Should we vent our attic for new polyurethane closed-cell spray foam insulation? We already installed Quadfoam 2.0, a "two-component, 2 lb., closed cell, spray applied, rigid polyurethane foam system" under the roof of our house, between the rafters.  We read the manufacturers product safety documentation and it appears that the final product is safe, although the individual components have issues.  We did not notice any respiratory symptoms spending time at the house, and by visual inspection the material appears to have been installed correctly. On the other hand, the EPA assessment of the material is not completely reassuring, because they say that, "The potential for off-gassing of volatile chemicals from spray polyurethane foam is not fully understood and is an area where more research is needed." (see http://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/potential-chemical-exposures-spray-polyurethane-foam#long-term). There is also a scary post on Treehugger.com about people ruining their houses. http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/losing-their-health-and-homes-spray-polyurthane-foam.html

If we had done this research before installing the product we probably would have used another material, but now that it is in place we are wondering

Is it fine to keep the insulation in place, and perhaps install some attic venting so that if any minor off-gassing does occur it will not make its way into the living areas of the home?
If we want to get rid of it, can we just scrape it off the rafters and roof sheathing and replace the ducts and wires that it is sprayed to, or will this leave a residue of possible toxins, so that the only solution is to replace the entire roof?

A couple of years later...Just want to put some information up here in case other people have doubts about the product. We had the house tested by an environmental consultant and they convinced us that there was Zero off-gassing from the foam. And the house is insulated amazingly well. So I would say that it was a good product and would recommend it. The caveat is that if it is improperly installed it can really be a mess, because there are truly nasty chemicals present in the two components that are sprayed separately to create the final product. If the intended reaction does not occur between the two components when they are sprayed into your house there can be off-gassing which could make the house uninhabitable. I think that this very rarely happens, but make sure that your installer really knows what they are doing, because the risk is there! Also, make sure that you stay out of the house when the foam is curing, because otherwise you could develop a sensitivity to the chemicals that are present which would exacerbate any problems due to off-gassing. This is a danger for installers more than homeowners.
A couple of other points: The insulation is so effective that in California, if you spray the underside of your roof then the attic is considered "conditioned space", so it would not be vented like a normal attic, and it would also not be separated from the rest of the house by any kind of vapor barrier. Also, my idea of scraping the finished spray foam out is Impractical and not a solution if there is off-gassing. Whenever you mess with the spray foam you are exposing uncured areas and so if there's a problem with off-gassing it would make it worse.

All right. As soon as you see a headline beginning with "Losing Their Health and Homes to..." you should know that last thing the author has in mind is making your life better. The article is nothing more than atrocious clickbait. Do not make fundamental changes in your life or your home based on what somebody wrote purely to sell internet advertising.

Now, the EPA article can be trusted. But Margaret Badore, the author of "Losing Their Health...", is citing it in support of her super scary thesis. Does the EPA article actually say that SPF in your home is dangerous? It does not. Does the EPA article say you should be worried about SPF in you home? It does not. What it says is that the EPA is not absolutely certain that SPF poses no long-term danger.

In other news, the EPA is also not absolutely certain that composition decking, gas water heaters, iron nails, and NEST thermostats pose no long-term danger. Citing this EPA article in support of the long-term dangers of SPF is a pure and simple lie.

Badore gives the following evidence that SPF can cause health problems:

  [Mr. Rimel] came down with respiratory symptoms [after visiting] the
  construction site of their new home where a contractor was installing
  spray polyurethane foam insulation.

and:

  A couple in their 30's returned to their home four hours after spray
  foam was installed in the attic [and] almost immediately began
  experiencing difficult breathing, coughing, nausea, headaches and
  watery eyes.

Really. More than half of the text in the EPA article consists of every kind of warning against doing either one of these incredibly stupid things. Meanwhile Badore completely ignores the tens of millions of families happily occupying SPF-insulated homes with no ill health effects whatsoever.

The remainder of the EPA page is divided between (1) we don't know about the long-term effects and (2) removing the stuff usually makes the problem worse.

And the Rimels? Well, they searched out a company to test the site and guarantee its safety. Predictably, the testing company basically condemned the property. The Rimels panicked and removed the foam. It didn't help. The partially finished house had become haunted, for the Rimels and for anyone else who read the super scary test results.

  After months of being unable to find a satisfactory solution, they
  sold the property.

Don't be like the Rimels.


What type and thickness of glass to use for floor over stairs? We have created a new loft room and over the already built stairs, the covering over the deepest part of the stairs is a plywood covering.  I would like to replace this with glass that will be tough and strong enough to stand on.

For this purpose should I use a special type of glass, if so which?
Also what would be the recommended thickness of glass to use? This will not be a regular thoroughfare just needs to take the weight of a person.
The last question is how should this be mounted, with glue/silicone/putty or screwed/bolted to a wooden frame?

Not sure where you want to put the glass. Landing? Tread? What span is it between studs? 16"?
You are probably looking at a 3/4" laminated tempered glass.  Your best bet would be to call your local glass shop.  They will know what the best product at the best price would be.


How to fix a minor leak in situ I have an Intex swimming pool and there is a minor leak at the outlet/strainer grid as petroleum jelly was not applied during installation.
The obvious solution is to drain, rectify and re-fill, but this is difficult as it equates to about 1,000 gallons of water into my garden which is likely to affect the foundations which would be a disaster!
I'm hoping to find a method that can be done now - something like wrapping ptfe tape around the fitting - as a temporary measure.
Any suggestions would be welcome.

Please bear in mind, I know the long-term answer is to drain and repair.
Thanks in advance

Hire a water tank truck. Some pool supply stores have them; or depending on the state of your community you might be able to strike a deal with the fire department, subject to no fires happening at the time. Park the (empty) truck, pump the water into it, fix the outlet, pump the water back into the pool. The fire department may be able to treat it as a training exercise; in other cases they are simply happy to help, and in yet others they will not help; it varies with the community. In several places I have lived they are the default pool fill service, and it also means they know where to grab a few thousand gallons of water in a hurry  when there are no fire hydrants in the area...

Depending on how good you are at breath-hold diving or whether you know someone with scuba gear, you might also try applying your appropriate type of grease around the outlet from inside the pool. Taping outside seems unlikely to work, IME.

Thinking it through a bit further, (if it's a bottom drain) find/buy a small innertube. Take a 5-7 gallon (20-30l) bucket and try to find a tube just a bit smaller than the bottom of the bucket (assuming the bucket is larger than the drain - otherwise you'll need to upscale the bucket.) To reduce hilarity, remove the valve-stem and fill the tube with water, then replace the valve-stem. Put rocks or bricks in the bucket. Place the innertube around the drain and the bucket on top of it. Drain some water and see if it seals.


What is the Pressure Number (PN) of Shedule 40 and Schedule 80 PVC Pipe? Does anybody know the pressure number (PN) of schedule 40 and schedule 80 PVC pipe commonly sold in the United States and Canada?

The PVC in my part of the world is classified by PN number, and I'd like to know which PN number is ideal for DWV applications.

I'm interested in finding out the pressure number that is equivalent to schedule 40 PVC. We'll be using 5 cm, 8 cm, 11 cm and 16 cm diameter pipes for DWV applications. Also, our climate is subtropical (i.e. warm) and the temperature does not go below freezing.

Schedule 40 PVC has a pressure rating of 120 psi to 810 psi, depending on pipe size, and temperature.

At 73°F the pressures are as follows:

2" = 280 psi
3" = 260 psi
4" = 220 psi
6" = 180 psi

Then as the temperature increases, you'll derate the values as such:

80°F - 88%
90°F - 75%
100°F - 62%
110°F - 51%
120°F - 40%
130°F - 31%
140°F - 22%

-Source

Schedule 80 PVC has a pressure rating of 210 psi to 1230 psi, depending on pipe size, and temperature.

At 73°F the pressures are as follows:

2" = 400 psi
3" = 370 psi
4" = 320 psi
6" = 280 psi

Then as the temperature increases, you'll derate the values as listed above.

-Source

Pressure depends on temperature, size, and schedule.


Is there a motion sensor light switch that does not need ground? My house was built in early 1950's and all electrical switches do not have a ground.
This was found out with an electrician when I asked them to install Lutron Maestro, but it would not power on since there was no ground to connect it to.

His suggestion was to find a motion sensing light switch that did not need ground, but he could not make a recommendation off-hand.

Do motion sensing light switches that do not require ground exist? Or do I have to build/rig them somehow. Unfortunately, due to cost, I cannot afford to add ground wires to the areas of the house that I need these at.

EDIT
The electrician connected the Meastro unit then attempted to turn it on. Pressing the button or moving in front of the sensor did not turn it on. He also attempted to connect the unit's ground to either neutral or hot, but did not work either (I can't recall which). Guess I have to spend the loot and run ground wire :(

Occupancy sensors, timers, dimmers, and other "smart" switches often are required to be independently powered. If you look at this diagram from the devices documentation (PDF), you'll see that there are three ways this requirement is achieved.

Neutral Wire Required
The first method, is to simply require a neural wire.  In this configuration, the device draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor and grounded (neutral) conductor. It also has a separate switched conductor, that it uses to control the load.
This setup would be wired like this...

Minimum Load Required
This method draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the switched conductor.  So the device is actually in line with the load.
This setup is wired like this...

Ground Wire Required
This method draws power using the ungrounded (hot) conductor, and the grounding conductor.  It's wired similar to the Neutral Required devices, however, it uses the grounding conductor instead of the grounded conductor.  This means that there will be a small amount of current on the grounding conductor, and that the grounding conductor is required for the device to operate.
This setup would be wired like this...

Notice there's a bare, and green wire connected to ground in this diagram.

tl;dr
Your device
The device you're using (MS-OPS5M-XX) requires a ground to operate, according to the documentation.
Solutions
Install grounding conductors
One solution, would be to install a grounding conductor with this circuit. This will likely require quite a bit of work, and might be quite costly.
Install a grounded conductor
It may be possible to extend a grounded (neutral) conductor from the light to the switch box, which could then be used to power the device. In this case you'd have to purchase a different device (one that requires a neutral rather than a ground).


