Gas dryer leaking gas only when it runs I have a samsung gas dryer which appears to leak gas only when it runs. We smell gas in the vent and also, sometimes, near the dryer as well. But more so from the vent, where it's passing raw gas.
And then, we got a repairman come over who charged a bomb to replace the coils, but the leaking continues. When we called him back again, he said that it's the gas valve that's gone wrong. I am not confident that it could be the gas valve. If so, why would it only leak gas when it's running? I'd imagine an improper gas valve not emitting gas, but here, it does emit gas. I am a bit puzzled why the dryer would leak gas only when it runs?
Can it be the igniter or anything else?

It sounds like you got a real winner! I would never call him back ever!
The gas smell can be caused from several things, one common one in appliances in a garage is spiders getting in the vents where the air is mixed not enough air mixture causes incomplete burning and in some cases blocks the gas from getting to the burner.
Another problem is lint getting sucked into the mixing area of the burner and the same issues with spiders. After the gas valve the gas flow is quite small and open to the air or no pressure, the gas blowing by the vents draw air in and to the burner assembly as it exits the burner it is ignited by the pilot or has that is already lit. So I would look for blockages that is allowing gas to exit before it should, other things that could cause this a dirty burner assembly, or crack in the pipe after the gas valve or burner assembly.
I would want to identify the leak or reason there is unburned gas before something gets worse and causes a flash explosion.


What's a good way of detecting drafts? In particular, I'm trying to insulate my loft. I'm not keen on the idea of taking a naked flame up there!

You can have a blower-door test done (or rent a blower and do it yourself). Basically you close all your doors/windows, and then stick a big fan in your doorway (sealed), then have it blow air outside. It creates negative pressure inside your house, amplifying any air leaks. I had this done as part of an energy audit (and when it was fairly cold outside), and just walked around using my hand to feel for any leaks (they are pretty obvious, because it is like a jet of cold air shooting in).


Is insulation or damp proof barrier a requirement for walls in wood sheds? I want to cover the interior walls of a shiplap wooden shed with plywood to hang tools and put up shelves on a flat wall. Do I need to insulate the gap between the plywood and the wooden planks of the exterior of the shed? The floor of the shed has plenty of gaps and the door isn't tight. Moisture will get in regardless. It is going to remain a toolshed.
I have read that it is needed only if you plan on heating or cooling the shed to keep the temperature consistent. I do not plan on this.
I feel like any moisture that got into the cavity would dry up as the shiplap planks on the outside are not airtight so a moisture build up shouldn't happen but maybe I am wrong. Would a cheap win win, be to put a water-resistant barrier in the cavity so the moisture will never hit the plywood if it does get through the shiplap?

Without sealing it pretty well (and it sounds like it's not right now), I don't think you'd gain any benefit from insulation. To be truly effective, you need to seal up air gaps, holes, etc. You'd also need to then consider insulating not only the walls, but the ceiling as well.
For an unconditioned space, sealing things up may just lead to other problems. If it's humid out and you're going in and out, you're letting the moist air in. Close it up, you seal it in next to your tools. Not great. Putting in something like fiberglass insulation in the walls would also make the drying of any moisture that got in the wall cavities take even longer, which is exactly what you don't want.
If you have no plans of heating/cooling this shed, and it's just an outbuilding for storage, I don't see why you'd bother with the expense and effort of insulating it.


How do I use both hard and soft water when I have a water softener installed? I moved into a house constructed in year 2000 that already has an Ionics Hydro 5000 water softener installed. The old owner never left a manual and I couldn't find a manual online, so I'll voice my concerns here.

The water softener is installed in the garage, which is in the front of the house:

On the adjacent wall in the front of the house, I see two spigots. I suppose one is for softened water and one is for the original hard water. I should be using the hard water spigot to wash my car so I can reserve the soft water for indoor use. How do I know which one is which?

In the back of the house, I have a single spigot. Is it serving hard or soft water? In the back yard I have fruit trees that need watering. The salt in the soft water will dehydrate trees, so it is cruicial that I don't use soft water on them.

As requested by @TDHofstetter, this is a closeup of the shutoff valves going into the head of the water softener:

Looking at your second photo, I'd say that the top spigot is soft and the bottom is hard. The bottom is directly connected to the water main, coming up through the concrete, through the pressure regulator (the bell-shaped object) and thus, is connected before the softener.

There is no way to tell from the photos what is coming from the back-yard spigot. Your best bet is to buy a water hardness tester or test kit. I just did a search and currently, you can buy a tester from Amazon for around US$16. If your tap water is hard enough to warrant a softener, it is easy to test if water is direct tap or softened. Try washing your hands with standard hand soap. You should be able to tell the difference after rinsing: if your hands feel slippery, the water is softened. Try this first in the front where you have both so you can tell the difference.

If you decide not to use the softener, there may be a bypass valve on the back of the head of the unit, where the pipes enter.


Replacing Interlocking Ceiling Tiles From The "Wrong" Direction A section of ceiling above my front door has been damaged due to a leaky roof, so I need to replace around half of the 7' x 9'-ish entry area. The existing tiles are stapled to furring. However, based on the way the tiles intersect with each other, I can tell they were installed starting at the front door, and then inward into the house. I can't staple new tiles in because the lip where the staple would go needs to be inserted into the existing tile. The tiles in question are Armstrong 12" x 12" ceiling tiles:
My first thought was to install the new tiles the "wrong" way, and use adhesive instead of staples. However, the adhesive I bought (Henry 237 AcoustiGum) specifically says not to use on wood surfaces. After googling a bit, I can't find any mention of someone using adhesive on wood furring. Note that I haven't opened the AcoustiGum, so if another adhesive is required, I'm fine with returning it for something else.
Is there a way for me to avoid replacing the entire room? (One the one hand, I'd like to save myself unnecessary effort, as well as avoid replacing perfectly good tiles. However, I also don't want to do a shoddy job.)
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about home repair, so any input would be appreciated. If I haven't adequately described the problem, please let me know, and I'll try to be more clear.

Checking the Armstrong web site from the link you left they state that these particular tiles should NOT be stapled (for whatever reasons) and the warranty will be voided if done so.
There is also a question asked in their FAQ's asking this same problem :"can tiles be stapled?"  The rep answers with a curt yes and continues to reiterate the warranty void issue. That's all that's said.
I would try to remove the staples from the tiles that border the damaged area. Since that's what is preventing the new ones from being installed. Once the first new tiles are installed the remaining new ones will go in as per manufacturer's instruction.
As for method of securing them; the company states glue (like the Henry's you purchased) or their "ceiling track" (which doesn't work with your existing tiles). The "Accusto-Gum" adhesive is recommended for plaster and drywall surfaces. You may want to consider using an adhesive with more holding power. Any construction adhesive should hold. Staples or Henry's adhesive both are not advised for your repair. The staples have held for how long? Use both for increased holding power.


What would cause air to be pushed into pipes from a well tank? The faucets have been hissing of air for the passed few months, and it has been getting progressively worse. It is usually worse in the morning when we get up and in the evening when we get home.

We have a Well Mate VM series tank. At first I thought maybe the bladder failed and the air was coming from the other side of the bladder. So I knocked on the tank and it sounds hollow on top to me.

Then I thought the air bubbles were coalescing at nearby high point during lack of use.

Then the other day I was near the tank when I heard the air leave the tank and travel through the pipes.

Any ideas what may be causing this?

It's possible it's the pressure tank. To check the pre-charge, turn the pump off, and then open a faucet to let all the water out. Check the pressure in the tank using a tire pressure gauge (there is a valve on the top). This should be 2-10 PSI below the "start" pressure of the pump: eg, if your pump comes on at 40psi (on at 40/off at 60 is the most common setup), the pressure tank pre-charge should be 30 to 38psi. If it's lower, fill it (and keep your faucet open). If the bladder is broken, you won't be able to fill it and there will be air coming out of the open faucet.

It's also possible something is wrong with the check valve and air is getting in the line from the well to the house. To check this, turn the water off to your house (usually there is a valve somewhere after the pressure tank) -- it's essential to isolate the pressure tank from the rest of your house to do this test. Run the pump until the pressure tank is full and it turns off, and then watch the pressure gauge. If it's slowly going down, you are losing water somewhere either due to a break in the pipe, or a broken check valve.


Sticky and glossy paint touch up I used the Command brand of picture hanging strips to hang a picture. When I took it down, it peeled off a small spot of paint. I tried to touch it up using a small paint brush. The area that ripped off looks the same color but around the edges, where I got some paint on the paint that was already there, is sticky and very shiny even after 24 hours. The paint is an oil based satin paint. Is there anything that I can do to fix the shiny, sticky area?

Only a guess but maybe you had some of the adhesive still on the wall and painted over it causing the sticky feel. If so, you may need to sand it very carefully just over the touched up spot and surrounding 1/4 inch to ensure the area is smooth. Dust off with a dry soft cloth or dusting brush and try touching it up again just over the sanded area. I would use 180grit or 240 grit where oil based paint is concerned. You may even try wet and dry paper with a little water to lubricate the sanding.

Touch ups are hard to get right but don't worry, you do need to make it ugly before it becomes beautiful and sometimes when you try to touch up a postage stamp sized area and the whole wall is only 30 square feet, believe it or not, it can be easier to just bite the bullet and paint the whole wall.


How to best deal with cracks in concrete? My backyard has cracks in the concrete. The previous owners used concrete crack sealant/filler and that has eroded away or peeled away.

The options that I’m considering are:
(1) use filler again (this time a better kind, if available) but aesthetically it will looks like concrete with filled cracks. This is the most economic solution
(2) demo the existing concrete and pour a new slab
(3) pour a thin layer over the existing(I don’t even know if this is a good solution...it might just crack like a thin layer of ice.)
What is the best long term solution? I’m thinking of option (2). What are the pros and cons of each?

