Quieting cold air return vent My gas furnace is in a dedicated "closet" inside the utility room.  The closest cold air return is about 5' away (laterally) in the ceiling of the hallway right by the bedrooms.  When the furnace lights you can hear significant combustion noise, and when the fan is blowing the air movement is loud, and fast enough to produce a slight whistling through the vent.

The area around the return vent looks like it's insulated, but the vertical duct (~8' long; it's an updraft furnace) gives a good ring when I thump it, so I think it is not.

Is there anything I can do to quiet the vent?  Would replacing the return duct with insulated ducting help?  I know a multi-speed blower would help, but this furnace is brand new (new construction).  Can I install a more restrictive vent and shift more of the return flow to the upstairs return (which doesn't seem to make any noise)?

If you shift more airflow upstairs, it's likely it will become noisy. Do not restrict anything unless detailed duct size analysis indicate it is indeed oversized. Insulating ducts will reduce resonant noise, and slightly reduce carried noise such as combustion noise, but it will not stop the whistling and air flow noise at the grille. If you do get insulated ducts, they need to be upsized to make up for the insulation thickness.

To reduce whistling and air flow noise right at the grille, you need a less restrictive grille. Sometimes just a different grille of a different configuration will stop whistling, but not air flow noise. If a less restrictive grille is not possible, the only other solution is to increase the size or add another inlet so there is less demand on the one by the bedrooms.


Water dripping out from freezer compartment onto floor. What do? Once every few days, a puddle forms in front of my Kitchenaid KSR series refrigerator.  Kitchenaid support has been completely useless in resolving this issue, other than to say reports of this condition are "rare".

It appears to be the periodic defrost.  The tray below the fridge remains dry.
Ice builds up on the freezer floor by layer until the most recent defrost operation flows over onto the  floor.  Here with green food coloring for the picture:

I have a second fridge in a rental unit, where the water instead ends up on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

How can I clean what appears to be blockages in the drain lines leading from freezer to the under fridge drying tray?  What causes these tubes to clog?

Fridge temperature does not appear to be the direct problem:

Mm the drain is a simple hole made by a piece of formed plastic, pull the drawer out pour some warm water wipe up and repeat not boiling water that will deform the plastic after a few times if the plug doesn’t break loose a small screwdriver may be needed to push the plug out once you have the hole cleared and the bottom wiped up it should start cycling normally. I have seen a small chunk of food or plastic cause this problem, the plug needs to be cleared and the majority of the water in the bottom cleaned up and it will normally work correctly.


Can garage and living space lighting be on same circuit? In california, by code, can a single 15A afci circuit serve both attached garage and living space lighting?

This is fine
There are no requirements for dedicated lighting circuits anywhere in a dwelling unit; in fact, with LEDs, having all your lights on a single circuit isn't that far-fetched an idea in this day and age.  So, since your circuit is AFCI protected, it meets the requirements for living room lighting, and since the garage is attached, it can share house circuits, by and large.  (Note that the 2020 NEC requires a dedicated 20A circuit for garage receptacles, but this has no bearing on the garage lighting circuit.)


Storing comsumable dry goods in your car in the summer? I live in South Florida where the summer sun has no mercy.  I drive a new van and I've taken steps to keep the inside cooler during the day. I live in the van for weeks at a time and need to store things in the van.  I don't hang out inside the van from 11am to 4pm unless it's parked in the shade or unless the AC is turned on.  At night i have a very large and powerful vent fan and have no issues sleeping in the van even in July and August.  However, my goal and concern here is with keeping some items in the van when parked in the sun.  I can't afford to run my freezer every day.  Items include dry good and things like Herbal supplements, Teas, instant coffee and  Olive oil. These are not things that are generally very sensitive to some warmth and humidity.. but I want to see what I can do to offer them a safe storage in my van.  Here's what I've done so far:

Install a large aluminum and glass solar panel on my roof, this the space directly above the place i store these things and blocks the sun.
Open  large vent opening under the solar panel where heat escapes.
Install reflective mirror vinyl where the solar panel does not cover.
Install reflectix insulation a 1/2 inch below the roof metal
Install a sealed plywood ceiling
Placing said items in an insulated bag
Placing the insulated bag in a highly insulated and sealed Freezer (that is usually off)

These updates make a huge difference, but still the inside of a metal van who's exterior can get so hot you can fry an egg so it's not like the cabinets inside my insulated, air conditioned Cinder Block and Wood house were it's always below 80F.

So I am wondering...

I need to test and confirm this with a thermostat , but any idea how hot it might get inside that insulated bag/freezer in a van set up as described parked in the Florida sun?

Does it sound like these items are going to go bad or worse be dangerous for consumption if stored as describe .. I mean, tea and herbs are dry leaves and roots.. what if the temp inside the bag is 90 F degrees? is it even possible it could be 90F inside that bag?

I'm going to treat this question as "how do I keep my home cool when it's a tiny home (often vehicles) and solar gain is my enemy"? Because that would be on-topic here.

Solar gain is your enemy

And to be clear, it is an order of magnitude worse than any other source of heat, even ambient temperature.

From the sun's perspective, it casts 100 watts on every square foot - from its perspective - and that includes the top and sides of your van.  This is then reduced by your vehicle's albedo, or its reflectivity.  Black vehicles have low albedo, and a pure white can have as high as 92%.  Also some of the surface heating transfers to the air near the skin of your van,   But with 100 w/sf, there's plenty left to heat up your van.  Windows absorb almost all of it, and cause the sun to heat up things in the interior of your van, where the heat can't leave.

Get it in the shade

Top of the list is place your vehicle in shade. What am I saying? Top of the list is get out of Florida... Mark Twain once said "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" and he's referring to the coast effect.  Santa Cruz, Eureka, Portland, Seattle... Seattle still has to deal with solar gain, but only 3 days a year ;) But I digress....

In shade... I'm saying that there's a huge difference between attaching something to the surface of your vehicle and stood off above your vehicle.  The difference is airflow beneath it that carries the heat away, which is what makes it shade instead of attempted insulation. Solar panels are a great plan, but you need to stand them off significantly.  That will reduce your high speed fuel economy somewhat, because you are also increasing the aerodynamic "wetted area".

You might also consider deployable shades or solar panels on the sunny side - I assume you can select which side of the street to be on.  Again don't forget the objective is shade and to create easy rising airflow for the hot air the shades collect, so a series of angled surfaces with gaps between them is just fine.  Figure out the sun's angle etc.

Increase albedo

After your shading options are exhausted, you want to make sure everything is lily white, and have the albedo/reflectivity conversation with your coating supplier.

Windows have basically 0 albedo, so you really need to address those - the best option is place them in shade.

Insulate like crazy

Metal is a good conductor of heat, so the car's body will carry heat some distance beyond the area actually in sunlight.  Also, even shaded areas are subject to ambient air temperature.

Of course you don't have 24" to give up for a deep layer of fiberglass batt, so you need to go for the most efficient insulation you can obtain, and you need as much as you can possibly have.

Storing temperature-sensitive dry goods

As for storing dry goods, once you've done your best to make your space temperate, your best bet is to put it in some sort of heavily insulated box.  We'd also put as much "thermal mass" in there as possible.  The best thermal mass known is water (coincidentally). So freeze-friendly water-based things, like commercial ice packs, are a good choice for "thermal mass".

As a bonus, water also has a phase transition (freezing/thawing) at a semi-convenient temperature, and that gives it a huge amount of additional thermal mass if you're willing to cross the zero degree C line, however if you do that, you have to worry about condensation/sweating on your dry goods.

In a perfect world, your well-insulated box would have a small Freon-cycle machine to chill the box furth-- wait a minute.  Did you say you have a freezer and you just don't run it?  Run it!  You have a solar panel  for Pete's sake, I bet that panel is "dumping" lots of excess energy you can't store.  Use it for this.

If you don't run your freezer much because you have to run your van's engine to power it, then your solar system needs a lot of work.  Let's have a conversation about that.


doubling / paralleling in home electric I have a 40 amp circuit.  Can I use 2x10AWG wire for each conductor instead of 1x8AWG?

No
The reason (aside from "code says you can't") is that if somehow one of the two conductors breaks or (more typically) disconnects at one end, instead of a dead circuit (annoying but safe), you have an overloaded wire that can set your house on fire under normal load without ever tripping a breaker.


Light and fan not working - is the wiring correct? So I've come home today to see that the bathroom light and fan is not switching on.

Having unscrewed the switch, I can see this:

Now it looks like the earth has come completely off, but I wouldn't expect that to have caused the light and fan not to work...or am I wrong here?

Do I connect the earth into the only obvious connector?

it looks like the earth has come completely off, but I wouldn't expect that to have caused the light and fan not to work...or am I wrong here?

No, you are correct, the earth is not needed here as there are no extraneous conducting parts exposed.

The earth wire, or circuit protective conductor (CPC) is a safety element and does not affect normal operation of the circuit when there is no other fault present.

Switch housings are normally plastic and non-conductive. If the fixed part of yours is conductive metal, the earth wire should be connected to it. Otherwise I would leave it alone.

  Do I connect the earth into the only obvious connector?

No, at least not if you think the normally-connected side of the switch is an obvious connector. That would be a recipe for tripping a breaker or setting fire to things.

You could, after turning the breaker off,  remove the wires from the switch completely and then test for continuity across those terminals using a continuity tester or multimeter. This would tell you if the switch is OK. If it is, I would reconnect the wires firmly and look elsewhere for the problem.

It is likely that the red wire is a permanent live and the black is a switched live (an unhelpfully inventive electrician may have wired it vice versa) - if so, the black wire should have red tape around it to indicate it is switched-live and not neutral.


What method to use when cleaning an old wall-mounted garage heater? I recently bought a home with a detached garage, and within it is an older natural gas heater that I cannot find any information on. It is hooked to the gas line and has instructions on how to light the pilot and operate it, however, I would like to clean it out first because it looks like it has been a very long time since it has been used.

