is there an outlet box mounted overcurrent protection device? I am adding some additional outlets and outside lights to my garage.  The existing outlets are on 12 gauge wiring, so presumably a 20 amp circuit (I did not check this - did not have my reading glasses with me when I was at the breaker box 8-).  The lighting fixtures are LED type, so very low power needs compared to incandescent lighting.  I was considering running 12 gauge to the new outlets, and 14 gauge from the new outlets to the outside lights (the lights are the terminal equipment in all cases), but I believe I would need 15 amp protection for that portion of the circuit.  After a large number of not-very-useful searches, I finally came across this stackexchange question, which nixed my idea of using a 15 amp GFCI. I could not find so straightforward an answer for AFCI outlets, but I assume the same is true.

So, my question is, is there an outlet-mounted device (preferably with actual outlets) that can provide 15 amp overcurrent protection to the next device in the branch?

As an aside, is there, by any chance, a provision in the U.S NEC for connecting a low demand device at the end of a circuit this way without addition overcurrent protection? (I expect not...)

* Edit *

Some additional searching has lead me to panel mount thermal circuit breakers, such as these devices:

Carling Switch Circuit Breakers

Schurter TS-709-15 Circuit Breaker

leading me to wonder if I could put one of these in an electrical box where the 12 gauge and 14 gauge meet, and be to code.

Your assumption is correct. The over current device is there to protect the entire wiring system from a fault and this does not change even if you install allow voltage device at the end of the circuit.

You can only install a over current device in an approved designed enclosure and this is regulated by NEMA in order to meet NEC requirements.

I will mention there are methods of installing over current protection so you can reduce the size of the wiring to a device, but I don't want to release that information to any DIY since there is a better than average chance it would be installed incorrectly or abused. I believe something like that needs to be done by a licensed professional with the correct parts that can not be purchased from a standard big box or local hardware store.

So weighing price between installing a #12 or an over current protection. I would think the #12 would win out.

Stay safe.


How to remove concrete slab I have this concrete slab at the front of my house which I want to remove. The slab has 2 air brick holes in it too. These are surrounded by bricks with cement on to give a rounded look and then painted. They are obviously like that because the surface of that slab is higher than the air bricks on the side of the house.

I guess I have 2 options

remove the slab and keep the airbrick hole / protectors in place, or
remove the slab and the airbrick holes and lower the level of the earth underneath the slab so that it does not enter the airbricks.

How do I remove the slab? Sledgehammer? Anything I should be aware of before I do so? Any other options apart from 1 or 2?

Sledgehammer will work, but it is way too hard work. Use hammer drill instead.

These drills usually have three or four modes of operation:

Drill Like normal drill, usually with higher torque
Hammer drill. Drill with additional hammering for drilling through concrete, stone etc.
Fixed hammer. The head is locked in rotation and the tool is just ramming.
Free hammer. same as 3 but the head rotates freely.

Option 3. is for you. Works like sledgehammer but it is much faster and much easier to do the job. You can lend it at some DIY stores for a good money.


Staying electric code compliant while cleaning up in-wall network box Below is a pic of the in-wall network box in my new home - it is a 42" On-Q metal box, with an existing power outlet inside. Not shown are the bundle of cat5e cables and network and phone switches I have mounted inside. I have a cable modem with a network and phone out, and a wifi router.

I've got a couple options for cleaning this up and being able to put the cover back on the in-wall network box.

Get a slim, mountable router and put it and the cable modem in the network box. There is enough room, but my biggest concern is the cable modem. I'm concerned about ventilation and needing to occasionally reset it.

I could splurge for a hinged door cover for the network box.

Keep the cable modem and wifi router out of the network box, right in front of it. I would cut a hole in the drywall right below the network box (red square in pic) and could run the coax/network/phone lines out.

Unfortunately there is no nearby power source outside of the network box.
I could run a 10 foot power strip to them (10 feet), or I could use the power source in the network box. I'm pretty certain the short run of power cables through the wall would be a code violation though.
I could have an electrician install a power outlet outside of the network box. There aren't great options for placement without ripping up walls.

What would you do? Am I missing anything obvious? Are my concerns about the cable modem ventilation unfounded? Any code-compliant way to get power out of the network box?

That power strip in there won't do.  Power strips are intended for temporary wiring, not as a substitute for the permanent wiring of a structure.  Behind your TV for 20 years is one thing, inside a cabinet like this - no go.

Also, blue masking tape is not a legal cover for box holes.

If it's what I think it is, that blue-tape area has cutouts for another duplex receptacle... you can lick both problems by fitting a receptacle there.


how water cylinder + leaking overflow + dripping not flowing I had a leaking overflow pipe from my hot water cylinder. I had the pressure relief valve replaced(?), the valve that takes the mains pressure and reduces the pressure before feeding it into mains pressure cylinder.

It is still leaking, but is a hell of a lot better. Plumber has said that it is supposed to drip but not run. I did a rough measure and it filled up a small cup over night.

Can anyone advise?

EDIT 1
I have since had the pressure relief valve replaced, but still the same dripping.

Reading here
http://www.plumber-auckland.co.nz/Services/hotwater/FAQ+about+hot+water.html

  If the overflow is dripping this is most likely normal expansion, that
  occurs when a hot water cylinder is in a heating cycle. It is normal
  for a 135L cylinder to expand up to three and a half litres of water
  in a heating cycle.

So it could be normal expansion. The way I understand this is that if the cylinder is filled up with cold water, it come to a point where it is full and no more water will get in. But then as the water gradually heats up the pressure increases so the pressure relief vavle will kick in and slowly release water to reduce the pressure. This I think is what I am seeing with mine

The question is how do i confirm this?
In theory if the HWC is filled up and heated completely, then if no hot taps are turned on over a period then the HWC should not drip.

If hot water taps are turned on then the HWC will fill up.  the HWC will then have to heat this new cold water up again. So you might get some dripping in this example. I guess it depend how long the hot taps were run for or how much water the HWC released.

I have to say, similar to what @Grant said in comments, that an overflow valve is not supposed to have a normal drip. In normal usage your drip/overflow line should be bone dry.

The plumber that tried to tell you that a drip is normal is not to be believed. It is also likely that the plumber was far from professional if they just said that to cover up noting the drip right after the installation.

The pressure relief valve is a safety device designed to keep the hot water tank from exploding if the internal pressure builds up too high due to the heating source failing in an always on state.


Flexible duct behind dryer looks a little sketchy So we just noticed that the air flow in our house is always bad when we run the dryer. Looking behind the unit, we found a foily looking mess of a flexible duct behind the dryer. It looks almost like torn unstable piece of foil was just slapped on connecting the duct to the hole and it just flaps around. Is this normal? Or something I need to call for, or.. can I somehow fix this myself? Any help regarding this matter would help a ton.

That looks like standard flexible dryer duct to me. Pull your dryer out and it will probably be connected to the back of the dryer. I would look as there is probably a pipe connection that this flex duct fell off of. I don't think the pipe is a standard flex duct used for HVAC that has an inner and outer flex chamber with insulation in the middle.
Look close at the bottom left the connection point to the vent may be right there. Connecting the pipe will help the problems you are experianceing when the dryer is running.


What kind of edging should I use between a patio and a French drain? Here is a diagram of what I am trying to achieve
My patio is pretty much flat. Due to settling the water collects near the wall
Since it is too much work to grade properly the entire patio I think that it would be good to rest the areas where the water collects and to add a french drain between the patio and the wall. The wall is presenting efflorescence due to too much water at the base. The water goes up on the wall due to capillarity pressure.

So ..what sort of can be used between the french drain and the patio (see the picture, the edge pointed by the arrow)

Edit:

Someone on another site suggested something like this

Here is an idea that might work for you...

Here is a revised drawing added to the first one, with the idea you had given to you and I added where the various barriers need to be.

I forgot to note in the drawing that the gray line is the filter cloth.

The full wrap of the plastic membrane will keep the excess water from migrating back to the house. Just placing it against the wall and the bottom will allow it to get to the walls still. Remember it will be a LOT of water concentrated there.

The plastic liner will act as an in ground gutter to move the water, so be sure the bottom is accurately graded towards a place the water can flow that will do the house no harm.


Possible neutral problem - Utility side vs. Load Side? PLEASE NOTE:  UPDATED CIRCUIT NUMBERING FROM 12 & 14 to 14 & 16

I would greatly appreciate your help with trying to diagnose a problem that appears to be an open neutral. In my kitchen I have three circuits (C). They are numbers 14, 16, and 32 in my panel. C32 is a single GFCI circuit that powers only my microwave. When I use the microwave the voltage on C16 drops several volts from 120 to around 116.  If I use another high current appliance (electric kettle) on C16 the V drops to 114-112. Add something else and it's dropped below 110V.  I've pulled the receptacles and checked the connections and also used the little plug in tester and it shows they are all wired correctly.

Each of these three circuits also run through a manually switched Reliance generator panel. Today the power went out and I started the generator and switched the Reliance panel to the generator.  I checked the voltage on C16 and it was 122V. I then turned on the microwave and the voltage on C16 started rising to 130V.  In place of the microwave I then let the Well Pump (240V) kick on. After it started the voltage on C16 remained at 122V (running on the generator).

The last thing I tried this evening (back on house power) was to run the microwave on C14.  In this case the voltage on C16 rose a little from 120V to 122V. Given that the two breakers are adjacent to one another I'm guessing they are on opposite legs in the panel.

I did check every connection on the neutral bar, ground bar, and every breaker, as well as the main neutral wire (multi-stranded aluminum) in the panel.

The other issue of concern is that my electric bill is about double that of my neighbors.  I do have 3 teenagers and electric hot water so that could be part of the problem.   :)

A friend who pointed me to the neutral problem told me that I may have recourse with the power company if the neutral problem is on their side. We have been through several microwaves, etc. My outside feed is from a pole not underground.

I apologize for the long winded description but I'm hoping it shed some light as to where the problem may be.

My question is this:

How can I determine if the problem is on circuit side of the panel or the meter side?  If I can determine it's on the meter side, I was advised to call an electrician to check the meter connections before calling the utility company as I don't know how apt they would be to take responsibility if it is on their side.

