What type of subfloor should be used for on grade for nail down engineered hardwood? I am ripping up tiles on the ground floor of my home and would like to install 1/2 inch engineered hardwood. It is over a concrete slab on grade. What is the best and most economical way to do this once the tiles are removed and the concrete is cleaned and leveled?

-Can I float a plywood subfloor and then nail the hardwood to it? If so should I leave expansion gaps between the plywood and the walls? I have seen this suggested on other forums but doesn't seems to make sense to me. Shouldn't the subfloor be screwed down if the flooring is to be nailed to it?

-Or should I secure the subfloor to the concrete and then nail the wood flooring to that? What is the best way to go about doing this?

-A modular subfloor like Dricore seems great but expensive and maybe overkill for an on grade floor?

What is the best recommendation for this type of project? What subfloor should I use, how should it be installed, where should the vapor barrier be placed and what is the best way to secure the engineered hardwood flooring to the subfloor?

If you're not wedded to a nail-down install, the best route to go with here is a floating floor with nothing but a soft underlayment between the flooring and the slab. This is an accepted install method for engineered hardwood over a slab, and your flooring manufacturer/seller should be able to provide you with instructions for how to do it and not void the warranty.

As for vapor barriers, you only need to worry about that if your concrete slab doesn't already have a vapor barrier underneath it. Obviously there's no way to easily check, but if the slab was poured in the last 20 or 25 years, there's a very good chance it already has one. In any event, once the current flooring is off, you should have a calcium chloride moisture test performed on the slab. Where you live matters, too. I live in the desert, so soil moisture is a non-issue here, and my slab's lack of a vapor barrier underneath it is irrelevant. If you're in the pacific northwest, it's a different story.

If the moisture test shows that you need a vapor barrier, choose a closed-cell foam underlayment, not something water-sensitive like cork.


How to apply varnish of a different color on a varnished wood shed? We have a wood shed that's only 1 year old or so. After the wood shed was assembled, we applied a varnish called mahogany. That day, I was at work. When I came home, the varnish has already been applied all over.

Over the past year, I have realized the varnish color is NOT what I would have liked. The color is orange.

How easy is it to apply a varnish of a different color?

My ideal color would be walnut (after visiting my hardware supply store). If I apply this walnut on top of mahogany, would it be a mixed color of the two? Or would it replace (cover up) the mahogany?

If it would be a mixed color, then how do I get rid of the mahogany?

I do also wonder if over time the orange mahogany will become more pale due
to exposure to the sun and rain.

Does the shed need a varnish a few years down the road? If so, I can deal with this problem then.

Thank you!

Depending upon the varnish that got used, or more specifically depending upon that varnish's UV resistance, it may darken (yellow) soon from exposure to the sun. If it was a spar varnish, it'll withstand UV much longer. Either way, count on revarnishing after several years (less if non-spar varnish, more if spar varnish).

Walnut-stain varnish over mahogany-stain varnish will in fact result in a blended color, although the darker walnut-stain varnish will probably strongly predominate. You might try getting a tiny half-pint can of the color you'd like and run a test on a piece of scrap wood - varnish the scrap with the mahogany, let it set up fully, then varnish over in a small area with the walnut. If you still don't like the color, try another half-pint of a different color like "ebony", for example, or a blend, until you do like the color. When you decide what you definitely like, write a note describing what worked well and staple it to the inside wall of the shed where you'll remember it when it's time to varnish again.


SPF core stair treads Is it durable/applicable if I make a 3" tick stair treads out of dry construction 2x12 lumber as 1½" core glued to ¾" hardwood (red oak or finer spicy) all way around?
What will be the challenges?
In term of wood movement what is matters and need to be considered?
To get a more natural look I am thinking of edge bending on front to top faces.
The weights will carry by a mono steel stringer linked by a long metal bracket.(no risers)
The tread width should be 3'2”.
In term of my experience and tools, this will be my first hardwood project! and I am thinking about purchasing 12” thickness planer and electric hand planer. Already have the sliding compound miter saw and table saw.
Somebody will make the stringer and the brackets for me.
The 2x12 spf lumber tend to bow and I saw that on 20% of the old treads that I removed. I'm thinking of using 11 peaces of altered grain direction 2¼x1½x38" and one 2¼ x ½ x38" for the core(base) instead of on solid 2x12 and cover it with ¾" hardwood on top and face and veneer on other faces
Appreciate your thought and experience.

Wood movement is an important consideration and it's good to know you're thinking about it now and not trying to fix it after the fact.
Wood tends to expand the most across the width of a board and not so much across the thickness. This means that your 11-1/2" (or so) wide tread† will tend to get wider, pushing the nose of the tread farther out in the "overhang the riser below" position, but won't vary in thickness very much at all. To accommodate this, you'll need to attach your different woods together carefully and design the attachments to the treads carefully, too.
When it comes to attaching the top & bottom hardwood to the construction lumber, you want to have any fasteners in a single row to allow the different woods to expand independently. Your SPF tread core will expand differently than whatever hardwood you choose for the surface. Also, unless you're getting your 3/4" veneer from the same board, your veneers will all expand at slightly different rates, as will the SPF tread cores. Wood is a natural product and no two boards are exactly the same.
Attaching the veneer top to the core at only one point to allow for expansion gives you the possibility that the top will curl and that will be a trip hazard. Quarter or rift-sawn lumber will significantly reduce the likelihood of warping and, for a mission critical portion of the project like a stair tread, is going to be a much less expensive upgrade than the hospital bills or lawsuit from a tumble down the stairs.
A thin veneer of wood (I believe that 1/32" to 1/16" is normal for a commercially purchased veneer, some may be even thinner) shouldn't impact your wood expansion much and it should be attached with normal contact-cement-based veneering methods.
Your update to indicate that you're planning on resawing and laminating the stair core portion will help reduce cupping, but still won't impact expansion. I'm not exactly sure where the "11 pieces of..." lumber will each go, but I'd suggest that 2 or 3 pieces per tread†† with alternating growth ring patterns should be sufficient to significantly reduce potential for cupping.
To attach the treads to the stringers, I'm envisioning some sort of plate with screw holes welded to the metal stringer section(s). If you have a single row of screw holes, then simple round, countersunk holes will allow the wood to expand on both sides of the screw and should eliminate any splitting issues due to expansion. If you do this, be sure to install the treads away from the stringer's risers to allow the wood to expand and fill the gap. I cannot tell you how much expansion room to leave, but you can find wood expansion tables online and they should serve as a good guide. Remember, each piece of wood is unique and these are guides only, not guarantees.
If you're planning on a square of holes, make sure that the screw holes are elongated into ovals so that when you drive the screws through them, the screws can move in the oval slots as the wood expands and contracts. You want the screws to be tight enough to hold the tread securely, but not so tight that the screw cannot move at all. Overly tight will cause the tread to split where the screw is as the wood tries to expand.

†An 11-1/2" deep tread (nominal 2x12 construction lumber) is extremely deep and possibly a violation of building codes. Please make sure that this is acceptable to your local building inspector before investing a lot of money in this lovely sounding custom staircase only to have to scrap the whole thing because it doesn't meet with the inspector's approval.
††Make sure you use plenty of glue and plenty of clamps and plenty of clamp pressure when gluing these up. Check out Woodworking.SE for loads of Q&A's on doing glue ups to see just how many clamps are necessary to get a good glue up.


Sanding screen vs Sandpaper for hardwood floor What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a sanding screen vs sandpaper when refininshing a hardwood floor? When would you choose one over the other?

I have years of using both.  I have no scientific data or anything like that.  If I had big pieces of lint/whatever stuck in polyurethane then I would use a sanding screen.  If I had a large area of issues I would use sandpaper.  A screen will allow you to knock out things that are not flush with your surface while leaving your surface in tact - see @DA01's comment.

What I am not sure about the comment is for fine sanding.  Yes screens are great when finishing off drywall mud when you have a few bumps but they are really good at any point where the area you actually need to sand is a small percentage of everything.  Screens are for when there are imperfections littered over your surface, sandpaper for the whole surface (think divots and air holes).

I find that sandpaper is more precise, and i feel that screens last longer and pick up more mistakes.  This is scientifically proven because I use screens a lot and my drywall pros never do.


Electrical junction box under the sink gets wet We just purchased a house and under the kitchen sink there is a metal junction box for the electricity to the disposal switch.

It is on the bottom of the cabinet and it is covered in electrical tape.

It is possible that it can get wet when  the sink backs and it is necessary to remove the trap.

It the box location a code violation or just shoddy work?

Under the sink is where it is supposed to be, but without a photo we can't tell if it was done right or not. The real problem however is more likely in your plumbing leaking and getting it wet.


Fill gap on wood shelves? How can I fill this gap in my diy shelves? I’ll be using wood screws to secure the shelf.
The gap’s less than 1/4”.
I was thinking of using pieces of wine cork to even the weight.

If you pilot the ledger piece, when you add the screws to hold it down the shelf should draw down to meet it.


Leveling off part of concrete slab for floating floor We are trying to partly level out our slab to build a subfloor. Most of it is level enough but a section that is about 20ft x 5ft starts to slope and fairly aggressively in some parts. I see self leveling concrete says it's only for up to 1-1/2". For anything beyond that depth should I fill with gravel? Use pressure treated wood? Regular cement?
Thank you kindly

If the goal is to install a subfloor, do the leveling in the supports for the subfloor. Once the subfloor is installed on leveled sleepers (joists but not spanning, since they sit on the concrete, whatever you want to call them) nobody needs to know or care what the concrete under them happens to be shaped like. And SLC is relatively expensive.


Space usage suggestions for oddly shaped room Please see attached diagram, especially where the chair is situated.

The area is about 27 inches wide and 24 inches deep.

Other than having a hanging desk and using it as a small office nook as shown, how else the space can be utilized ?

Though I can close the area, but that will make window no longer centered

We have a small place like that and we are having a small one piece bookshelf where we keep story books and dictionaries..


