Should I be concerned about this roof bubbling? I have zero experience or knowledge regarding roofs. I love this house and am on the brink of putting in an offer to buy it. The offer would be followed by an inspection (but I'm told these inspections are very basic.. I guess I could pay extra to get a roof inspection if needed). My question is that this house is about 8 years old, and currently the roof looks perfectly fine. However I just found this picture of the house on Google street view from 2012 (when it would have been maybe 2 years old). So as the roof no longer looks like that, I can assume they've fixed it - but my question is if I should be concerned about what they've fixed exactly...(just the shingles or the underlayment as well?), also wondering what may cause this and if it says anything about future concerns for the roof. Any thoughts or suggestions on this are appreciated!

That “bubbling” (we call it blistering) is from a lack of venting.

This is evidenced by 1) blistering in a straight line, 2) blistering around the roof jack at the 3” roof vent, 3) random blistering throughout the roof.

1) Blistering in a straight line is an indication that heat is trying to escape and has found a gap between the roof sheathing.

2) obviously one of the easiest places for heat to escape is around vent pipe holes in the roof. The roof sheathing AND roofing underlayment (moisture barrier) is cut for the pipe to extend up through the roof. This allows heat to escape and affect the shingles. (Notice the shingles are affected all the way around the pipe.)

3) When there are random blisters in the roof this is an indication that the nailing of the shingles in that area is not adequate/correct. Heat is escaping throughout the roof, but it is causing a blister in these locations due to a lack of nails, improper nailing pattern, etc.

I see a ridge vent, but it’s probably not installed correctly. I’d look up in the attic and see if you can see a CONTINUOUS strip of daylight at the ridge. Often roofers will allow the moisture barrier (building paper) to lap over the opening (gap) in the roof sheathing...thus making the ridge vent useless.

The good news is that the roof sheathing is not expanding so much that it’s heaving. That is to say, the roof sheathing was installed with adequate gaps (spacing between sheets) so that when they heat up and expand they do not bulge upwards.

BTW, you’ve lost your guarantee from the roofing manufacturer, because they’ll see the lack of venting.

You can verify the lack of venting by looking around the house and adding up the area of the vents.

The Code requires 1/150th s.f. of attic vents compared to s.f. of attic, unless you have 40% - 50% of vents not more than 3’ from ridge then it’s 1/300th the s.f. of house (attic).

So, say your house is 1600 s.f. and you have ridge vents so they are in the upper part of your roof. That means you need about 1600/300 = 5.3 s.f. of venting. (I can’t see your gable ends, so you might have even more venting.)

The ridge vents are usually about 1” wide and extend the length of the ridge...say 36’. Therefore your ridge vent equals 3 s.f. (Which is within the 40% - 50% range requirement.)

So, now you need to look for soffit vents and / or roof vents. Add them up to see if you have enough venting. I’m guessing you don’t.

Also, vents get covered up by insulation. Get up in the attic and see if you can see daylight coming in all those soffit vents around the perimeter of the house or coming in any of those roof vents. If not, you’ll have to figure out if you can unblock the vents.

BTW, one reason you think the roof looks better now is that this picture was taken at just the right time to show all the shadows. If the sun shines directly on the roof, it will “burn” the shadows out and look great. I’d go back when the sun is lower in the sky.


What kind of precautions should I undertake to use epoxy-based paints? I see on the market floor paints made from "1-part epoxy" or from "2-part epoxy". They are meant for concrete floors.

Epoxy is reputed to be very harmful if misused during construction. Anecdotes include that epoxy fumes, if inhaled over years and years, can form a solid lining inside a worker's trachea.

As a concrete floor covering (garage and basement), epoxy would likely be very hard wearing, but I'm wondering what kind of precautions are necessary to paint an epoxy-based product in one's basement (where ventilation is limited, at best). Are such products really meant for professionals who may go all the way to wearing an oxygen mask while working and the amateurs should stay away?

DIY epoxy floor paints do not normally require respiratory protection during application (by brush or roller) as long as adequate ventilation is provided. These "off the shelf" products are designed for use by laypersons. What is "adequate"? Open all doors and windows, for basements or other areas with scant natural ventilation put a box fan or two in a door or window to pull fumes out and allow fresh air to be pulled in. If you are a particularly sensitive individual or if you intend to spray the coating, a full-face respirator with organic vapor cartridges is commonly recommended. Always follow manufacturers' instructions.

Commercial/industrial products are labeled and distributed as such and are not usually available for purchase by the average homeowner.


Wire size of unmarked wires Can anyone guess the size of these wires? They are not marked.

There should be markings on the cable jacket. If you can't read it due to age, measure the thickness of the wires with a caliper, or a pair of wire strippers. Modern NM cables are color coded, but older cable was not. So jacket color means nothing with older cable.

Checking the size of the breaker could give you a clue, but only if the cable was installed properly. If wired properly, 12 AWG should be used on a 20 amp circuit, while 14 AWG is good for 15 amp circuits.

14 AWG wires are fairly easy to bend, while 12 AWG are a bit stiffer. Though this is only helpful, if you're familiar with working with wires.

If you had a piece of wire of a known size, you could use that to compare. Though you'll want to compare the metal part of the wire, as the insulation may be slightly different even on the same size wires.


Oven tripping after aluminium foil touched element I was just using the grill part of our electric oven. It tripped the main fuse box. I think tin foil touched the heating element.
Now every time we switch on the oven...it trips the whole house.
Where do we look for the short circuit?
Which part needs repairing?

It's a hotpoint Aniston. There are so many coloured wires i dont know where to begin

The heat rod it self was probably damaged by overheating and it probably needs to be replaced. Examine the area the foil was contacting the element and you might find a small hole (or possibly a large one) the heater outer core is not energized but if it cannot radiate the heat. the shield cracks and or melts and then the insulation is damaged allowing the inner hot (both electrically and physically) to short to the shield. Make sure to turn the breaker off and tag it out so no one turns it on while you are working on it.
Remove the damaged heater and insulate the ends of the wire with tape (then the stove top could be used until the new heating element arrives.


Double-vanity sinks drain slowly -- venting problem? When I turn on the water to my double-vanity bathroom sinks, water begins pooling within the bowl after only a few seconds. The drain lines below the sinks appear to be clear (there is no debris in any of the pipes I could access when I took apart the P-traps) and the problem occurs even if I remove the drain stoppers completely.

Each sink bowl has its own 1.25-inch P-trap, both of which tie into a 1.5-inch vertical PVC pipe that goes into the floor. There is also a vertical vent line going up through the wall, although I can't see where it connects to the drain line going into the floor (in fact, I don't know for sure that they even are connected, but that is the only reason the vent stack would be there, so I'm assuming they are).

I installed this double vanity myself in place of a single vanity. I didn't make any real modifications to the drain line when I did that; I just installed P-traps below my two new sinks and tied them into the vertical line that goes into the floor, which was already there.

I'm wondering if I needed to install a separate vent stack for each sink when I converted to a double vanity. I'm also wondering if there could be some kind of issue where each sink in the vanity wants to vent out of the other sink instead of using the vent pipe in the wall. Basically, I don't understand enough about how venting works to figure out if this is indeed the problem, and if so, what specifically is not right.

I'll hire a plumber if I can't figure this out, but I'm hoping to get insight here that will save me that expense.

Going from a single sink to a double should not cause any problems. With the vent being close less than 6' from the drain that should also be ok. When I plumb double sinks I only use 1 trap, you mentioned 2 traps so the sink that is further offset from the drain may not drain as well. I would reduce down to 1 trap just prior to the wall and see if this solves your problem.


Am I able to wire a 3-Prong dryer outlet with 8/3 Romex? I see similar questions but maybe not as specific....
I am moving my laundry location. As we are intending a remodel eventually I just used some 8/3 romex I had left over to junction with the existing 10/3 cable to the dryer. They had this hooked to a 3-prong outlet. It wasn't until I was preparing the new 3-prong outlet that I realized my 8/3 is meant for a 4-prong. Can I still wire the 3-prong with the 8/3 romex?

You could. But don't!
Instead, replace the 3-wire outlet with a 4-wire outlet. It is much safer. There are no downsides. You will have to replace the dryer cord/plug with a 4-wire cord/plug, and remove the jumper connecting ground and neutral on the dryer (typically a green wire going from the neutral connection to some bare metal spot on the dryer).
You would have to do the same thing if it was a 10/3 as well. That is, assuming your 10/3 is (like the 8/3) 3 regular wires (typically black/red/white) + a ground wire.
If your 10/3 does not have a ground wire, ask for more help.


Electrical circuit dead, wire seems broken We have 2 small appliance circuits in our kitchen. They are carried over the same physical cable, one circuit is on black, the other on red. The black circuit works fine. The red does not. Its rather annoying since that represents half the outlets in our kitchen, including the one that our microwave should plug into, so we are forced to put it on the countertop. I found what I think is the first outlet in the chain (it is a GFCI). First, I tried replacing the GFI outlet, nothing changed. Next, I took the longest electrical wire I had and used it to extend the lead of my multimeter, and checked for continuity between the red wire on the breaker, and the red wire at the outlet, no continuity. I swapped the red and black wires on their respective breakers just making sure it was not some kind of weird problem at the breaker. The black wire worked fine on the red wire's original breaker, and the red wire continued to not work. SO I put them back. Then I just gave up for a while. I went to Harbor Freight yesterday and bought a wire tracer (tone generator and probe). When I connect the tracer to the red wire at the outlet the tone immediately gets very, very quiet, enough that I would say its "dead". I cannot trace it, because after I'm a few inches away, there is nothing but noise. Take it off, the tone comes back. If I attach it to the other red wire at the outlet (the outgoing) I can pick up the tone in the wall to some degree, and pick it up at the downstream outlets no problem. Why would the signal die on my red wire? What does that mean? Do I need to disconnect it from the breaker? Any other advice or suggestions for how to figure this out?

From the information that you gave so far it would seem pretty conclusive that the red wire has broken open between your test outlet box and the power panel.

