Some questions on installing 125 AMP rated subpanel for 30AMP draw with 10AWG wire I'm in need of a subpanel in the middle of my shop to wire up a few receptacles and lights fed from the 100 amp main panel which is being fed from the house. I have not much experience with wiring as I've only messed with outlets/switches and lights so bear that in mind.

Currently, there is a 10-3 AWG wire (black hot, red hot, ground and neutral) from the shop's panel (it's hooked up to a double-pole 30 amp breaker) to the middle of the shop (30 feet away) where I want to install the subpanel.  The wire was ran by my dad years ago otherwise I would have ran new #6 or #8 wire which would've eliminated some of these questions.

The first question: is it okay to use a 10 AWG copper wire to feed from a 30 amp breaker to a 125 amp rated subpanel?  I obviously wouldn't be drawing more than 30 amps from this subpanel as it would just be used to wire up my bedroom (tv, low wattage lights, 2 receptacles and a low amperage mini fridge).  It would power the tool room with a couple receptacles to charge batteries, run a couple lights and occasionally power up a circular saw.  (The bedroom and tool room would never be active at the same time.)  The subpanel does say the line A, B and N terminals are suitable for #14 to 2/0 so I figure #10 will be fine.

Second question: would it be okay to have three 15 amp and one 20 amp breaker in this subpanel?  As that totals up to more than 30 amps but as I said, no more than 20 amps would be drawn at one time.

Third question: Considering the low amperage power this subpanel would be running, could I simply use a light switch as a main disconnect for the subpanel? Or is a disconnect even needed for a subpanel only 30 feet from the shops main subpanel

Fourth question: does the neutral bar need to be isolated from the ground in the subpanel? It is already isolated, but it came with a bonding strap and ground screw.

Fifth question: Does it matter which hot wires go in to which hot terminal? (A and B)

I think that's about it, any help or tips or advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

To answer your questions in turn:

Yes, this is A-OK.  The subpanel amp rating is simply a maximum rating, and it's better to have the extra slots and robustness of say a 125A panel vs a 50A one.  (Very small panels tend to be awkwardly laid out, too -- yours, fortunately, doesn't suffer from that infelicity, but that's only one reason to get a 12, 16, or 20 slot one instead of the 4 slot one you have.)
As long as the load on the feeder does not exceed 30A, you're golden.  Use the 3VA/square foot residential Code rule when determining how much actual power is drawn by the general lighting circuits, while I'd borrow the 1500VA/circuit rule from kitchen small appliance circuits for determining how much power the shop circuit uses for load calculation purposes.
The feeder breaker in the upstream subpanel is the disconnecting means for the downstream subpanel in the case of an indoor subpanel like yours.  If you were using a main-breaker panel, you could retain the existing main breaker as an extra disconnecting means, but in a main-lug panel like yours, there's no need to add a disconnecting means that isn't required by the NEC.
Yes, since this is a subpanel, the neutral bar needs to be isolated.  You can remove the bonding strap and screw and chuck them in the trash.  Also, don't forget to get a ground bar kit so that you have a place to hook up grounding wires!
No, it doesn't -- leg balance in split-phase systems is generally taken care of by the way the panelboard's arranged.  You have to install breakers in a pathological fashion (who the heck would skip every other slot in a panel fed with 240V split-phase?!) in order to get a severe unbalance, as the busbars are arranged so adjacent tabs are on opposite legs in most panels.  In the case of your panel -- what you propose (i.e. putting two breakers in one section and the other two in the other) is alright as the inner two tabs are on one leg and the outer two are on the other.


Where to find very old door knob handle / deadbolt set? I have a townhouse unit with a very old door knob / deadbolt set that I want to replace because the key doesn't fit well and you have to know how to "jiggle" it in order to get the door to unlock. Unit is probably over 60 years old.

I can't replace it with a standard knob/deadbolt set because the holes existing holes would overlap too much with where the new holes would need to be drilled. And if I made the new holes above/below the current location, i would still need to patch the existing holes (and i want to avoid doing that).

I also thought of buying a new door, but the slab isn't a standard size and the door frame is not level. One side of the door is a fraction of an inch higher than the other. Same for the width.

So before considering any of the other options, I wanted to know if anyone knows where I could possibly look for an old doorknob/deadbolt that would fit the existing one that I have. Attached are photos of the door.

This style lockset is known as a mortise lockset.

Dis-assembly and cleaning won't hurt.

While you've got it apart, print the Baldwin diagram below, and note your dimensional differences.  Some will be critical (holes for knob and deadbolt), others may be compensated for by strike plate adjustment or wooden block supports (under a shorter mortise body).

Backset (the distance from the door edge to the center of the knob) is a critical dimension that will determine what replacements are available.  Modern backsets are usually 2 3/8",  many older mortises are 2 1/8 and 2 (the new one below is 2.5)

This page lists some Baldwin mortises, they cover a range of backsets and door thicknesses.  Googling "mortise locksets" will net you many choices.


Limestone versus granite for yard edging I am looking at adding some stone edging to my yard and possibly building some steps. The stone seller advised me against limestone, as he said it would stain and deteriorate rapidly compared to granite.

Seeing as how the pyramids are still standing after 4000 years and they are made of limestone I don't really understand this.

Is there some concrete reason to prefer granite?

Limestone is soluble in water, especially acidic water (e.g. acid rain). That's why Florida has so many sinkholes; it's a type of karst topography where the water table dissolves the underlying limestone until the surface soil collapses into the void.

So, no: limestone isn't a good candidate for any stone edging that you'd want to be durable. It would be really bad for steps.


Thin set or spackle to fill home before tiling I am preparing a drywall wall for a tile backslash in a kitchen.  There is a hole that needs to be fixed behind the faucet.  Is it better to use spackle or thin set, since it would be in a place where there could potentially be a risk of water getting behind the tile at some point.

Drywall compound is the correct material to patch drywall with.  I'm curious why you aren't tiling to a fiber cement product, and suggest using a waterproofing membrane like Hydroban if you are really worried about water infiltration - https://www.google.com/search?q=hydro+ban&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiLspa0_7HZAhVnp1kKHbQ9DyYQsxgIKw&biw=1760&bih=839 is very easy to work with.


Can I use 1/4 inch cork to equalize floors before installing laminate flooring? We are planning on installing laminate.  We would like to install over top of the lino but there's a 1/4 inch difference between the kitchen and the living room flooring.

I was wondering if using 1/4 inch cork such as this product to equalize the floor heights and then laying a foam underlay overtop of everything would be a good option?

There is no way I would use a cork underlayment to make the floors equal.  Cork has too many expanding properties.  I don't even think you could get the cork to "sit" under a thin laminate.  Also cork will feel softer than most other forms of underlayment.  To the point where your floors will feel different.

I would use plywood or what is under higher floor (probably plywood).


Can I use sealer over recycled asphalt to retain it? I have a section of recycled asphalt chips to the left of my concrete driveway, which we use parking a second car. The asphalt rocks leave a mess in the yard and in the driveway. Could I use asphalt sealer over top the gravel to form a more solid surface? I've thought about using some landscape edging to keep some of the gravel in place, but that may not be a permanent solution. Any ideas or suggestions is appreciated. Thanks!

No. Sealer isn't nearly strong enough to support the tremendous tearing forces at play.

Instead, watch your local community sale websites for used or leftover concrete pavers. You want the heavy duty ones, which are about 2-1/2" thick. With a little patience and luck you should find a relatively inexpensive lot that will give you proper pavement for life. You could even use the recycled asphalt concrete as a base, with a little sand over the top to make leveling easier.


I need to power a dryer and a sauna from the same 220v/30a breaker, but not simultaneously I have a 220V 30A dryer line with an outlet plugin for my dryer.  The dryer, the outlet, and the circuit box are all in the basement. The circuit box doesn't have room for an additional circuit.
I want to install an electric sauna, which requires 220v 30a, on the second floor.  The code requires there to be a disconnect in the same room as the sauna.  So I was going to run a wire to the second floor terminated with an outlet as a plugin for the sauna (meeting the disconnect code) terminating in the basement with the same plug configuration as the dryer.  Then plug in the appliance I wanted to use as appropriate, meeting the requirement for a dedicated circuit breaker.
The county electrical inspector said I can't do that because the NEC prohibits having a plug-in wire that passes through floors.  He went so far as to say that, according to the code, I couldn't run an extension cord from one floor to another via the staircase.
So I thought the way to go might be a switch so the sauna and the dryer outlet would both be hard-wired to the switch, both appliances are 3 wire. Then I could run only one appliance at a time meeting the dedicated circuit breaker requirement.  Manual switching is fine.
Any recommendations on an appropriate switch, or a better solution?
Thanks in advance.
Clarification
Harper - Reinstate Monica said, “Are you on NEC 2014? NEC 400.7(A)(11) specifically allows an isolated inter-floor run between an outlet and an inlet.”
The “inter-floor” may be an issue.  The inspector specifically said the code didn’t allow crossing a floor.  For example, having the outlet on the first floor and the inlet on the second floor.  And the example I found, https://www.electricallicenserenewal.com/Electrical-Continuing-Education-Courses/NEC-Content.php?sectionID=111.0 , shows everything on 1 floor, but doesn’t specify it.  However, to me “inter-floor” means crossing a floor, whereas “intra-floor” would mean everything within a floor like the example I noted.
Harper - Reinstate Monica said, “All this is beside the point. There is no limit to the allowed number of 30A receptacles on a 30A circuit. Route the new circuit to the breaker panel not the dryer recep. Share the breaker.”
So neither a dryer nor a sauna require a dedicated circuit breaker?  I looked through the sauna spec’s and it doesn’t say it needs a dedicated circuit breaker.  I’m not sure where I got that idea.  Perhaps from the first electrician to look at the project.  But there is nothing in the code that requires dedicated circuit breakers?

