Is stove pipe galvanized? I want to use a piece to replace damaged round downspout of same diameter.  I plan on priming and painting it, but the primer I have on hand says not to use on galvanized metal. It has a smooth black finish and there is a little bit of rust on some of the edges. It doesn't have the silver/gray that I am familiar with (as used, for example, for HVAC ducts). I have Googled my question without success.

Given the black finish on my pipe, I conclude it is either not galvanized, or if it is, it has already been painted with an appropriate coating. My universal primer (Universal except for galvanized)Should adhere fine. Thanks to dopeyBob.


How to join seams between hardiebacker and drywall in a corner? I'm tackling a full bathroom drywall install for the first time and trying to make sure I don't make any unfixable mistakes.  I am at the taping/mudding stage.

Based on my understanding, I can use paper tape and joint compound to do Seam 1, and I can use alkali-resistant fibatape and thinset mortar to do Seam 4.

The plan is to tile above the shower head, but not all the way to the ceiling (the upper most foot of hardiebacker and the ceiling we will paint).

For Seam 3 I plan on attaching a corner bead - do I then use thinset mortar on both the hardiebacker and drywall sides of the bead?
What about Seam 2?  My guess is alkali-resistant fibatape and thinset mortar are what I need, but am I going to run into trouble trying to do that in a corner?
Does caulk or anything else need to go anywhere in these seams?

Thank you very much.

Don't worry as much about the drywall mud.

As you said, fibatape #4. Do that first.
For #3, set your bead in drywall mud. Then, finish the drywall side in drywall mud and the upper side above the showerhead in drywall mud. Feather the lower portion of the bead out with thinset, just to keep everything on plane. Personally, I like to also paper tape the bead to the drywall in moist areas to prevent cracking later. That is not a requirement though, just a personal preference.

Seam #1 &#2 just finish with drywall mud & paper tape.

Looks good man, keep pushing forward.


Carport condensation issue Recently, my carport started to collect condensation when it's warm after a cold night.  This never happened before.  Carport is attached to the sun-room.  The change that was made to it is enclosing the screened in porch and making a sun-room out of it.
I was wondering if there is anything that could be the cause this condensation and how it could be fixed?  I appreciate any advice!

1: You state you made a sun room out of your carport ? Just making certain we are on the same page.

Here is your problem : Before you enclosed the carport it was exposed to the outside temperatures just like the roof was, now that it is enclosed you have a temperature differential. It is warmer on the underside than it is on the top side. Insulate the roof / ceiling and you should not have the problem any more.


Is USG Sheetrock(r) "SW Edge" a thing, or a feature? I find references to "SW edge" ('SW' being 'smooth wall') in USG literature.  Ex (link),

  SHEETROCK Brand Gypsum Panels,  SW Have an exclusive tapered rounded
  edge design to help minimize ridging or beading and other joint
  imperfections.  This edge produces a much stronger joint than regular
  tapered edge when pre-filled with DURABOND setting type compound and
  finished with joint treatment.   Except for the rounded edge, panels
  are tapered like, and otherwise identical to, regular tapered-edge
  gypsum panels.

I got curious because the USG Gypsum Construction Handbook ch 5, "Joint Treatment for Drywall Construction" says, (bold added)

  Prefilling Joints is desirable when there are large gaps between
  panels. This step is necessary with SW edge board.

  Fill the “V” groove between Sheetrock brand gypsum panels, SW (see
  diagram), with joint compound such as Sheetrock brand setting-type
  (Durabond 45 or 90) or lightweight setting-type (Easy Sand 45 or 90). ...

However, I don't find (or don't understand) any references to "SW" in what I think is the USG panel products list.  Everything there seems to be either 'tapered' or 'square' edged.

This makes me wonder whether 'SW Edge' is a product per se, or just the name USG uses for all its tapered edges.

... And, if the latter, is it necessary (per the Handbook, above) to pre-fill the taper with Durabond/EasySand.

The "SW edge" panels are a subtype of tapered edge panel. The USG panel products list link refers to a product performance brochure concerned only with the fire, mold, moisture, sag, abuse, impact, and shear resistance regarding the entire panel.

USG offers panels with a square edge only as a base panel, which is usually intended to be covered in its entirety with gypsum/plaster and sanded to a finish, or another layer of gypsum board.

USG also offers panels with tapered edges, in both the "conventional" and "SW edge." If you intend to meet the USG spec, this means it is necessary to pre-fill the "SW edge" taper with Durabond/EasySand.


Soldering close to threaded joint with dope I need to solder relatively close to a copper-steel adapter that has pipe dope.
I will put the adapter on a copper extension outside the assembly and then twist it on with dope, but the extension is only about 3-4" because it needs to make a turn due to a tight space.
I can't mount the elbow outside the assembly because then I won't have space to turn it.
My concern is that, if I heat with MAPP gas that close to a threaded joint with dope, I will cook the dope off the joint, and then might introduce a leak.
It's 1/2" pipe on both copper and steel side.
How close to the threaded, doped joint is it safe to heat the copper in order to apply a sweat fitting?

When I sweat close to wood or another fitting I wet a rag(s) and wrap around the pipe. You want the rag dripping wet. I do this with both water pipes and on hvac with oxy acetylene using silver solder. The wet rag stops the heat but don’t take forever get it hot wet it with solder and get the heat off as soon as it wicks.
Do not move the rag let the joint cool if you move it prior to becoming solid you end up with a cold solder joint.


How do I uninstall a receptacle when the wires are stuck? I just installed a receptacle in my basement and I realized I need to reinstall it someplace else.  The leads are inserted into the holes behind the receptacle and I can't get them out!

The instructions "push to release" are printed on the back of the receptacle with arrows pointing towards slots next to the holes were the leads go in.  I'm not sure what or how to push here.  I tried inserting the end of a paper clip, which worked once, but almost accidentally.  I can't find anything in that slot that disengages the wire.  Clearly it's something easy that I'm overlooking, but what?

EDIT: Thanks for all the answers.  It took me several days before I got back to this project, but the eyeglass screwdriver was what I had on hand and it worked pretty well.  The key for me was to push in the part of the slot closer to the edge (rather than the interior) of the receptacle.

A small flat-head electrician's screwdriver should do the trick.  The release mechanism is spring-loaded, so with the wire in place, pushes it to one side.  Angle the screwdriver slightly and you should be able to disengage it.


Why does a breaker buzz when you turn it on? I've had an issue recently where turning on the light in one room occasionally turns off the power in that breaker. The breaker doesn't actually appear to be tripped, but resetting the breaker will restore power.

However, when I do so, there is an audible buzzing and crackling noise for 1-2 seconds when the breaker is first powered back on. Why is that and, more importantly, how do I fix that?

My first thoughts, from a non-electrician stand-point, is that the breaker is damaged and needs to be replaced. This could also explain why it stops working occasionally. Maybe it's no longer using the voltage that it's rated for.

Any ideas?

CEB Ltd. is a now obsolete panel mfr., but they used Cutler Hammer circuit breakers. You can still buy those breakers from Eaton (the new name for Cutler Hammer) and they still use the same part numbers.

Those are "bolt-on" circuit breakers, meaning the way they connect to the panel bus bars is a bolt (screw) instead of a stab-in arrangement. Bolt-on breakers are mostly used in industry, not residential because industrial and commercial users are usually moving and modifying circuits more often, so plug-in breakers get loose and sloppy over time. The down side to bolt-on breakers though is that the connections must be periodically tightened, something that an industrial user would have as part of a routine maintenance program. Most homeowners however are unaware of this need, hence the preference for stab-in breakers.

The point is, the buzzing sound is often a sign of that bolted connection getting loose, and it is VERY dangerous as it could eventually start a fire! If you are uncomfortable with messing with the guts of your panel, hire an electrician immediately. They (or you) must remove that breaker and clean off all mating surfaces on the breaker tang and the bus bars before re-assembling it. DO NOT just tighten up the screw as there is likely debris in there now from arcing that has been taking place.


How much clearance should I allow for a coat of poly? I'm working on a project that will have wooden inserts sliding into a groove. I've done something similar before and ended up with too small of a groove after a few coats of paint (even though I allowed something like a 1/16" clearance) and ended up sanding down the inserts and repainting.

So my question comes down to: How thick is a standard coat of oil based polyurethane going to turn out?

Wet and dry surface coating film thickness calculations are complicated and dependent on several factors (varnish/paint solids content, applicator, application method), an "average" per coat thickness, if one was pressed to give it, would be 35 microns dry thickness for alkyd varnish. Paints vary widely.

Why do you not paint or varnish after assembly?


Basement Bathroom Plumbing - Rough in Backwater Valve I am trying to figure out how in the world to frame this basement bathroom.  As you can see from the image, there is a backwater valve that would end up right in the middle of the room.  I know that code requires access to this valve and most basement rough ins have this much closer to the sump pump or other mechanical area, not in the middle of the bathroom.

Any ideas for how I would be able to run walls for the bathroom?  I was planning to go off the pole and section off the room, but I dont know what to do since there will be a valve right next to the toilet.

What am I missing or am I looking at this all wrong?

Thanks for any help or answers you can provide!

Advice? Do I need to jackhammer the floor to move the BWV closer to the sump pump?

While I totally agree it's the wrong place for the BWV, it's not sticking out of the floor. So, is your problem with doing a finished floor? As far as framing goes, I'd include the sump corner & make that whole end into a closet in the powder room.


how to light up ten (10) led downlights with each having 14w power consumption? recently i had opted to upgrade my store with LED downlights of 14w each. problem i am facing is that drivers of these are going corrupt frequently. my electrician said , we can replace these drivers with a single power supply. can some one guide me how to calculate exact wattage for power supply and i wish to have 10 led's in a row to light up with single power supply.

One problem with this approach is that LEDs are not incandescent bulbs.

LEDs (stripped of the on-board driver circuit which normally handles that part) are "current mode" devices - that is, an LED driver closely controls the current through the LED, and the voltage may vary. When driving multiple LEDs, they either need to be in series and driven off a driver with enough voltage capacity to run the whole string at the desired current, or you need multiple current controlling circuits.