Did the red wire circuit outlets ever work?

If they did work at one time can you think of any key events that may have occurred between them working and not working?  Think about things like installation of any thing that required drilling, nailing or screwing into wall or ceilings anywhere. Were there any key plumbing problems that required repair where adjacent wiring may have been disturbed? Also do not discount any possibilities that work was done on an attic space or crawlspace where any romex type wiring may have been stressed or pulled on.

Any of the above could be clues as to what may have happened to open up the red wire circuit.

Beyond that there is always the possibility that there is another junction box between the breaker panel and the outlet box that you have been testing in. There could be a connection within such electrical box that has come open and disrupted the red wire circuit.


How to calculate dead/live load on this 2x4 structure Here is my general plan.

These will be built in the corner of a room and each bay will have a lag into the wall's 2x4 including one in the adjacent wall. The idea is to build these 2x4 frames and wrap them with 1/4" plywood.

I have a few questions.

How can a calculate what kind of load the wood itself can take? I'd probably use #2 Hem-fir.
Being 2x4's, I'd have 3.5" for the lag to hold, eg. I could use a big bolt. How can I calc the right bolt and does that affect the load rating? Is there a point it causes the wall's stud to fail?
I was looking at 5mm birch ply to wrap with, do I get more strength by using 1/4" ply or does the added weight counteract it?
If I built the whole thing with 2x2's (1.5"x1.5" actual), how much would it change things?

Updated: I see a lot of questions referring to spans, strengths etc. Here is a very useful link for calculators regarding all things mentioned.
http://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software

Edit: Based on your diagram now showing.

I do not what type of finish look you are going for but as mentioned by others, the chance of hitting studs where you need them and lack of support are problematic. Either rethink your material or consider either metal bracing for a rustic look or a cable system if you want something that doesn't stand out.

Since your diagram is not showing up and you have a shelving tag, I will give it a go.

For a shelf you can use a sagulator calculator to give you the info you need. Which can be found here. http://woodbin.com/calcs/sagulator.htm

Strength values for lag bolts into 2x4s.

A 3/8" lag bolt 2" deep has a pull force of 1900lbs.
At 1/2" at 3.5" deep and you have a pull force of 3500lbs.

If you are looking for a box frame dead load, let me know.


Can I do multiple neutrals and potentially make a bad situation worse? I'm a new homeowner looking to swap the 2-gang (switch) light/exhaust fan combo in my bathroom for a wifi-enabled version. When I pulled the existing switch out, I noticed something quite interesting:

The hot wires to the light/fan are independent
No ground was connected
The two white neutrals are wire-nutted together to a single neutral.

I'd still like to install the wifi-switch, which requires a neutral. Based on previous threads here, I'm not sure if I could

A. Add a third white neutral from the wifi-switch at the wire-nut
B. Ignore the neutrals from the light/fan and just cable up the switch
C. Other

Thank you

You can add another to the connection of existing neutrals, you will likely need to change the yellow connectors on the neutral and ground with larger (red) connectors. Most yellow connectors are only NRTL Listed for 3@#12 or 4@#14.
The existing switch should also have a connection to the grounds, you will need to make sure you connect to the ground of your new switch.


Security System Sensor Wiring Questions I just disassembled my wired security system to hook my sensors to a konnected board to self manage through Smartthings. Inside the panel box cover is a listing of the zones.

Basement Door
Basement Motion
Back Motion
Front Motion

Amongst others that I am not concerned about. However there is no wire labled 'Back Motion'. There are wires for the other three. I presume that the back and front motion zones were merged somewhere in the house and they didn't fit the panel list. How WOD I check to confirm this? My best guess would be to apply power to the wire and then have someone trip each sensor and check the signal wires with a multimeter. Am I on the right track?

I figured it out. They used an unlabeled 6 wire cable for some reason and capped two of them and used the remaining four wires for the pair of back of the house sensors.


Hydrostatic mower drive belt - Troy Bilt Horse I have a Troy Bilt horse that has 2 belts, one for the 2 blades on the deck and a drive belt that runs the hydrostatic transmission.

The transmission belt broke, and I can't figure out how to get to the rear portion of it that changes.  I have linked to 2 pictures:

The one with the fain in it is an overhead view below the battery and on top of the transmission on the back of the mower.

The second is the breakout of this section of the parts list.

I need to take the nut on top of the fan off to get the belt around the pully (you can see the bracket that the pully sits "in" in the breakout.  I have 2 problems:

How do I get a wrench around the nut above the fan?  There's no room.
How do I keep that from turning?  I can turn the fan by hand if the brake is on or not, and if the transmission is engaged or not.  There is a pull-out lever that disengages the transmission, but that pully always freely turns so when I get a wrench around it I cannot stop the shaft and everything from turning.

How do I do this?  Pictures are here:

http://imgur.com/a/N2zA7  and inline

It's fairly typical for lawnmowers to have guards like part #57 which make it difficult but not impossible to get the belt on.  They're more concerned with making it difficult for the belt to come off.  Though, this also helps keep it in place while you fiddle with the other end.  You may need to strongarm it a bit, but try to bend them back to the original positions.

If you really want to get the fan off, you need a crow-foot wrench and will probably need to hold the pulley with a strap wrench and work against that.  Don't be surprised if it's a reverse thread. The pulley will be splined to the shaft.

I've recently seen a suggestion to hold the pulley by twisting the belt with a flat nail bar.  Then put a short 2x4 between the nail bar and frame.


What to do about breaker that triggers main panel, and breaker that's stuck? I've moved into an older home and am trying to figure out the wiring. There's a small addition at the back of the house where I'm trying to figure out the wiring behind a blank wall panel.

Before digging in I'd like to turn the power off to the area - I've flipped every single breaker (in a poorly labeled box) but one and the power never went out to the room. The only one I didn't flip I couldn't flip - it seems stuck which I imagine could be a problem. Should I have it replaced or should I just try harder? Is it something I could DIY - is turning off the main breaker in the breaker box enough to replace a sub-breaker, or do I need an external disconnect?

There isn't much rhyme or reason to this box, poorly labelled with breakers turned on that aren't wired to anything as far as I can tell and have now been off for a week with no noticeable effect. The only breaker that was off I tried turning back on and it triggered the main breaker for the whole box - I assume that's horrible and dangerous and that there's got to be a short in the box itself?

In the attached image, the breaker that's on is the one that seems stuck, and the one that's off is what triggers the big breaker at the top of the panel (not pictured.) For reference, I believe we have 100A service.

EDIT:

This breaker is probably fine right - just throw it back in the panel /s

The burn may be from the breaker in the slot beneath this one, the breaker that tripped the main breaker. The one pictured here was the one I thought was stuck, turns out it wasn't, but I put a new one in anyway.

Referring to the panel with breakers 4L and 6R in red: Turns out the wires from the same cable were wired to two breakers - a black wire to 4R and a red wire to 6R (6L has no wire.) It seems to me that kind of setup requires a two pole breaker with the black and red each being on one pole?

Right now the red wire is still connected to 6R that remains off (and labeled "DANGER".) 4R is actually powering a small circuit with two lights and one outlet.

I was up to my elbows in the breaker panel today - there was a whole wad of disconnected wires, some with a pair (white) still connected to the panel neutral.

QO's are quality breakers, so your "off breaker" is probably a tripped breaker because the circuit it's feeding has a big short.  When you reset it, the short was strong enough to also trip the main breaker.  (i.e. trip the main first).  That sometimes happens.  The repair here is to hunt down and fix the short.  It's either amateurish or failed wiring at a junction box, or a nail driven through the Romex.

Your breaker that won't turn off is a very serious problem and that breaker should be pulled immediately.  It is an old-school "double-stuff" breaker.  The new style QO "double-stuffs" look different, the switches are abreast of each other.   That is fine.


Is the ventilation in my utility closet a construction mistake? With colder weather here in Northern Colorado (down to 22° F) my Goodman 90% efficiency furnace (GKS90453BX) came on for the first time in the (ca. 2005) home that I recently moved into.

The furnace was blowing only very slightly warm air. I checked the filter and it is fine.

However, I did notice that the closet containing my gas furnace and gas water heater was very, very cold. Upon further inspection, I noticed two 4" vent pipes that terminate in the ceiling on one end and to the exterior of the home on the other end. (See photos.)

Are these possibly artifacts from an optional 80% efficiency install? Can I close them off? The closet doors are bi-fold with a gap at the bottom, so I imagine there would be enough fresh air supply, but that is what I want to double check. Thanks!

UPDATE: I found the manual for the 40,000 BTU Water heater. It included the following instructions regarding combustion air availability. Provided I don't have a "tight construction" it appears that I can add combustion air via two additional 10" x 4" openings in the closet doors to communicate with the sufficiently volumetric adjacent inside air space.

  Confined Spaces
  Confined spaces are spaces defined as having less than
  50 feet³ (1.41 m³) of space per 1,000 BTU (.29kw) per hour of input.

  Unconfined Spaces
  In unconfined spaces in buildings, infiltration may
  be adequate to provide air for combustion, ventilation and dilution of
  flue gases. However, in buildings of tight construction (for example,
  weather stripping, heavily insulated, caulked, vapor barrier, etc.),
  additional air may need to be provided using the methods described
  above under CONFINED SPACES: All Air From Outdoors or SPECIALLY
  ENGINEERED INSTALLATIONS.

  All Air From Inside the Building: The
  confined space shall be provided with two permanent openings
  communicating directly with an additional room(s) of sufficient volume
  so that the combined volume of all spaces meets the criteria for an
  unconfined space. The total input of all gas utilization equipment
  installed in the combined space shall be considered in making this
  determination. Each opening shall have a minimum free area of 1 inch²
  (6.45 cm²) per 1000 BTU (.29 kw) per hour of the total input rating of
  all gas utilization equipment in the confined space, but not less than
  100 square inches (645 cm²). One opening shall be within 12 inches (31
  cm) of the top and one within 12 inches (31 cm) of the bottom of the
  enclosure.

