How can I support a spinning log for a playground set? I've been slowly building an outdoor play area for my kids (4 energetic children aged from 2-11).  One of my neighbors recently put a large number (~25) of wood posts out for the trash, and we saved the trash pickup guys some trouble and snagged them.  The posts have about a 6" diameter, are well rounded, and are cut in fairly even lengths of about 3 feet long.

I've already bought some standard 2x4's and I'm going to put some of these posts into the ground as simple supports to turn 2x4's into balance beams.

I would like to to use some of the rest to turn them into "spinning" balance beams, or something along those lines.  I'm not sure what might be the best way to do that.  The rough picture in my head involves simply drilling a deep hole into both ends of a post, inserting a long bolt through a support post and into the hole (without securing it inside the post).  That's probably not the best description, and probably won't work, but I also suspect that there might be some specialty bolt/joint/fasteners that are designed for this sort of movement and which will work much better anyway.

To recap:

Are there any specialty "bolts" that might be dropped into both ends of a post and allow it to spin freely while supported from the ends?  If not, is there any way I might fashion such a connection using common home-improvement store items?

You're going to need bearings. Even if you drill precisely and grease the pins, there will be substantial drag over time. The weight of small children won't be enough to rotate the logs.

I'd look into something like these tray bearings. Fit them between the end of the logs and your posts. It'll take some strategery to get it all together with limited space, but it can be done.

Obviously you want bearings substantial enough for this duty. Household "lazy Susan" hardware won't cut it. Be aware that load ratings are for horizontal application and don't apply when installed vertically, where shear forces are much greater.

If those don't work for some reason, roller bearings are readily available and inexpensive. They'd require you to accurately embed them in the logs and use a stud that fits well and is rigid enough to remain horizontal.


What size conduit (EMT) do I need for 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 cable (SER) for a subpanel? I need to protect a ~15' run of 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 Aluminum SER between a main panel and a subpanel along a shared interior wall.  Would it be ok to use 1.5" EMT for this?  If not, what size would I need, and how would I determine this (i.e. what's the Code)?  I'm in USA. Thanks!

If you're just using the conduit as a protective sleeve, and it's not a complete conduit system, I believe you can use the 100% fill volume of the conduit.  When putting cables in conduit, you calculate the fill based on the major diameter of the cable. This value can be found in the manufacturer's documentation, or by measuring the cable.  For Southwire 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 AL SER cable, the manufacturer lists the O.D. as 1168 mils (1.168"). To find the area of the cable, you'll just plug that value in to the following formula:

A = pi * (0.5 * O.D.)^2
A = pi * (0.584)^2
A = pi * 0.341056
A = 1.071

For EMT at 100% fill, 1 1/4" has a volume of 1.496 in.², which is large enough for the cable. However, if you don't have pulling equipment and lube, you may want to use a bit larger conduit.

If it's considered a complete conduit system, you'll have to use the 53% fill volume. Which means you'll have to use at least 1 1/2" EMT (1.079 in.²).  Again, you'll likely want to use a size larger to make the pull easier.

NOTES:
- Conduit dimensions and percent area values can be found in Chapter 9 Table 4 of the National Electrical Code


How should I stick acoustic foams on the walls? I am a trained opera singer. I just moved into a single family house. I had a concern about the noise because the neighbors were not far away and I usually practice in the evening after work. Luckily, they cannot hear me from the inside, but they can from the sidewalks and driveways. When I placed my keyboard in the walk-in closet of the master bedroom and practiced, I could tell the significant reduction of the noise even in the sidewalks and driveways. With the acoustic foams covering all four walls of the walk-in closet, I believe I can make it practically noise-free.

Now, I do not want to apply the adhesive directly on my walls. There has to be something in between my walls and the acoustic foams. I think that foam boards can be a viable option. Just staple them on the walls and apply adhesive on it to stick the acoustic foams. When it is the time to sell the house, I can take the staples off to convert it back from a practice room to a walk-in closet.

What do you guys think? Do I have any other options better than foam boards?

Spray adhesive the panels on sheets of plywood and hang them like pictures
.
This is a great video, it's about home made sound absorption panels but there is a lot of useful information in it.

Watch "Anechoic Chamber - DIY Sound Absorption Panels" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/fqodnHxRJ7c


How to line / fill the ugly gap around my newly hung shed door I have fitted a new door to my shed and as you can see there is a big gap and it looks a bit ugly. How would you recommend I make this look better? Some sort of external trim? Internal door stop?

Thanks!

Part of the "ugly" aspect of your door is that the gap is not uniform. The bottom hinge gap appears much smaller than the top. Correcting that by adding shims to the bottom or re-positioning either or both hinges to accomplish even spacing on that edge.

One can hope that in so doing, the gaps elsewhere will even out. That alone should improve the appearance, perhaps not requiring gap seals.

If the internal door stop refers to a need to prevent the door from turning inward too far, a wooden strip across the door frame, inside the building, hanging down only far enough to contact the closing door will provide an internal door stop of sorts.


Installing a generator transfer switch on an ITE Pushmatic panel I have purchased a transfer switch,the Reliance Controls Corporation 31406CRK 30 Amp 6-circuit. The panel in question is a ITE Pushmatic, like the one in the picture except it has two main breakers on top of each rail. I plan on using this on six 115 VAC 15 amp circuits; if I have to I guess I could rewire the circuits I need to one side of the panel but just wondering if there is any technical issue with running the transfer wiring to both sides of the panel. I am no electrician but I do have some understanding of the work involved, and I don't think there are any pitfalls; however I know my limitations and rather ask smarter folks than me. Thanks

Interesting panel.  Ours is very similar but with a BR-style 4-throw 200A breaker above the two 7-row buses.  Ours went in in the 1980s, but prior to that the cost of those huge 200A breakers was prohibitive.
It appears your panel has the same 7-row buses, but it simply uses a larger value (e.g. 60A) Pushmatic breaker in the top position, back-fed... giving 1 main breaker per bus.
Having 2 main breakers was legal under the old "Rule of Six".
In point of fact, it's still legal under the rules for 320/400A service; those are simply connected to dual 200A main panels.  Think of yours as "That, inside one chassis" (which is also done on many 400A meter-mains).
Doing this as you intend is straightforward.
Much as I loathe those 6-8-10 circuit transfer switches, my top reason is the absurd price.  $350-450-550 for something that simple is just insane, especially given how limited they are.  But I have to admit when you're dealing with an "obsolete" panel like this, that's kinda the use-case for these things.
If only...
That said, I really wish I could get a closer look at this panel's innards. Both for academic curiosity, and because I suspect the internal arrangement is ... highly exploitable.  I think an external transfer switch could be wired to throw over one of the two internal buses to generator, giving you 12++ loadable circuits instead of 6.  It would be contingent on AHJ approval, but it seems doable.
The way I'd do it would be to have a second main panel right next to it, of modern stock, probably a Siemens 30-space main-lug with their $25 ECSBPK01 interlock in it.  I would double-feed the panel off the meter (exactly as done with 400A service).

Routine stuff, the "Utility" breaker has the same breaker size as the existing Pushmatic main breaker for that bus; the "Gen" breaker is whatever the generator needs. These breakers are back-fed.
Then, I'd come off the main lugs of this panel (which are on the breakered side since we're backfeeding) and go over and feed the top of the Pushmatic breaker in the bus we are switching over.   At this point, that half of the Pushmatic panel is switchable, as are all the remaining spaces in the Siemens panel for future circuits, modernization, etc.
The main snag I see is that the neutrals for the circuits on the generator-switched side need to be on their own neutral bar fed off the Siemens panel... but I bet Pushmatic gave you two neutral bars.
As time and leisure permits, you could move circuits over to the normal Siemens breaker spaces, and retire the Pushmatic panel for good, or simply leave it in place as a large junction box.
You could do AFCI/GFCI breakers in the Siemens panel.

Or make the Pushmatic the subpanel
Another plan would be to install the new panel as the one main panel (think $120 for the panel + $70 for a gen interlock for that panel)... and then, feed the Pushmatic panel as a subpanel of this panel.  That would place every breaker space in the entire house under the generator interlock, meaning absolutely no branch circuit rewiring is necessary; just the service wires from meter to new-main, and the feeder wires from new-main to Pushmatic.
In fact, this could be an outside panel, which would satisfy NEC 2020 requirements for outside interlocks... or even a meter-main, which would require almost no wires run at all.
Well, you'd have to run the cable to the generator inlet in any case.


Air handler fan not shutting off why? So the question is really in the title.
My carrier air handlers fan will not shut off. I have done the following:

checked to make sure the fan was not set to on via the nest t stat.
pulled nest off the wall to see if the fan stopped, it didn’t
changed the only relay inside the air handler unit which was a T92P7F22-28 (I had tested the old one and it seemed to be functioning fine but at $10 why not).
Pulled the plug from the fan motor and put a lead to my multi meter at C and tested the leads marked N and L with the other end of the multi meter and read 120ish volts on each, so I assumed that means constant 240ish volts is being supplied to the fan motor.
breaker at the panel and of course breaker at the air handler unit will indeed finally kill power
ac condenser outside works fine, nest shuts it off when desired temperature is hit but fan never stops.
for kicks I got another nest, hooked it up, same issue
replaced the nest base that it snaps into on the wall, same issue
I also tested the fuse inside with the multimeter and visually it didn’t look fried, and the multimeter confirmed this.

I am somewhat out of ideas. There’s very few components inside the air handler it appears and anything  else modular looking just seems to be related to the electric heater inside of it. I am going to attach pics if they help.
Air handler model: FX4DNB or FXDNF

I'd replace the blower motor at this point
It sounds like the blower motor has an internal short in it that's causing it to run even in the absence of a speed command from the air handler control circuits.  I'd replace it with an OEM replacement part, as it appears to be some sort of module with an internal speed controller.


