Why is there a drip after I replaced toilet innards? I replaced the innards of my toilet with something like this, all went well. The toilet works, etc. It involves undoing the water pipe, replacing insides of toilet, then screwing the water pipe back together. I had no problems, but after finishing everything up I'm still getting a small drip from the pipe (underneath toilet base, near shut off valve).

The instructions say to only tighten the plastic pieces by hand, I've done that as much as I can. But there's still dripping from the piece that connects the toilet and the pipe.

Any tips? The instructions make it clear not to tighten with tools or use sealant. It did not drip before I unscrewed it and put it back, and there was no sealant. Do I just need to tighten it more?

Edit: Here's the pipe, it's not plastic sorry. The top black piece is new and came with the parts I bought, the bottom piece is old.

The toilet connections shown depend on rubber gaskets to make seals. These seals likely need replacement. In addition, I see that PTFE (white colored) tape was used. It should not be used for these fittings (or any compression or flare fittings), and can cause leaks.

Disassemble the connections. The top leak is likely caused by the washer (inside the toilet tank) not being seated correctly. The gasket should have come with the replacement fill valve. The tank should be cleaned at the location where the gasket sits. I can't tell for sure, but the nut holding the valve onto the tank looks a little bit undersized. It should completely cover the hole in the tank.

The metal flare tube also needs a washer in order to mate with the fill valve. This washer should be replaced. I would tighten it hand-tight plus 1/4-1/2 turns. In addition, the nut should be cleaned of the debris visible in the photograph.

Another reason could be that the tank was cracked. Sometimes, hairline cracks are very difficult to see, but are able to produce leaks.


Hot Water Supply Line Stopped The hot water stopped running through just one bathroom faucet. (It's a two-handle system). I turned off the hot water supply line valve under the sink and removed the valve inside the handle. But even when I turned the supply line back on, no water came out of the handle. There's a small, short-lived drip from the supply line valve when I open it, but it stops after I shut it. I've never seen anything like this.  Any ideas?

Thank you

The solution turned out to be disconnecting and reconnecting the inlet side of the supply line, because -- here's the kicker -- the supply line is a Floodsafe line designed to automatically shut off completely if the flow rate exceeds a preset maximum, which I guess I exceeded momentarily. I didn't see the labeling on the supply line until after I disconnected it, and this is the first time it happened in 1.5 years of living here. Frankly, I don't see the advantage of this. It won't do anything to stop common slow, drippy leaks.


How can I trace and troubleshoot phone lines? I have a non-working phone jack that I'm trying to troubleshoot. My house has a lot of strange wiring, and many of the phone lines come together in a messy junction box with random color coding. I suspect one of the wires isn't hooked up correctly, but I'm having trouble tracing the wires. I've tried using the LAN Tracker GET-4220T, but I find the results to be very erratic (sometimes all the wires seem to be energized, moving the probe slightly can lose all signal). Even when I am able to get tone from the tracker at the jack, I still can't get dial tone. I've tried swapping out the phone jack itself, as well as the phone.

Is there a good process for tracing phone lines and verifying that they are wired correctly? Is there a better tool than the LAN Tracker that wouldn't break the bank?

Those tone generators are fantastic tools for tracing data cabling and phone cabling - but they also have several modes on them.

One of the modes is for tracing the cable through the wall, so the device will beep if it's in the general vicinity, so that you can know where abouts it is without having to have contact with it. However, this is not so great for verifying which cable is the one you've got it hooked onto when you've got a bundle of cables.

For that, there's usually a 2nd mode which will only beep if you come into direct contact with the wire.

The first point of call would be making sure that you've got the tracer set to the correct mode so that it will only beep if you're in direct contact with the wire.

If it's still beeping and in that mode, then you've got a short somewhere, which will be why the cabling isn't working. It might be worth pulling it out and replacing it if you're in a situation where that is possible (your ADSL Sync Speeds might go up drastically if you do that too).


GfCI trips in bathroom Hi I have a bathroom gfci which is connected to the lights , fan and receptacles in bathroom , bedroom and landing . It's about a 45 year old house . Without protecting the circuits in the bedroom how do I wire the bathroom box as there are 3 switches and the gfi in one box . At present all black wires and white wires are pigtailed together but the gfi keeps tripping , is it too much on one circuit .
I think there are about 10 items , lights and receptacles total .

GFCIs trip when the incoming "hot" current does not return on the neutral line. This situation could arise due to:

normal operation of an inductive device (like a motor, such as you would find in a fan or refrigerator). These devices shouldn't be on a GFCI.
A neutral / ground fault. This would be due to a defect in the wiring or an appliance.
An electric path to ground through something else, like a person. This is the primary purpose of a GFCI and the reason they're required in wet locations: to save your life!

An over-current condition should not cause the GFCI to trip. (Although it might trip the circuit breaker. Circuit breakers have entirely different purposes and detect a different category of problems.)

Note also that you can have a GFCI on a circuit without the entire circuit being protected by the GFCI outlet. Anything attached to the "load" side (e.g. downstream) of the GFCI outlet will be protected. Anything on the "line" side (e.g. upstream) will not affect the GFCI outlet.

To find out exactly where the problem is, it would be helpful to know if the GFCI outlet trips immediately after you reset it, when any device is turned on, or when a particular device is turned on.


Why does my furnace need frequent power resets? I have a NOMA Programmable thermostat attached to my furnace.

The set point is usually around 21 degrees, and the room temperature is reading around 17 degrees. The furnace is not coming on.

However, If I go down to the basement, and flip the power switch off and on, the furnace starts, and runs for about 10 minutes.

Is the problem in the thermostat or the furnace?  Where should I start troubleshooting?

It's a gas Furnace with AC unit.  Manufactured in 1998, no idea when it was installed.

It when it's running, it pumps out a fair amount of heat, so I doubt it's gas line pressure.

I had the exact same symptoms with my natural gas furnace, and it turned out to be the flame sensor.

It's an L-shaped metal bar (but can also be straight, depending on model) that detects if there are flames actually coming out, and turns off the gas if not. It had a white high-temp wire connecting it to the control board. Taking it out, cleaning it with some steel wool fixed the problem for me.

If yours is like the above, you'll only see the back part of it and the bracket, as the L-shaped end is inside the heating unit.


Can a digital wall timer be used with a baseboard heater? Can the Eaton PT18M-W-K (1800-Watt 15 Amp) timer be used for a 1500-Watt baseboard heater? According to the specs, the answer appears to be "yes". However, "heater" is conspicuously absent from the list of devices that can be connected to it.

The device is rated at 1800w or 1/4 HP motor loads so I would say it should be fine. I like to have a higher rating if possible but this is rated for halogen lighting. It's basically the same as a resistive load like the nichrome wire used as an element in most electric heaters.


Can I repair chips and holes in a wall with spackle and paint? While using a pull-up bar, I damaged the wall adjacent to the door frame in my flat. On inspection, more than just paint came off.
To fix it, can I use spackle to fill in the missing layer, sand and then paint? I have no issue with the potential difference in texture and patchy paint.
Also, can the same method be used to fill a hole in my ceiling? (also pictured)

Yes spackle can fill those places. Do remove the loose piece at the bottom before you fill. The rough texture on the walls will make it difficult to get you patch smooth, and I don't think sanding the spackle will be the way to go when the spot is filled. There will always be overlap of the spackle when filling a low spot, but try to keep it to a minimum. After the low spot if filled sufficiently, and it may take  few coats, use a damp or wet sponge if needed to wipe the excess off of the existing texture to minimize the texture change. The roughness over the new spackle may be left alone, since sanding it flat may be more noticeable than the roughness left naturally by the application.
For the hole in the ceiling, that same thing can be done, use a small putty knife or even your finger to fill the hole, and wipe the excess with a damp sponge.


What is the relation between these two measures? Imagine you enjoy automation, and have a friend who makes beer.

tl;dr: How would you mathematically correlate a scale of 7.2 to 2.5 (starts from 7.2 and goes down) to a scale of 1.060 to 1.000?
Bonus points for a relation that projects further, i.e. if the start is more than 7.2 it would reflect a respectively larger starting number on the other scale

While working your automation magic, you come across the following issue:

There is a hydrometer floating in water at a certain depth. At this depth, 2.5 cm of it is sticking out of the water. Put it in some dense wort ("almost-beer" juice, the stuff you ferment to make beer), and it will stick out 7.2 cm above water level.

As the beer ferments and the alcohol percentage increase, the hydrometer will slowly sink. You measure this sinking motion with a distance sensor.
How would you correlate this sink, i.e. increasing distance of the hydrometer from the sensor, to the scale of 1.060 down to 1.000 which the hydrometer describes?

Known parameters:

Minimum height of hydrometer in liquid (in water) = 2.5 cm above liquid level. The densor the liquid, the higher the hydrometer will sit in the liquid.

Distance between sensor and liquid: 18 cm. Meaning that in water, the hydrometer is 15.5 cm away from the sensor.

If there are any parameters you think would be useful, just ask for them in the comments

If the scales of both relationships are linear then it is very easy to write a linear equation to translate from one scale to the other. You have two points (x,y) from your endpoints as follows. (x being your input value and y being the output value).

(x1,y1) = (7.2, 1.06)
(x2,y2) = (2.5, 1.00)

Knowing that the two point form of a linear equation is:

You can solve that for y in terms of x and arrive at:

(helpful equation solver widget that was used)


Receptacle flush to the paneling Can the following receptacle be flushed evenly with the paneling or does it have to be extended outward (using an extension depth ring)?? This has been like this for forty years in a couple of locations of the house and if so do i need to change it to be extended beyond the paneling? And if so would a depth extension ring be okay for that purpose or what would you suggest? As it is now, is it  acceptable to NEC standards? Again this was passed when i bought the house. I want to do things right for my house thanks to you guys and gals? In short does the wall plate/receptacle need to be extended out beyond the paneling like this last picture?

Before you purchase the extenders you should have in hand the extra large cover plates and check to see that they will cover the extra large rectangle in the paneling and that they fit your receptacle shape.