Replacement is the most expensive but best solution. Be sure the base is properly prepared and compacted, and use reenforcing steel, which I have to suspect the current installation either did not, or not nearly enough. Steel is very inexpensive in the overall cost of having concrete poured, but adds a huge amount of strength to the result.
It also seems doubtful that "control joints" (neat, tidy, straight grooves in the concrete to encourage any cracks that DO form to form "just there") were made in the slab we are looking at. Those typically want to be no more than 12 feet / 4 meters apart.
Topping will soon crack in the same places, as the chunks of cracked concrete under it will continue to move relative to each other. Only if the topping was thick enough to sustain reenforcing steel of it's own might it hold up, and at that point you might as well go the sure route of replacement.
Sealing the cracks is a stopgap. Again, the chunks are now moving (slowly, for the most part, with the seasons) with respect to each other, so it's expected that the sealant will crack (if hard) or tear open (if flexible) eventually. On the other hand, as long as you can stand it, it's by far the least expensive solution.


Finishing a rough-surface wall in bedroom We have an unfinished rough-surface wall in our upstairs bedroom,  (see the photo)
Its surface looks covered in parallel plastic threads or fibers, with lots of sharp knots and some nail heads, glued to the wall. It was this way when we moved in.
We want to install a kids' bunk bed next to this wall. But first we need to "finish" (make smooth) the wall, otherwise the kids may injure themselves.
May we ask:

How is this unfinished surface called - what keyword to search for?

What is the right procedure to "finish" it - again, the keywords to search for?

That wall surface material looks like it is the backing of some older type wall covering that had a mesh material for adding strength or glue retention.
It is also possible that you are looking at the original wall covering itself that may be a straw or grass material that was woven into a mat and then glued to the wall in sheets.
A zoomed in closeup of your picture reveals that the wall covering is a grass or straw material that was woven with thin vertical threads. It is also clear that it was painted over!!

If that mesh material is covered with paint it will be very difficult to remove. If it is not painted over it may just be possible to lightly spray the wall with a mist of hot water from a squirt bottle to see if the old wall covering glue will soften. As it softens you should be able to scrape carefully with a "putty knife" and wipe away the excess glue with a sponge rinsed frequently in warm water.
A painted over surface like that would entail a lot more work. There are several possible alternatives:

Remove the wall materials completely down to the studs and apply a new wall surface using drywall. This will finish down smooth after taping and sanding.
Try installing a new thin layer of drywall over the existing surface. This may require smoothing off any bigger bumps in the old surface. Any electrical switch and outlet openings may require box extensions to be installed. Also if that wall has any windows or door openings there may need to be adjustment of the trim. Going the route leaves you with a fresh new surface to finish similar to the first option.
Another possible scheme is to do some scraping and rough sanding of that existing surface to smooth out any large bumps and then use a skim coat of drywall mud to smooth out the surface. I have used a similar process to smooth out a textured ceiling and wall and found that skimming works best if you take the smoothing in repeated steps of mud application and then sanding and scraping once the mud is dry. A skim coating leaves a relatively soft material on the wall and it is a good idea to come back afterwards and paint it with two to three coats of good quality primer paint.


Is it normal for acrylic caulk to dissolve? I didn't want to purchase a new shower door kit as we plan on remodeling the bathroom in the next five or so years, so I had to deal with the horrible old existing sliding doors and track.  The bottom track is not just an edge with a small guide for the hanging doors; it has two tracks that run it's entire length.  It is a pain to clean as the shower enclosure is not quite level, so water accumulates on the low side.  Below is an image similar to the style of bottom track:

I drilled an additional drain hole to allow more water out near the low side, but I still have to deal with the joint between the track and the vertical side piece.  I didn't want to mess with silicone sealant as the clean up is a pain so I used ACE Hardware brand tile and tub acrylic caulk, which has worked great around the sinks in my kitchens and bathrooms.

I let the caulk cure for three days as stated on the tube and I noticed that in that low corner where water is standing for many hours after taking a shower, it is dissolving.  Any thoughts on why this is happening?  Is this to be expected?  Will silicone stick to the acrylic caulk?  Can I dry it out and use silicone on top of the corner now to get me by for several years?  Would a marine epoxy be a better solution in that corner?

Acrylic caulks and paints, etc. are water-based. If you can clean them up easily with water than that's a pretty good sign that they are water-soluble.

Your caulk should be water-proof if fully cured. If you applied the caulking very thick or if the temperature is cool, it could take longer than the specified time to cure. Also, I don't think these are designed to be used in a situation of standing or pooling water.

  "Will silicone stick to the acrylic caulk? Can I dry it out and use silicone on top of the corner now to get me by for several years? Would a marine epoxy be a better solution in that corner?"

You should have used 100% silicone. If you can find an epoxy that is flexible, then that might also be an option. That joint should not be solid/rigid.

Since you don't want to redo it, you should wait longer to see if it is just not fully cured. If still no good, you can try silicone over the acrylic caulk to help prevent it from dissolving. However, since that is just going to be a thin layer instead of a full bead it will be hard to guarantee a good seal.


Repainting metal parapet on the balcony: should you remove the old paint? I'm thinking of repainting the metal parapet on the balcony, paint has already mostly come off, or it is peeling off (and the metal is also starting to rust). Every description starts with scraping off rust and old paint which is fair enough.
Several years ago, I had repainted a smaller, similar parapet, and to get all the paint off was a long and painful process, because most of it was still stuck to the metal.
What I'm not sure about: are you supposed to get all the old paint off, or only the part which is peeling away, and hence is easy to remove?
(In other words: can you partly remove the old paint, and then paint over the remaining patches, which are still stuck to the metal? If yes, what are the disadvantages of doing so?)
Similar question, but about wooden frames. (Maybe answer is different for metal?)

The most important part of painting is preparation.
You will want to remove all loose and flaking paint and you will want to remove all rust, which will probably involve scraping and grinding with power tools.
You will want to carefully inspect any paint that appears to be well adhered. You want to make sure that it is still stuck and that there isn't rust underneath it waiting to bubble up and pop the paint off. If you do find well adhered paint on good, solid metal, feel free to leave it. You'll probably want to give it a light sanding, just to make sure that it's got a "tooth" for the new paint to bite into, but if the rest of the paint is that old, it's probably pretty well worn, too.
Additionally, for any paint that is well adhered, you'll want to sand the edges to create a smooth transition from bare metal to existing paint. If you leave a sharp edge at the existing paint, you'll still see it when you apply the new paint.
When you start painting, be sure to use a good primer to ensure a good grip on the bare metal so your paint will stick longer. I don't think it would be an issue, but make sure the primer you pick will adhere well to existing paint as well as bare metal - a question to ask at the paint store.


Gas line for new stove going from T to termination plate I am going from an electric stove to a gas stove and I need some advice on installing the gas line.  I have a gas line running underneath the stove and there is plug where I can attach the gas line under the floor.  I was thinking about running a flexible gas line from the T to a termination plate in the floor with a value and then an excess flow valve and from there a line to the stove.

I have run black pipe before but it will be difficult to run it from the T to the floor so I was hoping to be able to use flexible line.  I was thinking csst but I only need around 3 feet and the smallest I have seen it sold in is 50 feet.  Is there another option?  Could the same type of line that feeds the stove from the value be used in this situation? Thanks.

Home Depot lists CSST ½" pipe at 25' here.

Lowe's has a lot shorter flex pipe here.

I don't know why you couldn't put the flex through the floor and then have your shut off valve.

I don't know what you mean by an "excess flow valve" but I would just pipe it straight through with the shut off valve in there somewhere.


Venting question for new shower install to existing half bath I am looking to add a shower to my current half bath.

I plan on running the shower drain line to the existing toilet waste line.

My question is:

Do i need to run a separate vent line from the shower line to the existing vent or am i good just adding the drain line?

If the distance is less than 5-6’ horizontally from the vent to the new drain normally a single vent will be enough.  I have seen contractors double this length on 4” drain lines when the new 2” line ties into a 4” drain


Garage door opener slips My garage door opener is not working correctly. It will open the door halfway then die, and the door will fall closed. Sometimes it works correctly. It is like the motor does not hold the door open, dies and slips. With the door engaged to the opener, I am able to open and close the door manually.
Is the motor suppose to "brake/lock" and keep door open or/and closed?

A well maintained door is easy to open and close.  We use power openers so we can open the door without getting out of the car.  The problem is, this denies us "tactile feedback" of a developing door problem and we don't know until the door goes BOOM.  Assuming this is a broken spring, it would have suddenly failed in any case, but other problems may have contributed.

Doors are dangerous because they are in tension: the weight of the door is counterbalanced by a wound up spring.  The force of either one can kill you.

Doors are DIY repairable, you just really, really need to do your homework on the safety stuff.

Your first step is put the door all the way down, so it's at rest, thoroughly inspect it.  Now when they initially installed the spring, before they tensioned it, a guy shot a line of spray paint down the spring.  With the door down, it should look like a candy-cane with typically 7.5 loops.   If you only see 1 or 2, that's either broken or has come loose from the shaft.

Then disconnect the opener. If you don't see anything mechanically wrong, then try operating the door by hand and look for anything binding or sticking.  It takes about 20 pounds of force to start lifting a sticky old 12x14 industrial door, so yours should be a feather.


Trying to wire a 240v line-voltage thermostat I am trying to replace my old 240v line-voltage thermostat with a modern version. The problem is that after wiring the new version in like the old it doesn't work. I have (2) 12-2 wires coming out of the box and they are both hot. Any advice?