What do the numbers on a cordless drill mean? I have a Hitachi cordless drill:

You can turn the gray numbered part to switch between, hammer drill, drill and screwdriver mode.  The screwdriver mode is numbered up to 22.  Can someone explain what the different numbers mean?  I haven't really noticed a difference between them.

When the drill is used as a screwdriver, the numbers indicate the torque breaking point. Higher numbers mean more torque. By breaking point, I mean the point at which torque is no longer applied.

This feature is useful because you can limit the amount of torque that is applied to prevent screws, or the materials they are inserted in, from being stripped. When the screw is in all the way, you want the torque to stop.

When you use the drill as a drill, as opposed to a screwdriver, you set the number to the highest setting, In most drills that setting will be indicated by a picture of a drill bit rather than a number. It will be after the highest number. Some drills may also have a picture of a hammer. This indicates it has a percussive hammer action as well as drill mode.


How much can venting cool the top floors? I recently bought a house -- big, beautiful sucker built in 1900, with two full stories and a third that's essentially a very nicely finished attic.

I had a contractor give me an estimate for replacing some shingles that got blown off the roof. While he was up there, he told me that it looked like the venting was screwed-up, so in addition to the estimate for the shingle replacement, he also gave me an estimate for installing a ridge vent.

However, I just spoke with the inspector from my insurance company. Her guy was mostly there to estimate the repair work, but he knew about the ridge vent estimate, and he commented that he didn't think it was necessary; the roof wasn't boiling hot, and there are box vents in place.

Now, the topmost floor DOES get quite hot. It's our first summer in this house, but that top floor can easily get a good 20 degrees hotter than the floors underneath. And given that a lot of the work done to the house was a bit haphazard, it's plausible that the box vents are screwed-up in some way.

Nevertheless, I'm worried I'm being ripped-off.

What do people with more experience with roof vents think? Are there red flags here that I'm being taken advantage of? Or does the heat differential on the top floor suggest that perhaps some work does need to be done?

Ridge vent alone should cost at most a few hundred dollars on top of the roof repair. It's a matter of ripping a channel in the roof boards, laying down a mesh or molded plastic vent, and capping it with shingles.

However, if you already have other vents lower on the roof, you probably don't want to add ridge venting. Either add more box vents or close them up and do full ridge venting. By having vents at several levels you create a flow loop that mostly bypasses the outer areas of the roof. You want flow from the soffit to high on the roof in a single loop.


Lighting & Wall Outlets If your branch circuit coming from the panel is 12-2 w/grd and protected with a 20A breaker at the panel, what is the standard number of outlets used in most residential parallel circuits with GFCI protection upstream? More or less, I'm asking what is the preference of most inspectors, with the total load on each 20A circuit being the most important?  Thanks in advance!

Perfectly fine. GFCI is needed in bathrooms kitchens laundry rooms and certain other areas, but not everywhere. However many areas now require AFCI which is best installed in or near the breaker panel.


What kind of bulbs does this lamp need? I have recently gotten hold of a lamp that seems to require some weird bulbs. I can't seem to figure out what type of bulb goes in there... It looks like it could be in the G9 family, but there is no sleeve to insert the bulb in.

Here is a picture of the socket :

Edit: close up

Edit 2: size reference

I have tried unscrewing the screws, but the cap it attached to the wires.

Does anyone have a clue what bulbs I need?

Thanks a lot!

I do not think this is a light bulb connection as is and shown in the picture. Without the cap removed and having the ability to see what's behind it, I do not think it may be answered. Look at the photo below for the different light bulb connections.

NOTE: Whoever gave the thumbs down did me wrong. When I posted my answer the first 2 picks were all that was posted and and the text was rewritten after showing those are screws in the fixture. I simply did not remove my answer because I was not sure if we are supposed to.

This type of light bulb (connectors) is referred to as Double Contact Bayonet light bulbs.

My bedroom ceiling lights all use them and they can be found at most hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and even Walmart.

Removing the light bulb: Push in and turn counterclockwise. When it stops turning it can be pulled out. About a 1/16 of a turn. (opposite for replacing the bulb.)


How to prevent heavy rainwater from jumping the gutter? During heavy rain, the water collects from my second floor roof and runs onto the first floor roof as it should. The problem is that since all this water is now concentrated from the second floor downspout, the heavy volume causes it to race down the first floor roof and "jump over" the gutter.

Is there any way to prevent this from happening and to what extent is this a normal, unavoidable result of the heavy rainfall?

I've looked at "gusher guards" but was warned that these might cause damage to the gutters once Winter hits from the snow and ice pulling at them. I'm in Michigan, so lots of snow and ice. I've also considered adding an extension to the second floor downspout so the water is dumped directly where it should be, but I'm afraid it'll stick out like a sore thumb and look janky.

Any suggestions? Is there a "standard" way of dealing with this situation?

This is a common mistake, which will lead to premature roof wear.  What the installer should have done, was to install an A to B transition elbow, and continued down the roof with a section of down spout. Then used an A elbow to have the water dump directly into the lower gutter.

It should end up similar to this

Allowing the high volume of water to flow over the roof, will damage the shingles and cause them to wear prematurely.  Even if you turn the spout adjacent to the slope, it will still cause damage to the roofing. Spreading the flow over the roof in this way, will not alleviate the damage that is caused.  In either case, you're allowing all the water shed from the upper roof, to flow over a small section of the lower roof. It's a terrible idea, and should be avoided.

I'm not sure exactly when builders decided to try and save the $10, by not installing the downspout along the roof. But it makes me so sick every time I see it, I just want to climb up there and fix it myself.


How can I repair my floors' finish? We had our Victorian boards (throughout house and staircase) sanded and varnished a while back. We have recently had builders and painters in our house for a month and they are looking a little worse for wear. The specific probelms are:

general dulling of large areas
paint spattered blobs
edges of stairs completely rubbed away all of varnish back to bare wood

I would really appreciate some advice on the above.
I am also wondering if waxing might work - we are not after a particuarly shiny finish and had used satin varnish before.

If your floor was finished in the last few decades, it is likely that the finish is polyurethane. Do not wax polyurethane! There are a number of cleaners made for polyurethane floors that may remove some surface material that dulls a finish, but does not leave a residue.

Large area - If the finish in the large areas is dulled from abrasion, the only treatment that will restore the overall shine level is screening the whole room (or at least a large defined area up to an edge where a slight shift in gloss will not offend).

This is a process of slight abrasion using a commercial buffing machine (rented from a home center) that takes off the gloss of the whole floor. It is much less intense than a complete sanding and refinishing. The floor is then cleaned thoroughly and refinished with a new topcoat of polyurethane.

Paint globs - The paint globs must be chipped up. You could try a flexible bladed putty knife slid under the edge.  If that is not successful, scraping carefully and gently on the top of the paint blob until you just get down to the finish, sometimes the thin last layer will flake away from the finish without much damage.

If the finish is damaged under the blobs, a light sanding followed by a feathered brushing of new polyurethane (of the same gloss as the floor) should cure it. It might be a bit shinier that the surrounding area, but it will dull a bit over time, or you could dull it down after it is well cured with a gently rub of an abrasive dish pad.

Stair edges - The stair edges should be sanded overall, onto the stair tread by about 1". You can use masking tape to make the sanding and subsequent refinishing straight and even. Use several coats of new finish on the edge.  When dry, remove the tape. The transition from the old finish to the new on a stair edge will not be very noticeable. Again, you can use a mildly abrasive pad to soften the transition.


Should I add a second main branch to this water supply layout? This image roughly represents the layout of a renovation house that I am working on. Due to a few layout changes and the plumbing nightmare that I inherited (a maze of piping, inaccessible shut-off valves, sloppy soldering), I am planning on re-plumbing most of the house. I attempted to search for some easy-to-understand articles and images regarding branch systems and pipe sizing but I didn't come up with anything that I found as very helpful.

My main question here is, should I use a single supply line (as indicated by the solid darker blue line) or should I end the bathroom line and add a second supply line (indicated by the dashed dark blue line) back to the kitchen and downstairs half-bath? Dark blue represents 3/4 copper pipe and light blue represents 1/2 copper pipe.

What would be the advantages and disadvantages of each layout?

Just a note that I'm not a plumber. That said -- anyone can install some pipes and have a plumbing system, but a GOOD plumbing system is a balanced system. To design one, you have to know the fundamentals.

Permit me to lightly delve into some physics (which may only be for the benefit of some other person with a similar question) --

The water in your pipes and its distribution are affected by: Gravity, Inlet Pressure, Inlet Volume, Outlet Pressure, Outlet Volume. As long as your upstream supply can provide the necessary pressure and volume, and your downstream outlet pressure and volume, accounting for gravity, doesn't exceed this, it should be fine.

That said, it is what happens when you overwhelm the system that would matter. Lets (just as an example) say that your outside faucet nearest your supply uses 75% of the available system GPM because it is on a 3/4" line, then you start to run hot water in a bath (1/2" lines) that would normally use another 50% of the available system. In a well balanced system, the faucet would drop to around 60% and the shower would use the other 40%. Now -- lets say the system is fairly balanced, except that your outside faucet is 5 feet below the supply and the shower is 5 feet above. Gravity reduces the water pressure of the bath, while increasing the pressure of the lower faucet allowing the faucet to "suck" more out of the system -- your shower may end up with only 25 or 30% of the water, while the faucet get 70 to 75%.

This is the reason the your main supply running through the house is larger, while each branch is a reduced side. The area of a 1/2" pipe, is half that of a 3/4" pipe. A 1/4" pipe is only 10% of the size of a 3/4" pipe. This is also the reason that each branch uses a T pipe, with the main pipe being the straight. This does a better job of letting each branch have a better chance of pulling from the main line equally, and why you'll often see the main line terminate with a cap after your last branch, rather than simply being an elbow directed into your last branch. There are some exceptions (2nd floor fixtures, outside faucets) where you may want this advantage. Restrictors at the fixtures can also assist in balancing your system by lowering the outlet volumes of individual fixtures.

