Where's the C terminal on my boiler control? The new thermostat I purchased doesn't run on batteries, and needs 24 volt power. I have only a red and a white wire connected between the boiler and the thermostat, but there is also a third, unused wire. The instructions from the thermostat say to hook that third wire to the C terminal on thermostat and to the furnace's C, but I have a boiler with no C. Where do I put it on here? Please help I'm desperate.

Unfortunately, the Aquastat you're using does not expose a C terminal. The transformer is likely soldered directly to the board; so unless you're good with a solder gun, you're going to have to buy a different thermostat.
The red wire attached to the T terminal, should be connected to the R terminal of the thermostat. The white wire attached to the T terminal, should be connected to the W terminal of the thermostat. When the thermostat calls for heat, it will connect the R terminal to the W terminal. This will cause the coil to pull a switch closed (relay), which tells the boiler that the thermostat is cold.
If you're not afraid to potentially break things, and you really want to try to get the new thermostat working. You could try to add your own C wire. You'll simply have to connect the new C wire, to the other lead of the secondary coil of the transformer.

Left image shows original wiring. Right image shows where the C terminal should be added.
WARNING:
Modifying the wiring of the Aquastat will likely void the warranty, and could potentially damage the equipment. Proceed at your own risk.


Why is my gas heater shutting down the flame and pilot? I have a KINGSMAN gas heater, Model FV-5000N, quits working. After I relight pilot, turn switch to on, the flame lights and begins to heat, then after about 30 seconds, there is an audible click from the valve body and the flame goes out including pilot light.

Bad thermocouple - it is supposed to sense the presence of a flame, and turn off the gas if it is on, but nothing is getting hot.

Last one I replaced was less than $10 at home depot, it is held in with only a screw or two, and less than an hour of work, including the beer after fixing my friends water heater.

Looks like this, they are pretty much universal.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_26369-135-6910476_0__?productId=3133513


Help with 2 Dimmer Switches and bad wiring Two dimmers in one "box", each going to a separate room. One set of lights started to flicker, so I figured I needed to replace the switch. I've done dimmers before. But when I opened the box, whoever wired it had one wire screwed in, which I assume is the hot wire, but 3 other wires braided together and stuck into one pole.

Why would they do that?

Now I have a 3 way switch. How should I go about fixing it? Also, all 3 wires are black so that's frustrating. Thanks, sorry if I'm not using correct verbiage.

Almost certainly the hot is one of the 3, and the single wire goes to the light this dimmer controls, while the other 2 wires feed unswitched hot to other devices. Given that your assumption is opposite, you MIGHT want to consider an electrician, or further self-education.

See Light Switch Terminals which is a very similar question (one less wire in the bundle.) "Braiding 3 together" is wrong. Using a wire nut (or other listed splice mechanism) to join 4, with the 4th being an additional short "pigtail" to connect to the switch terminal is correct.

Incidentally, having 3 wires stuck in one pole does not make the switch a 3-way switch. A 3-way switch is a particular type of switch commonly used so that you can control lights from two switch locations, which has 3 separate terminals rather than the usual 2.


Competing conditioned/combustion air flow; worry about CO? My home has a partially-below grade basement that has a "Wave" ventilation system that brings cool, conditioned air in from the main house. The basement has an equipment room containing an oil burning furnace for heat and hot water, which draws fresh air from outside via a wall vent and which is well-sealed from the rest of the basement (by a security door with a rubber gasket).

The issue I am having is that the equipment room has a large amount of wasted space (6ft by 10ft) that I'd like to use for my server/networking/audio gear, but the room is consistently nearly 90 degrees (the furnace heats our water and runs basically 24/7/365).

I would like to open up the room to introduce cool, conditioned air into it, but I am super worried that the Wave fan (which is pretty powerful) is going to instead draw products of combustion/carbon monoxide into the basement living space.

Does anyone have any ideas?  I was thinking a fan in the wall to pull air into the room, but then worry that failure of the fan would cause a reversal of the air flow direction and suck out CO.

Here is a not-to-scale drawing.  Thanks!!

You're right to worry that opening up that room to the rest of the basement will mix combustion gases with the rest of the air.

I'm guessing from some clues (oil-fired boiler, baseboard heat) that you're in a cooler climate.

You could cool that space separately from the rest of the house.  Can you draw in outside air on a thermostat-triggered vent fan?  A/V and network equipment can operate at a higher temperature than we generally keep our homes.  85 degrees generally isn't a problem if there's enough circulation to prevent hot spots.

If it were my house, I would build or install a cabinet to hold the equipment.  Use a short piece of flex duct to draw in cool outside air at the bottom.  Use another with a thermostatically controlled fan to exhaust it at the top.  On the exterior, you would use something like a dryer vent hood to prevent water, bugs, and rodents from getting in.  Inside the cabinet, mount a couple additional fans to ensure everything gets adequate circulation.

If the risks of outside dust and temperature swings are concerning, you could do the same solution and vent it into the basement.  If you did that, you'd need to make sure the cabinet and all ductwork are sealed tightly (again with the combustion gases).  You'd be able to skip the thermostat on the fan as well.  But you'd have to listen to that fan whine pretty much all the time you're in the basement.  A fan that can move adequate air will make some noise.


Vegetable Garden Fence Design with 2x2 Posts Let's start with the tl;dr: I'm starting a new vegetable garden and need to put up a fence around it. 16'x12', constructed of wood and metal poultry netting. My goals are to ensure that:

Squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits, raccoons, and neighbourhood cats stay out. No deer here.
The fence will hold up fairly well to small impacts (like a soccer ball kicked by a 5-year-old, or an out-of-control 5-year-old).
The fence can be expanded repeatedly in subsequent years, and completely disassembled/removed/reassembled with relative ease (hence no 4x4 posts set in concrete).

Here's how I was thinking of approaching this, I would appreciate your feedback or suggestions:

Use 2x2's for the vertical posts. I found 42" 2x2 stakes and will drive them a foot deep, so the finished height will be 32" above ground.
Use 2x2's for rails running along the bottoms and the tops of the posts. Most posts will be spaced 4' apart.
Use standard 2x4 concealed fence rail brackets to make both installation and removal of the rails easier and cleaner. (Do you suggest something else??). I will line up all the posts, measure, mark, pre-drill, and screw in all the brackets before the posts ever go into the ground.
Staple mesh fencing to the outside of the posts and along the frame. Extend the mesh a few inches above the top of the fence frame (to deter wood-climbing animals) and bury it a few inches into the ground (to deter some diggers).
Build a simple door about 3' wide with using 2x2's for the frame (or possibly 1x2's with mesh fencing sandwiched between them).

A couple things I'm also wondering:

My yard slopes, about 1/2" per foot. Do I slope my fence or do I make sure every post top is level with every other? 1/2" isn't much, my rails should still fit neatly in the rail brackets. Do I offset the brackets on either side of each post? (I prefer the "standardization" since I can move the fence to any other near-level surface in the future, but I might just be acting dumb).
Should I put some boards around the bottom of the fence for additional structural support, to withstand some extra impacts, etc.? 1x6x8 SPF are $4 apiece (I'm in Canada) = $28 total.

Your suggestions are welcome! Diagrams, images, more info can be provided. I hope this wasn't too long. Thanks in advance!

I will line up all the posts, measure, mark, pre-drill, and screw in all the brackets before the posts ever go into the ground.

What if you can't drive one all the way to your predicted depth, or what if you drive one your predicted depth and it is not yet stable and you want to drive it further? I would not pre-attach your rail brackets or I bet they will not end up straight/level.

  Do I slope my fence or do I make sure every post top is level with every other?

Slope the fence, 1/2" per foot adds up.

  boards around the bottom of the fence for additional structural support, to withstand some extra impacts

Unnecessary for impact, unless you expect charging cats and hedgehogs to head-butt the fence. But it might add some extra stability.


What could be the cause of Water running in Condo? One night about a month ago I was watching TV when I heard a loud metal sound followed by the sound of surging water.  It was so loud and unsettling my dog started barking.  I went next door to ask my neighbor, who had just moved in, if she was running her washer, which is upstairs.  Or taking a shower.  No answer.  I hear water running in the pipes closer to her wall.  The HOA management people had their Mr. Fixit man come out.  He looked for signs of water close to the dishwasher and under the stairs.  He listened to the walls and said he could hear it where I said it was. He could not find any appliance running. Their next step is to have a plumber with a listening device come out to find the leak.  The water sound continues.  Still not telltale signs of water buildup anywhere. In addition to the constant sound I am not fretting over the possibility I may have damaged the pipe when I tried to put in my molly bolts to hang a small cabinet.  Is that possible?  The condo was built in 1968.

It's quite possible that some other unit is draining into the same pipe. Typically water sounds are generated only in the drain pipes, because the inlets are systolic (i.e. always at peak pressure).  Since at least so far nobody's reported leaks or water damage, my uneducated guess is that some faucet or toilet valve gave out, and there's constant water flow within the system.  Whoever lives in the unit where this happened may simply be unaware of (or doesn't give a darn) whatever plumbing fixture has water running into and out of it.


Why do I need 4-conductor cable to my generator? Why do I need all 4 wires in my generator twistlock?

The generator neutral and ground are bonded.  I have installed a Siemens 3-pole transfer switch, but would prefer to use 3 wire extension from the generator to the transfer switch.  (mainly cause the 4 wire is so big and bulky)

This depends on whether your neutral-to-ground bonding is before or after the transfer switch.  If the transfer switch is your service entrance, you can bond neutral to ground there (on the common side, after the switch, inside the transfer switch enclosure), and do switching only for the hot conductors.  If neutral is bonded to ground before the transfer switch, then all points beyond the point of bonding are now 4-wire, and a transfer switch must switch both hots and also the neutral (not the ground wire).

