How clean does the surface of new-poured concrete footings need to be before pouring piers? I'm moving a 8x16 shed-turned-shop onto nine 10" piers on 16" footings over a clay substrate. I'm doing a split pour. I have already dug the holes, poured the footings and set the vertical rebar a few days ago and planned to pour the piers today. Timing was based on no rain being forecast for the week. It rained 36 hours following the pour. The holes are now filled with water and the footings have a 1-2" layer of clay mud settled on them. More rain is forecast now.
When the rain clears, I'll pump the water out of the holes and pour the piers. Before I pour, how "clean" does the surface of the footings need to be of the clay that has settled on them? There 3 lengths of at least 12" of vertical rebar exposed from each footing for the piers to pour over, so there will be a good bit of mechanical bonding.

You have to have your Footings completely clean. The only thing that is allowed to touch the bottom of a footing is a dobie. In-fact, if you have to be inspected, you will likely be handed a failed inspection tag for even slightly dirty footings, as clean footings are part of the checklist before you can pour in most areas, and furthermore; your piers will need to be totally clean as well.
Leaving loose dirt at the bottom of a footing can lead to gaps under concrete that fills the footing, this is especially true in areas that have seismically active like the Middle East, Mexico, Japan & California, or in areas that are swampy like Florida, inland New York, Brazil, and Massachusetts. When the ground shakes, or gets wet, loose dirt compacts, leaving space between the dirt, and concrete, underneath the footing where you cannot see. The dirt that hasn't been moved has already compacted for millions, if not billions of years, therefore, it is not only important to clean the footings, removing all the loose dirt, but also to make sure the dirt at the bottom of the footing has never been excavated before (in other words, the bottom of the footings should be dirt that has never been touched by man before). Also don't just re-compact the loose dirt, because no matter how much you pack it, nature will pack it more as time passes.
When loose dirt is left under fresh poured concrete, as I mentioned previously, it eventually turns into space between the concrete and the bottom of the footing. Space under the concrete leads to cracking, potentially big cracks, and in a worst case scenario, if enough loose dirt was left in the footing before the pour, it can cause the foundation to sink on one side throwing the entire home out of level. Bellow I have compiled a list that has the proper steps to take when excavating and pouring footings.
Steps for excavating and pouring footings:

When all of your excavation is complete, you need to clean your footings extremely well before you tie any rebar.
With clean footings you can now start cutting and tying your rebar. (usually one man/woman cutting and 2-3 men/women tying.
After your Rebar is completely tied you should have nothing but dobies touching the bottom of your footings. At this point you need to clean your footings one final time.
Get inspection if required.

Side Note: "If you have a small crew working for/with you it works best to have everyone stop doing what they are doing, and have them all clean the footings."


Connect three kitchen appliances to same water line? In the kitchen, I'm trying to connect the sink, dishwasher, and washing machine to the same hot water line.
Currently, my hot water has dishwasher and sink are hooked up: https://imgur.com/zgVDJG1
I use this water tee stop, can I connect two of them together to allow three connections? https://imgur.com/W8VDM74

Sure, you can connect multiple things by stacking tee fittings.
There are two things to be aware of with the specific arrangement you're considering. One is that 3/8" hose is terribly small for a [clothes] washing machine. You'll do better to remove the angle stop valve, which sits on 1/2" pipe, and insert a tee there with a 1/2" valve just to serve the clothes washer.
The other thing to be aware of is that if more than one thing demands hot water at the same time the flow to all the things will be low. The 1/2" supply pipe is just too small to serve concurrent loads. If you can deal with the reduced flow, or simply coordinate the uses to avoid concurrency, it'll be fine.


Suggestions for a replacement garage door opener My garage door opener has finally failed and I need to buy a replacement. I'm looking for suggestions on the pros and cons of different types of openers.

Here are the details of the current setup:

Fiberglass 2-car garage door. (It is about as basic as you can get, no windows, no extra weight, etc).
It is NOT located anywhere that noise is an issue (below a bedroom for example).
I am not opposed to chain drive as that is what I have, but I've been looking at either belt or screw drive. Smooth beats noise in this case, see #2 above.
One car has an integrated opener button and the other car will need a remote. There is also a need to add on a couple extra remotes for friends/family access.

What type of garage door opener would be best for this situation?

you won't find pricing suggestions here. pricing recommendations become out of date too quickly.

in my experience, if you're looking for smooth operation then you need to concentrate on the door. make sure it opens and closes smoothly. a bad garage opener will still open a well-adjusted door smoothly, but a good opener won't help a poorly adjusted door.

that being said, i really love my genie screw drive. they make a couple of models that open the door 2-3 times faster than it closes.


How can I pull a wire through a pipe that has too many turns for fish tape? I need to replace a sump pump, but have run into a problem.  The route for the cord goes through a 2" pipe with two 90 degree bends, and fish tape is ineffective.  The pipe appears poorly jointed as well and uneven. Is there a way to get the cord through this convoluted pipe?

The old cord is already out of the pipe, and cannot be used to drag a pull string.

This technique worked great.  I tied a string to the cord, tied a plastic bag to the string, and sucked that bag right through the pipe using a vacuum cleaner.

Just be a little cautious: the bag can travel through the pipe in a blink of an eye, and you might not want to have to fish the bag out of the vacuum.

Once the bag is through, pull the cord through, and untie the string.


How can I stop interior doors from opening when exterior doors are opened? In our church every time someone comes into the building through the main entrance, the interior main sanctuary doors come open and make it possible to hear noise from the hallway.  Is there some piece of hardware that can be installed on the sanctuary doors to prevent them from opening from the exchange of air flow but still allow entrance into the sanctuary?

You have two problems really and you can choose to solve one, the other or both.

First is the easier one, securing your doors so they can't be opened by the air.  As Gunner mentioned, a ball latch/catch might work however they are designed to allow the door to open with a bit of force.

(source: homedepot.ca)

Other options include a bolt that you manually open at the top/bottom, or a panic bar:

(source: keylessaccesslocks.com)

The second way to tackle this problem is to prevent the vacuum that is occurring when the doors are opened.  You likely need vents to allow air to flow between the two rooms - either slats in the door or more dedicated HVAC.


Is this grounding configuration correct? While doing work in my breaker panels I noticed the following:
300A service enters into a large box on the right where it is split to a 200A and a 100A panel.  Neutral and ground are bonded in the splitter box (d) AND in each of the main panels.  The boxes are joined by conduit (c) and there is also a wire joining the combination neutral/ground bus in each of the two load centers to the splitter box (a).   The splitter box is also connected to the cold water (b) and to a ground rod outside.
From the limited understanding I've developed of how grounding should work, it seems to me I have neutral and ground bonded in multiple locations here.  Is that ok?  This was all done by a licensed electrician.

You have two service disconnects, so this is mostly fine
Your situation where you have a splitter box or trough as part of the service hardware is not at all unheard-of.  Since the two panels each have their own service disconnect, they have their own bonding means to go with it. This isn't much different from a duplex with two meters/panels fed from a single service entrance via a similar splitter box/trough, and likewise, that trough needs to be bonded to the service neutral, just like a meter pan.  This is also a legal place for the grounding electrode conductor connection to be made, as NEC 250.24(A)(1) permits that connection to be made anywhere from the load end of the service drop/lateral to the neutral bus on the service disconnecting means.
However, there is one issue, and that's the excess of bonding jumpering going on here, as that effectively parallels the neutral going from the meter out to the panels.  Utility and local Code standards permitting, I would have the rigid nipples between the splitter box and panels replaced with PVC, or at least fitted with insulating couplings, so that service neutral current can't stray onto parallel bonding paths, and the extraneous bonding wires from the trough to the panels removed.  This corrects a NEC 250.6(A) violation due to the parallel paths and also eliminates the need for bonding bushings + their associated jumpers.


How much work would be required to repair this roof? I'm looking to buy a new house that needs a lot of work doing (almost a complete renovation job, rewiring, plumbing, damp proofing etc). On the last visit I went up into the loft to see what work needed doing, and if the roof needed replacing or if repairs were possible instead.

I've uploaded pictures here... http://imgur.com/a/QFvqg which will hopefully give you an idea of what state it's in currently.

I know there's obviously a poor work gone on here in the past, but I'm just wondering if it's repairable without getting a whole new roof, and how big of a job this would be.

Other information that might be of use:

1) Slight sag in the roof where all 4 colours meet (on the diagram in my pictures) above 'bedroom 1'.

2) I don't have pictures of the area above 'bedroom 2' due to access and safety concerns! So that to be ignored (if possible).

3) I notice there's a bow and split in the larger beam. Is it possible to secure this with a metal plate instead of replacing?

Let me know if any other information is needed and I'll add it as soon as possible.

Anything is repairable if you throw enough money at it. If you already owned this house having it repaired would be a consideration. A perspective buyer should have the current owner address this or the buyer should get an extreme discount.

A $100 inspection would provide you with a list, containing deserved discounts; the cost to replace bad wiring, plumbing; anything out of order. It's a bargaining chip, where the owner will probably fix what they can on the cheap or eventually agree to a reduced price. 50k(US) is a very rough ballpark for a roof gut, plus.


Should vents protruding through the roof be protected from weather? Should vent and air intake pipes that exit thru the house roof be left open to the elements or should they be terminated with a gooseneck to make them rain proof?

Vent pipes no, the pipes are supposed to the set so any rain that enters, drains down the same as any water that enters the pipe from the sinks, tubs, toilets etc.

Intake pipes are only to take in air, not water and if there is a low spot in the pipe, water may eventually block the pipe like a water trap, so they need to be protected from the weather.


How can I increase the effectiveness of my bathroom vent fan? The vent fan in my bathroom isn't very effective.  After taking a shower, the bathroom takes several hours to dry out.