Simple "line voltage" T stat wiring. One wire is L1 (120V potential) from source, one wire is L2(120v potential)source connected to heating strips, then the switch, then L1 source. When the switch closes the 240V circuit is completed. If you have 240V when checking both wires together, and only two wires on switch, there is something wrong with the new fancy switch. If you have three wires coming from the switch then you need a neutral that you probably don't have.


Can I use 1x4 boards for raised platform support? I'm making small mini golf modules for use at home that will be 24"x24" each and just be placed on the floor next to each other. I wanted to make them as lightweight as I can for a reasonable cost. I'm wondering if its safe to use 1x4 boards for the frame and support boards under the plywood floor.

If not, what if I used 2x4 for the 24x24 frame and then 1x4 boards for the two center support beams?

Just so its clear, I'm expecting to be able to walk on these so each one would need to safely support 200 pounds.

Joined perfectly, 1x4 boards would work. However, you'll get more nailing (/screwing) surface, possibly lower cost, and only slightly greater weight from 2x4s.

You mention center support beams... I'm not really clear on how you plan on putting those in, but you probably don't need them with 2x4s.

I'd suggest at least 1/2" plywood on top.


Should I flush my sump pit with water? How often do I need to flush the sump pit with water? That is, pour water into it from a hose to change the water.

Also, can I do it in freezing temperatures? Inside the garage the temperature is about 10C but outside it's freezing.

The sump pump is not inside my garage but that of my neighbour.

Approximately never.

If you notice things growing in there or bugs breeding, a bit of soap (liquid dish detergent would be my first choice) will usually do in the bugs by altering the surface tension, and chlorine bleach will kill off bacterial slimes if there's not too much water flow (so it stays put for a while.) If there is water flow it should never get too nasty.

If you are not experiencing problems/smells, leave it alone - or perhaps put a cover over it if it lacks one, which will keep things from going into it and causing problems (small animals drowning, for instance - or the bugs that might want to breed in there.) If it also serves as a floor drain, put a screened section in the cover to allow water to flow in.


Cat 6 and Romex run perpendicular I am mapping out a path to run Cat6 thru my house.  I know not to run Ethernet parallel to power and the Intartubes say to try to cross at right angles.

But how much interference will I get by crossing at right angles?  Does it totally negate the interference or is the interference just not as severe?

The easiest path from my patch panel to the two most important wall jack locations would cross Romex three times at/near 90 degree angles.  Once inside a wall cavity and twice in the attic.

Inside the wall cavity, the Romex runs "East/West" between wall studs.
The Cat6 (12-18 total drops) would run "North/South" in the same cavity.

Half of these drops would come up from a 1" hole to the crawl space.  The other half would be terminated in keystones on one side of the wall.

The Cat6 would then run up the cavity and out a 1.5" hole near the ceiling into a closet on the other side of the wall.

The cables would then be fed thru a hole in the ceiling into an unfinished attic.  In the unfinished attic they would run across some joists, along a joist, then back down into another closet where the patch panel is

Along the attic path they cross two more Romex runs at right angles.  The switches for the bathroom light and fan (2 Romex cables) and another Romex cable from a bedroom light switch.  The bathroom switches and bed switch are maybe 5 feet apart

How much interference/network slowdown would I encounter?

Darn near none. Even less if you do it right and run conduit so you can replace it when you can't live without Cat9, or 12 pair fiber, or whatever everyone will have in 5 years.

The whole point of the fancy-pants wire is that it is, in fact, resistant to interference pickup, in places a lot more challenging than your house. Though I hardly see the point of Cat6 - it can barely run 10Gbit, and Cat5e runs gigabit just fine (I have over half a mile of it (in sections less than 100meters, of course) connected to switches that report error rates, which are pretty much 0)


Is there a way to convert my regular toilet seat to one that's like a Toto...so the seat won't slam shut? Are there hinges out there that I can use to convert my toilet seat so that it won't slam shut?
Other methods?

Buy a new toilet seat. The big box stores sell several that are billed as "Whisper Close" "SlowClose", etc. We're talking $30-40 here (as opposed to $10-20 for a low-end toilet seat) so it's not like I'd be concerned with preserving the existing seat.


Gas Furnace blowing hot air into room, flue is cold We have a 2-year old gas furnace connected to water pipes and radiators throughout the house. It just turned on for the first time this year and is blowing a large amount of very hot air directly into our basement from the front of the furnace. When and after it is lit the flue on top remains cold to the touch. It has not gotten too cold here yet and has only run a few times, but I noticed this when I was doing laundry and it was unusually hot in the room. I don't remember it ever putting out so much hot air in the past. We have a CO detector somewhat nearby and it has not been set off, but it seems like the exhaust is being released directly into the room and not exiting through the flue. We had a yearly checkup on the equipment only a few weeks ago and the tech said everything was OK, but it was still warm outside and he only ran it for a few minutes. I'm thinking this is cause for concern especially because in the next few weeks it will be getting quite cold and we'll be running it continuously. Has anyone seen a similar issue?

First:  The situation you describe I would consider borderline hazardous if not clearly dangerous. (CO poisoning hazard) Please do not continue to run this appliance under these conditions.

Now to my practical input;  I worked on boiler (we call this type of appliance a boiler) once that displayed this type of problem. The firebox in these things is lined with a fireproof insulation.  One of these blocks of insulation fell from the 'ceiling' of he firebox and dropped onto the top of the heat exchanger.  This blocked the normal flow path of the products of combultion up the vent and they were generously spilling into the room/house.  Once I reattached that block of insualtion back in its rightful place, everything was fine.  However, the boiler required a couple of hours of my time with a long handled wire brush and a shop vac to rid the exchanger of the resulting abundant soot buildup.

When natural gas does not burn properly, efficiently and completely the result can be and often is the generation of CO gas. This is a dangerous substance when inhaled especially for children and little ones; in can be fatal.  Please, when making decisions regarding the operation of these appliances, always put the health of your family first.


Am I using the correct concrete blocks for the base of my shed and how many do I need? I'm building a Suncast Sutton storage shed.

I followed the instructions and built the wooden base as described.  Based on many tutorials I've read online, I decided to use concrete blocks to level and support the wooden base.

Here are some of my questions:

Am I using the correct concrete blocks?  I've seen others use those square piers, will the ones I have work?
Am I using enough blocks?  Do I need any in the middle of the shed?  As you can see I have a row in the front and in the back.
Any ideas on how I can increase the aesthetics of the foundation?  Specifically, those concrete blocks sticking out in the front don't look very good.  Can I fill in with dirt?

Personally, I would dig the topsoil out from under the blocks—preferably down to mineral soil so that almost all of the concrete is buried.  This makes less of a step up for wheeled equipment and less space for critters and weeds to grow underneath.  I put mine very close to the ground on concrete blocks with slots for 2 inch wide lumber and concrete screws through the joist into the block to keep the wind from lifting it up:

The kind of concrete block you are using is plenty strong, though I don't see anything to keep your shed from moving, for example from strong wind, heavy rain, or leaning livestock.

The strength of the joists is the next weakest link in this design.  Some more support in the middle could be overkill, but it is unlikely to be so.


Why are my radiators leaking? I have a gas boiler that seems to have way too much water in it and has pushed the excess water out the vents on my radiators. I have shut it off. It has flooded my main floor. How do I stop this?

Call a plumber.

In my locale, radiator "vents" (bleed valves) should be closed when you are not bleeding air from them (which should only be done with the boiler off). Boilers vent excess water into a header tank, an expansion vessel or other provision - not via radiators.


Can I use a WiFi thermostat without a C wire? I have a very old Honeywell programmable thermostat. I am going to replace it with a White-Rodgers UP500W Emerson Sensi WiFi Thermostat.

I just want to know if the WiFi unit will work without a C wire.  This is what they said:

  In certain situations, Sensi does require a common or "C" wire. On
  "heat only" or "cool only" systems, Sensi requires a "C" wire to power
  the Wi-Fi radio. Without a "C" wire installed, the Wi-Fi connection
  will drop off after about two hours to preserve the AA batteries. On
  combined heating and cooling systems, Sensi does not require a "C"
  wire because the thermostat is designed to "Power Share" between the
  two systems. For example, on a call for heat, Sensi will use a small
  amount of power from the cooling system to power the Wi-Fi radio. In
  "Power Sharing" mode, the AA batteries may last more than a year.

Since the one I have is for both heating and cooling, I think I should be fine.  I just need someone to confirm that.

This is my attempt to "demystify" the whole "C" wire thing for non-technical folks.  This explanation intentionally ignores lots of details that are not relevant to a basic understanding of the concept.

An old-timey thermostat is mechanical in nature.  You can think of it very much like 3 separate mechanical on/off switches. (the "switches" in this case are mechanically actuated by temperature using springs and tilting glass bulbs full of mercury and other old-timey mechanical mechanisms)

The circuit is actually VERY simple.  The old-timey thermostat switches on and off the "juice" which comes in on the RED wire...separately on and off to each of the other 3 wires (often green for the fan, white for the heat, and yellow for the AC).

That's all the old-timey thermostat does.  Hook or not hook the red wire to each of the other three as needed.

Modern thermostats control your HVAC system with the same connections.  They do the same thing...hook the red wire up to the proper green/white/yellow to turn various parts of you HVAC on and off as needed.

