Basement waterproofing with thermal break I need help figuring out best solution to fix my basement moisture/mold issue...

As far as I can tell, water is entering at bottom seam of poured concrete wall and basement floor. I considered external waterproofing, but I was quoted $32K (105ft of external wall) and I cannot afford that.

I am thinking of getting Basement Systems' Waterguard perimeter french drain installed with thermaldry vapor barrier on the walls that channels any water from the concrete wall into waterguard (thermal dry is a bubble wrap type material with bubbles facing wall and an aluminum coating on the interior side. Essentially the bubbles let water make its way to the bottom where it leaks into french drain. Aluminum coating is supposed to reflect most of radiant heat back into the basement and provide some insulating value).

It would be installed like this:

I have few questions/concerns:

1) There are vertical expansion cuts in poured concrete walls. These tend to leak after rains. How can I waterproof these cuts that are ~1/4" wide and run top to bottom on wall? I used epoxy to fix cracks in walls before, but I would need massive amounts of the stuff to fill up the voids. Is there something else I could use?

2) Instead of thermaldry, I was going to use spray on closed cell insulation on the walls, but I am concerned with continued water seepage through cracks (I had several cracks over the years) & expansion cuts. What would happen if I had closed cell insulation sprayed on concrete walls with these leaks? Would water push insulation off the walls? Would it leak through?

3) Is it a good idea to have a vapor barrier against concrete walls? This bubble stuff has some insulating value but I am worried, humidity will still condense on the inside surface of vapor barrier. Is there an insulated vapor barrier available that would provide a thermal break while channeling any water from concrete wall to french drain?

4) I would like to avoid spraying foam insulation on thermaldry as it would probably void warranty. Can you think of a way I could install rigid XPS over thermaldry with no air gaps (and without voiding warranty)? I asked installer this question and waiting on answer.

5) There's an 1/8" wide crack in floor (maybe 10' long) - how should I have it fixed?

6) I was thinking of rebuilding finished walls as: corning seal gasket, pressure treated 2x4" plate, 2x4" studs 24" on center. Not sure about what insulation I should use (I guess depends on if I can get XPS installed over bubble wrap) and 1/2" drywall on outside.

I am probably over complicating things, but I would like to have a solution that channels water from walls while also having a good thermal break to avoid condensation. Any and all advice is appreciated!!!

As a home inspector, I always recommend to seal water intrusion from the exterior whenever and wherever possible. Since you mentioned a poured concrete foundation, I would recommend hiring a professional crack repair company.They can inject a flexible polymer substance into the length of the cracks that should seal them in most cases as long as the foundation is not still moving (and the crack is expanding).

Based on your comments, I would be more concerned that the foundation was not poured properly and/or does not have steel reinforcements in the concrete, and may cause more problems in the future. Until you get the cracking repaired and sealed I would not suggest putting up a finished basement, because then you would get what the previous commenter said would be mold.

For the crack in the floor, that is typical for a floating floor and can be fixed with some concrete polymer caulk. No big deal.

But then, this thread is three years old, so you may be long past this issue.


Do I have to remove all caulk before reapplication? I re-caulked my bathroom a few months previous and there are a couple of gaps that have appeared. I have been caulking my own bathroom for about 7 years now but have never had damage this soon into it.  My kids just started having showers and are now standing more than sitting so I am guessing that is a contributing factor.

So there are two spots of about an inch in length that need to be fixed. My understanding has always been that the whole length of the caulk would need to be reapplied. I heave a sigh at that notion since I really don't want to do it again right now.

An answer to a related question Can I apply caulk over caulk? talks about doing just that with the caveat of...

  Your caulk needs to attach to both the tub and tile

Knowing that I could remove the damaged areas and caulk again with larger applications over existing good caulk to get contact to the tub and the surround.

There is also a very similar question about How to fix small holes/separation in caulk around bathtub? but the answers focus more on the tub installation itself rather than the caulking. While, at least one, recommends redoing the whole thing in that case I wonder if it is related more to the installation rather than the actual title of the question.

Can I re-patch small sections of damaged caulk or is it just smarter to redo the entire thing? I think from reading I might be able to get away with small patches but I have a nagging feeling that I would just be postponing a whole re-caulk.

If only a small section of the caulking has opened it may be worth re-applying fresh caulk to them with the hopes that it won't happen anyplace else. Since the repair is small cut out the compromised caulk and clean the surrounding areas with denatured alcohol. Apply fresh caulk forming it into place to match existing caulk. FYI: It is recommended, but not required, for longevity and resiliency to use a 100% silicone caulking. Pure silicone won't dry and become brittle in time and are able to flex if any of the two materials (wall and/or tub) move or shift. If you are adamant in using latex or a siliconized  caulking use one which is advertised for exterior use (the quality brands will be touted as having a 30-40 year guarantee, usually for doors and windows). Also, if you can find it, look for a mildew-proof or resistant-type caulk. I've re-caulked jobs several times because mold had established itself on and in the caulk.


Toilet Problem- Water not able to flush at all Hi I am having problem with my toilet as whenever I am flushing it the water is not passing by. Now the condition is so bad that my toilet is filled with more than half water all time. It is not passing through. At the same time I  have notice, sometime water reach the bottom in the pot and some sound started to come from it , at time some bad smell (very very smelly ) come out of it all of it own.

I have tried to clear the sewage but of no use. Please advice what should I do. Thanks

It sounds like there is a blockage somewhere.  It could be right at the toilet (waste gets trapped in the bends that form the built-in trap).  If the material gets past that, it typically makes it to the sewer line.  However sewer lines can get blocked between your house and the tie-in to the main sewer line (some old pipe materials were prone to breakage, rocks in the backfill can cause breakage, etc., then dirt or roots get into the pipe and block it).

If the problem is the sewer line, it will affect all of the plumbing in your house.  If it is the cause of water not going down at all, or only at a trickle, in that toilet, all toilets, sinks, bathtubs, etc. will drain very slowly).  If you have a washing machine that discharges into a utility sink, that would be a place where a sewer problem would likely be visible.

A simple way to test this is to fill all your sinks and bathtubs, turn on all inside faucets, and have people stationed at all sinks, tubs, and toilets to release the water from the sinks and tubs and flush the toilets at the same time on a signal.  If everything drains at a normal speed, the sewer line is not the problem.  (If it is the sewer line, post a new question because that's a subject all its own.)

If there is a problem with just one, or just a few, of the plumbing fixtures in addition to that toilet, the blockage may be where several discharge lines connect within your house.  A plumber will be able to figure out the location and will have the tools to clear it.

If the problem is at the toilet, itself, there are a number of ways to clear it.  If there is any chance that it is not normal, flushable waste (like a young child tried to flush a toy), you might want to call a plumber, because normal solutions to clear a clog will likely just make the problem worse and harder to solve.

The typical clog is human waste and toilet paper (and sometimes feminine pads that are not intended to be flushable).  The problem is usually the toilet paper or pad.  The pads are not designed to break up, so if it is likely to be that, the first solution is to try to use a plumbing snake to pull it back out.  If that doesn't work, try to break it up with the plumbing snake.  Which brings us to the standard solutions.

There are three basic approaches to toilet clogs: plumbing snake to break up the clog and push it past the point where it is caught, plunger to apply pressure to force the clog past, or breaking up the clog "chemically".  Any of these approaches might require repeated tries to clear a stubborn clog.

The snake is pretty self explanatory.  One word about plungers--you need to use the right type.  There are two styles of plungers.  One looks like a big suction cup, a dome with a flat edge.  That style is for sinks or basins and won't work well for toilets.  Toilet plungers have a "bell" and then a snout that fits into the discharge well at the bottom of the toilet.  You need that style for it to be effective.

I use the term "chemical" loosely.  There are caustic chemicals (typically containing lye), that dissolve the toilet paper, breaking up the clog.  Some contain concentrated bleach as the active chemical.  Hot water and liquid detergent is at least as effective.  For any of the "chemical" approaches to work, the toilet needs to be draining, even if very slowly.  If it is totally blocked and not draining at all, use one of the mechanical methods.  If you try caustic chemicals and then need to use mechanical methods, you've created a nasty environment to work in or get splashed by.  You can try the hot water method if you use something like an old pot to remove most of the standing mess so that the toilet bowl is almost empty (personally, I'd just use one of the mechanical methods, instead).

The hot water method: fill a large pot with water and bring it to boiling on the stove.  With the toilet bowl almost empty, squirt some liquid dish detergent into the bowl, then carefully pour in the hot water (be careful not to splash yourself).  Refill the pot and get it heating for the next application.  When the water has trickled out of the bowl so that it's almost empty again, repeat the process.  This normal requires several applications for a stubborn clog, often three or four in a row.  It takes the hot water and detergent time to work its way through the clog.  But it's a pretty "clean" solution that requires little effort and is very effective.

If you try the hot water method say six times in a row and there is no visible improvement, it probably means that it isn't a normal clog.  You will need to try one of the mechanical methods or call a plumber.