The fan itself works fine: it generates almost enough static suction to hold a magazine against the ceiling.  I think the issue is the airflow path within the bathroom: since the fan is close to the door, dry air goes in the door, out the vent, and never mixes with the humid air in the shower stall.

How can I fix this?  My options for re-arranging the bathroom are limited: I'm in a condo, and any work that involves the ceiling or a structural wall needs to be cleared with the condo association.

I’m no expert and just throwing out an idea but a small portable fan that directs the warmer air towards where the ceiling fan is could work.


Installed Harbor Breeze ceiling fan/light with remote unit - wall switch no longer functions I installed a Harbor Breeze ceiling fan/light with a remote control unit earlier this evening. I've installed several fans and never had a problem. This one sort of has me perplexed.

There was an existing fan/light in place. There are 4 wires inside the box (Red, Bare, Black, and White) It was wired as such:

Box                Fan
----------------------------------
Black              Blue & Black
Bare               Green
White              White
Red (capped off)   ---

The new fan has a remote unit that connects to the fan first with only a white and black wire exiting the unit. It is wired as such:

Box                Fan
----------------------------------
Black              Black
Bare               Green
White              White
Red (capped off)   ---

The previous unit used a wall switch to power the unit. Once the switch was on, you could pull the chains for the light and the fan to adjust speed. If you turned the switch off, it cut power to the unit altogether. The new fan/light does not respond to the switch at all. The only thing that controls the fan/light is the remote. Even if the wall switch is off you can still control the fan/light. I would've expected the switch to operate the fan/light the same way, meaning instead of chains, you would control the fan/light functions with the remote but if you turned the wall switch off the fan/light would turn off completely until the switch was turned back on. Am I wrong about this? Is there something I overlooked?

Thanks.

Taking the information you have given us, what you are describing doesn't make sense. The only way you could connect the fan without it operating on the switch is to bypass the switch, if it is a mechanical switch (not a controller from the previous fan). Meaning you have somehow tapped the line side to the switch and disconnected the switch leg returning to the fan.

You need to take a voltage tester and check which wire is the switch leg and which wire is the line side hot to the switch by turning the switch on and off and seeing which one is permanently hot and which one is the switch leg and reconnect them to reinstall a mechanical switch.

If the switch was a controller installed for the previous fan, you need to replace it with a standard mechanical switch.

Happy new year and good luck.


Removing a wallpaper border which has been painted over I'm currently decorating a painted room which had a wallpaper border around it. The room has been repainted at least twice, and the border was never removed.

I have removed the border and this has left a good indent of a few layers of paint either side. Despite running a knife along the top and bottom of the border, some of the paint either side has chipped off, so I'm not left with a perfectly straight line around the room. To make things even more fun, some of the paint behind the border has flaked off too.

This has left me with a less than ideal surface to paint on. The question is, what is the best way to make everything nice and smooth for painting?

I have read this, which basically says to apply filler with a taping knife to fill the gap left by the border. Is this the best thing to do? Will the filler adhere to the paint properly, or do I need to treat it with something first?

I had a similar issue and though it sounds like a lot of work and hard for a diy'er to do ( *I found a lot of sites that simply said call in a professional. )
However,  for me that just wasn't an option due to finances. I too am told by many that I am too much of a perfectionist agree. I will say it has both advantages and disadvantages. Give yourself credit and confidence first.

There are a few ways to handle this in my personal experience, I will share first the one I think has the nicest outcome. Which is...brace yourself and have an open mind, YOU CAN DO THIS!  ( "this" is re-skimming the wall. )

Ok make a list of the NEEDS to do then head on down to your local home improvement store to purchase needed supplies. These supplies will be in two categories, 1st is tools. Tools do make all the difference in the outcome of the task at hand. You don't have to trust me, but if you don't you will soon learn!

Needs:

A dry wall taping knife, at LEAST a 10," I used a 14"  ( do to me being a 5' 100 lb 50+ girl in hind sight a 12" would have been easier for me I think ).

Drywall mud pan/tray, one that is the size of the knife you choose.

A pole sanding tool, ( looks close to a swifer floor duster ) That's optional, their are many ways and tools to sand the wall. I used the pole sander and also a 3' pc of 1x4 smooth board. I did try my electric palm sander for about 2 mins lol, it made sooooo much dust fly everywhere!! Again remember Im a diy'er and will NOT be doing this for anyone just in my own home. So with that it said I found it too costly to purchase anything more than this pole sanding tool.

Drywall sanding paper, (looks like a screen) to fit your pole. not real sure what grit it was tiny little squares a tad smaller than what graph paper look like. I also got a pack of regular sand paper idk 8x10 like a sheet of paper I got grit of 220. (hence perfectionist)

Drywall Mud, MANY OPTIONS HERE! I tried a few and what I found to work best for me was the premixed white bucket with a blue lid. All purpose drywall "compound" the blue lid is "Plus  3"

Drywall sealer/primer, Again many options I choose the zinsser bulls eye 1 2 3  all purpose primer, water clean up.

Paint, and the tools for painting, ( I won't go into this will save for another category lol )

That is all you need to skim wall. I did 10 walls in my parents house do to a dishwasher house flood that  insurance did not cover. :( errr ) The walls came out GREAT they even impressed ME! After painting one wall I was fortunate my father  went and bought a graco  airless paint sprayer, Not the litte handheld thing , well first he did but had to refill cup way to much to make it worth while in my opinon returned that and got the jamb up one that has a hose to go into a 5 gallon bucket,  yeah!! I will NEVER ROLLER and BRUSH AGAIN!! Ahhh I love good tools!

Ok. now you have all you need. Now just do IT! Gitt'er done! Time frame for me was I did one coat a day x 3 days !

Opps forgot one item sorry! I got a big mixing thing that went onto my drill to mix this the drywall mud up. I don't think I got the RIGHT type mine looked like a mixer beater, the caged in type it worked though. I gave it a little whip not a lot just a bit, so it was like a creamy smooth peanut butter or a thick heavy cake frosting. Now with mud in pan, knife in hand skim a light layer on the wall I did top to bottom, bottom to top. Scooted over to next path of which I over lapped a bit on each. Do this and wait for the next day and repeat ( no need to sand but you many want to run a putty knife to knock down any lines you created before you Repeat! Oh yeah on the repeat I went side to side meaning not up and down vertical, but horizontal )

Day 3.  Now on this coat I went vertical but I thinned down the "mud/compound" not too much just a little, made it creamier, I will say like tub type cool whip! This is the final coat so before I put it on I ran my knife and really looked to see areas where I may need to pay more attention to. I am a touchy/feely person and with my eyes closed I ran my hand all over the wall.  I could  feel waves & dips and the like so I knew where and what I needed to do to get the smoothness I wanted. ok I put it on!

Now day 4, sanding time! Put the screen on your pole and hit! NOT ALOT don't use to much pressure, let the tool do the work for you or you may just  have to give this ANOTHER coat, ( NOOOOOO hahah ! ) just run it up and down and then side to side. Now the wall is MOST LIKELY READY TO seal\prime . Well you have to get a damp cloth and I do mean EVER SO SLIGHTLY DAMP, like really not even but damp. This is to clean all the dust off the wall so that the primer/sealer will stick! Vacuum too, get all the dust outta there!

But before the dusting, I have to be me, so I took the board I previously mentioned and I wrapped it in the 220 regular sand paper, held it on tight with a few staples on the back where I held it. I took this as a sanding straight edge and ran it up and down my corners and ceiling edge then I slid it all around the wall in every direction in circles too like an orbiting tool. Then I was pretty satisfied.

I sealed and painted and WOW the walls look amazing..... They look better than ever, this even took out the slight hump that the original builders left at the seams! You too can do this I am positive. Just don't over work the mud, do it in layers. Each layer makes it better. No the walls, to ME, did not FEEL perfect when I sealed them either! I was gonna give them another layer of compound mud, but my father insisted enough! I was like well IF YOU SAY SO BUT....... Hind sight it is true here.... FATHER KNOWS BEST!

The walls simply look GREAT and REALLY this is NOT HARD work JUST time and self confidence, leave negative thoughts somewhere far from you! You I am sure will gain another notch in self accomplishments.

Other options: re drywall, cover with any other kind of material, just try to fill in the strip with mud, get the texture in a can..... Im not for any of those really that's my personal opinion.
You can create a whole new kind of texture with the mud/compound too many cool ideas out there, google it.

My dads boy is a girl! hahaha cuz that's me! ... I want the world to know I sure love my daddyO!
Hope this helps at least one.   Peace my friends :)


How can I stop my fireplace from disabling my thermostat? My thermostat is in the sitting room and I have an open fire, so as soon as the room is nicely warm and cozy, the central heating goes off and the rest of the house is cold.   I have heard about WiFi thermostats.  Might this be the answer and would it mean taking out the original thermostat?  I rent the house.

You've got a few options:

Stop burning fires. Even without throwing off the thermostat, they tend to make the house colder, not warmer, because all the heat is sucked up the flue. The exception to this is a high efficiency wood stove.
Turn up the thermostat to compensate. You'll end up constantly adjusting it as the fire dies down.
Replace your thermostat with a wireless sensor. This is wired either at the furnace or where your existing thermostat is located, and can be easily undone when you move out. The level of effort is no different than replacing your thermostat (several wires to attach and not accidentally lose in the wall).
Move the thermostat. Since your renting, this can be difficult, but the landlord may be willing to do this as gregmac and bcworkz mention below. If all you're doing is moving the thermostat to the other side of the wall, this is an easy change.