These extra large extenders might be all you need.

But you should have a package of the plastic shims and/or the RACO sheet metal ring support because if you use the Arlington extenders, the fins might not be large enough to bridge across the top and bottom gaps and you might need to use shims under the extender box fins to provide a firm physical connection. The top and bottom fins don't need shims if the wall around the box is close but if there is a large gap they need support of shims or the RACO sheet metal flush fit device.

Arlington box extender

sheet metal ring support


What are drawbacks of installing outdoor sediment filters this way? On the far left is incoming water pipe split into 2 flexible(?) pipes where each goes to the inlet of each of the filters. Outlet of both filters are joint to each others with a Tee connector at the center. Water coming out from both filters goes out through the center output of the Tee.

On one hand, I think it's good idea due to standard 10inch filters are being used here which I think kind of underwhelmed for outdoor POE filter, so it helps with filtering load by having 2 filters doing a shared job at the same time and also prevents water flow slow-down when one of the filters gets heavily clogged over time. On the other hand, I'm not sure if there's drawback or pitfall I fail to see which makes this kind of setup a bad practice

This is a pretty common setup to get high flow from smaller, cheaper filters. Two 10 gpm filters can be used to effectively get 20 gpm overall flow.

In this particular install the flex pipes, mix of galvanized and brass parts, and lack of shut-off valves and pressure gauges screams amateur installation to me, but I don't see anything that prevents it from working.


How to debug a light fixture that is no longer working I changed out the switch on the light fixture in my bathroom, and the fixture no longer works. Prior to my changing the switch, both the old switch and the fixture worked fine. I'm trying to figure out the root of the problem.
I tried swapping the new switch for another new switch. No change.
I tried swapping the fixture for another fixture. No change.
That suggests the issue could be a problem with the wiring between the switch and the fixture, but that seems odd to me -- what exactly would the problem be?
There's also the possibility that I'm somehow messing up the wiring of the switch somehow. This seems more likely -- human error! -- but there are only two wires here, a red and a blue. My understanding is that the red one is the hot wire and therefore the blue one is presumably the neutral, but the information I've found online about blue wiring is a little hard to decipher. See the attached image. There is also a GFCI outlet (which still works fine) in the box.

This is the light fixture box. There is no blue wire here, so I gather there is some sort of junction in between the switch and the fixture.

Finally, I discovered an old fixture box behind a (bad) patch in the drywall. I'm including an image here in case it is relevant. I note that there is a blue wire at the top of the box, and if this was the fixture used before the new one was installed, it would make sense that current is being routed through this fixture to the new one.

Here's how all three boxes in relation to one another on the wall.

I'm going to pick up a non-contact voltage tester today and try to diagnose further. Right now, I'm just planning to see whether current is actually making it 1) to the switch, 2) through the switch to the old fixture, 3) and through the switch to the new fixture.
Any other suggestions on how to figure out what is going on here? Since this was working a short time ago, I'm hoping I can fix it myself, but I will bring in an electrician if turns out to be more complicated than just installing a switch or fixture correctly.

It looks like you have two circuits, black and blue wires and a white neutral, coming out of the center conduit in the old fixture box. The black wire is wire nutted to a group and one of them goes up the left conduit with a neutral to the switch box to feed the GFCI outlet. In that same conduit is the always hot blue and what will be the switched hot red when hooked up to a switch. The switched hot in the old fixture box leaves in the lower left along with a neutral to the new fixture box. Check your main panel for two breakers that energize the old fixture box. They may not have handle ties on them


Annoying refridgerator door When I open my fridge to get stuff out (which take a short while because I need to snoop around), the door slowly goes back towards the closed state.

It never closes all the way and I've checked with the manufacturer - it's not a feature to conserve energy.

Imagine me, in the morning, buck naked, and just as I'm grabbing the ham from the back of the top shelf, the cold-cold door touches my shoulder or other parts. Not nice.

I'd like the door to stay at the angle I leave it or (if it's easier or quicker), to keep opening all the way until it hits the wall (which won't happen at a huge speed, precisely).

Since I'm not the superman, I can't tilt my building. What can be done about this annoyance?

Depending on the refrigerator, there may be a way to adjust the door directly.  If not, most models have height adjustable feet. Simply adjust the feet, so that the door stays in place or slowly opens.

How the adjustments are made, will be specific to the make and model. Check the manufacturer's documentation for your appliance, to determine how to make the adjustments on your unit.


How to meet code when the outdoor light is separated from the electrical box by a wooden spacer After new siding was installed on the house, there is a 1-1/2"-thick wooden spacer between the electrical box for an outside light and the location of the light.  In my prior experience, the electrical box was always placed snugly next the fixture.  How does one meet electrical code when there is a wooden spacer?

The photo shows the Hardie board siding (yellow) with a 1.5-inch-thick wooden block (white) with a roughly 3.75-inch-diameter cylindrical hole. At the top of the wooden block is metal flashing (dark gray).  Inside the hole, you can see some Tyvek housewrap (white with blue writing) and the electrical box (gray).  The lighting fixture is supposed to go on the outside of the wooden block.

Is it OK, under electrical code, to just stretch the wires from the electrical box to the fixture and install the light fixture on the outside surface of the wooden block?

The house is in northern California, USA, in the San Francisco Bay area.

While researching this, I found two questions about wall-mounted outdoor lights but both have answers (here and here) showing the electrical box snugly meeting the light fixture.

Yes, there is such a thing as a weatherproof extension ring

While you can't just extend the wires out beyond the box to the fixture (what if a splice failed and tried to light things on fire?), the good news for your situation is that weatherproof extension rings do exist! Ask your local supply house for a Hubbell (Bell/Raco) 5363-0; this will give you 1.5" of extra box depth, which should be just enough to deal with your spacer board.


Is it possible to transmit a decoder's UI over Wifi instead of using an HDMI cable? I have a problem that I don't really know how to solve (I mean, I know how to solve it in an ugly way but I'd prefer a cool one :))

Premise: I'm using Unitymedia, a German Internet, TV and phone (the last two over internet) provider. They sent me the Horizon HD[1], a big box which does everything. Data connection is made over a cable, specifically this[2] one.

I only have one internet plug, which is downstairs. For space reasons, I want to have the TV upstairs. But this means that:

I have to buy a 20mt data cable, for connecting the plug to the Horizon HD which will be upstairs. (Ugly solution)
I have to...what? :-)

I was thinking about connecting the data plug to the Horizon HD downstairs and then plug into the decoder an HDMI-WiFi (like a miracast or something similar) stick. Do you think it is possible to transmit the decoder UI over WiFi? Or am I forced to connect the HDMI cable to the TV?
sub-problem: how can I change channels if the TV is upstairs and the decoder downstairs? :-(
I connect the data plug downstairs to a small WiFi router, then I'd connect the Horizon HD to this WiFi router. Again, do you think it is possible?
please, tell me what you would do :-)

[1] https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_08_I38TOu8/maxresdefault.jpg

[2] http://www.antennenland.net/bilder/produkte/gross/Horizon-Kabel-Cabelcon-10m.jpg

Rather than use WiFi, you can use a specific transmission system.  These are known as videosenders or digisenders.  I use a German made system for sending the signal from my Sky satellite box to the television in the bedroom.

They are available in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.  For the HD that you require I suggest that you would need to use the 5GHz variant.  You will also need to ensure that the version you buy has suitable input connections for the feed that you can provide.

All videosenders have a backchannel for sending signals from the remote control to the box downstairs.

They are quite common in the UK, there is some information here but it refers mostly to the 2.4GHz variety.


Why have my LED bulbs started flashing when I turn them off? I have six LED bulbs in my flat. They’re all the same model (LE 10W A60, bayonet fitting), and they were all purchased at the same time – September 2014. I bought them as a set of five and a single, but I don’t remember how they were divvied up among my fittings.

All of the bulbs are connected to on-off light switches. I don’t know exactly how the flat is wired – in particular, I don’t know which bulbs are on the same circuit.

In the last few weeks, three of the bulbs have been playing up. When I turn them off at the switch, they turn off, and then flash one to three times before actually going dark.

Any ideas what could be causing it? Is it something I should be worried about?

I looked at some of the other questions about LED lights flashing, but all those problems seemed to occur straight after the bulbs were installed. Mine have been working fine (i.e. not flashing) for over a year – it’s only recently they’ve developed a problem.

There's likely nothing wrong with anything, it's just that the LED's are much more sensitive to electrical input. Common if there's a dimmer, ceiling fan or 2 (or more) switches controlling the lights.

You need a Snubber or Capload
or RC Suppressor installed in the circuit. Something like pictured in just one place, in a light's fixture or at a or the switch. But, it's fine to just live with it as nothing's in danger, the lights are just waving bye-bye until next time.


Will a Tripped GFCI wired at the end of a circuit kill power to all receptacles in that circuit? (Panel Breaker not tripped) I have a panel circuit with a 20A breaker. This circuit has 4 regular outlets and 1 20A GFCI outlet wired at the end of the circuit. The GFCI outlet is 15 years old and is an outside receptacle with the rest of the circuit is located inside my garage. The GFCI outlet has 1 wire with a Black and White conductor (+Grd). While running an extension cord to this GFCI outlet to temporarily run my Pool Pump, the GFCI tripped (Faulty Extension cord confirmed). The entire series of outlets also lost power although the Panel breaker (20A) did not trip. The GFCI will not reset either. (Diagram included) Will replacing the GFCI correct my no power issue for the entire circuit?