Double water inlet from kitchen sink (to install a dishwasher) There is only one water inlet in my kitchen — well, 2, one for hot water and one for cold, but they are both connected to my sink. I have no idea of how to hack one of those to allow for a dishwasher to function normally. I assume that with the right piece, it should be easy, but cannot find anything online. Am I missing something?

I assume the same would have to be done for the drain.

First question. Do you have a garbage disposer unit? If so there is highly likely a port on the side of it where the dishwasher drain line can connect. The disposer cavity provides an air gap between the actual drain and the dishwasher drain hose so there can be no possibility of a siphon back into the washer. Before attaching a drain hose to a disposer there is normally a knock out slug that must be removed inside the drain nib on the disposer.

If you have no disposer then you will have to add an air gap for the dishwasher drain line that mounts in a hole up on the back skirt of the sink. The dishwasher drain connects to the air gap and than another short hose goes to a modified sink down spout fitting before the P-trap. The air gap and alternate downspout fittings look like this:

The connection for the dishwasher water line will require the application of a Tee type fitting onto the existing faucet under your sink. The exact nature of the fittings required will depend upon the type of connections there are there now and what the dishwasher comes with. If you do not consider yourself a sometimes plumber it may be well to call in a local expert to deal with the water piping (and the drains if you so wish). Here is an example of dishwasher water line Tee connection. Note it can be a good idea to equip the branch line with a ball valve shut off. The picture shown is a Tee with the branch valve built right in.


Will this 22" drawer slide replace the slide mounted to my 18" drawer? I have a kitchen cabinet with 18" drawers, with slides on the side. The internal depth of them is 23" as is the length of the part of the slide mounted to cabinet.

The inside of my cabinet looks like this:

My drawer looks like this:

I wish to replace the slides because the rear mount is cracked like so:

So my question is will this 22" slide, this rear bracket and this frame mounting bracket work? There only seems to be 22" and 24" brackets and I assume I am somehow measuring wrong.

Replacing just the bracket is an option, but quite frankly none of my drawers in my kitchen slide very smoothly so I'm looking to replace all of them.

I would use the correct size. Here is an 18" one. The 22" will be to long for the draw.

If you use the 18" it will fit the draw, but you will likely need to add wood to the side to allow a place to screw the track into.

EDIT:
You need to add a piece of wood to the side of the cabinet. That wood could be glued and clamped until set. Then screw the side track to that piece of wood.

You may be able to add a board stretching from side to side, then screw the end of the 18" track into that.

I see no easy way unless you find a place that sells that exact slide.

One more thought:
If you used the 22" slide and just fastened the first 18" that came in contact with the draw. It may mean drilling new holes in the slide however if the design is like I think it is, I think that would work. Then you could attach the slide to the front and back as original.


Is a gas fireplace enough to heat a small cottage? I have a ranch style 544 sq foot cottage 16x32 it is long and very narrow. I would like to install a gas fireplace for a heat source but as well as the ambiance. Do you think with proper blown in insulation, new windows that a gas insert would work. I like a nice 72 degree house. I have several new ceiling fans with high catherdral ceilings so it is like a two story without the usable second story. Any suggestions would be helpful. I understand I need to have a rather large unit (btu) due to the high ceilings, just want to be sure that this will be efficient. I plan to purchase a good blower and wall thermostat as well.

I'd talk to the Fireplace dealer/installer to confirm, but yes, that should work provided:

you use a blower (sounds like you have)
your house isn't chopped up into too many rooms
given the high ceilings, I'd strongly suggest installing a ceiling fan as well to help. If you don't, you may end up with one really hot room, and a bunch of only 'warm' rooms.


Air-sealing the eaves I am trying to insulate and seal the eaves of a vented roof over a log
house in order to protect the thermal insulation (flax batts in my case)
from the outside air and liquid moisture (not vapor). Here is a view of
my eave cavity from the inside:

The cavity is bounded by rafters on left and right, by air
insulation (Tyvek diffusion membrane) on the top, and by the soffit
boards on the bottom. It forms a deep shaft that is not going to be
thermo-insulated all through because it belongs to an overhang over
the porch. Instead, the thermal insulation should be installed more or
less flush with the wall, so I need not fill the cavity entire.

The major problem is that, it being a log house, the roof assembly may
over time slide a little on the rafters down the top of the wall, as the
wood loses moisture and settles. How can I seal these eave shafts (if I
may so call them) about 15 cm down the way (flush with the outer side of
the log) in such a manner as to prevent the tearing or breaking of the
sealing by small motions of the roof assembly along the top of wall
attendant upon the drying-up of wood?

I have thought of fixing a piece of plywood, cut to size, to the sides
of the shaft, sealing it along the sides and top with the Tyvek tape,
which adheres well to wood and membranes, and at the bottom of devising
some flexible yet sealed connection with the outer-top surface of the
log. But I am at a loss as to a simple way to achieve the latter.  Can
you help?

The rafters form a plenum that runs over living space AND extends over the walls to the outside, outside the thermal envelope?  If so, I imagine that you are trying to extend the thermal break that the wall creates through this plenum?  If so, you can roll up fiberglass insulation, place in a plastic bag, then push into place right above the wall, where the rafters hang over to the outside.  Follow up with expanding foam to stop air flow.  I did this in my cape code with great results.

Something to be aware of though: Do you have soffit vents?  If so, air is supposed to be able to be pulled from these vents as air escapes from the attic ridge or gable vents.  In that case, you would need to preserve this air flow, which can be tough.  Some place small PVC pipes through this plenum, from the soffit area to the main attic above.  The trick it to move that air, while still maintaining good R-value on the interior ceiling.  PVC pipes usually require pulling off the fascia to push through, so I would insulate all the rafter bays but for one or two to allow air flow to the main attic.

Something I have learned dealing with an older house is that you can drastically improve things, without having to make them perfect.  I have lowered my electric bill from $230 to $160 per month in the last 7 years.


Shower arm - thread sticking out of wall is too long I've moved into a new home and the shower arm in one of the showers has recently come detached from the shower wall. It appears that the threaded pipe is sticking out too far from the shower wall, and thus the previous owner had used some form of adhesive to attach the shower arm to the shower wall (you can see some gunky yellowish stuff in the photos).

I want to reattach the shower arm to the shower wall, but I'm hoping there is a more appropriate method than using an adhesive. I'd really appreciate some advice on the following 3 potential options:

1) Replace the shower arm with a new normal diameter shower arm that can fit a standard shower arm flange or escutcheon. But if it do this, I'm still concerned that the flange/escutcheon won't lay flush with the shower wall because of the protruding threaded pipe.

2) Try to find a shower flange/escutcheon that will work with the bizarrely large and shaped shower arm/head in the photo. I can't seem to find any information on this type of shower arm and have no idea what type of flange/escutcheon would work.

3) Try to cut the threaded pipe down to size so that a flange/escutcheon would lay flush with the wall, though I'd need too make sure that there is enough thread on the pipe to allow such a cut.

Any other suggestions?

UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS:

Thanks for the quick response! The county is the US (Seattle, WA). I removed the shower arm from the shower wall in order to get better photos and learn more. The threaded tube coming from the wall appears to be a standard pipe nipple, about 2cm diameter (about 3/4 in) and probably about 3-in long. I say probably because I was not able to unscrew it from the shower arm, but I was able to unscrew the whole assembly from the water pipe behind the wall. New photos are below. Now I'm thinking I should just buy a shorter nipple and a new shower flange/escutcheon and shower arm - what do you think?

UPDATE AFTER INSTALLING NEW SHOWER ARM

So I installed a new shower arm tonight (photos below) and have a few follow up questions:

1) In the end I opted not to use the brass pipe nipple and connected the new chrome shower arm directly to the threaded pipe in the shower wall (after wrapping the thread with new Teflon tape). Is this okay to do or do I need to use the brass nipple extender in order to ensure a proper/secure fit?

2) The shower arm wobbles around (which is another reason I assume the previous owner used an adhesive to fix the shower arm to the wall). I'm assuming this is because the elbow connector behind the tile has not been appropriately mounted to a stud. Any suggestions for stabilizing the shower arm so that it doesn't move around? The only thing I could think of was to use expansion form behind the shower flange.

The nipple going to the shower head is too long. A simple fix is to measure the gap, then remove the nipple and deduct the gap distance and purchase a new one. I would recommend a brass nipple because there will be less issues with dissimilar metals that can eat away at the pipe or shower fixture.

If you cannot find the right length a new nipple can be made using 1/2" copper and 2 male threads. This will require some cutting and soldering but the exact length can be made if needed. Get some Teflon pipe tape or liquid sealant and coat the new nipple threads. I install the pipe into the wall first and snug it down then the shower head assembly. Use caution when tightening because you don't know how the elbow or 90 in the wall is anchored.


What is causing the loud, electrical humming noise in my walls? I have a loud electrical sounding humming noise that is vibrating through my house, and appears to be coming through the adjoining wall of my neighbour's house. It starts and stops at any time of day or night, even with my electricity / heating / water turned off at the mains.

I have asked my neighbour to flick off his mains switch to try and determine whose house this is coming from, but he is not willing to do this. How can I detect / monitor where exactly the noise is coming from.

Your neighbour must be hearing it as well then, correct? Can you hear it from outside?

First culprits I would look at:

furnace fan or forced exhaust fan
forced exhaust fan of a high-efficiency gas water heater
HRV unit
attic fan
bathroom fan

Ideally you or your neighbour could stand in his/her utility room while the sound is happening, and hopefully narrow it down. Turning off one of those at a time may also help narrow it down. Either way, you're going to have to work with your neighbour to solve it, if you are positive it isn't coming from in your house.


Is there an easier way to remove a double layer of drywall on the ceiling? I'm pulling down the ceiling and am having difficulty pulling down the drywall because it is 2 layers thick. I'm using a hammer and a wrecking bar but it is going a lot more slowly than I'd hoped. Is there a technique or tool I could be using to get this done more quickly?