Splice new outlet branch in attic I’m adding an outlet above our fireplace and the “easiest” way is fishing a 14/2 with ground NM down 24” from the attic. Very close to where I want to go fishing is an outlet run in the attic. What’s the best way to tap into this run? I’ve drawn up my thoughts on a whiteboard and attached them here. The wire I’m tapping into is pulled super tight so the only way I found was to add 3 jumpers into the system. Please let me know your thoughts if this is the way to go. The circuit I’m adding to is lightly loaded with only 7 outlets currently on the 15A breaker.
Please note the two wires marked existing in the drawing were once one continuous wire I’m “breaking” to add to. The “squares” inside the box in the drawing are wire nuts

You got the right idea but all those wires and splices in a 4"box will be tough. If there's no slack, the existing cable will only be 2" into the box on each side. Think about using two 4" boxes and connect them together with a 2" nipple or piece of EMT. That will give you plenty of room to work with. You'll be running and splicing 14'2 with ground. Your drawing shows 14'3, I think you mean 14/2 with ground.


How to remove dried latex paint out of painter whites I'm a professional painter by trade and sometimes a spill happens and it gets paint on my work pants. How can I remove at least some of it with a home remedy? My painters paints cost $20 to $30 a pair and I have to look somewhat professional and clean so if I can get some of the paint out so I don't have to keep buying painters whites, it would save me a ton of money each year.

I have a brand new pair I destroyed yesterday when my fall protection lanyard rubbed on some wet Shercryl and now my new pants are ruined. Any good ideas would be highly appreciated.  Thank you.

Lucky you. I've had to try to clean spots out with $80/gal reducer.

When I work in such a readily available and cheap solvent, I take the garment off immediately, get the whole garment soaking wet, work it in a sink if possible, and bag it.  Then wash it within 8 hours or so.  Should recover nicely.

Letting it dry is the mistake. This wrecks the fibers. You'll never get dried paint of of the fibers.


Old Wiring to New Light Fixture With Switch I bought a new light fixture to replace an old outdated light-bar the bathroom of my apartment. The building was constructed in 1926 so everything is super old. When I took the old fixture down, I noticed it didn't have a ground wire. Just black wires and one white wire. The white wire was grouped together with other black wires and there was one single copper black wire on its own. The two clumps of wires were connected to the old fixture but I can't remember where the single black wire was... I have a photo but I'm not sure how to attach it.

Sounds like you have your switch leg ( switch loop ) mixed up.  You need to isolate it.  It is the wire going to the switch.  A simple continuity test will determine which wire is the switch leg. You need a continuity tester and most voltage testers check continuity.  As for the ground, there is none available unless you provide a new circuit to the panel assuming it is grounded correctly.  Since there is no ground you can remove the fixture ground to avoid any potential problems and to save space.

Here is an example drawing I made (Revision 2):


Apron sink available for or able to fit a regular 30" base? Ordered a basic 30" base and now would like to have an apron sink. Is there one out there that will fit or is there a way one can be 'coaxed' to fit.

Usually cabinets for apron sinks (farm sink) have a cabinet sized for the sink. Cabinet doors are shorter, for example. I would not expect any modifications on a standard sink base, or any other standard base cabinet would do what you need.


Can you help identify these clips (or a replacement)? I'm trying to repair an old but nice computer desk that I was given. It was made by Danish furniture company B8 Mobler about 35 years ago, with a wooden sliding keyboard tray attached to the metal frame by 4 clips. Unfortunately careless movers broke all the clips:

The broken-off part (above left) is supposed to go around the frame:

Assembled, the clip would have a C profile and be about 40 x 25 x 10mm, with a slot about 15mm deep by 5mm wide down one long side. (The bottom plate is separate, but fits into the "upper" corner clip which is snapped in half).
I have contacted B8 Mobler but I doubt they are interested or still have any stock of the original clips. I'm looking for a replacement, but I don't know what they are called. There are no useful markings that I can find on the clips themselves. They don't need to be identical, just to screw onto the wooden tray and slide over the frame. The slot can't be too wide because it needs to press against the frame when a screw is tightened, holding the tray firm.
Something like T Clips for decking might work, but they look too thick, and come in large packs which is wasteful? Beam clips might work, but they all seem to be metal and would scratch the metal frame. A flange clamp would probably work, but they're also metal and seem to fix with a bolt, not a screw.
So I can probably find a way to bodge it, but what would be the nicest/cleanest way to fix it? Can you tell me what these clips are called, or something similar/compatible?

Make a new piece out of epoxy putty
You can get some of the two part epoxy putty and sculpt a new piece that matches the old one.  Cut it with a razor and put the screw holes in when it is soft.  Epoxy putty is really hard when it sets.  It should be able to do the job that your old piece did.
There are lots of things on the web about making things from epoxy putty - flying ladies, chess pieces etc.  Your needs are a lot more straightforward than that.
Maybe make a spare while you have the putty in anticipation of the other plastic piece breaking someday.


How to fix bad contact on busbar? I have an ITE electrical panel from the 1970's. We noticed some flickering in the bathroom and some noise coming from the electrical box. There was a single breaker arcing in the panel. I pulled it and attempted to move another breaker to this slot and it did the same.

So it seems I have some sort of corrosion on this slot of the busbar. I was wondering for anyone that has experience with this, is there a recommended way to clean and potentially grease this one spot to ensure better contact?

A picture postcard example of "wrong breaker type"

Note the alien breaker in position 27, a GE, an obvious misfit. If that one is still working, it's only because it hasn't been put under heavy load as this one was.

People who think "if it snaps in, it's good" fail to notice that the snap-in pressure is all wrong compared to proper breakers.  That's because even though breakers often roughly fit, each manufacturer's busbar is a different shape. The correct breaker gets surface contact.  The wrong breaker gets edge or corner contact - works for a few lights but when you load it, it starts arcing.  Since this is on the supply side of the breaker, nothing stops this.  Anyway it's a series arc, current won't be more than the load's draw.

Siemens makes correct breakers for ITE panels.

The contact isn't corroded.  It is destroyed.  The arcing removed metal from the contact. The metal is gone, and cannot be restored.   That slot is done for and you will not be fitting breakers there anymore.

Your best bet is to plug the hole with something.  Your choices are a panel hole cover UL listed for that panel, though those can be hokey and hard to find; or a spare Siemens/ITE breaker, labeled "Unused", under $5.


Does converting a non-polarized plug to a polarized one actually make the appliance safer? I bought an amazing vintage clock, but have some anxiety about using it, since it's quite old. Some pictures for reference:

I would like to re-wire the clock with a newer cord, as the old one has become stiff and worn, and has that old "scary" feel:

I was planning to convert the old plug to a UL approved polarized plug. But I'm wondering -- would this conversion actually make the clock any safer? If the clock isn't made to be polarized, then does using a polarized plug change anything about it?

(And this inevitably brings up the sub-questions: Is this clock actually unsafe to operate, or does it just feel unsafe because it's old? Are there different upgrades I could do to the clock to make it more safe?)

A polarized plug is not inherently safer than a non-polarized plug unless a device requires it. If a device was designed to accept the application of hot and neutral on either terminal, then adding a polarized plug which ensures hot and neutral will always be applied in a single configuration will not make the device safer.

All else being equal about a polarized and non-polarized version of the same plug (age, wear, voltage & current rating, etc.) replacing a functioning non-polarized plug with a polarized plug will not make it safer. However, the opposite (replacing a polarized plug with a non-polarized plug) could make a device unsafe to operate. This is because the device was possibly designed to accept hot and neutral in a single configuration and wiring in a non-polarized plug means that hot and neutral could possibly be applied in a way not intended as part of the device design. That said, the misapplication of hot and neutral terminals to a polarized device is more likely to damage the device than create an unsafe condition as hot and neutral being miswired on the outlet is unfortunately fairly common and is likely to be accounted for in design and testing for foreseeable misuse of more modern UL-listed devices.

The other device-specific questions, I cannot answer. However, if a device is old, it probably old enough to be beyond the age of expected use by its manufacturer and therefore beyond the age at which it has been tested for safe operation (if such lifetime testing was performed or required when the device was manufactured). Using a device beyond the manufacturer's expected/supported lifespan means the device is less likely to be safe and you are right to be concerned. That said, it does not inherently mean it is unsafe either, it is just unlikely that anyone will be able to tell you for a fact that it is safe to operate and you should use at your own discretion or base your decision upon other in-person expert opinion after examination by someone who has experience with your device or similar devices.


How do I diagnose why my casement window is leaking? My casement window leaks water to the inside when it's raining. It has been leaking a while. It looks like it's leaking between the glass unit and the sash but the caulk between the glass and the sash on the outside does not look compromised.

How can I diagnose and fix the problem?

Are you sure that the weep holes are not blocked? This issue should be notated in your owner's manual. Otherwise, the window may not have been correctly sloped and flashed in the frame, and it took this long for water infiltration to evidence. Is there rot on the underside of the window, when opened? Older Pella awning windows had a problem similar to this.


What should I do with old furnace filters? I seem to be stock piling used furnace filters, are there any uses for these things once the furnace is done with them?  It seems a shame to throw them out; given that I change them once a month, there must be some way to prevent all this waste.

This might be a bit off-topic but the filters could be used in some DIY project, which would make it on topic.  So slightly off-topic question, looking for on-topic answers.

EDIT:

Seems to be a lot of talk about changing the filter so often, here is an exert from ehow.com

  Industry Guidelines The industry standard for any filter is to change
  once a month for the highest level of
  maintenance. Of course, this may or
  may not be necessary for all homes
  depending on their specific
  environment and how often homeowners
  use their furnace.

While I cant think of any DIY project, you may wish to call or research as to whether that particular filter vendor provides recycling. If you have any friends or family with a fireplace or wood stove I bet they burn well. Barring both of those, all I can suggest is to buy washable filters in the future. You will pay a higher premium up front but it should pay off in the log run (and help you keep some junk out of the dump).