You can't mix by having the utility power be one way (for example 4-wire) and the generator be another way (3-wire) because you can't switch the bonding.  It has to be either both 3-wire or both 4-wire coming up to the transfer switch.

Edit: since you have bonding at the entrance and at the generator, you need to switch the neutral in the transfer switch.  Because of that you need 4 wires from both sources in order to keep the neutral and ground separated so the two bondings are never connected together by more than one wire (it will be the ground wire).


Is this weird wiring in outlet safe? I was replacing an outlet and saw this. It Looks like a wire got split in half and joined together to create a new outlet. Is it safe?

This is obviously unsafe. There are two problems:

Safety: the wires are uninsulated at their joints and present a shock hazard.
Connection: the wires are twisted together with no screw clamping. As they oxidise the resistance will increase and may over time develop into a hotspot with arcing and potential to start a fire.


Moving light fixture- what are these extra wires? I have a small kitchen with a single light fixture that I am wanting to remove, and replace with 6 recessed can lights. My plan was to remove the existing fixture, disconnect the wire and just pull that wire over to the first can. However, when I opened up the box, I was greeted with this:

It's hard to see, but there are two white wires on the top, and two black ones coming in from the bottom. To make sense of it, I've sketched it out:

Which brings me to my question(s):

A) What is going on here? Top right must go to my wall switch, but what's the rest doing?

B) Since I'm no longer wanting a light here, could this mess be stuffed in a junction box in the ceiling, accessible from pulling out a recessed light? (There is a second floor above this ceiling)

To answer your questions in turn:

A) Top right in your diagram (and in your photo) is the switch loop to your wall switch -- the white wire on that cable should be tagged with a piece of black tape to mark it as a hot. One of the other black wires is the (un-switched) line originating in your panel. The remaining cables go to other branch circuits.

B) Just put a blank round cover of the appropriate size on the junction box here after removing the light, so that the next bloke who has to work on the box can get to it.  Don't forget to remove the silly green pigtail connecting the nuts!


Two Fans on One Wall Switch? I have two large 72" ceiling fans on our lanai that operate on one wall switch. The fans don't appear to be running on their top speed, even set on high. Could this be because they are on the same wire and shouldn't be or could it be the switch itself? This was a new house and the wiring was specified for two fans.

If installed by an inexperienced do-it-yourselfer*, they may have wired the fans in SERIES, instead of in parallel as they should have been. That would make the fans divide the voltage between them, in effect giving each one half of the voltage it was designed for. Many ceiling fans are designed to operate from dimmers, so reducing the voltage to them is allowable and is how your reduce their speed. So it would not harm the fans, it would just not allow them to run at their designed maximum speed.

This could have been done on purpose by the way, thinking that full speed was too much for the space anyway. I've seen that done at restaurants so that customers or workers cannot turn the fans up to full speed and make a mess.


How can I tell if wood is properly dried? I guess measuring it's weight would be one of the answers, but it doesn't seem practical because wood of a same type can probably fluctuate  in it's density enough to make measurement unreliable in 10-20% moisture range. Are there any specific tips for wood like ash, beech or oak?

Your best bet is to get a moisture meter, like this one:
Amazon link to one meter.  Moisture meters come various ranges: you want one that measures in the 6-14% range or so.  Anything above 14% is not useful for woodworking as it will shrink too much.

Meters come in two varieties, pinned and pinless.  The pinned meters measure stick two electrodes into the wood about 1/4" and measure the electrical resistance.  You tell the meter what species you're measuring, and it uses an internal table to tell you the moisture content.

The pinless variety won't mar your wood, but they're quite a bit more expensive.  They use induction or ESP or fairy dust or something to read the moisture level.

If your wallet is glued shut, you can use weight to measure the moisture content.  Have a look here.


Where is American Wire Gauge (AWG) used? European standards I live in Italy. I would like to know whether American Wire Gauge (AWG) is used in Europe for electrical wires that run within homes, or whether Europe usea different standards. Does each country in Europe use its own standards for home electrical wiring or is AWG somewhat of an international thing?

Thanks.

As far as I know, Europe (or pretty much the whole world other than USA/perhaps Canada) uses the wire cross sectional area in square millimeters as the standard for wire sizing.


Where do I attach the fixture grounding wire when no supply grounding wire is provided? I am replacing an undercounter light and I have a black, white and red supply wire but no green or bare copper supply wire.  Where do I attach the green ground wire attached to the fixture?

If you cannot route a ground wire (with continuity back to the breaker box)(to be preferred), you can supply the lighting with power from the LOAD side of a GFCI.  This is why there is a "No equipment ground" sticker in the GFCI packaging, which you should put on the outlet (if not hardwired) or on the under-cabinet lighting.

This would not create a ground, but it makes a safer alternative for a fixture within reach of a water supply (6 ft in IRC code).


Can an electrical panel be behind a locked door in North Carolina Like the title says.  Is there any Code in North Carolina that states an electrical panel can Not be mounted in a locked room?

If you own the building, and provide "continuous building management supervision". Then yes, the panel can be locked up. Otherwise, no. Tenants need to have access to their panels.
Well, technically... The door can be locked, but the tenants must have a key.

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 240 Overcurrent Protection
240.24 Location in or on Premises.
(B) Occupancy. Each occupant shall have ready access to all overcurrent devices protecting the conductors supplying that occupancy, unless otherwise permitted in 240.24(B)(1) and (B)(2).
(1) Service and Feeder Overcurrent Devices. Where electric service and electrical maintenance are provided by the building management and where these are under continuous building management supervision, the service overcurrent devices and feeder overcurrent devices supplying more than one occupancy shall be permitted to be accessible only to authorized management personnel in the following:
(1) Multiple-occupancy buildings
(2) Guest rooms or guest suites.
(2) Branch-Circuit Overcurrent Devices. Where electric service and electrical maintenance are provided by the building management and where these are under continuous building management supervision, the branch-circuit overcurrent devices supplying any guest rooms or guest suites without permanent provisions for cooking shall be permitted to be accessible only to authorized management personnel.


Fencing backyard on the lower side of a retaining wall Trying to fence my backyard, so that the dog has some room to play and burn some energy, as well as joining us outside during gatherings.

My backyard sits on the low side of a retaining wall, which slopes down from approximately 8 ft tall down to 4 ft tall. My original fence outline is shown in blue on the drawing below; pretty much was gonna use the wall as a side of the fence. However, last week I found out that my dog can jump up the portion of the wall that is only 4ft tall.

Putting fence against the whole wall would add about 100 ft of fence, which wouldn't be cheap. Additionally it would cause a nightmare, if my neighbor ever needed to repair the wall. Thought about only fencing the 4 ft tall portion, but think that would look kind of weird...

Any ideas on what to do here, so that I can keep the dog in the yard without sacrificing yard space or adding 100 ft of fencing?

Thanks,

Add some planter boxes or some other pleasant looking obstruction to the 4 foot section.  if you are not interested in planter boxes you could do something like a gas pipe railing  I'm a gas fitter and I love the look of this stuff. But it may be a little costly if you want dense coverage like in the photo.


Installing a sill plate on a crawlspace for a manufactured home. Does it matter if I use spf white wood or treated? What type of wood should be used on a 8 inch cement block wall crawl space for a manufactured home. Spf white wood because of the metal I beams or treated lumber.

For wood in contact with masonry or concrete, the Code requires the use of an approved species and grade of wood such as decay resistant heartwood of Redwood, Black Locust, or Cedar or pressure treated in accordance with AWPA (See ICC R319.1) in areas subject to decay damage according to Table R301.2(1).
In the U.S., all but the very very most southern portion of the continental U.S. and Hawaii show as “severe” or “moderate”. The remainder shows as “negligible”. I’d consult with your local Building Department if your within that area.
The Code also allows the use of untreated lumber if separated by an approved moisture barrier. (Technically I guess the wood is not “in contact” with masonry or concrete with a moisture barrier.)


Does CFM of a compressor increase if pressure is reduced? In product description of the compressor, CFM is mentioned to be 185 Liters per Minute. And pressure is mentioned to be 115 PSI.
Lets say, If I only need 30 PSI for my spray gun but CFM required by the gun is 200 L/M. Would above mentioned compressor be able to provide required air flow?
Compressor has a 2 HP motor.

Absolutely Yes, this is simple physics the air is not requiring as high of pressure the throughout increases. Most air compressors rate there pump rates around 50 psi, 90 psi and the max psi. Even my cheap little pancake oil less has a dual rating of 3/6 scfm I don’t know for sure the exact number but was able to find the formula on line.  Just Google the ideal gas laws and there are many examples of this formula.
PxV = nRT ;
where P = pressure , V = Volume, T = Temperature, n is the amount of gas present
and R is a constant depending on the units used for the other variables.
There is a practical limit my 5000 psi compressor is only rated at 6scfm the volume increases as I reduce the pressure but because of the volume of the pistons and motor speed it will not jump as high as my little pancake compressor.


How do I flatten my uneven concrete floor? We have an old Victorian house with a concrete floor throughout the ground floor.

The ground floor is partitioned in two by a dividing wall and french doors. From the front of the house to the doors, the floor slopes up around 7cm, but is not too uneven across the width, so we're going to put down a thick underlay and carpet.

From the french doors it slopes up a further 3cm to the middle of that area, and then is flat for the rest. Unfortunately, within that 3cm incline, it also has dips, undulations and is generally not flat across the width. Since this is the kitchen area, we don't want to put down carpet, so are looking for ways to flatten out this area of floor. We'd prefer vinyl or possibly tiles, so flatness is relatively important.

We've considered liquid latex but are worried that it will just run down towards the french doors and keep going, which we don't really want. Is there any product out there designed to smooth out undulations etc but without running so much, so we can make the slope more even?

The concrete floor is also painted, so we wondered if we'd need to strip that off or apply a primer?

Thanks for any advice you can give, folks!

