Possible to attach an external electrical box to an old work box? I have an old work box occupied by 6 ethernet keystones and the corresponding wall plate. I want to use a branching raceway to hide the ethernet patch cables coming out of the wall. But without other accessories, this will leave a few inches of exposed patch cable, because raceways generally attach to the sides of external boxes, not in-wall boxes. Is there an external box that can attach to my old work box, perhaps via the old work box’s wallplate mounting screw sockets?

I want the patch cables to remain plugged into the old work box’s keystones, run through the back of the external box (is there space to pass through terminated patch cables or must I cut a hole into the back of the external box?), out the side of the external box directly into the connected raceway. Is this possible?

Without an external box, this will leave a few inches of exposed patch cable (uglier) and creates another insect entry point via this open end of the raceway.

Without an old work box, having just an external box loses the flexibility to remove the external box (without redoing the punch-down termination for the wires) in case I find it cramps walking space. (And would this require wall repair for the hole left over from the old work box or would the external box’s back seal it?)

Drilling holes from the attic to route ethernet cables and separately move each keystone closer to its destination to shorten each patch cable run is out of the question.

Consider surface mount boxes.

These are designed for line current, but are fine for low voltage. Just swap out your connectors and faceplates. They can mount over an existing old work box and have side access for raceways. Usually they require the same brand raceway to align properly.

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


Concrete question(s) about garage I'm in a new to me house and have a few questions regarding the concrete setup in the garage.

Most importantly, it is getting very dirty with the winter driving and caked with mud constantly. I have a power washer, and I have washed in the past, but my concern that a friend brought up to me is the following.

I have this gap in between my garage and driveway to the point where the vast majority of the water/dirt does NOT drain down the driveway, due to this gap.

Pic for reference:

Close-up:

As you can see, power washing the concrete floor means all that water falls into the gap as the garage concrete looks to be about an inch higher. The concern my friend brought up is that all that water will crack the garage-side concrete long-term. I'm not a total idiot here, I'm fully aware of how much water can damage home building materials. We had a bathroom remodel in this house that was fully molded and rotted due to moisture.

ANYHOW, back to topic :)

This is directly in front of the garage, I don't think there is any relationship between this concrete and the foundation concrete of the house. Nonetheless, I don't want to introduce cracking whether it's the foundation of the house, or just the concrete of the garage.

What is the best approach here? Does this gap have to be filled with concrete? If so, will the driveway concrete still have enough room to expand and contract etc? Part of me believes that maybe this wasn't a gap at all when the house was originally built (70s), but over time, the concrete on the driveway side has shifted away and created such a gap.

Ideally, it would be awesome to have a solution to where it would drain down the driveway with something I insert in there, and I don't have to mess with concrete work or hire someone for that since I've never worked with concrete and will probably screw the job up :)

My last question is regarding the expansion joints on the garage floor (Already pictured above). I want to epoxy paint long-term, can/should these joints be filled or is that a problem? Half of the time I see a nice looking garage floor with epoxy paint, the expansion joints are filled, and other times they are not, and I never understood the difference.

Thank you all for your time and answers.

The first question in regards to the channel outside the garage floor is to leave it be. It appears to me to be a sluice-way cut into the concrete to  direct rain water away from the interior floor or to channel it in a safe direction.   The photo doesn't show the bottom of the channel, but it's probably was cut after the driveway (not the garage slab) was poured (my assumption). If you are concerned about water undermining or eroding the concrete you can verify either by cleaning the channel out. If you see sharp angular corners the flowing water hasn't effected the composition or integrity of the slab.  If you prefer not to have an open trough crossing your driveway there are channel grates specifically designed to dress-up open drainage channels.  Lastly, to answer your last concern regarding the garage floor expansion joints; leave them be. They are purposely formed into the slab when the concrete is still un-cured in order to reduce stress cracks that may occur. The idea is if you engrave joints at regular measurements (and keep them relatively deep) any forces that may act on the concrete won't produce cracks in the slab face , but along the thin control joints.    If you paint the floor filling the joints shouldn't have any detrimental effect on their not working. It might be wise to not flood the joints with excess paint.


replace half a drywall ceiling? I'm redoing my kitchen which adjoins the eating area.  Part of this was removing the soffits or fur downs, which has now left my ceiling without large strips of drywall on 3 sides.

The kitchen area is 10' deep and then another 10' of that is eating area, where the drywall is intact.  I'm trying to decide if I just patch this or replace the ceiling in the kitchen.  And how do I tie the new kitchen ceiling in with the eating area?  I do plan to remove all the popcorn and go over with orange peel.

But I would need to stagger sheets of drywall, right so I wouldn't have one long line across the room between the two areas?

---Edit---

Tonight I tore down the kitchen part & cut back to the nearest stud.  Here's a sketch of what I'm left to fill in (joists are dashed lines).  Any advice on staggering?  I plan to start on the left side and do 3 full sheets + 1 strip over the stove area.

If you have any small pieces of drywall up on the ceiling, I'd start by removing those to get back to as many full sheets as you can which should also minimize the cuts you need to make. As user41750 says, make sure you match the drywall thickness. The joints will only be staggered in one direction, along the 4' lengths where the drywall isn't tapered. You want those 4' long joints to meet on a joist or nailing surface.

The 8' spans will be perpendicular to the joists and be tapered. You can knock out the mud and tape from inside the taper of the existing drywall to get two tapered joints to align. If you don't have an existing tapered joint, then you'll want to cut away the taper to avoid a significant difference in height where you are mudding and taping later.

The mudding and taping is an art. There's a fair bit of advice on this site to help you there, but I wouldn't blame anyone for hiring out this part of the project. And from there, it's all about matching the finish. I'd personally prime and paint the entire ceiling, if not the walls too. This will help hide any division between the two spaces.


What fitting do I need to ground EMT at my residential electrical panel? I know EMT can be used as its own grounding path, and no separate grounding ("green" or bare) conductor is required within the conduit, but what fitting do I need at the panel to complete the grounding path?  Is a grounded bushing required for voltages under 250V (I'm running a 120V, single-phase circuit in this case)?
Please let me know if I've left out any critical info for my install.  This is a simple branch circuit with a couple of 20A outlets in my garage.  Code citations are always appreciated.
Thanks!

The standard metal coupling suffice, if you install them properly.

This one is a compression style coupling, but the setscrew style will suffice as well.
You make the ground contact by running that conduit nut down and bapping it tight with a screwdriver blade and hammer... and tightening the compression fitting or setscrew.  After 50 years in a quasi-outdoor building, I can attest that it works fine.


How to fix concrete cracks with weed growing out? I have cracks on my concrete stairs that have weeds growing out of. I was wondering what the (caulking-like?) product is to fill the cracks. Should I spray some sort of herbicide to supress growth before applying the caulking? I plan to eventually paint the concrete but not right away. Wanted to do a first step of patching the cracks first.

Here is what it looked like before trimming:

And after:

Use a non selective herbicide to kill off the weeds, give it time to get to the roots and destroy them too so when you get a power washer, it will clean EVERYTHING out. Dirt that got in there for the weeds to start on has got to go. The roots that are buried in the cracks will decay and turn to dirt too over time, that is why the herbicide has to have time to work before the power washing.

I would not use caulk here. It will look like stripes are everywhere, and they will not look good. Use masonry cement to fill the gaps in a few different consistencies. Mixed thin for small cracks so it can get forced in easily, thicker so it can stand up in places, like in the front of the steps in larger crack so it will not slump out.

After the work is done and it is time for cleanup, which it will be mess, I use a sponge that tile setters use, with a half filled 5 gallon bucket of water. The sponge needs to be dampened enough to be wet, but wrung out enough so it does not leave a wet trail while wiping. Damp trail only, a wet trail will re-saturate the mortar and will weaken and even possibly have it running back out of the joints you have repaired.

Use a masonry slicker to tuck in and finish the joints.


Misbehaving/inaccurate thermostat? I have a portable air conditioner/hvac and I'm having issues with it in heating mode. It's actually summer where I live but it was somewhat chilly as a storm passed over so I wanted to test heating on the unit I have.

Ambient temp was 19-20C according to my phone and another thermometer but the heating on the hvac/portable would not start unless I set it to 27C which is the maximum on the unit. It then cycled off shortly after as though it had reached it's 27C but my temp sensors only read a mere 1-2C increase to 22C. I wanted the hvac to produce heat at 24C. Does this sound like the thermostat in the hvac is faulty?

The thermostat in your unit is a bi-metal type and probably way out of adjustment. Some, however, are not adjustable. Check with the manufacturer to see if there is a way to adjust the thermostat.


Separate box for electric water heater? Do I need a separate electrical box for an electric water heater. I was told I needed a one so it's up to code as per the electrician? Changing from gas to electric I thought I could connect it to the circuit box that already there.

You can use your existing box but you would need a lockout device on the breaker so it can be locked in the off position. Because of cost many just put a disconnect at the heater. Just a note, in my area electric water heaters are much more expensive than gas to operate even compared to the electric heat pump style.


My wall appears to be leaking. Can I fix it myself? It was raining yesterday, and I noticed this wall on the upper floor of our house was leaking. The house is quiet old, built in 1886, but it was "flipped" within the past few years and almost everything on the interior appears to be brand new. The exterior is vinyl.

I peeled off the section of paint that had bubbled up to look underneath at the drywall:

I'm very comfortable putting up/mudding drywall, but I've never done anything to the exterior of the house before and it's on an upper level anyway. Is this likely something I can fix myself from inside, or does it need to be fixed from the outside and/or by a professional?

Unless the source of the leak is a pipe, the issue will be to the exterior of the house. Could be a leak darn near anywhere on the exterior as water will travel, but in this case, I would hazard a guess that the window is leaking or there is a valley that is cracked near that window.