Here is a photograph of the circuit breaker panel:

Photo of Panel Label:

Photo of Reliance ProTran Switch Model 31410CRK:

I have checked all the connections for the transfer switch and I have added a tie bar to switch both legs of a MWBC between B-G on the transfer switch which are circuits 6 and 8 in the panel.  Otherwise everything is exactly as specified.

Both your circuits' hots are red wires... Ok... But I follow them, and several pairs of wires are cable-tied together which suggests 240V or MWBCs, ok..., and they both disappear into the bottom conduit, where--

What, the, actual, heck...???

--  there's like 20 red and black wires going into this fat conduit, And Only One Neutral!

You can't do that!!!  A bajillion circuits can't share a neutral!   Each hot gets its own neutral, except for MWBCs where two hots share 1 neutral.  You can't have a MMMMMMMMWBC!

You also can't put more than 9 wires in a conduit without derating (using thicker wire).

This is either a total nightmare, or needs some serious explaining.   Who did this work?


Live and Neutral reversed: cable colours wrong or the socket tester wrong? I have bought a house in Germany and there were some different color sockets in some rooms so we decided to change them.
I will now explain for just one socket not to confuse the matter further.
Switched off the electricity and tested (with electrical tester) that there is no electricity and then I replaced the socket nest.
In Germany the blue cable is supposed to be the Neutral and the black is supposed to be the Live/Hot wire. Double checked it just to be sure and installed the socket like this.
I decided to buy a Socket tester and test the socket anyway (I want to make sure all the sockets at home are without any faults) - I bought this one "Kaiweets HT106D socket tester pro".
When testing the tester showed "Live/Neutral Reverse".
This is weird. I connected the black cables(2) at L and the blue cables at N. And the tester says that the "Live/Neutral Reverse" is reversed.
I said okay, I will now reverse and connect the blue cables(2) to L and the black cables (2) to N (against the standard). And then the tester lights "Correct".
Here are some photos of the socket, installed with the wrong color wires on which the socket tester lights it is all correct:
The front of the socket, where is clear that the L is on left, N is on right and the ground in the middle:

The wiring after I reversed the cables and connected them against the logic (here they are visually wrongly connected)

The tester lighting correct, where the cables are connected against the logic (blue in L and black in N).

Can someone give me a an advice: should I believe the cable colours or the Socket tester lights?

The socket you have there is called a "Schuko" (or CEE 7/3 and 7/4, to be formal).
This socket is entirely unpolarized, by nature.  The socket design makes no differentiation between hot and neutral.  The plug can simply be flipped over, and the two are exchanged.
Part of a genuine CE listing (or the third party tested TUV, BSI etc. ratings) is that every appliance must be designed to be safe with either conductor hot.
So the simple answer is that when you get "Hot-Neutral Reverse" on a tester, it means you plugged the tester in upside-down :)   Really, we could do a whole comedy sketch here, because it's entirely a matter of perspective!
Meanwhile, in Canada... NEMA 6 sockets are polarized even though both working contacts are "hot" at 120V and there's no reason whatsoever to polarize them.
Also, you selected a cheap Chinese mail-order tester, we've seen the unit around here before under a different name.  Like all that stuff, it is sold direct-mail, which bypasses the government safety apparatus that keeps equipment safe.  It lacks TUV certification, and the CE is completely phony.  Using counterfeit safety equipment defeats the purpose.


Garage door opener makes noise but doesn't move My Craftsman 139.53515SR - I/2HP garage door opener has worked fine for many years. For no reason that I can see, it stopped opening or closing the door yesterday. When I push the button to raise or lower it I hear some noise, like it's trying to work, then in a few seconds it stops and there has been no motion of the door or chain that raises and lowers it.

Disengaging the door from the chain allows me to raise and lower the door without problem.

It failed for 24 hours then started working.

Here is a video of it not working:(

What do you think is wrong?

It sounds to me like the motor is not starting. If you can manually lift the door, then I'd start by checking the motor capacitor.  If it's on the way out, that could explain the intermittent failure.

You may notice physical damage to the capacitor (leaking, buldging, etc.). More likely you'll have to measure the capacitance, to make sure it's within a good operating range.

While the unit is open, inspect all the gears and sprockets.  Look for worn teeth, or gears that don't mesh properly. Also inspect the sprocket on top of the unit (you'll have to remove the guard), to make sure it's meshing with the lift chain/belt.


How to remove countertop from cabinets while sacrificing it to maximize the chance to reuse cabinets I have a row of "base" cabinets in the living room that I'd like to remove, but I would like to use several of them elsewhere.

I don't care about the top (which is some kind of stone and already crumbling pretty badly both here and in the kitchen), but I'm not sure how to remove it without destroying the tops of the cabinet boxes.

I can tell that there is some sort of shiny white material that was used to "glue" the top to the cabinets in several places, here's a picture:

I can slide a blade in there, but haven't had any success either chipping any of it away, nor "scoring" it in order to be able to lift it off.  I was able to separate the back of the countertop from the wall pretty easily, so this white goo is all that "stands" between being able to use cabinets elsewhere.  Is there anything I can try short of cutting countertop into pieces a little at a time?  And if that's the way to go any suggestions for tools to use?

Here is a picture of the countertop near a seam where it's crumbling the most:

Since you do not care to preserve the top you could break it apart into smaller pieces. Breaking it that can typically be done with a sharp whacks with a heavy hammer and/or a masons chisel.

If the doors on the cabinets below the top are glazed with glass you will have to use care to avoid breaking the glass as you bust apart the top. If you can remove the doors beforehand by detaching the hinges it would be a good idea to do that.

The white material used to fasten the top looks like a white silicone material. It is not surprising that you would have some difficulty trying to cut it with a blade pushed into the crack. The rubbery nature of silicone will make it very difficult to cut in this manner.

I do suspect that as you proceed to break up the top that you will get some pieces that are still stuck down by the silicone. A twisting or lever action on the piece will usually make the silicon peel off of one surface or the other. In case it does not want to pull loose you can reach in with a sharp utility knife and cut the silicon easier when it is pulled and stretched by tipping up the top piece.


Floor gap between tile and wooden floor I'm wondering what to use to fill a gap between my conservatory floor tiles and dining room parquet flooring. I originally put a pvc threshold there to cover the gap but this through way has been dislodged many times now by my wifes carers.  I was told to use a coloured floor cement ? But I've heard about using silicone caulk ? Many thanks

Where ever I had you situation, I used a colored latex caulk that was a close a match as possible to the existing grout in the tile floor. After all the caulk is leveled, everything cleaned up, and while the caulk is very wet still, sprinkle dry grout over the wet caulk and let that set on the caulk while it dries. It will give you the flexibility that the wood floor to move against due to seasonal changes since regular grout is not flexible enough to handle the wood movement.
If you choose you grout "topping" carefully, it should blend in fairly well with the existing tile grout.
After the caulk/grout combo is dried, use a vacuum to pick up most of the residual dust from sprinkling the grout. then with a damp cloth, carefully clean the rest of the haze that will be left over. If you choose you may want to tape either side of the joint before you start everything.
A tip that may come in handy... Latex caulk shrinks as it dries, so keep the thickness to a minimum to help reduce the amount of shrinkage. Do this by using "backer rod" to fill most of the depth of the gap so the caulk is only about 1/4" thick, more or less. If the gap is already that deep, then no backer rod is needed. I am assuming the gap is 3/4" deep, since the flooring looks like old school wood flooring.


How to check issue with gas fireplace? I have a gas fireplace, which I have not used in over 3 years. It starts with an on/off switch on the wall.  When I turn it ON, nothing happens. I am kind of scared of trying anything with this as it works with gas and I don't totally understand how it works.

Any tips on checking some basic stuff to see if I can get it started before I call a professional?

It's difficult to help you troubleshoot a device, without a bit more information about it. Since you're not giving us much, I'll try to give general advice.
Depending on the system, there's a few things that could be wrong.
Gas Valve Closed
This would affect every type of gas fireplace.
Test:

Locate the gas valve.
Turn on the switch.
Listen for the valve to open.

If you hear the valve open (click, clank, clunk, etc.), but don't hear or smell gas. The valve may be off.
Most gas valves are quarter turn ball valves, so you can tell when they're open simply by looking at the knob.  The knob should have an arrow, handle, or other linear feature on it. This feature should be aligned with (parallel to) the pipe, when the valve is open.
Solution:
Turn on the gas.
No Gas
If you get your gas from a tank or bottle, you'll want to make sure you have gas.
Test:
Similar to above, except that the valve will be open.
Solution:
Fill the tank.
Bad Switch
Since the system relies on a switch to know when to turn on, a bad switch could be devastating.
Test:

Label and remove the wires from the switch.
Test continuity across the switch, in both positions.

When the switch is toggled on way, you should measure infinity (or not hear a beep). When the switch is toggled the other way, you should get a measurement (or hear a beep).
Solution:
Replace the switch.
Pilot Not Lit
If your system requires a pilot, and it's not lit. You can flip the switch all you want, you'll never make fire.
Test:

Look at the pilot.

If you see a flame, it's lit.
Solution:
Light the pilot.
Bad Flame Sensor
Fireplaces use flame sensors (thermocouples, thermopiles, etc.), to determine if there's a flame. If the sensor goes bad, the system will not hold the gas valve open.
Test:

Disconnect the thermocouple from the system.
Set multimeter to measure DC millivolts (mV).
Connect the black lead to the button of the thermocouple.
Connect the red lead to the copper part of the thermocouple.
Heat the thermocouple with a torch.

As the thermocouple heats, you should get a reading on the multimeter.
Solution:
Replace the flame sensor.
Bad Gas Valve
If the system is getting all the right signals, but the gas valve is not opening. It could be a bad valve.
Test:
See test for Gas Valve Closed. You won't hear the valve open. You'll have to be sure the valve is getting the signal to open, so make sure all other items check out first.
Solution:
Replace the valve.
Depending on the type of fireplace, the ignition sequence will be a bit different. using the typical sequences below, you might be able to narrow down where the problem is.
Typical Gas Fireplace Ignition Sequence
Pilot

Switch is flipped
If pilot is lit (checked via a thermocouple or other flame sensor).

