Receptacle load voltage drop to 10 vac Kitchen outlets raise to 130 vac when coffee pot or toaster is on. At the same time bathroom lighting dims and voltage drops by same amount. About -112/113 vac
I’m a little confused after checking neutral to ground ok - reading taken from neutral to hot. Have not isolated circuit breaker as of yet. No voltage at neutral to ground. Are there two circuits or more being fed power?

You May Have a Lost Neutral
If voltage only goes down, that is an indication of overload. But when voltage goes up in one place and down in another, that is an indication that your neutral is not working properly. Since you show 0V neutral to ground, the problem is very likely outside your home. In other words, a utility company problem.
Since you have a multimeter, one more thing to check:
If you have any 240V plug-in appliances (e.g., electric dryer), check the voltage at the receptacle. You should have a consistent value (~240V) between the hots and a nearly identical value (~120V) between each hot & neutral. Then see how that changes when you turn on any relatively large loads (like coffee pot or toaster). If you see a similar change - i.e., one side up, one side down - then that confirms a likely neutral problem.
CALL YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY
Tell them you think you have a neutral out. They should treat this as a serious problem because of the problems it can cause. They should send someone out fairly quickly to check things and, assuming the problem is on their side (pole or meter) they will generally be able to fix it pretty quickly. If they determine it is not their problem then you need a licensed electrician to check from your meter to your breaker panel and figure out what is going on.
Meanwhile, I highly recommend you unplug any sensitive electronics (computer, TV, etc.). While many devices are able to handle a wide range (e.g., 90V to 240V), many can't and even those that can may not like the ups & downs.


Adding overhead lighting and getting rid of half switched outlets Our ranch house was built in 77 and perhaps it is a sign of those times but none of the bed rooms (or the family and front rooms) have overhead lights. Instead all the bedrooms (and the front room) have half switched outlets. We would like to do do two things: 1. convert the outlets to non-switched and 2. Add overhead lighting and/or ceiling fans. We would like to use the same switches that now connect to the outlets to control the new lights. We would also like to add another switch controlling a chandelier on the opposite side of our front room (which we now use as a dining room). Are we crazy to attempt this ourselves? (I will add that we are avid DYI-ers).

Changing wiring to the extent that you are talking about is a doable project but if you know nothing about wiring or are any bit concerned about feeling safe working with AC mains power it may be best to call in a professional electrician.

Some notes.

Adding ceiling lights to rooms that do not have them is easiest and most feasible if there is attic access above the rooms. Access to the attic allows one to get up there to place decent blocking between ceiling joists to which the electrical box can be secured. This is especially important when you want to support the weight of a ceiling fan from the electrical box. It is also possible to route the wires over to the top of the wall section where the switch is located and drill a hole down into the below stud cavity to poke the light wire down to the switch.

Adding switched lights to the ceiling of a first floor room that has joists above and then living space above that is a more invasive job. This generally requires opening up multiple holes in the drywall or plaster walls. Obviously the wall materials can be restored but it adds lots of work and the need to repaint the room afterwards. Access holes in ceilings that are textured adds an additional challenge in the restoration process. I have done this type of project many times and can say it is doable but be prepared for many hours of work.

Your '70s style house may not have vaulted ceilings but if you so in your dining / front room it may be a challenge to gain overhead access. Vaulted ceilings are very often built up as part of a roof truss construction and it is very likely that there is a possibility of no "attic" type access from above. So for this type of room you are looking at the much more invasive type construction work. If adding the switch for the chandelier is intended to allow controlling the light from two locations it will be necessary to run new wires all way between the existing switch location and the new switch.

Changing the half switched outlets to non-switched outlets is most easily done at the switch location by removing the two wires off the switch and then joining those two wires with a wire nut and pushing it to the back of the switch electrical box.

Another consideration is the size of the boxes where the re-dutied switches are located. There are code requirements on just how many wires can be in a given sized box and adding a wire from a new ceiling light fixture could exceed the box capacity.


Gas Water Heater leaking water out of the temperature and pressure valve. Could the water pressure regulator contribute to the issue? Edit...I do not have an expansion tank or pressure gauges.
The “leak” was water pouring from the valve due to pressure or temperature.  Lots of calcium build up on the “down” tube attached to the valve.
My water heater was draining water from the relief valve.  I turned off the pilot and the cold water.  It stopped.  there is calcium build up from a leakage.  I figure I need to replace the valve which easy enough.
I have also noticed loud noises when toilets are flushed and water is turned on. So now I figure that should be the water pressure regulator.
Would too high of water pressure cause the leaking in the water heater?

The T&P valve on your water heater should be "exercised", that is, lifted and allow water to flow from it at least once a year and should be replaced when bad. I, replace mine every 5-6 years just to be safe. They do not cost a lot of money and keep you safe. A stuck or frozen T&P valve can do a lot of damage. As others have said, if you do not have an expansion tank installed near your water heater, it would be a good investment to install one. If you want or need to check the water pressure in your home you can buy a pressure gauge in any hardware store or the orange or blue store that will screw onto a hose thread. My 2 cents.


Can I move the main breaker box to inside a small bathroom? This is very similar to the "electric box over sump" question.

I'm finishing the basement, which includes upgrading the breaker box and moving it to a more suiting location.

I would really like to move it inside a small bathroom I am building underneath the basement steps (box would be moved about 10 feet splicing the 4/0 cable).

The box would be embedded in the 2x4 walls I'm putting up against the basement block, and above a macerating toilet.  I can make sure the toilet water supply and waste are outside the "protected" spaces of the box.

I guess the other concern is if the toilet is a work obstruction.  It has no water closet, just the bowl.  I kind of chuckle because the toilet lid would make a great place to set your tools if you do have to swap out a breaker or something.  The toilet could actually be unbolted and lifted out if needed for projects that might require better access to the box.

I know codes vary.  Is there a general rule for this?  It seems very often boxes are put over sumps and I believe this to be less of an issue.

According to National Electrical Code,  overcurrent protection cannot be in bathrooms. So no, you cannot put the panel in the bathroom.

National Electrical Code 2014
Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection
Article 240 Overcurrent Protection
240.24 Location in or on Premises.
(E) Not Located in Bathrooms. In dwelling units, dormitories, and guest rooms or guest suites, overcurrent devices, other than supplementary overcurrent protection, shall not be located in bathrooms.


I am repairing a wood deck and what to know why you would use cleats instead of wood screws? I am repairing my wooden deck and I read that someone was using cleats and nails instead of steel wood screws. What is difference and how do I know what will work for me?

What is the difference?

Nails are stronger in shear than screws. Screws are harder but more brittle.

I expect most people use decking screws since they are designed for fixing the planks to a frame.

I believe cleats, as in a piece of wood used to fix two other pieces together, are mostly used where you need to hide the fixings or where it would otherwise be difficult to fix the parts together. Cleats can be nailed, screwed or joined in almost any fashion depending on the circumstances.

  how do I know what will work for me?

The easiest way is to follow established convention. Some DIY shops provide leaflets describing how to construct a deck. To fix an existing deck I'd just do whatever the builder of that deck did - unless you have reason to suspect it was poorly built.

More generally, I'd work out what direction the forces were in the finished structure and aim to have those forces transmitted across wood on wood joins running perpendicular to the force.

This

        _o_
         |
        / \
.------------------------
|
+------------------------
|      |
|      |

not this

.-----+------------------
|     |
|     +------------------
|     |


Ways to make table top removable from base/legs I just finished my first wood project and it's a farmhouse table. I am going to be bringing this to college and I need a way to make the top removable from the base so it wont be so challenging to transport. I don't think anything involving screws will be a great idea because eventually the screw holes will get warped. What are some of your ideas to make this baby detachable??

Maybe this kind of fitting:

Each block is permanently screwed to either the top or the base. You connect the parts using a supplied machine screw (not a wood screw).


To which extent can outside walls make a room cold? My kitchen is a small extension (5 or 6 square meters) of the house. No heater. Extremely cold in winter (down to 8 degrees celcius). For months I've wondered why it's so cold (1), now I suspect it's the outside walls: the kitchen walls are about 80% or 90% outside walls. Can this explain why the room is so cold, and if so are there things I can do about it?

(1) I already posted a question here about why my kitchen is cold. But since the reason I'm proposing now is so different and calls for a different kind of answers, I thought posting a new question was more appropriate than adding comments to my old question.

An association of insulation suppliers claims

More than 40% of all the heat lost in an average home is through the loft space and walls
Up to 45% of heat is lost through uninsulated solid walls
More heat is lost through walls than any other route – approximately 33% in an uninsulated home

Obviously, we need to take into account that they are not a disinterested party but this does support the idea that the more external walls a room has, the more heat it will lose to the outside in cold weather.

The solutions, unsurprisingly are

insulate the walls (and ceiling, and floors too)
install heating.

Insulation depends on the type of wall construction - which differs markedly between the USA and UK and other places.

See http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-loss-transmission-d_748.html


Clean or replace aerators in Kohler 1261404-VS spray head? I have a Kohler pull-down kitchen faucet with a Kohler 1261404-VS spray head.  Recently the water stopped flowing as strongly through it.  We had a similar issue with some bathroom faucets, and replacing some clogged aerators was the solution in that case.

I've removed the spray head, and removed a piece off the top of it that exposes what looks like a recessed aerator screen.  There also appears to be another aerator (or something like it) at the bottom of the spray head.

Although I was able to remove the one piece from the top, I can't figure out how to dismantle the spray head any further to actually get to the aerators and remove them.

And, as much as I'd like to believe I have good google-fu, I haven't been able to find any maintenance / cleaning information online.

Is it possible to open one of those up and replace the aerators?  If so, how?  Or are we just going to have to replace the entire spray head?

