Find other exit of empty electrical conduit I live in a flat in a multi-story house. The electrician went bankrupt and did a quite sloppy, undocumented job. One of the results is, that I have quite some empty electrical conduits… that end somewhere. While I would have use for some of them, I can not think of any way how to locate the exit.
What I tried so far: The conduit could end in installation shafts in the shared area in front of the flats or maybe even on the roof. I tried putting snake wire (if that's the name) in it and see how far I can get. They all go on for multiple meters. But I wasn't able to make enough noise by pulling the cable back and forth to make some noise and listen where it ends.
Technical info: The house is built with prefab concrete walls and ceilings with dry walls in between and some suspended ceilings.
Question: Are there any professional (or just working) solutions on how to find their path or exit points?

Okie doke.  It appears I'm stuck with writing this one up.  I wrote a lot of comments because the remedies associated with your problem typically lack the certainty I associate with an "answer".  That said, you have a mystery pipe.  Multiple mystery pipes in fact.  You haven't mentioned what kind of conduit it is, but it matters whether the pipe is plastic or metal, embedded in a slab, and even what type of pipe if plastic.
First thing to get out of the way is safety.  Blind fishing is a 2 person job, partly because you need someone to look and listen, and partly because you may need someone to call EMS.  The tool typically used to fish pipes is a "fish tape" and you can get versions made of metal and fiberglass.  If you're pushing a fish tape to a mystery location, there is a chance you'll end up somewhere live.  A fibreglass fish tape poses little risk in this situation, whereas a metal one in a metal pipe will cause a flash when it shorts something to ground, and if it touches something with a high current limit, the results can be spectacular and in a very bad way.  A box or panel or parts of them can literally be blown right off the wall.  A metal fish tape in a plastic conduit will instead be energized and if you're not lucky enough it is touching ground somewhere, you become the path to ground and because of the way a fish tape must be gripped to feed it, there is a high risk of "lockup" where a voltage is sufficient to keep your muscles flexed and prevent you from letting go.  As far as I've seen, lockup on 240V and lower is rare, but you could still receive a bad shock, or if you're not lucky, be electrocuted.  If you're in a large building, a pipe could have been abandoned because it was misconnected to a different system which may have a higher voltage.
So you need a fibreglass fish tape, right?  Weeeeeeeellll it's not that simple.  Fibre tapes are less strong, durable and rigid, and they dampen the noises they make in some ways, so if you have a metal pipe and you run a fish tape all the way into it and then ram the fish tape so it ripples and hits the side of the pipe, with a metal fish tape you can often sense some vibration on the whole length of the pipe, with a fibre tape, much less so.  If the pipe is plastic it'll be harder to hear either way, and if it's embedded in concrete or insulation you won't hear it this way anyway.  The other way the tape can make noise is by the ramming end, and again, metal boxes and pipe tend to resonate better.  One other thing to note, locating pipes falls into hard use for fish tapes, and the name brand tapes like GREENLEE in particular vastly outperform cheaper generic fish tapes for hard use in my experience.  My comments about fish tape durability are about GREENLEE tapes, and I have absolutely had to buy the odd cheapo tape and wreck it doing something mickey mouse easy for a GREENLEE, and have also bought a cheapo tape when I was absolutely sure whatever tape I used would be wrecked.  You'll have to make your best guess what's right for you, but that's the background.
Sometimes a "just in case" pipe that is not later used is simply taped off in duct tape or not even capped.  In this case the fish tape can be pushed through the tape and typically it's possible to make a fair bit of noise by rattling it if it happens to land in a void or run into drywall or steel stud.  A fibreglass fish tape can be wrecked trying to push through 3 layers of decent duct tape, 2 layers if the tape was put on well.  A steel fish tape can take probably 10 or 20 times the force and can usually be straightened if it kinks, especially if you were using good technique and the kink is limited.  If you push a fishtape into a mystery void, there is a chance it will bind or jam or hook on something and you will be unable to withdraw it unless you find the other end of the pipe, potentially costing you valuable fish tape length and occassionally it can't be removed from the other end, sacrificing the pipe.  I could write a few pages on how to extract a stuck fish tape, but this will be bulky enough anyway so we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.
Soooo, strongly preferring a metal fish tape I would approach your problem.  Is it possible to eliminate the chance of fishing into something live?  If it's an apartment building or has adjoining units, there could be multiple power systems, but if the buiding is stand alone, I can check for any additional pipes coming into the service side of the main panel (there should be none) and look at the load side of the panel.  If I turn off the main disconnect, is there any hole big enough for a fish tape that leads to the service side?  Better securely block that.  Once the main breaker is off, I can use a metal tape without fear with the caveat that if my fish tape gets jammed in something and I can't extract it, I might have to check every live box in the house just to be sure before re-energising.  On the other hand, if my fish tape ended up in an existing box, I'd want to know about it, so guess what?  I'll strongly consider opening every reasonably accessible box in the area (or because you have multiple pipes to check, possibly the whole house.  I'd also check above the suspended ceilings for any end points to watch for.  Conveniently for an electrician, mystery pipe recovery is typically done during initial construction, before energisation, and typically before an area is closed up.
Hmmm so how do I feed the fish tape?  Well to start with, your fish tape either does or doesn't have a leader on it.  If it doesn't, you want a good head to fish with, so look up how to put a head on a fish tape and preferably use a torch to make the tight bends.  You want a relatively low chance of hooking on an edge if you come out of pipe and have to extract your fish tape, so you can tape the back of the loop into a nice cone shape with tightly wound tape.  If you're using a leader, the square back edge can catch too, especially if something presses it to the side, so it's wise to tape a cone onto that.
Ok so now I can put the end of the fish tape into the pipe and start feeding it in, noting any bumps I have to jiggle to get past or things that feel like constrictions or bends I'm pushing through.  I'm thinking about how I'm applying force to the tape so the force translates well to feed it down the pipe rather than bending it or kinking it.  I usually have one hand about a foot out from the pipe to produce the bulk of the pushing force and the other hand with my fingers a few inches out to support the curve from my pushing angle into the pipe.  This also gives you additional sensitivity to how much you're "helping" when it arrives at a new curve or restriction.
Ok so I've fed the fish tape in and what I'm pushing against feels like pushing on a brick wall.  This may mean I've hit an end of the pipe that is taped off in concrete, I've reached a box and I'm wedged in a corner, I've hit the end of a pipe that has been capped off, like with a PVC cap that may or may not be glued, or the bends in the pipe are pushing the tip of the fish tape sideways and it is caught on some slight ridge like a coupling or connector not done up all the way or a ridge in core line (smurf tube in countries where it's blue).  Another worst case this could indicate is that some fastener has been driven through the pipe.
At this point, I'll strongly consider adding a butterfly to my fish tape and fishing the pipe several times with lube. Especially if being jammed on a coupling or just friction could be the issue.  The butterfly helps the tip of the fish tape bounce past obstructions at the same time as spreading lube on the inside of the pipe.  To make a butterfly, take pulling twine or baling twine and run loops through the loop of the fish tape so you have one end of the twine and two 10cm loops sticking out on each side (one 10cm loop each side for 1/2" pipe).  carefully and tightly tie the ends to each other with a square knot, preferably sitting inside the loop of the fish tape, and then tie the opposite loops tightly to eachother with a square knot, one on each side of the tape.  Then pack a bunch of lube into the pipe, lube up the butterfly and try fishing the pipe again.  The tip of the fish tape won't be able to rattle, but if you can get to the destination, it can still tap.
I get it as far as I can and arrange the part around me so I can pull it back 8 inches and repeatedly ram it against the end of the pipe.  I note if it feels soft or hard, and anything else I can notice in the ten or twenty minutes I do the tap tap taparoo while my apprentice looks and listens.  Then we switch jobs and try again.  While you're tapping, you may as well be trying to feed it farther, so you can try tapping and bouncing with timing to make the end jiggle in case it has just caught a ridge on the inside of the pipe or something.  Sometimes in your efforts to make noise you simply get the fish tape in another few metres, which might be the information needed to look in the right location.
If what I'm pushing into seems soft like duct tape, I may try twisting the fish tape.  As long as it hasn't gone through too many bends, with a metal fish tape, you can hold an S shape in the part sticking out and turn it like an augur.  If it turns easily it's a straight pipe, so you have some information.  If the pipe has bends, the fish tape will act like a spring, storing force as you try to twist it until it flips over with a loud snap.  You can wreck a fish tape this way, but if you're good you can also do this many many times before wearing a tape out.  What you're trying to take advantage of is that up to a threshold bending a metal it acts like a spring before it reaches the greater amount of force that will permanently deform it.
If you have good 9 inch linesman pliers, you can also attempt to make loud noises or bounce past obstructions by rippling the fish tape.  Feed the fish tape in as far as you can, and keep feeding it until you can't push it any harder by hand.  Without releasing the pressure, grab the fish tape an inch or two out of the mouth of the pipe with your pliers, gripping the pliers as far from the jaw as you can for maximum grip strength and keep pushing.  Either the fish tape will smash through, or it will have to absorb the extra length by rippling back and forth inside the pipe.  By either applying more force or angling the pliers back and forth, you can often get the fish tape to snap back and forth, which can cause the tip to bounce off the side in addition to making noise.  If you make a mistake angling the pliers you will kink the tape.  For upward or sideways facing pipes, you can put your elbow on your hip and push with your legs, using your arms only for control, positioning and grip strength.  A 150lb person can typically push a metal tape through 4 or 5 layers of duct tape or through a forgotten plastic knockout with this method, although it can be exhausting.  A fibreglass tape will almost certainly be ruined.  You may kink a metal tape this way, especially if you slip or grip it too far out of the pipe with your pliers, but it is typically recoverable.
Some box types meant for plastic pipe in concrete can have a pipe installed without the knockout being removed.  If I think this is a possibility, I'll be sure to listen for tapping at those boxes, or even simply smash the knockouts with a flat blade as there is no risk to losing the knockouts once concrete is poured.  If a plastic box of this type is not poured into concrete, you cannot lose the knockouts, so you can't preemptively do this.  If you however believe you have this problem with a screw mounted plastic box, you risk unmounting the box smashing it out this way, although I've had success using a 90 degree and flexible cord attachment for a Dremel to drill a hole in a knockout and either rout it out with a side cutter like a drywall bit or put a screw into the hole and use the screw to pry the knockout out.  Some boxes are too thick to pry out and you're back to routing it out.
Ok so what if your fish tape is going a suspiciously long way or feels too unobstructed?  First, stop.  You may have entered a void space and the fish tape may be bouncing and coiling into a knot that you won't be able to pull out.  Mark the fish tape with tape so you know how far you got and pull it out.  Measure if you think the information will help.  Feed it in again, this time being conscious and ready to sense when it exits the pipe.  You can shake it vigorously by feeding it back and forth 60cm as fast as you can and carefully continue to feed it a few feet at a time while shaking vigorously.  This has a really good chance of producing an audible noise, just don't go too far and make a knot.
Other than making sound directly with the fish tape there are a few options.  You can project sound into the pipe, and it carries fairly well, but you need to isolate the person listening for the other end as much as possible from hearing the source of the sound directly.  If you're a few floors apart you can yell or whistle in to the pipe, or use an actual whistle as Ed Beal suggests or a device like an electronic rape whistle to produce a noise at the other end.  If you have some core line or EMT available you can use it as a trumpet to blow into the pipe as suggested by NoSparksPlease.  These methods do not work very well with a capped pipe, so the airflow test with air bottle or vacuum before this point can be valuable, or the puncturing of duct tape if applicable.  You can potentially also create sound from the tip of the fish tape by building a piezo buzzer onto the head of your fish tape, as they are the loudest thing I'm aware of that will fit in a pipe.  You could also take apart a skinny electronic rape whistle for parts and likely build something that will fit in a pipe.
Alright, camera time!  Or more accurately, camera time may come before extreme fish tape methods depending on how far into the pipe I am, what size the pipe is and how far away my cameras are.  I have one camera that is best of the the cheap versions of a pipe fishing camera.  It only cost me $40 but I would have to wait up to a year for another similar sale, so I still treat cost of replacement as $100.  It'll fish 1/2" pipe but it's hard on it and even 3/4" pipe inevitably wears it out.  I estimate cost of one inspection in a 1/2" pipe to be $2.  On the other hand, if the problem is within 15m range, you'll know exactly what is wrong.  Screw through pipe?  Screw dropped in pipe?  Silt or sawdust or concrete?  A kink in a bend or a gap from a coupling or a ridge in a transition coupling are all plain as day.  You may be able to tell that you've entered a box or a void, although figuring out which way is up is hard.  If you know which way was up when you inserted the camera though, you can say "Ok it turns right so it's going east then it turns up so it's going south and then it turns left and ends so it's probably stubbing up into the floor above right about... here!  Oh, I see it got blocked by a pre cast wall so they just ran a new pipe.".  Another option is to get cheap USB inspection camera from AliExpress, and I've had one work with my phone with its own 10 foot cable plus a 10 foot extension cable.  It's not rigid enough to fish with alone, but it's skinnier than a rigid inspection camera, so I use it for looking in tiny holes or sacrificial uses.  Because it twists with the fish tape you feed it with, guessing which way a pipe turns is much more difficult.  Both cameras are branded as waterproof and I have wrecked both types by fishing a wet pipe after it had been worn out enough.  Even once a fish tape or string has been gotten through a pipe if the quality of pipe is in question (you should be able to pull the correct size "mouse" or "clean out" through the pipe in both directions, which will also clean out loose solids like bits of concrete and screws.), you may still need it to be camera checked to be sure if you pull something through by force you aren't pulling through an unacceptable pinch or into a pipe with a screw through it.  If the cameras you can afford can't cut it, you may have to rent a camera or hire someone who has a high-end one.
While we're on the topic of things you may have to rent or hire, depending on the type of conduit and construction, a toner may be of use.  The type you use for this has a transmitter that energizes something conductive with a signal and a receiver that looks like a metal detector, sometimes with a horizontal bar instead of a round head.  If it is a metal conduit, you can't sense a wire through it, but you can energize the conduit itself, which will light up everything grounded.  If you have mostly wood construction, this can be a good way to trace a metal pipe.  If you have steel stud or too much rebar too close it will find the signal everywhere.  If the pipe is plastic, you can energize the fish tape and easily sense it without much interference.  If sections of the pipe are plastic, you can attach an insulated wire and feed it in with your fish tape and energize that.  You won't be able to sense it though the metal conduit well but if you're lucky you can find a plastic section in concrete near the wall where it stubs out or some such.  If you fish out of the metal pipe and into a void you'll also be able to detect it there.
By now it may or may not have also been vacuum or air bottle time, again depending on how far the job box is that has what you need.  This works better on sealed types of pipe, but can even work with EMT and screw couplings.  The more powerful a vacuum you have, the better it will work.  The first difficulty is attaching the vacuum to the mouth of the pipe so that all of the suction is applied to the pipe.  With an air bottle an assortment of rubber nozzles are available designed to get to knockouts in the back of a box, but for a vacuum, you may wish to use duct seal and duct tape to seal off the rest of the box and attach the vacuum to the mouth if you don't have a suitable hose to seal well to the knockout.  Turn the vacuum on before you attach it and note how much it labors when you attach it.  Lower quality vacuums can be burned out this way.  If the vacuum is working extremely hard I'll use it 30 minutes at a time max, and I may be able to conclude that the other end of the pipe is completely blocked, which is valuable information.  Once I have the vacuum set up and air is flowing I can search for the other end by listening and feeling for air movement and or using smoke in likely areas to see if it reveals something.  If the pipe happens to be core line, it will also often shreik like a banshee which can be revealing and very irritating.  If the pipe is screw coupling EMT, you lose some pressure at every coupling, so you may have to be very sensitive of the suction that remains at the other end.
Be ready for surprises when using a vacuum or air bottle.  An abandoned pipe could be full of water which will blast everywhere if you use an air bottle and could indicate the reason the pipe was abandoned.  This usually happens when a plastic pipe gets filled somehow during construction, so a pipe that was sealed and has had years to evaporate is little concern.
Maybe we'd like to try a more extreme option and risk the pipe since we've run out the other options.  If it's a type of pipe that is reasonably air sealed and mechanically solid, like pipe run in concrete, continuous plastic pipe or rain tight EMT and you think it comes out inside a void, You can place a Marette or ball bearing (Smaller than the pipe or it could jam and note it could jam anyway) in the pipe and use an air bottle to fire it as a projectile.  You want listeners everywhere as you may only get one try.  The most extreme version of this I've seen is an outside company brought in to fire a "pig" which is a large metal version of a cleanout with two full rubber seals down a larger run of PVC.  Comes out the other end with enough force to smash a wall, so it was done to clean out and fish a difficult 4" pipe before walls were put up.  If the pig gets stuck you can put the air compressor on the other end to free it and try again, but if that doesn't work, the pipe and the pig are lost.
If I think of something else I'll add it, but this should at least get you putting information together in the right way to solve your mystery pipes.


