sq ft of ceiling, and we assume that all are insulated to R11 (optimistic for many garage doors and all regular doors & windows - but low for most modern walls and ceilings) the same 5KW could heat to 118 F above outside ambient (but I'm still ignoring the floor and air exchange...)


what would happen if I don't put a finish on my new computer desk? I just got this to make a computer desk, it is made of bamboo and it is 74in x 40in x 1.5in

I added a keyboard tray under it so my keyboard+mouse are not on top of it

Since it is big I might, on some occasion, put plate or bowl (to eat) while watching a video. I see this scenario as the only case where it would be good to have a finish.

Otherwise it would only hold monitor/phone/paper/pen/etc.

If I have to put a finish I want to do something easy / fast since I have no tool and I can't easily move it outside or properly sand it or put some "semi-toxic-product"

So, what could happen if I don't finish it and if I need to put a finish on it, what is the easiest method and which product?

Nothing disastrous will happen if you don't finish your desk top.  I see lots of old unfinished work bench tops and shelves at work, they are not pretty like old furniture but they're still working fine.

It will be harder to keep clean - the finish on wood keeps dirt, scuffs, marks from sinking into the wood and makes them easier to wipe up.  Finishes also protect from water and sunlight, but that's more of an issue outdoors.

There are all kinds of ways to finish wood, some are very simple and easy, no tools or oils required, and some don't involve any unpleasant fumes.  You could just wipe it down with an oil - some of these have very little odor, some even have a nice citrus smell.  If you want to seal it, paste wax is inexpensive, no odor, just takes a little elbow grease to apply.


How to prepare my floor to install engineered hardwood? I currently have linoleum flooring in my kitchen, bathroom and laundry room and carpet everywhere else. I would like to install engineered hardwood flooring throughout my home with the exception of the bathroom and laundry; these areas will likely be tile, but are out of scope for this question.

My home was built in 1956 and has some history, which I'll describe and show with some pictures as background information for my question(s).

The kitchen's 5/8" thick, plywood floor is lower than the rest of my floor by roughly 3/16" and is roughly 14' x 10.5'.
The home's old floor was 3/4" solid oak. When the home was renovated before my time, the carpet and a hallway's worth of engineered hardwood was installed on top of the oak floor.
The oak flooring and plywood subfloor in the kitchen look to rest on top of very thick, tongue and groove boards; probably the original floor of the home. When I inspected the crawlspace beneath these boards, there are no joists (to my surprise). Instead, the boards span large support beams.

Questions

Can I install my new engineered hardwood on top of the existing solid oak hardwood?

If no, please help me understand why.
If yes,

What methods are acceptable? Nail, glue, float?
What precautions should I take? I plan to check for levelness / flatness and clean the surface of the carpet tacks and any underlayment. Anything else I should do to prepare?

Assuming I can do #1 above, then I'd like to raise my kitchen floor to the same level as the oak, so there is no transition. What is the recommended way of raising my kitchen floor 3/16"? My initial research indicates I cannot use self-leveling compound for engineered hardwood because it will crack and generally not be a stable base.
Given all of the information here, any tips or pitfalls I should watch out for?

Pictures

After calling around, I found a shop in my area that sells plywood underlayment that is 5mm thick, which is close enough to 3/16" for me to use to raise my kitchen floor.

As for installing engineered hardwood on top of existing solid hardwood, I've been advised it's okay when nailing since the material just needs to be void free and substantial enough to take the nails.

If I were floating or gluing my flooring, but not nailing, I could raise the kitchen area with self-leveling compound, but no idea if that'd be any cheaper, easier to do or overall better. The underlayment plywood I found is $14 for a 4' x 8' sheet, so it's cheap, easy to fix to the floor, and should work well for nailing, floating or gluing flooring on top of. Seems like the plywood wins in all areas.


Are galvanised steel pipes suitable for supplying hot water? I am living in an old building where the old galvanized steel pipes are still in use indoors.

Rather than upgrading to copper pipes, can I reuse these galvanized steel pipes for hot water (from a gas heater for showering)?

I have the impression that galvanized steel pipes are very vulnerable to corrosion when used with hot water.  But I don't want to change to copper pipes because some of the galvanized steel pipes are conveniently available next to my gas heater hot water outlet.

If you have the opportunity to replace your galvanized pipes, do so.  It's an inconvenient project, involving opening up a lot of walls, but as you can tell from the comments, galvanized pipe is problematic at best over the long term.

It will frequently develop (as is the case in my own home and in my rentals) pin hole leaks.  The only good news with galvanized on that front is - the gumming will often re-seal those pinhole leaks, but not all the time, as my basement ceiling could have attested, before I gutted the whole thing.


Challenger Bus panel I have a challenger panel with a burned bus and bad breakers. I'm looking to replace them. I called my local shops and they said they don't carry this anymore. Is there a replacement option without going to remove the entire box? I am mainly looking to replace the interior components Bus and breakers. I don't mind other brands as long as they fit. The panel is 100 amp and I have attached images of the label and the bus. Thank you.

Haven't heard back from you, so here goes.

About the panel/breakers

This thing you have is a meter-main with 12 breaker spaces.  The main is "backfed" meaning the main breaker is just one of the breakers.

The Challenger breakers are known to be defective. And because of that, many electricians treat Challenger panels as if they're defective.  They're not. There's nothing wrong with Challenger panels.  The breaker problem can be very easily solved: Eaton "BR" breakers are cross-listed for it.  Take a look at any BR breaker, it says

  Type BR
  Type C

Type C is for your panel.   Ba da bing! That's easy.

By the way, if the home inspection report had said something about that and you said "meh, whatever", replacing those Challengers with BRs would have prevented this.  So next time you see something like that on an inspection report...

About that bus

Your plan, as you have presented it, is to "just replace the bus" using a components supply chain that does not exist in real life.  This brand has been out of production for 30 years.  Compatible buses go in the trash every week, but nobody thinks to upcycle them onto eBay or Craigslist becuase they are obsolete and connecting with a buyer is extremely unlikely.  There are companies that specialize in old Challenger panels, and you can try, but this is an odd duck even among Challenger.

So replacing this bus is not gonna happen.

As far as finding a modern bus that will fit, the problem is panels of this style are also obsolete: the very compact buses and gutters are now illegal due to "new" rules regarding wire bending radius (see that neutral wire for why).

So fuggedaboutit.  You only have 2 options: Save this bus or replace the entire meter-main assembly.  Chassis and all.   I'll talk about saving this bus.

Saving the bus

The bus position containing the melted breaker (9-12) is permanently useless.  So now we have two questions:

Is the bus underneath the fried breaker intact enough to use the bus area below it?  (Because the feeder wires will reach there).
Is the bus underneath the main breaker intact enough to continue in service?

Either way, we are going to change all the Challenger breakers here for Eaton BR/C.  The Eaton BR2100 ought to do the trick, at $40 each.  Betcha didn't think you could get out of this for $100, did you? :)

If all busing is in good shape

In this case, we leave the main breaker at its position, and fit the feeder breaker in positions 13-16.  The cable will reach.  Easy peasy!

If the bus below space 9-12 is fried, but the main is OK

In this case, we leave the main breaker where it is.   We move the feeder breaker to positions 5-8.  Any remaining breakers go to positions 1-4; no breakers exist below the main.   This will involve extending the feeder wires; pull new wires if they're short, otherwise extend them with insulated Polaris lug splices.

If the bus under the main is roached

In this case, you will need to remove the bus bars which come off the meter socket, and replace them with #3Cu XHHW wire.  This will need to be physically protected where they come through the hole.

The main breaker is then moved to spaces 13-16 (below the melted breaker), and it will need to be bolted down the same way it's bolted down now.   The feeder breaker is moved to spaces 17-20.  That leaves spaces 21-22 for anything that is now above the main breaker. Remember this panel permits "BR/C" duplex or quadplex breakers, which you can put in spaces 21-24.


Repair an old cylindrical hinge on an old bedroom closet After moving day, I think the hinge of an old bedroom closet door became crooked (upper left photo). It's a metal bar that's screwed on the bottom of the door, and a small cylinder sticks out.

This cylinder is then placed in a metal bar on the floor of the closet (lower left photo), which has a hole to fit the cylinder. The door is only kept in place by one hinge at the bottom, and one at the top (connected to the roof of the closet).

I can't find a replace hinge, every hinge I find online seems to connect an XY plane with a XY plane, while this connects a XY plane with a ZX plane.

I suppose I could fix it by:

replacing this hinge (but where to find one?)
bend the metal bar back to a straight horizontal bar?
implement another hinge system. This seems hard because the hinge has a slight offset from the edge of the door by 10cm/4" (right picture)
other suggestions

Update: I've found the Dutch name: 'speun'.

I think the first thing I would try is to remove the old hinge components and straightening them carefully.  I would clean them and file off any burs to prevent future wear.

I think the stability of the wood around the hardware is just as important as the hardware itself and therefore, I would dedicate some time to ensuring the hinges go back properly.  I would sure up any soft, rotted, or splintered wood with glue.  I would cut some wood shims to put in the old screw holes.  I would use glue and perhaps get some new, slightly longer stainless screws.

Patients and craftsmanship will be the key to repairing this.