No, it will not.
In fact, there’s probably nothing wrong with the GFCI.
What happened is you temporarily overloaded the circuit due to said munged extension cord, and this overload blew a fuse in one of the other receptacles.
OK, “fuse” is the wrong word, obviously receptacles do not have fuses... but it fails exactly the same way.  One of the receptacles has a poor connection.  The overload of the extension cord burned the connection out.
Find the bad connection
The most likely cause is “back-stab” connections - where the wire is jabbed into a hole in the back of the recep. (Mind you those should never be used on a 20A circuit).  It can also happen from a loose screw connection.
Go to each recep, identify any backstabs, forcibly pull and twist them out, and search them for burn or spalling marks.  If you find one, gotcha!  Move that wire to the side screw by stripping a little more insulation off and shaping it into a J-hook to go around the screw. Set it clockwise so the screw tightens not spreads the wire.
Then move the GFCI so it does protect the downline
The sockets on a GFCI are on the LOAD side of the GFCI - they are in the protected zone.  You can put other connections in the protected zone; just attach them to the LOAD terminals of the GFCI.  That is the only thing LOAD should ever be used for; all other connections should be to LINE.
So, relocate this GFCI recep to one of the indoor outlets.  That will get it out of the weather and make it last a lot longer.  The closer to the panel it is, the more it will  protect - but don’t allow a refrigerator or freezer, fire alarm, sump pump or radon pump to be on GFCI protection, as they are safety devices.  Other than that, garage outlets should be on GFCI if possible.


How are wires wired together and where can I find that point? I previously asked this question about trouble shooting my receptacles. I have determined that the receptacles are wired correctly and that the issue is further up the line.

The issue being that my receptacles show 30V with a multimeter; when I have a lamp plugged in the multimeter shows 2V.

This circuit looks like so with all of these being on the same breaker.

So what I would like to know is how I can find the point where the wires for all of these are tied together.
The basement was wired this past winter.
There are no access panels anywhere.

Backgroud Work

The plugs that are daisy chained are daisy chained on the receptacle.
All my plugs show wired correctly with my socket tester.
I read 120V at the breaker.
I haven't checked out the light switch or the lamp socket but the plugs have a single 3 wire bundle (white, black, copper) with a white jacket over all 3 of them.
I rewired the backstabs to use screws on newly purchased receptacles.
I disconnected the daisy chain.
I disconnected the first plug in the daisy chain from the hot wire. (white, black and ground, putting wirenuts on any exposed wires)
I checked the voltage on the separate wired plug and got the 30V - 2V reading.
I disconnected the separate wired plug.
I wired the first plug in the daisy chain (with the daisy chain disconnected) and received the same reading as the separate wired plug.

I'm thinking that this means the issue is not at the plugs.

EDIT: Short answer: You, my friend, need a qualified electrician.

Building code in US and Canada requires that no connections/junctions can be hidden (watch Mike Holmes...), they must all be accessible, i.e. in a box with a cover plate you can take off.

Unless you are on Mars, seeing 30V is bad, and seeing 2V is also bad.  Do you have your multimeter set to read AC???  I always make that mistake of having it on DC.  You may have it on DC and be seeing some other bias voltage (that shouldn't be there either...).

If you are really seeing 30V AC, and you are in the US/Canada/Western Europe, then there's a problem with your wiring.  The fact that turning a light on causes a large voltage drop may mean that somebody wired your circuit in series rather than parallel.


Should we reinforce our laundry floor to prevent our washer from walking? We have an LG front loading washer that vibrates violently and walks when it goes into the spin cycle.  Our house is wood framed, built in 1991, and our laundry room floor is vinyl.

We've had multiple service calls and while the inner drum was replaced, the last call verified there was nothing wrong with the washer itself.  I've confirmed it's level and we've also tried turning on LG's SPINSENSE mode (recommended for use on wood floors or flooring with less support) and rubber feet - neither of which remedied the issue.  We're basically down to low spin speed for everything and even still there is walking.

We're now at the point where we're exploring different options to reinforce the laundry room floor:

Re-adhere the sub-floor from above with additional screws then replacing vinyl with ceramic tile
Reinforce the floor from below with 4x6 beams going perpendicular to the main support joists

Before going any further with hiring a contractor, we were wondering if either (or both) of these options would resolve our issues.  We've heard similar stories of front loaders walking in cement basements, so not sure if a stronger foundation is the solution, or if we should just go with a top loader.

Thoughts?

this is a common problem and is most easily remedied by one of two approaches (and this is entirely assuming the unit is in good working order and the harmonic balancer is in good shape and balance)

1)  restrain the unit - just mount angle iron or wood or whatever around the base to keep it from moving.  just ensure that you have a thick foam pad or strip around the base where the appliance "rubs" the restraint frame.  this will absorb some of the vibration and damp the transferred vibrational energy.

2)  replace the leveling feet with urethane elastomer vibration dampers (sorbothane or some such product - these are not just rubber feet).  they simply thread into the holes where the leveling feet were (just buy the right thread or some adapter to make it work).  they come in many different heights, styles, etc.  and though expensive, are far cheaper than reinforcing the floor or any such approach.  see here for details:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-vibration-damping-mounts/=12buqho

fyi - i have done this for many customers machines and have even used a set on the washer we owned before our current unit - it fixed the problem essentially instantaneously


How do I connect this cables to my surface socket australia I know red go together and black cables go together.
But what do I do with yellow and there is copper out of one black red pair what is that where do I connect that, and this is going to my surface socket for dowlight..

Your suggestion is appropriated.
Thanks in advance.

If you know how the old light was hooked up, connect it in the same way, and ensure that all cables are suitably restrained (e.g. pinclips near the socket, or cable ties).

If you don't know, then this is almost certainly electrician time. It's likely that what's been done is no longer common practice, and possibly no longer legal. It's unclear simply from wire colours how it's hooked up; one would need to not just trace out how it is wired, but understand why.


Does the subpanel feeder need to match the main breaker size? If the main breaker in the main panel is 100A.

And you have a subpanel with only light load, say 20A to 30A each breaker totally at most 70A simultaneous use of all breakers.

Do you need to use wire gauge sized for 100A (AWG 2 instead of just AWG 4)? I'm aware you can use the 90 degree table.

Rational is if the subpanel feeder wire is small for the main panel main breaker, it would heat up? But what if the load won't reach that amperage. Then you can use smaller feeder wire just enough for the main breaker in main panel to trip if there is a short, and not deal with overloading which won't happen in the subpanel because the load is sized for only 70A and AWG 4?

Or does the rule say the subpanel feeder wire need to match the main panel main breaker no matter how light the load in subpanel so need to use AWG 2?

The feeder for the second panel, is sized to the load it's expected to serve.  The breaker in the main panel, that protects the feeder to the second panel.  Is sized to protect the feeder wire.
For example, if the load calculation shows that the second panel is expected to supply 60 amperes.  Then the feeder to the panel, only has to be sized for the 60 ampere load. You'll then need a breaker in the main panel, that's sized to protect the feeder.  So in the main panel, the feeder will have to be connected to a 60 ampere breaker.
tldr;
Feeders are sized to the load they'll serve.  Breakers are sized to protect the wiring connected to them.


Fixed base cutoff wheel tool? I need a fixed base machine for a 2" to 3" diamond cutoff wheel. Most typical tools for cutoff wheels are angle grinder type hand held units. I need a fixed base machine, basically a motor with an arbor, ideally with speed control and can be clamped to a table.

Does such a tool exist? If so, what is it called?

It looks like you're in luck.  There's a good selection of tools called mini cut-off saws.  They take a blade or wheel of the size you're talking about.  Tiny saw blades and abrasive cutting wheels are readily available supply items.  Diamond wheels ought to be easy enough to find.  For example:

MicroLux® Mini Miter / Cut-Off Saw from Micro-Mark

The picture shows it cutting wood, but it also cuts metal (and other stuff) using the appropriate wheels.

A Harbor Freight knock-off: https://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-mini-bench-top-cut-off-saw-62136.html

Here's one of many at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/TruePower-Speed-Cut-Off-2-Inch-colors/dp/B000VWHTUG.

Many offerings on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/bhp/mini-cut-off-saw


Testing 3-wire receptacles indicates no ground even though 12/2 w/ground wire is connected I have an interesting question. I have a hundred-year-old house with electrical panel updated a few years ago by a professional electrician. I went around last week with a circuit tester just to make sure all the outlets were wired correctly. The former homeowner had added several outlets herself and some had reversed polarity, mixed-up ground/hot etc., which I was able to fix pretty easily.

However, most of the outlets are showing no ground. I opened the service panel and it is 60A service, Square D breakers, and two neutral bus bars. I'm not sure if one is a ground bus and one a neutral though. I assume they go to the same place anyway, since this is the only service panel (no sub-boxes).

The wires going into the buses are both neutral and ground.

So, assuming the neutral and ground bus bars are bonded (so, electrically the same), would this fact cause the tester to show no ground to a receptacle?

What I mean is, if a box had separate neutral bus and ground bus, would the tester show a good ground, whereas a shared bus would show open ground?

If the shared buses are not the issue, What other ideas do you have which may be causing the open ground reading?

Thank you.

The grounds should be bonded to the neutrals at the main panel.  (If it's not, it's a serious problem, call an electrician.)  If you are getting good grounds on some of the outlets, it's probably bonded at the main panel.

If the ground isn't spliced right* at a receptacle it will show no-good at that receptacle and at all the receptacles on the same circuit downstream from that receptacle.  That would be a possible explanation.  It fits with the miswiring by the previous owner.  Tracking down the bad ones can be a bear.  Still that may be better than tracking down and replacing a damaged wire.

*edit:  by "spliced right" I mean all the ground conductors of all the cables and all the ground terminals of the devices are bonded together in the box, and the box itself it's a metal box ...

If there was some creative wiring going on, some wiring can cause the receptacle tester to show a good ground where there isn't.  For example jumpering the neutral to the ground terminal on the receptacle (non-code and a very bad idea) would show a good ground on the tester, but there isn't.

If you can double check with a different tester, that might be a good idea, you don't want to chase your tail if the tester is no good.


Looking for combination of temperature sensor and thermostat - any hints? After reading a lot, I am still very confused... Maybe you could give me some hint?

I am looking for:

a temperature sensor in my room
a thermostat on my radiator

It is important to me that these are separate devices, because the drop of temperature across the room maybe large and I want to control the temperature of the place where the sensor is.

The temperature sensor shall control my thermostat. The system should be programmable. If possible, both systems should be battery powered.

I would spend more money if the system would be Apple HomeKit enabled.