There is nothing above the double-layer of drywall, just the floorboards from the apartment above ours. I won't be able to get access from there though.

If it is nailed/ screwed only to the joists without any furring strips between the joists I would use a Sawz-all or a reciprocating saw. Cut or hammer a hole large enough to verify there are no cables or plumbing between two joist. Run the saw blade along the inside edge of the joists and remove the drywall in the largest pieces you can handle. When the only drywall left is the pieces attached to the studs you have two choices. Hammer the dry wall until it crumbles then remove the nails or screws. Or you could run the saw blade along the bottom of the joist using a demolition blade cutting the nails or screws and let the drywall fall off.


Heat pump not working after rain A couple weeks ago, I had a Goodman 3 ton heat pump split system put in. At 5pm hours today, I was outside near the heat pump and noticed that it was functioning properly. At about 6pm, there was a rain storm that came through and there was a downpour for about 15 minutes before it cleared up. At about 9pm, I noticed that the A/C was not blowing out cold air. I went outside and saw that the heat pump was not turning on at all and it was completely silent.

I checked the circuit breaker and found that it did not trip and I also saw that the plug near the heat pump appeared to be in place too. I looked at the bottom of the heat pump and saw that there were some drops of water around the whole bottom of the heat pump but the compressor was not under water by any means. I also took off the service panel of the heat pump and saw that all of the connections appeared to be in order and there were no loose wires.

I was wondering what could be causing the outdoor heat pump to not turn on at all.

The model number for my heat pump and air handler is GSZ160361 and ASPT37C14.

I have a 3-ton heat pump and it keeps tripping the outside “disconnect” (that electrical connection outside near the unit) too.  It looks like it’s not tripped, but when I flip it off and then back on, the unit then comes on.

Some disconnects have a “breaker” that you remove from the base unit mounted on the wall. If yours is like that, just pull it out and then reinstall.


Tread boards in external stairs for houses I am about to build a small (3-riser) entrance stairway for my house guided by this how-to:

This question is about the treads which appear to be consisting of three separate boards each. The text even specifies a gap between them:

  Treads spanning 900–1000 mm between strings should be nominal 50 mm
  thick minimum and grooved or have a slip-resistant finish. Boards
  should have 5 mm gaps between them.

Am I understanding it right that the treads are indeed to be of three
separate boards each? Or are they just grooves in a single-piece tread?
Why so? Is it so that water could drain in the 5-mm gaps? Or is it for better slip resistance? Or both?

Spacing between the tread pieces allows for water drainage and for the wood in that area to dry out. And yes the spacings between the tread pieces also help with the slip resistance.

It is common to use multiple narrower pieces for outdoor decking stair treads because they will tend to stay flatter overall when the wood has been exposed to the elements over time. If you use tread pieces that are full width lumber there is much greater chance that it will twist and warp over time. A wider flat piece can also get quite slippery when it is wet.

Another thing to consider, if you are using treated lumber, is that the chemicals in the wood will penetrate to a greater percentage of the cross section of narrower pieces. This will help to preserve the wood over a longer period of time.


What do I use for backfilling septic pipe leaving my home? I have a 4" PVC septic pipe leaving my house on the cinder block wall about 4 feet below my house.  There was a crack inside of the part where it leaves the house and I need to replace it (from settling/35 years old).  I am going to do the digging and replacing of the soil myself, but was wondering what was recommended for backfilling?  Right now the dirt is a sandy/clay like substance with random bricks and rocks in it.  I was wondering if it is okay to use the same dirt to backfill or if I should use pea gravel (or something else) around the PVC pipe whenever I backfill the soil.  This will be an area about 5 feet long and 5 feet wide.  The pipe will go into the house (so backfilling around pipe and next to my house).
Thank you in advance for your help!

I'd use pea gravel, sand, or flowable fill.  You want to avoid settling which could cause stress on the pipe and possibly break it or cause it to leak.  So fill materials that need little to no compaction are best.
The dirt that you took out will not compact well and it will settle over time.  I'd only use it on top of the fill that covers the top of the pipe.


Can I smooth a knockdown-textured ceiling with spackle? I recently had new drywall put up in the top floor of my house to cover a cracked plaster ceiling with popcorn texturing. I used a contractor, and when asked about a texture for the drywall my preferred option (smooth ceilings) was very expensive while a knockdown texture was not. I ultimately opted for the knockdown texture due to the cost difference.
I've been looking into doing something on my own to smooth out the drywall (while hanging it myself would probably not have been a good idea due to my skill level, I can do some other tasks adequately). Most options seem pretty involved, but I think that I could handle a skim coat if it's necessary.
But the skim coat process seems very similar to using spackle for small repairs in walls, which led me to wonder: would using spackle for smoothing a ceiling that has knockdown texturing work? There must be some drawbacks, or reasons it won't work at all, or else I would expect to see spackle as an option when googling ways to smooth the texture.
So I guess the best formulation of my question is: can I use spackle and a putty knife to smooth out my ceiling at all? And if it's possible, what are the drawbacks that make it such a (seemingly) unpopular option?

Spackle might work, however it is specially designed for repairing holes and cracks and is more expensive than the product that is normally used for doing a skim coat: regular joint compound or topping compound.
You should do a bit of research and plan to practice with wide trowels/mud knives if you intend to do this yourself. Hanging the drywall is not the skill-heavy part of the job; mudding and sanding IS. Professional plasterers spend years/decades acquiring the skills to skim coat, it is probably the most experience/skill dependent craft in the trade...


Dryer vent passing through two wooden beams. Is it safe? I have a dryer vent that exits the house wall through two wooden beams. The vent is built using two corner rigid pieces and one long rigid aluminum piece. The long rigid piece is the one that passes through the two wooden beams. Both beams are touching the rigid duct. Beyond that there is exterior brick wall.

Is it safe if the aluminum touches the wooden beams? I know that rigid is the safest in terms of not gathering lint and containing a fire in it.

Yes, that's considered safe.  The operating temperature of a dryer vent is not a problem for direct wood contact.  Keep the vent clear and you'll have no fire.

Ensure all joints are foil taped, so lint does not escape from the pipe.  Should lint escape the pipe, it can build up in the wall.

Use a "long sweep" elbow to make the vent easier to clean out.  Modern code in some states requires posting the effective pipe length at the dryer end (and it's a good idea regardless).  Dryers have specific length maximums mentioned in their user manuals.

Depending on your climate, a high quality vent hood can save energy by reducing both drafts coming in, and reduce back-pressure on the dryer going out.


Installing Neurio home energy monitor, can't get to service wires I opened up my main panel and saw that there aren't actual wires coming into the main breaker as they describe in their installation video. The top half of my panel is behind the PG&E meter, so I suspect the wires coming from the street are behind that top half of the panel.

My question is, do I work with the power company to remove the meter, or do I hire an electrician to do that top half? Or is there another option to make it work based on my existing panel?

I'm comfortable doing the install myself based on the videos but I fear it's become more complicated.

Based on Tyson's response I called my power company. They came out, cut the power to the house and removed the meter for me to get access to the top half of the panel. I was then able to complete the Neurio install and it seems to be working fine. Thanks to all who have answered.


Do the 2 individual 120v legs coming from meter into main panel have to be connected to specific terminals on the main shutoff breaker? The old SEU wiring in my box has a black and red cable, but I have also seen newer SEU service cable where both 120v legs were black.

No, there is no "positive or negative" or "left and right" or whatever.  This is the same when hooking up a 240v appliance.  The two legs don't matter and there is often no way to differentiate the legs other than maybe black and red.


Can a 1x4 jack stud be used instead of a 2x4? I just noticed that my contractor,whom is building a shed, has cut the sole plate and replaced the jack stud with a 1 by 4 to accommodate a door he ordered.  He had framed the opening too small and this was solution. The door jamb fits snugly in the opening and can't be shimmed to fit properly.  Is the 1 by 4 jack stud safe or should I insist that he reframe the door properly using 2 by 4s instead.  this is a load bearing wall. It's really a 20ft by 20ft shop on a concrete slab. There are no present plans to live in it. A main concern is that the 1 x 4 untreated jack stud is contacting the concrete slab

Have him re-frame it, as it almost certainly won't pass inspection.  Not sure what the code specifies in you area, but the International Residential Code is really specific as to the requirements:

  R603.7 Jack and king studs.

  The number of jack and king studs installed on each side of a header
  shall comply with Table R603.7(1). King, jack and cripple studs shall
  be of the same dimension and thickness as the adjacent wall studs.

Emphasis is mine.


Tankless water heater and inconsistent water temperature We recently brought a house that was built in 1927, and much of it has been updated. The previous owners put in a tankless water heater two years ago. Our hot water is very inconsistent.

When someone is in the shower for instance, its a big no-no to flush the toilet or turn on the sink. We can live with that. The problem is that even without someone using water elsewhere, the shower temperature is likely to change any moment.

I have an even bigger problem in the kitchen, which was updated eight years ago. The water temperature used to change constantly when I was washing dishes; however in the last few weeks, I just never seem to get hot water to my kitchen sink. Previously, when hot water was coming to the kitchen, I'd have to let the water run for a good minute before I got hot water. Now, even if I pretty much let it run indefinitely, it stays cold.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what this might be, and how I could fix it?

I found the source of the problem, and thought I'd post the answer in case anyone is having the same issue.

I needed to turn up the temperature on the hot water tank. For some reason, when I have the temperature set to 108, the kitchen faucet doesn't trigger the tank to kick on. When I set the temperature to 120, the problem was resolved.


How can a ceiling fan be mounted to a fan-rated box that has been extended? Let us say that we have a fan rated 4" octagon box in the ceiling, but the box doesn't supply enough space for all the wires up there (quite possible if the fan wiring is complicated, for instance with multiple switch loops in a multi-way setup, or with a relay involved).  With a normal box, you'd simply slap a matching extension (4" octagon in our case) on the box and call it a day.