Finally -- to answer your actual question, unless you've noticed problems with your system when more than one fixture is in use, you're probably fine in this layout with a first floor configuration, but I don't think that moving the three separate branches for the bathroom to a single branch off the main line is a bad idea by any means. But, I don't know that you're going to get a significant return on your work. If you go that route, consider making the branch to the bathroom a 1/2" off the main line, rather than a 3/4" to 1/2". Lastly, well located shutoffs for each branch are fantastic for when you're eventually want to make a repair without shutting of the water to the entire house.

Whether the 1/2" branch for the bath would be big enough -- seriously, who runs their toilet, shower and faucet at the same time in a single bathroom. :)

Hope that helped.


Would board and batten walls require drywall taping? I have a room that has some wood paneling in it that we are going to have to replace, as it is old and has a missing section that is hidden by a cabinet we want to remove. I am considering doing either normal drywall or doing floor-to-ceiling board and batten walls for some extra style. For board and batten, I seemingly have two choices for the bottom layer: drywall, or paneling/plywood. I don't want MDF paneling, and HDF or wood paneling runs pretty expensive, as does plywood that's attractive enough. Therefore, even if I do choose to do board and batten I would like to stick with drywall.

My question would be if I do drywall WITH board and batten, would it still be necessary to tape the seams if I have 1 x 4 boards over them? Is still necessary for structural integrity?

It is not necessary. Generally speaking, taping is done entirely for aesthetic reasons (where a firewall isn't needed).


XPS Foam and Plywood behind main electrical panel? On a new house build I have the opportunity to prep for the main electric panel that will feed the house circuits.  This is installed in the basement of a climate zone 5 location.  I believe the basement will some day be insulated with rigid foam, so I am considering using about 2" of rigid foam glued to the concrete wall with 3/4" Plywood tapconned into the foam and concrete behind the foam.  Then, the panel would install onto the plywood.

Is this a good idea? Am I getting too carried away with insulation, or have any of you seen this done?

Most people install their electrical panel in an unfinished part of their basement and don't worry about insulating it.

However, if you are sure the panel will not have to be moved then you can mount it however you like and not have to worry about moving it later.

I would install an oversized piece of foam and plywood to allow for additions later. If you have the room that is.

Good luck!


Filter water in a tank without a whole house filter We have come to a vacation home on a remote destination for a few months. We notice that when we use the water for bathing it leaves our skin dry and feeling like there was some dust in water that's now left over on our skin.

This is noticeably damaging for hair as it is causing considerable hair fall to make us worried, specially for our kid. Our hair feels like bristles of a brush.

When you inspect the water tank or a bucket full of that water you can't really tell if its dirty, it doesn't smell either and looks clean but I'm absolutely sure its not as clean as ordinary tap water usually is (for bathroom use), obviously we don't drink it.

Is there any DIY technique that we can use to make that mud/sand in that water settle down in the tank so it doesn't get picked up by the motor when water is pumped to the rooftop tank?

I know that the right thing to do here would be to get a water filter installed but this is not our home and we are living here temporarily on a vacation and getting that filter is not an option. Maybe we could use some spot filter that goes on the shower cap at the very least?

People here say that this water is dug from underground wells but is not cleaned enough, but they don't seem to care much about it.

It sounds like you have really hard water. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water

This means that the water has a lot of dissolved minerals in it. These minerals cannot be removed with a filter and actually tend to clog filters and shower heads. You can buy certain soaps and detergents that claim to work better with hard water but their effect is not as good as a water softener.

Except for softening the water your options are limited to a different soap or other source of water. You might look for a source of fresh water close by such as a lake or river that has softer water for bathing and hair washing.

Ironically, people love mineral water to drink but it is not very good for washing.

Good luck!


Are butcher-block countertops appropriate for a very hot and humid climate? I am thinking of ideas for furnishing a kitchen - my first home - and I am thinking of using a butcher-block top for my counter.

I have a few questions:

I live in Singapore where it is very hot and humid. Will the butcher-block top be subject to warping or is there any concerns I need to look out for?
Is the butcher-block top high-maintenance? I see that using a mineral oil on it will help keep it in good condition, but is regular cleaning just a matter of a damp cloth across the surface?

In my opinion, wood is a very poor choice for kitchen counter tops. Any wood is dimensionally unstable to some extent, how much depends on several factors such as moisture content during installation and method of construction. It can be relatively stable or a complete disaster.

My main objection is wood is porous. Ideally, kitchen countertops should be impervious. Most materials have pores to some extent, but they should be as microscopic as possible. Wood pores are relatively gigantic. While oiling is helpful, wood will get stained from food and other products that come in contact with it. Some may say this gives it character, but to me, it just looks unsanitary.

Speaking of sanitary, despite the moniker 'butcher block', meat should never be processed on a wood surface. It is impractical to properly sanitize wood in the home. Chop all the fruits and vegetables you want on it, but only  cut meat on a dedicated impervious cutting board that can easily be sanitized.


What is going on with these wires at the wall light switch? I am installing a smart switch, so I need a neutral.   I am a bit confused which wire is which in my wall switch box. Below is a picture of the wires:

I am thinking that the red wire (circled in red) is a random live wire that I am not too sure about. The white wire (circled in green) is a neutral wire. And the 3 black wires (circled in blue) are all live wires, with one going to the power box, and two going to two appliances. The thing is, this switch only controls one light, so I am not sure why there are two black live wires going out to appliances.

Any help?

You are in the conduit wiring method.

The rules here are different.

most likely, the ground is the metal conduit itself.  That's done!
it is normal to have wires pass through your box without stopping.  Those wires are not usable by you, and should be disregarded. (White and red)
Neutral will not be provided in switch loops because it is easy to pull neutral if it is needed in the future.

Your assessment of the purpose of the three black wires is correct, though more likely the 2 blacks are the always-hot, and the 1 black is the switched hot to the lamp. There are 2 always-hot blacks because power goes onward to other outlets or points of service.  The neutral you see is surely for that onward use of power.

Note that the switched lead doubles back in the same conduit. That is fine. I'm a little disappointed that the installer didn't any of the 6 other allowable colors for the switched hot, to distinguish it, or at least mark it with tape.

I gather you are not familiar with multi-wire branch circuits (MWBC).  I don't know what the red is, but it's probably an MWBC. This means there will be 2 breakers you must shut off to deenergize both black and red, and if you don't get them both, you will get electric shocks when separating the neutral.  They may already be handle-tied in the panel. They should be by modern Code.  (if it's a double-stuff, let us know!)

Getting neutral

You do not have neutral in that box.  That loop is not available to you and might as well not exist. Don't even think of trying to bite onto that somehow, if you're gonna do something that nasty, you might as well bootleg neutral off the metal chassis of the box.

To get neutral to that box, you will need to pull it.  As it happens, there is already a "rope" in the conduit fit for pulling a new neutral, so this will be easy but will involve gasp material cost.  The material is #12 THHN, THWN-2 or XHHW wire that is white. Your pick, solid or stranded. You will be pigtailing both ends, so stranded will work great.

You see the white looping through.  Follow it in both directions to whichever other box it goes to.  You may need to open up a lot of junction boxes, although it's a guess that one direction goes toward/to the light. You shove the white wire up the conduit about an inch, and see if it moves on the other end.  Also, get a handle on how stiff it moves, you are interested in the direction with the easier pull.  You are not interested in a location where the white wire "loops through" like it does here.   It needs to terminate there.   We are going to use that white wire to pull in a new white wire.

Now, you've identified the easiest pull.  All breakers must be off, don't let the MWBC bite you.  Now, unhook that white wire.  Straighten it out and lay your new white wire alongside it at least 9" of distance, so they overlap,  and tape them to each other with electrical tape the whole length of overlap. They mustn't separate!  Use tape at the lead to make sure the front of the new wire doesn't present a hard corner, or it will snag going through.

Now push this into the pipe. I prefer to push than pull, honestly, but eventually you'll hit a snag and pulling will make it easier. It's less brute-force, and more teasing it through. Twisting the wire often also helps.

You finish when you have all 3 ends of the white wire sticking at least 7" past the surface of the wall (10" past the end of the conduit).  It can now be snipped to that length.  See why we couldn't use the white as-is?

Now, we talk about a fundamental rule of MWBC.  You must be able to remove a device without interrupting the neutral. Now since I gather your smart switch will come with wire leads, forcing you to pigtail, you will need to double-pigtail the neutral here.  That way you can remove the smart switch later without having to separate the two wall neutrals. So wire-nut the two wall neutrals to a short 6" piece of white wire.  This shorty then gets pigtailed to the smart switch's neutral wire.

Presumably, the other box you just ran white from will also have been pigtailed already, if not, pigtail it.

The two blacks that were on the old switch together, get pigtailed to the (presumably black supply) wire of the smart switch.

The remaining black goes to the switched-hot lead of the smart switch.


What is the explicit difference between the ground and neutral wire in 110V systems? So, I've put in or replaced several outlets following wiring instructions online and in the box. Nothing big. I know that if I fail to turn off the breaker then I shouldn't directly touch the black wire, but touching the white wire or the bare copper wire is fine.

From this, I know that the black wire is the supply, power is flowing from it, and will happily flow into me. Since neither the white wire nor the bare copper wire shock me, I don't know the difference between the two, other than "Power flows into these once a circuit is completed" So what is the difference, in detail, between the neutral and the ground connectors in 110V applications?