It's about five feet tall, stamped LSC-25 on the front and vents horizontally through the garage wall to outside (metal circular fins).

Who manufactured this heater, approximately when was it made, and how do I go about cleaning it so that I can safely operate it?

I finally found the model information; it was completely covered with dirt and dust.

"Gravity Direct Gas Heater / Mfd. by LSC, Inc. Kansas City, MO / 1982"

I live in KC, so that's kind of neat that it was made here. It states that there is an optional blower... too bad it's not installed!

A good way to get started with cleaning it would be these steps:

Remove the whole array of front panel grills. It may be a single grill or multiple.
Carry grills outside and scrub with warm soapy water. A scrub brush will work well, especially for the grill slots.  A wash cloth may work best on the large flat areas.
Spray down the grill(s) using garden hose to flush away the soap and loosened dirt. Set grill aside to fully dry.
Use a vacuum cleaner (shopvac if available) to clean up the dust, dirt, pet hair, and other debris in the furnace enclosure itself. A brush attachment on the end of the vacuum cleaner hose can help a lot on the irregular surfaces. Once the major stuff is cleaned then a damp wash cloth can be used to wipe down the inner surfaces of the furnace.


How do I secure this post to the structure to protect against seismic damage? My foundation is attached to the frame of my house using seismic brackets, and I live in a earthquake-prone area.

I noticed I have 3 posts that hold up my center of my house that seem to only be attached to the beam with a few small nails.

To protect against seismic damage, should I try to attach it to the beam above and the floor below? If so how should I do that?

It looks like the posts are toe nailed into the beams, that's pretty common in older construction, it wouldn't pass for new construction in most locales.

I couldn't say whether slapping on some fittings is the right way to make your home more structurally sound in case of an earthquake.  This answer is just to point you to some of the fittings I've seen and used, maybe this will help you research this further.

I have had good luck with Simpson Strongtie, they make joist hangers and many other structural fittings.  They have a good web site and good phone support.  Simpson Strongtie

Some of their post caps have to be installed before the post is set, but this one can be added after the fact:

However those will only work if the post is standard 6x6 dimensions (not actually 6"x6").  These could be used with any size posts / beams:

They make holddowns for the bottom of the post too:

but I really don't know if it's wise to anchor into those post bases.  Again, just showing you some fittings, not suggesting you should just go out and install these without further research (contractor, inspector, engineer, etc.)


Painting breeze block I'm planning on painting the breeze block wall in my garage. Do I need to use a specific paint type or am I ok to just use left over matte?

Also, is it safe to paint the floor?

You can use a left over matte finish (I'm guessing this is what you were talking about), but the blocks will soak it up and you may need a few coats for a decent look. I would start with a masonry primer first that will seal and fill the pinholes, then you can topcoat it with whatever you want.

You can paint the floor, but you're going to have give more information: Is it new concrete? Is it stained or sealed? Is it painted right now? Do you plan on parking cars on it?

H&C Shield-Crete and the Acrylic glaze to go over it may be your best bet.


How do I avoid a rough surface after applying polyurethane I've looked at other answers to this question but still have a problem.
Application of multiple thin coats is always recommended but the only way I can get a thin coat uniform over a large piece is by "brushing over" when moving from one patch of varnish to the next.  The result is thin but dries rough.
Isn't there an equally durable varnish that dries slowly enough that brushing over won't result in the roughness?
Or is my idea of a thin coat too thin?

It is not unusual to have a "rough" coat as perceived by the user, happens to all. You should make sure to fine sand your base before you urethane, make sure you use a tack rag to clear the surface of bits that will can tribute to this. A tack rag is like a piece of gauze with sticky wax on it. You can thin the urethane with mineral spirits, a favorite mixture of many wood workers. Apply 1 smooth stroke with the brush, do not go over the same area again, you will just disturb and rough up the urethane on first stroke. Remember this is a multi layer process, multi step process.

Fine finisher sand in between coats, especially the first, that's were most the bumps come in due to surface dust, use 200-400 grit at first lightly and then go up to 600-800. Actual grits could get higher depending on your roughness.

Summary. Sand surface well to high grit, clean with tack rag. Apply thin or normal coat. Sand, use tack rag again, apply, sand, tack rag, apply.


What connectors do I need for this water heater? Looking at replacing my water heater with this one. It has screw-on inlet/outlets. I want to connect to the old copper inlets/outlets with pex and Sharkbite fittings. What kind of connectors do I need at the water tank for these that will connect to pex?

The manufacturer has the manual available online. It gives a lot of detail, and does mention using both copper and PEX.

  Step 7:
  1. Connect the water
  supply
  Determine the type of water pipes in
  your home. Most homes use copper
  water pipes, but some use CPVC or
  cross-linked polyethylene (PEX). Use
  fittings appropriate for the type of pipe
  in your home. Do not use iron or PVC
  pipe – they are not suitable for potable
  water.
  2.
  Connect the cold water
  supply using 3/4 inch
  National Pipe Thread “NPT”
  to the cold water inlet nipple.
  For ease of removing the water heater
  for service or replacement, connect
  the water pipes with a coupling
  called a union. We recommend using
  a dielectric-type union (available at
  your local plumbing supplier ). Dielectric
  unions can help prevent corrosion
  caused by any electric currents
  common in copper water pipes and
  can help extend the life of the water
  heater.
  3. Connect the hot water supply
  using 3/4 inch NPT to the hot
  water outlet. Follow the same
  connection guidelines as for the cold
  water supply.

Reliance Support Web Page

Reliance Water Heater Installation Guide


How do I fix drywall around wall box so switch plate covers damage? In my house, there are maybe three or four outlet boxes and switch boxes where there was damage done to the drywall surrounding the box at some point. There are no structural or electrical issues (well, none that I haven't already fixed at least—some wires were spliced with electrical tape and broken wire nuts!), but cosmetically, I'd like to do better.

Example (see top of switchplate):

For standard one-gang switch plates and outlet covers, I typically buy a wider cover, and that takes care of the issue. However, for a plate like the one in the picture above, it's hard enough finding a plate with a decora cutout and a switch cutout in standard size—much less one in a wider size.

Is there any way of fixing the drywall around a plate like this short of cutting back the drywall to a stud and trying to mount/support new sheetrock so it's flush with the outlet box?

For small nicks, I can just fill them in with spackling compound, but for larger breaks like this, I can't make it look nice and not crumble after a year or two.

I wouldn't start cutting out chunks of drywall to fix a small area like that.

Take off the wall plate and remove any loose or crumbling drywall.  Apply a piece of fiberglass tape over the area, mud, sand and repeat as necessary to get a blended finish. Then prime and paint to match.

The fiberglass tape is nice for repairs like this because you can stick it to the wall and then mud on top of, unlike paper tape which you need to apply on top of mud.  I've fixed a bunch of similar defects like this and several years later there are no cracks and they look great.


How can I make a metal privacy screen more private? I had a metal gate put in on the side of my house.

I put some metal privacy screen behind it but it doesn't seem to be too private.

It just seems to add a little opacity but otherwise you can see through.

Is there any way to make this more private?

I tried painting it black but that didn't help. I thought of some random color spots but I don't think that would look good.

My last thought is to keep putting paint on it till the holes close more (or paint a nicer backyard on it).

Your first approach of random color spots would work, but as you suggest, it might not look pleasing to your eyes. The other suggestion you have about painting a nicer yard on it is "spot on."

Anything you do to the mesh to break up the pattern currently in place will serve to hide that which shows through the mesh. Abstracts and landscapes and other images that have multiple shapes will work better than geometric patterns.

The military did some studies regarding camouflage painting and found that very little variety worked quite well, as long as it was irregular or scattered.

You could duplicate the block-work adjacent to the gate, but it has such a uniform appearance that it likely would fail to hide that which can be seen through the mesh.

The real answer is something for viewing that meets your opinion of attactive, while maintaining a broken or segmented image.


How to cut in paint on a TALL wall left of a stair case How can I cut in paint over stairs with a wall that is 12 feet? I do not belive that all the brush holders and gages will do quality work. The red rectangle is where I need to do the cut in's woth a brush. On the ground level I can barely reach it with an extension ladder but I need a way to get it from the stairs

Around stairs you either learn to work with pole-attached tools (corner foam wheel might do what you need) or you will be renting or purchasing some elaborate staging, or you will be finding that the elaborate staging would have been a lot cheaper and much less trouble than the trip to the emergency room or morgue.

Admittedly the latter isn't much trouble for you, personally, at that point...

If it's hard to reach it's also hard for nit-pickers to examine closely and whine about the quality of the paint job up there.


How to make dish drainer board from plywood shelf I'm making a shelf above my kitchen sink with intention of putting glasses there to dry off.

How can I treat plywood surface to make it into drainer board?
The sink and the shelf are inside oblique corner, so I can't just buy a dish rack.

Something like  would work for me, but I need it trapezium-shaped.

Several coats of polyurethane would work. Acrylic likewise. Epoxy would work. Per @DMoore's comment on some other question, redguard would do, but would stink for several weeks (as might the epoxy, depending on epoxy formulation.)

Be sure to coat both top and bottom and especially edges. Top and bottom to reduce warpage that you'd be prone to if you only coat one side, and edges since plywood likes to fall apart if moisture gets in between the layers.

You could also possibly build this from "solid surface countertop" material - 1/2" thick plastic, pretty much.


How do I fix where cat scratched and tore carpet from threshold? My cat got trapped in my home office overnight and made the mess as shown in the picture trying to dig her way out. The sharp tack strip is exposed. There is not enough carpet to stretch. Is there a threshold cover big enough to cover it? Is there anything I can do to fix it?

A typical way to fix this type of damage depends upon having a remnant available. Repair consists of cutting back from the door to good solid carpet material using nice straight edges. A replacement piece is cut from the remnant to fit and then joined to the original carpet using a hot melt carpet splicing tape. (Special tools are required for this process that can be rented in lieu of having to purchase them).

