Service Entry Wire/Ground Location (100 amp service) I am getting 100 amp service connected to my cabin (currently off grid). The power company wants me to install my meter base on the corner of the property, and for me to install 200' of underground conduit from the meter base pole to my cabin.

I plan to install a main panel on the meter pole, feeding a sub panel hung on the side of my cabin.

My question is, what type of wire should I use for the underground run? Also, do I need to ground the sub panel at the cabin as well?

You'll have to use a cable or wires that are rated for wet locations. You'll most likely use Underground Feeder (Type UF) cable, Underground Service-entrance cable (Type USE) , or THWN wires.

You'll have to install a proper grounding electrode at the cabin, and bond the grounding conductor to it.

You'll have a grounding electrode at the pole, where you'll bond the service neutral and the equipment grounding conductor. From there you'll run four wires (two "hots", one neutral, and one ground), and you'll keep the ground and neutral separate.


How can I connect this washing machine outlet to the drain? I have been given a washing machine and I've plumbed in the inlet no problems

The problem I have is that the outlet hose coming from the machine is not compatible with the drainage plumbing in the kitchen.

Here is a picture of the outlet hose and the plumbing under the sink:

I think this type of hose is used when one has a tall, open pipe connected to the drainage. In which the hose is then loosely lowered into. As we can see I have no such pipe nor the space to install one.

My idea is to cut the end attachment off of the hose and connect it to that free connector on the trap via a spigot and nut union (assuming I can find one) and secure it with PTFE-tape and a jubilee clip.

Does this sound reasonable or is there another way?

Edit:
Here is a better view of the setup

No, no, no!

You need to install that tall open pipe. Washing machines do not work correctly without one, and the associated air-gap between the washer drain and the drain-pipe. You'll have a fun time siphoning your washer with the setup you propose.


Do termites stay in the wall? I feel a need to double check this. I found a couple mud tubes going into a wall along with some minor damage to some paneling inside. I removed the paneling, sprayed some termite killer in there and scraped off the mud tubes.

My belief is that termites always return to the nest through those tubes. If I remove the tubes, what happens to those left in the wall that may not have been killed? Do they attempt to return home or do I need to worry about them living in the wall for an extended period of time?

Note that I have put bait traps in the ground and sprayed the wall on the outside, too.

First, let's assume it is subterranean termites...because your post seems to indicate so. The obvious thing I deduce from your desription is that you are not finding termites in those tubes...hence your curiosity about what happens without the tubes. Point 1. Remember that the female worker termites--the one's eating your house--are blind and must have scent trails to find their way back to the colony. Remove those trails and you remove not only their hideaway avenues, you remove trail home for the most part. (But don't let yourself take comfort in that.) Point 2, termites are strictly a colonial organism--no termite exists and lives for itself; so termites living in the wall and dining your house away for their own pleasure is not a concern.

It is dubious at best what the effectiveness of spot application will be in the long run; and not feasible to think that you can get to them inside the wall cavities. Individual animals you see are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg; it's the hordes you never see (until swarm) that bring down a house quite quickly.

In most states if not all there is very little you can do but a start would be to inspect and remove any contact between house wood and soil. Next, moisture encourages infestation and invasion so check for sound roof condition, guttering, and any rain paths to the foundation, mud sill, crawl space, etc. Perimeter tiling or drain piping, or water shed ground sloping, to carry water away from the house is another suggestion.

Ultimately, you will need licensed termite eradication to either inject a barrier or kill the colony with an effective baiting system--most diy systems are not. Barriers work by preventing any temite from getting into the house--because once inside no systemic treatment has been found to be effective. Baiting systems that work, kill the colony by exploiting known termite foraging habits.

One problem with termite infestations--when you see tunnels, or swarms, or specimens (and sometimes ants in large concentration) you know you already have a significant infestation. Another vexing thing about termites is that the longer they have been in your walls, carpet, books and such the faster their rate of destruction... it's never too early to call in the pro's; and time used hoping to avoid the treatment expense by self help is as often as not time spent to the termites'--not your own and not your house's--advantage.


How high can I adjust water pressure in my well tank? I have a well with a pressure tank that supplies household water. I'm replacing the pressure switch because it's old and faulty. I see that pressure switches come in 20/40, 30/50 and 40/60 psi presets. I bought the 40/60 because higher pressure is always nice to have.

My question is, why is 40/60 the highest these switches go? Can I adjust it higher without damaging the pump or tank? For example, as long as I increase the air pressure in the bladder to 48 psi, can I set the switch to 50/70?

It's not a free pass going to higher pressure.

First off, any given pressure tank has a larger drawdown (tidal volume, amount of useful water stored) at 20/40 than any higher setting. Unless you increase the size of, or add additional pressure tanks, at a higher pressure your pump will stop and start more frequently (which is usually considered to be a large factor in how fast it wears out - running longer and starting less is better than running less each time, but starting more.) As you can see from the example chart below, for a given tank, 40/60 is already less than half the volume stored at 20/40.

This version is not quite as bad (they do vary a bit):

You will need to check your tank, but most pressure tanks are good to 100 or 125 PSI (the ones in the upper chart are only 75 though), so that's probably not the limiting factor. You'll need to check what the pressure on your hot water heater's temperature-pressure valve is, but it's probably also fine. My pump supplier suggested (and I installed) a 100PSI overpressure valve on the system as the pipe entered the house.

Many common items (toilet valves, etc) don't really like pressure over 80 PSI (yes, I know you only proposed 70.) 60/80 is about as high as you can expect to adjust most pump control valves to.

It's not the most common situation, but if your well pump is marginal for the depth you may reach a situation where it's cannot reach the higher setpoint as you use water and draw the well level down - so it will sit and spin but not reach the shutoff pressure.

If your system was designed for 20/40, I'd suggest doubling or tripling your tank capacity if going to 40/60, and tripling if going to 50/70. How important that is may be influenced by how deep and inconvenient and expensive your pump will be to change when its time comes. Cheap and easy, maybe you don't bother increasing the tank at all. Expensive and a major hassle - you might consider more tankage a good investment.


Can I put more than 8 cameras on an 8 channel camera system? I purchased a Lorex 8 channel camera security system.  Everything works fine however, I would like to add additional cameras.
Can this be done using a POE switch?  The POE switch comes with 5 ports and 4 additional cameras.  When I look in the manual and on the site it says the device works for LNR Series camera systems.  The manual is very vague on this topic.  A local installer here says you can install but Lorex customer support says you cannot.
I'm not sure who is right in this situation.  If you read online the channel size indicates the number of cameras.  Mine is 8 channels which tells me 8 cameras...but if I use a POE switch can I not just add additional cameras?

Answer is no...I have the same setup as you. I tried adding 9th camera (wireless) It recognizes it but i can only add it if i remove one of the existing cameras so it looks like they put a limit on how many streams it can take and it could be because hardware limitation.


How can I toggle two wall sconces, without also turning off power to receptacles? I'm renting an apartment in a century home and in the living room there is a wall switch that controls 2 wall sconces (both that have independent knobs on them to control the lights), but it also controls two receptacles. As I run a server on one of these receptacles that needs frequent power, I don't use the wall switch at all and just use the knobs on the sconces themselves to toggle the lights. The living room doesn't get any external light from anywhere so sometimes doing so can be an annoyance.

I've been thinking about replacing the wall sconces with ones for medium base bulbs (current ones are chandelier bulbs) that don't have a independent knob/switch and picking up a Philips Hue starter pack so I can just toggle the lights with my iPhone. Would this effect my hydro costs differently at all than the current setup? Also, my wife doesn't have an iPhone so would there be a way for her to control the lights in my proposed setup? I'm familiar with using IFTTT but I don't think linking the lights with a Belkin WeMo Light Switch would work, unless I'm mistaken. Would it be possible to replace the existing wall switch with the Belkin WeMo Light Switch as the receptacles will need frequent power and I just need to control the lights?

Anyone have a similar setup or any advice?

First off, I would get approval from your landlord before making any wiring changes to your apartment. You never know, he might be friendly enough that he would hire an electrician to make the changes you want.

I would first attempt to figure out how the receptacles are wired to the switch. If there is a way to separate them, then I would do that.

If not, then I would bypass the switch and just make everything permanently on. then just use your wireless bulbs and remote app. You should be able to replace the switch with the wireless switch, but make sure it works with your bulbs.


Adding a 110v circuit off 220v spa wiring I have a hot tub installed with 4-wire 50 amp service, with the GFCI 2-pole breaker at the main panel, and a simple non-fused pull disconnect switch subpanel near the hot tub.
I want to split off a 110v line with a 10 amp breaker and receptacle at the subpanel for LED lighting. Is this possible without running more wire from the main panel? Can a branch circuit be placed downline from the GFCI?

Can you come off the 50 amp feed for LED lights, yes. But what you have now is a non fusible disconnect, not a sub panel that can add another breaker for your LED lights. You can not just stick a 15 amp wire for lights under the 50 amp terminal and run your lights. (the wire would melt long before the breaker trips if there was an issue). You will need to take the 50 amp wire into a sub panel instead of the disconnect and then have 2 separate breakers for the hot tub and the lights that will be added.
It depends on your situation whether that is easier to do then running a new 15 amp line for your lights from the existing panel or even coming off another 15 amp circuit elsewhere in the house.


how to insulate very wide fireplace? I want to air-seal my fireplace. The damper is 44" wide, and it's about 4 feet off the floor, not easy to reach. The chimney tapers gradually for several feet after that, a couple inches narrower per tier of brick.

I'd like to install a chimney balloon, but they max out at 38" wide, and they need parallel surfaces to press against. My chimney doesn't have anything fitting those constraints until somewhere near the ceiling.

Update: I won't use the fireplace, but some day I'll sell the house, so any blockage will need to be reversible.