Since the old-timey thermostats were mechanical in nature, they didn't need any juice of their own to operate.  If you think of a modern thermostat as an old-timey thermostat plus a smart phone stuck to the wall right next to it...you need something to power the smartphone.  (some "kind of modern" thermostats have batteries in them for this purpose...to power the "smarts")

The red wire brings juice into the thermostat...but there is no "ground wire".  Our "smartphone stuck on the wall next to the old-timey thermostat" needs both a "hot wire" and a "ground" (or "common").  (again, this is simplified so as to not get lost in irrelevant details and confuse the non-technical readers this was written for)

The "C Wire" (often blue) is this additional "ground wire" needed in order to complete a circuit for the electronics (which old-timey thermostats didn't have).  The "other end" of the C wire is hooked to the other side of the transformer that supplies juice to the R or red wire.  It is the other wire needed by the electronics in the newer thermostats in order to power up their "smarts".

Hope this helps a few people understand what the C wire is about.


Example Registers for 2" x 12" Duct I am new to DIY Stack Exchange as well as home renovations in general so I will do my best to be concise and provide adequate clarity for my question, without sounding overtly inexperienced.

I had a contractor install some new wood floors in my house awhile back, and they left pretty large gaps around the floor ducts. Because of this, the old registers no longer fit as there is now a gap between the register and the edge of the hardwood floor.

The duct size is 2" x 12", but the overall size of the gap the floor provides is 3 7/8" x 15". The subfloor "hole" is less than this but the new wood floor recedes further than the subfloor.

Are there floor vents that will fit this (seemingly) unconventional size? Is this even an unconventional situation to size a floor vent for? Anything I find isn't exceeding 13.5" total (top face) width or 3" depth.

Yes, the Shormaker Co. makes several styles of custom floor grilles/registers.

https://www.shoemakermfg.com/Product-Finder/Line/Residential/Type/Register

I’d contact them and they can tell you how to measure for correct fit. They only have a few finishes, but the quality is great (but not cheap).  Let them know if you expect a heavy load on the registers.


Pros and cons of self stick vs adhesive kitchen vinyl floor tiles I would like a long lasting floor covering with no seams (because seams tend to get dirty).  Most of the vinyl tile I see sold by Sears and Home Depot are self-stick.  Do self-stick last over the years as well as adhesive?

I have seen self stick tile not lasting as long as it should. Tile with adhesive is the way to go if you want durability.


Nest thermostat installation to furnace and heat pump We have

T874G1196 thermostat by york (can only find honeywell documentation)
MB7BM-1200K-B air handler
H8HK015H-21 electric heater
Thermopump (heating and cooling)

We want to connect it to a nest thermostat E.
We have 7 wires to connect to the nest. This is a picture of our current thermostat wiring.

I spoke with a nest employee via chat on their website and she seemed to say that our system was compatible only we would need to get a pro to come and "join the O and B wires into the "*ob" terminal on the nest". She also mentioned something about possibly needing a relay but was reluctant to go into detail as I felt she was worried I might mess up my system.
Before we go and blow a whole wad of cash for some guy to come and twist 2 wires together, I just wanted to get your opinion on our setup.

Thermostat User's Guide, pg 168, Fig. 160

Here is the wiring for 1 stage heat with aux heat and emergency heat from the Nest E Pro Installation Guide

I don't think you're compatible with the Nest E since you have separate controls for both auxiliary heat and emergency heat. A Nest Learning Thermostat would be compatible:

If you had a Nest Learning Thermostat, you would wire:

G -> G
W -> W2/AUX
R -> Rc
X -> * (Emergency Heat)
B -> C
O -> O/B
Y -> Y1


Viking DSI Bake Ignitor Won't Spark I have a 10 year old Viking gas stove/range, which use Direct Spark Ignition (DSI). The bake ignitor will not spark at all, however the Broiler ignitor will spark and light up just fine.

Things that I've done so far:

Replaced the DSI spark module. This did not make the bake ignitor spark.
Replaced the bake ignitor with two different replacements. No spark still. I thought the first ignitor was possibly cracked or defective, so I ordered a second one from a different vendor, but same issue.
Checked continuity on wire between DSI module and the ignitor. THe wire beeps on my digital multimeter just fine, indicating continuity is good.
Replaced the gas valve on the bake portion. Gas is coming out just fine out of the bake piping, but no spark on the ignitor.

I am wondering what else there is to check or replace? Could it be a thermostat issue? I have not replaced that, but I find that hard to accept as the cause because the broiler comes on just fine. Is there anything else I can check with my multimeter? How can I test that the replacement DSI spark module is not faulty?

Thanks!

This isn't an answer for your specific problem, but I can't paste images into comments, so I'm writing this up as an answer anyway. Some Googling was able to turn up the Viking technician's manual for self-cleaning ranges, which includes troubleshooting tips for non-ignition. I've copied in what look like the relevant sections below in case the link stops working (which is pretty likely, given it's only cached by Google right now).


How to identify if wood-framed wall is load-bearing? I'm removing a wall in my bedroom/bathroom to open it up for more closet space. Now I've been hesitant on knocking it down until I'm 110% sure it's not load bearing. To my understanding a load bearing wall carries the load all the way down the studs to the foundation of the structure correct? So in my case being located on the 2nd floor a load bearing wall would have to have studs/wall directly beneath it on the 1st floor to carry the load to the foundation of the house right. If nothing beneath it and closest wall on the 1st floor is 5 feet or so away than the wall is non load bearing correct? Can someone tell me if my thinking on this is correct or if I'm missing anything crucial.

“Load bearing” means it’s holding something up. It doesn’t need a wall DIRECTLY below it. Often we’ll provide a beam or a series of oversized joists to span an area directly below a bearing wall. Not all bearing walls align all the way to the foundation.

At a minimum, it appears the wall is holding up the ceiling joists to the right side. The OSB board on the ceiling joists is a clue that something is resting on the ceiling joists...perhaps a mechanical unit.

It also appears to have some kind of roof structure spanning PERPENDICULAR to the wall. It’s difficult to see if it rests on the wall. (I say roof structure,because there is insulation exposed.)

I’d get a professional opinion before you tear it out. Maybe you’ll need to add a beam to replace the wall.


Hot line creating circuit with ground Two receptacles and a sconce -- all sharing a wall -- stopped working the other day. I took everything apart looking for loose connections and found the following:

The two receptacles only have one pair of wires coming in; the sconce has two pairs coming in and one going out.
When connecting a voltage meter to the black bundle in the sconce and the ground bundle (or box), the circuit completes, but connecting the meter to the black bundle and white bundle, the circuit does not complete.
I can't see any obvious crossed wires or anything else amiss.

Any thoughts of where I should go from here? Is the problem likely to be in this box or somewhere else between here and the breaker?

Description: Four wires enter the box from the top (old sheathing); two exit from the bottom (new / rubber white + black sheathing). White bundle at top; black bundle at lower left; ground is inside box at right side, soldered to box. Circuit completes (only) when connecting black bundle to ground.

Update: If I touch the white bundle in this box to the ground, both of the downstream receptacles work, as I expected, but as per this answer, that seems like a dangerous and unsatisfactory solution.

Update 2: There's another sconce and another receptacle that work correctly (without crossing ground and neutral in the faulty one). It's hard for me to understand how both legs of these seem to be functional while the other three devices have some problem in the neutral line. Perhaps the ground and neutral are crossed in one of the two functioning devices?

From your description, I'd say one set of old wires in the box was the feed from the power source, and the other set of old wires feeds to other loads downstream.   The newer cable probably feeds the receptacle.  Just a guess though.

  Update: If I touch the white bundle in this box to the ground, both of the downstream receptacles work, as I expected, but as per this answer, that seems like a dangerous and unsatisfactory solution.

It's definitely NOT a viable solution - it wasn't really even safe as a test.  However it does indicate the problem is likely due to a neutral connection or break in the wire  between this box and the source.

Tracing this back and finding the problem may be easy or may be very difficult.


How to build watertight containers that keep water out even if it is fully submerged? Examples of appliances I want to protect are: monitors, computers, and printers.
I have looked everywhere and I cannot find a solution where I can simply buy a box in the market. These are often times very small and will not fit the appliances I need to be protected.
Assumption is that the container will be used for home use in case there is a great flood. So the water pressure isn't likely to be too strong--not like submarines where they dive down to deep altitudes.
I can say that a submarine is a massive watertight container that can allow many people and equipment to live inside it. So, creating a watertight container should be possible with similar concepts. I wonder what materials and techniques I should look into to build one myself.

You need pelican cases. there is no need to reinvent the wheel here, you would spend much more money developing and building waterproof containers instead of buying readily available commercial products.
Pelican cases are used in media productions around the world to keep all kinds of camera gear, monitors and computers dry and safe.
I have worked on television productions that have used dozens of pelican cases to transport sensitive cameras and large media production gear to locations in wet and hostile environments here in Alaska.
I took my entire camera gear Outfit including multiple cameras and many lenses down the Grand canyon Colorado river In a 1620 pelican case, It kept it  safe and dry through all of the rapids  and being completely submerged for short periods of time. My laptop was in a pelican case in a raft that was overturned and submerged underwater for nearly an hour and stayed safe and dry.


What is a good finish for a table made from a solid door? I'm using it for a dining table. I really like the size, it's perfect as a large dining table.  What finish should I choose?  What is a food safe finish?  If I drop food on the table I want to be able to pick it up and still eat it. :)

You can probably use a good food grade mineral oil. I used to use it on my butcher block counter top.


Hydrostatic pressure and sump pumps There was a recent flood in my neighborhood that caused several wet basements (directly from the river, or indirectly through rising water levels). My house didn't suffer water damage but a week or two after the river receded, I noticed dark wet spots on the concrete floor of the basement. There are also some efflorescence visible.

A few contractors who have come to fix some foundation cracks (this was noticed before the flood) have said the dark patches is due to hydrostatic pressure but they don't recommend putting in a sump pump. One said he would do it but also said it won't solve the hydrostatic pressure problem.