Grounding
The bare copper (grounding) conductor is a safety system that provides an effective ground-fault current path, and should only ever have current it in the event of a fault. It provides a low resistance path back to the source, so that a fault can be cleared by the breaker (trip).
Grounded (neutral)
The grounded (neutral) conductor is a current carrying conductor, and is used to complete the circuit back to the source.  In normal use, it will carry the same amount of current as the ungrounded (hot) conductor.
Touching this wire is not recommended, as there is actually current flowing through it.  However, as it likely provides a lower resistance path back to the source, most of the current will flow through the wire instead of you. If there's enough current flowing, or you provide a good enough path to the source, touching this wire can result in large amounts of current flowing through you.


How do I silence or muffle creaky floorboards? My house was built in 1920 and we live in Western NY. The floorboards on the stairs and the whole second story of the house creak very loudly with every step we take. It's not only annoying, but it's waking our 8mo daughter at night and during her naps. We can't afford to carpet the floors, nor can we afford to replace the floorboards completely. This might be a total lost cause until we move to a new house, but I want to know if anyone has ANY suggestions for helping quiet my noisy house. Please and thank you!

There are a number of products marketed for this purpose which basically drive headless screws through the floor to fix the boards in place so they can't move. Haven't tried them, but reportedly they work.

The other solution is to learn to ignore the creak. It's amazing what sounds we can learn to filter out once we accept that they're just part of the environment -- traffic noise in the city, screaming hordes of crickets in the country, my grandfather clock, ...


How to systematically find my HVAC return air intake? I am a new owner of an old (1944) house.

I have forced hot air. I can't for the life of me find the air intake. I was told to look for a large grate, about twice the size of all of the other house grates, however none are that large. Moreover, they all seem to be blowing out hot air. There is a vent very close to my heating unit in the basement, but luckily that one also seems to be blowing out air, or that would be really bad (stale basement air as air intake, very poor house circulation).

I had a guy over who used to contract (for a different reason, he was not there to look for this problem), and after a quick look, he suggested during a renovation some prior owners may have drywalled over it.. that sounds like a horrible thing to do.

Is there a way I can systematically find my air intake? At this point I'm going to have to light an incense and stick it near each vent or something. And what if I don't have one?

UPDATE

OK! I did the incense test and have good news and maybe bad news. The good news is that, unless I'm reading the "incense flow" wrong, every room has an output and an input. One vent in each room appears to be blowing hot air out, and one vent in each room appears cold to the touch and incense flows in.

The bad news is that there also appears to be a return vent right in the basement where the furnace is: http://imgur.com/a/5qXCv. Wouldn't that be recycling nasty dirty basement air and then pushing it out into the house?

Houses from that era usually had 1 or 2 large floor grates as cold air returns or the return grills/registers were on the outside walls under windows. There has to be return air grills or you would not have any supply air coming out the registers. Are there any registers high up on the walls, these could be the returns.With the fan running, light a match or candle put it near the register to see which way the air is flowing, in or out. Follow the return air duct work, from the furnace, (the duct that holds the air filter), and see where it goes. If you find metal sheeting nailed to the floor joists in the basement, this would also be part of the return air system. Follow it to see where it goes. Where the metal stops, that is where the return grill/register is, above that location in the floor or in the wall. And if you use the basement for anything, storage or any use, you should have 1 or more supply registers and return grills to keep that area somewhat conditioned. One last thing is this house a 1 story ranch, split entry or a 2 or more stories?


Is this a workable water softener plan? I'd like to install a water softener in my house. I have a good idea of what's required, but I'd like to know if I'm overlooking anything.

I have city water coming into my basement through the floor of a small closet:

Near the city water input there is also a drainage stack for a 1st floor bathroom. It has a cleanout about 12" from the floor.

I'd like to build a platform such that the water softener could be drained into the existing stack:

Am I overlooking anything?

Yes, You have neglected to show how any particular sized water softener would fit onto a shelf table size of 15" x 20"; let alone get it into that space.

Also you will need a riser on the softener side of the P-Trap that you have shown there. Seems to me that there will also need to be a guaranteed airgap between softener drain line and P-Trap riser. If this were practical you may want to consider placing the P-Trap fitting below the cleanout or combine it in with a replacement for that fitting.

Lastly it seems like it will be a major pain to get access to the softener unit when elevated like that to service it. Service can include having to add softener salt to the tank for some units. For salt-free units that have 3-5 year replaceable resin type canisters the overall height of the unit may be a problem.


Should bottom wall plates in a basement be treated lumber? Question for those who are well versed in framing and then maybe some code as well. I got into a discussion the other day between a couple other trades, they were suggesting I was wasting my time using treated plates in all of the basement walls I built.

The basement is a 4" slab of concrete. It's not a leaky basement, but I figured since the wall plate is directly touching the concrete floor, that it should be treated. I also went an extra step and used foam sill sealer.

Am I going too far with this? Is it just a waste of money? Treated plates are significantly heavier, more expensive, and also annoying to work with because they warp a day after picking them. I'm considering going to common kiln dried lumber and using the foam sill sealer then, but I worry that if the basement ever floods that sill plate will wick up water so fast, and destroy the drywall and studs until vented and dried out.

In my state the bottom plate is required to have the foam seal and treated lumber for external load bearing walls only. I do use foam internally but not treated lumber. The foam prevents moisture from wicking into the plate and rotting it. I do use the foam inside but more often  I will use tarpaper as I usually have a roll and it works well and is cheaper than sill seal foam. What you are doing will last but is a bit over the top (one of my buddies says I am over the top with the tar paper). In the case of a flood, the Sheetrock itself is going to wick the water faster than the wood will. I like the barrier under the plate be it foam or tarpaper.


Replace rotting porch treads with trex? My front porch has some treads and the bottom riser are rotting out.

I'd like to replace the surface with Trex if possible. Is it as simple as removing treads and risers and replacing with Trex boards?

It should be just that simple, yes.  I don't know if I would recommend the Trex brand though.  They've had lots of problems in the past with mold issues.  Not sure if those are still a concern or not, but you might want to think about another brand of composite decking.


Permanent solution for cockroach problem We have too many cockroaches at home.  And we have tried many options (Hit, Raid, local spray -endosulfan) but they keep coming back.  Is there a permanent solution for this?

Stop using over the counter products.  They don't really work.  There are some sure fire ways to get rid of roaches inside.  Of course this is only for moderate infestations.  If you have small children you may not be able to take the approach I recommend.  Read all warnings on pest control products, especially if you have birds or small pets.  The suggestions I make below come from my experience researching and dealing with a moderate roach problem (and huge ant problem) I inherited after I bought a house in Florida, which had been vacant for a couple of years.

Clean up everything.  Remove clutter, vacuum up any debris. Clutter is a roach's best friend. Use a mild cleaner to clean up anywhere they've been.  If you can vacuum up the roaches themselves, that's great.
Put a barrier around entry points.  A barrier is a poison that insects pick up when they walk through it, and eventually die.  Dust outside window ledges with a product like
Delta dust. You will need a duster (Use tip: you have to shake the whole container  before you pump it). Spray a barrier spray along the outside of the house on the ground if you want.  Bonus: the dust works even better on flying insects, like wasps.
See if you can find the nests.  Common hiding places are in, behind, and under fridges, dishwashers, stoves, and electrical boxes.  They like nesting in loose paper, behind some wallpapers, etc.  If you can find the nests.  Hit them with the powder.  Use some powder under appliances even if you don't think there's a nest.
Bait the roaches.  Powders and barrier sprays are good, but most killing will be done with the bait.  I pretend I'm a mad/evil insect villain when I place it.  Baits allow the roaches to bring the poison back to the nest. I have used Dupont Advion and MaxForce(Fipronil) with success.  Put small droplets of the bait in corners and along baseboards.  Anywhere the roaches may travel, including counter-tops.  Put the bait on small pieces of paper to avoid staining.  Don't powder or spray where you've baited. If you have kids, you'll want to use a bait trap as a minimum precaution.

If you do the above, the roaches will be all but gone in a couple of weeks.  That is unless there are extreme circumstances, like a hoarder in an adjoining townhome.


Can I have a "hollow" basement bathroom floor? I'm going to jackhammer my basement's concrete floor to install plumbing for a new bathroom.

Normally, after the plumbing is done, we should pour concrete to it again.

What will happen if I just "cover" it with something (plywood? with tiles on top) so I don't have to jackhammer the floor again in the future, should I need access to the plumbing?

Will I get weird condensation / water problems?

A good practice is to pour a solid concrete slab over the sewer pipes. Any exposed wood would eventually rot, especially if all you have under it is a dirt floor.

These installations are tricky. Common problems are that the pipes are not vented properly, they aren't pitched correctly, or the type and/or size of the pipes is incorrect. You should also make sure that there is at least one drain cleanout installed. This will allow access to the pipes if they become clogged.

Here is a guide which will show you the basic steps involved: http://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/remodeling/how-to-plumb-a-basement-bathroom/view-all


How to fix two circuits in one junction box sharing the same neutral? I recently purchased an older house and in doing renovations have run into a situation where two circuits (wired with 14/2) are present in one junction box and all neutrals are tied together.  I understand that this was an accepted practice at some point but no longer code compliant for obvious reasons.  My question is how do I rectify the situation without tearing the house apart.

My research suggests that I can replace the two existing 15 amp breakers with a new two pole 15 amp breaker.  However I'm unsure as to how this should be wired into the box.  The two pole breakers that I have been able to find all have just one connection for a neutral as they are produced assuming the use of 3 wire in a new application.  In my case, there are two neutrals needing to tie into the breaker.  Would it be correct and code compliant to tie the two neutrals together within the panel box and then pigtail to the new two pole breaker?

If the two circuits are wired with 14-2, all you need to do is identify which neutral goes with which circuit and disconnect them from each other, so each is only connected to the items on its circuit.

This would only be a problem if the two circuits were actually sharing a neutral wire. If they simply have joined neutrals, it's easy to remedy.


How necessary is it to put sealer on a painted dresser? I sanded and painted a wooden dresser. The rep at Lowe's said I don't need a separate sealer, but that sounds fishy to me. Should I put sealer on it too?

