What is this animal in my loft? I have some animals in my loft, I can hear them scratching around up there.  A month ago it was once a day in the night-time, but now I can hear the noise a few times a day and a few times in the night. I've been up inside the loft and I can't see anything up there at all, no nest or droppings or anything.
Here's a picture of the inside of the loft,  around the area where I hear the scratching most often. I've lifted up the insulation and I can't see anything under it either. There's loads of spaces where the animals might be getting in from one of the neighbouring houses. Why do animals even want to be in my loft if they're not making some kind of a nest up there?

I made a recording of the scratching noise that I'm hearing.  Does anybody know what animal this noise is likely to be?  I guess maybe pigeons or rats? I live in a terraced house in the north of England.
My landlord's response is that he can't see anything, therefore there's probably no animals. Is there anything I can say to him, apart from showing him the recording, to encourage him to do something about it? Is there any other way for me to find any additional evidence about the animals? Maybe there's something I can see if I look more carefully in the loft?

I dont think birds would be so sneaky.  It is going to be a mammal.
You can catch it.

source
I like live catching over poison because poisoned animals die and rot and stink.
Once you catch one you can display it to your landlord.  Then he can pay for a pest control person to come catch the rest and most importantly, seal up the way they are coming in.  Your landlord should be enthusiastic about protecting his property.
In case it is not a rat but a squirrel, or a hedgehog or a bogle or whatever you have in the UK, you will be able to get a good look at it and plan accordingly.


Installing a smart switch timer - 8 wires in gang box? I am replacing a single pole light switch with a smart switch with a timer.  I have successfully installed 8 others but have not seen this many wires in a gang box before.  Could someone explain how to combine these wires to operate the smart switch?  I would appreciate any ideas you may have.

Here's the thing.  Wires are NOT color coded for novices.  Actually the color codes mean:

Red, white, black = this cable has 3 wires + safety ground.
Black, white - this cable has 2 wires + safety ground.

There's a rule that white must be used first for neutral and then always-hot, but that's the end of the color coding in North America.  So how do we tell how these go?

That information is recorded by how they are connected.

And when we get a photo like this, with all the wires splayed out for the camera, that was a misguided choice that leaves us nothing to say but "call an electrician".  There are simply too many possibilities to walk someone through "guessing".

Fortunately for you, you remember some things that make sense and cross a bunch of possibilities (most) off the list.

"The neutral wires were all attached together" (from a comment). Whew. Lucky us.   They should all be reconnected together (properly) and pushed into the back of the box.  If you are anticipating needing neutral for a smartswitch, add a pigtail to that bunch of now 4 (this is a job for a red wire nut) and cap off the pigtail for now.

Now that's off the table.

The good news is that all remaining wires are hots.  Normally, experimenting is super dangerous, but in this case, they all either connect to each other or to the opposite side of a switch.  Switches connect the 2 terminals, so that means if we connected them all together, your house wouldn't burn down; just a light would be stuck on.

So we need to identify 2 wires in particular out of these 4 hots.  One is supply from the service panel - this is hot at all times.  The other is the switched-hot going up to the lamp.  We can guess that the other wires carry "always-hot" onward to other points of use.  Notably, these points-of-use are now dead.

There's a "convention" that the red wire is used "preferentially" for a switched-hot, but that's only a common practice, not a standard nor requirement.

Normally, we crank down super hard on wire nuts - so hard that if the wires went in twisted another way, this un-twists them and twists them the new way.  But for experimentation, just feather-touch them - just enough to hold them together.

Naturally, and I know you already know this, you do all work with the power off, and only turn the power on to test the result of a new configuration. Cap off any wires you are not testing with, even white wires that may be exposed - they can be hot (that's why they have insulation lol).

So anyway I would connect A to B (capping off C and D).  If something that had lost power comes back on again, then either A or B is the always-hot.  Now try A and C.  You quickly find the always-hot.   Once you have that, then keep trying the always-hot with A, C or D until the lamp comes on.  Now you have switched-hot.

I like to mark switched-hot with red tape and always-hot with black tape (if they aren't already).  This also happens to be the color convention used by most smart switches.

Then it becomes very straightforward: Join all blacks.  Join all reds. Join all whites. Done!


House slightly uneven floors almost everywhere I recently purchased a 2050 sq ft. house 1 story, built in 2000, in North Dallas. We had a general inspection done on it, and the disclosure didn't mention any foundation issues, also all the doors close right, and so do the windows, walking thru the house it is really hard to find a spot that actually feels uneven when walking, in fact there is only one in the hardwood floor. The floor is about 50% hardwood floor, 25% concrete and 15% tile and 10% carpet. On the room with carpet everything sits right everywhere, I imagine because the carpet softness makes everything level easily.

However I have noticed small pieces of furniture such as chairs, or anything where the legs are not too far apart for instance my nightstands are also not leveled by about 1/6 inch, often only sits right if you put in the "right" spot, otherwise the legs are not leveled by up to 8 milimeters (.31 inches in the worst case) often a lot less. And sometimes the chairs sit just right, this is not a problem with large furniture as I suppose the legs kinda level themselves out with the weight.

I was however wondering if this is something I should be concerned about, or if this is something relatively normal for a 2000 house, there are no slopes anywhere, it is mostly really small variations here and there, which can make a chair not sit right in some spots. Usually those spots are closer to the wall, but not always.

The house has rain-bird sprinklers around the foundation, and I make sure to water it but not excessively of course, also everything is sloped away from the foundation.

We saw several houses before buying this one, and this one is actually the one where the floors felt the most leveled, so I am guessing this is somewhat common in houses between 1990 and 2005 (the houses that we saw) that have settled a little bit, which is my understanding is also normal, as all houses settle after being built.

For reference I used to live in Mexico, in a pure concrete house like everyone else there, and uneven floors where never an issue, everything was always perfectly leveled.

Should I be concerned?, or should I be doing anything about this?

I cannot see anything to cause alarm. It sounds like a quality of finish issue and not something that would be typical of a home inspection report.

Subject to the laws of physics and land use regulations, any construction project is possible if sufficient resources are devoted to its completion. Whether it makes personal or economic sense to reduce the planar deviation of the floor is something that each of us has to decide for ourselves.


Hot Water Heater leaks through drainage spigot after flushing I flushed my hot water heater several months ago. Ever since, it has leaked through the drainage spigot.

I've tried to tighten it to a point where it looks like it stops, but it starts again soon after.

Is this something that is easily replaced, or any actions I can take to stop it from leaking?

Update

I was able to drain the heater, and remove the drain plug. It has a washer that had worn out. I just replaced the entire plug with a new one.

Thank you everyone for the assistance.

Those plastic shut off valves on water heater tanks are obviously very cheap and probably low quality as well.

There are likely two main reasons that the valve leaks (maybe three).

There could possibly be residual grit and particulate laying in the valve assembly that keep it from seating correctly. If you captured the initial flush water from your tank in a bucket you would no doubt see some of the sediment in the bottom of the bucket. Sediment build up does happen to accumulate on the inside of the valve due to the small pocket that the attachment point creates inside the tank.
The valve parts could be getting old and corroded to the point that the valve cannot seal fully against the valve seat.

Mitigation information:

If you have a sediment problem you can try to open and close the valve multiple times to try to get the sediment to wash out.
It may be necessary to replace the valve. There are available online videos that can walk you through a valve replacement so I will not cover that here. The main recommendation however is to replace the valve with a nice quality ball valve.
Depending upon the type of valve seats that are in your valve it is possible that it could have seen some damage due to applying too much closing torque to the valve. If this is the case replacement is the best course of action.


Securing conduit to HardiePlank So I've decided to buy this conduit to run some Cat5e cables outdoor (POE cameras). I've also bought clamps for the conduits. My question is should I nail or screw the clamps into the HardiePlank siding? Also what type of nail or screw because the holes on the clamps are pretty big.

Thanks for the help

Screw to the studs, behind the siding - you can screw through the siding, but expecting screws to hold in (just) siding is foolishness.

Look for the fasteners that are holding the siding in place to indicate where the studs are. Use screws (or short lag bolts) about an inch longer than the siding is thick.


converting my shop to 220v Can I convert my shop to 220v? My shop has 110v ran to it with no sub panel. I would like to add a sub panel to my shop and run 220v from it for my air compressor and 110v for my lighting. Or what is your take on buying a 5000 watt converter?

Sure.

Pull four appropriately sized conductors from the main panel, to the new shop panel.
Install a properly sized double pole breaker in the main panel, and connect the four conductors properly in the main panel.
Connect the four conductors properly in the shop panel, making sure the neutral bar is isolated from ground.
Install a grounding electrode system (if the shop is detached from the main building).
Bond the shop panel to the grounding electrode system.


Any way to eliminate smell from a vent stack I'm adding a new full bath in the basement of a 3 story condo and I don't have where to join an existing vent (the sewer main is under the slab so I have no problem connecting the drainage) so I'l have to add a new vent stack from there to the outside.
So my question is if there is a way to eliminate that the smell should not come out from the vent so I could only come out with the pipe a little and would not have to build a pipe 3 stories high after exiting the building.
Someone told me about putting an upside down u on the way out, Does anyone know about it?
Thanks for any help

This will probably depend on your local code, but it can be done and is done. You have to cap the pipe appropriately, keep it a minimum distance away from windows and doors, and so on.

Here's an existing answer that may help:  https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/58659/24137

Another possible option is an AAV, or air-admittance valve. It only lets air into the pipe, not out. So it will allow air into the pipe to perform the same function as an outside vent pipe, while preventing gas pressure from the sewer from pushing smell/toxic fumes into the dwelling. The use of an AAV will very much depend on your local code and your inspector. The one time I did this, the inspector required me to run the AAV 4 feet higher than the line being vented.

