What could cause a gas fireplace to stop working during operation? The other day we had our gas fireplace on for over an hour. Once the logs get cranked up, we switch on the fan. The fan along with the flaming logs were burning steady for over an hour. Then out of nowhere, it just up and quits. Now the switch will not even start the fireplace, even though the pilot light is on (lit). Any suggestions or solutions?

Hopefully your issue may just be a faulty wall switch or a short in the switch wire. You can check this by jumping the TH and TH/TP terminals on the gas valve. If the unit starts, this is your issue.

Another cause may be a dirty or faulty thermopile (the largest of the 2 sticks on either side of the pilot hood. A thermopile is basically a series of thermocouples put together to create a higher voltage (which will control the main valve section of the gas valve. A proper thermopile should give you above 250 millivolts when the pilot is on(250 being close to the minimum that most gas valves will be able to operate at). First try cleaning the thermopile. Then remove the 2 leads off the gas valve and take a reading between the red and white wires of the thermopile. Anything under 250 millivolts and it must be changed. If the thermopile checks out then your issue is most likely the gas valve, and the gas valve will need to be replaced.


Any way to correct stain bleed after the fact? I applied a very dark stain (actually calligraphy ink) to a sanded but otherwise untreated piece of plywood, and the stain has bled well past the edges of the design. (I had tested the stain on another piece of plywood first, and while that one did bleed, it was marginal, less than 1mm, and something I could live with.) What might I do to rescue this piece?

What you're seeing is the difference between spring growth and the harder, thinner summer growth. Early growth (spring) is rapid, the ring is lighter colored, wider, softer and porous.

Once a stain has penetrated the early growth ring, the stain is permanently part of the layer and the only way to remove it is to remove wood by sanding, planing or inlay.

The issue here is that tree trunks and limbs are water transport mechanisms with a columnar system that extends from root to twig tip. Water based thin inks will travel through the early growth ring just as water would in a live tree.

To make a checker board like this, you will need to treat the wood with a clear oil based finish that seals the wood against this water movement and leaves the wood a natural light color and then apply the black checks over the top with black paint. You could try applying the black paint first, but there will be bleed into the early growth rings which means the lines will not be well defined.


How can I efficiently heat a bonus room above a detached garage? I'm planning a 20x20' detached garage which will have a bonus room built into the roof trusses.  I'd like to use this bonus room as my home office — so, since I live in the cold North, it'll need a heat source.

Given that the space will be thoroughly insulated, and that the only mechanical I can easily run from the house is electricity, how can I heat this space (12x20x7', just shy of 1700 cubic feet) in a reasonably efficient manner?

Considerations:

As it'll be used mostly during normal business hours, the temp can be allowed to dip at night, but must stay reliably above, say, 50° (for the sake of the computer equipment)
The faces of the gable roof are East and West (I'm open to insulated skylights and/or some kind of passive solar, if it'd help)
If needed, I can run water lines to the space (the detached garage will only be about 12' away from the house)
I'm open to some sort of burned fuel (pellet stove?), as long as the fuel itself is relatively inexpensive and widely available (I have access to as much chopped wood as I can burn, but something more compactly stored / consistently burned would be nice)
The trusses will be customized anyway, so I can use a heavy / reinforced bottom web, should it be necessary to pour some kind of underlayment layer (for in-floor radiant heating or just plain heat retention via mass)
The furnace for my home is fueled by our city's gas lines (may be possible to run a line to the office space, if needed)

Given all of this, what kind of heat source (or combination of sources) would get this home office through a cold Wisconsin winter in a reasonably efficient way (up-front cost can be higher, assuming the savings make up for it in less than, say, 5-7 years).

Edit: change text in last paragraph from "as efficiently as possible" to "in a reasonably efficient way", to clarify the scope of response I'm looking for.

Geothermal Heat Pump
Efficiency
If upfront cost is of no concern, a Geothermal heat pump is the most efficient heating/cooling system. According to the Department of Energy, geothermal heat pumps can be between 300 - 600% efficient.
Financing
There may be government programs available to help fiance the installation of the system, as well as state programs.
Payback
Some sources estimate a payback period as short as 3 years, though actual results may vary. If you switch your main house over as well, use the system for hot water, and take advantage of government programs. The payback period could actually be quite short.
Electric Baseboard Heaters
Efficiency
Since electric heat is 100% efficient, every ounce of electricity used it converted to heat.
Financing
If there is adequate space and power available in the service panel, an electric baseboard heating system is fairly inexpensive to install.
Payback
Depending on the cost of electricity in your area, electric heat may or may not save you money over other heating options.
Natural Gas Room Heater
Efficiency
Since it's a smaller area, a standalone natural gas forced air system may not make sense. However, a smaller natural gas room heater (or a few) might make sense. Natural gas room heaters can be between 65 - 100% efficient (depending on the heater), so they can be quite efficient.
Financing
As with electric room heaters, natural gas room heaters will be fairly cheap to install.
Payback
Again, depending on the cost of fuel. A natural gas room heater may or may not save you money over other heating options.

More Info:
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has a Heating Fuel Comparison Calculator (Xls) that might be useful.


How do I correctly install ceramic floor tile? How do I correctly install ceramic floor tile? There's lots of talk about using backerboard and waterproofing membranes, what an acceptable floor deflection is, different grout and thinset additives, ect...

Starting from subfloor-less 16"oc joists, what are the proper materials to use for a professional tile job and in what order are the steps for installing them accomplished? Are there any differences that need be taken into account when doing my kitchen, bathroom and entrance-way floors?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I have worked on about a half dozen seperate tile floors, though! These instructions are not meant for a shower wall or floor, just every day use floors like bathroom, kitchen, mudroom, etc. You should also have a decent bit of knowledge on how to use all the tools safely, and a lot of patience/time. This is not as simple as it sounds!

1) You need to lay down a layer of plywood. A half inch is good, but 3/4 in is better. IIRC, modern building code calls for 3/4 in. plywood. Screw it down and make sure there are minimal gaps. In the picture below, I had to replace a lot of plywood because some of it rotted through due to improper tiles laid before.

If you plan on any drains, toilet connections, or any other holes in the floor, try to figure out where they will be and make a approximate hole. If it's a little larger than it needs to be, it's not a big deal. Your plywood should be close but doesn't have to perfectly 100% nanometer precision fit your floor area.

Make sure your plywood doesn't move, creak, or slide around. If it does, rip it up and do it again so it doesn't. Bad subfloor = bad tile job = you fix it now, or you fix it in a few months/years.

Note: I took this picture part way through replacing the plywood.

2) Now your plywood is down. nice work! Next you will need to install something called "Hardie Board" or Cement backer board. This serves two purposes;

It is an extra layer of firm surface between plywood and tiles. Since plywood tends to have slight give (Which would cause tiles to crack), cement board goes in between and stops the slight give. By itself however, the cement board is too brittle and may not be strong enough to stretch between your joists.
It acts as a moisture barrier. For some reason if your tiles "leaked", the cement board would stop the water before it rots your plywood (Or in my case, the builders didn't use it, and I had to replace a lot of plywood).

Hardie board typically comes in two thicknesses, 1/2 in and 1/4 in. If you have only 1/2 in of plywood, I highly recommend 1/2 in hardie board. (You don't want someone to fall through the floor!). If you have 3/4 in (or two layers of plywood), the decision is yours. Try to match as close as possible with your surrounding floors.

You will need to cut your hardie board to fit as close as possible your entire floor. It is easier to cut strait lines with a masonry circular saw blade. You can use a masonry blade on a handheld jigsaw to do more precise cuts. You can also score and snap cement board. Be careful though, cement board is brittle and it can snap easily, sometimes too much! (That means start over). Also, you don't want to line up the seams on your cement board with the seams on your plywood. Try to overlap them by at least a few inches if possible, and try to use large pieces of cement board, not 1,000 tiny pieces.

IMPORTANT!!!!
Cement board cutting makes a lot of dust. It goes everywhere. I recommend cutting OUTSIDE!

  Many tile makers suggest/require a layer of thinset between the plywood and the cement board. It's not for bonding, it's to fill any spaces - it will also give you a tiny bit of practice before you get to doing it for the tiles. –  Ecnerwal

Once you have your boards all cut out, screw them down using cememt board screws (There is almost always a display case of them next to the cement board.

These are not drywall screws. They are not made of metal, so they cannot rust. They are self drilling (So you don't have to make 1,000 holes).

Put a screw every 6-12 inches, so that you have a nicely dotted floor. Extra screws won't hurt, but be gentle when putting them in near the edge of boards!

RULE OF THUMB: If your subfloor is not rock solid, your floor will break. If it bounces or moves, redo it now.

Take a break and go get some lunch! (Or sleep). You're half way there!

3) Now get your tiles! If you plan on doing a tile sealer (Like for expensive marble tiles) you should apply it before continuing. Decide your grout lines and pick up your spacers and tiles from the store!

Find the longest, strait line in the room. This will be your "strait line" for reference.

Although I have seen professionals who have teams lay tiles as they cement them (Using lines drawn on the cement board to keep them true) lay a bunch of tiles, I recommend dry-laying out and cutting all your tiles. Trying to cement nicely and cut tiles at the same time is frustrating if you do it all yourself.

Cut your strait cuts using a wet saw (Or tile score and snap machine). I won't get in depth here, but be sure if you use a wet saw not to ever turn the tile mid cut. (Blade will shatter into a million pieces.)

If you need to do a weird shape, you can do a lot of strait cuts and then use a tile nipper or pliers to get it just right. Don't be afraid to start over- tiles are only a dollar each!

3.5) Plan your transitions. Do you want to butt the tile up to the carpet or hardwood next to it, or use a marble transition piece? (Transition pieces are easier!)

4) After you cut your tiles and are satisfied with how they are laid out, it is time to mix up the tile morter. You want it thick enough that your trowel can make shapes in it, but not so thick that it sets up before you pour it.
Wear clothes you don't care about. They will get all cement-y

This step is critical, and very hard to get right. Your first floor or two may be a little wavy. Try not to get too perfectionistic though. I promise it will look good if you use your spacers!