However, since there's a big, heavy ceiling fan that needs to hang from this box, how do you attach the ceiling fan securely to the extended box, or does the extension need to be fan rated as well for this to be (NEC 2014) Code-compliant, considering that the fan bracket needs to be solidly mounted to the box for a typical bar-type fan-rated box?  (Vs. the fan bracket screws penetrating a joist in the case of a pancake or saddle box, which makes extension easier strangely enough as you simply need a long enough pair of screws)

422.18 paddle fans shall  be supported independently of an outlet box Or by a listed box or outlet box system identified for the use and installed per 314.27.C.

There may be listed box extensions out there for paddle fans but I have never seen one. To be code compliant the better route to take with a paddle fan that has more conductors than the box fill allows would be to add a second box. If the ceiling (attic) above the fan is accessible this would be fine. If the ceiling (2 story fan on main floor) above the fan is not accessible a second box could be cut in and a cover plate attached after being wired.
After seeing the damage done to the electrical system and home when a DIY home owner incorrectly installed a nice fan I would strongly recommend making sure the fan support box is listed for the weight of the fan or more.

An additional code reference for those hanging chandeliers weighing more than 6 Lbs. If a luminaire  weighs less than 6lbs it can be supported on other boxes or plaster rings with no fewer than 2 #6 screws 2014 NEC 314.27.1 exception 1. (even a simple light fixture weighing more than 6lbs requires a listed box).


UK channels missing since re tune Got an issue with 1 of our TVs since Freeview changed around and everyone had to re tune.

I have 3 TVs in the house all from same aerial and been working since, then had to retune them all due to Freeview changes at start of march and all went well apart from the living room TV. It gets bbc1 and 2 but skips nearly all channels below 100. HD  works fine but missing some others here and there.

I've plugged it into the same point as the kitchen TV but still doesn't re tune. I've tried to reinitialize the channels many times on different wall points but doesn't get them, even though the other TVs do.

Any ideas, the TV in question is a Samsung UE50NU7020K

Regards
Liam

Freeview retunes can change the frequency, power and other technical characteristics of the digital signal. This can cause problems for some receivers and not others due to differences in software, sensitivity and the quality of the signal on that cable.

Historically many TV aerials were designed to favour a narrow frequency band specific to each region. This is called a grouped aerial. If you have one of these then the retune might have pushed some channels outside of this band and the TV might be getting a weak signal for the new frequencies.

Ultimately you might need to consult a local aerial fitter who will be familiar with local issues and their solutions. This might mean changing your aerial type or adding an amplifier or filters.

Bear in mind that the problem might be temporary. Some retunes are done in two phases. You might be in an interim period with less than ideal conditions and will have another retune in a few weeks or months to implement the longer term configuration.

I suggest:

Check the antenna cable is not kinked or damaged for the best signal strength.
Check the antenna cable coax connector is wired correctly for the best signal strength. Look on the web for guides.
Perform a software update on your TV, either over the air or from the internet. In the past I fixed a severe tuning problem for someone with a receiver software update.
Some TVs let you manually enter the frequency for each channel multiplex. Check your TV's user guide and use Google to look up the frequencies you need to input for your region. After this, you might need to disable auto-retune.
You might be able to find a pattern to the channels that are missing. Look at the following website and half way down the page choose the link for your region. You should be able to find a list of frequency number changes, recommended aerial types and affected multiplexes (e.g. PSB2). Use Google to find the channels that are in each multiplex.  https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/platform-management/700mhz-clearance/clearance-events-2020
Check if your area is at risk of interference from mobile phone cells: https://at800.tv/im-sure-received-postcard/
Contact Samsung support.
Replace your home's TV aerial with a wideband model if your region requires it. This can be done DIY, but I would ask a professional to specify and fit it, especially if the aerial is high up on the house as is the norm in the UK.


Replace stair treads on a prefabricated staircase I have a staircase that was carpeted.  Decided to remove the carpet and sand/stain the hardwood treads below, but the top 4 treads are particle board.  When trying to remove the particle board treads for replacement, noticed that they were glued.  Tried to pry up the board (little success) but couldn't feel any stringers underneath.

I suspect I have a prefab staircase, and am wondering if these can even be replaced, or if I need to look into stair cap options?

UPDATE:

Ok, so a few more photos below. I took a look underneath with a boroscope, and it looks like both the tread and a 2x2 are inset into the wall-stringer, which also has a trim-cap on top (apologize for the lack of correct technical terms).

Am thinking that I could cut the tread and 2x2 flush with the wall, nail/screw a 2x4 to the runner board, and use that as a means to attach the tread.  Would this make sense from a structural perspective?

The plywood piece is the bottom of the stair tread, and the square board appears to be a ledger in-set into the stringer. The white portion is the underside of the white "stringer cap" you see in the second image. The stuff in the bottom portion is a sheetrock undercarriage over the top of a closet.

I can't really tell what I'm seeing in your screen image, but I think your plan is reasonable. If the stringer isn't tall enough to add the individual 2x4 ledgers you describe, you could use steel angles bolted to it.

Were it my project, though, I'd be cutting the treads out and building three new stringers, using the existing setup as a pattern and adjusting for any variation in tread thickness. I'd cut them out of 2x12 or LVL stock and fasten them in place, using construction adhesive at all joints to add stiffness and prevent noise. It's not difficult and then you have a staircase built to high quality standards.


6x6 Deck post repair, Joining two 6x6 posts I need to replace a 13 ft   high, approximately, 6x6 deck post due to dry rot on bottom half of the post .
The deck sits around 10 ft high from the ground and rest of it  [post] is above the deck floor connecting rails. The 6x6 post sit on the concrete with metal bracket.
Replacing entire 13 ft high post  would be the optimum solution but would require a lot of extra work, like removing some of the deck floor board, detaching rails on the top, removing side cover panel which is bolted into 6x6.
Question:
Can i get away with cutting the bad rotten part of the post (lets say about 9 ft from the bottom and replace with new post) so basically joining two post vertically using metal braces? or please suggest any other feasible solution.

Dry rot doesn't really exist but I'll imagine you said brown rot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_rot
It sounds like your post is not 6" above grade.
I'd probably just put a 6x6 sonotube into the ground and have it extend up to where the wood is still good.  Add a Simpson CB66PC and bolt the post back into it.
https://www.strongtie.com/classiccollection_architecturalproductsgroup/cbpc_base/p/cbpc


Should a furnace condensate pump do double duty for basement dehumidifier? We have a moisture problem in the basement, and are trying to combat it with a dehumidifier. Despite my region being in drought, the humidifier's reservoir sometimes fills up twice in a day. The basement has no floor drain or laundry sink, but it does have our HVAC system, which was installed with a condensate pump. The contractor ran the drain hose for the condensate pump in a way that makes it difficult to add an additional hose, but I thought I might be able to drain the dehumidifier with the existing condensate pump.

Would it be safe or wise to run the drain line from the dehumidifier into the reservoir of a the furnace's condensate pump?

It seems both sources of water are low-flow resulting from condensation (one incidental, one deliberate) so you shouldn't challenge the condensate pump.  I'd do it.


Can I make a pre-hung door jamb narrower? I want to install a new door in my bedroom (replacing a door) with an pre-hung door - standard width is 4 1/2in.  The wall is paneled, not dry wall - so the width of the existing jamb is 4 inches.  Can I take 1/2 inch off the pre-hung jamb?  And how?  Thank you!

Sure.

Remove the hinges and door slab.
Mark the location of the jamb stops with masking tape on each side, and then remove them by carefully prying them away from the jambs. They're usually nailed or stapled in place.
Disassemble the jamb by carefully tapping apart and removing the nails/staples/screws at the corners.
Run your jamb through a table saw, splitting it underneath the stop location. Run them through again to remove additional material to achieve the jamb depth desired.
Combine the two halves of each jamb component using wood glue and clamps. Allow to dry overnight.
Reassemble the jamb corners using your fastener of choice, then install the stops, hinges, and slab.
Hang the door as usual.

However...

It may be simpler to just fur out the back of your door casing (trim) to accommodate the extra depth. If done well this is nearly invisible, plus you have the option to convert to drywall later without replacing the jamb.

Also...

It would have been prudent for the paneling installer to have furred out the wall framing to achieve the half-inch thickness for just the reason you've encountered. That's water under the bridge, obviously, but it's a thought for next time.


What gauge wire for long run from power supply to LED light strip? I am wiring in some 5050 RGB LED strip lights in my basement. There is a small utility room adjoining and I'm keen to keep the  transformers and signal amplifiers in there in order that they can be hidden away, but remain accessible should anything need replacing in future.

I'm putting the lights behind coving like this: https://starscape.co.uk/project11.html

The only point in can bring the wires in to connect the LED strips is shown on the plan below. (This is because there is an RSJ blocking access before this point.) This means that I need to run some fairly long lengths of cable to connect the signal amps to the LED strips. This is shown on the plan below, and the simplified version below that:

There's a clearer version here which shows the lengths etc better.

The power supplies I am using are these (100W version), and the signal amps are these. I was going to use this RGB wire to connect the signal amps to the LED strips but was concerned about voltage drop / heat over the 3m / 8m lengths.

Is this cable OK to use, or should I use something heavier gauge? (If so, where can I get this (in the UK)? Considered 3 core and earth, but don't like the idea of using it for DC as it seems "wrong" / confusing to send current on the earth / use non-standard colours etc.

As far as I can work out the cable is about 20AWG. I've been getting royally confused trying to work out the voltage drop and:

a) whether this is relevant (some sites seem to suggest the LED drivers compensate for this)

b) what gauge wire I need (according to my sums I need 14AWG to keep the VD to a minimum, but the fact that no-one readily sells this for LED lights makes me think I'm misunderstanding something

If anyone has any real world experience of this I'd love some advice!

Is 5050 the model number or the quantity of leds?

The cable you linked to looks very lightweight - you don't need a lot of copper to run leds directly off of low voltage DC but you do need to handle it a lot during installation.

