Why do blinds have two different close options? This hopefully works on this site. It certainly should be DIY, though a rather paltry task.

Why do blinds have two close options? There are two different angles that they can be closed and this seems almost universal on commercial blinds. Is there some sort of ventilation or insulation benefit to closing them with the individual slats angled up vs. down?

They block the light differently depending on where the sun is, and how much light you want to let in.


Tile roof has water running under tiles recent rains revealed a problem on our portico roof--instead of running into the gutters, the water drips down  the column and in front of the gutters!  So, I went up there and discovered puzzling construction of the flashing channel--tiles broken in half and turned upside down were set there, collecting snail shells and blocking or diverting the water.   Why?  These tiles are those huge hump ones--about 6" dia.   Further up there is a perpendicular wall with 3 humps abutting the flashing,  but no end pieces -- just wide open--a brasserie serving escargot ;  is that normal ?
dripping from roof  How should the abbuttment to flashing be finished off?  I cleared the down channel of the broken tiles and bent the channel lip open so that a pail-of-water test does not drip .  Now I need to find out how to finish the construction of the ends of those 3 runs while still wondering if I need to put those broken tiles back onto the channel.
Thanks
Ed

Found a handyman with roof tile experience; he put new tar paper under the tiles (3' wide);  but it still leaked during a water hose test!  He then added some drip edging at the gutters (again, 3' wide) and opened an end flap under the tile adjoining the wall;  the dripping stopped with all water caught into the gutter.  And we had a deluge within the week and it worked; cost $700.

And he put those broken-in-half tiles back into the channel saying they are levelers!  His only advice for the open roof tiles was stuffing steel wool into the humps!  Go figure.  The endings of the humps at the edge of the roof are all blocked by tin , so why not the those open humps on the upper?


Wiring a switch and a dimmer I have a box with a switch and a dimmer side by side. Last year I replaced them with smart switch/dimmer and had no problem until the dimmer stopped working. I am replacing the dimmer, but foolishly and overconfidently didn’t document the wiring and now I have confused myself.

The bundle for the switch has a black and a white wire. The bundle for the dimmer has black, red, and white. (There are also grounds for both.) Both the smart switch and dimmer need ground, neutral, load, and live.

The leaves one short on the switch (the bundle has white and black). Originally, there was a wire bridging the dimmer and the switch. I think the load went from the switch, to the dimmer, and then to the red in the second bundle, but I am not certain enough to test.

Using a tester, the only hot wire I detect is the black from the two-wire bundle. None of the wires in the three-wire bundle read as hot.

How should I wire this? (Keeping in mind that this was working fine until I decided to mess with it this morning.)

And obviously, never forget to document!

Top photo is the current situation. Bottom is the original (pre-smart).

The black wire from the /2 cable needs to be pigtailed to the LINE terminals on both devices

We know, from your testing, that the black wire from the /2 cable is the incoming always-hot wire; this means that the black and red wires from the /3 cable are the outgoing switched-hots for the two sets of lights this box controls.  Therefore, we wire the box as follows:

Black from the /2 gets nutted to a black jumper wire, or pigtail (12AWG THHN always works) that goes to the LINE screw on the smart switch and also to the LINE wire (or pigtailed to the LINE screw) from the dimmer
Black from the /3 goes to the LOAD screw on the smart switch
Red from the /3 gets nutted to the LOAD wire (or connected to the LOAD screw) on the dimmer
All the white wires get nutted to each other and to a white pigtail that heads off to the silver neutral screw on the smart-switch (if the dimmer has a silver neutral screw, it needs to be pigtailed to the neutral-junction as well)
And all the ground wires (green and bare) get nutted to each other and to a green or bare pigtail that heads off to the green ground screw on the smart-switch, and to the green ground screw on the smart-dimmer if it has a screw for ground, too

Then you can button the box up, turn the power back on, and enjoy your new smart switch!


Multiple wires in kitchen light fixture I recently bought a house built in 1952 and am trying to change the light fixture in the kitchen ceiling. When I took the old light fixture off, I noticed that the wires coming from the ceiling were coupled with some other random wires.

The old and new mounting strap:

My questions are:

What is the second set of wires? My kitchen light switch turns on a second light fixture in the kitchen. Could it be the wire to that light fixture being coupled at the light instead of the switch?
Looking at the state of the wires, is there any maintenance I need to do and can do as an amateur electrician?
Just looking at these wires, can anyone tell me which wire is hot and which is neutral?
The new light fixture has a little pipe through which these wires are supposed to go. Given the thickness of these wires and the fact that there are two sets and given the pipe in the new fixture is way too thin, all these wires don’t fit in there. Is there anything I can do to get these wires in there? They fit but it’s very tight and I’m afraid I’m going to damage something by pushing the pipe in too hard.
While I better understand the situation and figure out a solution, I’ve screwed those plastic caps on here. Is it safe to turn the light on?

I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to proceed from here.

Yes, if they were grouped like this, then it's certainly the case that the other cable is onward to the other light.  That's a perfectly reasonable way to do it.
The cable insulation  has serious thermal damage.  I would get some red and white heat-shrink tubing of appropriate size, slide them over the wires and shrink them down.  A long time ago, old Edison style light bulbs were used and they made a LOT of heat.  Sometimes people even used bigger bulbs than the fixture was rated for, and that caused excessive damage.
I do not like what looks like a weird lumpy splice buried in electrical tape.
Do not cut the wires shorter than they are; try to save the insulation. Wires need to be at least 6" long from the base of the box, and stick at least 3" beyond the ceiling.
Since the whites were together, they are almost certainly neutral.  The other black wires would be switched-hot.  I like to mark switched-hot wires with red color, but it's best to mark a wire the same on bot hends.
No.  Those wires are not meant to go down the little pipe.  The lamp fixture's wires are meant to come up the little pipe.  If that is not possible, then you'll need to acquire some wires capable of the task, such as #16 lamp cord (containing 2 conductors or some #14 stranded THHN.
Given the deteriorated condition of the insulation, I would not energize this.


light switch will not move My kitchen light switch suddenly will not move up or down and I cannot turn the kitchen light on. Is there anything I can do to fix it (I'm a duct tape/WD40 kind of fixer) or do I need to call someone?

If you are here on Stack Exchange asking if there is a way to fix a light switch, then I would guess you're handy enough to replace it. It truly is simple and should only require a screwdriver. Turn off the breaker, 2-screws on the cover, 2-screws on the switch, 1-screw for each wire (probably). Take a photo of it with your phone before disconnecting the wires so you'll remember where they go. You can purchase a standard switch at any hardware store (or even Walmart!) for pocket change.

If you come up with anything other than what is described here when you take it apart, post a photo and we'll help.


Running toilet after flushing Quick question: I'm trying to fix my toilet that is running slowly but continuously. The weird part is if you hold the handle down for like three or four seconds when you flush, it stops running. I replaced the flapper valve 2 years ago, but this just started 3 months ago. I checked it for cleanliness and pliability. Still good.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

Generally this is either a leaking flapper valve, or a leaking fill valve.

Look in the tank.  There is a tube that sticks up above the normal full water level.  This is the "overflow tube" which prevents the tank from overflowing - it connects straight to the bowl.

When you flush it (DON'T), the tank quickly drains, then it refills up to the normal level, maybe an inch below the top of the overflow tube.

If the flapper valve is leaking, water will slip below normal until the fill valve kicks in to bring it back.
If the fill valve is leaking, water will fill to normal, then slowly fill above normal right up to the top of the overflow pipe.

So, if you find the water at the top of the overflow pipe, it's the fill valve.

Otherwise, we don't know. Maybe you just flushed it.  Find other tasks in the bathroom.  If it's the flapper, you'll occasionally hear the valve do a moment of refilling.  If it's the valve, the water will slowly rise.


How to connect multi battery operated light to AC source So I bought a few letters light that works with 2X AAA batteries and i am trying to connect them together to one AC source instead of using batteries. I opened one of them and there is nothing but the lights and the power on/off switch. Can I connect all the positives together and all negatives together? if so, how much AC power do I need? is it 3V or the total of the used batteries? I have 14 letters that's mean I need 28 batteries.

you can connect the letters in parallel to a single 3V supply.
The current requirement is going to add up so I can't guess how many amps you will need.
is there anything written on the lamps? (if they unscrew on the metal part)
You could use a multimeter to measure how much each letter needs (I expect that I uses less than W) and add those up.


What is a good wood to use to build a base for a heavy antique table top? So my gf has a really sweet antique baker's table top. It has what I believe is a porcelain but may be ceramic finish.  I've never tried lifting it (it was here before I was) but she tells me it weighs a ton, or more precisely: "You'll need another man or my sister to move it. I can't possibly lift it," which I estimate means it weighs at least 75 - 100 lbs (my gf is small and not the strongest, but she can carry a 30 - 40 pound box if she needs to, so I know it must be pretty heavy if she can't even co-carry it).

The table supporting it is not so impressive. While the craftsmanship of the corner beams is impressive (by my low standards), this table has clearly seen better days and wasn't built to last.  All points of contact are separated and there is clear stress marks all over.

So, we're not up to building a new table from scratch (I've never done it and I don't want to be to blame if her table gets scratched if the new one collapses), so we're going to post an ad for a carpenter to come out and build us one. But I want to get a really nice wood that might hold up better than the last one. The tabletop is the real prize here, but I think it deserves a better resting place than whatever lumber is on sale at Home Depot.

Having said all that, I know that oak would be a bit much (both price and need), but even if I were to consider something that high-end, she's determined to paint the table some nifty color, and I know that it's just rude to paint oak.

So what wood meets the requirements:

Sturdy, hard, strong enough to hold up a 100lb+ slab
Not so expensive that I'll feel silly but not so cheap that I won't trust it to last more than a few years
Industrial enough in the sense that it's not offensive/de-valuing to the wood to paint it turquoise (or whatever she goes with).

