Are there ball-check valves available for pex? After some searching the web I am failing to find any available ball-check valves (described on: https://www.archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/plumbing/plumbingvalvetypes.html) that I can use with my pex plumbing. Currently I have a swing check valve but it makes a loud bang each time my washing machine cycles so a plumber I once talked to told me you could get a vertical check valve that has a ball sitting in a seat they close very quietly. I know I could also get a spring-loaded valve, but liked the idea of the ball-check. Does such a thing exist? Are there any examples you can link me to?

Apparently this is considered off-topic? For those voting it as such, where else can I ask if such things exist? Please provide an alternative. If you want me to word my question differently, here goes: I have a thermal expansion tank because the city has a check valve at the road for my house and after a shower, pressure would build up in my pipes in excess of 90psi after expansion. So I installed an expansion tank, solved that problem. New problem is that after a shower and the expansion tank absorbs the pressure, if I turn on a cold valve in the house the expansion tank first pushes out some hot water before city water enters the pipes and you would get a short blast of hot water. I solved this by using a swing check valve separating my hot and cold lines in the house so that the expansion tank can never push hot water back to the cold. Problem is that the swing valve is noisy, especially when the inlet valve on the washing machine closes and sends a pressure wave back through the cold side that pushes up the swing valve and quickly closes it, causing a bang (not from water hammer mind you, but from the brass flap closing). I would like to try a different valve that would be quieter and I would like to avoid a spring valve because that would induce a slight amount of back pressure to my hot water lines and I think a ball-check valve could be a quiet, effective solution. Does anyone have experience that agrees with this or a better alternative? I'm not opposed to examples of products.

I haven't seen any direct-crimp check valves, but I have seen some "sharkbite" style spring check valves.  They take up very little room and are easy to install.

These will work on PEX or other types of pipes and can be removable if you think it has become inoperable.  I personally prefer anything with moving parts to be threaded or otherwise removable to make replacement or repair easier, but that's not an absolute rule.


What is the best approach to repair outside cantilevered wood deck joists with dry rot? I have a cantilevered deck that was needing new decking boards. As it turns out it also has some dry rot on the joists that are cantilevered from the house (14ft high, extending 6ft from the house - a maximum of 2" X 12" joist according to OR building code bottom of page 7). I am hoping most of the damage is surface, but in order to to repair the joists w/o full replacement (as recommended here), I would follow the below laid out plan. In addition to the joists, the header joists also has small dry rot area. That would be a straight replacement of the said header joist. I would appreciate any feedback on the process. My brief research shows that best practice is to repair the dry rot, and sister the joists, hence the following plan.

Remove dry rot
Clean and re-fill the dry rot area with appropriate wood filler / epoxy (found it on This Old House)
Add sister joists. [Should new sister joist be attached to house face with 4" X 12" joist hangers around existing cantilevered joist and the new sister joist?]
Replace header joist [Shall I join this header to sister or the original joists?]
Cover all joists/header with water barrier (joist tape or such)
Install railing blocking
Install new decking and railing

I have seen this advice:for sister joining, which has the OP wanting to repair some joists, while others advised replacement. In my case replacing the joists would probably mean much more work than having the small deck is worth, I think that joist sistering may be a way to go.
So any advice when tackling this task would be appreciated, especially on topics of sistering and maximum allowed joist notching.
Some additional resources:
When repairing joists - amount of removed material is of importance (of course), but what is the rule of thumb for sistering to be successful without compromising integrity? Notching is bad - what is allowed?

The method you found in the This Old House article - treating the rot in the original joists and adding new joists - is pretty simple stuff.  I am pretty sure the author of the BayAreaContractor.com is well aware of that option for repair.  It works fine with joists supported at both ends of the span.
I agree with that article - that it's a much more complicated job with cantilever joists, and to make a structurally sound retrofit repair is really tricky.  You can't simply repair the cantilever portion.  You're going to need a very capable contractor to pull this off without risking an unsafe deck and without doing further damage to your house.


How can I add insulation to this roof? We have an A-frame house in Alaska.

The ceiling is 2x8 rafters 16" on center with drywall on inside and 5/8" plywood on outside.

We installed R-44 insulation in space, no vapor barrier, no air space. We don't want to remove the plywood since the roof is so steep (slope is 19:12).

Can we install 2x2 furring strips along rafters runs over plastic and resheet with 1/2" plywood to allow air movement and stop moisture buildup on underside of roof deck?

Careful, although you may want an air space, you do NOT want air circulation between your house air and anything on the other side of the vapour barrier.  My first thought would be to paint a vapour barrier, such as a shellac based sealer on to your existing ceiling.  If your existing ceiling needs re-sheeting, then put up poly, and then re-sheet with drywall.


How should I prepare damaged plaster for painting? We are redecorating our hall. We have stripped all the wallpaper off and have discovered that the plaster behind is not in great condition.

What suggestions do people have for preparing a slightly damaged wall for painting? (See photos below)

Our budget is fairly low. I think a professional re-plaster is probably out of the question.
Is lining paper a sensible option?
Are there any other products or techniques suitable?

The house is ~1920s.

Update: I've had a quote from a plasterer - £400 to have the hall & stairs fully re-plastered. I know it's hard without seeing the size, but does this sound reasonable for a short hall and stairs? It's also way above my budget though so any other cheaper suggestions or advice would still be welcome.

80% of the wall is passable. The plaster is fairly smooth although there are lots of little bumps. I'm assuming that sanding it down to remove bumps and polyfilla to fill cracks will be sufficient here. Followed by a normal priming process (50/50 paint/water).

Higher-res

Around 15% of the wall has worse damage. Bits of the top layer (~1mm) of plaster are missing. I don't think polyfilla will work here as I'd end up layering it over large areas.

Higher-res

Finally, about 5% of the wall has big cracks:

Higher-res

Taking things in reverse order:

With the large areas firstly remove any remaining loose plaster. Trying to patch without doing this is a waste of time. Then with the large areas you'll need to replaster. You can either take this as an opportunity to learn or pay someone. I won't tell you how to plaster as it's really a skill you have to be shown or practise yourself, though I do have a couple of bits of advice. Don't try to plaster the whole wall in one go. Take it in stages and make sure you dampen the wall you're plastering onto as it helps the plaster stick.

With the areas missing the top coat of plaster you will need to reskim. This should be done after fixing the base coat. You might find a plasterer willing to skim over your base coat - discuss it before you start. This will give you a good finish but should cost less than hiring a plasterer to do the whole job. Getting a good skim finish takes a lot of practice.

Finally the areas with only minor cracks and bumps should be filled and sanded before proceeding.

If you manage to get a good surface then painting is the best option. If not then paper the wall with two layers of lining paper. The first runs horizontal and the second vertical. This will smooth out most of the remaining unevenness in the wall. Before papering wash the walls with a weak glue solution this will stop all the glue from the paper being absorbed into the plaster and the paper lifting off the wall.

I should have added that you need to leave the plaster to fully dry out before painting or papering. That might have been one of the reasons why the previous repair has failed.

UPDATE

The quote you have doesn't seem unreasonable but without knowing the exact area you need replastering or your location it's difficult to say for certain. However, we shouldn't be getting into commenting on exact quotes as they are always going to be too localised (in time and space). Get another quote to compare it against - that's always going to be the best option. Also as I said above see if you can get the plasterer just to do the final skim - it should come out cheaper.


Condenser dual capacitors - run or start? I understand the purpose of a run capacitor.  And I understand the purpose of a start capacitor.  I understand the concept of a dual capacitor.

With respect to HVAC condenser unit dual capacitors which are labeled "HERM" "COM" and "FAN":  Is the purpose of the HERM capacitor for run or for start?  Also, is the purpose of the FAN capacitor for run or for start?

A dual run capacitor is always a run capacitor. HERM is the run capacitor for the compressor and fan is the run capacitor for the fan. Common completes the circuit to both. They are essentially 2 separate capacitors and could be split into 2 capacitors at a later date if you couldn’t find the right dual capacitor. Dual capacitors are usually used to save space and cost of manufacturing. Not all air conditioners have start capacitors. Depending on whether or not the engineer feels a start capacitors necessary will determine if yours has a start capacitor or not. Since a start capacitor can only stay in the circuit for a split second without burning out the motor it will always be attached to a device to take it out of the circuit like a potential relay or a solid state relay. The only time I ever add a start capacitor to a system is if the bearings are tight and the start capacitor is a stop gap measure before getting a new compressor but I let the owner know there are no guarantees. I have had some last years this way and others fail within a day. I have also installed a few when they were dimming the lights significantly on startup but this was only after conferring with the manufacturer first.


Will prefinished Maple flooring yellow with age? I'm considering a prefinished "natural character" Maple floor (uv aluminum oxide).

The salesman said I don't need to worry about it yellowing over time but I wanted to ask you folks.

Yes, it will discolor over time.

I have prefinished maple flooring in my living room with an area rug on it. I also have one window that is single pane without low-e. The sun has shined in (direct light over about 12 years) and discolored the floor around the area rug. Now, I can’t move the rug or it will show the “discoloration”.

I’d be careful if there is direct sunlight.


When to vent new half bathroom plumbing I am planning the install of a new half bathroom in an existing space in my home.  There is currently one full bathroom, that is on the second story of the house.  The soil/vent stack runs vertically down from the second floor, has a small horizontal section around grade, and then drops down below grade into the basement.  Once in the basement there is a final horizontal run before a 90 down to below the basement foundation, and tie in to the sewer service line.

I am trying to determine the the most efficient way to plumb the new half bathroom, and if additional vents are required.  Below is an isometric drawing of the scenario.  Red lines are existing plumbing, green dotted lines are just to represent the plane that is the 1st floor grade, and blue is the new plumbing.  Since the new plumbing lines (blue) will be less than 6' in length, do they need a vent?  I was hoping to make my ties in(s) for the new plumbing horizontal because of a lack of vertical distance between the horizontal run in the basement and 1st floor grade.  Tie in fittings would be 45 and Wye, or combo wyes. Install is in the Allegheny County, PA.