Will surface scuffs be a long-term issue in a new concrete walkway? I'm probably being paranoid but would like to get some expert opinions as this is my first time dealing with concrete.
I had a concrete path laid in the garden, around 80-100mm thick.
It was laid and then about 12 hours later when it had hardened the top layer got scratched by machinery in a few patches roughly the size of a beer mat each, taking the top 2-3mm off the surface. It was then it started to rain for a few hours.
So now when I look at the surface I have the nice cured layer top layer, but in the scratched patches it's a bit rougher looking and the material feels a bit looser.
My question is, will these scratched areas develop into a problem as the material feels a bit looser on them compared to the cured surface ?
Is there any product I could apply to them to re-seal them, one that is preferable invisible to not draw attention ?
Or am I just overthinking the whole thing, and is this part of the natural wear and tear ?
This is just a functional side path, nothing pretty about the finish.
Thanks in advance

Well the folks who "scratched" your delicate "green" (fresh, uncured, weak) concrete with their machinery should be fixing this for you, or paying your concrete guy to fix it if they are not the concrete guy.
It won't get better, and it's hard to do much (short of tear out and repour a section) to fix a thin layer like that, because thin layers do not bond well and tend to spall off again.
There's a section of sidewalk near me that looks horrible because it was not covered (or the cover was not secured properly and blew off in a thunderstorm) while still wet and got poured on, taking the finish layer off. Rain is good once the concrete has set/hardened (the cure needs water) but bad when the material is still wet - not your issue, as the parts that were not abused seem to be fine per your description - you just have damage because the green (and very weak at that point in time) concrete was "scratched by machinery" before it could become strong.


How do I wire LED lights directly from the panel? I am finishing my basement and would like to do 2 sets of LED strip lights. One will go in a small 4x8 room under my stairs, another a large theater room 13' x 15'. I am a beginner when it comes to electrical wiring, but usually not afraid to tackle something and learn something new.

I have been reading a lot online trying to figure out how to put this together and wanted to run my thoughts by the exchange and see if i'm on track, and ask for a few recommendations.

I'm looking at using some lights like this:

From my research, If I want to wire directly from my circuit breaker box, I need to buy one of these, but I'm not sure how many watt to buy? My plan is to just stick this in my utility room right by my circuit box.

Here is a rough sketch of what I think I'm going to do.  I just want someone to tell me if this is right?

Just to outline my questions:

What watt power transformer should I be using?
Can I run 14 gauge wire directly from a circuit 15 amp breaker to the transformer?
Can I plug in all 5 circuits of LED strips on top of each other to the output of the transformer?
Is this the recommended way of doing what I'm trying to accomplish?
I would also like to add a on/off switch, do they make a wall switch for 12v?
Can low volt wires come right out of the wall, or do they need a junction box before being connected to the LED strip lights?

*New Question
 7. After some additional reading last night I saw that the cheap LED strips on Amazon can get very hot?  I plan to light a children's room under my stairs with a very low ceiling. I also read that more expensive lights should not get as hot?  My main reason for choosing LED lights was for low heat in a confined area.  Dose anyone have any experience with the heat output of these lights?

What watt power transformer should I be using?

You can use a power supply like the one pictured, rated for the amount of LED's you will be driving.  Read the specs on the lighting.  They should tell you how many watts per a given length of the strip.  So if it says, for example, that needs about 1 watt per meter, then a 15-foot section would require a 5 watt power supply.  Take your total length of 76 feet, and divide by the strip's requirements.  It wouldn't surprise me if you ended up somewhere in the ballpark of 20 to 30 watts.

  Can I run 14 gauge wire directly from a circuit 15 amp breaker to the transformer?

No.  You can't put the power supply inside the wall, and you can't bring the wire out of the wall without going through a junction box.  The best way to do this is to put a cord on that power supply, and plug it into an existing outlet.  There is no need whatsoever to add a new circuit or connect these directly to a circuit breaker.

  Can I plug in all 5 circuits of LED strips on top of each other to the output of the transformer?

Yes, you can wire multiple strings in parallel at the power supply.  If the sections are short, you can also wire them end-to-end.  Double-check the specs for maximum length of a single run.

  Is this the recommended way of doing what I'm trying to accomplish?

The recommended way is to plug into an existing outlet.  If your lighting requirements added up to 1000 watts, you'd want a new circuit. At 20, 30 or 50 watts, it is ridiculously small in household circuit requirements.

  I would also like to add a on/off switch, do they make a wall switch for 12v?

Any switch can be used for 12v.  I would put the switch before the power supply.  Put a cord on the power supply like this cord with switch.

  Can low volt wires come right out of the wall, or do they need a junction box before being connected to the LED strip lights?

The low voltage wires don't need a junction box, but they do need a junction plate, like those used for phone jacks.


I have a buried wire for a generator in my shed. Is there a safe way to reverse the feed to power the shed? My current setup:
Main panel has 60A 240 breaker that feeds Generator subpanel which has 10 circuits on it. The Gen Feed to the subpanel comes from buried 10-3 in my shed. That works well for running the generator. The subpanel has the metal slider to lockout Gen from Main feed.

Now I'm considering an electric mower, which would preferably be stored and charged in the shed, plus I wouldn't mind a light switch out there. So with the infrastructure of 10-3 underground, but with opposite polarity (i.e. generator input prongs) in the shed, is there a safe way to switch from "Generator feeding house" to "House feeding shed"? Obviously, or maybe not, I don't want to power the shed/mower with the generator.

You're just as well off trenching in a conduit

The rub with what you're describing is that you'd have to switch both ends of the feeder cable to make it work, with all the logic based on the presence of utility power at the main house end.  As a result of the extra control wiring that would likely be needed to control the shed-end switching, you are just as well off trenching another feeder in between the house and shed as you are trying to rig up something.

However, there is a way to spare future-you more of this pain.  Instead of trenching a cable in now, you can install a conduit for this new feeder, and generously size it (2" is not out of place).  This means that there's room for more than a single feeder in the conduit; you can even move the generator feeder into the same conduit as the shed feeder once you have the conduit in place.


Ejector Tank Safe Cleaning Additives Wondering if there are any suggestions for a safe additive that can be flushed into a sewage ejector tank that can help break down waste (even toilet paper). Getting some awful foul smells - going to double seal it with another layer of silicone, but would love suggestion on an enzyme/other type additive that helps break it down

Additives don't help much, if at all.

Check gaskets and seals, as you've stated. Also check the stack vent: The ejector pump tank must be properly vented. This is true of all waste plumbing, to prevent buildup of gases.

For some other tips on reducing odor, see InspectAPedia.


Should I seal sandstone? Based in UK Deciding between porcelain 18mm and sandstone 24mm both grey.
The porcelain cost about 1/3 more however if i have to seal the sandstone the cost isnt that different and over time probably works out more. But i have read conflicting literature saying it doesn't need to be sealed!

Extract from here
https://www.turnbullsonline.co.uk/inspiration/faq-i-need-seal-patio-slabs/

Do I need to seal sandstone patio slabs?
Short answer, no! Leading paving manufacturers Marshalls and Stonemarket don’t recommend coatings and sealants for their sandstone paving. Knowing this will save you time and money!
Quality Indian sandstone does not need sealing, so you won't need to seal even the cheapest Marshalls Indian Sandstone Paving.

It is a personal preference to seal or not to seal. I have sand stone night stands. When we purchased I sealed incase I knock a cup of coffee over or spill something that would stain the surface I don’t want it looking bad. Yes things have spilled and they still look good.
Another possible reason for sealing outside work is if it freezes hard. At my current location I won’t use a concrete finishing method I used in the San Francisco Bay Area , it worked great and looked cool there but the occasional hard freeze here would cause the surface to fracture, I believe the same may be true for sand stone but am not sure so if I used sand stone outside I would want to water seal it to prevent freezing damage. But as I said it is personal preference since sand stone is soft as an outside wear surface you may need to seal more often.


Fix the torn window screens I have two windows with torn screens that need to be fixed. I looked up on this forum for similar problems and solutions. I found some but not exactly like mine.

Anyway, can someone take a look at the pictures here and offer some suggestions as to what might be the best way to replace the broken screens.

You might notice the windows are pretty old and I cannot tell who is the manufacturer and what is the brand.

Those are standard screens easy to repair. Pull the rubber / plastic retainer material out of the groove, the old screen fabric will fall out if it did not pull out when removing the retainer.

Get a roll of the type of screen fabric you want to use. There are different colors and materials. I like to place the frame on the floor for large ones and the kitchen table for smaller. Verify that the frame is still square by measuring corner to corner diagonally. Lay the fabric on top of the frame. They make roller tools to push in the retainer but I always cut the screen with these so I use a carpenter's pencil to push the retainer in.

If caution is used you will end up with a very nice tight fit. Use a razor knife to trim the excess on the outside edge for a good finished job.

I find the expanded poly retainer a real pain and I usually tear it during removal if you have this type of retainer you may want to pick up a roll when you get the screen it is inexpensive. Hope that helps.


How to soundproof a wall between two apartments in a 1950s NYC structure? I'm hoping someone might have a suggestion about the best way to soundproof my bedroom wall that is adjacent to my neighbor's living room. It is an apartment that I own in a coop building in NYC that was built in the 1950s.

I am pretty sensitive to noise when I'm trying to get to sleep and my new neighbor seems to keep late hours. I can hear his T.V. and chatter through my wall and it's pretty much driving me nuts. I understand that the noise won't be 100% gone. The walls are actually pretty decent in this building. My head is nearest to that wall when I'm in my bed.

I am having a contractor come in to do some renovations to my apartment so I thought this might be a good opportunity to have him do some soundproofing as well.  I've read some mixed reviews on this, but in my research, Quietrock and Green Glue seem to come up quite frequently.

I was thinking that I would have the contractor put up 5/8" Quietrock over this existing wall with green glue between. The wall isn't terribly large so I don't mind spending $60 ea for about 4 or 5 sheets of Quietrock. I thought using both of these materials over the existing wall (which is painted - not sure if that makes a difference) might be a double whammy against the noise coming from his apartment.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this idea or is there something that might work better?  I'm open to other solutions, but I don't want to spend crazy money on labor.

Anything suggestions on this?

You don't need both quiet rock and green glue, they should be seen as alternatives.
Also you're going for higher frequency noise: footfall or low frequency noise would be a different answer.

I'd do this: identify and mark stud locations, have a contractor drill holes and dense pack insulation into the wall (see video), patch the holes, find your marks then green glue and screw 5/8" drywall and be done with it.  No framing needed.