Open main burner gas valve.
Wait (There may be an adjustable timeout, or a hard set timeout).
If main burner lit (check via another thermocouple or other flame sensor).

Leave main gas valve open.

Else

Close main gas valve.
Purge system (in the case of a fireplace, this is likely a timed wait).
Retry ignition (this may happen 0 to many times, depending on the system).

Else

Do nothing

Electronic Ignition with pilot

Switch is flipped
Open pilot gas valve.
Initiate electronic ignition device (spark gap, hot surface, etc.).
Wait.
If pilot flame sensed.

Open main burner gas valve.
Wait.
If main burner flame sensed.

Hold main gas valve open.

Else

Close main gas valve.
Purge system.
Retry ignition.
If no ignition after retries

Close pilot gas valve.
Lockout (this may require something to be physically reset, or a simple timed lockout).

Else

Close pilot gas valve.
Purge system.
Retry ignition.
If no ignition after retries

Close pilot gas valve.
Lockout.

Electronic Ignition

Switch is flipped
Open main burner gas valve.
Initiate electronic ignition device.
Wait
If flame sensed.

Hold main gas valve open.

Else

Close main gas valve.
Purge.
Retry.
Lockout.


Should ceiling fan mounting screws thread into the box or the framing behind? I was trying to install a ceiling fan in my new home. The home is prewired for ceiling fan install. It has the pancake box. However, the 2 screws that are going to hold the mounting bracket are not through a threaded screw hole. The screw appears to be fastened to the wood above the pancake box.
I saw many videos on how to install and in all of them, the screw that holds the mounting is through a threaded screw hole. In my case it is directly screwed to the stud above the pancake box.
Please see the pic attached. Is it okay to fasten the mounting bracket that way? Please see the picture attached and the screws are the black screws I am referring to.

Screwing into a ceiling joist through holes in the pancake box is a sound method for securing a fan bracket, if the wood screws are rated for the purpose. I have installed Hunter fans that way using the special wood screws supplied with the fan. If this is a new fan, read the instructions and examine the hardware supplied.
The black screws in the OP's pic however do no appear to be rated for holding a fan. If the fan you are installing does not have wood screws for this purpose, then you will have to source some that will work.


Do I really need to replace the anode rod? Whenever I look online for information relating to anode rods in a water heater, they most often say they should be replaced regularly (4-5 years). However, every single plumber I have talked to has told me that they rarely replace the anode rods or they don't at all and I shouldn't worry about it.

So what's the deal? Is it important to replace the anode rods?

What brought this to my attention is that my hot water tastes very metallic but the cold water doesn't. I have a well, water softener, and a particulate filter system (three, 20" filters). The water heater had a lot of sediment when I recently emptied it and I have been noticing certain copper pipes have a lot of green corrosion in some spots. The water heater is 12 years old.

Most water heater tanks are steel with a thin glass lining to protect
the metal from corrosion. Since the lining eventually cracks, tanks
have a second line of defense against rust: a long metal “anode rod”
that attracts corrosive elements in the water. When the rod itself
becomes so corroded that it can no longer do its job, the tank soon
rusts out, leaks and needs replacement. However, if you replace your
water heater anode rod before it fails, about every five years, you
can double the life of your water heater.
source

The fact that plumbers don't often do this shouldn't be taken as an indicator that it isn't important. The homeowner may not be aware of the purpose of the rod or the resulting benefit from changing it, so they don't ever call the plumber to do it. Few plumbers are going to maintain service records and call you to suggest you have it done.
The guidelines for replacement are averages and your situation may be different. You can either 1) change it on a fixed schedule and hope that's often enough, or 2) change it when you're under the impression that it's not doing its job.
In short, it's up to you.


How do I wire a one lamp fixture with a two lamp ballast? I have a two lamp ballast with two blue, one red, one white, and one black. How do I connect that to a one lamp fixture????

The first question would be - "What type of ballast do you have?" If you have an old style magnetic ballast or electronic ballast. Then you will not get the single light to work properly. If you have a new style electronic smart ballast, it has the ability to sense how many lights are connected to it and adjusts to the load and will work (this is a very laymen explanation). You simply connect up the lamp sockets (tombstone) with the red and a blue and wire nut off the other blue. Black and white wires are you line in (probably 120V) to the ballast. If you are still confused there is a wiring diagram on the ballast which can help you.

Good luck.

PS Make sure when you do this the power is off. If they are newer fixtures you may have a ballast disconnect it's probably orange.


Is this ceiling box wiring correct and how can I reconnect an abandoned 3-way switch to it? I have a house (Georgia, USA) and some kitchen renovations have revealed some prior electrical work and I am trying to figure it out.  Originally, there was a ceiling box in the kitchen with a fan/light fixture controlled by a pair of 3-way switches.  One 3-way switch was located at the kitchen entrance to the garage and the other switch was located in a 2-gang box that it shared with a 2-way switch for a ceiling light in the dining area.  The fan and light did not have separate switches.

At some point in the past, an exterior flood light was added to the house and the 3-way switch in the 2-gang box was replaced with a duplex switch.  One switch controls the light fixture and the other controls the exterior flood light.  The 3-way switch at the garage entrance was abandoned and covered with a cover plate.  And by abandoned, I mean the 'electrician' bent back the tabs on the switch and shoved the entire switch into the box).  The overall layout looks like this:

While renovating the kitchen, I found that the fan was mounted to a shallow fan-rated box with wiring from it to a second non-fan-rated box that was just laying on the insulation in the attic.  I removed the ceiling fan and the boxes (mentally noting how it was all wired) intending to rewire it (using a properly sized single box) the following day.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, the work was delayed several weeks and I cannot remember the exact wiring.  I spent a couple of hours with my multimeter checking continuity to determine which wire was connected to what and I think that the kitchen ceiling box and 2-gang switch box looked something like this:

The 2-gang switch box on the right is exactly as I found it.  The wires from the 3-way switch were sitting at the back of the box, unterminated with bare conductors exposed.  The neutral was connected to the black unterminated pigtail with a wire nut as shown.

The ceiling box on the left is how I think it should be wired, with one exception.  Note that there is black tape shown on the neutral going to the sink light switch.  This switch is not a 3-way switch so I think that the black tape is a mistake.  The hot from the ceiling box goes to the switch which then sends it to the light fixture.  The neutral from the light fixture should connect with the neutral from the ceiling box in the switch box and all the neutrals are connected together in the ceiling box as shown.

Having said all that, there are three parts to my question:

Does the ceiling box wiring look correct (taped neutral notwithstanding)?
Should I remove the tape from the neutral?
Can I replace the 2-way duplex switch with a 2-way/3-way duplex switch and reconnect the 3-way circuit?  If so, how is the 3-way switch wired at each end?  If not, how do I properly abandon the 3-way cable at each end?

My current plan is to implement the answer provided by A. I. Breveleri with the minor change recommended by RedGrittyBrick to make the constant hots black and the switched hots red. So the final result, if I'm not mistaken, will look like this:

If there are no objections, I'll wire it up this way and mark A. I. Breveleri's answer correct after the lights are on.

Also, in working on this problem I visited many sites that attempted to explain 3-way switches, but the only explanation that made the light bulb go on in my head was here:

"What is common in the diagrams above and with any 3-way switch circuit is that the power hot wire coming into the circuit will always go to the common terminal of the first switch. The hot wire from light always goes to the common terminal of the second switch. The traveler wires go from switch to switch connected to the traveler terminals, it doesn't matter which. As long as you keep this in mind, a 3-way circuit becomes really simplified. And of course the neutral will always go directly to the load."

That part on the left can't be right. If you closed the sink light switch it would trip the breaker. That is a dead short from hot to neutral.

The black tape is not a mistake. That should be the feed to the switch and the black is the switch leg that returns to the light. Then the light is connected to the neutral with the others.

The black wire to the 2 gang box should be used for the hot or the red but not both. Right now you have the black wire seriesed through the light.

I don't think they make a duplex switch with a three way in it.

Does the dining area ceiling box feed a fan/light? You have a hot feed going to it along with a switch leg.

You are attempting a pretty complicated setup for your first time. There is a little bit of a learning curve to this.

You may need to post a more extended diagram of the devices and the wires running between each.

Sorry I can't help more.

Edit I see your extended diagram explains the kitchen light switch was not a dead short but just power to the switch. You had the white marked black but have corrected that in your last drawing. Using red for the switched power and travelers is the better method as others pointed out. Your final drawing looks electrically sound. With your current wiring it is not possible, but the NEC requires a neutral at switch locations with a few exceptions. If you are not being inspected you could consider this 'grandfathered' wiring. In the future, you should take a neutral to the switch location.


What steps should I take to prepare for using a thermal camera? I plan on renting a thermal camera to detect heat loss (e.g., missing insulation, leaks in HVAC) and water damage. Outside temperatures are getting down to freezing at night but are mid-40s during the day.

What steps should I take to prepare for this to maximize the use of the camera? Some thoughts I had:

Turn the heat up several hours beforehand to maximize the temperature differential between inside and outside
Ensure the heat is running while imaging to better detect leaks in the ducts (is this at odds with the first point?)
Make sure it's not raining or snowing

Anything else

Started as a comment but became two long;
No privacy problems you don’t have to join to use the FLIR one that is the main objection I am aware of and I have not joined.
I have the pro model and to tell the truth I would do nothing different , you want a constant temp for an extended time if changing temps that can create shadows in concealed spaces that may show issues if a constant temp. You can find leaks in the ductwork but the system needs to be running in some cases to identify leakage from duct works, running the hot / cold water for a couple can help identify bad insulation on your pipes. You may also identify roof leaks in the attic , water running down is cooler and I have found some I could not see. Another thing you can do is look at your breaker panel and outlets. A loose connection can really heat things up ( I use my unit at work to find electrical problems and bearings that are running a little hotter than normal) , so you do want the forced air system running small leaks spear as pin holes or long straight lines at leaking ducts.
Rain will cool the roof and make leakage show up plus as I mentioned leaks you may not have found may be spotted.
I have used FLIR cameras for quite a few years , I no longer pay for an annual evaluation at my plant saving $ and I find motor problems prior to failure in some cases.