When you are sure you are ready to begin, scoop out cement on the floor, then make nice arcing shapes in it like below:

If you have a really tiny or awkward shaped tile (Or not enough room to fit the trowel) you can put the morter right on the back of the tile. The morter should hold the shape of the trowel. Don't pour too much at once or it will dry before you get to it.

Remember to put down your tile spacers as soon as you finish placing the tile. You should also be sure to put some weight (Don't stand on it if you can avoid it) on each tile, to make sure it gets a good connection with the morter. Try to level and evenly space your tiles (You cannot change it later). If a tile doesn't stick or slides around really easily, rip it up and do it again, or risk a compromised floor.
If you take a break, clean up any cement along the tile edge and then you can come back later!

If all goes well, you can pull up your tile spacers and the floor should look like it's coming together!

Once you finish laying all the tiles, let it dry for 24 hours. Don't walk on it for at least 16, and avoid any heavy traffic.

5) Time to grout! Get your grout float, some more junky clothes, and mix up your grout.

Get some grout out and mush it into the cracks. Make sure you really push it down, not just "graze" it over them. You want to then use your grout float to remove the excess grout sitting on top of the tiles. Don't worry if your grout lines aren't perfect. Our goal in this step is to lay the grout, not perfect it YET.

Done with grout? Great! DON'T TAKE A BREAK YET! (The grout will set up, and it's game over. I made this mistake once, and it took me 8 hours strait to scrape the mostly dried grout.)
You need to get out a clean bucket of water and a sponge, and "wash" the tiles. You will wipe off ALL excess grout, and use the sponge to make your "perfect grout lines". Don't press to hard or you will ruin the grout lines. Try to push even and make it look nice!

All done? Nice work! Go back and make sure you didn't miss anything ;)

6) After the grout has dried for two to four hours, it will get cloudy. Use a DRY cheese cloth to wipe away the haze. (Repeat after 1 more hour)

7) Congratulations! You can now seal your floor using one of those spray on seals (Then wipe up excess with a rag). Let it dry, and you're done!

Good job :D


was it ever legal to use 3 wire cable to operate two circuits one neutral 120 volts? My house was built in the early 60s, I have 4 circuits that are created by using 2 3 wire cables, each hot leg goes to a 120v breaker side by side in the panel. The neutral goes to the neutral bus. I don't see any way the breakers could have ever been tied together.  The cables split up somewhere but with all the insulation in  the attic I cannot see where the splits are.  I'm replacing my entrance panel and have to install afci and gfci breakers so at the breaker I will end up short one neutral wire for each pair of circuits. Can I use a short piece of wire from the neutral bus or split the one neutral or will I have to re wire the circuits so each has its own neutral. I have the electric company coming Wed to shut of the power, I just noticed this wiring today while labeling the wires.

I think you are referring to a shared neutral/multi-wire branch circuit.  These are commonly found in kitchens.  They were and still are to code in many areas, but typically I believe their use is limited to kitchens.

You should run a new cable back to the breaker box.  If you were to run an independent cable then it is possible for it to break independently of the rest of the cable, which would leave you with an open neutral which can cause all sorts of problems.  Unless your cable branches from another box, you cannot just run a neutral from one box while the hot comes from another circuit. You have to run a new direct wire anyways, so why not just pull a new cable - it's just as much work as pulling a single wire.

If you do opt to keep the multi-wire branch, the breaker should be tied together so that there is not the possibility of one half being off and the other on (a possibly dangerous scenario if someone assumed the power was cut because one of the circuits did not test live). Likewise, if it trips because of a short, there is a good chance the other hot is close by and you want the second breaker to trip too.


Should I pre-built rafter units, or build them in-place? I'm planning a small roof - 12' x 16', gable style. Almost all the rafters will identical.

Should I build rafter units ahead of time? 2 rafters + a ceiling joist + plywood gussets. I'd make a simple jig on the deck (before the walls are built) to assemble a rafter unit. Like pre-built trusses but DIY.

Or should I put up a ridge beam and install the rafters one at a time?

Below are more specifics about this particular project, but I'm more interested in the general decision making around this question.

Rafters and ceiling joists are 2x6, 24" O.C. Studs are 24" O.C. as well, so each rafter will be right on a stud.

Since you're putting a gable roof on it, I can only assume this is being built for storage purposes, not for aesthetics.

Building it with a glulam ridge beam would be more difficult, but it would be much stronger.  The main issue with a ridge beam design would be lifting the beam into position.  If you can manage that pretty easily, the rest would be a breeze.  I'd put some ceiling joists up at either end, lift one end of the beam over one of the joists, pushing it far enough to clear the ceiling joist on the other side, like so...

B
   B
      B
  JttJttJBttttttttttttttJttJttJ
  S         B                 S
  S            B              S
  S               B           S
  bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbBbbbbbbbbb

B = ridge beam
J = joists at the ends of the barn
S = studs at the ends of the barn
t & b = top and bottom plate

... and then lift the bottom end of the beam up with some ropes.  The joists will need some strength to support the ridge beam, and you'll need to be able to stand on them, so I'd use three 2x6's @ 9" OC on either end (where the outermost "2x6" is actually the top-plate of the walls on either end of the diagram) with some 5/8ths plywood on top of them.  I'd toss in some temporary studs at the center point to make sure the joists hold up to the weight of two people and the ridge beam.  Once the beam is in place, put in the ceiling joists and plywood on top of them to make walking around easier (and to create an attic for extra storage,) then put the rafters up.

Grab some metal brackets for the joists, rafter heels, and rafter/ridge connections (it'll cost you an extra $125, but it will make the structure a lot stronger) from a HI store and your little barn thing will be able to withstand some nasty winds.


How can I repair a hole in my subfloor? I found this hole a while back when removing my old carpet:

It was filled with a bunch of nice razor blades and nails, you know, the kind of stuff you just want to roll around in.  I need to find a way to close up this hole in such a way that the repair job can withstand the same amount of traffic as the undamaged subfloor in my room.

Using a circular saw set to the thickness of the sub floor, cut a square between the center of the two nearest joists. The saw is held on an angle and slowly lowered to the floor, then moved to the cut lines. BE CAREFUL WHEN LOWERING THE SAW KEEP YOU LIMBS AWAY FROM THE BACK OF THE BLADE if you lower the blade to fast, it can wheel off backwards cutting a leg or so! Once you cut out your square a new piece of sub floor of the same thickness can be screwed in place in the joists. A 2 x 4" can be placed on each end as a "nailer" to join the old sub floor to the new piece.

See How to plunge cut


How do I repair cracks in a plaster ceiling? I have a bungalow house built in the early 1930's.  It is in remarkable condition and has been well maintained.  In the last few weeks a few cracks have shown up in the ceiling.  There is an upstairs but I see no water damage and the area above the cracks is a crawlspace with nothing really in it.  My wife has suggested tape, spackle, and paint for the repair.  The cracks are ~1/16" wide now but run most of the length of the ceiling from the back wall towards the front (about 13' of a 16' wide room).

Is the tape, spackle, paint method effective?  I do not want to spend $500 on a contracter for something i can do myself in 20 min of effort, but I also do not want to throw up a quick fix if it is something that really needs a greater fix.  Any suggestions?

If the cracks have appeared recently and are still growing (in length and number) then this potentially indicates something serious.

Before you attempt any repair - which is perfectly possible using the method you outline - get someone in to have a look so see what might be causing them.

Have you put anything up in the crawlspace recently, or taken anything out?

Have you had an unusually wet or dry spell? This will change the ground conditions possibly causing the house to move which in turn could cause the cracking.


Furnace end bell burned out twice in 4 years We moved into a house with a 12 year old goodman (Xenon brand but I was told goodman parts) and two end bells on the furnace fan motor have burned out now (I know from the old owners receipts it happened before). The folks who repaired can't tell me why...that I seem to have a lemon. I use MERV 11 filters, have the furnace cleaned annually and vents cleaned last year. Any thoughts on what might cause this and anything I could look into so we don't have this happen again. @chris mentions airflow potentially...how do I know if Adjustments are needed?
Also, I read that the newer furnace filters MERV 11 and under have good airflow...is there a way to test my system for airflow and how the filter way to affecting this? I can easily change air filters if that is this is the consensus though.
I don't know if this means anything or not, but we also have water dripping out of the air return during the air conditioning season...I thought I heard repairman say that fan speed could be adjusted to fix this...any ideas?

It sounds like you have an ECM "constant flow" blower that ramps up output as high as necessary to maintain the set airflow (aka an ECM constant torque motor).  A MERV 11 filter is too restrictive for most residential systems.  In this case, the motor would compensate for the restrictive filter by running harder and hotter to maintain the airflow.  Switch to a MERV 8 filter (it's still a pretty good filter).  If your system delivers more airflow than you need, then also set the airflow selector switches in the furnace to a lower setting.  Obviously the air filter should also be changed regularly before it becomes plugged or the blower will again ramp up to a very high level to compensate.

EDIT; Specifics related to OP's situation:

It turns out OP has a very high performance MERV 11 filter which if correctly matched to the system might be OK.  The stamp on the side of the filter states "Airflow Capacity up to 1400 CFM."  In reality I would expect this to mean this filter might be successfully employed on a system with a 3 ton cooling capacity (3 tons / 1200 cfm).  It would not work for a larger system.

I found more detailed information on an air cleaner that uses OP's media here:

http://www.cleancomfort.com/assets/Brochures_SpecSheets/Filtration/SS-AM11-3225.pdf

The referenced unit above uses two (2) AMP-M1-1056 filters and therefore handles twice the airflow of OP's setup.  In my experience a pleated filter is near its end of life when the static pressure drop reaches about 0.2" WC.  Looking at the "AM11-3225-5 Pressure Drop vs. Air Flow Rate" chart on page 2, one sees 0.2" static pressure loss corresponds to 2600 CFM for two filter cartridges when new.  So according to this chart, 1300 CFM would be the max airflow through OP's one cartridge when new and if one were to run the filter at that high a flow it would need to be changed very frequently (at least monthly?) because it would become more restrictive as it filled with particles.