You cannot simply say that the average voltage they use is 3, 12, 23, or 42 volts and supply that voltage to them in parallel; you must control the current, and if you don't, you'll almost certainly destroy them. If they happen to be 42 volts, running 10 in series is a bit challenging as you'd need a driver capable of supplying 420 (or 400-450) VDC at the appropriate current , while for 3V or 12V modules it's much easier to find drivers that might run 10 in series.

I'm not aware of LED fixture manufacturers providing the information about the drive
requirements of the LED module - certainly none of the 3 fixture types I use has that information in the data sheets, as they are expected to be connected to mains voltage, and the manufacturer does not expect nor support modifying the fixture (including driver) as-built. As such you (or a good electrician who actually understands LEDs) would need to measure a "functioning" fixture to determine what the drive current and general voltage range are in order to choose a driver and wiring scheme sufficient to run 10 fixtures; Unless, of course, the driver modules you are replacing provide that information on themselves.

If you move back to the makers of the actual LED module, (or "light engine" as some call it) there's all sorts of drive data, but it's generally impossible to get a fixture maker to identify the module they use (and it may well change from time to time or batch to batch.)


Replacement capacitor for my ceiling fan. 5μF300v Problem

I have a ceiling fan that is running slowly. I suspect it's the capacitor at fault. I don't see any bulging, but the fan spins for all three settings of the pull chain switch.

Diagnosis

I have two more identical fans in other rooms in my house. I swapped out the switch housing assembly (the part with the switches, wires, and capacitor) from one of those, and the fan runs fine.

Questions

Is there a name for the block capacitor packages that have multiple capacitors inside of them? Some term that I can google?

I have been able to find block capacitors with three 5μF250v capacitors inside ... can I use this, or do I need to replace the 5μF300v capacitor with another 5μF300v capacitor ? I thought the fan is running at 120V, where is the 300V coming from? I don't see any kind of transformer.

If not, where should I look to find a suitable replacements capacitor? I contacted the manufacturer (Hunter), but they were no help. The only offered me a discount on the purchase of a new fan.

I do not know why hunter has chosen a 300v for one leg when most other CBB61 5 wires are 250v on all three legs.  Inductive surge/kickback on one speed versus the other two is all I can suspect.
I did notice that for hunter fans they sell a two piece unit for replacement listings.  The photo looks like one cap is 300v value and the other is dual 250v.

hunter replacement


2 switches in one box in bathroom I have 2 switches in bathroom in on box.  1 switch controls the light and the other switch controls the bathroom fan.  I believe power comes in to light switch then to fan switch.  How do I change out the 2nd switch?

use a non contact voltage detector (its a small "pen" like instrument that when put near power will beep) to confirm which switch the power comes from. black will be your power wire, white is neutral and red is for the switch. (any one will zap you if not careful)

switch the breaker to the OFF position (Make sure you've got the right one!!) and replacing the switch is as easy as unscrewing the screws and reattaching the wires in their corresponding positions.


Are there any "easy" ways to trace a home electrical system? We bought a home a few months ago, and the electrical panel (and subpanel) are completely unlabelled. We have no way, short of flipping breakers, to know what breaker powers which fixtures. Is there a better way to map a home's electrical system so that I can label the breakers?

I use a circuit finder, like this:

It requires a little finesse, but not too much.

http://www.amazon.com/GB-Electrical-CS550A-Circuit-Breaker/dp/B001DT6NC6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289622691&sr=8-2


Specs for reinstalling 10+ year old composite decking Our deck:

Light colored decking on left was scrubbed yesterday with a stiff natural bristle brush.

We'd like to reduce the regular buildup of moss/algae and associated slipperiness of the 10+ year old composite decking, possibly a Trex product.  It's situated on north side of our 2 story home in NW Oregon.  We're not concerned with any warranty issues.

I'm looking for reinstallation advice regarding:

1) gap

2) relief chamfer

3) fasteners

4) tar paper caps on joists

I've no experience with this stuff, but plenty of traditional carpentry experience.

The 14'x26' deck, 14" high, was built by/for the previous homeowner between 2000 and 2007.  The decking measures 5-1/8" to 5-3/16" wide and 15/16th thick.  The decking is installed over conventional pressure-treated framing.  The decking seems structurally sound, is not sagging, buckling or flaking.

For other aims, I've already pulled up about 1/3rd of the decking. It's ready to go back down. Pulling up the remaining will be very easy.

What gaps should I maintain for the aged decking? Currently (year-round) there are no appreciable end gaps or edge gaps. Not sure if it was installed that way or if has swelled over the years. The lack of gap is very nice, but the minimal joints pack with dirt/debris.  We think this leads to extended puddling and extra moss/algae growth.

To further aid debris clearing, I'm thinking of relieving the bottom of the gaps by chamfering all edges as in the picture. Any comments?

What fasteners are recommended?  The decking is fastened by special screws and nail-gun nails, one each at every joist.  I removed some of the decking 3 years ago and just laid them back in place without any fasteners.  They seem fine that way, so I'm not sure I'd need any fasteners at all, let alone screws.

Should I cap the tops of the joists with tarpaper?  Whenever I've built decks in the past (pressure treated framing, Midwest and New England) I've always capped the joists.  The tarpaper relaxes into a type of drip cap. Lumberyards carried narrow rolls for just this purpose.  This deck doesn't have any.  When backing out the screws, 2/3 to 3/4 strip-out in the PT joists.  Their threads are rusted off.  I threw them away.  The photo shows the 10% that retained their threads.

Any other comments recommendations welcome.

I agree with Ecnerwal entirely. But, absolutely screw the deck boards down & don't use nails, unless you like them popping up & ripping your foot or catching a shoe or high heel. Screwing the boards down is structural, for mostly just the boards...it spreads the stress instead of snapping a board from a fatboy standing between joists.

Definitely, use the tar-paper & bravo on doing it in the past...almost no-one around me does it & laughs at me when I do it or point out it's missing. Their decks last maaaybeee 15-years & mine last easily 30+.

Go with stainless steel screws! Square-Drive like the old screws is fine, but mostly Star-Head is all I find anymore. I think chamfering the bottoms will only trap more debris on top of the tar-papered joists, this will also cause water to travel to the meat area rather than just the edge. Simply hosing, brooming or putty knifing out the new gaps annually should be greatly successful.


Hooked up new programmable timer, but concerned about red wire Ok so I hooked up the new switch its a Defiant Model # 49814 purchased from Home Depot and I have another question, the red wire when tested with the NCVT is registering high voltage along with the black wire connected to the other black wire is that correct? Did I do it right? The capped red wire just concerns me, is it supposed to have power? If so should it be capped or hooked up to another wire?

The switch you installed can be wired for either single pole or 3-way configurations. The red wire is a traveller for the 3-way setup. It is not used in the single pole setup. Capping it is right.


Why would water pressure at my faucets change after turning off the water main for some time? I turned off the main water to the house to perform a plumbing repair. The water was off for approximately 5 hours. During that time, I partially drained the water heater tank to flush it (forgot to open a hot water faucet, so it never fully drained...gonna have to to flush it again :/).

Upon turning the water and water heater back on, all of the bathroom sink fixtures "behave" differently. At one, flow is reduced to about half of what it was. At another, turning on both hot and cold fully gives no more flow than turning either one on fully. In the master bath (double sink), one faucet had low pressure before and the other was fine, but now they are opposite - the low pressure one now seems fine and the previously-good one has low pressure / flow.

Main shutoff valve is open fully, as is the valve at the street. Other fixtures in the house (tub, shower, kitchen sink, washer, dishwasher) seem to be operating normally. What could be the cause of this and how can I fix it?

Debris. Mineral buildup, sand, etc.... You loosened it up, when the water came back on it pushed it into your valves and aerators. Pull the aerators off and clean them out. Of it improves, no need to pull the valves out. Of better, but not the way it was before, turn water off statue faucet and pull the valves out and clean them.   I just did the same thing 2 days ago and have 1 more faucet to clean the valves in.


How do I paint over marble chip plaster? I've moved into my new home, which has a marble chip plaster wall:

Source

Is it possible to paint over a wall like this, and how would I do that? I've been told that it requires special treatment, but not what kind exactly.

I think you'd have to plaster that before painting it. I'd give it a few months if you haven't just in case it grows on you - it's an expensive and unique finish, and it's going to be expensive to change, with no way to go back.


Is it normal for Teflon tape to discolor like this? Today I was replacing a fitting on the house's water supply. I took off the PVC female adapter and the underneath looks to be Teflon tape that has discolored into black. I do not remember seeing this before. I wonder whether it looks normal to some of you or have you seen this before. If you can provide a chemicky explanation, that will be great!

I haven't seen Teflon do that before. It looks like a black pipe dope or sealer was applied over the Teflon to stop a leak.
There are many different colors of pipe sealers. According to @Kris,  Rectorseal makes a black one, #7, for use with corrosive chemicals and active solvents and it also specifies for metal pipes only. We'll never really know what's there unless you get it analyzed. I'd clean off that part and replace the PVC female adapter and re assemble everything. The black material could even just be some black silicone caulk that was used as a last ditch effort to stop a leak.


wiring - is this feeding other circuits or all switches? I've got an old junction box that used to have a light fixture attached to it (it's been removed). I'd like to remove the junction box entirely and sheetrock over if it's not serving any purpose (for aesthetic reasons).

I think it used to have 2 switches that controlled it, but it has four 3-wire romex in the box. One of the old switch boxes is still around. Both that switch box and this junction box are hot. Further, in the box, both the black wire bundle and the single black wire are hot. There are no traveler wires anywhere. I would be wholly unsurprised if this box is wired weird/not-to-code by the former owners. I vaguely remember having intermittent trouble depending on what configurations the switches were in when that fixture was operable.

Here's a photo and a diagram for clarity.

What's going on here? Is this feeding something else in my house or did these runs all used to go to switches? Thanks!