As far as a hiring a professional goes, that is entirely dependent on your level of comfort of getting in that area of the exterior and checking for damaged areas.


how operate ceiling fan with no reverse switch, without remote Trying to install a Minka ceiling fan/light (in buddy's condo).   The ceiling box has three-wire circuit (white, black, red) and there are two wall switches connected. But the fan has no reverse switch, so apparently they require you to use it with the remote.   But the receiver for the remote will not fit into the ceiling box (it is a condo building, framed with metal studs, and the box is smaller than fan boxes I'm used to seeing in wood-frame houses).   Does anyone know of a fan wall switch that includes a reverse function ?   I've searched Minka's accessories and I don't believe they sell one.

To clarify: there are 3 wires (plus ground) coming into the fan ceiling box: white, black, red; two wall switches activate the black and red wires.  I need to connect those 3 wires directly to the wires from the fan itself: white (neutral), black (fan power), blue (light power).   But this provides no way to reverse the fan.

Only other options I see are: put remote receiver in the wall switch box (where the two switches are located), which seems dumb; return the fans for ones with reverse switch; only operate the fans in blow-downwards mode; replace the ceiling box (not even sure how that'd be done in a metal-framed building).

Most receivers are built so they fit inside the fan box in between the fan hanger. I am assuming you have already tried that and it doesn't fit in there or in the junction box the bracket is attached to. I have never tried to put it in a switch box so I don't know the outcome of that.

What I have done is carefully cut the ceiling drywall around the hanger box and slipped the receiver up beside the junction box. If you feel you have to put a the receiver in a box you can do that also. If the hole is too big to cover it with the fan box cover you can use a medallion to cover the hole (get it) mess.

This is a fairly simple one but you could they come in various shapes and sizes. Also remember if you use something like this you might want to use some sort of extension ring or shield and it wouldn't hurt to have a 6-32 and a 8-32 screw kit for longer screws when needed.

FYI - I know it's a feature but I have never been much of a supporter of the reverse switch idea. Think about it, trying to take a fan and circulate heat down from the ceiling doesn't really make sense especially if you figure in the chill factor it creates. Also most modern ac systems will get enough of an air mix to correctly heat the air in an area, and what they can't solve with that they can aim the air with the registar. Most of the time, in my area people play with it once or twice and then forget about it. I have had more call backs on getting the air to blow down after the owner couldn't figure out that they had left the fan in a reverse mode than the other way around.

Hope this helps and good luck.


Minimizing wall thickness for basement drywall? I'm trying to optimize acoustics of my future home theater by maximizing dimensions to minimize standing wave problems.  I would like to minimize the thickness of a finished wall consisting of drywall mounted on a basement concrete wall.

I know there are differing thicknesses of drywall, but I'd like to know a range.  My understanding is that typically two by fours are used for the framing.

From what I saw in my cursory web searching was that they are mounted on concrete walls sometimes with the shorter two-inch section protruding perpendicular from the concrete rather than the typical free-standing orientation where the longer dimension (3.5") is perpendicular to the wall surface.

In the image below, the top section along the HVAC wall shows the shallower orientation, and the section below that shows the deeper orientation.

Is my understanding correct that the shallower orientation would measure 1 1/2" plus the thickness of the drywall (3/8" or 1/2")?

Is there any drawback to maximizing interior dimensions by mounting the two by fours this way other than it likely disallowing room for running electrical and other wiring?

When the construction is non-structural, then 1x furring strips can be used to attach the gypsum board. However, for a home theater, prioritizing acoustical performance may make more sense than prioritizing an inch or two of additional floor area - particularly given that furniture/equipment selection and arrangement is more directly related functional floor area.

This is to say that selection of construction systems that minimize the transmission of airborne and structural sound may be worth more than going from 14'-8" to 14'-10" in room width. What matters is how the space is allocated to provide better function.


Why can't Bosch Detail Sander be converted as an oscillating tool? I recently purchased Bosch 1294VSK.  It comes with several adapters for hard-to-reach areas.  It moves in an oscillating motion.  I contacted their customer service dept to ask if it could be converted to be used as an oscillating tool for cutting in hard-to-reach corners but they said no.  Assuming they said so for liability reasons, I was wondering if there is still a possibility to macguiver/hack some oscillating functionality out of it and, if not, why that's the case.

The sander ans accessories are designed for each other.  The sanding pads are special sizes for that sander.

Not only are the accessories and sander made specifically for each other, but sander does not oscillate nearly fast enough for cutting.

If you pick up a dremmel multimax or milwuake multi-tool you will realize how fast they oscillate - you can hardly see that the bit is moving because it is so fast.

So I doubt that modding your sander to be a multi-tool would be dangerous - but I think that Bosch support was dead on: it wouldn't work.


Is it ok to let something hang from its plug in a receptacle? (electric car charger) When I charge my car away from home, sometimes I use the portable 120 volt charge cable that plugs into a normal outlet.   At work, we have receptacles mounted a few feet above ground.  The charge cable comes stowed and wrapped around a handy coiling device which also lights up during charging.  This device hangs directly down when the unit is plugged in, and depending on how much cable I need to unwind to reach the car, weighs around 2-5 pounds.

The question is, is it safe or harmful to hang this mass from the plug?  It was designed to work that way, so I have a hard time believing it poses a danger to the receptacle or the cord/plug itself.  There is a debate among my fellow electric car drivers about this.
Two of the receptacles recently burned out, so they are attributing it to this, and are insisting we all find a way to support the weight of our chargers elsewhere than from the plug.

Advice?

Generally, cables carrying high current for long periods are expected to be fully unwound from any coiled storage arrangement. This is certainly true of ordinary extension cables.

It is generally not OK to hang heavy loads from power outlet sockets. Regardless of the design of a cable and its storage accessories, the sockets are likely to be designed to carry the weight of the plug and sufficient cable to reach the ground. I'd expect the designers to make provision for people tripping over the cables, pulling on them and driving off without detaching them. However it is likely that the intent is to reduce the likelihood that any consequential mechanical damage to the socket subsequently exposes people to an electrical hazard.

For $72 you can obtain the J1772 standard and find out if it specifies the mechanical strain that the socket should be designed to withstand. In the EU you'd check standard IEC 62196‑2.


What is the cause and fix to water slowly coming out of an outdoor faucet when its turned off? Regardless of how tightly I turn the faucet off, there is water that flows out.  When I attach a hose with a spray nozzle, the water finds a way to leak out either at the faucet where the hose is connected or around the spray nozzle.  There are 4 other outside spigots that are not having the same problem.

Oops, I think I misunderstood the question.

It sounds like this is a "frostproof" spigot.  If so, there should be a small white plastic cap on the top of the spigot just behind the knob.  A picture would ensure that a proper identification is made.

Most of these spigots can be rebuilt.  However, it may be more efficient (time wise) to replace it (depending on brand, age, availability of suitable parts).  But... this depends on how accessible the body of the valve is in your structure.  Again, a picture is going to help a lot.


Did I ruin my griddle by overheating it? So turns out the thermostat control on our griddle was broken. We ran it on full blast for about thirty minutes. Started to notice the adhesive bubbling on the sides then turned it off to investigate.

It's a much darker color than it was before, and seeing the adhesive worries me. Is this griddle still 100% safe to use or should we buy a new one?

I'd say this one needs to be thrown out, or more fully disabled so someone else does not pick it out of the trash to use it and then thrown out.

The bubbly plastic bits in where the food goes are not a good thing, and there may well be some hidden damage as well.

If it was me, I would not replace it with the exact same model, either. I would expect the sides to be welded in place, or stamped into a solid sheet; not glued like that.


Best way to stop cold air coming in from fireplace My house was built in 1967 and has a real working fireplace. The problem is, it allows a ton of cold air into the house. There is a chimney cap (and I climbed up on the roof to verify it still works), as well as glass doors on the front of the fireplace which were clearly made for safety and not sealing the room from cold air. Since cold air was still pouring in I added a chimney balloon.

However on cold mornings I use an IR thermometer and I can see the difference in temperature around the fireplace - it's still letting tons of cold air in. At this point I no longer care if I can use the fireplace for fires (I got an outdoor firepit for when we want to have bonfires and/or make s'mores). What is the best way to stop cold air coming in? Do fireplace inserts effectively seal them off from the outside? I keep searching for info but everything I see assumes I'll be using the fireplace insert to generate heat by burning things (which I don't really plan on doing). I don't want to heat my home with the fireplace, I just want to stop cold air from pouring in.

You can build an inexpensive "plug" for the front of the fireplace.  Get some thick plywood cut just barely smaller than the opening of your fireplace.  On the back of the plywood attach thick styrofoam or the foam insulation panels cut slightly bigger than the plywood.  Attach a handle to the front of the plywood and paint any color you want.  Stuff this into the front of the fireplace to keep drafts out.


Rebar cutter and bender's and the relative grade range of steel I'm comparing two budget rebar bender and cutter products (Crescent or HIT Tools), not sure the grade of steel Crescent is able to handle other than "soft or mild steel", HIT mentions up to grade 60.
Is there a relative grade range that is considered soft or mild? The most common grades available seems to be 40, 60, 75, 80, and 100.

The International Residential Code (IRC) requires a minimum of 40,000 psi (Grade 40). (See ICC IRC R404.4.6.1)
I think most architects and engineers design for Grade 40 or 50, because they are readily available.
If your working in a high seismic zone or high wind area, they may use a higher grade. Also, commercial work is often Grade 80.


how to mount power strip to brick wall I've got a power strip with no mounting holes. I need to mount it to a brick wall, as I have back probs and want to cut down on bending.
Any ideas on how to do this?

3M Scotch outdoor mounting tape may be something that will work for you. I've seen photos of the product used for attaching to brick, although the current collection of ad copy does not mention it. I've used the product to hold outdoor items and it's quite durable and strong.
The tape is a foam core with adhesive on both sides, allowing for irregularities in the surface. If it's necessary to remove for any reason, the foam has to be cut with a blade or some have used dental floss or similar cording to saw the foam.
Many locations have this product, Home Depot included. Image courtesy of Home Depot.