Are you on NEC 2014?  NEC 400.7(A)(11) specifically allows an isolated inter-floor run between an outlet and an inlet.
However this must be done using normal and proper in-wall wiring methods such as NM-B cable, or THHN in conduit.  Your plan, to York-a-dirk it* with an SOOW extension cord, violates 400.8, and the inspector was quite right to nix it.
All this is beside the point. There is no limit to the allowed number of 30A receptacles on a 30A circuit. Route the new circuit to the breaker panel not the dryer recep.  Share the breaker.

* thanks for that, autocorrect!


1880 Home with Ballon Framing - Roof Soffit Question I have a 1880 house with balloon framing. On the 3rd top floor, the roof line extends beyond the top plates and there's a air gap at the end...I can right into my rain gutters from the inside and have had bird problems in the past.
What do I put here to block light or birds from coming in?

Wire mesh for birds/squirrels (while permitting ventilation) louvers (usually small metal vent louver strips) to block birds and light (to an extent) if blocking light is important to you. If blocking light better than simply using louvers is desired you might need to construct a soffit externally which would typically have the vent louvers in the bottom. Some sort of internal baffle could also be arranged, if more convenient.
Unclear what your insulation and associated ventilation needs are, but typically "cold roof" setups require vents at the eaves and other vents at or near the peak (typically gable end and/or cupola vents on that era building, as built, anyway.)


Can someone help me to verify if my balcony can handle the load of a hot tub I would like to place a hot tub on my balcony, and need help to double check if my floor joist can handle the load.  I have have 2 x 12 floor joist @ 16" o.c. with 3/4" plywood decking and 1/2" drywall on the underside.  My floor joist sits on the full 8" of the block wall below and sits on top of the full 8" of the 16" concrete lintel on the outside which leaves a clear span of 6' - 4" for the 2 x 12 floor joist @ 16" o.c.

According to the manufacture specification, the hot tub when filled with water weights 125 lbs per s/f dead load, this does not include the live load.   The hot tub Model is called Softub Legend 220....This 125 lbs per s/f does not include up to people 4 people.  I will have a total of 2 adults and 1 child.  Can someone help me verify if the floor joist can handle the load of the hot tub.

Balcony = Supported by hidden joists under its floor.
Deck = Supported by joists or/and piers.

Now if you have a balcony and given your question with lack of some information...

You are capital letters CRAZY for installing a hot tub on a balcony.   For something that heavy you would have to be assured metal joists or deep span (that might not be enough).   I would surely get an engineer OK (which no engineer would with this info) before doing so.

Even if you get past the fact that something that heavy could trigger a quick collapse on a balcony (decks are more apt to give you lots of clues if they are collapsing), collapsing isn't the only thing you have to worry about.   If this thing is so heavy it bows the support joists you could be looking at 10k+ in damages.   Super costly to repair something like this on a finished unit.


Fisher Paykel Washing Machine Model Anyone knows what model is this washing machine?

I'm trying to look for the part but can't find its model number.

Model gw712; see the back of the top panel next to the serial number.  Go on their web page, put in the serial number and get the parts list for that machine.


Sistering 2x8s to 2x4 truss system for vaulted ceiling? The Question (see pic below): Can I safely sister 2x8s to a 2x4 king post truss/open rafter system to achieve an insulated open ceiling/vaulted design.
The Details: I have a garage that is 18 feet long by 14 feet wide.  I am planning on converting this slowly to a finished shop space and would prefer open rafter/vaulted ceiling for aesthetics. I also want the option to convert to ADU and am going to the headache to rough in everything to code. Energy code requires R49 unless it's an joist-vaulted or single rafter design, in which case you can use R38. Since I am leaving 1-2 inches of space for the air gap between the roof and the insulation, I think I can just add 2x8s sistered to the 2x4 rafters then use 6 inches of thermosheath R13.1 (per 2 inches) to get R39.3 and still have enough room for the air gap.
The entire king post truss system is built entirely out of 2x4 except the king post, which are 2x6s. There are 4 trusses spaced 4 feet and then rafters spaced 24 inches (the last truss is 2 feet from the back wall). I'm located in Spokane, WA.
I'm just worried that the weight of the 2x8s will exceed the load for the roof, especially where there is open rafter. Is this the case, or am I OK? Any other thoughts on how to achieve this?
Thank you!
Here's a pic of what I'm dealing with:

UPDATE #1
Here is what I am going for, ultimately, understanding that when it's all said and done only the tie rafter and the king post would be exposed.

This type of roof construction is what I call “stick built” That is to say individual boards are nailed together in the field in place. Another similar type is “beam and joist”.
The main difference between the two systems is the beam and joist can resist the spreading of the exterior walls when put in a vaulted design. Where as the stick built will “push” the exterior walls outward when the bottom chords are removed for a vaulted design.
I think you have two options:
OPTION #1: Install a “roof tie” from one side (2x8 joist) to the other side (2x8 joist) to keep the joists from spreading apart when you remove the horizontal 2x4’s to create the vaulted design. (If you like the ceiling vaulted up to the peak, the roof tie could remain exposed.)
OPTION #2: Install a ridge beam the length of the roof so the new 2x8 roof joists can rest on the beam. By installing the ridge beam, all of the vertical forces (Live Load and Dead Load) will act vertically on the ridge beam AND exterior walls...thus no need for the roof ties.
I like the idea of using rigid insulation so you can maintain a 1” or 2” air space between the insulation and the bottom of the roof sheathing for ventilation. However, remember the code says ventilation shall be “cross-ventilation”. In order to accomplish this you’ll need to either provide a ridge vent and cut the sheathing back so air can vent in each joist space...or cut holes through the ridge joist so air can circulate from side to side of building.
You are creating a “habitable space”. Therefore you’ll need to bring the entire structure up to code, including energy code (walls and slab on grade), structural code (wind and seismic shear resistance), exit/entrance door (3’ wide minimum), egress window (in sleeping room), bath and kitchen facilities, etc.
To answer your original question, yes 2x8’s at 24” on center sistered to the original rafters will work, but as described in Option 1 and 2, several conditions apply, (i.e.: add roof tie or add ridge beam).
**Update 1:
The new picture shows a several structural trusses with a ridge “beam” spanning from truss to truss. This is not what was described in the OP. Building structural trusses using 2x8 joists for the top chord is possible. Providing a horizontal lower chord with a vertical king post at the center could be similar to the new updated picture. However, the 2x8 joists would be buried in the roof structure in order to provide the air space required for venting.


How to install pre finished hardwood over existing softwood floor I have  200 square feet wood floors that do not appear to be hardwood, they are in pretty bad shape and need refinishing or replacing. The quotes we got for refinishing are $600. As I said the floor is not in great shape  and at $600 I could get pre finished hardwood for the same price (although I would have to install my self).
The current floor is a little uneven and has some dips and water spots. If I were to install the floor my self, would it require doing anything major to the existing floor?
Can I install it right over the existing floor if I use an underlayment?
I've read that if you want to install a hardwood floor over an existing one you need to lay the boards perpendicular, but is this still true if you use an underlayment?
I am looking for some guidance here, I want to do it right-ish but also not break the bank.

Laying the new floor perpendicular to the old floor will eliminate any cupping issues. Low areas can be filled with self leveling compound. I like to use a pad between flooring if a floating floor the pad gives a better feel , helps isolate small divots and is warmer due to the pads insulation value.
With all that said renting a big drum sander and refinishing is less expensive and about the same amount of work as a new floor in my opinion.
Before going forward I would watch some videos of floor refinishing and how you can make a horrible floor look better than just about any new flooring for 1/3 the price.


How can I temporarily partition a large open space to create another room? I'm renting a small apartment which has one bedroom, near the front door there is a large open space that could easily be converted to a bedroom/office with the addition of a partition across a wall.

Is there a way I can do this without making my apartment look like a surgery?

Bear in mind I'm renting, so structural changes wouldn't be good, It'd just be nice to be able to wall the room off when I felt like it.

Here is the room layout:

You can get divider screens that are made of several reasonably lightweight panels connected together with hinges (like the IKEA RISÖR). Something like that could be used to divide the room. I've also seen people use freestanding shelf units to divide a large room, that are open on both sides (like the IKEA EXPEDIT), and then fill the shelves with books, decorative vases/bowls, and collectibles.

Neither option really creates a wall, but you're looking for something more temporary. Anything tall enough to go to the ceiling will either need to be really wide for stability, or attach to the ceiling, which I don't think you want to do.

Note: The linked products are used as examples of the type of furniture I'm writing about. They aren't meant as recommendations for specific products.


Wiring low voltage doorbell wire through exterior wall and studs I currently have a battery powered doorbell that I would like to replace with a hardwired doorbell. Problem is, my house is not wired for a doorbell.
My solution is to replace the outlet in the picture, with one of these doorbell transformers: Broan-NuTone C915 Doorbell Transformer
Now, the only issue I have is running some doorbell wire a few feet through an exterior wall to this outlet that will be replaced by the transformer.
My idea is to use a long bit, like this: 5/16" x 36" Snakebit wiring drill bit and drill straight through the exterior trim where I want the wire to come out, through a couple studs in the exterior wall and to the stud bay where the outlet box is, then pull the wire down to the box. All while just drilling once, hopefully eliminating opening up the drywall in each stud bay. I am hoping to only have a hole in the stud bay where I need to pull the wire down.
Is this the best way to do this? Are there any issues that I might not be seeing? Is there a better way?

Your plan has a good chance of succeeding as I have done similar work and was successful. I would suggest adding a new junction box, old work box, close to your existing outlet. You can't just go around eliminating outlets because you need the box. Code requires where you need to put them. Just add a new box, pigtail the feed from the existing outlet to the new box and install your transformer. Getting your new wire down there before installing the new box will make it easier.


How to design a radiator cover for good heat distribution? I want to replace some battered, ugly radiator covers in my 1910 home.  I have read that to function effectively, a radiator cover needs openings at the front top and bottom, so that natural convection will pull cool air in from the floor, then at the top of the cover, hot air will flow outward toward the center of the room, rather than straight up as in the case of an uncovered radiator.