Running multiple 12/2 through a single box connector I am installing an upgraded breaker panel and I need to extend the existing branch circuit wires from the existing panel to the new one. I would like to know if it is permissible to run 2 romex 12/2 w/g through a single box connector. I will be using handy boxes as splice boxes and my space is somewhat limited so I would like to make 2 splices in each box and have pairs of romex cables enter the new breaker panel through the same opening.

Short answer is: Yes, you can do that as long as the clamps are labeled or markedly for multiple cables.

If you are extending them to another panel, why not use the old panel as a junction box? You would just need a sheet metal cover for the old panel.


Is there a way to get an oil stain off painted drywall? Somehow oil or something got splashed on the painted drywall and now there are two stains present.  I was wondering what tips people have to attempt to remove the stain, or is the simple solution just a repaint job?

Salad/cooking oil of some kind.

If it is a lot of oil you may need more than paint.  I would go over the area with something like drylok and let it sit for a week or two.  If nothing comes through then just repaint over the drylok.  If you see any sort of oil coming through - even a tiny bit - then I would skimcoat the area with drywall mud.  Then repaint after that.  I have personally tried to repaint over oil stains totally wasted my time, noticing the same oil coming through a few days later on new paint job.  I am sure this has to do with what kind of oil, how much, and the paints you use (oil based paint will hid this better than latex).


As a DIYer how do you test your plumbing when you added pipes to existing plumbing? As far as I can understand you can do a pressure test when you just installed things
How do you do it when you are adding new lines (ex I am adding PEX lines to existing copper lines)
How do you test your drain for leaks ? I am adding or rerouting drains to an existing drain pipe in the basement. That will go under the slab. Is there any way to test this considering that the other end of the pipe is open -connected to the soil stack ?
Here is my situation. I will be adding the blue segments
4-new sink
1-old sink, piping still in place
3- new shower drain
2- connectionbetween existing drain and new drain for the new sink
6 -soil stack

Typically a "test tee" is installed at the lowest point possible in the main waste line. Then a test ball, an inflatable heavy duty balloon with a chain attached is inflated to block the pipe at that point. The vent is filled, many times from the roof, but in your case, you may have a place where the water can be added from the inside. I need to mention, the other drains are capped to contain all water to pressurize the whole vent/drain system.
As another mention, there is a test ball that is available that has the screw in plug with the balloon attached to it, so when the balloon is deflated the draining water is all contained in the pipe.