My conclusion:  If OP's system does not exceed 3 tons / 1200 CFM and OP changes the filters monthly (normal intervals of 3-6 months are plausible if the system is 2 tons / 800 CFM or smaller) then the existing setup is probably OK.  Otherwise switch to something less restrictive.


Can I use a split tab switch for mains voltage and low voltage? LeGrand (Pass & Seymour) make a multi-control single pole switch with a split tab TM8113WCC, which allows for the control of two independent circuits on a single yoke (one box).  Code question: is it permissible to run a mains voltage (120V) circuit on one side of this device and a low-voltage circuit on the other?

This is OK provided that the wires to the fan control switch are treated as 120VAC wires as per 725.46:

  Class 1 Circuit Wiring Methods. Class I circuits shall be installed in
  accordance with Part I of Article 300 and with the wiring methods from the
  appropriate articles in Chapter 3.

(i.e. run using NM and not communications-type cable/wire) and as per 725.48(B)(1):

  (B) Class 1 Circuits with Power-Supply Circuits. Class 1 circuits shall be
  permitted to be installed with power-supply conductors as specified in
  725.48(B)(1) through (B)(4).

  (1) In a Cable, Enclosure, or Raceway. Class 1 circuits and power-supply
  circuits shall be permitted to occupy the same cable, enclosure, or raceway only
  where the equipment powered is functionally associated.

since the control wires are with the fan's power wires, and we can safely treat them as a Class 1 control circuit using the provisions of 725.130, Exception 2:

  Exception No.2: Class 2 and Class 3 circuits shall be permitted to be
  reclassified and installed as Class 1 circuits if the Class 2 and Class 3
  markings required in 725.124 are eliminated and the entire circuit is
  installed using the wiring methods and materials in accordance with Part II,
  Class 1 circuits.


Pressure tank with no Schrader valve How do I pressurize an old tank with no air valve m

Drain it, then turn on the pump.

Old tanks had no bladder, so the air and water are not separated. As a result, there's no pre-pressurization, and the size of tank needed for the same effect is considerably larger. A properly set up and maintained system also has a (prone to fail) widget that adds air to the water coming from the well, since the air in the tank will dissolve into the water in the tank over time and make the system "waterlogged" causing short-cyling of the pump - requiring draining the tank again. If the widget is working right that's less prone to happen, since more air is added each time water is pumped.

Lived through it growing up, purchased a bladder type tank without batting an eyelash when the time came to set up my own well. But if you are not yet at the stage of fixing/upgrading the system, simply draining the tank before you start pumping water is what you do.


Repairing wall near shower and floor - drywall repair We recently moved into an older house with a pretty rough master bathroom with a walk in shower. The corner of the shower door appears to be a little leaky so I was going to sit down and replace caulk and clean a bit, but the wall by the corner was crumbly as soon as I touched it (see the first image). One thing led to another and I removed those baseboard tiles (there were two, a long one you see in the first image and a small one by the corner just out of frame), cut out all the damaged drywall, and ended up with the hole you see in the second picture.

I got some cement board and have attached it to cover the hole like you see in the third picture. I needed a wider piece on bottom to run from end to end so hopefully that isn't too weird an arrangement. The reddish messy thing on the corner is I guess the metal corner bead which I'll try to clean off a bit. The two tiles by the shower door are part of larger tiles so I couldn't remove them without taking off the shower door, which would turn this into more than I could probably do, although maybe that would have been ideal?

Before I do anything too irreversible the plan was to tape and apply a couple of coats of joint compound (which seems like it'll be awkward with the little space I have but hopefully doable). Reattach the tiles with thinset mastic, and then caulk everything, sand, prime, paint.

I just want to run this by people to see if this plan is the right way to do this or if I should take those pieces off and do something else with this.

The first question is, has the leak been addressed? It’s difficult to tell from the photo the cause of the leak. If you feel it has been adequately fixed, then continue with your repair. What you’ve done looks good. The previous work inside the wall is not pretty.

Next steps: Using fiberglass tiling tape, seal the seams between existing wallboard and new backerboard and between the two pieces you’ve installed. Apply mastic/mortar to match depth of existing wall board. Depending on the difference between the two surfaces, you may have to do two application of mortar to match depth.

While you can use the tile mastic, Thinset mortar mix is somewhat better for this application. The difference is the bond created. The mastic makes a chemical bond and the mortar makes a mechanical bond. Regardless, make sure to seal up all exposed area. Allow all new seams to dry completely before next steps.

Once dry, you can now reset the tiles. Be certain to use a notched trowel to apply mortar/mastic for proper setting and curing. The notches provide air into the joint to facilitate curing. After reset is dry, clean area with a tile sponge and plain water. Grout as normal, let dry. Use a premium grout sealer on new install, then a silicone caulking around all tile and to the shower, making certain any old caulking has been removed.

Use joint compound on area not covered by tile. Apply skimcoat of compound over the mortar/mastic you have previously applied, and texture to match existing wall. Sand, and paint as usual.

Finally, I recommend getting a hand steamer to throughly clean and restore the shower rails and existing grout. It really works well to rid all fungus stain and lime build-up without chemicals which will degrade new and existing grout. I use my steamer to clean multiple surfaces; best cleaning tool investment ever.


20 amp Circuit, 15 amp switch that controls receptacles ok? I have a 20 amp circuit in my home (the breaker is 20 amps). On that circuit there is a light switch rated for 15 amps that controls three 15 amp receptacles.

Is the 15 amp switch ok, or should it be a 20 amp light switch?

Dean MacGregor is correct.

Here is the pertinent National Electrical Code Article.

  Article 404.14(F) Cord- and Plug-Connected Loads.  Where a snap switch or control device is used to control cord- and plug-connected equipment on a general-purpose branch circuit, each snap switch or control device controlling receptacle outlets or cord connectors that are supplied by permanently connected cord pendants shall be rated at not less than the rating of the maximum permitted ampere rating or setting of the overcurrent device protecting the receptacles or cord connectors, as provided in 210.21(B).

So, basically the switch needs to be a 20 amp switch for multiple receptacles on a 20 amp circuit.


Why did my sink drain blockage clear after several weeks? Recently I installed a new kitchen in a flat in a very old house (1830s) in a neighbourhood known for sagging pipes.

The old pipes up to the soil stack were cleaned by a pro, after the kitchen was installed. Naturally the sink got blocked (only draining very slowly). Plungers were applied and as last resort some chemicals. Nothing worked.

After doing dishes by hand for a while (2 weeks), rather than the dishwasher, the sink is magically free again. Is it possible that this is just delayed reaction to the chemical drain cleaner, or was it the increased flow from the manual washing that did the trick? I have never seen a sink unblock itself before.

Happens here fairly frequently.  Stationary tub and washing machine share a drain line.  Tub isn't used much.  Side flow from the washing machine refills the tub trap with dirty water.  Eventually it gets enough crud that the drain slows.   Use the sink, and the first 3-4 inches of water drain slowly, then it flushes the crud out.

In your case, a slow response to the chemicals seems probable.


Gas fireplace partially lighting When I'm lighting my gas fireplace, there are two rows of flames that typically ignite... An upper and lower part. The upper always lights first followed by the bottom. Lately the lower part has not been completely lighting. This morning only a quarter of the bottom lit. Any ideas what the problem is? And do you think there's any safety issue with running it this way temporarily until it is resolved.... It is our only source of heat today until our new furnace is installed

I find the burner needs maintenance when not burning with all ports, usually the holes are plugged with rust and a wire brush works great to clean, in some cases with heavy cast burners I have needed to poke a steel wire through the holes to clear the debris out. Is there a safety issue? Yes you are not getting proper combustion this can lead to excess gas build up and even higher CO levels, usually burners are easy to clean give it a try with a wire brush and see if that solves the problem, if not a wire or small drill bit can be used to clear the holes.


How long does caulk need to dry in a 1" gap? There's a large gap under the part of the shower stall that touches the wall because of the way the bathroom floor is slanted. When we first moved in the caulk that was put there by the workers washed away. I removed all the original caulk and started over. I filled in the large gap completely with about a tube of caulk. That evening the toilet flooded the outside and washed away some caulk. By then I had realized there should have been some material stuffed into the gap for all that caulk to adhere to. I found some foam/plastic tubing that goes around mirrors and cut a couple pieces to fit the gap. I stuffed them in on the side where the caulk had come lose. Then I re-caulked that side. Now it's been a couple of days and while the outside of the caulk is stiff it still gives way when pressed. I guess it's still wet inside.

My question is: when will it be safe to use the shower?

safe to use the shower is a relative question.  when will it be safe to use it so that its use doesn't compromise the caulking seal?  never - it was already compromised the moment you did it that way.

caulking shrinks as it dries, and the speed at which it dries changes how it polymerizes.  when you make a huge blob of caulking, you seal in much of the solvent and that changes how the sealant cures dramatically.  essentially, the inside of the caulking is still wet with solvent, which prevents the material from properly linking together to make a waterproof plastic membrane.  since that waterproof membrane has to adhere to the surrounding surfaces to keep water out, it can't.  thats the key to success.

too much caulk means the membrane never fully forms.  you get a layer on the outside just thick enough to hold in the solvent.  now, when you wet it with water, the water also seals in the solvent.  since there is flex in every joint, everytime you stand on it or near it, or swing the door, or fart strongly, the joint moves.  however, instead of a strong, well adhered plastic membrane flexing and returning, all you are doing is tearing the thin outer membrane and letting in a little air to further cure a tiny bit inside the tear.  this will continue for weeks until the boundary between the new sealant and the substrate is completely sheared through, and even then you may not have fully cured caulk.  as the curing process continues, the caulk will shrink until that boundary is not only fully disconnected from the substrate, but also shrunk to the point where the boundary is a gap.  then water gets in again.

to do it right, you have to follow these steps:

1)  remove all old sealant mechanically.
2)  using whatever solvents are necessary, clean off all remaining traces of the preexisting sealants (this is important, as you need new sealants to bond to the substrate, not the old sealant)
3)  mechanically abrade (sand) the new joint areas to promote proper adhesion.
4)  if the gap is bigger than 1/4", fill it with a compatible seam filling rope or extrusion that is compatible with your sealant and the type of movement you are going to have.
5)  seal with a good quality urethane or silicone sealant.  don't use latex sealants inside showers or bathtubs, no matter how much it says you can on the packaging.

and for the love of god, do your work carefully and with some attention to craftsmanship.  it looks like you put that sealant in and smoothed it out with an old shoe.