Wood is wood. So long as it's furniture grade lumber, and adequately designed to support the weight of the tabletop, it doesn't much matter if it's pine or mahogany. What I'd do is to select the wood based on how easy it is to work with and how you want it finished - dark or light; painted or stained or natural; oiled, shellacked or varnished; with lots of obvious wood grain and/or knots, or a tight, even grain, etc. More interesting and aesthetically pleasing wood tends to be more expensive.

Also, you probably want to hire a cabinet maker rather than a carpenter. You don't necessarily need the skills of a furniture maker for this project, but you will need a different set of skills than a typical carpenter has. A good cabinet maker will work with you to match the wood with your design goals.

Finally, maybe take the table as it is to a furniture restorer. It could be the table is substantial enough, it just needs some long-overdue maintenance to tighten the joins and refinish the wood - this will be less expensive than rebuilding it from scratch, and can preserve any value the table has as vintage furniture.


Why would it matter whether a front-loading washer is upstairs? We have an old front-loading Maytag Neptune washing machine.  The bearings are going bad.  I'm looking into having someone swap the bearings out for me, but also considering getting a new machine.

I found that Puget Sound Energy has a program where they will give customers a free washing machine under some circumstances!  But here's the weird part: they will give a free front-loader only if it will be installed at ground level or in a basement; for upstairs they will only give a top-loader.  The relevant quote:

  You'll receive a free ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer that fits in the same spot as your old one. If your new washer will be installed on the first-floor or basement level, you can choose a front-load model. Or you can choose a top-load washer for any level of your home.

http://www.pse.com/SAVINGSANDENERGYCENTER/FORHOMES/Pages/Free-Appliance-Replacement.aspx

Why would PSE have a policy like this?

P.S. Our washer/dryer closet is upstairs, by the bedrooms.  We love the front-loader so I'd rather not accept a top-loader even if it's free.  But I am really wondering if there is something I ought to worry about if I'm picking a new machine.

EDIT: I have accepted an answer.  I am certain that vibration is the issue.  I will just be sure to buy a washer with low vibration.  One brand of washer actually has a "Second-Floor Guarantee" and I might buy that brand.

Thanks to all who answered.

Front Loaders spin at an incredibly high rate compared to top loads. Because of this, the amount of vibration that is transferred to the structure is immense compared to the top loaders of days past.

A concrete slab is the ideal substrate, as it will absorb all vibration. But if the home has a solid joist system and subfloor, they are viable. However, there will still be noticeable vibration. We have a 1989 built home (also in Puget Sound) that, alas, doesn't handle the front-loader washer we just bought a few months ago as well as we'd like. I will be installing lolly columns in the crawl space to reinforce the laundry room floor. If that doesn't cure things, it looks like I'll eventually be building a laundry room in our garage.

The reason they are not allowed on second floors has nothing to do with leaking (as that's a risk of ANY washer, of course) but because the live load requirements for residential construction differ between the main floor and the second floor.

I can't find a direct source to cite (if anyone can find one, please share!) but IIRC, the live load requirements for the main floor of a house is 40psf, but the live load requirements for sleeping areas on a second floor are less at 30psf.

A front load washing machine, in spin cycle, is a very "live load"*. :)

The bottom line is that in the US, the typical construction of second floors aren't equipped to handle the abuse of a front-loader washing machine.

You could probably get an exception if you reinforce the flooring in the second floor room that will house the washer. But that's likely not going to be cheap--ultimately costing you more than the savings in energy you get with the front loader. I believe PSE's top loader option is still a high efficiency appliance, though, so you'll still see a savings in energy with that. It just won't rattle your house quite as much.

UPDATE:

Found the load tables. Here's an excerpt:

From the International Residential Building Codes

TABLE R301.5 MINIMUM UNIFORMLY
DISTRIBUTED LIVE LOADS
(in pounds per square foot)

USE                                 LIVE LOAD
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Habitable attics and attics
served with fixed stairs            30

Rooms other than sleeping room      40

Sleeping rooms                      30

(*) NOTE: As ben points out--and as I attempted to point out with the smiley face--the fact that washer vibrates a lot isn't what makes it a 'live load' necessarily in the eyes of building code. My point was that the upper floor is just built to a different standard than the main floor. That said, I do see the broad definition of live load also includes vibration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_load#Live_loads


Why does my hot water heater flame and pilot go out? Why would Kenmore water heater it lights then burner comes on until tank is all hot but after that it won't light again and flame goes all the way out and then I have to manual light the pilot again?

Pilot light thermocouple or valve controller.

Cheapest one to try first is the pilot light thermocouple. All the box stores and most hardware stores have them.


Sink P-Trap doesn't line up with Drain pipe How can I get my sink drain lined up properly. The drain coming out of the wall is welded together and it doesn't have the connector that catches the threaded side of the p-trap. It's' also about an inch short from the p-trap. Thanks for the help guys.

OK as a temp fix you could:

cut the existing metal tube, leave at least a couple inches from the blobbed up old connection.
clean the outside of the tube as well as you can, I would probably use steel wool.
use an 1 1/2" slip-joint coupler:

connect the new trap with the arm it came with, into the coupler.


Installing Leviton Smart Switches on 4-way Circuit I have a 4 way circuit as shown in the the picture below.
Power comes in to the light's box and goes to the switch from there.

Can I use the DW6HD and two of the DD00R in this configuration?
Below is the wiring diagram from Leviton, it just doesn't show how to wire the switches when the Line wire starts at the light and is also the Load (not sure if saying that proper):

I believe with the wires I have now it won't work and I need to have a new 14-3 wire installed from the light to the switch labeled Top Stairs?  After that it should work?

Nope, can't do it.  All the smart switches need neutral, and neutral does not exist at all in this circuit.
The black and white between lamp and first 3-way is

White = always-hot  (must be re-marked with tapeto be black)
Black = switched-hot (I suggest re-marking with tape to be red)

You'll need either a very carefully chosen dimmer that does not need neutral, or replace that cable run with /3 cable (black, white, red).


Convert 2 adjacent double gang box to 4 gang box; what are these extra wires? I'm attempting to convert 2 adjacent double gang boxes into a single 4 gang box (see my first question about this here: 2 gang boxes installed side-by-side; How do I fix this?).

When I removed the switches, I found gray wires that are not connected to any of the light switches in the both boxes (see picture below with orange arrows pointing at the wires in question).

How do I figure out what these wires are for?  They look like they are just going through the box itself (i.e., you can trace one coming in from the top left and going out on the bottom right).

Is it OK to simply cut them so I can take the boxes out and then twist them back together with a connector once I have the 4 gang box installed?

Thank you for any help you can provide!

You are in the conduit wiring method with metal conduit, note multicolor wires and no grounds.  Your box has a lot of thru-wires and you will need to follow them to one end or the other, pull them out, do your work and put them back in.   It helps to use them to pull in a string.  I do this all the time, and yeah, it's a PITA.  As such, I'm not sure why you are taking this on.

Cutting them is out of the question; you simply don't have enough length to terminate them properly.  I recommend cutting  8" beyond the surface of the wall or 11" from the hole, I believe legal minimums are 3" beyond surface of wall and 6" from conduit exit, but that will be a PITA to to work with.

Note that the right 2-gang actually is back-to-back with another 2-gang box, and it has a flush thru-nipple with that. That thru-nipple will define the positioning of the new 4-gang; that means you may need spacers to meet the wall on the left.  It will also force you to slightly move the 3 conduits in upper left; hopefully they have enough freedom of movement to allow that.  The new 4-gang must be metal (and the same thickness obviously), and must have proper conduit termination with solid grounds.  I recommend acquiring this box at a genuine electrical supply house; they will have good selection of such specialty boxes and their prices will be much better IME.

If you are very lucky, all the wires going through that thru-nipple terminate in the box on the other wall.  That would be rather easy!

Neutral wires must be white or gray.  I consider gray "alt-neutral" and I use them for second circuits, but there is nothing wrong with using all gray if you want to. They are not connected to the switches because neutrals normally aren't.  If you fit smart switches, join the neutral that is a partner to the hot you are switching. The prospect of fitting future smart switches, is all by itself, good justification to get some more gray wire (again, electrical supply) and replace the runs so you have the necessary slack to splice them in this box. Yes, I would do that!

It is possible that these are neutrals from two separate circuits!  If so, it is all on you to keep them separated.  It is vital not to jumble up neutrals to avoid overload. If you can put those circuits on GFCI breakers, that will keep you honest :)


How can I find ceiling joists underneath this wood paneling? Out on our front porch we'd like to hang a swing, but I can't figure out where any of the joists are underneath the wood paneling.

I can't find any nails or screws of any sort and my stud finder isn't working on this (presumably because the paneling is wood as well).

Any ideas how I'd go about finding the beams to put some eye hooks?

That looks similar to T-111 siding that should be nailed to the joists every 16 or 24 inches. The key would be to find the seams where the pieces join. The other seams are just for looks and won't have any joists under them.

Using a thin piece plywood or shim to bang on, you can hold that against the ceiling and bang with a hammer to hear the hollow and solid spots without damaging your ceiling.

Good luck!


Cracks in new house concrete foundation I am buying a new home.  The foundation was poured in Sept 2019. The home is nearing completion but the floors have not yet been installed.  I see cracks in the foundation.  Most concerning are two separate cracks that run the width of the home. In most, of not all, places I believe they are 1/2 cm (1/4” I think) or less.  Do I have a potential structural problem?  Do these need inspection by a structural engineer? Home inspector? Or can they just be filled? I’m including a sample photo.

It's hard to say if it's a structural problem without more information.  The crack in the photo is not necessarily a structural problem.  Most likely it's related to less than ideal subgrade, concrete mix, control joint spacing, or concrete curing conditions.  Concrete is always going to crack.  That crack is excessive, but most likely not a structural concern.  If you notice something translating up the structure -- cracks in the walls, or sloping floors -- then it would be a greater concern.