Here are my questions:

Is this true?
If so, how large should the openings be at the top and bottom of the radiator cover?
How much clearance should I allow above the top of the radiator?  (This clearance may be limited because I don't want to block windows.)
Should the inside top of the radiator cover have a square corner at the back, or is there some other configuration that will promote better airflow?
Are there any relevant reference works worth consulting?

A radiator works by heating a room with radiation and convection.  Radiation is smaller in percentage as opposed to convection.   The heat of the radiator is radiated into the room.

Convection works by sending the warm air above the radiator and drawing in cold below.  This circulation is the main method of warming a room.  Vertical airflow is required to maximize heating.

To that end to putting a cover on a radiator will effect both radition and convection.

To maximize radiation:

Add a metal plate behind the radiator on the wall to direct heat away from the wall.
For the front and side covers, they should have enough openings on the sides and front to radiate heat to the center of the room.  You want to hide your ugly radiator, but continue to promote good radiation. Decorative screens/grills work best.

To maximize convection:

Do not place any large objects, curtains, or any other type of obstructions that could effect airflow in front of or next to the radiator.
Allow for proper airflow at the bottom of the radiator.  The cover should have opening(s) at the bottom to draw colder air through the radiator.
Allow for proper airflow at the top fo the radiator.  The cover should have opening(s) at the top to promote warm air rising.

Some suggestions for the top:

Make the top a removeable cover
Make the top a cover that can open and close (much like a cabinet door)
Add vents/grill/screens to the top

If you add a top that doesn't have any openings, then some effiency is lost for the style and look of your cover.  Basically we don't want to block the airflow but we don't want to look at an ugly radiator either.


Cracks up wall in corner of room We recently did a comprehensive remodel of our very old condominium.  Its a four unit row house from the 1890's.  I noticed that there is a long crack going up the corner of a back room.  Is this a common thing when a new coat of compound and paint is applied?  Or is the building settling because of the cold weather, or is there a major structural issue?  I'm noticing a similar thing with the grout in the floor / wall corner of the bathroom. Kind of cracking an separating a bit.  Any ideas?

Thanks.

If the crack is occurring where the new remodeled walls meet the older existing walls, it’s due to shrinkage in the new lumber.

New lumber has moisture in it that will slowly evaporate causing the stud to shrink. It may shrink only a 1/64” or so, but that’s enough for the new gypsum board to pull away from the existing wall.

You can fix this by removing the stud (only the stud adjacent to the existing wall needs to be replaced) and install a “dry” stud (a stud rated “KD”...kiln dry) which is very expensive or wait about 1 year until most of the shrinking has occurred. Then patch and paint the crack.


Adding GFCI to a 220v outlet First off, please excuse my clunky use of electrical language.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm talking about.

I recently added a 220v/30amp outlet to my garage for the purpose of an electric homebrewing system.
After doing some reading, I see that it's highly recommended that the outlet be GFCI because giant pots of water + 220v is not a great combo.  The garage is detached from the house and the original wiring was not easy so I'm wondering, does adding a GFCI breaker require running a separate neutral line or is it just a matter of changing something at the outlet and breaker?

L6-30 is Hot Hot EarthGround.  So no Neutral involved.

You're in luck. You shouldn't need to run a seperate neutral line.

You have two options if you want to add gfci protection to this outlet.

1) Replace the breaker that feeds it from the main panel with one that has GFCI protection.  This is probably the best choice, because the protection would extend the entire distance of the buried? cable.  It's the least amount of work and least expense.  But it means if that GFCI trips you have to walk back to the house and go to the basement? to reset it.

2) Replace the outlet with a "GFCI Spa disconnect", and move the outlet slightly so that it's powered by the spa disconnect.  It's rare to find a spa disconnect that comes with a 30 Amp breaker though.  Most are larger.

Because you  must not discard your pre-existing 30A breaker in the main panel, it would be safe to use a 60A GFCI Spa Disconnect.  The GFCI capability would work regardless.  Code permits the larger breaker downstream.  But it might be confusing for those who come along later, so leave a note in/on the box if your spa disconnect is a higher amperage.

So If you take this option, I recommend finding a GFCI Spa Disconnect panel that does not come with a breaker, and additionally purchasing a 30A breaker for it.  (Make sure its listed as compatible.)

3) Possible third option, do both options above.  This protects the wiring between structures, as well as keeps you from walking all the way back to your basement if the fault was only local to the equipment in the Garage.

4) You may also be able to find or construct an "inline GFCI" that plugs into the L6-30 outlet and provides an L6-30 outlet.  But they're going to be rare and not protect the buried cable.

GFCI breakers do not require access to a neutral to work.  Only if the load requires a neutral does a GFCI also need access to neutral.  If you don't intend to use a GCI breaker's neutral output lug, connect its neutral input pigtail to its neutral output lug so its obvious to anyone later that neutral is not used.

To provide Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (GFCI), all conductors intended to carry current must pass through and be disconnectable by the GFCI device.

The only reason many GFCI devices have a neutral is because 120v loads send current across neutral.

Most residential circuits are 120v only.
Most residential 240v-capable outlets are actually 120/240 and have a neutral to provide the 120v service.
But your L6-30 (Or any 6- for that matter) is not capable of providing for 120v devices, and this means your load doesn't use neutral.  So its GFCI protector doesn't need access to neutral either.


Trane Furnace Fan Works, But Heater Won't Run As stated, my heat isn't coming on.

When this started:
Everything has been all fine and dandy all winter. The other day I ran the fan only for a few hours without the heat.
After this, my heat would no longer turn on.

I figured maybe my pilot light had gone out, so I went and checked. Turns out I have an electric pilot light.

I've done some troubleshooting already.

-10A round fuse on the side of the heater is good. Replaced it with new just to check that off.
-Breaker was not flipped. Cut power and reengaged power just to check that off.
-Thermostat can engage the furnace fan by setting it to "Fan On".
Setting the heat causes it to call for heat (click noise). Heat does not come on.
-Gas dial on inside of furnace is set to "on". I turned it to off and cut power, then reengaged everything before trying to call for heat from the thermostat just to check it off.

What am I missing here? Could something have failed while I was running the fan?

I have a Trane model BLU068L942A1. Probably from the 80's.

Check to make sure that when you switched the fan switch to the on position and back off that you didn't accidentally move the system switch from heat to cool.


Mold on drywall. Should I clean-up or replace? Apartment next door got flooded and some water sipped underneath the wall. The floor buckled and had to be replaced. After removing floor trim I discovered some mold under the baseboard.

I cut out a portion of drywall (see 2nd pic below) and sure enough, there is mold on both sides of both layers of drywall. But the mold formed only on the surface, in the paper coating. The gypsum itself looks white and clean. So here's the dilemma: should I simply scrub and clean with 1:10 bleach solution, or should I cut and replace affected part of the wall? I already made the decision to replace trim boards.

Bonus question: is there something I can do to prevent this from happening again? For example, can I put some kind of water barrier inside the wall, since it is likely that I will have to open it up anyway?

General practice is going 6 inches above molded area and cut it out.  You must inspect the backside of the drywall.  If you can't you need to keep cutting out until you hit 6 inches of unaffected wall.  You then need to follow a mold remediation plan - not sure how anything else in the wall looks but useless replacing the drywall if you will put up new drywall on moldy framing.  If there is any humidity/dampness it will continue to grow.

As far as a barrier... I guess you could put up plastic.  Not sure how affective it would be because water will find a way to go somewhere.  Where do you want leaks to go?


Laminate to tile transition I am laying my floor but I have a transition that I need help with, I am going from laminate to tile but the tile is much bigger. I have attached a drawing of the 2 different materials and I am looking to see what people might recommend on doing

The transition problem that you depict is often solved with a trim strip made of wood that can look something like as shown below. It is often possible to purchase a similar molding and re-saw it into necessary shape. However your could also make your own from a length of the appropriate hardwood using a combination of a table saw and a router table.


Can I share a 220v circuit between an AC compressor and baseboard heat? I will be adding a 220v baseboard heat as a supplement to an addition.  The addition also has a smaller AC compressor with 20amp 240v, the same spec as the heater.

I wonder if I should share this circuit between the compressor and the heating element considering they will never be run at the same time.   ...how do I find out if code requires a dedicated circuit to the compressor?

I do have room in my panel, it would just be very hard to add another "home run" for the new baseboard heating element.

~Todd

The NEC allows one or the other to be used for calculated values, I have installed both on the same circuit but with larger electric heat there may be 2/ 3 circuits required. With both being smaller choose the larger for the over current protection and you should be fine depending on your county and state local requirements.


Bathroom exhaust Fan I need to install an exhaust fan in my bath on the main floor but I have no place to vent it but down through the basement and out a window.  Is this Okay?

Yes, this is fine. However, you still want to mount the fan as high as possible to maximize the effectiveness of extracting the warm, moist air. To make installation easier, get a unit rated for wall installation and run the vent straight down to the basement. Also, minimize the number of bends/elbows; ideally only one will be needed.


What size beam do I need, and can I build one from lumber and steel? I want to support a 20 ft. span of my roof where two roofs come together. My house is was originally 46'by 20'. A 40'by 12' addition was added, making an L shape, and when they put the beam in they put 2 supports in middle of room that I want to elimanate.

Roof is 2x6 rafters. From top of wall to peak is 32". Was wondering what kind and how big of beam I should put under old beam and be able to support on just the 2 ends, not in the middle.

You need an engineer's advice on what the load is and what is required to support it.

And no, you really can't make a mixed materials i-beam.


How to determine which of 2 common/neutral wires belong to my hot wire I am rewiring my garage.  There are 3 circuits in the garage coming in through 1 conduit from the panel.

I carefully diagramed the current state but then in a fit of stupidity, disconnected my source conduit with 6 wires (no ground) and now am unsure how to pair up my common wires with their respective hot wires.  I have a multimeter.  Is it as simple as turning on one of the circuits and testing the hot/common wire combinations?