Bonding gas piping, flexible CSST in conjuction with Iron pipe I recently became aware of the need to bond a gas distribution containing yellow CSST flexible pipe. (TracPipe FGP SS4 750 5 PSI FUEL It has a yellow jacket)
When our propane system was converted to natural gas the contractor used a combination of existing iron pipe and yellow CSST pipe.  The current system starts with 50 feet of CSST pipe at the meter connected to a short iron pipe manifold near the furnace.  A second separate 20 foot section of CSST pipe runs from the manifold to a section of iron pipe serving the water heater.  The manifold also feeds the furnace with iron pipe and the fire place with another section of CSST pipe.
The meter is on the opposite side of house from the  electrical entrance and the electrical panel.
I see no attempt to bond/ground the gas piping.
It looks like there may be a dielectric union on the house side of the gas meter but I have not verified that the house is isolated electrically from the meter.
My questions are:

What is the proper way to bond such a mixture of CSST and iron pipe?

Does anything need to be done to insure that the three runs of CSST meeting at the iron manifold are electrically connected?

Can the system be bonded at the meter to a ground rod?
Can the system be bonded to the electrical panel from the iron pipe serving the water heater?

I hope to find a knowledgeable contractor to do this work but I want to understand what needs to be done.

The furnace already has bonded the gas system...just not well enough for CSST purposes
In your current setup, the gas piping (both CSST and black iron) is bonded to the electrical system via the equipment grounding conductor of the furnace.  This is typical practice for black-iron systems, but isn't good enough for CSST, which needs a much lower resistance path to the rest of the grounding and bonding system to keep excessive amounts of lightning energy from flowing on the CSST, creating arcs and pinholes as it goes.
In particular, you need to run a 6AWG copper wire from a grounding clamp on the black iron (preferably on the manifold, or on the black iron run to the furnace if that isn't possible) to some point on the grounding electrode conductor system that is within 75' of the bonding point. This is set out in IRC G2411.2.1 thru 2.3 (aka IFGC 310.2.1 thru 2.3):

G2411.2.1 (310.2.1)Point of connection.
The bonding jumper shall connect to a metallic pipe, pipe fitting, or CSST fitting.
G2411.2.2 (310.2.2)Size and material of jumper.
The bonding jumper shall not be smaller than 6AWG copper wire or equivalent.
G2411.2.3 (310.2.3)Bonding jumper length.
The length of the bonding jumper between the connection to a gas piping system and the connection to a grounding electrode system shall not exceed 75 feet (22 860mm).  Any additional grounding electrodes installed to meet this requirement shall be bonded to the electrical service grounding electrode system, or where installed, the lightning protection grounding electrode system.

Parts-wise, you can use any ordinary pipe grounding clamp to attach the wire to the pipe, and a split-bolt or lay-in T-tap (Ilsco GTT-2-2 or equivalent) will work for attaching the bonding wire to the grounding electrode conductor.


How can I disconnect my water line from the toilet? I'm trying to replace the bits inside my toilet. The water supply line is stuck where it goes into the toilet, The plastic connector seems "glued" to the fill valve assembly.

How can I get it off?

If the line is made from solid copper (often chrome plated), it sometimes has a bit of tension in it, making it appear to be stuck to the fixture.    Try gently pushing it in different directions while pulling down.

If the line is a flex line, it may be stuck with a bit of mineral buildup; try gently wiggling it back and forth.

If you're not comfortable with the amount of force needed, it may be too much.   Consider calling a pro rather than breaking something.


Why would these wires be stored this way? My house was built in the 1920’s. My living room only has two wall sconces until I found two additional hookups within the plaster walls. I have tested them with an old light fixture and they turn on with the same living room switch. Why would they store them in the wall like this?

It looks like they used cloth tape and then hooked them together with lower gauge wire below.

It's certainly not appropriate nor legal to bury a junction box inside a wall. That should never have been done.

I agree with JACK that this looks like pretty normal chain wiring: one of the larger wires comes from supply and the other one goes onward to other lamps. The smaller wires were pigtails to a former lamp which is now gone.

I don't know what the story is with the two splices in the foreground.  I assume those were once possibly soldered? But otherwise, competently executed friction-tape splices.  If they still look in good condition, you could continue them in service.  Otherwise you may need to remove all the friction tape and vinyl whatever-that-is, and put wire nuts there.  If it's soldered you are probably better off just re-wrapping it.

If you want to put a lamp there, you can add the lamp's wires to the bundles if you wire-nutted it, otherwise pigtail the lamp's wires to the existing pigtails.

Otherwise put the wires back into the junction box and cover it with a blank cover plate.


NEMA 14-30 outlet Installation question I need to install a NEMA 14-30 outlet in my garage. It will be installed within 2 to 3 feet of the breaker box. My question is for esthetics. Can I run the wire from the bottom of the box through a pipe over the wall and install the box below the panel or do I need to run the wire up through the ceiling and then come down to install at a particular height? Where would you run the wire and install the outlet for a professional looking job?

Thanks in advance for your input.

UPDATE: Thanks for all the input. Ive decided to go with a NEMA 14-30 on a 30 amp breaker and 10/3 wire. Everything went well.

Conduit
Any wires below a certain height need to be protected. In a typical wood studs + drywall setup, that can be running the wires inside the wall, protected with metal plates in certain locations. However, with a block wall you will run the wires outside the wall, which means running the wires through conduit. Once you are using conduit, you can run the wires pretty much any way you want to, as the conduit protects the wires wherever they go. A few things to keep in mind:

You definitely want to use individual wires, not cable, as that will be much easier to push through conduit.
There are limits on how many turns in a section of conduit. That makes it easier to pull wires through, but is less of a concern with a very short run - but you do have to follow the rules.
If you are using this for an electric car charger, you may want to upsize for a future larger charger. The breaker and receptacle need to be sized to match each other and to match the specifications of the charger. The wire can be larger to support a larger charger in the future. On the other hand, since you will be using conduit, you can always replace the wires later relatively easily.
You may need GFCI protection. In this case (unlike 5-15 and 5-20), the breaker is the place to do it. As noted in comments by others, it looks like GFCI is a requirement in a garage only for < 150V - i.e., your typical 120V 15A and 20A receptacles but not required for 240V (dryer, car charger, etc.). (I'm not a professional, and I don't have a garage, so this isn't something I'm that familiar with.)


fixture switch wiring I (stupidly) interpreted from the word-less IKEA light fixture instructions that the fixtures (2) had their own on/off switch.  As a result, I wired power to 2 fixture boxes, wired up the fixtures, turned the power on, and realized the fixtures actually have their own dimmer switch, but not on/off.  I was stuck with lights that were always on!

Question: is this drawing the correct way to fix my issue - for both lights to be controlled by 1 switch?

Much appreciated!!!

You're almost there!  Simply run a /3 cable instead of the /2 to the switch; this lets you run the switched hot using the cable's red wire, freeing up its white to be connected to neutral at the fixture end and capped off at the switch end.  This is required for future use as per NEC 404.2(C):

  (C) Switches Controlling Lighting Loads. The grounded
  circuit conductor for the controlled lighting circuit shall be
  provided at the location where switches control lighting
  loads that are supplied by a grounded general-purpose
  branch circuit for other than the following:

  (1) Where conductors enter the box enclosing the switch
  through a raceway, provided that the raceway is large
  enough for all contained conductors, including a
  grounded conductor

  (2) Where the box enclosing the switch is accessible for
  the installation of an additional or replacement cable
  without removing finish materials

  (3) Where snap switches with integral enclosures comply
  with 300.15(E)

  (4) Where a switch does not serve a habitable room or
  bathroom

  (5) Where multiple switch locations control the same lighting load such that the entire floor area of the room or space is visible from the single or combined switch locations

  (6) Where lighting in the area is controlled by automatic
  means

  (7) Where a switch controls a receptacle load

  Informational Note: The provision for a (future) grounded
  conductor is to complete a circuit path for electronic lighting control devices.


How should I insulate a room built into a metal barn? I'm building a room into our (existing) barn; how should I best go about insulating it?

The barn is a Morton building -- pole barn construction, metal siding. It's closed on three sides but open on the fourth, so it's not as much a closed-in building as a glorified run-in. The room I'm building will be against one corner, so two sides are defined by the walls of the existing barn, and the other two sides are framed up and built inside the existing structure. The floor of the room is a concrete pad; the rest of the barn is a dirt floor.

I'd planned on doing standard kraft-faced fiberglass, just like I'd do in a house. However, I've read that the moisture in a metal building can build up on the insulation and cause it to mold. I've certainly noticed that on certain days there's plenty of humidity that builds up in the barn (enough to cause water to condense on the inside of the metal siding).

So: is the fiberglass a bad idea? If so, what should I do instead? Should I do a moisture barrier on the outside of the room (between the framing and the metal barn sides)? Or...?

The links in the other answers are very informative!

In answer to your question:

  So: is the fiberglass a bad idea?

The answer is yes, at least in the exterior walls.

In answer to your question:

  If so, what should I do instead?

You have a bunch of options, none as cheap as simple fiberglass batts.  My personal recommendation would be rigid foam on the exterior walls and ceiling with fiberglass batts on the newly built walls.  Pricey but effective.

Essentially, you're going to be building a little tiny insulated house inside the barn without the need to weatherproof it.  At the risk of losing a few square feet of floor space, why not just build the room free-standing in the corner, with maybe a couple of framing attachments (e.g. longer ceiling joists) to the barn walls?  That way you can do a simple wall with sheetrock both sides and fiberglass insulation in all four walls and the ceiling.