  All Air From Outdoors: The confined space shall be provided
  with two permanent openings, one commencing within 12 inches (31 cm)
  of the top and one commencing within 12 inches (31 cm) from the bottom
  of the enclosure. The openings shall communicate directly, or by
  ducts, with the outdoors or spaces (crawl or attic) that freely
  communicate with the outdoors.

  When directly communicating with the outdoors, each opening shall have a minimum free area of 1 inch² (6.45 cm²) per 4000 BTU (1.2 kw)
  per hour of total input rating of all equipment in the enclosure.
  When communicating with the outdoors through vertical ducts, each opening shall have a minimum free area of 1 inch² (6.45 cm²) per 4000
  BTU (1.2 kw) per hour of total input rating of all equipment in the
  enclosure.
  When communicating with the outdoors through horizontal ducts, each opening shall have a minimum free area of 1 inch² (6.45 cm²) per 2000
  BTU (.6 kw) per hour of total input rating of all equipment in the
  enclosure.
  When ducts are used, they shall be of the same cross-sectional area as the free area of the openings to which they connect. The minimum
  dimension of rectangular air ducts shall be not less than 3 inches
  (7.5 cm).

The furnace has the intake and exhaust of a sealed unit but the water heater is an old style open burner. The water heater requires the outside vent. The size of the vent is based on the BTU rating of the water heater. I would not close off the vent because this provides the fresh air for the water heater.


What's better aluminum tape or mesh tape w/mastic for sealing dryer vent? Running dryer vent exhaust out of side of dryer.  Using solid 4" aluminum duct pipe.  To seal connections is it better to use regular HVAC aluminum duct tape or mesh with mastic.  Have used both in HVAC systems but not in running dryer vents.  Any shortcomings or foreseeable problems with either.  Thanks

Using mesh and mastic is very important if you want to seal all of your HVAC runs in a house.  Tape simply doesn't adhere good enough over time to limit the tiny holes they are trying to cover.  It is a big deal to seal a house up right because a properly sealed unit can be 10-20% more efficient - and that is a lot of money for the 2-4 hours it takes to seal it right.

However... your dryer is not part of your HVAC system.  It is just a vent going to the outside of your house.  The tape is just used to make sure there is a smooth transition so that nothing get caught in your connections (you should not screw in your dryer venting runs to each other).  Therefore aluminum tape is the way to go because when you want to clean out your vents you can untape them and retape - hard to do this with mesh/mastic.


Can I put a LED tube in a high frequency ballast fixture without removing the ballast? To replace my old fluorescent tube lamp I bought a LED tube. The old fixture was one with an electrical ballast and without an additional starter as shown below.

I read that I was supposed to bypass the ballast completely, as LED tubes don't need them any more. Regardless, I wanted to test whether the tube would work without removing the ballast first and put it in, but nothing happened when I turned it on. Later I tried the tube again in a different fixture with a LED starter and to my surprise it didn't turn on in that fixture either, while it had turned on just fine earlier. Did I break the LED tube by not removing the ballast first or was it impossible to begin with?

The packaging of your LED tube should specifically state whether or not it is supposed to use a ballast. If you connected a no-ballast tube to a ballasted socket, yes, it is possible that you fried the circuits.

See also the answer to https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/95491/is-it-more-energy-efficient-to-remove-the-ballast-by-using-led-tube


How much cooling can I expect from a central air conditioner? Yesterday's high was 106.0F, low of 79.2F, full sun all day.  AC set at 78F, indoor temperature reached about 85F.
Today's high was 105.4F, low of 81.1F, full sun all day, now about 102 at 7pm.  AC set at 78F all day, temperature climbed steadily through the day, and is now 89F.

Is it reasonable to expect an AC unit to maintain 78F in this weather?

A properly functioning and properly sized central air conditioning unit should be able to maintain the temperature of your house at any reasonable temperature you select.  The amount of cooling available is related to the size of the system, insulation in the house, and finally outside air temperature.

From your description I would guess either you don't have a big enough compressor, or you don't have enough airflow through the house.  It's also possible the cooling element in the system has become dirty and no longer transfers enough heat from the air into the element.


Ceiling fan replacement wiring issues I am replacing a ceiling fan (old fan had wall switches (1) for light (1) for fan).  The new fan also has a light but has a wireless remote too. My issue is that the old fan used, black, white, blue, & green wires. The new fan motor only uses black & white wires.

So I can not use the wall light switch and fan wall switch to control the fan I have to use the remote. I want to use the wall switch to turn fan on/off and the fan switch to turn the fan on/off.

Can I somehow use my wall switches to my new fan. The box to the fan has all the wires the fan doesn't. Can I add a blue wire to the light fixture thru the fan?
Install instructions: http://pdf.lowes.com/installationguides/836071007989_install.pdf

Return your fan and get a better fan

What you have discovered is one of the main reasons cheap ceiling fans with built-in remote receivers are a bad deal in the long run: the packaged receiver is designed based on the assumption that that's the only way you'll ever control the ceiling fan.

So, I'd take this fan back to where you got it from and get a better fan that supports separate fan and light wall switches instead -- you'll be glad you did in the long run.


My "smart toaster" recently started tripping the circuit/fuse... Advice please I have a Breville 'smart toaster oven' which I've used for 7 years in two different apartments with no problems. As of the last month, the toaster oven will randomly trip the circuit (that is, in the kitchen wall outlet, which can be reset by clicking in the button in the outlet itself; does not trip the fuse in the house-wide breaker, apologies if incorrect terminology). I tried multiple outlets, same issue. Sometimes it happens after 2 seconds, sometimes after 1 minute.

Does anyone have any advice here? It is definitely out of warranty, and I know that parts+labor from a professional shop will be more than a new one (I called a couple) so.. can I do any kind of repair myself that wouldn't be too tough, or is it just time to give in and buy a new one? I hate to buy new when I can fix so would appreciate any leads, especially if it wouldn't be too expensive. Thank you in advance.

EDIT: Based on answeres here I have realized the outlet is GFCI.  I just tried plugging the toaster into a non GFCI outlet, it works! Is this: A) OK for short term as I order/research a new toaster and B) possibly OK for the long term rather than replacing a toaster?

You have a ground fault, and the GFCI in the receptacle is tripping, as it should, to protect you.

The fault could be anywhere in the wiring of the toaster oven. Since it does not happen immediately, my guess is that it is not in the power switch connection or power supply (the electronic controls have some sort of power supply to convert from high-voltage AC to low-voltage DC) but probably something related to the heating element(s). Possibly a loose connection on one of the heating elements so that as it starts to heat up something shorts and the GFCI trips to prevent any more serious problems.

If the heating elements are designed to be user-replaceable (rare on a small appliance though not impossible) then I would go through the process of disassembly, removal, clean contacts as much as possible on the elements and where they connect in the toaster oven (there may be oxidation or evidence of arcing) and replace the elements. If that doesn't fix it, or if that is not practical, then it is time for a new toaster oven.

Unfortunately, small appliances are not generally designed to be very repairable. Under warranty, depending on the company & the particular device, warranty repair is often:

Do a quick check to make sure it is not a really simple problem and then send out a "refurbished" item which is often just a return from a store for cosmetic or "didn't like it and returned but can't sell it because the packaging is damaged" item.

So a professional repair out-of-warranty is very likely not cost-effective.


Grounding a 2 gang metal box in a wet area In my pool area, I have a metal box that has 2 switches (spa air and pool light). Each switch has a green screw and the box itself has 2 green screws. There is also ground coming into the box. How are the grounding connections to be made. The box is suitable for wet locations. No connections have been made yet. Thanks in advance...

The fact that it's a wet location doesn't make a difference to how you make your wire connections (although it needs to be on a GFCI circuit because it's for a pool light). Connect a pig-tail ground wire the green screw on each of the switches and a 3rd one to the green screw on the box.  Wire nut all three of them together with the ground coming into the box.


Should concrete stair landing be anchored to building? I have a small, approximately 3x3' concrete landing in front of my basement door, from which stairs go up to the street level. I need to redo it and was wondering whether to tie the rebar from under the slab to bolt anchors I can set into the foundation footing of the house that it is attached to.  I can think of reason pro and con both.

E.g. I think anchoring it would make it firmer combined with the building and resisting breakage from ground movements (e.g. nearby drainage) to a certain degree but at the same time, if it does exceed that point it might be better not to be tied to induce breakage along the contact line where the slab meets the building and not some other point (if my line of thinking is right, please correct me if wrong).

I was thinking to drill 3-4 anchor holes in the foundation using my hammer drill, set led anchors and drive some bolts, then tie the rebar from under the slab to it using chicken wire.

Ok guess I need to put as an answer thanks @DMoore. I regularly tie small slabs to the foundation. You don't have to use anchors if you drill you holes at angles like- / \ / \ / \ - you can use 20 penny galvanized nails the angles keep it from moving away and from settling


Floor nailer nailing too deep. Am I even using the right tool? I'm installing a floor with 1/2" engineered hardwood. This is the stuff that's basically tongue and groove plywood with a small layer of nice finished hardwood as the top layer. I've purchased a floor nailer to do the job. Unfortunately, the flooring staples always seem to be going too deep. The one exception was too shallow and at an air pressure well below what the tool specifies as the minimum.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I'm actually using the right stuff to secure the floor. The manufacturer was not specific with their instructions.

This is an example of what happens when the tool is run at normal power. This particular example was about 85 PSI. The tool specifies 70-100.

I dropped the pressure below the minimum in an attempt to get better results. This was around 40 PSI, well below the tool's stated minimum.

This is a cross-section of the flooring I'm installing. With the angles on the edge, there isn't much except the tongue for the stable to grab in to anyway. Going deep enough to avoid blocking the next piece at the top seems like it will always end up splintering the plywood.

These nailers are made to handle solid wood flooring and thick subfloors.  Your engineered floor is much easier to nail, and you may have a pretty "soft" subfloor as well (not a bad thing, necessarily, just saying that it accepts nails pretty easily).  The max PSI is important because that is the MOST the tool can handle without blowing seals, etc.