How do I stop a leaking tub faucet? This tub faucet (that is probably 20+ years old) has a pretty steady drip going and I'm not sure where to start to figuring out how to stop it.

(apologies for the grainy photo...just had my the camera on my phone with me)

There are several possibilities for the cause of the leak -- incorrect valve placement, a worn washer, a worn valve.  All of them will require you to remove the valve stem to investigate.  You'll need:

a plumbing valve wrench -- I have a set like this:

Teflon plumber's tape.
possibly some replacement washers (but you won't know until you've removed the valve stem).
possibly even a replacement valve stem.

Searching for some information, I came across this article that describes the repair process very well.


Gfci outside near a pond If I have 6 outlets outside near a pond do they all need to be gfci protected or can the first one be gfci and the rest just water resistant ?

All 120V 15 & 20 amp outdoor outlets are required to be protected 2014 NEC 210.8.3. If they are all on the same circuit wire the GFCI outlet from the breaker on the line side. Then the wire that feeds the rest of the outlets on the load side of the GFCI and they will be protected by the 1 GFCI outlet. I would recommend "while in use" covers. This type of cover allows the outlet to be used and protects better than the water resistant outlets. I like the metal ones better but they are quite a bit more expensive.


What's the correct way to pass wire to exterior electrical box? I'm doing some remodeling in our basement, and came across the following (see pictures).  It looks like the contractor simply wrapped tape around the conduit to secure the box to the wall.

How are exterior boxes usually secured to an exterior wall?  What is the "correct" way to prevent weather and/or critters from accessing the hole in the siding?  I saw a similar post that mentioned caulking the box to the exterior wall, but is that how it's usually done?  Are there any IBC codes that apply in this situation?

The IRC or the NEC doesn't apply here, common sense does.  What you need to do is apply a paintable silicone acrylic or silicone caulk to the back of the box and around the entry hole before you screw the box to the wall. There should be holes inside the box or external ears for mounting.  The idea is to stop water from going behind the box and around the conduit into the wall.  Don't be afraid to use it, you can wipe off the excess with a damp cloth.  Good luck.


Electrical Supply to Detached Office I'm building a small detached office and have a few questions. More Details:

The office is about 100 ft from my main dwelling.
Plan is to share the current service from my main dwelling.
Only 120V is required, and 60A will be more than enough for my needs. (I can detail more if necessary, but this is already overkill).
I'd like to have a subpanel with 4-15A (120V) breakers in it. I'd also like to have either a main breaker or cutoff.
I plan to add a breaker to the main panel in my house to supply the office.
I really want to run conduit to the office in case I need to pull something in the future.
The office has a bond wire connected directly to the rebar in the concrete.

Ok, now for the questions:

Can I run 240V (2-hot, 1 ground, 1 neutral) and only size it for 30A? Then half of the circuits (2-15A) will run off of 1 hot and the other half off the other hot? Or am I missing something?
What kind of wire do I need to use in the conduit? Currently I'm thinking individual copper wire, 8-gauge in size.
Do I need to bring a ground wire to the office even though it will have its own ground?
For inspection, do they need to see the unburied cable? Where can I find local details (ex: backfilled with sand, 24" deep, warning tape, etc). I'm in FL.

Thanks!

Fat conduit is your friend here

I would run 1.5" or 2" PVC conduit here, buried so that the top of the conduit is >18" deep in the ground.  The requirements you mention (sand bedding/shading, extra burial depth beyond Code, and warning tape) are typically utility requirements for service conduits; out of these, only the warning tape is mentioned in the NEC, and only for service wires (300.5(D)(3)).

As to inspection, a typical requirement would be rough inspection of the trench and conduit job before backfill with the wires pulled in afterwards, but I would check with your local Code authority (same people you'll pull the permit from) for details.

Since this is an office, by the way, I would throw a second conduit into the trench while you have it open. This conduit will be left spare for now, but provides a place for communications lines to go, whether they be copper pairs, coax cables, or optical fibers.  In fact, it's necessary if you want to run copper comms wiring to the office, as that can't share a conduit with the feeder; optical fiber can provided there aren't any conductive members in the fiber cable, but getting it in and out of a shared conduit is a bit tricky.

You can go down to 10AWG copper in the conduit here, but you do need 4 wires

For 240V/30A (your prospective load and then some, split evenly across the two legs of the service) and your given distance, 10AWG copper THHN is more than adequate within your conduit.  You will need four wires here, namely two hots, a neutral, and a ground wire, as the ground wire to the main panel provides a path back to the utility for current that came from the utility, while the ground electrode at the shed provides a path back to Earth for current that came from the Earth.

Go big or go home!

One major mistake folks make when they go to put a subpanel in is skimping on spaces in the new panel.  The cost difference between a barely-large-enough-for-the-job subpanel and an amply sized one is around $100, given that "amply sized" here is a 24- or 30-space, 125A, main breaker panel.  Don't worry about the amp rating of the main breaker here, by the way, since all it is doing is acting as a local shutoff switch for power to the shed.

With a small feeder like yours, by the way, it's going to be fairly important to balance the actual loads across the two legs of the feeder in order to avoid creating a situation where one leg is overloaded by way of being asked to do more than its fair share of the work.  This is mostly a matter of thinking about what's hooked up/expected to be plugged into the circuits in question and making sure it comes out mostly even in amps/watts across the two legs.

TORQUE ALL LUGS TO SPEC

One last thing that is required by current Code (2017 NEC 110.14(D)) is that the lugs on the breakers and loadcenter you are installing need to be torqued to the values specified on the label with a torque screwdriver or wrench (nominally, one that reads in inch-pounds, as that's what the labeling uses).  Even if your local Code authorities have not adopted the 2017 NEC, it's still a good idea anyway, lest your electrical system do what Greg Biffle's infamous lugnuts did!


Fridge starting up turns TV on/off I think this is simply because its old, but whenever the fridge "kicks on", it being on the same circuit as the TV makes the TV turn off/back on.  Just curious if there is anything I can do other than a new fridge or getting them off the same circuit (not possible).  Any advice appreciated!

Your cheapest option besides a new fridge might be a UPS for the TV.

Make sure you get at least a line interactive type. The offline / standby versions will just pass the dropout spike through to the TV. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply#Line-interactive

My neighborhood power had some lines rubbing together when it was windy. The power would drop just for an instant but long enough to reset my TiVo causing a 5 minute dropout in any program I was recording. I got a UPS for it and solved the problem until the power company fixed the lines.

Electronics are sensitive to even the shortest drop in power. A UPS could smooth out the spikes and let your TV ride through the dropouts.
Good luck!


Installing a tankless water heater next to electric service panel I am in the process of installing an outdoor natural gas tankless water heater. The issue I'm running into is clearances around the heater. There's a small spot on the back wall of the house where I'd like it installed.
The installation instructions require its exhaust vent to be located at least 12" away from an open window, but in order to meet this requirement I would need to mount it right next to my main electrical service panel (and electric meter).
The only code requirements I've found regarding clearances around an electrical panel are allowing at least a 30" working space (side to side). From what I understand, the panel can be located anywhere within that 30" boundary, so if this is the case I believe I can mount the heater pretty much right next to it as long as there's enough clearance on the opposite side to get me to that 30" width.
I've attached a graphic that shows the measurements on the house and a diagram that gives an example of how to comply with the electrical code:

The 30” requirement can start at the left side and be measured to the right. As far as the vent you will want to extend it through the roof. The amount of heat coming off a tankless is much hotter than a standard tanked water heater.


Better to sand down floor or trim door? I've been working on installing a sliding "barn" door. Unfortunately, I hung the door too low by about 1/4 inch because the directions that came with the hardware to do so are incorrect. As a point of pride I contacted the company to try understand how I had screwed this up; they confirmed via email with new directions that the hardware measurements in directions were incorrect. Never-the-less this doesn't help me as I have already install the railing and don't want to drill new holes (the railing goes into bare wood so the old holes would not be easy to cover up and would be unsightly). Therefore, I think I'm left with two options. 1) trim the door down or 2) sand the region of the floor where the door makes contact. 1) seems like the obvious answer, but will break the symmetry of the door and bothers my aesthetics. 2) would require sanding a 2 inch x 1.5 inch section of the wood floor (near the wall) down 1/8 - 1/4 inch and then refinishing that section of the floor. The house is old so the floor slopes away from that point and the spacing isn't an issue anywhere else. My question is if this is feasible and/or a reasonable approach and if there are any potential issues with doing this?

Seeing that you have a solid wood door, it would be no issue to cut the bottom off the 1/4"+ to get it to clear the floor. If you have an electric door planer would be the simplest way to trim the bottom, using extreme care on starting and stopping the cuts. The typical way of cutting the bottom is with a circular saw, protecting the door from scratches from the shoe of the saw, and scoring the face of the door to minimize splintering from cutting.


What is the best way to board interior of a large shed? I have a large shed/workshop which I want to board with OSB/Ply to make the interior more usable for hanging things from the walls and to just generally make it "nicer" inside. I'm not fussed about packing it out with insulation and there is no water making it inside currently.

Am I ok to just attach boards to the framing or do I need to put some sort of moisture barrier in place no matter what?

For an uninsulated shed I usually find exposed studs more useful for hanging/storing most tools, with the occasional board where that's not true.

Anyway, for a dry, uninsulated, unheated shed, you need not do anything more than nail (or screw) it to the framing. I would actively avoid @Chris Cudmore's "gap" suggestion, however, since it sounds like making exceedingly convenient rodent housing, to me. I'd keep it as tight as possible and might even caulk any unavoidable gaps to make life more difficult for rodents and insects (could be delightful and hard-to-get-at wasp habitat, too.)


Wiring of simple wall switch One of our wall switches was acting a bit flaky so I replaced it but I was surprised by how the old switch was wired. I was expecting to see a continuous white wire going through the box and two black wires connected to the switch. What I saw was a black and white wire connected to the switch. I wired the new switch the same way and all is well but would like to understand more.