How to make my cheap but well sanded wood look glossy I built a few wooden thing with cheap pine and plywood. They are working very fine.

I like to make them look glossy. I expect there are thick varnish products that can do the job. So my cheap woods look shiny with proper stain and varnish.

However, I tried the following products and there is none or very little result.

This one, it is quite watery and didn't do anything:

This one is more expensive, but the result is not that glossy:

Am I looking at right products?

Is there any thick oil based varnish that can make my cheap wood shiny and glossy?

You are looking at the correct products but to get a high gloss several coats will be needed with a very light sanding or steel wool buff and clean in between coats. In high end finishes I put at least 5 coats and have used closer to 30 on show pieces. Light sanding between coats is important, don't over work or you will have bumps , put it on let dry buff clean put more on and repeat. You can make plywood look awesome with a light stain and several coats of polyurethane


Attaching ceiling ground wire when fixture socket does not have the green screw for attaching grnd wire Ceiling ground wire is available, but fixture socket does not have the ground wire screw for attaching same.  Is there a way to "fake" it?

Is the fixture made of metal? If it does not have external metal components (such as a case or cage) then it would have no use for a safety ground. The safety ground is connected to conductive surfaces that shouldn't normally carry power, but if you don't have conductive surfaces then it is not applicable.

However, if the fixture does have external metal components but simply lacks a screw, you can ground it by creating a conductive path between those metal components and your ground wire. If your electrical box is metal, you can do this easily by ensuring the box is grounded, and then using metal screws to attach the fixture. Otherwise, you need to bond a ground wire to the fixture. This might be doable using one of the existing screws/attachment points. Otherwise, you may need to drill a hole in the fixture, tap it, and install a ground screw and pigtail.


Does a compressor with a short to ground really require a complete system replacement? My 24 year old home A\C went out some time Sunday morning. I had a tech come out and look at it, and was told that the compressor is shorted to ground, and that this means I have to replace the entire compressor and possibly the entire system.

I'm asking this community for a sanity check, since I know nothing about HVAC systems. Is a "compressor shorted to ground" really a "replace the whole kit and kaboodle" situation? Or is more information needed to reach that conclusion?

The compressor is the "engine" of the AC system.  It, and a few valves, and the condenser fan, comprise all the active portions.  Everything else is passive.    The compressor is an electrical motor connected to a precision pump.  The pump has to be lubricated by sufficient refrigerant (Freon or substitutes).  If a compressor seizes, it may burn out the electrical motor, causing the electrical windings to short out.

Long story short, a failed compressor may be a reason for system replacement.  You would be well advised to get a second opinion from another contractor.  Get quotes for both repair and replacement.

Another reason to replace the system, is the mandated phase-out of R22 refrigerant.  If your system is older than 5 years, it probably uses R22.  While an existing unit doesn't need to be replaced, per se, because of the phase out, practically, it will, due to the price of the refrigerant.  I just paid $5/ounce for my system recharge.


how to safely remove granite counter top is it possible to re-use granite countertop when i am replacing cabinets in my kitchen? or is there a high chance of breaking it?

Thanks

Yes, it's possible & common. Cut any caulking clean through with a knife & slide it free, never pry up to free it. For solid sections you can just move those around carefully as-is. For sections that have a sink or cooktop cut-out, you'll want to sandwich the front edge by clamps or screws with 2x4's or wider. Slide the front edge out enough to sandwich that in place, then you can tip it up & move it to another room where you'll store it tipped up & not flat.


Utility sink continues to dribble from hot faucet after closing hot water line I have a utility sink in the basement. The previous owner had a habit of installing all the water fixtures backwards, so the "cold" line connected to hot and vice versa. Overtime, all the washers in the cold shut offs have started to fail. After replacing a few elsewhere, I'm stumped by the utility sink.
I have shutoff the hot water heater's hot line supplying the house. No other fixture can supply hot water, just a "shoosh" sound as I open it up.
However, at the utility sink, cold water continues to drain slowly, but never draining, from the faucet as I have the hot tap open wide and cold closed. I even closed the cold shutoff thinking the mixer in the faucet is failing to no avail.
It's run for over 30 minutes and drained several gallons of water, surely several times more than all the hot water piping in this house. This fixture is closest to the hot water heater at the bottom of the house.
Why do I get a continuous stream from the hot water only at this sink and nowhere else?

Depending on the size and length of the piping throughout the house it's not unreasonable to estimate that there might be two gallons or more water contained in just the hot water piping. In the case of copper tubing, 50 feet of 3/4" contains 1.1 gal while 80 feet of 1/2" contains another 0.9 gal. It's relatively easy to consume that much piping especially in a two-story house or multi-bath house.
After the hot piping is drained down (whatever its volume may be), if water continues to exit from that basement-level faucet, it is being replenished from somewhere. Some valve is leaking water from the cold system into the hot system. Two possibilities come to mind:

The shutoff at the water heater leaks, allowing new water to flow through the heater tank to the faucet.
A mixing valve somewhere in the house is allowing water to leak from the cold side to the hot side, but not leaking to the faucet's normal output.

You mentioned testing whether this faucet's mixer leaks by turning off its cold supply. Try turning off all the cold supplies at all the other single-handle faucets in the house too. If the drip stops, then turn those supplies back on one at a time to find one that leaks. There could even be more than one that leaks. In the event that you have one or more single-handle faucets for a bathtub filler or shower (where there's no secondary shutoff valve as there would be under a sink) you might not be able to prove whether or not one of them has such a cross-supply leak.


Low speed furnace fan blower motor will not shut off I have a carrier furnace that has a low speed fan blower motor that will not shut off no matter how long I leave it running. I checked that removal of the G wire at the control board does not change anything. This should rule out the thermostat being an issue. I checked the furnace limit switch and it seems fine with good continuity at the two switch parts (the button part and the actual part that sticks into the hot zone). The heater works fine and will shut itself off when it reaches temp but this only changes the high speed fan. I checked continuity over the fusible link off of the limit switch and it has good continuity. Anyway since the heater works I read that it’s not a problem with the furnace high limit switch. I pulled the low speed fan wire off the control board and that successfully shuts off the low speed fan but then I hear a small humming sound from what might be the HFR or heating fan relay. So is the remaining issue pretty much just the control board or am I missing something I can  check?

Dangerous! Don't pull LO FAN plug, it dissipate the heat.

Sounds like LO FAN relay stuck, better replace the whole (blower control) board.


I don't get my electricity wiring - 3 black wires 1 red wire 2 white 1 gray I am having issues with my light switches.

First of all there are 3 rooms.

Room 1 has 3 black wires 1 red wire 2 white 1 gray

Room 2 has 2 black and 1 Red

Room 3 has 2 black and 1 Red

I just bought a house recently and the switches for upstairs never worked for the rooms. They always had power. So I began doing research to figure out how to wire everything. Here is the weird part I was able to send power from room 1 to room 2 - and It was give power to that room. Room 2 would send power to Room 3 but when room 2 switch on it would not control the light in that room at all. Room 3 when connected switched on, the lights would both light up in both rooms but when turning Room 2 or Room 3 switch on they would both turn off. I've tried so much. I genuinely need some help.

P.S. apparently they also control the light in the hallway - but that one has the ability to turn off using a switch in the hallway but doesn't get power unless both room 3 and room 2 are switched on.

Please help

Thank you.

In some cases, you just have to use a wire tracing tool.  These may be available for borrowing if you have a local tool library.  They come in two main types: the easiest to get versions require power be off.


Ceiling fan with remote control and 2 wall switches I have a ceiling fan remote control module with 2 outputs, one for the light and one for the motor.

Also, I have two wall switches.

I want one switch to give power to the remote module and the other to give power to fan light

But I want to operate the light with remote control too and if possible work like ale retour.

So I can turn on the light from wall and turn it off from remote control and vice versa.

Unfortunately this type of ceiling fan remote isn’t made for your situation, and won’t work as you’ve described.

The remote and its receiver were created as a solution for locations where no provision was made for switching fan and light separately.  It solves a problem for those that needed to use pull-chains to provide separate controls for fan and light.

This site doesn’t do product recommendations, and I wouldn’t know which to recommend for your location anyway.  The product you desire is available tho (at least it is in the USA).  Search “fan control wall switch with remote” (I got the best results with that search, omitting “light”, however most of the products in the results also had the light control.). This product is different and manufactured to replace wall switches, allowing you to retain from the wall control as well as using a wireless remote.


How can I securely fasten a carriage bolt? I recently made a bracket for mounting a TV onto a custom pipe mount that I built.

I was advised at my local hardware store to use a carriage bolt here for the following reasons:

These counter-sunk holes will be flush against the back of the monitor, so there'll be no way for me to make sure that the bolt doesn't twist when I tighten the nut on it.
By hammering in a carriage bolt, it will "grab" the edges of the hole and prevent it from twisting.

For anyone who, like me, previously did not know what a carriage bolt is:

(The square block at the top, when hammered into the material you're using, will grab and secure the bolt, supposedly.)

Unfortunately, this setup isn't working the best for me. I have lock-nuts, which are extremely difficult to get onto the bolts. When I try doing it with my drill, it actually strips the backside here and the bolt spins freely.