If no remnant is available then your choices become a bit more drastic including the following:

The possibility to borrow a chunk of carpet from another part of the existing installation. Possibility could be to remove carpet from a closet for the repair and then re-do the closet in tile.
Full up replacement of the carpet in the office with something new. A new spring time update may be just what is in store anyway.
Conversion of the office space from a carpeted floor to some other style. One possible style could be a laminate floor.


What do I do about a VERY MOLDY dishwasher air gap? Just moved to a new place a few months ago and there is TONS of mold in the dishwasher air gap. Ive never had one before so I never thought to look inside to see what it was. I recently went to the doctor for breathing problems and she asked if I was exposed to mold. How do I clean it? could this mold be harming my health and is it getting mold in my dishwasher when I run it? thanks for any advice!

You can simply take it apart and clean it with bleach water.  Most are usually designed for regular maintenance, bits of garbage can get pumped through there and may build up.

If this is a rental, I would ask my maintenance personnel to handle the issue, you might put yourself at liability if you reassemble it wrong and cause water damage.

Furthermore, I cannot say it would be causing you health issues.  But if you have a healthy immune system, it is highly unlikely the small amount of mold in the kitchen is dangerous.  Unless you are breathing regularly over the air-gap.


Basement Insulation/Vapor Barriers Doing research prior to attempting a DIY basement finish. Never had moisture issues (sealed prior to move in) since we've been here (10yrs), walls are all below grade (no walk-outs). no insulation anywhere other than the space between the top of the wall and the bottom of joists (terminology). The question is, can I frame the walls and use faced rolls, or do i need the boards, boards and rolls...no vapor barrier, vapor barrier? I'm in Zone 5 apparently. Also, currently no real heat in the basement as the HVAC was not setup that way, but that would change a little once we finish. Purpose will be an open space with part for workout/hang out and the other for wife's sewing area (which is where we would focus heating efforts).
Thanks

I'd either go with rigid foam board glued and spray foam sealed to the concrete or spray foam.  Depending on how much insulation you want you could then add some rock wool batts.  Add 6mil poly with taped seams and then drywall.  You'll need the air barriers around any outlets in the exterior walls.
The concrete is always going to be the coldest surface and any moisture in the warmer air of your house is going to come into contact with it and condense.  You need both an air barrier and a vapor barrier (poly will work for both).  I only go with moisture proof insulation against basement concrete wall in cold climate.  You might also want to consider moisture resistant drywall for the basement walls to avoid having paper that can be used as a food source should the drywall absorb water.


MO 4 4post breaker in a home running both 110 and 220 off same breaker An old house built pre-50s has cloth-wrap wiring.  I cannot find the amps or maker anyplace on any panel or breaker.  There are five panels in the house: one main and 4 sub. There is also a low volt system.  Is any of this still up to code and where can I find info on this type system?

It's called Grandfathered

If you build something, and it's up to code at the time, and they update Code, you usually don't need to tear out the work and retrofit.

There are exceptions, e.g. for earthquake codes for high-value/traffic buildings, or ADA when you're doing a major renovation anyway.)  Wiring isn't one of them.

It's really about quality of work

If the original system was properly wired, it is a great deal safer than newer work that is wired wrong.

So you need to go through the system, with an eye for how it should have been built at the time.  This isn't far off of today, except for the addition of grounds.

You can retrofit additional safety

In 2014 (really!) they amended Code to allow you to retrofit grounds at will. The ground path does not need to follow the other wires, it just needs to be large enough for the load.

If you want to protect against failing electrical wires sparking and arcing and starting fires, you can fit arc-fault circuit interruptor (AFCI) circuit breakers.

If you want to protect house users from electrocution (e.g. hair dryer dropped in bathtub), you can install ground-fault circuit interruptor (GFCI) devices.  These are commonly available as

a circuit breaker
a "blank-face" device you put inline in the wiring
a "live-face" device, same as a blank-face except they give you a couple of convenience outlets

They make dual-mode AFCI and GFCI breakers.  It's cheaper to use an AFCI breaker and a GFCI blank-face or live-face though.

The four sub-panels are very good news.  That means if a subpanel is dangerous (FPE), obsolete (Pushmatic), cheap (Homeline), weird (Q-line), or just expensive to get GFCI/AFCI breakers for (QO/CH) -- you can swap the subpanel easily enough, without any serious danger.


Standalone circuit for emergency power I'm looking to setup an option for long-term power outages. Our house was built in the 70s and the circuit layout is nowhere near logical enough to be able to say "these 3 circuits need emergency power". Instead, I'd like to run a standalone circuit with about 8 receptacles on it (4 for critical appliances, 4 for lights/chargers).
By standalone, I mean it won't be connected to the grid or breaker box in any way. It would connect to the 8 receptacle boxes, and have a cord in the garage that I could plug into an inverter connected to our Leaf. If I need emergency power, I connect the inverter and move the required plugs from their normal receptacle to the emergency receptacle.
I know this probably isn't a code-approved setup, but is this a horrible idea for some reason I'm not thinking of? I plan to turn off the main breaker whenever this is in use just to be absolutely sure there's no chance of backfeeding the grid, but this would be very hard to do since the entire circuit is separate.

Drew there are panels that will do exactly what you want. They use the existing wiring and have a limited number of circuits. These manual transfer of 1/2 dozen or more circuits is really expensive. See generac, reliance 6 circuit transfer switches.
These systems cost in the range of 350.00-450.00 I have seen them used with a 2kw generator.
Old school lightbulbs that is 200 not just 1.
The house I am thinking of ran there gas furnace.
Lighting they needed and refrigerator.
When they wanted to run the well they turned off the refrigerator circuit and turned on the well pump.
So it can be done even using your existing wiring. I would suggest a generator interlock kit this locks out your main breaker while turning on the breaker to feed the home from another source whatever it is.
You turn off all the circuit breakers you don’t need or cannot power with the new source. A lot cheaper and works similarly for under 100$.


What is the purpose of this valve in my garage Can anyone tell me the purpose of this valve in my garage
In my previous home it was in the laundry room adjacent to The garage
Is it some kind of crossover valve  between hot and cold systems?

I had something like this in my garage where a water softener was previously.  When the water softener was removed it was easier for the previous owner to just connect the pipes instead of opening up the wall and/or rerouting the plumbing to a less noticible location.


New water supply lines continue to leak at toilet tank connection I have tried two new water supply hoses on my toilet tank. Each time they have leaked at the tank. I was very careful to, at first hand tighten and then, gently, with a channel lock pliers, turn them a little bit more. They leaked regardless. Of course, they had perfectly good looking  tapered rubber seals inside.
They are the standard stuff you buy at Home Depot.
Can the answer to the problem only be that the threaded plastic inlet pipe is somehow defective?

To answer your question could the plastic threaded inlet be the problem , possibly. That pipe could be cracked or the seal in between the fill valve and the tank could be leaking. This is a tough location to get a good look. Normally I find them over tightened but it sounds like you have been careful.
I might turn the water off drain the tank and hold the float up,
no water dripping turn the water on see if it starts dripping float still up, this would indicate a crack in the plastic and a need to replace the fill valve.
If it doesn’t drip but starts once a few inches Of water are in the tank drain again pull the fill valve and use a little silicone calking on the seal tighten it back in place let it sit for 15 minutes or longer to set, then try filling again it may have been a leak that you just sealed with the silicone.
At this point if it still drips look for hair line cracks in the tank itself.
Those are the things I normally check quite often I have found cracked plastic fittings after being over tightened.


Is this Junction Box too full? I'm installing a flood lamp on my outdoor garage. So, I went to take look at the junction box, and to my surprise, it appears oddly filled:

Filled to the point where I almost feel as though it's too filled.

The junction box is 4x4x2 1/2. There's at least from what I can count 4 different circuits running out there:

1) washer + misc outlets in garage

2) dryer

3) garage lights (outdoor)

4) garage lights indoor + garage opener

The house was built in the 1980's - I live in the Pacific Northwest (specifically, Washington State).

I do have a 5x5 that I purchased that I could replace it with, but I wasn't sure if I should "extend it" or just "replace it" entirely, which I guess would be the second half of my question.

I'm adding the flood lamp to the same circuit as the rest of the outdoor garage lights.

The rules for box fill are contained in NEC 314.16(B). Generally, if you are using 14 AWG wire, you need 2 inches of space for

each power carrying (hot and neutral) wire
all ground wires counted as one
internal cable clamps (usually in metal boxes) counted as one (external clamps and built-in clamps on a plastic box don't count)
hickeys or other light fitting devices count as one
each strap containing a device (a duplex outlet or double switch count as one)

If the wire is 12 AWG, all figures are increased to 2.25.

If you do the math and your box has too many wires, including any you need to add, you need either a bigger box or a second box.

If appearance isn't an issue, you can get box extenders that protrude from the front and add inches.

Depending on how the wires feed into the box, you maybe able to add another box a few inches to one side or the other, removing a few circuits from the original box, terminating them in the new, and just connecting the live feed between the old and new.


Concerns wiring Ethernet in House So im about to be wiring up cat6 around my house. Probably around 8 lines, and 3 drops total (leaving to floating for Cameras for outdoor).

So I have 2 Spots Im debating on, both in my office. One would be right next to the Cable Modem, which is convenient, however the Joists above it don't leave much room:

https://imgur.com/a/DL3iHSN (The spot would be above the white pipe, somewhere closer to the black coax cables going down).

