Why won't my thermostat control the HVAC anymore after trying to switch thermostats? I bought a new Nest thermostat which is supposed to be compatible but needs a professional installation (advice that should have been heeded by non-professional electrician me). This is to replace an old finicky thermostat that must be original with this 20 year old house. After wiring up the Nest and starting to go through the menus, I realized it was better to let a pro do it. So I put everything back the way it was with the old thermostat.

... Or did I... With the old thermostat back on, the heat keeps going up and up without being able to be switched off or lowered by the thermostat. I can get the HVAC to turn off by removing the front face of the old thermostat (like in the pictures below) but that's all the control I have.

Here's the wiring before I attempted any changes:

And here it is after I tried to get it back on:

I've scheduled a pro to come out and install the new thermostat this coming Monday... But that's a while to wait now not being able to control the heat. Plus I'd rather have the old setup working before he gets the new one put in. So... HELP!

Additional information - maybe not relevant:

I did have the breaker to the house completely turned off while switching out thermostats. The first time I put the old one back on, the display went nuts flipping through numbers. So I took it right off, flipped the power to the house back off... Double checked the wiring and how well screwed in it all was... Then put it back on and powered back up. After that, the display is completely normal, but the HVAC ignores the settings still. The thermostat even makes the same "click" that it would if I changed the temperature above or below the current temperature, but nothing changes still.

Nest states their thermostats do not require a Common 24 volt leg of control power to be provided to the Nest, However there are some situations where the Nest will not stay charged after a bit thus requiring a Common leg of the 24 volt power sent to it,  they allege the Common leg back feeds to  the thermostat by unused circuits and it does in many if not most cases however there are many complaining after a week or so  of the Nest no longer operating or operating normally, this is due to no Common leg in most cases.


Is there any harm in using shorter shelf brackets with a deeper shelf? I'm planning on installing Ikea shelves mounted on wall brackets (using the Antonius system). Until recently there were Antonius shelves 14 3/8 inches deep, but now they've disappeared, leaving only 11 inches deep shelves. There is a 14 3/8 deep shelf (a Broder shelf), but to attached to the wall mount I need brackets. There are only brackets for 11 inch shelves. The shelves are planned to store dry food stuff mostly (cans, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.), so it might be quite heavy.

What is the harm in using shorter brackets with a deeper shelf? The only things I can think of are a reduced carrying capacity for the bracket and since the out edge of the shelf is not supported, it might be break. But how realistic is that the 3 3/8 edge will break from a static load? The deeper shelf is wood (as opposed to particle board for the Antonius shelves).

A wooden shelf that is cantilevered 3 inches or so out from the end of a bracket will probably survive some load. But stack too much of a load on it (a pantry, canned food is heavy!) and even wood will crack. Particle board is very likely to fail of course as it has very little real strength.

A shorter bracket will often be designed for a smaller load. (Long brackets may be wider at the base, to support a larger load. They may be more robust to prevent buckling.) The issue is not just will it support the entire width of the board, but is the bracket adequate to support a greater load since a wide shelf will have more items stored on it. Those extra items stored are hanging a significant distance away from the wall.


How do I clean thick primer out of a paint brush? I always clean my paint brushes after using them for painting interior walls. My usual routine is to rinse them under water and clean them out with a combination of a wire brush and a brush comb, but this isn't working for primer.
The primer I'm using is so thick that it's practically glue. Rinsing under water doesn't do anything at all, and I would need to comb for days to get this stuff out.  I'm sick of throwing away brushes after a single use. Maybe the answer here is to use a different primer?
The primer in question is a 5-gallon can of Kilz Original Interior Primer.

The results I get for that product name indicate that it is oil based.
As such, water cleanup won't do.
You should (before painting, with a clean brush) dip your brush in paint thinner and wipe it out so that the deep parts of the brush are -pre-loaded with thinner rather than paint.
When done painting, you need to clean the brush with paint thinner, not water.
You can also use paint thinner to make the thick paint, thinner (better just the tray or cup you have out to paint from, not the whole bucket, and if you are painting from the whole bucket directly, stop doing that & use a tray or cup...) but don't overdo that (there are typically directions on the side of the can/bucket for what range of thinning is acceptable.)


Can I run 300 ft of cat6 cable, with male connectors on each end, under house to other side? I have HughesNet service coming in through the house's garage side. Is there any reason I can't connect a 300 ft patch cable (C2G 300ft Cat6 Ethernet Cable - Solid Shielded (STP) - Blue) to the router in the garage and run it under the house  There is plenty of crawl space access to the other side of the house about 250 ft away. I'd then pop it up through the floor access and hook it into a router and distribute it to the backside in two  locations.
Right now, my problem is WiFi through this house is challenging as it's built with extra-thick walls, double drywall, on each side and in the path from one end to the other are two cobblestone fireplaces interfering with getting the signal to the other side.  I came in from HughesNet at a whopping 9 Mbps and decided to try using Google Nests to get the signal from one end to the other because the shielding provided by walls and stone took 5 nests to get from one end of the house to the other. By which point the signal degraded to about .5 from 1 Mbps.
I know what I am proposing is not pretty but will it work?
To recap, 1-300 ft Cat6 cable with Male connectors on each end. Run the cable under The house bring it up on the other end to a coupler or splitter. I might want to hard wire the computer and let the WiFi for my father's TV so that i can introduce him to Netflix.
Let me know your thoughts any reason this shouldn't work?
P.S. I might hard wire the TV, then set up an access point or router for the computer now that I think of it, split them under the house, and bring a cable up in both adjacent rooms.  Before you say it, why not hire a professional, well dad has more money than god but refuses to let me or him spend any - it is comical at times.
I greatly appreciate any insights, ideas or advice that you can provide.

There are two issues, one trivially easy, one a big "maybe":
Don't Use a Patch Cable
Don't use a patch cable. Period. The reason is that patch cable ends break. Oh, I'll just crimp on another connector. Where did the good crimper go (only use it once every 5 years...)? Oops, got two wires swapped, I'll have to try again..., etc.
Far, far better to wire a jack on each end. Super easy. Punch tool is cheap, easy & reliable. Jacks are easy to mount securely to a wall, stud, etc. Then you use a short manufactured patch cable (I get them for ~ $1 each, retail price varies...) on each end to go to the router or other device.
It will cost you a few dollars (very few) extra at the beginning, but is the only professional way to do this.
Distance
The official limit is 328 feet between active devices - i.e., the long run plus the patch cable on each end. That is not based on "if you have really good cable, you could do better" (which was the case with RS-232 serial connections). This is based on the way the Ethernet signal works. Fiber is an option, but at a significantly higher cost.
If your run is really closer to 250 feet then I'd say "go for it". If it is 300 feet plus, then this becomes much more iffy. There are also line drivers and other things you can use to extend the distance, but if you get to that point but can actually run a cable (as opposed to a situation of relying on lower-quality (e.g., CAT 3) cable with no easy way to replace it) then fiber really is worth considering.


switch trips breaker when turned on if bulb is in I have light s on the same breaker all works but when I turn island light on without light bulb it's good but once bulb is in and turned on it trips.

The bulb is either overloading the circuit (if the circuit is that close to overload, you have big problems), or creating a short-circuit.  I'd say it's more likely that the light fixture is wired incorrectly, or there's a short-circuit in the 'bulb' itself (more likely if it's a CFL, or LED).

Try a different 'bulb', and inspect the fixture wiring.


What is the safest way to fix a curtain rail? What is the safest way to secure a curtain rail? It is sloping on one side and could fall.

Your best solution would be to take the curtain rail down completely and re fix it.

Fill in the existing holes and repaint the wall if necessary then put it back up as if it were new.

You'll need to avoid the existing holes and some of the answers to this question may be of use.


How can I modify telephone Cat5 cables and jacks into Ethernet ports? We just moved into a new house and I found out they used Cat5 to run the telephone network in the house. I found the junction where all the network/phone lines come together and disconnected all the wires that were capped together.

I put a wire tracker at each wall port to determine which cable end in the junction box belonged to which port and labeled accordingly.

Here's my problem: I swapped out the RJ11 port for an RJ45 and wired it up in the B pattern. I then put another RJ45 port at the end I determined was the matching end and wired it up in the B pattern. I plugged a switch in one end and a router in the other. The switch and router link lights do not come on, but my wire tracker makes it clear that I have the correct wire in the junction box. I tested that the switch and router should be able to talk just fine by taking a long ethernet cable and plugging them in using that- link lights galore.

One last thing to note, it appears that there may be some current running on the line, somehow, even when nothing is plugged in. My wire tracker lights up, but doesn't buzz, over every single wire in the junction box, and even at the outlet in the room before I have plugged anything in to pass a signal.

How is this possible when I've disconnected every wire from each other in the junction? I just assumed that from wall jack to junction box would be a straight shot and this would be easy as cake- 12 hours later, not so much.

First obvious problem- you haven't wired it correctly. You have proven connectivity works with the long Ethernet cable so the fact you are failing to get lights shows that you need to sort this.

Also getting signal on all the wires shows something is connected somewhere. Could be a splice as Steven mentioned, or some other problem. Is it even cat-5 cable?

In general what I do is use the existing wire as a pullthrough and replace it with known good cable.


Need guidance on drilling through wall plates I've got a ranch style home that I want to run cable from the basement, through the wall to the attic and distribute through the house. Only running 20 cables, max, through this trunk pipe.

The wall I intend to do this through is a garage wall that is shared with the house. Attached is a picture of this wall, from the Garage side. I've marked where the PVC is intended to go.

My concern is that I believe this wall to be load bearing, and willy-nilly drilling holes makes me nervous. I want to drill two (2x) 1" holes in the center of the top and bottom wall plates where the arrows are shown in the picture.