My main question is this: is there a type of carriage bolt that has some kind of phillip's, flathead, or allen wrench socket on the back to initially setup the tension? My plan for now is to do something with two nuts like this:

1.   2.  3.  4.
|-######-l|--|

1. The carriage bolt.
2. My MDF.
3. A lock-nut and washer.
4. The bracket, washer, and lock-nut.

I'm thinking that this will secure it really well, but I'll need to provide reverse tension while installing the first lock-nut. Any ideas?

Lock nuts and carriage bolts are a bad combination and even worse when trying to use them in material like particle board or MDF.

You could try to use a Tee nut from the monitor side and then simply use a short hex head bolt into the Tee nut.


What might cause garage door opener sensors to work intermittently? I have a Marantec garage door opener.  I can provide the model number if necessary.  It seems like 50% of the time the sensors are not operational.  I can still close the door by holding down the button.  It's not related to the sun because it happens night and day and it also has a sun shield.  When the sensors aren't working, the lights on the eyes are completely out.  If I click the button, I just hear a click on the opener.

if sunlight on the sensor isn't causing the issue, then the problem is either bad opener, bad wiring or a bad sensor.

when the sensors are not working, use a multimeter to test the voltage put out by the opener. if that's not right, then you might have a bad opener.

next i would try disconnecting all of the wires at both ends, cutting off the exposed conductor and stripping the wires fresh, then reconnecting. make sure to thoroughly clean any corroded terminals.

if neither of those are the issue, then you need to decide which is easier for you: replacing the sensors or replacing the wiring. do one of those, and if that doesn't fix it then do the other.


How can I patch my slab around a rough-in pipe in a difficult to access location? I've got a situation similar to this one (slab finishing/patching around roughed-in plumbing remodel), but in my situation the finishing job poses a couple extra problems:

1) The trench routes under a floor-to-ceiling, built-in wall cabinet, so there is about 1.5 to 2 feet of trench I can't access vertically.

I'm worried about getting a good meld between the concrete I fill underneath the built-in and the bit of slab that remains below it. Obviously there is a reasonable pocket I need to fill, and I can't think of a great way to get the concrete under it so that it's well-packed.

2) The area (small laundry/utility room) is carpeted, and currently there's a surgically-cut area of carpet pulled away from the trench.

I've read concrete "bleeds" out some water before its ready to be finished/smoothed. How long should I let it sweat before I smooth it, and is it worth my while to attempt protecting the carpet beyond the trench? The carpet should ultimately be replaced, so my biggest concern is getting a level patch, but I'm wondering where will the bleeding water go?

Am I over-thinking this, or is it as simple as mix some 'crete, dump it in the trench, and smooth with a short length of 2x4?!?

The trench going under the built-in. There are at most, 2 or 2.5 inches between the slab and the pea gravel there.

Top-down view of the trench showing the carpet. I'm worried, what happens to the water the concrete will bleed out?

You can mix a pourable patch for this repair, but I don't recommend it.  That's when you would experience bleed water.  You just wait for it to reabsorb after floating and before finishing.

You would be better served with a moldable but not wet mix that is used for deck mud.  As such, it will pack and smooth down with a wood float, but won't run or bleed.

After floating, let it rest 10-15 min or until a thumb press has some resistance (as opposed to sinking).  Then use steel trowels for a smooth finish.

Be sure to dampen the edges of the cut slab and spritz the gravel (check for an intact vapor barrier under the gravel, you might add one if missing).


Can I run an antenna ground conductor along the dirt? I have a chimney mounted antenna and mast that I need to ground. It is about 20-30ft horizontally to the existing electrical service entrance ground rod, so I was planning on running a conductor down the chimney and across the dirt to this existing rod.
What is an appropriate conductor to use that I can "lightly bury" in the dirt next to the house? Or do I need to run the conductor across the exterior wall only?

Grounding conductors smaller than #6 require protection NEC250.120.C but yes it could be run along the wall at ground level.


What wiring is needed for a propane unit heater in a garage? Short version: I need to have a propane unit heater installed for a well-insulated 30'x50' x 14' ceiling garage in northern Minnesota. Should I run metallic cable to 20-amp outlet for a propane unit heater or just run the cable and leave slack for a future installation/installer?
I have a well insulated detached garage and the in-slab radiant boiler system is shot (boiler dead, plumbing bad, looking at >$4k to fix plus keep tabs on winter water lines to maintain it). I mothballed the slab lines with RV antifreeze for potential future use, but I'm planning for a forced-air propane unit heater instead as a replacement. (Won't get a ton of winter use and only needs to be kept about 45 degrees inside to keep water/equipment happy.)
I plan on having a suitable Sterling propane unit installed, and it's going to have to happen while I'm away. I want to get the electrical ready for potential installers. (Still trying to get bids submitted.) I'm told it just takes a 20-amp dedicated circuit, which I've already got thanks to the boiler circuit. I can easily re-route that power up into the corner where the forced air unit will go with some metal-shielded cable.
Do these units plug in with a 3-prong cord or should I leave the metallic cable with slack for the installers to patch it in directly?

Cover your bases. Install a 20A receptacle in a metal box. If the breaker is GFCI then use a standard receptacle. If the breaker is not GFCI then put in a GFCI/receptacle. Since this is a dedicated circuit, ideally you should install a single receptacle rather than the typical duplex.
If the installers want to plug in with a cord, all done. If they want to hardwire, they can do that in the same box. Either way, you've got everything they could need already in place. Worst case, you've spent a few dollars on an extra receptacle that isn't needed, but that's better than the opposite problem of having to pay extra for a second installation trip.


Fasten ceiling panel so that it is removable I am making some fabric ceiling panels. The panels are wooden stretchers with fabric stapled to them, similar to a painting canvas.

The panels will be flush mounted with trim boards that border them. The panels are different sizes, but about 4' x 6' or so. The problem is how to mount them so that they can be removed if needed to access various utilities in the ceiling.

It is not possible to shift the panels side to side, because they are hard up against the trim boards. Also, they cannot be pushed upwards because there are joists right above them.

So, one idea is to use magnets and another is some kind of spear and socket connector, kind of like a speaker cover. Both of these approaches have the disadvantage that it will be difficult to pry the panels out, because there is no gap between the edge of the panels and the trim board.

I mount removable panels with Velcro. I purchase the self adhesive type if it won’t stick I staple it 4 small pieces will hold a fair size piece of plywood and your drain pieces sound very light weight.


What to do about noisy drain? I live in 7 store city building in Prague.

Last night I couldn't sleep not only because of the hot weather, but also thanks to drain which just wouldn't shut up. It makes gurgly noises every now and then. I never noticed it during the day, but then during the day I'm at work.

I assume this is caused by water falling from other apartments down the drain, causing decrease of the pressure in the drain pipe, which is balanced through the drain in my kitchen. I tried to temporarily solve the problem by clogging the drain with some rags but it wasn't enough.

Is the cause I assumed correct? Either way, what can I do to stop this from happening?

Adding an air admittance valve might help.

From rmit.edu.au

Depending on space restrictions, you could instead consider replacing a normal P-trap or bottle-trap with an "anti-siphon trap"

Example - McAlpine "Silentrap"

  The major advantage of the Silentrap over Resealing Traps is that because the air is drawn through the Valve and not through the water seal, gurgling is eliminated and a much quieter discharge is ensured

...

  Whenever syphonic conditions develop, the negative pressure causes the Valve to rise, allowing air to be drawn into the discharge pipe. The pressure is thereby neutralised before it can have any effect on the water seal within the Trap. On cessation of the syphonic action, the Valve closes, making the Silentrap air and watertight

...

  The Silentrap has been most rigorously tested and will not unseal, even under the most abnormal conditions

My emphasis.

There is an unusually good explanatory video which demonstrates the operation of this and other types of air-admittance valve (AAV)

This is just an example, Other brands are available and probably work just as well.


Lighting fixtures for germicidal bulbs There are plenty of UV bulbs waiting in the supply chain. These could be used to make germicidal chambers. Grandma and Grandpa could throw a package in there, let the light shine on it for a while, and poof, no coronavirus. Beats having to wipe down every box from Amazon or food delivery with bleach if you're immunocompromised.

The problem is, all these UV bulbs come in odd sizes:

E17
F5, 1' tube
G23

And they also take low voltages. Even if you get an E26 (standard) to E17 adapter, the bulb will blow the moment you plug it in. Most of these little germicidal bulbs only handle 3, 3.5 watts. What voltage their expecting, I haven't found documented. Presumably the lamps they go into already step down the voltage appropriately.

This seems like it should be a trivial solve. Home Depot carries a page of E17 bulbs. What lighting fixtures do they carry that those will go in? Ikea also has their own E17 bulb. Which lamp does it fit? I'm striking out on finding documentation for this.

I can't begin to guess how many germicidal bulbs are sitting in the supply chain, waiting to be put into service. Once the concept is proven in a DIY Sterilization Chamber for incoming packages, I'd like to take it further. I'd love to fasten a battery powered candelabra atop a roomba and let it bump around any grocery store that will have it overnight, taking a second pass at sterilizing all the surfaces that don't get wiped down or mopped at the end of the day: The cereal boxes that people touched and then put back on the shelves, and everything else like that.

Safety note: Do not expose yourself to a powered germicidal bulb. There's a reason these things are usually enclosed in ductwork, air purifiers, etc.. Hard UV light is bad for you, m'kay? If you're reading this and wanting to build your own, great. Just, enclose the light or set it loose on a roomba when no one is around, ok?

Okay, so you're keen on UV bulbs but don't really have any background in lighting tech.  That's fine.