AAV's can wear out, so you don't want one closed up inside a wall where you can't access (or even find) it. So where do you locate it? In some cases you can locate them under counter tops. That might work fine for a sink. But you're also talking about venting a bathtub or shower and a toilet. So you're talking about a pretty substantial vent pipe and a large AAV. Definitely talk to your local inspecter first if you consider going this route.


How do I stop my under cabinet light plastic covers from falling down In our kitchen, we have under cabinet lights. The  plastic covers keep falling down.  The covers click into place just fine.  But after a few days they fall down.  Is there a way to secure them?  Obviously, I don't want to use super glue.

I guess that some clips or other parts that make this 'click' work are not catching firmly and/or are bending as because of temperature. I would try to adjust them if possible (if these are like metal parts) to grip more firmly.
If that doesn't work You can either remove these light covers and make a complain in a shop You ordered them (as it shouldn't be a proper way of behaviour) or use less elegant ways to make them stay in place (duct tape on other side - not visible to You). Super-glue or something isn't welcome.


How can I protect hardwood floors from a deep freezer defrosting? I want to get a small deep freezer for my kitchen upstairs. I have hardwood floors and I am concerned about potential water damage from a power outage and the freezer defrosting and getting water all over my floor.

Is there any type of mat or covering that would protect the floors in the event that this might happen?

I am sure they sell large pans somewhere but that shouldn't be a concern.  Your freezer should be contained, in that if there is a power outage and everything melts - the water should stay in your freezer.

Note:  I have to think if I was putting a deep freezer on my hardwoods I would lay it on an area rug.  Even insulated the freezer bottom is pretty cold comparatively so I would try to bridge that temperature gap.  I would not worry about spillage though.  Although you could test this before bringing it in your house with a hose.


Can I install attic ladder perpendicular to joists? I only have one area in old house on the 3rd floor where I can put a pull down attic ladder. That is a narrow hallway but the ladder would need to be installed perpendicular to joists. It is an old house 1899. I have some photos of attic if that will help to answer my question. There is insulation but you can see the joists under there running perpendicular to way I need ladder. I would have to cut 3 joists. Can I safely do this?

Yes you can you will need to frame in the opening to the existing framework, I would suggest new work in this case to be larger or thicker as today’s wood is total crap compared to your construction. What I mean if you have 2x6 in that old wood I would go with 2x8 or 4x6 ,, sounds funny but count the rings on your boards and today’s boards will be 1/3 to 1/4 so a larger board is a good idea. but it can be done, I have added pull downs on a couple of Victorians but most had stairways although very narrow. If it is a registered home get approval first!!!!  You can loose your tax status in some locations if the structure is modified.


Flame sensor in Trane XV90 I have Trane XV90 that was blowing cold air while it was on heat. I have recently changed the ignitor (which seems to work just fine) and the flame sensor (which seems to be failing already). I just caught the furnace in a cycle of trying to turn on but going out repeatedly. So I turned off the power and turned it back on, and the ignition cycle was successful on the first try. Could this mean that there is something wrong with the board? This is my 3rd flame sensor in a couple of months so I think that the flame sensor itself should be fine. I would really appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

It might be the flame rollout switch, try resting it and see if it works.

The flame rollout switch (typically mounted on the side of the burner box) is a safety device which senses a hot flame or exhaust and shuts down the furnace to prevent a fire or carbon monoxide buildup in your house. Once it has tripped the furnace will not start unless you reset it


What type of joint should I use while building a plywood box? I'm building a trophy. It will consist of two boxes...one slightly smaller than the other and stacked on top of one another.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to join the corners of the boxes so that the veneer is the only thing exposed on the 4 corners and top.

Thoughts?

The simplest way to do this is with a simple miter joint. Miter all sides of your panels at 45°. You'll need a tablesaw to do this, or a very accurate circular saw with a straight cutting jig (i.e. a track saw). To visualize it, each panel will end up looking like a squashed flat top pyramid if you lay it down on its outer face.

It will be very difficult to get the miter perfect, especially if the boxes you're creating are rather large. Any gaps will be obvious since the layers of ply will be visible underneath the veneer. The corners will also be fairly sharp and fragile since you can't sand or rout them down without exposing the plies underneath. If the biggest dimension of the boxes is 11.25" or smaller, I'd just use a 1x12 instead of plywood.

Then use a square block or beam at each corner on the interior when you're gluing and clamping the corners.

Alternatively you could do this with a router and a router table to create a lock miter joint, and then the blocking inside the box would be unnecessary:

Image source


Hardibacker against a drywall/firewall I've read through hardibacker instructions but I'm still unclear on how to install in my bathroom.

I live in a townhouse and my shower is against one of the firewalls.  The firewall, it turns out, is just two pieces of drywall put together with no other spacing between them.  I presume, based on when I was tearing out the old tile, that there is a stud.  However, I'm not as sure of this since I see no screws or nails on the now exposed firewall.

My initial plan was to screw the hardibacker into the same area where there are existing nail holes.  But as I think about how heavy the hardibacker board is, I'm guessing the board will just fall off in a manner of months.

How should I proceed? What was there before was just another piece of drywall.

Here's a picture: https://i.imgur.com/RGNcqTR.jpg

If you attach to the studs with screws it will last a lifetime.

I have opted out of HardiBacker or Durock in favor of DensShield drywall by Georgia Pacific.

DensShield comes in different thicknesses so you could match the thickness of what you removed.

You would then screw it to the wall through the existing drywall along the stud lines. Then coat joints with RedGard or equivalent. Then attach your tile with thin set. DensShield is vinyl coated and seals out moisture except for the joints that must be sealed.

Good luck!


Wiring humidifier to furnace fan I have a Generalair drip humidifier attached to a Trane furnace, having the control circuit board d341396P05.

The humidifier is wired to the heat cycle of the furnace, so it starts working only when the thermostat calls for heat. However, when I set the thermostat FAN ON (instead of AUTO) the humidifier does not kick in.  It is still pretty dry in the house and my intention is to wire the humidifier such that it starts when the furnace fan starts (even without heat). I assume this has to do with changing the connections on the circuit board. As it is now, the 24V transformer of the humidifier has two wires connected to the HUM-N terminal (circled with RED in the picture) and to EAC-N terminal (circled with BLUE in the picture).

Could anyone please advise how to change the wire to achieve what I want, if at all possible? Your help is much appreciated, thank you!

The terminal circled in red should be labeled HUM-H, which is the humidifier (hot) terminal. This terminal is energized to 120 V when the system is running in heating mode.

The terminal circled in blue is EAC-N, which is the electronic air cleaner neutral.  This terminal should be tied to the other neutral terminals, as well as the system neutral.

If you move the humidifier transformer wire from HUM-H to EAC-H, the humidifier will run whenever the fan is on. However, this also includes when the system is in cooling mode, which is not recommend.

What you could do, is install an override switch, which will allow you to manually turn off the humidifier during the cooling season. So you'd run a wire from the EAC-H terminal, to one side of the switch. Then connect the humidifier transformer wire, to the other side of the switch. This way when the switch is closed, the humidifier will run with the fan. But when the switch is open, the humidifier will not run.

If you don't want a manual switch, you could mess around with a relay or other control circuitry.

Using a relay, it could be wire up like this.

That way the humidifier will run whenever the fan is running, except when the thermostat is calling for cool.


Where should a TV aerial be positioned? I was thinking that if we do need a better aerial for receiving Freeview TV broadcasts, is there an ideal position where we can put it? I was thinking of putting it at the rear of the property like in the picture.  Is this OK? It's a backup plan in case the local engineer wants an arm and a leg to fit a new aerial. It saves us climbing onto the roof which is a major risk if you're not used to it.

There are many factors that affect signal strength, some are in your control like antenna placement, but most are not (other buildings/structures, topography, location of broadcast, atmospheric conditions, etc.).

If you are trying to find the "best" placement then you need to do a site survey.  The crude version of this is using a long temporary cable, moving the antenna around to different locations and viewing the signal strength from your receiver ("box") or TV.  Professionals will use instruments like signal meters of varying sophistication.

One nice attribute of digital OTA is that being binary (ones and zeros), picture quality isn't affected - it either works or doesn't work (for the most part).  If you placed the antenna at your desired location and could get say 75% signal on most channels, then you could very likely use that location even if there were better ones.


Is there a way I can soundproof an exterior apartment door from outside noise? Its made of steel but hollow (though I'm not sure if completely hollow or if it has divisions like cells) with zero sound absorption.

I already weatherproofed it with foam strips, but even then every time someone walks or talks in the hallway outside I can hear everything, can even hear noises from other apartments that escape through their doors (which are the same) and enter mine.

Any way I can soundproof my door? I don't care about aesthetics but note that I can't modify anything on the outside-side of the door because its against the building rules. So whatever I do has to be inside the actual door or on the interior-side.

You could try an acoustic curtain.

You could build an interior door to make your exterior door more like an air lock and then sound proof that door/wall to your hearts content.


Trying to hook up dimmer/fan switch but have an extra wire? I am trying to replace a switch that had a 4 position light knob and a 4 position fan knob.  The old one had three wires coming out of it and the new one has 4.  Below is a picture of my wall and the new switch:

And here are the instructions:

Is there a way that I can properly wire this switch or do I need to return it and buy a different type?  If I need to get a different one, what should I look for?

Everywhere in the world, green, green/yellow or bare colors are reserved for ground.  The only exceptions are the former Soviet Bloc, and they now have harmonized to this rule too.  So that is as simple as that.  Grounds are never used to flow current normally, and only come up in fault conditions when it is time to save your bacon.  So from a logical, "how does this circuit work perspective, they are disregarded.  I never show them in diagrams, but they are always there.

Your old controller controlled the fan and light separately, so it plainly had 3 wires because that is the bare minimum needed to do that.  Your new one has 3 wires (from a functional perspective). Therefore, this is easy.  Go to it!