Jamie

You are looking for leveling compound for concrete.  That link is to one of many of Home Depot's choices for a fast setting mix which can be up to one inch thick.  The reviews say the instructions should be carefully followed; many rave about the results.  I imagine if you mucked up the application, it could be difficult to correct.  (I have only done leveling compound on top of a wood subfloor:  that was pretty easy to get right.)


How can I eliminate the need for the switch controlling living room receptacles? I am new to home improvement, so please be patient with me. I'm sure my ignorance and lack of vocabulary are going to shine through! I'll try to answer any questions and clarify anything to the best of my ability.

I just moved into a house and have noticed that all of the outlets in my living room that are controlled by a switch. Top and bottom outlets.

How can I change this to eliminate the need for the switch? And what can I do with the switch that is in the wall?

The following assumes that only one switch controls the outlets.

Turn the breaker off to the outlets.
Confirm there is no power with an outlet tester.
Remove the switch cover.
Loosen the switch.
Confirm there is no power to the switch using a no-contact tester.
Remove the two wires attached to the switch (should be a combination of black, red or white).
Twist the two wires together and cover with a wire nut.
Remove ground wire (green or bare), if present, and push to back of box.
If there are other wires in the box, ignore them.
Put a blank box cover over the switch box.
Turn the breaker back on.
Throw away switch.

NOTE: Switched outlets are often used in rooms that lack an overhead light or only have a pull chain fixture. This allows someone entering the room to turn on a table or floor lamp so they are not stumbling around in the dark. In fact, switched outlets or fixtures are now mandated under the National Electric Code (which is controlling in most locales in the US): 210.70(A)(1) Habitable Rooms. At least one wall switch–controlled lighting outlet shall be installed in every habitable room and bathroom.

There are also techniques for splitting a dual outlet so that one half is switched and the other half always live.  However this requires at least three wires running to the outlet box (neutral/hot/switched hot).


My question is, is this a possible/valid way to add a "hidden" outlet for outside IP camera? So I basically wanted to do what the OP wanted to do here...

However, I wasn't sure if one needed to actually cut thru the siding and add a new gang box + receptacle/outlet in order to plug in the IPcam's wallwart power adapter... or if my wiring/connections are right... I think they are...

So I did this:

I spliced together the cables coming from the switch, the exterior lamp's cables (not pictured), and the cables that feed the outlet. I put those twisting plastic wire nuts on all connections, and put the lamp back on.
I wanted to avoid drilling/cutting on the hardiplank siding cuz it's a pain (super hard) and kinda want the power adapter to be hidden as it's def not for outdoor use...

My question is, is this a possible/valid way to do it? I nailed the outlet to a stud on the right (without a plastic gangbox) and just pulled the 5V DC cable to thru a small opening on the lamp's housing/base.

Also could an outlet being hidden like that be a code violation? fire hazard? Where can find out about whether this is ok code-wise in my area? I'm in Metro-Atlanta, GA.

Generally "not valid" (under NEC rules) since you are combining low voltage and high voltage in a box without a barrier separating them. That is, it's a clear code violation.

  I nailed the outlet to a stud on the right (without a plastic gangbox)

That sounds rather like an additional code violation.

48V POE (af/at) or 24V passive POE (Power Over Ethernet) are generally much better ways to handle powering cameras, since there is no need to make horrible kludges to get a power adapter anywhere near the camera.


Replace septic system before failure? We're looking at getting some landscaping work done in the front yard to remedy some drainage issues.  Two years ago we got an inspection of a septic system that is underneath the front yard done, and the report came back saying it was in pretty bad shape.  Still, every year we have the tank pumped and they say that it's still working as designed and looks pretty good overall.  We notice no issues inside the house that would lead us to believe the system requires immediate attention.

So my question is: is there a case to be made for replacing a septic system before it has failed completely?  The landscaping people say that the two projects aren't likely to interfere with each other but it bothers me to think that we might do this work only to rip up the entire front lawn.

System is ~42 years old (eek)

Like you I recently bought a house on a septic system that also had some storm water drainage issues, so I'm answering not as an expert, but as someone with recently-acquired insight.

How seriously to take the initial inspection..

First, since your initial inspection was performed by a different company than the one handling your yearly pumping, and since their review differs from the opinion of your regular crew ..and since you say the system is performing as it should be with no apparent issues, I'd retain some "cautiously optimistic skepticism" of the initial inspection. ESPECIALLY since those inspection notes say the drain field (absorption area) was saturated, and this corresponds with your mention of drainage issues in your front yard. It's probably obvious but, if rain events are causing ponding in your yard, then clearly your drain field will suffer compromised performance.

Lifespan of septic systems and common points of failure..

Second--a 42-year old system would concern me too, so I wonder what the potential lifespan of your actual tank is. This page suggests..

  Steel tanks can last anywhere from 20-30 years, and usually deteriorate from weathering. Plastic tanks last a bit longer, with an average lifespan of 30-40 years. The longest lasting option are concrete tanks, which can last 40 years or more. ... People love concrete tanks because they last almost indefinitely, but low quality concrete that is not poured properly will fail in just a few years.

And this page says..

  A concrete septic tank can last 40 years to nearly indefinitely.

So if yours was built well, and I suppose we can assume it was, then maybe your tank is hanging in there. Also since your regular pump crew thinks the system looks good from the perspective of the most easily-observed component (the tank), maybe you can feel comfortable betting on it.

..specifically, drain fields

As I understand it, when these systems fail, the drain field is the weakest link and the most likely point of failure, particularly if it was originally packed in dirt rather than gravel. (Which I think modern systems are packed in gravel?) Also FWIW, it's very possible, maybe even likely, that your drain field has been replaced at least once.

As mentioned here..

  The most common and most expensive failure of private systems occurs as soil clogging and failure of the absorption system to continue to accept water.

So it may be that--if there is truly a problem--the whole system isn't in jeopardy, just the drain field beyond the distribution box.

The drainage issue..

But your mention of a drainage issue affecting your yard hosting the steptic is potentially important, especially if it's ponding over your drain field! ..in which case, I'm guessing you're considering a french drain to help move the water. It's my opinion that moving ponding storm water out and away from your drainage field should come first, for two reasons: 1) Standing water in your drain field means oversaturation is competing with your distribution lines' ability to leach effluent ..because the soil's potential to accept that effluent is reduced or eliminated. So fixing the drainage issue should automatically help your drain field. 2) You wouldn't want to replace your drain field with a known drainage issue, particularly a ponding/pooling issue, unless you handled them at the same time.

Personally, I think it would be easier to know you fixed the drainage issue if you tackle it first, rather than at the same time you replace your drain field, because that would give you the opportunity to evaluate if your drainage solution was working before you ventured into more costly overhaul of one of your home's mechanical systems. There is a caveat to this, though, you will want to make sure when your drain field is replaced, that they do not also destroy your french drain in the process ..for example by driving over the top of and crushing any drain lines.

How I'd approach this..

If I were in your shoes, I'd tackle the drainage issue first. It needs to be handled anyway, and it's definitely working against your current system, and it would be a lingering impediment to a new system.

Next, assuming your tank is concrete, and based on the observations of the pump crew that the tank itself appears to be in good shape, I'd get some quotes to replace just the drain field, rather than the whole system. Nobody likes to dump a ton of money on repairs for stuff, but if you're not too put off by the quote, I'd consider just having it done to avoid the anxiety and move on with your life.

Finally, the yard. Unless you're anticipating trying to sell your home in the near future, I would limit any landscaping I did to stuff that wouldn't be destroyed by the sort of equipment that would be used to drive over your yard digging up the system components.

To be ultra-specific, I certainly wouldn't lay sod over a potentially 42-year old drainfield, or even one under suspicion. I'd probably gamble on replacing my drain field and keeping my old tank unless the expense of replacing just the field vs the entire system (tank, distribution box, field lines) is similar enough that it's a no-brainer.

Since you're asking this in a DIY community..

If you're ambitious, and if your setting is rural-enough, you could consider replacing the drain field yourself. Be sure to look into the legality of this, but there are tons of videos on YouTube that go into the anatomy of septic systems, what they look like in various states of failure, and how to repair the failed components. Of course your old lines would need to be dug up and disposed of. You'd need a lot of gravel for below and around the lines, and you'd want to start immediately after having the tank pumped.

Good luck!


How to seal a unused thimble in exhaust chimney I have a 1955 farm home which has a chimney currently being used to exhaust an oil furnace. The furnace is in the basement, and on the main floor there was a thimble extending out on each side of the chimney. When I had a chimney expert out to inspect the chimneys, he suggested I brick/mortar one side up and place a thimble cover plate on the other side. In case the next owners move away from the oil furnace and want to put in a wood burning stove. So I followed his advice and blocked in one side and mortared it up. The side that still has an accessible thimble is in the kitchen and it currently has an original thimble cover plate (tension rods on back that slip into thimble) on it that was hand painted. I also have carbon monoxide detectors which have never gone off.

Problem: home inspector said I have to remove the cover plate and seal the thimble to prevent carbon monoxide leaks.

I reached out to the chimney guy that I originally worked with and he said that he knows of no building code regulations that say how to seal the thimble so the thimble plate w silicone caulk should be fine or to just brick/mortar the hole (which I don't want to do).

Question: can I use a high temp silicone caulk around the thimble cover plate so it's not permanent like brick/mortar but still air tight. Is there other methods of sealing a thimble so carbon monoxide doesn't escape but aren't permanent?

I think you can but I also think you are going to loose this fight.  Do what the inspector says.  Life will go easier for you.  If in the future, someone wants to install a wood stove in that spot, it is not that hard to re-chink a hole. (BTW the oil furnace probably should be vented through a chimney liner.  And any future wood stove will probable be required to have its own flue-way.)