My question is why won't a sump pump help? If water is trying to get into the basement wouldn't pumping it out alleviate the problem? or will installing a sump pump cause the water to overflow the hole and flood the basement anyway?

why won't a sump pump help? If water is trying to get into the
  basement wouldn't pumping it out alleviate the problem?

A sump pump is designed to be located in a low area, usually a basin or pit, and is for removing water that is actually in the room.

The hydrostatic pressure that you are talking about is the pressure of the entire water table in the earth surrounding your home. There is no way you could effectively lower the entire water table (and subsequently reduce the hydrostatic pressure on your basement walls and floor) with a single sump pump.

  ...will installing a sump pump cause the water to overflow the hole
  and flood the basement...?

Yes, if I am understanding what you are proposing. If you cut a hole through your basement floor and dig a pit, the surrounding water that is exerting hydrostatic pressure on your basement walls and floor would come inside, it would be a bad day for you.


Sizing DHW expansion tank for tankless heater I have a combined boiler for hydronic heating and DHW. Earlier in the winter, I started insulating as much of the pipes I can easily access.

This has led to hot water coming out of the cold water lines in the kitchen, which happens to be very close to the boiler. I understand now that this is happening because as water is heated, it expands, and being unable to expand further into the hot water lines, pushes back (towards the street).

The solution to this is to put a check valve (pressure reduction valve), stopping the back flow of hot water into the cold lines; this would also require a pressure expansion tank and T&P relief valve.

I don't know how to size the pressure tank. The tables and calculators I can quickly find seem built around using standard DHW heater/tanks, not a tankless coil.

So what size do I need?

The volume of water that is being heated by the on-demand heater is very small, so the smallest commonly available expansion tank will work just fine.  Just make sure that you are getting an expansion tank for potable water, not the one made for hydronic heating systems.


What is the minimum distance that should be maintained between parallel electric and data cables? I need to run some electric and data (coaxial, UTP Cat5/6 and phone) wires from one room to the adjacent rooms.

I've read Can I run CAT5/6 cables parallel to electrical cables? but I understand that question deals on whether one could use the same pipe for both electric and data lines.

I will use different pipes/raceways and boxes for AC (10A 220V) wires and data, as follows:

A 10m run of AC and data, each in a different PVC pipe along a brick wall covered with cement.
A 10m run of AC and data, each in a different wall-mounted plastic raceway.

What is the recommended/required distance between each pipe? between each raceway? Does any of the data wires require a separate pipe/raceway?

There are no code requirements for parallel spacing that I am aware of, but a friend of mine who runs network wiring in a commercial setting, says that with typical line voltage, he tries to keep parallel runs separated by at least 12", and shoots for 18".  (He is currently helping me with the exact same issue in our home office reno).


Means of adjusting fan speed on Bryant gas furnace My home is heated by a Bryant 359AAV furnace. The thermostat controls and indicates whether the fan is ON or OFF, but the furnace has a four-speed fan. I believe the installer set the fan on "HI" and I would like to turn it down both for quiet and electricity savings. Given the external static pressure, "MED-HI" would still move enough air, and "MED-LO" is only a little out of spec.

I obtained the user's manual and fan speed adjustment is not covered. Then I inspected the furnace circuit board but couldn't tell where the adjustment happens. Then I had two phone conversations with Bryant customer service, who deliberately would not tell me jumper or switch controls the fan speed, ostensibly because of implications for my warranty (I'm not sure if I have one). They want me to call the original installer, or refer another professional.

How can I adjust the fan speed?

Edit: a helpful user found the more technical service manual, which does address the wire colors for each speed.

When you look at the motor there are 7 wires. 2 brown for the capacitor, a White common wire, Black for high, orange for medium high, blue for medium low and red for low. It comes from the factory with the black plugged into cool and the orange plugged into heat. Blue and red are hooked to M1 and M2 which are just place holders. To reduce speed swap the orange wire with either the blue or red wires on the circuit board. I have to warn you however that low air flow can damage the furnace and actually be less efficient. You should take the temperature at the outlet of the furnace and at the inlet of the furnace. Subtract the two, this will give you your split. Compare that to the required split on the nameplate of the furnace. If it is too high you need more air. I have seen cases where the furnace is too large for the ducts and was overheating even on high speed.


How to inspect/test old capped off drain pipe I have a roughed-in bathroom in the basement of my 1969 home. There is a 1.5" metal drain pipe coming through the slab. It is capped with a metal cap.

I am looking to install a bathtub and use this drain. However, due to the age of the home and the fact that it is metal pipe, I am concerned that the drain pipe may be corroded or leaking under the slab, which may be the reason there is no bathtub there to begin with (possibly the previous owner simply removed the tub rather than breaking up the slab and repairing the pipe).

What I want to know is, how can I test/inspect this drain pipe before installing the bathtub to make certain it is not leaking or clogged under the slab? Can I just pour some water in it and make sure it drains? Do I need someone to camera-snake it?

Thanks for your advice.

I would start by pouring water down that drain. If you have a cleanout outside, remove the cap and have someone pour water down the drain and try to observe the water flowing. If it's been capped for a long time, which it appears to have been, you'll probably have to snake it as stuff has probably settled in that pipe. Again, observing down the cleanout, if available, helps. If all this investigating pays off, you can go with it. If you really need "peace of mind" you can rent one of those drain camera's for a couple hundred bucks.


What is the height of the IKEA BILLY plinth? If any owner can do a quick measurement and help me out, what is the exact height (cm. not in.) of the IKEA BILLY plinth? Se the image below:

I need the exact height to the bottom of the first shelf because I want to order one (several actually, I have many tangible books), pop the plinth, put some tiny variable-height legs for some extra support so I can easily vacuum under it. I hate dust and it hates me.
I somehow concluded it's 10cm but I'm not really sure and also not feeling like making a trip right now to IKEA just to measure it. Their email support will probably reply on Monday so maybe I get lucky here.:)
Thanks!
PS: In centimeters please.
PPS: I'm quite shocked there's no IKEA tag.

Not sure if I would call anything associated with the Billy a "plinth" (in the sense that it is sturdy)... I have several and the structure is really all in the sides (and how vertical you keep them). If you put support anywhere under it that isn't directly supporting the sides, you are gonna have a bad time.

The material (hesitate to call it wood but i guess it is) you see at the front below the first shelf is just a very thin piece of fiberboard. The first (lowest) shelf is held in the same way the middle shelf and top is, via two cam screws and plastic cam locks in the shelf. For what its worth, the space under the first shelf measures 11.75cm high.

As to your plan to use an X brace, that would prevent the unit from swaying but remember this is all fiberboard (and rather loosely pressed at that) so any single point support that exerts a lot of force is going to split it open like a soft burrito.  The most popular way to make the Billy into something sturdy is to gang it together (my installation has 5 of them across the wall, each anchored to the wall at the middle and at the top, and to the one next to it with screws in both directions).

And lastly, why would you remove the front face and put feet on it with the intention that it will become easier to clean under? IMO the purpose of that little face is to keep dust and other random bits from settling back there in the first place.


What techniques are there to smooth out or remove textured (knockdown) drywall? We have knockdown texture on the drywall in one of our bedrooms that we're turning into a nursery. We'll be repainting the walls and want like to apply some wall decals so we need to have a smooth surface to work with.

What is the best way to smooth out the texture? Is it feasible to scrape off the knockdown texture (like some sites recommend, after wetting the surface), or would applying a layer of mud/compound be a better route?

Our knockdown is very similar in appearance to this, in a matte "sand" color:

Either apply a skim coat (or 2 or 3) where you smooth the entire surface...  Tedious but it will work - use the widest blade you can and do each coat perpendicular to the last.

or...

add a new layer of 1/8" drywall over the existing and mud/tape the seams.


Questions about a broken vise I pressed a log into a vise, which resulted in the vise breaking (more precisely the "fix part", i.e the jaw which is on the side with the wriggle broke down.)

After some research, it seems to me that the only way of repairing it would be welding, which I do not want to do (I have neither the equipment nor the knowledge for that).

Questions:

Can a broken vise still be used for something else, or should I throw it away?
Did I do something wrong, or was the vise bad quality? -- it was brand new, used only once before. (Or, in other words: are you able to break a good quality vise, just by the force of your hands, if you tighten it too much?)
If it was my fault (i.e. even quality vises are breakabe): how do you know until which point it is safe to tighten a vise?
If it was bad quality: what to look out for, when buying the new vise?

Most vices have a handle scaled to match the force they can apply. Never do them up with extra leverage in other words.

I've broken an old but good quality vice before, but by pulling against it with leverage rather than using its own handle.

If it's new and you used it as designed, take it back. I did when I snapped a G-clamp using its own handle and got a refund on that and the identical one I bought at the same time and wouldn't trust.


Horrendous electric bill in new apartment - what are we doing wrong? We moved from an apartment (approx 1000 sq ft) in NH to one in MA (approx 1200 sq ft) to be closer to work (Boston). Our old apartment electric bill used to hover between $70 and $110 monthly. Our provider is the same in NH and MA (Eversource). The new place is new-ish, the building having been constructed in 2006.

Today I received the electric bill for the new place and to my horror, it came up to $278.93. Here's the bill:

Important factors that I can think of:

The old apartment had individual room air conditioners while the new
place has central air. We keep the temp at 72 degrees all the time.
The old apartment had a common laundry room for the whole building
while the new one has a W/D within the unit but we don't do laundry more than once a week anyway
The new place has a lot
more lighting, but we're pretty good about keeping lights off when we
don't use them
Most (if not all) electric appliances in the new place are newer.
Flooring is hardwood throughout

Now, my questions:

Is it advisable to keep the central air off or at a higher temperature when we're at work for the day?
Is such a high delivery charge normal for the Boston area?
Are there any other tips to help bring this insane cost down?