EDIT: Before burning, you should check that the filter is free of metal frames or added chemicals that could be harmful. If those are not present, the filter could also be shredded and composted (maybe).


Join two 2x4" so that screws are not visible? How can I join two 2'x4' pieces of treated wood like in the picture so that the screws are not visible? Or maybe it's possible not to use screws?

There are a lot of ways you could go here.

Conceal The Screws

If you just make a simple butt joint like you have in your picture, you can do as @AlaskaMan says in the comments - countersink the screws and put a plug or putty over the screw head.  That will hide the screw;  the plug / putty will be visible but less noticeable than the screw.

Improved Screws

Pocket screws mentioned by @JimStewart in the comments are usually stronger than straight screws.  The pilot holes are drilled at an angle and the screw is countersunk; you cut an oval shaped plug if you want to conceal the screws.  You could insert the screws from the inside of the frame, depending on what you're making here, they may not be visible on that side, even without the plugs.

You could use corner brackets, which are very easy to use, and in some configurations pretty strong.  If you can put them on one side of the assembly that's out of sight, they may not be visible.

Join without Screws

One sure way to make sure you don't see the fasteners is to not use fasteners.  These methods are important enough that there's a name for it - the craft of joinery.  You could write a book about it, in fact many books have been written about it - here's one:

Woodwork Joints: How They Are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by William Fairham

There are far more joints in that book than I have ever seen in actual use.  One of the simplest is a simple half lap corner joint.  This one just about anyone could make with just a hand saw, and with good glue used correctly, it will be stronger than a screwed joint.

But the half lap as shown will be stronger on a joint where the pieces are flat, you get more glue surface that way.  With the pieces standing, in the configuration in your photo, a slightly more difficult joint would be better, a bridle joint:

A mortise and tenon joint is similar, a little harder to make, but with less visible seam:

There are many other variations and possibilities - box joints, doweling, biscuits, etc. etc. but hopefully this gives you some ideas.


What is the use the plugs over this deadbolt's bolt holes? When re-keying our house, I came upon these unexpected bolt hole plugs in the deadbolt assembly. Is there a graceful way to remove them? I'd prefer not to take a small prying tool and force them out, to avoid marring the assembly, and I'd like to avoid drilling them out for sure.

Those are screw caps, to prevent nasty people from tampering with the cylinder. They are generally removed by drilling them out.


Can dielectric grease be used in coax connections? I have two coax cables that need to splice together. I am using waterproof F-type connectors but I was wondering if a dielectric grease where the two screw in to each other would be harmful (signal issues, .etc.).

This is the product: https://www.homedepot.com/p/CRC-3-3-oz-Technician-Grade-Dielectric-Grease-05113/206843029

Living and working as a cable television technician in a beachside region, I can attest to the value of the silicone dielectric grease for improving the lifespan of these connections. Salt air eats everything in time, yet the grease prevented corrosion after five years. The fittings were assembled with "boots," rubber covers which resemble spark plug wiring ends. The grease was applied liberally, inside and out, and the boots then slid over the fittings.

Sun, salt, sand and wind would eventually deteriorate the rubber, but even then, the fitting within the mass of grease held up quite well.


How do I re-wire this outlet (switched top, always-on lower)? I wanted to replace this almond-colored outlet with a white one. Purely cosmetic. So far, huge mistake.

In any case, I took the outlet out, copied the way the old outlet was wired and … blew out my new $50 Wemo light switch.

Now I'm baffled. I checked the wires and can't make heads or tails of it. I'm handy, but no electrician.

I tested each wire with my multimeter—one lead on the wire, one on the ground—with the light switch on (pink) and off (blue). The results:

The old outlet was wired with:

two reds on the top as line
two whites on the top
black on the bottom as line
one white on the bottom
tab broken on line side, intact on neutral

I can't for the life of me see how this ever worked. Does this look right to anyone?

This is a lot more straightforward than it looks.

All the blacks go together, and also to the hot side of one socket.
All the whites go together, and also to the neutral side of both sockets.
All the reds go together, and also to the hot side of one socket.

You need to break off the tab on the hot side of your new receptacle.

How do we know this?  First, black is the first color people use for always-hot.  And they're all nutted together with a pigtail. So that is almost certainly the genuine always-hot.  Can't tell you where it's coming from.

Since you have a WeMo light switch, those are neutral, so the white wire on the switch loop must actually be neutral.  Therefore the switched-hot is red.    Since other receptacles are also switched, that also accounts for the other red wire.   Now all the red wires are accounted for.

The supply must deliver neutral, and the switch and downstream outlet also need neutral.  That accounts for all the white wires.

By the way, the neutral are hot because they have  loads on them.  Since you disconnected its neutral and it is still connected to "hot", the entire guts of the Wemo are now floating at 120V, including its neutral terminal and the wire attached to it.  The same is true for something you have plugged into one of those receptacles in an always-hot socket.  If you put an ammeter between these "hot" neutrals and the connected one, it would tell you what they draw.

The 3-way theory doesn't hold.  Since black is always-hot, the other two would have to be messengers.  The two messengers would have to go down another cable that is 3 wires, so that could only be the other /3.  There would be a lot more wire-nuts in there, and there's be no way for switched hot power to make it to any other receptacle.

Wiring methods

The people who wired this were hacks.   Using both backstabs and screws because you're too lazy to pigtail is appalling and illegal.   It is possible to put 2 wires on/under the same screw, but you need to use products auch as Leviton's screw-and-clamp system, which are designed and listed for that.  A commercial grade Leviton receptacle with that system is under $3.  Never use screws and backstabs.  Never use backstabs in any case.

If you don't want to use the Leviton or competitor system, just pigtail as you see the black was pigtailed.  Get some wire nuts and short lengths of wire.  You can buy 2 feet of 12/3 cable and cut it apart to get wires.

That may be #14 (not #12) wire, it probably was if they were using backstabs, most stabs won't take #12.  12 is a universal choice, but stiffer.

If I were you I would think about replacing every receptacle in the house.  They probably backstabbed a lot of it, very common for builders in a hurry, also using the cheap 60 cent receptacles and switches.   At least get rid of the stabs, they are bad news.


Cut already-installed trim / quarter round to mount bracket I need to make two 2" gaps in already-install trim / quarter round to install mounting brackets for blinds.

How best to make these cuts?

Refer to red boxes in this photo:

This is an inside tight install of blinds where the depth of the window sill (just above the two red boxes) is too shallow by 1/4"-1/2" for the mounting bracket, required minimum depth is 3/4", and at that would leave the bracket and blinds protruding beyond flush. I want to install as deep as practical to match the two other windows (not shown) where the inside tight install has blinds just flush with edge of sill.

I can't do an outside install of blinds due to ceiling bulkhead on right, and for aesthetic consistency with the other two windows (not shown).

The ideal device for cutting a close fit molding like this is an oscillating tool with a wood cutting blade. Here is a picture of the type of saw I am talking about with red arrow pointing to blade type for your application:

(Picture Source: https://www.lowes.com/pl/Rotary-tools-oscillating-tools-Power-tools-Tools/4294607824)

It may be possible for you to rent one of these tools if you do not already own one. Alternatively the molding can be cut using a hammer and very sharp wood chisel.

From looking at your picture it looks like the molding is paint locked in place so it may not be necessary to nail the remaining molding after you cut out the two slots. However you may want to be proactive and nail the ends of the molding near where the cuts will be made before doing any cutting. This step would be particularly valid if using the hammer and chisel cutting method because the pounding could dislodge the paint lock on the molding edge.


LED flood light problem The new LED strobes while the old incandescent light works fined. I replace one of the two bulbs on the motion detection light fixture with a 150w incandescent flood light bulb....and the LED flood light stopped flashing/strobe. Why will the out door fixture work fine with one LED bulb and one incandescent bulb....but only flash with two LED bulbs?

Most of those old motion detector stalk light deals are modular.  You can open them up and change just the motion sensor, for instance.

That's exactly what you can do.  Change the motion sensor to one that does require a neutral wire.  That means the sensor will be powering itself with its own local power supply, and won't be leaking current through the bulbs.


Should I use thread-seal tape for steam pipe? I am getting ready to replace the pressuretrol of my oil-burning steam boiler, which provides heat and hot water.  Should I use thread-seal tape (aka. Teflon tape, PTFE tape, tape dope, or plumber's tape) when attaching the new pressuretrol?  If so, should I use the same kind of tape that I use for water pipes, or is there a special kind for use with steam pipes?

(The pressuretrol datasheet describes the connector as “1/4 inch female pipe thread.”  I presume that is a synonym for national pipe thread taperered thread (NPT), so the threads themselves are providing the seal, and there is no gasket.)

My favorite pipe thread sealer is RectorSeal #5. Here's a link. I see according to its datasheet that its rated for steam pipes. You might have to let it dry a little while before pressuring, but after that its good for 2600 psi.


same-sized alternatives to F14T12 bulb I have two bathroom light fixtures with very old magnetic ballasts and F14T12 fluorescent bulbs. These are, of course, a 1.5-inch diameter. I've been doing some bathroom renovations and I thought this would be a good time to think about energy-efficient upgrades, especially since it is getting harder to get these bulbs and ballasts.
Thus far, I have found basically two options for replacement (while keeping the existing fixtures, which I want to do):

Upgrade to electronic ballasts and switch to T8 bulbs.
Switch to LED bulbs. It seems that some of these might work with the magnetic ballast, but I'm happy to eliminate the ballast altogether.

The problem I am running into is that both of the above options seem to involve bulbs that are 1-inch in diameter, as opposed to the 1.5-inch diameter of the current bulbs. The question: Are there any replacement options for these bulbs that are the same 1.5-inch diameter, and that would look roughly similar to the existing bulbs?