If you are unclear which cable is supply, most likely if one cable is 2-wire (black/white) and the other cable is  3-wire (red too) then the 3-wire must necessarily be the one going to the fan, and the 2-wire goes to supply.


Water leak during subzero I had a water leak in subzero weather this winter. I shut off the main water supply. After I repaired the leak I  turned the water at the meter back on but he water kept going to fill up water heater. I ran it over 10 minutes but it never quit trying to fill it. I thought I had another leak, so I turned the water supply off again.
Does it take that long to fill the hot water heater, Or Do I Have Another Leak? (I don't understand filling up the hot water heater would then supply cold water to the rest of the house.)
How does it get to the rest, after the hot water heater, through which lines?
Please help.  (I am thinking about turning the meter back on and letting the water run for an hour or so but I don't want $5000   water bill without the problem being fixed!)

The water to fill the water heater comes from the cold supply to it and the rest of the house - there's not normally any way to fill it without supplying water to the rest of the house, unless you have valves to shut everything else off, and have shut them all off.
How long your water heater takes to fill depends on the size of the heater and the flow rate of your supply. You need to open a hot tap to vent the trapped air in the heater, to allow it to fill.
You may have other leaks you have not fixed - you will have to look for those, we can't see them from the other side of a computer screen.


Overflow pipe has come off the sink We have a Corian sink and the plastic over flow pipe has popped loose.
It looks like a cable tie was used on it.
We put it in in 2012
Double sinks. The other sink is fine.
I don’t want to call the plumber as it will be at least $100 to fix it

Any suggestions??

These are normally glued in position. I have seen silicon sealer work when held in place until fully cured , I have seen epoxy used and any leaks fixes with sealer. The toughest part cleaning any and all residue prior to glueing back in place. The next hardest part is holding in place long enough to fully cure.


Remove soffit / refrofit attic rafter baffle vent Will I be able to pry down this soffit venting/siding to secure baffle/rafter vents (I understand you really want to secure down that leading edge so you don't have creeping underneath and hitting the insulation insulation?)

There are some flimsy vents up in the attic now but they are not the full width of the rafters and not snug, just sorta laying there. Was looking at a more rigid product like accuvent, dci smart baffle, etc.

Don't mind that gap on the corner, I know we have bats right now.

I don't recommend it. You'd have to undo the fascia at least partway (and remove the gutter, where applicable) to drop the outer ends of each panel. This means pulling nails carefully so as not to dent the metal, removing the fascia, then pulling nails or staples from the soffit panels (into the subfascia). You'll want to precisely align every nail hole on re-installation to avoid problems at the end of each section.

It's not difficult for a patient person, but it's time consuming and putzy. If that's not you, expect to have dented and bent up metal before you're done.

You might be better off doing the attic belly crawl unless there's some reason you can't.


How can I make the ceiling black, non-permanently? I have bedroom curtains (double set - one rubber-backed and one sheer) that are letting in too much light where the light sneaks over the top of the curtains. The windows extend to the ceiling. The curtain rails are hung from the ceiling (similar to this installation lifted from this blog).

I'm planning on installing a pelmet, that extends to the ceiling, painted black on the inside (facing the curtains/window), and I think that will cut out a lot of the light. However, there is still a lot of light that hits the ceiling, and then bounces down between the two curtains and gives them a glow.

I'm thinking if I paint the strip of (plasterboard) ceiling between the pelmet and the window a matte black, that should help cut out a lot of those reflections.

However, I have been warned that if I do that, if I ever redecorate the room and remove the pelmet, I will not be able to paint over the black paint and restore it to its white colour.

My questions are:

If I paint part of the ceiling black, am I really making myself a problem later if I decide to restore it?
Is there another way to make the ceiling black on a more temporary basis? (I figure black Contact is not the way to go!)

You can also look at using removable paint. This answer might be a little late, but I had a similar issue where I wanted to paint my ceilings white, but was looking for a non-permanent solution because the ceilings were wood and the landlord did not want them painted.
I eventually stumbled across tempera paint powder for kid's art, it comes in these big buckets in all different colors. It's pretty easy to mix up and apply. If you are still looking for a solution I was so excited about my solution I even did a video on the process:
https://youtu.be/YETnP1FV1A4
Goodluck!


shortening a globe light string Shortening a globe light string.
I have a 100 foot G40, E12 base, C7 socket globe light string.
I want to shorten it by 6 feet. I have very little electrical experience.
How can I easily do this?

Assuming yours is something like this then the bulbs are in parallel, so all you have to do is cut it and isolate/cap the wire ends; do not connect/short these wire ends together.

Oh, and make sure it's de-energized/unplugged when you cut it.


Which is least likely to crack due to high traffic, large or small tile? Consider a kitchen on pier-beam flooring with two doors allowing traffic to flow through it.
The floor is 10x10 feet. I plan to tile and would like to minimize risk of cracking. Which size tile would be least likely to crack tile or grout, small tiles(2-4 inch sq) or large tiles (1x1ft)?

Smaller tiles are less likely to crack on the tile itself, the joints will give first.  But larger tiles are stronger in general.

That said, you should work on increasing the strength of your floor before tiling if you are concerned about cracking.  If you can access the joists, sister any weak places between two load bearing points.  On the floor itself, install a cement board with lots of screws along the joists.  Stagger any joints from the subfloor below.  And make sure the entire surface is perfectly flat (level is good, flat is required).


How can I stop this window from sliding down? I have what I think is a single-hung window that keeps sliding down (when it's open).  I do not see any way to remove the sash (so that I can access the spring mechanism).  All instructions I see on the web claim that there is either a release mechanism on the top of the sash or take out clips on both sides of the window frame.  However, I see neither.  Additionally, I do not know my window manufacturer and cannot find any marking on the window.  Link to the pictures of my window is provided.

Click for larger view

Pictures:

Top of sash
Frame above sash
Frame below (open) sash
Bottom of (open) sash connecting to the frame

My questions are:

What kind of a window is this? (e.g. single-hung?)
How can I fix it to stop sliding down?  If I need to remove the sash first, how do I do it?

A wooden dowel sawed off to the right length to prop the window open is the traditional answer. You can keep the dowel on the sill when you're not using it.


What is the side load bearing capacity of wood screws? I'm trying to figure out the viability of a project to suspend bicycles from the garage ceiling. What I don't know, however, is how much to worry about the bearing capacity of wood screws to hold a pulley, fairlead, or other device to guide the rope down the wall. An example is something like http://www.ronstan.com/marine/product.asp?ProdNo=RF188 or http://www.landfallnavigation.com/har472.html, which I assume I can mount with a hanger bolt of some sort.

Anyway -- let's each bike maxes out at about 30 pounds, which will be a little higher while hoisting. What's the best way to attach something like the pulleys to a stud or rafter? My worry is that this is the worst kind of loading scenario -- basically perpendicular to the stud. I can't find any info online about what I can expect from standard screws in framing lumber, though. Would it be necessary to knock out a bit of drywall and attach this kind of stuff to a smallish (maybe 4" wide) panel of plywood? That way I could spread the load across more fasteners in the framing.

If this is a better fit for another SE site, let me know. Engineering seems a lot more exotic than this kind of question...

If you used a set of simple pulleys similar to these:

And then used 5/16" type screw eyes that were inserted into studs or ceiling joists using the proper sized pilot holes:

This should lead to strong and robust bike hoist system.

Open the loop of the screw eye with the aid of a vice to hook the pulley on. Then squeeze the eye shut again using the vice. For pulleys that do not have swivel tops you can set the right direction for rope travel by how you orient the eye when screwing it into the stud.


Chemical Smell After Tankless Water Heater Install I recently had a plumbing company install a tankless water heater in my crawlspace. Everything with the install works and looks great, but we are experiencing a very strong chemical smell (like nail-polish remover or a strong sharpie marker) that comes out of our faucets when we call for hot water. It usually lasts for about 10 seconds then goes away. I notice it whenever we haven't used the hot water for awhile. For example: the smell is very strong first thing in the morning when turning on the shower.

The plumbers used PEX pipes to install a hot water recirculation pipe that is soldered to the original copper pipes. Other PEX pipes were soldered where they needed to connect to some other areas of the copper pipes including a new Pressure Reducing Valve.

Does anyone have any insight or advice on what could be causing this issue?

Thanks,
Mike

Update: We are still not sure what caused the issue, but we had the plumbing company come out and do a vinegar wash of the entire system. This worked and the smell is gone.


Space heater efficiency and light bulb efficiency in winter New here, so apologies for the basic question.

My undergraduate-level physics understanding of efficiency is it is the % of energy input that is turned into useful work as opposed to heat. At the same time, I've been told that free-standing space heaters waste energy because they are "inefficient". How can something that is designed to produce heat be considered inefficient?

Similarly, is there any reason to care about the efficiency light bulbs if I  live in a climate where it is always cold outside and both heat and light are desirable things for a light bulb to produce?

Electric heaters are darned near 100% efficient at what they do: convert the electric potential in your home's power to heat. Other heating appliances can't claim as high an efficiency (for example, an oil boiler might be somewhere in the mid 80-90% range for efficiency, loses being related to incomplete combustion). However, what you might have heard is that the relative cost of heating with electricity is greater than other means.

Here is a nice comparison/calculator of costs to produce the same amount of heat with various heating sources.

Regarding sources of light: I believe you are correct in your assumption. If you would be heating your home anyway, an "inefficient" incandescent bulb will provide you will useful heat. However, keep in might the cost of electric heat vs cost of other heat sources available. Also consider where the lights are relative to you. If they are all near the ceiling you might not sense much benefit from their heating.


Several Electrical Mains into a Single Panel For an existing building, seven single-phase mains supplies with meter devices installed by the electrical company are supplying electricity into a same tenant installation. The tenant receives a single bill each month.

Regarding the NEC specifically, i would like to know, if there is admissible to feed all the single-phase mains into a single distribution panel with breakers and protections, of course keeping separated the sub-circuits, as per each mains.