Did you check the other end of the hose for clogs? I didn't find any parts listed for that model number so I think the spray head is the part. Try soaking the head in some CLR and then back wash it and see if it helps. I've worked on a lot of Kohler products and many of them are not made to be disassembled. The ones I did get apart were so scratched up I just replaced them.


Finding and installing a carbon monoxide/natural gas detector I am looking at installing a carbon monoxide and natural gas detector on the ceiling of my house. I cannot find one device that combines both types of detection and that is supposed to be mounted in the ceiling.

Does anyone have any ideas about this? I would prefer to have one device, instead of two separate ones.

Here's at least one for you:
http://firstalert.com/component/flexicontent/82-explosive-gas-co/929-plug-in-combination-explosive-gas-carbon-monoxide-alarm

I don't know why combination alarms are not more common. Maybe because natural gas has an odor added so it's readily apparent, unlike CO? There also aren't any dual smoke detector (ionizing and photoelectric) and CO combo alarms.

Note that CO alarms are usually mounted on the walls, not the ceiling, since CO is heavier than air and tends to sink a little [not true, as @Ecnerwal points out below]. I don't know if it's a big deal to mount it on the ceiling or not. I also don't know anything about optimal placement of methane detectors.


Why is it difficult to find pvc pipes in europe? I was planning on building some kind of piston toy gun like this one. However, I have trouble finding the pvc pipes in europe (France and Switzerland at least). I looked at the webpage of Hornbach, Leroy Merlin, Brico Dépôt and others, but with no luck. I find bigger pipes, mostly for water sewage or collection from roofs.

However, in the US it seems to be very easy to find. For instance at Home Depot.

Do you have an idea why it is so?

Bonus point: Do you have any idea for an alternative with european available materials?

They don't have the DIY market as it exists in the USA - many homes are older and there are a ton of regulations regarding who can build what, when and where. Also it might not be legally allowed by law to sell it directly to an end user. The fact that it has PolyVinyl Chloride is probably a regulatory issue but I do not know that for sure.

I know that Industrial supply companies do have them as a previous European employer of mine built machines with PVC, given you are mentioning France too that side of Switzerland .. I am thinking Germany might be some distance.

If you are desiring to weld it together make sure it is all of the same type as US and European PVC do not weld together - I am not talking glue together - I am talking welding.

Also you might want to check with Local Laws as to whether or not you can even make that toy 'legally' .. European Laws can be strangely different and somewhat constricting in comparison to any one who has lived in the US, for example the Hitler salute can be done in the USA but not in Germany and there are plenty of other such laws besides this more well known law.

Bonus:
Wood is the best alternative material in Europe.

PVC PIPE Suppliers in Europe


How do I remove window sill stop block on double-hung vinyl window? The vinyl double hung window was installed on my brick house a few years ago. The Screws that hold the replacement windows are drilled in through the bottom of the drain holes with no caulking on the screw heads. Now there are rusted screws and water leaking in home and has molded inside walls. Walls have been torn off and mold remediated...
The question I have is how do I get to the screws to replace and caulk? I don't want to break the bottom sill stop but I don't know exactly how to "pop" it off. I feel like I can pull it up a little bit but don't want to snap this plastic and destroy integrity of window.
I didn't own the house when the install occurred, but no caulk on window screws is a huge workmanship error in my simple mind. I only can reach one of the screws with my hand and screw head is rusted with no caulk in sight.
Any assistance is much appreciated...BTW I have the exact set of windows 5 more times around my house so this may be a much needed process if this is the same procedure used on each set.
Here's the overview of the situation:

Here is a closeup of a leaky screw:

Here is the window sill stop block

Here is that window after removing the stop block:

Got the window all broken down, cleaned up, new screws, new caulk, new weather stripping, cleaned out all weep holes and will put it all back together tomorrow as the plastic pieces are drying now. Thanks again. *Now I wait...Next 10 days is straight rain, so we will see if water leaks on wood or gets in somehow. I will not put the wall back together until I know it is no longer getting wet.
Rusted Corner Screw
Poor caulking job allowed water to seep in
Caulked and sealed new screws
Snapped all stop sills and cleaned up pieces back in


problems with installing a new outlet! I sure am glad for a site like this.....THANK You!!!  I am a DIY'r and can usually figure things out, but this has me scratching my head! I cannot fit the electrical wires from the wall into the new outlet! The back of the new outlet says to "press to release" (located on the back of outlet), but there is nothing to press! I understand how to do everything I just cannot figure out how to get the wires to fit in the outlet!!I'm sure I will be very embarrassed once someone tells me how to do it, but I'm willing to take the chance, I need my outlet!!!lol, Thank you for your help.

Use the side screws -- the old style "back-stab" terminations are rather unreliable critters (they have a habit of failing to a high-resistance state).  Also, 12 gauge wire won't fit into the backstabs, but is fine with the side screws.


How should I connect 2x4 (or wood horizontal railing pieces) to exterior painted wood? I'm planning to add a 10-foot railing to a patio that has a 6x6 wood post on one end and the exterior of the house on the other end of what will be the railing.  I'm planning wood horizontal rails (maybe 2x4s) with vertical bars (wood or metal) connecting them.  How should I connect the horizontal wood rails (upper & lower) to the painted wood exterior of the house, and also to the 6x6 painted wood post (which is house-high and supports a patio roof)?  Should I use pocket holes, a bracket of some sort...?  I'd like it to look good and be secure, and last at least 10 years if not more.  Happy to spend a little more for a better connection.  Must be easy enough to do myself (home improvement newbie).

Update (additional detail):
Patio floor is concrete slab/foundation (same pour as for entire house). The railing will protect against a drop-off of about 20 inches (code requires railings above 30 inches) but where the ground below is an asphalt brick walkway. I would like to avoid drilling into the slab (definitely if I keep the project DIY).

You call it a patio, so I assume it is not a wood deck (which would be easier to add a railing). I'd avoid attaching it to the house though it seems that the other end of the patio roof may be tied to the house already.
Consider driving a super spike into the ground at each end to hold a post that will be the ends of the railing. At a 10 foot span, you'll want one in the center of those two as well. If driving the spike just off the patio won't work, then remove a patio stone and drive the spike where you need it. You can break/ cut the patio stone to fit around the post once its in place.


How to rule-out certain causes of 15 amp breaker that keeps tripping One of the breakers in my apartment keeps tripping even after resetting. It’s a 15 amp circuit that feeds a bedroom, being used as a home office/recording studio with a laptop, 2nd monitor, a mixer, stereo amplifier, synthesizer, modem, wifi router, printer etc.

It's been running trouble-free for five years, but after a big electrical storm a few days ago, which may or may not be related, that’s when the breaker started to trip once I began plugging back in all the things I had unplugged during the electrical storm.

I tested all devices one by one and found that the amplifier will trip when powered on every single time without fail. I also managed to trip it a few times turning on 2 computers, monitor, the mixer, etc., but this test was hard to repeat.

Just when I thought the amplifier was to blame, I took it around and tested it on different circuits throughout the whole apartment and it NEVER trips any other breakers—whether solo or with other appliances running.

The maintenance guy from the apartment came by, looked at the breaker briefly, reset it, tested the lights in the room and said, "it’s fine" and he still believes it’s my amplifier, not the breaker.

I am not so sure, but I need help ruling things out so I can have some ammo to go back to them and suggest what I believe could be causing it to trip.

Any suggestions on what it could be, what else to look for, or what else to test?

If the amplifier was unplugged during the storm, then I would suspect that a surge damaged the breaker slightly, causing it to trip more quickly on a surge. The surge from turning lights on a few at a time isn't enough to trip it, but the larger surge caused by the amplifier power supply is.

Temporarily swap the wires in the panel between two adjacent 15A breakers. If the problem stays with the breaker, then the breaker is definitely the problem. If the problem stays on the same circuit, then the problem is NOT in the breaker; it's either in the circuit wiring or in the amplifier.

Note that the building code now requires arc-fault circuit breakers in certain areas of a residence, including bedrooms. Unfortunately, these are notorious for nuisance trips, even when not damaged. If this is an AFCB, it's even more likely that a storm surge has made it more sensitive to transients than it should be.


What size screws for mounting ENT electrical box with outer ears I am looking to mount an ENT electrical box, using the holes provided in the outer ears of the box as pictured below. What would be the appropriate type/size of screw to mount this to a wood stud?

Code is not real specific on the screw size or type but I have seen inspectors flag Sheetrock screws in plastic boxes. why?  Over tightened the plastic can crack on some boxes. I usually use #8 pan /washer style (modified truss is another name I found them under). the wider head secures the box plastic or metal better than a run of the mill screw.
But the reason I started using them is inspectors like them.
I use 3/4” or 1” whatever is cheaper sometimes the 1” are.


Motion sensor to flash a 12v light I'm looking for a way to put a motion sensor at the end of the driveway and wire it about 150' up the driveway to a 12v light.

The operation I'm looking for, is when the sensor sees a car I want the light to blink for about 30 seconds and then shut off until the next car.

That's not a problem and easy to do in 12V. Not only are 12V motion sensors readily available, they are about half the cost of 120V ones!

I do not recommend running lamp power 150' at 12V.  I would have the 150' run be signal only (and power for the sensor[s]) and have a relay or electronic module operate the lamp proper.  The reason is voltage drop at that distance. A mere annoyance at 120V, it is critical at 12V.

Voltage drop is proportional to actual current flowed, so keep that bare minimum on the long run.


Better to run air conditioner fan on high or low speed? In my apartment, I have two window air conditioning units.  Both have different settings for the fan speed: one has two speed options and the other has three.  Both have the design that the room circulation fan and the condensor coil cooling fan run on the same shaft, so the speeds of the two fans are identical.