GFCI receptacle will not reset My GFCI tripped and would not reset. I jumpered out the outlet and all power returned to normal. I assumed it was a defective GFCI so I replaced it. Same problem. Power is available at the line side, but when the reset button is pushed the GFCI just trips again. I reversed the wires, thinking that maybe I had line and load reversed, but that didn't work either. I jumpered out the outlet again, and the power came back on downstream. Any suggestions??

Never do random things in electrical. You will stumble upon combinations that will work but will kill you.

Pause to learn what exactly it is you are doing.  Only then proceed.

OK, so you had a GFCI that was previously installed and worked before, and now suddenly is tripping.

The most important point is that GFCI devices are capable of protecting downline loads.  Those are the ones that are now dead.

First, unplug all the appliances that are downline from the GFCI device, and plugged into it if it's a receptacle.  That will clear up 99% of your problems in a "didn't trip before, now does" situation.  Once it clears, start plugging stuff in again When you plug a certain appliance in, it will trip.  Try that in a different GFCI and see if it still trips there. Off to the appliance repair it goes.
Second, unwire the GFCI device and disconnect and cap off the LOAD wires only.  Now, see if the GFCI device clears.  If it does, the problem is in either a hardwired device (lamp, fan etc.) or is in the wiring itself.

Then, you reconnect LOAD and start removing hardwired devices.  You need to remove both hot and neutral to have an effective test.  Obviously when you remove a device and it stops tripping, you found the problem.
If you have removed all hardwired devices and it still trips, then you must do a bug-hunt for any crossed neutrals - anywhere a device uses one cable's hot yet another cable's neutral. Also check for this in the GFCI itself.  If you get stuck or confused, take photos and post them here.

Third, if the GFCI device still won't clear with nothing on LOAD, and (if it's a GFCI receptacle) nothing plugged into it, then you definitely have a bad GFCI.  Otherwise, you do not.


Help needed to calculate the R value of a brick veneer wall (house built in 1958)? I live in a house that was built in 1958. I am looking for the R value of my brick veneer walls. For that I would need to know how the wall was built (there should be the brick, some sheating, insulation etc. This is the part that I am missing: the layers that were used to build my walls.
This is in Toronto Canada. If anybody is familiar with this topic I would really appreciate some help
Here is what a wall looks like. The house in the back is identical with mine

There is good chances that my wall looks like this:

I am using the Heat2000 program to calculate the thermal values for my house. I decided to go with the below settings. This will give me a conservative R value of 13.5. I will use a second iteration with no batt insulation and see what I get.
I need this in order to properly size the furnace, the contractors that I have contacted for this are too lazy for this so I will have to do it myself

The only way to know the R-value of your wall is to know everything that was used to build it. Some of the ways you can determine this include by drilling a hole in it or looking behind an electrical outlet. That said, if your house is typical Canadian construction, here's my rough estimate:

1/2" drywall or plaster and lath: R-0.5
2x6 cavity filled with fiberglass batt insulation: R-14 (R-19 batts x 0.75 due to thermal bridging by the 2x6 studs).
Plywood sheathing: R-0.5
1" cavity: R-0.75
Single-wythe brick veneer: R-0.75

So the all-inclusive "whole-wall" R-value of your wall, if it's like this one, would be R-16.5. However, typically when discussing R-values, you only include the insulation--taking into account thermal bridging by studs. In that case, we would describe this wall as an R-14 wall. If your wall has different cavity insulation, or only has 2x4 studs, or has been retrofitted with rigid foam or mineral wool outside the sheathing, then the numbers would be different.


GFCI with 12/3 line and 12/2 load I have an outlet near a kitchen sink that, as part of a reno, would like to convert to GFCI, and tap into to power a dishwasher.
The existing box has a 12/3 line coming in, and I fished and added 12/2 for the dishwasher. The 12/3 line appears to be a dedicated circuit on a double breaker.
How would I connect the line's black and red, both hot, to the GFCI Outlet.

There are basically two options:
New Breaker
This is the simplest option, though probably not the least expensive. And may not even be possible, depending on the breaker panel. Replace the existing 20A double breaker with a GFCI 20A double breaker. If you can do that, then the wiring is easy:

Blacks together
Red to hot on new (ordinary) duplex receptacle
Whites (neutral) together and with a pigtail to neutral on new receptacle

GFCI Receptacle
This gets a little tricky, and also depends on your dishwasher circuit not required to be on a GFCI circuit. According to this page of code changes this is required as of the 2014 NEC. Which according to this page of NEC adoption by state means pretty much everywhere except Kansas and Indiana. There may be specific exemptions in some areas as well. So if it is allowed:

Blacks together
Red to hot line on new GFCI duplex receptacle
Whites (neutral) together and with a pigtail to neutral line on new receptacle
Load side of new receptacle is not used at all.

The reason you can't use the load side, which would provide GFCI protection for the dishwasher, is that you can't have kitchen countertop receptacles shared with hardwired appliances (with some very limited exceptions).
If you could put in a two-gang box then there would be a compliant with newer code solution:

GFCI receptacle on one hot
GFCI dead front on the other hot, wired to the dishwasher

GFCI devices have to be accessible (so you can reset them), so you can't just bury it behind the dishwasher.


Does the ground wire for my pool connect to the pumps? I am in the midst of a new gunite in-ground pool install.  I have the electrical background to tackle this job but I want to know I have it right, particularly around the bonding and grounding.  I got the homeowners one time electrical permit.

I successfully obtained the initial bond permit after the rebar was laid out.  I ran #8 bare copper around and left my 4 tails above the pool.  I also ran a #8 bare copper from the bonding lugs on the 3 pool lights I have installed and left them tailed out.  I have now laid out the 3ft wide copper grid to go under my pavers.  I will connect my tails(4 rebar bonds and 3 lights) to the grid and then run a solid bare #8 from the grid back to my equipment pad. Does this #8 go to one or all pumps I have at the pad and their ground lugs?  Ill have a sub panel outside.  Will I still need another grounding stick for this subpanel?

I have also read I need to run a solid, insulted #8 from each light, in addition to the ground wire that comes with the light.  Is that right?  Do I need to bond the inside of the light too?  This is where I am confused.

All your pumps should have the #8 connected to them (bonding), as they can become energized and you don't want that using your pool for a ground. This is not a substitute for grounding the pump through the electrical wiring. You need both, per NEC 680.26

  (a) Double-Insulated Water Pump Motors. Where a double-insulated water-pump motor is installed, a solid 8 AWG copper conductor from the bonding grid shall be provided for a replacement motor.

The lights must also be bonded if they are in a metal enclosure.

  (4) Underwater Metal Forming Shells. Metal forming shells and mounting brackets for luminaires and speakers shall be bonded to the equipotential grid.


Covering damaged wood cabinet under sink The bottom face of the wood cabinet under the kitchen sink has lots of water damage from leaks with the previous owner.

I'd like to cover over this wood. However, because I also want to put in a retractable trashcan under sink, the cover cannot be particularly thick (so for example, I can't just buy any old piece of wood and place it over the existing surface as that may severely reduce the available height under the sink).

I was thinking of covering the surface with a sheet of laminate that has a similar wood appearance.

What would be the best solution for this?

If I understand you correctly, you are referring to the cabinet floor.  A water damaged cabinet floor is very common.  Covering the damaged floor with laminate or a vinyl contact paper is often done to hide the damage and help protect from further damage.  However, if you are planning on installing a roll out trash can, the floor will need to be solid and level.  Depending on the type of material used to make the cabinet floor and the amount of damage, it may not be solid enough to support a roll out.  Additionally, it may be solid, a good grade of plywood for example, but the long term exposure to moisture may have bowed the floor and this will not allow the roll out to be installed correctly.  So you can cover it with something like that if it is a good quality material that has not rotted or bowed.

If the floor is not solid, you will need to replace it.  This is also a fairly common procedure and it is within the range of most DIYers.  You will need to cut out the old floor.  Once the floor is cut out, use some 1x2 stock lumber to install a cleat around the perimeter of the cabinet lining it up so that the top surface of the cleat is where the bottom of the old floor used to be.  Then cut a piece of good quality plywood of similar thickness to your old floor to the same dimension as the inside of the base cabinet.  You may have to drill for any plumbing penetrations and be prepared to disconnect and re-connect those plumbing lines.  Either finish the plywood with a good paint or stain/clearcoat.                                                                                You can also use the vinyl flooring or vinyl contact paper here to protect the plywood.  Then just lay the plywood on top of the cleats ans screw it down.  Now you will have a stable base for you roll out trash can.

Good Luck with your project!


How effective will a window unit AC be for a garage? We have a 3-car tandem garage on our house in Texas. This summer, we're planning on having a family reunion and were thinking of using the 3rd bay as an overflow area for the people who couldn't fit inside.
Given that it will easily be in the 90's during any given summer day, and the garage isn't insulated, what do you think can be reasonably expected by throwing in my backup window unit?  I'm definitely not expecting to freeze anyone out, but I also would hope that it could keep the garage from being unbearable.
Just wondering if anyone has tried this, and what your experience has been.  TIA.

It's all math.
You need 1 ton (12,000 btus) of cooling per 400 square feet.
You need about 500-600 btus of cooling per person.
So in 400 square feet you can expect to cool up to 20 people per ton assuming they aren't actively exercising. I wouldn't do any more than 10 people per ton if you want them to feel at least a little chill.
A hot and uninsulated garage will likely need 20% more btus than my calculations above.
You should turn these units on 6-8 hours before guests arrive to ensure your garage is sufficiently comfortable.


Truss Plate Loose where rafters meet DIYer here. I noticed that (only) one of the truss plates popped off where the rafters meet at the peak of the roof. Thus, a single set of rafters and the supporting beam are misligned and no longer connected.
- whats the probable reason this happened?
- If this is the only instance of the issue, is the solution simple enough? (remove old plate, re-align, hammer in new plates on both sides?

thanks.