This same wall is where I will be mounting my TV and installing AV cabling through on the other side (from center, near where the pipes are intended, to the far right above where the RG6 run is currently and pointed out).

Picture of wall

Assuming the holes aren't exactly where the roof truss support studs make contact with the top plate, is this a good idea? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated since I want to do this Saturday and am giving myself indigestion over it.

Thank you all in advance!

The vertical load bearing members of a load bearing wall are the studs. The bottom plate is less important than the top, when transferring the load from the roof trusses. If a truss lands between studs then the top plate(s) transfer the roof load to the studs and down to the floor. The bottom plate just ties the studs together and keeps them evenly spaced.

However, if possible, you should choose cells that do not have a roof truss between the studs. This would avoid weakening any load transferring ability of the top plate.

That being said, your inspector will probably want you to fire stop the conduits since these would allow smoke and fire to travel from the basement to the attic practically unimpeded.

Good luck!


What to use to fill a small HOLE in my concrete patio I have a 4" x 4" x 6" deep hole where a post had been on my cement patio.  The post rotted out and now I want to fill the hole and then place a post holder in that same spot.  What do you recommend to use to fill the hole?

I would get a holder designed to be held in with concrete, fill the hole and put the holder in this will secure the holder and hide the hole.


What could be causing a rumbling noise in our house? We bought our home in Dec. 2014, ten year old house. It started making a rumbling noises, as though it was thundering outside, and it seems to happen in the evening. However, sometimes during the day. We had the entire heating and air system checked out. We also just had a new 80 gallon water heater installed in February 2015. We just can't seem to figure out what is causing this noise?

I recently experienced the same issue.  We just found out what it was and had it fixed.  Apparently, there is a pipe that sticks out of the house from the HVAC system underneath the house that releases water that is formed during the cooling and evaporation process.  We found out we needed to have the trap (device that collects debris) checked and cleaned annually.  Because the trap was full of debris, water couldn’t leak out of the HVAC system and out the pipe causing the build up of pressure in the HVAC system (cause of the rumbling noise underneath the house).  Eventually what happened was, our central air unit had pressure problem and could barely pumped out any AC.  Once we had the trap cleaned, ever thing started to work again and the noise went away.


60A two pole breaker supplying a sub panel (220v) - how many amps for separate 110v legs? I'm trying to wrap my mind around how many amps 220V wire (two hot poles) can supply, when it's effectively supplying a multi wire branch circuit (sub panel)...

My question is this:
if the sub panel is supplied by a single 60 amp two pole (220v) breaker (4/3 wire) circuit, can I (theoretically) put in two 60 amp single pole breakers in the sub panel (one for each pole), effectively making a multi-wire branch circuit within the sub-panel? Or, should I understand that the sub panel can only support up to two (theoretical) 30 amp 110v circuits?

thanks so much!

Jeffrey is correct. You will have 60 amps of 240 volt power available.

As to the use of single pole breakers for a multiwire branch circuit, that is a code violation unless the breakers are tied together with a handle tie from the manufacturer. You can't use tie wire, a nail, or any other unapproved method. Better yet, you can use a common trip 2 pole breaker. This is the preferred method.

Informational Note: 110 and 220 volts are not normally available now. The voltages keep moving up. Most equipment is now rated for 125 and 250 and the National Electrical Code lists 120/240 or 120/208 as the nominal voltages for dwelling units.


Could this crack in shower caulking be causing drywall damage to the subfloor? I just moved into a townhome (the shower itself installed at time of construction in 2011). I am concerned with cracking of the shower caulking with discoloration. I am going to rip out all the old caulking and replace it with 100% silicone caulk (edit: I think they actually may have put caulking over grout?), but I am curious what people think about what appears to be a bad tape job on the drywall on the floor below or if maybe the mark on the drywall could have been caused by water getting into the crack and seeping to the floor below.

I sprayed the crack to see if anything major was happening but the drywall appears to be the same and does not feel wet to the touch. The drywall just feels like the tape is loose (I'm not an expert at all, not even close). The shower is about 3 feet away from where the mark on the drywall is down below. Could the crack in the pictures have contributed to the drywall being the way it is? Can water travel 3 feet in between floors or would it have to be directly underneath. Any opinions on the drywall would be appreciated. Today I am going to the store to buy a fan and the proper tools to replace the caulking in the shower.

I am worried that from this crack in the caulking on the 2nd level shower has perhaps caused what I am seeing on the 1st level kitchen ceiling drywall.

Follow up

I don't know if my link was changed to embedded photos by an admin or if it just did it automatically but the best I can figure out right now is how to have imgur posts appear as a hyper link. I'm having difficulty figuring out how to just have an image appear in the post without a hyperlink. Apologies. The "Follow Up" hyperlink is the pictures after a brief time with a putty knife just to show a little more detail perhaps. Thanks for all the responses. I also appreciate the reputation points! It appears I need 15 to sign up, I really like this website and can't wait to sign up!

Could the crack cause damage below on a lower floor?

Absolutely most tile is inside the pan but the backer whatever was used is outside so if the water gets past the grout it can run down.
I would say that little bubble looks like a bad tape job because there are no watermarks I can see. As far as that is concerned I would use a t pin or hat pin and pole a tiny hole there just to make sure, if the spot was caused by water it may drip and that tiny pin hole can help it to dry out. As far as the hole next to a penetration we go for the best utilization of the Sheetrock the hole could be between 2 sheets as any pro will tell you.

The crack can be caused by the corner not being tied when I plan on installing tile I lock the corners (framing together so they will not flex and crack. If not tied calking is better than grout

Last I have pulled dozens of shower and tub shower surrounds that had no barrier. I have found some builders that glued the tile directly to water resistant Sheetrock, I have also seen many with backer board and nothing else.
 It is possible the crack originally was just calking I know contractors that regularly do this to try and prevent corner cracks. Clean it out the best you can and fill with calking, make sure to use a kitchen & bath type these have mold inhibitors.
Good luck.


Roofer or framer that installs a Velux Sun Tunnel? Who normally installs a Velux Sun tunnel in a new construction of a house?  Roofer or Framer?  Half the project is done on the roof and the other half in the house?
Thx.
(yes, I know there are special Velux installers, but that isn't what I'd like to know).

A roofer can/could install the tunnel, but I would leave to a finish carpenter to trim out the ceiling unless it has a fool proof way for it to finish out that a DIY or roofer could complete.


Can I handle-tie two 120V CH breakers for a 240V load? Due to an ordering error a long time ago, I have too many 30A 1-pole "CH" brand breakers.  (these are single breakers, not tandem/double-stuff).  As you probably realize, there isn't much call for 120V/30A circuits, so these breakers are a dunsel.

However I have need for 30A 2-pole breakers for 240V and 120/240V circuits.

Can I use a handle-tie listed for these breakers to combine two 1-pole breakers into a 240V 2-pole breaker?  I am under NEC 2014.

It may not provide a legal breaker for a 30-A 240-V circuit such as for a dryer that uses 240 V and 120 V because the tie bar only works for manual shut-off. If one breaker trips due to over-current, it is not assured to pull off the other breaker unless that is an explicitly stated property of this model breaker.

I think the only use of tied 1-pole breakers is for powering circuits from two breakers with a shared neutral, an arrangement which I think is called a multi-wire branch circuit. But that would probably be with 20-A or 15-A breakers. I think you should return the extra 1-pole 30-A breakers.


How can I get my Self-Destruct switches to do something? In my house, there were some confusing panels of that had lots of switches on them, so I bought a labeling machine and put labels over all the switches in the house.

There are two blank switches next to the fireplace that are there in case we ever want to have a heater connected to it. For fun, I labeled these two blank switches like so:

Unfortunately, the switches don't actually do anything. I've been wanting to hook them up so that when you flip a switch, it makes an alarm sound go off, or there's an explosion sound or something like that.

I haven't ever dealt with electrical switches, so I don't know how easy this will be, and I have no idea what sort of apparatus would work well for this purpose. Keep in mind that I'm not very mechanically inclined at all, so there might be some steps in the process that are obvious to everybody else but not to me.

Do any of you all know what would be a good way to achieve this, and approximately how much it would cost?

Zip on over to Edwards Signaling, and pick up one of these
Motor Driven Industrial Sirens ($1090.00).

Have a listen

And a AdaptaBeacon Rotating Light ($972.00).

Wire them up to the switch, and enjoy.

You might also want to grab a pair of these.

For pranksters on a budget, you could get one of these 120V Selectable Output Horn/Strobes (~$50.00).

But you might want to cover up the word FIRE, to prevent confusion.


Mold in unpainted wood? How to treat? I have a door that was installed and the contractor put in some spacer wood. I didn't paint them and these were exposed to some rain (I'm in Los Angeles where it rains a few days a year)

Here's a picture of the wood up close. Are those black spots mold? I tried to rub them off and they wouldn't come off. Do I need to treat it or can I just paint over that?

Make sure the wood is dry first, the just paint over it with Kilz. Maintain the paint so that future rain doesn’t get in and reawaken the mold spores.


Identify stone used for exterior veneer I have some stone that I am trying to identify. It was installed as an exterior veneer on a house in Alberta.

At the moment, there is about 90 square feet of the stuff in the basement (removed to enable some repairs). I would like to know what type of stone it is.

Below is a photo of a few representative pieces. After some reading online, my best guess is that it is either shale or slate. It is fissile and laminated and the larger pieces are about 1" thick and the smaller are closer to 3/4".

It was installed over steel mesh and mortar and would have been done in the late 80s.

I was initially leaning toward slate, because I didn't think that shale was commonly used for building exteriors. That said, the colouring does not seem right to me for it to be slate.

How would I go about identifying what type of stone this is?

Slate and shale are essentially the same thing, but slate is the "metamorphic" form, meaning it was shale, but changed into a DIFFERENT (more dense) form by eons of time and tons of pressure. So slate would not be fissile ("flaky") to the average expression of human force.