Wiring from basement main panel to garage I have a couple questions concerning a garage wiring project I have coming up. Here is the situation, I have a 200-amp main panel in my basement. I am building a detached garage behind my house and plan to install a sub-panel in the new garage. I plan to pull service from my main panel and the total distance is about 120 feet. Since the main panel is on the opposite end of where the garage will be, it will be about 70 feet from the main panel to the point of exit to the outside and then about 45 more feet from there to the sub-panel in the garage. The outside portion will be underground in 1 ½  pvc conduit. My question is do I run my wiring continuous from the main panel all way to the sub-panel w/o a junction box or anything? If so, does the portion of wire running along the basement ceiling have to be in conduit or can it be run a different way? I am using 4-gauge THHN wiring w/two hots, a neutral and ground.

You are using individual wires, so you need conduit all the way if you don't want a box

Since you are using individual 4AWG THHN wires (instead of some sort of cable), you will need to run in conduit all the way from one panel to the other, unless you wish to have a box somewhere inside the house where you transition from the conduit wiring method to some flavor of cable (SER or NM).

A continuous conduit run inside can be practical, though, depending on what you are running through; the key here is to remember to provide ample pull points using LL and LR conduit bodies instead of bends whenever possible.


How much movement is normal after mounting a TV on partition wall? I have a wall that's made of plasterboards mounted on metal studs. I have mounted two DVD cabinets (each 22kg) and an LCD TV (40kg).

To mount all this, I installed 6mm thick MDF panels across 5 of the metal studs using 15 self-tapping screws per panel (3 per stud), through the existing 12mm plasterboards and into the studs.

+-+---------+-+
| |         | |
| +---------+ |
| |         | |
| +---------+ <-(a)
| |         | |
| +---------+ |
+-------------+

The top panel supports the cabinets, with 3 hollow wall anchors going through the MDF and the drywall, two on each side and one in the middle.

The middle panel supports the TV mount, with 4 hollow wall anchors. The look a bit like this, but much longer (the head part before the extending part being 18mm).

That means that both the TV and the DVD cabinets are putting load on both the plasterboard and the MDF, which theoretically means the load should be evenly distributed.

This has all been assembled and mounted a few days ago.

The wall is seeing some movement, the right-most plasterboard has moved forward around the (a) point by about 2mm, which is also the distance between the bend and the corner of the wall.

By my calculations, with the load evenly distributed across 5 studs, that's 16 kilos per stud, plus the MDF weight (183x183x0.6 at roughly 700kg per cubic meter), thats 18 kilos per stud.

I think the bulging is mostly due to the right-most plasterboard bulging under the pull from the bolts and the MDF being thin enough to deform as well, but that the load is still taken by the studs and there should be no fundamental structural issues.

Can those metal studs take 18kilos each? Is the bulging a worrying sign? How much movement is normal as the wall adjusts to the additional weight? And have I missed something fundamental in this installation?

You don't say what size or gauge the studs are, but regardless, any reasonable stud is more than adequate for the weights involved. I'm not fully clear on what your connections really are, but in general they sound adequate. Are you sure the bulge occurred during the installation and wasn't always there? Drywall walls are rarely perfectly flat when checked with a straight edge. If the bulge were caused by the installation, it is probably the screws pulling the adjacent stud out of plumb due to some misalignment with the other studs and/or the mounted devices.

Metal studs are rather elastic, it doesn't take much side load for them to deflect a few mm. Despite my uncertainty of what you actually did, I'm fairly sure you have no structural issues and do not need to worry about anything failing.


What are my options for venting a bathroom exhaust fan? I would like to install a fan in our bathroom which currently has none.  However, I'm very confused regarding the best approach for this.

Above the bathroom is an attic space.  I have read that venting out the gable side of the house is preferable to soffit vents or roof vents.  This makes sense to me because it avoids roof penetration and venting out the soffit may allow the hot, moist air to re-enter the attic through the neighboring soffit vents.  In addition, bends in the vent duct are discourage because they reduce airflow.

However, all ceiling mounted fans I've seen sit between the joists and the vent outlet runs parallel to the ceiling joists (toward the soffits).  In order to get to the gable end, I would need to put two bends in the duct -- one to turn up and above the joists, then another to turn and head toward the gable end.  From where the fan will be, it is no more than 10 feet to the gable end of the house.

Should I make these two bends and vent out the gable end?

Should I build a box for the fan, recess it above the joists so the vent outlet is in the direction of the gable end of the house?

Should I forget the ceiling vent and use a wall mounted vent?  (If I do this, I believe I will need to still vent out under the eaves which will present the same issue with the soffit vents, no)?

Or is there another option I'm not aware of?

The "best" approach is to take the shortest straight path to get the exhaust air out of your house.  Generally that's via a roof vent.  Check out this answer for a little more info.

Your plan A, two bends and out the gable end is fine as an alternative.  10 feet is not a very long way for a bathroom exhaust vent.  If possible, use a rigid vent to avoid sagging and possible condensation build-up.


Sealing skirted bathtub There are plenty of tutorials for sealing/caulking bathtubs.
However, my bathtub has a kind of skirting around its edge, as in picture:

How do I go about that? Should I caulk both edges? I plan to use standard silicone, would that be good for both? Is there any particular I should keep in mind for my configuration?

Note that the skirting is difficult to remove because it has a flange trapped beneath the tiles to keep it in place.

TIA

This looks like someone didn't want to cut tile to do the job right. I'm not sure the skirting material is even being used correctly. Yes, you could use white silicone caulk on both edges and seal up that corner but it would still look bad. If this was my tub, I'd pull all that skirting out or using a utility knife cut it out. Clean all the surfaces and scrape off any old caulk. Then get a bunch of 2"x 6" pieces of bullnose tile and make a border around the tub, fastening them to the wall with silicone caulk or some other adhesive within 1/8" of the tub. If planned  right, you could get two bullnosed corners and take the border down to the floor. Then caulk with a white silicone caulk all around the tub, all around the top of the border and in the vertical spaces between the tiles where you would normally grout.

This actually sounds like more work than it is. It takes some planning and you'd have to decide on the border color but afterwards you'd be glad you did it.


Quartz Countertop, Backsplash caulking Please see attached picture it appears that there is no caulking between the countertop & backsplash. I just noticed this area, it is right behind my faucet where water could drip down into the back of cabinet & cause mold & water damage.
Also, is this a real Quartz Countertop? The contractor who installed it won't provide any details or paperwork about it.

Yes.  This gets clear silicone caulk.  If you are arguing with a countertop guy over paperwork good luck.  But he should have caulked.  But this can be done for $4-5 and 5 mins so it isn't the end of the world.


1730 House how to make Ceiling Level We had a fire last year and had to remove our plaster ceilings. We’re left with beams that have all kinds of shims etc. that were used to level the lath. Every drywaller has had a different idea of how ceiling should be prepped. A few have said they didn’t want the job.

None of the joists are structural. I just checked the floor/ceiling above and it is pretty level and flat.

The floor of the room is definitely not level so measuring up from the floor (one suggestion) wouldn’t work. The beams are definitely not level as they are all different sizes and have been affected by settling. We are installing floor to (almost ceiling) pantry cabinets on one wall.

Would it be easier to just remove the old joists (we would reuse them wood for a furniture project) and add new ones - measuring down from ceiling/upstairs floor to the lowest point of the beams?

The picture with door shows the one beam that has 2.25 change in level.
Thanks for your input.

1st off, make sure all structural elements are sound before closing. And it's a good idea to clean up the patchwork up there. It's actually very easy to level. Use a lazer level adjusted to your lowest point. Sister any joists to that line. This image shows how with T-bar drop ceilings but the concept is exactly the same.

This one shows how to do it using steel stud.


Partition wall studs not plumb I just gutted out my bathroom in the basement and the studs on the wall between the bathroom and the basement kitchen are not plumb. The wall itself is but the intermediate studs within the wall are not
Is this something I can/should fix?
The perspective (this is part of a pano picture is distorting the image but you can still see how bad those studs are (the wall with no plastic on it

Update:
that wall will receive a floating vanity, plumbing and the sink.
It will be a one sink though

The wall is not load-bearing. The angle of the studs is not a structural problem, but they cannot be unseen. If it's going to bother you you can attempt to fix them.
To straighten those studs you'll need to detach the drywall. That's potentially messy.  Maybe you can cut the drywall nails with a hacksaw blade, hammer the studs to the correct location then toe-nail the studs in position and finally glue the drywall to the studs. Or maybe you'll make a mess of the drywall, and have to fill some holes or replace it. To keep things interesting that cable and those boxes are going to complicate matters.


3 wired old light switch to a new light switch i don't know much about light switches, but this is the first time i've encountered a 3 wired switch. All i know is 1 of them is a common. The problem is i don't know how to convert or wire the 3 wired switch to a new switch nowadays. See pics below

Old Switch

New Switch

I really don't have an idea how to wire them. The switch has 2 bulbs connected to it.

In your old switch I expect the middle wire is the permanent live (hot) and the left and right wires each go to one of the two lamps. You can see that the left wire is not actually connected to the upper switch.

This is a system of wiring lights known as a "switch loop". In this system there are no neutral wires running to the switch.

You don't show any ground (earth) wires either, which would be very strange where I live but may be have been normal in the past where you live.

You can check which wire goes to which lamp by turning off the circuit breaker, checking the circuit is dead and then undoing the right wire. Make it safe by applying electricians tape or by inserting it into a loose wire-nut or terminal block. Then you can turn on the circuit breaker and see which one of the two lights no longer turns on.

The new switch should have come with connection instructions. If not, I would use a continuity tester to find the common connections and the switched connections in the new switches before installing them.

On closer inspection, I see there is a connection diagram moulded into the back of each switch

I would wire it like this:

Note that you need to cut the middle wire shorter and you need a new insulated piece of wire to connect the "common" terminals of the two switches

The new switches also have an insulation-trimming guide moulded on the back, which you should use if possible.