To make the fireplace waste less cooled or warmed air there are several approaches to take.  Each has its own advantages and disadvantages:

Cap the chimney.  This is easy, inexpensive, and solves most airflow inefficiencies as well as most pest problems.  It can be done easily reversibly or more permanently.  It doesn't do anything to improve the aesthetics of the fireplace though.  Photo from here:

Install a direct vent gas fireplace insert.  One of these makes the fireplace a useful heating device which works even with an electrical outage.  To boost air circulation efficiency most have a blower which varies by manufacturer quality from horrible to awesome (of reliability, noise, effectiveness).  It requires installing a gas line and electricity preferably through the side or back of the fireplace though it can come from the front where it is harder to hide.  A fireplace insert with installation ranges from $2,500 to $7,000.  The "direct vent" feature completely prevents airflow from within the room to the outside and the small ducts installed to the chimney top prevent almost all pest problems.  I suppose it is reversible (by uninstalling it) if one wanted to throw wood, paper, champagne glasses into it, but the gas line makes this "not easy".  Photo from here:

Install a glass (or metal) door.  This costs a lot less than an insert and can significantly increase the appeal of the fireplace.  A well-made custom door almost completely prevents airflow, yet you still have the option of a cheery wood burning fire.  From here:


Is my pressure regulator broken? I had an Ar CO2 pressure gauge (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X3XWVYM/) hooked up to a valve that I was using to control the flow of 95:5 Ar:H mixture. After some overflows (i.e., the needle went to max multiple times), I heard a popping sound and now whenever I open the tank of Ar-H, the pressure immediately goes to maximum and I cannot control the flow rate. Does that mean my pressure gauge is broken or the entire regulator is? Thanks!

PS My regulator + gauge is this one: https://www.airgas.com/product/Gas-E...0aAimCEALw_wcB

You have broken it, buy another and get one with a higher maximum so it does not break again.

It has either broken or popped the Bourdon tube or cracked / broken the gearing...


Will plywood between foam board insulation be prone to moisture condensation? I'm currently doing a full house renovation, taking off all the internal drywall and moving a few walls to reshape the layout with a new kitchen and bathroom. I'd also like to update the insulation while the framing is exposed.

Plan

My intention is to fit rigid foam board between the studs and seal the foam board to the studs (unsure exactly how yet, maybe insulation tape) to create an airtight seal, followed by a layer of plywood fixed to the studs to increase structural strength/ shear strength of the house (as we live in Japan - an earthquake zone), followed by another layer of foam board, followed by drywall.

Question

My concern is about condensation forming inside these layers (or anywhere, really). The climate is hot (often 30°C+/ 86°F+) and humid in the summer, while very cold (0°C ~ -10°C/ 32°F ~ 14°F) and snowy in the winter. Winter seems to last about 4 to 5 months, so I'm really want to get in as much insulation as possible.

Can anyone weigh in on the safety of this strategy??

Also, I intend to leave a small gap between drywall and foam board, but is this necessary?

Where in the world do you live? Most earthquake zones are temperate climates in the US. It sounds like your sealing may create more of a problem as you will end up with a double barrier or even 3 if the house is wrapped trapping moisture.
The Pacific Northwest in the US is one of the cooler earthquake zones but also the wettest and this sandwich would setup a great home for mold. The insulation in the walls with an additional layer of plywood would help seal. I think the extra layer of foam is asking for trouble long term.


Why does my heat pump keep triggering the high-pressure cut-off? Our Rheem heat-pump is on the fritz. It keeps triggering the high-pressure cut-off on the outdoor unit.  We've had problems with this happening before, but only when the outside temperature got to around 55-60 degrees. This time, it didn't even reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors all day long.

So now our heater is running constantly rather than shutting off occasionally like it normally does. It's blowing lukewarm air instead of hot air. I tried resetting the system outside. It runs for a while, but the high-pressure warning goes off after about an hour. Is this problem solvable on my own, or do I need to call in a repair man to have a look?

This is a classic sign of low refrigerant. Refrigerant is not a consumable, so low levels indicate a problem. This is not something you can fix yourself. Call a technician, but don't let them just top it off and leave; make them stick around to find the leak.

Since this is a heat pump, the expansion valve is actually a mechanical device and not just a simple orifice like in a regular air conditioner. A failed expansion valve can cause the pressures to be incorrect, mimicking the problem of low refrigerant.


Fixing separated soffit? We got a new roof last summer and I have recently noticed that our soffit has some gaps. The edge is a bigger gap and it extends about 10ft down the roof line until it is back to normal. I assume just ripping some wood, run it long the seem and then caulk it would fix this? Any suggestions?

It looks like your fascia board behind the gutter has pulled loose. Perhaps when the gutter was attached by the screws drawing the fascia board away because the roofer cut the eave flashing too long. This may be a fix they need to do if the installed the gutter and the eave flashing.

By the plumb cut I see on the rake board, it appears the fascia used to set back there, until something pulled it out. If the roofers or gutter guys did that, and they may claim they did not, and it is up to you to fix, the gutter needs to be removed, and set the fascia back in its proper location. This may be easier said than done. It can be reset in place with screws preferably about 2 1/2 to 3" long to insure there is good wood to grab to. There should be original nails to go by to place the screws.

After the fascia is set back, then snip the extension of the metal flashing back flush with the fascia, all the gaps should be closed by now and reset the gutter on the now plumb faced, secure fascia board....


Gurgling pipes after shower After taking a shower and then flushing the toilet, we get gurgling sound in the kitchen sink.

We have had the plumbing snaked which didn't help, kept happening. Then the plumber jetted the entire line and video scoped to make sure the lines were cleaned. The jetting got a lot slag out of the lines but it still gurgles occasionally. The plumber is saying it is because we installed the 1.3 gal flush toilets, although it gurgled before we installed the.

It doesn't make sense to me, I saw the video camera, the pipes are clean, what could cause this?

Help!

The kitchen sink is not vented well enough.

Does the sink have an air admittance valve? It could be clogged.

Otherwise it is just poor venting design. My bathroom sink does the same thing every time the dishwasher dumps.

It is not a major issue as long as you use the sink frequently it will refill the trap with water.

Good luck!


How to strip sheath off outdoor cable? I am looking for a way to remove the protective sheath from a length of multicore mains electrical cable. It's rated for outdoor use and is VERY strong. Without butchering my fingers; trying to fine cut it with a utility knife and without cutting into the hot wire insulation (and exposing the bare copper) in the process. I've already made 4 such errors and inflicted 2 knife cuts.

I've usually had good luck with a decent quality wire stripper with NM sheathing cutters.  After you clamp down on the cable you just have to pull a lot harder than on NM to break the last bits of sheathing that go around the ground.  I have something similar to this:

Image from Home Depot, does not constitute a recommendation for the vendor, the manufacturer, or the model pictured.


polystyrene insulation over dryloc basement walls I am a DIY beginner.  If I am installing polystyrene over drylocked basement walls, do I need a vapor barrier?  Do I put the studs on top of the polystyrene?  So, from exterior to interior it would be: basement wall, then dryloc, then polystyrene, then studs?

From a building science perspective, the polystyrene itself is a suitable vapor barrier, if you seal the seams and edges appropriately.


Heat dissipating materials for a wall that gets very hot? The exterior wall adjoining one of our rooms gets a lot of sunlight in summer, and I suspect heats up the room a lot, as the exterior wall continues to radiate heat well after sunset during peak sunlight hours.

What kinds of materials could be used as a cladding (preferably decorative) to dissipate or disperse heat and cool down the adjoining room?

Since it's a "Heat in summer" problem, a traditional decorative and edible approach would be to train/trellis a plant or plants in front of the wall - grapes, vining tomatoes, espaliered fruit trees, perhaps even a fig depending on your climate - or purely decorative things like climbing roses, wisteria, or ivy - but ivy can be surprisingly aggressive, so research carefully.

This can be especially useful to grow things that might be a bit marginal in your climate and could stand some more warmth.


Tips and advice for repairing front yard stairs cheaply? The front yard concrete stairs at the place we're looking to buy are in need of eventual repair.  Some of the steps are different sizes creating a trip hazard.  In addition, some of them have large cracks.

Is there an easy way to repair them short of completely demolishing them? I'm wondering if it would be possible to "encase" the old stairs in new concrete; thus creating a new frame with more consistent sized steps.  Can that be done? Or is there perhaps another way to tackle it? I'm not a fan of demolishing the whole thing and starting over.

I am not a mason, but my guess is this will be difficult to do it well. My advice is even more suspect since I cannot see the stairs themselves and the extent of the problem.

A thin veneer over some faces and a thick one in other places will chip and crack, especially if water ever gets in and freezes. But the major problem is the existing cracks. Those cracks may come from settling/frost heaves, etc. That will leave this new layer prone to the same problem. In order to prevent this, the new layer would need to be reinforced to strengthen it, and it would need to be thick enough to be able to resist cracking when one half of the stairs tries to move.

Do these stairs rest on bare ground? Or do they have a proper foundation underneath to avoid frost heaves? My guess is the cracking suggests they are moving around with the weather.

A poor fix that fails in a couple of years is worse than doing it right the first time.

The best solution probably is to remove them and put new stairs in.


What Wire Size & Type for Lennox Split-System AC? I'm having a 2-ton Lennox Split-System AC Model XC25-024-230-2 installed next week and would like to make sure I'm installing the electrical service correctly.

SPECS ON UNIT

Voltage: 208/230V-1ph-60hz
Maximum Overcurrent Protection: 25A
Minimum Circuit Ampacity: 14.9A
Distance from panel: approx 100 ft

ELECTRICAL INSTALL?

Square D QO 25 Amp Two-Pole Circuit Breaker (HACR rated)
12-2 Solid CU UF-B W/G Cable
Square D 60A (non-fused) Disconnect at unit

THANKS!