But your next problem is likely flanking: sound coming through the floor, heating ducts, over the top plate of the wall, out and back in a window, etc.  You'll likely still hear that TV without some pretty detailed work to find all the paths.


Where can I find LED indoor floodlights? Where can I find LED Indoor Floodlights? I have recessed lighting and one of the lights over a nook in my house gets the person hot who sits under the light for too long - plus LED is more energy efficient. I currently have a halogen indoor flood light installed.

Most of the major lighting manufacturers are starting to produce LED spots and floods for can lighting - the only downside is they're not cheap.  I've been seeing them at various home improvement centers for 60-100 dollars a bulb depending on the type and wattage.

Sylvania LED flood @ Home Depot


how do I transition conduit through a half-inch OSB shed wall? I'm running a 15 amp circuit to a small shed using underground 3/4" PVC conduit. I'm using an LB box to enter the side of the shed as shown in the picture below. The female end LB box protrudes about half an inch into the shed. The wall is only half inch OSB plus a very thin panel veneer.
I want to turn the conduit up and into a disconnect.  I was planning on using a junction box with the LB came through, but I suppose I could just use conduit to go all the way to the disconnect.
What would be the best way to do this?

I completed the project and all is well.

I added some 2x4 blocking to provide a bit more depth to work with.

I solvent welded a small piece of 3/4" conduit between the female
end of the LB coming through the wall sheathing and a threaded
terminal adapter (the small piece of conduit is completely embedded
in the fittings and not visible).

I then spun on a metal junction box on the terminal adapter until
snug against the blocking

I ran 3/4" conduit from the junction box up to the disconnect.

The load side of the disconnect is 14/2 Romex.

.


How to remove plastic film on window pane We live in a late-70s condo in California with some windows a few inches above ground level. On one of them, the previous owners placed some plastic film which is now cracking and unsightly. Clearly not for insulation because there’s no plastic on the sash window above.

Was this an attempt to “kick-proof” the window? How can we remove the plastic and should we replace it?

Unless it peels off, which it apparently doesn't, it's probably an adhesive-backed clear coat application. You don't mention if the window is glass or acrylic (Plexiglass). Assuming it's glass you might be able to get it off with a safety razor scraper. Any adhesive could possibly be dissolved with finger nail polish remover or a commercial product such as Goof Off.

If it's acrylic, any scraping or solvent application may damage the pane. In that instance, you may just want to replace it but if you're going to do that you might want to try scraping and solvent first. Nothing to lose.


Nest thermostat causing condenser unit contactor to chatter when NOT calling for cooling I have dual transformers, separate heating and AC.

I've recently installed a nest learning thermostat (3rd gen). This is my wiring.  The c wire comes from the the transformer on the AC side (pairs with Rc). The system works and is able to call for both heat and cooling.

However the problem I noticed is that when AC is off, the outside condenser unit has a chattering noise. I removed the side panel on the unit and found that it's the contactor trying to actuate.

I actually have another nest thermostat E but it also causes the same chattering.

I tried my old thermostat - no chattering.

It's like the nest is leaking a small voltage to the Y1 wire even if it's not calling for cooling.

After a long chat with the nest support, they asked me to remove the c wire and it did stop the chattering and they are asking me to go without the c wire. However based on what I've researched, not having a c wire could cause a lot of potential issues down the road.

I've read a reddit post that suggests adding an isolation relay (though the post added the relay on the heating side). I have not purchased a relay yet but did sketch the wiring that I think should work .

I'm wondering if the relay is going to work or there is other solutions. If the underlying issue is indeed leaked voltage, then will having a relay simply hide the problem, e.g. the chattering may occur at the relay?

Any suggestion is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

This is a hack, but....

Try replacing the relay with a much heavier duty one.  Specifically one with a coil that uses more power.  24v is a very common contactor voltage.

Here's one option from Grainger, but really any 24Vac coil voltage relay would work.  The contact rating must be equal or greater to what you currently have.  Aiming for very high voltage/current contact ratings, or relays with more than 2 poles will likely get you a higher-wattage coil, and that's what you want to reduce chatter.

The heavier duty coil will pass more current through without moving.  In fact you don't need to remove your current relay. maybe just connect another in parallel with it so its powered on at the same time.  Leave a note for why you did that, or the next hvac tech you have out might yank it and tell you how crazy the last guy must have been to put that there.

Or for that matter, you might be able to put any sort of load in parallel with it.  A suitably rated resistor for example.

I've used a nest for about 6 years myself in two different houses and what's happening to you is not normal.  It sounds to me like the 'support' you were talking to were grasping at straws.  I will agree with the other posters that Nest is junk, and you'd be better served returning it to the store.  Google will be discontinuing them soon, and you will lose control of your thermostat overnight against your will when they shut down the cloud component of it.

But since it's already installed, if you like it, there's how to make it not clatter.

There is also a small, but non-zero chance that the base plate of your nest is defective, or one of the connector pins on it is busted, and the c wire energy isn't making it to the nest itself.

Check the nest app or the thermostat's advanced/installer interface itself to see if it is AWARE of the c-wire's presence.  It should show you a photo of the wiring it detects.

If the nest thermostat itself (the piece that comes off the wall) does not detect the c-wire power, then it probably will "fall back" to stealing power from the other wires.

If both of your Nests have baseplates and you experience the same problem with both baseplates, then this is probably not the cause.  My first thought when I started reading your post was the c-wire was broken.  But you ruled that out with your voltage measurement.  Good on ya!


Best way to fix bottoming-out on driveway curb-cut? The distance between the street gutter and the top of the sidewalk in the curb-cut for my driveway is short making the angle at the crest such that a car bottoms-out when entering or leaving the driveway (see photo). I ground down the crest a bit (that was a lot of work) and it helps some, but not enough, so I need to do something else.
One thing many driveways near me have is about a 2" lip on the gutter side that "pre-lifts" the car up before getting to the crest.  But I believe that would require jack-hammering out the about 30 sq. feet of concrete and pouring new concrete and that's not that cheap to do.
I've seen other driveways where it looks like (somehow) they've added additional asphalt on the gutter side to have the same effect of pre-lifting the car up.  I've seen "asphalt patch" bags or tubs for sale to patch asphalt driveways, but would that work for a larger 10 sq. foot area?
The last thing I've seen are driveway curb ramps that are essentially big pieces of rubber you affix to the street, but that requires a specialized drill to drill into the concrete.
What's my best option?

Update
Per a comment, I'll define "best" as longest-lasting that, while it doesn't need to be cheapest, ideally shouldn't be crazy expensive.  One concrete contractor quoted $2500.
Also, if you personally have used one of these methods, would you choose that method again?  If not, why not, and which one would you choose instead?

Everyone will probably look at the curb itself, and come up with useful suggestions, so I'll let other answers deal with that. I shall address the less obvious but nevertheless likely source of the problem: the damping elements in the car's suspension. If your car has less than 75k miles on it and is not considered a budget car, then probably dampers aren't your problem and you can skip this answer. But if you have a car with more miles than ~75k, or it's a 50k+ mile car that is an economy model, the below should at least be considered.
I have a curb with apparently similar dimensions, and I can drive up on it at any speed above 8mph with no worries about contact between the car and the ground, but I most definitely couldn't do that before I serviced the suspension on the car (I did it myself, in order to trade off my time for better quality performance parts than what the dealer would put in by default).
The faster you go up this curb, the less tendency for bottoming out the car should have as long as its shock absorbers and/or struts are not out of order. The tendency to bottom out will come to light as the damping ratio or damping coefficient of the suspension degrades and gets lower, i.e. as the dampers wear out.
In fact, out of various "DIY" means of testing dampers for wear, going up a curb exactly as shown in the picture is about the only way to get a qualitative answer good enough to act on. The only other way I know of doing it to get a clear "good enough/replace now" answer is using fairly expensive lab test equipment.
The various "push down on the car and release" voodoo incantations you can read about on the internet are not very useful except for catching dampers that have completely failed. Most dampers fail progressively and perform very poorly way before failing catastrophically, and that will not be caught by the tests you perform only by humans pushing on the car: the humans are not a fast nor strong enough actuator to yield a usable result, whereas going over a curb uses the car's own powerplant and inertia to generate significant loads at the rates necessary to evaluate damper performance.
In other words: if you try going up that curb at twice and thrice the speed you normally do and the car seems to be bottoming out worse the faster you go, then you need to change your shocks/struts on all four wheels, and the problem will vanish - I'm quite sure of that. You may need to tell us what the car is you experience this problem in, the mileage, and when were the shocks and struts last replaced (if ever). Many cars will have significant trouble with the curbs as pictured once their shocks/struts have accumulated about 100k miles, although this also highly depends on the quality of the parts installed (whether at the factory or the last time they were replaced), and the use history of the car - i.e. if have to drive on dirt roads daily, your shocks may need replacement at shorter intervals in order to maintain a reasonable fraction of their original performance.
Now the flipside: it's possible that due to the angle the photo was taken at, and due to what's outside of the photographed area, the basic geometry of things may be conspiring against you even if you have a brand new car with awesomest sports suspension. That's a possibility, but worn out shocks are slightly more likely than curbs that grow too unwieldy to drive over. I mean, if the curb is seemingly growing over time, that's an entirely different sort of a problem (roots, freeze-thaw action, settling of the soil, etc).


How to catch smart mice that avoid anything that remotely looks like a trap? We've had mice since last year (maybe even the year before) and they seem to have smartened up after successfully using snap traps the first time we noticed them. We probably caught at most 10 and I'm pretty sure that they've bred a thousand more over the months.

I've plugged a couple holes in the bathroom walls with fine steel wool, one hole that isn't made by a mouse (no idea why it's there) and one that is. There's another hole in one of the bedroom walls that I'm afraid of plugging because I don't want to end up with the possibility of dead mice in the walls.