Pro's to this Spot:

It has a Beam going Vertically that would be a great spot to mount the cables to
It's right next to an outlet and the coax outlet

Con's:

Not a lot of real estate above the wall where it would go (As you can see venting is right above it too.
Everything would be out in the open in the office (Going to be having a kid so this is more scary

The other option is in the Closet within the office:

https://imgur.com/a/t4Mba5g (Where the small brown/white wire is coming out, the joist next to it is where i'd drill down)

Pro's:

Hidden away in the closet which keeps it less cluttered in my office
Very open spot around the area for drilling/cables, actually closer to the drops I'll be doing.
More protected from a wandering kid. And probably better for resale (I'll have a cable passthrough which won't look bad...but still
As I expand my gear it's less of a problem as far as clutter (Since it'll all be in the closet)

Con's:

No outlets in the closet, and running them seems pointless and would need to pay someone
Because of the above i'll need to run 2 cables out of the closet door (Which is not far, maybe 10 feet total to the coax cable and outlet (Any suggestions on hiding it?)
No vertical beam to attach to (Which isn't THAT big of a deal, but I could always just create some sort of makeshift beam I suppose too, suggestions?)

Any ideas? Im leaning towards the closet, since it'll just be less messy, but I hate the idea of 2 cables coming out the closet door.

Sidenote: Any suggestion for how big of a hole I should drill for 8+ cables to be going into? (I don't want to mess with the structural integrity of the house)

I would put it in the closet and put an outlet in there as well.  8 wires coming out of the wall is quite messy and having this in your office behind your desk is quite unsightly and hard to organize.

I'd suggest drilling down through the top plate and running both power and the network drops down into the closet wall.  I would use separate holes for the cat6 and power to keep them apart.  Mount a 1/4 inch sheet of plywood on the wall to the studs, this gives you the freedom to mount the network switch wherever you want and gives you a better handle on cable management.  Sand and paint it if you want it to look good.

WRT the coax.  You can either keep the cable modem at the desk and run an ethernet port to the office desk or, as you suggested, put it in the closet.  I would opt for the closet, but instead of running the coax under the door, I'd run that in the wall as well.  You seem to have good access in the attic, so you have the freedom to run an extra cable.  I'd go up from the box where the existing cable is, connecting them with a barrel, and run the new cable into the closet.

No cables on the floor, no bundle of wires coming out into the office.

Remember to seal the holes you drill into the top plate with fire rated caulk after running the wires through them.


Is mold remediation effective in the long term? Our home inspector just found serious mold problems in a home we are considering buying.

The seller are willing to pay for remediation, but I'm very concerned about the possibility that mold would return to the house later on.  Assuming that the underlying problems are corrected (cracks in the foundation, improper bathroom venting, etc.,) is it possible--or even likely that over the next 10 to 15 years, the problem could recur?

I'm concerned about the problem recurring in the existing locations, but just as much concerned that it could grow in other, hidden, yet-to-be-discovered/treated locations such as within walls, finished ceilings, etc.

A good remediation company will do testing on both surface and air afterwards.  I would make sure there is a good amount of time past after cleaning to go through and do the tests - a couple weeks maybe.

Your main concerns are basement and bathroom, so make them prove those areas too you.  If there is a lot of ongoing mold on a wall the it is likely it affected the surrounding areas.  So make them open up walls to prove there is nothing.  If they don't want to then I would expect the worst and know that first you might have more big issues that are hidden and two that you might need to do a lot of drywall and finishing touch work after you demo sheetrock in areas.

Note: I would also try to put some of the risk onto the remediation company.  If I have to use one on flips we go over everything.  I get a price.  And then if they mess up they come out and fix the area for free.  For instance if they tell you that you don't have mold in a room but find it a month later they would come out and remove wall and fix area.  You have to get a reputable company and then you will usually only be given 3-6 months.  If you think the house was full of moisture/humidity for a long time then I would assume that most of my drywall has to be replaced.  For a 2000 sq ft house that is 10-15K.   Also know too, mold needs moisture.  If there is a little mold in a wall and it never gets more moisture, there is little to no harm...  I will say this, I rather deal with termites than big mold when buying a house.


Replacing a double switch The bathroom has a light/fan mounted in the ceiling. The upper switch controls the light and the lower switch controls the fan.

The upper (light) switch needs to be wiggled and held in place to operate. As this is very annoying, I decided to replace the double switch.

I bought a new switch and wired it EXACTLY like the old one - red wire to upper right, black wire to lower right, white wire to upper left and bare wire to the ground screw.

The upper switch now controls the light AND the fan, while the lower switch does nothing.

The relative locations (upper right etc) of the terminals on the switch are not the factor with which you should be concerned. You need to know which terminal is the common.  That gets the AC from the circuit breaker. The other two go to the loads. Are they marked?  Do you have an ohm meter?

edit:

OK, based on your comment I think I know what's happened.

Your old switch appeared to you to have three terminals, but most likely it really had four, but two of them are connected together - maybe internally, hidden from you, or perhaps simply unnoticed? The new switch  probably has an external shorting strap/bar - the RED in the pic below - connecting the two commons together.

The switches you've been using are both set up as a pair of single-pole single-throw switches.

Previously you had the AC coming in on the Common terminal(s) and the two loads (fan and light) each getting one of the Load terminals. That worked as desired.

When you replaced the switch, you wired the AC coming in to one of the terminals on the Load side (A1 or B1), and wired your loads to a Common terminal.  Since the common side is shorted together, when you turned on the one switch to which you wired the AC input power, both loads powered up.  The other switch is effectively non-functional.


Is it possible to splice on to one of the hots of a base board heater for a plug? So I was on a maintenance call for a building. A string of 3 plugs were off and it's a huge building and I couldn't locate the breaker after 2 hours searching. I went with the building owner inspecting every single panel and gfci plug to test if that was the issue. We couldn't locate the breaker or power source for those plugs. So I gave up looking for the breaker and did the following instead. There was a baseboard heater on a 20 amp circuit nearby.  I tapped off one of the hots from that circuit with a 12/2 wire rated for 20 amps. There is no neutral so I left one wire  capped off in that box. The other end I replaced with a 20 amp receptacle. I took off the hot wire I identified as  the home run wire going to the panel and replaced it with the hot wire I spliced from one of the hots of the baseboard. I  kept the neutral wire from the home run cable as I needed that neutral to complete the circuit. So now all the plugs work.

Just wondering if there is any fire issues or nuisance tripping this will cause down the line? It's been 2 months and the client hasn't called to complain.

You cannot and must not take a phase from one cable/circuit and a neutral from another.

Amongst other issues, this:

Poses a threat to any maintenance worker who disconnects the neutral or earth of the original circuit, assuming that because they have isolated the hot, the neutral is not carrying current.
Can overload the neutral, which does not directly have overcurrent protection.
Can cause issues and heating in surrounding steel as the magnetic fields do not cancel.
Will cause immediate tripping if either circuit is converted to GFCI in future.
Violates the NEC/CEC/any other sensible rules.


Should a skirt board on a stair case be installed over the treads? I am working on a project to replace my stair treads. The current treads show an ugly gap between the end of the tread and the existing skirt board. The current skirt board was installed before the treads, so the treads butt up against the skirt board. The current stairs had carpet on them so the gap didn't matter.

I want to put new treads on these stairs which are finished wood so that there is no visible gap between the end of the stair tread and the wall or skirt board. Can I meet this goal by installing the skirt board over the installed stair treads?

Should the skirt board or the stairs be installed first? Is the skirt board supposed to cover the gap between the tread and the wall?

Skirt boards are one of the hardest things in my opinion to do.  I can rip apart a bathroom and have it put back together in 2-3 days and it might take me the same amount of time to make a couple of long stair skirts.  All of your stairs wont be the exact same measurements, walls are not perfectly flat... One of the things that I source out now for sure.

The short answer is it depends.  If the staircase will be carpeted or if there is no overhang on the treads then the answer is tread first.  Basically this is faster because your treads don't have to be perfect.  Also your skirt doesn't have to be perfect.

If your stairs will be showing the treads or if there is an overhang I would suggest installing the skirt and then the treads.  This will give you a cleaner look.  Also good luck notching out the skirt to match all of the overhangs on the tread if you decided to do it last.


Why won't my bathroom light fixture work? Had a surprise this morning when I went to turn on my bathroom light and it didn't work.  All the incandescent bulbs (4 of them) appear to be fine, and the fan which is on the switch beside the light switch is working.

I've checked and reset all breakers.  Before calling an electrician, is there anything else I can do?  Is it possible that the fixture has failed since none of the bulbs will light up.

If you have a multi-meter and feel comfortable poking around, you can find out some preliminary info. Take off the face-plate for the switches and check the voltage between the two screws on the light switch. You should see nothing when it's on, and full voltage (120/230/etc) when it's off:

If you see no voltage all the time, then there's likely a power problem feeding the switch.
If you see full voltage all the time, then the switch is probably broken and can be easily replaced.
If you see no voltage (switch on) and full voltage (switch off), then it's probably the light fixture.


How should I attach laminate foil dryer transition duct? I've got a laminate foil dryer duct coming up from the crawlspace.  I need to attach my dryer transition duct to the exhaust duct, but these really don't like to go inside one another since they're exactly the same size.

I managed to force on inside the other and secured them together with duck tape (If this is a bad idea, please let me know!).  Are there better ways of doing this other than getting into the crawlspace and installing a new exhaust vent?

Duct Tape is good for a lot of things, except duct work!  It will eventually dry up and pull away from the heat in the vent.

I would bend/dent one of the ends slightly so that it will fit easily inside of the other.  Then I'd secure it with proper HVAC foil tape, followed by a clamp around it.

Foil Tape

(source: homedepot.ca)

Metal Gear Clamp

(source: homedepot.ca)


Can you operate / permanently install an air compressor in freezing temperatures? My garage is heated but it's attic is not. The attic is accessible and could make a good location for a large air compressor - saves space & could muffle the noise. But the annual temperature swings in the attic are a concern.

Winter temps here can go down, at the extreme, to < -10 F (-23 C).
Summer highs might be less of a concern, but get into the 80s/90s (26/32) outside - probably > 100 F (37 C) in the attic.