If easier removal is required, 3M Dual Lock is a velcro-type fastener. The product is not hook-and-loop but rather is a set of plastic panels with super strong adhesive, containing mushroom-head stalks that interconnect for a quite strong attachment. It's a bit harder to find and a bit more expensive than the foam tape.


How can I wire an exhaust fan to turn on from multiple locations? I just bought a Panasonic FV-20NLF1 inline bath exhaust fan that I planned to used to exhaust 2 different bathrooms.  I want each bathroom light switch to control the fan, so when the lighting turns on in either bathroom, the fan will go on. If both light switches are off, the fan will go off.  If one light is on the fan will stay on.  Could someone share how I could accomplish this, ideally in a diagram?

I don't think it's possible to individually control two different lights while controlling a common fan using conventional house wiring devices. Powering the fan will backfeed power to the other light that was supposed to stay off. But I look forward to being proven wrong.

It can be done if both lights and the fan all go on at the same time. This is just a standard 3-way switch circuit. Alternately, wire two standard switches in parallel so one bath user would not accidentally turn off the light for the other. This can be confusing as one switch may not always turn off the lights.

To have only one light go on with a particular switch, you need a pair of single throw-double pole switches where one pole of each switch goes to it's associated light and the other pole of each switch both go to the fan. While such a switch is common in electronics, I don't know if such a device is available for house wiring.

Alternately, a double pole relay could be used to switch the fan. Either pole powers the fan, but the separate coils keep each circuit isolated from the other. Sorry I'm not illustrating this, I need to take some time to learn how to add drawings here, I know it's fairly easy. In the mean time, if anyone gets what I'm saying, feel free to add some illustrations.


How can I add a switched circuit to an existing three-way circuit? I have a basic understanding of home wiring and generally able to "figure things out" as an engineer. I have a single receptacle in my detached garage that is switched with a 3-way switch (switches wired together with 14/2, then 14/2 wire from one switch goes to receptacle).
I'd like to steal the hot from here to power 2 lights in the loft.  I understand the 3-way will need to be on before the switch activating the lights is even powered.
Is this doable? Can someone help clarify how I'd wire it? Would it be just like a normal switch?
Basically, I don't want the loft lights on all the time. I have 2 shop lights plugged into the switched receptacle.  If I needed to go into the loft, I'd turn on the 3 way switch, then go turn on this new switch to light up the loft.  Any input is greatly appreciated!

You mentioned the travelers were in a /2 cable.  I hope that's a typo; 3-ways require at least /3 cable, and NEC 300.3(B) requires all related wires to be in the same cable or conduit, to assure currents are equal and the rather intense dynamic EMFs of AC power cancel each other out.
First, on the 3-way circuit, don't mess with the travelers.  They are not useful unless you want byzantine and annoying light control.  I even recommend marking the two travelers with yellow tape on both ends so you know what you're dealing with.

The switched-hot wire, however, can be used as a source for a subordinate light circuit.
You wire it like a normal light circuit, except instead of "supply hot" you take "tier 1 switched-hot".


How can I install a window air conditioner and still allow the window to be opened? I want to install a window based air conditioner but still allow for the ability to open the window when needed. I was thinking of using a piece of wood screwed into the window frame to support the air conditioner and prevent it from falling out.

Is that the right way to go about it?

I recommend window air-conditioner support brackets (or a custom made shelf) whether or not you intend to open the window.


should i remove hinges from door and door frame before painting I had brand new pre-primed unpainted french doors installed and now I have to paint them (also need to paint the new door frame).  I plan to remove the doors from the door frame as well as remove the door knob but is it best practice to also remove the hinges from the door and frame before painting?
My concern is it not screwing back in cleanly once Im ready to put the hinges back on.

To be honest I would if it's easy to remove them, but you can still do it hinges are still on. My father and I removed our hinges ,but they were easy to remove. You don't have to.


How can I install a steel sink if the mounting rails don't fit through the cutout? I need a stainless steel double bowl kitchen sink (33 × 22, standard size). All the ones I see have these rails under the edge. This is to clamp the sink to the counter.

The hole I have cut is a bit too small so the sinks with rails won't drop in as the rails prevent that. Is there a stainless steel sink that doesn't have the rails underneath but some other way to clamp?

I really can't modify the hole for this project. Am I stuck with acrylic?

I got a Dremel with a cutting wheel and cut one rail off. As I was finishing that one off I discovered I could peel what was left off with a pair of needlenosed plyers. Think opening a can of spam. On the next rail I used the needlenose to pry the rail open and give the Dremel more room to work. I heard a couple of the spot wields pop. Wiggled the rail back and forth somemore and... presto. It popped right off. Time to remove the first rail - 1 hour (had to keep letting the Dremel cool down). Time to remove the next three rails - five minutes. Be sure the sink edge is well supported so you don't bend it if you try this.


Does anyone have experience with insulating with waste-wool from shearing? Does anyone have experience with insulating with waste wool from sheep-shearing. I am interested in washing and deodorizing techniques and also in the  packing-density requirements. Plan is to use burlap sacks stuffed with wool, laid between joists.

As for sheep's wool it is a great insulating product.  I actually ran into 50 rolls at a local Habitat store that had them going for $4 a piece.  So I bought them all.  They were non-faced rolls and have to be one of the most pleasant insulation experiences of my life.

However you have two problems and neither of them have to do with cleaning.  First you must be able to compress the wool so that it stays together and its density is appropriate.  I found that it was a lot like rockwool except not itchy.  Second the burlap bags are probably a no-no because you would have to prove out their fireproof qualities.

I would talk to local inspector on both.  Sure he will be happy with wool but may express his own concerns on top of mine.

And just an FYI.  I have no idea where I would order these wool rolls.  I have never seen them at any store so obviously someone ordered them special and decided not to use them and gave them to the Habitat store.  Also you may want to visit some wool insulation company sites for tips.  I don't know what if anything they use to get the wool in firm strips.


What could be causing GFCI breakers and receptacles to trip? I have a two wire system and after installing GFCI outlet in kitchen I realized there is a problem with some type of inconsistancy causing the GFCI to trip as soon as power is sent to it. Thinking the problem was in an older GFCI outlet I attemped to reuse I purchased and installed a GFCI breaker. Same problem. I'm thinking there is possibly a shared ground in the wiring as the kitchen, dining room and basement lights are all on this breaker. In previous testing while installing a new light I noticed some low voltage current coming through even when the switch was off. Is it possible to get a GFCI to work under these circumstances? There is one outlet downstream from the GFIC outlet. I installed a new conventional outlet in place of the GFCI after installing the GFCI breaker. Everything appeared to work fine with a 20 amp breaker and no GFCI outlet installed.

Sounds like the circuit is sharing a neutral with another circuit.

With your GFCI breaker installed, turn off all other breakers. Reset the GFCI breaker, which should now hold. If it does not hold, then you have a problem with the wiring on that circuit and need to open each box to investigate.

If the GFCI breaker does hold, turn each breaker on one at a time until you find the circuit that trips the GFCI. This is the circuit with a shared neutral.

You then need to open switch boxes, light boxes, on both circuits to figure where the neutrals were wrongly tied together. Suspect anything that looks like a homeowner addition, or fix. A common place this might happen would be in a switch box that controls different lights, with two or more circuits feeding the box. An unknowing DIY-er may have tied all the neutrals together.


Well Pressure Tank from 35 PSI to 65 and back every 7 minutes My well pressure tank (Well X Trol) kicks on, goes up to 65 PSI, then immediately starts dropping, and after about 7 minutes, hits 35 PSI and kicks back on again, pushing it back up to 65 PSI... and repeats.

There is no major leak in my house that I'm aware of, nothing was using water, no one had flushed the toilet recently...etc etc.

My GUESS is that it must be pushing the water back down into the well. I don't know how else it could lose that much pressure that fast.

I went outside and sat by the well, and after a few minutes, I heard a gurgling/bubbling/spurting sound. It was faint, but it sounded like air, not just flowing water.

Thoughts on what this could be, how that could be tested, and how it can be resolved if confirmed?

You should be able to CHECK that there's no leak on the house side by simply shutting off the valve (that should be there, but might not be if your plumber was clueless, I suppose) between the pressure tank and the rest of the house.

If you do that and the behavior continues, yes, you have a problem on the well side - check valve not working, cracked pipe, something not as it should be, and you will need to check that. Depending on what type of pump you have and your well setup and personal mindset, that might be "call a well company" or it might not. If you are not comfortable opening the well and hauling pipes (with or without a pump attached, depending on your setup) up out of it, call the pros.

If the behavior stops, you need to check the house side - water softeners are my "hidden leak of choice" because I used to have one that liked to stick open and run the well like crazy, but they are not the only possible choice.


How can I secure wire fished between two plastic switch boxes? I have two light switches in two separate plastic switch boxes.  The upper box controls the motor of a fan, and the bottom switch controls some outlets.  I want to change the wiring so that the bottom switch controls the light on the fan.

Since the wiring for the fan came into the upper box, I plan to fish new wire from the light in the upper box to the lower box, and connect that to the lower switch.

However, this post says that the new wire must be clamped to the switch box, since it is nonmetallic.  Unlike the box in that question, my switch box does not have clamps, and looks like this:

How can I secure the wiring to the switch box?

Edit: Just to be clear, the switch boxes are already in the wall and are connected as described above.  I am just trying to modify the wiring.  I would rather not remove or replace the boxes if possible.

That box does have clamps.  The "flaps" that cover the holes are clamps. You push the cable in, and the clamps prevent it from sliding back out.


Should I add sand or more limestone crush to raise a patio with no gravel bedding? I need to regrade my patio and I had a quick look under the pavers to see  how it was built. To my surprise I found the following layers:

one thin layer off gravel -you would say it is about 1/4in thin
weed barrier
4" crushed limestone
precast brick pavers

I expected something more like 4" of gravel and 1" of sand + pavers on top (like it is described here : http://www.homedepot.ca/know-how/projects0/laying-out-and-digging-a-patio )

I think that the whole thing is too little permeable to water, and it drains more difficultly and that correlated with a slope toward the house is giving me a wet wall ...
I need to raise the level of the patio with 1"-2" in order to make it drain away of the house

Now the question is: do I add sand over the existing limestone crush or I buy more limestone crush ?