Red pipe (existing) is 3".  3D sketch proposed interpretation to Fresh Codemonger

What size is the red pipe?  The trick here is the weir.  If your sink p trap arm can be on the same horizontal plane as the red pipe then you can wet vent otherwise where the trap arm hooks into a vertical it needs a connection to the vent above that can not have a horizontal run until it rises above the flood plane of the sink.

Probably the toilet is fine.  The sink you'd need a vertical pipe running up and hooking into a non horizontal run of the main stack or an aav (if allowed in your area) or an independent vent.

Hope that makes sense without a diagram.


Help with Electric Panel Ok this panel is on the outside of a small cottage. The electric for the house turns off when you turn off the 100 amp double breaker on the right.  My question is should this control another panel or breaker box inside the house.  DO not understand why they would have a 100amp double breaker for the house only... Help????

It sound like that panel in the picture is the panel for all outside stuff, high voltage appliances, and other high demand applications. That 100 Amp double pole is for the inside panel.


How to install shower speaker I recently bought a shower speaker from fabfurnish.com worth Rs.3,490..Does anyone know how to install this speaker exactly??
this is how it looks:

Reading the information on that page and interpolating a bit:

This is a Bluetooth speaker in a waterproof case, plus a modified shower head that it can lock into. Remove the existing showerhead and replace it with the new one (the big object). Charge the speaker (the small object), turn it on (the button), and pair it with a device that can play to a Bluetooth headset/speaker/whatever. Confirm that it plays, then mount the speaker into the showerhead by pushing it into place and rotating 30 degrees (twist-lock). When you're done using it, push the button to turn it off and save battery power.

Note that if you don't have an MP3 player or radio that speaks Bluetooth, or some other way to get the audio into Bluetooth radio packets, you can't use this speaker.


Sealing a sprayer faucet leak? I've had a sprayer faucet in my kitchen sink since I bought the house over 8 years ago. Somewhat recently it sprung a little leak on the right side. Today I noticed that this leak has expanded from one little jet of water to three, so clearly it's getting worse. I'm not sure what the best method to deal with this is - will I need to just replace the whole sprayer? Or is there some sort of sealant or other substance I can patch on there? I have photos attached.

And here's an animated version too.

It also looks like there is a small stream going down the spout towards the handle. My suspicion is that there is enough internal corrosion that you will likely, even if you seal all the current leaks, develop more in short order. If that was my home I would replace it. If cost of replacement is an issue, I would guess that some epoxy (J B Weld or similar) would be an ugly but functional temporary fix, until more corrosion eats through a different area.


Remote Triggered Switch for a Water Heater socket I have a  Water Heater ( 3 kW; 220 V; single phase) situated in one bathroom that has plumbing to service two bathrooms.

Currently it is connected to a local wall outlet (15 Amp) in Bathroom-1 with a local switch.

Is there an easy way to provide another remote switch in Bathroom-2 which can also control the Wall Outlet in Bathroom-1? I'm not sure of the operating logic yet; but perhaps a toggle with the last command operational, on or off, irrespective of whether issued locally or remotely. The idea being allowing the heater to be turned on ( or off) from Bathroom-2 as well.

Something like a relay? If the switch in Bathroom-2 can communicate wireless-ly to the Switch in Bathroom-1 that's even nicer. It eliminates the need to add wiring.

You are describing a 3-way switch, which is among the most cheap and common electrical elements you will find.

You can pay up a bit for a 3-way switch with "pilot light" which will illuminate the switch when the circuit is closed (or open, depending on how wired), so that users will know whether toggling the switch will be turning the receptacle on or off.

Given the purpose you describe I would actually run the receptacle off of two single-pole switches wired in parallel so that it is on if either bathroom is calling for heat.

And yes, there are plenty of wireless solutions to toggle power at a wall receptacle if you want to spend the money for them instead of hard-wiring a 3-way switch.


Do I need a plywood base to install granite countertops? I will have the following run of cabinets (which will be screwed together and to the back wall) and will install a 20mm (3/4") thick granite countertop over it (with sink and cooktop range).

I've seem people saying that a plywood backer is important, and some other people saying that it is more trouble than it is worth and the cabinets provide enought support as it its. The maximum space between to cabinet walls is about 90cm (3 ft).

The answer to this seems pretty clear when you consider one thing: It takes a substantial amount of force to bend granite, but it only needs to move a few micrometers* to break.

Now you just ask yourself whether a layer of plywood will prevent that miniscule movement. No, it won't. Physics has no interest in the opinion of the masses.

So, you might use a plywood substrate to help replicate a thicker top, or to reinforce poorly-built cabinets, or to help maintain position by adhering the stone to it, or for other practical reasons, but you don't do it to support, stiffen, or strengthen the stone. That would take something much more substantial and rigid, such as the vertical hardwood cabinet rails that typically exist at the front and rear of a cabinet.

* Or a few dozen, or a few hundred. The result is the same.


How do I add a second wired garage door opener? I'd like to add a hardwired garage door opener inside the house.   Can I simply splice the two wires from the main button to a second button (momentary switch), or do I need to run them all the way from the new second button to the opener hanging on the ceiling?

We're using a wireless remote currently, but I feel wired would be more secure (no need for tin boxes or aluminum foil).

Yes you can, unless it uses a fancy communication board. If you can control the lights and the door from the controller you may not be able to simply splice the wire. I used doorbells to add openers at two other locations for a friend of mine. Even on a communication board you could solder in at the momentary switch on the board and effectively do the same thing. This is obviously a little more involving.


What would make one of the hot legs on the main breaker burn and get brittle? I have a Federal Pacific breaker box. I saw some posts indicating that such panels are of low quality. It sounds like I should replace everything; I will try to get going on that.

What would make one of the hot legs on the main breaker burn and get brittle? This is coming from meter glass to the panel. The other side of breaker that feeds the house looks good, no obvious damage.

Why didn't the breaker blow? Does it only protect the house side? The house is the only house being fed off the transformer. Could it have been lightning or a power surge from power lines?

What happened to burn the leg was some combination of two things:

You were pulling excessive amperage through the leg without the breaker tripping to protect the circuit from the overload, resulting in overheating of the overloaded leg.
The leg was connected to the breaker lug poorly/incompletely, causing a high resistance which overheated under normal loads.

For the first, I'd use a clampmeter to diagnose the overload situation.  For the second, I'd check for a sagging voltage on that leg (as testing resistance from lug to wire would require the utility to pull the meter).


How can I wire an outside motion detector light? Good evening all, I need to setup a PIR outside. This is a new installation and existing cable runs are not present. The wiring diagram for this light is very limited. I want to utilise an existing internal light which has a grey, brown, black and earth however the diagram for the flood light has a live, neutral and earth.

At this point I need some advice on what to do now, I want the PIR light to be directly connected into the above internal light where no switch is present. Can this be done? Is this OK? I assume the timer on the PIR will be OK with no switch?

Your PIR light needs a constant power source, a neutral and a ground. If you would like to "steal" power from an existing interior ceiling light?.. than you would first have to make sure you have constant power into the light box, not just switched power.
So it depends how your interior light was fed originally (constant power going to the switch first or the light box first.)

If the ceiling light has only two wires(and a ground) going into the box than it's switched power.... not constant. And for that outside light to work the inside light will have to be on... Unless you put the inside light on a motion sensor and skip your wall switch completely....But thats a new bag of worms...

Otherwise....

FIRST TURN OFF THE POWER

If there are two different two wires than things are looking better. At this point you must figure out which wires you need to use.
To test that as simply as I can state it is you must go into your ceiling light box and open all the wires (remembering what goes with what because you will hook them back together after).
And also open all your wires up in your light switch box,(so no wire nuts on and all the wires are separate except grounds should stay connected in both boxes)
Than with all wires touching no metal ,turn the breaker on. Take your volt meter to each wire individually and a ground. Whenever you get 120V between a wire and ground, thats your hot! It could be in the ceiling light or the light switch box. So check both. Now see the cable that the hot is in....the other wire is your neutral. But you have one more wire in that cable eh... so what one is your neutral?

Well your light fixture is fed with a switched power... and a neutral.... So if you know what the constant power is from the previous test, than to distinguish which one is neutral and which is switched power....simply look to see which one was on your light switch screws...thats the switched power. So if brown was in your light switch box on a screw...than thats the switched. The neutral usually has a wire nut on it in the light switch box and doesn't go on anything.... But the neutral in the ceiling box will be on the light screw.

So you will attach everything back to the way it was before, except on the constant power, neutral and ground in your light box you will attach the 14/2 wire you run out to your PIR. Using wire nuts where you need to add them.


Kitchen drawer soft-closer - whose company logo is this? The soft close on my pull out larder has broken and I'm struggling to identify it for obtain a replacement. Does anyone recognise this logo?

The only other identifying mark on it is a number 136685 POM

Full thing, as requested:

The brand is KESSEBÖHMER (their US store). I can't find that exact part number you provided, so maybe that is not the actual part number of the retail product.


How do I get rid of mold on roughcast? I've got mold on my living room's wall under my window :

This part of the wall used to be behind some furniture, so I believe the mold was caused by lack of ventilation (we are on the 2nd floor and it is the only place we have mold).

How do I get rid of it ?

Vinegar is the best option to remove the mold. The vinegar will penetrate the porous surface and remove the underlying membrane as well as the mold growth on the surface. Spray the vinegar on the surface and let it sit for an hour, then spray again and wipe off. Bleach is only good for removing mold on the surface, it doesn't penetrate the surface to kill the roots.


Why does my neutral read 115v with respect to ground? In a receptacle box I have two 12/2 wires untied. One reads dead (both hot and neutral) the other reads 0.1 volts from hot to neutral but it reads 115v from hot to ground and also 115v from neutral to ground. What is the problem?