Any suggestions which system(s) could fit?

There are radiator valves that are thermostatically controlled that need no batteries or outside input power. They do a pretty good job of controlling the temperature of a room.Try typing "Danfoss valves" in any search engine to investigate if valves like this would suit your needs. I should ask if your heating system is hot water or steam. The valves and controller are the same for both systems unless you have an old 1 pipe steam system, The temperature sensor usually mounts on the valve it is controlling. However they have some sensors that can be mounted a few feet away.


Do I really have to fasten interior-wall electrical wire to a stud to keep it from moving? I am fresh out of cable staples and would rather not go all the way to Lowe's just to get a box.  What are the implications of not fastening loose electrical wires to a stud?  It's not like there's going to be that much vibration in my house.

Edit: This is what I am talking about.

If you continue reading NEC 334.30 you'll come to subsection (B)...

  334.30 Securing and Supporting Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be supported and secured by staples, cable ties, straps, hangers, or
  similar ﬁttings designed and installed so as not to damage the cable,
  at intervals not exceeding 1.4 m (4 1⁄2 ft) and within 300 mm (12 in.)
  of every outlet box. junction box, cabinet, or ﬁtting. Flat cables
  shall not be stapled on edge. Sections of cable protected from
  physical damage by raceway shall not be required to be secured within
  the raceway.

  (A) Horizontal Runs Through Holes and Notches. In other than
  vertical runs, cables  installed in accordance with 300.4 shall be
  considered to be supported and secured where such support does not
  exceed 1.4-m (4 1⁄2-ft) intervals and the nonmetallic-sheathed cable
  is securely fastened in place by an approved means within 300 mm (12
  in.) of each box, cabinet, conduit body, or other nonmetallicsheathed
  cable termination.

  FPN: See 314.17(C) for support where nonmetallic boxes are used

  (B) Unsupported Cables. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable shall be permitted to be unsupported where the cable:

  (1) Is ﬁshed between access points through concealed spaces in ﬁnished
  buildings or structures and supporting is impracticable.

  (2) Is not more than 1.4 m (4 1 ⁄2 ft) from the last point of cable
  support to the point of connection to a luminaire or other piece of
  electrical equipment and the cable and point of connection are within
  an accessible ceiling

So if the structure is accessible, you must secure the cable. If you are fishing cable, you do not have to secure the cable. No trained mice with staplers required.


What are the proper tools / technique to cut ceiling tiles? I am planning to replace acoustic ceiling tiles: some will need to be custom cut.  The material is reminiscent of press-board and seems somewhat brittle.  What is the proper tool(s) and technique (if any) to cut the material to required dimensions?

The default USA maker (I don't know how far they extend worldwide, or who their competitors are locally but they are the only brand that comes to mind for this sort of ceiling in my head) of such ceilings says: Always cut ceiling panels face up with a sharp utility knife.

The maker of your panels suggests the same thing.


The hot burner light on my Kenmore glass top range stays on all the time, is it dangerous to leave this alone and not fix it? My Kenmore glasstop range hot burner light stays on all the time, is this dangerous?

In the sense that it no longer serves its function (it's on all the time, so it's no longer an indication that you should be cautious of a hot surface,) there's some danger that you might get burned, or set down something that melts or catches fire when there actually IS a hot surface, since that's not otherwise visibly obvious.
Other than that, I don't think there's any danger to having the light on, as such. Just treat the thing as if the light was accurate, so as not to get burned when it is accurate.


hooking up a four prong range plug I have a range that I am hooking up, there is a red wire, black wire, copper wire and a white wire, I am asking if the white wire is a common wire or is it ground?

White is neutral, green is ground

White is the neutral (return).  Green is ground (safety).  Think of it this way: white is the normal way for power to return (like a drain pipe).  Green is the safety (floor drain) that deals with spills.


Concrete sealant vs spraying to cure a concrete slab Yesterday I poured a 9ft x 9ft x 5 inch slab and I am wondering if spraying the slab with water is better than using cure and seal during the curing process.  I have also seen some people build a small dam around the slab to hold an inch or so of water.  Which is the best way? Thanks.

All of those methods do the same thing.
The sealant method is done one time, no additional sealant needed.
The water spray method needs to be done regularly, maybe every hour or so. The dam method has time involved for making the dam, but does not need to be maintained as much as water spray.
All these methods are done only after the last troweling is done and the surface will not be disturbed by anything placed on top of the concrete.


Can I run a 120v/15amp 120 watt Hard Wire towel rack connection to the existing GFCI within the same bathroom Can I  run a 120volt 120 watt  Hard Wire towel rack connection to an existing GFCI with-in the same bathroom ?

Yes, the towel rack can be on a circuit with receptacles

Because it will amount to less than 50%  of total circuit capacity.  You cannot have receptacles on a circuit where more than half is provisioned (reserved) for fixed loads.

This heater has a nameplate of 120 watts, which is 1 amps.  Now, normally a heater is defined as a continuous load.  So we must provision 125% of that, or 150 watts (1.25 amps).*

The capacity of a 15A circuit is 1800W (half is 900W). The capacity of a 20A circuit is 2400W (half is 1200W).  Even with the 125% derate, this device is nowhere near half.

Therefore it can share the circuit with other fixed loads and receptacles, as long as all the fixed loads together total less than half circuit capacity.

* This 125% is exactly the same thing as the "80% derate" you hear about for continuous loads, just we're applying it to the load instead of the circuit. We must do it this way because it would mix with other loads that are not continuous.


Accidentally left hose on and now have no pressure Yesterday I turned the hose on to fill a swimming pool. We have been running it for about an hour every other day.

I got distracted and totally forgot about the water and it was left on for about 5 hours.

We have an artesian well with a submersible pump. We stopped using water in the house for 24 hours and I can see water down the well hole which we could not see yesterday but the water in the house is coming out but no pressure.

We always had city water till we moved here 4 years ago and have no clue what it could be.

My neighbor came over and we found that the filter was clogged.

When we installed a new filter  the water started to work.


Preparation and spraying cedar channel siding I am repainting the cedar siding on my house. Since I have a sprayer, I'm hoping to save time by spraying. The question I have is:

How best to prepare the "channel" component of the siding? The channel is a 1" wide smooth slot, about 1/4" deep, not unlike a dado.The raised surface of the siding is about 4" wide.

I'm not having much in the way of peeling with the existing paint.

My plan at the moment is to scrape the rough portions, power wash, spray paint and then backroll the rough raised sections of the cedar. My theory is that there is not much point to back rolling or brushing the 1" wide channel.

Does that make sense? Am I making a mistake?

If the channel of the siding has already been painted, and the paint seems to be adhering well, then you might be able to get away with just spraying over it after a good power wash. It has been my experience that paint in small channels binds better to the bottoms and sides than the surface, compared to a smooth flat surface. However, I'm a big proponent of excessive preparation. If you're going to take the time to paint, the last thing you want is peeling or flaking. It will add some extra work to your project, but I'd take a semi-stiff wirebrush and run through the channels quickly but thoroughly to put some extra teeth into the paint, particularly if the top coat is very smooth. Another option would be to construct a small sanding block, maybe with a 7/8" by 6" face and wrap a 120 grit or similar sized paper around it securing it on the other surfaces with staples. Then you can move the brush or block through the channels quickly scuffing enough to remove any signs of gloss.

Ultimately the decision may be a function of time, whether or not you have assistance, the type of paint on the exterior, the quality of the primer for the undercoat, etc.


How to determine what 3-way switch system was used? How can I tell if an old Knob & Tube 3-way switch is still legal by the modern NEC?  Specifically I am trying to tell if my switch is a "California 3-way" (or "Coast 3-way", "Hollywood 3-way", etc.) or if it is a Carter 3-way (see Wikipedia's descriptions here).

My house has a bit of Knob & Tube still in use (maybe 25%). As part of my bathroom project I have some "extra" access to walls I don't normally have open and easy access down to the basement. While this is open, should I go ahead and replace a 3-way switch.

One reason I don't really want to do this is I am already moving more and more outlets off of these circuits so I am less concerned about over loading. But mostly I don't want to because this 3-way controls 2 lights in my stairwell (one on the landing and one on the second floor) with a switch down on the 1st floor and the other on the 2nd floor. Because of this it would be pretty destructive to get to all of these locations. On the other hand, if it is really dangerous (i.e., the "Carter System") I might just go ahead and do it.

Update: My switch is not a "Carter 3-way".  Which I guess is good, since these have been "prohibited by the National Electrical Code since 1923" (according to Wikipedia) and my house was built in 1926.  My Knob & Tube is also copper so that is good since I am pretty sure it is connected to standard "copper compatible" receptacles and switches. For now this is staying in the house as one of the last 2 circuits that is still K&T.

Take a look at the diagrams in the Wikipedia article you linked to. These will tell you what you're dealing with. There are some big red flags that are easy to look for:

First, kill the power to this circuit at the panel. This will allow you to poke around in the wiring safely. Use a non-contact voltage tester to make absolutely sure there's nothing live in the box before you start work.
Now, examine the switch that is getting the "hot" lead from the panel. This may be hard to identify, especially with K&T wiring; I would recommend labeling where each wire to the first switch is connected, and then disconnecting and separating all wires from the switch. Then, turn the power back on and use a non-contact voltage tester to identify the "hot" wire. It will also be helpful to identify the "neutral"; it will be the wire between the panel and this box that completes the circuit but does NOT carry voltage when disconnected.
With the power to the circuit back off, and the hot and neutral identified, look at where each wire connects. If the neutral wire coming from the panel is connected to any terminal on this switch, you have an illegal circuit, whether it's Carter (the hot would also be connected to the switch) or somebody just swapped hot and neutral while messing with it (the hot would then be "hard-wired" elsewhere in the box). This is unsafe, because of the "switched neutral"; if the switches are positioned such that the neutral is disconnected to break the circuit but the hot still has continuity, even though the light is off, the socket is still energized from the "hot" side and can give you a nasty or fatal shock of you touch it.
Pretty much any other system that could have been used is "safe", as long as the neutral is never the side being disconnected (or the design of the switch guarantees that BOTH sides are disconnected simultaneously, such as DPDT switches; these are common in electronics but rare in home wiring).
If the hot was connected to a terminal labelled on the switch as "Common", or somehow identifiable as such, and the neutral is not connected to the switch at all, you likely have Traveller-system wiring, which is perfectly safe and has been the best practice since "single-conduit" wire like the current Romex wire became available.
If the hot side was connected to a terminal other than the common terminal, there is another wire coming from that same terminal going to the second switch, and the neutral is not connected to the switch in any way, that's California-system. As long as both switches are wired to properly follow the same system (understand this is an older system rarely used anymore, and may confuse even a competent electrical pro), it's fine to keep using.