It looks like somebody nailed a board on the other side. If that's the case, it might not be worth worrying about as long as it's done right. I would think 2-3 2" nails in each component would be sufficient.


What are the implications of driving a drywall screw too far into the sheet? I'm not gonna lie.  The early stages of my very first home improvement project completely smacks of novice DIY'er.  I did so many things wrong that I've since learned from, but the first mistakes are still glaringly obvious, one of which being how I drove screws too far into drywall.  Some do more than break the paper and actually sink into the sheet by as much as 1/8".

I've read that this can keep the wall from being stable.  Will I need to pull all these sunken screws out and drive new ones in over an inch or so?  The fact that I have a double layer of type x drywall hanging -- suspended, actually -- like this makes me wonder if I need to tear it all down and do it right this time.

The paper is a key part of the drywall structure. Just as when you cut the paper on the drywall it's easy to snap, when you screw past the paper it's easy to blow out the back. Plaster and paper are a lot like concrete and rebar, the plaster based core of drywall resists compression, while the paper resists tension.

It's not essential to pull the old screws, the damage has already been done and will be mudded over. But you should add a second screw a few inches away anywhere you went too deep. This is a critical repair for drywall on the ceiling, and a very good idea for drywall mounted on the wall. I wouldn't go through any added effort to tear down the drywall, since it's still perfectly good. Just add the extra screws and be happy you caught the problem before experiencing a collapse.

Update: From your new photos, those screws are too deep. Once the paper has been torn, you lose strength at that screw location. You should never be able to see plaster around the screw head, but you also should never be able to run a flat edge over the drywall and feel the screw head above the drywall. It's a fine line to walk, but a professional drywaller should be able to walk it with ease (we train amateurs to do this in under a hour).

Also, from those photos, it doesn't appear that the installers are using a drywall bit (we refer to them as mushroom bits because of their shape). They leave a distinct ring around each screw, making it easy to countersink the proper depth, and preventing you from going deeper (the bit will cam out when it hits the paper).


Is abandoned sewage pit hazardous? I own a family house that used to until about 20 years ago have a sewage collector pit in use. It has been abandoned for about 20 years now. It has concrete walls and roofing and gravel on the bottom. It was never disinfected or treated in any way.
My question is whether it is safe to go down inside the pit or it could be infectious?
EDIT: My intention is to use it to dispose of plant matter.
EDIT2:

I originally asked this question after I went in because I was afraid it might be infectious (since it was storing human poop for many years before sitting empty for 20). Gases accumulating never occured to me, which was stupid of me, but now I know, since many responses and comments pointed it out. This is something I will take into account and make sure everyone who might ever want to do anything with the pit does too. The pit itself is structurally sound, there is no chance anyone in the next 50 years will ever fall into it by accident or anything like that.

The plant matter too I already put in when I submitted this question, since, as I've written above, it has not occured to me this could pose a danger (that's why my question was originally about the infection risk). So it was a done deed, not an actual decision I took after being aware of the possible issues. A very important additional info is that this 'plant matter' is actually half rotten (as in brown rot) dry wood, it is not something that will vigorously decompose and produce a lot of gases very quickly. Another important aspect is that this pit is safely closed (though it has a grill covered opening with a diameter of about 15 cms on its roof that exits into the garden so it is very definitely not a hermetically closed space) and there is literally no chance anyone ever going inside without taking precautions. I know because it's either me, or someone I might sell the house to, but if I sell it I will most definitely tell them about the pit and the possible accumulation of CO2 and the precautions they need to take. Also, I highly doubt I will ever descend as I really have nothing to do there, I just went down once (before putting anything there and before asking this question) because I was curious and, as it turns out, stupid.

Do not enter the pit.
Without proper ventilation, old septic tanks (and this sounds not enough different to matter) are prone to collect gasses that will kill you (without you noticing. And the people who go in to try and help you, until one is smart enough to use a self-contained breathing apparatus to recover the bodies that died before them.)
It should have been filled with gravel to prevent access (and deaths) when it was decommissioned.
Direct link to top result for septic pits with vegetation killing people.


How do I wire one outlet and two separate light switches in a three-gang box? I'm remodeling an older bathroom. I would like to replace a combination switch/receptacle with two separate light switches and a receptacle in a three-gang box.

The white and black wires on the power feed from the attic are connected to the receptacle/switch combo in the lower left wood box frame in the first picture. The red wire from the same attic power feed is not connected to anything right now.

Thanks very much in advance for any insight.

Incoming Power
Power comes in currently from a cable that is nutted to another cable in an octagon box. You mentioned a red wire, visible capped in the box. However, it is not clear whether the red wire is in the cable coming from the panel to that box or whether it is in the cable coming from that box to the bathroom switch/receptacle. It doesn't matter much - either way you don't actually need it - but wherever it is, you should make sure it is capped with a wire nut on both ends for safety.
In addition, the power coming in to the switch/receptacle is a black cable. The color has meaning which makes black an unusual choice. Normally it is white for 14-gauge/15 Amp or yellow for 12-gauge/20 Amp. Black is apparently for much heavier wire. That is safe, but you need to make sure that anything you connect to it can handle that size wire. Fortunately, you will be using wire nuts to connect everything, so it shouldn't be a problem. Just "different".
You also need to make sure that ground is connected all the way through - panel->octagon box->new 3-gang box->switches & receptacle & cables up to lights.
The Big Split
You need to get power to three locations: receptacle, switch 1, switch 2. You need to get neutral to three locations: receptacle, light 1, light 2. Use some short pieces of 12-gauge wire (you can pull them out of a chunk of yellow cable) to make pigtails. Three short black pieces wire nutted to the incoming black wire one short white piece to the incoming white wire.
Receptacle - GFCI?
Bathroom receptacles must be GFCI-protected. However, ideally you do not want the lights to be GFCI-protected, so that if the GFCI trips the lights don't go out. If the circuit is already protected by a GFCI breaker in the panel, then you don't have a choice about protecting the lights, but you also don't have to do anything special here and just install a regular duplex receptacle. If the circuit is not already protected by a GFCI breaker in the panel, then install a GFCI duplex receptacle.
Connect one of the black pigtails to the hot screw on the receptacle and the white pigtail to the neutral screw. If you are installing a GFCI here, make sure to use only Line and not Load.
Switches
For each switch, connect a black pigtail to one screw. If they are simple switches, it doesn't matter which screw you use. But if they are smart switches, dimmer switches or timers then check the instructions to see which screw is hot == black pigtail vs. switched hot == black wire on cable to light.
Lights
For each light, run a cable (I'd stick with yellow = 12-gauge) from the 3-gang box to the fixture. In the 3-gang box, connect white to the incoming white (i.e., the same place you added one white pigtail) and black to the remaining/switched hot screw on a switch.
Connect each light fixture to black (switched hot), white (neutral) and ground.
Connect all grounds together, and you should be all set.
Testing
In addition to testing each switch/light, check the GFCI (if you installed one) using the TEST button. If it doesn't power up at all or RESET doesn't work after pressing TEST then you may have something wired incorrectly.


How to Identify an Unknown or Poisonous Gas Situation
My office has a meeting room that is located on the ground floor with inward facing windows towards the bottom of very small and stuffy open air interior. This area is surrounded by six floors of residential property above and one subterranean level below our meeting room. The building dates from the 1900's. The courtyard in terms of appearance has lots of weird pipes and wires installed ad-hoc over the years alongside open lift shafts.
Problem
Every time me and my colleagues enter this room if the meeting is over ~30 mins we leave with symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and a reduced mental ability, it takes about 1-3 hours to overcome these symptoms.
Ideas
There is no question of complicity on behalf of the business and I'm cleared to buy whatever device is necessary to determine the cause of the issue but I have no idea how to deliver a diagnosis without wasting money. Ideas I've considered are:
Carbon Monoxide? - We have no gas burning appliances and none are in sight in the interior space which is empty.
Is it mains gas? - I can't smell gas.
Is it radon? - There is no history of mining in area.
Research
I've looked online for gas detectors but it seems you can only buy detectors for each type of gas, Butane, Radon and CO are the main ones. Most of these are in the $20 area but can cost up to $200.
Question
Is there a multi gas detector that can detect and indicate the precise cause? Online research does not point conclusively to any of them.
If not, how to proceed?

Every time me and my colleagues enter this room if the meeting is over ~30 mins we leave with symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and a reduced mental ability, it takes about 1-3 hours to overcome these symptoms.

This sounds very much like Carbon Monoxide(CO) poisoning. It saturates your blood, which slowly suffocates you by preventing your blood from carrying oxygen (it binds better to your hemoglobin). It takes your body some time to recover from it.

You've covered a lot of sources, but does anyone else in the building have something that burns... well, any kind of gas? CO is colorless and odorless, and if someone has, say, an improper venting of their gas heater/stove/grill it could very well be dumping CO exhaust into your area.

  one subterranean level below our meeting room

If this is a garage, it could also be a potential CO source. Many older buildings are not sealed, and if this is an underground garage it could easily concentrate the CO and let it seep into your area.

Another potential source is a natural gas leak. The gas company adds Mercaptan to give it its distinctive smell, but Mercaptan is heavier than air, while natural gas can rise. If a natural gas leak were in the basement, it's possible the natural gas makes it up without the Mercaptan.

Buy a Carbon Monoxide detector

They're not terribly expensive and it can tell you if that's your problem. If you buy a combo smoke detector unit, you can just keep it as an extra smoke detector as well.


How do I replace this tile/marble transition in a tiled bathroom? I planned to keep this marble piece for the transition to the new tile floor in the bathroom, but I broke it during demo. What’s the best way to replace it, or should I use a different transition?

Bonus points for the pros/cons of a marble floor transition versus alternatives.