That's shale, aka "flagstone". People use it for siding and walkways, but usually in larger pieces. It might have value to someone, but people generally want it to match the color of something else (more shale / flagstone, house or landscape structure paint, etc.) so I wouldn't waste money buying an ad to try to sell it.


My apartment still smells like polyurethane after over a month! I have a toddler with respiratory issues, please help I just moved into a recently renovated apartment. I am not sure exactly what work was done or what products were used. It has new parquet wood floors and the place was sitting empty for a month. I first saw it at the end of November, they wanted to rent for December first but I took it January 1, so I am assuming they didn't do any extra renovations in December (not a fancy place, the landlord doesn't seem to care much about his tenants).

I moved my things in with my 2 year old daughter and opened windows, thinking it was the smell of fresh paint, but now it's been over two weeks and the smell is still so strong. I left windows open, baking soda and vinegar bowls - basically for the last week without a noticeable change in smell. I just got an air purifier and have space heaters heating the space while opening windows about 1/3 of the way. There are only two windows and a sliding door and they are all on the same side of the apartment.

I wiped down the floors with a dry mop. Next I was going to try washing with a mild soap.

I don't know what else to do or what to expect. The landlord is not taking any action and I just want to get my daughter settled in her new home. She has asthma and I have sinus issues (which have been acting up after spending a few nights here). I know I can take legal action, but in the meantime I have no where to stay and if I can resolve it myself I would be happy to do so.

Thanks in advance!

From what you've told us, it sounds like you are trying a number of good ideas to help mitigate the smell and lingering off-gassing but maybe not optimally.

I actually would advise against using bowls of water or vinegar and
adding unnecessary moisture to the air.
You actually want to remove moisture from the air (air conditioners //air dehumidifiers do this), however, if you are in
the colder climates like it sounds like you are, this is not very
pratical and  in the winter months you actually want some humidity
in the air.
You are using space heaters to generate heat, but the windows are open - mother nature is going to win this fight

You actually want to put the space heaters away, in fact, many apartments forbid their use. As long as they provide functioning heat, they can prohibit their use. If it isn't prohibited then use it, but realize they are a safety hazard in more than one way, especially if your fumes are as potent as you suggest.

Just close the windows, get the heat cranked up a little higher, and get a fan to circulate the air. Put water sources away, dry the sink, etc. Don't add unnecessary water to the air. Locate the strongest source of the odor and get the fan circulating air in that room.

Vacate the premises for a few hours, then when you get home, go ahead open two windows, preferrably opposite sides of the space, and put the fan blowing the air directly out for 10-15 minutes. Close the windows, repeat.

I'm not suggesting you do this as an option, but I want you to understand an example of how long a smell can last despite the best of intentions & I only came to this after a few years of frustration:

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

You indicate that you know you can take legal action, but honestly, I'm not so sure that is true. Every area has laws and regulations to follow, but (even if this was subsidized housing), it doesn't sound like the landlord failed to provide livable living space.

If the smell is indeed paint/poly/etc., the instructions&use of most of these products is typically in the span of 1-2 days, so weeks later, its supposed to be safe even if stinky. You can seek out staying at a friends or families, but I wouldn't expect any compensation or recourse from the landlord unless they did something wrong, and its not advisable to throw accusations unless you have a basis.

Keep doing what you are doing, and see if you can pinpoint the issue. Warm air & ventilation will help. If you can locate the source and it isn't paint/poly, then discuss with the landlord. If they are renovating other nearby apartments then request them to wait holdoff spring to use chemicals if at all possible.


What gasket material to repair a pneumatic nail gun? I've got a consumer-grade, 18 gauge pneumatic brad nailer that just blew a gasket.  It's a discontinued model with no repair parts available.
The gasket I'm referring to, labelled as part 9 on the left side of the diagram below, goes between the head cap (part 8) and the housing for the piston (part 30).

For scale, it's about 2.25" x 2.5", a little over 1 mm thick, and about 1/8" wide (the thickness of the housing wall).  It feels like it might be polypropylene.  The gasket tore apart in use, allowing air to leak out too fast for the gun to be useful.
A replacement gasket needs to have a few characteristics:

The thickness needs to be very close to the original to provide proper clearances for the components inside.
The housing wall is only 1/8" thick, the shape is skinny and complex, and there's not much surface area.  The gasket shape needs to be precise to accurately mate with the whole contact surface.  The material must be soft enough to compress and seal surface irregularities, but rigid enough to not flex out of the gap under pressure.
It must handle 100 psi without ballooning out or tearing.

Is there a common sheet or caulk-like gasket material that would be suitable for making a replacement?
As supplementary insight, if any reader has attempted a similar repair, based on that experience, is a gasket of this type, tolerances, and complexity even practical to reproduce at home?

Yes, a sharp knife, cutting board, steady hand, good marking out, patience and of course suitable material.
Made gaskets for many things using paper, card, plastic etc
One source of plastic useful in the past was a milk container, but temperature is a consideration.


How to deal with broken compact fluorescent (and its mercury) without breaking the bank? We're now out of the compact fluorescent era, fortunately, but we wound up with 3 or 4 broken CF bulbs from somebody not being careful with a box of them in the garage ...

We're moving and I want to handle this stuff responsibly but I don't have $3000 for official remediation. So should I:

Wrap the current recycling bin where the broken CFs are stored with packing tape and make sure it's sealed and not leaking, put a sign on it DANGER, MERCURY and move it to the new garage and just sequester it that way?
Put on gloves and a filter mask and sweep the bits into a plastic bag that's then put into 2 more layers of plastic and saved in a coffee can and sent to the landfill that way?
something else?

Any suggestions are welcome; I'm very happy to be into the LED ERA!

The $3000 cleanup was never a thing.  It's an urban myth created from a political slander.  The goal of the slander was to resist CFLs at any cost, both to resist government regulation generally, and efficiency due to its association with climate change.  This also tied into 50 years of activism to reduce mercury in the environment.  The fact is, if the mercury in a broken CFL were any danger, or any problem in the waste stream, they would never have gotten government or UL approval in the first place.

So this was not a surprise; the mercury "problem" was contemplated and resolved long before it became a spiral shaped political football.   EPA and various state DEQ's have collectively rolled their eyes and said "allriiiight... Since you insisted on bringing this up, here are some best practices for cleaning up a CFL" and they involve stuff like mopping it up with the sticky side of duct tape.

You would be best following that advice.

(if you called enough remediation companies, eventually someone would take your $3000, but don't.)

If CFL recycling facilities exist at a nearby city or big box store, use them.

Otherwise just put it in the normal waste stream, not commingled or encased with recyclables. Don't put in a steel can.  You may not be aware of it, but they don't just tip the truck at the dump anymore, now it goes through a complicated screening to find recyclables. Some of it is automatic (magnets to pull out steel, magnetic-field tricks to flip out nonferrous metals etc.) and and hand inspection for bundles of newspaper and the like.

Using a steel can as a jacket for something nasty will only get the nasty thing into the steel recycling stream.


How can I hang a plywood sign by the edge? I am remaking my road sign using a 3/4 sheet of HDO. (Not MDO) It 5' wide by 3' tall, and double sided. The old one had brackets that bolted through the face but they will not fit with the vinyl sign that's going to be attached. They are also rusted and I can not find more.

Plan B is to pre-drill holes into the top edge and screw in course eye loops. Maybe with some epoxy to really secure them. Would this be able to handle the weight of the sign itself? The only extra weight is the vinyl and paint. and its only about 50% of the full sheet.

Plan C might be making a metal frame that screws into the side edges. I could spread the weight among 3 screws along each edge. I would only want to do this if there was no hope for Plan B.

Any insight into how well ether option might work is greatly appreciated.

A large sign should be hung with a fastener that is passes through a hole that is drilled through the face of the plywood.

Using fasteners into the edges of plywood is almost always to be discouraged because the threads of screws or lag bolt type fasteners just do not hold very well. In the case of a sign the hole in the top edge invites the possibility of moisture intrusion and the separation of layers which can further weaken an edge joint.

There are various types of hanger brackets that can be used for a face drilled fastener in the sign. Here is a picture of one type that could be used:


Extremely confusing 48 v on neutral I am actually a pretty good electrician, but am baffled by what I found today.

During a remodel and adding a few new boxes for future lights, I received a shock from a neutral wire and a floating ground.

The house is old and there are no grounds on most of the circuits. I was confused for there is no ground except for about 20 ft going from one new box to another but not connected to panel ground. In fact the ground is terminated with a wire nut in each box but are not connected to anything. Yet when I tested the neutral to ground voltage, I found 48 volts.

Subsequently I tested a few other outlets in the house and also found neutral to ground voltage of 48 v. I then unplugged all devices. Voltage to ground disappeared. Only when I plugged in a device with a ground did the neutral to ground voltage reappear. I then went to the main panel thinking I had a bad neutral somewhere, and disconnected each circuit one at a time and found no neutral to ground issues at the panel and the neutral voltage only disappeared when I turned off hot to circuit.

Different circuits were found to have neutral to ground voltage only when a grounded plug was put into that outlet. I assumed that the ground of the device was allowing me to read neutral voltage. Hot to neutral is correct everywhere. I  am baffled. Suggestions?

The AC input circuits of some devices use a power line filter circuit that works to keep high frequency stuff inside the equipment and prevent fast spikes from entering the product from the power lines.

The schematic of a typical power line filter looks like this.

The two capacitors that you see in the filter from line side to earth and from the neutral side to earth can form a voltage divider for AC voltage and place approximately half the line voltage on the earth wire. This would be the case for instances where the earth ground connection was open circuit.

Normally this is not a shock hazard issue because the neutral wire is shorted to the earth ground connection at the power panel.