The cable with the white wire in the black wire bundle goes to a switch and the single black wire is the switched hot.

The others feed through to something else.

The National Electrical Code requires junction boxes to remain accessible. So you can't cover it up.

However, they do make a Code-compliant splice device for NM cable that could be covered up. It is designed for only one cable though. So, you would have to remove enough of the existing wiring so you only have to splice one cable.

Or, you can rewire the circuit to move the J-box elsewhere.

Good luck!


How to spackle a plaster/drywall to firmly hold a magnetic door lock with plastic nails? The problem is that the wall half of the magnet has come off the wall, leaving a hole in the wall. I tried to plug the hole in the wall with DryDex Sparkling & Nail Hole Filler, but it was not solid enough to hold the magnet's nails after drying overnight. What do you recommend?

Usually something like this:

Enlarge the hole to something like 4 x 6 inches.

Cut a scrap of drywall about 5.5 x 8.

Drill a couple of holes in the center of the patch.

Tie a loop of cord through the pair of holes.  Leave enough slack to get a good grip.

Maneuver the patch through the hole, rotate it to cover the hole, then secure with dry wall screws

Cut a second piece of drywall to fit the hole.  Screw it to the back patch.

Drywall mud and tape the seam.

Drill holes for drywall anchors, or use the plastic screw-in anchors.

Use appropriate screws to mount through the magnet plate into the anchors. ...


Recessed lights, how to replace bulb? H

Can I just replace the bulb or do I have to replace the entire assembly? Does the bulb just unscrew or is there a spring mechanism? Also what type of bulb is it? I'd like to replace it with a bright led

The bulb will just unscrew.

That's currently an R30 CFL bulb.  Probably about a 65w watt equivalent.

You should have no problem replacing with LED.


What types of materials should I consider when designing a bench? I am building a dividing half-wall/shelving unit to separate my living room from entrance door. I am planning to put a bench on the side closer to the door (so me and my guests can sit down while lacing shoes) and I am wondering about what kind of material should i use for this bench?

Approximate dimensions will be 3-4 feet length(or width), 16 inches deep and 17 inches from the floor.

I want to make sure that this bench can withstand big loads (some of my friends are big)
I was thinking about using 1 inch thick plywood sheet on top of 2 2x3s, but I am not too sure about it. I also don't want it to be too thick or have some posts in the middle, because I want to be able to put shoes under it.

Can someone recommend what materials should I use and possible construction of this bench (or point in right direction) ?

Take a look at these Standardized Work Table Plans as it might give you some ideas. Obviously you would not need the lower shelf, but otherwise it would be similiar (but scaled down), and this thing can hold a lot of weight!

(source: eaa1000.av.org)


New service continuity This is a new 200 amp main breaker panel service and with no service drop yet.  With main breaker off and with all circuits off I show continuity between neutral and the screw on the breaker when the hot is connected yet no continuity on the breaker without hot leads. This is occurring on several circuits. This does not make sense to me if the breaker are off.  Is this a sign of a defective breaker panel?

This can be happening where you have a load connected to that circuit. For example, if you have a light fixture with a light bulb installed and the wall switch turned on. The light bulb acts as a low-value resistor which your continuity tester is seeing as a short between hot and neutral.


How can I replace a 4-wire manual thermostat with a programmable thermostat? I"m replacing a 4-wire manual baseboard thermostat with a programmable SBFT2W thermostat. After connecting the wires, there are two lead wires from the old stat that are still unconnected. They are apparently connecting the heater thermo to the heater that will be done by the new stat.  Should these two wires be connected? Any suggestions would be helpful before I blow this unit up.

Check the wires on the terminal strip in your furnace they should be labeled, match the letters R-R W-W Y-Y G-G from the furnace to the thermostat and usually the colors should match also so: r-red g-green y-yellow and w-white.


Replaced GFCI no power in line wire but power in load wire We overloaded our back lanai outlet (used 20amp doggy hair dryer on a 15amp breaker oops prior house handled it so didn't think to check) and melted the GFCI outlet in the garage that protects the circuit.   Changed out the GFCI outlet (Leviton 20a dual pole just like the old one), stripped the melted line wire back well, get a green light so load and line are correct (switched them just to make sure and got a red light) and the load wire has power but the line wire does not.   Confused that there is no power in the line wire that feeds the outlet but there is in the load that feeds the circuit.  Replaced the jumper section in the line wire (with 10g stranded just to see if the joint was bad) and still no power to the line wire, load has power still.  Tested the breakers and all show power but the one that powers this one was a tad bit weaker.  Not sure if breaker related now or the outlet and I could spend all weekend getting nothing done if there is something deeper in the circuit wrong.  Checked other outlets on the circuit and they seem to be ok, no burnt wire or melted outlet, the screws are a bit rusty from being outside outlets but wire looks ok.  No idea where to go from here.  Really confused that the line wire has no power but the load does.  Any thoughts?
Nevermind, figured it out.  Guess you have to post for the answer to come to mind.  I kept questioning why the GFCI would not reset and hubby kept demanding he got the load and line correct - the same way it came off.  I dug the old outlet out of the garbage and said the load connector is melted not line.  The wires are backwards.  Blah blah I did it right....a lot of eye rolls and huffing later...it was backwards.  Working fine now.

Hard to say exactly what the problem is. Pictures would help. But here are a couple of thoughts:
Overloads can cause multiple problems
It is possible that an overload at one receptacle can damage that receptacle and also damage wires in other locations. In particular, if you have a string of receptacles, something like:

Breaker
Receptacle - Living Room
Receptacle - Bedroom
Receptacle w/GFCI - Lanai

then an overload at the GFCI could cause problems in the living room or bedroom receptacles. This is especially likely if those receptacles are functioning as part of a chain - power in on left and out on right (or vice versa) and the connections are done with backstabs rather than screw terminals. If you had a weak connection before, an overload may have made it weaker.
Breaker Mismatch
"15amp breaker" plus "Leviton 20a dual pole" is against the rules and a Really Bad Idea. The other way around is OK - 15A duplex receptacle on a 20A circuit.
The problem is that when there is a 15A breaker, it is there to protect wire (normally 14 AWG) that is rated for no more than 15A. By installing a 20A receptacle, you are encouraging use of larger appliances (as was the case here). While the breaker should provide enough protection, using a smaller breaker than the receptacle can lead to nuisance trips and a temptation to swap the breaker (without making sure all the wire is 12 AWG or larger), as well as other problems. This should be a 15A dual receptacle, not a 20A dual receptacle.


Why won't toilet flush after replacing wax ring? OK, so I'm not a professional plumber but I've replaced many wax rings before. Toilet worked perfectly fine before until I noticed a little leak at bottom of toilet. I replaced the worn out wax ring. There are no more leaks but this time the water overflows and just won't have that swirling flush! Very slooow drain. There;s no blockage, no leaks and eb=ven replaced the wax ring a second time, just in case. I'm stumped! Just can't figure it out. Plunging, snaking and chemicals won't flush the toilet. Any ideas?

Recheck the passage way that runs from the bowl to the horn. There must be an object lodge in there since the toilet flushed properly prior to the wax ring being replaced. Don't remove the toilet from the closet flange just yet. Insert a toilet auger and work the handle. It should advance through the toilet with little effort as it is being turned. If you encounter resistance reverse the auger while withdrawing it a short distance at the same time. Than continue pushing it forward feeling for any blockage. Withdraw the auger and flush to verify proper operation. If, after using the auger and flushing, the water doesn't flush pull the toilet, drain any standing water in the tank and bowl and lay it on its side on a plastic sheet. Examine the horn opening with a flashlight. If necessary insert a bent coat hanger into the opening and probe for foreign objects.


How do water piping sizes compare? Comparing different types of water piping is confusing. It seems that a 1/2" copper pipe is not the same size as a 1/2" PEX tube. I've read different things in different places (e.g. forums).

Which type of copper tube is equivalent to which type of PEX tubing?

I'm not sure about metric sizes, but this applies to US customary units.

The "1/2" designation is just a name - it is not a measurement of anything although in some cases it may be more or less approximately the same value.

For some applications, the outer diameter of the pipe is what is important. For instance, even though 1/2-in copper and 1/2-in PEX are not actually 0.5", they do have the SAME outer diameter and so will both fit many of the same push-fit fittings.

In other cases, such as making sure the desired amount of water flow can be achieved, the inner diameter is what is important. Consult the table below to compare among different types of pipe / tubing.

 Nominal Pipe Size   O.D.    I.D. Type K Copper   I.D. Type L Copper   I.D. Type M Copper   I.D. Pex A, B, or C   I.D. PEX-AL-PEX
 ------------------- ------- -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- --------------------- -----------------
  1/4                 0.375   0.305                0.315                n/a                  n/a
  3/8                 0.5     0.402                0.43                 0.45                 0.36                  0.346"
  1/2                 0.625   0.527                0.545                0.569                0.485                 0.500"
  5/8                 0.75    0.652                0.666                0.569                0.584                 0.637"
  3/4                 0.875   0.745                0.785                0.811                0.681                 0.806"
  1                   1.125   0.995                1.025                1.055                0.875                 1.032"
  1-1/4               1.375   1.245                1.265                1.291                1.054                 No data
  1-1/2               1.625   1.481                1.505                1.527                1.244                 No data
  2                   2.125   1.959                1.985                2.009                1.653                 No data
  2-1/2               2.625   2.435                2.465                2.495                No data               No data
  3                   3.125   2.907                2.945                2.981                No data               No data
  3.5                 3.625   3.385                3.425                3.459                No data               No data
  4                   4.125   3.857                3.897                3.935                No data               No data
  5                   5.125   4.805                4.875                4.907                No data               No data
  6                   6.125   5.741                5.845                5.881                No data               No data
  8                   8.125   7.583                7.725                7.785                No data               No data

So, for example the closest PEX tubing size to a nominal 1/2-in copper pipe (any type) would be a 5/8-in PEX A, B, or C types.