Aside from whether extreme temps could be harmful to the motor or compressor pump itself, the tank is bound to get some condensation in it. I would plan to have a drain tube / valve plumbed in, but I wonder if frozen ice inside the compressor tank could cause an issue?

I checked a manufacturer's manual for a somewhat expensive compressor and it literally says nothing about operating temperature.

Reading around internet forums I get kind of a mixed impression - nothing that seems conclusive.

There are indeed some compressors used outside all the time - like at gas stations for filling tires. But those might have been purpose built for the conditions so I don't infer much about a standard workshop compressor from that.

Ice in the tank is not going to cause a problem.  The issue is using the air in sub-freezing temps.  Ice can form in the hose or in the tool.  A good solution is to install a water separator that will catch the water before it goes into the hose and freezes.


Trying to decide between these two types of masonry bits I'm undecided if I need an SDS Max vs Plus for masonry drill bits. I've heard that drilling with SDS Plus can take a while with larger diameter bits. Anyone ever drill larger than 1" with an SDS Plus set? Currently looking at the two options below to see what makes sense...anyrecommendations are appreciated

https://kateyadrillbits.com/collections/masonry-drill-bit-sets/products/carbide-tipped-sds-plus-masonry-drill-bit-set-6-piece?variant=30299296694320

https://kateyadrillbits.com/collections/masonry-drill-bit-sets/products/carbide-tipped-sds-max-masonry-drill-bit-set-7-piece?variant=30295024304176

My gut instinct is that you want an SDS Plus drill, for the simple reason that if you wanted an SDS Max drill, you'd know that you wanted SDS Max - They are obvious beasts.

The largest hole I've drilled would be a 4-5 inch hole through a single course of brick, which would have been better served by me renting a core drill, but I still got through in about 30 minutes - (the 10 mm pilot hole took seconds however.)

You can only get a proper answer if you can tell us what  you are planning to drill with it? General Domestic drilling? (SDS Plus) One hole to run a drain pipe through a brick wall? (SDS Plus) Demolishing several concrete columns? (SDS Max) Tunnling into a Bank Vault? (SDS Max)


How can I connect a 120V washer to a 240V circuit? So we got a new washing machine to go in a house built in the late 50s. When the appliance installer came to deliver the appliance, we ran into a snag with connecting the washer...the washer appears to have a standard 120 volt connector, but the plug on the wall for the washer appears to be a 240 volt/20 amp plug.

The appliance delivery didn't know what to do with the crazy outlet and thought he could just run the cord over to a standard plug 6 feet or so away (used by the sprinkler control system with extra plugs for whatever) but the cord was too short. My intuition would be that washers and dryers are usually on their own circuit for a reason, and running a heavy duty extension cord would be a bad idea.

So what do we need to do to hook this up? Is there an adapter or wiring change that would convert this plug to the voltage needed by the washer? Or do we need to exchange the washer for one designed for a 240 volt plug? Or would an extension cord actually be a reasonable solution?

You're going to have to either get a washer that accepts 240V, or change the circuit.
New Washer
Getting a new washer will depend on the manufacturer, dealer, and other factors that are off topic here.
Change the circuit
Modifying the circuit will require knowledge of electrical safety practices, and general electrical wiring principles/standards/codes. If you lack this knowledge, or are not comfortable working with electricity, please contact a local licensed Electrician.
If you decide to tackle this project yourself, here is an overview of what needs to be done. You'll be going from a configuration with two ungrounded (hot) conductors, and one grounding conductor (NEMA 6-20). To a configuration with one ungrounded (hot) conductor, one grounded (neutral) conductor, and one grounding conductor (NEMA 5-20).  To do this you'll have to swap out the double pole breaker for a single pole breaker, and repurpose one of the conductors.
At the Panel

Before you begin, you'll need to purchase a 20A single pole circuit breaker that is compatible with your service panel, and a blank panel cover insert.
Start by turning the power off by flipping the main breaker to the OFF position, then verifying that power is off using a non-contact voltage tester.
Remove the service panel cover (be careful working in the open panel, the main lugs are still energized even when the main breaker is in the OFF position).
Locate the breaker for the washer.
Remove the wires connected to the breaker (should be either black & red, or black & white).
Remove the breaker from the panel.
Install the new single pole breaker in one of the slots where the old double pole breaker was.
Install the blank panel cover insert in the panel cover, so that is covers the empty space left.
Connect the black wire that you removed from the breaker in step 5, to the new breaker.
If the other wire from step 5 is white, connect it to the grounded (neutral) bus bar. If the wire is red, mark the wire with a bit of white tape, or a white marker, then attach it to the bus bar.
Reinstall the panel cover.

At the receptacle

Before you begin, you'll have to purchase a 125V 20A receptacle.
Uninstall the old receptacle.
Connect the black wire to the brass screw terminal on the new receptacle.
If the other wire is white, attach it to the silver screw terminal on the new receptacle. If the other wire is red, mark it with white tape or a white marker, and attach it to the silver screw terminal on the new receptacle.
Attach the bare or green grounding wire to the green grounding screw on the new receptacle.
Mount the receptacle in the box, and install the cover plate.

Once everything is finished, you can flip the main breaker, and the new breaker to the ON position.
WARNING:
This answer is only applicable in the US, and possibly Canada.


Do I have to replace this entire valve or can it be fixed? My bathtub/shower faucet has been constantly dripping and I took it apart to try and get it repaired.

Here is what is on the inside:

I would rather, for obvious reasons, avoid having to take the valve out, but I am not sure how to proceed at this point.

1. is there a  way to repair this valve in place?

2. If not how do I go about getting this thing out?

A "good enough" fix to keep it from dripping temporarily would be fine, I plan to remodel this bathroom completely in the near-ish future.

This is definitely a Moen shower valve, with a common Moen cartridge. There is no "seat" per se. You can perform a simple replacement of the cartridge and it should solve your problem. First you need to shut off the hot and cold water supply.

If you look closely, there is a horseshoe shaped retaining clip with a small hole at the top of the inverted "U", this holds the cartridge in. Once the clip is removed, there are various ways (all involve pulling) to remove the old cartridge, my favorite being using a stiff steel bar with a hole in it, screwing it to the protruding stem, and using the handle/knob screw to fasten the bar to the stem as a "pull handle". Then I twist and pull to remove the cartridge. There are brass (old) and plastic (new) cartridges, they are interchangeable.

There are various other ways to assist in cartridge removal, including a special puller tool manufactured for that purpose. You may be able to borrow or rent the puller from a good plumbing or hardware shop. There are circumstances where the puller tool is pretty much the only tool that will work.

Replacement is simple, insert the new cartridge and install the retainer clip... done! Moen guarantees them for life too, so if you send them back the old one they will send you a new one free, for next time.

Check out this video


Gas heater lights then goes out The machine turns on and trying to light and then shuts down does this about three times then stops , starts again but doesn’t seem like anything lights up who to call ? What kind of problem ?

Could be a defective thermocouple, a sensor to measure the temperature (either it can be too far away the pilot, push it close to it if the case, or is already defective, you could replace it).

You could also check the pilot tube, it can be blocked.


Accepted electrical raceway material to residential detached garage When exiting a home with an electrical raceway to serve a detached garage, is PVC a generally accepted (code-worthy) raceway material to use? My feeders are carrying one 20A dedicated circuit. My plan is to use a 1" PVC LB condulet and schedule 40 pipe run underground and up into the garage.

No problem. Schedule 40 PVC conduit is suitable for direct burial, so there's no problem with that. As long as you're using schedule 40 PVC conduit, and not schedule 40 PVC DWV pipe.

It may or may not be required by code, but it's good practice to install expansion fittings wherever the conduit enters/exits the ground. This allows the ground and conduit to move, while preventing damage to the conduit during said movement.


How to turn this switched duplex receptacle into half-hot I'm trying to take a switched duplex outlet and make it half-switched. I turned off the breaker and pulled the receptacle out and this is what I found. When tested with a voltage pen tester everything inside the circuit was off except for the black wires in the back that run through the box.

I'm assuming what I need to do is:
1) first find the breaker that the black wire is on and shut it off.
2) break the tab on the side with the red connector with some pliers
3) run a new wire from the nut holding the red wires together at the back of the box to the other terminal on the red side of the outlet

Does this make sense? I'm a little confused why there is already two neutrals coming off this box and why the black wire wasn't off when I switched the breaker.

Any help would be appreciated.

The two white wires are "common coming in" and "common going out". Leave them alone.

Your red group might be "power in" and "power out to switch", with the separate red being "switched power returning from switch". Or the red group might be switched, or something entirely different.

I'd suggest that you turn the breakers back on, and see what wires are switched. That will tell you if the red nut group is good to use.

If the red nut group is switched also, then you'll have to take power from the black nut group for your unswitched half.


Disassembling IKEA Ingolf chair I have a couple of dining room chairs from IKEA, which have been quite good for a number of years.

One of them, however, has started wobbling a bit, and I saw that it was because the back of the chair is no more strongly fixed to the frame.

I am trying to disassemble it, but the latch/joint that is used, I can't understand, how should I remove it.

As you can see in the image, it is 2 metal parts, which slide and probably click into each other (it was ages ago when I assembled it, so I don't remember):

They are fixed firmly and are not moving in any direction. There is a small slit between the parts, when viewed from below:

However, I can only put in a very short length of screwdriver  inside, there doesn't feel anything much there and I am concerned I might break the screwdriver if I pushed harder.

Any ideas how to dismantle this?

it will tap/slide apart. if it's stiff (as mine were) then a place a slotted screwdriver on the metal bracket on the left hand side in the photograph and give it a tab using a hammer. This will help to avoid stressing the 3 screws used to hold this part of the fixing into the wood.


Why are recently repaired drywall joints in my ceiling bulging? I recently redid my ceilings and had somebody come out and do the finishing. Used furring straps to level out the ceiling and then hung the drywall. It has been about 2 weeks now and insulation is all done inside, primed and painted. However, in several places I’m starting to notice bulges on what are clearly joints.