Understand that this is all rather moot according to most modern building codes. It is illegal, under any circumstances, to:

Install new knob & tube wiring systems; K&T hasn't been code-compliant since the '40s.
Re-route existing knob & tube; even if you're using pre-existing wires, moving them to a new place counts as "new work", usually requiring a permit and inspections which will never pass if they involve K&T.
Add new wire runs to a knob & tube system; You can't add K&T because of the prior points, and you can't join the current Romex wiring to K&T because it's a fire hazard in itself and because it's misleading to anyone who's looking at the endpoint; they'll assume the whole circuit's Romex, join to it, overload the circuit and burn the house down.
Run more than 10A through K&T. K&T is quite safe from a fire hazard perspective if you keep it under 10A. However, you can't run much on 10A; you'll blow a fuse with the average modern vacuum cleaner. Fuses are interchangeable enough that it seems like a no-brainer to simply put in a larger fuse like 20A; this is how K&T wiring causes house fires (and the reason neither K&T nor fuses have been acceptable by code since better stuff became available).
Use copper-rated electrical nodes (switches and outlets) with aluminum wire of any type including K&T; quite a bit of K&T is aluminum, which has higher electrical resistance and thus gets hotter for the same amperage than copper or copper-clad wire, especially at junction points like screw terminals. Cu-only switches/outlets are not rated to withstand this heat; you have to pay extra for Al-rated stuff.

Given all the above, if you're doing anything more than an in-place replacement of a light switch, you could be in for an expensive renovation. If you are moving any part of the K&T circuit, it loses the grandfathered status, meaning the whole circuit has to be taken out back to the panel and replaced with Romex. That may also require the panel be brought up to code (I can't imagine you having K&T and a modern breaker box); if you need to do that, you'll likely invalidate ALL the K&T in the house and have to rewire the whole thing.

For peace of mind, if it were my house, I would contact either my home insurer, a trusted local licensed electrician, or the county clerk, and get the straight dope on where the upgrades would have to stop in certain situations. If messing with the wiring is going to result in you needing a full house rewire, DON'T TOUCH THE WIRING unless you have the scratch to take it all out, even if it's illegal; it's not your fault it's illegal until you change something.


Name of connector that connects wires to washer drain pump I'm looking to replace a connector that connects to my washers' drain pump.
I first suspected the drain pump to have gone bad, but it looks like the wire itself was burnt or sheared off. I was going to splice the wire back together but figured it would be better to replace the connector all together.

I've attached some pictures to help identify it.

The washer is an Amana NTW4516FW1

I'm afraid there's a good chance the connector could be proprietary or custom. Also, the connector housing and the two terminals inside are separate parts. Amana likely won't offer these in their parts catalog.

Amana might have bought that component from a connector manufacturer. The major players (Molex, Tyco, Hirose, etc) usually have their name or symbol somewhere on the parts they make, but if you can't find a recognizable mark, it's not likely to be a catalog item available through an electronic components distributor.

The connector looks fine; I don't see any signs of damage (discoloration, deformation, etc). I'd solder and heat-shrink the wire and resolve whatever damaged it in the first place.


How to hook up new 5 wire HVAC cable to newer HVAC unit with only 2 wires coming from it?? WITH PHOTOS I have a newer HVAC unit that was installed using only 2 wires to control the heating only on the unit. The unit is capable of having AC connected and I would like to wire it so that it will work with my new Honeywell Wifi Thermostat AND be capable of having the AC hooked up at a later date.

I think i know how to get the G, W, R and W wire hooked up, but i dont know where to put the blue wire? can anyone help?

This is the existing thermostat how its currently connected:

This is the existing wiring diagram that came with the Heating Unit:

This is how I believe it needs to be hooked up when i install the new 5 wire HVAC Cable, I am wondering how to install the 5th wire to the system to work with the wifi theremostat?:

Land the blue wire on the "COM 24V" terminal

The typical use for a blue wire is to provide a C wire so that the thermostat can have constant 24VAC power available to it (saves money on batteries); as a result, simply land your blue wire on the terminal marked "COM 24V" on the control board.

As to the rest of the wires you depict? The green wire indeed goes to G, the yellow wire to Y/Y2, and the red goes to R just as you show, but the white wire needs to go to W/W1 not W2 for your single stage system.  Your revised diagram, though, is correct, and so is your thermostat wiring, assuming it is configured for a conventional system (not a heat pump).


How do I fix a squeaky floor below my carpet? I have a squealy floor below my carpet on the 2nd floor of my house.  It sounds like the subfloor under the carpet is moving up and down a little and makes this awful load squeak when I step down on this specific location.  It can be reproduced at will.

Fixing a squeaky floor beneath a carpet is a fairly complicated process that's probably best illustrated with video. This Old House provides a wonderful tutorial.

The procedure demonstrated at that link does not require you to pull up any carpet and uses scored screws to hide your work. This seems to be the most hassle-free way to do what one might expect to be a huge job.


Why would said gas furnace keep shutting off? Seems that I have a gas furnace that is having some sort of heat/air sensing issue.

Basically it shuts off after running for a minute or two.  But if I remove the top plate of the furnace itself it runs just fine.

It has an automatic ignitor which is doing just fine.   Also no errors on the motherboard.  But as soon as I put the top plate (area of ignition and flames) back on it will short cycle on me.

Too many registers closed?  I just cleaned the filters out so that isn't it...

More Info:
Model - will get the exact when I get home but its a Rheem high efficiency model bought about 5 years ago.

Any recent changes - Finished basement 3-4 months ago and added to duct lines - the duct lines have been up 5 months.

Can I see pilot light?  There is no pilot light since it is automatic ignition.  The ignition is working fine.  Flames come on strong with cover on or off - so don't think it is a gas issue and I have several other appliances with no gas issues.  With cover on it does seem like there is a grasp for air eventually (after a couple minutes).  I can't see the flames with the cover on but it seems to go through a normal shut-down and cycles back on in a few minutes.

Filter - Filters are brand new.

Does the blower run when unit is off?  No.  As mentioned before I can't find anything odd except for the short cycling and the what it seems like lack of air.

The two PVC pipes meet about 4 feet above and go out the back of the house.  The one on the left is always a little warm and the one on the right cool.  There doesn't seem to be anything obstructing the pipes but I also did the "paper" test while the furnace was on and it didn't suck the paper in.  Today was about 20 degrees here and I could notice warm air coming from the pipe outside (not blowing but you could tell).

This is with furnace door off.  Everything seems to be working fine.  Has electronic ignition so no pilot.

Other note:  We have an electronic air filter that has been turned off for a while because of some construction we are doing.  Found out today that it is dead.  Shouldn't matter to the furnace but who knows.

This isn't a great answer but I want to provide something in case it helps others.

There was no issue with my flame sensor or the ignition device.  It went on just fine but was kicking off due to some other reason.

After a lot of troubleshooting it was fixed by one of three reasons:

powering off the furnace for a couple hours with thermostat disconnected.
installing new thermostat. I was due for a new thermostat and not sure what could have been wrong with the old one.  It did run out of batteries right before this but it doesn't make sense that when I left the old thermostat it worked fine with the furnace cover off.  The only thing I can think of is the old thermostat was sending incorrect signals to the furnace that caused it to need more air during usage (maybe an AC expert might be able to give a plausible reason for this).
Reseating cover with slight gap.  I have since put this fully on but left it with a slight gap the first couple of weeks.

I did nothing else to the unit and the unit was in otherwise pristine condition - only a couple years old.


How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway? I have a concrete driveway (normal 2 car poured driveway) which is cut vertically (90 degrees) about 2.5 inches above the street.

My father-in-law lives with us and has a powered wheelchair.  The driveway is just too high to be smoothly rolled over.

How can I reduce this bump?  I imagine something done all the way across the driveway would look nicest, but if there's an idea for just modifying 3 feet across, that's fine too.

I'm in Houston, TX, USA - freezing and snow are not concerns.  Not sure about drainage.  There are no storm drains cut in on my side of the street.  Typically water drains away from my lot, to the east and north (where there are drains).  I'm also concerned there's a good reason the driveways are this way - all the houses near me have the same height issue.

Contact your local town, and ask them if it is acceptable for you to add some asphalt mix to make a small ramp there, adequate for a wheelchair to roll up. Make sure they understand why you want to do so, that it is necessary for wheelchair accessibility for your father in-law. Then follow their directions. You might even be surprised and find they do it for you if you asked nicely.

Edit: Another possibility - find a contractor who can grind down the curb in one part of the driveway. While this too may require permission, it may be easier to obtain, since no mods would be done to the road surface itself. If you are handy, you could probably do the work yourself, with a small (rental) electric jackhammer.

My approach would be cheaper yet. Cut many parallel kerfs in the curb with a diamond blade in a Skilsaw or an angle grinder. You can buy such a blade for only a few dollars at your local home center. Make these kerfs no more than about 1/2 inch apart, and slope the depth of the kerf so that the cuts are deepest at the street. Now, take a hammer and cold chisel, or an air powered chisel, and break out the material between the kerfs. Done carefully, this will leave you with a nicely sloped curb that a wheelchair can ride up over, and nothing on the road itself to upset the town. You can surely do this in a way that looks as if it were professionally done if you take your time.

Of course, if you do this work yourself, use ear protection for the noise and definitely wear a respirator. That dust is terribly bad for your lungs.