Sources:

http://www.pexheat.com/Home/5-Lies-About-PEX-Tubing
https://www.pexuniverse.com/pex-al-pex-tubing-technical-specifications
https://www.petersenproducts.com/Copper-Tubing-Sizes-s/1979.htm


Mold in inaccessible crawlspace I bought a 1927 house last year and, afterwards learned I'm especially sensitive to mold and this house has plenty of it. I've eliminated mold everywhere I've found it except in the inaccessible crawlspace under a kitchen and bedroom addition (1960s? 70s?). I've fixed leaks and replaced drywall, ductwork, etc but I can still smell mold coming up from the crawlspace, which has no access panel but several vents. The height ranges from about 10 inches under the kitchen (worst mold area) to 2 feet at one bedroom corner. I don't know how to get rid of the mold under the addition: seal it and find a way to keep it dehumidified? pay someone to spray foam underneath? install ultraviolet lamps somehow to kill the mold? Help!

You can get lower end foggers that just need some gap to point them in for about $60-$75.  Probably less for a smaller area.  I was pricing something that would hold a full gallon of solution and do our entire basement.  Mold will be dead without having to get to it but only temporarily if the space remains too damp.
Microbalance ec3 is an awesome nontoxic mold killer for immediate relief from mold problems.  It is very temporary though and costly to keep fogging a large area.  You can also get ec3 candles that give off no scent but kill mold in a very large room if burned for at least 3 hours.  Tested by several mold remediation professionals using their own preferred labs.  It can eliminate your misery for weeks to a couple months depending on how fast the mold comes back while you work on the problem.  Slight caution with pets for the nontoxic part since they do not process plant oils as well as humans.  High enough chronic exposure can cause health issues but periodic exposure at lower levels is not a problem.  I just make sure the cats don't get in the basement until it all dissipates from the air and use the lower concentration candles or spray in the rest of the house no more than twice a week.
Concrobium is another nontoxic mold killer that works by mechanical means and stays on the surface so it will continue to kill new mold but it is not resistant to water.  It needs to dry some to be fully effective and it will dissolve back off with enough new moisture.  It is an irritant if you breathe too much but it's just a mixture of salts like baking soda and washing soda so the one time I fogged with it I just wore a basic disposable mask to reduce how much I breathed in.  Didn't have any problems beyond drying out the skin on my hands.
Long term if you don't want to be fogging every month or 2 your only solution is to dry the area out.  You'd need someone to look at the details of the space to tell where ventilation or a dehumidifier could be installed.


How should I configure the chains for a large porch swing? I'm making a twin-sized porch swing. Should I use 4 chains such that two of them connect together - thus resulting in only two from the ceiling, or use 4 chains and all 4 connect to the ceiling separately?

The chain configuration does not just affect the amount of support. It also controls the angle of the seat of the swing as it moves through its arc.

If you use a single hook on each end, the seat is always perpendicular to a line that extends from the center of the seat to the hook.

If you use two hooks on each end, the seat will track differently, depending on the length of the chain and the relative positioning of the hooks. One example is a parallel configuration.

Some configurations simply will not work well (e.g. if the space between the hooks is much wider than the space between the attachment points on the swing). Also, chains of different length will cause the seat angle to change (tip forward or backward).

As several comments point out, it is essential that whatever attachment system you use, the chains and the ceiling supports must be strong enough to hold the swing, the people and then the load must be multiplied by at least two or more to account for ther moving load.


frozen pipe: heating tape, compressed air? We have a shower on a second floor with a frozen cold-water pipe.  It seems to happen every time the temperature falls below 15 degrees F.

Previously I fixed this by taking the plate off around the shower control, where there's some access past the shower tile, and jamming a hair dryer or heat gun in there.  But that's a hassle, and I'm worried about the heat acting on the plastic of the shower control.

Currently I'm trying a space heater in the shower with the shower door closed.  (There's a nearby sink which isn't frozen, so I think the ice is limited to pipe pretty close to the shower.)

Could I shove some heating tape into the hole near the control as a solution?  I wouldn't be able to ensure it was right up against the pipe, though.

I also thought of forcing room-temperature air in there.  Is that a reasonably way to try to solve the problem?  I don't have a vacuum with reverse, though.  What kind of tool could I buy to do that...a cheap air compressor?

For a long term solution, I'd like to put insulation around the pipe, or between the pipe and the exterior wall (it's on the NW corner of the house), but there's pretty much no access at all, unless one were to rip out the shower tile.  (No, I didn't own the house when this silly situation was created.)  Of course, as the comment below points out, one way to deal with this long-term is to go through the wall from the outside.

You obviously have a severe cold zone where the shower is, what's under the shower" You are going to need to get room temperature air flowing in where the piping is before it turns colder and the pipe bursts when your pipe spits open. If there's a space behind the shower where the pipes are for cutting an opening top and bottom of this space to allow circulation through this space will help or if possible a heating run off the hot air duct discharging from under this space with an opening at the ceiling height to let the air flow through can most likely solve it if you leave the fan run all the time. Poorly designed washroom is the problem with no thought or thoughts to taking out or away any cold air zones when building this house is the only issue. Some builders should stick to fishing for a livelyhood not building houses or really bad designs followed behind by paid off inspectors and the end is always the same, new home buyers need to invest a pile of cash to repair their new houses.


Installing out side light I am installing a outside light but have 3 wires coming to the light, red, black and white and only black white and green from the new light, How do I hook this up

Chances are pretty good that the red wire is just extra (or the black wire). The two most common types of wire for lighting and outlets come in 2 and 3 wire varieties, so sometimes you have an extra wire. Try to hook up just the white and black (green to ground), and see if it works.  If not, swap the black for red.

Of course if you have a voltage tester, you can check the white/black and white/red pairs for voltage before hooking up the light.

There's a small chance that one of the red or black wires has constant voltage and the other is switched, so use a voltage detector and make sure all the power is off before splicing anything.


Making a Pipe Connection Water Tight Last year we bought hose attachments for our toilets since we would be cloth diapering a new baby.

When performing the install to the toilet, I used a bunch of teflon tape (about 3 wraps on the threading) on the male end of the connection prior to installation. For the downstairs toilet, I had no problems, but the upstairs toilet developed a leak at the connection that was discovered late and caused a little bit of water damage. I don't recall any issues when screwing things back together other than it was an awkward angle (nothing was forced).

If it matters, the connection was metal to metal.

The leak wasn't present at the initial installation (or at least it wasn't obvious). I discovered it about 3 months afterwards when we saw some browning in the ceiling of the living room. Given it's the back of the toilet, the pitch of the floor in the bathroom, and the slow rate of the leak, it never flooded more than just a small 2 SF area behind the toilet.

I ended up removing the hose because we tended to use the downstairs one so much more regularly, but is there more I could practically have done beyond the teflon tape to improve the water seal?

Assuming you didn't overtighten or cross thread, did you put the tape on the right way? The correct way to use teflon tape is to wrap it with (i.e. in the same direction as) the threads so that when you tighten the fitting the threads don't loosen the tape and cause it to be pushed out of the way. (I suspect that this is probably what happened in your case.) Regarding the number of wraps, a couple should suffice.

Once you screw the fitting together, you should not see and tape bunched up at the edge of the female fitting (which you won't if you wrap the tape the right direction).


Should twisted wire joints to 5 kW water heater be soldered? Say I'm connecting a water heater (~5kW) to the mains and I need to make a joint, not just replace the cable with a longer one.
Considering the high power consumption, would soldering the joint help in any way?
How the joint is made: 2cm of each wire are twisted together and then compressed with pliers.

I'd use a lever-lock style of wire connector
Given that your profile says you're in Germany, you should have no trouble getting lever-lock style wire connectors (Wago calls these a Lever-Nut™) and matching carrier boxes for them.  These are approved for splicing basically worldwide, and provide a far more foolproof splice than just about any other device I've heard of.


Re-Routing my sump discharge piping inside the house I am thinking about changing the route my sump pump discharge pipetakes to get to the exterior wall.  What are some things to consider for the inside route from pump to exterior wall?

I know distance is one. How can I determine what my pump can handle?

Do more 90 degree turns in the route increase load on pump?

How much vertical can I do? How can I determine what my pump can handle?

Right now, the discharges comes up about 8 feet from pump, takes a 90 and runs straight to the exterior wall about 25 feet.

My future plan is to have it come up 8 feet, make a few lefts and rights to get around A/C unit, and then travel about 25 feet to a new exterior wall.

I have a “ProFlo PF92341 - 3/10 HP Cast Iron Submersible Sump Pump w/ Vertical Float Switch”

Any advice would be great. Any other considerations?

Adding in more bends and more horizontal run will increase the load on the pump.  However this is a sump pump, so the volume being pumped is quite low and hence the water speeds are low (which means the load from a bend is low too).

This pump has a maximum head of 25 feet, so it has plenty of spare pressure to deal with some bends.


Different gauges of wire My house is 54 y/o. Years ago the circuit panel was upgraded to all 20 amps with the exception of the AC and oven.
I am adding a can light which uses 12 - 18 gauge wire. I chose 14 gauge.
I am wanting to tie it in to the existing on/off switch which I believe may be wired with 12 gauge wire. Is it safe to tie in the 14 gauge to the 12?

No, you may not use 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp circuit. You need to use 12 gauge wire.


Drywall surrounding vent no longer supports screws; Screws that normally fix the vent in place can't do their job anymore. The drywall has crumbled to the point that the tapped hole for the screw lacks a boundary with the duct. (Picture attached.)

Perhaps:

The cutout for the original vent larger than necessary, forcing the screws to be closer to the duct than is optimal?
The original installation should have used some sort of plug so that the threads of the screw didn't compromise the integrity of the drywall so easily?

How would you:

(a) go about fixing this?
(b) prevent this from happening in future installations?

The issue, in an image:

My default fix would be just to put in some type of anchor. Given the damage and the fact this is on a ceiling, I'd be inclined to use a screw-in type anchor, because they hold on to a larger area and would deal better with some damage.