Their specification of 12 AWG wire would be fine if the run was a lot shorter, and if you never foresaw upgrading to a bigger unit.

It squeaks under the 16A limit for continuous loads on a 20A circuit.

As such, I would use 10 AWG copper wire, as it is the industry standard for runs to an outside compressor unit (i.e. A bigger unit), and it will assure your electricity dollar goes to run the compressor rather than heating up 12 AWG wire.

I would then use a 20A circuit breaker.   A 30A would be allowed on 10 AWG wire, however the instructions prohibit this and seem to advise a 20A or at maximum a 25A breaker.   Listing, labeling and instructions must be followed; the electrical code requires this.


How do I choose between ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms? I need to change my smoke detectors but I don't know how to choose between ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms. I guess that there are pros and cons to choose one or the other. Should I buy a combination detector that uses both methods?

One consideration is where it's going to be installed.

The issue being that some places are more likely to have them go off when they shouldn't.

Ionizing can be affected by steam, so has problems if installed right outside a bathroom.  They also don't work too well if mounted near moving air (forced air systems, ceiling fans, etc.)

Photoelectric are set off by lots of dust, so workshops, laundry rooms (lint) and the like are problem areas for them.

They both have problems in kitchens.

Where you can, you should use combination alarms, but you can also use a mix of types to achieve the same effect, while avoiding areas that might cause them to go off when they shouldn't.


How can I add a "C" common wire to this system? I would like to add a "C" / Common wire hookup to my hvac system and get a fancy new thermostat. I've read How can I add a "C" wire to my thermostat? and still have some questions.

First of all, I have an Apollo Hydroheat system. Unusual system I gather. My house has two zones (upstairs and downstairs), both thermostats are connected the same way with four wires:

R - Red, G - Green, Y - Yellow, W - White

Luckily for me, the cable connecting the hvac to the thermostat has unused wires (orange, brown, blue, etc), so I shouldn't need to actually run any new cables.

I found an installation manual for an Apollo Hydronic air handler that has a wiring diagram. The PDF of the Apollo installation manual is here and the wiring diagram is on page 8.

Any thoughts as to whether or not it would be easy to add a live "C" wire? Do I need an external transformer? Can I literally just get a transformer, plug it into a wall outlet, and connect the "C" wire to that?

In the wiring diagram in the PDF you linked, the BR (brown) wire connected to the secondary side of the transformer would be your "C" wire.   It connects inside the cabinet to the pump and fan relays, and comes out of the cabinet to the A/C condensor control (along with the "Y" wire from the thermostat).

This post on RadioThermostat's forum discusses a similar issues (no affiliation, except I have one of their thermostats).


Will tripled 18' 2x10 beams carry a tractor over a stream? I have to build a bridge across a creek on my property.  The creek banks are 3 feet above the creek and 14 feet wide.  I need to be able to get a 2500 pound tractor over it.  I was planning on bolting together three 2x10-18' to form a beam and then construct 4 of them.  The bridge will be 5 feet wide and decked with 2x10s also.  Will this construction hold the tractor?  I tend over engineer and don't have an issue with this construction will work and is overkill.

I just ran some structural checks and everything passes if you use Douglas Fir #1 planks for the deck. Anything lower quality will not work structurally.

Beams are fine as is, just make sure they're bolted/screwed together well. Also, make sure that the wheels on either side are centered between the two beams. Don't drive it directly over a single beam. This way each beam is taking 1/4 of the weight. You do not have something that's "over engineered", it's close.

Regarding the soil, the further away you can get from the soil drop off the better. If you can get 20' long beams, do it. I also recommend placing a continuous 2x10 under the end of the beams to act as your foundation, otherwise you may rip up the soil there.


How to widen a chain link I'm trying raise a swing. A chain is attached to both sides of the swing seat and the topmost links are wider than the others to allow a carabiner to be used to attach the swing to the pole overhead. How could I go about widening one of the lower links so I could raise the swing?

I tried sticking needle-nose pliers through the links and pulling the handles apart, but there wasn't enough leverage to bend them.

Instead of trying to stretch the link, could you use an anchor shackle?

The one in the image above is rated for 2000lbs.


How to best reconfigure this plumbing for cabinet replacement My wife and I are fixing up our current house so we can put it on the market.  We are replacing all the kitchen cabinets and the plumbing under the sink is right out of a Dr. Seuss book:

So, there are two 1/2 supply lines coming out of the floor.  The first tees go back in to the floor to supply a wet bar in the adjacent room.  I believe that the drain lines both take a left turn inside the wall and tie in with a larger pipe that goes through the slab and under the house.  The upper drain was for the dishwasher, the lower for a double sink with garbage disposal.

What is the most efficient plan that will undo this mess and allow easy installation of the new cabinet.  One thought I had was to simply cut the 1/2" and 3/8" lines as high above the slab as possible and then install shutoffs on the 1/2" lines. Or would it be better to simply cap them, install the cabinet and then do all the supply plumbing after?

For the drains, would it be best to abandon the separate dishwasher drain and just run it into the garbage disposal?  If we go with a single basin sink, and  the wye is practically inside the wall would it be better to cut it off add a straight coupling and a straight stub piece?  I will most likely need to remove/replace the drywall around the drains so I will have access to the drain piping in the wall.

If that was my house, I would end up jackhammering up all of the copper supply lines coming out of the slab, or capping them off and abandoning them. Copper supply lines can develop pinholes over time if directly exposed to concrete and create a leak inside of the slab. Leaks like this are not always discovered quickly, and the repairs can be costly. There could actually be a leak now without even knowing about it. Sometimes the only way to tell is that the water bill suddenly becomes much higher than usual. Depending on your locale, direct bury of copper supply lines is also against code.

It appears that all of this work was not originally done by a licensed plumber. A licensed plumber would not have split off the supply from the main sink for the bar sink. They also would not be allowed to install saddle valves. There appears to be 4 in total. I am not sure what they are going to. I am guessing one is for the refrigerator, or a reverse osmosis system, but I am not sure. The drain is also running uphill which would cause the sink to become clogged on a regular basis. There is evidence of a leak there because the wall is stained and has mold on it.

The first thing to do is to shut the water off to that entire area. Find where the supply originally goes into the slab, and then shut the water off there. If no shutoff exists, then you will need to install one. Cut the pipe off and either cap it, or break open the slab where the pipe is and remove it.

Since you have a slab, I would recommend running the new supply lines above the ceiling and down the wall. Since the supply is going to be on an outside wall, I recommend using PEX instead of copper due to the freeze risk. Instead of branching off of those supplies, I recommend running separate supplies for the bar sink, fridge, dishwasher, refrigerator, etc.

The next step would be to address the drain. Remove the drywall immediately surrounding the drain. You want to expose the stack in the wall and make sure that it is vented. The drain for the dishwasher is not in line with the sink drain, so I am not sure what is going on inside of the wall. Assuming that it is all one drain, cut the stack right above the bottom wye, and above the upper wye and remove the piece. Install a new wye and use a piece of pipe and a coupler to reconnect the vent to the stack. When doing this, you want to check the height of the inlet to make sure that it is in the correct position for the rest of the plumbing. You don't want it so high that there will be water in the bottom of your sink, and you wouldn't want it so low that you could not install the trap without it hitting the bottom of the cabinet. Once that is in place, then you can install the trap adapter to the wye. The adapter has a compression fitting and allows you to completely unhook the trap for cleaning. You would not want to glue it in like it is now.

You can run the drain directly into the garbage disposal. In order to prevent the sink from backing up into the dishwasher, you can attach the middle of the line directly under your countertop. This is often called a high loop. The water from the sink will partially go down the line, but stop before it siphons into the dishwasher.

The rest of the plumbing would be done after the cabinets and sink has been installed. Before the rest of the plumbing is installed, you will want to block off the drain with a test plug, or a rag. If you use a rag, be careful to not allow it to fall down the drain. It would be nearly impossible to retrieve it.


What do I need to know when buying fuse for 3-pin plug? I just learned that lots of fuse in 3-pin plug of an electrical equipment are actually are blindly fitted and rarely correspond to the correct amperage rating of the electrical equipment, for example most of these fuses are rated 13A when your electrical equipment only pull 3A at most.

I'm getting these fuses replaced with ones of the correct ampere rating. What do I need to know besides ampere rating on those fuses must be equal or slightly higher than what my electrical equipments use?

The standard fuses supplied with these plugs are normally rated at the circuit capacity of the supply outlet and associated wiring. They blow when the current exceeds that of the circuit and the current rating of the plug itself and the connected wiring.

Your idea to replace these with a current reading closer to the load rating is a good idea if the plug and cord is directly attached to the appliance or fixture load. If the plug and cord is part of an "extension cord" or "outlet strip" it may be more appropriate to set the amperage reading of the fuse closer to the rating of the plug / cord / outlet strip.

For a direct attached load only a general guideline can be given for the fuse rating. Certainly the current load listed on the name plate of the device is a very good starting place. But if the load is a motor or other inductive type load the startup current surge can be much higher than the listed running current level. This needs to be taken into account for fuse selection.

A final comment is that it would always be a good idea to leave some margin between fuse rating and running current. Fuses used at their rated level or more can age and eventually fail before expected.


Refrigerator ice maker not working known/unknowns Whirlpool refrigerator with ice maker and door dispenser. The refrigerator makes ice, but the dispenser is not working. I took the front assembly off and confirmed that the switch is good with a multimeter.

This leaves me with:

The motor is bad
or the circuit board is bad

Is there any other mechanism that could be involved that I am not aware of?

I don't think there's anything else it you could check. But, if it's a slide-out unit you can jiggle, push, pull & twist it to see if it just came a little loose & has a bad connection. Ice overflows or overfills can jockey them around to inoperability.