EDIT: Adding more details based on comments...

Most (if not all) lights in the new place are fluorescent/LED
The older apartment was on the first floor, corner unit. The current one is on the second floor, corner unit
Air conditioning at the older place was used on an as-needed basis, so during the day the ACs would be off while we were at work and when we were home we would turn them on. But usually since both of us were always in the same room most of the time while we were home, only one AC was on at any given moment. Also, the ACs were ancient and had no temperature settings, only dials on a 1-10 scale for cooling. We always set them to 6-7.
I'm not able to access our prior bills to view the billing rates. I had signed up for e-billing and whenever I click on the 'view bill details' link in the email, it takes me to my new apartment's billing. Eversource has different sub-websites for different states and it looks like my account is now MA only, and the NH part has been deactivated.

In answer to your first question: Yes. If there is no one occupying an area you should set you T'stat lower while you are out.

In answer to your second question: I have no idea anymore as to what is a fair rate, but I will say your bill makes no sense. We all get the $145.79, but according to the breakdown of your Delivery Services, it only adds up to $110.82 not $133.04. So where does the extra $22.22 come from? Look over your bill and see if it mentions that charge and if it doesn't, I would spend some time on the phone having someone explain it to me.

On you third question: The first thing I would do is go online, make phone calls, and find any social sites that are discussing this problem. When I say go online and make phone calls, I am talking about directing them to the service provider. I would not try and be rude or mad, but be firm and ask detailed questions about your billing. Also expect and be firm about getting detailed answers.

On matters of saving energy, first as you originally proposed. Set your T'stat to prevent you AC/Heat from coming on as often if you are not in the residence. I use a programmable T'stat and have mine set for 58F in the winter and 80F in the summer. Also I would suggest you don't need it so high if you are sleeping in a bed under covers. I would suggest an electric pad or blanket to keep you warmer in the winter and set the AC for say 60F and come back up to 72 an hour or so before you get up.

Also orientation is everything as brought up by @1006a. Windows and their exposures are key, you might look and make sure you have heavy insulated curtains to keep conditioned air in especially on extra cold and hot days.

Hope this helps, good luck.


Putting a recessed light in over the shower unit There is 1 ordinary light in the bathroom. ( old house ) im going to change this to a ledlight, then i am going to wire from this light to put an IP65 recessed light over the shower unit. Is it ok to wire it from the centre light ? Or do i need to wire it from the switch ? Would i need to change the wiring in bathroom for this ?

Different countries and even different jurisdictions within a country have different regulations. You should find out what is allowed inside a shower enclosure. One thing that comes to mind is whether this fixture must be GFCI protected (RCD). It could be that in Ireland RCD is present in the master breaker.

But as far as what works, you can just wire the shower enclosure light to the existing one which, I assume, is controlled by a wall switch. In new construction one might have separate switches, but for a retrofit I doubt it would be worth the trouble.


Why does my sink's strainer bowl connection leak? I have two kitchen sinks, a P-Trap is indeed located under the floor. The problem I'm experiencing is that with heavy water flow (when open hot or cold water tap at full rate), the leak starts at "red rectangle" position. The strainer pipe fits exactly in the black plastic pipe, so there is no issue with size

I suspect there might be a blockage down the pipe, and as water goes back it leaks, but why would it not flow back in the sink then? When strain pipe enters the PVC pipe, is it supposed to have some plumber's putty/etc. applied?

I would be glad to have some advice on this. Thanks.

UPDATE As was suggested by Michael Karas, the solution is to install a compression washer on the tail pipe fitting in the black pipe.

If you see a leak as you describe then there is a bad seal in the slip joint between the black ABS plastic fitting and the tail pipe that slides inside the black pipe. The seal normally consists of a rubber, silicone or neoprene washer that fits over the tail piece and under the plastic compression nut as shown here:

In normal installation the compression nut slides onto the tail piece then the compression washer and then the tail piece is inserted into the plastic pipe. Once the slip fit length is adjusted the compression nut is slid down and threaded to the top of the ABS fitting.

Old compression washers can get hard, dry and crack. When this happens the seal is broken allowing for a leak to occur. Your probable best fix is to replace the compression washers with new flexible ones. Consider replacing the seals on both sides at the same time and the seal rings where the tail pieces attach to the sink drainer baskets. (Note that these upper seals are a different style/size of washer). When the piping assembly is apart clean all the surfaces of the seal areas so that there is no grit, grime or corrosion that could compromise the seal.

And...No. Plumbers putty is not a suitable product to fix this type of leak.


How do I make carbon dioxide for a mosquito trap? I have an insect/mosquito zapper. I want to attract the mosquitoes to this zapper to kill them. The best way to do this is by producing carbon dioxide next to it. I'm thinking that if I put a jar or bucket of some liquid (or other substance) that gives off a non-dangerous amount of carbon dioxide it will attract the mosquitoes to that area and the zapper will do the rest.

So what is the best way to produce carbon dioxide for this purpose?

Vinegar and baking soda will produce carbon dioxide very quickly; the reaction will be over in a matter of minutes. And dry ice requires special handling and going back and forth to the store many times to procure fresh ice.

A better way to continuously produce 1 to 3 humans' worth of carbon dioxide over a period of about 3 to 4 days is via (yeast) fermentation.

You will need a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Drill a hole in the lid of the bucket and connect a length of hose long enough to reach from the bucket lid to an area adjacent to the zapper; most standard garden hoses are 5/8-inch in diameter; you will want the hole to be slightly smaller than the hose so that the hose fits snugly in the hole. Don't put the business end of hose too close to the zapper, because foam from the fermentation process might travel up and spill out of the hose (onto the zapper!). You will want to set the bucket on a piece of wood or insulation to prevent the ground from cooling it. It may be helpful to paint the outside of the bucket black to help it absorb heat from the sun.
You will need 750 grams (1.65 lbs) of sugar and a pack of active yeast. Mix the sugar with 1 gallon of hot tap water. When the water has cooled to around body temperature (feels neither warm nor cool on your forearm) add the yeast and close the lid.


Assemble lead sheet to be tight, but able to be disassembled I want to make an acoustic barrier which include about 6-8 square feet of 1/4" lead. Normally when making such a barrier, it is desirable to solder it together so that there is a tight fit between the panels and no gap where sound can get through. However, in this case I will need to move the barrier to service the equipment it is shielding about once per year. If I solder together the whole barrier it will be very heavy, about 150-200 pounds, and difficult to move.

So, I need some way to connect the lead sheets together tightly, but in a way that they can be easily disconnected into smaller panels that are easily movable. Any ideas how to do this?

(Note that the barrier will not just be lead sheet, it will have a sound absorber like drywall or plywood bonded on both sides to it. However, the absorbers do not need to be tightly connected, only the lead does.)

In a cross section of a sliding puzzle piece, one will see something akin to tongue and groove on all four sides of the piece. In the image below, there is a partial tongue visible, but your purposes would require full length.

If you create a carrier for the lead panel pieces by bonding plywood (drywall is not wear resistant) to the lead and have the plywood extend on two adjacent sides and have the lead extend on the other two, when fitted together, the edges of the lead sheet will make contact. I suggest that having the lead extend without a carrier of its own is contra-indicated, as lead is also not wear resistant and could be more easily damaged when being moved. You would likely want a four layer sandwich.


Remove old toe touch bathtub drain stopper with no screw I have an old toe touch bathtub drain stopper that is stuck in the closed position and doesn't stop the water escaping either. I want to remove the stopper.

I removed the cap the cap by pulling on it and expected to see a slot for a flathead on the rod the cap fits on. But mine doesn't have one, what you see in the photo is a bump.

I tried twisting and pulling the rod hard with channel locks but it didn't move.

The cap says "RAPIDFIT" on the bottom of it. Here's the patent info found from the number on the cap.

The Rapid Fit threads in, as do almost all "toe touch" tub stoppers.

Yours is broken, that's why you only see the upper part of the threaded stem. Soak with penetrating oil and unscrew. Replacements can be found at a good local plumbing shop, or online.


Mitering an outside crown molding? I need to miter a new crown molding to an existing outside crown molding.

Similar to this stock photo:

My old school crown molding looks like this:

Can I assume the angle is 45 degrees?
Is this a compound miter?  On my chop saw I need to cut the piece upside-down because it only bends one way on the vertical.  Is the base angle 45 and the vertical tilt angle 45?

My scrap cut didn't look right and this special order crown is expensive.

EDIT:
Pictures of my saw

To answer your specific questions, you shouldn't assume spring angle is 45 degrees. Put a framing square on the flats of the crown and you'll know if it's symmetrical or 38/52.

To cut this flat, your bevel and miter angles are somewhere in the 30 degree range. See the link below to figure the actual numbers.

Since your saw doesn't flop both ways, you might consider building a mini sled that holds the crown upside down at its spring angle (45 or whatever). Then the only angle you need to worry about is the ~45 inside and outsides. See tutorial on crown angles

(I'm not saying you need to do this; it's just that only cutting crown with only one direction of bevel will force you to cut upside down occasionally, which is bad for tearout and relatively confusing sometimes.)

Mini sled... mine:

(Not shown: the upright of the sled is bolted to the fence of the saw so it won't move. Clamps might be an option, but they'll probably get in the way.

Terrible picture angle, but set the crown upside down with the flats aligned with the base and the fence:

Note the pencil line that indicates where the crown is supposed to sit on the base. Hole in the base so I can see my miter angles.