The steel-wool in the mouse-made hole mysteriously disappeared in about 2 weeks of plugging, and continued to do so within a week of replugging it. Bits of the wall were on the floor when it happened so I'm assuming the mice are pulling it into the walls. I just place a glue trap in front of it now instead of replugging.

Anyway, here's a list of other things I've tried:

Putting the food away. They still come to scratch the walls and other things to find nesting material I'm guessing.
A bunch of snap traps in the recommended positions, changing the type of bait occasionally when I noticed I haven't caught anything in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, they remained uncaught. I've even tried 'hiding' the traps with tissue paper, haha. One with bait under the paper, over the paper, and no bait at all.
My brother tried the live bucket trap; didn't work.
Glue traps worked twice. I'm not sure about the first time, but I'm positive the second catch was pure luck.
I've a Victor electronic trap that's been on for a few months with nothing in it. I've tried baited and unbaited (which it currently is right now), nothing.
We have those bait stations that go into a corner, but they haven't done anything since being put up either.

And that's about it. One thing about these mice is that they don't care what time of day it is, they'll still venture about the house, usually a day before, after, and on the weekends. I'm certain they also just walk around the traps. There have been times when they ran away upon seeing me and avoided all the paths with snaptraps waiting.

Anything I can do? Sorry for the long post.

Every time I have dealt with a rodent issue they ALWAYS eat the poison pellets.  Now can you live with a dead mouse somewhere?  Maybe it isn't the best inside way to catch them.  But if you hit them with pellets all along the outside of your house 2-3 heavy sweeps over a course of a few months they will all be dead or close.  They share food when close.  I have done this on a couple houses and I not only killed the mice but didn't notice a chipmunk or squirrel for a while.  I would try this even if you have an inside problem because often they will nest outside right by your house.


What should I do about the insect larvae found on my ceiling? Found 10 or so of these things on our ceiling this morning. I live in Central Oregon. Not sure what they are--is this an indication of worse things to come? Anything I need to inspect my house for, or shall I just throw them out?

That looks like the larvae stage of a pantry moth to me. Is it in or near your kitchen or some food storage? They can infest food like grain that is sitting in cabinets and you end up with many of them flying around your kitchen.

I think there are homemade traps you can make to keep their populations down in your kitchen. The real key is to identify what they're eating and address it - clean it up or get rid of it and try to make sure other foods nearby are well sealed so the moths can't move and expand.

Worlwide I think it is somewhat common to have these critters in bulk grain storage like a container of rice. You can try to remove them and rinse the food if you want to still use it and that'll probably be okay, but you should watch out for too many of them or other problems with the food like mold or excessive bug waste.


How to find the right thermostat for my gas fireplace? I have a Superior SSDVR3530CNM gas fireplace, which I'm trying to find a proper thermostat for.

The manual recommends this one:

However, it doesn't seem like they are sold anymore. (Or I'm not searching the right way.) It also recommends a couple of remotes, but I don't like how they look and the ones that I found for sale were like $150, which I think it's a bit expensive compared for what you can get for that money from a 'regular' thermostat these days.

There's a wiring diagram and a snippet from a troubleshooting guide, which suggest that it's a 24V thermostat which can be installed instead of the 'optional switch' that I do have on the wall:

The problem is that I'm not sure whether it's any 24V thermostat (which most of them seem to be these days) or it has to be somehow 'gas-fireplace-aware' (e.g. not to switch on and off too often or something like that).

So, the question is -- do I just pick a random 24V thermostat from Amazon and it should work? Or is there any other considerations I need to take into account?

The information you supplied in your question seems contradictory. A millivolt thermostat is specifically different then a 24vt thermostat.

I would suggest you look for and confirm the existence of the referenced "low voltage transformer" and confirm whether or not it is part of the thermostat circuit loop (and confirm its voltage). If it is there then the 24vt thermostat is what you need.

Alternatively a "Thermopile" as referenced is a very low voltage electricity generator heated by the pilot. If that is the power source for the gas control valve and thermostat then you need a millivolt thermostat.


What is causing my kitchen drain to back up into my dishwasher? I have tried vinegar and baking soda and a commercial cleaner.  When I use the plunger the water in time will go down. What should I do first? Should I take my dishwasher apart or the attempt to clean the trap?  Thank you for your help!

It sounds like your dishwasher drain line is not installed correctly. You should have a loop so the drain line goes above the bottom of the sink before it goes to the dishwasher. Generally, the loop is attached to the bottom of the countertop itself.

Without the loop, when water is draining from the sink, it will naturally flow down the dish washer line. If there is a restriction in the sink drain, it will make things even worse, as the dishwasher drain is likely to the path of least resistance.

The loop prevents water from draining down the line so long as the standing water level is lower than the high point of the loop. If your sink is almost completely full of water without
the drain stopper in (to the point it drains into the dishwasher), you have an upstream clog that must be dealt with either way (you'll have the same issue with the dishwasher draining into the sink and/or not draining at all).


Inline whole house filters and their effective filtration performance I would like to build a fairly aggressive whole house water filter system.

However, the 1 micron filters that I see are low flow and are for point-of-use (under the counter for a drinking spigot) and are not appropriate for the flow an entire house needs.

I do, however, see many 5 micron filters that have sufficient flow.

If I cascade two or three 5 micron filters together, do they have an effective filtration that is actually smaller than 5 micron ?

Further, do two filters with the same flow rate maintain that same flow rate regardless of how many filters are in line ?  I realize there might be a non-zero reduction in flow just because of the additional couplings, but I am hopeful that two or three filters, in line, with the same flow rate, maintains roughly that same flow rate.

Am I correct that I can get an effective 2 or 3 micron system with, for instance, three 5-micron filters in a row ?

Thank you.

No. If a filter allows a particle size to pass, more filters of the same porosity will pass the same particles down the line. As the first filter clogs, it may stop finer particles, but it will also impact the flow rate due to being clogged.

Multiple filters in line are typically either arranged coarser to finer, or are filtering for different things (i.e. physical and then chemical filtration.)

You can get more flow by using finer filters in parallel, or you can use a pressure tank after fine filters to provide a certain amount of filtered water at a high flow rate, before you hit the flow rate of the filter as the pressure tank empties.

Many high-volume water uses do not require superfine filtration - most notably in the average house, toilet flush water is an absurd thing to spend filtration effort/cost on.


How do I run a new conductor on an existing kopex tube? I'm trying to add smart light switches (I was thinking of Shelly 2.5) to my appartment, but the problem is my lightswitch enclosure doesn't have neutral wires. It just has a live wire that enters the lightswitch, exits and goes on to the lightbulb. The lightbulb has a neutral wire which completes the circuit. This is standard electrical wiring over here in Eastern Europe.

I'd like to run a new conductor from the junction box to my lightswitch 1-1.5m through an existing kopex tube with 3 existing conductors.
Question is what's the best way to do this?
I tried stuffing the conductor down the kopex tube but it got stuck after about 15 cm. The tube diameter is larger than the wires, but perhaps they've bent and twisted inside.
Would an electrical fishing rod work for adding the wire without removing the existing wires?
Thanks!

Without knowing the details for the Kopex tube (though it looks like it's probably some sort of flex conduit from a quick search) The normal way to "add wires to conduit" unless it's a very short distance is to shut off the power to the affected circuit(s); disconnect the wires at one end; attach a rope; pull the wires out the other end; pulling the rope in, attach the new wire, and pull them all back in together.
While this appears (to the uninitiated) to be a lot more bother than "just adding a wire" there is no "just" to adding a wire unless it's a very short, preferably straight section of conduit.
If there's no wire in the conduit in the first place, pulling a string in with a vacuum or getting a fish tape through are typical ways to get started. My personal experience favors the vacuum.
Using a fish tape or rod in a conduit with wires in place risks damaging the insulation on those wires and generally gets all tangled up in them anyway.


Why does my sink supply shutoff valve spray water when I close it? I am trying to shutoff the hot and cold water to the sink to replace the faucet. But the moment I slightly turn the valve to close, the water sprays all around the valve. When I open it, the splash of water stops, and there is no leaks.
I live in a condo, where there is only one main shutoff valve for every four units. what can I do without shutting off the main water supply.

Globe/gate valves will often do this if they are not completely opened or completely shut.  A loose packing nut can also cause this - have you tried tightening the screw/nut on it?

If it continues to be a problem I'd recommend replacing it with a ball valve (1/4 turn opens or shuts the valve).


American cockroach. Can it climb on the water pipes to the apartment(flat) at fourth floor? We have recently this ugly and very disgusting thing at home - american cockroach, and I have no idea where they may come from. I don't have any holes at walls of my apartment, and all our windows are closed with anti-mosquitoes net. Is it really possible they may come from the water pipes of the kitchen or bathroom?

Thanks!

Katherine

In Short: Absolutely.

Cockroaches can get into a room even from holes between the very building materials that make up your domicile. They may not even be obviously visible. For instance, when doing demolition or renovations, it's not uncommon IME to see them in the interior of walls, cabinets, plumbing areas, etc.

They can flatten their bodies to extremes and will navigate towards whatever food source they can find. Even sometimes in new construction in wooded areas, if there is a target for them to seek, they will find it. From the naked eye, the house looks impenetrable. New windows, doors, seals, etc.

It's worth talking to your neighbors to see if they are also having a problem. No amount of closed doors and windows will keep them out, if they're already inside the structure.


When is variable speed important in an angle grinder? I'm ready to buy an angle grinder. My first use will be to "dress" a blacksmith anvil by grinding the face flat and square with a flapper wheel and also rounding some sharp edges. But I want a versatile tool. (I foresee cutting pipe, trimming concrete edges, possibly sharpening mower blades, and lots more once I get more familiar with it.) I generally prefer to invest in good tools that last, rather than saving cash initially but replacing soon after.  So, when shopping for a decent quality corded angle-grinder with some versatility, how important is variable speed? For which uses?