Also, check the manual of course. If you can uninstall & reinstall, you may find unplugging (turning off the circuit breaker, if known) the fridge for this operation & then plugging it back it clears any fault & gets it working again. In that case it may be a temporary fault or a first fault in the motor going bad & drawing too much power or not working at all. If the "reset" works, then you'll have to wait for it to fail again & it may not.


3 season room vent and insulation questions I am building a unheated 3 season room  in northern Wisconsin. I have insulated the floor with rigid foam blueboard. I plan on insulating the ceiling and walls as well. I have a 4/12 pitch gable roof extending from existing wall and a hip on other side. I am unsure of venting With a steel roof will the ridge vent be enough? do I need to vent the hip ridges or will snow and ice get in? I have 6 inch rafters and planed on 3.5 inches of insulation to allow air flow along with vent holes from hip section to gable area. Will this work?

When you say, “metal roofing”, you mean metal roofing on moisture barrier on wood sheathing, right? (It’s not just metal roofing on joists, right?)

When someone tells me that they are building a three season space, I think it’s for use most of the time, but not the extreme conditions. Yes, having insulation in the walls and ceiling is preferred for the quality of the environment in the space. The more insulation, the more seasons the space can be used.

No, just a ridge vent is not enough. The Code requires a 1” air vent space between the insulation and the roof sheathing AND cross-ventilation is required. The Code requires 1/150th the square feet of the attic space to be vents, unless 40% - 50% of a he area is within 3’ of the ridge. (Your table vents would qualify.) Then you just need 1/300th square feet of attic space for venting.

In greenhouses we’ll often use just fans to exhaust air to control temperature, and no insulation. But that can be noisy.


Are these walls around the closet load-bearing? we just recently purchased a house and wanted to see if I can knock out the walls around the closet to put in built-in shelving. Do you think these are load bearing?

I do not think those are bearing walls. The nearby shear walls are more likely to be such, but modern roof systems don't usually bear on interior walls like those anyway.
Do I know they're not load bearing? Nope. Look in your attic. If you're taking them out you'll be in there anyway.


Can I still use a burnt plug? My washing machine plug is burnt due to overheat socket. The plastic shield has melted and I am wondering whether this plug can still be used (on a different socket).

It should be replaced.
Electrically it will work but mechanically the sharp edges exposed by the burnt off plastic insulation could damage the new socket. Also the missing insulation makes it less safe.


Reason to Add A Soffit to a Shower Other than aesthetics, is there any practical reason to add a soffit to an existing shower as we retile? There is a single recessed light above the shower and there is a combination light/vent fan in the center of the bathroom. It's a pretty small bathroom. I had a contractor suggest that the venting would be better by adding the soffit as it would allow the vent to better pull the steam up from the lower section of the shower. Is there any truth to that?

I think you would want the shower ceiling to be the same height as the rest of the bathroom especially with 8 ft ceilings.  An average height man with raised arms would touch a 7 ft ceiling. Who wants that? Everybody wants higher ceilings  rather than lower.

The only possible benefits of a 7 ft ceiling might be to better confine water vapor and mist to the inside the shower enclosure during showering and to reduce the amount of tiling if the tiling goes to the ceiling, but I don't think this is enough benefit to balance the cramped feeling of a lowered ceiling in the shower.


How can I audit my furnace? I want to keep track of when my furnace is on, with an eye to reducing how much energy I use to heat my house.

I could compare it with weather data (temperature, wind speed, precipitation).

I could see what it saves to turn the heat down when we're out.

I could tell my kids exactly how much it costs when they leave the front door open.

I have an ancient oil-fired steam boiler with a "tankless" hot water heater.  I built an Arduino-based board that connects in parallel to the thermostat wires at the furnace.  It uses a MID400 AC optocoupler to detect when the thermostat is calling for heat (24VAC when not calling for heat, 0VAC when it is), and then sends that to a computer via an XBee module.

From that you can keep track of how long the furnace runs.  It's a very simple system with several shortcomings: It doesn't make a distinction between when the main zone of the house is calling for heat vs when hot water is called for, and can't tell when heat's being called for, but it can tell you when the low water or high temperature cut-outs have kicked in.

Not perfect, but it should give you some idea of your energy consumption.


Furnace blower sometimes won't come on I have a gas-powered forced air furnace. The last time I had a repair man look at it, he said it's 30 years old, so it's getting harder to find replacement parts.
It recently developed an intermittent problem. When the thermostat switches on the heat, I can hear something turning (presumably the induced draft fan). Normally, the blower fan would start soon after that (a few seconds, sometimes as long as a minute) - but recently, it gets into a state where the blower won't come on at all, no matter how long I wait. I can make it work again by turning off power to the furnace for a few minutes, then turning it back on. But doing that several times a day all through the winter is not really practical.
Normally, I'd just hire a pro to fix it. But at this time of year, all the HVAC companies have a weeks-long backlog, so if it's something relatively simple, I'd prefer to do it myself. Any pointers on how I can diagnose this?

The normal startup should be a sequence like this:

inducer fan comes on
pressure switch verifies fan operation and flue non-obstruction
hot surface igniter comes on
gas valve opens
gas ignites
flame-proving sensor confirms ignition
blower motor turns on
pressure switch, flame proving sensor, and high-limit temperature switches continue monitoring for abnormal conditions that could develop during operation

All of those things are prone to failure: fans wear out, pressure switches wear out or connecting tubing develops leaks, igniters fail, flame-proving sensors get dirty.
You'll have to create a call for heat and observe how far into the sequence the furnace goes. If the inducer fan comes on and nothing more happens that's a sign there's something truly wrong with the flue or there's something wrong with the pressure sensing. If you hear a click and light hiss (gas valve opening) but never see the igniter glow then the igniter has failed (unlikely: igniter failure is usually permanent, not intermittent). If the gas ignites but then shuts off after a moment, and the controls possibly run through the ignition cycle again, then the flame sensing mechanism isn't working.


Can I add a lean-to to a large shed? Is adding a large lean-to roof for a large shed going to exceed the limits for the IBC definition of a shed?  The shed (details below) is already at the IBC limits for shed area and height.

The lean-to would be along the long edge of the shed and be approximately 33.5 x 12 feet, no higher than 9.5', with a pitch of 2/12 to 3/12.  Posts would support it on the low side.

The shed has a footprint of 28.5 x 14' (399sf).  The eave height is 9.5' (IBC definition of shed as I understand it),  The shed also has 3' overhangs on all sizes and a dual slope roof (7/12 and 10/3) that results in a total height of about 20'.  The projection of the roof is currently 33.5 x 20.

If (as I infer) you are in an area where an "IBC Shed" is not requiring a permit, and larger things are, you either need to separate the  new space (so you have two "sheds" that are not actually connected) or you need to pull a permit; unless your area restricts you to one "shed" and then you're simply going to have to pull a permit.

If memory serves, the IBC definition is based on "projected roof area" of the "shed" - so two conjoined maximum-sized  "sheds" are no longer a "shed."


How can I find a fault causing loss of internet signal on mains I have a powerline system which was working well then suddenly stopped. The signal will travel well between 2 or 3 or 4 outlets out of 14 then drops to next to nothing. At the time of failing nothing was being changed or added.

Is there any way to trouble shoot this? (myself or a professional)

I've isolated all but one ring at a time, unplugged every appliance, all appliances still work, all sockets work - all without success.

I've bought new adapters and they behave just like the previous ones - OK in the right sockets, no signal in others so I don't think it's a 'technical' problem.

I'm not aware of of any end-user targeted troubleshooting tools for powerline network issues. I have personally used an oscilloscope in the past to identify the source of interference.

Are your breakers AFCI? Those are known to cause problems with powerline adapters, and there isn't a great solution for that.


How do I fill a gap between my hearth and the hardwood frame around it? What type of caulk or sealant should I use to fill a space on my fireplace hearth between the slate & the wood frame that surrounds it. The hardwood floor was refinished, but the wood framing around the fireplace hearth needed to be replaced. Afterwards, there was a gap between the new oak wood frame and the slate hearth.  The hearth seems to have some kind of concrete or bonding material holding the slate pieces together.

Buy a small bag of concrete floor patch: it mixes like pancake batter and sets a light gray. This is what you fill that gap with. It gets hard as concrete and will adhere to the existing stone. If you don't want it to stick to the wood then mask off the wood before. It also helps to protect the top of the wood with masking tape. If you need more of a curb effect form at the edge of the hardwood with the propped height wood strip and remove when patch is dry. I have a picture of something like it:


How to hang heavy mirror I need to hang a pretty heavy mirror over 50lbs but I do not have a stud. The wall is drywall. I wanted to use Hillman 122310 Brass Conventional Picture Hangers, but the instructions on the back say the 100lb weight support is only if you hit a stud.
Can someone tell me what works well for a heavy mirror that does not have a wire on the back of it. It basically has two circles on the back framed so that a high or screw can be placed into it.
Do I need a stud 100% or can I go right to drywall only?

Hillman makes a "no stud" picture/mirror hanger that supposed to be good for 200 lbs for 1/2" or 5/8" drywall. (see below). I've used them for very heavy mirrors when studs were not available at the exact location I needed to hang them. You'd need two, one for each "circle" on the frame.


Connecting 3 wire cooktop to home 3 wire 240v My house's 240v circuit for the cooktop is a /2 cable. (black, white and bare copper). The new whirlpool cooktop has a 3 wire connection (black,red and bare copper). Whirlpool's instructions do not cover this wiring example. Their 3 wire to 3 wire example assumes you have a red wire from the house. Is there an easy path to wiring up the cooktop?

If that is indeed a 240V circuit, the white wire kinda shoulda been re-marked with tape to indicate that it is a hot wire.  Prior to about 20 years ago, they were allowed to skip the marking "if the usage was obvious".  The reason for the change is that their "obvious" is not your "obvious".
If you are confident that it is indeed 240V, remark that white wire with black or colored electrical tape.  (red is perfectly fine).