My main question is, which fan speed setting should I use if my goal is to make the rooms these A/C units are in as cool as possible?  I had originally guessed I would want to use the lowest speed setting, since that's when the air comes out the coolest and also (since I live in a humid area) less air passes the coils per minute and thus less of the cooling power of the unit is being invested in dehumidification but rather spent directly on cooling the air.

However, as I thought about it more, I realized my picture of the situation was oversimplified.  For example, running the fans faster moves more air through the unit per minute and thus the temperature of the air coming out is cooler, but there's more air coming out at the not-as-cool temperature so it probably balances out (by energy conservation, it should balance out).  Also, running the fans faster means the outside fan is better able to cool the coolant, possibly allowing the unit to run at a cooler temperature overall.  And finally, maybe investing more cooling power in dehumidifying the room will help reach a cooler temperature overall since eventually the room will be at a lower humidity and the A/C unit will be investing less cooling power pulling the water out of the air.

Poking around online, I found this statement from an energy.gov website:

  Set the fan speed on high, except on very humid days. When humidity is high, set the fan speed on low for more comfort. The low speed on humid days will cool your home more effectively and remove more moisture from the air because of slower air movement through the cooling equipment.

So, according to the US government, running the fan speed on high is the best course of action except on very humid days (but no explanation why).  They also say that running on a low fan speed on humid days will both cool your home more effectively and remove more moisture.

So, my questions: If I want to get my rooms as cool as possible, what is the best fast speed setting to use on my air conditioners and why?  Does this answer change depending on how humid the day is, and if so, how?  Is the advice from energy.gov sound?

(I have a strong physics background, so I'm fine with a detailed physical or mathematical explanation.)

In very simple terms you are trying to "Condition the Air" not just cool it. There is a term "relative humidity" which affects the way you feel at certain temperature. Weathermen refer to it as a heat index. The higher the humidity the more uncomfortable you feel at a lower temperature.  So if you are running a fan at low speed it gives the compressor and cooling coil time to dehumidify the air rather than just cool it. On high temperature low humidity days running the fan at a higher speed will allow the air to cool down faster and reduces the air conditioner's ability to dehumidify.


Does the NEC have a table for oversizing wire for extended lengths? I have a very long property with no power at the back.  I'm trying to get a 13A reciprocating saw out there to do some demo work.  The cable would need to be ~250'. Does the NEC have a table that would specifically address this?  I found 310.15b online.  It looks old and I'm not sure if it is still accurate.  Also, I assume this is copper wire but I am not certain.  What I concluded is 12ga @ 250', roughly 77m would have right about 0.4 ohms of resistance.  Seems pretty high to me.  I don't know what the standard is, but I think most of my extension cords are in the 0.15 to 0.2.  If my math is correct, 10ga would drop the resistance to 0.25 ohms and 8ga would drop it to 0.16.  Is this correct, or is there a more precise table for something like this?

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/55/c0/94/55c09494b62a662d1ae240a6a90cddec.jpg

Southwire has a voltage drop calculator here:  https://www.southwire.com/calculator-vdrop
The resistance for 250' of 12ga is indeed around .4 ohms.

You also should remember that you'll only be drawing 13 amps when the saw is fully loaded. According to the calculator when drawing the full 13 amps you'd see a voltage drop of almost 10% on 12 ga wire. For 10ga at full load it would be just over 5%.

Up to you if you want to save some money on wire and risk higher voltage drop or spend quite a few more bucks and get 10ga.


Can I move the main breaker and the electrical meter? I feel this is a no-brainer (in that I should probably get someone more qualified in to do this) but I thought I'd ask some opinions.

I've just moved into a new place and one of the rooms is just big enough for me, my desk and my computer. It's my cave and I love it.

Only problem is, the mains breaker and the electrical meter are at the door and in a position that I'm likely to damage them accidentally one day...or just through wear and tear by passing by them frequently.

Is it an easy enough job to move the breaker and the meter up a bit, or should I just get someone in? I can wire plugs, fit sockets to the wall and that sort of thing - but this might just be a step too far.

And what sort of effort would it take a professional? Should it take him long / be expensive?

I'll give the same answer I give to most electrical questions like this, call a professional.

Unless you have the knowledge and ability to handle any and all possible complications, this is a job well suited for a trained licensed professional.

EDIT:

As Mike B points out, there are also permit and other legal issues involved here.


How should I convert a double sink to a single sink? We are going to remodel our bathroom which currently has two sinks (and not that much cabinet/drawer storage) to a single sink with larger (and more) drawers for storage.

Under the current double sink, the setup is two large cabinets with a 9 inch bank of drawers between totaling about 60 inches wide. Each sink has its own water supply and drainage.

My questions are around changing this to a single sink setup.
Do I simply cap one set of supply and drainage? Can I do that inside the wall, so it is not under my new cabinets at all? Do I need to tee the two supplies and drains into one? I'd like to do this myself and it doesn't seem to hard, but should I just hire a plumber?

I had to take two photos and splice together. There is a bank of drawers (not shown) between each sink cabinet. As you can see the supply and drainage are into the wall.

You should have absolutely no problems capping one set inside the wall. What a great DIY project (:


What kind of filter fabric should I use for the curtain drain in my crawlspace? I'm having a hard time finding appropriate filter fabric for my curtain drain in the crawl space.  HD had some stuff but that's for gardening and may not be suitable.  Also since their gardening season hasn't started they didn't have enough of it.

Do people have any recommendations?  Anything I should avoid?  What works best?

Alternatively, do I really need it?  The pros who did the french drain in my basement didn't use anything at all; they said the fabric gets clogged but I suspect they just minimized their expenses.

Edit: HD sells 4"x100' socket filter fabric for ~ $20.  So, since that's really cheap, the question is why did my contractors not use that?  Do they really believe that it would clog or were just lazy?

Edit2: Since Joe, below, mentioned that clogging might depend on the type of soil, let me clarify: my soil is mostly clay.

For the first part, as it's in answer form:

Many hardware stores that sell perforated pipe also sell filter fabric already made into a tube that neatly fits over the perforated pipe; if it's a warehouse store (not one where you get a ticket and then go out to a lumber yard), it'll likely be kept near the perforated pipe.

As for the chance of clogging -- I can only assume it depends on what sort of soil you have.  If lots of soil starts washing into your pipe, the ground level might fall slightly, but I personally haven't seen too much problem, but I don't have high-clay or silt content above my drain.  (I do have clay deeper down, however, but you're going to have other problems if you're trying to drain through clay)


How to adjust strike that’s too small for metal jam? I am installing new Schlage lock set. Problem is the included Schlage strike is much smaller/shorter than the drilled out rectangle space in the metal door jam. Only one screw hole matches other hole is about 1/2 inch too short. How do I adjust?

Strike plates are rarely proprietary to the door knob itself. Most are the same size, some slightly different in size or screw hole placement but the catch of the door knob should fit in the catch hole  of all of them if they are lined up right.
Since you have metal door jamb it is not easy to modify your jamb.
Try using the old strike plate, it should work just fine.
Credit to Mazura for thinking of it first.


How do I get this lag bolt out? As you can see, the (3/8") lag bolt broke off about 1.5cm beneath the surface.

I have a 18V cordless drill and a corded high speed dremel at my disposal.

My initial idea was to use some sort of EZ-out but I have heard that this may not be the best for my application. I'd prefer not to drill around the lag bolt if at all possible.

BTW, this is a follow-up to my previous question (Re-using lag bolt holes) from a few days ago. I realize that it may not be worth the effort and potential failure of trying to remove this lag bolt but I am just seeking ideas as to what can be done.

Left hand drill bit and bolt extractor.

The idea being you drill a hole in the center of your lag screw shaft, drilling in a counter clockwise direction which will avoid driving the shaft in deeper, once you have your hole in the shaft you use the extractor again in a counter clockwise direction which threads the extractor into the bolt shaft and the drill in counter clockwise motion tries to remove it.

That said I'd sooner go the holesaw route and epoxy a same size wood dowel back in the hole.


Outdoor HD ip camera - what do I need to take into consideration? I'm in the market for an outdoor weather proof HD IP camera that can be remote controlled from a web-browser and can join a WLAN but gets power over a cable.

I'm good with computers but new to the outdoor camera field.

What requirements should I take into consideration in addition to.

HD
Mains or power over ethernet
Weather proof

There are several things to consider when purchasing an outdoor rated camera:

Primary Factors

Ingress Protection (IP) Rated:  At minimum you want a camera that is rated IP65 ("dust tight" and protected against water projected from a nozzle), however, most cameras I have seen are rated one up at IP66 ("dust tight" and protected against heavy seas or powerful jets of water).

Megapixel:  Most HD cameras will be rated by megapixel and at a minimum you want either 1.3 or 1 megapixel. I've seen cameras go high as 8 megapixel, but they are also more expensive. Older, analog cameras will usually be rated by TVL (TV lines) and those do not produce images that allows for easy identification.

Infrared (IR):  You will want to see in the dark, IR cameras will allow you to do this, but usually at a lesser resolution or quality of image. Images in IR are black and white, although, there are new technology coming out that will colorize night time images. Dependent on the field of coverage (backyard length, driveway length, and etc...) you will have to research how far a camera can see with IR enabled.

These are secondary factors, since you are looking for a camera that can connect via WLAN.

Secondary Factors

Ethernet/Network-based:  Most of the time this allows for an easier install (no need for additional hardware, plug & play), you can configure the camera via the web browser and view the camera remotely.

Power-over Ethernet:  If your camera is Ethernet-based--you will only need to run Cat5e/6 to your location.  Data and power will run on a single Ethernet cable, no need to run power or have an outlet at your camera location.  However, note that if your camera doesn't include a POE injector then you will need to get an injector or a POE-enabled switch.


Why does my heating system only blow cold air? My heating system only blows out cold air, not hot.  I've left it on for a good 15 minutes to see if it will warm up, and I get nothing but cold air.  I've even put it on Auto and waited some more, but still all I get is cold air.