When shopping for an angle-grinder, how important is variable speed?

The importance is use dependent. I think that using different disks (grinding, sanding, cutting, brushing, etc.) is a satisfactory way to get the most use from the grinder. I've never had any desire for a grinder that would go a different speed. Actually, I think that controlling the grinder is probably easiest at top speed.

For which uses?

Generally a grinder is used for working with steel, in which case one speed is fine (that's what I have- no complaints). I have also used it for sanding patches of concrete; dust is a little problem, if/when it gets in the motor (maybe it should be wrapped with a rag-filter- but don't let the rag get caught in the wheel, or else). I suppose that if you are an artist or you're using a grinder for high precision, or on delicate or soft material, I could understand wanting the grinder to go more slowly, but then again, maybe not.


How should I reconnect my light fixture? I took my ceiling light down to paint it and when I put it back I connected the white wire to the 2 white wires in the pic. I connected the black wire to the black bundle in the pic. Now the light is on all the time no matter the switch position. I can't figure it out. I don't have a meter.

Your specific wiring is not entirely clear from your picture but here is the number one mistake novices make:

In most older homes the switch loop comes down from the light fixture to the switch and then back up to feed the light. At the time your house was built the switch location did not require a neutral. So you probably only have a 2 wire cable going to the switch and as the Electrical Code requires, the white wire feeds the switch hot and the return from the switch back to the light is a black wire. The white wire to the switch is supposed to be re-identified a different color. Usually it just gets black tape put on it but often it was not properly re-identified at all. (Probably the case at your place)

So, what this means is that you have reconnected your light to the hot black from the panel and the neutral white back to the panel. So your light is on all the time as long as the breaker is on. If you connected the white and black from the switch to these bundles then when you flip the switch it should trip the breaker.

You need to identify which cable goes to the switch. The white wire in that cable should be taped black and connected to the black bundle. Then the black wire coming back from the switch goes to the black on the light. The white on the light goes to the white of the cable feeding the box from the panel.

Good luck!


Can I use 10 gauge wire off of a 20 amp breaker? Can I use 10 gauge wire off of a 20 amp breaker for outlets, lights or a window unit? I am wiring a barn and have a lot of 10/3 wire I would like use up.

Yes, you can use 10 AWG copper conductors with a 20 ampere breaker. The smallest size conductors you could use with a 20 ampere breaker, are 12 AWG copper conductors. There's no problem using larger conductors, other than cost to you, and difficulties associated with working with thicker conductors.


How do I re-point an outside wall? How do I re-point an outside wall? What tools and techniques should be employed?

You may want to be a bit more specific with your question. But, in general, the tools would be various masonry trowels...specifically one for tuckpointing, a joint striker (to strike the mortar if you want to indent it) and a wire brush.

How to do it? Well, a quick Google should show you plenty of tutorials, but basically you:

Chisel/grind out as much loose mortar as you can
Mix new mortar (ideally mortar rated for the particular brick you are using)
Insert mortar (either via the tuckpointing trowel, or you can use the 'icing bag' technique)
let dry a little bit, strike the joints
let dry a little bit more, run a wire brush over the brick to clean up an extra


Design guidelines for walk-in shower sizing? I'm renovating my bath and am interested in a walk-in shower area (i.e. no doors).  How can I calculate a "safe" distance from the shower head for the door area?  Are there design guidelines for distance (and perhaps direction) that water is expected to splash?

You can also look at Wet Zones. These come in a variety of styles but the one we used from Aqua Dry consists of a raised base you fix above the existing floor level.

This base has the correct drainage slopes built in - all you have to do is make sure the floor on which it stands is level. The range includes side and end panels which fit onto this raised area.

The arrangement we have is (approximately):

The shower head (not included in the kit) is virtually directly over the drain and points more or less straight down. We don't get any water outside the shower area beyond a few splashes.

The walls still need to be made waterproof as does the junction between the walls and the base - but the kit comes with all the tape, glue and waterproofing needed. All you need to do is add the shower itself and the tiles.


What size junction box do I need for a wall mount with a 3.5 inch base? I have some wall sconces that have a 3.5 inch round base; will a 3.5 inch round junction box work or do I need one that is smaller, like 3-inches? Do they even make those?

Generally, assume you want a 4" octagon box, which is 3.5" on the flats and 4" in the cornerish dimension. If it just fits inside a 4" square box, that's the one.

They also make a 3.5" octagon box, which is 3" across the flats and 3.5" cornerish. That is generally too small, and this size is largely deprecated.

You can get a plate to adapt 4" boxes to those looking for 3.5" boxes, but not the other way 'round.


Reinforcing a high load wooden corner shelf I would like to build a shelf capable of holding a maximum load of cca. 60Kg. The image show the placement of the shelf.

Below is a conceptual drawing with the dimensions.

The image shows the brackets serving as the main support for the shelf. They are capable of carrying far more than 60Kg but have a limited width.

This makes the "critical surface", the weakest link of the construction and the part most prone to breaking.

How would you approach this problem?

Really I think you need bigger brackets. Otherwise I'd consider ...

Make the wood thick
Select a strong species
Align the grain across the width (less chance of 40cm splitting off)
Extend the brackets using ~60cm pieces of wood as an intermediate support.
Screw a support rail along the wall up to the window.


Is there something wrong with this trap that would cause a sewer smell? the existing ss connection is  out of floor for kitchen sink.  p-trap is higher than sewer connection but the p-trap is still higher than the connection to sewer. Sometimes it smells like bad, could this be a vent stack issue and if so how to test vent stack?

looks all wrong should i rip out old abs and start over?

Yes, it's an effective S-Trap.

S-Traps are known for siphoning and new construction only allows P-Trap installations. You have a long horizontal run after a P-trap that prevents the siphoning effect.

The outflow on an S-trap is a straight drop which under high flow conditions can allow more water to be drawn out of the trap than is needed for a water seal, hence the sewer gas.

The short term solution is to allow the sink to completely empty, then run a quart of water down the drain afterwards to make sure there's enough water down there.

The long term solution is to figure out how to re-plumb so you can install a P-trap.

On checking the vent stack, I've had to run a long pole down them to clear out paper-wasp nests.


Toilets not refilling after replacing main water line outside We had to replace a section of the main water line where a tree root had caused a leak. After turning the water back on we had air and a little bit of dirt in the lines. After a little sputtering the water came back on in the sinks. But the toilet tanks are not refilling. What could be causing that?

The toilet fill valves are often sensitive valves with small water passages that can easily get clogged up with debris in the water line. It is a sure bet that this is what has happened in your case.

Some styles of fill valves are designed so that they can be opened up to allow removal of grit, sand or other debris. On  the other hand if your toilet fill valves are old, maybe even with plastic that has turned brittle from age and exposure to chlorine in the water, now may be the perfect time to replace them with newer style valves with the shut off float built right into the valve assembly. New float valves are available at very reasonable cost.

It is also a good time to possibly update the water supply connection pipe with a rugged braided steel jacketed flex fill line.


Corner brace with countersink on opposite sides? Is there a special name for a corner brace which has the countersink on opposite sides? That being that on one leg of the "L" the countersink is on the side pointing out of the angle, where on the other leg it's pointing in? While searching I've only been able to find corner braces with the countersink on the inside of the "L", and I have a feeling it may just not be called a corner brace in other situations (as you probably wouldn't place it in a corner with such a countersink).

I'm going to guess, but it might be an 'outside corner bracket'? You could modify a standard corner brackets countersunk openings by using a countersunk bit on the reverse-side of the bracket.


New GFCI in garage is tripping when driveway lights are turned on So I had GFCI outlets put into the garage to use for Christmas lights outside. After installing, the christmas lights all work great but when I flip the switch in the foyer for the lights at the end of the driveway, the new outlets in the garage trip. Is this normal? Something maybe related...there are four lights at the end of the driveway, one of the lights has been out for a while and still wouldn't turn on even with placing a new bulb in. Should I take the light apart and check for faulty wiring or could the gfci be incorrectly installed? Thanks.

ADDED IMAGES : I added images for all things involved. The wiring in the garage, the light switch, and the one light at the end of the driveway that doesn't turn on. Any help is appreciated. Thanks again

Sounds pretty clear to me (and likely) that there was a phase to ground fault in the lights before you added the GFCI, that went unnoticed until now.

They might be wired wrong (if someone swapped ground and neutral).  But most likely, there's a fault connecting neutral and ground somewhere beyond the switch.

To confirm this, disconnect the lights from the switch and use a multimeter to measure resistance between hot and neutral, then hot to ground and neutral to ground.  If things were in good working order, you would have infinite resistance (no connection) between ground and neutral, and between ground and hot.  Instead, you will likely find one of the two is conducting to ground.  To locate this fault, you will have to divide the system at each wiring junction and re-test.

One last possibility (given this particular circuit is outdoors) is that the ground wire to the lights is electrically isolated from the physical soil, and that current is leaking from hot into the soil.  This would be more difficult to test.

I would narrow in on any outdoor construction that took place or any spikes put into the earth near where the wire is buried.  Probably something nicked the insulation and the moisture in the earth is leaking current from it.


How to splice the wires once the outlet has been removed, and it's not the last item in the circuit I removed a GFCI outlet in my kitchen. Capped the black, white, and ground wires. Turned power back on, and I have an entire bathroom with no power. Need to know what to do with the wires in the removed GFCI outlet to restore power to the other outlets in the circuit?