How do I connect a switch and receptacle in the same box? I have extended wire at the end of an existing circuit. I’m installing a 2-gang box with a switch and a receptacle. I want one of the outlets to always be hot, and the other to only be hot when the switch is on. How do I do this?

In this image the top outlet is controlled by the switch, while the bottom is always hot

Using a crimp cap (or other approved means), connect two bits of bare or green wire to the incoming bare/green wire. If this is a metal box, use three bits of wire, and attach one to the box using an approved grounding screw.
Attach one bare/green wire to each device.
Connect the incoming white (grounded "neutral") wire to one of the silver colored screws on the receptacle.
Break the tab on the side of the receptacle, between the brass colored screws.
Using a twist-on wire connector (or other approved method), connect two bits of black wire to the incoming black (ungrounded "hot") wire.
Connect one black wire from the bundle to the switch.
Connect the other black wire from the bundle to one of the brass colored screws on the receptacle.
Connect a bit of wire from the remaining screw on the switch, to the remaining brass screw on the receptacle.


What is this copper ring insert in my sharkbite supply valve? I'm about to connect my new faucet supply lines to my new sharkbite valves. The valves came with these copper rings and I am wondering what they are and should I leave them in when connecting the supply lines.

Also, do I need to use plumber's tape for this connection?

Here is the correct answer to the question as it is written.

The copper ring is a ferrule, which is part of a compression fitting.

You absolutely need the copper Ferrule for a watertight connection, and plumbers tape is not necessary when this type of connection is installed properly.

If you do not know what a copper Farrule is and what a compression fitting is than you need to learn before you try to install this valve.

I have no way of knowing if you have the correct part for the plumbing task that you are trying to accomplish. If you edit your question with more details and photos then I may be able to help.


How long will stored powder charges last? I finished a basement well over a decade ago, and had leftover concrete nails and powder charges for my powder actuated nail gun.

I'm going to be driving a few nails into concrete for a tack strip, are these old charges likely to be safe and have the same power as new, or do powder charges degrade over time?

They have been stored in an outbuilding, so while protected from rain and pests, have been exposed to wide temperature extremes and varying humidity.

While their power may be degraded, using them is not likely to be dangerous. The barrel of the nail gun is what really contains the blast.


Lighting in the hall: How to substitute a missing wire? I have a problem with the lights in my appartement. The current setup is below (and photos further down):

There are two switches: one is at the kitchen door frame, the other one is in the electricity box by the entrance door. It works well, however, it takes the electricity from the switch for kitchen's (and all other rooms') lighting and not from the circuit breaker marked "HALL LIGHTING", which is bad because when the breaker goes off, I'm in the darkness (this has already happened to me recently when a bulb broke).

The problem is that there are only 2 wires connecting the door frame box with the main.
I see a solution in re-wiring SW1 so that it either connects the two wires or not. Then I would need some sort of a relay in place of SW2. Is such thing possible? Of course, I would like it to be low consumption and silent (I know some relays are pretty noisy).

Now the photos: Top: Door switch SW1 + the kitchen switch providing "wrong source". Bottom: Detail of the door switch and the Electricity box, it is large enough to fit some device there if needed.

Any help or suggestion is appreciated. Just for clarity: I'm in Czechia, 220V/50Hz AC

My instinct would be to either go ahead and pull the third wire, or to try to solve this with something like the Lutron remote switches.


What is this plate on an exterior wall? A friend of mine's house has a plate like this on one of the exterior walls. What is it and what purpose does it serve?

It's an old photovoltaic sensor, possibly for exterior  light control.


Adding Light to Existing 3-Way Switch Configuration I currently have a 3-Way light setup like the one pictured below but I want to add an additional light to the circuit on the right hand side switch.

I can not add any wires between the two lights as everything is closed up in the wall. Not sure how to go about with the wiring, any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

The right hand side has the 2 travelers and a return this was the old way of wiring a 3 way , the left box the neutral goes to the light. The only legal way would be to tag the existing light or bring the power from the left hand switch. It would not be code compliant to tap another neutral in a separate cable even if on the same circuit. This is based on your drawing.


Should I drill a large hole through a double paned window? I have a laundry room in the basement.  There is no exhaust vent for the dryer.  Currently we just open the window when drying, but this is not the greatest solution.  There is a window and it is double paned glass.  It seems to me this is probably the easiest option.  I am afraid of damaging the window of course.

Should I try drilling/cutting the hole in the window for the dryer vent? Or should I have a professional do it?

The other option would be to drill a vent hole in the foundation.

The window itself is "European Style" in that it has a hinge on one side to be opened inwards and can also be "tipped" inwards.

FYI- I am in Europe and they do not use a lumber flooring system(here it is all concrete + cinder blocks), otherwise I would just go up and through the floor joists the old fashioned way. ;-)

NO!!!
The vent will expand and contract and break the glass.  You need to go through the cinder blocks (preferable, but if you must, go through the concrete).

Also, with double paned glass, there is usually an inert gas (or Nitrogen) sealed in between
the panes.  Drilling it will break the seal.

My advice: Get someone to do it for you. It is unlikely you have the drill/bit combination required for the job. It's cheaper to pay someone than to buy the tools.


How can I restore the waterproofing behind a shower/bath mixer/diverter? After install a new shower/bath mixer, I am proceeding to restore waterproofing behind the mixer follow by the tiles.

Originally between the water pipes and the tiles there is a layer of gyprock (drywall, plasterboard) where the waterproofing to be applied on. Now that I bust into the wall, it is lack of solid surface and I wonder what is the best approach to go from here?

One of the easier option came up my mind is to knock out the remainder of the 2 broken tiles without removing the gyprock behind. Apply a soft net over where I can brush waterproof primer and coatings over. After that, apply tiles as normal hoping there are enough ground on its corners for the 2 tiles to sit dry.

At the very least you need to remove the two broken tiles and clean up the edges of the hole so that they are square.

Then, assuming that you don't want to remove any more of the existing wall your best bet would be to stick some batten to the edges of the hole from the back and then you can fix a new piece of waterproof platerboard to that. Seal the gaps and replace the tiles:

The battens don't have to be very big - they don't have to hold that much weight. The faceplate for the shower controls will help keep the new board in place too.

If you can, take the tiles off first and leave a border of plasterboard so that the join between pieces of board doesn't line up with the edges of the tiles. I know this will be difficult, but it will help ensure that the join is water proof.


Is there a way to look through wall paintings for pencil writings? I had pencil writings on the wall from my childhood and this year I came back home and I found that my parents had the wall repainted with white paint. I should've taken a picture of these writings as they are part of my childhood memories. Is there still a way to look through the white paint for my pencil writings?

Yes, but it's not necessarily easy to do without specialist equipment. It's done by forensic document examiners and art historians.

  we can retrieve under-drawings below paintings by looking at them in
  infrared light. This is because the carbon used by artists to make
  their under-drawing absorbs light at that range of the spectrum ...
  Ultraviolet light has often been used to look at faint text in medieval manuscripts,

http://archimedespalimpsest.org/about/imaging/processing.php

  Spectral imaging recovers faded or erased text by capturing details
  about the ink and the parchment at different wavelengths. And because
  different wavelengths of light convey information unique to that
  spectrum, traces of iron ink, for instance, appear one way in infrared
  light, another way in ultraviolet, and, perhaps, not at all in visible
  light. Multispectral imaging collects the different information and
  recombines them into composite spectral signatures.

https://www.rit.edu/showcase/index.php?id=325

  Infrared imaging has been used to analyze old documents and works of
  art since the 1960s. But the equipment typically used by conservators
  for this kind of analysis is bulky and pricey; the systems can run
  more than $100,000. Falco has developed a hacked hand-held version
  —not as precise in resolution, but cheaper and more portable, making
  it possible to image paintings right on the walls they adorn. ...
  Falco can also jigger his camera to photograph ultraviolet light,
  which can reveal otherwise hidden details, most notably fluorescence.

http://nautil.us/blog/looking-through-paintings-to-see-whats-hidden

If it's a couple of coats of emulsion paint, and stain blocker wasn't used, you could try with a close-up infrared and ultraviolet light sources (infrared LEDs are cheap and used for CCTV, ultraviolet is used for disco lights and insect killers) and see if you can detect anything.


Finding hard-to-find studs So, I'm trying to find the studs in an exterior wall.  The following techniques have all failed:

Running a stud-finder over the wall just produces "lost calibration" beeping after a few inches of movement.
Tapping doesn't produce any changes in sound or feel over several feet of wall.
Running a magnet along the wall at various heights doesn't produce any results.
Waving a non-contact thermometer at close range doesn't show any reveal any patterns in the temperature variation.
Measuring off 16" from a known stud and drilling just hits air.

Anything else I can try?

Option 1: Measure 15 1/4 inches minus the thickness of the drywall (or panell etc.) from another exterior wall. If that misses, measure 23 1/4 inches minus the drywall. If that misses, go to the other side and measure from the opposite wall.

Option 2: locate an outlet. A stud will (probably) be on one side or the other.

Option 3: read more on How do I locate studs in my wall?


How does one reapply window film? My wife bought decorative translucent film for our bathroom. Over the last year, it's gradually peeled off until it fell off today. I tried reapplying it, but the curl of the material keeps pulling it off. Is there a viable step, or are we going to have to buy another set of film?

My experience is that they all dry-out & constrict. Of course, you can try taping it up around the perimeter. But, yeah it's a never ending replacement product that's really too expensive to start with. I haven't done it, but there's glass spray paint out there that you might try on a drinking glass to see if that'll work. I'd suspect it lasts a lot longer or forever & may not come off.


Maximally Sealing Window Air Conditioner I have a window a/c unit (~23"w) I install into a small window (30"w) every summer.
What are the most efficient materials to use to maximally seal the large & small gaps to keep the hot outdoor air from entering the room?
I removed the a/c fins as they do nothing to insulate. I used towels & duct tape in the past but am looking for better and more efficient solutions.
Thanks

I also like the rigid foam @jimmy fix-it commented. it is easy to cut to size. I did see a person that used plastic wrap and injected expanding foam, the plastic kept the spray foam from sticking to the window. He folded the plastic in 1/2 and used the nozzle to shoot the foam in but not two much the plastic keeps the spray foam from sticking to the foam board and window it also locks everything together once dried and is easy to use a box knife or steak knife to cut the spray foam on 1 side then it pops out the foam board can be used again next year.