Nope, 8” is the wave of the future.
Nobody wants to make T12 LED retrofits because the extra diameter serves no useful purpose, makes packaging bulkier and could have fitment problems in fixtures made for T8.
As big a fan as I am of real fluorescent, I advise oddball fixtures like this simply be converted to LED with ballast-bypass "tubes".   While real fluorescent  will  be supported in T8 for the foreseeable future, the odd sized tubes will be pricey.


Smelly water in between washer barrels My washer has water in between the 2 barrels after each load. The water leaves a terrible smell, what is causing this and how can I fix it. The washer is a "Amana" top load washer

Possible problems include:

pump bad (may be eating a sock or something)
control board bad
drain line has an issue
possibly a transmission issue if the spin isn't working

All, or virtually all, the water should pump out. In the short term, put in a cup of bleach and run a short cold cycle (no clothes or soap) to kill off the smellies.

I had a similar issue at one point and was pretty sure the pump was bad, but I wanted to remove it before ordering a replacement - when I did, I found an obstruction (in my case, some silicone rubber from a prior tub repair job, which I had done "inside and out" to "make sure" - the inside part peeled off, the outside part continued to work) lodged in the impeller. Removed the obstruction, reinstalled the pump, washer worked fine again. Unless it is eating an escaped sock, you probably won't get that lucky.


What are insulated screwdrivers for if you’re not supposed to work on a live circuit? It’s not just that I’ve been told by some people to never work on a live circuit as an amateur (I know that electricians often do work on live circuits)... but the package itself containing the insulated screwdrivers says to never work on a live circuit.

One might say that it adds an extra level of precaution in case the circuit you’re working on is live unintentionally... but it seems to me that this extra “safeguard” would just tempt people to work on live circuits.

The idea is to not rely on any single point of failure. For you to be planted six feet under, you want at least three things to have gone badly wrong at the same time.

Your lockout padlock fell off.
Someone didn't realise you were working on the circuit and switched the breaker back on.
You forgot to turn off the isolator switch.
You didn't notice the puddle of water you were standing in.
You were not using an insulated screwdriver.
Your dog barked at a squirrel and startled you.

Its kinda why you bought a car with seatbelts, airbag and ABS - Does having those items tempt you to jump red-lights in front of large trucks or freight trains?


Trouble drilling into outside facing wall above window to hang curtain rod I have an outside facing wall on the second story of my home. I'm trying to drill above a window to put a support for a curtain rod.

I can easily drill about 1/5 of an inch but then the drill just spins. From the picture I took it looks like wood. I imagine this is OSB or plywood. I am using a 1/4 inch carbide tipped masonry drill bit.

Any ideas on how I should either set this curtain rod or drill 1/10 of an inch further so that I can place the anchor? If I don't need an anchor how should I be thinking about using shorter screws to support the weight of likely heavy curtains?

Sometimes when drilling above a window, a lintel is encountered, which may be made of concrete, reinforced concrete, or steel. It may be necessary to move the curtain rod higher so that the  center support mounting can be installed above the lintel. If that is not an option due to curtain length, an "L" bracket can be used to extend the mounting of the support higher. Downside: the bracket will be visible whether the curtains are open or closed. Camouflage with paint if not a aesthetically pleasing.


Can using a new evap coil on top of an older furnace cause problems? I am getting quotes for a new R410A condenser unit/evaporator coil from several HVAC contractors. A salesperson refused to give me a quote unless I purchase a new furnace as well. He said that he has seen problems using a new evaporator coil on top of an older furnace. My furnace is an old natural gas Trane furnace from the mid 80's. My current evap/condenser is about 7 years old.

I live in south Texas, so the furnace isn't really used enough to justify replacing it if I don't have to. I had it checked out when I bought the house about 4 years ago and it passed a health check. Is there any truth to what this salesperson is telling me? Are there any issues that can arise from using an old furnace with a new coil?

The only technical reason that this isn't possible is that the coil needs a specific amount of air to flow through it when it's cooling. So to select the correct coil, you need to know the CFM of the air moving through the air handler. Not impossible to figure out or measure, but might not be easy for an air handler as old as yours.

However, if I was a professional HVAC installer, I would not want to put a new coil on a furnace that old, either. The installer only touches a small portion of your system, but in the eyes of the owner easily becomes responsible for the whole thing. So if I wasn't comfortable with my assessment of the existing air handler, I would probably decline to replace just the coil, too.

tl;dr: find a different installer if you don't want to replace the whole thing.


How to fill a big cavity on a wooden door frame? Due to an impact against it, the door lock casing in the wood frame has been uprooted. I managed to fix it back the metal part and some wooden pieces, but there still is a quite huge cavity with un-regular wood pieces inside.
Is there any way to fix it in a semi permanent way? I.E. Fill the empty space so i can paint it back to white.
Rearrange / any paste / paint?
full size Image link

I would push some backer rod into the space so it fills most of the void but not all, leave some space to fill with wood filler or vinyl Spackle.
Once the filler is dry you can sand it all down and paint.


Half of electrical circuits remain out after exterior neutral failure Half electric works in house.  Had broken neutral wire outside on house.  Had electrician change all wiring from power company to meter then from meter to breaker box and put a new breaker box in and still have same problem.

Everything was fine until wire outside came loose.  What could the problem be?  Any help much appreciated.  Checked outlets and switches and lights and ceiling fans. See no problem there. Thank you.

If 1/2 work probably L1 or L2 leg on the supply side or main bkr has failed this will cause every other bkr on the left and every other on the right to not have power. I replaced a 200a main a few years back that had this problem although I like square d this was the first time I have seen this and 1 more from Eaton since then. The power from the feeder needs to be checked prior to the main and after. Sounds like you have an Electrician doing some of the work but some states in the U.S. Have very lax rules and not much training. If one of the legs have failed that may account for 1/2 of things not working. Do you have 220? Like for a dryer or electric range? If not your power to the new panel is probably the issue.


Proper, code compliant, way to move an electrical outlet I Need to move this outlet to the other stud.

My first thought was to splice new wire inside the box and move it over, BUT NEC doesn’t allow splicing in-wall if the box is not reachable/accessible.

Also, I’m not sure if NEC allows Romexs to be run between studs ( only stapled to the side )

How do I do this while remaining code complaint?

You can use a special In wall splice called a tyco or nm splice and add enough to move the receptacle over. These splices are not required to be accessible and are kind of expensive at 15-20$ but they do what you want and are available at big box and specialty stores.


Is flushing a waterheater a good idea? I've been told that water-heaters build up sediment at the bottom over time, and should be flushed out (ie. drained, then allowed to refill).  Is there value in this exercise?  Does that value exceed the cost of the hot water lost in the process?

It's part of the recommended maintenance for the heater, so there's definitely value in it.  No matter how clean your water supply, there's always going to be some amount of sediment getting through, sand and grit or dissolved minerals.  As the water sits in the heater's tank, that can settle out and build up on the bottom of the tank.

How much does it cost to heat a 50gal water tank from the temperature the of the water mains? 50gal = 50*3.785 = 189.25 L.  Specific heat of water is 4.186 J/g/°C, so it will take 4.186 * 1000 * 189.25 = 792.2 kJ to raise all the water in the tank by 1°C.  Assume the water comes in at 50°F/10°C and your water heater is set for 150°F/66°C, so you need 792.2 * 56 = 44.363 MJ.  One unit or kWh of electricity has 3.6 MJ and electric water heaters are around 90% efficient these days, so you need about 13.5 kWh to heat the water to your set point.

In my area, electricity costs are about 10¢/kWh, so it would cost about $1.35 to flush and reheat the water tank.  You only need to do it about once a year (and you could maybe get away with doing it less often if you had very clean water and lived in a soft-water area).  Over the life of a water heater, you're looking at less than $20; compare that with the $100s that a new water heater costs.

Besides, won't you feel better knowing you don't have all that gunk in the bottom of your water heater? :)


What is the most important thing to look for when buying a used trailer frame? I'm planning to build a camper. Saw some used trailer frames on craigslist. I'm concerned that I might buy a frame that I won't be able to use.

You need to consider  how much it will weigh. When built. Will you need just one axle? Or more.  Look for rust, cracks along the frame.  Look for  anything that might be bent.


Is it okay that my Sony TV power cord replacement has a slot for a third prong that the original doesn't? I have a Sony TV that has OEM cable on the left. I want to replace it with a longer cable on the right.  The new cable fits into the TV's slot but would not have the third prong.
Is this safe to do? Does the third prong of the new cable interact in any way with the other two? What are these cables called?

The OEM cable does not have a ground or earth connection.
The cable on the right does.
So this will be a safe replacement for the original cable.
The ground connection will not be used and that wire in the cable is not connected to either of the other wires in that cable.


Thermostat fan control on old furnace without circuit board I have an old gas furnace without a circuit board. Just a 4064 fan limit control, 24v transformer, gas burner control and fan. I wired a new wifi thermostat in. It works great. I would like to be able to use the fan only control of the thermostat. Can I do this? Where would I connect the G wire? I was thinking I could remove the jumper in the 4064 limit controller. But if I use low voltage on the limit side will it still only allow the fan to run by temperature? There is a fan/auto switch on the 4064 that works.

You will need to add a 24 volt relay that is controlled by the green wire and a common and wire the relay contacts to bring on the fan by jumping the contacts in the 4064 fan/limit control. You can use a RIB relay or similar one.This is how it was done in the "old days".


Electric pump motor wiring I have a Franklin Electric motor, model no. 1313007142 1hp ph3 3450 rpm 230v/460hz, it has 9 black wires, numbered 1 to 9, inside the rear of motor all even number wires come out one side and all odds come out the other side, do I supply 110v to each side and ground the motor. Any help would be appreciated.