If the new switch is a smart-switch of some sort it probably needs a neutral connection. In that case you need to call an electrician to run new wires from a junction box to the switch. The electrician may need to make holes in your walls ceiling or floors which will need repairing and redecorating.


Can mould be leaking through pipes cracks/holes? I know that mold is definately leaking through some of the deep holes in my flat.  You can see brick in the holes as well as space for air to travel.

Can pipes with cracks and holes behind them also leak contaminated air?  I'm not sure what exactly surrounds the inner wall where pipes are passing but if its the same as deep holes then I guess it can.

When filling can you go right up to the pipe and make it airtight?  in some builds I notice there is a small seemingly deliberate gap but if there were a leak above that would not be visible.

Thanks.

The pipe connected to the radiator has a deliberate space because it is really hot.
Can air leak through walls that has mold? Don’t want to scare you but just about every breath you take may have a mold or fungus spores, in the Forrest 100%  In  most living spaces.
Can you seal the pipes, I mentioned the radiator but there are special collars made to insulate and seal these, water pipes usually can be foamed to seal them. Make sure you know what you are sealing and use the proper material.


Can you install grouted floor tile over padding? Can you install floor tile over padding?  The floor tile is standard tile that will require grouting.

I'm concerned the tile and/or grouting will crack due to the padding.  The purpose of the padding is to reduce the noise of foot traffic in the room below.  Sound dampening padding is fairly thin, and not nearly as thick as carpet padding.

In almost all cases this is a no.  There are waterproofing systems you can use but not flooring pad.  When you lay your tile the pad will move a little and cause issues.  In essence with a pad you are creating a giant floating tile floor.

Note: To reduce sound from the floor you want to do two things.

Build up the subfloor.  Adding an inch of plywood plus 1/2 inch durarock will take out a good % of any sound.
Add insulation in the cavity below floor.

The padding you are thinking about leaving might reduce sound by 1%.  Sound is due to weight disbursement - generally speaking.  A 200 pound person running around will make sound.  10 pounds of padding underneath them will have no affect.  I am sure someone can comment on the science of this.  But the two things you want to do are create a buffer (pad is thin and almost no buffer) and keep your joists from moving (pad does nothing at all there).


Second layer of drywall on textured ceiling: Do I need to sand down or remove the texture before second layer goes on? I have a textured ceiling similar to this:

Some of the texture peaks at 1/8", but it mostly peaks at 1/16".  I am going to be applying a second layer of drywall with Green Glue in between and I want to know if all this texture has to be sanded down or scraped off before the second layer goes on.

The point of Green Glue is to create a flexible layer of never fully firm glue between layers of drywall, right?  To absorb sound?

In which case, I think you'll need to first level the ceiling, then apply green glue, then apply your final layer.

Otherwise, if you green glue over top of the texture, you'll have high points in the texture that touch the new layer of drywall.  That will transfer sound quite effectively - which you don't want.


Can sliding doors be replaced while retaining the existing frame? Can I just take out the old glass sliding doors and replace them with new ones without ripping out the frame?

Sure, if they're available. Most sliding doors simply lift out. Some have a retention mechanism that would need to be removed first.

You'll probably need to level the doors to fit the frame using built-in adjusters, and verify that the latch hardware still aligns.


Legal requirements regarding 100% asbestos duct work I am renting a condo.  After starting the heater, dusty air came out of the registers, so I called out a company to clean the ducts.  They verified the ducts are 100% asbestos and cannot be cleaned.  Is the owner of the property legally required to replace the asbestos with sheet metal ducts?  If so, are their building / safety codes that apply in California?

If you're willing to trust internet sources, a landlord is not necessarily required to remove hazardous asbestos, but the asbestos may be cause to break your lease without penalty or possibly even live there rent free until he remediates the hazardous asbestos (the asbestos in your house may or may not be classified as 'hazardous' depending on many factors such as whether or not it's in the duct seams or just used outside the ductwork as insulation in an inaccessible space - if he disagrees with your determination about whether or not it's hazardous it may take a lawyer and a report from an expert (or experts) to come to an agreement).

Of course, if the asbestos is airborne (or likely to become so if disturbed), you probably don't want to live there for long  regardless of the landlord's responsibilities. If it were locked up in a painted over popcorn ceiling or in vinyl floor tiles that's one thing, but if you've got air blowing through friable asbestos in the duct seams, I wouldn't want to live in that house until it was professionally removed (and maybe not even then since the fibers will be in every nook and cranny of the house).

The landlord was probably required to disclose the existence of asbestos to you before you moved in -- and he may have already done so in some clause of the lease.

If conditions allowed you to be exposed to airborne asbestos that the landlord knew (or should have known) about, then he may have some additional liability for your exposure to it.

But, as @Grant said above, this question is what lawyers are for so you should consult with a lawyer for advice that applies to your situation. And of course, specific local laws may apply.


Pulley/winch knot for holding up heavy punching bag I currently have a heavy bag mount I built from 4x4 posts to hold up a 100lbs punching bag. It currently has a nice swivel bracket holding it up, which has been working great so far. The only problem here is that sometimes I need the extra space in the garage, and need to take the bag down.

Is there a safe hitch or knot I could use for mounting, hanging, and taking down the bag? I tried using a clove hitch to hold on to the bag, and then a trucker's hitch to raise the bag up into position, and some half-hitches to hold it in place. This doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, as the trucker's hitch sometimes loosens when I hit the bag really hard and send it swinging, so I'm trying to find a better alternative.

Is there a better set of knots/hitches I could use with some 750lbs type IV paracord, or some stronger rope that would fit into the mounting bracket's loop? This current system would be great if the hitch wasn't loosening and posing a safety risk, as it's a real pain to get up on a step ladder and do a one-armed military press of a 100lbs bag to mount it. I've nearly crushed my fingertips twice while doing this.

Thanks!

One setup which would be easy to setup and take down would be a combination of a ceiling mounted punching bag carabiner, swivel pulley, and boat cleat.

Start by bolting the carabiner to the ceiling. A solid wooden beam would be perfect for this. After that, mount the boat hitch to a solid vertical surface such as a wall or vertical beam.

Then attach the swivel pulley to the carabiner, and tie one end of a piece of rope to the punching bag. You can use an anchor bend knot to attach the rope to the metal ring. Fish the other end of the rope through the pulley and lift the bag into place with the rope.

Tie the rope off on the boat cleat by using a cleat hitch. This setup will easily allow you to take the bag down and set it up without using any tools. The cleat and knots are designed to hold a boat, so a punching bag would be no problem.

Swivel Pulley

Cleat Hitch & Knot

Punching bag carabiner

Anchor Bend Knot

The cleat can be purchased at any marine supply store, or boat dealer. Just about every cleat on the market will be strong enough to support a heavy bag.

There are two main styles of cleats. There are ones which have 2 screw holes which go through the center, and others with 4 holes. The ones with the 2 center holes will take more abuse before failing than the 4 holed varieties.


Consumer product equivalent to a power strip with a 5A circuit breaker? I want to leave a portable induction burner on overnight, simmering soup stock at a very low power. Looking online, I've been somewhat alarmed by people's reports of electrical faults causing such induction burners to switch themselves to high power use---a fire hazard, since nobody is monitoring.

I was wondering if there exists an off the shelf product roughly equivalent to a power strip with a built-in re-settable 5A (or 1A? not sure yet) circuit breaker. The plan would be to always use the induction burner with the breaker when leaving it unattended. I know I could make this myself, but I really don't want to unless I can find some kind of incredibly convenient project box that has most of the work already done for me.

(Apologies if this belongs on a different stack exchange. I narrowed it down to diy and electrical engineering, and the whole point is that I don't want to do any engineering.)

Circuit protection is for FAULTS, not Regular Usage
If an induction burner is designed for long-term usage then extra circuit protection should not be necessary. If it is NOT designed for long-term usage then extra circuit protection is not enough. For example, leaving anything cooking for a long time has the possibility of all the liquid boiling out, which can result in problems (e.g., fires) that have nothing to do with wiring faults.
Get a Slow Cooker
A Crockpot or Slow Cooker is designed to be used for a long period of time - 12 to 24 hours. It typically includes a base with a covered heating element and a pot that sits on top and is specifically designed to match the base so that there are no exposed heating elements. In addition, the pot itself is often (though not in all brands/types) a ceramic pot that retains heat well and typically has a close fitting lid to help keep steam/liquids inside (though not super-tight like a pressure cooker).


Water is leaking thru my smoke detector and water is pooled up around the bottom of the ac in the attic Came home and heard smoke alarm going off went into bedroom and water is pouring from smoke detector. I go

Air conditioneres make water from atmospheric humidity

they all have a drain,  some have a pump  that feeds the drain.

It could be that the pump is broken or that the drain is blocked leaking, or disconnected.


What is the difference between a main panel and a sub-panel? I have a main breaker box that feeds a panel in my basement. This basement panel then feeds a panel in my backyard garage. The panel in the backyard has neutral and ground wires mixed on the 2 bus bars. I have always thought the basement panel and backyard panel were sub panels to the main breaker box. The backyard garage panel does have it's own grounding stake just outside the building. Does this make it then a main panel and not a subpanel even though it is fed from a sub-panel in the basement. Just trying to understand what all constitutes the designation of main panel and sub-panel.

A main panel (or service entrance panel) is simply a panelboard that contains the main service disconnect for a property -- this can be up to six circuit breakers in a rule-of-six (split bus) panel, but is more commonly a single main circuit breaker or fused disconnect (such as a pullout).

Or in other words: the service from the electrical utility enters the main electrical panel for a property, and all other panels on that property are subpanels, as long as there is not a second utility service or a transformer on the property.  There are also other special cases such as multiple section main panels, but they're beyond the scope of this answer.


Crimp spade connectors in breaker box? I am installing an Eaton CHSPT2ULTRA surge protector to my Siemens QP breaker box.