Cleaning "Builder's foam" off where it shouldn't be I recently had my windows changed. The workers spilled what I only know as "Builder's Foam" on my wall (and floor, but I fixed that). I have worked with this material myself and I know from experience that cleaning it off is an effing mess - unless you manage to clean it before it starts setting/puffing up.

Question: What is the best way to clean Builder's Foam[1] off semi-sensitive surfaces? (example: Painted walls, wallpaper, hardwood floors)

The workers in question seems to have solved it with mechanical/abrasion of the wall and then repainting. I cleaned the floor with careful application of a razorblade and light brushing.

[1] If Builders Foam is not understandable to everyone: It is a liquid-ish insulation/setting material that is often used to either insulate places you can't really reach or as a fast way to insulate around a window while at the same time providing structural support. It is blue, and it slowly "puffs up" after you apply it, setting in a foam-like rigid space-filling... foam. I don't know it's proper name, bonus points for identifying it...

It's called 'spray foam insulation'

Acetone (nail polish remover) will remove it - but it potentially will damage the surface that got contaminated.

On an unrelated note - you should demand that the window company pay you for damages/cleaning.


How do we remove a 1940 Crane tub spout base adapter that is inside the wall? We have a 1940 Crane bathtub spout that leaks when the shower-head is on.  We want to replace the spout, so we have removed it but need to remove the base adapter (correct term?) that is inside the wall. We have been unable to find the right tool that is compatible with the fitter on the old adapter. Does anyone know where we can find one?

FIXED IT. I found a better solution: heat-shrink tubing. I couldn't get gasket material to reliably adhere to the metal with epoxy, as Tim suggested.

I used heat-shrink tubing with an expanded diameter of ~1.5 inches. It's 3M brand, but I'm not sure which specific product. I used a hair dryer to shrink it because I don't have a heat gun.

It seals well and has held up almost a year already with no obvious signs of wear. When it does wear out, I'll cut it off and shrink another piece on.


need help with completing Zone, Thermostat and low pressure wiring for a Alpine Boiler ALP150 i have completed most of the connections to the boiler expect for
Zone values, Thermostat and low pressure monitoring.

i need help with understanding if i need to purchase a 24v transformer ? and how to serial connect the wiring with regard to zones valves, thermostat and low pressure monitoring.

First things first, you'll need a transformer to step power down from 120 volts to 24 volts. Next, you'll obviously need a zone valve.  You'll also need a thermostat, to actually determine when the heat should come on.  You'll need a thermostat and zone valve for each zone, but a transformer should be able to supply a few zones.

Start by connecting one of the yellow leads from all the zone valves, to one of the leads from the transformer.  Next connect a wire from the R terminal of each thermostat, to the other transformer lead.  Connect the other yellow lead from each zone valve, to the W terminal of the corresponding thermostats.

Gather up one of the red leads from each of the zone valves, and connect them to one of the Heating T-Stat terminals in the boiler (using a pigtail is the proper way to do this, as you're only allowed one wire under screw terminals. Gather up all the other red leads from the zone valves, and connect them to the other Heating T-Stat terminal in the boiler.

Example wiring for a single zone

That's it.  Now when a thermostat calls for heat, it will open the appropriate valve, and signal the boiler.


How can i figure out which wires go where, if the colors at the furnace don't match the thermostat? I have an old system and want to update the thermostat

however, the white-rodgers thermostat has no letters such as R,G,B,Y,W,C

So I checked out the furnace terminate wires and the colors of the wires
do not match the colors of the wires on the thermostat.

Thus, i can't follow the colors of the wires up from the furnace.

If the wires from the old thermostat to the furnace are not the same colors at each end it seems to imply that there is a cable splice somewhere along the run where someone did a hack job of the splice work.

All is not lost however. You can figure this out fairly easily though. Start by disconnecting all the wires at both ends. (You may want to document the colors to terminals at the furnace end before you go and remove them all). Then get a temporary wire that you can run loose through the house between the two end points. Now temporarily connect the loose wire to each of the thermostat wires in turn and at the furnace end use a multimeter in "ohms mode" or a continuity tester to find which one of the furnace connection wires shows a connection back through to the end of the temporary wire. Write down the color relationship for a permanent record and for use in aiding you in connecting up the new thermostat.


What are some strategies for achieving a 2' eave overhang? I am planning a shed-roof (not gable) workshop and would like to have a 2' rake overhang. I know the standard way to frame this would be do to 16" or 1' and support it with blocking, the rafter tail/ridge, and the plywood sheathing.

For a longer overhang, that is not sufficient. What strategies can be used to support a 2' overhang without hurting the structural integrity of the last rafter (which needs to remain in-tact since it is cantilevered, as you can see in the design).

Double the second rafter in (first one in is the one over the wall) and instead of blocks supporting an overhang, run 2X from the doubled rafter over the sloped wall and connect to the  overhanging rafter. Fill in with blocks between the cantilevered 2X to close those areas in.

Another way is a take on the same thing, but using 2X4 set flat into notches (lookouts) in the top of the rafter set over the sloped wall. The under side can be filled in with short blocks to carry  finish material under the soffit if you choose.


How to repair holes in wall and properly mount a clothes pole? We just moved into our house and tried hanging up my wife's winter clothes. Once we had both sides of the racks filled up the whole thing fell down. We had a handy man come out, and we figured out there isn't a stud where the middle bracket is. He tried to repair the piece to wall (originally supported with 15+ nails) however it would not support it. He was able to get it up back up with two silver anchors that you can see in the picture stating not to hang heavy stuff anymore.
Today we tried  just hanging up lighter clothes today (athletic wear) and the anchors came out of the wall. I am frustrated now because we want to hang up our cloths on the top racks because of the ample amount of space, but we are unable to do so due to the fear of it collapsing. Does anyone know of a way to possibly fix this?

Jack is right.  Take down the old mounting piece.  Buy a new longer piece of plywood that will extend over to the nearest studs.  You can take the old wood piece into the store to use for color matching a pint of paint.  You could paint it outside before attaching it to the wall.
Then center the new piece along the wall for aesthetics and use heavy screws to screw it into the studs.  This would hide the old torn out drywall holes.  You can then mount the old hardware with L brackets.
Alternatively, you could try to mount a taller piece of wood that extends up to the ceiling and screw diagonally up to the wall's frame.
Just a thought... You might be able to see the studs from above.  I see the attic access right there.


How can I fix multiple layers of paint on window trim? In our new house, we have discovered that the previous owner simply added a new layer of paint to the entire house whenever it began to peel. The paint job around the window sill and trim is particularly bad so everything is lumpy and bumpy. There are drip marks all over and layers of cracking paint.

Can someone with painting experience please advise me on this problem?

I am thinking that I need to scrape off all of the old paint first and then paint again. What is the easiest way to go about this project? If I scrape it all off, what precautions should I take to ensure we don't have the peeling paint issue again?

Removal is your best bet. Whether you use a heat gun, which much care will be needed since burning what will be bare wood eventually can easily occur. Also you will need to wear a respirator to get past any harmful fumes from the off gassing of the heated paint. Various shapes of scrapers will still be needed to clear out the crevices to freshen up the look of the existing trim. You have some nice trim there it would be great to reveal it from under all the layers.

There is another way top go, with paint remover. There is a brand that uses a cheesecloth that is imbedded into the remover and it allows many layers to lift off at one time. Something to consider and research.

The heat gun treatment will only need a fine sanding and dusting to get a paintable surface.
Some paint removers will need a neutralizer in some cases, rinsing in others. All depends on the products recommendations. Fine sanding and dusting is recommended here too. I give you a chance to check the quality of the removal before priming.


Did I ruin my bathroom faucet during descaling? I wanted to descale my bathroom faucet (for taking showers), so I put some vinegar on a tissue and put it on the faucet.

I left it for 7-8 hours and when I wake up my faucet looks like this:

It has indeed been descaled, but note how the color has vanished on the right part that controls the cold water. How is it possible that vinegar can do that? I think it is made of chrome, I thought vinegar should be OK for that?

Im am no expert in this topic, But I do clean metals often. I can only say what I would try. Most of the time the answer is just to polish and clean manually.

From what I can see, you have relatively hard water, and you tried to clean mineral deposits off the faucet. The Vinegar was the correct application, however you are left with some residual mineral deposit which was not removed by the acid wash (vinegar)

I would try now to clean the excess deposits manually. what you don't want to do is damage the chrome surface so steer clear from any sand papers or rough pads you should only use sponge or cloth. Also recommended is to use some toothpaste as your abrasive additive, it will have just enough grit to get the chrome clean.

Try to find a long thin piece of cloth, put a dab of toothpaste and wrap the cloth around the tap, then pull both ends one at a time to make a diy polisher.  If you could get one person to "shank" the cloth (pull-pull motion) while you use the back of a spoon to press the cloth harder against the tap (at a point) you will get some really good polish action going.


Draft Inducer replacement motor part number The draft inducer motor in my Payne furnace started making a whining sound the other night, so I ordered a replacement from Ebay. My part number is HC21ZE121A, and the motor I got is missing the 'A' at the end. Are they functionally equivalent? Is this just a Carrier vs Payne branding thing?

I got a response from the seller, an HVAC technician.

"The 'A' was used by Carrier on some older model motors produced and is irrelevant. The parts produced currently by Carrier/RDC no longer reference this character."