I turn on every possible load, and put night lights or something into every receptacle.   Then I start back at the panel or wherever I have separated conductors.     I unhook all hots and neutral going into a particular conduit.

Then I measure the resistance of each hot against each neutral.  I aim to see a simple answer.  If I do not, then I troubleshoot the crossed neutrals until it is simple.  Then I tape those pairs together where they enter.  Without this first step, the potential of a crossed neutral will make everything else hard.

If I was at an intermediate point, I then hook up one pair of wires going back to the panel, and go to the panel and test out which pair it is.  Again with the tape.  Rinse wash repeat.

I won't bother marking wires in conduit if it's obvious; like a 12 AWG MWBC blue-blue-white and also a 10 AWG heater run red-red.


Which wire is the earth wire I'm replacing a hob and they were wired up for Earth, Neutral and Live.

Now I don't know which one is the earth, they have a different composition of wires in the cable.

Here is the image

Thanks

This isn't an electronics design question so you're on the wrong site. We'll move it to https://diy.stackexchange.com and delete this.

To answer your question:

The guys in the photo-forensics lab say that someone has pushed some blue insulation from a seven-strand neutral wire onto the uninsulated solid earth wire.


How can I install a Honeywell RTH65800WF Wifi thermostat? I am having some difficulty figuring out the correct wiring for my new wifi thermostat. Before I bring out the A/C technician, I was wondering if anyone here might be able to help? Searched other threads and did not see one that applied to my situation...
It is a Honeywell RTH65800WF, watched all of their videos and spoke with their support department and still no luck, so here it goes:
Existing Thermostat Terminals:

G - Green Wire,
Y - Blue Wire (previous owner wrote a B next to Y label),
W - White Wire,
RH - Red Wire (with jumper to RC terminal) (previous owner appears to have highlighted the R),
B - Empty,
O - Empty,
RC - Jumper to RH terminal

Existing AHU Terminals:

C - Blue Wire,
R - Red Wire,
G - Green Wire,
Y/Y2 - Yellow and Gray Wires (not sure where these lead to , but I think to outside unit),
O - Empty,
W1 - White Wire,
W2 - Empty,
Y1 - Empty

New Thermostat Terminals (need to connect to):
C, G, Y, W, R
So it appears the C terminal at the Air handling unit (AHU) block is currently connected to the Y terminal at the existing thermostat? Is that possible?
I will attempt to include photos of the AHU and Existing Thermostat terminal blocks:
AHU:

Ex. Thermostat

I've labeled your photo, which should help you understand what's going on.

What you describe as a "blue" wire at the thermostat, you describe as "gray" at the air handler. I can't be sure, since I'm not there, but I think they are one in the same.

If you want to install a fancy new WiFi thermostat, you're going to have to pull an additional wire from the air handler to the thermostat. Once you have that, you'll connect one end to the C terminal of the air handler, and the other end to the C terminal of the thermostat.


Fire table surface disintegration over winter So last summer we bought a fire table from Ace hardware for our new deck.  In late October we covered it up along with the other deck furniture, and left it for the winter.  We uncovered It a couple of weeks ago to find this:

Disappointing to say the least.  Although there were several snow storms here (Tunkhannock, north east PA), as far as I know, it was dry the whole time.

My questions are first, did I do something wrong here, or did something cause this? Or is this just a poor quality product?

And secondly, can I reasonably repair this, and if so how?

If not, then I need a new fire table, what features and/or qualities should I be looking for to insure that this doesn't happen again?

did something cause this... is this just a poor quality product?

Yes and yes. I suspect that freeze/thaw cycles caused this damage.

  can I reasonably repair this, and if so how?

It's hard to tell from the picture but it looks like this is a resin/fiberglass material (you can see glass mat fibers in the broken spot at lower left of picture).

You could fix it by removing all chips and dust and applying a resin putty filler (like auto-body filler/Bondo). Resin filler is easy to work with and shape if you have some experience with it.

You will still have an aesthetics issue because it will be ugly; however, you could prime and paint the whole top a color of your choice.

I do not know what you paid for it, only you can assess repair effort versus cost for a new table. I would try to fix it if I were in your shoes, but only because I hate to throw stuff out and I have filler on hand at all times.


What can cause a Garbage Disposal to trip the breaker besides blockage? My garbage disposal works intermittently. More often than not there is a few seconds of high pitched whine before the breaker trips. About one time in ten, it works correctly.

There is no blockage and it spins freely with the key inserted in the bottom.

Time to go shopping for a new one?

Bonus question: would it be easy enough to install myself?

Well, I have to admit I am not a Garbage Disposal Expert, but if the key turns freely and it is tripping the breaker, then I would think it is time to go shopping.

Is it easy to install? That's pretty subjective and depends on your skills. But, in general, they are not difficult for someone who is use to doing DIY stuff around the house, especially if you are replacing it with the same or very similar model. Find a brand that you are interested in (In-Sink-Erator is pretty common, but by no means the only one), then go out to their web site and download the instructions and evaluate it for yourself.

One word of caution if you try to do it yourself. Do you have a dishwasher? If so, you will see a hose from the dishwasher going into the side of the disposal. On a new disposal the assumption is you don't have a dishwasher and this tube is sealed! If have a dishwasher and you don't open it your dishwasher will back up. Also, after you knock out the seal, remember to remove it from the inside of the disposal since it is hard plastic.


Can I add a new plumbing vent rather than extending to an existing one? Can I run a separate 2 inch vent pipe from the kitchen sink through the roof? Moving sink 8 feet away from original spot to under a window. I cant drill all those studs to extend vent pipe, so I was hoping to just shoot a 2 inch pipe up beside the window through the roof just for kitchen sink.

Short answer - if it's relatively easy to run an additional vent pipe, then yes, it is permissible.

See: https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/plumbing/drain-venting/


Unscrew a screw in a hole There is a screw in a hole in my laptop. I fail to unscrew it with a screw driver. How can I unscrew it?

The end of the handle of the screwdriver is loose, and what is the looseness supposed to be used for?

Thanks.

My tools

The loose end is for your index finger to press the screwdriver against the screw and thus provide the second fixed point for its axis while the thumb and the middle finger are turning the screwdriver. It allows the most precise operation of all manual screwdrivers.

I would also speculate that this might not be the right tool for the work. This kind of screwdrivers are for precision work where you need to be very exact in where you touch your device and exert a very limited force. You need a regular screwdriver, which would allow to exert higher torque and at the same time press stronger along the screwdriver/screw axis to prevent them from losing each other.

For the screw you want to turn, you need one of the bits in your second photo, in the holder with the word "Poholy" on it, number 5...7 from the left in the photo (4...6 if you turn it upside up). Take the one that fits the screw best. You will also need a handle, which is missing in your photo. It looks something like the blue one in this photo.

You can use the electrical screwdriver from Worx that you showed in another post, but choose the correct bit and as low torque as possible to start with. With the electrical screwdriver, it's very easy to damage the screw cap.


Grout has gone hard and I have not finished can I add something to it to soften grout to finish the job As title says need to soften up the grout to finish job

No.  Grout is basically a form of concrete.  If this technology existed then when the government needed to redo roads they would just add this magical potion and road would be redone.  A small batch of grout mixed properly only has a usable time of a few hours.  Once it even gets even a little stiff it is done.


Light fixture still live when power turned off I'm sorry if this is an ignorant question, but it is one that I cannot seem to figure out. When I was changing a light bulb in my ceiling pot light fixture, the power switch was turned off, and I touched the base of the lighbulb (the metal part) as I was screwing it in. I got zapped. Just a short buzz, really.

I was always under the impression that no power would be supplied to a light fixture when the power switch is off. I use a multimeter, and surely enough, the base of the lightbulb is live even when the switch was off. I tried 2 other light fixtures in the house, one was similarly wired, whereas another was as I had originally expected, where there was no live portion of the socket when the wall switch was turned off.

Does this mean that the light fixtures in question are improperly wired up? Or am I not understanding the way the light switch works?

Thanks in advance for your help, and again sorry for the noob question.

Typically there are 3 connections involved for lights, receptacles and small appliances (some larger appliances like ovens, air conditioners, heaters, clothes dryers are different).

Hot
Neutral
Ground

Normally, hot is switched. Neutral and ground are not switched. Normally, that results in a safe environment where this is nothing "live" when hot is switched off.

This safety is based on neutral being the same as (or very close to) ground and the exposed metal of appliances, light fixtures, etc. being connected to ground. There are a number of things that need to be done correctly for this to be the case, including (but not necessarily limited to):

Neutral and ground connected together (bonded) in only one place (typically the main breaker panel).
Ground (and by virtue of the neutral/ground bonding, neutral as well) being connected to the actual ground via ground rods and/or connection to rebar and/or connection to metal cold water pipes.
Fixtures wired correctly so that the wires that should be hot are hot and the wires that should be neutral are neutral.
Ground wires used correctly so that there is really only one connection between neutral and ground.
Ground and neutral wires used correctly so that neutral is never piggy-backed onto ground or vice versa.

Anything that can go wrong, will. That's why when working on even something as simple as replacement of a fixture that is controlled by a switch, we don't rely on the switch to provide full protection but instead turn off the breaker or pull the fuse to make sure that the circuit is off and will stay off.

All that being said, with a properly wired house, changing a light bulb should be a very safe activity.

It sounds like you have a number of possible problems, which could include swapped wires (hot vs. neutral), neutral/ground not connected properly (too many places or none at all) or other problems.

In a case this extreme, I suggest getting a professional electrician to check things out.

One quick test you may want to do is to check various fixtures & receptacles with that multimeter. The values should be similar throughout the house - e.g., in the US that would be in the 110 - 120V range for most things. If you get wildly varying numbers then you likely have a very serious problem such as a "lost neutral" that would require immediate professional assistance.


Replacing grounded outlets with grounded metal junction box Replacing several 3 prong outlets in my 1968 home.  Tried searching to find an answer but most questions seem geared towards replacing 2 prong outlets with 3 prong and don't apply here.