The dead wire was probably intended to tie into the live wire and head on down the line.
Someone probably had a “brilliant “ idea to use the neutral as power and the ground as neutral. While it will give you power it is of course very dangerous.  Look in the panel and see if there is a white wire going to a circuit breaker. Most likely the splice was made in a junction box somewhere.


Three of 4 kitchen ceiling lights not lighting There are four kitchen ceiling lights with single switch. They fit 4 pin CFL bulbs. Only one of the 4 working. Tested with the new bulbs. Why only one works though all 4 has same switch? Thank you.

Your type of fixture uses a Compact Fluorescent Light with replaceable tubes separate from the ballast.

Most likely, your builder fit "builder grade" (i.e. cheapie) CFL fixtures with cheap ballasts.  It's not unusual for several cheapies installed together to fail one at a time within months of each other.

A fixture is made up of 4 parts: the tube, the ballast, the lamp socket, and everything else.  Generally cheapies are cheap through and through, but the #1 thing to fail is ballasts, and you can obtain and swap ballasts.  Aftermarket ballasts tend to be better made, top brands are GE, Philips/Advance, Osram/Sylvania.

Another option is to switch to LED fixtures and there are two ways to do that.

Get a true LED fixture which does not have removable bulbs.  There's no need for LED emitters to be changeable, since they will outlive every other component including the house. Quality matters because if the onboard power supply fails, that kills the fixture.  Don't buy these at big-box stores, visit 2-3 genuine lighting supply houses.
Modify the fixtures with a socket that can take a screw-in LED. However this is not to be done lightly: the fixtures are simply not built for the heat of incandescent bulbs, and can burn your house down if you cheated an Incandescent bulb in there.  Unfortunately if there is a socket that can take an incandescent, some goober will put one there.  So you cannot use a socket for which incandescent bulbs exist, and this limits you to things like Gu24 or Gu10.


Can a toilet paper holder be mounted to the side of an MDF bath vanity? I have a one-arm Delta toilet paper holder that I want to mount to the side of our daughter's bathroom vanity which is made of MDF.

The vanity side is 3/4 inch thick. I am not sure if MDF is sturdy enough for the holder, and if I need to add an extra support (small block of wood) OR use anchors.

It shouldn't be a problem. MDF doesn't have the best screw-holding strength, but TP holders are very light so it shouldn't be an issue. If you are concerned, you could put longer (1") bolts - not screws - through the MDF and put nuts on the back, so you're not relying on the pull-out strength of the MDF to hold the screws.


How to deal with Densheild to drywall transition disparity I'm in the process of tiling now (porcelain tile).
I noticed that the seam between the Densheild and the drywall is  slightly not even.
Do I need to use the all purpose compound (used for dry wall) to try making them even.
Or shall I use the thinset mortar that I will use for tiling?
Or shall I leave it like this?
These seams will be covered by the tile at the end.
I'm going to use this thinset
(Custom Building Products  Natural Stone and Large Tile 50 lbs. White Premium Mortar)

I think the difference appears to be minimal and you can just leave it.
Take a tile and place in on the denshield so it overlaps the drywall and place the edge trim behind the tile, if the gap between the back of the edge trim and the drywall is an 1/8" or less it will be fine.
A little extra thinset will fill the difference in the depth.
The extruded aluminum edging may not sit flush or down tight to the drywall but that can be hidden with a bead of caulking.


What code requirements exist for low-sill, upper-floor windows? I own a house in Texas (USA), built in 1885. I am renovating, enclosing the second floor back porch; it's essentially an addition, with a bathroom, a storage closet, and a hallway. The area will be about 6 feet deep; the hall is a short tee, with the closet on the right and the bathroom on the left. I'm doing the work myself (though I did have my plans and the building inspected by an engineer); I have a fair amount of experience in construction and planning, but not a lot with building code (I grew up outside of town, where "building", "permit", and "inspection" are unrelated words).

My house has many tall windows, 84 inches tall, all double hung. Three of these windows faced the porch, so I am moving them (frame, trim, and all) to the (new) outside wall. One window goes in the bathroom, one in the closet, and the third in the hallway. I realize it's a bit odd to put a window in a closet, but it fits the symmetry of the house. Installed, the windows will be about 2 inches above the floor, essentially floor to ceiling. The bathroom window and hall window will each have a fixed pane on bottom, and a sliding sash on top; the closet will be double hung, able to open from top or bottom.

I am going to add a reinforced railing in front of the hallway window, to prevent over-excited children from leaping to their doom; otherwise, what safety measures do I need to put in place for the windows to meet building code? This includes type and thickness of glass, how and what parts of the window can open, railings or other guards, and anything else I may not have thought of.

Windows above 72 inches from exterior grade are required to have a sill at least 24 inches off the floor to meet 2012 IRC requirements, which should be what you're required to comply with (IRC at least, it might not be 2012 but AFAIK it's been 24 inches for years). If you can limit the windows from opening more than 4 inches, or use a "Window Opening Control Device" that limits it to 4 inches, but releases with more pressure (no more than 15 pounds, however), then they are OK below the 24 inches. Here is a link to the code.

If you prevent the bottom sash from opening at all, and the top of the bottom sash is no less than 24 inches from the floor, then it meets the requirement. Your closet window needs to meet this requirement as well (meaning, allowing it to open freely from two inches above the floor is not OK). Or, you can install guards (I'm guessing that the guards would have to prevent a 4" sphere from passing as well).

Recommendations from my own experience would be to replace the glass with tempered if you are able (I'm surprised it's not required), just in case a window breaks there will be less of a chance to get cut. And, if you're expecting to have rambunctious kids (or dogs or whatever) in the house, I would install guards even if the windows don't open. Just in case.


Can I do an external splice to my chandelier wire? My ceilings are over 20 feet tall so I want to avoid renting scaffolding to replace the chandelier at the junction box.

Ok like with a swagger lamp. It might be possible. A swagger lamp has a connection inside the globe. Some chandeliers have a wiring space where a junction can be made. All junctions need to be in a box or inside the fixture So it may be possible to do it legally by cutting the line and chain it may end up slightly higher depending on the style but now that I understand what you are asking it could be done with the right new fixture.


Removing 1 connected smoke detector ok? We have a 2 story house that currently has the following interconnected Firex smoke detectors:

Basement
First Floor
Second Floor
Unfinished Attic

We've been having issues with the one in the unfinished attic and it seems the more I read, you don't need a smoke detector in an attic. We are in NH so it gets well below 40F and well above 100F in the attic.

My question is:  can I just remove (unplug) the attic smoke detector and leave the quick connect plug in place in the ceiling without that affecting the other smoke detectors?  Or does that unused wiring need to be changed?

Yes. Detectors are not daisy-chained, but wired in parallel and can be individually disabled or have new ones added.


Generator Transfer Switch for 2 Panels I'd like to install a Transfer Switch (10 circuits) from the Generator to the two panels I have. Each panel is rated at 200 amps. If I turn off the main breaker in one of them, the other panel still works and vice versa. But I did find that the ground and neutral in both panels are all connected to each other.
So if I mount a transfer switch near them, would there be any issue if 6 circuits go to one panel and 4 circuits go to the second panel. Since the transfer switch only has one ground wire I believe and because the neutral and ground are connected in both panels, it wouldn't matter whichever panel I connect it to.
Any thoughts if this will be an issue?
Update
I can certainly try to go over the breakers that are critical and have an electrician move them over to one panel and then use a generator interlock switch on the top 2 right breakers, so either those 2 breakers can be on (powered by the generator) or the main breaker can be turned on. There are no spots for new breakers left, but the panel on left is smaller, so I can look into getting a bigger panel that'll allow more circuits
These transfer switches are definitely very expensive for only few circuits. But from theoretical standpoint, can you tell me why the transfer switch's 10 circuits can't be connected to two different panels, when the neutral/ground in both panels are connected to each other. (So the one neutral wire from the transfer switch can be connected to any panel)

No, those things cannot serve 2 panels.
Technically, those 10-circuit transfer switches are a very bad choice generally.  Aside from being insanely overpriced for what they do, they also have severe limitations, including what you're running into here.
This issue comes up a lot. I realize the devices have a consumer appeal to you, but I strongly urge you to re-examine your options.
Let's start with a photo of your two main panels, or at least, the model numbers of them, so we can figure out what other options you have.  Are the panels right next to each other?  Also photos of the listing of circuits on both panels would be good.
Is there a reason you DON'T want to make generator power available to most of your circuits?  It seems a great inconvenience only being able to power 10.


Can I make PVC pipe into a decent indoor column? I have a beam between the living room and dining room which is load bearing.  We've already placed the laminate around the base, so I'm not entertaining further ideas of moving the posts.  I'd like to move from walls to columns so the two rooms appear a little roomier.

Round columns are expensive.  I could buy a lathe and make my own for the cost of commercially built columns, and they aren't readily available in the sizes and shapes for a half wall column, so will take time to obtain. If we go square it's just trim boards and done, but I'm interested in having a cylindrical column, without the cost and time.

PVC pipe is cheap and readily available, though.  I'm thinking about doing this:

Use 6 or 8 inch PVC
Split it lengthwise
Fill it with expanding foam
Place it around the studs while the expanding foam is still soft
Use pvc glue along the split edges and straps to hold it
Secure it at the base and top
Sand, prime, paint

I'm going to widen the beam and build a wide half-wall base for the column to sit on, and use two half-pipes for the studs sticking out from the wall. We'll use appropriate trim for the base and capital.

My questions are: is this a reasonable process?  What problems can I expect building it, or in the long run? Am I going to end up spending more time and money on this than doing it the "correct" way? Is there a primer I can use that will stick to the PVC? Will the expanding foam be enough to make it sound and feel, perhaps not as solid as wood, but more than a PVC pipe?

I wouldn't use the PVC pipe at all.