From drainage perspective, is it normal to have mostly just this limestone crash layer and nothing else? Will this crushed limestone trap the water longer than it should?

I wouldn't call that a typical base, but if it was properly compacted, it should work. The typical base is pretty much what you described:

topsoil dug down to undisturbed soil and/or topsoil dug out then soil machine compacted
2" layer of crushed rock, machine compacted
2" another layer of crushed rock, machine compacted
repeat until you get to 4" or the desired height (if above 4")
1" sand, leveled
pavers

Note that in this system, you're not designing for permeability or drainage at all. If you are using pavers, this is hardscaping, and is meant to shed water, not absorb it. To properly shed, it needs to be properly sloped. This is true for the base layer as well.

The purpose of the base layer is to create a solid, stable surface. Ability to drain is desirable (to avoid frost heave) but that's secondary to providing a proper surface to shed water.

In your case, it sounds like you already have 4" of compatible material. I'd do the following:

remove pavers
rent a compactor and compact existing base
add additional base material and compact to get the slope you want
add sand
put pavers back
add locking sand to joints

the big catch here is that this will ultimately raise your patio next to your house several inches. If that's tolerable, you're good to go. If not, then you have to do the reverse...instead of adding material closer to the house, you need to take material and remove it further away from the house. This will reduce your total base at the outside edges, though. That may be acceptable in your case.


Safe to put insulation around recessed light cans after convert to LED? I have a ranch home, in the kitchen there are recessed lights. I want to replace them with these LED ones that home depot sells:

I took a look at the insulation around the recessed light cans from the attic, and there is none. The cans have holes in them, so my precious warm air is leaking right out of these areas.

After I convert to the LED kits, is it safe to insulate around the cans? I currently have fiberglass bats in the rest of the attic, can I seal the cans with silver tape, then put bats on top?

Thanks

In order to cover your recessed light cans with insulation you need to have IC-rated (Insulation Contact) cans installed regardless of the type of light installed in the can.  Since you mentioned your cans have holes in them, they are most definitely not IC-rated.  You'd have to buy some remodel IC-rated cans and replaced what you have with those before covering with insulation.


Waterfall pump with broken off ground pin in 3 prong plug unsafe to use? In 2007 I purchased a quality waterfall pump for my pond (Tsurumi Submersible 50PN@.4S-60).  Recently when I pulled the plug, the grounding plug detached as well.  A local hardware store looked at it and said that it was "a fake ground plug anyway" and to go ahead and use the pump.  I tend to question that. If I try another store or supplier, should it be possible to just replace the 3 prong plug with a new one or is a whole new power cord needed?
Does this need to be ordered from the pump's manufacturer, or are 3 prong plugs for this type of equipment pretty generic?

I will assume that you live in a region where fake ground pins are common. (In my own experience I've found that "fake" ground pins are uncommon or even abnormal in the USA, but I have seen them in the UK.)

To check if it really is a "fake" ground pin, you could:

Confirm if the broken pin was actually metal, not plastic or similar. If plastic, it was obviously not a conducting element. If metal, its still uncertain.
Cut off the broken plug. If there are 3 wires then for normal residential wiring, it is grounded. The ground wire would typically be a standard color (check what's normal where you live). Since it is broken, this is a harmless thing to do.
If for some reason you don't want to cut off the broken plug, then you could use the continuity (resistance) setting on a multimeter to check if there is a current path between the stub of the ground pin and a metal part of the pump. While this can confirm that it was a real ground, it cannot safely disprove that it was fake. If the pump has only a plastic casing then this won't work either.

Once that is settled, you will know what kind of plug to replace it with. In my experience (again - USA and UK) a matching plug from a hardware store will be fine. Plugs are designed for a certain level of current & voltage, and their shape determines which receptacles they can safely be used in.


Cleaning/scrubbing asbestos from the air and heating ducts? I'm concerned that there may be airborne asbestos fibers.
We just discovered that there is an asbestos flue pipe that was compromised in the attic when the previous owner of the house converted to forced air heating.

There's new ducting that runs to each room of the house. I'm concerned that during the conversion asbestos was released into the attic while they were running the flexible ducts.

I'm concerned that there is asbestos in the air in the attic. I'm also concerned that there is asbestos in the forced air ducts (they got in there bc asbestos was in the air when they were running the ducts to each room)

We have not moved into the house yet.

What can we do to scrub the air and the forced air system?

Can I rent air scrubbers and run them while I run the forced air system?

Asbestos removal is very much the job for experts. If there is a chance that it has become airborne, you really need to call in a licensed professional to evaluate and, if necessary, remediate.

This is not a do-it-yourself project.


What are the differences between GE arc-fault breaker models? GE seems to make two variants of their arc-fault breakers for use in their residential panels:

THQL1115AF
THQL1115AF2

(also similar models for 20A which are THQL1120AF / THQL1120AF2).

I can't figure out what the differences between these two models are. The product info pages (linked above) seem to read almost identically, as does the packaging:

I don't have any physically at hand to inspect for some obvious difference.

My first impression was that the -AF breakers might be an older model than -AF2, but since they still seem to be sold that doesn't seem to be the case.

It's a generational design difference

The early generation AFCIs (all branch/feeder units, and the earlier combination-type units) relied on a ~30mA differential (equipment protection ground fault) trip to detect arcs to ground.  While some still do this to the best of my knowledge, this does mean that you need two-pole AFCIs for shared neutral/multi-wire branch circuits, and that's not something that people "get", so to speak, leading to quite a bit of befuddlement and false tripping.

So, the GE engineers went back to the drawing board, and figured out how to make an AFCI that can detect arcing to ground using the arc detection logic, eliminating the need for a ground fault trip.  This allows a pair of handle-tied single-pole breakers to be used on a two-pole circuit, and is the design change denoted by the "AF2" suffix (vs "AF") in the catalog number + the "MOD 3" designation, as per this GE appnote.


Why is my sink not draining well? The rate at which water is removed from a bathroom sink has significantly declined.  The p-trap was removed and a bucket placed underneath to catch water.  The sink was filled and water was released into the bucket: the result is that rate at which the water flowed into the bucket was unchanged (very slow).  This test indicates that the bottleneck is in the piping before the p-trap.  P-trap was clean \ unobstructed.

What is the most common cause for this issue?  What is the next step for diagnosing corrective action?

Remove the pop-up drain - some just need a quarter-turn to disengage, some you have to fuss with the rod that pops them up, some can be either way (and end up as quarter-turn when I put them back together - I suppose the other way is for making them harder to steal in public bathrooms.)

There is probably a (revolting, sorry, them's the breaks of plumbing) mass of hair and glop hung up in the stopper. I typically need to do this every year or so to our main bathroom sink as hair does get in there, and there's a point where trying to prevent that completely is more work than just cleaning it out when needed.

You may want rubber gloves, depending on your personal tolerance for revolting drain glop.


How can I safely install drywall anchors around an electrical panel? This question is similar but my scenario seems more risky:

electrical - How to safely install drywall anchors near wiring - Home Improvement Stack Exchangesk)

I want to install something that requires several – three or four, possibly more – drywall anchors be installed. I'd like to install the anchors near the where wall meets the ceiling but the electrical panel for my unit is also on this wall. There are no wood studs for any of the walls in the unit. I'm reasonably sure the studs are aluminum (or an even stronger metal in some places).

I'd expect it would not be a good idea to install any anchors in the space above the panel (all the way to the ceiling) but is it safe to – or is there a way I can safely – install anchors to both sides of where the panel is located?

Here's a picture of the wall with the electrical panel:

If your hollow walls do not have wooden studs, the studs are most likely steel (at least in the US).

You are right to be concerned about the extensive wiring near an electrical panel. Numerous wires may be exiting in virtually any direction. You could check out where wires exit by turning off the main power switch and then removing the panel face plate. You will be able to see the directions most of the wires follow. Caution! There is still live power coming into the main breaker, even when that breaker is off.

If the wiring is up to code, cables are supposed to be recessed from the front edge of the metal stud by at least 1.25 inches (NEC 303.4(D)). This leaves you some room to drill and install anchors in the drywall, although I would avoid drilling very close to the panel (as you suggest).

For extra safety, you may wish to turn off the power when you are drilling on that wall, take care not to allow the drill to penetrate much beyond the drywall and, if you seem to hit anything other than drywall, check to make sure it is not a cable before progressing.

You can mount things on steel studs, but you need special screws, not wood screws. Also, if mounting on steel studs, be sure the screws are not so long that they penetrate the steel more than about 1/2 inch at most (longer provide no additional holding power in steel studs).

While steel toggles and expanding anchors should not hit wiring if it has been properly spaced, consider the plastic expanding type if you want additional safety.

I would avoid the tubular type plastic anchors except for the lightest of loads. And do not use the steel hammer-in type anchors!

Note: If you think you might have hit a cable, be sure the power is off and call an electrician to check it out before proceeding!

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


Does it cost more to run a refrigerator on an extension cord? My new mini refrigerator is plugged into a 50 ft extension cord that is plugged into my house.
Does it cost more to run because of the cord?

Yes, it does cost you money using the extension cord.

Grabbing a random number out of the air, let's say the fridge draws 2 amperes. If you have a 50 ft. 16 AWG cord, that's 1.996 watts. If the cord was 50 ft. 14 AWG, that'd be 1.256 watts.

Using the energy star standard of $0.12 per KWh. The 16 AWG cord costs you $0.00023952 per hour, while the 14 AWG cord would cost $0.00015072 per hour.

There's also the problem that the manufacturer's documentation likely tells you not to use an extension cord.