My wiring appears to be romex with a bare copper ground wire.  After removing the outlet covers and pulling the outlets (all 3 prong) out of their junction boxes, I've found that each has the hot and neutral wires connected to the outlet and the ground wire connected to the junction box.  Each outlet has a black screw in the bottom corner which I assume makes contact with the metal box and provides a ground path?

What is the correct way to replace these outlets? I assume I need to get some bare copper or green insulated wire and connect it to the outlet ground screw on one end and connect it to the metal Jbox via installing another screw above the "GR" label on the junction box in my photo?

Edit:
Attempting to summarize info in multiple answers.  It seems my options for properly wiring the new receptacles require me to update the grounding of the box shown in the left photo, where the ground conductors are currently tied around the cable clamp screw in the middle.  Google searches tell me that used to be an approved bonding method but is no longer allowed.

To properly ground the jbox and receptacle I can:
A) Terminate a pigtail on the box ground screw hole (will require a 10-32 green ground screw), terminate a pigtail on the receptacle ground screw and tie the 2 pigtails and 2 ground conductors together with a wire nut.

B) Terminate a longer pigtail on the box ground screw hole (will require a 10-32 green ground screw), connect it to the 2 ground conductors in the box with a Greenie wire nut and terminate the other end of the pigtail (which extends through the small hole of the Greenie) on the receptacle ground screw.

In either case do I also need to match my pigtail wire gauge to my 2 ground conductors coming into the box?

The ground screws do not make contact with the box. They're intended to secure a pigtail from the ground wire bundle (or a passthrough loop). On modern outlets they'll be green.

Some outlets are self-grounding. They have small tabs or wire springs behind the screw mount ears that make a positive connection.

You can either replace your outlets with self-grounding ones, or simply attach the grounding conductor with the screws. The ground wires should still connect to the box if it's metal. That does appear to be a grounding screw hole in your photo. Be sure to use the proper screw (often 10-32 with self-cutting threads) to be legal.


Securing a new wooden floor to a steel framed horse box I am currently working on a renovation project where I am converting a old Horse trailer (box) into a mobile bar. As part of this project I have had to replace the old flooring in the box. Previously this had been screwed down using self tapping screws directly into the steel frame and i could feel also that in the past someone had opted for nut and bolt.

I'm looking to get your opinions on how you think I should approach this. I am using a 18mm marine ply and it will have to sit on the 8mm steel frame. My question to the community is how do you think I should secure it down? What fitting to use and is it better to go top-down or down-top?

Just as a note, a lot of the old screws rusted, fused and then snapped off when removing.

You need to consider the spacing of the steel frame.

If the floor, for the loads you expect to put on it (you have an idea?), is not to bounce or sag then you may need to add joists. You don’t mention any and horses tend to be heavy with a small hoof print so it may be ok if you are replacing like with like.

If your new flooring is different then you should check if it will be suitable.

I would fit joists - fix them to the steel and the floor to the joists... but that is my opinion, based on doing a truck for 3 musicians years ago... storage, fold out kitchen, fold out beds etc


What is the best way to incrementally finish an unfinished basement? my wife and I are in the process of buying our first house. The house has a 750 square foot unfinished basement (cinderblock walls and concrete floor), and is brand new (rather, it will be brand new when it is finished in a week or two). We don't have the option of having the contractors finish the basement for us because we are using a program for first time home buyers, but we would like to finish the basement within the first two years that we live there. Unfortunately, we have received a quote of $30,000 - $45,000 to finish the basement. What we would like to do instead of tackling the whole project at once is to tackle the project in smaller, more affordable pieces. Here is what we would like to see accomplished:

We would like to convert the basement into 4 smaller spaces (with walls)
We would like to run electrical outlets every several feet throughout the outer walls (I am a bit of an electronics nut)
We would like to insulate the outer walls and hang drywall
We would like to install some kind of flooring (I am hoping for hardwood as adding hardwood to the whole house is my next major project for the house)
I suppose we need to add some sort of drop ceiling, but I am not sure.

My question is compound. First of all, is there any major pitfall to doing this project incrementally that I may not have thought of? The second part is which order would be best for tackling these projects. Lastly, Which parts of this project should I (as a not terribly handy person) attempt to take on by myself in order to maximize my savings while taking on the least risk of screwing the job up? Thanks for the help!

First, handle drainage. If you want to install a sump pump, perimeter drain, or water proof the walls, now is the time to do that. You should also install any plumbing drain lines at this point.

Next, framing. Concrete transmits moisture, so use pressure treated, and a styrofoam underlay that would normally go under the sill plate, to keep the walls dry. With pressure treated wood, you need galvanized nails to avoid a chemical reaction that would eat a normal nail. Make sure the framing is designed for the drywall (16" OC studs, nailing edge in the corners and around the ceiling perimeter). And make sure the walls are positioned/sized for any plumbing or other utility lines. For exterior walls, the thicker the wall (2x6 instead of 2x4) the more insulation you can include.

At this point, utilities go in, including plumbing, electrical, hvac, and communications. I'm a strong believer in conduit for running communications lines (like ethernet, catv, and phone) so that you can upgrade those without opening the walls or running wires all over the floor. Note that with more outlets, you will need more circuits, and copper isn't cheap.

Insulation is done after all the utilities are finished. If you have water proofed the walls, then I don't have much against the standard fiberglass insulation. Actually, I like fiberglass because it's easy to work with as a DIYer, relatively cheap, and replacing a piece or temporarily moving it (e.g. in the attic) is simple. However, with moisture concerns, or if you live in a northern climate with harsh winters, then I'd favor the spray foam. The spray foam has the downside of being difficult (impossible?) to remove, but it functions as a vapor barrier and leaves no cracks that air can get around.

After this, you have drywall, paint, doors and trim, and touch-up paint. I like to paint the walls and trim separately so there's less work on edging.

As for the flooring, you would usually do this before or after the trim. With hardwood, you would often do the flooring first, and then the trim goes up tight against it. With carpeting, you would install your trim 1/2" above the floor and the carpet installers would install the carpet right under that.


Oven suddenly tripping circuit breaker...bad oven or bad breaker? We have a double Thermador oven in our house. We've owned the house for around two years, and the oven has worked fine up until the last few weeks. Now, using either of the ovens trips the circuit breaker after around 5 minutes.

The circuit breaker is a 50 amp breaker labeled "Internal Common Trip". You can see it circled here in this unfortunately grainy picture. Note, the one to its right and the pair below are also labeled "Internal Common Trip". No others in the panel are labeled this way:

And also, the bottom half of it here:

I can add more images when I get home from work.

Anyway, I'm trying to determine what's more likely the cause of the tripping. My wife says she smells a faint burning smell from the panel when it trips. I have a home warranty which will cover (with a $100 copay) repair, but I have to pay a separate copay for the appliance repair shop and then another if it turns out to need an electrician (assuming the appliance shop can't do the electrical work itself).

What would be more likely in this case? A bad breaker or a bad oven? Are there any steps I can take to narrow down the cause?

Thanks!

My suspicion is that it is a faulty igniter (glow coil) in the oven.

I had the same problem with my NXR oven.  At first the circuit breaker would trip somewhat unpredictably while the oven was on.  I had a service technologist come out who could find nothing wrong with the oven.  After a few more weeks the circuit breaker started tripping fairly consistently after approximately 1-2 minutes of turning the oven on.  Each time before the breaker tripped, I could see that the igniter of the main oven was heating up normally as it got hot and started to glow orange.  The igniter is a glow coil that turns on as soon as you turn the oven on and that stays on as long as the oven is on.

To pinpoint the problem, I tested several variations.  Turned the broiler on as this uses a separate igniter - This did not trip the breaker.  Turned the oven light and fan on without turning the oven on - This also did not trip the breaker.  Turned on other appliances that are on the same breaker circuit -  This also did not trip the breaker.  Based on all of the above, I deducted that the problem was most likely caused by the igniter of the oven.

I bought this new igniter on amazon for $16 to replace the old one:

(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DPQN70?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00)

There are several sites with instructions on how to replace an igniter in a gas oven.  I used this one:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2288437/if-susan-fixed-her-nxr-oven-ignitor-u-can-2

Since I replaced the igniter, the oven has worked great and the circuit breaker hasn't trip anymore.

I think, although I was never able to confirm this, that after the igniter got hot (takes a minute or so), it somehow caused a short circuit.  I checked the resistance of the faulty igniter after removing it and it was normal (same resistance as new igniter).  Not surprising as I was checking the resistance when the igniter was cold and the circuits never tripped right away after turning the oven on when the igniter was still cold.


Is my thermostat keeps losing power due to a furnace fault? I suspect my furnace of reaching a temperature limit and cutting power to my thermostat as a result. How would I determine if that is the case?
First off, my situation is very similar to Furnace turns off power to the thermostat, but I have a slightly more basic question. It may be helpful to read that question first though.
I recently replaced my 4-wire thermostat with a 5-wire wifi thermostat. It now will regularly lose power. I've checked and replaced the wiring from the thermostat down to the furnace. I had been thinking a loose connection was the cause, but now I'm not so sure.
Like the other post, I have an older natural gas furnace that (based on comments from HVAC professionals) is likely getting less than ideal air-flow. How would I confirm that the furnace is actually hitting a limit and thus cutting power?
If it helps, the loss of power seems to be more common when it is colder outside and the furnace has to work harder. It's now bad enough that the furnace doesn't run enough to keep my house quite up to full temp on very cold days. The thermostat can take many minutes to reset and then doesn't keep the blower running for a time after the heat is off.