If that couldn't work, the next thing I would look at would be getting a new surface to screw into.

Normally the method is to use a backing board, which is basically just a small piece of wood -- perhaps 3/4" x 2" x 4" -- to screw into on each side. Unless the vent can be moved easily, this will be difficult.

In this case I'd actually construct some "wings" using some sheet metal to wrap around and over top of the drywall, which the vent would then screw into. They'd anchor into the vent itself.


Plane floor joists, sand subfloor, or sand underlayment to handle hump in floor for cork plank flooring? I am planning to install 5/8 in. plywood underlayment for some floating 1/4 in. cork plank flooring. Unfortunately, there is a hump in the floor spanning three joists, based on my measurement and estimation. So I need to flatten out that hump somehow for the flooring.
I believe our joists are 2x8 in., 16 in O.C. Those three joists appear to be ~5/8 in. higher than the remainder of the joists in the room. The subfloor is 5/8 in. plywood.
I'm wondering how best to handle the hump. Should I cut and rip the subfloor to get access to the floor joists and sand/plane 5/8 in. off of each joist? Should I sand the subfloor down to virtually nothing? Should I just install the underlayment plywood overtop of the subfloor, then sanding the underlayment down to virtually nothing?
My worries for each scenario:

Would shaving 5/8 in. off of a 2x8 beam risk its structural integrity too much?
Would sanding the subfloor down to virtually nothing in the high spots basically destroy the subfloor and it's integrity?
If I sand underlayment down to virtually nothing, how would I attach the extremely thin portions of the underlayment to the full-thickness subfloor that would most likely splinter/split if screwed with wood screws?

I don't think I want to use self-leveling compound for the entire room in case I want to rip the flooring out of the room in the future.
How would you all recommend dealing with this hump?

You should probably understand the root cause of the hump (settling? rest of the floor going down for some reason? built that way?).
Assuming it is dimensional lumber (not modern i-joists), I'd only consider cutting the subfloor up and planing the joists. You won't change the strength materially by lopping off a max of 5/8". You won't have to mess with a paper-thin layer anywhere (which is its own curse).
As an aside, I'm wondering why you opted for 5/8" underlayment. That's thicker than typical, and will make a bit more of a step if everything else is based on the subfloor. Typical underlayment is more like 1/4".


How can I attach angled beams to a post? I'm designing a deck with 3-2x10 beams supported by 6x6 posts. I know when the beams go straight across the posts I can use any number of brackets designed for that purpose, like Simpson AC4 (or AC6, in my case):

But what about at corners where the beam isn't straight? I have 45 degree corners in my design:

I also have one place where one beam intersects another at a 45 degree angle:

What's a proper way to make these connections?

There are lots of ways to attach beams to posts, and you don't necessarily need purpose-built brackets. Miter your beams so that they come together at an appropriate bisection of the post top, and use whatever means is convenient to keep them positioned... dowels, angled screws, etc.

In the case shown in the second image, I'd be inclined to use a skewed hanger and hang the angled beam on the other two. If your beams actually have the offset shown, things are complicated a bit, but maybe a short third member bolted to the right-hand beam would flush things up in simple fashion.


Cut cable tripped breaker and left circuit dead after reset I'm installing recessed lighting around my living room. I pulled power for these lights from an outlet circuit in the same room (see bottom right of photo). Everything was going according to plan, until I cut some excess wire with the breaker on but switch off. I'm no electrician, obviously. I thought this would be all right, since the wire was not activating my voltage tester when I installed the fourth recessed light in the ceiling. Nevertheless, when I snipped off the excess wire on the sixth light, the breaker tripped and all recessed lights as well as the devices plugged into the outlets around the room stopped working.

The first thing I did was reset the breaker (twice), nothing works.
Next, I used a multimeter to test Outlet 1 (hot to neutral, hot to ground), and I get a reading of ~250 millivolts but the voltage tester stays silent.
Then I removed the outlet and used the voltage tester and multimeter directly on the wires coming into the outlet. Same result.

I'm almost certain the outlets (and recessed lights) receive power from a two-wire line (dashed orange line) tied into a hot bundle inside the box holding the three-way switch nearest the first recessed light. All wires appear undamaged, and each one set off my voltage tester. But this confuses me, because if there's power in that box and not at Outlet 1, then the problem must lie in that wire. Right? I hope that's wrong, because that would mean tearing out a lot of drywall to replace that wire. It seems crazy that cutting the wire all the way at the end of the circuit could somehow damage the middle of the first wire run in the circuit.

What am I missing? Also, what even happened here? With the switch off, how was that wire at the end of a string of lights energized?

It's very unlikely the wiring in the walls was damaged. Usually what happens is a weak connection gets fried by the short circuit.  As many others have mentioned previously here, these failures are often the result of the infamous "back stab" outlets.  You might have to take out several of them (WITH THE POWER OFF) and inspect for loose connections or obvious damage. If no damage found and the outlets removed and carefully placed, turn the power back on and start testing.

To clarify, did you get a spark when you cut the excess wire? I would have been quite noticeable.   Also, what type of breaker is it?  Arc fault? Ground fault? Did you test at the breaker panel to see if you have power coming out of the breaker?

This may take some detective work here, but to allay your fear, it's not likely a failure of wires in the wall.


What can I do about 100-year-old stairs that are pulling away from wall 100-year-old stairs pulling away from wall.  And there is a little give.

Call the installer, builder or manufacturer for any warranty type of repair...I'm kidding. Your best bet is to get a Carpenter or Stair Builder that uses glues, screws & bolts behind or even upon the finished surfaces...finish screws are wonderful.

Nails, spikes & staples are the norm & they can't & won't last, they're held by friction alone. Glue Coated nails are only good for a decade at the most, glue only lasts if its hold can't flex or break loose. A stair is a moving part, if given the chance, & will only continue to loosen until another object retains it.


Why does my GFCI outlet trip as soon as the breaker is turned on? I have an outlet feeding other outlets about 50 feet away. All the outlets are outdoor enclosed in a protective weather cover. Today I wanted to replace one of the receptacles with a GFCI so all the outlets are protected. I installed the wires coming from the power source to LINE and the wires going out to LOAD. As soon as I turned the breaker back on to test the GFCI receptacle, the button trips / shuts off. I have the wires connected to LINE and LOAD properly. Neutrals are connected together and ground is connected. If I only have the LINE wires connected and no LOAD then it works. But if I have the LOAD wires connected to the receptacle, then it trips as soon as I put the breaker back on. What can cause this and how do I go about troubleshooting the problem?

Neutrals shouldn't be connected together with the GFCI. Connect the neutral of the line and load to the appropriate connections on each side of the GFCI. Otherwise, the current will appear to go out via the hot connection and not return via the neutral on the load side of the connection, which is exactly the scenario that the GFCI detects and trips on.

Also, note this important tip from Shirlock, use the push in connectors for the GFCI outlets: When to use holes instead of side terminals to wire an outlet


How to attach horizontal bar to a wooden wall? I want to set the horizontal bar on the wooden wall above the doorway.The wall thickness is 16 cm., 2 cm layer of plaster. What is the best and more reliable way to do this? Should I attach it over the plaster?

Horizontal bar and fasteners from the kit:

Wooden wall? Pretty rare that walls are made of wood. Are you talking about the molding around the doorway?

The following diagram shows a typical way that a door might be framed:

Every door is a little different, so you need to determine how your door is framed. Your goal is to get the provided lag bolts to go at least 3.5 cm into solid wood. (I would not use those anchors unless you were fastening the bar to a brick or concrete wall.)

In all probability it will be impossible to get the bolts deep enough into solid wood because the spacing of the framing elements will not match your bolt holes. Also, the molding on the door may interfere with the mounting.

So, to get your bar right where you want it, you will need to add a mounting header, which is a thick board (or two thin boards) which is attached to the wall, and then the bar is screwed into that board. Your mounting header should ideally be between 5 and 6 cm thick.

Generally, what you have to do is make exploratory drill holes to discover where the door's framing members are. Once you know that, you can plan to cut and attach your mounting header appropriately. To attach your mounting header, you will need long lag bolts because they have to go through the header, through the plaster and any lathe and then deeply into the framing member. So, your lag bolts need to be 10-12 cm long and should have washers.

I should mention that normally, at least in the US, chinup bars of that type are designed with bolt holes 16 inches apart so that they will mate with wall studs which are normally spaced at that distance. The bar is intended to be mounted to a wall, not above a door.


How to minimize wall tearing when installing new wiring? We have bought a new house with knob and tube wiring. We are now looking into replacing all of it with new wiring and understand that significant wall-surgery will be required to run the conduits.

Question: Is it possible to limit cutting of the walls by running horizontal conduits above the ceiling or under the house?  Doing it this way, could only short vertical conduits need to be run in the walls?

Like Aloysius Defenestrate said most wall outlets will involve little or no damage. Redoing the lights & back to their switches will be the still quite minimal anyway damage.

Additionally, if you're also considering re-siding the house or replacing floors this can greatly assist the electrician, plumber, HVAC Firm or Insulation Company in causing almost no damage or patchwork inside. If you can re-assess your overall plans for the place you may find better results with proper phase planning & execution.


Why is my bathroom fan completely ineffective? I just moved into my first home, and the bathroom fan is 100% ineffective. I can hear the motor run when I turn it on, and I remember going into the attic with the home inspector and tracing a flexible duct from the fan fixture out to a port on the side of the house. The fan was installed when the previous owners renovated the bathroom three years ago, so it's unlikely it's worn out from age.

But when I turn it on, it has absolutely no effect on the moisture in the bathroom. Water collects on the ceiling and fogs up the mirror and window. The only way to dry the bathroom out after the shower has been used is to open the window or open the hall door - both of which are very slow.

If I hold up a piece of tissue to the fan fixture, it doesn't blow around at all.

What can I do to fix this? Do I simply need a new fan fixture?