Replace 6 fuses with 2 breakers? I hired an electrician replace my old 6 fuse subpanel with breakers at an existing newer subpanel. I thought I’d get wires running from each circuit to a new breaker, but all he did was wire the six circuits to the old 10 gauge feeder he disconnected from the main (3 on the red and 3 on the black) and then run the feeder to a new junction box where he ran two 12 gauge lines to 2 new 20 amp breakers on the newer subpanel. He says this meets code.

The 6 circuits are the doorbell and 5 knob and tube serving 4 rooms and a bathroom. 11 total outlets, 11 lights, 4 smoke detectors, 1 bathroom fan. Am I right that there should be 6 new breakers, 15 A for the lights and 20A for the outlets?

Assuming the wires are all 12 AWG, this meets Code.

However, current Code requires dedicated circuits to certain rooms and loads, e.g. bathroom receptacles must serve only bathrooms; two kitchen countertop circuits; dedicated washing machine circuit; yadayada. Your setup as it was, with six circuits was Grandfathered, not obliged to be brought to current Code, however, you cannot make things worse.  So for instance if one circuit once served a bathroom receptacle and 2 others, and now serves a bathroom receptacle and 5 others, that qualifies as "worse" and is not allowed.

You'll be able to charge a cell phone from any outlet.   You'll be able to run a heater from any outlet.  Two heaters.. good luck LOL.  This is the problem with this setup.  Why would the electrician really cheap out on this deal?

I can think of two possibilities. Some people worry about "old" Knob-n-Tube having arcing faults or ground faults.  I think Knob-n-Tube is awesome, but discretion being the better part of fandom, I would still put K&T circuits on an AFCI breaker because that will detect most potential K&T problems (as well as most potential Romex problems), and GFCI also because that rounds up the last of potential problems, and allows 3-prong plugs on ungrounded circuits.  I suspect the electrician did in fact put them on AFCI, and at $50 each, there wasn't budget for 6 of them. (possibly because you set the budget? ;)

Second, speaking of multi-wire branch circuits, back in the K&T day they positively loved multi-wire branch circuits.  That's where 2 hots share a neutral, and this works if the hots are on opposite poles.  I presume the electrician did attempt AFCI and/or GFCI. Those require a 2-pole AFCI/GFCI breaker, and the installer may not have been able to figure out the intended MWBC topology, or there may have been illicit neutral-sharing that would prevent an AFCI/GFCI from working.  The easy fix is to put all hots which share neutrals (properly or not) on the same single breaker.

Absolutely, if I had done the job, it would have been six circuits, possibly three multi-wire branch circuits and a spare /3 to avoid hitting NEC 310.15b3a limits whilst giving me some expansion room.  I'm not even thinking of MWBC because the Knob-n-Tube might have that; I just like how it lets you get 8 circuits within 310.15b3a limits.

I have no idea where you got the notion of a 15A breaker.  Breaker size has nothing to do with circuit function. It has to do with

the wires downline of the breaker
not in this case, but in larger circuits, the type of receptacle
not in this case, but in some cases, the instructions provided with the appliance
not in this case, but sometimes, motor or welder spec

Not counting wires built into lamps, switches or other appliances... If your wires downline contain any wires which are #14, then the breaker must be 15A.  If all wires are #12 or larger, 20A is correct.  Any circuit which serves common NEMA 5-15 sockets (you know the one) must be 15A or 20A.


Gas shut-off inside plaster: why? We are switching old gas range for a new one and were surprised when we pulled it out and discovered we couldn't shut off the gas without first cutting out the drywall/plaster around the shut-off valve.

This seems terrible - nearly impossible to do in an emergency without special tools (and cutting the wall).  Is there any valid reason this might have been done this way?  What's our best option for when we hook up the new range - I don't want to leave things impossible to reach, are there options to add another shutoff valve further along the connection?

Here are two pictures of how it looked when we moved the range and after we freed the shutoff:

Gas shut-off inside plaster: why?

Because your house was built by 'professionals', and not a DIYer who plans on living with the end product.

  Is there any valid reason this might have been done this way?

No.

  are there options to add another shutoff valve further along the connection?

Sure.  I wouldn't bother though.  What you did by freeing the existing valve is good enough.

That valve is there for people to be able to remove the appliance for service or replacement.  It's not for emergencies.  And once the appliance is moved out it's plenty accessible.

For emergencies, go outside and use the valve by the meter to cut off gas supply.


Jet water pump runs forever and water tank never fills I just bought a new house that was winterized and vacant for about 6 months.  It has a deep well with a jet pump.  When I turn the pump on, the tank does not fill up but water does come out of the taps.  The pressure doesn't go over about 40 kpa and the pump never shuts off.  I've been keeping the pump turned off unless I actually need water.

I had a plumber look at it and he said it was probably something obstructing the jet in the well, but he won't be able to come back to work on it for several days.  Is his diagnosis accurate?  Is this something I could do myself?  I couldn't find any instructions for pulling a jet out of a well online.

Sounds like there is too much air in the tank. Or he bladder is actually broken in the tank.

Depending on where the valve stem is you can check by removing the valve core and seeing if water come out of where the air should be.  Meaning you have to replace the tank. Or add air to the tank with a nearby faucet open and if possible close all valves leading to the house in order to shorten up and isolate the tank. If air comes out of the open tap. Bad tank.   Also the tank could be flat.  In which case add air and start draining the tank.  Don't add too much air this could rupture the bladder

If you get the tank drained you want to set the air at around 2-3 psi lower than your low pressure switch setting


Who manufactured this shower diverter valve? I am replacing the diverter valve in a 1963 residential shower and wondering if anyone knows the make and model from the maker's marks on this hardware?

I see imprinted: P-P, C.W., and 18. The hardware appears to be cast iron and brass, with one nylon lock washer, and one rubber washer.

"P-P" is likely Price-Pfister. Since 2010, they have been known simply as Pfister.


How can I insulate my garage door? Over the past year I've been converting our integrated garage so that it's a usage space.

I've painted the walls, got lighting, power and water connected (To allow for a washing machine to be installed) plus floor is now carpeted using tiles. Also I've installed lots of shelving and storage.

It's become a really useful space in the house now, that we use for projects, storage and lots of other tasks.

However being early December the weather is quite cold, which means the garage gets pretty chilling. The garage door at one end of the garage takes up the entire end and is a large metal door. So basically one end of the garage is a giant heatsink!

In order to prevent so much heat loss I'm thinking of doing the following:

Attaching loft insulation to the inside of the door
Installing draft excluders at the bottom (and possibly) sides of the door

Thoughts, suggestions, feedback?

I just finished our garage this past summer and here are a few things I did.

I insulated the garage door by cutting pieces of rigid insulation foam to fit into each piece of the garage door.  You can glue them on and then seal the edges with expanding foam or caulk.

On the side of garage door I installed weather strips and also on the top/bottom of the door so that it is sealed when the door closes.

If you have any windows I would make sure to seal them (I boxed mine in with wood and then caulked).  Also depending how you finished the bottom of the garage walls, I would seal the bottom (my drywall buts up right to the cement floor, so I sealed the space with expanding foam and cut the excess away).


How do I find and eliminate a sickly sweet smell in my apartment with no obvious source? Ever since the start of winter my studio apartment has been smelling quite bad. The smell is sweet and astringent, almost like rancid ice cream or sweet vomit. The apartment is only one room and a bathroom, and thorough investigations (i.e. sniffing) from several people, including the building managers, came to no conclusion as to where it originates. It seems that the smell is strongest in the middle of the room.

Since the smell seems to somehow be connected to the heat, I should mention that the apartment has one big baseboard radiator. There could possibly be something in between the fins although no particular portion of the radiator seems to emanate the smell. FWIW the managers seem to think that the radiator is not the source (although they do not have an alternative theory either). There is only one vent (in the bathroom) and it also does not smell, and turning the fan on and off in the vent makes no difference. The apartment is next door to an elevator shaft. The elevator does not smell, nor the hallway outside the apartment (unless the smell is really strong inside and seeps out the door, which sometimes happens). I checked outside the neighboring apartments, both on the same floor and one floor down (I live on the top floor) and none of them seem to have the smell emanate from the door.

Finally, none of the previous renters have complained about any smell to the management company. My questions are:

What could be causing the smell? Anyone know of perhaps drugs or animals that smell particularly sweet?
Who could I call that would be able to identify it?
What other ideas do you have in tracking down and/or eliminating the smell?

Unfortunately nothing seems to work. I have tried an UV light, but no anomalous things popped out. I did not try an IR camera, and that's due to costs. The solution: move within the month. At this point it is the most economical. I have about a week left before I renew my lease, so unless something miraculous happens during that time I'll just rent a truck and find a new place.

Update: It's a been a long time since I posted this and have moved around quite a bit. I am pretty sure now that the smell was some form of smoked drug, like meth or crack, seeping in from a neighbor. I arrived at this conclusion after encountering a severely impaired individual on the train who smelled the same way... coincidence perhaps, but it fits the pattern


Is it acceptable to install new cabinets parallel with the floor rather than plumb and level? My house sits on a slab that is currently not level. Given that I have plans to correct the foundation issues in about 1.5-2 years, does it make sense to install the cabinets so that they are squared up against the floor (with the countertop as parallel as possible with the floor - presumably I would still re-shim as best I could following the slab corrections)? Or should I still stick to keeping things as level as possible?

Also, aside from the obvious, what would the consequences be of not keeping them level?

Update: Thes severity of the slope has the bubble on my level almost touching one of the vial markers. So it's not perfectly centered, but is still between them. I'm not sure if that means anything (or if there is any kind of standard that dictates vial parameters like those limit markers - otherwise what's just inside on my level might be different on another level).

Step one of redoing the slab is pulling those cabinets back out. IMO, only you can define acceptable. 1-2y, eh? So, like anywhere from 5 years to "temporary-permanant"...?

