Why are my wall plates bowing outward? The wall plates in my kitchen suddenly bowed outward like this:

Additionally, there seems to be condensation present on the back of each plate, suggesting that this was a thermal event of some kind. Considering that:

This occurred overnight
It happened to all four receptacles on that circuit and no other plates in the house
Nothing was plugged into them at the time
The breaker did not trip
The circuit still functions normally
My house did not burn down

What might have caused this?

Potentially relevant background info:

My home is new construction
The house immediately adjacent to this wall is undergoing construction presently
The wall is tiled (as visible in the photo)

Edit: photo with plate removed, as requested in comments

You typically don't use domed head screws to mount the receptacle to the box (they stick out too far).  You can get away with it if the back of the wallplate has a big indentation for those screw heads, but they usually don't.

Those screw heads hold the wallplate away from the surface of the receptacle, so there is a gap between the wallplate and the center of the receptacle.  If you then tighten the wallplate attachment screw to pull the center tight, the wallplate will warp like that.

Options:

Replace the receptacle mounting screws with flathead screws.
Snug the attachment screw just enough to hold the wallplate on.  Don't tighten it until the wallplate bottoms out against the receptacle.

Additional thoughts:

The wallplates were fine for a long time and suddenly bent.

The wallplates in the picture look like plastic. If they were strong enough not to immediately crack, they could have distorted locally, like a dimple under the attachment screw and some stretching around the receptacle mounting screws, and been under stress.  The plastic could gradually degrade and weaken over time through stretching, micro-cracks, etc., adjusting itself for the distortion, until the highest stress area across the middle suddenly failed.

It is the same product installed in the same way at the same time, so failure would be expected to happen in all of them at roughly the same time.  There could have been some other factor  (sunlight, heat, temperature change, whatever), that pushed them all past the final failure point at the same time. That's all speculation, but materials do behave that way, so sudden bending long after installation wouldn't require magic.

Also, consider that the wall plates wouldn't bend that way unless there was some kind of force acting on them in the same way as what I've described here.
The bend looks much greater than the screw head height.

That's partially an optical illusion.  In the picture, the distance between the wall and the wallplate at the middle and at the ends looks like it's in the ballpark of the screw head height, but the difference would be expected to be greater.

In the first picture, look at one of the receptacles, say the top one, and compare where the wallplate comes on the top edge vs. the bottom edge. The difference is only millimeters. That's in the screw head thickness range.

The bend looks exaggerated because you're seeing the effect of the bend on the entire length of the wallplate, which is longer than the screw distances, and possibly even additional warping because of the distortion of the wallplate.

Whether or not the problem is the screws is easy to determine, though. The fixes are trivial. Do either one. If the problem repeats, you will know it was something else.


Moving a Drywall & Trim Access Hatch? I have a question similar to (Cutting ceiling joist for attic ladder install) but plan on making a typical access hatch out of drywall and trim. The question differs in other ways too.

This may involve cutting one of the joists (Not anywhere near the current access hatch)

Essentially, I want to move the current access hatch (Picture Viewed from the attic) to somewhere more accessible (My brother's closet is really messy and getting a ladder in there is almost impossible.)

A notable difference from the previous question is that the boards appear to be 2x6's.

The current door (By the builders) doesn't appear to have been "doubled up like how (https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/146229/47146) suggests it should have been.

Also, there are several long 2x6's (Seen at the bottom of the frame that I'm standing on running the length of the entire attic already that are nailed to the joists.

Is this ok to cut one joist in another region to make a similar access hatch provided that I frame and secure it in a similar manner to the current one?

In the case of the builders, they decided to cut a joist and make the hatch a horizontal rectangle. Is it common to cut parallel to the joists to avoid cutting one to make such an access hatch?

Yes, you can do as you describe. There's no need to double the cross blocks, as the span is short and the only real weight on the truncated joist is the drywall, which partially carries itself across the gap. Just be sure to nail the cut joists into the cross blocks well.

Yes, normally attic accesses are built parallel to the trusses. There's no cutting then, just the installation of two cross blocks.


What is the right way to mount a support column to a deck and to a header? Situation: I have an existing deck with a roof overhang. I'm in the process of planning a rebuild and need to detail how the columns will A: attach to the existing roof and B: to the deck. I can find a ton of information about how to build a deck, but very little about columns.

Details: The columns that are/were (one just fell off) currently in place do not appear to be structural. Referring to the diagram I included, an example column can be seen on the right hand side. The narrower top portion is partially solid, and the bottom part is completely hollow. The existing columns are toenailed into the header, and the bottom parts are nailed into the deck frame. Presently the deck has no footers to speak of, but I plan to add some, and place the columns on the deck above the corner posts.

Use a 8" x 4" x 1/2" Steel Angled Deck Bracket: (the same thing that should be supporting 'B')

Menards

cityofchicago.org deck code, page listed as 25:


What does it mean for a halogen globe to strobe and then blow? A halogen light globe (bayonet fitting, note this is not a downlight but a traditional globe) in my home started strobing for a while, then it blew. I'm used to incandescent and halogen globes dying quickly once they get the end of their life - they work normally up to the time they blow. Right now my instinct says not to simply replace it (since the replacement will be an LED, which is expensive to replace). There is only one light circuit in the house, and nothing other than this light had problems. I'm in Australia, so the electricity is 240V 50Hz.

So I want to know if this strobing means there may be something else wrong, with the fitting, the wiring, or the switch, or if I should just go ahead and put a new bulb in.

I have seen halogen strobe prior to totally failing, I have found 2 causes one was the lamp element itself that was bouncing around causing the flickering then failure, the other failures I have found have been arcing on the contacts. Since LED's draw very little power I would install one and it will probably work, if not cleaning the fixture contacts may do the trick.


GFCI Breaker - not tripped = outlets work, turn light switch on breaker trips, lights work but outlets do not I had a kitchen remodel that went a bit bad with a contractor and his minions.  The house was build in 1934 so has a two wire system with a 100A panel.  As we remodel we are replacing 2 wire system with 3 wire.

New lights and switches were installed during the remodel of the kitchen and it appears the contractors electrician tied the kitchen lights to a 20A GFCI breaker than also has the living room outlets tied to it.  With the breaker not tripped, the outlets in the living room work, turn on any of the lights in the kitchen and the breaker trips, the lights continue working but the outlets are dead.

I purchased a replacement breaker thinking it was bad, installed, and the same thing happens.  When installing the breaker I noticed that when the white neutral is connected to the neutral busbar the neutral arches when it is connected to the breakers WITHOUT the breaker being connected to the positive busbar.

There is a lawsuit with the contractor at the moment and the electrician refuses to answer his phone.  Anyone have an idea what may be going on here?

If the lights stay on while the breaker is tripped, they must be getting power from another circuit. That means the electrician has mixed wiring between two different circuits. A GFCI breaker trips if there's any imbalance between the hot and neutral wires connected to it; if the lights are sharing the GFCI circuit's neutral wire while also drawing some power from a different circuit's hot, the breaker should definitely trip. The arcing you mention further reinforces that the wiring for the lights has used a hot from a different circuit while using the GFCI's neutral.

What you need to do now is figure out what the second circuit powering the lights is, figure out where it's tied in to the lights, and either disconnect it from the lights, or make sure the lights only use the neutral for that circuit.


Multi-circuit transients without breaker trip I have had some transient problems with the circuits in my house. About half of my circuits to several locations have a tendency to cause lights in the affected circuits (yes multiple circuits) to go out, but not trip breakers. It happens seemingly at random and affects washer, dryer, central air kitchen appliances, but not refrigerator. What is weird is that turning on the ceramic cook top almost always sends it into 'remission'. I spent over $350 for a licensed electrician to troubleshoot my wiring. He told me that I had no earth or cold water grounding. I grounded the ground/neutral bar in the panel to a copper clad rod outside the house 8 feet deep in sand and to a cold water copper line. I tightened the ground feeder to the main breaker. it was a bit loose. Can't tell about the other two feeder wires because I'm not suicidal with metal hex sockets. The transients are STILL happening. I'll call the electrician again because he should have checked those lugs. and the electric company says their end is all hunky dory. Is there anything else to check? I am not an electrician.

(Edit)I was able to observe the panel during a transient. Some rock wool insulation had fallen on the main 200 amp breaker. There IS arcing on the buss bar behind it. Ya'll were were right and i will likely have to replace the whole darned thing. Found reference here to my problem. http://www.diychatroom.com/f18/200-amp-main-throw-arcing-168804/
Thanks to all.

Get a different electrician and/or make your power company come back.  It sounds like your losing one leg of your service.

The reason your cooktop control sends it into remission now is that it starts by backfeeding the bad side of your service which heats up the connector that is burning.  The heat (or arc) acts as a temporary weld that makes it work again. For awhile.

The next thing to happen will be that the heat control on your cooktop just acts like a really big dimmer switch for all the circuits that go off when your issue occurs.

Yes, fire is a possibility but it will likely be contained to your meter can or breaker box (possibly a pole or underground connection).


How do I wire a light switch and outlet in the same box? I have a single gang box in a bathroom with a GFCI outlet. I'd like to replace it with a 2-gang box containing a GFCI outlet and a light switch for the vanity light. The outlet will have both receptacles live (not switched).

The vanity light currently is not switched; it is controlled by a pull-chain on the light itself. We're going to replace it with a non-pull-chain type of light and we want a switch where the kids can reach. It'll be nice not to have to explain to our guests how to use our bathroom, too.

I did some poking around and it looks like the vanity light is fed from a different branch from the receptacle.

One plan is to pigtail the switch and gfci outlet onto the supply line, and then take the output of the switch out of the box up to the vanity light.

Another way to do it would be to run a switch loop from the lighting fixture down into the 2-gang. The gfci receptacle would be wired the same as it is now, and the switch would be on the switch loop.

Is one of these the correct way to do it? If not, how should I wire this?