How to apply silicone to an edge (tidily) How can I coat an edge with silicone?
There are caulking tools for all kinds of joints such as these, but there seems to be no such tools for edges.
I tried using my fingers, but this is far from tidy.
I'd need a caulking tool in such a shape:

Can such a thing be bought? Where? I tried making it myself by cutting a caulking tool like in the link above, but I cannot get close to the form needed with a knife.
Or can I do it in another way?
What tool or technique do I need  for applying caulk to an edge?
(What do I need that for?
I have a counter top made of chipboard, laminated with melamine resin. There is a little gap between the coating of the top and the coating of the side, so at the edge the chipboard is visible. This is where moisture can get in. By putting silicone on it, I could seal it against moisture.)

There is a little gap between the coating of the top and the coating
of the side

First is to make sure the "coating" is securely glued down.
I use painter tape to mask off any area that i do not want caulk on, put the tape right up the the edge of the gap on both sides.
Apply the caulk with a caulk gun, careful to not apply too much. I then dip my finger into denatured alcohol or water and smooth the caulk wiping away any excess. Smooth again, pull the tape off, Then lightly smooth any anomalies. (Takes practice to get the right touch)
A photo of the edge may provide info for more advise or for alternatives to caulk.


support for "bow" window I'm installing a Marvin Integrity "bow" window, kind of like a bay window except it's multiple casements set in a smooth arc.  These are installed in a rectangular rough opening like any window; however, the outward bulging load cannot be cantilevered, instead needing add'l support.

There are two methods: angle or 45-degree braces underneath, or a "cable system".   No one seems to know much about the latter, including local dealers, so I'm not sure exactly how it works - sounds like it suspends the load from the overhanging rafter tails.

The window I'm getting is 5 panels, about 80" wide, and projects out 10"; my roof overhang is about 2ft.  Can anyone tell me about this cable system, and which method do you recommend ?   I'd prefer the cable - not liking the way the bracing underneath might look - if only I understood it.

With the "cable system", there are metal rods in the frame between windows that go the full height of the window and are tied into the frame. You connect a cable to an eye at the top of the window and run it back at an angle to the wall the window is installed in, above the window. The other end of the cable is fastened to a bolt that is securely fastened to the framing of the wall (this may be a lag bolt or a through bolt, depending on how the wall is framed).

I don't think these windows have this feature however. If you go to Support > Installation Instructions for the windows you posted, you'll see this quote (emphasis mine):

  IMPORTANT: While Integrity Windows and Doors does not
  control the style of platform support to be constructed, all bow and
  bay applications must have support located beneath the unit that
  follows the angle or radius projection of the unit. The support
  platform MUST extend directly under the sill of the unit to provide
  continuous support. AN INTEGRITY BOW/BAY IS NOT IN ANY
  APPLICATION ABLE TO SUPPORT ITSELF.

So if these are the windows you're getting, it looks like you're stuck with the support under the bottom.


Why did the high temp thermostat in my dryer fail when I disconnected the buzzer? My wife wanted me to disable the End-of-Cycle buzzer in our laundry machine (dryer) for various reasons. I thought it would be an easy enough task, but it has since turned into a learning experience. Unfortunately I know just enough about circuit design to get myself into trouble by thinking I understand it. Enough context though and on to the actual question...

See the schematic below for reference. I removed the EOC Signal, indicated in blue. I then bridged the connection (bridge depicted in yellow) and wired the Push to Start Switch directly to the Control timer, circumventing the EOC Signal. This caused the Thermostat Hi-Limit Right, indicated in red, to fail dramatically after about 5-10 minutes of running the dryer. Very likely that the dryer reached it's end of cycle.

What I'm wondering is why this happened. My best guess is that, normally, the timer sends a high energy signal to the EOC Signal when the cycle is over. However, because I removed the EOC signal, this high energy signal made it's way back to the Thermostat Hi-Limit Right and overloaded the component.

Additional information,

The EOC Signal has a flag note that reads:

  EOC signal will sound when timer is in cool down period of cycle and during extra care cycle. It operates with singal on 5 seconds and off 70 seconds. To test-set timer near end of cycle or in extra care cycle and wait 2 minutes for signal to sound. Timer must be allowed to run, and electrically energize signal.

The model is a GE GTX33EASK0WW. Assembly Diagrams can be found here: https://www.geapplianceparts.com/store/parts/assembly/GTX33EASK0WW?ModelType=ModelType

The buzzer part number is WE4M318, Dryer Buzzer - Diagram No. 89

The thermostat part number is WE04X26139, High limit thermostat - Diagram No.   507

EDIT: At the recommendation of @manassehkatz, I disconnected the two wires coming off the EOC Signal (buzzer) and capped the ends. It worked like a charm. No more loud buzzer, much happier wife.

As @brhans noted, you effectively made a short-circuit of the EOC buzzer. Buzzers can fail, and I suspect designed normally to fail open. If you wanted to exactly replicate the circuit, that would require putting in a resistor equivalent to the resistance of the buzzer. But most likely the dryer is designed so that buzzer failure will not prevent the rest of the dryer from operating properly, so removing the buzzer and capping the wires would have been sufficient.

Hopefully the Thermostat Hi-Limit Right was the only sacrificial component to this short circuit, but you may not know until you replace it.

My old Kenmore (really made by GE or Whirlpool, not sure which) has a knob to control the EOC buzzer sound - including "Off", but you're not so fortunate.

Adjusting sound level is probably not practical. But it would be easy enough to wire up an On/Off switch for the buzzer. However, it would need to be designed for 120V usage - i.e., like a full light-switch in a junction box with proper insulated wires, not a "little" switch despite it being "only a buzzer".


How can I make self-tapping sheet metal screws go into metal studs more easily? I am framing metal stud walls to hang drywall in my basement.

When using self-tapping sheet metal screws to secure the metal studs to the top and bottom stud tracks, it seems like the screws often try to veer off-center when I am getting them started.

Connecting the plate to the stud on the side that faces the interior of the room are straightforward since I have no obstructions and can keep the screw at a 90 degree angle as I drill through the stud track into the stud.
However, to connect the stud to the plate on the side facing the foundation, I have to drive the screws at a slight angle as I am driving screw from the inside of the stud out toward the foundation wall secure to the stud track and I have found I can spend as much as 5 minutes trying to get a single screw in.

Is there anything I can do to make the screws go in easier for scenario #2 above? I have tried using a hammer and center punch to create a dimple to keep the screw from moving around while I am trying to get it started. However, often there is too much flex in the metal stud to create the type of pin-point dimple that would help keep the screw on center.

Additional details:

I am currently using a good quality battery-powered impact driver with a magnetic bit holder and a #8 phillips bit to drive in self-tapping sheet metal screws.
The screws are #8 phillips pan-head self-tapping screws with a 1/2" screw depth.
The bit holder is the following basic Makita magnetic bit holder for impact drivers: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Impact-GOLD-Torsion-Magnetic-Insert-Bit-Holder-B-35106/203696938

You're using the wrong type of screws.

It should be a #7 Pan-Head

And Not the self tapping.  The self tapping is good for thicker metal studs but the the sharp tip works best for those angle shots you're having trouble with.

Use #8 self tapping for the tougher thicker steel studs


Low-voltage LED Light string flickers when turned on, flickers go away after 2 mins We have several low-voltage LED light strips in our light-up cabinets in the kitchen. They have all worked fine for 3 years. One of them has now started to flicker for a couple of minutes when turned on. After that it goes back to steady light. If I turn them on/of they all come back fine so it is only one out of more than 10 strings that behaves like this. They all have individual low-power converters so I assume I can switch two converters to see if the problem is within the light strip or converter. It is just odd that it started after 3 years, with no changes related to the power supplied in the house/kitchen area. Any idea why this has started? I assume the low-voltage power supply is most likely the problem...?

Most likely, it's the converter

Those are electronic power supplies, and they are made in China.   Fortunately they're also commodity items.  If you want a more quality version, try looking for a "meanwell" brand.

It might be the wiring, and that is a serious fire-starter problem at any voltage, but that's not likely if powering off/on fixes it.


Why is the first shower of the day is colder than the second? Description
Since I've moved into this house, I've noticed that the first shower of the day is colder than the any subsequent shower.  More specifically, if no hot water has been used for a while, the water becomes more luke warm than hot.  However, the maximum temperature of the water after it recovers from this issue is plenty hot.
To work around this problem, my wife and I use my dishwasher's timer feature and run it over night.  This usage of hot water in the middle of the night helps the water be a more reasonable temperature in the morning.  But we don't always have a load of dishes to do each night...
I've got some theories, and they're mostly related to the thermostat and/or it's position.  I keep the temperature between the A and B settings (I'm in the US, if that matters).  The water heater is only about 7 years old and I have flushed it recently.  There was no difference after flushing it.
My Theories

The thermostat is malfunctioning.  The thermostat most likely has a high temperature shutoff (where it turns the heat off once it achieves the desired temperature) and a low temperature turn on (where it turns the heat on once the water gets too cold).  One theory is that the slow cooling of the water over time isn't enough to trip the lower threshold on the thermostat.  However, the cold water coming in from the main is enough to shock the thermostat and turn it on.

My second theory is that the thermostat is at the bottom of the hot water heater (I'm pretty sure it is) and the pilot light is keeping the water in that area hot enough that it doesn't kick on the heat.  Since I keep the temperature at a moderate setting (I have young children), I'm thinking that the water at the bottom of the tank might never get cold enough to kick on the heat because of the proximity to the pilot light.  However, when the tank starts to drain and the cold water from the main comes in, it does trip the thermostat.

Any idea if either of these theories might be right?  How can I fix it?  Do I just need a new water heater?  Will that even help?

This manual for a State Select gas-fired water heater states "Due to the nature of the typical gas water heater, the
water temperature in certain situations may vary up to
30°F higher or lower at the point of use such as, bathtubs,
showers, sink, etc.
This means that when the temperature adjustment dial is
set at the mark approximating 120°F, the actual water
temperature at any hot water tap could be as high as
150°F or as low as 90°F." (page 16).