What could be the problem?

Several possible issues:

Bad thermostat
Pilot light out (if a gas furnace with a pilot light)
Heating element out (if electrical furnace)
It's cold outside (if heat pump - coupled w/ #3)
Electronic ignition shot (gas furnace w/ no pilot light)

Without more information, that's the best guess I can make.


electric oven bake element gets warm but does not get hot The bake element on my Hotpoint RK38T electric oven gets warm but does not get hot.  The broil element does get hot.
In bake mode, the element shows 59 volts across the element, 111 volts from one lead of the element to neutral, and 51 volts from the other lead of the element to neutral.

I would appreciate comments on the cause and how to fix this issue.

Fixed:  I replaced the controller.

Edit 7/11/2019

Here is how I determined that it was the controller that was causing the problem.

The broil element worked properly in broil mode. The bake element was not working properly, it got warm but not hot. The cycle lamp was on in broil mode and off in bake mode.  This means that the part of the circuit that powers the lamp was not getting proper power in bake mode.

With the breaker off, I disconnected all of the connections to the controller and checked the continuity on the controller in broil mode and in bake mode.  There was continuity in broil mode from leg 2 to point C, but not in bake mode.  There should be continuity in each mode.

The controller is attached to the panel by two screws accessible from the outside of the panel, behind the control knob.  The new controller is designed to replace several controllers of this type. It came with a long shaft with breakoff points and an adaptor kit with parts to fit the shaft to various style knobs.  I had to break off part of the shaft to match my original controller.


What could be causing my hot water pipe to rattle? We have 3/4" CPVC running into our addition that when the hot water turns on it

takes a long to heat up (granted it has to travel fairly far), and
as it heats up the pipe rattles (sounds a little bit like popcorn popping - progressively gets faster)

Once it's hot the pipe stops rattling. From what I've read it seems as though this is water hammer? In which an arrestor should address this? I have easy access through one of our closets floorboards to the pipes, and I have confirmed that they are secure.

So my question is - does this sound like in fact I need a water hammer arrestor? Would something like this work?

It's not hammer time, it's thermal expansion. As the hot water travels through the pipe, the pipe itself heats up and expands. As this happens, fasteners and any materials in contact with the pipe experience friction and, at times, the pipe moves slightly against that material and causes a poping sound. It's like snapping your fingers. We hear this all the time with other materials in other circumstances if you think about it. The frequency of the poping changes as the pipe heats up. The fix would be to better secure the pipe (not tight, but with an intermediate material) to the studs or block as necessary to keep it from rattling or "poping". If attached to concrete, insulate the pipe with something, anything, to keep it from contacting the concrete.


How can I build a shuffleboard surface that is movable? My friends and I are planning on building a shuffleboard this weekend. However shuffleboards are pretty long (~16 feet) and moving the full board is going to be a pain.

How can we build it so that we could move it later? One problem is that the shuffleboard surface is supposed to be lacquered and very smooth, and we want to be careful to provide a good playing surface.

I would appreciate some ideas about how to build it.

Have a look at this link:

http://www.model-railroad-infoguy.com/modular.html

They build modular model railroad tables - and I'm thinking that's kind of what you're looking for.

I would want a design made up of two or three separate table bases, each of which can be independently leveled at each leg.  When perfectly level, your top surface, something like a high gloss butcherblock top I guss - should line up perfectly evenly.

You'll want some kind of tension latches connecting each section to its neighbors as well, to pull the surface together good and tight once its assembled, to eliminate the seam.

For building techniques, I'd build the bases and top surface separately at first.  The bases can be separate, but the top should be built in one solid piece.  I wouldn't do the gloss coat yet though - I'd build the top and then cut it into two/three interlocking segments and mount them on their respective bases, ensuring they can close up tight to give a nearly perfect surface.  Then and only then would I separate the sections and do the finish treatments on each.


What are these light marks on my new (unfinished) oak counter tops? I have some solid oak counter tops that I've cut and fitted, and now I'm ready to start finishing them.  Right out of the box I noticed some lighter colored, reflective blemishes around the top.  They appear randomly across the tops and do not span across multiple boards when they occur.

The tops come "finished" (smooth to maybe 60 grit, with one coat of oil treatment).  I plan on sanding them and finishing with 4 coats of Waterlox.

I started with a piece of scrap hoping the marks would go away with sanding, but they haven't yet.  Right side is sanded 100/120/150, left side is factory.  You can see the marks on the 2nd plank from the right and on the plank center frame.

They reflect light differently from the rest of the board.  Note from this angle you can barely see them.

Close up of the mark that has some sanding

Close up of the other mark with the finish from the factory

Will the Waterlox mask or exacerbate these marks? Should I keep sanding? Or should I give up and accept them?  I was already strategeic with my cuts and minimized how many and how visible they will be in the kitchen.

Thanks.

Quarter sawn oak has those rays. They aren't a defect nor will they go away.

This figure was prized by early Craftsman builders.


What is the difference between various wood sealers? I've recently become aware of the existence of various seals for wood. I'm lead to believe that they are necessary, but I am unclear on the differences between the types of sealers you can find:

Varnish
Lacquer
Shellac
Polish
… feel free to add

Would somebody please summarize the differences between and appropriate applications of each?

There are 2 basic categories for wood finishes; those that penetrate, and those that coat. Linseed oil, wax, "hand rubbed polish" finishes are all examples of a penetrating finish. Varnish, lacquer, shellac are examples of coating finishes. There are many different reasons to choose one over the other. Some factors:

what type of wood
how will the wood be used
tools available
skill level

In general, penetrating finishes are the easiest to apply, and the most forgiving of mistakes and easiest to repair. But they offer minimal protection against the elements, scratches, etc. Also they don't look best on soft woods, i.e. pine, fir, etc.

The coating finishes are really a progression of technologies. Shellac was the original hard coat finish, but has been replaced for the most part by lacquer and varnish. Lacquer is generally used commercially as it dries fast and can be re-coated in minimal time. Varnish is easier to apply by the average person with a brush. The downside is it takes longer to dry, and therefore more opportunity to catch dust, bugs, etc. Some of the newer water-based "varnishes", however, dry pretty quick.


Is an electrical lockout a good way to protect children in a workshop? I have a small work shop in my basement with the usual power tools: table saw, miter saw, etc.

I also have a kid that is more and more curious about what is in that room every day. While she (generally) does a great job listening to me, it still nags at me that those tools are accessible to her, even though I unplug them after use. Some of the tools have safety switches, but those are more for unintentional use, like bumping in to the table saw. If she were to try, I'm sure she could figure these out.

I'm also not comfortable physically restricting access to the room. Our basement is divided in to two parts: the workshop and an entertainment area. If there were a fire, the fastest and safest way out of the house is through the workshop. Also many other safety things are in the workshop area, including water shutoffs, the electrical breaker, etc.

The outlets in the workshop have their own 20A breaker switch. Lights are on another 15A. I thought of installing a keyed switch between the breaker and the rest of the outlets. Something like this:

Which is rated for 20A.

Am I overlooking a better solution?
Would installing such a switch, as long as it's properly rated for the load it's going to carry, have any unintended consequences?

Locking the breaker is certainly an option (probably a good one).  I would consider it a hassle to have to unlock the breaker before work and having to relock when done.  However, I'd rather do that than have my child lose a finger.
In addition to shielding our children from things it is important that we teach them to respect the shop area and to respect the tools in the shop.  One of my children is very impulsive so she'll  grabs things without thinking.  As soon as she does this in the shop she is sent into temporary exile (for a week or so) and is under no conditions allowed back in the shop.  This worked for the other kids, and it is working for her.
Additionally, I've found it to be helpful to put on demonstrations of why we respect our tools.  Kids love visuals.  Get a 1-inch dowel and wack it on the ground a few times then ask them which is harder, the dowel or their finger.  They'll say the dowel.  Then show them how quickly a circular saw cuts through the dowel and ask what would happen if that were their finger?  You don't want to terrify the kids, but at least make them aware of how serious this stuff is.
One more thing I've done with the kids is buy them their own tools, toolbox and all (second-hand stuff).  They know that those tools belong to them.  If I want to borrow one of their tools, I ask.  This teaches them to respect others property.  It also teaches them to take care of their tools (Oh, you broke your screw driver using it as a chisel?  Sorry, guess you will have to buy a new one).  They also know they don't need permission to use their own tools so it gives they something to do/use while working with me.


Best way to drain water away from house? When we get rain the water flows off the cement slabs and drains into the space between the pavers. This is a small amount of water, but enough that a leak has formed in the basement. We are taking care of the crack in inside and now we want to take care of the issue outside. I am planning on doing a channel drain. I am not sure how I should drain water away from that point. Any suggestions or help?

You should cut back the pavers and run a buried channel drain along the edge of the concrete slab(s), away from your structure. Terminate it far from the home in an area where it won't cause harm.


Can't remove twist-style / turn-style / knob cap on overflow drain in tub I have an American Standard brand tub with jets. Its drain has a pop-up stopper, and the stopper is controlled not by a lever, but by one of these twist-style knobs, placed over the overflow drain. I removed the screw holding the cap in place (see the right-hand picture), but no matter what I do, I can't pull the cap off:

I've looked around inside as best I could to see if there's some other mechanism holding it in place, but I don't see anything. I don't think this thing has been removed in 15 years. I've tried turning it this way and that, pushing it in and out in case there's some kind of special release. I've tried knocking it with a hammer to loosen things up or try to break up deposits. I've tried vinegar, and then WD-40. I've tried using big screwdrivers as levers between the cap and the plate behind it. Nothing, refuses to come off.
There's another question here from someone with a similar problem, but in their case, they couldn't get the screw out, and the problem wasn't answered anyway:
How to remove turn-style tub overflow cover?
Anyone have any ideas? Or does this need to be sawed off? Can a plumber handle this?
EDIT #1: here's a closer look at the area where the cap meets the stem--nice and gross:

(Answering my own question.) After trying a million things, I went with the destructive option. I used a metal file to shave a hole into the knob so I could access the screws on the plate behind it. I unscrewed the screws, turning the knob to be able to access each screw, and then took the whole assembly out. Afterwards, I soaked the still-fused-together knob and plate in CLR for 10 hours, and by the end, it still didn't come apart. After looking closer, it might be the case that the knob was held in place by a screw on the opposite side of the plate, which, when mounted to the tub, is completely inaccessible unless you open up the wall behind the tub and cut into the overflow waste pipe. What genius designed this?