I will assume your thermostat is a digital one.  Digital thermostats can get power 3 ways:

From the C wire on the furnace transformer
From leakage current across the relay coil
From batteries in the thermostat

MOST of the digital ones on the market today have a C terminal.  However there are some that "steal power" these are intended for when you are using antique thermostat wiring that does not have enough wires to have a C wire.  Some of these had batteries some did not.
The batteries are for BACKUP in case of power failure.  NOT for a permanent source of power.
I suspect you do not have a properly hooked up C wire.  Your old stat had backup batteries in it and stole power off the relay coil.  It also lost power too but during those times it could not get power off the relay coil it used it's batteries.  Your new stat lacks backup batteries or it has dead batteries and your C wire isn't correct so the stat has to get power from the relay coil that is why it cuts out periodically.
Without more info we cannot possibly tell you how to troubleshoot your thermostat wiring.  I would normally suggest an HVAC pro but my experience reading the professional HVAC forums is a LOT of HVAC techs out there don't understand thermostat wiring anyway.  That is sort of understandable because furnace and thermostat designers seem hell bent on complexifying something that really should be very simple.  Take pics of the stat and supply it's model number, take a pic of the terminal block in the furnace that the stat wiring is connected to and make sure the pics show the wiring colors used on the furnace terminals.


What kind of a valve is this? I need to turn off the water supply to this washing machine.

What kind of a valve is this? How do I operate it?

Furthermore, why are there three rubber wires that leave the hot and cold water pipes?

Thanks

EDIT:

Maybe these two steel nobs are opening/closing the valves? You see them? It's those two steel colored thingies, one on the right, one on the left.

Furthermore, what are those cylinders for? What the hell is that? I've never seen that before.

Those two knobs, the tiny ones on the inner sides of the hose connectors are the valves.


Washing machine hot water leaking. Is it ok to use with the hot water shut off? My washer leaks when I use the hot water. I use cold water for both the wash and rinse cycles. I turned the hot water off at the faucet. This prevents the water from leaking out the water hose in the back. Can I safely use it this way? Or, is there a bigger problem that I haven't noticed yet? The machine is a Kenmore top loader and is approx. 15 years old. Thank you in advance.

It's fine to wash without hot water. Just set the setting on the machine for cold wash so it doesn't try an use hot water.


Thermostat broken or central air system? Thermostat works sometimes, other times I have to shake the switch to get the air conditioner working. Is this a problem with the thermostat or the central air system? Thermostat is about 15 years old, air conditioner the same age.

Since the AC is kicking on, the problem isn't there. Thermostat is just a simple signalling circuit. Since you have to shake seems to suggest something is wrong with the thermostat.

Some of the old thermostats have a glass bulb with a bead of mercury mounted on the end of a bi-metal string. As the metals expand, the bulb will tilt allowing the mercury to slide down and complete a connection at the base of the bulb to signal AC to kick on. By shaking the thermostat your probably causing to mercury to make contact.

I think these mercury switches were probably used on system older than 15 years. Your thermostat could be just a simple bi-metal spring with contacts make a connection to another set of contacts on a slider. Again shaking will also cause the spring wobble and bend enough to make the necessary contact.

Anyways, problem is likely with that bi-metal spring. Since you have been shaking the thermostat the bi-metal string has either dislodged or way out of calibration. There might not even by any tension on the spring anymore. Has anyone recently bumped or knocked it off the wall at some point in the past?

I think your best bet is to replace the whole thermostat with a newer digital one. You should be able to find one at any of the big box hardware stores.


Is it better to do convert builder provided carpet stairs to hardwood yourself, or have the builder do it from the start (e.g. for townhome)? Title should summarize the question. I have heard that in general it is good to have certain troublesome things done by your builder from the start, depending on factors like

lest you have to damage your own foundation
go to large amounts of trouble to tear things down to do them. (I'm not sure nor do I remember what kinds of changes these are).
complexity
cost

I am curious what the opinions are about carpet vs hardwood stairs.
Unrelatedly I don't have the reputation to create a townhome tag if it would be relevant/good to do so.

If the builder is giving you the option and he has the material, I'd go for it. After all the work is done, the last thing you want to do is rip out the stairs and put in new ones. Carpet on stairs takes a beating especially on the edge and vacuuming them is a pain. Sure, it will cost more (much more) than a DIY project but it will be money well spent.


3 Cables in Switch Box and Can't Figure it out I had a ceiling fan with light in a cabin that I bought.  It did not work when we bought it.  I've replaced the fan, but the light doesn't work.  The wall switch has 3 cables inside.  Attached is an actual picture and also a diagram of what's inside the box (the diagram does not include the copper grounds which are twisted all together). I think that one of these cables goes to a nearby wall outlet, one goes to the fan, and one is to the circuit box.  But I'm not sure how to determine which goes where.  I have wired this thing up a couple times and can get the fan to spin but never can get the light to come on. (yes I've made sure the pull switches were tested too).  The wall Switch is one of those Lutron Fan and Light switches.  Can someone please help guide me on this?

I'm going to guess that the upper left wire is the fan/light, and the lower right cable is the outlet. If this is correct, then this is how you need to wire it up:

If the fan and light don't work, try reversing the red and black wires connected to the FAN and LIGHT terminals of the switch.

If that still doesn't work, you'll need to identify the cable bring power to the box. If it's not the cable in the upper right, then you'll need to investigate the wiring in the fan box or the outlet box to make any progress.


What is the proper procedure for spray painting metal and plastic? I've done a bit of studying around and I think I've grasped the basics, but if you could walk me through more nuances of spray painting, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Objective: Spray paint on steel (and a little bit of plastic) for:

semi-gloss finish
high durability (chip, scratch, rust resistant)
wet-cleanable (I think the semi-gloss coating should allow this)

My current procedure:

Cover areas not to be painted with paper and tape.
Scuff the surface down with 100-grit sandpaper. [1]
Wipe clean.
Prime. [2]
Apply color coating. Let dry.
Sand with 400-grit and apply another coat. 400-grit sand again. [3]
???
Finished.

[1]: How do I know when I'm done with this pre-processing step? Do I have to scuff and remove the manufacturer's coat until I see the bare metal? Or do I just remove a significant part of it?
If you feel like you have time, can you name some reasons why I would want to do this? I imagine my primer/coating would stick better to metal than on top of another coating, but I'm not sure.

[2]: How much priming is enough? Should I be picky about primer choice?

[3]: I presume that this process gives the semi-glossy finish I want, but I don't see how multiple coat + fine sanding is going to achieve it. Will it really? Or do I finish with the color coating first, then apply a glossy enamel coat on top?

I did spraypaint a computer case a few years ago. It was glossy and I could see my reflection in it, but not as scratch-resistant as I hoped.

Question 1: You need to scuff to remove the smoothness of the steel and plastic to give the primer a surface to stick to. No need to go back to the bare metal.

Question 2: It depends how smooth you want your final result to be. Your end-result will be as good as your priming job. Prime, wet-sand with 1000grit paper, dry, repeat. I did this until I had removed all the "orange peel" feeling to my surface. (Took 6 or 7 coats) I used store-brand automotive primer and paint.

Question 3: This process give the smooth finish. The more coats/sanding you do, the smoother and glossier it will be. I used 1000grit for the first 3 coats, and then 2000grit for another 3 coats of paint.

The ??? step:

Apply a few coats of clear coating. That's what I didn't do back then.
When dry, polish it with car wax.


Is it safe to use a Philips Hue E27 9.6W in a recommended max load of LED 4W? I'm considering buying some Philips Hue White Ambience LED (E27, 9.6W) bulbs, and was wondering if they'd be safe to use in a wall light fitting with a recommended wattage of SES 40W / LED 4W?

Additionally, as the wall sockets are an E22 plug, I would need an adaptor (e.g. E14 to E27 Socket Converter) and was wondering if it's advisable?

I don't recommend using an adapter for anything other than a temporary situation.

Now, the main question is: Is this safe?

The problem here is that manufacturers blindly apply equivalency tables when the shouldn't.

Picture a more common situation - a side table lamp with a small shade.  Typically you'll see a warning sticker saying "Don't use a bulb greater than 60 watts/9 W LED."

This is due to a mistaken idea that an incandescent and an LED are in all ways equivalent.   However, they are not.  An incandescent bulb is about 2% efficient in that it's output is about 1.2 Watts of light energy, and 58.8 Watts of heat and IR energy.    It is this heat energy which is the reason for the safety sticker.  More heat output, and you start to melt or burn the shade, which is a fire hazard.

Now, without getting into the efficiency of LEDs, it's obvious that 9W is significantly lower than 58.8 Watts.  That is, there is no possible way the LED bulb can produce enough heat to damage the lampshade and present a fire hazard.

For completeness, we should also discuss the input side.  Obviously, putting in a megaWatt bulb of any sort will, in normal circumstances flip a breaker or blow a fuse.  In abnormal circumstances, it can melt the wiring in your wall or the internal workings of the socket and any integrated switch assembly.   One would hope that all lighting fixtures could handle any reasonable load, with cheaper and cheaper products on the market, there may be smaller gauge internal wiring or other components that might not be able to handle the current draw of a 150 w bulb, thus the warning.  (But, the main reason is still heat and fire.) But, even if this is true, 9W is well below the spec, and it is safe to use a 9W bulb in a fixture designed for a 60W incandescent.

TL;DR: If a fixture is rated for a 60 W bulb, any bulb of equal or lower wattage (within reasonable geometry) will be safe in that fixture.


Is this my stopcock / stop valve? I need to locate my stopcock / stop valve, but am not sure how to find it. I live in a flat the UK, within a house which has been converted into three flats. However, after looking at pictures of stopcocks on the web, I cannot find anything which resembles the "brass tap" design, which seems to be typical:

So instead, I have been inspecting the back of my sink. This looks like:

And on closer inspection:

Then following it down and to the right:

Could it be the red tap on the end?

And then following it round the back to the left:

Those red and blue taps are the only taps I can see. Could these be my stockcocks? I would have thought that there is only one stopcock though, for cold water from the mains, rather than a separate one for hot water too since mains only supplies cold water.

If I follow this even further round to the left, after removing part of a cupboard, I've managed to capture a photo of this:

There are some black taps in there, as well as a red tap. However, this is by no means an easy place to get to, and I would have thought that the stopcock would be in an easier place to reach? For example, I cannot even get my hand down to those black taps, without removing the entire cabinet.