Just do it right or the doors won't stay closed and all your carrots will roll off. It'd be easier and better to shim the piecemeal cabinets, instead of the entire counter top along each and every one of its contact points all at once.

You have to shim one or the other (sometimes both), why not do it from the get-go? Resign yourself to pulling them out when the time comes and life will be a lot easier. Having "plans" is no excuse for schlock in the meantime.


Electric panel radiator won't turn on but it is warm where the gauge is I have bought this house from 78 and it has nobö electric panel radiators 400V. I tried to turn them on for the first time but they won't turn on. The interesting thing is they are a bit warm where the temperature gauge is. What could be wrong with them?

Without the manual I can't tell but my guess is the green tab sets the turn on temperature and the red stop is the turn off temperature.

Set the green up to 25°C and see what happens. Set the red where you want it to shut off.


Can a portable swamp cooler be hooked into a central air duct and recirculate? I know that normally, swamp coolers take in external hot dry air, and put it out as cool wet air.

I live in the hot So. Cal. desert area. A small swamp cooler is cheap to buy, but won't do my whole house.

My thought: Can I take the hot, dry, internal air, get it moist/cool, send it through the central air ducts (to put some cool air into the rooms), and then just cycle that around again? The thinking is that it will eventually put enough water into the air that the humidity will persist long enough to actually be cool, without having to constantly re-cool fresh hot air.

But ... this seems too simple -- if it would work, wouldn't this have been done already?

Where they work, swamp coolers work because evaporating water cools the air being pulled in (via latent heat of vaporization - go visit a chemistry site if that's a concept you haven't gotten in your education.)

Making the air humid does not, in itself make it cool - at a given temperature, humid air feels warmer to people, as sweat evaporates poorly. Starting from hot dry air, the swamp cooler makes cool, moist air. Starting from warm moist air, it just blows warm moist air around.

So, if you recirculate swamp-cooler air, the air in your house becomes increasingly humid, with two effects - one is that it evaporates less water at the swamp cooler, and thus is cooled less, and the other is that the internal air becomes more humid. In the long term, it will be more uncomfortable in the house than out, as house temperature will rise to outside temperature, but be more humid.


Furnace struggles to ignite after new inducer motor I recently replaced the inducer motor and wheel on my 15 yr old Payne furnace due to very loud and annoying operation.  The new motor made a huge difference... runs much smoother and quieter.  But the other morning I awoke to a cold house and realized the furnace was locked out.  The code read that there was a lack of flame being sensed.  After resetting, cleaning the flame rod, and watching it operate, the burners will light for an instant, but go out immediately.  Almost like there is too much air flow to allow ignition. (reminds me of trying to light a torch on a windy day) After the third try, it did finally ignite and appear to run normally.  Any ideas?

First off, I am going to assume you replace the inducer motor and wheel with the proper replacement. They are sized exactly to provide enough flow through the heat exchanger while maintaining a negative pressure in the vent pipe.
That said, you are having a problem with flame proving. You cleaned the flame sensor but unless you have extremely dirty gas it is almost never dirty enough to cause a problem. Make sure the white wire is connected all the way from the flame sensor to the circuit board. If you have a multi meter with micro amps you could unplug the white wire at the flame sensor and plug a lead into each wire in series. You should get about 4-5 micro amps with the furnace running. If you don’t, it is either a bad ground or a bad circuit board. Usually a bad circuit board but I have seen all sorts of grounding problems from no ground to the furnace to a bad house ground allowing too much voltage into the ground circuit. I have also seen Payne (Carrier, Bryant, Day and Night) furnaces work for 15 years with a bad ground and then stop working. Once the ground was fixed the furnace continued working fine.


Caan someone check my wiring of a digital timer? I bought a "Woods model 590818/59028" digital timer from Coleman.com through Amazon for my front porch. After wiring, the On/Off button stays lit and does nothing else. I'm hoping someone can check my wiring to rule out a defective timer.

In the wall fixture, there are two lines. The one with the hot wire (at the BOTTOM) has three wires: black (120 VAC hot), ground, and white.

The line (at the TOP) has four wires: black, red, ground and white.

The timer has four wires: black (hot), red (load), ground and white.

I connected the black (hot 120 VAC) wire to the black (hot) wire on the timer.

I tapped the white wire on the timer into the white wires that are connected as well as the ground wire.

I believe I have everything correct so far. Now for the tricky part.

I connected the red wire from the timer to the black wire from the TOP line, since it was connected to the old timer I replaced. The On/Off button stays lit. The front porch light cannot be lit. I pressed "reset" as instructed in the accompanying directions.

So I connected the red wire from the timer to the red wire from the top line. Same result.

Is my original wiring correct and the timer defective, or have I got the wiring all wrong?

Instruction Manual.

The issue may be more with how the old timer was connected.  How were the Black and Red at top connected for the old timer?

Does your light have two separate switches?  If yes, you could have a three way switch.


Bulb size of a SYLVANIA CF13EL? The SYLVANIA CF13EL in my bathroom vent just died. I want to replace it with an LED. There is not a lot of room in the fixture. Is the bulb equivalent to an A19? If not, what size should I get?

If the existing CFL lamp was positioned in the fixture to emit light from it's side as opposed to its end then it is unlikely to be a suitable LED unit that would give satisfactory performance. Most LED units are designed to be used in a manner where the light is mainly emitted from the end of the unit away from the screw base.


Remove adjustable pipe clamp without head I'm attempting to replace a bathroom sink drain and figured this rubber flexible coupling would be a prime spot to disconnect the old. However the two clamps don't seem to have a slot for a screwdriver to undo/adjust.

Front:

Back (no the slight line is not an indentation for a screwdriver).

Is there a special trick to adjust/loosen these clamps or will I just have to cut it off?

You can use a socket or regular wrench to turn those types of clamp screws.


How can I reconnect the pull chain to my fan? I made the biggest mistake I just took the old switch out and wasn't paying attention to how the wires were hooked to the old pull chain, the pull chain I have has 2 black wires and in the fan there is red,blue and white. Can you help me out please? No I have no idea the name of the fan (OLD)

Based on your answers in the questions (and the missing answers) I believe this is the answer. I'll restate the problem and if my restatement agrees with your situation then the answer is valid. If there is anything "extra" or still leaving you concerned, ask before proceeding.

Disclaimer: Without pictures it is hard to say with absolute certainty. Always hire an electrician if in doubt, or in a case like this, ask a trusted friend or family member to review the problem and the recommended solution. Hooking up wires incorrectly could be a fire hazard.

Based on your answers:

You had a switch you disconnected
Said switch had two wires going in to it, one was white, one was black
When you removed the switch, the white and black wires mentioned in #2 went with it (were a part of the switch)
Assuming #3 is correct, there had to be "wire nuts" or some other screw terminal that the white and black wire connected to, based on what you said, these were wire nuts connecting to a white, blue, or red wire that is part of the wire harnesses in the fan.
The Red wire you have since determined is connected where it needs to be and is NOT suspect nor was it disturbed nor disconnected during switch removal
The only wires that are "exposed" on the fan wire harness side is a single WHITE and a single BLUE
No other wire nuts were removed or other wires exposed during switch removal
The NEW switch comes with two wires, they are both black

If 1-8 match your situation, then (For each wire by itself) if needed, straighten the copper exposed wire ends, so they are all inline with each other (not frayed or bent up) and then twist them a 1/4 turn to 1/2 turn in your thumb and index finger so that They look like this... courtesy of Google image search

Then take a black wire from the switch, and line it up with the blue wire from the fan and using the wire nut placed over the very top of this pair, twist clockwise until the cap feels tight. It screws on and is secure. Using electrical tape for good measure can help ensure this stays connected.

Repeat the process above for the OTHER black wire on the switch, and then pair it up with the WHITE wire from the fan.

You are done.

As a quick note, the wire color in this case really doesn't matter. The fact that the switch uses two black instead of a white and a black like the old switch also doesn't matter. What matters is that we only have two wire to connect to in the fan.


What do as-built drawings need to look like? For a permit for an office addition to our house in California we need to provide as-built drawings to the city. Among other things, they will use these plans to do title-24 energy calculations.

Are there any resources available online that tell me about the specifications I need to follow when drawing these plans?

Some of the specific questions I am trying to answer are:

Are there standard symbols for windows, doors, stairs, ... ?
How are window and door sizes labelled? How do I indicate round windows?
Which dimensions do I need to include? Every room? Just the outline?
How do I indicate areas in the house that are open across two floors?
What "fixtures" do I need to include? Showers, sinks, toilets, kitchen appliances, furniture, ...?
I heard that I need to provide a break-down of the home's square footage by floor. How do I go about such a calculation if there are areas that span two floors? How do I treat stairs, garage, ...?
What does the lot-plan need to show?

Unfortunately when I do a Google image search for "as-built drawing", I don't really see much of a pattern that is followed. Every image seems to be following its own rules to a greater or lesser extent.

There are default symbols that you use for floor plans.  Google floor plan symbology to get these.  I use Visio to do all of my stuff - I have tried the apps made for doing floor plans and they just take too much time.