I found this old thread where the issue of the white and black wires was explained: Simple light switch wiring upgrade to new switch - NO NEUTRAL

"The wiring in your wall is called a "traditional switch loop". The two wires present (besides ground) are always-hot (we hope, the white) and switched-hot (we hope, the black). Note that neutral is NOT present in this box.

This is a case of white being used as a hot wire because the cable only has 2 conductors. Modern Code requires a re-tasked white wire be marked with paint or tape to indicate it is not a neutral. "

Okay, but I was wondering what it looked like further down, say at an outlet (which this wall switch actually controls). Assuming there's a black and white wire, is the white there neutral and the black hot? And why use this type of switch wiring instead of just breaking the black line with the switch and continuing it on to the outlet?

The outlet is not "further down". Electrical power is delivered to the outlet first, and the switch is "further down":

Constant-hot power is delivered from the outlet box to the switch, and switched-hot is returned to the outlet via the same cable.

(The NEC specifies that when a cable does not contain a neutral wire, the white wire can be re-marked for another use, and when a constant-hot is in the cable, it must be assigned to the white wire. This leaves the black wire to be re-marked as the switched-hot.)

Following Harper's recommendation, I have illustrated black tape for the constant-hot and red for the switched-hot.

(Switch loops are no longer wired like this, as the widespread use of smart switches has changed the standard so that a neutral connection is now required in every switch box.)


How do I fix cracked plumbing in this situation? Pictured is where a drain from my washing machine enters into the main stack. There is a crack in the collar of the plumbing underneath where I have circled in the picture. It broke when the extending pipe was torqued. I tried to reglue and seal but continues to leak.  Between the pieces all being so close together and up against the wall, I am not sure what else to do. Any suggestions would help.

PVC is pretty simple to work with as long as it fits well. I'd cut off the broken elbow cleanly and leaving just enough protruding from the stack tee to connect a new elbow, say 3/4". I'd clean it up and prime it and install a new standard elbow (is that a 45?) onto the stub. Give a twist to distribute the cement well. You many need to cut back, and then extend with a coupler, the straight section.

Another option is to cut the elbow off, then carefully grind away the portion that remains inside the stack tee. If you work slowly with a rotary grinder, checking fit often, you should be able to make a new street elbow fit well. Prime it and cement it in, rotating at least 1/4 to distribute the cement.

Because this is an unfinished area, risk is low if the new connections fail. At that point you may want to get a plumber in to replace the stack tee and start fresh.


Passing plumbing through a wall. I'm installing a dishwasher from scratch. The only place to put it is in the breakfast nook off the kitchen. I've already successfully installed the electric. Next, I need to install the drain and water feed line.

I would like to pass the plumbing where the red x is. The plumbing will be a braided stainless steel water line and a flexible drain line. I would also like for the lines to be serviceable after the fact.

My best idea is to embed a 1.5in or 2in pvc pipe in the wall. Glue the pipe to the lath in the wall and then fill the gaps with joint compound.

Is this a good idea or is there a better way?

Dishwashers don't require a full size drain. There is no need to run a DWV line to your dishwasher.

They drain through a 5/8" or 7/8" flexible hose that attaches to the sink tail piece or the food disposal unit.

They fill through a 1/2" feed line.

You shouldn't need larger than a 1 ½" hole through the wall into your cabinetry and then run the lines in the back of your cabinets. I think you will want to go lower though since your drawers probably go all the way to the back of the cabinets and anything mounted there would keep them from closing.

Have you bought the DW unit? If you have it, check the install instructions and the feed and drain line sizes.


Can I clean a second story dryer vent that goes out the roof from the inside? My dryer vent goes from the second story to the roof.  The problem is that I can't reach the roof.  I bought one of those dryer vent cleaners that you can put on your drill and spin it up the vent.  Currently it goes 8 feet.  Could I buy another one and go up 16 feet and just push or pull the excess lint all the way from the roof top or is it better to have someone do it from the roof.  Also, are there other things a professional will do besides use a long brush?

My experience using those brushes is that it's difficult to tell if you're pushing on a lint blockage, a turn in the pipe, or your knocking the cap off the end of the pipe. So if at all possible, you should have the end open and/or connected to a vacuum. You don't want this tool ramming into the motor in your dryer, nor do you want it knocking the damper off the outside of your house. In your case, that's going to require someone on the roof.

You can get close, keeping track of how many segments of the cleaning tool you used to get to the roof in a previous cleaning, and then stop a few feet early. But as Michael says, the cap itself should be cleaned since lots of lint will build up there.


Hooking two washing machines up to one hot/cold water supply I need a new washing machine and am leaning towards getting a stackable front loader (soon to be family of 6; it's just more efficient water/energy-wise), however, I also plan to cloth diaper my baby and know front loaders suck for washing diapers. I have a small apartment sized washer/dryer that I could use for the diapers but can't afford the new washer AND getting my laundry room plumbed with a second water supply. Is it possible to install some kind of valve that would allow me to switch between one laundry pair and the other? I realize I wouldn't be able to run them both at the same time (or would I...?) If I put two washer/dryers in my laundry room I wouldn't have room to just disconnect/reconnect the supplies, but I could probably get a hand back there to manipulate a valve...

Let's assume for now draining is not an issue...

You could use a hose wye with shut-offs on both hot and cold. Make sure you buy a heavy duty brass one with ball valves. You can run both washers simultaneously as they fill until a sensor or float says the water level has risen to the set-point. It will just take a bit longer for them to fill if you run them at the same time.


What's the amperage on a circuit breaker that's "linked" together? On our circuit breaker, we have several circuits that are linked together by a metal handle. For instance, there are several cases of three 20A circuits all linked together, meaning you can only flip all three at once. Does that mean those three 20A circuits equal 60A? If not, what is the purpose of having multiple circuits linked together?

Each circuit is rated 20 amperes.

Handles are typically tied together when all the breakers are supplying a single piece of equipment. For example, in a 120/240 volt single phase system, two breakers might be tied together for a piece of equipment that requires 240 volts. Three breakers tied together would be common for a 3 phase systems.

In all situations, the circuits are still rated whatever is listed on the handle, not the total of the breakers.


Sound Proofing Window + Storm Window I have a window which faces a very busy street.

However there are also inserts (storm windows) made out of wood and single pane glass for insertion outside the aluminum half open window (pictured below)

Does anyone have any ideas for products I could use to seal the storm windows to prevent sound transmission.  I don't know if it's legal, but could I seal the windows as well? Could I apply a material to the window to help it seal tight when closed to prevent drafts AND noise.

I ideally would like some kind of sealant I can paste along the aluminum window which would seal against the concrete tightly when I close the window. It could later be scraped or peeled off the aluminum. I have tried weather tape (like puddy) but it falls off the window too easily.

A material to seal in the storm window would probably also help me. Right now that storm window is simply resting in the concrete frame with many gaps present.

Any ideas much appreciated. The pink outside window is the storm window.

Thanks.

If you look closely at "sound-proof" windows, (I.e.: music rooms, sound studios, etc.), you'll see that the two (or 3) panes of glass are not parallel and not of the same thickness. This helps reflect sound waves back. So, if one wave length passes the first pane, the second pane will be out of sync with that wave length and reflect it back too.


John Deer Lawnmower won't start, just buzzes We've got an oldish riding lawnmower we bought along with our new house from previous owners.  It started up and worked a couple of times but now won't start.  It just buzzes. None of the videos I can find online reproduce this sound so not sure what might be wrong.

Here's a video of it not starting https://youtu.be/-KvItIj6Hlo

Its your starter, more precisely, the starter mechanism (clutch/bearing) is not engaging the engine. It can be misaligned, broken teeth, foreign debris stuck in the mechanism, or just dirty and needs cleaning/grease.

Here's a quick youtube so you can hear it per request:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trcMQFvvWU

There are a ton of videos on this topic out there, but once you inspect the bearing it should give you an idea of the issue.

Here's some more detail on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhdSq4WOaDM


Is polymeric sand necessary for paver joint? I have seen the ads and display of polymeric sand for paver joints. I am using 6x9 concrete paver with just regular paver sand. This is my first time doing this so I don't know if I will regret few years later as the sands got washed out. I live Pacific Northwest so there is a bit of rain but not like heavy water rain, more like shower continuously.

My questions are:

How long the regular sand supposed to last? Any long term success story here?
Is it easier to apply sealer instead of replacing the current sand (using pressure washer) and put in polymeric sand? Replacement seems like a tiring job in the future.

Thanks

I live in the Pacific Northwest also. I have done several paver walks, I have used regular sand and polymeric sand. What I have found is a good even base is the most important part of the job. Regular sand tends to need a new bag about every 3 years and polymeric is going on 5 but will need an add this year. For me both tend to grow grass because our horses kick up a lot of dust in the arena on hot days then things grow, not bad but it happens with both. Make sure your base is even and the pavers are uniform height for the best long term results. I used 1/2" crushed quarry 1-2" thick under my areas and compacted it drains well and the pavers don't move. Good luck on your project.


How to wire a switch with multiple lights I have 3 lights (Power is coming in the first light) that are each on a single switch (in the same circuit). I want to put the 3 of them on the same switch. I found this helpful diagram but my switch is at the beginning of the circuit. How should I wire it?

Here's the set up you need only need to run cable for 3rd light.


Fireplace, identification and removal component I am curious what the purpose is of the black metal covers above this fireplace. Looking up from below, outside of the window, they are closed. Is this purely decorative? Is there any way to remove them? I don't see any obvious bolts. Only decorative studs.

They are not physically attached to the actual fireplace, only the wall.

The stubs are not hiding bolts as for as I can see. On some sides there is a small gap and you can see there is nothing.

It's rock-solid though. My fear is that it's somehow cemented in. I might not be able to take it down without destroying some of the brickwork.