I am thinking on a single distribution panel for the obvious convenience by the construction, the final owner and users.

This is a similar case than in a three-phase case, when each phase is kept separated as sub-circuits, and similar to single-phase and three-phase with an emergency system; all cases in which a single distribution panel is the standard usage.

Thanks in advance,

EDIT: The Rule of Six (NEC 230.71A) limits the maximum number of disconnects to six per service entrance conductors. Considering the building|tenant is unique, this is an argument for requesting the company to reinstall a single service conductor and a single meter device.

First, you can have only one meter/service per occupancy (unless you have something really weird).  An occupancy is a single tenant, within reason.  For instance a single family home gets one service.  If that house is later subdivided into four apartments, it could have four meters and four services, but the power company will be reluctant to provision all this, so they will insist on proof that the city authorized the subdivision.

Similarly, a large building subdivided into live-work spaces, workshops, studios or retail stores may  be able to get a separate utility meter and service for each tenancy.

Alternately, the landlord can take one service, and fit his own "submeters" and then rebill the tenants.

So what happens when the 4-unit apartments are turned back into a single family home? Awkward.  The power company may be able to bill them on one bill. Electrically, you have to live with it, and keep each service's hots, neutrals and grounds separate.  If you've got four 60A services and want to fit a heat pump with a 70A aux heat, you've got a problem.

You can't feed one main panel from two meters.  (unless the power company specifically wires you up that way, and remember, the point of demarcation isn't the meter, it's below the meter, and in that case, it would be on them).  This would be paralleling without using equipment made for paralleling, and would raise huge issues for overcurrent protection, maintenance shut-off, and finding main panels able to support merging main feeds (you won't).  And if any of the services are out of phase with each other -- KABOOM! That last is why even if you were do this harebrained idea, you'd want overcurrent protection before the merge.

What you can do is install one new, proper main service (e.g. 200A) with one main panel.  Then later at your leisure, cut over each old panel to be a subpanel of the new main.  If you are in Europe, the new main could be 3-phase and serve a single phase to each subpanel.  So for instance, in that case, you'd provision your heat pump's 70A aux heat directly off the new main, bypassing the subpanels altogether.  You could cut loads over to the new main at your leisure, and eventually deprecate the old panels.  But --

Just to sanity check here, are you sure the building's best value isn't subdivided?  If so, take care to arrange things so a rollback is possible.  If so, the plan might be leave the subpanels intact, and go with submetering if that day ever comes.


Hole drilling in a 6" by 12" solid wood beam I have a buddy that has exposed ceilings in his wonderful house they just bought.  In this section of the house there are 6" wide by 12" wide solid wood beams that go from one side of room to the other, a span of about 20'. They are requesting to add 2 modest chandeliers and one ceiling fan to one beam.

What is the maximum hole I can drill vertically through this beam to extend circuitry through to an electrical fan support box?

Once you drill a hole in an exposed beam you can't undo that ugly mistake. I would use conduit, "wiremold 4000", or a similar product  that can be painted a color that matches the beam making it less conspicuous. Drilling holes in an exposed wood beam is usually a big mistake that lessens the valve of the room.


Will heavy rain tomorrow be a problem if I pour concrete today? If I start pouring concrete today at 2PM while it's sunny, and it starts to rain heavily tomorrow at 2PM... and not stop raining for the next 5 days (this is the weather forecast), will my driveway be fine?

Is 20+ hours enough time for the concrete to harden and not get "dug up" by heavy rain?

No, it isn't a problem if...

You lay poly sheeting or a tarp over it after several hours of cure time (ideally the following morning). Driving rain could degrade the surface of the slab, which is still soft even after a day.
Water running along the slab won't undermine its base.


Touching a bare neutral Ok, so I've been trying to wrap my head around this for quite some time, and I think I've got it. I just want to explain it here in order for an electrician to take a look at what I've got and let me know if I'm missing anything.

Conventional household wiring from the electric company has three wires; two of them carry 120VAC that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other, and the third normally has no voltage on it, with respect to ground.

The breaker panel is wired in parallel, so each branch circuit also has 120VAC available.

A 120V circuit consists of a 'hot' wire connected to one of the two 120V lines coming into the house and a 'neutral' wire that is connected to the 0V (nominal) line at the breaker.

Touching an exposed wire in a properly wired circuit creates a situation comparable to a voltage divider (potentiometer/dimmer switch/volume control). If you touch an exposed 'hot' wire, you will receive almost all of the voltage available from the power source, because the resistance in the circuit between you and the power source is considerably lower than the resistance between you and the ground.

If you touch an exposed 'neutral' wire and everything is wired correctly, you receive very little of the voltage available from the power source because most of the resistance in the circuit is between you and the power source.

However, if the neutral wire is not connected to the panel/ground, you aren't creating a voltage divider circuit, you're creating a series circuit, with your body effectively being the path to ground to close the circuit.

Do I have that right?

Yes, that is absolutely correct.

When a neutral is disconnected from the neutral bus on the panel, what happens next is unpredictable.

If absolutely no loads are connected, the neutral wire will "float".  You will not be able to harness it for any useful work, but it will have a phantom voltage induced onto it by adjacent wires.  This doesn't have any real EMF behind it, and can't shock you.

If any load is connected, the load will be taking in line voltage and trying to return the current via neutral.  That means neutral will track with line voltage. If something gets between this neutral and either panel neutral or earth, they will indeed be in series with the load(s) and will not enjoy the experience none too much.  Worse, if they bridge a neutral that's downstream from a GFCI, the GFCI will not trip to protect you.

It's unpredictable because you never know when someone is going to throw a light switch or a thermostat will pop on.


Fix alignment of sliding doors I have a double sliding door with a lock, that only works if I lift one side by about 1-2mm. This requieres a lot of force, since this is a solid wood door. The doors do not seem to be parallel to each other. Illustration:

The doors appears to be mounted in a way that makes adjustments rather hard. Do I have to unscrew the castors from the door and then remove them to try to adjust the distance? The doors are completely inside the door frame.

Edit: After the suggestion I tried to move/remove the stop element. It is loose after unscrewing it, but can't be moved or removed.

There's usually a removable stop or jamb component that would allow you to lift the doors off the track. You may also need to remove a channel or rod to allow the doors to be swung outward at the bottom.

Then you'd make adjustments to the bracket length using the screws you can see there. Modern hardware has more convenient means of adjustment.


Repairing damage on the floor I dropped a beer glass and got a damage on the floor around 2.5 cm long. I am not sure about the material on the floor because the damage looks more like that something is peeling off. If it had been marble, then there would have been a one straight crack. Maybe its vinyl?

The following question is how to repair this? Is there any repair set available to hide this? I have seen a couple of them on amazon but dont know which one would be the right one. Help would be appreciated.

Looks like vinyl tile to me (VCT), judging by the straight lines in the upper photo. You're not going to be able to repair that without replacing the tile, and you won't be able to match tile that old very well. This is especially true if it's sheet vinyl.

I'd try gently tapping it flat with a hammer, and re-wax the floor to fill it a bit. Any other filler will show worse than the damage itself.


How should a painted wall be prepared before being tiled? I want to apply tiles to a kitchen/bathroom wall. The surface is clean and freshly painted. Should the surface be prepared before being tiled, or will the tiles adhere properly to the painted surface?

Obviously the tiles can adhere no better than the paint is adhering to the wall.  So if there is any peeling you should remove the paint first.
In kitchens and bathrooms semi-gloss or gloss paint is often used.  The tile may not adhere to these as well as to other paints.  Usually washing with a product like TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) which is a super strong soap will rough the surface up pretty well.
In all cases, however, you should read and follow the tile adhesive manufacturer's recommendations regarding wall preparation.  The specific brand you are using may have different requirements.


Using indoor-only Xmas lights -- in the outdoors, where they'll get wet Imagine that you bought a few strings of incandescent Xmas lights.  They are rated for indoor use only.  The tag says not to use them outdoors.  They aren't any cheaper than the outdoor-rated lights sold in the same store; but you feel that the indoor-rated lights come in nicer colors.

You want to use them outdoors for about one every per year (in the fall).  They'll be used in a backyard hut.  They'll be attached to the roof of the hut, which is made of bamboo poles.  The roof is not watertight at all.  The lights will remain lit all night, every night.  They'll be plugged into a GFCI-protected outlet.

After the week is over, the lights will be stored away in a dry basement until the next year.

It can get chilly here in the fall -- it can dip to 5 °C (40 °F) at night.  It also rains sometimes.

Rain will fall on the lights, and they'll get wet.

What are the risks?
(Optional:)  If you like, also consider your favorite North American electrical code.  Either the US National Electrical Code or the Canadian Electrical Code.  Is it likely to be legal to take risks like this one?

The main risk I can think of is electrocution. Most likely the parts are not designed to get wet, exposed to sun, and/or extreme temperatures. GFCI will protect you if you get electrocuted and the voltage goes to the ground, but if you happen to get electrocuted in a way that continues through the wiring back to the neutral, there will be no voltage difference to cause a trip.

The electrical codes cover the wiring in the wall and to the outlets. But from the device plugged into the receptacle on, it gets into consumer safety and groups like UL. The product you selected was deemed unsafe for this purpose by the manufacturer or an underwriter, so it would be best to get a product designed for the purpose you intend. As an aside, outdoor rated holiday lights are common and cheap, so it doesn't make sense to try to save money like this.


Should insulation batts in my attic be lifted off the ceiling, leaving a gap? I have what appears to be R-30 unfaced fiberglass insulation batts between my ceiling joists.  The installation looks like I would expect, except that the batts appear to have been pulled away from the ceiling drywall such that there is an air space between the drywall and the insulation.  Some batts are bowed up and others have their edges exposed to the attic (not fully in contact with the joist as a result of being pulled up).  Because the house has non-IC can lights, the insulation isn't continuous, meaning that the otherwise insulated air pocket is effectively vented to the attic every so often.