Can I put three NM 12 awg wires into a breaker box knockout? I am running out of knockout on my breaker box and most of my knockouts have 2 NM wires going into them. Can I put 3 NM wires in one knockout? Are there restrictions to how many NM wires or size that can go into a main panel knockout?

You can, but you need a 3/4" KO and the correct clamp to do so
If you're working with a 3/4" or larger knockout, you can get 3 12/2 or 12/3 NM cables into it.  You just need a cable clamp that's listed/rated for that many cables; fortunately, the Arlington NM842 is cheap and fits the bill perfectly here.  It can even accept 4 12/2, or 2 12/3 and 1 12/2, or a 12/3 and two 12/2s.


Plywood vs cement board for shower alcove I'm building a tile shower, have the pan set and most of the cement board up. I've come up to the height where the shower alcove (or niche) will go. General searches have shown most people cutting backer board into the shape of the niche. I have been drawing up different plans for how to do this and I am toying with the idea of using 1/2 inch thick treated exterior plywood to frame the niche, then sealing the corners, then applying aquadefense waterproofing then mortar and tile.
To be honest the main reason is that I hate the idea of cutting cement board that many times when something else might suffice. is there any reason to not go through with the plywood?

is there any reason to not go through with the plywood?

Yes, the reason is that the manufacturer of the waterproof membrane you say you intend to use (Aquadefense) forbids the use of plywood as a substrate for tile on an interior vertical surface. You can only use it on horizontal surfaces like countertops and floors, and only in dry areas, not showers.


Where is the pressure vacuum breaker typically located in a lawn irrigation system? Where is the pressure vacuum breaker (or other backflow device) typically installed in a lawn irrigation system? Does it matter, as long as it is before the first sprinkler head? Or does it have to be before all the valves? Is it typically buried or is it usually above ground and elevated? Would one ever be right at the jet pump on home well systems? Do they ever have pressure gauges attached to them? Thanks for any help. I'm trying to narrow down a problem with my irrigation system and need a little info on this device.

Some may not even have it. You mention a well. If the well also provides your drinking water, then you should have a vacuum break. But if the well is only for irrigation then you will likely not have a vacuum break or back flow preventer.

  Where is the pressure vacuum breaker (or other backflow device) typically installed in a lawn irrigation system?

Usually right after the main shut-off. So if you know where the shut-off is, the vacuum break should be right there.

  Does it matter, as long as it is before the first sprinkler head? Or does it have to be before all the valves?

It is usually between the valves and the main shut-off.

  Is it typically buried or is it usually above ground and elevated?

If it's a vacuum break (and it should be) then it needs to be above ground. If it's a back-flow preventer then it could be buried.

  Would one ever be right at the jet pump on home well systems?

It's more likely co-located with the main shut-off than the pump.

  Do they ever have pressure gauges attached to them?

Usually not.


How to fix a faucet that drips unless we turn it extremely tightly? We started to notice that the hot water bathroom sink faucet still drips after we turn it with the normal amount of force, but if we twist it harder it would stop. This problem exacerbated and it became harder and harder to make the dripping stop. Now we can't actually stop it.

I know there are several different things that could possibly be wrong with a leaky faucet. I just want to know if this information can illuminate the exact problem, so I don't end up doing something unnecessary and possibly making things worse.

The type of valve that has to be "tightened down" to make a good seal is likely an older valve like the one in this diagram from ThisOldHouse.com:

Over time, there is a washer on the bottom of the stem that wears out.  Forcing the handle tighter can fix the issue, but this ultimately just destroys what's left of the washer even faster.  Normally removing the stem and replacing the flat or cone shaped washer is all you need to do.

Another problem that can occur is the metal "seat" for the stem that stays in the faucet when the stem is removed can become corroded to the point of not providing a good seal.  The seat can be replaced (if you can find one), or they can be ground down with a special tool to provide a new surface for the washer to seal on.  Feel the seat with your finger to see if it's smooth.  Try to just replace the washer first, and only mess with the seat if the drip continues or returns after a short time.

They might be a challenge to find, but you can normally get new seats, an entire stem, or any washer you need to repair the faucet.  A whole new stem will cost on average $15 or so, and they are easy to replace.  You shouldn't need to replace the faucet unless the exterior is in equally bad shape and you just want something new.


GFI outlet vs breakers, maintenance needed I have a house with a Square D QO Load center breaker box, circa 1973.
Over the years there's been some remodeling done and some circuits added.  Everything was done to whatever code was in effect at the time.
What I have now is the following - every breaker in the panel is 20A (and yes all of the electrical wiring in the house is 12ga) except for 2 that are going to the most recent remodel bit which is a finished basement bedroom (those are 15A)
At some point the garage breaker was replaced with a Square D "yellow test button" GFCI breaker most likely because a prior owner moved the washer and dryer from an upstairs closet (which obviously housed a stacked unit) to the garage.  I am not unhappy with this as I prefer standard appliances not weird small stacked stuff that had super expensive repair parts.  In addition to the washer and dryer there is a refrigerator on the garage circuit along with an APC UPS that feeds networking gear used for the internet connection and wifi in the house.
The two 15a breakers going to the basement bedroom are "green test button" AFCI breakers
All other breakers are standard breakers.
The only other 2 GFCI outlets in the home are in the kitchen next to the sink.
This is a vacation house in a resort community and we rent it out.  We visit it at least once a month.  When we were out there last week I discovered one of the GFCI outlets had failed, and a secondary outlet that comes off that outlet was also dead.  (mechanical failure of the test button causing the outlet to be dead)
I was unable to find a new replacement GFCI outlet of the correct color and amperage for what passes for hardware stores there.  And after driving 30 minutes to the closest Home Depot I discover they are out of stock as well.  This kind of thing is not uncommon out there and it is typical that I have to buy parts in advance from the city I live in before visiting.  So I replaced the outlet with a standard outlet.
Now I am trying to decide how best to repair this setup.  The first obvious answer is to replace the outlet with a GFCI.  But I really dislike that because my experience with GFCI outlets is that they are cheaply made mass-market devices that sometimes nuisance trip, and they introduce additional mechanical failure points.
The next obvious answer is to replace the breaker with the outlet is on with a modern GFCI/AFCI combo breaker (purple test button).  My concern with that, however, is that the kitchen refrigerator is on that circuit, as well as a natural gas range.  There is also a microwave oven but that is on a separate circuit, as is a dishwasher.  The advantage of leaving the breaker as is, is that if the GFCI in the wall triggers it won't kill the power to the refrigerator and range.
I'm also wondering if I should take the opportunity to while at the same time as replacing that breaker I would replace the existing "yellow test button" breaker with a combo "purple button" breaker.  It has nuisance tripped on me a few times during power outages (for whatever reason the utility - Pacific Power - seems to really have terrible power quality on recovery from power outages) however it is feeding garage outlets that have motors on them (refrigerator compressor, washer/dryer, hand drill, weed wacker and a couple of other 1/4hp inductive motors that run a bench grinder and buffing wheel.)
And yes I have read all of the propaganda that the breaker companies have fixed all of the problems with nuisance tripping but it is very difficult to find testimonials and field feedback that are current. That's really what I'm asking about.

This is a vacation house in a resort community and we rent it out. We visit it at least once a month.

FYI that means you can't do your own electrical work and must hire an electrician, in nearly all jurisdictions. Many will allow "trivial" work to be done by landlord or tenant, such as swapping receptacles or switches for aesthetic/GFCI reasons, or changing light fixtures.  (although this forum is thick with cases where those tasks were not trivial at all, lol!)

I was unable to find a new replacement GFCI outlet of the correct color and amperage

For amperage, 15A receps are fine on 20A circuits as long as there are 2 or more sockets on the circuit.  NEC 210.21(B).
This is notched into Code for precisely this reason - to reduce the SKUs a store or electrician must carry. You only need a 20A recep if you have an appliance with sideways neutral, which means it's too big to use a 15A circuit.  We're talking BIG microwaves or really old window A/C's. For a tenant, tough beans.

for what passes for hardware stores there. And after driving 30 minutes to the closest Home Depot I discover they are out of stock as well. This kind of thing is not uncommon out there and it is typical that I have to buy parts in advance from the city I live in before visiting. So I replaced the outlet with a standard outlet.

Wow.  Well, avoid the daylights out of amazon.com. It's thick with counterfeits.
Downgrading the protection means you absorb all the liability if an injury occurs. Your insurer will probably even back out on those grounds.

Now I am trying to decide how best to repair this setup. The first obvious answer is to replace the outlet with a GFCI. But I really dislike that because my experience with GFCI outlets is that they are cheaply made mass-market devices that sometimes nuisance trip, and they introduce additional mechanical failure points.