They are not soft and the ceiling does not budge when pressed with some effort. They are not visible except for when natural light enters the room and unfortunately the ceilings are 8’ so the light hits it just right.
Can I sand, prime and paint? Or do I need to cut into the seam a bit, tape and feather first?

USG calls this defect joint ridging and offered the following cause and remedy.

Cause: All building materials grow or shrink in response to changes in temperature and humidity. When they are confined to a specific space, such as gypsum panels in a partition or ceiling, they are put under stress, either compression or tension, depending on the temperature or humidity conditions. These stresses are relieved when the panel bends outward in the region of the joint. Once this bending takes place, the system takes a set and never returns to normal. It becomes pro- gressively worse with each change of temperature or humidity. This progressive deformation appears as a continuous ridge along the length of joint, with a uniform fine, ridge-like pattern at the center.

Remedy: (1) Let ridge develop fully before undertaking repairs; usually six months is sufficient. Make repairs under average room conditions; (2) Smooth ridge down to reinforcing tape without cutting through tape. Fill concave areas on either side of ridge with light fill of compound. After this is dry, float very thin film of compound over entire area; (3) Examine area with strong sidelighting to make certain that ridge has been concealed. If not, use additional feathering coats of compound. Redecorate. Ridging can recur, but is usually less severe. Continuous wetting will aggravate condition.


Can fig trees endanger neighbouring buildings? Can a fig tree be damaging the foundations of a neighboring building?

We have several fig trees growing very close to a number of small buildings.

Recently it came to light that one of those trees' roots has entered a massive underground cistern that we use to store rainwater: there are dozens of tiny roots growing inside the tank along a seam (not a crack) in the concrete, apparently that was the weakness they used to get through.

We've been advised to fell the fig tree to prevent further damage to the tank,  and possibly even all the others to prevent damage to buildings. We're not keen on doing that at all - we treasure the trees, which are all more than thirty years old.

We can risk the water tank's wellbeing, it is used only for garden irrigation.

What we can't afford, however, is structural damage to the buildings. There's a number of mysterious cracks in walls that could just be the earth moving (we're on the foot of a mountain) but we're of course worried now that it's the trees' roots causing the damage.

If this could be the case - is there anything that can be done about it, short of felling the tree?

It is probably worth noting we live in an arid desert area with little natural irrigation.

In my experience tree roots have damaged foundations. The roots penetrate the smallest cracks and if they don't open it up wider, it still allows more water to enter than what the foundation should be designed to keep out.

When roots grow, and they will the displace dirt, and the dirt will go somewhere. At times it is the wall that give under the pressure.

You could root prune the tree by digging a trench, if there is room, cut back the roots, water proof the wall and fill the trench again.


What is the name for a drill bit that makes conical holes? What is the drill bit on the far left hand side of the machine in the first picture?

I believe it cuts holes shaped liked those in the second picture, which is something I'm trying to achieve. Is it a large countersink bit? I think the hole is about 24mm wide.

That is a countersink. I would not call it a drill bit, as it's intended to open and shape a hole. Typically a through-hole of the smallest diameter is drilled, then the countersink is performed as a secondary operation. It is typically not advisable to try and "drill" a hole with a countersink.


How can I repair damaged wood lacquer? I've ruined a wooden, varnished table by putting a hot mug of tea down on it. In case that’s relevant, the cup was also slightly wet (only water). Now at the place where the mug stood is a milky-whitish blemish in the lacquer. On the first try it looked as though it could be scraped off with a sharp object but that doesn’t seem to be the case after all, and no amount of scrubbing with a wet cloth has any visible effect.

Is there a way of fixing this, short of repainting the whole table? I’m hoping that maybe the damage is only superficial after all; are there special cleaning products for this?

Now you know why varnish is rarely used anymore. If it is pure varnish/shellac, then damage to the wood is likely.  Before sanding and refinishing, the nuclear option is to try to rub it out with denatured alcohol. The alcohol will dissolve the varnish and redistribute or remove it. You can then touch up the varnish carefully.

If it is lacquer, then use lacquer thinner.  Remember, varnish and lacquer are not the same.

This is somewhat successful in some stains.


Spilled pvc primer in water softener tank? So, let me start by saying I’m an idiot. As implied by the title, I spilled pvc primer in my water softener tank. I was installing a whole house filter overhead and doing the piping and knocked it down. In addition, the tank was partially filled with water (rather than just salt...that’s a whole different story).

So now the tank is filled with a combination of salt, water, and pvc cement. At this point, do I get rid of the softener entirely? Empty the water/salt, clean, then reuse? Do nothing and trust the primer won’t kill me?

If, you are speaking of the salt tank and not the water softner, since the water softner should be a sealed unit, just remove the salt and flush out the tank and install new salt. By the way, how did the primer get into a tank that is sealed or a salt tank that has a top on it?


Is it possible to link motion-activated flood light fixtures? I would like to install four motion detector lights in my backyard.

I was wondering if when one light comes on or is tripped, is it possible for all the lights to come on at the same time?

I use separate detectors from lamps, and here's how I wire them.

First, I use the type of sensor which has its own neutral (rather than the type which has no neutral and sits in a "switch loop".)  This is very important. The sensor needs to be able to power itself independently (via hot and neutral) and not care what if anything is on the output.

I run 4 wires down the length of all the sensor and lamp sites.  The 4 wires are:

Green - Equipment Ground
White - Neutral
Black - "always hot"
Orange or Red - "switched hot"

I connect ground, neutral and always-hot back to power supply at the service panel.

I attach each sensor to always-hot, neutral and switched-hot.

Each lamp gets switched-hot and neutral.  If the far end of the string is all lamps, you don't need an always-hot.

Grounds everywhere grounds go.

When you are working with integrated sensor-lamp combos, it depends a great deal on how they are wired internally.  Some are assembled from common off-the-shelf 120V components, and will keep the functions reasonably separate and you can access them.  Others may vary. For instance, LED sensor lights almost always use LED emitter heads that run on around 12V, often constant current; so they use a 12V-ish power supply.  They run the sensor off that 12VDC, for the simple reason that 12V sensors are cheaper than 120V ones.

If the sensor part doesn't work for you, but the other guts do, you may be able to bypass or replace the sensor - a great many screw into fittings like this, and  you may be able to retrofit your light with a different sensor.


Notching 4x4 to Use as Fence Rail I have a 6 ft tall fence (standard home-store pickets) that was installed before the home was purchased.
A tree, that I assume was planted prior to the fence going up, has grown up through the fence line, so much so that it has pushed the panel in front of the tree off the fence line. I am replacing the pickets and rails due to age/rot.
To work around the tree, I was thinking of using a 4x4 instead of 2x4 for the rails, where I would notch the 4x4 down to 2x4 near the tree. The 4x4 width would be kept near the post to support jutting the fence inward from the normal fence line.
Is there anything I should be concerned with structurally with such an approach?
The tree is primarily in the neighbor's property, so cutting it would not be an option. My concern with new posts is trying to bury such in an existing root structure.
Proposed solution
                XXXXXXXXXX
--------------   XXXXXXXX   -------------  (existing fence line)
             |     XXXX     |
             |______________|  (proposed solution)

Structurally, maybe. The weight will be twice as much (assuming two rails) on the same wood at the notch due to the larger lumber. This could result in more sagging or even breakage.
Some other ideas...
Add posts and route around the tree
            ______
___________|      |
___________|      |
           |______|
              | |
            __|_|_
           |      |_____
           |      |_____
           |______|

Space out the one panel
            ______
___________|      |_
___________|      | | <-- offset spacer block
           |______| |
                  |_|________________________
                  |__________________________


Showerhead with "backflow prevention" I bought this Delta showerhead almost a year ago. I remember the packaging mentioning a "backflow prevention" feature. Every time I turn off the faucet water streams from the area I've circle below, between the hose and fitting. It's always done this, but up until a few months ago the "leaking" would eventually stop and the shower would be dry by next use. That's no longer the case. I no longer notice water streaming down the hose when I turn off the faucet.

A small amount of iron has built-up around this fitting and I wonder if it's causing the water to leak out slowly. This keeps the shower wet, requiring me to spray it with diluted bleach every few days to keep mold from growing.

A couple of questions:

Is this a typical occurrence with fixtures that have a "backflow prevention feature"?
What is the solution? Assuming the iron build-up is the problem, I could clean it frequently but that requires removing the fixture (which isn't desirable). Are there other options?

If I can't stop it from leaking, I'll have to buy a new showerhead to prevent mold from growing.

What the backflow preventer does is keep the water that is in the head when you turn the water pressure off from flowing back into the supply pipes. This is actually a good thing, and it's required on all fittings that have a hose ... if not all fittings at this point, so that soap (or dirty water) doesn't leak back into your house's fresh supply lines and potentially contaminate your food. You really don't want to remove the backflow valve or alter the hose in any way.

If it continues to leak out of the hose for hours afterwards, I would look at your valve assembly (specifically the diverter) as the culprit. You might have a small leak in the valve assembly that's flowing into your diverter and then up to the shower head. Does the tub filler operate correctly? What about taking the shower head/hose/etc. assembly completely off? Does water continue to leak out after you've turned the water off?

Once you verify that the diverter and valve are shutting off correctly, you want to make sure that there are no cracks in the hose or fittings. I generally need to replace these shower heads once every 3-4 years. 1 year would be fast for one to go bad, but you never know with manufacturing of mass-produced plastic products. Last but not least, did you use the teflon tape just on the metal-to-plastic union, or did you also use it on the plastic threads near where you circled? I know it says not to, but I found that there's something to be said for a little extra teflon here and there.


How do I find the source of the water leaking through the ceiling? I live in Minnesota in a single story rambler with full basement.  In an upstairs corner bedroom I started noticing some water leaking in the closet ceiling a week or two ago (picture is current, it started much smaller).