I have also tried looking under by boiler, which is a combi-boiler located in my kitchen:

But nothing there looks like a tap.

Other than these images, there really are no other places I can find in my flat which has any exposed plumbing where the stopcock might be found. Can somebody spot the stopcock in my photos, or advise how I should proceed?

Thanks!

The Polypipe parts with red and blue taps look like heating manifolds (do you have underfloor heating?) and are not likely to be the stop tap.

You'll have to follow the two pipes to the right in the under-sink photo. One of those (the one that feeds the cold tap) will be fed from the stop tap. It will probably also connect a cold feed to the boiler and to any other sinks, bath, or shower too.

Do you have a bath? (It could be under there).

Is your flat on the ground floor or an upper floor?

Edit to add (one of your photos wasn't loading initially)... The stop tap is the one that has been painted white, next to the earth bonding (green and yellow wire) connection.

Also...For future reference, the black taps are on the filling loop for your boiler. If the pressure gauge shows too low pressure in the system, you'll need to let more water in to the required operating pressure.


Can I improve efficiency by moving air ducts from attic to crawl space? My attic has 2 feet of cellulose insulation in it.
On top are the air ducts and hvac units.
It gets really hot up there (live in South Carolina).
The crawl space under my house is always cool.
I am thinking I could save some on cooling in the summer if I were to put the ducts in the crawlspace.
What say you?

The first step is always to lower where the heat escapes into the house (for summer cooling season). You most likely have plenty of attic insulation.  But you might check for other air leakage places (around doors, windows, pipes, electrical outlets, etc.)  Less heat entering is less heat to cool.  Shades or solar film over windows help too, as well as trees etc.

If the air ducts are insulated, then there might be some difference in moving the duct work to the crawl space, but most likely not enough to cover the cost to change it.  If they are not insulated, then the cost of installation still might be higher than many years of savings.

Another possibility for savings might be an attic vent fan, which could lower the attic temperature some.  Just lowering the attic temp by 10 or 20 degrees is worthwhile in many places.  It means a little less heat getting through the insulation and the ducts would absorb a little less heat as well.


How to improve wooden joists without removing them First floor bathroom in a Victorian terrace house.

Floor joists run left to right with floorboards laid front to back. Joists are approx 10 foot long.

At some point in the past, the previous owner has cut a 4/5 foot section out of 4 of the 8 joists and replaced the timber using metal straps. As a result, the 4 pieced joists have sunken in the middle and are no longer level (unsurprisingly!).

The ideal option would be to replace the joists but I don't want to ruin the lovely period plaster ceiling attached to the underside of the joists.

My idea was to bolt new joists to the existing joists at the point were they immediately leave the brickwork. Would this work? My aim is to strengthen the joists and level the floor.

My answer over here is probably better suited to your question than it was there. But that was about sistering, you're talking about scabbing (the other answers there may also be helpful).

What you are talking about doing is scabbing. Sistering is adding the same dimension board for the full length of the joist. Scabbing is acceptable for individual random joist repairs. It would not be acceptable if all 9 are consecutive joists. Scabbing should be done with the same dimension lumber extended 4' past the affected area. Then it should be BOLTED with 1/2 min. diameter lag bolts in a zig-zag pattern to eliminate shear cracks from forming. –oldhouseweb.com

There is no hard and fast rule on scabbing that I've found. The "acceptable" recommendation above is the opinion of that poster. Done correctly there should be no problem, IMO.

30+ yrs as a carpenter and don't know of any real rule of thumb. Call-out varies with severity of notching, joist size and span. I'd recommend qualified contractor or SE and let it go at that.
[scabbing] is installed which extends either 4' beyond the damaged section (or to a bearing point) or 1/3 the length of the framing member plus the length of the damaged section. –homeinspectionforum.net

That seems to be about it for recommendations on scabbing (they may be citing code, but I couldn't find it).
I might do one 2-by-X on each side before I had to match those four-by's. Either way, do a new load calculation and over estimate it: those old joists are now less than helpful. The lag screws I linked to in my other answer are nice (but you need a real impact driver to sink them) but if you go with 4-by's, you'll probably need bolts anyway. And since you're scabbing instead of sistering, I think bolts are in order, at least at the ends.
As for a fastening schedule, other than that sisters need two every 16" max, I'm at a loss. But here's a nice staggered pattern, with notes about distances from the edge, etc. (just ignore that it's a splice). Use four bolts like that at each end, and for simplicity, tack the rest of the old joist up to it with those screws. Again, be aware you'll need a serious impact driver for them or you'll be drilling holes just like for bolts anyway.
The only thing those old joists are going to be doing when you're done is hanging that ceiling.


Why does my kitchen faucet cut off when turned more than halfway on? A while back, I was running my kitchen faucet while the the dishwasher was on. While the dishwasher was filling up, there was a sudden spike in pressure in my pipes, and the faucet cut off. Ever since then, I can only turn my kitchen faucet about halfway on - it works normally up until that point, but then suddenly cuts off, and won't come back on until you completely turn off the faucet for several seconds.
I was able to disassemble the valve completely, but I can't figure out what the problem could be - everything looks ok (or at least not obviously broken) and nothing appears clogged.
How can I troubleshoot this? The faucet is a Kohler single lever faucet, if that helps.

Where the water comes out, see if there is a part to unscrew. Take it off and test again. This part can jam under higher flow/pressure.
Feel free to edit this to put in the correct name (aerator?)


How to remove a nail from inside a kitchen exhaust fan shroud? I am trying to remove an old (1950s) kitchen exhaust fan shroud.  I went into the attic thinking it was attached to the ceiling joists with mounting brackets but found no exposed fasteners whatsoever (not even on the other side of the joists).  When I looked inside the shroud from the kitchen I found two nails that I believe are solely responsible for its mounting, but in the confined space I am having a very difficult time removing one of them.

The nail is the further from the wall, so I'd have to be inside my cabinets and on top of my stove to get a good angle.  Plus it has a tiny head -- could be an old finishing nail.  Add in some sixty-year-old grease/dust and it becomes quite difficult.

My 12-inch prybar barely fits inside the shroud, and even so I don't get any leverage.  Due to the angle I can't get a great grip on the head with a needle-nose pliers but I keep trying since I can't think of anything else.

Is there anything else I can try?

Shroud:

Nail:

When all else fails, brut force. I'm assuming you don't want to reinstall this fan so try going up in the attic and beating it out with a 2x4, forcing it down into the kitchen. You'll probably bend the nail holding it in and the shroud should slide down and out..... Good luck.


How do I cut a brick fireplace hearth to allow for a laminate flooring expansion gap? I am attempting to cut a small piece out of the brick fireplace (already in place) to allow for the expansion of the floating laminate flooring that I am installing.  I don’t want to just leave the flooring short of the fireplace (I think this looks very unclean), I don’t want to put any molding across the front of the fireplace (I also think this would look terrible) and I don’t want to fill it with caulk.  I also considered purchasing the end cap pieces, but I didn’t think having the trim going in a difference direction than the flooring would look very nice (fireplace is not parallel to the flooring, see image at the end).

I bought a carbide blade (said it would cut through brick on the packaging) for my oscillating tool.  When I went to cut the brick, it barely put a dent in it.  So I’m not sure if my oscillating tool (1.8A) is just too weak (had it cranked up the whole way) or if I need to go with a grinder and a diamond blade or some other tool.

The tricky part is, the fireplace is in the corner of the room, so I would need something that would get into a tight place.  So before I sink any more money into trying things, I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on how to cut this.  I was also thinking after making the cut, I would need to somehow chisel out the pieces at the bottom as well (maybe they would break off?).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Here is a zoomed out image if that helps (No I didn’t put in the off center fire place, it was like that when I bought the house).

While this will not directly answer your question, I'd like to offer an alternative solution.
Modify Existing Molding
If it were me. I'd get some transition molding, with a profile like this.

I'd then set up my table saw to rip the piece, to remove the angle profile on the back edge.

Which would give me a profile like this.

Once I had my molding ripped to size, I'd create a border around the hearth using 45° butt joints.

When installing the flooring, I'd stop short of the hearth to compensate for my expansion gap and the thickness of the moldings leg (the piece that hangs down). Once the flooring was installed, I'd install my molding.

The molding allows the floor to expand and contract, while also providing an attractive transition between wood and brick.
Note: If you match the molding color to the flooring color, the transition will be less noticeable.


Repair garage door chain My Genie garage door chain is broken. (There is a related issue at issue).

See the images.

Also

What I want is to connect two sections together via a rivet. But I don't know if the theory right?

Yes what you are looking for is a "Master Link" - they are available from places like Grainger, ACE hardware, Home Depot, Bicycle Shops, even amazon.

I looked at your pic - enlarged it - and noticed you had a Genie Pro - I did a search for the following.
The prices though might break your candy machine money..so you will need to skip the soda and snickers bar for a day.
Somewhere under $4.00  ..

Genie Pro Chain Master Link

Moving Up Garage Door Company.

Garage Door Supply Company


Sealing exterior junction box I'm installing an exterior junction box where I'm removing an old light fixture.  I have a gasket to seal the cover to the box.  But how do I seal the hole where the wire goes into the box?

I decided to fill the hole with something called "duct seal" from my hardware store.  It's like plumber's putty.  I stuffed it in the hole and molded it around the wire.  It seems to seal the hole up pretty well and is supposed to be weather-proof.

In retrospect, I probably should have bought a junction box that has a hole in the back and put it directly over where the wire comes out of the wall.  I noticed that some have caps that can seal unneeded holes but not the model I bought.


How can I rehabilitate the grout in my tile floor? My home is 11 years old, and I've owned it for the last 9. The grout was already breaking up in a few places in the entryway when I bought it, so I know that it probably wasn't installed properly.  I'm also pretty sure that the tile installer forgot to seal the entryway grout, because we're not having any problems with identical tile and grout in the "powder room", but the entryway grout has been grungy from day one. I've spent hours scrubbing it, to no avail.