Code does not require you to mark different kinds of hot by their function... any hot can be any color not reserved for other things. *
White and gray are reserved for neutral.
Green, yellow w/green stripe, and bare are reserved for safety ground.
* with an extremely obscure exception relating to 3-phase power, that isn't even worth mentioning.


Why aren't my three-way switches working? I've searched on this site and many others, and have not been able to discover a solution. I was wondering if you guys could help me out.

I have 2 3-way switches in my hallway that control a set of two lights. It used to work perfectly. However, recently one switch would only work when the other was in a specific direction (i.e. they weren't toggling as normal). So I changed both switches, assuming one of them had gone bad, attaching the wires exactly as they were before. Same problem.

Looking into the problem a little further, I broke out my voltage tester and discovered that the hot wire was hooked up to the common on the first switch. But, the second switch wouldn't get power unless the first switch was in on position. The travelers on the first switch seemed set up normally - one was on when the switch was in one position, and they would switch when I switch the switch position. However, the other switch only got power when they were in one position, and the lights wouldn't turn on unless the second switch was on.
To further complicate matters, all the wires are black. There are no red wires, and all the whites are wire-nutted in the back. Additionally, the hot wire coming in to the first switch is wire-nutted together with another black wire, which brings power to another light fixture in the house.

Thoughts? I can't figure it out.

This sounds like one of the traveler wires failed open.  To troubleshoot:

Turn the circuit off, of course!
Take a continuity tester, and attach a long piece of wire (as long as the stairs) to one of the probes.
Attach the other end of the long piece of wire to one of the travelers (black wires) at the upstairs box.
Probe the black wires in the downstairs box with your continuity tester -- one of them should have continuity.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the other traveler in the upstairs box.

Once you verify that it's a broken traveler...you can either:

Reuse an intact white wire between the two switches as a traveler by disconnecting it from the neutral junctions at both ends and rewire it in place of the faulty traveler and tagging it black or red with paint or tape at both ends.
If you don't have two white wires running between the two switch boxes, or if your wiring is in conduit, you'll have to pull new wire for the traveler -- either a new wire through the conduit after fishing out the broken traveler, or a /3 cable of the same type and gauge as the existing cables if there simply isn't a wire to repurpose.


What is the best position to put my Air Conditioner? I have a problem. I have no idea where I should put the air conditioner to maximize it's effect. Here's a floor plan:

I'd love if the AC could cool down the whole floor, but that's not going to be possible because there isn't gonna be enough air flow (I think). What's a good position to put it into?

This question is primarily opinion-based, since the answer depends on what makes you most comfortable.

As a person never short on opinions, I suggest this:

Put the AC in the window at (1) and leave the doors to the master bedroom and the kitchen open. Purchase an inexpensive pedestal fan like this:

and place it at (2) blowing in the direction of the arrow. Adjust the pedestal to its minimum height so the fan blows mostly through the lower half of the open door.

At night or on cool days turn off the fan and close the door.

EDIT: You could also put the AC at the other end of the house, with the fan blowing toward the master bedroom. Which is better depends on whether you need the cooling more during the times when you would be using the kitchen, or during the times when you would be using the master bedroom.

Where I live, in the late summer it remains too hot at night to sleep comfortably. Hence I would put the AC in the bedroom.


How do you build a portable lightweight frame for trees? I have fruit trees that vary in size that need frost protection in the winter and bird protection in the summer. I have been hanging frost cloth and bird netting over the trees using the branches as support. That is not always effective for various reasons and so I want to build some frames that will stand over the trees over which I can drape the frost cloth or bird netting.

The structure/frame does not need to be more than 8 feet tall and around 4 to 5 feet wide.

What materials would be best to create this and how would I assemble it?

Additional considerations:

Location: Phoenix, AZ
The frames need to be portable and can't be fixed in the ground.
Would be amazing if the height and width could be adjusted but I feel that this is an elaborate and non-essential requirement.
Need to be able to "stake" the frame during monsoon season.

PVC pipe might be a fairly cheap option.  Though exposure to UV will reduce its impact resistance over time, so you might have to replace parts over the years.

If you dry fit the fittings, you can assemble/disassemble as needed. Which would reduce the space required for storage, and increase portability.

You might have to use sandbags or stakes to keep them in place, if it's windy in your area.


Can I remove / rework studs to access crawl space/storage underneath stairs? I would like to use the space underneath my stairs for extra storage. When I opened the wall, I noticed the 3 studs are spaced 13 inches apart and I can't squeeze myself through. Is there a way I can (partially) remove one of these studs to create an access hole? I do believe it is a load bearing wall, so I know I have to be careful here.

I managed to squeeze through and  take photos inside the crawl space. So as you can see 2 visible studs that pretty much measure all the way up to the top the second floor the 3rd stud all the way to the right is a lot shorter and is nailed to the side frame of the stairs. I'm wondering if this would be a much safer stud to take out then the other two but is this holding up my stairs? Now All the way to my left is the Plumbing for my laundry room upstairs  which I really don't want to move or mess with and then there is studs for the bathroom, approximately right where my toilet is. Keep in mind there is a bathroom that takes up most of under the stairwell. I just wanted to utilize  the most amount of space I have left.

Here are the other two photos I forgot to include

The normal approach is to support the floor above with a temporary wall, cut out the offending studs, and add a load-bearing header spanning the new opening and resting on trimmer studs.

If you're careful you can slide the new header into the wall cavity above the new opening without totally removing drywall to the top of the header. Using a reciprocating saw, cut the studs off where the top of the new header will be by plunging through the drywall. This leaves you with a few short slits to repair, rather than having to patch in sheets of drywall.


Buying 110V power tools for my father in law to take back to 220v Russia My wife's mom and dad are here from Russia.  We'd like to buy him a dremel tool, a cordless drill, and a 1/4 sheet palm sander for his birthday to take back.  I know the cordless drill is not a problem for a converter since it's a battery charger.  The dremel tool probably is not either.  But what about the 1/4 sheet palm sander.  Is there any way to convert the tools once he gets there?  I'm looking for the most sensible and durable way.

Also, he's kind of stubborn and there's really no way to give a "gift coupon" to take to Russia.  It doesn't really work that way over there :)  And as said, he'd be too stubborn to use it.  Thanks.

This seems like a really bad idea.

First, you can't just ignore the voltage difference problem. The battery charger might have a chance of working natively or with an adapter (read its labeling) - but that's a hokey way to hook it up.  The Dremel is probably beyond the ability of cheap Chinese power adapters, not least because it's a motor and I seriously doubt that overpriced $23 thing with 50 cents of electronics inside it actually does VFD.

It's generally a fool's errand to try to convert tools from one voltage/frequency to another.  If you want that, then get Euro or UK tools that are 230V/50 Hz.

Further, there's the matter of plugs.  USA stuff will not plug into Russian outlets, nor should it.  Russia uses the Europlug (ungrounded) or Schuko (grounded).  This is the same as almost all of mainland Europe.  So order your father-in-law European appliances if you must.

Lastly, tools are personal. You select the tool you like, and then you adapt to it and love it.  It's a thing you've got to do.

Parents don't just use stuff you give them because you gave them. You know perfectly well this is the best you can hope for.  90% of the time it goes on the shelf or in the trash. Given that you'll be giving tools of incompatible voltage, and incompatible plugs, this is 100% guaranteed in this case.   If you want to do a gesture like this, either recognize it for the foolhardy, empty gesture it is and hope your FiL will feel the love... or get serious and obtain Euro appliances.  Or better yet, sort out the barriers to giving a gift card at your FIL's favorite tool shop.


Non-oily rust proofing? I have a bandsaw that set me back a bit and that I would like to take good care of.

Rust forms quite easily on the cast iron table. In attempting to remove rust from the table, I followed an old husbands' tale about use a potato slice to scrub the surface. I foolishly left the potato to sit and lo, 20 minutes later my table was even more rusted than before! I manage to polish most of that out, with the help of bicarb and a typical scotchbrite-type sponge.

I now have two options:

Buff the surface with another power tool, regularly (coastal environment here).
Find a way to seal the surface without making it too oily to work wood on.

What's the common/typical way to handle this problem? Is there a treatment that leaves a glassy finish and protects against rust?

For most woodworking tools, there is no particular need or benefit from a "glassy" or totally-rust-free surface. A moderate case of smooth, tight, non-flaky rust is immaterial to the function. I put paste wax on (bowling-alley wax - unlike most floor waxes it does not have abrasives in it - you also want to avoid silicones or you may have finishing problems on your wood products) but until you reach the point of rust-stains on the wood or something like that, a bit of rust is not an issue. If only you'd bought yours used, someone else could have gotten the new off it for you and spared you the agony of seeing it become a tool in use, rather than a shiny thing that hasn't been used.

Most of the tools that get moderate use have a tight blackish layer - not shiny silver, not rusty orange.


What are the signs of a failing tank water heater? This may seem like a no brainer question, but I wanted to know what are the signs of a hot water tank going bad? I have one in my home that is 20 years old, that runs on gas. I still get hot water, but every now and then in the morning the shower will only get lukewarm.

Now my hot water heater is located on the first floor, and almost ALWAYS I have to run my kitchen faucet on hot for about 3-4 minutes before it starts to get warm, however my dishwasher has scolding hot water (but my guess is, that it is the heating element inside the dishwasher heating up the water)?

There are a few signs of a tank which is about to fail. Unfortunately, how long until failure is not so easy to determine.

Leaks

Leaks are perhaps the most obvious, although maybe not the easiest to spot since the water may be dried up. Check the seam of the side of the tank, as well as on the top and bottom. Look for rust, or actively dripping water. Check the pan under the tank, if installed, for signs of water, especially water that has dried.

Full of sediment

If you hear popping or gurgling when the heater is on, that could be a sign that the tank is filling up with (or already full of) sediment. If you don't get as much hot water as you used to, that can also be a sign.