Here are some things to think about...

1) Splitting the PVC pipe in half will involve two saw kerfs that will make the re-mated halves not restore to original size.

2) PVC cement will not work well in trying to re-join the two pipe halves. That type of cement is meant to be used in tight lap type joints; not in rough butt type joints.

3) If you have to use the expanding foam you really should place the pipe parts in place and secured first and then inject the foam through one or more small holes through the pipe wall.

Overall I would suggest that you reconcept your approach to this and keep the lower portion of the walls as is but convert then to knee walls with height of maybe 40 inches.
Temporarily support the beam within the current opening space. Then cut out the existing studs to produce knee wall framework. The top of this knee wall gets fitted with a good double 2x4 header. Trim the top of the knee wall with a flat trim board that is wider than the drywall on each side by some 1/2 to 3/4" and trim around the skirt of the board with a nice molding. Then set a partial turned 4x4 post on top the flat board and use it to support the beam. Finish out the top of the openings over to the side walls down to the bottom of the beam, band with drywall and finish. I think this would give you the better look and still open up the space perception. The shorter 4x4 type turned posts are much more reasonable in cost.

Excuse my somewhat less than elegant cut/paste/smear work with paint program but here is the general idea of what I am suggesting.


Securing Cables at Ends of Conduit Run As a follow-up to this question, if I have wet/damp location-rated cables going from an outdoor breaker box, up a ~5' SCH40 PVC conduit, and into a building attic, do I need to secure both ends of the cable to both the breaker box and and interior junction box or just the interior junction boxes?

At one end is the breaker box, but at the other end, the cables exit the large PVC conduit, run outside conduit (in the attic) a short distance, then enter a plastic junction box to be spliced to NM cable used for the interior wiring. The plastic junction boxes have cable clamps for the cable coming from the conduit.

Would this arrangement be admissible under the NEC?

When a cable goes from a breaker box (service panel) into a conduit, there's no need (and no decent method) to secure it.

Usually, wires exiting a panel go left, right or up, so it's not really much of an issue.  Gravity keeps them put.


Which thermostat for both forced air and baseboard heating I recently purchased a Bosch 2 stage central a.c. with a heating inverter. I have baseboard heating and but have a large and opened family room so didn't want to run more pipes. The Bosch will work up to 5 degrees but living on long island temps sometimes get colder so I still have to use the baseboard heating. Any recommendations regarding a smart thermostat that will control both heating systems? I have the honeywell 9000 but I funny believe will control both. I appreciate any suggestions.

The W2 (Aux/E) terminal on the thermostat is for a second stage heat relay or heat pump auxiliary / emergency heat.

Note that this is to energize a relay or contactor coil, which will in turn energize your baseboard heaters;  you can't directly switch baseboard heat with the Honeywell 9000.

Selecting a contactor or contactors and rewiring your baseboard heat so that it is controlled by the smart thermostat rather than the line voltage thermostats you're using now could be an easy job, could be a hard job, depends on the existing wiring.


What could be causing an A/C blower motor to turn off randomly? The Blower motor on my AC unit turns off at random times while the outside unit continues to run which is causing the coil to freeze up. The blower won't come on for 30-45 minutes after the AC has been turned off, but after that it seems to turn back on fine. I have been trying to track the problem down for the last couple months, but it literally only happens every 2 or 3 weeks.

Last night it stopped again and I tried to just turn the fan (from the thermostat) on without luck. I took a look at the blower and it seemed to turn just fine. I put my hand on the back of the fan motor and it wasn't hot to the touch.

About 45 minutes after it turned off the blower came back and it was working normally. What could be causing this problem?

I ended up calling a buddy of mine who is an HVAC tech and he pointed me in the right direction to check the fan wire on the back of the thermostat. I checked the wire and it was just hanging in the terminal. I'm pretty sure that was the cause of the problem. It makes sense because there wasn't anything wrong with the blower motor itself.

The fan wire on the thermostat was in fact the problem. I fixed the connection and it has worked fine for the last 3 years.


Wiring in switch which turns on half outlet with no neutral I have a weird situation with the wiring in a switch box. I am adding a ceiling fan to the room and would like to replace the existing switch which powers an outlet with a double switch. One that powers the half outlet and one that powers the ceiling fan.

The problem is I don't think there is a neutral in the box. There are two Romex 14/2 wires coming into the box. The 2 blacks are nutted together and pigtailed to one screw and the two white wires are joined together to the other screw. I know that this current setup switches on one of the outlets in the room and then electricity passes on to power the outlets in the next room.

I am not able to figure out the wiring that needs to be made to power the fan. Here are the pics of the switch I would like to use.

You evidently do not have a neutral in the switch box. The white wires attached to the switch are not neutrals but are either line hots or "switched hots" (the latter become hot when the switch is closed). The whites attached to the switch should have been marked with black tape to signify that they are repurposed hots. You can tell if the white are line hot or switched not by whether they are switched or not.

The neutrals for the existing circuit must be at the loads and were not carried into the switch box. (Neutrals are NEVER connected to one side of a switch with a line hot on the other side because when the switch would be closed this would be a dead short.)

In your top pic there is a white and a black going up. Is this new cable you brought in to go to the fan?

If you don't have a neutral in the switch box, then you cannot power a ceiling fan from wires in the box because you must have a neutral as well as a hot to power it. (And the neutral and the hot must be in the same cable.)

What you would have to do is bring in another cable with neutral and hot in the attic into the ceiling box for the fan. The neutral would be connected directly to the neutral lead of the fan. The hot would be connected to one of the wires in the cable you pulled to the switch box. This would give a hot in the box which would be properly paired with a neutral. The other wire in the cable in the switch box would be switched hot. In the ceiling box the switched hot would be connected to the hot fan lead.

EDIT The double switch you show could not be used to switch the fan by the method I describe because it has a common line hot connection. You would need a double switch that has two independent line hot connections.


How should I go about fixing a holey laundry room? When I removed some old elevated cabinetry in my laundry room, I discovered two holes in the wall. The first I documented here,

How do I close and seal an old external vent?

and the second can be viewed here:

My dryer in my single floor home currently vents downward through another (third) gnarly hole in the wall:

It continues down a couple feet into my crawl space, and then horizontally out through a wall vent by my deck:

None of these holes were put there by me. :)

I was going to try to address this by:

Covering the old vent (hole #2),
Fixing the current gnarly hole (#3) in the laundry room wall where the flex tube goes through, or patching it entirely and making a new hole closer to where
the dryer will be,
Replacing the extra long flex tube in my crawl space with insulated rigid pipe.

I'm considering, however, reusing the older vent pipe in #2 which goes up the wall, straight through the attic, and out the roof. I wouldn't have to run any new pipe and I could just patch the current gnarly hole (#3) with drywall.

This seems to have some drawbacks as I can't see how lint won't just settle at the bottom of the vertical pipe and clog it. Going down and out instead seems like it would give lint the chance to settle along a greater space and get cleaned out by me later. I suppose this is true only if the rigid pipe can be install co
mpletely horizontally or at a downward angle to the outside.

The advantages of using the vertical pipe would be that I don't have to run any new rigid pipe and this hole is actually closer to where my stacked dryer will be.

Should I reuse the vertical pipe via hole #2 or close it and fix and use hole #3? If the latter, what is the proper way of closing #2? I'm thinking I should shove some steel wool in the opening, pull out the short horizontal tube and fix up the wall.

The vent flaps are easy to open (by design, it has to open with air pressure) so birds and rodents could easily open them up and make a home. Birds are relatively easy to evict, but rodents are likely to chew their way through the duct and find their way into other places. As for the crawl space vent, I wouldn't want a possible intake vent so close to to the dryer exhaust, it's a humidity issue waiting to happen. So because of that, I'd go for the roof vent. Try to clean it out yearly, and make sure to clean the lint trap out of the dryer between each usage.


How do I remove this recessed light bulb? This is a small recessed light in my new house (still figuring out all the nuances of it). How do I get the bulb out of this recessed fixture in order to replace it?

It looks like there is some holder around the outside, but not sure how it works.

That conical thing in the ceiling and it's white flange that fits against the ceiling will typically pull down and be removed. It should have springy wire fingers that fit up into part of the fixture. Once you have that out of the way the bulb will be easy to access.


This fell out of my toilet when I unscrewed the supply line. What is it? I needed to replace my toilet’s tank to toilet gasket, and in the process disconnected the toilet’s supply line. The rubber “screw like” object shown above fell out when I did this.

After finishing the gasket replacement, I forgot to put this back, and everything worked fine with no apparent leaks. But now I want to put it back, but I’m not sure what it does or what orientation it previously had. After researching and watching videos of flush valve and supply line replacements, it appears nobody else has a part like this in their toilets. I’m honestly beginning to think this object wasn’t supposed to be where it was.

Here’s an image of the disconnected supply line:

Here’s an image of the flush valve from inside the tank. Brand name: fluidmaster, probably installed ~2011.

This appears to do a few things.

A backflow preventer.  Note the nub on the "top", that should actually go down.  Gravity and back pressure seats it on the inlet pipe to try to prevent tank water from backing up into the supply lines if there's a pressure loss or shutoff.
A flow limiter.  Without it the toilet will flow faster, but will be more susceptible to water hammer.  The automatic valve opens and closes quicker than humans, and flowing water has inertia. Changes in inertia cause force.  That force can be destructive, which is what water hammer is.
A shock absorber, if it's made of rubber.  This adds some compressibility to an incompressible medium, to help with water hammer effects, especially acting on that valve.


How do I find the proper wires for service drop? I have 125 amp service, and bought two #1 AWG black-colored wires for the electrician to use in his replacement. I couldn't find a white wire that size, or bare copper. Neither at Lowes nor Home Depot.

In my search, I found somewhere that said you don't necessarily have to buy the same size conductor for the neutral wire. That the neutral wire has to be at least 70% the size of the hot wire.