Well, aside from the blatant counterfeits on Amazon, you generally have 2 tiers: "builder grade" and "Spec grade".  Builder grade is for when it only has to work until you clear escrow :)  Spec grade are for when it's your building and you'll be responsible for total life-cycle costs.
You can guess which one we like around here.
A GFCI recep has exactly the same failure points as a GFCI breaker.  Point for the breaker, they tend to be made by Tier 1 manufacturers like Schneider, GE, Siemens.  Point against them, the breaker is a rather small package, especially a 3/4" wide QO.
I have a "QO" GFCI breaker I am ripping out, because the darn thing won't tell me if it was a GFCI or overcurrent trip.  (the newest ones can, but their UI is very, very balky). For half again the price of anyone else's breaker they oughta be able to afford a 1 cent LED.

The advantage of leaving the breaker as is, is that if the GFCI in the wall triggers it won't kill the power to the refrigerator and range.

Yup, exactly. You should do everything in your power to keep refrigerators off of GFCI and AFCI.  I'm a huge fan of EMT metal conduit, which basically moots AFCI; and grounded fridges do not benefit from GFCI in any way.  That's a tough sell for a fridge in a garage or basement because all receps there are required to be GFCI, but your AHJ is able to grant a variance for a dedicated 1-socket/simplex "Fridge only" outlet.
If it's a dedicated circuit for the fridge, that's ideal; however if a circuit has only one socket, socket and breaker must match.


Split in a Load Bearing Stud How do I fix a split at the bottom of a load bearing 2x4 stud? The split is in the king stud for a window. It's a 9 in. long triangular shaped piece. It's 1/4 in. deep at the sole plate and expands to 1 in. at the top of the triangle. The piece is 5/8 in. wide on the narrow side of the stud. The stud next to it is ~5 in. away, so it's a tight space. Do I need to fix it? If so, what's the best way?

Sorry the pics not so great. The sole plate and bottom of the stud are in a "pocket" formed by the raised floor. I smeared the crack with Liquid Nails. There's also spray foam in the bottom of the pic, so it looks like a mess.I added arrows along the path of the crack. It split when I put the (now bent) nail in.

If you are concerned about it and have access to it (which you apparently do since you can see the split), just sister another stud onto the side of it.

This will share its load without the need to remove it. It should be fine even if it is in a load bearing wall.

Good luck!


Good Solar Path LEDs for cloudy weather I live in Seattle, where its usually rainy/cloudy for 8 months of the year. Do solar path LED lights make sense? If yes, could I have a recommendation?

This was suggested to me:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/4-Pack-8x-Brighter-(9.6-Lumen)-Black-Solar-LED-Path-Light/999928748

And this one is highly rated on amazon.

https://goo.gl/XSRgMQ

Possibly, but you'll need to refine your purchasing skills.  All these lights have an engineering balance of solar panel size, battery size, lamp consumption and cheapness. The problem is, as you have identified, you are in an area which has a lot of cloudy days, and as such, much less solarization than average America.

You have "gone straight for cheap, modulated somewhat by reading reviews". Generally the products are designed for reasonable performance in the first day of service in an average day (i.e. equinox) in more sunbelt-ish America.  Most of the cheapies I have seen don't make it through the night, meaning they fall to zero every night, and rely on a sunny day's worth of charging to even make it to midnight.  That just isn't going to happen in Seattle, where solarization is lower than appears to the eye.  (Eyes aren't lux meters, they are designed to auto-adjust and effectively conceal absolute light levels from the user.)

As such, you need a specialty product, and so I'd be looking at the "specialist geek type" small manufacturers, who are designing high-performance lights for your service demand. They will have a solar panel and battery that is outsize large compared to the lamp.  The prices will not be what you're used to.  If that's a problem, then you can look at hardwiring either mains or low-voltage lights by burying cable or conduit.


What type of cable should I run to future-proof an outlet for an air conditioner? Our new house is still under construction by a standard builder. After the home is finished, I will be installing a small mini split ductless AC system for a home office that will get much warmer than the rest of the house.

I received permission from the construction manager to run a cable from the breaker to an outdoor wall, so that I would not have to tear up the drywall or run conduit from the breaker to wherever the compressor will go. I will not be installing the wire into the breaker, or the outdoor outlet, until after we have closed on the home. It will essentially be a dead wire sitting in the wall until I add it do the breaker and then add the outlet.

That being said, I am not sure if the compressor will be a 110v or 220v configuration (I haven't decided on a unit). What would be the best cable to run to ensure that I can either install a 110v outlet or 220v outlet using the same wire? Is this possible?

Also, what should my outdoor outlet look like? Is just an outdoor junction box sufficient or should I use something similar to a non-fuse metallic disconnect?

Thanks for the help!

If you truly want to future proof, install conduit instead of cable.  This will allow you to pull whatever wire you need, once you've decided what you want.

3/4" conduit should work fine, and would give you the option to install up to four 8 AWG condcutors (Schedule 80 PVC). If you think you'd ever upgrade to a whole house unit, this might be a good option. If you only ever plan to have a single mini-split unit, you'll probably be alright installing 1/2" conduit. Though upgrading to 3/4", would make pulling easier.


I want to run plumbing in the wall. there is some framing in the way. Can I cut it out? I am putting in a double sink vanity and took the drywall down to start the plumbing.  There is a three stud corner for a closet wall on the other side of the wall, as shown in the picture.  I want to connect the sink drains and vents together in the wall cavity.  I would like to drill holes through the studs and then cut out blocks from the stud oriented 90 degrees to the wall studs in the two places where I want to pass through the pipes (near floor and 6+ inches above vanity).  All walls are non load bearing.  Will this pass inspection?

If the parallel 2x4 is just there as a nailing edge, then yes, you can notch it safely without concern.


Is it frequent to use two Ethernet cables for one phone line? I'm experiencing some noise on my phone when it is connected in the wall.  There's no noise when connected right in the modem.  So I decided to check things out and I noticed something that seems odd to me.  My telephone jack uses 2, yes two, Ethernet Cat 5 cables.

(source: max-worlds.net)

As you can see, both blue wires are connected to red wire on the telephone jack and both white/blue wires are connected to the green wire.  It seems like an odd setup to me.  This is a new house.  On a side note, I'm thinking they could have done that to allow an Ethernet network, but we already have a Cat 6 network going on...

So I'm wondering if this is a frequent practice, a recommended approach or a bad job.

Probably you have two or more phone jacks daisy-chained together.  One cable goes to wherever the phone line enters the house and the other runs to another phone jack somewhere else in the house.

This is a common practice. I did some pricing online, and it seems that Cat 5e is comparable in price to 4-conductor phone cable, so the builders may simply have used it because they had it to hand.


How to stop cold air entering through the breaker box The breaker box is located in the laundry room of the house, which itself is an air conditioned space. I bought the house in the summer and this winter the room has been extremely cold even when the rest of the rooms in the house are warm.  Upon investigating I noticed that cold air was flowing into the laundry room from around the breaker box, so I took the front panel off the breaker box to reveal the following:

Air primarily seems to be entering from the bottom right hand corner where the main electric cable from outside enters the breaker box.  However, when the panel cover was on, I could feel cold air coming through the holes in the boards both to the left of the breaker box (all the way up and down the length of the box even though they are on the other side of the stud cavity that the breaker box is located in), and below the breaker box (where the insulation is).

Here is a closeup of what I believe are the problem areas (based on where I could feel cold air coming in):

pulling away the insulation reveals that the air enters the area below the cavity because there are holes to let wires through, and air then enters the stud cavity to the left because there are holes in the stud to let wires through.

In addition, there is an opening to the outside where other cables enter the house which can be more clearly in the picture below.

My questions are:

What is the best and safest (because I am working around electricity) way to plug up the main hole (the one in the bottom right of the breaker box where the main electric cable enters the box?
What is the best and safest way to plug the other holes (at the bottom of the breaker box, in the left stud, and in the foam board)?

What you are looking for is duct seal. You can pick it up at most home centers. This will seal the external conduit, where the power line enters the house.

For sealing the studs, you could get a can of insulating foam (Great Stuff or another brand). The Firestop type would be your best bet.

Any place wires penetrate your siding, you should seal them with an outdoor/weatherproof caulk.

I wouldn't recommend sticking anything into the breakouts on the box itself. If you want to, you can get some better sealing bushings for these, but you'll have to pull the wires and reconnect them. Sealing the outside conduit will give you the best bang for your buck.

You should also investigate the outside. It looks like the wired are coming straight in from the back, rather than through a mast. If there are any other boxes on the back (like your meter) you should caulk around the outside where the box meets the siding.


Can two 30 ampere circuits be combined in an outlet? Cooktop and oven are running from 2 separate 30 amp circuits.

I want to replace both by a free standing dual fuel range which requires a 40 amp circuit

Can the 2 30 amp circuits be combined in the electrical outlet?

No.  While it might seem safe since each circuit is load-protected for it's gauge, you can have all kinds of problems.

First:  Someone might work on the panel in the future and move a breaker and reverse the phase on one of the two circuits.  This would cause a 240v short circuit.

Second:  Any fault to ground will likely fault to only one of the two grounds which would be undersized for the fault load.

Third:  Any difference in resistance in the two circuit hots will cause a difference in current in the two lines and cause nuisance tripping of one breaker.

Fourth:  Any difference in resistance between the two neutrals will cause a difference in current that could overheat one of the two neutrals without tripping the breaker.

Fifth:  As Ecnerwal points out, The appliance should trip at 40A, but if the current is balanced on both wires, the breakers may not trip until a combined load of 60A is achieved, causing a possible unsafe condition or damage to the new appliance.


My dryer stopped turning but still shakes when on and I think gives out heat My Dryer inexplicably stopped turning. I went last night to switch it on and it doesnt turn anymore. The machine still shakes and I believe gets hot but it doesnt spin.

Someone mentioned something that maybe it is a snapped belt.

Is this for a layman or should I call a pro?
What could the problem be?

Thanks a lot.

Yes, it could be a snapped belt. It could also be a seized motor or a broken pulley.