Finally, tack a straight bit of something onto the pencil line on the sled to keep the crown from slipping out of angle:

Last notes, if you're meeting up to an existing piece, they may have felt forced to tweak the spring angle just a teensy bit, which will make it hard to match perfectly. Do as much as you can to have extra length while you're whittling away at a perfect fit. Don't expect corners to be perfect 90 degrees, either. If it's paint grade, there's a lot of forgiveness to be found in sandpaper and spackle.


Why’s my new outlet tripping the switch in the panel? So I bought new outlets to replace the old ones in my house and everything was going fine until I reached the kitchen. The panel switch for this particular plug is split between two (a/b) (if that makes any difference).
When I put the new plug in, I can’t turn the switch in the panel on as it trips instantly. As soon as I put the old one back, it had no problem.
Why is this happening? I don’t think there’s any difference between the two of them other than the fact that this ones newer.
Any ideas?

TL;DR Remove the tab on the hot (red/black) side
"A/B" plus the symptoms sounds like you have a Multi Wire Branch Circuit or MWBC. With an MWBC, you can have the top receptacle's hot on one part of the circuit and the bottom receptacle's hot on the other part of the circuit. Each receptacle is then 120V hot-to-neutral but the two hots are 240V apart. With the tab removed on the hot (red/black) side, the two circuits are separate on hot but share neutral. With the tab in place (factory default), you have a short circuit between the two hots - 240V at maximum possible current, which quickly (and correctly) trips the breaker.
Remove the tab, only on the hot side, and everything should work.
While you're at it, check the "A/B". There should be a common shutoff - i.e., either they are part of a double-breaker or have a "handle tie" between the two parts. If you are not sure, upload a picture of the breaker panel.
GFCI
Because this is in the kitchen, it should be (must be on many new installations, depending on location) GFCI-protected. With non-MWBC circuits, this can be done at the receptacle or breaker. With MWBC, this can be done (practically speaking) only at the breaker. If your breaker has a "TEST" button, then you are probably fine. If not, upload a picture to get some advice.


Fan and Light Switch Reversed I have a switch in my master bedroom that my family replaced. The controls are switched. The fan turns on when you put the light switch on and the light turns on only when the fan switch is all the way up. The scary part is when I turn one of the switches on I can see a blue spark inside the switch. The picture attached is what the switch looks like. Please Help!

There may be a problem depending on the model you have the s2-lf-wh model 300w on the dimmer it was not clear if they used a different type of control on the 2 sides it just stated 300w 2.5amps. The other models s2-lfsq-wh show single pole 300w for the fan and 150w for the light on this model it may damage the electronics if hooked up backwards. With most electronic controllers a flash can be a bad thing so I would want to correct the issue just in case so your nice new switch keeps working for years.


Wiring for light switch and exhaust fan Let me start by saying I don't really know what I am talking about, so my vocabulary may be incorrect. This is all based upon my best interpretation of the problem.

I am replacing some old light switches throughout my house. Each of the three bathrooms have an exhaust fan and lights that are on separate switches in the same box. In two of the bathrooms, there is a separate ground and hot wire for each switch. In the third, which seems to always have the most issues, I opened to box and I only see one ground and I believe only one hot. There appear to be separate wires leaving the box for the light and exhaust fan. It also looks like there is a wire that is only connected between the two switches. My guess is that this is because there is no hot wire for the other switch, but I'm not really sure. All of the wires appear to be attached using the terminals, with the exception of the wire between the switches which uses the push ins in the back.

I would like to replace the switches, but have no idea how I should wire them. Also, is this wiring setup the reason this bathroom has issues with switches/lights? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The problem may well be the "push ins", aka "backstabs".

Ignoring grounds (green or bare, all go together), you have:

Hot to switch 1
Jumper hot from switch 1 to 2
Switched hot 1 (light)
Switched hot 2 (fan)

Rewire as follows:

Take hot to switch 1 and connect two short pieces of black (or any color but white, gray, green or bare) wire and connect them with a wire nut.
One of the short pieces goes to the "hot" screw terminal on switch 1
One of the short pieces goes to the "hot" screw terminal on switch 2
Switched hots are connected as before, but make sure to use screw terminals.

And if you are putting in new smart switches/dimmers (don't use a dimmer on a fan), motion sensors or anything else "special" that needs a neutral, you can add a short white wire to the bundle of whites in the wire nut. Replace with a larger wire nut if necessary. The other end goes to the "neutral" screw terminal on the switch.


Can't select some temperatures with the thermostat of my furnace I have a problem with the thermostat of my furnace. This problem is wired but I'll try to explain it as clearly as possible.
When I turn the button of the thermostat, some temperatures can't be selected (they can never be), and sometimes, a temperature that can't be select appears briefly when I turn the button but disappears nearly immediately (and then the screen displays an other temperature).
Have you got any idea of how to fix this ?

The rotary encoder or the button that the knob pushes as it turns is broken. Unless you're the kind of person that likes opening small electronics and replacing components, there's probably no way to fix this. Just buy a new one, or send it back to the manufacturer for repair/replacement.


Is it OK to hang drywall in a free-standing workshop WITHOUT taping or mudding? I'm having a workshop built (20'x24'). I want to insulate it with kraft-faced insulation batts. First, do I even need to cover that with anything? (I have read the insulation value will be poor without something over the top of it.)

Second, if I do have to cover it, can I just hang drywall without taping/mudding the joints? Other than "appearances", is there any reason that would be bad? Please note I DON'T CARE about appearances. The shop will soon be a mess anyway, due to the nature of my work. Also, I won't be doing any welding or anything with fire or heat (other than having a little electric heater in there).

So, bearing in mind that price is definitely a factor...can I just put up the drywall and forgeddabouddit?

Insulation does not require anything over the top of it to be effective. I'm not sure where you read that, but I don't believe it's true. Obviously you need to stop air movement, but the paper does that.

The usual reason to cover it is for fire protection. If your local code doesn't require that you cover the kraft paper, you don't need to. However, unprotected insulation tends to get damaged very easily in a workshop environment. You will have shredded paper and tufts of fiberglass blowing around. I would consider covering it with OSB, which also serves as a very nice backer for mounting equipment and whatever.


Motion Sensor Light Setup I want to install a motion sensor flood light in my yard. However, I want it to always function as a motion light, but when I want constant light back there without worry about the sensor.
I want to be able to turn a light switch on to have constant light, thus “overriding” the motion sensor.
Is this possible?
I’m rather experienced with home electrical work, but can’t seem to reason through a way to make this work.

I have hooked up motion lights and used a 12/3 wire the normal black feeder conductor to the hot black for the sensor and the red feeder to the red of the light using a 3 way switch with the switch in 1 position the black is fed in the other position the lights are on. At first to turn this off I had to use the breaker. I later replaced the single 3 way switch with a double 3 way and fed the power through 1 switch so that would kill the power and still have my motion / override function.


Does replacing an electrical junction box require the wiring to be brought up to code? I live in Sparks, Nevada and the 2011 National Electrical Code applies to me.

I am installing a new bathroom fan on a separate circuit from the existing bathroom circuit. I want to change the existing light switch's 1-gang junction box to 2-gang to accommodate the new fan switch. However, the existing wiring on the old switch is not up to code (the wires are not long enough to extend 3" outside the box and the sheathing does not extend 1/4" into the box).

Will the inspector require me to bring the existing wiring (which I am not modifying, just putting in a new box in the same place) up to code to add my new switch?

Anything you arent modifing falls under the grandfather act. You will need to rerun or make a splice in a box in the attic (where ever it is being fed from) to extend the wire to the switch and fan to bring it up to code. You shouldnt need a permit to install a fan. If you do, it just a waste of 300 bucks


How to wire MR16 LED lights? I am building a wall cabinet with downlights in the shelves, for which I would like to use MR16 LEDs. However, my first attempt was obviously deficient, since two of the LEDs blew. I'd appreciate some help to figure out a) what went wrong, and b) what I need to install them properly.

As you can hopefully see in the image above, I have a single transformer, which has the following specifications:

Electronic Transformer for LV-Halogen Lamps
PRI: 220-240V ~50Hz 0.27A
SEC: 11.5V~ 10-60W λ=0.99

I have four 12V, 4W MR16 LEDs wired in parallel to the transformer. When I connected them all up to the power, they seemed to burn fine, without any noticeable flicker; after about 30 min, one of the lights went out, and I thought it might have been my wiring. After another 10 min or so, another light blew with an audible pop. At that point I realised there was something wrong with my setup and switched it off.

When all four LEDs were burning, and when only three were working, I took some voltage readings, which were around 4.5-4.6V (nowhere near the expected 12V).

I have considered 4 possible issues here:

1) The LEDs are expecting DC input, and are getting fried by the AC current. When I bought the transformer (from the same store that sold me the LEDs), I specifically asked if I needed a DC transformer, and the assistant replied that they didn't have any other kind of transformer, and that this was what they used in their in-store demonstration arrays. The LED packaging makes no mention of whether they need AC or DC current.

2) The LEDs are wired in parallel, when they need to be wired in series to give the necessary resistance for the transformer to work.

3) The LEDs are too far from the transformer, resulting in voltage drop (the maximum distance is about 1.5-2m).

4) The transformer is faulty.

I don't have the knowledge to diagnose which of these issues (or combination thereof) is at fault here, so any advice will be gratefully received.

Edit: I am in South Africa, with 220V AC mains electrical supply.

Electronic transformers designed for Halogen lamps will kill LEDs.

Electronic transformers are very simple switched mode power supplies. They "chop" the input 230 V/125 V sine wave in a way that will yield an average output voltage of 12 V. However, the peak voltage will be much higher and will eventually kill LEDs (that's no problem with Halogen lamps because they react more slowly). In addition, the chopped waveform may cause radio interference if the cables to the lamps are too long. The waveform may also be the reason why your voltage readings are off.