Is this true? And if it is, what size in AWG would this be? And does the wire have to be insulated?

My state follows NEC.

Determining the size of the grounded (neutral) conductor isn't as easy as saying, hey let's take off 70% of the load and look that up on a chart.

I imagine the 70% that was spoken about refers to the allowable reduction of certain circuits named in NEC 220.61 (B)(1) which deals with cooking units and dryers. Those circuits, when the maximum unbalanced load is determined in accordance with 220.55 and 220.54 respectively, can be reduced by 70%.

But that doesn't equate to a total reduction of 70% because we're only speaking of a few of the circuits in the dwelling. Also, that doesn't include the 100% of circuits you can leave out do to the fact they are not supplied a grounded conductor and therefore, perhaps not obviously, do not contribute to the ampacity of the neutral anyway.

All in all, yes, you could have a total reduction of 70%, but I'd make the electrician prove it. For one, I wouldn't put the burden/responsibility on the homeowner to get my feeder cables - maybe a 250' spool of 14/2 romex but, at least by my experience, they'll screw that up too. So, I question that decision; I won't go as far as to call him names for it though.

If you did indeed have an actual 125 amp service or feeder rating you would need a #2 cu. or 1/0 al. or al. cu. (copper-clad aluminum) feeder according to TABLE 310.15(B)(7). Now, if you actually had a 70% allowable reduction you'd have...

125 * 0.70 = 87.5 A

...and according to TABLE 310.15(B)(16) you would need a #3 cu. or #2 al. or al. cu. cable.

Note that even this answer makes assumptions. You speak of a 125 amp service which doesn't equate to the actual minimum ampacity required, only the next largest standard breaker size. This leads to the fact that you may have an actual load less than 125 A. Taking 70% of the breaker size, if larger, would result in a larger reduction than is actually allowed.


Can't figure out how to replace these MR16 GU5.3 bulbs I've replaced most of the MR16 bulbs in my house as they have a simple clip system but I can't figure these out. This bathroom has MR16 bulbs that go quite far into the ceiling and are different again.

Edit: The bulbs I have managed to replace are now LED and emit very low buzz - is there any way around this or should I just switch back to halogen

The MU16 connectors are a twist type, turn counterclockwise to remove. They often need some effort to turn. There isn't anything physically stopping it from turning other than
friction

The buzzing is either from a dimmer, a bad bulb or electromagnetic (EM) interference. Remove the dimmer if there is one. Verify that the bulb is good. Test for EM interference from other devices by turning off devices in the home until you find the offending item.

Picture: lightbulbwholesaler.com


Angled Post Connector I'm looking to build a pergola like this one.

Would a connector such as the concealed Simpson StrongTie CPTZ work for the posts?

The specs seem fine, what I'm worried is the footnote "Post bases do not provide adequate resistance to prevent members from rotating about the base and therefore are not recommended for non-braced, or non-top-supported installations.", though it seems this is the same for most of their connectors.

Hi this is Jason of Builderbeast.
I built this pergola, and was also not thrilled about the size of that Simpson connector. I had a larger 1/2" stainless  mount fabricated.  It extended about 12" up the column.


Can I replace this light switch with a switch/outlet combination? I live in Minnesota, in a house that was gutted and rewired within the past 5 years. There's a big closet I'm converting into a reading room. It doesn't have a wall outlet, but does have a light switch. I was hoping I could replace the light switch with a switch/outlet combination.

The existing switch has two hot black wires going to it. The box also contains a pigtail of white wires and a pigtail of grounding wires. (Pictures below)

Does this seem like a possibility? If so, how would I wire the switch/outlet combination?

The existing switch:

The switch/outlet combination:

The two wires from the old switch go on the two top screws, hot on left and switched hot  on right.

Add pigtails to the black and white and ground bundles with the wire nuts.

Black goes on hot side (left bottom screw).

White goes on right bottom screw.

Bare copper goes to green screw.

If there is metal link between the two screws on the hot side, then you could leave off the pigtail on the top screw.


What paint do I use to paint wood in a bathroom? I have a lot of wood in my bathroom, some in worse wear than others, its really ugly.

So I want to paint it.  My question is what paint do I use, do I need primer/ undercoat/ special bathroom paint?

I'm more concerned about the wood which is the window sill and the wood which holds the sink basin.  I also have to paint a previously painted wooden panel on the bath.

I'd suggest a quality primer (Killz would be a good brand) and then a high-gloss latex, perhaps with an anti-mildew additive (most paint departments will have anti-mildew bases designed for high moisture areas).


Is there any nice way of identifying which model of Peerless Bathroom Faucet I have? I have a 2 handle bathroom faucet which says Peerless on the underside.  It came with the house when I bought it and I don't have the packaging or manual for it.  I am trying to identify the correct stem unit assembly for it to stop a small drip and I know how you have to get the right part for the right faucet or it will not fit.  I tried the website for Peerless and the 3 candidates I came up with for replacement part are (although none look like the replacement part):

RP70201 - Got a pack, doesn't fit
RP71444 - Doesn't match the look of the old part, but it is a replacement for many models.  Could try that next
RP41701 - Doesn't match the look of the old part, but readily available

So is there anywhere/any way I can tell for sure.  I could post a picture of  my faucet if helpful.  I could even uninstall my old cartridge and post a picture of that if it helps.

Since the cartridge is out, take it to a plumbing supply house not your local big-box home improvement center.

Odds are very good that they'll either

know off the top of their heads,
be able to find a part number that you're missing,
or just simply walk to the back and open 12 boxes looking for one that matches and sell you that one.

One additional tip: Call ahead. Some places will only sell wholesale, i.e. to commercial plumbers. Others will sell retail, i.e. to you.


Neutral size in breaker box Hello I have a regular 3 wire 120/240 system.
Whilst looking at the service drop and breaker box I noticed the neutral wire seems very small. It is definitely smaller than the two main conductors..
I know the neutral is allowed to be smaller or at least was when the service was installed but it seems too small. Especially considering there is a 30amp outlet for an RV connected the box.
My question is can the neutral be LARGER than the conductors.. for example 1/0 if they are 2/0.
I don't know their sizes but I have some THHN wire that is 1/0
Would make quick work to have an electrician come hook it up and hard to overcharge me for 30 mins of work with me supplying the materials

You can always make wires larger than are strictly required.
So if your hots and neutral all must be #6, you are welcome to make the neutral #4.
In fact, one sneaky reason to do this is that a #6 neutral MUST be white or gray. Whereas a #4 can be generic black, and marked with white or gray tape to designate it as neutral.  So if you wanted to avoid a run to the store, it might be a good play.
The Code requirement there is that #6 or smaller wires must be white or gray for neutral, green, yellow-green or bare for ground, and hot can be any other color.  With #4 or larger, the electrical supply houses don't want to stock 3  colors of the big stuff, so Code allows you to re-mark with tape or paint to any base color, to indicate the function.


Removing cap from box/turtle style roof vent I have a vent on a shed roof:

that has a huge wasp nest inside (though no wasps (at the moment), thankfully!). I can see it from the inside of the shed (not pictured).

I thought it would be easy to pop the cap off of the vent, clean out the nest, then pop it back on. However, it doesn't appear to me that the cap can be removed!? There are clips on each side that seem to be riveted:

Is the only thing to do here to replace the entire vent?

Here is what it looks like from the inside - there is a mesh blocking the nest:

After buying a replacement (and replacing the vent), it seems as though indeed these do not come apart (which seems CRAZY to me!). The new one I got does NOT have a mesh on the inside though, so it seems like this particular problem cannot happen again (as there's no "floor" for a nest to rest upon). However, that also means much bigger bugs can enter the shed :). I may add my own mesh on the inside of the roof, which would keep out the bugs but also allow me to remove the mesh to fix a problem like this in the future.


Do I need to leave space between insulation and the roof deck with a cathedral ceiling? I'm finishing a 14x14 shed that has 2x6 rafters in Austin TX, and I want a cathedral ceiling. The shed builder says they usually recommend filling the cavity with R-19 fiberglass insulation, leaving no room for airflow.
But I've also read many suggestions like this for vaulted ceilings:

Remember that a two-inch breathing space between the insulation and the roof sheathing must be included to allow for ventilation.

If I leave room, it's hard to fit more than R-13 without going to rigid foam board.
Do I really need the space? I don't have any venting. And I don't envision having much excess moisture in the shed, as it's going to be an office. Does that apply more to cold climates, where moisture becomes an issue as the hot inside air meets cold outer air?
Edit: The roof appears to be OSB.

Yes, cold climates require the insulation in walls to dry towards the outside through breathing gaps in the sheathing, with a vapour barrier separating the insulation from the warm inside moisture.
Roofs are similar, where ventilation is provided through soffits and ridge or gable vents.
Also, the airflow from soffit to gable provides for cooling (!) of the shingles in the winter. Otherwise warmth from the house would melt the snow near the top where heat accumulates, and melt water would re-freeze towards the bottom of the roof, causing ice and ice-dams to form.
In a hot and dry climate I could imagine that the convection through the roof's air gap will more than offset the reduced insulation.
A compromise is to leave a gap and slightly compress the R19 insulation with strapping (length- not cross-strapping, applied in the direction of the slope).
The R value will drop a bit due to compression, but it will be better than R13.
A rule of thumb is that for every 2 inches compressed you loose only 1 inch of equivalent R-value.
Additional insulation from heat can be obtained with reflective foil insulation (e.g. Reflectix) applied to the roof sheathing on the inside.


Is IPS threading compatible with NPT threading? I've attached two links to the fittings I'm looking to purchase online.  But I don't know if they will work together.

Chrome Plated Brass Pipe Fitting, Coupling , 1/2" NPT Female

and

Moen 116651 6-Inch Straight Shower Arm, Chrome

According to the Googles, IPS is Iron Pipe Straight thread.  It's meant to seal on a washer-shaped gasket (like the threads the hose for your toilet or faucets attach to).  NPT is a tapered thread, designed to seal on the threads, which is why you put pipe tape on them - to lubricate them and help the threads deform and create a seal.