We've had a record amount of snow fall this year.  When I first saw the leak, I realized that my roof vents were covered with snow.  On Christmas day, I shoveled off the entire roof.  Since then we've had a few light snows and warm days too, so there's been some accumulation then melting.  Right now there's nearly no snow on the roof, and the gutters still have some ice in them.

But the leaking is getting worse.  Now has spread across the entire edge of the wall.

There's also water dripping into the inside of that window, and there's a stalagmite icicle in one of the windows about 6-8" tall.

Today I went into the attic to look for a leak.  I was unable to find one, however.

There were a couple spots under vents or pipes were a little frost came through and melted, and underneath the insulation was slightly damp (and frozen).

But, as best as I could see, near the edge of the house above the ceiling in the pictures, there was no evidence of wetness or frozen water.  Not any amount I would expect to see based on the damage.  Now, on the roof above there is a thin layer of frost - across much of the length of the house actually.  Could that be melting on warm days and dripping down?  But yet I don't see any wet spots, if I push the insulation away I can see the wet ceiling board, but the insulation isn't really wet and there's no signs of where it's running down from and dripping from.

There were also a a spots where the insulation was contacting the roof at the edge of the house, directly above where the leaks appear.  I thought perhaps moisture was being wicked down.  I've moved the insulation so that it doesn't contact, but again it wasn't wet indicating that it was the source of the leak.

How do I figure out what needs fixing here?

All the advice so far about ice damns is valid.  However, if there are no dams or visible water on the roof, then you will need to crawl up in the attic and start looking for the wet areas that are wicking into your ceiling.  The insulation may have been soaked before you got a chance to clear the roof. Obviously if wet insulation is found, it must be removed.  Another problem I have come across in a few situations like yours, no dam, but slow moisture stains keep developing, came from improperly installed "proper vent" from the soffit vents to the air space in the attic.  In a few cases, the open upper end of the proper vent was blocked or covered with insulation and condensation formed on the top side of the drywall right along the wall. In a couple of cases, no venting was used from the soffit and insulation was packed into this area instead.  In either case, you will have to get up there and move the insulation in the affected areas and look for the moisture.  Also look for any tell-tale water stains on the rafters or trusses that may have been a leak from above.


What screws to affix TV mount to wooden stud partition? A 70" TV weighing 35kg is being mounted on stud partition wall using a fixed position TV mount which is 600mm wide. It will hit two studs approximately 230mm apart in the centre of the TV mount. While studs are normally 600mm apart, they are closer together beside a concrete column which is hidden by the plasterboard over it.

The wall has 12.5mm plasterboard over 6mm plywood over the stud partition.

The TV Mount (rated for 100kg) came with 6.3x55mm screws and wall plugs for use in a variety of materials - brick/concrete/wood.

Should I use the included screws or instead use Goldscrew Woodscrews or TurboCoach Coach Screws? If so, what diameter and length would you suggest?

Here's what came with the TV mount. Looks like they suggest driving the screws straight into the wood, however I assume for a screw of this size a pilot hole should be used?

The screws that is supplied with the mount are rated to do the job, the plywood layer under the drywall is the only additional layer that is not typical in woof frame construction. With that in mind, it is still thin enough so the screws will hold the TV you have, or any other TV. The rule of thumb I use is 1" of screw into the framing behind the drywall and the plywood. Your screws you have should give about 1 1/4" of depth into the framing.
Get at least 4 screws into the wall and you will be fine. The shear strength of the screws far exceed the 70 lbs you will apply on them. IMHO....


Ripped off paint on bathtub The paint on my bathtub has been ripped off so much like this:

What should I do to fix this?

Assuming this is a cast-iron tub in decent condition below the surface, it can be refinished to look like new. Here's an article from This Old House that explains one process. There are likely vendors who will come to your house to refinish the tub, as well as DIY products. For any repair approach, it's vital to properly prepare the surface by removing the prior paint attempt, patching any deep scratches, and sanding thoroughly to ensure good bonding of the new enamel.


replacing broken outside tap handle I have this outside hose tap, the handle arms have broken off at some in the past. Is fixing it as simple as undoing the screw and putting a new handle on? are there any gotchas to be wary off?

Fixing it might be as simple as removing the screw and handle and getting a replacement from the hardware or plumbing shop.

On the other hand, there are hundreds (thousands?) of manufacturers of hose faucets (also called hose bibs, spigots, hose pipe taps, etc.) and the stem to which the handle attaches does not have a standard size or connection method. It may be splined, it may be square, it could be various sizes.

If you don't have an easy time with a replacement handle, replacing the valve is fairly simple and this site has Helpful People to lead you through it (hint- you will need to shut off the water supply to that water line).


Under bathroom sink piping (exposed) We are looking at setting up the piping for under our wall mounted sink (no vanity, ie, piping will be exposed). And after our contractor finished putting the wall we noticed that the hole from the wall is not going to be aligned with the hole from the sink (faucet is wall mounted and cannot be moved, so we need to deal with the way it is).

We would like to use the below p-trap (purchased already, but can be returned if it is not going to work).

We have sketched below our layout with some dimensions.  If anyone has any suggestions as to what sort of pipes (ideally chrome finish to match the p-trap) we can use to get, somehow, an acceptable result.

Suggestions are welcome
Thanks

PS: We cannot break the wall and re-route the drain pipe as there are pipes on the way, so whatever we do has to be outside the wall (ie.: visible), we will likely put a shelf for towels below that could help cover a bit the piping.

Answer 1 layout:
Thank you bcworkz for your answer, can you let me know if the below is what you are suggesting? Also, what sort of adapters would you use for the joints (at the wall top end and around the hole in the wall).  Thanks again

Final Product
Hi guys, first wanted to thank you bcworkz for your answer. Find below the final product. We might end up putting up a small shelf that will fill with spare towels to cover that extra piping the back.

That's a drum trap, not a P-Trap. Be sure it's listed to comply with your code requirements. Looks slick anyway. You'll need a 45 degree chrome compression ell and maybe some extra pipe. You'll end up with the trap arm out of the drum running at a 45 degree horizontal angle to the wall. It will be cut quite short before it enters the ell. Upon exiting the ell, it should be a straight shot to the wall connection. The remaining trap arm you cut off may or may not be long enough for this. It then ties into the wall pipe with the same adapter fitting you would normally have used.

The trap arm runs entirely horizontal, despite the ell, with just enough slope to drain (1/4" per foot). The only significant vertical drop is in the tail piece that drops straight down from the sink. If you prefer the 45 degree segment to be closer to the wall, you could do a variation using two 45 degree ells, such that the trap arm out of the drum goes straight back for a distance before making a dog leg to the wall drain.


Fixing streaky pickling (whitewash) stain I'm making butcher-block style counter tops from reclaimed hardwood flooring (oak, I think). I plan to finish it with Waterlox sealer, but my wife is concerned that the sealer will color the wood too orange, and following some advice from pinterest, wanted me to stain it white with a pickling stain to counteract the color from the sealer.

I have had a horrible time with this stain. I applied it once and it was pretty blotchy, so I re-sanded the surface and used a wood conditioner, but when the second attempt was only slightly better, it's still pretty blotchy. I've never had so many problems with a stain, I'm guessing it's because the stain has to be partially opaque to give such a white color.

I'm running out of time on this project, it needs to be finished soon. My wife hopes that the sealer will even out some of the streaks, but I kind of doubt it will do much. Is there something I could do to fix the stain?

Further information: both the stain and the conditioner I used were water-based, Minwax brand.

I would say that you need to follow the directions on both the conditioner and the stain very carefully. It says to sand in the direction of the grain with sand paper and not with steel wool, and it needs to be applied with a synthetic bristle brush and not a natural bristle brush because it is water based.

If that doesn't help, then I would experiment with a new product. I might first apply a sealer coat and then carefully apply a coat of white rustoleum enamel thinned very heavily with paint thinner (mineral spirits). I did this to some old douglas fur and it looked really cool. However, I don't have a recommendation for a durable top coat. Epoxy would surly work if you want to go that route but it gets pricey and messy and there's a problem with bubbles that form after it's applied. The rustoleum enamel is oil based so an oil based poly would be ok on top of it I think but I wouldn't try any other oils like tung oil, tru oil, etc.

Another thing you might want to look into is wood dye, not a stain but a dye! Usually water based, I believe, they're used to lighten or darken the color of wood and change the way the grain looks.

Get creative!


Should Door Trim/Jamb be flush cut with bottom of base for carpet install? I'm finishing a room that will have new carpet installed. I plan to install the baseboard height about 1/2" off the slab so carpet can flow underneath. The room is all painted (trim/walls), but no base is installed. My question is: should I cut the closet/doors trim/jambs at 1/2" as well (before base install) so the carpet can flow under or is it not a big deal? The carpet will be about 5/8" thick and 1/2" pad, uncompressed.

I always hold casing to the same height as the base trim (3/8" or 7/16" is enough--1/2" risks showing a gap with thinner carpets). However, if the casing is already installed, don't bother making cuts now. Carpet layers can easily deal with that situation by tucking against it. It shouldn't be a visual concern.


Can I put fresh grout over grout that was done less than 48 hours ago? We had bad light when rinsing last night and today the grout seems uneven in the lines. If I mix grout tonight can I fill in some of the problem areas? Or do I have to dig out all the grout first?

If you want to be sure, yes, you have to dig all the grout out first.  Grout bonds mostly to the tiles, less so to itself.  If you dig the grout out, try to do it at a 90 degree angle to the "proper height" grout, this will give you the best adhesion for your patch.  Also, if possible try to make those 90 degree joins where there's more tile to adhere to (avoid starting a new grout line at the corners).

However 48 hours is right on the cusp of where I might try to fill it in.  Typically grout takes a few weeks to fully cure, but is ready to seal after 2 or 3 days.  That says to me that you might still get the new grout to bond to the old.  I know there are cases where a homeowner might accidentally scratch the grout, in general, the tile mechanic doesn't always scrape up all the grout, before fixing something like that.