The surge protector has (4) 14-gauge stranded wires to connect.  I had no problems making a tight connection with the green wire to the grounding bar, and to the white I added some stranded 10-gauge wire with a wire nut to reach the neutral bar, which is secured tightly.
The problem is that the black and red wires connected to the 50 amp breaker don’t seem too secure. If I tug on the wires somewhat they don’t come out, but I think if I pulled harder I could pull them out of the breaker without too much effort.

Taking a close look at the 50 amp breaker, it’s (of course) made for a much larger (8-gauge) wire.  Even with the screw all the way tight, there is still space at the bottom of the screw.  So it seems to me that the 14-gauge stranded wire just isn’t big enough for the breaker screw to hold the wire tightly.

What is the best way to fix this loose connection at the breaker?

Can I use crimp-on spade terminals to the two breaker wires?  Is it up to code to have this connector inside a breaker box?  Gardner Bender makes a 16-14 AWG 4-6 Stud Spade Terminal, Vinyl Blue (10-Pack) that is rated for 600-Volt maximum rating as building wiring and 1,000-Volt maximum rating for signs and fixtures, and has UL and CSA safety listings.

Is there a better way to do this?

Thank you!

You are correct in addressing this, but the ring terminal isn't the right tool for the job
You are indeed correct that 14AWG is well outside the listed/labeled range of the lugs on a 50A Siemens QP breaker -- they're rated for 8AWG through 4AWG wire only.  However, nobody's tested them with ring tongue terminals either, so your ring terminal solution is off base.  What I'd do instead is use a short length of 8AWG stranded THHN and an appropriate wirenut as a transition pigtail to adapt the 14AWG leads on the CHSPT2ULTRA to a wire size your breakers are rated to accept.  (If you insist on doing this using crimped connections, you can use a suitable closed-end crimp splice instead of the wirenut, as doing the transition with a butt/in-line splice requires a special reducing splice connector, the Panduit ESV8-ESV14-Q, that isn't a hardware store item.)


Should I sand Kliz High-Build primer before painting? I am painting medium oak-stained wood closet doors white.  I bought Kliz High-Build primer because I wanted to cover the stain color well.  I sanded the stained door and now I am done with a coat of this primer, and I think I will do a second coat of primer before applying regular satin white paint.

Should I lightly sand before the second coat to get a smoother finish?  After?  Hand-sand or use my orbital sander?

I do not think you will have good results if you try to sand this primer, it will leave visible surface defects and clog up your paper. If you let it cure for a month or so it would be sandable with very fine sandpaper.

I know "the ship already sailed" because you already started, but this is not really the best primer for your application. The high-solids content of this stuff is basically for resurfacing problem surfaces, although it does have good stain blocking properties (see technical data sheet). You should use the very best applicators and very careful application technique to get the smoothest prime coat that you can, because your prime coat imperfections will affect the smoothness of your finish coat; it's just the nature of the primer you chose. Do not apply a second coat unless you need to, to cover imperfections of your first coat.

Although there are many ways to skin this cat, next time for cabinets or other fine woodwork consider a shellac based primer if you need stain blocking properties. It goes on thin and smooth when applied correctly and allows for a beautifully smooth mirror-like finish coat. Good luck.


Why does main breaker trips before the smaller one? I have 6 x 20A breakers that stayed ON while the main 63A tripped. I turned the smaller breakers OFF and then turned the main one ON.

One by one, I started turning ON the smaller ones, till the main tripped again. The thing is when I woke up and there was no power in the sockets circuit, all 20A breakers were ON and only the main was tripped. Shouldn't the smaller 20A culprit go first? Is it broken and should I replace it?

Shouldn't the smaller 20A culprit go first?

Imagine you have 15A load on each of your 20A circuits. None of those 20A breakers would trip off because 15 is less than 20.
However the total load is 6x15 = 90A. That would overload your main 63A breaker.
The reason for this discrepancy is that home-owners normally don't run all their circuits at full capacity simultaneously. This is referred to as load diversity. Your local code/regulations will specify the "diversity calculations" (or equivalent) that are used to decide the ratings of the various breakers and the wire sizes etc.

Note that there are several other complications you may need to take into account.
Thermal & Magnetic Overcurrent Protection
Breakers actually have at least two different mechanisms: Firstly a slow "thermal" one that will trip for small overloads (e.g. 40A on a 20A breaker) to prevent wires in the wall overheating. This can take many seconds or minutes to trip-off. Secondly a fast "magnetic" mechanism that quickly trips for short circuits (e.g. preventing 1000A flowing through wires rated 20A). Your main 63A  breaker might be faster than your 20A breaker.
Inrush current, Transient overloads
When you first turn on a large load, some kinds of appliance can draw a very high load for the first few milliseconds. This is sometimes called the "inrush current". It is normal and you don't want your breakers to trip for this. Therefore breakers have ratings that specify how fast they react and how tolerant they are of transient overloads. Your main breaker could have a different rating to your 20A breakers.
Ground leakage detection
Your main panel may also have GFI/RCD protection that trips in case of earth/ground current leakage. If your 20A breakers don't include this feature, they might not trip before the main GFCI/RCD trips. In the UK a normal thermal+magnetic breaker is called an MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker), a breaker with earth-leakage detection is called an RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overload protection). Other countries have other names.
Arc detection
Then there is AFCI - designed to cut off a circuit if an arc-fault is detected. This is where a normal current is flowing but, for example, dirty contacts in a switch or outlet are causing sparking that is eroding the metal contacts and creating heat. The sparks and heat may eventually ignite a fire even though there is no current overload. Again your 20A breakers might not include this feature but some device elsewhere might.

Is it broken and should I replace it?

It might be but that isn't the first thing you should check.
Generally when a breaker trips, you should suspect a fault in an appliance, in an outlet/socket or in some wiring. You need to find out if any of those are the cause.
If you suspect that substantially more than 20A is flowing through a 20A breaker without it tripping, you could use a clamp meter to measure the actual current. You could instead replace the breaker as a diagnostic measure, but don't be surprised if the problem persists.

Useful references

Circuit breaker trip timing


Why did the grout turn white on my slate patio? I had my patio grouted 3 days ago, allowed to dry 2 days, then power washed, allowed to dry. The grout was a medium gray unsanded on a lighter gray slate. Now the tile has a light haze and the grout grooves have lightened to almost white in some areas. What went wrong and what can I do before sealing?

Most grouts take three days to fully cure and even then you're warned it might take longer; you only waited two.... then you power washed it.. big mistake. You removed the top coat of grout and let it set on the tile. That's where the haze came from. Get some grout remover from your home store and clean off each tile, being careful not to get in the grout lines. Where the grout lines have turned almost white, you'll probably have to remove some or all of the grout and add new grout. You might luck out and get a close match grout stain from a tile store and apply it to your grout.


What kind of sound input socket is this? I have this surround sound system at home that is very old and have these strange sound input sockets that I have never seen before. Does anyone know what kind of input socket this is?

They appear to be the 220V inputs (source feeds - Fuente alimentación) for each device; (L and R) as each input looks like it has two connection points. It has a custom connector that I cannot identify. If you can read spanish the manual more information is here: www.kroser-electronica.com/descargas/catalogo2007.pdf


Remove glass from old door I'm bringing a door in to a pro to strip the paint.  The guy doing the work is suggesting that I remove the glass from the door to (1) make sure it doesn't break accidentally during the process and (2) that the chemicals don't harm the glass (part of the glass is etched).

I'm somewhat skeptical of the reasons since it seems we are as likely to break the glass during the removal process and I wouldn't think the chemicals would harm the glass, but let's assume we want to remove the glass...

How do I remove the glass from the door?  I'm attaching two pictures from the interior side. Do I just pry off the strip of wood that goes around the glass?

It depends on the chemicals used if the glass can be damaged. Removing the wooden strips holding the glass should be sufficient to take out the glass.
After the strips are removed you should carefully verify if the glass is completely free.

Paint remnants could still hold the glass.
If so you have to loosen the glass very carefully not to break it.

Push the glass carefully from below with little pressure upwards and watch it move. If not then you need remove old paint as good as you can and try again. Go along the whole window that way before trying to lift the glass from the door frame.

Be carefull not to break the glass and good luck


Should I replace toilet fill valve or cap My toilet fill valve leaks at the top only when the bowl is full.
Until the bowl is not full it is not leaking from the top.

This is a video of the leak:
https://vimeo.com/270998266

I want to decide whether I should only replace the cap
of the fill valve or the complete fill valve. I ask because the cap is 10 bucks cheaper. Should I replace the cap or the complete fill valve? Is there any test I can do to figure out this myself if this information is not sufficient to decide

Should I replace the cap or the complete fill valve?

Just the cap.

The most important part of the fill valve is the cap assembly and the valve it contains. The seal between the cap and the valve body may be compromised, and the seal is in the cap. There appears to be nothing wrong with the valve body or float assembly.

If you don't know how, you just shut off the water and, while holding the valve body with one hand to prevent bending and spinning, turn the cap assembly counter (anti)-clockwise and lift it off (pop the float rod loose from the float arm first).


Can I span 11 feet 7 inches with doubled 2x6 deck joists? I have and existing deck about ten feet off the ground. The joists are all doubled up 2x6 S. Pine 11' 7" in length. There is a double 2 x 10 beam running across the middle. I need to remove this beam. I need to install some corrugated roofing to create a dry space but I can't do it with the beam in the way. I have seen several tables that say 2x6 can be used but only for a 9 foot span. My joists are all double runs of 2x6's. Can I get rid of the beam?
Thanks,
Mike

Doubled 2x6 joists are probably strong enough, but they're not going to be rigid enough to prevent significant bounce. That's why joists spanning 12 feet are usually 2x10 or 2x12. You need to upgrade your joists and possibly the single remaining beam to eliminate the intermediate beam.