I would get something heavier, just for the mechanical advantage. 16AWG stranded 300 volt should do nicely, the voltage rating is to get thicker insulation. You can get spools of it in many colours from any electronics supplier (not electrical, "electronics") in the local phone book. Also pick up an automatic wire stripper and a decent crimping tool while you are there - the common stamped-steel crimpers do NOT do a good job, and you don't want to have to get in behind the walls twice.


Mounting pull-up/exercise beam in corner above window I'm considering mounting a beam for climbing exercise equipment similar to what is pictured below (see here for complete details):

The set up (in my case) would consist of two 20" 2x8 base boards each mounted ~40" from the corner attached to two studs each via 5/16" lag screws. Between the base boards would run an additional 56x2x8 main beam mounted to the base boards via angled joist hangers. However, in my case, one of the base boards would need to fixed to the wall above a window.

My question is: Would it be a horrible idea to mount a base board above a window?

No, there's no problem doing so. In fact, you probably have the best substructure there. You'll find a 2x6 or larger header either directly above the window or below the top wall plate. You should also find "cripple" or "pin" studs on standard centers over or under the header.

Be aware that some header designs leave a 1/2" or larger insulated gap between the framing and the drywall if the load-bearing members are sandwiched together and installed at the outside of the wall thickness. You could potentially cause significant drywall damage by pulling your lumber tight with bolts. Press firmly on the drywall where you plan on bolting to feel for flex, then proceed slowly when tightening, keeping an eye out for movement.


Outlets still have power but fuse is unscrewed? I have an old house with a fuse box on the second floor of the home, and 200A service with breaker box in the basement. The fuse box is fed by a 30A line. The fuse box has 24 fuses and seems to integrate with much of the house.

Today I traced my living room electric with a circuit breaker finder to the fuse box. I unscrewed the fuse and the expected outlets lost power. However, when I passed these outlets and their plugged in items with a noncontact voltage tester, I got the same positive readings one does when the fuse is plugged in. Any ideas on what could cause this?

A low impedance solenoid style or lamp style tester is the best tester for this type of troubleshooting.  If the circuit can't power a solenoid than you are dealing with an induced voltage.

Good luck!


Installing a dedicated hot water recirc line and pump I'm going to re-plumb  my house. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath house. All the plumbing is on the main level, and the basement is partially finished. I'm renovating down in the basement and decided while I was doing drywall work, I might as well cut in to the ceiling and replace the polybutylene pipes with PEX. I got 2 quotes from plumbers and decided I'd be better off to do it myself. I'm very handy and work at a building supply store so I can get a great price on materials. I'm also planning on adding a second shower head in the Master bath when I renovate the bathroom next year.

I was wanting to look at adding in a recirc pump for the hot water. Since I am in the space between the floors, I would do a dedicated hot water return. The hot water heater is in the basement. Let's say the 2 shower heads are approx 10 ft above the tank (if that matters). I'm on a well with a pressure tank and a 40/60 pressure switch.

My questions are this:
With my current layout, should I plumb the return line as 2 different zones? What parts am I going to need to do this right (including pump size recommendations).

Run a single 1/2" line back from the end of each hot water branch until it gets back to the middle.

Join the two 1/2" lines to a single 3/4" line back to your cold water input to the water heater.

Install a circulating pump with a built in check valve in the line to prevent reverse flow.

Put the pump on a timer, motion detector or both to suit your families needs.

Never have to wait for hot water again.


Anyway to hack a portable AC unit to cool 2 rooms I am looking to take a portable AC unit and hopefully run a tube through a wall in another room while still cooling the room the unit is located. I have searched to attachments that could help but have come up empty. Any help would be appreciated.

DR

Any way of circulating the air between the rooms will help, although I doubt you will be able to achieve uniform temperatures. Put the AC in the room that is hotter (e.g. has more windows) and then do the best you can with a fan or two.

Also, make sure the AC is properly sized for the area you want to cool.


How do I fill nail holes in baseboards? While installing a new floor in my living room I had to remove the baseboards (finished wood, not painted), now that the job is done and the baseboards have been replaced what is the best way to fill the nail holes?

What steps should I take to fill the holes, add stain (to match), and polyurethane so the holes are not noticeable.

The make wood putty in a range of colors to match different types of wood.  You can probably find one that's a close match to your baseboards.

Take a small amount, fill the nail hole and wipe it smooth with a damp cloth.  When it dries, lightly sand it and the surrounding area down, then re-varnish the area.


Red Wire labelled as 'Common' in HVAC I'm looking to replace my old thermostat with a wifi one. Looking at the wiring on my HVAC, I can see red and white wires connected (matching what's connected to the back of the existing thermostat). This is what I'd expect, but on the wiring diagram the R terminal is labelled 'Common'. This is strange, as I'd expect the C terminal is the common.

Is the red wire actually a 'Common' terminal, or is this the standard R/W setup that I'd expect for heating?

The cable that is shown runs from the HVAC to the thermostat. As well as the red and white wires, there are also blue and black wires.

I was planning to connect the blue wire to the C terminal on the HVAC, and then attach the red, white & blue wires to the new thermostat. Is this correct, or am I missing something?

Cheers.

This is indeed the standard R/W setup for a heat-only system.  You have it correct that you can attach the blue wire to the C terminal on the board and then use it as a C wire for your new thermostat.

If you want to make sure -- you can use a voltmeter to measure 24VAC between R and the Ground terminal between the fuse and the 6 pin connector.


Circuit breaker does not trip - but produces no voltage under load Some lights and outlets started going out intermittently in my home.  Circuit breaker did not trip off but under inspection with a multi-meter, produced no voltage. I disconnected the load from the breaker (Disconnected the black wire from it) and checked again with the multi-meter. It produced 117 volts.  I installed a new breaker and same deal - under load; 0 volts - disconnected from load; 117 volts.  Neither breaker tripped.  This circuit has worked for years without fault.
Recent work on home - the roof leaked through the ceiling a few months ago and we replace the ceiling.  Could a drywall screw through a wire cause this issue? Any assist is appreciated.

You  might have a break in a wire, a loose connection, or corrosion. See https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/27285/82


Whats the best way to secure a loose flooring joist where mortar has crumbled over the decades? My kitchen floor sits on joints that are mostly OK. One wobbles though as I walk over it near a wall. It moves 0.5cm (0.25"). I lifted a floor board and had a look. You can see the crumbled mortar here:

Question: Do I replace the mortar after jacking up the joist a little?  Or do I get a hardwood wedge and tap it in - as the joist goes out the other side and supports a narrow hallway?

The house was built in 1973 in the UK, if that's important. Lastly, it is my poor photography that makes the joists look non-vertical, not poor construction.

Here's the adjacent one that is fine for now:

The sub floor area is a crawl space - but only just - not for anyone with a belly. The black is a bitcuhmen seal over the earth underneath.

I had a similar problem.

support joist
rake out old loose motar
fill with new mortar - force to full depth
allow to cure
remove support

Worked fine for me.


Why don't my appliances work when my tester shows voltage at the outlets? I have a strange issue with my kitchen electrical.  The electric starter on the gas cook-top stopped working.  It is plugged into a socket under the cabinet. The toaster will also not turn on.  It is plugged into a socket at counter level near the other socket.  Both sockets show "hot" when I use a non-contact voltage tester.  I plug my toaster into a 3rd socket and it works fine.  Now the really strange part, when I plug the toaster back into the original socket it works again, and the starter on the cook-top works again.  This has happened twice so I don't think its a fluke.

Any ideas on what could be causing this and how to fix it?

UPDATE:  Thanks for everyone’s input.  The problem was a lose neutral (came out when I pulled the socket out of the box) on the load side of the third socket, as many suspected.  I replaced it with a new socket and everything is working great.

Most commonly if you are getting power to the receptacles is a loose neutral. Especially if you are only using a non contact voltage tester. It will show power but there is no return.

Good luck


How to keep screws in a hollow door I have a hollow core interior door. The screws for the handle keep pulling out. To fix this I've used the biggest screws that will fit. I've tried a couple of different types of glue, and I've tried hollow door plugs. All of these solutions last a little bit and then the handle starts to pull out again which is a royal pain.
The other side of the door looks the same, except in reverse of course. Both sides are screwed in using wood screws.
I can buy a different size and shape of handle which will use different holes, but I suspect I'd just wind up with the same issue, i.e. the screws pulling out and then I'm back to square one.  I'd rather find a permanent solution to the problem.
What are my options for keeping my door handle on?

From a wider perspective:

I would not mount the latch to the door skin. Even if you can attach it well, chances are you'll pull the skin off the door over time. It's not designed to withstand that sort of stress.
Instead, use long bolts with acorn nuts to sandwich the two sides to the door, or use coupling nuts and bolts from both sides. The latter requires larger holes through the door, but you can use small bolts in the latch plates.
Through-bolt with acorn nut

    |        |
  __|        |__
 |  |        |  |_
(|==|========|==|_)
 |  |        |  |
 |  |        |  |
 |  |        |  |

Screws with coupling nut

    |        |
  __|        |__
 |  | ______ |  |
(|==|=______=|==|)
 |  |        |  |
 |  |        |  |
 |  |        |  |

It's critical that your holes line up, and with four such holes it's challenging.

Clamp or tape the latch plates in place. Verify that they align through the door. Mark the holes and remove the latches.
Drill through the door skin from both sides with a small bit, keeping the drill square to the door face.
Insert the bit through the holes in both faces. Ream the holes to shift position if necessary, aligning the bores.
Gradually increase bit size, finishing with a bit size suitable for your bolts. This will help straighten the final bore.

For what it's worth, my guess is that the door slab was installed backward, with the hinge side used as the latch side. Hollow core doors should still have blocking at the latch area. It's also possible that the slab wasn't intended for this use, and was designed as a bypass closet door, for example. Still, if you install the latch as I suggest it should work fine.