Given your low temperature setting, it seems pretty likely that you are experiencing the expected behavior for this unit.   You might consult a plumber to see if you could get a more consistent temperature by setting the thermostat higher and installing a mixing valve to regulate the temperature to your desired level.    This might also give you an option to have hotter water available to certain locations (i.e., dishwasher) that don't present a risk to your kids.


Can I use a PVC ball valve for the water main at the street? I noticed some water seeping up from the ground inline of my water main and to my surprise, under the grass was another valve that I never knew was there. It is PVC and about 3 feet after the main shutoff valve at the street.

It is 1" PVC with a PVC ball valve going to the water meter I assume. The valve has a pinhole leak and I need to replace it. I've replaced many sprinkler pipes before but never anything to do with the water main.

My question is do I repair this line with a normal PVC ball valve and normal PVC glue or do I need to use something else in this situation?

I would not use a PVC valve. Those components need to be heavy-duty, as they're buried and remain in place for decades. Failure means expensive water waste, time and messy effort.

Your water line is probably polyethylene (Pex), and not PVC. Pex is much more flexible and durable than PVC. This calls for clamped connections to brass/bronze hardware.

To give you some idea what I mean by heavy duty, here's what happened to one of my properties last year. My neighbor's brass shutoff valve sprung a pinhole leak. The water jet fanned out and cut through the metal over time. It created a thin slice through the coupler that appeared as though it was made with a hacksaw.

Once the leak grew strong enough it dug through the soil for several inches and ground all the way through my property's valve, with the aid of sand from the soil, creating a large divot in the brass.

I wouldn't mess with PVC unless you want to do the job again in a few years.


Is it possible to detect from the power outlet if there would be current that needs grounding? In my house we have 2 outlet power sockets (no earth) and whenever I charge my laptop I would get electric shock from the laptop when I am touching ground like if I hold laptop on my lap and touch the wall or if my foot touches the floor. At the very least I feel vibrations in the laptop. Same for CPU body, mobile (if has some metal layer on it) ..

I have solved this problem for my room only by grounding my extension where I plug charger to garden outside my room. Basically my extention sockets have 3 outlets, I plugged one end of a cooper cable in one of the grounding outlet and the other in the garden soil.
This solved the problem for my room, I do'nt get any vibration or current shock from my laptop in my room.

The problem persists though in the rest of sockets in our house like if I charge my htc desire mobile which has a bit of metal on it, I would be shocked if I happen to touch it bare footed while it is charging..

So this situation is persistent now and not something that happens rarely or occasionally.

I have tested the 2 outlets of the power socket

I have checked the neutral/cold line shows no current (using the current testing screw driver), so assuming the potential is 0 there,
hot line indicated current as expected
The wire that I used in my room to ground one of the sockets, shows a bit of current

So given my situation that I have 2 pin power socks and house is not wired with grounding/earthing wire, how can I find the cause and resolve it

I'd pick up one of these at the hardware store:

If you're not in North America, I'm sure there's a local equivalent.
Based on the LED's that light up, you can tell if the circuit is wired correctly.  The only thing it can't detect is a ground/neutral swap.  But it can detect a missing ground.


How to fix a plug socket whose screws don't hold anymore? I removed the screws of the socket (as shown in the image) to check something, and when I tried screwing it back in, the screw wouldn't hold anymore. It just keeps coming off.

I tried sticking the socket back using superglue at the edges, but when I plugged in a water heater and pulled out the plug, the socket got un-stuck again. It's the same with any of the sockets at home. If we remove the screw once, we cant screw it back in again because it doesn't hold.

Is there any way to fix this?

As tacky as it is, I have seen electricians use drywall screws to hold receptacles when the threads are stripped out. the sharp threads of the drywall screw will cut new ones into plastic or thin metal. If your screw goes into a brass insert molded in the plastic, you may be out of luck. Do be careful of the length of screws used, the sharp points will go into a wire with no resistance, shorting out your connections.


How can I uninstall this old school light switch from the wall? I have a few of these old school light switches in my current accommodation:

I now need to replace one because it is not working anymore so I'm trying to uninstall it from the wall. Alas, I'm not having any success. The visible screws give access to the wiring inside but not too the wall fasteners.

The threaded bars do not have a head I can use to unscrew them. There seems to be a nut buried here

But I cannot access it as there's little space available. I can fit a 5mm hex socket in the hole but the nut is bigger than 5mm.

Do I need a special tool for the job? How can I uninstall this old school light switch from the wall?

The middle image clearly shows a nut at the bottom of the recess or hole.

Get some deep thin wall sockets and it should come undone easily.

Or undo the flathead screws and make the wires safe then break the base. Then remove or grind down the threads...


How can I verify where the pipes in my basement go? In the photos below, I have 3 pipes coming up out of the ground in my basement. One is about 4" (sewer?), the other 2 are 2" (gray water?). Then there are a few coming out of the ceiling (vents?), all 2". The ones coming out of the ground are what I'm really puzzled about. I would have thought there needs to be a pump to take the stuff upward to the higher elevation where the septic tank is (the last pick is on the other side of the basement where the stuff goes out to the tank.

I bought the house in foreclosure and so I don't know where the underground pipes go. There are no other pipes coming out of the ground anywhere else except for the radon mitigation pipe. Could there be a pump in the ground outside? I did not notice a "pump" breaker in the electrical panel. How can I verify where it goes?

Here's the pics:

Pipes coming up:

Coming down:

All of 'em:

Sewage line out to tank on the other side of the basement:

Update #1: The sniff test verified that the big pipe is indeed live to sewage.

this is fun, this is straight up detective work, and i'm sure you can figure it out with some guidelines

mike gives good advice, with the sniff test and such, but i think it might be easier another way.

if it was laid out for a basement bathroom, which would be my guess, then those smaller pipes would be vanity drain, and would be laid out to line up within a 2x4 wall.  you will need a framing square, and a 4' level or some equivalent thing to make a perpendicular (square) line off of the wall nearest one of the smaller pipes, and then the other.  basically you will want to draw a line that goes where the edge of a 2x4 would be if that pipe was right in the middle of it.

my guess is, from looking at your pic, that if you did this with both of those smaller pipes, they may not both be on the same line with each other, but the center of that 3" pipe will fall near perfectly 12 1/2 inches from the line you draw, on one of them.

12" is the standard layout for toilet from the wall, so that is your guide.

this may not help, but could.

other things to consider...

these builders are so cookie cutter by default, that asking a neighbor to describe their basement bathroom layout, could result in some answers.

your vanity drain will be a 1 1/2 inch pipe.
your tub drain will be a 1 1/2 inch pipe
your stand up shower must be a 2 inch pipe
toilet can be 3 or 4, but will be more than likely 3, and will then be right about 3 1/2 inches around if measured at the top.

they could easily put a glue type p-trap in the 2 inch or 1 1/2 inch pipe for your shower or tub, and bury it in the concrete, as you only need access if using the non-glue, slip joint type trap.

if i was betting, i would say the pipes you say are 2" are really 1 1/2" inner diameter, and therefor 2" outer, and if you do the square line thing i describe, you will find that from the one line, the other 2" pipe is around 6" forward, and the larger pipe is centered about 12" forward, this would mean your room is roughed in for a vanity and tub/shower. (really odd to have toilet in between, me thinks)

anyway, those lines coming from above are just left long so you can find em.  they are vents for something, i'm guessing plumbing (an extra mechanical room provision would be very odd)  they are vents, and you have much more freedom with vent pipes then with drain pipes, (for instance you can do straight 90 degree turns with no radius with a vent but not with a drain, as the water must be able to sweep to some degree for ease of flow around turns and changes in direction)  so since they cant orient the upstairs plumbing / framing to match the basement, they would just leave you vents to tie into later, and expect you to have the floor joist region to be able to easily make the appropriate turns in the upstairs pipes to match with what you have in the basement.  (remember these builders are doing the minimum required so that you can put a bathroom in later without having to conduct major surgery on your basement floor and / or upstairs plumbing and framing to get a bathroom accomplished at a later date.

move the insulation and see where those pipes from above connect to.  as reasonably certain as i am to what they are, 3 - 1 1/2 vents for a toilet vanity and tub is vent overkill as i see it. (in fact, i'm a stickler on venting myself and to do this right there would have to be a vent coming out of the ground, already tied into the toilet line, so that may be another option, (that one of the 1 1/2 inch pipes are a vent) - (your vent should always tie in below the level of the p-trap, which since your p-trap is built into the toilet, the vent for the toilet should always tie in below that level, and in this case, would be connected to the toilet drain, below the floor, and therefor be coming up somewhere nearby.  (i don't have my book with me right now, but I wouldn't vent a toilet with a shared vent from a vanity)

so yeah, if after drawing that perpendicular line from the nearby walls - you find that these 2" pipes are in line with each other, then my guess is one is a vent for the toilet. and i would be quite pissed off that nothing was written, etc or labeled so you knew which - as more than likely you can't legally just use one or the other.  (one is designed to be a vent and will be tied in as such and the other will be tied in to the 3" as a drain and most likely will be different in build and function.

this exercise is all about you finding out as much as you can and just applying that to some common sense building practices.

good luck, brother.


Supporting sliding ladder rail from sides of small closet? I'd like to build a rolling ladder for my tall office closet using a kit.  However, the shelving is metal ClosetMaid/Elfa-style and can't support a rod for the ladder to slide along.