Alternatively, consider cutting the intermediate beam into the joists to be flush on top, and add joist hangers. This would raise it by 5-1/2".


Wiring for new 40 amp wall oven and cooktop We are upgrading our wall oven and cooktop.  The old units were rated for 30 amps each and the new units require 40 amps.  We have a 200 amp main panel with one 40 amp breaker for the oven/cooktop that feeds 600 volt 3-6 aluminum wiring to a subpanel.  The subpanel currently has one 30 amp breaker feeding NM-B 10-3 to the cooktop and one 30 amp breaker feeding NM-B 10-3 to the oven.  As both the new cooktop and wall oven each require 40 amps, what is the best way to proceed?  Is the single 40 amp breaker in the main panel and the 3-6 wiring to the subpanel sufficent to meet the load demands of the new 40 amp units?

In response to the questions, the NM-B wiring can be easily replaced from the subpanel to the oven and cooktop.  Replacing the 3-6 wiring would be much more difficult, as it is routed behind walls and over drywall cielings.  The subpanel could be physically removed.  The insulation for the 3-6 is grey plastic/vinyl. I have attached a couple of photos of the wiring and subpanel. I should also add that I plan to hire an electrician to do the work, but would like to know what to expect and, if possible, run some of the wiring beforehand to reduce the labor cost.

EDIT:
At the main panel the aluminum strand attached to the bus bar in the subpanel is attached to the bus bar in the main:

EDIT:
Thanks for all the responses.  The subpanel is in the basement immediately below the kitchen floor underneath the wall oven.  The main panel is on the opposite side of the house.  I have attached additional photos of the 3-6 cable below.

The cooktop is a Kitchenaid downdraft (KCED606GBL).  The oven/microwave combo is a Bosch Series 800 (HBL8752UC).  Kitchenaid nameplate indicates 10.8 kw @240 v:
.

Bosch oven is 9.6kw @240 v:

Bosch microwave is 3400 w @ 240 v:

Additional 3-6 photos:

My first concern looking at the subpanel is if that bare #6AL is in fact a ground and the two appliances are straight 240V then the two white wires connect to the buss should have some green tape on them. If it's not a ground but actually a neutral, where are the grounds?  You will need to ground everything.

I would try utilizing the #6AL XHHW since changing it out would be difficult. It is rated for 50amps according to my chart so the breaker in the main panel should be changed to a 50AMP. Since the two NM-B cables can easily replaced, change them to NM-B 3#8 and replace both breakers in the subpanel to 40 AMP.

Where actually is the subpanel?

News flash: The name plate on the oven states "four wire".  Major game changer. The new wire you run will have to have a ground. This will probably require you to change the #6AL run to 3#6cu plus ground or just run two 3#8 with gnd, one for each appliance, add additional breaker in main panel. Both breakers would be 40AMP and eliminate the subpanel.

If your owner's manual states that you can hook up the four wire appliance to a three wire source, then it is ok to do it.


Hanging pictures/mirrors to drywalls without leaving big holes What are the best methods (screws, hooks, etc) to hang heavy objects (such as huge mirrors and framed pictures) on drywalls while doing the less possible damage?

I don't mind drilling holes in the drywalls, but since I have tons of stuff to hang, it would be nice to avoid leaving enormeous holes everywhere in the apartment.

For example, I got these two 17lbs & 10lbs framed paintings that I hanged using these hooks, but sadly this left a pretty big hole in the wall when I chose to move the paintings elsewhere.

Thanks!

you can use a monkey hook.  they work really well for items that are heavy.  just use multiple hooks for heavier items

http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=52367&cat=3,40914,50630,52367


How do I cover large gaps in drywall? We've just completed our first drywall project and the outcome wasn't so great in places. There are a couple spots in particular that have 1/2-1/4" gaps.

I was wondering, is there a nifty way to close these gaps or do we have to pull the panel down and try again if it is too bad? I don't think they just slathering mud in it will work?

Setting-type compound (the bagged kind you mix vs. the drying-type you buy premixed in a bucket) will easily fill a 1/2" gap without cracking.  Make sure you load up the gap well before applying your tape, then finish it as you would any other joint.

Sadly I have a lot of experience filling this type of gap from my own basement project a few years ago...


Is there a term for making an addition to a Bill of Quantities? I am looking for a term that describes an item that was not part of the Bill of Quantities in the original Construction Contract, but is being added at a later stage.

Is it considered a regualr Bill of Quantities item, or does it have a unique name?

Change Order is the only term I know of involving an amendment to an accepted contract.

The Wikipedia article covers it well:

  In project management, a change order is a component of the change management process whereby changes in the Scope of Work agreed to by the Owner, Contractor and Architect/Engineer are implemented.

  A change order is work that is added to or deleted from the original scope of work of a contract, however, depending on the magnitude of the change, it may or may not alter the original contract amount and/or completion date. A change order may force a new project to handle significant changes to the current project.

  Change orders are common to most projects, and very common with large projects. After the original scope (or contract) is formed, complete with the total price to be paid and the specific work to be completed, a client may decide that the original plans do not best represent his or her definition for the finished project. Accordingly, the client will suggest an alternate approach.

  Common causes for change orders to be created are:

  The project's work was incorrectly estimated
  The customer or project team discovers obstacles or possible efficiencies that require them to deviate from the original plan
  The customer or project team are inefficient or incapable of completing their required deliverables within budget, and additional money, time, or resources must be added to the project
  During the course of the project, additional features or options are perceived and requested.
  If the contractor has to add work items to the original scope of work at a later time in order to achieve the customer's demands, a fair price for the work items and fees must be added for the materials and labor.
  Extreme weather conditions cause delays or require additional work to complete construction.

  A project manager then typically generates a change order that describes the new work to be done (or not done in some cases), and the price to be paid for this new work. Once this change order is submitted and approved it generally serves to alter the original contract such that the change order now becomes part of the contract.


Light bulb broke in oven, wire still attached I have a gas oven. The electrical light bulb burned out, and when I went to unscrew to replace it, it broke off. The metal ring is still in the socket, the wire is attached, and the glass bulb is detached, but unbroken. How on earth am I gonna get this thing out?

I'd appreciate any ideas.

You can use needle nose pliers to grip the metal of the broken off light bulb. Grip the edge and unscrew it. Turn off the power to the stove at the breaker before you do this or unplug it if the plug is accessible. You MUST make sure that the light socket is unpowered while you stick pliers into a broken off light bulb.


Can I keep unused paint in the roller tray? I've partway through a multi-weekend project involving turning two free-standing metal shelving units into a fully enclosed workshop-cupboard. The enclosing material is MDF and since this will be on my balcony, the MDF needs some weather-protection. So I'm painting it.

Naturally, I don't have space to use a while 2L tin of paint in one session. After a second extended washing of the roller tray, I was wondering whether putting cling-wrap over it for a week would be a good idea, not only saving sending the surplus paint down the drain, but also saving me 20 minutes of washing the thing. And is a week too long to expect the paint to still be usable?

As long as you can get it airtight, it will work just fine.  I use the disposable tray liners and try to get as much of the paint off the liner as possible, pouring the remaining paint back into the can.

I leave the liner on the roller tray, cover it with plastic wrap and then put the whole thing in a tie-off garbage bag, trying to get as much of the air out as possible.  Keeping it in a cool place helps to cut down evaporation too.

Another tip: 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bags are the perfect size to hold a 9" roller cover between uses:

I squeeze the roller cover out with a painter's multi-tool, drop it in the bag, and seal it up.  It won't keep forever, but it will certainly last a week.


Can Schedule 40 PVC refer to non-Rigid and Rigid or uPVC pipe (for food safety)? From what I read, "regular" PVC is not for food applications.  You have to get uPVC or Rigid PVC (same thing I believe.)  But I can't find it anywhere.  Is Schedule 40 the same across Rigid and on Rigid?  I'm asking can Schedule 40 sometimes be food grade NSF-51 or other non-toxic and other times refer to regular PVC with plasticizers?
Edit:  Sorry.  This is for Hydroponics and growing food.

Schedule 40 is a thickness standard.
Schedule 40 is thinner than schedule 80 and they are considered rigid with pipe.
When you are discussing food grade it actually can be affected by the type of food. I know in some cases plastics were not allowed only stainless (years ago there may be modern plastics that can handle high acid then base ph levels other than stainless )
You would not want to use schedule 40 conduit or soil pipe for example.
Knowing the type needed would help. Provide a better answer but schedule 40 is basically a pipe thickness.


How can I make 5 lights work with 2 switches and one light common to both? I have 5 lights and 2 switches.
When I press switch 1 I want light numbers 1 and 2 and 3 to come on and when I press switch 2 I want light numbers 3 and 4 and 5 to come on.
Note that the 2 switches are on two different circuits in the distribution-board but are on the same phase.

You'll need two double-pole switches. Those are front and center in my illustraton.  There are no relays.

Since you are using separate circuits you must maintain separate neutrals and keep them rigidly separated.  You cannot cluster the neutrals. (Grounds you can, neutral is not ground).  This applies even if they are the same phase.

In the U.S., gray is an allowable neutral color and this is why: so you can distinguish differently sourced neutrals in close proximity. I am using purple for the "hot" associated with the gray neutral, and red for the other hot.  This is for illustration; if you are in conduit you can use those colors straight up, otherwise you will be stuck with black and white as found in Romex.  You can use tape to mark conductors as different, though, best to use gray tape since black tape on a neutral is usually assumed to be a hot.  You could also tape the wire bundle.

The center box is your junction box with the 2 switches.  The bottom box is your circuit breaker panel.


What's the point of a thin (1/4" width) piece of wood set diagonally between two studs? What's the point of a thin (1/4" width, ~2-3" wide) piece of wood set diagonally between two studs?

I just took out a piece of drywall for some other work I'm doing, and between two studs, there's this thin piece of wood diagonally, notched in each stud so the diagonal piece is flush with the studs.