Since your light is on a different circuit than the outlet, you'll need to run a switch loop from the light to the 2-gang box using 14/3 (yes 3) cable, with black as the hot, red as the switched hot, white as a spare neutral, and the bare or green wire as well, the ground (aka EGC) :)

In the light box, you'll take the black that currently goes to the fixture hot and connect it to the black of the switch loop instead; the fixture hot then gets wired to the red wire of the switch loop.  The switch loop white and green wires get wired into the existing white and green wires coming into the box.

After transposing the existing GFCI from the old 1 gang box into the new 2 gang box, you'll want to leave it alone from here on out.  To wire up the switch, you connect the brass screws to the black and red wires, the green screw to the EGC, and simply wirenut off (i.e. put a wirenut on the exposed end of) the neutral on the switch loop -- it's there for future use by say a motion sensor or lit switch as per 404.2(C) (neutrals are called 'grounded conductors' in the NEC, btw, if you're a Code newbie and scratching your head at this :):

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

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


Are products like redguard fit for use as a waterproofing membrane for shower pans or floor applications? Given that you pour your own pan - lets not worry about the exact material but obviously it would be porous.  Can you use a "waterproofing paint" to create your pan without any other waterproofing membrane?

This question Building on top of 3/4'' plywood subfloor touches on the topic.  I have not personally done this but I am not sure I would be opposed to it.  Given that Kerdi is selling at like 50 times cost to make and it is a long process to install correctly... Do we have the technology now to paint on our waterproofing?  I am talking floor applications here.

Redguard (tech sheet) passes the ANSI A118.10 and A118.12, which include waterproofing

Shower pans are a critical assembly and have to be treated as a system.  Both Schluter (sheet membrane Kerdi) and Laticrete (liquid membrane Hydroban) use a wide flange drain assembly that improves the transition area between membrane and drain.


How far apart are studs? I'm using a stud finder to find studs behind dry wall and so far I've found 2 and they are 16" apart. Does that mean that there will be a stud every 16" or might the distance change between studs? Is 16" the standard for stud centers?

Yes, in most US residential construction they are 16" center to center. Most of your standard tape measures have every 16th inch noted in red or some other way. Some internal walls may also be spaced 24" on center.

However, there may be exceptions where a door window or odd length wall is used so be sure to verify with a stud finder or a knock on the wall to check.


Central air conditioner electrical disconnect amperage My HVAC guy is telling me I need a 25 amp breaker and a 25 amp disconnect for my soon-to-be-installed central air compressor.  I've asked him for more details but he's less than forthcoming.

My assumption is that I will install:

 - a double pole 30 amp breaker on my breaker box (30 amp because they don't sell 25 amp breakers at my local big box store)

 - I'll run 10/2 NM from said breaker to a junction box on the interior of my house near the exit point.  In that junction box, I'll splice to a weatherproof conduit and run out to the disconnect box.

 - The disconnect box will be a 60 amp disconnect (because, again, that's all they sell at the big box) but I'll get a fused version and put 25 amp fuses in there.

Hopefully the HVAC guys will take it from there.  Am I way off?  Is a 30 amp breaker too much for the 25 amp requirement that my HVAC guy spec'd?

In the US, it's required that manufacturers include the following items on condensing unit's nameplate (NEC 440.4(B)):

Maker's name
Rating in volts
Frequency
Number of phases
Minimum supply circuit conductor ampacity
Maximum rating of the branch-circuit short-circuit and ground-fault protective device

You'll simply use the minimum supply circuit conductor ampacity value from the name plate, and NEC 2011 Table 310.15(B)(16) through Table 310.15(B)(19) to determine the proper conductor size.
As for the branch-circuit short-circuit ground-fault protection, you'll have to select one less than or equal to the maximum rating listed on the nameplate.  However, you'll have to choose a device with a high enough rating to handle the inrush current, so you'll want to choose a device close to this value.

tl;dr
To answer your questions directly...

A 30 ampere breaker is the wrong one, if the nameplate lists 25 as the maximum rating of the branch-circuit short-circuit and ground-fault protective device.

For 25 amperes, you're likely correct to use 10 AWG cable.

Usually the disconnect is not fused, and simply functions as a safety disconnect. You'll just have to make sure the disconnect is rated for greater than 25 amperes, and the appropriate voltage.


Can I have confidence in copper sweat joints that were repaired without disassembly? Ok...I have seen several answers to this but I want to ask something related...
I just worked for 16 hours, teaching my son to sweat copper.  We re-did his whole house, pulling galv and replacing with copper.  It is a small ranch, so 95% of the pipe is in the furnace room and the rooms directly above it.
When done, we applied water and found that 5 of my 50+ solder joints were bad.  One drip and 4 sprays.
We turned off the water, opened at the closest point to clear the lines and then re-soldered WITHOUT pulling the fittings off.  In ALL cases, the flux was still active and it sucked the solder in to the point of a drip under the pipe.
I then read later that this is not the way to do this.  I should have removed the fittings and started over.
SO...
After 48 hours, the pipes are holding under full pressure, which I think is a 100 PSI city line.
Help me to sleep at night by telling me that I have nothing to worry about in the future.  Or...if I do, please let me know and I will go re-solder those connections.
Appreciate the response.
Thanks!
Ron

The best long term way to repair a leak is to remove the fitting and stuff some white bread with no crust into the pipe ends to keep the moisture away from the fitting. The reason most folks disassemble is to dry the line (the white bread in my case). If moisture was in the joint you may have sealed it up but there may be a bubble that is a weak point.

In one of my own houses I totally missed one elbow. I had the water on for over 24 hours until it blew apart. It held that long without dripping by just flux. So a possible bad joint may hold for a few years before leaking if it ever will is a guess but I would want to make sure there is a good seal before closing up the walls., edit: I thought I should explain better on the white bread if there is any moisture in the pipe the steam can cause a weak joint, I stuff the pipe on both side with white bread, after soldering I remove the airator on the closest faucet and run the water until the dissolved bread has been flushed out then cycle the valve a few times to make sure everything is out of the line after this is done put the airator back on.


Why doesn't the new shower hose have the same protruding screw as the old one? I was just about to change my old shower hose, and I noticed that the new one doesn't fit, because it doesn't have a similar screw as the old one, as you can see in the following picture. The old one is on the left, the new one on the right. Also, on the producer's website, it says "This shower hose is compatible with most shower heads, with the flexible hose and stainless steel body."

It looks like there is an adapter stuck in your old shower hose. You can try to remove it (needle nose pliers and a wrench might work here) or look for a similar adapter at your local hardware store.


Whole House GFCI Trips In Cold Weather Note that this is in Thailand where there are no rules.
My home has a main breaker which includes a GFCI. Recently the breaker has started to trip when it gets cold. (This is Thailand. Cold means around 20ºC or about 68ºF).
I have isolated this to one circuit. When I turn that circuit off, the main no longer trips. I have tried unplugging everything on that circuit and turning all the lights off. It still trips at night when it's cool. The next morning when I turn that circuit back on, all is well. If the nights are warm, the breaker doesn't trip.
Any ideas?

Condensation
Some part of the circuit - a receptacle, switch, or junction of some sort - has a very minor ground fault. It is OK when warm and dry. When the air cools at night down to the dew point, water condenses. It bridges the ground fault and enough current flows through to trip the GFCI.
With one quick search, I found a current dew point in Bangkok of 60 F. It will vary a bit by day, time and location, but that isn't far off from the 68 F you noted.
The only solution is to check every single junction in the problem circuit. In particular look for any bare wire (except grounds), loose wire nuts or signs of corrosion. You can rule out, initially, any light fixtures, since you have the problem even when they are off. However, wires often go through those boxes on the way to other parts of the circuit, so the problem may be there too. You may have multiple sources of the problem, though since all your other circuits are OK, there is a good chance there is just one problem area.


What are good methods of locating plumbing blockages? In medicine if you want to know about the flow of food through the intestinal tract you feed the patient a Barium Meal and X-ray them.

Is there any way to achieve a similar sort of result in domestic pipework?
I have a blockage in some drains and I have access to most of the pipework, but I can't immediately tell WHERE the blockage is.

It would be lovely if I could get out by trusty X-Ray scanner app on my iPhone and just look inside the pipes ... but that doesn't exist.

Is there any way that I can (on a DIY budget) detect / trace the flow of water from the plug hole to the main sewer entrance.

Majority of the pipes in question are plastic, if that's relevant.

Call a pro
Call Roto-Rooter®, or any other plumber of your choice.  They'll be able to feed a camera down the line, and tell you exactly where, and what the clog is. Even without a fancy camera, a plumber should be able to use a regular snake to locate the clog.
Use a snake
If you want to give it a try yourself, plumbing snakes (auger) are available at any hardware or home improvement store.  They're available from many different manufacturers, in both hand powered, drill powered, and motor powered depending on your budget.
Using a snake is easy, but it takes a bit of practice to get a feel for locating clogs. Keep track of how much line you have fed out, and make note of it when you hit the clog.  Then measure along the pipe, to determine the location of the clog.
Magnets
If the pipes are all plastic (PVC, ABS, etc.), a strong magnet might help.

Get a strong magnet with a hole in it.
Tie a string to the magnet.
Put the magnet in the drain, and use a large volume of water to flush it down the drain.
Run another strong magnet along the outside of the pipe, until you feel the magnet inside the pipe.

Flushable transmitters
Flushable transmitters are available, that can be sent down the drain line.  Once in the line, the transmitter can be located using a receiver.
Credit to @Ed Beal
Robot
If the pipe is large enough, or you can find a robotic ball small enough (Sphero for example). You could send the robot down the drain to locate the clog. Getting the robot back, might be a challenge.
WARNINGS:

Anything you put down the drain will have to be retrieved, or small enough to be processed by the waste treatment center.
Anything put down the drain should not be damaging to the drain system, nor the sewage system.