The first thing I would do is look for disassembly instructions for your dryer. Some owners manuals include this, but for most you need to find the service manual. Come careful Googling with your model number may yield a PDF of the service manual.

Once you open the dryer, it will probably be obvious what the problem is.

From there you can order the part through the manufacturer or from someone else like http://www.repairclinic.com/. I've used them quite a few times.


Regular receptacle to GFCI? EDIT
Attached pics. Also there's another plug on other side of sink with exact same set up broken tab between hots (hot red, hot black and 1 neutral and 1 ground). Are kitchens usually provided with more power to the outlets because of appliances like freezers, fridges, microwaves etc? Or is the wiring shady in this house? It was built maybe 1980s / early 1990s. I'm just looking for the best way to install a GFCI. Thanks

Good day. I'm looking to change my kitchen receptacle to GFCI that's beside the sink. The old plug has two hot wires (black & red) with a broken tab in the middle. It also has one neutral wire on the other side and a ground wire. Is it safe and acceptable to cut the hot red wire, cap it off and just use the black hot and neutral with ground? I'm having a hard time understanding why the plug has two hot wires to begin with? I've tried turning the surrounding switches off and on testing both outlers, but they both seem to carry constant power? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. I'm in Canada. Ontario to be more specific.

No wire cutting

First, don't cut wires in a situation like this.  You never want to do that unless you are trimming the length of new cable you just installed, and that won't happen soon for you.   Take the nipper back to the store.  I'm aware some Youtube videos promote cutting wires, but they tend to be tool-happy because they make money when you buy tools.  Wire length is precious - it can't be added back on.  Remove wires by loosening the screw on the recep (even if it's back-wire), and/or twisting the wire out of a backstab connection.  Note that once a wire is pulled out of a backstab, its spring is damaged and the backstab cannot be reused.  But never use backstabs anyway, as they are unreliable.

Do you even need a GFCI?

It's rather unlikely that a GFCI receptacle is protecting this outlet.  Trip any GFCI receps you already have and see if this outlet loses power, but I'd expect not.

However, there's a fair chance this recep is being fed from a GFCI Breaker.  If so, that breaker will have a "Test" button.

Either way, if pushing "Test" on a GFCI breaker or recep causes this recep to lose power, your work is done.

Safety is serious business

I am kinda getting the impression you were intending to do this with the power switched on. Honestly that makes me think this is less of a daredevil act and more an unawareness of just how dangerous electrical power is. You may have had stories or experience of people who got zapped and got lucky - that does happen a lot - but people win Russian Roulette 5/6 of the time, so "usually" is not a reliable indicator of safety.  Further, you are almost certainly dealing with 240V here, which is way more than you bargained for.

We gotta look at the breakers.

Expect a situation where 2 breakers control this receptacle's power. The breakers may be tied to trip together, or they may be independent.  But they must be identified.  You already have a good grasp that they are separate, and how to test for that, so put this to use to identify the up-to-2 breakers that control this.

Now, I suspect you have a multi-wire branch circuit, where two carefully placed hot wires share 1 neutral.  "Carefully placed" means there is 240V between them, which is not to trifle with.  However, "carelessly placed" means your neutral wire is a ticking time bomb about to overload. There are further safety requirements to protect people who are less aware than you, and we need to attend to those also, so identifying the breakers is essential.

If there are two separate, independently thrown breakers, then please cut up a Post-It note to make flags, and stick them on the relevant breakers and shoot us a shot of the 6-7 breakers in either direction, and edit it into your question.  We can then advise on correcting the safety issues with the breaker.  If you follow the "GFCI breaker" advice below, that will moot this.

The simple way: Choose a side

The simplest way to hook this GFCI recep up is to simply pick either the red or back wire, and cap it off.  Usually we straighten out the wire, and cap it off with a "wire nut" - with the wire nut then taped down so it stays put, as wire nuts won't stay on single wires.   (you should never need tape with 2+ wires or you're doing it wrong).

Then, hook the neutral and the remaining hot wire to the new GFCI device.

This has a disadvantage: you can no longer run two high-power appliances, one in each socket. Now that will trip the breaker.  It has another disadvantage that if you have 5 of these to do on this circuit, a GFCI breaker is cheaper and better protection.

A better option: A GFCI breaker

Presuming the above testing identifies two breakers (possibly tied), those 2 will have a red and a black "hot" wire going to them.  They can be brought (along with the neutral that is also in their cable) to a 2-pole GFCI circuit breaker.  This will GFCI protect every outlet and device supplied by those breakers.

However this also depends on identifying those breakers, having a panel capable of taking a modern GFCI breaker and having room, and the circuit not having any existing faults that would trip a GFCI, like neutral shared with third circuits etc.


Is it okay to pigtail 12AWG and 14AWG on a 15AMP circuit? While working in my attic I lightly bumped a stud that had an outlet box as well as a switch that controls my attic light attached to it and when I did sparks shot out of the outlet and the circuit tripped.
When I looked at the breaker it says its a 15Amp circuit, so I shut it off and opened the outlet box that was sparking.  Apparently that light bump was enough to knock a loose ground wire into one of the hot screws which caused the circuit to trip.
My problem is this, the outlet has 1 yellow Romex (12AWG) wrapped around the top screws (hot and neutral in their respective places) and 2 white Romex (14AWG) backstabbed into the outlet (also hot and neutral in their respective places).  The problem is that all of the ground wires are simply twisted together and all 3 wires wrapped around the single ground screw.
So I figured I would try and do a proper job (or as much of one as I can) and connect everything to the screws using pigtails.
My questions are:

Should I pigtail all the hot wires to one hot screw, all the neutral wires to one neutral screw and all the grounds to the one ground screw?

Since I have a mix of 12AWG and 14AWG in this box (and my circuit is 15Amps) can I just use the wires from a strand of 14AWG Romex to make the pigtails?

Assuming the Yellow/12AWG wire is providing the power, would it be better to wire the yellow/12AWG wire to the top screws and then just pigtail the white romex together to the bottom screws?  And all grounds pigtailed to the one ground?

Sorry, I'm not an electrician but have replaced a couple receptacles before.  I was always told to never backstab and rather to use pigtails, to never wrap more than one wire around a screw and to always wrap in a clockwise direction.
Thanks for all the help in advance.

Yes.
Yes. It's no problem as long as you can get a good twist on the wires.
Pig tails can be 14 gauge since the branch circuit is protected by a 15A Breaker.

You'll end up with four wires in the wire nuts, 1 12AWG and 3 14AWG, so make sure you use the right size wire nut.
True, never more than one wire per screw. Lots of people don't like the back stabbing... Can you blame them? The name even sounds wrong. And wrapping clockwise generally improves the tightening operation if there is a slight twist in the wire but there is an argument that a pull on a clockwise hook puts a counter clockwise torque on the screw. I've heard arguments for both but I say either is fine if you tighten the screw to the right torque.


40 amp Pool heater hooked up to 60 amp outdoor Spa Box I purchased a Siemens electric panel for a spa with a 60 amp breaker. Is there any danger in hooking up my 40 Amp pool water heater to it?

2nd Question...The Panel comes with 4 slots, can i use the 60 amp GFCI Breaker in the house and use regular non GFCI 40 amp + 15 amp Breakers in the box (15 amp Breaker is for the pool pump)

Double check everything, since Siemens makes several lines of breaker/panel (which are physically incompatible so they plainly won't fit), but it all makes sense to me.

You made a canny choice of hot tub subpanel so you could swap breakers - smart economics.
The farther upstream the GFCI protection is, the better - and you can't get more upstream than the main panel, can you? :)
The breaker in the panel is able to protect the #6 cable and 60A subpanel.
The breaker has the correct thresholds for a hot tub (8ma and not 30ma) since it's sold as a hot tub panel.
With the subpanel fully GFCI protected, you can put plain breakers in there.  Though a typical dumb home inspector isn't going to like it.

Be sure to put "GFCI Protected" labels on the receptacles and subpanel, I recommend making your own with a common labelmaker, as they last longer than the blue paper ones that come with GFCIs.


How should I address water seeping into basement? I just bought a house that was built in the early fifties, with an unfinished basement. Recently, after a heavy rainfall, some water leaked into certain parts of the basement (see photos).

This is a new issue for me, so I have questions:

This post, which describes a situation similar to mine, mentions the possibility of a French drain. How do I determine whether I have one?
How, if at all, can I prevent this from happening again?
If occasional seepage is unavoidable, how can I mitigate or minimize it?

Always start with correcting the grade around the house - i.e. the shape of the soil. It should slope AWAY from the house at at least 1/8" per foot (or 1 cm per meter) for 10 feet or 3 meters. If there is settling, pooling, or unfortunate past choices causing that not to be the case, correcting them (if at all possible) is a huge help to basement water issues.

If there are gutters, verify that the water from them is carried well away from the house.

If the problem persists, then you get into the difficult stuff (underground work.)

One step towards mitigation is to raise items in the basement on bricks or the like so that a small amount of water in the basement is not getting things that will be bothered wet. My basement freezer is sitting on 4 bricks, which are mortared to the floor to make them stable and level (as the floor is not level there.) Likewise for  wooden workbench.


Safe to cut vine wrapped around electric mains? We have a climbing vine that has spread from the tree to wrap itself around the electric main to the house.
Is it safe to cut it off at the base? Can the vine potentially conduct electricity to the point of the cut?
Will cutting it kill it?

Responsibility for the service drop (the wire from the utility to your house) lies with the utility.  Generally the demarcation line is the splice between the service drop and the conductors leading up the mast.

Your electrical utility thus may be willing to clear these vines.

The wires are insulated, though you can't trust the insulation is perfect. The vines won't conduct enough electricity to matter.  But if you cut the vines they'll die and dry out, and be far harder to pry off the line.  Damage from the vines will at first be mechanical, as the weight of the vines especially if it's windy can be significant.