I'd like to replace the broken grout and then use a colorant over all of it to hide the dirt, and avoid having to match the grout color.  Is this practical?  Or should I plan on redoing all of it?  I saw another answer here that recommended using a grout saw to scrape off the top layer of grout to get it clean; is that better than coloring over the stains?

If it matters, the tile is 12" square, the cheapest stuff you can find, with about 1/4" grout lines. This was the builder's default material so you know there is no quality to be found here, but I'd rather not have to replace it all.  The tiles themselves are in good condition.

If the grouting wasn't well done (or was OK initially, but then not sealed), I would be tempted to remove it with a grout saw and redo it properly.

Whether you should do just the part affected or the whole lot is a question of whether you want to repeat the exercise for the part you didn't do in the future. These types of jobs half done, or in this case half re-done, always tend to come back to haunt you. As an example, if the part nearest the doorway is worst affected, then likely it's a problem of moisture/water from shoes on entry. And you therefore might be able to get away with just redoing that portion.

As for using a colorant, this might work, but if the grout is in general moisture affected, i.e., now not properly bonded, it's could likely come out at some point in the future anyway...

Hope this helps!


How can I secure a metal frame to polyurethane foam? I have used polyurethane foam to cover a 5 cm (2 inch) horizontal gap between a metal door and the ground. Polyurethane foam , as I know , needs to be covered with cement in order to withstand the corruption. In order for cement to apply I am going to use a metal frame. I am not sure how to try to stuck the metal frame to the foam in order to be able to use the cement then.

Below is a photo to get a better idea.

The best way is to embed (bent edges of) the wire mesh in the foam while the foam is wet, and let the foam harden around it. Since it's now too late for that, try large coarse screws, or bend a wire into a section of a circle and poke it into the surface, in a manner where the bent-circle aspect means it pops back out of the foam face elsewhere. Such tie wires could also be better done as embeds while the foam is wet, with a rod, nail or washer wrapped by the wire inside the foam to give them a better hold.

On the screw front, screw-in drywall anchors might give a better grab to your screws, since even the coarsest screw hasn't got much hold in foam.


2 switches and 2 lights, how to separate? In my living room, I have 2 lights and 2 switches. Both witches turn both lights on. I want to separate them so that each switch turn on only one light. How is this done? Does this require re-wireing and panel work? Or is this just a matter of disconnecting a wire from one for the switches. Here is a picture of one of the switched. I noticed it has 3 black wires.

You could replace both switches with home automation smart switches, wire the lights "always on", but then put micro relay controllers or even micro dimmers in the lights' individual junction boxes.  Then program the physical switches to control the lights you want.

No new wiring needed.  And you can grow the system down the road with remote controllers, motion, etc.


Is it safe and legal to tape cable with a damaged sheath? This electrical cable was tightly stapled to an inner stud.  It passes through the wall to an outside light.

While prying the staple off, I tore the outer sheath. Wire doesn't appear damaged.  Light still works.

So: Is it safe to electrical tape this and re-staple to stud?

You would have to inspect the individual wires inside that outer sheathing.

The black, red, and white insulations should be 100% intact and not nicked/torn in any way or else you run the risk of serious problems.

Whether or not this "fix" is acceptable per code in your area would be determined by the code in your area so when in doubt contact your county/city engineer and they will make sure you do it right.


How to electrically ground a gas furnace connected with an armoured cable My gas furnace will not turn on. I verified 120V where the armoured cable enters the furance, so I was going to continue testing for voltage before and after the transformer (with the door safety switch pressed in and 24V call-for-heat  manually triggered, flame safety module is good), but I noticed a broken bit of (aluminum) wiring at the green ground screw. The black and white wires are solid copper. I assume the aluminum wire inside the armoured cable is ground, and was wrapped a couple times around the outside of the metal sheath, and then finally connected to the green ground screw.

Is using a short strand of solid copper ground wire, with the copper wire screwed into the grounding screw, and pigtailed to the aluminum wire with an AlumiConn the best practice?

Quck note - I'm comfortable and confident with the gas-related safety components on a gas furnace, but aluminum wiring requires special knowledge and is a source of fires, so I'm super cautious.

Someone forgot a fitting

Normally, armored cables (like yours) are brought into a box using a fitting designed to clamp the the cable armor, grounding it to the box and also providing a strain relief for the cable inside.  Your furnace installer didn't have that fitting on hand, though, so they simply shoved the cable through the hole and shoved a "redhead" bushing into the end of the cable to protect the wires inside, leading to the mess that you see here.

So, with the breaker off, I would undo that armored cable (including taking the "redhead" out), get the correct fitting, insert the fitting into the KO and hold it on with a locknut, cut the bonding strip off at the end of the cable armor and insert the cable into the fitting, insert the "redhead" into the armored cable again, and reconnect the hot and neutral wires.  Then, you'll at least have this furnace properly grounded.


Trim Cuts along staircase with angled wall I'm trying to run baseboard, chair rail, and faux wainscoting up a staircase and I don't know how to make my miter cut on the angled wall partway up the staircase.
I've tried setting the miter to 30 degrees and the bevel to 22.5 degrees, but that's not working correctly.
Do I need a transition piece?
Or, what angles should the saw be set to?

If the molding has any thickness to it, yes you will need to make a level transition to get the surfaces to line up properly.
Here is a little insight on doing the same thing with a handrail, on an outside splayed corner.
How to make Handrail Transitions with Rotation?


Inferring wire gauge from cable size Is there any way to infer the gauge of the wires inside an NM cable from the size and shape of the cable? I reckon a round cable is generally -/3 W/G and a flatter cable -/2 W/G, but I do not know how to distinguish 14/2 W/G from 12/2 W/G without readable markings.

I am mapping house circuits and have run across some NM cable whose markings have faded into nonexistence or were never present (might be 1980s cable, and I am ignorant of 1980s cable manufacture practices). Some text was embossed into the cable sheathing during manufacture, but the visible run is short and I cannot read the desired information off the cable.

I have a bunch of 20A breakers and am concerned the cable running out might be 14/2 W/G rather than 12/2 W/G, which I understand would mean the cable is undersized for the circuit amperage.

I don't think you can safely infer it, but what I would recommend is to find an area in your house that has some cable with slack and the wires exposed - maybe the breaker panel.  Take note of the diameter and overall appearance of the cable, and then check the wires themselves.  As @lqarry said, you can use wire strippers to see what gauge the wire fits.  Now compare that to the cable in question.


What to use to backfill around the concrete pier block? Given the image above:
What should I use to backfill the hole around the concrete pier block?

I am thinking to use one of the following:

(1) Paver base (again)

(2) Gravel

(3) Just the dirt that I dug out of the hole

(4) Concrete mix.

If this is going to have pedestrian traffic around it, I would fill with the dirt you excavated and let the grass grow to the edge of the concrete. This will be aesthetically best and also stabilize the moisture level under the block.

Are you going to remove the excess sealant? Did you drill and set the post base in a preformed block?


How to calculate length of roof sides when distance across is known? a2 +b2 = c2? I am building an A-frame PVC greenhouse. I plan to make the pitch 45 degrees for each side. I have a 10 foot gap across from each side of the wall.

How do I calculator the exact length of each half of the roof? I know there's Pythagoras Theorem (a2 +b2 = c2) but I am unsure how to apply it because I only know "A" and the 45 degree Angle, but not "B" or "C".

Thanks for any help!!

If it's a 45 degree angle, B=A.
Or you can set any value you please for roof height. You don't need to know any trig, nobody cares what the angle is.  People who do roofs work in rise/run ratio, not angles.
The Pythagorean Theorem requires one corner be a regular square corner (90 degrees.  Fit it to your roof one of two ways:

if you are committed to 45 degree angles on the roof, the apex angle will be 90 degrees.  Roof angle is 100% or 12" per foot.  You can put the square corner up there, and just make A and B equal as they are the sides of the roof.  A2+A2=C2. You know C, the width of the building.
If you want a roof of any height, then drop an imaginary line straight down from the apex, and the 90 degrees is where it meets the ground.  Now A is 1/2 the width of the building, B is the height of the roof.  You can take it from there.  Roof slope is B/A, stated as % or inches per foot.  For instance 4" per foot or a 33% grade.

Since in comments you say you are stuck with 45 degree angles*, here's how you use diagram A to do that.   You've already established your bottom edge is 10' so c=10'.  That is a stocking size, and let's say your PVC pipe does not have a flare on the end that  you'd have to cut off (otherwise you'd need to recalc). a and b are the same since your roof is symmetrical, so you plug into Pythagoras's Theorom (with a few substitutions):

a2+a2=102   -------------- this rewrites easily into
2 a2 = 100            --------------- and from here it's straight up solving.
a2 = 50
a = sqrt(50)
a = 7.071'
7.071' = 7 feet + 7/8 inches

That 7/8 inches will getcha.  Remember these measurements are from actual corners, so when choosing PVC length you need to measure the connectors to see how far the pipe stops short of the actual corner. PVC elbows are not made for building structures, so the manufacturers don't think about these things.
If you want to get good at that, talk to the people doing geodesic domes. They have to get the numbers right for the structure to be stable.


Trip switch goes off 50% of the time when turning off an appliance I have my computer attached to a six plug board that has its own on/off switch. It also has a power light and an 'earth' light which both are on.
When I click off the board using its own switch about 50% of the time it trips the switch to the whole house.
I thought trip switches only trip when turning something on not off.

Not sure if it is dangerous but any advice would be good.

Really hard to answer this because there are unknowns.

What does that earth light mean? No earth/ground/ or there is a ground.
How's it wired inside? If they wire it between live/hot and earth/ground that is already an imbalance. Maybe the switch on the 6-way is double pole and neutral opens before the hot. That will cause an imbalance and may trip it.

Try another 6-way with no earth indicator.

Or unplug the strip not switching off the strip's switch. Just leave it on.