A sealer shouldn't be necessary unless you like the look better.

If you do decide to try a sealer, you need to select one that is compatible with the paint that you used.

It's always a good idea to try out your planned finishing steps on scrap.  You can try several variations and decide what looks best.


Current 3 way switch setup - how do I add a string of lights to switch with power This is my current setup, I need to add a string of 3 more lights to the first switch where the power arrives at.

Do I need a three-way wire instead of the standard electric wire to add those 3 other lights?

SMH, these clickbait sites and their stolen and re-stolen diagrams.  First let's get some colored tape and mark our wires for their actual function.

That's more like it.  One messenger or the other is energized, depending on the switch position.  So they are functionally alike.

As you can see, for a light to work, you need switched-hot (red) and neutral (white).   Are both present in switch box 1?  Nope.  Switch box 2? Nope.  Only at the lamp box do those exist.

So if you want these lights to work with the existing switches, you need to tap off the lamp box.

If you want a separate string on a separate switch, you can do that in box 1.  You would use a dual 3-way switch, which is meant to fit in a single box, and gives you two 3-way swiches.  For the new string, you would just use it as a 1-way switch by not using one of the brass screws.


How to deal with subpanel that does not have ground wire back to main panel I am in the process of renovating a house that was built in 1933, and had an addition put on in the 1960's.  Original 1933 panel is 100 amps.  When the addition was put on, the electrical drop was moved to a 200 amp panel in the addition, and the old 1933 panel was turned into a subpanel.

The old panel is receiving two hots and a neutral from the main panel, and the neutral is just a bundle of wires with no inner sheathing.

In this subpanel, the grounds for the circuits that have them (the old 1933 circuits did not, but some had apparently been added) were just attached to the neutral bus bar, mostly double-tapped with their own neutral. A ground wire was added to the neutral bus bar, and it is attached to the copper pipes in the crawlspace at a point where they go into the earth under the house. There is no ground wire going back to the main panel.

I know that there are several things wrong here.  There should not be double taps, and in a subpanel the neutrals and grounds should not be bonded on the same bus bar. And there should be a ground wire going back to the main panel. There should be a second bus bar in the panel for the grounds, but there isn't because the panel was originally a main panel.

Unfortunately, a heat pump was added at some point right next to the new panel, which means that there are large ducts blocking access in the crawlspace to the place where I'd thread wires to reach the new (main) panel.  I might be able to push a wire down and hope that they poke out where I can grab them, but I haven't tried, so I don't know for sure that that would work.

My understanding at this point is that the best solution is to try to run a new ground wire from the neutral/ground bus bar of the new (main) panel and connect it somehow to the grounds (and the panel) of the old (sub) panel.  Could I just twist them together tightly, since there isn't a bus bar for them? Do I have other options if I can't run the wire due to the blockage in the crawlspace?

Do I leave the ground that is connected to the earth rather than the main panel in place or take it out?

And what do I do with the unsheathed neutral in the subpanel?  Right now it is touching some of the ground wires in the box, and that can't be good. Can I just wrap it up in electrical tape?

Thanks in advance.

There is nothing wrong with double taps if the panel lists them as allowed. For instance, Pushmatic panels allow this.

At one time, the neutrals and grounds mixed (and no ground wire) was allowed, so it would be grandfathered.  Still, it's worth correcting this.  Grounds  should indeed be separated.

Though it's not strictly necesary it be a ground bar.  You could do it less formally with splices, but you are dealing with a fairly large ground lsupply" wire, so a ground bar (or several) will be logistically best.     It is important the neutral bar be fully isolated from the steel frame of the panel, and the panel frame be grounded.

If any circuits use bare neutal wires, those need to be fully insulated.  If this is a dryer or range circuit, those ungrounded circuits are dangerous - consider fully upgrading them with new 4-wire cable.

If you want to mount a separate ground bar, just get any ground bar with a flat bottom, and bolt it up to the panel via any means.  It only needs to not fall off; you'll rely on a separate ground lug and strap to ground it to the panel.   If you sant the mounting screws to ground it, make sure they are thread pitch -32 or finer (higher nimber).

As far as retrofitting a ground, that is certainly legal, and was broadened to be legal for any circuit in 2014.  The ground wire does not need to follow the same route as the conductors.  So get there any which way you can.

If you have a grounding electrode going to the subpanel, might as well include it as part of the new equipment grounding conductor net - you can't have too many ground rods, as lomg as they're attached to the grounding network, not the neutrals!


Which way to put a parquette floor according to windows? I have heard people saying that hardwood-floors should always be put alongside windows while others claim it should be put orthogonal to windows.

Which one is the better way now?

Hardwood floors should be installed orthogonal to the floor joists.


I want to put snap together wood flooring over bathroom subfloor. Is this effective? Due to water damage I needed to repair a section of my particle board bathroom subfloor. This ruined the linoleum, which we removed. Now I want to put snap together flooring in. What do I need to do to prep flooring?

There's a lot of problems with this

particle board subfloor
snap-in wood flooring
bathroom flooring

Your bathroom is a wet zone. Wood floor/subfloor and water don't go together. Add in

  Due to water damage I needed to repair a section of my particle board bathroom subfloor

and you have a recipe for disaster. The water will penetrate a wood floor and wreck your wood subfloor again. What you need here is

Waterproof membrane. Could be a vapor barrier, but could also be something like waterproof cement board or polyethylene underlayment. Make sure to use an approved method to seal the seams. You do NOT want to have to tear the floor up to repair subfloor.
Waterproof flooring. Tile used to be the only product here, but floating floor vinyl has become more common on the market. Because it's 100% vinyl, it won't be harmed by water, and it goes down like any other floating floor. Do not use wood flooring in a bathroom (especially solid hardwood), as these floorings respond poorly to repeated water exposure.


Plywood vs. OSB vs. AdvanTech - for subflooring? Bathroom remodel.
I'd like to consider:

R30 // subfloor // Schluter®-DITRA-HEAT Underlayment // tile

.
I want to do it structurally correct and not have it squeak or rot, but also want to keep the costs down.
Which is the best for a floor over a cold garage?

Notes:
Schluter

First that subfloor should be packed with insulation.   Second if you are not sure what flooring you are putting down - go with plywood.
If you want to reduce squeaks then glue your plywood down first and then screw it in.   Advantech may be better than OSB but glue sticks to plywood the best and plywood conforms to your joists better over time after glued/screwed.
I have put in a lot of flooring and here is what I think when building...

if I am building someone a new home I might choose Advantech because ease of installation and maybe it doesn't get ruined before all structure is up...
if I am building my home then plywood


Attaching cable company service wire to side of house Currently, the various cable company wires that are attached to the side of my house are a mess, and I'm looking to clean them up before our house is painted in the near future. One of them is attached to the siding with some sort of tensioning system, and the others are zip-tied to the first line and the service mast. The one that is attached with tension is being removed and I would like to re-attach the remaining ones to something similar, but I've Googled without success as to what it is called. Is there another/better way to attach the cables that will remain to the house? Or can someone tell me what the circled things are called so I find and buy a new one?

The red point on the right is called a "P hook" and the red point on the left is a "drop clamp." Drop clamps are used to make sure the strain on the cable is parallel to the length of the cable and doesn't force the cable into a bent or kinked state.
Coaxial cables intended for aerial drops like this typically have a "messenger wire" that further reduces the strain; non-reinforced RG-6 coaxial has a maximum rating of 35lb pull force but some have up to 126lbs. Weight of coaxial is roughly 35lb per 1000 feet so short runs aren't a big deal without messenger wire support.
For your application, you can leave the P hook and replace the drop clamp unless you can reuse the existing one. I'd try to combine all of those coax drops into one cable if possible and split it further down the line (but I can't see what else they're connected to in this photo).
Note also that cables are supposed to be protected within 8' of grade, this typically means entering a conduit where it meets the house and runs down the wall inside conduit, so multiple cables can be contained in conduit and have a much neater look.
Source - cable install primer
On the other hand, your siding appears to be vinyl; is that what you're painting?


Is it safe to use a former furnace flue to vent my dryer through the roof? Our dryer is located in the center of our house.  The current vent situation has tubing that makes several bends between the dryer and the crawl space before hitting metal duct that takes it about 25' across the crawl space to exhaust under our deck.  There are several elbows in this run.
We have converted from gas heat to an electric air-to-air heat pump in recent years and have closed up exhaust flue from the old furnace that starts almost directly above where the dryer vent leaves the dryer and comes into the furnace area before going through the floor to the crawl space.  If I redirect the vent up to the flue and out the roof, we'll cut a lot off the distance the air has to travel and remove most of the elbows.
Is this a good idea?

I have a funny feeling that local codes might preclude it. The problem is that lint will quickly clog the vent since once any lint collects on the walls, it will slow down airflow enough that lint will accumulate at the bottom of the vent. This can cause a fire.


Hardwire Dishwasher Installation question I am installing a whirlpool dishwasher in my house. I am going to hardwire it. The wires coming from the dishwasher are a black and white 16 gauge. the wire coming out of my wall contain a black and white 12 gauge wire as well as a ground. how do i attach the two? can i just use a wire nut? does it matter that the gauge are different sizes?

First and foremost follow the instructions included with your dishwasher. It will specify the electrical service required (probably 120V 15A circuit) and will have diagrams on how to make the connections. If you don't have the manual they are commonly available online. Find the model number on the side of the door or door frame.

Connect black to black (hot) and white to white (neutral) wires with an appropriate listed connector (e.g., wire nuts). These connections will sit inside a fire-retardant (usually metal) box built into the base of the dishwasher.

Inside that box you should also see a green or bare Cu wire attached to the box itself or some other means of bonding to the metal frame of the dishwasher (such as a clip or screw). Connect the grounding wire from your circuit to the metal frame here. This is an important safety feature to avoid an electrocution hazard. If you don't see how to make this grounding connection ask a more handy neighbor or hire a handyman to do it.