Option 1: Replace with another marble transition

Marble transitions are still sold.  Replacing a broken one with another would preserve the original look of your floor.  However, marble isn't the most durable material to make a transition out of, and it may look out of place if it's the only marble thing in the area.  They're also kind of clunky because of their thickness.

Option 2: Embedded tile transition

There are a number of extruded metal (usually aluminum) transitions designed to be installed in the mortar underneath the tile.  These extrusions can transition between even or uneven flooring heights and present a cleaner, more flush transition between floors.  The caveat here is that the transition placement might be odd, depending on where the wood floor stops in the doorway.

They typically look similar this, but may vary in thickness and profile depending on the height difference:

Option 3: Wood transition

If you can find a wood transition that matches your existing wood (or an unfinished one you can stain to match), you could replace the marble with a wooden transition of similar profile.  The difficulty in matching existing, aged hardwood is not to be underestimated though.  Hardwood tends to darken with age and UV exposure, so a transition that matches fairly well now might not in 5-10 years.  Alternately, you could stain the wood a different color to match wood elsewhere.  Sometimes it's better to go with a completely different color than to get a "close but not quite" match that looks off.

Option 4: No transition

It is possible to butt wood against tile without a transition.  A Google Image search shows many instances of tile being butted against wood without any sort of transitional trim piece, and all of them look pretty good.  This depends on your tile floor being the same height as your wood floor and both floors being cut cleanly and precisely at the transition.  If either of those things isn't true or true enough, I would stay away from this method.  No transition and a rough edge will look sloppy and unfinished.


Should I tile or carpet first I am getting new carpet in lounge room. I also wanted to tile a small area that leads from lounge room door to outside.  Like a small entry area to stop dirty feet walking straight onto carpet. My question is does it matter if the carpet goes down before we do the tiling?

Tile first, then carpet. Tiling is a messy process. Much easier not to have the carpet there to get messy and/or need to be kept clean while you are tiling.


How do you attach this fence panel to a 4x4 post? For less elaborated fence panels you use hangers to support the horizontal 2x4 boards but with this desing that is not possible. These are pre made panels

Should I use this type of hangers at the bottom and screws at the top? Screws seems a little bit like patch work

The hanger you have pictured is not correct for the panel you have pictured as the 2x4 is not oriented correctly for them.
 If you are not comfortable using just deck screws you could put an L bracket on the bottom of the panel to carry the weight of it and use a 1/4" lag bolt or carriage bolt at the top for lateral or shear strength


The trim in my house won't hold paint. Is there a solution to this? I have an old house with a lot of trim. Baseboards, wainscoting, crown molding, built-in cupboards. The walls are probably 50% trim. I also have a lot of old, solid wood doors.
From what I can tell, all of this was originally clear-coated with a varnish or something similar. Then at some point, a previous owner painted over it all, but didn't sand or strip the varnish, they just painted over it, several times.
I had the house repainted when I moved in, but quickly found that the paint would come off the trim really easily, which is when I noticed the varnish. It's been less than a year and there are already a lot of bare areas on the trim and doors.
Stripping down all of the trim and doors, or replacing it all, seems like a monumental task in this house. So I'm wondering if there's anything I can do at this point, maybe something I can coat the painted wood with, that would help a new coat of paint bond to it better?

Paint needs pores to adhere properly.
If the substrate is very smooth or glossy then it should have been prepped in some way such as:

Shellac primer
Lightly sanded
Rubbed down with denatured alcohol
Oil-based primer

Oil-based paints tend to self-etch the surface

The painter is probably not at fault here since you probably paid them to just paint the trim and not fix the previous owner's mistake.


Nest, Blue Wire, W1 and W2 I just got a Nest E thermostat and I'm trying to hook it up. There is a blue wire that I had assumed was the "C" wire, but looking at the furnace, it doesn't look like that's the case, as the blue wire looks like its connected to the W2 terminal.

So my question is, is there something I can plug this blue wire into that will make it "live" so it will power my Nest? I think I can plug it into the B/C one, but can I just hook it in together with that existing white wire? The white wire goes with one of the yellow wires off to something other than my thermostat.

The wire currently hooked to Y and C will be going off to your air conditioner condenser unit. Y is cooling.

C is common, and yes, you can connect another wire to that terminal.

You appear to have a two-stage furnace however, with W1 and W2. That means you have a couple options:

1 - Install another wire

To take full advantage of two-stage, you need to connect all 6 wires (R, C, Y, G, W1, W2).

You can run another physical wire, or buy 3rd party accessories that add a unit at each end that allows doubling up of some of the wires.

2 - Run as single-stage

You can possibly run your furnace with only W1. Many (all?) furnaces will automatically go to the second stage after they're run in single stage for a few minutes. This isn't as efficient as if your thermostat tells it to immediately go to second stage when needed, but is still usable.

3 - Run without fan control

You can potentially skip hooking up G (fan) but this means you can't run the fan in 'on' mode (or use periodic air circulation features) -- it'll only run when the furnace or A/C is on. (I'm not entirely certain about air conditioning with this setup though -- I am fairly sure A/C call will turn on the fan even without G connected, but not 100%, and it may vary by furnace model -- be sure to test if you are going to do this).


Can I build a deck from reclaimed 2x4's? As we've remodeled the house, I've replaced some of the structure with more modern woods (ie: 2nd floor ceiling joists that were 2x4's are now 2x6's)

Because of this, I have an excessive amount of old 2x4 lumber in my garage. It's either have 1 hell of a bonfire in the back yard or try to reuse them.

So I'm curious - I'd like to take this wood and build a deck out of it.

I'd build a frame 16 inches on center; use concrete corner posts I've seen that have a + channel in the top of them for the corners and center supports. Grade the ground, remove the grass, put some 6mil plastic down and put my frame over it on these posts. I'd give all the wood a quick sanding, maybe a coat of stain and a few coats of poly to try to protect it from the weather. More 2x4's as the deck planks and secure with galvanized screws (as I prefer screws to nails).

I know the wood is not pressure treated - is this a problem for outdoors if i protect it with a few coats of poly?

the deck would only be < 12 inches off of the ground. Do I need > 2x4 for the framing? I could probably afford to do the framing in 2x6's.

How old is the wood? If we're talking 70 years or so, definitely don't burn that stuff as that'd be old growth wood which you just can't get anymore (easily). I'd even have a hunch that a 70 year old 2x4 might carry as much of a load if not more than a modern cheap pine 2x6.

All that said, as you state, it's not treated lumber. Unless it is cedar, you likely won't get much life out of it as a decking material--unless you have plans to refinish it each and every year.

The 2x4 also wouldn't make for a sufficient floor joist, so you'd have to use new structural lumber for that anyways.

If it's old lumber, I'd consider saving it for another construction project, or donate it to your local re-use center or habitat for humanity. If it's not old lumber, I'd use it for the fire pit.


No heating but have hot water My hot water is working fine, boiler fires up OK.

The problem is that my heating won't switch on.

I have a wireless thermostat which appears to send and receive the correct signal as the receiver switches on and off when I change temp of the sender and I get all the right lights.

Every now and then I can get it to come on but I have to turn temp up and down until it switches in - sometimes I have to do this for an hour or more.

I have an Ideal/Icos boiler (not combi) about 8 years old.

Any suggestions please.

I had this recently with a recently installed Tado thermostat and 8-year old Horstmann diverter valve.

The valve was found to be sticking, The thermostat was fine.

Yo can check this by unscrewing and lifting the diverter head off the valve, the turning the valve to the hot water position with pliers.

In my case, the radiators started to warm immediately.  Putting the head back on the valve reinstated the hot water only situation.  Moving the manual override lever on the valve head had no effect.

A new diverter valve fixed the problem.


How can I prevent my twin pocket doors from meeting too hard? We have two pocket doors, each 36" that meet to close off a 6' entryway between our living room and our sunroom.  Both doors have stops, but the stops overlap so that when one door is out and the other door is brought out, they hit and both slide backward.

I hoped to find a magnetic "catch" or something like that, but so far I have come up dry.  Best of all would be to find a way to have each door "click" into place when fully extended.

Any ideas?

Take a look at latch on web page http://www.johnsonhardware.com/1521.htm , when the doors are closed they latch together with out locking.


How can I fix dark floor stain absorption without starting over? I stained red ok floor in 1935 house with jacobean. There were swirls in an area so thought I would orbital sand them away and just restain. Now it is very obvious ...i have sanded back with belt sander grit 80 but the wood is not absorbing the stain evenly as it did first application. The blond area is bare sanded and the 2 tone is where I am trying to get stain to absorb but is much lighter.  I am trying to prevent starting all over. Thank you for any suggestions. :)

It really is going to be next to impossible to match up those various areas where you have tried the sanding and re-sanding. My recommendation, if the flooring material still has enough depth to the tongue and groove to permit more sanding, is to re-sand the whole floor uniformly. That may be best done by using a drum sander so as to get as even of surface as possible. Do be aware that operating one of those is tricky and in inexperienced hands can ruin a good floor very quickly.

Once you have cleaned the floor of all the sanding dust you should look into sanding sealer products that you can apply to the surface. These are designed to allow stain to be applied more evenly than just putting stain on raw open grain wood.


Leak Detection on Natural Gas Line Has anyone figured out a better method the locate a leak other than a Gas Pressure test gauge and Leak Detector Spray?

Bottle of soapy water - pretty much what "leak detector spray" probably is.
Call the gas company. I have always found them very happy to help
sort these things out before the building blows up and makes bad
press for them. I suppose your gas company might vary, but probably not.


Does it mean a broken wire if a doorbell transformer works, but there is little-to-no voltage at the switch? My family has just moved to an older home, and I've been tasked with repairing the doorbell(s).

We have two doorbells, both connected to the same (for lack of a better word) ding-dong-thing. :)  I measured the voltage drop across the two screws on the transformer, and it read ~16V(AC) (+/- 0.5 VAC).  So, I know the transformer is working.