The fact that you found this AC signal present demonstrates that some part of your house wiring has a open earth ground wire someplace. For the safety of your self and your family it is essential to get this fault corrected. The floating earth wire is an invite to it not performing its safety function when you least expect to need that safety feature.


How do I clean marks from masking tape glue on my windows? During the Hurricane Sandy, we placed tape on our windows in case the glass would break. The problem is, after removing the tape, it left a disgusting glue mark that it became impossible to remove. It has been a few years now. I hope somebody can help me here, see the pictures:

Use something like Goof Off or Goo Gone to dissolve the solvent, or something with orange oil in it, and then scrape it off. You might have to repeat a couple of times.

BTW, taping windows provides no additional protection during a hurricane. Don't bother.


Are These Ceiling Stains From Cigarette Smoke? We purchased a home recently and there is a lot of discoloration on the ceiling of the living room. Can someone tell me based on the photo below, if you can tell what would have caused these stains? The prior residents were chain smokers so I'm figuring that's in but I don't understand why the staining wouldn't be consistent. I had planned to just paint over them but wanted to run it by, hopefully someone with more stain experience that could tell me it's not some kind of water stain or mold before I did so. Could someone out there help me based on this photo? Thanks!

My grand parents smoked in there home for years, when my grandfather passed we painted the house so my grandmother could sell it, a long story short washing with tsp trisodium phosphate, and painting the brown tar made it through the paint 3x coated we ended up repainting with a schellac based sealer then repainting this finally solved the bleed through problem. You will want to seal the surface not just prime zinsser makes one that I have used since then many times with no bleed through.


White marks on garage ceiling I just moved to a new house, and noticed those white marks on my garage. Does anyone know what's behind them?

I would like to install a ceiling rack in my garage. Should I install it on the white marks?

Edit: I'm in North America(Canada) and the house was built in 1994

The white marks are joint compound (aka "drywall mud") - kind of like plaster. The stripes are where separate sheets of drywall are joined with tape and mud and the little splotches are where screw holes have been covered over with mud.

Those actually are good places to install your storage rack because they indicate the locations of the lumber framing that the drywall is hung on. Basically the garage structure is a framework of wooden 2x4 wall studs and 2x6 or larger ceiling joists spaced 16" apart. That gives the garage it's shape and rigidity. The drywall is the finished interior surface that you see, and it's screwed or nailed into the studs.

If you're installing a storage rack, it's really important that you fasten it to the studs, because the drywall itself is only about 1/2" thick and has relatively little strength to hold any heavy load. In a painted wall, it's common to locate studs by knocking to feel solid spots, or using a stud finder tool. In your case though it's easy, because you can see the stud locations by where the drywall is fastened.

There is a stud or joist running behind each seam between drywall panels (long white stripes) and behind each of the parallel lines of screws (little white splotches).

As pointed out in the comments below, the actual studs are only 1 1/2" wide (45mm in metric), and the splotches are a bit wider than that, but you can find the exact location of the studs by looking for little circle marks where the head of the drywall screws are buried. Trace a line through these to find the rough center of the stud. Just center your fasteners for the lumber rack on these lines and you should be good to go.

If you're in doubt about whether you're lined up over a stud, drill a small pilot hole - either you'll break through the drywall into a cavity, or you'll continue drilling into the stud. If you hit a stud, you'll feel continued resistance on the drill and you'll see bits of wood and sawdust come out on the drill bit.

That said, there are exceptions. In my house (1950s era) the ceiling drywall is installed over relatively thin strapping that runs perpendicular to the joists, and it would be unwise to try and support a heavy weight from those straps. If you're hanging something heavy, take precautions to check that the fasteners are secure and the brackets can support the weight. Also, in North America a wooden structure is typical, but in other places the studs might be steel. If anything seems weird, take a pause until you can figure out how the structure works and how to safely fasten to it.


Are there any DIY polyurethane foam insulation options available? I recently had a leak (hurricane Sandy) in an "eave"-like space that required the removal of a part of my drywall ceiling. All of the insulation that was above the ceiling was drenched. To replace it, I was wondering if it would be better to use the poly spray foam insulation instead of the fiberglass stuff.

I've seen "Great Stuff" advertised as an insulator, but it doesn't seem like it would cover much surface area.

What are my options here?

Spray foam insulation for large areas with a closed-cell foam tends to be a job performed by professionals. They will mask off the area being sprayed, and bring in a bunch of specialized equipment to do the job fast. The result doesn't require a separate vapor barrier since closed cell foam is a barrier. It does have the downside that any future repairs or renovations will require a significant effort to remove the foam.

The main reason to spray foam an attic space is to make the area a living space and eliminate the need to ventilate under the roof (typically done to prevent ice dams). To do this, they would spray directly under the roof, between the rafters, rather than between the joists. Otherwise, the traditional solutions are blown and fiberglass insulation.

Blown insulation requires the vapor barrier to be put down first, soffits to be protected so they aren't covered over, and then a machine can be rented to blow in as much insulation as you like. The advantage of blown insulation is speed, fewer gaps in the insulation, and it's easy to add a few extra inches. If you ever need to remove a ceiling under blown insulation, it becomes difficult since you first need to remove all the insulation unless you want it falling into the room below.

With fiberglass insulation, the vapor barrier is often attached, but it needs to be stapled to the joists, which is difficult to do from above. It's much easier to temporarily move out of the way for a repair or renovation, but it's also easy to leave small cracks where moisture and heat can escape.

If your problem was that you had wind blown rain entering from your soffits, then you may need to add a baffle or some other storm resistant vent that blocks the wind driven rain while still providing fresh air all other times.


Galvanized cable wood staples? I am working on wiring my basement and I am adding an outlet to a stud that is green treated. When I attach the wire to the stud with a cable staple, is using one that is zinc coated enough, or does it have to be galvanized like nails need to be?

Pressure treated wood now requires special coated nails (or cable staples). Depending on the exact type of pressure coating, different types of nails are acceptable. It's best to just use stainless steel and be safe...a few won't break the bank. I've heard of a house being torn down because they used uncoated nails and joist hangers.


What router bearing can I use to reduce groove depth? I order this 3/32 slotting bit from Amazon.

Shank size 1/4, depth of cut up to 9/16. I only need 3/8 depth (slightly over is ok), but I could not find the right bearing. There are router bearing sets sold on the internet, but they are very sparse with descriptions. Can someone recommend the right bearing or a set that will do the job?

The application is to convert tongues to grooves in engineered flooring for this project.

Update:
I ended up making my own rip-fence, since the router's rip-fence could not accommodate a bit this wide at a shallow depth that my project required. Certainly not the prettiest thing, but served the purpose well. I was amazed at how smoothly it cut grooves in engineered hardwood flooring. When I first tried it out, I barely felt any resistance. It practically evaporated the material, rather than chipping it away.

The combination bit/bearing that you pictured in the original post would be particularly useful for routing a slot along a curved edge, such as the rounded corners of a table top in preparation for the vinyl edge moulding held in place with a spline.

Trying to route a slot in something as thin as 3/8" engineered flooring is problematic when depth is controlled by a shank bearing. The upper and lower lips on either side of the groove will be a bout 1/8".  For a composite material, that narrow surface makes using a shank bearing technically challenging.  In practice though, it is even worse. The gap between the top of the bearing and the bottom of the cutting disc will reduce the effective lip to something less than 1/8", particularly in light of the rounded shoulders on the bearing. My guesstimate is that the bearing will have solid contact on only 1/16" of the 1/8" lip.

With that said, here are a few options ...

Instead of routing the 3.5" ends one by one, route in batches, say 8 or 10 at a time.  Mate them up side by side with the ends aligned. Clamp them together using a light weight 36" bar clamp, then use 6" bar clamps and a 2x4 on edge to secure the assembly down to the work surface (this will sandwich the flooring between the 2x4 and the work surface).  Place the 2x4 at the correct distance from the ends of the flooring so that the 2x4 serves as a rip fence for the router base. No bearings are needed with this approach.  The 2x4 can be aligned with the edge of the work surface, with the ends of the flooring protruding out.
Use the rip-fence that came with the router ... or make your own rip fence by screwing a, say 8"x4" piece of 3/4" plywood to the bottom of the router, with a U-shaped recess cut out of the middle of one edge to accommodate the router bit.  Note that this will provide full bearing on both lips.
Make your own donut-shaped adapter to slip over the metal ball-bearing, increasing it's effective outer diameter, making it out of a scrap of 1/4" plywood/lexan or similar.  Use a hole saw whose plugs happen to match the desired outer diameter of the bearing.  Cut a hole, and retrieve the plug (disc).  In the middle of the disc there will be a 1/4 pilot hole made by the hole saw. Enlarge it with a regular drill bit (or spade bit) that matches the existing bearing's outer diameter.  Slip the resulting plywood donut onto the bearing, using a wrap or two of duct tape on the bearing to achieve a snug fit. Lots of variations on this idea.
Use a base plate bushing instead of a shank bearing

For a number of reasons (1) is how I'd do it.  Second best is (2).


Can a water leak cause a fire in a light fixture? The upstairs bathroom got too much water on the floor and it dripped through to the kitchen below, by the ceiling light fixture (discoloration on ceiling around light fixture). The place was built about 7 years ago, with circuit breakers. Is there a fire risk having the lights on? Is there a fire risk keeping the lights off until it dries out?

Chances are the ceiling is damp and you'll be fine. However, I have never been a fan of water and electricity at the same time. With the breaker  switched off, take the globe, glass off the fixture. Water probably wouldn't be in the junction box but could have dripped between the box and the ceiling. If there is any dampness, dry everything off. Put the fixture back together and operate the light as usual... the heat will dry out the ceiling.