Can I tape rather than glue buried PVC conduit to make pulling wires easier? I am replacing flexible conduit buried slightly below the ground and attached to a septic  tank with much stronger rigid PVC pipes.  This conduit houses electrical cable.
I was planning on gluing all the joints in the "standard" way, but I have a significant concern that I won't be able to pull a replacement cable through the multiple tight bends I need to implement - and I know this cable will need to be replaced at some point.
Rather than gluing all the pipe joints my wife suggested taping them.  I like this idea as it means I can unwrap the tape and separate the joints to run the new cable.  I assume I would use electrical tape or something very similar.
Is this acceptable practice?

This sounds like you don't know much about conduit, and you're proceeding anyway, which will produce a homebrew hatchet job.  Don't do it.  Follow Code, and skill up as needed.
PVC conduit must be buried with 18" of cover.  If you don't want to dig that far, use Rigid Metal Conduit  (RMC or IMC) which requires 6" of cover.  Cover means dirt on top of pipe.
I don't really care if PVC is glued (Code disagrees). Water WILL get in.  However, you'll want to glue it in the places where pulling forces will tend to pull it apart. The PVC needs to be stoutly anchored so pulling forces move the wire instead of move the conduit.
You must use outdoor rated wire for runs outdoors in conduit. Water WILL get in, can't be avoided; one outfit laid a conduit for a race-track in high ground (well above the water table).  Sealed well, no rain, but the next day they pulled over a gallon of water out of the pipe.  Condensation.
You are not allowed to use PVC water pipe for electrical, it must be PVC electrical conduit.  They don't make tight bends for that, they only make broad sweeps and conduit bodies.   ...That tells me the "the multiple tight bends I need to implement" refer to either plumbing elbows, or improper use of conduit bodies.  I've seen somebody push a "pulling elbow" type conduit body into a corner, access panel facing the wall, because the person was unaware of the existence of either sweeps or LR conduit bodies, or the purpose of that access cover.
To repeat, conduit must be pullable!  Don't build anything you can't pull wires into later!
You must assemble the entire conduit COMPLETE before pulling any wires into it.  Needless to say, the cheesehead who faced the pulling elbow into the wall assembled the conduit around the wires.  Had to redo all of it, and had to scrap expensive wire since it was glued.  If that's your motivation for trying to avoid gluing, then reboot your thinking about how conduit works.
As far as pulling around "multiple tight bends", you are only allowed four 90 degree sweeps in between pulling points such as conduit bodies or junction boxes.  You MUST make full use of pulling points; you cannot pull around their corners (that will shred the wire insulation). Further, all pulling point covers must be accessible at all times forever without removing any building finish or disassembling any part of the building. You are allowed to block them in with movable things like file cabinets, but not built-in cabinets.
If you are doing everything right and are still concerned with pulling forces being excessive, then I have several tips.

Use individual wires, NOT cable.  A very common "conduit novice" move is to believe that the only type of electrical wire is cable, and therefore, try to chicken-choke cables down conduit.  This is legal, but really, really hard.. and this difficulty is likely to fail the project and force them to bring in a real electrician with a truck full of pulling tools.  Pros don't pull cables, they pull individual wires.  Next time you're at a home store, find a spool of #12 stranded THHN.  Wouldn't you rather pull four of those? :) Yeah :) Also, these individual wires take much smaller conduit - 6/3 UF requires 2" conduit, four THHN wires fit in 3/4" conduit.
Use stranded, not solid.  All else being equal, #12 stranded THHN is much easier to pull than #12 solid THHN.   Yes, it's a PitA to put on screw terminals; don't - pigtail it to solid.
Use fewer sweeps.  Code requires no more than four 90 degree sweeps between pulling points.  For novices I strongly recommend 1 or at most 2.    (pretty much can't avoid 2 on an underground run).
Use bigger conduit. The same wire will pull easier in a larger conduit - i.e. don't push the limits of conduit fill.  If you are forced into multiple sweeps underground, go extra bigger.  Nobody ever wrote in here going "I need bigger feeder wires to my outbuilding, but my conduit has plenty of extra room. What do I do???"


What are my options for replacing 50W GU10 lightbulbs? I've been looking at replacing 50W GU10 halogen lightbulbs for something more energy efficient.

Some people say that LEDs cannot give you the same light (even 10W LEDs), and to use 11W CFL instead, like the ones from megaman.

I need these light bulbs for both my kitchen and my living room, so I don't want to be surprised by way dimmer light bulbs.

What's the current state of this?

I use myself both GU10 and MR16 bi-pin (low voltage) LED replacements for what should be Halogen bulbs.

If you need the amount of light that you get now from the 50W bulbs, then no. This will not cut it.

But do you?

I have 6 GU10, 3W each LED that go on a fixture designed for 6 35W Halogen. For dinner, that is all I need. Yes, it is on the romantic side, but since you have 6, you can point 3 at the table and 3 at the walls around and you have both decent task light and ambient light.

Add to that the fact that there is the option (almost always)to add more ambient light (add the 3 LED above the bar next to the dining table, or the 2 wall lights in the hall next to it) and you are just fine.

In my kitchen, I have 12W LED recessed lights which replace 65W equivalent and they give PLENTY of light. you can do brain surgery under that light... So really, people give LED bad rap. They do great job if you get the right light for the right setting and make sure to get the right amount of Lumens.

The W per Lumen ratio is great, and light quality is great. It only fails when people don't realize that the things they buy, even though it should be clear based on the data on the package, are too weak to replace the incandescent bulb. a 3W LED cannot replace a 50W Halogen is the short answer, but LED CAN replace Halogen if you plan it right.


Torque delivered by a hand ratchet with 1/2" socket How much (maximum) torque can a normal 150 lbs. man deliver manually with a hand-ratchet wrench (say 8" ratchet arm and a 1/2" socket) assuming no rust-resistance, direct/easy access etc?

Okay my curiosity was piqued. I am an average 60 something year old guy who turns a wrench for a living.   I clamped my old school Beam Type Torque Wrench in a vise. Using a 1/2" square x 3/8 drive drive socket on the torque wrench and an 8" ratchet I hit 70 ft-lbs. This was just a straight steady pull. I did not test to see how long I could hold that number.


The reliability of inverter air conditioners in humid climates with salty sea air I'm considering buying a new split unit air conditioner for my
home. Actually, this will be for a room that is planned as a
short-term rental. I'm located in Bombay, India, now referred to as
Mumbai.

One question I am facing is whether an inverter or a regular
air-conditioner is a better choice. I was told by one dealer that
inverter air-conditioners can be problematic choices, especially in
humid climates near the sea. This pretty much describes my home, which
is less than a kilometer from the shores of the Arabian Sea. I checked
this out on the web a bit. While I did not find much information, I
did find some supporting evidence. Notably,
Daikin Inverter AC Unit Fail - Moisture / Salts Damage to PCB.

Basically, the issue is that an inverter is rather more complex
electronically than a regular air-conditioner, because it is doing
more. This manifests itself in more complex circuitry and more circuit
boards. These are referred to here as PCBs (presumably Printed Circuit
boards), Given salty damp air, these circuits corrode over time. And
in an inverter, there are more of these circuits. And they apparently
cost more to repair. The bottom line, then, is that if you are near
the sea, don't use an inverter, because you will have more frequent
breakdowns and higher maintenance costs.

What is puzzling is, if this is true, why isn't there more discussion
about this on the net? And other dealers I asked disagreed about this.

I'll also mention parenthetically that I have tentatively settled on
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries machines. This is not directly relevant to
this question, so I'll leave out the details of that - it is specific
to my specific buying environment. One dealer I talked to said the
PCBs in MHI machines were silicone-coated, so it wasn't an issue. I'm
sceptical.

UPDATE/ADDENDUM: I eventually bought a normal A/C for the rental mentioned above. But now I'm considering buying an A/C for my own room. The difference here is that I run the A/C in my own room most of the time, so maybe it would make sense to buy an inverter for it even if it doesn't last as long as a regular A/C. Thoughts?

I'm in Michigan and we get harsh winters and salt our roads. Salty roads and ice get on our cars, and this combination is really harsh on our metal parts of our cars. Salty humidity is also very harsh on any metal parts, even galvanized steel. Now galvanized steel in the US has improved in the past 20 years, but it is not impervious to salt water.

That said, you will need to have all important parts coated some how to prevent corrosion as salty humidity is super corrosive. There is a service in the US that coats cell phones with a nano coating. They don't even take apart the cell phone. After the phone is processed you can drop it in a pool and it will still work. The phone is guaranteed for life vs moisture and water. Liquipel.

If  the AC company has this service available they can coat their PCB boards and that should help a lot. Or they can use another coating on the PCB boards. The coating cannot conduct electricity or it will short out the boards.


Tips on how to install laminate over existing flooring Currently I'm at the point where my laminate reaches the stair nosing and I'm unsure what to do.

[![enter image description here][2]][2]

I have a stair nosing piece but I'm finding that it's awkward looking.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Picture with nosing

[2]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/K8LJt.jpg

I would cut a 3/4" strip of flooring and use some construction adhesive to fasten it to the edge of the stair and install the stair nose up against it with some adhesive. That won't expand and contract like the flooring might. Then fit the perpendicular pieces snug up against the back edge of the nose or underneath it if it's designed to overlap a bit. You might need a drop or two of adhesive on a few of those members to hold them down at the edge of the nose. Good luck.


Termite Damage or Dirt? Is this termite damage? There's diagonal tan steak on the wood. When I tap the stud with a screw driver it feels solid. I don't see any tubes. Is it termite mud or simply dirt? How do I tell?

I contacted my pest control company. It wasn't termites-- simply construction dirt from 50 yrs ago. –


How to stop my water meter connection leak? Prior to moving into my house two years ago, part of he agreement was that the owners would replace the water main valve. It's been good up until a couple weeks ago. There's drip coming out of it about every 5 seconds. It looks to me like I could put thread seal at that connection. Does that sound reasonable? Or might the problem be worse?