Don't pay attention to the minimum.  On nailers, that is a "best guess" for the PSI needed to do a typical job so you can make sure the compressor you have will be enough.  It's not like you will hurt the nailer with low pressure.  A nailer might work down to 10PSI if you are nailing styrofoam (not that you would want to do that).

So, play with the pressure until it's driving the staples the correct depth.  However, when you use a lower pressure like that, any irregularity in the subfloor will lead to a staple that's not driven all the way.  That's fine - just be prepared to manually set a staple every once in a while and don't get frustrated when it happens.  Find the sweet spot on pressure and even adjust it if you get to a section of floor that starts behaving differently.


How do I replace a bathtub drain trip lever? The trip lever for the drain in my bath tub is very old (I'm guessing 30+ years) and has begun corroding and rusting. It's definitely time to replace it. I plan to replace the entire trip lever along with the trim plate, linkage, and drain plug.

Any tips for replacing it with a new one? What should I look for when buying the replacement parts? Are they all standard or do I need to be sure to look for a particular size to fit the existing tub? Any gotchas I should be aware of while removing the old one or installing the new one?

Admittedly, I haven't done it before but I came across instructions awhile ago (courtesy of eHow and Google).  Maybe they'll be helpful.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fix-a-broken-tub-trip-lever

http://www.ehow.com/how_3391064_replace-triplever-bathtub-drain.html

-M


How can I prevent multiple socket from being damaged? I have the following setup at home:

one PC (300 W PSU)
two 22 " TFT monitors
a speaker system
one external hard disk with separate PSU -

all of the devices are plugged into a multiple socket with a foot-operated switch (sorry for the poor wording. What's the real name for this ?).

Nomally (and during operations) I am well below the maximum ratings of both the safety fuse and the multiple socket (both rate at 230VDC, 16 A ==> 3680 W).

However, I just yesterday replaced the multiple socket for the second time, because the switch is no longer operational (it is always 'ON'). When I moved into a new home a year ago, I noticed that the safety fuse often triggered when I switched on the multiple socket. I then replaced the fuse with a more lazy one (meaning it does not trigger as fast on power surges)

I suspect that the issue at hand is, that the moment I switch on the TFTs and the computer PSU immediately begin loading their capacitors and I get a really hefty spike.

How could I go about this?
Would it be enough to to attach a ferrit bead to the TFT cables?

It's more likely that the problem you're experiencing is high inrush current. All the gear you have connected is going to use switchmode power supplies, which have characteristic high inrush current when first connected to power as large capacitors inside charge. The inrush current for a switchmode supply can be many times higher than its normal consumption, though only for a very short period (less than a second). See the inrush current row of this table.

It is possible that the combined inrush is enough to damage your board/pop fuses. The only way around this would be a board that can handle more current (may not be practical/easy to find one), or to stagger-start the devices - that, is don't have them all energise at once. Neither of these solutions is ideal, you may need to look at spreading the devices over two boards.


How to Wire New Ceiling Fan with Remote and Wall Switch? I wired my new ceiling fan to the picture attached. It was not working because the light stayed on all the time so I put the blue from the ceiling fan to the black and black from ceiling and receiver. That fixed the light issue but now the fan only works when the light switch is ON.

What wire to I need to change to make it so the fan works when the light switch is on and off?

So we have a couple of conventions here.  The conventions are suggestions.

First, over on the wall/ceiling side, the "convention" is that black is always-hot, and red is switched-hot from a switch.
Second, on the fan, there's another "convention": blue is light and black is fan.

So. The problem is that your ceiling wires did not follow the convention (nor are they required to). The instruction diagram assumed they did.  But in fact they are exchanged.  The black is switched and the red is always-hot.
Connect ceiling red to the input of the receiver.  Connect ceiling black to the lamp blue wire.    That should get you home.


How to get water in my basement to flow to the floor drain I'm in an old house that occasionally gets water in the basement. The basement isn't finished so it isn't a big deal if some water comes in right now. The problem right now is that there's a drain in the poured concrete floor, but the floor isn't perfectly level and the drain seems to be at the highest point in the floor. So the water flows everywhere except for the drain.

How can I get the water that comes in to flow towards the drain? I've considered cutting channels in the floor for water to flow, but I'm wondering if there's an easier and less drastic solution.

Right now, I'm just looking for a stop-gap. I've done all the little things I can to improve drainage from my house and stop water from coming in. Sealing the foundation and fixing the poorly-designed window wells isn't a job I can tackle right now.

Depending on how out of level your concrete floor is, filling in the uneven surface with self-leveling concrete could improve the slope and drainage of the floor. Odd that the drain is at the highest point, but in an old house it could have settled over time. A quick search for self-leveling concrete at a big-box home improvement store brought up a product that can fill from a feathered edge thickness to 1.5" of variation.

If you just want to get any puddles of standing water into the drain, a shop broom or long-handled squeegee could be used to push the water toward the drain.


What are the different parts of a toilet seat called? I know a toilet seat has two parts but what are they called?

Can someone find me a diagram, or just tell me what the two parts are called?  I think the top part is the lid...and the bottom part with the hole in it is the seat..am I right about this?

Lid/cover,seat, hinge,mounting stud or bolt, retaining nuts, you could also include the bumpers if they aren't molded into the seat and lid.


Do I need to remove old adhesive residue before installing new self-adhesive flooring? I have an old peel and stick floor in my kitchen that's is getting replaced. I'm putting down a new peel and stick floor. I'm removing the old one because it's curling and lifting from age. The subfloor has the sticky residue in it. Do I need to remove the adhesive or can I lay the floor right on top?

Check the "surface prep" instructions as it will likely instruct you to remove all previous residue, grease, dust, etc... or else they won't warrant their product.

FYI, removing all of the residue is damn near impossible as you are finding out and if you lay down new peel-n-stick then take a wild guess at what will happen to your new flooring in a few years.

I would probably choose to lay down the thinnest underlayment I can find such as 1/4 inch common plywood so that the project doesn't go to sh1t after a few years.


Getting rid of rough edges after removing old paint I have an old weatherboard house.

Removed a lot of old, flaked paint recently from a relatively large section of the house above a rickety old garage. Because it wasn't the safest place to be, I was out of a lower grit paper for my orbital and as i'd been up there for two  days stripping, bogging and sanding some of the areas where I had removed old paint had not been completely feathered with the paint that remained. I primed it with two coats and these rough edges are noticeable when viewed up close (although not from the ground).

To get rid of these rough edges would I be best to sand the areas of concern with a lower grit and then reprime?

Yeah, that's totally fine.  You do that all the time with restorative surface prep, alternating layers of epoxy primer, "bondo" (Abatron, West System ultralight filler etc.), sanding, primer, bondo, rinse wash repeat.

Though honestly, the best thing you can possibly do with a rickety old garage is stabilize it.  Why? Because stabilizing an old building is vastly cheaper than building a new one.  A new building, I swear, is 1/3 entitlements - fighting with the government for your right to build the building at all, all the extra junk you have to add to the new building's specifications to get approved - concrete foundation, AFCI breakers, trench new utilities to meet new code, requiring a bathroom for Pete's sake which means you must now plumb water and gas or much larger electrical so you can heat the building all year, sweet Nelly,  there's really no end to it.  It's a nightmare.  So yeah, if you ever foresee wanting a building this size, save this one.


How would 8x32 tiles look with one vertical seam on shower walls that measure 39.5“ by 35.5” by 39.5"? I asked this question yesterday with 8x16 tiles, but today I found this tile in a larger size, 8"x32".

The thing is, I made the mistake of putting 2" x 2" tiles on my shower floor of a tile that is hard to match. This being my first tile job, I didn't plan properly.

As said, I found the matching tile in size, 8x32, and they also have the bullnose tiles(3x16). The widths of my shower walls are 39.5" by 35.5" by 39.5".

How would it look if I had one vertical seam on all three walls? I know it would be a lot of waste, but that's ok.

The manufacturer says it's a "porcelain tile that looks like marble." The tile is: Gardenia Orchidea Varenna beige.

Thanks! Joe

You don't.  I have installed around 50 showers and designed maybe 5 times that.  You don't buy tile that is just a little shorter than your width.  If you did buy this tile I would run it vertically.

Also I would think if you could possibly extend the edge walls as far as the tile.  You have to think of your shower as a big puzzle.  You want to match the pieces to your shower.  Larger pieces in a small shower are just odd.  It only works well if the pieces match up somehow and in your case they don't.  You are going to spend a lot of time staggering these things to look well.

Really the only thing you could do is a diamond pattern with something that % of the width and that is a really hard install.  Good luck - (buy something that works better).


Should lintels above wall portals be considered for smoke alarm placement? I need to place a smoke alarm on my first floor (no sleeping areas). There is a wall portal with a 15" lintel (see image) between the living room and the dining room.

I am unsure whether one alarm is adequate for both of these areas. My understanding is that smoke in either of these areas would tend to hug the ceiling and therefore, I would think that there would have to be a lot of smoke before it would begin to dip below the lintel into the other area. Assuming only one alarm in either area, my concern is that this could significantly delay the alarm. So, I wonder if the right solution is to install an alarm in each of these areas.

In the event of a fire, would enough smoke be in the air to trigger an alarm in either area or would the lintel tend to localize the smoke to one area and thus delay the alarm?

Yes and fantastic question, the lintel/header/apron will absolutely delay detection...by quite a lot. Therefore, I absolutely agree with Jack that you need to place the detector closer (the lintel side that's closer to the threat) to the known threat area or even just within the shortest path from that area. Which, may not involve this lintel nor these rooms.

An abundance of appliances is always your biggest culprit indicator, not that a TV or outlet's wiring could be faulty... though they would've typically revealed themselves with early symptoms.

I would suggest either a ceiling placement of the detector or a high wall placement that results in the detector being very close to the crown molding. The ceiling will fill with smoke long before it escapes beneath the lintel/header/apron.