I'm guessing it's 100% decorative. And that looks to be a new-ish insert (or recently repainted and rebricked).

You'll have to get into the fireplace and see with a scope or mirrors where they go, but I'm guessing it's just drilled into the facade brick and screwed in under those flower heads.

It does look pretty cool though. My wife would kill me however if I put it in.


Connection for a 2 switch ceiling fan I'm installing a new ceiling fan. I have 2 black and 2 white wires coming from the ceiling. 1 black wire is not a power source. The 2 white wires are capped together. I've left the non power black wire source capped and left the 2 white wires capped together. After hooking up everything the fan and light works. Yay!! However, there is a wall switch that should turn on and off the fan and it's not working. I'm assuming it has something to do with the non ground black wire. If so, how do I connect it to the fan switch? Thank you for your time.

What was pre-existing in that box was a switch loop, however, it was botched rather badly... if it were hooked up that way, the switch would switch neutral, which is wrong.

Wires enter a box in cables.  This implies a wire grouping, and the grouping is important.  For instance your box has 2 cables that each look like this.

(Yours probably doesn't have the red wire).

The cable with the "live" black is supply/always-hot. It has a partner "white wire" which is supply/neutral. (which, to belabor the point, is in the same cable as the black.

The dead cable is switch loop, and its white wire should be tagged with black electrical tape because it will be used as an always-hot wire.  This tag should be done on both ends, but at least do it here.

Now join the two always-hots (black and remarked white) and push those wires into the back of the box.

What remains is a black from the switch loop and a white from supply.  Hook this up exactly as you'd expect.

White is used for always-hot to make it more obvious it's been re-tasked as a hot.  If white were the switched-hot, it would appear cold with the switch off (while black would appear hot) and people would mistake it for neutral.  Also, re-marked white wires are required to be re-marked to indicate they are hots.  This is the only remarking allowed in electrical, and only in cables.


What can (and cannot) be put down drains that are connected to septic systems? This might be more appropriate as a community wiki...

We have a septic system and I'm extremely paranoid about what can (and cannot) be put down our sink drains.  I know the general answer is "nothing but water" but I'm particularly curious about:

Toothpaste
Hand soap (not labeled as anti-bacterial)
Rinsing paint brushes
Facial hair from shaving
Left over coffee

How careful should I be?

-M

Tooth paste and soap (even a little anti-bacterial) are certainly fine.  Basically, you just don't want to put any harsh chemicals in there that will kill the bacteria eating away at the waste.

I would avoid food and thicker items as they will not break down.  I try not to allow hair, coffee grounds as they might not break down.  I would definitely avoid paint.

Also avoid paper products that wont break down.  Feminine products can cause havoc.  Almost all toilet paper is septic safe these days, but read the packaging to be sure.

If you just bough a new house, or built one, I would recommend you have someone come out and pump the basin sooner that later.  That way you know for sure that the tank is clean and in good working order and you can have a fresh start.  I have heard way to many horror stories for new builds where the contractors used the tanks as a trash can and that later caused problems.  Then remember to have the system flushed out every 3-5 years based on usage and local laws.


Can I use a circular saw for precise cabinet making I will be building some cabinet boxes and my table saw has a short span in the fence so I can't cut to final dimensions on it.

I've made some cuts before using a saw board guide and a circular saw, but I'm not really sure if that will be precise enough. Even more when I think that I will have to repeat the same cut many, many times.

Can it be done with a circular saw? I thought about buying a Makita Track Saw SP6000 (we don't get Festool in Brazil), but it is expensive and I don't know if the result would be much better apart from being faster.

If you're making many similar cuts, it's often worth it to build a jig. Jigs will allow you to make many repeatable cuts, quickly and easily.

There are also loads of guides, slides, and jigs available off the shelf (or online anyway).

Also, don't forget to use the proper blade.  You probably wouldn't want to make furniture with a 24 tooth blade, unless you don't care much about the cut quality. If you're cutting plywood or veneers, you'll want to use at least an 60 tooth blade.


Why is my stove is no longer receiving 240V of power? I have a general understanding of electrical and some know how, but I moved into a place at the beginning of 2021 and 3 days ago I come home and try to preheat the oven and nothing. I tried the broil setting and it wouldn't work either. So I figured I would boil some water to cook pasta if the oven wasn't cooperating, but no stovetop elements would work.
I had power because the clock on the display still worked and the oven light turned on. It dawned on me that those are the 240v functions of the appliance and that the things that worked only ran on 120v. Thinking that 1 pole of my 2 pole 40amp breaker was no good I checked my breaker panel and found it was a CEB panel and all the breakers were Sylvania make, the 40 amp one specifically was a 240QBH so I got a new 240QBH breaker made by Eaton (looks exactly the same and has the same functionality bolt on 2 pole 40 amp).

I replaced the breaker and was hopinh that was that, but my problem was persistent. Still no 240v functions on my stove/oven. So I tried to troubleshoot the problem with a multimeter starting at the back of my appliance and found that indeed it had 120v on each leg to neutral or ground but bothe legs together gave me a 0v reading.

I did the same to the receptacle and replaced it at the same time with a new one also checking the wiring to it and same as what I saw on the appliance, so no problem there. Finally I went back down to my breaker panel and checked each hot to the neutral panel and same thing there 120v each hot but when I put my leads on both hots coming into my breaker 0V reading.

I changed it back to the old breaker while I was there,  seeing as it was $85 I had just unnecessarily spent and would like that money back and it obviously isn't a bad pole in the Sylvania QBH240. So I read some other Q&A postings in here and know that you would say that both hots are most likely on same leg, How would this occur all of a sudden and how can I fix it now?... Or troubleshoot it further? I seem to be at my wits end but cannot afford outsourcing it and I need to be able to cook. Any advice is appreciated.

[

Like Ecnerwal says, you lost a phase.  99% of the time this is the power company's problem, and they come out and fix it for free.  Simply report an outage.
But why aren't half my circuits dead?
Because the two phases are shorted together.
OK it's not a dead-short, it's a low-resistance short.  If the power were working normally, this thing would be making an awful lot of heat.  But it hasn't burned the house down, so the heat must go somewhere non-destructive.  Where could that be?

Oh, hello.
Yup. All the 120V loads on the dead phase are being supplied from the other phase through the water heater's heating element.
Some time after you lost the phase, the element in the water heater cycled on for normal re-heat, and it didn't work normally because of the lost leg.  However, being in series with your small 120V loads such as lighting, cable box and the like... the big resistor made some heat.  Water heaters are stupendously well-insulated, so running through the whole day, this small amount of heat was enough to re-warm the water in the tank, masking the most obvious symptom: total loss of hot water.
But I don't have any 240V appliances that could do that.
Your neighbor does.  And you're both on the same side of the wire break.
Call the power company and report an outage. Unless your area just had an ice storm, you'll be at the top of the dispatch list and they'll be out in an hour or two.  20 minutes on the poletop fiddling with connections and you'll be right as rain.
Now, if you want this to go faster, be within shouting distance while the worker is up in the bucket. Be the "gofer" to alert neighbors and shut off main breakers so the worker doesn't have to come down.  They ought to send 2 people, but, y'know.


Increasing the distance from the wall of my pull up bar I have the following chin up bar that is too close to the wall when using my new set of rings.

What is the best way to increase the distance from the wall? Can I simply add two vertical 2x4 (at each end) in between the chin up bar and existing horizontal 2x4?

For just 1.5 inch more space off the wall, sure, another layer of 2x4 could work fine. It's not necessary to pull the existing horizontal boards off the wall; you could just build up another layer in front of those. Thinking about how the forces might be in play I guess orienting the second layer vertically could be a bit better.
If you wanted to hang the arrangement from the ceiling.. what if you rotate the brackets so that they attach to the bottom side of the I-joists? If that puts the bar a little too low you could install some 2x blocking between the webs of the floor joists and fix the brackets to that instead.
On the other hand, if brackets mounted to the I-joist flange puts the bar too high above the floor then you'd have to find a way to bring it down lower. Lots of strategies to do that.. some kind of lumber hanging down from the joists. Might be a patch of plywood fixed to the side of two floor joists, and a piece of 2x4 at the lower edge of the plywood to give a secure surface for mounting the pull-up bar brackets.


How do I build a square window frame in an off-square opening? The original windows in the bedrooms in my old house were huge, far too big for the size of the rooms.  At some point a previous owner replaced them with much smaller windows, building a frame to hold them in the original opening.

I'm planning to replace those windows with something in between which will mean building a new frame.  In at least once case, I would like to use the original framing at the side of the window.  However, due to settling and some warping of the original house frame, the openings are not perfectly square.  I would like to build the frame in advance so that when the time comes, I can just take out the existing windows, cut out the existing frame, put in the new frame and attach the windows.

Beyond careful measuring twice and cutting once, what do I need to do to ensure that the new frame will fit in the opening and be square so that the window installation will go smoothly?

If it's out of square by less than a quarter to a half inch or so you can probably just use shims to square it up.


How do I season wood on my own? Just what the title asks. Earlier today a tree on our premises split in two in heavy winds. The tree is of a variety referenced 'सागवन' in the vernacular, and Central Provinces Teak else-wise - that it topped itself is extremely surprising, and uncommon!

After trimming the foliage, and off-shoots I hope to season it. After taking a quick gander at the various notes on seasoning posted online, here's what I find myself wondering

Is wood seasoned with, or without the bark?
Should I simply leave the log lying on the ground? It is a fairly hard kind, and the fallen length (approx. 50 ft) far too heavy to lift.
Need I take any precautions against warp/split?

p.s. I'm told grand-dad seasoned wood letting it lie up-to 10 years thus!

From my experience with Walnut, etc.

You slab it with the bark on, oversize so there is excess stock to work with when planed to final dimension and stack the flitches with stickers between them to keep them separated. The base they're stacked on needs to be flat, the storage sheltered from rain and extremes of weather.

Paint the end grain to slow down moisture movement in aid of reducing checking and minimizing splitting.