My thought is to instead use a closet rod with supports on the left and right walls.  Can this be feasible and safe?  What other options might I have?

I'd put ledgers on the walls to the left and right of the shelves.  By this I mean a board running horizontally the entire length of the wall, screwed in at the studs.  This will give you something with some strength and stability to attach to.

You could run a steel pipe across from ledger to ledger, attached to the ledgers with floor flanges.  I can say I have used 1" pipe and floor flanges this way for chinup bars many times and they held up well.

The weak point of the pipe is the threaded part, if it shears off it will be at the threads near the floor flange.  If you want to be safe, run a 1" dowel inside the pipe.  Even if the metal cracks, it's not going anywhere.

If the pipe is not sufficient, you could run a board across from ledger to ledger, just like a joist - you might even use joist hangers to fasten it to the ledgers.  That would give you the surface the ready made rolling ladder kits want.  Joist hangers are made to carry weight vertically, not horizontally, but I think they'd be strong enough for this purpose.  If you want something stronger in the horizontal direction, that's easy enough to work out.


How can I repair deteriorating concrete walls? Our garage is about 80 years old and made of steel-reinforced concrete. The inspector deemed it structurally sound, but cosmetically the interior is a mess.

The concrete has come loose (it is old aggregate), all the way down to the steel in spots, and more bits of concrete dust come down from time to time. The walls are also very rough and scratch up our hands and cars.

What can I do to halt the decay, preserve the steel, and smooth the walls out a bit?

Concrete is a peculiar material to work with, and repairing it can be quite troublesome.
The main thing is that it is structurally sound, even after 80years that is very good news.
In my experienced opinion the best method would be...
Mix up a stronger batch of plaster(more cement or less sand), typically the ratio is  5-1 sand to cement. But many times on the bad of cement you will see guidelines. This ratio is for indoor bricks. Because your wall is already rough, jagged it provides very good grip for the layer you are going to apply. Now remember how I said concrete is peculiar.. naturally you would want to seal the old concrete before putting the new one.. this is not a good idea because concrete needs to breathe and bonds better with other concrete applied onto it. However, sealing the TOP layer will be the crucial and most beneficial step!
You are concerned about the metal parts inside the concrete... no need. Once you apply the plaster and seal the top layer, either by oil based paints or some sort of concrete sealer, the oxidization levels inside the concrete will be minimalistic.. and for the metal to completely degrade will take a few hundred years..
You do not need to particualry prepare the old concrete.. it would not hurt by hosing it down with water a bit before plastering it. Will help with bonding. You can leave any loose bits in side- just try to fill up any voids in the concrete with plaster.

As long as the pillar in that photo is deemed structurally safe.. plastering it will make it look like new

A nice typical flat finish after plastering...

Remember...
There are other ways of doing this but this is only how I would do it.


Miele condenser dryer T8013C not drying, takes too long to dry, why? My Miele dryer is taking 5hrs to dry clothes. I have cleaned all the lint traps. What else should I do? I am fairly handy (e.g. small repairs, building computers), except I have never done a dryer before. Please advise.

I have fixed my problem. Here is what I did as reference for others.
After cleaning out all the lint in all the "air" filters, I found the condenser was completely clogged with lint.

The condenser is a long box. In the manual and online posts, the instruction is to rinse it with a shower head. However, there is so much lint stuck in the honey-comb-like structure, water from a shower head just could not flush everything out.
Ultimately after various attempts, I filled the bathtub with water to submerge the condenser, and moved the condenser vigorously back and forth to create strong "waves" in the bathtub water. The water pushed all the lint out.
Be sure to collect the lint before you drain the tub, so your tub doesn't get clogged.
Once the condenser was cleaned, the dryer was normal again.


Are Florida, USA, roofing contractors required to have permission from everyone listed on the deed My father wants a new roof. My mother is living out of state. They both are listed as owners on their deed. The roofing contractor(s) told him that he'd either have to get her to sign the documents, or get power of attorney and sign in her stead.

Is this actually the case in Florida? Is this the case elsewhere in the U.S.?

I believe @brhans is right.  You don't need to have anyone on the deed of a house involved in the work of said house by any state law.  However some states may require some documentation for a contractor to possess a lien on the house.

For instance if your dad's roof started leaking and he needed to fix it ASAP, no one would require your mom's signature on it.  To take it a step further you could legally hire a company to give your mom and dad a present of a new roof (however they could tell company not to do work or sue you if it caused them financial harm.)

The contractor needing a lien may not be warranted.  Tell your dad to speak to the crew and work out a schedule of payment that they find acceptable.  For instance he could pay for materials and pay for 1/3 labor up front and then pay incrementally.  If it is a well trusted roofing company I would then pay 1/3 the first day they show up and then 1/3 upon completion - this could be held in an escrow account or some companies will accept credit card.


How to remove this bathroom faucet? does anyone out there know the manufacturer of this faucet or how to remove the cartridge? I can remove the handle but can't seem to unscrew the base. Thanks in advance.

It looks like this is removable at this split
Try to insert a flatbar or a slotted screwdriver and pry it up.


Use grounding bar in place of wire nut I have a two-gang outlet box in an upstairs bathroom. I am thinking of replacing it with a three-gang box so I can add an extra switch.
I am trying to avoid wire nuts and thought it would be much cleaner to have three bars in the back: hot, neutral, and ground.
Alas, I do not live in the UK where such connectors appear to exist. The only thing I have in Oregon seems to be a grounding bar.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-1-in-Ground-Bar-Kit/3364860

This seems like it would work for my needs.
I am concerned about using this for the hot wires, as the grounding-bar is not insulated.
Also, I am not sure how safe these are for a plastic box. Metal three-gangs seem to be rare.

Questions:

Can I use a grounding bar in place of a wire nut for the hot wires provided I do not put any neutrals or grounds on it?
Is there a connector that connects a lot of wires in a secure and orderly fashion.
Can busses be affixed to a plastic box?
I would like to avoid wire nuts.

Thanks,
Johnpaul

I would not use this for anything other than grounds. It's not insulated. It's also not specified for any other use which means they are not code complaint. You're asking for trouble.

If you don't like wire nuts, try something like these Wago connectors. You just insert the stripped wires and close the lever for positive locking. UL approved and everything.


How can I wire my bathroom light and fan? In the bathroom I am remodeling there is a fan in the ceiling and a light above the sink.  The light currently works on the switch shown in the box below.  The fan is not currently hooked up to power as the previous owners said the switch went bad.  Since the switch was already removed I am not sure how it was wired. The two white wires when I uncap the wire nut and take them apart the light in the bathroom no longer works.  The switch has two black wires going into it.  I suspect the red/white/black wires in the left part of the picture go to the fan.  I believe I need to jump power from the existing switch to the new switch but not 100% sure what to do.  Please help

Looks like you have a switch for a ceiling or vanity light and that there was probably a double switch for the fan and its light. If that's the case, here's how it goes. I'd strip everything out and start with fresh ends. There should be no tape involved--just properly-sized nuts. Yellow, red, and/or multi-size tan should do.

The cable coming in at center appears to be your source. If that's not true, it's almost certainly the other two-wire cable. You'll need to safely investigate this.
Source black needs two pigtails attached. One goes to the single switch (shown in your photo), and the other goes to your new double switch.
Black from your ceiling/vanity light goes to the single switch (shown in your photo). Position of the two blacks is not important for this switch.
Black and red from your fan go to the new double switch. Positions of the two blacks and the red depend on your choice of switch.
All whites get bundled. No pigtails.
All grounds get bundled, with pigtails to each switch (assuming modern switches with ground screws or pigtails).

Your situation essentially looks like this, though you'd have an additional wire coming off the timer switch:

Note that currently you have three blacks connected to the single switch, one presumably using the backstab socket. In my recipe I'm substituting a pigtail, which I think is a cleaner arrangement.

My condolences on the hideous hack-job done to your drywall.


Do I need to install aerial wall outlets or is there a wireless solution? Just bought a new house and realized that everything is great but there's only one aerial socket (rooftop antenna coax connector) and it's on the opposite side of the living room where I want the TV.

I also want a TV in the kitchen and probably some in the bedrooms:  basically, I'd like to be able to put a TV wherever I want conveniently.

So I'm wondering if I need to hire an electrician to install aerial socket outlets in each of the rooms or is there some sort of device I can get to plug into the aerial socket I have now which will increase the TV signal, similar to a wifi repeater or something and then other TVs in the home can use portable antennas.

One solution I have used in the past is the HD Home Run.  It is an OTA tuner that outputs to your home WIFI network.  To receive the output, you can use a PC with Windows media player, an XBox or Playstation, or your smart TV if it supports DLNA.

I personally used a PC to receive the signal, and then connected my PC to my TV to view.  The nice part about that is that Windows Media Player has a free program guide for OTA tv, and can act as a DVR.


What are the sturdiest types of joints for my lofted queen bed frame? I'm building a lofted structure that includes a queen bed, storage stairs, and some storage space over my door. Here is a rudimentary mock-up I made in PS.

All the vertical support beams are 4x4s and the outside frame of the bed will be 2x6s. Like this: I will be replacing the wooden grooved pieces with metal L beams and adding a support rail down the middle of the frame. Also I'd turn the 2x4s onto the broadside.

The brown colored pieces in the mockup are for support. Using this design what would be the best way to secure the joints from shear force (add metal brackets, mortise and tendon the joints etc..)? I want this thing to be solid.