It sounds like the load side of the GFCI receptacle in your kitchen was feeding your bathroom.  Assuming the colors were "normal" on the GFCI receptacle - a black and a white to the line side, another black and white on the load side - if this wasn't a bathroom, you might just splice the blacks with a wire nut, splice the whites with another wire nut, and re-energize.

However, if you did that, you'd no longer have GFCI protection in your bathroom, which is a code requirement and an important safety measure.  You'd need to also replace your bathroom receptacles with GFCI receptacles to satisfy the code requirement.

If you have more than one receptacle in the bathroom, you may be able to make the connections so that one new GFCI receptacle in the bathroom protects the other receptacles and / or the other power in the bathroom.

Again make sure at a minimum your bathroom receptacles are protected by GFCI, it's not just a code requirement it's important for safety.


first time drywall repair I need to fix a hole that is about 12x16. I am cutting it to the studs and plan to attach both sides of new piece to a stud. I am capable, but there is a lot of info out there.

Nails or screws?
Do I really need a special drywall screw gun?
I cannot understand the lingo on the mud.
If I get three trowels, what are the best 3 lengths?

Can someone explain this to me like I am 5 years old?

It's a patch - you don't need a special screwgun, you don't need ANY screwgun.

Use screws - nailing drywall is an art form and takes a special hammer. Screwing is easy and takes a Phillips screwdriver. If you use a "not special drywall screwgun" stop before the screws are all the way in and use a screwdriver to finish. The head of the screw should end up just below the surface, but not so far that the paper breaks. Practice a couple on scrap - start with going too far and then you know what not to do - get a couple just right before you start on non-scrap. Backing up after you go too far does not work - the strength is gone when the paper breaks. If your shortest knife run across the surface does not hit the screwhead, it's deep enough.

You don't really need 3 knives/trowels (knife, ala puttyknife, is more common in this context) for a patch, either, though they are nice to have when doing a whole room (same applies to the screwguns, which can be rented when you have a whole room to do.) A big one (12") and a small one (3-4") should be sufficient, but if you want to be over-equipped for this job or equipped for the next one, add an 8". Try a yardsale if you can find one, if cost is an object.

Mud lingo - don't get too concerned, it's a patch, you want standard mud that you can get in a small (4 lb or so) tub. There's rarely a choice in that size. Since you don't say what mud lingo you don't get, I'll go into a few - hot mud is dry powder you mix with water that sets quickly (the number of minutes it's supposed to be workable are usually in the name.) Standard mud comes as a paste in a tub or bucket, and dries rather than sets. Lightweight mud is like standard mud, but lighter (almost foamy.) All "mud" is actually labelled as "joint compound" but pretty much universally referred to as "mud"

The secret to mudding is to get it on good enough and stop, let it dry, and then put on the next coat. Trying to make the first coat "perfect" usually makes it worse than if you stopped 20 minutes earlier. It will shrink when it dries anyway - the multiple coats of mud serve to fill smaller and smaller defects, so there's less fresh mud, so it shrinks less each time.


What are these stains on my drywall? Originally thought it was a burn but it looks quite similar to stains from another post made here. Only reason I'm concerned is because it's not circular. It is around the same size as an index finger. The house is only 8 months old.

Knot stains happen when the sap of real wood transfers through the paint.  Knots are full of sap, and don't fully dry out when the boards are processed.  This can't happen with drywall.

What does commonly transfer through drywall is water, and I would guess that what you have here is a water stain.  It could be a leaky pipe fitting, or it could be condensation from an A/C line if that happens to run through the wall, but I admit that's probably not very common.

Since the house is so new, just call the builder.


glue/nail down wood flooring installation: any disadvantages for click-lock? I am purchasing 1300sqft of 3/8" thick engineered hardwood for my home. 600sqft will be glued down (first floor is concrete) and 700 will be nailed down (second floor is wood subfloor). I do not want to float the floor.

It seems like the majority of engineered wood flooring out there is "click-lock" and designed for easy floating installation. There are also some that are traditional T&G, but for this option it seems the selection is smaller and often more expensive.

The associates at HD and Floor & Decor tell me you can glue or nail click lock flooring with no problem.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages for click-lock or tongue & groove planks when the installation method is glue or nail down?

Any other suggestions or considerations I should be aware of?

I live in a desert climate (Arizona) if that makes any difference.

I work for a company that makes laminate flooring, we make different thickness and profiles(profile is the joint)I have 4 rooms with it in and they are all different, each was an upgrade on the other couple of years apart. The latest I put in was the best for connection, the long side just push tight together at angle then firmly push down to click, the short edge though has a plastic comb like membrane inserted during the manufacture of the panel and this locks it in place and is easy to fit and hard to separate(be warned) push the ends slowly together and you'll hear a distinct click.

One thing never nail wood to the floor it needs to float due to heat or humidity changes. Laminate states a 10mm gap all round the room, leave the gap-you may be a little under but no less than 8mm-it will expand with right conditions and if no gap left can buckle. If you decide to glue, not a problem, just use a waterproof glue to help seal the HDF(MDF but higher density)

Stilettos make holes in engineered wood flooring but not Laminate, dog paws destroy all types of wood flooring


dripping sound in ceiling when central heating gets warm I am a complete novice about plumbing so apologies in advance. Basically I have noticed that, when my central heating warms up I hear what sounds like a dripping noise in the ceiling. This seems to start slow, speed up then slow down. After a few seconds it will start again and so on, as long as the central heating is on. Once I switch off the heating it takes about half an hour for this dripping noise to stop completely. Is this likely to be a leak or is there another explanation?

is this likely to be a leak?

If it has been happening for more than a week and there is no sign of water, like a discoloured or damp patch on the ceiling or wall, then no.

  is there another explanation?

When pipes heat up, they expand, as they expand they rub against the woodwork or other material they are fixed to. Frctional forces cause the pipe to be trapped until accumulated expansion pressure is enough to overcome friction momentarily. This produces a series of annoying but harmless clicks, taps, knocks or bangs.


Should there be an air outlet in an attic with a whole house fan? There has been a whole house fan between the second floor and attic of my house for some time.  We usually have it on with the downstairs windows open. I just had a thought: Should there be an open outlet/vent to outside when the fan is on? Can I get a remote opening one, so I don't have to go all the way up there when I turn it on? It does pull very strongly as it is, but would adding a vent cause a notable difference?

The concept of a whole house fan is two fold.  One is to bring in the cool evening air, the second is to flush out the hot air that is trapped in the attic.  Your attic should already be vented enough to allow the incoming air a place to push the hot air out.  If you where to make an opening for the fan to vent it, the cool air will just travel straight to it and not cool the attic as well.


Why is my 3 way switch suddenly not working? I just replaced the switches on a 3 way light fixture and wired them exactly how they were from the wall before.  When I turned the power back on everything worked fine and the 2 switches activated the ceiling lights as they were supposed to.  About an hour or 2 goes by and now neither switch works and I haven't the slightest clue why.  I went to the panel and cycled the circuit but it didn't help.

Anyone know what may be causing them to suddenly stop working.

They are brand new switches and one of the hot wires on one switch has some splitting of the protective cover but I taped it with electrical tape.

I figured it out after opening it up. The old switches the previous owner installed were actually upside down and the common terminal was in the wrong spot, so when I tired them up the same way the hot was only being properly fed by one switch and when that switch was off the other switch wouldnt work. Once I figured out that that was the problem it was an easy fix.


Computer makes USB unplugged noise when I run the microwave/heater Not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but my computer, heater, and microwave are all on the same socket.  I have had times when if I run the microwave, the fuse blows.  But just curious, if I have the heater off, but run the microwave, the computer makes the "dun-duuh" noise of a usb drive being unplugged.  Is this because there is insufficient power?  Something else weird?  Would getting a UPS assist with these moments of power insufficiency?  Other solutions (obviously running another fuse to spread the load is the long term solution).

A heater often uses almost all of the current capacity of a circuit. A microwave, unless it is some tiny little portable unit, will often use enough amperage on a circuit where it should be recommended to run the unit on its own dedicated circuit.

Considering the above it is playing a dangerous game to be running your computer on the same circuit as these other heavy load devices. Low power conditions going into the computer could wreak more havoc than simply making the USB device detection circuit get falsely triggered. You run direct risk of a glitched write to the hard drive / SSD causing the system to become unbootable. There is also a distinct possibility that power surges could cause the internal DRAM content to be compromised causing invalid data to be stored in files or causing running software to perform erratic actions or outright crash.


How to smooth the separation between 2 hardboards on the floor? When fitting hardboard on the floor (for gluing vinyl above it) there are obviously more than one piece of hardboard. Is it recommended to do something about the separation between the different pieces of hardboard, such as putting some duct tape on top of the edge of each piece?

The spacing you leave between the sheets of hardboard (or whatever other underlayment that you put down) will be determined from the manufacturer's instructions. Some materials need to have room for minor expansion over temperature and humidity ranges. If the proper gap is not left then the sheets of the material may buckle and create an uneven floor with bumps during some seasons. As such, if gaps are recommended then it would be advised to not try to fill them in with other materials.

The material expansion characteristics of the underlayment need to be taken into careful account when considering what material types that you would lay and glue down over the underlayment. Make sure that the material (hardboard) that you are using is compatible with your vinyl material.

If large expansion gaps between your sheets of underlayment are say more than 1/8 inch (~3mm) then that may not be suitable for use under vinyl. Top load on the vinyl could cause the material to crack in places where it is pressed into the cracks.

If you have a compatible underlayment material but have large gaps due to poor installation then you will have to either remove and replace the underlayment and bring gaps in line with 1/16" to 1/8". It may also be possible to trowel in a crack filler material between the sheets but that all depends upon the manufacturer's instructions regarding the expansion requirements for the underlayment material as stated previously.


how to sand-plaster a plaster wall without spreading plaster dust everywhere? I have the following wall I need to sand

.