Add double outlet to existing circuit I can't find a question like this, but I might not be using the right terms. I am in the US. I need to add a double outlet to an existing circuit. I have all the wires in place, but I don't know how to wire it up. Below is my diagram of what I want

The diagram also shows the plugs positions to each other. I can't run a wire from the new outlet, to the far right one. I have the new wire in the wall, with a new double outlet box in place.

There are two different Romex wire bundles into the first outlet. The outlet has both sides of screws wired.

The grounds are bare copper wires.

How can I wire in the double outlet off the single outlet in the wall?

Since you don't give many specifics I'm going to make a few assumptions: You are in the US and single means one device with two plug-ins and double means two devices with a total of four plug-ins. I'm also assuming that the two wires in the box you are sourcing your power from are black and white with a third bare copper ground. First - make sure to shut down all power at the breaker box. You can then either connect to the unused screws on the powered receptacle attaching black to the same side of the receptacle as the black (hot) and white (neutral) to the other side or you can pigtail the blacks together, the whites together and the bare copper grounds together. If you pigtail you will then have three wires in each pigtail. One for the line coming in, one going to the single outlet and one going to the new double outlet. At the new double outlet you will need to again pigtail black to black, white to white, ground to ground with three wires on each pigtail - one for the line coming in and one for each outlet. Run the two blacks (hot) to the hot side of each outlet - it will be marked. The two whites (neutral) to the other side and the grounds to the ground screws.
Now the most important part. It's nice to add on outlets for convenience but you don't want to overload the circuit. You seem to have a number of outlets here that are running on what appears to be one circuit. It's critical to know what size circuit you are working with (15 or 20 amp) and what is on that circuit. This means not only outlets and lights but more importantly what is plugged into those outlets. You have to consider watts. A 15 amp circuit delivering 120 volts is only rated to handle about 1440 watts (15 x 120 x .8) 20 amp is about 1920. For example a hair dryer pulls between 1300 and 1500 watts. Appliances will indicate how many watts they draw or you can find out online. If you overload the circuit you'll be constantly tripping the breaker and posing a safety risk.
Good luck but be careful and think it through.


Toilet leaking around flange My toilet started leaking over few days.  There is just a little pool of water near the front part of the flange (No, it isn't from me missing when I pee).  It only happens about once a week.

If you are fairly certain that it is coming from under the toilet... you need to pull it up and don't wait.
The leak you can see is less important than what you can't see. If the seal (wax or other) is compromised, it could cause (of could have already caused) damage that will make a simple wax ring install something else entirely...


Are window frames structural? My circa 1920 house is one story, solid brick from the footings in the basement to the roof.  Three layer thick up to the first floor joists, then two layers to the roof.  The basement windows are all look like this (through the three layer portion of the wall).  Basically a hole through the wall lined with 2x8s:

There does not appear to be any sort of lintel, apart from the three arched courses of brick.

I want to install more functional windows.  The question then is:  Can I remove all the wooden parts, window and frame, or is the frame contribute to the wall structure?  I would leave the wooden arch (arrow) used to square off the opening. It makes a big difference in the dimensions of the windows I would order...

An arch (if engineered correctly) is self supporting. No need for a lintel at all.

From the looks of it, that arch is more than adequate to hold the brick above so I'd say that wooden piece is merely a filler--not a structural element.


How to wire a 3-way dimmer switch in box with three cables I was thinking I would replace one of our dumb switches with an Eve smart switch.  I opened it up to make sure it had a neutral wire, but it was wired so poorly that as I pulled on the old switch, most of the connections came undone.  In the process, though I discovered that it was a 3-way switch, and so I can't use an Eve smart switch.

So I decided to just replace the old dumb switch.  But the wiring of the box is more complicated than I'd ever seen.  So I'm not quite sure how to rewire it.  It has three cable coming in to the box.  The top-right cable has a ground, black, white and red wire.  The bottom-right cable just has a ground, black and white wire, as does the bottom-left cable.

The ground wires are all connected.

The two bottom white wires are connected to each other still, though it's possible the top white wire was connected but I'm not sure - it could have been connected to the switch instead.

The top-right black wire is connected to the bottom-left black wire.

The top-right red wire is free (and so I think was connected to the switch).

The bottom-right black wire is free (and so I think it was connected to the switch).

I'm trying to re-attach a Lutron DV-603P 3-way dimmer switch.  It has a ground, a black wire and two red wires.  I've seen some wiring diagrams for it when used as both a two-way switch and a 3-way switch, but none of the diagrams use a 3-cable box - just a simple 2-cable one.

I tried to simply wire it up as a 2-way switch, connecting the ground, and the switch's black to the bottom-right black, and the switch's first red to the top-right red, leaving the switch's second red wire un-connected (and the top-right white un-connected as well).  That didn't work, largely because I think that it should indeed be wired as a 3-way switch.

So does anyone know how I should re-wire it as a 3-way switch in to a 3-cable box?

Here's a diagram of the wires as they exist, though as I said, some of the free wires might have been attached to some of the other wires and come loose when I removed the old switch.

And here is the back of the switch itself.

Here's a photo of the box, and then a close up of the upper part and the bottom parts.

What you have there are cables, not conduits.

A 3-way switch has 2 travelers that must necessaily be in the same conduit or cable.   On your setup, that can only describe the white and red from the upper cable/conduit.

3-way switches have 1 more terminal (other than ground), which is called common. Lo and behold, there is one loose wire left in your panel.

Make sure you are using the right size of wire nut.  The right one for these connections is orange or yellow.  Red is too big.

--

Travelers are very confusing.  Maddening, in fact, because they are typically wired using common cables, and those come in stock colors (black white and red).  As such, in standard cables, color does not correspond to purpose. This means you have (for instance) white wires in the box that are neutral, and other white wires in the box which are travelers.  In a comment, you ask a very simple question, expecting a simple answer and there isn't one.  So we're gonna make it simple.

Those two wires in the same conduit/cable are both travelers.  We are going to get yellow tape and re-mark them with yellow tape.  This is my standard color for travelers, since it matches the brass screw on common 3-way switches.

Since the two red wires on the switch also are travelers, we remark them also with yellow tape.

When I run traveler wires in actual conduit, where I get choice of wire color, I use 2 yellows for travelers. There is no need to distinguish them from each other.


What is this pipe in my garage for? I measured it and it would come out under the cement where I approximately marked in red in the next picture. The main house sits on the other side of that cement walkway.

My only guess is it has something to do with central vac that the house used to have but was ripped out for some reason (evidence in the basement). But why fill it in?

Radon vent? Pop the cap off of it and see if it turns and goes under the slab.


Can I use an unused red conductor as ground for a switch? I am retrofitting a Lutron Caseta dimmer switch to an existing light fixture in an older home.  The fixture has line, neutral and ground, but the wire that was run to the switch box does not have a bare ground conductor.  It does however possess a third, red wire that is unused on both ends.  The Lutron Caseta needs to be grounded (since the fixture is Low Voltage).  Can I connect the red wire to ground so the switch is grounded?

Not unless you wrap the entire length in green electrical tape, or you wired the circuit with 4 AWG or larger conductors. National Electrical Code says that equipment grounding conductors can be bare, covered, or insulated. It goes on to say "Individually covered or insulated equipment grounding conductors shall have a continuous outer finish that is either green or green with one or more yellow stripes..." (250.119).

If you wired the circuit with 4 AWG or larger conductors, then you can reidentify the red as ground. You just have to permanently identify the conductor at each end, and at every point where the conductor is accessible.


Should second trap under kitchen sink S-trap be there? My kitchen sink drains through an S-trap immediately below the sink to another trap (a P? a U?) in the basement below. The drain pipe then runs along the wall till it meets the main drain pipe shortly before it leaves the house.

Because this second trap is cast iron, I can't see any way to remove it and take it out. The sink has been draining poorly, and snaking the line seems to help for a bit, but I can't but think there's some real build-up in this trap.

I am also concerned because I have never seen any such double-trap arrangement elsewhere.

The trap in question:

For images of the whole assembly, see this Imgur album.

After: I used this as an excuse to get a sawzall and used it with a carbide-tipped cast-iron cutting blade to saw through the cast iron pipe to the right of where it flared to join with the trap.

I removed the Fernco coupler that tied the PVC under the sink to the cast iron? lead? drain pipe that ran to the trap and pulled the whole assembly out. It turned out they'd run the smaller O.D. threaded 1-1/2" PVC down well inside the metal pipe; the PVC actually ended slightly in the basement.

I replaced the trap assembly with two lengths of Schedule 40 PVC and a 90-degree PVC elbow. A new 1-1/2" to 2" Fernco coupler joined the PVC to the existing cast iron drain pipe. I reused the old Fernco coupler to join the smaller sink PVC to the larger PVC I purchased; the smaller pipe is slightly inserted in the larger, but an inch rather than a foot. (They were both labeled 1-1/2" PVC. Go figure.)

The end result is a sink that drains fabulously and no leaks, and a sawzall I get to keep, for much less than it would have cost to hire a plumber just to snake the line, nevermind replacing the trap with an elbow. Yay DIY!

(full album)

No, there should not ever be two traps on a single drain line.

The point of the trap is to create a water barrier which prevents sewer gasses from coming up the empty pipe and into the house.

When you have two traps on the same line, you end up creating a kind of vapor block in the line which prevents it from draining properly.

What do you do?

Get yourself some 1 1/2" PVC (not CPVC, which is yellow, PVC which is white) with a 90 deg elbow, and also get two Fernco couplings (black plastic couplings with straps on each end that can be tightened) that will fit the pvc and iron drain pipe.

Use a metal blade on a sawz-all and cut out the p-trap in your basement. (Have a bucket handy!) Leave room to connect the Fernco coupling on both sides.  I'd cut the right hand side out just past the coupling.

Measure and cut the PVC so that with the 90 elbow the ends line up with the newly cut drain lines.  Glue the PVC together and confirm the fit, then connect to the old drains with the Fernco.