I would expect that insulation in direct contact with the drywall would perform best.  It's not clear to me if this was done by the builder to make the insulation appear to be thicker than it actually is, if it has crept over time due to thermal expansion or other movement, or if this is a superior way to insulate an attic.

If it matters, I live in CA and the house is mid-1980s vintage.

This is typical of what I'm seeing.  The batt on the left has its sides touching the ceiling joist, but will sit 2-3 inches lower if I push it down against the ceiling drywall.  The batt on the right does not have its sides consistently touching the joist.

Here's a quick takeout from ubakus, though I couldn't find a way for it to show as a vertical space rather than a wall.  The air gap between insulation and my roof sheathing ranges from 2-16 feet; I used 4 feet in this model.

Sounds like a sloppy install to me, and as a result the insulation that's not in continuous contact with the ceiling panels is doing nothing. If air can circulate around the insulation, virtually no heat is retained or blocked (in winter and summer, respectively). If this was some sort of intentional air gap there would also be an air barrier over the insulation (out of necessity).

I would do my best to lay and fit the batts that are there, then I'd consider overlaying blown cellulose (an easy DIY job) to fill voids and bring your R-value up to modern standards.


How do you get rid of flies that like to hang out on the side of my house in the sun? Each year as it gets nicer outside, I begin to find flies congregating in the sun on the side of the house just outside our patio door. It tends to be a nice sunny place for them.  I do not have a grill and I have potted herbs that are supposed to be things they don't like based on other websites.  It's not unusual for small fuzzy bumble bees to also hang out in the same place, so I'm reluctant to spray it since I need the bees to pollinate my vegetable garden and flowers.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

If you are looking for an ecological solution, then bear in mind that many types of lizard (and chameleons) feed off flies. Since they also like to hang out on sunny walls, you may have a meeting of minds here. This is why such animals are usually welcome in homes in sunny places such as Valencia, Spain (called "dracs").

Just remember that cats also like to eat lizards, so this will only work in a feline-free area.


How low should I drill holes in my sump pump basin? Should I drill them at the bottom? I'm encapsulating my crawl space and as a part of this I'm installing a sump pump with a perimeter drain around the inside of the crawl space that leads to the sump pump basin. I installed the sump pump in the back corner of my house. I have a Zoeller M53 sump pump and a 24" x 24" basin. 10" from the top of the basin, I drilled a 4" hole for the inlet pipe. I then made a bunch of smaller holes all around the basin and made them small enough that the gravel won't spill through. None of these holes go lower than 12" from the top. So none of the holes are lower than the inlet pipe.
My reasoning behind this was that I wanted all the water intake to happen above the switch on for the pump. In other words, I didn't think I would want my pump to be pumping out water that was already over a foot deep underground. I also didn't think I would want the holes to be within the range of the pump turn on and off levels. Otherwise, it might lead to short cycling. If the water was already low enough in the ground, I figured it didn't need to be pumped out.
A few questions I have regarding this:

Should I be drilling the holes lower in the basin? Right now, the top 12" of the basin has holes, the bottom 12" doesn't.
Should I drill holes in the bottom of the basin? I'm slightly concerned that the ground water pressure might cause my basin to "float." I was planning to put a 16x16 40lb paver at the bottom of the basin for the pump to sit on. With the weight of the paver and the water that will naturally sit at the bottom of the basin (because it's too low for the pump to kick on and pump out), there will be over 100 lbs of weight keeping the basin from floating I would think. But should I install some holes in the bottom? This would mean my basin would be filling up with water that is 2' underground already. Not entirely sure it's necessary.

Generally you want the holes at the bottom.  This allows you to remove the maximum amount of water from under your slab or foundation.  You will not pump out the entire ground water supply as it takes a finite amount of time for ground water to move toward a low-pressure area.
So your sump pump will create a "dip" in the ground water level around the sump but that's what you want to happen.


Is it safe to use heat tape on a drain line (p-trap)? Background/Problem:
The p-trap for a drainage line (PVC) from one of my showers happens to be outside the house in an area that isn't protected from the cold/wind (yeah, I know) so when it freezes outside the water in the trap tends to block the drainage and back up water into the shower. I am considering installing thermostatically controlled heat tape to the pipe during the winter to the U part of the pipe to prevent this.

My Question:
I'm a little concerned about the risk of melting the PVC pipe, especially since it won't typically have running water going through it to dissipate the heat. Also, the shortest heat tape I could find was 3' which is probably going to mean some of the tape is going to run past the part of the trap that will actually have water in it.

I'm considering heat tape with a thermostat, so in theory it should cut off before it does any damage, but I just wanted to check with the home improvement experts to see if that application is a good idea, or if you guys have alternate suggestions.

So what do you think? Will this work out and do you have any suggestions for how to use heat tape correctly in this scenario?

I would build a small insulated enclosure around the trap and drain. Could easily be constructed with a couple pieces of lumber or some left over log siding. (see you have log siding on the wall) Heat tape could scorch the PVC and be hard to regulate.


3 way connection without 3 way switch I have a 3 way configuration between 2 switches in my house.
Switch 1 has:
Neutral, Ground, one red [traveler], one black
Switch 2 has:
Neutral, Ground, one red [traveler], one black
Neither of these switches is a 3 way switch with 2 traveler wires. I am trying to replace both these switches with GE Z-wave smart switch and add-on switch.
I am very confused on how this is working. I am trying to read online to get myself familiar with this design. Apparently, I cannot find anything related on the internet [very possible I am not looking for the right keywords].
Can you please help me with below questions or redirect to me a web link that explains similar setup?

how is this working.
Is this considered a 3 way switch?
What do I need to do to make it wire properly? [if needed]

Thanks!
Edit on 10/26:
Thank you so much for all the tips and suggestions. The boxes have two more switches which makes it really harder to get clear picture of what is all going on in there. But, probably may makes more sense if you are used to these boxes more.
I also ran into something interesting on the switch which is connected to the lights. There is a bundle of black wires back in the box with a wire nut. When I tied my load wire into that nut, my lights turned on. So, those wires must be a bundle of line wires. I am wondering if I can completely ditch my 3 way setup for these lights and simply go with a regular smart switch? so, line + load + neutral + ground connect to the one smart switch. I can put wire nuts on the wires on other switch and just put them back into the box.
I am just afraid if I am doing anything dumb this way. Is there any reason I should avoid that?

I think you may be mistaken about what the wires are. Since it's not a "smart" switch, there's likely not a neutral connected to it.  Instead, I would suspect that the white wire is actually being used as a traveler. This was a fairly common wiring method, before the neutral was required at all switch locations.

If this is the case, then you should mark the white wire at both ends with a black marker or tape.  This would also mean that you're not going to be able to install the "smart" switch, as there's not a neutral in the box.

Remember, not all neutrals are white, and not all white wires are neutral.

I'm no good at ASCII art, so here's a crappy MSPaint digram of what the wiring might look like.


How can I install a dishwasher under a 23 inch deep counter space? We want to install a dishwasher in our kitchen, however the cabinet box is only 23" deep and dishwashers are usually 24 inches deep (as I understand).  This would pose a problem when opening a bank of drawers that are perpendicular to the dishwasher.  The cabinets were built on-site/in-place and cannot be removed.  We were considering "chipping away" part of the wall studs behind where the dishwasher would go in order to gain an additional inch.  However, this method is a bit awkward.  Does anyone have a clever idea on how to solve this problem?

You can definitely get dishwashers that are not as deep as the standard, though selection will be more limited.

One thing to consider is that the dishwasher needs a bit of clearance and wiggle room, so you'll likely need to accomodate more than 1" difference.

I would recommend against chipping away at the studs in you wall as this will reduce the strength of the studs and wall significantly.  If this is an internal non-load bearing wall this might be OK but this would be a big problem if it were a load bearing wall.

I think the best/easiest solution is just to find a different dishwasher that will fit your space.


How can a non-working corroded tub plunger with a broken linkage assembly in the open position be fixed? I’ve read the helpful advice on  bathtub plungers  stuck  in the closed position. However, I have a bathtub plunger stuck in the open position. The trip assembly has come away leaving the plunger in place with The tub not holding water. The CLR used to help uncorrode the plunger, immediately  drains away.  How do I get the plunger free from it’s corrosion so I can use as a hopeful retrieval aid( suggested) a hooked coat-hanger to snag the plunger?

Yes a coat hanger really helps and on some hard to snag models a bore scope may be helpful.
I have used a long screwdriver to push on a stuck stopper sometimes it’s not corrosion but hair and soap buildup under the stopper that is the problem,
removing the drain will occasionally pull a rat of hair up that is preventing the stopper from dropping into place and blocking the flow.
Make sure to check for obstructions below as the stopper is gravity closure so a chunk of hair could be the problem also.


How should I finish the area around the gas line for my range? We are remodeling our kitchen and had a new gas line run for our range.  What's the best way to finish the area around the valve?  We'll obviously will need to access the valve and run flex pipe from the end.  Should I simply frame the top with another 2x4 and end the drywall there?  Is there a box that would fit this scenario?

You should have them come back, remove the valve, and install an elbow and a short nipple so the valve is outside the wall (make sure it's out far enough so that it's outside the finished wall). Then have them install the valve again.

If you know what you're doing, you could do the work yourself, but I don't recommend it.

Unfortunately the pipe bends the wrong way after the last elbow, otherwise you might be able to give it a quarter turn so that the elbow pointed out into the room. In your situation, however, this would loosen the joint, so it's not recommended.


Cracked subway tile on shower cub after remodel: what's my next steps I have a recently remodeled shower with a shower curb that has cracked tiles, separating trim, and a potential leak. I would appreciate any advice.