The design you have looks quite solid.  If you really wanted to add a touch more, you could mortise and tenon the joints. That would give it a nice look and add a lot of strength (meaning that you wouldn't see fasteners).  I would certainly glue the joints as well.  I like the notched 2x4 boards.  Keeps you from using metal hardware or trying to toe-nail them in.

If you can fasten this to the walls of your room, that would add a significant amount of strength to the structure.  Obviously, make sure to fasten it to the studs in the wall and not just drywall.


Replace GFCI outlet or the brand new washing machine? I just bought a brand new washing machine and its tripping the (15 amp) GFCI circuit breaker. The main breaker in the fuse panel is 20 amps and is not tripping. The GFCI trips every time the washer turns on the water pump to fill the machine with water.
The washer works fine when I plug it into another regular circuit (without GFCI protection).
The delivery guy was adamant that this is due to a defective outlet. I suspect a defective washing machine.
Should I replace the GFCI outlet or the washing machine?

TL;DR Test with an extension cord to another GFCI
It is probably the machine. Unlike the situations with refrigerators, where water is not involved (except the ice maker) and where food spoilage is a big concern, washing machines have no real "excuse" not to be on GFCI. Plus GFCI is mandated for the the laundry room under current code, so the machines really should be designed to work properly on a GFCI.
But it is possible for a GFCI receptacle to go bad. The only practical way to prove it (short of replacing it) is to temporarily connect the washing machine with an extension cord to a bathroom or kitchen GFCI. If that has the same problem (trip every time the water pump turns on) then you have a bad washing machine - despite being brand new. If that works fine (and assuming the standard GFCI test on that receptacle works as expected), then you have a bad GFCI receptacle in the laundry room and replacing it should solve the problem.
How, you may ask, can a brand new machine have a ground fault? Mass produced electronics, appliances, cars and many other things are not 100% tested at the factory. Mistakes can happen - some that can easily cause a problem of this sort include:

Loose wire
Ground & neutral wires swapped
Insulation scraped off a wire during installation
Pinched wire
Bad connection to the pump, resulting in water leaking onto wires

Even a quick power-on self-test at the factory (which may or may not be routine, depending on the manufacturer) wouldn't reveal this fault because (a) they would not have a need to run the test on a GFCI-protected circuit (the factory floor is not an actual laundry room) and (b) they would not run the machine with water and (c) because they are not running the machine with water, they may not run an actual pump cycle


What is the difference between an impact driver and an impact wrench? Obviously impact drivers and impact wrenches are designed for different purposes, but since they both work on the same principle is there some overlap? Is a small cordless impact wrench just a slightly scaled-up version of a cordless impact driver, with a 1/4" square drive instead of a 1/4" hex drive, or are there further differences? Could I buy adaptors to use one occasionally in place of the other, and if so what would be the disadvantages? I can guess a few downsides: the wrench would be heavy and large when used as a driver so not convenient at arms length or in tight spaces; the driver would be underpowered for really heavy-duty wrenching; the wrench might need some care to avoid twisting the heads right off your screws. Is there more to it than that?

Most driver bit sets come with a 1/4" square drive adapter (my small Milwaukee set also came with a 3/8" drive as well, though I don't know if that's common).  With that one bit, your driver is instantly almost exactly the same as a 1/4" impact wrench.  You'd have to look at torque specs to see if the models you're considering are comparable, but I bet they are.  Those little impact drivers have come a long way -- battery life is great and the torque is hard to believe.

I'd only consider a square drive impact wrench for heavier automotive (or other mechanical) use, and only in a larger size like 1/2" so it can provide some real help in removing tough fasteners.


Vampire Power Draw and Power Strips Can a standard power strip (when switched off) stop vampire power draw from electronics??

I'd rather not buy one of those new-fangled "smart" power strips for $30 - $40 if a standard one will do -- I don't have any problem flicking the switch.

I gave my father a Belkin watt-meter for Christmas, but it's about 650 miles away so I can't personally test it myself.

The cable modem, router and cable box will stay on to maintain wifi and cable programming guide.  I'm mostly interested in completely shutting down other home theater equipment that isn't in use 90% of the day.

Yes, every "standard" (non UPS, non "smart") power strip that you buy, will stop that "vampire draw" when it is switched off.  It's just as good as unplugging the appliance and one reason why power-strips are made in the first place.


Why would an outdoor floodlight only work in test mode? I have a new outdoor floodlight that works in test mode.  Adjusting the range works.  It turns on when you walk in front of it.  But as soon as I switch it to 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes... the sensor doesn't work at  all.  The red light is flashing so I know it's on.

I have tried in bright conditions and in very dark conditions but it doesn't work.  I tried in auto mode and manual mode but nothing.  The thing is it works in test mode which lasts for 5-10 seconds so I know it's working.  What else could I try before returning it?

I’m an idiot! My son in law and I could only get the light to come on in test mode. WE WERE WORKING ON THE LIGHT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!!! We finally gave up and just left it on high sensor and ten minutes. Around 6:30 this evening, it was dark as midnight, all of a sudden the light came on and stayed on for 10 minutes.

If you are working on the light during daylight, you have to cover the sensor with tape and let it sit for a few minutes before it works the way it would at night.


Exterior entry door repair I have a 20 year old flat wood entry door (without mouldings or embellishment).  I was going to sand and paint it, but when I sanded, I realized that the wood must have been just a veneer (plywood, perhaps?) since I could pull off pieces, if I'd tried, that would be about 1/4" wide by different lengths.

Is there any way to repair this door, rather than going to the expense of replacing it? The door is perfect on the inside, and I'm sure it's problems on the outside are a result of sun exposure.

I agree, it sounds like a veneer that has aged over the years, dried up and is delaminating. One of the problems I see trying to repair the damaged areas with a filler, is that other areas may soon suffer the same problem. With that said, if you want to attempt a fix, you could remove all the loose material, sand off any remaining glue etc , then fill the voids. You could use a plastic wood filler, a thinset type of material or even a setting type drywall compound. Fix it muck like fixing a hole in drywall. spread the filler on with a wide knife, and sand it smooth after it dries.  Be sure to prime and paint the entire surface before allowing it to come in contact with moisture or the outdoor elements.  This may be a semi long term fix, but think you will continue to see problems in the future. Consider a new door soon.


air conditioning system stays on even when we turn off our thermostat Our A/C system stays on even when we turn off our thermostat.  What should we do to try to fix it?

Is there a small switch somewhere n the thermostat that says something like "fan" and has positions for "auto" and "on"? Is it in the "On" position? If what you mean is that the fan keeps blowing when the thermostat is not calling for cooling (but the air at that point is not being cooled) that could be it.

Otherwise, look for a short circuit in the thermostat wiring, which would make the A/C think that the thermostat was calling for cooling all the time.

If the latter, and it's too cold in the house, shut off the circuit breaker supplying the a/c with power.


How do I dig a 3 foot deep narrow trench in soft clay I need to dig a 3 foot trench in soft clay to put in a new water pipe.

If I use I drain spade to dig it about 16cm ( 6 inches) wide will I have enough space to do the digger?

Is there a better type of spade to use?

About what length of trench can fit people did in a day?

(I hope I will only need to dig about 12 feet of length, but may need to dig about 30 feet if I am forced to connect to the other road.)

It's physically very difficult to dig a very narrow but deep trench. You may have better luck just renting a ditch digger/trencher, which is kind of like a big chainsaw for dirt. You can dig trenches that are very narrow, and the only thing that really slows you down with it is large rocks.

You should have utilities marked before you dig (whether using a trencher or not). In some areas, this is enforced by law (eg: in Ontario, Canada, it is law under the Ontario Occupational Health And Safety Act).


Why does electricity turn on and off in one part of my house? For the past week, one side of my house will lose power for a few hours at a time. It extends from the living room into the far bedroom and will happen any time of the day and last for hours. But it comes back on. No breakers have flipped and I've tried switching them on and off when it happens.

What is causing this, and how do I fix it?

If you can find a breaker that controls all the same lights and outlets this would be helpful. If it is just 1 breaker most likely it is a bad hot connection. usually in a junction box at an outlet or light switch but it could be the hot wire that connects to the breaker, very unusual for a breaker to do this but it could be the problem also. Find the breaker and see if some areas turn off that were on when the power goes away that will help narrow down where the problem is.
It could be the neutral wire also but I have less problems with these and am not sure why as they normally carry the same current. If you find 1 breaker and additional lights or outlets turn off when you turn the breaker off go to the last working outlet and check the connections there (with the power off) if those are good go to the first non working outlet and check there.
If everything is the same when turning the breaker off as the power fail, you will need to remove the dead face of the breaker panel and verify the wire on the breaker is tight, follow the wire back to where it enters the box with a white wire and follow that to the neutral buss and make sure that is tight.
the last thing would be to try and replace the breaker looking at the tab to make sure it has not arced and burned the tab the breaker connects to.


Patching gap in drainage channel Our property includes a dam with a storm overflow. I've discovered that the drainage channel, 50 years old, has started to slide apart, leaving a 2-3 inch gap in two places. When water drains, it falls down the gap and runs underneath the channel, presumably carving out an underground cavern.
What's the best way to seal these cracks? It obviously doesn't have to 100% water-tight, so I'm thinking of dumping as much gravel as the cavern will take, topped with concrete? Is there a Sikaflex type product that will bind and allow for a little movement over time? Everything I've found is for smaller cracks.
Thanks!