Does anyone make a 3 circuit switch? I would like to run 3 separate 120 volt items 10.2 max amp per item using 3 separate circuits, but only have a single switch box to use. I have seen single circuit in 3 switch out, but want 3 in 3 out. Does anyone make this?

Yes, Pass & Seymour Despard should git-r-dun.

You have a much bigger problem though. That's an awful lot of wires.

Assuming you have 3 supply cables and 3 onward cables, all /2, that means 12 conductors.   +2 for the yoke, +1 for all grounds, and +1 for all cable clamps, totals 16 conductor units.

With #14 wire that will be 32 cubic inches.   With #12 wire that will be 36 cubic inches.

A single box is about 10-12ci, so that ain't gonna happen.   A 4x4 2-gang box is 22 ci, and normal drywall 1-gang mud rings don't add enough cubes to save you.  They do make 10.2 ci. mud rings, but those won't work with drywall.

You are better off going to a 4-11/16" square box which 42 cubic inches depending on depth.  That with a 1-gang mud ring will suffice.

Now if you use all switch loops, you have 9 conductors, so with yoke+ground+clamps that is  13 wire counts. with the yoke+ground+clamps.  That's 26 c.i. For #14 wire and 29.25 c.i. with #12.  That might barely scootch under with a 4x4 box and a 1-gang mud ring if #14.


Wiring in a bath heater,vent, fan combo with power source coming from ceiling I have 3 cables coming in from the ceiling, with one being the supply. At the switch box I have 2 cables with neither being hot. In the switch box I have a black/white and another set being black/white/color.

How do I wire in the connection at the fixture in order to have my 3 switches work for each individual function? Which one do I need to wire to be my common? My switch has a common and 3 terminals on the other side.

If you were using separate switches:

Use the two wire cable to switch device #1. Use the white as the hot and mark it with black tape or marker. Use the black as the switched feed back to the ceiling box.

Use the three wire cable to power the other two devices. Use the white as the hot and mark it with black tape or marker. Use the black as the return switched hot for device #2 and the red as the return for device #3.

At the ceiling box, attach the incoming hot to the two white wires going to the switch box. Mark both of those whites with black tape or marker. Attach black and red wires from the switches to their respective devices.

Also in the ceiling box, attach the white (neutral) from the feed cable to the white on each device.

Attach all ground wires (green or bare) to all other grounds in each box.

If you re using one switch with a common hot:

Mark both white wires in the switch box with black tape or marker. Attach them together with a pigtail (a short length of wire). Attach the pigtail to the common terminal on the switch. Use the black wire from the two wire cable to one of the three other terminals. This will switch device #1.

Use the black from three wire cable as the return switched hot for device #2 and the red as the return for device #3.

At the ceiling box, attach the incoming hot to the two white wires going to the switch box. Mark both of those whites with black tape or marker. Attach black and red wires from the switches to their respective devices.

Also in the ceiling box, attach the white (neutral) from the feed cable to the white on each device.

Attach all ground wires (green or bare) to all other grounds in each box.

[Note: This may seem a bit strange since you are running parallel hot wires and attaching them to each other at both ends of the run.  This is done to comply with the rule that a circuit must be complete within each cable, to avoid possible induction heating.]


How can I cool an under the counter icemaker? We have a Subzero under the counter ice maker.  During our hot summer days it really gets hot and slows the ice production down to a crawl. We thought we would install a cooling fan on the wall behind it or push an exhaust fan through the wall to the outside. But we are not sure which one would be the most effective.  Right now we have drilled holes in the adjacent cabinet and I leave that door open and vent the heat into the room.  Winter it's okay solution but summer no way. Which would be best and what type of fan system do I need?

I would 'push' and 'pull' with "muffin fans"

I would locate the 'push' side in the toe-kick area in the cabinet to the left and put the 'pull fan inside the top left wall (in the cabinet to the right of the icemaker)  this should pull out the hot air at the top and supplement with relatively cooler air near the floor.  Fan shrouding, plug in timer for night time operation (muffin fans are loud) and safe electrical wiring are left to the reader to implement properly.


Can I replace round ducts with rectangular ducts in a basement renovation? I'm renovating my basement and the big round 7" ducts that cross under the ceiling joists are in the way. I'd like to convert them to 3.25" by 12" flat rectangular ducts, so that the ceiling can be higher.

Is this likely to pass permit inspection?

7" round: 38.5 square inches
3-1/4 x 12: 39 square inches

You have a little more area in the rectangular duct, so you should have no problem.


What are these nail pops that keep popping up in my house? I've only lived in this house for six months and there are these weird dimples that keep raising. It started with one and has now gotten to be around 7-8. All but one are on the upstairs ceiling. The one that isn't is on the lower part of the wall on the front of the house.

I've looked online and it doesn't look like termite or carpenter ant damage. They're all small little raises that appear to get worse. Not sure what I'm even looking at so I don't know what to do. Should I call a professional?

Those are called "nail pops". They are the fasteners (nails mostly, but occasionally screws) that have been pushed through the drywall surface due to either forces exerted on the drywall panel or  movement from the framing piece they attached too. Unless you notice multiple nail pops it shouldn't be a problem. To repair gently hammer (the nail) or turn (the screw) the wayward fastener so that it is under the drywall surface. It would be wise to install additional screws above and below (by 2-3 inches) any nail that has become loose. Cut away any broken and jagged paper and spackle as needed.


Why won't my washer turn off when breaker is off? I have switched off all the breakers and my washing machine continues to run. How is that possible? How can I fix it?

The diagram below shows a typical electrical breaker box:

Notice how at the top there is a "Main" breaker. Locate this breaker and turn it off. If the washer still runs then it has to be connected to the 240 hot lug screws, shown with the red text in the diagram (a bad thing, call electrician).

If the washer goes off when the main is pulled, but all other breakers do not affect it, then it means the washer is wired to the bus bar, also a bad thing, but not nearly so bad as being connected to the main hots.

If the second case is true, then you may be able to fix it yourself. Turn off the main breaker. Locate the connection to the busbar by using a continuity tester, disconnect it, install a 240V 3-wire breaker, re-connect washer to new 3-wire breaker. If your box is full, install a subpanel.


Safety Razor Disposal in Medicine Cabinet A question for the old timers(or any timers), have any of you demolished an older house that had a safety razor disposal slot built into a bathroom medicine cabinet?  Was dealing with the dispised blades any more difficult than usual?

Many homes had the slot to drop used razors into. I use a magnet to pick up the old razors. Even rusty they can be sharp.
I used to wrap them in a newspaper so they would not cut through the trash bags.
Today I would probably put them in some cardboard because we always have Amazon boxes to recycle.
If you find old Gillette razor blades, the coating on the blades makes a makeshift diode if you want to experiment and make a WW2 radio out of a coil of wire, an ear bud and razor blade - or that’s what my dad said. I was a sparky and we were told to rip out components, but that probably would only work on Hogan's Heroes.


Possible to have wire mesh fencing plus a couple live wires for wild animals? We bought a small former horse farm a few years a ago. We reinforced the old horse pasture with wire mesh fencing to keep our dogs in.

Now we want to fence in a wooded part of our property for the dogs. We want to continue to use the welded wire/mesh fence along with some T posts. However we have a slight black bear problem in our neighborhood. She has been known to wander into our yard to graze and look for fallen nuts near the winter. I've had to patch up our fence a couple of times. I've seen bears take down strong privacy fence too, so I was going to opt for the addition of an electric wire along the outside of the fence.

I'm worried about the hot wire touching the not hot welded wire and becoming less effective. I'm also worried about putting the insulators over the welded wire; not sure they will fit. Has anyone had experience with doing this combo?

There are standard electric fence insulators for T-posts.

Some only go on one side of the post - others have more options.

If you cannot get adequate spacing from the T-posts to prevent shorting, or cannot find insulators that fit with the mesh, you can run a separate electric fence a short distance outside the mesh, on T-posts or on fiberglass posts. With a tightly tensioned mesh and electric fence wire/string/tape little spacing is needed - but if the current mesh fence is loose, it's probably going to be easier to run a second fence, which can generally get away with fewer posts.

Electric fences in the woods require regular inspections to be effective. Branches and trees fall on them and short them out, break them, or hold them to the ground.


Can I use demo'ed bricks to make an outdoor firepit? I have four brick posts that are about four feet high and square (1.5 bricks per side all the way up).  They are going.  A tree hit two of them and I was probably going to take them out anyway.  So I have a bunch of bricks with some of the bricks the mortar is attached.  Throw them away or use for fire pit - is it worth the effort?  Also will one layer of brick be too wobbly for a rather large fire pit - 4 feet by 2.4 feet by 2-3 feet high?

My vote is always for re-use (except the trash pieces, which can still be used as a filler). For your question of using a single layer of brick (I assume you mean vertical layer for the walls) -- bad idea without lining it with steel or firebrick, and a quick way for people/things to get burned. You can also use two layers spaced with an air gap or filled with loose or crushed rock (and you can use the trash pieces as well so you don't need as much rock). You will want to mortar the bricks (mortar), not stack them, and you'd need a solid base. I'd recommend using this information from The Family Handyman as a fairly good guide.

Otherwise, build a proper firepit and use the bricks for a walkway or as a flat area for standing/seating around the firepit. I'd suggest knocking off the larger chunks of old mortar with a rock/brick chisel.


Requirements for electrical wiring project for a house I am remodeling a house and need to put in place a completely new electrical wiring along with security and surveillance systems (wiring for motion sensors and CCV cameras outside).

I am going to hire an engineer for the project. However I'd like to understand the typical requirements for such a project to be better prepared for my conversations with contractors.

My idea is to ask for a CAD project with a set of diagrams/views. Specifically, the following:

Blueprint with all the lights, sockets, switches, meter and
distribution board placed on the floor plan.
Schema listing the cable types and maximum power allowed per circuit.
Distribution board plan.
Exact layout of cable on walls/ceilings including enclosures, where needed (2D/3D?).