When properly dried out, the flitches get resawn and then sent to the planer for finished dimension or sent to the veneer mill to be sliced down into sheets.

A local business, Wagner Electronics, produces moisture meters that are used to determine when wood is seasoned to the proper moisture content. Slow is good. Note: not an affiliate of any kind with the company, just relating how the professionals determine seasoning speed and finish.

Flitch: a piece of wood that is to be resawn or sliced for veneer.

Sticker: thin pieces of wood used to separate flitches or veneer stacks.


Is Duck/Duct tape safe to use to insulate mains wires? Question says it all really. Based in the UK so mains is 240v and 20 amps. It's a lighting circuit.

Use an appropriately listed and labeled electrical tape instead if you must use tape -- duck tape is an unknown quantity when it comes to insulating properties, and also is more likely to combust if hit with sparks than a proper electrical tape would.

Of course, if you can use heat-shrink tubing or some sort of wire connector (wirenut or push-lock) instead, that's a much better solution -- electrical tape doesn't last the way a proper heat-shrink job does.


New float valve in header tank with very slow leak This problem is driving me nuts!
The top tank for the hot water overflows at night time but is OK during the day. My conclusion is that there is a very slow leak when it should have shut off. I have bought 3 new valves. Took the first one back as defective, next one has same problem. Bought from another source - same problem. Our water pressure is very high . Could that be it? Any ideas? Would be most grateful. Fed up with wasting water and the drip drip drip from the overflow - torture!
Thanks

The high water pressure could very well be causing the slow leak. Float valves rely on the pressure of the float to close a small valve in the stem. High pressure could allow for a little water to work its way through. A quality fill valve should be able to handle it. The fluidmaster 400 ARHR is a great low cost fill valve. You could also try a commercial fill valve. They are built to higher standards.


Is this loft bed flooring strong enough? I'm about to construct a loft bed as in picture: it's 240cm long and 180cm wide (7.9ft x 5.9ft).

The floor frame is composed of 2 main beams (2x6) that run on the longitudinal direction, and 7 joists (also 2x6), one every 40cm, attached to the beams with joist hangers. On top of that is a sheet of plywood 21mm thick.

The main concern is about the 2 main beams: is 2x6 enough to support the weight of all the joists (2 adults) or should I use 2x8? Do you think the flooring is ok or should I run the main beams in the short direction and the joists longitudinally?

I have also attached a picture of the frame.

2x6 framing would be strong enough, but I have a couple of concerns.

Racking - I think you should put a cross brace on the back (2x4 would be fine)
Mechanical fasteners - for the elevated frame, you definitely want to use either lags or structural screws to attach it to the verticals. The rest can be nails and/or construction screws (largest that don't protrude through the other side).


Do I need a vapor barrier in an exterior basement wall if I use purple drywall? I purchased some purple drywall (mold and moisture resistant)for installing in a finished basement bedroom. One wall is an exterior wall. Do I need to install a vapor barrier between the drywall and the studs?

Ask yourself this: "If I install a vapor barrier, where is the water that it stops going to collect?"
If you put a polyethylene vapor barrier behind a drywall-covered stud framed wall, then the answer is that water that condenses on the poly will fall onto the wood sill plate, growing mold and eventually rotting it out.
Dedicated vapor barriers have no place in a basement wall. If the basement wall is insulated on the outside, then the vapor barrier is superfluous; otherwise, is it dangerous, as it will trap moisture against a moisture-sensitive element, as I indicated.
Here's lots of supporting evidence, since this perspective appears to be controversial. From http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/how-insulate-basement-wall

Should I include a polyethylene vapor barrier?
No. Basement wall systems should never include any polyethylene. You don’t want poly between the concrete and the insulation; nor do you want poly between gypsum drywall and the insulation. You don’t want poly anywhere.
Paul Ellringer, an energy and mold consultant in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has a collection of slides showing moldy basement insulation. In most cases, these basement walls were insulated with fiberglass batts, and included two layers of polyethylene — one on each side of the studs. Ellringer calls this a “diaper wall,” and reports that most of them are a mess. “Fibrous insulation and poly are inherently problematic, and should not be used in below-grade walls,” says Ellringer. “Sometimes when you open it up, the fiberglass is soaking wet. If the house is two to four years old, the studs are often beginning to rot.”

And from http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/basement-insulation:

No interior vapor barriers should be installed in order to permit inward drying.

And from http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-103-understanding-basements/:

Unfortunately, locating insulation layers on the interior often conflicts with the traditional approach of foundation water control – namely inward drying. Constructing frame walls, insulating the resulting cavity and covering with an interior plastic vapor barrier is common (Photograph 2) and often leads to odor, mold, decay and corrosion problems (Fugler, 2002;  Ellringer, 2002). Also common, and prone to similar problems, is the use of “blanket insulation” often derisively referred to as “the diaper” for the odor problems associated with the approach (Photograph 3).

If you have not yet constructed your stud wall against the existing basement wall, please read those links to find out how to do it safely and properly.


Is it possible to stack dryers? Is it possible to stack two dryers?  Ideally, I would like to have two dryers for my washing machine, but space is limited.

The stacking kits I have seen would work equally well for two dryers.  The washer needs to be on the bottom because of weight and vibration: the dryer on top, so you're fine.

Separate vents are required, else exhaust air from one dryer will enter room through the other dryer.


How to remove shower drain cover Right, I've recently moved into a new flat in London and it's time the drain was unblocked but I just cannot figure out how to take the drain cover off. If someone could let me know so I don't end trying to force it out and possibly breaking it in the process, that would be great.

I've Googled 'how to remove a drain cover' but there seems like so many types and I have no idea which mine is.

Here's a couple of pictures of the type of drain cover in question.

I have one very similar to that.  It lifts out vertically.

There are six keyed slots in the drain tube that the cover slots into.  So you have to lift it keeping it level.  Place something under two sides of the cover and lift together, if you only lift from one side it will twist and won't come out.

There will then be a plastic hair trap guard that just lifts out easily that you can clean.


Can you use an LED Bayonet bulb in standard 40 or 60W bayonet fitting? First time poster. In short have flipped all my halogen GU10 bulbs over to LED. Only non spotlight is a Bayonet fitting in my bedroom. The halogen (45W candle) in that went this week & I am having trouble finding (am in UK) a reputable brand of halogen bulb to replace it (have uplighters so am OK in the short term).

Can I just use an LED to replace it instead (standard switch - not a dimmer) or would I need to other adjustments (e.g. to the power to step it down?). Am just thinking this may give me a better chance of finding a better bulb (& also cut the electricity bill!).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I've not dealt with these myself (but you made me curious): a simple search for B22d LEDs turns up plenty of results; e.g. these Osram's on Amazon. You haven't said what mount these "Bayonet fitting" is, but I assume it's the common one, i.e. B22d. You can find a full list of Bayonet fittings on Wikipedia, which also tells you how they're identified (usually by base measure).


Moving the location of a bathroom sink I am in the middle of a bathroom reno, and want to relocate one of the 2 sinks. Right now the sinks are on different walls 90 degrees from each other, and I like to relocate one so they are on the same wall. My question is, can I use the waste/vent from the sink that is already on that wall for both sinks, so I can avoid running drain PVC all the way around the 90 degree angle to its current waste/vent? If so I'd just cap the unused waste/vent pipe and call it a day.

I am obviously an amateur, and this is my first real DIY reno, in a home we just bought.

TIA

Yes use one for both the waste and vent. If the existing sink doesn't have issues draining, your vent will be fine. For the waste, just "T" the two sinks together and join them to the existing drain/waste pipe. Do the same for the water supply for the sink. Remove the existing cut-off valves and put a tee on the stubbed out pipe with the opposite end of the tee pointing at you and the leg of the tee pointed to the new sink. Run a new piece of pipe from the tee over to your new sink and put a 90 on the end. Connect your shut-offs for the old sink at the tee and for the new sink at the 90. Of course you'll have to run a hot and cold line. You don't have to, but I would replace the existing cut-offs with new ones while they are off. Good luck!

Normally you would stub out a drain for each sink and then have a p-trap directly under each. This is what is shown in the photo , before the p-traps are installed. It is permissible to have one trap, but if you do, it has to go below the tee.
I'm old school and don't use Shark fittings. I'm not sure if they are acceptable in a sealed wall or not. Hopefully someone else can help you there.


Is there an alternative to a self-piercing saddle valve for a humidifier? I bought and installed a whole home humidifier.  The humidifier is located in my attic connected to the air exchanger.  The Self-Piercing Saddle Valve is located there as well to draw water to the flow through screen.  Since the valve is at the highest water point, I seem to get suction around the rubber gasket and air gets into the pipe and I have to flush that zone every day or 2.  Is there an alternative to the saddle valve?

I had a self piercing saddle valve on my whole house humidifier when I bought the house.  It had developed mineral deposits in the piercing hole and no longer worked.  I ended up taking it off, cutting the pipe and sweating in a regular valve.  Self-piercing valves are notorious for clogging up and also for eventually leaking.  Since it is in you attic, any leak would drip down onto you ceiling and cause water damage.  I would consider replacing it with a regular valve.


How can I hang small weights from a drywall ceiling in a way that's minimally destructive? I need to hang some plants (small, a few pounds max) from the ceiling but I don't want to go the usual toggle bolt or the drywall anchor route. These create holes that are too large for the kind of weights I want to hang. In other words, I feel like when you're talking about 2-3 lb weights, you should be able to get away with much smaller holes.

What I imagine is something similar to those elastic holders used for hanging name badges. I'm talking about these:

If the metal part is thin enough and resistant enough, then you can get away with minuscule holes. Imagine that you had a sewing needle with the ear right at the center instead of the top. Thread fishing wire through the ear and push the needle through a small hole in the ceiling. Once it goes through the other side pull back on it, causing the needle to lay flat on the other side of the ceiling.