E17 is a type of Edison screw-in base used with incandescent bulbs (and LED conversions).  It is the third most popular after E27 (standard lightbulb) and E10 (Candelabra). Many fixtures will apply effectively 120V to an E17 Edison base.

However, the E17 germicidal light bulbs require a very special controlled current and voltage.  You must drive them to specification. They will burn out if hooked to voltages intended for E17 incandescent bulbs.

F5 is not a bulb.  It is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.

G23 also is not a bulb and is a very particular size of fluorescent tube.

With both fluorescents, it is not enough to read the spec sheet and drive them at specification current. Fluorescents are not as simple as that.  The preheat filaments need to be warmed, and then an arc must be struck down the filaments. Commercial off-the-shelf units which do this are readily available; they are called ballasts. One should not reinvent the wheel.

Note that F5 and G23 tubes use a physical form-factor similar to other (lighting) fluorescent tubes (which have different names).  The compatibility of the form-factor does not mean the ballasts are compatible.  You must consult the ballast data sheet for which tubes it does support.

Your best bet may be to find a fixture that takes a visible-light fluorescent of the same form-factor, then change out the ballast to make it compatible with the germicidal fluorescents.


What's the difference between these types of air hose material? I'm looking at picking up a new piece of air hose (or 2), and I see that there are a couple of different materials that they're made out of. I currently have rubber and, I believe, PVC hoses at home, but I thought I'd ask about the difference before buying more.

I'm seeing 4 different types:

PVC
PVC/Rubber
Rubber
Polyurethane

My experience is that the PVC (I think that's what I've got - I bought it a long time ago and don't remember) is much lighter than the rubber and that the rubber gets much stiffer in the winter time and is difficult to use.

What are the advantages and drawbacks to the various types of hose material?

I have had several kinds of hoses I like the rubber hoses best I have 1 section that is close to 40 years old it has small cracks in the outer layer and I have replaced the ends many times, I just recently purchased 2 more 50 foot section, the negative with rubber is the weight. PVC hose, this is the lightest and cheapest of the hoses it gets brittle if left in the sun. I had a 100' section of hose running into my house from my garage the hose was about 5 years old and prior to the 6 months providing air for demo and remodel work it was in ok shape, I say ok because a wonder bar was dropped on it from the 2nd floor and the hose split about 3' long ( my air supply to a ballast tank is at 150 psi then I have a regulator on the ballast tank usually set at 90) so I find the pvc won't hold up to impacts and after 6 months it got so brittle I ended up throwing it. Or over 1/2 of it.  I have had a couple of PVC hoses with rubber coating these held up better than the PVC but had failures if driven over with a wheel barrow full of brick and mortar similar to straight PVC but the rubber really made a neat "pop" when it cracked the liner. As far as poly I thought it would better when moving around and non marking. It did better than both PVC and rubber coated PVC but in cold weather it cracked it was really cold in the low teens so I go back to my old stand by of the rubber, it is heavy and cost more but it stands up to harsh environments including oil better. One place I will still use straight PVC is for roofing because it is so light but I don't plan on the hose lasting long , but I don't do many roofing jobs anymore.  Hopefully this helps.


Can I fish low voltage cables through my plumbing chase? Generally speaking, is it a good idea to fish low voltage cables through a plumbing chase?

I want to specify that I was wondering about using the same cavity (A plumbing chase), not using the actual plumbing vent (DVW Pipe) itself.

Yes you can run low voltage and even mains voltage in the same cavity your plumbing is using.

I say this with the understanding that the cable is rated for the chase construction (some made out of brick / concrete the cable would have to be listed for use enclosed in brick or concrete).


Is it normal for condensation to drip without the HVAC unit running? I am noticing that my condensation drip pipe on the house is dripping even when the AC/Heating unit is not running.  Is this normal?

Yes it is normal for condensate to drip for a while after the unit runs. If you have a steady drip for hours it is possible the drain is partily plugged and the tray is filling up cleaning the drain line is required to fix this. If there is a steady flow for a long period it may be the evaporator is icing up from dirty filters or low air flow across the coils. The last possibility is a incorrect Freon level usually a low level will cause ice on the evaporator but an overcharge can also cause this but this is less common now with licensing required to service Freon based systems.


Heating Bare Steel Bars I have hollow bare steel pull-up bars in my garage home gym that are virtually unusable without gloves when the temperatures drop below freezing. I would like to heat the bars in a safe way.

Description

Bar: 1 1/4" diameter with 1" diameter opening on each end, 42 3/4" in length
Mountings: 3" x 3 1/2" x 6" (LxWxH)

Limitations

I do not have access to a 240V volt outlet.

Attempts

I have already tried running a water pipe heat cable through the hollow part of the bar and securing against the pipe with pipe insulation -- it had little to no effect.

Any ideas?

I’d try a couple of heating pads from a drugstore.  They should heat it up pretty quickly using a standard 120v outlet.


Dimmer capacity for halogen bulb I bought a dimmer leviton decora
6672 sureslide. On the box I see next capacity 150W LED/CFL
600W Incandescent. Also on on the box I see that it can be used with halogen bulbs. What is the capacity for halogen bulbs?

Halogen bulbs are technically incandescent bulbs. Therefore, the capacity would be 600 W according to the box.

According to topbulb.com,

  Halogen bulbs are technically incandescent light bulbs – illumination is produced in both when a tungsten filament is heated sufficiently to emit light or “incandescence.” The difference between the two is in the composition of the glass envelope and the gas inside the envelope.


Should I get rid of a small wasp nest? My girlfriend has been offered an insect hotel and we decided to hang it on our balcony (we live in an apartment close to the forest in Denmark).
It has attracted wasps and they have started building a nest inside a cavity supposed to be used by butterflies (I can see it through the slit).

Right now it is not bothering because the wasps are few and very tame : they're not attracted by food, don't come inside and completely ignore anyone on the balcony. They just relentlessly fly in and out.
The nest is small, roughly 6cm in diameter, and can't expand so much because the cavity is a cube about of about 10cm of edge length.

Should I get rid of it while it is still easy, or should I leave it alone ?

I would get rid of it now, because they'll only be harder to get rid of when they're larger and more aggressive. You won't want to use any poisons, obviously, because then you'd be hurting your good bugs.

You can do a couple of things. One is to just take a trash bag and put it over the whole thing and pull it tight. Maybe even tape the top shut. They'll eventually die.

If you want to be more human or get rid of them more quickly in general, do the same thing, but put them in your freezer for a day. Then you can safely clean out the nest.

If you're not worried about being stung, just knock the nest out that they're building. They may come back and even start to rebuild, but if you do it again, they'll move on.

If you want to go the chemical route, just don't spray the bug hotel. Spray them while they're in the air.


Garage has switched outlets only, cannot operate new garage doors. What are my options? UPDATE: For anyone curious about what I ended up doing -- I bought 6 motion sensor plugs, plugged those into the existing outlets, then plugged the lights into that, and the garage door opener plug went into the existing outlet. Now everything works just fine, and I can walk in and out of the garage and the lights automatically turn on with motion, and the garage doors always have power. I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106IYO2K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So I just spent about a month re-doing a 36 year old garage garage from top to bottom in preparation for new garage doors being installed. The previous garage doors were manually operated when I bought the house 4 years ago, however, they did have an old broken garage door opener installed on one of the doors.

I re-did the walls, some of the ceiling, some electrical, patched holes, removed cabinets, sealed every nook and cranny, and re-did the entire floor. The day the garage doors were installed (after everything had already been re-done and painted), I realized the outlets where the openers were to be installed were switched only, and not half hot (it actually didn't even cross my mind until we installed them).

So now my new openers do not work unless the garage lights are on. I'm now looking for any possible alternatives to not have to open up the wall, run wires, etc. as it will be a complete mess.

The garage has 6 outlets on the ceiling, 3 per side. The outlets are on a two way switch, so you can turn the lights on and off in the garage from either the entrance, or the back of the garage.

Neither of the two boxes where the garage opener plugs into has a constant hot.

I've already thought about leaving the switch on 24/7, and buying 6 motion adapters to plug the lights into, but IMO it's expensive long-term as it's possible they'll eventually fail, have issues with turning the lights on, issues with lights going on in the middle of the night from bugs, etc.

So, what are my options?

One option, would be to install a new electrical circuit in the panel, and run it up to the ceiling in surface mounted conduit.


Respirator for spray varnish on oil paints! I am a beginner artist, and I have just painted an artwork using Winsor & Newton water Mixable oil color paintings with a brush. Yet I didn’t wear a respirator since I didn’t know about it.

However, for next time do I need to wear a respirator for oil paints, acrylic paint or water paints!? And what type of respirator and filters should I use!?

Other question, is that I want to finish my artwork with a Pebeo spray varnish ( Pebeo satin finish picture varnish) for oil colors. As it mentioned on the label it has a harmful ingredients!

Will the respirator protect me 100% from harmful ingredients! If so,
What respirator and filter should I use while using spray varnish on my oil artwork which will protect me from those harmful chemicals and protect my eyes as well if possible!

Please help me to choose the right respirator and filter!
And please may I know how often to change the filter and the respirator and how to store it!?
Does the respirator or filter has any health risks!

Note: I have used water mixable oil paint to avoid harmful mediums.

If you have any recommendations of less harmful varnish (spray or with a brush) Or if there is other natural mediums products which more safer, I would love to know about and I appreciate your help!

Sorry for the long writing, I know I have mentioned many questions but am a bit scared of harmful chemicals and really make my health in the first priority, I would really appreciate the help of the other artists knowledge and experience in any questions I just asked!