I doesn't have anything nailed into and it is getting in the way of some 4" venting duct pipe I'm installing in the wall.

Can I just remove it?

I would knock that sucker out with impunity. If it is to serve some purpose, it most likely would not be code compliant. Fire blocking is the first thing that comes to mind, but it is only in one stud section.


Effective ways to get rid of smell in basement from drain? Background

So this weekend I got to have all the fun of unclogging a clogged drain. The drain was from a kitchen sink but I was able to go through a lower access point and run a motorized snake through to clear the clog. In the process of opening the access cap and not realizing that there was a bunch of water still inside.. well let's just say that it created a big mess of water shooting out!

The basement is unfinished so surfaces are cinder blocks / concrete floor.

Problem

So we got the clog taken care of and wiped everything down on our hands and knees with rags, soap, and water. We have the two only available windows open in the basement but there isn't a ton of airflow possible due to lack of basement windows. I am wondering if anybody has better suggestions to get rid of the stink left over?  Everything is capped off again so the source should be taken care of.

This is precisely why fans exist. One in, one out. You might also sprinkle baking soda (or a freshening product which includes same) on the raw concrete to absorb odor.

The key is getting things dry, though. Bacteria can't survive long if things are dry. A dehumidifier would help with that.

If all else fails, rent an ozone neutralizer.


Concrete countertops ghosting fix? I just poured my very first concrete project over the weekend and made what I think is a rookie mistake.  Somehow I have ghosting from the metal wire that I used as reinforcement.

As you can see here:

My question is, can I cover this up with a feather coat cement mix?  Home Depot sells a version called feather finish.

Would this cover it up or would the ghosting still show through?  Sorry if this is a novice question :/

Update: I bought the above feather finish finish HD but one or the workers there recommended that I wait until the concrete cures (28 days) before I apply it. Anyone k ow if that's needed?

What I would do is put some 2x4" Southern Yellow Pine or even better Oak framing under to brace those flimsy compressed wood cabinets. Otherwise they will bow out over time.

Then I would get an epoxy based coating for concrete.  They have these in many types, with or without stone, in all sorts of colorings and will look really good and hold up for years. When done you will have a counter you will be proud of as these epoxy coating look really good.

Usually these epoxy products are two or three parts.  Epoxy, hardener, and sometimes a ground stone you apply over the epoxy.  The epoxy will vary in price from around $40.00 up to maybe $120.00 a gallon depending on what look you go for but you will probably only need a gallon to cover that concrete counter.

Lifetime of these products vary, but I would expect you to want to remodel the room long before the epoxy needs replacement.

In the future when you make a concrete counter make sure to use a sturdy cabinet(s) as concrete is heavy and modern compressed wood cabinets can't take the weight an old wood or even plywood cabinet could.  You should also make sure to tie down the reinforcing mesh so it stays centered in the concrete.


Outdoor LED lights runnng dim/flickering These lights are Kichler hardscape step lights and mounted and installed professionally through a stone wall.  They are wired to a 300 watt multitap transformer and the other two lines work fine.  The first in the series won't light up (even when a new working fixture is installed), the other five run dim and flicker.  Tried replacing the first light.  No go, wired it directly to the feed and it worked great and bright.  Wired it into the second light station and it ran dim and flickered.  Kichler customer support had no advice.  Any takers?

This sounds like a poor connection, that is also crossing over into "arc fault".

It should be readily apparent; when you touch it, it'll be warm or hot.


Why do I need a shower faucet cartridge? What's it for?

Will the shower work without one?

A shower faucet cartridge is a type of valve. It's the part that a single handle faucet is moving inside the plumbing fixture to adjust the flow and temperature. They tend to have o-rings and other parts that fail over time, which can result in a variety of issues, including leaks, and the hot and cold water mixing when they shouldn't, even when the fixture is turned off.


Can I use hydraulic water-stop cement to fix foundation leak? We moved into our house about a year ago and quickly found that we have a leaking issue into our basement. The slab near our basement window has sunken so the water pools up against the house on big rain storms and eventually seeps in. I have sealed the crack along this problem area twice, which has slowed the issue but it still leaks. Jacking is not an option for several reasons. We had several contractors give us that opinion. We could tear up the concrete and have someone pour new slabs that are graded away, but we are well under any concrete contractor's minimum. We know this would solve the problem, hopefully, but we would be looking at spending around $1,500 to meet their minimums.
My question is, can I use hydraulic water-stop cement to build a better seal between my sidewalk and foundation? We are looking for a solution that won't break our bank and at least get us through the winter since this is only an issue with big rain storms and doesn't leak with minor storms.

The wet area is where we had a towel that lays there to stop the leaking. The water pools from the stair corner to the edge of the window. The water is not flowing up and over the window sail.

Indeed, hydraulic water-stop cement can fix your leak.

With that said I strongly advise 2 things. Finding out the actually cause (ie. foundation sinking or separating) and remove all the sealer you currently have, so the product adheres to the concrete and stucco properly.

Quickrete's claim:
QUIKRETE® Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement will block running water
when application is made to masonry or concrete surfaces. This
special formulation allows the product to obtain high strength and
rapid setting while repelling water.
QUIKRETE® Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement solves leakage problems
wherever active water is present, in all masonry and concrete above
and below grade.


How to insulate around a celing heater? I just installed a heater in the ceiling of my bathroom and am trying to decide how to insulate around it.  The insulation in my attic is the fluffy, blown insulation (cellulose maybe? not exactly sure what it's called).

It seems like it might be a fire hazard to put it right up against the heater.  If it is, how far away does it need to be away?  Do I need to get some fiberglass to use here?

In this case, i would read the manual carefully; usually the housing provides a buffer for heat dissipation, but some heaters may specify no flammable materials within x inches, or nothing on top.  And make sure the air intake is unobstructed or the heater may pull insulation fragments in to the housing.


Door bell partially rings randomly since Nest doorbell installation (Somewhat related to this unanswered question: Doorbell constantly rings even after replacing switch but not an exact duplicate)

My house had a modern wired doorbell (wired using Cat5e, if it matters). I don't know exactly how the push-button, transformer and bell are wired. The bell unit is the type that has an electromagically-driven hammer that strikes the bell twice: once when the button is depressed and again (with a different tone) when the button is released.

The exterior push-button was replaced with a Nest Hello video doorbell a few months ago - and since then, every few weeks one of the doorbell hammers vibrates and sometimes strikes the bell.

The Nest Hello doorbell system wires the push-button the same as before using two wires for power, but the the "signal" wire pair instead go (what I think is) a Nest wireless signal receiver which closes the circuit to make the bell ring - so the electrical path is much shorter, and has less resistance compared to the old button - so I'm assuming this causes voltage spikes from the transformer to cause the bell hammer to be actuated erratically.

What's the fix? I've read that it's as simple as putting an electrical resistor in the signal path, but what resistor rating do I need?

While I guess it's possible that fluctuations in the Nest Hello's power usage could cause the doorbell hammer to move, I wouldn't expect it to be enough to make the doorbell actually ring.

If you add a resistor, I imagine it should be only a few ohms, but it needs to be able to handle a fair amount of power (around 25 watts, from what I've read).  It could also prevent the Nest Hello's battery from charging correctly.

Before you start messing around with resistors, try Nest's advice.  You might need a new doorbell transformer.


Shall I undercut the drywall to let the baseboard cover the hardwood floor expansion gap? I am going to replace my carpet with Engineered hardwood floor(the choice would be Kahrs floating installed floor). The problem I am facing is my baseboard is thin. It's not able to cover the expansion gap required by the floor manufacture. I think this is a very common problem, most floor manufacture requires 1/2" expansion gap but most baseboards nowadays are 1/2" or less .

My current baseboard is short and thin. It will be very silly if I use quarter round to cover the gap. So the only way seems to me is to undercut the drywall so there will be enough expansion gap. Now my question is if I undercut the drywall, will the moisture come from the wall through the cut and affects my floor much?

1/2 expansion gap total gives you 1/4 on each side, which should be easily covered by the moulding.

That said, yes you absolutely can trim the drywall to allow the wood floor to expand. An engineered floor, though, likely doesn't need more than 1/4" on each side. It should be dimensionally stable.


Wiring new ceiling fan/light I installed a new ceiling fan/light combo. I have two wall switches. (one for fan, one for light). I don't want a remote. I did not use the control box(remote operated brain box) that came with the new fan. (fan is Harbor Breeze?)  Instead, I wired one switch each directly to the fan and light respectively. Everything works fine, but I forgot about fan speed. How can I now adjust fan speed? (3 speed or otherwise)

If the fan doesn't have a pull string to control the speed, you can replace the switch on the wall with a fan speed control.  This is just like a dimmer switch, but the electronics are slightly different to work with a fan motor rather than a light bulb.


How to get switched and constant power combo on an outlet I have electricity coming into outlet box from two sources, one is coming via light switch and another one is coming from another outlet.

So I want the top of the twin outlet to be controlled by the switch and bottom of the outlet to be always on electricity.

The two power sources are actually on one breaker on the board, don't know if that info matters.

I read somewhere that I need to remove the break in pin of my outlet because the power to outlet is coming from two sources so each half of the outlet can receive power separately.

The thing is that I don't know how to remove or the break the connecting pin. Here is how my outlet looks like:

After long introduction let me repeat the question(s) :

1. How to remove or break the connecting pin on this outlet?

2. Am I doing something wrong at the moment, and I should be doing something else? (Like leaving the pin in place or something else)

You are on the right track. As it comes from the store, the upper and lower sections of standard double outlets are connected by the small tab connecting the brass plates under the screws on either side.

To separate those sections so that one half is constantly on and the other half is switched, break the tab on the hot side of the outlet. This is usually the side with brass screws. The other, neutral side usually has silver screws. You can be sure on modern outlets because the side with the larger slot is the neutral. In your first picture, the neutral is on the right.