When I measure the voltage drop across the terminals on the switches, the one on the back door reads ~3VAC, and the one on the front 0VAC.

So I conducted my preliminary Google search, and the results I found basically said to give up at this point and call an electrician, as there's probably a break in the wire somewhere.

However, this is a one-story house with primarily unfinished basement, so I think I probably stand a good chance at finding a break in the wire.

My question is twofold:

Is it correct to assume that the problem is a discontinuity in the wires somewhere?
How should I proceed to find a break in the wire?

Switch Wire Continuity
Checking the continuity of the wires between the switch and the chime is easy, finding the break (if there is one) is hard.  To check the continuity...

Turn the breaker that supplies the doorbell transformer off, and verify power is off with a non-contact voltage tester.
Disconnect the wires in the chime that go to one of the switches (don't forget how they were connected, mark them if you have to).
Twist the wires you just disconnected together.
Go to the doorbell button and remove it from the wall.
Using a multimeter in continuity mode (or the lowest resistance setting), touch the leads to the switch terminals.

If the wires are good, you'll hear an audible tone and/or get a reading close to 0. If there is a break in the wire, you'll get a reading of infinity.  If the wires are broken, inspect them along the entire length for damage. If you can't find the break or can't access the wires, replacement might be easier.
Switch Continuity
While you're checking continuity, it may be worth it to check the continuity of the switches themselves.

With the power to the transformer off, disconnect the switch from the circuit.
Measure the continuity in the default OPEN position.
Then press the button to close the switch, and take a reading in the CLOSED position.

When the switch is OPEN, you should get an infinite or very high reading.  when the switch is CLOSED, you should get a low nearly 0 reading.


Insulating conservatory skylights How can I insulate skylights?

My house has been extended and the extension has double glazed windows for roof, think of it as a very sturdy conservatory. I understand why the previous owners did it - to get more space and light, but in terms of heating they have created a disaster.

I could see the issue immediately, but didn't think it would be that bad as the glazing looked to be very modern.

Reinstating the previous garden door inside would not be ideal, so I am now looking for ways to sacrifice light for better insulation.

There is plenty of headroom, so if it was possible to bond insulation to the inside and box it in, that might be a solution.

Is something like that feasible or are there better methods? Thank you.

EDIT - added picture for clarification:

The problematic part is the window panes above the door and normal windows, they form a kind of elongated pyramid shape with a rectangular base area.

You could consider putting in french doors between the rooms. This would help with keeping more of the heat in where you want it and still allow light to enter.


How to install a handheld shower without drilling the shower membrane? I have a shower what had a waterproof membrane applied over it (something like Redgard) and then tiled all around.

If I drill the drywall to install a handheld shower holder I will be effectivly "destroying" the waterproof. Is there another choice for affixing it to the wall?

I have the option to install the handheld shower holder in a lateral wall that is solid brick with tile on it. It won't touch the waterproofing, but the holder will be futher from the shower (about 50-60 cm) and in an unusual layout, that I would rather avoid if possible.

The holes drilled for the mounting bracket of the handheld are extremely small and the bracket would further deflect water entry.

But to be especially safe, you can force a silicone sealant into the drilled holes before mounting the bracket. The screw will push it into the gap, and this will effectively heal the break in the waterproofing membrane.

If you are especially paranoid about moisture, put a dab of silicone sealant on the back of the mounting bracket itself.


What could the discolored areas on the underside of my roof be? I had an inspection done on my house last year before I bought it, and was told by the inspector that the dark discolored areas of the plywood on the bottom side of my roof was likely "dark staining cause by poor ventilation and air circulation" and that it did not appear to be mold.

I guess my question(s) are what would cause the dark stains? Moisture? What else could it be besides mold?

You can also see dark areas on the plywood on the sides too.

I've seen several pictures online that looks similar to mine that claim they have mold.

I just wanted some ideas as to what this might be before I spent a lot of money on mold testing and treatment.

I doubt if it's mold, but don't trust me or any other so called expert. Have it tested.

The dark areas seem to be along plywood joints and not in "irregular splotches". Mold tends to grow in random shapes...

However, it appears there is a lack of attic vents. There should be vents along the eaves and I don't see any daylight along the eaves in the picture. When moisture gets in the attic and then condenses, it will form on the plywood sheathing. After a few years of this it will discolor the plywood, especially at plywood joints (where there is less resistance from outside air to attic air) and around roofing nails. Are there dark areas around protruding nails?

Mold can form anywhere, but I think this is moisture and a lack of ventilation.


In a light switch, how can I tell if the black wire is really hot and the white wire is really neutral? I'm just a programmer who wants to add an outlet below my light switch. I did a bunch of research on this topic and decided I could tackle it. According to my research, the hot/line is the black wire going into the bottom of the switch and the load is the top wire. The neutral is the white ones that are capped off.

But here I have white wires going into the switch and black ones capped off. Are the white wires line and load and the black ones neutral? Is this perhaps wired completely wrong in such a way that happens to work? How do I determine if this is wrong and how do I go about fixing it?

In a perfect world, black is hot and white is neutral. Unfortunately,that's not always true. I have seen houses wired opposite, against code. I've seen part of the house wired opposite. What you need to do is get a meter, not a wonder stick, and test your black group for voltage to ground. You should get 120v +-, then test white group to ground and you should get 0. If you get 0 when testing the black and 120V when testing white, then it's backwards and you or a pro should figure out why. It could be wired correctly and maybe whoever installed this switch decided to switch the neutral instead of the hot. Once you determine hot and neutral, you can think about installing your outlet.


Repairing Leak in Refrigerant Lines We recently found and pinpointed a leak in my copper refrigerant line (the non-insulated line) and was wondering if there was anyway to repair and replace that one spot on the line (like if there were a water leak)? The spot is outside and accessible.  Do they sell repair kits for something like this? I just want to know before I spend almost 1500 to get the entire lines replaced all together.

An HVAC technician should be able to repair the line, assuming the rest of the line is in good shape. Refrigerant line repair is not a diy project, as it requires specialized tools and training, as well as a license in most places.

After the leak is repaired, you'll have to recharge the system. Which also is not a project for a typical diyer.


Is a combination of sheet EPS and closed cell foam between rafters feasible as a combination? I am in Central Texas.  It gets hot, anywhere from 14-45 days over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in this area. And, it gets cold.  Last February 4th it actually snowed enough for me to cross country ski on the local golf course.

I have settled on insulating between the rafters (which are 24" on center 2 x 4's) as worthwhile, however I also have a thought:

What about starting with either 1.5" or 2" of EPS (Extruded Polystyrene) sheeting, adhering that between the rafters, and then laying a layer of closed-cell foam (perhaps 1" to 2") on top?  The sprayed foam could serve as the sealant against the rafters while the applied EPS sheeting could reduce required spray material.

I did search and haven't seen a post from anyone else who's considered or tried this.  Thanks.

If you spray by yourself, you might run into problems. Check out you tube for horror stories using incorrectly sprayed on foam.

Next. You could place 3 1/2" unfaced insulation between the rafters. Use thin wire and tiny nails nailed to the bottom the rafters to hold the insulation in place like a zig zag pattern. Then add 4" closed density foam to the rafters using long screws with washers.

When you said rafters I hope you were talking about the part that is connected to the roof.

If you were talking about the wood that the ceiling below is connected to, those are called ceiling joists and that is a whole different procedure.

Also, you didn't say trusses, which is another different procedure.

You could add a ridge vent and soffit vents.
This would give you a pressurized vented attic.
See youtube.com for more info.


What is the correct way to wire a utility light with an outlet? I had a light fixture in a utility closet go out. The replacement fixture has an outlet but my original light did not have an outlet This complicates things for someone like myself.

And I wish I had taken a picture of the wiring before I messed with it, but I didn't.

Below is a picture of how I currently have it, and I need to know what I should do next.

The previous light had 2 white wires coming into Terminal A, and 2 black wires coming into Terminal C.  But in the new light, I could not get 2 wires to fit.  What did this accomplish?  Is the way I have the wiring of the neutral and hot wires OK?  The light turns on, but is it safe.

As for the bare ground wires (labeled D).  I assume that goes to Terminal C.  But do both of the bare wires go to the terminal? Or just one of them? How exactly should this be wired?

Also, I have this circuit switched off while working.  Just flipped it on to see that it worked and snap the photos.

You would connect the safety ground wires that are currently twisted to a third bar wire pigtail which would then connect to the terminal that you have labeled B. (This would match much the same as you have shown the black and white wire sets to be pig tailed).

Be aware that the outlet of this new fixture will be a switched outlet if this light is turned on and off by the separate remote switch that you described in another question. Normally this type of light fixture would be used when connected to a non-switched circuit so the outlet is live all the time and then the light itself turned on and off via the pull chain.

If you have concerns regarding the safety of an outlet like this you may consider getting a ceramic base light socket that does not have the socket. They are readily available and not very expensive.


Sewer smell in basement - missing venting or other leak? I recently started detecting a sewer smell coming from the laundry room in my basement. I think I only trigger it (and not every time) when I run my whole-house fan. I've been running this fan (with plenty of windows open) for at least a month without this problem, so it seems like something may have changed.

Here is a figure of the plumbing in that room. It contains a waste line for the laundry and a laundry sink attached to the cleanout off of the main stack. There is also a floor drain (with its own trap), but it's off in it's own corner and doesn't seem to have the sewer smell around it.

I've been doing some research, and seen one or two related questions here. The closest is Install air admittance valve to solve musty smell (sewer gas)?, but I'm not seeing quite the same symptoms. I don't notice any issues with the drain speed (though I'm not sure I could tell there are issues from the washing machine, the sink is fine), and I've only noticed the smell accumulating slowly when running the whole-house fan.