So, while having no personal experience, I would say no, they will not thread together.  I've been hunting around for adapters, but don't see anything.  Which is weird, because I'd think those arms would be designed to thread into a brass NPTF fitting in the wall/ceiling.


Need Help with border for pavers, fence is too high! I'm having to reset the pavers along the side yard of our house after putting in a french drain and sump pump. The issue I have is that after I dig out all of the dirt to allow for the 4" of gravel, 1" of sand and 2" pavers, the dirt is below the fence and open to my neighbor's yard. I bought some pressure treated 2x6 to nail to the bottom of the current fence, but the old concrete from the previous fence is going to cause problems with the 2x6 fitting evenly.

In the attached photo, the string you see is level from the backyard concrete to the front gate. This is only about 3/4" above the bottom of the fence. In this photo, I haven't even dug down the 7" necessary, so the gap under the fence will be larger than what you see.

What do you suggest I use for a border, to contain the gravel, sand and pavers, so they don't gradually slide under the fence in to my neighbors yard?

Thanks in advance!

The few that I use are: 1/4 inch Bender Board. This is a 10 foot length of Redwood that is 4 inches wide. It is mostly used for the slight radius it can be shaped to. Paver retailers should have a plastic boarder that will easily conform to any shape. If needed and possible use the pavers you presently are installing by turning them on edge. Or halving them and installing them as a border.


Do my HVAC ducts need to hang away from floor joists? I have a basement that I would like to finish and install a drywall ceiling. And I would like that ceiling to hide the HVAC vents.

However, the vents already just (by an inch or so) go over my head. If I put drywall around them, the ceiling will be short, which is especially a problem for the vents in the center of the room (less so for those by the wall)

Currently the vents hang from the floor joists by 4 inches.

Can I secure the vents directly to the floor joists or have them hang by only an inch? Is this safe to do?

You should consider switching to low profile hvac duct.  You can get a wider version that is shorter but carries the same air.  If you can't find something off the shelf an hvac professional can design/fabricate one that will work.  Won't hurt you to get a quote and see what your hvac guy can do for you.  Would be a shame to put the effort into finishing a basement and have crazy bulkheads running everywhere.


Dropped Item in hot water heater When I was redoing the plumbing to my hot water heater I accidentally dropped a pen cap down the vent stack/flu.

Will this cause any problems? Like melting or catching on fire?

Its going to take a good bit of time to unhook the gas line and empty the tank to be able to tip it so I can remove the flue baffle, because of where it is currently located.

I'd rather not spend all that time if its a nonissue. My hunch is that it could be.

thanks for your help,

rookie

Since you have a flue I assume it is either gas/propane or oil fired. Most water heaters have cover near the base to service the burner or the igniter. First shut off the fuel source.  If you remove the cover you should be able to look inside with the aid of a flashlight. Most burners are round and you may find that the cap has fallen into the center and may even be on the floor under the tank.


Toilet wont flush completely My toilet won't flush - it does what I call water exchange. I ran a hose down vent stack and it rinsed out as it should. Cleared all holes in bowl, put a rock in the tank. When it flushes, it fills bowl just below 3/4" of coming up and over bowl. It swirls but with little force. As tank begins to fill, bowl continues to fill.

I have always thought water level in toilet bowel was too high. It will flush when I use a bucket of water.

Side note: my house is set with a grinder and pump to get to city sewer - very slight slope, not noticeable. Checked flapper.

I would say there is a clog in your line.  Is there anything stuck in the hole that jets out water (in the front, below waterline.


Can I connect a 1-3 adapter to a 12/3 extension cord? Before I ask, I understand how extension cords work to a point. I understand if anything is plugged in, it needs to stay under the rated wattage and amperage. I also understand the way cords are rated by gauge. Though i don’t understand what the 3 in 12/3 means. If I use the wrong words please feel free to fix this. I’m just unsure on these safety questions that seemed unanswered when I looked it up.
Hi. I have a shed, 50ft should be long enough. I had a couple questions.
The main one is, can I plug a 1 to 3 adapter as long as I keep the total
wattage and amperage under the rating?
I also had a question, is a USB hub considered an “extension”?
Also on a triple tap, is it safe to plug in a power strip?

So long as the total draw of all devices plugged in remains below the amp capacity of the power strip, the extension cord, the permanent wiring, and the breaker, you'll be fine.
I believe the admonition against plugging in a power strip is that

You are not allowed (by NEC) to use an extension cord for permanent wiring. i.e. if you need an outlet on the other side of the room for your entertainment center, you should have one wired in, don't run a cord across the floor, around the walls, (especially under a carpet!), whatever, to provide more-or-less permanent power to another location.
A power strip will allow you to plug multiple items in at the same time, greatly increasing the chance of overloading the circuit. If you plug in your miter saw, table saw and router into the power strip and you've got 3 people, each using a tool, you'll very quickly overload the circuity. The breaker will pop, but you could cause damage to the strip and/or extension cord before it does.

If you're using the extension cord as the only supply of power to the shed, and you're planning on leaving it plugged in all the time, that would (I believe) constitute a permanent installation and is banned.
Most importantly, if the cord is stretched across the lawn from the house into the shed, it'll be in the way of the lawn mower. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what could go wrong there.
If you roll out the extension cord to plug in a fan and a radio while you're out in the shed gardening, then you roll it back up and put it away at the end of the day, then you shouldn't have any issues with the extension cord or with the temporary use of a power strip (to enable plugging in two reasonably low power devices).


What components do I need to finish my shower installation? Soooo I replaced the rough in valves for my shower ( based on some suggestions here actually ). This is the set that I purchased. Now that it's installed, I'm noticing that the stems are shorter than the old one by about an inch. I'm also super confused about what kind of trim kit I need. Was looking at something like this but it seems to have both valve stems and handles, and I really don't need the stems ( right ? ). Then there is something like this but it includes the whole build kit. So I'm super confused about what I need to finish this rough in kit.

Look at the bottom of the Amazon page where it says "customers also bought this" there's trim kits there that have exactly what you're missing. Pretty typical for a contractor to use a rough in kit like you did and then let the customer pick a trim kit later. The only problem you have is you're limited to trim kits that work with the 01-31XA valve body. You should be able to find one you like. Here's one Pfister 01-8CBC Three-Handle Tub and Shower Combo, Chrome
Fits 01-31XA valve body
The Pfister Three-Handle Tub and Shower Trim Kit comes with classic Brass Cross Handles, flanges, bell-shaped shower head, and a threaded tub spout. The upgraded Polished Chrome finish and Brass Cross Handles is a great addition to any bathroom. Valves not included.


What factors go into choosing between 3-sided and 4-sided capping for composite deck boards? I have been researching composite/PVC deck boards and the issue of how many sides are capped seems to not get enough attention, at least in the technical sense.
What should I think about with regard to the choice between 3 and 4-sided capping?  All I have found is talk of looking up at it from below.  In my situation, while I am planning a 2nd story deck, it will have a between-the-joists drainage system, so you will not see the underside of the boards.  Does the fact of the drainage system mean I should favor 4-sided caps because of the moisture?  Or are there other factors to consider?

What factors go into choosing between 3-sided and 4-sided capping for composite deck boards?

TL;DR
Cost and how long do you want it to last.

I'm not a decking expert but composite decks with 20% wood fiber content are still prone to rot, albeit at a slowed pace. What you end up with is something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahiI6WTumB8
By having all sides capped you reduce the surface area for environmental variables to affect your boards.
If you switch to 100% polymer then you simply get to enjoy the longevity of the plastic and not worry about the wood filler. These too will degrade over time as nothing is safe from the sun. Maybe a stainless steel deck will provide the greatest longevity but you'd have to consider the cost.
One of the most important things to consider with any deck is joist spacing. If your joists are closer together then your deck will feel less spongey as the years go on. Also, if the span calls for a 2x8 joist then consider using a 2x10 or 2x12 if you really want it to feel sturdy.
Keep your deck swept, washed, relatively dry, and don't let microbes deteriorate your deck over time.


Is it too late to add drywall tape? I was patching my wall for the first time and forgot to put fiberglass drywall tape on first. I've only done one coat of joint compound so far.

Can I still put my drywall tape on the seams or is it too late?

Nope. It has to be done anyway or you'll have cracking. Some pro tapers prefill recessed joints anyway, then do their taping.

Put it on and skim out nice and wide to conceal the hump. Such a joint should end up around 24" wide, much like a typical end joint.


Why do they put an A/C vent in the utility room? A related question is here about a year ago:
Is there any reason to not tape this vent over?

My question is, why do they put the vent there in the first place. Like the previous poster, I just bought a house and the A/C duct has a vent right above the A/C unit, cooling down a utility room that contains a sump pump and nothing else at this point. The rest of the basement is finished, but the utility room is closed off by a door.

It seems like there is no problem in taping that up but I am curious what was the logic of having it in there in the first place.

There are plenty of reason why, not sure exactly why your is though.
Here a few reasons:

Humidity. Circulating air, especially climate control air, will help eliminate differences in humidity that can lead toward mildew, mold, bugs issues, etc.
Selling point. In most regions that I've observed, any climate controlled area can count toward square feet/meters so the house can be advertised at a slightly higher number than is actual livable space.
Climate control balancing. The best thermal boundary is one that is not needed and you do not want a hot/cold spot near the utility room. If the vent is setup correctly for that size room and you are not maxing out your air handler already it is typically more efficient to have a vent open in all interior rooms/spaces. Rooms/spaces with any outside walls depend on the insulation they have but are typically not beneficial, in a properly insulated basement I'm considering any space interior.


Wire size for water heater I'm installing a instant on demand water heater that requires a 220v - 40 amp circuit and would like to know what size wire is required for a 50 foot run. ??????