You find the manual and determine how the wires are supposed to be connected up so you don't let the magic smoke out.

It's three phase, and can be supplied either Delta or Wye. How is your 3-phase circuit provided by the electric company configured? You WILL NOT BE RUNNING THIS OFF SPLIT-PHASE 120/240V house power unless you have a magic box called a phase converter which generates 3-phase power from 240V Single Phase.

Here is a 3-phase connection diagram from Franklin's AIM literature.

Unless you have a 3-phase power installation or have a Phase Converter, you will need to return the pump motor and exchange it for a 240V Single Phase capacitor start motor and wire that to run off the two hot legs for 240V single phase line input power.

If none of this makes sense, you need to consult an electrician. If this is a replacement pump for an already existing Franklin 3-phase pump, he can check to see if you have a Phase Converter already in position and make sure the connections are properly made so the pump motor doesn't get fried.

http://www.franklin-electric.com/media/documents/M1311_60_Hz_AIM_Catalog.pdf

Note: I realize the question states 9 wires, this is the closest I could come up with for pump related information on the Manufacturer website which was a 1-hp 3-phase submersible. I could not find the part number stated above and don't have a picture or description to tell me if this is a submersible or above ground motor. Having the proper manual is very important!!


What are the symptoms when 1 of the electric water heater elements goes kaput? I suspect that something has gone awry with the electric water heater.
We do get water that is plenty hot, but it doesn't seem to last as long as it used to. My suspicions are further aroused because one day the water heater breakers had tripped.
Is this indicative of one of the elements failing, or would that just give us lukewarm water?
update
2 days after asking this question, the breaker tripped again, and this time a reset did not get hot water flowing again.
I did the whole testing procedure on the elements and thermostats. Both elements were definitely bad, so I drained the tank (it helped to use the pump from my rain barrels), then went to the hardware store and found a full kit with 2 elements and thermostats for $32 USD, so I went ahead and replaced everything. I also bought the special wrench tool to remove the screw-in elements, as it was easier than finding a 1 1/2" socket and cheaper than buying a wrench that would fit.
All-in-all, a relatively fast and inexpensive repair.

It sure looks like you are on the right track with you assessment. Most electric water heaters have two thermostats, one that controls the main tank element, and one that controls the quick recovery element.  There are several very helpful test procedures available online or in the This Old House website. The basics of the test are very simple if you have knowledge of using a volt/ohm meter.(VOM)
 Be absolutely sure the breaker and power to the heater is off before attempting any OHM measurements on the elements.
 You will check for proper operation of the therostats. This is usually done with the power on (220VAC) , which can be dangerous if one is not competent in testing live circuits with a volt meter. Basically, you will first verify the 220 volt input at each thermostat. As you draw down the hot water in the tank,replacing it with cold water, the output relays(just a double pole switch for testing purposes) in the thermostats will close, putting 220VAC on the output terminals to the elements. You can also simply turn up the temp on the thermostats and check the outputs as you are now asking for hotter water. Assuming you verify proper operation of the thermostats, the next step will be checking the resistance of the elements with the ohm meter.
 BE SURE POWER IS OFF.
 Disconnect the output wires from the thermostats and measure the ohms of each element. Knowing the factory spec is very helpful, however a very high reading or a "0" reading will indicate a bad element.  I will try to find a good link and post it in the comments section for you, but a good procedure is easy to find as stated above.
http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/element_replace.htm


Connect Single 3-way Light in 3-gang Box (Lutron Caseta) I have a 3-gang box with the following 4 cables that I need to wire up 2 indoor lights and remove 1 outdoor light from the circuit. (I plan to connect the outdoor light up to a different breaker switch) But I can only get 1 light to work with a dimmer and the other can only be permanently on.

1 cable from the breaker with black, white, and ground wires

1 cable to an outdoor light with black, white, and ground wires (this I'm removing from the circuit)

1 cable to a kitchen fluorescent light with black, white, and ground wires

1 cable to a dimmable dining room light with black, white, red, and ground wires (I know this is part of a 3 way light with 1 other switch I've correctly set up)

I want to hook these lights up the following way to Lutron Caseta smart switches/dimmers

remove the outdoor light from the circuit (I think I can do this by just disconnecting the outdoor cable wires and capping them)

connect the kitchen light to a Caseta PD-5WS-DV Switch

connect the dining room light wires to power from the breaker (it's already connected to a Caseta Dimmer at the gang box at the other end)

All the white neutral wires are currently connected. And all the ground wires are currently connected.
When I connect the black breaker wire to only the dining room black and red wires, the dimmer works.
The problem is when I attempt to connect the kitchen light up to the Caseta Switch. The kitchen light doesn't come on and the switch LED doesn't turn on. But if I connect the black breaker wire directly to black kitchen wire, the light is on permanently.

Why isn't the switch working with the kitchen light?
How do I disconnect the outdoor light cable from this circuit?
How do I connect the dining room wires and the kitchen wires to the breaker wires so they work together (and is that in series or parallel)?

The first thing you do is roll it all back to status quo ante with the original switches and get it back where it works 100%.
Now you'll see a black wire that is split to go to at least 2 switches. (it may pogo from switch to switch).   We're not worried about that one for now, but its function is always-hot.  We'll be spending most of our time with the other wire on each switch.
The outdoor light
On the outdoor light, pull the (remaining) wire off the switch that controls it, and cap it off for good.  It's done.
Identify the neutral wire that is the partner to this hot, and make a mental note to cap it off also, later.
Hot or not
Notice that the 3-way switch has 2 brass and 1 black screw.   The 2 brass screws are the travelers.  3-way circuits work by making one traveler hot and the other traveler not hot.
Pick a brass screw and take the traveler wire off it.  Cap that wire off for good.  It's done.
Now, take the traveler wire on the other brass screw, and wire nut it to the (common) wire(s) on the black screw.
See what we did there?  We made the first traveler not and the other traveler hot.
That's it; the 3-way switch goes away.
The kitchen switch
This Lutron switch is neutral-less, which is unfortunate because you seem to have neutral present, and this choice will require you to add an additional module called a LUT-MLC to effectively simulate neutral.
At this point one wire remains (that isn't capped or always-hot).
Now we take that single wire and join it to two things: a) one of the black wires on the Lutron switch, and b) one of the two wires on the LUT-MLC module.  So 3 wires come together.
The other wire on the LUT-MLC module gets added to the bundle of neutral wires.  While you have that bundle apart, remove for good the neutral that is the partner to the outside light you just capped off.
The remaining black wire on the Lutron smart switch needs to be added to the "Always-hot" bundle.  This is a good time to get rid of any unused pigtails etc.
Lastly the ground wire must be added to the ground bundle.


After what depth is a subsurface drain (e.g. French drain) no longer practical? We currently have a building underway and it's foundation consists of individual concrete footings extending 3m (~10 ft) below ground. It's also worth noting that the structure does not have a basement.

I thought it would be a good idea to install a subsurface drain (e.g. French drain) around the building as a safety/preventative measure. However, it seems to me that maintaining and replenishing a subsurface drain drain at the depth of the footings (3 m / ~10 ft) would be quite impractical and costly. Also, the sump into which it drains would be equally deep and hard to maintain.

What are my options in this scenario?

Do foundations as deep as mine usually implement subsurface drainage?
Is a subsurface drain even worth having in my scenario? (Recall there is no basement.)
Should I split the difference and install the drain at a shallower depth above the footings?

It sounds like you are using a pier foundation. Piers should be deep enough that they are hitting undisturbed, solid soil or bedrock. As such, there's likely little reason to have a french drain in that situation as the footings should be well below the depth that would be effected greatly by surface water.


Tips to get (close to) accurate bevel angle by handsaw? I'm trying to get a 20° bevel the length of the board (36"). I'm working on a scrap wood project. I've been on an "unplugged" kick lately & finding the extra physical effort of "by hand" to be cathartic & sanity saving. However, I do have access to a decent miter saw but in this case it's sitting there mocking me. And, unfortunately, the table saw is currently in a zombie-apocolypse hot-spot. So I've settled on my pencil & trusty square, handsaw, lots of sand-products, & possibly pocket plane,(if I can figure that out.)

Anyway any tips, suggestions, how-to's , no matter how basic & obvious,or complex for that matter, are welcome!

I did something similar to this in my younger years when I needed a board cut with a 45 degree angle. I marked the cut line on the edges and face of the board. Then positioned the saw to the cut line and clamped furring strips on the top and bottom of the board up against the positioned saw the length of the cut. the two furring strips acted as a double fence for the saw and the angle turned out pretty good. If your miter saw ever quite mocking you, I'd use it but I totally understand your desire to use hand tools...


Multiple Dead Outlets, Breaker not tripped I am hoping for some help here because this problem is driving me nuts.  A few days ago our outdoor outlets stopping working (we had Xmas lights plugged in).  There is also an outlet in our basement and one in the garage also not working.  I am assuming these are all GFCI protected and on the same circuit.  I cannot for the life of me figure out the problem.  I have reset/checked every GFCI outlet in the house and none of the circuit breakers on the main panel are tripped.
I also took off the outlet plates and checked the wires in each dead outlet with a non-contact test and neither set of wires is hot.  This would indicate the problem is not with the individual outlet correct?
I also checked the line and load sides of the GFCI plugs inside the house and both appear to be functional.
Thanks

As you suspected your Christmas lights apparently tripped the GFCI. The trick is locating the controlling GFCI. In some homes built in the 70s and 80s garage, exterior and bathrooms are on the same GFCI circuit. The GFCI might be on the breaker as well.
"I also checked the line and load sides of the GFCI plugs inside the house and both appear to be functional."
It sounds like you've tried all of the GFCI outlets without luck but you probably missed one. If none of the breakers are GFCI protected you need to determine which of your GFCI outlets is first on the circuit after the breaker on the problem circuit. With a multimeter check the line side for power. If there is power on the line side and not on the load side and it won't reset, you need to replace that GFCI outlet. If there is no power coming into the controlling GFCI the problem is most likely at the breaker. It's unusual for a breaker to fail but it happens.