Break the tab on the hot side by grasping it with the tip of a needle-nose pliers and flexing front to back until it snaps off. Do not break off the tab on the neutral side (that would be removed only if the two halves were going to be fed by different breakers; not your case).

You should have two hot wires, one always on and one switched. They may both be black or one black and one red, or even one white, but with a black marking. Attach the always on wire to the brass screw next to the half you want always on. The other should be attached to the brass screw next to the half you want switched.

The neutral (white) wire is attached to either screw on the silver side. The remaining tab carries that connection to both halves.


Can I use polyurethane to coat a painted wall tile and safely use as a trivet? I would like to hand paint ceramic wall tiles to use as a food trivets. If I coat the tiles with polyurethane, to prevent the paint from chipping off, will it be safe to use as a trivet for hot pans or will the heat cause damage? I read the comments about wooden trivets but tile is not porous like wood is. If it's not a good idea, what type of coating should I use instead? Thank you.

The clearcoat won't buy you anything for temperature resistance. It's not like you can put a high-temp clearcoat over a low-temp-vulnerable paint and have that work out.  Both the paint and the clearcoat will need to be high-temperature rated, since it'll be encountering worst-case 400F/200C or so from the bottom of a fry pan.

By the way, you need more words.  You're cutting off the noun, like using the word "cell" to mean "cell phone" or "built-in" to mean "built-in cabinets".  This doen't work with polyurethane because it is ambiguous - you have polyurethane paint, polyurethane stain, polyurethane sheeting, polyurethane panels (glass) etc.


Does this tub repair method sound legit? I have a 20 year old fiberglass tub/shower combo. It evidently lays over a wood support in a 3rd story condo unit. That wood is now wet from a leak as the neighbor below had a plumber cut a hole in their ceiling and say they can see the wet wood support and evidence of water coming from my tub somewhere.

The tub developed cracks and also "puffed up" in the middle from moisture due to a bath mat being left over the cracks and not removed for a year ( tenant caused ) making a fiberglass "inlay" repair -over the bottom of the tub impossible- because the inlay is flat and now the tub bottom is not.

I need to get this tub repaired or replaced immediately now. The tech who tried to do the inlay but could not- said replacement is the only option. A new tub\surround, demo and plumbing will cost 3.500.

I had a company come out who cuts out the tub bottom, reinforces or replaces the wood and uses cement to create a new bottom, then uses fiberglass to connect the new to the old and then refinishes the entire tub and surround. They warranty for 5 years and say they have had little failure with this method and have been in business for 20 years with 5 locations in my state. This costs 1,000.

They said the only failures they used to have was when work was done over wet wood or
only a partial cut out was made of the tub bottom and then joined. They said that now they will not work until the under- area is dryed out and they only do entire tub bottom cut-outs which eliminated the failure.

I cannot find anything about this method on the internet and folk's experience with it.
I do NOT have the money for the replacement but am very concerned about going with something I cant find info on. I must act immediately though.

Can any one advise regarding facts and experience with the method described?

ASAP would be appreciated. I have to do something fast!

I know nothing about this concrete thing, but I don't see how that would be an improvement over just cutting away the bulge and then dropping in the insert... and if you're concerned about what's supporting the tub, I'd suggest the right answer is to pull the whole thing, examine/reconstruct that appropriately, and put a new tub in.

STRONG recommendation to get a second/third opinion and estimate.

This is almost certainly not covered by insurance -- ordinary repair is the owner's responsibility -- unless you have a "home warranty" policy in effect from when you bought the place.


Ideas for filling up large nook I have a rather large nook ( 13 feet wide ) in my basement which will have cabinets and countertop. ( see attached picture ).

My two problems are :

Since largest stock countertop is 10 feet wide, I will be left with about 3 feet space. Assuming I split this into two 1.5 wide space; what can I put on both sides ? Countertop cabinets ? Shelves ?
There is a recessed light in center of nook. I want to install track lighting. Are there any sort of adapters or connector available which can simply be hooked into recessed light holder.

Nook

If you just want countertop the whole way, they can be spliced/jointed. The fancy stuff by fancy installers with fancy glues can approach a seamless appearance (for fancy prices) while typical sheet goods will have a visible seam, which is not a big deal if fancy prices don't appeal. Depending on the purpose of the countertop you could do something like hide the seam under a built-in/on cutting board.

Then again, perhaps you need a basement fridge or freezer, 3 feet taken care of easily.

This slides off towards (off-topic) decorating advice pretty quickly once you get out of the "how to do the whole length as countertop" question which is somewhat on-topic.

Replace the light with a junction box for your new lighting.


Replacing pendant light but reusing existing chock (UK) Firstly a disclaimer: I'm new to electrics in general so apologies if I'm using the wrong terminology.

I have a new pendant light from IKEA and it looked like a very straightforward installation. It has connections for a live and a neutral wire, and needs a small hook to hang off.

Having taken my existing light rose off, I have 9 wires coming through the ceiling. I have attached a picture of the configuration.

Having browsed this site I think I understand how the setup works. As I understand it I need a chock and that it can be inside the ceiling or outside under the rose as pictured.

My question is: can I just cut the 2 existing pendant wires, right above the white housing and use these two wires to attach my new pendant?

The new pendant rose fits over the transparent plastic in the picture. I would then add the hook next to the ceiling hole.

Any advice, much appreciated!!

You cannot use choc block (connector strip) inside the ceiling void or externally not covered by a ceiling rose.

If you want to remove the existing rose entirely I would suggest one of these

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/TLCT101C.html

which will take the three existing cables on the 'socket' part, provides a loop terminal for the live (the 3 brown wires) and the 'plug' part will connect to your new pendant (live, neutral and earth if needed). It has cable clamps on all the cables and can safely be poked back inside the ceiling void.

Alternative is to remove the ceiling rose, hook and connector strip off the ikea pendant and wire it into the existing ceiling rose, threading the flex through the white rose cover before connecting, then screwing on the rose cover.

For anyone not familiar with UK loop-in wiring, the top 3 blue wires are neutral, the middle 3 brown wires are live, and the bottom pair is (blue sleeved brown) switched live and (brown) live to the pendant.


Can I add another cable to a box with four cables in it? I would like to add an outlet in my home. I was going to do it the typical way and add a new neutral and load to an existing outlet.  Run the wire to a new location and add a j-box.

The issue is the closest outlet already has 4 wires coming into it.

Can I still add the outlet by taking off of the existing outlet?

This is in conjunction to Harpers answer. I'm not sure but this might be what you are looking for:

FYI the pigtail method is now required by the NEC. Try article 300.13(B). Device Removal.

When you do pigtail it make sure you have the correct size wire nut.


How can I remove these screws from a brick wall? We replaced a fire escape ladder on our patio. The old ladder was fixed using screws which I don’t know how to remove. They are kind of loose, I can turn them left or right as much as I want but they don’t go in or out. There’s nothing on the other side of the brick wall either.
Any idea how to make them come out?

I believe that they are concrete sleeve anchors, something like these†. When you screw the nut on and tighten it down, it pulls the anchor in and tightens the expanding sleeve against the hole. With no nut, there's nothing threaded down in the hole so the threaded rod just spins.
I don't think you can pull those out, as the end in the wall is bigger than the sleeve that goes around the rest of the threaded rod - that's what causes the sleeve to expand.
To remove, I would think that you would have to pull it out as far as possible, cut it off, then push the remaining rod back into the wall and patch over it.
You might be able to put the washer and nut back on, tighten them down, cut off the exposed rod past the nut, then remove the nut and push the remaining rod back in. I'm not sure which method would enable you to cut the most rod off.

†Just a convenient link, no recommendation of the store or brand intended or implied.


What is the best way to fix broken OLD plaster in a very old house? I've recently bought a house which was built in the 1900s. The entire plaster walls are covered with wallpapers. First time home buyer mistake, our first project is to remove the wallpaper and paint it over. Unfortunately, by removing wallpaper, the old plaster fell off the lath. I was frightened when it feels off because I know for an old house, plaster could contain asbestos. I brought some sample and luckily enough the result came out negative. I'm wondering what would be the best option to go with in terms of quality, timing and cost-effective.

I have a few options:

compound it
cover with blue board or sheetrock
tear everything down and put the new board.

tear it all down, replace with regular sheetrock / drwywall.


What kind of a bathroom vent is this? How do I open it? http://imgur.com/bIHdOvX

See picture.
Bathroom vent doesn't appear to be sucking, so I want to open it and see if it's something to do with the fan.  If the fan looks fine I think I'll have to hire a professional to check the piping to make sure it isn't clogged.

We have a fan like that.  The external body pulls straight down a couple inches and hangs on a pair of wire, spring-like supports.  From there, you can access the light bulb and a bit of the fan.

I haven't done it, but from there, I would assume you can remove the fan and get a look at the vent pipe.  For us, the alternative would be to attempt to access from above via the attic.  That may be an option for you.


C wire for smart thermostat I’m trying to add a smart thermostat and it seems I can’t find a C wire. I need to know where to tap in if I need to. It looks like I have extra wires on my thermostat wire going into the house.

Move the yellow wire from your thermostat to where the blue wire is connected now...
Since whoever wired this up didn't use standard color codes, we'll have to go in and clean up a bit after their work first.  The first step is to remove the blue wire in the thermostat cable from its current junction with the yellow wire from your HVAC system.  Said yellow wire then gets nutted to the currently-unused yellow wire from your thermostat-cable, making that yellow wire the Y wire going up to the thermostat.
...and connect the blue wire from your thermostat to the grey wire from the HVAC system
Now that we have that taken care of, according to the wiring diagrams you posted, the grey wire from the transformer is your C wire.  In your photos, we can trace that grey wire over to one side of the compressor contactor, then from there down on to where it hangs behind the thermostat cable.  As a result, you can connect that grey wire to the now-free blue wire in your thermostat cable, wire up your new thermostat as normal, turn the HVAC back on, and enjoy!