Once the above is complete, I would expect the engineer to control the execution of the plan and test the wiring once it is installed.

Overall, I want to accomplish 2 things:

Ease of maintenance for years to come.
High quality electrical wiring to be built.

Questions I have:

Are there any important artifacts/documents I should be asking the engineer to provide?
Should I be asking an electrical engineer to also design the wiring for CCV cameras and motion sensors or is this job best left to someone else?
Perhaps I am over-engineering and the above list can be simplified?

UPDATE
I am located in Europe and not concerned much with the local regulations as I am sure the requirements for regulators will be met at the end.

I think you're over-engineering it.

Nobody really bothers specifying cable locations that precisely for electrical wiring.   There are rules to protect electrical wires from damage, but they don't involve precise mechanical drawings of the build.

Further, you aren't going to be able to find anyone to install it to your diagram.  Electrical engineers don't do house wiring, and electricians who do house wiring don't follow diagrams precisely like that, they just throw it in quick-and-dirty.  Wiring is protected from damage, but using different techniques - for instance in North America there's a rule that you can go in 1-5/8" (40mm) without concern because wires and pipes are either guaranteed to be deeper than that, or will be guarded by a metal warning plate.

However, since you are aiming for top quality and easy maintainability, there is definitely something you should think about: Metal conduit.  This is where you lay a type of pipe designed for electrical service (and some of it pipe-fits quite easily) and then you run the circuits in the pipe using individual wires (i.e. Not with multi-conductor cables).  The piping does several things for you.

It physically protects the wiring from subsequent mechanical work, similar to metal guard plates.
Wiring grounds is often unnecessary - the pipe is it - so 30% of your wires just go away.
It allows easy wiring generally - conduit wire is much easier to work with.
It allows multiple circuits per conduit (to a limit) - allowing economy of conduit.
You can expand or customize it later.
If wire damage or splice failure occurs, does a good job of protecting you and preventing fire or shock - it nearly serves the function of American style AFCI breakers.
It is the highest quality installation you can get.

Generally, data cables are not allowed in mains electrical conduit or junction boxes, due to the risk of a wire melt putting mains voltage on equipment not rated for it.  (Fiber-optic is OK).  However you can lay parallel conduit for telecomm, and that conduit can be plastic.

Suffice it to say, designing a good conduit system is a very good outlet for  the high standards you are setting.


How can I configure my wireless power switches to default to on after power outage? I currently have ETEKCITY remote power switches.
I need to use two of these for ceiling LED lights that needs to be default on after power cycle.

This video shows someone being able to configure it to be normally on, which is what I want. However he doesnt say how he did it. I(t is seemingly not a hardware mod.
Anyone know how to do this ? I cannot figure it out.
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiCb1L5YXno"

Alternatively, If anyone has wireless power switches that can be configured as "default on" after powercycle, then please post the model.

I have no personal experience with ETEKCITY. However, based on a quick, non-scientific, perusal of their web site, I get the sense of "pretty web page selling cheap junk". Not that I am against cheap junk per se - I often go that direction myself, for certain products. But for controlling 120V equipment, I tend to prefer the better stuff. The rules are a bit different (for good reason) for devices hardwired to your electrical system, and, partly as a result of the R&D and testing required, they tend to be more long-term feature complete, reliable and safe.

I would look at Leviton or Lutron or another manufacturer that specializes in electrical equipment, not a catch-all "USB mag-stripe reader, blood pressure monitor, digital scale, back massager, air mattress, etc." company that happens to have some WiFi controlled plugs too. (I have no problem with a retailer (online or bricks 'n mortar) that sells "everything under the sun". But a manufacturer can't possibly specialize in everything.)

Then you can check the online manuals and if they don't have enough details you have a reasonable hope of contacting someone who can answer your specific questions.


Furnace stop and start continuesly I notice today that my new furnace will stop after about half hour and start again in a few minutes. The room temperature is 66 and I set it to 70. It took several stop and start before it reaches 70. What could be the reason, too heavy filter or not enough air coming back? The air filter is Honeywell Allergen Plus Pleated FPR 7 Air Filter.

The filter is only one aspect of an over heating furnace. The diagnosis is as simple as taking its temperature. Get a digital meat thermometer. Take the temperature at the inlet and the outlet of the furnace. All furnaces will have their minimum and maximum heat rise listed on the name plate. In leu of that number 50 degrees is a good middle ground. Subtract the inlet temperature from the outlet temperature. If it is within the specified range you are good. If it is really high like above 150 degrees you are likely tripping the high limit and need more air flow. Open all registers, remove the filter and put the fan to high speed. If the heat seems good and you have an analog thermostat it could be the heat anticipator is not set correctly. Analog thermostats have a small wire or coil of wire mounted near the mercury bulb or the bimetallic spring. It heats up a little to shut the heat off about a quarter to a half degree before the set point so it can glide to a stop. If it is set incorrectly it can shut off several degrees early. With the limited information you have provided those two suggestions are most likely but there could be any number of causes.


What's the name of automatic/self moving table equipments? There are some self/automatic moving home decor objects that oscillate like pendulum either kept in entrance drawing room or some office table.I think that they move without any power source (battery).
I want to buy them but not able to find out the name of these kind of products.

Those are Desktop Kinetic Sculptures. You'll have to click "visit website" for the sculpture(s) you like for dimensions or to see if it's a retailer. But, I'm pretty sure they're just in specialty shops now.


Thermostat Where Do The Two Wires From Condenser Go? First let me say that I'm a newbie and have zero electrical experience. I'm an IT Guy and thought "Hey, its electronic, so I can probably figure it out."

WRONG

I appreciate any feedback/suggestions you folks may offer.

I have installed a $20 Honeywell thermostat and the air blows, but not cold. The AC Unit wont kick on outside. This only happened after I installed this new STAT. I have a 5 wire bundle and an additional 2 wire bundle.

5 Wire Colors:

G - Fan
R - Return
W - Heating
Y - Cooling
B - Common

2 Wire Colors:

R - ??
W - ??

As you can see from my photos, I have connected 4 of the 5 wires, based on the obvious W to W, R to R, etc etc markings. I do not know if I need to hook up the black. I am almost sure that the reason I do not have the AC Unit kicking on, is due to the 2 wire red and white not being connected.

My question is, where do the 2 wire red and white wires connect on the Thermostat?

Again, I really appreciate you folks taking the time to reply

RLTW

Everything at the furnace looks good.

There seems to be an extra cable at the thermostat, which might be an old abandoned two wire thermostat cable.

You'll also notice the C wire just hanging out, which should be either used or capped off.

besides that, everything looks good at the thermostat too.

I'd investigate where that abandoned cable goes. I'd start by looking in/near the furnace. But based on what you've shown, I wouldn't suspect the problem is with the wiring.


loosening tan-colored thread-lock compound on black-iron pipe I need to replace the 4 gallon Amtrol expansion tank on my hydronic heating system. The tank is threaded into a black-iron 90-degree fitting; whoever installed it originally used a tan-colored thread-lock compound. I cannot get the tank to budge with a pair of 12-inch channel lock pliers. I've tried a hefty adjustable wrench and tapping the wrench with a hammer. No joy.

Do some of these thread-lock compounds respond to a bit of heat?

That's probably old gas/water thread compound, and not a thread locker. It could also be plumber's putty, which does tend to get quite hard.

Solvent probably won't do you any good, and you've presumably had some heat in it already. You could try heating it locally with a torch. What remains after that is ever-larger wrenches.

Good luck.


How to prevent wall-mounted TV above fireplace from getting hot? The place I just moved in to has a wall-mounted TV above the fireplace. However, I'm not sure how the previous residents dealt with the fact that the bottom of the TV gets very hot. Maybe the TV (which they left) is capable of handling the heat? I'm considering adding a shelf to block the heat, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Here's one from IKEA that I considered: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70221461/ but it's made of glass, so it might be dangerous. Another possibility is one made of wood. Any suggestions?

I see this has been asked before but the answers do not seem satisfactory:

Here is a picture of my wall-mounted TV:

A shelf or mantle is what I've read is usually done for the purpose of protecting the TV.

Comment: TV above a fireplace is absolutely the worst place to put one. Not just for heat reasons but, ergonomically, it should be placed at eye level for most comfortable viewing.


Potbelly stove standing on hardwood floor directly I am about to acquire a potbelly stove and was wondering if I should make a tiled platform for it to stand on or is it OK to have it stand on hardwood floor directly.  The legs provide quite a bit of clearance from the floor, seems like.  Will it be bad for the hardwood to have the stove standing on it or should I make a tiled area?

There are code requirements on this. NFPA 211 is the code section you probably are looking for. The stove will either be UL listed and certified and have specific clearance and hearth requirements mentioned in its installation manual or be unlisted. So when we consult the manual for the Vogelzang Cast Iron Pot Belly Stove, Model# PB65XL, this kind of leaps out at you.

THIS STOVE IS NOT A UL LISTED STOVE

Unlisted stoves start having all sorts of requirements like having a fire resistant hearth underneath that extends 18" out in all directions from the stove perimeter, 36" clearance from the wall unless heat shielding is installed.

Sheet metal below the stove is not sufficient.

The hearth has to be a material that can give you protection from the floor and underlying structure igniting, usually sheet metal over the top of masonry and the stove must be constructed such that the firebox is 6" or more above the surface.

So, returning to the manual for this stove, we find:

  The stove must be placed on solid concrete, solid masonry, or when
  installed on a combustible floor a solid surface floor protector
  listed to UL1618 Type 2 with a minimum of 1" thick and a R-value of
  3.0 or greater, such as Hy-C or Imperial Model UL 5463BK must be used.

  (NOTE: To calculate R-values of equivalent alternative materials, see page 15).