Water hammer arrestor placement I am plumbing a small bathroom. The total number of supply lines is five -- shower (hot and cold), sink (hot and cold) and toilet.
I want to place hammer arrestors but I'm not sure if I need 5 hammer arrestors, or if I can just place two for the sink, or if I should place them as the pipes enter the room, and protect the whole room that way.
All the diagrams on the internet indicate placement as close as possible to the faucet.
The total length of pipe from where the pipe enters the room until the furthest faucet is only about 10 feet. Total including verticals.
I'm attaching my poorly drawn sketch of the plumbing. The arrestors are "orange". Should they g near each tap or can they go as the pipes enter the room?

Put them near the sink.
Water hammer is caused by the inertia of the moving water in the water lines trying to keep moving when a valve shuts it off suddenly - so placing them at the far end of lines is most effective.
In "typical" bathroom fixtures of the current era, the sink is also the most likely to be a "quick" shutoff (which is the most prone to causing water hammer.) Valves that shut more slowly allow the water to slow down as the valve is closing, whereas those that close quickly get to all the way shut while the water in the pipes is still moving.


Pressure balance Am Stand hot and cold inlets are switched side to side. No cold water, only HOT. Remedy? Our shower was working fine for a couple years but started periodically only producing hot water ( single handle american standard /am 11. cartridge ) but no cold. All other fixtures in bathroom still have cold water. I replaced the cartridge but still have the same issue.
As a side note, the hot water comes into the valve body on the right side (not left as is usual). It has always been like this.

Possibly whoever originally installed the shower valve realized that the hot and cold supplies were switched and they installed the cartridge in the valve in the opposite orientation than normal. This made the control work in the usual way. When you replaced the cartridge you installed it in the correct orientation for hot on the left and so it no longer longer works


Can I use heat gun to remove wall paint? I have a section of wall in the kitchen near the window where several layers of paint are peeling off. It is an interior wall, most likely plaster over brick.
Using a paint/wall scraper will be hard work and will require a lot of effort to peel so many layers.
Using a chemical stripper will give off fumes.
Can I use a heat gun on my kitchen wall, or is it only for food?

If you have paint peeling/flaking off the wall, it might be a better option to scraping off loose paint and put on a skim coat of plaster/joint compound.  I've used a heat gun to remove large areas of paint and its not fun.  If you're determined to do it, be wary of holding the heat gun in one spot too long.  Try and warm up 1 foot diameter area and then use as wide a putty knife as you can to scrape while heating up the wall in front of the knife edge.
You should be aware that if the paint has lead in it, a heat gun can vaporize it, which is as dangerous as any citrus strippers might be.
I would also take some time to figure out why its flaking in that area under the window.  Is it from a leak around the window?  Maybe the frame outside is not sealed or the caulk has dried up and cracked.  It would be annoying to fix the wall, paint it and then have it reoccur a few months later.


Connected C-Wire to new Smart Thermostat and Furnace board and still no power I need help. I've been surfing the internet and have had no luck finding answers to my situation so am hoping for some guidance. I've seen other questions here answered but none that suit my issue so am hoping it can be addressed with some recommendations.

I too am trying to install (or power up) my c-wire for a new smart Honeywell Thermostat. As all sites and videos I found show, all I have to do is hook up the unused blue wire which was both available on both ends on our thermostat and the furnace board. The thing is, I installed both blue wire and still no power to the new smart thermostat. I troubleshooted a variety of things from checking the fuses, etc. I've attached a photo of the furnace board with the blue already attached as pictured  The other set of two wires was to my AC unit which I kept the same.

For now, I installed back the old thermostat and it functions properly so power looks be working (blue wire remains unconnected for the old one) as pictured.

Looks correct, but I'm not an HVAC person. Any advice on other ways to troubleshoot would be appreciated.

The thermostat you posted has no common terminal (C). The blue wire that should be wired to common at the thermostat is cut off and wrapped around the harness.

You show red, white, yellow, and green wired to R,W,Y,G terminals on the thermostat, but there is no common terminal on that thermostat and the blue wire that should be wired to common is unused at the thermostat yet wired to common at the air handler.

Is there 24 volts at the air handler low voltage terminals (R and C)?
You should, if not check for the door panel switch being closed. It must be closed or tape the switch closed if trying to work with the door open.

The circuit board in the air handler's circuit board should have an automotive type 3 amp fuse:  it may be bad.  If not and the breakers are on and proper voltage is to the furnace, then the transformer is bad.

If you switch the fan on does the fan work?  If so this proves you have both high voltage and 24 volt low voltage control power available.  The thermostat you show has no provision for the common side of power and looks to be battery powered.  Perhaps a Maple Chase brand thermostat?


Should I insulate my pizza oven between the firebrick base and concrete? I am building a pizza oven for my garden. The 'table' will be standard red brick and concrete slabs to form the work top.
On top of the work top, I was intending to lay a layer of firebrick, and place the oven on top.
Research shows firebricks conduct heat and now I am worried if the fire bricks (the base of the oven) get hot, they will transfer into the concrete slabs (the work top).
My questions is, would fire cement insulate and as such protect the concrete worktops or would I need some insulation between the firebrick and concrete worktop?

Fire brick and fire bed type refractory cement are different things both will get hot and disperse the heat. When I used to install a lot of wood stoves we poured the beds in every stove we installed, 30 years later the few stoves I have installed have used fire brick. I doubt that the oven will be hotter than coals from a wood stove and you have the additional layers below as a heat sink so for me based on what I have seen and the move to fire brick (easier install easy replace, partial replace when needed) I would go with the fire brick.
The last high efficiency stove I installed used 1” fire brick in the top to divert the air flow across pipes I did not think that would last but I did not replace them until they had been for 8-10 years so they held up with the coals and in the flame and heat of the exhaust. If really concerned create a small air gap under the brick to eliminate contact heat transfer, well significantly reduce it.


GFCI Outlets work... receptacles & lights in 3 rooms don't lights and plugs have died in 3 rooms of my home.  None of the Circuit Breakers were tripped and they all test fine with my multimeter.  I have turned the circuit switches on and off (all the way OFF so the switch is completely reset) and no luck.

I have checked the GFCI outlets throughout the house and they all test and reset fine. (Those GFCI outlets are all working fine anyway).

I do have two or three other receptacles in other bathrooms and in the kitchen that read: LEVITON GFCI PROTECTED but these do not have any reset buttons at all... (They are also all working and testing with the multimeter shows they are pushing 120).

Just before the power went in those rooms... I noticed the light fixture in the bathroom was flickering.  As a precaution, I've NOW disconnected that light fixture from the wall and capped the exposed wires.  I also want to point out that the bathroom with no lights has full power to the GFCI plug but no power anywhere else.

Should I replace all my receptacles and light switches?

No, do not replace everything.

Do you have a proximity based AC detector?

Do you have a signal-toner? (wire finder)?

What has changed (if anything) recently with respect to light fixtures, wall outlets, switches, extension cords, etc? Especially and obviously on this circuit specifically? Did you add/remove anything new? (a heater, an AC...)

The flickering for the bathroom light fixture that no longer works was probably your indication of a problem where somewhere a splice is detached (wirenut, backstab, wall sagged and tore some romex)

Has there been any new work activity in an attic or a basement?

Anyways....

As/If necessary, isolate all power and either use a toner or a detector with the goal of identifying all points of wire junction on the circuit in question. Positively identify anywhere there could be a BOX (switch, outlet, light etc.).

Using the above, make a logical path from the circuit panel to each room. Where would you run the wire FIRST if you were an electrician and didn't want to waste money on wire? Focus more on any common points near the affected area. NOTE: common sense doesn't always apply with how they run the wire, but it's a good guide.

Mark off any items that had "a lot plugged in" or that people bump/wiggle a lot.

Secure power to the circuit in question if not already.

With your list of suspects, (key suspects are ones that were not working) take a wall plate, or light fixture off and pull the wiring out. Ensure all wirenuts are secure, nothing is loose, burned, or dangerous looking. If so, repair it.

Pay close attention to any non-ground wires under a wire nut (more than 2) or in a backstab (more than one, or better yet, NONE!) or double upped on a screw.

If backstabs are used, take the time to correct this.

If wires are more than one to a screw, correct this.

If there are more than 2 wires on a wire nut, inspect it. One of these wires may be the suspect causing the outage.

Do not resume use of the circuit until you identify the bad connection. It is a fire hazard.

Depending on what you find from the guidance above, you might want to do the whole home. The issue you are having "should never happen"

Lastly, and this could have been first - do you have aluminum wiring? If so, there is a completely augmented list to follow.


How do you remove an ASSA double cylinder deadbolt? On my entry door is an ASSA 7000 double cylinder deadbolt that has no screws and no screw head caps. I have found videos on removing Schlage double cylinder deadbolts with the caps and without. Those without use an Allen wrench along the bolt however this lock does not have such a mechanism. Some kwikset double cylinder have a face plate that removes to reveal the screws but if this lock has that I cannot figure out how to get it off. This is a really nice lock so I don't want to deface it trying to remove it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Without a picture it is hard to tell for sure, but the screws securing the cylinder in place may be under the latch plate on the edge of the door. Remove the 2 screws holding it in place, they should be machine screws, and that will expose 2 more larger had screws and 1 or 2 holes adjacent to the center line of the cylinders. There will be screws in those holes that keep the cylinders from spinning when the key is installed. It will be up to you to to determine what type of driver needed, it changes from lock to lock. Whether it be phillips, straight, or allen. Loosen that screw, partially insert the key so the cylinder does not turn in the keyway and the whole cylinder face should rotate out.


