not sure how to wire a troffer The troffer I bought comes with a disconnect, two black, two white. I had no problem wiring in two of them but the third one is difficult. The light bulb that was in there before had its black wire marretted to the source black but the white was marretted to three others coming in to the fixture. I can take the black wire from the source and push it into the disconnect but which of the three white wires do I take from the source to connect to the disconnect? Conversely, can I just snip off the disconnect and marrette both the black and white to the source? Thanks. BTW. Why would there be multiple whites marretted coming in from the source?

You need a disconnect by law, unless the troffer is cord-and-plug connected.  You can twist the wires out of the old disconnect, but then you'll need to go buy another one -- and they sell them in packs of 5 at most home improvement stores for about $5.

What matters is the wires on the ballast side

I gather the disconnects have some pigtails of wire remaining on them, and you're tying onto those? Okay.

Who really cares what kind of spaghetti they have on the mains side of the disconnect?  Those wires are cut off and not part of your circuit.  What matters is the wires on the on the ballast side -- one will be black and one will be white.  And you need to connect to whatever mains-side wires will make your hot wire talk to the ballast's hot wire, and your neutral wire talk to the ballast's neutral wire.

This is obvious on an Ideal style disconnect. If you have a Wago style disconnect where it allows 4 line wires, then you need to look closely at the disconnect to see how the wires relate to each other.  Typically the disconnect is plainly marked with 1 ballast side wire marked black, and 2 lineside wires marked black.  You just have to look for it; it's there.

If you don't trust it, yank the wires out, throw away the disconnect and go buy some Ideal style - they are less confusing to the novice, though they may require pigtailing.  I prefer pigtails for novices; they are more clear.

Never reuse disconnects. Their "stab connectors" are only good for one use, after which the spring is sprung and it won't make good connection again.


What chemicals and what amount is used to start up a 3300 gallon 14'x42" summer wave pool Just bought a summer wave pool cz need to know what and how much pool chemicals to add

There is no general answer for this type of question.  The specifics and quantity of chemicals greatly depend upon:

your local water conditions:  water source, minerals, age of pipe
pool liner type
filter type
pump type
plumbing type
climate:  rainfall, humidity, salty air, etc.
usage patterns
and other possible variations like overhanging vegetation, runoff,
local critters, etc., etc.

The best advice is found at your local friendly neighborhood pool chemical supply store.  Take care to select a good one.  Maybe you have coworkers or friends with a pool:  seek out their advice about the best pool shop in town.

Take a sample of your pool water in a clean container; also take your pool's details above.  At least some stores do the analysis for free and provide you with a custom list of chemicals, quantities, and frequency of application for proper treatment.

Of course the business wants to sell you as much product as possible.  If you are not experienced managing a pool's chemical balance, follow their advice closely until you get a feel for how your pool behaves—which could take two or three months of daily sampling and maintenance.


Changing light fixture So I’m doing my first household electrical repair and am having a time doing it. So I had a flush mount light fixture stop working (2 socket). So I replaced the bulb sockets because they were all corroded. Now when I got everything unhooked I have 3 sets of wires going to this junction box. So I have 3 whites, 3 blacks, and 3 grounds. When I took it down they were all a mess, and only 2 grounds were hooked up.

So after changing the sockets, I joined the two blacks and made a pigtail and joined both whites and made a pigtail. I hooked all the blacks together, all the whites, and just left the grounds hanging and not touching anything. Only because they were too short to reach back after I cut them.

I hooked it all up and the light just stays on non stop. Lightswitch has no effect, also this just has 1 switch to power it.

I had a buddy tell me it was a switch leg and to find the only hot wire, hook it to the light switch black. Then the white from the switch goes to the black on my light fixture black. So I did that and had nothing, no light, switch on off didn’t make a change. What confused me with that was I had a set of wires just hanging there, not hooked up, thought maybe they needed to be included. Idk I’m stumped, old lady is second guessing my handywork, no kitchen light, aggghhhh.

Someone gimme a hint on what I’m missin here lol

Likely one of the wire pairs is the switch connection, what your buddy calls the switch leg. probably the one that didnt have ground connected. In this case, on that wire pair, neither black nor white is common.. instead one wire is hot to switch and the other wire is hot return from the switch. Youre supposed to mark the white wire with tape or ink to indicate its not common but often its not marked. You want return from the switch to be hot for the light fixture. Dont patch it to the other whites..its not a common. This matches your buddys instructions so far. You didnt mention if you hooked up common as well as hot on the fixture. That would be a problem if it has only hot no common... The third pair is likely another connection downstream from your fixture on the circuit, so you are leaving somwthing disconnected, maybe an outlet. My guess is that if you didnt identify which pair goes to the switch you may have used the wrong wires intended to extend the circuit downstream but you thought they were the switch leg. So my advice is confirm the switch leg with a meter. The only other guess i have is there are a couple other ways the box might be wired into the house circuit.. but they are hard to explain and seldom used.


How do I unclog outside water drainage pipe? Can anyone help me identify the type of grate overlaying this pipe, inform me of the proper tools to open it, and the follow-up to clear it properly and thoroughly? Clearly this pipe must be unclogged. Heavy Rainwater routinely threatens to flood into the basement and soak the carpet.

How do I begin?

Seeing as a picture is worth 1000 words:

I have a grate exactly like that one in my basement floor drain. You should be able to flip it up with a flat screwdriver or similar tool and pull it out of the way so you can run a snake down the drain.

I would start by using a shopvac to clear all the water above the drain. Then pull off the grate and start snaking. Impossible to guess how far you will need to go.

The big question is "what" is clogging in the drain. Since this is outside, it could be connected to your main drain and have "normal" drain clogs - e.g., lint, grease, etc. that a snake can relatively easily get through. But it is also possible that it is roots (which a snake can handle, but is sometimes quite a bit of rock) or even accumulated dirt/sand/gravel which may be really tough to break through. Only way to know is to try.


Is it okay to leave circuit on when a bad GFI has tripped? I have a very old GFI outlet in the kitchen that tripped. It apparently is connected to two other outlets, so all three have no power. Nothing is plugged into them now. I cannot reset the GFI, both the reset and the test button don't push in properly. I'm assuming the GFI is bad and needs replacing. The circuit breaker for this circuit has not tripped and there are some other outlets and lights on that circuit that I'd like to be able to remain working.

Is it okay to leave the circuit on until I can get somebody in to replace the GFI?

You can leave the circuit on. The bad GFI just won't provide downstream power is all. There's no hazard there.
The GFI is bad and needs replacing. If you're OK turning the whole circuit off, you can use a screwdriver to replace this easily. The main thing you want to do is take note of which wires are on the LINE side (as in do this before you disconnect the old GFI). Mark them with tape and then disconnect the LINE side, and then the LOAD. When you hook the new GFI up, connect the LOAD and LINE just like they were in the old one. It's important you not mix them up. Beyond that, it's literally just unscrewing and screwing.


Improve adjustability of gas stove I've got a gas hob (valberg brand) running on a cylinder. The problem is that it has virtually no adjustability - when I turn the knob to make the flame smallest it barely reduces the flame at all. So it is impossible to simmer.
Is there a way to improve the range from biggest to smallest flame? I appreciate it is probably different for every hob, but maybe there are some generalities.

Propane and Natural Gas Are Supplied at Different Pressures
A propane stove orifice size is about 0.082 inches (drill size 45), but the valve on a similar stove that uses natural gas needs an orifice that is almost 0.125 inches (drill size 35).
If you are running your range from propane but using the orifice for natural gas, you will get this behaviour.  You may need to buy or install the correct orifice for propane.


How do I design a 100 mm thick barrier that maximizes thermal and acoustic insulation? I need to design a thermal and sound barrier - walls of a cuboid-shaped space. Imagine it is a free-standing bike shed in the fields. The walls can not be thicker then about 100 mm (4 inches). The most-internal layer of the wall will be a 2 mm (0.08 in) thick sheet of stainless steel. The most-outer layer of the wall will be a 1 mm (0.04 in) thick sheet of aluminum (fully exposed to weather).

Now, can you suggest what should I put between these two sheets of metal, to achieve the following properties:

R-value (thermal resistance) of the walls of at least 2.64 K·m²/W, that is in US units R-15 (15.0 h·ft²·°F/Btu)
noise reduction of 50 dB - Sound Transmission Class: STC 50

Are such properties possible to achieve in a 10 cm (4 inch) space wall between two sheets of metal? If not, what are the best possible properties to achieve in that thickness, with the budget of about 70 EUR/m² or 10 USD/ft²?

I have read about materials such as polyisocyanurate (PIR) for thermal insulation and QuietRock 545 for sound (is it available in Europe?), but maybe there are materials which offer thermal and sound insulation combined, with more efficient use of the limited thickness?

Please suggest materials to put inside the wall between the two sheets of metal, preferably materials possible to purchase in Europe. Do I also need to worry about a vapor-barrier in such application (free-standing bike shed with steel walls)?

For thermal, you'll want closed cell foam of some sort. If the wall has to be structural, I'd frame with vertical 2x4s, then on the interior, horizontal 1x1s, spray foam, then your metal panels.

If it doesn't have to be structural, 4" of XPS foam board should work.

That'd be about the best you could do for a thermal barrier.

As for sound proofing, that's a bit of a different goal...especially with interior metal walls...which will reflect a lot of the sound. 4" of insulation and well sealed door openings should get you a decent level of sound deadening, but It definitely won't be sound proof by any means.


Do I need an ADSL faceplate if I am not using my phone line? I have a bulky ADSL faceplate on my phone socket, and it's taking a lot of room, so I can't put furniture in from of it.

I don't use my phone line, so I was wondering if I could use a slim standard faceplate with no filter inside and still be able to connect to the Internet?

DSL filters are used to prevent voice communications from affecting the DSL (data) signal and vice versa. Typical home phone wiring is a combination of tree (each jack connecting separately back to the network interface (that's phone company terminology for the "main connection", NOT necessarily anything to do with your computer network per se) and daisy-chain (cable from network interface to one jack and then another cable from that jack to the next jack). Bottom line: DSL handles open jacks (no devices connected) just fine and only needs filters on the jacks connected to telephones, answering machines, fax machines, etc. Never put a filter on the DSL modem  itself - the DSL modem includes a different type of filter internally.