I had my shower remodeled (gutted and rebuilt) in Dec, 2018 after water damage in the wall related to a leaky shower valve. Six months after install, the trim separated from the shower curb and the contractor came to fix it.

Now, more trim is coming off the curb in another area (see photo). Two other larger problems: One, the subway tile on the top of the curb is cracking (see photos). Two, the curb might be leaking at the corner (see photo). I don't know why the tiles are cracking; perhaps the thin set was applied incorrectly?

I'd be grateful for any advice.

--Should I just leave this alone?

--Can these tiles be replaced? Can the shower curb be replaced? Do I need to start over dow to a new shower pan?

--Any advice for approaching the contractor?

Thank you very much for any help.

I am a license tile installer of 35 years and you definitely have a leak in your pan and/or non existent pan on the curb.  The reason the grout is cracking and tiles are pushing away from each other is because the curb was built with wood ( wood swells when I gets wet) this is not the proper way install this, and soon it will develop mold - if it hasn't already. Curbs must be built with concrete blocks (filled solid) or a form builder utilizing concrete (dry pack).

This issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible, that curb can channel water into your adjacent walls as well creating a much larger issue.

To find out if the pan is leaking, as Chris stated above, remove the drain cap, plug the drain ( must be water tight!) First, mark a tile with a fill line using a crayon then fill up the pan to your mark. I would put it slightly below the level of the curb. Wait 48 hours to see how much the water has dropped below the line. Typically a small amount for evaporation, maybe the thickness of your crayon line can be accounted for, anything more than that you have a leak in the pan and it will need to be replaced.  Unfortunately in either situation your glass will need to be removed from the curb.


What are the black spots on my bathroom ceiling? Are they mold? My bathroom above my tub is getting some black spots on it that seems to be growing. I assume it's mold. I am wondering how should I deal with this? What should I expect it to cost?

First find out whether it is mold or not. What you do next depends on this.

Assuming it is mold you need to do two things.

Clean it off - disinfectant/bleach solution should do the job.
Find out why it's forming. This is the important bit as if you just do the first step it will come back.

The usual cause is condensation which in a bathroom means you have insufficient ventilation.

So the ultimate cure is to fit an extractor fan above the bath to remove the steam. You can get ones that wire up to the light circuit and then "run on" after the light is switched off to provide additional ventilation.

Once you've done this redecorate.


What is the minimum safe distance between two induction hobs/Stovetops? I am building a new kitchen in the UK and I want a 5-6 burner induction hob/stove.

However, a 5 or 6 burner induction hob is more than twice a 4 ring one. Given that I am looking at other options.

Install a 2 ring hob next to a 4 ring one
Suggestions?

Installing a 2 ring hob brings up regulation problems - as safe distance between appliances is 200mm.
Has anyone got any experience with navigating UK building regulations to figure this out?

IMO installing a hob next to another hob shouldn't require a 200mm gap.

Thanks

We have now completed the build on this project.
The hobs/stove tops were installed with a 50mm gap by the sparky/ electrician.
Building control/ regulations certificate and safety certificates have been issued.
Therefore it is acceptable to all parties to install a hob with a 50mm gap.
We used a 900mm wide exhaust fan to cover both hobs.
See a photo:


Replacing carbon block filters in deionization (Ion Exchange) system annual maintenance Below is the image of my setup. I replaced all maintenance items at the same time, carbons blocks and resin, however noticed the ppm was around 5x times (100ppm) after replacement, and only after three weeks or so is now down to 1ppm. I think I remember hearing a local water shop mention it is best to soak the carbon blocks in water for a day, then run water though them for about 15 minutes before replacing the resin. Phrased differently, prepping the blocks beforehand will not discharge the newly charged resin?

According to a local expert, and the manual...

Both granulated carbon and carbon blocks should be rinsed down for ~5 bed depths (enough water to fill and empty the sump or tank 5 times).  This is to remove carbon fines which may otherwise make it through the filter and to rinse out any byproducts from the creation of the carbon that would otherwise be taken out by the resin and partially spend it’s capacity. If the tank is large enough*, larger than .25 cb. ft, there will not be any noticeable difference from a 10” carbon cartridge being rinsed into it. The rinsing time is just 5-10 minutes is all.  You may see some cloudiness or bubbles in the water for up to 1-2 weeks but that will rinse out with time.  The bubbles are just a product of how porous the carbon is and it takes some time to rinse all of it out.

*their base model is a .15 cuft


Faulty breaker? Older than the others? One of my breakers keeps tripping - it is on a circuit with only a dishawasher and microwave on it. It is almost always the dishwasher that causes the break. Some days it does, some it doesn't. Today, it was tripped by the microwave, even when the dishwasher was off. I cant test these applianes on another circuit because they are permanantly attached.
This leads me to think it might be a breaker problem - both appliances are brand new.
It looks to be like the breaker panel is not new - lots of rewiring was done in a remodel about 6 months ago but possibly not the breaker panel.
When i tried to look at information on what fuse to get to replace it, i realized it has none (see number22 in the picture). But it says its 20 amp - possibly its just older than the others? Can i just buy a replacement 20 amp fuse with the information from the breaker below it? Or are there different types apart from the amp rating?
Thanks!

Why not swap breakers 20 and 22 to see if the problem moves with the breaker?
Shut off the main breaker and remove the panel cover. You can disconnect and swap the wires from the two breakers without moving the breakers.
You should replace the panel cover as your test is going to take several days.
If breaker #19301 trips in position 20 then it is obviously bad. If breaker #20033 trips in position 22 then you have a difficult problem in circuit 22 -- probably a loose neutral connection.
If neither breaker trips after several days then breaker #19301 is faulty (but circuit 20 does not apply enough load to trip it).
EDIT in response to OP's comment about switching the wires without changing changing the breakers:
Actually, what I would do if this was my house, is disconnect the wires but not move them, then physically swap the breakers, then reconnect the wires to effect the swap. I didn't suggest this at first because it involves more steps and is more tedious to describe.

Turn off main breaker, remove panel cover.
Disconnect circuit 20 from breaker #20033 and circuit 22 from breaker #19301. Avoid moving the wires as much as possible.
Pull both breakers from the panel, swap their positions, and replace them.
Connect circuit 20 to breaker #19301, and circuit 22 to breaker #20033. All the wires should be exactly where they were before you started.
Replace the panel cover, turn on main breaker.
Wait for something to trip.

Now nothing has changed but the breakers. If the problem does not move with breaker #19301, then it could be in the panel bus bars behind the breaker, or where the neutral from the breaker connects to the neutral bar, or in the neutral connections somewhere in the run to the kitchen, etc. But you will know that you don't need to buy a new breaker.


Is 50 amp subpanel allowed in Seattle area? I am in Seattle area and planning to add a subpanel right next to main panel in garage. For my purposes, a 50 amp subpanel work would fine.
As my main panel is completely full, I would either need to move some circuit over to new subpanel or I was thinking of replacing an existing 30 amp 2 pole breaker with quad breaker with 50/30 combo. Then I can use the 50 to feed the subpanel.
My question is if the 50 amp breaker feeding a subpanel allowed in this area? I was planning to use 6/3 wire and 125 amp subpanel with 12/24 circuits.
Thoughts/suggestions?