8 AWG copper wire or 6 AWG aluminum. For the ground wire, 10 AWG copper.

Most on-demand heaters need 2 wires + ground, but check your installation instructions to be sure it doesn't need 3.

Keep in mind a 40A on-demand is a pretty small heater and you may need to reduce flow to get hot enough water.


What is the brand or type of this track lighting fixture? It only has two contacts, like J or L types, but they are staggered, like H type fixtures.

With the offset it’s likely a 2-circuit track.

I can’t tell from the picture, the Wikipedia article suggests measuring 7/8” vs 1” might yield a clue. (but the article is inconclusive and doesn’t list all types).

Most electrical supply houses have a box of short track pieces and track parts under the front counter for comparison and matching.

OP has determined he has Juno (type J) 2-circuit track this info, which was originally supplied in comments.


How can I add a chain link fence on top of a cinder block wall? I have a cinder block fence in my front yard that has two courses of cinder block and a row of cap blocks.  It is about 24" high.  It is set on a very nice, solid cement footer.  I want to add a 48" chain link on top of it.  If I drill holes to accommodate my corner and line posts, and break out the mortar that has probably filled the interior sections of the cinder blocks all the way to the footer and set them in cement, would the harder cement support for the posts take enough of the stress off the bricks to keep it from cracking the rest of the cinder block fence?

I would get posts for a six foot fence to compensate for the wall height. Then anchor the posts in the ground. Then set the fence height to be level with the cap. If they didn't fill the blocks, the caps aren't thick enough to get a good length of anchor in.


Leveling bathroom floor with purlins (surface shims, leveling strips)under tub I have a small 5 x 11 bathroom in 1961 coop/condo, wood subfloor (pictured) is not level. We don’t think water damage just building settling. This is a gut job, all fixtures being replaced. Would it make sense to use purlins then 3/4 plywood to level floor, then place new tub on new plywood?  Or backer board & tile entire floor and put tub on top of tile?

Can’t put tub on joists or current subfloor as uneven. Can’t use self leveling compound as depth of pitch too deep (1/2 an inch or more).

Assuming your plan is to level the entire floor area, I feel that using tapered shims with the 3/4" ply would be the best of the options presented. You will have to deal with the extra floor height. I just don't like extending tile under the tub.

Anyhoo, if you were to level backerboard you would need leveled plywood under it anyway, for support, no?


What could this wood be? In the middle of a relatively cosmetic bathroom upgrade and went to change out the old Hollywood light fixture.  I opened the wall to add in a new junction box, but came across this random piece of wood behind the wall.  Its vertical (the photo may be turned sideways) but is not a stud as it doesn't go all the way down the wall and is maybe only 0.5" thick.  Any thoughts on what it could be?  Is it ok to cut it out?

Looks suspiciously like "I'll put  board back here to screw the fixture to, and run wire there, with no box" - which would be a fairly major code violation and increase the scope of your work to correct it and make it safe.

Edit to add:

You can get rid of the board, but correcting the situation will probably involve a bit more than just cutting it out (i.e. you may need to cut and repair drywall, but that's very much in the "relatively cosmetic" sphere, and not so terribly dificult without complicating factors like tiles or a textured finish, especially if your cosmetic upgrade already includes painting.) I'm dubious that you can just cut out the board and successfully mount an "old-work" box there, as the remains of the board would be in the way.


What wire should I run to my garage for tools and a welder? I will be running 240v to my garage to wire up an outlet. From the Panel in our basement to the plug location it is about 30M(~100ft) away.
I am hoping to have an outlet in my garage that can service a Welder (48 Primary Amps) and an Air Compressor (15A).
It would be a bonus if an RV could plug in to the same plug and if an Electric Vehicle could fast charge on it in the future.
What Gauge of Wire, Breaker & Plug type can I get that would cover at least the welder and Air Compressor?
Can I wire up more than one outlet?

You probably want to run to a subpanel as that will give you a LOT more possibilities as well as allowing you to run 120 or 240 devices.  240 @ 50 amp would require 6/3, and you could actually breaker it at 55 to give you some more room.  Look into code in your area as to what kind of method is required for bringing power to an outbuilding.  In the subpanel you will need to have separate ground and neutral bars.  You can then run whatever outlets and loads you want to without going back to the main house.  6/3 at 100 feet will also not exceed the 3% voltage drop that is usually considered "within tolerances".


What purpose does the lining inside sheet metal duct serve? Sheet metal ductwork is often lined inside with a black fiberglass insulation material. What purpose does the lining serve?

Insulation is one answer, but ducts can be insulated on the external surfaces. I expect external insulation would have the same thermal effect without increasing the air friction losses or adding internal surface area for dust, dirt, or mold.

I assume JPhi1618 is referring to thermal insulation with his/her comment, which is correct. Especially in the case of long runs, much heat can be lost or gained en route due to conduction through the duct wall. Obviously this reduces efficiency and hampers environmental temperature control.

In other cases it's about sound reduction. Fan hum and howl, along with the noise of airflow itself, can be problematic.

Drawbacks to internal insulation are dust and odor. Obviously they're more likely to accumulate on rough, porous surfaces, and cleaning is less effective as well.


Can I install a floor length window on the second floor? I live in Hillsborough, North Carolina. I am redoing a bedroom and would like to install a floor length window but I'm not sure if it will meet the regulations. The width is 31.5 inches and the length would be about 72 inches

It used to be that such a window had to have tempered safety glass, now:

2006 IRC:

R613.2 Window Sills. In dwelling units, where the opening of an operable window is located more than 72 inches above the finished grade or surface below, the lowest part of the clear opening of the window shall be a minimum of 24 inches above the finished floor of the room in which the window is located. Glazing between the floor and 24 inches shall be fixed or have openings through which a 4-inch-diameter sphere cannot pass.

So, no part of the window that actually opens can be lower than 24" unless barricaded similar to balcony railings (4" dia. ball test). Fixed glazing is allowed but must be tempered safety glass if extending below 18" height on the wall. It is easy to order your windows with tempered glass, it just costs a bit more. Check with your window supplier as they will be familiar with the code requirements and any additional restrictions in your area.


How do I replace a drain stack? So I had just had a shower upstairs this past weekend and went downstairs to do the laundry and I discovered that the floor near the pipes was wet. See photo

I immediately went and bought some GOOP and sealed the cracked section of pipe and then I called a plumber to fix it and he said he would be able to handle it sometime this week. Well I never heard back from him (we've had crazy terrible weather) and now I'm thinking that maybe I could just do the work myself.

How do I replace a drain stack?

you can replace the split part. It requires a stack jack.  This is not real easy for a DIYer.  the procedure is to grasp the stack, cut out the bad part, jack the stack, put in couplings and replace the bad section.  You then have to check the boots or replace them.  this may be a job for a pro with the right tools.  sorry.......   good luck


How does one properly seal a celling vent of a forced air hvac system? In a room that may have had some kind of condensation on the past, how should one go about sealing the area around the vent hole in the ceiling, specifically to reduce the likelihood of returning condensation on the future?

This room is on the second of two floors in a residential building. The second floor HVAC system runs through insulated rigid ducting in the attic space.
The room in question seems to have had condensation issues in the past (dark spots were on the windows, and see attached image of ceiling vent to be replaced).
It looks like someone previously tried to seal around the edges of the drywall of a ceiling vent (see ceiling image attached).
According to the owners, it was unoccupied for likely several months, but less than a year at one point several years ago.  During the time the building was unoccupied, it's not known if the HVAC was functional or not, but the concern is high temperature fluctuation.
This building is in Southeastern North America, in an area that is regularly humid.
The vents in this room are already being replaced.

How should one go about sealing the area around the vent hole in the ceiling, specifically to reduce the likelihood of returning condensation on the future?

**Edit to fix unuploaded images.

All my registers have a black foam strip around them, like the foam weather strips you can get at your home store. The strips are about 1" x 1/4"  by perimeter of register.


Strange White Box in New Apartment I just moved in my new apartment and there are 3 small white boxes without any label. (There is also a separate smoke detector and a door bell system, so it shouldn't be that)

This is how it looks inside:

Anybody got a clue what that is?

Inovonics Wireless   SKU: EN1723

  The Inovonics EN1723 provides internal measurement and external thermistor options in a single device. The on-board sensor is excellent for monitoring ambient indoor temperature, and the external sensor is user selectable to match your application.

(source)

Like Tyson notes, these are used in zoned systems.  The receiver should be located near your equipment: presumably a larger white box; most likely with the name Inovonics on it.

These are wireless; should you ever have a problem with a single zone, check their batteries first.


Neutral and ground wire switched I want to change my over stove microwave single outlet to a 2 outlet plug. When pulling out the old outlet, I see that the white wire is attached to the green screw and the bare copper wire is attached to the silver screw. Is this a mistake? Should I install the new plug like it is supposed to be , or like they did it? This is a newly built house.

Larry

We can assume that the mistake starts and ends in that box, but there are other considerations. If the outlet is fed from a sub-panel, neutral and ground aren't (or shouldn't be) bonded. If they're also reversed there, reversing the connections at the outlet could be dangerous.

If you're confident that you're working with conventional wiring served from the primary service panel, go ahead and make the switch. Otherwise, consult a local expert. I'd have a look at a few more outlets in the area to see if there's a trend.

Also be aware that if you're working with a 15A circuit, the microwave likely consumes all available current. You won't have any overhead for other devices without causing nuisance trips.


Have a GFCI that trips when the ground and neutral are connected to the breaker and no phase wire I have a 2 pole 20A GFCI.
When the neutral and the ground are connected the breaker trips with no phase conductors connected.