Viola - a proper drain line that will drain smoothly w/ no vapor lock.


Why does my AC unit make the floor in the next room cold? I live in a mobile home and when my central AC unit is running, the floor in the next room beside the unit, is very cold.

Any ideas why this is happening?

Do you like spiders and field mice?  You do? Great, you're gonna love this.

There are some pipes running underneath the trailer, between the air conditioning unit (ironically called the condenser) outside, and the air handler or mini-split inside your trailer (ironically called the evaporator even though it condenses water).

Those pipes are supposed to be wrapped with insulation.  I'm betting they're not anymore, as it has degraded or a mentally ill rodent made a meal of it. (clearly not the rat from Ratatouille.)   You would need to go on down there and have a looksy, and replace it with insulation from the building supply if so.


Drain Fly Infestation After having a bathroom toilet drain clog cleared by a plumber by using a snake, we have experienced an infestation of drain moths. How may we eliminate the infestation?

They are saying a product like invade bio drain will work https://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/drainflies.htm

If by drain flies you mean fruit flies I've had flawless success with a shallow bowl of apple cider vinegar with a little Dawn on top.  They fly in and can't get out.  A few days to clear em out.


HVAC York diamond 80 furnace A/C So I have a York diamond 80 furnace and the motherboard burned out so Lowe’s came and replaced it. I’ve been using the heater because it’s winter right now but the other day I accidentally hit the cool button on my thermostat and it sounded like something popped so I checked it out the wiring and realized the 3A fuse blew out. But I noticed that the thermostat wiring is different from before Lowe’s installed the new motherboard. the thermostat has (W with W) (G with G) (Y with Y) (R with RC) as it should because they never touched the thermostat but on the mother board of the furnace which is the part that Lowe’s switched out they have (W and G) jumped  together and the rest of the colors match with the thermostat before they installed that motherboard I knew that W was by itself and G was by itself I don’t know why they would jump W with G together but can that cause my unit to be faulty

It's definitely wired wrong. You need 4 wires to your stat R to Rc and Rh or R and Rc (it's hard to tell from the picture) bottom line is all three R's go together obviously using the red. W to W using the white. G to G using the green. Y/Y2 to Y using the yellow. That's it! Get that blue one outta there. The other 2 conductor cable is for the A/C one goes to C and the other to Y/Y2


Plumbing venting into apartment I am a renter and my house often smells overbearing of sewers  gas. I guess this is a two part question. The smell cures up from all the drains and I’ve made the landlord aware of this, she has not  sent  anyone to look at the plumbing or drainage. The plumbing is septic. She did however schedule someone to “clean out the tank” but as I’ve said has not sent anyone to assess the issue.

Will/could that solve the problem?

The other issue is shown in the picture. Is it acceptable for venting to vent directly into a room within the apartment rather than venting outside?

That bit of plumbing where the pipe does a U shape before going down, that is called a trap.

Every drain has one.  Think about what happens when water goes down that drain regularly. The water can't all get over the hump, so it stays down in the U-shaped area.  This has the effect of plugging the pipe.  The whole point is to stop sewer gases escaping.

Now, think about what happens when water doesn't go down that drain regularly.   That "plug" of water dries up.  Voila, the pipe is now wide-open and stink ensues.

The cure is to pour water down that drain.

The water will be trapped in the U-part, and provide the sewer gas plug as intended.

As you can imagine, it only takes months for that water to dry out, so it has to be done again from time to time. And it will happen to any drain or sink that is disused.  So you should be prepared to do it as often as needed.

Or you can properly cap the line with actual pipe fittings that clamp or screw in, readily available at the hardware store.

Whose responsiblity is it?  Let's see.  That fixture appears to be intended for a washing machine, so it is a "feature" not a "defect". Even if it was a defect, do you really want the landlord coming into your home every 3 months to dump water down each trap?  I would argue the traps should be maintained by the tenant.


Should the steel pipe from the gas meter into a home have foam insulation like an exposed water pipe? A neighbor put rubber foam insulation on the exposed length of steel pipe from the meter into the house . Is this a good idea ?

The temperature at which methane liquefies is around -258°F (-161°C), and it doesn't freeze until -296°F (-182°C).  If it's cold enough to freeze the gas in your pipes, you have bigger things to worry about!


Location of pressure tank A well drilling company drilled a well for me and ran lines from the well to my RV pad (AS as in Airstream in the attached image) and in the opposite direction to a shed which will house the pressure tank. I went to hook it all up, but most of the internet and the instructions indicate I would do this with the pressure tank between the well and RV pad.

Can I just cap the other side of the T on the pressure tank, or does it need to be between the well and RV pad?

I would cap off one side of the TEE fitting at the well pump and extend a parallel line from the well location back to the outflow side of the tank. This would be better overall as the water in the tank would get circulated and and the water supply destination would be somewhat more isolated from the pump depending on the exact design of the tank system.


how to hang 200lb chandelier? I'm planning to buy crystal chandelier that weigh 200lb. We will be replacing existing chandelier in the two storied foyer (height 18 feet). Current chandelier is installed using electric metal box on 2x6 inch lumber installed between the joists. I have good access to attic and joists are 2x6 inch and spaced 16" apart. There is no other load on the joists (than the roof). Chandelier installation braces sold in stores and online are at the most rated for 150lb capacity. Questions i have:
1) Can I hang 200lb chandelier safely on 2x6 inch joists without causing damage to the joists (by overloading them) or to ceiling (because of joist deflection)?
2) what type of hardware available for installing heavy chandelier - any link appreciated.
3) seems like standard method of installing chandelier using electric box using screws may not be appropriate for 200lb chandelier - what technique should one employ to install heavy chandelier?
4) Is this something a DIYer can do it (i installed one chandelier in dining area) or are there more structural issues that I need to tackle?

Thanks in advance.

Check with the manufacturer of the fixture. They should have some design parameters.
If they are modern day conventional residential roof trusses, I recommend contacting a mfg of same.  See what they say.
I personally would take a 3' piece of standard #2-and-better 4x6 lumber, free of flaws, lay it perpendicular across the top side of two trusses to use as your main support.  Drill and screw in place.
A standard 4-square metal box with a round mud ring will support the fixture.


what is a "running board" for attaching NM cables perpenticular to floor joists in an unfinished basement? I need to attach a few 10,12,14-ga NM cables perpendicular to the floor joists in my unfinished basement. They were originally attached to the sill plate. I am doing some insulating&weatherizing around the sill plate, so I need to move them out of the way. They are already crowded on the 1.5" of the plate, plus I might want to add more wiring later.
I may not just staple these NM cables to the bottom of the joists per NEC 334.15 "Exposed work"

(C) In Unﬁnished Basements and Crawl Spaces. Where
cable is run at angles with joists in unﬁnished basements and crawl
spaces, it shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller than two
6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edges of the
joists. Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes in
joists or on running boards...."

I do not want to drill holes in my already weak 2x8 joists. It is unlikely I will ever want to finish the ceiling in that part of the basement. Conduit is too much trouble.
The simplest solution would be NEC-permitted "running boards" but I cannot find any description of what it is. May I use strips of 1/2 or 3/4 plywood, i.e. attach plywood to the bottom of the joists, and staple the cables to the bottom of plywood? Or should I use something sturdier like 2x4's?

Running boards or rat runs many times are a simple 2x4.  If you have a bunch of cables 1/2” plywood is legal and meets code standards for support of cables #10 and smaller.


Can you use self-drilling anchors on old plaster ceiling? I'm installing a track light on the ceiling.
The ceiling is old plaster (~1945)
The fixtures come with what I can tell are self-drilling anchors.
Is it a good idea to use these anchors on plaster ceiling,
or should I use something else?
The weight load on each anchor should be fairly low (1-2 lbs is my best guess)
so I suppose I could use any plastic-sleeve anchors, predrill the holes,
and it should do minimal damage to plaster.

This will most likely not work because you won't be able to get this to screw into the plaster. That stuff is HARD. I use masonry drill bits in my house, and they go dull after just a few holes drilled.
You will probably be OK using wall anchors as far as the anchor holding your light, but I would go with a different style instead, like the expanding plug, or toggle bolt type.


Venting for a single exhaust Portable AC Ever since I got my Portable AC, I've been wondering how I can make this chunk of junk more efficient because till this day, I have never been able to drop the temperature lower than 25 degrees Celsius. This week I was making a few modifications to my room and realized the amount of air being sucked into the room but no wind was blowing in the corridor. It hit me right there that this Portable AC is venting air but I never considered where the air was coming from. This leads me to the conclusion that because It's pulling air from outside at 30 degrees Celsius and lowering it to 25 Celsius and it repeats this process. The door is on the opposite side of the room to the AC and the AC vents out a nearby window. My question is, Is there a proper way that the room is to be setup to allow this AC to pull air through the room efficiently. Any suggestion would be accepted at this point, because my room is basically a construction site to me lol. I'll add a diagram soon to better aid in seeing the air flow that is happening.

I had this issue in an old office of mine which which was a room we subleased from an architect who apparently didn’t believe in air conditioning.
As you have observed, single pipe portable AC units create negative pressure in a room because they use the conditioned air from the room to cool the condensing coil which is then expelled from the room.
I identified the grill on the unit that was pulling in the conditioned air to cool the condensing coil and made a plenum out of cardboard which I taped to the unit, and ran a duct from this plenum to pull air  from outside the room, which balanced the pressure.
If you do this, make sure that your intake is below your exhaust so that you’re not pulling the hot exhaust back into the unit.
After the first day of using my modified 2 pipe system, the temperature of my office dropped 15°F!


Paid an Electrician to install Sub-panel.. & Ground wire question A couple of years ago, I was needing a sub-panel in my garage.  While I intended to do it  myself, shoulder surgery precluded me from being able so I hired a local, licensed electrician.  He did a great job of running PVC conduit up to and across my 2nd-story attic, down along with breezeway to the garage.  Just a couple of days ago I looked at the sub panel and noticed the cover plate screws were barely screwed in.  So, I took them off to take a peak inside.   This is what I saw.
This is a garage sub-panel, connected to a main where neutrals and ground wires are connected to each other, see pic.
seems like he was in a rush...
Looking at the main, if  you look closelt on the left you can see that he put the new ground for this sub in the neutral bar.  Not wrong, but the only wire now like that....