  The base must extend at least 18" beyond the front, rear and sides of
  the stove, and must extend underneath and 2" beyond each side of
  horizontal connector pipe if it is elbowed towards a wall (see figure
  5 and consult local building codes and fire protection ordinances.

One such item that may fill the bill is the HY-C Floor Protector/Wall Board.

HY-C Floor Protector Manual for installation.

If you decide to DIY your floor protector, it basically has to be usable as an open hearth (resist 2 hour burn) and consists of a 2" thick firebrick platform overlaid with 24ga. min thickness sheet steel that extends out 18" from all sides of the stove. It also has to extend under the pipe to the wall.

Note: Depending on where you live, not properly installing a wood stove or not getting installation permits where required will void your home-owner's insurance where loss by fire started by the installation occurs.


My Philips TV turns on only after I plug it out many times. How can I fix it? I have a 42PFL3507H/12 Philips TV which I bought in 2012. It hasn't been working fine for a couple of months now. It won't turn on normally when I press the power button either on the remote or on the screen. I have to plug it out of power and back in five to ten times before I can turn it on.

I have searched through the internet but none of the solutions worked. I have tried plugging it out of power and leaving like that for a while. I have updated the software to the latest version. I have even taken it to the certified Philips TV service, but the repairman said that it worked perfectly fine when he tried to turn it on, although he did not show me that it works fine so I'm a bit sceptical because it still doesn't work at home.

What else can I do?

Inside an LCD TV, there are effectively just a few major components:

LCD matrix
Backlight
Power supply
Backlight driver (aka, high voltage power supply)
Main board
Video board
T-Con board
Speakers
Buttons
IR Receiver

Some of these items may be combined with others (control board and video board might be the same) or not used (backlight driver usually only needed for CCFL backlights).

Let's work through that list and assess the probability of each component causing the problem you have described.

Your LCD matrix is probably fine. A failure here probably wouldn't stop the TV from otherwise powering on. A failed backlight probably wouldn't either.
A bad power supply might work enough to turn on the red light you mentioned in a comment, but fail to respond to a power-on command. A failed power supply is a likely candidate.
Your TV does not have a high voltage power supply.
The main board is responsible for receiving your power-on command and controlling the power-on sequence. A failed main board is also a likely candidate.
Your TV does not have a separate video board.
A failed T-Con board is not likely to cause your problem. And I don't think your TV has one.
There is a small chance that a shorted speaker is triggering a short-circuit protection mechanism, causing the TV to immediately power off. I would consider this unlikely.
When the TV does work, you state you are able to turn it on using the on-board buttons and the remote, and when it doesn't work neither of them work. Therefore we can rule out the button board and the IR received.

There is a small chance that if you open up the TV and remove the power supply board, you might be able to identify a failed component and replace it. More likely you will have to replace the entire board.


When, if at all, are Insulation Resistance (or Megger) tests on an electrical system useful? I had some close (though not direct) lightning strikes that fried some electronics and appliances (computer, TV, AC, modem, router, spread across several circuits) over several years / storms.

I had some electricians out to to give quotes to install a whole-home surge protector and redo the grounding, in hopes of preventing these issues in the future, and asked what else could be done. Some recommended a Megger test, and they said it would show if the wiring was damaged by the surges. They also said it was ~$150 per circuit (my panel has ~20 circuits), and I'd have to unplug everything from the circuit (including receptacles, tying together the wires in the boxes). On top of that, if anything showed amiss in the test, they said they wouldn't be able to restore the circuit until the affected wiring was replaced - potentially the entire branch circuit.

Because of the extreme cost and effort, I wound up not doing it. I haven't been able to find much information about these tests. So, my question(s) is (are), are they actually useful? When would a homeowner typically get this test done? Is it typical or recommended to meg test all of the circuits, or just some?

I would be more worried about fused breaker contacts and damaged breakers from the lightning surge. I can't say whether or not lightning damaged your wire insulation but megging isn't a guarantee either. $150 per circuit is highway robbery. Sure there is labor involved but no more than a few hours at most.

As for the circuit breakers, depending on your panel box, it might be cheaper to replace them than bother testing them. Testing requires calibrated equipment which is expensive and not in a standard electricians tool box. They are only a few bucks each anyway.

The important question is how long ago was your last lightning strike? If it was years ago and everything has been working properly, I'd leave it alone.

I was the victim of a strike some years back. An old TV antenna on the chimney  was struck. The surge blew out my TV, PC and a few wall warts. Thankfully the devices that were blown were switching supplies with enough isolation that the surge blew the mains side. The TV and PC required new power supplies. The wall warts were cheap. Didn't bother megging anything as the current took the short path through my TV and computer. Did all the work myself.

My "forensic analysis" revealed the antenna wiring allowed the surge current to go through an antenna amplifier to the 120V outlet and on to other appliances. I had the antenna removed when the roof was redone that same year so its a non issue now. I also bought a bunch of quality name brand surge protectors for my more sensitive/expensive appliances.

How do you protect your home from lightning?
If you have/need an antenna, get a good lightning arrestor on the line with a very secure connection to ground. Same goes for coax cable for cable TV and the like. And by secure, I mean a wire ran right to a ground rod or water main. Not some jenky "wrap wire around the nearest pipe looking thing" I see a lot of cable techs make. It's also helpful to get a ground line from a rod ran to the antenna. Give the surge current the fastest, low impedance path to ground. Use green #10 gauge wire for the antenna/cable wires and #6 bare copper for the antenna mast. Next up is to ensure your electric service is properly grounded. You may need to hire an electrician for this. Ensure the panel is properly bonded and all ground wires are in fact connected. Next up is to make sure all of your pipes are also bonded and grounded. Things like jumpers for gas, heating and water pipes. And if you are in a very strike prone area, perhaps lightning rods on the roof would be a good idea. Buy quality surge arrestor outlet strips or wall adapters; no low price junk 99 cent store specials. And finally, a whole house arrestor isn't a bad idea either as long as it is a good name brand.


What material to use to fill 4' x 4' window hole for soundproofing? In my apartment, it is not very loud but in the mornings I can hear occasional lawn equipment, people talking, occasional dogs barking, and cars outside the window.

I put 4 blankets over the window and that helped a lot (if I were to guess, ~10% to 20% improvement, maybe more). However, what I would like to do is seal in the 4 foot x 4 foot window hole with some sort of soundproofing material. I could then put the blankets over top that for additional benefit!

Obviously with an unlimited budget, MLV (mass loaded vinyl) like 20 or 50 layers inside the window frame and also layer the whole wall with like 100 layers. Yeah, that would do it. But my budget is not $100,000 lol. I want to spend under $100, ideally under $50. Several layers of 4 foot by 4 foot of mass loaded vinyl is too expensive, that would cost hundreds of dollars.

I thought of using this Owens Corning Foamular 250 4' x 8' x 2" from home depot, but when I googled, someone else had exactly the same idea and the response to them was that it will have almost zero effect (1 or 2 decibels, which is basically nothing).

I tried to google sound deadening foam like Auralex but was unable to find any prices.

I also considered getting some drywall/sheetrock and gluing a couple together with green glue as a "window plug".

I also considered getting some sound deadening plexiglass and sealing that in there. If that were possible I could have light also instead of a permanently dark room! It would be my favorite solution.

I also considered using weather stripping around the edges rather than caulk for an easily removable solution.

What would be the best solution for my situation?

Summary:

Need to soundproof 4' x 4' sunk in window in apartment. I am an extremely light sleeper.
Solution cannot be permanent (it is an apartment). Would consider semi-permanent solutions. Can't put up a separate wall.
I care more about sound proofing than light transmission.
Desire more dramatic improvement than 4 hanging quilts and blankets can provide.
Budget under $50, may be able to stretch to $100. If solution is extremely amazing then maybe a little more.

I recommend going to the home centers and purchasing a  4'x8'x2" sheet of expanded polystyrene.  This is a very good sound deadener. Cut it to fit tightly. It costs about $20.  It is also a great heat and cooling insulator.  It will totally block the light.  It is extremely light weight.  If you take care of it, it will last forever.  Easy to take in and out.  Easy to store.  Plug any cracks with rags and tissue paper.


What size wire and panel should I use for a garage subpanel? I have a 100 amp service run from my main 200 amp service at house run to pool building. I want to run electric from pool building underground to a detached garage. I'm wondering what size wire to run and what amp panel in garage. Garage would use some lights,door opener and run 120 v equipment such as air compressor,flux welder, small propane reznor heater and table saw, typically not all at the same time

You haven't stated much about the subpanel in the pool building, and it would be nice to have 100A in the garage given the plans you have, and the plans automakers have for future vehicles.

So I would simply extend the pool circuit as 100A.  You can do that with lugging only - you won't need to add a bulky circuit breaker in the potentially small pool panel, since the 100A main panel breaker feeding the pool will also protect the run to the garage, being all 100A.

100A feeder is typically #1 Aluminum, unless you own a copper mine, in which case #3 copper will suffice.  I'm not a fan of copper because most splice lugs and subpanel lugs are zinc plated aluminum, and why introduce dissimilar metals and pay more for the privilege?

On the garage panel,  I see a need for at least 14 spaces (assuming you graduate to 240V compressor, table saw and welder, plus 4 120V circuits plus two 240V EV chargers.  The worst mistake you can make is short yourself on breaker spaces, so think big - like 30 spaces.  You do need a shutoff switch in the garage subpanel, and usually people just select main-breaker panels but the amp rating doesn't matter. 30 space panels typically have 150-200A main breakers, which is fine.

Never rely on 'double-stuff' breakers to solve full-panel problems.  Most breakers these days need to be AFCI and/or GFCI, and those are simply not available in double-stuff.

It would sure be nice if the pool panel had "thru lugs" for onward connection to the garage.  Think about changing the pool panel for one with thru lugs.