UPDATE: I contacted the town. After a few days a plumber from the PDW showed up and installed a new meter, so far so good.


Snaking a clogged tub drain My tub was draining slowly, so I removed the drain cover stopper and reached down into the drain with needle-nose pliers and extracted a disgusting wad of hair and soap residue, as I have done several times before.

However, this time it didn't solve the issue, so I got a drain snake and fed it down into the drain, but it did not extract any further clogs.  And on my next shower, the tub drained much more slowly.  I made the problem worse!

I thought I would have to call a plumber.  As a last resort I watched a few do-it-yourself videos on YouTube, and one of them showed removing the overflow plate and feeding the drain snake down that way, instead of the actual drain.  So I tried that, and lo and behold, it brought out another fat disgusting hair clog.

Why did snaking the overflow plate work, when the actual drain didn't?

Because the standard tub drain has a sharp right-angle T junction where the overflow and tub drain meet (this is also where the stopper is located if the stopper is operated by a lever on the overflow plate, as opposed to an in-the-tub stopper or rubber stopper over the drain.)

The sharp right-angle is not friendly to snakes passing, and the stopper, if present, even less so. Coming down the overflow is, on the other hand, a straight shot, and the stopper comes out with the plate if it's that style of stopper, so it's not in the way.

I highly recommend using a hair-catcher over the tub drain to reduce this problem going forward - a little more frequent easy cleaning of somewhat less disgusting collected hair .vs. dealing with the gunked up mess collected over a longer period in the pipes.


Move Living Room in front I want to move the Lounge/Living by the front lawn, how should I revamp this and where should I move the drawing room

Can’t you just flip the uses? Rooms seem similar in size, except the existing Lounge has a lot of circulation and the existing Drawing Room can be private.

Otherwise, a major remodel might be to switch the kitchen with the Lounge. Put the Lounge in the back with the bedrooms and add a large curved island bar (with barstools) in the center “domed” area.

In my house, everyone gathers around the bar area.

BTW, do you have a refrigerator?


Decipher my bathroom rough in Can someone help me decipher this picture?  When I had the house built, the builder roughed in a bathroom for later use.  The pipes in this picture are

A 2" pipe, possible a vent with a T connector (facing the wrong way) already on it?
A pipe with a cap.  Cap measures 4.5".  Maybe for toilet?
A huge pipe with a cap.  Cap measures 6.25".  Maybe for shower drain?
A pipe with a cap.  Cap measures 2.5".  Maybe Sink drain?  Seems really close to #3.

number 1 looks like it's capped and not a clean out, which leads me to believe it was a vent and that it seems like the adapter is facing the wrong way.  Is there an easy way to turn it the right way?

I ended up contacting the plumbing company that did the rough in.  They said:

1-Drain and vent for basement sink

2-Toilet rough-in

3-Backwater Valve

4-Tub Drain


How long should I wait before turning on a window AC after moving it? So my downstairs AC went, of course during this insane heat wave. Checked out Lowes and found a small room AC for 150$ so came up with a plan. My room AC is rated for a much bigger space so I bought the 150$ one for my room and moved the one there downstairs into the living room. So, I know that oil and that liquid refridgeration stuff needs to settle before I turn it on. Do I really need to wait 24hrs? While moving it I managed to keep it fairly level (not perfect but certainly not more than 45* one way or the other). Thanks for the advice and stay cool today everyone!!

If you kept the unit upright the entire time, you shouldn't need to wait at all.  When the unit is turned on its side or upside down, the oil in the compressor can drain out and get stuck in other areas.  Once you turn the unit back over, it takes some time for it to drain back to where it needs to be.


Is it better to run one large load or multiple small loads to extend life of bearing? I recently replaced the bearing in my whirlpool cabrio top loading washer. I got to thinking and had no idea which would be safer for the bearing. On one end it's a greater load on the washer, but on the other end you are rotating the bearing more times.

Bearings tend to wear out as a result of repeated cyclical loads.  As a rule of thumb, based on fatigue failure of metals:

The damage done by a single cycle of a load is proportional to the load raised to the power of 3 or 3.3.  When the total of the damage done reaches some threshold, the part will fail.  The threshold cannot quite be predicted in advance.  For example:

If a bearing can handle 1,000,000 cycles of a 5 pound-force load, it can handle
100,000 cycles of a 10 pound-force load, or
50,000 cycles of a 10 pound-force load plus 500,000 cycles of a 5 pound-force load, or
10,000 cycles of a 20 pound-force load, or
1,000 cycles of an 40 pound-force load, or
250,000 cycles of a 5 pound-force load, 25,000 cycles of a 10 pound-force load, 2,500 cycles of a 20 pound-force load, and 250 cycles of a 40 pound-force load.

Each time the bearing turns while subject to an eccentric load counts as a "cycle".  Thus, washing one load of clothes can cause hundreds of cycles of damage to the bearings.

The Timken Engineering Manual has more details.


How do I hook up a washing machine drain line to this box? I had a plumber come out and install a drain line and hook up the supply water for a washing machine. This is the state he left the project:

How am I supposed to hook up the waste line? Do I need to drill out that center hole?

It should be a knockout, meaning that a hard sharp blow will pop it out. The plumber should have done this before he glued the drain line in place, since knocking it out now could cause the plug to fall down the drain. This could lead to clogs in the future, since the trap is glued and cannot be disassembled.

Put the tip of a flathead screw driver on the knockout, and tap the back of the screwdriver with your hand or a hammer. Try to get it so that only part of the knockout breaks free. Then grab the loosened disk with a pair of pliers, and twist it free. Be very careful not to drop it down the drain.

Once the hole is open, simply hang the washing machines waste line in the hole. The washer should come with a piece of plastic used to make a hook in the waste line. Install that, and hang the waste line in the hole.


How should I build an exterior door landing pad? I've got a building with several exterior doors (all opening inward).  The slab and walk-up is about 18+" from the ground.  Code requires that I have a 36"x36" landing pad outside each exterior door.  What's the best way to build this?  Should I build a form and use concrete or something out of wood?  Can I use existing CMU blocks?  What would be the easiest and least expensive way to be in compliance with code?

If you build the pad with concrete you may want to consider not making it out of a solid block of concrete. Instead form it up to create sides and a couple of steps as necessary. But then fill a large portion of the inner area with sand so that the top of the landing is 4 to 6 inches thick. A little re-bar in the sides and folded over to embed in the top can help keep the thing together if it cracks due to frost.

If you do live in an area with frost getting deep into the ground you should consider adding corner holes down into the ground (with re-bar up into the step portion) that can act as posts down below the frost line so as to minimize the heaving effect that can make a floating construction move around during the year cycle and also settle into a off level state over a series of years.

Wood can offer an easy alternative but you have to determine if wood has a look that you like. Also wood may require replacement in 15 years or so depending upon materials and conditions. Finally with wood, if a frost zone, it is a good idea to build it on treated posts that you bury to a depth below the frost line.


Should I put a basement dehumidifier on a timer, or trust the hygrometer? Dehumidifiers draw a LOT of power (as you might expect of something which is basically a modified air conditioner or refrigerator). I do want the humidity in my basement kept at a comfortable level, but I don't usually need it controlled very precisely.

So I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to set the hygrometer and let it run, or to run it in alternating six-hours-on/six-hours-off cycles. One of my previous units had that option built in; I'd have to put this one on an external timer...

Has anyone seen a trustworthy statement regarding whether cycling the beast that way would be more, or less, power-efficient?

From an overall point of view, it'd be slightly more efficient to run it on a timer with the hygrometer set to your arbitrary humidity choice. Doing that won't make much (if any) difference in the compressor's run time, but it'll force the air-circulation fan to shut off instead of continuously sampling room air.


What kind of screwdrivers can unscrew these screws? I have used this laptop fan cooler pad for almost two years: Cooler Master NotePal X-Slim Ultra-Slim Laptop Cooling Pad with 160mm Fan (R9-NBC-XSLI-GP) https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005C31HC0?

Since a month ago, the fan has stopped rotating.

I have opened up its external screen, see the picture in the first link at the end of the post. I don't find any visible tear and worn with the usb power chord exposed outside.

I want to check what's underneath the fan, but do I need to remove the fan?

How can I remove the fan?

The screw-like things under the fan aren't actually screws that my screwdrivers can fit into, see the pictures in the second and third links at the end of the post.  What kinds of screwdrivers can unscrew the "screws"?
I also tried to pull the fan out directly, but it didn't detach and I was afraid of breaking anything and gave up.

I would appreciate your help. Thanks!

The picture may say it all, I think you will be hard pressed to find a replacement fan. There is not a whole lot to do with these type of fans.


How do I hang a pot rack in a plaster ceiling? I am trying to hang a pot rack, and my house is all plaster walls. I have an electronic stud finder but the places it is telling me that studs exist don't seem to be correct - test nails have gone through about 1/2 inch of solid before pushing the rest of the way in.

My plan is to find a joist, and either screw into it or run a 1x2 between 2 joist and screw into that. Is this the right approach, and if so how do I find the joists?

Update: I went back at it with the stud finder, getting inconsistent results.  Tried bucky balls (the only magnet I have around), which didn't locate anything.  I went back to the most reasonable location for the joist and sent in a 1.5 inch test nail, which felt snug most of the way.  I got a longer, wider test nail (2.5 inches) and it cleared everything very easily, but then met with something solid once it was about 2.25 inches in.  I got a longer nail, about 3 inches, and it seems that it is solid wood there.

A) Is it plausible that the joist is that far from the surface of the ceiling?
B) If that is the joist, do I need to do anything special to account for the extra distance?  Am I just trying to find a hook with a 4 inch screw?