Timber Veneer Flooring? We have existing polished timber floors, it is patchy (different parts of the house are floored with different kinds of timber) it also has a few gaps and holes. We are thinking of laying down some kind of timber veneer over the top, is this a good idea and if so what are the best materials available? (Ideally it would look as authentic as possible)

Engineered hardwood flooring is what you're looking for. It's a thin layer of real wood bonded to a backer and pad. They snap together tounge-and-groove style. You may be able to install it directly over your existing floor, but you'll have to check with the manufacturer of the particular product to see if that is an allowable installation method.


Need cement etching on inside floor? I have a cement slab that had a plastic film and then pergo flooring. Removing this floor.
Right now, I just want to seal cement and epoxy paint once I get all pergo removed.
First, since I am only sealing do I need to degrease and etch the cement?
Second, can I epoxy paint over the sealed cement?

Degrease and etch will help paint adhesion. the epoxy paint may be enough to seal the cement by itself, check the preparation instructions on the finish coat you have chosen.


2 hot water heaters (gas) in series Is there any advantage in heating the first hot water for recovery time in the second ?
Do I only have the available hot water in the second for delivery to the fixtures ?
I did not install this but assume the goal was more hot water.
Is the only way to achieve more hot water, convert the plumbing to parallel ?

Yes a very clear advantage.  Use the first tank to take the water from street temperature to say around 90*.  Use the second tank to take it form 90* to the 120* or whatever temp you want at the tap.  You will have considerable more capacity.  There are a number of additional advantages as well.  Happy Heating.  P.


Rewiring a switch controlled receptacle to a ceiling light I am trying to rewire our bedroom so that a wall switch that turns on/off a receptacle will instead control a ceiling light and leave the receptacle always hot.

Receptacle: Has 2 cables coming into the box. The black wire of cable one is connected to the outlet. The white of cable two is connected to the outlet. The white wire of cable one and the black wire of cable two are connected together with a wire nut.

Switch: Has a 2 conductor cable coming into the switch box.

I have installed the light fixture in the ceiling and have run a 2 conductor cable in the attic from the light fixture to the switch. At this point I am confused as to complete the wiring of the switch and the receptacle. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thank you all for your answers.  I was able to successfully get the switch to control the light.

First turn off the circuit at the breaker panel. A good practice is to confirm that there is no power on any cables in boxes you are working on using a non-contact tester.

If the switch only has one 2 conductor cable in its box, it is a switch loop. That means the power from the mains comes to the switched fixture box (in your case, the outlet) and only the hot wire is routed to the switch. The other wire in the switch cable is a switched hot (even though it is probably white or white with a black marking) which carries power back to the switched outlet.

What you need to do is to convert that switched hot to a neutral. First you need to determine which wire is always hot. Usually that would be the black wire, but you need to be sure. At the outlet box see which wire from the switch is attached to the black wire from the mains. If it is black, leave it connected. If not, disconnect it and connect the black switch wire to the black mains wire.

Then connect the white switch wire to the white mains wire. You will also need to connect the hot side of the outlet to the black mains wire (you will have already removed one of the switch wires from the hot side of the switched outlet).

Now you have an always hot outlet and a full circuit going to the switch box.

At the switch box, attach the white wire from the outlet box cable (now a neutral) to the white wire going to the light fixture. Attach the black  wire from the outlet box cable to the switch (hot) and the black wire from the fixture to the other side of the switch (switched hot).

At the light fixture, black to black, white to white.

We did not mention grounds, but they should all be connected in each box and to the switches and fixtures, using pigtails if needed. These are extra pieces of wire that you attach to the wire bundles to tie the fixtures or switches into the ground lines.


Is it possible to convert a sliding drawer into a rolling drawer? I have a beautiful, reclaimed-wood fitted wardrobe made for my house by some folks in my social circle. I love it.

Except. The drawers are huge and heavy, and simply slide out wood-on-wood, 19th-century style. This isn't ideal. Here's what they look like:

And for reference, here's where it slots in:

I'd love to convert these to modern, rolling drawers. Is this possible? Possible without completely rebuilding the drawers, even?

The answer is yes you can and yes without rebuilding the drawers. However your options will be limited.

The Blum glides mentioned in another answer are awesome but they require rather particular dimensions. Specifically they require specific space available between the sides of the drawer and the cabinet, between the back of the drawer and the cabinet, and they require a particular recess on the bottom of the drawer.

Some of these requirements are minimums. Some are very specific.

Based on your photos it appears you have neither the room on the sides nor the space in the back, it also looks like your bottom recess is too shallow. You can search for the installation instructions and they will be very informative for you.

I can imagine that it would be painful to remake the drawers when yours have those beautiful dovetails. Do you know if your friends made the cabinet? Or did they acquire a cabinet and apply the reclaimed face material? If the latter it may be psychologically easier to rebuild the drawers.

There are center mount slides that might work for you. But those can be disappointing.

Other observations - the drawers may run fine with wax and soap and other tricks but those drawers are pine and the runners appear to be pine. The soft wood will show its weakness over time. But that might be a looooong time. In fact you might want to wait - use wax for ten or fifteen years and then deal with the slides. Seriously. By then you might solve the problem with nanotechnology. Also seriously.


What is the name for the brush to clean this humidifier valve on my HVAC (Context) The previous owners put a humidifier on the HVAC and I could have sworn that the red wire thing attached to the valve had a brush on the end of it when I was with the inspector months ago. It is getting close to winter and I thought I'd try out the humidifier, but there is all that gunk in the valve.

(Question 1) Can I find a brush to clean to it out at Home Depot? I am not sure what to look for.

(Question 2) I am also not sure of how to clean it out. Do I open that red cap and push it out the other end? Do I need a cleaning solution or water? I am not sure what that thing with the wires does :/

(Question 3) Do I need to cover the valve that is holding my busted trap brush? It is exposed to air, I can't find a cap anywhere, and pictures online show that valve without a cap.

(Question 4) My trap is very dirty, I just shined a flashlight on it, is it safe to flush it with a bleach/water mixture? What about isopropyl alcohol?

That looks like a drain, not a supply line.

The device with the wires is an EZ Trap Condensate Overflow Cut-Off Switch

Here's a similar device that includes a trap brush.

Here's just a trap brush.


order of prep for exterior painting I have a question regarding the exterior painting prep. Should the cleaning with TSP be done before scraping and sanding? Or, should it be done after the scraping/sanding? Some articles say that the cleaning is the first step before any prep job but I also find other articles saying that the cleaning is done after the scraping and sanding to wash away dirt and debris.

What is the right order for the prep job?

TSP last.

If you use TSP first you'll be wasting your time cleaning paint that you're just going to scrape off anyway, and the old primer/paint/wood beneath what you scrape off will remain uncleaned. If you use TSP first, that also means the chips and dust from your scraping and sanding won't be washed off. So TSP should always be your last step.


Water under the vapour barrier in the attic I noticed a small wet patch on my bathroom ceiling. So I climbed into the attic to see if the roof is leaking as the wet patch was close to the wall near where the eves trough runs. It was then that I noticed that there was a little bit of water under the vapour barrier. I have no idea how it got in there. Any suggestions on what I could do .Thank you

Just the fact that you mention a vapor barrier in your attic is the problem. Attics should never have vapor barriers.

Only walls. Next time your at your local home improvement store look at the insulation. You'll see insulation for attics is unfaced and wall insulation has a kraft face, though you can install an unfaced wall insulation if planning on adding a vapor barrier.

Homes will always have moisture and it's through the attic that that moisture needs to escape. That is why your finding the moisture UNDER the barrier.


How do I install a french drain in a sunken concrete patio? Just bought a new home the back patio is sunken with no drain. I know I need to dig down and put a French drain out side of it. Where is the best place to penetrate the concrete and put a drain ie. Base of the wall, though the floor, ... ?

I don’t think that a French drain will benefit your situation unless the issue is surface water flowing over the top of the retaining wall. If that is the case, then it might help, but you would not want to connect a drain inside the sunken area to it as it could actually allow water to enter the lower area.

A French drain is simply a tench filled with gravel (may also include perforated pipe) that directs water away from one area to another area.

If you want to get water out of the sunken area, you want to add a drain and pipe it to a storm drainage system, or depending on ground drainage conditions, pipe it to a dry well.

The main issue when dealing with unwanted water is finding a place to put it. A French drain is a way to move it not a place to put it. I think you should make sure that you know where you are going to redirect the water to before going any further. As for how or where to add the drain itself, see @isherwood's answer.


What is the following type of hinge called? I am needing to buy a new set of lid hinges for an audio rack I just bought and the original manufacturer no longer carries the specific part. So I need to see if I can find something similar but I'm not sure what to use in my search.  All I know about this hinge is that it is called a "lid hinge" on the replacement parts site.

When I search "lid hinge" though there are all kinds of options and none of them look like the one I have. Below are some pictures of the remaining, in-tact hinge (the other one is broken).

Here is a rack similar to mine with images of the way the lid works as well as the hinges on the back. The model of the audio rack is Technics SH-KS52.

Apologies if this is off-topic.

This is commonly called a Lid Support Hinge, I have also heard them called "toybox lid supports".

Yours is different then the ones I used to sell and might have been equipment specific design.


Ceiling fan mounting bracket issue first time poster.  I need to replace a Casablanca ceiling fan in my house that we've owned for a year.  The house was custom built in 2002.   I bought a Hunter ceiling fan to replace the old one, but the holes in the junction box (which match the Casablanca fan) are too narrow for the Hunter mounting bracket.  Can someone take a look at the attached pic and make a suggestion as to what options I have?  I'm confident that the junction box was installed when the house was built and would be really surprised if the box wasn't rated for a ceiling fan.