So I added a ground bar in the sub, and removed the green ground screw/bar from the neutral bar.  Due to the layout, I used a wire nut to connect the grounds from the two cables on the right to 1 ground bar screw terminal on the left.  Is that legit (using wire nut to connect 2 grounds into 1)?
thx

Yeah, that's fine.  Try not to have ground faults on both circuits at the same time :)

Nice job fixing up that panel.  Weird that the person wired it like that.

The breezeway means it is an attached structure and you are OK with not having a disconnect switch/main breaker.


My room lights' brightness pulses when I turn on my toaster oven I have a house with old 2-prong wiring in most of my bedrooms.

My toaster oven is plugged in on the kitchen countertop. Whenever I turn it on, the brightness of the lights in 3 (out of 4) of my bedrooms starts pulsing. I measured the voltage from the outlets in those rooms. It is about 119v when the toaster is off vs 117v when the toaster is on. The 4th bedroom that is probably on a separate power line does not pulse at all.

I've been in my attic and saw that some of the wires have been chewed bare by mice. Although it looks like just that the oven draws too much power that drops the voltage, I'm a bit worried that the pulsing might be related to those exposed wires.

Is it time for me to find an electrician to rewire my house?

EDIT

To clarify, the lights are LED and they do not flicker. Just the brightness of the lights oscillates a bit.

I've been in my attic and saw that some of the wires have been chewed
  bare by mice.

Whether this is the cause of the dimming or not, you need to immediately get an exterminator to rid your home of the mice problem and an electrician to assess and correct the damage.  Bare/exposed conductors is an exceedingly dangerous condition that cannot wait.


3 wire conductor to an electrical subpanel - Can I add a separate conductor for neutral in same conduit? I'm installing a subpanel to bring power to a garage.  Answers to similar questions make it clear that a subpanel must isolate ground from neutral, so the bonding screw will be removed at the subpanel. The standard recommendation is to run /3wg cable from the main panel to the subpanel.
But I've got some NM-B 8/2wg cable that I'd like to use. I believe that would allow:

Either 120v service (a single pole breaker on the black wire at the main panel, white as neutral)
Or else 240v service (a double pole breaker on the black and the red wires - having taped white as red, with no neutral)

But I can't have grounded circuits of both voltages at once without a transformer.
Can I use my 8/2wg and simply run a single #8 insulated copper as a separate neutral conductor beside it to get both 120v and 240v service at the subpanel?
If so, must both the cable and the single wire be within a conduit? (the run is in a dry interior, through framing covered by sheetrock).  The total distance isn't particularly long - about 30'.

Nope.  All conductors must be in the same cable or conduit.  NEC 300.3(B).
Further, individual wires are not physically rated to be installed "loose" outside of a conduit or other raceway.  The interior conductors inside 8/2 are also not rated to be used without a sheath.
Lots of people find themselves in this situation, but the simple fact is you need to get the right cables or wires for the job.


GFCI wont work correctly i have an older, 1930ish, home with only 2 conductors on the branch circuits. im trying to install GFCI outlets in kit/baths. im running new romex to the single-pole Pushmatic (ancient, i know) breakers. There is only 1 neutral bar in the panel, w/white wire and a few bare ground wires connected. im connecting the neutral and the ground conductors to that bar. im getting 115v on the hot side, a circuit indication on my wiggy from the bneutral side, but no power through the GFC, brand new ones. Do i need a better ground for the house? Also, as i disconnect (while still hot) the black wire on the feed side, i get momentary flickers from the LEDindicator  on the GFCI. A good connection results , again, in a no power situation. It doesnt trip so cant be reset, just nothing, despite a good ac supply and good neutral. Help?

Do not alter wiring of energized circuits.  ALWAYS turn off the power.

I've never heard of any GFCI that cares about about ground. The point of a GFCI is they can provide protection even when a ground is not provided.

GFCIs have an "in" and an "out".  You must not reverse these.  The "in" is labeled LINE and the "out" is labeled LOAD.  Make sure you're wiring the power from the panel into the LINE terminals.


Is this swing beam safe? Please help. I made a swing for my kids and now am wondering how safe it is. The swing beam is pressure treated yellow pine 4x6 and 16 feet long. The swing hangers are attached to the 4 inch side of the wood. At one end it sits in a deck bracket on top of a 4x4 attached to a fort. The other end sits on a horizontal beam of an A frame attached with brackets and lag screws.This A frame is placed 12 feet from the fort portion so that the other 4 ft of beam extends past the A frame. There are 3 swing stations and then a trapeze on the far end past the A frame.

My concern is that when my 60lb kid uses the swings I notice "bounce" of the beam. The center of the beam visibly moves though the attached points at fort and a frame do not seem to move at all. Is this safe? Thanks so much.

The usual disclaimers apply. I'm not a licensed structural engineer, I'm not providing engineering advice, I'm just reporting what standard load calculations in the literature say, etc....

Assuming no major defects, and using #2 graded southern yellow pine in wet service (the least optomistic numbers), with an actual size of 3.5" x 5.5" (typical of planed "4x6") a 415 lb load at the middle of (aka point loading) the 12 foot span should be safe.

Some deflection is normal. The above load should have a bit less than 1/2" deflection.

http://www.forestryforum.com/members/donp/beamclc_ctrpointload.htm

Uniformly loaded (not really applicable, but "the other extreme" as you interpolate 3 swing positions) 825 lbs, with a deflection a bit more than 1/2" (considered OK for a roof, too much for a floor.)

http://www.forestryforum.com/members/donp/beamclcNDS2.htm

There are some slight complications (about a 20% reduction in loading, IIRC)  induced by the cantilever overhang, but none should really be of great concern for normal-szed children. On the third hand, if you wanted to bolt/screw/glue/nail a pair of 2x10 or 2x12, one to either side of the swing beam, that should stiffen it up quite a bit.


Adding a new dimmer switch to old wiring? How do I wire a dimmer switch to replace my existing old switch? Dimmer has with 1 green wire and 2 black wires . My existing light switch has 1 black and 1 white.

The white wire to the switch should be the hot feed if it is wired according to code. Connect the white wire to the top black wire on your dimmer and connect the black wire from the cable to the other black wire. Connect the green to the bare wire on the cable (and to the box if it is metal.)

Make sure your light fixtures are dimmable and the dimmer is the right one for the type of lighting you have.


What are the most important things to check/do after buying a home? We are in the process of purchasing a home that is over 20 years old. What are some of the most important things we should check/patch/do right away to make sure the home is running correctly and efficiently?

We live in Canada, so keep in mind that winter is (always!) around the corner.

After you have closed change all the locks.  You don't know who else the previous owner has given keys to over the years.


Edge-to-endgrain butt joint I need to make this out of 2x4 lumber.

It's not load-bearing but needs to be somewhat stiff against skew (L-to-R in the image above). The part I'm not sure about is the end-grain to edge butt joints like this:

Given the difficulty I've had in locating examples on the web I assume this joint isn't common.  Most everything I found was end-to-face (sill to stud) and furniture woodworking joints (mortise & tenon, dowel, pocket screws) which are kind of overkill for a simple frame.
What is the accepted way of accomplishing this, and is there a bracket or connector I can use to increase strength?  A connector would need to have an "H" shape and I've not found anything like that online.  Or, is it as simple as using 6" screws to go through the width of the base board?

Would a truss connector plate be what you are looking for? This joint is quite common in a truss.


Do I have to run new wire when replacing my electric oven? I bought a new single electric wall oven to replace an old one in an old house. It says it requires 20 amp and 240 volts. The old one was running on a 10 amp breaker. The wire from the breaker to oven is 10/3. Can I swap out a 20 amp breaker, and will I need to run new wire?

The old oven is so old I can't find any info on it to see if the wiring was even adequate for that. Previous owner was very "handy", so I'm not sure what has been done properly or not.

10/3 copper NM is rated for 30A under the NEC, so the old oven was more than adequately wired, and it will support the new oven without difficulty as well.

If you are of the unlucky type to have aluminum wire in your walls -- 10/3 aluminum NM will still handle 25A, so you will be fine.

However, the load must be considered as the nameplate load (no demand factors) per NEC Table 220.55 Note 4:

  Branch-Circuit Load. It shall be permissible to calculate the branch-
  circuit load for one range in accordance with Table 220.55. The branch-circuit
  load for one wall-mounted oven or one counter-mounted cooking unit shall be
  the nameplate rating of the appliance. The branch-circuit load for a counter-
  mounted cooking unit and not more than two wall-mounted ovens, all supplied
  from a single branch circuit and located in the same room, shall be calculated
  by adding the nameplate rating of the individual appliances and treating this
  total as equivalent to one range.

The adequacy of a 20A breaker, though, depends on whether your oven is treated as a continuous or noncontinuous load as per NEC 210.20(A):

  (A) Continuous and Noncontinuous Loads. Where a branch circuit supplies
  continuous loads or any combination of continuous and noncontinuous loads, the
  rating of the overcurrent device shall not be less than the noncontinuous load
  plus 125 percent of the continuous load.

and the definition of "continuous load" in Art. 100:

  Continuous Load. A load where the maximum current is expected to continue
  for 3 hours or more.

If your AHJ agrees with Tester and I that a residential oven is a noncontinuous load, then a 20A breaker is fine; otherwise, you'll have to stick with a 30A unit.


Is it safe to seal the seams/gaps on washer and dryer units? Specifically, I have the following model units:
Maytag Washer WTW8040DW
Maytag Gas Dryer WGD8000DW4
The units come with open seams, and I'd like to know if it's safe to seal these?  Surprisingly, Google search didn't net any relevant results for me, and there's no mention in the manuals either.  I'd be using either 100% silicone, alex caulk, or some other sealant depending on safety implications.
EDIT: Here's a photo for clarification:

EDIT2: The objective I'm trying to achieve is sound- & vibration-dampening.  Please note that I have already implemented most standard "fixes" (see comments below), but short of purchasing actual soundproofing out-of-pocket, I believe this would achieve some functional effect.  I only want to make certain that there is no safety concerns with proceeding.