Issue is the wall is made of plaster.

Is there a way to sand it without spreading plaster dust all over my kitchen, please?

Thanks.

You can use a Drywall Vacuum sander http://amzn.to/2uWPcdB that connects to a vacuum. The vacuum will pick up the vast majority of dust that gets created.

These things use a special abrasive screen/sandpaper that allows the dust being created to pass through the screen/sandpaper and into your vacuum cleaner. This also helps prevent the abrasives from clogging due to dust.


What would cause the electricity to go out & then come back on without kicking a breaker I have lived in this house for 12 years without any electrical issues until now. This started a couple of days ago where the power will go out for half the house and then come back on right away or not come back on till hours later. When the lights went out I immediately checked the breakers but non of them were kicked. I did see several of the breakers that where the clasp that holds the ground wire, that the clasp was extremely rusted. I did change out several of the breakers, including the ones that were heavily rusted. But the problem persists. Since breakers were never properly identified on the door of the panel box, I and my fincee used walkie talkies and as I switched each breaker off, she would move through the house identifying which breaker that one was for. What we found was that the breakers that are affected on both sides of the box. The breakers affected are towards the bottom of the rows and the upper ones are not affected. This has not only been confusing but also very frustrating.

This is typically symptomatic of "losing a phase" and you should contact your power company to report an outage - there's very like a loose connection which is more commonly on their side of the feed than yours, (and if they can rule out theirs, you know where to have someone look if they won't look at it) and they normally respond very promptly if there's not some other major outage going on.


How can I remove a stud to fit a range hood vent? Our kitchen contractor screwed up and forgot to move a stud and plumbing in an exterior wall to accommodate a vented range hood. Cabinets and countertops are now installed. The photo shows what is behind that now finished wall (countertop and cabinets installed too) and also shows the center point of the range and the location of where the range hood needs to vent. (We are looking at a 42" range hood with either an 8" or 10" vent.) Local code calls for sistering the stud at full length if it needs to be notched/cut. I don't know how a full stud could be added since the cabinets and countertops are installed.
What other options are there?

Options that avoid moving the range or knocking open the wall:

Go for an unvented hood
If there's no top cabinets you could get a ducted hood and run the duct inside the kitchen across the wall then outside where possible.  The choice of hood, size of the duct, and number of bends all have to be to code and planned by someone with more knowledge than me but I hope this can give you some direction if you like the idea.  With some thought this could be made to be not too ugly, e.g. an industrial-look duct, or build a plenum around it.


Generator has 4 prongs, can an adapter be used? I bought a generator that has the power cord with 4 prongs on the end. Can I use a three prong adapter to plug into the regular house electrical or do I need an electrician to install a box that accepts a 4 prong?

You cannot just use an adapter and hook your generator up to your house electrical panel. You need a transfer switch to isolate your service from the power company when your generator is in use. Installing one can be pretty complicated and permits are usually involved. Unless you are very knowledgeable about what's involved, getting professional help would be advisable.


Tile removing with a rotary hammer I need to remove about 100m² of ceramic tiles, mostly floor tiles. We have floating concrete floors and brick walls. At the moment I have a Bosch rotary hammer (SDS Plus, about 3Joule impact energy).
Is that enough or should I better get an SDS-Max hammer?

Should be fine, with a decent wide chisel bit. I used my Bosch SDS drill to completely strip the pebble-dash off my old house.
At the end of the day, though, a lot will depend on what the adhesive is like, and how strong the tiles are (whether they shatter or come off in nice large pieces)


What are the pros and cons of two AC systems vs a dual zone system? I have a Cape Cod with 1000 ft2 on the first floor and an apartment in the attic.  In a few years I may get rid of the apartment and build up a second story + attic.  Both the first floor and the attic currently have window AC units.  The heat is hot water radiators and the boiler is on gas.

Does it make sense to install high-velocity AC in the crawl space for the first floor and later, when I build up the second floor, add another AC system in the new attic to cool it?

Or is that going to be too expensive?

I'm thinking that a dual zone system would be nice anyway.  Are two AC systems twice as expensive than a single dual-zone one?  Or what is the ratio?  Also, what are the prices of such systems?

A dual-zone system is one heating element and/or AC coil serving two separate ductwork segments. The extra cost of a dual-zone system as opposed to a single-zone system is in the dual-zone temperature monitoring/control panels, and a system-controlled diverter that sends the air to the side of the system that needs it (or both).

The upsides:

One interior and one exterior unit to buy/maintain. Drastically reduces most routine maintenance costs and generally increases MTBF.
Easier to balance your home's ventilation; you don't have to worry about the relative heating/cooling capacity of two units versus the space they're expected to cover.
Dual-zone systems usually have a "master/slave" control panel arrangement allowing the "master" panel to control both zones while the "slave" panel can either also control both or only control the secondary zone, possibly with additional restrictions like max/min temperature that can be set on the master panel.

The downsides:

No backup; if something on the one unit goes, there is no heated/cooled air anywhere in your home.
Impossible to differentiate the electric costs of you versus an upstairs tenant.
Longer ventilation runs to the second zone, depending on home design; the second zone needs vents and returns run from the main unit to a usually distant part of the home. These longer runs will not be as efficient.
To supply ample heated/cooled air to both zones at once, the unit must usually be a bit beefier than a comparable single-zone system, to compensate for inefficiencies and maintain desired airflow when both zones are being ventilated.
You cannot have the heat on in one zone and the A/C on in another. The entire system must be set to heat or cooling, meaning if your tenant likes it substantially warmer or cooler than you do, the ability of the system to provide the proper temperatures can be limited at times.

A dual-unit system will have two separate single-zone HVAC units each controlling one area of the home (upstairs-downstairs is common in new construction, as is having a second HVAC for a new addition).

The upsides:

Having a backup system means at least some of your house can still be heated or cooled in the event of a failure of one unit.
Vent runs can usually be shorter, as the units can be strategically placed in new construction for the most efficient ductwork layout to each zone.
Each unit can be smaller than a single unit for the whole house would have to be, meaning the exterior units can be located in tight spaces or more easily hidden behind shrubs.
By hooking the second HVAC along with all upstairs circuits to a sub-meter, you can easily determine (and sever) the electrical costs of an income property.

The downsides:

More expensive to put in than a single unit, even a dual-zone. Two 1-ton units will cost more than a 2-ton.
Maintenance costs also increase; with two units the MTBF of a single unit in the home is halved, meaning on average you'll have to call the repair guy twice as often.
Less centralized control. There are some nice thermostats that can communicate wirelessly (usually as part of a whole-house automation/alarm system), but basically each unit will be its own completely separate system and to balance the temperature in the whole house you must go upstairs and down to fiddle with settings.


Is a ledger board required if the side of my house is wood? I'm looking to attach three posts the the side of my house and I'm wondering if a ledger board is needed?

Looks like this:

Wood siding on a house is there for weather protection and looks, it has little structural strength. The ledger board is used to connect the patio cover beams to the internal structural members of the house walls for strength against wind shear forces and (possibly) snow loads that will want to pull your cover away from the house, spreading that force across as many internal structural members (studs) as possible. If you just attach the beams directly to the studs, you are attaching only to one stud and essentially concentrating the mechanical forces onto fewer points, increasing the stresses they will see. If they fail, it becomes major damage to your house walls.


What could cause my oven not to light? I have a Kenmore Oven (gas, slide in) which has decided not to light - somewhat erratically.

Model # 362 73424200

When I turn the oven on, I can see the glow plug is getting hot, and I occasionally smell a little gas, but the gas never actually ignites and so the oven stays cold.

The gas does not keep running - it shuts itself off pretty quickly when it fails to light, or so it seems.

But this isn't happening all the time - one day it didn't work, the next it did, and then the next it didn't.

The gas flow seems ok - the burners all light - and as stated, the glow plug is getting hot - it's bright orange when I check it.

I'm thinking possibly a solenoid or a thermal coupler - any other possible causes?  And how do I get at the possible bad parts in order to replace them?

This just happened to me in January with my awesome bottom of the line stove that came with my home.

Glow burner (WB13K0021) - They degrade over time.
Safety valve (WB19K10006) - Turns off too quickly before there is enough gas concentration to successfully ignite.
Gas cut off valve is partially closed causing insufficient flow. Mine is inside a cabinet were I keep pots/pans and its possible, depending on the type of ball valve your builder used and its orientation, that shoving things in an area like this can move the valve.

The glow burner appeared to be what was bad on my oven.

Depending on the age of the unit you may want to consider an entire replacement like I did. First there is the cost of the parts. They are always overpriced and could cost you 1/3 of a new unit or more. Second if you replace the parts yourself to save money you run the risk of the parts not fixing the issue or making it worse compounded by a service fee to get a pro to really fix it which could easily cost the entire price of a new unit.


How to diagnose crack on ceiling Today I woke up to a nice surprise, a crack and stain on my first floor ceiling. The damage is below the shower wall of the upstairs bathroom, so I'm thinking this could be water related.

I'm new at this and would love to hear some advice for how to start diagnosing this problem.

I'd say your hunch is correct.

Look at the plumbing.

If you'd like more help, provide more information.


Does this seem like the right place to tap a C-Wire from my heater? I need a C-wire for my thermostat but my heater only has R and W connectors (red circle).
On the schematic on the heater, up top (red arrow), looks like:
5 is 24V Gnd  (bit hard to read but i've double checked that's what it says) and
6 is 24V
I assume the 6 24V  is the same as the R connector.
So would it be safe to assume that 5 would be the equivilent of a C-Wire?