Plain old mortar (or concrete with only small aggregate) would be my choice - it does not need to be a perfect seal. If it's dry when you are trying to do the work, pre-wet the area you are patching for a better bond. You'll also want to scrub off as much of that decaying organic material as possible. Use a fairly stiff mix and beat it into place.
It needs to be wetted out, not dry, but you want a mix you can place, not one you pour. Slapping or beating it once placed (equivalent to vibration but on a reasonable DIY budget) will help get the mix in good contact with the old concrete without having to have a very liquid mix. Apart from being hard to place, a too wet mix is weaker.


US Building Codes - Do I need a handrail on this initial section of stairs? I realize that building codes tend to vary by jurisdiction, but I'm wondering, in general, do I need a hand railing and/or guardrail on this initial section of stairs as shown in orange?  My hope is that because the section is less than 4 stairs, and under 30" I do not, but I'm not sure if because it's connected to a landing that is connected to other stairs, it requires a continuous railing to the end.

This is in an accessory building (workshop).

Thanks for your time.

I found this here from the International Residential Code of 2012.

  R311.7.8 Handrails. Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of each continuous run of treads or flight with four or more risers.

I believe you need a handrail since you have at least 4 risers it looks like it could be 5 but your picture cuts off the bottom of the stairs.

Also, the end of the handrail has to return toward a wall or terminate in a newel post or safety terminal.

This site also shows the information in a little more understandable format.

Nice job so far, good luck!


Why is water flowing into my hot water tank from the output pipe? When I was replacing the hot water heater and the shut off valve I found this issue. Once I turned on my main water I kept the shut off valve closed to the input so I could ensure there was no leak from the replacement. I noticed during this time that the tank was still filling through the output pipe. I turned on the valve for the input pipe and it allowed water to come through (like it should). I did some trouble shooting to make sure it wasn't crossed in installation. So where is the water coming from on the output side? Why is it also filling the tank? Do I have a bad mixer at a shower or sink that is causing a loop?

This is just a guess, but you're probably only seeing existing hot water in your house's pipes flow back to the water heater, since there's none of the resistance that the full tank of water can provide.


Fan comes on but the air conditioner does not During hot days when the air conditioner is on a lot it comes to a point in the evening when the air conditioner shuts down and the fan (from furnace) stays on. This will go on all night as the house gets hotter. Thermostat will be set at 72 and the temperature in the house will be 75. If I turn the thermostat up to 76 the fan will go off. If I wait a while and turn it back down past the temperature of the house the air conditioner will kick back on for a while. Shouldn’t the air conditioner stay on until the house temperature gets to the temperature off the thermostat

There are a lot of possible reasons this could be happening, but here are some common ones:
1. Frozen coils
If too much moisture remains inside the indoor unit, it can freeze and form big blocks of ice around the refrigerant coils. Instead of cooling the air, the refrigerant just keeps making more ice.
There are several common reasons for icing, especially if the unit has been running for a long period of time:
1a. Icing due to clogged drain
If the condensate drain out of the unit is clogged, the backed up water causes elevated moisture levels in the air inside the unit which form ice on the coil. As more water sitting in the drain pan evaporates, the ice gets thicker.
Find the condensate drain from the indoor unit and check it. How to do this will vary depending on your unit.
1b. Icing due to poor airflow
This is most commonly seen on units with very dirty air filters. The airflow through the filter is restricted, meaning that not enough air is flowing through the coils. As above, the moisture condensed on the coils freezes. It can also happen if the return vents are blocked by items in the house.
2. Failing capacitor
Inside the outdoor unit of your air conditioner, there is a large capacitor that is used for starting the unit. If this capacitor fails, the outdoor unit won't run and the refrigerant won't circulate. Make sure the thermostat is calling for AC (turn it really low) and go outside and see if the fan and compressor are running. If they are not, listen closely to see if you hear a faint humming noise. If you hear the hum, you need a capacitor.
3. Low refrigerant
You probably need to get an HVAC professional to check this one - they have special tools to measure the refrigerant flow through the system.


How to insulate attic areas that are unreachable I am looking to air seal and add insulation to my attic before winter hits.

Most of the roof is simple, simply slopes down towards the front and down towards the back.

There is an area in the front of the house where the roof comes out further to accommodate the 2nd floor room and window. See photo and red lines below.

While crawling about the truss jungle gym in the attic, I saw that there was a small opening beyond the normal roof line where this roof area was being insulated with a batt of fiberglass. The interior of the room beneath the roof is an interior dropped soffit from the normal ceiling.

I would like to know if this area is worth air sealing and adding insulation into, and if so, what is the best way to do so? The roof is pretty tight near the edge and I don't think I can fit into the opening to further investigate. Nor do I want to poke myself with nails/screws coming through the roof deck, even if I do have a hard hat...

Would it be viable to cut into the drywall from the room below, check it out, make repairs/improvements, and then seal up the soffit again?

If you determine that additional insulation is needed, you have a couple of options:

Cut into the ceiling for temporary access, install your insulation, then patch it back up.
Use a product that doesn't require full access to install, such as blown insulation or some spray foams.

Blown cellulose is most likely your best bet here as it is low-cost, fairly effective, and can probably be blown across the top of your dormer from the access hole you already have in the attic. When you buy the insulation you can also rent a blower machine that takes the insulation and blows it through a long hose, kind of like a vacuum cleaner in reverse. This allows you to inject it into places where you might not have full access.

If needed, you can also blow it in from the room below by drilling small holes in the ceiling. These would be easier to patch than if you had to take the ceiling down completely to install batts.


Electric power loss over distance I am working on a project where I install an electric system by my property entrance, than I have to run a wire about at least 700 feet. I do want to deliver 240VAC and I know that voltage drop is a thing.

I've calculated aluminum wire 2AWG at 850' 200 amps over distance like if I want to power up a table saw for example at the end. Then I get voltage drop which leaves off 156 vac at the end.

My main question is, how can I convert 151vac to 120vac?

FYI, I will actually install an outlet at the end of 850' and power things over night. Generator won't be an option.

PS: I made major edits, I am not going to use copper wire, and I will supply 240 vac 200 amps instead of 120.

You've touched on the reason why electric utilities use high voltage for their distribution lines and also why you see transformers either on poles at your location or on the ground in a (usually) green box.

They do this to avoid power loss in the wires which increases with the square of the current.  Mathematically, you have:

P = I^2 * R  where P is power in Watts, I is current in Amps and R is resistance in Ohms.

Let's take two hypothetical examples that demonstrate this:

You want to transmit 1800W, which is 15A at 120V through a distance of 500' using a wire which has resistance of 1 Ohm.  The power lost to heat in the wires in this case will be 15^2 * 1 = 225W.  So you put 1800W in at the source but you only get 1575W at the load.

Now say you bump up the voltage to 480V.  Your 1800W only requires 3.75A at that voltage.  So the power lost in the wires in this case is 3.75^2 * 1 = 14W.  You save 211W of power by using the higher voltages.

Usually for consumers this doesn't play out all that often although that is one reason why high power consuming appliances like water heaters, HVAC systems, ovens and ranges almost always use 240V vs. 120V.  The current requirements are 50% by using the higher voltage.

Consider that the power utilities are transporting megaWatts of power and often at very high voltages.  The long distance towers you see may operate at 750K to 1,000,000 volts.

Now there are some other considerations.  Transformers are not lossless, so you lose some power, again due to heat, when you step-up and then step-down the voltage.  But the savings overall due to using smaller and cheaper wire and long term operating costs due to lower power losses may make it worthwhile.

As noted above, 2AWG Cu wire is quite expensive.  Usually for longer distances Al wire is a much better value although you will usually need to go up a gauge or two in order to get the same performance.

By the way, you mentioned "AMP loss" in the wiring.  That's not really a thing.  Amps are not lost, for every Amp you put in one end of the wire, you get a corresponding Amp out the other end.  You do lose Volts and that's where the power loss comes in.


Putting up my new ceiling fan into light fixture I have 4 ceiling fans I ordered to put these up into 4 light fixture. This one is a bit different that I did put up into replace an old ceiling fan and it was easy for me.

I am not experience with the light fixture because it is different than the ceiling fan.

I have three pictures to attach for you all to look at. I am not entire sure if this is the proper way to install.

Before I started to remove it the picture looks like this

So after this I remove this to check what is behind the light so I can know what I need to buy to support the ceiling fan (Yes I did google but it lacks answer my questions). What I found is I have a wood that is behind the light.

Look at the picture here

So I remove the black plastic bracket and install this and then this  and it looks like this

My only question is would that be ok if I put up the ceiling fan even if the mental bracket ceiling fan box is under the wall ?

My gut feeling is maybe should I just take out the Ceiling Fan Box with Metal Cover and just leave the Fan Master Jr. Support Box and go ahead and mounting bracket that came from the ceiling fan box ?

The deep metal box cannot be used directly under a joist.

Whatever box you use should have its outer edge flush with the ceiling, or close to flush. The original plastic fan box which straddled the ceiling joist would have worked if the hardware for the new fixture had a metal mounting strap which could be secured into the ceiling joist through the slots used for the two long fan bracket screws.

The second plastic box (already installed) should work, but you would have to use a metal mounting strip (should be in hardware for light fixture) and use screws into the joist through the slots.

In original construction when only a standard light-weight fixture is to be installed, the box for the light is usually installed next to or between ceiling joists, but a basic installation of a fan box is a special fan box installed under (straddling) a joist. The boxes are different because of that, but you can adapt a fan box to hold a standard light fixture.


Floor heat cables under linoleum flooring? everyone.

Is it possible to lay heat cables on a bathroom floor before I lay down linoleum. We would like to help create some warmth in the winter. Given our current situation I don't think it's feasible to lay real tile which is what typically can go over heat cables. But is it possible and effective to lay heat cables under linoleum to help make the floor warmer in the wintertime?