Various things to check:

Is there a way for air to ENTER the bath? A fan will expel air, but only when there is makeup air to replace it. Make sure there is a sufficient gap under the bathroom door. (An easy way to test this issue is to run the fan with and without the door open and see if there is a difference)
as others have stated, make sure the fan is clean.
as others have stated, check the flexible vent pipe
consider replacing the flexible vent pipe. Flexible pipes aren't very efficient in that they add a lot of resistance to the airflow and also snag lots more debris. Consider replacing with rigid vents.
as others have stated, make sure the vent on the outside isn't clogged (e.g. bird nest in pipe).
consider a larger fan. It could be that the fan is simply under-powered for the size of the room and length of the vent pipe.


Without Access to the Garage Interior, How Can I Replace the Handle/Lock? I have an external garage, with a manual overhead door (no powered opener).  There is no side access door.

After the recent winter, I tried opening the garage again, and the handle will not turn.  I believe the lock is disengaging, as I hear a 'click' when I turn the key.  The lock is below the handle, separate from it.  I tried tapping the handle with a hammer lightly, but didn't want to strike too hard for fear of breaking my only possible entryway.

Is there reasonable any way to get in, or do I need a professional?  And if I need to call someone--does it make more sense to call a locksmith or a garage repair company/specialist?

If the lock is separate from the handle and turns freely, my guess is the handle is the issue, not the lock.  Overhead garage doors almost always latch by extending pins through the tracks on either side of the door. It is likely that one of these just got bound due to expansion, contraction, ice lifting, or whatnot. I'd try a couple things before doing anything with the lock itself. First, grab the handle and alternate between jerking the door up and down while you try to turn it.  If this doesn't work, you may be able to carefully remove the trim on either side of the door.  Usually there will be enough of a gap to slide in a flatbar or something similar to tap on the latching pins. If they're stuck, knocking them up and down a couple times will usually free them.


How can I clean this metal box? I have this metal box, I believe stainless steel.
As seen in the following photos, this box has many grooves and details. These small grooves are filled with grime, dirt, gum, candle wax, smoke, some sort of stains, and who knows what else.

How can I properly clean this metal box?

I have tried brushing it with water and soap, and also with baking soda and vinegar. Most of the grime has been removed.

If this question doesn't fit this site's profile, please advise for better placement.

Water that is good and hot can be your friend for cleaning off some waxy type residue. I would retry cleaning using a good toothbrush that has stiff bristles using very hot soapy water.

You can then try some other cleaners with the hot water and tooth brush. One awesome cleaner that comes to mind is TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) which is really good for removing grease and grime. Before going all in with cleaning using any chemicals though you want to try out in a small area to make sure that the cleaner chemical does not attack the surface of the metal.

If there are any particular grooves that just do not want to brush out you can use the pointed end of a round tooth pick to pick and scrape the groove clean.


Circuit Breaker current metering I am preparing to replace most if not all of the wiring in our house.  It is old, some of it is dangerous, and almost none of it is grounded.  For some time I have been interested in home automation, and one of the things that I would like to accomplish with this electrical refit is to install some consumption monitoring.

Now I have seen some products that essentially clamp a current meter to the wire coming out of the circuit breaker and then that plugs into a little box that can be queried by software to get current load on the line.  This is all well and good but it looks like that gets really crowded in the load center real fast, and is really geared toward people who do not want to buy new breakers/load center, etc.

I am replacing both, and I am on the lookout for some kind of breaker that can not only trip under higher load conditions, but also report the load at any given time.

I saw these Square D breakers that are part of the Wiser Energy product line, but the literature makes it sound like the monitoring they do is specifically for power outage situations where power source needs to be switched from grid to backup or something.

Has anyone encountered load center and circuit breaker products that meter the current and can report (either by custom software or supplied software)?

Couple problems with that particular product. #1 it's $480.  #2 using it means you can't use an AFCI or GFCI breaker there, and you will need a lot of them in a rewire.

The latest whole-house monitoring systems don't put a clamp ammeter on every circuit.  They put them on the main feed for that panel, L1 and L2.  They distinguish one load from another by the type of noise it places on the line, inrush current, interval it operates on, that kind of thing. They really don't care which circuit the load is on.  The installation is fairly neat.


Is replacing a natural gas cap with a quick-connect valve a task exclusively for a professional? Is there a specialized wrench that I should use on this cap to the natural gas line? I'd like to install a quick connect valve for a barbecue hose

More importantly, at the local big box store, the attendant (even though selling the parts) frowned when I suggested I'd be doing the install myself. Is this task really so tricky and/or so risky that an amateur should not attempt it?

While the risks related to a leak are relatively low for someone properly trained , the fact that you might get your gas shut off by the town if the fittings havent' been tested and approved by their inspector means it's not worth that risk.


What is pile foundation? Where we need of this type of foundation? I am little confused about pile foundation if anyone have knowledge about it then please give me some info.

Welcome to Stack Exchange. We could spend an hour writing a lengthy description of Piling Foundations or you could just do some research online.  The answers are there for you, you just have to look.

Wikipedia

Pile Foundations

Search engine results

This site is for answers to specific questions and your question is really just asking for a broad overview of pile foundations. If after you have done your research and you need something clarified then you can post a SPECIFIC and DETAILED question.


How to add a gfci and surge protector to pool pump line? I want to add a gfci and surge protector to the 240v circuit for my pool pump. The 12 guage power wires (red and black) and ground (green) run from the corner of yard directly to the main breaker panel on the house, to a thin 20 amp double pole breaker.

I would like to add a small ‘sub panel’ in the corner and was figuring I would need a 20 amp double pole gfci breaker and a 20 amp double pole breaker for the surge protector. I would assume I hook the red wire to one feed and the black to the other, the green to the ground bus, snap in the gfci and run the red and black and ground to the 240v pump.

What do I do with the white neutrals from the gfci and surge protector? I am guessing they to the ground bus since the ground runs straight back to the main panel, but I would rather be sure than BBQ something, maybe myself.

Assuming that is good, I would also like to add another single pole 20 amp breaker to the sub-panel for a 110 outlet. Can I run the neutral wire for that circuit to the ground bus in the sub panel also?

Thank you!

Update: 6/4/16:
Thank ALL of you for your comments. I really do appreciate the great advice and am very grateful for the help. Please know that spending your time helping others makes a real difference :)

Revised plan, after your comments and reviewing Article 680 NEC:

(1) Install a 20 amp GFCI at the main breaker panel for the dedicated 240 line for the pool pump. Neutral wire from GFCI attaches to ground/neutral bus which is the same at the main.

(2) Add 240 Disconnect by pool pump.

(3) Add Intermatic PS3000 surge protector by connecting it to disconnect. Called Intermatic and they said I can just wire it at the Disconnect by connecting to the red and black 120 lines, and the surge protector neutral to the 240 ground. This seems to make sense since the 240 ground runs directly back to the main ground/neutral bus (let me if this was bad advice!)

(4) Use a separate 20 amp 110 circuit for pool light and accessories.

(5) Add a whole house surge protector at the main box (will require replacing panel since no more space).

Pool pump is about 75' from the main breaker and I have read it is better to have protection at the main panel and also at the equipment. The new pump is a Pentair variable speed which seems to high a high rate of failure due to the electronics on the pump which are apparently sensitive and the price of a new pump to replace.

(6) After doing the wiring and plumbing, I plan to have a pool professional or licensed electrician to perform the final connect and start up, which will help with warranty.

I am in Fort Lauderdale, FL if anyone has a recommendation!

Thank you!

You can change out the old breaker feeding the pump. This would be the safest way. A surge protector should be located close to your service this would then protect everything not just the pool. I voted up because it is easy to swap an old non GFCI for a GFCI protected breaker and this will make the current pool service much safer.


Why does my overhead door reverse after closing partway? My garage door will begin to close and will close about 3/4 of the way and then pop back up. It started a few months ago but it only occurred on rainy days, but now it's doing it daily for the past week. When this happens, I can walk up to the back of it and place my hand on the grooves and guide it down and it will close. I thought the sensors may have some dust or leaves affecting them, but they don't.

I've checked to see if there is anything that could possibly be interfering with the sensors but there's not. Now it's only closing fully without assistance about 20% of the time. I'm out of ideas. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

Most garage door openers will also reverse when closing if the force limit is exceeded. If the motor requires too much force, it will reverse for safety reasons.

It is possible that the force limit was set to low. It is usually adjustable via a screwdriver. But be careful, if you set it too high, you will defeat the safety feature. It should not be able to hurt someone seriously.

If you still have the user's manual, it should describe how to set the force limit.

It is also possible that your springs weren't adjusted properly. If you disengage the opener, the door should be fairly neutral, manually put it half way down, it shouldn't want to go further up or down. The springs should counteract gravity. If the springs are strongly pulling the door up, hire a professional to adjust them. This is not a DIY job, the tension is enormous and you can seriously injure yourself.

Edit: While the opener is disengaged, you can also test for binding and lubrication as isherwood suggested.


Howto convert old basement slab into finished concrete floor? Doing a complete remodel, after Boulder flooding, of my basement.  After demoing and floodcutting, all that's left is framing and concrete slab.  I'd like to turn this into a nice concrete finished floor; see links below for sample of what I'd like.

What I'm looking for is advice on how to proceed in the general sense.  Browsing the internet for pics of floors, I think I'm looking for a stained or polished floor.  Probably nothing fancy.  Don't need inlays or multiple colors.  Something subdued, light in color, low maintenance.

What I'm concerned about in particular are things like:

1) Can my existing slab be used?

2) Can I do it myself and expect decent results?

I'm looking to achieve results similar to this...

Click for larger view

From your images it appears you're looking for a polished concrete floor. The process isn't very complicated, but it can be messy and time consuming. It's not unlike refinishing hardwood floors.

Ensure floor is suitable for polishing

Sources I've seen state that nearly any concrete floor can be polished, so long as it is structurally sound. Floors that are very porous, need extensive patching, or are wavy are probably not good candidates. New slabs need to cure for 28 days before polishing.