Can earthing of a building degrade over time The building is almost 12 years old. We didn't have this problem before. But in this last 2-3 days some residents complained they have experienced shock coming form the pipeline of bathroom even after they shut down all the switches of MCB. I asked electrician he said the earthing of the building is damaged or degraded etc and needs to be changed.

Earthing can be damaged.

Whole earthing installation needs to be continuosly led to the ground, if something (a tree branch) or someone (a worker fixing house's external surface) brake the line, it needs to be checked and fixed.
My parents' house have had a similiar problem some years ago. They were making additional thermal insulation on external surfaces and, after deteatching wire leading to ground rod. Fixing the continuity fixed the problem.

My first guess here is to check the connection to ground rods. I don't think that it can be 'degraded', 12 years are not that much, I guess.


Three wire supply and Four Prong Oven? We purchased a Miele Oven (H6880BP) which has a NEMA 14-30 plug standard. The manual specifies 120/240V, 30A, 60Hz but does not have any instructions for a three wire connection.

Our supply is 10 gauge copper wire with three conductors (one is bare ground wire). It is 240V across the two hot legs and is a 30A double pole breaker.

It seems like I have the right power requirements, but am not sure how to connect the oven. I don't think I should use a pigtail to connect ground and neutral so what are my options? Running new four conductor cable would require ripping out plenty of drywall and cabinets. No go.

Thanks.

If your area uses the National Electrical Code then it has an exception for older installations that allows you to continue to use a 3 prong (NEMA 10-30) receptacle.

The appliance can usually be fitted with a 3 prong plug and the ground and neutrals are bonded in the appliance not at the receptacle.

Get yourself a 3 prong appliance whip from the box store and replace the cord on your oven. Look for information online your model and how to bond the ground and neutral inside the connection box.

Good Luck!


90 degree turn in horizontal sink drain I'm doing a kitchen renovation and moving the location of the sink so that the plumbing stub-outs (supply and drain) need to exit the wall one stud-bay over. I'm also replacing the old galvanized pipe existing as the vent stack in the process.

My plan was to notch out the stud (not load bearing) between the two bays,and run a short horizontal section to a 90 degree elbow, exiting the wall at the new sink location.

Are there any issues (code or practically speaking) with the 90 degree turn in the horizontal at the sink drain?

See attached photo. My proposed modification is drawn poorly in red :).

Code in my area(Toronto) allows that. Just make sure to use the proper fitting and deburr the pipe inside and out before final assembly. And 1/4 inch per foot slope. It's not a minimum or maximum figure. That's the only allowable slope. That allows the water running in the pipe to wash the pipe as it flows. Too much slope creates a build up of crud on the side walls.


How should I mask when spraying trim? I am getting ready to spray the trim in my house using a 211 tip.  How much of each room needs to be masked or do I just need to mask everything (except the trim)?

My first question is why are you planning on spraying trim in a completed house? (windows, door trim, base boards, crowns) I could understand maybe spraying out trim in new construction before the  finished floors are installed and walls are not painted yet. You are going to have to cover everything including the furniture! Every edge is going to have to be taped and all hardware has to come off or get masked The second item that comes to mind is that you will have to use a bunch of Flowtrol to shoot a semi-gloss paint thru a 211 tip. You may also want to back brush to get an even finish and avoid "orange peel".  I really think it would be faster and easier to use a good Purdy sash brush and paint your trim the old fashion way, one stroke at a time.


Why doesn't the paint stick to new ingrain wallpaper? I painted newly wallpapered walls with white color (2 times). Now I want to paint a rectangular part of the wall in a different color. To accomplish that, I used tape to get exact, well-defined outlines.

The problem is: Removing the tape also removes (parts) of the white color underneath.

How can I apply the white paint such that it won't get removed when I pull off the tape?

I would guess that your issue is that you didn't prime first.

From Wikipedia:

  A primer or undercoat is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted

You buy primer from the same store you would buy paint.  Primer goes on first, dries, and then you paint your final color on top.


How can I eliminate condensation on my toilet tank? My toilet is getting a great deal of condensation on the tank and dripping onto the floor. What can be done to address condensation on the exterior of a toilet tank?

When warm moist air comes in contact with a cold surface condensation forms.

There used to be these tank liners sold that you would install on the inside of the tank to insulate it. It keeps the outside of the tank from getting as cold to reduce or eliminate condensation. I did a quick search and couldn't find it anymore.

I did however find toilet tanks that come with insulation already installed. See http://www.homedepot.com/p/KOHLER-Memoirs-Classic-1-28-GPF-Toilet-Tank-Only-with-Insuliner-Tank-Only-Liner-in-White-K-4433-U-0/203006152#

The liners were just sheets of styrofoam. I guess you could get some styrofoam and cut it to fit. You'd have to cut the kits anyway. Then glue it to the side and bottom of the tank. Going with a tank that's already insulated would be a lot easier.


What could be leaking after installing a pet sprayer on a tub? Installed a simple pet sprayer in the upstairs master bathtub. It has a long hose with a release valve/button on the very end of it. About 6 hours after installation (and without officially using it for anything worthwhile), we woke up to a large leak downstairs in our kitchen directly below the tub. Turns out I had left the tub faucets on while the pet sprayer valve was turned off. After turning off the tub faucets, the leak immediately started to recede, but now we have a giant awesome looking ceiling bubble.

Is the most likely reason for the leak a burst faucet pipe that needs to be replaced (in order to use the tub again) or does it sound like something that we only need to worry about when there is forced back-flow from something like this sprayer?

I plan on calling a plumber in the morning, but I'd like some insight.

It sounds like it could either be a cracked breaching piece (between the to taps where the spout screws on)  or it could be the spindles leaking.

There is a o-ring in the spindles that stops water from coming out of the tap casing when the water is on. to check the o-ring take of the handles and cover flange turn the taps on with the sprayer turned off, is water coming out of the taps?

If not you can either cap off the fitting where the spout is connected and turn the water on and try and here/see water leaking or hook a pressure gauge up to the spout connection turn the water on then back off and see if the pressure drops when the water is off showing a leak in the breaching piece. How to pressure test


How long should I wait to plug in my refrigerator after unplugging it? I just had a strange recommendation when I wanted to move the fridge inside my house to a new position. It's just about 2 feet away.

I was told that I should wait 30-40 minutes after I unplug the fridge before plugging it in again. How is it so and what's the science behind it?

I understand this is usually a recommended way for moving houses but he said that even not moving any bit the above would apply.

There's 2 reasons to wait after moving a refigerator.

If you tipped it over the oil needs to re-settle in the compressor.

If you interrupted a run cycle the compressor may not be able to re-start, as the motor has a low starting torque and starts more easily working into a low pressure difference - ie after a little rest.

In the first case wait a few hours. In the second case 5 minutes is plenty, or you can ignore it and the thermal cut-out will enforce the wait if needed.


Question Regarding Small Amount Of Grass Clippings Under Slab Im going to be pouring my first ever slab in  30x26x4 dimensions.

This is in North Florida with a high & dry sand base. I've removed the top layer of sod, then some... All with a flat shovel.

After breaking up the ground underneath the 3inches of sod I removed there are thousands of little bits of grass and roots Ive been picking up. 1 small piece at a time...

My question is: Do I have to get all this out?

Hopefully slipping in an extra question: How important is it to get the existing gravel spread absolutely even (evenly dispersed) before putting this fill dirt on? (ie: rocks are more concentrated in some areas which Im trying to equalize)

Im wanting to start pilling on fill dirt Now but Im afraid that missing a toothpick size piece of organic material could spell an equal size crack later and hoping for input.

Considering unseen toothpick sized organic material within, Is this ready to apply fill dirt?

All buildings (and slabs) settle. The key is to have them settle uniformly.

There’s several issues 1) type of fill, 2) compaction, 3) maximum size of slab pour

1) You mention adding dirt fill. Generally we use gravel, not dirt. Dirt does not compact as well as gravel. The type of gravel fill is “evenly graded crushed rock”. It tends to bind together good, it settles less over time due to decomposing, etc. Also, install the fill in about 6” lifts before it’s compacted.

2) Compaction is usually done with a vibration compactor, but depending on what the slab will be used for, you could drive a heavy truck over the fill. (Heavier buildings require better compaction.)

3) Concrete shrinks when it dries. Therefore, you want to pour the slab in square shapes (so it shrinks uniformly and eliminate cracks) and limit the size to about 12’ square maximum. Unusual shapes (like “L” shapes) will cause the slab to crack.

So, I don’t think a small amount of grass under your slab will be a problem. However, I’d use good construction practices by minimizing fill that will decompose over time and make sure it all compacted uniformly.


AC not shutting of automatically I recently had new HVAC installed. I am noticing it being little louder than what I had previously. The new system is American Standard 80% efficiency with ECM blower motor. My question is

Can I reduce the fan speed to make it little quieter? - I asked the contractor who installed it and he said he can certainly changed the fan speed but there might be and issue that your ac may get icing. So is that true that by reducing fan speed may create icing issue?

AC is not Turing off automatically even when temp reached to set point. I have checks that the fan is on auto setting and thermostat shows the set temp. If I increase the set temp to higher than what is currently on display then it shuts off automatically but when it gets to desired temp, it does not shut off automatically.

What could be the issue? Thermostat or faulty wiring?
Thank you in advance.

If the evaporator will ice up depends on the type of control if it is orifice or capillary tube control it may Ice up but if a thermal expansion valve called TXV this regulates the flow and it should not but I have seen TXV controlled system ice up a few times.
As far as your system not shutting off when the temp is reached this is to keep the system from short cycling there is a setting sometimes called “dead band” usually around 3 degrees and is set in your thermostat it may be a setting like +2 -2 this would be a 4 degree dead band or the thermostat won’t turn the heat on until 2 degrees below set point and won’t shut off until 2 over set point same with the ac, you can usually change these I change mine based on season +0 -2 is my summer setting and +2 -0 is my winter setting. If it takes 10 minutes to change 1 degree a 2 degree dead band is ok but if you reduce it two far your energy cost will go up and the life of your system may be reduced from the repeated startups.