You're already putting lots of holes in your ceiling, which will have to be patched.  As long as you don't mind some holes, try this:

Use approximately a 1/4" drill bit to drill into a likely spot on your ceiling.  If it hits wood all the way through, you've just found a joist.  If it goes through the lath and hits a void, get a piece of wire or an old coat hanger.  Put two bends in it so it looks like three sides of a rectangle.  Make sure that the top and bottom sides are the same length.  Work the top side into the hole.  Make it "turn the corner" in the hole so that the top piece of the rectangle ends up parallel to your floor.  Now spin the wire until that top section of the rectangle hits something and stops.  If you made the bottom section the same length as the top, then the bottom section will be pointing right at the location of the joist.


Half burnt out LED tube lights in LED-mirror panel Recently I moved into a new flat in the dorm and faced a problem with LED-mirror-panel in the bathroom and asked the landlord to fix the problem. Despite the responsible maintenance electric company came and took out the panel and fixed the problem and installed it on 03.02.2021, after 24hrs again, I faced the same problem. The LED set in a border of mirror panel hasn't worked fully. As you can see, just the left side is working:

Other electrical information can help to resolve the problem is the following:
The bathroom lighting has one Ceiling-bulb, and LED-mirror-panel on the wall. Both can switch on/off via double-switch as you can see in the picture.

I already checked this and could be power supply problem in LED-mirror-panel, and this answer. This answer that addressed to LED characteristics encouraged me to be patient to see the right side of the LED-mirror-panel could work one day.
Any help reflecting issue to the landlord or the responsible maintenance electric company will be highly appreciated.
Update: I realized that my next-door neighbour has also the same problem. Could be a faulty phase problem?

Stop chasing the problem.  It is not yours to fix. It's a 100% waste of your time to try to fix it.
Simply report it again.
And this is where people go wrong.  They say "But I reported it before and they DIDN'T FIX IT therefore they are totally incompetent and I should never call them again!"
That completely misunderstands how troubleshooting works... especially when the troubleshooting is at someone else's premises where you can't just hang out for a day to see if that fixed it.  The simple fact is that technicians don't know.  The best anyone can do is make a best guess, try something, see what happens, amend their guess, and try again.  This is called iteration.
The "best guesses" are often codified on a troubleshooting flowchart from the vendor.  (or simply from experience/common sense).   Often, "whether this has succeeded" is not immediately evident; time must pass to expose whether the fix has held.  This is normal.
Happens all the time where people have a problem that will be uncovered on step E of the troubleshooting flowchart. However they keep firing the techs for incompetence when they've only reached step B or C.  Some people will spend thousands of dollars at this.
So report the problem again so the technician knows that the last thing didn't work.  Now, they will try the next step on the troubleshooting flowchart.


What could be going on with my HVAC? I have a Carrier Infinity system - full system (heating and air conditioning) newly installed a little over a year ago (southern Ontario, Canada).

I have programmed the system for continuous fan operation - the furnace fan should always be running at some modest speed. When new, it worked as expected - fan speed ramps up or down between continuous fan speed and  heating or cooling speed (depending on season/mode).

During the current cooling season, I have recently noticed a different behavior. The furnace fan sometimes shuts off completely along with the A/C compressor, until the A/C cycles on again. This is intermittent because the fan sometimes does just ramp down to its "continuous" programmed speed as I expect it to.

Is the system intermittently shutting down because it detected a problem? If so, what might the problem be? Could it be icing up? Is this what the system is supposed to do if it detects what could be icing condition (evaporator temperature/pressure too low)? Is this a fault requiring a service call?

What the Dr. Mentioned will be located outside by the air conditioner and not in the settings. Count the boxes at the air conditioner. One is the disconnect for the air conditioner. If there is another then that will probably be it.
However I do wonder, does the furnace sense air flow? As in filter clogged.
Best thing is refer to the manual for your model of furnace to see if it indicates error codes.


Leaking PVC pipe & joist notch I appreciate any help with my problem below.
I have a PVC drain pipe that is leaking. The drain pipe is from a tiled shower floor. It looks like the joist is pressed up against the pipe elbow and caused it to start leaking. The joist is a 2x10 and the preexisting notch is ~2" from one end of the joist. The joist spans about 10-12' (I didn't measure it when I was down there).

Questions:
1. What's the best way to cut the joist so it doesn't rub against the pipe? Can I just expand the existing cutout?
 1. What is the best tool to use for this?
2. What's the best method to repair the PVC pipe? I've been reading about epoxy putty or silicone tape.
Thank you

I disagree that it is the joist causing the issue. When installed, they would have notched the joist so that the plumbing fit and there is no reason that the joist would have moved or expanded in size.

Related, the drain might not even be the source of the leak. While visually it appears that the leak is there, the problem might be elsewhere. Consider that you have tile and it is sloped to the drain. The tile is placed on backing, the backing is what provides the support and the slope. That backing is waterproofed. It could very well be that the waterproofing has failed and that the water is following the slope to the drain. Or that the waterproofing has failed at the drain.


Reznor UDP-60 - Need C Wire I read the following but my situation is slightly different: Wifi Thermostat to Reznor Garage Heater. No "C" wire connection on terminal strip  He had an unused wire connected to W2.
I want to change the stat to one that requires a C wire.  Installer used 18-3 and connected Red to R, Green to G & White to W1.  Short of running new or more wire, do I have any other options?
Does the 24V have to come from the Reznor?
Thank you

Pick your poison
You have two options for solving this, but both of them are going to be a bit more inelegant than pulling a new thermostat cable.  Either you can use a gizmo that "multiplexes" two signals over the same wire to free up the third wire for C-wire duty (there are several out there, with different installation instructions, so you'll need to follow the directions for what you purchase), or you can supply 24VAC from an additional class 2 transformer either plugged into a nearby receptacle or hardwired to the faceplate of a nearby junction box, removing the jumper between Rh and Rc then landing the new 24VAC source on Rc and C when you do this.


How do I reduce how much the sun heats up a front room of my house? My office room is in the front of the house and facing south. It gets hot very fast during hot days (even in spring). It is a fairly small room and I have computers there attributing to heat. There's a small double pane window with cloth blinds. There's a central AC but running it full time just cool a small room does not seem very efficient.

What are the ways to reduce amount of heat from the direct sun hitting the wall? Special paint? Drapes? Tent? Fan?

A good deciduous tree helps, but it will take a while for that to work.  Just be sure not to plant it too close to the foundation.

Light blocking blinds are very good at blocking both heat and light.  This may not be good if you're trying to work in the room.

Insulation helps if you have an attic above, just don't block the ventilation from the soffits.

However, the important thing to realize is that cooling systems spend a significant effort overcoming the heating effects of people themselves.  And a couple computers doesn't help.  No matter how much you block the outside heat, the heat being generated is still there.  Therefore, make sure your vents are adjusted to cool the rooms you use (closing doors also helps), and direct most of your cooling to the upstairs.  If that still isn't enough, try a small fan in the doorway blowing in cool air from the floor (which will push out the hot air above).

Edit: Couple other thoughts.

Get an IR thermometer to check all your walls and various other heat sources.  You may discover a patch of uninsulated wall or find that the window it letting in more than you thought.

Second, check your thermostat to see if it has a setting for how much the temperature will vary before it cuts on.  Mine is an odd key combination that's buried in the back of the manual.  If you're going well over an hour between AC cycles, you'll reduce hot spots by reducing this setting.


White wire connected to two black wires and ceiling fan? I'm installing a brand-new ceiling fan in our living room. I don't know what was installed there before, but there's one black wire, and two black wires connected to a white wire (*this SE link describes the exact same issue*):

I decided to install the ceiling fan. The ceiling fan comes with an electric box that has a black wire and a white wire that looks like this:

I connected the black wire from the ceiling to the black wire of the box, and the black/black/white combination from the ceiling to the white wire in box.
I checked the black cable on the other side of the box (the one that will be connected to the actual fan) and it's hot.
Once I installed everything, I try to turn on the fan with the remote. The fan doesn't do anything. I then connected the lights, and the lights don't do anything. The remote is working fine, so that's not the issue.
I was thinking that the fan is possibly defective (even if it's new) or that I wired something incorrectly.
What can the issue be?
Any help is appreciated.

Fans with remotes are usually meant to be wired up to an always hot wire and a neutral. So you need to take the black wire from your fan remote unit and connect it to the two black and one white wire group. Take the white wire from your remote unit and connect it to the two white wires out of the ceiling. Then cap the single black wire out of the ceiling which is probably a switched hot from a wall switch.
If you want to utilize the wall switch, connect the black wire from your remote unit to the single black wire out of the ceiling, white from the remote unit goes to the two white wires grouped. Cap the two black and one white. When the wall switch is off, the remote will not function until the switch is turned on.


Phantom or real voltage determination Can a 120 V/ 0.35 A input for a phone charger help to determine if voltage is real or phantom? I don't have a multimeter with impedance function. I have a problem circuit which shows to have 120V AC but when I plug in a 25 W light it will not light but there is now no power in line. However if I just plug in charger requiring 120v and .35 A, the phone shows to be charging. From this can I conclude that the voltage is real. Once I know that, then I can focus on where the current is being lost in this circuit. Thank you.

Well, it will work IF the poor connection is not capable of passing 0.35A...

You don't get "phantom" readings of 120V, it's either 120V or it is not. But what you can get is a bad CONNECTION on a 120V circuit so that as soon as the load starts to pull any appreciable current, that connection increases in resistance and the voltage drops to where it can't even make your 25W lamp glow. 350mA is not a lot of current and it may end up not causing that voltage drop, so it will still "look" good, but it really is not.


Can I split the direct wire to dishwasher to handle a garbage disposal as well? I've just plumbed in a new garbage disposal unit under my sink. The plumbing appears to be fine - nothing is leaking so far.

Now I need to wire it in.

It's next to a dishwasher, but the dish-washer has a direct wire from the circuit box in the basement. I don't want a run a whole new circuit up from the basement, and I already have the romex for the dishwasher coming up, and wired into the dishwasher about 2 feet away.