Why were these load bearing walls not stacked? I was making a model of a house to help design a renovation and in my measuring I discovered that the center load bearing wall on the first floor was not centered over the load bearing beam and columns in the basement below by a difference of about 8". The cross section shown below is to scale and is the entire house; it's a 20' x 40' rectangle in plan. First floor joists are 2x8's and ceiling joists are 2x6's. Upper space is finished and is an occupied bedroom. It’s in the state of Wisconsin, USA. House was built in 1930, every framing member is douglas fir.

I found this to be so strange. Is there any reason to do this other than lending asymmetry to the floor plan? Is this legit? This seems like an unstable arrangement in the long term.

Why it was done?  Because the designer wanted the wall in one place upstairs and another place downstairs.

Is this legit?  I can't answer whether it was to code when first built, or whether it is still to code, but I am pretty sure it is safe.  Essentially the first floor wall is being supported by a cantilevered beam projecting out from the ground floor wall.  Given that the beam is 8" deep, cantilevering out by 8" wouldn't concern me at all.

Given that the structure has stood for 89 years thus far, it is probably good for another 89 years. Don't worry about it.

Having said that, you do need to make sure that your remodelling allows for the extra stresses this creates.  So beware if you need to cut holes in the timbers for pipework or electrical; you need holes rather than notches even more than usual.


How can I seal between siding and sunroom to block bee access? I have a sunroom which is right next to the siding of my houses:

However, as shown below, there are some gaps between the siding and the sunroom, and some bees go inside the gaps and make holes.

I’d like to block the gaps so that bees can’t do any more.
I am not the original owner, and my house was built 25 years ago. I found that there is some sealant (a bit dark gray) between the siding and the sunroom, but the sealant between them is disconnected because the sunroom might have moved a bit, I guess.
Can you guess what the material of the sealant is?  Do you think Plumber’s Putty could be applied on top of the existing sealant? Would you recommend any products or any approach for my situation?
I am very worried about holes bees make because I found that some holes were very deep and the wooden post in the overview got a bit rotated for some reason.
Thank you so much for your advice in advance.
-Sam
====================================================================
(Added)
I bought this house about two years ago, and I am very new to house care even though I am trying to keep learning.
Many thanks to @FreeMan, @isherwood and @JRaef for recommending latex caulk, butyl rubber caulking, and duct seal. However, I am still very confused because they all seem very different to me.
Is there any way of me telling what the material of the sealant is (kind of) exactly? or all of them (latex caulk, butyl rubber caulking, and duct seal) should work well in my application and I can pick any of them? e.g., "latex caulk" with "backer rod" should work for gaps of 1.5 inches?
Let me add some more pictures for your understanding.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5gsehq24g95vosu/AADvSXLkL-GOhVRmSOjr1v5Ja?dl=0
gap_ruler.jpeg: gaps are wide up to about 1.5 inches.
shape1.jpeg, shape_round.jpeg, and shape_cracked.jpeg: the pictures show cracked, rounded and different shapes.
sample.jpg: I took a piece.
Please let me know if any more info needs to be provided.
Thank you so much again.

It's possibly "duct seal", a flexible and sticky material sold for plugging cable entrance holes. If so, you can add more over the top. You'd work it into a rope by rolling it between your hands, then press it in place.

It could also be some sort of tube caulk. Since it doesn't appear to be silicone you should be able to bond to it with either duct seal or caulk.

A better fix might be to scribe-fit a thin trim board to the siding. You'd do this by tracing the siding using a spacer, then cut to fit with a jigsaw or similar.


How to demo a partially structural chimney? Just bought a new home and would like to remove its chimney. It was originally built on the outside of the home and they built a carport up around it. It looks like it may have sprung a leak, so the top was removed and the rest remains. I would like to tear it down, but am worried the roof is partially supported by the chimney, as a hanging rafter/beam terminates into it. Should this be a concern to demoing?

It looks like the rafter is , or can be, supported by the house wall, if that is the case just ensure that it is well attached and begin demolition by removing bricks from the top.


How do you count conductors that are pigtailed (box fill)? I am wondering how conductors are counted for box fill calculations.  In the  illustration, the box on the left has 4 conductors, hot/neutral coming in and hot/neutral wires carrying power out to the next receptacle.  In the box on the right, the wires are pigtailed, yet still two wires bringing power in and two carrying power out to the next thing downstream.  But, there is also two short wires connected to the receptacle itself.  Does this count as 6 conductors for box fill calculations?

Thanks!

Box fill is covered in article 314.16 of the NEC. The wires are counted by size and type for example 14 awg wire is 2 cubic inches for each hot , neutral and only counted once for the ground, if you have a pig tail that doesn’t add to the count, if you have 12 awg wire it is 2.25 for each with a mix of 14 & 12 the 1 ground wire counted will be the largest or 2.25. The device or switch/ receptacle counts 2x the cu inches of the largest wire connecting to it so if a 12 gauge wire connects the receptacle takes 4.5 cu inches.
If the boxes have clamps those count 1 time also for the largest wire size . That’s the basics the short pigtails and wirenuts are not added in the amount of the fill.


24vac transformer inside furnace I'm adding a humidifier to my furnace. The included 24vac transformer fits nicely on the inner electrical box in the upper furnace compartment.  I like that it keeps everything behind the external switch, and keeps the 24v terminals covered.  However, i wonder if it might get too hot in there.
Is the inner furnace power box a safe location for a transformer?

It should be fine - there are undoubtedly other, similar components related to the furnace itself that are also located inside the cabinet. Just make sure it's securely fastened so that vibrations don't knock it loose.
Sidenote: if it were me, I would replace that smallish beige wirenut with one of those deeper yellow ones so the wires aren't exposed.


How do I determine when the temperature will be safe to pour concrete without additives? I'm owner-building a house and need to schedule my contractors, materials, and travel, but since nothing can start until the slab is in place, and the slab is weather sensitive, I need to know how to determine when I can schedule the pour.

The house will have a monolithic slab foundation. From my research it appears that concrete should not be poured when the weather will be below 50F during the curing process, and curing can take 72 hours (3 days).

I'm in the northern part of Georgia (US) and the monthly average temperature for February is is highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's. March is highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's. April has highs in the 70's and lows in the 40's. May has highs in the 80's and lows in the 50's.

I'd like to get started as soon as it is safe, but I don't want to use any additives and don't want to risk any low-temperature related foundation problems.

Do I need to wait until May? Can I sneak it in during February if there's a 3-day warm front? Is there an accurate way to know what the weather will be like months in advance? Or do we just set up the forms, have them inspected and ready to go, and watch the weather until there's a three day continuous window over 50 degrees?

Since you're in Gerogia you might not have this readily available, but in Minnesota we use hydronic heaters and insulated blankets to both thaw frozen ground if needed and to help concrete cure for a few days in below freezing weather. A hydronic heater is a a portable pump that forces heated water through flexible hoses laid over the concrete.

To answer your question, no you won't need to heat curing concrete if the temperature stays above freezing. Just let it cure a few extra days, or wait the full 28 days if you're extremely concerned.

Concrete that cures at a lower temperature is actually stronger after 28 days than concrete that cures at a higher temperature (assuming it doesn't freeze!) Source: Role of Concrete Curing


Should I install a plywood layer over concrete before I install laminate flooring? I’m installing laminate flooring in my basement. I have watched a few videos - some people add the laminate on the concrete with a moisture barrier, but some add a plywood layer over the concrete and then a barrier before the laminate. What are the advantages of adding plywood?
I’m in Colorado and the basement gets really cold. Will the plywood help with keeping more warmth?
EDIT - the install instructions allow for installation over plywood or concrete

There is no general answer to this.  You need to carefully read the manufacturer's recommendations for this particular flooring product.  They will have instructions for installation on top of common subfloor types.
If not, check with your dealer and/or contact the manufacturer directly.


How do I determine if a wall is load bearing? I'm considering removing a wall in my master bathroom but I can't tell if it is a load bearing wall or not. I've done a fair amount of research. I don't have the house blueprints, and it's difficult to get above this area in the attic. The house was built in 2007. The joists are East and West, parallel with this wall. I felt pretty confident removing this wall until I cut a small hole for further examination and found several stacked two by fours at the top. Is it common to do this on non load bearing walls or am I right to be concerned? Here is a picture for reference:

EDIT:

I removed some more drywall and checked in the attic. Here you can see there is a brace resting on a 2x6(?). I've never moved something like that before. Are there DIY options to continue with this project, or should I abandon hope?

OK normally load bearing walls will have 2 plates on top.  But having 2 plates means nothing.

People frame however they learned to or want.  Checking door header also means nothing.  Some people flip all door headers - doesn't make the wall load bearing.  You can never get into the head of the guy who framed your house.  I worked for a construction company in college... the owner taught everyone to basically frame every wall like it was load bearing - 2 top plates and headers flipped was a minimum.  I asked him one day why we were doing this and he basically said - Well it might cost an extra $10 on some walls but we never have to worry or redo anything.

You told me this wall goes in same direction as attic joists...  That is a good sign.  You need to get into the attic and see what it is attached to.  If it isn't supporting a joist it isn't load bearing.  If this wall is just floating between 2 joists - even with a few 2x4s for cross bracing - it is not load bearing.

However if there is structural bracing in the attic it is/could be load bearing.  Or if it is directly under a joist.

You have two choices to figure this out.  Get up in the attic or tear down enough drywall to figure out what you have.  If you are a gambler and want this wall down just tear out the drywall - you will have to remove it to the joist on each side to redrywall anyway.


What can I improvise to slowly close a door? I have a hall door that I want to have automatically close slowly, not fast.  I've tried a proper door closer.  It was cheap but became very noisy fast.  The other issue with it is I have young children and the youngest had trouble pushing it open even though the strength was wound down.

Option 2: I found something I think would work.  Butterfly spring door closers.  These are put over the hinge pin.  However, getting them to NZ is a ridiculously expensive process.  A $3 spring wants US$30 - $60 shipping from Amazon or Ebay.  I can't find them on Ali Express which usually has free shipping to NZ.