Thank you,,,

I have several different types , it depends on the job, the longer the job the better quality you want. I use for example painting a meat locker with an alcohol based paint I was expecting 6 hours so I paid more for a brand that had a lower resistance (work of breathing) that took all the nastys out. And similar with high VOC paints, their are times we need the really nasty paints (I say nasty because what they do to the body until cured). I am a big guy so I need a large frame mask, for a high quality mask there is really not a one size fits all. on my best mask I was professionally fit for size , they break a vile containing banana oil? I think it was because we can detect it at small amounts and found I needed a large even though I thought a medium fit well. You probably won’t need an air supplied version but I know a couple of people that work with toxic gasses that use fresh air pumps because it ends up being cheaper than regularly replacing filters, many filters expire x hours after they are opened, some allow for a total exposure time. So these things need to be considered in your choice also but start with the paint name and MFG SDS then make your decision based on that.
I added the additional information on size because I thought I was a medium until being professionally fit , a quick test is to seal the cartridge hole and breathe in then hold your breath and see if the mask leaks air and expands it is not comfortable to do this but it was one of the quick checks before using the banana oil.
I hope this helps.


Pair of 12/3 wires in outlet box showing neutral-ground voltage Just bought a house, doing some remodel work in the kitchen. The home was built in 1969, so I'm pigtailing a lot of aluminum wiring terminations with alumiconn connectors. Pulled out a receptacle and discovered the wire configuration shown in the attached diagram. I tested the voltage with my multimeter, and am not sure what to make of the readings (also included in the attached diagram).

The wires do feed other receptacles downstream, but I disconnected all the receptacles and wirenutted all the wires. The multimeter readings in the diagram are with no load on the circuit.

Any idea what's going on, or advice about how to proceed?

Harper is right about trace voltages on disconnected wires it could be anything causing inductance in the wires, but there are few things that concern me.

Aluminum wiring: One of the big problems with aluminum branch wiring is that is has a tendency to loosen up on connections and burn back from the connection point. Then you will be getting weird voltage readings like 57.7 volts. But I don't think this is the case where you have a red and a black reading the same voltage more than likely they have no power connected to them and should be reconnected to the other red and black with 128.4 volts.

You didn't mention if everything was working before you started your pigtail. When you start taking things apart you can start finding things like you have mentioned and we get caught up in chasing ghosts.

Instead of trying to determine each problem as you go along, I would complete the pigtailing first. Then go through and turn everything on and check to see if there are any problems. Look for strange things like a 1 or 2 volt drop between two receptacles that are only say 12' apart. That would indicate a loose connection somewhere. Lights dimming when you turn something on and the circuits are not related. That would indicate a loose or broken neutral. You television only comes on when the dryer is running (true story). Also broken neutral.

Then if you find something acting up you can identify the physical problem and location. Then if you post that problem we can be proactive and not so speculative.


How can I help pantry cabinets stay cool? My pantry doesn't have air conditioning, and recently I noticed (using a cheap wall-mounted liquid thermometer) that the pantry itself got up to 85°f degrees (it was >100°f outdoors). I don't know what temperature it got within the cabinets, but it got high enough to melt some home-made lard.

I'm guessing the fluctuating heat in there isn't good for long-term food storage. Is there something I can do that'll magically make the cabinets cooler than the rest of the room? Maybe some kind of insulating interior liner, or a special interior paint? The cabinet doors aren't airtight.

Currently they are regular kitchen cabinetry, though I coincidentally am tearing out those cabinets and putting in home-made floor to ceiling cabinets next month (mostly so I can re-purpose the kitchen cabinets in the kitchen itself), so if the "fix" happens to require more intensive work on the cabinets, well, now's the perfect time.

(I wanted to tag this question 'pantry' but that tag isn't available and I lack the rep to create it)

There is no magic; you are fighting thermodynamics.

You may be able to cool individual containers somewhat by wrapping damp cloth around them so evaporation takes away some of the heat. You could arrange some sort of drip or pump to keep those moist, and a fan to improve the evaporation and heat removal... And you'd basically have reinvented the "swamp cooler".

Or you could insulate thoroughly and reinvent the icebox (assuming you have a source for ice). Or insulate and run an air conditioner, reinventing the refrigerator.


Cant I just use a 24v wall instead of a tranformer? I can just use a 24v wall transformer that I have plugged into my sprinkler system and use that in place of the transformer on my electric Central coleman furnace right?  I would connect the hot line to R thermastat wire then wire the other wires to the common wire.  If the transformer is in the unit is reducing the 120v to 24v then the wall outlet plug is essentially do the same thing.

If it is a match - 24/vac and rated for the necessary amperage and duty cycle - it will run the controls.  However the furnace manufacturer's / local code requirements will probably demand a permanently wired unit.


Handling electrical inside a galvanized pipe gazebo I am constructing a gazebo on my flat roof deck out of 2" galvanized metal pipes and joints. I would like to attach a light fixture on one of the upper pipes. Can I pull electrical through the galvanized structure itself treating it as a large conduit? If so, at any point do I need to attach grounding screws or take any other measure to ensure I am following proper electrical practices? I am obtaining power through a plastic conduit protruding out of the roof which will feed directly in through the bottom of one of the riser posts.
Thanks in advance.

It is not legal to use standard pipe as a wireway.
Standard pipe has a ridge that can cut the insulation.
If another code compliant wire way like flex is run inside the larger pipe that is code compliant (I use metal clad or MC cables in cases like this).
Any metal parts that may become energized require grounding so yes this framework with power will require grounding.


Should 24" deck joist spacing be reduced to 16"? I just tore off the old decking from my cabin's deck.  The joists are set 24" on center as opposed to the 16" on center that were in the specs.  Should I take all the joists out and replace all of them, or add a new joist between each existing joist?  The deck is about 12 years old and some of the joists have to be replaced due to rot.

The wider spacing is less rigid, you may feel a little flex as you walk. I do not like the flex so I used 16" centers. Also , if you use 2 X decking instead of the recommended 5/4"decking, it will be more rigid and last longer. My 2X decking is 20+ years old in good shape in a warm ,wet location; I have replaced about 5% because of rot ( under planters).


How do I stop water from getting into floor vent? We have a heating vent located on the floor close to a shower. Occasionally when the floor gets wet it can act like a drain and it causes issues on the ceiling of the floor below.
I could use caulk to permanently seal the vent cover to the floor but I don’t want to do something permanent like that.
What are some other options?

A splash guard at the corner of the tub may be enough:

(image from Google)
They're inexpensive, and easy to install.


Why exactly is WD-40 not a true lubricant? According to this answer WD-40 is not a true lubricant. I don't get it - even Wikipedia says

  The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile, viscous oil which remains on the surface, providing lubrication and protection from moisture.

which sounds quite solid.

What exactly does WD-40 lack that prevents it from being a true lubricant?

WD-40 is composed of many different chemicals, and only about 10-20% of these are lubricants.  Even then this small amount is only a very light mineral lubricant.  Most of the other components are intended to help penetration, but are volatile and are intended to evaporate.

WD-40 does provide some longer term lubrication, but the problem is that the volatile components will dissolve and displace whatever lubricant already existed (e.g. grease), and then the majority of the WD-40 will evaporate.  So really it should not be used on anything that requires propper lubrication (or at least, a proper lubricant should be added again some time after using WD)


Can I install laminate next to tile without using T-moulding? I'm installing laminate flooring in a bedroom next to a tiled hallway. I'm planning to have a standard expansion gap all the way around the room, but I'm stuck on how to do the doorway. I know the standard approach is to use T-moulding,  but whoever did the original floors in my house just used a thin metal divider between the engineered hardwood floors and the tile. I'd like to be able to install the laminate the same way without a gap for just the length of the doorway. The room is 10' x 11'. Am I going to run into problems?

I haven't noticed any expansion issues with the engineered hardwood floors, and they seem to be blocked in on several sides by these transitions. The living room has a 17' wide section with no expansion gap between doorways on either side. If it matters, the house is on a slab.

Manufacturers require expansion around the entire perimeter of your floating floor. Depends on whether or not you want to maintain your warranty. If you don't care, fly at er. You may or may not end up with issues. Depending on the height of the tile, I like to use an Edge Mold which butts up to the tile instead of overlapping it. It still overlaps the laminate, offering a warranty approved solution. Last week I had to deny a warranty claim by a builder who butted all his floating engineered hardwood tight to tile. The flooring started to squeak a couple months after completion. Badly.  Sorry "builder". He was out a substantial sum. Your 10x11 room may survive unscathed.


How effective is a heat pump for AC and a heat pump/furnace for heating in New England? We currently have a central AC unit and oil furnace. The AC is broken and the furnace is old, so we are thinking of replacing both sometime in the next year.

We are considering replacing the AC with a heat pump and the oil furnace with a gas furnace in the hopes that the gas company will bring a line down our street from the main road sometime before the furnace needs to be replaced.

From my understanding, the heat pump could also be used to heat the house up to a certain point in the winter.

I don't know a whole lot about heat pumps, so I'm wondering how effective a heat pump would be at cooling and heating the house (currently just the first floor, about 800 sq ft, and basement), both in terms of cost effectiveness and actual comfort level of the house. Should a pump be able to cool our house on 100+ degree days to, say, 70-75 degrees? Will it be able to get our house warm enough in the winter in a reasonable amount of time?

I'm told the units will somehow be set so that the furnace kicks in automatically when needed, but I'm wondering how that is actually determined. I don't want to be sitting in a cold house for hours waiting for the furnace to realize the heat pump isn't going to do the job.