Grind floor flat

The actual polishing consists of a series of progressively finer grinding and polishing steps. They can possibly all be performed using the same piece of rented equipment. The first, coarsest grinds (typically performed with metal-bonded cutters) flatten the floor and open up the concrete's pores.

Densify, and maybe stain

Then a chemical densifer is applied, which seeps into the concrete, hardening its surface and filling voids, while preparing for the final polish. Around this time is when a colored stain could be applied if desired.

Polish

Next a series of progressively finer polishing grits (typically abrasive grit in a resin binder) is used until the desired level of shine is reached.


Should I extend existing furring strips or remove them and start fresh? I have a house built in the 1960’s, and when I pulled off the plaster as part of the kitchen remodel, I discovered 2x2 studs against the gray cinder blocks. My question is, should I cut out the 2x2s and reframe with 2x4s, or can I furr out the 2x2s another 2 (1.5) inches,so I don’t have to reframe and can meet code?

Those 2x2s are fine as furring strips over block. They are really more a part of the wall finish. The block is the structural wall, it can stand alone without the 2x2s and drywall.

If you are going to mount cabinets on these furring strips, I think I'd top the furring strips with 3/4" plywood.

If you want a deeper wall for insulation, plumbing, etc., @manassehkatz mentions it would be smarter to sister 2x4's side by side with the 2x2's than to extend the 2x2s or try to attach 2x4's on edge.  However it may be even easier and stronger to just remove the 2x2's and build a full 2x4 wall with top and sole plates rather than just furring strips.


Cable Size for 100 amp service load center I am in Belize Central America having a small home built. I have done my own wiring back in the states on two homes I built, however I have never installed ser cables.
Here in Belize the meter is at the road and about 60 feet from the house. I will bury conduit in which the cables will run through. Here the soil is damp even though the outside temperature is mostly in the high 80s so the soil stays rather cool.  I measured from the meter to the house, which is on stilts 10 feet off the ground and total length of cable needed from meter at the road to inside the house where the load center will be is 95 feet.  I read the NEC and I find that I can use 4-4-4-6  however the guy at the electric store said I need to use 2-2-2-6 (copper wires ) which I think is too big of wires.  Now our home will have of course outlets in the rooms, a total of 4 ceiling lights/fans, a refrigerator, gas kitchen range, no dishwasher, no disposal, no furnace, counter top microwave, lights in kitchen and both verandas, will have a clothes washing machine no dryer, for hot water will have a small on demand electric water heater under the kitchen sink, a smaller unit under the bath sink which will supply sink and shower, will have four small AC units mounted in the wall, one for each bedroom (3) and one for the living room. These AC units will be small ones thinking about 9,000 BTU and 110volt units. This will be all of the electrical items we will have, of course a TV and house hold appliances in the kitchen, a computer, and that is it. I added up the circuits I need and the number is (4) one for each AC unit, (2) one for each hot water on demand unit, (1) for the refrigerator, (1) for the washing machine, (2) for the kitchen, (1) for the bathroom and then (5) more for lights and outlets and verandas. There are no plans for any future additions. This is a small 960 SF house. I need to know what size cable I need to buy to run from the meter to the load center.  Thanks.  PS//// thanks for all the help.   here in Belize advice I take with a grain of sand!    Now one more thing.  the store is out of #6 wire the ground wire! UGH  it will be 2-4 weeks to get it UGH.... they have 20 feet and that is all.  SOOOOOO   would it be okay to run the #6 from the ground in the breaker panel in the house to a copper 8 foot long ground rod?   I can get a ground rod. This way i can run the #4 wires and get this project completed.  Thanks so much!!

If (as you imply with the A/C) the service is 120/240 USA-style then 95 feet of 4 Ga copper would be 2.5% drop at 100 amps and thus within the 3% drop even at full load. If it was 120V-only (I don't know that any country actually does that?) then you'd probably want bigger wire.

Speculating: Local advice may have to do with less-robust supply to the meter than we are used to in the USA, if there is already significant drop on the way to the meter, you may want to minimize the drop from the meter, as you might not have 240V to start with...

Your A/C units would be better if 240V (same power, half the current, 1/4 the percentage voltage drop) if you have a choice. Likewise the water heaters.

Lights should be trivial if you have no objection to and can get LED units.


Alumium Wiring in Charlotte, NC My son just bought a house in Charlotte, NC which was built in the 1960's. Is Aluminum Wiring and Pig tailing acceptable to Code in Charlotte, NC?

Aluminum is no longer used in house wiring anywhere in the USA where the NFPA Electrical Codes are accepted that I know of, it had been used many years ago and is as far as I know against code (some one might have a guide to the NFPA NEC that states this). Your home might have been built before the new codes were adopted - so it exists as is.

Of course that really depends on state and county and when they adopted the codes; you should talk to the building code department of your state and county to verify when the change took place and when your house was built. Further take note of ANY electrical upgrades that were done, any building modifications or renovations - the reason being is that there are legal remedies you might have against the seller to get the wiring replaced. It might be considered a material issue (as in facts) that is required for disclosure ..for this you would need to consult a real estate attorney in your area.

The problem with aluminum was a thing called Galvanic Corrosion - it created a very high potential for electrical fires corrosion would occur and the connection would break loose and then you would get sparks etc and create flames, which is why it was removed from use, although I think in some cases they allowed it to continue to be used for ground wire - but DON'T quote me on that.

Now on to your questions:
Pig Tailing seems to be allowed and is one method to fix the issue with Aluminum wiring with out replacing all of the wiring in the home .

See this link for more details: Charlotte NC Aluminum Wiring Repair


Is there a safe alternative to electrical grounding for computers in Argentina? I came across this APC product page for Microsol Isolator Modules, which purportedly provide "safe power in places with poor or nonexistent grounding." The unit is meant for Brazil, so it won't work in my case, but I'm wondering what the underlying technology or implementation is and if it provides some kind of "virtual ground" to simulate an actual ground.

I live in Argentina, where most houses are built out of concrete and many are old enough not to have ground wires running through the walls. I live in a second story apartment with no ground wires, no radiators or accessible cold water pipes. From what I can tell, running a ground wire through the wall would entail tearing down a significant portion of the walls and would be quite costly. The climate where I'm at is similar to Arizona, so I'm not even sure I could get to the water table if, in the unlikely event that the landlord and the downstairs neighbors were to give me permission to place a grounding rod in their interior garden below.

If I used a bootleg ground in combination with a GFCI outlet, would the GFCI kill the neutral end of the socket and prevent current from being pushed from neutral to "ground" to my equipment? Ground is tied to neutral at the service entrance but nowhere in the walls. Is there some other kind of second circuit breaker or box I could install in my room with a computer and ups that would be more like what's at the service entrance and less like a bootleg ground?

There is a metal gas pipe outside of my window. How dangerous would that be to use as a ground?

I have a door in my bedroom that the landlord has sealed off with duct tape because it opens to a staircase that leads down to the neighbor's garden. If I were to take the door out and seal it with concrete, sticking rebar in the wet cement, could I build an "Ufer" ground or does that have to be under actual ground?

Any better ideas than sticking a nail in the wall and calling it "ground?" This slightly absurd sounding "method" gives me a reading of 300 Ohms from neutral and a difference of about 15 volts when connected to hot (220 volts), compared to a hot-neutral reading (235 volts).

Electricity in Argentina is single phase, ~220v, 50Hz. We use a mix of older style European two prong cylindrical outlets and newer, three prong, Chinese/Australian style plugs (with neutral and hot reversed). Getting shocked by refrigerators when barefoot is almost a given here and almost everyone uses voltage regulators to deal with power irregularities. When testing outlets at home, I can see the voltage spiking to 1000 volts on my multimeter every few seconds, but only on some outlets (all are single-phase, 220v). What other kinds of voltage regulators will work without ground? Most of my electronics are dual voltage, so ideas including transformers that step down to 110-125v would be fine too.

Can I hook a voltage regulator up to a GFCI outlet and then hook a UPS into the voltage regulator to deal with nuisance trips from the GFCI and avoid hard drive failure? Can I still get surge protection without ground?

Other stupid grounding ideas: There's a grid of galvanized steel cables, spaced about one foot apart and set into the concrete walls outside which are there to hold up a grapevine. The cables are about the same gauge as a fence, maybe slighly thicker than the copper electrical wires in the wall. If I get good readings on the multimeter, can I use that as a ground? Will it electrocute the neighbor's cats who climb up on the vines or burn the grapevine? What would "good readings" (volts/ohms) be from the multimeter?

Box photos

I came across this APC product page for Microsol Isolator Modules, which purportedly provide "safe power in places with poor or nonexistent grounding."

This is probably an isolating transformer, which ensures no current can flow to ground, even if you touch the live wires. The only way to get shocked is to touch both the output live and neutral. Requires a rather bulky, heavy, expensive transformer, though.

  If I used a bootleg ground in combination with a GFCI outlet, would the GFCI kill the neutral end of the socket and prevent current from being pushed from neutral to "ground" to my equipment?

The main issue with this, I believe, is that neutral and live may be swapped somewhere - this would make your chassis live. There may also be a slight difference in the neutral voltage, due to voltage drop. As such, it's preferable to leave the ground floating, and trust the RCD/GFCI to trip if something goes wrong.

  Ground is tied to neutral at the service entrance but nowhere in the walls. Is there some other kind of second circuit breaker or box I could install in my room with a computer and ups that would be more like what's at the service entrance and less like a bootleg ground?

It would be electrically the same as a bootleg ground, really. Unless you added another ground electrode.

  When testing outlets at home, I can see the voltage spiking to 1000 volts on my multimeter every few seconds, but only on some outlets (all are single-phase, 220v). What other kinds of voltage regulators will work without ground? Most of my electronics are dual voltage, so ideas including transformers that step down to 110-125v would be fine too.

The best place to put a surge protector is in your main switchboard, because it covers everything and has the best ground. You should be able to get surge protectors specifically intended for here.