Any other improvising options?  I was considering a weight, some strings and eyelets but that would look a little bit untidy.

Run a light chain from the frame to the door.  The attach a small weight to its center.


What Size Heat Shrink Tubing for Splicing Lamp Wire (SPT-2 18-2 AWG)? I am splicing some lamp cables.  The cable is SPT-2 18-2 lamp wire.  First I will be using some vinyl insulated butt splices rated for 22-18 AWG and 600v to make the connection.  Then, I want to cover the splices with heat shrink tubing.  I'm having a hard time finding definitive results on what size tubing to use, though I am inferring from various sources that it's probably 3/4" polyolefin tubing that I need.  Can anyone confirm or deny this, or otherwise make a suggestion?

You should not be splicing lamp wires outside the fixture or lamp. If you need to splice in the middle of a run you should replace the cord.

Inside a fixture or lamp no heat shrink is required or needed.

Heat shrink tubing just needs to fit over the area to be covered before shrinking.

  Article 400 Flexible Cords and Cables

  400.9 Splices

  Flexible cord shall be used only in continuous lengths without splice
  or tap where initially installed in applications permitted by
  400.7(A). The repair of hard-service cord and junior hard-service cord (see Trade Name column in Table 400.4) 14 AWG and larger shall be
  permitted if conductors are spliced in accordance with 110.14(B) and
  the completed splice retains the insulation, outer sheath properties,
  and usage characteristics of the cord being spliced.


Strange leak from toilet refill valve It's been now some weeks that my wc is behaving strange, leaking water when refilling. I found the time today to open it and I noticed that, after discharging, the refill mechanism seems to work fine but the water does not come out from where I expect it. I'll add some pics and explain.

on the left there is the valve, a fluidmaster 747 (pretty cheap standard piece it seems). Basically, when it refills water drips out from the top part, not where a hose is supposed to be attached (missing here, who know why, it has not fallen inside) but from the back, in a jet that sometimes is able to drip outside of the cover and makes the area below permanently wet. Sorry for gif quality but weight limit on images gave me trouble.

I'm not sure if this is the normal operation and it is just oriented wrong or what else happened here, how can I fix it so that water does not drip outside? It is cheap, but I would like to avoid replacement, also just so you know, I'm a tenant if it is relevant for any advice.

In the end, I confirmed that that is not the normal way of working by checking the other bathroom (the thought of having one only occurred to me some weeks later, as I don't usually use it).
In that one, a cloth had been strapped on the top of the valve, so that water that would come out from there would not be able to go far but would stay inside, so I assumed the same problem had arisen and they solved it that way.
I thought of using the same trick, but I didn't because it would create a place for mold to grow and I wanted to avoid that. Instead I added a rectangular piece of plastic in the foam in the back so that the jet cannot reach the cover, and cannot go outside.


Can a Smart light switch be used for a Gas fireplace insert? I have a gas fireplace that the on/off function is controlled by a light switch. The switch is connected to two wires only, a black and white wire. There is no ground wire. Can a smart switch be used as a replacement and will it work?

Probably not. On the gas fireplaces I have installed the on off switch was a millivolt contact. If this is the case there will be no power to run the smart switch unless it is battery powered.
If the fireplace is a 120v control then in most cases you will need a neutral.  If you provide the model of the fireplace and the smart switch we could provide more information. There are some smart switches that do not require neutrals but depending on the type of control for the fireplace even those might not work.


Can I add an occupancy sensor to a 3-way circuit? If I replace one switch in a 3-way circuit with an occupancy switch, would this cause the occupancy switch to work in reverse (or not at all) if the regular switch was toggled?

If so, would the best solution be to remove the second switch from the circuit, or just put two occupancy switches in? The switches are nearby enough that only one is necessary for proper operation.

DMoore is spot on about using the 3-way occupancy sensor, but off a bit about needing to replace both switches with occupancy sensors.  The occupancy sensor installation instructions should show how to connect the device to a 3-way circuit, without replacing the other switch.

Here is an example wiring diagram from the Lutron Maestro Occupancy Sensing Switch installation guide.

However, occupancy sensors only work if they can see you. So if the switch locations are not within line of sight, you may have to replace both switches depending on your operating preferences.


How can I remove brown coloring/stains from logs? The outer walls in a log cabin are solid logs.  I had a slight leakage problem through fittings between some of them which left brown stains on the logs.  The leakage problem is long gone but the stains remain.  Any idea how I can remove them?  If I paint over them would the stains eventually seep through?

Had a similar problem with building a 10" round log home, some of the logs got wet. We tried everything including sandblasting to remove it.

The only solution we found was 40 grit sandpaper on a random orbital sander to really rough it up and remove 1/16" to 1/32" of wood before we switched to 120 and 200 grit to smooth it back out. Matching the stain might be tough though.


Installing 30amp breaker So can I replace a 15single pole breaker with a 30amp single pole breaker with a 10gauge wire to an outlet even though im not going to use that much power? only for lighting building a grow room

Generally only 30A receptacles are allowed on 30A circuits, and 15 or 20A on 20A circuits, and 15A on 15A circuits.

210.23(B) Says a 30A branch circuit is permitted to supply fixed lighting units with heavy duty lamp holders in other than dwelling units...

So if the building occupancy in County records is residential you likely wouldn't be allowed to do that.

Alternately you install a $20 6 space electrical panel in the grow room and break your lighting circuits down to easier to handle 15A or 20A circuits and wire.

If in an allowed occupancy you are allowed to use cord and receptacle connections, but there are additional requirements in Article 422, including the receptacle is required to be directly above the light and stain relief issues.


Recessed LED lighting orange connectors Installing 12 recessed light cans in the basement. Figured I'd go LED, so I purchased a dozen HALO LED housings (H750T). Then I spotted a deal on Philips LED lights and ordered a dozen from HD online. Both have these little orange connectors, so I just figured they were compatible.

Well, the got the lights today and they are not. What are my options here? Is there something else I need to buy, or can I cut these off and connect with wirenuts?

I searched far and wide to find a solution for this for my own remodel.  The orange connectors used by most of the lighting manufacturers is a standard IDEAL product - you can order them online in large quantity or on auction sites in smaller ones.  You can retrofit the HALO cans to be compatible, or even use the connectors (as I did) to connect to GU10 sockets to enable use of LED spots with LED cans.  The IDEAL model is Ideal 182 30-682.

Then you can just quick connect to your wires, plug together and you're good to go.  Surprised these are so hard to find given how prevalent they are in the LED cans and retrofit bulbs.


How to install surface mount box under eave with aluminum covering I want to install a flood light under the eave of my house. I ran the electric from the basement through 2 floors to the third floor attic and into the eave already. I bought the flood light and a round surface mount box.
I asked a guy at Home Depot about the install and showed him this pic I took:

He seemed to know what he was talking about, but didn't mention anything about the eave covering. I then looked up how to do the install on YouTube when I got home and the first video I saw said to not install when the eave has a ridged covering with channels for airflow, which is what it looks like I have. The claim was that this could cause water to get into the box:
https://youtu.be/SQxaWKmGbIw
Should I abandon this little project or can I like, cut a hole in the either aluminum (or vinyl? - I'm guessing aluminum because that's what the garage has) covering to mount the electrical box?
This is the type of box I got:

Round Bronze Weatherproof Box with Five 1/2 in. Threaded Outlets

https://www.homedepot.com/p/204208043

He has an old work box. You have exterior grade; you can put that wherever you want. If you're worried, use dope on the knock-out plugs and the fitting.
Drill a hole in the eve right up against a joist (1" hole saw, or however big it needs to be to actually fit the fitting - it's always bigger than you think). Put the wire through the hole and into the rear KO, then angle your screws to grab the joist. Or add some framing to catch a screw from the other eyelet. I wouldn't caulk anything.
In the future, always plan the end point before you begin.


How to fasten boards flush to the face of square posts I might take 3 square wooden posts, about 1.5 meters high, and I need to link them to one or more boards on the bottom, if you propose screws, keep in mind that it has to sit level so they have to be flush. There also needs to be a board on top but that's not nearly as critical as that's not where the lateral force applies I think.

It might have to hold like 6 kg at that height and not break if there is some lateral pressure due to a fat cat propelling off the top of the stand, assuming the base is large and heavy enough not to move in this situation.

At best what I have at my disposal are a drill with drills bits of various sizes and an electric wood saw, and I don't have a way to keep a complex structure still while drilling into it.

Dowels look nice and easy because everything can be drilled separately on a table and then assembled but maybe they are too weak.
Self tapping screws are another option, but I'm not sure I can do the countersinking properly and put washers in the hole to prevent it from breaking the board and coming up through it laterally if it's thin and there is a lateral force applied on the post. I'm not using fibreboards but it might be as weak as pine.

Also I don't see how it's possible to keep everything still while screwing in the screw with a drill, the post might rotate around and then it can't be put straight anymore. Still, options can be suggested if you think they're much better.

Glue sounds weak but I have no idea really.

Mortise and tenon and other such stuff - I don't have the tools nor the expertise for that.

Visible metal L-brackets are too ugly.

So the main issue is how deep wood dowels or screws would have to go through the post to be safe, but if you have alternatives do tell me.

You have a few options available to you, based on the material which you find.

Provided that I understand how you want to assemble the structure you can do the following.

Shop done Cutouts - mortice and tenon type joints
Depending on the design of the structure, I would go with this route, Just get a wood shop to saw/router various cut-outs for you, then its just an assemble job. effectively these will just ensure that there is less play. - i would use glued joints with a screw or dowel for extra strength (screw is still my preference here)
Three anchor structures
If you are really worried about strength then just add a third support in the middle of the strucuture - you can mix it up by having a threaded bar in the middle with bolts on each side of the posts.
Base Plates - are so simple, but effective, they improve balance and the nice thing, there are no exposed screws (since its top and bottom) once again if you are worried you can do a central dowel or threaded bar.