Fluidmaster toilet fill valve not shutting off water My toilet was leaking water continuously into the bowl.  I thought I had a bad fill valve and replaced it with a new Fluidmaster fill valve.  Unfortunately the problem persisted.  When the float reaches the level where it should stop water flow it does stop water flowing out of the tube into the tank.  However water till leaks into the tank in some manner which I cannot figure out.  Eventually the water level will reach the height of the overflow tube and begin to spill into the toilet bowl.  I have tried moving the float lower down to see what happens and found that water will continue to flow into the tank even to the point where the float is totally submerged.  Any suggestions?

You need to turn off the water supply at the stop valve, gently prise open the Fluidmaster fill valve by gripping the valve "riser" (to keep it from turning) and rotate the upper valve housing CCW 1/4 turn, to open and tip it away from the riser, exposing the washer/diaphragm. Barely crack the supply valve open a bit to allow water to flow up the riser to flush debris out, using the flowing water to bathe the washer/diaphragm and flush away debris caused by your maintenance activities.

Reassemble and live in peace.


Bed bug crawling - Prescience Is it possible for bed bugs to crawl but not bite when they are in their younger stages? Recently, every time I lay my hands or legs on a particular piece of furniture (a wooden chair) in my house, I can feel a crawling sensation. To eliminate the possibility that this is a phantom itch, I also called a friend to independently verify this. Though I can't see anything visible to the naked eye, I was wondering if this could be the indications of a mild bed bug infestation. Is there anything that I can do to detect bedbugs "at this stage"? I know there are a lot of DIY suggestions in this site for detection post infestation.

Wood isn't going to harbor bedbugs. Upholstery might, but if this is your trigger I would bet dollars to donuts that this is simply autosuggestion.

When I was a kid, I had my brother conditioned to the point where I just said "ants" and he'd start to itch, whether ants were possible or not... It really isn't hard to convince yourself that you might feel something when nothing is there, or to convince others by suggesting the idea to them... even unintentionally by scratching more than usual.

(My most successful bit of suggestion was many years later, as a college student. I'd learned a bit about self-hypnosis, and I'd learned that under some circumstances I could distort my vision by deliberately misinterpreting perspective. When I was particularly bored, I would sometimes "levitate" an object by momentarily convincing myself that it was a bit closer to me than it actually was, and therefore had to be floating over the floor or table rather than sitting on it. One day some friends and I were in a restaurant, waiting for our order, and I started playing with this... and one of them noticed me staring fixedly at the salt shaker, with my body language suggesting that I was pulling upward on it, and for a moment got caught in the illusion. Shocked the heck out of him...)


Chain specs for lifting stumps with farm jack? A farm jack & chain can be used to lift out shrub stumps, it's just not obvious what length & strength of chain makes sense. I purchased a farm jack online and a 14 foot length of 3/8" grade 43 chain at a big box store. Made a tripod ( as seen in several YouTube videos ) with 2x4 & 1/2" bolt.

The chain, however, seems way too big for the job. We had some tree guys in a few weeks ago who took out several shrub stumps with a farm jack arrangement - their chain looked smaller and easier to work with.

Question: I'd like to know what would be a better choice for chain than the monster I've got for hoisting shrub roots, not tree stumps.

( This is a duplicate of a question at gardening.stackexchange.com, where posting here was suggested.)

Photo:

Chains come in different grades - those available in hardware stores are not the same as those designed for high loads.

Some chains as used for pulling car frames straight after an accident for ecampke are rated in tons and have welded links & they have a plate with the rating on.

Be very careful - a chain can break under load and you don’t want to stop one of the flying bits...


Tools and feasibility of tearing down a wooden shed held together by nails Is it possible to DIY tear down a wooden shed held together by nails?

I have a hammer and crowbar.

What other tools do I need?

It looks like this shed except I already tore down the door and I've emptied out all the coal and rocks inside. This is just an example shed I found online.

Absolutely doable, though it may take a while.

If your goal is to end up with wood that is usable for another project, then hammer and crowbar are the right tools. If your goal is simply to remove the shed and toss everything in a Dumpster, then a cutting tool such as a Sawzall:

will make the project much easier.

If you plan to reuse the wood, then removing nails is important and pliers or vise grips would help a lot. If you plan to burn the wood then:

Removing nails is important
If the wood is old & painted then lead paint is a big concern. Actually, any paint could be a problem but lead paint would be a major hazard.
If the wood is pressure treated then burning is not advisable.


Side penetration on an underground pull box? Can you make a side penetration in an underground quazite pull box 25"x30"x12"? If yes or no what codes back it up?

These pull boxes are open bottom (most of them) and are meant to have the underground conduits elbowed up into them since they're only 12" deep. Some might have side knockouts but I haven't run across any. The sides aren't intended to have holes knocked out in them. hope this helps. I don't have code backup, only installation backup.


How do I use a stopper-borer? I need to bore a small hole in a rubber stopper (bung) like this:

I have a set of tools called stopper-borers like these:

But I can't figure out how to use them. Simply pressing on the borer doesn't get me very far as the rubber is hard enough to resist the sharp end of the tool, but soft enough to absorb the pressure I apply and simply deform momentarily.

The tools didn't come with any instructions and I can't find any on the web. Does anyone have any experience using stopper-borers on rubber stoppers?

The idea is that you have to slice, not push. Also these do not work for silicone rubber stoppers, they do work for natural rubber and cork stoppers.

Well, I should say under human power. If you take the handle off the tube end of the borer and put it into a drill, like a bit, and use it that way, you will be able to drill through the silicone bungs.

Important Use lubrication, other wise you won't even get close to making a hole. It would be like trying to go down a slide made of velco while wearing a sweater.


Sump pump only turns on when I open the lid - working ok? I noticed some damp patches and mold in our basement recently after some heavy rain so I opened the sump pump lid. When I opened the lid, the water level was at a very high level:

However, immediately after opening the lid, the pump turned on for about a minute and the water level dropped by about a foot and a half:

(The white pipe is the dehumidifier exhaust.)
I tried this a couple more times over the next day and the same thing happened. I asked two plumbers about this. The first said that the float on my sump pump is getting caught and only releases when I opens the lid. The second said the sump pump is working as it's supposed to and the float needs to be fully upside down before it turns on. They both said replacing the sump pump with a different model (both mentioned the Zoeller M57) would make it turn on at a lower water level. But the second cautioned this would mean the sump pump would run much more often.
My questions are:

Is the sump pump float working correctly?
Should I should replace the sump pump with the different model?

Thanks!

It's likely that the flexible output hose is interfering with the pump float. When you close the lid the hose flexes into an S shape, laying on  top of the float.
The best solution is to eliminate the flexible hose in that area and replace it with rigid pipe, but you can also secure the hose in such a way that it can't settle like that. Make sure the lid is installed with the hose to the opposite side of the pail from the float.
One thing I've done is to use a couple bricks in the bottom of the pail to maintain the pump's location. If it vibrates its way over to one side the float can get stuck that way as well. Put some bricks below the float area to prevent that.
Were that my home I'd get a garden hose down there and flush/scrub all that algae out of the pail and off the equipment. It can't be smelling too great. Flush the area until the water is clear, and remove any large debris that remains.
At the start of the dry months, when the groundwater is no longer flowing, lift the float and hold it until you hear the pump suck air. This will dramatically reduce future scuzz growth. You could also pour a small amount of chlorine bleach in there.


single zone house with forced hot water only heating on one side I have a single zone in my house with forced hot water only heating on one side of the house.  What am I doing wrong?  I have bled the pipes many times and still not heat on one side of the house

99.5% you need to bleed somewhere you haven't found yet, or you need to bleed more. It's almost always an air bubble.

0.3% there's a misadjusted valve to blame. If you don't know what a balancing valve looks like it may not be obvious that it is a valve.

0.2% there's an actual blockage. I've seen a 1/2" pipe elbow that had less than 1/16" space for flow due to some VERY enthusiastic soldering (it was nearly plugged with solder), in the bizarre examples line. But this is chasing the tiny odds.

Another possible blockage - if it got really cold before you turned the heat on, there's a frozen section on the one side. In some houses that's more like 25% odds due to terrible heating system design and poor insulation.

If you can't sort it yourself, calling in a pro can make sense before things DO freeze up.


Power outlets near service entrance I want to install a 50 amp circuit breaker in the service entrance box and put the 4 wire 220 outlet for my welder right below the service entrance. I will be using a 50 ft extension to reach my welder when I use it. Is there any concerns with this type of installation? It is too difficult to run the heavy cable through the walls and over the ceiling to the location where my welder is located, but I don't use it that often. The service entrance is only about 3 ft off the floor next to the garage door and the entrance to the main house. Are there any potential issues with such an installation?

Panels at your service entrance can be all sorts of things.  Meter only, meter and main breaker, meter and several breakers and spaces, etc.

From your comment it sounds like yours is the kind with several breaker spaces.

Sure, throw a 2-pole breaker in there, come out a knockout with either conduit or cable, and go down to a junction box with a 14-50 receptacle.  Myself, I would use a steel box and steel conduit nipple to connect them, then use THWN-2 wire (omitting ground since the steel conduit is the ground).

You'll need #6 copper wire for this, either THWN-2 wire in conduit, or 6/3UF cable or other outdoor-rated cable w/ground.  Don't use Romex/NM.

You can use #8 if you want to, but then you'll need to make the breaker 40A.  That is legal on a 50A socket because of a Code exception.  Given the very short wire run, I wouldn't bother scrimping on the cost of wire.

The cable around to your welder needs to be #6 cordage such as SJOOW.  If you already bought #8, change the breaker to 40A.  You cannot make extension cords out of NM, UF or any other cable meant for use inside walls or burial.  It is too brittle and not made to resist physical damage.