What are my options for using that existing wire? Can I split it and direct wire both? Can I turn the romex into a socket, and plug both into that?

Something like this, but with a double-socket.

I only have 2005 NEC handy, but there's nothing there against using same circuit for both dishwasher and disposal.

210.23(A) Branch circuits, rated 20 or 15 amperes may feed lighting units, utilization equipment or combination of both. The rating of of any one cord and plug connected utilization equipment shall not exceed 80% of the branch circuit ampere rating.

Your local code could be different, of course.
Also note, that your garbage disposal needs a disconnect switch


Sealing rusted spots for safety I have an old enamel wash basin that I’d like to use as a photography prop. It has some rusty spots, which actually just lend character so I don’t mind them. But I want to make sure it is safe for the little ones. Is there a way to seal it off nicely?  Thank In advance for your advice!

If you step on a dirty rusty nail in a barn, the problem is the puncture wound and the dirt, not the rust.  Rust is just oxidized iron and not especially dangerous on contact.
As long as it's clean with no sharp edges, burrs, etc., there is no need to seal it for safety.

Sealing it may slow the rust from spreading though.  Clear nail polish would probably work as well as anything.


Wood glue or screws for joint? I posted a question about this, and someone mentioned using Titebond wood glue for the joints in the following drawing.

My question: for these types of joints, will wood glue create a stronger bond than screws? The purpose of the joint is to hold these together.

Glue can be pretty strong when you've got plenty of area (like there), although unless you've got some diagonal bracing, it's going to be wobbly whatever fixing you use.

Most people don't use glue because it takes a while to dry, so you either run out of clamps after a couple of joints, or the clamps get in the way of the next thing. (by comparison you can bang in a few nails and call it done)

If you're worried about the screws rusting, use screws as clamps, and remove them after the glue has dried. Or leave them in and let them rust.


Do fence pickets need to be totally dry before installing? I want to purchase all the wood for my 6' privacy fence project but it will take me longer than a day to install. Also I'll be leaving all of the wood in my backyard which means it will probably get wet when it rains. My question is: Do fence pickets need to be dry before being installed?

I ask this because I know wood expands/contracts in different situations and I don't want to install my fence to have it bow later or be misshapen after I've finished.

The wood I'll be using is pressure treated pine.

That depends partly on the fence design. If you're doing something edge-to-edge, installing water-swollen pickets will result in gaps once the wood dries out.

Otherwise, it's more likely that the pickets will warp if left to dry quickly in the sun. The side that dries out first contracts, causing curvature.

That said, pressure-treated lumber is extremely wet to begin with, so it may not matter much. If you get any severely warped pickets you might just have to change them out.

I'd buy an inexpensive tarp and keep it all dry until it's up. Why make the project more challenging than it already is?


Concrete basement: Do I need a sealer or wax only? I'm going to acid stain my concrete basement floor.  Do I NEED a sealer, or can I simply apply wax directly to the concrete (which intuitively would act as the sealer itself)?

You definitely need a sealer.  Wax wears off so fast that the maintenance would be unbearable.


Where does the ground wire go in a 3-prong dryer cord configuration? We moved to a new place where the dryer connection is 3-prong instead of 4-prong. The dryer was originally 4-prong, so we bought a 3-prong cord and installed it. It works fine, except I am not entirely sure if I installed the ground wire correctly.

Originally, there was a green wire on the cord itself, and that was connected to the screw on the top of the first picture. This is, I assume, used to ground the case and prevent shocks when touching the exterior of the dryer.

Now with the 3-pronged plug, there is no ground wire on the cord. So where does the existing green wire in the case go? Do I leave it where it originally was like in the first picture or do I connect it to the central terminal like in the second picture?

There's no bonding strap running from the case to any terminal. I can't tell where the green wire is connected to.

DO NOT connect the ground wire to the grounded (neutral) conductor, as this could lead to current flowing through the body of the dryer (and potentially through you).
The installation guide for the dryer will have wiring instructions for both 3, and 4 wire configurations.  Check the manufacturers documentation for proper wiring, but I would say the first image is likely correct.

Instructions from random Maytag Installation Instructions (PDF)
3 Wire Cord

4 Wire Cord

Update:
After doing some research, and looking at dryer wiring diagrams. It turns out that the green/yellow wire is not a ground wire, it is a neutral to case bonding wire. When this wire is not in use (in a 4-wire installation for example), it is simply connected to the neutral terminal and is unused.


How can I add a 3-way switch to my light? (confused about existing wiring) I'm trying to install a 3-way switch for a specific light but I'm not sure how to do the wiring.

The existing switch box has quite wires inside:

3x 12-2
1x 12-3

The hots (black) are all tied together, the neutrals are all tied together, and the grounds are all tied together.

However, the existing switch has one hot (black) wire connected, and a RED wire from the 12-3 wire.

The light fixture itself only has 12-2 connected (black, white, and copper/ground).

How would I install a second (three-way) switch to this setup?

Assuming this is the setup you have described:

You will need to pull a new 12/3 cable to your new 3-way switch. You will also have to replace your existing switch with a 3-way switch. Your wiring setup will look like this:

Because your lighting circuit's power is supplied by a conductor in a 12/3 cable, the figures above were modified as follows:

POWER SOURCE / 2-Wire Romex with Ground (i.e. 12-2) - I modified these to show your 12/3 wire with your RED supplying the power to your lighting circuit (since you described the BLACK in your 12/3 as being spliced into a bunch of other black conductors). From here, everything else should be one-to-one.


Trouble matching paint color - should I try again? I need to touch up paint in a large room. I cut a chip out of the wall and brought it to a box store, which color-matched it. I didn't watch them match it so I don't know which method they used.

The color they produced looked right when they dabbed it on the paint chip in the store, but when I went back and put it on the walls, it clearly didn't match. It was not quite the same color and looks blotchy, even after drying fully. The problem was not the sheen, but the color.

My question is: Does matching paint colors sometimes just not work, and I need to give up and repaint the whole room? Or should I try going back to the store (or maybe try a different store) and ask them to match again? Is there anything else I can do at the store to help ensure they match accurately?

I don't think you'll ever get it.

Paint the entire wall where the touch up is needed, no need to paint the entire room.  If it's close, you will not notice the difference between walls nor even breaks in the wall, with mouldings, etc..


what size ground wire should i buy? I am trying to connect my house to the current meter pole that is 300 feet away I am going to buy 250kcmil for the load conductors. I know that I can save some money by buying a smaller size ground wire. I cant find a calculator to figure it out. What would be the minimum size wire that I could get for the ground wire for a 300' run?

Get a copy of the local electric codes and/or contact a licensed professional in your area. The power company should also have the necessary information for what they require for a proper connection. This is not something you should DIY lightly.

This is also something where the work requires inspection from the local authorities. The power company will (rightly) refuse to connect your house if the electric installation isn't up to par.


How do I remove plastic shelf brackets that have broken off in the hole? A shelf fell from my bookcase.  It was supported by plastic brackets.  They broke off at the face of the side of the shelf.  How do I get them out so I can put new brackets in place?

Plastic plug in a hole, I've always found drilling into it with a bit slightly smaller and stopping the drill, then pulling it straight out works dandy. If not, it gives to a place to try using a screw (and a nailpuller on the screw if it's REALLY stubborn) more easily. Then look for metal replacement brackets in the correct size for your bookshelf so it does not happen again.


how to make a half circle tunnel through a cement slab? There is a slab of concrete in my backyard, and I need to make a half circle cut out in it like this picture below. This is for a 3" pipe to sit in.

How would I go about doing this?

Rather than try to shape the slab so it conforms to the pipe, cut the slab slightly wider and deeper than the pipe. Mix a loose batch of cement, pour into slab cut, and embed pipe into concrete.


Do I need to suplimentary seal the joint between pavers and patio edge when that joint is used as a drain channel? Initially I was looking for this:

I was told that distributors do not sell this anymore because it is unsafe (tripping hazard).
I am thinking about using the joint between my pavers and my edge to for a drain channel. The patio is sloped in such a way that it will allow me to do this. Here is a ground zero view of my patio and the beveled concrete blocks used for edging.

Do I need to supplementary seal the joint between pavers and patio edge concrete blocks when that joint is used as a drain channel?

Leaving joists between two different elements and/or two different materials without any seal is never a good idea if you ask me, especially outside. Even if everything works great it can look a bit ugly because elements could be in different slopes or slopes might be in different planes and some edge differences between elements might become visible which doesn't look good. The other reason is water can get into these gaps and cause many problems. So to put it in one word yes, you need to seal the joint. Next question is which material should be used? I don't recommend any type of batten for so many reasons which I wouldn't like to explain here. I would recommend some type of caulk specialized for outdoor usage. Any half decent seller at any specialized store can recommend you such product. Also you do it old way: back in early days when there weren't tons of specialized products people were using bitumen for this purpose. Maybe it is not going to last forever but it will get the job done and it tolerates temperature differences, at least for a while.


Remove paint and grime from aluminum windows? We have old all-aluminum windows, and they've worked well after decades. But they're just a tad bit dirty.

Are there any cleaners that will help me clean these windows?

Thanks.

If you just want to give them a light cleaning you can use a few pads of 0000 steel wool pads and a little elbow grease then spray with clean water.  If you have aluminum discoloration or mineral deposits you may want to use a chemical such as Aluma-Kleen (which is bio-degradable) or a even a homemade recipe my grandmother use to use was 1 part water to one part vinegar (acid) to clean aluminum. Always rinse with lots of clean water and wipe down dry to prevent further minerals from staining.  Hope this helped.