I originally thought that the lack of venting on this line could be the issue, with one of the traps being siphoned dry by the other, but I don't notice anything after running the laundry. I also tried adding water to the traps when I start smelling sewer gas, but it's not clear that it helps (the seeping gas might be coming in too slow to tell - the basement is not well ventilated, so it takes a while for the smell to clear).

One other concern I've come across is corrosion in the black iron drain/vent pipe (100 year old house) may have opened up a small hole that I can pull out sewer gas from with the negative pressure of the whole-house fan, but I'm not sure how I can test this.

Any thoughts on what I can try are appreciated.

Didn’t read entire article.  Did you poor water down the floor drain.   The water evaporates over time, I fill my monthly with a 1/2 gallon of water.


Why do I have two doorbell transformers? I'm trying to debug why one of my doorbells isn't working, but to keep things simple, today I'm just trying to understand the reasoning and implications of what I see at the electrical box.
Background: The house has two doorbells; one original location (1967) and one added with an expansion (1980s?).  When I moved into the house in 2019 I installed a Ring Doorbell Pro at the Expansion door; it worked; I was happy.  The other doorbell does not work, although there is electricity in the wires at the doorbell (wires spark / read 12-20V with a multimeter).
Looking at the electrical box I see two transformers attached to the side.  They appear to be wired in parallel?  The silver transformer is marked 16V and the other isn't clear.  There is only one wire pair (red/white) leaving the transformers and going off into the house.  (Click for larger version)

So my questions are as follows:

What is the effect of this wiring setup?  Higher current?
Why would two doorbell transformers be wired together like this?  Cheaper than buying a bigger one when the expansion was added?

Yes, adding a second transformer to make higher current available would be cheaper than buying a bigger transformer. But not by much, likely done because that is what someone had available.


Can I apply polyurethane to my hardwood floors one room at a time? I have hardwood floors on almost all of my floors.  Most rooms have large (5') openings with no doors or thresholds.  When I start applying the polyurethane, is there anyway to do one room at a time or do I have to get the furniture out of the dining room, living room, office, and front hall and seal all floors at the same time?  I don't have any place to move all the furniture too, even if I stacked it vertically in the kitchen and porch.

It make take some work to feather the edges where one room meets another, but you should be able to do one room at a time. At worst you might wind up with a slight line across the threshold, which nobody but you would ever notice....


Help wiring timed fan switch So I got a new timed fan switch and decided to put it in. The old switch was a simple switch, and all it had going into it were two black wires. The switch box has three pairs of wires in it, white + black + copper, white + black + copper, and white + black + copper. Originally, all three whites were pigtailed together, the top right black went straight into the switch, and the top left and bottom right black were pig tailed together with a third wire which also went into the switch. (Both via the push holes.)

It was not ground, and there was no white connected.

The new switch has white, black, red, and green wires. I connected it up, but obviously did something wrong, because it doesn't work.

Here's what I've done:

I connected the single black wire to the black wire on the switch. Connected the pigtailed wire off the two black wires to the red wire on the switch. Pig tailed the green wire with the copper ground wire. And cut off the original three-way pigtail of white wires to make a four-way pig tail of white wires with the switch.

So what did I do wrong? How is it supposed to be? (And just in case I've created a horrible fire hazard, I've turned off the power at the breaker until I figure this out.)

The new switch is a Tork D1060MW 120VAC 60Hz 15A General Purpose switch.

I think you've got the LINE and LOAD swapped.  I think the red wire from the switch, should go to the single black wire that was on the old switch.  I'd guess that the bundle of black wires is made up of the feeder, a feed to another branch, and the pigtail to the switch.


Unplugging Alarm System The house I am had an alarm system put in when the house was being built. The previous owners of our house used it but we haven't and all its been is a pain in the butt. Before it would beep when someone opened a door and we were finally able to turn it off. It was also causing a bunch of static noise with our phone line so it was unplugged from the phone line. Now all of a sudden it starting beeping for no reason. I looked on the keypad and could see that there was a problem (or trouble as it says) with the battery, timer, and phone line. I also have a dog has super sensitive ears and was freaked out by the beeping. I followed the manual for it and was able to clear the troubles and it stopped beeping. Now it started beeping again. I got fed up with it and pulled the keypad off the wall and unplugged the connector from the circuit board. I also unplugged the battery in the box as its been sitting in there for over 9 years and is probably dead. I tried to unplug the box but it looks like its wired in with some sort of converter below an electric wall socket where the breaker is and I didn't want to mess around with that. I'm wondering if I unplugged it right? Will the house alarm ever go off now that the keypad is unplugged?

The system is designed to dial out on a phone line to a central station or a police monitoring system. These alarms have built in warnings for a failure in the phone line. This is a safeguard so you know the system is not working properly.

So long as the system is operational and cut off from the phone line, it will continue to beep. By removing parts of the keypad and circuit board, you have apparently shut down at least part of the system. If you truly don't want the system on, you need to remove power from the entire system.

The power to the system is probably controlled by master box (probably where the battery was) that has a wire running to a transformer on or near your main power panel. The simplest way to stop the system is to disconnect the wires going from the transformer to the alarm control panel.

The transformer wires are low voltage (usually 24 volts) on the outside (inside the panel they are 120 volts). To be safe, it is better to turn off the breaker connected to the transformer before disconnecting the wire. If you cant figure out which it is, have a flashlight handy, turn off the main breaker, then disconnect the wires. Then turn the main back on.

Once the system is disconnected form both the mains and the battery, it cannot send a false alarm or activate the safety beeper.


How to remove this ceiling lamp cover I live in a dorm and my ceiling lamp died, i wanted to know how to remove this cover?
it is attached flush to the ceiling, i tried rotating it both ways and also tried pulling it, but it wont come off.
I noticed that its feels a bit springy when I pull it, but I fear i will break it if i pull it too hard.
can anyone help me??

Pull harder, it probably has a couple of metal arms holding it in place. http://technical.sabhlokcity.com/2013/11/how-to-open-twist-off-the-cover-of-some-really-stupid-awkward-flush-mounted-ceiling-light-dome-fittings-fixture-to-replace-change-light-bulb/


What is up with this wall, and what is the right way to hang something on it? I just moved in to a new apartment, in a very old house. The landlord mentioned that it is over 100 years old. The walls are plaster, which means (to the best of my knowledge) that there is lath beneath the plaster.

On most of the walls, I've been able to hang things without much trouble. My stud finder has a little trouble on lath, but I've been able to get by, mostly because I'm not hanging lots of heavy stuff.

However, I've run into a problem on one wall. It is an exterior wall. My stud finder fails completely here. The picture I'm hanging is heavy, but not terribly heavy, so in the absence of a stud location, I figured I would be fine if I could get a relatively deep nail in or some sort of anchor and screw.

However, when I drove a nail in, it hits something very hard, and the nail will not go any deeper. It gets less than an inch into the wall, probably closer to 0.5". The plaster is very crumbly, and I don't trust the plaster to hold the picture I want to hang with such shallow penetration.

What can I do? What am I hitting behind this wall, and what is the right way to hang something here?

Given that it's an exterior wall you've probably hit brick.

This would explain both why you've not found a stud - there aren't any, and why the nail only goes in 1/2" - 1" - you've hit the bricks.

Given that the plaster is crumbling, the simplest solution would be to drill a hole with a masonry drill and use a screw (or screw hook).

If you want to hang a lot of things on this wall then it might be a better idea to install some sort of rail - either a traditional picture rail or a more modern alternative and hang the pictures etc. off that.


Where can I find conduit bends less than 90degrees? I'm about to run some conduit underground, and due to various obstacles can't do a dead-straight run.  I certainly don't want to add 90degree turns due to the extra drag when pulling a cable though.  But in all my searches 90degree bends are the only ones that anyone seems to sell.  Where can I find 45/30/20/10 degree bends?

Thanks!

This may be a shopping question and might get shut but you can buy conduit bends at any electrical supply house.

In my opinion, two 45s are only slightly less drag than a single 90, but the large radius 90s (aka "sweeps") are better than two 45's.  Oversizing the conduit helps all around.


What questions should I ask of a structural engineer about these cracks in my brick walls? My house was constructed in 1992 and we still have not completed the finishing work. Our roof is wood, there is no tie-beam or mullion at all in this house and there are some lintels above the windows & doors.

Cracks have appeared in the masonry walls starting from 2 years after construction in some areas, and in other areas some years later. Here is a picture of one of the cracks (click for full size):

I have been advised to consult a structural engineer. What can I expect from this consultation? Are there any specific questions I must ask the engineer?

I want to know if we can continue the construction as per proper standard or if I have to demolish the house and build it again.

Our land is loose soil and there is no concrete footing on this house. If this is a soil settlement issue, there are three options as per my understanding:

Continuous appearance of cracks in different areas
Cracks in a certain area with width increasing gradually
There is no new crack formation  or growth after some year

Here are some additional pictures (click for full size):

Get a reputable professional structural engineer in there ASAP -- it looks like the wall is severely cracked and would fail at that point when subject to shear loads.

I'm sure that the eyeballs of said engineer will tell a story when he sees a wall that's cracked that badly.

Also,

WHO THE HELL BUILDS WALLS ATOP LOOSE EARTH?


What electrical requirements does a garbage disposal have? I just moved into a new house (well, actually it's old - 1920).  We don't have a garbage disposal and was interested in in having one installed so I called a plumber.  He estimated $650-750 saying that the electrical wiring would be the main cost because the electrical needs to be run directly to the circuit breaker.  Is that right?  Perhaps I can do the wiring myself?

Yes, you'll need a 20 Amp 120V outlet with just the disposal on it. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to wire it up yourself.

Something else to think about - is your house on a septic tank or a sewer system? Some city regulations don't allow a garbage disposal on a septic tank. Ours is kind of kludged with the switch under the sink because it was an after-inspection add-on to the house when it was built. At least that's what the home inspector told me when I asked him about it.