NOTES:
- I have no idea how much current a mini fridge draws, so I simply grabbed a number out of the air. If somebody wants to comment with a realistic number, I'll rerun the calculations.

Using @CarlWitthoft's calculation of 0.7 amperes, and resistance values from NEC chapter 9 table 8. The cost can be figured as follows.

18 AWG cord

VD = Length x 2 x current x ohms per foot
VD = 50' x 2 x 0.7 A x 0.00795 ohms
VD = 100 x 0.7 A x 0.00795 ohms
VD = 70 x 0.00795 ohms
VD = 0.5565 volts

Watts = Volts x Amperes
W = 0.5565 V x 0.7 A
W = 0.38955 watts
kW = 0.00038955

Cost = kW x $/kW
Cost = 0.00038955 x $0.12
Cost = $0.000046746

16 AWG cord

VD = 70 x 0.00499 ohms
VD = 0.3493 volts

W = 0.3493 V x 0.7 A
kW = 0.00024451

Cost = 0.0002445 kW x $0.12
Cost = $0.0000293412

14 AWG cord

VD = 70 x 0.00314 ohms
VD = 0.2198 volts

W = 0.2198 V x 0.7 A
kW = 0.00015386
Cost = 0.00015386 kW x $0.12
Cost = $0.0000184632

So for every hour the fridge is actually running, you'll pay the above amount extra because of the cord.

If you're using the 18 AWG cord, and the fridge runs constantly for a year. The power lost to the cord would only cost about $0.40.

$0.000046746 x 24 hours = $0.001121904
$0.001121904 x 365 days = $0.40949496

So basically, reading this ridiculous answer has likely cost you more than the cord will.


3 gang box, code specifications I have one 3 gang box of 44ci , and it needs to house the following wires:

Three 14/2 wire for 3 switches.
one 14/3 wire
one Feed wire
one jumper wire to feed another switch

Is this box deep enough and pass the inspection with above wires?
If not what is the alternative solution, a junction box  which will reduce jumper wire from 3 gang box?
Please advise.

There was a change to the 2020 box fill calculation but you only have 4 grounds so your totals will be the same.
14 gauge is a 2cu inch multiplier.
So you have 9 current carrying conductors
4 grounds= 1
Each switch is a 2x so 6 (a total of 12 cu in)
16 x2 = 32 cu inch if there are clamps add 2 = 34cu in
so you should be fine You have a 10 cu inch safety.
Added with the addition of the feed wire:
With the addition of the feed wire 14-2 this adds 4.5 to the total for 38.5 cu inch
See comments for the complete calculations.
The box fill has changed and this change for 2020 increased the calculated fill by +.5 cu inch.


Reuse aluminum wire for basement Sauna heater I have existing aluminum wiring, previously used for an electric stove top, that I would like to repurpose for a sauna heater in my basement. The electric stove top is gone.

Heater Specs from the manual:
6Kw, 240v/1ph, 25 Amps, 10 Gauge Wire
Indicates to use copper wire rated for 90 degs C

The existing wire circuit has a double-40 amp breaker using #6x4 conductor XHHW-2 alumiflex.
Distance from the breaker to the heater will use around 60 ft of wire.

Will it be safe and within specs to do this?
Thanks!

Honestly, you're probably better off leaving 40A service to an electric stove in place.  It's a selling point when you go to sell the house, especially when it's a competent 4-wire circuit, for people who might want to go back to electric, or do a best-of-both-worlds gas range and electric oven.  Since it also has gas, that takes the sting out of the aluminum wire for those who are bothered by #6 aluminum.

If it's convenient you might drop #8 aluminum or copper straight down from the stove receptacle to the new appliance. You need to make an Al-Cu transition anyway, inside the stove box is as good a place as any.

A 6 KW heater is 25 amps. That must be derated by 125% to 31.25 amps.  You cannot put 31.25 amps on a 30A circuit unless the device is UL-listed and the UL-approved instructions tell you to do that. If they do, feel free to use #10 copper for the final-run to it.

You cannot put aluminum wire on the device's terminals; they are not listed for AL.  So you must pigtail with a legal size of copper wire. You can splice from #6 Al to copper with a "MAC-Block" insulated splice, inside a junction box.  That may require mounting an additional junction box.  See how that's enough trouble that you might be better off just making that splice in the oven box?


Replace Water Shutoff Valve Stem with Repair Kit I have a leaking water shutoff valve (pictured below). It appears to be a sweat shutoff valve that is soldered on to the pipe. It does not leak if I tightly shut off the valve, but any attempt to open the value causes leaking (admittedly I have to close it pretty tight to stop the leak).

Obviously I'd like to fix this through the easiest method possible. I could replace the entire valve, which would require either cutting the pipe or removing the soldering and pulling the valve off. However, there are valve stem repair kits that would involve just replacing the valve itself.

My main question is, is this a viable way to repair the leak? Given the fact that it doesn't leak when fully closed, does that imply a failure of a o-ring that such a repair kit would replace? Almost all advice I can find about replacing water shutoff vales involves replacing the entire valve, not just the stem.

Easiest fix  - You have leaking packing (the seal around the valve stem) since it leaks only when open.

Tighten the packing nut - hold the valve body still with one wrench so it does not try to twist the pipes while using another wrench to tighten the nut between the valve body and the valve handle (the "packing nut")
If that does not fix it, shut off the water further back in your system and remove the packing nut (same process but loosen) - remove any old packing, apply new packing (hardware store plumbing section should stock it - teflon string, more or less, these days) then reassemble and tighten as in 1.
You may need to take the valve stem out to repack. You can replace the sealing washer if needed which might make it easier to get shut off, depending on the condition of the sealing washer at present. This is rather less drastic than "a valve stem kit" that might or might not actually fit your particular valve.

If you do replace, get a 1/4 turn shutoff valve. They are far less prone to leaking or failing to operate after years of sitting open, as shutoff valves do.


Dressing stone vs Abrasive File What is the difference between a dressing stone and an abrasive file? For example, items 61463610555 and 61463686100:
www.nortonabrasives.com/sites/sga.na.com/files/document/Catalog-SharpeningStones-Norton200.pdf

They're both the same shape, size, and both aluminum oxide so I guess the difference must be in the binder but I am not sure what the difference would be for an abrasive file versus a vitrified dressing stick.

The first product is a dressing stick, so if you have abrasive impregnated grinding machines, you use it to flatten and true them.  A binder would be chosen to stay strong and hard with the heat produced.  Generally with stone you want a dressing abrasive harder than the stone, but as they mention particularly cleaning and truing diamond abrasives, it appears it is adequate in this case to be stronger and harder than the binder.
The second product appears to be more for hand filing, sharpening and shaping high strength metal cutting tools like wood chisels and punch dies, so they likely have flexibility to choose binder properties that are better for low speed hand work.


Cement board under cabinet with no tile In my basement apartment, I had concrete underlayment and I decided to not install tile under the cabinets even though some people advised me to do. It turned out well especially because I ended up installing 2x4 near on the other side of the front base of the cabinets to screw the front into for extra firmness, which would have been more difficult with tiles. Overall, it worked well, saved me tile and labor to have the cabinets sit directly on the concrete underlayment.
Now I'm doing my upstairs kitchen, which of course is not on a concrete underlayment but on a subfloor stack consisting of 3/4" OSB, 1/2" ply (for extra firmness), 1/4" cementboard, then tile. I intend to again repeat the no tile under cabinet methodology but my question is, since the underlayment is different, should I also skip the 1/4" cementboard under the cabinets? I can see pros and cons both ways. If I did, the countertops would be 1/4" higher, if not, I could save some cementboard.

When I did my kitchen recently, I just laid the cement board wall-to-wall, because it wasn't worth it to cut the sheets where the base cabinets would go.  Plus you get a bit of waterproofing too.
Don't forget that you will want tile under the refrigerator, dishwasher, and free-standing range.


How to fill space between wall and door I am about to attach some trim over some old trim to cover up a particularly ugly doorframe/wall joint. I think before I do this, it may be a good idea to fill it, since otherwise there will be a large-ish space behind my trim. What would be the best filler to use in this case? The gap is too wide for caulk in some cases, I think, but I am not sure what to use instead.

Here are some photos:

If it is less than an inch, caulk will fill it fine before you cover it with trim.

Use a caulk that has high flex characteristics like a polyurethane based caulk, actually latex with silicone would work too.

Don't need to be too careful, trim will cover up the caulk.


Doorframe gap - temporary fix? My SO is a renter and their landlord sent someone over to replace the back door. The removal of the old door and installation of the new one wasn't great - the new door doesn't fit properly, and there is now a gap of space next to the doorframe. It lets in air and light, but more annoyingly, moths and other insects can get inside. I stuffed the gap (between a quarter of an inch and an inch at various spots) with newspaper from the inside. Is this a terrible temporary fix? The landlord is often not quick with repairs, so I don't expect that it will be remedied anytime soon (it has already been several months). We don't want to spend a lot of money correcting their error, but don't want to do anything that could be dangerous or lead to mold or other, bigger issues. Thank you for any advice or insight.

It is not an error to have a gap, It is an error that the job was not finished properly.

The gap or space in not unusual. the opening ( rough opening ) is always larger then the door jam so that the door can positioned inside the opening plumb and true ( square ).

The gap is supposed to be filled with insulation of some kind. Typically  this is a spray foam product in a can. You can do this your self, You must use a spray foam called minimally expanding window and door spray foam insulation.

You should mask off the wall and the jam with painters tape so if you spray to much in and it expands outside of the gap and onto the wall/jam it will not stick to the jam or wall. ( it is tenacious stuff and not easy to remove and will leave a stain ) once dried you can trim any excess off with a knife. ( an old serrated bread knife works well for this, and then remove the painter tape. You do not fill the whole void as the foam will expand two to three times its volume. I am sure if you do  YouTube search for how to spray foam a door jam you will get plenty of instructions.