Check the anode rod

Tanked water heaters come with 1 or more anode rods, which protect the heater by dissolving before the tank itself does. Because the metal tank is in contact with water, it begins to dissolve; the anode rod prevents that essentially by dissolving first. This is the cause of some of the sediment build up in the tank (the rest being from the minerals in the water, or from the pipes themselves). If you check your anode rod and it's completely dissolved, you'll need to replace the tank soon as it has already started to corrode; if it's not completely dissolved, you could replace the anode rod and extend the life of the tank.

The water isn't (as) hot anymore

If it's not heating the water (as well as it used to) anymore, you'll need a new water heater, or at least repairs to your existing one.

Water not always being as hot, or needing to run it longer before it runs hot, may not always indicate a failing heater, though. Those things may be affected by the ambient temperature, how well the pipes are insulated, how far from the heater the fixture is, debris in valves or fixtures, etc. If it is a constant problem, that's more likely to indicate a problem with the heater, but if it only happens sometimes, I'd try to rule out other correlations first.

It hasn't failed, but is an energy hog

It may be more energy efficient to replace the water heater even before it has failed, although that depends on the efficiency of your current heater, energy prices, etc. You'd want to run some calculations to see if this is a reasonable option.


Very effective sound-proof room In my new apartment, I plan to very well isolate a room (phonetically).
This is for general purpose ; to play music as well as gaming, watching films, or why not, just shouting out loud. You get the idea: just a room where we can really make noise.

I searched the internet and found some hints but people are often looking for very particular use (usually battery, stuff like that) or are just looking to globally isolate their apartment a bit.
I, however, am looking for a all-purpose, very strong isolation in a limited space (room).

The room is square 3x3m and 2.5m height ( ~10x10ft and 8ft ), all walls made of concrete (vibrated I believe).

There is, I think, 4 possible exit for sound:

A window to outdoor (that will be double glazed)
A door to indoor (that, also will be fixed)
A heater whom pipe is going trough the concrete wall to another room's heater pipe, going up and down to the neighbors
And finally, the walls, floor and ceiling themselves.

Question is: How to make a powerful isolation  ?

I gathered few tips from internet:

a floor installed on silent-blocks or even tennis balls
convoluted foam for the walls
double BA13 (plasterboard) for the walls
Or both ?? (I have no idea if this make sense)
..

But I can't make anything really clear out of my mind.
I am also willing to buy a decibel meter, but I'm not really sure what to measure exactly.

I used sand on my floors. I'm a drummer and this really helps.


Will I cause problem/cracks with jumping exercise in upper floor? Every day I am doing my martial art practice in upper floor. It contains jumping and power movements which cause sounds downstairs.

Is there any problem for concrete by this continuous jerking practice. If so please advise alternate solution. I have no place to practice on the lower floor.

You shouldn't be able to damage a concrete floor by jumping up and down on it.

There will be sound transmission (as you've noticed) and there might be some movement in the floor if it's not properly tied into the walls. This would be more likely with a wooden floor supported by joists as there is more natural movement in wood than concrete.

If there is movement this could cause the ceiling in the room below to show cracks in the plaster (assuming it is plastered) but these aren't structural and shouldn't worry you unduly. If cracks do appear then monitor them to see if they are growing or not. If they don't change length or width then you'll be able to fill them in and repaint. If they do change length or width then it could indicated that there is something amiss - usually something is loose, but this is unlikely with a concrete floor.


Tinting ValSpar Light Base Paint I am building my new house and at the painting stage.  I found a good deal on Light Base Valspar paint, and picked up enough to finish the house.

I had the interior tinted at my local hardware store no problem, because the interior is light beige.
For the exterior, I'd like to see my options, especially how dark it is reasonable to turn a Light Base towards brown.
When I search for tinting Valspar, I only find color choices, not recipes for a single paint base.
Does anyone know of a color wheel or options that would apply to Light Base Valspar?
Thanks kindly in advance.

I worked in the paint department at Home Depot ( I know Valspar is a Lowe's product... ) and I've never seen any chart or color deck or anything that showed colors and the bases needed for that color.  The computer tells you the base when you look up the formula, but that's the only place its seen.  You can go to a paint store and ask them to look up several brown shades to see what base they require.  Based on a few look-ups, you should be able to find the rough transition from light base to medium base.

The light bases can't be tinted very much, so a tan color is the best you're going to get.  Some people will assume that it's because of how much colorant you can fit in the can, but the truth is that the light base already has a lot of white color in it already.  Because there is so much white to begin with, a white-based color is all you can make.  The medium and dark tint bases don't have as much white to start with so you are free to create any color.


What is wood glue open time? I am a total noob at woodworking. But I wanted to glue two pieces of pine wood together. After some research I realized that titebond (I,II, or III) might be what I want. I see here that the glues have an open time of 5 min or 10 min. From

What is open time, working time for adhesive?

it seems that open time is the amount of time that you need to wait before clamping the pieces of wood. So I would apply the glue to one (or both?) piece of wood, wait 5 (or 10) min, then make contact and clamp.

But from various Youtube videos it seems that the opentime is the same as working time. That is, the amount of time that it "allows" you do wait before clamping. (For example this video.)

At the end of the day, I would like to know how long I have to wait before making contact when using Titebond II.

Open Time

"Open time" is used in two different ways.  For contact cements, it is the minimum or optimum time to leave the glue exposed before joining the pieces, because you want the adhesive to partially dry first.  For wood glue and most other adhesives, it's the maximum time before joining the pieces because the surface starts to dry or cure and bonding degrades.

Working Time

"Working time" is how long you can reposition the pieces after you join them without affecting the ultimate bond.

Working time is often different from open time.  With many adhesives like wood glue, you depend on the glue being very liquid to absorb into the material surface.  However, the glue will bond with more of itself even after it has started to dry a little.  So once the glue is adhered to the wood, you have a longer period in which you can move the parts around.

For some wood joining, this characteristic is used for stronger joints, especially on larger areas.  A thin layer of glue is applied to both pieces, which starts to absorb into, and bond with, the wood surface.  This allows more to be absorbed than might be the case if you immediately clamped the pieces and squeezed out most of the glue.  While the glue is still in its working time, another layer of glue is applied to one of the surfaces and the pieces are joined.  The second layer is in contact with glue rather than wood, so water (or other solvent) isn't being sucked into the wood, and that provides more working time.  The solvent in the additional layer also extends the working time of the first layer.


Better looking raceway for under the patio? Is there a better looking conduit that would be per code that I can place under the patio root. It will be visible, and the gray sch. 40 looks bad. Is there anything better looking?

You can paint it. Given that it's presumably an exterior location, none of the other acceptable options really look all that much better. Either paint or enclosing in a trim box are your likley good options for "better looking."

Edit, responding to comment: Terminology nitpick - sweeps or bends - we never use "elbows" in conduit, you can't pull wire around a sharp bend. Same in ground or out of ground. What you do need (and want, though you may think otherwise when you see the price) is a conduit expansion joint at each place where you go from underground to above-ground.

If you don't use them, the conduit can be broken as the ground freezes and thaws. Ideally you will also use schedule 80 if the conduit is "subject to damage" which the part coming out of the ground is often taken to be - if you haven't bought it yet, I'd suggest considering schedule 80 for the whole run, though it means you will have to shop a real electrical supplier, not a home improvement store. It costs only a little bit more in most cases.

You will also do yourself a favor if you clean up any sharp edges on the inside end of the conduit before assembly.


How to support this shelf? I found this shelf already attached to supports and I'd like to put it up on the back of this cedar closet. The cedar closet is built out of a frame of 2"x4"s, but the width between the 2x4s doesn't line up with the shelf supports. See below:

(sorry the image is rotated, doesn't show as rotated on my end and keeps turning when uploaded)
I have more 2x4s and other scrap wood. Should I cut out and screw in two horizontal 2x4s on the inside gap in between the existing vertical 2x4s, to fill the gaps and screw the shelf into the new horizontal 2x4s? I may line up the shelf support on one of the existing 2x4s, then just fill in the gap for the other shelf support using one or two horizontal 2x4s to make a sturdy spot the shelf can screw into. Here's a sketch of what I'm talking about:
Is there a better way to go about this? Will my horizontal 2x4 additionals hold up the shelf sufficiently?

Decide which wall studs (the vertical 2x4s) will support the shelf
Remove the brackets from the shelf
Attach the brackets to the selected studs
Place the shelf on top of the brackets
Fasten the shelf to the brackets


Replace or tighten a screwless hinge The door seems to tilt backwards which makes door closing hard and I'm thinking it's because of this old top hinge with the screw sort of exposed.

I'd heard that tightening the hinge could help but I have no idea how would I do this with this kind of hinge.

I also have no idea how would I replace the hinge.

Is it even possible ?

That is a pintle and gudgeon hinge. Usually the pintle is on the wall and the gudgeon is on the door, so that the gudgeon cup does not fill up with debris.

Search term "gudgeon", or "pintle", or "pintle and gudgeon hinge".

It is designed to come apart by lifting the door straight up. Then the individual parts (the "gudgeon" and the "pintle") can be unscrewed from their pilot holes.

In your case, you would remove the door, screw the top fitting further into the wall, and replace the door.

This will be complicated by whatever caused the fitting to start from the wall in the first place, which probably will require removing the fitting and repairing the hole.


Panel switched back on fried garage door opener (need surge protector) I shut off the power to this entire house, from inside, the larger main switch at the top of the panel. 12 hours later we started hearing the garage door opener circuit board make a noise like a relay flickering. Seems it's toast upon inspection (ordered part for $60).

Would a small surge protector like the one below prevent that from happening again to another $200, 10 year old device like that?

http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Protector-Suppressor-SPIKECUBE/dp/B00006B81E?tag=thewire06-20&ascsubtag=WC28180

Backstory:
We bought this home and have found some weird stuff I've yet to dig into. 50-90vac on some of the switch plate screws. Other places, 30vac still when the circuit breaker is off. Other outlets have only 30vac hot to neutral. All on one line luckily. But that's another question for another time. I will check all that out later this month.

The most common surge arrestors are MOV (metal oxide varistors).
The one you linked will protect a single circuit but the power issues need to be fixed first or it may fry the unit (more than a 600 joule spike and the let the magic smoke out).
They work by dumping spikes to ground but they are limited in the power they can dissipate.
They also make larger units that can be installed to protect the entire house.
breaker style I put a larger one in that required a external box and a 20a 220 breaker to feed it after that I quit having equipment not on UPS's fail. (we did have very noisy power in that house because of the industrial loads down the street).


How can I repair a leaking crack in a Terrazzo stone bathtub? We have a terrazzo stone bath tub that has a crack that leaks. We love this bath and would love to find a way to fix it as it’s nothing we’ve seen before.
It has a stain on the bottom of it and the crack follows the outline of the stain. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not an expert in this material, but here's my first inclination.

Turn the tub over in a good workspace.
Using a rotary tool (Dremel) or similar, channel out the outside of the crack to a depth of at least 1/4" (6mm). Keep this channel just the width of a carving bit--say 1/8" (3mm). Channel the entire length of the crack to a uniform depth, and taper out the groove just beyond the end of the crack.
Thoroughly clean out the channel with compressed air, alcohol, or soapy water (rinse well in the case of the latter). Allow it to dry thoroughly.
Fill the channel with a quality two-part epoxy. Work from one end and use masking tape to cover the channel as you work, containing the epoxy while it cures.
After curing, carefully sand the repair smooth with medium and fine-grit sandpaper, following any manufacturer instructions for such surface maintenance.
Reinstall the tub and test thoroughly.


Under what circumstances can aluminum be in contact with steel? I understand galvanic corrosion and the chemistry which causes the reaction. But under what circumstances can they be in contact?

On first impression I would think they could in a dry environment... but that's a tough definition to follow. I'm thinking of two specific applications:

1) I want to reflash the bottom of some of my siding, but this will be in contact with steel strong-ties on the wall and steel nails into the sheathing.

2) I also want to patch a metal duct with some of the leftover aluminum, which will then be sealed with foil-tape.

Both of these are "dry" applications, but moisture in the air could affect both, no?

Unfortunately, you're correct:  the moisture in the air can and will affect both.

In reality, both of the scenarious you describe happen pretty often.  Sometimes it's terrible, sometimes not.

The ultimate choice for you is a balancing act based on practicality:  How easy/cheap to install vs. how meaningful/terrible are the consequences (and after how much time).

When it comes to flashing, I'd do it right, first time, no exceptions.  The consequences are just too dire for a poorly done job.

As for using an aluminum patch on a gavanized duct:  yes it'll corrode after a while.  But no big deal IMHO.


Issue with clocks running fast in my apartment I noticed recently that my bedside clock and oven clock, which are both powered from the wall, were about 15 minutes ahead. I changed them back to the correct time, but the next day they were already a few minutes ahead. I have also had a few WiFi routers suddenly stop working over the past few months.

Could this indicate that something is wrong with the electricity in my apartment? If so, what can I do to check it myself before calling an electrician?

Thanks!

Update: I contacted the power company and it turns out that the mains frequency was, in fact, higher than normal. There was a water main that burst (and caved in part of the street) in my neighborhood and the city feared that it would damage the underground powerlines, so they turned on the emergency power generators to ensure that nobody would lose power, even temporarily, while they fixed the water pipes. They said that they had to increase the mains frequency in order to prevent damaging the generators. They ran the generators for about a week, but service is back to normal now. My clocks are functioning normally again and it turns out that my router issue was unrelated. Thanks for everyone's input!

Digital clocks convert the AC line voltage to DC and in most cases use a crystal oscillator but in some designs multi vibrator circuit or rc time constant circuit at many times the line voltage frequency for improved accuracy. I have seen RFI (radio frequency interference) that can screw up the internal oscillator. Power spikes & drooping can cause the Power supplies that power routers to hiccup requiring reboot. You may have voltage fluctuations and or RFI problems but I have never seen frequency variations of more than + - 1Hz when measuring in the U.S. , Japan or Singapore.
An inexpensive way to reduce electrical noise is to add an RFI filter, these require a ground to work well and they are just some basic electronics that dump higher frequencies protecting the equipment. I would purchase an inexpensive inline one to test if it works a few more on the affected clocks & routers would solve the RFI problem.


Pipe is fine, solenoid is fine, but can't get hot water into my washing machine? So let my start off by saying, the installation techs installed the valves backwards at first, so I was getting hot water out of my cold, never noticed that until my room mate was pissed at me for washing on hot because it was going to make our electricity go up... So I switched the hoses blue to blue, red to red, now only cold water comes out!! Figured it was the hot water valve/solenoid, so I got a new one. Nope. Same problem. If I set to hot water and turn off the cold water I get a humming noise and no water comes out, or if I keep the cold water valve on, only cold water is coming out. What is the issue?! Is it the technicians fault? Did they screw sensors up by installing backwards? I have a Samsung model WA40J3000AW/A2. Brand new, no clogs or anything that I can gather. valves are clean. water comes out of both pipes when disconnected from the washer at the correct temperature.

If it is delivering cold when you call for hot only then it is opening the wrong valve (assuming your statement that the hoses are correct now is true).

Return the unit, it is malfunctioning and it seems like a controller issue not a valve or solenoid issue.

However; you state that you replaced a "valve/solenoid". Are you certain you did it right? Are you certain you wired it right? If the unit was "brand new" why did you do that yourself instead of having a factory approved technician troubleshoot and repair the unit under warranty?


my generator trips one pole /30 amp generator breaker even when the transfer switches are off I have a problem with my newly purchased home with a generator transfer switch previously installed and the generator left by the owners, knowing that winter was on its way I started the generator to make sure I had 240 volts and I did, so chase to winter, the power is out so I start the generator and put my transfer switch to generator from the off position on the transfer switch and it pops the 30 amp circuit breaker on the generator so I could only power up the 120 v circuits on the other generator leg that was live. I disconnect the red, black, and the neutral from the generator  to the house neutral and the transfer switch leads and I read 120 volts from the black feed to the generator neutral and 120 volts from the red feed to the generator neutral and 240 volts between the red and black generator leads as would be expected but when I measure the black generator lead to the house neutral I get 0 volts and from the red generator lead to the house neutral I get 240 volts and the red generator lead is the same one popping the 30 amp generator circuit, I do not see anything that could be back feeding the house neutral, even with the main off it is popping the 30 amp generator circuit, when it does this the generator almost bogs down so much that it almost stops but the circuit trips before that happens, like there is a huge load on it just on the red lead side of the generator can anyone help, I am pretty comfortable with electricity having previously wiring a transfer switch at my previous home with no problems, the only thing different is the generator ground is wired back to the house ground could this be the problem?

You said:

  I disconnect the red, black, and the neutral from the generator to the house neutral and the transfer switch leads and I read 120 volts from the black feed to the generator neutral and 120 volts from the red feed to the generator neutral and 240 volts between the red and black generator leads as would be expected but when I measure the black generator lead to the house neutral I get 0 volts and from the red generator lead to the house neutral I get 240 volts and the red generator lead is the same one popping the 30 amp generator circuit

If the black generator lead to the house neutral is 0 volts then someone has connected them together somewhere. That is why the red lead to the house neutral is 240 volts.

It sounds like something is seriously mis-wired here. Take apart what you have and post some pictures or better yet trace every wire and draw a diagram of what you have and post that with the pictures.


Whirlpool oven not beeping My whirlpool oven isn't beeping at all.  It is an electric  WFE505W0HS1 model.  The timer doesn't sound and neither when I press any buttons.  I've tried everything I could find on the web.  I cut the power supply and pressed a bunch of different sequences of buttons but nothing has worked so far.

Verify that power is reaching the outlet the stove is plugged into. If you know this to be true check to see if any part of the stove is working. If it's an electric model do the heating elements work? Does the oven light work? If it's a gas model do the electric spark igniters work?
If you find that the stove is completely non-functional with no power at all and you confirmed that the outlet is energized the problem may be:
-the power cord could be broken. you will need to do a continuity test on each wire.
-the ovens plug may be damaged. Again test for continuity.
Sometimes the transformer on the stoves circuit board gets fried or expires. This transformer supplies the voltage for all the low voltage circuits on the stove (ie LED lights, signaling alarms and beeps and LCD read outs). For this repair you will need a technician to test the board.


Central A/C Draining Causing Stagnant Water - Dry Well? I have a central air system with a condensate drain line that exits my home near the actual AC compressor on the side of my house.  The original installers put in a cement cylinder that the line drains into, but its never been very effective at draining the water consistently (likely due to hard clay soils).  This has become a stagnant water/mosquito concern and I am evaluating other options.  Unfortunately I do not have a good outlet to re-route the line to - if I simply have it drain to surrounding walkways, the slope is likely to have the water draining up against the house.  Likewise, I don't have any immediate planters to re-route it to without crossing walkways with pipes.
The last weekend I started digging out a larger surface in the drainage area thinking that perhaps I can re-route the drain line slightly and out of the existing cement cylinder to better facilitate drainage, having it drain into a larger surface area to improve saturation and drainage into existing soils.
I am at a bit of a loss if this is a good idea, however, and if there are any guides on how I should go about implementing this change.  I believe from researching I would effectively be building out a dry well of sorts, but would like any recommendations to ensure that I can improve drainage to existing soils without posing issues later on during rainy season (I am in Southern California, so heavy rain is not very common). I would really appreciate any recommendations or guidance before I "dig myself too deep" into a hole!
Some pictures of my existing arrangement, hole I dug, and relative area around the drain line for reference.
General Drainage Area

We see similar things like this quite often.
If the pipe is not overflowing just becoming stagnant.
Get some “summit mosquito dunks” break them in 1/2 and drop a 1/2 in every month. These are fish safe and won’t hurt plants or other animals but will eliminate the mosquitoes by killing the larva.
Depending on where you live 3 or 4 tablets will last a year (not needed in the winter months). This is safer than dropping chlorine tablets in there that may harm other critters and plants.