Odd smell from hot water if I don't use it for a while, what could it be? I moved in about 3 years ago.  I noticed when I was running hot water I got a terrible fart smell from the water.  I ran all faucets on hot in the house to drain the hot water heater and fill it with fresh chlorinated water and it worked, no more smell.  I went on a 2 week vacation and when I got back the same smell was back.  What could be causing this and is it dangerous?  I can't afford a new hot water heater so I have to fix if possible.

The bad smell is not dangerous. It is usually caused by 1 of 2 things. The anode in the water heater has dissolved and there is a bunch of gunk in the bottom of the water heater that needs to be flushed out using the bottom drain on the water heater. The second reason is trapped air in the tank, I have found this more often on systems with pressure tanks that the bladder has failed, air in contact with the water makes it stink. At 3 years it would be a good idea to pull the anode and make sure it is still intact. Regular anode replacements and flushing (2-4 years depending on water quality) can double or triple the tank's life.


Is this a wood destroying insect? I live in Austin, TX, USA.

Just looked under a wooden table in my dining room (shares wall with outside of house) and saw this little tubes hanging underneath. A few still had live worm-like guys protruding.

I'm guessing some kind of larvae. There were little granules of something on the bottom of the table.

The majority of them are near the floor in the corner where the wood end table was. Though I do see four or five hanging from the ceiling in that area.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but each of the tubes is maybe 1/4" long.

Any thoughts on what these might be, specifically if they look like anything that destroys wood?

Update:

Just had a pest control inspector come out. He says the tubes are moth larvae, as suggested below (good call).

The saw dust is likely from carpenter ants. He says they seem to be localized to the end table so I should probably get rid of it, which is what I'm going to do.

I'll monitor the area for more signs up damage from the ants, but so far it looks okay.

Those aren't termite tubes. I am pretty sure they are moth larva cases. Here's another example of one. There's lots more kinds if you do an image search.

We had them on the outside of my home in CT growing up. That was aluminum siding so they weren't eating it.


How to find where is the broken in the house electric wire? I have a complex wiring problem. one of my outside house light is not working and I took out the light and found that the hot wire ( black) is not getting power. All other lights and appliances are working in the house except this light. I also check breaker box and it seems to all good and getting power so it is broken it between somewhere. I cannot see where are these wires coming from or connected? I tried hard I cannot locate any junction box near by. obviously the wire is broken but do not know how do I find where is broken because I do not know where is this connected to in other end? it is going through cement wall  so it is not east to break and look at the wire connection? Any help is appreciated?

My most valuable tool is thinking about what the last guy did.  Or was most likely to have done.  I see lots of "what were you thinking?" situations but later I learn something else, and go "Oh, that's what he was thinking."

OK the wire goes through the cement wall. Somebody had to install that wire the first time. Where would he have routed it?  What would've been easiest for him?

Do you have more than one outside light?  Is it possible this light is fed from one of the others?


How can I attach security bars over EIFS stucco? I would like to securely attach window security bars to the outside of my new house but it appears to have this fake facade. Its a row home (e.g. townhouse) in Baltimore City and the front is brick (which I understand how to to work with) but based on the edges around a pipe coming through the back exterior, it appears to be a 1/4" metal mesh with stucco over it.

I drill through the area in the top right of the image and it quickly goes through the first layer, then drops to the second layer, and quickly goes through that. I can't find anything solid within 2.5 inches. I tried using a magnetic stud finder and that did work either.

The best think I can think of is use some of those heavy duty drywall anchors. Any other suggestions?

You have a couple options, depending on the level of pry resistance you require.

Pilot for screws into the wall sheathing. Use at least a #10 wood screw, and pilot about half the shank diameter into the wood, then the shank diameter through the stucco (to prevent spalling and cracks). With long enough screws you'll have good grab into 1/2" wall sheathing, which should be OSB or plywood.  It is possible that you have fiberboard or gypsum sheathing, in which case this won't work at all. If your bars have two screws at each corner this will provide fairly solid holding power. If there's only one screw, I'd look at #2.
Find the studs. They will probably be on 16" intervals from one end and alongside each window or door. You might have the best luck searching from the inside using a stud finder or a small drill bit. Use wood screws that penetrate at least 1-1/2". Pilot through the stucco and a short distance into the stud to guide the screw and prevent glancing misses.
Use a more modern means of security. An electronic system with glass break sensors might be more suitable. Screws can be removed and bars can be cut.

Notes:

The foam behind the stucco will compress under heavy forces, resulting in damage to the stucco. Do not run the screws in beyond slightly snug.
Drilling through the stucco compromises its weather resistance. Consider dabbing silicone or urethane caulk behind the hardware as you install it to seal those penetrations.
Repairing stucco (beyond small screw holes) is an art form, and getting a good texture and color match can be difficult. Do as little damage as possible.
Hitting studs usually requires custom sizing or adjustability. This may be a problem when buying off the shelf.


Where to buy a 4-inch toilet flapper in North America? I am having the toughest time finding the right replacement toilet flush flapper that fits. The pipe in the water tank is really wide, and the old flapper has the diameter of 4 inch, and 3 inch wide between the hinge attachment (see picture). I have searched online with Amazon, eBay, and specific toilet equipment companies, and looking at the models in person at Homedepot and Walmart, and still couldn't find one. Please advice where I can find a model of that size specification.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////
Edits: Adding more pictures for information

That's a Kohler Bancroft 4633. Here's where you can buy a [replacement flapper].

Here's a schematic of the Kohler Bancroft 4633.


Can I use a bat handled toggle switch instead of a boring standard toggle switch on the wall? I want to create a steampunk-themed chandelier, including a steampunk-look switch on the wall. Is there a fundamental difference between the standard light switches sold for home lighting and a similarly-specced bat handled light switch that is sometimes used on lamps and electrical equipment? The attached switch is rated 20amps at 125vac so I would think it was appropriate for my purpose. The only thing it doesn't have is a ground screw which might be the stopper unless there's a way to add a grounding wire to the metal part of the switch. Would someone with ACTUAL electrical knowledge (not just someone without an imagination ;) ) weigh in on this one? I asked somewhere else and the person said it would work fine but in another forum people said no (but I don't believe they are electricians since it was on Amazon and they didn't give any reason it wouldn't work). It seems like an artificial disqualification to say this wouldn't work just because the handle looks different than a normal light switch. Are the guts exactly the same? Switches are pretty simple mechanisms so seems like they would be.

The ONLY way this would be code complaint (legal) and safe is if the switch were solidly mounted to a metal plate, which would in turn be mounted to a grounded metal box. If you have plastic boxes there will be no way to ground the plate through the box.

NO! Soldering is NOT an option as this is expressly forbidden in the code. You MUST have a solid mechanical connection even before soldering. Having said this there is no means or provision for any sort of mechanical connection to that switch or to a switch plate, unless of course you nut and bolt the ground wire to the plate, but this adds a visible screw head to the finish side of the plate.

Almost certainly you'd need to get a stainless steel blank plate and drill your own hole.


Solution to put down a window sill crack to prevent mold I have a couple windows where there is a space below the window that goes into the wall (see bottom of picture). There was mold and condensation all around the area, so I'm guessing there's mold down in there as well. Is there something I can put in there to kill/prevent mold before sealing that space?

I like 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill mold. It doesn’t stink like bleach and won’t be a problem to seal over once dry.


2x6 or 2x8 Sill Plate on 8" foundation wall? I have a 8" thick concrete foundation, and am wondering if I should use 2x6 or 2x8 PT for the sill plate.

I believe 2x6 would be substantial, but if I use 2x8 I would have something to fasten to on the interior side of the basement in the future, and I could have my anchor bolts in the center of the 8" thick foundation, allowing better strength, since it would be the center of the 2x8 instead of 1/3 in from the outside of the foundation for a standard 2x6 sill plate.

That's the only benefit I can think of?  What am I missing?

A 2x8 plate is not needed. In calculating the strength of the plate/anchor we look to "develop full strength" for resistance. The key factors are the thickness of the plate, size of anchor, size of washer, depth of anchor AND edge distance from bolt to edge of wood plate.

Edge distance required to "develop full strength " is 4 diameters. So, using a 1/2" anchor, you only need 2" of edge distance. That's why a 2x12 plate isn't even better.

(However, make sure the anchor bolt is not pushed up tight against the edge of the concrete wall or up against the face shell of a concrete block. You need a minimum of 1  1/2" of concrete to flow around bolt to develop full strength in concrete wall and 3/4" of grout in concrete block wall.)


Do tiles need to be cut to fit area between back wall and the edge of the bathtub? I am in the process of remodeling a bathroom and I am putting in a new tub and plan to tile the walls. It seems most tubs are standard depths of 30 or 32 inches, ours is 32". Now the new tub is attached right to the 2x framing then the backer board comes over the lip of the tub. When you do this you make a 32" tub 31-1/2" to the front of the tub. Now my tile is gonna be 1/2" past the front of the tub. I am using 2"x2" tiles. Do I have to cut the back row down by 1/2" to make them match the front of the tub or am I missing something?

Yes the tile will need to be cut.  You can either use a wet saw or a manual tile cutter.

Before you go cutting the tiles in half for the back wall you will need to make sure you are accounting for the width of the grout lines. Are your tiles really 2"x2"? Do you have bullnose pieces or trim pieces to transition the tile at the edge, or is it OK for your tile to show an exposed edge?


Should there be bubbles after a new Linoleum installation? I recently had new Linoleum installed in my kitchen and bathroom. They had to peice the Linoleum together in the bathroom and now I have bubbles forming at the seams where it was put together. The contractor has specified the Linoleum needs time to settle, but it does not seem correct. It was installed over a new subfloor (Greenboard) type of flooring. Is this correct for needing to settle?

I've never heard or seen this myself.  If it wasn't glued or rolled correctly in the first place, it's not going to glue itself back down, especially not at the seams.  Call the installer back and make them do it right - rip it up and install new. Don't let them try and "fix" it.


paint drywall -- corners first? I watched a few videos on rolling a drywall, and I still don't quite understand one thing -- is it important to paint all the corners, and then only paint the remaining space. In my opinion, this way I'd get gradient colors and the corners would look different from the rest of the wall.