The door trim is then installed and this will hide the gap/insulation.


How can I repair a slow leak in my concrete fountain? I have a painted concrete fountain whose bottom well slowly leaks over about 2 days.
My area gets to ~-20c (-9ish F) in the winter, so I worry that trapped water is slowly destroying it.
I suspect most cracks are in or near the pump area (circled red). I have seen water leak through the terrible-looking bottom area (also red).

I contacted EnduraCoat, but they recommended 100% silicone caulk. That's not easy stuff to squeeze into tiny, invisible cracks, especially those in the pump area (circled red).

Please recommend a sealant that I can pour into the bottom well which is thin enough to fill and seal the tiny cracks.

Google Hydraulic cement (HC), you should be able to purchase 5 lbs or so for less than $20.

Tools needed:  2Q bucket (dont expect to be able to clean it 100%), margin trowel (for mixing and scooping), 3" putty knife, rubber gloves, paint scraping implements (goggles, if you use a wire wheel)

Remove as much of the paint as possible, especially in the bowl area.
Dampen the area.  Residual water is not a problem for HC
Following package direction, mix a small amount(1lb) of HC and working quickly (you only have 3-5 min for most versions), push a handful into the suspected bowl area.  Smooth and taper the "plug".

Test the bowl immediately.  The nice thing about HC is it can even be placed underwater and will cure.  This treatment will work below the bowl, also.  Be sure to carefully remove any loose cement, as well as paint

If the patch is not working well enough, a masonry waterproofer (to be distinguished from a masonry sealer) would be the next step.  I can personally recommend the Drylock brand (no financial connection).  The powered version
is nice because you only makeup what you need.  It is paintable, so the whole fountain can be redone.

The company's recommendation for the paintable waterproofing is to etch the surface if efflorescence is present.  Efflorescence is a whiteish deposit on the surface of masonry that are a combination of minerals.  The minerals will interfere with the waterproofing binding to the cement.  You can try to dissolve it  with 100% vinegar.  If that doesn't work, you can use either their etcher or muriatic acid.  This is a highly caustic, acidic product.  You need hand, eye, lung, hair and clothing protection from the concentrated liquid (treat the diluted form with great respect, also).  US Government data sheet on Hydrocloric acid

Outdoors is a given, a box fan is helpful, acid rated, charcoal activated respirator, water hose, box of baking soda for any spills.  Thoroughly wet the fountain and the rinse off area.

It must be diluted by the following method:

Add the acid to the water in a bucket (NOT the water to the acid)  This will minimize the reaction and safely dilute the acid without boiling.  Most etching recommendations suggest a 10:1 dilution (10 parts water to 1 part acid)  This would be starting with as 30% HCL Muratic acid.  Increase the starting water as necessary if your Muratic acid is more concentrated.

Allow the acid to work for the recommended time (The salts should disappear in 5min or less.) Then you can neutralize with a gallon of water with a box of baking soda (you might just have this on hand ahead of time).  Follow with a water rinse.  Allow to dry overnight and then coat with the Drylok.


New washing machine using the same valve as the sink, water smells and tastes like plastic So I have been using the same valve for actually two washing machines and a sink, and when I got the new washing machine the problem started appearing. I am guessing this is because of the new washer hose, it is an LG front load washing machine with its original new hose, yet it makes the whole water coming out taste bad and smelly, even if I run it for over a minute - the taste gets minimal after a while though.

So obviously my best bet is to change the hose, but I wanna know if I wait out if this can be hazardous at all, is this a normal thing to happen? I had a few washes but not many, I am guessing it is supposed to be gone at some point of time, but I am not sure if its dangerous in the meanwhile had two other hoses changed in the past and they did not cause this problem.

I am not sure if washing machine hoses are rated for potable water, with that said I used to drink from a hose all the time and still do. If the water smells bad let it run it may be like many appliances that have to offgas a little and the smell/ taste will go away after a while. I would think that the hoses should be rated for use with potable water since they are connecting to the home water supply. If you are concerned contact the MFG they will have the info on the materials used in the hoses and will probably give the same advice that it will go away after a while.


Diagnosing RCD tripping to decide whether to fix or junk basic electric oven Excuse any incorrect terminology in this question (I will correct if advised).

I'm in the UK. I have a house with relatively new wiring (past 5 years) which has circuit breakers on the power and lighting circuits and two RCD devices (I think these are GFCI in the US) for the downstairs and upstairs circuits.

I have a very basic built-in electric oven with fan that runs off a standard 13A plug.

I unplugged the oven from the socket, moved the shelf in the housing that the oven sits on to make room for something else. I then plugged the oven back into its original socket (two outlet, dual pole, switched shared with microwave). When I switched on the thermostat on the oven, it tripped the "downstairs" RCD. Just switching on the lamp or the fan did not trip the RCD. I looked at the wiring in the plug and the earth wire looked to be just a few strands of copper. I stripped insulation and trimmed and refitted all three wires (E,L,N) to the plug, plugged the device in, switched on the element and thermostat and no RCD tripping. Hooray! The device has been ok for about two weeks then yesterday it tripped the RCD after running at 180C for 15 minutes.

Now, the device is probably faulty in some way but I am concerned that this is some "cumulative" effect and that there is a "baseline" current drain happening from other devices and the oven is just adding to that and causing the RCD to trip.

Is there some "plug in" tester that provides a standard UK plug and socket that can be inserted between the device and the power outlet where I can check any current drain for every device in my house? I'm trying to isolate the problem to the oven - if indeed that is the only source of the problem. I'm willing to pay £30 for such a device.

Is there any link to a systematic check I can perform on the oven if the current drain problem  is isolated to that? I'm trying to decide whether there is an easy diagnosis / fix I can achieve for under £50 plus some time investment and decide whether to get the oven serviced or to junk it and buy a replacement. I chose £50 as the target expenditure as that is the charge for a call out plus half hour work around here. Also if it is possible to "residual current" test all devices that will unearth other problems and I can replace faulty devices or make me sleep better.

I don't want to replace the oven if the problem is (partly) somewhere else and replacing the oven doesn't actually fix the RCD trip.

Yes. Get an extension cord (I assume they are all 3-prong in the UK).   Slice down the edge of the cable and remove the outer sheath for about a foot.   Don't cut into any of the insulation on the individual wires (though if you nick ground's insulation, don't worry about it).

Bind the hot and neutral (brown and blue) wires tightly together with electrical tape.

Now get a clamp ammeter and clamp the hot/neutral bundle.      The amp reading should be zero.   If that is not zero, that is a ground fault, which explains the RCD trip.   Now clamp the ground wire.  The reading should be zero. If it is not zero and the same number, you have an internal ground fault that has been caught by the ground wire.

If the non-zero figure on the conductors isn't accounted for by the figure on the ground, you have current leaking in a third direction.

Either leakage implies a problem with the oven.  Try giving it a good clean, especially in the wiring areas.


Question concerning power outlet EDIT: the outlet is not freely moving behind the cover; I just managed to move it to the side by a fraction of a millimeter and moved it back with some effort. Also, the main question is whether what I did outlined below contributed to any sort of significant damage to the outlet.

I have an urgent question, and would appreciate any sort of help for feedback for my scenario.

I live in the U.S., and my question is about a particular power outlet. This power outlet's receptacle is inserted so that it is behind the cover of the outlet, but it still feels fairly stable.

So yesterday, I was frustrated and yanked out a phone charger from the top socket of said outlet, and realized I had shifted the receptacle/outlets behind the cover to the left by a small amount. Unsure of what to do, I plugged in a plug and used it to shift it back to position, which may or may not have been dumb to do. Now I'm afraid of the integrity of the outlet, whether or not I should use it, or if shifting the receptacle and moving it with a plug was dangerous.

Does anyone know if I should hire an electrician to fix this one outlet, or am I safe? The outlet is on the wall behind my table, which is made out of metal other than the top.

Is it possible for this one outlet to spark or cause a fire due to what I had done before (manually shifting receptacle back to place with a plug in outlet). Also, when I pulled the charger out yesterday, it was not shifted by an extreme margin, but just a little bit.

I'm not sure if it is a hazard or not, since I didn't have any problems prior to doing what I did above, but if anyone can let me know, I would appreciate it. Also, is it dangerous to be in proximity of an outlet, or if it were to spark and electrocute me via the metal table that is next to the outlet?

Main question is: Does moving the receptacle behind the cover damage anything if one were to move it accidentally or purposely with a plug, whether it be yanking it or dragging it?

Thanks

As others have already noted, a picture with the cover help will definitely help with diagnosis.

Very likely there is no "new" problem, but the "old" problem is a real concern. Normally a receptacle is attached to a box by two screws - top & bottom, and then the cover plate is attached to the receptacle by the middle screw. I see 3 likely scenarios (and there may be a combination):

The top & bottom screws are loose (or nonexistent). If this is the case, tightening or replacing the screws should solve the problem.
The box that the receptacle is mounted to is loose. This is generally harder to fix as you may need to remove it and remount it properly or replace it with a different box.
The box & receptacle are too far back, so the cover screw can't tighten properly. In this case, more likely the cover is moving than the receptacle. The solution to that problem is a box extender.

Once you have the cover off, you also want to check for:

Backstab connections. If you find any, you should switch to screw connections as they are more reliable.
Any signs of burning or arcing - e.g., charred insulation. If you have a loose connection combined with a shifting receptacle, you could easily end up with problems over time. If the receptacle itself seems damaged then I recommend replacing it - they are very inexpensive.


Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle wires on Furnace Pressure Switch makes it work -- should I replace Switch? My Furnace (a Rheem Criterion II Gas Furnace - model RGLH-07EAMGR) has had a problem for a while that we've just been living with but I can finally afford to do something about it.

What happens is that it will run fine for a while (hours, days, even weeks -- pretty random), and then it will stop running.  I go out and check and the 'OK' LED is flashing 3 times and then off, 3 times and then off.  The troubleshooting guide says this means "The limit switch is open".