Yes, it is safe to seal the housing seams with silicone caulk. You aren't going to cause fire or electrical problems doing so (within reason). Use a fine tip and press it in firmly so as to not make a goopy mess of your appliance.
However, I don't think this will accomplish your goal. If the unit is shaking around so much that it's squeaking and buzzing it needs other repair. If not, the sound will make its way out underneath or elsewhere anyway. Adding foam insulation inside could cause heat problems. There's a rather large motor in there, along with heating elements, and the system is designed to manage heat as it is through air convection and metal conduction.


How do I know if this switch box has a neutral wire? This outlet is two rocker switches. Left controls my bathroom light (4), right controls my bathroom fan (3). I am trying to install a timer switch so the fan is only on for ~30 min at a time.

The instructions insist a neutral wire is connected to the switch.

My house was built in the late 60s. Many of the wires have paint on them which makes things difficult.

The wire nut under (1) contains wires which come from the wall and don't connect to the existing switches. They are an egg-cream color which I believe is white + age. All the other white looking wires are black wires that have paint on them. I think what's going on with the wire nut in 2 is that the hot line from the wall is joined with two other small wires, one for each switch.

My thought is that (1) is the neutral wire, and I should undo the existing wire nut, add an additional wire which will goto my new switch as a neutral, then wire nut them all together.

Is that correct? Is there anything else I can do to verify this? What's the risk if I'm wrong?

(note 3 is the actual timer switch, once I realized I didn't know what the neutral was I took the pictures and then put it back how it started)

(edit: additional note, this bathroom has a small room for shower/toilet, where this picture is, connected to the area with two sinks... basically the other side of the wall in the same position is a gfci outlet by the sink)

Yes, #1  is your group of neutrals and you would need to pigtail into that connector with a piece #14. Naturally, you want to shut off the breaker before doing any work. You're going to have to be careful arranging the existing wires so you can get the new timer switch into the box, and even then, you might need to add a box extender.


Extend power from outdoor frontyard lamp with a modified smart outdoor plug? I have surveillance camera in front of my house that will be plugged in at all times through its USB power adapter. Also, I would occasionally plug in my electric pressure washer and possibly charge my car (yes, it is slow, but enough at 15Amps. AFAIK the car also slows down charging if it detects bad extension cord via voltage drop).

I am considering to get one of these smart power plugs, cut the plug off and attach to the lamp wiring (there was also a ground wire that I forgot to draw):

Is this idea fine as I would not be getting a dedicated electrical box that would be installed in the wall? Instead I simply plan to attach this smart power plug to the surface of wall

It would be a code violation to use a cord for permanent wiring according to the NEC.
It is not UL listed so it is not made for use in the US. Many devices found online have not passed safety evaluation.


How to install vent cap over cement pipe? The picture attached is a cement vent pipe I found on the roof for water heater venting. Looks like the cap has been broken off, but I have no idea what was the original looks like. The diameter of the cement pipe is 4.75". The closest Lowes vent cap I found is either a 4in or a 6in Selkirk cap. But Im not sure if i get the 6 inch, are the screws going to penetrate the cement enough to get a good grip? I dont want it to be blown off in the future. What is the proper way to do this job?

That flue pipe looks like "Transite" pipe which was used on some gas only appliances before about 1960. When I got into the heating business in the late 1960's nobody was still using it. There were better alternatives. If it is transite, it probably contains asbestos. I don't know of any caps available for use on this product. You could take a standard 6" cap and slit the bottom connection in about 6 sections and bend the slit pieces inward and use a large hose clamp to hold the cap to the old pipe. You could "GOOGLE" transite to learn about this pipe. Hope this helps.


How can I resolve tripping problems with CAFCI? Situation: I was having combination arc fault circuit interrupters (CAFCI) installed in some 20 Amp and 15A branch circuits. In several cases , the CAFCI immediately tripped after installation, or tripped when an appliance was started. Devices were installed by licensed professional electrician.

Load center is Square D, Type QOC 30UF, Series S01, Type 1 enclosure.  Single family residence.

The offending circuits are:
1.  Branch circuit (20A) feeding a furnace induced draft blower motor (12 Amp full load). No other devices in circuit.
    CAFCI is Square D, QO120CAFIC  (pigtail neutral)  Device tripped immediately on installation and CB set to ON.

Branch circuit (20A) feeding kitchen, with a refrigerator, convenience receptacles, and some CFL lighting.   CAFCI is Square D, QO120CAFIC  (pigtail neutral)  Device tripped immediately on installation and CB set to ON.
Branch circuit (20A) feeding kitchen dish washer and a disposal (Insinkerator).  CAFCI trips when disposal is started.
CAFCI is Square D, QO120CAFIC  (pigtail neutral)

I have had no tripping problems on these circuits with the standard 20A 1-Pole CBs installed.

Q1: Will a AFCI cause the same incompatibility problem as the CAFCI?

Q2: Are CAFCI (and perhaps AFCIs) not compatible with circuits supplying appliance or HVAC motors? (is this a series arcing problem?)

NOTE:  I have square D QO dual—function (CAFCI+GFCI) and CAFCI CBs installed on other branch circuits (20A & 15A)  that include ceiling fans, range hood blower, microwave, desktop computers (fans), and a tankless gas water heater. These CBs do not trip when fans are started or the water heater gas ignition operates.

We can divide this problem into two cases; namely, "instant trip" circuits and "device trip" circuits.  (There are also "any device trips" circuits, but you do not have one of those.)

Circuits that trip a CAFCI instantly when the breaker is installed and switched ON without loads connected/switched on.

This is a clear sign of a wiring flaw in the circuit: either there is a parallel arc present due to faulty wiring (rare), or more likely, a ground fault is present in the circuit, also due to faulty wiring or a mis-wired circuit.

Examples of the latter include:

landing the circuit neutral on the neutral bar instead of the breaker
cross-connecting the circuit neutral to another circuit's neutral
grounding the neutral at some point downstream of the main panel (this is most commonly the fault of bad subpanel installs, but can happen if someone does something wrong in a box as well)
trying to put a single pole breaker on a multi-wire branch circuit or shared neutral run

Helpfully, you can glean diagnostic information from your breakers when troubleshooting this.  As per this Square-D instruction sheet,

Turn the culprit AFCI OFF
Hold in the TEST button (white button) on the culprit AFCI
While holding in the TEST button, turn the culprit AFCI back on.
If the culprit AFCI trips instantly, it is sensing a ground fault (such as a shared or miswired neutral, although damaged wiring cannot be ruled out).  If it delays a couple of seconds and then trips, it is sensing an arc fault (damaged wiring).

Circuits that trip a CAFCI when a specific device is switched on or plugged in

This is indicative of a faulty device -- in your case, a garbage disposal.  Some older disposals use brushed "universal" motors, and these can produce more severe arcs if the brushes are worn, which could trick the AFCI into tripping.  Having the motor rebuilt with new brushes would fix it in this case.

If your garbage disposal is a newer model using an AC induction motor, though, it is likely simply either a victim of water ingress, or just plain faulty; in either case, it's time to replace the whole disposal.


Reduce 8mm square tube to 7mm square tube without pro metal tools? Old swedish windows have 7mm square tubes for handles. All handles of the design I want are 8mm so I want to make them smaller.
I have access to a carpentry with very good tools for woodworking, (including mill press) and some basic stuff for metal, like an angle grinder.
It's 11 handles, and the result doesn't have to look nice as long as it works since the square tube is inside the handle.
Is there any good way to get rid of .5mm of the square rod at the end (only like last 10mm or so) on the handle.

I'll disagree with (most of) the comments above and say just file it. You are removing a small amount of material, you don't want to remove too much, and it won't take very long to do each one.
Without crafting some sort of jig you're far more likely to overdo it on at least some of the handles with a powered approach, and/or to make the result un-square.
I don't think you are doing so many that such a jig will be worth your time to build.


Preparation for laying ceramic tile Can you lay ceramic floor tile over a floor that has thin linoleum-like tiles already on the floor or do you have to remove them all before installation?

The thinset will not stick to the smooth finished floor.  You could just screw and thinset down 1/4" concrete board over it though and then install tile like normal.

Another option I would not recommend but is an option is you can probably lay tile over them with mastic instead of normal thinset.  But you will not be able to walk on the floor for upwards of 2-3 days minimum  AT ALL, longer with larger tiles.  You need that mastic to setup completely before grouting it or walking on it.

I don't think mastic is designed for a floor application though, but I do think it sticks better more like glue so it would stick better to the smooth finished floor.  But that "glue" is softer than thinset and cannot take the beating of a floor the same.


How to clean vinyl floor tile not cleaned in 25 years I have vinyl tiles on my kitchen floor that have not been really cleaned for some 25 years.

Scrubbing with regular soap using a hand-held, floor scrub brush has basically no effect. (I tried Simple Green, also vinegar.)

After rubbing part of one tile with "Goof-Off" (a nasty solvent) for 5-10 minutes, it looked quite clean.

I do not want to spent the time or use the amount of solvent that would be needed to clean the rest of the tiles that way.

Any suggestions? (I am willing to rent equipment, if needed.)

If it were my floor and I had to keep it I would test a small section with straight bleach - cracks and tile.  Let bleach sit for a good 30 mins and wipe.  Wait 1-2 days.  If there is no discoloration then that is my weapon.

I would then mop the floor with extremely hot water and bleach (10% volume).  You are going to need a mop with a scrubbing brush.  At first I would just recommend hitting the floor with the hot water and bleach and letting a bit of the solution sit on the vinyl - not enough to leak elsewhere.  After 3-4 moppings you can probably start scrubbing harder.  And you will need a steel brush for the cracks.  But the basic premise is the boiling water will shock the dirt free and the bleach will start eating at the next layer.   You could do this in 2 moppings with a heavy amount of grit or 10 moppings letting the water/bleach do most of the work.

Note:  This is just what I would do personally.  Obviously using bleach has a chance to damage the tile.  I have used bleach on many many vinyl tiles without damage though - but I am not sure all manufacturers would suggest this.