Does it matter, if I paint a very first coat, or re-paint with new color?

Is it just a matter of habit/taste?

Thanks.

It matters because a brush transfers more paint than a roller and leaves marks in the finish. By cutting in the edges first and following with the roller you spread the brushed on paint further leveling the finish while removing brush marks. In other words the rolled finish, which is what you want, goes as close to the corner as you can get without bumping. (about 1/4" away) If you roll first the corners would have a brushed finish the width of the brush, which is much wider.

The same argument applies, and is more obvious, in cases like textured finish. You want the final finish technique applied last, for maximum coverage.


New 40A EVSE Wiring Install I want to install a 40A electric vehicle charger (probably a ClipperCreek HCS-50) in my unfinished attached garage in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. I intend to have this inspected and permitted, but it's been a good learning experience in a variety of ways already.

I haven't installed a branch circuit before, but this seems about as dirt-simple as it could get: the location I'd like to put the EVSE is about 20 feet away from my service panel, which has open slots on it and sufficient extra capacity in the 200A mains breaker.

To do the install, I've purchased 25 feet of 6/3 NM-B (ampacity 55A) and a 240V 50A breaker that matches my panel brand. I will run the 6/3 along the same path of already drilled holes in the exposed studs to the point where I'll put a NEMA 6-50 receptacle.

I'm not clear on whether it's necessary to have a bushing on the entrance to the box where the receptacle will go, but intend to add one to err on the side of caution.
I believe the routing through the studs means that I shouldn't need any further protection from physical damage. I think the hole bored through the stud counts as supports, but the cable will still need to be secured within 12" of each end. I'm not sure how proscriptive this is, but I'd like to use screw-in cable guides similar to this:

The path of the cable is near EPS insulation, but there's only one cable there now, so 310.15(B)(3)(a)'s adjustments shouldn't apply.
It's indoors, it's a dry location, so normal NM-B is sufficient.

Are there any major obstacles I haven't accounted for, or any likely gotchas that I'll hit during an inspection?

This is similar to the question Questions regarding my plan for new 50A circuit (with pictures), but I believe it's sufficiently different to merit its own question.

If it's cord-and-plug, you need a GFCI breaker...

If you are cord-and-plug connecting your EV charger, then you'll need a 50A GFCI breaker instead of the regular breaker as per 2017 NEC 625.54 (as specified in TIA-70-17-2):

  625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All single-phase receptacles
  installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 150 volts to ground or less, and
  50 amperes or less shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

...but, leaving the wires nutted off in the box is OK for a hardwired setup

If you intend to hardwire it, though, you can simply terminate the circuit into a junction box with some wire nuts (and a cover if you intend to install it after the final electrical inspection).

As to the rest of the bits...

Getting the cable into the box requires a cable clamp, made of either plastic or metal; this goes into a knockout in the box and holds the cable jacket firmly in place. However, some plastic boxes have integral cable clamps instead of knockouts; with those, you do not need to install a separate clamp.

Attaching the cable to the studs near the endpoints is done using a NM cable staple or strap; these have a somewhat rectangular profile to them to match that of the NM cable itself.  (The clip you depict in your photo looks to be intended for low voltage wiring such as coaxial and communications cables; a NM cable will simply be too big to fit into it.)


About how much does it cost to leave 12 led bulbs 60watt replacement burning for 24 hours? I changed to LED bulbs, and I wonder if it pays to buy a switch timer or if it is cheaper to leave it on at all times?

a "60W replacement" LED is usually around 10W actual.

10W * 12bulbs * 24 hours = 2880Watt-hours

2880Watt-hours = 2.88 kilowatt-hours

Your electric bill shows the price / kilowatt-hour. For me, with all applicable taxes and stuff, it's about $0.145 / kilowatt hour (I just paid my bill, so I have it right here)... yeah, that's 14.5 CENTS.

So every 24 hours those lights are on would cost me:
2.88 * 0.145 = $0.42

So if you were to use a timer to run them only 12 hours / day, you'd save $0.21 / day. If the timer costs $20, it would pay for itself after 100 days.

Cheers,
CList


Framing for drywall around curved stairs I have a curved stair case and I'm looking to drywall it up going into the basement. I'm looking for guidance on how to best frame the area below the stairs to drywall it up.

Images of the bottom of the staircase, looking up:

I would install thin, flexible boards against the wall and mount crossbars (ceiling joists) to them. I would not mount drywall directly to the stairs.

Establish lines on the wall. This could be done with semi-rigid pipe held against the staircase to create smooth curves.
Rip 1x4 boards in half to yield 1x2 boards with nice square edges. 1x2 lumber usually has very rounded edges.
Mount these runners on the line with the narrow edge and square corners against the wall. Use 3" construction screws and pre-drill so as to not crack the boards. If you find the curves too tight, soak the boards in warm water for a few hours.
Mount 2x4 boards flatwise across the span, screwing them into the runners with 2-1/2" construction screws. Pre-drill here, too.

This strategy, along with the corner tape joints, will leave you with a very strong ceiling. It'll be isolated from the staircase, so that any vibration and movement in the stairs won't result in cracks.

| <-- wall
|__________
|          | <-- 1x2 runner, screwed to the wall studs
|__________|_________________________________________________________
|
|     2x4 ceiling joist, screwed into the 1x2 runner
|
|_____________________________________________________________________
|

One suggestion for fitting the drywall (the most challenging part of all this) is to do it one side at a time. Fit pieces that run about 2/3 the way across the span to the wall. Do this from each side, mounting loosely near the walls and lapping the center area. Then use a rotary cutter to slice up the middle through both layers. Remove the scrap and screw it all tight.


Bed frame legs don't touch floor I got a bed frame from someone and after assembling it, the wooden legs in the middle of the slats don't touch the floor. They touch the floor only if I press down hard on the bed. Is this supposed to be the case or should I put a book between the legs and floor?

There is about 1cm of space.

Centre rail feet are not supposed to touch the floor. If they do, they interfere with the flex of the slats. They’re only there to prevent the slats breaking when folks initially get into bed - or jump on the bed. Or...

Generally, they should be a centimetre or so off the floor.
Most centre rail breakages occur when people adjust the centre rail feet to TOUCH the floor. These legs don’t have much sideways strength and if they’re in contact with the floor (carpet especially) when the bed is moved sideways for cleaning, they drag on the floor and rip away from the centre rail. I’ve had to fix MANY of these things!
(I install beds for a national bed maker).


Buffering Residential Water Pressure My house is on a shared lot, and the water supply comes from a pipe supplied near the main house. We're not quite sure how everything is connected there, but from measuring pressure drops, we do know that there's (approximately) 100ft of 1/2" copper pipe leading to the supply at my house and that typically I see a 9psi drop (from 65psi) when running a showerhead (2.5gpm).

We also tested how my pressure varies when the main house is running water. I get extreme pressure drops when they activate a tub faucet. It goes from 65 to 49psi. I also typically get drops of around 5-10 psi when they turn on one or two showerheads (2.5 or 5gpm).

We're going to be redoing the plumbing in my place with descending lines from the attic since we have no real crawlspace access. I was wondering if there is a way to use a small holding tank (in the attic, around 4m above the supply entry) to buffer the water pressure so I don't experience quite as severe pressure losses when the main house runs water.

Pressure drops are normal. That's just how it works.  Even with much larger pipe, there'll be pressure changes as the pump kicks in and out.

I would start with a pressure regulator.  Set the regulator for something like 35 PSI which the system can always provide.   It would work even better if both houses had a pressure regulator.   It goes without saying that this will reduce best-condition flow somewhat, in favor of more uniform flow all the time.

After you have a regulator (which implies a check valve), then a "pressure tank" will start to make sense.  This buffers further.   Although I have a concern with them in light of what we're learning about hot water heaters and legionella.  If it's not good for water to be stagnant in a hot water heater below 140F, one of those pressure tanks has the same basic problem.


How to bond both ends of raceway containing grounding electrode conductors? At my home I have a detached garage which has sorely needed to have its single branch circuit upgraded to a proper underground feeder, subpanel, the whole works. I didn't want the grounding electrode conductors out flapping in the breeze and thought it would look nice and be better protected too if I run them through EMT down to the soil. That's where I ran afoul of NEC 250.64(E)(1). I need some help figuring out how to do it right.
The code states "Ferrous metal raceways and enclosures for grounding electrode conductors shall be electrically continuous from the point of attachment to cabinets or equipment to the grounding electrode and shall be securely fastened to the ground clamp or fitting. Ferrous metal raceways and enclosures shall be bonded at each end of the raceway or enclosure to the grounding electrode or grounding electrode conductor to create an electrically parallel path." Now, I could just use PVC instead of ferrous and avoid all this, but that wouldn't look nice next to the shiny new RMC risers!

Here at the main panel I had enclosed the GECs in EMT conduit but had to remove it and leave the GECs exposed to partly-pass inspection and get utility power re-connected. There are two GEC because I installed two ground rods with a separate wire to each. At point A there's a 3/4" knockout so I believe I can use a set-screw connector and a lock nut to bond an EMT to the panel. Is that sufficient? The other end of the conduit, where GECs would exit at point B, must also be bonded to the GEC. Can I bond to just one of the GECs, or must bond to both? (Maybe I should eliminate one of them.) What is the name of the bonding connector I'd use at B?

The other end is much more complicated. Conduit comes out of the ground, LB and a conduit stub to get through the wall to a 10x10x4 box, then 2" EMT rising up to the subpanel. At point C in the subpanel I need an insulated grounding bushing because there's an eccentric knockout which impairs the conduit bond to the panel. Does the GEC have to be connected to the bushing, or can I just install a #6 jumper wire from bushing to ground bar in the panel?
At D the EMT connector goes into a (slightly oversized) hole cut in the box; does that qualify as bonded? At E there's a set screw connector in a right-size hole. Is that sufficient? Then there's F, the LB fitting. How does the LB get bonded? (Actually.. it is probably be non-ferrous, so maybe it is exempt). Finally at G I'll need the same connector as at B.
Switching to PVC would be so much easier, but.. if there's a reasonable way of getting it done to meet code with metal raceway I'd like to attempt it. That LB is in full sun and a PVC LB would start looking awful real quick.

Your problem: neither the Code nor electrical-fitting-makers ever envisioned someone stuffing two grounding electrode conductors down the same ferrous conduit
You are correct that using ferrous conduit and conduit bodies here would require you to conform with NEC 250.64(E):

(E) Raceways and Enclosures for Grounding Electrode
Conductors.
(1) General. Ferrous metal raceways and enclosures for
grounding electrode conductors shall be electrically continuous from the point of attachment to cabinets or equipment to the grounding electrode and shall be securely fastened to the ground clamp or fitting. Ferrous metal raceways and enclosures shall be bonded at each end of the raceway or enclosure to the
grounding electrode or grounding electrode conductor to
create an electrically parallel path. Nonferrous metal raceways
and enclosures shall not be required to be electrically continuous.
(2) Methods. Bonding shall be in compliance with 250.92(B)
and ensured by one of the methods in 250.92(B)(2) through
(B)(4).
(3) Size. The bonding jumper for a grounding electrode
conductor raceway or cable armor shall be the same size as, or
larger than, the enclosed grounding electrode conductor.
(4) Wiring Methods. If a raceway is used as protection for a
grounding electrode conductor, the installation shall comply
with the requirements of the appropriate raceway article.

However, the NEC doesn't speak here to what to do in your situation where you have two grounding electrode conductors in the same piece of ferrous conduit.  Normally, for a single GEC in a conduit, you can use a lug-equipped grounding/bonding locknut (Bridgeport 162-G or equivalent for 3/4") on the box entrances and a grounding hub fitting (Bridgeport MCH-075) or a hub clamp (Bridgeport 1325-B or equivalent) on the grounding electrode end of the conduit.  However, all of the aforementioned fittings are only rated to accept a single wire, and you have two wires.  As a result of that, we'll need to find an alternative approach.
Jumpering and tapping our way to success
The good news, though, is we still can use grounding/bonding locknuts with lugs to accomplish the job of bonding the enclosure knockouts as before; however, we need to jumper from said lugs to the grounding electrode conductor itself, not to a grounding or neutral bar in the enclosure.  This will require 6 AWG copper (or whatever size your existing GECs are) for the jumper, as well as 6AWG to 6AWG lay-in parallel mechanical taps (Ilsco GTA-2-2 or equivalent) to connect each end of the jumper to a GEC, in addition to the aforementioned grounding/bonding locknuts (which come in various sizes, just make sure to get ones that have lay-in lugs on them).  In this situation, the bonding jumper extends from one tap connector, through the lay-in lug on the grounding/bonding locknut, then to the other tap connector on the other grounding electrode conductor, thus connecting both GECs to the raceway bonding point.
At the exit points, though, we'll need to take a somewhat different approach.  The aformentioned tap connectors are dual-rated Al9Cu, so using them near the ground is a bad idea for corrosion reasons, and there aren't any equivalent direct burial products out there.  So, I'd use an extra grounding clamp on each ground rod, with a jumper from one extra rod grounding clamp, through a lay-in pipe grounding clamp rated for direct burial (T&B JDLI or equivalent) that is fitted on the conduit to bond it, and on to the other extra rod grounding clamp.  This works because 250.64(E)(1) lets us land these bonding jumpers directly on grounding electrodes at the grounding-electrode end of the raceway, instead of landing them on GECs.


Should I use acoustical insulation or acoustical drywall for interior walls? We are getting ready to begin a multi-room renovation project and are thinking about sound deadening. We want to either add sound deadening insulation or acoustical drywall to the interior walls but are not clear as to the advantages/disadvantages to each. This would only be for the interior walls. We are not concerned with thermal properties, only acoustical.

Can you provide some tips on which is better?

If you're only going with one or the other, my personal opinion would be to go with accoustical drywall and seal the perimiter with accoustical caulk.  Insulation goes between the studs, so you could still have vibrations traveling through the studs themselves and the top and bottom of the wall's frame.  If you use sound-deadening drywall like QuietRock or use a double layer of regular drywall with Green Glue in the middle, you can avoid that flanking much easier since you're covering the entire area of the wall's frame.  Of course, worst-case sound situations could still allow sound to flank through the floor or ceiling, under or over the frame, and through the floor or ceiling of the neighboring room, but I'd think that would be an extreme case.


How do I know what wood was used to construct our attic? Need to know how much load it can tolerate I'm reading a book and it lists different max loads for different woods.
It lists loads for (1) Douglass Fir-Larch and (2) Hem-fir
My attic is made with a dark brown wood. How do I know what type of wood was used to construct the attic?

The house was built in 1939 in Southern California (don't know if this helps to identify it)

Here's a picture of the attic.  (Could it be redwood?)

It is not redwood it looks like fir. At the age of the house almost the wood was fir back then. Nice tight grain like what you have is almost impossible to purchase now unless you just won the lottery.


What is the minimum distance from the floor for a 1/2 bath power outlet? I am remodeling our 1/2 bath and about to mount a floating sink/vanity. There is an existing power outlet on the side wall, that is in the way and that is about 10” from the floor (measured to the bottom of the receptacle). Would it be to the code (KY, USA) if I moved the outlet down a bit where it is 6” above floor, just clearing a 5.5” tall baseboard?  This is the only putlet in this bathroom, and its circuit is already GFCI-ed in another bathroom.
Edit: added photo for better illustration of the two options I am considering.

A receptacle not serving the basin has no height requirement in a dwelling unit, but...
2017 NEC 210.52(D)Bathrooms. At least one receptacle shall be installed in bathrooms within 3 ft of the outside edge of each basin...In no case ...be located more than 12 in. below the top of the basin.
I don't have record of when this was adopted but it isn't highlighted grey in the codebook, so it has been in there since 2014 at least.
I think it may have been possible if the switches are within 3' that there was a receptacle and switch, the switch fed both the light and fan but somebody removed the receptacle to have space to put a timer on the fan. If it is only one circuit in that switchbox and it feeds receptacles outside of this bathroom it wouldn't meet current code. I don't know what the code said when built but modifications are required to meet current code.


Confusing result on three-light outlet tester I have a switched outlet which, when turned on, reads as correctly wired on one of the three-light plug-in testers.

When turned off, however, I get it weakly lighting as "hot and ground reversed".

I haven't taken a proper meter to it yet, but I am hoping this is just an annoying trickle of back-current/induced current from another circuit... Or perhaps a switch installed in neutral rather than the hot side.

Has anyone seen this particular nuisance before, and if so what's the likely cause?

I would suspect a switched neutral here.  Turn off the breaker for the circuit, then measure continuity between the neutral and ground holes on the receptacle with the switch in each position.  If you get continuity with the switch ON but not OFF, there's your culprit -- only fix for that is to rewire the switch so it switches the hot.


Upgrading 30 amp to 50 amp for RV service I was wanting to know it it would be safe to replace a 30 amp double pole breaker with a 50 amp double pole breaker. The 30 amp currently feed a well pump and a barn. The barn and the pump piggy back off the 30 amp breaker. I want to abandon the barn feed and run 300 ft of 6/3 to my RV service panel and piggy back the pump off of that 50 amp double pole breaker. Can I do this?

What @Harper said. The problem we have have with a question like yours is that we could say "yes you could update it" but we really don't know is what kind of loads you are applying at the end of a circuit. We are guessing that it is greater than 30A because you want to upgrade. Also you give us a distance of 300' which is a substantial distance so voltage drop will surely come into play.

For example if your load is 40A at 240V which would be 9.2KVA then at a 3% Voltage Drop. Then you could run 333' with a #4. A #6 would only be good for 210'. If you load were 45A or 10.35KVA the distance with a #6 would be no longer than 186', A #4 would get you 296' so technically you would need a #3. Buy the way this is all in copper.

So you need to get distances and loads for the pump either in HP or KVA and voltage requirements and a demand load for the rv either in Amps or KVA and operating voltage. Then there could be a more complete and informed answer.


How to loosen this strange nut of a cylinder lock? I bought a new letterbox lock (Burgwächter ZBK-70, pdf datasheet/drawing), but the bar is too short.
I'd like to exchange that bar, but I have no clue how to loosen the bolt. So far, I tried it with telecom pliers, but it didn't work.
What is this black washer-like thing underneath the nut, by the way?

That is a circlip.
Just use a small flat screwdriver in the gap to prise it off - make sure you keep hold of it because it can ping away.
If you put the screwdriver in the gap at 3 o’clock and twist it will force the circlip over the diameter of the shaft.


How to stop a shower stall from leaking I have a corner shower stall that's leaking.  The leak is occuring on the right hand side of the shower stall, about a foot off the ground.  What can I do to stop this leak?

Here is the shower stall:

And the leak is occuring here:

Picture of the leaking area from the inside of the shower:

Clear Silicone caulk, or, if you can find it, Lexel, which is truly a better alternative to silicone. Make sure you remove any old caulk that is there, clean the surface thoroughly with denatured alcohol (and then wait for the denatured alcohol to 'dry' off), and apply it in a smooth continuous bead. For extra bonus points, tape off the area on the glass with blue or green painter's tape before you apply the caulk so that you don't leave any excess behind.

Caulk the entire way around the window, on the inside of the shower. You'll want to use a bead of caulk that fills the gap, so space the tape a bit more than the height of the frame where it meets the glass -- 1/4 of an inch at most, and that's probably way too big, so it'd be more like 1/8". Do your best, when smoothing the caulk with your finger, to push hard so that you leave a very smooth edge with almost no caulk left where the caulk, glass, and tape interconnect -- the tape's mostly to catch the globbage that always happens on one side or the other. Then pull the tape off immediately and it removes the need to re-smooth things. You want to make sure there are no bubbles in the caulk; these will let moisture and mold behind the caulk.