I typically wire up a filter at the network interface, after splitting to a separate cable for the DSL modem, but most people don't do that. End result: put filters where you need them and not where you don't. If you ever connect a phone again at that location then you can either put the DSL wall-plate/jack back in or use a regular inline DSL filter. If you were to ever connect a phone without (re)installing a filter, there would be no damage, but your DSL connection would be degraded (slower or not work at all) until you install a filter or disconnect the phone.


Garage door sticks on a bolt My garage door sticks on the way down, apparently when the bottom roller meets a bolt in the track (see photo). A shot of garage door lube on the bolt head helps it close for the first couple of times. After that I need to give it a little tug. I don't see any way to adjust the roller position. Suggestions?

I am a commercial door guy and that bolt is what holds your track together. Your issue is the misaligned track at the joint.


Stair header going through cabinets Recently purchased a house and I am hoping to swap out the old cabinets for IKEA. I discovered this inconvenience (see photos). Any idea as to how to work around this? Ideally I want to remove it and have a flush wall to work with.
My idea was simply remove it, but then I risk having a head bonker for the basement stairs.
Any ideas at all would be so helpful.

Unfortunately there is no quick-and-easy fix for this.  It's a result of a poorly designed home layout.
If you simply remove the inset for the stairs you will, as you note, remove the clearance for the stairs going down and you will likely create a situation where your stairway no longer meets code.
The right way here would be to relocate the stairs so that they no longer intrude on the kitchen cabinet space or to relocate the kitchen wall so that the stairwell intrusion is removed.
The simplest solution would be to do what the earlier cabinet installer did, cut away the backside of the cabinet to fit over the stairway and just live with the reduced capacity.
As I said, no easy solutions.  Either live with it or fix it.  The choice is up to you.


Replacement Bulb For Under Cabinet Lighting Have under cabinet lighting and need to replace burned out bulbs.  The bulbs are model G9 120v 25W halogen (ceramic base).  Would like to replace with LED bulbs.  What replacement bulb would work? Thanks

What replacement bulb would work?

Any LED G9 120V bulb rated less than 25W. A LED bulb of around 6W probably has a brightness (see its Lumens rating) similar to a 25W Halogen.

Glossary:

Lumens are a measure of luminous flux and are a better guide to brightness than Watts.
Watts are essentially a measure of how much heat the bulb emits, not light.


When is a 5x40mm confirmat screw appropriate compared to the slightly larger 7x50mm screw? I'm thinking about getting some confirmat screws for 3/4" material. Should I get the 40mm or the 50mm variety?

According to this supplier 7x50 is for 3/4" materials and 5x40 is for 1/2" materials.


Will 300 watts of electricity ruin a 288Watt LED light bar I bought this LED light bar:

Light Bar

It has an operating voltage of 10-30DC and consumes 288 Watts of power. I also bought a 12V 30Amp Power supply that allows me to adjust the voltage like this one:

Power Supply

So I can adjust it down to the light's minimum of 10V, but at 30 amps, I'm sending 300 Watts of electricity into the light. So my question is will the extra 12 watts break the LED Light bar? Or am I safe to use it?

Thanks!

If the light bar is designed to run on 12V of electricity, you won't harm anything by running it at 12V (if it's designed for use in a car, it will run on 13.8V without harm, since that's the nominal voltage of the car's electrical system when the car is running - most devices designed for automotive use will run fine from around 12V to around 15V).

The 10 - 30 VDC rating if your Lightbar means it will operate normally at any voltage from 10V - 30V, and it will only use as much current as it needs, it won't suck up all 30A of current from your power supply. Another way to look at it: a car battery is capable of putting out hundreds of amps of peak current, so if the device worked the way you think it does, as soon as you hook it up in a car, it would suck down as much current as the wiring and battery would allow -- possibly thousands of watts.

If you were building your own light bar out of discrete LED's (or something like a an LED light strip) rather than using this device that's already designed for 12V use, then you would need to be concerned with current draw. LED's are "constant current" devices, they normally need a special LED driver that will limit the current to the LED to the correct range and if you hooked a typical LED to your 12V power supply, it would try to use as much current as your power supply can provide until something burns up (most likely, the LED would).

But in your case since your Lightbar is rated for automotive use, you can safely plug it into a 12V power supply without worry.


Is it difficult to work around cellulose installation? I am a new house owner since July of 2014. I bought a 50 year old house with good bones and a great opportunity to flip it.

My attic has a pathetic R5 insulation at the moment. Being a young home owner and this being my first house, I was eligible for a government grant. They pay the materials as long as I do all the work. This being said, the work needs to be done right or else I don't get a cent!

My first concern is all the wiring in the attic. How hard does cellulose become when it's 'dried'? Does it stay mushy and malleable or does it become like polyurethane and get solid as a rock? I will need to go back into the attic some day and start rewiring a couple things, will this be easily doable with cellulose all over the place?

Secondly, I have no roof vents or anything. The only thing coming out of my roof is my chimney. I have no bathroom fans, kitchen fans, nothing. How hard will it be to install this after the cellulose is done?

Blown-in cellulose insulation is fluffy stuff. It doesn't harden. You can shovel it out of the way if you need to work in the attic; you just need to redistribute it evenly back into place when you're done. So it makes working in that space something of a nuisance, but not worse than that.

(Assuming a traditional attic. If yours is a low-roof crawlspace, moving the blown-in around may be more of a problem, just because there's less space to move it into.)


How can I repair a sticking temperature gauge on heating valve? The plumbing for my building heating system has temperature gauges on the outlet and inlet pipes. One of these gauges sticks - I can make it show the correct temperature by tapping the gauge quite hard or by flexing the dial.

It looks like it is held in place by a grub-screw. Is it possible to replace these gauges and are there suppliers in the UK?

It is possible to replace those gages... The most important step will be to make sure the system is off and full dis-pressurized before you try to remove the old gage.  @PeterLoron is correct that the brass screw in thingy on the top (technical term) is for releasing pressure. You can find replacement valves in a variety of on-line stores such as: here, here, or here.  When you remove your thermometer from the line, the back should look like below:

(source: pexsupply.com)  .

These valves come in a variety of sizes and different thread patterns and in a few cases, if when you look in the back you cannot see the hex shape to get a wrench on in the back, a few are even soldered in (you may need some help to replace this type if you're not familiar with soldering, they can be touchy).  You may decide to replace it with a temp/pressure gage as well.


Can a locksmith open a deadbolt lock? I wonder how secure my deadbolt lock is.

How difficult is it for a professional to open such a lock?

Any lock can be opened.  The questions are:

How long will it take?
How much skill is required?
What tools are needed?

Depending on the particular deadbolt, it will be somewhere between trivial and moderately difficult. At some point, anyone who wants to get in will just move to the windows or other weak points.


Does this look like a crack in my heat exchanger? I had someone come in to inspect my furnace and was told my heat exchanger has a crack and the whole system should be replaced ASAP due to carbon monoxide risks. It's 16 years old but I haven't had any issues with it. So I'm wondering if it's a scare tactic. I already have CO alarms around the house.

In your opinion, does the first picture below (left side of exchanger) look like a crack? The second picture is the right side, which still looks really good.

I had a similar experience. I did not trust the tech's report and felt like I was being setup for a replacement instead of a repair.

The tech's report mentioned a smoke test. More research online revealed a match test. My furnace has flame injectors. Remove cover to injectors. Turn on heat. Observe flame. Any orange? Even intermittent? Possible crack. Turn off heat. Turn on fan (only). Turn off gas at valve by furnace. Ventilate to eliminate gas traces. Light a match and hold it up to each heat exchanger opening. Does the flame move as though air is passing over it? If so, exchanger is cracked and should be replaced.

I found a new exchanger for my 19 yo Goodman 92% furnace online for $100 + $40 shipping. Used Permatex Red to replace gasket to secondary heat exchanger.  It was quite an effort.

(Side note: had to replace control board before I could perform above test.)

All summed up: $80 tech visit, $75 board, $140 heat exchanger, $20 supplies, gas sniffer (forgot how much - worth peace of mind - good tool for any DIY'r)
Experience: priceless; when I finally replace this furnace I will do it myself
Alternative: $800+ new furnace (DIY) or $$$$$$$ by HVAC Inc.


Tiling kitchen spashback with gap between worktop and wall I'm planning on tiling a kitchen splashback (first time tiling project). Unfortunately due to curvature of the wall, there is a gap between the worktop and the wall. This varies in thickness between about 2mm and 9mm.

The tiles I'll be using are 6mm thick metro tiles (flat, no bevel), and I'm planning to use a 6mm square notched trowel – which by my research will mean the tiles will end up 3mm away from the wall.

I feel that there is a good chance that the tiles will slip down into the gap behind the worktop. My question is therefore: How should I stop the tiles falling down into the gap, and instead keep a level first row?

So far I have considered:

Plugging the gap with a strip of wood. Seems ideal, but unfortunately I don't have a suitable piece of wood nor the tools to craft one, and it is difficult to get hold of this sort of thing at the moment!
Filling the gap with caulk/grout/filler. This would be easy enough, but could I get a level enough surface to start the tiling from?
Tiling off a metal rule. I can't re-find it now, but I read somewhere that you can lay the first set of tiles on top of a metal ruler – presumably laid flat on the worktop? Could this help to form a temporary 'bridge' over the gap?

I like option three.

Put down painters tape first then slide the ruler to the wall and tape it down securely along the edge away from the wall. This gives you straight edge to work on.( assuming your counter is straight )

Once your tile is set ( 24 hours ) you can pull the tape, gently slide out the ruler and remove the other tape.

If you still have a small gap the  caulk between the countertop and the tile should cover it.


How to implement a zoned low-voltage lighting? I have about 80ft of exterior stairs with two landings to which I want to add three zones of low-voltage lights. I would like a 3-way switch controlling each zone at the top and the bottom of the zone.
I believe I could use one transformer and run low-voltage wire to all my switches however, I am having a hard time finding appropriate exterior switches and the equivalent of 3-wire wet-location low voltage wire.
My 120V brain says to just use UF-B 120V wiring and wet location switches/boxes that then feed three separate GFCI outlets into which I plug three separate transformers. The expensive part of the project are the lights so paying more for UF-B 14/3 or 12/3, for instance, appears nominal.
I'm using 12guage and a 20amp GFCI breaker wire in the example in case I need to use the outlet for electrical tools in the future. Other than having to buy three transformers instead of one, what are the benefits of a all low-voltage system over what I am proposing?
This is the only DC wall switch I can find: Leviton 12021-2I (SPST)

I'd use relays for this
The simplest way to get out of this jam without throwing a bunch of lighting transformers at it would be to use single-pole/single-throw switches to switch on and off SPDT relays that control the lighting loads, as SPDT relay contacts can be wired in the same fashion as 3-way switches.  For the switches, you can use Leviton 56021s with Bell 5123 (single) and 5127 (double) weatherproof covers; you have a couple options for relays, though.  If you have space around where you're installing the switches, you can thread Functional Devices RIBU1C-N4 relays into hubs on the switch boxes; an alternative approach would be to use AP&C PAM-4 relays mounted inside the boxes, but this requires a fair bit of box real estate at each switch location.  Both of these relays are rated for switching significant resistive load at 28VDC (7A for the PAM-4, 10A for the RIBU1C-N4), so 3A of LED lighting shouldn't be a significant challenge.


Can I power both legs of my breaker panel with 120 volts from a Honda eu3000is generator? I have already installed a interlock kit and reliance 30 amp inlet with 10/3 wire and a two pole 30 amp breaker. I also see there are pigtails you can buy to jump the single 120 volt wire coming from the Honda so the inlet and panel configuration would meet code. I don’t have any MWCB in the panel.
I do have two double pole breakers one to power the dryer and the other for the stove.
I will buy another generator if this plan won’t work but I really like the idea of not spending money on a new generator when the Honda is almost new.
Also I almost forgot to mention I have natural gas heat and water heater.
Well will it work?

Yes you can power both legs of the panel from a single 120 volt source. Any 240 volt appliance won't work properly, and as you noted multi-wire branch circuits would be at risk of over-current on their neutral. Everything else should be fine.
One thing to check is the neutral-ground bond. Honda EU-series do not have a built-in neutral-ground bond. Make sure your system is appropriately bonded when switched to generator inlet mode.
Edit: More info about neutral-ground bond
Part of the reason we bring ground wires along with the line and neutral wires, at least in the USA wiring custom, is for safety. If certain kinds of electrical faults occur they could result in current flowing from one of the energized lines to earth-ground. Earth (dirt) isn't a great conductor, though, so the current won't be high enough to cause a circuit breaker to trip. Tripping a breaker is a good thing because it de-energizes the fault and because it calls attention to the problem. It turns out that if we "bond" (connect) the earth-ground wiring to the neutral then that fault current will be high enough to cause a breaker to trip.
There should be only one neutral-ground bond in a system. In a single-family home context that bond should be found in the first service panel -- usually the one where the electric meter is installed. It can take several forms: a screw that electrically connects a neutral bus bar to the housing of the panel, or a jumper wire between neutral bar and ground bar, or simply neutral wires and ground wires all landing on the same bus bar.
By definition all transfer switches switch the line conductors(s). Some also switch the neutral (and some switch the ground too? I'm not certain.). If a system has a 1- or 2-wire transfer switch, ie it switches only the line conductors, the generator connection should be arranged so that it does not introduce a second bond. With a 3- or 4-wire transfer switch, though, one needs to figure out whether the existing bond becomes disconnected by operation of the transfer switch.
In summary: it comes down to tracing wires. When the house is configured for normal grid power confirm electrical continuity (0-ohm resistance) between ground and neutral wires. Figure out where that connection/bond exists. Then configure the house for generator power, trace wires, and figure out whether that same ground-neutral bond is still in effect (and is the only bond), or whether there are 0 or 2+ bonds in the generator configuration.


Replace a dimmer switch with a regular light switch I removed a dimmer switch controlling 5 canister lights in my kitchen, and saw three black wires coming out of the wall box.  Two of the black wires were connected to one of two black wires on the dimmer switch, and the third was connected to the second black wire on the dimmer.  The ground coming out of the wall was connected to the ground on the dimmer, and all of the white wires in the wall box were terminated in a wire nut.

I used a three pole toggle switch and connected the lone black wire to the common black screw in the toggle switch, and each of the two black wires that were wired together with one of the black dimmer wires to the remaining brass colored posts on the toggle switch.  Finally, I connected the ground to the green screw and didn't do anything with the white wires except put them back.

Everything works, and the place isn't in flames.  My question is, has anyone seen a setup like that, and did I use the right toggle switch (3 pole) to make the conversion?

Why would you replace a single pole dimmer with a 3-way switch?? I pity the next person who tries to figure out what the heck is going on with this.

Correct replacement would have been - leave the wires that are connected to each other connected to each other. Remove dimmer with one in, one out - replace with switch with one in, one out, connecting wall wires just as they were connected to the dimmer.


Confusion on Fixture WIring Help I'm trying to hook up a new light fixture and when I removed the old one, what I saw confused me.

The taped wire on the far left seems to be coming from the switch, I've tested with a voltage reader by turning on and off the power and testing from a distance with a wooden yard stick.

The bundle of black wires second from the left was within the box already when I took the old fixture off.

The remaining two wires are seemingly a neutral on the far right with the yellow cap (no voltage with power), and a hot that's constantly on.

When I first hooked up the fixture, I could power the fixture from the switch, and it seemingly worked fine. I had only hooked up the switch wire to the black from the fixture and capped off the remaining hot thinking it was from a fan the previous owners might have had. I then noticed that two rooms did not have power, realizing that the remaining hot needed to be hooked up, somehow.

I've tried seemingly every combination I can think of, even tripping the breaker at one point due to I think a live and neutral being capped together.

A couple of observations I've made:

If I connect the fixture black to the continuously hot black, the lights flicker, and the upstream rooms also flicker on and off, and the light switch doesn't work
If I connect the fixture black to the switch black, the light no longer turns on and off from the switch and nothing is on downstream from the fixture. Note: I can still turn the switch on and off and read voltage through my jury rig that is extremely dangerous I'm sure.
If I connect all three live wires together (fixture black, box continuous hot, and switch hot), it's similar to #1

My questions are:

What are these bundles of three random black wires?
Did the circuit tripping end up short circuiting the switch, and
that's why everything else is no longer working?

Thanks!

OK, after turning off the breaker, take the two white wires on the right, with the orange and the yellow wire nuts, and twist them together. Turn the power back on and check the other rooms for power. If they have it, get your voltage meter and check between the ones you just twisted together and the white wire with the tape coming from the switch. If you get some on/off readings while operating the switch, then turn off the power again and hook the black wire from the fixture to the white taped wire from the switch and the white wire from the fixture to the two you twisted together. Turn back on the power and text everything. Turn off the power again, tuck the wires back into the box  and screw in the fixture.

FYI, that group of black wires contains the hot from the breaker, the hot to the switch and the hot to the other rooms.


Is it okay to have Sparks inside drill machines? I am seeing sparks inside my brand new drill machine. It is a 550 Watt Skil 6513 drill machine (not cordless).

Attached screenshot:

1) Sparks in red when I switched on

2) Here it sparks (in blue) throughout the process

I went through a few forum threads where people said sparks inside brushed drill machines are common, but all of them mentioned old drill machines and I am unsure about having sparks in a brand new machine. Could anyone clarify?

Typical AC line powered power tools do use universal type motors that use carbon brushes contacting with the copper poles of the rotating commutator on the motor shaft.

It is not uncommon to see sparks at the interface point between the carbon brush and the commutator as the motor operates. The amount of sparking will often reduce as the brushes wear in during use of the tool.

Brushes do wear down to the point of needing replacement. When brushes are replaced it is common to once again see increased sparking until the brushes wear to the shape of the commutator.

The presence of sparking should make it clear to avoid use of tools like this in an enclosed space when there is an extremely explosive environment with little ventilation.


Can't turn off security light permenantly I've just moved into a house which has a secuirty light. It's off during the day and it comes on frequently during the night even when there's seemingly no motion outside.

I'd like to be able to disable it, but the switch which controls it only seems to have two settings: constantly on, and sensor triggered. I want to know how to set it into a mode where it stays off until I turn it on with the switch.

Edit: Apologies for not being more clear about the switch. It's just a wall switch inside the house. There's two switches on it, but one controls a light inside the house. The other is simple an on/off type switch you'd normally use to control a normal light in the house. In the down position, the light is permanently on. In the up position, the light is in sensor mode.

It sounds as if the light is being controlled by a single 3-way switch. The hot lead is run to the common and two switched hots are run to the traveller terminals.

You could create a master switch by adding a single pole switch that interrupts the hot lead before it goes to the 3-way. You could expand the box holding the switch to a 2-gang type and wire the new switch with the existing hot lead and a short pigtail from its second terminal to the 3-way common.

You also could do the same with a double switch in the existing single gang box. Either a single pole/3-way combination or even a 3-way/3-way combination would work.

In this case, the pigtail runs from one terminal of the master switch (the single pole switch) to the common terminal of the 3-way. if you are using a dual 3-way, just leave one of the traveler terminals unused.

In either case, the white (neutral) and ground leads are left connected, just adding a pigtail from the grounds to the new switch.


How can I safely cut this pipe with an angle grinder? I have a two inch cast iron pipe w/cup coming up from a concrete floor.  There used to be a connection at the cup for a sink drain.  That piece was broken by my handy man and subsequently removed by me.  Now I need to cut off the cup to facilitate repair using ABS part with rubber connections to drain and vent.  A chain break does not fit between the pipe and the wall; there is no room for a reciprocating saw; so I am considering a 9" angle grinder operated with the cutting wheel facing up.  How do I keep the cup from pinching the cutting wheel or flying out when it is cut through?  I don't even like  having the wheel facing up, so I might cut lower on the pipe to avoid the cup interfering with the grinder body.  Any help will  be appreciated.

Remember, cast iron is brittle.  A chain-breaker does not actually cut it, it cracks and separates it.  You can use the same principle: use the angle grinder make a groove to weaken material around the perimeter of the material  right where you want it to break.  Then allow the grinding wheel to penetrate all the way through at only a single spot (a 1/4" or so).  Then use a regular cold chisel to finish the job:  Drive the chisel in at a tangent, following the groove you just cut.  The wedge shape of the chisel will lift the cup up and away from the pipe, and like cutting glass, it'll snap right where you weakened it.

I've done it many times, and it only takes a few minutes.


Ceiling Fan and Light stop working I have a Ceiling Fan and Light stop working yesterday. I used a klein to test the voltage, the switch is OK, and when the I turn on, I can detect the voltage around the bulb. What could be the issue?

Thanks.

This kind of tester will tell if the wire is hot. A bad return path (white wire) could be the cause. Also the lamp can be bad, but you said both quit so I would check to see if the neutral wiggled loose.


Replace timer dimmer switch with dimmer switch I am replacing a lutron dimmer timer switch with just dimmer switch. The problem is the black wire that goes inside the current switch’s body. The new switch doesn’t have the need for this black wire so I’ll likely cap it but how will i take it out?

It seems integrated into the body of the switch.

As @manassehkatz says, that is probably a wire "back-stabbed" into the dimmer. That means it will be tightened/loosened by operating the nearby screw.

It also means that the two black wires affected by that screw are in contact with each other. It could be that:

Your power is coming from the left side of the image, and the dimmer actually controls two lights or fans or whatever. Something like:

power >> ----+    +----> light 1
             |    |
             Dimmer
                  |
                  +----> light 2

Your power is coming from one of the two right-side wires, and the dimmer controls the left-side wire. In that case, the second wire will be an "un-dimmed take-off" that goes to some other place where unswitched/undimmed power is needed. Something like:

light <--+    +----- << Power
         |    |
         Dimmer
              |
              +-----> Unswitched/undimmed to someplace else

In either event, the "How will I take it out?" is easy - just unscrew that screw. But you need to MARK THE WIRES!!! Use tape, or a marker, or colored bread-bag ties, or nail polish, or whatever you have available, but make sure you don't lose track of what is what.


Is it necessary to use GFCI receptacle with AFCI/GFCI combo breaker? I was just reading about the dual GFCI and AFCI breakers. Is it then necessary to use a GFCI receptacle with these breakers, or is that redundant? Also, rather than just pushing a button in your bathroom to reset or test, do you need to go to your panel each time?

If you have a circuit where you need both AFCI and GFCI protection for some reason, yes, these breakers are fine to use, and no, you do not need additional GFI receptacles. That would be redundant and waste $$$.

Yes, you definitely would need to go to the breaker panel to reset a tripped breaker. There is no such thing as a "remote reset".

You also should test them once a month or so.


What size chuck key do I need for my Black & Decker DNJ62 drill? I have been given an ancient Black and Decker DNJ62 power drill from my father (who knows even less about DIY than I - which is saying something).  Unfortunately he has lost the chuck key for it, which is something of a draw back.

Am I correct in thinking from the label attached below that I need a 13 mmm chuck key like this one from Screwfix for this drill?

I fear I'm asking a stupid question here, but it did occur to me that the  13 mm below might refer to something else (maximum size of drill bit?) and it would be frustrating to get home with the wrong size chuck...

13mm / 1/2" refers to the size of the chuck which is also the maximum size bit, though there are some larger bits specifically designed to fit in a 1/2" drill, with a 1/2" shank and a larger tip.

There are plenty of "universal" chuck keys available, which may be the best way to go. But you should be OK with a 1/2" chuck key.


Non-metallic cable in Knob and Tube Boxes Does NEC specifically prohibit NM cable in an old K&T switch box?

I need to do the calculations, but I think I have room as I'm just terminating a 12/2 cable to a receptacle (K&T removed from box).

My question relates more to the clamps. The old clamps are designed for the circular profile of the K&T insulation. Not sure if this will cause cable damage or cause other problems with cable. Also, since it is K&T - no grounding screw present. My plan was to use a grounding screw on the existing unused threaded hole for a second set of internal clamps

Thanks in advance.

The NM has to be secured near the box, or by a NM clamp in the box.  When you're fishing NM, you can't secure it near the box, so you really have to secure it at the box.  I think your best bet is to install a new old-work box.


Multiple end receptacles in one room I have an old house and want to add an GFCI to the "first" outlet to add protection to the the outlet. However, one of the rooms has multiple end receptacles which means there are only one hot and one neutral wire coming in each box. How were these outlets wired?
Thanks in advance.

There is a junction box where the feed is split and goes to each of your "end" outlets if they are on the same circuit. If they are on different circuits, they could actually be end outlets for the two circuits.
What you'd have to do is install a separate GFCI outlet at each location. Check all the outlet boxes because you might find where the feed splits and you could install the GFCI outlet there.


How should I add flooring in my "crawl" space? Our house has a basement where part of it is finished but one section is closed off by a door and just has a dirt floor.  The space is about 25'x25' and about 12' tall (not really a "crawl" space) with a dirt floor.  There are about 10 concrete block piers that are about 2'x2' and I suppose that's why the area is unfinished.  When opening the door I have to step down about three feet to get to the ground.

The area is dry and I use it to store stuff that I don't use very often (Christmas decorations, tubs, etc).  I would like to be more organized and have shelves and such, but the ground is unlevel, has rocks, bricks, concrete, etc and doesn't provide a good place to stack stuff. I would like to install a floor, sorta like a deck but perhaps with plywood rather than planks.  My first thought was to just build around the piers, setting posts at each corner.  I suppose this would work, but it would be a LOT of hole digging and I suspect I'll hit concrete near the piers.  My second thought was to install angle iron around the piers and use it as support for boards as I build around the posts.  I'm not too thrilled with that idea either because I have to drill eight holes in each post which doesn't seem like a great idea for support piers.  Perhaps that's fine, but I want to hear it from others rather than just assuming.

Darvis,

I would build a deck out of wood and plywood. Use treated wood if you think there is ANY chance of moisture or insect issues.

Support your deck beams with short piers of their own. Then just cut the plywood to fit around the existing peirs. I don't see a need to tie the new deck into the existing posts. It doesn't sound like the new deck can pull away from a wall or fall over.

Whatever you do you might want to put down a vapor barrier and insulation.


What's the maximum span for a regular kitchen worktop? I'm looking at using a regular laminated worktop as a desk in my office room. The room is just under 3m long - would I need to add a leg support in the middle if I attach it to the wall with a simple timber baton on three sides?

Something like this - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Worktop-Solid-Wood-Beech-28x600mmx3m/p/193142

On the plus side you have linked a solid timber top, and those are stiffer than most composite types. On the minus side, 3m is quite a long span for a 28mm thick slab of wood. Some sort of support in the middle would probably be advisable - a leg would work, you could also run some sort of beam under the top, or use large brackets to the wall (if you'd prefer to keep the floor under it clear.)


Why is humidity high from one unit but not the other? Two months ago, I posted about our upstairs a/c not cooling all of a sudden. I ended up replacing the capacitor for the blower fan and the contactor, which did the trick. AC cools!!!  However since then, there has been increased humidity upstairs (>60%), and I just can't figure out why. We keep the temperature between 75-78, and live in NC.  It seems to be related to this unit, as the downstairs air at the same temperature, has lower humidity (<60%).

As I understand, humidity comes out of the air as it is cooled across the coils, in the form of condensation. It is captured in the pan under the evap coils. There is a drain to evacuate water to an overflow pan from the pan beneath the coils when it gets to a certain level.

Please tell me what else I am missing from my understanding of how air is dehumidified in a central ac unit (without a separate dehumidifier). I don't know if there is a fan that "evaporates" off the condensation like there is with a refrigerator or freezer.

This is what I've inspected/done:

Inspected drain pan, which was bone dry.
Accessed the evap coil, and found 1/2 inch of water which I drained. No blockage to the overflow pan.  There is some rust on coils and at the bottom of the pan, but I didn't see any pitting or obvious leaks.
Fins over the eval coils were pretty clean - no dust.
Cleaned the fins on the coils in the outside unit which were dusty

There must be something fundamental I don't understand, because if unit is cooling to the correct temperature, it seems that we don't have a cooling or a handling issue. But why would humidity be an issue now, if it wasn't before, and particularly, only on this one unit.

Most residential AC system thermostats only turn on based on temperature. And most residential AC systems only dehumidify when then AC is cooling. Therefore, it's very possible that the AC is cooling the house faster than it can dehumidify. Try turning the thermostat down a couple of degrees.


Brand of kitchen sink with crown logo and CSA stamp I'm looking for the brand/manufacturer of this stainless steel double kitchen sink with a crown logo both on the sink and the strainer, as well as a CSA stamp... In Canada as you can guess. Guessing this is a low-cost, contractor available sink, may have been sold via Home Hardware.

OK, turns out a little bit more research never hurts. It was a Kindred sink: https://www.kindred-sinkware.com/ca/en.html


I went to turn on my air compressor which is 240v & the draw of it dimmed everything & the waterwell pulled power from everything in garage on startup My compressor is on its own 240 breaker by itself. While testing all wiring to the garage we noticed that one of the feed wires to the breaker box from the meter approximately 100 ft from from each other was putting out 123 volts & the other side read 0.03 so only half the box is hot. About 5 yrs ago we switched from overhead wiring to under ground for both house & garage & are separate from each other & all has new wiring breakers & boxes. In the garage I currently have all breakers removed except 1 breaker that operates the led lights & outlet boxes, 1 breaker that is connected to a motor home, & 1 that runs the pump for our water well Which the pump is above ground. The compressor breaker is pulled because I feel the motor is fried it had power to all the wires in the back of motor but doesn't work. Now back to the well, every time the well kicks on it draws enough power to dim the lights in garage almost totally out. The pump on well is 120 volt. I'm thinking I have a bad underground main wire from the meter to the breaker box or could it be something else. The power on both each of the  lead wires at the meter show 123 volts each. I appreciate any answer you can give. Thank you

This is probably a classic supply line problem. If the pump is on an opposite leg from the lighting, it's "using up" limited neutral capacity due to a poor connection Dangerous. If the pump is on the same leg as the lighting, well (no pun intended), it's taxing a bad hot connection.  But I doubt that because the pump probably wouldn't even run.  As Ed, 3ph and Harp have repeatedly said here, this situation sounds like an open or compromised neutral feed.  Dangerous for everybody and everything. You're going to need to take measurements in various panels to make sure you have 240 across the hots and 120 to neutral and ground.  Just recently it was suggested in a situation like this to first contact the power company as they will come out for free to make sure their connections are solid.   Let us know what you find, we all learn from that.


Grout or caulk on tile floor to tile wall My shower has tile floors and walls and the connection between them is very rough and needs to be re-done.  It looks like previously there was some caulk added in spots.

What is the recommended product for this location?  Grout or Caulk?  I've read that caulk tends to mold over time.  If it is grout, how do you grout in a 90 degree angle like this?

Thanks!

Caulk is the way to go when there is a change of plane as there are shifts in the structure that will crack regular grout. You should clean all that mess out of there with a utility knife, single edge razor blades, a #10 scalpel, whatever. Clean out with some vinegar to kill any mold residue, let dry and re caulk with  quality silicone caulk.

The only time grout would/could be used here is if you use the epoxy grout. It is more expensive and harder to work with but will yield great results.

By the way, all wet surfaces will mold over time without regular cleaning.

You would grout a location like this by placing mixed grout on the floor and ramming it into the crack with a grout float... something like a thick rubber trowel....


What type of paint is suitable over Cempolay Ultra Strong concrete leveler? I've leveled my garage floor using Cempolay Ultra Strong and the instructions state "Suitable for use on domestic garage floors
prior to over coating with a suitable floor paint."

Would anyone have any insight into a "suitable floor paint"? I have emailed manufacturers but they have not responded.

I guess I would like the paint to be a red an durable enough to last a few years of a car and motorcycle coming in and out of the garage.

No need to name brands, just the ingredients I should be looking out for. Thanks.

2 part epoxy paints are the toughest for garage floors. The floor paint in 1 can really has not held up well for those I know that have used it. The 1 part stuff pulls up where the tires sit. I had a 3 bay shop with a 33' motor home in 1 bay and 3500 diesel truck in another and the floor looked great after 8-10 years when I sold the place. some of the big box stores carry 2 part but I am not sure if it comes in red, I only remember blue and gray.


How do I prop open an awning window? I have a top hung window (it opens by swinging outwards) in a unit on a high floor of a resident building, that experiences significant wind gusts.

What's the best way to prop the window open?

I've tried a simple rod, but because the wind sometimes pulls the window outwards the rod will eventually fall loose.

What you're looking for is known as a window stay. They're mounted to the window sash and the opening and allow infinite position adjustment for awning windows such as yours.


Custom skylights with irregular shapes? Is it possible to get a skylight to fit an irregular space on the roof?  I'd like to fit a skylight into the location shown below, but extending all the way down to the bend in the roof.  This would basically add a right triangle to the bottom of the rectangle.

If it's possible, would there be any concerns regarding water drainage in an arrangement like this?

You can probably get custom built sky lights made up but I would strongly suggest not doing that. Skylights eventually need replacing as they age due to either clouding up or the seals give out due to thermal expansion/contractions. Finding a replacement for a custom unit can be a big pain.

Standard sky lights are made to fit between standard rafter spacings. The customization that you propose could interfere with how the roof is framed at the valley (which you called a bend).

What I have done in the past to make sky lights appear bigger than they actually are is to make the "tunnel" from the roof down to the interior ceiling have sloped sides down to a bigger opening size in the ceiling. This works especially well if the house is built with rafters that are NOT trusses. The ceiling joist spacing in the area needs to be widened to the desired width but this can be done by someone experienced with framing.

If the roof is made of trusses then the "tunnel" can be tapered in the spaces between the rafters but left with straight down walls parallel to the sides of the roof trusses.


Had an exterior front door installed The gap between the latch area and striker is too wide. Makes it easy to shim the latch if someone wanted to.

Any ideas how to fix this issue?

You can install a cover plate:

Obviously the screw heads have to be hard to open after installation.


How should I center a light fixture when there's a vent stack in the way? I've got a wastewater vent stack that is dead-center behind the master bath vanity. (See attached picture.) Previously, there was a single light fixture. You can still see the box, which wasn't mounted to anything and which was off center. (It was a new work box, and I have NO idea what held it in place while they hung drywall. The sheathing on this house is DennyBoard, and it certainly wasn't affixed to that.)

How should I mount a new box in order to be code-compliant? I am in Texas, and my city has recently adopted the 2011 electrical code. I am a homeowner doing my own work under the homestead exemption -- my city would normally require this work to be done by a licensed electrician. Everything I have done so far has passed without modification.

I can either move the soil stack to the side and install a piece of wood, or I might be able to mount something like a ceiling fan box that would allow me to adjust the position of the fixture horizontally, but I'm not sure how to make that work.

Since the circuit already has the maximum number of fixtures on it, I cannot install two light fixtures with one on either side of the soil stack without running a new circuit back to the panel. I can do that, but I'd rather avoid it.

Installing an old work box is not legal according to the inspector since I have the walls open (drywall had to come down to fix other issues.) I didn't ask if I could in theory mount the box to the PVC pipe somehow, but I intensely dislike that idea anyway. He told me, without mincing words, that it was my job to figure out how to do it and his to tell me if I'd done it right or wrong, and if I wasn't sure I should call a real electrician.

Throw four 45s at it and get vent out of the way.  Mount new work box in center.  Use Acme cable stretchers ;-).

How to mount new box, you ask?  How about toenailed jack stud floor to ceiling.


GE Dryer, Model GTDX100EM1WW Burnt Wiring White wire connecting to the door switch has burned through and detached from the connector head. There are also burn marks on the dryer drum.
I know at least temporarily fixing this is merely stripping the wire, crimping it to a new connector, and plugging it in... But why did this happen and how can I prevent it?

It looks as if the red connector in the first photo may not be the original, but a past DIY repair. I may be wrong, too.
Either way the wire should have a retaining clip close to the connection. The plastic grate in photo 1 most likely has a clip close to the terminal. If not zip tie the wires to a stable part of the dryer.
This most likely occurred due to vibration and the wire not being secured. If necessary solder the spade terminal to the wire for the most secure connection.


Older Moen Bathroom Faucet -- How to remove? I'm trying to release the sink faucet and handles. The lower part of each handle unscrews and gives me about 1/8" above the sink itself, but I don't see any hidden screws underneath. How do I remove these?

Look underneath the sink where the supply hoses are. There should be a nut holding the faucet to the sink. Once removed the handle can be lifted from the surface.


How can I repair a bathroom fan under garage that is leaking in the winter? I have a rigid metal exhaust pipe coming out of the bathroom fan over my downstairs bathroom.  It goes up at approximately a 30 degree angle for about twenty feet and stops just before it gets to the side of the garage, where it points, open, at a screen that seems to be mostly sealed (I don't know if this is how my attic over my house is supposed to be; I trusted that my roofer knew what he was doing).  There are joints about one/third and two/thirds of the way up the pipe.  The top third of the pipe is dry.  At the highest of the two joints, there are a few drops of water, that I'm sure are being formed by condensation, then running back down the outside of the pipe, to soak my fiberglass insulation and then drip down through the bathroom fan while it is on.

My questions are these:

Is this an immediate repair job, or can it wait until I have a week off in February?  Could it wait until summer (when it will be warmer for me or the condensation won't(?) be occurring)?
What would be involved in the repair? I'm thinking I'd need to replace any wet insulation, check the integrity of the drywall that forms the ceiling for the bathroom, and seal the pipe (somehow).  Are these accurate and what haven't I thought of?

3 -- What is the proper way to vent the end of that pipe out of my attic with that side vent (I wish I knew proper terminology, sorry; I'll try to get some pictures up here to help)?

The vent should be going directly outside, not venting inside the attic near a screen.  Also, the pipe should be covered in insulation to prevent the warm humid air from cooling down so much that the water vapour condenses and runs down the pipe into your bathroom.  This might be damaging your ceiling drywall, which is a pain to repair.

Extend the pipe through the exterior wall.  Use an exterior vent with a damper, so wind does not blow cold air into your house in winter.  There a a couple of different types of dampers, and the vents come in many colours and sizes to suit the exhaust pipe (can be various shapes and sizes), a 4" round vent is most common in North America for bathroom venting.  This can wait until February (it's already been years, I'm guessing - so another month shouldn't make any significant difference).
Insulate the pipe.  You can get pipe insulation that slides over the pipe.  If possible, you should do this now, to stop any further water damage.
If your insulation is soaking wet, replace it.
Repair your drywall if there has been water damage.  Be sure to use a stain-blocking primer before repainting the ceiling.


Zone Controller T-Stat Wiring w/ 24V transformer, isolation relays for 2 zones I have a new Navien SmartZone+ 6-Zone Control for my boiler-based heating system.   It is great, except it provides no power on C.

I realize the internet has researched the heck out of adding a C wire.  There are lots of solutions for different situations.

My case is a little different:  I have a 24V transformer and two isolation relays.  They were used previously to provide 2 Nests with C wires, so this worked before... but my plumber disassembled the old zone controller and I'm left a bit baffled by how this worked...

Wiring an isolation relay with a 24-V transformer is well explained by ecobee:

But I'm not sure based on this whether the following will work:

Split the L side of the 24V transformer and connect it to C for both thermostats and one side of each of the isolation relays
Split the N side of the 24V transformer and connect it to R for both thermostats
Wire the W from each thermostat back to their respective isolation relays

Do I have this right?  Thanks

That is correct, yes

That is a correct way to wire the coil-sides of two isolation relays -- one end of the secondary provides C to the relay coils and thermostat C wires, while the other side of the secondary provides R to the thermostats, and the W wires from the thermostats go to the free terminals on the corresponding relay coils.

The relay contacts then simply go in parallel -- this means that a call for heat from either thermostat will fire the boiler.


Part identification: Thermal cutoff within baseboard heater We had a contractor paint our baseboard heaters with white thermal paint. He gutted the radiator's electrical components, in order to prepare the chassis for painting. In doing so, he snipped what he thought to be a wire, undid a few screws, and extracted the thermal cut-off switch.

After painting, he replaced it back, and we ended up with this botched disaster:

Good news: this successfully proved that these switches fail safely. A damaged switch won't "pretend" to be fine, and permit a fire to occur.

Bad news: the thermal switch obviously no longer works, as it is stuck in the open (disconnected) position (as confirmed with my multimeter).

Looking closer on the switch, I can see markings saying:

"Wilcolator" (an old brand-name)
"Type L"
"250 ℉"
"52"
"72"
"CL-5C"

I tried googling all sorts of permutations of these, but couldn't find this component.

I have three questions:

I think that I can replace this with any other 250 ℉ thermal switch that's rated for a sufficiently high current for the heater. Is this correct?
What's the precise name of this type component, so that I can find a suitable replacement?

I've tried googling all sorts of similar terms, like:

Thermal fuse
Thermal cut-off switch
Thermal cutoff switch
Emergency thermal switch
Thermal limit switch
etc.

Most results are thermal fuses (like for circuit board use), and the closest things I could look like this component, but without the copper tube.
Bonus question: What's the operating principle behind this? I thought it was liquid filled, and uses the thermal expansion that occurs in an overheat scenario to push a normally closed switch into the open position.

Upon closer inspection, this can't be it, because otherwise it would
stay closed if the liquid escaped, such as when the tube is cut like
this.

Possible manufacturer could be: https://www.emerson.com/en-us/catalog/therm-o-disc-10h

Product bulletin describes how the thermostat works:

  The 10H capillary tube is vacuum-charged with selected fluids to give specific calibrations. When the calibration temperature is reached, a change in fluid vapor pressure allows the diaphragm to snap through and operate the contacts.

It might be impossible to source just one of those over-temperature switches from them. I'd look to replace the whole heater if an original or an approved replacement for a safety critical component can't be found.


Gas stove radiates heat even when off My relative rents an apartment with an old gas stove.  Even when off, it radiates heat and is being told that the heat is caused by the pilot light.  This is making it difficult to cool the apartment during the summer.  Could this be true, and if not the cause, what do you think the issue is?  Could the pilot light need to be adjusted?

As Ed Beal mentioned in a comment, something doesn't sound right here. I have a gas range as well, and it's getting over 90* F here lately. I don't have a steamy kitchen. I'd have an appliance tech look at the pilot to see whether it's far too large.


Can I replace 15 amp spiral CFL lights in garage with fluorescent lights? 1978 house. Garage has two crappy spiral CFL ceiling lights on 15amp ciruit, horrible lighting in cool spectrum. Can I replace them with big fluorescent or led shop lights? I need to better lighting everywhere in the garage. Are there other good garage lighting products, like on wall so workbenches get illuminated?
Thanks ahead of time!

Yes you can replace your spiral lights with 4’ fluorescent fixtures.
A 15 amp circuit can handle quite a few of those 2 or 4 lamp fixtures.
The average 4’ only consumes ~32w or 128w for a  4lamp fixture you could put almost a dozen of those fixtures on a 15 amp circuit.
Consider led, I convert my T8 & t12 lamps to led lamps more visible light and less power usage 15w 1800 lumens but the lamps cost 6.25 ea now.
The advantage to led is more perceived light at the given wavelength using 1/2 the power.
the big kicker is LED’s usually have at least a 50000 hour life and are not affected by turning on and off.
A fluorescent tube has a shorter life and just a month after installing there is a noticeable reduction in light output of placed next to an led.
I even purchase / get for free old fixtures and put LED’s in them
If you do go with LED get DLC certified 5 year warranty with DLC.  Then you could put even more lights up or enjoy the savings while being able to see.


How to find the water connection behind a shower wall? I've inherited a half finished bath remodel. The shower panel mounting brackets are installed and there is an empty 2 inch diameter hole, 3 feet off the floor. The original shower head / handle was on the same wall. There is hardibacker behind the porcelain tiles.

Without causing too much damage, how can I find the cold/hot connections and attach them to my shower panel?

Edit: This is the adjacent wall. Some of you suggested to go from this side. The toilet is about the same height as the shower hole.

What is on the other side of the wall?  Cutting a hole in the drywall on the other side would be the preferred method.  If the 2" diameter hole is not large enough for both flex-lines, the you might need to enlarge it, or drill a 2nd hole through the tile and backerboard with an appropriate bit and lots of muscle.

Though.... if the contractor abandoned the job the tile job probably wasn't done right either and will leak meaning you will need to rip it down anyway.


Design choice and max weight+bending for cantilever I am playing around with designing a truck camper with overhanging/cabover sleeping area/bed (picture).
The sleeping area/bed will be supported by 3 2x4s.
Now I need to figure out the best design and if they are actually feasible.

Design 1:

All 3 2x4 are cantilevers resting on 2x4 coming up from the bottom.

The view from the top:

-----|

-----|

-----|

View from the side:

-----|
     |
     |

Design 2:

The middle 2x4 is a cantilevers resting on 2x4 coming up from the bottom.
The 2x4 on the sides are longer and resting on 2 2x4s

The view from the top:

-----|-----|

-----|

-----|-----|

View from the side:

------------
     |     |
     |     |
     |     |

The dimensions

The cantilevers are 72" long.
For Design 2 I will have an extra of 36" coming to the 2nd 2x4.

The weight on the 3 bars will be around 440lbl.
This excludes any movement which might add stress to the structure.

The questions

Is this feasible at all?
Can any of the 2 designs carry the weight?
If possible could I come by with 2x2 to save weight?

Also I would greatly appreciate any reading material on how I can calculating this.

Design 1 does not look like a cantilever design. It looks like the ends of the boards are attached to vertical posts. No, I don’t think this design will work.

In Design 2, the two outside boards look like a cantilever, but the middle board looks like the end of the board is attached to something, but I’m not sure how it’s attached.

You could use a couple of 2x4’s (on edge) for a 6’ cantilever to support about 220 lbs. (half of total estimated weight) but how the connections are made are critical.

I’d use the vertical sheathing to stiffen the cantilever, but again, how it’s all connected is critical.

BTW, I doubt if your total load is just 440 lbs.  (Total load includes “live load” plus “dead load”.) Also, as you suggest, movement will cause the cantilever to bounce and put extra stress on the supports.


Voltage from Neutral to Ground I have a very specific, and very strange issue that I'm hoping someone with more knowledge can help me with.

In my bedroom, the majority of outlets (all on the same circuit) work just fine, and test fine.  ~120v hot to neutral, ~118v hot to ground, less than 2 volts neutral to ground.

However, I noticed that a single outlet has issues.  It appears that someone ran 3 wire electrical wire (I dont know why) from Outlet 1 to Outlet 2.  Outlet 1 tests fine, just like the rest of the room.  When testing Outlet 1 to Outlet 2, here's what I found:

Continuity passes from black to black
Continuity passes from red to red
Continuity fails from white to white

The white wire leaving Outlet 1 feels broken/loose, not sure how else to explain.  So, as a test, I used the red wire on both ends to connect neutral, and black for hot, and capped off the white wire.  Both sides are grounded.  Outlet 1 tests fine, but here's what happens then on Outlet 2:

Hot to Neutral tests at ~120v
Hot to ground tests at ~30v
Neutral to ground tests at ~90v

With Outlet 1 disconnected, the only impacted device I can find is Outlet 2.  But it seems as if the "broken" white wire in Outlet 1 is being used somewhere for ground, though I fear the problem is buried in the walls.

Is there something I can do here short of capping this off and running a new line from a good source?

With an open neutral at some point it would not be unusual to see a phantom voltage close to line voltage. The reason to have a black and red hot to an outlet is to have a switched outlet (when there are only 3 + ground) the jumper on the receptacle/ outlet needs to be broken for it to work but this is normal.

I would check and see if there is a bit of slack at the location you thought the white could be broken because I believe your neutral is open and the hot wires in close proximity to to your open neutral is creating a phantom voltage to ground.


Can I attach the main ground from my service panel to the old steel water main in my house? My current main ground is improperly connected to the water line in my house and I am planning on changing it this week. It is "connected" to (read: formerly soldered, now kind-of-sort-of laying on) a random point on the supply line in the center of my house directly under the bathroom approximately 20 feet from the point at which the main water supply comes into the house.

About 3 feet next to the service panel is what I am convinced is the old water supply when steel was the norm. Instead of running a new grounding wire ~65 feet to the current main, can I run the grounding wire to the steel pipe right next to the box? I do not know any specifics about the pipe other than it being steel but I find it hard to believe that it would have been removed when they converted to copper (my house is ~150 feet from the street).

You would be advised to not depend on the condition of some old discontinued water pipe for grounding. That pipe may have rusted and corroded so much that a lot of it is missing or not even making a low resistance connection into the earth.

If it was me looking to correct this condition I would contact my local building / electrical safety agency and/or inspectors and determine if you can ground with a copper clad steel grounding rod that you would pound 8 or 10 feet into the ground outside the foundation near the electrical service box. Then the appropriate size heavy gauge copper wire would be run from the service panel to the ground rod.


How to remove bulb from ceiling fan fixture I can't figure out how to get into the light fixture on this fan. There don't appear to be any screws or tabs. I tried pulling it down gently. I also tried twisting it gently. It is possible that it twists or pulls down, but I don't want to damage the fan by applying too much pressure. How do I change the bulb on this fan?

There should be little metal pressure tabs holding in place, it's just a matter of applying a little more downward force. How? Pry it around the edges, gently and carefully, with a screw driver or dinner knife, don't mar it. Or use tape like in the picture below. More information in this video


Finding Ground/Neutral Wire in Switchboard Similar to this Install TP Link Wifi Switch and problems along with it, I was installing another WiFi switch at my place.

However this time when I opened the socket board, I did not find any Green wires, all the switches had suspended green wires which were not connected to any other wire.

I have taken a photo, can someone please help me find out Ground/Neutral pls.

I don't believe there's a neutral in this box.  I say this because neutrals are generally not switched, and as far as I can see every wire in the box is connected to a switch terminal (except the grounds).

The bundle of bare wires twisted together capped with a yellow wire nut are grounds.  Grounds can be bare or green.

This will be a problem.  the instructions for this device state a neutral is required.

There are a couple wiring issues there, bit of a train wreck overall, the two screw terminals on the switch are wrapped the wrong way, counterclockwise rather than clockwise, and the white one in particular looks like it's not too solid.


Is my water contaminated? I have a "blacklight" to check for dirt and noticed the water in the toilet bowl and a sinkful of water in the same bathroom had a distinct greenish color?  I poured a lot of bleach into the toilet to clean in out and the water then looked colourless under the blacklight (with the bleach).  After cleaning and flushing a couple of times, I was looking at that greenish water again under the blacklight.
This is actually serious because I am quite ill and one of the bacterial infections I have has some ability to fluoresce. I tried to get some information but it was way over my head and I don't know where else to turn at this point.

I suppose my question would be: what is the normal color of water when it is exposed to a blacklight? Should it change at all and if it does, is there something to be concerned with? Your help will be much appreciated.

You should take a sample of the water to a lab for analysis if you're really concerned. There are minerals that fluoresce under UV light, so it could be that and not bacteria. But I doubt that anyone other than a lab will be able to offer more than speculation on the matter.


How do I remove a wiffle ball from a pool vacuum pipe? A wiffle ball with a wad of string attached to it is stuck in the skimmer vacuum pipe of the pool at my Dad's place...

It is not completely clogged, but flow is restricted.  At a guess, the ball traveled about 15' underground (from the skimmer drain inlet towards the pump/furnace) before stopping.

We're assuming the ball is stuck at a joint coupling two different sized pipes together.  The above-ground pipes near the pump are galvanized metal, but the pipe at the skimmer drain side is PVC.

Things we've tried:

The pool company folks weren't able to help.
It's not possible to get a drain auger head through due to a couple of right-angles
An air compressor didn't help
Reversing the pump also didn't have any effect

Any suggestions on what else we can try?

You are going to need to "pig" the line. You will need to insert something very slightly smaller than the pipe diameter (so it doesn't get stuck!) into the pump side of the pipe (i.e. where the whiffle ball wants to go "to") a tennis ball or racquet ball might work, so might just some crumpled up news paper. Seal your pig into the pipe and rig up a fitting for the air compressor hose. Turn on the air compressor and your pig will travel to the blockage and then proceed to push it backwards out of the pipe.

You will probably spend $25-$50 USD on the fittings and such (depending on what you already own) but it is far cheaper than digging up the pipe and cutting it out.


Where can I find the U-factor (U-value) for a Pella window? I am trying to compare the Pella windows sold by the Pella sales person with the Pella windows sold at the big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot).  I have found a spec sheet with this information for Lowe's.  I found a spec sheet for Pella Pella but it doesn't have a U-value.

Example 1: it brags about the U-factor and offers a footnote that says, "Based
on comparing product quotes and published STC/OITC and U-Factor ratings of leading national wood window and
patio door brands."

Example 2: No mention.

For the 250 series I found a U value at Lowes of 0.27 here (click on "specifications").

As with most items, there are good, better and best. With Pelli, you can break that down into another hundred parts or so.

Background:

In the construction industry, most items (locks, carpet, windows, roofing, etc.) are divided into “design grade” and “spec grade”.

Design Grade is the top grade and used by architects and contractors for top performance. Here clients are looking for the best long term performance. Here’s a sample of what architects select from: https://content.pella.com/cs/groups/public/documents/document/mhat/mdy2/~edisp/p-066812.pdf?_ga=2.190888361.2053217315.1575606363-1340307589.1575606363

Spec Grade is the lower grade and is usually used by spec builders, box stores, etc. These products are often chosen based on lowest cost. (If a manufacturer can “save a buck” to get the sale, they’ll do it at the expense of performance.) So a box store often has one low cost (and low performance) for home owners to choose.

Summary:

The “U value” of windows depends on 1) quality of frame, 2) number of panes of glass, 3) argon gas, 4) low E coatings, 5) air space between panes, etc.

So, in your “Example 1” where they show the window has a U-value of 0.27 it’s because the are using their lowest quality (and least expensive) frame and glazing.

However, in your “Example 2” they do not list a U-value because there are a gazillion glazing and frame options. (Thank you Pella for making it so complicated.) Here’s a sample of some U-values (appears to go down to 0.15) for a couple different style of Pella windows:
www.pella.com/professional/adm/Clad-Wood/Pella-ArchtctSrsTrad_Awning.pdf

Take your pick, but it looks like you can get something significantly better than the “Spec” windows at a box store...if you’re willing to pay for it.

Fortunately, Pella is a high service manufacturer, so call them and they’ll walk you through the performance of the options. Then call a glazing company to get a bid.


Shower corner has grout covered in caulk We just moved into a newly flipped house, and one thing we've noticed in the showers are that the vertical corners are filled with grout, and then covered by caulk. I've always been told that any tile joints that change planes should be caulk, not grout, so that the grout won't crack as things shift over time.

I was able to notice because the caulk doesn't cover the grout very well, so I probably should fix that regardless. Can I just put a new layer of caulk over what is already there, or do I need to remove the previous layer first? Do I also need to remove the grout and replace the whole joint with caulk?

To address some questions in comments: The whole bathroom is less than 6 months old, so it's all in good condition at this point. I ask my question because I understand this to be bad practice and so it should be fixed to prevent issues in the future (mold, cracks, leaks, etc). If people don't think this is a problem then I'm happy to leave it as-is.

Here's a close-up of the worst section. The grout is about 0.25" wide.

The grout, assuming the rest of the shower was installed properly, isn't the last line of water defense so it's probably fine to leave as is.  Grout is permeable anyway so it wouldn't be a good line of defense anyway.  That being said, you can leave it as is.

If you want to recaulk it then I would definitely remove the grout as the new caulk will not adhere well without more room.  They sell little hand-held grout removers at the home improvement stores and, in my experience, they're not going to do the brunt of the job.  You'll need an electric oscillating tool to get it done.  You'll also need ear protection because the echo in a shower will make your ears ring for a day (I speak from experience).  For obvious reasons you'll also need a mask.  Your electric tool will likely leave little bits of grout that you'll follow up with the manual tool.


Power issues Skilsaw Model 77 I have a Skilsaw SHD 77 we bought new in 2015. We used it to build a 6' work bench and a chicken coupe. After sitting in a storage box for 2 years, I pulled it out to use and internal Sparks were higher than I remembered. Upon pulling the trigger again nothing/.

This is what I do know,

Brushes are clean, new and properly emplaced.

Power to and from the switch is proper via Multimeter

Blade turns by hand freely (unplugged)

no dust, grease or debri internally

Oil levels are good.

IT'S Basically NEW

A properly running brushed motor should have a chocolate brown appearance this is a oxide that forms from moisture and brush wear. I do extensive work on brush based motors there is always arcing but it should be uniform and not very large. If the saw was in a damp location the windings may be saturated causing the higher than normal arcing. Using an ohm meter on the power plug with the trigger pulled you should see a low value of resistance, rotate the blade a little at a time you should have a similar resistance value through a full 360 reveloition of the commuminator. If you don't have any dead spots and the saw was in a damp location you may be able to bake it out in a oven at approx 150 deg F. I have to do this to motors that have been sitting on the shelf in an unheated warehouse when they are an open drip frame style.
If you have a electrician friend ask to meg the motor, this is a high voltage ohm meter that checks for leakage in the windings to the frame while turning to the different field windings with the trigger pulled these values should be at least 10meg at 250 v higher is better.
Checking the continuity blade to blade on the plug with the trigger pulled is usually less than 10 ohms and on some motors less than 1 ohm. If no continuity verify there is nothing stuck under the brushes and they are making contact, I have never seen a brush base motor With more than a couple fried coils if no continuity through 360 degrees rotation of the com a brush contact wire may have burned off or the wire at the switch since you said there was voltage at the switch.


I dug holes for my pergola too wide I accidentally dug holes for my posts way too wide. They're like 22 inches wide and the width of the post is just 3 inches. I didn't know at the time that you only need the width of the hole to be just 4 times the width of the post. Anything more is just wasting cement. Question is, how do i make the holes narrower to the right width and at the same time keeping a perfect square shape to the hole?
Note: the posts are already attached to the roof and are sitting in the 2 foot holes so taking them out is out of the question.

Not to big of a concern.

You could take a 12" sono tube, slice it length wise and then pull it open enough to get it around the post. Then just overlap the slice and glue it with outdoor construction adhesive.

Once the glue sets you can back fill around the outside of the tube with soil, keeping it plumb and straight, and then you are ready to fill with concrete.


What is a GFI outlet used for, and where should I install them? What purpose does a GFI serve?  Where should they be used?

A GFI, or GFCI - Ground Fault Circuit Interupter device protects us from receiving electric shocks from faults in the electrical devices we use in our home. It works by comparing the input current on the hot side to the output current on the neutral side. If there's the slightest difference in current, on the order of a few milliamps, then there is current leaking out somewhere, possibly through somebody's body. To protect us in this situation, the device very quickly cuts off the power supply to the leaking device, within 20-30 milliseconds, greatly reducing any possible human tissue damage from errant current.