TLDR: DO NOT put a 30/50 where you plan! It can't go there!
More spaces are ALWAYS better, and cheap. Think Really Big.
Don't overload your service. You need a load calc; see Ed Beal above.
Use conduit, not cable, to connect the panels. Reroute branch circuits.
Pay close attention to what Ed Beal is saying about load calculations.   However, where I'll differ is that "number of spaces available" is a completely unrelated matter.  They are separate issues, and you should think of them independently.  Break the problem into 2 sections.
DO NOT put a 30/50 quadplex across from a 40/40 quadplex.  You'll overload the bus stab. (This.  An easy error to stumble into when dealing with overfull panels.  Another reason overfull panels can't be tolerated!)
Section 1. Number of spaces
TLDR: You always want as many spaces as you can possibly get.
Electricity is there to serve us and do what we want.  As you know, limited spaces are a serious problem, and so we here recommend that you have a very comfortable number of spaces.  A lot of novices think the game is "have JUST enough spaces for your needs" on the logic that spaces are expensive.  They're not. Spaces are CHEAP. Running out of spaces - that's expensive.
I gather you partially grasp this already; since you're adding a 12-space when I'm sure a 2-4 space would suit your immediate needs.  I'm saying it's the right plan, but take it a lot farther.  I like to finish an "out of spaces" upgrade with 48-ish total spaces.  If you have a 30, add a 20.  If you have a 16, add a 30.  However in your case, since you already have nearly 40 circuits, I'd go for 60 total spaces.  Get another 30.
The "circuit" number (12 spaces/24 circuits) is baloney.  That's because most new circuits require AFCI, GFCI or both, and those are not made in the "double-stuff" breakers, and never will be.  In the case of your 30/50 quad that you want to use, you're relying on a) the 30A being grandfathered and b) the 50A being a feeder.
Now as far as your 50A "feeder" to the subpanel, there's no reason to be demure there, either. Wire is cheap when you're only going 3 feet.  Feel free to go as large as your main breaker.
You can have any size you want (unless you're dealing with a split-bus panel). So feel free to go 125 instead of 50; it can even exceed your main breaker.  It's max that out. You can have a 125A feed to the subpanel if you want to. "More" might help, can't hurt, costs fairly little.  Especially when your wiring is 2 feet.
The feed breaker has no bearing whatsoever on what loads are actually drawn. Your electric bill will be exactly the same whether your feed breaker is 25A or 125A.
Section 2. Load on the service
TLDR: Don't overload your service.
Now this is what Ed is talking about.  After all,  you're not installing a new subpanel for no reason; clearly you want to add something.
When you add circuits to a service, you must revisit the load calculation for the service.  That applies to all the circuits on the service, regardless of which panel they are in.  In other words, putting circuits in a subpanel is not a "free lunch".
On the other hand, there is no penalty whatsoever for putting circuits in one panel vs the other. There is no penalty for a huge subpanel feed breaker. There is no penalty for plenty of spaces.  You might as well max them out; it's cheap, and being demure buys you nothing in terms of the load calculations.
You need to get the sharp pencil and run your load calculations based on the circuits you plan to add (which you have not discussed).
Use EMT conduit to connect adjacent panels, not cable
Of course, cable is what you know.  I get that. But metal conduit is really good to get to know.  It's literally perfect for panels right next to each other, and it's usually easier - well, it's 2 easy steps instead of one PITA step.
The only hard thing in conduit is the funny thread-nuts; but you'll have to use those even with cable,  because you must have a cable clamp/strain relief where the cable exits and enters a panel.
Look at the 2 panels for where the large knockouts are.  Position the panels so the large knockouts on main and sub "line up".  Then you knock out the largest knockout hole they both have... get fittings that size and a short length of conduit (called a "nipple", which is awesome because you get to say "nipple").  Goes together like LEGO... when it's all just right, tighten all the fittings. And you just made your safety ground connnections.
If you want to come out the side of one into the top/bottom of another, look at prefabricated 90 degree sweeps in conduit.
Now if the smaller knockouts line up, I like to have a couple of additional 3/4" or 1" (whichever the pre-punched knockouts allow) conduits between adjacent panels.  That gives you freedom to route circuits coming into panel A, over to panel B.  The hot(s) and neutral must come over; the safety ground can stay in the panel it entered.
For the feeder, get 2 hots and 1 neutral of the biggest feeder wire that your feed breaker will accept. (a few feet of wire is too cheap to care about; again a silly place to scrimp). If the wires are #4 or larger, neutral can be a black wire.  Metal conduit is the grounding path.
Edit: Given what I see in your photo and comments
I would measure your box size, then get an Eaton BR "main-lug" panel of the exact same "box size".  That means all the knockouts on the sides will line up.  That also means probably another Eaton 30-space 200A panel.  That is fine.  This could include an Eaton panel with a built-in surge suppressor, as a "neat" way to add a whole-house surge.
Then I'd measure the joist spacing in the bay to the left and right of this panel.  If one of them is the standard 16" on center, I'd put this second panel there and embed it in the wall, preferably to the right as it'll fit out real nice.
Next I'd do exactly as I said: drill holes through the joist to connect some knockouts. Your box size is X5 (if 29" tall) or X6 (if 34" tall) and their right side doesn't have a lot of knockouts, so if the joist is non-load-bearing, I'd connect both top and bottom large ones, and one of the smaller ones also.  Your feeder wires will only need a 1" knockout, so you might be able to get it done with all smaller knockouts as long as one of them is 1".  You can't just have sharp box edges and wood, so "sleeve" the passage with a 3" long nipple of Rigid conduit, with conduit nuts clamping it down. That takes care of grounds.  An oscillating tool is perfect to remove 2x4 material for the passage.  (also for cleanly cutting the drywall).
With the conduits installed,  I'd pull that 30A quadplex, route its wires through a knockout, and land it in the new panel.  If you don't have enough wire slack you can extend with wire nuts.  The reason I'm going after the 30A quadplex (instead of the easier 30A dryer) is stab limits. I want to put a 125A there, and that'll have a 20A across from it on each stab. The dryer has an 80A stab load across from it, so putting a 30/50 there will set that bus stab on fire.
Now you have two spaces free.  A 125A breaker goes in there, and #2Cu THHN wire - 2 hots + neutral - all 3 wires through the same knockout to the main lugs on the subpanel.  Normally I'd use Aluminum, but we're only going 2 feet, so keep the wires smaller (and they'll just fit inside a 1" knockout).   If you want to wire a ground, that can go through a different knockout.
The multiple conduit passages give you the liberty to land new circuits in either panel, and move existing circuits over to the new panel if you want to.
If you had thoughts toward a generator, panel purchase time is the time to make sure there'll be an inexpensive generator interlock available for it. Chosen well, it's a $60 bolt-on. You would make this new subpanel the generator-fed one, and move any circuits you want on generator into this panel.
Lastly if you ever wanted 400A service, the way that is normally done is two 200A "main panels" side by side.  Which is partly why I'm suggesting two 200A panels side by side :)


Activating a door bell inside apartment after motion sensor outside detects movement Does anyone know what is the best way to connect a doorbell switch to a 3-way motion sensor switch that currently turns on lights in an entryway?

There are 120 volt single stroke bells. These ring once when the circuit is completed.

This bell would need to be wired in parallel with the lights that the motion sensor controls. Simply add the the bell's hot lead to the black wire that carries the switched hot from the motion detector to the light (both light and bell will be connected to this wire). Then connect the bell''s neutral to the neutral feeding the light (again, both bell and light will be attached to the neutral).

When the motion sensor triggers the lights, it will also trigger the bell to ring once.

 Images and links are for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.


Apart from a thermostat, where else can a C-Wire go? As part of the home work before buying a smart thermostat (yes, because of the standard C-Wire issue!), i noticed that my current old thermostat have only four wires (No C-Wire), but my furnace does have one and it is going somewhere else, which i am not able to figure out!

Furnace View 1 (Notice the White from C and Red, shared from Y - marked in Red)

Furnace View 2 (Notice that C and Y taking a different route and the rest to my thermostat)

Thermostat (Only four wires)

Any idea where that C and Y could be going? Not sure if this is related, but I do have a Gas fireplace controlled by electric switches.

Air conditioners need a C wire, too!

That separate cable that is connected to your Y and C wires goes out to your air conditioner's outdoor unit.  It connects to the coil of a contactor inside the outdoor unit that turns the compressor and condenser fan motors on when you want air conditioning and off when the air conditioning demand has been satisfied.

Heat pumps require a fatter cable as they have more wires going to them, and some modern units substitute a control board for the simple contactor found in an older air conditioner as they have a multispeed or modulating compressor and/or multispeed condenser fan.


Looking for alternative to Lexan sheets for DIY or crafting projects I have a few DIY projects in mind that need some rigid non-metal sheets that I can easily cut, drill holes in them.

Lexan would have been a perfect choice, but it is a bit expensive.
Plywood is not as strong as Lexan.
The sheets I need do not have to be transparent or good looking.
Metal is not an option so it is safe for electrical DIY projects
All I need a sheet with tough and strong material.

What are more cost effective alternatives to Lexan?

You could try ABS plastic sheets. In 1/4 inch thick panels is it very rugged and quite rigid. ABS drills very nice as well.

For a comparison look at these choices from Amazon:

ABS 12"x24"x0.236" Black - $12.20

LEXAN 12"x24"x0.250" Clear - $27.28


Remove broken setscrew in an already damaged hole? Trying to remove a broken setscrew on part of my stove. Top photo is the current state, the second photo is another part showing an intact screw for comparison.

I already tried to drill out the screw to use an easy-out but the bit wandered, cutting into the wall of the hole, perhaps 1/16th" deep. Oops.

Wondering if anyone has a suggestion how to recover this situation. Perhaps a good blow with a punch into the true center of the screw could still work, but thought I should get advice before making it worse!

I'm open to re-tapping it for a larger screw if that will work / is necessary.

It seems possible to replace this component if necessary so all is not lost if the screw can't be removed. Although disassembly of the entire apparatus would be nice to avoid. Some of it seems possibly pressed together (?).

Thanks!

First of all, use a good penetrating oil. I love PB Blaster.

It looks like you started with too large of a drill bit and it walked on you. You need to use a very small Pilot Point Drill Bit at first. Pilot point bits don't tend to wander as much and the smaller the bit, the better it will "grab" the surface. I would start with a 1/64" or 1/16" bit at dead center of the bolt head. Drill about an inch deep. Be very careful to hold your drill straight. If you break the bit off in the hole your going to be in more trouble. Work your way up in drill bit sizes until you reach the size of the hole your easy-out calls for. Use the same concept with your easy-out. Start out small and work your way up. You might have to increase in sizes with the easy-out as well if more torque is required to remove the bolt head.

If the bolt snapped off pretty close to the surface you might also be able to do a cross-cut. This is achieved with a hacksaw. You would cut across the surface until you were down into the bolt head far enough that you can use a screwdriver to back out the bolt.


Central heating pipe to split into 2 runs Looking at splitting a feed and return line into 2 branches.

I have come up with 2 different manifold ideas but I am wondering what would be better to get equal pressure for each.

I have actually made option A but after making it I am not convinced that it will pass through the water equally (i.e the first pipe out will receive water first then once all through the second pipe out will get water)

As this is for central heating does it really matter? Would it mean one radiator gets hotter first?

Thanks
Mark

If this piping is for a forced water heating system (a pump moves the water), then either piping diagram will work. If however it is for a parallel connection for pairing 2 or more water heaters and you need the same exact amount of flow to each unit then the right hand diagram is the only choice. In a heating system with a pump, The difference in the length of time for each branch to get hot will not be affected by either piping diagram but by the total length of each run of pipe and the total amount of radiation in each branch. I would recommend that if you are installing a new heating system in a building "zoning" would produce the best results. It would allow each zone or room to be controlled by it's own thermostat.


making shallow angle in wood I'm thinking how to make a shallow angle - not too important what it is - in wood plank about 3'7" long (see cross section below).

I was thinking maybe a power planer might do but they're for making things flat. Some people on youtube put a bevel free hand but I do not think that would work.

Any ideas? There is the router but I think I'd probably need some fancy jig.

The easiest thing would be to rip it on a table saw with the angle and depth set correctly.


half of the electricity is out in my house. Breakers not tripped. Reset Main breaker...nothing happened. What can be the problem? None of the breakers are tripped. halft of my house has no power. I reset the main breaker but it did not help.