Thanks

Stan

That is a joist centered fan rated ceiling box. I installed one of these during my remodel 2 years ago. It is a standard mount, so I'm not sure what you mean by the mounting doesn't fit. Show picture of the fan mounting plate. The box should have 2 holes on each side. Looks like one is partially covered by ceiling texture. Your mounting bracket should have elongated holes also, to help center the bracket over the holes.


Breaker tripping wires disconnected I ran a new supply line to my pool pump from a 20 amp breaker with 12 ga. UF-B romex out of my attic, down 14 ft. of 1/2 inch conduit on the side of my house then 2 ft below grade, another 40 foot not in conduit, then up to a switch in conduit. My breaker keeps tripping about every 3 days, even with the switch disconnected. Is it due to overheating from running in too small conduit at 90 bend going into attic? Nothing else is on the circuit. I replaced the breaker, thinking it was defective.

The conduit size will not affect the current, you probably have skinned the insulation and that will cause tripping like you have if the breaker is a GFCI. If a non-GFCI the skinned part is much worse but could still be the cause.

I would get a megger (high voltage ohm meter). I have seen hand crank meggers for around $100 this would probably be cheaper than having an electrician check it.  You disconnect the hot from the breaker and put 1 megger lead on the hot 1 on the ground and crank, with the switch turned off or disconnected the reading should be high 100 mega ohms. If it is low - 10k or less - you have damaged insulation.

I have seen this many times as you found pulling the #12 UF in conduit is a real chore. I am surprised you got it in 1/2", but both metallic and pvc conduit can easily skin the wire and cause the problem you are having.

Most folks don't realize conduit needs to be chamfered to reduce insulation damage when pulling.


240v to 120v by using only one leg? I have an unused 240v 50 amp circuit. I would like to put a 15 amp 120v hardwired load on one of the legs. Is this ok? Is there an issue of current imbalance?

You would first need to change the breaker from 50A to 15A.
Your 50A circuit needs to be one with a neutral (in terms of a typical range outlet, a 4-prong, not a 3-prong.)
At that point, not a problem (assuming you are on normal USA/Canada 120/240 split-phase, 120V to neutral power.)
However, you might find more use in putting a sub-panel fed by the 50A breaker, which could then have the 15A breaker you need to protect your load (which you cannot just hook up to a 50A breaker directly.) You could power multiple other things from the sub-panel, if you have other things to power.
"Current imbalance" is not a concern - you have that any time you have a single 120V load running, and it's mostly a consideration when you have two such loads that you expect to be on at the same time, in which case, it's good to put them on opposite hots.


Is it okay to not connect the grounding wire to a ceiling box? Is it ok to connect the ground wire of a new light/fan fixture to the ground wire of the house without connecting them to the ground screw in the outlet box? The new ceiling fan/light had a stabilizing bar which covered the box preventing me from getting the ground wire back into the box. I made the connections securely with twist caps and electrical tape so that none of them could become loose, or lay near each other. I am hoping that the ground wire from the house was already grounded... is this a moderately safe assumption?

The outlet box was a plastic box.

Metallic Boxes
If it's a metal box, technically, the grounding conductor should be connected to it (NEC 2011 250.148(C)).  However, if you've already installed the fixture without bonding it, it's not likely to cause a problem.   If the fixture itself is properly grounded, and the canopy completely covers the box. It's not likely anybody will ever come into contact with the box itself during normal operation, and so the danger is relatively low.
In most cases, the box and fixture become bonded when the fixture is installed. As long as one of the two are grounded, there shouldn't be a problem. Code bodies and safety experts say to bond both the fixture and the box, because there's no way for them to be sure that a fixture will properly bond during installation.  The fixture design likely is not governed by the same code body that governs the installation of the box, and the installation of said fixture may be completed by an untrained person.  So the code body calls for everything to be grounded, to try and limit the potential dangers.  They also want to avoid the situation where the continuity of the grounding conductor can be interrupted by the removal of a device or fixture (NEC 250.148(B)).
Nonmetallic Boxes
Nonmetallic boxes are not required to be grounded. Only the devices, and/or fixtures installed in them must be grounded (NEC 2011 250.148(D)).

National Electrical Code 2011
250 Grounding and Bonding
VII. Methods of Equipment Grounding
250.148 Continuity and Attachment of Equipment Grounding Conductors to Boxes. Where circuit conductors are spliced within a box, or terminated on equipment within or supported by a box, any equipment grounding conductor(s) associated with those circuit conductors shall be connected within the box or to the box with devices suitable for the use in accordance with 250.148(A) through (E).
(A) Connections. Connections and splices shall be made in accordance with 110.14(B) except that insulation shall not be required.
(B) Grounding Continuity. The arrangement of grounding connections shall be such that the disconnection or the removal of a receptacle, luminaire, or other device fed from the box does not interfere with or interrupt the grounding continuity.
(C) Metal Boxes. A connection shall be made between the one or more equipment grounding conductors and a metal box by means of a grounding screw that shall be used for no other purpose, equipment listed for grounding, or a listed grounding device.
(D) Nonmetallic Boxes. One or more equipment grounding conductors brought into a nonmetallic outlet box shall be arranged such that a connection can be made to any fitting or device in that box requiring grounding.
(E) Solder. Connections depending solely on solder shall not be used.


Could an unlevel furnace be causing noise from the blower fan? The blower fan on my gas furnace sounds like it is hitting other metal when it turns on or off. I had it serviced and he replaced the blower run cap but it has started again after about a week.

Could it be the furnace is not level? The service man said no that wouldn't do it but that's what it sounds like.

Of course it could be, but probably isn't. A spinning fan will hit anything in its path regardless of the relative direction of gravity.

I'd recommend calling your service person again for further troubleshooting.


My house is flooding and I have things plugged into an extension cord that is getting wet what do I do I'm freaking out because the extension cord that has a lot of things plugged into it is on the floor this whole place is concrete floors and it's flooding or sleeping in and it's right there right where it's plugged in at and I'm scared I'm going to get what should I doelectrocuted so I can't even get close to it to even drive the water because I'm a scaredy-cat of every single thing possible and it's actually in three rooms one room is the laundry room where the washer and dryer is and the other room is where the washer is plugged into where it's plugged into extension cords on the wall but that plug-in could also possibly be getting wet right now and I just don't know what to do in. I'm so scared

and I don't know if you could tell from the picture. There's three rooms on the left and each one of them has had water seep up through I guess the cracks in the concrete floor and so all three rooms have flooding and all three rooms have important things plugged in to the outlet

okay I tried to add a picture of the room before I threw the blanket on the water I don't know if you could see it that good but you could see the water in front of that cabinet and the plug-in is just to the left of that obviously it's not submerged under water I'm just really worried about electricity and the concrete floor and me stepping close to it with the extension cord

I'm sorry my phone kind of sucks but there's one picture where the water is coming up and I've got a big flat-screen TV that was on the floor thank God it was sitting on top of a blanket or something but I'm sure that's probably destroyed now because there is water seeped in all behind there which is where the washing machine is plugged into through a big extension cord that is in the other room which is the laundry room so every room in this house I think has one plug in and so each one is probably using an extension cord I just don't know how safe everything is especially the washer and dryer in the laundry room

1. Grab a flashlight

2. Find the service panel

3. Cut the power on the main breaker (or the top 6, or all of them)

Now you'll need the flashlight.

OK, now look at the panel labeling, and see if there are obvious "lighting" circuits.  If there are, turn them back on, one at a time.  After each one, walk around and check to make sure this didn't also turn on any outlets you are concerned with.  If it does, switch it back off - better to be in the dark than shocked.

Cables across walkways

See in that photo, where you've got cables going across walkways, and they're taped down all neat?  If those are Ethernet or phone cables, I don't care.  I also don't care if they're coming off the low-voltage side of a wall-wart or power brick.  If it's any of those, skip this section, but do consult with Martha Stewart.

However, if those are mains AC power cables, then they have to frickin' go.  You can't do that! That is incredibly dangerous, and would multiply rather badly with your flood problem.

See, mains cables are not insulated well enough to endure foot traffic.  The foot traffic is surely fraying those wires. Meaning hot wires are becoming exposed.  When those get wet, now the entire puddle of water is hot.

If they are mains cables, you MUST replace them with some sort of surface conduit that goes up and over the doorway.  If they are data/low voltage cables, it'll greatly improve the aesthetics.

And then... we need to talk about these extension cords

The fact that you have taped the strip to the wall shows that you're using it "as a substitute for the permanent wiring in a structure". (prohibited in NEC 400.8).

There is nothing wrong with needing a lot of electrical sockets.  However, what you need to do is add more permanent sockets.

You should build additional sockets using either Legrand Wiremold tier surface conduit... and/or by building the power strip or receptacles into the furniture.

For wall power, use, like I say, Legrand Wiremold surface conduit, which is mains rated. Start off an existing receptacle with a "surface conduit starter box", then run it to wherever you need receptacles.  If you do have power cables traversing that doorway, then run Wiremold up the wall and over the doorways; for style points, start with proper door trim, then snug the Wiremold right up against the door trim and paint it so it looks like more trim.  It's also easy to surface-mount the cheaper EMT metal conduit, but Wiremold is more presentable.  If you're super handy, mill the door trim so it hides the EMT conduit :) Run individual THWN-2 wires inside either type of conduit.

On furniture (for instance a PC desk), just use cheap/common EMT conduit and metal junction boxes ($1) underneath/within the furniture, and attach a heavy duty power cord with a proper cable clamp/strain relief.  If you want surge suppression too, get any "whole house surge suppressor" ($30) that goes in a junction box knockout; that is vastly superior surge suppression than you'll ever get from a power strip.  (cheap power strip surge suppressors are dead after a year anyway).