Obviously contacting your local municipality is the place to start.  I will just tell you my experiences.

they want to see the entire floor that you are affecting or attaching to not just the area that you are adding or affecting.  You can keep this to just dimensions.
they want to see all electrical
for bathrooms they want to see tub/shower dimensions, toilet dimensions (and dimension to shower/tub/vanity/walls), vanity dimensions, GFCI outlets, fan placement.
they want to see how you are going to handle new electric.  Label how each outlet is getting electric.  I usually note circuit 1,2,3,4... and label outlets 1.a, 1.b, 1.c...
every single possible dimension of the rooms you are doing everything to including distances between outlets.  Also include any built in lights.
if you are digging I usually have a blank layout with the dig pattern and where we are digging and what we are doing
location of all smoke alarms and indication if they are battery or connected
if you are touching at all any existing gas or plumbing I would have a different sheet for that.  I would include details (few paragraphs of plans), label plans to layout, and then designate and spots where I will have access panels.
if you are knocking out anything load bearing - even a few feet - I would have a note signifying what we will be using to pick up load.  Most of the time this will require an engineer sign-off.  However if you are not knocking out a whole wall but making an opening bigger I have gotten inspector sign off by drawing up a support plan with well over-engineered structure.  Sometimes I talk to inspector about this and spending an extra $50 on a header (that could probably handle double the load) can save me $500 with an architect.
if you are doing kitchens most inspectors want to see where the oven, fridge, microwave are going and how they are getting electric.  There are a lot of electrical rules for GFCI outlets and distances so they want to see if you are up to code before working.  Also if you are doing an island and it is fixed most places want an outlet on it.  Your kitchen should really have its own drawing.  Some towns want to see cabinets, some don't care.  I would just label the cabinet areas "cabinets".  If they want to know exacts you can revise.
if you are actually building a room then you need a three dimensional drawing with wood type and layout plans.  If just finishing a basement you could just say, I am using premium pine 2x4s with treated pine for bottoms.  Might have to include how you would secure the wood to the ground.  If it is a new room outside the house this is pretty intense and I would really only do this with an architect drawing.  There are drawings needed for lower support, all windows, truss/roof system, and how it connects to house and existing roof line.   Just from experience doing your own drawing for a totally new addition to your house will probably raise huge red flags with any inspector.  I would not do this unless you have had a meeting with the inspector about this beforehand.
and I totally forgot about insulation and fireblocking.  Basically this is usually just an addendum next to your picture where you tell the exact type of insulation and where it is going.  The same goes for fire blocking.  I put these together because I often put them in the same area since I usually use Roxul to fill small gaps for fire blocking (preferred method in my area).

If I can think of more I will add on.  In summary basic drawing of the entire floor or house, and very detailed for areas where there are changes.  If you have a bathroom then that is it's own drawing (zoomed-in).  If you are digging, its own drawing.  Gas or major plumbing changes, its own drawing.  If there is a new kitchen plan, then that is its own diagram.  Then electric, smoke alarms and basic stuff should be on the main drawing.  If there is an addition to existing house, then 3-D diagram from architect/engineer.  I want everything I can going to the city.  That way they can raise any red flags before I start working.  Also it is good if you have contractors.  Giving them copies of their parts will keep them inline and raise questions before they are problems.


400 Amp service to 225 amp and 150 amp panels I want to upgrade my 200 amp service to 400 amp, to service multiple buildings (I'm told this is cheaper than two 200 Amp services). This is in Washington State.
I know I can do 200 and 200, but that may be underkill for the main house and overkill for the rest.
For the main house, I'm concerned 200 Amps may not be enough, as I'd like to add an electric tankless water heater.
For the other buildings (a bunkhouse, garage, and boathouse), I think 150 amps is enough. I'd start with a 150 amp box in the adjacent building (the bunkhouse) which will provide power to a 100 amp subpanel in the garage across the street, and 50 amps for the circuits in the bunkhouse and boathouse. I want 100 amps in the garage so I can have a 50 amp circuit for an electric car charger, 20 amp circuit for a well pump, and a couple other circuits for lights and power in the garage.
If I have the 400 amp service come into something like the Milbank R3548-X (320-Amp 1 Gang Ring Overhead Only Meter Socket) mounted outside the main house wall, can I then feed through the wall into something like the Square D HOM3060L225PGCVP (225 Amp, 30 space, 60 circuit load center) with a 225 amp breaker in that box, and also feed from the meter box to something like the Siemens W0202MB1150CU 150 Amp Outdoor Circuit Breaker Enclosure mounted next to the meter box, which then enters a conduit to go the 20 feet or so to the bunkhouse, where it would enter a 150 amp main lug center, containing all the circuits for the remaining buildings? I don't know if I can go straight from the meter box to the bunkhouse without first having a breaker. If I did, I'm worried I'd have to have wire sized for 400 amp. Or if I have a 150 amp breaker in the bunkhouse, can I go straight there from the 400 Amp meter box using wire appropriately sized for 150 amps?
Assuming this all make sense, I have questions about wire size/type, conduit size, and how to make the connections from the meter box to the two panels, but I'll hold off on them until I first know what I've described is reasonable.

I'm concerned you're overthinking this.   You're not required to section out your 400A allotment to X for one building, Y for another etc. that totals up to 400.  You are allowed to "oversubscribe" the buildings, so long as they're behind breakers.
Also keep in mind, 400A is a lot of power. All-electric houses have long gotten by on 100A.
Build your system to have the versatility for any site to use full power
For simplicity and economy, I'd simply do the bog-standard "two 200A panels" that everybody does with 400A service.   House panel A and B.
However, I'd make house panel B "special".  I'd use a panel with thru lugs. The thru-lugs are after the panel's main breaker, but otherwise just hotshot straight off the bus.
Off the thru-lugs, I would continue 200A wires the 20 feet to the bunkhouse. Hey, it's only 20 feet, the cost of 4 wires isn't going to beat you up too bad.   There, I'd fit a 225A (for the safety margin) main breaker panel.  The breaker's value doesn't matter; it's only there to be a disconnect, which is required for an outbuilding.
Is it an outbuilding? The minimum standard for "not an outbuilding" is "connected by a breezeway", so you can skip the main breaker and go main-lug if there's a breezeway or better.
What this means, is house panel B and the bunkhouse share a 200A breaker.
From this panel in the bunkhouse, go ahead and feed the other buildings.  You can feed them with a breaker from bunkhouse's panel... Or if you want to carry full 200A onward to the next building, go ahead and do that - you can just "tee" off the feeder wires coming into the top of the bunkhouse breaker.  (that is to say, the 200A line to the garage does not need to be protected by the bunkhouse breaker, since it's already protected by the panel B breaker.)
Personally if I were me, I'd feed the dockside with a <=50A breaker, and the reason is so I can make it GFCI.  I feel strongly that all wiring anywhere near water should be under GFCI protection, and that GFCI protection should be placed far from dockside, back at the supply point.  That way if something happens inside the dockside subpanel, or to the feeder wires, it too is protected. Electrical drownings are serious, and dockside is where that happens the most.
You won't be maxing out house, bunkhouse, garage and boathouse at once
This is the part where we get to "oversubscribe" a bit.  You're vanishingly unlikely to be welding in the garage at the same time you're running the A/C and cooking on a boat at the same time you're using hot water and cooking in a bunkhouse at the same time you're cooking and doing laundry in the main house.  There are only so many of you, after all.
So that means it's perfectly OK to potentially have 50A of boathouse load with 100A of garage load (Tesla fast charger) with 100A of all-electric house in the bunkhouse with 120A of stuff in the main house.  You simply are not capable of maxing them all at once.
However, back at the house, I would make careful choices about which loads I put in the exclusive panel A vs which in the shared panel B.  Have the shared panel contain loads like bedrooms, basement, living rooms, maybe garbage disposal and microwave - loads you are unlikely to "pull hard" while being active in the garage or dockside.  Loads that you realistically do pull quite hard, like A/C, heat pump emergency heat, water heater, range etc. go in the exclusive Panel A.


Are the cold and hot water circuits typically isolated in residential plumbing? I have a shutoff valve on the cold side of the water heater inlet.  I also have a water main shutoff valve coming from my well.  Are the cold and hot water lines in the house independent of each other and can I leave the main water valve open and just shut off the valve on the inlet side of the tank, therefore allowing me to drain the tank while still having water to the cold side of the house?

Yes, you can leave the main on.  Just shut off the inlet to the water heater.  Your hot taps at the sinks won't work of course (the cold will), but then you can drain the tank.  If the tank has some age on it, expect it to take a while too, lime often builds up and clogs the drain outlet.


How can I repair a pothole on the edge of an asphalt driveway? I have a large pothole in my asphalt driveway that extends to the edge. I'm considering repairing it with cold patch blacktop, but I'm uncertain of how to deal with the edge. Do I need to add a 2x4 form, or is there a different product I should use?

Depends on what's at the edge of your driveway? is it grass? then you might want to brace with a 2x4 against the ground just to keep the edge nice. If you don't want to dig up the ground to put a 2x4 in the ground you could probably get away with a thinner piece of wood.


How do I remove the head of this turn tap? I believe this is called a turn tap. I need to replace the washer due to it dripping, however I've not had much luck removing the head. My thought was that the blue plastic piece would pop off to reveal a screw, but I've not been able to prise it off, and there's not even enough clearance to get a screwdriver under it. How do I remove this type of tap head to replace the washer?

My first guess is that there is a set screw under that blue cover. If not look carefully under the handle as indicated or on the back of the handle.


How to fit clothing rails into plasterboard to hold adequate weight? I am converting hallway storage into a wardrobe.  The dimensions are

h 234cm
W 132cm
D 45cm

I would like to put up two rails for clothing and some shelving for loose items

My question is how would I fit the rails into plasterboard style walls so they can support the weight of potentially many clothes.

Are there certain fixtures or fittings I can buy? Is there anything  I should consider before I start?

Find your studs (a studfinder can be useful, else you can drill test holes). Mark your studs. Once you find one they should be about 16" or 24" apart from center to center (this is the typical US measure, internationally YMMV).

Mount your clothes rails by drilling your mounting screws into the studs. (make sure your screws are long enough to penetrate your clothes rail, the plaster and into the studs)

From Evil Greebo: "If the studs are too near the front/back of the closet, you can mount a cross brace on the wall of the closet. Firmly connect it to the studs, then attach your closet rails to the cross brace."


Programmable timer for boiler without touching thermostat I'll try to be clear in a field of which I know little...
I have a new pellet boiler feeding hot water into a puffer for radiators and hot tap water. A thermostat in the house requests water at given intervals for the radiators. Fine, when I go on holiday, I tell the thermostat to wake up the day before I get back. But in the meantime, the puffer has been cooling due to heat loss and the boiler has been keeping the puffer temperature up. I would like the whole system to shut down until I programme it to wake up.
Now, the manufacturer tells me there is a wire bridge on the circuit board. Without it, the boiler stays off, so what I would like to do is put a timer in on this. It's just one wire: out of one connector into another. Are there any times for just one cable? All those I've seen are plug-in between a power source and the utility. Any ideas? Thanks!