Switch wiring for 2 single pole switches and 2 different lights Hi novice electrician,
Question- I have 2 lights, 2 switches and 2 receptacles but I put wired them weird. 12/2 wiring used FYI.
I put one switch with one receptacle and one switch with another receptacle.  Both receptacles are connected together.
When I turned on the lights they don’t work independently. If one is off, the other light is off. I know possibly because they share the same power source.
However I want it to function where If in the toilet closet, I can turn only that light on and then in the small closet in front of the toilet closet, I can turn on that light if I want to.
Both switches are not in the same box. Any ideas?
I know it’s something with the wiring at the switches and not at the receptacles I used. Both receptacles are correctly wired verified with my receptacle tool. Thanks

To make one switch the master switch, and always function one light:
Connect power to the inlet side and the outlet side directly to the light.  That light will always function with the master switch, regardless of the other switch position.
To get power to the other switch, run wires from the outlet side of the master switch (can use the push slots, or wire it with twist caps) to the inlet side of the closet switch. Then run wires from the outlet of the closet switch to the closet light.


How many wires can be connected to the C terminal at the furnace? I'd like install a new Wi-Fi thermostat. The old one didn't have a C-wire but luckily there is an unused wire on both sides (one coming out of the wall and one at the furnace not connected yet), so I am going to use this unused wire as the C-wire. My only concern is that the C terminal at the furnace is already occupied with other two wires (that have nothing to do with the thermostat, but are connected one to the humidifier and the other one not sure to what, probably the air purifier). The question is: can I add a third wire to the C board of the furnace and use it as C-wire for the wi-fi thermostat? See picture: yellow is the unused wire.

Technically, there should only be one wire connected to the screw terminal. However, it's common practice in the HVAC industry to connect more.

If you want to do it the proper way, you should use a twist-on wire connector (or other connector), and a length of scrap wire to make a pigtail.

Disconnect the wires that are currently attached to the terminal.
Group together those two wires with the wire you want to add, and a short bit of scrap wire of about the same gauge.
Use the twist-on wire connector (or other connector) to connect all the wires together.
Attach the other end of the scrap piece of wire to the screw terminal.

You may also want to consider why there are already two wires. It's common in a furnace to have the A/C contactor coil terminated there, but you'll want to figure out where the other wire goes.  The concern here, is that you could overload the transformer. If the transformer is operating at or near maximum capacity, the additional load of the thermostat could push it beyond the limit.  Best case here would be a blown fuse, worst case being a blown transformer.

If the transformer is powering a humidifier or air cleaner, you'll want to make sure it can handle the additional load of the thermostat (though thermostats are typically a small load).


Is it a good idea to lay a second course of shingles over an existing shingled roof? My shingles were a little worse for wear and I had a "friend-of-a-friend-who-used-to-be-a-roofer" come take a look at it and he said I could save some money on the demolition by just laying another course of shingles over the first.

He claimed it was a common technique and they did it all the time at his job, but it sounds a little hinky to me.

Is this really commonly done? Is it a good idea? What Are there downsides?

It is common to lay up to three layers (at least in my area), but if the roof has lifting shingles laying another layer will just lift the new shingles.  If the roof is bad, it is better and probably cheaper in the long run to remove the old shingles and lay the new ones fresh.

If the roof is not that bad a second layer can definitely save money, just make sure you check your local codes before doing it.

Another concern can be weight. Shingles weigh a lot so the more layers you add the more weight your roof has to carry, if you live in an area with heavy show fall weight could become more of an issue.

Personaly I prefer to start fresh each time, but I save money by doing the demo myself.


Is dropping a bromine tab in my sump pit bad? I have a sump pump that runs a lot (I have a perched water table under my house).

It discharges into my gutter and there is a significant mold build up.

My sump pit is just a hole in the ground, but I would like to try dropping a bromine tab in my sump pit.

My worry is that this will mess up the ground water.

My second worry is that it will mess up my pump.

Are these valid concerns or can I just try this out and see if it helps my mold issues?

It won't mess up your pump, there's much heavier minerals in the water than bromine. However, you have to be weary of where the water is discharged. Bromine isn't going to be healthy for your lawn or nearby trees. It's probably best to spot-treat the mold with bleach and maybe mold-resistant epoxy paint. If you use bromine, re-route your discharge into the sewer.


Pulling out a 1222 moen shower cartridge that won't turn I have Moen's plastic tool for rotating a 1222 shower cartridge to help make it easier to pull out, but whenever I try to rotate the cartridge with the plastic tool, it bends and warps slightly and seems about to break.

Maybe I need one of those metal cartridge puller tool, but I don't see how even that could possibly rotate the cartridge; the plastic tabs (which say "HC") are wedged in an indentation of the metal tube. I don't think the metal part is supposed to rotate, so how could the cartridge itself rotate? Or is the plastic suppose to slide up on the metal incline as it rotates and pull out the cartridge that way?

I've heard people say to use vinegar to help loosen the cartridge; where exactly would I put vinegar? And the cartridge being mostly plastic & rubber -- would calcium really be holding it in place (I would think vinegar could be useful for defusing two metal parts that are stuck together, but do metal & plastic fuse together due to calcium?)

I ended up asking a plumber to come. He tried a bunch of approaches with chisels, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, to no avail. Then he got a metal cartridge extractor and it pulled out the cartridge within a minute.


Indoor vs outdoor lighting I have a 1.5 foot tall plastic christmas character. The cord has a UL tag rated for indoor and outdoor. The manufacturer tag says indoor only, though. Am I safe putting outdoors?

This is a common question we get when people want to install electronic components from electronics supply houses into their home wiring.  They point to the UL listing on an Ohmite resistor, and they say "It's listed, see?"

The answer is that certification of a component, is not at all the same as certification of the entire piece of equipment.  Leviton will place that same Ohmite resistor inside an appropriate cage and sell it as equipment for home wiring.

And so it is with your toy and cord.  The tag on the cord only applies to the cord as a component.  The entire toy has a separate rating which is more restrictive.

That said, the life-safety issues of using the toy outdoors are largely prevented if you are plugged into a circuit that is GFCI protected.  The protection can either come from a GFCI+receptacle device, or from another piece of GFCI equipment on the circuit between there and the service panel, such as a GFCI breaker, GFCI receptacle indoors, or GFCI stand-alone "deadfront".


AFCI breaker tripping when any load attached advanced home DIY-er here.
I put in a new Murray (Siemens) AFCI breaker and new 14-2 wire from the breaker box up straight to a light in a bathroom I'm remodeling (single wire for the complete run).

If I disconnect the load and neutral from the fixture (so they're hanging down, exposed), and turn on the breaker, all is fine. It stays powered up.
If put an LED bulb in a $2 plastic basement-style "outlet box lamp holder" and connect the load and neutral to it and throw on the breaker on again, it immediately trips the breaker.
Neither the arc-fault or ground-fault LED indicators light up on the breaker. I believe this indicates an over-load protection, which seems odd for a 10w bulb.

so no load = no trip
10w bulb directly connected = trip

thoughts?

note: I pulled 3 other lines up with this one and they all work fine on the traditional breakers they're connected to.
We did have blown-in insulation installed that meant guys drilling a million holes in the side of the house, potentially where that wire is. The likelyhood of partially damaging one wire (and not reporting it) but not severing it, or damaging any of the other circuits doesn't seem very high to me.

Proper wiring
The first step, is to inspect the breaker installation. Make sure it's installed properly, and all connections are tight.
For an AFCI breaker, the grounded (neutral) and ungrounded (hot) circuit conductors should connect to their respective terminals on the breaker. The coiled grounded (neutral) wire from the breaker, should connect to the grounded (neutral) bar in the panel.

If the circuit neutral is connected directly to the neutral bar in the panel, the breaker will trip as soon as current is drawn through the circuit.
Short-circuit
Next you'll want to check the wiring for a short. Disconnect the ungrounded (hot), and grounded (neutral) conductors from the breaker. Use a multimeter to test continuity between the ungrounded (hot) and grounded (neutral) conductors, ungrounded (hot) and grounding conductors, and grounded (neutral) and grounding conductors.  You should have no continuity between any of the wires (assuming there's no load connected).
Test the breaker
If you have a spare bit of cable left over, you could rig up an example test circuit.  Connect a short bit of cable to the breaker, and wire the load at the other end. Carefully turn the breaker on, and see if the problem persists.  If the breaker trips, try replacing the breaker (they are known to be/go bad from time to time). If the breaker holds, the problem is likely with the wiring.
Visual inspection
The last test would be to visually inspect the wiring, which I'm assuming is impossible (or quite difficult).


How can I repaint this desk? I have a 2x1m rectangular desk.

The problem with it is that the person who made it painted it with some weird glossy material that makes it reflect light, chips easily and deep because of the thickness of the layer, and looks ugly.

How do I repaint it? All I know is that I have to buy a power sander and scratch everything off the surface first.

If it "chips easily and deep", you need to remove the current finish to get a satisfactory result.

There are three basic approaches to paint/finish removal

Chemical
There are a number of chemical strippers avaialble. Some are very effective, pretty fast (meaning one application, even if it needs to steep a while) but fairly caustic

Some are less caustic, environmentally friendly and may take a bit longer or be a bit more work

In both cases, apply, let soak, scrape off, wipe clean (and sometimes neutralize) and follow up with sanding as needed.

Scraping
This is pretty useful when the lowest level of finish is not adhering well, or where several layer chip off easily. A heavy duty scraper can be used on thich finishes but can be a bit rough on wood surfaces (potential gouging), and can scrathc metal, so be careful as you get to the base.

There are also cabinet scrapers that are better for thinner finishes and more delicate work. These are also good for curved surfaces and edges.

In Both cases, scraping needs to be followed up by at least a light sanding.

Sanding
This is a brute force approach to finish removal, and generates a lot of dust, some of which could contain lead or other toxic materials. You need to wear a good mask.  This approach is genrall only used when the amount of surface to be cleaned is so large as to make the two other approaches impractical, where the finish is very thin.