It sounds like one of the two legs feeding your house died. Inside your panel, the slots for the circuit breakers alternate like so (full explanation of circuit breaker panels

Your power company will connect two wires to this box via the meter. Most likely one of the wires has gone bad. In my case, a wire between the transformer (underground) had gone out. They used something called a dry transformer to get us service on both legs until they could repair the damaged wire.


I need to drive a 7/16" nut but am unsure how to use the socket I bought for my screwdriver I have this 7/16" hex nut (in front) and I tried to order in amazon an adapter that can make my 1/4 hex bit torque screwdriver drive it. When I received the package. It was all wrong. The 7/16" was the size of the hex bit and the 1/2 is the size of the square wrench (I need all to be hexagon or 6 sides, not 4 sided).

What is the proper way to do this?

I also bought adapter for 1/4 hex to 1/2 hex thinking the male size was 1/2 size (when it fact it was 7/16" size)

You need two things.... 1/4" drive 7/16" socket

...and a 1/4" hex shank socket adapter...

That adapter kit will allow you to use multiple drives of sockets for hundreds of future uses. You probably already have some sockets. There are some one piece cheapos on the market that do work, but you have to buy all new kits when either the shank or socket portion wears down or breaks.


Do building codes enforce location with regard to plumbing rough-in? We're building a new home and paid for the rough-in plumbing for a basement bathroom.  In the model, (which I have been told is not customizable outside their allotted plans) the roughed-in lines were along the stairway in a good location for a future bathroom.  When we were asked to do our pre-drywall walkthrough, we noticed that the drains were located more into the center of the basement which is totally different from the model and very inconvenient to add a bathroom without breaking up the concrete and moving 2 of the 3 drains.

When I asked the builder, they told me that "rough in" meant a rough location as well as no fixtures.  Since this is my 1st built home, I was wondering if the location of the plumbing is subject to any location in the basement? Bottom line, I want the drains where they were in the model.  Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I did not receive any prints nor was I asked to approve the location or told the location for the rough in was different from what was in the model. I have been told that I cannot change anything from what is offered in their plans as the house is "not a custom built home". Typically, can I request a copy of the basement plans as drawn?

There are really no code requirements to be met with respect to location other than meeting clearances and that sort of thing. For example, a toilet must be so far from walls to the side. Anything else is a matter of prerogative and your contract.

It sounds like you have a contract dispute here, and that's off-topic on this network. If you approved a plan, and if the plumbing was installed according to plan, you'll have to fix it yourself. Otherwise, I'd expect the builder to do it.


Do we need a electrical sub-panel? We recently bought a 1950s 1700 square foot house with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and a largely unfinished basement.  We want to renovate the basement into a modern main bedroom/bathroom suite.
We have 200 Amp service with a recently updated panel that has 20 slots.  We also want to use this opportunity to update the electrical wiring in other parts of the house, including the kitchen, which we want to renovate down the road. However, I'm having a hard time coming up with a plan that allows us to fit everything we want on the existing panel.
Are there circuits that we can combine in the following plan?  Or should we just bite the bullet and have a sub-panel installed?  Similarly, on the current plan, are there combined circuits that really should't be combined?  We have done quite a bit of research to ensure that this will meet current code.
Also, I welcome any other feedback.  Thanks very much for any assistance!

You have enough room to get what you want, but nothing more than that
The good news is that your panel can accept double-stuff (tandem/quadruplex) breakers at all positions, which means you can free up just enough room for the two new circuits in your panel and a feeder to a subpanel, but nothing more without compromising your ability to retrofit AFCI protection into your panel.
I would start by getting a HOMT230240 to put in spaces 5 and 7; this consolidates your range and dryer circuits into those two spaces, replacing the HOM240 and HOM230 that currently serve them.  We then move onto the wall heater and heat pump (mini-split) circuits, which get moved onto a HOMT215220 in spaces 1 and 3 to replace the existing HOM220 and HOM215, respectively.  This leaves spaces 2, 4, 16, and 19 open for the four new branch circuits you have planned; once those are in, you can put up to a 125A feeder in, with the feeder breaker on spaces 18 and 20 in the panel.
But you have a problem with that extra framing in front of the concrete
The bad news, though, is that extra framing furring out from the block wall the panel's mounted on already violates Code.  In particular, it infringes on the clear working area in front of the panel required by NEC 110.26(A); as a result, you'll need to either trim that frame back so you have a 30" wide space in front of the panel clear of errant framing bits or other obstructions, or frame up from the low wall to provide a bay to mount the panel into, then move the entire panel forward into the new bay.
(If you need a visual aid, think of a fridge-sized box in front of the panel that needs to be kept absolutely clear of fixtures, obstacles, tripping hazards, and so on.)
Worse yet, the original builder didn't foresee this coming
The other problem with your situation is that your panel was mounted in a spot that while legal modulo the knee-wall, is not wise.  You see, multiple pieces of electrical equipment are permitted to share a single 30" "bay" of clear working space, but the window and perpendicular wall in your picture are both rather awkwardly placed, making it rather impossible to get a second panel into that space, especially with the transition from frame to block involved.  Worse yet, while you theoretically could put the panel in the frame wall around the corner, that's practically a no-go due to the corner framing at the end of that wall blocking any effort to run wiring through it.
So, when you do put the subpanel in, you'll have to find room somewhere else for it.  This is further aggravated by the fact conduits fat enough for fat feeders don't fit well into 2x4 stud walls, which means you'll be stuck pulling a 4-wire SER cable over for the feeder instead.  The good news is that since you're constrained to a 125A feeder breaker by panel spaces, you can pull a 1/0-1/0-1/0-2 Al SER cable and have it be good enough for a reasonably sized subpanel installation, with a 24-space or 30-space, 125A, main lug panel fed from the feeder breaker in the main panel.


Can I convert/adapt to PEX from copper tubing? I'm remodeling a bathroom, and some of the copper tubing needs to be replaced, due to leaks and the need to reposition fixtures.  Is it feasible and recommended to convert from copper tubing to PEX?  For instance, could I use something like this where the copper comes out of the slab, and run PEX the rest of the way to the fixtures?  My motivation is (perceived) ease of working with the PEX, especially the ability to position it where I need to for the shower valve assembly.  I say perceived, because I've not ever worked with PEX before - is that asking for trouble?

Yes you can do that (it's the standard way of converting to/from copper), and it shouldn't cause any troubles (read Why would you use copper over CPVC or PEX? and Does Pex tubing have any advantages over copper? for some comparisons).

Of note: you can get the male adapters that fit on the outside of copper pipe, and also that fit on the inside of copper fittings (like a street elbow). Can be handy sometimes if you're working in a tight space, or were going to immediately make a turn anyways (since you're soldering the fitting anyways, it's barely any extra work to do an elbow+adapter, and saves a PEX elbow and couple of crimp rings).


Motion sensor activates for no apparent reason I've been looking at some of the other questions about sensors, but I can't find a solution to my problem.

I have a movement sensor (PIR i presume) that turns on a light when movement is detected.
Annoyingly it turns on without reason; even when noone is in the house.
it is a dome sensor, located in the ceiling, at about 30cm from the light it turns on; I have put some black tape to obscure 50% of the sensor.  it's located near 3 doors that are generally closed.  There is absolutely no movement near.

what can trigger a PIR sensor aside movement?
Can I somehow fix this?

These units also detect heat changes.  Make sure the HVAC vent isn't blowing warm or cool air onto the detector or into its view of the space.


Replacing a on/off switch with dimmer I currently have the following switch in my dinning room. I would like to replace it with a dimmer.
This is how it was configured originally.

When I tried to replace the original with the dimmer it started to dim the other three lights on the circuit porch entry light, indoor entry light and doorbell connect to a low-voltage transformer.
How can I connect the dimmer to only service the dinning room and allow power to flow to the switch’s without dimming the other lights?
Can any one identify the original switch? and offer some suggestion to restoring the dimmer and other lights or if I can have a dimmer work in this manner at all?
There is one continuous hot wire, Two other “traveler” wires black, a bare ground and from what I can tell three Neutral wires all bound together with a nut.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you guys need more info.

The two black wires at the top are the hot from the panel and the hot continuing to the other loads. They are connected together inside the existing switch. The black at the bottom is the switched hot to the lights.
You need to connect together the top two wires and connect those to one side of the dimmer. The bottom black needs to be connected to the other terminal of the dimmer. The bare wire is ground and goes to the green screw or wire on the dimmer.
Assuming the dimmer has built-in wires, use a wirenut to connect the two hot wires to one of the dimmer wires. If it has screw terminals, add a short piece of wire (pigtail) between the first terminal and the wirenut and two hot wires. Do not try to put two wires under a screw; this will not make a reliable connection.
Also, if your dimmer needs a neutral wire, you’ll need to tap into the bundle of white wires. Don’t separate the whites but add a wire to the bundle. You may need a larger wirenut. Also, don’t use the ground wire as a neutral; it will probably work but can be very dangerous.
Edit based on new photos:
I was able to identify the dimmer from your photos and found the installation instructions here. You tried to wire the dimmer as a three-way switch but you need it as a single-pole switch. You must not use the YL terminal on the far side from the BL terminal; only use the BL terminal and the YL terminal next to it.
You need to connect the two wires originally connected at the top of the switch to the black terminal using a pigtail (short piece of wire) to a wirenut. The black wire originally connected to the bottom terminal of the switch connects to the single YL terminal.
Now I'm going to assume you've lost track of which wire is which at this point. Normally, I'd discourage experimentation with house wiring as dangerous but in this case, using only these three wires, it is safe, With the breaker turned off, wirenut together two black wires with a pigtail to the BL screw and connect the other black wire to the YL screw. Turn the breaker back on and see what happens. If everything works correctly, turn off the breaker, tuck the dimmer back in and turn the breaker back on; you're done. If the main light is always on or all lights are dimmed, turn the breaker back off and switch wires. Continue until you get the correct combination.