What I have figured out is that if I wiggle the wires that attach to the pressure switch  just a little bit (picture below), then put the covers back on, the furnace will turn on again and run normally for a while.  Then, at some random time in the future, it will shut off and be back on the 'OK' LED flashing.

Based on my research, it sounds like Pressure Switches are usually an indicator of a problem rather than being the problem itself.  But since wiggling that wire seems to reset things, I wonder if in this case it is the Pressure Switch?  Or is it possibly actually the Limit Switch that needs replacing (I've never actually tried wiggling those wires)?  What's the best way to troubleshoot this?

I will probably end up calling in a pro to take care of this, but I mostly want to understand so I can make sure I'm not getting ripped off..

It could be the connection or the sensor.

If those connectors move a lot when you wiggle them, they may just be loose, and vibrations from the furnace affecting them.  So the first thing I would try is pulling the connectors off and squeezing them a little bit with a pair of pliers, so they dig in a little tighter when you put them back on.  That costs nothing, so its worth a try.


How to fix squeaking in carpeted stair treads I have 3 or 4 carpeted steps that make a muffled crunching sound when being stepped on.  There is no access from below.

How do I determine the location where the problem is and how do I fix the affected treads.  I'm aware of kits that work through the carpet with breakaway screws, but how do I determine  the location where the screw has to be drilled into the tread to eliminate the noise.

The squeaky floor repair kits have a special rod that you "drill" into the floor. If it slides up and down easy, you missed....move over and try again. Once you find the stringer, use the special screw, driver bit, knock off/standoff and drive the screw in. Break the head off and walk on,the step to see if it's fixed. After fixing the first step,  the next step will be easy to fix.


Nail gun and curled nails I've never owned or used pneumatic tools, but recently I thought it would make a good addition to my tools.

I bought an 18ga nail gun and 2" 18ga nails. When I used it to nail together 1/2" plywood to make a small box, I had some problems with the nails curling and punching out at odd spots. Not all of them, but about 25%. Am I using too long of nails? Or is it a problem with plywood? Or???

Even on a good day, brad nails can curl on you. Through your fingers, if you aren't careful.

However, if you look closely at the pointy end of a strip of nails, you'll see that they're cut at an angle on only two sides. (The other two sides are the ones adjacent to their neighbors in the strip.) Anyway, the nail is predisposed to curl in the direction of one of the cut sides.

(Phrased another way, if you hold the nailgun vertical, the nails are prone to curling left or right.)

So you can use this to your advantage... if you're nailing into the edge of plywood, have the nailgun perpendicular to the plywood. That way, if you get a curl, it's probably contained within the ply, as opposed to shooting out the side.

You didn't ask, but a tip for those nasty curl outs: bend the end of the nail back and forth. It'll usually break below the surface of the wood, and you can fill. If there's not much nail to grab, use needlenose pliers.


Converting existing 3-way switches to smart switches I have an existing 3-way switch setup that I'm trying to convert to "smart" switches and I'm feeling "not smart" after mapping out where I think the wires are going.  Unfortunately I don't have a good wiring diagram to share with you besides this back of the napkin drawing where yellow = white wire.

Box A: This is a double gang box. There are 2 switches and 4 cables in this box.  The first switch is a leg of the 3-way switch to entryway chandelier (20 feet overhead, I have no access to the fixture box so I don't know how it's wired).
The other switch (referred to as switch 3) is to an outside light.  I only mention it for completeness and the fact that it's using the same 14/2 line as the 3-way switches of interest.
Box A two gang
    cable 1 - 14/3 romex
        black - switch 1 traveler (switched hot)
        red - switch 1 traveler (always hot)
        white - nutted to cable 2 red

    cable 2 - 14/3 romex
        black - wired to switch 1 oddball/common terminal (always hot)
        red - nutted to cable 1 white
        white - neutral

    cable 3 - 14/2 romex
        black - line (always hot)
        white - neutral

    cable 4 - 14/2 romex
        black - switch 3 load (to outside light)
        white - neutral (from outside light)

all neutrals in box nutted together (cable 2, cable 3, cable 4)
cable 3 black (line) nutted to: (cable 2 black, switch 1 oddball, switch 3 line)

Box B: This is a single gang box. There is only 1 cable in this box.  This is the other leg of the 3-way switch to entryway chandelier.  Presumably this cable is the other end of cable 1 in Box A, since when the circuit is off that wire behaves the same in each box (red is hot, black and white are off).
Box B single gang
    cable 1 - 14/3 romex (presumably other end of Box A wire 1)
        black - switch 2 (switched hot)
        red - switch 2 (always hot)
        white - switch 2 oddball/common terminal (switched hot)

Okay... so now my question is ultimately twofold: What is most probable wiring diagram for the chandelier fixture box, and can I rewire for a smart switch & add on without having to change the wiring at the fixture?
I am presuming that Box A cable 2 is going up to the fixture. If that's true, I'm at a loss as to why 14/3 is used for this purpose.
Edited:
Here are some photos of the switch boxes.

Based on the diagram (with yellow => white), it looks pretty straightforward, but actual pictures instead of drawings would confirm the details:
Box A:

Cable 1 = 3-way. Red & Black = travelers. White = switched hot.
Cable 2 = Light fixture. Red = switched hot. Black = always hot for use in other stuff past the light fixture. White = neutral.
Cable 3 = Incoming power. Black = hot. White = neutral.
Cable 4 = Outside light. Black = switched hot. White = neutral.

Box B:

Red & Black = travelers. White = switched hot.

For your smart switch, install it in Box A. You will probably need a neutral - just add it to the bunch of existing neutrals.


Anyone know much about drill pumps? The specs on the ones at Lowes' and HomeDepot's web site were either unavailable, unimpressive, or confusing (e.g. 0.1 horsepower, 0 head pressure, 115 volts, etc.)  I found some available from Northern Tool and Grainger, however, that say they can achieve 50-55 ft of head:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200384668_200384668

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-NonSubmersible-Drill-Driven-Pump-3YU63

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-NonSubmersible-Drill-Driven-Pump-Kit-3YU62

What I need this for is basically filling up a few systems of copper tubes that range anywhere from 25 to 40 ft in height.  I'm not sure if they'll ever get any taller than 40-50 ft, but I suppose if I ever have to do that, I can just plumb two in series.

Any thoughts on the drill pumps from NT and Grainger?  Suggestions are welcome if anyone knows where to get better drill pumps (or something similar.)

PS: The drill pump will be powered by a Makita BHP452.

After doing more work with the drill pump, I've decided that it's actually pretty good.  It takes roughly 2 minutes to pump 6 gallons @ 15 ft of head, so I supposed that'll work.  I'll just have to make sure my Makita's battery has a good charge on it before I start pumping.


Screws used for deck - how to replace? I bought a house with large raised deck, and the home inspector told me that I need to replace all of the screws with no shear screws, and that since they used screws originally, I cannot use nails now. I've found no-shear screws that look like they were intended for the braces used on the deck. These screws appear to be just slightly thicker, which seems good to ensure a tight fit, but they are not as long as the screws currently in the deck. Will this cause issues or instability? Do I need to use no-shear screws that are both wider and as long or longer than the screws currently in the deck?

Finally, is there any chance that they used appropriate screws originally (pictures included)? How could I determine this?

**Update I've added another image showing where these are located. They are the only connectors for the horizontal supports directly under the deck surface and run from the house to a set of posts on the other side of the deck. The connector on the other side rests on the posts and these are attached to that piece. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions so far!

Chances are you only need to replace the screws that mount the hanger to the ledger. The screws that go diagonally through the joists aren't in shear and should be fine.

I'd think that no-shear screws of the same size (#8?) as the original screws would do, and hanger nails are typically only 1-1/2" long anyway, so that they penetrate the joist that they're hanging from. Here is Simpson Strong-tie's offering.


Door trim coming off? Hoping to get some insight, or light in this dark forest. I live in Vancouver Canada. This winter I noticed the exterior door by the garage was leaking. I believe it was leaking from the bottom-side door sill! So I caulked the sides of the door sill. Seems to be doing the job until yesterday. As I no longer see water marks on the inside bottom corners. Last week was an awesome weather so humidity was pretty low, just darn too sunny.
I found out that the interior side top door trim was pushing away from the wall. And I also found out that there was a gap between the exterior side top part of the door trim(photos).
Could it be just the moisture from the previous leak just drying up inside the wall causing this? Like Im hoping it is but seems odd that the wster would leak on from the door sill and months later when it dries all up the top of the door trim starts to shift.. What are your thoughts? Just caulk the gap? :)
Thanks guys,

It looks like the jamb is pulling away from the jamb extension at the top of the door.
I don't think this is water related.  You have a decent overhang and you have a metal jamb flashing header.
If I had to guess I'd say your jamb wasn't secured at the top and someone kicked/bumped/rammed it and the jamb was pushed inside displacing the interior trim and detaching from the weakly attached jamb extension.


Need Quick Fix for Leaky Door Hurricane Sandy is starting to hit us, and we have come to realize our basement door is leaky, and it's starting to soak our basement.  I found where the water is coming in, the bottom corner of the door is not snug against the doorframe, and I can see a little daylight coming through.

Now I'm a stereotypical suburbanite, I have no weatherstripping in the house, or much else.  But my basement is leaking right now, at the start of the hurricane, and we're not supposed to leave our houses, so I need a quick fix.

Does anyone know quick fix using standard household items?  Is there something I can cram in there that will at least slow down the leaking?

Thanks

Take some duct tape and seal it around the seam between the frame/door from outside. Then get some proper weather stripping and adjust the door frame when it's not in the middle of a hurricane.