You need a relay, which is a usually part of a timer - but you need a timer which has separate contacts for its power, and the relay contacts, rather than a plug-in type timer that combines those.

This is not an uncommon configuration, but shopping questions are off-topic so you'll have to find one yourself. I wlll make a general comment that "DIN" relays (designed for mounting on a "DIN Rail" as part of industrial control solutions) often appear to be the most reliable form of these, but there are other form factors available.

You could also use a "plug-in timer" connected to a separate relay, but that's more parts than you actually need.

Concern: If you turn off the system completely while you are away, what happens if the temperature drops below freezing? Could be rather messy, which is why most systems are simply set back to 50-55F or 10-12C rather than being turned off, at least in heating season.


How do I remove huge gluey sticker tape on glass? I'm asking for my cousin in Hong Kong, whose little children stuck this window sticker onto the glass. We read How do I remove the gluey residue left by gaffer tape on glass, https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/30948, Removing Tuck Tape from an unfinished window frame, but nothing works! Please see the picture with my labels below.

We tried vegetable oil, dishwash detergent, rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol, and vinegar. The only solution is to use our nails to tear off a litte piece of the tape, a tiny piece by tiny piece. Please help! Thanks!

A good brand of orange oil (limonene) cleaner takes care of most of my tape problems. Some tapes, such as window-tinting sheets, are thermosetting, and removal requires heating. I used a clothes steamer/razor blade on the tinted windows of my Honda. That worked well. See method two, here.


Wood rotted on thermal pane windows The wood that is up against the glass on the double pane windows has rotted. How do we repair them without taking the glass out? We have to paint them every summer but with our Montana winters they seem to get worse every year.

First of all treat the rot with an appropriate fungicide.  You do NOT want one that coats, but rather penetrates.

Look for WEST -- wet epoxy saturation technology, or something like that.

In a nutshell:

Remove the clearly rotten wood.  Initially mix up small batches and paint it on.  If you find it leaking through use some fine mesh fiberglass cloth to seal it.

If the holes are large, wet blobs of fiberglass chop, and stuff in there. Paint the entire surface with the resin to seal it.

You can mix colourants into the resin. Since paint doesn't stick well, decide on a colour for the final coat or two.

It's been 25 years since I've read about this.  Details fade, and practices change.  But if the wood is only starting to rot, you may not need to replace it.


How to seal new PVC to old Lead pipe "toilet bend" I have an old toilet flange which was a brass ring on a 4" lead bend that connects to the main cast iron stack. The old brass flange ring corroded and broke. I found a nice PVC fitting that fits snugly  inside the old lead bend from Oatey but now I need to find a sealant that will adhere to both the lead and the PVC. Or at least to the PVC.

I was going to use the fitting that has the mechanicaly expanding rubber gasket, but this is too long and hits a radius of the pipe before the flange itself is fully seated to the floor.

Long Term Update:
I did use one of these "expanding" repair flanges and it was fine. It's been over two years since the repair with no issues!

Toilet Flange
OATEY Mfr #: 43539


Three-way switches to control top outlet of multiple receptacles I am in the process of renovating the livingroom in my 1930's era house which only has two non-switched outlets in one 12x12 room. I would like some receptacles to have one switched and one non-switched outlet so I can plug a lamp into the bottom outlet controlled from the wall.

My plan is to run 14/3 to each of these boxes with the Black wire as Hot and the Red wire as switched using two three-way switches and connecting the red as a switched wire through a junction box.

On the input-side switch box, I will run a 14/2 romex from the breaker (via junction box) and then use a 14/3 as a traveler to the outside switch box. 14/2 Black wire to common and black/red of the 14/3 for travelers. White wires I will connect together with a nut. Ground wires I will connect together with a nut.

On the output-side switch box, I will run that 14/3 with the travelers and a 14/2 romex to a junction box. Red/black of the 14/3 to the traveler screws. Black of the 14/2 to common. White wires I will connect together with a nut. Ground wires I will connect together with a nut.

At the junction box I will connect a 14/2 romex back to the same junction box that goes back to the breaker panel, the 14/2 romex from the output-side switch, and a 14/3 romex that will go to my outlet receptacles. The black from the 14/2 feed line I will connect to the black of the 14/3. The black from the 14/2 output-side switch box I will connect to the red of the 14/3. White wires I will connect together with a nut. Ground wires I will connect together with a nut.

I believe this circuit will work, but is my use of a junction box to connect switched and non-switched feeds to one 14/3 up to code? Or do I need to rethink my solution / give up and use one switch?

Your problem is that you have looped/paralleled the neutral (white) wire both through and around the 3-way switches, which can be interpreted as a NEC 300.3(B)/310.10(H) violation.

What I would do instead is run a 14/4 between the two 3-way switches, with black as the unswitched hot and red and blue as the travelers, then run a 14/3 from the 2nd switch box to the first outlet -- this also saves you a j-box.


Do I really need 140 lbs of cement for a 5", 5' high vinyl fence post (31" in the ground)? 140 lbs Seems like a lot of cement, I was hoping to get by with just one 80# bag.
I guess the hole would be 12" per auger rental advice. I Live in Montana, not a lot of moisture but ground freeze down 8" at times.
Any advice appreciated. Also, they say to cement up to 2-3" below the surface, would placing dirt in first and tamping it down be a bad thing?

A 12" hole seems overkill for a plastic fence post that can never really withstand a lot of force applied against it, at least not like a wood or steel post.
A well placed 9 or 10" hole will do very well in my opinion, and reduce the amount of concrete you need.
Keeping the concrete down a few inches will allow grass to grow around the post or you can set sod "plugs" aside for resetting after the concrete is finished. No need to wait for it to set up, for what it's worth, no need to add water to it until the dry mix is in the hole then water it.
I typically figure 2 bags per hole when I am doing posts. either 80 or 60 lb bags. Some take more, some take less.


Can I pour concrete if it's raining out? I have 6 bags of concrete that I need to mix and pour for 2 deck piers.
It's raining lightly outside.

Should I reschedule or just do it and cover with plastic when we're done?

If you're manually mixing under cover (garage, gazebo, kitchen fly) and only dumping when ready, then no problem.

Definitely cover in case of heavier rain.  Its never a bad idea to slow cure concrete, anyway.  Plastic can make flat work look bad (plastic wrinkles), but for deck piers, no problem.

Now get to work and quit stalling by playing on the computer ;-)


splitting a water heater bill Can a water heater be installed between two apartments and wired to both apartments' breaker boxes, effectively splitting the bill between the two?  It's a 220-volt heater, and this is a retrofit wiring.

No, no, no!  Not only would it totally not do what you want, but would make the cost splitting even worse, as one tenant's other load would wind up on the other tenant's bill, simply due to the way electrons seek the path of least resistance.

It would also create neutral and ground loops that would make heat in unexpected places, and your circuit breakers wouldn't protect you from that. It could burn the building down.

A less-unsafe way of doing that would be seek out a water heater with two separate heating elements on 2 circuits.  For instance larger on-demand heaters have this.  Put one circuit on one service, and the other circuit on the other service.  If they operate together, that would split the cost.  Check with the manufacturer to see if they do that.  However there'd still be an issue of ground.  If the apartments are served by 2 service panels, each getting their grounds from different locations, then you would be entangling grounds from two different systems, and my gut reaction is code would prohibit that.  If there's an exception to be found, or a way to rejigger the panels' grounds to make this safe, a proper electrician could tell you better.

In the apartment business, the normal way that's handled is by a third meter for commons areas.


Kenmore Dryer gets warm but not enough to dry clothes My Kenmore dryer heats up a certain extent but not enough to dry the clothes in the cycle.

A dryer works by forcing air past a heating element, through the drum where the clothes are, and out a vent. If there are any restrictions in the air flow, not enough hot air will move through the system.
Let's take this dryer for example

The motor rotates the drum, which tumbles the cloths. It also spins the blower, which draws air in through the intake, through a heater (which could be gas, electric, etc.), through the clothes filled drum, past the lint screen, and eventually out the exhaust.

Notice after the air leaves the drum, it takes moisture and lint with it.  Some of the lint is caught by the lint screen, but not all of it.  Over time, lint can build up inside the dryer beyond the screen. If this lint is not cleared out, and is allowed to accumulate. The air flow through the entire system will be restricted.  Which means less hot air will move through the drum, and your clothes will not dry.

Another common problem, is flexible exhaust tubing.

This stuff doesn't have a smooth interior wall, which can often lead to lint accumulating in the pipe. This also leads to a restriction of air flow through the system, and again reduced drying.

Often times this flexible tubing is plastic, which is even worse since it's flammable. If for some reason the lint in the tube ignites, the tube itself will burn as well rather than containing the fire.

tl;dr
The easiest ways to insure proper drying are:

Clean lint screen after every use.
Remove lint from inside the dryer (see manufacturer documentation for schedule and procedure).
Remove lint from exhaust plumbing.


Tile overlapping existing toilet flange - flange extenders don't fit I'm replacing the toilet in the master bedroom. I pulled the old toilet off to discover the toilet flange is about 5/8" below the tile floor. I went to the store and got toilet flange extenders (the kind where you put silicone between each one) only to discover that the tile wasn't actually cut all the way around the flange so the spacer doesn't fit.

What are my options here? Is there a way to remedy this without cutting the tile? The old toilet did not seem to have any kind of flange extender.

EDIT: I just realized one of these is in there: https://www.fernco.com/plumbing/wax-free-toilet-seal

Seems like that might do what I want. Any opinions?

This is honestly a 30 second job with an angle grinder (plus diamond wheel).   Wet area (rewet wheel and area if this takes any significant time), make sure grinder is pretty close to 90 degrees, if worried about hitting something under then just go halfway and chip out.   Your cuts don't have to be great as they will be covered by toilet.   Would also suggest taping the area you are cutting.