Building a one or two step staircase in garage of awkward total rise I am curious what your recommendations are for building a set of garage steps in my situation.  I am wanting to replace the step in my garage which is an 8" movable hollow cement block.  The distance between the bottom of the door to the ground is between 17" measured to the top of the door metal weather-strip.  It is between 16.5" and 16 7/8" if measured from floor to bottom of the weather-strip.  I can find a lot of information on the internet about building stringers, but this height is a bit awkward.  8.25" is a bit beyond code requirements of approximately 7.75" maximum riser height.  However, doing two steps would require me to have a riser height of 5 2/3" which is way below the ideal 7.5".  I believe the unit run would need to be about 13" in this case as well (your thoughts), which puts me at a total run of 26", which is doable, but not optimal in my eyes.
So my question is

if there are any code exceptions for a single step in a garage (live in Maryland).
which do you think would be more comfortable, perhaps in spite of code requirements (single step of 8.25" or two steps of 5 2/3").
Depending on whether you chose option (1) or option (2), what do you think an optimal unit run length would be?

Thanks for all of the input!  Just to clarify two questions that have been asked:

The stair is from a doorway in the house stepping down to concrete inside of the garage.

The door cannot be lowered.  Without the weather seal, the door would be level with flooring.  The flooring is also of small thickness (laminate in that area), so the door is essentially level with the subfloor.

A landing is required if the door swings outward, except for screen doors. The landing is to be the width of the door and 36” in the direction of travel. (See ICC R311.4.3.)
The maximum rise of steps is 8”. The maximum difference between risers is 3/8” from smallest to largest. (See ICC R311.5.3.1)
The minimum tread depth is 9”. The greatest difference from smallest to largest is 3/8”. (See ICC R311.5.3.2)
A handrail is required if there are 4 or more risers. The handrail is to be installed a minimum of 34” and not to exceed 38” (See ICC R311.5.6)
I wouldn’t ignore the code. That’s how people end up in court after a neighbor has an accident without insurance.


How do I cap off / remove a single sprinkler head? I have a corner in my yard that is getting too much water from the sprinkler system. The grass is drowning and moss is growing because it's constantly wet. The adjacent zone seems to throw enough water on that spot. Can I somehow cap off that one rotor, or will I need to completely remove it?

If capping, is it a matter of replacing the rotor with a cap. If removal is necessary, will I need to remove that whole spur pipeline, or can that branch just stay in ground full of water?

It depends on where the sprinkler head is located within that zone.  If the sprinkler head that you are capping is not a dead end on the line, then you can cap it at this sprinkler head.  If it is a dead end, then you need to go to the prior sprinkler head to cap the line.

  A dead end occurs with the last
  sprinkler in a series. Capping a dead
  end leaves water in the underground
  line with nowhere to go. If the
  sprinklers are spaced far apart, this
  wastes water pressure. In areas prone
  to freezing, it can cause water in the
  line to ice and damage the pipe. Dead
  ends should be capped at the preceding
  or next-to-last sprinkler head.
  Reference: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-cap-off-a-sprinkler-head

And you do not replace the rotor with a cap but actually just remove the sprinkler head and cap the line.  Removing the sprinkler head is very easy to do.  Just get a trowel and dig down around the sprinkler head until you have enough clearance to unscrew the current sprinkler head without getting soil in the line.

But before you start the work on capping/removing this sprinkler head, I would try adjusting either the current sprinkler head or the other zones sprinkler head to reduce the amount of water being delivered to that spot.  Depending on the type of sprinkler heads you have, you might be able to replace/adjust one or both of the sprinkler nozzles to reduce the flow.  Or look into adjusting the pattern on the sprinkler to deliver less water in your area.  Or you can even reduce the amount of time that one of these zones is watering.  My point is that someone already did all that work to install the line and sprinkler so try some other steps first.  There have been plenty of times that I have planted a tree or plant or did some other landscaping that blocked a sprinkler heads spray area and then wished I had another head in that location.


DIY exterior door casing I have a couple of solid wood door slabs and wanted to install them into a casing that is weatherstrip friendly. Split door jamb casings don't seem to be compatible with this design, so I figured I'd make my own casings.  Based on the measurements of my existing exterior doors, it looks like it has a 1x5 for frame and 1x3 for the jamb.  Has anyone done this themselves and is it as straightforward to construct as I'm imagining (plus the latch hole and mortising the hinge of course)?

The parts you are looking to cobble together, are already cut to the proper profile for an exterior door jamb on the shelves of the big box stores. The aluminum/wood sills are there too. The jamb is cut and ready to receive the typical weatherstripping used these days. here is a link to the product at one store


Cover screw holes in pvc What's the best way to cover screw holes in pvc?
I was thinking about filling them,  then covering with a piece of plastic.

As BrownRedHawk suggested white silicone will keep water out (paint silicone won't accept paint). White latex caulking is similar to silicone, but it does cover easily with paint. You could also try 2 part white epoxy. This will set to a solid patch that can be sanded smooth and remain rigid and weatherproof. I'd favor the epoxy and once dry paint it with an appliance spray paint to blend it in.


Connecting beam to post with T straps I am thinking of how to connect two beams over three posts to each other and to the posts.
In this country (NZ) I found two T straps for this:
Simpson APT4

MiTek Bowmac B38

The thing is, that I can bend the Simpson one with my hands and cannot bend the MiTek one.
My 1st question is - is this Simpson strap meant for what I think it is meant for? Connecting a beam to a post or two ends of beams to a post and each other.
2nd question is - if I can bend it with hands, is it strong enough to hold the beam which will hold the roof? Or maybe I need two of these on each side of the post or it is decorative only and needs additional fasteners.

TL;DR - they're both designed for construction purposes and meet standards*
(*in the US, at least)
Generally, Simpson StrongTies are used for all sorts of construction purposes. Read through their documentation to ensure this will meet your needs. Since you don't indicate what you're building, it's really hard for us to say for sure.
The ATP4 is for 4-by material (~100mm) while the ATP6 is for 6-by material (~150mm), so make sure you're getting the correct sizes for your project. Also, be sure to use the proper screws (they specify that it has to be their structural screws and washers, but I'm sure any similarly spec'd structural screw & washer will do the trick - their's will be powder coated to match, which is an advantage) and to fill all the mounting holes in the bracket.
Personally, I'd be a bit concerned by the fact that the ATP4 has only one hole for each piece of wood. In my mind, this makes the cut of each joint extremely important. You'll need to leave some room for expansion (no more than 1/8" ~3mm gap), but too much leaves you with a pivot point on that single screw. I doubt that this would fail any certification process they put them through, but it would make me a bit nervous because I know my ability to get consistent quality joints.
The MiTek is also used for many construction projects. Personally, I'd feel a bit better about this particular strap as it's got 4 nails going into each piece of wood that it's attaching to, so there won't be any pivot issues.
Of course, the MiTek is "ugly" looking galvanized steel while the Simpson is "pretty" looking powder coated (not sure if it's also galvanized - I didn't look for that, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't) steel. On that end you're comparing aesthetics vs price and that's a decision only you can make.
I've used both Simpson & MiTek on projects at my house (a garage, deck and storage shed), but I've never used the decorative ones, as mine have all been buried and not for show. I've been happy with both and my choice was made mainly on what was available on the day I purchased.


Bathroom nozzle part Is there a specific name for the part of a bathroom nozzle the holds the washer?
I have a two handles brass BR faucet with a flat wide spout that I believe need a washer which I ordered. The problem is it seems like I'm going to need a part yo hold it. When I feel the inside of the water outlet, it feels like it's missing something.
I can use all of the help I can get in more ways than one! Thanks in advance!!

Aerator Assembly

(source)

They're all pretty standard. You should be able to find one at your local hardware store. Or, buy a faucet aerator assembly on Google.


Do big-box stores sell inferior versions of plumbing fixtures? Do big-box stores such as the Home Depot and Lowe's carry plumbing fixtures that have the same name and appearance as at other stores, but with lower quality to keep the price low?

I phoned Kohler to ask them this exact question. The answer, at least for Kohler, is that if the part number is exactly the same, the product is exactly the same. However, some parts, sold only at the Home Depot and Lowe's, have an "R" prefix on the part number. This stands for "retail" and can signify that cheaper parts have been used to reduce cost; for example some metal parts may have been replaced with plastic parts.


What is the name of this tool? It almost looks like an Allen without the wrench Any body have any idea what this thing is called?

This is just an Allen driver bit - you use it with a detachable head screwdriver.


What is the most economical and energy-efficient way to winterize windows? We have vinyl windows (mostly double-paned) and live in a shady greenbelt in Seattle (i.e. wet and dark). We don't have much severe weather to worry about, just a pervasive damp cold that settles in and makes our extremely inefficient remodeled money pit cost a fortune to heat.

I've looked at rolls of plastic for window sealing at Home Depot and Lowe's and have been surprised at the cost, considering it's just a roll of plastic. Is this the most efficient option? Are there ways to winterize that involve materials that could be re-used next winter?

Any advice appreciated!

In the winter, windows can be one of the biggest sources of heat loss in your entire house.  In an older house with no or low insulation, this can be particularly true.

One thing that you can do with minimal fuss - if you feel cold drafts coming from around the window its entirely possible that you've got air leakage around the window frame itself.  A quick test to determine whether this is true or not is to light a candle and hold it about a foot from the window, and slowly move it around the border of the window.  If you see that the candle's smoke is significantly disrupted, you can add spray foam insulation around the perimeter of your window.

1) CAREFULLY remove the trim around the interior window frame so you end up with a window like this:

2) If there is an obvious gap between the window sash (the wooden frame around the window) and the structure, use some canned spray foam insulation and carefully spray foam into the gaps to create an air tight seal.  DO NOT OVERFILL as the foam will expand.

You want the foam to end up looking like this:

Give the foam AMPLE time to cure - give it a good 24 hours - and then use a straight serrated knife to cut any squeezed out foam off level with the wall.

How the window may look prior to trimming back the foam:

Finally, reattach the window trim like it was before.