Thanks.

What you're referring to as Linoleum is probably vinyl.  At room temperature, it's fairly solid and the good stuff will bridge minor variations in the surface without it showing through.  By minor, I mean shallow embossed texture in the surface of the layer below, or thin grout lines between tiles.  Even at room temperature, heat ribbon is likely to eventually show through because the vinyl slowly conforms to the surface.

When you warm it, the vinyl softens and becomes flexible and stretchy.  In fact, warming the vinyl is a trick for getting it to conform in a problem area during installation, or for getting vinyl planks to stay together when some irregularity underneath pushes them apart.  If you lay heat ribbon directly under the vinyl rather than embedding it in a smooth surface, the vinyl will conform around it and the ribbon will show on the surface.

If you don't want to embed the heat ribbon in another layer, you may be able to accomplish the result with radiant heating film.

There are a number of versions.  In general, it comes in rolls of fairly wide, thin, flat plastic film.  Sandwiched inside the film is a resistive layer.  You make the electrical connections at the wall and hide it with molding.

Doing this under the floor adds a lot of delay from the time you turn it on until the heat gets through the floor and starts warming the room.  An alternative with much faster heating is to use the film on the ceiling and paint over it to hide it.  The sensation of using it that way is a little like having a heat lamp in the ceiling; your head will feel a lot warmer than your feet.


How do I trace a damaged security system wire? I have a hard wired security system.  I just finished hanging drywall. During the process, I apparently damaged a wire to either one of 4 windows or the door because I am getting a fault in the basement zone.  I have used a magnet to test the sensors and they seem to be OK.  Therefore, I believe I damaged one of the wires.  I have not taped or mudded the drywall yet, so I can easily get back into the ceiling or wall to repair it, but I need to know which wire to repair in order to avoid removing a lot of drywall unnecessarily.  The wires in the box are not labeled.  Is there a way to identify which wire goes to which window?

First, cut power to the alarm system.

Get your hands on a multimeter with a resistance setting. Run a long extension cord (unplugged) from the broken sensor to the panel. Put a probe on each end of the cord (ground pin is easy to remember; it only matters that you're both on the same conductor).

If you're lucky, you and an assistant will probe wires until you get a no-resistance reading. That's the intact wire of the pair. The rest writes itself.

If you're not lucky, you'll have cut both conductors and will have to run around identifying all your wires, in order to find the severed one by elimination.

Or, for around 40-80 dollars, you can get a tone generator and find your break in 5 minutes. The upside to this plan is that you won't have to run new wire -- you'll just locate and fix the existing. I own this one, though there are more/less expensive options: Fluke toner


2 wire sub-panel corrective action Can I correct 2 wire supply by adding a bare copper wire buried to sub-panels?

I have two out-buildings with sub-panels fed by 6/2 wire w/ground.

The main is 100 amp The sub-panels each has a 50 amp breaker in the main panel and uses two hots and the copper attached to the bonded ground bar in the sub-panels.

Both panels have a bonded ground bar and one 6' ground rod with a #6 wire from ground bar to a 6' ground rod. This wire does not go back to the main

Thanks to Stack Exchange I know I need to add another ground rod 6' away at each sub-panel and incorporate. I know I need to add another ground bar to use for the ground rods and to float/disconnect the other ground bar to use for the neutrals.

Question: Is this true? I was told I did not need to have a ground wire running back to the main panel because a lightning strike would use the ground rod at the sub-panel and it might not be good to have the lightning run back to the main panel.

If I do have to have another wire back to the main (I want 240 at the sub-panels) can I just bury a #6? copper wire a few inches in the soil above the buried conduit to use as the neutral or ground and if so which should I use it for.

Thank you

Hooboy.  This may be prohibitive to bring to full code, so let me discuss some options to get the most safety increase for the least buck.

Romex NM-B is not legal for direct-burial or for running in conduit. But what really has me spooked is bootlegging a neutral off that ground wire.  If anything breaks in that ground wire, it will energize every ground in your electrical system at 120VAC - touching a conduit, the panel, light switch screws, all the things that are supposed to be safe will be dangerous!   Far away from the house you could be dead before they find you!  Do not leave this situation to fester merely because bringing it all the way to current code would be hard:  Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of the "good".   Every option here restores the proper function of the safety ground and separates neutral from it.

Ed Beal discusses an issue with the ground rod.

I am willing to assume some defects may be grandfathered or permitted via local exemption.

Option 1: Go 120V-only

If you can bear having only 120V, then remove all markings from the white wire.   In the main panel, black goes to a 120V breaker (or one side of a 240V breaker), white to neutral bar, and bare to ground bar (they may be the same in the main panel).  In the sub-panel, black wire goes to one phase, white to the neutral bar, bare to the ground bar which are isolated.   Every other row of breakers will not work - just move your needed breakers to rows that do work.

Cost: $30ish  per building, for a separate neutral bar for the sub-panel

Option 2: Go 240V-only - temporary transformers for 120V

If your primary loads are 240V-only and/or multi-voltage loads (lighting, some gadgets), and your 120V loads can be hooked up temporarily as needed, easy - just reconfigure for 240V-only.   Stop using neutral; the bare wire is ground-only.

Mark the white wire with tape on both ends to designate it a "hot".  In the main panel, black and remarked-white to a 240V breaker.  Bare to the ground bus.    In the sub-panel, black and remarked-white to opposite "hots", bare to the ground bar.  No neutral bar - no neutrals will exist in this panel!  No exceptions!  Every white wire in wiring will be marked with tape as it's not a neutral.

To power 240V loads, done.  Many machines will run on 120-240V.  Lighting particularly - check your fluorescent lights, the newest ballasts are 120-277V automatic switching, if yours isn't, just change ballast, they're $10-20.  Good time to upgrade to T8 bulbs while you're at it.  Many LED bulbs are 120-277V, I've been replacing 175W barn lights with 15W LED lights that are $10 and multivoltage.    Old mercury, sodium and halide lights have transformers, and they are often jumpable for 240V.  For plug-connected devices that can accept 240V, change your wired receptacles and plugs to NEMA 6-15 or 6-20.

To temporarily power loads that are 120V, use a common step-up/step-down transformer.

Cost: est. $250 per building for new bulbs, ballasts, outlets, plugs, power supplies and a step-up/down transformer.

Option 3: Go 240V, install a 120V transformer permanently

This is like Option 2, except with a permanent 120V transformer feeding a third panel.

I often find 5KVA transformers around "used" for about $100.  These have 240V on the primary, and 20 amps of 120/240V split-phase on the secondary (jumpable for 40 amps of 120V only).   Do the sub-panel per option 2, and add a 20A breaker to feed this transformer.   The third panel gets its hots and neutral from the secondary of the transformer.  It gets its ground from the ground rods feeding the sub-panel.  Because the third panel is fed from a transformer, it's actually not a sub-panel at all - it's a main panel, and you do bond neutral to ground here.  The transformer makes this safe.

You only have 20A per leg (or 40A at 120V-only) - so keep the loads here to a minimum.

Cost: est. $300 per building for used transformer, enclosure, additional mini-panel, breakers and wiring.

Option 4:  Use a transformer for all loads.

Here, we use a larger transformer (12 KVA or larger, single phase) to feed the entire sub-panel.  Like above, this makes it a main panel.

In the house's main panel, we mark the white wire with tape, and punch it down into a 240V breaker.   Ground goes to the ground bar.   At the transformer, we jumper the transformer's primary for 240V and attach the black and marked-white wire.  Ground goes to the transformer chassis or enclosure.

We jumper the transformer's secondary for 120/240 split-phase.  Its hots and neutral go to the 2 hots and neutral bar.  Being fed by a transformer makes it a main panel, so ground and neutral are bonded together and the ground must go to the rods and also to the transformer chassis.    The now-main panel is hooked up in the normal way.    This gives you best of all worlds at higher cost.

Cost: est. $500 per building for a used transformer and wiring; $1000 for a new one.

Option 5: Pull 4 wires (in existing conduit??)

ThreePhaseEel addresses this well in his answer.  You're pushing the limits of what that conduit can handle, out and in, and it's going to be one miserable pull. I prefer to install conduit much larger than the wires need, mainly to make the pull easier (and provide room for expansion).   I would bring in an electrician for this - simply because they'll have all the right pulling tools on the truck, and the skill to do the pull without tearing up the wire.  The right tools make all the difference in the world.

Keep in mind if there's any damage to this conduit, the pull will fail and you will end up digging up the yard.  Water in the conduit is no big deal; that's why you use THWN wire.

And don't presume it's in conduit.  If it's direct-burial cable, Code requires the cable exit the ground in conduit.  That would explain using barely-big-enough conduit that he couldn't possibly pull 200 feet through. If it's direct-buried, you'll have to re-trench it.

Cost: est. $700-1200 per building: $400 for wire; $300 for tools or $800 to hire an electrician for the pull.   If the conduit is not pullable, more.


Two Electric Ranges with the Same Issues I live in an apartment building that is 100 years old.  My electric range burners don't all work the same way and they have hot spots on the elements. I only use one element as the others can't be trusted. Even on the element I use, food has to be watched carefully as it will burn in one spot even on a medium setting. The oven is unpredictable even after calibrating the temperature as best I can.  I have been trying to figure this out.  The landlord replaced the very old electric range with another used range.  The problems are are the same on both ranges. The outlet for the range is hanging out from the wall.  I have no access to the circuit breakers or power box.  I tried to explain to the landlord that it is very unlikely that 2 ranges would have the same problem unless it is related to the power source.  Any electricians out there who knows the answer to this?  Thanks!