  Can I hook a voltage regulator up to a GFCI outlet and then hook a UPS into the voltage regulator to deal with nuisance trips from the GFCI and avoid hard drive failure? Can I still get surge protection without ground?

I don't think the surge protectors are anywhere near as effective without a ground. You also need to make sure all the other cables going to your PC (especially coax internet) go through it.

  There's a grid of galvanized steel cables, spaced about one foot apart and set into the concrete walls outside which are there to hold up a grapevine. The cables are about the same gauge as a fence, maybe slighly thicker than the copper electrical wires in the wall. If I get good readings on the multimeter, can I use that as a ground? Will it electrocute the neighbor's cats who climb up on the vines or burn the grapevine? What would "good readings" (volts/ohms) be from the multimeter?

If they're connected to the reinforcing bars in the concrete, this could be a good ground. Remember to tie the neutral to your grounding rod - without this bond, it's almost useless.

There isn't an easy way to test that it's a good ground.


Managing water entry at garage door during high winds on rainy days I have a garage floor that's level, and the driveway slopes very slightly away from the garage door.  On rainy days, I don't have any issues with water entry, but on high-wind days, the rain hits the garage door, then runs down and pools at the corners.  Eventually over time, the pool of water increases in size and makes its way into my garage.  It only happens once in a while, but when it does, it can be annoying if I happen to leave stuff by the door.

Is there a way to manage or make improvements to this with a minimal amount of work?  I don't want to have to tear out the garage floor.

Since the finished floor extends past the garage door by about 4 inches, perhaps this small section can be graded so the floor is sloped all of the way up to the door.  This would prevent pooling at the corners.  Then I could have a contractor remove the pavers in the driveway along the doors and install a trough / drain and maybe some kind of grate.

Does this sound like the most reasonable way to deal with it?  It's pouring right now, but if it helps, I can take pictures and post them here.

It sounds like you could simply cut/have cut drainage channels from the problem areas to the front of the slab, or do that and also have a trough drain installed along the front of the slab. I'd start with the simpler/cheaper approach first - simple job with a diamond blade and a grinder or saw.


Prep for Painting New Wooden Interior Door Five new interior wooden doors were hung in older apartment.  Although they came with what I think is a white primer, they need to be painted.  I would like to tap the experience of the community so as to understand best practices

Questions:

The door is already hung, is there a compelling reason to take it down to paint?
The door is new with primer: does it need any prep before painting?
Is there any reason not to use a roller to expedite the process?
Are some classes of paints preferable over others?

Any lessons-learned or pitfalls to avoid is appreciated: especially if you have done this a dozen times or more.

Simple masonite doors can be painted in place. You only have to seal tops/bottoms of solid wood doors, to prevent moisture from warping them.

The primer is laughable, but functionable. Plan on two coats of your topcoat paint. Personally, I'll paint them with a coat of flat, then a coat of semigloss, to prevent that built-up look, bit that's personal preference, not the law.

As far as rolling, go right ahead. Not my preference, but I'll do it in a rental without blinking an eye. Not as nice a finish, but again, that's an opinion. I have lots of opinions. If you do roll, do yourself a favor and use a small whiz-roller- the kind that has a fuzzy outside edge, so you can get some paint into the panel profiles. Keep a brush by your side to brush it out when you're done.

All paints will work. If you go satin or semigloss, it won't stain as much from dirty paws.


What should I do about this load bearing wall that is only supported by a joist floor? My floors pitch in the same spots as they do on the 1st and 2nd floors.

My home was built in the 1890's. I have some soft spots in the basement joists and added 4x4" posts to each side of the main support beam in the basement. I jacked up the floors and realized I have a load bearing wall, or at least I think I do, that doesn't line up with a joist or any support beam in the basement.

The wall I think that is load bearing, has a heating duct that goes up it, would that still be considered a load bearing wall? I am fairly new to handy man work.

The image attached depicts my main support beam (orange) and joists in the basement (pink) (stone foundation), the green lines are the 4x4" posts we put in place. The blue line is where the load bearing wall is.

The joists are 2x7", 13' long on each side of the main beam, about 19" apart - there is a lot of piping, wires, so sistering would be a huge project.

I noticed a couple weeks after we put the posts up (green lines), the floor near the blue line pitches more than before, the same in the 2nd floor and there is a small hairline crack running along the edge of the ceiling, about an inch from where the ceiling meets the wall, this runs perpedicular to the load bearing wall, as seen in the sketch below. The blue line is the load bearing wall, which leads into the laundry room, and the black line is the outline of the living room (where I see the hairline crack in the ceiling), around the corner is a hallway that leads to the stairs to go upstairs. The orange line is the hairline crack in the ceiling, I believe it is plaster.

I am going to try and slowly jack up the load bearing wall with more posts, its not pretty, but I don't mind a series of posts in the basement at this point for peace of mind. I had a company quote me for $9300, that would involve what I did with the two posts (green) I ran parallel to the main support beam and installing a steel beam in the 1st floor ceiling to support the joists above it. I thought I'd try to see if I could it myself, I know when to defer to a professional, if I don't see much improvement after I jack my load bearing up with support, then I will bring in a professional.

What are some things you would recommend at this point, do I not try and jack up the load bearing wall slowly, etc...?

If it is indeed a load-bearing wall, you either build another wall or place a beam and posts under the wall.

The only problem is you need to add footings under any load-bearing posts or walls you put in.

Good luck.


can you immediately apply a coat of joint compound over the tape? After applying mud to the drywall seams and then bedding tape, can you immediately apply a coat of joint compound over the tape? Or will this cause bubbling?

Is it best to let the tape dry in the bed overnight than apply joint compound?

It should be done separately, set tape first let it dry, then the build up coat, let that dry, then final skim. If you do the build up coat immediately after setting the tape, the shrinkage will be enough where the skim coat will not fill the depression left by the excessive shrinkage of the 2 coats applied together.

I have gotten past this by using a fast setting joint compound that is dry in the package and mixed with water. Not only can you do tape and do the buld up coat, shrinkage is less than regular ready mixed joint compound.


Should Rabbet Widths be relative to the width of a Frame or are absolute values adequate? I am in the midst of looking to create a few Picture Frames, all varying in sizes.  As such, I have been looking into what would be the best Width for the accompanying Rabbet.

From what I can see, 3/8" seems to be a common figure for Rabbet Depths regardless of the Width of the Frame.

Would I be right in thinking that using a relative figure instead, would be a more ideal scenario?  For example 40% of a Frame's Width?

Am I overlooking something here or is it just a case that my thought process here is 'idealistic' in that a relative size would be ideal but the reality is that it would be unlikely to have a Router Bit to accommodate every relative size?

Apologies if this seems like an overly simplistic question but I am fairly new to Woodwork and would like to understand the 'theoretical' side prior to committing to the relevant Tools and Materials.

Shifts in humidity will cause the frame to expand and contract across its width; the wider the frame the more it will expand. i.e. The wood total movement will be a small percentage the piece's overall size. So a four inch frame with a two inch rabbet will be much more likely to separate at the corners than a 2.375 inch frame with a 3/8" rabbet, despite them looking identical if the rabbet is covered by the frame contents.

Apropos larger cuts, shapers are larger than routers and spin knives rather than bits which allows them to do most of what can be done on a router table on a larger scale or in fewer passes. Large rabbets in a home shop would usually be done on the table saw or jointer though.

Using a dado stack on table saw you can take off just under an inch at a time. By moving the fence after each pass you can make a rabbet up to saw's ripping capacity. For shallower, wider rabbets you can cut them on most jointers up to the width of the cutter head. (6" at the smallest) So there are a variety of options for cutting rabbets beyond what your router does. [Technically you could hog off a huge on with multiple router passes, with sufficient time and patience.]


Waterproofing plumbing stack in bathroom I’m currently designing my new bathroom. I live in a 1970’s apartment block and am on the top floor. My neighbor underneath me has previously had problems with water leaking behind my shower and down the plumbing stack onto her ceiling.
My builder has told me that I won’t need to waterproof the plumbing stack as water won’t get into there any more. He was also unsure he was allowed to waterproof inside the stack. Is this correct?
Should water be able to get down the plumbing stack in the first place?
And are there any issues with waterproofing my floor?

What does waterproof the pluming mean?
Plumbing is designed to keep the water    on the inside of pipes.
If there is a leak in a pipe then the pipe should be repaired.

He was also unsure he was allowed to waterproof inside the stack. Is
this correct?

We can  not say what the plumber can or can not do.
Waterproofing the inside of pipes is not  normally done unless it is an underground or otherwise  an inaccessible pipe. In that situation there is a  procedure, internal pipe coating, to coat the inside of pipe instead of digging it up.

And are there any issues with waterproofing my floor?

If the pipes are not leaking then waterproofing the floor is not necessary, If the pipes are  leaking then waterproofing the floor is not the correct coarse of action.


Why is dishwasher water backing up in my sink? water backs up into both sides of the sink when the dishwasher first starts to drain.  I do not have a disposal and I do have an airgap.  Sink drains were clogged but just had that issue fixed.  Water now drains just fine and no longer backs up.  What might the issue be with the dishwasher water backing up into the sinks.

In addition, if you do have a waste disposal unit the dishwasher drains into it in the disposal chamber so if it has any waste in it, it will prevent the disposal from draining the  dishwasher properly.


What is the best way to split a series of recessed ceiling lights to two switches? I have a large basement with 10 can lights in the ceiling controlled by a single pull switch at the bottom of the stairs. I have framed in a bedroom that essentially cuts the area in half with 6 of the 10 lights being inside the new room. I wish to keep 4 on the original switch while bypassing the series with a switch inside the bedroom to control the 6 bedroom cans.

Is there a way to do so using the existing wiring? Or am I stuck running all new wire to some or all of the lights?

You can remove the feed from the series of lights. At that point you can bring hot from an outlet to a switch, then up to the string you removed the feed from. Make sure to take the switched hot neutral and ground to the string--you don't want either the hot or neutral from the original feed connected to the now bedroom lights.