Keep in mind, if the new grout fails, it will be harder to dig everything out later than now.  The grout is softer now, all the materials are at hand, and there's incentive to finish the job.


How to mount an air conditioner in this window? After years of somewhat janky solutions, I'd like to figure out the correct way of installing a window air conditioner in the window of my office.  The windows are probably not original to the house. They have a plastic frame. From the side, the profile would look something like this:

That is, on the inside, the plastic frame extends up about an inch above the wood sill. There's a second thin strip of plastic that seals the window on the outside when it's closed, and it's a chunk shorter. Beyond that, the plastic frame extends beyond the wall (so there's  not really a solid surface into which things can be screwed on the outside).
What's the correct device for mounting a (small-ish) air conditioner in this window? A lot of them seem to assume you can lay a flat surface across the bottom of the window from the inside to the outside, but that's not the case here.
I've tried something that looks like this, but it never really seemed to work: it was fiddly to install, and never really seemed secure. We haven't had the a/c fall out or anything, but I'd like to figure out how to do this right.

Based on your diagram, more or less what I have done. Jankiness level is variable depending on level of craftsmanship employed, or not.
The wood strip may need to be higher than the "foam or wood" strip as many air conditioners expect to find an edge to "push" against there. That's also why you might need screws to hold it in place (the A/C wants to rotate out at the top and in at the bottom. You want it to be held by those forces, not to give into them and fall.)


How can I thaw an inaccessible pipe? The previous owners of my home covered the old basement stairs to add a small mudroom and a half bath. They must have added the plumbing before placing the floors because, from what I can gather, it is tight against the foundation of the home and is unable to be accessed because it is behind the old cement staircase.

The previous owners covered the old staircase with flooring and built on a 1/2 bath that extends past where the stairs are. When they did, they must have put plumbing under the floor of the 1/2 bath foundation that is behind the old staircase against the foundation. There is a very small crawl space to reach the pipe that leads to the sink but the pipe is frozen behind that beam and staircase.

I shimmied in as far as I can in an attempt to reach the little bit of pipe extending to my sink to at least try to apply some heat in the hope that the heat would hopefully reach the area that I can't. I'm afraid of applying to something that I can't see.  How can I thaw it?

If you can't get through the floor in a hidden place, such as under an appliance or cabinet, you may need to bring someone in with high-current welder. That and an understanding of the risks will make quick work of the plug.

Random YouTube search result for vague reference


In what orientation should this L-bracket be when hanging shelves? I have a few L-brackets for hanging shelves. The brackets are asymmetric, where one L arm is longer than the other, just like a real "L" (similar to this).

Is there a preferred or recommended way for which arm, the longer or the shorter, goes on the wall and which under the shelf?

Put the leg that best matches your shelf width under the shelf. That is why there's different leg sizes. The bracket's critical section is the inner corner, it is equally strong in both directions. That said, usually the critical portion of the entire assembly is the withdrawal of the upper wall screw. Having the long leg against the wall somewhat reduces this force. But if that results in a significant portion of the shelf unsupported, that could weaken the assembly more than the modest gain in withdrawal strength.

The best approach is to fully support the shelf and use wall screws that are long enough to provide plenty of withdrawal strength regardless which leg is against the wall.


Remove support under the interior stairs Hi I’m putting storage space under my interior stairs. The area I want to open up has a piece of timber right in the middle. I’m hoping some one can tell me if it can be removed?
Pic1-Purple is the timber I want to remove, blue circled is where I want to open it up.

Pic 2- directly above opening- can I remove the horizontal timbers at the top too? (Circled blue)

Pic 3- looking in from outside- stair support . Circled blue is the horizontal timber I want to remove.

Hopefully these are clear enough to understand!

That stub wall does likely provide some support to stiffen the stairway. That said it would appear that the vertical stud that you circled in purple could be removed without any trouble.

I would not suggest removing any other parts and leaving the horizontal double member in place. If you removed that it would leave a mess in regards to the already finished drywall joint that joint with the drywall in the bottom slope of the stairs. There appears to be minimal advantage for removing it anyway. In addition you will need that area to nail into for trimming the opening if you want to place an door to close off the space access.


Simple & Cheap dance floor instead of carpet I'm having a large group over for a party. Since my living room is carpeted, I'm trying to think of clever ways to create a nicer dance floor than the carpet. One thought was two 8x4 pieces of plywood with the smooth side up to make an 8x8 foot floor. The problem then is how to join them along the 8' seem?

Any other ideas are also appreciated. Although the google results are for making more complicated traditional dance floors. I'm not trying to go all out. I'm just exploring options for something quick and easy that's better than carpet.

Thanks in advance!!

The simple approach (and the one I'd suggest above any of the following) is to have a sock-hop (take off your shoes and dance on the carpet) and the most workable approach to a one-time need for a hard floor is to rent a dance floor (they are a standard rental-store item, as seen at weddings done in huge tents, etc...) 8x8 is a rather tiny dance floor for "a large group" and raw plywood in your living room is not going to enhance the decor (rental floors are usually parquet or faux-parquet)

If for some reason you want to buy something you'll need to store, these days laminate flooring (that interlocks at the seams) might be both more practical and cheaper than trying to get plywood to stay flat. It will also store more compactly. If you opt for large sheet goods, tempered hardboard (Masonite®) will be a better bet than plywood (it's far more prone to stay flat) and can be joined with a heavy tape. 1/4" will work better than 1/8"


Is it permitted to run a gas pipe through the now unused chimney to get to the attic and from there to the other side of the house? This is about a bungalow, the width of the house is 25'
My furnace and the gas pipe that feeds this is in the basement.
I would like to run the gas pipe through that chimney all the way to the attic and at that elevation I would go across the house to reach the attached garage area where I would like to connect a natural gas heater

Is this something that is generally permitted ?

The pipe type I want to use is called tracpipe
https://tracpipe.ca/wp-content/uploads/FGP_001_DI_Guide.pdf

In your title, you say "unused"; then...

  My furnace and the gas pipe that feeds this is in the basement. I
  would like to rung the gas pipe through that furnace...

So which is it? The furnace chimney that you are using for the furnace now, or an old furnace chimney that is now unused? Because if it is an old unused chimney, that can now become a "chase" from the basement to the attic and is perfectly legit. But if it is the chimney FOR your existing furnace, then no, you cannot use that for anything else.


Should an irrigation manifold/valve box be situated in the yard (centipede) or landscaping (pine straw)? In fixing a broken irrigation system, the manifold and all valves have been disconnected and will be relocated in at least some way. The previous setup used round access portals and was neglected for years. At least one of the portals was less than one foot away from the root-center of a bush. All of the portals were located in poorly-maintained pine-straw-based landscaping, and one of the portals was completely covered over with dirt, grass over the dirt, and pine straw over the grass, such that it wasn't discovered until a larger excavation was in process to look for a completely separate component.

In the interest of improving an already-being-repaired system, there is consideration to replace the three round access portals with a single rectangular access box. This box would be near the previous location, but could be in the pine straw, or be moved to the centipede-based lawn. If moved into the lawn, it could be anywhere from one to five feet from the landscape edging, although there is a driveway at a distance of eight feet from the likely point where the edging will be. (Edging also up for potential shifting one way or the other.)

In the interest of following best practices (via the only link found this far in the subject, which is unclear on this particular point), should the box be in the pine-straw-based landscaping, or in the centipede-grass lawn? (If there are notable pros or cons to either, please share for the sake of us unfamiliar with this subject...)

I think the reason you haven’t received any answers it is an opinion on where things should go, just like the valve close to the bush (the bush was probably planted later). I like the valves to be closer to the house not in the lawn that way the landscaping can hide them if there out in the lawn you will be able to see the box it may not matter to you but more often they are out of sight.


Can I pour epoxy pebble flooring over electric warm floor? Can I pour epoxy pebble flooring over electric warm floor?  In our bathroom/laundry area, we plan to first lay hardiboard.  Then I may need floor leveler as well.  Should the warm floor be put down before the leveler (if I use leveler) and then can the epoxy flooring be put on top of all of it?

You should first palce the hardiboard and leveler as needed then palce the heating elemetns. So the answer is going to be yes.

Is the expoxy going to be clear? If so it will shine through the emelents and cause some undesired effects. If that is the case then i suggest using tile adhesive to cover the heating elements and level it then place your pebbles masterpiece on top of that. Pebbles inheritly will take longer to heat up but they also take longer to cool down so that can be a plus for energy saving in winter.


What would cause a chainsaw to only start when trigger is pulled? I have a ~1yo Husqvarna chainsaw.  It used to start on the first pull.  Now it will only start if I'm also pulling the "trigger" that is used to run the chain.  If I prime it, pull the choke, and pull the starter cord, it will not start.  But if I squeeze the trigger and pull the starter cord, it starts usually on the first pull.   I put the brake on so I don't lop my arm off starting it, but it's pretty awkward to pull the cord and squeeze the trigger.  The air filter and plug look fine, and I've only ever run no-ethanol gas in it with the recommended oil mixture.  I could probably pull the thing apart and clean it, but was hoping somebody could point me toward a particular component to suspect.

Some saw manufacturers, when starting is difficult, specifically direct the user to lock the throttle "On" to start, then depress the throttle immediately, to bring it to idle. If you do mess with the idle screw, make sure that you do not increase the idle speed such that the clutch drives the chain to move when idling.

You might try "flashing" the choke a couple times while the saw is running (choke the engine for a brief moment) as this helps clear air from the fuel system (The choke restricts airflow, creating a higher vacuum pressure that pulls air out of the fuel system.)

If you have messed with the carburetor, make sure you follow the user manual. Most have 3 adjustments: Low Speed fuel/air mixture, High Speed fuel/air mixture, and Idle Speed.