Heavy duty sanding uses a belt sander. This approach can rip through paint and wood, and abrade metal. It must be used very cautionsly or you will damage the surface.  But it can be fast. You need to use a succession of grit sizes (moving toward finer as the bulk of finish is removed)

A gentler approach is an orbital sander.  These take off less, are slower, but are more controlable and are much less likely to damage the wood or metal surface. They come in a variety of sizes, and both plug-in and battery models. Again, you will probably need a number of grits as described above. The same cautions apply to the dust.

This type of sander will probably also be needed as the finishing step to follow-up on a removal that uses either chemical stripper or scraper described above.

Repainting
After the finish is removed, you need to clean, prime and paint. It is critical to get all dust off the surface. After vacuuming, a tack rag works very well. A wipe with a rag dipped in mineral spririts is also good to remove any traces. Generally a primer is needed, appropriate to the type of surface. Then finish coats. Enamels give a harder, and often smoother surface. Spray paints give a very smooth finish, but you need to work outdoors. There are a few latex paints that are pretty tough once dry. In any case, several coats are generally needed to give both full coverage and a slightly thicker coat for better wear.


Should I install a vapor barrier on the bottom of my garage ceiling? I have a house that has a garage below the main floor. The house is built into a hill, and so the entry way, the basement, and the garage are all on the same level, and the entry way has a stair case that leads to the main floor which is above everything.

The house is very old (~1890s) and leaks hot air worse than a politician. It's so bad that when it's ~19F outside, the furnace can't keep up, even though the furnace is properly sized and in good repair.

Among the many things I want to do to this house to deal with the poor insulation and air leaks, I'd like to put an air barrier on the bottom of the garage ceiling to prevent air infiltrating through the garage into the first floor, which I have good evidence is significant.

The structure of the main floor/garage ceiling, from top to bottom:

Rugs
Hardwood floor
Floor joists (about 6 inches of room)
Lath and plaster (1 inches total)
2 inches XPS rigid foam, loosely attached via furring strips screwed to floor joists.

I was considering attaching plastic sheeting to the bottom of the rigid foam over the entire ceiling to seal it as much as possible.

I also am curious about injecting blown-in insulation in the joist space, but I don't want to worry about that until I create a worthy air seal.

One major concern I have is that this is a violation of proper vapor barrier/air barrier design - that I could get condensation on either side of the air barrier and cause mold.

So, is this a bad idea?

I should note the house is in Rochester, New York, so very cold. The house is not air-conditioned; only upstairs bedrooms are via through-window ACs.

Yep, the 120 year old houses do make life more interesting (and expensive and/or colder.)

Use an air barrier that is NOT a vapor barrier. More commonly known as housewrap. Vapor moves through, but bulk air movement is reduced.

For insulating inside the floor joists, either blown-in cellulose (which supposedly has very little issue with vapor, due to having very little air movement through it) or a sprayed foam product. Getting good fill blind (without blowing out the ceiling, in the case of the spray foam) is tricky.

I presume you don't want to rip out the ceiling for better access - but you really need to think hard about getting some drywall below the XPS (or XPS and added air barrier), or you have (and have now) a major fire hazard - plastic materials exposed in a garage that's below occupied space. The plaster ceiling above it may not burn through for a good long time, but the smoke from it will do you in even if the structure is unaffected by by a fire.


Do I need an egress window in a basement room not used as a bedroom? Do I need an egress window in a basement family room when the basement has two viable exits?  There are garage doors on one end and an exterior person door leading to exterior stairs on the other.

As long as one of the "viable exits" meets the standards for an emergency escape and rescue opening, then you should be all set.

International Residential Code 2012
Chapter 3 - Building Planning
Section R310 - Emergency Escape and Rescue Openings
R310.1 Emergency escape and rescue required.
Basements, habitable attics and every sleeping room shall have at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening. Where basements contain one or more sleeping rooms, emergency egress and rescue openings shall be required in each sleeping room. Where emergency escape and rescue openings are provided they shall have a sill height of not more than 44 inches (1118 mm) measured from the finished floor to the bottom of the clear opening. Where a door opening having a threshold below the adjacent ground elevation serves as an emergency escape and rescue opening and is provided with a bulkhead enclosure, the bulkhead enclosure shall comply with Section R310.3. The net clear opening dimensions required by this section shall be obtained by the normal operation of the emergency escape and rescue opening from the inside. Emergency escape and rescue openings with a finished sill height below the adjacent ground elevation shall be provided with a window well in accordance with Section R310.2. Emergency escape and rescue openings shall open directly into a public way, or to a yard or court that opens to a public way.
R310.1.1 Minimum opening area.
All emergency escape and rescue openings shall have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet (0.530 m2).
R310.1.2 Minimum opening height.
The minimum net clear opening height shall be 24 inches (610 mm).
R310.1.3 Minimum opening width.
The minimum net clear opening width shall be 20 inches (508 mm).
R310.1.4 Operational constraints.
Emergency escape and rescue openings shall be operational from the inside of the room without the use of keys, tools or special knowledge.


How To Get Rid Of Acrobat Ants Recently my house has been invaded by acrobat ants. They are everywhere. On our tables, in our plates, in our glasses. They tend to be menace and have caused us a lot of trouble.

Ants are constantly seeking food and water to maintain the colony. When an ant locates either in your house it lays down a scent trail with pheromes that the rest of the worker ants use as a freeway into your home. The ideal way to ensure they never invade your home again is to wipe out the Queen and the worker ants. This is accomplished by tracing the ant trail back to the entrance tunnel. Next you set an ant bait along the ant trail. Some brand names are "Grants Ant Stakes" and "Raids Ant Blocks". These baits entice the ants to ingest the 'food' not realizing it is a poison. The ants, not reading the FDA's warning labels on the ant bait package, transport bits of the tainted food back to the nest to feed their fellow ant's. Eventually the toxic food is consumed by the Queen and most of the colony which ultimately collapses. I've used with great success glass cleaner to eradicate on contact scout ants and marching workers. It doesn't contain petroleum or harsh chemicals that are found in insecticidal sprays.


Is it likely that an alkyd varnish contains lead? To be more precise, an alkyde varnish which is commercialized in Morocco : https://www.atlaspeintures.ma/RECHERCHES/FicheExport.php?Produit=47
Do you think there is a possibility that it contains a lead-based siccative ?

Most responsible countries know the hazards of using lead that my become air born causing health issues if inhaled. The surest way to know is to read the label of ingredients on the container  or any suggested warnings from the manufacturer.
Most varnishes are made with resins and some kind of solvent. Inhaling the dust when sanding or the vapor while applying it can cause health problems related mostly in the lungs. Ingesting lead is much more detrimental especially to children where it effects brain function.


Hot water comes out once toilet is flushed I turn on the hot water faucet and cold water comes out. This happens everywhere around the house. Once I flush the single toilet that's on the first floor and wait 1-2 mins, hot water starts pouring out of the faucet. The second floor also has this issue where I have to flush the toilet on the second floor to get hot water anywhere on that floor. The hot water would continue to stay for about 1-3 days before having to repeat the flushing process again.

Read online that many place the blame on the water heater (which doesn't seem likely but would like to hear what you think) or the house having an old plumbing structure. If so, what can I do to fix it?
Thanks!

Alex here (some reason I'm locked out of the original account). It happen to be the 1 of my shower's valves. I noticed that the hot and cold water inlets were connected to the valve's sides labeled "shower" and "tub". I had to detach and weld the valve back to where the "shower" points up and "tub" points down. I also replaced the plastic cartridge where the shower handle would be placed just in case. With that, I now get hot water 24/7 without having to flush a toilet beforehand. Thank you all for the help!


bathroom vent problems I live in a townhouse(built in 1971 with no privacy wall between my neighbors attic) Between the two units there are 4 static vents and no other source of venting. The attic space would be about 400 sq ft per unit. The bathroom fan vents directly into the attic and since I have no control over adding more vents is it ok to just keep as is, or should I hook up a line to the static vent?

The code requires the air from a bathroom be, “exhausted directly to the exterior.”  Also, “air from bathrooms with tubs, showers or spas shall not be exhausted to attics or crawl spaces.” (See ICC M1507.2.)

If the landlord balks, tell him you’re developing a mold issue and you’re going to contact the local Building Official.


Basic truss design for outbuilding I am building a small outbuilding (wood-fired sauna) that is 8 feet by 16 feet.  The design is based off a friend who made a similar structure, just four feet shorter.
For the roof trusses, he used 2x6s for the top chords cut at 45 degrees (12:12 slope) and then a 2x4 braced to one side.  This 2x4 sits on top of the walls' top plates.  The nine total trusses will be at 24 inches OC.  We live in southern Wisconsin in the US, so we see a fair share of snow but nothing like what they see even an hour north.

This avoids the birds mouth cuts, which is great, but I haven't seen anything like this in the internet research I've done -- most of what I've found uses birds mouths or something similar to the below picture (minus the king post), and always 2x4s for the top chords.  Is my friend's design good enough to roll with or should I reconsider?

For small buildings like this I'm not a load calculations guy. I'm a seat-of-the-pants experience guy. This is because lumber is usually grossly oversized for such short spans anyway, so it comes down to your carpentry techniques.
Yes, that design is plenty stout from a lumber standpoint (even 2x4 rafters are plenty), but you must fasten the joints together very well. Due to the steep nature of your roof and the lack of direct rafter bearing (without a bird's mouth cut) there's a lot of shear force on that connection. Nearly all the roof load gets carried by the fastening.
I might use three 2-1/2" construction screws from each side of each joint. For a lesser sloped roof with 2x4 rafters I've even used timber screws through from the top into the wall plate (with countersunk heads). Ecnerwal rightly points out that construction adhesive is a good idea here. I've used it for OSB gussets. It'll add a lot of rigidity to the connection.
Whatever you decide, it needs to be stout. If you bounce your weight on the peak and there's any flex at all in the joints it's not good enough. Do that right and you'll be golden.
One other tip: Build all trusses from the same prototype (jig) and mark the ends so they stay oriented. Trusses are rarely perfect and if you swap ends with any you'll have a wavy roof and fascia.