What temperatures are normal in this area of my furnace? Please see the attached picture and pay attention to the "temperature dial" in the inset

With the current settings the gas burner cycles like this

-limit temperature 200F
-at that temperature the burner shuts off and the furnace is cooling off to around 150F in about 35 seconds
From there the burner starts again and it the temperature goes up in about 1min

The temperatures in the circled area are the highest in the area but stable. I am not sure how hot these should normally be. I just fixed a problem with the control module and in the process I think I played too much with the fan/load control switch. I am trying to guess if everything is back to normal

If you're tripping the high limit, then I'd say it's not back to normal. Sounds like you're not pushing enough cool air through the heat exchanger, which means it can't dissipate the heat fast enough.

With a conventional gas furnace, you should be at about 140°F-170°F at the supply plenum. A high efficiency furnace will be lower, around 110°F-140°F. However, the temperature at the outlet of the furnace, is dependent on the temperature of the incoming air. If you have the documentation for the furnace, it should give you an idea of the temperature rise you should expect.

The expected temperature rise, as well as the max outlet temperature, might also be listed on the nameplate of the furnace.


Practicality of adding 3-phase power to residence? How practical is it to add 3-phase power to a residence (assuming that the street has 3-phase on the poles)?

In my case I would be using it only for occasional use, such as for some heavy duty machine tools in a basement, and maybe a motor for a large gate or door.

Will it be prohibitively expensive, or on the same order as the costs for normal 240V 2-phase power? Will power companies typically unite the bills, or can I expect to have to pay two different bills, one for the 240V and one for the 3-phase?

A quick search indicates that acquiring 3 phase power from a local utility may be prohibitively expensive. The article I read suggests that such a resource will carry an installation expense in areas not rated for commercial service and may also carry a minimum charge on the utility bill.

If your objective is occasional use of heavy equipment such as a machine tool, it may be more practical to use a device called a rotary converter. You would want to ensure your selected device has the necessary capacity for your expected load maximum, with a bit of reserve tossed in for good measure.

If only a single machine is going to be using 3-phase power, another device known as a VFD would be of value. A VFD will provide variable speed to an otherwise single speed motor as well as other features one can determine by searching for that term.

There are plans online to build your own rotary converter. A friend without internet access, many years ago, connected two motors together via belts, powering one with line current and used the gizmo to run a monster Czech lathe in his shed. He had to "kick-start" it periodically by kicking one of the pulleys, but it worked. I'm sure a commercially produced version would not require such manual intervention.

The above assessment was performed based on a US installation. Other countries may have different circumstances.


Need tips, approach, or method(s) to eliminate smell/odor in a closet short of a tear down? Here's some background:

We bought this house in July of 2017. The previous owner left a hall closet full of GNC-style product (it was packed with pills of all kinds). It primarily smells of those heavy iron supplement type of odor if you can imagine. We called our realtor, and he came and emptied it.

To our unpleasant suprise, the closet smelled like the products a month after it was emptied.

It is now December of 2019 and it still smells, it's at least tolerable but that is hard to say, especially when any towel brought out of it carries the smell, or walking past the door in the hallway (with it closed) you can catch a whiff.

The house was built in 1986. It is a Ranch. The closet door is a solid closet builder door, with a dark stain and coating.

What We've Tried:

First Month with nothing in it: Vaccuum and bleach, as well as Lysol.
Washed down all walls, ceiling, woodwork, and shelves.
Soap and water, bleach treatment two, dried, and began using the closet for items such as linens and toilet paper
Tolerated the smell for 6-9 months.
Emptied the closet, and re-did #1 above.
Used Simple Green as in #2.
Washed all linens and put back in closet.
Tolerated the smell for about another ~9-10 months.
Re-did #5.
Removed all shelves and painted the enitre closet. Ceiling, Walls, and the shelves, as well as the woodwork securing the shelves.
Used Pine-sol on the Door and Door Frame & Trim.
Re-did #7 & added Cedar cut-outs.
It smelled more of dried paint for a few days-weeks, but still had an odor of vitamins.
Tolerated it for another ~9 months and here we are....

I've considered ripping out the drywall. Is this where I am now? Should I buy Killz and go at it again or is such an approach a waste of time? Can I seal it or lock it out? Can I neutralize it, if so, with what chemical? I'm not asking for a product recommendation per-se, but any approach or solution you may have some experience with I'll give it a shot.

I've considered that it isn't the walls or shelves at all at this point *(since they are painted). I have considered it may be the DOOR & Framing, or the wood the framing is mounted to breathing into the space.

The closet has no ventilation outside of the DOOR entry points, which the smell is ONLY in the closet. It is not in the hall. Do I have to remove the door framing and replace it or do something to it, or is it actually still able to breath through the acrylic paint?

Your closet is going to be considered a small enclosed area, a perfect description for a low-cost ion generator. They are frequently used to eradicate pet odors, smoking smells and even fire damage smells. A family member once sold tool-box sized devices and also rented them out for circumstances similar to yours. It was more of a whole-room device due to the size, power and volume of air moved.

You'd be able to get away with a smaller unit for the closet. A caution with the device is that people are to be vacated from the area being treated, not a problem for your closet troubles.

eBay and Amazon sell various devices. I'd consider even to use a motor vehicle sized device designed to plug into the accessory outlet formerly known as the lighter socket, if you wanted to save money or reduce the risk that it would not work as needed. Of course, with a tiny unit, you'd expect a longer period of recovery.

Using "ion generator" as search terms, many devices are returned with prices from the tens to hundreds of dollars. I would be suspicious of any device that does not specify that one should vacate the area, as that would be an indication that it produces low or insufficient levels of ions for your purpose.


Sill plate wet in corners My sill plate is getting wet. I have a 6 foot overhang so rain is not getting to it. Im trying to figure out how to deal with it. The sill is not pressure treated unfortunately. The foundation is cement blocks and the sill plate doesnt cover the opening of the blocks which i asume is a good thing allowing the space to vent. The problem is only in the corners.

I was thinking of installing foam around the outside of the sill plate overlaping the foundation. The thought is that it would create a moisture barrier and insulate it at the same time. I have access the the sill plate outdide the house if i pull off some wood trim relatively easily.

Does that make sense?

Im worried about installing foam inside since it would trap the moisture against the wood and make it worse?

Looking at your original picture, I can tell the moisture is coming in near (or at) the top of the floor joist not the bottom, because water won’t “wick” up that floor joist uniformly like it is showing. (In fact, it seems wetter along the top of joist than middle of joist.)

Therefore, I’d concentrate on the joint at the top of the 2x8 trim.

According to your drawing, it looks like you’re relying on caulking at the top of the 2x8 to keep moisture out. That means the caulking has to be perfectly installed and well maintained. Even then you can develop problems. (Look at at knot in the first row of logs and notice that moisture can penetrate into the knot and run down behind the caulking.)

We usually use a piece of counterflashing that laps over the 2x8 about 3” and extends into the wall void about 3” with a 1” hook in the up position. (Make sure the flashing is no more than 10’ long, for expansion, and each piece laps about 6” and is sealed with mastic where it laps.)

Also, I’d install that 2x8 on peel and stick  moisture barrier and extend it under the counterflashing and over the subfloor, if possible.

Also, we don’t like caulking at the bottom of the 2x8.  We like moisture to run out if it gets behind the 2x8 at the joints, corners, etc.


Water line pressure slowly drops & well kicks in every 20 minutes. Replaced Check Valve Worked for 2 days & then same problem My Well Pump was kicking on & off every 20 minutes (like clockwork) because of a slow drop in water pressure. I had a Well Contractor come out who found no leaks in the pipe and replaced all of the couplings and also replaced the Check Valve  on the well pump which corrected the problem for 2 or 3 days but now we have exactly the same problem.
 I Have three Questions:

If the check valve is good on a well pump, & no leaks in the pipe going down to the check valve on the pump will there be water in the pipe as you pull it up.
If a bad check valve has been replaced and the water pressure was good for two or three days after replacing the Check Valve and then had the same problem as before the Check Valve was replaced. Then is it more likely that the pressure rating for the check valve was less than for the water pump or is it more likely that the new check valve was defective or could there be another issue that is causing losing water pressure and having the water pump kick on every 20 minutes like clockwork.
How critical is it for the well pump to cycle off & on every 20 minutes?  Is it an immediate problem that has to be fixed or is a week or two not a big issue.

Also to answer the Question from "HoneyDo" "Did the Contractor test the pump" I did not see him test it, although he did check the Check Valve and thought that it was best to replace because of the wear and tear on the spring although he said that he was surprised that externally it did not look that bad.

Depending on conditions in your well or the care of your well contractor, the check valve might have gotten something (new, or old) caught in it. You could certainly try running the well flat out for a while to attempt to dislodge/flush that out.

It sounds like your contractor couldn't find the issue and just threw parts at it. i.e. "replaced all the couplings" is "fixing what hardly ever breaks."

Yes, pipe would be full of water if the check valve at the pump
(submersible pump implied in this question) and pipe are good.
It's hard to say for sure. Low pressure ratings on a well check valve would be surprising, frankly. Some issue with sand or debris in the well sticking the valve open is my go-to guess, but it's a guess. A defective valve would normally not work for 2-3 days before being defective.
3: Every 20 minutes is annoying and a waste of power, but not the
dire situation that every minute or two is.


Do truly air-sealed electrically-actuated duct damper exist? I need to install an exterior makeup air duct to provide makeup air for my new stove hood.

My house is fairly tight, and I've been making energy efficient improvements including tightening the envelope to prevent air leakage. However, I do not see a single electric damper that actually seals in the closed position. They all have sizable holes in the gasket around the pivot pin.

Is there a reason this cannot exist, or have I just not found it yet? If they don't exist, is there a better alternative than a mechanical damper?

FWIW I would prefer a rectangular damper, but I could use a round damper instead -- the duct isn't installed yet.

Truly air-sealed electrically-actuated duct dampers exist.
What you are asking for is also known as a electrically actuated butterfly valve for air.

They can be found at industrial supply stores such as Mcmaster Carr, and a makeup air duct sized one will cost around $600-$2000

If you are in a DIY mood you can probably get one of the cheaper manual ones around $200 and retrofit your existing duct damper motor to it