The amount of weight this sort of setup could support would depend on:
1) the strength of the metal anchor (sewing needle in my example)
2) the dimension of the hole in the ceiling. The smaller the hole the more weight it can support. (Also 3, the fishing wire, but I think the first two will become a problem way before that).

Something like this seems pretty simple to put together. Really the only problem is finding a long thin piece of metal with a hole in the middle (the hypothetical needle with ear at the center).

My questions are:
 1) Is this dumb?
 2) If not, what's a cheap, easily available object that I can use as the metal anchor?

You might have answered your own question... what about a (larger) needle?

Tie the fishing wire round the middle of the needle (and perhaps use a dab of glue to hold it in place if it won't hold itself).

If you can't find a large enough needle, try a small gauge knitting needle? Again it might need a dab of glue to hold the wire in place in the centre.


LEDs in a multi-bulb fixture only dim when installed alongside a single 60W incandescent bulb I have a 'Sputnik'-style ceiling light fixture that accepts about 12 bulbs. I installed 12 LED bulbs into the fixture. However, the fixture was just too bright with 12 LEDs, so I installed a dimmer switch later that evening. The LED bulbs are supposed to be dimmable and the Amazon reviews for the LEDs indicated that people were having success with Lutron and Leviton dimmers. I bought a Leviton Decora smart dimmer.

After installing the dimmer, I found that that the LED bulbs would not dim, they would only turn on or off. I verified that the Leviton app had the bulb type set to 'LED'. To troubleshoot, I decided to remove one of the LED bulbs and replace it with a 60W incandescent bulb. I knew that the incandescent bulb would be capable of dimming.

To my surprise, not only did the incandescent bulb dim, but the other LEDs started dimming as well. If I remove the incandescent, then the LEDs stop dimming. If I install a 20W incandescent, then the LEDs do not dim. It's only when I install the 60W incandescent that all of the LEDs start dimming properly.

How is it possible that the LEDs only dim when a single 60W incandescent bulb is installed in the same fixture?

Edit: these are the LED bulbs (6W each) and this is the Leviton Decora dimmer switch (300W max for LEDs, 600W max for incandescent.

In general, dimmers have both a minimum and a maximum load. The most common reason for low loads not to dim, is that they are below the minimum for the dimmer to function. By adding more load, the dimmer begins to function properly. This is further explained by lighting manufacturer Lighting Services Inc (LSI):

  Minimum Loads

  Dimmers have minimum load requirements because if the LED load isn’t drawing enough current to keep the dimmer’s switching elements closed, the dimmer will have unpredictable behavior.  This behavior can include flickering, reduced dimming range, flashing when off, or not even working at all.

  Dimmers that are designed for incandescent loads tend to have a larger minimum load requirement because incandescent fixtures generally have higher wattages than LED fixtures.  This means that these dimmers will most likely require multiple LED fixtures to meet the minimum load requirement. Testing is necessary to determine the exact number of LED fixtures needed for each incandescent dimmer.  Dimmers that are designed for LED loads usually have a lower minimum load requirement and typically only require one or two fixtures.  The LED minimum load rating for LED load dimmers is usually given in number of lamps instead of Watts (W) or Volt Amps (VA).

According to Leviton's product page for the DW6HD-1BZ wi-fi dimmer:

  It uses the latest generation of Leviton’s dimming technology for smart lighting control for a single LED bulb in a hallway or a strand of holiday lights, ensuring LEDs do not glow when off.

Based on this, it should be possible to perform low-range dimming of low-power LED loads with this dimmer.

The instruction sheet that accompanies the dimmer refers you to a list of compatible LED and CFL bulbs on Leviton's website, a 2015 version of which I found here: http://communities.leviton.com/servlet/JiveServlet/previewBody/4385-102-1-7048/Decora%20Rocker%20Slide%20Dimmer%20Compatibility%20Chart.pdf

Based on the Amazon product title for the bulbs you purchased, which contains the grammatically-incorrect phrase, "Light For Decorate Home", I can assume that these bulbs will not be from one of the manufacturers Leviton have tested and confirmed as compatible.

That being said, the same page lists Leviton IPL06-10Z, DSL06 and VP0SR-1LZ dimmers as compatible with those bulbs. Given that Leviton is a well-respected brand, my recommendation would be to trust their statements over those of the blb vendor/manufacturer and purchase new bulbs that Leviton lists as compatible. If you do not wish to do this, you may choose instead to contact Leviton and seek technical support based on the dimmer's inability to meet the description above.


Can I Replace the motor on a 450w impact drill with a 400w motor from my other drill.? I realize off the bat this runs the risk of doubling my problems but here goes.
I currently have a z1j-hda-13t 450w impact drill which motor seems to be seized.

I was wondering aside from being less powerful, would it be feasible to replace the 450w with the 400w motor from another drill?
Or would the drive chain having been setup for a 450w create to much torque on the 400w and just burn it out?

I know someone will say why not just use the 400w drill and I have been. But the overall size of the drills is marginally different such that some of the attachments won't fit in the 400w's head and the head from the 450w won't fit in the housing of the 400w. Hence the above question.

Just as a p.s. Both drills have a a hammer and screw option.

Unless the motors have identical sizes, identical mounting means, identical output shafting and identical wiring connections then there is no chance of this even being feasible. You already mention that various aspects of the two drills including the cases and attachment options are slightly different sizes so it is highly likely that there are internal differences as well. Take note of how much the case of modern drills (and other tools as well) is integral to holding all internal components including the motor, gear train, brushes if applicable, wiring and switches and it becomes clear that the motors are likely to be different as well.

It also seems foolish to cannibalize a working tool to repair a broken tool. It is far better to realize that tools have a lifetime, especially if they are used a lot in a trade or have been subjected to a lot of hours of use, and that they will require replacement from time to time. Higher end tools can sometimes be cost effectively be repaired by purchasing replacement parts but it is often the case that it is almost better to just replace broken tools with new ones.


Cleaning walls or painting When white walls get kind of filthy due to smoking or dirty finger here and there, is the only solution to paint over? Or is there any product that could clean them once in a year or so to keep them fresh looking?

The answer is "clean walls AND paint," if you're going to paint at all. Even if you do decide to paint over a stain you can't remove, you still need to clean the wall to make sure the paint adheres properly.

I use TSP to wipe down the walls or surfaces prior to repainting. It cuts the level of surface gloss, really cuts through grease, and gives you a nice clean surface for new paint - all with a quick wipe down and minimal scrubbing.


Thermo Pride OL5-85 oil furnace and Aprilaire 60 humidistat I have a Thermopride OL5-85 furnace. I've recently added an Aprilaire 600 humidifier, which comes with the Aprilaire 60 humidistat. Wiring diagrams for both are attached below.

The humidistat is supposed to run when the furnace is running, and when the humidity is below the designated target (I am using it in Manual mode). It is not running, even in Test / Reset mode.

After trying numerous things I have traced the problem to the fact that there is no voltage between the W and C terminals, even when the furnace is running. Here's what I get when the furnace is OFF:

Voltage between W and C (furnace is OFF): 1-2V - as expected
Voltage between W and Rh (furnace is OFF): ~26V - as expected
Voltage between Rh and C (furnace is OFF): ~26V - as expected

As soon as I connect W and Rh, which I've done both by turning up the temp on the thermostat, and by manually connecting the two terminals with a length of wire, the furnace turns ON, and I get the following readings:

Voltage between W and C (furnace is ON): 1-2V - NOT as expected
Voltage between W and Rh (furnace is ON): ~0V - as expected (after all, these are bridged directly)
Voltage between Rh and C (furnace is ON): 1-2V - NOT as expected

Furnace seems to be running fine in every regard. I am completely stumped, because this is not only running counter to my understanding of HVAC wiring, it is running counter to my understanding of basic electricity. Help me, O DIY StackExchange, you are my last hope!

Furnace wiring:

Humidistat wiring

Per reading more on this model of furnace on the internet... It will not in fact energize the W terminal when the heat is on. The solution is to use an A50 relay to detect when the blower is going. Make sure to wire the relay into the circuit running from the humidistat to the humidifier!


Carport Roof - Ridge Beam/Board vs Gussets I am building a 20' X 24' carport and was trying to decide if a ridge beam / board was necessary, or could i simply use gussets to connect the roof rafters. I'd like to avoid using a 24' beam if possible. The design is using 4 x 4 posts with 2 x 6 rim joist around. The roofing will be a metal roof on purlins (no sheathing). So, gussets or ridge beam (or does it matter)?

Gussets wouldn't replace a ridge beam (which is different from a ridge board). You'd need a truss design with collar or rafter ties.

If you don't have a ridge beam (which actually carries the load from the upper half of the rafters), you need rafter ties, which run across from wall to wall. Gussets don't provide the sort of bracing that rafter ties would.


Adding outlet to kitchen cabinet with a gap I've finally gotten around to installing an outlet into my kitchen cabinets that were put in by the previous owners. Below is a picture of what I am working with.

As you can see the wire is already there but there seems to be no cutout or anything, along with a gap between the cabinet and wall. I have an Old Work box from a previous project but will that work? Or is there a box or method specifically for this kind of job? Thank you!

********************************* Completed ***********************************

Here is the finished product for anyone who is interested:

I would use and 4-square commercial metal box, available from the big box stores or any home center/large hardware store.  Knock out a hole in the back of the box, insert a pop-in NM connector install the wire through the connector and screw the box to the back of the cabinet.  Purchase a single gang mud ring.  install the ring on the box.  Install the receptacle and the plate.


Two separate breakers for one 240v appliance? I have what seems to be an unusual wiring situation for an old 240v baseboard heater and thermostat that I am replacing.  One of the hot sides to the heater thermostat is on a 120 breaker and the other hot is from one side of a separate 240 double breaker for the microwave. Besides being what I would consider unusual, will this work correctly and more importantly, is it safe?  And maybe this is why the old heater never worked?