(see pics below)


How to recharge a window unit air conditioner? Can I recharge my window unit air conditioner or do I have to send it to a specialist?

The AC unit that I have is about 15 years old (nothing lasts forever)... and I happen to have about 20 lbs of R22 on hand... so I wrote this up. The AC isn't really leaking, but after about 15 years I have lost a couple pounds.

It's a waste of money to try.  Especially if you're the guy who pays for the electricity.

Captain Kirk didn't beam the Freon out.

First, you'll want to fix your Freon leak.   After all, air conditioners are generally sealed units, with only electrical wires entering the envelope that contains freon.  However, they use a lot of aluminum, as it is a superb themal conductor, and cheap.  Accumulated dust in the cooling coils and fins tends to hold water, a perfect storm for aluminum corrosion.  Good chance you have a pinhole in the condenser.

Likely you have a foreign made pile of junko, so there is nothing in the unit designed to help you. Every inch of tubing in the unit is welded, and there are no spare parts to be had for the mechanical package.  (Control board, yes.)

If you have an old school solid American unit, it most likely takes the long-discontinued R12 or R22 Freon, so you are paying top dollar for old stocks.

Refilling is dangerous

Contrary to what comic books say, a Freon accident will not turn you into Mr. Freeze.  Cold is not like fire, you don't instantly feel the pain, you can expose yourself long enough to do damage before you realize it.

And there you are, using third party parts of dubious quality, since no manufacturer endorses even authorized repair of the Freon containing machinery - it is not economical even if they made it easy, which is why they don't.

Who pays the electricity bill?

If it's you, you're paying again to run an old inefficient unit.  Ten years ago I bought a solid Sears unit that did 5600 BTU and drew 5 amps.   My friend just bought a private label no-brand junko unit that did 8000 BTU for 5 amps.  His unit runs 1/3 less often, so he's saving about 200W or 1 KWH every 5 hours.  An older unit would be even worse. This is due to Federal laws requiring ever-increasing efficiency. Do the math... Then imagine what a quality unit would do.

Even if you can get 5 more years out of your old unit, the new unit will pay for itself in electricity costs alone, to say nothing of all that other stuff.

So fixing an old unit is a false economy.


Why do fence panels turn grey? Looking from my upstairs window i can see almost my entire streets back gardens.
Almost all of them have greyish wooden fencing panels, but i'm sure this asn' by choice.

what caused this so i can avoid it in the future?

It is possible that some of your neighbors decided that a natural patina of weathered grey looks appropriate on their fence boards. The dulling of wood fibers occurs if the fence boards are left un-sealed or bare for several seasons. The greyish white tone that develops is mostly due to the bombardment of U.V rays from the sun. Without protection the wood fibers become dry and bleached. With the proper wood sealer and maintenance you can extend the life that a wood fence lasts for many years. If the fence is frequently subject to water (as when a sprinkler soaks it) the minerals in the water can tint the wood white when the water evaporates.


Can paint/hardware stores match stain like they do paint? I know you can take a color sample to a paint store (or some hardware stores) and get them to match it and mix you up a custom batch.

Is a similar service provided anywhere for stain?  The color charts from the stain manufacturers sometimes help, but often don't have an exact match for what I am looking for.

I know that stain is somewhat of an inexact science, and I'd probably need to provide an unstained sample piece of wood for the type I intend to use it on, but it sounds at least marginally possible to get custom stains based on a color sample you are trying to match. Am I asking for the moon, or is there some source that provides a service like this?

I would buy something close and tint it yourself.  You can run sample swatches on scraps of your unfinished lumber and stop when you get it right.  This will also allow you to experiment with different techniques to see which is the best match, e.g. how long to let the stain soak in before wiping it off.

See http://www.ehow.com/way_5938323_can-add-tint-wood-stain_.html


Can i install a water pump to an overhead tank having a single piping system? i have an overhead tank on my roof where it is filled and drained by single pipe system. but the pressure is too low at the different outlets (kitchen, bathroom, toilet). i want to connect a pump in this system. is it feasible?

Is the tank a pressure tank or a non-pressure tank? If it is a pressure tank, you could move the tank from the roof to the supply line just after a newly installed  pump. Add a pressure switch and a Domestic PRV. Location of the parts would be as follows:  1) supply line; 2) domestic water pump; 3) pressure gauge; 4) pressure shut off switch; 5) pressure tank; 6) domestic PRV; 7) domestic water line. The pressure switch would be set at approximately 50/60 PSIG. to cycle the pump and the PRV could be set at 40/50 PSIG.  Note; this is the same set up as a well system. The PRV could be eliminated if you desire. Also the pump should be for domestic use (bronze or stainless steel). If the tank is a non-pressure tank, adding a pump would be difficult. I hope this helps. If the tank is a non-pressurized type, you could , if you had a separate fill line, add a pump, small expansion tank,  and pressure switch to the delivery line, set the pressure switch for the desired line pressure. The pump would maintain a constant pressure on the supply line of say 40 to 60 PSIG or whatever pressure you desire.


Can I install Whole Home Surge Protector into two single pole breakers? I know that Square D HEPD80 calls for installation into a dual pole breaker but I currently don't have a space that's close to the main lugs since the wires that go to those breakers are very short (they have been cut to just accommodate those breakers).

I know that Square D calls for the installation to be as close to the main lugs as possible thus I was wondering if I could piggy back the two black wires from Square D into each of the single pole 15A breakers that are currently closest to the main lugs?  The breakers are one on top of the other so they should cover both phases/sides of the panel since the panel is crisscross (Eaton Panel).

Why does Square D ask for a dual pole breaker?

That's what happens when Mr. Snippy gets into a panel and makes all the wires "neat" for the inspector, as if there were brownie points for that.  Hots and Neutral should be able to reach any space in the panel, neutral because of GFCIs.

Simply extend the wires with wire nut splices - it's ugly (by Mr. Snippy's standards), but it's no big deal electrically.

Can you use two 1-pole breakers on a 120/240V load? No.  As someone who accidentally bought a bunch of 30A 1-poles that are practically useless, I've researched this at length.

The two-pole breaker is because you have 2 hots and a neutral powering a single device.  Also, you want the amperage of the breaker to be fairly large so the surge suppressor can do its job - 15A is smaller than I'd want.  You're talking about a $10 breaker either way, so just use the one they recommend in the labeling and instructions - which is 30A.  And use an Eaton brand breaker (CH if your handles are Cutler Hammer beige, otherwise BR).  Do not use other random hardware store brands, no matter how much the clerk insists they'll fit.  That isn't brand loyalty, it's busbar compatibility).


Drywall repair problem I am trying to hang window blinds, however when I drilled the hole to use wall anchors the whole space collapsed in and the space had obviously been repaired before. How can I repair this hole with enough strength to hold the blinds once they're hung. Thanks so much

Use a drywall knife or small saw to cut the hole into a square or rectangular shape, large enough to insert a length of 1x or 2x (depending upon the size of the hole, I've even used paint sticks for small holes). Use a drywall knife to gently cut into the painted paper outer layer of the drywall, angling inward toward the opening ... this makes the finish process easier ... all around the edges of the opening.
While pulling the board tight to the back of the existing drywall (board should extend well past the edges of your new rectangular hole), put in two or three screws through the drywall into the board on both sides of the hole (not too close to the edges of the hole). Be sure to sink the screws just enough so that mudding over them will leave no bump.
You can put a couple of screws partway into the insert to handle it by, if the hole is too small to just use your hand to hold it in place. Remove those screws before setting the patch piece.
Once the board is secured, cut and insert a matching thickness of drywall. the closer to the same size, the better.
Use a drywall knife to gently cut into the paper outer layer of the drywall angling out to the edges of the patch piece.
Place the patch, securing it to the backing board you inserted with several screws (not too close to the edges).
If the patch is not a close fit, use the drywall knife to widen the angled paper edges, to make room for taping. A fiberglass mesh tape is best for this, and will hide better if the painted paper is peeled/carved from under where the mesh will be placed.
If the patch is a close fit, skip #6 and begin the fill : the gaps can be filled directly with goop (drywall mud). Expect to do several layers (especially if mesh is used). First push the mud into the gaps and let it dry, then put a second layer. Finally, a third finish layer.
Apply mud with a wide, fresh edged drywall tool . Use the tool (and a damp rag or sponge) to keep the mud fairly smooth for the first layers as you are applying. For the finish layer, carefully smooth out the finish (don't forget to also mud your nail heads on the patch during the first round).

Most people apply the several layers of mud, then use sandpaper to smooth out the fix, leaving a smooth flat fix in a textured wall. I generally use a wet rag or sponge during the process to keep the extra cleaned up as I go. If the wall is textured, a rag or sponge matching the texture is helpful to re-create the texture of your fix. After the final layer is applied, press the sponge or rag gently onto the patched area to leave a matching texture!

Be patient : let each layer of mud dry. Also, be patient : don't try to paint before the entire project is thoroughly dried, or you will wreck your beautiful work!  Use a primer on the newly mudded area before applying the matching paint.


Foam covering around foundation--what is it and can it be removed? I recently moved to a new house. Portions of the foundation have some foam-like panels on top of it, in between the ground and the start of the siding.  It's worn down, with holes in some spots, and other areas where I can already see the bare concrete. It's also not all around the house--probably just about 50% of the above-ground foundation.

What exactly is this? It seems like insulation of some type, but I'm not sure. What purpose does it serve? Would it be okay for me to just remove it?

Almost certainly XPS (Extruded PolyStyrene) foam insulation, R-5 per inch, inadequately protected. Colloquially known as blueboard though at least one brand is pink, and other colors are certainly possible.

You'd do better to repair or replace - uninsulated concrete is a superhighway for heat (whether cold out or hot out) and thus expensive to have showing.