Electric coil elements with "hot spots" are failing and should be replaced with new ones, not a different range with old ones (possibly the same old ones, if they swapped parts from one to the other, as they are pretty interchangeable and your landlord reads as "cheap".) When they fail all the way, the arc can blow a hole in the bottom of a pot...just not a fun thing to let happen, particularly for a part that's typically $10-$12 or so.
An "unpredictable" oven is vague as heck, but typically you need an oven thermometer to hit temperatures reliably on any oven you don't already know the mapping of "dial to reality" for, as they are rarely accurate. I've had an oven element blow once, which was quite the show, since it arced wonderfully without exceeding the amperage of the range breaker, so it just kept arcing. I was happy that I was in the the kitchen and heard, then saw, it so I could shut it down. It was not subtle.
The range outlet hanging from the wall (or the power supply in general) would not affect either of these, but does reinforce the "cheap or outright slumlord" impression you're giving of your landlord. Often the only real solution to that is finding a new place to rent, though sometimes you can get a tenants rights organization to help you in attempting to fight with them, but it's often a losing (or pyrrhic) battle.


Convert 2 gang no neutral light switch into 1 gang to power a smart-switch that requires neutral. Possible? UK This is probably not possible and instead just highlights my basic lack of understanding, but thought it was worth asking! If it is possible I would get a qualified electrician to do it.
I'd like to install a smart wifi dimmer switch which requires a neutral wire, but I don't have a neutral. (I've already got a smart dimmer that works without neutral, but want a nicer one that does require it).
The switch in question is a 2 gang switch. One switch controls my kitchen spot lights, the other controls an outside light that we've never used.
I've read that the reason for a neutral is so that the wifi switch can draw power to run itself even when the light circuit is broken. So I was wondering if in the absence of a neutral wire, the redundant wires for the outside light could be made to provide power for the wifi switch.
I'm in the UK. 100+ year old house, but wiring is this millenium.
My current switch has a L, L1 & L2. Two wires go into the L.
The new switch has a L, L1, G, N.
The box in the wall has an earth wire looped into the casing.
Photo of box:

In the absence of any other answers I'll put what I'm thinking currently. Please tell me in the comments why this will cause my house to burn down (and also vote me down while you're at it). Or even better, help me improve the answer or give a better solution that actually works :)
My idea
The second gang goes to a light socket that is not in use. I presume that in this light socket there will be:

one set of wires that goes to my fuse box and will include a live (A) and a neutral (B). I don't know if there'll be an earth (C) too?
and another pair of wires that go to the switch. We'll call these (D) and (E)

In the redundant socket

Cap off (A)
Join (B) to (D)
Cap off (E)

In the switch
(connections on the actual switch are L, L1, G & N)

Cap off (E)
(D) will become a neutral wire and can connect to N
The two wires from Gang 1 can connect to L & L1.
Join the current earth that's looped into the box to G using an extra bit of wire

Result
Job done? Or ?
In the absence of doubt, this "answer" should not be thought of as an answer yet and will not be accepted unless enough people with more knowledge than me confirm it's safe. And... I'd still get a qualified electrician to actually do the work.


Should I be concerned about the repair to a ceiling after water damage? We're in the middle floors of an apartment building and have had some damage done to our bathroom ceiling around the manhole due to some leaking pipes (minor rupture so there was a bit of water).

The damage is most visible around the manhole primarily because this is how the water leaked down out of the ceiling section. There was a fair bit of water when it was discovered. The leak has been fixed by the buildings plumber.

Now the building management is responsible for repairing the damage as it was caused by a fault that occurred between apartments.

What I see:

Some discoloration and stains around the area where the water leaked out.
The ceiling looks slightly darker (still wet look - but not the touch) around the manhole up to the edge of the wall.
Images here: corner discoloration hard to see and stain on manhole

I'm still waiting to hear back from the repair man about what steps he'll take. I'm hoping it will involve repainting the ceiling.

Questions:

What else can I look for / ask to be done as part of the ceiling repairs to ensure any damage doesn't get worse?
Should I be concerned about the state of the plaster now?

During our renovations we had extensive leaking through our very old plaster (c1927). We found that even after the plaster had dried, the stains would continue coming through. We had the ceiling treated with a stain blocker before painting but still some stains came through.

On the ceilings with the least damage, the stain blocker + a few coats of paint worked. The plaster was as strong as ever. For the badly damaged ceilings, we ended up replacing the plaster.

For us the decision was easy since the plaster was so old and kinda wobbly.

Long and short: you should be ok but wait until it is totally dry then apply a lot of stain blocker before painting.

PS: Also check the state of your insulation (if you have any)


Why does my pilot light keep going out? My furnace pilot light keeps going out so I changed the thermocouple. Now the furnace will come on and heat up to the degree set on my thermostat, then the pilot light will go out and the furnace will not come back on.

Could the thermostat be bad and cause the pilot light to go out?

If the pilot light keeps going out, the culprit is probably one of two things, with a third being unlikely but possible:

Pilot light line flow set too low, or pilot line dirty or obstructed - The pilot light is just a low-flow branch of the gas line that is always on, maintaining the ignition source for when the burner is turned on. The actual flow of gas to the pilot light can usually be adjusted, to compensate for normal variances in system pressure. In your case, this is probably set too low, which means if the overall system pressure drops (perhaps due to added demand from your furnace or gas stove), the pilot light gets starved. Failing that, the valve or pilot light nozzle may be dirty or clogged, obstructing flow more than you want. This is the most likely cause if you only notice this issue with one appliance, while others with pilot lights are working fine.
Gas Regulator Faulty, Failing or Improperly Adjusted - The meter outside your home has a regulator (the disc part with the cylinder protruding from one side) to "step down" the pressure in the gas main to a proper pressure for your home's appliances. The regulator, like most, basically works by opening and closing very quickly, letting higher-pressure gas into the system until the pressure "downstream" reaches the desired level, before closing off to prevent overpressure. The moving parts in a gas reg see a LOT of use over the reg's rated life, and the one on your meter may be on its last legs. This is normally something that would affect all gas appliances in your home; in addition to the WH pilot going out, you may notice other pilots snuffing, like on your furnace, or you may notice variations in flame height of your stove burners while cooking. In any case, you can call your utility company and ask for a replacement gas regulator; this is a safety feature and part of their service system beyond the gas meter, so maintenance of it is their job.
High NG demand causing system fluctuations - This is winter, mild though it may be in your area. Furnaces are running, HWHs working overtime, and more people will be using their stoves and ovens during this season than in summertime. As a result, NG usage is at its annual peak. Your area's "gas grid" may be nearing its capacity, which may be causing low pressure on the service side intermittently failing to replenish the downstream pressure of your home's gas system. Ask your neighbors if they've had issues with intermittent low gas pressure; it may not be just you. If it's affecting the entire area, there's not a whole lot you can do unless you've experienced actual monetary damage that you can prove was caused by the service failure. So, check everything else first, especially everything within your home's system (which the gas company isn't liable for).


My AC unit won't blow cold So, I was changing a light switch and flipping circuit breakers to find the correct one. I accidentally flipped my AC circuit breaker off and then back on. After this I noticed the AC wasn't blowing cold anymore.

The fan inside runs, and air comes out the vents but it is not cold air. So I checked my outside air unit and sure enough, the fan is not spinning. I get a little stick and push the fan blades (in the right direction) and it takes off and begins spinning.

Okay so my capacitor is probably blown.

But still, it is not blowing cold air inside even after I take on the capicitor's job by "stick starting" the fan blades.

Sounds suspiciously like your A/C lacks a suitable time-delay relay to prevent rapid on/off cycling, which is generally a bad thing (and why those are usually included.)

In short, when you "flipped off" the A/C circuit breaker, you should have waited 3-5 minutes before flipping it on again (or the system should have waited that long before attempting to restart the compressor.) The fan motor capacitor (or starting switch) failure might simply be coincidental to the actual failure, which could be compressor damage. At about this point I'm riding the hairy edge of my knowledge (I know that turning the compressor off and back on in a short time is bad, I'm vague on the exact mode of failure this is likely to cause, though I think it may have something to do with the refrigerant vapor condensing to liquid that is incompressible...)


Stove Burner Gets too hot? But not switch I bought my house a year ago and over that time we noticed the dual burner on the stove top (front burner, right side) seems to always get too hot even when the switch is set on low. We often end up burning dishes.

I chalked it up to being a crummy brand and tended to avoid using that burner. But after doing some research it seemed the solution was to replace the dual infinity switch. I replaced the switch and the burner works but it still seems like the same problem continues to happen. I didn't want to believe it at first but it was as if nothing changed at all. Everything I've found online says the solution is to replace the switch. I suppose I could replace the element but based on what I've read that won't fix this particular problem.

Model Number: FEF368GCE  - Brand: Frigidaire

Somewhat similar models have been recalled in the past, however your model IS NOT listed (yours is Model Number: FEF368GCE, I'm assuming).

  Hazard:  Depending on the model, the surface heating elements can 1) turn on spontaneously without being switched on; 2) fail to turn off after being switched off; or, 3) heat to different temperatures than selected. This poses a fire and burn hazard to consumers. –smoothtoprangerecall.com

I have never worked on, or even used an electric stove. I suggest contacting the manufacturer. I might leave out the part about not using OEM parts, then again that could be the problem... if it's the wrong resistance or something, that could certainly be it.

(perhaps the element is fused or broken, but that's just guess work)