If you do clear the vines yourself, use a wooden ladder, wear electrician's insulating gloves, and gently unwrap the live vine without risking directly touching the insulated service drop wires.  If you see flaws in the insulation, call the power company right away.

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electrical_Service_Drop.php


Name for Clerestory roof with windows at ridgeline? I know the term "clerestory" can be applied to a variety of rooflines which permit windows above the normal top of the interior walls, but was wondering if there's a specific name for the version where the roof comprises two "normal" sloped sections with a vertical offset at the ridgeline. This pic shows an example, albeit without the windows.

You have it right: Clerestory roof. Here's one with a centrally-located wall. Although most definitions do include reference to windows, it's the same roof structure.


How can I replace a pressure gauge on a well pump? The gauge on my well pump is shot (reads 0, even when there is good pressure).  I've purchased a replacement, so what are the steps I should follow to replace it?

Turn off the power to the pump.
Turn off the feed to the house (there should be a valve between the pressure tank and rest of house). This is simply to make the next step easier.
Drain any water from the pipes where the pressure switch is screwed in. Usually there is a sed valve.
Unscrew the existing gauge.
Check the T where the gauge was screwed in for build-up/blockage. This may be what messed up the existing gauge in the first place. If there's any, clear it out as much as possible.
Use teflon tape or pipe dope on the threads, and screw in the new gauge.
Turn everything back on.


Need help painting a desk top made out of MDF I recently put together a quick desktop that I want to attach to a treadmill desk I am working on. I made it out of MDF. I want to paint it Matte Black! My question is how can I paint it in a way that it will be as resistant as possible to rubbing and scratching from desktop items like a laptop computer and other items that might be getting pushed around?

MDF is essentially a sponge when it comes to painting it. So the first thing you need to do is prime it properly so that it doesn't absorb the paint. To prime it properly, use a non-water-based primer. These are known as solvent-based primers, or, more commonly called "oil-based" primer.

If you use a water-based primer, you end up with the sponge problem...the MDF will absorb all the water and your surface will end up with a rough raised-grain texture that you can't easily sand out.

Once you get a oil based primer on the MDF, you can then paint it as you wish.

As for resilience, note that MDF is soft. So no matter what you coat the surface with, you are going to be at the mercy of the substrate when it comes to heavy objects hitting it.

Fo starters, use a good quality paint. If you are particularly concerned, consider one of the epoxy based paints used to paint over laminate countertops/kitchen cabinets.

You may ultimately want to consider just putting a laminate on top of the MDF or just replace the MDF part with a section of countertop. Remember that MDF is soft, so that might be the weak part of the entire equation


Automate and schedule button press on an apliance? I'd like to automate and schedule pressing of an "On" button on one of my appliances. (I can't do that by cutting power to it, it has to be powered on all the time, just on standby. I'd also prefer not to disassemble the appliance / button but really have it pressed mechanically.)

The schedule would be quite constant (for example turn it on at 11:00 and turn off at 12:00 every day) but I'd like to be able to change that from time to time without much effort.

How would you approach this problem?

I've recently been experimenting with the Arduino microprocessor boards and have found them remarkably easy to work with.

I grabbed one from ebay for about $10AU along with a servo motor for less than $5AU. All software and coding was open source - free and easily accessible - communication is via a PC, once it is programmed you can set and forget. Altering the program would be quick and easy.

The arduino runs on 5V (a USB cable) so sourcing a power supply would not be difficult if you have a spare USB phone charger. The servo motors generally come with shaft attachments and all you would need to do is glue something the correct length onto the servo shaft attachment that would hit your appliance button. You would also need to fix the servo in place, if you didn't want to screw into the appliance you could construct a frame that sits under the appliance and holds the servo in place.

Alternatively, as someone else mentioned, an electromagnetic solenoid (a small unit that pokes a pin out when energised) could be simpler in terms of coding.

The arduino would need to be constantly powered to count time as it has no battery to power an internal clock. There is external clock modules that can be bought to provide for this.


Missing front of cabinet drawer, need to sell my house One of the drawer front panels for a kitchen cabinet broke a while ago and I need to somehow get it replaced but I don't know where to look or who I should contact.  I don't have the panel anymore at all.  The main issue is that I am trying to sell my house so I need to get it repaired somehow.  The panel above it is the same, so i can take that panel off and take it somewhere to get replicated somehow, i just dont know where to take it and if its possible due to the color.  Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do for this?

The major home centers, Lowes, Home Depot, etc can typically order items such as this custom made. If the cabinet was originally a "stock" size cabinet from such a place, it should be easy to get a replacement. You may or may not be able to find a match to the finish, though. I would hesitate to spend a lot on a really good replacement as a merely adequate replacement would probably fill your need and not be an issue for the next owner. Bring the existing drawer in, and possibly one of the others, as a sample. If two drawers are the same, bring the completed one with you and ask for a copy of that. Be sure to measure the width, depth, and height where the drawer will go.

Alternatively, you could look locally in the yellow pages or google maps for custom cabinet shops. Some of the smaller ones may pick up any work they can get and would most likely be able to stain match what you have already. You'll pay more though, shop time in a good cabinet shop can be $60 to $100 or more, and for a drawer like that, they might charge you for several hours of work including the staining/finishing.


How to repair leak between P-trap arm and drain pipe I recently replaced my bathroom faucet including the water supply lines and I now have a slow leak from the drain pipe/P-trap connection. I'm thinking I must have accidentally bumped the P-trap or drain pipe when I was under the sink replacing the faucet. The leak is coming from between a 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" reducer and black ABS 1 1/2" pipe (see photos).
Question 1): To repair, do I simply need to replace the 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" ABS to P-trap reducer? If so, will this product work?
Question 2): As I've never cemented ABS pipe before, my understanding is that I use ABS cement to weld the two pieces of pipe together. If so, will this product work?
Thank you very much!

It looks like that reducer is cemented on to a 22 1/2 degree sweep and separating them will really a job. You best bet would be to remove both those pieces because you don't know exactly which piece is leaking. Cut that second piece where it comes out of the wall as close to the bent as possible to save as much of the protruding pipe so you can cement a new piece on to it. You might have to chip a little wall away to expose more pipe. then get the piping you'll need to reconnect everything, maybe clean it up a bit. that cement will work fine with the ABS piping.


Can I break up the floor of a raised floor basement bathroom without damaging the plumbing? I have an interesting remodel project.  I have an existing basement bathroom - which has a raised concrete floor.  The toilet sits on the slab.

I am remodeling this to create a bigger bathroom for the basement, and the existing toilet and shower drain are very close together.  I am thinking if I am going to do this right, I will have to break up all this concrete and then put them in appropriate spots.

Question: Is the toilet drain/water piping embedded in the raised concrete slab?  Can I break up the raised floor without damaging the core stack and pipes?

Pull the toilet a look down the drain pipe. You should be able to determine what elevation the drain is running at, as well as what material the drain is made of. Both of theses will help provide you your answer. You'll need to buy a new wax seal for when you reinstall the toilet.


Connecting Common Wire from thermostat to Air Handler My apartment has a central heating/cooling HVAC system consisting of a gas-fired hot water heater which feeds hot water to a First Co air handler for heating, and a rooftop compressor which feeds coolant for air conditioning. I'm wondering if I can hook up the Common wire to a Nest given the following detailed configuration.

There is already a similar question here but with less detail.

The details of my setup is as follows:

First Co TAQ1824 Air Handler from 1996
Rooftop AC compressor - uknown brand/model
Johnson Controls cold weather shutoff for AC Compressor
Honeywell L6006C1034 "Aquastat" Circulator on hot water output of hot water tank. I think this is a just a temperature-based shutoff for heat control so we're not trying to heat with cold water.
Honeywell V804F1135 "Zone Valve" on hot water inlet to air handler
Honeywell TH1110D1000 digital dumb Thermostat with batter power.

It originally had a mechanical thermostat. The bundled furnace wire to the thermostat includes a black common wire which is not connected on either end.

The following installation instructions and wiring diagram are taped to the side of the air handler and clearly indicate a Brown Common wire exiting the handler.

I took the time to trace out all the existing connections in my system and I've included them here:

I recently tried to connect a Nest E thermostat in the place of the existing Honeywell unit but it does not detect any power. It indicates about 2.5V at its inputs, and when I measure them with a multi-meter I see the same. This should be more like 25-37V. I'm not sure why the Nest is unable to do its normal power stealing in this system, but in any case, I want to hook up the common wire now.

I should be able to just connect the black wire in the bundled furnace wire between the thermostat's 'C' terminal and the air handler's Brown output wire, i.e. add the following dotted purple connection:

Is that safe to do in this scenario? The one point I'm unsure about is the note in the air handler instructions that says "Should any add-on equipment also have a Class 2 transformer furnished, care must be taken to prevent interconnecting outputs of the two transformers by using a thermostat with isolating contacts."

The only item in my system I can't easily inspect is the AC Compressor, so I don't know if this warning applies to my scenario. I also don't know if the Nest or my existing thermostat have isolating contacts. Google searches were not revealing.

Any suggestions on making this connection are appreciated.

PS: On a safety note, although the hot water heater is gas-fired, it appears to be independent of the air handler/ AC/ thermostat system I outlined above. None of the electrical devices I'm discussing here directly interact with, control, or ignite gas. The hot water heater does its own thing, and keeps itself heated as hot water is pulled out either by the air handler or other household usage.

For systems with two transformers, you would normally have a red wire for heat and a separate for cooling (commonly labeled Rh and Rc on thermostats). So, it seems like you just have one transformer.

Did you measure 24v between the red and brown wire exiting the air handler? Also, common is commonly attached to the metal body of the air handler, so you can also check for continuity between brown and a good metal "ground".

Great diagrams!  They make answering a question like this much easier.