Proper protection involves an adequate layer of a fibered stucco or similar product over the foam to protect it from sunlight and physical wear. Among other things visible in your picture is that the soil settled and the stucco did not extend low enough to account for that settling (or additional soil was not placed to compensate - either would have helped) as well as some severe physical abuse removing chunks.


how to wire 2 pole 240 v contactor/120v coil I would like to see a simple example of how to wire in the float switch and coil. This is a Diversitech 30 amp contactor EC302120.

Whoops, you blew it.

Having done a very similar thing with a timer for a hot water heater, you hoisted yourself by your own petard by buying a 120V coil.

There is nowhere to obtain 120V on your 240V device.   There is only Hot L1 and Hot L2 present.  To get 120V, there'd need to be a neutral wire there.  It's just not there.  (and no, you can't bootleg ground).

You need a 240V-coil contactor for this.   Or, if that's a problem for the float switch, then get 24 volt low voltage from the furnace or doorbell transformer, and use a 24V-coil contactor.


Saving a brush from dried water-based Polyurethane Today I got distracted while applying some Minwax Pro Spar Urethane (which apparently is water-based) and left the brush sitting on top the can.  The distraction lead to a trip to lowes and the infamous hobby lobby. So of course the Poly was pretty well on it's way to being hard. Mineral spirits did nothing after sitting for about 30 mins and now it's sitting in warm water.  I would really appreciate some suggestions.

So far everything I've found on this either relates to oil-based poly, cleaning practices immediately after use, or stripping from surfaces.

It's a synthetic brush, one of the Purdy XLs I think.  Either way, trying not to spend money on more brushes at the moment.  There's too many other projects going on around the hose that could use the $12-15.

Soak it good and plenty in soapy water.  Water based paints are pretty soft stuff, and 1/2 hour to dry isn't really enough to start them curing.  Water should soften them up.  Don't use hot water as that will accelerate cure.

You can try some fairly wimpy paint stripper if you have some hardware store brand around.  You don't want the industrial tier strippers designed to remove alkyds and LPUs, they'd probably just melt the brush.  Latex paint is fairly fragile stuff after only an hour to cure.  I'm not concerned about the drying out, it's the curing that makes it irremovable from the brush.

The mineral spirits was a mistake.  I can't tell whether it sunk you, by reacting adversely with the paint, or just preserved things until you got it in water.  It was definitely the wrong thing.  Be prepared to write off the brush as a learning experience.

Know your paint

Where this went wrong is unfamiliarity with the products you are painting.  What type of paint is basic knowledge you need to know.

Right off the bat, you need to know what the paint's reducer (or diluent) is. That's the chemical you use to make the paint less thick. (reduces the thickness of the paint, or dilutes it).  You need that because it'll thicken up due to evaporation.  The reducer also tells you what chemical to be using for wipedown, brush cleanup, spill cleanup, etc.

Latex=water
alkyds="paint thinner"
2-pack epoxies and LPUs=their proprietary chemical

For cost or environmental reasons, you may prefer to use some other solvent for auxiliary tasks like wipedown, brush cleanup, etc. However, it should still be quite similar (in the family) of the solvent. Reduce alkyd paint with proper paint thinner, but it can be cleaned up with gasoline or that "eco-green low-VOC"  paint thinner substitute (labeled 'do not use to thin paint', really!)

Only the right solvent will do

Whatever your correct reducer and solvent is, something else is wrong.  They are incompatible with each other.

So read the label on the product you are applying, or if it's too small get the PDF of the instructions off the Web.  It will tell you what to use for a reducer and for cleanup.

So then, when you have that situation, you already know what the correct reducer is, so you just pour 1/8" deep into a cup, and set the brush in it. The reducer will wick up into the brush and keep it moist.

Also, you need to select brushes based on solvent

Latex uses a synthetic brush like that one.  Oil, alkyd, and the 2-pack paints use natural bristle brushes.

Natural bristle brushes will waterlog with water-based products. Synthetic brushes might work for alkyds but will melt with 2-pack paints.

With alkyds, there's a real question whether it's even worth trying to clean up the brush.  With 2-pack paints, there's no question at all; into the trash it goes.

There's something to be said for cheap brushes

As a heavy user of 2-pack paints, I go through a lot of brushes.  I use an upscale version of the cheapie dollar store chip brush, so I'm paying maybe $1.30 a unit for a respectable bristle brush.  I try to clean it if I've used it for alkyds, because a once-used (broken in) brush is ideal for a 2-pack topcoat.

For latex paints, if you're the sort to abuse brushes, just buy less expensive brushes.  On the other hand, there's no excuse for abusing a synthetic brush, since they are so easy to clean.


Do gas fireplaces need chimney cleaning? Is it necessary to have the chimney cleaned by chimney sweeping service if I use a gas imitation fireplace log (no wood) exclusively?

If so, what is the reason?  What is the root cause for chimneys needing cleaning in the first place?

Creosote from wood fires is the main reason, so no, cleaning from that standpoint isn't needed.


Light bulb lumens output between Europe and America Considering the voltage difference between Europe and North America, will an E27 base bulb, in Europe, emit the same lumens as an E26 bulb in america?, Or will there be a different output because of lower American voltage?

Your question is whether the voltage will be a factor.  Provided you are talking about different bulbs each built for the local voltage, it will not be a factor.

What makes any bulb emit light is power (in watts), not voltage or current.   Power = Voltage x Current, so for any change in voltage, there's a change in current that will make it the same power.  Halve the voltage, double the current for the same power.

Lumen is an international unit so a lumen means the same thing everywhere.


I can't get this Smart Dimmer to work GE Zigbee Smart Dimmer
I can't get it to turn on
I have tried 2 different ones and neither will turn on
The only way we can get them to turn on is by putting both wires in the same hole, but then it obviously won't turn off

There are completed instructions on the web. You will have to use the white jumper included with the switch or get a 6" piece of white #14 AWG and connect it to the two white wired in the box and then connect the other end to the neutral terminal on the switch. Read your complete instructions, especially #10 under the "wire strip lengths".
Here is a cut & paste provided by Harper that shows the missing part of the instructions. I have edited it into my answer with his blessing.


How do I connect a stranded wire to a bus bar? A typical bus bar has this design:

and connecting a solid wire to it is more or less easy. But how do I connect a stranded wire? I expect the following to happen: when I drive the screw in, the screw splits the strands and so I end up with the screw driven in and the strands all around the screw instead of being pressed to the bus bar. I'd like to avoid this and get a good connection capable of carrying many amperes of current.

How do I connect a stranded wire to a bus bar?

I sell a lot of stranded wire and I've never heard of anybody tinning a wire that goes on a neutral or ground bar.  AFGI & GFCI breakers come with stranded copper and is rated to fit into these bars, along with solid.  I would just make sure the hole you are using matches up with the wire you are using.  Most of the ground and neutral bars have different size lugs with different size ratings, like 14 to 10 awg, or 14 to 4 awg or 6 to 2/0 awg.


What is this wire clamped between my cold and hot water pipes? What is this black "wire" type thing clamped between my cold and hot water pipe? What is its purpose?

It is a ground cable. It completes the ground between the hot and cold water pipes.

The ground path through the water heater might not be complete. This cable will make sure there is a ground path between hot and cold water pipes.


If using an old 240v cable to make two 120v circuits, is there a risk of overheating the shared neutral return? I've seen discussions of using an old 240V wire (two hots, a neutral, and a ground) and reconfiguring it to have two 120V circuits.
As an example, if it is a 20A cable, you could have two 20A circuits, each one using one of the two phases and both sharing the neutral and ground.
If each circuit is powering a device using the full 20A, would this result in 40A of current going onto the neutral, causing overheating?
Additionally, will sharing the neutral cause interference between the circuits?

Actually, it would result in a net 0 A on the neutral. So this actually can work quite well and is called a Multiwire Branch Circuit or MWBC.
The one catch is that the breakers powering the circuit need to be set up for common shutoff - i.e., if you turn off one, you always turn off the other. If the breakers are actually set up for common trip, which is normally the case for a 240V circuit like a stove or dryer, then that provides common shutoff as well.


1.5 inches of water in dishwasher drain cup after use I have a ~ 10 y.o. Kenmore dishwasher (will get the model when it's done running).

After running a full cycle, with heated dry, there is about 1.5 inches of water left in the drain cup (my terminology) - the basin where the filter is housed.

We just had the pump replaced as there was previously close to 3 inches of water remaining after a full cycle, and things were smelling rather fishy (literally).

So things are better, but it still seems like more than should be expected.  I don't expect it to be bone dry, but more than say 1cm seems like a lot to me.

We have a home warranty and I wanted to get some more information before calling them back.

Photo link below.

Water remaining in dishwasher basin

Because this is an old installation, I suspect a problem inside the dishwasher. However, it is possible that it is related to the drain. At first I thought this was a lot of water - 1.5" of water on the bottom of the tub. But the "cup" isn't that big so (a) it might actually be normal (where 3" was not) and (b) that could easily be from the water in the drain hose coming back into the dishwasher, as described below with a drain hose installed incorrectly.

Your dishwasher drain should be connected to either a traditional air gap or to a high hose loop.

A traditional air gap is a metal/plastic gadget, usually installed on the corner of a sink. The dishwasher drain goes up the air gap and the water has to literally go through a gap to go back down into another drain hose that goes down to the disposal or sink drain. I don't see how this could be broken and cause standing water in the dishwasher. Normally if this is broken, you have water all over the counter whenever the dishwasher is run and if it is clogged then you would have no water drain out at all.

However, if you have a high hose loop and it has fallen down, which can happen if it is not held up securely, particularly if any other work has been done under the sink, or if the dishwasher is pulled out for service, then you could have a problem of this sort. The high hose loop prevents sewage from backing up into the dishwasher by making an effectively impossible "hill" for the water to have to climb back up to get back into the dishwasher. If the drain hose does not go up above the bottom of the sink then water could easily drain back into the dishwasher at the end of the cycle and, if you have a clog (even a partial clog) in the main sink drain pipe or disposal then you could have some water from the sink come down into the dishwasher. See my answer at Draining problems in dishwasher. Is this drain setup ok? for a picture.