I’m comfortable replacing these items but if the wiring should be corrected at the panel I’ll call in a pro.

Yes, when you see a janky mess like that, remove it immediately.  Single circuits shouldn't bridge two breakers, with one exception.

You have to look at the ampere requirements for both the microwave and the heater.  Heaters need circuit breaker capacity of 125% of the heater's requirement.  If that is within the circuit breaker's rating, it may be appropriate to have both on the same breaker.

A 240V-only load needs either a 2-pole breaker, or two adjacent, matching breakers which are tied with a listed handle tie.


Using a telephone wall-mount jack for an Ethernet-connected (VOIP) phone (There are already a lot of existing questions here about converting telephone wire to use it for Ethernet. That is not my question. I already know that the CAT5 in the wall here is a straight run back to the electrical closet and I can just re-terminate the ends.)
I have new VOIP phones that I would like to wall-mount. Our jacks, along with the vast majority of wall-mount phone jacks I see in stores, look like this one:

The problem is that the jack itself is (a) built-in 6P4C and (b) sticking out from the surface.
The first of those isn't really a problem, because I can put in an Ethernet biscuit jack right below the phone and plug into that.
The bigger problem is the fact that the existing jack is not flush. The phone I have overlaps the jack by a fraction of an inch when I try to mount it. If the jack were flush with the surface, the phone would fit (and if it were an RJ45 there would be just enough room for the cable).
I looked into recessed-jack wall plates, but all of the ones I have found are not recessed enough to make a difference. Here is one example which explicitly shows that the jack still sticks out despite being recessed.

Other than cutting the jack out of the wall plate and just having an empty hole there (or spending money on a keystone wall plate but not putting a keystone in it), are there any better ways to handle this?

How about using a keystone mount phone mount?

Source
This, along with a RJ-45 keystone jack should be exactly what you need.  Or, if you'd prefer to use the Ethernet biscuit jack (maybe the cable won't clear even if the jack is flush), blank keystone jack covers are also available.


What is the standard distance a closet rod should be from the back wall? Is there a standard distance that a closet rod should be from the back wall of the closet?  Is there also a minimum?  If so, will all standard closet rod brackets conform to this depth?

As far as I know, there is no "standard" for this. I've looked for them. The only standards have to do with the actual closet dimensions that are specified in building codes. A common convention is 12" from the back wall to the center of the rod.

People typically put the closet rods in the middle of the closet. Minimum closet depth is 24" so that puts the closet rod at 12" too.

Certain types of clothing tend to extend past the edge of the hanger. The sleeves of jackets and dress shirts for example. So you want to have room for them. Good air circulation is also important to minimize chances of mold and mildew. Especially important if the back wall of the closet is an exterior wall.


Door is hard to close when windows are closed I have a small room where the walls are cement. There are also 2 sliding windows. When all the windows are closed the room's door is hard to close. But when either window is open the door would even shut itself very easily.

What could be the reason? At first I thought the door was misaligned but realized that this isn't the case because it perfectly closes when a window is open.

The room is about 50 sqft. I live in the Philippines so our weather is almost always very hot.

I want the door to close like how it closes when a window is open, but without having a window open because the room is air-conditioned.

Thank you.

The force to close the door is desired. It helps your A/C work better.

Atmosphere is at the pressure of 14.7 PSI because of the weight of the air above you.  Wind and storm activity changes that pressure ever so slightly, let's say a 0.1 PSI difference, heck, let's say 0.01 PSI, that being very tiny compared to 14.7 (1/1470th in fact).   What does that do to a door?  Well a door is, say 40"x80", that's 3200 square inches, so

  3200 sq.in. x 0.01 lb /sq.in. = 32 pounds.  (about 15kg).

So that tiny little bit of pressure differential makes a big difference in door-close effort.

And it goes to show you just how much a little bit of wind will make a difference in "helping" you to close that door. Most likely with your windows open, you've been catching a little bit of wind, and that's been "helping" you close the door, hence, the sense of weightlessness. You've been experiencing that magic and you want the magic back.

Now you have the exact opposite: you have that room sealed up like King Tut's tomb, so you aren't wasting air conditioning, which is exactly what you should do.  Now when you're closing the door, you're creating a pressure differential. Consider the last 2 inches of door closure when the door is starting to plug the opening.  That's an average of 1" of movement across the entire door, x 3200 square inches of door, so 3200 cubic inches or about 2 cubic feet. Assuming 10' ceiling your room is 500 cubic feet.  So as you finish closing the door, you're effectively increasing the room size by 0.4% and lowering air pressure in the room by the same.  That times 14.7 psi = 0.06 PSI, 6 times stronger than what's described earlier or 192 lbs. closing force.  It's not that bad because your seals aren't perfect.

Of course if you just close the door slower, air will have more time to equalize as you close it.

So that force to close the door is a good thing.

If you wanted to eliminate that, you'd need a large enough opening to allow 2 sq.ft. into the room in the fraction of a second it takes to finish closing the door.  That would be window-sized obviously.  If you want to run your A/C with the window open, hey, it's your electric bill.

Now if you want to keep the cool air in, you could possibly use a heat exchanger, which they do make. But it would have to be quite large or several of them to allow that much flow in that fraction of a second.

You could also put a spring or counterweight on the door, but that means "easier to close" also means "harder to open".

You could also put a motor-drive on the door so you can just push a button; these are made for commercial doors where people in wheelchairs need to come in and out.


Electrical Panel Type What is the common name, as known in the construction industry / electrical trade, given for this type of a combination panel, Main 100 amp + Sub 70 amp.

One single strand aluminum wire is noted, as well as two different circuit breakers brand-names are noted.

The panel data plate is missing, however the house is built in mid 60' s in Southern California.

Thank you!

This appears to be a rather strange sort of "meter main" or "all-in-one" type of panel

The general type of panel you see here, with a meter socket, utility termination compartment, and loadcenter integrated into a single cabinet is called by various names: "meter-main", "meter-loadcenter", "all-in-one", or "CSED" (for Combination Service Entrance Device).  However, this appears to be quite an unusual device, even for its general type: most meter-loadcenter combinations have a single loadcenter interior, or a loadcenter interior and secondary main disconnect, not two separate loadcenters with separate (backfed) main breakers.  (This isn't a "split bus"/"rule-of-six" panel, either, as it appears both main breakers are fed separately from the metering compartment.)

As to the maker of this thing, my hunch is that this is a GE unit, based on the appearance of the upper half's main breaker; the general case style of that breaker resembles that of prior photos I have seen of older GE TQD(L) double-frame breakers, with the ridged front and single handle.  The general design of the neutral bars is also similar to those I have seen in pictures of older GE panels, as well.  However, it also seems to have suffered a terrible alien invasion of some sort, as the branch breakers in the upper half appear to be a mixture of Bryant/C-H BRs and Murray MPs.


How do I fix up an unfinished, oil-stained pine table? I have an unfinished, salvaged natural hardwood, pine table, similar to the Restoration Hardware salvaged wood trestle table.  I spilled some olive oil on it and then did something worse -- tried to get it out.  I took the advice of some friends and tried scrubbing it with a brush and some soapy water and not only did it not get it out, it also scrubbed off some of the color leaving a light yellow area.  Any recommendations for making the table look better and maybe actually getting the oil out?

Also, I spoke to a company about coming out and fixing it for me.  Any idea what price range I should be looking at?

You have a difficult problem on your hands my friend. there is no way to remove oil based stains, including olive oil, from natural wood. Pine is actually a very soft wood and easily absorbs stains of all types. A very shallow stain can sometimes be steamed up, sanded and refinished, but a larger stain from an oil may have penetrated deeply into the wood fibers.  The first method will not please you, that is to completely sand the table top to unstained bare wood and start the finishing from scratch. (see my previous answers of finishing pine) The second method may not be as successful in creating an even matching color, but maybe worth a try. Lightly sand the yellow area and feather into the unaffected area a little bit. Try to remove as much of the yellow as possible without making a divot in that spot. Custom mix some Minwax stains  so to create as close a match as possible.  Apply some of your mix to a scrap piece of pine, let it dry a couple of hours and compare the color to the existing color of your table. More than one coat of stain on the test pine may be necessary to get the depth of color to really compare to the original. This is obviously a trail and error method and a bit of patience may be required. If your color looks close but a bit too dark, use neutral stain to lighten it, if too light, use a bit of a dark base like ebony or a very dark version of the primary color. Obviously you need to know what basic color you are seeking, ie: maple, oak, cherry etc. and start with that base color and start experimenting.  The more you can feather the replacement colors into the existing colors, the less obvious the repair will appear. Since the age of pine and cut of the wood, (heart wood vs outside cuts near bark) can make a difference on how it reacts to stains, test your best match on a very small area adjacent to some original color to check the match. You can use a Q tip and just do a small spot. Sorry I don't have a quick and easy silver bullet fix for you.  Good luck


Upstairs toilet leaking into ceiling My upstairs toilet is leaking into the ceiling downstairs only when the water supply is turned on. One company came out and cut a hole in the ceiling and said it is not the water pipe. Another company came out pulled the toilet and changed the ring. The toilet is still leaking. It is a slow drip like a drop every 20-30 minutes. What could cause this?

Common problem, you have unfortunately been cursed with a series of maroons since fixing a leaking toilet is about the easiest handyman job there is.
My guess is you could do a better job fixing it than the buffoons.  Turn off the water, wipe up all the drips and such behind the toilet so that everything there is clean and bone dry, then turn the water back on and lay back with your head behind the toilet for 20 minutes staring at the plumbing.  Eventually you will see a little bead of water forming somewhere that is where the leak is.  My guess is it's the valve stem seal but there's plenty of other potential areas.  Feel around on the pipes with your fingers.  Water leaks like to happen behind pipes and such where you can't see them and water likes to travel down away from the actual source to make it harder to find the leak.  You can't find these leaks by just staring at pipes you have to get your fingers in there and feel around.