UPDATE: after some hunting I managed to locate the service manual :)
I've included a page with the circuit overview:

And have revised my though on a candidate spot to tap the C-Wire.
Based on the text in the green box and the comments, I am assuming the top right of the middle connector along the bottoms (with the green arrow) would be the best location.
Update #2:
I've now located the block diagram for the S8065 INTERMITTENT PILOT MODULES (block at the top of the picture). And from it, one can clearly see that connectors 2, 4 and 5 and joined together. I confirmed this with a continuity test and they 2, 4 and 5 and the chasis of the unit are all connected.
I then checked the potenital between these points and the R connector and it was 29.5VAC.

Just one last question.. Is it normal that the voltage is 29.5VAC, this seems quite a bit higher than 24VAC.
I just wouldn't want to fry a modern thermostat!

We've seen exactly the same wiring diagram.. with almost the same question asked.. over there: Where to connect C wire if no C terminal. But you've found additional information about the appliance controls!
It looks like the pin 6 you've identified is not always-on 24V. Instead, it is the switched line coming from the thermostat's call for heat.
The text from the service manual does lead one to believe that pin 5 is the common terminal you're looking for. You can confirm it with a meter by measuring voltage from pin 5 to the R terminal, or you might consider the answer I gave on that other question.


Grounding a ceiling fan with FMT conduit present I am replacing a recessed can light with a new ceiling fan/light.  The old housing is a 6" HALO 7HT like this:
Inside the metal box there are 2 bare copper ground wires connected.  Inside the conduit there are only the white and black wires.  The fan assembly has 2 green ground wires and installation guide says  "Connect the ground conductor  of the 120V supply (this may be a bare wire or a wire with green colored insulation) to the green ground lead(s)  of the fan. When using standard ceiling mounting, there are two green grounding leads; one from the mounting bracket  and one from the hanger ball/downrod assembly"
My problem is that the 2 green ground wires from the fan assembly cannot reach the 120V ground connector inside the metal box.  The conduit does not contain a ground wire.  Am I supposed to fish one through the conduit and attach at each end?  Is the conduit itself grounded?  Bottom line:  how do I safely and properly attach the 2 green grounding wires of the fan assembly using the conduit and metal box that are in the ceiling?

So I believe what I am reading is that if I connect the conduit to the box with the connector (black), I can then hook the 2 green ground wires from the new fan / light to the grounding screw in my new box (blue-green in the above pic, not yet screwed into the box in the below pic).
1-  correct?
2-  the connector is plastic....do I need a metal one?

The FMT coming from the box should be grounded. You need to check this with a volt meter. Connect the FMT to a metal fan rated box with the appropriate connector. Then, with the power on, check the voltage from the fan rated box to the black wire from the FMT, you should get 120V+- if the box is grounded through the FMT. Turn power back off. Then take the two ground wires from the fan/bracket and attach them to the fan rated box. Connect the black and white from the FMT/box to the fan. Attach the fan to the box and you should be good to go.


Retain access to recessed electrical panel I have an electrical panel that is surface mounted to a sheet of plywood in an unfinished section of my basement. I would like to finish that section. The panel is rated for either surface mount or recessed/flush mount, and I'd like to frame it in and make it recessed. However, there are already some connections made to the side knockouts and the top is already pretty full. I'd rather not do some rerouting.
The panel has two rows of knockouts on the sides. I measured, and if I framed it out with 2x2s or 2x4s on edge I'd be able to attach the panel at the side mounting points and leave the back row of knockouts uncovered, and have space for drywall. What I can't find anywhere is whether or not this would be permissible under the NEC. Ideally, I'd like to do this, and then use removable panels over the stud bay the panel is in and the bays to either side.

NEC110, in general.
110.26 is the specific section covering working space and electrical space.
There are some non-negotiable minimums you have to meet.
Specifically, working space in front of the panel - 30 inches wide (need not be centered, doors must be able to be opened at least 90 degrees, covers cannot be obstructed for removal) 6 feet 6 inches high, and 3 feet forward - kept clear at all times (cannot be used for storage.)
Flush mount needs to be flush to the wall, or flush to an area of wall meeting the workspace minimum, not set back in a hole, unless the hole is 30 (or more) inches wide. Any cover must need no tools to remove (a door that does not obstruct the work space is fine - something you need a screwdriver for is NOT!)
Electrical space is the width and depth of the panel up 6 feet, or the structural ceiling, whichever comes first. That is space to be used exclusively for electrical equipment/wiring/etc.
Upon re-reading, I think you might be leaving the panel itself exposed / flush and putting removable covers over the stud bays around it, not over it - that should be fine, those can be screwed.


How should I insulate behind the last floor joist that runs parallel to the foundation wall? As an aside, I can't for the life of me figure out what to call the last floor joist that runs parallel to the basement foundation. Does it have a name?

In my house, there is a little cramped gap an inch or two wide for me to access this gap. I'm wondering what the best way to go about insulating this space is.

After reviewing DIY kits for spray foam, I've decided based on friends' experience that hiring a contractor to spray the rim joists will likely save time and money and result in more insulation. I'm thinking that they will be able to fill this space, but I just wanted to confirm since most guides and conversation I've come across is mostly about the perpendicular joist spaces.

Since you have a gap, spray foam is probably your best option. During framing, there are corners and other locations that get insulated when the walls are being raised because they are inaccessible later on. At that stage, some rigid foam insulation is useful since it won't mold like fiberglass will and the structure isn't weather tight yet. If you didn't have a gap, drilling a small hole and using blown insulation would have been the best option.

For reference, a "rim joist" is the last joist on the row and wraps around the outside of the floor structure.


Can I retrofit a wind-power system for my home? I live in a VERY windy place. My neighborhood is a new development of your typical suburban single family homes. There isn't really room for a full windmill, nor would it look very well. But there has to be some way for me to harness the constant winds the same way I could buy solar panels. Any ideas? Maybe attaching some small spinners or something around the perimeter of my roof? Has anyone seen anything like this?

Here are a couple companies that make rooftop wind turbines

Swift Wind Turbines.
Wind Energy 7.

Not sure if these things would require special zoning, permits, etc. or if they would even be allowed in all locations. A call to your local government would be the easiest way to find out if something like this would be permitted in your area. You may also have to check with the homeowners association; if that applies for you, as there may be noise or other issues with installing a wind turbine on the roof (Those homeowners folks can be awful finicky).

EDIT

Here is a site with loads of "small" wind turbines allsmallwindturbines.com, you may be able to find an appropriate one from this list.

Finding a very small (< 6 ft./ 2 m) turbine may be difficult, as the blades have to be of adequate size to be able to harness enough energy to generate power.


Is it possible to reheat sweat joints to fill a slight leak with solder? 1/2 inch. Leak is on the side of a horizontal pipe.

Adding more solder almost never works, because the problem is almost never "not enough solder" - the problem is almost always poor pipe preparation, where some part of the pipe is not cleaned and fluxed (separate things - physically clean, then chemically clean via flux - flux can't cure macroscopic dirt.) Overheating one or both parts when soldering can also cause this, by burning away the flux and oxidizing the pipe.

A properly prepared joint will wick solder all around by capillary action. An improperly prepared joint will never wet where it's improperly prepared, so it has to be taken apart and both the pipe and the fitting need to be properly cleaned and refluxed before reassembly.

Excess solder (as you might add while trying to fix a leak improperly, on the theory that if some is good, more must be better) is not benign - I have personally hunted down a pipe that had pressure when there was no flow, but almost no pressure when the valve was open; having eliminated the valve as a cause, I took the pipe apart joint by joint, and found one elbow almost filled with solder, with just a tiny hole water was making it through (that's inside the pipe, where there was supposed to be a 1/2" hole.)


What causes a glass block to crack? Does it cause any structural damage? I just found that there is a crack in one of my glass blocks. I noticed that it seems to have water inside. What is the likely cause of this, and how can I repair it?  Should I be worried about structural damage?

It's glass...it's a fairly rigid material and will not flex like other potential building materials such as wood, mortar, etc. So, if the house settled, the block may simply have been under enough stress to crack it.

Or, maybe someone shot it with a BB gun.


What are the best practice in drilling anchor screw holes in right locations? I am setting up several stations side by side that look like this:

For each station I have to install a mirror that has two hooks behind it and look like this:

Those hooks are supposed to hang on anchor screws heads that have to be installed in the wall. The problem I am facing is that I have to locate the right locations on the wall where to drill the holes for drywall anchor screws, so that:

I drill the holes correctly the first time because (I) I can't drill holes close to each other to fix small alignment issues without patching up the previous hole; AND (II) I can't drill holes few inches to left or right because then I would create a gap between stations that are already correctly installed.
The mirror needs to be high enough from the floor so that it would almost "sit on the table" and be next to shelves on the left.
the hooks in the mirror would hang on drywall anchor screw heads.

So far I tried locate location for drywall anchors by using measuring tape. However, the holes were off by a 1 cm and this does not seem feasible to install multiple stations.

Another solution I thought about is to get a huge clear plexiglass sheet, hold it against mirror to mark where are the hook holes. Drill them on plexiglass. Then put the Plexiglas against the wall and mark the holes on the wall. Note, the station and/or mirror do not have perfect 90 degree angle on the lower left corner. So I may have to create such template per mirror which could turn out wasteful for a such one time work.

I am wondering if there is a more elegant solutions than to use Plexiglas approach?

Like, would one one of the laser leveling/measuring devices help here (if so what features to look for in such device)? Adjustable aftermarket anchor screws or hooks that I could use? Anything else?

Level, laser or bubble. If the mirrors are all the same, and the mounting location is the same, you could use a template based on the location from the ceiling down. Mark your line horizontally on all the walls, then place the mirror on the wall where you would like it hung, then mark the edges of the mirror on both sides on the horizontal mark. Once that is done, measure in from your mark on each side, place your X, drill your hole and install your anchors. Other options would include cable hangers, saw-tooth...