That would indicate that the neutral you are connecting is either not the neutral for the circuit that you have not connected the hot conductor(s) for, or is connected (improperly) to another neutral elsewhere.
GFCI's trip on a difference between the neutral current and the hot current [or the two hot currents, +/- the neutral given it's a two-pole].
Thus, there is current flowing on this neutral, (and not on the hot conductors which you have not connected) which there should not be if it's wired correctly, so it's not wired correctly.


Fitting a flue for bungalow My dad has asked me to fit a flue for his wood burner, he has a bungalow.
He has purchased some ducting, which I'm not sure is suitable for the job, he also has not purchased a top piece to connect it to the chimney pot. According to him you can just leave it 'floating'...

I'm going to assume the answer will be 'don't do it the house will burn down' but at least I can show that to him so he doesn't go ahead with it!

So I have two questions,

1. Can the ducting be used for a wood burner?

2. How can I attach it to the top without a 'top', or can I leave it just floating? I seems dangerous to me.

Well, at least the building is brick.

No, this is not remotely suitable for a solid fuel burning appliance. As the label indicates, it's for ventilation, exhaust hood, or tumble-dryer - and would appear to be aluminum. It will burn through in short order if used on a wood burning stove.


Toilet tank suddenly opened by itself and one of the toilet valve is extended beyond the toilet tank height. What should I do? Can I fix it by myself? It cannot be pushed down or something like that. After this happened, the water also is leaking to the toilet bowl when it's full , so I turned off the water valve

Looks like your fill valve extended.  They are adjustable in height, and there's usually a retaining ring or a screw mechanism to adjust the height.
I'd go buy a new fill valve kit at a hardware store.  you'll need to drain the bowl, unscrew the supply line from the fill valve and replace the fill valve in the toilet, but the instructions are generally provided in the kit.


Possible downsides of plugging up small hole in foundation? I have found two small holes in the foundation, near the floor, in the cellar.
 Water trickles in through these two holes.  I am thinking of plugging them up with spray foam.  Are there any possible downsides to this plan?

If plugging up these two holes turns out to trigger some other problem -- can the foam be easily removed, so as to restore the flow through those two holes?

Those two holes are relieving hydraulic pressure and draining the soil outside. If you plug them, the pressure may build up and you could have water coming in somewhere else.

Is the water coming in now going into a sump? Is it wetting  the floor and causing high humidity in the "cellar"? It sounds like you might need a French drain outside the foundation to lower the water table around the foundation. But with the current situation maybe you could just fit flexible plastic hoses into the holes and conduct the water to the sump or to a drain.


Do you really need a pipe out for potential harmful gas for pump I recently replaced a Laundry pump, the laundry pump has 2 connections out, one is a pvc pipe out to the drain, the other opening is for piping out gas/air from sewer system. Currently, I have the other opening just there, without attaching a pipe to go to outside of the house.

Home Depot is selling this air filter thing, that I can connect to that opening, supposed to filter out the gas / air. My question is, is it worth it? I don't seem to smell or experience any leak gas/air from the sewer.

Should I install the air filter? or should I install the pipe out to the house.
Is there potential harmful effects from the sewer gas? how do I even test to see if there is any potential gas/air from sewer?

Here's the pump that I installed. Here's the manual. Here's the air admittance valve.

Diagram from the manual:

Do you really need a pipe out for potential harmful gas for pump?

Not in an otherwise properly plumbed system, but you should consider adding a stand pipe to help protect yourself from an overflow during a system failure.

As long as there's a check valve on the discharge pipe that would mean there's no chance for sewer gas, just moldy bucket smell after a while, possibly. With a sink also tapped into it you might want to pipe it to your stack, but with just a washing machine and all the soap going through it, it should be fine.

They're talking about an air admittance valve, which you don't need necessarily but you could add one if the bucket starts to smell. Here's a picture showing a piece of pipe open to the air, doing absolutely nothing as far as odor mitigation, which is fine because the system has a check valve and probably doesn't see much kitchen waste or the like.

That additional length of vent pipe would however allow you to fill the sink without flooding the floor in the event of a pump failure, before you realized it had. It also additionally increases the holding capacity of the pump to the size of the sink. So if you have a similar setup and you do install an AAV, you might as well put a length of pipe on it too. Also, should the check valve ever fail, having it elbowed into the sink would help prevent more catastrophes, and unless it at least has a stand pipe you won't get that extra holding capacity.

(source)


Can I regrade this gravel section of yard myself? My home is at lower elevation from the street. Water runs down the asphalt driveway and there is a french drain in front of the garage. On one side of the driveway there is a gravel patch that is not graded away from the house. The water catches between the asphalt driveway and this gravel area and flows for the corner of the drain. Water pools at the blue circle while it enters the corner of the drain (indicated in red). See picture below.

I was wondering if I was crazy to want to try to regrade the gravel area myself. The section probably measures 10ft wide by 30ft long and there is a naturally lower elevation location right next to this gravel (forgive the debris in pic, just after a storm):

It seems like with some perseverance this would be a relatively easy task to accomplish? I am thinking I can pick and shovel the area to the appropriate grade, get some new gravel delivered and spread evenly.

What else am I missing?
I was reading online and lots of people were recommending some professional machines. But this area seems small enough to be manageable by hand?
I was also reading online that I might need specific soil or gravel mixtures?
What other advice would you give me?

Thank you!

Given the willingness to devote time and energy to the project, sure you can regrade it, but looking at the photographs it may not solve the root problem.

It appears that water will sheet flow down the driveway and directly into the building...that's why the drain is there. The presence of the french drain suggests that the problem predates the gravel extension.

Diverting the sheet flow well uphill from the building  will reduce the amount of water hitting the building. This means regrading a portion of the driveway (perhaps prior to the asphalt to concrete driveway transition would be easier).


Why is there no hot water in the kitchen after flushing our water heater? My husband and I recently moved into a new house that has two water heaters. One is gas and supplies the main portion of the house, the second is electric and (as far as we can tell) only supplies the extra bathroom added in our garage conversion. We flushed the gas heater today and now have no pressure at our kitchen sink, but only when hot water is turned on. All bathroom faucets and our laundry machine are working fine.

We took the following steps:

turned off gas
turned off water
opened the pressure relief valve
opened the drain valve
let water drain
closed drain valve
closed pressure valve
refilled heater
turned on gas

Our only guess currently is that somehow the pipe to the kitchen clogged, but we haven't had a chance to try dismantling anything yet.

First thing to check is the faucet aerator.  You're probably right about kicking sediment up and clogging something, if you're lucky its just the aerator.  It'd take a big piece or a lot of sediment to completely clog a 1/2"-3/4" pipe.

If it's not the aerator, and it's just a single faucet, you have to work backwards starting with the supply lines connecting the faucet to the shut-off valve, all the way back to the water heater.


How to flatten the sagging OSB subfloor? I am preparing the subfloor to install engineered hardwood floor by floating installation.

However, the subfloor is too much sagging. There is a big area with about 5/32 depth.

See:

The real sagging area is even bigger than what you can see on the picture.

Could anybody give me suggestion about how to flatten this subfloor?

I was thinking to use 1/8 plywood but it seems I need too much plywood since the area is big. And it won't be smoothly flat.

Is there any kind of compound I can use to flatten it?

A 5/32" depression is not that bad actually. Assuming you don't have a problem with the floor joists that need to be stiffened, you have a couple of options. First, I would span the area with a 8 or 10 foot straight edged board to visualize the areas that are depressed. Much like your pic, I'd pencil out the area on the floor so you can see it clearly. Be sure the existing subfloor is securely nailed or screwed down. Add screws if necessary so there is no bounce.

The easiest method would be to use embossing compound. Mix up a good amount and trowel it on the depressed area. Use your long straight edge to screed it, much like you would a concrete slab.  Since your depression is only a little over 1/8", it should be very easy to spread that small amount. Then using a 12" trowel, just gently smooth it over maintaining the depth of fill. Embossing compound in this application is best as it fills easy, dries quickly and easy to sand if you feel you need to remove any ridges, etc left behind after it dries.

Once you have completed this task, evaluate the overall flatness. If you still have some small dips, use more compound or opt for a layer of 3/16" plywood.  Remember, always use a layer of red rosin paper between wood layers to prevent squeaking.

You may also opt for a higher quality backer for your engineered flooring. There are several different backers available. They range from ultra cheap thin foam to much better thicker, sound deadening composites. If the engineered wood flooring is 3/8" or thicker, the combination of a good backer and the flooring will bridge any very small irregularities still left on the subfloor.  Don't worry about small differences, they will not show.   Good luck.


My lights does not work unless you turn the stove on The stove controls the lights in the kitchen

Call the power company and report an outage
You lost one of your phases of power.   This is almost always a problem at the power company's end of the wire.
When you turn your oven on, it has the effect of connecting the dead phase to the still-live one.   However this gives very weak power on the dead phase, and this won't hold.
Go to your breaker panel and shut off all your double-wide (2-pole) breakers - oven, dryer, water heater, air conditioner etc.
Then call the power company and report the outage.  They should come out quickly (unless they're busy recovering from the bad weather of late), and the work will be free.


Unfinished large panel opening in outside wall This house was built in 2015. I am the 2nd owner. I am unsure what this opening  is/was meant for. (see photos)
Somebody might have meant to install a panel and then had a change of heart. There are 4 anchors that suggests someone meant to attach some sort of a metallic cover, but it is not there. This looks like unfinished work. As far as I can tell, everything is functioning properly in my house.
Can anybody help make sense of this, and suggest remediation?
Shall I simply apply some stucco on the existing concrete boards?
(I am unsure what is best in term of water and pest proofing, but surely there is room for improvement!)

I would put some sheet vinyl in there to act as a moisture barrier and then reinstall one of those cement boards into the opening. Then get some stucco mesh and attach it to the cement board and then apply the stucco. It might take a layer or two to bring it to the right thickness. Once the top coat has been completed, run a shallow nap paint roller over the area to try and match the texture. You might have to practice that a bit.
I agree with @jsotola .... sure looks like a cat or doggie door.