Instead of an electronic transformer designed for Halogen lamps, you should either use:

a conventional AC transformer (the heavy kind); or
an electronic DC transformer designed for LEDs.


Need to wire "C" wire to thermostat This is my furnace board. I don't see anything with a C terminal. Are there any connections on this board that I can use as a "C" terminal?

Below is the thermostat I'm trying to hook up. This is how it was wired at my old house.

Is this wiring correct?

Furnace Board R to Thermostat 24RH
Furnace Board terminal between R and W to Thermostat 24V Com
Furnace Board W to Thermostat W1
Furnace Board Y to Thermostat Y1
Furnace Board G to Thermostat G

It's the terminal between R and W

See the white wire coming from the cable to the A/C compressor? Since the red wire in that cable goes to the Y terminal, the white wire in that cable has only one place it can go for the A/C to work, and that is the C terminal on the control board or its equivalent transformer terminal.

P.S. as to how you have the thermostat hooked up? It's spot on.


Sunken area under bathroom cabinets I'm remodeling a bathroom in a Houston, TX house that was built in 1969. After removing the cabinets on each side, I found that the concrete floor is approximately 2 inches lower where the cabinets were. Why would they do that and can I just fill it in with concrete?
enter image description here

I ran into this one time where some self leveling concrete was added to a poorly poured floor after the cabinets were installed. You'll probably never really know why unless you contact the previous owners or even the ones before them. You would probably be better off just filling in the space with concrete because any water leaks or spills will just sit in there until they evaporate, causing mold and mildew.


Could a leaking boiler be fixed? I'm having a leaking hole in the cast iron boiler tube so does it mean that its time for a new  boiler or is there any way it could be permanently fixed?

It was built, so therefore it can be fixed or re-built. But, can you even get just that part or portion of assembly? Can you find someone to weld the hole shut? Both very doubtful, but absolutely worth a shot. Although, definitely get an HVAC person or firm in to let you know for sure. They have access that the public doesn't. However, this may very well be just a symptom of a failing & rotting boiler, so replacement may be the only real or long-term course of action.


Could I simply seal over this toilet leak? The leak is on the top-most (whitest) nut, where it meets the base of the tank as shown in the below photo (with an additional photo for context).

Would I be able to just throw a ring of silicone sealant between the white nut and the tank base?

Yes, you could seal between the tank and the nut. You'd have to drain the tank and have both parts dry.  But there's a better solution that isn't any more difficult.

That nut is on the bottom of the fill valve column. Inside the tank there is a rubber washer between the base of the column and the tank.  That's where your leak is. If the rubber washer has deteriorated, replace it.  If you want to use silicone, do it there-- you can coat both sides of the washer to seal with the valve column base and the tank.

I did this before and it worked for me.


What should I watch out for when installing lighting in my flat? I've decided to add a layer at the ceiling and rig a bunch of spotlights there. The distance will be about 60 cm between them.

Is there anything special to consider that a noob like me might miss?

I'm thinking light color, max brightness, direction, dimmers etc. Technical stuff, nothing design'ish.

(Being a noob, I'm not doing it myself. I hired an electrician, of course. But his responsibility is limited to, sort of, making usre I won't burn the house to the ground, nothing more.)

One specific "dream" I have is installing motion detector (indoors) so when I enter the hall (getting back home or preparing to head out), the light will automagically come up and then, when I've left, turn off by itself. Is that a stupid idea? I'm worried that it's not possible to adjust the detection area so that it only snatches the outer part of the hall and not the rest of connected area (which is my kitchen).

If you hired a licensed electrician then he should be aware of any building codes in your area. I am trying to understand your question though. You stated "I've decided to add a layer at the ceiling and rig a bunch of spotlights there." Can you clarify this statement?
The only thing that brings up a red flag is how many amps are going to be drawn by the spotlights and how many other fixtures and outlets are on the same circuit? Is it a 15-amp circuit or a 20-amp circuit?

As a rule of thumb in counting devices on a circuit you count each outlet (light or receptacle) as 1.5 amps. Now remember you only count 80% of the rating which means a 15 amp breaker should not exceed 12 amp load, a 20 amp breaker would be 16 amps.

Check out this previous post. How many Outlets can you put on a 14-2


13-Amp lawn mower + 10-Amp cord tripping 15-Amp breaker? To illustrate, I have the following setup:

15-Amp breaker
100ft 16-gauge extension cord rated at 10-Amp
13-Amp corded electric Lawnmower

When I make the mower work extra hard by trying to mow some thick group of weeds, the breaker in the electrical main trips.

Is my 13-Amp lawn mower simply drawing more than 15-Amp? Or is the thin extension cord the culprit? How? Won't the wire just melt/burn on excessive current?

Both can be a reason. If you overload an electric motor it will draw more than the rated value causing the breaker to trip. The second reason is excessive length of a small cord can cause a large voltage drop browning out the motor causing higher than normal current. A 15A breaker is only truly rated for 12A with a continuous load (more than 3 hours) or motor loads. You normally would want a cord with at least a 16A rating for the mower since it is a motor, I just plugged in 120V, 13A at 100' this provided a #10 cord to keep the voltage drop under 3%.
here is a link to SouthWire® voltage drop calculator.


Is there a problem installing a floodlight upsidedown? I need to mount a few floodlights in my backyard, but due to the downward angle and how it will be mounted, I must do it upside down. Is there a problem with that?

Some of the other floodlights will be installed facing directly down.

Those are cheap chinese 50W LED floodlights. They have a rubber gasket all around it, and seems to me water resistant at least. I'm more worried about water entering where the cable exit the case.

There isn't a problem mounting those Chinese jobs upside down -- per se.   For LEDs, orientation is not a big issue; it helps if the heat sink (if any) can have good convection but that can happen in several orientations.

Of course that depends on their build quality, which can vary dramatically amongst brands/makes in that general category.  In that case, shelter makes more of a difference than orientation.   I am rather fond of mounting LED lights of that type inside the diffuser of old 100-175W discharge lights, where you can barely tell they're not a discharge light.


How to replace refrigerator paneling with stainless? I have wood paneling on the refrigerator (it was there when I moved in).  I'd like a stainless steel frig.  There is nothing wrong with the current frig.

Is it worth replacing the wood paneling with stainless steel paneling?  Is that even possible?

Typically wood panels are installed as part of the cabinetry, the fridge panel is installed at the same time as the kitchen cabinets.

There is a removable edge at the door that is used to install and remove the panel. Once that is removed the panel slides out from one side. The replacement SS panel will go in the same groove that held the wood panel. The edge of the wood panel that went into the groove is usually 1/4" thick, so to add a metal panel in its place a backer of corrugated cardboard needs to be added in the back of the SS panel to keep it from moving excessively.


Oven broiler has stopped working, but broiler element seems fine I have a Whirlpool GJP84802 electric range and oven. Recently I've noticed that the broiler has stopped working. I had replaced the broiler component about a year and a half ago because it looked like the element had been shorted to the body of the oven and had blown the connector up. Anyway, the replacement was working fine until recently.

I checked the resistance of the element and it registers between 20 and 21 ohms, which seems "correct". I checked the voltage at each end of the element and it's 120V when broil is on, but a voltage difference between the two terminals doesn't seem to register -- it's like both sides of the element are hooked up to the same line rather than having a voltage difference between them, or maybe I'm misunderstanding what's going on? I tried measuring the current also and couldn't get a reading. I think I should expect about 6 or 12 amps if it's 120 or 240V through 20 ohms?

The bake functionality seems to work OK, as do all of the range elements on top.

What could explain this kind of behaviour? Could the internal temperature sensor have gone faulty? Something on the control board? As far as I know there's been no particular "trauma" and the broiler element itself is fairly new and visually appears to be in good order.

I'd like to avoid buying a new oven, but I don't have many other ideas to try out since the element seems to be working and line voltage is (sort of) being applied when I turn on broil mode.

Would really appreciate any troubleshooting ideas!

Update: I've included a shot of the control board. One side of the broiler is hooked up to the brown wire (indicated by the orange arrow). It's kind of a weird transformer/relay thing that, when the contacts are connected, has 120V between the two wires. When the contacts are open, the wires are connected. The other half of the broiler is hooked up to the blue wire (indicated by the blue arrow). The relays are indicated by the yellow arrows. I followed the PCB traces and found that the top right relay was connected to the blue wire -- i.e. the other half of the broiler. When I ask to turn the broiler on, there is a voltage difference of 240V between the two wires the relay is intended to connect, so I'm guessing the relay is not working properly as guessed. I will try to replace it!

Final Update: It was the relay! There's one relay for the bake function and one for the broil. The broil relay was the one in the top right of the image with the yellow arrow pointing to it. $5 in parts and a bit of soldering later and the broil function works again. I'm thrilled! Many thanks to Ed Beal for guiding me in the right direction!

You have lost 1 leg of the 240v supply.
If you disconnected 1 of the leads there would be 0 or 120 in both places.
If both legs of the 240 are switched by a relay one of the contact sets have failed. Or a bad connection. Since bake works I would be tracing the circuit to the control  relay. The element shorting may have damaged the relay and now it has failed would be my guess.

If you have access to the board you may find the right one by cycling and finding the relay that clicks , if you can find a schematic the broil relay will probably be labeled. These Relays are usually under ~15.00 and will usually have 6 connections to the pc board 2 for control 2 hot in and 2 hot out, there may be an extra set that is not used but these cost more so it will probably be just 6.

Most of the time they are encased in black or white plastic once you verify that is the problem unsoldering and replacing the relay will make it just like new.