Why are most of my cable/coax wires disconnected? I'm researching an ethernet-over-coax solution for my home. In my closet where all the cabling meet, all but two coax cables are disconnected. There are 14 cables altogether, with 12 cables entirely disconnected, and 2 cables connected to one another with a female/female connector.

If this looks standard, can someone explain basic home coax wiring?

Why are nearly all my coax cables disconnected?
Is this related to FCC leakage regulations?
Do each of the 12 other cables go to wall plates in the house, or is this really just 6 lines that are simply disconnected at the moment?

Because you only hook up what you have to, to avoid signal loss. If you're serious about getting HD to all your jacks, you should probably look into getting a powered splitter.

Otherwise, you just want a small passive splitter in a good MHz range. Over 2k was bare minimum last time I checked.

I have internet cable and I want it as clean as possible, so I use a good two-way splitter to feed the modem and then it feeds another one I had laying around for the giant jumble of TV feeds.

You probably have one or two incomings at most. Unless someone wired your house up for something strange, this is no different than many people's basements I've seen. Where there is either no equipment yet, or it's just like 4 out of the 16 cables run into a passive splitter (cause those things are cheap and cable guys charge ~$5 a termination on the cable ends, so frankly I'm surprised yours all are. Welcome to your new house? ;).

If you move out, you might take your expensive 12-way splitter with you. If it's a new construction house, that's why there's nothing there yet.


Is my neutral wire tied to my ground? I've bought a timer switch for my bathroom that requires a neutral wire.

On opening the switch box, I see a white wire screwed to a copper ground that is screwed to the back of the box.

Is that my neutral wire?

The other wires are black (hot/in, split between the two switches), gray (load to lights from the right switch), and white (load to fan from left switch).

Thanks in advance!

Edit at the top:

OK I got a better look at your wiring and I see what they did (party foul!). And I'm going to 'upgrade' my... this isn't good.

The feeder circuit is on the left. Incoming hot and neutral. They didn't run a 3 wire run on the right, so they stole the white wire (neutral) and made it another hot runner. That makes the wires on the right going out 'runner 1' and 'runner 2'. One of them runs to your fan, and one of them runs to your light.

Unfortunately, there is no return path for the electricity. You said there's copper coming into the box- which I can't see from the wires- so my guess is they stole the bare copper wire to become your return path. Had they run a 3 wire (Black, Red, White, copper-ground) they'd only need one wire path.

I hacked together an image. I suck at mousing, laughter should help ease the pain.

On the left you can see a white wire coming off the switch and going up into the romex on the right (runner 1)- that is now carrying power. The party foul here is it should be labeled - either with a black sharpie (color the end) so people know it's hot, or wrapped with some black electrical tape. I mean, it is sort of obvious, but I believe code calls it out anyway.

On the right you can see a black wire coming off and traveling up into the romex on the right. That's also carrying power, so it's 'runner 2'.

So your switch box itself is being used to tie ground and neutral together.

Since you said this is in the bathroom... I'll be honest with you- this is REALLY dangerous. Like... get yourself or your family killed dangerous. Assuming it's within 6' (2 meters) of a sink with water, you could theoretically provide a very good path for electricity to make it to the water and electrify yourself IF something else goes wrong.

Reason being is that whole box is carrying power. It's hard to see from just the one photo but I don't think I'm missing something.

Now, what to do:

You can sort-of fix this. But maybe just not in the way you'd like. Simply put you don't have enough wires going out of the box to feed the fan and light. Now interestingly there are a couple of solutions that might work but that would entail fixing/modifying the fan.

I assume the fan and light are integrated into a single unit?

The easiest and safest thing to do to day without bringing in an electrician is to disconnect the switch/timer for the fan, and wire the fan and light together. That means when the switch comes on, the light and fan turn on at the same time. I know this is NOT what you want, but it would be a temporary fix until you can have someone come run a 14/3 wire up the wall and into the fixture.

If this is going to be OK, let me know, and I'll write up some more detailed instructions.

If you can take some more photos too showing copper lines I'll try and think of how else it might be wired.

So that's really not good to see. I tried to visually trace your grounding, and it appears that the ground comes from the metal box to the outlet on the right, then over to the one on the left. And at no point do I see it go anywhere else.

So with that, no, your box is not wired right, and more importantly... it's a hazard because your 'neutral' which is your 'return path' for electricity is hooked to the metal ground box. It goes hot, you go hot.

I also don't see any bare copper coming into the box from anywhere. If it is there and you take a photo that'll help.

So first things first, and I'm a bit uncomfortable saying this, you ought to find someone that can give that a good look and test things before you disconnect it.. but I'd get that bare copper wire and your neutral white broken apart.

Then you could use that neutral, assuming it's not wired even funnier than the box.

Can you describe more of what the switches do? I assume that one is an outlet, the other is a switch- thus power (and neutral) coming in are feeders, then the line going out is broken at the switch, and the neutral coming back from that is tied into the neutral going out with the feeder.


Everything in my house vents into the ceiling cavity. Should I change this? After reading this question: Does a bathroom exhaust fan have to vent to the outside? I realised that the house I live in now, and everywhere else I have ever lived, everything just vents into the roof cavity, and the roof cavity has "whirly birds" on the roof to circulate fresh air through the roof cavity.

This includes two bathroom exhaust fans and the range hood in the kitchen.

I would say that the bathroom exhaust fans are original, or close to original, to the house, which is mid 1970's. This means that there's been 40 years of venting into the ceiling cavity. The rangehood is perhaps only 5-7 years old.

I'm no master builder, but I do not see any signs of mold or rotting in the ceiling at all, and when we purchased the property 3 years ago the building inspector explicitly stated that they found no moisture related damage in the roof space.

In the apartment that I used to own, we asked strata for permission to install an exhaust fan, and we were told we could do it on on the explicit rule that it only vented into the roof cavity, and did not exhaust outside (because that involved modifying common property). So until now, I never thought anything of it.

Is this something that I should spend money on changing?

In an apartment building they may have deliberately designed that area to function as a plenum space. That design would -- one hopes -- include selecting/arranging building materials that could tolerate the moisture these fans would pump into that zone.

In your house, it's less likely that folks made the appropriate effort.

Rot isn't the only issue. At best, more moisture in your insulation will mean it insulates less well than it should. I don't know enough to have any valid opinion on whether the fact that you have the spinners to help actively encourage airflow will make up for that.

Personally, I'd say either fix these to exhaust to outside, or at least spend a bit of money to get an expert opinion on whether you can get away with not doing so.

(One of my bathroom vents exhausted into the attic. My inspector, an old-timer, grumbled but didn't actively recommend fixing it. My insulation contractor took one look at it and said "I'm fixing this.")


Is there a tankless water heater with instant hot water? I used to have a tankless water heater and loved that I never ran out of hot water in the shower. What I didn't like is that it took about 60 seconds for the water to get hot, which is really annoying when I just wanted to wash my hands with warm water.

Is there a system that combines unlimited and instant hot water? Maybe a hybrid – an on demand unit with a small, heated tank?

The tank is not the issue.  The distance and pipe size is the issue.

There is a considerable length of "hot water" pipe between your hot water heater and your shower or sink. That pipe is always full of water.   Over time, this water cools off.  It is now cold water, even though it's in the hot-water pipe.

When you turn on hot water, hot water starts flowing into the pipe from the far end.  The cold water already in the pipe must be pushed out before you feel warm water at the faucet.  How long depends on faucet flow rate, length of pipe, and pipe diameter squared.

That "square" rule is a real problem.  Go from 3/8" to 1/2" pipe, your delay doubles.  Go from 1/2 to 3/4, it doubles again.  And some dummies think 3/4" pipe is deluxe and will give them better showers.  Nope, it just makes them wait. Downsizing pipe as much as possible will help.

Also, you can move the hot water heater closer to (right next to) the shower or sink. That's easy with electric tankless heaters. However in practice, most tankless heaters are simply installed where the old tanked heater had been (which itself was chosen because of the ugly, awkward bulk of the unit) -- in which case obviously there's no speed improvement, and speed may be worse since flow rate is limited on on-demand units.  The solution is to install the tankless unit much closer to the point of use.


Is this type of ground wire connection NEC compliant? Found this recently, done by a licensed electrical company in the state of California.

Is this compliant? If not, is there anything that could be added to make it legal? (I see "ground clamps" for attaching wire to pipe that look as if they'd provide a mechanical connection.) Would you just parcel them out into appropriately sized wire nuts? The box is a 2 gang, and getting full, but it's in a crawlspace, so could get an extension if needed.

Simply twisting is not enough. You need a mechanical connection as well. Wire nut, crimp, etc.

NEC

  110.14 Electrical Connections

  Because of different characteristics of dissimilar metals, devices
  such as pressure terminal or pressure splicing connectors and
  soldering lugs shall be identified for the material of the conductor
  and shall be properly installed and used. Conductors of dissimilar
  metals shall not be intermixed in a terminal or splicing connector
  where physical contact occurs between dissimilar conductors (such as
  copper and aluminum, copper and copper-clad aluminum, or aluminum and
  copper-clad aluminum), unless the device is identified for the purpose
  and conditions of use. Materials such as solder, fluxes, inhibitors,
  and compounds, where employed, shall be suitable for the use and shall
  be of a type that will not adversely affect the conductors,
  installation, or equipment.

  (B) Splices.

  Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified
  for the use or by brazing, welding, or soldering with a fusible metal
  or alloy. Soldered splices shall first be spliced or joined so as to
  be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then be
  soldered. All splices and joints and the free ends of conductors shall
  be covered with an insulation equivalent to that of the conductors or
  with an insulating device identified for the purpose.

  Wire connectors or splicing means installed on conductors for direct
  burial shall be listed for such use.


How do I replace a non-standard (oversize) closet doors? It's a 70s home and the master bedroom has a wonderfully large closet with a very heavy double-panel sliding door.  Beside the obvious drawback that we can't both use it at the same time (opening one side means the other side is blocked by both panels), it's ugly and heavy.

Any research into replacement doors reveals that nobody has made closets with doors that style in a few decades.  I'd appreciate any ideas or pointers toward alternate door solutions.

(sorry about my lack of terminology, I'll be happy to clear up any missing/ambiguous info if necessary)

~edit~  To clear up, the width is the problem:  It's an 81 inch opening, outside of the track for the sliding panels.  Height is 96" (to the ceiling).

I had basically the same situation in my 70's-built house, the closet doors went all the way to the roof, and were horrible looking bi-folds.

Basically what I did is framed in a header to bring the opening to 81" (remember to account for 1/2" drywall while framing):

Then some drywall and paint (note I didn't yet repaint the ceiling in this picture):

I had 4 closets like this. One by the front door got sliding mirror doors, the rest got frosted-glass sliding doors. The right picture below is actually the "after" shot of the first one in this answer.

The width is going to be challenging for stock stuff. If it was a bit wider, you could probably split the door into two by putting a small column in the middle, but that would leave you with a couple 3.5' doors, which are pretty small. If you went to bi-folds, you might be able to do a 4' and a 2' door, though that might look a bit strange.

A quick search turns up some custom closet door manufacturers, which might be an option to get multi-panel sliding doors, like this:

If you do this you can probably also get them 8' high, but honestly, even without the doors on, just making the opening 81" really updated the look of the house.

Yet another option is that you could shrink the width down to 72" (basically just extend the wall/framing on one side by 9"), and along with making the height 81", you're into a standard size where you can get both sliding or bi-fold doors off the shelf from any box store.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out


What could be causing my toilet to back up? I live in a mobile home and my guest toilet continues to back up. When you flush it the water level will rise to the bowl rim and slowly go back to normal. I have taken the toilet off of the floor and cleaned it out, replaced the wax ring, and cleaned the gas vent that goes to the roof. I have also had the septic pumped as a last resort but it doesnt make any sense that it continues to back up. My other toilet doesnt do it and the guest toilet just started to do it out of the blue. Does anyone have any other ideas?

It sounds like something is in the trap of the toilet. To be positive, you can run a camera through it, or alternatively, remove the toilet and pour a large bucket (larger than a flush) of water down the exposed drain - if it drains quickly and does not backup, you know the issue is with the toilet.  If it backs up then you know the issue is with the drain (or vent possibly)

If the drain is the problem then the best bet is to have a plumber come run a camera down it to determine where the problem is (from the question you said you "cleared" it, I assume this means running an snake/auger down it)  It could be an object is stuck, or the drain could be collapsed, etc.

If it is the toilet then you need to and remove whatever is stuck in the trap. Sometimes objects like toothbrushes can get really stuck and the only option is to replace the toilet.


Efficiently remove backer board screws I am replacing kitchen tile with vinyl planks or engineered hardwood. After ripping out the backer board with tile, I am left with hundreds of screws, set every two inches in a rectangular grid. Is there an efficient removal technique?

If the heads of screws are in good condition(clean) a drill/driver probably best bet to remove. Dirty or damaged heads, a hammer is useful, either pull them up or hammer them down.  If hammering them down, make sure nothing underneath them, gas or water lines/pipes, electrical cables, someones head.


What are the pros and cons of a whole house humidifier? In the winter, my house (~2500 sqft) becomes unbearably dry.  Last winter, my wife and I used a tiny humidifier for the master bedroom to keep us from completely drying out, but since then I have been exploring a whole-house solution, complete with humidistat.  It seems well within my ability to install it.

The trouble is, everywhere I've read that a whole house humidifier should not be needed.  Normal humidity, they say, should be maintained simply by normal activity (showering, cooking, etc.).  If the house is dry, it's far more likely to be that I have leaks (say, around my recessed lighting), and then adding a humidifier would risk mold issues.

So this is my dilemma: in order to find air leaks, everything I've read is that I'd need to have an HVAC guy come out with a blower door, which is very not DIY.  So, expensive.  Or, I could go boldly forth and just install the humidifier, in spite of the fact that I might not need it.

So, what should I do? Any guidance would be most helpful here.

I went though a similar debate last year and ended up getting a whole house humidifier.  I never remember reading that you should be able to get the humidity level to normal levels though normal means (shower, cooking, etc).  In a big house, that is most likely not possible.  Do you have a humidistat now, or does your stand alone unit give you a reading?  I would recommend you getting one of those first to see how bad it truly is. If I remember correctly, if your humidity is below 30%, you could actually be causing harm to yourself and your home.

Our house approached 25%, which is dangerously low.  Some of the driest deserts in the world don't get that low.  For example, Las Vegas ranges from 21%-39%.  You may be living in conditions that are way too dry.

All that being said, I knew we needed to do something.  You mentioned worrying about mold, sure this could happen if you raise your humidity very high, but think about it, in the summer your home probably approaches 80%-90%.  With humidity that hight, and the warm temperatures, that natural condition is more likely to produce mold than your 70 degree house in the winter.  Plus, you will find just increasing your humidity to like 35%-40% with your whole house humidifier makes it very comfortable.  AT that level, mold is unlikely an issue.  The added bonus us that the more humid the house is, the warmer it feels.  Again, just like in the summer, a humid 90 degrees is much warmer than a dry 90 degrees.    We found we were able to decrease the temp of the house simply by adding a little humidity.  Used to be 72 degrees at about 25-30% humidity, we now keep it at 70 and 35-40%.  So we save heating costs there.

Ok, so what kind to buy?  I researched the various types of whole house humidifiers, and it comes down to three types.

Drum - These are the least expensive and easy to install.  They install on your cold air return line, and use a motor and belt to essentially lift cold water from a drum into the the air and let evaporation and the passing air movement to pick up the moisture.  These require considerable maintenance it has standing water and risk of mold due to the standing water.  You have to replace the belt frequently.  I opted to not get this one due to the standing water and maintenance issues.
Flow Through - These can be installed on return or supply line.  These are the middle of the road in cost and performance.  Again, they also use evaporation, but you do not have standing water.  There is a filter that water flows through (drip) and the air blows through the filter.  The water however, needs to be drained, and new water is always trickling though.  Since it always uses new water, the risk of mold is almost none.  Uses no electricity, but does requires a water line and is always using new water.
Mist / Steam - The most expensive, but most effective.  They actually produce steam, rather than relying on evaporation.  Because of this, you can more easily control the desired humidity.  Can come in cold and hot water forms, injecting hot or cold steam into your supply line.  Requires both electricity and a water supply line.  Risk of mold is low due to no standing water, but the hot steam could cause issue in your ducts if you run it too often and too high I imagine.

I opted for the steam model, mainly because of the low maintenance and ability to control the desired humidity more easily.  I installed it in an afternoon, it was easy to do.  Most of them come with high end humidistat / thermostat, that would replace your existing house thermostat.  Then the system knows how to control the furnace to optimize the output.  I went with the Honeywell TrueSTEAM series and it has worked great.  Good Luck!

Here are a few other descriptions:

http://www.just-humidifiers.com/works.php

http://www.guide4home.com/care-hf/whole-house.htm


Can I paint a deck when wet weather is forecasted? I am planning on painting my mothers deck and I have a limited amount of time.  I am planning on painting it on Saturday, but I saw there is forecast for rain.  I am wondering if it would be better to paint before or after the rain.  I could possibly paint it on Friday or Monday, but with the sanding and priming I have to do, I can't really do much earlier and my mom comes back on Tuesday.  I'm planning on power washing too, probably Wednesday morning because it's supposed to be pretty warm that day, so it would dry well.

I would paint after the rain and make sure there is a tarp over the deck before it rains.  You need the manufacturer's guidelines but two simple rules to painting outside is not touching a damp surface - and it can take a few days for a deck to dry out and not painting within 48 hours of rain forecast.  At 24 hours after painting you could tarp the deck but really better to have a few clear days.  If rain is constant then you just need to wait.


Does the NEC regulate data cable bury depth? Technically my jurisdiction follows the 2016 California Electric Code, but it's mostly just the 2016 NEC.

Table 300.5 lists bury depths for various areas and wiring methods. Do these apply to data cables (ex. cat. 6 or coax) or just mains wiring?

It does not (at least of 2014)

NEC 800.47 would be the governing section of Code for this situation, but it is mum on the topic of burial depths for underground communications cables. In addition, neither 800.3 nor 800.24 references 300.5, so it can't apply that way either.


How to spray paint parking lot stripes by hand and avoid overspray Our home owners association's community parking lot lines are wearing off, about 5 lines, and I'm interested in respraying it instead of calling a professional.

I bought a Rust-Oleum Professional White Paint Spray, and I'm not sure how to avoid over spraying, all I can think of to get the job done is to use General Purpose Masking Tape (ones they use for painting) but that'd likely require at least 3 lines of tapes for each side of the parking line.

Update

Ended up going with the top solution here, and managed to create a stencil after buying grill (its box size was perfect), worked great, and it was a real fast job with this approach.

Make a stencil. That what road markers typically use for arrows, symbols, letters and numbers .

Easiest would be out of some cardboard boxes. Flatten the boxes, cut them and create a stencil with a gap shaped like the stripe. Place on the road, spray paint, then re-position for the next stripe.

Illustration from Asphalt Line Stripping: