Sewer backup through basement floor drain after heavy rain tl;dr

Sewage backed up through floor drain after heavy rains. Sewage line was clear, whole house trap was clogged with organic matter and toilet paper. No plumbing drains through the whole house trap, yet the pipes connected to it contained lots of organic matter and toilet paper.

What is the purpose of the whole house trap in my house? How could sewage reach it if no pluming drains there? How to prevent the back-up in the future?

Full description:

I recently bought a house. The house was built in 1968, and is located in a large town in western Ohio. The house is connected to the municipal sewer system. Behind the house there is a creek, and the storm water is drained to that creek (I've put up a fence and the city marked the storm water line from a grate in front of my house, through my yard to the creek). The plumbing of the house looks original, copper supply pipes and copper and iron drain pipes. Gutters drain to the yard, not to drain points.

The basement has a washing machine and sink, with not other plumbing points. There is an open floor drain (with water in the drain, so I assume there's a P-trap there) next to the furnace/AC/WH (the new furnace and the AC drain there), as well as a cleanout (capped with a plastic screw-on cap) and a whole house trap (that was originally covered with a non air-tight steel plate, and is now covered with a glued on acrylic panel as part of a Radon reduction system).

Here's the whole house trap and cleanout (now, after clearing the clogs):

During the last few days and nights, we had quite a bit of rain, and yesterday evening I have discovered sewage back up around the furnace floor drain. The spill contained "organic matter", so it's defiantly sanitary sewage.

After opening the whole house trap, I saw that the water level was very high (about 8" above the normal level). Cleaning the trap resulted in plenty of organic matter and toilet paper, sitting on top of a steel grate. The steel grate is normally above the water level of the trap, but was now 4" below the water level. After cleaning all I could, the water level didn't drop substantially. I couldn't run a snake through the trap, presumably due to the angle of the trap.

I opened the cleanout next and it was clear. Flushing toilets and opening faucets/showers throughout the house all drained well through the cleanout, without affecting the water in the whole house trap.

Using a wet/dry vac I sucked up the water standing in the whole house trap, and it has seemed to dislodge the clog, allowing water to drain properly through the trap (water poured into the trap drain through the cleanout pipe). Looking at the content of the vac didn't show anything special (just organic matter).

After the trap was clear I used a hose to flush out the three pipes leading into the trap. I flushed from the trap, since I didn't have a clue as to where these pipes lead. Two of the pipes contained organic matter and toilet paper that took a while to fully flush (flushed multiple time with the hose), but at the end all three pipes drained clear water after hosing them for about 10 seconds.

Here's a closeup on the trap:

What is going on with the plumbing in the house? What do the pipes in the whole house trap do? How would organic matter and toilet paper reach those pipes? All toilets seem to flush through the cleanout pipe, and there is a steel grate blocking the trap's entrance (so waste shouldn't travel from the cleanout pipe to the trap, since it should be stopped by the grate). How to prevent the back-up from occurring in the future?

I realize that this response is about 3.5 years after your original post was published, but I thought I would add my knowledge/experience to possibly help the next guy.
I to live in Ohio (southwest) in a house built in 1963, and I believe I have the same set up as you.  I also just had a backup after a hard rain.
All of the following information is specific to my house, but I believe it will be applicable to you.  The pipes coming into the pit are from the foundation drainage system around the house.  The foundation drainage system directs rain water to this pit.  The drain at the bottom of the pit connects directly to the main sewer line of the house.  The main sewer line of the house is connected to the city sewer.
In a perfect world all rain water around the foundation of the house would gather in this pit, then drain to the city sewer.  This arrangement is not much different than modern setups, it just does not have a sump pump because the house is high enough to use gravity to drain to the city sewer.
In a unperfect world your house main sewer line could be partially plugged with roots (this was my problem).  When your house main sewer line is partially clogged and there is a hard rain, the discharge of the pipe simply cannot keep up with the new rain water coming in.  This is what caused my back up.    Being that the pit drain is connected to the house sewer line, that explains how organic matter makes its way into the pit during a backup (rain water and sewer using the same pipe).
At my house, I would not call the drain at the bottom of the pit a “whole house trap”.  Rather just a trap connecting foundation rain water system to the sewer line.
I have the same drain in your photo.  There is a ball in my drain.  The ball is supposed to act as a one-way check valve.  I was able to snake my drain out by pushing the ball to the side and by using a very small snake.  I should add, the ball in my drain was stuck and needed to be forcibly dislodged before I could snake.  Before I snaked my pit drain I used to have standing water as well.  After dislodging the ball and snaking, I no longer have standing water in the pit.
Hopes this helps someone understand an old house system in the future.  Thanks


New oven/microwave combination unit with 4 wire pigtail I have a new oven/micro unit just delivered. It has a 4 wire pigtail and the old unit had a 3 prong 30a plug to a 3 prong female wall plug. Can I use the same wall outlet and plug or do I need to change out the wall outlet to a four prong receptacle? Anyone?

It's possible the newest units are simply not made for a 3-prong receptacle (and that would be reasonable since grounds are important to protect electronics from people).

In that case, and regardless for safety, you have the ability to retrofit ground.   This involves running a #10 bare wire via any achievable route back to any of several locations:

the service panel the power comes out of
any other appliance or junction which has a #10 ground wire or larger going back to that same panel
the grounding electrode wire that grounds the service panel to your water pipe or ground rods


Power cable loose on roof OK? I would like to mount a floodlight on my chimney. I'm not keen on cutting into the roof there to make an entrance for the wire. Every hole in the roof is an opportunity for water intrusion and it's also above a vaulted ceiling - access is difficult and there is nothing to tie into there.

Would it be ok to let the power cord lay on the roof and run around the eaves, perhaps to a high mounted in-use box? It doesn't seem great - don't anyone tripping or slipping on the cord.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

I am going to post a contrarian answer and will welcome any correction.

Flexible cords are covered in article 400 of the National Electrical Code.  There are uses not permitted in section 400.8:

  400.8  Uses  Not  Permitted.

  Unless  specifically  permitted in 400.7, flexible cords and cables shall not be used for thefollowing:
  (1)  As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure
  (2)  Where  run  through  holes  in  walls,  structural  ceilings,suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors
  (3)  Where  run  through  doorways,  windows,  or  similar openings
  (4)  Where attached to building surfaces
  Exception to (4): Flexible cord and cable shall be permittedto be attached to building surfaces in accordance with the provisions of 368.56(B)
  (5)  Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings
  (6)  Where installed in raceways, except as otherwise permitted in this Code
  (7)  Where subject to physical damage

Now think about (1) above.  At first glance it looks discouraging;  but consider that if that rule ruled out all use of flexible cords, this would be a very short article.  It's actually not really that clear what (1) means, but it doesn't mean that flexible cords and cables can never be used.

If you look at 400.7, it lists permissible uses of flexible cords and cables:

  400.7  Uses Permitted.
  (A)  Uses.
  Flexible cords and cables shall be used only forthe following:
  (1)  Pendants
  (2)  Wiring of luminaires
  (3)  Connection  of  portable  luminaires,  portable  and  mo-bile signs, or appliances
  (4)  Elevator cables
  (5)  Wiring of cranes and hoists
  (6)  Connection  of  utilization  equipment  to  facilitate  frequent interchange
  (7)  Prevention of the transmission of noise or vibration
  (8)  Appliances  where  the  fastening  means  and  mechanical  connections  are  specifically  designed  to  permit ready  removal  for  maintenance  and  repair,  and  the appliance  is  intended  or  identified  for  flexible  cord connection
  (9)  Connection of moving parts
  (10)  Where specifically permitted elsewhere in this Code

Now to me (2) above sounds promising, doesn't it?  Does your light qualify as a luminaire?  The NEC does have a definition for "luminaire" in Article 100:

  Luminaire. A complete  lighting  unit  consisting  of  a  light source  such  as  a  lamp  or  lamps,  together  with  the  parts designed to position the light source and connect it to the power supply. It may also include parts to protect the light source or the ballast or to distribute the light. A lampholder itself is not a luminaire.

This is not surprising to me.  For example, in warehouses, it's a common practice to make up a cord and plug connection for the highbay lights up in the rafters.  This is done to make maintenance (installation / removal) more convenient.  It's a generally accepted practice.  The highbays are certainly not portable or frequently moved.

Many outdoor lighting products would, to my read of this, clearly qualify as "luminaires."

Note that 400.8(4) would seem to discourage you from attaching the cord to the building surface, including the roof.

The "subject to physical damage" restriction in 400.8(7) is always subjective.  I would say that a cord laying on a pitched roof, no foot traffic etc., is up out of harms way and not subject to physical damage.

The cord you'd use would have to be rated suitable for the environmental conditions, there's no getting around that.  The question is, would say SJEW cord, which is rated for extreme hard use (that's what the E means), and to outdoor wet locations where exposed to sunlight and rain (that's what the E means) is suitable for the environmental conditions.

So with all that said, I think I have made a good argument that you could use a cord grip to mount the cord to the light, run plug terminated SJEW cord a short distance to a (preferably twistlock) receptcacle on a GFCI protected circuit, with an in-use cover, located under in the soffit or on the fascia.

An inspector could see it either way.  I think the most tenuous part of the argument is the "subject to physical damage" part.


Is this 2 way light switch wired dangerously? One of the switches in this 2 way setup has been acting up, I popped it off to replace it and it's wired like this:

The only configuration I know of that is like this is the Carter system. Is this definitely Carter or could it be something else? If it is Carter then how bad is that, does it need rewiring?

Here's a shot of the wires entering the wall, in case that helps:

The only dangerous thing i see there is that that the wires is not properly inside the plug..

If you see the copper on the red wire = dangerous.

But the flicker will be because it is not screwed in properly most properly. You will need to turn off all power and look properly on the wires.. you will need to pull them .. like pulling a door to open is enough.. if wire comes out then that is the flicker problem.

Your plug should look like this with the wires... and the screws should be tight..
You see the wires are inside the holes and you cannot see any bare wire! The bare wire must only be enough for the screws to touch.. sometimes people fold it over for better contact.


Considerations for spray foam insulation with roof replacement possible in about 10 years We have an old house in the Philadelphia area which we bought last year. This has a slate roof and we were told by our home inspector that we'd need to consider replacing it in 10 years. It is the original roof and has been on the house ~70 years so I think the estimate of 10 years is conservative. I plan to continue having the roof checked out and slates replaced as necessary.

Spray foam insulation is attractive because we are installing an AC system and it'll bring this within the thermal envelope of the house, albeit at a premium cost. Assuming the lifetime is so short (and all the insulation will be out when a new roof is installed) I'd expect that I could have roof leaks or other issues before the roof is replaced.

Does this type of insulation add major overhead to what would be simpler tasks? How do leaks manifest with spray foam insulation? Do they hide themselves for a longer period?

Spray foam is fine here. Hire it out, don't try yourself. You won't save much if any money and this stuff is better installed by pros. Make sure the roof decking is bone-dry on the day they install it. Determine what kind of R-value you want, too. The stuff is so expensive that installers will often try to convince you that 2 to 4 inches is sufficient for a variety of phony-baloney reasons; ignore that. If you want an R-50 roof (which is a good idea, and only slightly higher than code-minimum for your area in the latest version of the energy code), that'll require 7" of foam, which can very expensive. Typical price is $2+ per inch thick per square foot. for an 800 square foot attic, 7" of foam would cost more than $11,000!

Spray foam may be unnecessary. If you don't install the AC unit and its ductwork in the attic, then you can skip the spray foam and pile cellulose or fiberglass on the attic floor to get better performance for 1/3 to 1/10 the price. And it's easily DIY-able.


Updating sub panel in shed The sub panel in my shed(about 75ft run from main panel)is very outdated and gfci breakers aren't available for it so I want to update the panel as gfci are required for pool equipment.
The panel has 220v and currently has 2 tandem 15amp breakers powering 4 outlets and 3 lights and one double pole 20amp breaker powering the pool pump. Their used to be a pool heater but since has been removed. The supply from the main panel for this sub panel is on a 50 amp double pole breaker. Their is not a bare copper grounding wire ran to the sub panel either and I would like to add one

My questions:
Will a 60 amp subpanel be sufficient? If so will the 50 amp double pole breaker in the main panel need to be changed?
Would it be nearly impossible to run a bare 10ga ground wire through the existing pvc conduit that is run underground?

You don't need to upgrade the supply breaker.

The sub-panel can be any size 50 amps or up. Sub-panel "size" is more about space than amperage, at any point past "at least as big as the supply" and space is a good thing to have which normally does not cost much.

It's often worth comparing the price of basic "main" panels that move in volume (100A, 200A) to the cost of a sub-panel which are sometimes MORE expensive, because they sell a lot less of them, or they cost a trivial amount less.

It's perfectly fine to feed a 100A(or whatever) main breaker from a 50 A breaker - the 100A breaker will be serving as a disconnect switch, and you will remove the bonding screw in that panel so it IS a sub-panel. Then you'll have plenty of space for anything.

In most cases the best way to add a wire in existing conduit (unless someone left you a pull string, and sometimes even then) is to pull out the wires in it now (and use them to pull in a pulling rope as you do), add the new wire, and pull all the wires back in together. Green insulated may be a better choice than bare for your grounding wire; Among other considerations, stranded pulls a lot easier than solid.

In the new sub-panel with a 4-wire feed, you'll keep the grounds and neutrals isolated (removal of the bond screw and using a separate bar for grounding connections) and you will either tie the grounds into the grounding electrode system the shed (as a separate structure) should already have had, or add that and bond it to your ground as well.


Installing door on crawlspace access I'd like to install a door on the crawlspace entrance in our basement.
One problem I'm running into is the radon remediation pipe is bracketed to one of the walls.
Any ideas on how to frame this out?

I assume I could create the frame to the left of the pipe, but I'm not sure how to fill in the gap above and below the pipe.

Your photo doesn't show much of the area to the left of the opening, but from what is visible, this opening seems a perfect fit for a sliding door. The framing would be above and below the opening, perhaps a stop plate to the right of the PVC, but the door would have a slot to engage the pipe. If extreme sealing is required, weather stripping applied to the stop plate and around the door cut out should give a good closure.

The bottom support framing could contain a long door slide to provide reduced friction, or simply wax the slot in which the door slides and the mating edge of the door. Moisture may come into play if the wood swells after time and should be considered when constructing the assembly.


My basement wall is adjacent to a filled foundation. Is there any point in insulating? I was planning on putting foam board insulation on my basement walls before finishing. Then I realized that on the other side of the wall isn’t earth, but a poured foundation for my covered porch. Does the concrete provide enough insulation? Is there any point to adding foam board insulation to the interior of this wall?

The concrete provides almost no insulating valve. Walls 3 feet below grade are usually figured as being about 55 degrees all year long. Above that 3 feet line they are usually considered to be outside exposed walls. When I finished my basement (near Pittsburgh, Pa.) I insulated all the walls with 1" styrofoam (pink board) and studs. It worked for me


Building an exterior wall within an exterior wall for insulation I just purchased a 1925 beautiful home that is stucco on the outside and old plaster on the inside. I have some carpentry experience and am realizing the incredible loss f heat to the exterior walls. There is ample space in each of the rooms in the house so I am contemplating ways to insulate. It seems blow in is too dangerous because of moisture issues.

I am considering building new 2x4 insulated walls within the existing exterior walls.

What do you think?

I wouldn’t. You can create moisture and mold problems, much less drastically change the size and character of the interior of your home.

Adding an insulated wall on the interior of your home will change the “perm” rating of your exterior wall. Perm rating is important because it controls the flow of VAPOR through the wall.

Depending on where you live, vapor will travel from the inside out (northern climates) or from the outside in (southern climates) or both ways (middle climates). When vapor travels through the wall, it changes from a vapor to a liquid. If this liquid gets trapped in the wall, it will create rot and mold. Here is an article that explains it better.

All materials have a perm rating... even a coat of paint. Here’s an article that lists some materials and explains it better. Adding additional materials could trap moisture within the two walls and create rot and mold.

If you’re trying to save heat and reduce your heating costs, I’d concentrate on 1) adding insulation in your attic, 2) sealing drafts around windows and doors, etc., and then 3) insulate your exterior walls.

Heat rises, so concentrating on the ceiling makes sense. (The Department of Energy has a website that explains this.)
Drafts will lower the room temperature dramatically and keep your furnace working.
Yes, due to the age of your home, I doubt if they have any insulation in your exterior walls. Adding insulation and getting thermal windows (or storm windows) will help...but not as much as 1) and 2).  (Besides, a new 2x4 wall is not that thick so you won’t be able to add much insulation.)


Material for short-term sealing of cement patches in EPDM roof? I recently had a contractor install solar panels on my EPDM rubber roof, and they cut some fairly large square holes to pour concrete and attach bolts for the rails (long story). The problem is that they didn't do anything to properly seal over the concrete (or seal the concrete to the rubber), so now I have square cement patches in my roof, some of which are slightly below the level of the rubber:

I'm having trouble getting a roofer out in any reasonable amount of time and I'm supposed to go out of town this weekend, so I was hoping to do some sort of temporary fix. A neighbor suggested using Flex Seal Liquid, which says on the can that works on EPDM, but I'm somewhat concerned about whether a proper fix would be possible after that. There's a product called Liquid Rubber that seems perfect (you can make a new EPDM roof out of it so presumably it will hold up as a patch), but the shipping speed doesn't seem particularly fast.

Is Flex Seal Liquid fine for this? Should I just caulk it? Is there a particular kind of caulk I should use, or would basically any roofing caulk work (and be easy to remove later when doing a better fix).

Note: Flex Seal the spray is definitely bad for this (contains petroleum) but Flex Seal Liquid says on the can that it can be used on EPDM, and it doesn't seem to contain petroleum, but I have no idea how safe it is to use octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane on EPDM..

If it's a short term fix I would use aluminum duct tape. It seals pretty well and should hold up to the heat of a roof.


How can I replace circuit breakers with GFCI breakers when it is a multiwire branch circuit? We have 2 carriage lights on our patio and 3 flood lights on our eves.  The carriage lights are controlled by two 3-way switches and the yard lights are controlled by another set of two 3-way light switches (one in the bedroom, one in the living room).  We are expanding our patio and are adding two more carriage lights which we want controlled on the same switches as the existing carriage lights and we are moving the flood lights to the eves of the expanded patio cover. The new lights and the moved lights will all be within 10 feet of the pool which is a code violation unless we change the circuit breaker to a GFCI breaker.

They are all on the same circuit breaker. The circuit breaker they are on has a BLACK wire going to it from a 12 gauge 3-wire.  The RED wire from the same 3-wire goes to the circuit breaker next to it and controls our security system and some outdoor outlets. They are not tied together, they can be tripped separately.

My question is, can we replace just the one circuit breaker that the lights are on with a GFCI breaker or do we also need to replace the other breaker that the RED wire goes to that is next to it?  If we have to replace both breakers, do we need to replace both of them with GFCI and then what do we connect the two neutral white wires from the two GFCI breakers to since the 3-wire only has the one white neutral wire coming off it? Or can we just replace the one breaker with a GFCI breaker and leave the other breaker which has the red wire to it as-is?

It is a single pole, 15 AMP Square D circuit breaker.  And the current wiring and breakers in the panel are all original to the house when it was built 11 years ago and therefore passed inspection back then.

You'll need a double-pole GFCI breaker, wired like so:

What you have described is a multiwire branch circuit. Because the neutral is shared, the overcurrent protection device(s) (in your case the two separate breakers) must be able to trip together.

This can be remedied by installing a double-pole breaker, or by handle-tying two individual breakers. However, since you already have a need for GFCI protection, go ahead and install a double pole GFCI breaker.

However, existing lights might not need GFCI protection if they are 5 ft or more away from the pool (horizontally) and 5 ft or more above the maximum water level of the pool. Within 5 ft and below 5 ft above the maximum water level is not allowed. See (B)(3) and (4).

If you move or install new lights, they are subject to new installation requirements. See (B)(1).

  2014 NEC

  680.22 Lighting, Receptacles, and Equipment.

  (B) Luminaires, Lighting Outlets, and Ceiling-Suspended
  (Paddle) Fans.

  (1) New Outdoor Installation Clearances. In outdoor pool areas,
  luminaires, lighting outlets, and ceiling-suspended (paddle) fans
  installed above the pool or the area extending
  1.5 m (5 ft) horizontally from the inside walls of the pool shall be installed at a height not less than 3.7 m (12 ft) above the maximum
  water level of the pool.

  (3) Existing Installations. Existing luminaires and lighting outlets
  located less than 1.5 m (5 ft) measured horizontally from the inside
  walls of a pool shall be not less than 1.5 m (5 ft) above the surface
  of the maximum water level, shall be rigidly attached to the existing
  structure, and shall be protected by a ground-fault circuit
  interrupter.

  (4) GFCI Protection in Adjacent Areas. Luminaries, lighting outlets, and ceiling -suspended (paddle) fans installed in the area extending between 1.5 m (5 ft) and 3.0 m (10 ft) horizontally
  from the inside walls of a pool shall be protected by a ground-fault
  circuit interrupter unless installed not less than 1.5 m (5 ft) above
  the maximum water level and rigidly attached to the structure adjacent
  to or enclosing the pool.


NEC 6/12 rule clarification I understand that you must have an electrical receptacle 6 feet from any obstruction or break in the wall, such as a doorway, and no more than 12 feet from the previous electrical receptacle.

Does this require that the receptacle be accessible? In other words, can the receptacle be inside a home theater stage (for subwoofer)?

Can the receptacle be a light switch?

Lastly, does there have to be a receptacle 6 feet from a door on BOTH sides?

From the 2014 NEC:

210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets. This section provides requirements for 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere re-ceptacle outlets. The receptacles required by this section shall be in addition to any receptacle that is:
(1) Part of a luminaire or appliance, or
(2) Controlled by a wall switch in accordance with 210.70(A)(1), Exception No. 1, or
(3) Located within cabinets or cupboards, or
(4) Located more than 1.7 m (5 1⁄2 ft) above the floor

The reference in #2 is a switched receptacle for lighting in a room. If you had a receptacle installed next to the switch and is less than 5 ½ feet above the floor it could be considered serving the floor line. However, practically speaking it would be of limited use to cord connected equipment at the floor line.
So, #3 means you can't use receptacles inside cabinetry to satisfy floor line receptacle spacing. The receptacle inside the home theater stage doesn't count as a floor line receptacle. There is no exception for accessibility within a cabinet through a "hatch", the code just says they can't be used to satisfy the required outlets, period.

210.52(A) General Provisions. In every kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, parlor, library, den, sunroom, bedroom, recreation room, or similar room or area of dwelling units, receptacle outlets shall be installed in accordance with the general provisions specified in 210.52(A)(1) through (A)(3).
(1) Spacing. Receptacles shall be installed such that no point measured horizontally along the floor line of any wall space is more than 1.8 m (6 ft) from a receptacle outlet.
(2) Wall Space. As used in this section, a wall space shall include the following:
(1) Any space 600 mm (2 ft) or more in width (including space measured around corners) and unbroken along the floor line by doorways and similar openings, fire-places, and fixed cabinets
(2) The space occupied by fixed panels in exterior walls, excluding sliding panels
(3) The space afforded by fixed room dividers, such as freestanding bar-type counters or railings
(3) Floor Receptacles. Receptacle outlets in floors shall not be counted as part of the required number of receptacle outlets unless located within 450 mm (18 in.) of the wall.

Finally, receptacles are required within 6 feet of a door on both sides to prevent people from running extension cords across the doorway. Hopefully, you can see that would be a unsafe practice.
Good luck on your project!


Water hammer or something else? I'm having a bit of a mysterious problem. A couple of weeks ago I've replaced a dimmer switch in the upstairs bathroom. Of course while working on that I shut off the electricity for that part of the house. Since turning it back on we've been hearing this thumping sound which seems to be coming from the ceiling. The sound is extremely frequent: I've timed it and it's exactly every 2 minutes and 53 seconds.

At first I didn't link it to that dimmer job, because I thought it was water related (like water hammer). But after a couple of days of being annoyed with the sound I've decided to turn the electricity back off (same circuit breaker) and suddenly the sound stopped.

I did notice in the garage where the water comes in that the pressure was too high so I've already adjusted the pressure regulator lowering the pressure, but the problem persists.

I've also bled the water pipes using this info here: http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/PipeNoises.htm

Quote:

  Turn off the water to the house at the entry. Find the lowest faucet
  in your house--often this is an outdoor garden hose faucet--open this
  faucet and then open a few of the indoor faucets at high locations
  such as upstairs or at a wet bar and let the low faucet drain for 5
  minutes or until it stops dripping, whichever takes longer. Close all
  the faucets and turn the main back on.

I suspect it has something to do with the fire sprinkler system. When I turn on the circuit breaker switch in the box I do hear water running, or so it seems. The only thing I can think of would be the sprinkler system.

Does anyone have an idea or pointer of what this could be? At this point I'm not even sure if I should call a plumber or an electrician.

Edit
I've tried to record the sound with my phone, because it's hard to describe. Unfortunately the quality of the recording isn't great - the mic of the phone is unable to capture the full frequency spectrum. It sounds a lot louder and deeper in real life and I can actually feel some vibration in the floor when it happens. It sounds mostly like the sound of impact, what I would imagine a poltergeist to sound like.
Here's the recording, you can hear the sound @ 0:18

Sound recording

Edit 2
As suggested by Tester101 here's a list of items on the circuit:
 - Two wallsockets in the master bathroom (not being used right now)

Possibly the control unit of the alarm system, but I'm unsure. It's inside of walk-in closet in the master bathroom.(1)
The light and fan in the downstairs bathroom
Light in the garage
The wall sockets in the living room, only some game consoles, a projector and a soundbar are connected to that

(1) The alarm system looks like it's not functional, but it does say something about smoke detection on the main unit so I'm thinking it might control the sprinkler system as well. We've only been living here since a year and we've never bothered to look at the alarm system since it looks dead.

I feel like an idiot but it turned out to be the subwoofer in the living room that apparently died while I was working on that dimmer. This is after checking the attic today, checking out the alarm system's control unit and lowering the water pressure last week. Since the sound seemed to come from the wall I just decided to unplug everything one by one and that's how I found out it's the subwoofer. Since it's against the wall the sound travels up and is amplified by the wall.

Yes I'm an idiot, but I'm glad it's solved at least. thanks for all the help and suggestions.


How do I read the markings printed on the outside of electric wires? In my recessed lighting project, I finished roughing-in the Romex copper wires and I was about to connect the recessed lighting wires when I noticed the wires from the lights are of a silver-colored metal.  I read somewhere that connecting two different kinds of metal wires, particularly if it's aluminum to copper, will require special connectors.

I’m trying to determine what kind of metal is in my recessed lighting wires.

Can anyone help me to understand the markings printed on the recessed lighting wires?  I think it says:

TAIFULONG E204798 ЯU AWM 3321 VW-1 IBAWG 150°C 600V FENG TAI ELECTRONIC

To connect my Romex wire to my recessed light, can I use the connectors shown below?

TAIFULONG E204798 FU AWM 3321 VW-1 IBAWG 150°C 600V FENG TAI ELECTRONIC.

First, TAIFULONG is the cable brand.

E204798 I do not know.

The FU is actually “ЯU”, the symbol for the Underwriters Laboratories Recognized Component Mark:

  These are Marks consumers rarely see because they are specifically
  used on component parts that are part of a larger product or system.
  These components may have restrictions on their performance or may be
  incomplete in construction. The component recognition marking is found
  on a wide range of products, including some switches, power supplies,
  printed wiring boards, some kinds of industrial control equipment and
  thousands of other products.

AWM indicated Underwriters Lab Appliance Wiring Material:

  UL offers a broad and comprehensive certification program for
  appliance wiring material (AWM). This program enables manufacturers to
  demonstrate compliance in an objective and credible fashion, while
  enabling thousands of OEMs to source safer, compliant products.

3321 indicates a specific AWM rating.

  Appliance Wiring Material Style Number Designations: 3000–3999: Single
  conductor, thermosetting-insulated wire.

Thermoset wire insulation BURNS, compared to thermoplastic insulation, which melts and reforms. The specifics of the rating I do not have.

VW-1 indicates extra flame testing rating:

  Where a greater degree of flame retardancy is desired, over that
  required for all wire & cable, this Vertical Wire flame test can be
  imposed. This is an optional flame rating, and products meeting the
  test may carry the additional marking "VW-1."

The IBAWG is actually 18 AWG. This means 18 Gauge Wire, according to the American Wire Gauge standard (aka the Brown & Sharpe wire gauge). This is the wire Size. Typical house mains internal wiring is 12~14 AWG, depending on current needs. 16 and 18 AWG is often for appliance cord wire and low voltage wire systems.

150°C is the Insulation breakdown temperature. It will melt/burn at 150 degrees Celsius. Normal temperatures will not exceed this for household in-wall wiring.

600V is the Insulation breakdown voltage. Any voltage meeting or exceeding this will result in no insulation. That's bad.

Feng Tai Electronic is the Manufacturer.


Sifting driveway stone. Is there a cost effective way of sifting stone in a driveway?

I have a 2,500 sq ft section of parking area next to my driveway.

It is composed of 3 ft of sand covered with about 6 inches of crushed limestone rock.

Over the years the ants, weather, and weeds have caused the stone and sand too turn and mix. I need a method or piece of equipment to sift out the stone and bring it back to the top.

I don't want to simply dump more stone on top because I don't want to raise the overall height.

It's generically called a screen, and they range from a wooden frame with a section of metal mesh on it that you shovel mixed material on, which sorts itself by gravity, on up to a mechanized thing on the back of a tractor trailer with a bunch of conveyor belts to take in mixed material, then sort and distribute the various sizes.

Depending on your workforce and budget, you might be looking at a version that's somewhat like the one you shovel through, but sized for a skid-steer loader or larger front-end loader. The mechanical wonders are nice, but expensive, and I doubt your job is large enough for someone to haul one in and set it up, at least economically.

The small stuff goes through, the big stuff goes off the lower end.

Picture found at aggman.com, though it's off on some blog platform with a different address.

After you sort out the rock and level the sand, put down geotextile fabric to prevent the sand and rock from mixing before you put the rock back on top.

Since your comment implies that you'll have at this with a shovel, rather than renting machines or hiring someone with them, I'd suggest dividing the site into a grid so you can do a manageable section and then move to the next section.

Here is a much smaller skid-steer loader and a screen suited to it, that could be easily moved if somone in your area has something like it and wants to work:

Images from www.omhproscreen.com


Integrating existing Hydronic Radiant with new Hybrid (dual fuel) Heat Pump (forced hot air) I have an existing simple Hydronic baseboard radiant forced hot water heating system running off of an Oil Boiler.  I am adding a duel fuel (hybrid) heat pump to the house.

Here's what I want:

When it's mild outside, (say ODT is more than 40 degrees F), run the forced hot air system in heat pump mode.
When the ODT trips below 40F, turn off heat pump and run OIL system instead (second stage heat).
When the temp diff. on the thermostat hits a +3 differential, and ODT is below 40, run both OIL and gas furnace (forced hot air), if ODT is above 40, run heat pump instead of gas furnace.
If older OIL boiler system goes down, I'd like to be able to manually activate Emergency mode and trigger the forced hot air system manually, and it should be able to decide whether to run gas or heat pump based on ODT.

How to accomplish this?

What you're describing is a waste of perfectly good heat pump heat

Forced-air, "dual fuel" heat pump systems require a "hard cutover" from using heat-pump heat to using auxiliary heat as you can't run a DX (heat pump) coil and a furnace heat exchanger (HX) in the same air handler at the same time without playing havoc with the heat pump side of the system (due to the hot air from the furnace impinging on the heat pump indoor coil).  However, since you already have a hydronic system that can supply standby heat (either as radiant heat or by using a hydronic coil in the heat pump air handler), you don't need to make that compromise, as even with a hydronic coil in the air handler (vs. radiant heat), you can run it and the heat pump indoor coil at the same time, allowing you to maximize the amount of efficient heat your heat pump is giving you, all the way down to your system's balance point and even beyond.

"But", you might say, "that new furnace is 95% efficient! My old oil boiler could never match that!"  While you are right that your old oil-burner can't condense the water out of its flue gasses, and thus can't achieve upwards of 90% efficiency, that's not a reason to give up on hydronics, either!  Modern boilers are just as good as furnaces, if not better, at wringing every last BTU out of natural gas molecules: even your old oil burner can achieve 80% efficiency or more if tuned correctly, and modern condensing boilers easily match or beat what even the best furnaces are capable of when allowed to work to their full potential.

You get other advantages by sticking with a hydronic approach as well.  Indirect tank-type water heaters can provide you with a robust and efficient solution to your hot water needs, using heat from your boiler to heat hot water instead of requiring a second combustion appliance for the task; so called "reverse indirect" water heaters are particularly attractive due to their tankless-ish operating characteristics and ability to serve as a central "nexus" point for a hydronic system, providing the useful characteristic of hydraulic separation between various parts of the system.  This is very handy if you want to add fancier things to your system, like zoned heat, solar thermal collectors, or even what's called a desuperheater on your new heat pump (sometimes termed a "hot water generator") that uses extra heat from the heat pump circuit to heat hot water.

So, you want to use two different fuels...

While it is considered unusual to have a house that can switch heating fuels (between oil and gas or propane) on the fly, it's certainly not impossible, either, and the flexibility of hydronic heat makes this a much easier challenge than trying to introduce a forced-air furnace into the picture.  Once again, we go to the reverse-indirect, "nexus" setup described before, only this time, we use a fat ("low-loss" in the hydronic business) header or manifold at the supply-side ports, so that two boilers, namely your existing oil boiler and a new gas boiler (instead of the silliness that is using a gas furnace as backup for a heatpump), can both be connected to the reverse-indirect tank in a hydraulically separated fashion.  The rest of the system, then, can be as before, with baseboards, panel radiators, radiant floors, and/or air-handler coils as the various heating zones.

Given your preferences for fuel use during cold conditions (oil first, then gas), you'll want to run the boilers in a lead-lag setup, with the oil boiler leading and coming up to full fire, then the gas boiler kicking in for additional capacity if the oil boiler doesn't have enough grunt for the current conditions.  Furthermore, if the oil boiler breaks down, the lead-lag control will simply kick the gas boiler on in response to the lack of output from the oil boiler.  This gives you the redundancy you're looking for (and then some: it means that say, a disruption in oil supply won't leave you wishing for a hot shower), without having to deal with the issues involved with forced air, "dual fuel" heatpumps.

Nonetheless, if you insist on kneecapping your heatpump....

Nonetheless, if you are absolutely insistent on using a forced-air furnace with your heat pump, or somehow cannot find anyone who can implement hydronic system upgrades where you are at, it is possible to implement most of the control logic you desire using a fairly standard thermostat and some basic HVAC parts.

First, though, instead of using a rule-of-thumb for the changeover that's bound to be wrong for your system, we'll need to work out the actual Economic Balance Point for your setup, for each fuel.  You'll need the prices of the fuels you get (oil and gas) in $/therm (excluding fixed costs such as meter or truck-roll charges), as well as operating efficiencies (or AFUE ratings if you don't have operating efficiencies) for your equipment, the coefficient of performance for your heatpump at two specified temperatures, and the price of electricity in $/kWh in your area (including all variable charges, but excluding fixed charges).

Once you have the numbers in hand, you'll need to divide your fuel prices by your system efficiencies to get their operating costs, as well as multiplying the price of electricity by 29.3 to get a price per therm for electric heat at a COP of 1.  You then divide the electric heat cost per therm by the furnace or boiler operating price to get the economic crossover COP for that system.  Finally, you convert the specification COPs at the given temperatures into a line equation (remember this from algebra class?), and then solve that equation for the temperature that yields your crossover COP: that temperature is the economic crossover point for your setup, at least within a first order as the linear approximation of COP vs temperature fails to account for the "defrost knee" in the heat pump's performance curve.

Note that you will have two economic balance points in your situation, one for the gas furnace and one for the oil boiler.  Also, do not come into this calculation with preconceived notions of what heat pumps can and can't do: I ran an economic crossover calcuation for a recent Mitsubishi H2i mini-split in my area (which has relatively low utility rates all-around), and it came out below 0°F! While the heat pump I used (a MSZ-FH18NA) is a stellar performer, with a COP >3 at 17°F, I would not be surprised if 40°F turns out to be rather higher than the economic crossover point for your system, especially on the oil side given that you have an older boiler there.

Also note that while the economic crossover point doesn't depend on load, your system's thermal crossover point does depend intimately on the heat load your house poses. Air sealing and insulation fixes are very good at cutting heating load, and are highly recommended in any case, but are especially beneficial in yours because they maximize your ability to use the heat pump as a sole source of heat.

Now that you're armed with this information, we can move onto setting up dual fuel.  You'll want to use a 4H/2C heat pump thermostat with integrated dual fuel support for this, not a separate dual fuel control board, by the way.  This way, we can run the oil system as the first stage of emergency heat and the gas system as the second stage.  You'll need to connect an outdoor temperature sensor to this thermostat, by the way, and also to wire it as a two transformer setup, with Rc/C derived from the furnace and Rh set up as switchable between being furnace-derived and being boiler-derived.  You'll also need a relay from W2 on the thermostat to the boiler C terminal that has its NO contact connected from R to W on the furnace board to isolate the boiler side from the furnace side.  Finally, you'll need DPDT switch connected with W1 from the thermostat on one COM terminal with the corresponding NC terminal going onwards to the boiler heat call and the corresponding NO terminal going to W2 on the thermostat, along with Rh from the thermostat going to the other COM terminal, R from the boiler going to the other NC terminal, and Rc from the thermostat going to the other NO terminal; flipping this switch disables the oil boiler as an emergency heat source.

Finally, when commissioning this control, you'll want to set the thermostat's compressor lockout (auxiliary heat changeover) temperature to the highest crossover point in your system; this is necessary for proper "dual fuel" behavior with the oil system cut out if your economic crossover points are below your thermal crossover point (a situation that's quite plausible).  If your economic crossover points are above your thermal crossover point, this is OK, but it means you'll want to recompute your economic crossover points each heating season, as it's very possible that your fuel price situation could change drastically on you.


Looking to Replace a 32 Watt T8 Fluorescent Bulb in an Office: What Are My Options? I'm looking to replace a 32 Watt T8 fluorescent bulb in my home office.

I noticed that the old bulb was a Philips 32T8/COOL WHITE PLUS, while the replacement bulb that I picked up at Home Depot was a 32T8/COOL WHITE (not PLUS).

It seems like the COOL WHITE PLUS bulb was white, while the regular COOL WHITE is yellowish. [I prefer white.]

My Question:

  If I want to install the best lighting for readability, which bulb should I get?

Bulbs that give off light closest to the spectrum of daylight seem to be the choice for reading by.

From your description the "plus" aspect of the original bulb adds in light to the blue end of the spectrum.


How do I remove paint from plastic window frames? The paint is dark red and has dried. It only covers little areas on the plastic of the window frame.

How do I remove it without damaging the frame?

The frames are white.

Goof Off 2 is made for removing paint from plastics.


Dishwasher still running cold despite heating element and thermostat replacement Beko DW603
I’ve replaced both the heating element and the thermostat with new parts. It’s still not heating. Looking online I’ve not been able to find what else could be causing the problem and what else I can do ? Thanks

OK. So I took the dishwasher apart again. I tested the old and new heating element with a multimeter and it was ok. Thermostat ok too. So I am thinking it’s the PCB which holds the relay switch. Is that a fair assessment?

You need to continue troubleshooting the problem.

If the dishwasher still has power, and assuming that the parts you used for the replacements are actually functional and not defective, and assuming that they were installed correctly, then the issue has been narrowed down to be between the replaced parts and the incoming power.


Will a 12 AWG circuit handle a TIG welder rated at 28 amps when set for 220V? I bought a 110/220V TIG welder rated at 28 amps at 220V. Duty cycle varies with output. It has a 12 AWG power cord. Garage now has a 220V circuit with 12 AWG.

Close, but not quite

Given the 60% max duty cycle figure you stated for your welder, and a rated primary current of 28A, your circuit ampacity comes out to 28 * 0.78 = 21.84A.  In other words, to run your welder at that 60% duty cycle, you need 10AWG wire with a 25 or 30A breaker; or, you can reduce the duty cycle to avoid overloading the circuit, as going down to 50% duty cycle gets you to just under 20A given the 28A rated primary current of your welder.

(P.S. if you're wondering where in the Code this lives, it's 630.11(A) and the associated Table.)


I replaced my faucet supply line but it's still leaking. Any ideas? My cold water supply line (braided steel) on my kitchen sink seemed to be leaking at the (1/2") connection.  I replaced the line with a similar braided unit. I tightened it hand tight, then a half turn with wrench. It was till leaking so I tightened it more. I also tried removing and reattaching  it (extra snug) and it's still leaking.

I'm really baffled on this one. I noticed the male threads are not completely in the round (they have flat sides), but there is nothing unique about the supply line that was removed.  No sign of teflon tape, and I didn't use any.

In the picture, you'll note the new line (cold supply) is on the left with a drip at the connection. The hot water line is in the middle (you can see flat sides) and the wand lines are also visible.

Also, can someone please advise as to how to disconnect the black plastic connection that connects the wand to the faucet (in foreground on right in picture)?  Thanks!

These fittings seal by a soft elastomer seal in the hose fitting to a smooth mating surface on the faucet fitting. I would just keep tightening until the leak stops.

If you cannot get it to stop by tightening, you could cut off the fitting on the faucet  and put on a new fitting (compression or sweat on). Is the mating surface damaged? Are the threads on the faucet fitting damaged (e.g., from prior cross threading) so that the mating surface is not being pressed square onto the seal?

If you can see or feel a groove in the sealing surface of the faucet fitting, you could try to restore the surface by filing or sanding. If it is a deep crack, then you could try to fill it with super glue or other sealer, but probably this wouldn't work.

You could get an adapter which you could thread onto the existing faucet fitting (with pipe dope or tape) and which would have undamaged threads and sealing surface and to which the supply hose would make a leak free seal. This might require two pieces--a "nipple" and an adapter which screws into or onto the nipple and has the correct male ending for the supply hose to attach to. The pipe thread connections on each end of the nipple would require sealing with pipe dope or tape, but not the final connection of the supply hose.

EDIT

  I'm really baffled on this one. I noticed the male >threads are not completely in the round (they have flat >sides), but there is nothing unique about the supply line >that was removed. No sign of Teflon tape, and I didn't >use any.

AFIK the presence of flat sides means that these threads could never seal and are only "clamping" threads so my statement above about putting on an adapter w or w/o a nipple wouldn't work. Only round threads can seal.


Need more slots on the panel Anyway to get around replacing the whole panel I'm swapping out a traditional hot water heater for a tankless. My house is old and has a double pole 20amp breaker (outside electrical panel). The tankless calls for 3 x 40DP im guessing that's 3 double pole 40 amp breakers. Space is the issue i have no slots left on the panel any tricks to keep from have to replace the whole panel

With that panel the answer is no way, I can’t read the main breaker value but I would bet your main 150 at max you have a total of 240 amps of breakers ok 200 because we use the larger of heat / ac so 200 and if the existing water heater is 20 it is two small for a full sized tanked water heater. Even if a 200 and I seriously doubt it. Your service is two small. Are you feeding an inside sub with the 60 for lights and receptacles?


Circuit breaker - on different phases Trying to use Powerline data/control devices and need to figure out which phases in my house go to where.

The double breakers are confusing me further - and I know they alternate phases vertically but is it the same phase right to left?

Question: Are the two breakers with red arrows on the same phase?

(120v+120v=240v)

Yes, they appear to be on the same leg.

Unless there's something I'm missing.


Identification fan control I need to replace this entire component. It is a dial that controls the speed of a fan built into a fireplace.
What am I looking at? What should I look for when buying a replacement?

That appears to be a solid state speed controller.
On my side of the pond they don’t have the built in fuse.
If you purchase a locally sourced solid state speed controller that has 1.6 amp capability or more you should be fine.


How can I fix this moisture problem to stop mold growing? Background and The Problem

I am trying to solve the problem of mold growing on my bedroom ceiling.  The house is a California Bulgalow built in about 1940.  The house is single-brick with plaster interior walls.  It is single story and with a roof cavity serveral meters high at the peak.  There is insulation above the ceiling but not in the walls.

The floor of the house is about 1 foot above ground level.  It's built in a low-lying area.  There is no basement.  There are vents every 2 or 3 meters around the perimeter.  I checked and none of these are blocked.

There is an ensuite adjacent to the problem room.  It has a exhaust fan that vents into the roof cavity.  Two whirly-vents have been installed.

There is a reverse cycle air-conditioner, but this does not run often as it's programmed to heat at 16C (61F) and cool at 28C (82F).  Summer was unusually wet.

Attempts So Far

So far I have attempted to remove the mold by scrubbing with beach, and when it came back, diluted vinegar.  This worked temporarily, but did not solve the underlying problem.  When I inspected the house in prior to purchase, there was a small of bleach which I put down to the vendor cleaning the bathroom.  I now think they probably had this same problem.

Investigations

I went into the roof cavity looking for leaks.  The insulation batts make it easy to find any source of water.  I could not find any roof leaks.  The moisture from the bathroom exhaust fan just condenses on the flashing under the roof.

I bought a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in the room.  For a couple of weeks it was 50-60%.  With recent rain, it went up to 60-75%.  I could take moisture measurements in the sub-floor or attic if needed.

What should I do next?

First, I'd redirect the bathroom vent out of the home. Best place is on the gable side of the house, but straight out the roof would also work. Depending on how much condensation you're seeing, and where it travels after condensing, this could be the cause.

Then I'd do some detective work. Start removing the insulation on the other side of the mold. Look for signs of water damage and follow them back to their source. There could be lots of causes, including a leak in the roof, plumbing problem, a clogged hvac drain line, or condensation on uninsulated hvac ducts. Water can travel a long distance before it finally settles on a low spot, so search far and wide.


Is there a way I can fill cinderblocks in my basement to stop water from coming in? Could I drill holes in each block and fill with sprayfoam that would fill the blocks with a water tight seal and then paint the inside with drylock? How about hydroclay?

Filling the cavities in cinder block will not make the wall waterproof. The cinder block material at the block webs and the mortar joints will still be permeable and allow moisture through to the inside.

If you have serious problems with moisture ingress into your basement the proper fix is take care of a number of things:

1) For most sites the proper use of rain gutters to divert roof run off is used. Also the ground surface is graded to slope it away from the foundation so that water tends to run away from the basement wall area instead of down into the ground at the wall.

2) In some instances you may need to seal the outside of the basement wall with a suitable material that keeps water from even entering the cinder blocks at all. Proper sealant selection is probably the subject of another question so will not be discussed here.

3) In the worst case, particularly when the local water table is not very deep into the ground, it is necessary to dig down all along the outside of the basement wall to along the foundation which is below the basement floor level. Drain line with water entry holes or slots gets installed in a bed of porous material such as pebble rock. This drain line is sloped from one high point of the building perimeter around to a low point where it is then piped out to a drain field away from the building. The drain field allows the collected water to enter the soil over a larger area.

If you are going to the trouble of digging for plan 2 or 3 above it is generally advisable to do both at the same time. It is also a good time to consider the installation of below grade outside wall basement insulation material.


Can I run a radio dog fence loop through EMT to reduce the signal? I have an areas through which the dog wire must pass and which I need to allow the dogs to have unimpeded access, due to the structure of a dock and bulkhead in this area the wire will pass above ground, to reduce the radio signal in only this part of the loop can I run the wire through Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) to reduce the signal?

To shield the surrounding area from an RF source such as an "invisible" dog fence, you must enclose the RF source in a very good conductor that is well grounded.  EMT may not be good enough (being zinc plated steel) and it will certainly have to be well grounded to have a possibility of working.

Another way to do this, which I have done myself, is use twisted pair wire for carrying the the signal.  In those areas where you want no barrier run the twisted pair together and in those areas where you do want a barrier separate the twisted pair into an open loop.  To be invisible to the dog's receiver, the twisted pair needs to carry the outgoing and returning signal so that they will exactly cancel, and to be visible to the collar the conductors need to be separated into a loop by a foot or more (i.e. either along the top and bottom of a fence or at ground level).


Can I increase breaker size to prevent trips when using appliances? I have a 15A breaker that trips whenever the small space heater and the iron are used at the same time (not in the same outlet, just the same circuit). Is the solution as easy as upgrading to a 20A breaker? Thanks for any info.

No!
Circuit breakers aren’t chosen arbitrarily, or for fun. They are chosen so you don’t overload the wiring and devices (switches, receptacles, etc) in the circuit. If you swap in a larger breaker you seriously risk setting your wiring on fire and burning down your house.
Specifically, all - all! - the wire in a circuit would have to be 12 Ga and all the devices would have to be rated for 20A to make that swap. Any 14 Ga wire at all, and you can’t.
The correct action is to move loads to a different circuit (either existing or new) so you don’t overload it.


Why would an MR16 LED light only work when power is cut? I had just gotten a package of LED coloured light and all of them work except one. strangely as soon as I unplug it ,it flashes for a second. what does this mean and how can I fix it?

Could be reversed polarity - and the power supply may put out an opposite voltage spike when shut off.


Could this tube insulation be asbestos I just need some opinions on this. I saw this outside my apartment (see picture attached below) and saw the pipe insulation outside my door just opposite at the neighbour's side (I just moved into new place...). I was worried that the yellow-brownish stuff around the pipe might be asbestos. What are the chances that it could have been asbestos?

Thanks a lot!

The inner section is definitely fiberglass, however the outer covering could be asbestos. I have worked on some industrial jobs where steam pipes were very similar. It should be tested to be sure. In 1 case they just painted the outer asbestos casing, in 2 others we removed all of it, big job and lots of safety gear and regulations.

With residential, in my area a homeowner can do the work but with commercial or industrial facilities, pros have to be hired, so it would be best to have it tested to know for sure so that safety or encapsulated processes can be taken to make it safe.


Can I recoat my floor's matte finish with a satin sheen product? I had my floors refinished in a water based Matte sheen.  They have no life.  Can I add a coat of satin to at least give them a little shine?

Can I add a coat of satin...?

YES

You will need to lightly sand the surface and thoroughly clean it, then add one or more additional coats of a compatible product that has the level of gloss you prefer.


Why are my downlights constantly blowing? I have a strip of 3 downlights in my living room, and I am constantly changing globes.

Usually two of the globes blow in the first day or two of use, but the third globe will last much longer (at least a month, or until we replace the blown globes).

The globes we are using are Mirabella GU10 240V 50W (240V is standard for Australia).

I've heard about other people having this problem - I've searched the web and found plenty of discussions but no definitive answers.

What might be causing the problem and how can I fix it?

If you're using halogen bulbs, you need to handle them correctly: don't touch them directly -- hold them in a clean cloth.

The reason is that halogens get much hotter than other bulbs.  Oils from your fingerprints cause the bulbs to heat unevenly where you touch them, leading to thermal stresses which can crack the bulb.


Are CFL bulbs safe for enclosed fixtures? I just got 3 dozen CFL bulbs for free, and was planning on replacing all the non-downward exposed fixture lights in my home with these bulbs.  In the past I haven't even considered switching to CFL because of the light temperature, but after seeing the 2700K bulbs and barely being able to tell a difference I was sold, at least for free.

I accepted the bulbs based on word-of-mouth that they are fine in enclosed fixtures, with the caveat of a "possibly reduced lifespan".  But, after scouring the internet I have found everything from "bulbs under 20W are fine" to "these bulbs are NOT to be used in enclosed fixtures".

Specifically, I have Earthbulb 13W Micro T2 bulbs.  The manufacturer's website says nothing about them.  Most of the fixtures I would be putting the bulbs in are standard dome lights like this.

I can deal with a shorter lifespan, at least, I'm willing to give it a try.  But I am ultra-paranoid about risk of fire.  So, does anyone have any better advice than I've been able to find to answer the question are CFL bulbs safe (from risk of fire) in enclosed fixtures?

We have had CFL's in a number of enclosed fixtures for years now.  They generate comparable light for much less heat.  The main thing you need to worry about with CFLs is, you can't use them on a dimmer unless that dimmer is designed for them.  Other than that - less heat means even less risk of fire in my book.


When installing new tile around a tub what items do I need to be sure and have done? I am having my tile replaced around my tub.  When installing new tile what do I need to be sure and check for? Is there a standard size or type for small bathrooms( about 5 ft x 8 ft bathroom)?  What are the most common tile layouts for small bathrooms?

Below is a list of a couple of things I came up with:
1. Waterproof board needed durock/demshield/hardyboard
2. Waterproof board not required but nice
3. Place tile
4. The grout should be manufacturers recommended with about 3/16 of inch average
5. The finish would be a slutter, or bull nose if available.

:)

Are we to assume Tub Wall or Tub Floor ? You mention Bull Nose is why I am asking.

There are not many standards but too large will look odd - I would do a MAX of a 12 inch for the floor (I have this now and it is fine) - but I would also make it a Diagonal layout.
6 or 8 Inch tile would probably be best for that size.

3/16th Grout line - easier to lay 1/8 inch much harder ..as small height changes tile to tile are more noticeable..

Get a nice grout color that blends well.

Spend the extra $$ for the Water proof board.. you can also lay in the rubber seal mat . Especially if doing a shower wall ..

EDIT 9-2-2017

Shower / Tub wall:
For a wall you should use both the durorock and also the waterproof Tile Membrane  - while you can do this without the Tile Membrane - I suggest to use it.
The 3/16 inch grout line is really wide for a shower / tub wall 1/8 is better, personally I would do no more than 1/4 ..

As for tile size depends on how big your wall is and what look you want to achieve. Some people use subway tile (4 or 6 inch) b/c they 'love it' . I hate that stuff.

You can use 8 or 12 inch very nicely - measure out your wall make your design on paper - KNOW where it will start and end on the back wall, the sides and  and near the ceiling. So you will get the proper layout. Start in the center of the Back wall so you can split the size difference - in case you do not have a perfect fit of tiles plus grout.

REMEMBER TO MEASURE YOUR TILE

1: Your tile might not be exactly 12 Inches it might be 11 and 3/4 inch. That way you can use that as a measure number when determining how it will lay out on your wall. Tile Width + Grout Width .. / or Tile Height + Grout Width

2: If you are going to run the tile to the ceiling - remember that you will have difficulty with any crown molding that you might have in the bathroom .

3: If the tiles do not go to the ceiling - you will have a gap and might need to use bull nose around the top $$$$$ .. running all the way up might be cheaper.

4: Also if you want a soap tray for a shower in the wall - Plan for that in your design - it is not hard to do since you are making the wall .. just remember to put a slight downward slope towards the tub on the base tile  - use a small piece of extra Tile Membrane on the back side (1/4 inch strip) of the base area  to give you the required slope.


How should I wire this White-Rodgers fan and limit control? What about the thermostat? I have a wood-burning stove, that is used as an auxiliary heat source in the house.  There's a regular electric furnace, and adjacent to it is the stove.  The warm air duct (out) from the stove connects directly to the input air duct on the electric furnace.

On the side of the stove there's a White-Rodgers thermostat, E12 5D51-035.
Looks like this:

Also attached to the stove, there's a line in, a 3-conductor grounded line with a 3-prong plug on the end - for 120V power supply.  There's also a blower on the stove, which takes 120V power, and has 2 conductors - white and black.  It forces the warmed air through the output duct. All the wires are meet in a junction box, and none are connected.

The wiring is like this:

How should this be wired?  I don't know what is meant by "fan" and "limit".  I am assuming that "fan" refers to the blower on the stove.  But what is the limit?  I guess I just don't understand what the thermostat is doing with 2 lines coming into/out of it.

My understanding was that a thermostat is just a heat-controlled switch. I'd expect a single line in (or out) and the thermostat would open or close the circuit depending on the temperature.

If I understood the purpose of the fan/limit thermostat, I might be able to figure out how to wire it.

EDIT: OK I read a little on the fan/limit control concept. The limit is a high-temperature safety limit, I guess.

I looked on this page and found the following diagram:

The explanation is for a Honeywell fan & limit control, but it seems similar enough to the White-Rodgers device I an using. Unfortunately, I find the explanation to be vague, and the diagram isn't helpful.

What is the yellow triangle with the #2 in it?  It seems like the things labelled L1 and L2 are the wires in the line in.  L1 is black (hot) I guess, and L2 would be white.  So I can wire the line-in white to the white conductor on the fan.  Then the line-in black (hot) goes to the fan side of the fan/limit control.  Wired to which conductor?  white or black?  If the thermostat is a simple switch then I guess it doesn't matter. Then the other conductor (black or white) can get wired to the black line on the fan.

That leaves the limit conductors - what do I do with them?  I don't have any yellow triangles on my stove, to wire those to!!

Here's the installation manual for that thermostat:
http://www.emersonclimate.com/Documents/White-Rodgers/instruction_sheets/0037-1558.pdf

You're right about L1 and L2, and about it not mattering which is which inside the thermostat housing.  It is a single throw switch so its terminals are interchangeable.

The yellow triangle labeled "2" in the diagram is any device you want to turn off when the temperature gets too high.  The installation manual uses an oil burner as an example of such a device.  In your case you'd leave that switch unwired, unless you want to rig up a solenoid valve to douse your wood fire.  :)


What does happen when a wire is run close to its maximum "calculated" current? Disclaimer: I'm in Brazil. Although we do have electrical standards, building code is almost non-existant.

According to our standard (and some other sources since I've found it) the following apply to 2 circuits using 2.5 mm² monocore wire in the same conduit in a non insulated wall:

Two charged conductors 2.5mm² (per circuit) in a B1 method (not insulated wall) can carry 24 amps.
Since there are 2 circuits together, so apply the grouping factor of 0.8, now each conductor can carry 19.2 amps.

I want those circuits to power 20 Amp sockets (this a standard socket in Brazil). I know that it is almost impossible for it to reach 20A since by law 20 amps is the maximum allowed for electrical appliances plugs. So my 19.2 amps should suffice and work fine.

What would happen should I run the full 20A in both circuits. Will it get too hot? How hot? The PVC insulation is rated for 70°C and I think it must stand up to 90°C without being damaged, I doubt it could come close to that.

Also, I suppose those factors consider that both circuits are constantly on, which is often not the case in a home setting. Being on the safe side the surest thing to do would be to use 4mm² wire, but this is more expansive, harder to route and just annoying in general to use since most of the conectors and sockets work better (fitting and instalation) with 2.5mm² wire.

So back to the tile, what will happen if I run a circuit close or just above its calculated maximum/recommended current?

When a wire is used close to its maximum current it gets hot.

When a wire carries any current it heats up but when used within its design limits it will not get too hot. As the current increases the wire gets hotter. A wire that carries too much current can get hot enough to start a fire. Many cables in houses and other buildings are buried in the walls and so are surrounded by insulation and wood which might not be fire-resistant. The consequences of an overloaded (and very hot) cable in such a wall can be a house fire.

The electrical system should have fuses (breakers) that are set to trip at currents well below the maximum current of the cables. I am sure that the various countries have regulations about the fuses to be used for different cable types in different installations. The goal is that the fuse breaks the circuit, which is a minor inconvenience, long before the house might catch fire.

Given the disclaimer text in you question I would recommend that you choose cables that can carry significantly more than the expected current plus fuses for the expected maximum current. For exact choices I recommend that you talk to a local electrician or to an expert in the shop where you buy the cables and fuses. If your shopkeeper does not know then find a better shop.


How do I run more than 2 circuits in conduit? My understanding of color coding allowed by NEC is:

Ground: Bare, Green or Yellow/Green
Neutral: White or grey
Hot: All other colors

If I need to run 3 distinct circuits in conduit, I might choose:

Ground: Green

Of course, if I'm using metal conduit & boxen, I can skip the ground wire entirely and use the conduit for the ground.

Hot: Black, Red, Blue
Neutral: White, Grey, and ???

I can pair the White/Black and the Grey/Red, but what do I pair with the Blue to provide a neutral for it?
In thinking about this, I believe that a MWBC could be a way around this, but I'm not certain if that technically only applies to cable (i.e NM-B/"Romex"), or if MWBCs can be used in conduit-based wiring as well. Additionally, from what I've been reading here, there's a strong trend away from them, especially for GFCI/AFCI protected circuits since handle-tied *FCI breakers are somewhat unobtanium.
Note: This is purely a theoretical question. I do not have an actual application for this at this time. I'm simply trying to learn ahead of a home addition/remodel that's coming up.

You can mark the white or gray neutral wires with colored tape. Unlike marking a switch loop wire in cable (where it changes white from neutral to hot), this does not change the function but is simply an identifier. Real simple:

Black + White or Black + White-with-black-tape
Red + White-with-red-tape
Yellow + White-with-yellow-tape
Blue + White-with-blue-tape

Of course, the colors don't have to match like that, but that would make it super easy to keep track of things.
With only two different circuits, yes white & gray as two different neutrals makes sense. Once you get to taping things, it is arguably easier to use white for all neutrals instead of having two different colors, but that depends on how much wiring you do.


Is it important not to scratch copper wire when removing insulation? I use a small cutter made for max 14 gauge wires, but I'm bad at removing insulation, it takes me a bit of time to get it right, so I end up cutting and repeating, because I see scratches on copper wire were I cut the insulation. Should I ignore it? How bad are these scratches or marks? These are power works behind sockets.

Minor superficial marking is just that. Unimportant. Deep nicks around the circumference create weaknesses. Those would cause problems. Redo.

With the right tools, careful use and a little practice, you will be able to strip insulation without nicking or scratching the copper.

Suitable tools, in the same spirit as photo in Q :-)


How can I put a knob on a threaded rod? I need to create a "thumb screw" or "hand wheel" out of a 1/2-20 UNF threaded rod to serve as fine linear adjustment screw for a heavy load.  (I can't find ready-made knobs with this thread, nor thumb screws in any reasonable length.)

I have hex nuts matching the threads, so I can use two nuts to "thread-lock" the cut end of the rod.  But how can I attach an extended knob or handle to the nuts so that I can easily turn the rod when it's under a load?

There are many variations on this answer, allowing you to fine tune the results to your liking.

If you have a disk cut from thin plywood or similarly flat material and tighten your locking nuts on each side, you have a knob of sorts. The larger the diameter of the disk, the greater control you will have, as the resulting lever become longer.

You didn't note that the nuts are at the end of the threaded rod, but the above method will work regardless of the location.

If you need a knobby knob, just about any dome or spherical shape will suffice.

Instead of a disk, you could use a hexagon or octagon shape, or a pointed star shape. At the simplest form, a single flat rod with a hole at one end, locked into the nuts provides a lever for adjustment, somewhat like the lever on a ball valve assembly. If a balanced control is required, a longer flat bar with a hole in the center would also work.

In all of the above designs, the force with which you secure the locking nuts will determine how much load the system will handle when you want to make an adjustment. If the load is high, your lever or disk may slip if the nuts cannot apply sufficient force.


Choice of processed lumber for large shelves I am looking for recommendations to choose between a diverse spectrum of 3/4" thick plywood-y materials, such as MDF board (or similar) as well as stratified but sanded plywood. In this particular example, my dimensions are around 14"x60" but I have other application with similar area size but different dimensions.

I was originally planning to go with joining 2 1x8 sideways using biscuits and than stain it but I'm thinking plywood may be more durable to warping over time, especially because I don't plan to affix the upper shelves so they can be removed.

Here are some of my experiences:

3/4" boards

The max commonly available width is going to be 12" (11.25" actual), so for 14" you would have to join two 8" boards ripped to width.  This requires more work than the other options and you have to find two very straight boards to start with.  They can warp in the future, but glueing and biscuiting two pieces together helps with that.  It will be strong and light, but I don't think it's worth the effort unless you're really trying to match materials with something else.

Plywood

Will be straighter than boards, but it's not immune to warping.  Comes wide enough to use one piece and is pretty easy to cut.  The cut edge is not acceptable to leave visible.  It may sag in the front over that 60" span.  Even with a back support thats asking a lot (but wait, there is a solution).

MDF

Perfectly straight and will never warp.  Very easy to cut, although it does create a lot of dust.  Same issues as plywood - will sag in front and the cut edge can't be painted easily.  MDF must be painted and will be quickly and irreversibly damaged by water if the surface is not sealed (with paint).

Recommendations

Plywood and MDF are the frontrunners.  If you want to stain, use plywood.  If you are going to paint. MDF is a good choice.  Since neither of them have usable edges, I would glue/biscuit  a 1x2 board onto the front edge.  This gives the shelf a visible thickness, covers the bad edge and adds some strength to prevent sagging.  I still wouldn't trust it to hold heavy items without a center support, but the edge board will at least help it hold its own weight without sagging (and some light items).


Turning two-way switches into three-way Picture in the link is in my garage. I have four 14/2 cables. All whites are nutted together. 2 blacks are nutted together, and 1 going from that nut to each both switches.

The below pic has three 14/2 cables. Two blacks are going from the wire nut to the switches, and 2 blacks are being run from the wires to the switches. Then my 14/3 wire is pictured.

Not sure how to run the wires to make this work.

This is what I am thinking. The whites from the new cable get wire nutted in and the red goes on one of the screws in both outlets. Keep that black jumped from the wire nut to the switch, and have the black from the 14/3 go on the other terminal on the switch?

14/2 is a cable.  It contains 3 wires if you count ground.  I will use those words that way.

On your existing switch, note the black that goes to the other blacks.  That is always hot. The other wire, mark it with red tape. That is switched-hot.

Run a /3 cable from this switch to the other switch.  Mark the black and white wires with yellow tape on both ends.  Those are travelers.

In this box, connect the /3 cable's red wire to the wire you just marked red.

Wire up your 3-way switches as follows.

the 2 yellow traveler wires go to the 2 brass (yellowish) colored screws on the 3-ways.
now there is one wire still not connected in each box. That goes on the 3-way black screw.

And we're done.

This simplicity brought to you by the maker of colored electrical tape.


Structural boards in attic? I want remove the header to install floor to ceiling closet doors for our master bedroom. In the attic above the header three boards sit and run to the roof (see picture). Are these boards structural?

Yes they appear to be. The two on the right looks like they are holding a 2X to the underside of the roof rafters. I was brought up in the trade calling this a "strongback". The closest one has a notch around the strongback which strongly suggests a structural connection. The picture does not show clearly the far side to tell if it is notched as well.


Need to fix tile that has fallen off I have some tile in my kitchen that has fallen off (unglued I suppose). See pictures below. How do I fix this?  Recommendations for a novice DIYer?

I would recommend heavy duty constructive adhesive followed by grout colored caulk that best matche the grout around the tiles https://www.google.com/search?q=grout+colored+caulk

to minimize cost and work I would risk using the caulk as glue

try to remove the old adhesive
clean back of tile and wall well
put a lot of construction adhesive on the back of the tile (risky optional: replace construction adhesive with caulk)
put tile back on the wall and hold in place with masking/painter tape
1  hour later remove tape
caulk around the tile and clean any thing that doesn't look neat with your fingers


Fixing a curtain rail to dry wall I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to DIY, so I'm after some advice...

I've recently bought a curtain rail for my living room, and I need to fix it to the wall. However, the wall is not brick -- it is dry wall. I believe this means that there is only a small thickness in the wall, then a gap, and then the outer brick wall. The curtain rail itself comes with two brackets and some screws, but very limited instructions.

My question is: Will my wall be able to support the curtain rail? Or will the dry wall be too thin to ensure the screws have a strong fix? And will I need plastic plugs, or will the screws on their own be fine?

Thank you!

Maybe you need plastic plugs (screws alone in drywall aren't enough), but traditional framing will have wood structure above and a couple inches to the outside of a window opening. If you can keep your brackets close to the edge, you should hit wood.


Why are some of my trusses nailed to interior wall top plate? I am hoping someone can answer why I have multiple trusses nailed into the top plate of a small interior wall in my home. In the first image, I have highlighted in red where the trusses actually touch, and are nailed into the top plate of the interior wall. I was under the impression that trusses should not even touch the interior wall. Can someone please explain? I do no believe this wall is load bearing, as the adjacent trusses in the living room would also need to be supported if support were needed.

In the second image, it is hard to see. But That is a picture in the attic of one of the trusses nailed into the top plate.

Until the modern era, where McMansions resulted in large and complex truss systems, truss lift wasn't nearly the problem it is today. Also a factor is the fast-growing lumber in use today, which tends to react to seasonal changes more dramatically.

It's true that interior walls should no longer be fastened to interior walls. New methods of drywall installation keep trusses isolated. However, it's common for carpenters to "tack" walls to trusses to keep them plumb during framing. This can be done with a few partially-driven nails or specialized hardware. Ultimately, additional wall intersections, drywall, and everything else serve to secure the walls in their final state. In your case, the stub wall would have no other solid anchoring if not for a few nails into trusses.

No effort is made to keep trusses from touching the interior walls. Technically, the bottom of the truss and the tops of the walls are on one plane, and contact is common. The key is to allow for truss lift without damage that's visible on the finished interior.

You don't say how old your home is, but if it's as old as the coarse pink fiberglass insulation suggests, and if you haven't seen interior drywall damage, it's not an issue.


Water coming into post hole for deck I am just starting to build a deck. I dug the holes for my posts. I live in Michigan, frost line is 42". I dug down to 48" with the intent of putting a 6" pole barn biscuit to use as the footing.
In 2-3 holes, they immediately filled with water after getting to depth. I'm not sure if the water table is just super high, or what's going on. It was not rain related as everything was dry during this time.
As I understand it, as long as the water is pooling under 42", it shouldn't be an issue. It's below the frost line, thus won't freeze. It's at the footing height or under, thus won't deteriorate the post.
Is that correct understanding? If for some reason the water is pooling above 42", what corrective actions can I take?
I was thinking I would dig down another 1' and fill it with gravel. Then put the biscuit on top of there. I'm just concerned that it will still result in water pooling above 42" though.

It is a little odd that only a few of your holes filled in with water, it may indicate something underground like a spring. More serious conditions would include hitting a sewer or irrigation line but it should be pretty easy to determine if this was the case.
Typical deck footer construction in freezing locations calls for full-depth concrete footings poured using sonotubes (cardboard form tubes) all the way to a few inches above the surface. Posts are anchored to that concrete but shouldn't be buried in it (building codes may vary).
This article explains frost heave and how to counter it. For large deck installations in especially frost-prone areas, they use concrete "bell" footings that are wide at the bottom, these help resist frost heave and upward movement. But as long as your footing is deeper than the frost line, it shouldn't be affected by the heave as it's nestled in deeper soil.
According to decks.com water in the hole is not a problem for mixing concrete. You may want to compact gravel around the concrete form tube before or after you finish it.
Finally, this article suggests putting large stones into the wet spots at the bottom so the mud flows into it and provides a good base for the concrete footing. You wouldn't want the stone layer tall enough that it puts your concrete footing above the 42" frost line though.


Attach Garage to Existing Wall As described in this question, I'm planning to add an attached garage onto the side of my house. I'm looking for some guidance on how to attach it to the existing wall.

A bit of background about the existing house:

2 story house (each level with 8' walls)
Exterior of the first floor is brick and the second floor is siding
Built in 2005
Exterior walls are made of 2x6's with insulation in between.
Existing roof trusses run parallel to wall in question

Relevant facts about the addition:

10' walls
Lean-to roof
Interior ceiling of 10' with a small-ish attic above for storage

I'm considering using the existing wall as the interior wall of the new garage by cutting into the siding and attaching the roof rafters and ceiling/attic floor joists to the second floor wall framing. As I understand it, I think the only load this would be adding to that wall is a downward load since the ceiling rafters would counteract the lateral force that the roof rafters want to put on the wall (since that forms a right triangle). Especially since the existing roof trusses run parallel to the wall, I don't think there's very much load being placed on that wall and since they're 2x6's I expect it should hold that load without issue.

I'm sure before I do this I should get a qualified engineer to look at it and give me the go-ahead for my specific situation, but I'm hoping to minimize that cost by taking the plans to them already done and just needing their sign off on it (I'm not within city limits so permits and inspections aren't going to be an issue).

Bottom line question: Should I attach the roof/ceiling rafters to the existing exterior wall as described above or should I frame it as if that wall wasn't there (and it was a freestanding structure) and have the two load-bearing walls side-by-side?

I would sketch out your plan to scale with dimensions and provide that drawing to your building department for your permit. I have done exactly what you are doing 3 times. Is your garage going to be totally enclosed?
If it is the wall needs to be fire rated , this is not that hard removing the siding 2 sheets of Sheetrock with the seams staggered is what it took for me. On the one I added a door directly into the garage it had to have self closing hinges and be fire rated the other 2 had man doors out the back close to a entry door for the house. The best advice I can give is to make sure you use a wide flashing up under the house siding at least 4” up and 8” on top of the roof possibly taller if your wall is on the wind side.
If the structure is going to remain open you may not need to have a fire rated wall but the ones I did were enclosed. Today any receptacles you put the garage will require GFCI protection even in the ceiling.
If your plan doesn’t meet code they will red line it with a correction unless engineering is required then you will know you need to have it revised and stamped.  I found my basic plan in a book back then laid it out and submitted I think they required a double cripple for the header but other than that it was approved.


Power Pole ground to iron grill connector This is my utility pole ground wire:

My service entrance has no ground.

I need to connect the ground wire from the pole directly to the service panel iron grill housing to protect it in case live wire touches it. But iron can rust even if I use a split bolt connector. How best to connect wire from grill to the pole ground? After I sandpaper the iron grill 10mm square bar portion, is there any paint that is anti-rust but conductive so the iron won't rust?

I use cad weld when I need bonds that will stand up to anything or I do not want to have an access hatch for the bond to be inspected. Looking at the mess at your weather head you may not be able to find an electrician that can do it. The graphite trays that contain the metal are two expensive for the homeowner, but you may check around. Cad welding is an exothermic bonding that will bond copper  to rebar , steel pipe and even zinc & copper.
With wrought iron after cleaning the area you might consider a deox or noalox anti oxide compound this will prevent rusting at the contact points.


An extra long closet and the rod, mounted in concrete, keeps falling off. I have an extra long closet and the rod keeps falling off. It is in concrete and the anchors keep coming out. I guess I could put a pole up in the middle to brace it, buy any other ideas???

If you want it to be bomb proof, (and why wouldn't you?)  you could cut two 2x4s to the height of the rod, drill holes near the top of them, run the rod through those holes, and screw the 2x4s into the wall with a few tapcons or other concrete screw.  The 2x4 will carry the weight to the floor, the screws will just hold them in place on the wall.  You'll be able to go pretty heavy.  (The bottom end of the 2x4s will rest on the ground.)


How to make a ~90 mm diameter 50 cm forearm roller as cheaply as possible? I want to make a 90±5mm diameter forearm roller.
It is a cylinder about 50 cm long. If it is a heavy material on its own, ideal. If it is not a heavy material, it must be possible to attach a string to its middle so that weights can be hung on the string and the string can be rolled up by turning the rod.
I want to make this for as cheap as possible. I already explored using plastic duct piping (downpipe) for a smaller size, 68mm, and it was pretty cheap, £4.70 for 2.5m of it which I sawed down to size and drilled a hole through. I bet cheaper options might have existed.
I can't find cheap 90mm straight pipes online, so looking for help or other options.

Since I live in a region where millimeter measurements aren't common (yes, that region) the first thing I did was convert to inches to get an estimate of size so that I could look for something. I noticed 90mm is very very close to (approximately 1mm larger than) 3.5 inches.
3.5 inches happens to be the outside diameter of pipes (plastic/pvc and steel) that are nominally 3 inches (inside is approximately 3 inches).
Since you're looking on the Internet for pipes, you may be able to buy US stock (either from a US outlet, or from a manufacturer that makes goods overseas for sale in the US). I don't know that 88.9mm would be a common size outside the US market though, so if you're not able to purchase these online you'd have to find something completely different.


Is there an interior bathroom filter made to exhaust filtered air back into room? I have a bathroom in the basement that has an exhaust fan but it doesn't go anywhere.  I need a filter on it to clear/clean the air and moister.

A bathroom fan needs to vent to the outside, so as to actually remove moisture effectively.

While you could cobble something up with a dehumdifier, there's no good reason to, and plenty of good reasons not to; Which is why you won't find that for sale anywhere.


Trouble connecting air gap to disposal without tube kinking I was having a problem with my dishwasher smelling and realizing no one ever connected the air gap into the system.  My plumber bailed on me today, but I've done everything (including replacing the smelly dishwasher drain line), EXCEPT getting a line from the air gap to the disposal.  I've tried all lengths of 7/8" hose but no matter what, it kinks.  It's a heavy thick black hose that the hardware store sells specifically for this purpose, but I cannot get it to work.  Is there something I'm missing?  I've angled the air gap in the best configuration that I could find to ease the hose line and I've tried to use the hose as it naturally curves, but still cannot make it work.  I'll have to buy another one if it needs to be longer, but longer didn't seem to help.  Is there a better type of drain line for this application?  Can I put in a barbed 90 degree connector or would this cause a problem?

Dishwasher drain line is usually cheap corrugated plastic (neither heavy nor all that thick), which is mostly immune to kinking. Some models come with a large 'U' shaped bracket to help achieve this curve.

Some come with an integral 90, so I don't see why you can't use one if you have to.

I'm pretty sure if it's black and non-corrugated, you bought the wrong stuff. That sounds like an extension you might use if it's extremely far from the drain pipe. Use what came with the dishwasher to make the air-gap,  and attach that line to the drain any which way you can.


Could placing hot food in the fridge (as opposed to letting it cool first), cause significant reduction in appliance lifetime My wife and I are having an "ongoing household discussion". She claims that it is bad to place hot food in the fridge, because it causes the fridge to work harder. I claim the impact is negligible. Neither of us have data to back up our claims.

To her point, yes the fridge must "work harder" since it is a closed-loop system trying to maintain a temperature set point, and the introduction of a hot body with decent thermal inertia must cause it to spend longer on whatever it does to whisk away heat.

However, the difference of "Hot" food and "Warm" food is probably 30 degrees (F), from 90 to 60F, and the fridge probably has a set point of roughly 40F. I assumed those first 20-30 deg cooling happen rapidly, and the last 20-30 happens much slower, due to the exponential solution to the heat equation.

Finally, neither of us know whether the primary source of fridge failure is wear from cooling or other factors, so we don't even know if the "cooling activation" properties are relevant.

The answer, as mentioned by +MonkeyZeus, is here: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/29857

It can be summarized as:

  This is a myth left over from the days of iceboxes. Go to any official food safety resource online (including USDA, FDA, etc.), and you will find they are all in agreement: it's perfectly safe to put hot food in your refrigerator. In fact, unless you are using some more direct cooling method (like putting your food in an ice bath), waiting to refrigerate your food is often a health hazard.