I've also heard the pump is cheaper for heating, but I am wondering about the specifics. How much cheaper would a heat pump be to run? Both run on electricity to some extent, but does the heat pump use more electricity to warm the house than the furnace, and, if so, is it enough to make up for the cost difference?

Any other pros/cons I should be thinking about?

You don't have to worry about a heat pump being inadequate for cooling tasks, they are available in a large range of sizes. For really large buildings, they can be ganged together. 800 sf is a walk in the park for residential sized units.

I don't know the specifics of what determines when the backup furnace kicks in. IIRC, it is the combination of a lower thermostat set point and the outside temperature. It kicks on when the pump is not keeping up or it's too cold for it to run efficiently. I can assure you you will not be sitting for hours waiting for backup heat. No customer would sit still for such a system.

While it is true that heat pump heat is free, you are just paying to move it around, if you've had heat wave cooling bills before, you know moving heat around is far from cheap. Only a careful analysis of the various options, considering both operational and installation costs, as well as life cycle replacement, can you make a proper decision about which system is most cost effective. The correct solution will vary by small changes in energy costs and climate.

In cold climates, a ground heat source system should at least be considered because it will reduce or eliminate the need for backup heat. If you are concerned about your carbon footprint, do not forget most electricity generated in the US is by burning fossil fuels. Your footprint from using a heat pump will vary greatly depending on where your local power is coming from. Heat pumps make a lot of sense for many people, especially if they are investing in cooling equipment anyway. But everyone's situation is unique, so the best solution can be arrived at only after careful rational analysis of all the factors.


Contractor cut joist hangers to make them fit (edited with additional info re. header)

We are removing a couple of load bearing walls as part of renos in our home. The engineer specified a W8x21steel beam to replace the load bearing wall. The floor joists are 2x10.

It appears the contractor put the bolts into the "header" (not sure if that is the right term) in the wrong place (not enough space between bolt and joist). He then cut some of the joist hangers to make them fit. This has been done in at least 4 out of the 10 hangers that he has installed.

Also, he used 2 1/2" layers of plywood plus a 2x8 as a header in the flange of the steel beam (see picture below)

Questions:

Has the integrity of the hanger been compromised by him cutting out part of the material?
The hangers he used are Simpson Strong Tie LUS210Z. Are these the correct hangers to use in this application since the beam is shorter than the joist by 2" and the lowest nail barely goes into the wooden
The contractor has used N10dhdg Simpson nails (.148" x 1 1/2"). Are these the right nails to use? The Simpson website specifies that common 10d nails (.148" x 3") are used with this hanger.
Is the use of plywood + 2x8 as the header acceptable or should this be replaced with a single 3x10 cut to size?  Should we use 2 1/2"  nails into the header?

Per the simpson website
https://www.strongtie.com/facemounthangersssl_solidsawnlumberconnector/lus-hus-hhus-hgus_productgroup_wcc/p/lus.hus.hhus.hgus

"With 3x carrying members, use 0.162" x 2 1/2" nails into the header and 0.162" x 3 1/2" nails into the joist with no load reduction.
With 2x carrying members, use 0.148" x 1 1/2" nails into the header and 0.148" x 3" nails into the joist, reduce the load to 0.64 of the table value."

Is this ok and if not any suggestions on how it can be corrected?

Thanks!
Added view of header inserted into i-beam

No, it’s not acceptable to cut the joist hangers.

In order to determine if they are acceptable anyway, there are several issues to review: 1) hangers are notched, 2) incomplete nailing, 3) wrong nails, 4) wrong install of fasteners (angled install in lieu of perpendicular to joist installation).

1) Notching the hangers voids the allowable stresses published by the manufacturer for each hanger. However, if the hanger is not stressed to its maximum allowed, the engineer can review and determine if it meets the “intent”.

2) 3) and 4) Published allowable stress values are determined by installing the hanger in the proper manner, as per the manufacturer’s installation instructions. When the fasteners are not correct, missing or improperly installed, then the designer will need to make a determination that they meet the required design loads.

If you have a Building Permit, I’m sure the Building Official will want the designer to provide “certification” that the installation is acceptable. If it’s not acceptable, it will need to be re-done.

So, if the correct wood ledger was used and it’s impossible to comply with the drawings, the engineer will need to redesign...and pay to have it done correctly. You can see that the engineer will do everything possible to accept the lack of nailing fully into the ledger/beam...but will probably want the hanger replaced (at the contractor’s expense).

It’s important to you to get this corrected or have the engineer provide the certification, because if there’s a problem in the future, they’ll both point the finger at each other and you’ll be in court forever.


Does age of asphalt shingles affect their resistance to hail damage? 25 year old house;we have had two roof replacements because of hail damage. The insurance paid for both replacements so apparently they were really damaged. The present roof was put on in 2013. We had hail 2 days ago and the contractors are coming around offering roof inspections.  I am concerned that the OSB roof decking may not tolerate a fourth roof ; The last time a few bits of wood came up with the nails. I am hoping the newer shingles survived the "not so bad "hail. The hail damage can be relatively localized. For the other 2 storms , houses one and a half miles away from me did not need roofs. This time ,rumor is that roofs 3 miles away were damaged.

Yes, to a degree.  Older shingles have lost much of their resilience and coating and what's left can often break easier or get knocked off easier.

New shingles can be damaged by hail but older ones are much more vulnerable.

You also don't know exactly what type of hail fell on your roof vs. one just down the street.  Hail can vary a lot in a very short distance.

The best thing you can do for your specific case is either to inspect the roof yourself of call in a reputable roofing contractor for an inspection.  I would NEVER trust someone who comes uninvited wanting to look at my roof.  Usually they are scammers!

You are correct, however, in that there is a limited lifetime and nailing capacity for roof decking.  If you've really had 3 roofs installed already you got your money's worth and it may need to be replaced.


Do I need to have receptacles that I added tested before selling my home? In my house in Cambridgeshire England I added 2 sockets to front room and bedroom the sockets was added into the ring main. This was done 10 years ago.

Now that I am selling my house, do I need to get the sockets checked or get and electrical test done? Do I need to notify the buyers of this?

Unless the regulations have changed in the two years since I last sold a house...

No, the work you describe - provided it is indoors - is too minor to require certification.

The buyer's surveyor may make a comment in his survey report that the wiring hasn't been tested for at least 10 years.  That might also appear in the legal Seller's Pack.  This could result in the buyer requesting a test, but that is down to them.

My understanding is that Scottish law is different.


Installing wall mount light fixture - what to do with ground wire I am installing a wall mounted light fixture.  The fixture can either be plugged into a wall outlet or hardwired into an outlet. I am choosing to plug the fixture into a wall outlet.  In addition to the cord/plug, there is a ground wire on the fixture.

I get what to do with the ground wire if the fixture was going to be hardwired, but this is not what I'm planning to do.   So what do I do with the ground wire.  The installation instructions only address the ground wire in the context of hardwiring.  Can I leave the ground wire as it is, can I cut it off?

I would simply coil it up neatly and not cut it off.   Who knows, you might decide to install it "wired" sometime down the road.

Your plug being 2-prong (no ground), I would still be tempted to ground it.


Where can I find estimates for BTU , EER or COP of very old air conditioners? (from the 1990's) We have a very old (20-25 years old) window ac unit in the living room and I'm trying to figure out how efficient it is. I can't find out the model number or any statistics about it. The manufacturer website doesn't have any info about old models either.

I can measure the KWh consumption, but that won't be of any use without a way to figure out its BTU. Any creative suggestions on how I can measure that?

Alternatively, just some historical data on window ac's from that time period, like their average COP, would be really helpful.

The 10 SEER minimum was right around that time period so it would most likely be 8 or 10 SEER. Window air conditioners at that time were listed as appliances and were not subject to testing so manufacturers could make up any numbers they wanted to. The BTU ratings would be all over the place in those days. You could take two 12000 btu air conditioners and one would cool considerably better than the other. And since EER is basically BTU/Watts then a change in the BTU would be a change in the EER. Air conditioners also loose their efficiency over time since it is a function of how it can transfer heat and the heat exchanging coils will delaminate over time. Not usually fully but there will be oxidation forming between the copper tubes and the aluminum fins.


How can I move a 500 lb wooden table top into my basement down a flight of stairs? I am planning to install a large wooden work table in my basement. The top is 10 x 4 x 3" which means it will weigh about 500 pounds.

The problem is: how do I get it into the basement? The only access to the basement is down a flight of stairs. It is a straight shot, no turns, but I still need to get it down the stairs without damaging anything, so sliding is not a good idea.

Even with 4 men, each can only lift about 100 pounds, so that is not enough strength, and I don't see how I could get more than 4 men lifting the table. In fact, going down the stairs, it would be difficult to fit more than 2 men, one at either end.

That is a big piece of wood.  There are three obvious approaches:

Get some professionals to do it.  A grand piano weighs more than that (and is more awkwardly shaped).  Professionals will have the experience and equipment to do it safely, and the indemnity insurance to pay if anything gets damaged.
Slide it gently down the stairs (possibly manufacturing a slideway out of a plank or two, or just cover the steps with blankets).  Use ropes looped around the table to restrain it, and possibly a block and tackle to reduce the load until it is manageable.  (With the block and tackle, you can probably arrange not to have anyone standing below the table as it goes down - which strikes me as desirable).
Don't try and move the top as a single element.  There is no way it can be made of a single lump of solid wood, so buy the elements separately, and assemble them at the bottom of the stairs.


What is this orange yellow substance on my wooden studs inside walls? There's some kind of orange yellowish looking substance that forms into tiny bubbles (it looks sticky, but I haven't touched it). It seems to be on my floor joists and wall studs. The house is from the 1960s. Is this something to worry about? Termites?

You are looking at tree sap. It's harmless. It's dried out so if it's gonna cause you to lose sleep at night, just scrape it off with a chisel.


What sealant to use on a hole in the interior of the house on an external wall? There's a tiny, tiny hole in an external wall that separates my living room and the outside front entryway.  This is important because I just saw a bug crawl through the hole from the outside into my home.

Actually, to describe the hole more accurately, the baseboard goes along the wall on top of my carpet.  Where it transitions from carpet to the tile for the front entryway I can see some sealant, since the baseboard is 1/4 inch off the ground b/c of the carpet.  There's a tiny hole where it transitions from the carpet to the tile.

What kind of sealant should I use to spray into the hole to fill it up and prevent bugs from entering?  Should I spray from the outside if I can find a corresponding hole outside or from the inside where I can clearly see the hole?

EDIT: Here's a photo of the hole

Attempting to seal this from the inside probably won't work. If insects are getting through, there must be a gap in the exterior sheathing or framing. Closing off that one gap under the trim won't solve the problem as the insects will find another route, such as through the carpet.

Find the opening on the outside and either repair the problem in the structure or use a combination of exterior caulk and spray foam, as needed.

You might also treat the area outside the building with an insecticide.


Question about my sewer stack situation I just purchased my first home with limited knowledge on many things. At one point my house was outside city limits (using a well and septic) and has since been annexed into the city and brought onto public utilities.

My main sewer stack is odd for me. As everything upstairs is ran into it but instead of the bottom of the stack running all the way through the basement floor, it stops about half way down the wall and exits through the exterior basement wall.

The basement looks to be some sort of hack. First off there is a kitchen and bathroom down there. Both rooms are build on a platform in the basement to raise the room and (my guess) is to run the plumbing under the floor instead of going through the basement floor. It all goes to a one point the exits on the opposite side of the sewer stack exit.

The back side of the house has a dirt road and i doubt there's any sewer there that it is tapping into. The old septic (I believe) has been collapse and it was located where the sewer exit is.

There is a square hole cut out in the back of my garage which has slightly been cemented over. Afraid to open this up and find more disasters but looks to be housing something for the basement sewer system. I don't want to open Pandora's box.

Now for the reason I am explaining this...

Next spring, I will be ripping out the entire basement and starting from scratch. Why would there be 2 sewer lines and are the both ok to use (the back one for the basement and the front for the upper level). Why doesn't the main sewer stack not run through the basement floor? And is it possible that I don't have any drain lines under the basement floor to tap into? I want to add a bathroom down there in the future but could see this being a problem.

Also additional details I forgot to add...

House is a 1 story brick ranch build in 1970. The basement in the front, where the sewer taps into the house, is underground. The back of the basement, where the sewer from the basement taps in, is above ground.

I'm clueless and just needed some insight before I got involved with something way over my head and my budget.

Here's my speculation, based on your description and my experience. It is just a theory. Do not commit any resources based on this without collecting corroborating physical evidence supporting it. A direction to investigate at least.

The main floor plumbing goes out to a septic tank. The pipes were not placed lower because there was no need, it just meant digging deeper outside. No one wants to do that without good reason.

When the city sewer was installed, the basement construction tied into it, but the old plumbing was never redirected, it remained on the septic tank. Not the best scheme and possibly illegal, but I'm not surprised someone did this.

It is highly probable there is nothing below to the basement to tie into. The sewer may not be much lower than the basement drainage exit. Anything placed lower than this will likely need to drain into an ejector pumping chamber.


What are the names of these tools? I wonder what names are for all these tools in the picture? How are they used and what are they used for?

This is a driver set.  It includes a handle (the green item), several bits (lower left) and several sockets (upper left).  The long items in the lower middle is an extender. One of the items in the bit tray is an adapter to allow the handle to accomodate the sockets.

The bits make it a multi purpose screwdriver. The sockets make it a nut driver.


Ceiling lights (fluorescent) takes too long to light My kitchen fluorescent ceiling light does not come on and another (smaller) fluorescent over sink is dim. Both come on later. Now my dishwasher won't come on. When the lights came on, the dishwasher lights came on for a few seconds. I checked the breakers, and I turned them on and off. They seems to be okay. What gives???

First, a little bit of a slow start is a good thing -- that is a better-quality ballast "soft-starting" the bulbs.  They light up pre-heaters in the ends of the bulb before striking the arc.  The best programmed-start ballasts actually measure performance, so they know to give the bulbs longer to start.  But this is not that.   To troubleshoot this:

Change the bulbs, unless you have tested the bulb good in another fixture.
look around for a "starter" and change the starter if it has one.
Replace the ballast with a modern electronic ballast.  In this case, if there's a starter, it will be bypassed.  You can leave it in place to avoid an ugly hole.

Far better to get an LED "tube" which fits in the fixture you have.  I recommend getting "direct wire" LED tubes, in which you rewire your fixture to bypass the ballast.  (Don't use "ballast ready" or "drop in" types, because they require you to keep the ballast in the fixture, and it must be working, and it must be a very particular type 0 which is more trouble than it's worth.)


Does this foundation wall crack justify immediate corrective action? I just inspected the interior foundation walls in my 1920s house and found this horizontal crack behind a closet. At the widest part, the crack is about 1.5 cm. There is what seems to be an intentional bevel in the wall right above where the crack is (above that, the wall is masonry blocks, a little thinner than below, hence the bevel). Also, the lower part of the wall is out of plumb. The gas main runs vertically along it. At the bottom, there is 6 cm between the gas main. At the middle where the crack is, there is old parge coat that dried while contacting both the gas main and the wall, which makes it seem it has been this way for some time.

I am not sure if the crack has grown or shifted. I bought the house a couple of years ago. I marked and dated the ends of the crack and drew perpendicular lines across it so that I can check it for any changes in the future.

Is this serious enough to take some kind of action now, or should I just keep monitoring it?

Update 5/31/17
Here's a piece that easily chipped off, showing the layers in more detail.

I'm not sure if that chip is just part of the parge coat or if it contains part of the foundation itself. I started to remove the parge coat, but I wasn't sure if I should keep going.

Update 6/4/17

I chiseled away at the parge coat. I started in the wide horizontal crack and chiseled up to where the masonry blocks were (below that, the foundation wall is concrete). I revealed a section that exposed the masonry block.

I chiseled down again from there. I used a small pry bar and wedged one end of it down underneath the parge coat, with the tip flush with the masonry block. When I pried it out, it pulled off two large sections of parge coat that were bonded with what seemed to be the concrete. It pulled off some large stones and revealed some gaps in the concrete that went farther toward the outside of the house than the masonry block.

Here are some profile shots showing the depth of the gaps in the concrete that resulted.

.

Also, I carefully chiseled the parge coat behind the gas main, which had been bonding the gas main to the foundation wall, and I found that when I created a gap between the gas main and the foundation wall, the gas main sprung back toward the wall about .5 - 1 centimeter, indicating that the gas main had been pushed in a bit from the wall.

From the looks of it, you live in an old house.  From the pictures and your description,  you have a stone foundation with brick walls.  Where the wall narrows is where the brick sits on the stone.  The walls in the basement(stone and brick) were parged.   It looks like you have a superficial crack in the parge coat.  I would scrap all the loose material off, and repaint with a thick paint intended for basement walls.


Is there any easy way to mount multiple single gang low voltage panels in a multi-gang box? So, a combination of AT&T, Comcast, and the previous owner of my house and made an absolute mess out of the area I'm wanting to use as the network hub of my house. There are five outlets, one for AT&T's modem (it's branded), one for Comcast's modem (the previous owner went with comcast), two for network connections, and one for power. None of them are spaced evenly, and the plates are all different colors.

I have access to the back of the wall, and am considering a single gang box for the outlet, and one large multigang box for all the lower voltage connections. The problem is, these others are of course all single gang plates, so they won't fit well into a multigang box. Googling reveals no quick and easy cutting method. I'm considering a few possibilities of how to make this work, but was wondering if there was a tried and true method that anyone knew of before I head into uncharted waters. Anyone have any ideas?

Standard approach is to use "Keystone jacks" (for whatever type of wire connection - there are all sorts.) and slot them into a plate that takes them (up to 6 will go in a single-gang box, with the right cover, double-width with 12 holes are common, 1, 2 or 4 for a single-gang is also common.)

A picture (or several) would help to inform further.

Presumably you have 2X Cat5e or Cat6 (house network), one coaxial cable connection (Comcast), and one phone line connection, given your described service providers and assuming that "AT&T's modem" is a DSL so that it would be connected to a phone line. If that's not the case, there are probably still keystone jacks for whatever you have - you may even have some keystone jacks in single-port plates that could just be moved to a multi-port plate.


Is a toilet drain permitted to run through I Joists? It was suggested by a plumber, but is it common practice? The I joists are 11 7/8" but a 3.5 or 4" toilet drain line seems like a large hole to be cutting even if it's in the middle of the joist's depth.

Yes, this is common. The load in any joist is carried in the top and bottom surfaces (the flanges) of the joist. That's why I beams/I joists work. The thinner web between the flanges basically serves to keep the flanges at the same distance from each other. There is no load in the center of the web. Thus, the center of the beam does not need to be the same width as the flanges.

The manufacturer of your I joists has a guide for cutting holes in the joist, indicating how big the holes can be, where the holes can be located and how close to each other and to the ends of the joists the holes can be. I included an example below, but of course you should get the guide or template for your specific brand of joist.

Never notch the top or bottom flange of a prefabricated joist. If you do, you will compromise the joist.