If those cross-hallway cables are data or low-voltage cables, do not put them in the same conduit with mains wiring!! However that stuff can use a cheaper, plastic cable organizer/raceway and go up and over the doorway.

You wouldn't have had this problem if your wiring was up off the floor.


How do I remove (food) oil stain from a wood table? Spilled some oily salad dressing on a wood table that was not varnished or sealed in any way.  Not sure the type of wood - it almost looks like teak, but I don't believe it is.

We used water on the spill right away, but some of the oil seeped into the wood and has now stained it.  This table is already stained with other food spills, but this salad dressing spill is the largest.

What would be the best way to get this stain out, aside from refinishing the table.

I did read somewhere about using an iron with a tea towel, but I believe that's only for water damage.

I think there's something in between getting the stain out and "refinishing" the table, and that's applying a food-safe oil finish to the entire table.  You could wipe on (and back off) some linseed oil, tung oil, or even more salad dressing for that matter.  This would be a lot less effort than any kind of refinishing and should do a lot to make the stains look less obvious.

Note that I'm assuming that, since the wood table has no current finish it's not a museum piece or anything and is meant to look a little rustic.


How to add a 'c' wire common wire to this system I have a galaxy cast iron gas boiler and i'm trying to determine where to attach the 'c' wire on the furnace for my new wifi thermostat.  The cable is an 18/5 but is only using 2 of 5 wires currently.  Based on other threads i've read it sounds like i can use one of the available wires for a 'c'.

I have attached a photo of where the thermostat wire connects to the furnace (A).

I'm not that familiar with thermostat wiring and i've tried to label the picture based on what is see on the furnace.  (TH or TR)

thermostat Rh = TH2
thermostat W1 = TH1 (White Wire)

Based on the second image, I'd say TR2 should be connected to the C terminal. However, for this to work, you'll likely have to swap TH1 and TH2. Since TR1 is associated with TH1, TH1 should be the R wire while TH2 should be the W wire.

The complete circuit should be:
TR1 -> TH1 -> R on thermostat -> W on thermostat -> TH2 -> TR2.

Then you can connect a wire from TR2 to the C terminal on the thermostat.

NOTE: If the transformer is not sized to support the additional load of the thermostat, you could end up blowing a fuse or frying the transformer.


What is recommended to install hardwood floor on slab in Tampa, FL? Am building a new home in Tampa, FL and considering engineered hardwood floors throughout except baths and utility. The builder does provide the option but they seem quite expensive. I'm thinking about letting the builder put in the base vinyl/carpet then putting in hardwood later.

In addition to the flooring, what other materials or underlayment would be needed?  How long should the house settle?

Most important - is engineered hardwood really a bad idea on slab in FL???
I'd really like wood flooring but will stay with tile if wood may only last 15 years.  I've researched the topic but it seems the question of putting wood over slab is "bad" for northern states with wide temperature variations.

-Edit-
Air conditioning will be on keeping the house 78 - 80 degrees F. that is our comfort zone  :)    Of course there are super nice dryer days in winter when A/C isn't needed.

There is nothing wrong with putting engineered flooring on your slab in Florida.  It can last a really long time and I have installed it in my own home on slab and helped with other homes.

Buy a really good wood.  Make sure that you really give it a scratch test.  Get samples and whatever.  I used to take pennies, screwdrivers, smack my wife heals, all kinds of things on the samples.  Let me tell you that most (80%) scratch easy.
Don't buy any engineered flooring that has mdf backing.  Wood backing only.
The thicker the better.  Don't let anyone talk you into flimsy engineered flooring, telling you thickness doesn't matter.  IT DOES.
The underlayment... Normally I say rigid foam then 3/4" plywood then light flooring pad... But this is FLorida and you don't have the insulation issues.  I would look for 1/2" rigid foam sheets but this depends on manufacturer.
I would wait 3-4 weeks for both house and wood in conditioned space.
I would also cut out the bottoms of the drywall so that you can use the drywall - probably 1/2" - as you expansion gap.  This will allow you to use whatever trim you want without quarter round.
I wouldn't have the builder install any flooring.  This will just cost you money and might hinder some of the engineered flooring installation.
Overall thoughts on engineered flooring on a slab in Florida vs tile or whatever...  Obviously carpet is the easiest to do and the easiest to deal with.  Tile though can have major issues.  If your slab settles or cracks or whatever the tile will crack and have issues.  The engineered flooring will handle smaller cracks without any issues.  Major cracks, it depends.


How do I prevent doors on a media cabinet from sagging? A friend and I have just built a floor to ceiling media shelf unit for DVDs.  It has 9 shelves and is about 3' wide.  The frame around it is made up of 2"x8" boards and the shelves (except for one in the middle) are all 1"x8" boards.  At the bottom there's a 2"x12" that provides a lip and the front is cut on an angle going toward the floor at the very front.

Click any picture for full size

I didn't know if I'd have to add doors or not, but now it's clear I will.  These doors would be from 6"-8" thick, with shelves in them, so they can hold more DVDs and blu-ray discs.  Basically, I want doors like in the last picture below.  It'd be two doors, each half the width of the shelves (so that'd be about 18").  Since this unit is about 8' high, I'm also splitting the doors vertically, to limit the total weight put on any door.

When doors are closed, they will rest on the lip.  (That's the purpose of the 2x12 at the bottom - provide support for the doors full of DVDs when the door is closed, as they usually will be.)

But this is a fair amount of weight.  I know I can use strong hinges and even extra hinges to keep the doors on, but my concern is about the doors sagging over time.  I don't want to add a lot of weight.  In my head, I'm picturing a sheet of plywood (1/8" thick) and 1x6 or 1x8 boards mounted on that, to make the frame and shelves for the door.

But I've never done a project quite like this and I want to make sure there is no sag from the side of the doors on the hinges on the edge, and the other side of the doors, in the middle.

Will plywood be enough to keep the frame from sagging or changing shape, or do I need to do more?

NOTES:

After a few comments, let me add that the door on the upper right will be shorter than the door on the upper left, due to the door arch, and we talked about adding another shelf running over the door to make up for the lost shelf space.
The shelf unit is attached to the studs in the wall with screws, so I'm not worried about the balance or tipping issue.

Ply is good in shear, helping the door from racking.

I would use euro style hinges, meant for frameless cabinets. They will transfer the door weight better than simple butt hinges.  They also have 3 way adjustments for compensating for sagging over time.  Just be sure to start out with a good gap and room for the hinge to adjust up.


How should I build a skid foundation for my shed? I am planning a 14 x 20 shed, going to build on a 4x4 skid foundation, I can only get 16ft 4x4, what is the best method for the 4 feet left?  Should I make all the joints at one end or use 2, 10 ft 4x4 and double the joist in that section?

I'd opt for using the 10 ft 4X4's with a sistered joint in the middle. You could sister the joint with a 2 ft length of 2X4 on each side, so one 8 ft 2X4 would do both skids.  Be sure to taper or bevel the ends of the 4X4's so it will "skid".


What are the design limits of a normal tub overflow drains (and their gaskets)? We have a leak from the tub into the ceiling below.  I'm pretty sure it's from the overflow drain, but as soon as the home warranty plumber heard this he said "oh, that's the problem, the overflow gasket is not designed to take that much water" and basically washed his hands of the issue (and emphasized his great experience as a master plumber vs. mine [none]).

But this sounds crazy to me:  my expectation is that an overflow drain should be able to take as much water as will flow through it without leaking.  I agree it may not be able to prevent the tub from overtopping, but I do expect it should not leak unless you're pointing a pressure washer nozzle through it or something.

So am I crazy, or is he?

Wow, he might be right... according to this, "overflow drains" are a complete misnomer and the whole assembly is YMMV/at your own risk/a farce:

According to PMI (Plumbing Manufacturers Institute) no manufacturer currently makes bathtub overflows, only trip lever assemblies are made.
...
If you disagree then I challenge you to come up with the documentation that these so called overflows are a real plumbing product in the same sense as any other plumbing product being what it claims to be:
• Show that a standards specification exists with ASME, ANSI, NSF, IAPMO, or any other approved standards making group.
• Show the documentation for the engineering calculations that specify the flow rates the overflow should be capable of handling and how this relates to the overflow "protecting against accidental flooding resulting from an unattended filling operation".
• Show what listing agency is providing a listing for such a product and what testing protocol they are using to verify that the overflow is meeting the standard.
• Show what manufacturer makes an overflow that has such a listing and stands behind the product with a warranty that the product will "protect against accidental flooding resulting from an unattended filling operation" according to the standard to which it is listed.
You will find that none of this exists.

Yikes.


GFCI outlet/switch combo installation? I currently have a receptacle/switch combination (the switch controls a light, the receptacle is hot with the switch on or off) with two black wires and one white wired, and ground, coming from the box connected to curren combo switch as follows:

ground wire from box to receptacle ground.
black wire from box to brass screw on one side of receptacle.
white wire from box to brass screw on same side of receptacle.
black wire from box to slver screw (painted black) on other side of receptacle (Other silver screw is also painted black, but is not used).

Note: it is very difficult to determine where the wires come from before entering the box.

The new GFCI receptacle switch combo has 2 back wires coming out of the receptacle case, ground screw, 2 brass screws and 2 silver screws.  A piece of tape covers one of the brass screws and one of the silver screws.

How do I replace the old switch/receptacle with the new switch/GFCI receptacle?

This is how a typical receptacle/switch combo is wired.

A combination GFCI/switch, is going to have a different terminal layout.  First, the switch terminals are no longer on the device. Instead they're a couple wires shooting out of the device.

Next you'll notice a set of terminals labeled LINE, with a brass terminal on one side, and a silver on the other.  There will be another set of brass/silver terminals, but these will be labeled LOAD (these are typically covered by a sticker).

When wiring the GFCI/switch combo, it will look something like this.

The challenge you'll face, is determining which black wire is "hot", and which is "switched".