GFCI proctection should be provided anywhere there is a receptacle installed in an area subject to moisture, as the presence of moisture greatly increases the danger of accidental shock. The National Electric Code specifies many such areas in residential dwelling units, such as, but not limited to: Bathrooms; Garages and accessory buildings; All exterior receptacles; Crawl spaces; Unfinished basements; Kitchens; Laundry, Utility, Wet Bar Sink Areas; and Boathouses. Local building authorities may have additional requirements. The list of areas requiring GFCI protection has increased with every code revision. They were initially only required around pool areas in the '70s. Now they seem to be required nearly everywhere. You should question your local building authority for the latest, complete requirements.

GFCI protection can be provided either at the outlet by the now familiar outlet with the test and reset buttons, or at the distribution panel by way of a GFCI circuit breaker, which protects all outlets on the circuit it controls. Additional outlets can be protected downstream of the local outlet type with push buttons by wiring the added outlets to the LOAD side of the local GFCI device.

Thus, it is not possible to tell if a receptacle is GFCI protected or not by just looking at it. If any particular outlet doesn't seem to be providing power, not only should you check the circuit breakers, but also check any GFCI outlets with push buttons in the area.


Can I hardwire an LED retrofit disk My contractor messed up and put junction boxes into my new house instead of using recessed cans like I was expecting. They were planning on using something like these LED disks. They wire directly to the power source instead of screwing into a can like I was expecting.

I bought these Philip's Hue retrofit disks and I was planning on screwing them into the can, which I obviously can't do now.

My question is, can I use the hue disks and just snip the adapter wires and hard wire it? Or is there an adapter that just converts it to hard wire? They also have a 4" version instead if that makes a difference.

Those Philips disks you have are designed and tested to work inside a recessed can.  You cannot modify them as you are suggesting.  First, there's just no way to attach them to the junction boxes.  Second, it wouldn't be "legal" to electrical code and it may not be safe.

Your two options are to get a "flush mount" recessed light disk that is made to attach to a junction box or have the boxes replaced with proper recessed light cans.  Even the "flush mount" lights are 3/4" - 1" thick, so if you want a true recessed look, installing cans is your best option.


where is safe to step on in attic please see attached picture. Is it safe to step on the angled wood support highlighted in red box?

yes - these are elements of the truss system which holds up your roof. Usually, any 2x4 you find in an attic is safe to step on - except for small pieces uses to mount vent pipes.


Should I worry about this pipe insulation? (fiberglass vs asbestos) I have found those pipes in my basement. I hope its fiberglass, but not sure if its asbestos, because it got placed in the 60's or 70's (in my country the use of asbestos got banned in 2005). These pipes are used for the heating of the house, so they require thermal insulation to be efficient. I know its impossible to determine by a picture, but I hope somebody with a little more knowledge can say what could I do.

Quick test: go outside with a mask and safety glasses, hold at arms length, fiberglass will melt and form tiny beads in a propane torch flame (or perhaps one from a butane lighter), asbestos will glow yellow or white hot without noticeable melting.

Pull a few strands out (while wearing a particle mask) and test them. Normally, I would not advise you going into a site with possible asbestos and disturbing it, but you already have entered it, and live there.


Using 12-3 with ground to wire a new light What I would like to do is use 12-3 with ground to wire new lights in my house. I have ran 12-2 with ground to the electrical box to a 20 amp breaker. In the attic I have a junction box where I begin my question. Here I connect the 12-3 with ground to the wire coming from the box by black to black, white to white, ground to ground and so far not working with the red wire. In the switch box I will leave  the white wire nutted and not use. Then attach the black, red and ground wires to the switch. Back to the junction box in the attic, pig tail a 12-2 with ground that will run to the 1st light. This will look like red to black. White to white and ground to ground. Are there any problems?

The circuit layout is sound.  A small point, I don't think you mean to actually use a pigtail (short additional jumper wire) in the junction box, just connect the light cable to the switch loop in the junction box.

It sounds like you're just going to have one junction box for all the lights and switches in the attic, rather than one per room.  That is OK as long as the junction box is large enough to house all the splices - you'd need to do the box fill calculations to determine.

Your description is kind of a star layout from a single junction box.  You more often see more of a daisy chain layout where the source power feeds the box for the first light for each room, and the switch loops for that room come from that box.  That will usually use less cable and avoids the big junction box.

The star layout may have advantages too, for maintenance, troubleshooting, future additions, etc., but only if it's a BIG box easy to work in, not a disastrous tangle of unlabeled splices.


is this fencing legal? My neighbor already had a wooden privacy fence up. New neighbor's bought the home and put up a new privacy fence w/o taking down the old one. Basically a double privacy fence. Is that legal?

As Alan Ward says, it depends on your local jurisdiction.

In the UK, for example, it would be perfectly legal as long as it is on their land - in fact it is quite common in certain circumstances, for example if someone lives next to an industrial unit with a big metal security fence, they might put up a nicer-looking wooden one to hide the unsightly metal one.


ELCB tripping is multiple circuits at same time A neutral a earth fault on a 1 floor of the house is causing ELCB of the other floor to trip. These two RCDs are fed by the two different cables outgoing from the main distribution board .

Trying to find the reasons the fault is not contained within the faulty distribution board. Have checked main earthing as well.

Anytime a single fault trips two ground fault detectors, the cause is that the circuits are crossed.

Either the neutrals have been tied together somewhere; the hots have been tied together somewhere; or a particular load is drawing hot from one circuit and returning neutral to the other circuit.  This can and should trip both ground-fault detectors.

It should be completely OK to share or cross grounds.   Of course a neutral-ground fault will also cause a ground-fault detector trip.

I go into more detail in my answer over here.  Though the questions seem quite different, they are the same core issue.


50w GU-10 recessed bulb sockets not working A little while ago I had a couple of GU-10 bulbs burn out. I went and replaced and a couple weeks later they blew out and tripped the circuit to the whole bedroom. Once the circuit was flipped back All the lights worked but the 3 recessed GU-10 lights. I replaced the bulbs and they still don’t work. What else could be the issue?

Hmmm...sounds like a bulb itself shorted (true short) and tripped the breaker.  It's rare for bulbs to do that, but it happens.  Then a connection someplace failed and now you have an open circuit. Are there other lights on the same switch that control the GU-10s?  If they work, then it's not the switch. But if just the GU10s are on a separate switch here's what you do:  With the power off start with the switch, pull it out and check it for damage.  If a "back stab" switch, re-wire it using the screws.  If you can't get the wire out of the back-stab, it's OK to cut it off flush with the back of the switch, re-strip the wire and use the screws on the side to re-wire.  The switch itself may have gotten fried.  After you have removed the switch, if you have a multi-meter, set it on ohms and test resistance across the screws. You should get almost infinite resistance when "off" and very low or zero resistance when "on".  If you don't have a multi meter, you could simply replace the switch with a high quality unit, they aren't expensive.
Never use the "back stabs" on switches or outlets. They are a well known point of failure.
Anyway, reconnect the existing or new switch and try it.   If still not working, you'll just have to get into the fixture boxes and check connections.
Again, the fact you had a true short that flipped a breaker means a poor connection someplace got fried.


What are these male sockets called, and what are they used for? This has taken me an embarrassingly long time to figure out, but how the heck do male sockets work? Or, what are these different tools called?

A socket wrench is usually male. A socket usually has two female ends:

But I also have some of these male sockets. It also looks like socket extensions suffer from the same problem:

Are there female socket wrenches? How would I know which type I need?

Or, for the real-world example that actually inspired this question:

(ignore the fact that those are flex-sockets)

Hex shank to square drive adapter
This bit is a hex shank to square drive adapter, which allows you to use square drive bits with a drill/driver.

Hex shank socket
The second set of tools is hard to tell for sure what it is. If the sliver bit at the bottom has a hexagonal cutout in it, then they are hex shank sockets. If that's what they are, they allow you to drive hex bolts/nuts using a drill/driver.
Square drive hex (allen) key
If the silver bit at the bottom of the second set of bits is square, then they are square drive hex (allen) keys. In this case, they allow you to drive hex/allen bolts using a square drive tool.

Hex shank sockets
These are defiantly hex shank sockets. They have a hexagonal shank, and a hexagonal hole at the other end. They allow you to drive nuts/bolts using a drill/driver.

Flexible (Jointed) sockets
These appear to be flexible (jointed) sockets. They should have a square hole at one end, and a hexagonal hole at the other. They allow you to drive nuts/bots with a square drive tool.


How to Align vanity flush without creating a gap from baseboard? We are installing this vanity and we are trying to figure out our best situation the legs are flush against the back of the vanity so the whole unit will be fat on the wall. But with the baseboard installed the vanity will sit off the wall leaving a good size gap along the back of the sink and the backsplash tile won’t fill that gap. What is the best solution for this?

You can see the gap that would happen.

You either cut the back bottom of the vanity to clear the baseboard, or the baseboard to clear the vanity - in this case, with "legs" rather than cabinet sides, (so small rather than large support for the base) cutting the baseboard seems like the obvious choice. With plywood cabinets that reach the floor and sit on it full-length, coping out for the baseboard would have no significant effect on the structure.
Third possibility would be to return the vanity and get one with legs positioned differently, but that may not be practical.
Either the wall or the back of the vanity is not plumb, evidently, based on the first picture with no baseboard.


Remove bumpy mortar left of the wall This is a 30 year old wall. The old plaster is removed. Beneath the old plaster there is bumpy mortar left. What is the best way to get rid of them and get a nice flat surface ready for replastering?

I know this is not the answer you are looking for, for this wall is ready for plastering as it is. It will need a scrubbing  or power washing to remove all or most of the dust left over from the original plaster.

To get the wall flat like you ask Will require at least scraping with a tool like this. (image courtesy Razorback)

This will be very time consuming and if the mortar is very strong, it may not do what you want. The most reliable way to flatten the wall is with a right angle grinder and a blade (disk) (Images courtesy Amazon) made for cleaning the surface. It will be a very, very, dusty job. You will need to wear a protective dust mask and face sheild.

The art of plastering will require a build up coat and a final layer, if you are planning on true plaster. There are newer versions of plaster look a likes out there, but most start with a base layer to prepare the wall for the finish coat. This eliminates the need for getting the wall perfectly flat.