Clear wood finish with minimal color/sheen change? I often use a poly to finish my wood projects. It helps the grain pop, adds a bit of depth and even with a satin finish, you get a bit of 'sparkle' which always looks great.

But I now have a project where I'm using some reclaimed, weathered, distressed wood and I'd actually like to preserve the flat, muted look, yet still protect it (as it will be a table).

I've read one option is to go ahead with the poly, and then buff it with 0000 steel wool to knock back the sheen. That's an option, but I worry that will still darken the colors more than I'd like.

What types of clear finishes should I consider that would minimally change the look of the wood as it is now unfinished?

It seems like a new finish of any kind is going to be somewhat at odds with a weathered, distressed look.  That said...

A water based urethane finish should change the color less than an oil based one, but there will still be a change.  A final coat of satin sheen finish over the initial coats might be simpler than the steel wool and less likely to change the texture of the distressed wood.  You may want to use fewer than normal coats of finish, or thin the finish so that it doesn't build up as much as one might normally want on a "new" piece of furniture.

Some sample boards would definitely be the way to go here.


What do flanged power inlets attach to? What does a flanged inlet like the one in the picture mount on/attach too?

I need to mount it on a 1 or 2 gang standard receptacle box. Does it need a certain type of mounting plate?

Flanged devices like that would usually be mounted to a piece of equipment, a hole would be cut in the panel of the equipment and then the flange would be screwed/bolted to the panel .

Physically you could almost certainly cut a hole in a blank box cover and then bolt the inlet to it. Whether that would comply with regulations in your country or whether you need to look for an inlet that is specifically designed for installation rather than equipment use I could not say.


how to build a basement under house I want to build a basement room under existing concrete deck how do I support deck while digging out beneath?  It drops off vertically would dig from that side. soft dirt. How to do this safely.  thank you

There is no safe way to do with you are asking without being or hiring a structural engineer. Consequences for doing this wrong include being buried alive or the destruction of your house. I suggest you contact a professional to discuss the project.


Can/Should I use an angle grinder with a blade for metals on PVC coated metal? I have a large door frame that I want to break into smaller pieces so I can fit it into my car and take it to the dump. The frame is PVC, but has steel on the inside.
I've been trying to avoid an angle grinder because of everything I've been reading online regarding the risks associated with it, so I tried a hacksaw, but it seems to be doing nothing to the steel.
I've seen a few warnings against using an angle grinder on wood (including this question). I really only need it for the steel/metal parts, but they are all surrounded by PVC and even some wood, and I don't think I can really separate them, so I'd have to cut through everything?
Would it be a really bad idea to get a blade for cutting metal and trying to cut through everything?

Using an angle grinder you're going to end up with melted PVC clogging the blade, and possible fire from hot metal/sparks that you are grinding igniting the plastic, etc.
As such, the suggestion to use a reciprocating saw (effectively a form of power hacksaw) is valid - however, since you already own a hacksaw, and it does not seem like it should be such a huge job, I would suggest that possibly your hacksaw blade might be dull, if it's "doing nothing to the steel" and that a new, sharp, hacksaw blade might be a very different experience. Hacksaws are made to cut steel, but a dull blade won't cut much of anything. Hacksaw blades are replaceable precisely so that you can have a sharp one easily (they are not generally considered to be practical to sharpen.)


Loud water sounds when tub faucet is turned on I have the Alder tub/shower combo (http://www.moen.com/adler/spot-resist-brushed-nickel-posi-temp-r-tub-shower/_/R-CONSUMER%3AL82694EPSRN).  When I turn on the water for the tub, the sounds of water are very loud!  I can hear water (flowing through pipes, I think) through the walls in adjacent rooms.

When I turn the diverter to the shower head, this sound goes away (I think because the flow of water is a lot lower for the shower head).

I suspect the sound is happening because the water pressure is high and the volume of water flowing through the tub spout is also very high.

What are my options to reduce the noise in the other rooms?  I looked for an aerator for the tub but it doesn't seem to exist (and it's a weird rectangular shaped spout, not standard circle).

Any help is appreciated!

The noise may be caused by harmonic vibrations. Try adjusting the flow by opening the tap less, the downside is that it will take longer for the tub to fill.

Other options tend to be more invasive, like opening up the walls and/or ceiling and strapping the supply piping tightly.

You could try a new tub spout, one which delivers more or less water per time unit, or has different flow characteristics.


Two wall switches and remote ceiling fan/light questions I am installing a Harbor Breeze ceiling fan with light and wanting to use two wall switches and the remote to adjust the fan speed. Looking at the ceiling, I see the following for an old ceiling fan/light.
-Blue from light/fan twisted with black
-white from light/fan twisted with brown
-black from light/fan twisted with red
-green ground from light/fan twisted with cooper.
The remote box on the new fan shows the following:
-white AC In N
-black AC In L
On the other side:
-White To Motor in
-Black to Motor L
-Blue for light
The way the switches are wired is the switch controlling the fan on and off has a red wire going to it.
The manual shows:
Connect all GROUND (GREEN) wires from fan (on downrod (A), if applicable, and mounting bracket (C)) to BARE/GREEN supply wire from ceiling.
Connect BLACK wire (labeled AC IN L) from remote control receiver (O) to BLACK supply wire from ceiling.
Connect WHITE wire (labeled AC IN N) from remote control receiver (O) to WHITE supply wire from ceiling.
Connect WHITE wire (labeled TO MOTOR N) from remote control receiver (O) to WHITE wire from motor housing (D).
Connect BLACK wire (labeled TO MOTOR L) from remote control receiver (O) to BLACK wire from motor housing (D).
Connect BLUE wire (labeled FOR LIGHT) from remote control receiver (O) to BLUE wire from motor housing (D)
Is it possible to have one switch control the light and the other control the fan and I can use the remote to adjust the fan speed?  Thanks in advance for your help!

You'll want to switch the fan switch out for a wallbox-type remote setup
The thing with the remotes that come with fans is they don't play nice with anything else that wants to control the fan; a few manufacturers provide battery-powered wall-mount remotes, but anything beyond that is out of the question.  Since you have separate wall switches with separate gangs for the fan and light, though, you have some flexibility in how you do this, and my recommendation would be a Lutron Caseta fan controller.  This mounts in the wallbox instead of the current switch for the fan, and provides both wall-switch and remote control of the fan, including speed switching, without the need for any further parts.  You'll have to take the old Harbor Breeze remote receiver out of the picture if you go this path though.


Condensation running down pipe connecting furnace thru ceiling to chimney I had a new downflow 80% efficient furnace installed in 2006. I don't use it regularly as I normally heat my home with my woodstove (separate chimney).  But I have used this new furnace many times during "in between" weather, and when I have been out of town. It has always worked fine. Then in 2011, I used the furnace regularly for a few months that winter.  I noticed that I had water or condensation running down the pipe that goes from my ceiling to the furnace - it would happen after the furnace ran for a bit.  It got to the point that I had to put a pan on top of the furnace to catch the dripping "water".  My immediate thought was that my chimney stack must be cracked as I know the hot air from the furnace meeting the cold air in the stack (if it were cracked) would cause condensation.  But after taking off the chimney cap and checking - the stack is fine.  My chimney cap was blown off during a windstorm, and now is slightly damaged and sits a bit lower than previously.  Could this be causing this problem?  I was told by one furnace guy that my chimney stack is too large, and that it needs to be lined to make the opening smaller, and to replace the chimney cap. He swears this will take care of the problem. I'm just wondering why it took 5 years before I had a problem. Could it be because I was not running it 24/7 like I started to in 2011?  I hate to pay for all this work if that isn't the solution?

Sounds legit.  As you decrease the temperature of air inside the chimney you decrease the flow rate out of it causing the mixing with cooler air to happen in the chimeny rather than out of it.  It could be that this didn't happen in 2011 because of warmer outside air temperature, different humidity conditions, or that your exhaust was running hotter/faster then.  If you use the formula on wikipedia you can calculate your desired chimney cross section (just remember to use metric to stay consistent).  Also the damaged cap definitely could slow your flowrate which could contribute to this issue.


Solar Power for Computer Build I am going to be trying to power my currently in progress computer build with solar power. I'm not for sure what I should be looking for power wise. I have a 1000 watt power supply that apparently is 6.5 amps I think. I'm not for sure if I should find a 6 or 7 amp solar panel or if I should go for a combination of solar panels to get 1000 watts out of it and get some kind of transformer to take the amps down or volts so it won't blow up my hole system or overload it with power. If I am wrong on any of this please correct me.

Skip it, seriously. I don't know what your motivation for this is, but you need to learn just a wee tad more before you bite it off.

If it's (sounds like not) a remote-off-grid solar powered computer, you start with making it efficient, and then then address the power supply (probably not a wall-plug-in-type), days of running without sun, batteries, charge controllers, etc...

If you are on-grid but have vague greenish feelings that somehow have not impacted your choice of power supply/motherboard, just set up a small (or large) grid-tie system and plug the computer into the grid. That will be adequately complicated for you to start learning about.


Adding a dual fuel range GE Cafe series C2S986

The maunfacturer's spec is 30 amps for oven. Want to replace existing  range wire ( old 3 conductor for the mid '80's) on a 50 amp breaker.  What size wire for this new 30 amp "oven" circuit would meet the current code?

You just need to change the breaker to protect the stove. You don't need to change the wire because you can oversize the wire.